#shklance

The only thing that would quiet the restless need to move was using the training deck. The only thing the curse didn't seem to worsen was my combat skills. In fact I had even improved a lot, almost being able to hold my own against Keith. I would find him in the training deck at odd hours, whenever the itch under my skin became too much, and I needed to move more than I needed sleep. We would spar, our movements sharp despite the hour.

Even not transformed, I could feel that I was colder than normal, my body sweating ice. I didn't even get flushed when we would fight. I would have been alarmed had I not been elated that I could satisfy the itch without risking losing myself.

It was the wee hours of the morning. Keith and I had been going for a couple already, our movements more like a dance than fighting. The castleship alarm began to blare, freezing us in our tracks.

Without even looking at each other we took off for the bridge, already in our paladin armor.

We were the first to arrive, Allura raising her eyebrow but not commenting. She had seen my improvement during team training. Plus she had her own little spies that told her everything and were rarely noticed.

The rest of the team arrived soon after, Allura nodding to Shiro as he joined her at the head of the room.

"What's going on, Princess?" He asked, getting the ball rolling.

"We have received a distress signal from a planet in a nearby system. The Galra do not appear to be involved, but we should be careful anyway. The Queen has had three attempts on her life recently. There is an important ceremony that cannot be cancelled, but which will leave her perilously vulnerable. She has requested that we guard her for the duration of the ceremony, and if she lives, she will join the Voltron Coalition." Allura explained, a smile on her face. "This should not be too hard, the Queen sent over details on the assassins that they have managed to capture, as well as details for the ceremony and space. From there we can make a plan."

"Pull them up on the main screen." Shiro ordered, eyes darting over them as they appeared.

I looked over them as well, but since it wasn't in English, there wasn't much I could understand. I noticed a schematic for one of the previous attempts, recognizing the diagrams and angles needed to calculate a sniping. I glanced over at the schematics for the ceremony space, eyes taking in the other buildings surrounding the area, frowning as the possibilities began to rack up.

"What're you seeing, Sharp-shooter?" Shiro asked, a soft smile on his face.

I frowned, already pointing to the areas of concern. "Here, here, and here… there either need to be guards, or we need to make sure the buildings are completely empty. Those spots will afford the best view of the rest of the vulnerable spots, and also lock down the best spots to try a sniper." I explained, "I could be in one of them, depending on if you need me close to the Queen or not."

Shiro and Allura were both nodding, a contemplative look on Allura's face.

"Good idea, we'll probably station you over here. Her procession is going to follow this route," Shiro traced a section of road with his flesh finger, the path highlighting behind him, "So, it would be best if you could be at this spot to be close while still having a good view. I'll put Pidge here. Hunk, you're going to be near the Queen with Keith. Allura and I are going to be more fanned out, hunting down those responsible." Shiro hashed out the plan, no one disagreeing with their role.

…

We had arrived at the planet Abrax two days ago, the chilly planet home to even chillier hosts. Their skin was a vibrant blue, so bright it was almost painful to look at. They wore plain, tight-fitting clothes made of some kind of cotton-adjacent plant. Abraxians wore heaps of jewelry though, chains of shimmering jewels, glass, and unfamiliar metal wrapped end over end over end around waists, necks, arms, and ankles. With four arms that meant a whole heckin' LOT. Besides the four arms they were pretty humanoid. Two eyes, small mouths, large nose bridges, wide foreheads for more chains of jewels.

Our team had been given an escort of the ceremony space, so we could get familiar with the layout. We told the security guards our plan, explaining our skills. I half wanted to tell them about my curse, just to see what they would do, but it wasn't like my curse would be very helpful here.

The presence was still there, pacing, in the background of my mind as I tried to keep a grip on what was going on around me. I couldn't spar with Keith here, because since this part of the planet was cool, they kept their dwellings rather toasty. Even with how cool my body now ran, I would undoubtably overheat and I did not want to deal with that here.

"You okay, Lance?" Keith's low murmur of concern brought me back to the present, my eyes focusing on his.

"Y-yeah. Just fine. What were you saying?" I asked, eyes darting to take in that we were alone in the quarters us four boys had been given.

Keith frowned. "I hadn't been. Shiro had said it was almost time for the ceremony, and we needed to get going to get in our places."

I winced, standing up. I was already in my armor. When did I put this on…? "Yeah, let's get going. Sorry."

"You sure, you're okay?" Keith looked suspicious, blocking me from leaving the room.

I felt a flare, my lips pulling back in a snarl before I could stop them, a vicious hiss slithering into existence. I stumbled back a step, hand flying to my mouth as if that could take it back.

Keith's expression had hardened, shoulders squaring as he blocked me from leaving the room with his body. "Lance?"

I shook my head, stepping back further. I felt that presence, roaring to life beneath my skin. Mine defy? Taught mine a lesson. Another lesson? "No, no, no, no, no, no, no…" I whimpered, stumbling back until I hit the edge of the bed. I tried to force it down, willing my heart to calm down. It stubbornly refused, leaping away from me as I tried to catch it.

"Hrk…" I gagged, ice spreading down my body, already numbing the pain building.

"Lance?!" Keith was much closer, kneeling in front of me, concern swimming on his face.

"Get… away." I wheezed, ice spewing from my mouth as I spoke. I hunched forward, trying to hold myself together, even as I could feel the beginnings of my bones moving to shift and transform. "Noooo…" I moaned, falling to my side with a gasp.

Cracks whipped through the air, my joints breaking and reforming. I kept up a low moan, trying to bury myself in the sheets of my bed, trying to avoid the agony as it shot up my nervous system, black dancing in my vision.

Back arching, I howled as my body kicked into gear changing. More snaps and cracks filled the air as my bones realigned and my skin grew scales and grew longer. My legs disappeared, my fingers growing grotesquely long, flesh growing between to form wings.

The pain hit a spike, and my howl cut off, wherein black filled my vision, and I was convinced that I would surely die this time, this was too much, surely I would die this time. Alas, my eyes opened once more, Keith was kneeling in front of me, mouth open in horror. Protect mine.

Before he could retreat, my arm flashed out, scooping him close to my side, wrapping him tightly in my embrace. Mine is safe. I sighed, curling in a corner of this unfamiliar room. There were recognizable scents, but it wasn't the layered scents of the nest. Did we move nests? Confusion had me shaking my head, putting the thoughts to the side.

We… I was doing something. What was I doing? Sound at the door.

I hissed a long stream of ice, the vapor disappearing underneath the door, in warning. The sound came louder this time, accompanied by panicked voices.

"Guys quit freaking out! You're gonna freak Lance out when you get in here!" Mine's voice called to the outside, his body relaxed despite his tone sounding rather pinched.

The door opened slowly, and I hissed again, coiling tighter around Keith, hiding mine from view of the door.

Oh, it's more of mine. Relaxing, I swept up the mine that had arrived, my coils loosening enough to let them rest comfortably.

"Lance! Damnit, how did this happen, Keith?" Shiro demanded, already trying to scramble from safety. I snarled, snapping my jaws twice to try and make him get the message.

"I don't even know, he was spacing out one moment. I got his attention, and then. The next moment he's transforming." Keith sounded worried, one of his fists hitting gently against my scales. "Did his trigger change, or something?" He plead, looking between Hunk and Shiro.

I ignored them, instead curling around mine, resting my head so that I could see the door and mine at the same time. This way they couldn't get past me, and no one could surprise me by coming inside my new nest.

"Lance?" Keith's voice drew my eyes, and I focused on mine. "We need to do our jobs, we're guarding the Queen, remember?"

I reared back, ice spewing from my mouth. Retreating to the ceiling corner, I looked down at my startled mine. Ice vapor poured from my mouth, but I held back from approaching my teammates again. Whining, I dug my claws into the ceiling, watching as Shiro, Keith, and Hunk looked up at me.

"Lance?" Keith asked once more.

I nodded, allowing my head just a few inches closer.

"Do you think you can transform back?" He asked, hands on his hips as he looked up at me.

I shook my head, panting with the effort it took to pay attention and keep control away from the presence.

Shiro frowned. "Even if you'll be left alone? The Queen said she really didn't think there were going to be any sniper threats… do you think you could be in the procession with the Queen?" Shiro asked a lot of me, his eyes pleading.

I was aware this transformation had messed things up. We were supposed to be in our places already, and I was delaying things this much already. Sighing, I tried to think it through. Would I be able to keep a leash on the dragon, keep myself even in this form?

I nodded, slowly coming down from the ceiling and following my teammates into the hallway.

Several of the guards looked about ready to faint, a few reaching for radios to call for backup.

Unease prickled down my spine, each little hindbrain alert almost wrenching control from my tight grip.

Shiro got their attention and asked that nothing be said, reassuring them that we had everything under control.

"Lance, you are more likely to flee right?" Shiro asked absently after we had moved past the last of the guards for a while.

I nodded. If mine is threatened I will rend and protect first. The dragon snarled, making me stumble slightly as I lowered myself to fit through a doorway.

"Good, I don't want to risk you attacking the Queen or anyone else while you're like this." Shiro frowned. We entered the meeting room where Allura and Pidge were waiting for us. Pidge's face lost its color as they caught sight of me, their hand clutching Allura's.

"Lance!" She hissed, eyes darting to look over Shiro. He inclined his head, before shrugging a shoulder. She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head briefly. "So the plan is changed? Fine. Pidge, you're going to go where Lance had been, I'll be where Pidge was, Lance will be where I was in the procession, and everyone else is the same. Does everyone got that?" She waited a moment for everyone to nod their heads, raising an eyebrow when even I did.

"Lance, you're in control? Are you able to make some kind of signal in case of danger?" Allura asked, looking at me up and down, glancing to the door and back.

I huffed a breath, nodding. Of course I could kick up enough fuss to let people know there was danger. I wouldn't let mine get hurt.

"Good. Alright everybody, let's move out."

…

The Queen looked alarmed at first taking me in, a quick discussion with Allura had her nodding her head. She shifted so that she blended in more, even growing an extra pair of arms. Shiro was dressed like a guard, already in place at the point, waving Allura off to take Pidge's position.

I looked from the Queen's mount, to my spot, and shrugged. I knelt down in front of the Queen, offering her my back. Surely she would be safer on the back of a dragon. She blushed profusely, before bowing to me and climbing on. I felt her settle into place where my shoulders met my body.

Twisting my neck around to make sure she was fully seated, I chuffed, spreading icy vapor down around us.

The guards looked as though they wanted to protest, including Shiro, but he held his tongue, instead sighing and waving to get everything moving.

I glided forward, tail slithering along the ground and leaving a grove in the soft earth. The Queen sat perched regally on my back, her long hair streaming behind her, chains tinkling pleasantly.

The procession was going smoothly, citizens screaming and cheering in unison. I kept an eye out, claws sweeping a wide area. By the very nature of being a dragon I kept people back. I saw many people fall to their knees, crying out something I couldn't understand. They waved their jeweled arms, the cacophony growing as we moved further along the route.

Finally reaching the dais, the crowd was deafening. The Queen dismounted gracefully, as though we had planned this from the beginning, her many chains rustling and throwing light around her. She looked radiant, ascending the steps of the dais towards a throne and her advisors.

I kept myself alert, making eye contact with Hunk and Keith, both of whom gave me small nods.

The crowd began to die down somewhat, one of the advisors stepping forward.

"Abrax! We celebrate you today!" They called, the crowd answering back.

"We celebrate!"

"Our planet has been able to remain free these ten thousand years due to the power of our royal family, our beloved Queen Andor Abraxian keeping back the tide of the encroaching Galra force! We celebrate another cycle! Pray for many more!" The advisor began to chant, the crowd joining in to screech their prayers and thanks.

I twitched, the throng throwing themselves closer despite my presence.

Queen Andor didn't blink, throwing her arms open wide. "Abrax! We celebrate!" She cried, the crowd echoing their previous response. She grasped a ceremonial stick, one end of it smoking sluggishly. She took a draw from the stick, blow out the smoke above everyone's heads.

The crowd was screaming, music starting up now.

"Celebrate!" Queen Andor cried, stepping back and sitting down on her throne once more.

That was all the command the crowd needed. Immediately they began to dance, servants appearing with glasses of different drinks, plates of different foods.

"Black Paladin Shiro?" I heard the Queen call to Shiro, directing my attention.

"Yes, Queen Andor?"

