Voltron Headcanons

Goodbye

     Coran waited in front of the hangar doors, bouncing excitedly on his heels, humming to the triumphant fanfare ringing through his head. He'd immediately raced down here after the paladins had told of their success to greet them. The doors slid open and he smiled. "Ah, paladins!" he exclaimed. " Welcome back. I knew...." he trailed off. "Where's Allura?" he asked, shoving aside the stab of fear he felt everytime he worried she was hurt.
     Keith spoke, his voice cracking on the single grief stricken word he spoke, "Coran...." And he could hear the regret in his heartbroken voice.
     That's when he noticed the paladin's tear streaked faces, noticed that despite their great victory there was only an air of grief and loss about them. That's when he looked out the hangar windows and noticed the blue lion, floating alone in space. Empty.
     Coran's heart stopped dead in his chest. "No. No." He shook his head as if he could make the impossible reality of this go away. "She's not....she can't be...." He couldn't bring himself to finish, to say the nightmarish word. "I'm so sorry."  Keith whispered.
     Coran stood there as horror coursed through his body, still shaking his head. This wasn't, couldn't, be happening. " But I didn't..." his voice broke and he fought against the sob building in his throat, the tears stinging his eyes, "I didn't say goodbye." And he couldn't hold them back anymore.
     Tears streamed down his face and his sobs broke free. He was hit with a memory with sudden clarity of his dearest friend sending him away in his kingdom's greatest time of need. Telling him, making him promise, to keep the thing he loved most safe.
     Coran fell to his knees, overcome with grief of all he had lost. All he could see was her face, her loving face. The face of a person who was better than this universe deserved, the best person he would ever know. And amid his broken sobs, amid the memories of her playing through his head, two words echoed through his mind like a chant.
I failed.
I failed, I failed, I failed.