A/N- I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender
When I was eight, a pool of water changed my life. Now, years later, I'm in space trying to keep my secret a secret.
Regardless of my long years of experience, I'm stuck hiding in the bathroom from my closest friends in space. I know I'm doing great.
"Lance, are you alright?" I hear Shiro give a couple quick knocks on the door.
"I-I'm totally fine, just a little water, don't mind me." I manage to force out. Working quickly, I rip a towel off the hanger next to the sink and start trying to dry myself off.
"Really Lance, are ok?" Hunk asked. Concern seeped into his words.
"Yeah, Yeah I am. Just-uh go back to dinner I'll be out in a bit." I swear I'm not usually this bad at talking to people.
"Whatever you say, buddy." Hunk hesitantly withdrew from the conversation. Years of knowing me taught him I wasn't going to let up.
After some more quick words. My team lets me be, I began working on dealing with my 'situation.'
I'm really doing my best with the towel, but I can't seem to get anywhere. From the waist down I'm still blue and scaly.
A groan escapes my lips, seriously why didn't I just tell them? Would they really care? Then again, they cared when it came out that Keith was Galra.
I happened to find my situation even just a little bit shameful, or just really weird. Maybe it was just me overthinking things. Although, I was half fish, which did seem really strange to me. Whether it be the scales, fins or the dreadful 'Moon spell'. I never seemed to really catch a break.
It took a couple more minutes until I felt the transition from tail to legs, I let out a sigh. I was either a weird fish-human hybrid or a seasoned liar.
Imagine how much easier it would be though! For them to just know and accept and just really not care! Acceptance would be so great!
I reached for the door handle, ready to face my team once more. Should I tell? My previous hopeful mood turned dreary with memories.
Regardless I tread down the spotless halls of the castle ship before reaching the dining room. "Hey guys." I waved shyly.
"You're back." Keith stated.
"Yeah..." I looked at him. "Anyway do we have any leftovers?"
"We do! I think you'll really like it Lance." Hunk handed me a colourful plate of hot food.
"Why'd you run off?" Keith pried.
"Oh, I just wanted to dry off you know..." I panicked, trying to come up with the least strange excuse. Considering I only got a little bit of water on my skin. The red paladin gave a bitter scoff.
Keith grabbed his plate and headed to clean it off. He flicked on the tap and I prepared to make my move. Using just a little bit of my powers I forced the water to shoot up at his horrified face. His clothing was soaked, and beads of water dripped from his mullet and onto the tile floor.
I couldn't hold in the laugh that escaped my lips.
Allura and the team looked on in shock. "Is Sendak back?" Hunk asked nervously as he fiddled with his thumbs.
"I don't think so." Allura furrowed her brow in confusion.
"The castle is all up to date so there shouldn't have been any mishaps. I'll be sure to recheck that sink Princess." Coran said.
I snickered uselessly at Keith who in return decided to shake like a wet dog. For the second time in not even ten minutes, I'm forced into a mad dash to the closest bathroom.
"Again?" Pidge muttered. "It's just water."
I scrambled towards the same bathroom I was in just a short while before. I quickly slammed the door shut and locked it. Nine, and ten. I fell to the floor with a terrible 'splat.'
"Lance?" Uh oh. "Are you in there? I need a towel." Keith knocked on the door. I stayed silent, hoping he would just leave.
Keith lingered for a few more minutes before groaning. "Fine. Be that way." I winced, but the other option was him finding out.
He was probably one of the few I would consider telling. Keith might actually understand, being half Galra and all. The difference was that his problem didn't actively affect our missions after we all got used to the idea. For me on the other hand, even just a drop of water compromises my ability to really do anything.
The only real benefits of being a fish from the waist down were the powers. Those were actually pretty useful.
Regardless, I moved my attention to tomorrow night. A full moon. Fabulous.
Full moons are crazy inconveniences, one look at the moon and you're pretty much out of order. Whether you're stuck with your tail or you start acting like a toddler it's never anything good.
~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~
Our mission was easy, we just had to find a couple turrets that had been set up by the Galra years previous. Unfortunately, the mission was starting to run late.
"Shiro, I'm starting to feel s-sick." The sun was setting quickly, this was my last chance to get as close to home as I could.
"Lance, we're almost finished, can you wait just a while longer?"
This might be the end of me. The moon is about to rise and we're just finishing up a mission. I see it peek over the mountains through my lion's eyes. The spell hits me immediately.
"I want to swim!" I shout into my comm. I'm giggling uncontrollably and I can't seem to stop myself.
"Lance?" Pidge asks.
"I want to swim to Mako!" I yell.
"Mako? Isn't that the island surrounded by sharks back on earth?" Hunk questions.
"The moon is so pretty." I compliment. This is so humiliating. How am I supposed to explain this?
"Do you think he ate something?" Keith suggested. His tone didn't fail to show his confusion.
"I want to see the moon!"
"I'm not sure, could it be a spell?" Pidge suggested.
"Or an illness?" Shiro entered the conversation. He was clearly baffled by my behavior.
"I know! We should all go to Mako together!" I chimed with delight.
"Lance, let's-um go back to the castle then we can go to Mako?" Hunk tried to get my toddler-like brain to understand.
"Then we swim to Mako!"
~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~
The ride back was... loud. The comms were filled with my voice as I obsessed over Mako and the moon. When our lions finally arrived it was barely ten at night.
I scrambled out of my lion. Beaming at Allura, who probably just came to greet us. "Let's go to Mako!" I yelled.
