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As Color Fades Away

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Allura stared at her reflection in the mirror, hands tracing along the rough ridges that made a distorted circle across her stomach. A turn and glance over her shoulder revealed nearly the same on her back.

She smiled at the marks before dropping the tunic shirt she had pulled on. She would wear them proudly for they were a stark reminder of Coran's love and all they had pulled through. Still… she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling phantom pain as the memory of the witch driving her hand through her, the desperation and fear and failure she had felt as she lay dying in Coran's arms.

She had almost died. More so than when she had faced down Zarkon and awaited the final blow. If Coran had not been able to miraculously tap into his own quintessence and heal her…

She shook her head. No. She must not dwell on such things. She had lived. Her family had survived. And Haggar was dead. Those were what mattered and she would not allow Haggar's taint to mar the act of love that had saved her. She lifted her chin, jeweled eyes narrowing into a mask of determination.

She would be all right.

Allura quickly finished dressing into long leggings and sturdier shoes than her dressing gown flats. The castle may be safe right now but after the earlier events she realized there was no replacement for good footwear.

She had hurried to the bridge after leaving the infirmary, adrenaline pounding as she had tried not to anticipate the worst. They had assumed if Haggar came after them she would be operating without Zarkon's permission, but what if she had been the first force and there was an army of ships waiting now for a signal to attack?

But her worries were unfounded as upon reaching the bridge none of the other proximity alarms had gone off and there was not a single signal to indicate another ship. The only one registering still was the smoldering hunk that had once been a battle cruiser, although its heat signature was fading as it burned itself out.

Allura had spared a brief moment in silent mourning of the mother and son who she knew without a doubt had not made it out of the explosion. Tears stung her eyes at the memory of Amalia, so desperate to save her son.

They had just wanted to go home.

She had brushed the tears away and gotten back to diagnosing the castle. The two entry points made in the breach were of concern. Haggar's had been in a hallway but she had sealed it back up behind her with some type of forcefield that had dissolved now. Allura activated several of the interior doors to close in that section of the ship and keep it contained.

Theodek had entered in one of the empty hangars and then torn through the interior wall further into the castle instead of using the door. Her gaze narrowed. Galrans always had to be so destructive. She had sealed off a good portion of the castle from his escapades as well. They would need to repair the holes from the outside sooner than later, but for now the castle would stand.

The planet continued to cloak the majority of their signal and Allura doublechecked to make sure they were not broadcasting their location. They were still as hidden as could be, although again the burning ship on the outskirts was a bit of a beacon. There was nothing she could do about it though and wormholing away would not be advisable as for the most part this location had been secure.

She'd paused then. How had Haggar found them?

She had a sinking feeling it had something to do with Lance. She did not understand Druid magic. Perhaps the witch had used Lance's blood or… Her face had paled. His quintessence. Lance had told them he'd seen it in the Astral Plane and had felt Haggar pulling on it. He would not know if the witch had actually managed to obtain any though, not with as broken and damaged as his essence had been.

It was over now, she reminded herself. Haggar was dead. No one else had means to locate them. They would be as safe as could be for now.

She'd gone to her quarters then to change as running around in a blanket and barely there nightgown was not going to assist her in any way. She grabbed the bag of dagiko candies from her dresser as well. She knew she really ought to go to the kitchen and grab something of more sustenance – they no doubt needed it – but after what Shiro had briefly described she did not yet want to traverse there.

In addition to the candies she had gathered up the bowl of raisins from the bridge, leaving the cooled and congealed oatmeal behind. But it was something.

The mice had sent her images of Coran, Shiro and Lance sound asleep spread out on the blankets, and she had smiled, relief filling her. She knew that they still had some hurdles to overcome from all the damage Haggar and Theodek had wrought, but at least for a moment they were all able to find peace.

The lounge had remained untouched by the fighting and so had the path from it to the infirmary. Allura had taken advantage of that and shifted two of the couches into said medical wing along with all of the blankets and pillows she could find. She had returned to the main hall to collect the cushions and to see the Lions, but they had remained quiet in both physical form and her mind.

She had still reached out, placing a slender hand on Blue's paw and whispered her thanks to the Lion. She knew without a doubt that they had helped Lance; even without knowing any details of what had occurred that she knew. She sent a quiet prayer for them to come back soon and had left with her collection of cushions.

