A/N: Theme for this chapter Let You Down by NF. This one revealed a lot more than I anticipated but let's see if you can pick up on the hints. Also, schools about to end and that brings finals so updates may slowdown if I get too busy but I'll try to keep my pace relatively the same.

Hunk run over with some ice and Lance smiled as he watched Keith be dragged out with Pidge. "You okay Lance?" Hunk asked.

"Of course," He smiled. "It takes more than a punch to take me down!" Gordito laughed from his side and Lance called that a victory.

A car screeched to a stop in the front and caught all their attention. "That's probably my mom,"

"Hunk would you go to the back and stay with Pidge and Keith while I talk to her," He said quietly.

"Yeah of course," Hunk smiled. He made his way out and as soon as Lance knew he was gone he grabbed onto Gordito's hand and walked him out. He heard the crunch of the ground as someone ran forward and looking up he saw the way his sister fell to her knees and hugged his nephew.

"Veronica…" He whispered but she paid no mind to him. Instead, he held onto her son's arms as she pulled him away from the hug.

"Juanito are you alright?" She looked worried and he gave a sheepish smile that would have reminded her of the younger Lance if she was truly focused on it.

"I was just with my tio, Mami." He smiled at her while gripping onto the straps of his backpack.

She looked up at Lance and he smiled as she simply glared in his direction. Standing up she grabbed her son's hand and turned around. "Vente Juan. We're going home, your sister's already waiting for us,"

"Wait, Veronica," Lance called out as his hand was yanked away. "Please, I just want to say bye to Gordo-,"

Veronica whipped around her curly brown hair bouncing onto her right shoulder. "Don't call him that,"

"Mami?" Gordito looked up at the two fighting, confused as to what set them off.

"Go to the car Juan," She sighed looking back at Lance who nodded in approval.

"It's okay…" He smiled as he kneeled down to his level. "Just go and listen to your mom. She only wants what's best for you," He winked as stood back up to his own level. He reached out to pet his hair only for Veronica to slap his hand away from touching him. He was shocked, hurt clear on his face, but he only smiled and put his hand back beside himself. "Right… You be good now alright, call me whenever you want,"

He nodded in return. "Go to the car okay? I'll be there in just a minute," When it looked like he was gonna argue Veronica place a hand on his head and turned him around. "No. Go now," Looking between his mom and uncle for a moment he seemed confused. He lightly jogged over to the car and waved Lance a good-bye.

"He grew," He smiled at Veronica.

"Not that you would know," She mumbled with crossed arms. She let out an exhausted sigh and looked Lance straight in the eyes. "What were you thinking keeping my son here?! He's my son!"

"Yes I know but I just wanted to see him again," Lance shrunk into himself.

"You already had a chance to be part of his life," Veronica yelled back. "You threw us away! You threw him away! You don't just get to come back into our lives,"

"I know," Lance strained. "But I miss him… I miss you and Mami and Marco and Luis…" He whimpered. "I just want to be part of you guys again,"

"And we gave you that chance, multiple times might I add," Her eyes watered and Lance hated that. He didn't want her to cry when he himself was so close to crying.

"I'm your baby brother…" Lance whispered out with a small cry. He was quick to wipe his eyes. "Please, I don't want you to leave me again,"

"Leave you," She let out a laugh that sounded in no way humored. It that made Lance's eyes water faster. "Might I remind you that you left us. We looked for you for years and then we find out you could have left ages ago!"

"I couldn't have!" Lance argued holding onto his hands.

"Yeah and we believed you!" Veronica screamed back. "They drugged you up and did shit to you but we were still there for you! You decided to go back! Now you live here," Her arms outstretched with a watered down smile present on her face. She looked at the house in front of her. "With your new friends and your new family like—like we didn't even exist,"

"I was desperate!" Lance cried. He wiped his eyes again. "You will always be my family," He reached out his hand only for her to slap it away.

"Don't touch me!" She hovered her hands and arms next to her head as if trying to defend herself. "When we first got you back the doctors told us that you had gotten worse because of how they found you. And yeah okay, you saw stuff much worse and you were practically dependent on drugs to function but we knew that! We knew what we were getting into when we said we would take care of you again!" Lance was holding his hands close to his chest again, his cheek burning.

