Lance

"Stop! Stop, Tony, stop, I'm not dead." Lance rushes for his brother's arm, grabbing hold of it and stopping him from hitting Keith. "Stop."

Tony turns and just stares right at Lance. Lance meets his brother's darker eyes and tries for a casual smile, but he knows it's probably more of a worried grimace. Lance isn't sure what he feels, he wants to apologize for being dead but he's not dead and it's not his fault his family thinks so. But isn't it?

"Lance?" Tony says his name in a tone Lance has never heard before, he lets go of Keith and steps forward. "Lance?"

He starts to nod but he never really does because he's suddenly being crushed by his brother's arms in the hardest hug of his life and if he's remembering correctly the first time he's brother has ever hugged him. His eyes go wide at the thought, and he tries to talk but he's being hugged way too hard. "Ow," he breathes out.

Tony lets go of him but then his hands are on his face and he's staring right into Lance's eyes, then they start to dart, then Tony's poking at the cut on his head. "You're hurt."

"A bit more now, that hug hurt."

Tony's still poking at his head and then he's looking in Lance's eyes again. "You have a concussion?"

"It's better than it was," Lance says.

Tony grabs him again and hugs him, this time with less brutal force. He feels his brother's breathe as he lets out a long sigh of what has to be relief. "I thought you were dead, baby brother."

Lance feels his throat constrict when he hears Tony's voice break and all his fears about how his family feel come slamming back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he mutters.

Tony releases him suddenly and shakes his head. "It's not your fault, what did the Garrison have you do? What are they covering up?"

Lance starts to laugh. It's hysterical, it's perfect really, his brother the conspiracy theorist who joined the ranks of the Garrison only because he loves to fly.

"This isn't funny, Lance," Tony yells.

Lance starts to laugh harder.

"Lance," Tony yells in a tone Lance knows so well.

"Took less than five minutes to irritate you, yeah I'm home," Lance grins and looks over at Keith. "Thanks for… well almost getting punched by this jerk."

Keith rolls his eyes.

"Jesus," Tony lets out a whistle and he's grabbing Lance again.

"To think I was missing Mom's hugs," Lance says then immediately wants to take back. He glances over at Keith but something about Keith's face has him forgetting his embarrassment. Keith is looking at the two of them rather oddly, and like he wants to be anywhere but here. Typical Keith, Lance thinks.

"Mom?" Tony sighs and he looks around. "We can't talk here."

"I told you!" Keith yells.

Both Lance and Tony turn to the Keith and Keith just looks back at them irritated.

"Why the hell are you with him, anyway?" Tony asks.

"I ask myself that every day," Lance says with a grin.

"Can we go to the car?" Keith says. "Before more of your never-ending family shows up or your grandpa comes back downstairs?"

"He has a point," Lance says.

Tony nods. Lance starts to follow Keith who took off like a bat out of hell, but Tony wraps an arm around his shoulder and mutters something about not letting him out of his sight. It's an awkward way to walk but Lance finds he's no hurry to be out of his brothers sight. For a lot of reason, but for the first time since they landed on earth he feels… Somewhat safe.

Safe is good.

"Perfect," Keith says sarcastically and Lance notices he stopped walking.

"What?"

"Cops."

Lance looks toward the car. "Great, just great, our bayards are in there."

"I know." Keith sighs. "Distract the cops, I'll get them."

"Just how are you going to do that?"

"I'll worry about that, distract the cops."

"How am I supposed to to that?"

"I don't know, yell Nanana Boo Boo again."

"That was a totally different situation, I wanted people to shoot at me."

"Well then come up with something else, don't waste my time. GO." Keith takes off.

Lance starts to step toward the car but a hand on his arm stops him. "I'll do it."

Lance looks at Tony and finds him shaking his head. "No, I have too it's my…" he searches. "It's my job. It's my weapon."

"What?"

"Later, Tony." Then he quickly walks forward

"Hey, officers, can I ask a question." He steps forward and then around them making them turn away from the car. He walks backwards a few more times luring them away.

"Sorry, sir but we're in the middle of a situation."

Lance looks around. "What? I don't see anything."

"This car was stolen," Cop starts to turn back around.

"I lost my kid." He blurts out.

