Space Mom Lance

Koran

Koran had always loved taking care of others. Whether it be the princess, animals or even his nieces and nephews he loved to entertain and watch them grow. He remembered every single one of their birthdays, remembered their favorite colors, what they thought was cool, and knew all the little questions he was asked because they were too shy to ask their parents. He had been loved as an uncle and a caretaker. That didn't change when the paladins arrived, he still needed to care for the princess, and then five others. It still pained him to remember though, not that he would dare ever show it. He was the oldest of the group, he couldn't do much but he knew he could at least lighten the mood, navigate and clean. It got quite boring at times, but there were no longer servants to clean up the ship; the work of twelve is now the job of one.

Cleaning the lions is no easy feat either and there were times only he knew how to fix them. With a sigh Koran looked at the dirt rag in his hand and opened the door to the healing pods, he'd need to clean those first before cleaning another hall. When he opened the door, he was welcome to a surprise.

Lance was spraying the insides of the healing pods and vigorously scrubbing it down. The strong scent of washing away the stench of sweat, blood, dirt and whatever else that had dirtied them from their last mission. Koran looked around the room and the hall behind him, realizing the muddy footprints of the paladins no longer there. Now that he thought about it, some hallways had been cleaned even though Koran remembered never even stepping foot in the hallway to clean it in ages.

Lance who just finished cleaning the pod turned around, his mouth and nose was covered by a baby blue bandana. His iconic coat wrapped around his waist showing and instead he wore a Lilac Short sleeved shirt and instead of his baggy jeans he wore black leggings and white slide on sneakers. Bright yellow gloves covered his long nimble fingers, but the rest of his outfit clung to him in a way revealing his long and beautifully sculpted body.

Lance pulled down the bandana giving Moran a big smile, "Hey there Koran! What's up?" Although he was smiling Koran could see the Latino blushing a bit. He must've not wanted me to find out... It reminded him a bit of his niece who used to help him. She would always help him clean up, knowing he had always been busy with one thing or another. She'd never ask him though, she always would stubbly help out, denying she helped at all unless caught red handed.

"Hello there, blue paladin! What are you doing today?" The oranged haired man asked as he always does, not showing how intrigued he was.

"I was kinda bored so I thought maybe cleaning would be a nice way to kill time." Lance's confident smile and laid back attitude could've fooled the others, but years of experience and his observation let him know Lance was just trying to cover up the truth. Koran had always observed Lance's small acts of kindness, despite his outer appearance of an idiot. Koran couldn't help being drawn to Lance, who reminded him so much of his favorite niece.

Lance pulling on his bandana again asked, "Since I've pretty much cleaned the med bay, why don't I keep you company? I've been trying to write Altean but I keep mixing up the words, maybe you could explain..."

Now that Koran thought about it, Lance had been the only paladin to really talk to him about his interests, something other than war. Sure, Allura talked to him but she liked to keep thoughts of the past to herself. Yet the Latino boy always asks about his past: his life experiences and culture, his family; things that no one else seemed to care about. Lance even wanted Koran to teach him some Altenean which had made him over the moon since he had also been a part time teacher before the war and often tutor his own family members. Lance never failed to tell him how amazing he was, always thanking him for teaching him something new with his eyes lighting up everytime he got something right.

Koran led Lance to a hallway which he had not dusted or mopped in almost a month. Lance had always been an open ear to retell old stories too, something that pushed him through long days of cleaning and long periods of time working with Allura, where all he wanted to do was finally talk to something other than the Glara, something that makes him smile for a change.

"Hey Koran? You remember when you said you brought a gorchev home? What exactly did it look like? I'm thinking tentacles and slimy but, space has yet to not shock me." Lance giggles under the bandana as he dusts off the wall. The giggles were contagious as Koran joined in before starting off on a tangent of the experience. This continued on, and Koran hadn't even realized they both had moved onto a new hallway at some point and he was talking about his niece.

Koran smiled to himself as he thought about his family. Sure, it hurt, but he was on the front lines of battle and he understood the losses needed for gains. Long ago he too cried for losing comrades on the battlefield, and watching children become orphans, and creatures losing their partners. He had stopped crying soon enough, because as much as he grieved there was no time to cry. It pained him, although he never showed it but, his niece no matter how sad he felt made him smile. She reminded him the great parts about being in a community and how much fun it was to care and teach. She was the reason he wasn't heartless. She was just like Lance, someone who made you want to believe in fighting. Someone who makes you smile just by their small gestures, cause they knew exactly what needed to be said and done.

"Thank you for spending your time with me and explaining everything Koran. I am so glad you are my teacher and crewmate." Lance states, when he glanced at Koran's expression. Understanding, as he too has seen war and sad times in South America as he has seen slums and the dark corners of the world away from the farm he lived in.

Koran smiled as a single tear fell down his cheek. If Lance notices, he doesn't say anything, rather offers a small smile and hugs the orange haired Atleaneian allowing him to grieve once more.

Koran and Lance began to clean up together more often, followed up with teaching sessions which were filled with not only information but soft laughter and tears of the eldest member of the palace. If Koran began spoiling Lance with little gifts and sweets like he did for his niece, which in return he got hugs, small gifts and kisses on his cheek, only the two of them would know about it.