"Believe me I know… I'm the bad guy," Lance whispered. "I've sunk so low and let everyone down but I know I was right to protect you guys that time," She let out a crude laugh. Dragging her hand down her face letting her makeup smudge slightly and tears to dissipate a bit more.

"Oh yeah because the shit you're doing behind your little blue mask is to protect us, right?!" Lance flinched and Veronica kept going. "You do all the shit you do with this big house and your stupid money to protect us?! ...You're still on that crap, aren't you?" She looked back at Lance.

"I'm sorry," Lance said scratching his arm and Veronica scoffed

"Of course…" She grew a small almost fond smile. "The doctors told us that too. You were jacked up on so much stuff it would be hard to come back from…We really wanted to help you, Lance," She whispered. "But you ran away and I'm sorry if abuelita filled your head with fantasies about what you're seeing or if the people who did this to you hold some type of thing against you but you hurt us. You were the one who abandoned us and, yeah I admit, we had no idea how to protect you…but we sure as hell tried," She wiped her eyes once more, blue eyes puffy and pink at this point. She turned with one heel and Lance instinctively reach out.

"Veronica!"

"No Lance!" She whipped around and jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. "Just stay away from my son," Lance bit his bottom lip and Veronica turned around, walking towards her car once more. She wasn't stopped this time.

He was crying, obviously, and his arm itched while his body ached for its dose but he was frozen. He caught a glimpse of Gordo in the back of the car. His hands over his ears and head dug into his knees. Lance broke. He placed a hand over his mouth to muffled his cries as the car drove off. He was back inside his house and suddenly he heard three other voices in the back. He needed to get out of here but his body ached for the drug. His drug… the one that made him feel so much better. His friend's conversations were probably coming to an end or maybe not. He didn't want to stick around to figure it out. He was rummaging through his room. He knew he had some in here. Where was it? Where did he put it?! He couldn't find it and now his room was a mess. He muffled his mouth and slammed his hand on one side of his head over his ear as a laugh echoed in his head.

"Lance, you're losing your touch," Lotor whispered a crude smiled on his face that caused Lance to screw his eyes shut. "You used to have so much more willpower,"

Lance wanted to tell him to shut up but he couldn't. Instead, he was stuck looking directly at Lotor's tilted head. The pills were still present in his system and they blurred him almost like a figure in a dream. He wished—hoped this was a dream. He knew better though. The tip of Lotors white hair touching the ground and Lotor with a hand rested on his chin and finger over mouth. Examining him like a lab rat; just like his mother used to. He felt trapped. So trapped he jumped up and ran down to his garage. Lotor hovering on his right shoulder. He grabbed some random keys and hopped in the car that fit them. The glass of the window blurred the ghosts and so he knew who was there and who wasn't. The motorcycle was the only one he couldn't quite drive correctly. That aside he quickly drove off ignoring everyone and trying to drive as softly as he could with the emotions running through his mind.

The Castle was open; he didn't want to scare anyone by just barging in but he didn't know what else to do. He wiped his eyes and jogged over to the entrance. Stumbling over nothing and pausing as he shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears when Lotor laughed. He was growing a headache. He ignored it with a shake of his head and finally made it inside.

"Lance, my boy, what's wrong?" Coran almost immediately ignored the counter and made his way in front of him. "Are you alright,"

Lance shook his head. "My hands itch," He cried gripping onto Coran's shoulders. He looked around at multiple costumers who were staring at him. He didn't like to be stared at.

"You're having urges again, aren't you?" Coran sighed when Lance simply collapsed into his shoulder. "Come on let's get you to the back,"

"Lance!" Allura moved forward as well as she caught a glimpse of him before gripping his cheeks so that he could face her. She took a moment to examine him before shaking her head in sadness. "Coran take care of the rest of the customers. I'll assist Lance to the safe room where he can calm down,"

"As you wish," He nodded and they both moved behind the counter. Lance gripping onto Allura's arm and wiping his eyes as she guided him. Coran stopped at the register but Allura lead Lance all the way to the back where she opened a door to a small dull room that was in the back. It was completely soundproof with nothing in it but sigils darkly written all over the wall. It was never about the décor. It helped Lance relax because of how easy it was close to the spirit world.

