A/N: Was I abnormally upset when Luca died? Yes. Yes, I was. I was hoping for a rocky awakening, and I guess I should have been more careful of what I wished for.
Knowing that Romelle had left to clothes-shop with Allura and some of the other girls on base, Coran hoped that they would be back by then. He didn't want to waste precious time searching the city for them.
Luca had woken up, but she hadn't reacted to anything the doctors said or did to her. Afraid of what the Altean was capable of, Sam had ordered the doctors to leave her room while Coran hunted down Romelle in the hopes that a familiar face would bring some response from the silent young woman.
Coran tapped on the door and was called to open the door. As he entered, he saw that both girls had returned. Allura was holding an Earth dress against her body, grinning as she spun in a circle with Romelle clapping her on.
Coran found himself frozen. Allura's actions reminded him of when she was very young and still so innocent. When she would rush out to show him a new dress or hair ribbon and plead for him to tell her that it was pretty.
But now… now, Allura had grown into a beautiful young woman. For all the hardship he had inflicted upon Lance, Coran knew that the boy -young man- loved Allura. And with Allura's flushed cheeks and happy smile, it was easy to see that she felt the same.
Allura was growing up and soon… she would have no need of him to watch over her.
"Coran?"
Coran blinked and realized Allura and Romelle were staring at him worriedly.
"Ah, yes?" Coran asked, twirling his mustache to hide his distraction.
"Are you alright?" Allura asked. "You have been staring into space for a couple doboshes."
"I was? Oh, yes, I was." Coran cleared his throat. "Just lost in thought. Was your shopping trip a success?"
"Yes, it was!" In an instant, the happy smile was back on Allura's face. She started to turn, then paused. "Did you come to ask about the shopping trip?"
Coran could have smacked himself for getting so distracted. He shook away the lingering sad thoughts, and turned to Romelle.
"Luca just woke up," he told her.
Romelle's eyes lit up. "Really? I must see her, then!"
"She might not be the Luca you remember," Coran cautioned. "She hasn't said a word since she woke up, and she appears upset."
"It's just because she doesn't know where she is," Romelle said, sounding slightly uncertain. "She will be fine once it is explained."
"We were hoping she would listen to you," Coran said.
"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go!"
"I would like to see Luca as well," Allura said.
Romelle glanced at her. "What about your dinner with Lance?"
Coran's heart clenched at the mention, but he hid it for Allura's sake. Allura thought for a few ticks before speaking.
"I will visit briefly, then get ready. Lance will understand if I am late."
Coran nodded. "Let's go to her, then."
When they reached the med bay, Luca's room was empty except for her. Romelle entered the room, and Allura followed her in. Although Coran was curious about the Altean, he didn't want to overwhelm her and moved to the observation deck where Sam and a couple doctors waited.
"Has she said anything?" Coran asked.
"Nothing," Sam said. "But look."
Luca had turned her face away from her tucked knees to acknowledge Romelle, which was the most that Coran had seen her do. Coran started to smile, then frowned when he realized what was being said.
"You abandoned us, Romelle," Luca practically snarled. "And for the paladins of Voltron, the very ones who killed our savior Lotor."
"No, it's not like that!" Romelle protested, sounding close to tears.
"You've sided with the great destroyers!" Luca accused. The monitor beside her was beeping rapidly.
"Something's happening," Sam said. "Someone, get in-"
"No," Coran said. "If anyone else goes in there now, you'll only make her more upset."
"They are not destroyers," Romelle said. "Allura-"
"Is a paladin of Voltron, not one of us," Luca interrupted. "She's told us all their lies. She's going to fix it all. She'll reunite us with Lotor, with Altea."
"Who?" Allura interjected. "Altea is gone, as is Lotor! No one can bring them back!"
Luca smirked. "You have no idea the power that Honerva-"
As soon as Luca spoke the name, she let out a gasp. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating. The monitor let out a harsh beep as her vitals plummeted.
"Luca!" Romelle cried.
Luca collapsed backward, but Allura rushed up and caught her. Luca was unresponsive as Allura bowed her head and her markings began to glow.
"What-" Sam started to move, but Coran halted him.
"It is up to Allura to help her."
