Lotor felt as though he was losing his own mind.
He wanted to assume his infatuation with the Blue paladin was due to his past. The loss of his beloved Zaheen. Yet he knows even if he had never met Zaheen, he still would have had a weak spot for such a dazzling creature.
Then, of course, the red paladin was a dark haired beauty with a fiery spark. A warrior with immense talent and skill!
Did he really have to bring up their leader? The Champion that was well known through the entire empire, both for his skill and rather attractive physic. No, he did not need to go into details on why that man was on everyone's list of attractive people.
That was it. He thought that would be the end of it.
Yet here he was, gawking at the yellow and green paladin as they carried a few supplies past his cells. They were giving him wary looks but held no fear in their body language since a cell stood between them.
To begin, the yellow paladin was… soft. Lotor had no other means of describing him. He was a large fellow with rounded cheeks and gentle eyes. Lotor rubbed his chin as this paladin lifted almost twice his body weight in supplies, hefting it around like it was nothing!
"You are quite strong." Lotor felt himself think aloud.
The paladin blushed. He blushed for pete's sake, and scoffed in embarrassment, trying to insist he wasn't but thanking him anyway for noticing.
Nothing should be that cute, Lotor decided.
Oh, but the green paladin sure did try to beat it. They were so small! Their hair was bright and fluffy, framing rounded eyes that seemed to only grow bigger thanks to the spectacles pushed up on their nose.
They seemed to be the brains of the Voltron team with this spunky spirit that did not yield to anything. Only to turn around and squeal in delight at the slightest mention or sight of something science related.
What was with human beings?!
Then the pièce de résistance appeared. The Princess of Altea; Princess Allura.
She was beautiful, her hair as white as snow and eyes the color of an azure sky. He must have had a thing for blue because he found himself charmed every time he saw the color.
And her eyes were blue. The blue of water so deep that Lotor was afraid to jump in, but was still tempted to.
This fair beauty was accompanied by a well-groomed man with a mustache. He twirled that fuzzy beast between his fingers with pride.
Lotor really should have reconsidered his options before agreeing to board a ship with so many beautiful people. It wasn't good for his seeking heart.
It wasn't that strange to find these people attractive either, was it? He was a young man, right around the age one would normally start to seek out their Chosen.
So really, it couldn't be that surprising.
So he quietly admired the view of the paladins from his cell, drawing out the interrogations to let his eyes have their fun for just a few seconds more.
Most of their questions were the same anyway.
What were the Empires next stages of attack? What were his own plans? Why was he being attacked by his own Father?
What was Zarkon planning and where was he now?
"I've told you everything I know as of late," Lotor grumbled. "My Father has most likely moved locations since attacking me so I do not know where he is located. He attacked me because he viewed me as a threat." He lowered his voice, "My only goal as of now is to ensure my team's survival and keep them safe."
Shiro, the black paladin, seemed to accept these answers for the time being. They were still discussing what to do with him to what he could tell. He offered to aid them in their fight- give them intel and support if required, but that did not mean they trusted him.
They had to discuss this with their allies before any decision on him could be made. He accepted that and opted to wait for the time being.
The Princess' second hand, Coran, gave him constant updates on his team. Narti had healed well and was out of the pod they had placed her in.
She was going to live.
He was relieved.
"Is there any way for me to see them?" he inquired softly.
Coran paused, looking back towards the elevator. "I'm not sure." he admits, "I'll discuss it with the others and get back to you."
More waiting. He wished he was at least given something to read to pass the time.
"You've detained Prince Lotor?" Ryner was rushing in, looking a tad haggard. Allura smiled to greet their Olkari friend, pausing to look confused.
"Ryner, you look exhausted," she says, worried.
Ryner took a deep breath, "Things have not been easy." she admits. "Many reports have come in since you left. The Galra empire has been moving in strange paths. Zarkon is planning something, yet we don't know what. Forget that for now. What do you plan to do with the Prince?"
"I am not sure," she admits, glancing at Shiro. "He claims to want to join our cause. I'm not certain how far we can trust his words. Even considering hearing him out is something I should discuss with the rest of the Coalition."
Ryner nods, understanding, "I'll gather the leaders for the meeting. Is everyone on your team alright?"
