#dippedquill

The thing was Omegas were generally the ones who kept a group together whether it’d be diffusing tensions or just taking care of a team in general it was part of who they were. Keith’s rejection makes it seem like he’s a bad Omega, like he isn’t good enough to be a mate or caregiver. That he’s useless in the pack and it isn’t worth it for any Alpha to protect him.

Denial feels so much better than admitting he’s going into heat but just as the thought crosses his mind warmth blossoms again low in his gut trickling up his spine. “Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.”  He slams his hand against the panel by his door which whooshes open as he enters, he couldn’t get his clothes off fast enough as he struggles to relieve the heat scorching through his body. He stumbles to his bed his hand already stroking his length. He needed more. Lance gasps as another wave burns through him.

Heat wasn’t a familiar occurrence for him, the Garrison for obvious reasons deemed it necessary for all recruits to be on suppressants. Lance doubted he was the only Omega there but none of that matters now they were out in deep space. At the moment all he can think about is the Alpha he can still smell on himself. He needs to be filled vulgar as that sounds. The idea of being split in half by an Alpha knot has him rutting against the bed with fingers slipping inside himself to somehow soothe the emptiness he’s feeling. He bites into the pillow a desperate whine clawing its way out of his throat. He wouldn’t get an Alpha this cycle that’s for sure but it doesn’t stop him from imaging Keith pounding his body into the mattress. With that imagery alone he’s cumming hard into his sheets but it wasn’t nearly enough. Like a wave the flames subside for moments only to come back with a vengeance. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and he groans into his pillow.

It’s in the empty barracks Shiro finds Keith pacing a groove in the ground. “Knock knock, is anyone home?’ Keith startles looking at Shiro with wide eyes. “Where’s Lance, why aren’t you with him?” Shiro huffs plopping next to him on the bed. “ I would ask you the same thing you courting him and all.”  “I-” Keith doesn’t answer a dark look clouding his features. They sit in silence and the Red Paladin takes a deep breath. “I wanted to do this right, like him for him not because he’s an Omega.”

“But he needs an Alpha.” Keith blanks “Why? As heartless as it sounds why can’t he ride this heat out by himself.” ‘Until I’m ready to spend it with him’ is the part he keeps to himself

“We’re a pack and if neither of us go to Lance he’s going to suffer. You feel it as an Alpha that need to protect,  Omegas feel that too but in the way they need to take care of their pack. And in return, As primitive as it sounds, we protect them when they’re vulnerable during their heats.

“But we aren’t a pack Shiro there’s no way when we’re fighting all the time.”  “Then you should work on it. You’ve been getting along and he likewise.

Come on, Hunk said he’s been working on a recipe. The least you can do is bring Lance food.”

What everyone fails to mention about the unsexy parts of heats is when you pass out in a mess of your own cum, sweat, and slick. And how in the few moments where you’re lucid, it’s a mess of self pity, thirst and hunger. With an achy body Lance pushes himself off the mess and finds himself pushing the blankets to the floor instead of getting food and water like he wanted to. It’s not enough he needs more bedding to feel a modicum of comfort. He’s doing this backwards he knows but he’s already out of his room. Somewhere in his heat addled brain Lance knows he should just stay in his room away from the others. But instinct is telling him he needs to make a nest, or more accurately a burrow. Somewhere he can feel safe, the lack of Alphas leaves him feeling exposed. Hunk and Pidge’s rooms were first any extra bedding they owned was pulled from the storage containers. He hesitated at Keith’s door should he even go in? Shiro’s belongings already had a taken scent so his was out of the question and Keith had already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with him. But the need for safety outweighs propriety. When the doors slides open he’s hit with the undeniable scent of Alpha. This was a mistake clearly but Lance couldn’t tell his legs to stop moving the room just felt safe. No other Alpha would enter this territory… in theory. Lance grabs the mess of blankets off Keith’s bed and just lays in it bundling them around himself. A content hum vibrating  his body. He should have left, he should have just taken the blankets and left but instead there he is curled up in Keith’s blankets in Keith’s room on Keith’s floor. Sleep did sound like a better idea though.

