Upon waking, Lance burrowed himself into the warm, soft sheets. His body turned onto his back, stretching languidly. With a deep inhale he rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes. He supposed you could say he slept well.
He slept yet did not feel rested. His mind was troubled, still tortured by what he had learned recently. Ignorance is bliss, he decided.
He could be enjoying his time with Keith right now if it wasn't for his lover's mother that had recently come into existence in his life.
Just the thought of her seems to stir a headache and he reaches up to run his hand down his face, covering his eyes in hopes the pain would go away.
Slowly and reluctantly, he uncovers his face, staring dully at their ceiling. He blinks, closes his eyes, and blinks again. The luminescent lights along the floors are the only light source available to him at the moment. He eyes them idly then turns his head the other way.
He nearly jumps out of his skin when bright purple eyes flicker at him in return
"Keith." he exhales, "How long have you been up?"
"A few minutes. You move around a lot when you first wake up." he notes.
Lance huffed, "And you apparently like to watch people sleep like a creeper."
Keith smiles, a twinkle in his eyes that Lance feels drawn to. "Guess so. Morning."
Lance's heart swelled, "Morning, sweetheart."
It was a feeling he had almost forgotten, waking up with Keith beside him instead of alone. It made him feel whole and loved.
"Sleep well?" Keith's finger traced his jawline, caressing his earlobe.
"Well enough." Lance grins, scooting closer to give his love a kiss. "What about you?"
"Best I've slept in a long time."
Lance was thrilled to hear that. He rolled on top of Keith, peppering his face with kisses till Keith started to giggle and shove him off. When they finally managed to get out of bed, they stumbled around the room, drunk off of each other. It felt like that first morning they woke up after becoming equivalents.
Part of them both wondered if this burning passion they held for the other would last forever. Eventually, that fire tended to simmer as couples got older, didn't it? It would become their daily lives, giving a sense of normality.
It wouldn't be a bad thing if that did happen. To be together for so long that it was just natural to have the other beside you. That sounded like a dream come true.
For now, they would enjoy this love high they seemed to be experiencing, happy just to see the other.
It took around an hour to get dressed because they just couldn't keep their hands to themselves.
"Keith~!" Lance cackled when nimble fingers danced over his hips. He had just put his shirt over his head when Keith decided to join him, horribly stretching his shirt as he slipped his head underneath it.
"Toasty." Keith mumbled against his bare chest, his voice muffled from the fabric. At this point, they looked like some being with four legs and a very large belly.
"Keith! We gotta get ready~" Lance was tempted to take a picture
"I'm dressed and ready to go." Keith smiles.
"Get your own shirt!" Lance cackled.
"But you're so warm~!" Keith challenged, wrapping his arms around the Cuban male's torso
Lance shrieked, "Augh! Your hands are cold!"
"Because you're warm!"
"Keeith~!" he whined, smiling. "Come on, we're gonna end up being late."
"Or we could just not show up." Keith offered, forcing his head through the head hole to come nose to nose with his equivalent. Lance gave an unhappy frown.
"You are ruining my shirt. We can't show up like this."
"Let's ditch the meeting. Go somewhere." Keith pouted, full lower lip out and eyes wide. Such a look could strike down even the coldest of hearts and Lance could feel his knees buckle.
"No." he musters his strength, "We have to go to that meeting."
Keith's shoulders slouched and he sighed, "Fine~ Fine…" sliding out of the shirt he waddled off.
Lance shook his head, watching Keith make his way to his closet. "And dress nice." he reminds his love looking back at the mirror himself. Lance wondered if his parents would be able to recognize him. His skin had gotten a tad darker during his time in Iespion, his hair longer and his body more well toned.
Adjusting his hair, he took a good, long look at himself in the mirror. Lifting his fingers to his face he traced the scars around his eyes.
Sometimes he woke up terrified, thinking he had lost his sight once again. This time for good. The fear faded after a few minutes but it was always there.
As he stood there, he realized losing his sight wouldn't be the most horrible thing to happen. There were worse outcomes in this war. He could lose Keith, or anyone on the team. Too many unknowns could happen.
After all, he still hadn't figured out what had happened to Keith's health.
Or the big beeping red light in the back of his mind; how was he going to tell Keith about his Mother.
He knew the longer he held this off the worse it could get, so really, he should just come out and say it! Rip it off like a band-aid.
Yet how could he? How could he look at the man he loved and tell him that he met the woman that left him? That she was just a few floors away and had been able to see Keith this whole time, but choose not to?
Or worst of all, her first parental advice was for them to separate; which is something Keith is already on edge about with everyone else, so not a good thing to bring up first thing.
It was just so frustrating!
Surely she had a reason. Lance could only assume since she was part of the Blade of Marmora that she had a reason to why she left Keith when he was so young. She wouldn't have even revealed herself to him in the first place if she didn't care about Keith after all. At least, that was his hope.
"Ugh." the blue paladin rubbed his temple when a headache came his way.
"You okay?" Keith asked, tossing on a shirt
"Yeah…" he lied, "Just got a lot on my mind."
"Same." Keith's hand slid into Lance's, "That's why we got each other."
Lance felt himself smile, tugging Keith closer to kiss him. "You always know exactly what to say." Their mouths entangled together again, the beeping on the clock convincing them to pull away.
"The meeting." Lance reminded them.
"Dumb meeting." Keith cursed, "At least we can get breakfast first~"
How they managed to actually focus for 5 minutes, get ready, and walk into the dining room, they would never know. But it didn't matter, cause they got to hold hands the entire way.
"Time for breakfast~!" Lance says, walking into the kitchen, surprised they were the first ones there.
Keith frowned at the Goo dispenser. "Not really in the mood…"
"You gotta eat, cariño," Lance tells Keith, running a hand over his face to note how much smaller Keith seemed to be. Not by much, but it was definitely starting to get there.
Keith blinks, feeling like his appetite was returning thanks to Lance being there. Taking his hand from across the table, Keith smiles. "Okay,"
"I'll even make you something." Lance rises to his feet. "Something that isn't goo. Or just goo with a fun twist." He giggles.
"With a twist?" Keith asked
"Yeah, I'll form it into shapes." the blue paladin slides over to the dispenser, grabbing a plate. "That or I can make some eggs if we have some in the fridge." he went to check.
"I didn't know you knew how to cook, Lance." Hunk appeared from the hall, rubbing his eyes.
"I learned a bit on Iespion." Lance says proudly, grinning to find some eggs within the fridge. "Yes~" he cheered, pulling out a pan to set on the oven.
Hunk tossed on his apron to help. "Do you know how to make an omelet?"
"No. Teach me, great master." Lance bowed his head, deepening his voice. Slapping his palms together Hunk bowed back.
"Teach you I shall, young pupil."
Pidge snorted when she entered the room to see such a scene. "You weirdos making breakfast or making a ninja movie?"
"Breakfast, and for that comment, you get none." Lance jabbed a finger at her.
"Aww." she pouts.
Keith offered a moment later, "You can have some of mine."
"Yes!" she perked up, happy once again.
Lance huffed, "Sweetheart no, I just told her she can't~"
"But I said she could." he giggled in return.
Their two friends laughed, happy to see Keith in better spirits. As they cooked, they talked about Iespion again. Strangely enough, Hunk and Pidge were eager to learn the rest of the story of their time there.
"So Tellru and Dravla were able to tell pretty quickly that you two were perfect for each other," Pidge says. It almost saddened her how easily complete strangers noticed their honest feelings for each other, yet they couldn't; people who had known them far longer.
