I mentioned publishing a piece per one sold KICK Friday PDF, so here is one!
This is not available in either PDFs (nor was it a part of things posted in 2023, though I think I shared it on Lens at least). I will try to keep posting sketches that aren't part of PDFs for some time, but if you've read it or remember any private Patreon posts - if I were to pick a piece from the inside, which one would you like to see published?
Sidenote: If you want to know more about KICK Friday PDFs check out 52 weeks of KICK digital products on PayHip - the PDFs description have a full introduction to them as well as AU blurbs. I will publish them on socials in a month or so, after I am done with publishing each Calendar piece!
Us: Omgs Klance is so cute. I cant wait for when they reunite. Its gonna be so cute. There is so much chemistry its BOUND to be canon. But more about the reunion.
DreamWorks: Keith: Fuck you Lance. Hi Pidge.
Us: Okay that's fine! They will STILL be canon cause Lotura happened and Allura CANT have another love interest!
*yes this contradicts current canon and itâs a throwback to the show from the first couple of seasons but live with it for the sake of langst
Everyone felt a sick sense of deja vu. Despite being in the middle of a war, none of them had to actually go into a healing pod very often. But Lance? This was his second timeâand for another near-death injury, no less.
âPidge! Squad, on your seven!â Hunk yelled, firing a laser at the closest ship. He was busy fighting off a group of Galra on his own, but heâd be damned if he didnât help her out. Pidge was just as good as the others, but she was still the youngest.
Shiro growled. âThereâs just too many of them! Weâre surrounded!â
âGreat, then we can attack in any direction!â Lance screamed. He flew in a spiral motion, shooting lasers at every Galra ship in the area. He easily took care of the fighters around himself before moving on to help the others.
Keith flew through the asteroids with ease, shooting at every Galra fighter the best he could. Heâd never be a better shot than Lance, but he could certainly fly better. Gritting his teeth, he flew around his teammates and took care of anything close to him. âWe have to get out of here!â
âPaladins! Zarkon is charging up a weapon thatâs designed to wipe out your lions! You have to get out of there immediately! All of those fighter pilots are just to keep you occupied!â Allura yelled. She tucked some hair behind her ear, letting her eyes flicker all around the screen. Their minimal intel had given them important news, but it mightâve come too late.
âIf we fly away, theyâll just chase after us!â Pidge yelled in response. She grunted as another laser hit her lion.
âWe have to try!â Shiro replied.
The Paladins agreed; they needed to get out of there. First, Pidge and Hunk escaped to the castle. Shiro and Keith were not far behind. But Lance? Lance was being the hero again. He was taking care of ships left and right. He forgot all about the warning.
Inside the castle barrier, all of the lions turned around.
Keith gasped. âLance! Get out of there!â
âIâm coming!â Lance screamed.
A giant laser went through the Blue Lion. It sparked violently before going dead.
They didnât think Lance was even alive. Even after they got Blue into the hangar and him inside a healing pod, nobody thought that he had a chance. So now, having him in such a healthy condition is nothing short of a miracle. Pidge shuddered at the memory. Everyone cried for hours after Lance was put into the healing pod.
She couldnât live through something like that again.
Pidge checked the monitor on the podâs screen. She didnât know how to read the Altean language, but she knew that all of the full, green bars meant that Lance was good to go. His vitals were normal and healthy. So, why wasnât the pod releasing him?
âAllura, could you come look at this for a second? I think the pod is bugging out.â
Allura rubbed her eyes as she walked over. In addition to crying, none of them had gotten much sleep since that battle. She squinted at the bright blue panel. âYouâre right. Lance shouldâve been released by now.â She tapped a few buttons, resulting in a big red sign flashing onto the screen. She hummed. âIt says that the patient isnât healed yet. How peculiar.â
Hunk walked over next. He looked down at the screen with squinted eyes and a confused frown. âLance looks healthy. Itâs probably glitched.â
âWell, then I guess Iâll just let him out myself, then,â Allura mumbled. She tapped another sequence of buttons, making the door open with a hiss.