On the other side of the castle ship, the other Paladins were just finishing their meal. “Hunk, this lasagna is amazing” “First of all, its Space Lasagna and thank you.” Pidge pushes her plate away and glances at the door “Lance didn’t show up. I wonder if he’s ok enough to leave his room” “I made him some Space Chicken noodle soup if any of you guys want to bring it to him….Anybody? Keith, Pidge?”They avoid his gaze moving the sauce around on their plates. “Fine if I come back with the spaceflu don’t expect me to cook for you.” Pidge looks at him confused

“Hunk, Lance is in heat.” He stops surprised  “Ah.I guess my nose isn’t working as well as it should be. I’m heading over there anyway he needs food in that case.”  Keith stands as Hunk begins to leave “I’m heading to bed  I’ll walk with you.”

As they turn down the corridor to their rooms Keith jerks back, a wall of Lance’s sweet smell is the only thing he can focus on “Fuck dude.”  Hunk looks at him  “Its that bad for you huh.”  Keith groans “Like you wouldn’t believe. I don’t think I can stay here while he’s in heat” That takes Hunk aback “ Wait you aren’t staying with him for his heat, that’s kinda fucked up.” Keith glares at him “We aren’t even dating Hunk it’ll be fine.”  Hunk looks uncertain “No, I don’t think you get it. Heats don’t need to be sexual and I don’t know if you know this, you left before we covered it at the Garrison. When pack bonds are already established refusing to spend an Omega’s heat with them is essentially telling him he’s been doing a shit job and he isn’t a good caretaker.” Keith grunts “Shiro told me, but do you think with the way we bicker we’re a pack?” Hunk shrugs “I think so. Families butt heads all the time but at the end of the day they’re still family.” Keith shrugs.

“I need to get this to him before it gets cold. Use the rooms on the floor beneath this one if you’re serious about leaving.” Hunk continues down the hall disappearing into Lance’s room, only to come out a panicked look on his face.

“He’s not in there.” “What?” “He’s not on his bed or his burrow.” Keith stops short. “He made a Burrow not a Nest?” “Keith, that doesn’t matter right now, he isn’t in there!”  Down the hall a door slides open and its Lance hauling all of Keith’s blankets back towards his room. He looks up making eye contact with Keith.

Maybe this was a second chance maybe he’d have an Alpha to watch over him. He shuffles forward dropping the blankets. “I can be better, please.” Keith only stares wide eyed before taking a jerky step back and booking it back the way he came. Lance wails, and it’s a  heartbreaking sound. With another step he’s stumbling over the blankets he’d dropped.  He falls to the floor barely feeling the impact and the sheets next to him were no longer intoxicating with their scents but sour.

“Lance hey buddy, I got you.” He forgot Hunk was there  “I’m sorry.”and he doesn’t even know what he was apologizing for but they keep spilling from his lips.

There’s nothing much that Hunk can do with another wave of heat finally hitting Lance again. The only thing he can do is get him back to his room with the blankets. He tries to make Lance as comfortable as he can, leaving the cold soup on a table and the doors slide shut leaving Lance to suffer by himself.

He lays still for as long as he thinks he can bear after Hunk leaves which isn’t very long. Why does everyone keep leaving? He’s laying on his stomach and it gives him a bit of relief, the friction of the bed against his cock. He grinds down against the bed gasping with the shocks of pleasure each small movement makes. But none of it was enough, it would never be enough without a knot. I mean yeah, heats were survivable but it was a  hellscape of constant arousal and pain if  you didn’t have a knotted dildo or an Alpha at least keeping watch over you and Lance had neither. He could only imagine teasing fingers or the blunt head of a cock slowly pushing into him “Fuck” He reached back his fingers sliding through his slick entrance trying to recreate his imagination. His toes curled as his fingers breached his entrance. The angle is wrong and his fingers, he wants to cry a He he didn’t know how many days of this he had left but Lance intended to spend them all curled in his burrow hiding to feel safe.

The two days pass and he’s trying so hard to feel normal wanting everything to go back to before his heat. He doesn’t realize it but he’s hiding. Laundry done in the wee hours of morning, showers when everyone has gone to bed. On the outside Lance seems fine flirting with Allura or any other alien they come across no matter the gender. He was still loud  and cracking jokes at every opportunity  but don’t think the rest of them hadn’t noticed. It wasnt like they were trying to do it on purpose and they couldnt blame pack behavior on the shunning of Lance. The weird thing was he would still try to take care of them  going above and beyond to do so. The only one he was hesitant with was Keith if he would even be around him long enough for him to do anything for. Coran and Allura for the most part tried to understand when the disunity began. One day they were fine and the next all the teamwork they had built gone now surrounded by a heavy tension. But, what better way to solve this than to talk it out.