"Yes," Allura answered, yet something deep within her said no. She looked back at the towering castle, the ship shining like a pillar of hope. She should feel overjoyed they managed to capture Lotor and have a chance to learn more about the Galra…
So why didn't she?
Why is there a bubble in her chest? She placed a hand to her collarbone, inhaling deeply. "When can you have the Coalition ready for this discussion?"
"A matter of minutes. They have eagerly awaited your return once hearing your news about Lotor." Ryner turned, motioning for Shiro and Allura to follower her.
Leaving the others back at the castle to restock and resupply, Allura entered the meeting room within the Olkari capital. Turning on the screens it took only a few moments for her fellow leaders to appear, welcoming her with smiles.
"Are you well, Princess?" they asked.
"Yes. Voltron and its paladins are safe as well. Thank you all for gathering so quickly." she turned when the doors opened, Kolivan and a few more Blade members entered the room. "Welcome." she says, "I cannot thank you enough for your support during that mission."
"We do what needs to be done." Kolivan says gruffly, "The moment was too strange to miss anyway. Over a dozen ships sent to a single target… It was all for the purpose of capturing and or killing Lotor." Kolivan concluded.
"That appears to be the case," Allura nodded. "Though we still do not fully know the reason. Lotor claims it is because his Father viewed him as a threat. The only question is why. What exactly was Lotor doing to make his father take so much action to stop him?"
"I doubt he'll cooperate." One of the leaders spoke, "I don't trust him."
"Neither do I." Allura admits, "Yet I feel we should at least hear him out. If he has information we could use, we should use it."
"What would he require in return for this information?" The room chorused.
"That is unknown. There are many things we do not know about Lotor, especially what he wants to gain at the end of this. Yet Zarkon's attack has proven that they are not allies with each other."
"Does not prove he is on our side either," Shiro adds in. "Normally I would think an enemy of an enemy might be a friend- But Lotor seems like the type who isn't on anyone's side but his own."
The room nodded in agreement, yet couldn't seem to find any conclusion.
They had all learned through interactions with the Blade that not all galra were similar to Zarkon, but no one could deny they were untrusting to Lotor for his blood ties to the tyrant.
Allura realized they would most likely be here for a long time.
"Oh, and Princess Allura. I realize this is a sudden topic change, but I forgot to congratulate your paladins." One leader spoke up. The Lotor discussion had been put on hold as she spoke, smiling kindly at her.
"Congratulate us?" Shiro asked.
"Your Blue and Red paladin." he continued. "Their binding is quite the happy occasion in such a dark time filled with war. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard the news." he gushed.
"Oh! Oh yes! It brought joy to my people and myself to hear that as well!" Ryner agreed, smiling.
Allura's smile was cracking, feeling dread build in her stomach. "I-I'm afraid I'm not sure what you are referring to," she admits softly.
"Their union." the leaders insisted.
"I hear on Iespion it is called Equivalency."
"The Galra call it their Chosen partner, yes?" Ryner inquired to Kolivan.
He didn't seem too interested in the topic, wanting to get straight to business and work out their plans with Lotor, but humored them enough to nod. "Yes. Galra only mate once in their life so it is the greatest joy one can get when they have become one with their Chosen."
"Oh, how charming." Ryner cooed.
Allura took in a deep breath, her hands rolled into tight fists.
She steeled herself, his voice crystal clear. "I wasn't aware this news had become public. How did you all come to know of this?"
"It's spreading throughout the entire Coalition." One explained. "Pictures and a few articles to discuss their eventually, oh how do earthlings call it(?)- oh yes! Their marriage!"
"Marriage," Shiro says the word a second time, the reality of it hitting him harder then he thought it would. Keith and Lance already had the rings to match, after all.
He honestly didn't know how he felt about that anymore. Keith was- he was too young for that! He was his brother, after all. His little brother that he taught how to fly a hoverbike, helped with his homework and stood by his side when he was alone.
And Lance was... was a good person but a playboy who flirted with any girl he saw and who Keith hated! Someone who put Keith down a lot and insulted him. Someone who called Keith an emo loner and couldn't be in the same room as him.
He wasn't ready to just let Keith go, especially with someone like... Like Lance.
