Devil's Advocate (Voltron: Legendary Defender Fanfic/ONC Entry)

Others

Lance found himself pacing back and forth unable to decide where he wanted to go. He was lost in thought trying to figure out what he wanted, yet in truth didn't know what to think. Everyone kept repeating the fact he'd effectively pushed everyone away. Hunk, Pidge, Coran and even Shiro, yet he found himself stuck on the idea he'd pushed Allura away but also the idea of how Keith was always favored.

"Why? Why did Shiro always favor him?"

"Why?"

Lance spun around to look at the person who spoke. "Shiro?"

Shiro took a deep breath. There was a great deal of sadness in the man's eyes. "Why did it even matter?"

"Matter? It wasn't fair that you always favored Keith, but he's never, ever had to struggle." Lance let his lip jut out hoping he might get some sympathy from Shiro. He'd always hope that Shiro would acknowledge him, but just for once give him the special attention Keith always got.

"This is coming from someone from a home with both parents but who also got to know his siblings and grandparents."

"What of it?" Lance couldn't deny the fact the words stung. He knew Shiro's words meant he was the one who had the easy life, but that he'd never had any real hardships.

"You're the one who's lived the good life, Lance."

"I've never been number one at anything."

Shiro let out a sigh. "Lance..."

Lance glanced away knowing full well now he was placing too much on being the center of everything, yet this was one of the reasons Hunk didn't want anything to do with him anymore. "Why am I not important to you like Keith is?"

"You're not my brother."

Lance swallowed. Not being allowed to be a part of the Voltron family honestly hurt. "Look. I get the fact you're mad at me and stuff, but that you don't want to have anything to do with me, but all of us were family."

"No Lance." Shiro let out a deep breath. "That's not what I meant. Keith really is my brother."

Lance's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me."

"You and Keith don't have the same family name."

"I know. That doesn't mean we're not siblings."

"Why didn't you tell any of us! Why did..." Lance felt cheated by the fact neither Shiro or Keith told him, yet he also felt guilty. Shiro pointed out the home life Lance had for a reason.

"Because I'd not told Keith. I still haven't gotten the chance to tell him. It's always been the wrong time."

"But you've avoided Keith while we were on the Atlas!" He didn't want to believe the world he knew was falling apart.

"Yet you still feel I favored him? Yeah, I avoided Keith. I nearly killed my own brother, yet never once told him to the face he was my biological sibling. How can I..."

"It wasn't your fault."

Lance and Shiro turned and looked at Krolia. Shiro swallowed. "Not you too." He glanced at the floor. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect him."

"You're sorry? I'm sorry I couldn't protect either one of you. I'm your mother. And as for you nearly killing Keith, that was the clone who didn't know the two of you were actually related because you protected those memories from Haggar. He never blamed you, nor did I, but he knew."

Lance turned and looked at Shiro. Shiro looked as if he were going to cry, but he tried swallowing back the tears. "How?"

"We were stuck in the time warp for a long time. We had to talk about something."

"Shiro..." Lance swallowed, not liking the fact the pain on Shiro's face wouldn't go away. He'd never expected to see such hurt on Shiro's face, yet his mind flickered to the memory of telling Pidge that others couldn't possibly understand how he felt about Allura as if his feelings for her were the most important thing if not the only thing in the world.

"How can I forgive myself? It may have been the clone, but the clone still tried killing him after Keith said he was my brother and that he loved me. Keith would have done anything to save me including sacrificing his own life to bring me back, yet I was – the clone was – willing to sacrifice everyone else including Keith because I – the clone – thought that was the most humane thing to do when it wasn't."

The words "sacrifice everyone else" hit hard as that is exactly what Lance had wanted to do. Right in front of him was a stark contrast of behavior coming from his own hero and that of the person he perceived as his rival, yet his hero said he was the one in the wrong. Lance in truth hadn't been willing to do everything when he wasn't willing to sacrifice himself; that would, in fact, mean he couldn't have his happy ending with Allura.

"Because Keith didn't feel you did anything that needed his forgiveness, nor did I. That's the way he was, always putting others before himself. Plus..." Krolia smiled at him. "If you have the clone's memories, did you not hear me say I was proud of you? You raised your younger brother to be an amazing young man despite everything that happened to the two of you. I'm just sorry the two of you won't be able to have a happy ending."

Lance looked down at the ground. He'd wished for Keith not to end up with a happy ending simply because Keith's happy ending conflicted with the happy ending Lance wanted for himself. Lance closed his eyes, pushing the idea that Allura never loved him and instead loved Keith to the back of his head. He glanced up. "Shiro..."

Shiro and Krolia were gone. Lance swallowed feeling so alone again, yet this time it felt worse. He'd honestly wanted to apologize and make amends but now he couldn't apologize to Shiro or anyone else for that matter.