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months and the opportunity talk never arose due to an unexpected distress beacon on a far off planet. It was going fine in the beginning, the Galra occupation was coming to an end. But then as always one of Haggar’s machines come out of nowhere nearly destroying what was left of the population of the plant.  They throw in the towel deciding that,“This thing is too strong, we need to form Voltron.

The unanimous “Form Voltron” was a given but nothing happens. “Nothing’s happening, why is nothing happening?” In the months since they’ve formed Voltron there hasn’t been this big of a problem until now. “We need to get the planet’s in habitants out of here Princess get ready to warp!” Shiro’s voice sounds exhausted but the Paladin’s did what was asked .

“Pidge what’s the status of the inhabitants?” “Lance is making one last sweep and I have them with me.”  Shiro looks down towards the planet watching as Lance swoops low over the trees. “It’s all clear down here.” They see the Blue Lion flying out of the atmosphere. The robot is preoccupied with the vines that had wrapped itself around its cannon. But it can only be held off for so long. “Good job Lance let’s get out of here.” The day had been long and exhausting. As soon as they had relocated the planet’s inhabitants to a safer viable planet they were back on the ship each paladin back in their own quarters too exhausted to socialize.

They had been out in space for months but it was only the beginning when Allura would raise the alarm testing their response time.. An alarm out of the blue wasn’t unusual but it was still a shock. Which was why the Paladins were now in the control room in their pajamas all except for Lance who compared to the first run was in full Armor ready to go. “Allura what’s going on?” she raises an eyebrow at Shiro “ I should be asking you that. What happened yesterday was unacceptable after forming Voltron for so long why couldn’t you now?”

None of them answered surreptitiously glancing at Lance who was standing tense. Allura noticed, she always did, “Lance what did you do”

He looked up at her shocked “Me?”

“I mean it’s obvious everyone’s looking at you what did you do?’ His heart sunk he was trying so hard to be good

“I didn’t do anything I’ve been good…” His voice breaks and he quickly glances at the Keith who isn’t giving him any confirmation that he has been. Pidge and Hunk fidget

“He didn’t do anything Princess, he’s been good ol’ Lance. If anything it’s  Keith.” Keith gives the Yellow Paladin a sharp look.

“Me? I’ve done nothing” Pidge rounds on him all her pent up frustration finally exploding out “That’s exactly it you’ve done nothing. And as much as you want to deny it Keith we’re a pack and what you did what you did was super fucked.” Lance looks panicked “Stop, don’t fight” He’s not heard the argument already escalating  “As if you two are any better you took apart the burrow.”  This is news to Lance and he jerks looking at them he’s so out of character it’s not funny.

They really didn’t want him here did they? All this time he’s been trying to help trying to get things back to the way it was, was useless. He could laugh but that would just make him cry. He settles for an uneasy chuckle which is much more jarring than anything else he could have done. “We need our blankets back Lance sorry we didn’t tell you.”  He shakes his head and grins the fakest grin you could imagine even a baby could see that. “No sweat guys I shouldn’t have taken them in the first place.” He looks at the princess an odd glint in his eye. “I’m sorry It is my fault, I’ll work harder I promise next fight we’ll form Voltron.”  She doesn’t look convinced maybe even more confused than she was when the fight started. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to catch up on my beauty sleep. You don’t get sexiest man of the year by wasting your beauty sleep”  And he’s walking out as cocky as only Lance could pull off.

