#starting with finishing that langst fic i was super proud of

[ewkeith]

what if i start posting all my vld fics I never posted from back in the day... what then

[keith-is-not-an-emo]

which fics are you reading atm if you don’t mind sharing? ty!

Oh boy anon, oh boy.

You don’t know what you’ve done.

There will be E rated fics but they won’t solely be smut fics or too extreme.

edit: it seems like you can’t access the post from your dashboard so you have to be on my blog to see it *sighs* good job tumblr, like always.

star-crossed by realfakedoors (or anything they write, you’ll be seeing a lot of that here)

They said, once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a peaceful and prosperous kingdom, rich in romance and tradition. They said the Prince would host a ball, and choose his spouse, and they would live happily ever after.Well, they lied.

–

Keith is a Prince, and Lance lives with his shitty extended family. Neither of them are very happy, and when they meet, they’re surprised to have so much in common. Strangers, to friends, and then, well…

Meanwhile, Hunk is a sweetheart, Pidge is an iconic asexual, Shiro is a supportive Knight Dad™, Allura isn’t here for anyone’s crap, and there’s some political shit going on that forces them all together.

okay so how do i say it? it might be fave kl fic atm. this is my dirty laundry, my on thin ice. i love eveeery thing about it. i literally drop anything im doing if i see it updated. Also the last chapter? got me Shook.

also i KNOW about that big E rating there but the smut is in only one chap and i think the author marked it so it’s totally complementary and doesn’t add anything to the story so don’t worry.

breakfast on the moon by DairyFarmer (also very very recommended author!!)

Future Prom King, student body president, and all around hottie Lance McClain is abducted from his home in Arizona in 1997.

He is found decades later in the clearance section of an Earth paraphernalia store by the Paladins of Voltron.

another one of my big faves atm. everyone is very attentive of lance which is *clenches fist and wipes tear* very good. also it screams future langst and i cant wait :) (im kind of a langst hoe sorry not sorry)

let’s play pretend and hope it comes true by fevered_dreams

The Kingdom of Altea was quickly heading towards ruin. At least, it had been until the Royal Family’s eldest daughter had been born as an alpha. The people had rejoiced at her birth, and there was hope yet for a new ruler and a future secured. Even the fact that the second Royal Child had been born a beta couldn’t dampen their spirits.

Except Lance was not an beta. He was just an omega, trying his best to keep the charade going with a set of spells, pills, and all the tinctures he could brew because being an omega was dangerous. Being an omega made him something to be had, a rusted tool of barter worth less than scraps in return, and Altea couldn’t afford to let him go.

But, if Lance’s luck would have it, Prince Keith of the Blade wouldn’t mind being lied to too much.

okay okay in my defence, this one STILL doesn’t have smut. only kinda steamy make-out sessions. also don’t let the a/b/o scare you, there is talk about the dynamics but not so much in the sexual way, u’kno?

anything by BleuSarcelle, but if i have to chose one, let’s go with Of Pink Freckles and Green Moles

Lance now can see the boy’s face and he can only stare at the pretty color in the boy’s eyes before he’s suddenly being squished by two hands.

“Papa!” the boy shouts happily back at the adult that makes his way other them hurriedly. The boy hardly notices, still too fixed on squeezing Lance’s cheeks for a second longer before he giggles. “Papa, ugly!”

“Keith, no! Oh my god -”

“Ugly,” the boy repeats obliviously, patting Lance’s cheeks with a proud gleam in his eyes. “Ooh-gly!”

Lance doesn’t know what that word means but for some reason, it makes him cry harder.

[Or the one where Keith and Lance meet when they are two and three years old respectively and spend their entire childhood going through charity contests. Lance says they are rivals, Keith only hears ‘best friends’.]

super cute G kidfic.

Ground Control to Major Tom by yourfavoritetsundre

A year after Keith and Lance have a big falling out, Lance is…well, he’s not missing. He’s fine. He’s just not telling anyone where he is. Keith decides maybe the best way to apologize for being an absolute monster is to track him down.

Following Lance’s path of self-discovery, Keith starts to remember all the things about Lance he had buried years before. Because of the war, because of the Blade, because of Allura. And he starts to realize that maybe he’s to blame for more than he thought.

Meanwhile, Curtis just wants to plan his quiznacking wedding.

post-s8 fic

Written in Sand by MuseofWriting

Lance wakes up in a hospital on Earth to discover he has been missing for four months, with no memory of Voltron or the Galra. Drawn inexplicably to the desert where they found him, he discovers a hut full of research and notes that may provide the key to his missing memories. With secrets and conspiracies surrounding him, and the Garrison potentially hiding far more than he could ever have imagined, Lance grows to trust the notes in the desert - but he may not believe the person who claims he wrote them.

this one has been around for a while (a year to be precise) and i thinks its pretty aknowledged in the fandom but *shrugs* 

until we get there by starlightment

Sometimes his mind is cruel. He’ll wake in the dead of night, drowning in his sweat, choking on his tears. He’ll clutch at old bedsheets until his knuckles fade to white. He’ll shiver in the darkness, and the light blue marks beneath his eyes will start to burn, and his lungs will heave, aching for a breath that just isn’t there.

And sometimes Keith comes to visit.

Those are the best days, Lance thinks.

Those are the days when it’s easiest to breathe.

—

Or: Lance loses himself a little bit, but Keith is there to help him find it again.

post-s8 fic. i think i dont even need to present they author since they’re better know for writing something blue (i heard wonders abt it but havent found the chance to read it yet). also i cant fucking wait for their new fic like im vibrating here on my seat bc i LOVEEEE the trope of jock keith / nerd/prep lance dont judge me

sunflower by xintong (uuh i think i dont have to introduce this author either lmao)

On the morning of their first summer back on Earth, Lance receives a gift of sunflowers. A confession, a rejection, and the passage of time, all leading to the one person who’s always been there for him.

another post-s8 fic because honestly i needed healing at that time okay. super soft and cute and uuughhhh i cant deal

Pretty Ob(li)vious by msmooseberry

Lance loves make-up and being pretty while wearing it. Unfortunately, even in the world where Earth becomes one of the main centres of intergalactic communication and home to many races, his hobbies are still largely frowned upon. He never wanted other cadets at the Galaxy Garrison to find out, especially not his half-Galra crush, but that is exactly what happens. Lance prepares for the hate or ridicule at best, but the reaction he gets is something else entirely. Who knew Galra viewed lilac sparkly lips as a betrothal symbol?

keith finding lance the most beautiful being ever? uuh yeah? gimme that shit

Chestnut And Onyx by MilkTeaMiku (great author too!)

If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, Keith looked a little flushed. He crossed his arms over his chest, wings all puffed up and ruffled like he was preening. “I didn’t know you were that flexible,” he said. And then he looked angry, and his wings puffed up even more, and he stormed away. -Lance thinks his wings aren’t all that pretty, but Keith has other ideas. If only Lance knew.

langst wing-fic. what could i ask more for?

you’re lucky that’s what i like by zenstrike

Lance rescues a hamster from certain doom.

or, Lance has Keith wrapped around his little finger and doesn’t even realize it.

just. take the whole fucking thing. just take it

aaand these are the ones that appear on my feed that have been updated recently since most of them aren’t finished (sowwy). the bad thing about reading a lot of fics and having bad memory is that i already forgot half of my fave fics, probably, lmao.

