The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel your emotions, then continue your day. The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel your emotions, then continue your day. The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel your emotions, then continue your day. The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel your emotions, then continue your day. The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel your emotions, then continue your day. The best way to calm yourself is to let yourself feel...

That was what his mama always told him. Let yourself be mad, or upset, or depressed, then get over it and leave your problems behind you. So that's what he was doing: repeating the mantra over and over, crying his eyes out in his room and hoping to expell the horrible homesickness deep inside him.

The feeling had started as soon as he had gotten up; a small, nagging tug in his gut. All morning, he couldn't figure out what it was. He went through breakfast, through his training, through lunch, and it wasn't until Pidge and Hunk were talking about their favorite things from Earth that he knew.

A sudden wave of saddness washed over him and he felt the overwhelming need to get rid of the painful lump in his throat. He abandoned the blanket and book with which he had been trying to distract himself and quietly slipped out of the lounge.

Running to his room as soon as he was out of sight, he shut his door and pulled out his phone. Of course, there wasn't any service or wifi in outer space, but his photo app still worked. He scrolled through old pictures of him and his family, swiping and swiping until he found the one he wanted.

The paladin now sniffled and felt a warm tear make its way down his tan cheek. He remember that day vividly.

A soft knock on his door had him jumping around just in time to see Coran opening the door. He hurriedly shoved his phone under his pillow.
Even though he knew the orange-haired man had surely seen his reddened eyes, he wiped them with his sleeve anyway. Lance looked down at his feet as Coran stepped in, and he felt a slight dip in the mattress as the man sat next to him.

There was a moment of silence, then, "Anything you want to talk about, my boy?"

Lance sniffled a little, swallowing the ever-growing lump in his throat.

"I-I'm fine, Coran."

He was quiet then, small sniffs the only sound he made. Coran sympathized with the boy.

Lance felt the warmth on his lower back and froze. The hand slowly started rubbing small circles, as if dissolving the dam Lance had built up in himself.

The paladin finally let out a harsh sob, then turned and collapsed against the man and allowed all his held-back tears to fall. Coran looked stunned for only a moment before he softened and wrapped both arms around the child.

Because that's what he knew they all forgot- that they were children; too young to be fighting in a battle not meant for them.

Lance's voice, muffled by Coran's shoulder, reached his pointed ears.

"I wa-was in the lounge, reading, an-and then I heard Pidge and Hunk, and they were talking about weather, and precipitation and all that st-stuff, and it made me think of one of my last days with my fa-family-" his voice broke on the word, "before I l-left for the Garrison, and... and now I really miss them. I miss my bro-others, and Veronica, my sister. And I miss mama and p-papa so much.

"But the universe needs us, and Voltron, s-so we can't go home yet." He hiccupped violently as he finished. He sucked in giant breaths, trying to calm himself.

"I'll b-be fine. It'll pass, and I'll be okay. It's stupid."

He reluctantly pulled away, putting on a weak smile that didn't fool Coran one bit. The advisor still kept his hand moving over the boy's back, hoping that he was providing at least a bit of comfort.

Coran knew well how Lance felt. His own homesickness plagued him at times, leaving him lonely and feeling as if he was missing a part of himself. Even with the Princess, who was like a surrogate daughter to him now, the man missed his family. Coran's wife and his two daughters were his whole world. The day all of Altea was destroyed, they vanished with it.

His heart ached for the boy.

"What was the last day you had with them, lad?" he asked softly.

Lance picked up his head, giving Coran a confused look.

"Why do you want to know about that?"

"I know how you're feeling, Lance, and I know that talking about it sometimes helps me," Coran replied. "I can help, if you wish. And I won't think it's stupid."

"Oh." Lance sniffled again. "Well, it... It was raining, but we went outside anyway. It was a fall day, and there were pretty colorful le-leaves everywhere. Big ones, falling off the trees. It was chilly, and w-wet, and cloudy; the best kind of weather. My siblings and H-Hunk and I all went out and splashed in puddles, th-threw leaves at each other, and climbed the old tree by the sidewalk. It was the most fun I'd had since we moved from Cuba, actually.

"Then afterward, Mama called us in. To get us all dry, she made a little fire in the woodstove and gave us all big blankets and hot cocoa. We watched old movies and Hunk stayed for dinner that night. And then we played board games until bedtime," Lance said with a fond smile and his blue eyes shimmering. "Playing in the rain that day had been the most fun I'd had in a while. I h-have a picture, too."

He reached under his pillow again, pulling out his phone. He found the photo again, and showed it to Coran.

Lance stood, drenched from the rain, but smiling. His left arm was looped around Hunk's shoulders, and his right one was on who Coran knew immediately was Veronica- Lance and the girl looked too much alike for it to be anyone else. Two little boys, sopping wet, grinned in front of them. Their shorts were muddy, and maybe torn in a few places, but they didn't care. Happiness radiated from every single smile in the photo, and Coran felt his mustache perk upwards as he couldn't help but smile with them.

"You have a beautiful family, Lance," Coran said. "I see why you miss them; you looked very happy with them."

"Yeah," Lance said softly, "they're my best friends, and the worst little siblings ever, at the same time."

The Altean chuckled as he remembered the mischief his little ones made for him and his wife. Vaguely, he recalled a morning that Arda and he had been awakened early, only to find that the girls had already made them 'breakfast'. It had taken them over an hour to scrub up all the pink goop the girls called pancakes that somehow had gotten on the ceiling.

"Thank you, Coran. I...I needed that," Lance said.

"Anytime, lad," the man replied. "Now. I was thinking about going to the kitchens to get some of Hunk's hot drink he made earlier. Care to join me?"

The paladin gave him a fond smile.

"Sure."