The Missing Pilot

Chapter Two

"Lance...?"

The male turned around at the sound of the too familiar voice. He immediately brandished a smile and jogged over to the male in front of him.

"Keith! Mullet!"

"When are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Keith crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. He was dressed back in his red paladin armor, the way he was before he left with the Blade.

"Whenever you cut off the stupid mullet, that's when." Lance put his hands on his hips, and Keith seemed to mirror him. "So... you decided to come back?"

"I guess it doesn't hurt to take a break from the Blade of Marmora. I missed what I had back here with Voltron."

"You do?"

"Well... parts of it. I miss Hunk's cooking, and Pidge's late night snacking." Keith moved his hand and placed it on Lance's chest. "I miss you."

"You... you do?"

"Yes..."

Lance looked surprised by this, and in his surprise, Keith moved forward and rested his head against Lance's shoulder, hugging him tightly. Lance hugged him back, closing his eyes.

"Keith..."

"Lance... Lance..."

"Lance! Hellooo?"

Lance's eyes snapped awake as the dream figure of Keith blew away, as if made out of delicate sand in a strong breeze, and he was met instead with Shiro's face hovering over him.

"Shiro! Haven't you learned? You should never interrupt my beauty sleep!" Lance was upset, but pretended to be angry with the fact he was "losing beauty sleep" rather than revealing the real reason he'd been upset.

"Sorry about that...!" Shiro smiled sheepishly, standing up straight as Lance sat in the bed, rubbing his eyes. "The Princess wants to see us on the main deck, but you weren't responding to the all-call, so she had me come get you."

"Oh... okay." Lance stretched his arms out and yawned. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Shiro nodded and went to walk out the door, then stopped. "Hey Lance..."

"Hm, yea?" The Cuban didn't look around his shoulder when answering.

"It's okay to miss Keith... and if you want to talk about anything, I'm open to talk."

"I don't miss him," Lance said immediately, almost too quickly to believe, "and I don't know where you'd get that idea from, Shiro. Thanks for the offer, though."

Shiro noticed a matter-of-fact tone in Lance's voice, and he decided not to pry further. "If you say so, Lance... but if you want to talk, I'm here."

"Yea, I've got it. Thanks..." Lance waited until the door was closed to scowl.

He doesn't know how small I feel without Keith.

Lance shook his head and scratched at the shaved part of his head, then pushed the actual hair out of his face before getting into his armor. He jogged out of his room once he was dressed, making it to the room where everyone else stood.

The rest of the paladins were in their armor. Pidge was standing next to her brother, who was dressed in a form of armor Allura was generous enough to lend to him. Hunk was standing beside the aforementioned princess, who was facing a big screen, which displayed Kolivan's face on it. Lance quietly snuck up next to Hunk and elbowed him gently to notify him of his presence.