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #26

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

I’m gonna try to get back to doing these on Friday nights. Warning: Lots of hurt!Lance this time. There was plenty to choose from in the gen category, so of course my biases got heavy play. I had a good time, but this list will be even more unbalanced than usual.

Also, it has now been officially half a year of weekly rec lists, though I’ve actually been doing it longer than that, since it keeps being more than a week between each one. The title is a lie. But I am still pretty proud of myself. I thought I would get bored and quit doing these a long time ago, but I haven’t.

As Color Fades Away by IcyPanther Words:  7,615 (WIP 2/?) Author’s Summary:  "They either surrender the Black Lion to us, or we will kill the Paladin we've captured in the most painful way possible. They will hear his screams and they will come. They would not so easily abandon one of their own. And then the Black Lion will be yours. Should the ploy fail... well, then there will be one less Paladin in existence." No pairings, major whumpage, Langst My Comments: Starting the list right off with my biases. I don’t quite agree with the Keith characterization in this one, and the woobie is pretty strong, but it’s very well-written and there is the promise of LOTS of delicious hurt/comfort down the road, so I’m in it to win it.

Lance Makes a Space Sandwich by ArcaneAdagio Words: 3,999 Author's Summary: Lance goes through an galaxy space quest to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, dragging along an unwilling Hunk and Pidge. Will they be able to make their sandwich? Can they survive? Will Lance stop making terrible guns and finger gunning at the same time? Will they learn about the power of friendship? (Spoilers: the answer to the last two questions are 'no.') My Comments: Garrison Trio! How I love them! Very fun and cute action fic. (Also PB&J is divine, how dare you question it.)

you were never on your own by derheck Words: 1,763 Author's Summary: Lance knew how to throw damn good parties. And that’s what they all needed. A damn good party. And what better reason to throw a damn good party than to celebrate everyone’s favorite green paladin growing one year older? Better yet- it wasn’t just going to be a party. He was going all out. He was going to throw Pidge a fucking space quinceañera. My Comments: So cuuuute. Love Lance being supportive of his teammates, and especially doing something nice for Pidge, daww. She deserves a big ol’ party, for sure.

Pieces of Cake by Cardigan_Quincy Words: 2,990 Author's Summary: It's Pidge's birthday, and the team is determined to make it a great day. Meanwhile on Earth and in a Galra prison camp, two other characters hold their own private birthday celebrations for her.(Just a one-shot. Pre-S2. Feminine pronouns for Pidge. ~Quincy) My Comments: Much sadder than the last fic, but also feels very true to the characters. Pidge’s family is definitely the most splintered of the paladins’ and it’s sad to think about the people who aren’t there for her birthday because they can’t be. But they remember each other, in the sweetest and most poignant way.

A Song of Storm and Ice by BreakTheDawn Words: 20,565 (WIP 3/?) Author's Summary: Quintessence.It's the basis of everything right? Integral to the very nature of Voltron. They all have it, it means something for all of them, regardless of whether or not they realize it. So would it not follow that they should learn how to use it?AkaThe Voltron team goes to undertake an ancient training program to learn more about their Lions and themselves, and of course shit happens. My Comments: Actually a sequel to a previously recced fic, so you might want to read that one first, but this one is super good, too. Much more of an ensemble feel, though still a bit of a focus on Lance. And the worldbuilding in this one slays. So many cool ideas. Can’t wait to see what happens, and it’s updating a LOT, with very long chapters. My idea of a good time.

The Garden of Heaven by Genesister (papirini) Words: 75,271 (WIP 16/?) Author's Summary: From the void of space to the heart of a deeply-buried secret of the Galra Empire, the search for Shiro leads Keith on a voyage that he never expected, wanted - or realized he needed. Its just a question of whether he can escape, when its all over - or whether he will even want to. Tags will be added as the work proceeds. My Comments: I haven’t finished reading what’s available on this one yet, but this fic is AMAZING. Absolutely incredible worldbuilding for the Galra. Mind the tags, but don’t let them intimidate you. Keith gets thrown into a very horrifying and terrifying situation against his will, but as the story goes on you find that it’s about just another group of unique misfits learning to get along and find family in each other. The twist I just read left me utterly breathless, and as soon I finish this list I’m gonna get back to reading the story. AWESOME fic. This kind of stuff is why I just don’t bother with published fiction anymore. I can find far more satisfying and interesting stuff for free on the internet.

Just Remember by BleuSarcelle Words: 1,646 Author's Summary: Lance screams and shouts and curses. He lets it all out. He lets his words and shouts echo around as he falls to his knees in the middle of the training room. He hiccups as sobs shake his body. He doesn't bother to wipe away his tears, he lets them fall to the ground and stain the mat below him.He curses loudly and lividly for every part of him that makes him feel unworthy. He weakly punches the mat as he whimpers and his shoulders lose their strength. My Comments: Short but sweet fic about Lance fighting bad self-talk with the truth. I’ve been there.

Capsaicin by phoenixyfriend Words: 6,235 Author's Summary: Lance was captured by the Galra. He was more useful alive than dead, but was notorious for being difficult to interrogate, so the Galra turned to poison. It was... less than successful. My Comments: This is really funny, and really fun. Very mild Lance whump, but I mean, they tried. They tried very hard.

Lance by RandomShmoe Words: 1,482 Author's Summary: First and Second Day working on Camp NaNoWriMo stuff. It is focused on Lance...hence the title. My Comments: Another nice little fic about Lance coping healthily with his problems. The Shiro and Lance interaction was so cute it gave me a toothache.

the purest expression of grief by ohmygodwhy Words: 15,874 Author's Summary: By the time he walks through the Garrison doors, he is bone from going hungry and muscle from fighting and stone from surviving. He keeps his guard up and his teeth bared and sleeps with his knife under his pillow and tears through their exams and their simulations with the ferocity of the need to know more, to do more, to fly. or: keith fights, because that's what he does, and has always watched the stars My Comments: Can be read as Sheith or gen. Absolutely fantastic character study of Keith and how much Shiro means to him, and I loved how Keith made friends with everyone in the second chapter. Very much how I see it working for him: slow, halting, but utterly sincere.

Shifting Sands by Cardigan_Quincy Words: 11,399 (WIP 4/?) Author's Summary: Lance picked himself up from the floor gingerly, testing his muscles before putting too much weight on them. Nothing seemed injured, aside from a few aches that would likely become a nice collection of bruises by tomorrow morning. But considering how hard Blue had fallen, Lance felt lucky. Blue was less lucky. --- Lance is stranded on a desert planet, injured and captured by someone who will go to any lengths to get their hands on the Black Lion. Fortunately or otherwise, he's not alone. (Updated weekly ~Quincy) My Comments: MMM, boy, this is some GOOD hurt/comfort! Starts with Lance alone, but doesn’t stay that way. I’m really glad he has someone there to support him, less glad that they are going through some awful stuff. Okay, I lied, I like it when Lance (and the others) go through awful stuff. But I am still hoping for rescue soon, please.

