I'm Not Alone Down Here

by AmyR

Summary:

Lance and the blue lion crashed on a nearby planet after getting seriously injured in battle. Both are very banged up, and with the blue lion out of commission, Lance takes to exploring on his own. He soon realizes that that was a terrible idea and that he's not alone down there.

Chapter 1: No Response

The insistent ringing in Lance's ears increased in pitch and volume, forcing the boy back into the world of the awake. The blue paladin groaned, the pounding in his head distracting him from everything around him momentarily.

He took in a deep, shuddering breath and his eyes slowly focused onto the world around him. There was next to no light, but whatever he was lying on was freezing, and felt like metal.

Blue!

He was in blue. He suddenly remembered the painfully bright flash of light, and then the burning.

He forced himself to his feet, using the ridges in the cockpit's wall to pull himself up. A loud groan escaped him, and the ringing in his ear quieted momentarily.

"Oh thank god," he slurred out, vision swimming.

This however, only caused the ringing to come back at twice the volume. He became very aware of the feeling of something moving down the side of his face, and he was suddenly certain that it was blood.

It was almost completely dark and his eyes seemed unable to focus, making him rely solely on memory to pick his way through the wreckage of blue's cockpit to the pilot's seat. His knees gave out as he reached the chair, causing him to throw his body at the back in an effort to keep himself on his feet. A cry slipped past his lips as a sharp pain halted his movement, originating from his chest.

His ribs seemed to be broken, and breathing just got a whole lot harder. His ears rang, not only from the noises over his helmet, but also from the panic that built up in him.

"Blue?" He called, his voice pain riddled. "Can you hear me girl?"

He got no response from Blue, and it took everything he had to keep from collapsing right there and then.

"Shiro? Hunk?" He called out to the air.
He received no response through the comms, but the ringing increased.

"Keith? Pidge? Allura?" He tried again, hearing his own voice grow more desperate.
"Coran?" His called, his voice cracking.
The ringing grew even louder, threatening to deafen him.

He whipped his head trying to get away from the noise, but that only resulted in jostling his chest against the chair.

His breathing grew heavy as pain coursed through him and spots appeared in the darkness before him.

He raised his hands in an attempt to get his helmet off. The comms weren't working and the noise wouldn't go away. He had to get it off.

His body stilled, his breath hitching in his throat. He looked down at his side where his left arm lay limply, not responding to his commands.
His arm was broken. He couldn't take off his helmet.
Panic set in again.
His arm was broken, his ribs were broken, he was ready to pass out and he was slowly filling his helmet with blood.
This was very bad, and that was all he knew of.

"Okay. Up we go. We can do this," he mumbled to himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he used his shoulders to push himself off the chair.
He couldn't just sit around. The team had no idea where he was, and Blue was severely crippled. He wasn't going to wait for something to come get them.

Chapter 2: The Team

The team watched helplessly as Lance and the blue lion fell out of the sky. It had happened so quickly. One moment they were with them, taking out Galra left and right, then there was a bright light, and everything went bad from there. They could hear Lance's screams of pain and his lion, roaring in their minds as they watched. They fell toward an unknown planet, and the team had lost sight of them there.

"Keith! See of you can find out where he landed!" Shiro shouted, dodging a cannon blast.

The red paladin grunted in affirmation and broke away from the group.

"Coran! Track him! Find out what planet that is," He ordered as Hunk slammed into him.

"I'm already on it," the orange haired man said. "It seemed he's on the planet called Ieria. There's a warning here saying that's landing is unadvisable, but that is all we seem to have on it," the advisor said, his voice confused.

"What?" Hunk demanded, never ceasing fire on the Galra before him.
Worry gnawed away at him. His best friend was just shot out of the sky, he needed to help him now
"That can't be all!" He insisted.

"I'm sorry number 2, but it seems like no information was ever collected on this planet. That is rather odd. I wonder why," the advisor murmured.

Hunk swallowed, a fist suddenly closing around his heart.

"Why wouldn't the castle have any data on that planet, unless...," he trailed off.

"Unless no one who landed there got out," Pidge finished for him, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"No! Lance will be alright!" Keith's voice sounded over their comms, stubborn as ever.

"Paladins. Quiet! Listen," Allura commanded, speaking for the first time.

In the midst of battle, the paladins of Voltron stilled, listening to their downed comrade call out helplessly for them.

"Lance!" Shiro shouted as the younger boy called his name.
"Lance? Buddy? Can you hear me?" Hunk asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

Their hearts plummeted as he continued calling out for them, unable to hear them, his voice growing more desperate.

"Lance, my boy. Can you hear me?" Coran asked, he voice soft and filled with worry.

When Lance didn't respond, his worry only grew.

"Guys. We have to go get him. Now!" Pidge said, her voice hard.

"Yes. But Lance will be fine if he stays in blue. We cannot allow the Galra to get down to him, to the castle, or risk them getting to the planet," Shiro said, already hating the decision he was making.
"Right now, our job is to take care of the Galra. Then Lance," he said.