Despite her earlier protests when all of the Paladins had attempted to camp out around Lance's pod, this time around Allura had no qualms about setting up camp in the infirmary. It was a safe place, a healing place. She also would not deprive any of them from being able to keep watch on one another as they healed, as it sounded like both Keith and Hunk would be in the pods for several quintants. She may as well make it as comfortable as possible.

She had lifted Coran onto the cot, her advisor not even twitching at the movement, and she had taken the quiet moment to brush back his hair and press a kiss to his forehead. She owed him her life although she knew Coran would not see it in such a way.

She had not dared move Shiro, who had a protective arm over Lance and looked relatively peaceful all things considered, and did not move Lance for the same reason.

Instead, she had settled on one of the couches with the tablet she had grabbed from the bridge and once more checked the status of the castle, feeling restless. The mice had curled up in her lap, falling asleep within the dobash, and their peace had transferred to her somewhat so at least the apprehensive feeling that she needed to be doing something had faded.

She too felt exhausted even though a self-check had shown her quintessence levels operating at full capacity and not an injury left unhealed on her. It was not a physical ache though, but a mental one.

A glance at the clock had revealed it to be just after 1000 hours. It did not seem possible.

Three hours. Three hours had been all that had gone by since the proximity alarm had gone off. It felt like days.

Allura reached a hand up to her brow, massaging it slightly. She could certainly go for a nap herself but despite the alarms set she knew it was not wise. That, and she wished to remain vigilant in case one of the slumbering males about her awoke. Lance in particular.

Her gaze traced what she could make of his form, mostly hidden beneath a blanket and then blocked from view by Shiro. All she knew for certain was that Lance and Hunk had engaged with the Galran commander and that Lance had been the one to kill him. But there was much more to what had happened over the course of the battle.

Haggar, she knew, had intercepted Lance at some point given the fact she had healed – and that still boggled her – his right hand and then, her stomach rolled, done that to his left. She dearly hoped Coran had an idea on how to reverse the damage. But otherwise she knew little of what had occurred outside of her own fight with Haggar.

Allura spent the next two hours in a tense vigil, unable to fully relax with all of the questions swirling in her mind. She checked the cryo-pod statuses ever quarter of a varga, letting the relief that each pass indicated healing and calmed her thudding heart. By the near end of the first hour Pidge's pod had even begun to slightly lighten and by two Allura could make out the shadowed form of the young girl.

Coran's quintessence levels were coming back steadily too, backed up by both the medical scanner and Allura's own checks. She had very carefully looked at Lance's, not surprised when the scanner indicated they were low; not as drained as Coran's but close.

Given that Lance as a human could not – or, at least had not been able to, she really had no idea all that the Lions had done and what he was capable of now – actively use his quintessence the way she could or Coran had with a rune circle, and most certainly not in a physical way unless he was formed with Blue in Voltron, she could infer that Lance had engaged in a mental battle with Haggar likely in the Astral Plane. She sent another silent round of thanks to the Lions for watching over Lance and their protection. Had they not created their barrier she was certain the outcome would have been tragic indeed.

She was finishing up another round around the infirmary, idly sucking on one of the candies, when she heard the smallest of moans coming from Lance and Shiro's direction. Lance was waking up, twitching slightly and in clear pain. Allura was not surprised given his injuries and wished he had managed to remain asleep for a while longer until Coran was once more awake.

"Lance," she called gently, kneeling down next to him. "Lance." He shuddered, face scrunched. What was that phrase Hunk used to calm him? "Estás bien," she murmured, reaching out a hand to settle carefully atop his upper left arm. "Estás bien, Lance."

Ever so slowly his eyes blinked open, hazy with confusion and pain. They focused on her after a few seconds and he mumbled, "'llura?"

"Hello, Lance," she smiled, brushing her thumb up and down his bare arm.

His eyes widened. "Allura!"

She was here. Alive. Shiro had said she was all right but seeing her for himself was different. "Allura," he repeated, eyes stinging. "You're…"

"I am all right, truly." Her eyes traced his face, taking in the still furrowed brow and the sheen of pain "And yourself? Are you all right?"

"I'm…"

What did he say? As he became more and more awake he was becoming aware of how much he hurt. His left hand was pulsing with a muted agony and the rest of him felt sore and achy. Breathing hurt as his broken ribs protested and his shoulders stung from where he knew claw marks had gouged deep.

