The One Where Lance met Krolia


It had been a shock to Lance's system when Keith had arrived back at the palace with a Galran leader in tow. As if Lotor hadn't been enough, now they had this one around! Just what in the quiznak did his other half think he was doing?

Who exactly this Galra lady was, was kept very hush hush aboard the palace. Of course Keith knew, along with Allura, Lotor, and Coran, but other than that the others could only guess. When they'd arrived, Keith had taken her directly to Lotor and Allura, not even making eye contact with Lance as he'd walked by.

That had been a slight blow to Lance's feelings. With Keith's work with the Blade of Marmora, their time spent together had grown scarcer by the minute. Until that moment, Lance hadn't seen Keith in more than two weeks. Now, when they finally got to see each other, the other boy had brushed past him like he was invisible.

Lance wouldn't think of it as a bad thing yet, however. The circumstances seemed to be pretty serious, so Keith was probably being his usual stoic self. Sometimes his lone wolf, introverted behavior really frustrated the extroverted Lance.

The five, Lotor, Allura, Coran, Keith, and the mystery Galra, had been on the bridge all afternoon, leaving Lance sitting on the floor outside of the sealed door. His knees were pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his legs, and chin resting on his knees when Pidge found him.

She lightly kicked his foot with hers, saying, "You gonna sit out here all afternoon?"

He kept his eyes locked onto the door, muttering, "Yep."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't seen Keith in weeks." Lance said, "And I want to know why there are suddenly two high-ranking Galrans on this ship when we've been fighting them for how long."

Pidge shrugged, "I haven't seen Keith either, but you don't see me moping."

"Moping?" Lance finally looked at her, "Who's moping? Not me."

"Oh please, your face has 'mope' written all over it." She said, plopping down next to him, "What are you so worried about? That suddenly there will be an attack from Lotor and whoever that girl is?"

"No." Lance scoffed, "Obviously they wouldn't stand a chance against me. I'm just curious of who that was that Keith brought. Is she with us, or a prisoner?"

"She wasn't in handcuffs." Pidge reflected, "And she smiled once at Keith. Maybe she's from the Blade of Marmora and is working on something with him, and they needed to tell Lotor some top-secret information!"

Lance nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "You know, you're probably right, Pidge!"

"Am I ever wrong?"

They sat together for another hour, until Lance's leg cramped, and he sprawled across the floor, groaning, "How much longer is this going to take? I'm going crazy!"

Just as the words left his lips, the door to the bridge hissed open, and Keith strode through the threshold. He looked surprised to see Lance and Pidge on the floor, and then smiled, "Hey guys! I'd like to introduce you to someone. Where's Shiro and Hunk?"

"I'll go find them." Pidge said, rising to her feet, "Everything okay?"

Keith nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine."

The two boys watched Pidge jog down the hall in search of Shiro and Hunk, and when she disappeared, Lance looked at Keith. There were a few scratches on his neck and face, and a bruise on his cheek, which Lance stroked with his thumb, "Looks like you went through a rough one, this time."

Keith pressed his cheek into Lance's touch, closing his eyes as he leaned forward and felt his lover's arms wrap around him, "Yeah, it was."

"Are you alright?" Lance asked, glancing down at him from the corner of his eye, "You don't know how much I worry when you're gone."

Keith's hands bunched in the fabric of Lance's shirt, "I'm fine, thanks to Krolia."

"Who's Krolia-?"

The door behind them opened suddenly, and Lance looked up into the Galran eyes of the woman, towering over him by a full foot. His eyes widened, his mind still telling him that she was an enemy, and he swiftly let go of Keith to shove him behind him, protectively standing between them.

But Keith put a gentle hand on Lance's shoulder, stepped out from his lover's shield, "This is Krolia."

The Galran woman peered down at Lance, her face drawn in a tight frown. The two locked eyes, both staring the other down in a duel of gazes. Despite feeling like he wanted to grab Keith and run, Lance stood his ground as the woman approached him. She stopped mere inches apart from him, bending down to his height, "Lance?"

He gulped, his eyes widening, "Yeah, that's my name."

Her hard gaze suddenly softened, and she smiled, "Did you just put yourself between my son and I?"

"Well yeah, it's still a little hard for me to trust the Galra yet-" He stopped as his brain finally processed what she'd said, "W-w-wait! Son? As in, child? Or is that a sort of metaphor for the sun, like a 'ray of hope' type thing?"

Krolia still smiled as she rose back to her full height, "You heard me correctly. Keith is my son."

Lance, still having trouble believing it, shuffled Keith next to her and glanced between the two. As he did, the resemblance became striking, and he felt his mouth fall open, "You're really his mom, huh?"

"Sure am." Krolia said, putting an arm around Keith's shoulders, "It's the nose isn't it?"

"Mm, I think more of the eyes…and hair." Lance said.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Shiro's voice made them glance down the hall, where he, along with Pidge and Hunk, were approaching.

"I'd like everyone to meet Krolia." Keith said, smiling proudly, "My mother."

"Come again?" Hunk clasped his fingers together.