"I see," Allura says simply. "Well, I would really like to focus on the topic of Lotor." with a wave of her hand, her eyes a calm yet piercing, the leaders of the coalition followed suit.
None realizing the boiling anger seeping into Allura's heart.
Dinner with the paladins had been tense. Just a few floors below was the Prince of the entire Galran empire and his generals. It was something they never thought would happen.
"So what do you all think?" Lance inquired to the team.
"It's hard to think about," Hunk admits. "I don't know what to feel about the guy. All I think about is how much it hurt those times we fought against him… still go bruises." he whined, rubbing his arms.
"Yeah, he hasn't had the best track record." Pidge pushed up her glasses. "It's almost impossible to decide what to do with him in a single day."
"I do. I don't trust him. That's that." Keith mumbled, jabbing his fork against his food, yet not eating a single bite of it. Lance nudged his hand a bit to try and convince him to eat. He didn't.
"Even if we don't' trust him, he has information we could use." Coran offered softly. "It might be for the best to learn what he knows. Plus, everyone deserves a second chance."
"Are we sure we can even trust anything that guys says?" Pidge questioned, "He let himself get captured so easily."
"It was for the sake of his comrade." Coran reminds them, "Which, by the way, he has requested to see."
"He wants to see them? Now?" Pidge frowned.
"Wouldn't you if the last time you saw us we were bleeding to death?" Lance questioned her. Pidge turned her head. Something seemed to flash behind her eyes.
Many months back when Lance and Keith had been teleported for Iespion. All they found was blood…
"I would," she mumbled quietly.
"We could escort them down to his cell later, but keep them cuffed." Hunk suggested. "Even only go one at a time so we could all keep an eye on that one general."
"Sounds like a good plan~!" Coran says enthusiastically. "We'll tell Allura and Shiro about it when they return."
The team nodded, finishing their meal. Forks scrapped the plates. All except for one.
Keith was quiet the entire meal, poking at his food and eating very little of it. When Lance tried to give him a small smile across the table he avoided eye contact.
"Y-You gonna finish that?" Lance asked him.
"Not really hungry," he muttered.
"Keith, you haven't eaten a full meal in a while." Lance pointed out, concerned.
"Well isn't that my business? Not yours." the red paladin replied gruffly.
It caught Lance off guard. "I... guess." he looked away, not expecting to get such a cold shoulder.
"I'm actually done." Keith moved the plate to the side, standing up. "I'm gonna go train."
"We just got back from a mission," Lance says quickly, not wanting him to go.
"Need to clear my head." Keith turned abruptly
Lance started to get out of his seat, "Well, I can go with you-"
"I want to go alone !" Keith snapped. Lance flinched, a flash of hurt crossing his eyes. Keith wouldn't even look at him. "I'll see you all later."
He slammed the door as he left, the table seeming to shake from the force.
"What is with him?" Pidge questioned.
Lance's mind was racing. Was Keith mad at him about something? Had he done something to upset him lately? They hadn't really been able to talk
When Keith left he looked at Pidge and Hunk. They were giving him the same looks, both sides hoping the other could explain what that was about. Neither of them could.
"He seems to be… kind of grumpy." Pidge says awkwardly.
"Has Keith talked to either of you two lately?" Lance asked. Maybe he had said something to them that would help him figure out why he was suddenly so angry.
"No. We thought he might have talked with you." They tell him.
"Especially since that deal thing is basically over."
"The deal… it's over?" Lance hadn't actually had time to confirm it with the Lotor mission, but was it true? Was he able to be with Keith with no problems now?
"It's been a month." Pidge nodded, "You two haven't changed."
"Yeah." Hunk avoided Lance's gaze, still regretful about what happened. "You two proved, at least to us, that you love each other."
"Hunk…"
"I was just super dumb for not seeing it the moment we found you." His lower lip quivered, looking at one of his closest friends. "I'm sorry, Lance."
"Buddy…" Lance smiled, "It's okay. I shouldn't have just expected you all to accept it either. I'm just glad now you know and believe us. A-And you're both okay with it, right? Us being guys…."
"Being gay isn't ever a problem, Lance," Pidge says quickly. "Or Bi, or straight- Or any other billion of different types of people there are out there. You are who you are and that's it. We like you for you, and if Keith makes you happy, we're happy too." she folded her arms, having said her mind.