There was also something warm pressing against his side and a foreign weight across his stomach. His breath hitched.

"Shiro," Allura answered to his reaction, squeezing his arm. "I can shift him—"

"No," Lance interrupted, surprised by how desperate it came out. "N-no. He's…" Now that the warmth had been identified as Shiro, Lance did not want him to leave. He felt safe, all things considered, with Shiro right there. A physical guard to keep the nightmares away, to remind him that his family was okay.

"Are you in pain?" Allura switched her line of questioning. "I can obtain a glornack seed if you would like."

And Lance would like that very much, but he shook his head weakly. He had barely managed to get down a few sips of water even after Shiro had warmed it for him and the idea of trying to swallow anything more made his throat constrict.

"Just… stay?" he asked, hoping it didn't sound as needy as it came out, but Allura merely smiled and bobbed her head.

A moment later she was carefully arranging herself to lie down on his other side, effectively sandwiching him between herself and Shiro although she remained on her back, her hair a fluffy white pillow behind her. She readjusted the blanket covering him but kept her hand atop it on his arm, continuing to rub soothing circles with her thumb.

"You're… you're really okay?" Lance asked, voice small. "She said you had…"

"If it had not been for Coran then Haggar's words may have indeed been truth," Allura said quietly. "But he and the mice saved me."

"But you could have died."

Allura did not pull her punches. "Yes. However," she turned slightly, propping her head up on her hand to meet his eyes, "none of what occurred here was in any way your fault, Lance." Based on his flinch and his eyes shifting away from hers she knew she had once more hit that dorblang on the toe. "Haggar came after all of us," she continued softly.

"Because of me."

"Because of me," Allura corrected, and dark ocean eyes looked to her in confusion. "I put you, all of you, into the line of fire when I asked you to be Paladins of Voltron. I exposed you to Haggar in this fight to protect the universe. If there is blame to be found then let it rest upon my shoulders."

"Allura, no," Lance protested quietly. "That's not your fault."

"Then I ask you, how is it yours?"

Allura gave a sad sort of smile as Lance's eyes widened. Her point had been made.

"The only ones at fault are the Galra Empire for forging this war. Not yours. Not mine. Theirs." She squeezed his shoulder. "No matter what happens you must remember that."

And Lance understood that. He did. But it did not make the hollow ache is his heart lessen that because of Haggar's obsession with him he had endangered them all. He thought he'd gotten Pidge and Keith killed. Allura and Hunk too. They had nearly died trying to protect him.

Just…

Just as he had done for them.

"We are a family," Allura continued. "We will always protect one another. That love and hope is what gives us strength, what brings light to the darkness of the universe. And you, Lance, you are our heart." Her hand shifted to rest atop his chest. "And we will protect you as you have protected us."

Lance felt a tear trek its way down his cheek, followed by another and then another. Allura made a soothing shush and he felt her arm shift to wrap about him just above Shiro's. He shook in her hold, turning his face to press into her shoulder.

"Shh," she murmured. "It is all right. We are all going to be all right."

She continued to hold Lance until the soft sobs had run their course. "Sleep," she whispered as his eyes fluttered, exhaustion and pain weighing heavy although she knew her own heart felt lighter and hoped his was the same. "We shall be right here when you awaken."

That was all Lance needed to hear. He was still hurting but the aches had dulled somewhat in the face of sheer fatigue and Allura and Shiro's warm, comforting presences. He felt a little better too, as although they had insisted time and again that he was not responsible for Haggar's actions, hearing how Allura had tried to shift the blame to herself and realizing how wrong that was made him realize that he could not hold such fault to himself either.

He still felt guilt. They had gotten hurt because Haggar had come after him. But…

But it was not his fault.

He released a heavy, freeing breath and a moment later they evened out into as close to deep sleep as his body could manage.

Allura turned her head, voice still low but slightly raised with a hint of amusement. "How much did you hear?"

For she had felt upon lying down next to Lance and draping her arm over him the slight tenseness in Shiro's and noted that his deep inhalations had halted.

"Sorry," came the low reply. "I didn't mean to—"

"Shiro, please, it is fine," Allura cut in. "Do not apologize."

There was quiet then for a moment before Shiro spoke. "What you said… Thank you. We both needed to hear that."