"But Shiro, we all know what Lance is like. He isn't going to sit still and do nothing. We have to go get him!" Hunk begged.

But Shiro remained adamant.
"No. He will be fine. Were all assuming the worst of the planet. For all we know, they could have simply forgotten to research that planet. Look at how small it is. Right now, just focus on the Galra," he repeated.

The was a sound from Pidge, but no one else objected. They simply fought off the Galra, all the while listening to Lance's pained breathing and cries.

Chapter 3: Exploring

Using all his willpower, Lance one handedly climbed the walls up to where there was a little hatch that allowed access to the lions. Bracing it on his back, he managed to push it off and it thunked loudly against blue, swinging on its hinges.

Accepting his fate, he jumped off of blue's back, landing painfully on the ground. He collapsed onto his back, gasping for air as the pressure on his chest suddenly grew exponentially. He struggled to keep his eyes open, blinking furiously to clear them of sweat and blood. Inside his lion, he had thought that his eyes had been unfocused. However, in the marginally better light of the planet, he could see that it was because there was a thin layer of blood coating part of his visor. He raised his hand in an attempt to remove it, but soon realized that it was on the inside.

Lance exhaled loudly, breathing ragged breaths, the ringing in his ears soft. He spread his limbs eagled around him, and stared up at the sky.
He groaned, willing his eyes to focus and his brain to comprehend what he was seeing.

The sky over his head was barely visible, all just turning into undistinguishable darkness. From what he could see, they had landed in some sort of forest. There were hanging vines all around, and he could only hope that none of them were anything like snakes on Earth. The ground he was lying on felt hard and dry and, as far as he could see, was a dark orange. It reminded Lance of a mix between sand and dirt. The trees surrounding him loomed high and intimidating, and the eerie darkness around him caused the most unsettling feeling in his stomach.

The blue lion lay on a bed of broken trees, tangled in vines and other greenery. Lance had no idea how long he had been in there, but it seemed like vines had started to grow on her metal body.

He swallowed thickly, a distinct copper taste present on his tongue. With a loud gasp he pushed himself off the ground, managing to get into a kneeling position.

"Okay. Come on Lance. Up," he murmured to himself, trying to psych himself up to the task.

His body bowed forward slightly as his head spun, feeling himself slip closer to unconsciousness. He had to get up. He stank of blood and was outside his lion. There was no way he could get back in, so he had to move. He was already easy pickings for any creature that lurked in the darkness, he didn't need to make it even easier.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts, and struggled to his feet. The simple action left him winded and faint.

"No!" He insisted. "Just start walking," he commanded himself.

And so, Lance started walking. Keeping the lion directly behind him, he made his way into the ever darkening forestry.

Chapter 4: The Forest

Lance had always felt somewhat comfortable in forests, mainly because his old house had been bordered by a dense forest that he and his siblings had loved to play in. That one had always felt homely and safe to him but now, it was completely different.

"Keep moving," he chanted softly to himself, willing himself to keep moving. "Just keep moving."

The thick greenery allowed no light through, keeping Lance in a constant state of dark and unease. A hot ghost of a breeze brushed past him on occasion, and it brought with it whispers and sounds that chilled Lance to his core. The entire forest seemed unnaturally alive, and he had the constant feel of eyes watching him. He had lost sight of Blue a few minutes after leaving, and the only thing that kept him from turning back was the fear of seeing something behind him. In his peripheral, figures danced in and our of the gloom, leaving behind dark trails in his sight. No matter how quickly he walked, they were always just out of reach, fingers just brushing him.

Branches crackled and twigs snapped, each sound causing Lance's heart rate to skyrocket. His mouth ran dry as his eyes darted around looking for the source of the noise. His fist was clenched tightly at his sides, his movements sluggish due to injury. His breathing was quick and shallow, just barely taking in enough air. He could almost feel the twig-like limbs of the darkness reaching out to grab him as he shouldered his way through the woods. He remained as silent as possible, wary that noise would alert more creatures of his presence. He felt certain that if he stayed still for too long, he would be swallowed up by the darkness.

The feeling of unease never left him, only growing stronger the further from blue he strayed. In his mind, possibly delusional from blood loss, he got the unsettling feeling that everything that landed on this planet wasn't supposed to leave. It all got integrated into the planet and became the darkness.

By now, his only goal was to get off this planet alive. And suddenly, the thought of actually dying entered Lance's mind, and didn't leave.

Chapter 5: Harmless

The other paladins worst fears were realized as the heard Lance quietly telling himself to keep moving. He had gotten out of his lion and exploring. He was injured, as made obvious by the pain in his voice, and was out and about in a strange place.
Typical Lance.
Too curious for his own good.

However, the situation quickly deteriorated as the heard his breathing become more rapid, and his chants turning to panicked murmurs.

"Keep moving. Don't stop or it'll get you. Dont stop," the boy whispered, fear obvious in his voice.