It's Getting Darker But I'll Carry On by CamsthiSky Words: 4,285 (WIP 3/?) Author's Summary: "This could not be happening. Of course he’d be with the one idiot who didn't know that once a zombie found you, there weren’t many ways to get it off your trail—and hiding in an abandoned house wasn't one of them. How was this guy even still alive right now?" My Comments: Zombie AU that starts off with sniper!Lance rescuing Keith? Yes, please. Fantastic start, and I love the roles everyone is falling into in this AU. Looking forward to more. They need to find Shiro. (Isn’t THAT just the constant refrain of this fandom, though.)

the stars watch over you by psyraah for rednight16 Words: 1,239 Author's Summary: Shiro is bone weary, worn down, and battered, yet sleep evades him. But a gentle moment amongst new friends eases the constant disquiet in his heart, at least for now. My Comments: This is so soft and lovely and nice. Thace and Ulaz should have stuck around longer in the show, for real.

Trust Fall by kyanve Words: 2,330 Author's Summary: Lance decides to try to prove that he's just as capable of getting Blue to come get him as Keith has been at playing Space Fetch with Red. Blue may be less temperamental than Red, but Blue can also be a troll enough to make up for it. My Comments: Lance is an idiot, but Blue loves him anyway. This feels very, very canon.

After Me Comes the Flood by Qpenguin98 Words: 25,111 Author's Summary: The interior of this ship is cold and boring. The Galran soldiers that try to bond with you are cold and boring. Zarkon is cold and boring. You are sick of being cold and bored. A story following the Red Lion. My Comments: Endgame Klance, established Red/Blue. Really interesting and lovely view of Keith and the rest of the team through a personified Red. I love the sense of history with the lions, and the trauma and turmoil that everyone has to work through.

Taking One For The Team by ShiningRegalia Words: 18,284 (WIP 6/?) Author's Summary: A mission gone wrong lands Lance and Pidge in a dangerous situation. When communication with the rest of the team is compromised, they have to take drastic measures to escape. Pidge can only hope that they get out before things get worse and one of them breaks. Especially Lance. My Comments: Holy fudge, this is some great hurt/comfort, too, this time with Lance and Pidge. Protective!Lance turns on all the lights in my house, and Pidge gets protective right back. The situation gets really bad, really fast, but they both do everything they can to take care of each other and get them out. They’ll be okay as long as they have each other.

Do You Wanna Build a Voltron? by phoenixyfriend Words: 10,558 Author's Summary: Lance woke up to a room full of frost, and proceeded to panic. Just a little. Just a smidgen. Just enough to refuse to leave his room until Hunk promised to go get Coran so there was a competent adult helping them figure out this mess.According to Blue, humans were very fragile, and needed all the help they could get. Blue could provide a lot of help, and this was a perfect solution, in her eyes. My Comments: Really cute and fun exploration of Lance getting full-on Elsa powers. An enjoyable read from start to finish.

We'll Just Have to Wing It by peasantlysurprised Words: 2,798 Author's Summary: or alternatively titled "The Space Power Rangers Try to Figure Out If Shiro Has a Natural Winged Eyeliner Look Going On Because He's Fly Like That or Not and End Up Failing" My Comments: I think I missed reccing this fic back when I first read it because I wasn’t making weekly lists at the time, but someone reminded me of it and I’m super glad they did. Very fun team fic with the younger paladins trying to stay up all night to catch Shiro and find out the truth.

what's needed by eugyne (AreteNike) Words: 2,704 Author's Summary: The one time Shiro gives everything to his team... and the five six times they give it back. My Comments: Absolutely FANTASTIC Post-S2 story with Shiro actually getting the support he needs, omg, I love it so much.

Gate Keeper by MoonlitPaladin (MoonlitStardust) for cupcakelevi Words: 30,297 (WIP 7/?) Author's Summary: Lance is an author, known for his fantasies driven by dynamic and imaginative heroes, and yet no matter how much popularity and success he gains, it's not enough. He doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere and he pours himself into his work, pausing only when he gets a strange postcard in the mail with no return address and a portrait of Scotland."Light filters o’er the pass as the Keeper returns."On an adventure the likes of which only he could have written, Lance learns the true meaning of family and that there's a thin line between fantasy and reality. My Comments: Tagged Klance, but so far it’s about the plot and the worldbuilding. Really interesting Fantasy AU, and I’m totally hooked. Everything feels really deep and well thought-out. Again, this is why I don’t need published fiction.

Nails by BlueRoboKitty Words: 3,435 Author's Summary: Barely weeks after the events of S2, Lance decides to break Keith out of a bad habit and ends up creating a confrontation he's not sure he's prepared to deal with. My Comments: I love fics where Lance just can’t HELP being a caregiver and he HAS to save Keith from himself because can you believe him, can you believe his terrible habits. And if it helps them find some understanding and get to know each other better, well, I’m ALL FOR IT.

The Tide by Zurela Words: 4,116 Author's Summary: Lance doesn't know whether or not he can trust Keith to have his back. But now that he's stuck under a tree, with broken bones, and on the verge of drowning, it seems he might not have a choice. My Comments: Yet another flavor of hurt!Lance, this time with Keith along for the ride. This one hit the spot.

Piecing the World Back Together by Zurela Words: 7,929 Author's Summary: The Galra have taken control of the ship again. Only this time, they've brought a druid. And Lance is the only one in the castle. And he's not doing so good. Oh boy, this is bad. My Comments: Mild Klance, but mostly about Lance dealing with things alone until his team can come. I love love love Lance’s breakdown in this one, because it was awful and heartbreaking but it wasn’t over the top, and everyone was able to respond right away and tell him that his bad thoughts about himself weren’t true. And he was heroic too, my dear blue boy. Great fic.

familiar by achieving elysium (Ogygia) Words: 40,874 (13/?) Author's Summary: Altean!Lance AU.The only one who remembers the fall of Altea, Lance struggles to find a place in a band of misfits he will never fully trust. Secrets aren't the only thing on the rise; on the other side of the battlefield is Zarkon, someone Lance once saw as a brother and now his greatest enemy. But Voltron has always protected the universe, and the Blue Paladin won't stop now. My Comments: Finally, an Altean!Lance AU I can rec with no reservations. This is a really interesting and different take on Lance, with him being a veteran, technically much, much older than everyone else on the crew, and dealing with a whole ton of trauma and trust issues. Some secrets came out in the recent chapter that really have me salivating for more.

Home by Zurela Words: 7,385 Author's Summary: The members of Voltron have noticed that Lance has been behaving suspiciously lately, and make some assumptions. Well, all except one. My Comments: Lance is such a DARLING in this one. Gah, I love him.