"It is true for us all," Allura said softly. "Myself included." For she had approved the correspondence that had set off the trap and explosion and this entire nightmare. Even consoling herself with the fact had they not fallen for Haggar's trap the witch would certainly have gone with an alternate plan did not lessen the fact that she had sent two Paladins — two children — nearly to their deaths.

She sighed, carefully sitting up although she kept a hand resting on Lance, so she could more easily see Shiro. Despite the few hours of rest he still looked beyond weary, dark circles under his eyes and shouldering the same burden of leadership and guilt that she was trying to lessen herself.

"You need a pod," she told him. It would not help with the lack of sleep but it would go a ways still to assisting once he was free of the pain that she knew he was in.

Shiro shook his head, slowly sitting up too and wincing as his neck ached from its less than ideal position. "Not until Lance goes in one first."

He outlined then that Coran had offered to attempt to heal Lance's hand and Allura's eyes had widened. It could work, assuming they had some way of removing the fused material. But it would be vargas still until Coran was restored enough to even try such a feat and even then she had great concerns as to how it would deplete his strength once more. But it was their best chance of giving Lance back full motion of his hand, of returning what Haggar had stolen from him.

She said as much and then followed up with an order for Shiro to return to sleep.

"You're tired too," he countered.

"I am not injured," she retorted. Neither commented on the fact she had most definitely the worse off of the two of them just a few hours prior. "Please. Your body needs the rest. I have brought in several couches as well that I think you should take advantage of."

Shiro turned his head around, eyes widening at the sight of said couches and even more blankets and pillows awaiting use.

"Lance," he protested weakly, gesturing at the sleeping boy lying between them. He couldn't just get up and leave although his back was begging for him to please make use of the cushioned surface.

"I shall watch over him," Allura assured. "And you will be just there."

"But—"

"For me?" Allura broke in.

Shiro let out a low chuckle. "I guess I can't say no to a request from a princess." His eyes lowered back to Lance. "You'll stay with him?"

"I shall not leave his side."

With a few more assurances and coaxing Shiro finally stumbled to some form of standing and over to the couch. He collapsed upon it with a grateful moan, feeling the cushions sink below him. He rolled over onto his back as his stomach was protesting the extra weight and fumbled one of the many blankets open.

He was asleep before he could even think to grab a pillow.

xxx

Shiro awoke to a gummy, thick feeling in his mouth and murmured voices. The first he swallowed against and resolved to get a water pouch upon more fully waking up. The second he was eventually able to place as Allura and Coran, although they were speaking too softly for him to pick out words.

Too comfortable to move for the moment and still in that pleasant haze between sleeping and waking, Shiro took a mental inventory of his aches and pains, noting that they were most definitely still there but it was a dull throb more than a shooting one. He was still tired but his head felt clearer and that was a definite plus.

A lazy roll of his head towards the rest of the room revealed that all of the pods were still in use, although Pidge's had given way to a dark teal light and the white of her cryosuit nearly glowed against it. His eyes tracked to the clock above the counter and he blinked at it in disbelief.

He'd fallen asleep for two more hours.

Lance still appeared to be sleeping himself but Coran was awake, both him and Allura sitting on the floor next to Lance, an assortment of loose papers about them. Shiro focused in on one and inhaled sharply.

Rune circles.

At the noise both Alteans turned, greeting him with tired if sincere smiles. "I am sorry," Allura apologized. "Did we wake you?"

"No," Shiro said truthfully, pulling himself with a low groan to sitting, body protesting the action. He looked back at the circles. "Are you…?"

"I have been attempting to create a circle that focuses on a particular element," Allura explained, holding up one sheet. "Coran does not have the energy to heal all of Lance's wounds and we wish for him to focus his efforts on just his hand. I believe this one," she gave the paper a shake, "will work best but…" she bit her lip. "I am not knowledgeable in the drawing of such runes to guarantee it will work as we wish."

"Worst case you can just have the mice bite me again," Coran said cheerfully. A series of indignant squeaks sounded and Allura translated that the mice would prefer to avoid such a plan.

"Outside interference seems to be enough to break the link, so worst case I can remove you from the connection with a pinch," Allura said. Her lips quirked up. "Or perhaps yank on your moustache."