"Yeah, they both had a way of noticing those sort of things." Lance chuckled.
"Dravla and Tellru already had their lives pretty figured out when we got there though, so maybe that is why. It's easy to spot love when you already know it so well." Keith's eyes softened, thinking of the two. "I had never seen two more suited for each other."
"I dunno. I think you two are perfect for each other," Hunk tells him suddenly. It was so out of the blue that the two thought they heard him wrong.
"Y-You… Think so?" they stammer, embarrassed.
"Yeah." Hunk smiles. "Sorry I couldn't see it before but, I mean it right now. You two make each other happy, and if you are happy, so am I."
Lance felt this wave of relief, like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders, "Hunk." he says softly. "Thank you."
He grins, but it fades, "Just wish the others could see it too so you two don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Shiro is just-" Pidge sighs, "... He's the leader and all, you know? You usually assume your leader is always right but… I don't think Shiro was in this case. I see that now. So- I'm really sorry, Lance, Keith. I shouldn't have agreed to this separation thing." Pidge bowed her head.
"Me too. And I know Shiro will see it one day too. Just give him some time." Hunk adds in
Keith looked away, nodding meekly. Quietly he says, "Thank you Pidge, Hunk. That means a lot."
She reaches over to pat his shoulder, "I'm sure the others will see that soon. Shiro just doesn't want you two to get hurt. He doesn't realize that he's doing that right now. He thinks he's helping you two- either to realize you don't have feelings for each other or you do."
Lance doesn't say much, but nods every once in a while. "I know. Even despite this all, it wasn't him that upset me. It was more of Allura's reasoning. A rule that has nothing to do with us, set by a society we never even got to see. It just- I had too many bad experiences with that."
"From Iespion?" his two friends ask.
Keith's nostrils practically flared with smoke. "It was so hard to put up with their laws. They were so different, and we just had to accept them when new ones would pop up!"
"All those challenges." Lance groaned.
"It was so frustrating. The blood challenge." by impulse his hand reached out for the blue paladin's, holding it tight.
Lance squeezed his hand back, "In a way I understood." he says quietly, thinking it over. "I mean, if you grow up being told one thing, it's gonna stick. To the Coeihns, you had to earn citizenship to be one of them. Pure's were valued and fought over because their entire society was based on challenges to keep peace outside of the ring. To them, it was normal. It was an honor. I'm sure if I was a Coeihn, it would have no burden on my mind to fight in that arena for you, Keith. I would have been proud to do it. And- I was proud, in a way. It was just terrified that first time around because I couldn't see or understand a thing."
Keith gives him a gentle look, "I wasn't allowed to participate in any challenge or fight because I wasn't considered a citizen. It was painful to watch you having to bare everything on your own."
"Would you go back?" Hunk asked them. "To Iespion?"
The two don't even take a second to think it over before they smile and nod, "Of course!"
To see Ruru, Dravla, Manson Tellru and Harri again would be the best thing they could hope for. They would gladly go back to see the precious friends they had made on the way.
"Iespion was hard, and a lot of bad happened. But a lot of good happened too." Lance says.
"I hope Ruru is doing well." Keith smiled at his food. "I miss her."
"Me too." Lance rubbed his chin. "We should go back sometime."
"Yeah." Keith trailed off. When he speaks up, his voice is soft, "Thinking of Iespion gets me thinking of this whole Paladin's code thing." he admits, "It's weird but, despite it all, I don't hate Allura for trying to separate us."
"What?" The room was shocked. "How could you not?"
"I-I don't get it myself." he admits, "I know this might sound weird, and I am angry with her… but… I dunno. It's hard to explain. She's done some things lately, like with that Yalview Prince guy…" he closed his eyes at the thought, grateful when Lance wrapped his arm around him.
"I want her to apologize for those." Keith continues, eyes narrowed, "Because what she did then was outrageous. But I'm not upset with Allura about the code. Because I understand her society and her people's law are important to her. To toss them aside would be to toss aside her people's way of life. It's the only thing she has left of them besides this castle and Coran. Of course, she would cling to them."
The others listened to him quietly, amazed. "I thought you said the paladin code was dumb?" Hunk mumbled.
"It is." Keith nodded, "To me, anyway. To her, the code is probably sacred." Keith picked at his food. "She shouldn't expect us to follow the code because we aren't alteans, but we are paladins. The paladin code is for paladin's after all. And I assume these rules were made by her Father and the paladins of old. It makes sense she would bring them up eventually." he pauses, "I guess I'm not sure how to feel about it. I don't hate her, but I also want to punt her into space."
"You understand and also think it is dumb…." Pidge concluded.
Keith pointed to her, "Exactly." he was surprised when Lance wrapped his arm around him, tugging him closer. Smiling, he rested his head against the blue paladin's shoulder, curious at the look Lance was giving him. "What?"
"You are just amazing…" he whispered.
Keith bit his lower lip, smiling, "You think?"
"Yes. You are also too forgiving." the blue paladin says, rubbing his thumb over Keith's knuckles. "Every time I look at her I want to punch her in the face…"
"I didn't say I don't want to do the same." Keith chuckled. "I guess I just wanted to see things from her shoes for once? I can't just keep getting angry at everything forever."
"If only she would do the same." Lance mumbled sourly. Keith leaned against him, kissing his forehead.
"Yeah."
Finishing their breakfast, a silence fell in the air when Allura wandered in. She gave them all quiet looks, grabbing herself a drink. She didn't speak immediately, staring at her cup as if she wished to say something.
It had to be a world record, five minutes in and she still hadn't said a word for Lance to remove his hand from Keith's hip. Wondering if she just hadn't noticed they held their breath when she looked their way.
"I trust you all slept well." she says, nearly casually. It caught them off guard.
"Oh uh…" Hunk glanced around in a panic then nods, "Yup. Like a log." The others shared a few looks.
"A log?" she asks, "What is that?"
"Oh, it's… a tree. A fallen over tree. It-" instead of trying to explain he says instead, "It's an earth simile. I slept great. I think we all did." The rest of the room nods.
Allura nodded slowly. "Oh. I see...Good." She said finally after a pause. "Good. We have the meeting with the coalition in a short time. I expect you all to be there… be ready." She said before putting her cup away once she finished it.
And just like that, she left, shoulders stiff as the door shut behind her.
There was silence for a few ticks.
"Well, that was awkward," Keith mumbled, making Pidge snort.
"No kidding! I was for sure thinking she was gonna yell at you two again." She said, nudging Lance.
"Yeah. I think my heart stopped for a bit." Lance said with a chuckle. Hunk scratched the back of his neck.
"You think we're getting through to her?" He asked, looking over at the current pair of paladins that were holding each other.
"I sure hope so." Pidge said, letting out a breath.
Zaheen leaned into the back of his chair with a dull sigh. It was cold today. The cold always made the joints by his legs feel like they were on fire. Old wounds still crying out years later…
He tried to focus on his work, scheduling shipments and setting routes for the supplies to be taken. It wasn't the most exciting job, but he took it seriously all the same. At this point it was all he could do with his capabilities.
With everyone fighting and strengthening the alliance, someone had to make sure food and ammunition got across the galaxy to the vastly expanding union. This was the least he could do…
"Zaheen." A familiar voice spoke from behind him, "I see you've been transferred to supply retail."
Looking over his shoulder a familiar Galra approached his table. "Krolia!" he greeted, wheeling his chair closer to her. It was always so nice to see her. "It's been a while. I hope you didn't receive any injuries on your last mission."