For anyone, it would have just been a normal old room but for both Allura and Lance's eyes, it was a passage to the spirit world. It was where guardians rested and that ghosts were much closer related to humans. Lotor hated it here which Lance loved. To him, it looked like a huge field of grass and dark purple flowers. A bright blue sky and calm wind. When Allura's father had first died she had spent so much time here because it was the only place where she could clearly contact him and talk to him face to face. He was gone now, however, when he crossed over the memory that kept him in the spirit world disappeared along with it.

Now wasn't the time for that, however. She let Lance drop to the ground and he was mystified by the small room that held an entire field. He never got used to it. It was so beautiful and Allura had once mentioned that it reminded her of Altea, her hometown that was completely destroyed by the Galra. Lance mused over this as his lion began to form in front of him. Her blue fur brushing and falling to the wind mesmerized Lance like waved on a beach and he smiled. "Hey old Blue," He curled in on himself on the floor. "I'm sorry we meet under such circumstance but you're still as beautiful as ever,"

Allura rolled her eyes playfully but was overjoyed at Lance getting his own persona back. "Lance, do you want headphones? A blindfold? I know how sensitive you can get with stuff like that,"

"Why would I need that? I'm a mermaid," He giggled.

Allura giggled as well. "You sure you're not on pure quintessence again," She tilted her head to look at him. Her bright white hair hitting the ground made Lance flinch and Allura flinched back as well.

"No… sorry, I thought you were Lotor,"

"You sure you don't want anything?" She strained. "It's okay if you do,"

"Allura… I'm fine," He sighed. "I will be anyways. Blue's here. She'll protect me, she always does," Blue purred in response allowing Lance to smile as his eyes began to dry of tears.

"Go to sleep Lance. It'll help you get rid of those urges," She looked at him for a moment before asking, "You want me to stay with you?"

"Oh, are you offering to sleep with me?" He looked up at her and winked. She gave a loud sigh before flicking him in his forehead. He gripped onto it as a result and laughed. She was about to get up only for Lance to grab her wrist. "Wait Allura could you…" He placed her hand on his head and she smiled with a small huff.

"You still act like a kid," She said getting more comfortable on the floor and dragging her fingernails through his hair. Dragging them slowly but not too lightly.

"I'm so glad you got your nails done recently…" Lance whispered. Allura smiled and still petted his head as she herself watched Lance relax on the floor.

Hunk and Pidge jumped out of the car almost instantly ready to see if Lance was indeed in the castle. Keith hesitated to get out. He was still angry at Lance. It wasn't even that he had broken his promise -he had experienced people lying to him before too much for it to be a new feeling— it was about Lance doing shit like this and not taking care of himself. Keith remembers how exhausted Shiro would come home because of all the things he had to go through at the station. He arrested people on Quintessence all the time and made sure to come home to Keith to tell him all the things that could and would happen. He sighed as he jogged up to catch up to Pidge and Hunk. They were worried about Lance as well and yet they seemed used to it.

Once they made it inside they noticed only Coran was currently working. Taking orders then going off to make it. Not many people were there but enough to make everyone feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Coran!" Pidge called. He, in turn, looked back and almost immediately stepped forward.

"Hello! If it isn't the other Paladins. I'm assuming you're here looking for Lance?" Coran smiled when they seemed to relax a bit. Hunk let out a shaking breath.

"So he's here?" Hunk wanted confirmation. He did trust both Lance and Coran but he could help but feel a bit desperate for an answer. Coran twirled his mustache around his fingers. Keith watched him. He didn't know this man, he had only met him one other time, but he seemed a bit strange. He could see why Lance would potentially get along with him though.

"Of course!" He answered with a smile. "Lance has a great will after everything's he's gone through," Again with this? Keith had heard quick mentions of Lance going through things but never felt he had a reason to be like this.

"Right," Keith scoffed. Coran crinkled his eyebrows and looked at him. Keith found the need to look away.

"Red paladin," He addressed which caused Keith to move only his eyes and nothing more. "You should learn how to measure willpower accordingly to how much someone is willing to put up with and not just your own idea of it," Keith looked away again and Coran quickly gained his chipper personality back. "Allura is with him. Follow me," He turned around and Hunk quickly followed after him. Pidge strayed behind staring at Keith with something he couldn't really make out before sighing and following after Hunk. Keith huffed a bit in irritation before following them as well.