He is the Heart by aurumdalseni (kyo_chan) Words: 2,479 Author's Summary: Hunk is the paladin that helps hold them all up, but sometimes he needs to be reminded just how much he's cared about in return. [A "Five Times Kissed" ficlet (gen/non romantic)] My Comments: Hunk appreciation! YESSS. I love everyone’s different ways of showing how much they love Hunk.

Blue and Blood by kimuracarter Words: 2,773 Author's Summary: The team rescues Lance from the clutches of the Galra. My Comments: Heartbreaking, but very well-written. This is one of those fics that I read more than once. Maybe more than twice. Very id fic for me.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Blue and Bruised by DizzyBunnies Masks by TiedyedTrickster Handbook of Demonology by squirenonny for Pechat (absolutely BALLER chapter) Truce by kyanve Love and Other Questions by squirenonny Little Lions by MidnightCreator A Dream Away by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Out of Phase by LittleWhiteTie Lost in the Stars by WingedChickadee I'm not the Lance You think I am by KairaKara101 Stardust, Silk and Steel by CalicoTomcat

[bisexualqueenreyna]

honestly, can you really expect me, who was raised in nonsense pjo fics, writing one of my first voltron fics with no silliness? if course not. Which is why I give you this weirdo fic in which Lance is turned into a kid. With the right amount of Langst ( tm ) of course

Title:  your worth

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11033379

Couple: Hunk/Lance, Allura/Shiro

WC:  7075

“What do you mean you can’t find Lance anywhere?” Almost shouted Hunk, looking between Allura and Coran like he was expecting Lance to jump out from behind them. It didn’t happen.

Allura held up her arms. “Me and Pidge have been trying, but it’s like something is blocking off the Blue Lion’s signal and that Lance is not wearing his suit. The signal connects to the suit, but there is no response.”

Keith crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, can’t you use the signal to track the uniform down or something?” 

Pidge shook her head. “It seems like I can’t access at all, I’ve been trying. And the lion…” She paused and glanced at Allura and Coran. “The lion is like actively trying to stop us from finding it.”

The reaction was immediate.

“Why on Earth would it do that?”

“Maybe the Galra have him and Lance is trying to protect us?”

“Can the lion even do that? Isn’t that like, impossible?”

“It is possible.” Everyone turned to look at Allura, who was frowning at herself. She looked up at the rest of the paladins. “In case of extreme danger, the Lion is able of cutting itself off from everyone and everything. But this requires years and years of trust between the Lion and its paladin, and the lion must me absolutely convinced that the paladin might be in danger with anyone else.”

Shiro gave her a long look. “Are you saying that the Blue Lion thinks that Lance is in danger with us? That we are a danger for Lance?”

Coran hummed. “Not necessarily a danger. It could also simply mean that the Lion doesn’t trust us.”

Hunk seemed at loss for words. “Why wouldn’t the Blue Lion just contact the rest of the lions? We are Voltron!” he stressed, looking at the rest of the paladins.

Pidge shrugged. “According to Allura it’s almost impossible that Lance and his lion have already formed such a strong relationship with each other-”

“Not impossible.” Coran said, twirling his moustache in thought. “I’ve seen Lance spending more time than anyone else on this ship with his lion. Sometimes I even see him with Blue in the middle of the night.” He explained.

The yellow paladin chewed his bottom lip before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter! We have to find Lance, there must be something we haven’t done yet that could help us.”

“No need. He’s coming.” Said Keith, not bothering to look at the rest of the team.

The other boy snapped. “We all know you’re a super emo and that you don’t give a shit about Lance or feelings, but Lance is a part of us! So please do shut you quiznack mouth and-”

“What I mean,” said Keith, looking at the angry Hunk with a confused stare, “is that the Blue Lion is coming.” He said, pointing straight ahead of the ship. True to his words, the Blue Lion was approaching the castle ship really quickly, but still was not on the castle’s radar.

Allura glanced at the others. “Guess there is only one way to find out what happened.” She decided. Then they ran off to the hangar.

The blue lion was already there when they made it to the hangar. But instead of opening his jaws and letting Lance out, the huge robot roared the moment he saw the rest of the team, effectively stopping them in their tracks.

“That did not seem friendly. Am I the only one who thinks that did not seem friendly?” asked Hunk, staring worriedly at the creature. No one said anything, but Keith had a hand on his blade, ready to use if necessary.

Allura frowned. “The lion… he’s telling everyone to back off.” She said, surprised.

The black paladin frowned. “What? Why …? And how do you know… actually, this is not the time.” He turned to face the Blue Lion, who was almost scowling at them, if robot lions could scowl, that’s it. “We are paladins of Voltron! We are here to help-”

He interrupted himself, as a hologram came out of the Lion. It slowly formed itself into a hand, before flipping them all off. The princess blistered at that. “How dare you!” she screeched, getting ready to attack the robot, like it wasn’t 10 times her height and could sprout lasers from its jaw and eyes.

The Lion growled menacingly, getting ready to jump, but Coran stopped the princess before she could get too close. “You are no use for us if you get destroyed by Lance’s lion.” He turned to the Lion. “What happened to Lance? Is he inside? Is he okay?”

The Lion huffed, locking eyes with Coran for a moment. Then he rumbled in its chest. Allura frowned. “The lion only wants Coran to go inside.” She explained them all.

“Is it safe? He seemed pretty hostile up until now.” Mused Pidge, looking at the animal from the corner of her eyes.

The red haired man shook his head. “It’s the only way to find out what happened to Lance.” He told them, and started moving towards the animal.

The huge lion immediately opened his jaws when he saw Coran approaching. The redhead man climbed on top and disappeared inside the robot, while the paladins of Voltron stayed exactly where they were, waiting for the man to say something. Or Lance to appear. Whichever happened first.

They didn't have to wait long.

“Oh, Holy quiznack! Is this you Lance?”

Allura and the rest of the team were waiting for Coran to say something else, but the man seemed to be speechless. After what seemed like years he finally came out of the lion, now rending the paladins speechless. Because what he was holding in his arms…. Was a baby.

Pidge was the first to ask what everyone was thinking. “ What on Earth is that?”.

Allura then gasped, blinking at the baby in Coran’s hands. “According to the Lion… that’s Lance.” The baby, who was somewhere around 2 and three years old, looked up at the name. And yes, the dark skin, dark eyes… everything reminded them of the Blue Paladin, except that he was, you know, shrunk. When he saw everyone looking at him, Lance let out a tiny squeal and then his face in the older man’s chest.

Coran cooed, much to everyone else’s dismay. Then he blushed, and cleared his throat, giving everyone a hard look. “It looks like we’ve got a problem.”

Lance was sitting on one of the desks in the observation room, a thumb in his mouth s he swung his legs up and down, humming to himself. He hadn’t really said anything to anyone since arriving, and Allura and the others didn’t quite know what to do with him.

How much did he remember? Did the Garla do this? Did someone else? And why?

While Coran prepared the machinery to see if there was anything else wrong with him, the rest of the team was staring at Lance from a corner of the room, talking to each other in hushed tones.

"How on Earth did that happen?" wondered Pidge, watching the small Lance playing around on the table.

Keith shrugged. " I don't know, but it creeps me the fuck out." He turned to Allura." Did we get anything out of the blue lion?"