"I am fine." she spoke solemnly, "My missions have been more undercover based as of late."
"Yet you have returned?" Zaheen questioned.
"There is a reason for that. Something crucial came to my attention recently. What about you?" she looked away. She quickly changed topics, which Zaheen realized immediately and was curious to the reason, "Last time we met you were still at headquarters. What made you switch your posts?"
"I wasn't doing anything at headquarters. Helping to run training sequences or encrypt messages was getting tedious." he turns his chair, lifting his tablet screen to his face to go over a few supply routes. "So now I'm here, helping to send supplies for the coalition."
"Seems like a downgrade to me," Krolia says
"I get to see more than just secretive Blade members, unable to leave headquarters for weeks at a time." Zaheen chuckles, "So far I've been able to see 4 different planets, just in the span of a month. This is a lot better."
Krolia leaned against the table, smiling at the younger Galra. "It's good to see you in high spirits." she recalled something, "Oh, yes. There is a shipment request from sector 2."
A transfer of data crossed over Zaheen's tablet screen. He clicked it, scanning over the requested materials before nodding. "Understood, I'll get the supply crews to head there right away. Thanks, Krolia."
"Thank you for handling it." she offered back.
Zaheen always liked talking to Krolia. She was strict but kind. She never looked at his wheelchair like some weakness, knowing Zaheen had more strength than he let on. Yet she never pushed him to use it.
Watching Krolia, he noticed how she hovered. It seemed as if she was avoiding something, purposely wasting time to prevent her from returning to the Blade for further instructions.
"Do you have a day off?" Zaheen wondered. Which is something the blade nearly never had.
"No. There is a meeting later today. Many of the coalition, Blade, and Voltron members will be there to discuss our next steps in this war." she says, her voice sounding far away.
"Sounds like an important event." he raises his eyebrow, "Don't you wish to attend it?"
"My presence wouldn't affect the outcome."
So she was avoiding something, Zaheen had realized. Yet what exactly?
"You seem off." Zaheen tells her.
She messed with a few spare parts scattered across the desk, "Do I?"
"Is everything alright?" Normally Zaheen would never ask a Blade member this question because he knew he would never get an answer out of them. Krolia was different. She talked with him, confided in him, and he could do the same with her.
He had come to the Blade at a young age, alone and afraid. No one wanted to look after a teenage boy who had no use of his legs half of the time… Krolia was different. She took care of him, practically raised him from the first day he arrived. He trusted her with everything.
She had been a mother figure to him after losing his own parents to Zarkon's blood-lusting outbursts…
Out of everyone in the universe, he would turn to her alone when something troubled him. So to see her looking anxious and nearly afraid, it worried him.
"Krolia…" he insists quietly.
Her eyes hardened, flipping the wrench in her hand and catching it. "It is an issue I should face myself."
Zaheen won her over with a smile, "And you will. There is nothing wrong with talking about it though."
Her lips tugged slightly. Zaheen's presence was infectious. Her harsh expressions seemed to melt away into something gentler around him. "You can't speak of this to anyone."
"My lips are sealed. The Marmora is good at that, after all." he teased, nearly striking a laugh from her. Yet the topic on her mind seemed to weigh heavily on her, choking down whatever chuckle she so desperately wanted to let free.
"I spoke to you once." she begins. "Of the son I left behind to protect from this war, hoping to end it before it could ever reach him…?"
"Yes." Zaheen felt the blood drain from his face. Had something happened to her child?
"It seems that in the end, my son followed me anyway." she looked up towards the roof. "All the way from Earth, a primitive planet that hasn't achieved space travel. He came from there and is now the pilot of the Red lion."
Zaheen blinked once, then twice. "What?" he gasped. "You mean he is Keith, the red paladin?"
Krolia covered his mouth to silence him, "Yes, now keep your voice down." she spoke in a harsh whisper. "I hadn't realized at first, that is until nearly a year ago when he came to headquarters to request the Blade alliance against Zarkon. He had awakened the blade I left him. Kolivan had sent me the details, recognizing the blade he held as mine. I was deep undercover at the time and couldn't act until it was safe..." Though by that time, her son along with the Blue Paladin abruptly disappeared for seven months.
The smaller Galra nodded, "This is great, isn't it? You can see your son again! You should go to him."
Krolia sighed, "I- I don't know if that is wise right now."
"Why not?"
"When Kolivan sent me the info a year ago I was deep undercover. I couldn't fly out to see him. By the time I could, he and the Blue paladin had gone missing. Now he is back and apparently mated with the Blue paladin." she bit her thumb, a nervous tick Zaheen recognized. It wasn't common to see Krolia nervous. "Then, Kolivan decided to NOT inform me my son had been found nearly a month ago! And I- the blue paladin…"
Krolia? Lost for words and stammering. Something definitely went wrong. "What happened?" he asked.
"I approached it the wrong way." she sighs, deeply troubled. "I ran into the blue paladin." She sat beside Zaheen, glancing around. When she knew they were alone she continues. "It's common news right now of Keith and the blue paladin's relationship."
"Yes."
"I approached the blue paladin on it. I approve of the Blue paladin." She says simply. "He is strong, seems kind. He is good for my son. I couldn't be happier."
"But?"
"But my concerns are with Zarkon if he were to find out about the relationship. He would use it against them, just as he uses love against every one of his enemies."
"So then you told Lance-"
"I told him it might be best to separate from Keith." She nods. "I worded it wrong and he got very angry with me. Rightfully so." she bit her lip. "He told me I was a terrible Mother. He is right."
"You aren't a terrible mother." Zaheen disagreed. "You've done all of this to protect Keith. If you hadn't left earth, Zarkon would have gone to that planet long ago. And if he had, none of the paladins would have grown old enough to even hear the word "Voltron"." he insisted.
Krolia rubs the side of her eyes, tired. So very tired. Every Blade of Marmora looked similar when they shared even a moment of a break. Years of war, showing no end was a toll on any soul, no matter how they tried to harden their heart and hide it.
"Yet when my son finds happiness, I tell him to part from it." She leaned against the table, shoulders slouching.
"You intended to warn them. Zarkon is a threat they should take seriously." Zaheen says. "And making the relationship so public could always have negative effects if the enemy becomes aware of it. I would have said the same."
She gives him a long look, in which he quickly corrects, "Okay, you're right, I would have worded it differently. But the underlying message would have been the same."
She nods, slouching in her chair, "Yet now it is too late…"
"Well… perhaps you should go speak with your son?" Zaheen offered quietly.
She turns her head slowly, eyes looking at him for answers. "What?"
"You left to protect him, yet he is here now. So… You don't need to keep your distance anymore. He's already involved."
She considered his words, letting them sink into her mind. Keith was here. Her son was here! Years of wanting to see him were over. She could go right up these stairs and talk to him. Hug him and never let him go…
And if he didn't want her in his life anymore after everything she had put him through?
It was hard to think about, and it's not like it mattered in the first place. She would never truly know until she tried.
"You make it sound so easy."
"Introducing yourself to him is easy." Zaheen chuckled. "It's what comes after that will be the hard part."
A heavy sigh left her. When Zaheen cleared his throat, she looked at him. The moment their eyes met he added, "The longer you wait, the harder it will be. You've had an excuse till now. If you continue to wait, your excuses won't matter anymore. That is when you'll lose him, Krolia." he warns.
His words stung true.
"When did you get so wise?" she grumbled,
"From listening to you," he says cheerfully.
She shakes her head fondly, patting the younger Galra's head. "You sure have grown up, young pup."