"Yeah!" Hunk quickly agrees, "I always thought you were Bi anyway so- you being with a guy was never the issue. I just-" he hesitated, "I don't even know why I agreed with what Allura and Shiro said. I was just shocked. I never expected you two to get together and when you did I couldn't figure out how it happened. Listening to Shiro's crazy theory was a possibility of what happened… and usually, Shiro is right. I just agreed. I shouldn't have."
"We're both sorry, Lance." Pidge nodded her head.
"Me too," Coran spoke up.
"You too, Coran? You have nothing to apologize for. You supported us since the very beginning." Lance argued.
"No, I supported you from the shadows. I didn't stand up for you when it really mattered. I should have said my mind to Shiro and the Princess." he scolds himself. "You two lads were suffering all this time because I couldn't put my foot down. I'm sorry."
"Guys…" Lance felt teary eyed. He was happy this was happening. It took some time, but his friends were supporting him. He couldn't help but forgive them. "Thank you."
Love was horrible, Keith decided. Wonderfully, miserably horrible. It made him feel so vulnerable. It opened his chest and messed him up, literally. These last few weeks he felt like he was dying.
Part of him wondered if he really was. All because of Lance. It all started with those little smiles of his. Then all of the sudden his life wasn't his own anymore. This love was burning him, the fire so deep inside he couldn't put it out and could only watch as it slowly ate him away.
Devouring him piece by piece.
To him, he's never felt a greater pain. Not just figuratively. It wasn't just in his head. It was like... a soul-hurt. A real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.
Enough to have him hacking violently as he leaned over the sink. As he coughed, a dark red substance stained the porcelain white of the bathroom sink.
He gasped for air between each cough, bracing himself to the counter for support. He felt awful. Like something was tearing him apart from the inside.
He could feel this coming while he was eating with the others, the bile in his throat rising with each sentence they spoke. He tried to push through, especially since he was able to eat lunch with Lance without Allura being there, but he just couldn't make it.
He had rushed to make an excuse and in the process, he yelled.
Right at Lance!
The hurt in those beautiful blue eyes made him want to crawl under a rock and never come out.
He never wanted to do that. He was so desperate for Lance not to figure this out or worry about him that Keith resorted to anger. It made him sick…
The second he was done here he needed to go apologize. Assure Lance he did nothing wrong.
He looked at himself in the mirror. Maybe he could even have some alone time with Lance since Allura was busy? Some snuggling, a little pampering… being spoiled by each other. That all sounded amazing.
Keith felt a warm feeling coil in his belly, stilling the goosebumps on his arms. If he didn't hurry he might miss that window.
Brushing his face with the towel hanging within the bathroom he tossed it into the hamper so no one would see. He checked his teeth to make sure there were no signs of blood and was just about to turn on the sink to rid the remaining evidence when the door made a noise.
Someone was banging on it.
He froze, scrambling to open it. Was it Lance? Had he followed him? Tossing it open, pressing his shoulder to the side to block the bathroom from view, he peeked out.
"What?"
Relo, his new trainer from the Blade of Marmora, offered him a nod.
"Greetings, Keith," he says. "I've come to collect you for training…. And use your bathroom. That is a bathroom, right?" he motioned to the door. "I have been up and down this castle and I have not been able to find one."
"Oh…" Keith felt his worry dissipate, sighing, "Yes, it is." he frowned, "Do we have to do training now? I have somewhere I need to be before the Princess gets back."
Relo tilted his head, "I believe you told Kolivan that you would commit yourself fully to the Blade when you were not off on missions." he says sternly. "Are you taking that back?"
"W-What? No." Keith shakes his head, "No I'm committed! I'm just- there is someone- uh, something super important that I need to take care of first." he stepped out of the bathroom, hoping Relo would understand. "Please."
Relo pursed his lips, glancing at the time. "I suppose." he says, "You only got an hour though."
Keith figured Allura would be back by then anyway and nodded, "Thank you. Thank you." he smiles. "I won't be late!" with no time to lose he rushed to the right to find Lance.