The girl shook her head. "Nothing other than the fact that it knows a surprising amount of curse words."

"Do we even know that he's not dangerous? I mean, he could be spying on us. Which explains why the Blue Lion was so mad, maybe?"

Hunk shook his head. "The garla are bad and ugly and evil. Look at baby Lance! He's adorable!"

While they were arguing witch each other, Coran was finishing up with what he needed for the machinery. He held up  two small sticky things, like the one's they used in ECG scans as he smiled at him. "Right Lance. This is not going to hurt but we're going to make a few tests to make sure we know what happened to you. Is that alright?"

The little boy scrunched his nose, then pointed directly at Shiro "Space Dad." he said.

Shiro stared at him, bewildered for a moment, before pointing at himself. "What did you just call me?"

Lance smiled and clapped. "Space Dad! I want space dad!" he repeated, looking very proud of himself.

The black paladin turned to Keith and the other. “Did he just say space dad?”

Before anyone could reply, Lance sniffed loudly. “Space… dad?” he asked, his lower lip trembling.

“Just go, before he starts crying!” almost shouted Pidge, pushing the older boy to where Lance was sitting.

The toddler smiled, showing two small dimples and reached out to hold Shiro’s hand. The paladin’s eye twitched, but he forced himself to smile, and squeezed Lance’s hand right back.

Lance’s smile was so warm, that for a moment Shiro forgot how messed up the entire situation was.

“Unca Coco make test.” Explained to him Lance. “But Lance not sca’d, Lance got space daddy and space daddy stong and beat bad people for Lance!”

Hunk cooed even louder from where he stood at a safe distance from them, while the rest just looked positively freaked. It was adorable, yes, but this was Lance. There was something so so wrong about the entire situation.

Since Shiro did not seem inclined to make any conversation, Coran tried to distract the little boy. “If I’m Uncle Coco and Shiro is space daddy, who’s space mummy?” he asked him, starting the scans.

Lance pointed at Allura. “Space mommy is a pincess, and space daddy loooooves pincess much and they ma’ied.” Shiro let out something between a yelp and a dying pterodactyl sound, while Allura turned brittle red. Lance continued. “The Fish, and Hunkie Pie and Kith.”

“Are they all your brothers and sisters?” asked him Coran, trying not to laugh at everyone’s faces.

Lance shook his head. “No! Space mommy and space daddy are ma’ied, and Fish is baby. Kith is baby too. Unca Coco is unca.” He explained, looking exasperated by the older man. It was hysterical.

Hunk pointed at himself. “What about me? Am I your favourite brother?”

Lance shook his head even more vehemently than before. “Hunkie Pie my hubband!” Hunk’s eye twitched. Lance smiled. “My hubband and I looove Hunkie Pie. But Hunkie Pie don love Lance no mo becse space.” He looked down at his legs, and let go of Shiro. “Space daddy and space mommy ony love Kith and Fish and Hunkie Pie. Lance is sad.”

The little boy sniffed, and everyone looked at him in sudden concern. “Only meow meow love Lance.” Lance looked up at Shiro, eyes filling with tears. “I want my mommy!” he cried out, as fat tears started rolling down his cheeks.

“Allura do something!” called Keith, while everyone else just stared at the wailing toddler.

“Why me? Shiro is there!” she pointed out, taking two steps back.

“You are space mommy, right? Do the mommy thing and save our eardrums!” he pleaded.

The girl glared at him, before wincing when Lance started crying even louder. “There is no heteromativity in space!”

Then Shiro picked him up, and settle him down on his lap. “Ehi, ehi, it’s okay. There is no need to cry. Why are you crying Lance?” he asked him softly, soothingly caressing his hair. “Space- ahem, space daddy is here. And he loves you very very much.” He kept talking sweet nonsense, but it worked, as Lance stopped crying and just sniffed a bit, holding tight on the older paladin.

Pidge elbowed Keith. “I think Allura’s ovaries just exploded.” she whispered.

Keith just stared back at her, trying to figure out how could ovaries explode without leaving trace or making any noise, and how did Pidge even figure it out.

“So? You found anything?” asked Shiro, once everyone was sat at the dining table with a plate of space goo- ahem, Coran’s amazing cuisine.

Lance was staring at the food with a disgusted look from where he was sat between Pidge and Hunk and right across from Keith, while Coran, Shiro and Allura were speaking.

The tech shook his head. “There is nothing physically wrong with him. No malfunction, no signs of garla teach, nothing. He’s just plain old Lance, except-”

“He’s smaller.” Concluded Allura with a sigh. She turned around to say something, just to catch Lance flip an entire spoonful straight at Keith’s face. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LANCE!?”

The boy startled, before glaring at her. “Kith is mean and this is nasty!” he shouted back. “I don’t wike this!”

“Well, there is NOTHING ELSE, SO MAYBE EAT IT?” Fired back the princess.

“Calm down maybe?” muttered Shiro, but Lance was louder. “I HATE YOU!”

“I AM YOUR MOTHER, SO YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE QUIZNACK!”

“Language!” called Shiro, helplessly.

Lance scrunched up his face and then threw the plate straight at Allura’s face. “NO!” he screamed back, blowing a raspberry and running out of the room.

Pidge was holding her stomach as she laughed on the floor, while Keith was glaring at where Lance had disappeared. “Can we kill it yet?”

“No, Keith! Lance is our friend, and your new baby brother and- holy shit, we just let a 3 years old baby run around the castle by himself.”

Everyone looked at each other for one second, before they started running towards where Lance had disappeared.

“Lance? Lance!”

“Lance, come back! We’re going to get you something better to eat!”

“Lance? I forgive you for insulting my food, come back!”

“Come out, come out you little sh- I was going to say adorable tiny baby, stop looking at me, Shiro.”

“Lance Charles McClain, I swear if you don’t show your face right now… I am going to cry!”

“Stop, everyone.” Said Shiro, looking at them. “Let’s think it rationally. If you were Lance, and were trying to hide from everyone else, where would you go?”

“The Swimming pool!” called Pidge and Hunk at the same time, high fiving each other.

The girl smiled at their surprised expression. “Me, Hunk and Lance are the Garrison trio. Do not forget that.” Her smile wavered for a moment. “Although it seems like I’ve forgotten it, lately.”

Hunk squeezed her shoulder, before everyone quickly made their way towards the swimming pool.

They found Lance at the edge of the pool, his clothes drenched and crying near the pool. When he saw them, he ran to Allura and jumped in her arms. “I am sowry!” he cried, as the woman held him in her arms.

Allura gave Keith and Shiro a look. Why and how is he so adorable? She mouthed, patting him in the head. “It’s all right. Now we’re going to get you in a shower while me and Hunk make you something to eat. But no more messing around. Understood, Lance?”

He grinned at her. “Yes mam!”

“MORE BUBBLES!” ordered Lance, playing with in the bath while Keith tried and failed to wash his hair.

The red paladin was getting more frustrated the more Lance refused to stay still. “That’s enough bubbles. You could get hurt if there are too many bubbles.”