"Please don't call me that anymore." he sighs. "Now shoo! Get going and go talk to your son."
She gets up, smiling. Taking less than two steps she stops. "Wait. There was something else I wanted to discuss. Zaheen." She says, grabbing his arm. He paused, looking up at her.
"What is it?"
Her gaze was set, serious, "The meeting today. Have you heard what it is about?"
Feeling unnerved he shakes his head, "No...I've been down here for a few weeks. You just said it was about the next steps of the war, right?"
"Yes, but more importantly than that, it is to discuss Lotor."
Zaheen feels his heart stop, "Lotor…? You mean, Prince Lotor?"
"In the last few days, he has been captured." Krolia nods, "He is currently held within the Lion's castle."
Zaheen was at a loss for words. He had heard what she said, yet it didn't sound real. Lotor was here?
Krolia continued to talk, a cautious tone to her voice, "He surrendered to Voltron, even offering his knowledge to the Coalitions cause. He seems to want to join us against his Father. The meeting will be to discuss whether or not we allow this. It's hard enough for certain groups in the Coalition to trust the Blade of Marmora. All sides in the rebellion are unwilling to trust the very son of our own enemy."
"I...see."
"What are your thoughts on this?" Krolia inquired.
"Why would my thoughts matter?" he asked a little too quickly.
There was a short pause, "You knew him. I suppose I just wanted to see if you would trust him if given the chance."
"I knew him, Krolia. Back when we were only children. He is a grown man now and I have not spoken a word to him since. My thoughts shouldn't add any change into what the coalition thinks. I don't know the type of person Lotor is anymore."
Zaheen wheeled himself over to the shelves, his back to Krolia to hide any emotions that might be crossing his face.
Krolia watched him quietly, stepping closer, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I have a lot of work to do." he says quickly. "It was nice to see you, Krolia. I hope things work out with your son."
She frowns but accepts his dismissal of the topic. "I shall see you later, Zaheen." without another word, she turned and left.
As the door slammed shut behind her, Zaheen lowered his hands to his lap, gripping the blanket surrounding his legs. His jaw tightened, hair prickling up on the back of his neck.
Lotor…
He hadn't seen him since they were children, that had been no lie. All these years later and his skin still crawls just at the thought of him.
Not that he had a quarrel with the young Prince himself, not at all. He once cared deeply for the Galra heir. Perhaps he... in a small way, still did.
In fact, he had been Zaheen's first love. Even now he still held that feeling close to his heart. Love wasn't often found within the Galra, but when it was, it was meant to be treasured.
So he did just that.
What he couldn't forget was what came to pass after his last encounter with the Galra Prince.
His Mother had been one of Zarkon's most trusted servants. She had lived the longest, never once angering the emperor. She never made mistakes, never stepped out of line, always said the right things.
She was a survivor, Zaheen recalled. Loyal more to the idea of living another day over Zarkon himself, she did her job flawlessly. Her only downfall had been when she fell in love.
It had been a man that was not Galra, a slave she would pass by in the cells from time to time. He would mop the floors when he was let out or do dishes. Simple tasks, but ones that had them running into each other more often than not.
The blue eyes his Father had were what drew in his mother the most. He had inherited his own blue eyes from him.
One day, his mother had been able to sneak his father out of the prisons and to her home, where he remained hidden. They planned to sneak him aboard a ship and attempt to return him home, yet he refused to leave her.
He could never go outside, locked away within her small home. But he didn't care. He loved her.
Truly and honestly loved her enough to trade one prisoner for another if it meant he could see her a few times a day. To hold her at night and brush away her nightmares…
After some time, he was born and given the name Zaheen. His Mother had been clever, able to play him off as a full Galra despite only being a half breed. It was his eyes that gave away his genes, so he had often wore a veil of sorts over his face when out in public.
When he was able to work, he joined his mother's side. A servant at birth practically…
It was a dangerous game they played, having a half breed child so close to the Galra emperor. Yet they managed. It worked at least until he met Lotor.
Perhaps love was his own downfall too. How ironic.
Lotor had been a very curious Prince, Zaheen decided. Almost too curious.
When they would clean the Prince's room, he would watch them and ask questions. They answered it as politely as they could, doing anything the Prince asked of them. His big eyes would stare at Zaheen's veil with awe, often forcing the younger boy to play games with him.
Well, Zaheen says forced, but he remembers fully enjoying every game and day they had together. No other guard or servant could deny the Prince his desire to play with him.
When he was with Lotor, he felt like a normal child. He could play and have fun, laugh with his friend. It was the best years of his life. And Lotor was so amazing. He would tell Zaheen of his ambitions and dreams. How he wanted to go across the universe and visit every planet he could.
He wanted to explore and discover things people couldn't even imagine. Zaheen wanted to join him.
"Then you can !" Zaheen could recall it clearly. The Prince cheering and stomping around with so much excitement, that his small body could hardly contain it. "You can join me on my adventure Zaheen!"
"I can?" It was something out of a fairy tale."
"Of course!" Lotor said proudly, "But you gotta take off your veil."
"Why?" Zaheen gripped it, tugging it tighter over his face.
"Because, then people will think you're my bride!" Lotor huffed. "Don't you know? A lot of species wear a veil over their head when they get married. If you wear that, then everyone might think I'm marrying you…!"
Zaheen still felt a burn in his cheeks at the thought. A foolish thought. He could never marry the Prince. Yet that didn't stop his younger self from dreaming about it.
"I couldn't wear this to... a wedding." his younger self blushed, "It's ratty and old."
"Well duh!" Lotor paused to rub his chin, "If you did get married... to me, you would need a better veil. One that is pretty and white." The idea seemed to have mad Lotor happy. "And then I'd lift it and give you a smooch." his little fingers, as if practicing for the day, reached forward. They gripped the end of the veil with ease.
Zaheen should have stopped him. Should have pulled away and fled anytime the Prince so much as tried. Perhaps even made up an excuse that the cloth hid some horrid scar.
He didn't do any of these things. Despite his Mother's explicit instructions, he made no attempt to stop Lotor. Then the veil was lifted, Lotor coming face to face with Zaheen for the first time since they met. His eyes went wide, his ears pointing up.
He dropped the veil back down, dumbstruck. "Blue..."
"Am I ugly?' Zaheen asked, worried.
Lotor shakes his head slowly, "No…" he peeked under the veil a second time, getting in a better look. "Whoa…" he looked for a few more seconds, "Your eyes are so blue…!" Lotor had been too naive at the time to fully understand what his blue eyes meant.
"They are." Zaheen nods
"Why didn't you tell me they were blue…?"
"Your eyes are blue too." Zaheen pointed to them.
"Yeah, but your eyes are REALLY blue!" Lotor tugs him to his feet.
Since that day Lotor would always steal peeks below his veil. In time, the Prince even wore to marry him and take him far away…
It was a child's dream, never meant to last. It was fun to imagine it would for a time though.
And then one day, Zarkon had figured out his Mother's lie. He had seen Lotor lift the veil, had seen his blue, and had realized he was only a half breed.
His rage had boiled over that day. Lotor had been old enough by then to understand how his Father was when angry. There was never mercy, yet he pleaded for it anyway.
He begged his father not to hurt his friend or his family. Begged with all his might.
Zarkon saw that as a weakness. Begging or standing his ground, Lotor was never enough in his eyes.
Zaheen sometimes wished he had never shown Lotor his eyes, but he knew he couldn't change the past.