Allura's face clenched in concentration. She grunted, then made a harsh rising motion with one hand. A dark, palm-sized mass materialized from Luca's forehead. It zipped around Luca a couple times, then shot under the door and into the hall before anyone could respond. Sam quickly brought up a security feed that showed the mass squeeze out of a window, then vanish outside.
"What was that?" one of the doctors asked.
"I don't know, but look!" Coran said, pointing into the room.
Luca's pulse had leveled out. Allura relaxed, while Luca's eyes squeezed shut. Luca gave a few shuddering pants, then her eyes snapped open. With an outraged cry, she shoved Allura away.
"What did you do?!" Luca demanded, sitting up.
"I saved your life!" Allura shot back.
Romelle reached out. "Luca…"
Luca slapped the hand away. "I can't feel her!"
"I had to!" Allura said. "She was killing you!"
"No!" Luca cried, face markings beginning to glow red-orange. "Honerva saved us! She would not hurt us!"
Before anyone could attempt to calm her, Luca pressed her hands together. They started to glow with energy. Allura barely had time to pull Romelle to her chest and draw her hands in front of them, then Luca let out a wild burst of energy. Allura diverted it from herself and Romelle, but all the electronics in the room sparked and turned off.
The lights in the observation room flickered and a few screens flickered off. Sam glanced at Coran.
"How about now?"
"Keep everyone out!" Coran ordered, before dashing from the room.
Coran ran the short distance down the hall, then threw open the door to the medical room, where the situation had only grown worse.
Luca was gathering energy in her hands again, and Allura was glowing with her own power for a counter-attack. Romelle huddled behind Allura, defenseless on her own.
"Stop!" Coran yelled.
Allura startled, the glow dissipated from her body. Luca started at his shout, but kept the energy in her hands. Romelle, surprisingly, didn't bolt, but peeked out from behind Allura.
"Stop fighting," Coran said, directing his scolding gaze at Allura. "Luca needs quiet, not fighting."
Allura sputtered. "She attacked!"
Coran just shook his head. "I expected more from you."
Allura's brows rose at Coran, but she did relax her posture. Luca glared at Coran as he stepped closer, but Coran could see the exhaustion in her eyes.
"We only want to help," Coran said, raising empty hands.
Luca snorted. "She said that you'd claim to only want to help, but I know better. You're all destroyers! I'll never yield to you, you can't make me!"
Seeing the young Altean spit out the words with such vehemence broke Coran's heart. He couldn't stand to see someone so young with such anger and fear, so he did something that was probably insane but had always worked in the past.
Coran stepped closer, crouched, and wrapped Luca in a hug.
"Coran?!" Allura exclaimed.
It took a tick for Luca to react. When she realized what had happened, she growled and made a motion with her hands squashed between her and Coran.
But, as Coran had suspected, she was too weak to produce a large amount of power. Coran felt small shock, but that was all.
As little as it was, though, it was too much for Luca. With a groan, she lost consciousness and slumped against Coran.
Allura tentatively stepped forward. "Coran? Are you alright?"
"I am, as is Luca."
Her pulse was rapid, but at least it was there. Luca breathed, slow and steady, in Coran's arms. Coran didn't think she was at risk as long as she remained calm.
"I don't understand," Romelle mumbled. "Luca was always fierce, but never…"
"She thinks we are the enemy," Allura said sadly.
Coran shook his head. How could Luca think anything else? It sounded as though Luca had been filled with lies about Voltron, then fought Voltron. The next thing she knew, she was in a room that was so much like a lab surrounded by strangers in masks.
The thought angered Coran, and a sudden protectiveness surged up in him.
Coran plucked off the now-useless probes from Luca's arms and legs. He bundled her in the blanket and scooped her up. She whimpered, but didn't rouse.
"Where are you going?" Romelle asked, stepping aside when Coran turned.
Coran walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Someplace that she can calm down." Coran paused in the hall and glanced to the side where Sam and a doctor were peeking out of the observation room. He told them, "I'll be taking Luca to our dorm for now. I'll keep you updated on her condition."
"Can he do that?" Coran heard the doctor whisper as he walked away.
"I think he just did," Sam replied.