He doesn’t get far until bad thoughts start coming because what they said, it’s not true they’re a team, a family, they don’t believe that. His positive thoughts are quickly drowned out by age old instincts. Tell him to flee ‘there’s nobody here to protect you when you’re vulnerable. Get to higher grounds before another storm comes’. Hes paranoid now jumping at every creak of the ship, every shadow.Trying  to convince himself that no, this is just straight up dormant instincts ones that shouldn’t be as present as they are now. Packs were a thing of the past right? Those instincts too should be long dead. Everyone took care of everyone they didn’t need an Omega… his pace slows to a stop. They don’t need an Omega. Not because Omegas were weak or sex fiends. But because there was no room for him on the team. He was just the temporary fill for the real Blue Paladin and when they find them then what. He would just be another mouth to feed on the ship a hinderance. The worst part was he trusted them with everything in him. He would always have their back and he thought they would have his. But wow, this was the biggest misunderstanding on this side of the galaxy. Here he was, stuck on this ship and he couldn’t just take Blue and go… But he could hide.

~~

“What did you do to Lance?” Allura ’ voice is quiet not unlike the calm before a storm. Keith still heated yells “We didn’t do anything it’s just stupid Omega exaggerations.” Allura scoffs “And what exaggeration is that?”  “I wasn’t there for his heat and he’s being pissy about it ”  She purses her lips  “You didn’t help him, you left him to go through his heat alone. No comfort or to at least check in on him?  

He looks at her guiltily. “It sounds bad when you put it like that.”

“She shouldn’t even have to say anything” Pidge is still mad her tiny fist clenched with unreleased rage. “The least you could have done is sit in front of his door at least let him know he wasn’t being abandoned. It didn’t even have to be anything intimate, just an Alpha keeping watch over him.”

She sighs heavily “I’m going to talk to him. If he’s ‘feral’ I’ll kill you both.” They all blanch at the word. “Feral, tha-that doesn’t just happen.”  Hunk stands heading towards the door “With the amount of stress we’ve been put through this could be a trigger. Being constantly on edge waiting for another attack… We need to find him”

Finding him was surprisingly easy the hanger for the lions would have been the perfect hiding spot if he was faster also he left a trail of his armor on the ground. He had nearly made it to Blue when he hears the doors slide open. He screams in frustration before pulling out a knife and brandishing it towards them. “Don’t, don’t touch me just…” he cut off looking at his teammates. “I’m trying so hard to go against everything my instincts are screaming for me to do” His hands are shaking and he’s not making eye contact with anyone. Keith takes a step forward his hand reaching towards Lance but at the foot fall Lance violently jerks back panicked fury in his features.  Distressed Omega pheromones coming off him in waves. “Get the fuck away from me!” Shiro steps forward and Lance directs the knife towards him. “Lance, you need to calm down.” There’s something in his voice compelling him to lower the knife before he screams a “No” he’s shaking violently now. Eyes darting to each of the Paladins before they land on Allura.  Her eyes widen.  “He’s gonna run.” And he does the knife slides clattering on the ground. Shiro and Keith are right after him but they have to give him credit, He’s fast. Surprisingly so. When Shiro tackles him his arms are like a cage around him but he fights.  The rest of them can only watch the struggling Omega as he tries to claw his way away from the Alpha.  He screams like a trapped animal the strain on his vocal cords grating in their ears. Shiro flips him onto his stomach a hand coming to grip his neck. “Lance Stop!”  He’s screaming and there’s blood, Shiro’s or Lance’s who knows. He presses the hand down harder Lance’s face scraping at the floor he’s still trying to throw off the big Alpha nearly hurting himself in the process. “Omega!” the word is closer to a growl than actual words. The whole scene is awful to watch. Lance slowly stops moving his chest heaving a low sad keening streaming from his lips. Shiro comes back into himself and looks over his shoulder “Get a first aid kit.” someone whispers and guilt eats at them. They all run to grab it trying to avoid the situation.

~

Shiro is with Lance in the kitchen watching him eat. There are bandages on Lance’s face and Shiro’s arm. But Lance can’t find it in him to feel sorry in fact he doesn’t really feel anything. They’re treating him as if he’s a wild animal, like he’s going to run away at any moment and they should. Only twice he’s been able to duck away from their ‘protective’ watch. But they always find him which makes him bitter.

Hunk sits next to him and rubs his back. “You doing better?” Lance chooses not to answer in favor of another bite. “Lance we’re sorry. Pidge is putting spare blankets in your room. She’s not too good with the face to face apology thing.”Lance frowns. “. Sorry for all this.” Hunk grabs Lance’s hands in his. “Don’t apologize for this we’re the ones who messed up.”