That day, as a warning for Lotor to never speak to his servants ever again, Zarkon had gripped his head. He held it like one might hold an orange. All it took was enough force to squeeze out whatever was inside.
Truly, the cruelty of the Emperor held no bounds. He was barely to the height of the Zarkon's hip, hanging limply in the air by such brute strength. He knew the moment his feet left the ground that it was the end.
He begged and pleaded, but it meant nothing in the eyes of Zarkon. With a shudder, he could remember Lotor screaming, begging, and then a sharp pain.
With just a flick of his wrist, Zarkon had caused severe damage to his spine, nearly snapping it in two.
Zaheen lurched forward in his chair, practically able to feel the pain of the moment all over again.
And that horrible man just tossed him to the side like a rag doll. Leaving him for dead, not even a speck in his eye. Lotor was dragged out of the room crying, his wails still haunting Zaheen's dreams.
He thought he would die that day. He wanted to die that day.
But Zarkon's witch had other plans.
Instead of leaving him to die like Zarkon, she found use in him. Convincing her King to allow her this chance, she took his broken body with her as a subject in her latest line of experiments.
It was common nowadays for Galra soldiers to have fake limbs. Even the Black paladin of Voltron has a robotic arm of her design when he was one of Zarkon's captives.
She has come a long way since she began, "blessing" him with the chance to be one of her first guinea pigs. For many years had was with her, the time going to he was a young teenager, forced to endure endless torture. He had never seen his parents again but had learned they had been executed for their crimes of deceiving Zarkon. It was his fault... All his fault. Their lives weren't perfect, but they had each other. If he had just headed his Mother's warning perhaps they could have been happy together for a little while longer.
She wanted to enhance the Galra body. So she took his legs and gave metal replacements. Not that he could use them anyway with his spinal cord ripped to shreds. It was a miracle he had even survived.
Then again, druid magic always achieved the impossible, as well as the unnatural.
To allow him mobility, they attached the mechanics to his spine. It was a long and very painful process, but it worked. He could walk again.
He could remember the witch talking sometimes as she worked. She wanted to make the perfect soldier, but one that could still give birth to the next generation. An army needed soldiers after all...
She had worked endlessly to attach the nervous system to her contraptions, while still preserving his internal organs as they were.
Zaheen slowly lifted the blanket off his legs to stare at her accomplishments. Metal legs met his gaze, leading up to his hips then attaching furth beneath the skin to his lower spine.
He hated them…
He could walk, run, simply stand and bask in the sun- but he hated them.
What made it worse was that it seemed almost meaningless. There was one flaw to her design that left him attached to this wheelchair of his. Her creations required quintessence to work properly. If you didn't have that then the body part was useless, unable to move.
When he was with Haggar she had supplied that quintessence on her own, forcing him to train and become her weapon for many years. She'd take the vial and slip it into the container along his left leg. One vial tended to last him a few months if he was smart about it.
The moment it ran out he would fall over, legs going stiff as if they needed to be oiled. The science behind it was something he didn't quite comprehend. The nerves were attached, yet a power source was required for it to actually move…
Perhaps it was the body's way of showing that it knew her "enhancements" weren't natural.
It didn't matter to him, he hated using these legs either way.
He was lucky he got out of there. He had planned an escape for months, meeting a man named Kolivan during his 2nd attempt. This man explained what the Blade of Marmora was, and offered him an opportunity to join them.
Zaheen couldn't agree fast enough.
It wasn't long before his legs ran out of juice however and he became useless to the cause. Every once and a while Kolivan was able to snag him some quintessence from the Galra Empire… but it's never much.
It's better they use it for their ships or weapons instead of him. He prefers his wheelchair anyway…
When he is using his legs, it's only to hurt people.
Apparently, or so he's heard, Haggar has found a way to blend the robotic limbs to a person's personal quintessence. He can see that aspect with the Black paladin.
Shiro doesn't need a constant re-supply of gathered quintessence because his arm is attached to his own soul. The glow when he uses his arm is his own quintessence. It'll never run out so long as he is alive…
He wondered if the Black paladin even realized this himself.
It would almost be impressive to him if the work wasn't done to make Shiro into a weapon.
Either way, none of it mattered. He was stuck in this wheelchair, and Shiro has his Galra arm. The past can't be altered…
He could only hope the future was better.
And maybe… Maybe if Lotor means what he says, the Galra empire could change. Honestly, he wanted to go see Lotor for himself.
Thoughts of him were the only thing that kept him going through his days with Haggar Seeing even just a glimpse of him…
He shakes his head. He had to get his thoughts out of the past. Lotor was a different man, no longer a child. He probably doesn't even remember him anymore…
Why would he ever remember a pathetic servant from his youth…?
"We can't trust him! He'll bring ruin to us all! We should execute him!"
The room echoed with hate, the coalition broken into different wild opinions on the latest topic at hand. The leaders sat at a large circle, physically present or holograms if they weren't able to make the journey to Olkarian.
Ryner stood, "Lotor's knowledge is something we cannot simply toss away!"
"That monster is the son of Zarkon! He cannot be trusted!" Another barked.
A grimace crossed Allura's fair features, folding her arms against her lap. She took a deep breath, listening to the opinions of each rebel leader. As fighting nearly broke up she rose, slamming her palm against the table to silence them. "Enough!" Her paladins stood behind her, dressed and standing in a line, there to serve as the presence of Voltron. Considering they were the ones who captured Lotor, their opinions were also crucial in the decision of what would be done with the Prince.
The room froze, leaders dropping back into their seats with wide eyes. "Princess..." they bowed their heads.
"I did not summon you all together to argue, but to stand as one," she spoke, eyes narrowed. "I understand your feelings well. I do not trust Lotor, but this situation is not about trust. It is about Zarkon. We have seen the movements of his troops. Vast numbers of ships have been seen in sections across the borders and we need to know what his next target is. If we cannot predict it, thousands may die before we can get there."
"He may just lead us into a trap as well." the Puid King frowns. "He came to our planet and threatened our people just to draw Voltron into an ambush!" he reminded them
Keith and Lance glance at each other, puzzled. They assumed this had happened during the time they were missing.
Allura frowns, "That he did."
"But he didn't hurt anyone," Hunk speaks up. "Yeah, he had no issues trying to beat us up-" he gestures to his team, "But he never injured any civilian." he looks pointedly at the Puid King. "He had every opportunity to kill you or your people, but instead he just disarmed you and then left you in peace when we arrived. If it had been Zarkon, he would have vaporized your entire planet before we got there." Hunk speaks softly. "I don't know him enough to say that I trust him, but I can at least say he isn't like his Father."
"I agree with that statement," Kolivan spoke up. "Lotor and his Father have never gotten along. It's well known through the Galra empire that Lotor was banished to the far unknown sector by Zarkon. His birthright to the throne had also been taken from him due to this action."
"Why?" Ryner asked, "What did he do to get himself banished?"
Kolivan didn't answer right away, a dark look in his eyes. His right-hand man, Relo, spoke instead, "He went against his Father's orders. Not many Galra were there to witness it, but it was rumored to be a day Lotor showed a weakness that was not the Galra way. A few of our spies were present on the ship to learn what happened."
"And what did happen?" Allura leaned forward, curious.
"He was assigned to dominate and rule the planet. To harness the quintessence of the Denizens that inhabited the area. Instead... he worked beside them." Relo's words were enough to make the hall go still, each listening quietly. "Before Zarkon's witch learned a way to take the quintessence of an entire planet by force, Lotor's time on that planet had served as the highest gathering of quintessence the Galra Empire had ever seen. No life had been lost during it. It was prosperous."
