Chapter Text
“Dude, what’s gotten into you?” Hunk’s words snapped Lance out of his trance.
The planet they had landed on, Norvia, was characterized by endless ocean. The diverse inhabitants lived on a long chain of islands that had immediately caught Lance’s attention. The reflective waves crashing upon the beach hit him with nostalgia—reminiscent of Cuba. Up until now, only Coran knew how homesick he was. He planned to keep it that way.
“I just saw a really hot girl,” Lance replied. He turned around on his heels to face his friend. Hunk rose a brow.
“…The ocean?” asked Hunk. Lance internally cringed, hoping Hunk wouldn’t see through him more than he already had.
“It’s a metaphor,” Lance muttered out his blatant lie.
Despite Hunk’s obvious frustration in the cross of his arms he didn’t raise his voice. Rather, he opened his mouth to argue, but was promptly interrupted by their team leader.
“Okay everyone, Allura spoke with the Nori leader—Pidge, n-don’t touch that!—Okay. Okay, so now we’re headed to talk to their elders.”
“What? We need permission from a bunch of geriatrics to form an alliance?” Pidge perked up with a scoff. She had even stopped her prodding of the indigenous plant Shiro had scolded her for. “Why do we want the Nori as an ally again?” Shiro shot her a reproachful look.
“We’re here to save the entire universe,” he said. “Including the people we hate.”
“Is that why you let Slav live?” she asked with a grin. Shiro flinched, but his gaze only hardened afterwards. With a pointed glare, he directed the paladins to follow him.
Lance was more than content with their long walk across the beach. It granted him the privilege of taking in the planet around him as he hung back, allowing Allura and Shiro talk to the Nori guide in peace. Normally, Lance wouldn’t shut up when they visited new planets, brimming with excitement to interact with new species.
Today was different. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from the royal palms scattering the coastline, from the shocking clarity of the all-encompassing water, or from the familiar granular texture crunching under his boots.
“Hey…”
Caught up in his own daydream, Lance hadn’t noticed Keith slowing down to match his pace. The duo were a decent couple feet behind the rest of the group, but thankfully, it seemed only one person had noticed.
Of course it’s him. Now he’s gonna get all judgey about how I’m ‘not focusing on the mission.’
“Are you okay?” asked Keith. Without a doubt that question made him do a double take.
Lance was hardly accustomed with getting asked how he was doing—especially when it came to Keith. Yet here the red paladin was, walking in tandem beside him and giving him a concerned look. It was bizarre to see such a considerate expression. That’s why it only made sense for Lance to stare a little longer than usual. It wasn’t because he wanted to or anything, with the way those uncharacteristically soft eyes watched him with clear intent and that cute—
Okay! That’s enough now brain! Lance internally screeched at his mind. Please, please be quiet!
“Just peachy,” Lance said, his voice coming out unexpectedly even. Keith paused, visibly hesitating, before letting out a sigh.
“Lance…”
“Why can’t you leave me alone?” he snapped. “I’m fine, and I’m more than capable of handling this mission. I bet I’m even more capable than you, so there’s no need to patronize me.” Keith nearly threw his hands up in the air, halting halfway to groan.
“I wasn’t—!”
Once again, he was saved from an unwanted conversation when the guide spoke up. Despite the duo being a decent distance away, the guide spoke loud enough for the whole team to hear. Lance couldn’t be more grateful to get away from the words that parched his throat. There was an eager bounce to his step as he caught up with everyone else.
“—they await inside,” the guide finished. Before walking away, they made a quick gesture behind them to the entrance of a cavern.
Lance found his eyes straying to the sea again, compromising his focus. Off to the side of him, the rest of the team prepared to enter the cave. He tuned out their conversation, closing his eyes to concentrate on the sound of the waves pelting the sand. A semblance of peace and nostalgia washed over him, the bright sun warming his upturned lips. He broke out into a broad smile—just before he was pulled right back.
“Okay, team, a few more things before we go,” said Shiro. “Hunk, smile as much as possible so they’ll like us more, Keith… try not to fight anyone, Pidge, please only ask the most pressing questions, and Lance… Lance?”
With a subdued sigh, he opened his eyes and looked over at Shiro. The entire team and the princess were watching him now, each with various levels of confusion and worry.
