Archive of Our Own

The music was mesmerizing, and the food ten times so. Twinkling lights flashed in his eyes, luminescent blue was always in his line of sight.

The lights were phosphorescent, reminding him of those stick-on stars he had on the ceiling of his room when he was younger. It was comforting. He felt safe. He felt warm.

Shiro looked around, his neck stiff. The room wasn't white, but the impression was still that of a desolate hospital room. The lights were blinding and the room was imposing. He could make out distant party music, and cheers from there.

Panic bubbled in the pit of his stomach. Where was he? What happened? Where were the others? He gripped his head, his memory fuzzy. That thought didn't bode well with him. He pulled off the sheets, his head scrutinizing for any answers. He didn't feel disgusting. No, he felt clean. He smelled clean. He peeked out the window, the curtains a lacy fabric that glittered under the right light. 

Artificial stars twinkled below. People danced their heart out, burning energy so quickly they should've burned like dying stars and yet. And yet they didn't. He shut the curtains with a rough tug. 

He needed to assess the situation. So the things he knew so far that they were being held captive. He wasn't quite sure as to why such an elaborate holding facility, but he did not want to find out if it was the depths or something far worse. He was alone. He was clean. He was only wearing boxer shorts. Not even his own. New. His clothes were nowhere to be found. 

That, or he hadn't searched hard enough.

He needed to take a deep breath and remember how he had gotten here. He sat himself back down and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. 

“Are you a supernova? Cause it's burning up in here.” A voice whispered into the back of his neck. He jumped, startled by the voice and the sudden appearance. 

So Shiro wasn't alone. His reaction derived a giggle from the other, and in the pit of Shiro’s stomach, he knew something was very, very wrong. 

Lance had been the one to raise a scare out of him. Now Lance in general was a bit of a difficult personality, but he knew better than to come up behind Shiro and startle him. Now more than any previous time. They sort of had been dating on and off for the past 3 months. On and off in the sense that well, they were at war and you just needed your space sometimes. There were times in their relationship where there was a long lull of nothingness, and then it started up again.

Another reason why this felt odd. Lance doesn't giggle. He laughs, he snorts, he chuckles, he chokes, but he doesn't giggle like a child.

Looking him up and down, Shiro could see his face was flushed, there was glitter in his hair, and his attire was disgruntled. It was also surprisingly formal. Or well as formal as what he could tell from alien couture. 

“Hey big boy, you okay?” Oh god Shiro felt like he had fallen into a parallel universe this all felt so wrong. The tone of voice was too cute, too coy. Lance was snarky, a little bit annoying with a lot of laughs and humour laced in his voice. He was teasing, but never gooey. Loving and sweet, but never gooey.

“Fine, you?” Shiro felt like his voice sounded a bit too strained, if Lance noticed, he didn't show it.

“Purr-fect now that you're here tiger.” He needed to leave. Immediately. Shiro slowly rose from the bed, and Lance took his spot up immediately. 

Okay, Shiro could ask Lance where his clothes were, potentially lock the door, find the others and come back for him. Hopefully none of the others were like Lance, but knowing his luck, they all were.

“Have you seen my clothes?” Lance raised an eyebrow. 

“Hanging in the showers where you left them last night.” He wandered his way over to what he presumed to be the bathroom and found a formal suit similar to Lance’s hanging up to dry. It was accentuated in violets instead of blues.

Without much complaint, as they were the only clothes he had, he pulled on the formal attire. Surprisingly comfortable. Hopefully he doesn't accidentally break it. There was a knock at the door, and before Shiro could even attempt to do anything, Lance answered the door. 

When he came back into the bedroom, he saw Lance on the bed, attempting to take a bite out of some strange food. Before Lance could even take a single bite, Shiro snatched it away from him. 

“Hey!” Lance cried indignantly. Shiro made sure to pick up the rest and dump it down the toilet. A waste of food, absolutely, but who knows what could be in it. “Our breakfast! Shiro, how could you?” There was a sound of betrayal. Not even as a joke, as Lance would sometimes do, but legitimate betrayal.

There was a window covered in the bathroom, and he could still see strobe lights flashing from down below. If it truly was the morning, he didn't want to know why there was still a party going on so early. From what he remembered from the single party he had gone to as a kid (regular school dance, the only dance he had ever attended) there were lulls. No one wanted to party in the morning. That was Earth though, different planet, different customs.

Shiro jumped when he heard a large thumping sound from outside of the confines of the bathroom. He put the tray down on the counter and rushed into the room. Lance had slumped onto the floor, but from one glance he was obviously still breathing. The worst possibility was crossed off. Still, though, the situation wasn't favourable.

Shiro cautiously approached and called out his name. No response. Okay what could he remember from his first aid classes? Snap his fingers, right. Lance’s eyes responded with a fee crinkles. Okay. Okay that actually worked. Oh god he was a little relieved about that. He'd failed his first aid course after all.

A few groggy noises arose from the brunet’s mouth, followed by a large yawn and a lick of his lips. He slowly rose, licked his lips, looked around, and paused.

He blinked once.

He blinked twice. 

He scrunched his eyes and blinked thrice. 

“Where the quiznak am I?” He looked around, and when he saw Shiro, gave a small cry of fright. Putting his hand on his chest to calm his beating heart, he sent a Shiro a small glare, but they both knew no harm done.

“Good to have you back.” Shiro put out his hand for Lance and helped him off the floor. Lance furrowed his eyebrows.

“Good to have you back? Where did I come back from? Also where are we?” Lance looked around the room, taking in the brightness of the room, and the sound of party music in the distance. He made his way to the window and pulled back the curtains. “Hey! If this is some alien prank show, it's really not cool!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. He shut the blinds and began to search for some form of hidden cameras.

“I've been trying to figure that out. You were acting out of sorts a few minutes ago.” Shiro placed a hand on his chin, a bit pensive. He paused. “You giggled and called me tiger.” Lance looked over to Shiro, his attention immediately caught.

“Okay, what Mary-Jane bat dung is that.” Lance stressed. Shiro gave him a small shrug. It was about as weird to him as it was to Lance. He was on his knees now, checking for any hidden cameras underneath the furniture.

“You also freaked out when I threw away the food. You then passed out.” Lance rose from his knees and gave Shiro a disbelieving look. “Do you remember how we got here?” Shiro questioned.

“Uh, no. All I remember is Coran talking about some great place back in the day—he was pretty hyped about it.” That felt familiar to Shiro. He remembered hearing Hunk tell him about that, followed by Allura… what had Allura done?

“We need to find the others and get back to the castle.” It was top priority to regroup and move on. Who knew how much time had already been spent here? 

“Okay, but—” Lance walked over to the window and pulled the curtain back dramatically, pointing to the outside. Shiro sighed. Of course he knew. Then something caught his attention. With his eyes furrowed, he scrutinized the crowd. It couldn't have been…

“I've found three out of five.” Lance looked to Shiro, then outside the window. Well. What convenience. Lance let go of the curtains and looked back to Shiro.

“Any sort of plan?”

“Don't split up.” Lance rolled his eyes.

“Yeah that was pretty obvious, but like? Anything else? How to find Coran and Keith?”

“We'll get there when we get there.” Alright, Lance muttered. Living in the moment. Okay he could work with that. He could so totally work with that.

Shiro moved to the door, but Lance grabbed onto his hand just as quickly. Shiro looked down to the offending hand, but lowered his questioning gaze when he saw Lance’s face. Well, at least he knew Lance would still be with him, so that was good. 

