'Hola mis amores! Today I'm finally filming my first video as the official creative producer of the intergalactic Voltron video channel! I'm Marco McClain, the younger brother of Lance McClain, the red and former blue paladin. After brainstorming with my co-producer, Coran the gorgeous man, we've decided to start it off with a prank video! Unfortunately, I won't be locking them up in a maze and let them be chased by a giant boulder. Sorry, Coran. Instead, I'll be waking our sleeping beauties Lance and Keith up with this.' Marco held up his air horn. 'This, ladies and gentlemen, is an air horn. An earthen instrument designed for pranks like this. They make a lot of noise. The plan is simple. I'll sneak into their room- they share a room by the way- and I'll make sure they never forget this day for the rest of their lives. Let's go!' Marco grabbed his camera and quietly sneaked into Lance's room, both Keith and Lance were sleeping peacefully. Time to change that. 'Okay', Marco whispered. 'Here we go.'
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An ear-splitting horn blasted through the room. Lance's body immediately went into emergency-combat mode. His Bayard was in his hand in an instant and he had aimed it at the intruder before he even realized what he was doing.
'Oh shit, WAIT!'
Lance blinked upon hearing his brother's voice. His brain finally catching up with what was happening. Marco was standing at the end of his bed with an air horn and camera in his hands. Keith was behind him with his knife at Marco's throat and oh my god Lance had aimed his gun at Marco. Lance immediately dropped his Bayard. Keith stepped back as well. 'What the quiznack!' Lance yelled, still shocked by what just happened. 'Are you okay? Did we hurt you? Why would you do that?! Oh my god I almost shot you! Do you even know how dangerous that was?' Lance was freaking out. He knew that Marco meant it as a joke, but Lance couldn't help but think about all the things that could've happened. Marco seemed too shocked for words, Lance didn't know whether that was because he almost got killed or because Lance blew up at him. Lance couldn't remember the last time he yelled at Marco. Hurried footsteps ran up the stairs. In an instant. The entire McClain family was at his doorway. Lace's siblings started to fire questions at them, worried after hearing all the commotion. Lance took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and beckoned for Marco to come closer. Marco stepped forward hesitantly. Lance pulled him into a tight hug. 'Don't scare me like that again', Lance whispered before letting go. Lance gave his brother a smile. 'You do not want to start a prank war with the prank master.' That lightened up the mood. Lance and Keith helped filming the outro before they headed down for breakfast. Still, Lance felt the lingering uneasiness and fear nagging at him, knowing that he aimed a weapon at his brother.
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The McClain family and the Koganes (they were the honorary McClains) were having brunch on the beach. It was Lance's favorite family tradition. But before Lance could even finish his sandwich, the comms went off. Sendek's troops were causing trouble again.
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'What is it this time?' Lance asked exasperatedly. He really didn't want to leave in the middle of brunch. Quiznacking Galras with their quiznacking horrible timing. 'We've picked up three different distress signals', Coran informed them.
'What?!' Keith exclaimed. 'What do you mean three?'
'Word of your battle with Lotor has gotten out', Coran said. 'The Galras are fighting and conquering planets again to prove that they are worthy to be the emperor. I've also been informed that Sendek has been expanding his troops.'
'Fuck', Lance cursed. 'What are we going to do?'
'Coran, request for backup form the Rebels and the Blade', Keith instructed. 'We can't do this alone.'
'I'm on it!' Coran said.
'As for the rest of us', Keith continued. 'We'll have to split up and race to the other fight the moment we finish our own.'
'We can't split up!' Hunk protested. 'Then we won't be able to form Voltron!'
'It's the only way', Keith insisted.
'He's right', Shiro said. 'As much as I hate the idea of splitting the team up, there's no other choice.'
'What are the teams?' Pidge asked. Keith seemed to think about it for a second. 'Pidge and Lance, you guys head to the first planet. Allura and Hunk should go to the second one and I'll head to the third one and wait for the Blade. Coran, can you send us the coordinates?'
'Consider it done!' The man said enthusiastically.
'Let's go!'
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Needless to say, the fight was exhausting. Lance and Pidge did their best to hold their own until help showed up. Apparently, they'd gotten the worst one out of three and there was only so much they could do on their own. Fortunately, the Rebels showed up and joined the fight. Together, they managed to defeat the Galra fleet. The Rebels stayed behind to help the inhabitants of the planet while Lance and Pidge rushed to help Hunk and Allura. They were finally able to rest when all the Galras were defeated and the team had settled themselves in the living room of the McClain farm, their unofficial meeting spot.
Lance sprawled out on the couch. 'Move', Keith grunted.
'Uugh', Lance responded, too lazy and tired to even move a finger. 'Oh my god, move Lance', Keith repeated.
'Just sit on top of him', Hunk said. 'If he doesn't want to share the couch, then he becomes the couch.' That got Lance moving. He did not want Keith to sit on top of him. His poor friend zoned heart wouldn't be able to take it.