Relo rolled his eyes, chuckling, "Must be about that Blue paladin." he says to himself, entering the bathroom. "Jeez… fancy." he shakes his head at the overdone bathroom, perfectly content with just four simple walls and a toilet for his ideal toiletry, unlike this mini-mansion.
Doing his business he went to wash his hands only to back up to the wall in shock. Taking a second to understand what he was seeing, he rushed back to the sink and peered in.
A brilliant red color was staining the pure white color before him. It was splattered, specs of the freshly drawn blood covering every inch.
Relo realized without having to think about it too deeply. Not even caring to wash his hands now he rushed out of the bathroom to remember which way Keith had gone.
There was no other explanation since he was the last one in there!
"Keith!"
He turned to start his search, just to meet sharp purple eyes. He froze in place, inches from running into an old friend.
"Hello, Relo." To Relo's surprise and immediate horror, Krolia stood in the hall. Her arms were crossed, a death warning burning in her eyes.
"K-Krolia!" He inhales sharply. "What are you doing here?" and in the castle no less.
"I just got back." she turned her head, "And I wanted to meet the paladins."
Relo knew there was only one paladin in particular that she was interested. "You seem worried about something." Krolia pointed out sharply. "Were you looking for Keith?"
"Uh…." Relo stepped back. "He… um…."
"And more importantly." She lifted up a familiar looking article that had been going through the universe lately. The story and photos of the Red and Blue paladins who had recently become Chosen to each other. "Want to explain why you didn't tell me about this? Or that my missing son had been found on Iespion?" she growled.
Relo couldn't find his voice. He was so screwed.
Krolia snagged his ear, tugging it roughly. "Ow ow ow ow!" he yelled. "Where are we going?" he demanded fearfully, forced to be dragged out of the Castle.
"To find Kolivan since I know he is involved in this!"
Relo whined, feeling his ears were gonna be ripped right off! Which would be a shame considering Kolivan seemed to like his ears in particular.
Lance decided to go back to his room when Pidge and Hunk decided to be the ones to let Lotor see his injured general, Narti. They would escort her down there with Coran watching to let the Prince see her.
Lance offered to help but they insisted they could handle it and that he should go sleep. Or maybe go see Keith.
Lance wanted to do just that but Keith wasn't in the training room where he said he would be. Was he avoiding him now? Maybe he was upset with Lance for not fighting Allura's dumb rule more this morning? Or maybe... he was starting to get bored and annoyed of him.
Lance didn't want either option to be the case, but he would prefer the first choice over the second.
"Where did you go, Keith..." he mumbled to himself.
The sound of rushing feet echoed behind him.
When he looked to see who it was, he feet froze up.
"Lance!" speaking of the devil, he was charging down the halls at rapid speed.
"Keith." Lance croaks, his feet feeling like they would betray him and collapse at any moment.
Keith replied with two simple words, moving forward like a man on a mission. "An hour."
"What?" Lance asked.
Keith grabs him suddenly and yanks Lance up against him, one hand at his back holding the blue paladin to him and the other gripping his jaw.
Lance forgets to kiss back when their lips touch. It's sweet to him, so effortlessly sweet.
Then it changes to something Lance described as something stronger. Something desperate.
Like Keith has to have him, like he's dying to memorize every touch, every breath.
He's breathing heavily as if he's lost his mind and looking at Lance like something has broken inside of him.
"Kiss me back," Keith pleaded, and Lance did. The space that separated them evaporated as their lips touched with long slow worshipful kisses.
All heat and desire. Lance thought he tasted a sort of coppery taste along Keith's tongue. It was foreign like Keith had cut his lip or something.
"Got an hour." Keith murmured against him.
"Let's not waste it then."
Lance stumbled back against his door, blindly opening it. Once within Keith leaped up, wrapping his thighs around Lance's waist. Lance held him up all without breaking the kiss even once, kicking the door close and guiding Keith towards the bed.
"Going to spoil you rotten," Lance promised.
Keith's mouth curls into a smile, "Can't wait."
Their hour ended up cutting short to 30 minutes before Allura returned. She announced her arrival by setting off the castle alarm, refusing to turn it off until every paladin was present.
Keith felt like he was going to explode. He felt like some phone in need of recharging. 30 minutes was not nearly enough Lance time. It was like he was at 5%, still in the red zone and threatening to turn off at any moment.