"The ceremony is over, your paladins are free to stay for the festivities. I will be moving back inside of my palace with my guards. Please thank your blue paladin. Dragons are sacred beasts, they have been gone from our planet since before the Galra began their war. I want to properly thank you for blessing my dynasty. Any rebels will have a hard time finding recruits after such a display." She bowed her head slightly to Shiro, turning to a wall of guards that began to part for her.

"I-I thank you, your Majesty. We will probably return to our ship. The blue paladin isn't uh, isn't supposed to be a dragon." Shiro explained, stepping back as the Queen stepped away.

She waved his concerns away. "Thank you, Voltron."

PREVIOUS!

Mine betray mine betray! Punish mine hurt mine stop me? Why? I am strong enough to protect mine! My mind was a jumble of thoughts, too caught up in the draconic to notice what my body was actually doing.

I roared, ice sealing the exits. The temperature dropped several tens of degrees. Looking down, I saw mine huddling together. Shiro and Allura were in front, a weapon in each hand. Confusion anger fear mine? Mine betray? Roaring again I landed close by, spewing icy vapor at them. Punish! Mine is MINE!

Lunging forward I grabbed Shiro around the middle, shaking him. In my mind I made sure I was gentle, my jaws only holding him just tightly enough that he wouldn't slip from my maw, only shaking him enough that he would get the message. In my own restrictive human form, it would have only disoriented me, so I knew he would be able to handle it.

I set him down on his back, but flung him away from me. Shiro's body slid across the ice, stopping a little short of the wall. Next for Allura.

Ice poured from my mouth, herding the rest of mine into a small nest where I would join them after finishing with the punishment.

Allura tried to run, but the ice was my element. I caught her easily, treating her a tad more roughly since one, I knew she could take it, and two, she was the one that had betrayed me.

Her strength was commendable, her hands trying to pry apart my jaws where I had clamped around her. Flinging my head back, I made it known that it would hurt her worse to fall than to stay in my mouth. Shaking her as I had done Shiro, but more roughly and for longer, I was satisfied when I felt her hands stop trying to open my mouth.

Contentment was short-lived, as I saw her rear back, growing so she could reach. Her hand slammed into my eye, making me wail. In my pain, my mouth opened and she began to fall through the air. Panicked, I caught her quickly, shaking her once more for hurting me.

I gave the princess the same treatment I had given Shiro, sliding her across the room. Shiro had just gotten to his knees, shaking slightly.

Huffing plumes of vapor from my nose, I went to check on the mine that had been made safe in my small nest. They backed away from me, almost scrambling. Except Keith, he was staring up at me, concentrating on something.

Cocking my head to the side, I put my head down low, trying to soothe mine. They weren't in trouble, and even then, they had nothing to fear. I could never hurt mine. Shake them, yes, but never actually hurt mine. The very thought was ludicrous.

"Lance," Keith spoke to me, "stop this. You just proved their point. It isn't safe for you to be cursed like this in battle." His lip quirked up a bit however. "And pulling a mutiny really isn't helping your case."

Looking back to Allura and Shiro, they had helped each other to their feet. I wasn't sure what he meant. I'm protecting mine. Anything that tries to stop me I will move out of the way.

The castleship's alarms began to blare, and everyone looked to me first before they began to scramble from the nest, or towards the door as it may be. They were frozen shut.

I slithered over gracefully, my arms moving me smoothly. Thinking warm thoughts, I breathed on the ice that blocked the door, and it melted enough to slide open. Neither Shiro nor Allura would look at me. That was fine with me, I would help them with this fight whether they liked it or not.

…

Blue was a conundrum I would admit that. How was I supposed to pilot her in this form? Neither Allura nor Shiro had tried to stop me, thankfully they knew by now that they couldn’t contain me.

Huffing, I slid to Blue, stretching up to try and see if I could get into her mouth. Blue rumbled in my mind. I couldn’t pilot her like this. Desperate, I tried to get inside Blue anyway, maybe I could still do something? She refused to open up, I wouldn’t fit inside her at all, that much was clear. What could I do then?

Looking to the doors, I had a stupid idea. I was a being made out of ice, the vacuum of space wouldn’t be too cold for me. The only problem was, didn’t I need to breathe? Holding my breath for precious seconds, I decided, like a moron, to just say fuck it. Mine needs me. Whispered words twined through my mind and I couldn’t ignore them.

Slithering to the doors, I told Blue to hang tight for a moment while I joined the team.

…

Slipping out into the darkness of space was strangely nice. I felt a bit of a weird pressure around me, but other than that I felt fine. There was nothing tearing me apart. Snarling in victory, I headed to where the battle had already begun without me. The lions were huge, and while the Galra drones were smaller, they weren’t expecting such a small target as me to suddenly come barreling into everything.

I roared, the motion only noted by the spewing of ice from my mouth. There was no sound in space, which was incredibly disorienting, but I couldn’t concentrate on that. The rest of mine had frozen when they saw me, and the Galra had begun to take advantage of that. Twisting through the darkness, I froze ship after ship, rending it asunder with either swipes of my clawed wings or my powerful jaws.

It was clear that the Galra had no idea what to do with me. They would dart in and try to fire, but I twisted out of the way, and ended up freezing them instead. More and more would try, but then they would only end up hitting each other. I was in a savage element, reveling in the destruction around me. They will pay for threatening mine.

Shots fired all around and I wasn’t concerned, dodging and moving so swiftly that I was like a ghost. Looking around for mine, I found Pidge tied down, trying to fight off too many drones at once. Snarling, I launched myself at them, freezing through their lines and rescuing mine from peril. I tore one apart with my teeth, twisting away from a stray shot, allowing it to utterly destroy the drone I held in my grip. Pidge was safe, and it looked as though everyone else was too.

The large Galra cruisers sat haughtily in the space in front of us, more drones pouring from them. Ion canons were training on the castleship and I roared silently, lunging for them. I twisted fearlessly through the ranks of drones that tried to down me, aiming for the canons charging up.

Blasting the barrel with ice, I blocked the entrance and filled up the canon with so much ice if it had shot a normal projectile like earth canons had, the work would have done some good. Instead, all I did was momentarily block the shot as the heat of it slowly melted through the ice.

Anger spiked through me, I lunged for the base of where the barrel met the rest of the ship, coating it in ice, and then concentrating. The temperature got lower, the ice flowing from my maw colder and more effective at doing what I wanted. Slamming against the frozen canon, I watched in satisfaction as it shattered.

Snarling with pleasure, I turned to see a wave of drones sent just for me. Staying low to the Galra cruiser, I watched as they bathed the ship in their shots, twisting last-minute out of the way of their shots. It was incredibly amusing and exhilarating at the same time.

A tug on my senses had me turning my head to see that another cruiser was preparing to fire on the castleship. Confidence made me bold, and I tried the same trick again, coating the canon in a much colder ice than it was meant to withstand. Before I could slam against it however, I was shoved to the side. Snapping at whatever had hit me, I saw Red trying to draw me away from the ship. Mine concern comfort mine? I followed after mine, curious. I had no comm so I had no way of knowing what anyone was doing. Would have to be fixed next time, but for now I would try to follow.

As the ion cannon tried to fire, instead the entire ship exploded everywhere, debris hitting drones and the last remaining cruiser alike. I felt a few nicks, but when looking down to observe, I was mostly fine. Just some scratches.

Sniffing indignantly, I nipped at Red playfully, darting away when the cat responded automatically. Blue seemed to chuckle in my mind at the interaction.

The rest of the battle was just as easy, the final ship destroyed before it could run away. Huffing out more ice, I preened, making my way back to the castleship and the awaiting open doors. Blue was rumbling proudly, happy I had done so well.

…

The bridge was silent and tense. I had slithered in first, preening my feathers and puffing up in a job well-done. What was mine going to say about that display? Surely now mine knew I would protect them?

Allura was glaring at me, arms crossed. Shifting from foot to foot, Coran looked torn between going to me and making sure the oozing shots weren’t serious, and waiting to see what Allura was going to say. His concern for my wounds won out however, and soon he was fussing over me.

Crooning down to Coran, I nuzzled into his face when he came close.

Seemingly content that my wounds weren’t serious, he continued to fuss over me anyway. The rest of the team came slowly into the room, their eyes going to me quickly. Keith was grinning like a madman, and ran to me.

“Lance! That was amazing flying!” He exclaimed, hands going to rest on his hips as he stared up at me. I preened more, aware that I was showing obvious signs of enjoying the praise. I deserved it after all.

Shiro was frowning at the princess, looking back and forth between the two of us.

“What were your thoughts, Princess Allura?” Shiro asked, deferring to her as usual.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I do not like it. Lance, you completely disobeyed our orders. While in doing so you helped rid us of the attacking Galra, we cannot forgo punishment for that. However…" here she looked at a loss. "How are we even to do that?"

I did my best with a shrug myself, tilting my head this way and that, blowing soft ice crystals into the air.

“Lance be serious! We cannot just allow you to get away with this! Turn back to your human form. Go warm up.” Allura snapped, frustration boiling over.

Too busy having fun with a job well-done, I slithered off, heading to the training deck communal showers. Hopefully they would be able to heat up enough that I could turn back.

…

Squeaky clean, I traipsed down to the kitchen, stomach rumbling. Expecting to find Hunk working hard on a celebratory dinner, it gave me pause to see the area completely empty. Where is mine? Deciding I needed to find mine first before I could eat, I left the kitchen, heading back to the bridge.

Everyone was there, and a few startled at my appearance. I was human again after all, and usually it took longer to turn back.

"What's up everyone? Why're you guys all so glum?" I asked, going for light-hearted as usual.

Shiro pressed his lips together, frowning. "We're worried about you, Lance. This curse is having more of an effect on you than we initially thought. You're acting differently, even out of the dragon form." Shifting nervously, he glanced at everyone else before continuing. "Don't you notice you're acting different?"

I frowned myself, racking my brain. I didn't feel different. How would I not know?

"I mean, I feel fine? Normal?" I shook my head once, as if to clear it. "Maybe? Wait, I'm not sure…" Frowning more deeply, I contemplated my previous actions. "I'm acting normal, right?" I whispered, doubt surging through me. Oh no.

"Lance, buddy, you know I love you? I also know you, and well…" Hunk shifted uneasily from foot to foot. "You haven't been acting normal lately. The old you wouldn't have grabbed and shook Allura or Shiro… or been so chill with Keith nearly killing you. I don't think you're thinking straight." In any other circumstance I would have made a gay joke, but that would probably only have proved Hunk even more correct.

Biting my lip, I looked imploringly at mine for answers. "How do I make it stop?" Everything was thrown into question, everything had just… felt so natural. "How did I not even notice?" Thinking back, the way I had been handling mine was alarming. That wasn't normal, that was pure dragon. "How didn't I notice?!" I whined, tears gathering along my eyes.

Hunk moved forward, pulling me into a fierce hug. "I don't know bud, but we're going to help you. There has to be something we can do."

"But what? We can't seem to figure out how to even break this spell. What happens if I turn fully dragon? Hunk what happens if we can't fly Voltron?" I begged my best friend for answers, fingers grasping at air, then tightly in my hair.

"We'll figure this out together. For now, we're going to make sure you don't overheat. Maybe with how often you were changing? What was that, three times in a couple days? That kind of change could mess with any brain. Don't worry about it, Lance." Hunk's words did a number on my anxiety, but it wasn't completely gone.

There was something beneath the surface of my mind. It was different from Blue, a subtle shift that I couldn't fully see the scope of. What that would mean for me, I was afraid of. If I couldn't tell what was wrong, how could I fix things? And what if by the time I could feel something different, it was too late?

"Lance, hey, buddy, breathe with me. C'mon, I know Blue wouldn't let something bad happen to you. Is she worried?" Hunk asked, pulling me from my spiral.

I tried to listen for her voice in the matter, but she wouldn't speak up. "I mean, no news it good news?" Biting my lip, and wringing my hands, I threw my mind about for Blue, hoping she would answer my questions on if I should be afraid of myself.

She continued to be silent on the matter, and I prayed that meant it was nothing to worry about.

PREVIOUS!

Opening my eyes further, proved to provide more information however. I had fallen asleep cleaning Blue. It was freezing inside the space cat, and I was wearing only my pants and underwear. I had fallen asleep draped over a piece of equipment, that was why I was aching all over.

