Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Voltron || ShiKeiLan || Voltron || The Lion's Pride || Voltron || ShiKeiLan || VoltronTitle: The Lion's Pride – The Kitten's NeedsFandom: Voltron: Legendary DefenderDisclaimer: All rights to the remake reserved to DreamWorks, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, and for the original to Toei Animation. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.Warnings: shounen-ai, moresome, aliens, ABO-verse, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, knotting, past abuse, hurt/comfortMain Pairing: Shiro/Keith/LanceVoltron Characters: Lance, Azul | Blue Lion, Keith, Krasnaya | Red Lion, Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane, Kuro | Black Lion, Pidge Gunderson | Katie Holt, Grønn | Green Lion, Hunk, Melemele | Yellow Lion, Princess Allura, CoranSummary: When Pidge confesses to the team that she's a female alpha and explains why she hid her true gender, the team catches on that Pidge isn't the only one covering up her status – they realize Lance is a male omega. They don't want to confront him, because they want him to be comfortable enough to tell them on his own, so the team makes an extra-effort to make Lance feel cherished. What they don't know is that being an omega isn't the only secret he has...
The Lion's Pride

The Kitten's Needs

Prologue: Secrets
The heat of battle made personal matters seem small and unimportant. Regardless of how important said matters might be; the safety of the universe seemed to always trump everything. So in the end, as many pressing questions as there had been when Pidge had simply announced she was actually a girl, the whole thing had been put on hold in favor of marching into battle. Now that things were calmed down once more, the whole team found themselves sitting together. Now was the right time to talk things through, before the next attack wrecked everything once more."Now that we're not in the middle of battle, I think we, as a team, need to talk about some things", declared Shiro as he stood in front of his team with his arms crossed, his eyes on Pidge. "We're all very... grateful that you feel comfortable enough with us to be honest. But why did you even lie?"The whole team was sitting together on the couches. Lance, Pidge and Hunk sat on one couch, the princess, Coran and Keith on the other, all eyes on Shiro. It was obvious that Allura and Coran were keeping back some, observing the team-bonding moment silently and curiously.Right before the big last battle they had gone into, Pidge had confided in the team that he was actually a she and at the moment, in the heat of marching into their next fight, no one had been able to say more than that they knew. Well, everyone aside from Lance, but somehow no one was surprised that the Blue Paladin hadn't caught on, considering he could be very oblivious. The real surprise was not the revelation itself; the surprise was that Katie/Pidge fessed up at all."My real name is Katie Holt", started Pidge to reply slowly. "And when my father and brother disappeared, I was... I was too stubborn to accept that they're dead. I investigated. I... broke into the Garrison on... more than one occasion, I tried to find evidence. In the end, the general grew fed up with me and banned me from ever coming back, ordering security to keep me out. Signing up at the academy was my only chance to get back in, but I'm a female alpha and we're not exactly... overly common. It would have set off the general's alarms if only days after he forbade a female alpha from coming back, another female alpha signed up for classes. I mean, look at our class – there was not a single female alpha in it, there were barely any girls at all and most of them were betas. Male alphas are so very common though, especially in this line of duty, so... I... it helped me blend in."Shiro nodded, obviously pleased. "Thank you, for being honest with us, Katie.""Pidge", corrected Pidge softly. "I... like the name. It's... like a nickname now, I guess, but...""Okay, Pidge", chuckled Shiro. "It's... good when we trust each other. You're right, there aren't many females in the space-program at all. But you need to know that it doesn't change anything.""Yeah, totally!", agreed Hunk, laying an arm around Pidge. "You're part of the team, dudette."Pidge grinned, a small but definitely happy expression. "And... you're not... angry, that I lied?""We didn't know each other too well, or at all, when we were thrown into this mess", offered Keith neutrally, arms crossed. "You learned to trust us and decided to stay instead of leave and do things on your own. Guess that's worth something.""That's worth a lot", corrected Shiro with a pointed glare. "And of course, we will help you find your family again. When we're not in the middle of saving the universe."Everyone hummed their agreements. Everyone aside from Lance. Shiro frowned confused. He was normally the loudest in the room, so to have him sit there in silence, not having given any input ever since they had started talking about this, it was concerning. Shiro was the Alpha. He was the Alpha of their little pack, it was his duty to keep their team together. If Lance had a problem with Katie – Pidge – for lying or for being who she was, then that was a potential big problem."Lance", growled Shiro with an edge of irritation. "Don't you have anything to say?"Granted, it was a hard job, considering their team consisted of only alphas – Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, Lance, all of them were alphas, even if Pidge had lied about her primary gender, she had not lied about her secondary gender. And in such a testosterone filled pack, it was sometimes hard to approach more sensitive issues. That was why omegas were a sensible addition to balance a pack out fully, but as it was, they needed to make due with what they had. Lance jumped a little, looking startled and confused as to why Shiro was growling at him and looking so serious."You... don't have a problem with Pidge being a girl, right, man?", asked Hunk, looking hurt.Lance looked oddly unfocused as he huffed and shook his head. "I don't care." Which genuinely made Pidge next to him flinch a little and look a bit hurt – which finally managed to shake Lance out of whatever stupor had a hold on him. "Not like that! I mean, I don't care if you're a boy or a girl or a pink flamingo, you're part of our pack and that's all that matters." He leaned in, a motion that seemed