“Guys, you are going into a dark, damp cave filled with weird old people. I just did my hair this morning! I don’t want frizzy hair,” Lance told them in an exaggerated huff. “So, no thank you, I’m staying out here.”
“You don’t get to opt out because you don’t feel like it.” Keith rolled his eyes.
It bothered him that Keith didn’t understand—that none of them did. Albeit it didn’t surprise him, something rough coiled in his chest at the fact that no one else seemed to miss Earth as much as he did. Shiro was always hyper-focused on the mission, Pidge had found her brother and leads on the whereabouts of her father, Hunk was optimistic about returning home, and even Keith seemed unfazed. That left Allura. Even though Allura was kind to him, he wasn’t sure if they were close enough to talk about being separated from their home. He guessed his intermittent flirting wasn’t helping either.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” retorted Lance. “It’s not like I’m missing out on anything important anyway.” He could tell Keith was getting testy but refused to back down. The longer he could spend on this beach, the better.
“If he’s backing out then so am I,” Pidge butted in. “I want to look at more of this planet’s vegetation. It’s insane.” She shot him a rare, supportive smile.
“See!” said Lance. “It’s no big deal.”
His last statement seemed to be the last straw for Keith. He stepped forward, his brows drawing together in anger. Lance steeled himself, his fists clenching; this wouldn’t end well. Shiro side eyed him, clearly concerned, but didn’t interfere yet. Hopefully, the situation wouldn’t escalate, so Shiro wouldn’t have to.
Lance was mistaken.
“You don’t just get to leave,” Keith seethed, his voice rising. “The mission is more important than your petty feelings, Lance!”
The air tightened around him, pressing down on his chest, and subsequently, his heart. Neither gets a chance to respond to his comment however, as a tight hand came down on Keith’s shoulder.
“Lance, you can stay out here,” said Shiro.
With a weak, appreciative nod to him, Lance turned away, once again grateful to get away from Keith. In any other situation, witnessing Keith gaping like a fish on dry land would have amused him. This time, though, it only hurt more.
He kept his back turned as the rest of the gang entered the cave.
———
Fuuuuuuucccccck.
The moment the words had left his mouth, Keith regretted all his life decisions leading up to that moment. He could see the instant drop in Lance’s demeanor and could practically sense Shiro’s disappointment behind him. Keith wanted to fall back, to apologize, to explain he was projecting, but knew the last thing Lance wanted was to see his face.
His anger had gotten the best of him. When he had worried over Lance, he never expected him to act so defensive. Was it so wrong of me to care? Keith frowned at the stone beneath him. He held his head down low, absentmindedly following Shiro.
He told Lance his feelings weren’t important.
The reality was quite the opposite—especially to Keith. His heart hurt because of how much he cared sometimes, and he gave up lying to himself about how much he wished he and Lance could get along long ago. He hated that he didn’t know how to communicate, particularly when it came to Lance.
Keith was so absorbed in his guilt he barely noticed they had reached the furthest end of the cave. The compact walls opened up into an expansive space with the ceiling moving upward to form a dome. Trickling water could be heard, and all torchlight was replaced by the shimmering, bioluminescent pool of water in the center of the cave. On the opposite side of the pool from where the team stood sat three cloaked figures. Four cushions lined the outer edge of the pool’s shoreline, only three of which occupied by an elder. Everyone, except a distracted Keith, took notice.
I have to apologize.
Keith looked up from the glossy stone under his feet, giving the elders a cursory glance before looking to Shiro. For a moment, he was tempted to nudge his longtime friend. Then his common sense kicked in. He knew Shiro would want him to stay, and he didn’t want to take that risk. Knowing no one was paying attention to him anyway, he snuck away as the discussion of an alliance began.
The moment Keith stepped out onto the beach, his gaze was immediately drawn to stare at Lance. He stood with a small smile directed at the ocean stretched out before him, the setting sun reaching down towards the horizon. Lance seemed to be lost in his own world—or, rather, the similarity of this world to Earth. It was now that Keith realized why he wanted to stay outside so badly. What neither Keith nor Lance realized, however, was that this entire situation was predicted by the elders. There was, in fact, no missing fourth elder. Rather, there was one purposefully watching from the shadows as their prophecy unfolded.
