((This is just a headcanon I thought up for Lance one night when I should have been sleeping… Enjoy!))
Chapter Four: Breathless
As usual, the blue paladin hadn't heard his alarm go off and was comfortably snoozing as the rest of his team started breakfast. He would have remained in such a state were it not for Hunk slamming his fist against Lance's door twenty minutes later like an angry bear.
"Lance! Training!" Hunk tied his headband a little tighter and sighed, "You missed breakfast again."
Inside the small room, Lance grunted a response to let Hunk know he was indeed alive and slowly sat upright. The eye mask he wore to bed had slipped during the night and one dark eye peered forward dazedly into the bright artificial lights. It was still odd to be roused from sleep by something other than the sun and always took Lance a moment or two to remember he was actually floating through space in a giant castle-ship. You know, just everyday stuff. Slowly, he removed his headphones and shuffled to the en-suite bathroom to tame his hair, which always managed to look like Pidge had snook into his room and used her bayard on him in the middle of the night.
Once he was slightly more presentable and had thoroughly brushed his teeth, Lance pulled on his armour and moved towards the training room. The ship felt a little colder than usual and the chilly air caught in his throat, making him cough as he entered the large space where the others were waiting.
"Come on, Lance," Shiro beckoned him over to where his friends stood in the centre of the room, "Shake a leg."
Still too tired to function, Lance cocked an eyebrow at the taller man and grinned before stepping beside Hunk, who punched his shoulder lightly. Keith rolled his eyes and turned to look at their leader as he spoke to the group.
"More training as a team today," Shiro started, receiving a sarcastic 'yay' from Pidge, which he ignored, "I think some endurance work would be good."
Lance's stomach dropped. Since joining team Voltron, he'd somehow managed to avoid activities that involved endurance. Sure, he'd run a lot but only in short bursts now and then. Most of his action was in Blue or shooting at bad guys from a distance. He hadn't had to travel a long distance on foot or fight for huge periods of time. And that suited him just fine. No way was he going to let the others know why he wasn't in the mood for a long cardio exercise but he wasn't about to risk everything in participating. He raised his hand swiftly as Hunk glanced sideways at him, slight worry in his eyes.
"I'm busy right now so..."
Shiro folded his arms, "Oh, really? Doing what?"
"Things… Important things!" Lance kicked himself internally for such a dumb response.
"Idiot," Keith muttered.
"Excuse me?!" Lance spun to face the red paladin, eyes wide.
Keith shrugged, "You're just being lazy. Why don't you take training seriously for once?!"
Lance swung a clumsy fist in his direction but Keith dodged it gracefully.
"Hey!" Shiro snapped, "We're all going to do this, okay?"
Lance's shoulders sagged and he nodded silently. There was no way around it, he would have to join in and just hope nothing bad happened.
"Okay, first, push-ups. Twenty each," Shiro got down onto his stomach and demonstrated easily.
Hunk managed around three and the gave up, panting heavily. Pidge was next; she reached thirteen and then her arms seemed to turn to jelly and she face-planted the floor. Keith and Lance were side by side, moving up and down in unison until they reached the full twenty. They didn't stop at that, however, eyes locked in a silent battle as they continued on to thirty, thirty-five…
Shiro rubbed his Galra hand down his tired face, "Guys, stop." The battle continued on the floor, "Guys! Do you want me to find a tape measure?!"
Pidge snorted as the two paladins immediately stopped and got to their feet, sweat beading on their faces. Lance coughed, hacking a little and Keith tried his best to stop himself panting. Neither one wanted to show any sign of weakness in front of the other.
"Alright," Shiro sighed heavily, already regretting the training idea, "Next is target practice," he raised his voice a little and spoke to the room rather than the people in it, "Start training exercise three two four."
Around the room, several disks hovered up from the ground, each with six holes around the edges. They began to spin in unison, slowly at first and then faster until they were more like white blurs floating around the room. Suddenly, as though commanded by some invisible force, the disks started to rapidly fire small blobs of blue paint at the paladins, who quickly took cover.
"The aim is to get to your bayard over there!" he pointed to the end of the room where the four bayards were encased in four separate pillars of light, "Avoid the paint and protect your teammates!" Shiro yelled as he yanked Hunk away from the line of fire, "Three hits and you're out!"
Keith was on his feet and running to the edge of the room before anyone else had even thought of a plan; he rolled as a blob narrowly missed his shoulder and was back on his feet within seconds, eyes focused on his red bayard. Pidge was close behind, although not as agile on her feet, and was quickly hit with two consecutive blasts of paint on her legs. She slipped on it and fell to the ground as Hunk barrelled past her. Lance had opted for run first, think later and sprinted towards his bayard like a monkey on rollerskates. He somehow managed to dodge a few blasts of paint but was hit in the centre of his helmet, obscuring his line of sight. He yelped and tried to rub it off but only managed to smear it more and ended up tripping over Pidge as he got closer to his bayard.
Entertaining as it was, watching the kids trip over one another, Shiro was supposed to be teaching them something and darted across the room quickly. He skidded across the floor, ducking out of the way of the paint and scooping up Lance and Pidge in the process and ended up right next to the bayards, where Keith waited impatiently. Hunk was there too but he had three clear paint blotches on his chest and a solemn look on his face.
"Took you long enough," Keith smirked.
Shiro dropped his paladin-shaped packages and popped off his helmet, "I had some baggage to collect."
He commanded the room to stop the session and held out his hand for Pidge, who was struggling to gain her feet as the paint skidded under her shoes. Lance was already up, coughing again, although this time it sounded a little more rough, like something in his chest was scratching. Hunk put his hand on his friend's back and opened his mouth to speak but Lance shook him off roughly, dismissing his help. The exchange hadn't gone unnoticed by Shiro but he let it slide for the moment, focusing on the next task as the rest of the team removed their helmets.
"Alright, third and final part of endurance is being able to keep going, even when you're drained."
"Ugh," Pidge's arms hung at her sides and she yawned loudly, "Do we have to? My body isn't built for this."
Shiro smiled an evil grin, "That's exactly why we're doing this! Now, fifty laps around the room. Go!"
The green paladin emitted another groan but forced her legs to start jogging, albeit sloppily. Keith led the way, back straight and eyes focused, followed closely by Shiro who seemed to favour his left side, perhaps to balance out his heavier right arm. Hunk and Lance brought up the rear of the jogging team, only a few paces behind Pidge, but Hunk seemed to be slowing his pace to stay next to Lance. He looked at his old friend sheepishly.
"Should you really be doing this?" Hunk whispered as they completed their second circuit of the large room.
"I'm fine, Hunk," Lance forced a smile and gained a little speed, leaving Hunk a few paces back.
Ever the persistent type, Hunk sped up, "But what about-"
"I said I'm fine!" Lance snapped, loud enough to make Shiro turn to look at them, and patted Hunk's shoulder, "I'll be okay, promise." Lance winked and kicked his legs even harder to catch up with Keith at the front.
Almost thirty laps in and Hunk had been bested by the running. He sat at the side of the room with a large bottle of water and watched the others as they continued to jog. Pidge looked like she might topple any moment, eyes heavy and breath coming out in gasps, and Hunk watched as Shiro slowed his pace to jog beside her and say something before ruffling her hair. Moments later, Pidge had joined Hunk on the floor and was downing the rest of the water.
The red and blue paladins had of course turned the training into a competition and somehow their pace had gotten faster the longer they'd been running. Their positions kept changing but they remained neck and neck as they rounded the room for the thirty-second time.
"No way… you're beating… me… Mullet!" Lance gasped, swallowing the phlegm that threatened to make him gag.
"Ha!" Keith barked, "Just try to keep up!"
Their speed increased again and, although on the same amount of laps as the duelling pair, Shiro groaned at their energy.
"Don't overdo it, you two!" he bellowed through pants.
"Like I could-" Lance's coughing cut him off mid-sentence and he stumbled a little before regaining his balance.
Keith glanced at him briefly and was a little taken aback as he took in Lance's appearance; his cheeks puffed out as he gasped for air and his palour looked almost grey. He kept coughing and hacking and his breathing sounded more like wheezing as he gasped desperately for air, his chest rising and falling angrily.
"Hey, are you..." Keith slowed a little, shocked at the blue paladin's appearance.
Lance slowed too, his legs seeming to fail him slightly, as his breathing suddenly deteriorated. His mouth opened wide and he gasped loudly, desperately trying to suck in more oxygen. Keith stopped running and Shiro sprinted to Lance's side as he suddenly bent over double, his hands on his knees. He wheezed loudly and gripped his chest tightly against his armour, as though trying to claw at his lungs.
"Lance? What is it? What's wrong?!" Shiro's eyes were huge as he eyed the group, desperately trying to find an answer as to why the youngster couldn't breathe, "Lance, are you hurt?"
A weak shake of the head by the Cuban told Shiro that he was uninjured but that didn't really help. His wheezing breaths sounded painful as Lance gulped in air, finally falling to the floor in a heap, Shiro supporting his back just in time to save him from hitting his head. The black paladin pulled off the armour on Lance's top half and rubbed at his back gently, unable to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do. All of the first aid training at the Garrison had been to stop bleeding or pop a shoulder back in, nothing to do with a person suddenly losing the ability to breathe. He felt useless as he watched Lance struggle weakly in his arms.
"Sit him up straight," Hunk crouched down beside them and pulled Lance into a more upright position.
"Hunk?" Shiro narrowed his eyes at the yellow paladin, "Do you know what's wrong?"
Hunk scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "I promised I wouldn't say anything."
"Hunk!" Keith shouted, making Pidge jump a little, "He can't breathe!"
Lance managed to lift his head to look at Hunk and he frowned deeply, gasping between wheezes, "Don't… Hunk..."