Together, they braced for the outside world as Shiro slowly opened the door. The outside looked far more outstanding than the inside. Art Deco. Very Earth-y. Well, it looked more like Art Deco with a Gothic twist. Or some other alien twist.

The halls were swarming with aliens slow dancing, sleeping and well, they really didn't want to know what else if they had to be frank. They received a few looks, some odd, some knowing, as if they had seen them somewhere before, or knew something they didn't. It was a little unnerving. 

The hallway was a fire hazard. Just one big fire hazard. Had Shiro not been Shiro, and Lance not been loud and easy to tell people to move out of the way, they probably would’ve been stuck at the foot of their door. A bummer way to end a quest. As Lance suggested, they could just break through the window. 

“We’re a few stories above ground, and we don't have our jet packs.” Shiro sighed as they made their way down to the ground floor in the elevator. Lance was leaning against the railing, while Shiro stood straight and tall.

“Okay but like, we tie the bed sheets. Problem solved.” Lance sounded as if he had made the greatest revelation of a lifetime, boastful, haughty and proud. Shiro’s hand made the wonderful acquaintance of his forehead.

The elevator shook as it came to a halt on the ground floor. The doors opened and they were acquainted with a sea of glitter and lights.

Honestly, were they expecting the ground floor to be less crowded? Really? Expectations set up for failure.

“Let's go.”

They held onto each other’s hand tightly, too scared to lose the other in the sea of extraterrestrials. The aliens bopped, hopped, grinded and shimmied their way around the ground floor, in a trace with the music. Some filtered across, going to what Shiro could only assume was some sort of casino area from this distant cries and cheers and bells.

The ground floor was almost nauseating, so much sound, it was pollution to them. There was already that amalgam of jazz and techno, as well as the underlying hotel music, chirpy and chime, hitting all those high notes that sent the wrong sort of shivers down his spine. It was almost like a high whistling sound, underlying beneath it all. 

The dance area they were heading to was no better. When they had noticed Allura, Pidge and Hunk, they had done the mega piggyback ride, with Hunk holding Allura, and Allura holding Pidge. That was as much as Shiro had seen. 

Still holding one another’s hand, Shiro told Lance to keep an eye out for the three. The hardest person to search for would be Pidge. She blended in with the pulsing green lights and the prominent amount of chestnut brown in the crowd. Her small height did nothing, but make her presence even less pronounced. Really, the easiest would be Allura or Hunk. Hunk was tall and had a lot of weight on him. The bright yellow suit also helped to make him a neon light in the sea of soft pulsing green and blue. Allura had her cloud like hair, easy to spot in a crowd.

As if on mark, they spotted Allura. 

“Lance, Shiro! Darlings! Where have you been?” She giggled and stumbled on her feet. She looked like a drunk woman clubbing, yet she was completely sober. Lance took a small step back, kind of shocked by her coming onto him instead of the other way around. It was… a little unsavoury in his mouth. While probably a fantasy a few months ago, the key word lied in fantasy. He leaned over to Shiro.

“Was I… like that?” A little aghast by the potential revelation. Shiro nodded, though reluctantly. Lance looked back to Allura, trying to process the revelation. Well, there goes Lance.

“Where have you been Princess?” Allura twirled. Her gown looked like a blossoming flower. She smiled and let out a content sigh.

“Dancing! Oh it’s been so fun! Pidge and Hunk are such wonderful dancers! Shiro, darling, dance with me.” Allura reached forward to grasp Shiro’s free hand, but he tugged her away, taking Lance with him. Lance braced the impact by placing his hands in front of them, Shiro’s torso taking most of the impact. Allura looked to them and pouted. “Party jammers, the both of you.”

“Have you seen Hunk and Pidge?” Shiro asked Allura. He felt Lance tug on his hand, but he made nothing of it. Allura smiled slyly, placing her hands behind her back. Shiro’s seen this before. It’s like a little kid who knows something, but won’t say it until they get what they want. There was another tug with a small ‘Shiro’. Shiro ignored it once more.

“Perhaps a dance will clear my memory?”

A tug once more. “Shiro, over there!” Lance hushed to him, pointing discreetly to his left. From the corner of his eye, Shiro could see Coran conversing contently with Hunk and Pidge, who both held some sort of cup in their hands, there was a third one, most likely meant for Allura. Shiro grabbed onto Allura’s hand, and pulled her along to the other three’s direction. Both Lance and Shiro made it a point to ignore her protests, trying to find everyone as best they could.

“Grab onto one of the three when we pass them. We’ll head back up to our room right afterwards.” Lance nodded. 

“If we’re lucky maybe they’ll follow us up.” Shiro hadn’t even thought of that. He gave Lance a little praise, and the other seemed to suck it up pridefully. When Allura’s cries of indignation caught Coran, Pidge and Hunk’s ears, their attention was brought to the approaching trio. On the count of three, Lance snatched another’s hand, and they booked it to the elevator. Blurring out the sound, they passed through the aliens. Lance’s loud voice pushing through the crowd and making people move to the side, while Shiro’s mere size caused the sea to open up.

When they were in the elevator, Lance looked to see whom he had nabbed. Pidge, obviously. Hunk or Coran were more than capable of making him stop in his steps, causing him to be a human tug-a-war toy. Pidge was the only other person he could overpower, to an extent. He didn’t want to bring up the times he lost to her at arm wrestling. Not today.

“Lance, sweetie, how could you just snatch me away like that?” she mumbled annoyed. Lance looked to Shiro. Oh god he didn’t want to know what he said to Shiro. The elevator door opened with a ding. More people entered the elevator, and quickly left for the next floor. Finally, they made it to their floor, and back to their room.

Once in, they locked the doors, and let go of Allura and Pidge. They moved to one another, making sure the other was fine and whispering things to each other. Shiro and Lance looked to one another, and Lance shrugged. They then suddenly kissed. This time Shiro shrugged.

Lance leaned against the wall and looked up to Shiro. “So what exactly do we do now? We can't just like, leave them and go to the others.” No, they couldn't do that. Pidge and Allura could easily leave while they were gone. The whole point of bringing them here would have been in vain.

“The effects of whatever they're on will wear off. They did for you.” Lance groaned at Shiro’s response.

“Mind control? Again? I thought I had left that behind with the mermaids for cheese’s sake.” He muttered angrily. Shiro patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

Shiro walked away and stared out the window, trying to see if he could keep his eye out for Hunk, Coran and Keith. Lance continued to lay against the wall, trying to gain his bearings. A lot had happened in the span of a few minutes. He lowered his eyes to the sound of giggling. Pidge and Allura turned away when his eyes were on them. They giggled once more. 

If having little sisters taught him anything, they were scheming. And he was about to be the sucker in it all.

“Lance, darling, could you be a gentleman and come here please?” Allura’s voice was sickeningly sweet. You know he would have thought this Allura would have been the Allura of his fantasies, but really it's the Allura of his nightmares. Ditto for Pidge. It was just creepy and unnerving, like everything had been moved to the left, but he couldn't notice it, because it was ever so slight. He walked over despite his better judgment.

Pidge patted down the spot beside her. They grinned to him like conniving cats. The two girls leaned in and placed a hand over their mouths to hush what he would of thought to be nonsense to him.

“How’s everything with Shiro going? You two were like lightning yesterday.” Pidge giggled again. Lance raised his eyebrow. He looked back to Shiro, but he was still staring out the window.