"Did you say, Mother?" Pidge sounded just as shocked as Hunk.

"Yeah, after all these years, it turns out she was still out there." Keith answered, "Who would have thought we would meet like this? And both working with the resistance."

"After I left you and your father, how could I not?" Krolia asked, her gaze soft as she looked at her son, "I knew eventually the Galra Empire would spread to Earth, so I did whatever I could to stop that from happening."

Shiro was the first one to step forward, extending his hand to her, "Any friend, or family, of Keith's is a friend of mine. Shiro."

"Thank you for taking care of my son, all of you." Krolia said, looking past the open door behind her, where Lotor stood next to Allura and Coran.

Pidge and Hunk went to speak more with Krolia, and Shiro journeyed onto the bridge next to Allura, leaving Lance and Keith standing side by side in the hallway. They watched as Krolia explained some alien mumbo-jumbo to the two nerdy paladins, who were soaking up the information like sponges.

"Hey Red, this sciencey talk is really making my head hurt, wanna get out of here?" Lance asked, winking at Keith.

The other boy shook his head in exasperation, "Aren't you Red now?"

Lance looked away, touching his chest over his heart, "You'll always be Red, Keith, I'm just a replacement until I can be Blue again."

Keith's hand wrapped around Lance's wrist, pulling him down the hallway in a rush. Lance followed with heated cheeks, stuttering, "K-Keith, where are we going?"

Keith came to an abrupt halt, nearly making Lance run into him, and when he turned around, Lance swore his heart stopped beating for a tick. His eyes were on fire, face red with determination (and maybe a little blush), and for the first time in a long time, Keith came alive with the passion of the Red Paladin. Lance's eyes widened as Keith's hands gripped the collar of his shirt, "You're not my replacement." He said gently, and then rose up on his tip toes to press their lips together.

All the lonely nights they had spent without each other came pouring back to them, fueling Lance to press Keith into the wall as they stumbled for something to lean on. "God, I've missed you." He rested his arms on the wall on either side of Keith's head, the other boy's snaking up under Lance's sweatshirt. Gasping once at the feeling of Keith's touch on his bare skin, Lance became painfully aware of how their bodies were molded into each other.

"We should probably stop," He whispered, "what if someone finds us like this?"

"That's why I lead you this far away. It's fine." Keith muttered, leaning forward to try to capture Lance's lips again.

But he easily dodged Keith's hasty attack, saying, "Easy for you to say, now that Mommy Galra is here, I have to be extra careful. Something tells me she's protective of you."

Keith tilted his head to the side, making Lance's stomach flop, "Sometimes…I really want to break up with you."

Lance grinned, "Then why don't you?"

"Because, I love you, idiot."

With pink cheeks, Lance scratched the back of his head, "I was going for the, 'I'd never find anyone better', but I'll take that too."

Keith chuckled, pushing himself off the wall and into Lance's embrace, and buried his head in his shoulder. When he breathed in, he smelled the familiar smell of Lance's soap mixed with his one unique scent. It was the smell he thought of when he thought about home. "Who are you kidding, I could do way better than you if I wanted."

"You're not wrong." Lance agreed, reveling in the feel of his boyfriend in his arms, "So I'll count my blessings that you stay."

Keith leaned his head back to look up at him, "I'll always be by your side, Lance."

Lance smile, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, "I know."

As they walked hand in hand back to the bridge, Keith looked up at Lance and said, "I suppose I should introduce you to my mother."

"You did already." Lance said, looking at him quizzically.

"I meant as my boyfriend." Keith smiled.

"Right. Geez, I've never been introduced to someone's parents before." Lance glanced up at the ceiling in thought, "What should I say? Is there something in Galran culture that I can do to impress her? I don't want her to think I'm disrespectful of her culture. I mean, I don't like it, but she can't help being Galran, right? So I can at least try-"

"I think you're over-thinking things." Keith muttered, "Just act how you normally do."

Lance opened his mouth to say something.

"On second thought," Keith interrupted, "maybe you should tone down the personality a bit for the first introductions."

"I'll do my best!" Lance held up a thumb.

"There you are!" They looked ahead, where the woman in question was striding toward them. Krolia came to a stop as they neared each other, and said, "Your friends are very remarkable. Those two, Hunk and Pidge, have quite an advanced knowledge of technology and the universe. Shiro is a good, strong leader. I had an enjoyable conversation about tactics with him. And Allura and Coran showed me the castle's technology and capability. I'm glad you've surrounded yourself with such great people."

"Me too." Keith smiled, and then looked at Lance, "I know you two have met, but there's one thing you don't know about Lance and me."

"Oh?" Krolia put a hand on her hip, eyeing the other boy carefully.

"He's my boyfriend." Keith said bluntly, making Lance's face burn.

"Yes, I can see he's a close friend of yours."

"No, what I mean is that we're in a relationship. One stronger than friendship." Keith explained, but Krolia didn't seem to quite get it.

So Lance helped him, "Krolia, I love Keith. More than anything, even myself. If it came down to it, I wouldn't hesitate to put myself between him and death." Keith's hand tightened its grip on his, and Lance looked down at him, "Because if I didn't have Keith, I wouldn't have anything. That kind of relationship."