As Keith made his way over to him, slow and quiet, he focused in on the calm composure that had overtaken the blue paladin. There was no doubt Lance was gorgeous after an exhaustive battle, stripped of the charades he put up and his true passionated nature exposed. Or caught mid-laugh, when he laughed so hard the corners of his eyes crinkles up and he clutched at his stomach. But the way Lance looked right now, at complete and utter peace, stole his breath away.
Because that’s totally normal, Keith thought, scoffing at himself. Regrettably, someone else seemed to hear him.
“What?” Lance asked, voice flat. “Back again to mock my humanity?”
It didn’t matter whether the anger that arose in his stomach was because Lance truly believed he didn’t care or his own frustration with inability to explain why he did. He knew what mattered now was his apology. So, he resolved to say it flat-out.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke quickly but earnestly. “It’s just I didn’t understand—I don’t really get homesick. So I guess I’m not really used to putting my emotions before what I need to do.”
Lance turned away from the glimmering sea to face him, surprised. The expression didn’t last, however, as he was quick to opt for a jeering look instead.
“Unless your anger gets you all fired up and you lash out,” Lance joked. He chose not to respond because, though he didn’t want to say so, Lance was totally right.
Then she appeared. A little girl had come from the shadows, unbeknownst to the two paladins. Her body was hidden underneath an oversized cloak that trailed behind her along the sand. Only her impossibly dark eyes could be seen from underneath the hood. She moved across the beach, her steps silent, not speaking until she reached Keith’s side.
“Lance and Keith,” she said, her voice poised and kind, “a pleasure.” The two startled, Lance nearly falling backwards into the oncoming waves.
“Who are you?” Lance shouted. The girl gave a polite laugh, shaking her head.
“I’m the fourth elder, silly.”
“Aren’t elders supposed to be… elder?” asked Lance. The girl appeared to bristle at that, though it was difficult to tell with the cloak covering.
“I’m three thousand, eight hundred, and a half years old,” she explained. The elder clearly enjoyed putting emphasis on the half. The boys, unable to respond, waited for her to continue.
“Your arrival had been foretold centuries ago. We know you have come here to protect us, but first, there is much you have to learn before you may do so. Let alone protect the entire universe,” the girl told them. An unusually large wave hit the shore, and water lapped the back of Keith’s heels. It was as if the ocean was reaching out to the elder, elated by her sudden arrival.
“Did you seriously just come out here to tell us we’re not ready to help you?” Keith asked, slightly peeved. It bothered him that the elders found them incapable, especially after everything they had been through as Team Voltron. Thus, as per usual, he lashed out.
“How do we even know you’re actually an elder?” he prodded. “Aren’t all the elders inside?” The girl tutted him with a small smile.
“It’s time,” she said with a hushed voice. Without any further prompting or elaboration, she put out her hand in front of them, her hand facing towards the sky. As nothing happened, the two looked at one another, then back to the elder. Lance spoke up.
“Okay, I’m sorry, am I missing something because—“
All of a sudden her eyes clamped shut. Completely in sync with the movement, a scintillating bolt of lightning came down from above, striking her palm. Lance shrieked and Keith stumbled backwards. When she opened her eyes, they glow, supercharged, no longer dark but now blue—almost like ice. Her piercing gaze landed on Keith.
“I wish you luck,” she said. Her face was devoid of a smile, but her comment was not unkind. “Come back to us when the time comes. You will know when.”
With impossible speed, a charred black hand reached out from within her cloak’s sleeve. There was no time to react; the elder grabbed Keith’s wrist. Keith tensed like he had been electrocuted. Immediately, all returned to normal, the sky calm and at rest, and the elder retracted her hand. Keith crumpled to the sandy beach floor.
“The fuck!” Lance yelled. “Keith.”
Lance promptly dropped down on his knees, all his attention engaged in the situation. He went to check Keith, hastily tugging off his helmet and scanning his face. His hands trailed pale skin, finding nothing of significance. Looking up, Lance found the spot the elder stood startling empty.
———
Pidge knew something was up. The missing spot from the elders’ four seat cushions was not information lost on her. Considering how crucial this meeting was, it made no sense for one of the elders to cash in on a convenient day off. Shiro spoke purely of the alliance before the elders hushed him.
“You. Curious nature one,” spoke the elder on the right. “You have questions.”
