Lance, Please

Yeet

“...and then Keith turns around with his sword and goes to stabby town on those guys and…” Lance rambled, carefully climbing Blue's leg, rag in hand. “...Pidge ended up shocking themself with…”

Losing his footing, Lance almost fell before Blue's tail scooped him up and plopped him on her head. “Thanks beautiful.” Lance sighed, slumping against her nose in relief.

Amused, Blue pushed a memory of Lance laughing to the front of his mind.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.” He grumbled, knocking his fist on her nose softly. “Better than Allura and Coran grilling me for more musical numbers. Those two don't know when to back off.”

A memory of Pidge poking at Shiro's arm. Curiosity?

“You wanna see?” Asked Lance, already sliding down Blue's nose. “Great idea! I haven't sung to you yet beautiful, and that should be a crime!”

Now safely on the floor, Lance turned around as Blue shifted, laying down in an attempt to be closer to the floor in order to see better. “Ready girl?”

Hunk flashing a thumbs up after a hard mission. Go Ahead.

Sitting down, he leans back against Blue, her presence anchoring him in the moment. Taking a deep breath, Lance squeezed his eyes shut before starting to sing.

“I've learned to slam on the brake, before I even turn the key. Before I make a mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.”

Thanks to their connection, Blue sees Lance's thoughts as he sings, emotions burning bright. Getting told off by Shiro and Allura for jokes, time and time again, eventually just stopping. Why try?

“Give them no reason to stare. No slipping up if you slip away. So I've got nothing to share, no I've got nothing to say.”

Watching everyone else get praised for their hard work, going unnoticed as he slides away to avoid getting scolded again, even though he tried his best. His best just isn't enough apparently.

“Step out, step out of the sun if you keep getting burned. Step out, step out of the sun because you've learned, because you've learned.”

Watching from the doorway as the group laughs at some joke Coran told. Silently closing the door and slinking away.

“On the outside always looking in. Will I ever be more than I've always been? Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass. Waving through a window! I try to speak but nobody can hear, so I wait around for an answer to appear, as I'm watch, watch, watching people pass. Waving through a window! Can anybody see? Is anybody waving back at me?”

More and more similar images flash through their bond. Lance getting farther and farther behind the rest each time.

Standing swiftly, Lance began pacing, voice growing stronger as he sang his heart out. “We start with stars in our eyes. We start believing that we belong.”

Finding Blue. Meeting the Alteans. Forming Voltron for the first time.

“But every sun doesn't rise! And no one tells you where you went wrong!” He belted, flinging his arms out to the sides before curling them back to hug himself again.

Trying his best. Falling behind. Shiro disappearing. Watching from the background.

“Step out, step out of the sun if you keep getting burned. Step out, step out of the sun because you've learned. Because you learned!” Ignoring her unease at the emotions in Lance's voice, Blue continued to listen, silently vowing to show her paladin just how loved he is.

“On the outside always looking in. Will I ever be more than I've always been? Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass. Waving through a window! I try to speak but nobody can hear so I, wait around for an answer to appear. While I'm watch, watch, watching people pass. Waving through a window, oh! Can anybody see? Is there anybody waving back at me?”

Spinning around, Lance gazed sadly towards the door. “When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound?”

As he repeated the line, more memories came to the surface, these ones older, sadder. Family at home. Worry for them. Helplessness overwhelming. The concern of what Voltron is doing may not be enough. The negatives slammed against Blue like a tidal wave.

“Did I even make a sound? Did I even make a sound? It's like I never made a sound. Will I ever make a sound?”

Taking a deep breath, Lance closed his eyes as he sang the final chorus, eyes wet. “On the outside always looking in! Will I ever be more than I've always been? Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass. Waving through a window! I try to speak but nobody can hear, so I, wait around for an answer to appear. As I'm watch, watch, watching people pass. Waving through a window, oh! Can anybody see, is there anybody waving back at me?”

“Is anybody waving? Waving, waving, woah-oh woah-oh-oh-oh!” Slumping against Blue's paw tiredly, Lance sighed softly. “How was that?”

A tidal wave of love and affection suddenly swamped Lance, almost knocking him over. Laughing slightly, he shifted his head back, resting it on the cool metal. “I'll work on it beautiful.” He huffed. “That's all I can do anyways.”

Closing his eyes, Lance drifted quickly off to sleep.

A head poked through the door. Looking around quietly, the figure tiptoed over to Lance, softly covering him in a blanket before turning to tiptoe out. Reaching the door, they turned around to shoot Blue a deadly glare. “You saw nothing.” Keith growled lowly, almost threatening the giant lion.

Snickering to herself, Blue pushed a memory of Pidge smiling innocently to the red paladin, as if to say “What did I see?”.

Keith narrowed his eyes, but slunk quietly out of the hangar.

Blue chuffed in amusement. She was totally telling the other lions in the morning.

Lance quietly slept on.