Slowly sitting up, I groaned in pain, popping my joints as I went. Not one of my smarter ideas admittedly. Getting to my feet, I stretched backwards, my back popping as well. I gathered up the tools I had been using, putting the equipment I had been working on back where it belonged. Exiting Blue, I smiled back at her, feeling at peace with myself.

It was always good visiting with Blue for long periods of time. She did wonders for my nerves. Jogging lightly from the hangar, I left to fill my grumbling belly.

The kitchen was light, but empty. I had no idea what time it was, it could be the middle of the day, way early in the morning, I could have just missed breakfast, there was really no telling.

That sleep really did wonders for me, even though I ache. I mused to myself, grabbing myself a bowl of food goo. I didn't want to upset anything in the fridge that Hunk was making, he was protective of his food prep. Mine is so cute with food hoarding, I can bring back whatever mine needs. Chuckling, I shrugged off the slightly off thought.

There was nothing else to be done about it. It seemed as though this curse would haunt me forever, so I might as well get used to whatever would come. An itch beneath my skin had me shifting from foot to foot as I finished my goo.

Where is mine? After a battle I needed to see mine, I needed to take care of mine, I needed to make sure mine were okay.

Leaving the kitchens, I headed to the training deck, a faint smell urging me there. Can I smell mine now? The thought was interesting, if I could track my teammates, I wouldn't have to worry about them getting lost from me on a mission. It was a comfort.

The doors slid open, and I watched as the simulation paused, everyone turning to look at me when the bots stopped moving.

I smiled, entering. "Hey! Sorry for being missing! I fell asleep cleaning Blue. But I'm here now." I directed my face to the box Coran and Allura were watching the other four from. "Where do you need me?"

Allura frowned. "Go ahead and come up here. I do not want you to accidentally overheat during training with the others. Remember you have a separate training regimen anyway."

I frowned, "I'm sure I've got this under control Allura, c'mon. I gotta train my body too, don't I? How will Voltron get stronger as a team if I'm stuck on the sidelines?" I asked, hands on my hips. Why is mine so against me protecting mine? Mine jealous anger worry mine comfort?

"It's not that simple Lance," Shiro stepped forward, frowning. "Just because we know how to turn you back doesn't mean we can just throw you into danger without knowing what your dragon instincts are going to do."

Raising an eyebrow, I looked at the others. None of them looked like they would be any help at all. Huffing, I gave in.

"Fine, but at least let me do my usual training?" I practically begged, hating how needy I sounded. Since when did I like training anyway? The surge of protectiveness I felt answered that question. Oh yeah.

Allura shook her head. "Not today, we need to try and first figure out how much of you has been changed by this curse."

Hanging my head, I made my way up to the control center, pouting and dragging my feet like a child. This wasn't fair. Everyone else was getting better and I was just sitting here! I'm the Blue Paladin, they need me! Allura's words from last night cut through me as they had the first time I heard them.

"It looks as though they are doing fine without you. Do not worry about them, they can handle themselves."

I sat quietly behind her and Coran, watching my teammates training to defeat the Galra without me. They were fine without me. They don't need me. A deep pain blossomed in my chest and I almost gasped aloud at the feeling. As though someone was pressing a knife slowly into my heart, burning white-hot.

…

"Now Lance, let's see if we can figure this out so you can get back to the action, eh?" Coran's cheerful voice woke me from my brooding, orange mustache twisted between thumb and forefinger.

My responding grin was weak, but I nodded anyway. Anything to be needed, to be good enough to protect mine.

"Good! Now, please, can you tell us anything different you're noticing about your thoughts? Or knee-jerk reactions?" He asked, a holopad in one hand, ready to take down any notes. Allura was paying attention to the team below, but I could tell she was listening in.

I shrugged, unsure if I should really reveal everything. What if that made things worse?

"I mean, not really? Like, I know when I was in dragon form I did some weird stuff, and now like this I've built a nest of blankets in my bed." I admitted, that fact feeling somehow more personal than telling him my thoughts.

"Fascinating…" He murmured, jotting that down. "Now, was the nest circular, or was it more of a hidey-hole? How do you sleep?"

Crossing my arms almost defensively, I tried to answer him plainly. "Circular? I'm just laying in the middle of it, uh, curled up I guess?"

Coran nodded, tapping a finger to his chin. "Now, right after Keith had set the training room on you, and we were in the medical bay, you had all of us wrapped in your coils. Could you try to explain to me what made you do that?"

I lit up, the answer easy. "Oh, I had to teach mine that I was in charge and that mine couldn't go around doing that again. And of course, since I was so injured, I needed to keep mine close to make sure I could keep mine safe." Thinking a little more, I grinned. "That's why I shook any of mine that tried to climb out. Even half dead I was going to make sure mine was protected and safe."

Coran had stopped tapping his chin, and had stopped smiling. Allura had stopped pretending like she wasn't listening, brows knitted in concern, lips pulled in a tight line.

"Lance? Who is 'mine' that you keep referring to?" Allura asked, her voice even. She was turned completely away from the rest of mine, and worry nagged at me.

"Hey, don’t stop watching them okay?" I snapped, concern making my voice sharper than I had meant.

She raised an eyebrow but turned back to watching them. "I still expect an answer, Lance."

Shrugging, I didn't see what the big deal was. Until I ran my words back through my mind. Eyes widening at my mistake, my head shot up to look at Coran. He looked sympathetic, kneeling down next to me.

"Lance, we just want to try and figure this out, okay?" He tried to soothe, but no, no, that's my job. Mine concerned worry distrust? Mine comfort comfort mine soothe.

I smiled, "I know, it's okay. I don’t want you to worry about me, I promise I'm okay." Turning to direct my words at Allura, I answered her question. "The 'mine' is everyone here in the castleship. Everyone is mine to protect."

Even though I couldn't see her expression, I could see how tense her back was.

"Lance, do you realize how dangerous that is?" She asked, the strain to keep her voice calm easy for me to pick up on. I could almost smell distress coming off of her in waves.

Shaking my head, I stood up. "Don't worry about me, Princess. I'll be fine. I control it where it counts."

"Oh? And where is that? In battle when everyone is being swarmed by Galra? Will you be able to stop yourself from getting killed trying to protect everyone?" She asked, deadly quiet.

I frowned, "Of course I can, I'll be okay. Don't--"

"And you are confident that your curse will not activate in battle? That you will not be transformed while fighting?" Allura cut me off, her voice now hard. The Altean turned to face me once more. Glancing behind her, I could see that everyone was doing cool-down stretches, smiling at one another.

Biting my lip, I had to stop myself from immediately responding that of course I wouldn't transform while fighting. But how could I stop myself? And I had no idea how long the transformation would leave me vulnerable. I would be putting everyone at risk. Mine danger? Fight protect rip tear! I struggled against the instincts telling me there was danger.

The only danger was myself.

"I…" Looking up at Allura, I froze, tears blurring my vision. She looked upon me with pity, reaching out a hand and gently grasping my shoulder.

"I cannot allow you into battle with such a risk. If something were to happen to you I could not bear it. Until further notice you will only do reconnaissance and assassination. Do I make myself clear? We will make do without Voltron. We do not need you hurting yourself." Her words were sharp as a whip, and I recoiled as though she had struck me.

"No… no please, Allura I promise-- I-- I'll be okay! The transformation is quick and-- and you said it yourself that it could be a big help in battle! Now-- we know-- we can trigger it and I can train with it-- and--! Please!" I begged, lying as needed. I had to protect mine, she didn't understand!

Her expression changed slightly, as though she was considering. "Very well, we will train, and you will transform in front of us so that we can time if it is truly fast enough."

Nodding, I tried not to wince. My lie would be found out, but I had to try. Maybe I could help it along somehow? "When can we try?" I begged, looking down at the team to see them gazing up expectantly.

Shrugging, she gestured to the room beyond. "Might as well now." She knew, she knew it took me a while, and she wanted to crush that as soon as she could.

I had to try.

Hurrying down the steps, I stopped in front of my team. They looked quizzically at me, but when Allura beckoned them to join her they all filed up the steps I had just descended. Worry tingled through me for a moment, concerned at how she was going to get me to overheat, but I needn't have worried.

Before long the room had grown stifling, and sweat was beginning to bead on my brow.

"Turn it up higher!" I called, wanting to get this over with.

The heat was oppressive, and I felt the beginning tell-tale cramps that the transformation was beginning. Breathing deeply, I tried to reach for that other part of me, the deeper part. The part that had become so loud in my mind.

Instead of the usual cramping, I was awash with pain suddenly. Falling to my knees, I gasped, forcing myself to continue reaching. Cracks filled the room, and I was distantly aware that I could hear mine gasping in alarm.

Their fear made me suck in a breath, and I tried to surge through the transformation, the pain so blinding I was sure that I passed out for a moment. Blue was there as usual, her purrs soothing even as she disapproved of what I was doing.

You were the one that said I was a more perfect Paladin for you now. I groaned. The snapping of my bones and movement of my skin had finally stopped. I moved, finding myself in my comfortable body once more. I had plenty of space.

Rearing back, I flapped my wings, launching myself into the air so I could be level with Allura and the rest of mine. They all looked horrified, hands over ears or mouths. I even saw tear tracks down Hunk's face.

Confused, I tilted my head, crooning softly to try and ease whatever had scared mine. No one was injured right? Mine is okay? Moving closer, I bumped my snout on the glass, gently, crooning louder.

The temperature of the room ramped up again, and I twisted in confusion. Was Allura trying to get me to change back again so soon? I had never done that before. Afraid, I flew to the doors of the training room, relieved when they opened for me and I escaped to the cooler corridor beyond.

"Lance!" Allura's voice rang out. Turning, I saw she had run, following me from the training room. "We need to talk, therefore you need to transform back."

I shifted, looking her up and down. If it will make mine worry less, but… I cannot protect mine as easily in that form. Uneasy, I slithered back into the hot room. Allura was visibly uncomfortable with the temperature. I breathed ice around her, my vaporous breath clouding and rushing over her.

The ice was already melting. I was beginning to feel the heat more intensely. The transformation back would begin soon. Everyone was down now, looking at me with worry. I curled up, trying to coat myself in ice from the uncomfortable feeling of melting.

…*…

Lance had screamed, and the sound! His bones snapping and realigning had been horrific. That was the cry I had heard in the showers. My mind supplied distantly as I stood in front of his draconic form, watching as he tried to keep himself cool.

"Should… should we really force the transformation back so soon?" I asked timidly, glancing at Allura's grim expression.

"We have no choice, we need to discuss this now." Allura replied, teeth clenched as the sickening sound of bones snapping began to fill the room again. "I do not like it either Keith, but we cannot allow him to remain in that form for extended periods of time again."

I nodded, looking away as Lance began to thrash a bit, snarls and snapping bones all that could be heard. Once the noises stopped, I looked to see a naked Lance kneeling on the ground on all fours, panting.

The room instantly cooled to a frigid temperature. Lance shivered, and I moved forward. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I needed to do something. Scooping him into my arms, I stared at his shocked face. Well, that's not really what I should have done apparently. I walked steadily to the showers, we all kept spare clothes in there, since we didn't always train in our armor.

Alone in the shower room, I set Lance down and dug around for his spare set of clothes. He had yet to say anything yet. Patiently I handed him a pair of pants and a shirt, making sure my eyes stayed firmly on his face as I did so.

Lance tugged on the clothes slowly, as if the movements were painful.

"How much does it hurt?" I asked, wanting to smack myself almost instantly. Really? Like he wants to give me those details.

"More than anything else I've ever felt before." He whispered, tugging the shirt over his head.

I winced, closing my eyes briefly. "Allura explained why you transformed. But I still… I don't understand it. Why would you put yourself in that much pain willingly?" I demanded, unsure why my chest was clenching so painfully at the echoing sounds of his snapping bones.

Lance sighed, just sitting on the bench now. "I have to, for Voltron, for the universe, for mine." He mumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face. Dark circles were under his eyes when he looked up at me, eyes wide pleadingly.

"You have to understand Keith. If I can't get a handle on this, there's no more Voltron. Allura won't let me pilot Blue if I can prove that I'm useful!" He gushed, reaching out a hand as if to grasp mine.

I grabbed it, yanking him to his feet. "What are you talking about Lance? We have to break this curse! You can't suffer like this-- I-- I mean we-- you're useless like this! You clearly can't go into battle--!" I stopped myself, eyes wide as I saw the look of pain on his face.