As the fog pooled around their feet, Lance slumped against the back of the pod. His eyes slowly pushed themselves open, though he looked grumpy and tired. âHey, guys.â Lance stood up straight and cracked his neck. He blinked a few times as if he couldnât believe he was really there. âWhatâd I miss?â
Those five words made a collective weight fall off of everyoneâs shoulders. Lance was okay. With any luck, heâd be back in his lion in a few days. For now, some food and a blanket would be more than enough.
âYou must be starving,â Hunk said as they walked to the kitchen. âI created a new recipe with the ingredients I bought from our last trip to the space mall. Side note: those purple discs that looked like pepperoni are nothing like pepperoni.â
Lance laughed. âSounds great, Hunk.â
While the rest of the team walked along, Keith wandered off on his own. He chewed his bottom lip as he went, a stupid habit that he couldnât break. It didnât bother him, but it drove Shiro crazy.
Lance sat at the head of the table, eager to try out Hunkâs latest dish. Pidge sat to his left. The seat across from her was probably going to be for Hunk. Lance began to ask a question but stopped short as someone draped his signature green jacket over his head.
âThought you might be cold,â Keith said as he took that empty seat.
âThanks, man,â Lance smiled, because yeah, he was cold. He slipped into the jacket, content with the familiar lightweight on his shoulders. A small reminder of home, and all of what awaited him there. He watched Keith scoot into the table with that smile stuck on his face. âI mustâve really stressed you guys out. Just look at the bags under Keithâs eyes.â
Shiro sighed. âYeah, we were all very worried about you. But youâre better now, so letâs just try to relax.â
It was like Shiro cast a spell on them. Everyone relaxed and joked around with each other. No one yelled at Lance when he flicked some goop into Alluraâs hair. Everyone laughed when Pidge used her spoons to âblock out the haters.â They practically lost it when everyone began speaking through memes, leaving Allura and Coran in the dust. For a brief, shining moment, they were all kids again. The fate of the universe didnât rest on their shoulders. They werenât in the middle of a space war. Countless alien races werenât praying for them to succeed. They were just five, stupid kids that wanted to have fun.
...
Just days later, and they were at it again. Zarkonâs generals were trying to invade a planet, and it had to be defended. If he got control of it, then he would gain access to a whole portion of the galaxy. Voltron would be right back where they started.
It came down to the bridge. All of the paladins were fighting as hard as they could, but it just didnât seem like it was enough. Lance grunted as he ducked to avoid a punch. He shouldâve just stayed with his lion; he felt practically useless in hand-to-hand combat. He had a gun, how was he supposed to be helpful?
It didnât help that the Galra soldier stood a whole foot taller than he did. Lance always thought he was tall at six feet, but he felt tiny compared to his opponent. His head was about as thick as the Galraâs arm. He ducked again, losing his balance for a moment.
âDie, blue paladin!â The monster roared.
Lance shot his giant arm. He tried to run backward and tripped over his own two feet.
The Galra soldier towered over him, laughing. His arm didnât even appear to bother him. He pointed his gun at Lanceâs head. âDie, blue paladin!â
Lance didnât even have time to cry. By reflex, he extended a hand and prayed for a smooth death.
But the blow never came.
Lance looked up. His hand felt freezing cold like he had stuck it in ice water. The Galra soldier was frozen in ice himself. Even surrounded by ice, being on the wrong end of a gun scared Lance. A chill ran down his spine, realizing he came face to face with the barrel.
âLance!â Keith screamed. He ran over and dropped to his knees. âAre you okay? I knew I shouldâve helped you sooner-â Keith scooped him into his arms, mumbling apologies and complaints.
He hated to admit it, but Lance was grateful for Keithâs help. He tried to give him a hug back, but Keith dropped him to the floor. âOw! What the heck, Keith-â
The rest of the team came running over. âKeith? What happened to your armor?â Shiro asked, pointing at Keithâs back. A big block of ice had formed.
Keith shrugged. âI-I donât know. I was helping Lance up. He put his hand on my back, and suddenly it just felt cold. Really cold.â
Everyone looked at Lance in horror. He stared back at them with the same look. What could this mean? Since when did he have the ability to create ice? It just didnât make any sense. And it broke Lanceâs heart to see everyone look at him as if he were the new monster. As if he had tried to hurt Keith.
