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Voltron
Reason One: It means he is sad, therefore making everyone else sad.
Timeline: Seasons 1/2
Hunk sat down in the lounge, listening to the chatter going on between Allura and Shiro while Keith shined his knife and Pidge typed away at her computer. Coran quickly sat down next to Hunk and tapped the bigger on the shoulder. Hunk looked over to see a very worried Coran, who proceeded to lean over and cover his face with his hand to whisper in Hunk's ear.
"Number three has been awfully gloomy today. I dont know what to do! I tried telling him a few classic Altean jokes and he didn't even laugh! I need your assistance!" Coran begged. Right as Coran closed his mouth, in came Lance looking just as gloomy as Coran said. Hunk felt a small squeeze in his chest at the sight of his best-friend's sullen face.
"Finally decided to join the party huh?" Keith snickered, not looking up from his blade. The others turned to look at Lance as he plopped down.
"Yeah. The kitchen felt too empty." Lance grumbled as he pulled his knees into his chest and stared at the floor. Hunk could feel the mood in the room shift immediately. Shiro's brow furrowed, Pidge looked confused, Allura looked hurt, and Coran...well Coran looked like a father who's son just got rejected. He was sympathetic really.
"What do you mean it felt...too...emp-...Are you okay Lance?" Keith finally looked up from his blade to see Lance. Lance looked up and Hunk honestly expected him to smile and make a joke about being homesick, but that wasn't what he got. Instead Lance looked up and no smile was present.
"Just...y'know...empty. At home the kitchen was always full, no matter the time. I miss it." Lance whispered. Hunk noticed that Lance's eyes where slightly red. He was crying...The others looked away, all feeling their own sense of homesickness.
"Well...we all feel lonely from time to time out here Lance. It's okay to miss home." Shiro gave Lance a tight lipped smile, trying hard to make Lance smile in return. He didn't. Lance just got back up and saundered off to his room, leaving everyone else worried and sad too.
"He...he's always smiling. It is so odd to see Lance without a smile..." Allura sat there in mild shock of the response that Shiro received. Shiro sighed, pinching his nose with his non-galra arm.
"He's probably just in a low right now. We'll wait it out and see what happens for a few more vargas. If he's not better by then, then we should do something." Hunk listened to Shiro's path of logic and silently nodded his head in agreement. Just a few more vargas, then he'd try to make Lance feel better.
Six vargas later, and every was now in a bad mood. Pidge had been working on her computer since Lance left, and because no one was there to bother her with stupid questions to the point where she had to take a break, she felt exhausted. No Lance to bother her into taking a break.
Shiro had been doing something similar, except he wasn't exhausted, infact, he was far from it. He felt too energetic, like he needed to move. No one was there to nag him into playing a game or training for a few doboshes. No Lance to help him exert his excess energy by nagging him to okay a game or train.
Hunk couldn't do anything. He needed some noise in the background to work. Everyone else was busy and that meant silence. Hunk couldn't stand silence. So he laid in his chair in his lion's bay, upside down, with his head and arms hanging and drapping over the floor. There was no one there to chatter mindlessly. No Lance to chatter to him mindlessly.
Allura didn't seem to notice a disturbance to her routine until she heard the door open and was expecting for Lance to start flirting with her, but it was merely Coran coming in to walk about silently. Allura couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, not that she liked the flirting, but because it was something she was so used to, it felt almost like routine. No Lance to keep up the routine. Plus, it made everyone else seem down.
Coran was out of it. It wasnt that he couldnt do work right now, thats actually what he wanted to be doing. He didn't have anything to do though. He finished all his cleaning, chores, and maintenance for the quintant. So he had nothing to do. No one to spontaneously ask him to to teach them a new game from Altea because they where bored...No Lance to ask him for advice or a game to play.
Keith was affected by this the most. By Lance. He didn't know what to do with himself when Lance saundered off, so he whent to train...again. He grit his teeth as the bot swung at him, nearly knocking him to his feet. He quickly kicked the bot back and announced the 'end simulation' command. He couldn't do this. As annoying as he found it, he still needed someone to make fun of him as he trained or force him to take a break and drink a water packet. He needed Lance to make fun of him and force him to take a break. He needed Lance to be happy again, or at least not sad.