"Stop it Keith, shut the fuck up." He growled, yanking his hand back and standing. Stalking to the door, he threw over his shoulder as he left, "I'm plenty useful, and I'll prove it."

I had said something wrong again. Why am I like this? Why can't he understand how much I care about him? He's such a fucking idiot! Growling, I stalked after him, emerging as he was yelling at Allura.

"--not fast enough?! Oh come on Princess! I know it was fast enough! I proved I can do it but you still don't believe in me!" Lance's face was red, tears running down his cheeks.

Shiro and Allura both had their arms crossed in front of them, glaring at Lance. Shiro was more grim, while Allura looked as though the yelling was really annoying her.

"No, I thought it was instantaneous. Even that small bit there would leave you vulnerable, and I cannot allow that. You would force a teammate to cover you, putting them in danger too?" Allura shot back, fists clenched.

Lance stiffened. "Stop it. I know I can do this. What are you going to do to stop me?" He demanded, fists balled himself. Both of them looked like they were going to lunge at the other.

I stepped up next to Shiro and when Lance saw me I saw his lip curl as if he had smelled something nasty.

"We'll contain you if we have to Lance, we won't let you hurt yourself or endanger others because you have a superiority complex." Shiro stated calmly, drawing Lance's attention and fury.

A nasty look came over Lance's face, and he snarled, a sound that shouldn't have been possible with his human vocal chords. "Just try and contain me, Shiro. I will protect mine whether you want me to or not!" His face was red, and it seemed like I was the only one noticing that sweat was beginning to bead on his brow.

"You leave me no choice then, Lance." Allura's voice froze Lance, and his attention was back on her like a sick tennis match. "You are hereby no longer the Blue Paladin. Until this curse is broken you are not a member of Voltron. You are forbidden from going to the Lion's hangars or the bridge. We will confine you to your room, and if you do not cooperate we will confine you to a cryopod. Leave. Now."

The words hit Lance like a physical blow, and he gave a cry, recoiling.

Hunk and Pidge lurched forward, gasping.

"No! You can't do that to Lance-- we need him!" Hunk cried, rushing forward to try and hug his friend.

I heard a crack, and launched myself at Hunk, keeping him away. Stopping him just in time as Lance exploded, blue scales and dark blue feathers erupting from his skin.

Up close the transformation was worse than from the control deck.

The warm brown skin split apart, all of his bones snapping and cracking in rapid succession as the transformation was sped up to a horrifying degree. An inhuman scream rent the room. Between one blink and the next, Lance had turned into a dragon once more. This time I could plainly read emotion on the scaly face.

He was furious.

PREVIOUS!

Reaching up, I touched my face, this time feeling I was crying, warm tears rolling down my cheeks and into my hair. I sat up, my head swimming for only a moment before the world came into focus. Coran was there, staring at me in shock, mouth agape. Keith and Shiro were asleep in a corner, heads resting on the other’s shoulder. It looked cute.

“Lance!” Coran cried, rushing over to me and throwing his arms around my torso.

I grinned, hugging him back just as fiercely. Coran’s cry had woken the other two, and they jumped to their feet, prepared for the worst, but judging by their expressions, not the best.

“Hey guys,” I croaked, throat a little sore. Coran offered me a hydration pouch, and I sucked it down greedily, my stomach rumbling its protests that I wasn’t feeding it properly. Coran chuckled, and moved away for a moment, coming back with a small bowl of goo in his hand.

“Here, eat this. We aren’t sure exactly how fine you are, or how back to normal you are, so Hunk and I decided it was best if we start you off slow.” Coran said gently, pressing the bowl into my own hands.

I made a face, but sighed, tilting the bowl back and drinking the goo slowly.

Shiro unfroze, rushing forwards. He didn’t seem to know what to say however, and merely settled with fussing around me and making sure with his hands that I was okay. Mine reassure comfort mine mine gentle mine love.

I smiled goofily at him, reaching out a hand and gently cupping his chin. “Aww, you’re too sweet Shiro. I’m fine, I don’t want you worrying about me.” I cooed, only realizing exactly what I said and did when the room went dead quiet. A bright flush rose to my cheeks, and I snatched my hand back, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood.

“I- I um, I just ah, just um mean that yeah… don’t worry?” I stammered, avoiding looking at him directly now. What was that? Why did I touch him like that? Did mine not think it was soothing? Shaking my head rapidly, I squeezed my eyes shut, concerned. What was going on?

“Lance? Hey, it’s okay. We know you’re probably high on dragon instincts or something, we know it isn’t you.” Keith’s voice startled me, and I wanted to snarl and curl up and bare my teeth. Instead I just curled up in on myself. Hearing Keith try to comfort me must have made Shiro remember something because I heard a muffled curse, and then he was rounding on Keith, arms crossed.

“Now that Lance is back in his human shape, we need to decide on how we’re going to punish you.” Sternly, Shiro grabbed Keith by the bicep, roughly moving to drag him from the room.

I was up and moving before I knew what was happening. A vice-like grip yanked Keith from Shiro’s grasp, and into my arms.

“I already did that. I know he won’t do it again. You can’t touch him.” Protect mine danger mine confusion mine turning on each other? Protect protect danger mine.

Shiro looked afraid, but not of me. Reaching out slowly, he had a pleading look in his eye. “Lance, I know you think you took care of it. But please, let’s at least talk about it? I want to make absolute sure.”

“Isn’t my word enough? He’s the one that hurt me, shouldn’t I decide?” I shot back, a low growl in my chest threatening to break free. This didn’t make sense, why didn’t Shiro trust me with this?

Keith wriggled from my arms, frowning. “Lance, we’re pretty sure that you can’t have a clear head about this. We were all talking about the whole incident in the medical bay when you had us all wrapped up in your body and-“

“I have a perfectly clear head!” I butted in, voice shrill, teeth bared aggressively. Mine disobey, punish? Concerned? Mine worry comfort mine comfort concern angry mine reject punish mine? The thoughts assaulted me, and I wanted to recoil, only now recognizing why I felt off. Dragon thoughts?

“Lance? Hey- Lance wait!” Shiro tried to catch me, but I ran from the room.

…

Nothing felt right. I barricaded myself in my room, huddling up in my bed. It didn't feel safe. Dragging everything soft inside my room that I could find, I arranged it on my bed and wanted to scream in frustration.

"A nest?! REALLY?!" I really did scream, dragging everything off my bed and onto the floor in a fit of anger. Almost immediately I regretted it, and sighed, pulling everything back on and carefully fixing it so it was just so. This wasn't good, the team was right, I had a screw loose or something.

"Fuck that stupid girl," I growled, heated as I remembered getting cursed. It was all her fault, if she hadn't gotten pissed off over the fact that I didn't know her customs, then none of this would have happened, and I wouldn't be struggling against strange urges and instincts that at the same time felt entirely natural. Fuck.

"What am I supposed to do?" I murmured to myself, curling up in the nest and sighing. Since there wasn't really anything to be done about the curse itself, was there even anything to do about the instincts? Would they get worse? Would I lose myself to a beast of base instincts? I shuddered at the thought, curling around myself tighter. I would figure everything out somehow, Pidge and Coran would help me, they had to be able to fix this.

Closing my eyes tightly, I let my sore muscles relax into the softness of my blankets. A rest would do me good. In the morning I could go through my usual routine to take care of my skin, maybe lessen the appearance of some of these new scars, and hopefully my head would be clearer. Most of this had to be just lingering affects from being a dragon for so long, it couldn’t be permanent. It couldn’t be.

…

Routines are soothing. Washing my face carefully, rubbing homemade (spacemade?) lotion into my arms and legs, concocting a soothing lotion for the tender and delicate scar tissue and rubbing that in. My thoughts wandered aimlessly as I worked, cleaning myself up properly. It was nice.

No alarm interrupted my careful ministrations, and I was deeply grateful for that. Tugging on my robe and easing my feet into my slippers, I made my way down to the kitchen. I might have taken my time with getting ready, but I had still woken up crazy early, what with how early I had gone to sleep. Only Hunk was awake, and even then, just barely.

“L-Lance?!” He cried, startled at my appearance so early in the morning most likely.

"Hey buddy," I smiled easily, sitting down on a stool near where Hunk had been preparing breakfast.

He rushed around the counter separating us, grabbing me in a full-body hug. My smile felt more genuine as I hugged him back tightly.

"It's almost surreal to see you like this, like I know we found your body out on the planet, but we weren't sure if you would stay like this when we got you into a healing pod and then when you didn't wake up we were afraid you wouldn't, then Coran told me that your dragon instincts were going a little nuts and--"

"Hunk!" I cut him off, wriggling free of his hold, no matter how soothing the feeling was. "I'm fine! Really!" I tried to reassure mine, hurting at the panic in his voice. "Now, could I have something to eat that isn't food goo?" I asked, trying to divert the conversation back to safer territory.

Easily swayed back onto the topic of food, mine smiled brightly, bustling back into the kitchen area and moving to whip something up for me to eat.

Relaxing against the counter, I smiled. It was so easy to get this mine to stop worrying. Mine was so wonderful already for caring so much, he glows like a small sun. I will protect mine's smiles. The thoughts idly whispered through my mind, and instead of recoiling from the animalistic nature of them, I wholeheartedly agreed.

A steaming plate of alien food was set before me, and I dug in, almost moaning at the taste. As a dragon I couldn't really taste my food, I had pretty much had to solely swallow it whole. And last night's space goo hadn't exactly tasted very good either. This was so preferable.

Hunk was shifting from foot to foot across from the counter, carefully not looking at me.

"What?" I snapped, a little on edge to see my best friend so anxious.

He flinched, and a heaviness settled down across my shoulders. Instantly I felt bad, a low whine suppressed in the back of my throat.

"Sorry…" I murmured, "Tell me what's on your mind?" I asked imploringly.

Hunk relaxed somewhat, but still continued to shift, biting his lip. Uncertainty gripped him, and he opened his mouth half a dozen times before any sound came out. "I'm… ah, I'm worried a bit for you buddy. What if they're… right?" He asked finally, throwing me off.

"What?"

"What if there's something wrong? What if you get stuck like that for real? We don't really know what turns you back, and we won't always be able to avoid you overheating. What if you're stuck like that? What if you're only half--"

"Hunk!" I cut him off, waving my hands. Mine worry concern soft sweet mine danger? Mine betray? No, mine worry concern care mine make smile again. I smiled brightly, "None of that will happen, okay?"

He looked uncertain, the whispering of draconic instincts bustling through my mind. Mine comfort, mine mine concern mine comfort. I draped myself over his much larger form, holding him tightly.

"I know you're worried buddy, but I'm telling you, I'm fine. I'll continue to be fine even whenever I turn back into a dragon again, and then when I turn back into a human again. Everything will be okay." I reassured, soothingly rubbing where I could reach of his shoulders. I felt Hunk nod, and the small knot of tension inside me loosened, even if only for a moment.

Stepping back, I smiled at him. I took my empty plate to the sink and rinsed it off. Once that was done, I patted Hunk a final time before leaving the room. My mind was full of the breaking of waves, and I headed to Blue’s hangar, smiling when I saw her regal figure.

She crouched down to greet me, eyes glowing softly. My Paladin, you have changed. She purred, seemingly pleased. My lips twitched down for a moment, but when she opened her mouth I stepped inside. Your instincts call you to protect, an even more perfect Paladin I could not ask for. Her voice was so gentle, I felt tears pricking the sides of my eyes.

“Oh Blue, you’re too sweet on me. Now lets see if I can do any fine-tuning. You feeling anything particular?”

I worked with Blue for a few hours, lost in cleaning her up, both software and hardware. I might not have been a tech or engineering genius like Hunk or Pidge, but Blue could direct me well enough. At the very least, I could find the thermostat and turn it all the way down, strip out of most of my clothes, and relish in the freezing air.

It seemed as though I had been overheating way too much lately.

Wait. Is it really that simple? My eyes were wide, my hands stuck in some small crevice of Blue’s joints that hadn’t been cleaned properly. Thoughts raced in my mind, comparing both times the reverse transformation had been triggered. I had been hot, there had been a sun, it had been scorching. I had overheated. The transformation is caused by overheating, both ways. I wanted to cry with relief and smack myself at how simple it was.