to happen on autopilot, to brush his face gently against Pidge's in a reassuring motion. "I... I'm going to lie down a bit. I have a murder headache, guys. See you later."What Lance didn't notice when he left were the four pair of surprised, wide eyes following him. Shiro was positively gaping. That motion, that comforting little gesture, it was not an alpha-thing to do. Alphas roughhoused, were gruffer and handled things more like Hunk would, with an arm around the shoulders, a pat on the back or a fist-bump against the shoulder. Those were ways alphas expressed themselves among other alphas or betas – they were a bit gentler (and more awkward) when dealing with an omega – but among alphas as them... A gentle brush of cheek against cheek, a relatively intimate contact and a soft motion, it was a very omega thing to do. Shiro was pretty sure that Lance hadn't even been aware he did it; he seemed very distracted with something and very out of it, so perhaps it had been purely instinctual."Do you... Do you think...", drawled Keith stunned, blinking a couple times."No way", whispered Pidge stunned. "I mean, he can't... Lance, an omega? Really?""Well, you're a girl, so there's that", countered Keith pointedly.Pidge huffed and flushed. "But I hid it because I had no other choice. What reason would he have to hide that he's an omega? There were even a couple omegas in our class too.""Excuse me, Paladins", interrupted Allura carefully. "Even though we Alteans do not have a secondary classification of alphas, betas and omegas, you are making me curious how exactly they are on Earth. I have seen them on many other planets so far and each have a different culture to it. If you don't mind me asking, but... are there reasons why Lance should hide his status?""None. Not really", grunted Shiro with a confused frown. "On Earth, at least in most modern countries, especially in bigger cities and corporations like the Garrison, omegas are highly respected and cherished. In some smaller countries, they're even being worshiped as life-givers and such. But they're a very integral part of packs. Alphas are leaders and protectors, the warriors or a pack, betas are... followers. And omegas are the nurturers. They balance things out, tend to their packmates, they're... the emotional glue to keep a pack together.""I see. So omegas are valued on your planet, then... I do not understand why he is hiding it?", inquired Allura confused, tilting her head as she watched the Paladins."I don't know", frowned Pidge curiously. "Male omegas are very rare. Even rarer than female alphas. The most common are male alphas, female omegas and, well, both in betas, you see.""So, perhaps he does not desire to be treated special?", suggested Coran and twirled his mustache. "If omegas are, as you say, cherished and male omegas are very rare, could it be that he is trying to prove his worth apart from his status and doesn't wish to be treated as special based on biology?"Shiro frowned contemplatively at that, before he turned to Hunk. "You're awfully silent. Do you have any kind of theory, Hunk? You know him the best.""I always guessed it was perhaps because of his home?", shrugged Hunk."Always?", echoed Keith and squinted at him."Well", drawled Hunk with another shrug. "He's been my best friend for like forever now. I noticed back at the Garrison. Like we all noticed that Pidge is a girl. He can get really cuddly when he's exhausted, which was odd at first, but then, well... so yeah... Put one and one together."Keith's claws were digging into his own knees, trying to suppress the threatening growl that wanted to escape his throat at the idea of Hunk cuddling Lance. He shook the dreadful impulse off. That line of thinking was wrong, so wrong. He had done so good at ignoring and stomping that awkward crush his body had decided to develop on Lance. He was not caving now. Not now, not simply because he now knew that Lance was an omega – he wondered what Lance smelt like, really, behind the scent-suppressants he must be taking, and if he was as feisty and defiant as he was normally even when faced with an alpha, with his mate. Would he submit then...?"But you never asked him?", inquired Shiro slowly, interrupting Keith's thoughts."We never asked Pidge either", pointed Hunk out. "I just figured, he'd tell when he's ready. But he's from a small village and sometimes, in small villages off from big cities, they're... not very fond of omegas, considering there's mostly manual labor to do and all that. Maybe he's from a place where omegas aren't treated... right. Just because they're very respected in the big cities and leading countries doesn't really mean that in backwater towns it's the same."Shiro frowned displeased at that idea. He tended to forget that. Omegas were respected in their modern society and that leading governments loved to plaster it everywhere, but Hunk had a point. That had not always been the case. It had been a development over the past centuries, but especially in small towns and villages, places that mainly relied on what they could bring forth to provide for themselves, they were still stuck in a very medieval mindset, where omegas were best suited to be trophy mates to keep the bloodline going and most preferably bear strong alphas to do the farm work and hard, manual labor that omegas simply weren't suited for."So... what do we do now?", asked Pidge carefully."We gave you the time to come clean on your own. We owe him the same thing", declared Shiro. "But if what Hunk suspects is true, we – as his team and as his pack – need to show him that we value him. That we accept him. Am I clear?""Yes, Alpha", chorused his fellow Paladin.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 1: Lions
