The Lance from another universe was weird. Not a Lance type of weird, he was a very-worrying-and-very-not-Lance type of weird. He was mostly silent, mostly by himself and mostly very distant. He seemed to be only comfortable with their Lance and Kaltenecker, usually running away the moment any of the others as much as showed any desire to socialize with him. The scarce moments he wasn't able to escape were filled with distracted answers in a low almost-not-there tone and blazing blue eyes staring firmly at whoever was talking to him. Expressionless. The only one who gained some sort of different reaction was Coran, and that difference came in the form of a softer voice and a nickname. Corad, a pun with "Coran" and "dad", and wasn't by the overall feeling of dread other-Lance's behavior brought, Coran, the fatherly man, would cry of happiness.
They found him in a planet they decided to rest on while traveling back to Earth. Sitting in a rock near a river, he watched them approach. No movement, no confusion, no reaction. Just watching attentively. Old blue turtleneck and ripped jeans. All Star on his feet and an empty look on his eyes. Burning blue seeing their souls.
(His first words were "I thought you were them. Then I asked myself why they would come… Why would they come?")
(Needless to say, the team didn't understand what he was talking about, but accepted his polite request to stay with them for a bit, until he could go back. Pidge was sure he said something on the lines of "until I want to go back" under his breath, but she wasn't sure.)
One of the things that other-Lance was fond of doing was staring at the sky. He would just sit down somewhere, anywhere, and stare. He liked to stare. A lot. With his unnerving, empty eyes. His mouth was always in straight line, only curving when their-Lance or Kaltenecker were present. He also avoided the Blue and Red lions like Satan avoids the cross. In the rare moments he actually got enough guts to look at them, they could see the dimming glow of guilty. The lions apparently liked him a lot, though, for they would try anything and everything to be where he was. Allura and Keith could feel their "voices" calling out for the man.
("How old are you? You look like twenty.")
("I'm 28, Katie. Maybe 29, has it been a year? It has been ten years, that I know, but I don't know how many other years passed after. It's hard to know when they don't care that you care.")
He also liked to ramble about random things that made no sense to any of them but to him when they finally got him to talk. Or came close enough when he was alone to hear him without him knowing they were there. He constantly talked about someone, some people, who he always referred as "them". Asking why would they do this or that. Why would they come? Why would they look? He also had some kind of problem with time. Mumbling how he lost ten years, or maybe gained. A bitter victory. No victory. Had it been a year since the ten years? He didn't knew, time is annoying when you deny it, like a clingy boyfriend when you deny him affection. Except you're supposed to love your boyfriend, and time hated everyone even itself.
("Why does time have to be somewhat similar to me? Hate everything while I hate myself, clock. Out of my job.")
(Shiro noticed the whispering only became whispering when someone was near. That man knew they were listening. Maybe he wanted them to. Maybe he just couldn't stop.)
He was more like Lance when said boy was with him. He was able to joke and smile. Depressing jokes and crooked smiles were more common; however, they were able to watch a gentle smile and nice pun. The voids he called irises shined a bit. The soft glow of a candle in a dark theater. His voice was stronger, sometimes demanding attention. He touched Lance, hugged him and sometimes even kissed the top of his temple. His presence was more prominent. It was like a little of life finally found its way inside him.
(The team did anything they could to always have both Lances together for other-Lance was more bearable when they were. Their Lance wasn't bothered; it was nice to have someone be this close.)
("Dudes, ladies, please be less obvious about your dislike, he must've gone through a lot to be that way.")
It was a normal evening, the suns of the planet were getting ready to paint the horizon orange, when the rest of Voltron from another universe arrived, looking for someone. Other-Lance was gazing at the sky, patiently waiting for the stars. Standing. He was even more unnerving when standing, somehow mastering the ability to stay in that position for hours to no end. The other-Voltron didn't even look at them, didn't even acknowledged their existence. The six just stared at other Lance's back with the same despairingly dim look he had and walked. And stopped. Other-Allura was the one who kept on moving, walking wordlessly until she was face-to-back with her Lance. Slowly she sighed, inclining her head until her forehead ghosted over between his shoulder blades.
"Hello, Princess."
His flat voice had all the space to spread through the silence.
Her wavering voice did not erase the begging tone.
"Please, Lance, come back."
Other-Lance took a step forwards, avoiding the princess touch. Turning around, the cold fire of his empty eyes was scalding, full of so much the memory of them being empty nothing more than an old forgotten myth. He glanced at her, then at his teammates, then back to her. Contempt painted in his features. A not-at-all-Lance sneer coming out in the form of a growl.
"Ten years. For ten years I avoided you like a plague, wouldn't that tell you something, princess?"
"Lance, please, this is not you."
Other-Shiro's voice was so broken. A shattered man talking to a man that wasn't even dust anymore.
"And how would you know? For one year you choose not to listen, for ten years I choose to not let you listen."
"Lance, we are so sorry."
"Words of ten years ago should be left ten years ago, Katie."
The other Green Paladin's wince didn't go unnoticed.
"Coran is devastated."
"For ten years he took care of six people, he's fine without a seventh."
Other-Hunk's heartbroken expression was too much for any of them to look directly at.
"Lance, we love you. Ten years away from you and we never stopped loving you. We are sorry we made you doubt it, we are sorry we made you into who you are now. Please—" other-Keith fell on his knees and curved his back until his forehead touched the ground— "come back to us."
That man stared at them, slowly making his way towards their-Lance. Touching the boy on shoulder, he let all his pain be seen by the others. In one hand, he held a strange small device with three large buttons. The other-Voltron flinched. They were tense. Tears were forming on their eyes.
"They forget and they ignore," That man said to Lance, bluest blue clashing against bluest blue, "Stay and suffer or leave and suffer. They will give you no better choice."
And with these bitter words and the push of a button, other-Lance was gone to another universe, leaving behind the people he once tried to call his family.
("Please, by whatever you believe the most, don't commit our sins. Don't let that sweet boy go. Don't make him leave, I beg you. Voltron is not the same without Lance.")
(The Voltron from another universe left with these words, and the Paladins immediately turned to Lance. hugging him. A silent promise to never let things end that way.)
(Many times, they wondered if other-Voltron was able to get their Lance back.)
(They didn't for another ten years.)