My feet hit the floor of the hangar, and I stumbled, running to the doors. I had to tell Allura and everyone else. I sent an apology to Blue, and she rumbled in understanding, remaining in the down position so that when I was done I could resume my work.

…

The doors to the bridge opened, and suddenly the alarm was going off. I almost groaned, face stinging as my palm made contact with my forehead.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I grumbled, stalking over to a room that held spare suits. Pulling mine on, I emerged back into the bridge, still the first one there.

“Allura! I have important news!” I called, drawing her attention. She frowned at me, then looked to the doors as they slid open, revealing Shiro and Keith and Pidge. A few moments later Hunk burst in, panting.

“I’m here!” He cried, bent over and gasping slightly.

“Allura this is—“

“Not right now Lance, you can tell me after I have handed out the assignment to the others.” Allura cut me off, directing her attention to the other four. I frowned, what was that supposed to mean?

Her hands were clasped behind her back as she addressed the others. “Now, we have gotten another distress signal, the Baulkins have requested our aid in fighting off a few Galra cruisers as they flee to a new planet. I have coordinates but not much else. Coran, do you know anything about them?” Allura turned to her adviser, whom was plucking at his mustache thoughtfully.

“The name is familiar, so maybe? But nothing concrete. Just destroy the Galra, and make it back safely.” He replied, shaking his head solemnly.

“There we go, good luck Paladins, go to your lions.” Allura waved her hand, then looked to me expectantly. I was confused, halfway going to the chute that would take me to Blue’s hangar.

“Um… aren’t I supposed to go too?” I asked, uncertain.

She shook her head, frowning. "I am afraid not, Coran and Shiro have informed me that you have been acting differently since you changed back. I do not want to risk sending you out into battle with your mind muddled by this curse."

I took a step back, ice curling down my spine comfortingly, a haze of thoughts whizzed through my mind in the few moments it took me to realize I needed to tell her about the transformation. Protect mine.

"Okay, how about a compromise?" I asked, shifting from foot to foot, watching from the monitors as the others had already left their hangars. Blue was in position, having put back her joint herself. It hadn't really been bothering her, but I wanted her in perfect condition, and she liked the pampering.

Allura inclined her head, gesturing with a hand that I speak.

"I know what triggers both transformations now. So there's really no danger, right?" The longer I stood here, the more I was itching to be out there, protecting my teammates, protecting mine.

Raising an eyebrow, Allura crossed her arms. "Lance, knowing how to undo the transformation is fantastic, but that does not have anything to do with the fact that I can see you twitchy and eager to throw yourself into the line of fire. I cannot allow you in your lion while you are in this condition."

"But-!"

"No buts! Now, you can go ahead and tell us how to turn you back, in the unlikely event that you do get transformed once more." Allura commanded, slapping a hand down on one of the little steering poles.

I cringed back, a flare of aggression suppressed only by my eagerness to tell her how to help me if I get stuck in my dragon form again.

"Heat, for the transformation into a dragon and back to human, I have to overheat." I explained, leaning to the side and watching as they engaged the Galra.

"Lance, please pay attention." Allura sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know that you wish to join your team, but I must insist you stay here, at least for the time being."

Whining low in my throat, I shifted from foot to foot. "But they need me," I whimpered.

Shaking her head, Allura turned to observe in the monitors. "It looks as though they are doing fine without you. Do not worry about them, they can handle themselves." She dismissed my worries, sending a knife to my heart.

Oh wow, way to open up that bag of insecurities. I wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, I wanted to see what would happen, but on the other, I could go and continue to clean Blue, and be right there if I was ordered to join the fight.

The pull to Blue was stronger, and I returned to her hangar, stripping from most of my clothes once more to make sure I wouldn't overheat. Working on cleaning in the smaller spaces, I hummed along to the thrumming of the bond between Blue and I, getting lost in her mind as I cleaned.

PREVIOUS!

"Did you… you did this to him?" I asked quietly, eyes scanning Lance for faint signs of life.

Keith looked over to me, confusion on his face. "Yes, so we can have Lance back." He stated it with such confidence and conviction that it took me a few seconds to fully register what he had said.

"You hurt Lance, because you think this will turn Lance back to his human body?" I restated, incredulous. Of all the impulsive- "And what if it doesn't turn him back Keith? What then?" My voice was calmer than I had thought it would be, only shaking if you listened.

"Lance don't hurt-! LANCE!" Hunk, Pidge, Coran, and Princess Allura had caught up to the rest of us, and Hunk screamed, eyes wide as his best friend bled out on the floor.

Done trying to give Keith a lesson, I reacted, brain turning through different things we should do to help Lance. With Coran here, I could ask about healing pods.

"Coran, we need to get him to the medical bay, or something from it here. I think he's passed out. What are our options?" I barked, ignoring Keith for now.

"What happened?" Princess Allura demanded, eyes flicking from the bleeding dragon to Keith's own unscathed form.

"We don't have time! Lance needs something to help stop the bleeding before he dies! Coran!" Impatiently I turned to the Altean man, who had gone white as a ghost, and was now muttering hurriedly to himself.

"I am not sure what we can do Shiro… he's too big for the pods, but he needs immediate attention. I do not know how to help…!" Coran looked hopelessly up and down Lance's body. "Everything I can think of would require us to move him, which I do not think would be wise given his current state. He could awaken and in an instinctual move lash out, or it could aggravate his wounds more causing him to bleed out faster."

Growling, I reached up, angrily running a hand through my hair. “That isn’t good enough! We have to do something! We have to try and move him, either he bleeds out here while we watch, or we get hurt trying to help him. If you don’t want to help move him, then stay out of my way!” My voice was more of a snarl, and I moved to Lance’s side, gripping at where his arm wings met the rest of his body. It was bloody here as well, but it was a good place to grab nonetheless.

Hunk reacted, rushing to Lance’s side opposite of me. Allura nodded once, moving to help by grasping his head, easily lifting it.

Keith looked lost, shrinking away when all three of us glared when he tried to move in closer to Lance.

“You’ve done enough damage Keith, make sure Coran has all the help he needs in the medical bay. Pidge, lift his tail a little bit and help us.” I barked, slowly beginning to move, dragging Lance’s prone form.

It was agonizingly slow going. Too slow in fact. I couldn't stand it, anger and fear radiating from my tight muscles as I heaved. Pidge and Coran had disappeared into the medical bay already, and we were so close. I could feel Lance's vitals growing weaker beneath my fingers, and I wanted to scream in frustration and fear. Black's rumbled growl of approval almost had me doing just that, but that wouldn't help the situation.

…*…

Everything hurt. Everything ached. There was a low burning throughout my entire body. The sensations were fading, and instinctively, I knew that was a bad thing. Blue's soft growling was something I could hold on to, and I clung to it like a lifeline. Pricks so sharp I wanted to scream settled over my scales, digging into every surface.

I thought I had been in agony before, but this just amped it up. I wanted it to stop, stop please just make it STOP.

Snarling, I twisted violently, thrashing. There were things holding me, where they pressed to my skin the digging knives were worse, I was being pulled apart. At my thrashing, I was free, the knives settling down to a more bearable level. Another touch, another dig of a knife, I whirled, snapping my powerful jaws.

The touch retreated just as fast as it had come. More touches,  coming from a different direction. I followed it, snapping, surging forwards in an effort to make it stop. It took me too long to realize there was a buzzing in my ears, but the rest of the world was eerily silent. I couldn't even hear my own breathing.

Need to get to safety, need to stop the pain, hurt, hurt mine hurt punish mine pain mine, mine need this to stop. My body was slowing down, even as I tried to react faster to prevent the pain from coming again. The knives dug deeper, severing something deeper within me.

Abruptly I couldn't move at all, my limbs locking in place before collapsing beneath me. I snarled as the knives continued to dig into me, but the reverberations in my chest weren't as strong, I wasn't sure I had even made a noise at all.

Sound cut in painfully, vision swimming in and making me nauseous.

"-nce just a little more come on please, we can't stop now!" Shiro's voice was commanding and desperate, a tone I never thought he could even make.

Mine mine hurts too much mine can't move can't get up can't can't can't I want to hurts mine.

Snarling, I surged forward, forcing my limbs to move past their limits. They would help me. I was in agony for now, Shiro would make it go away. Mine hurt me before, mine will be punished.

Shiro moved out of my way, pausing before a door and opening it. It looked like the medical bay. I couldn't get into a pod like this, but maybe they had something that could help.

My limbs began to seize up again, refusing to budge even as I tried to throw my weight into it.

"Lance, you're so close, Coran has something that will help- everything will be okay." Shiro moved into my line of sight, his voice panicked but trying to force himself to be calm. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't do it, I couldn't make myself move anymore, my body wouldn't work.

Keith stepped into my line of sight. Mine hurt mine punish mine learn hurts must move mine must punish. I lunged for Keith, jaws open. He stumbled back, and Shiro tried to stop me, but pulled away at the last moment. He wanted me inside the medical bay as it were, and Keith was inside the medical bay.

Panicking, Keith continued to stumble away, lips pressed in a thin line that I couldn't read. Punish mine. I continued to lunge for him, eventually cornering him. Looming above his frame, I blocked out the other cries behind me.

Darting in, my jaws open wide, I roared in his face, delicate mist flowing out like dry ice. Nudging him with my snout, I picked him up gingerly, shaking him a little roughly. Mine again.

Weariness and pain washed over me once again, and I sighed with Keith still in my grip. Twisting over my shoulder, I saw the worried faces of mine, and decided I needed mine with me altogether so that everything would be okay again.

Coiling my body, I set Keith down within the small circle. Reaching out, I grabbed Pidge, who let out a small shriek. Shaking my head gently, I set them down next to Keith, growling low when they made a move to leave. Turning back around, I grabbed Hunk too, easily lifting him despite how heavy I knew he was. Next was Shiro, who looked like he was about to faint. Allura and Coran resisted more than the others had. Coran was holding onto a device that glowed faintly, but once he realized I wouldn't be taking it from him, he relented, being the last to join the warm circle of mine.

Settling down, I curled a little tighter, my head resting so that I could gaze at them, even as my arm-wing draped over the top of everyone. Mine is here, mine is safe, mine will be okay. My body went a little boneless at the feelings rushing through me.

Coran was moving his device over sections of me that he could reach, leaving pleasant patches of numbness in his wake. It felt nice, soothing almost.

Everyone was quiet, merely looking at me. Hunk's eyes were puffy and red, he had been crying. I leaned forward a bit, my long tongue reaching out and licking around his eyes; the coolness should help ease the discomfort. Energy was draining fast, and I closed my own eyes, sighing out once more in contentment.

…

I woke up groggily, my eyes slowly blinking open. Mine is trying to leave mine mine protect safety mine. A low growl left my throat, reverberating within the coils. Keith froze, staring at me with wide violet eyes. They were also red, the skin around swollen and irritated. Leaning forward again, I gently licked, soothing the skin with the cool touch.

He started, flinching back into my scales. Pain flared, but I didn't stop, my motions only getting a little more aggressive in my attempts to soothe. Fresh salt water met my tongue, and I pulled back a little to get a good look at him with one of my eyes.

Tears were bubbling from his eyes, slowly leaking down his face until they were met with my tongue. Hurt, hurt mine protect, comfort mine. Nuzzling his cheek gently, I reached for his shirt, dragging him closer to me so I could give him better attention.

"…Lance?" Keith whispered, the others were still sleeping, curled together. Hunk had Pidge and Shiro mostly on top of him. Coran was half out of my coils, as if he had fallen asleep trying to get me with his device.

I nudged Keith in response, gently running my tongue over his cheeks to clear away the fresh tears.

"I don't deserve this Lance, you should stop. You almost died because of my stupid idea," He continued, trying to push away from me. Keith made another attempt at escape, and panic surged in my chest. I let out a warning rumble, mindful of the others sleeping as well. Dragging him back, I tucked him under my jaw, securing him better. Mine, mine, mine safe.

"Lance! Let me go- I hurt you- stop-" Keith was growling now, actively trying to shove his way out, scrabbling against my scales. He pulled painfully at a healing section, and I snarled, gripping his shirt and yanking him back down with everyone else.

Shiro had woken up at all the noise, he looked lost, as if shaken from a bad dream. I made a small noise in the back of my throat, closer to a croon than I knew I could make. He looked startled, focusing on me.

