Escape the Dark by Bakbek is so well written I 100% recommended to check it out. Also so glad you guys are back!! ❤️❤️❤️
thanks for the recommendation and the support!! <3 - karri
Escape the Dark by Bekbek (12/? | 64,342 | Teen And Up)
Lance was grateful for his mask in that instant. Champion? Lance could handle him, four tiny paladins? Manageable. The witch of Altea glaring at him? Nope. He was out of that situation quicker than a greased yelmor. He had plans! He was meant to free his friends and live out his remaining days far away from the Empire. Now he not only had to deal with Haggar out for blood, the whole quiznacking Galra race screaming for universal domination, and his own rapidly shortening lifespan, but Voltron added to the mix.
Caption: Husband, how could I have forgotten? You brought me back to life long ago. Now. Come back for me.
- - -
Haha, Keith looks like he's gon' fudge stuff up!
Been rewatching Voltron lately and the last episode of Season 3 sparked an idea in me with Altean/Druid Lance and Galra Keith. Sort of a role reversal if you will. The caption (for those who don't remember) is the last part that Haggar says at the end of Season 3 Epsiode 7 after she regains the memories of herself and Zarkon while trying to heal him.
Dunno how, but now I got a new Au idea that I'll probably dabble in. I think I just wanted to make Lance and Keith bad guys but I didn't know how without being too cliché...
I can’t stop thinking about @star-gazing-knight‘s fic Lilac Sweet, even though she hasn’t updated it for a while. I’ve been wanting to draw this for a while... but I was in a bit of an art slump. I hope you enjoy.
They can't ever know, that's something Lance has made sure he remembers. But with everything being so hard to control anymore he might have to turn to the one person he's scared to become, but it's all too protect his friends from the monster he really is, so this is the right decision. Right?
Fic on Ao3 link
He couldn’t do this any longer. It was starting to ache his body to keep it in control. This power wasn’t meant to be contained, it’s as ongoing as his heart. No matter how hard he may try he couldn’t stop his heart.
He didn’t have a place to release this grave power. All the rooms are always unlocked, everyone always wonders. He couldn’t take the chance, but he didn’t know how long he could contain it though. It was all a matter of time before the cat is out of the bag.
He couldn’t hide his shaking, headaches, how he was cold to the touch but always felt hot, and the way he was always thirsty, he was actually showing signs of hypothermia and dehydration. They didn’t start to notice when it was starting, but now he knew they all could tell. His team where all side eyeing him and ready to jump in at any moment if something happened. He, Lance, couldn’t understand why they haven’t said anything, but he doesn't look a gifted horse in the mouth.
That was after what he can assume has been three weeks, they finally asked the dreaded question. They finished training (Lance didn’t do so well) and were eating a oddly quiet dinner of weird space goo. When Lance got up to clean his plate up and grab more water, Shiro grabbed his arm.
“Wait,” he looked up to the taller man and set down his plate, “are you okay? And don’t you dare say you are. Oh god, you’re absolutely cold to the touch.” He brought his warm hand to his forehead to pull them away quickly wide-eyed. Shiro took in more of his features, tracing his silver eyes all over his trembling body. “Lance,” he said in his strong demanding voice.
Lance side averting his gaze to lock eyes with his best friend, Hunk, that had sad eyes, he looked like he wanted to talk but couldn’t. He couldn’t look at his troubled friend, so he then shifted his gaze only seeing his other teammates troubled faces. He kept opening his mouth then shutting it.
He took a deep breath, like ripping off a band-aid, he just said his pointless words, “It’s my problem so please don’t interfere. I just need some space, please.” He looked back to the scarred man, “Lance, we gave you space and you still aren’t better. It’s time for us to step in and help.” Lance sighed as he picked up the dirty dishes, he just wanted to clean up and get some water, not this. Anything but this.
He scoffed as he started to walk off, he could feel their disappointment burning into the back of his head. He walked out of the dining room as the automatic doors hissed shut. He dumped (threw) his plate into the futuristic dishwasher, moving to a cabinet grabbing a cup with shaking hands.
He took a deep breath through his dry mouth, turning around filling up his cup with water. He snuck back to his room taking sips all the way to his room, before he knew it was half empty when he got back to his room. He walked in, his door shutting behind him, wishing he could just lock it. Curse this ship's mechanics.
He chugged the rest of his glass slamming his cup down with a new determination. He walked over to his small bathroom attached to his bedroom, turning to face his mirror he sighed. “I guess this is my last resort,” he sighed, his dry mouth attempting to wet his lips.