So he did just that. Quietly, Keith walked through the halls, counting his footsteps as he neared Lance's door. He walked forward without thinking to much about what to tell Lance. As his feet placed him infront of Lance's door, it was almost as if he could feel the sullen emotions leaking through the door in an aura of sadness. It made him feel even more desperate to help Lance.
Keith quickly turned his head around to find Hunk and Coran walking down the hall. They stopped as the spotted Keith at Lance's door.
"I'm assuming your here for the same reason?" Coran asked. Keith nodded. "Good! Us too! Though we should probably bring the others, as they might be needed." Coran twisted his mustache absent mindedly.
"No need. Allura got us already. I whent a head and grabbed my weighted blanket for Lance." Pidge nudged her way past Hunk, Shiro following behind her with Allura behind him.
"Huh, I brought him some of the rocks I've collected from other planets. He likes the shiny ones alot." Hunk sadly smiled and the rocks in his hands.
"Let's check on our friend." Shiro smiled, tapping the pad to get into Lance's room.
It was dark inside, and empty. Like, every emptier than Keith's, and that's saying something considering Keith had barely anything. Keith silently pushed his way past Shiro and called out to Lance. A few seconds of silence greeted them before Lance shuffled around in his bed and rubbed his eyes.
"Guys...? What're you doing here?" He slurred. Keith could hear the slight strain in his voice, and noticed how the light from the hall reflected in the streaks of tears covering Lance's face.
"Oh Lance!" Hunk rushed to Lance, nearly tackling him back into his bed. Pidge followed and quickly crushed Lance in a hug too.
"We don't like it when you're sad Number Three, it makes all the rest of us sad. So we are here to cheer you up!" Coran waved a finger in Lance's face as the two hugging him let go. Lance looked around at his friends, his gaze lingering on Keith for a split second more than the others, before giving then a small, barely visible smile.
"That's nice if you guys, but you don't need to." He muttered, looking at his hands in his lap. Allura stood next to Pidge and placed a hand on Lance's shoulder.
"Yes we do. We are all in this together, so we must make sure everyone is alright." Everyone else murmured in agreement.
"Plus! I already brought my weighted blanket for you!" Pidge announced, climbing off the bed and throwing said blanket ontop of Lance. It caught him off gaurd for a second, but the way Pidge triumphantly stood with her arms on her hips and her head tilted up like she was the ruler of the world made Lance giggle. And, oh boy, did Keith's heart skip a beat. Whether it was because he was happy Lance was finally smiling again or because Lance's giggle was adorable, Keith didn't know but neither did he care.
Hunk smiled too, and Shiro, and Pidge, Coran, Allura, and Keith as Lance's laugh became louder. Eventually they all joined in. Once the laughter had died down, Hunk sat back down in the bed and handed the shiny rocks to Lance.
"Now if you need more time before you want to come back out and hang out with us, that's okay. But here are some of the pretty rocks I found in other planets. I thought you might want to look at them." Lance smiled again and hugged his best friend.
"Thanks Hunk." He leaned back and glanced over everyone else again. "Thank you guys, I definitely am feeling better now." That made everyone else, in turn, feel better too. And Keith was happy about that. (Though it's not like he'd tell anyone that.)
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Voltron
Reason two: His insecurities where made fun of, therefore making everyone straight up angry and/or pissed (including Coran. Especially Coran....And Keith, Keith too.)
Timeline: Seasons 2/3
The team had found another planet to join the coalition, and they had been invited to discuss resources the people of the planet could provide, as the planet was one of the leading suppliers for the Galran empire's guns. The planet was called Dhebihora. Lance insisted it was much easier to say than everyone was thinking, and even taught Hunk how to say it. (Apperently it was pronounced Deb-uh-hora and Lance smiled in triumph when Coran said Lance was right.)
The queen of the planet welcomed them with open arms, smiling as they entered the throne room. The entire team was caught off gaurd by how similar the Dheborans where to the Alteans.
