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Okies so I saw this post on Tumblr by fistatfirstklance and it called to me to write and make a one shot. It did get a little out of hang though ha.
The jokes had been piling on for weeks now; how Lance is a jokester, the comic relief. He enjoyed making people smile, but everyone’s small jabs kept adding up like needles under his skin, poking and prodding. The desire to prove himself, prove that he was just as vital as Pidge or Hunk, and especially Keith. Still, he kept silent, smiling, and putting on his mask going along to help the team.
It was after an especially hard mission, where Lance and Keith were paired together. They’d been victorious and Lance had puffed out in pride when Blue expertly shot ice at the enemy. “Hey Keith, jealous that Blue got the last hit in?”
“No.”
The one word reply was annoying. Keith never opened up to him, he kept closed off to everyone but Shiro. “Fine, let’s head back to the castle.”
They turned their lions back to the Castle in silence.
Allura was waiting for them in the hangar bay. “How did it go? Did things go smoothly?” Allura asked her attention clearly on Keith.
“Of course, princess. I was the one who got in the last shot, Blue takes after her paladin, the sharpshooter.”
She chuckled softly. “Sure Lance, you’re the sharpshooter. Right, of course you are,” she said her voice condescending. “That’s a great joke Lance.”
Something rose in Lance’s chest, crackling, and broken. Turning on his heel, he left the hangar and headed to his quarters.
The next few days passed by, oddly quiet. Shiro asked where Lance was, and most everyone shrugged their shoulders. Hunk didn’t say much, he knew where Lance was and was the one who spent time with him and made sure he ate. Something was broken in Lance, but he waited for his friend to tell him.
During the next mission; there were no jokes, nothing from Lance. He’d been the first one to respond to the alarm when the Galra attack came. Pidge noticed he didn’t try to lift their spirits before they got into their lions, curious, but pushed it aside. Keith enjoyed the quiet, not having to listen to Lance’s prattling over the coms. They formed Voltron and beat back the Galra.
When they all arrived back at the hangar, Lance had already landed Blue and was walking away. His shoulders were stiff, and Keith thought something might be wrong. He brushed it aside, exhaustion rolling through his body.
As the days passed by, or whatever equated to a day on the ship, everyone noticed the quiet. “It’s so nice,” Allura said to Pidge one day.
They made a face not quite sure Allura was right. “It’s a blessing, not having to hear those bad jokes or the pathetic attempts at flirting with you Allura,” Keith said.
No one noticed Lance standing in the doorway, his eyes stormy and his hands clenched. They wanted silence, fine. He turned on his heel and walked away. On his way, he passed by Hunk who noticed his stiff shoulders and angry eyes. “Lance, are you ok?” he asked for the fifth time.
The smile that curled up on Lance’s lips was forced, not reaching his eyes. “I’m fine Hunk, just tired,” he replied. “I’m going to go take a nap.”
Hunk wanted to press him for answers, but Lance was gone already, his lanky form hurrying away from him. Lips pressed thin, he went to the kitchen. Lance had stopped coming to team meals and Hunk wasn’t going to let him starve.
During the next mission, something was wrong. Everyone felt the shift in the bond and Pidge watched Blue break away from their formation and attack the Galra ships. “Lance, come back,” Shiro said popping up on the com.
He was cut off, Lance shut down the com ignoring his orders. He pushed Blue to her limits, fighting the Galra with a fierceness that wasn’t the norm. Shiro tried to talk to him, order him back, but the com was silent.
They didn’t form Voltron that time, luckily the paladins didn’t need to. Lance had shot blindly, not even caring if his blasts from Blue hit anything. Keith knew that wasn’t the way he fought. Lance used Blue’s flexibility and precision to shoot expertly. Something was wrong.
When they arrived back at the Castle of Lions, Shiro stopped Lance, grabbing his shoulder. “You didn’t listen to me Lance. I expect you to follow orders next time.”