Coran's hands flew to his face. "Don't you dare," came the muffled exclamation and Shiro was surprised when he heard himself laugh. It was a small thing, but it was so much more than that.

His expression sobered a moment later though. "Did we find a solution to removing the… the cloth?"

"Yes." Coran's voice had lost all of its humor. "I have an agent that should dissolve the organic fibers of the cloth, but not do the same to Lance's flesh. But given how twisted it appears to have moved into his hand…" Coran swallowed. "I will have to cut through some of his hand to make sure the agent reaches all bits of cloth."

Cut through…?

Shiro's stomach clenched.

"We were debating just now how to go about it," Allura said quietly. "Coran thinks it wise to awaken Lance and numb his hand as well as we can with the salve. I wish to let him remain unconscious for as long as possible and pray he stays that way during the procedure."

Shiro shook his head. "He needs to be awake." He swallowed. "At least to start. Believe me…." His eyes drifted without permission to his own prosthetic. There was nothing worse than waking up to unimaginable agony and have no idea what was happening as Haggar had enjoyed doing to him. The memories were pressing in more steadily now and he clenched his eyes shut as though it could block them. Not now. Later, he promised himself, but not now.

Allura sighed. "I was afraid of such. In that case we have elected to allow him to sleep and proceed once he has awoken on his own. His body needs the rest."

But as if summoned by her words Lance twitched and Coran, who had been brushing his thumb over Lance's right hand, which Shiro noted had a vein valve attached, stilled. A moment later he blinked open sleepy dark eyes with a little mumble.

They focused first on Coran and Lance's lips curved into a small smile. "Coran," he whispered.

"My son," Coran whispered back, giving Lance's hand a squeeze. Shiro should really have seen that one coming as Lance's smile softened even more and he felt his own do the same. "How are you feeling?"

"Mhmmm." The worst of the pain had dulled, Lance realized, although he still felt like he could fall back asleep at any minute. His head was hurting the worst and he could feel small bursts of almost static in his mind, but when he tried to focus on them they hurt more. His face scrunched up as a particularly sharp lance went through him and he stopped trying.

"We have something very important we must discuss with you," Allura said, drawing Lance's attention and being blunt and to the point. "It is about your hand."

Lance stiffened at the reminder and although it didn't hurt any more he was suddenly more aware of how wrong his left felt.

"We believe we can fix it," Allura continued, "however…" She swallowed. "However we must first remove the cloth. And to do so we may need to… cut part of your flesh."

Oh.

That…

That sounded like it would hurt.

Lance chose to focus on the first part. "Fix it?" he repeated. "All… all of it?"

"I possesses orange quintessence, the element of light and healing," Coran said quietly. "I have never been able to use it before despite…" his other hand pressed against his chest where Lance knew a necklace with wedding rings hung and it was his turn to squeeze Coran's hand. Coran coughed. "Well. We have discovered I can tap into its properties with guidance. I healed Allura and I believe I can heal your hand."

"He did not just heal me, he saved my life," Allura corrected gently and Coran bowed his head. "I believe in Coran with all of my heart that we can do this."

"Me too," the words passed by Lance's lips quietly but with strong conviction. "I… I trust you, Coran. I'll… I'll be okay."

"That's my boy," Coran squeezed his hand.

They explained the process to Lance, who grew a few shades paler beneath his tan when Coran showed him the pair of nearly knife-like scissors that would be going into his hand to cut apart the fused skin. But he could do this.

Rather than having him lie on the exam table, which Lance was doing his best to ignore and just grateful that seeing it hadn't prompted anything other than a quick shudder, Allura had brought over a low table like the one Coran had used for his hand massage for him to put his hand atop.

Lance dearly wished this was another hand massage.

Under the bright infirmary lights the sight of brown flesh meshed with cloth fibers looked even more sickening. No one had yet asked how he had obtained such an injury and Lance was glad. He knew he'd have to explain eventually but right now he was trying as hard as he could to not think about Theodek, because every time the name crossed his mind he could feel a hand forcing his to draw a knife and see yellow eyes go dark.

No.

He couldn't think about it.

Lance hadn't asked, but Shiro had settled right behind him and Lance had practically migrated into his lap, two strong arms wrapped about him and Shiro's chest rising steadily and bringing a calm to the situation that Lance severely envied.