He reached the door that Pidge and Hunk were currently looking through. On the floor laid Lance, hands tucked close to his chest and legs bent slightly. Allura was still running one hand through his hair while the other was currently holding a finger over her mouth to signal them to quiet down.

"He's asleep?" Keith whispered. He didn't know what he expected but he didn't expect him to be stuck in a creepy looking room. "What's up with this room?" He said looking around at the white paint all over the walls.

"It's their safe room," Pidge whispered back.

Keith didn't pry any further. "Is he on quintessence right now?" He said harshly. He didn't even realize that until everyone's gaze turned to him and he recognized the scowl that was on Allura's face.

"No, he's not," She all but growled. "He can't go to sleep when he's on it but he fell asleep almost immediately after he came here." Keith looked at Lance. If he wasn't on anything then why had he said sorry? This didn't make sense. "You're thinking too much," Keith's gaze lifted to look up at Allura. "That's unhealthy," She scooted over and patted the space next to her so as for Keith to come join her on the floor.

Keith stared a bit at her. Pidge elbowed him on the side and motioned for him to go forward. "Go, you have some sort of grudge against him might as well start there. Hunk and I'll be at our last table," She sighed. "He wants to call Shay anyway,"

"Shay?"

"A girl he likes," Pidge didn't waste any more time as he pushed him in. "That's not important right now. Stop getting into petty arguments, just… talk," She shrugged and made her way out. Coran had already gone forward as well. Hunk hesitated, looking at Lance before sighing and following after the two as he fished his phone from his pocket.

"So you're the new friends?" Allura broke the silence that had barely started. "That's rare that they add anyone to their little group of friends,"

"Whoop-de-doo," Keith rolled his eyes but sat down next to Allura. They were speaking quietly but Keith couldn't imagine waking up Lance. "Allura right?"

"Correct," Keith had noticed that both Coran and Allura had accents yet they looked nothing alike.

"Are you and Coran like related or something?" Keith wondered out-loud. Allura giggled a bit.

"I'm afraid not," She looked over at him. "After my parents died Coran was the only one here with me," She sighed. "I suppose we are like family,"

"I like your hair," Keith said suddenly trying to steer this conversation from anything that would make him sad. "When I was younger I actually considered dying my hair white just 'cause it looked cool," Keith cracked a smile at that ridicules memory.

"Perhaps you wouldn't look half bad with it," She laughed.

"You know," Keith drew in a breath. "Last time I didn't notice your little crown thing," Keith said examining the golden forehead band that was mostly covered by her hair. "Is that why he calls you princess or something?"

Allura traced her fingers up towards it. "I suppose that's part of it. My father gave it to me. When I first met Lance, he used to call me 'your highness'." She stopped her fingers for a minute and looked down at Lance fondly. "It was this little game we played. A back and forth kind of thing with another boy we used to know. He had white hair too… I think that's where I got the idea for mine,"

"Oh, well, you guys are cute together," Keith smiled. Allura paused a little before bursting out into muffled laughter.

"We're not dating," She laughed still and Keith's face a dull red. "He's always flirting with me but it's more of an inside joke than anything. I think of him more as my little brother,"

"Sorry," Keith stuttered a bit. "I just heard him call you Princess once and thought you two were together,"

She gave a small smile and Lance seemed to stir in his sleep, sinking together a bit more. Allura sighed and removed her hand from his head. "My hands tired," She picked up Keith's arm and placed it on Lance's head. As soon as it touched his short hair he yanked it back defensively.

"What are you doing?" He whispers yelled.

"You're angry with him," She sighed as she much more roughly took a hold of Keith's hand. She was much stronger then she looked. "Just scratch his head or he'll wake up," She said flexing her fingers. "And if he wakes up-,"

"Fine, fine," Keith whispered not letting her finish her threat. He dragged his fingers against the scalp of Lance and he seemed to relax as the tension, that neither one of them had realized was building up, began to calm. Keith didn't really care too much about it. His cheeks were still a small red but he ignored that and instead looked up at Allura who was staring down at Lance with an empty, almost bored expression. "What wrong?"