âLetâs get back to the castle. Coran or Allura may know what to do,â Pidge suggested.
Hunk reached out a hand to help Lance up, but Shiro pulled it away. He looked at Lance with unease. âWe donât know what would happen. Itâs best not to take any chances.â
âRight, yeah,â Lance mumbled. He pushed himself to his feet and followed the others. They walked in silence back to their lions. He had no idea when the rest of the battle had been taken care of, but he was thankful for everyoneâs help all the same.
The aliens of that planet looked at him with fear, too. Lance nodded as he walked by, refusing to let them see how much it hurt. He learned that lesson a long time ago.
Back at the castle, Coran and Allura were at a loss. They made Lance stand up on a platform so they could look him up and down. Pidge and Hunk took notes, while Keith and Shiro watched from afar. They were all studying him like he was some lab rat. Lance felt much worse than a common rodent. He was a mutant, a freak. He bit his cheek to keep from breaking down in front of them.
âHe looks fine to me. Nothing out of the ordinary,â Hunk mumbled. He scratched his cheek in thought.
Pidge dropped her notebook and gasped in horror. âWhat if this happened when he got electrocuted? His lion has ice powers. Those powers mustâve been transferred to Lance.â
âBut how?â Keith asked. His arms were crossed as usual, and he had the same grumpy look on his face.
Lance couldnât help his next comment. He had to keep up appearances, after all. âAw, are you jealous that you didnât get your lionâs powers first? Donât go electrocuting yourself to keep up in our rivalry, okay?â
Keith growled in annoyance. âIâm not jealous, you idiot! Weâre trying to figure out what happened to you so we can fix it!â
âCareful, Keith. Iâve got ice powers, but I might not be as willing as Elsa to let things go.â
Shiro stepped in front of Keith, for the sake of everyone in the room. âAlright, enough with the petty arguing. Weâve got to figure him out.â He sent another look at Lance. It wasnât as bad as before, but Lance got the message. He was dangerous now.
Allura hummed. âIâm sure thatâs why the healing pod wouldnât let him out. He wasnât the same as before, but there probably wasnât a way to fix it.â
âDoes that mean Iâm stuck like this?â Lance whined. His hands felt colder. He wiped them on his pants, hoping thatâd help. They seemed to colder the more he worried. He did it again, if for nothing other than to create friction. He sighed.
Everyone saw his breath as if it were freezing cold in the room, not a comfortable room temperature.
âIâve never seen anything like it,â Coran whispered. He fiddled with the end of his mustache to keep his hands distracted.
Lance shook his head. âIâm going to warm up.â He walked away from everyone, leaving them to stand around in shock.
The tension in the air constantly grew stronger, until everyone was suffocating in it. No one said a word. What was there to say?
Lance didnât leave his room for the next three days. He refused. Everyone knocked at his door, hoping that itâd make some sort of difference. Keith threatened to kick it open. Hunk tried bribing him with delicious food. Allura practically begged. None of it worked. Lance stayed in bed, huddled under as many blankets as he could grab during the night.
It did nothing, though. The blankets. Lance knew that Coran turned up the temperature in his room, but he still shook with the chills. He saw fog with every breath. His teeth chattered beyond control. It wasnât like that all the time...just when he really thought about the situation. He grew colder and colder as he grew more and more panicked.
Pidge knocked at the door. She sighed. âLance? Would you please come out? I know youâre not going to hurt any of us. We all know that.â
âYou donât know that I wonât hurt you by accident,â Lance replied. He wiped at some tears. He already hurt all of his loved ones on Earth by disappearing without a trace. He had hurt so many people before that. No more.
âIâm working on some gloves thatâll protect you. Your Elsa comment made me think of it. Itâs going to take a while, but Iâm working on it.â
Lance shook his head. It was useless. âThanks, Pidge, but donât bother. Let Allura pilot Blue or something; I canât do it.â
Pidge kicked the door. She kicked it again and punched it. âStop just throwing us away! Weâre trying to help you! We need you, Lance!â She kicked the door one last time. How could Lance just abandon all hope? How could he just throw away his responsibilities and give up on Blue? He loved Blue.