His words alone was enough to make all listening blood run cold as their worry for their friend increased.

"Shiro, you heard that too," Hunk whispered, his voice unsteady. "We have to go for him. NOW!"

Their leader remained silent, the only noises heard were the sounds of the remaining Galra either fleeing or fighting as losing fight, and Lance.

"Shiro! Hunk and I are going down there. There's barely any Galra left. You and Keith can take care of them on your own. We're going for Lance," Pidge said, her tone authoritative.

When Shiro still refused to answer, Pidge didn't bother to wait any longer.

"Come on Hunk!" She called, speeding off towards the planet's green surface.

It looked harmless enough.

Chapter 6: Ghost

Lance's breathing turned haggard as his body threatened to collapse under him. He was exhausted, but he couldn't allow himself to stop.
That was when it would get him.

He saw as ever so slight thinning of the trees and, in the hopes it would lead to a clearing, Lance dragged his body in that direction.

Then the ground beneath Lance's feet suddenly collapsed and he was plunged into total and complete darkness.

The scream that left his lips was bloodcurdling, and he felt the knobbly limbs finally grab onto him. Their hold was tight and it told Lance that they weren't too keen on letting him go. He scrambled around in the darkness, his eyes unable to adjust, trying to pull his body away from them. His fingers closed around a cold, rounded structure. As soon as he made contact with what felt like stone, the grips on his body disappeared at once.

His shuddering and tear filled sigh of relief was audible enough to be heard over the comms. He felt as if he was able to breath again, even though the air was stale and unnaturally still. His heart slowed slightly and he allowed himself a moment to rest.

"I really shouldn't have left blue," he laughed quietly to himself.

The darkness, while considerably less alive and viscous. Seemed to have the feel of people being in there with him. Instead of causing him to panic however, it sent an uncomfortable feeling of calm over him.

His hands traced the stone he had been latched onto, his fingers delicately picking out the letters that had been etched into the rock.
It was a language that Lance did not know, but that did not stop the panic from welling up inside him.

A gravestone.
He was in a graveyard.

The scream that ripped through Lance's throat then was ungodly. He scrambled away from the grave, only to be met by another cold lump of rock at his back.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in his peripheral. This one was different, more solid. His eyes actually allowed him to focus on it, but his throat closed and his limbs locked up.

The figure was obscured by darkness but was obviously a woman. Her face was hidden yet it seemed familiar to Lance, and not in a good way. She was short and hunched over, obviously very aged. She seems to be standing on, no through a gravestone. She was definitely a ghost, and was here to punish lance for stumbling through their scared place.

They both stayed still, staring at eachother in complete silence before the figure lifted a wrinkly hand and pointed straight at Lance's chest. Lance felt his heart pause in his chest as she did that, and his urge to run suddenly skyrocketed.

She threw her head back in a silent scream, yet it echoed through his skull. She focused her now glowing red eyes onto him and suddenly charges headfirst at him. She passed through the headstones, and crashed straight into his cheat, her form dissolving into mist.

Lance's body froze, his heart gave a weak stutter before he gave out completely and slumped over, unconscious.

Chapter 7: Hunk

"Lance! Wake up!"

The voice caused him to jerk awake, arm flailing as he tried to get away from the woman he had seen.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay," the voice soothed, running a hand through his hair.

This hand didn't feel knobbly or evil, and the voice was kind and friendly.
So Lance took a chance and opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that the ringing was finally gone. Also, his eyesight was more or less clear, meaning so was his helmet. His eyes focused slowly onto the shape of Hunk.

Lance laughed out a slightly delusional but happy sigh at the sight of his best friend. He would have hugged him if he could. At least he was real and warm and nice.

"Hunk!" He said, his voice raspy and painful to use.

Hunk laughed softly running his fingers through Lance's hair once again.

"Yes. Lance. It's me. I'm here buddy," Hunk murmured to Lance.

"Pidge. I got him. You ready to go? Please say yes. This place gives me the creeps," the yellow paladin said into his helmet.

He focused his eyes onto Lance once again, watching as the younger boy seemed to search the area anxiously. The cave was lighted by Yellow's eyes and it made the gravestones even more creepy.
Why had Lance even been in a graveyard? Why did he scream? How did he manage so long in this creepy place all on his own? Why was he hanging onto a gravestone?

Questioned buzzed around his head but he remained silent, storing them away to ask when his friend was in better condition. Lance seemed really beat up, and he was amazed that he had made it this far from his lion.

Not only did his friend have an eerily haunted look about him, but he was seriously injured. His breastplate was cracked and barely being held together, so Hunk could only imagine the condition of his ribs. His helmet had been smeared in blood and he had a nasty gash on the side of his head that was still leaking blood. His arm was bent at an unnatural angle, telling him that it was broken, and chunks of his armour from the rest of his body was missing. Also, Hunk had found him passed out in a pool of his own blood. When they had used his suit to track him, his vitals had been all over the place with an elevated heart rate, and breathing. His body temperature had been fluctuating, even with his armour on, they had picked up on high levels of adrenaline in his system and he had already lost a lot of blood. Coran had also picked up on the neurochemicals and hormones that shunts blood away from the intestines and towards the muscles. He had said that Lance's flight or fight response had been activated. Hunk swallowed, glancing around him wearily, not all too keen on meeting whatever had managed to get Lance so scared.

