Although sleeping on the beach sounded like some sort of tropical fantasy, it would also have been painful. Pidge had concluded that long exposure to the planet's suns would likely result in unsightly burns for all of them, Alteans included. It wasn't the first time they'd slept in their lions. Romelle had joined Allura in the blue lion, and Coran elected to stay with Hunk. Wolf had of course slept with Keith, and Shiro had ended up with Pidge in the green lion. Keith figured it was because the girl was eager to finally see her parents again, and Shiro had lots of stories to share about her dad. He had such an innate need to comfort people. It was admirable.

Keith wasn't sure how long he had actually slept. The planet never had a "night time" due to its multiple suns, but it did occasionally have a "sunset" period where all of its suns dipped just below the horizon. Exiting his lion, Keith found he'd awoken just in time to see it for himself. The pretty pink and orange colors that usually followed a descending sun were now on the horizon in every direction. Taking in the scene, he really noticed the lack of any life on the planet, as the only sound was the light splash of the tide. Wolf plodded out next to him and went to get a drink. Keith followed suit.

He heard someone else exit their lion and their footsteps approaching him softly. The person sounded like they were trying to be quiet, and Keith could only think of one person who would try to sneak up on him.

"Boo!"

He sighed. Some things never change. "Morning, Lance."

"Aw, come on. Do you have super hearing or something?"

"No. You just aren't stealthy. At all."

"I don't have to be. My good looks usually disarm most of my opponents anyway. Then I bring em down." A finger gun intruded into Keith's line of sight. "Bang."

"Wow. I don't even know how to respond to that."

"Speechless as expected."

Keith just snorted and the other boy joined him for a drink. Normally, Keith would have found Lance's loud slurping obnoxious, but their tranquil surroundings made it hard to be agitated. He had to enjoy it while it lasted. He doubted they'd find another stop like this on the long journey home. Keith made himself comfortable on the shore, letting the water come up to his toes as he returned his attention to the sky. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd been able to relax like this. Even before the whole Voltron thing, he hadn't been the type to just kick back and enjoy life. Maybe when this was all over, and they finally got back to Earth, he'd be able to catch up on all the downtime he'd missed. Especially with all the friends he had now.

As Lance settled down beside him, he didn't feel the need to scooch away and put more space between them. Being close with other people had been difficult for as long as he could remember. Apparently, being in space lightyears from Earth was what it took for that to change. Shiro had always been able to slip through his walls, but little by little the rest of team Voltron was breaking them down too. Even Lance.

Especially Lance.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Oh boy. Keith prepared to take back everything he'd just been thinking.

"What?" His disdain was plainly audible in his reply.

"Geez. Don't sound so excited! It's nothing bad. It's about the garrison."

"You and I were not rivals."

"Ok, First of all, yes we were! Second, would you quit assuming you know what I'm going to say and just let me talk?"

It was far too easy to get a rise out of his fellow paladin. Keith put away his snarky comments for the moment. Lance cleared his throat.

"I was just wondering about that James Griffin kid."

The mere mention of the name caused Keith to stiffen up.

It had been a long time since he'd given any thought to his old…enemy. The two hadn't been on good terms since the day they met. James was a typical bully. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they all love picking on people just for the fun of it. Keith couldn't deny the truth; he was an easy target for people like that. When you don't really have any friends, you've got no one to back you up. It's just another weakness for them to prey on. Keith hated feeling weak, and he'd hated James.

The taunting had been relentless, and there was plenty of ammunition to use against him. No parents, pity case, suck up, emo. The list went on and on. Keith knew James had been jealous of his connection with Shiro, and he wasn't the only one. Anybody would be jealous of someone who got to hang out with one of their role models. James saw Keith as inferior, and couldn't figure out what Shiro saw in him. It turned what could have been just petty jealousy into bitter anger. Some of the staff took issue with it too. It was a genuine bond for the two of them, but to outsiders it probably looked like he was playing favorites. Despite Shiro's efforts to help, their association probably only made things worse.

Unsurprisingly, James had mocked him for his sexuality too. Keith hadn't been open with it back then, but it didn't matter. Gay was just another insult in James' repertoire. "You're jealous of Adam, aren't you?" He used to say. "You want the great Takashi Shirogane all to yourself." Taunts like that had sparked one of their many fights. Griffin had always known all the right buttons to push. All Keith could wonder was what he ever did to make his classmate hate him so much. As he grew up, he eventually learned not to care what anyone else thought, especially James Griffin. Unfortunately, this wound up making him even more of an introvert. It was hard to say he wasn't lonely. Shiro didn't always have time for him, so he cherished every second they had together. Their evening rides on the hoverbikes was always the highlight of his day.

Until he left.

Realizing he still hadn't responded, Keith feigned indifference and scoffed. "What about him?"

"You guys hated each other, right?"

"I'd say so."

The icy glare Keith was sending off in the distance scared Lance a little, but he felt this was important, clearing his throat again.

"Well, after you dropped out, there was this rumor going around that he ran into you on a trip off the base, and that you attacked him with a knife or something." He could feel the tension in the air break as Keith was about to aggressively deny the accusation. He held his hands up in defense. "I know it's not true! I don't know who started the rumor, but Griffin himself said it wasn't true. I saw him around sometimes. We didn't hang out a lot, but he did tell me something else about you."