Satisfied that Keith wouldn't be trying to leave again, I moved to nudge at Shiro, gentle. He was stiff, uncertain of what I was doing, that much was clear. Gripping his shirt, I pulled him up, nestling him closer to me. Shiro made a strangled noise, flailing a bit until he was settled again.

"Lance? What's going on with you?" He asked, worry coloring his hushed whisper. I felt one of his hands stroking along a patch of my scales, and I rumbled at the feeling. It didn't matter what was going on with me, as long as mine was safe, I would be okay. So I didn’t make an attempt at answering, which Shiro seemed to expect.

…

The morning was annoying. Mine kept trying to leave, no matter how much I growled and tried to drag them back in.

“Lance! Fucking let me go I have to pee damnit!” Keith yelled, wriggling violently in my jaw. I considered his request for a moment, remembering that yeah that was probably a good idea. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning my scales. Letting him go, I watched him carefully as he went into the bathroom located in the medical bay. He would be coming back.

“Lance?” Allura’s soothing voice caught my attention. I had allowed everyone else to leave hours ago. They weren’t in need of being reminded who was in charge or anything. Turning towards her, I saw she subtly leaned back, eyes roaming over my scaled surface.

“While I admire your forgiving Keith so quickly, I fear that has more to do with your being transformed into a dragon instead of you turning over a new leaf. I would like to perform a few tests to see if we can get you back to normal. With your permission, of course.” Tilting her head, she regarded me with cool, level eyes. Her tone was firm, overriding the request as a demand.

Glancing warily from her to the surrounding space, I nodded. Something had been feeling… off. I was sure that things didn’t feel like normal, but at the same time, they felt as natural as breathing. Whatever it was, I should be able to tell whenever I transformed back.

She smiled, and called Coran back to the med bay, asking him to help her.

Keith had emerged from the bathroom, and was trying to make a stealthy exit, but I nixed that. Carrying him gently in my maw, I set him down back inside my coils. I had to pay extra attention to this one, mine must understand, yesterday can’t happen again.

…

Coran was fascinated with how fast I was healing, his device had covered the wounded sections with a disinfectant that was meant to help clot blood and close the skin, but I was basically already moving as though I hadn’t been bleeding out the night before. Allura and Shiro seemed concerned; for the most part everyone was happy with my speedy recovery.

The tests had yielded few results in terms of getting me turned back, but they had discovered that I was technically made completely of ice. They had no idea how I was maintaining a cold enough temperature to not melt, and not make everyone else frozen as well. Like, I felt cold to everyone, but not freezing, as ice should. My bones appeared to be mostly hollow, made again, completely of ice, yet not brittle in the slightest. My behavior continued to puzzle the others. No one was sure why I was acting differently, or exactly how differently I was acting, if at all.

Things felt a little off sure, but to me I felt fine. Coran insisted that I stay in the medical bay and rest for a while longer. Just because my wounds had basically frozen over didn’t mean that they were completely healed after all. I made sure to keep Keith with me, who was not happy about that fact. Everyone else was also a little concerned, so Shiro elected to stay too. I think they’re thinking I might hurt mine. Impossible.

It frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t communicate properly with everyone, all I could do was make random sounds, or move my head to indicate ‘yes’ or ‘no’. My growing frustration unfortunately made itself known as me getting more testy than usual.

Maybe? I wasn’t sure if it was unusual anymore. Mine was growing more and more concerned as I continued to stay in my current form.

…

“Lance! Come on you know why we can’t let you out of the ship! For one, it’s the void of space out there, for another, even if we touched down on a planet, what if something happened to you?” Shiro grunted, trying to hold me in place as I muscled my way down to the hangars.

I felt restless, aggravated, cornered, trapped, penned in. It was uncomfortable, like a constant itch, a need that I couldn’t properly explain even if I had my voice to do so. Ignoring my idol was difficult, but I needed out.

“Shiro let him go, we’re touching down on a planet now, we should let him stretch. He must be feeling too confined.” Allura’s voice was a soothing balm on my frayed nerves. I rumbled in approval, almost startled at how close to Blue I sounded in that moment.

Allura’s eyes widened, but otherwise she didn’t comment on my sound. Shiro’s brow furrowed, and he abruptly let me go. Stretching my arm wings, I beat them a few times, rising off the ground a little bit. Twisting around, I looked Shiro in the eye, trying to convey that everything would be okay, I wouldn’t do anything stupid or dangerous. I just… I need to fly.

…

The planet we landed on was mostly barren, with no civilization there to claim it for themselves. It was a sea of grass the same color as the ocean. If I pretended, I could imagine that I was flying over the waters of home. In the sky were two large suns. They looked close together in the sky, but Allura had shown us how far apart they really were, almost equally distant from the planet, like a triangle.

The air was warm, almost hot to me. The rest of mine had decided that even with the ocean of grass, it was too hot for them. The itching need to move was too strong for me to be off-put by the temperature.

Before I left, Pidge had fitted me with a tracking device and a communicator just in case. They said it was for in case I wasn’t back in a few hours and they had to come find me.

I snorted in derision, but allowed it. Anything to make mine feel better.

Launching from one of the balconies of the castleship, I soared. It felt amazing, the hot wind whipping over my scales was a balm to my senses. I let out a roar, ice flying forth and coating my body as I flew through it.

I began to twist myself in the air, climbing and dropping. Swooping and performing complicated movements that would have left anyone watching in awe. Of that, I was sure.

The heat was oppressive, but I continued to ignore it, flying farther and faster. Whooping, I snapped out my wing arms, just gliding on the gale-force winds that swept across the planet’s surface. I closed my eyes, relaxing into the feeling. As I began to drop lower, I beat my wings a few times, holding myself aloft.

It was so peaceful in the air, and I was invincible. Nothing could take me down. Well, something could try, but I would tear them to pieces and consume their flesh, painting the ground with their life’s blood. The gruesome thought snapped me back to reality, and I recoiled.

What was that? I’ve never been violent like that before. I’ve never enjoyed killing like that! I felt like I was in a sauna, sweat beginning to drip from my body. Panic gripped me. I’m a being made of ice, and I’m flying, exerting myself, on a planet with two hot fucking suns that’re pumping out heat faster than a furnace.

Panting, I twisted back, almost screaming in fear when I didn’t see the castleship in the distance. Had I flown for so long? Shooting forward into the sky, I lost all joy in flying, instead trying to make it back to the cool insides of the castle before I melted like a snowman in the sun.

Water began to pour from my body, and pain began to build in my limbs, either from the strain I was putting them under, or the heat beating into them. Screaming, I flew low to the ground, using the wind currents there to propel myself forward.

“Lance?! What’s wrong?!” Pidge’s voice sounded over the communicator they had installed, filled with fear. Mine mustn’t be afraid. I will be fine.

Tumbling to the ground, I let out small shrieks, before rolling to a stop. Groaning, I pushed myself up, dragging forward. Hopefully I was actually going in the direction of the castle, otherwise… what will I do if they don’t find me in time?

Pain began to build in my limbs, and they locked up, refusing to move no matter how my brain screamed at them. I dropped to the ground, thrashing and writhing in agony. Roaring, ice sprayed all around me, a last-ditch effort to keep me sheltered from the blistering suns. It was no use, the ice walls melting as soon as I closed my jaws.

This is it then. My bones began to make horrifying cracking noises, and my eyes snapped open. The agony was ramping up, but relief washed through my brain. This was good, this was a good thing. It would hurt now, but only for a little while.

I sighed, relaxing somewhat as I felt the transformation really get going. I’ll be myself again soon.

PREVIOUS!

Every now and then I could feel something beneath the surface, like an animal prowling behind bars. Waiting, longing to be set free.

That's how I found myself on the training deck at a crazy hour of the simulated night, staring down a hand to hand gladiator. I was wearing a set of breathable fighting clothes that Coran had programmed from the castle ship's replicator. I had done some stretches, and already done my nightly yoga that would loosen me up for a comfortable sleep, but sleep hadn't come.

Thoughts kept whirling in my head, too many thoughts. I needed to tire myself out, even if it ran the risk of turning into that dragon beast. My legs were restless, I shifted to the left. The gladiator shot forward, hands outstretched.

I threw myself backwards, narrowly avoiding the hit. I stayed on the defensive, weaving and constantly moving. It felt exhilarating the longer I kept away from the robot, looking for a good opening to give a quick jab, or swift kick.

The longer we went, the less track of time I kept, and the harder it became to dodge as fast, or keep away as far. A few hits would land, and I would stumble back, getting in a few hits of my own with my huge reach. Lethargy began to weigh down my limbs, and I sighed, my feet stopping.

"Simulation-" pain cut off my command, and I doubled over. Cramps were attacking my insides, clawing their way upwards. "End simulation!" I gasped, kneeling down to the floor. It felt the same as before, just perhaps more intense. Or maybe I had just noticed it later? Either way, I knew what to expect.

It built and built, exploding in the cracking sounds I remembered too vividly. The pain was agony again, too blinding for thought. My body thrashed as it changed, spasming and twitching as it elongated and grew new parts, replacing others. Ice exploded around me as it went, coating the ground and sealing the room.

Blue aggressively purred in the back of my mind, trying to comfort and soothe me. Remarkably it seemed to help, at the very least I wasn't focused solely on the pain anymore. Glancing down at my body as I had before, I watched as bones rearranged themselves underneath my skin; skin which was turning scaly. Feathers sprouted from my arms, and I merely continued to watch as I turned blue.

Finally the pain began to recede, and I was left panting on the floor of the training room, the floor coated in ice. I didn't hear any running footsteps, so I decided to stay where I was, allowing the echoes of pain to throb through me, distantly aware of Blue in the back of my mind purring away. At least this time she hadn't gone nuts.

Blue pushed a firm feeling of I resent that through our bond, and I laughed. Although the sound came out more high-pitched and screeching than I was prepared for. Startled, I scrambled into more of a "standing" position, crouched upright on the ice. Slowly I relaxed, skating over to the doors, sliding through when they opened for me.

Now what? I grumbled to myself, head twisting this way and that to look down either end of the hallway. Sighing, I decided to seek out Allura and Coran. They were probably on the bridge doing whatever it was they did when we weren't in battle. Probably making repairs to the ship, or steering.

Maneuvering through the halls wasn't easy. The claws that had replaced my thumbs didn't have good purchase on the smooth metal floors. My wings were ungainly, bumping into the walls and just being an overall nuisance. Luckily the powerful muscles in the rest of me kept me moving like a snake, my head low to the ground.

Reaching the doors to the bridge, I was relieved to have not run into anyone. The doors slid open, and four sets of eyes looked my way. I froze, watching as they all did the same.

Shiro, Pidge, Coran, and Allura were gathered around the main control panel, Coran having paused in whatever he was saying. What the hell was everyone doing up so late? Why were they having a meeting?

"Lance?" Allura asked hesitantly, frowning and stepping towards me.

I nodded my head slowly, curling around myself a bit to get the rest of my body in the room without getting too much closer to everyone else. The rest of the team looked at each other a bit before relaxing their tense stances. Pidge followed Allura, both of them approaching me steadily. Pidge's eyes ran down my form, eyes wide behind their glasses.

"So, how did this happen? Were you wrong about the trigger?" Allura finally asked, seeming at a loss of what to do. I didn't blame her, I had no idea of what she could do either.

I shook my head, grimacing that I couldn't properly communicate with them. Wait, can I? Opening my mouth, I attempted to speak, but all that came out was a strangled growl that startled everyone, myself included. Huffing, I curled up more, my eyes trained on Shiro, who had yet to look away from me. His eyes were comically wide, mouth dropped open slightly.

Maybe this was his first time really getting a look at me like this? I preened under his attention, ruffling my wings a bit.

"Well… since we don't know how to turn you back… we will have to figure it out." Allura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "In the mean time, we need to finish up here, it is quite late, even for us." Turning her back on me, she moved back to the others.

Pidge stayed next to me however, eyes eagerly taking me in. It would have been uncomfortable, but I could tell they meant it scientifically only. Well no, that's also uncomfortable. It took Allura calling Pidge twice to get them to pay attention to them talking instead of me.

I didn’t bother listening, if they had wanted me here for it, they would have called me there. At least they hadn’t stopped the meeting entirely, or tried to kick me out. Tuning them out, I let my mind go, just moving slightly. I nuzzled underneath my feathers, ruffling them a bit, then combing through some of them at a time. Am I seriously grooming myself right now? Sighing, I decided to go with it. Might as well. What's the harm? I didn't stop until I felt someone poke at me, my immediate reaction to rear back and snarl.