He takes one last bite and looks up at Shiro. “Am I allowed to go to my room?”  Shiro sighs as he unfolds his arm “I just need to know you’re not going to run again.”  

“So you’re gonna follow there?” anyone with eyes can see that Lance is wary of him, of all of them.   

“If I have to yes.” The chair squeals as he stands. “Thanks for the food. Night Hunk.” Shiro moves to the side as Lance passes by him.  Hes exhausted it was near ‘dawn’ from when the alarm went off.

“Get some sleep Lance, we’ll talk later.”  Nice parting words

He lays in his bed trying to figure out his next move. Talking to the team as embarrassing as it sounded had to be done, to clear the air and maybe get rid of the constant paranoia he’s still feeling.

When what they can consider afternoon hits he’s still awake. He knows he’s not going to be able to sleep now, If anything he can get away from everyone for a little bit and train.

On the upper floors of the castle ship there’s a training room that nobody but Lance uses or so he thought. He’s going through a particularly difficult training sequence when hes interrupted “End training sequence, Lance we need to talk.”

He spins dematerializing his bayard and glares “The hell bud, I don’t come in when you’re training and interrupt you.” Keith ignores him and paces. “What do you want Keith?”

“I think I’m in Love with you.” Keith blurts.

That stops Lance short he wasn’t expecting any of that. “I’m sorry this has to be the worst set of scenarios to prompt this but the past few months have had to be the worst in my life and-”

“No. Just stop. You can’t just come in here after everything that’s happened and tell me you love me. Do you know what you put me through?” Keith snaps his mouth shut. “It’s been 4 months since my last heat I’m so late because my body decided that I’m not safe enough to go into one. I can’t walk down corridors without looking over my shoulder thinking someone’s going to attack me. A confession isn’t going to fix everything Keith.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I really like you Lance and I didn’t want our relationship to jumpstart because biology.”

“Because of biology. Fuck you Keith.” He moves to leave but Keith puts his hands up blocking the door.

“Lance, please I want to fix this just tell me how”  Lance gulps, the room suddenly feeling smaller . “You can start by putting your arms down.”

“No, you’ll just leave, Lance” He takes a step forward as Lance steps back “Tell me.”

The blue paladin doesn’t know he should do. Keith won’t let him leave and he doesn’t want to hurt him. His breath is coming in short pants and he takes another step back bumping into raised cover.

Keith just wants answers but when he’s hit with the sour scent of distressed omega he puts it on the back burner. Immediately he moves to Lance standing in front of him defensively as he scans the room for any threat. Lance keeps trying to pull away and the scent gets stronger. He saying something under his breath and when Keith’s ears catch on to the repeated “Let me go” the damage has been done. “Lance, hey Lance look at me you’re ok.” He reaches out a comforting hand and Lance flinches.

When Lance finally gets his breathing under control through clenched teeth he grates. “Just leave me alone.”  Before briskly walking out the room.  

From that point on Lance begins to avoid Keith any time they’re in the room together Lance somehow remembers he has other things to do and Keith wants to be upset but this is all his fault. He’d like to blame it on not knowing but they’d all told him hell, he’d even learned it in the Garrison sitting right behind Pidge. Only a miracle would get Lance to speak more than a few words to him. Even after his apology there was no progress, just hasty exits.

Its when Lance’s next heat hits, rather doesn’t hit is when everything reaches a climax. The morning is just like any other however when Keith walks into the kitchen. Lance is sitting at the table bundled in a blanket shivering at the table. “Oh, Lance…um Hey.”  Instead of answering Lance pushed the cup he’s gripping towards Keith.  “Tea please.” at least that’s what he thinks Lance says, it sounds like he’s been gargling gravel. . “You sound sick.” “I feel like shit.”  He’s still waiting for Keith to take the cup and when Keith makes no move to do so Lance deflates a little. He stands on shaky legs moving around the table. Getting to the cupboard is his first obstacle and all Keith does is stand there watching him. with difficulty get the ingredients stopping when a particularly strong chill sweeps through him.

“The doors burst open and enters a panicked Shiro. “Lance, what are you doing out of bed,”  Neither of them were expecting the fat globs of tears to start cascading down his face. “I just wanted tea.” he wail the cup falling from his hand. And shattering on the floor which prompts more tears.  “Lance hey it’s ok, no one’s mad. Alright, let’s get you back to bed ok? Keith will bring you your tea.”  Walking around the glass Shiro leads the sniffling omega out of the room pausing only to indicate to Keith to get the tea ready.