Lance leaned in. “What are you talking about?”

“After the dance last night, you know, the dance?” Allura tried to see if that would jog anything for him, but it wasn't doing anything. Allura frowned.

“Is everything alright? Have you both eaten? It's important to eat.” Pidge nodded to Allura’s statement. Okay so the mind control was probably in the food.

“Uh, yes…darling. I've eaten.” He sounded a bit awkward. Allura stared for a bit, but seemed satisfied by his word. There was a small weight that left his chest.

Pidge gripped onto what she was sitting and leaned back to look at Shiro.

“Hey, sweetie, have you seen Hunk? Having just me and Allura here is lonely. Your puzzle piece is here, but ours is incomplete.” She whined. Shiro turned his head back. He stared at her, unsure how to reply.

“Oh don't worry…sweetie, Hunk’ll be here soon.” Lance picked up for Shiro, putting his hand on Pidge’s lap. She pulled back up and pouted, discontent, but resigned. Shiro mouthed a thank you to Lance, and in return he sent an okay finger.

Allura sighed, and curled up against Pidge. They fell atop of each other with filled out laughter. Lance pulled away slowly and joined Shiro by the window.

“The mind control might be caused by the food.” Lance muttered.

“Would explain your reaction to throwing out the food.” Shiro returned, more to himself than anything. Lance caught it anyway.

Lance rested himself atop of the window frame, staring out to the crowd down below.

“Did you spot anyone else?” He asked mindlessly. He found himself watching a couple dancing festively with one another. He'd like to do that with Shiro honestly. According to Allura, he had, he just didn't remember.

It was then he noticed the purple and blue ring on his middle finger. It was pretty. How’d he get it though? He began to fiddle with it as he waited for Shiro’s reply.

“Just Coran and Hunk. They've been searching for Pidge and Allura from what I can see.” Shiro furrowed his eyes, as if something had caught his attention, but he quickly shrugged it off.

Shiro stood patiently by the window, staring, while Lance walked about. Pidge and Allura rested soundlessly behind them. Lance wasn't sure how long it had been, maybe a few hours? He finally huffed and grabbed Shiro’s hand.

“Would you like this dance?” He asked. Shiro looked back to the window. “Okay, okay if I were you I'd go crazy staring out a window for that long. Give your eyes a little break. Honestly if you were epileptic the strobe lights would have gotten to you long ago.” Shiro resigned himself and allowed Lance to stance himself with him. This would be interesting, Lance would be leading. “You know how to waltz right?”

“I have, but not backwards.” He replied honestly. Lance raised his hand.

“It's pretty much the same thing.” That wouldn't help Shiro. They took a few missteps, Shiro accidentally stepping on Lance’s foot, Lance stumbling into furniture, almost pulling down the curtains. They finally found a comfortable pace together.

Shiro could feel a small smile growing on his face as he watched Lance concentrate on the steps. He bit his lips and his eyes were glazed over. Shiro lowered his head to rest his forehead atop of Lance’s. It must have startled the shorter man, because he messed up his footing, and brought Shiro tumbling down with him.

They blinked and looked to one another. Lance snorted and leaned in, giving Shiro a kiss, but Shiro pulled him back down, making it a little longer.

“Oh my god.” Both of them rose up immediately, noticing Pidge, propped up on her shoulders, eyeing them mischievously. Allura was still out.

Lance stood up and stuck his hand out for Shiro, pulling him up to his feet.

“Is there something I should know?” She asked slyly. Well, Pidge was back to normal.

“And you and Allura?” There was a pause. “And Hunk too?” Lance retorted. Pidge began to splutter.

“What are you talking about? Allura, Hunk? What universe?” She began to deny it all.

Lance deadpanned. “You made out with Allura right in front of us.” Pidge looked to Shiro.

“You're lying.” Shiro shook his head. She lied back down against Allura, nuzzling up to her.

“2 months.” She finally said. Oh so they had been together for two months.

“Three.” Lance finally replied. Pidge whistled. Allura gave a small moan. Sleeping Beauty had awakened from her slumber.

“Where…am I?” She looked, around, noting only Lance, Shiro and Pidge. “Where are the others?”

“Coran and Hunk are still on the floor.” A small peek out the window told Shiro all he needed. Really bright orange and yellow were as clear as day. “Keith is still missing.” Allura frowned.

There was a knock at the door, and a call. “Room service!” They all looked to one another. Shiro and Lance hadn't ordered anything. Pidge and Allura had been asleep. Lance walked over to the door. Cautiously he opened it.

With his best mimicking voice, he tried to imitate Allura. “Thank you darling.” The employ smiled and parted. When Lance closed the door, Pidge let out a loud snort.

“Darling?” She asked incredulously.

“Oh you're one talking sweetie.” He jabbed back. Pidge raised her eyebrows confused. What was he even talking about. Right. She couldn't remember.

He walked over to the bathroom and dumped the food. Without any remorse, he flushed it away.

“The food might the source of all of the happenings around here.” Shiro informed the other two. “When I woke up this morning—”

“You actually slept?” Pidge asked, astonished by the sheer idea. Lance let out a snort, while Allura covered her mouth.

“Oh you'd be surprised by what else he can do.” Lance sent her a lopsided grin as he stuck his head out through the bathroom. Shiro’s flushed slightly while Pidge raised her hands, shaking them.

Pidge screamed. “TMI Lance!” Allura mouthed ‘tmi’ wondering what exactly it could mean.

“As I was saying.” Shiro cleared his throat. “The food seems to cause some sort of mind-controlling effect, by stopping ingestion of the food, so do the effects. But it seems to take time before it wears off.” Pidge nodded.

“Oh! Too much information!” Allura cried out suddenly. Everyone looked to her, including Lance who had walked back into the room. She looked to the other three. “Human speech eludes me, though I am listening, please continue.”

“When did Lance’s wear off?” She asked, trying to get a better understanding of the situation.

“This morning, after I stopped him from consuming breakfast.” Pidge nodded.

“And you?”

“When I woke up.” She nodded once again.

“Okay, so we can assume it takes about maybe 8 hours for the effects to wear off. If we consider a regular human sleeping schedule. Considering Shiro, that might not be the case.” She sent Shiro a look of no offence, but there was none taken. He had a horrible sleeping schedule, he knew it.

“If that seems to be the situation, the others most likely have consumed the food.” Allura laid down that tidbit. “We will just have to make sure they do not consume it once more.” The others nodded.

“We’ll split up, teams of two. Allura, you're with me. We're going after Hunk and Coran. Pidge, Lance, find Keith.” The other three nodded. They separated from one another and moved into their respective teams.

“You'd think a mullet would be noticeable.” Lance complained as he looked over the dance floor. He had his hands over his eyes, attempting to strengthen his field of vision. Still nada.

“Keith doesn't scream ‘lots of people and loud noise’ exactly.” Pidge butted in. Lance groaned frustratedly. “Come on, before you get pissy and give up.” She grabbed onto his hand and tugged him along.

They found him curled up in a corner of the game hall, looking around for a sign of anything. Lance was just waiting for whatever shit was going to come out of his mouth. He even had a witness. Truly a blessing.

He caught sight of the duo, and his eyes brightened up immediately. And there was the off number one. He brightened up at the sight of Lance and Pidge.

“Doll, where have you been?” He asked, giving both Pidge and Lance small taps. Pidge’s mouth hung open a little. Oh she was living.