He turned on the water preparing for the worse. He was going to attempt to contact his birth mother, honestly she didn't even deserve that title with all she has done, but she's helped him through stuff like this before. He looked down at the filling sink then glanced at the door, he had to be ready to shut down contact at any second if any of his team came.
He shut off the water then shoved his hands into the lucid liquid. He focused letting his problems go as different ice crystals formed off from his hands. He breathed a silent breaths as he let the temperature drop, but not too much, wouldn't want to alert the systems to an anomaly.
He looked down at the thin sheet of ice over the water, as he pulled his hands out proceeding to tap on the ice thinking of the person he wanted to talk to, just like how he was taught. A flickering glow appeared and he new she answered his call.
“H-hi, Mother. Ummm… long time no see?” he shied away from her view in the sink, as she smirked. “Yes, hello Lance,” she tilted her head, her smile faded, “why are you still hiding in that form? No one can see you.” The blue paladin stiffen, “I-I don't know, it's just comforting, I guess?” he mentally cursed himself for making it a question.
She scoffed at him, “I sent you away in cryosis for about 10,000 years to protect you from war, and yet you can't even appreciate your true form? How pathetic.” Ah, there's the woman Lance knew. “Why did you call me? I'm a busy women, blue paladin,” she scoffed at the name, as if it was poison and she needed to spit it out fast and in disgust.
He sighed, shifting into his birth form to please his biological mother hoping to get her to be more willing to help him. His ears elongated and his hair started to fade into a light white with stray blue strands making his hair appear a off whitish blue as well as his tan skin taking a slight purple hue but still retaining its original color. His body didn't stop changing, under his eyes appeared dark blue marks coming from the far corners of his eyes sweeping down to the center of his cheeks, and he grew taller about the height of Shiro but just a few hairs shorter as he felt markings, hidden under his clothes, form. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, as unknown strain left his body and he felt more relaxed.
He looked up from the water containing his mother's image to the mirror, feeling his mother's smile burn into his newly formed skin. He honestly wasn't used to seeing himself like this, ‘huh,’ he thought as he touched his face markings, ‘I guess this is what I'm supposed to look like.’ Lance quickly redirected his focus back onto the lady in his sink.
“There’s my child,” she cooed, “but be quick, I have things to attend too.” she stated the last part in distaste. Lance sighed, might as well rip off the band-aid, again, “I need help controlling my powers. I have been withholding my powers in an attempt to hide it and I don't know how to keep it up.” He waited for the scolding, and just as he expected there it was.
“Why would you dream of withholding such a gift in! You should feel lucky and not ungrateful! You Little-” she stilled from her outburst, regaining her calm composure, “if you must know, this power that you hold cannot be held back. It will only pile up until the dam breaks, and when it breaks it will destroy everything in its path, Lance,” she warned him. “Lance, I can see that this is affecting you negatively. Keeping on this path will only hurt you and those around you.”
“I know, that's why I'm contacting you. Is there-” he took a deep breath and tried again, “Is there anyway I could let out my powers at a healthy rate or umm,” he waved his hand “something. Please, I'm begging you help me.” His mother had a devilish smirked, “and what would I get in return?” her voice was sly dripping malevolence.
He hesitated, knowing what his mother can do, she is the definition of evil in some cases. Did he really have a choice in the matter though? Probably not, it's either have a high risk of physically hurting his friends and himself or do whatever his mother wants and she’ll help him. Honestly, there's not even a second thought when hurting his friends are involved. “Anything you want, Mother.”
She smiled as her features were taking on a wicked glow, ‘Oh god. I’m going to regret this.’ the lone boy thought. “What do you wha-” he was cut off by a hasty knock and the sound of Shiro's voice, “are you okay, Lance? I hear you talking, are you with someone?” The boy in question panicked, glancing up at his reflection he shifted back as fast as he could.
He looked into the dreaded women's eye's, speaking in a hush voice, “Mother, I'm sorry, w-we’ll talk about it later. I promise.” She nodded her head as her smirk grew. With that he ended the call by breaking the ice, and destroying all the evidence he could of anything odd. “Lance? Are you alright? I'm coming in.” the black paladin entered the bedroom noticing it's emptiness then glanced at the bathroom, he approached it with caution.
As he was about to open it when the teenager he was looking for busted out, a painfully obvious fake grin plastering his face. “Whaddup Shiro?” His voice strong and filled with fake joy, his body was shaking as if he was wearing only shorts in a blizzard. Lance's body was tense as Shiro realized the breeze from the bathroom flowed out colder than normal, ‘weird, why would it be so cold’ he thought gazing into the seemingly normal bathroom.