Keith sighed. He wasn't necessarily surprised to hear Griffin talked bad about him after he dropped out. He wouldn't be shocked to find out that he was still doing it now.

"What did he say?"

"Don't get mad."

"Lance."

"I know, I know. Stop beating around the bush." He took a breath and braced himself. "We were alone in the hall outside Iverson's office. Sanada was in there bitching up a storm and we were both waiting to talk to him. Griffin asked me if I remembered you, which of course I did. My arch nemesis, my mortal enemy, the maniacal mullet menace, Keith Kogane! How could I forget?" Lance gave his classic smile, and Keith appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. "Anyway, he went on about how you were weird and scary and he was glad you were finally gone. Which, in case you were wondering, I didn't agree with. I asked him if he knew what happened to you and he said he figured you were dead."

This was more puzzling than anything. Did Griffin think he wouldn't have been able to survive on his own? That was a massive underestimation on his part. You think you'd give more credit to someone who'd bested you on multiple occasions.

However, Lance wasn't finished. "I asked what he meant by that, and he said that you probably killed yourself because Shiro was gone and you had no one left. I told him I didn't think you would do that, since even back then I knew you were too stubborn to just give up. But he said that he remembered walking in on you in the bathroom with a knife."

Keith's body went rigid. He knew what was coming next.

"You know….like…cutting yourself."

The silence that followed was enormously uncomfortable for both of them. Lance wanted to apologize fifty times and burry himself in the sand. The silence probably would have gone on a lot longer had Keith not decided that he wasn't afraid to open up anymore. He squeezed sand against his palms just to have something to hold onto. The warmth in his hands was comforting.

"Yeah, that did happen once." Keith's voice shocked the other boy who half expected him to teleport away with Kosmo. "I was only thirteen and wasn't very good at dealing with…anything. I'm still getting the hang of it now to be honest." The memory caused him to pause. That was a dark time in his life, but it was behind him now. He was too proud for a pity party. "But it was only a couple of times. I was young and stupid and thought it would somehow make me feel better. It didn't. Haven't done it since."

A ridiculous amount of relief washed over Lance. He felt the urge to comfort his friend, but wasn't really sure how. Aside from yesterday, he'd never heard Keith speak so openly and honestly before. It was definitely a good change, but it was still very new to him. He hoped he was going about things the right way. Sometimes he wished he'd taken some psych classes.

He decided honesty was his best bet. If Keith was baring his feelings, so could he.

"I'm glad to hear that. I only asked because that story's been gnawing at me ever since we first got to space, like five thousand years ago. I didn't think you were still doing it. It just made me kind of sad, picturing you like that."

Keith was surprised at Lance's concern. "Yeah, I kind of scared myself with it at the time. Him catching me didn't help. I was just really alone, I guess."

Mentally patting himself on the back for seemingly saying the right thing, Lance took a chance and lightly nudged Keith with his shoulder. "I'm always here to listen, you know. If you ever feel like that again."

Their eyes met, Keith matching Lance's smile. "Thanks. But I haven't felt alone in a long time."

The moment was getting a little too sweet, and Lance's smile shifted from caring to mischievous.

"You know, I bet he just picked on you so much because he had a massive crush on you."

Keith tried not to laugh. It didn't work.

Once again, Hunk had taken it upon himself to whip up a culinary masterpiece for the whole team. How he managed to work with the rations they had left and make something so delicious was one of the many mysteries of the cosmos. He'd even found time to make something for Wolf. After tossing the canine his meal and getting a plate for himself, Keith joined the rest of Team Voltron at the table.

"No I swear, my brother used to be really dorky back on Earth. Space has totally changed him."

"I think I remember…mmm oh Hunk you've really outdone yourself this time." The princess finished chewing before continuing, the yellow paladin beaming at her compliment. "I think I remember that picture of you both in front of a rocket. It seems as though you adopted his look in his absence."

Pidge chuckled. "I guess I kind of did." She adjusted her glasses, silently recalling the moment he gave them to her.

"You two are so much alike." Shiro chimed in. "When I woke up back on Earth, I was so disoriented that I almost thought you were him."

"Did he ever talk about me at the garrison?"

"Oh yeah. He was always telling stories about his smart little sis. Your dad too."

"Sounds about right." Pidge suddenly had an evil look on her face. "Matt talked a lot about you at home."

Shiro seemed genuinely shocked. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. He'd gush about you all through dinner." She put on a mock high-pitched voice. "Takashi Shirogane is sooooo incredible. I'm so glad I'll get to go on missions with him soon. He's one of the best pilots at the garrison. And he's real handsome too!" She finished with a dramatic swoon, and everyone burst into giggles. Shiro's face went red, clearly unsure how to process that information.

Lance clapped the older man on the back. "Come on, Shiro. Don't tell me you aren't used to the attention."

He coughed uncomfortably. "I'm sure Pidge was just exaggerating."

The green paladin shook her head. "You guys better not tell him I said that. It stays on this planet."

As the others continued to laugh and chat around him, Keith felt all fuzzy inside. Even though they were galaxies away from home, they still had a sense of community among each other. Despite the danger, he was glad Voltron had brought them all together.