Chapter 26: Lance

Lance strode down the hallway after Hunk, but he couldn't keep up. The blond Hunk grew farther ahead of him. Lance looked down at his feet wondering why his stride was shorter and his legs weren't moving. He got frustrated and stomped his foot on the ground, crossing his arms he sat down pouting.

Lance was so enraged Hunk had taken off without him, but as he sat on the floor he looked around the empty corridor wondering what he was doing. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway and saw someone in a gray t-shirt and black pants walk passed at the intersection. Lance recognized the tall stature and tan skin with copper hair.

"Radar!" Lance cried, scrambling to his feet to run over to Waverly's brother. He meant to stop in front of him but reached out to wrap his arms around his waist.

He heard Radar sigh and place a hand on his head. "Now isn't a good time."

"Why not?" Lance asked, forgetting that Radar wouldn't be able to actually hear him.

"I'm looking for someone and I don't know where he could be. I'm scared he's really gone." Radar pushed him away and Lance held his head low disappointed Radar was busy. "What is it you want?" Lance remained silent. Radar sighed waiting for a response, but Lance didn't know what to say that he would be able to hear, so he remained quiet.

"I'm sorry. I can't just sit here and wait for you to give me answers." Radar started to walk down the hall.

Lance watched him leave saying to himself, "Just like Keith."

Radar stopped and turned back to Lance. His amber eyes fixed on him. "What did you just say?"

The blue paladin shrugged and turned around knowing Radar wouldn't hear him.

Radar walked over and kneeled in front of him. "What did you say, Waverly?" Radar's eyes sparked and Lance refused to meet his gaze. Radar grabbed him by the bicep's and squeezed. "Answer me!" Radar demanded.

"Ow," Lance squirmed under Radar's grip. "It doesn't matter you can't hear me anyway." Radar loosened his hold and Lance pulled away. He could feel the bruises forming on his arms and rubbed them as the tears rose in his eyes.

Radar hesitated, reaching out to Lance a second time, but gentler than before. "Hey look at me." Lance shook his head, but Radar wouldn't let it go. He looked up into his amber eyes, which were studying him. "I hear you." Lance pursed his lips and narrowed his Caribbean eyes. Radar took a deep breath, "Please tell me what you said."

Lance was quiet, but when he glanced up at Radar he saw the same concerned look as the night in the Blue Lion's hangar when he found Keith inside. When he asked about Lance's nightmare and knew everything wrong before Lance had said. Lance looked into Radar's gleaming eyes and saw the same knowing look. "Just like Keith."

Radar took another deep breath and Lance saw he was at a lost for words. He didn't know what he was thinking, but Lance didn't expect what came next. "Lance?"

The blue paladin's Caribbean eyes shone brightly as he searched for some understand and in one small moment Radar's amber eyes shifted and his concerned face, which had a small smile disappeared and formed into a gloomy frown. Lance recognized that look, but it wasn't from Radar. "Keith?"

Radar let go of Lance and stepped back. He ran his fingers through his copper hair and pinched the bridge of his nose, blinking a couple of times before looking back at Lance. "What the hell is going on now?"

Lance shrugged, "I don't know, but you look like Radar."

"Radar, that's his name. Well, you look…" Keith paused. Lance looked down at himself in his blue jeans and long-sleeved blue baseball shirt. He felt awkward without his green jacket but had been in such a rush to keep up with Hunk he left it in the changing room. "Small," Keith finished.

Lance realized how tall Radar-Keith was standing over him and Lance crossed his arms feeling frustrated like he always felt towards Keith, but more than anything he was irritated with his sudden mood swings. "What else do I look like?" Lance barked.

Radar-Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, your hair is darker more black and longer."

Lance ran his hand through his hair and felt it run down his back. He pulled a strand forward and saw it was darker with dark blue tint than his familiar hickory. Lance couldn't breathe and when he opened his mouth to speak the only sound that came out was a blood-curdling scream.

Radar-Keith's hands shot to his ears, but he quickly changed tactics and moved his hands to cover Lance's mouth instead. "Please, stop screaming it's freaking me out."

Lance pulled Keith's hand off of his mouth and stepped away. "It's freaking me out." He sat on the floor pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself. He felt the tears stain his face before he realized he was crying. "What's happening to me?" Lance sobbed.

He tilted his head sideways to look up at Radar-Keith and saw him bite his lower lip. Keith met Lance's eyes and covered his own mouth, but Lance could see his amber eyes glimmer and heard the muffled chuckle. Lance was upset staring up at Keith with puppy dog eyes pleading for help.

Radar-Keith sat down on the floor beside Lance, wrapping his arm around shoulders. "Hey, I'm sorry. We'll figure this out, Waverly." Keith stopped, caught off guard by his own actions.

