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It had been approximately one and a half vargas since Allura sent Lance and Keith on their mission; help the prisoner held captive in this base. They maneuvered throughout the Galra occupied planet in search of the prisoner. Watching each other's back as they snuck their way to the prison cells.
“Are you sure you know where you're going?” Lance looked around a corner before continuing to walk.
“I looked over the map Pidge gave us like ten times Lance, I know where we're going.” Keith followed behind Lance.
“Okay, but what if-”
“Lance! Trust me, I know where we're going. We're almost there just a few more turns.”
“Okay.” Lance held his bayard close to his chest before dropping it. “I'll trust you.”
“Good, now hide.” Keith pushed Lance into a hallway to hide from the sentinels that were passing by.
“Usually when I'm pinned to a wall I'd expect it to be romantic, but this is the exact opposite.” Lance tried to hide his nervousness. Keith had one hand on Lance’s chest and the other against the wall.
“Sorry,” Keith pulled away. “Now let's go before we get caught.”
“Y-yeah,” Lance’s voice cracked as he put his hand where Keith’s was.
“We should be able to reach the cell before the next sentinels pass by.” Keith lead Lance through the remaining halls before they reached the door.
“Is this it?” Lance looked at the lock on the door. “Keith give me your hand.”
“Lance, I am more than capable of moving my own hand.”
“Well come on we don't have all day.”
“Well don't rush me and we might get through this faster.”
“I'm rushing you so you can go faster.”
“Lance!”
“I’m sorry, I just want to get through this mission. It’s bad enough that I screw up any chance I get, I don’t want to mess this up too.” Lance took off his helmet. “I want to be just as important as everyone else on the team. Shiro, Allua, Coran, Pidge, Hunk, and even you.”
“Lance,” Keith sighed, “you’re just as important as anyone else on this team.” He placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder.
“Well it doesn’t feel like it.” Lance looked into Keith’s eyes. “Tell me what I’ve done that proves I don’t bring the team down.”
“This isn’t exactly the right place to talk about this Lance.” Keith looked around to find a safer place to talk with Lance. He found a small room and pulled Lance towards it, closing the door behind him. He took his helmet off and looked at Lance. “Do you remember the day we found the blue lion?”
“Yes.”
“Out of the five of us, Blue chose you. You brought us all here. You brought us to Allura and Coran. Lance we wouldn’t be a team without you.”
“But what if that was a mistake? What if I wasn't supposed to be the blue paladin? What if the real blue paladin is somewhere on Earth right now?”
“Lance you're underestimating your own potential.” Keith placed his hand back onto Lance’s shoulder. “You are part of Voltron. Allura, Coran, Pidge, Shiro, and Hunk all are part of this team that you brought together. Even me, hotheaded Keith Kogane, the Galran-human hybrid, am part of the team. We would be here saving lives, saving the universe, without you.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes,” Keith laughed softly, “and we're not complete without you. I'm not complete without you. Keith and Lance, neck and neck, remember?”
“It's actually ‘Lance and Keith, neck and neck.’ Lance goes before Keith.”
“There’s the Lance I know. Now let’s get this mission over with.” Keith let his hand fall before turning around. “We can have a better talk when we get back to the castle.”
“Okay.” Lance followed Keith as they left the room and opened the prison cell.
They entered together as an unknown alien walked to meet them. They turned around both jumping at the sight of the unknown person staring at them.
“Are you Setret,” Keth asked as backed away. He closed the cell door to avoid being caught.
“You are the paladins of Voltron, so the legends are true. The Galran Empire will finally be defeated.”
“Woah, how do you know who we are,” Lance questioned.
“I see in your minds, I know all you know. Galran, why do you fight against your own kind?”
“The Galra are not my kind. I fight the empire that enslaved hundreds of innocent lives.” Keith took off his helmet.
“Galra blood runs through you, but you see yourself as human. You fight to come closer to the answers you seek, I see this. But at this moment you think of only one thing, and the same to you.”
Both Lance and Keith look at each other questionably.
“When your eyes meet, you only think of each other. Your minds grow empty merely leaving the thoughts of each other.”
Keith and Lance looked at Setret wide-eyed.
“You do not deny this. Not verbally, nor mentally. Why hide your thoughts from the other if they are mutually shared?”
The three stared at each other. Neither Keith nor Lance not knowing how to deal with the situation they were put into.
“Okay, I think it’s time to go.” Keith broke the silence between the three and turned towards the door. “We need to get back to the castle.”
“Oh yeah, Allura is waiting.” Lance followed Keith. “Setret, stay close behind. This place is guarded heavily.”
“They have yet to discover you are here. I see us escaping without a problem is plausible.” Setret raised his hand to his eyes. “But you know this, you believe in each other’s abilities.”
“Hurry the way we entered is around here.” Keith walked slower and waited for Lance and Setret to catch up. “Lance, do you want to take him on Blue or do you want me to take him on Red?”
“I will go with the Blue Paladin.”
“I guess we’ll listen to Mr. Know-it-all here. I’ll take him on Blue.”
“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Keith lead the way out of the base, maneuvering out of sight of any sentinel that passed. Once they reached their lions They separated “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Keith.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re actually great team, you and I.”
