Voltron Legendary Defender - Shining Like the Stars [95] [Shklance]

[scriveyner]

Title: shining like the stars [95]
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
AU: slts
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith/Lance, Team Voltron
Rating: M
Length: 1766
Summary: The lights flickered on, warm and strong, and Lance smiled at the sight of the Blue Lion, sitting upright and powered down. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, helmet tucked under his arm.



The launch bay of the Blue Lion was dim, and the overhead lights only came on when Lance stepped through the doors. It was well into the ship's night cycle, he'd had to wait far longer than he wanted because Shiro insisted on crawling into bed next to him and while Lance wasn't exactly opposed to cuddling with Shiro, it made slipping out all the more difficult. He had waited for Shiro to leave, but he didn't; instead he fell into a deep sleep with one arm slung over Lance's side. It made Lance feel terrible for leaving, but it didn't stop him, and to his surprise Shiro didn't even stir when Lance climbed out of bed, and he padded out into the hallway undisturbed.

He hadn't seen Keith since he emerged from the cryopod in the medical bay. When Lance went to the bridge, Keith wasn't there. He wasn't at the training deck either, and when Lance had screwed up the courage to visit Keith's room, that too was empty. The covers on the bed were still a mess, clothing strewn about; and Lance stood just outside the door and sighed deeply. There was no telling where Keith had hidden himself, but he clearly didn't want to face Lance just yet, and in a small, quiet way … Lance was glad. He had to do this, first.

So, when he stepped through the doors to the Blue Lion's launch bay Lance was fully kitted out in his Paladin armor. The lights flickered on, warm and strong, and Lance smiled at the sight of the Blue Lion, sitting upright and powered down. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, helmet tucked under his arm.

“Well, that took longer than I thought it would,” came from behind him, and Lance wasn't able to stop the small scream from escaping before he whipped around, helmet in one hand and prepared to fling it at his attacker.

It was Keith.

Lance froze in place as Keith pushed off the wall beside the door and straightened, cracking his neck. It took a long moment before Lance lowered his helmet, and he glared at Keith all the while. “You didn't have to scare me like that,” he said. “Were you seriously lurking in the dark like some kind of vampire, waiting on the off-chance I'd decide to take a page out of your book and be a fucking idiot?”

“You're here, aren't you?” Keith said, and folded his arms.

Lance scowled at him. “Don't try to stop me,” he used the helmet to point at Keith again. “I think that's what Shiro was doing sticking to me like glue since I woke up. It's been like six hours, Hunk should be back by now.”

“He's probably lying low,” Keith said, and let out a sigh. “Lance, you can't go after him,” he said. “I'm sorry.”

“No,” Lance said sharply. “Don't you 'I'm sorry' me, Keith. I'm going.” With a flourish Lance slapped his helmet on his head and turned on his heel, heading with purpose toward the Blue Lion. Keith detached himself from the wall and promptly planted himself in Lance's path, and Lance drew up short, his hands on his hips. “Keith, move.”

“No.” Keith folded his arms and jutted his chin, determined to stare down Lance.

Lance took one enormous step to the left and continued around Keith. “You're not the boss of me,” he said over his shoulder, neglecting to see that while he was arguing, the Blue Lion's particle barrier had raised to the ceiling. Lance walked straight into it, mid-stride, and vibrated in place for a second before he sat down hard, dazed. Keith appeared at his side but he hesitated in touching Lance. Lance stared up at the powered-down Blue Lion through the particle barrier, betrayed. “Blue, what the heck,” Lance yelled, and kicked the particle barrier with his boot for good measure. “We gotta get Hunk!”

The Blue Lion did not respond, and Lance folded his arms and scowled. Then he looked over at Keith, who held out his hand to Lance, and begrudgingly took it allowing Keith to help him lever to his feet. “I can't believe it,” Lance muttered. “Betrayed by my own Lion.”

“You can't help Hunk if you race off and get yourself captured,” Keith said, his hand still tight on Lance's. Lance stared down at Keith's hand and then looked up at him, expression bewildered.

“That can't be coming from you,” he said. “Running off to do a stupid thing is, like, your trademark move. I call it 'doing a Keith.' It's a verb,” he added unnecessarily.

“What? No you don't.” Keith released his hand and folded his arms again, looking away.