Pidge confirmed over the comms that she was more than ready to leave as well, breaking into his thoughts.

Hunk picked a barely conscious Lance up into his arms. His frame was shaking slightly and his face was unnaturally pale.
As he moved Lance, the boy grabbed onto him, seemingly hesitant to leave the place. His eyes searched around him, blown open in fear. The sight only made Hunk more eager to get him in a pod.

"Lance. Come on. We gotta get out of here," he encouraged the boy.
Lanes eyes swept his surroundings once again before he nodded.

Hunk gave him a reassuring smile and loaded the blue paladin onto his lion. His eyes swept around similarly to how Lance's had, not even sure what he was looking for before hurrying to the pilot's seat. He left the creepy planet as soon as possible, heading toward the castle.

Chapter 8: Muttering of a Madman

Lance's eyes couldn't stop searching.
Where had the woman gone? Why did she look familiar?
God. He hoped he would never see her again.
Her eyes had burnt their image behind his eyelids, causing Lance to make every effort to not close his eyes for too long.

Lance's heart hadn't stopped hammering. Figures constantly danced in and out of his peripheral as he sat nestled in the yellow lion. The dim light in the cockpit did nothing to keep them away, and he felt the creatures grasping at his arms. They had reappeared as soon as he had left the graves. He mumbled softly to himself, unsure of what he was saying, simply trying to distract himself from what he was seeing.

He had clung to Hunk as the older boy seemed a lot calmer and way less afraid. But now he was alone in a corner with only himself, the darkness, and them.

The exhaustion Lance had been ignoring suddenly dropped onto his body like a 10 tonne weight. His whole body ached and he struggled to suppress a scream. He fought to keep his eyes open as his head lolled against his chest. He knew he was fighting a loosing battle as his vision grew unfocused and his limbs fell slack at his sides.

Hunk glanced back at Lance only to find him passed out cold sitting in a pool of blood. The smell was overwhelming and Hunk fought back a wave of nausea, his thoughts only on his friend. The paladin was in terrible condition and it worried Hunk immensely. He urged yellow to hurry, the Castle quickly coming into sight.

"Hunk. Is Lance alright?" Allura questioned over the comms.

Hunk looked over Lance once again, contemplating his answer.

"Honestly. No. Not at all. He's really badly hurt. And he's bleeding a lot. But he's been mumbling. He's been saying some really creepy stuff," Hunk admitted, his brows creasing.

There was silence on the other end before Keith finally broke it.

"What kind of stuff?" He asked, voice impatient.

"Well, he's been going on about getting away from somebody, or something. And that someone is missing. Saying to stay away from the dark. That the stones were safe," Hunk said, his voice hitching slightly. "He said that they're going to get him."

"W-What?" Pidge choked out.

She could play as tough as she wanted. Everyone knew that she thought of Lance as an older brother and if anything happened to him, it would break her.

"I don't know Pidgey. I don't know what happened to him, or what he saw. All I know is that he needs a pod NOW. Coran,were coming in," Hunk instructed, the hangar doors for the Yellow lion's opening.

He saw Pidge towing a battered blue lion into the green lions hangar before the doors shut. Hunk left his lion to land and rushed to Lance's side one again, scooping him up as gently as he could. Ever move he made caused the boy to groan in pain, and he even coughed up some blood.

He wasted no time, brushing past the concerned team that had gathered in the hangar to see Lance. He saw Allura physically recoil back in shock at the sight of the blue paladin, hand slapping over her mouth. Hunk raced to the medbay where Coran had a pod ready and waiting. Coran's mouth dropped open in concern but he said nothing, starting to pull of the remains of Lance's armour.

"Should we put him in the cryosuit?" Shiro asked softly, standing behind Hunk, offering whatever assistance he could.
Allura stood a ways behind him, eyes filled with worry and tears, her hand never leaving her mouth.

Coran's eyes passed over Lance once again before he silently shook his head.

"No. He's already in enough pain. Well change him later. Put him in," he said solemnly, lifting Lance's arm over his shoulder and gesturing to Shiro to help him.

Only after Lance was safely put into the pod did Pidge finally burst into the room.

"What's going on? How's Lance?" She asked, voice panicked as she raced over to the pod.

"Coran. What does this say? How long will he be in there?" She asked, jabbing her finger roughly at the display screen that showed Lance's vitals.

Keith walked into the room after her, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He had obviously been trying to keep Pidge out of the medbay so she wouldn't have seen Lance in his current state.

Coran sighed heavily and moved to look at the screen, resting a comforting hand on Pidge shoulder.
Her whole body tensed up as she prepared for the worst.

