The Lion's Pride Chapter 4: Omega, a voltron: legendary defender fanfic

Voltron || ShiKeiLan || Voltron || The Lion's Pride || Voltron || ShiKeiLan || Voltron

Title: The Lion's Pride – The Kitten's Needs

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Disclaimer: All rights to the remake reserved to DreamWorks, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, and for the original to Toei Animation. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, moresome, aliens, ABO-verse, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, knotting, past abuse, hurt/comfort

Main Pairing: Shiro/Keith/Lance

Summary: When Pidge confesses to the team that she's a female alpha and explains why she hid her true gender, the team catches on that Pidge isn't the only one covering up her status – they realize Lance is a male omega. They don't want to confront him, because they want him to be comfortable enough to tell them on his own, so the team makes an extra-effort to make Lance feel cherished. What they don't know is that being an omega isn't the only secret he has...

The Lion's Pride

The Kitten's Needs

Chapter 3: Omega

"I'm an omega", blurted Lance out, because what else was he supposed to say.

"We... kind of already knew that", smiled Shiro gently, taking one of Lance's hands and prying it off his jeans to hold it reassuringly. "It's okay, Lance. We accepted Pidge when she told us she's not a boy, what made you think we wouldn't accept you when you told us you're an omega?"

Lance half-shrugged, averting his eyes. "Old... scars. T—That's why I couldn't tell you. Because you'd ask. You asked Pidge for her reasons. I didn't want you t—to ask for mine." He took a couple hiccuping shaky breaths, eyes squeezed shut again as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. "I—It's not that I don't trust you - I trust you, I trust you with my life. But I can't tell you. I can't. Because I'd have to think about it a—and talk about it and I can't. I can't, I can't, I can't-"

"It's okay", whispered Keith as he gently pried Lance out from between Pidge and Hunk so he could gather the omega in his arms. "It's okay. You don't need to tell us why. You told us the truth. That's enough. You don't need to think about it, or talk about it. You don't need to."

Lance hiccuped. He could feel Shiro behind him and Pidge and Hunk on either side of him. Allura and Coran were trying to squeeze in too, unsure how to behave about such things since their society didn't have packs, but they still tried to comfort. He tried to slow his breathing down.

"You don't need to explain a thing. That... That reaction is really all the explanation needed", whispered Shiro, sounding oddly pained. "Whatever it is that made you hide it, it... hurt you. Badly. Very badly. That's all the reason there is, really. It's okay, Lance. You don't need to explain."

Lance felt relief flood him and he took a deep, calming breath. That was when he noticed that he had his face buried in Keith's neck as the alpha was still holding him. Keith. Of everyone present, Keith. Why? Confused, he tried to bring some distance between them.

"Would... Would you mind telling us why you decided to tell us though?", asked Pidge gently.

Keith glared and actually growled at Pidge for that, half-afraid that would send Lance into another panic-attack. Lance startled a little at that, tilting his head in even more confused. He laid a hand on Keith's upper arm and squeezed gently, indicating to the alpha that he was fine.

"I... still had suppressant shots from the Garrison. I always kept a couple syringes with me, in case anything happens or comes up", whispered Lance softly. "But... I ran out. In about a week, you'll probably be able to smell it anyway. And... that's... not how I wanted you to find out. I figured I'd at least owe it to you to tell you in person. Even... if you already found out on your own..."

"Suppressants?", asked Coran curiously.

"It's not rare for omegas to use them on the job", explained Shiro. "They suppress heats and, in some cases, they also suppress scents. I guess that's why we weren't able to smell you?"

Lance nodded and averted his eyes. Coran made a curious noise, humming interested.

"I've heard of such things before. I'm certain we could get our hands on some alien-versions of it for you, Lance", offered Coran, earning a heated glare from Keith. "That is Lance's decision, isn't it?"

"O—Of course", huffed Keith irritated; irritated by himself.

