Chapter Two: Uninvited Guest

It wasn't every day that the paladins of Voltron got to have some time to themselves and it certainly wasn't the norm for them to take a break. However, all had been quiet for almost a month now and Shiro decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let the youngsters have some downtime. They had been circling an uninhabited planet for a few hours and, according to Coran, it was rich in some sort of diamond deposits that could be used as fuel and food. Why someone would want to eat something that could be used to power a rocket ship was beyond Shiro but he smiled and nodded as the Altaen gestured wildly, grinning ear to ear.

"So why don't we stop by and grab some?" Shiro suggested.

"Are you sure we can afford to take such a leisurely trip?" Allura asked, big blue eyes sparkling in the hopes that they could indeed visit the beautiful planet's surface.

Shiro shrugged, "Why not. We'll be able to scan for any nearby lifeforms and be back in the lions in minutes if needs be."

Coran clapped his hands and tweaked his moustache as he set the palace to land, "Perfect! I'll fill the storage units to the brim!"

As the palace landed with a muted thump onto the orange grass of the planet, the other four paladins emerged from their rooms. All had been enjoying their own space for a change but the motion of the palace landing had roused their interest enough to bring them to the bridge.

"What's going on?" Pidge asked as she rubbed at her spectacles.

"We're going on a jaunt!" Coran chimed, "Well, I'll be collecting vital ingredients but I suspect you lot will be enjoying the warm pools of Fons or perhaps the relaxing hills of Altum."

Keith cocked an eyebrow at Shiro and the black paladin smiled, "We're due some downtime and this place is uninhabited. Seemed like a good idea."

Lance slapped his hand against Shiro's back, making the taller man jolt a little, "It's a great idea! Now lets go get our relaxation on!"


The surface of the planet was mostly various shades of orange; orange grass, orange trees, even orange water. The pools of Fons looked like they were made up of some sort of soft drink and it took a lot of will power for Lance not to open his mouth and scoop up some of it just to see if it tasted like oranges. According to Allura, it certainly did not.

Hunk had heard the mention of 'ingredients' and followed Coran into the jungle to collect some of the edible crystals while the others gathered around one of the orange pools. A small waterfall trickled into the orange liquid, causing ripples to flow over the surface and every now and then a tiny silver fish shimmered to the surface before returning to the depths with a faint blue glow. It was certainly peaceful. And the water was warm. Not unpleasantly hot or stifling but just warm enough to ease Shiro's aching muscles as he dangled his legs into it. How long had it been since they'd all just relaxed like this? He didn't remember. It was definitely too long and he made a mental note to try and find time to relax at least once a month. Not only would the paladins thank him for the rest but they'd benefit from the break from fighting Galra or piloting the lions. An overworked, overtired paladin was no good to anyone.

"This is pleasant," Allura said as she settled beside Shiro and eased her feet into the orange water.

Shiro nodded silently and closed his eyes, tilting his head back to let the warm suns heat his face. He was starting to nod off when a sudden whoosh of water drenched him. His eyes sprung open and he looked around dazedly before spotting Lance's mischievous face peering up from the middle of the pool. He looked like a floating coconut and he smiled and ducked underneath the surface when Shiro lobbed a rock in his direction.

"Lance you moron!" Keith had taken off his shirt and was wringing it dry by the side of the pool, orange water puddling at his feet.

"'Lance you moron'", Lance mimicked.

"That's it!"

Keith dived into the water, splashing the others as he landed with limbs flailing into the liquid like a dog. Lance's smile disappeared and he dived under the water swiftly as the red paladin bombed after him. Pidge could just make out their forms beneath the surface as they scrambled to hold one another under and then suddenly Lance burst through, mouth gasping for breath. He pounded the water with his fist triumphantly.

"Ha! Better luck next time, Keith!"

The water was still, save for Lance's legs moving to keep himself afloat. His grin faded a little and he started to look nervous, a bead of sweat dripping down his face.

"Keith? Don't you dare sneak up on me! I swear-"

Pidge was leaning further over the pool, trying to see where Keith had got to but the pool went dark a meter or so down and it was impossible to see anything deeper. She glanced over at Shiro, who was now on his feet.

"Um… Where'd he go?" She asked as Lance too looked towards their leader for some sort of answer.

"Maybe he's just hiding?" Allura suggested as she squinted into the murky depths of the water.

"He's been down too long," Shiro said as he stepped into the water, "Lance, dive back down and see if you can spot him."

"I bet he's just doing it for attention! Stupid attention-seeking Keith," Lance muttered but did as he was told, diving beneath the surface once more.

He'd been gone almost a full minute and Shiro was about to go down to look for him when the brown haired boy emerged once again, this time with an unconscious Keith under his arm. Struggling to keep afloat, Lance doggy-paddled towards the edge of the pool, trying his best to keep Keith's head above water as best he could. He almost slipped back under the water as they reached the grass but Shiro gripped Keith with his Galra arm and lifted him up onto the bank in one easy motion. He rested his ear against Keith's bare chest and frowned.

"He's not breathing."

Pidge slapped a hand to her mouth as the black paladin began compressions on Keith's chest; one-two-three-four-five. One-two-three-four-five.

No response.

One-two-three-four-five.

Nothing.