They both turn back and look at him.

"Well, not my kid. I babysit her… I lost her."

"Where sir?"

"By that building over there," he points towards Tony's apartment.

Both the cops look. Lance takes his chance and looks over at the car. Keith has grabbed the backpack and is darting back to Tony. Lance runs towards them and the three of them move out of sight as quickly as possible. Tony grabs both of them and pushes them into another apartment building and down the stairs into a basement.

"How you know this was here?" Lance asks.

"Dated a girl who lives here, what the hell was that? You two stole a car?"

"We had no choice," Keith says.

"We really didn't and besides he stole it."

"Hey."

"Well you did."

"I know, so we could get out of there."

"I didn't say it was wrong."

"I think you implied that it was…"

"Shut up, the two of you."

Lance huffs and Keith crosses his arms.

"You told a cop you lost a kid?" Tony sighs.

"I'm sure he just thinks I was a douche."

"You are," Keith mutters.

"You are," Lance spits back wishing he'd thought of something way better than that.

"I said…shut up. Why and how are you two together? You're a drop out why would the Garrison out you on some special mission. Why would they put kids on one anyway. Let alone pick you," Tony stares at Lance.

Lance sighs. "I don't know maybe they thought I was a good soldier."

"Lance?" Keith says.

"You were barely surviving, you were one more failed simulation from getting kicked out."

"Was not, I am a good at my job."

"What job."

"Lance?" Keith yells.

"What?"

"The Garrison didn't put us on any mission. Our mission is Voltron."

Lance sighs, less than ten minutes Tony's telling him he can't do anything right and he's reaction is too argue. "Look, there probably is a conspiracy theory going on, so be happy about that, but it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Lance and Keith exchange a look.

"Well, I guess it starts when I rescued Shiro," Keith and Lance say in unison.

"I rescued Shiro," Keith yells.

"No, I did."

"You did not, you totally horned in…"

"SHUT UP," Tony yells again.

Lance looks away from Keith and towards his brother. Tony looks exasperated which is a look he knows all too well. And right now he's feeling a bit proud he and Keith ruffled him but…. He glances back at Keith, they are Paladins they have to focus on the lions. He nods at Keith to start again.

"It started when Takashi Shirogane crash landed by the base in an escape pod from a Galran ship." Keith explains.

"Shiro's dead."

"No, Tony, he's not. Do you want the story or not?"

"What is Galran?" Tony asks

"An alien race," Keith says.

"Bad guys," Lance adds.

Tony is staring at them both like they have two heads. He doesn't believe them. Lance steps up to his brother. "You need believe us and you need to listen. We aren't lying. We're going to need your help getting our lions back."

"Lions?" Tony stares at Lance. "That Blue Lion? It's part of this?"

Lance grins. "She's mine. I mean I'm hers… I mean I'm Blue's Paladin."

"Paladin?"

"Yeah, it's like a knight and stuff."

"I know what the word means, but there is no way you are a knight of anything."

"But he is, we both are," Keith shouts. "We need your help. We can't let the Garrison keep the Lions. We can't. They don't belong to them, they belong to us."

"Tony please?" Lance says. "You need to just let us explain everything the best we can."

"We have to get our lions back and we have to get back to the Castle ship."

"You two sound insane."

"But we aren't, Tony. Look the Garrison is lying about my death, about Hunk's and about Pidge. None of us are dead — at least I hope they aren't…"

"They aren't," Keith hisses.

"No, no you're right." Lance nods and hopes, then looks back at his brother. "We aren't dead, what happened is we took off in the Blue Lion."

Tony groans and looks around the basement. He grabs three chairs and gentle pushes Lance onto one. "You look dead on your feet and I've had enough of you being dead."

Lance realizes he is exhausted, his whole body seems to ache, especially his head. Sitting feels good, so he lets Tony push him into the seat. Then Tony and Keith take their seats.

Tony takes a deep breath and looks at them. "Okay, tell me what happened, without arguing and with out any more outside commentary."

Keith and Lance glance at each other. "Not sure I can promise no arguing," they say in unison, which makes them bust out laughing.

Tony groans in frustrating. "TRY."

Lance nods to Keith.

"Like I said it started with Shiro…."