He didn’t expect the blank emotionless look from Lance, or the dullness of his eyes. “Sure, whatever,” he muttered brushing off Shiro’s hand and hurrying away.
The other paladins watched him leave, exchanging glances. Hunk was the first one to follow the blue paladin. Keith stood back, his arms crossed across his chest. “What was that about?” Pidge asked.
Shiro shrugged, confusion niggling in his mind.
Two days later, there was another mission, on an alien planet called Umvrian. Shiro almost asked for Lance to stay behind. He’d been quiet, staying by himself; skipping team building exercises, training, and meals. Shiro had tried talking to Lance, but he ignored the older paladin, his gaze dull. Not even Coran could get Lance to open up. He piloted Blue but he was silent. A warning bell was ringing in Shiro’s mind, but Allura had Lance team up with Keith to go in. Pidge and Hunk were the other pair. Shiro was going with Allura to start forming a diplomatic alliance with the native people.
The paladins landed safely on the planet, their lions pulling up the particle barrier after they landed. Everything was going smoothly, for now.
Twenty minutes later, everything went to shit. “Shiro!” Keith yelled over the coms, panic in his voice. “We were attacked and Lance-Lance was shot.”
“Try to stop the bleeding for now, Hunk, Pidge you need to get to Keith and help him.”
“Roger that,” Pidge said.
The red and blue paladin had apparently stumbled upon a rogue group of natives that wanted to kill the self-imposed king. When they saw the paladins, they automatically attacked, thinking they were there to round them up. Keith watched as Lance shot them in a barraged rush, not even trying to duck their shots. The lasers pinged off his paladin armor leaving ash marks. Then one brushed his hair, and finally one made it through the armor. Keith watched as Lance’s eyes widened briefly, his bayard shifting back, he stumbled, and fell to his knees. “Lance!”
The bright red blood contrasted starkly with the white and blue of Lance’s armor. “Why were you so reckless!” Keith cried sinking down in front of Lance.
“Because-because I’m just the joker, I’m not good enough for them. I figured if I went out swinging at least you’d remember me as a hero, instead of a joke,” Lance whispered.
His eyes fluttered, the dark of his skin paling. “No, Lance stay with me.”
Panic flooded Keith’s chest, he called across the coms to Shiro. Hunk and Pidge were on their way, but all Keith could do was drag Lance back into cover and hope the aliens didn’t try to capture them.
He clenched his bayard, cursing its sword shape. He couldn’t do long range combat like Lance. “Stay with me Lance, please,” Keith begged shaking Lance.
He coughed, blood dripping down his lips. “Make sure Blue gets a good paladin this time,” Lance whispered through blood stained lips.
“No, Blue has the best paladin, you’re our sharp shooter Lance,” Keith insisted tears filling his eyes.
“Allura doesn’t think so.”
“Well I think so, and that’s what’s important.”
“You said my flirting was annoying, and you were glad to be rid of my bad jokes.”
“You heard me?” Keith said guilt riding in his chest. “I’m sorry, it was cruel of me. Can you forgive me?”
Lance didn’t answer. Keith leaned down seeing his eyes were shut, body slack. “Lance? Lance, no please,” Keith sobbed. “I’m sorry.”
He checked Lance’s pulse, it was so faint, beating so slow. Keith heard the aliens talking, asking where they went. They were going to be found and Keith didn’t know what to do.
Then a lion roared and the yellow lion landed. Hunk and Pidge rushed out. “Help me!” Keith called.
His cry made the aliens pinpoint on their location, but Hunk lay down some covering fire while they made their escape.
The color left Allura’s face when she saw Keith carrying Lance, blood staining his armor. Hunk and Pidge trailed behind them tear tracks clear on their cheeks. Shiro’s face was ashen. “I’ll go prepare a pod for him,” Allura said.
“No, Coran will,” Keith snapped.