"I know what to do!" Lance pushed Shiro aside and leaned his face down next to Keith's. He opened his mouth and tilted his head back, ready to give him the kiss of life. Lance's lips were almost on Keith's blue ones when the red paladin's eyes slowly fluttered open and he frowned up at Lance, a mixture of disgust and confusion on his face. Lance's cheeks flushed crimson and he scrambled away from Keith as Shiro helped him to sit up.

"What the hell?" Keith asked, voice scratchy, "Why was Lance trying to kiss me?"

"I was saving you!" Lance folded his arms across his chest, "You're welcome by the way!"

"I think I'd rather die," Keith retorted, deadpan.

Lance was about to answer back but stopped as Keith started to cough and splutter, shoulders heaving as he threw up a little of the orange water. He looked pale and was shivering despite the warm climate.

"What happened?" Shiro asked as he wrapped his jacket around Keith's bare shoulders.

"I'm not sure… I think-"

The red paladin stopped mid-sentence and touched his left side just beneath his ribs tentatively with his right hand. The skin there felt slightly rough and puckered, like an old scar but Keith didn't remember ever being injured there. It ached, too, like he'd been kicked in his side but even during the scuffle with Lance neither of them had landed any blows. He looked up at Shiro, who was hovering awkwardly near, not knowing what to do, and suddenly Keith's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

Something moved under his hand.

He waited a few seconds, just in case he'd imagined it but sure enough there was the flutter of movement again. Like something shimmying between his ribs. No, not shimmying, swimming. He jumped to his feet, knocking Shiro's jacket into the orange grass and spun around madly like a dog chasing its tail.

"Keith! Keith, what is it?" Shiro, too was on his feet, trying to catch Keith's arm and stop him from falling back into the water.

"He's lost it. Space madness," Lance shrugged.

"What's that?" Pidge pointed to Keith's ribs where a faint blue glow was emanating from beneath his skin. She paled as the glow wiggled and moved into the centre of his torso, "EW! What the heck is that?!"

The more aggressive movement of the creature under his skin caused Keith to freeze and he looked down at his abdomen where the glow now resonated. Gingerly, he poked at it and it fluttered slightly to the right. It was no bigger than a french fry but he would much rather have one of those in his stomach than whatever the hell this was.

Shiro turned to Allura, "Any idea what it is?"

"Its a Flubbersnatch," she said plainly.

"Of course! A Flubbersnatch!" Lance blanked, "What's a Flubbersnatch?"

"They're a common parasite fish found on most planets. They're usually green, which is why I didn't realise before. If I'd known there were Flubbersnatch in this pool I wouldn't have let you swim!"

"Are they dangerous?" Shiro asked, eyes glued to the glowing spot on Keith's stomach.

"Not particularly," Allura leaned closer to Keith's bare torso and he looked away, a blush forming on his cheeks, "Some species live with them symbiotically for their entire lives."

"Well, at least you've finally made a friend!" Lance giggled and Keith shot him a death glare.

"How do I get it out?" Keith growled.

Allura tilted her head and scratched her chin quizzically, "I've heard they don't like mechanical light but I've never tried to remove one so I can't say how effective that method is."

"So let's get Keith back to the ship and shine some torches on him," Shiro started to march back towards the castle-ship, a new objective keeping him busy.

"There's not enough time for that," Allura spoke quietly, "I'm afraid once the Flubbersnatch has been in a host for more than five of your Earth minutes it cannot be removed."

"And how long has it been in me?!" Keith's voice cracked on the last syllable, fear now creeping into his mind.

"I'd say you have about 1 minute left."

"Quiznak."

Without saying a word, Shiro shoved Keith to the ground and raised his Galra arm towards him. Keith stared, too stunned to speak, as the metal arm began to glow pink, then white. A kind of cool warmth came off it in waves as Shiro pressed it against Keith's stomach where the Flubbersnatch remained. The fish jittered a little, causing Keith's stomach to churn, but it didn't seem to be working.

"It needs to be brighter," Allura commented.

"Twenty seconds left," Pidge added as she looked at her watch.

Shiro frowned deeply and concentrated all of his energy into his mechanical arm; it glowed brighter still and this time Keith could feel the intense heat radiating from the light. He tried to move back but Lance had appeared behind him, sensing that the red paladin was about to try and scamper away.

"Ten seconds!"

With a groan and a look of sheer determination, Shiro felt more power than ever surge into his right arm and it shone brightly, too bright for any of them to keep their eyes open. An intense burning sensation filled Keith's senses and then as suddenly as it had appeared, the light was gone. As was the fluttering in his stomach.

"I think it worked!" Pidge cheered.

Keith patted himself down, trying to feel for the fish but it was no longer inside him. Instead, a sore, red scorch mark marred his lower torso but it would heal fine in one of the pods when they returned to the ship. He looked at Shiro, who had flopped sideways onto his right side in the grass, sweat beading on his forehead and his breath coming in pants. It had obviously taken a lot of energy to create such an intense light and once again Keith found himself extremely thankful for having such a great leader and friend.

"Thanks, Shiro."

The leader gave him a weak thumbs-up with his human hand and smiled, "No problem. Just don't ask me to do it again any time soon."

A few moments later Hunk and Coran returned from their scavenging in the jungle. Hunk held up a bag of crystals and Coran proudly dropped a string of dead fish at the group's feet. He smiled broadly and tugged on his moustache.

"Flubbersnatch. Delicious to eat but don't go swimming with the little buggers!"

An audible groan echoed from the others as they made their way back to the palace. So much for a relaxing break.