"We should get going," Lance mumbled sourly, his face pressed into Keith's neck, where it was having its way with the mark he splattered along the skin. Keith's eyes were closed in bliss, mumbling in protest.
"Let her throw her tantrum... Stay."
"It could be an emergency," Lance says, his thumbs caressing circles along Keith's hips.
"It's not. I know it's not." Keith tilted his head to the side, delighted at his touch. "Can't we just ignore her?"
Lance's breath ghosted against his ear, "She'll come looking for us. Then Shiro will too..."
"Let them see."
"Keith." Lance snorted, "We gotta go." with one last kiss Lance got to his feet and pulled his shirt back over his head. Keith grumbled, grouchy and feeling like crap.
Lance managed to coax him out of the bed eventually and they reluctantly marched down to what Keith knew was probably their doom. His assumption was correct when they sauntered into the bridge.
Allura was pissed off, steam practically billowing out of her ears. She tapped her foot, turning off the alarm to change the screen to a few images. "Who. Did. It." her voice was thick with rage.
Lance wasn't expecting pictures of Keith and himself to shoot over the screen. They were kissing, cuddling, holding hands in almost every single one! It was kind of... weird to see them all yet not know they were taken.
"I... I'm sorry, what is the issue here?" He asked.
"These!" she pointed to them again.
"I see them." Lance nods, "And I'm questioning who took them."
"These were taken from the security cameras within the castle and spread throughout the entire coalition! Every single one of our allies is now aware of this... thing!" she motioned between them.
"Apparently some sort of... leak, has gone out to the coalition. They all got a transmission involving everything you see here. Everyone knows now." Shiro says, standing tall and expression cold.
Pidge and Hunk stood like statues, their expressions unreadable. Yet their smiles felt coy, as though they had a secret no one knew about.
"How weird," Pidge says with an odd tone. "How could they get a hold of such slander from within the castle? It's a boggle to the mind~"
"Did you do this?" Allura turned to accuse Lance.
"Hey, don't look at me! I didn't even know these existed till now. Did you Keith?" he looked at the red paladin, who was completely distracted by the display before him. He lifted his hand to point to one.
"That one." His attention was taken by a very cute moment of the two of them holding hands, their foreheads pressed together. They were alone within the halls, the lights dimmed except for the blue ground lights highlighting their face. It was absolutely perfect. "I want it."
"The picture?" Lance tilted his head. "For what?"
"To keep it."
Lance felt himself smile wide, "You want to frame it or something?"
"Yes." Keith whispered.
Lance's expression became soft, a look no one had ever seen him on his face before. He took Keith's hand, fawning over him, "How are you so cute?"
Keith's cheeks blossomed red, smiling sheepishly.
"Lance!" Allura scolded, "Knock that off this instant!"
"Knock what off?" Lance expression fell as he turned to look at her, morphing into something sour, "I am just asking Keith a question here. You saying I can't talk to him anymore?"
"It would make a lot of things easier around here if you didn't." Allura said with a roll of her eyes.
"Ooh, I suppose that is the same for missions then? You're absolutely right Allura. Next time I see Keith about to get shot, I won't say a word. I'm sure it'll work out." Lance hissed.
"You know that isn't what I meant." she snipped.
"How am I supposed to know that? You are so uptight about all of this! How are we supposed to keep any sort of bond going and form Voltron if you won't let us talk to each other? I mean, obviously separating us isn't getting Voltron back together any faster. If you saw past your own ego you might have noticed!"
"How dare you!" Allura rose from her seat. "This team has been nothing but shambles since you've returned!" Allura growled.
Pidge pushes up her glasses, narrowing her eyes.
Watching Allura pace, arguing with Lance, Pidge takes a moment to consider what she is about to say, wondering if it would be best to stay quiet. Deciding against it, she opens her mouth to speak up,
"You know Allura, some part of me can't help think… perhaps we are tearing this team apart because we're tearing them apart."
"Excuse me?" Allura froze mid-pace and turned to the small green paladin.
"Pidge." Shiro warned, wanting to try and keep some peace during this.