“I know. Now let’s go.”
Lance and Setret went aboard the blue lion and took off. Keith, in the red lion, followed behind.
“Why hide what you feel from the one you long for?”
“Who Keith? We’re just friends.”
“You say that, but you mind tells me otherwise. You hide the truth from even yourself.”
“Okay stop reading my mind or whatever, it’s getting creepy.”
“Once again you do not deny your thoughts.”
“So what? Alright I like Keith, no big deal.”
“Do you know what he feels towards you?”
“We’re just friends, teammates, that’s it.”
“Keith, Lance, how are you two doing out there?” Shiro’s voice came through Lance’s receiver.
“We got through in one piece and heading back to the castle,” Keith’s reply followed.
“Good because Pidge, Hunk, and I reached the castle already.”
“Yeah, we beat you guys for once,” Pidge interrupted.
“Haha, yeah, we totally beat you,” Hunk joined in.
“Lance, Keith. Allura is about to open the wormhole, be ready to go through,” Coran warned the two.
“Okay, we finally call this mission accomplished.” Lance prepared himself to go through the wormhole.
“No, not until we go through the wormhole Lance,” Keith rebutled
“Not until we crossed the wormhole,” Lance mocked.
“Stop it you two the wormhole will only be open for 20 ticks, so hurry.” Allura finally spoke up as the wormhole opened.
“Don’t worry princess, we’ve got this,” Lance reassured.
“Oh yeah, then why aren’t you going through the wormhole.” Keith turned Red and looked at Blue.
Lance yelled as he began to rush toward the wormhole. “I wasn’t ready no fair.”
“You were trying to impress the Galran,” Setret spoke up.
“Hush you, Keith doesn’t need to know that.”
As soon as they crossed, and exited, the wormhole, the two lions landed safely in the castle. Lance, Keith, and Setret go out and were greeted by the other paladins.
“Princess Allura.” Setret bowed the moment Allura drew close.
“Setret.” Allura bowed in return. “It has been a while since we last seen each other.”
“My deepest condolences towards the loss of your father.”
“It was for the best.” Allura smiled. “Setret, these are the new paladin’s of Voltron. Shiro, the black paladin. Hunk, the yellow paladin. And Pidge, the green paladin. You have met Keith and Lance.”
“Yes, I have. Now the reason you brought me here, you need my guidance.”
“Yes, follow me and we can talk. Coran come with us.”
“Yes Princess.” Coran began to walk with Allura and Setret.
“Paladin’s get some rest you will all train after you recover from your missions.,” Allura called out as she walked away.
“Alright guys, you heard her. We need to get some rest.” Shiro removed his helmet.
“Come on Shiro, we just got back can’t we at least get a chance to have some fun.” Pidge took off her helmet as well.
“Yeah, Lance and Keith and tell us how their second mission together went,” Hunk laughed.
“Well, I think it went well.” Keith took off his helmet.
“Even the part where you totally said you dig me?” Lance looked at Keith smiling after he took off his helmet.
“He said what,” Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge all asked at the same time.
“Yeah, Keith and I were hiding from the guard in this room, so we started taking. At first it was just about some of the generic conversations, then about being part of the team and junk. Then some time later, Keith said he isn’t complete without me. He practically confessed his feelings for me. Isn’t that right-”
Lance couldn’t finish his sentence because Keith had grabbed Lance by the collar and pulled him towards himself, connecting their lips.
The others watched in shock as this played out before them.
Keith pulled away after a few second and looked Lance in the eyes. “You talk too much.” Keith let lance go and walked towards his room. “See you all later.”
Lance stood there in complete shock as blood rushed to his cheeks.
“Lance, I thought you were the blue paladin,” Pidge laughed
“I-I am,” Lance replied confused.
“No, right now you’re the red paladin. Like really red,” Hunk began to laugh as well.
“Guys leave him alone, he just found out his crush likes him back.” Shiro tried not to laugh as Lance looked to where Keith walked away.
“I’ll be back.” Lance walked towards Keith’s room leaving behind Hunk and Pidge laughing.
As soon as Lance reached Keith’s room, he raised his hand to his lips. A small smile formed before knocking at the door. As soon as it opened, Lance’s and Keith’s eyes met.
“Took you long enough to get here.”
“Can-can you do that again?”
“Do what,” Keith asked pretending not to know.
“You know, the kiss.”
“Oh, that little thing? You want me to do that again?”
Lance nodded sheepishly not knowing how else to ask.
“So like this.” Keith slightly pulled Lance down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Keith,” Lance whines.
“Or.” Keith pulls Lance lower and reconnects their lips. He pulled away and whispered, “Like that?”
Lance was left speechless once again.
“Lance, are you okay.”
“I really like you,” Lance blurted out. “And not just like, but like like.”
“Can I tell you something, I do too.” Keith smiled reaching out for Lance’s hand. “So can we continue that talk we were having earlier?”
“Do I get to hold your hand the entire time?”
“Sure.” Keith laced their fingers together. “How’s that?”
“Perfect.” Lance smiled before softly laughing. “I can’t help but feel this is like a dream.”
“If this is a dream, I hope you never wake up.”
“Well if this was a dream, I would hope I never wake up either.”