"It seems like he is seriously injured. I assume the brunt of the damage was caused by the shot and the fall to the planet," Coran said, his voice sad.
"His left arm is broken in two places, his ankle is twisted, four of his ribs have been shattered completely, and he has suffered a serious head wound. He has lost a great deal of blood and I assume was in immense pain. However, we can only hope that the adrenaline numbed it down a little. According to this, he'll be in there for at least a few phoebs," Coran finished.

The team was silent, their eyes focused on Lance. The Cuban was stoic in the pod, his chest moving slightly. The only sound was the beeping of the heart monitor as the pod monitored his vitals.

A soft sniffle broke the near silence. Hunks eyes widened frantically as he whirled around to see Pidge furiously swiping at her eyes.

"Oh god. Pidge. No. Please don't cry. He'll be alright," Hunk murmured, scooping the smaller girl into his arms.

She nodded against his chest but kept sniffling, trying and failing to stop.

Chapter 9: The Team

It had been days, over a week, in which Lance had been in the pod. While no one wanted to admit it, the silence that hung heavy everywhere was taking a toll on them all.

Hunk don't feel like cooking in the empty kitchen. Usually Lance is there, filling the space and not ever letting silence reign. Now he wasn't. He would usually act as his taste tester, commenting and recommending changes here and there. It gave Hunk something to do in the emptiness of space. If he wasn't cooking, he would hang out with Pidge and Lance, trying to occupy himself. Lance was always there, and he had become the one thing Hunk had accepted as a constant in their crazy lives.
Pidge tried to work, but she kept making mistakes. This of course resulted in her working harder and neglecting her health more than usual. Which, in turn, leads to even sloppier work. It was a never ending cycle of failure. Lance would usually be the one that would drag her away to eat and sleep and things like that. And sometimes, he would sit with her asking questions, forcing her to explain what she's doing, and basically making her check over her work.
Keith was faring no better. Lance had been a constant presence for them all, but for Keith, he had been his impulse control and his motivation to do things. Keith would spend hours training and practicing, just to get to a level higher than Lance. Their so-called 'rivalry', and his competitiveness, motivated him to strive hard to do better than Lance. It gave him something to do, to distract himself from the silence that usually reigned.
Shiro seemed to hold it together on the outside, but inside he was just as worried and affected as the rest of the team. Everything got so quiet and still. It was like someone had died. The flurry of activity they were used to was gone. Part of the team, part of Voltron, was gone. Shiro watched his team, silently eating their dinner, one by one excusing themselves. A part of Voltron was missing. A part of the machine was missing. One of the most important parts. It couldn't work with it. They couldn't work without Lance. Voltron needed Lance.

Honestly, the Alteans seemed the best off out of all of them.
Allura missed Lance's presence and his terrible jokes and playful flirting. But she had grown somewhat accustomed to loss. She held it together for the team, a constant reassurance that Lance would be alright. She would remain strong for them.
Coran as well was accustomed to loss. He had lost his son and his wife, but the sight of Lance in the pod felt like he was losing his son all over again. Lance was his favourite out of them all. He always had time to listen to the stories of an old man talking bout a lifetime past. And now the only sound in the medbay was only the steady beeping of Lance's heart.

Chapter 10: Out of the Black, Into the Blue

Lance remained in the pod for longer than expected, also causing the paladins condition to deteriorate as well. When Coran and Shiro had appeared from the medbay to announce that Lance would finally be coming out, the team had dropped everything.

They all huddled around his pod, staring at his stoic body behind the freezing glass.

"Just a few more tics," Coran confirmed, a small smile on his face.

True to his word, the pod opened with a whoosh of air, and Lance fell.

Shiro was the one who caught him, keeping him from face planting with the ground.

Lance's eyes cracked opened, blinded from the light. The first ting was the biting cold, numbing his skin. The second was the numerous dark figures huddled all around him. The third was the glowing blue light all around him, causing panic to surge up, and the fourth was the feel of something cold and evil pressed against his skin. He jerked away, limbs flailing as he tumbled to the floor, too weak to stand, just wanting to get away.

He brought up and arm to shield himself as he felt the bodies draw nearer, but they moved slowly and hesitant, stopping before they touched him.

"Lance?" A voice whispered, tiny and afraid.

He saw the smallest approaching him, an arm outstretched.

"Lance? Can you hear me? It's me, Pidge," the voice said, getting even smaller and wobbly.

 

Pidge.

Something clicked in his brain at the name, and instead of moving back, he slowly lowered his arm.

He saw Pidge kneeling in front of him, arm outstretched but not touching him, and tears in her amber eyes.

"P-Pidge?" He whispered, voice hoarse and shaky.

His body relaxed slightly on saying her name, and he folded his legs beneath his body.

A blinding grin broke out on her face as she nodded frantically, brown coloured hair bobbing with her movement.

Lance's eyes travelled around to the group of people surrounding him.