She flinched at the anger from the red paladin, unsure why. Keith strode away from the hangar bay, Blue growling in his mind along with Red’s purrs.
Lance spent a week in the healing pod. When he got out, everyone was there to welcome him, but he stumbled past them, heading to his rooms. “Wait, Lance,” Keith called out.
The blue paladin ignored him and left without a word. “What is his problem?” Keith snarled after the door swished shut. “I am sick if his bullshit!”
“What do you mean?” Allura asked.
“He heard us talking about him that one time. When I said, his jokes were annoying. He heard me and I can’t take them back!” Keith retorted tears pricking his eyes.
Hunk walked over and patted Keith’s shoulder. “He gets like that.”
“You knew!”
“Yeah, and now I know it was because he’s not taken serious by any of you,” Hunk said. “I’m going to go spend time with my friend.”
It was like a slap in the face, Hunk wasn’t like this. “Keith, you really said that about Lance?” Shiro asked disappointment in his voice.
“I was tired and it was nice to have quiet,” Keith replied. “I didn’t mean them.”
Before Shiro could say anything, Keith stormed off. Shaking his head, Shiro wondered what to do. They had bonded so well, but now the team was falling apart, again.
The next day Hunk dragged Lance out of his rooms insisting he needed to do some team bonding. Purple shadows hugged the blue paladin’s eyes and for once his hair wasn’t in perfect order. Pulling him by the arm, the yellow paladin literally dragged Lance down the hallway. “Lance c’mon work with me.”
Silence. It was odd for Lance not to be prattling about something. Hunk knew something was bothering him, but when he asked if Lance was ok, he always said he was fine.
The other paladins were waiting, sitting in a small circle. Lance didn’t sit in the circle, he stood off to the side. Keith ground his teeth a little tensing. “Lance get in the circle,” Shiro said.
Lance huffed a little, but listened. Hunk sat next to him trying to encourage him with a smile. Coran and Allura walked in chatting together. This annoyed him even more. Allura and her perfectness, Allura and her condescending ways. Anger bubbled up in Lance’s chest and he almost went back to his quarters.
“Lance what is your problem?” Keith muttered watching the fury that settled over the blue paladin’s shoulders.
“My problem?” Lance sputtered.
Hunk winced. Of course, the red paladin had to burst out and say something. He knew you had to be patient with Lance, let him come to you. Lance scrambled to his feet bearing down on Keith. “Leave me alone Keith!”
Hunk tried to move to help deter his best friend, but Lance brushed his hands. Keith was on his feet too, hands clenched and anger on his face. “You can’t treat us like this!”
“Me-me! Treat you like what? You wanted quiet, you got it!”
Keith growled, it was an odd sound, frustration making him shake his head. “I said I was sorry!”
“So! Don’t you understand? I’m not good enough, I’ll never be good enough!” Lance yelled, lashing out. “I’m just a joke, not a part of Voltron!”
“Lance I-”
“NO, you don’t get a say!” Lance said pointing a finger at Keith. “None of you believe in me.”
The other paladins stood in silence, shock on their faces. It was one thing for Lance to go silent, avoid them; another for him to burst out anger in his blue eyes. “Lance, we don’t believe that, you’re a good team member, you’re the blue paladin,” Shiro said.
“Maybe I don’t want to be anymore. Maybe I just want to go home.”
Keith stepped forward, his impulse nature in full force. He wrapped his arms around Lance. “Get off me!”
Instead of letting him go, Keith clung to Lance. “You are good enough, you are.”
The other paladins came over and wrapped their arms around the two boys. “You are our sharpshooter,” Pidge said.
“My best friend,” Hunk said.
“You’re like the son I never had,” Coran sniffed, his mustache wobbling.
“I didn’t mean to sound cruel, I’m sorry,” Allura said.
“I’ll try harder to be a better leader,” said Shiro.
Tears filled Lance’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks. It was nice knowing he was needed.