“Oh darling. What a day, what a day honestly. You won't even believe it. Pidge take his hand we're going to find the others.” She grabbed his hand, and as soon as he clutched with her, they booked it. Keith was now caught in their snare. Keith would awaken curled up in the bathroom, confused as to how he found himself there, and lost as to why Pidge and Lance were saying doll to one another in a posh voice.

“You know your imitation is really creepy.” Pidge piped up suddenly.

“Why thank you, I try.” Lance felt himself complimented. Pidge rolled her eyes.

It took Shiro and Allura a bit to snatch up Coran and Hunk, but when they did, Hunk was on Allura, whispering nonsense to her, while Coran chatted up Shiro. He was going on and on about some ceremony he demanded to have and had been barred from. Everyone else had gone through it, apart from Keith who had tried with his bayard, by extension so should he.

Pidge snapped the door shut behind the two. Coran lied down on the bed without much of a fight, while Allura and Hunk sat themselves on high chairs. Despite Hunk’s bizarre mannerisms, Allura was still flustered by his flirting. It was weird for Lance because Hunk never really flirted. According to Pidge he didn't really flirt in the Lance-way of flirting. It was sweeter. Lance poked her side when she began to find herself sidetracked. Oh he was going to have fun teasing her.

“You both found Keith?” Shiro asked. He looked around the room, wondering where he was.

“Conked out in the tub if you want to check up on him.” Lance jabbed his thumb in the direction of the bathroom. Shiro nodded in thanks, walked towards Lance, gave him a kiss and made his way to the bathroom.

When he was gone, there was a loud low whistle. Pidge. Allura looked to Lance wide-eyed. Right she'd been asleep.

“Are Shiro and you by chance…?” She alluded on.

“Like you, Hunk and Pidge.” The retort was quick, but got Allura blushing and fumbling on her words, though more out of annoyance than shame. It didn't help Hunk was curling up on her and trying to lather her neck in kisses.

A sheet of silence settled upon them. “We're gonna need to find our Lions.” Pidge voiced up.

“They will be with the ship where we landed.” Allura replied.

“Wait wait, so you remember how we got here?” Lance questioned her. Allura raised her eyebrows, a bit confused.

“Of course, don't you?” Both Pidge and Lance looked to one another and shook their heads. “That's rather…odd. It should be by the entrance. If we can make our way down, we should be able to get to it.”

“And our armour, and bayards?” Pidge inquired further. Allura shook her head. She didn't know where those were. “We'll have to find them before we can leave. Lance, let's go find our shit.” With a jump in his step, Lance followed Pidge out.

Shiro returned to the room. He raised an eyebrow to the disappearance of both his boyfriend and close friend. He sat down beside Allura and she told her what scheme they had gone off to. He groaned. He'd have to tell them off later for leaving without telling him. Incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. Though a little part of him was proud, they were able to make plans without him. Okay maybe a lot proud.

The sound of nails thumping across the table drew his attention.

“How long have you and Lance…been together?” Oh lord here were the personal questions.

“Three months.” He was going to be honest. This had been a little bit of a wild ride. What else would happen? Keith married his bayard? Allura hummed in understanding.

There was an awkward silence that settled again, only broken by Hunk’s loud breathing. He looked back to Allura, a little unsure what he should do. He could get up and check on Keith again. He wouldn't have to stand in the bathroom and fend off Pidge and Lance who wanted to draw on his face. Though he wouldn't admit, he did think of doing that himself.

They both turned to one another, mouth open, ready to talk. They both conceded to one another, telling the other to go first. After a short while or attempting to get the other to speak, Allura finally decided to take the initiative.

“Relationships between Paladins of Voltron has never really been much of an issue… or had. We try to take caution, but I understand love is fickle.” She placed her hand above Shiro’s reassuringly. “I say this as much for you as for I, communication is vital. Leave not loose ends to make you stumble.” Shiro looked down to Allura’s hand. Right. She was just as much part of the team and intermingled as he was. Pidge and Hunk were hers, and Lance was his. They both had to be careful.

Allura raised her eyebrow curiously. Raising her hand, Shiro followed her gaze and noted the blue and purple ring on his hand. Where had that come from? Maybe it came with the suit he had gotten?

There was a loud banging on the door, and suddenly nothing. Shiro raised himself and cautiously made his way to the door, ready in case of attack. Another loud banging, and the door burst open, before being violently closed shut. Both Pidge and Lance were panting violently, hidden beneath a variety of items.

“Our cover might be blown.” Lance tried to sugar coat the truth.

“Might?” Pidge retorted indignantly.

“Okay our cover is fucking blown! Just grab your stuff it's heavy!” He was about to let go of the clothing, weapons and armour he was holding, his arms trembling beneath the weight. Pidge found herself in the same sorry state as Lance.

They grabbed their stuff, laying out the clothes that belonged to the others. They quickly changed, caring not for flung clothing or privacy. Privacy had never been much of an issue anyway to begin with. Armour on, they looked around, wondering if the others were ready to stir. Seems like not yet.

“There are two options for us to take. We can stay here and defend the room until the others wake up or we can take the risk and head straight for the Castle of Lions.” Shiro looked to his team.

“Well, I can tell you now I'm not dragging anyone.” Pidge resigned herself to option number one.

Allura grasped her hands and tilted her head slightly. “While I am for taking risks, I have to agree with Pidge. Defending our current location is safer than putting the others at risk.”

Lance gave Shiro a sly grin. “If we need to make an escape, we can always just use the bedsheets and jump out the window.” Shiro ignored that option, but concluded that everyone wanted option 1. So it was decided.

After the first hour, they decided to watch in shifts. After the second hour, the feeling of threat began to lessen, and they began to slack off. By the third hour, Hunk and Keith had woken up and had to be filled in on the situation. By the fourth hour, Coran had already woken up and everyone apart from Shiro had given up on surveilling the door.

“Well, that was a bit of a let down.” Lance muttered.

They made their way out without much of a hassle, and were able to leave the planet without much of a fuss. It was truly, truly odd. There was something about that place that left Allura a little unsure. She looked down to the ring on her finger. Yellow, green and pink. Exactly the same finger as Shiro’s.

What was she forgetting? This was supposed to be a recreational area, and yet it had turned into a palace of mind control. What had been about this place her father and Coran told her about?

Hunk came up to her, as she stood in the middle of the room, the star map all around her.

“Are you okay? You've been a bit off since we left?” He stood beside her and carefully, with her permission, wrapped his hands around her. She relished in the touch.

“Just…lost in thought.” Hunk nuzzled his head in a little bit, in a motion of reassurance.

“Wanna talk about it?” Allura lowered head. She didn't even quite know herself. “It's alright if you don't want to.” Always so kind of one's boundaries.

“The planet we were—there's something that's not adding up. My father and Coran mentioned something about it long ago.”

“We could always ask Coran tomorrow.” Hunk offered up.

Allura frowned. “I suppose so.” It was going to eat at her all night. She looked down and brushed away the loose strands of hair. She was tired. Quite tired. She grabbed Hunk’s hand and pulled him along with her. It was time for sleep.

When tomorrow came, the usual early riser was nowhere to be found. Allura sat at the table a little confused, but incredibly tired. She was normally a morning person, so the fatigue was rather…odd. Coran walked in not a moment sooner. Both Pidge and Hunk were asleep at the table a few chairs away.

“Coran, I've been meaning to ask you—”

“Good morning princess!” He seemed bright as ever.

“Yes, good morning to you too Coran. Now, that planet we visited, Lumeria, what was it you and Father said about it?” Coran raised an eyebrow confused.

