Not So Human

Chapter Two

Lance allowed Blue to open her mouth, letting Keith enter the cockpit of the lion. He stood at the entrance of her mouth, a look on his face that betrayed his awkwardness. The leg of Voltron gently lifted up a paw and nudge him forward. She looked like an animal trying to coax prey into their mouth.

Lance, I don't want to eat your enemy. It has crossed my mind before, but he is a paladin. The red lion wouldn't be very happy with me.

"I didn't say that," he snorted.

Keith glanced up, a confused expression on his face. Lance shrugged it off and ushered the red paladin inside. He sat down on the floor beside the pilot chair (where Lance was sitting) and stared up at him with an unsure look - it almost seemed like he had no idea what he was doing in here.

"Shiro said I probably wouldn't get in here," Keith said after the silence became awkward. "He said you refused to talk to him."

"It was nothing," he shrugged Keith off. "How are you doing? Has Allura given you anymore hell?"

Keith flinched slightly at the mention of the Altean princess, but Lance barely noticed. He was too busy focusing on Keith's face, wanting to get an answer out of the other boy. Keith finally shook his head with a little hesitation that made Lance suspicious.

"I told her-"

Keith stood up and gently placed his hands over Lance's wrists in an attempt to calm him down. Lance had a bad habit of talking with his hands in the rare moments he let something other than happiness show. He glanced up at Keith, watching as the other paladin took a deep breath.

"Lance, it's fine," he tried. "I heard you yelling at her, and I get that you were trying to help me, but I can fend for myself."

"I never said you couldn't, Keith," Lance tried to say quickly. That had not been his intention at all. He was trying to treat the red paladin like a human being, like a person. "I would never think that you couldn't take care of yourself. I've seen you fight. You're literally the best fighter I know."

Keith released his wrists and sat back down on the floor. Lance watched his shoulders deflate as if some magnetic force was pulling him down. He was seeing Keith in one of his rare weak moments. He watched him worriedly.

I don't think he'll bite you if you attempt to comfort him.

He would have laughed (Blue did, though) if not for the Keith curled up on the floor of the lion. He slowly slipped out of his chair and sat beside him, opening his arms up for the other paladin. To his surprise, Keith accepted the offer and hugged the blue paladin back.

"Why does Allura hate me?" Lance almost didn't hear Keith whisper. "I didn't do anything to her. I wasn't the reason Altea was destroyed."

It took a moment for Lance to realize Keith was crying. He gently pulled him closer. If there was one thing Lance was great at, it was definitely comforting his friends.

You just called your enemy your friend, Blue teased.

"Blue, be quiet," he grunted. "Do you think you can throw up the particle barrier?"

Of course, Lance.

Keith glanced up at Lance, confusion showing in his eyes passed the tears. He wasn't sure if the confusion was coming from his request to Blue or the question the other boy had asked him, so he decided to answer both. He scooted away from Keith just enough to give him space.

"I asked her to but the particle barrier up to keep out anyone that might attempt to listen in," he explained. "I figured the last thing you wanted was someone hearing you cry that wasn't me. Allura is just using an idiot and using personal biases as an excuse to look past all of the good things you've done for Voltron."

Keith sighed softly, his eyes trained on the floor of the lion. Lance wondered how long they were going to stay there. He wondered how Keith would act towards him when they left the lion. Would he pretend Lance was treating him the same way Allura was?

9/28/17