Barely repressing the urge, instead I raised my head just enough to look whoever was touching me in the eye. My head was bigger than Hunk's torso, but it was a polite attempt.

Ice blue eyes met silver grey. Shiro was smiling sadly at me, his hands carefully clasped behind his back.

"Lance? You want to come and try to get some sleep?" He asked, gesturing to the door. Almost everyone else was gone from the room, Allura and Shiro being the only two that stayed behind. Allura was working away at her console, completely focused on her task.

Sighing, I nodded. Allura wouldn’t be able to help anyway. At the very least it was late enough at night, everyone needed their sleep. We could figure things out in the morning.

…

Waking up as a dragon was almost as weird as trying to find which way was comfortable to sleep as a dragon. I had followed Shiro back to my room, and he had been kind enough to open my door for me since it wasn’t automatic. Once inside though, I had to basically just curl up on the floor, which wasn’t very fun.

Until I breathed a nest of ice on the ground at least. After that I was quiet comfortable which was a little disturbing.

Leaving my room for the kitchen proved to be a challenge as my door required a handprint. I did not have a handprint.

I settled for banging on it with my head in a pattern until someone noticed. Thankfully that someone was Pidge. They looked about dead on their feet, hair sticking up in several places it shouldn’t be. Leaning over them, I tried to lick it back down into place, but Pidge shrieked in alarm, causing me to backpedal a bit.

Why was I licking their head? My thought whirled in a panic, finally settling as I slithered from the room. Pidge wasn’t following me, so I decided to go to the common area since the door there was motion activated.

The room was empty, so I curled up in the middle of the circle of the couches, vaguely reminded of the ice nest I had made in my room. It was comfortable, not as comfortable, but enough. I closed my eyes, relaxing.

…

“Lance?” I was almost getting tired of hearing my name said in such a tone. A mixture of surprise, and alarm wasn’t always welcome. Keith’s black mullet came into view as I opened my eyes. “So this is where you’ve been. Shiro said you had changed into a dragon again, and we were worried when Pidge said they had let you out of your room hours ago.” He crossed his arms, shifting weight from one leg to the other.

I huffed out a breath, the cloud of ice vapor enveloping Keith and making him shiver. Raising my head from the ground, I leveled with him, moving to look at him directly with both of my eyes, one at a time. The image was sharper and full of different details I couldn’t see with my human eyes.

“Well? Are you going to come to breakfast?” He asked, shifting away from me. I could see the sweat gathering on his brow and upper lip, he was nervous. Afraid of me? Why?

Nodding, I nudged him as gently as I could with my snout towards the door. The gentleness was rewarded with a fond look and a snort.

“Alright buddy, let’s get you fed.”

…

Unfortunately none of us knew how I could change back. So I stayed a dragon for several days. At first we assumed that I would change back after the same amount of time had passed as the last time. But the hours came and went, and I remained scaly.

The only real problem came when a planet called for our help. As Voltron it was our duty to help those in need, but it would be difficult since we couldn’t actually form Voltron without Blue and I.

“Damnit!” Keith cursed, slamming his fist down on the meeting table. “Haven’t we figured out something by now? He’s been like this for a week now! Lance! Why haven’t you figured it out yet?!” He was frustrated, that’s for sure, but that didn’t mean he was allowed to be like that.

Rearing up, arm-wings straightened out, I roared, leaning in close to his face for optimal effectiveness. Ice vapor poured from my open maw, drifting down slowly to the ground. Keith flinched back on what was probably instinct, before reaching for his knife. Pulling it out, he launched himself at me across the table, landing on my long neck.

Before I could throw him off or claw him off, I yelped in pain. Keith that fucker did he just stab me?! Roaring in anger, I reached up, swiping him off of me. He hit the table hard, making an ‘oof’ sound that pleased my ears.

My head darted forward, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. Keith slid out of it, hissing at me in warning.

“Guys! STOP!” Our team was yelling at us. Dimly I noticed my blood splattering to the ground and table, the dark blue color gleaming and standing out starkly against the white. I growled in response to my team, lunging for Keith again. He couldn’t do that kind of crazy shit to me, it was dangerous!

I made a grab for Keith’s shirt, but he danced out of the way before I could get a good hold on the black fabric. Keith ran from me, darting to the door. I scrambled after, my claws leaving huge marks in the floor. The shouting for us to stop continued as I chased Keith down the hallway.

If the others follow, they could become entangled in something dangerous, I’ll protect mine. Pausing momentarily, I breathed heavily, ice flowing from my throat to coat the ground in a super slick layer of ice. Just in case I also made a wall of ice that reached the ceiling at the space where the ice slick ended. Turning back, I caught Keith’s frightened eyes just before he darted around a corner.

Using my belly, I slithered down the metal hallway, leisurely following Keith. It wasn’t a desperate dash. My scales scraped pleasantly over the surface of the floor, making a rasping sound that echoed far in front of me. A thought occurred to me, and I frowned. He could go to Red, and she would let him in, and I would be able to do nothing about it. He would escape punishment.

Moving faster, I turned corners, my nose delicately picking up where he had freshly stirred the air with his scent.

Ah, he’s gone to the training room, those doors there aren’t the best at keeping me out, but he could have a surprise waiting for me inside. I thought to myself, halting for a moment outside of the doors. Pushing on the button that would open the training room doors, I slithered inside the brightly lit room.

Keith was nowhere in sight. But his fresh scent was here? Confused, I twisted and turned. Finally looking up to the control balcony, I saw his form moving about. Launching myself into the air, I made myself slam into the windows. They didn’t break, but startled him backwards in alarm.

I stayed aloft, pouring ice onto the balcony. Once it was too cold, he would come out and then I would punish him for the bleeding wound on my neck.

“Sorry Lance,” His voice hurt my ear holes, echoing too loudly over the speaker system in the training room. I flinched back, reeling away from the balcony.

Form the ceiling emerged plasma guns, the kind we trained with when we were practicing on how to avoid the hallway drones on most Galra ships, and to avoid fighter pilot fire when we were on the ground. They swiveled around, aiming for me. I was a huge target, it would be mostly impossible for me to dodge.

What the actual fuck was Keith trying to do? Kill me? The pain in my chest was soon blocked out by physical pain, as two shots hit behind my wings. I shrieked, the sound crisp and thin like ice itself. It was painful to hear.

More shots fired, and I did my best to avoid them, weaving in and out. I fired my own ice back at them, destroying several with deadly precision. Why is Keith doing this? The thought wouldn’t leave me alone, haunting as it echoed in time with each shot.

I screeched as several more hits landed, one of them hitting on my arm wing. It was too painful to continue flying, my arm wing refused to cooperate with me, barely staying open enough to keep me in a glide that wouldn’t have me slamming into the ground. I still skid, a couple more shots finding their homes on my neck and tail.

Shooting a few feeble ice blasts at the ceiling I finally noticed how weak I was becoming. Blood pooled around me, and my movements were sluggish. I couldn’t fit inside a healing pod, if I didn’t get help I could bleed out. Keith needs to learn his lesson! A voice whispered to me, and I realized I had been listening to it for a while without knowing that it was subtly different from my own usual inner monologue.

Sluggishly I slithered to the doors, hoping they would open for me. Why is Keith doing this? They opened, but a few shots too close to the joint of my arm wings had me collapsing forward with a weak roar of pain. My neck was at least in the hallway, and the door wouldn’t close with an obstruction in the way. Why is Keith doing this?!

I couldn’t think clearly anymore, my vision swimming. At least there weren’t any more shots hitting my scales.

“Lance! What did you do to Kei-!” Shiro’s voice cut off in a strangled yell, probably catching clear sight of me, or the blood. “Lance-” Shiro gagged, skipping back almost.

…*…

Dark blue blood smeared the hallway a little bit, but there was an alarmingly huge pool gathering underneath Lance's dragon body. My knees jolted against the shock of my feet pounding into the training deck. Lance wasn't moving much, just small twitches here and there. It was cause for panic, especially when I saw the number of shots he had taken.

"How did this happen?!" I yelled, kneeling down next to my bleeding friend. My hands didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to do. Lance couldn't fit inside a healing pod at this size, there was no way. Is Lance… is he going to die?

PREVIOUS!

I searched his face, head tilting this way and that.

Breathe and think warmly. Blue suggested, her emotions soothing as always.

My maw opened, and I breathed deeply, thinking of the sun and Varadero Beach. The ice covering Shiro rippled, and began to melt away as though it were being dissolved. Shiro gasped as his mouth was uncovered. I breathed a soft breath of relief, careful to aim the freezing breath away from him.

My eyes met Allura's, and she nodded slowly, seeming to come to an understanding.

"Keith no!" Allura cried, lurching forward, her hand reaching out as if to stop the Red Paladin.

I looked down at Keith's bayard, where it stuck out of me. Instantly I could tell that I wasn't in danger of dying from this wound. It hadn't struck anything major, no organs at least, and the scales covering my skin had stopped it from going too far.

Keith tried to yank his sword out, but I leaned my head down closer to him, and he fell away, scrambling back. Shiro caught him, now fully thawed. He was shaking with cold, but appeared otherwise unharmed.

I grasped the hilt of his bayard between my teeth, pulling it out in one smooth motion. Blood oozes slowly from the wound, and I breathe gently on it, sealing the wound with ice.

Looking out at my frozen teammates, I sigh internally. I obviously can't stay on the ship while I'm like this.

Escape.

Surging forward, I snap my wings open, ignoring the flare of pain in the joint Shiro had touched. My team screamed, falling back in alarm, and making way for me to dart past.

I fly back through the tunnels, extending my senses as far as they'll go. I need an out here, need to leave the ship. I follow my nose, pausing in Blue's hangar. Her eyes follow me, and they almost seem to roll.

With a soft roar, the doors open, allowing me to escape from the castle ship.

…

The planet is hot. It's melting my ice almost as fast as I'm breathing it. I can feel myself getting dehydrated. This ice is going to run out of juice soon enough. I feel lethargic, limbs heavy.

It seemed subtle at first, but now there's a growing pain in my body, reminding me of how this had all started. I groaned at the feeling, the sound coming out as more of a growl. The pain grew, and I heard snapping again. Pain lanced through me, and this time I roared, spraying the area around me with ice thick enough to keep out a shot from Hunk's bayard and Shiro's fist.

Mounting pain drove my body to writhe into the sand beneath me, uncaring of the wounds I had received by accident-on-purpose from my teammates. I thrashed, feeling my limbs shrink and change again.

Blacking out was a blessing, even though I knew it was more dangerous to have done so out here.

…

Making it back to the castle with a sword wound and your arm burned so badly you can't move it was quite the challenge. But I made it, and inside even. I was stumbling to the healing bay when someone finally found me.

It was Allura, she seemed to have been waiting for me. With her superior strength she hefted me into her arms.

"Wow, normally I'm the one trying to sweep pretty girls off their feet. Never met one that could sweep me off of mine," I joked weakly. Her grim expression faded somewhat, a tiny smile tugging at the edge of her lips.

Setting me inside the healing pod, she closed the door.

…

Stumbling out, I almost lost my lunch. My stomach rolled, and my head went with it, making me groan.

Gentle hands caught me, and I jerked, noticing it was Shiro.

"Shiro?" I asked quietly. He looked fine, the small smile on his face as gentle as his hands.

"Hey there buddy, glad to have you back with us. When Allura told us all you had been found and put in a healing pod, we were all so relieved. How do you feel?" He asked, his voice soothing me as much as Blue's purrs.

"Ugh I think I'm about to throw up," I groaned. Switching species within twenty four hours probably put quite the strain on my body. "I also might pass out," I said faintly, black dots swimming in my vision momentarily.

Shiro held me close, gently rubbing circles in my back. "You were pretty banged up. I'm glad you were able to get away from that dragon. Who knew? Dragons. In space." Shiro sounded like he was trying to force it, which almost made me laugh more than his pathetic attempt at a joke had been.

"Lol, let me stick to the jokes, okay?" I wheezed, teeth clenched as I tried to keep myself conscious and not sick all over Shiro.

"Alright," he murmured, his hands still rubbing against my back. It felt really nice if I was being honest with myself. I melted into him, sighing. Shiro continued to hold me for a while, then when he shifted I pulled away.