“Lumeria is less of a planet and more of an interstellar hub, or rest area, where many come from far and wide to dance, party, and relax!” He beamed.

“Kinda like Vegas?” Pidge groaned tiredly into the table. She was tired. So very tired. She was not a morning person.

“What exactly is Vegas?” Coran asked curiously.

“Where no one talks about what happened and who you accidentally got married to.” She joked.

“Then it is exactly like Vegas! Lumeria has a unique marriage contract. It says getting married on Lumeria brings you closer to your partners, and for good reason! Once bonded, the partner feels all powerful emotions felt by their partner.” He wiped away a tear. “It's quite beautiful actually.”

Oh.

Oh no.

“And how would partners know they are bonded?” Allura croaked. She had a feeling she knew where this was going and she dreaded every second of it. She turned her head to Hunk and Pidge, heavy with fatigue.

“By rings on their left index finger, of course!” He pulled on his moustache with a grin. He looked to Allura, who stiffened and stared intently down at the table. “Is everything alright Princess?” He peered over to her. Her right hand was placed upon her left. He looked to Pidge and to Hunk, a finger of gold, lime and fuschia elegantly placed upon their left index finger.

Oh.

Oh my.

“Princess…may I see your left hand.” His inquiry did not go unnoticed by the other two at the table. Damn, she knew she could never get anything past Coran. He had known her since she was a child. All the things she had tried to pull over him piled up to his immunity and keen sense of knowing. Not even one word and he knew what she was up to.

Lazily, she lifted her left hand, and there laid the ring. He nodded.

He softly patted her shoulder.

“I congratulate you on your marriage.” She groaned. Coran turned his head to Hunk and Pidge. “An honour, truly, to marry a fine princess like Allura!” Now Allura knew he was teasing her only a little.

Hunk’s head shot up suddenly. “What?”

Pidge turned to Hunk, and patted his back in reassurance. “Welcome to the world of the living buddy. We're fucking married.”

When Shiro found himself solo with the gladiator, Keith as his spotter, he was sure it was just going to be another early exercise routine. It was a common thing he did in the morning. You could easily call it his stretching exercises.

The ring hadn't come off, which was a little disconcerting, but it was on his human hand. Still, jewelry could easily impede movement, or worsen fractures. It wasn't favoured, but… he would have to make do.

Despite having his bayard back, he felt more comfortable in hand to hand. It was what he was used to, what he had become best at. He also wasn't peculiarly…comfortable…entertaining the idea of using it just yet.

He stanced himself, ready to fight. A level three simulation began. He clenched his teeth, concentrating on what he would do and what he needed to practice. He closed his eyes and mumbled to himself “Patience yields focus”. His inner mantra from his younger days that he still kept since it was, by all means, still very true.

The sensation was brief, intense, but caught him off guard. He felt sick to his stomach. Anger. It flared up. So much anger. Burning so much that he could feel a hole in his stomach forming. This wasn't just from a single bad situation. No, it was pent up; residual anger. Bubbling like an overflowing cup not sure how to empty. Only breaking when there were cracks to be quickly fixed with weak duck tape. 

Where had it even come from?

The distraction was short enough for the gladiator to take advantage of him. Before he could pick up his pieces, he was desperately trying to block the bot’s attacks. Catching his footing was a hassle. Keith noted this and was about to end the simulation, but Shiro made a sign he was fine. He could do this. He took a deep breath. Patience yields focus.

The feelings flared up again and he swallowed hard the bile that formed in the back of his throat. He had to stop. Keith immediately called off the gladiator and ran up to his dear friend.

“Shiro, are you okay?” He hushed, placing a delicate hand on Shiro's shoulder. No, he wasn't. He really wasn't. There was so much anger. It wasn't his though. He felt himself being drowned out by it and it made him sick. It was overwhelming, dizzying and nauseating. He wanted to scream until his voice went hoarse, cry until he fainted and break anything in the near vicinity he could get his hands on. Or punch anyone who got in his way. He backed away from Keith’s touch, scared he might hurt his friend.

Shiro nodded. “Yeah. Just give me two minutes and take it from the top.” Keith gave Shiro a look of protest, but didn't push it. He went back to where he had been standing earlier, watched as Shiro walked in a circle, taking a deep breath and stanced himself. He breathed in and breathed out. He didn’t want to entertain his panic. Just swallow it and move on.

Keith lowered his hand to his side. The flinch didn’t go unnoticed. Keith wasn’t contact-oriented to begin with, so he knew when the people he was comfortable giving contact to flinched away. He didn’t push Shiro about it, but he did bite the inside of his lip.

He walked back to where he stood prior, watching Shiro ready himself for the practice once more.

Lance sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. One of those days. He had a bitter taste in the back of his mouth, but nothing new. Really, nothing new at all. He'd been numb to it after all these years. Unless he blew his fuse, usually at Keith. Space was kinda putting him on edge and he really did not like the effect it was having on him.

He walked into the lounging area, finding Hunk sitting there, reading something over. He propped his shoulders on the back of the couch, hovering over his best friend's shoulder. Hunk turned around, catching Lance’s eyes.

“Oh hey. Just Lumeria marriage customs. Trying to figure out a solution to a problem.” Lance raised an eyebrow, curious how a problem needed to be solved through marriage history. He jumped over and plopped himself down on the couch beside Hunk.

“And what exactly is this problem, pray tell?” Hunk sighed as he looked to Lance’s quizzical gaze.

“Me, Pidge and Allura accidentally got married.” There was a snicker from Lance. “It's not funny Lance! There’s a serious—Lance?” Hunk looked back to Lance confused.

Lance’s face had gone blank. It looked like his voice had gotten caught in his throat and he desperately tried to claw his knees close to his chest. That’s when Hunk picked up on the hyperventilating. Panic attack. His mind screamed. He delicately tried to put his hand on Lance, but Lance slapped his hand away. His left hand. Where a subtle purple and blue ring laid on his index finger. 

“Lance? Lance? Breathe, just breathe okay?” 

God he felt sick. He felt like he was going to dry heave up the nothing in his stomach. His lungs were on fire and he thought he was going to die. Was he dying? He felt like he was dying. He could hear Hunk talking to him, but his hyperventilation drowned Hunk out. Was he burning up? He felt like he was burning up. There was so much panic. So much anxiety, stress and fear and he didn't know what to do. The panic might of lessened up, but his panic did not. He could feel the saliva in the back of his throat thickening and warm tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn’t know what to do. He had no idea what to do.

“Lance! Oh no, oh no no no he’s not listening. Oh god what do I do? I can’t move him or he’s gonna hit me again. And he’s not listening to me so I can’t get him to calm down. I have to—UH, CORAN? ALLURA? PIDGE? SHIRO? ANYONE I NEED SOME HELP IN HERE ASAP?”

“Are you sure you're alright?” Keith probed once more. Shiro sighed. This was the fifth time he had asked that question.

“Yes. Positive.” Keith still didn't seem convinced. Of course he wouldn't. The gladiator training had been cut off early on the grounds of Shiro having a moment of panic.

Shiro wouldn't tell Keith, but it had in fact been the flaring anger he kept feeling like a wave rolling in. Now all he felt was panic. Nothing new. He was used to anxiety. He was constantly anxious. Never actually felt relaxed. Keith knew this. Of course his best friend would know this. Keith might not be good with his own emotions, but he was good at reading Shiro’s. Lance knew this, of course, or well knew an extent, considering Lance forced Shiro to sleep with him when Shiro couldn't get a wink of sleep. He wasn't going to admit it, but he slept in Lance’s room every night. Lance jokingly called himself a pillow.