Lance glared. “No! MORE bubbles!”

“Did you even hear that story about a baby called Kance? Well there was this baby called Kance that always made his brother Leith ran a bath for him, and always complained about wanting more bubbles. So Leith got very mad and put all the fucking bubbles in Kance’s bath. Kance fell in the bath and died. The end. You don’t want to end up like Kance now, do you?”

Lance stared at Keith for a couple of seconds. Then… “SPACE DAD! SPACE MOM! KITH HURT ME!”

“WHAT?!” The red paladin looked at him in horror. “I DID NOT SUCH THINGS, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM!”

Shiro, who had appeared out of thin air the moment Lance had started screaming frowned at them. “What’s going on?”

Lance pointed at Keith. “He sad a bad word! And then he sad he goin to killll me!”

Shiro glared at Keith. “Keith! Come on dude!”

“He keeps asking about the fucking bubbles!”

“Language!”

Lance held up his hands and let Shiro take him out of the bath, sticking out his tongue at the red paladin the moment his back was turned. In return, Keith flipped him off, but of course Shiro turned around in time to see that. “Keith, instead of trying your best to annoy Lance, how about you go help Pidge or something.”

Keith could only stare after him in betrayal, while Lance smirked and held tighter on Shiro.

When Shiro finally appeared in the main hall, the rest of the Voltron team was already assembled there. Hunk was sitting on one of the bigger chairs with Pidge, sharing a plate of what looked like popcorn, while Keith was leaning on the wall, arms crossed around his chest.

Allura and Coran to decipher something on the main screen, but stopped when the black paladin entered the room. Shiro sighed. “He seems all right. He fell asleep after making me sing soft kitty, and he seemed just fine, but… Have you guys found anything that might help us turn him back?”

The princess blushed for a moment when Shiro looked up at her, then shrugged. “Blue still refuses to say anything that isn’t extremely rude. Whatever happened to Lance, it affected the Lion so deeply that he doesn’t like us anymore.”

Coran bit his lower lip, thinking. “We could try asking Lance some questions.” He proposed.

Hunk arched an eyebrow. “In case you haven’t noticed, although Lance hasn’t lost the ability to speak, he lost the ability to make any sense.” He told him.

“Has he?” asked Coran. “Cause he made a lot of sense to me when he started crying and said that no one loved him. Even when he was talking about Shiro loving everyone but him.”

“That is not true! I love all of my paladins: Keith, Hunk, Pidge-” he started listing off.

“And, ‘looking at smudged piece of paper, Kance’?” asked him Pidge, typing on her laptop.

Keith stared at her confused, while Shiro glared. “I was going to say Lance Charles McClain.” He told her, glaring.

“What I was saying, before I was oh so rudely interrupted,” said Coran, “is that perhaps Lance thinks that we do not love him as much as we say we do.” He finished.

Keith tilted his head to the side. “I'm confused said.”

“No one is surprised by that.” Said Pidge, rolling her eyes.

“Wow, now that Lance is out of commission, you really are campaigning for bitch of the year.” Spat the red paladin, glaring.

The girl arched an eyebrow. “As a defending champion, are you threatened?” she asked, as sweetly as a snake.

“How about we just go to sleep for now and figure it out tomorrow? Because, personally, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Lance is now a 3 years old baby and somehow I became his space dad.” Shiro said, running a hand through his hair.

Pidge grinned. “Ah, yes, and Allura became your wife aka spaceman!”

Both of them blushed at her words, while Pidge and the rest of the paladins bursted out laughing.

“Good night everyone!”

“Goodnight!”

“Goodnight!”

“Goodnight.”

At least the day was over, thought Shiro, as he closed his eyes and laid down on the bed. The sweet release of deat- ahem, sleep.

It wasn't even an hour before the black paladin was awakened by the sound of a crying child. Of course Lance would wake up in the middle of the night. He was a toddler. That’s what toddlers did.

He groaned loudly, pushing himself off the bed and making his was to Lance’s bedroom. When he finally entered the bedroom, he found the boy on the floor crying and Allura sitting next to him, trying to calm him down. “What happened?” he asked, settling down on the other side of the boy.

Allura shrugged helplessly. “I think he had a nightmare and fell off the bed and now I can’t get him to fall asleep again because every time I try to leave the room he starts crying.” She explained, looking tired and exasperated at the same time.

Shiro could relate. “Then just stay here with him. He's going to end up waking up the entire ship.” He pointed out. “I’ll stay too.” He promised, before turning his attention to Lance. He put an arm around the boy’s neck and pushed him closer to himself. “What is it that you want, Lance?” He asked the boy, while Allura gently caressed him on the back.

“I want Mummy and Daddy.” sobbed the boy, now holding on to both of them.

Shiro was way too tired for the entire thing, so he picked up Lance and put him back on the bed before tugging Allura to lay down on one side of the boy while he laid on the other, effectively sandwiching him between them.

He was so tired he fell asleep immediately, Lance’s breathing evening up as he fell asleep too.

When Lance woke up in the morning both Shiro and Allura were still asleep. He managed to extricate himself from the double hug they were trying to suffocate him with, quietly climbed over Allura and made his way towards the kitchen as soundlessly as possible.

There he found Pidge, whistling to herself as she tried to make something edible out of Coran’s useless ingredients. The girl did not even startle when she noticed the younger boy, and smiled down at him.

“You want something to eat?” she asked me him.

Lance closed his eyes in concentration and then lit up. “I want pancakes!” He decided.

Pidge snorted at this. “Don't all of us?” she sighed, looking at the food in her bowl with distaste. “Unfortunately, we don’t have it here.” She pointed out, but Lance was still smiling with an almost mischievous light in his eyes.

“Earth space small!” Simply said the other boy.

This time Pidge understood exactly what he was saying. She put down the rest of the food, and grabbed Lance’s hand. “Let’s freaking go, then.”

                                                             +

“What do you mean Lance is gone?” Asked Coran, looking horrified between Allura and Shiro.

Allura sighed. “I mean that Lance woke up in the middle of the night crying and me and Shiro went in his bedroom to calm him down-”

“Yeah, riiight.” Muttered Hunk to a confused Keith.

Allura glared and continued.  “… and we did and he fell asleep. But because we were so exhausted we didn't notice him when he woke up this morning. My guess is that he's somewhere with Pidge.” She explained.

Hunk shrugged. “Pidge said that she was going to make breakfast this morning and she never came back. I was hungry so I went to look for her and I couldn't find her anywhere.”

“Where could they possibly be?” Wondered Coran.

Shiro thought about it, then turned to Hunk. “Okay, a third of the Garrisson trio is here. Hunk, imagine you were with them, and a baby Lance walks up to Pidge and demands a particular food. What would-”

“Go with Pidge to the Earth shopping mall and buy something for them.” He said, without thinking. “Oh, fuck.”

And it turned out Hunk was right when, 30 minutes later, Pidge and Lance came back, the green paladin with a sugar cane in her hand, while Lance was beatifically licking a chocolate ice-cream. Pidge pretended to be remorseful as Allura, Coran and Shiro reproached her for her behaviour, but she was definitely grinning when they turned around.