Coran's room was somewhat sparse, but it was more pleasant than the sterile room Luca had been in. Since his… meeting with Lance, Coran's furniture had grown to include a plush armchair and bench, and there was a lovely rug on the floor. Pictures of Altea decorated the walls, and Earth books filled the shelf beside the door.
Coran placed Luca on the second, unused bed in his section of the dorm, then bustled about to hang a blanket in front of the bunk to give Luca a bit of privacy. Once he was satisfied with his work, he pulled the armchair beside the bed and sat down to wait.
It didn't take long. Within a couple doboshes, Luca gasped and sat up quickly. Coran hurried to steady her when she wobbled, and Luca was too disoriented to resist.
"What- where am I?" Luca squinted at Coran. "You."
"Yes, me. And you need to calm down," Coran said, tutting at her. "You've exhausted yourself, and trying to do anything right now will only cause further harm."
Luca blinked at him. "Calm down? Calm down?! How can you say that, when I am a prisoner in the base of the enemy?"
Coran sat back and waited while Luca seethed about Voltron being destroyers, Romelle being a traitor, etc. It wasn't senseless rambling, but a distraction, as Coran soon decided. Luca was making the motions like she was trying to gather energy.
"You must stop, please," Coran said eventually, leaning forward to rest his hand on Luca's clenched ones. "You have not recovered."
"Don't touch me!" Luca growled, snatching her hands away. "How dare you act as though you care. I see right through this; you want me to tell you where the colony is, don't you?"
"Yes." Coran could see Luca was startled by his honesty. "I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, we want to meet the colony. Allura and I spent over a year thinking we were the last Alteans alive. When we learned of the colony… well, I think you can imagine how we felt."
"You… no, I don't." Luca drew her knees to her chest again.
"We were excited," Coran said regardless. "We hardly dared believe it! When we learned that the colony had vanished… we were terrified."
"I'm not scared," Luca snapped.
"I never said you were."
Luca glared at him for a few ticks, then huffed and turned her head away. "What is this, some kind of mind game? You're trying to trick me."
"I don't want to trick you. I want you to trust me," Coran said earnestly.
"How can I trust you, when you have taken my connection with the colony?"
"Took your connection to the colony?"
Coran thought back to what Allura had done. Allura's gift of magic far exceeded anything he had seen before. She had healed multiple times, transferred consciousnesses, and unleashed powerful bursts of energy. Most Alteans could sense quintessence and form bonds. Allura must have sensed a bond between Luca and Honerva, then severed it when Luca was in danger.
"The connection would have killed you," Coran said softly.
Luca narrowed her eyes. "Better to die for the colony, then to be stuck in the enemy's clutches."
"Is that what Honerva has taught you all?" Coran asked. "Live and die for the colony?"
Luca's lack of response is enough for Coran. He doesn't press her, instead standing and going to a window near the bed.
"I know what it is like to lose your quintessence connection with someone," Coran begins. "Do you know of King Alfor?"
"Do I look completely dense to you?" Luca sneered. "Of course I know of him."
Coran nodded slightly. "He and Melanor were very close to me. I was advisor to Alfor's father, and then to Alfor. I was to be advisor for Allura in her time as queen." Coran trailed off, wondering if that day would ever come.
"You couldn't have known King Alfor, not the one from history," Luca cut into his thoughts.
"I am," Coran gently argued. "Ten thousand years ago, we were close friends. In order to protect Allura from the war with the Galra, he put her into cryo-sleep. I was to join her, to be there when she woke up in whatever circumstance it happened to be."
"Ten thousand years later, we woke up. I never thought it would last that long. I never thought that Alfor-" Coran's voice wobbled, and he had to pause to compose himself. "I thought Alfor would still be alive when I awoke. But when I came out of the pod… it was gone. Alfor, Melanor, everyone I knew… their quintessence was just gone. Everyone but Allura."
Coran sighed. "If it hadn't been for Allura, I don't know how I would have coped. I'm not sure if I could have coped. If Allura hadn't been there and needed me, I would have given up as well."
"I didn't give up," Luca snapped.
Coran turned to Luca. Despite her harsh words, he could see that his admission had affected her.
"No, you didn't give up," Coran said. "You are strong and don't want to die. No one here wants you to die. All we want is your trust."