“But shall we answer the precocious child?” another whispered, though loud enough for the visitors to hear. Pidge stepped up without an iota of hesitation. This was a clear challenge, and it was one she intended to win.
I don’t care if these old hags are important old hags, I’m getting what I want.
“Who’s missing?” she asked.
“Whatever do you mean?” the first elder to speak hummed.
“Four seats. Three sitting elders,” Pidge explained. “Where did your fourth elder go?”
All the elders are quiet for a moment, then one of them starts to smile. It’s jarring; as all of them wear cloaks, it’s nearly impossible to make out any facial features. That didn’t seem to be the case with this elder’s wide, intimidating smile. They all begin laughing, and Pidge believed it was safe to say everyone was exceptionally creeped out. Their laughs echoed off the cave walls, surrounding the crew. Then, as if their point had been made, they halt, completely in sync as they do.
“Did you hear that?” an elder asked.
Enough of this shady shit. Before she could act on the thought, however, Hunk beat her to it.
“The creepy laughter?” he asked. “Sure, we heard it. Kinda hard not to.”
Up to this point, Pidge noticed only two elders had spoken. The third elder, in the center, had been oddly quiet, staring at the pond. Albeit this elder had been the one to smirk and joined in the laughter, it did nothing more. Until now.
“You should go outside,” the third elder said. “Come back when it is time, and you are all ready for the war against the Galra. Then, and only then, will we form an alliance.”
Now, everyone feels it. Something is very, very wrong. Shiro is the first one who spots it.
“Where’s Keith?” asked Shiro. The first elder spoke up in ominous reply.
“Where he belongs. With the blue paladin.”
“Uh, well, I mean…” Pidge began, unease creeping in. “I ship them as much as the rest of you but… this isn’t the way.”
She laughed awkwardly, but the elders said nothing. Shiro, being the team leader, immediately went into what Pidge and Hunk called super stoic, space daddy mode.
“Where are they?” said Shiro. It was not a question but a demand.
“We already told you,” the second elder answers. “You should go outside.” That’s when the crew locked eyes with one another. It’s Takashi who decided it.
“Let’s go.”
———
Lance was panicking. Not knowing what else to do, he held Keith close to his chest, running a hand through Keith’s dark hair. His tunnel vision caused him to totally disregard the rest of the team’s appearance. A recap of the recent events fell from mouth against his own volition, only able to focus on Keith’s inexplicably calm face. It frustrated Lance that Pidge ascertained the situation before he could.
“She was the fourth elder,” she said. “They set us up.”
“But why?” Hunk asked. “What did they even do to him? What do they want from us?” Shiro moved forward, breaking up the discussion.
“That’s not important right now. We need to get Keith back to a pod.”
Lance offered to carry Keith, but eventually gave in to Hunk’s request, allowing his friend to carry him instead. Hunk believed he was still in shock as well as more than a bit disorientated, despite Lance’s pleas that this wasn’t the case.
The trip back was a hazy blur. Rushing back to their lions, Lance finds himself forced to separate from Keith to pilot Blue. Everyone split off, Allura going with Shiro to Black, Pidge going to Green, and Hunk taking an unconscious Keith to Yellow. The entire way back was hell. It was a short trip, really, as the palace was stationed outside Norvia’s atmosphere, far enough not to be caught by the planet’s gravitational pull. Despite this, every few seconds Lance dropped a question over the comms over Keith’s wellbeing or if Hunk was adequately watching over him.
“Hunk, you’re piloting an entire lion and he isn’t strapped down, that’s dangerous—”
“Dude… trust me,” Hunk said with care, not indulging his friend’s dread. “I can handle this. Okay?”
Though Hunk’s reassurances calmed him down a pinch, he was still worried. He knew he could trust Hunk but he couldn’t help but feel like something had taken a turn for the worse. Even when the team docked their lions and head to the pods, Lance found himself hovering.
Allura explained the situation to Matt as the rest followed Hunk to the pods. Coran was already waiting there and helped Hunk position Keith in the pod. Hunk made a conscious effort to tug off all of his armor, leaving Keith in his black, elastic under-suit before stepping away.