There where obviously some large differences in their appearances, such as the markings steming from their faces then covering their whole bodies, their ears where longer, and they had claws. Similar to Galran claws, but they were...less intimidating and shorter. Their biggest difference being their clothing. While Alteans wore very modest and detailed clothing, while the Dheborans wore very showy clothing with simple designs, displaying alot of skin. (Allura later described it as the way they lived. Their home planet was basically a giant forest, and they didn't need to cover up as much because of the humidity of the planet.)
The queen of Dhebihora, Queen Lemiya, talked to Allura and Coran in a separate room with the door cracked while the high council talked to the others. Lance and Pidge where making fun of Matt taking a liking to the queen's next in line, head council woman Tae, who looked very similar to Allura, as Hunk politely was talking to her about the food of their culture. Meanwhile Shiro and Keith where talking to Tae's brother, head council man Theyo about the saftey measures in the planet.
"Oh! Brother! We should invite them to the celebrations tonight!" Tae smiled from where she stood with Hunk. Theyo sighed and looked at her annoyed.
"Fine, but you have to explain to them the traditions of our people. I will not be held responsible for it. And ask the queen first" He pointed at the door that lead to where Allura, Coran and Lemiya where speaking. Tae rushed to the door and knocked quietly, immediately catching the attention of the two ladies and the man.
"Yes dear?" Queen Lemiya smiled kindly at the girl.
"My queen, may we invite the paladins and their friends to join us for tonight's celebrations?" The queen lit up, clasping her hands together as she, Allura, and Coran walked out of the room.
"That is an absolutly wonderful idea Tae! Please do join us tonight. It is a singular night of celebration to honor our freedom and the power of Voltron!" The queen spoke with an excitement that rivaled Lance's at the current moment. Shiro glanced at Allura, who in turn agreed.
"We'd love to!" She said, smiling to.
"That seems like a great idea! It's a great way to boost moral!" Coran said matter-of-factly. Theyo seemed even more annoyed than before, and Tae looked a few tics away from jumping at Allura to give her a hug.
"So...about those traditions Theyo was talking about...what are they?" Hunk asked shyly, pressing the tips of his fingers together as he spoke.
"It is nothing bad, I promise! Traditionally guests are given a formal outfit of our people and have their bodies painted to mimic the markings of our people! Then there are three dances followed by a feast and festivities!" Tae explained, smiling even brighter as she spoke, very happy to share their culture with her new friends.
"Of course you don't have to wear an outfit we give you or have your bodies painted. It's an OLD tradition that I think we should've abandoned years ago." Theyo rolled his eyes as he spoke, making the smile Tae held on her face turn to forced, fake smile.
"It may be old, but that is what makes it tradition. We'd love to follow your traditions, right guys?" Shiro interjected, trying to fix the disapproving glare Hunk and Coran were giving Theyo for making the girl sad.
"Absolutely man! I bet I'd look amazing in one of your guy's outfits!" Lance winked at Tae, making her laugh.
"Please. You are much to skinny to fit into one of our garments. We'll have to have a tailor adjust one for you." Theyo criticized.
"Theyo! That is enough! There is no such need for such terribly rude behavior from you. Go to your chambers and don't come out until the festivities of tonight!" Queen Lemiya shouted at Theyo like a disappointed mother. Theyo left and Tae quickly rushed over to Lance, apologizing profusely for her brother's behavior.
"Hey, dont worry about it! It didnt bother me! See? I'm all good!" Lance gave her a fake smile. The team all knew he was hurt slightly by the comment, but they didn't say anything.
Theyo was correct, unfortunately. A tailor did come into the room that the paladins plus Matt, Coran and Allura where given for the remainder of the day to adjust the garment Lance would be wearing, but the tailor also made adjustments for Pidge and Matt. It made Lance feel a little less self conscious about himself, but at the same time, why did Theyo only remark about Lance's figure and not Pidge or Matt's? The question weighed down on Lance to the point that he wasn't smiling. He didn't even make any remarks to how silly Pidge looked or flirt with Allura. Instead, when it was his turn to change, he just whent into the changing room without a fuss.