"He's distraught," Allura said not breaking her eyes. "He does have a dependence on drugs and can get paranoid, angry, and sometimes panicky when he's craving them but this time wasn't like that. He was just broken… Completely and utterly sad,"

"And how do you know it wasn't because he wasn't already on them," Keith pressed.

Allura looked up. "You're angry with him," she mused. "Why would you be angry with him he doesn't owe you anything,"

"He lied to me," Keith protested.

"How do you know he lied?" She countered. "Did he say that he was on them?" No, he had simply said 'sorry' Keith noted but that was still a clear apology towards his promise. He didn't like going into detail about his personal life, especially to a stranger. He was sort of glad when Allura continued talking until he heard what she said. "Quintessence isn't bad… Don't look at me like that, it's not unless it's completely pure. Certain amounts of it are actually pretty safe and have great benefits. It's in almost every single medicine you take but surprise surprise pure quintessence is dangerous and only Zarkon and a handful of big titles know how to extract it completely from other material,"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You seem to be caught up in his addiction but fail to realize the story of why he's on it," Keith shook his head.

"It's not about that," He huffed. "He's hurting himself and he's not even trying,"

"Again, how would you know that?" Allura countered. "I hate to be disrespectful to a new friend of his but you barely know him," Keith retracted. That was true but he still felt angry, that wouldn't change until he got a clear explanation from the person who got him angry, to begin with. "I have a place to run, I'm going to go check up on the others," Allura pointed at Lance. "And don't wake him up," She said sternly flicking her hair behind her back and exiting the room.

Keith listened to the click of the door shutting and the footprints getting quieter until they were completely gone. He looked back at the still asleep Lance. She was scary but he was impatient. He wanted to speak to Lance right now. His hands were still running through his head and he realized that he had unconsciously curled his fingers around a small piece of hair. He really wanted him to wake up so he gave that piece of hair a sharp yank. Lance almost immediately flinch and reached up to his head. His eyes fluttering open as he sat up. "Ow Allura what's-," he looked at Keith sitting there and visibly shrunk. He was still rubbing his head but he looked down at the floor. "Oh... hey Keith,"

Keith didn't react instead he only stared at him. "I want an explanation,"

Lance looked up cocking an eyebrow. "Explanation? For what?"

Keith felt about ready to yank at his hair. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I think we've already established that I might be a bit insane," Lance looked ready to get up but was held down when Keith grabbed his wrists.

"You're not fucking insane," He barked and Keith saw him flinch again. Why did he always flinch around him? "You're mentally sick and you need to stop using that an excuse for everything you do,"

Lance snatched his hand back, standing up and Keith following his movement. "What do you know?" He growled back. "I didn't do shit to you,"

"You broke your own dumbass promise!" Keith screamed back. "God, you're so frustrating,"

"You're frustrating!" Lance sulked. "You almost made Pidge and Hunk really worried about me!"

"Good! They should be. You don't even know when to draw your own limits," Keith sighed. Lowering his voice, he finally spoke up again. "Explanation. You said it was circumstantial. I want to know how anything like this would be circumstantial."

Lance gripped his arm. He looked away. "I took some pain medication," He sighed. Keith was about to get angrier at the avoidable attitude to the direct question but he let him continue without losing his temper. "Quintessence is an ingredient in a lot of medicine but there are some that don't use it. I usually try to stray away from the medicine with it in it because it might trigger something. I don't know…" He sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "My leg was killing me and I just took some pain medicine without completely looking at what it was but my craving skyrocketed. Keith, you wouldn't know but it hurt. It hurt so much so I'm sorry I showed a sign of weakness by trying to ease myself,"

"I'm sorry I punched you," Keith said almost immediately after. "I should have listened to your full story and I had no right to hit you. I admit that was me losing my temper," His hands were pulled in close to his chest but his hands were open, palms facing the ceiling. "I'm sorry," Lance stared at him a moment but looked down at the floor with a small nod. "Having said that, you are not forgiven,"

"What?" Lance looked up again to see Keith had crossed his arms. "But you just apologized!"