Hunk, warm brown eyes filled with worry.
Keith, his eyes were grey or purple, Lance couldn't tell. But he did look angry, causing Lance to recoil slightly.
Shiro, a comforting brown, eyes filled with concern.
Coran, his eyes were a bright blue, but hooded over with worry, darkening the colour. He studied Lance, his eyes seeing beneath the surface, seeing the unbridled terror that the blue paladin tried to hide.
And Allura. Her eyes were a vivid blue that caused his heart rate to skyrocket. Something about her eyes, the detached way she was studying his face unsettled him. He dropped his gaze, suddenly more willing to look at Coran than at her.

"Lance?" Pidge whispered out again.

His eyes darted to her, her face calming him somewhat. He took in her features, letting her familiarity steady his heart.

No one else dared to speak. Lance seemed on edge and all round pretty scared.

What had happened to him?

Pidge inhaled deeply, calming her heartbeat as she held Lance's gaze.

"Can I give you a hug?" She asked, voice soft and vulnerable.

Lance's eyes searched her face, not saying a word. Pidge sat silently on her heels, waiting for an answer.

She did not know what Lance had gone through, but obviously it was something that unnerved him greatly. Something that messed with his mind if the way he kept searching her face told her anything. And they way he kept glancing back, towards the darker corners of the room unsettled something deep inside her.

Lance nodded slowly, bringing Pidge out of her thoughts.

Her eyes widened slightly as she remembered why and wasted no more time. Diving head first towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest, and her legs clambering up his sitting frame to wrap around his waist.

He tensed momentarily before relaxing again and tentatively wrapping his arms around her small body.

He chuckled softly at the familiarity of it all, and the tension in the room reduced significantly at the sound.

Hunk was next, appearing on Lance's line of sight over Pidge's head. His eyes pleaded, asking a silent question. Soon enough, Hunk's arms were wrapped around the duo securely.

The team, one by one, appeared in Lance's sight, silently asking permission to hug him. Even Keith came forward. No one spoke, but everyone could feel the slight tremors off Hunk as he squeezed Lance tightly, silent tears falling. When Allura stepped up, Lance's eyes flickered away from the blue, but he still nodded, offering a smile.

Chapter 11: Camping Out

They all lay on the mattresses spread on Lance's floor. Lance in the center, Pidge wrapped securely around his right, head on his chest. Hunk was on his left, hugging both Lance and Pidge. Keith was to his right, his body pressed to Lance's with Pidge nestled between them, and Shiro was beside Hunk.

The Alteans had opted out, leaving Lance with the rest of the paladins for the night. Originally, it had only been Hunk and Pidge who were going to spend the night with him, but Coran had pushed for them all to stay. He had said that Lance could do with all of their company right now.

Coran had instructed Hunk to keep a close eye on him, and the yellow paladin had agreed without hesitation. Everyone was worried about Lance, but had agreed to not push for information. However, since he had gotten out of the pod and spoken to Pidge, he had barely uttered another word after that.

The silence in the room was loud, only interrupted by the soft breaths of the paladins. The door had been left slightly ajar to allow light from the corridor to filter into the room.

Keith watched Lance's face, illuminated by the soft light. He could see that Lance's eyes were blown wide open, staring at the ceiling. Next to him he could feel how tense Lance's body was, even as he wrapped an arm loosely around Pidge.

Keith struggled to stay awake with Lance, wanting to make sure he was okay.

Every time he thought the phrase 'Lance was okay' the anger in him burned brighter.
He was angry at everyone but no one all at the same time.
He was angry that something had happened to Lance that had him thinking that in the first place. Angry that he had allowed it to happen by leaving him on the planet in favor of the Galra. Angry by the fact that Lance could barely look at them and when he did, it was with terror. Angry by the way Lance seemed constantly on edge, always glancing behind him like there was someone there. Angry with the way that Lance had been constantly silent. Angry by the fact that he had no idea how to help. And most of all, angry at himself for choosing to leave him on the planet.

•-•

Shiro was no better. Guilt gnawed away at his stomach. Guilt and anger.

He had been the one to decide to leave lance on the planet. Sure Keith had supported him, but ultimately it had been his call, his responsibility. He had risked the life of one of his own and was now reaping the consequences. Only, he wasn't. Lance was the one that was suffering due to Shiro's decisions.
He was angry at himself.
He saw the look that had flashed across Lance's face when he had looked at Allura. He saw how Lance kept glancing about, avoiding the dark as much as possible. He had heard what he had been saying. It was the look of a haunted man.
And Shiro knew it well. It had taken him so long to finally be able to work past his own.
But Lance, Lance was just a boy forced to face something god alone knows. He was too young for this sort of thing. Too innocent.

He looked at the paladins laying beside him and sighed. They all were too young for this.

Chapter 12: Miss Linett

The next few days consisted of Lance simply going through the motions. He woke up, trained with Keith, showered, ate breakfast with the team, did whatever exercise Allura had planned for them, spent some time with Hunk, time with Pidge, with Coran, and time with Blue. He would then occupy himself as best he could until dinner when he ate with the team, showered, then went to bed.