In what was basically the mirror, Lance looked up an down at his outfit. It showed about just enough of his body that he felt odd. Sure, he liked to flirt with people, but it didn't feel good enough about his body to show it off. At least the paladin armour was bulky enough to hide his body some. The garment draped over the top part of his chest and shoulders, and his arms each had one golden band around them that weren't attached to the top. At his hips, a golden belt hung and held up the peice of fabric that draped behind his pants. The pants were tight fitting and the fancy boots only hid his calves and knees. The midnight blue was so dark in contrast to his skin that it almost made him look even skinnier. He felt raw and exposed, and he didn't like it. He knew he was skinny, but at this point he was even skinnier then when he was at home, despite all the training.
Lance walked out of the changing room to see everyone else in similar outfits, though obviously Allura had more of a dress type of outfit and Pidge's top was similar to Allura's compared to all the guy's tops. Each person in their own corresponding colors such as Allura in pink, Shiro in black, Pidge and Matt in green, and so on, so forth.
"You were right Lance. I think this kind of outfit suits you in a way." Pidge nudged at Lance as he sat down next to her. Lance gave her smile.
"I agree with number five Lance! I think the Dheboran traditional clothes look great on you!" Coran smiled proudly.
"Really? I knew it! See I was right!" He said with feigned confidence. The same feigned confidence that everyone in the team assumed to be real confidence. He felt the mood in the room shift and everyone seemed to silently sigh a feeling of relief. Except Keith.
Less then a few doboshes later, a knock came to the door. Shiro opened it and there stood Tae with two more girls at either side of her, both carrying a box of their own.
Another tradition that the group learned of the Dheborans was that the color of their markings represented their strengths. One of the other girls who came with Tae, whose name was Maylay, explained the meaning of the colors as she started on Pidge's body. To nobody's suprise, the shade of dark green that was slowly being painted in a sharp, square, tech-like pattern on her body represented intelligence. Pidge lifted her head in triumph as Maylay said that.
"See! Even these people know I'm smart!" She snickered. "I wonder if Matt will get the same color." Pidge turned to Matt, getting a shrug from her brother in response.
"We will see what he gets when it is his turn. We don't pick these based on our impressions of the person you know. We pick them because that is the color that matches the aura of the person." The other girl, Ninari, said.
"How does that work?" Keith asked as Ninari started on his other arm, having just finished his right arm. She was painting a pattern of bold, sharp lines in a deep red on his body.
"Well, each person gives an aura, or a presence. That presence is what guides is to a color and shade. For example, this shade of red is representative of strong leadership." Shiro smiled at Keith for that, as Keith was the Black Paladin at the moment and it only proved his trust in Keith.
On the other side of the room, Tae was painting on Coran's hands already. Coran sat the stilest that Lance had ever seen him as he chattered away with Tae.
"Hey, what does that color mean?" Lance pointed to the teal the Tae was painting on Coran in a pattern of soft waves of dots.
"Oh! Let me guess! Wit?" Coran said with a slight tug at the end of his mustache. Tae lifted her head in laughter, the other two girls snickering.
"I'm afraid not, Sir Coran. It is the color representing loyatly. You trust fully in your princess and it comes from your heart. Also you have a fatherly instinct for one of the paladins here that I will not name for your dignity, which is why this color is more blueish than green." Tae said kindly, finishing Coran's body paint. Coran gave her an understanding nod, as the others in the room besides the two girls painting all gave eachother questioning glances.
Tae seemed to work the fastest, as she managed to paint Coran, Allura, and Shiro before getting to Matt. Maylay had finished Pidge's paint and Nirani had finished both Keith and Hunk's paint. Allura had a pale pink in a dot pattern similar to Coran's that represented honor while Shiro had a bright purple in smooth, bold lines that represented bravery. Hunk had a color that Nirani referred to as 'starcast yellow' that represented stability and kindness, with a very thin flower-like pattern contrasting with his dark skin.