The pair stared at each other in tense silence. Finally, Luca broke eye contact.
"Fine," she said, eyes trained on her knees. "If you do not force me to reveal the colony's location… I will see if what you say is true."
"Excellent!" Coran announced, making Luca start. "Oh, sorry."
Luca shot him an annoyed frown, which Coran took as progress. He crouched and picked up the blanket that had been dropped to the floor and held it out to Luca, who hesitantly took it.
"Now, you still need to recover," Coran said. "Sleep if you can, and I'll find you something to eat."
"Why are you doing this?" Luca asked.
"It is as I keep telling you." Coran smiled gently at her. "I only wish to see you well again."
Luca took the statement in silence. She did lay down and close her eyes, so Coran left the blanketed area. He leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh.
After a moment, Coran straightened and walked to the door that connected his room to Allura and Romelle's, and opened it.
Allura, Romelle, Pidge, and Hunk flailed to catch their balance as the door they had been leaning against was opened, then stepped away and looked around innocently.
"I know you were all listening," Coran said, making them hang their heads. "Luca is stable right now, but she needs quiet. Now, go on, off you pop! Allura, don't you have dinner with Lance?"
Allura nodded. Coran realized with a start that his statement didn't make him ache like before, but pushed it aside.
"Good. Romelle, why don't you help Allura. Number five, I believe you were to report to your mother once you returned, am I right?"
Pidge bolted from the room. Coran turned to the last member of eavesdroppers.
"Hunk… what are you doing here?"
"Uh… I was passing by and-" Hunk spotted Coran's raised eyebrow, and blurted, "Okay, okay! Lance was worried that Allura might have changed her mind or something, and wanted me to check in!"
"You told us that you were searching for Shiro," Allura said accusingly.
"Um…Well, I was headed… Shiro went… and Lance told me…"
Hunk gave up trying, and rushed out. Allura smiled once he was gone, and the two young women giggled softly. Coran chuckled, then returned to his room.
Peeking behind the blanket, Coran saw that Luca was sleeping peacefully. He nodded to himself, then puttered around the room until Romelle came to tell him that Allura was ready.
Coran stepped into the other bedroom, and halted. A pang of heartache struck him once again, seeing Allura dressed up for dinner. Maybe it wasn't according to Altean customs, but…
"Is it alright?" Allura asked, likely misinterpreting his silence.
"Alright? It is perfect. You look as beautiful as Melanor, on her and Alfor's first date."
"Date?" Allura blushed. "Coran, it is just dinner with Lance's family."
Coran smiled and left the conversation to fuss with Allura's hair, tucking in a few stray wisps before stepping back.
"You've grown so much. Your father would be so proud," Coran said.
Allura's face twisted. She pressed herself into Coran and wrapped her arms around him.
"Do you really think so? Lance isn't royalty, or even Altean," Allura murmured.
"Your father never cared about those things. He only wanted your happiness and a man who would care for you. Lance is all of that."
Allura smiled shyly. "You speak as though we are to be wed."
Coran kissed her head. "When I see the two of you together… well, I would not be surprised!"
"Oh, stop!" Allura pulled away, a bright flush on her cheeks.
Romelle giggled. "You're blushing!"
"You two are insufferable," Allura huffed with no real hardness in her voice. "I must be going, or Lance will really worry."
Allura started to pull away, but Coran didn't let her go just yet.
"Have a wonderful time tonight," he said softly.
"Thank you, Coran." Allura smiled at him. "For everything."
Coran let her go. Allura left the room. Coran wouldn't have been surprised if she was literally glowing, her quintessence showing in her joy.
When she was gone, Coran abruptly turned and went back to his room. He closed the door and wiped his face. He definitely wasn't crying!
Okay, maybe he shed a tear or two.
Coran took a breath and checked on Luca. She was still sleeping and appeared relaxed.
Coran chuckled and shook his head. Allura had grown up and would soon move on. He hadn't been sure what he would do with himself, but it appeared that his answer was right in front of him.
Luca was still scared and alone, as Allura had been the day they emerged from the cryo-pods. Both hid it well, but both cases needed someone to watch them.
And Coran was perfectly happy to be that someone.
A/N: This was supposed to be purely funny, but then Coran went and got all sentimental on me.