The other paladins had moved out due to Lance's insistence. He had even managed to crack a smile, which had sold them. Lance hadn't been able to tell them the truth. That while their warmth and presence was the best thing possible, the sound of their soft breathing in the dark scared him. It reminded him too much of the sounds on the planet. That he wasn't alone.

The silence however, was only marginally better. It allowed Lance to think. And his thoughts always strayed back to the graveyard. And the lady with the wide smile and piercing blue eye.

The team had given Lance some space, not pushing him to know anything. And Lance was grateful. But he knew he wasn't getting better.
He still saw things out of the corner of his eyes, in the shadows and the shroud of night. But he started seeing more.
He saw the old lady that used to live on his street.
She was the type of person you couldn't describe as neither sweet nor mean.
She used to scold Lance every time he walked past her house on the mornings, and invite him in for a snack when he passed on evenings. This was a regular thing, and every evening she would ask a favour. Always something simple. To help her move something, to read something out loud, to help her cook something. The most gruelling task had simply been to help plant a few flowers in her backyard. He never minded, and knew she cared about him. She was old and less able, and Lance was kind and helpful.
All the other children had called her an obeah woman.
A witch.
Even his siblings, but he knew better. They always warned him not to eat what she made, not to eat the fruits from her garden. Not to get too close. But he didn't listen.
She had known what they would say about her, and never even bothered to defend herself when Lance had told her. She had simply smiled and given him another cookie.

Whenever he was with someone she would leave him alone however, her black eyes following him to the end of the road.

She had died suddenly.
It was a day like any other they had said. She had been all alone and in pain.

Lance had been the one to find her. He had passed her house on his way back from school and the rocking chair she usually sat in was empty. He had gone up to her door and had knocked, just to see if she was okay. The door had swung open, the lock broken. She had asked him to fix it, and he had brought his tools today to do just that.

He had wandered into the house, calling her but getting no response. The ding of the oven had called him to the kitchen where he found her.

She was lying on the ground with her eyes wide open, staring without seeing, hand outstretched above her head. She had been baking, wade obvious by the cake that just finished and the dirty utensils that lay broken on the floor beside her.

Lance had screamed then.
Loud.

He had been terrified, running for his father to tell him, barely able to see through the tears.

Certain details of the day had long gone hazy. His family told him that had had come crying and screaming like a mad man. Dragging his father to the house, not able to give an explanation. That he had refused to even walk on that side of the road for months. That he had refused to talk to anyone for weeks after. He couldn't remember any of that.

However he could clearly remember the smell for the house. It smelt like the cake, chocolate, his favourite. And he remembered her eyes. Looking without seeing, the black colour flat and cold.

The sight had haunted his dreams for years after that, and was something he never truly got over.

Chapter 13: Team Meeting

"Lance!" Allura called, her voice cutting though the air like a knife, making him stop.

He turned slowly to face her, unsure of what was going on. His gaze carefully avoided her eyes, trying to keep away from the blue.

"Lance we need to talk to you," Shiro said, his voice considerably gentler.

Lance swallowed thickly. He was expecting this. They had let him sort things out on his own as he had requested, and now they needed an explanation.

The team was worried about Lance. He was so much quieter. So much more reserved. He never joked around anymore. Barely smiled.

"Lance please," Keith said softly as Lance hesitated.
"Talk to us," he begged.

Lance nodded minutely, and slowly moved to the space on the couch where he had been sitting before Allura and Coran had walked in. They were in the paladin lounge, Lance the focal point with all eyes trained on him.

It quickly became obvious that he was not going to be the first to speak, so Allura pushed forward.

"Lance," she said gently, "can you look at me?"

Lance visibly stiffened but obediently lifted his eyes. He topped short of her eyes, refusing to stare at the colour.

"In my eyes?" She pressed.

Lance hesitated and shook his head, dropping his gaze to the floor. He was here to tell them, so might as well be completely honest.

"I can't," he whispered.

"Why not?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper as well.

"It reminded me too much of her eyes," he admitted, glancing over at the person next to her.

Thankfully, it was Keith and Lance had no problem with the colour of his eyes.

Lance observed Keith's face as the registered his answer. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth twisted in confusion.

"Whose eyes Lance?" Hunk asked, "who do they remind you of?"

Lances eyes flicked to Hunk's warm brown ones. He only saw concern there, growing even more worried as Lance's face scrunched in fear.

"The woman. The one that was in the graveyard," he whispered out, almost afraid that she would hear him.

The whole team went completely still as those words left his mouth, save Hunk.

"What woman?" Hunk asked gently, "I didn't see anyone there."

Lance shook his head, glancing around him and drawing closer to Hunk.

"She disappeared. Just before I blacked out. When she touched me," he said.

Hunk remained silent, recalling the chilling feeling that had hung in the air of the cavern.

"Hold on," Pidge interrupted, face as white as sheet.
"What graveyard?" She asked, voice horrified.

Lance's eyes swept over to her, taking in her features.

