Drabble 1-Sound

When Lance lost his hearing as a kid, it had devastated him. It took him a long time to physically come back and adjust to the new world around him, and even longer to do so emotionally.

He learned American and Spanish sign language and taught himself how to read lips. Everything had worked out fine, and Lance had learned how to be happy again.

When he got to the Garisson he had the kind of corrective surgery that nobody in his neighborhood could afford, so now he could hear again as long as he had his hearing aids in. He always kept extra batteries on him, as did Hunk and Pidge, who were the only two who knew due to the hearing aids special chameleon ability.

But now that he was with Voltron, nowhere near Earth and their hearing aid batteries, he was screwed. He had used up all of the batteries that had been brought, the last one going out during the tail end of a mission. He hadn't even noticed until Keith's angry face popped up on the monitor, yelling at him to fall back. Out of habit Lance read his lips, so he would never lose the practice, so it was no problem to follow the orders.

It wasn't until he walked out into the hangars that he realized he couldn't hear the hissing and groaning of metal on metal as he stepped out of blue. He had grown so accustomed to it that it was comforting, and now that it was gone it had him feeling uneasy.

He frowned, hoping he would have maybe some extra batteries lying around somewhere. If not maybe Pidge had somehow miraculously restrained herself from using them in her projects and had actually saved them.

Lance was so caught up in his thoughts about his batteries that he hadn't noticed them trying to talk to him. Not until something rough grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around.

Unsurprisingly it had been Keith, who was obviously livid. And as Keith got in his face, he felt the all to familiar sting of unheard words. The kind the kids on the playground would say, making fun of him for being deaf. Calling him a freak, a mistake. The closer Keith got, the farther back Lance tried to get. His chest was tight as he fought off old emotions, old traumas.

He hadn't realized how far he had been trying to back up until he lost his balance and fell on the ground. Keith was panting, face red as he ended his rant. Lance looked almost afraid, and he looked to Hunk to ground him. To give him a kind gaze that said you're okay.

Except he wasn't. Not when Keith was getting in his face and he could have potentially fucked up the mission, just like he always did. He couldn't be a paladin if he couldn't hear. The math just didn't work that way. They were going to replace him, he just knew it. After all, nobody wanted a broken second class fighter pilot. Not when-

A movement caught his eye, and he focused his gaze back on Hunk. He knew Lance didn't want the others knowing, so he tried to discreetly sign to him by spelling out the words.

Batteries dead?

Lance nodded, turning his gaze to the floor. Then he remembered Hunk was still talking to him, and looked back up.

Can I tell them?

They were going to need to know eventually, Lance knew. It wasn't something he was going to be able to hide forever. But he hadn't wanted to let them know this way. He could have jeopardized the mission. So he sighed and nodded before hugging his knees to his chest. Pidge sat down next to him, leaning her head against his arm in a comforting way. It was a small gesture, but it helped so much as Hunk explained to them that what happened out on the field wasn't his fault. And that Keith had been overreacting. It was all a big misunderstanding.

Lance glanced over at Pidge, who gave him a smile and a thumbs up. After a few more minutes she tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to Keith, who was looking more than just a little guilty. Hunk and Shiro had soft smiles as they stood behind the red paladin.

Lance just about started crying when Keith signed the word sorry with a shaky, inexperienced hand.

"I could teach you, if you want," Lance said. Keith gave him a smile of his own and nodded.

"That would be great."

Lance smiled back at him, the moment gone all too soon with the tapping on his shoulder. Pidge tapped her ear and her palm. She wasn't signing anything specific, but he got the gist nonetheless. He took his hearing aids out and placed them in her open palm. She would make them better. Or maybe pair it with some Altean technology. As long as he could hear again, though, he didn't care.

He was just glad that it would all be okay.