Keith frowned, then paused. He raised his eyebrow confused. He ran ahead at a slight jogging pace. Curious, Shiro quickened his step to follow his best friend.

When he heard the sound of the door buzzing open. He saw Keith assess the situation, before bolting into the room. That wasn't a very good sign. He quickened his pace.

Shiro heard the conversation from a distance. “What happened?” It was Keith’s voice, taking hold of the situation confidently, but there was a tremble of fear.

“Don’t! Don’t touch. He's having a panic attack. I tried—trying to help him, but he's not listening.” That was Hunk. Shiro swallows his saliva hard. It wasn't Pidge. He could count his stars it wasn't Pidge. Or Allura. Coran or Lance. Either Coran or Lance and he dreaded it being the latter.

He saw Hunk kneeling on the ground, tending to the brunet sitting on the couch. Keith hovered beside Hunk, looking a bit like a fish out of water, but trying to be there to help. Shiro rushed over and quickly kneeled next to Hunk.

“How long has he been like this?” Assess the situation. You might of royally failed your first aid course, but you must've absorbed some things.

Hunk never took his eyes off of Lance.

“Ten minutes? I've been trying to walk him through the steps to calm him down, but he won't listen.” Okay. Okay. He could deal with helping his boyfriend down from a panic attack. He used to do this for himself back at the Garrison, back in high school, back in middle school. 

“Lance, honey, it’s me, Shiro.” Keith looked to Shiro, mouthing the word ‘honey’ quizzically. Lance caught his eyes. He smiled. Okay good. “I need you to listen closely, okay? Nod your head if you understand.” There was a small nod between the movement of heavy breathing. “I need you to follow my example, breath in with your diaphragm for five seconds, hold in for two.” Shiro did the motions with Lance. “Now exhale for five. Can you do that five more times?” Shiro walked Lance through the motions. He moved from hyperventilating to heavy breathing, but he was on the verge to flipping back.

“Keith, I need you to go get Coran or Allura, see if they have anything that could help.” Keith nodded and made his way to the door. It opened, and without much else, it closed with a buzz. There was a cold silence that settled between Hunk and Shiro, only filled by Lance’s breathing.

“Lance, I need you to repeat that breathing pattern until you calm your breathing, can you do that?” There wasn't much of a response, but the reprise of the breathing exercise. Shiro turned his head to Hunk.

“What happened?” He wanted to know what exactly could have caused this. Lance wasn't someone riddled with anxiety, or from what he knew for the most part. He had an aggressive competitive streak, but they never really delved into that much. Lance would segway to another subject skillfully. 

“We were just hanging out on the couch and then it happened.” There was a pause. “Shiro…what's on your finger?” Shiro looked down to his hand. Oh, right. The ring. 

“I honestly… don't know. It was there when I woke up, back on Lumeria.” He rubbed the back of his neck a little awkwardly. 

“Oh no.” Hunk’s voice was hushed as he looked back and forth between Lance and Shiro nervously. Shiro raised his eyebrow curiously. “Uh…I think—oh god I'm sorry but—Lance and you, you're both—” the door opened with a buzz and rushing footsteps came bustling in. 

“Everything alright? I came as fast an angry clanmurel” Coran puffed a little from the run, Keith behind him. Allura moved beside him. Coran moved Hunk and Shiro out of the way, clearing the way for him to work. 

Oh yes, he had some vague idea what it was now. Quite similar to a golywag burst. So this was a ‘panic attack’. Well, Shiro and Hunk seemed to have stabilized his breathing. He looked clammy and his face was soaked from tears. 

“Lance, on a scale 1 to 10, 10 being horrible, how do you feel?” Lance gave another patterned 5-2-5 breathing, before, with a shaky breath, giving his answer. 

“100.” He croaked. Well. At least he was honest. His eyes widened a fraction of a second. “I'm gonna hurl.” 

“UH, bucket! Quick bucket!” Hunk cried. The four frantically looked around, trying to find something quick. There was a bowl of goo lying around. Ditching the goo, they passed Lance the bowl and he heaved, retching nothing more than water and stomach acid. He groaned as he fell against the couch. 

Coran took the bowl and moved it out of the way. Despite understanding very little about humans, he considered himself doing fairly well. Humans and Alteans were a bit more similar than he first thought.

“A bit better?” Coran inquired. All Lance could do was groan once more. He really didn't want to speak. His lungs hurt a lot. “Let's move him back to his room. Up, both of you on your feet.” Coran looked to Hunk and Shiro, who had still been kneeling on the floor.

“I'm…fine.” Lance groaned from where he sat on the couch. Shiro sent him a little glare. And Lance told him he had a guilt complex of others fussing over him.

“It's fine. I'll take him back.” Shiro leaned down. Gently, he took hold of Lance. Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck and nuzzled his head into Shiro’s chest. God this would be so embarrassing if he didn't feel like shit. The sound of Shiro’s heartbeat was comforting. It was a little quick, but it was nice.

“Thanks babe.” Lance muttered into Shiro’s chest. They left without much else being said. Shiro’s tone had been final and no one really wanted to intervene. It was obviously a moment.

When they left, all Hunk could see were the two matching rings.

“Keith, was Shiro acting weird when you were with him?” Hunk asked suddenly. Keith crossed his arms. The flinch away from contact. Keith nodded. “This is gonna be a long one.” Hunk rubbed his head. He looked to the book on Lumerian marriage customs tossed aside.

“Hunk, is there something you would like to share?” Allura leaned forward, placing a soothing palm on his shoulder. She could feel the stress. She was sure Pidge could feel it too.

“Lance and Shiro are married.” Allura’s eyes took a clouded turn, processing the information.

“What.” Oh right. Keith hadn't been there this morning.

“Oh wonderful! Another couple to celebrate.” Coran said ecstatically. Then the implication hit him. “Oh no.” Oh yes.

Keith let out a frustrated growl. “Can someone explain what’s going on here? Why are Shiro and Lance married and how does it have any link to what the fuck just happened?”

“Space Vegas.” Keith could feel a disgusted groan come over him. Of course. Of fucking course. “Apparently Lumerian marriages connect your emotions to your partner. What happened to Lance happened because of Shiro and whatever happened with you and Shiro happened because of Lance.” Hunk, paused, quickly realizing his choice of words. He looked up frantically to correct himself, but Keith understood. No panic. Lance was enough for today.

“Okay. So they get a divorce.” Keith gave the answer as if it was the obvious thing in the world.

“I'm afraid not. Lumerian marriages are sacred. They’re only possible if all consenting parties are good for one another. They're permanent contracts.” Hunk lowered his head when Coran repeated what he said this morning. Despite Coran telling him this, he was trying to search for a loophole. He loved Allura and Pidge, but sharing emotions was terrifying and there were so many risks. Exhibit A just happened. No luck. No luck at all.

A silence was about to settle, but the door opened with a buzz.

“I just walked by Lance and Shiro being grossly domestic what—whoa, did I just walk in on something?” Pidge looked to Hunk’s tired face, Keith’s brooding expression, Allura’s resignation and Coran’s solemn face. Yeah. Definitely a moment.

Lance and Shiro lied next to one another on the small bed, their fingers intertwined and heads resting atop of one another. Normally Shiro was the little spoon, but Lance curled into him, not wanting to be let go.