Now that it was Matt and Lance's turns, everyone was wondering what they'd get. First the attention was on Matt, as everyone had been caught up on his little crush on Tae. To their suprise, Matt had an almost hexagonal pattern on his skin in the color of pastel green, that represented resilience.
When it was Lance's turn though, everyone was caught off gaurd. Both Maylay and Nirani were painting on Lance because he had two different colors. The pattern on his body was smooth and wavy, shifting from something resembling ocean waves to shapes similar to leaves. The colors where what everyone was interested by though. His upper arms and torso had a blue that perfectly matched the Blue Lion, and represented him being trustworthy, and the blue blended into a red matching the Red Lion to represent his trust in others.
"Why does he get two colors?" Hunk genuinely seemed confused.
"Because he gives off two auras that combine. He trusts others just as much as he is trustworthy. Both are present and both should be represented." Maylay answered.
"I think it suits Lance quite well! I mean, he encourage Keith to take on the role of Black Paladin, showing his trust in others! And he defends you fellow paladins without being asked all the time, showing that he his trustworthy!" Coran jumped in to support Lance immediately.
"Each person has their own strenghts, and all that matters is that they are able to be recognized for it." Tae muttered in agreement as she finished Matt's paint.
Once the paint was done, the three girls guided the group out to the celebration. The entire way there, the two other girls where snickering and poking at Tae until she said something that made them snicker even more. (Keith later realized that there where two topics of discussion that made them act like this. Tae had a symbol on her shoulder that was identical to the one she painted on Matt, and Keith had a symbol on his hands that was identical to the ones on Lance's, though Keith didn't know what it meant.)
As promised, there was dancing and food and festivities throughout the night. Lance happily joined in the dancing part when one of the songs playing sounded similar to eighties rumba music. He even managed to get Hunk and Pidge on the floor, who in turn dragged Matt onto the floor. The four of them had fun dancing while Coran chatted with the queen, Allura spoke with some other council people, and Shiro and Keith watched everything happen.
"Lance seems to be feeling better. I'm glad Theyo's comment didn't bother him for too long." Shiro thought aloud. Keith didn't say anything in response, partially because Shiro was right, but also partially because Shiro was wrong. Lance was better now, sure, but it still affected him. He wasn't being as energetic or interactive with other people. He wasn't socializing or flirting, but rather staying within his inner circle of known people. It was kind of...unsettling to see Lance not do his Lance-y things.
Not long after the four where on the dance floor where they now off it again. Lance was laughing at something Hunk had said as the group drew closer to regroup with Keith, Shiro, Coran, and Allura who where speaking to Queen Lemiya and Tae with Theyo lingering nearby.
"Oh hey guys! You all looked like you where having fun!" Shiro nudged a shoulder at Lance as the two groups merged.
"Yeah man! We where killing it!" Lance smirked, obviously making fun of Pidge's lack of dance skills. Pidge scowled at him and made a joking hit to Lance's side. The group laughed at the interaction between the two, excpet for Theyo.
"So I was correct. A tailor had to adjust the outfit for you." Theyo dully commented when the laughter had died down. The queen shot him a warning look, but he ignored it.
"Yeah, but I still look good in this outfit, like I said I would!" Lance said, his voice wilting a little towards the end.
"Hardly. You are too skinny for our traditional clothing, and it shows. The cuts are off and the lines are mis-alligned with how skinny you are." Theyo smiled slightly at the way Lance faltered.
"That's enough. Why are you trying to make our friend feel bad?" Shiro snapped at Theyo.
"Yeah! What did Lance ever do to you for you to be so rude to him? My outfit had to be altered to!" Pidge scowled.
"You are female. It is different." Theyo swiftly avoided answering Shiro's question. Keith was getting fed up with this guy really quickly. He opened his mouth to retort, but Coran suddenly shoved a finger in Theyo's face and started berating him for his behavior and attitude towards Lance. Everyone was shocked, especially Allura, because as far as Keith could tell, it sounded almost like Coran was using Altean curse words at the guy.
Tae's words from earlier in the day rang in Keith's mind and he had to bite his lounge to keep from laughing. It was now very obvious who Coran had a fatherly affection for.