Keith nearly choked on his gasp as Shiro pinned him against their door once it closed. They had been secretly going at it for a little while now, unsure about telling the others before the two of them even knew where what they were doing was leading them. They were both alphas, which was not very uncommon, but often was complicated due to the dominant nature. As proven by Keith who was growling darkly, nails digging into Shiro's neck, trying to make the other alpha submit. Shiro looked mainly amused by that, before he kissed Keith harshly and deeply."O—Omega", whispered Keith, longing evident in his voice."Hng", grunted Shiro, feeling himself harden at the thought too."H—He's so lanky and those lo—ong legs", growled Keith, thrusting his hips forward to cause friction between their clothed cocks, making both alphas moan. "And he so doesn't have muscles. It explains why I always beat him so easily. He's not an alpha. Explains so much.""Don't", growled Shiro in his authoritative voice, one hand close to Keith's throat to pin the other by the chest. "Don't try to explain your attraction to him with him being an omega. Don't try to pretend that you'd not be interested in him if he was a beta or an alpha."Keith gritted his teeth. It was why he loved Shiro. The older alpha knew Keith better than Keith knew himself and Shiro was not having Keith's evasive attempts to avoid feelings and such. Keith just, he was from a very cold family where feelings and tenderness was not exactly the number one priority. But Shiro wouldn't let Keith get away with dodging his own feelings."Yes", sighed Keith in defeat. "But it makes so much more sense that he's an omega. Look at him.""Looked at him", grunted Shiro, nibbling Keith's neck. "And you're right. He's a gorgeous omega.""He'd be a feisty omega", groaned Keith as he threw his head back, banging it against the door as he started shamelessly rubbing himself against Shiro's crotch, making both moan. "Feisty, little omega. Wonder if he's as loud in bed as he's during missions? Moaning, whining... whimpering? He's a whiner already. He'd probably whine in bed too, make cute, loud sounds..."Shiro growled at the mental image, eyes closed tight as he thrust against Keith's hardness, rubbing their crotches against one another feverishly. "He'd be eager. Is always eager to please."Keith's fingers dug so deep into Shiro's shoulder, he was sure to leave bruises. The more they urged each other on, the more they fantasized about how Lance would be in the bedroom, the closer they both came to their orgasms until they both came, ruining their pants and not caring. They stumbled over to Shiro's bed and collapsed on it, curling together and panting softly. It was just too much. They had contemplated the idea before. Had wondered about including Lance and how he'd fit into this mess of a relationship. Had fantasized about Lance with them in their bed."He needs to be ours", growled Keith, not even bothering to phrase it as a question.There was no question. Both of them wanted – craved – Lance. The idea that Lance wasn't another alpha, which had been the main reason they hadn't approached Lance so far, but an omega, it was perfect. Relationships between two alphas could be complicated, but between three alphas, they were downright impossible to maintain. It wasn't rare for same-status couples to add a third of the opposite status – two omegas adding an alpha or two alphas adding an omega – to even their relationship out. Now that they knew Lance was an omega, it was the perfect match. There was nothing more fitting, neither of them could imagine something else, really. This 'whatever it was' that Keith and Shiro had; it would be beautiful and it would be complete if they'd add an omega – no, not just any omega, if they'd add their omega, if they'd add Lance."Yes", agreed Shiro, kissing the top of Keith's head. "Yes. He'll be ours. Our omega. But first... first we need to make sure he will be comfortable in our pack. He needs to be comfortable being an omega before we can court him, Kei. Okay? We need to show him that we... value him."Keith grunted in agreement, burying his face in Shiro's neck. "I love you."Shiro froze for a moment, before he smiled brightly. This was the first time Keith had said those words. They really hadn't been sure where their relationship was heading. There was always that fear it would fall apart due to their dominant personalities, but the prospect of bringing an omega into their relationship solidified the hope that they could make it work. They would make it work./break\Lance took a shaky breath as he slid down the door of his lion's cockpit. He had barely made it to the hangar with his labored breathing and shaky legs. She made a comforting humming sound that sent waves of soothing mental images through his brain, making him calm down very slowly. His fingers pressed against the metal so hard, his knuckles were white. She gave him a sense of stability and support and he was grateful for that, trying to convey his gratitude by pressing against the cold metal of her cockpit-door. There was a buzzing sound in the back of his mind, nearly like the crooning of a mother lioness tending to her cub. Lance's breath slowed down a little more."I can't tell them. I can't tell them. I can't tell them", chanted Lance to himself, eyes closed.He couldn't tell them. He really couldn't. If he'd tell them he was an omega, he'd have to tell them what else he was hiding and he couldn't tell them. Not that. Never that. The soft voice of his abuela rang through his mind, assuring him that omegas could be anything they wanted to be, that being an omega would not bring harm to him. Most of the time, he believed it. But there was – and would always be – a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him no, this family was an exception, they loved him but others wouldn't, he'd end up being pushed around and degraded for being an omega. The rational part of his brain told him his team – his pack – would not judge him. They hadn't judged Pidge for being a female alpha either, right? They wouldn't treat him different. They'd accept him. The instinctive part of his brain told him to protect himself from possible harm and that being an omega would put him into harm's way – that telling them he was an omega was dangerous.And then there was the other secret, the real secret. The one he couldn't tell them – because he didn't want to tell them. Telling them meant reliving it. Meant accepting it was true. But he didn't want it to be true. He wanted to be Lance, a Paladin of Voltron, a respected alpha and part of this park. Nothing else. This was a new life, a new chance. This was the life he had chosen and he couldn't jeopardize it by bringing up the past. He didn't want to remember the past."Oh, pequeño, you can not change the past, nor can you forget it, for the past is what brought you to where you are now and made you who you are", rang his abuela's voice in his head."Easier said than done, abuela", whispered Lance softly as the memory flashed past him.His eyes were tightly closed, but he could still feel the prickle of tears in their corners. He missed his family on Earth so much. They loved him, so much. And now