“Lance, who were you talking to?” His voice was surprisingly soft for how stern it was. “Uh...I-I was just missing my mom?” Lance coughed, “I was just trying to think of what I'm going to tell her when I see her again,” Technically the first part wasn't a lie. Shiro looked down at the shorter boy with a skeptical gaze. “If you say so,” his words were slow and smooth like creamy peanut butter.
Sighing Shiro rubbed his brow, “I just want you to be honest with us. We’re a team, Lance. We won’t judge you.” Lance cast his gaze down in an abash state because of his half lies, “I just miss my family, Shiro.” The black paladin was trying his best to hide his frustration, “homesickness doesn’t make you ill, Lance. I want the truth, so I’ll ask one more time and you’re going to be honest with me. What’s going on, Lance?” The teenager in question looks up, blue eyes gazing into expecting silver ones.
He opens his mouth choking on his word that don’t seem to be coming out. The older man exhaled, “I’ll let you think of what you’re gonna tell us for later,” Shiro glanced back as he made his way to the door, a stern parental look on his face, “and you will tell us.” The doors hissed shut as he left, Lance let out a groan of relief. He’s safe, for now at least. He looked behind him into the highly advanced space bathroom, consumed by the deal he made.
He needed some sleep and a shower, but right now he doesn’t want to go back into the bathroom, so sleep it is. Lance turned off all the lights and lied down onto the plain bed, closing his eyes hoping to ignore the raging storm going on in his body. He wished this constant pulse was just his blood, unfortunately it was something far more perilous.
~
His eyes shot open as the lights flashed red and the alarms blaring. “This better not be a training exercise,” grumbled the unstable paladin. He slipped off his royal blue robe sliding on his armor. Deciding to skip his morning routine not wanting to draw anymore scrutiny looks towards him by being late.
Lance gasped and groaned at his aching body. He pushed through this unwanted feelings, forcing his trembling legs to run. If this was hard he didn’t want to raid a Galra ship right now or anytime soon. Unfortunately duty calls, and in this case “duty” is an unrelenting war.
Out of the blue paladins view there were other paladins additionally converging upon the deck to await commands. When he got there he was (once again) the last one to make it upon the deck. His fellow teammates eyes traced his quaking figure, as he tried to play it cool plastering on a tired smile.
Shiro seemed to be the first one (as always) ready for commands, “Princess, why are we here?” his strong display in his stature and voice. The white haired altean showed her superiority through her fiery gaze, and commanding voice, “we received a distress signal from the planet Hoth, a Ice planet who claims to be a base for rebel operations as one of the Blade’s have informed me. From the short message they sent out, the galra have found them, and we need to help them escape. They will be sheltered here till they find another base to hide out in.” Every soul in the room straightened not wanting to upset the ruler of a departed species.
Allura locked eyes with each paladin, finally her watchful eyes locked with the boy in blue. The warrior princesses’ exotic blue eyes Melted into the infinite sea that lies in the secretive boy’s own eyes. Instead of shying away Lance met her with a just a strong look despite his current situation.
Her decision was made, but her resolve was still left to her coursing thoughts. Reluctantly she had to let her concerns about Lance's condition go as that is not what matters right now. She couldn't fret over him like,what her humans would call, a hen mother (mother hen?).
Allura’s voice was commanding as she said her next words, “Report to your lions, we will be there in the next 90 tics.” The young warriors rushed off to their, as Slav would say, unnecessarily complicated transportation system to their designated hangers. A mouth full if you will.
“Entering the wormhole now, leave the hangers at my signal.” Lance took a trembling breath, as he felt hot in the cold air surrounding him. Blue comforts his worried thoughts. ‘He can do this! He will do this! Common Lance, just hold yourself together,’ the blue boy thought.
Taking a deep breath he awaited orders. As expected Shiro's intellectual voice broke through the silent static. “Since Black and Yellow are the biggest we have more room, so we will collect the rebels. Blue, Green, and Red distract and destroy as many galra as you can.”
Everyone signaled their agreements, preparing for Alluras signal. Lance readjust his grip on Blue’s controls, preparing for take off. The castle com system crackled to life through his helmet.
The angelic voice attached to the woman with a snowy nest upon her head appeared on their consoles, an orange carrot running around in the background flipping switches. “Paladins,” her authoritative voice commanded attention, “NOW!”