Allura was armed with a pair of tweezers and the solution that would dissolve the cloth while Coran was rubbing his hand with as much of the numbing salve as possible. Lance could report that it was indeed working but he knew once they really started digging in the topical relief would be short-lived.

"Ready?" Coran asked him, placing his left hand firmly atop Lance's wrist and pinning it to the table. He looked a little green around his moustache but his hand and gaze were steady and Lance managed a nod.

"We're right here," Shiro murmured, and Lance felt his chin settle atop his head, a reassuring weight that was a comfort over any previous fear. "We've got you. It's going to be all right."

Lance managed another tiny nod, scrunching his eyes closed. He didn't want to see.

"Allura?" Coran called softly. A moment later Lance felt something cool being poured over his hand. It tingled, like little bubbles, but it didn't actively hurt.

"Top layer of cloth is clear," Coran said. "Lance, lad, I'm going to have to make a cut now."

Lance swallowed and nodded, eyes still closed, and Shiro's grip tightened about him.

"We are going to attempt to do this all in one go," Coran continued. "If it becomes too much though just say the word, understand?"

"Kay," he breathed, high and reedy.

Coran made a cut and Lance choked back a cry. It was followed quickly by another and he moaned, turning his face to bury it against Shiro's arm.

The process continued, interspersed with the sensation of the fizzing, which was more painful now against raw flesh, and then the cold bite of metal going into his hand as Coran dug deeper and deeper and there was the tang of copper in the air as blood welled up. Lance could feel it dripping down and out of his hand.

Lance tasted acid and forcefully swallowed it back. He did not want to puke on Shiro.

Shiro kept up a steady stream of soothing noises the entire time although Coran and Allura remained silent, fully concentrating on their tasks. Lance didn't ask them to stop. He wanted it over. He muffled his cries and occasional shrieks against Shiro, reminding himself over and over again that they were helping him. And he felt the smallest measure of pride in himself that not once did their arms and hands turn into monsters or nightmares.

Not even ten minutes later Coran was murmuring "last one" and there was a final, cruel snip deep inside his hand and Lance sobbed, both in pain and relief.

"You did so good, brave boy," Coran whispered, and Lance felt his upper arm squeezed. "It's over. It's all right."

He hated that the only thing he seemed capable of doing was crying harder.

Coran still had his wrist pinned to the table with his other hand because despite that part being over Lance knew there was still more to come. There was a crinkle of paper and he felt it settle atop his hand.

"Coran, are you certain you are ready?" Allura sounded worried and for the first time since this operation had begun Lance opened blurred eyes.

Coran wavered in front of them, looking paler than normal and he had the faintest tremble about him.

"I am certain," he said. "This must be done."

"C-Coran," Lance stuttered and the jeweled gaze met his. "I…"

He didn't want him to get hurt. Not for him. He could wait a little longer, the pain wasn't that bad.

"Lance, my son," and Coran squeezed his arm again. "I swear to you I will be all right. Please, let me do this for you. I do not like to see you in such pain."

Lance sniffled and gave the barest inclination of his head.

"I cannot say if this will hurt or not," Coran cautioned him, taking his hand from Lance's shoulder and hovering it over the rune circle, which was covering up the gore of Lance's wound. "But it will hopefully be quick."

"I trust you," Lance repeated from before, and the words bolstered him as well as Coran, his expression becoming lighter.

"Then I shall begin."

And without further ado Coran touched his palm fully onto the rune circle Allura had drawn. At once he felt a rush of warmth, a burst of something inside of him and he heard Lance gasp, the sound more surprised than pained. Coran did not dare look up to check.

He could not physically see his quintessence but he could feel it, feel the gaping chasm in Lance just as he had with Allura. He pushed himself to fill it, picturing the hand whole once more. His own energy began to flag, the light giving way to weaker rays, but he kept at it. Just a little more, he was certain.

There was a sharp pinching sensation on the back of his own hand and Coran jerked backwards with a breathless yelp. Allura stared down at him, armed with her tweezers.

"Did… did I…?" Coran panted, Lance's hand still obscured by the circle.

Allura lifted it and Coran slumped in relief. The scar was still there, a white starburst on the dark skin, and there was a new line now, more pink that cut across it, but there was no jagged hole.

"Lance," he gasped, turning his attention to the boy who was staring with wide eyes at his hand and trembling in Shiro's hold. "Lance, can…?"