"Sorry?" Allura questioned.
"We don't know why he's acting like this." Shiro left his lion. "We were hoping you might know what caused it."
"I want to go to Mako!" I looked at the sky, temporarily distracted by the glow of the moon.
"He's been acting like this since we finished the mission." Hunk added.
"Well... this is very strange." Allura sighed. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Do you know how to we might fix it?" Pidge asked.
"I'm not sure, we should probably see if it will wear off though." Allura suggested. "Keith, could you watch over him for tonight?"
"Why me!?" Keith yelled.
"It makes sense, of all of us you're the fastest so if he tries to run to wherever this 'Mako' is, you could catch him." Shiro added.
"What about you Shiro! You would be able to do it!" Keith sputtered.
"I could..." Shiro considered the idea.
"Keith!" I yelled. "Let's go to Mako!" I tugged repeatedly at the hem of Keith's shirt.
"On second thought... I'm busy." Shiro 'laughed'. Keith shot a sharp glare to his space dad.
"With that sorted paladins, get some rest. Keith, I would recommend keeping him occupied for the time being." Allura finished the conversation.
Keith grumbled unhappily. "Fine. Come on Lance."
"Are we going swimming?" I yelled.
~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~
I jumped around Keith's room, slowly driving him closer and closer to insanity.
"Keith! I have something to show you!" I called.
"What. Lance?" Keith grit out.
"Come here!" I tempt him towards the bathroom. Flicking on the tap. No. There was no way this was how I was going to be revealed! I groaned internally.
Keith hesitated as he slowly pushed open the bathroom door. "Lance? What are you doing?" I pulled his hand to mine.
"Now we can swim to Mako together!" I chime. I pull his hand closer to the running faucet before sticking my fingers under the cold water.
"One!" I yell giggling at the look on Keith's face. "Six! Seven!" I count out the numbers. "Nine!" I squeeze my eyes shut bracing for the impact of the floor. "Ten!" I call out the final number, and fall backward. My head hits the wall with a hollow thud. Before I get the chance to screw up the situation even more. I pass out.
~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~
What. On. Earth. Lance was passed out on my bathroom floor. More importantly, he was out cold on my bathroom floor, with a tail. A long blue scaled tail. I feel my mouth drop open.
No way.
Suddenly it all makes sense. Lance's weird aversion to water. The way he would run off every time he made contact with the stuff.
I could visualize him on the other side of the door we were knocking on. I could practically see him on the floor with his tail.
For right now though, there was an unconscious fish person knocked out on the floor of my bathroom. Is this something I can wait out? Will he dry out or something? I start filling my bathtub just in case.
Was the water supposed to be warm? What if heat made him sick or something? After a short while, I decide on room temperature and just hope that won't kill him.
~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~~\/~
My vision is spotty when I wake up. What happened again? Oh right the moon spell. I propped my elbows up underneath me.
The first thing I notice is that I'm in someone's bathtub, so of course, my tail is on full display. The next thing I notice is Keith, sitting on the floor leaning against the side of the tub. My face flushed a deep red in embarrassment, what did I say to him? Surely he knew I was pretty much seafood now.
I lean over the side of the tub. My hand makes contact with a camouflaged bar of soup and I'm sent crashing back into the water. I hear Keith groan next to me.
"Keith?" I ask, not really knowing what to feel.
"Lance?" He rubbed his forehead.
"You were asleep..." I offer.
Keith takes a second to notice I'm not obsessing over an island he's never even heard of. "You're back to normal!" He observes. "Well... Kind of." Keith looks at my tail. I splash water at him in response to the blatant stare.
"Would you mind telling me why you're a fish?" Keith asks. He grabbed a towel from a nearby hanger. I look down, I felt almost ashamed.
"It happens every time I touch the water." I groan, covering my face with my hands.
"Is that why you always run away?"
I nod slowly. "It started when I turned eight." I remembered the day I fell into the moon pool as clearly as I did yesterday.
"...What happened to you last night?" Keith rested his elbows on the side of the tub. He was clearly putting effort into not staring at my tail.
"That is the moon spell." I took a deep breath in as I prepared for my explanation. Keith cocked his head to one side giving me a questioning glance.
"Basically, seeing a full moon forces me to act differently. It can be a change in attitude, like earlier." I pictured what I said in embarrassment.
"Or, it can be physical, like being stuck in your tail."
"Stuck?" The red paladin was clearly confused.
"Normally I get my legs back after I dry off." I noticed Keith flush in embarrassment. "Wait... Did you think?" I couldn't hold back the laughter as Keith blushed even more. "Did you think I would dry out or something!"
Keith covered his eyes with his hand and looked to the floor. "I didn't know!" He protested. Stumbling over his words.
I flicked my tail again, splashing him with droplets of water.
This time, he laughed too.
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A/N-
And with that, the very first chapter is complete. Thanks for reading, any feedback would be appreciated. I'm really new to fan fiction in general, so any tips on keeping characters in character or making the story flow better would be very helpful.
I really just wrote this for the fun of it, so I don't really have much of a plan yet. Regardless I hope you had some kind of fun reading, whether you laughed at how bad it was or just actually enjoyed it. Personally, I wrote this because Mer!Lance is my life.
Lastly, I'm not trying to copy the incredible story "Please bring me back my home" by Sapphire's ink. I just felt like I had to say something since the idea of an H2O/Voltron crossover is featured in that story too. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
Thank you!