he might never see them again. A sob wrecked his body. He could really use his abuela's advise right about now. Really. She'd know what to say, she'd know what he should do next. Slowly, he curled together on the floor of his lion and fell asleep to the comforting hum of his metallic partner./break\"Morning, Lance. How are you feeling?", asked Pidge in a chipper voice.Lance frowned doubtfully as he looked up with sleepy eyes. Hunk, Allura and Shiro were also all smiling at him. The table was already set with everyone seemingly waiting for him. Keith wasn't smiling, but damn his eyes were burning. It always made Lance uncomfortable anyway, the intense way Keith would look at him, but somehow, this morning it felt even stronger. Lance blamed the fact that Keith's element was fire for how intense Keith's glares were. And he blamed the fact that he has had a rough night for how intense they felt today in particular."Tired and cranky", huffed Lance as he collapsed between Shiro and Hunk on a chair.Crossing his arms on the table, Lance buried his face between them, adjusting to sit more comfortable, with his calves pulled up under his thighs and himself curled together some."Bad night?", asked Allura compassionately."Eh. Spent the night inside Azul", muttered Lance, craning his neck to look up at her."Dude, that sounded so wrong. Who in the world is Azul?", asked Hunk, looking really stunned.Lance slowly sat upright again, both eyebrows raised. "Bro. No. Azul's my lion. I slept inside her cockpit last night. It was uncomfortable. And you're an idiot.""Oh. You named your lion?", asked Hunk, blinking a few times. "And it's a she?"The pack slowly started digging into the green goo while watching Lance. "Dude, they're all shes. Have you ever been to a zoo? Male lions are the ones with the fancy hair. All our lions are females. Or prematurely bald, I dunno about yours, but Azul is definitely a lady lion.""Never really thought about that", hummed Pidge curiously. "It was just always... an it. A machine.""They communicate with us", pointed Lance out, one eyebrow raised high. "They're sentient. They're more than just machines. They're our partners.""And why did you name her Azul?", asked Hunk curiously, leaning forward some.Lance rolled his eyes, cheeks just a little pink. "It's not really a name. And not really creative. It's just Spanish for 'blue'. But it kind of still feels... more personal than calling her Blue all the time.""I think the name suits her", smiled Shiro gently, clasping a hand onto Lance's shoulder.Lance's blush intensified as he looked at the gentle smile on his Alpha's face. The breath got stuck in his throat. Damn. He hated how much Shiro brought out Lance's nature. A praising word from the Alpha weighted more than those of any other alpha. He was a true 'Alpha of alphas'; the pack leader and the one who demanded respect and a certain degree of submission from all of his pack-members. It just weighed heavier on Lance, regardless of how much he suppressed his omega-nature with chemicals and will-power. A single command from Shiro would be able to make Lance drop onto his knees and bare his neck in willing submission. Sighing, he relaxed some in the safe hold of his Alpha. His Alpha; not his alpha. A very distinguished difference. Leader, not mate./break\It was the next day that the Paladins were having a practice race – not for fun, but to improve everyone's individual flying-skills, had Allura declared repeatedly. Lance was having the time of his life, making crazy turns and rushing away to escape Keith, who was hot on his heels. There was something a bit primal to the chase. It sent thrills of arousal through the omega to have a strong, competitive alpha like Keith chasing after him like that. Sure, Shiro, Pidge and Hunk were in the race too, but in the end, Lance and Keith often managed to make such races and training about them, turn it into a competition and private battle of sorts. As much as Lance desired Shiro in other aspects, this particular one was Keith's alone. Shiro was kind and gentle, not competitive. But Keith? Keith didn't back down when Lance challenged him, always ready to fight until he'd have his opponent ready to submit. Regardless of what the challenge was. And that was what gave the chase its special kind of thrill. Keith managed to make a training race feel primal."Come on, Azul, we're not gonna let Keith win, right?", called Lance out, laughter lacing his voice."Hey", growled Keith displeased through the intercom."Dudes, we're still here too, you know?", huffed Hunk, sounding like he was pouting. "Just you wait, Melemele and I are going to leave you in our dust.""If you're not too busy puking all over her", snickered Pidge."Melemele?", echoed Lance distracted, nearly missing how Keith caught up to him.Lance evaded him and elegantly went further ahead, leaving Keith to curse beneath his breath while Hunk laughed happily. "Yeah. What you said yesterday. Got me thinking. I went to spend some time with my lion and... I dunno, I guess I was more open to the idea of her being... more than just a machine? And I could feel it. Guess I'm not very creative either and I liked your idea, so I named her Melemele – it's Hawaiian for yellow. I think she likes it.""Aw", cooed Lance, inwardly very happy. "You big copycat. Heh.""Dumb pun", deadpanned Keith and Lance could hear the eye-roll."I'm not the only one!", defended Hunk."Oh? Really?", asked Lance slyly."Yeah! Keith named his Grass-knee", blurted Hunk out right away."Krasnaya. Krasnaya, not grass-knee. And I only did it because all of you did", grunted Keith."Well, when Hunk came back from the hangar last night and said he decided to call his lion Melemele, we thought it would be the right thing to give them all names", elaborated Shiro. "I named mine Kuro; Japanese for black.""Mine's called Grønn, it's Norwegian for green. My... father's parents, they came from Norway and grandpa used to talk to my dad in Norwegian every now and again. I'm not fluent, but I still remember some words", replied Pidge, voice soft.Lance hummed curiously. Considering that Shiro's name was Takashi Shirogane, it was not really a surprise that their leader spoke Japanese. Hunk was his best friend, so Lance knew that the other was actually from Honolulu and had left Hawaii to join the Garrison. That Pidge was willing to share about her past was nice, it showed she really was more comfortable in their pack."And what about grass-knee?", asked