"His Father disapproved of his means of getting it, however," Kolivan added in with a growl. "Despite the results, Zarkon could not accept that Lotor had... "Lowered" himself to working with the people. To punish him, he destroyed the planet and banished Lotor."
Keith felt sick to his stomach. "But... He found a way to gather quintessence without killing people." he shakes his head.
Relo scowled, "That is a tyrant for you. If you aren't bowing to his feet in submission, Zarkon would rather see you dead."
The room took a few seconds to let this news settle. It was disturbing, to say the least. Zarkon's brutality didn't even hesitate to his own flesh and blood.
"If we can take anything away from that-" Shiro folded his arms, "At least we know that his intentions to end his father's reign must be true."
"But how far does that go?" Pidge says, "He hates Zarkon. He can get in line with the rest of us. What matters is what he might do when Zarkon is gone. I don't think his banishment will matter once his father is out of the picture. He might just take over and do things his own evil way. An evil for an evil."
Allura sighs, slowly looking towards Lance, "Lance, Pidge and you have come into contact with him recently before his capture. He gave himself up to defend his comrades. He holds honor in at least that. Before that moment, what were your thoughts on him?"
Lance rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. "Well... When I first met him he wasn't exactly friendly. Inflitrated the castle of Lions and attempted to steal it. Then when we ran into during out Crystal collection..." he looks at Pidge, who knows what he's about to say. "He saved my life."
"What?" the coalition choruses.
"There was a cave in, and he tackled me out of the way. He didn't have to do that, but he did. I can't tell you what his intentions were or why he did it. But I don't think he wants any of us dead. He has goals, something he wants to accomplish. I don't know what it is, or if it is good or bad. But I think, for now, we can worry about his goals later. As Allura said, we are here to deal with Zarkon. He has been our biggest threat for 10,000 years." Lance shook his head, "If we have a chance to take him down because of Lotor, then I think we should take it."
"Lance is right." Keith cleared his throat, "The coalition grows stronger every day. Whatever Lotor's second objective is, if it is a threat, we can take that on together too. After Zarkon is gone."
The team is nodding with them, on the same page for once since Lance and Keith returned.
Even Allura was nodding. "I have made mistakes in my sense of trust in the past," she explains. "I let what others have done influence my judgment on strangers. My hatred for the Galra blinded me to my allies." she motioned to the Blade of Marmora. "A mistake that I will never make again. Lotor is Zarkon's son, and we should not look past that. But we should judge him on his own actions."
To their surprise, the Coalition nodded. They trusted the paladins after all. They had saved their lives more than once. If they were willing to give that man a chance, then maybe they could too. They have proven wrong over their thoughts of the Blades after all.
In the end, a decision was made. They would keep close watch over Lotor, but he was free to join their coalition. So long as rules were followed, and he reported every action to Voltron until proven that they could trust him.
Keith should have known when Shiro entered that it was going to be another conversation about Lance and his relationship. He was just surprised at how insistent Shiro was about it. They had already been arguing for a few minutes, Shiro starting the talk with "About Lance…" which Keith felt should just be a red flag when it comes to Shiro
Everything just went downhill from there.
"Can we just train, please?" Keith demanded, frustrated.
Shiro runs a hand through his hair. "Keith, this has never interested you before."
"What hasn't? Training?"
"No. Love. Relationships."
"That doesn't mean that it won't change, Shiro." he grumbles, lifting his sword and swinging it down, practicing. If he focused on this maybe he won't take his anger out on Shiro instead.
"This suddenly?" Shiro added, "Lance and you are so different from each other, Keith…"
"It isn't "suddenly" Shiro. You weren't there on Iespion and everything we went through. We didn't just start acting this way. We went through a lot to get to this point, so excuse me for being pissed that there is still something trying to keep me away from Lance!' he jabbed an accusing finger towards his leader.
"I've known you for years, Keith. This just seems too abrupt." the black paladin says softly. "You always… choose, to be distant with others."
Keith's hands still, thinking back to his years of solitude. How lonely they were…
"I was that way…" he agreed.
"Listen, Keith, I get it. But-"
"No," Keith stops him, his gaze set but his voice soft, "You don't. You don't understand, Shiro. It can't be anyone but him. I've followed your little rule, and I've kept my distance, and I assure you, nothing has changed from that time we've spent on that planet."
"Keith," Shiro looks away, "We're in a war right now. You're too young to have confidence in what you are saying. You are barely even 18,"
"But I'm old enough to fight in a war?" Keith countered
Shiro hesitates, "I- you know what I mean!"
"I'm an adult- I'm not some kid you have to look out for anymore. I know what my decisions are, and I will accept everything that comes after them. Just like you and everyone else here. So don't go playing that stupid age crap on me." Keith concludes, his tone cold. He had come to a resolve, and he wasn't going to let anyone in this stupid castle get in his way anymore, "I tried to follow as you asked Shiro, because you're like a brother to me, but not when it comes to Lance." Keith had thought about this for a very long time. As he said, because Shiro was like his brother, he tried to see things from his eyes. In a way, he understood. They were paladins of Voltron, and stopping Zarkon had to come first.
When he first joined, he was fully on board with that, and actually got very angry with any of the team if they ever wanted to stray from that task and call it quits. What he hadn't accounted for when he agreed to don the title of Paladin was a very easy on the eyes Cuban boy with soft brown hair, ocean blue eyes, lean with broad shoulders, a smile that could set your heart ablaze- he was getting off topic.
The point of this was, he didn't care anymore. Every planet could disappear as long as Lance was saved. But if everything else was protected, and Lance fell into the chaos, the whole universe would burn in Keith's eyes as something he could no longer recognize or accept. It was drastic even just to admit that, yet it was true.
"Keith," Shiro almost pleads with him, "I was talking to Allura. We discussed your genetics."
"My genetics?" Keith gawks at him, agitated but also puzzled, "What does that mean?"
"You're Galra, Keith. Allura brought to my attention that Galra only ever mate with one partner. They grow an attachment with them as soon as they… mate,"
Keith shakes his head, not liking where this is going, "I'm half Galra, and even if I was a full Galra, what does that have to do with anything?"
Shiro takes his time to answer, looking Keith in the eyes, "I think that perhaps you are so attached to Lance because of that genetic trait. You-" Shiro's awkward pause isn't helping Keith to take him seriously, "You made love to Lance, so now your body is convinced he is your mate. Your mate for life,"
Shiro talked as if that was a bad thing. To Keith, that sounded like the best thing anyone could have ever told him.
"Really?"
Shiro seems to see the joy filling Keith's eyes and is quick to say, "That isn't a good thing, Keith."
"Fuck you!" he snarled, startling them both.
"Keith!" Shiro scolds.
"I mean it! First, you try to tell me that the reason I love Lance is because I was stranded alone with him. Then I prove to you that isn't it and you assume the only reason I feel this way is because of genetics?! I mean- isn't that usually why someone likes someone? Genetics are what makes us who we are? I can't believe you. You still can't just accept that I love him? That me, who I am, loves someone truly and honestly?"
"That isn't what I meant to say. I just don't want you to get hurt in the end if these feelings turn out to be false."
"Maybe they aren't false, Shiro! Maybe they're real. Like you just said, my genetics have made up their mind! They choose Lance! "
"And what about Lance, Keith?" Shiro sighs.
Keith pauses and sets his jaw, "What about him?"