"Lance." Keith said.

"Ah," Krolia crossed her arms, "I understand now. You remind me of my feelings for his father." She smiled at memories only she could relive, "It is an honor to meet you, Lance. I hope those feelings never waiver, and your words remain true."

"You don't have to worry, ma'am," Lance said.

"Please, call me Krolia."

Later, when the other paladins were busy interrogating Keith about his recent missions, Krolia found Lance staring out the windows of the bridge. She stood next to him, watching his reflection in the glass, "Keith told me that you were the one who found the Blue Lion. Your heart is what started all of this."

"Ah geez, that guy." Lance smiled up at her, "He likes to exaggerate things. I'm sure any of them could have woken the Blue Lion if I wasn't there."

"The Lions don't respond to just anyone," Krolia said, "you must be worthy of their trust."

"Maybe I just got lucky then."

"Or perhaps you don't give yourself enough credit." Krolia glanced down at him, "I've only known you for a few hours, but even I can see you have a good heart, Lance. Your loyalty knows no bounds. You hold others' welfare above your own, selflessly acting on things even if it means bringing suffering upon yourself. That is why the Blue Lion chose you, and the reason my son is captivated by you."

Lance chuckled, "I think it's the other way around, Krolia. I'm the one captivated by him. Keith is so strong, and sometimes I feel like I'm weighing him down. It's why I constantly try to do things better. I want to be strong like him, so I can lift him up instead of drag him down. Keith is…so special to me."

"I can see from your words that you cherish him. I would be in no place to tell him who he can and can't have a relationship with, being that I left him as an infant. But, if I did," She looked down at him, "I would tell him never to let you go."

Lance felt his eyes widen, and tears burned at the back of his throat, "I-um...t-thank you."

"Your feats in battle also influence your favor with me. Keith has told me about a lot of those as well." Krolia leaned down so she could better stare into his eyes, "I also want to make one thing clear between us. What you said earlier, about putting yourself between him and death, did you mean that?"

"Of course." Lance's voice was sharp, "I would die for Keith, no hesitation."

"Then I hope you remember that." Krolia said, "If ever the situation arises, think back to this conversation. I'll hold you to those words."

Lance nodded, "I promise, Krolia, I won't ever let anything happen to Keith."

She smiled, patting his head, "From what I saw earlier, I believe you."

Later, when Keith was safely tucked away under Lance's sheets, he asked, "I saw you talking with Krolia before."

"Mm-hmm." Lance said sleepily.

"What did you talk about?"

Cracking one eye open, Lance said, "Nothing much."

"I don't like this. You're already making secrets with her."

"It was nice talking to her. She really…"

Lance trailed off, making Keith twist to look up at him, "She really what?"

"She reminded me of my mom." Lance squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will his tears away, "I didn't realize how much I missed her until today."

Keith's thumbs wiped away the tears that escaped, and he said, "I can't wait until I meet her."

"She'll love you." Lance chuckled, trying to cheer himself up.

"Of course she will."

"I think I'm starting to rub off on you."

"That's no good."

Lance couldn't fall asleep that night, chalk it up to excitement that his lover was finally back in his embrace, so he watched Keith sleeping in his arms, stroking his soft dark hair out of his face. If there was one thing he was sure would never fade, it was his love for that man. There were so many things about Lance's life that were messed up, things he wasn't sure were true, feelings that changed by the day. The only solid thing about that life, was Keith.

What Krolia had said before, about him remembering his promise to die for Keith if he had to, had really struck him. He'd known all along, but actually telling someone how he felt out loud had been somewhat of a relief to him. He wasn't sure how to take Krolia telling him to die, almost as if she didn't care about him, but he supposed he would do the same thing if he was her.

Finally, as he drifted off to sleep, his dreams were filled with his mother, and the tears in her eyes as Lance and Keith stepped through the door.

"Lance! Who is this?"

"Ah, well, Mom, this is Keith. The love of my life."

A/N: Look at me go! I got another chapter up less than a year after my other one. We're on a roll folks! But, in other news, it's Spring Break and I'm still busy like I'm in college. Though I've been doing some fun stuff. I had a ride along with my Paramedic friend, and it was lit.

I played around with introducing my bb's to their parents, and I decided the Krolia route was easier to go with this time around. Perhaps our lads will get back to earth sometime during this one-shot story.

As I'm running low on my creative juices, I want to open the floor to my followers. Are there any cute ideas you'd like to see come to life? I'd be more than happy to hear what you have to say!

Also, these one-shots are not in chronological order, so I might write something from recent seasons, and the next chapter might be from the first. Just so everyone knows!

Here's the chapter playlist!

1. Mine- Bazzi

2. Ain't Nobody Like You- Yung Bae

3. Crave- Tov Lo

4. Dynasty- MIIA

5. You Like Me (Cobble Remix)- Paris Jones

6. Afterlife- XYLO

As always, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story

so far! You guys rock!

Until next time!