“Do you…” he whispered softly. “Do you want to talk about it?” Lance let the question sink in.

“I…there was just so much stress. I don't even know where it came from.” Lance hushed into Shiro’s shoulder. He seemed to be lost. Shiro tightened his grip around Lance. “I'm not even a stressed person. I have—I don't even know what happened. It just did and…” He cute himself off. Shiro brushed a hand down Lance’s face.

“Just get some sleep. You're safe.” Lance nuzzled in closer. Did that ever happen to Shiro? He glanced to the older man who he was lying against. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think of Shiro in pain and scared like he was. He tightened his grip around Shiro. He didn't want to imagine it. He lifted his head up, and tried to give Shiro a sloppy kiss, it was only met with a small laugh and a kiss on the nose.

Shiro's internal clock told him it was five in the morning when he woke up. Lance still held a tiny grip on him, but he pulled away. It was time to start the day. He’d train, take a shower, eat breakfast with Allura and Coran, maybe find Pidge sleeping in a really weird location again and spare with Keith. Then Lance would wake up, he’d sit with him at the table and let him have a one-man conversation as Shiro only nodded. Lance was chatty, and he very much appreciated that.

The training area was empty, as usual, only the sound of humming lights were keeping him company. He began to stretch. He hadn't used to be a fairly flexible person. He wouldn't openly admit it if not asked, but he used to take ballet and gymnastics. He dropped ballet early on, but sticked with gymnastics. He was a fan of tumbling and groundwork more than high beam, bar or trampoline. Balance was not his thing. 

He began basic arm warm ups, only to find himself being interrupted by the sound of the door buzzing opened. He lowered his Galra hand and turned to the door, wondering who exactly was joining him.

Though her hair a little unkept from bedhead, Allura greeted him in her morning glory. There was a smile on her face, but it wasn't as bright as usual. “May I have a word with you?”

Shiro gestured that the floor was all hers. She nodded and walked in, her gown billowing behind her. He always liked her gown, it reminded him of not just a flower, but also the trans flag. Even if she had no idea what it was, it still made him smile just a little to himself. “What seems to be the matter princess?” Allura folded her arms behind her back and took cautious steps around the floor.

“Have you experienced any emotions not of your own, as if, excuse my pun, coming out of the blue?” Shiro wondered how exactly that could be a pun. There had been the anger from the previous day, but… he shook his head to her. Lance’s words from last night faintly came back to him. Allura only frowned. 

She leaned towards him, and Shiro was sure the term personal space had escaped her in that very moment. “Come now Shiro. Keith told us you acted rather peculiarly with him yesterday.” He looked away from her, but she only made a curious sound. “Was it sadness? Fatigue? Loneliness?” 

“Anger.” He gritted his hands, remembering it faintly from yesterday. “Burning anger.” Allura pulled away from him, a little taken aback by his response. That was… not an emotion she had been expecting, yet felt oddly right. 

“The ring on your finger is the reason why you felt that way.” Shiro raised his left hand, looking at the object curiously. How was that little thing making him feel like a monster ready to destroy anything in his path? Well, aliens. He wasn't about to question aliens. “That ring symbolizes a marriage contract, more precisely a Lumerian marriage. All partners feel intense emotions of one another. Lance should be wearing one identical to yours.” Yeah, now that she mentioned it, Lance had in fact been wearing one. Was the anger…? Then Lance’s panic…? He felt as if someone punched his gut. Allura must have noticed Shiro’s shift immediately. “What happened yesterday was not your fault. Neither was Lance’s emotions to you. The contract is a double-edge sword. It may bring you closer to one  another, but may be used against you.” She spoke solemnly. 

“Is there any way to undo the contract?” Despite Allura’s words, he didn't want Lance to feel his emotions, and by Lance’s emotions yesterday, he was sure Lance would not want to tell him whatever was attributed to his anger.

Allura shook her head. “I'm afraid not.” Allura took Shiro’s hands, making him look her directly in the eyes. There was hope in them. “We’ll find a way to make this work. You are not alone.” Yet to Shiro, the words felt hollow.

When Lance woke up, it was to vague feelings of guilt and regret, as well as a lonely bed. He looked around. He was in Shiro’s room, of course. There was something comforting about it, despite looking like a carbon copy of his own. Maybe it was the slight discrepancies between his and Shiro’s. While Shiro’s felt a little more impersonal, there were the small things that made his lips form a smile.

Paladin armour, always neatly placed in plain sight, ready to be changed into at a moment’s notice. The black leotard, well Lance called it a leotard anyway, was constantly on Shiro’s person. He admired Shiro’s readiness, but he also found it just a little bit funny. In a cute way, of course.

He’d slept in his clothes, not wanting to change after last night, and he hated the aftertaste of his breath. Nasty. Still, his legs felt a little shaky, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. He scratched his head, pushed on his boots and made way to the kitchen. Anything in his stomach would feel great right now, even if it was the nasty foodgoo.

He didn't cross anyone on his way down to the dining area, but waiting for him at the table was Pidge tapping away on her laptop. Honestly he really wanted to know how she was able to keep his music player and her laptop at full power in space. Yet, he also really did not want to know. Schrodinger’s Pidge.

He pulled up a seat, and finally she looked up. “Oh hey, heard shit happened yesterday.”

“Yup. And I'm alive.” He sighed into the palm of his hand. He looked around. It was surprisingly empty. Where was everyone else.

“So how’s it feel being married?” She asked jokingly, or what Lance thought was jokingly. He rolled his eyes. 

“I'm only dating Shiro.” She looked to him, a little confused.

“Wait. They didn't tell you?” Lance felt himself swallowing hard. He eyed her carefully.

“Tell me what?” Pidge groaned as she slammed her laptop shut. She pointed to his left hand, specifically the ring on his finger.

“See that ring? That's the symbol of a Lumerian marriage. Each partner feels the others’ strongest emotions. It’s permanent. One and done.” He felt the weight of the world fall on his shoulders. 

“What the Quiznak.” Pidge shied away from Lance as he processed it all. Maybe it shouldn't have been her to give him the news, since she wasn't a very delicate bearer of news, but it needed to be done sooner rather than later.

“Look if it makes you feel better I’m married to Hunk and Allura. We’re in the same boat pal.” Right. Hunk told him yesterday. His eyes furrowed. Okay, Shiro could feel what he felt. He breathed and gritted his teeth.

The door buzzed open, their attention being drawn to whoever was coming in. Just Hunk and Keith. Keith shot Lance a glance before taking a seat next to Pidge. Hunk made his way over to Lance, sitting next to him.

Pidge looked to Hunk. “Don’t worry about telling him, already broke the news.” She opened up her laptop and continued to tap away on her computer. Hunk turned his head to Lance, giving him a kind smile.

“So? How you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Lance wasn’t one for swearing, but honestly, there was no other way to describe it. Hunk gave him a light pat on the shoulder. Lance appreciated it, but he sank his head onto the table nonetheless. He wasn’t a morning person (unless he got a wonderful night’s sleep), and he was even less of a morning person after that.

There was another buzz, and finally the sound of bowls clanking against the table. Coran was here, and he was ever chipper. “Good morning Paladins! I hope you all slept well. We have a full schedule today.” Lance grabbed his spork and dug in. Look, the foodgoo tasted better than his breath, that’s all he could really say. “Allura, Hunk, Pidge and I have come up with an ingenious solution to your problems. More team building exercises!”