Lance leaned away from Keith. "I'm not her." New tears filled his eyes. "I don't want to be her Keith, but with the visions and now this it's tugging at me and I feel guilty every second I'm away from my family. Because I felt that empty hole when Radar didn't show and that pain hurt, even more, knowing my family-"

"Stop, Lance," Keith wrapped the blue paladin in a hug, "Don't do that to yourself."

"I've tried my hardest to help support the team, but I can't do this. I can't be her Keith. You have to help me make this go away."

"Then I will." Keith stood and helped Lance stand. He urged him to climb onto his back and Keith carried Lance to the infirmary.

The doors slid open and Coran was standing at the control panel humming. "Ah, Keith it's good to see you up and around."

"Wait you see him." Lance lifted his head from Keith's shoulder.

"Yes, are you hurt? Keith, why are you carrying Lance?"

"I was just-"

Lance jumped down from Keith's back, running towards Coran, wrapping him in a hug, and cutting Keith off. "I'm fine, better than fine, Coran. I feel great. Everything's better right Keith?" Lance turned around and saw Radar standing with his arms crossed. Lance's grin disappeared and Radar sighed and said, "I don't think it's that easy."

"If you need any assistance."

"No, I don't want anyone's help." Lance stormed towards the door, but Keith grabbed the back of his shirt.

Lance fought to get Keith to release his hold, but it didn't work. Radar-Keith was much taller and stronger than him. "Ugh, Keith let go."

"I must say you paladins can be quite strange."

"Strange how?" Keith asked.

"One dobash you all get along and the next you're fighting. You get so much energy one tick and the next you're sulking. I myself may be a lively fellow, but I don't know any Altean to be so sporadic."

"There called mood swings. Girls tend to have them more often." Lance kicked Radar-Keith. "Ow." Keith remained hold onto the back of Lance's shirt as Lance crossed his arms stubbornly turning away from Keith. "But adults go through what is called an identity crisis. I think with Shiro gone we're all trying to figure out what we're doing. What we're meant to do next."

Lance looked down at the floor.

"Keith, my boy."

"I'm not giving up on Shiro. I still believe we can find him. I will find him, but until then, it's just a guess but I think you can expect a change in all the paladins." Keith let go of Lance shirt and placed his hand on the back of Lance's head, ushering him out the door. "See you later Coran."

Lance's shoulders were slumped forward as he walked down the hall. They didn't talk until Lance walked into Keith's room. Lance sat on his bed, pushing the tray from earlier behind him and looked up at Radar-Keith, who gave him a halfhearted smile. "I said I would help and I want whatever this is to go away just as much as you do."

"Why," Lance asked.

"Because our lives are complicated enough without having to live someone else's."

"So you can go back to being the moody loner and forget about caring about anyone."

"No!"

"Is that what you want me to do about my family."

"No, Lance!"

"Then why are you acting like caring about someone is the worse thing imaginable."

"Because."

"Because why!"

"Because caring makes it hurt more!" Radar-Keith paced the small bedroom. "Shiro's gone, we don't have a Black Lion, and I don't know what to do." Keith went to his closet and opened the mirror. He chuckled and turned back to Lance, "I can't even tell who I am right now because my reflection is of someone else."

Lance lowered his head thinking of what to say and of his own feeling towards Waverly. "Maybe you're right. We don't know what we're meant to do right now, but if we can't understand our own feelings maybe we can learn theirs." Lance shrugged, "Unless caring about someone else's feelings hurts too much."

Radar-Keith sat down beside Lance, folding his hands in his lap. "Shiro and I grew up together. I've known him my whole life. I care about him and when he went missing on the Kerberos missing I lost it. That's why I was kicked out of the garrison. Losing him again. I don't… I don't know if I can handle going through it again. I'm barely holding it together and I'm terrified I'm going to lose control."

"You're not the only one who lost someone and I'm not talking about our team. Radar lost Waverly. From what I can tell their connection was just as close as you and Shiro. I'm not saying to give up on Shiro, but maybe we let Radar and Waverly have a second chance. And if you're worried about losing control, I promise to be there for you whenever you need."

Keith and Lance sat in silence as Keith mulled the idea over. "That's a lot to offer. Are you sure?" Keith asked, jokingly.

"Oh come on, I'm trying to be nice and you can't give me a little credit."

"I didn't think you cared."

"Well good thing, I'm not you," Lance said, bumping against Keith, who smiled his true grin for the first time since Shiro's disappearance.

Kestle:

Hope you like the latest chapters :)

I want to also thanks to Sunny Lighter for Beta reading Voltron: Origins and answering my many questions as well as sharing her own ideas.

Sunny suggested that Coran and Allura start asking questions about why the paladins were acting weird so I included a little bit in this chapter and more to come. I will be including Sunny's name in any future chapters that she helps with.

Please comment :)