Lance, Please

Keith did a bad thing

Lance followed Keith into the training room, the latter fuming, clearly ready to stab a bitch.

"Easy, Red." Lance said, hands up in a placating manner. "Pidge did what they thought was best at the time, which, sad to say, I have to agree was the right decision."

Keith punched the wall, anger rolling off him in waves. "But we lost the only lead to Shiro in WEEKS! WHY LANCE?" He whirled around, snatching Lance's collar and yanking him down to eye level. "WHY DID WE HAVE TO LEAVE?!"

Grasping Keith's hand gently, Lance began to pry it off his shirt. "Because we would have lost more than just information about Shiro if we had stayed. At least this way, we still have everyone, and we can come back and think of a better plan."

Releasing Lance's shirt, Keith dropped his hand and marched away, plopping down in the middle of the room. "So then why did you bring me in here?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as the blue paladin walked over to a closet and began rummaging through it. "Why aren't we with the others drawing up a plan now?"

"Because you need to chill for a hot second." Lance said, looking at Keith in disappointment and tossing him something. "You blowing up at everything was not helping anything, and the sooner you can chill, the sooner we can plan. Now put that on."

Looking down at the object Lance had thrown him, Keith noticed he was holding one of the mind meld headband thingies. He looked back up curiously, noticing Lance now sitting in front of him, wearing another. Getting an impatient look from the other boy, Keith sighed and shoved the device onto his head.

Lance motioned for Keith to close his eyes, said boy doing so begrudgingly. The room was quiet as the headbands turned on. Then, Lance began softly.

"Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust. Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust."

"This isn't a musical." Keith grumbled, earning a small slap and a muttered 'shut up!' from Lance.

"Here comes a thought that might alarm you. What someone said and how it harmed you." Lance sang, the headband doing its job, showing memories of them at the Garrison. Lance trying to impress Keith, and being brushed off every time. "Something you did that failed to be charming. Things that you said are suddenly swarming."

The images changed to finding Shiro, going to space, being brushed off by everyone except Blue, making Keith turn away in guilt. "And, oh, you're losing sight, you're losing touch. All these little things seem to matter so much, that they confuse you. That I might lose you."

Reaching out, Lance grasped Keith's hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze as he continued. "Take a moment, remind yourself, to take a moment and find yourself. Take a moment and ask yourself if this is how we fall apart."

The memories were replaced. Cooking with Hunk, helping Pidge with her codes, pun-offs with Coran, the Bonding Moment™. Overpowering the bad was a flood of good memories, causing Keith to smile softly.

"But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not." Lance continued, internally cheering at the shift in Keith's attitude and squeezing his hand again, getting a tiny squeeze back. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear. I'm here, I'm here, I'm here."

"Here comes a thought that might alarm me." Keith began softly, making Lance inhale sharply in surprise. "What someone said and how it harmed me. Something I did that failed to be charming. Things that I said are suddenly swarming."

This time, Keith's memories flowed over to Lance. Finally finding Shiro, only to lose him again. Several dead ends, and no new clues leading to bottling up frustration.

"And, oh, I'm losing sight, I'm losing touch. All these little things seem to matter so much. That they confuse me." Images of the earlier mission. Being forced to retreat after getting so close, blowing up at Pidge, storming out of the room.

"That I might lose me." Reaching out his other hand, Lance grabbed Keith's free hand as he joined back in, taking over the memories once more.

"Take a moment, remind yourself, to take a moment and find yourself. Take a moment and ask yourself if this is how we fall apart."

Lance's memories showed the hurt on Pidge's face before he went to chase Keith, but then better memories.

"But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not." Forming Voltron. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay." Friends they've met. "I've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear." All the good times. "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here." None of the bad.

Another image popped up, and Keith could tell this wasn't a memory. More like a suggestion from Lance. "And it was just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay." The jist was pretty simple. "We can watch, we can watch, we can watch, we can watch them go by." 'Just apologize. They'll forgive you.' A mental wink. 'Trust me.' "From here, from here, from here."

Keith opened his eyes and nodded, getting a small wink from Lance as he finished the song.

"Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust. Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust."

As the music faded out, Lance stood, brushing invisible dirt off his clothes before taking the headband off Keith and taking off his own. Grinning, he reached a hand back down to Keith. "Ready, Princess?"

"Don't call me that." Keith grumbled, grasping the hand offered to him and pulling himself up. "Let's get this over with. We have a Shiro to find."

Marching out the door, Keith missed the small grin that crossed Lance's face, instead focusing on getting the apology out of the way. They had a Shiro to find.