Lance Alone

Part 18 (Lance)

Lance sprinted down the street, skidding in the sand towards where he remembered parking the pod. That sound didn't come from Earth—were the Galra attacking? No, how could they have found him? Unless they followed him all the way from Alatoch... did he put everyone in danger just by coming here?

Annie shrieked, a sound loud enough to wake the dead. "Monster! Giant metal monster!"

"There's two of them!" Dale was holding Lance's bayard, but it wouldn't activate for anyone except the Blue Paladin of Voltron, so it was useless in his hand. Still, he waved it in the air, trying to defend the pod and his friend. "Back off, monster!" he threatened, "I totally know how to use this thing, and I will if I have to!"

Lance came to a stop beside them, looking up in the air. "What's the matter?" he asked, looking around. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he knew those glowing eyes anywhere. That was the Red Lion. He pulled his helmet out of his bag and pulled it on, turning on the radio.

"Keith, is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it's me," Keith's voice came through the radio, and the Lion landed on the ground. Blue landed beside it, and the waves of the beach crashed against her claws. Lance ran to her side, hearing her purr.

"What are you doing here, Blue?" he asked. Keith climbed out of Red, and Annie and Dale flocked to him.

"Who are you?" they asked, "Are you an alien?"

"No. Uh, I mean," Keith scratched his head, "That's none of your business. Where's Lance?"

Lance stepped out from under Blue's shadow, pulling off the helmet now that he didn't need it to talk to Keith. Keith stood under his lion, looking around. They stood ten feet apart, frowning at each other. Lance crossed his arms.

"I see you've mastered the art of flying two lions at once," Lance rolled his eyes, "What are you, two fifths of Voltron now?"

"I didn't fly Blue," he explained, "she came here looking for you. You two must have a strong bond."

"Well, uh," Was Keith actually complimenting him? He didn't have a retort. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks."

They stood there, not saying anything to each other. "What are you even doing here, anyway? I thought you would be happy I left."

"Why would I be happy you left? I didn't want you to leave."

"Well, then you're very good at mixed signals," a slightly higher wave crashed up around their feet.

Silence. They stood there for a long, stretching moment.

"This is so awkward," Annie whispered to Dale, loud enough for both of them to hear. Lance and Keith pretended they didn't.

"How did you even find me?" Lance asked.

"Remember that time you were really homesick and started telling Pidge all about home?" Keith said, "you went on and on about living on the beach, and a green house with a picket fence on a road just like this. I just looked for that house."

"Really?" Keith remembered all of that? That conversation must have been weeks ago, and he didn't remember being that specific.

"Yeah, well also you were talking about it on the way here, and you left your radio on in your helmet. 'Veradero Beach. Green house. Picket fence.' So it wasn't that hard."

Lance's heart sunk. He thought it might be something like that.

Figures started to come over the hill, spilling out of Lance's house. "Lance, dear?" his mother asked, "Everything alright? Why did you leave the party?"

Lance sighed. Everyone was invited to a McClain party, even stubborn guys with dumb mullets. "This is... Keith. Keith, this is my mother. And my whole family."

"Well, the more the merrier!" she waved him inside, "Come on in!"