Of course was it Lance's decision if he wanted to get back on suppressants, but the thought of finally being able to smell Lance's real scent was so alluring and intriguing, he didn't want it to be covered up before he could even get a sniff! But this wasn't the time to make Lance feel pressured.

"Maybe...", started Lance unsure, looking at his pack. "Maybe just... a heat-suppressant?"

"Are you sure?", asked Shiro surprised. "You don't have to. If it makes you uncomfortable..."

Lance shook his head very slowly. "The past... weeks... I guess you probably noticed, but I've been behaving more... omega-y. I haven't done that in years. But... I... I think it's not... not that bad. I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. Not... with you guys. I think. There was this feeling. This numbness. Like when you tie up your arm before you get your blood drawn, right? Like one of your limbs is tied off. That feeling. But now it starts... to loosen up. I think maybe... maybe suppressing my omega-side is what felt like... tying off part of myself. I think I want to try... and be whole again. Because I trust you. I want to... try and be... well... the... pack Omega?"

His face was dark pink and uncertainty was written all over it. To Earth packs, omegas were highly valuable. Together with the pack Alpha, traditionally speaking the Alpha's mate was the pack Omega who took care of the pack. The father and mother figures to the pack. In modern packs, it was normal that even an omega who wasn't the Alpha's mate could be pack Omega. Due to the size of some modern packs, it was not even untypical to have multiple pack Omegas, to help out the Alpha-mate. It was a lot of responsibility and quite frankly, Lance didn't know if he was ready to carry it. He was also unsure how it'd affect his already rather tense relationship with Keith, because as tradition had it, the pack Omega and the pack Alpha were mates, but Keith was Shiro's mate. It could very well happen that Keith would see Lance as an intruder or threat.

"If you're sure that is what you want, then we'd be honored to have you", smiled Shiro.

"Well, you... kinda already took over anyway", stated Pidge and looked over at the waiting breakfast. "And it's not like you got anyone else challenging you for the position."

Lance smiled nearly shyly and relaxed a little. They accept him as an omega. They'd even allow him to take care of the pack, even after he had lied to them. And they didn't pry on his secret. They allowed him to keep it. He hadn't felt that at ease in forever.

/break\

Lance was clutching AJ tightly to his chest as he walked into the living room that evening for their team-bonding night of movies. It wasn't like they had a whole lot else to do in their castle aside from training all day. But even training needed to end at one point and what better way to recharge than curling together on the couch? For the first time however, Lance was trying to mentally prepare himself to act... omega-y. He didn't really know if he even could. Pidge, Hunk and Coran sat on one of the couches, while Keith and Shiro were curled together on the other, sitting with Princess Allura. Lance's eyes flittered between the two couches, contemplating where he was going to sit. His instincts screamed at him to climb onto Shiro's lap and curl up against Keith's chest, but oh heaven no. He was not going to do that. He couldn't just invade the mated pair's personal space like that. But he wanted cuddles. His eyes found Hunk, who looked really comfortable. He was the closest to Hunk, they were best friends. They had been close for a while. He took an encouraging, deep breath and stepped up to Hunk. Before he could even voice it – unsure how he'd even voice it – Hunk grinned at him broadly and lifted one arm in invitation. Lance looked surprised.

"You said you wanna try being more... omega-y, was what you said I think", grinned Hunk. "And omegas like body-contact, right? You were already real cuddly before too."

"I—I was not", huffed Lance undignified, nose high.

"Yeah, you totally were", laughed Hunk. "When we'd be studying for the Garrison tests, you'd always lean against me and fall asleep on me. And when you're asleep, you're damn clingy. It's how I figured out that you're actually an omega."

Lance frowned as he carefully sat down between Pidge and Hunk, snuggling up to the tall, broad alpha. "You've... known for that long? But... you never said anything, man."

"Bro, it doesn't change a thing that you're an omega", huffed Hunk, arm around Lance now.