'Thank you', Keith said sarcastically.
'You're welcome', Lance answered. He ended up being sandwiched by Hunk and Keith. Moments later, abuelita stepped into the living room, carrying various delicious Cuban snacks. She set them down on the coffee table before turning to Lance. 'Ay mi Lancito', she said, looking him over. 'You must be so tired from all the fighting. Don't worry, Abuelita made all your favorites.'
'Gracias abuelita', Lance said, giving her a hug. 'You're the best!'
'I know', she said with a smile. Lance thought that it was the end of their conversation, but then abuelita set her eyes on Keith. A shiver went down Lance's spine. Oh no. Abuelita pulled out her glasses from her apron pocket. 'I haven't had the chance to properly look at you yet.'
Keith frowned and glanced nervously at Lance, but it was already too late. They couldn't do anything except letting abuelita have her way. Abuelita pinched Keith's cheek and inspected him closely. 'Abuelita…' Lance tried, but she shot him down. 'No, mijo, es muy importante.'
Everyone knew what was going to happen. Pidge was already rolling on the floor, crying with laughter. Hunk was shaking next to Lance, doing his best to keep from bursting out laughing. There were muffled sounds coming from the 'adult table' behind them, meaning that Coran, Allura, and Shiro were also laughing at his (their?) expenses. Abuelita took Keith's face in her hands and turned his head in different directions to inspect his face. 'Hmm… This purple scar is… unfortunate', she said. 'But he has nice cheekbones and an amazing jawline. His eyes are purple! Si, muy guapo.' Abuelita turned Keith's head so she could take a better look at Keith's hair. She tsked at his mullet. Lance would've laughed if he wasn't so mortified. Eventually, after what felt like centuries, Abuelita let go of Keith. She sighed dramatically. 'I dreamt of having beautiful little Lancitos y Lancitas, but I guess it doesn't get better than this.'
'Abuelita noooo!' Lance whined. Pidge burst out laughing again and this time even Hunk and Shiro couldn't keep it in anymore. Lance's cheeks were burning, he didn't dare to look at Keith. But when he finally mustered up the courage to do so, he saw no trace of embarrassment or disgust on Keith's face, only confusion. Lance let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness that Keith was as dense and oblivious as he could be. 'I'll let you kids have fun now', abuelita said. Lance saw that devious glimmer in her eyes. She had planned this all along. She petted Keith's cheek again just for good measure before finally leaving. The laughter died down. 'What was that about?' Keith asked.
'She... She likes you', Lance said vaguely.
'That's one way to put it', Pidge snorted.
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Everyone decided to stay for dinner. It was nice and peaceful until it wasn't anymore. Of course Lance had to start another heated debate about the Voltron chant, and of course Lance had to strike back after Keith 'accidentally' launched a spoonful of peas at Lance. Things escalated from there. Lance and Keith were so caught up in their food fight that they didn't notice the tension in the room. 'LANCE ALEJANDRO MCCLAIN!' Maria shouted. Lance and Keith both froze. 'Ooh, she used the middle name', Pidge whispered.
'What are the rules about food fights in this house?' Lance's mother asked cooly.
'No food fights unless everyone gets to join?' Lance tried.
'Lance', his mother warned.
'Lo siento mamá.' Lance muttered
'And Keith', Krolia said sternly. 'We are the guests in this house. This is not how you repay their hospitality.' Lance glanced at Keith, whose eyes were wide open in shock. A sudden realization hit him. A grin crept onto Lance's face.' 'You've never been scolded by your mom, have you?' Lance asked. Keith blushed and looked away. 'Shut up', he mumbled.
'Keith', Krolia warned.
'Sorry.' He said.
'Oh my god he listens!' Shiro gasped. 'I never thought I'd live to see this day.' He wiped away a fake tear. If looks could kill, then Shiro would be dead a thousand time over by now. Lance couldn't help but laugh. 'Lance!' Maria scolded. 'That's it. You're cleaning everything up. Including the dishes.'
'But mamá!' Lance protested.
'No buts!' Lance shut up immediately. His mom was scary when she got angry. 'You'll be joining Lance, Keith ', Krolia said.
'And no fighting', Maria added.
'Yes, mom.' 'Si, mamá.' The two of them said in unison as they hung their heads in defeat.
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'My mom hangs out with yours too much', Keith told Lance when they were cleaning. Lance laughed, earning himself a slap with a dirty dish towel.
