How far does her influence reach?
Time is a weird thing in space, without the day and night cycle, without the seasons, and with all the wormholes they travel through, keeping track of time isn't in anyone's priorities, not unless they're waiting on someone to get off the pods. So Lance isn't all that surprised when he can't remember how long it's been since he discovered he was something other than human; that the things he saw in the corner of his eyes were real, and out for blood.
Even with how much that discovery changed things.
Akira and him become friends, close friends, even maybe best friends considering how little of Hunk Lance sees nowadays, Also, Lance is getting used to the weird balancing act of calling him Akira in his head but Keith out loud, at his insistence. But that isn't the only thing that changes.
It's easy enough to brush off at first, but then it keeps happening, eyes following Lance, not the way of enemy sizing up enemy, but something else, something a lot more mundane, and possibly, a lot more dangerous. Interest, raw, and hungry, and anything but innocent; but interest nonetheless.
He thinks he's going crazy, imagining things, but it happens too often to be a coincidence. And then, when he's about to ask Akira if this is a demigod thing, on account of no one else noticing, Pidge calls it to attention.
"I think the Galra are into Lance"
The reaction is immediate, a chorus of confused and somewhat outraged exclamations from most everyone, Akira is strangely quiet, arms crossed, like he's thinking of something.
"What do you mean?"
Everyone turns, it's not as rare for him to be calm nowadays, but considering how protective he can be, it's still surprising.
"It was just looking at first, but I got some recordings last recon mission, and one something kept translating into the word blue"
They pull out what looks like a pen drive, showing it to all of them.
"Coran, could we use the castle's sound system for this?"
Coran exchanges a look with the princess before guiding Pidge to one of the control pads, soon there's a small crackling of static and then voices. Normally, their suits auto-translate everything, now, without the helmet, the Galran is audible, and more concerningly, somewhat understandable, though there are words he can't make out, he glances around the room, and sees Akira, looking like a ghost.
"It's Greek"
They all looks at him, and he frowns.
"Ok, not Greek fully, it's like someone took the language and mashed it with something else"
Shiro is the one that says something.
"You know Greek?"
Akira whirls to him with the most confused look.
"What did you think Leo and I were talking in every time he called?"
Shiro doesn't respond, Lance still feels like he's missing something, because as far as he's aware, he's never learned Greek; and he's also adding another thing to long list of things Akira says about the so called 'Leo', because he's curious about this person that clearly means so much to him. Pidge manages to bring attention back to themself with an exaggerated clearing of their throat.
"Interesting as that is, maybe you could play translator for us"
Akira pulls a face.
"Can you play it again?"
Pidge looks at Coran, who nods and clicks a few things, the recording starts over. Akira's expression betrays nothing, but Lance sees the way his hands are tight against his legs, and his left feet is shifting ever so slightly.
"They're saying something about scents, and the word blue, and a word I don't get, also something about begging"
Lance flushes.
"Ok, I think everyone got that"
Akira gives him a long look, before turning to Coran.
"What does luj mean?"
Coran blinks at him.
"It's the last letter to the Galran alphabet if I'm not mistaken"
Lance feels like he's had a terrible epiphany.
"I think I need a moment"
No one stops him from leaving.
They decide to do a little more investigation on it, just to be safe, but the general consensus is to try and limit all interactions between the Galra and Leandro. Akira slips away at the first opportunity, set on finding the demigod; he has a bad feeling that this is all related to the claiming, and therefore, might be his fault.
He finds Leandro in the observation deck, pacing back and forth as he mumbles in what can only be Spanish, Akira even picks up a few words he recognizes; then suddenly he stops, hands going to his face, as he says a single line in English.
"I can't believe the furries were right"
Akira decides he might as well ask.
"What's a furry?"
Leandro whirls towards him, eyes wide and a worrying sort of expression. Akira takes a step back, just in case.
"Are you for real?"
Akira nods, still worried, Leandro's face goes through a barrage of emotions, before he sighs.
"The details are a lot, but basically there's this thing called Omegaverse, where humans fall under the wolf-caste system"
Akira blinks.
"Ok?"
Leandro starts pacing again, hands moving avidly.
"So there's the alphas, which is easy enough, and there's the betas who work like normal humans, and there's the omegas, who can bear children regardless of sex"
It feels sort of like being slapped.
"Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet"
Leandro stops again, to give him a grim look.
"They absolutely want to fuck me, holy shit"
And that, uncomfortable and terrifying as it is, works as a great segue-way.
"I think I may know why"
Leandro lets out a sigh, laying on a nearby wall and using it to slide down into a sitting position.
"Ok, lay it on me"
Akira approaches, and sits himself down in front of him.
"I told you about your mother claiming you, right?"
Leandro nods, Akira pushes on.
"Well, as a goddess of love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory; I think she gave you a blessing"
Leandro frowns with his whole face, lips pulling just so, revealing teeth.
"A blessing?"
Akira instinctively raises his hands up to ear level.
"Protecting you the only way she can"
Leandro looks like he's too seconds away from losing it.
"By making me hot to the Galra?"
Akira winces.
"More like making you so distracting it may give us the advantage"
Leandro goes to speak, closes his mouth with an alarmed sort of look, makes a few aborted hand motions, and then takes a hand to his forehead.
"Holy fuck"
Akira feels like there's acid in his throat, he's not sure why.
"Yeah"
YOU ARE READING
Collecting the shards
Fanfiction"Names have power" The words have become a prayer in their nature, if only for how Akira has used them since learning them. He receives a smile for his efforts, which is more than he probably deserves. {or, how the butterfly effect feeds into the...