Lance smiled up at Hunk with happy eyes while Pidge cuddled up to him on the other side. Shiro's dark eyes watched them closely. Part of Shiro preened at how Lance seemed to bloom and how well the pack was accepting the omega despite Lance's initial fears. But there was another part of Shiro, one the Alpha tried very hard to suppress. That part wanted to growl at Hunk, grab Lance and put him where the omega belonged. With Shiro and Keith. And then he wanted to rub his chin against Lance, scent him and relish in having him close and just holding him. He knew he couldn't do that; that was a disastrous plan even. Lance had already been unsure enough, that would only chase him away for good, probably. Another part of Shiro feared what would come once Lance actually started to smell like unmated, sweet omega. He had his inner alpha under control so far, but the question was if he'd be able to control it once he was flooded by the scent of the omega he desired.

"Shiro, relax", whispered Keith into his ear, leaning more against his mate.

Shiro grunted in reply and tried to relax as good as he could. His eyes still kept finding Lance. Watching how the omega relaxed more and more the longer the night lasted. For now, Shiro would be content just seeing Lance happy in their pack, finding his place in their pack.

/break\

It happened during a battle against the Galran. Of course it did. Because Lance's body was a traitor and it hated him and how was this even his life? The team had split up on a Galra base. Lance was pinned against a wall by a Galran alpha. The guy's nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed. He could smell it. Could smell that Lance was an omega. Lance's eyes widened and fear took over.

"How stupid are your people to send an omega into a fight?", snarled the Galran viciously.

He was right. Of course was he right. Omegas were useless. Couldn't fight. Could never fight an alpha. Because omegas were dictated by their instincts, by their weak nature. Weak. Useless. Lance's breath hitched when the Galran leaned in to sniff his neck, a growl rumbling in his chest. Omegas couldn't fight, because they were weak in nature. Useless. He was going to die right here, without his team, just because he was an omega. The Galran's weapon fell onto the floor and with the echoing sound of that, a very sudden, sharp clarity set in for Lance. His eyebrows knitted.

The only omega-instinct he had at the moment was to flee – his instincts were calculating all escape-routs and how high his chances of escape were. True, his instincts weren't telling him to fight back, because they knew better than that. Omegas, physically speaking, stood no chance against alphas. But his instincts didn't tell him to submit and surrender either. His mind was clear.

The alpha on the other hand had dropped his weapon, eyes hazy with desire. Unfocused.

That was when Lance realized something. Something very important. Omegas weren't the ones dictated by their nature; alphas were. When he was little, he had been told over and over again that omegas were useless and would never be able to fight and that they relied on an alpha's mercy. Not because it was true, but because alphas were so easily influenced by omegas and feared that, so they manipulated the omegas. It weren't alphas that held the true power, it were omegas. It was Lance.

It was a good thing his mind went into overdrive and he was quick on his feet, because after that realization, in that split-second, he formed a plan. A plan that might backfire horribly, but hey, he was Lance – he was reckless. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he tried to relax. He tilted his head, baring his neck. He made a cute, whiny sound that was supposed to appeal to alphas.

"Eh. Typical omega slut. Always eager for an alpha's knot, aren't you?", snickered the Galran.

He took a step back from Lance and started loosening his armor. Lance waited for the right moment and even though he might not be physically strong enough to overpower the guy, a knee to the groin was a knee to the groin. The Galran went down with a grunt and Lance lunged for the dropped weapon, knocking the Galran out with the weapon's help. Joy flooded Lance's system. He had knocked an alpha out. All on his own. Not despite being an omega, but because he was an omega.

"Lance! Lance!", called his frantic team-mates as they ran around the corner.

Well, part of his team anyway. Hunk and Shiro rounded the corner, both froze when they saw him and the unconscious, half-undressed Galran. Lance straightened and offered them a cocky, proud grin. He had won! All on his own. That'd make his Alpha proud, right? Well, apparently not so much, because suddenly Lance had a dangerously growling Shiro pinning him to the wall and sniffing him. Lance gulped, heart beating in his throat nervously.