"Galra mate for life, and the signs you have been showing being apart with Lance is pointing to the notion that you follow with the Galra genes in mating with only one person. Humans aren't like that Keith. You and Lance are both still 18-"
"Lance is 19," Keith cuts in,
Shiro makes a face, "You are 18, he is 19, and Lance could change his mind. You've seen how he is. How much he flirts..." He states slowly, "You aren't even in your 20's yet."
Keith attempts to punch him, but Shiro catches his wrist, "Stop thinking you are always right! I loved him before I had sex with him, Shiro! So stop trying to tell me how I'm feeling! Stop trying to tell me how Lance is feeling!"
"Keith no- that isn't it. I understand! You can't help it. It is in your genetics, and even if we separate you two you might not get better with how your genetics are. But Lance-"
The resounding crack of Keith's fist connecting with Shiro's jaw would have even the most stoic warrior flinch away. The Black paladin crashed to the floor violently, blood coming from his mouth.
He turned, holding his jaw in shock. The red paladin stood above him, seething.
"Don't you dare talk as if you know him," Keith says. "You've always done this. Before, I didn't care. But now I do! You belittle him, Shiro! You doubt him and his abilities. Even if you don't say it straight out, your words insinuate it! You push me above him when I don't know half of what I'm doing and he does! You judge him because he is more open! You judge him because he cracks jokes and tries to get others to smile. You treat him like an idiot compared to me! Well you're wrong! The only reason I survived on that planet was because of Lance! The only reason any of us are here is because of Lance! So stop it!"
"Keith…" Shiro slowly turned, his hand holding his bruising jaw.
Keith lifts his fist to punch him again. To punch him a thousand times till he shut up for good! But in the last second, he couldn't do it. Shiro was his brother… He loved him. He just wanted him to understand.
Lowering his fist, he sighed. His voice was tight when he speaks next, "You're right about one thing, Shiro,"
His leader looked shocked, "What?"
"I didn't care about a lot of things. Back then, I could care less about Lance, or love- I barely even interacted with the team more than I had to. It was easier that way, you know? I wouldn't have to constantly have a reminder of how alone I was if I just didn't care…"
Shiro's eyes looked pained, "Keith…"
"But I don't want to be that way anymore," Keith continues, "I want to be different. I want to have friends and family and not be so alone…" he turns away when his voice cracks, "Lance made me realize how lonely I am. And once I did, I started to feel happy. He makes me happy, Shiro. Why can't you see that? Why can't you see how much it hurts when you say stuff like this? About me, about Lance…?" he covers his eyes for a moment. He can hear Shiro slowly rising to his feet behind him.
When his brother speaks, it nearly breaks his heart. "I'm sorry…" he looks back at Shiro to find his expression filled with remorse. "I never knew you felt that way. I- I was blind not to. To see how lonely you must have felt-" he reached for his little brother but stops when Keith slaps his hand away
"Don't touch me," Keith ordered, hurt echoing in his voice.
Shiro's hand falls to his side, "I'm sorry."
Keith can't bare to hear that. To see Shiro, his hero, lowering his head in guilt.
"I need to go…" he turns, leaving the room faster than Shiro could ever stop him. In fact, in his remorse, no one could. Even if Allura tried, she could not prevent Keith from making his way to the living quarters and knocking on Lance's door.
When his starlight opened the door, rubbing his eyes, Keith felt like he was going to cry. Lance was drowsy, vision quickly focusing as soon as he realized it was Keith.
"Keith...?" he reached out for him. "Hey. Sorry I was tired and went to bed early. Is everything okay-"
The red paladin is rushing in a moment later, arms tangling around Lance's torso. They stumble back, the door closing just as Lance's back hits the bed. The air is nearly knocked out of him, wheezing. "Keith? What are you doing?"
"We should just leave," Keith speaks against Lance's chest, sounding like an upset child. "Grab the lions and just go somewhere far away."
"Well, that doesn't sound very ideal." Lance pursed his lips. "But where would we go?" he played along, patting Keith's hair.
"Iespion."
"They would probably look there first." Lance joked. Keith didn't laugh, adjusting them on the bed to pin Lance below him. "Keith... What's wrong?" Lance tries again.
Instead of an answer, their lips found their way together.
Lance's mind is reeling, moving too fast to keep up with. Keith's hands are everywhere, trying to hold him tight. As if he was afraid Lance would disappear at any second.
"Keith?" his voice was barely above a whisper when given the chance to catch his breath.
"I want to do it." Keith huffed against his neck.
A bold statement. Yet a half-hearted one.
"Is that really what you want?" Lance whispered, rubbing Keith's back.
A shred of anger filled Keith's voice, "Yes. I want to forget about this horrible day."
"A no good, terrible, very bad day?" Lance mused.
Keith lifted his head, pout evident, "Take this seriously."
"I am, but you're making that face again," Lance mumbled, rubbing his thumb over Keith's lip to try and get a smile. His expression was icy and somber instead.
"I'm not making a face." he says, not tearing his eyes away.
"You make faces when you are upset." Lance reaches up, gripping Keith's cheeks and squishing them together. "I'm Keith~" he squeezed Keith's cheeks to make his lips move, "I'm being grumpy and not giving my equivalent some sugar~"
A smile breaks through for only a moment, a scowl quickly returning. "I'll give you 'sugar' all night. Just let me be moody during it..." he kissed Lance's hands. The promise made his cheeks burn, but he couldn't just let his equivalent pout all day without knowing the reason why.
"Keith." Lance says "How about you talk to me instead of just giving my shirt the stink eye?"
Keith fingers fumbled with the buttons of the shirt, "Same old stuff." he cursed under his breath, the buttons refusing to cooperate with him.
"Allura or Shiro?" Lance watched, finding it funny how Keith struggled to do simple tasks like this whenever he was angry.
"Allura is always pissing me off. She just- hasn't said anything to piss me off lately. It's Shiro right now. It's what he said."
"He couldn't have said anything that bad," Lance chides him.
Keith shakes his head in disagreement. "He… he insulted you."
"What?" Lance blinks rapidly. Shiro never really insulted anyone. Not even Slav when the alien had pushed Shiro to his limits.
"He doubted you, Lance. He talked like he expected you to turn around and run off with someone else the first chance you got." Keith seethed
"Oh." it was really all Lance could say. He felt like he should be upset or angry, but he wasn't, "That's okay."
"No, it isn't!" Keith barks, "He- he questioned your honor! He doubted everything about you! He-"
"When is that anything new?"Lance muses. Keith cuts off, the blood draining from his face and his chest feeling tight
"Lance…" he mumbles. That shouldn't be '"nothing new" for him. That should be shocking that Shiro or anyone would think that of him. How often had Lance been belittled that he actually just expected everyone to think that of him?
As Keith's mind agonizes over this, Lance surprises him by cupping his face.
"He chooses you over me because he knows you, Keith. He knows you'll do anything for the team and the people you protect. He hardly knows any of us, so of course, his trust would fall more to you," Lance smiles, "I've been underestimated all my life- it really is nothing new. Sometimes it hurts, but it's kind of fun too,"
Lance's equivalent swallows thickly, the words sounding strange to him, "Fun?"
"It means you go above everyone's expectations," the love of Keith's life grinned, "When I show people what I can do, I blow them away." He presses their foreheads together, "I learned that after I met you."
Keith was mesmerized. When had Lance grown so much? He hadn't even noticed the change till now but he seemed…. mature. Content and strong. It made Keith's heart race, it bubbling with so much more love to this amazing man that Lance was turning into.