Lance was too busy eating his ice cream to notice her and Pidge bit her lip, wondering what that strange ache in her heart was.

Allura looked at the bowl of what Pidge had informed her were Earth’s cereals with a high key unimpressed expression. What was so interesting about hard things put in a bowl then drenched with milk until they turned soggy?

She found Lance sitting in his bedroom, where Shiro had promptly passed out on the bed. She snorted at the sight of the exhausted paladin, before smiling down at Lance. “Morning, Lance! I got you some cereals!” She called, watching fondly as the boy left paper and crayons on the floor and ran towards her. What? Yes, baby Lance kept making her feel like a mother to be and full of sunshine and fuzzy feelings, sue her.

While Lance devoured his breakfast, Allura chose to look around the room. She kind of felt bad for not having been there before, but in her defence, being there would have meant suffer through hours of Lance’s awful flirting.

Although, now that she thought about it, she couldn’t even remember the last time Lance had actually hit on her. She had been too busy trying to tell herself that Garla Keith= bad Keith without even giving him a chance, that she hadn’t noticed Lance.

A strange box coming from under Lances bed caught her attention, and she took it in her arms, wondering what it was. It was heavier than it looked and she frowned to herself, before opening it up. Her mouth fell open. Dozens and dozens of make up pieces were filling the small container, from face creams to eye and nail products, to perfumes and simpler brushes and blenders. It was beautiful.

The most beautiful thing she had seen in years, which, counting that she had been asleep for 10000 years and been fighting garlas for the few months she was awake, wasn’t much. But still.

“Where the quiznack did you get this?” She asked, cradling an Olkari conditioner in her hands. Lance smiled.

“Mermer pwincess an paice ma'w and casssl.” He explained, before lighting up. “Do ma makh uf?” He asked, chewing the remains of food in his mouth.

Allura lit up.

“So… it looks like today’s my turn.” Said Hunk, looking down at the bored Lance. The younger boy had been left in his custody by a very tearful looking Allura earlier on, and Keith had magically disappeared, claiming that the small baby hated him. Which meant that Hunk had to look after him.

Despite having said to everyone that Hunk was his husband, Lance had not seemed the tiniest bit interested in him. He literally spent more time tormenting Keith with Pidge, or helping Coran around, than he did looking at Hunk.

And okay, it hurt.

It hurt a lot, no matter how much he pretended it was fine.

It hurt that ever since they had gone to space, his relationship with Lance had all but lost he flirty banter, it hurt that Lance had stopped making any sort of allusion to the two of them, and it hurt him to admit that he hadn’t tried or fought enough to keep him.

And apparently everyone else had had the same sort of experience.

Shiro blamed himself for how he had not-treated Lance. The blue paladin, one of the legs of Voltron, had all but been forgotten by Shiro. He felt like he barely knew who McClain was, while he always made himself in four to train Keith, listen to Pidge or console Hunk. He had thought Lance did need it like everyone else did, but in doing so, he had only succeeded in alienating the boy.

Pidge blamed herself for the distance she had created between herself and Lance. Back at the Academy, Lance had been the first one to notice her. Even before they were put in the same team, Lance knew who she was. He had immediately cornered her after lesson and asked her bluntly why was she sneaking in the command room. She had made him believe that she was Mark’s brother, and he had believed her, but still… Lance had been there for her from the very beginning and she had forgotten that.

Allura blamed herself for not having seen before what Lance was trying to do. The reason why he had stopped hitting on her was not that he found someone else to torment. It was just that he had no one else there for him, and he had reached out for her, in an awkward attempt at friendship that she hadn’t understood. Even all of his flirting, none of it was genuine. It was all a ruse, but she had been too quick to judge his character to bother understanding why he did what he did.

Even Keith blamed himself for not having been able to see what Lance saw. Every time he compared them, every time he made a connection between the two of them, Lance was just trying to find a link. Something that might make him less than just that one fifth member of Voltron and more our friend, the blue paladin. He wanted what Keith had: a place in the team, and people who actually cared for him for more than what he did with Voltron.

Coran had regrets too, even though everyone assured him that if there was one person who shouldn’t feel guilty it was him. No matter how busy he was, no matter when and how, the engineer was always aware of Lance. He always knew where he was, he always tried to find him and bring him in, however he could. If Lance skipped lunch, Coran was the one who made sure there was something for him and went to look for him.

And Hunk? He had always felt the closest to Lance. In fact, back during their Garrison days, they were dating. They had started going out merely a month after moving in in the same apartment. They had a bond. Lance had even sent him a text saying ‘And that’s why I love you, Hunkie Pie’, the day they first met Shiro and became paladins. And then space happened, and Hunk never said it back.

And Keith appeared and Allura, and Lance was flirting left and right- which was something he had been doing even when they were on Earth and had never bothered Hunk before- and making friends, and Hunk had stepped back. They returned to being friends. And no matter what looks Lance would throw his way, or how many cheesy pick up lines he said around him, Hunk never once tried to go back to him. He and Pidge became even more friends than him and Lance, and… they left him behind.

So yes, he kind of got why baby Lance was not even saying a word to him.

He smiled down at the boy. “Do you wanna play something with me?” he asked him, hopeful.

Lance looked at him, and for a second Hunk thought he could see something in those eyes, something older than the three years old, something of the old Lance- but then he blinked, and little Lance was standing up and walking out of the room.

                                                            +

Hunk found him a few minutes later, passed out on the front seat of the Blue Lion. The huge robot was looking down at Hunk like he was a step away from ending his miserable life with his paw, but Hunk didn’t back down.

“I wanna know.” He said, resolutely. “I wanna know what happened to Lance.”

The lion didn’t move, but Hunk could feel a cold chill running down his spine just by the way it was looking at him. At least it hadn’t flipped him off. Yet.

“I love Lance. I loved him before and I love him now, and I’m sorry for everything that happened to him. I am sorry for how much pain me, and the rest, have caused to your paladin. I don’t know what happened when you were blasted away, or where did you end up, but I really want to. I want to right my wrongs. I want to fix my mistakes.” He looked up at the robot. “So please, blue lion, let me see. Let me help Lance.”

For a second, Hunk could visualise the Lance defence squad- aka Blue Lion and Coran- just smacking him repeatedly, but the lion actually opened his mouth, allowing Hunk inside. Although a part of him felt like the lion was just living up his dream of chewing team Voltron in his mouth. No one would ever know.

Once inside, Hunk found Lance fast asleep on the pilot chair and put a hand on his hair. “Lance.” He whispered, before turning to the interface. He didn’t have to press anything, before the screen lit up and a video started playing.

Hunk gasped.

                                                              +

Lance was laying on the ground, a hand on his side as he tried – and completely failed – at stopping the blood from pouring out of the wound. He had multiple scratches on his face, a very obviously broken leg and his shoulder looked out of his socket. Despite the obvious pain, though, he didn’t look worried for himself.

“Blue, you have to go! If the Galra find out where I fell, or the pirates…! You have at least to get away, just in case.” He hissed, spitting blood from inside his mouth.