Lance teasingly."Krasnaya, for fuck's sake", grunted Keith, muttering some choice curse-words in another language beneath his breath. "It's Russian. Means red, in case someone was still missing the theme.""Russian?", asked Lance a bit surprised."My mother's from Saint Petersburg", was the only answer he got from Keith.That was a bit of a surprise. Keith didn't talk about his family at all. Or anything private, really. Lance had always figured there must have been a reason he lived all alone in a shack in the middle of the desert after leaving the Garrison and that guess had always led Lance to Keith's family. Lance knew Keith spoke Korean; knew Keith's father was Korean. The fact that he'd rather choose his mother's tongue over his father's spoke silent volumes that Lance tried not to dwell on. Everyone had their rights to their own secrets – Lance knew that very well./break\Dinner was ready and everyone aside from Lance was there. The team was half-worried. Food wasn't great, but they still all attended. What if something somehow had happened to Lance? It wouldn't be the first time danger would manage to sneak into their castle – or that said danger would lead to a hurt and unconscious Lance. Shiro had been rigid and nervous the entire time they searched for Lance, plagued by the memory of a limb, broken Lance, until he finally found the younger Paladin. Shiro instantly relaxed when he saw Lance, a smile spreading over his lips before he tapped his communicator, relief flooding Shiro's entire system."Found him. He's outside, with Azul", stated Shiro."Seriously? Still doing repairs?", asked Keith irritated. "Then why's he not answering?""He's... not repairing", whispered Shiro amused. "Just get out here and see for yourself."Within moments, Keith appeared next to Shiro, followed by Pidge, Hunk, Allura and Coran. Allura made a high-pitched sound of endearment while Pidge snickered and took a photo for blackmail. Keith made a sound in the back of his throat as he leaned against Shiro's arm and watched. Azul stood there, parked – Lance had said something about working on her and wanting natural light instead of the fake one in the hangar. But instead of working, Lance was laying on top of Azul's right paw, curled together like a young kitten snuggling up to its mother."Should we... like... wake him?", asked Hunk unsure."Are you crazy? He's calm and well-behaved for once", huffed Keith, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Shiro. "Ouch. Okay, so... let him rest, this morning's battle had been exhausting.""True", groaned Pidge, rubbing her still sore neck. "But he's like a cat. All curled together. Heh.""Let's head back inside and let him sleep", declared Shiro firmly."I'm... not very hungry", stated Keith, voice low. "I think I'll eat later."Hunk and Coran wanted to protest, but Shiro just smiled and hoarded the others back inside. He knew his mate wanted to make sure the sleeping omega would be safe and protected. Keith froze as he felt a menacing aura from the Blue Lion. Did... Did Azul really feel offended by that?"I... just want to make sure he's alright", grunted Keith softly, both hands lifted up high.He felt already awkward enough talking to his own lion, but they at least had a connection. He didn't have a connection to the blue lion. The intimidating aura seemed to ease off a bit and Keith took it as his cue to approach further. Once he was standing at the paw, he leaned against it, arms crossed on top of it so he could lean in and watch Lance closely. The way he was curled together, one would think he really was as boneless as a cat. Keith had to smile a little as he saw how serene and relaxed Lance looked. Carefully, he reached out to caress the brown, short hair. It was surprisingly soft and Keith found himself repeating the motion over and over, until... until there was a sound. A strange, rumbling sound, coming from Lance. It reminded him of a kitten's purring."So cute, kotik moy", whispered Keith softly. "Why are you doing this to me? Why do you make me feel this way...? All those... fluffy feelings... Argh, you drive me insane." [trans: my kitten]Groaning, he hit his head against the metal of Azul's paw, right next to Lance. The other grunted and jumped slightly, dark-blue eyes blinking startled at Keith as though he was trying to comprehend what was going on around him. Keith had to bite his lips to keep from making any appreciating sounds, because if sleeping Lance had been cute, sleepy Lance was a whole new level. Honestly, Keith just wanted to scoop the omega up in his arms and hold him until the other would be fully awake. Which was basically kind of like cuddling and Keith didn't do cuddles."Wha... Keith...?", mumbled Lance confused. "What are you doing in my room...?""...This isn't your room", pointed Keith out and stepped aside, pointing at the castle. "You fell asleep on Azul. I... came to get you for dinner, moron.""Why am I a moron for falling asleep?", yelled Lance offended and sat up."Because for one, you fell asleep in the middle of noonday heat and that could easily lead to a heat stroke, you moron. And the other reason being that all of us were searching for you and the others were worried that something might have happened when you didn't answer your com", growled Keith, the picture of an alpha who was upset with their omega.Lance had to fight every instinct in his body that told him to bare his neck to his alpha and whine and beg his forgiveness. Not just because Keith was a alpha, but because – no, not thinking about how much it turned him on whenever Keith had him pinned during training, not thinking about how much of a turn-on it was whenever Keith growled at him. Lance shook his head."Oh please. The other day, neither of us could reach you and Shiro because you two were too busy fucking in the shower to even realize you were running late", snarled Lance instead.He felt very pleased by the way Keith went rigid and even red in the face. If Lance was being completely honest, he didn't really understand it. Two alphas? Together? He had never seen it before. It did hurt a little – lot – to see the two alphas that made his head feel all light and dumb be happy together, without Lance. Before he could dwell on that ache, he rushed inside, exclaiming he'd get the bigger portion of the dinner leftovers.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 2: Presents