"Yes, for hitting you. I admitted that was me being impatient and I had no right to hit you but that doesn't mean I'm sorry that I got mad at you. Hell, I'm still mad you," Keith huffed. "You're the one that broke the promise remember? I appreciate your apology but I can't just let you off the hook. Shiro used to always tell me stories about junkies and addicts who used to get pulled into the station,"

"I'm not a junkie," Lance argued crossing his arms as well.

"But you are an addict," Keith smirked watching Lance pout a bit more. "And Shiro used to always say being too open for change will not create it. You have to demand it, make it something they have to choose," Lance was left standing there with no way to say anything. Keith shrugged and began to leave the room. Opening the door his smirk dropped to a much softer tone smile. "So make up for this. I'm still kinda mad at you but I get it's hard to just change. Don't think this changes anything. We're gonna talk about this more tomorrow when both of us aren't crawling with distaste," He left with a small click of the door as he shut it.

Lance was left standing there in what he saw as an open field. After simply staying silent for a bit he let out a huff as a smile appeared on his mouth. "PFT," He began laughing until he was on the ground again. "You see! This is what I have to put up with. How is he so nice yet so irritating all in one conversation?!" Lance looked over at the man still standing but was this time acquainted with a huge black lion behind him. A warm smile present on his face. Legs crossed and leaning on said lion.

"Who knows?" Shiro laughed and looked up at the lion. "So this is the spirit world?"

"Yeah," Lance smiled. "You can finally see Black and old Blue too!" Lance said smiling up at Blue who was laid across the grass. "Think of it like a holodeck. It's technically not here but you're still… here,"

Shiro chuckled a bit in confusion. "It very lovely but does that mean…"

"No, you're still fine as far as I can tell," Lance smiled. "Also… thank you," Shiro cocked an eyebrow. Lance's face seemed to redden a bit and he gave a shy laugh. "I heard you talking to me right after I came back into my house. Lotor was talking to me at the same time and so I wasn't really focused on your words but I heard you. Thanks for trying to calm me down,"

Shiro smiled softly, nodding. "Sorry I couldn't do much,"

Lance smiled as well. "Truth be told I remember you all the time on the T.V. I remember wishing I could be like you helping people; getting them away from the Galra. I'm sorry they did this to you,"

Shiro let out a loud sigh. "Don't be. It wasn't you. I've accepted it." Lance internally groaned. "And although I'm flattered by your praise I don't think I deserve it. The people that I've helped are so much stronger than me. If anything, Lance, help as many people as you can. You have no idea how much it's appreciated. Heck, Keith was one of them,"

"Keith?" That caused his attention to spark. "Keith was kidnapped?"

"Thankfully no," Shiro sighed. "Or I guess in a sense he was. I knew him for a really long time but after his dad was killed he was much more reliant on his mom and so she kinda dragged him into it. Can you see him too?"

Lance shook his head. "I haven't seen any ghost around him except you and you aren't really one," Lance remarked slowly. "Wait so Keith's mom...?"

"She's alive but she needed someone to rely on and so she joined this thing," He snapped his fingers in thought. "The blade of something. They used to be part of the Galra but they later built this whole organization about taking them down. Keith's was kind of just left there as his mom was running off,"

"She left him?" Lance thought for a bit. That would explain why he seemed so angry when they mentioned her. "Should you be telling me this?"

"Probably not but one of his friends should know," Shiro smiled. "And you're the only one who can hear me,"

"Wait Pidge doesn't know? She's known her longer then I have," Lance argued.

"I took in Keith relatively early in his teen years but it was way before he met Pidge," Shiro explained. "You've been through stuff too, haven't you?"

"I mean I guess but no one really knows-,"

"Now you have an excuse to tell someone. You know about his past let someone know about yours," Shiro let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky. "We should probably leave. You'll worry your friends,"

Lance looked around at the blue sky and open field. "Alright. Stay as long as you want here," Lance tapped around until he found the exit opening the door a bit. "I'll… take your advice,"

Shiro smiled at him and gave a single nod in response letting Lance leave in comfortable silence. He closed the door and noted how everyone was gathered around Hunk. He sighed and leaned against the now closed door. "You took rather long to get out," Lance jumped and opened his eyes to see Lotor hanging upside down, close to his face.

"What do you want?" Lance said coldly.

"You know I hate being in there," Lotor said who had finally sat up normally still in midair. He had a piece of hair in his hand and was twilling it between two. "It's boring with no one to talk to,"

"I was talking to someone more important," Lance smiled.

"Oh, that princess or the boy with the red lion?" Lotor said finally looking up in interest.

"Neither," he still smiled looking at the door as if wanting to go back in. "It was the nice policeman, Shiro,"

"Lance, stop the gawking, he's not worthy of it," Lotor rolled his eyes looking back at his hair.

Lance admired from afar. "Quite the opposite, I think he deserves so much more,"

"Why?" Lotor didn't move his head but he did look over at Lance with the corner of his eyes.

"Because he's helped so many people," Lance said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"People like you?"

"Yeah something like that," Lance felt uncomfortable with the way this conversation was progressing.

"That's why you were never saved?" Lotor smirked when he finally got a reaction out of Lance. A simple glare But Lotor let go of his hair, letting it fall on his shoulder, and turned his entire body to look at him.

"Shut up,"

"I'm only stating facts. He disrupted our perfect little life," Lotor hovered his hands over Lance's cheeks. "I was killed and you were left alone. He saved many people except you. He even saved Matthew, didn't he?"

"Shut up! Don't talk about him of all people!" Lance felt like throwing up. Too many memories surfaced altogether.

"Now don't get angry. He's the one who lied to you, I never did." Lotor innocently reminded.

"No! He lied to you, he never once lied to me!" Lance was beginning to shake. Blurry memories he couldn't quite acknowledge about a boy that was dumped on Lotor. What had happened that he didn't want to remember? A pool of Lotor's blood and somebody whisking him away as he screamed in sorrow.

"Yet he left you here all alone. He was saved and you're still stuck here. Let's face it, you were abandoned by him," Lotor himself seemed sorrowful as well.

"I wasn't…" Lance choked down. "It was my fault… all of it," Yes it wasn't anyone fault but his own. He should have stayed out of it. He should have just let them leave. Zarkon had too much grasp on him though.

Lotor tilted his head. "Now don't cry. It's not your fault my father treasures you. Those eyes of yours… They're what keeps me from being eternally bored and what keeps my father latched around your neck. Saving you was never an option,"

"I know but I wish it was," Lance wiped his eyes with a sigh. "Maybe I could have been if I had listened to Matt and not you,"

Lotor kept quiet only staring at the ceiling for a small moment. "And maybe I would still be alive if I had let you go," He stretched his arms cracking his fingers with a noise loud enough to make Lance cringe. "No helping it now,"

"I guess not," Lance finally shook his thoughts away and made his way to his friends who immediately pulled him into a hug. Hunk squeezed his sides painfully. "You had me worried sick. Are you okay? You didn't do anything stupid, did you?" Lance chuckled softly.

"I'm fine Hunk," He smiled as Pidge punched his arm with a small smirk on her face. She adjusted her glasses and placed both of her hands on her hips.

"You worried us you complete and utter jerk,"

"Aw, were you worried about me too Pidgey?" He said gripping her cheeks and speaking in a baby voice.

She smacked his arms away and smiled. "Just don't do it again,"

"Aye aye sir," He saluted with a smile. Allura and Coran were watching from the counter smiling as Hunk pulled him into another hug.

"You sure you're okay? Something you want to talk about,"

"I'm fine buddy," He caught eyes with Keith who was sitting at a table close behind Hunk and rephrased it as he closed his eyes again. "I'll tell you later, okay, but right now let me just relax here," Hunk laughed a bit and Lance sunk into the warmness of his best friend. He opened his eyes again and saw Pidge sitting next to Keith. Her arms were crossed on the table and her head rested in the middle of them. Keith with a cup wrapped around his hands smiling up at him before averting his eyes down. The same small smile present on both their faces. It was fond and made Lance's heart melt. Then he looked up at Lotor flouting above them. Hands behind his head as he laid on the air. He was facing Lance with a neutral face until both concern and curiosity etched on his feature.

Lance sunk into Hunks shoulder more as he fluttered his eyes close. Yeah, he wasn't free at all but he wished he could stay like this forever. In-between good and bad. He would have to choose a side soon or perhaps he would be forced into one over the other but right now it didn't matter. He just wanted to relax in the warmth his friends brought.