Theyo, just as suddenly as Coran had jumped to barrade him, pushed Coran away with enough force that Coran fell to the ground, landing on his butt. Lance jumped into action the second Coran hit the ground. Lance shoved at Theyo with the same force that he would use when fighting a sentry.
"Hey! What is your problem?" Lance shouted. Theyo scoffed and pushed Lance backwards too, sending him toppling over Coran and hitting his head in the ground. Coran immediately got up to check on Lance.
"I don't understand how someone as pathetic as you is a paladin of Voltron. You're a weak, powerless, idiot who puts on a show in an attempt to cover up and distract from his failures." Theyo crossed his arms and glared down at Lance who was holding his head in his hand. Not only did Lance look hurt, but his head was bleeding now too and from where Keith was standing, he could also see that it was enough blood to begin dripping down his hand.
Keith turned to Theyo, who seemed to be unaffected by Lance's state. Tae was yelling at him and the queen was disgusted, but Lance's friends...they were pissed.
"You have no idea how important Lance is to our team. He is the red paladin for crying out loud! He has gotten us out of more tough situations than I can count!" Theyo scoffed at Pidge's berating.
"Then you must not be able to count very high because I doubt someone like him is smart enough too-" Keith punched Theyo straight in the face, cutting the man off, and was about to again, but Shiro grabbed his arm to keep him from doing so. Theyo laid on the ground propped up in his elbows staring incredulously at Keith.
"What the quiznack was that for?!?" Theyo shouted.
"It was what you deserved." Allura spat at the man in the ground. Coran looked a few tics away from punching the man himself. Before anything else could happen though, Queen Lemiya turned to Theyo, two guards quickly making their way behind Theyo.
"Theyo Leathali, you are expelled from the high council for your behavior towards the paladins and fellow members of team Voltron. You will be escorted out." The queen gave a tight nod to the gaurds as they drew Theyo away by his arms, the man shouting violently at the group and drawing attention to himself.
"Let's go inside and get you some medical attention Paladin Lance. The infirmary is typically closed during these nights of celebration but as the queen i can take you and Sir Coran in." Queen Lemiya helped Coran lift Lance off the ground and get back onto his feet, and Lance gave her a grateful nod.
"Lance." Shiro placed a hand on Lance's shoulder before they walked away. "Don't listen to him. You are important to the team beyond comparison. We wouldn't be where we are at this point without you."
"Thanks Shiro." Lance gave a him a tight smile, wincing a little at the newfound pain in his head. He, the queen, and Coran then walked off into the castle. As they entered and the door closed, Tae bowed her head in apology.
"I don't know what got into my brother. He will be justly punished for his behavior. On the behalf of the queen I apologize." The girl lifted her head.
"Thank you." Allura said kindly.
"Of course." Tae looked around before turning back to the group. "I...uhm...I know a secret way into the infirmary if you want to stay with Lance. Normally only the queen and medical staff can get into the infirmary during this time of night, but I can get you guys in." She whispered. The group all looked at each other before Hunk stepped forward.
"That would be awesome. Please." Tae nodded her head and guided them around the garden to a door hidden by vines and flowers that looked kind of fake. Like they were made of metal instead of petals. Tae raised her hand above one of the flowers and they moved out of the way, clearing the door for them to go through.
"Right in here. This door leads directly to the infirmary. The queen knows I know of this passage so explain that to her and she will be understanding. Goodnight paladins and friends." Tae bowed her head once and then scurried off, leaving the group to enter the door. Shiro whent first, and as she promised it lead right into the infirmary of the palace.
Lance was sat in a table and Coran was cleaning his wound. The queen was no where to be seen. As the group came in through the door, Lance caught sight of the obnoxiously bright red of Keith's outfit and waved a weak hand at the group.
"Hey Lance! Coran, how bad is it?" Hunk asked, rushing over and hugging his bestfriend.
"Nothing to bad! Should be healed up in a few vargas!" Coran said.
"Thanks for uhm...for standing up for me guys." Lance muttered.