For the first time did they got to dock at a space-harbor. Getting more supplies, some actual medical supplies just in case they'd need first aid when out with their lions and too far away from the healing pots in the castle, as well as food – not green goo, but actual proper food. All the Paladins insisted on that one. And they were also all very excited about this. They decided to split up and explore the harbor, considering this was the very first space-harbor the Paladins were visiting. Allura stayed behind on the castle-ship, just to make sure. They had enough experience with people trying to hijack it or destroy it whenever they let their guard down. Pidge and Hunk went with Coran to make sure the Altean would actually get real proper food. Both humans also wanted to get supplies for repair works. Keith and Shiro went on to get medical supplies and agreed to babysit Lance, who had screamed the loudest that he wanted to explore. Neither Pidge nor Hunk commented on it, both just exchanged knowing grins. Shiro had the dreadful hunch that the two knew what kind of interest Keith and Shiro had in the omega. Not that there would be any talking about that though; Lance still hadn't admitted to being an omega and Keith and Shiro were still trying to keep a low profile on their relationship. Even though Keith had told Shiro what Lance had said last week. That Lance, Pidge and Hunk knew. So one could say their relationship was an open secret. And even though there was no verbal confirmation from Shiro and Keith, the two of them started to hold hands or lean against each other even when they were among the team. It was an unspoken confirmation. So the two of them were also holding hands as they trailed after Lance at the harbor."He's so... cute", whispered Keith, saying the word with such distaste.Shiro grinned amused, laying his metal arm around Keith's shoulders. "Don't always say that like it's something bad. The way I learned it, omegas are supposed to be cute.""Yes, but it... it irritates me", huffed Keith. "It makes it harder to fight my instincts. Makes me want to... scoop him up and just hold him. It's irritating, Shiro. I don't do cuddling."Shiro tried to keep from laughing at the downright whine that escaped Keith's throat at that. Keith was not the most affectionate person Shiro had ever met; he guessed that came with being a lone wolf for so long, living in a hut in the middle of nowhere. Even before that, he hadn't really integrated well into the Garrison, which had led to him being kicked out. It was also part of why Keith and Shiro had gotten together, because omegas required a lot of coddling and cuddling and physical affections, something Keith wasn't good at. He thought being with an alpha would be easier. He had not taken Lance into account though, because the omega had hit him like a train – and it wasn't even his scent since that was still blocked and suppressed. Shiro found himself carefully curious to see how Keith would react once Lance was off his suppressants and would actually smell like sweet, protection-worthy omega. On the other hand, Shiro was terrified of how much his own control would slip once he'd actually be hit by Lance's scent..."Look", growled Keith, nudging Shiro.Shaking his head, Shiro focused back on the present. Lance was a couple shops ahead, marveling at the merchandise presented outside the little shop. His blue eyes were bright and sparkling, cheeks just a tint of pink and mouth forming a beautiful smile as he looked at a plush toy. A round blue ball? No, stepping just a little closer, Shiro could see that it had a tail that was curled at the tip and two triangular ears as well as a kind of cute face stitched on. It was a cat. A fluffy, blue cat and Lance looked ridiculously happy as he ran his fingers through the apparently soft fur of the toy. Then something must have happened, some thought-process in Lance's mind, because the smile died down and he cast his eyes down as he pulled his hand away from the toy and continued on his way without another glance spared at the toy. Shiro frowned displeased. He didn't like seeing any of his team and pack-mates sad, but considering Lance was his chosen omega, it hurt his alpha-pride even more to see him upset. Not to mention, it drove him insane not to know what had caused the very sudden mood-change. There was something Lance was hiding from them. Something dark and sad that hurt the omega deep inside and Shiro wanted to take the hurt away and make it better. That was his job as the Alpha and it was the job he wanted as Lance's alpha. Determination swelled in his chest as he made a decision and turned toward Keith to discuss it with his mate. Just to find Keith missing, no longer standing next to Shiro. Panic flashed through Shiro's eyes, thinking he had lost his mate, but one quick look around found Keith at the shop where Lance had been just moments ago, with the same blue cat-thing in his hand and handing his Galaxy Credits Card to the shop-keeper. Shiro snorted and shook his head. Of course Keith would get the same idea as Shiro."You're pretty cute yourself", stated Shiro in a teasing way as he stepped up to Keith. "Buying Lance a stuffed toy because Lance looked at it longingly, mh?""Call me cute again, you'll lose the other arm too", warned Keith with a hiss.Shiro smirked knowingly and refrained from commenting any further. All of them had gotten fancy plexiglass-like credit cards from Allura, telling them to buy whatever they wished for or deemed necessary. Apparently, there was still the royal fortune in the dungeons of the castle and money? Money was the last thing they needed to worry about for a long while. Which was nice, considering getting jobs was sort of not a possibility what with saving the world and all./break\By the time they got back from the space-harbor, Lance was feeling pretty shitty. He sat in front of his bed, on the floor, with his arms folded on his knees and his head resting on them. He took deep, calming breaths. He hated those urges. Those omega-urges. He saw something cute and fluffy and he wanted to have it. Wanted to cuddle it. Omegas were known to gather pillows and soft blankets and soft clothes because they preferred the feeling of soft materials. Normally, an omega could keep from behaving as embarrassing as Lance had today though; going starry-eyed at a stupid stuffed toy like it was some precious treasure. Heck, Lance could normally control himself better. But it had been just too long since he left home for the Garrison, since he last indulged in cuddles and