The team was organized chaos. Pidge maneuvered past the team to reach the biometrics system, intent on analyzing the screen in silence. In the meantime, Hunk went to place a supportive hand on Lance’s shoulder, who was staring at the pod. Lance just felt incredibly anxious. It felt so wrong. Something wasn’t right.
“I think she did something horrible to him,” he whispered to Hunk. It didn’t click with his friend.
“He’s fine, he’s a tough dude. A little lightning isn’t going to keep him down for long,” Hunk said. His grip on Lance’s shoulder tightened. “Didn’t he like, survive in the desert? Alone? For a year?”
Lance nodded, but he remained bothered that no one else seemed to feel the same. Pidge joined the moment with a less than heartwarming announcement.
“Guys,” she said. “Guys, something’s very wrong.” By now Matt has been completely caught up with the situation, and everyone had piled into the room.
“What is it?” asked Allura, positioning herself between a hunched-over Pidge and Coran. The latter wore a blatantly confused expression, and ended up speaking before Pidge could answer.
“I don’t understand, the pods always work. Why aren’t they fixing the problem?” Coran wondered aloud. A foreboding feel settled on the room—one that only Pidge dared break.
“He’s freezing,” Pidge explained, deathly quietly.
Everyone was crowding around the pod now, muttering to themselves and among each other, overall feeling lost. Lance shifted his gaze to the red paladin.
He is freezing.
His skin was pale—paler than usual. There was no color in his cheeks, as if the Nori elder had a vampiric effect on his body. His lips had a dark, near purplish tint. Lance was so absorbed in Keith’s physical appearance he didn’t notice everyone talking over one another until Allura began shouting.
“Paladins!” the princess called out, then paused. “…and Coran!”
“And Matt…” Matt added himself, mumbling from the sidelines. Allura sighed, but gave him an acknowledging nod before continuing.
“Now that we have some quiet, Coran. Tell me. Why isn’t the pod working?” she asked.
The entire room shifted to watch Coran frown. To Lance, it was a peculiar look on him, as he tended to upkeep the usual, hyperactive attitude to bring everyone up. His constant optimism was something Lance could only pretend to emulate.
“I don’t know, princess,” he answered with blunt honesty. “They’re supposed to be fixing the source of the problem.”
“Maybe the center of the problem isn’t in Keith?” Pidge offered, cutting in.
“You mean external factors?” supplied Allura. When Pidge nodded, she goes on. “Like a virus or bug?” Her next suggestion doesn’t resonate with Pidge as effectively and she frowns.
“I was thinking more from all the volts of electricity that went through his body?”
“Electricity makes humans freeze?” Allura asked, both awed and horrified. The statement brought out a bout of doubt from Pidge.
“Well… no…” she admitted. Coran stepped away from the monitor, interrupting the girls’ conversation.
“We need to get him out. The pod isn’t much of a help,” Coran said. “Maybe we can figured out what’s wrong if we let him out.”
“Wasn’t he unconscious when he came in?” asked Matt from across the pod.
“He shouldn’t be now,” Coran replied absentmindedly, tapping away at something on the display terminal. “For what’s it worth, the pod did fix one thing.” In silent unison, they agreed, all waiting in anticipation for the pod to open.
The moment the hissing of the opening pod could be heard, Lance was pressing forward. He wanted to reach out, he wanted to grab onto Keith and hold him, and most of all—Lance wanted to make sure he was okay. Then Shiro stepped in the way and caught him. Lance instinctively moved to snap at Shiro, but knew better and held back.
Keith was nestled in Shiro’s arms and had his head turned to the side. When he opened his eyes, he looked dead at Lance. It’s a look that sent chills down his spine. Keith was groggy and all his features drooped. It was nothing like his usual fierce and taunting glares. Even so, the state Keith was in now paralyzed him more than any other dirty look he had received from the red paladin. Lance was scared.
———
The first thing that registered in Keith’s mind was the cold. His eyes were still closed when he tumbled forward, hearing mechanical hissing from behind him. The next thing he noticed was a worryingly wide pair of blue eyes. His vision was still foggy, but it didn’t matter. That color only existed in one place. Lance. Shiro cleared his throat but his attention stayed on Lance.
“Keith?” asked Shiro. “Keith, how do you feel?”
“Cold,” he replied in a hushed quiet, staring at Lance.
Keith blinked, long and slow, perplexed as to why his body moved with the speed of molasses. He was so cold even his heart felt frozen over—even though he knew it was a ridiculous thought.
“It’s most likely hypothermia,” Pidge intervened. “But how?”
Keith lifted his arms and pushed against Shiro’s chest so he could stand by himself. He rolled his head back to look up at his longtime friend. Then Keith proceeded to start shivering.
“I’m cold,” he repeated. “Guys, why am I cold? What happened?” To Keith, his world had been plunged in a cold ice bath.
“What do you remember?” Keith turned to face Lance, belatedly realizing he had been the one to ask. Every other part of Keith was stuck in its stupor, but his memory was clear as day.
“I came back to apologize to you… then there was the girl, and she-she… electrocuted me? With lightning?” asked Keith, frowning at himself. “How did she do that?”
“Dude,” Lance huffed with a weak smile. “I’ve got no clue.”
Then it hit him.
“Wait,” he said. Everyone stopped at Keith’s word. “Am I the only one freezing?”
“Uh, that we know of? Yeah,” said Hunk. “We don’t think there’s any other victims. Why?” Keith was calculating, his gaze locked onto the leader of Voltron.
“Then why is Shiro cold too?” he asked. The entire room dropped dead silent up until Pidge made a small gasp.
“Wait, no,” she muttered. “No, no, no. Keith, are you sure?”
Keith reached out without a word to grab Shiro’s forearm—the one that wasn't made completely out of alien metal tech that is.
“I… I don’t understand, why are you cold?” Keith questioned, getting more and more confused. Pidge could be heard cursing under her breath.
“The only way we can hold off whatever this weird variation of hypothermia is, is through heat,” she explained, bringing her hand up to her chin. “So body heat is out.”
Matt immediately perked up, sidling up beside his little sister with sudden enthusiasm.
“Then we’ll just have to find something else that heats him up,” he said. “Lucky for you, I’ve been working on a portable heater the past few days. Hunk helped, actually.”
His words ignited a domino effect, where once Matt and Hunk paired off to retrieve the heater, the others came up with ideas of their own. Coran was the next, opting to scour the castle for as many blankets as he could find. Everyone else followed after that. Pidge went to the kitchen to bring back warm beverages, and Allura left to see if she could find any information in the archives about Keith’s hypothermia. Shiro and Lance, in the meantime, stuck with Keith. As Shiro stayed beside Keith, Lance stood as far away as possible.
Figures, Keith scoffed to himself.
It didn’t take long before everyone else returned, and it took even less time before everyone came to realize nothing worked. They were losing their cool now—well, except for Keith. At Pidge’s proposal, everyone resorted to offering Keith their hand, testing a theory. Sadly, the lack of body heat was consistent with all of them.
Or at least, it would be.
If Lance would actually follow along with everyone else.
“I just don’t see the point,” Lance argued. “It’s obviously not working. We need another alternative.” He paused to cross his arms over his chest before continuing. “And I want to avoid contact with mullet-for-a-brain as much as possible.” Keith could only roll his eyes.
“Not like whatever cursed me would make you the solution. They’d know you’d probably let me die,” he retorted. His comment got to Lance. That brought Keith the only sense of satisfaction he’d felt since he had woken up.
“I—are you serious? For the record, I save your sorry ass all the time,” Lance said. Keith snorted at that, but it failed to dissuade him. “I just know this isn’t gonna work. I don’t want you to die, Keith—even though you are a complete jerk.”
Keith got up. His hands were already clenched into tight fists, and Shiro was positioned too far away to have a chance at stopping him. Keith punched Lance. He didn't want to injure Lance, he was just ticked off.
Can’t Lance see how bad the situation is? How can he be so unwilling to try?
So he punched him in the face, but purposefully hit him in the fleshy part of his cheek, right beneath his cheekbone. He knew it would cushion his punch better than bone. Lance, obviously not expecting such a quick and aggressive response, doubled backwards. With a loud and audible ‘ow,’ he was glaring at Keith, raising his own fists.
But Keith was frozen in place.
“Wait.”
Both of the boys would have expected the word to have come from Allura, or Shiro, or even Coran. Anyone who would want to break up the fight, but not from Keith. Once again, Lance was caught off guard. But through Keith’s shock, it took him longer to process this sudden realization. So, Lance took it upon himself to begin shouting.
“Seriously?” he yelled with sincere effort. Lance’s fists relaxed though, instead pawing at his own face. “You punch me in the face then ask me to wait. Wait for what? For you to throw another punch?”
Then, out of nowhere, Keith slammed the palm of his hand against Lance’s chest. By now, everyone close enough rushed to pull the two apart. Shiro even tried to pull Keith, away, but then he’s the one shouting.
“Wait!” Keith repeated. He was gaping at Lance, utterly in awe. “How are you doing that?”
Lance choked at the gesture, because Keith had his hand on his chest and suddenly he’s having a hard time breathing and—
“Do-doing what?” Lance asked, tripping over his words. Keith didn’t notice.
“Being warm,” he said. No one spoke, just stared, waiting for someone else to step up. Then, Lance got it.
“This… this is a joke, isn’t it?” Lance asked. Before Keith could deny his claim, he was reaching up to pull Keith’s hand away. A teasing smile looked down at Keith. “Nice try, Kogane. You actually did get me there for a second.”
Keith was shaking his head, desperate to stop him in his tracks. “Wait, no, Lance, seriously—“
“But it sucks I can’t help. I’m sure Pidge and Allura can do something, they know a lot about… a lot. So,” Lance trailed off. The boy almost turned before stopping to hesitate. “Uh, this probably won’t help, but here.” Lance shrugged off his jacket, handing it over to Keith.
“It’s the thought that counts, right?” said Lance.
Keith took it with a resigned sigh, his fingers skimming Lance’s. It hit him with a short wave of warmth that was reminiscent of walking home after an entire day in the snow. He felt so unprotected when he pulled his hand away, nearly cringing at the uncomfortable feeling of the cold. He wanted to stop Lance, to assure him of the truth, but he didn't speak. Even if Lance knew the truth, he wouldn’t help him. Staying true to character, Lance left the room to escape any bonding with Keith.
I cradled him when he needed me, and he doesn’t address it. Now I need him, and he won’t spare me a glance. Surprise, surprise.
“Keith,” Allura said, voice soft, “forgive me for asking but, were you serious? I don’t doubt you, but we have to k—“
“Yes,” Keith admitted without hesitancy.
There was an uncomfortable gap between his response and the next. Hunk is kind enough to save Keith from suggesting a solution.
“Okay, so now that we confirmed that,” said Hunk, giving Pidge an indicative look. “I’ll go talk to Lance.” Pidge got the hint, stepping up beside Hunk. Keith watched them in disbelief.
“I’m coming with,” she added. “If he’s seriously the only way we can slow down this weird ass curse—“
“Language!” Shiro scolded, but Pidge ignored him.
“—then it’s a matter of life and death. I care about Lance, but his convenience isn’t more important than Keith’s life by a long shot.” Keith would have liked to say his heart warmed at the sentiment, but it really wasn’t the case. His heart felt colder than ever before.
———
Lance had walked so fast he had reached the observatory all the way across the castle. He sat criss-cross on the floor, staring up through the reinforced glass of the ship. His friends found him within minutes, but not before he had time alone to freak out. Deep down, he knew he was Keith’s only option, and that he was going to help him no matter what, but constant contact with Keith to keep him warm? What did that even mean? It made his head and his heart pound in tandem at the thought.
He was tempted to begin pacing when his friends show up, and he was insanely grateful. He was in desperate need of their support. Before they said anything, they took a seat on the floor, sitting on either side of him. Lance didn't give them the chance to start his inevitable intervention.
“I will help him, you know. It’s just…” Lance mumbled.
“It’s a lot,” Hunk finished.
“We know,” added Pidge, though not unkindly. “But we can’t lose Keith, especially when we can keep him alive until we find a cure. I wish there was another way—like putting him in deep sleep or stasis—but the hypothermia worsens whether or not he’s conscious.” Lance knew it too; that much was evident from how the pods failed to reverse the problem. Lance simply sighed.
“I know that. But-but what does helping Keith even mean?” he asked, throwing his hands in the air with acute frustration. “Do I have to… to hug him? All the time? Will he always have to be beside me or else he’ll freeze to death? Oh, god, I’m so screwed. This is going to kill me before Keith’s hypothermia can even set in.” His friends recognized his token, anxious rambling with ease. Hunk was the first to react. He put a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulder, his go-to move to show he’s listening. It stopped his ranting long enough for Pidge to talk.
“How about we take it one step at a time?” she suggested, adopting a rare caring tone. “You could start by holding his hand. If you’re lucky, that might be all he needs.”
———
Those who stayed behind didn’t stay long. Each gave Keith their own form of verbal support before heading off to do their own thing, preemptively giving Keith some time to adjust to his new situation. Everyone seemed to know how this was going to play out, and Keith was thankful they preemptively cleared out of the room to give him some space.
Once the trio returned, Hunk gave Lance a final pat on the back on the back and Pidge spoke in hushed tones, before leaving the room. Keith sat alone on the steps, with Lance’s jacket draped over his back. It held only the ghost of the warmth that he felt when his hand skated over Lance’s.
“I thought fabric didn’t help keep in the heat?” he asked, prompting Keith to tilt his head up to look at him. Keith decided he didn’t want to tell Lance about his discovery.
“It doesn’t,” he lied. “But you’re right. It’s the thought that counts.”
It really, really doesn’t, he sighed to himself. If anything, it makes the whole situation more painful.
Lance sat down beside him in one, unceremonious movement. He maintained enough distance so they were not touching but were close enough. It was here that Keith came to another soundless, world-shattering realization. Even being in Lance’s vicinity provided warmth. Although it was a lukewarm comfort, it was a welcome one nonetheless. Lance went on, oblivious to his sudden epiphany.
“So… you’re really serious, huh?” he asked. Keith couldn’t help but turn to look at him, shooting the fool a flat stare.
“Wow, no. You totally caught me,” said Keith, mocking him as he did so. “I lied because you’re such a pleasant person to be around.”
“Okay, okay,” Lance huffed. “Point taken.”
Then it was quiet again, as neither teen wanted to be the first to initiate whatever this was supposed to be. The tension was palpable and only made acting harder.
Without warning, Lance put his hand up in midair, palm facing upwards, leaving it there as an open invitation. When Keith switched his gaze from Lance’s hand to his face, he noticed Lance was pointedly looking away. He didn’t understand what was going on or why until Lance speaks up.
“Hold my hand.”
Keith genuinely could not believe what he was hearing. He had to physically shake his head to center himself and refocus. There was no way he had heard Lance right. Maybe hypothermia wasn’t his only problem; he just hoped he wasn’t hallucinating.
“What?”
“I know you don’t think highly of me, but I do want to help. So just… let me? Please?” Lance muttered, still refusing to meet his eye.
So Keith returned the gesture, gradually bringing his hand up to hover above Lance’s. Keith could feel the heat emanating from him. As he reached out and took Lance’s hand, his breath stopped—his lungs freezing in time, and his heart melting. For a moment, he freaked, but then the waves of warmth hit him. He felt like a survivor, starved from necessity for far too long. His freezing body seemed to thaw from the touch, and for a little while, he’s content.
“You… you okay?” asked Lance.
The boy had finally looked over at him, and for once, he looked openly vulnerable. Keith found him staring a bit too long before finding his voice. It didn't help that it cracked the moment he used it.
“I, uh—wow.” Keith said, the palpable awkwardness of his response settling in. His gaze dropped to their intertwined hands as his cheeks set on fire. “This is so messed up.”
“Agreed,” muttered Lance with a curt nod. Keith knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but add on to his previous comment.
“And so warm… god, why did it have to be you?” he asked to no one in particular. Lance looked at him, incredibly offended.
“Wow,” he said, drawing out the word. “Thank you.”
“No, I didn’t—“
“I guess I’ll take back my warm hand then,” Lance said. Keith immediately entered panic-mode, because he’s already fucked this up. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to communicate but—
He realized Lance was grinning.
Oh, this bonafide asshole.
“I’m just messing with you,” Lance chuckled. “I’m not actually going to, even if you are as annoying and dense as your mullet.” Keith found himself smiling back.
“Wow,” he mocked, imitating Lance’s earlier comment. “Thank you.”
With a steady source of warmth pouring into him and Lance’s never-ending smile, all his concerns dissipated. Keith discovered a newfound sense of optimism.
Maybe this isn’t going to be as bad as I thought after all.