"Dude. Dude, stop it", grunted Hunk with a frown. "We gotta clear out. Pidge said they're back with their lions. We need to get out before the base blows. You can sniff him later, Alpha."

Lance yelped as he was thrown over Shiro's shoulder and was being carried off. He stared confused over at Hunk who gave him a half-amused look as the trio headed back to their lions. It seemed physically hard for Shiro to put Lance down when they reached their lions, but with a bit nudging from Hunk, the leader finally let go. Lance was left in confusion as he flew off with Azul. The confusion didn't get much better when they were finally back at the castle and the team was gathering in the common area. As soon as Shiro saw Lance, the Alpha pinned him again.

"Okay. Seriously. I do not appreciate being thrown against walls!", yelped Lance high-pitched.

"Are you alright? Are you unharmed? Did he... touch you?", growled Shiro concerned and dark.

"What? Who? Who touched Lance?", asked Keith with an edge to his voice.

"When Shiro and I found him, there was a... half naked and unconscious Alpha at his feet", explained Hunk before he joined Pidge in the 'getting checked-up by Coran'-corner of the room.

"I—It was fine, guys, really!", exclaimed Lance, kicking with his feet and trying to get out of Shiro's very possessive grasp. "He didn't hurt me! He didn't touch me, Shiro. I'm alright."

Shiro took very deep breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't help much, because all he inhaled was that insanely sweet, alluring scent of unmated omega. It made him want to scoop the omega up in his arms, carry Lance to his den and then keep the omega safely cuddled up between Shiro and Keith where no Galran could ever touch him again. Shiro was an alpha and he had suffered enough at their hands. He didn't want to begin to imagine what they'd to do an omega. And not just any omega, no, his omega. Keith grabbed him by the arm and carefully pried him off of Lance.

"What happened, Lance?", asked Keith while holding onto his mate.

"I guess the last of my suppressants wore off. The guy I was fighting smelt it. He went... horny alpha on me", admitted Lance, which made Shiro growl. "But... But I... uh... used it against him? I pretended to submit and he totally fell for it and let his guard down. And then I knocked him out."

"That is... indeed truly impressive", praised Coran proudly. "But not too much of a surprise."

"Because I'm awesome", grinned Lance cockily.

"Because on many planets, omegas are the first front of fighters", elaborated Allura kindly. "The only way to manipulate unmated alphas is with omegas. And in high stress situations, omegas are known as the flight-instinct-focus. A clearer, more rational mind than an alpha whose instinct it is to blindly attack and lash out when backed into a corner."

"You.. shouldn't have taken such a risk", sighed Shiro, obviously forcing himself to be calm, reaching out to trace Lance's cheek again. "You didn't know if it'd work. It could have backfired. He could have... I don't... I saw what they did to alphas and betas, I can't imagine what they'd do to an omega. It's... I'm... proud of you that it worked, but... I can't imagine what... if it hadn't..."

Lance whimpered softly and bared his neck to the Alpha to sooth him. "It worked, Shiro. That's what matters, right? I'm safe. I'm fine. I kicked ass."

Shiro snorted, relaxing a little. "Yes, you did. You did very good. Very good. I'm proud of you. But... please, promise me not to try something so risky again while you're alone?"

Lance took a step forward and leaned into Shiro's still raised hand, rubbing his cheek against it to sooth the still upset Alpha. Shiro was such a worrying mother-hen. It warmed Lance's heart.

"I promise, Alpha", whispered Lance reassuringly. "But now that I know it works..."

"Stop trying to give Shiro an aneurysm, kitten", growled Keith, flipping Lance's nose.

Lance blushed brightly at the nickname and glared at the alpha. Shiro still insisted he'd get checked up by Coran, just to make sure the Galran alpha really hadn't hurt him. Stupid, worrying alphas. Stupid omega-ness for thoroughly enjoying the worrying and fussing of his alphas.

/break\

"Is Lance coming too?", asked Keith, looking around the room.

"I doubt it", hummed Hunk with an amused grin. "He was practically dead on his feet when we finished training. I wouldn't be surprised if he's deep asleep in the shower..."

Shiro sat with the bowl of red alien-popcorn nestled between his legs. They had spent the day with very intense training. Which was why they deserved a break right now. Allura was most excited; she had chosen today's movie. Smiling, she leaned over and grabbed the bowl from Shiro's lap. Pidge made a pleased sound at that and sat down next to Allura so she could also snatch some of the treat. Shiro frowned down at the empty spot between his legs; he had made that popcorn himself, how come his pack always stole his food? Coran was busy with the giant flat-screen and starting the movie, while Allura, Pidge and Hunk devoured the popcorn like starving people. They really had overdone it with training and no one found the energy to even as much as go to the dining hall. The door hissed open and there was the tapping of bare feet. Shiro smiled, happy that Lance had decided to join them after all. The smile slipped form his face to make room for a stunned expression.

Lance was not wearing his clothes. He wasn't naked – though Shiro doubted if naked would have had a more overwhelming effect than this. No, Lance was wearing a way oversized black shirt with long sleeves. On Lance, the sleeves were so long, his fingers completely disappeared beneath them. It kept slipping off Lance's shoulder in a way that left shoulder and neck invitingly bare. It also reached a bit lower than mid-thigh, nearly looking like a dress on the other. This was not Lance's shirt; it was Shiro's. All of them had comfortable clothes stashed in the changing room in front of the common showers next to their gym. Lance must have grabbed one from the wrong shelf. He also must have grabbed the wrong sweat-pants, because the dark-red sweat-pants were definitely Keith's. And if not for the oversized shirt he was wearing, the sweat-pants would probably ride so low that they would be able to see Lance's hipbones. It pleased Shiro on a completely primal level to see his omega wearing his clothes and his mate's clothes. He had never seen something cuter than Lance in their clothes, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he patted closer to his team.

Lance was positively dead on his feet. Hunk had been merciless – which, okay, was a relief because part of Lance had been afraid they'd treat him different now that they knew he was an omega. Then again, all of them had trained hard. But all Lance had wanted was to curl together and fall into like a coma. Sleep wouldn't do; too short. He would like a couple months or sleep, please. He knew why he was so much more exhausted than his teammates – his body was so busy getting the chemicals out that it burned enough energy on that, leaving less energy for training. As great as the urge to curl together and sleep for eight months straight was, the urge to seek out his pack and be with them and the safety his pack could provide by simply being there was stronger. He found them nearly on autopilot. His feet walked him all the way to the common area without him even thinking about it. He smiled sleepily when he entered the room that was flooded with his pack's scents – his senses were heightening, not dulled by suppressants anymore. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly looked around. Pidge, Allura and Hunk were devouring popcorn like it was the last food in the galaxy, Keith was leaning against Shiro on the other couch and Shiro – Shiro was sitting with his thighs spread and ankles crossed, leaving a big space between them. A Lance-sized space, supplied his brain. Before the rest of his brain could catch up with the primal omega-part of his brain did his body move.

Shiro took in a sharp breath as all of a sudden, Lance walked straight up to him and then proceeded to curl together in Shiro's lap. Shiro's eyes widened and he completely froze up, one hand mid-way raised in a gesture he already forgot what it was supposed to be. All his brain and body could focus on was the omega curled together on his lap, cheek rubbing against Shiro's thigh as he got more comfortable, legs drawn up tightly against Lance's chest, feet resting on Shiro's other thigh, scent sweet and alluring. A happy smile spread over Lance's lips as he found the perfectly comfortable position to lay in, wiggling around one last time to be sure. Shiro couldn't comprehend that Lance could make himself that small – that he could fit into the space between his crossed legs like that.

Shiro still hadn't moved, one arm awkwardly raised in what could have been supposed to be a greeting to Lance. Hunk stared at him in utter amusement, noting that their Alpha was even only breathing very shallow as though he tried not to startle Lance under any circumstances whatsoever. Pidge next to Hunk snickered in a nearly mean way. Then again, the two of them had a lot of fun thanks to Keith and Shiro being the most awkward alphas in the history of alpha and omega courting. It was so painfully obvious those two wanted to court Lance, but they tried to act all casual, most likely so they wouldn't chase Lance away. It was hilarious to watch.