snuggles and building nests of soft, comfy things to hide in."If you deny your instincts too long, pequeño, they will come for you with a vengeance. Rather indulge a little in them every now and again than allow it to become overwhelming."Ah, abuela's wisdom. If only Lance would listen to her more often. He smiled, a small and bitter expression, as he thought of his family. Before he had a chance to let the memory drag him down into a dark swirl of missing his family and his home and the beach and the sun and everything that meant Earth, there was a knocking on his door that startled him. Taking another deep breath to calm his racing heart, he got up and opened the door with a fake cheerful smile plastered over his face."Shiro! Shitty hair! Whatever can I do for you? Thought you'd use the downtime for some one-on-one action", grinned Lance, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows, relishing in Keith's flushed face."Shiro, I changed my mind", growled Keith displeased, making to turn around.Shiro huffed and grabbed his mate by the neck and turned him back around. Growling irritated, Keith reluctantly thrust the plastic bag in his hand out at Lance, glaring pointedly at the omega. Lance blinked confused before he carefully took the bag as though it might just explode. When he opened it to look inside, he had to keep from squeaking. There was the blue stuffed plush toy inside. The very same he had been eying at the harbor! That meant... they had seen that embarrassing display of omega-neediness, as Lance liked to call it. His eyes widened panicked."We saw you pick that out earlier", stated Shiro with a kind smile. "But... you must have forgotten to buy it, so we figured we could get it for you.""Knowing you, you probably just got distracted by something shiny", snorted Keith.Lance frowned confused by that. They didn't push for an explanation. If they saw him look at the toy, they saw that he didn't get distracted by something shiny. But instead of asking for an explanation – or demanding one, considering Shiro was the pack Alpha – they even offered him an excuse. An easy way out, to just take the toy and not explain anything. He had no idea why they'd do that – well, Shiro because he was probably the kindest sweetest person in the universe, but Keith hated Lance's guts. Right? The normally witty, cheeky reply he usually had for Keith was dead on his tongue as he just stared at the stuffed toy, trying to understand what it meant."...Thanks", grunted Lance, unsure what else to say."No problem, Lance", smiled Shiro, patting Lance's head./break\The next morning, Keith had the doubtful honor to wake Lance up. The other slept like a stone, so the team took turns waking him up in the morning. Knocking didn't help, so Keith sneaked into the room. He sputtered at what he saw. Lance was curled together in the middle of what could only be described as a nest made of his blanket and pillows. He was curled together, but he was also hugging something. Something blue. When Keith stepped closer, he saw that Lance was curled around the stuffed toy, hugging it close to his chest as he snored peacefully. That snoring though. It really did sound like a kitten's purring, making Keith grin even broader as he sat down on the bed."Lance. La—ance. Time to wake up", called Keith out, flipping Lance's nose."No—o", groaned Lance, burying his face in his blanket."But then Hunk will eat all the space-bacon we bought at the harbor", argued Keith."...No...", grumbled Lance displeased by that. "Take the bacon away from Hunk!"Keith snorted amused as Lance quite clearly still tried to fight off the sleepiness. "C'mon kotik, it's time to wake up. Because if I don't get my bacon, I will blame you.""Kot-what-now?", grunted Lance confused as he sat up and glared at Keith. "Did you just insult me in Russian?! Just you wait, you jerk-""I didn't insult you, moron", sighed Keith and rolled his eyes, though there was the faintest trace of pink on his pale cheeks. "Kotik means... kitten. I called you a kitten.""...Why in the world would you do that?", asked Lance, panicked confusion in his eyes."Because you snore. But it sounds like a cat purring", shrugged Keith, trying to act casual. "Also, you sleep cuddling a plush-kitten like a cat protecting her kit, so yeah..."Lance's face was tomato-red and that reaction was even worth the embarrassment of admitting what the nickname meant. It may even be worth using the name more frequently. Honestly, it had just slipped, because he was still tired and his omega made cute kitten-sounds."Shut up, jerk!", hissed Lance, throwing his pillow at Keith's face. "Not my fault AJ is so soft!""...You... you named the toy?", asked Keith before bursting into laughter.The red intensified and Lance threw a second pillow. "Azul Junior! It's not like super-creative! Also, shut up, shut up, shut up, shitty hair! And get outta my room so I can get changed!"Keith fled the scene before he'd get hit by something harder than a pillow. But damn, the omega was making all of Keith's embarrassment totally worth it. He had been awkward about giving Lance the plush toy, but seeing Lance so obviously cherish the gift he had gotten from Keith and Shiro? It made his chest swell with pride and his inner alpha preen proudly. He made a mental note of buying Lance more cute things to surround (and embarrass) the cute omega with./break\Lance sat in the middle of his bed, looking around a bit bewildered. He had no idea how this had happened. But ever since their first stop at a space-harbor three weeks ago, his pack had... they had started to buy him stuff. With Pidge and Hunk, it were just blankets, claiming they were to 'shut him up because he kept complaining that he had cold feet' (or at least Pidge had said so, Hunk just smiled at him broadly in that charming way of his). But with Shiro and Keith it were fluffy pillows or socks (because yeah, the cold feet thing was the truth) or even soft hoodies and by now a total of five stuffed toys. 