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The attacks become more and more frequent, to the point where they couldn't handle it anymore. As a solution, they created a rotating system where two or three of them go on a mission while the others get to rest a bit. They were all small scaled attacks so as long as they had backup from either the Rebels or the Blade, it was all right. Krolia even managed to get her hands on a Galra fighter jet or two, no one knows how, but they weren't complaining. But even with the new system, the paladins were tired all the time and they never seemed to be able to let their guard down. 'These attacks might be part of a larger scheme', Shiro had warned. 'First, they tire us out, then they launch a full-scale attack on Earth or another planet that's vital to the coalition.' The Holts had been working more intensely with the Garrison to get Earth's barrier up and running ever since Shiro had voiced those thoughts. Meanwhile, Earth had agreed to join the coalition and they allowed Voltron to set up a temporary base on Earth. A huge crew of workers, mostly Earthen and Olkarian, were working hard to rebuild the Castle of Lions. Lance occasionally brought Marco to the space mall or galactic conventions so he could meet his new fans. The Voltron channel had become a gigantic hit. The best thing since 'Borbor's Brain Bean' according to Coran, whatever that might be. The Voltron merchandises were being sold like hot cakes, making it possible to rebuild the castle without using exploiting the Altean royal chest.
Every week, at least one of the paladins was on 'star-duty', meaning that they had to help film a new video. It was a nice way to relax, really.
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After a month of non-stop fighting, Lance and Keith were once again woken up in the middle of the night. It was their turn to fight, along with Hunk. 'Where are we headed?' Lance asked.
'A planet nearby', Pidge answered through the comms. 'It's part of the solar system next to ours.'
'Pidge?' Lance asked. 'Where Coran?'
'He went to the Weblum with Allura to get scaultite for the new castle.' Lance could hear Hunk shudder through the comms. 'I'm never going back there again.' Hunk said.
'Me neither', Keith agreed.
'Hey Pidge, shouldn't you be sleeping though?' Lance asked. They were supposed to be resting after all.
'Shouldn't you be minding your own business?' Pidge snapped. Yeah, they definitely needed to sleep. 'But if you really want to know. The garrison is full of incompetent idiots who treat me like a child while they fuck up every instruction they get. So I'm just going to do this on my own.'
'Can't you just ask your dad for some help or something?' Lance suggested. 'Or one of the Olkarians? You shouldn't be doing this on your own.'
'Yeah, you're right', Pidge sighed. 'But let's just focus on the mission. The sooner you're done, the sooner I can sleep.'
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The mission was easy: Shoot the ships out of the sky, defeat the infantry, accept the people's undying gratitude, and go home to catch some Zs. The ships were relatively easy to take care off. After his talk with Keith, Lance was slowly recovering from his trauma. He also had a lot of opportunities to face his fears, and since it was usually a matter of life and death, Lance had learned to suppress those memories and feeling pretty fast.
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Lance hid behind a rock at the edge of a cliff. He had a clear view of the battlefield beneath him. Lance took a breath and tilted his rifle. He shut one eye and looked through the lens. One by one, the sentries hit the ground. Lance took care of as many sentries as he could from where he was. But the problem with sniping was that he as the sniper, was vulnerable while doing his job. Lance had trained himself to pick up every movement around him while sniping. It was a skill that he had yet to perfect since he didn't take teenage hormones into account when he first started. Meaning that he broke his concentration every time he Keith flipped his hair after taking care of another group of androids.
Lance suddenly felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. He rolled away just in time. A sword was stabbed into the ground where his head was just moments ago. Lance's Bayard transformed into a sword as he jumped to his feet. He was being surrounded by three sentries. Lance swung his sword at one of the robots. Its head landed a couple of feet away. Lance took a step back and jumped, falling from his sniping spot onto the battlefield. He used his jetpack to avoid becoming a Lance shaped stain on the ground. The two sentries jumped after him, but they broke into a million pieces of Galra tech. Lance knew he'd been spotted when another group of sentries came charging at him. They spread out to block his escape paths. Lance braced himself for the fight. But just as he was about to raise his sword and charge, he heard Hunk cry out 'Keith' with so much panic in his voice that Lance knew something was wrong. He snapped his head around to see Hunk fighting his way to Keith, who was, being backed into a corner by three sentries while protecting a group of small children. Keith was an amazing fighter, but even he couldn't fight off three sentries and protect the children at the same time. Lance had a choice to make: Either take a shot or defend himself from the sentries charging at him. He only had seconds to lose, but it wasn't really a choice now, was it? Lance's Bayard changed into his rifle again as he turned around and took aim, leaving his back open and defenceless. He made three shots. The sentries surrounding Keith and the children fell to the ground. Suddenly, Lance was pushed forward by a force from behind. He looked down to see the tip of a sword stick out of his stomach before it was pulled back out. Lance fell to his knees. His ears were ringing and his sight was blurry. Lance placed a hand on where the sword had been, only to see it was dripping with blood when he lifted it to see. Lance didn't know how much time had passed. He only knew that he felt dizzy and that the ground was suddenly a lot closer than he thought it was. Someone was removing his helmet. His stomach felt warm. He heard screaming. Someone was picking him up. His eyelids were heavy, he wanted to sleep… Slap. Lance's eyes shot open. His cheek was throbbing. All he saw was a blur of red, white, and black. Somehow, he knew it was Keith. 'I'm sorry', he whispered before his eyes fluttered closed again.