Not knowing how else to show how important this Cuban boy was to him, Keith lifted his fingers to hold Lance's chin and kissed him. Drinking in everything he missed, everything he ever wanted, everything that he'd loved fully and wholly all these months, as if Lance were the only thing that made Keith complete.
And he loved Lance's resolve- his determination to prove others wrong about him… to step forward and know everyone thinks he is a failure, but believe in himself enough to admit that he isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean that those people are right.
As they pulled away, Lance smiled
"You're beautiful," He tells Keith , and the flush across the red paladin's cheeks is one of the most breathtaking sights Lance has ever seen. It's been months, almost a year, and he still makes Lance's stomach turn and his heart thump. Still enchanted and fascinated with the idea of knowing another person better than he knew himself.
"You're are the beautiful one," Keith says back. He made a shocked yet happy sound a moment later when the first button of Lance's shirt came undone. He was making progress. "I still want to do it..." he admits, biting his lip. "What Shiro said is still bugging me."
Lance made a noise sounding like a chuckle, "As much of a fan I am of angry sex-" he flipped them over, startling Keith. "I don't think that is what you need right now."
Forced to lay on his back Keith gawked as his equivalent. "But-!"
"Instead…" Lance gripped his chin, offering Keith a tender kiss before whispering. "How about you let me pamper you instead? And then we'll see where it takes us? I think you need some love."
Keith's eyes were glazing over, puzzled. "Love…?"
"It's been a while since you've let me comfort you, instead of the other way around," Lance informed him. "Allow me to make the scoreboard even." he grinned impishly. "I'll take good care of you. So just lay back and relax. Forget your worries."
Keith wanted to say he couldn't just do that. He couldn't forget what horrible things Shiro had said. Yet the look in Lance's eyes was too convincing. "Lance."
"I'm here," he promises the red paladin. "I don't know what happened but you can tell me later. For now, let me spoil you."
Heart fluttering Keith can't help but be swept away by such sweet words. "You… aren't playing fair." Warm hands cup his face, caressing his cheeks with soft affection.
"All's fair in love and war." Lance mumbled, kissing his nose. Then his cheeks, his forehead, finally Keith's lips. When he pulled back, he looked Keith in the eyes. "Forget about them all, Keith. Forget Shiro, Allura- forget everything for now. Just focus on me. My touch." a hand trailed down his chest. "Just me."
Keith nodded obediently.
"That's it." Lance praised.
Like it was turned to mush with just a simple smile, Keith felt the minutes wash away into hours.
When Keith had gone into Lance's room, neither of them came out for hours, locked within long into the night. They only ventured out for breakfast the following day, hand in hand, laughing when they entered the room. Seeing that Allura and Shiro weren't joining them, they sat down next to each other.
Hunk choked on his food, "Dude," he shakes his head.
When Keith tilted his head in confusion, Pidge motioned to his neck. Glancing down Keith was horrified to the hickey bitten disarray his neck was in.
Lance sipped his drink innocently, smirking when Keith scrambled to cover himself
"Ya nasties," Pidge shakes her head at the two.
"Don't know what you mean?" Lance chuckled. "Oh, and Hunk, I'm not sure Keith will be able to join us for training today."
"...Why?" Hunk squinted his eyes.
"He just a little... sore, right now." Lance grinned.
Keith smacked his arm, I"m fine! Don't tell them about that!" his face was red, Hunk's quickly following when he realized what they must mean.
"Please don't tell me about this stuff," he whined.
Lance cackled wildly, rubbing his eyes. As the new day began, so did a lingering worry in the Blue paladin's mind. He wanted to let Keith be at ease, especially during such a troubling time. His health was just starting to get back to normal. He hadn't figured out what had happened in the first place, nor seen Coran with all these meetings going on. Had he figured out what had caused Keith's health to decline?
If so, what was it? He needed to know so they could avoid again. If it was stress, wouldn't telling him about his mother do the opposite of making him better? He wasn't sure.
He stuffed his face full of food, wanting to forget. Tonight, he decided. He will tell Keith tonight, no matter what!
Lance lifted his head when the door opened, their smiles growing when Coran entered the room. "HI Coran!" they chorused. He gave them a weak smile in return.
"Coran, I was actually hoping to talk to you." Lance speaks up, "About Keith."
"Me?" Keith asks.
"Yeah. We've been trying to figure out why you suddenly collapsed and got so sick." Lance explains. "I thought maybe Coran had come up with some answer."
The older man played with his mustache, "Ah yes. I actually wanted to talk to you all about that." he says somberly. "But, there is something else to be done first. I come with a message," he announced.
The four were puzzled, tilting their heads at the older man. "From who?"
"Allura." he announced. "It's for Keith,"
He frowns, "What for?"
Coran shifted, obviously unsure. "Allura… she wants to see you. It might just be about your condition and why you collapsed." he says, "Or about something else. She didn't wish to tell me what it was, only that I fetch you."
"Is this another thing about my genes?" Keith sighed.
"You genes?" the team was confused.
"Well, there is more to it than that. If she doesn't explain it I will go into detail about it with the team when you return." Coran offers.
"Okay." Keith begins to stand
Lance's hand automatically reached out, taking Keith's wrist. "What does she want?"
Coran's shoulders slouch, heavy and unable to keep his usually peppy attitude, "I'm not even sure." When he had seen her... she seemed off. Exhausted and moody. The coalition had been taking up a lot of her time giving her little to rest in return. One tended to do rash or reckless things when you couldn't straight. Not that he felt Allura would hurt Keith, never. He just worried she might say something that she didn't mean.
Keith glanced at Lance and nodded to him, "It'll be okay." he promised him. With a squeeze to his hand, Keith followed Coran.
He was lead right up towards the upper floors, looking out to the skylight above.
"She'll be here in a moment." Coran pauses, turning to Keith. "Keith?"
"Yeah?"
"She cares for you, she does. I know lately, it might not seem that way." Coran placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Her past, her father, the expectations of being the last Altean royal... all of these have done a number on her. And for someone as young as her, holding that burden is like a curse. She feels she must answer for many things alone, and follow whatever legacy her Father left for her as some... atonement for being unable to save him. So please, I ask that if she continues to stray down the right path, you be patient with her."
"Coran..."
"She is a good, and kind-hearted person. She makes mistakes like any young adult. Tossed into this life with no moment to simply take a break and cry over what she has lost, she bottles up many feelings she has. Both good and bad feelings. I know she loves the team. Loves Lance and you. Deep down, I'm positive she is happy you two found each other."
"It's hard to get that same feeling." Keith frowned.
"Yes, I understand. I know more than you about her past. About the paladin code. It's something hard to talk about, especially with Allura. I agreed to keep quiet about it, but I know it's only a matter of time before she tells you about it herself. It won't make up for the mistakes she made recently, but maybe it'll at least help her strive to make amends for them. You've grown into a fine young man, Keith." Coran's smile is filled with pride. Keith felt himself smiling in return. "And I know, when she sees that too, she'll want to strive to be someone worthy of being your family. Just you wait." he winked.
Keith was amazed at how much Coran held confidence in Allura, even despite her actions at times. He loved her like his own daughter. It boggled Keith's mind... To believe in someone, that they would still be good even after doing so much bad. It was beautiful.
It made him hope that even if Allura continued to do bad things, to try and tear them apart, she'd come around eventually. And when she did, things would truly be perfect.
He hoped that could be true.
Yet as Coran left and Keith entered the room he was to meet Allura, he worried about what was about to come. Had she finally reached her breaking point? If so, what exactly would that mean?