'So AJ isn't so alone', Keith had teased.Shaking himself, he straightened his back and got out of bed. It was still way early. Far earlier than he normally got up. Or at least earlier than he used to get up. He had started getting up earlier and making breakfast for the pack. He had also started... tending to his pack, in lack of a better word. They had bought him so many blankets by now that he had put a couple of them on the common-room couches for when the team would curl together and watch ridiculous alien-movies with bad English sub-titles. Pidge had ripped her favorite turtleneck – the one she had been wearing when the group had gotten into this mess – and Lance had taken it secretly and stitched it back together. At first she had been surprised to find the fixed piece of clothing on the couch, but then they saw Lance's fingers wrapped in band-aids and put two and two together. He had been defensive about it, claimed he was the only one who at least knew how to stitch, even if it had been a while (hence the band-aids). He cooked, even though he wasn't the best cook in the world, he was apparently better than Hunk, which made the tall alpha nearly drop on his knees and kiss Lance's feet (the poor guy was really missing normal human food). But in a big family such as Lance's, one needed to learn how to cook to survive – because between all the mouths that needed to be fed, everyone had to put in some effort and provide something for the dining table. Granted, cooking with the weird alien-meats and alien-spices was more guess-work half of the time, but he was slowly getting the hang of it. He kept the spices labeled as 'something like salt', 'tastes sugar-y' and 'can be used as garlic'. And then, during the last mission, Shiro had gotten hurt and... well.../flashback\They had landed their lions on the asteroid as soon as the Galra were chased off. Shiro had taken a couple physical hits when they went to free the prisoners, because always the Alpha, he had to take charge and send his team into safety with the prisoners. His four team-mates staggered out of their lions to rush over to Shiro's, Keith and Lance in the lead. Shiro was slow on foot, one hand clutching onto his own side and the other supporting him as he climbed out of Kuro."I'm... f—fine, guys", grunted Shiro with a reassuring but very fake smile.Keith openly growled at his mate, glaring at him as he sneaked beneath Shiro's arm to support him and help him sit down. Lance gritted his teeth as he knelt down in front of Shiro. The Alpha froze up when Lance pried Shiro's uniform off of him with nimble fingers. He had brought his first-aid kit from Azul with him and was now opening it up to get the cotton and disinfectant out to clean the wound. Shiro hissed and hunched over, grasping Keith's hand tightly."A warning would have been nice", groaned Shiro, pain written all over his face."Oh? Oh?", grunted Lance sarcastically as he looked up to glare at him viciously. "Know what would have been nice? If you hadn't gotten yourself hurt! That would have been nice! How about, instead of playing the knight in shining armor on your own, you ditch danger together with us the next time, or allow one of us to stay as your backup? I get that you have some complex about being the champion, but you're not. Not anymore. You have a team. Use your team."All four of his teammates were staring at him while he kept ranting. Ranting and berating their Alpha. No one, absolutely no one aside from the Alpha-mate, could normally take those kind of liberties. But Lance just kept going, chastising Shiro for getting hurt while taking care of his wound./flashback|end\Lance knew exactly what was happening. He knew it and it frightened him. One stuffed toy had started it all. Keith and Shiro had pushed him into embracing something he had tried to push down, tried to ignore. But now he started to embrace it. That omega-side of his. He knew it had been triggered by him running out of suppressants. His body was slowly ridding itself of the chemicals and trying to balance it out back to normal. He still had enough running through his system to last him another week before it would show – before they'd be able to smell him. But his body was slowly adjusting again and he was triggered into agreeing with his body by the behavior of his team. He knew it would only be days before they'd piece things together on their own. If they hadn't already. He may be oblivious, but he was aware that he had started behaving like the pack Omega by tending to their injuries, cooking, seeking them out more often to simply sit very close to them – he was not yet desperate enough to actively try and cuddle any of his teammates. But he was close. Oh, he was so close. Two nights ago, when they had pack movie nights, he had kept staring longingly at Shiro's lap. Not out of horniness, not at his crotch, but at how broad and nice it was. How comfortable it looked. There was enough space there for Lance to curl up on it.So Lance had made a decision. He couldn't let them know like that. By smelling his real scent. Or by him instinctively climbing Shiro's lap and curling up on it. That was too much. It was already too much that he had lied to them. No. The very least they deserved was to hear it from him."That... That is one festive meal", gasped Hunk as he entered the kitchen. "Damn. I thought we ran out of space-bacon a week ago? Oh, delicious, purple space-bacon, how I love you!"It really was a festive meal. Lance had made everything. The orange eggs that taste kinda like eggs on Earth did. The strange tentacles that actually tasted like real wieners. The purple space-bacon. He had even made his own version of waffles – granted, they were a weird mixture of green and blue, but they really nearly tasted like real, proper waffles (even though it had been a trial and error phase to get them this close to the real thing). The rest of the pack poured in and took their seats."My, this looks lovely, Lance", smiled Allura kindly. "Is there a special occasion?""Yes! Humans like to do such things for birthdays, right? Is it someone's birthday?", asked Coran."No. Well, not as far as I know at least", replied Lance with a frown, looking at the others just to make sure and receiving four head-shakes. "No one's birthday then.""Then... what is the occasion?", asked Shiro carefully as he took from the waffles.Lance took a shaky breath. Now or never. Like a band-aid. He needed to just rip it off in one go and be done with it. But he had lied to them for months. Even if they'd accept him as an omega, would they still accept him as a liar? What if they couldn't forgive him for it?"There's... There's something... I... I need to tell you", whispered Lance, voice annoyingly shaky."So you're trying to butter us up beforehand?", asked Keith teasingly.Lance squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that maybe not seeing his pack would help him get it off his chest. His hands were shaky. