A Falling Star (SHKLANCE)

Creative Minds

Wow, cranking out another chapter sure feels good. I've mentioned the gremlin a few times consecutively in this booklet so fair, but here is a little tiny taste of her, and just a bit more of Lance. I've enjoyed reading your comments! They're so sweet and I am glad some of you are enjoying the story so far.

Enjoy~

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                                                              *PidgePOV*

        Hunk asked me a couple of hours ago to spend some alone time with Lance. I haven't really noticed how much this war was affecting him until he started deteriorating before our eyes. I'm not sure if he even knows how much he's changed. Sure, we weren't exactly close at the Garrison, but I've grown to call him a friend, a good friend. He's always watching out for me, when I won't sleep he comes in and stays with me until I do. Which is annoying as all heck because I'm trying to keep an eye out on the universe for more sounds and information on where the Galra are. Also, Matt.

        I've lost one brother, I won't lose another one.

        Lance and I used to play this fun game a while back, but now we haven't had as much time for goofing off. I invited him to lay the Mario Kart like game after dinner and he agreed. So I've set it up in the lounge room, where Coran helped me figure out how to fix up the display screen to work with our games. The game isn't exactly like our Earth counterpart, but the close enough and we still get just as competitive.

         "Ha! Eat that Pigeon!" Lance yelled triumphantly as his character shot mine with some kind of ball, knocking me behind him on the board. I grunt in response and whoop right back at him when he slips in a puddle, putting him back a few vehicles. Lance groans out loud and keeps playing. My tongue is sticking out in thought and when the game is finished we both lost to the CPU. "Well, I still came in before you so, that makes me the winner." I trail off whatever else I was going to say when I noticed his eyes were downcast and he was staring at his remote. I put mine down and scoot closer, taking my blanket with me. "Lance?" I ask softly, growing concerned, what happened, we were having fun just seconds ago? Is it because he lost? Couldn't be, I lost too.

        Lance slowly met my eyes and he huffed a small smile, that's different. "Everyone's been so nice to me recently." As he said this I frowned and pressed up against his side. "Why wouldn't we be? We're a family now." He nods thought, his smooth tan hand both dainty and calloused grabs onto my smaller one. He speaks gently as he replies, "Shiro said the same thing not too long ago. Up until now, I've felt real lonely. My family back home was all I had growing up. All I needed was right there in front of me, and while I feel honored and terrified to be in this war, all that familiarity was ripped away."

        "Lance, you say you feel honored to be a part of this, but you seem so unsure of yourself. You're doing you're best, we will make it home and you'll see your family again." I paused and he frowned squeezing the hand he still had captured. "You'll get to be with your brother and parents too, on Earth." Lance said, it sounded like a firm promise, but also like he was avoiding my first comment. "I'll try harder for the team, to be stronger." He said and I grunted pulling him into a hug. He tended up for a second, but melted into my body. "You are really good at being dumb. You're doing great already, stop trying to ignore yourself. You're my brother too." I say, trying to hold back my tears, but they eventually just spill anyway, gross.

        "I have a feeling none of you guys are gonna let up. First Keith, Shiro, Hunk, and now you? You all seem so much stronger than me, and closer to each other." He sighed, looking defeated but not so much in a bad way. "At first I thought it was to improve our tactics, but it's hard to feel bitter when being close to you guys really feels good. I'm sorry you guys have been focusing on me so much." I laugh wetly at that and pull away to look at him better. "You're a goofball sure, reckless sometimes, but you're a really talented member of this team, I'm younger than all of you so I understand feeling like you're not as good as everyone else. We all bring something to the team, and you're the self sacrificing idiot that we all love. Stop pulling away, we need you. I need you."

        He looks shocked and his lip quivers as he wipes a newly damp eye. " I want this. To be able to talk to you, and the others if they want me to," lance replied and I nodded, smiling as I wipe my face of the wetness there. " We do want you, Lance. You'd better talk to Keith and Shiro by the way, I'm sick of the stupid lost puppy looks on their faces, how you all can be so freaking dense is beyond me." The older boy chuckles and stands to his feet, he turns to the door and opens it. "I'll go do that now. Thanks Pidgey."

"Oh, and Lance?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell anyone about this snot fest and tears, there are no laws of murder floating in this void."
"Gotcha"
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                                                                       *LancePOV*

        I make my way down the hallway towards Keiths room. While Shiro is more calm, he's still larger than life to me, and I'm a little more than intimidated. Keith seems like a safer choice even if he is emotionally constipated. As I near his room I think about what exactly I want to say, I feel bad that I may have misunderstood their intentions. I knock on the door and within seconds it is opening, revealing a sweaty post workout mullet head.

         "Oh, Keith, I just wanted to talk. Do you have a minute?" I ask, nervously wringing my hands in front of me. Keith looks at me confused, but smiles and moves aside so I can enter his room. I sit down on his bed and he stands in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised. "Well?"

         "I wanted to apologize I guess. Y'know, I've been a bit self absorbed and trying to be better that I think I might have gotten mixed messages. I thought you and Shiro wanted me to train so we could bond and form Voltron easier." I say all this, still nervously fidgeting with my hands, that's when I notice him kneel in front of me, hands grasping mine, as he looks at me with concern. "Lance no, we wouldn't. We just, you haven't, what I'm trying to say is we want to get to know you. Me and Shiro, we want to be around you because you're important to us. Shiro made me promise not to say anything for now, but I want you to know we are here for you, though Shiro is a lot better at feelings and talking than I am." Keith blushed a little at the end of his statement, and honestly that's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

        "I want to try to get to know you guys too. I want to be closer to everyone, I just don't see myself as good as you guys. I shouldn't see myself that way but I'm getting better, I'm gonna try. I just came to apologize, I may have said some things to Shiro." Keith nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "I heard, you should talk to him about it though, he would like to clear himself up too I think.

"Thanks Keith, I'll do that later. For now, thanks for listening to me.

"Anytime, sharpshooter."