“Yeah, well I remembered that memory thing where Hunk kept trying to dig into my memories.” Pidge side-eyed Hunk. He gave her a sheepish grin. Allura covered her mouth as she chuckled.

“Exactly! You’ll have to fend out the others attempting to distract your concentration. It should help with the sudden barrage of emotions and not feel consumed by them.” Coran nodded, a little proud by his safe words.

There was a general fuss about more team building exercises, mostly because the memory of it was not fond, but it was, by all means, for the best.

Keith sent Lance another look. Lance really didn’t like being looked at, especially with the look he was giving him. “What?” It came out a little harsher than he wanted. Keith gave him another look, but didn’t respond. The door buzzed once more. Allura entered, followed by Shiro.

Shiro and Lance’s eyes crossed for a second. He could make out faintly fear and pity. Lance had gotten better at reading Shiro, but he didn’t like what he found. He quickly ate his food and unintentionally slammed his hands down on the table. “Guess I got stronger.” Lance joked, but he knew it was forced.

Pidge rolled her eyes. Keith’s eyes crossed him once more, but despite whatever look the red paladin was giving him, it only fuelled Lance more. Keith riled him up, and he blew up. It was like a game of catch. Lance thanked Coran and excused himself. He was gonna go chill. A lie, really, but it wasn't completely false. He was gonna go cool down. 

Shiro watched as Lance stormed out. Well, an attempt to hide his angry gait, but failing miserably. The anger flaring up once more. He wasn’t exactly sure what caused it. Keith found himself wondering, what exactly he had done wrong? Pidge shrugged. Hunk sighed. Shiro looked back to Allura. She nodded. Not a moment sooner, he was running after Lance.

He hadn’t needed to run far to catch up. While he didn't want to talk about it. They were going to need to. They couldn't keep setting each other off. Lance’s panic attack was bad enough yesterday, Shiro did not want to think what he could do to the team blinded by rage that was not his own. He had perfectly been ready to avoid Lance, and maybe Lance would have done the same. They were dancing on eggshells.

Keith ran up to him, a question obviously on his mind. Allura had already left long ago. “How long have you and Lance been you know…?”

Keith kept his eye contact. “Three months.” He paused. “Sorry for not saying anything sooner. We were supposed to tell you when we were ready.”

“And you're happy?” It was less of an inquiry, and more of a demand. He placed Shiro far above himself. While understandable, Shiro was scared of the harm that could come from that. He was devoted to everyone on the team, but Shiro was a little bit higher than the others.

Shiro nodded. He never felt happier. Keith seemed content with the answer and relaxed his shoulders a bit.

“Can I ask you something?” Shiro made a noise of acknowledgement. “What happened yesterday? You flinched when I touched you.” Right. This was Keith. “Shiro. You can trust me.” Shiro ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I…there was so much anger. All so suddenly, I could only see anger. I was scared of hurting you.” Keith laid a hand on Shiro’s shoulder.

“And the anger, was it Lance’s?” Shiro didn't respond, but it was enough of an answer for Keith. “Talk to each other before you both kill each other.” He gave Shiro a quick hug. He looked up to Shiro’s eyes. “You mean a lot to us. To me.” He paused. “And Lance does too.” He muttered. There was a small tug at Shiro’s lips.

“I promise.”

Keith glared at him. “You better own up to that promise.”

Keith and Lance were a bit similar. Maybe his inner mantra would be good for his boyfriend too? He tapped Lance on the shoulder, and he could see a storm in his eyes. It was slowly becoming the eye of the storm.

“We need to talk.” Gently, Lance took his hand. His way of telling him to lead the way. His grip was a bit harsher than normal, but not so strong it was painful.

It was Lance’s room this time around. The clutter everywhere made Shiro’s heart flutter. Clutter was what he liked about the room. It was clutter, yet order. Everything had a place. All in plain sight.

They sat down on the bed, both of their hands connected. It felt more personal that way. There was something about touch that calmed Shiro’s nerves. The weight lessened the isolation. 

Shiro went first. “I'm sorry about yesterday. It was my fault.” He sounded so guilty. Lance looked to him, rather confused.

“What? Why are you apologizing it wasn't your fault for feeling panic. I just can't handle stress at all.” He shrugged it off. He wasn't mad. He really wasn't. Well, he had been, but not at Shiro. He didn't even blame Shiro for it. It was just his body not used to high amounts of panic.

“You had a panic attack because of me.” Shiro turned his gaze away from Lance. Lance squeezed his fingers.

“Shiro. I had a panic attack because I couldn't handle emotions.” There was an edge of frustration in his voice. “If anyone should be apologizing it's me.” Shiro turned back to Lance, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “My anger set off your panic. If we wanna look at it like that I was asking for it.”

“It wasn't your—” Lance gave him a look of annoyance.

“My point. We can keep dragging on this pity party, but let's face it. It's not our fault.” The point got across to Shiro. It wasn't either of their fault. It was just emotions. There was a silence that settled as they rubbed each other’s hands.

“We’re going to need to be honest to each other about our emotions…” both of their expressions were sombre. Things they had not been willing to speak of finally coming to surface.

Lance breathed in deeply. “You know I can get pretty nasty with Keith. I got mad at you in the process a few times.” He looked down. “I'm pretty petty. Nothing I can really do about it. Tried. I remembered my old psychologist called me a ‘water glass that’s overflowing’.” He put in the air quotations for good measure. He went silent again. 

Shiro decided to push on. “Is there a reason?” Lance rubbed the back of his neck.

“Bullied as a kid? Kinda cliche. They always got a violent reaction from me. They called me stupid, I got competitive. Had to be the best; the one on top. I had to prove them wrong. I wasn't stupid.” There was a bitter taste on his tongue and Shiro could feel it bubbling. A deep wound on the heart. “It sounds so stupid. I'm... mad at myself? I don't even know where I belong. I’m  just… trying to find my way? I was pretty disgusting as a kid, and as a teen too. Honestly if I didn't get help or have Hunk I…” He looked to his hands, the ones he was holding Shiro’s hands with. Shiro rubbed circles with his thumbs. Lance was a lot more like Keith then he thought.

Lance looked back up to Shiro. “I have a feeling about the panic but…” He left Shiro the room to speak for himself.

Shiro looked down to his Galra hand. He clenched his fist. To an extent… he could guess it was linked, but from what he could vaguely remember. It was more the feeling of being something he dreaded. If that's how he could formulate it, anyway.

“I…” Lance waited for him. “I'm scared of becoming the monster they wanted me to be. I panicked. I’m frequently panicked, it's become more finding the moments I'm not.” Lance carefully took his Galra hand, giving it a tight squeeze. It was reassuring. Shiro appreciated it. “I don't want to hurt the ones I care about. Pidge, Hunk, Coran, Allura, Keith and you. I don't want to fail you.” Lance let go of Shiro’s left hand and ran his hand down the side of Shiro’s face.

He hugged him tightly. There was no sign of Lance letting go. If Shiro had to be honest, he didn't want to let go. Lance pressed his forehead to Shiro’s in a reassuring motion. Shiro leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. Pulling away, Lance smiled. “Are we good?” 

Shiro nodded. “We’re good.”

Lance leaned forward, resting his head in Shiro’s right shoulder. “You're a good person.” He whispered fondly to Shiro.

Shiro leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek. “You're a good person too.” There was a smile that tugged on Lance’s lips, and tears in his eyes. Joy. Warm, warm joy. All he could feel was love.