Truth is, he still did. Lance wiped at more tears. He felt them starting to freeze against his skin. âPidge, please just go away.â
âNo! Not until you open this door.â Pidge crossed her arms. That stubborn asshole could barricade himself in there for as long as he wanted,, but he was going to come out one way or another. âI mean it. Iâm not leaving.â
âWell, go ahead, then!â Lance yelled. He curled in on himself, hoping that itâd preserve some heat. Fast heart. Shallow breaths. Shaking uncontrollably, from the cold and the fear. Great. Here we go again.
Lance crawled out of bed. He sobbed, nearly dropping to his feet, but he had to stay standing. The pressure was building up inside of him. He wiped at his tears again before aiming his hands at the wall. One last sigh. Suddenly, the wall was covered in ice. Lance cried and cried, waving his hands in every pattern possible. He covered the ceiling, the floor, and all four of the walls. He locked himself in by icing the door. It wouldnât stopânot while he was having a panic attack. He couldnât even hug himself at this point. The ice flowed out of his hands, and there was no going back now.
Pidge stood in front of the door, tapping her foot at a rapid pace. As the ice began to form on the door, her heart dropped. âShiro! Allura! Coran!!â Pidge ran away screaming, hoping to find anyone whoâd be able to help.
Lance was finally starting to calm down. He let out another sob as he looked at his mess. âIâm a monster,â he whispered to himself. âIâm no better than the Galra.â Lance fell to the floor, sobbing into his knees. The tears wouldnât stop coming. He felt so heavy like his body was made of lead. He didnât even flinch when someone started pounding on the door.
âLance! Let me in!â Keith screamed. He kicked and punched it, just like Pidge did. âIâm not playing games with you anymore! You need help!â
âI canât! I canât let you in!â Lance cried. âI iced the door shut! And I could hurt you! You should see the mess Iâve made, Keith,â he sobbed. He looked around the room and wiped at his eyes. His hands were still cold to the bone. âI donât want any of you to get hurt.â
Keith growled. âI donât care about getting hurt! Let me help you! Let me in!â He kicked the door again, but it didnât even crack the ice. He growled and kicked it again.
The rest of the team came running over. Shiro grabbed Keith by the forearm and pulled him back a few steps. âWhat are you doing? Heâs having a panic attack, Keith. Screaming at him will only make it worse.â
Allura put her hand on the door. She frowned at the ice. âPidge? Do you have a weird gadget that could melt this for us? Coran could hack into the system and unlock the door for us from there.â
âOn it,â Pidge saluted. Hunk followed her down the hall.
Coran stepped toward the door for a moment. âLance? I know youâre scared. Weâll get this ice cleaned up, and weâll figure out how to help you control your new powers. Theyâre not something to be afraid of, or to shy away from. Just hold on.â He waited for a response, but none came. He walked away without another word.
Shiro sighed. âWe need him out here. We canât form Voltron without him.â
âHe needs us,â Allura said. She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the door. Her eyes scanned it up and down in panic. She had asked for help from everyone in the coalition, but no one knew anything. She sighed.
Nothing about this situation made any sense.
Lance had agreed to come out of his room, but he wouldnât get close to anyone. He trained at a different time. He ate at the table, with two empty seats between him and the person next to him. Keith was no longer the loner who stood at the edge of the group; Lance took that title away.
Now, they were on a mission to meet with the Olkari again. They had spotted a weird monster prowling around their forests and asked Voltron for some help. While the team spoke with their leader, Lance waited behind with the lions. He sat on Blueâs paw with crossed legs and arms.
âI hate this, Blue,â he mumbled to her. âI donât want these powers. I scare the others. I canât control it.â He bit his lip, trying to keep his heart from beating too fast. The last thing he needed was a panic attack in the middle of the forest. If the Olkari saw that, then theyâd probably attack him on the spot.
A twig snapped near Red. Lanceâs head snapped in that direction. There, standing beside his giant metal paw, stood something resembling a deer. It hesitantly walked over towards Blue, which is the last thing that Lance wanted. He felt his heart sink. âNo, go away,â he whispered.
The deer took that as a sign to walk closer. He sniffed the air and kept walking over.
âYouâre gonna get hurt,â Lance said. He slid off of Blueâs paw and crouched. He picked up a few rocks, just to be safe. If he touched the deer, it would freeze over like that Galra soldier. Heâd be a monster.