Lance put his hands on his hips and looked up at Blue again, and then sighed loudly. “Well, I guess if Blue isn't cooperating, it's off to the shuttle bay.” That said, he turned sharply and headed back toward the door.

“Lance,” Keith said, and hurried after him, grabbing Lance by the shoulder and yanking him back. Lance reacted like he was scalded, jumping away from Keith and putting some distance between them. Keith's arm hung in the air a moment before he dropped it to his side. “Lance,” Keith said, softer this time. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean...”

“To gut me like a fish? Yeah, I know.” Lance wrapped his arms around himself and only looked up when he heard Keith recoil, inhaling sharply. His eyes had gone wide and Lance felt a little bad, but not enough to recant his wording. Lance looked away. “Look, Keith, I-”

However, before he could even get started on that particular train of thought Keith thrust the handle of his dagger in Lance's face. Lance blinked, completely confused by this action. “What?”

“Take it,” Keith said.

“Dude, that's … your knife,” Lance held up both of his hands, and Keith wiggled the handle insistently in Lance's face until Lance took the dagger from him, fearing he was going to cut himself on the blade. “Why are you giving me your knife?” He looked from the dagger to Keith, who was now in the process of taking off his familiar red jacket. “Okay, remember what I just said about 'doing a Keith? Are you doing a Keith right now, Keith?”

“Stop saying my name like that,” Keith said.

“Why did you hand me your knife,” Lance said, suspicious.

“Stab me.”

“Are you fucking nuts?” Lance's voice nearly broke on the last syllable.

Keith patted his stomach. “If you stab me, we'll be even, and we don't have to have this weirdness between us. You can schlep me right into a cryopod even, it's fine.”

“Keith, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but what the actual living and breathing fuck is wrong with you?” Lance carefully placed the dagger on the floor. “I don't want to stab you. Maybe, I dunno, kick you in the junk now and again because you're you, but I don't want to actually stab you.”

Keith flung both of his arms out helplessly. “Then how do I fix this, Lance?” His voice sounded more lost than Lance had ever heard, absolutely desperate. “I don't want you to be scared of me!”

“I'm scared of Shiro too,” Lance said, after the echo of Keith's words had died in the air. The expression that quirked across his face was painful, and a bit sad. “It's not like you're in bad company.”

Keith let his arms fall to his sides. “Lance,” he said, pained.

“I'm scared of a lot of things, though,” Lance said. “Space is fucking terrifying, man, don't tell Hunk I said that but it's scary as shit out here. I'm scared every time I climb into Blue's cockpit.” Lance took off his helmet slowly and exhaled. “I'm scared every time I kiss you it's going to be the last time.”

Keith didn't say anything, watching him with a watery expression.

“What happened, happened,” Lance said. “I'm not happy about it and we're gonna have to deal with it, but it doesn't change the way I feel about you, okay? And fucking,” he toed at Keith's dagger, still on the floor. “Don't do this shit. I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want to hurt you, I just … I want things to be okay. And that's going to take some time.”

“You said you wanted to kick me in the junk,” Keith said.

“That's affectionate,” Lance said. “You see, on Earth, among Earth-people, they occasionally commit acts of comedic violence to show affection.”

Keith said flatly, “Lance, I did live on Earth. For quite a while, actually.”

“Yeah, you could really fool me sometimes, Captain Fuzzypants.” Lance glanced back over his shoulder at Blue. “So, you coming with?”

Keith hesitated in picking up his dagger. “With?”

“Going to rescue Hunk.”

“Lance, we can't.” Keith shrugged back on his jacket. “I know you want to, I want to, but they've still got the jammers going. If we get into trouble, then we've handed the Galra three Paladins instead of one.”

“Hunk would come back for us,” Lance said firmly. “I'll go alone if I have to.”

Before Keith could respond to that, Blue powered up suddenly. She didn't drop the particle barrier, but the Lion shifted from the seated, powered-off position into a crouch. Both Lance and Keith wheeled around to face the Lion when it roared, the sound wave enough that it nearly blasted the two of them sideways. After a few, ear-ringing seconds, three other, identical roars echoed from the other Lion's launch bays. “What in the hell?” Lance yelled, but Keith turned on his heel and sprinted toward the door. Lance stared at Blue, and then followed him.