"Thanks man, I think I'm good. Either way though, I need a shower and then some sleep. Did…" I hesitated, but pushed on, "did my toiletries get retrieved from the frozen bathroom?" I asked, biting my lip.

Shiro raised one eyebrow, the prick being able to do it perfectly. "I don't think so. I'm sure you can ask Coran for replacements." He replied, a comfortable smile tugging at his lips. I wanted to melt right there, the look of concern fading from his face to be replaced with happiness made me want to swoon for different reasons than the healing pod.

"I'll go find him, thanks Shiro." I marched off, needing to put some distance between Shiro and I. I had to find Allura, she seemed to know most of what happened to me.

As expected, I found her on the bridge. She turned as I entered, a concerned frown on her face. Seeing how green I looked, she helped me over to sit at the steps of the command center, kneeling next to me for a moment before she began pacing.

I watched her in silence for a while, trying to let my stomach settle, and keeping the black dots away.

"You were that dragon correct?" Allura asked bluntly, swinging to a stop in front of me, her expression unreadable.

It seemed pointless to deny it at this point. I nodded, biting my lip and looking away from her. I should have told her about that alien cursing me. I shouldn't have assumed it was going to be nothing.

"None of you informed me humans could do that!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, then frowning down at me. "But judging by their reactions, they did not know either. Is this a rare ability? Why did it happen?" Her questions were only jumbling my brain further, and I bid her to stop, raising my hands.

"That was the first time I've ever done that. Humans aren't supposed to turn into dragons, ever. This isn't natural Allura and I'm scared!" I shocked myself by admitting that, closing my mouth with a snap.

Allura looked stricken, and came to sit down next to me, holding her knees. "So then, do you know why it happened at all? Could it happen to the other Paladins?" she asked softly. Allura seemed to make herself smaller, reaching to gently grasp my trembling hands.

"That planet… the one we saved that had all those women on it? The people with magic?" I made sure she knew which one I was talking about before continuing. "I accidentally said something wrong. One of the women, her hair was done so beautifully, I wanted to know how she had done it," I took in a deep breath.

"I think on that planet their hair means something very different than on Earth. I wanted to know how to do her hair so I could… so I could replicate it on my little sisters. She was angry at that, and she 'cursed' me." I finished simply, looking at Allura's impassive face.

"We save them, and they dare to attack a Paladin of Voltron?" Allura's face had turned thunderous, teeth clenched. "It does not matter that you insulted her, you did not know any better! Those fools should not have assumed we knew everything about their culture! You are not Altean, do not look Altean! Just because you are with the last- the last two Alteans does not mean you know as much about diplomacy as we do!" Allura was ranting now, back on her feet, and pacing angrily back and forth. She reverted to a different tongue, one which sounded like flowing water, but clearly was still angry.

I shrank back, relief flooding through me that she didn't blame me, but still wary of whatever conclusion she might come to.

"Why did you not tell me, or anyone else, that you had been cursed?" Allura suddenly asked in English, her voice much kinder than it had been a mere moment ago, but still mostly fierce.

I flinched back. "I couldn't tell that anything about me was different. I thought it hadn't been literal Princess, otherwise I would at least have come to Coran about it." Lowering my head, I closed my eyes, concentrating on breathing. "We need to figure out what caused me to shift forms," I murmured, running my hands down my legs to clutch at my ankles.

Allura made a sound of agreement, her feet moving to resume her pacing. "We need to make sure that we know what triggers it so we can do it at the right time for it to be helpful to us in our fight against the Galra."

I blanched, head snapping up. "You want to what?" I demanded, sitting up straighter when she paused to look at me. She looked confused, as if this should all be obvious to me.

"Use this to our advantage Lance. We need to harness this new power of yours, and use it to help our fight." She repeated, cocking her head to the side when I began to shake my head in denial.

"I can't keep doing that Allura. I don't even want anyone else to know I have this curse. Hell, I want to figure out how to break it, not trigger it!" I exclaimed, now very alarmed at what she was proposing. The very idea of enduring that pain over and over again had me gasping and slumping over my bent knees.

My body was shaking, sweat dripping down my back. Fear lanced through me, and a stroke of clarity brought some of my troubles into focus.

"I know the trigger." I stated, cutting into whatever Allura had been saying. I wasn't paying attention anyway.

"And?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Not perfectly like Shiro could, thank god.

"I'll only tell you if you promise not to use it on purpose. I need you to actively help me in keeping away from it." I ordered strictly, eyes narrowing on her own.

Allura sighed, but nodded anyway. "I promise not to trigger the transformation Lance."

"Heat. I need to be really hot to transform. Like, overheated," I explained, wiping the sweat off my brow. "I have no idea how much is too much though, and I don't know what causes me to turn back either," I finished, glancing up to see her calculating face.

"But yesterday was definitely too much? The extra training with Keith? You take cold showers yes?" Allura questioned, her tone more of muttering than directing at me, until the last question that is.

"Yeah, I had started to cool down, but the transformation had already started I guess." Shrugging, I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt myself begin to cool. I relaxed somewhat, looking up at Allura again.

She wasn't looking at me, but had her chin grasped in a hand, deep in thought.

"Whether you like it or not, we will have to punish the one who did this. You were ignorant of their customs, and they should have taken that into account. And Lance," Allura was frowning sadly now, her brow crumpled a little. "We need to tell the rest of the team. If at the very least to explain why your training routine will be changing."

I bit my lip, feeling my teeth sink into the flesh until I tasted blood on my tongue. They can't know! My mind screamed at me, but before I could open my mouth to protest, I felt the comforting purr of Blue in the back of my mind. She fed me images of them hugging me, and I swallowed, nodding.

"Alright, but let me tell them. I don't… I don't want them to feel guilty for hurting me. Let me think how to tell them okay?" I sighed, hanging my head.

"Of course, I know how much they care for you. Finding out they hurt you will probably be a shock to them. I will give you until the next training session, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, her expression darkened. "While you plan that, I have a call I need to make to the Enri'ians." Allura growled, turning to Coran's control panel.

I took that as my signal to leave, and made my way quietly to my room. I would figure it out there, and in the morning, I would be ready to tell everyone.

…

I was not ready to tell anyone.

Hunk had made my favorite alien meal, in celebration that I was back and out of the pod. Keith was even acting friendly towards me. I winced, looking from everyone else to Allura's expectant gaze. She kept raising her eyebrows, and Coran had already taken notice. Thank god for the fact that he was a diplomat too, and patient enough to wait for me to speak.

I bit my abused lip, thoughts racing. I had no idea how to do this without them all feeling horrible! And it wasn't their fault really, they hadn't known. If I don't spit this out soon however, Allura is going to force me on the spot.

Clearing my throat, I stood up, catching everyone's eye.

"Hunk, thank you. That was amazing buddy," I gulped, looking down at my hands. "I have to tell you all something though. My training will be different now, and Allura said that you all need to know why," I shot a baleful look at her, letting the Princess know that I really was not a fan of this decision.

"That dragon you guys fought the other day-"

"Where did it go anyway? You killed that thing right?" Pidge interrupted, adjusting their glasses.

I gulped again, eyes wide and breathing shallow. I clenched my fists tightly, nails biting into my palms. They'll think I'm a monster. One glance at Allura however, and I knew I couldn't back out now. Why can't the alarms go off when I need them to? I begged mentally, feeling my chest tighten in a manner I knew wasn't good.

"Lance?" Shiro's voice was right next to me, his gentle hands touching my arms. Without wanting to, I flinched away from the Galra hand, the memory of the searing pain still too fresh. His eyes tightened, but he didn't move closer.

"God, I don't know how to say this, but um that dragon was… uh, me," I finally blurted. My eyes darted around the room, catching everyone's expressions. They ranged from shock to horror. "So yeah, my training is gonna have to be adjusted a bit, and that's why I had to tell you guys so you weren't like 'oi Lance what are you doing' or whatever," I finished in a rush, still breathing heavily. I pulled further away from the table, rushing from the room.

No matter how much I loved them, I couldn't bear their looks of horror any longer.

…*…

My hands were shaking. My eyes were glued to where Lance had been moments before. Those injuries make a lot more sense coming from us than the dragon. My mind helpfully supplied, twisting around that little flinch Lance's body had made when I had tried to touch him.

"Oh," Hunk's voice was loud in the silence of Lance's hasty retreat. The gentle giant looked as though he was about to have a breakdown. He was holding his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. Hunk didn't make more sounds, but the fine tremors of his body let me know all I needed to know.

Pidge's face was completely blank, a quirked eyebrow the only sign that they hadn't turned into a machine. Their mouth was slightly open, as though to question something. They probably wanted to bombard Lance with a million questions, but the more pressing matter that we had attacked and injured him seemed to be plaguing them too much to form any kind of coherency.

Keith seemed equally as blank, his eyes glassy as though he were fighting back tears. His grip on the table made his knuckles white, and his neck strained against the tension he was under. He might think the entire thing is his fault, he led the chase after all.

Allura didn't look any different. Coran looked mildly surprised, but not too shocked. Allura did tell us to stop, and Coran is perceptive enough to figure it out on his own. My mind supplied, eyes glancing down at my hands which had clenched into tight fists in a failed attempt to stop the shaking.

"The injuries… he was in the healing pod for almost a week because we- we hurt him," I murmured, eyes now on the closed door Lance had run through.

Allura finally spoke up, a grim expression on her face. "On the planet Enri'ia, they are able to shape Quintessence inside living things. They also have a number of customs that when seemingly insulted, have dire consequences. Lance accidentally offended a very powerful one, or her ire was so great that she put everything into it for the curse to be this extreme." Holding up her hand to halt Keith's indignant interruption, she pressed onwards.

"I have already spoken with their queen, and if its this severe, they will be unable to undo the curse. This does not mean its permanent, it can be broken, but they are not able to untangle everything artificially without doing further damage to Lance.

"I know it was a shock, and that all of you feel guilty for hurting him, but he does not blame you. You must know that he cares for all of us deeply and that he knows none of you would have done so if you had known it was him. Please, he would not want all of you to feel this way about what happened, it was an accident." Allura sighed, clasping her hands together, squeezing them tightly until I could see the knuckles go white.

Looking around the table, I watched as we all began to nod, myself included.

"I need to speak with him," I stood from my chair, making my way out of the room. I headed to where I thought Lance may be, opening the door to his room.

The room was empty. Next I checked Blue's hangar, and let out a soft sigh of relief when I could see his foot dangling from the top of her head.

"Lance?" I called up to him, concerned.

I heard his sigh from all the way down here, and watched as he climbed down from his lion. He stood a little ways away from me, looking falsely confident. His shoulders were tense, yet he had his hands loose, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"What can I do you for?" His grin was painfully fake, and I wanted to grimace at the expression. I held myself carefully still however, my eyes roving over his clothed form.

There's probably a handprint on his arm. My mind whispered darkly to me, and I closed my eyes, breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry, I didn't… I didn't mean to hurt you."

I heard a small gasp of breath, eyes snapping open to meet his. He looked completely shocked to say the least, eyes wide, hands stretching out to me.

"Shiro, I know you didn't mean to, I know you thought you were protecting everyone and trying to find me. I don't blame any of you for what you did. For what any of them did," he corrected himself quickly, scrambling to reassure me.

How had I not noticed this about him? Lance's very persona seemed to revolve around keeping everyone else happy, making them feel okay, no matter the cost to himself. It was painfully admirable. I tried to offer a smile in reassurance myself, not moving any closer. I kept eyeing the arm I had hurt, and I knew I needed to stop, Lance would notice, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

He noticed and sighed, pushing up the sleeve of his jacket. Sitting right above the joint of his elbow, was shiny skin just a shade or two lighter than the surrounding area. Just on the edges of it I could see where my palm had turned into my fingers, and wrapped around the appendage. The sight sickened and fascinated me.

"I don't want you blaming yourself Shiro. You could have had no idea it was me." He murmured softly, pushing down the sleeve again.

How could I not blame myself when my handprint was literally burned into his skin? I nodded anyway however, as Lance was clearly expecting some form of answer from me.

Sighing, Lance shook his head. "I know you don't believe me, but in time you will. Now, maybe lets go and join up with the others for a game night?" He suggested, offering me his right hand.

Hesitantly, I grasped it with my prosthetic, watching for any kind of reaction. Lance huffed, dragging me away from Blue and out the hangar doors, off to find the others.

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