Lance tapped his index finger on the table. He followed up with all of them before lifting his hand tentatively into the air and closing it into a fist.

"C-Coran," he whispered. That was the only warning any of them had as Lance practically launched himself from Shiro's lap and wrapped his arms about Coran, sobbing.

Coran felt incredibly shaky himself, nearly tipping over at the impact, but he brought his own arms tight about Lance and hugged him for all he was worth, pressing his face into the dark hair. "My son," he whispered, rocking them both.

It had worked. It had actually worked.

Lance felt Allura join in the hug and then Shiro, a tight press of warm bodies all around him but he felt absolutely no fear at the proximity or the hands that were near his face.

He felt loved.

Completely and utterly loved.

He still couldn't fully hold back the moan though as Shiro's arm pressed a little too heavily against the still ragged wounds on his back.

"Pods now," came Allura's no-nonsense tone, although there was a joy and relief tingeing the words. "No arguments."

"None here," Shiro choked out. Even Lance gave a nod. After all he'd been through the pods and their tight enclosure hardly even dinged enough to scare him. Not with his family all gathered around.

Allura insisted Coran lie down and had carried him back over to the cot when he had protested. She had then assisted Lance into moving still weak limbs into a cryosuit and Shiro did the same, wincing at the pull to his shoulder that was now reminding him it really, really hurt and his stomach was rebelling too. The glornack seed had completely worn off.

Allura slid over to him once Lance was dressed and grabbed the empty arm sleeve to assist. Shiro felt his face redden as Allura made quick work of pulling his hands and arms through the material as though he was a child, but he could not summon up the strength to insist on doing it himself and he knew that just as he had wanted to remain awake for Lance to comfort him, this was Allura's way of doing the same.

Coran had already inputted the sequences for both Paladins and it was just a matter of starting them once they were in the pods. Lance hung back for the barest of moments before he squared his shoulders and climbed into the one next to Pidge, Shiro on his other side.

"Are you ready?" Allura asked him, hand poised on the glass front to close it. "Coran estimates only about three varga."

"R-ready."

Before she closed the door Allura reached in and took one of Lance's shaking hands in her own and pressed a kiss directly atop the scar. "I will be waiting for you," she promised and he managed a small smile.

A tick later she closed the door and initiated the sequence within the next breath. Frosted air covered the glass and Lance was lost to sight for a healing sleep.

Shiro was practically lounging in his pod, head tilted back on the cold surface. "You are comfortable?" Allura teased.

"I'd be more comfortable if these were horizontal," Shiro countered.

"A design flaw we are going to look at most certainly," Allura assured. She looked at the console. "Approximately eight varga for yourself. Are you ready?"

"I can wait," Shiro said, shifting forward a bit at the number. "Just until Pidge is—"

"Rest," she interrupted him. "Pidge will be out within the varga and Lance not too long after. We shall be just fine." Her tone softened. "You have done enough, Shiro. Rest."

He sent her a rueful smile. "By order of the princess?"

"By order of the princess," she grinned. And before he could come up with a response she closed the door and initiated his healing sequence.

Allura stepped back and looked at all five pods in use that her family were healing in.

All that was left to do now was wait.

xxx

Author's Notes

And off to the pods all the precious beans go. Physical recovery, more emotional recovery, we are on the road to absolute recovery here.

That said, I hate to bring anything up this late in the game, but guys, last chapter was... disheartening. The consensus seemed to be "yay, recovery, can't wait!" but it's been very quiet the last couple chapters, last chapter in particular. I know you know the story is finished and I'm super anal about my update schedule and won't veer off of it, but that doesn't mean I still don't really appreciate and look forward to your comments and support. In the case of any fanfic, if you are enjoying it please leave the author a comment; it's our only way of knowing you guys like the fic and are appreciative of our time and efforts. It's free to do and only takes a minute or so (depending on how much you'd like to spoil us with a long comment) and I can guarantee takes a shorter amount of time than writing the chapter/story took the author. Please give your authors support so they feel inspired to keep writing. As many of you know from Tumblr I am going on hiatus (whether it's permanent or not remains to be seen) and while not the sole reason for the break I can say that things like this were definitely a part of it.

TLDR the above, please leave a comment to show your support to authors for their efforts. And also please, no spoilers for season seven. Thanks and hope to hear from you! Enjoy the new season too!