"Shiro? Are you... still breathing?", asked Keith concerned, squinting at his mate.

"Y—Yeah", whispered Shiro very softly, still staring at Lance wide-eyed.

His expression, taken out of context, would have easily been interpreted as 'Oh my god, I have a bomb laying on my lab and it will explode and tear me apart if I move'. Hunk joined Pidge's snickering. Allura looked mainly confused and a bit concerned as she tilted her head.

"Shiro? Are you alright? You look like you're having a... stroke?", inquired the princess.

"F—Fine", grunted Shiro, nodding just the slightest bit.

His heart was hammering so hard against his ribs, he was sure it tried to break out. But Lance was so warm and soft and he really fit just perfectly into Shiro's lap, as though he was specifically made to lay in Shiro's lap and he looked so cute and content – until he wiggled his nose and pulled his eyebrows down. Oh god, he was uncomfortable. What had Shiro done to make him uncomfortable? How could he fix it again? How could he make the cute omega stay right where he was?

"What's wrong, kotik?", asked Keith, voice calm and casual.

"Cold...", mumbled Lance displeased, wiggling his nose again.

Shiro turned grateful eyes to his mate. Sure, he could be level-headed during battle, but this was different. He had never dealt with an omega before, especially not with one he wanted. He was a total mess, completely in over his head with his emotions. For once, he was grateful that Keith wasn't the overly emotional type. Sure, he let his emotions get the best of him sometimes too and he usually didn't know how to deal with them, but in moments like this, Keith somehow knew what to do. When Shiro's brain completely failed him, his mate didn't.

"There you go, that better?", asked Keith as he tugged the softest blanket over Lance's shoulder.

But before Keith could pull back again, Lance grabbed his wrist and pulled him down, pulling Keith's arm against his chest until Keith was forced to lay down on Shiro's thighs, stuck behind Lance's back and against Shiro's stomach. Now Keith had a similarly stunned expression on his face as Shiro, which only made Hunk and Pidge laugh harder. Lance snuggled up against Keith and started purring rather loudly, the expression on his face completely serene and the omega deep asleep within seconds. Both alphas looked like they were in over their heads.

"Well, are we going to watch the movie now or not?", asked Coran a bit pointedly.

Keith and Shiro slowly shook the stupor off and both carefully adjusted to be more comfortable. Keith wrapped his free arm around Lance's waist and pulled the omega closer against his chest, which increased the soothing purring sound that Lance made. Shiro leaned back against the backrest and finally took his arm down. He decided to reach out for Lance's hair, running his fingers through it in a barely noticeable motion, while his prosthetic arm came to lay over both Keith's and Lance's waists, curling over them in a protective manner. Shiro smiled gently as he watched how serene Lance looked in his sleep and how genuinely happy Keith looked as he too watched Lance.

It wasn't just that Shiro wanted Lance, that he wanted to make Lance happy, he was also happy by how much Lance made Keith happy (even though Keith managed to normally cover it with annoyance and irritation). He knew, deep down, that real happiness laid between all three of them. That Shiro and Keith were willing to do anything to make Lance happy too. He just knew it.

Author's note: First of all, please no spoilers in the reviews! I haven't seen season 2 yet and I'm sure many others haven't either - so don't ruin it for others ;)

Secondly, I have this bit of headcanon that alphas and omegas represent the fight or flight reflexes when pushed into a corner. Alphas get aggressive and attack, while omegas are able to calmly calculate their situation and pick the best route of action that'll get them safely out of the situation. That's why Lance suddenly had that moment of clarity and that ton of thoughts in a split-second; that's how I figure an omega's brain works in such situations.

Next chapter, our little pride of lions is actually going to learn the WHOLE truth about Lance!