"I have to!" Hunk turned away from Lance's pleading eyes and spoke only to Shiro, "He's got asthma."
Lance groaned and leaned more into Shiro's chest as the black paladin supported his weight and Keith knelt beside them, eyes wide. He looked furious.
"But he wouldn't have been able to become a pilot, he-"
Hunk shook his head, "We managed to tweak his physical tests so that they appeared normal."
Now Shiro was the one looking angry, "Do you know how dangerous that was?! What if he'd had an attack whilst flying?! What if-"
"I know!" Hunk shrugged his shoulders, defeated, "But he was so desperate, you know? And he had it under control, with his inhaler and stuff..."
Pidge and Keith exchanged a knowing look and suddenly Pidge was on her feet, heading for the door.
"Where does he keep his inhaler?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Usually in his bag, under his bed!" Hunk replied, guilt still etched on his usually jolly face.
"Wait..." Lance coughed, veins standing out at his temples and his chest heaving in a jerking motion, "It's… I didn't..."
Keith leaned closer to his face and put a soothing hand on his shoulder, "Where is it, Lance?"
The feeling of Keith being nice to him was enough to stop his breathing for a moment and Lance's pale cheeks flushed for a brief second before he finally swallowed enough air to speak.
"I left it in my room… when we found… Blue… On Earth."
Pidge skidded to a halt and turned on her heel, back to where her makeshift family were gathered on the floor. Keith's shoulders slumped and Shiro let his head flop forward, his forehead leaning in Lance's hair. For a few seconds, the only sound was the harsh wheezing breaths of the blue paladin. No one knew what to do, here he was gasping for air like a dying fish and not one of them knew how to help. They looked to Shiro for answers but the older man had nothing to offer other than a calming voice and a pat on the back. He felt useless just sitting there and gestured for Keith to take his place as he got to his feet.
"I'm going to go and see if Allura has anything that will help," Shiro ruffled Lance's hair and spoke quietly, "I'll be back with help soon, kiddo."
"I'll come too," Hunk was already on his feet, his gaze not meeting Lance's for fear of being rejected.
"I'll go see if I can find Coran," Pidge added as she jogged out of the room.
That left the two paladins alone. Red and blue, fire and ice. They struggled to get along at times but when teamwork was needed they knew how to fight alongside one another. Now Lance gasped for air, chest heaving as he leaned back against Keith's as Keith shuffled back to lean against the wall, his back aching from the jogging earlier.
He felt awkward and uneasy as he listened to Lance's lungs struggling to work and he tried to slow his own breathing in the hopes that it would somehow slow Lance's too. Strangely enough, it seemed to do exactly that. Although still wheezing horribly, Lance's breathing seemed to have slowed a little, it sounded less desperate and more of a laborious task than a terrified scramble. Keith felt Lance's shoulders relax a little and automatically placed his hand on his chest, feeling the still too fast rise and fall of it.
"Why're you… being so… nice?" Lance tried to turn his head to look at Keith but a coughing fit forced him forward.
"Don't speak, moron."
Something warm and wet plinked against Keith's arm and he looked down to see it was a tear. He didn't think that Lance even knew he was crying as all of his efforts were concentrated on trying to remain conscious but his friend was obviously terrified. Keith thought about how desperate Lance must have been to be a pilot to forge his physical test results. If he'd been caught it would have been instant dismissal and he never would have achieved his dream. If he admitted it, Keith was impressed by just how far Lance had been willing to go. Maybe there was something behind the goofy grin and innuendos after all.
"'m scared," Lance mumbled hoarsely.
"I've got you, bud," Keith spoke into Lance's hair, thankful that he couldn't see his face at that moment.
Silently, Keith took a deep, slow breath, forcing his chest outwards purposefully and pressing against Lance's back so that he too was forced to breath deeply. As he breathed out into Lance's dark hair so did Lance. A shaking, rough breath but a slow one nonetheless. Keith repeated the process, inhaling the scent of Lance's shampoo as he breathed in and ruffling the tiny hairs on the blue paladin's neck as he exhaled. Lance breathed in unison and even placed his hand atop Keith's on his chest as it rose and fell.
After what seemed like forever, Lance's breathing slowed to a more manageable rate and the wheezing decreased a little. He continued to cough and his breath hitched in his throat every few minutes but he was able to breathe deeply through his nose and felt less likely to pass out. He closed his eyes, exhausted, and leaned his head back against Keith's shoulder.
"I didn't… die," Lance croaked, eyes closed but a small smile on his face.
"Shame," Keith retorted.
"You love… me really."
"Sure, buddy," Keith sniggered as Lance's breathing continued to normalise until eventually it became slower, more shallow as he fell asleep.
"I'm here! I have this weird root thing and everything is going to be fine!" Shiro stumbled into the room, face red and arms full of what looked like some kind of yellow plant.
"Looks like we're not needed after all," Allura smiled down at the red and blue paladins, asleep in a small, snoring heap.