It was safe to say that everyone had passed out once they hit the hay however Pidge and Keith still had some energy they needed to burn.

“Keith,” Pidge pauses in the middle of tinkering “If I were to offer you $10k would you live on food goo for a year.”

 “At this rate I will, Pidge you have to think outside the box.” They’d met in the hanger of Lions. Both trying to bond a little better with their lions but to no avail. “How do you think Lance did it?”

 “Maybe Blue only wanted him to shut up so she opened up.”  A low growl rumbles through the room “We’re joking Blue, we know how much he loves you.”

 “Idk lets go ask him I saw him sleeping in the common room couch.”

 Lo and Behold, there he is they take a moment to try to figure out how he’s comfortable sleeping with his hands tucked between his legs

 ”Lance? Lance!” He doesn't stir only a quick scrunch of his face is the only indication he's still alive.”

 “Remember that prank with warm water?” Her eyes widen with mirth and Keith gives her a blank look

“Still in the box Pidge there’s gotta be something better.”

“What are you Paladin’s doing?” They nearly jump out of their skin turning  to see Allura standing behind her an inquisitive look on her face.

 “Allura, Did you pull pranks when you were younger?”

“Of course, we used to put Toleran Worms in ears, it was quite safe just like the wet willy you’ve told me about.” There’s a momentary pause of horrified silence.

 Keith X’s his arms “Ok we’re not doing that, anything else?”

 “There’s that prank where that guy sends the other guy floating down the river while he was sleeping?”  Keith grins at Pidge

“Now you’re thinking outside the box.”

~

Lance seems to be a surprisingly heavy sleeper. The dinging of the elevator didn’t wake him nor did the splashing when they put him on the floaty.  He’s just floating there still sleeping.

 “Now what?”

 They don’t have to wait long before he stirs. Lance opens his eyes and immediately closes them, it's too bright and he’s freezing. Teaches him right for sleeping on the couch. He rolls to get off but it's like the floor drops from under him. That's not right, he’s in the pool. Fear courses through his veins, he doesn’t have the energy to swim out of this.

 Outside the pool Pidge, Keith and Allura are laughing. The classic Lance yelp before he sinks under is hilarious. They wipe the tears from their eyes and wait for him to surface. But, “He's not coming up.”

As soon as Keith dives in Lance breaks the surface and with what looks like a struggle pulls himself over the edge.

 “Lance, you ok?” He can't hear the laughter in Pidge voice only the deep thud of his headache. Hes breathing in lungfuls of air but a breath is cut short when he feels what feels like everything he’s ever eaten in his life come up. Oh God, this is how he’s going to die.

 When his body deems him done with heaving all he can do is crawl a bit away from the mess and fall on his side shivering. He's too tired to deal with anything anymore.  

 He stumbles as he stands trying to find his way to the door. He thinks he sees it but with every pulse of pain everything blurs. There’s a hand on him and a voice that he has no chance of interpreting in his ear. Tears come unbidden, he just wanted to sleep and now he’s cold, wet, and tired.

 “We killed him.”

That’s when the door slams they notice Shiro striding into the room anger painted on his face “No, you did not kill him” Shiro places a hand on Lance cheek “Jesus he’s a goddamn furnace” Its mumbled under his breath but he they still hear him. He lifts the shivering boy shooting a pointed glare at the three “Pranksters’

“We’re going to have words after this.”

The first day in the training room when the bots fall from the ceiling Lance doesn’t feel real.  And it’s one of the reasons he fails. He can only watch as the one robot takes out Pidge and Hunk and his body locks. It’s coming for him next. It’s as if he passed out but next he knows the simulation is over and Hunk is leaning over him asking if he’s ok.

It’s been months since that incident and he’s really not worried. Until Keith regales them with tale of the rogue bot during the “incident”. Since then he hasn’t been able to step foot in the training room much to the annoyance of everyone else.  

On his way to breakfast, Keith walks by Lance’s open door and Knocks “Yo, we’re training today in an hour.”    

Lance tenses “With bots?”

“Yeah, you gonna back out again?”