The lion growled.

“I know, I know, you told me not to fight the druids,” he rolled his eyes. “But what other choice did I have? They were holding that poor alien hostage, and I am a paladin of Voltron!” he snorted. “Whatever that means, anymore.”

He closed his eyes, and the lion whined.

Lance snorted again, then winced in pain, opening his eyes. “Sorry, sorry, I’ll keep my eyes open. I couldn’t just leave someone innocent, and you know it, Blue.”

The lion growled again, and Lance bit down his lip. “No, I am not mad she left me by myself, I am used to it. Everyone leaves me in the end.” He whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Which is why I wanted to thank you, Blue. For always having my back. For never leaving me. But now, you have to leave, girl.”

The lion – or lioness, according to Lance – shook its head, laying down at Lance’s feet, their faces on the same line. If he hadn’t been hurting so badly, Lance would have patted her head.

“The only regret I have, is that I will never be able to tell anyone what I did. Shiro won’t ever say ‘I’m proud of you, Lance’. I would never see Allura actually interested in anything I have to say. Pidge will never listen to me telling my story and make jokes about it until I laugh. Keith won’t ever know how his technique is the only way I managed to save the chick. And Hunk will never see me as a hero, as something cool that can be loved. He will always see me as that wimp that got us all in this horrible mess and I’m just going to die.”

Lance sniffed, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I never wanted for it to end like this, you know, Blue Beauty? They probably won’t ever notice I went missing. Maybe Coran will look for me. Make sure he’s safe, and never gets forgotten, you hear me?” he asked the lion, who just whined again.

“I wanted to make more jokes with Pidge. I wanted to train with Keith and Shiro and be seen as an important part of the team. I wanted to talk with Allura about how much we care for Hunk and Shiro and show her my collection of make-up, maybe ask her about the Altean stuff I found around the castle. I wanted to get Hunk to love me like I love him. I wanted to be an important part of the team. Someone who doesn’t get forgotten.”

Now, he was crying, in pain and sadness, blood and tears mixing with each other. “I didn’t want it to end like this, but it has to.” He sniffed, and swallowed. “You have to go now, Blue. I love you and I don’t want you to see me this way. Please. This is an order.”

The lioness whined again, and made to move when someone appeared next to them. Looking like crossing between an Earth woman, a butterfly and a mermaid, was the alien they had saved from the Garla ship by themselves.

She looked at him in distress. “You saved me, paladin. I could never thank you enough.” Then she looked at the lioness, who was a step away from blasting her head off. “I can help. I can take away the pain. The pain from the wounds, and the pain from in here.” She explained, pointing at his chest. At his heart.

“No.” said Lance, closing his eyes. “It’s too late. Blue can just find a new paladin. It’s all-”

The lioness roared so loud that the ground was shaking, and Lance opened his eyes. He would have chuckled, if he wasn’t in so much pain. “I guess Blue wants what Blue wants.” He answered, trying to focus on them.

Then the fae casted a spell, and the screen went black.

                                                       +

Everyone stood in front of the screen, looking vary degrees of sad and angry. No one had any words to say. What could they say, really. Sorry Blue? Sorry for not seeing? Sorry for not being there?

“It’s all my fault-” started Shiro, putting a hand on his face. “I should have noticed, I should have tried.”

Pidge shook her head. “It’s everyone’s fault. We all did this to Lance, not only you.” She turned to face the small boy, still asleep on the pilot chair.

Pidge was right. If only they had been there, if only Lance had asked for help, if only they’d tried harder… maybe this wouldn’t have happened. But what could they do now?

Allura turned to the Lioness, putting one hand on the control panel. “What happened after? Is there anyway we can turn Lance back?”

The blue lion let out a low rumble, and the princess frowned. “Tell him? We just have to tell him?”

The rest of the team looked confused at that, but Shiro nodded. “He is in this condition because he doesn’t believe we care for him. If we tell him, or show him, that we do actually care-”

“It should be enough to reverse the magic.” Pidge nodded. “Okay then. I’ll start.”

She stood over the small sleeping baby and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry Lance.” She started, “I’m so sorry for forgetting you. For leaving you behind. For creating a gap between us, when I should have been there for you. I am sorry.”

“And I’m sorry too.” Said Shiro, putting a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “I forgot you too. I am the team leader, I’m supposed to be there for every single one of my paladins. But I wasn’t there for you. I left you scramble by yourself, and I’m sorry you never once heard me say these words, but,” he gave a small smile. “I am very proud of you.”

“I am proud of you too.” Said Keith, looking almost uncomfortable under everyone’s stares. “We could have been friends. I could have helped you out. I should have helped you raise yourself instead of helping you putting yourself down at every chance I had. I am sorry, Lance.”

Allura smiled down at him. “I should have tried to look past my prejudices, past my usual distrust. I should have given myself a chance to see what you really wanted from me. Thinking about it now it should have been so easy to realise that you were never once interested in me. But I was just so convinced- anyway, I’m sorry, Lance.”

Hunk looked down at the baby, and sat down next to him, a sad expression on his face. “Why were we both so stupid? Why did we not fight for each other? Why did we do the stupid thing and just not spoke to each other?” he shook his head. “It was my turn to deal the cards. You told me you loved me. I didn’t answer you. No, instead we ended up in space and I spent weeks avoiding you. And for that I’m sorry.”

For a moment, everyone stayed silent, looking down at the small baby Lance. Then Hunk smiled, giving him a small kiss on the forehead. “I miss you buddy. And even though you might never remember this, I have to say it. Lance McClain, I, Hunk Garret, love you too. To the moon and back.”

                                                            +

“Lance? It’s time to go back.” Said Mez, the magic human slash butterfly slash mermaid alien chick. Lance looked up at her from where he was laying down.

“Go back where?” he asked, confused. He wasn’t really listening though. It was almost lunch time, and his mother was calling everyone to help with the plates and if he dared to be late…

“To the paladins. To Voltron. To the Blue Lion.”

Lance shook his head, before smiling and waving at his older sister. “Wait up, I’m coming.” He then turned to look at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m happy here.”

“Lance, they miss you. You should go back.”

“Why? I am happy here. I have my family. There is no Zarkon. Everyone is happy.”

“But this isn’t real. You know this isn’t real.”

Lance studied the figure of his siblings, laughing and calling his name, and everyone’s smiley face. Everyone was happy. Lance was happy. Why should he go somewhere where all he felt was pain and sadness?

“They understand what they did was wrong. They get it. But Lance, you weren’t fair on them either. It’s easy blaming everyone else when we don’t bother making the first step ourselves.” Mez smiled. “You called them out on their bullshit, and I’m here to call you out on yours. You have to go back.”

                                                          +

When Lance woke up, he found the rest of team inside his bedroom. Coran was asleep at the door, Pidge was somehow laying on his pillow, Keith at the feet of his bed. He was sandwiched between Allura and Shiro, while an asleep Hunk was holding onto his hand, and he smiled.

Maybe this wasn’t his idea of happy. But in a way, this was perfect.