"You heard me," she growled the challenge, "I don't know how previous paladins were, but I don't see how loving and caring about someone makes one weak to the enemy. You can't just throw away how you feel. No amount of separation is going to stop those two from loving each other,"
Allura hair practically bristles, outraged, "You have all taken a sacred oath! As paladins, relationships are not allowed-"
"We never took any stupid oath!" startled at Pidge's outrage, Allura almost fell back, "We just threw on the gear, got into the lions, and formed Voltron. That is all that happened before we got thrown into this galactic war! We didn't even tell anyone back on earth what happened to us! We just left! We didn't mean to find the blue lion, or find this castle, wake you up, get bounties put on our heads! We didn't mean for any of that to happen! But it did! Just like how Keith and Lance ended up on that planet! They didn't mean to do that, or to start caring about each other. But it happened. Things happen! You would think for someone who's gone through everything you have that you would understand that!"
"How dare you speak to me that way," Allura says darkly. It was then that Pidge saw it. The stuck up side of a princess who wasn't often disagreed with by her allies. Who would argue with their Princess after all?
But Allura wasn't any royal to Pidge. No, she was a friend.
A person who often got blindsided when her beliefs were questioned or gone against. They all knew how she treated Keith and the Blade of Marmora when they first met her. She was ruthless, and in some cases, kind of cruel.
"I'll speak to you how I want, Allura. As you keep on saying, I'm a paladin of Voltron. I'm one of the only shots you have in this war, and by god, I am not some servant of yours. I'm your equal, so you better get used to it."
If Allura wanted to have this whole team turn against her because she was unwilling to change.
Then so be it.
"Oh, and just so you know." she motioned around, her smile growing wicked. "I'm proud that I did this."
"Pidge...!" Shiro realized.
"It was you?" Allura's jaw fell.
"And proud of it!"
Allura was moving towards her, "I should have known it was you! How could you do this? It's a galactic embarrassment."
"It is not." Keith scowled at her.
"You keep your mouth shut!" Allura snapped at him
"Don't yell at him!" Lance rushed forward
"Guys come on, stop!" Hunk pleaded, "All we've done is fight lately! This is exactly why we can't form Voltron! What is the Coalition gonna say when they find out?"
"They've already found out everything else, why not just add this to the fire?" Allura threw her hands up.
"Well it doesn't help that Allura keeps picking fights," Pidge grumbled.
"Me? I've done nothing wrong!" she argued.
"Nothing?" Pidge scoffed, "How high do you have your nose for you not to realize most of the problems are because of you?!"
"I'm not the one going against the paladin code!"
"Again with that stupid code! Give it a rest already! No one cares about that thing but you! Hey, here is an idea, forget the code!" Pidge
Lance was right with her on that one, "I'm with Pidge on this! It's stupid!
"Both of you need to calm down." Shiro instructed.
"You stay out of this Shiro. You have been nothing but unreasonable since we came back!" Lance pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Lance." Shiro snapped, his voice stern. "You are making a scene."
"Oh shut up, Shiro!" Keith finally snapped, leaping in the second Shiro tried to scold Lance. "Lance isn't in the wrong here! He has every right to be upset! You got a problem with him you gotta go through me first!"
A moment later an all-out yell fest seemed to break loose. Hunk stood awkwardly in the center, joined by Coran in the chaos. The team was falling into shambles and there seemed to be nothing they could do to stop it.
Things couldn't seem to get worse, but the universe sure did like to prove them wrong. In the midst of the chaos, Keith seemed to stumble. His 5% had run out...
He suddenly took on a pale look, his skin ashen. It was as if his heart had suddenly stopped beating and all the blood had ran down into his boots. He swayed for just a moment, eyes slipping upwards past his eyelids.
Whatever Shiro was going to say in the heat of the argument with him, it was abruptly cut off.
Then with one step backward he crumpled like a puppet suddenly released of their strings.
Lance felt his perception of time grow distorted, slowing as Keith's body plummeted to the floor.
The thump of his weight colliding against the ground echoed in his ears painfully. The room shared a gasp, falling deathly still.
"Keith...?" Hunk whispered.
The pounding noise of Lance's tennis shoes resonates off the walls of the room with a clanging echo as he burst into a run. His heart is throbbing inside his chest with the thick grief and fear of the unknown.
He runs to his equivalent, fearing the worse.
"Keith!"