A/N: Hello! *waves* I've been thinking about writing this pretty much since the new Voltron series premiered and reminded me just how much I loved this series back in the day as a kid. Voltron Force has bee a lot more entertaining than I'd anticipated thus far, and I keep gravitating back to the potential of the Keith-Lance headbutting they've shown thus far, and how much more awesome Allura had gotten. The silly girl of my youth has matured into a proper princess capable of managing the men around her, ruling her planet, flying her Lion and acting as a diplomat. What I'd like to see now is this new Allura discover herself as a woman.
Isn't it lucky there's so many potential suitors interested in her? *grins* I hope you all enjoy, and if so, I'd love to know what you think!
They were driving her crazy. Allura inhaled sharply through her nose, earning a knowing glance from Vince, who was flying Blue Lion with her. Several more insufferable minutes of incessant back-and-forth from Keith and Lance about whether to conduct reconnaissance or mount an assault had even the normally implacable cadet grimacing. Finally, with a strangled shriek, Allura slammed a hand down on the button for the inter-Lion comms system, effectively silencing the men. She could still see them snipe at one another on the video feed, of course, but it was better than nothing.
"Thank you," the cadet sighed fervently. "Not to be nosy or anything, but will they ever get this thing worked out?"
That seemed to be the golden question lately. Each additional mission, every robeast and foray by Wade's robots seemed to exacerbate the power struggle between Keith and Lance. Oh sure, they were friends and comrades, but the entire team could see the tension between them. Allura rolled her eyes. The castle staff could even see it- after a water main mysteriously burst one night (a night when, Allura noticed, Hunk and the cadets had inexplicably vanished for several hours after dinner), the staff had put the two men in rooms as far apart from one another as possible. "They're adults, Vince. Sooner or later, they'll realize they've been acting like... well, let's just say that both are far better men than they've been acting lately. In the mean time, we'll simply continue on as normal." She smiled back at the cadet over her shoulder. "Which means training. Speaking of which, I think you should take a turn at the controls now. I'd like to see you maneuver through the asteroid belt we'll be approaching shortly." Punching the comms button, Allura spoke calmly over the bickering filling the channel. "Approaching asteroid belt shortly, guys. I'm going to let Vince have a turn at the controls. Perhaps Larmina and Daniel could get some experience here, too?"
And that was enough to refocus everyone. Standing behind Vince and monitoring his progress, Allura shook her head. Give it time, she told herself for what felt like the millionth time. Keith and Lance are friends. They just need time to resettle into their roles on the team. Even as she thought it, Allura knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Keith had been a team leader before the Voltron Force even formed, and had never relinquished the role. He was a born leader- self-possessed, reliable, trustworthy. He would always put the welfare of others ahead of his own. Lance had had to develop his leadership skills quickly after Voltron had been disbanded, thrust almost instantly from the rebellious hotshot to a closely watched flight instructor under Wade's nose. Surprisingly, he'd flourished with the sudden responsibility, and risen quickly through the ranks. While not a born leader like Keith, he'd made himself into a worthy one, nonetheless. The crux of the problem, however, was that while both men were outstanding as the guy in control, they were proving to be terrible at compromising and sharing the command.
"Danny boy and I are headed in for a closer look. We're just going to slingshot around that captured moon over there and come in on the dark side, take a quick peek around." Lance's face filled the monitor as he grinned sideways at the cadet sharing Red Lion's cockpit with him. "Whaddya say, kid? Want to go take a looksie at what our old boss Wade has been engineering way out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"Do I?" came the excited reply. "Oh, hey, we can even use my speed boost!"
"What you two can do is stand down," Keith ordered sternly. "I told you, we wait. We know from Pidge's intel that there'll be a shift change within the hour. Once that happens, we'll have an accurate idea of how many soldiers we'll be up against."
"Uh, yeah, sure we'll know how many warm bodies, Keith," Lance replied stubbornly. "That's awesome and all, but we know there'll be a crapload of Wadebots. So either way, it's guns hot. And I'd sure rather get in there before someone picks us up on radar, you know?"
Nudging Vince gently out of the pilot's seat, Allura retook the controls with a firm hand. "Look, you guys, save it. I'm with Keith. It's too risky to go in now."
The response was instantaneous, and stinging. "Of course you agree with Keith, Allura."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she fired back.
Lance frowned at her through the monitor. "Forget it, okay? Surveillance only. Got it. We'll do it Keith's way. Again."
Keith's solemn frown was not a good sign. "Like it or not, I'm still commander of the Voltron Force, Lance. What I say, goes."
Oh no. Allura could practically see Lance getting ready to blow his lid when Larmina cut in tentatively.
"Uh, guys? Maybe we should pay attention to that giant laser array coming out of that security tower down there on the surface?"
The times when Allura was happy for a skirmish were few and far between, but this was one of them. She shoved the center stick forward and sent Blue Lion hurtling towards the space station below. She was sure the giant battle of egos would continue later, back on Arus. On the one hand, she longed for the uncomplicated time when they'd all been such a tight-knit unit. On the other, Allura knew they could never go back. They were different now, all of them, and only just discovering what that meant to each of them as individuals and as parts of a whole. As Black and Red Lions dove down to flank her and laser bursts began to flash around them like falling stars, Allura acknowledged the hard truth- the old team mold had cracked and been melted down into something new and different, and none of them would ever fit together the same way again.