Lance hesitates before answering but Keith already knows the answer. “You can’t keep ducking out for no reason. You’re gonna fall behind everyone else.”

“I’ll practice on my own I swear. I already promised Blue I would work with her today” It was an obvious lie and they both knew it.

Though he does got to the Lion’s hanger if  only to avoid Shiro’s disappointed gaze. He’s trying he really is, but this fear is somtehing he thinks he’ll never get over. He feels a comforting tendril of warmth from Blue and a question bubble. 

“I will, I promise. I just don’t want them to laugh at me.” She gives him the Lion’s equivalent of a hug and he laughs “Thanks Blue.”

I noise behind him makes him jump. In the giant room he couldn’t see anyone but it set him on edge. “I’m going to turn-” He’s kicked in the back and rolls to catch himself winded. Whatever he was about to say gets caught in his throat when he sees the training bot standing behind him a charged rod in its hands.

Never in his life had he felt so much fear and he legitimately thinks he’s going to die. “Fight.” His eyes glance for a second behind the bot and he sees Shiro standing with a remote. The bot brings down the rod straight onto Lance’s chest drawing forth an agonized scream. Through some divine intervention he kicks at its legs knocking it over. Gasping he tries to run and it’s as if he’s in the 6th grade again trying to get away from his bully. His legs are jelly again having to use only his arm to  pull himself away. He can barely see through the tears in his eyes. “Shiro! Please.” He’s not even 2 feet before the bot is upon him again grey and menacing. He dodges the next stab by rolling away. His legs finally regain some stability and he runs towards the hangar doors.

They don’t open.

He is going to die. He turns facing the bot, his breath catching in his throat. Lance is hyperventilating and similar to their first practice he’s gone and coming to on the floor staring up into Shiro’s smiling face. “

Lance wow. Good job that was excellent.” Lance doesn’t hear the praise, it’s only white noise as he scrambles to get away from him.  “Lance?”

The bot that he refuses to look at is in pieces beaten to death in a way that only a very skilled fighter could. Shiro doesn’t know what to do, any attempt to speak with Lance is met with silence. The boy doesn’t even notice when he leaves, it’s only when Hunk holds his hand he breaks down sobbing. “I thought I was going to die I thought- I-” The rest of the sentence is lost in the mess of tears and snot.

There’s no issue getting Lance to his room because he is just Koalaed on Hunk but even in his room he won’t let go. Well, just until the adrenaline rush fades. When he’s finally asleep Hunk meets Shiro in the kitchen where he is still pacing a groove in the ground “How is he, is he ok what happened?” Hunk takes his time he’s already mad and knows the gist of what happened. He grabs a cup and makes some tea. While it’s brewing he levels his gaze at their Oh So Smart Leader.

“Why did you do it Shiro?”

Shiro’s face scrunches for a moment. “He hasn’t been to hand to hand combat training in weeks.”

“Yeah but he’s not that far behind. He makes it to every other training without fail.”

“But any time we have to train with the bots he backs out.” Hunk sighs and finishes making his tea. “I’m only going to tell you this because he never will. When he was little, he was snatched, shoved in a trunk gagged tied, the whole thing.”  

Shiro makes a noise but Hunk silences him with a look. “He doesn’t like to talk about it but from what I got was that they kept him in a room with dolls and would constantly taunt him. Mauling the dolls, explicitly and violently destroying them telling him that’s what they’ll do to him if his parents didn’t pay the ransom.” have you seen that scar on his abdomen? “ Shiro nods.  “Apparently One of the guys was a psychologist who’d lost his license for unethical something or other. It was a signature of thiers, people started calling them ‘The Puppeteers’. Anyways, the fucker dressed as a dummy and stabs him leaving him where the police left the ransom money. I know this story sound super far fetched and nearly unbelievable but his sister told me that the only reason they got the guy was because he was badly injured. Something Lance did before they released him. Just like how he mauled the practice dummy.”  

Shiro sits in stunned silence, the only noise is Hunk still making tea. 

“I didn’t mean to, I just wanted him to be prepared.” Shiro runs his hands through his hair shaken.

Hunk stirs sugar into the tea and begins to walk out “We know you mean well and he’ll know you meant well. It’ll just take a while for everything to get back to normal.”