"Where Hunk found me. It was in a graveyard. I fell in," he told her, acutely aware of the others in just as much shock.

"How did you manage to fall into a graveyard. I can't imagine that those are hidden away," Keith said, voice harsh.

Lance drew away from him slightly, not missing the regret that passed over his face as he realized his tone.

"I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to get away from the dark. I thought it was a clearing," he admitted softly.

"That's another thing. Lance we could hear you. What were you running from?" Shiro asked.

Lances eyes flicked to Shiro's, a frantic look on them.

"You could hear me?" He asked, a sudden betrayed look crossing his face momentarily.

A look that Shiro did not miss. One that caused the guilt in his chest to triple.

"What were you running from?" He asked again, nodding slowly.

Lance swallowed, hyper aware of the shadows that shifted around him.
"The dark. There was something in the dark. And it wanted to get me," he said, eyes flickering down to the floor.

It seemed dumb to say it, to admit that he had been afraid of the dark. It had felt so real, so terrifying.
But they faced monsters daily. Shiro had faced them on his own for a year.

Lance suddenly felt guilty, like he didn't deserve all the pity they gave him. He felt like he was faking. What he had gone through was so insignificant in comparison to Shiro.

All while Lance spiraled, the team dealt with their own fears. Their blood ran cold as Lance said that. The fear in his eyes, the way his voice shook. What they had heard over the comms.

They imagined it to be similar to a nightmare suddenly becoming real. Injured and alone in the middle of some unknown place, with only darkness all around him. That was the stuff nightmares took root in, the brain twisting things out of shape. Contorting and changing the surroundings until you were frozen in fear. And Lance had had to endure that on his own.

However, he had not been frozen. Lance had been ready to run. He had walked through the dense forest for hours on his own. He had been scared, but not by something in his mind. The fact that they also lacked any data on the planet only supported their fears.

"Was it like the woman?" Hunk asked, the first to recover having been there.

Lance shook his head.
"It was just dark. Figures and shapes between the trees. In my peripheral. I could feel them touching me," he said, voice cracking.

He drew in a shuddering breath, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, trying to push the images from his head.

"I'm sorry. You guys must think I'm so dumb. Getting scared by something like the dark. Especially when we face the Galra regularly. An-" Lance started saying, eyes glued to the floor.

"Lance," interrupted Hunk, "it's not dumb. I was down there. And I thought I was imagining it, but there was something down there. In the dark."

Lance stared at him, a weight suddenly lifting off him. Hunk believed him. He didn't think he made it all up. That he was just scared of the dark.

"Is it just Allura's eyes?" Pidge asked suddenly, drawing all attention to her.

When Lance cocked his head slightly at her she clarified.

"Is it just Allura's eyes that remind you of there?"

Lance shook his head and guilty glanced at Coran.

"No. Coran's eyes too. And sometimes even mine," he admitted, voice shaky.

The girl looked shocked.

It slowly dawned on the team what Lance had been going through.

He couldn't even look at himself in a mirror without being reminded.

"Oh Lance," Shiro breathed, moving to wrap his arms tightly around the younger boy's huddled frame.

"Do you still see them?" Coran asked, the first time he spoke since entering.

Lance nodded slightly.
"They're not as present as they were on that planet, but I started to see more solid figures."

Hunk furrowed his brow and sat forward, even closer to Lance.

"Miss Linett," Hunk whispered, more a statement than a question.

Lance nodded nonetheless, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Who?" Keith asked, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"A lady that used to live on the same street as Lance. Probably a witch. She used to feed Lance," Hunk summarized poorly, causing a small laugh to escape Lance.

"She was not a witch," he argued, a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips.

Hunk raised his brows in disagreement but said no more.

"So Lance saw someone from his childhood. She was different from the dark?" Pidge asked.

Lance nodded.
"She just kind of looked at me. Didn't say anything. Just watched me."

Pidge suddenly froze.

"They spoke didn't they? In the forest? I thought I had imagined it," she said, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Yeah," Lance exhaled.

"If you stayed still for too long they would get you, wouldn't they?" Pidge asked, once again, it was more her thinking than asking.

Lance still nodded, causing Shiro to squeeze him even tighter.

Hunk suddenly appeared, wrapping his arms around Lance as well. Pidge wormed her way onto his lap and held him tightly. Keith tucked himself neatly between Shiro and Hunk, arms wrapped around lance as well. Allura and Coran once again attached themselves into the group, completing the bundle.

It was then that Lance realized that he was shaking.

"It's okay Lance," Keith whispered, breath fanning his ear.
"Yeah. Don't worry. We'll keep you safe," Pidge confirmed, her voice vibrating against his chest.

The rest of the team made sounds of agreement, squeezing him just a little tighter.

Lance smiled, feeling properly at ease for the first time. This was his family, and his family would keep him safe. They would be there for him, and he would be there for them.

Notes:

Okay. I'm really upset that it's an odd number..

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of If you can't find it, write it.