The deer didnât stop walking over, though. Itâd pause now and then, but it seemed determined to get closer and closer to Lance. It terrified him. Lance threw a rock at the deerâs feet. âRun away,â he hissed. âRun away before I canât control it anymore.â He threw some more rocks. âGet away from me!â
Tears started to roll down his face again. They felt hot against his skin, but that was probably because he grew colder. Lance took in a deep breath and sighed. He couldnât hurt this animal. He refused to become a monster. He picked up some more rocks and threw them towards the deer. âGet out of here! Go!â
Lance broke into another silent sob. He threw one last rock in a feeble attempt to scare away the deer, but it didnât seem to care. It was useless. He crawled back up onto Blueâs paw, praying that itâd be a safe enough distance. âPlease, just get away before you get hurt,â he whimpered.
âDamn it, Lance!â Keith yelled.
Lanceâs head snapped to attention. Keith stood at the edge of the clearing, covered in flames. He was on fire, but it didnât bother him. After another chill ran down his spine, Lance realized that Keith was ignited on purpose.
âWh-what are you doing?â Lance asked.
âI did it for you, Lance,â Keith said. He ran over to Blueâs paw, scaring away the deer in the process. âI electrocuted myself inside of Red, just like you were.â
Lance wiped his eyes and slid down to the ground. He could feel Keithâs warmth from several feet away. His desperation to feel more was almost shameful. Lance pursed his lips. âWhy, Keith? Why would you do that to yourself?â
âThereâs no way to get rid of your powers,â Keith began. He took a hesitant step forward. âI didnât want you to be alone. I didnât want you to be going through all of this by yourself.â
Lance took another step forward. âYou couldâve gotten really hurt, idiot.â
âI told you a while ago that I donât care about getting hurt.â
âBut I do.â
âI donât know why.â
âHonestly, I donât know either, sometimes.â
The tips of their shoes connected, and then their eyes. Was it possible for a heart to beat this fast? Lanceâs heart threatened to drum right out of his chest. He laughed, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head.
Keith dropped his gaze to watch their limp hands. âMaybe now that I have powers, too...â Hesitantly, he held Lanceâs hand. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle, a very complicated puzzle that sent butterflies to both of their stomachs. Neither of them pulled away.
âWell, we both have gloves on. I donât know if that makes a difference or not,â Lance mumbled. He laced their fingers together.
They looked up at the same time.
âWell, I have an idea. Donât turn me into an ice cube, okay?â Keith asked with a smirk.
âDonât burn me alive,â Lance whispered back. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
And suddenly, Keithâs hands were cupping Lanceâs cheeks. And their lips were pressed together with such gentle care that it didnât feel real.
Lance carefully snaked his hands around Keithâs waist and pulled him closer. When he finally pulled away, he couldnât stop smiling. He laughed and rested his head on Keithâs shoulder. âI canât believe we didnât kill each other.â
âI canât believe I just kissed you,â Keith said quietly, staring off into the distance. Heâd never had the courage to do something that brave before. Fighting the Galra felt like a happy Saturday afternoon compared to this. He laughed, too. He just kissed Lance McClain.
âWhat happens now?â Lance mumbled into the crook of Keithâs neck.
âI guess we go tell the others?â He replied.
Lance smirked and pulled away. âTell them what, exactly?â
Keith blushed, averting his gaze to the ground. Having no previous relationship experience doesnât exactly make him an expert. Shouldnât Lance be the one answering these questions?
He was not expecting the gentle tug on his hand. He looked up at Lance, who stared back at him with a small smile on his face. He laughed.
âCome on, you goof. I want to brag about my new boyfriend and his fire powers.â
And off they ran.
Obviously, it contradicts current canon. But ya know my children need to stop playing musical lions. I know itâs important for character development, but I still miss this :(
Iâm so glad to have gotten the pleasure to write this wip! I feel terrible because I discovered this post about ice powers langst by @mcclqins literally over a year ago... Procrastination at itâs finest, I guess? Mcclqins, Iâm so grateful for your follow, and Iâm SO SO SO SORRY that it took me this long to make it. I hope it lives up to your expectations!!!