"Of course Lance. We got your back man!" Matt smiled. Pidge joined Hunk in hugging Lance and muttered "You're our friend. Of course we'd stand up for you."
"Plus, the guy had it coming." Keith said, standing next to where Coran sat fixing Lance's bandage.
"Shiro is right Lance, everyone is valuable on this team. Don't let his words get to you." Allura smiled calmly at the Cuban boy before her, getting a smile in return.
The queen stepped into the room with one of the gaurds from earlier and quietly made her way to the group. "Sorry for my leave, I felt the need to ask my son why he would ever do such a thing, considering even he is skinny by the standards of our society." Queen Lemiya tilted her head to the side, but kept her eyes on Lance.
"Whatever the reason is, it still isn't okay that he did that to Lance." Hunk stood infront of the queen. Keith watched the queen's face go from regret, to sorrow, to resigninment. Outwardly, he was pissed. Inwardly, however, Keith was seething. Lance's insecurities where a delicate subject, and Keith knew they probably only worsedend after Lance ahs confided in him about feeling like a 'seventh wheel'.
"Yeah. That was not okay. He hurt Lance physically and emotionally." Keith said, a bite to his words. Lance's eyes quickly flashed over to Keith's face, suprised by the sudden protection. Queen Lemiya bowed and apoligized once again before leaving to go try and talk some sense into Theyo.
"Alrifht then, how about we call it a night? Go to bed and get some sleep? We might not get a full night's sleep for awhile!" Coran clapped his hands together as he spoke. Shiro sighed and smiled.
"Yes, let's. We should all get some rest." Shiro looked around at everyone as they listened. Most of the team nodded or smiled as they all headed for the door, Lance and Keith trailing behind the farthest.
Before Lance crossed through the door, Keith pit a hand on his shoulder. "Lance."
Lance turned to Keith with a look of confusion on his face. "Yes Keith?"
"Are you actually okay...? I mean, what he said was really..." 'a big hit to your confidence' Keith wanted to say. "...Rude." Lance sighed, letting the maks slip for a short minute.
"Honestly man? It stings. I know I'm skinny but...ugh. It really did hurt. And maybe he was right about me being a pathetic paladin. Like I told you earlier, with Shiro back-" Lance was cut off by Keith hugging Lance as tightly as he could.
"Don't say that about yourself Lance. You are a very important member of the team. You're body size shouldn't bring your confidence down either." Keith pulled back, still keeping both his arms on Lance's. "Plus, if you aren't being the confident, snarky Lance I know, who will I bicker with all the time?" Keith joked, making Lance go slack jawed as Keith left the room.
"You just made a joke! Oh my god you just joked!!!" Lance shouted, making Keith laugh a little. Once Keith turned the corner, Lance's smile turned into a small, real smile. He knew Keith cared, and it made him happy.
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Voltron
Reason three: Keith is hurt, which means he is serious and ready to kill. (Even if it is just a training session against Hunk and Pidge.) [Side note this segment is slightly inspired by a TikTok I saw made by user _lenamassuda_ , if you look her up, you'll know which one it is almost as soon as you find it.]
Seasons: 2/3
Shiro had suggested the team do two v two training today, but nobody realized the catalyst he (and Pidge) had set off in Lance.
It was Pidge and Hunk versus Keith and Lance right now, and things where getting rough as all four of them where resilient as hell. However, they where also getting tired, which meant their forms where falling apart. Even Keith's.
Hunk shot his cannon at Keith's direction but missed by a fraction because Keith jumped out of the way, leaving himself open to attack. Lance was shooting with a big smile plastered on his face at Pidge when he realized this, and so did Pidge herself. She took the tick that Lance was not shooting at her to launch her bayard at Keith. Hunk realized what she was doing, and at the exact moment Pidge's bayard scratched Keith's face and distracted him, Hunk fired at Keith again, sending the raven haired boy flying across the room and hitting his back against the wall next to Lance. Lucky for Lance and Keith, they where covered by a barrier since Lance needed protection to shoot at Pidge.
"Keith! Hey man, are you okay?" Lance ran over to Keith, narrowly avoiding a shot fired from Hunk. As he reached Keith, he could see signs of a concussion as both of Keith's pupils where different sizes from one another. Keith lazily looked at Lance and frowned.
"Great, now there's two of everyone." Keith muttered. Shit, he was out of it. "Ugh, Lance I'm tired." Keith complained, rolling his head to face Lance fully.
"Okay, can you stay awake for maybe...five more doboshes while I try to win for us?" Lance asked, already seeing Keith falling asleep. The raven haired boy looked at the brunette for a hot second, registering what he said before nodding to Lance.
"I can try, but don't hold it against me if I cant." Keith groaned as Lance pulled him upright into a sitting position where his back was against one of the barriers. Lance peeked over and saw Hunk and Pidge closing in in their location. Lance gave Keith a big smile and a wink.
"I won't buddy. Now hold on for a little longer while I will this for us." Keith laughed and winked back, making Lance's heart flutter for a second, before he turned back to Pidge and Hunk.
Pidge paused and laughed, seeing Lance. Hunk was confused and looked at Pidge laughing. "What's so funny Pidge?" Hunk asked.
"Lance knows that he and Keith have lost! He isn't even smiling!" Pidge continued to laugh meanwhile Hunk froze in place.
"H-he isn't l-laughing...? Pidge...that isn't a g-good thing..." Hunk stuttered, terrified of the any number of possible things Lance could do now. Pidge stopped laughing and looked at Hunk, seeing his terror basically drip off of him. Hunk legit grew up woth Lance, so he knew what was good and what wasn't. If Hunk said that this wasn't a good thing, then Pidge was terrified. What had she done?
Up in the observation room that looked down over the training area, Coran, Shiro, ans Allura watched the others train. Shiro was impressed by Pidge and Hunk's team work to knock Keith down, meanwhile Allura was fussing over the fact that Keith might be hurt.
"Oh my..." Coran muttered, seeing the close up of Lance on his screen. Coran's bleak tone of voice caught the other's attention as they saw the screen too.
"What's wrong Coran?" Allura questioned, getting anxious with each tick they waited for Coran's answer. Coran slowly turned to the area itself.
"Watch.
Back down in the arena, Lance stopped smiling for once. He stood up, right in the view of Pidge and Hunk, catching the both of them off gaurd. Infact, he was scaring them. He stepped outside of the barriers and lifted his gun to his face as he walked closer to the two.
"Pidge....Run!" Hunk turned around and made a mad dash for their barriers on the other side of the area. Pidge screamed and ran after Hunk.
Shiro was shocked. Plainly put, Allura was confused. Coran was terrified.
Lance took a deep break, set his gun to stun, then shot at Pidge. He missed. He sucked in another break and aimed as he calmly walked towards the two who where running.
Keith heard screaming and wanted to see. Even though his head was troubling and his leg was sore, he pulled himself up to see what was happening. And holy shit he lost his breath for a second. Lance wasn't smiling. Lance was walking towards a screaming Pidge and Hunk. Lance shot at Pidge and missed. He sighed and took a deep breath.
Lance shot Pidge three times in a room, all in the same area on her back, knocking her to the ground. Hunk was running for his life now. Had he ever run this fast in his life? He didn't know and didn't care. Pidge was already to far back from him to grab her, so he ran. He could hear Pidge shriek out 'Hunk! You coward!' In his direction as Lance closed the gap between himself and Pidge.
Lance stopped walking when he got to the violently shaking Pidge. He felt sorry but he wanted, no, needed to win. He held his gun up one more time and-
Hunk was running one tick then getting shot at three times the next, and on the floor the next after that. Holy wow did Lance's stuns hurt. Hunk didn't want to move so instead he sat there, his hand inches away from the barriers that could've protected him.
"Damn." Keith broke the silence in the training arena. All heads turned to him after he spoke. Lance smiled again, happy to see his friend okay, and taking a moment to bathe in the fact that Keith was impressed with his shooting.
Keith would never let him know that not only was he impressed with Lance's shooting but also how hot he looked when he was focused. Yep. He would never tell Lance that.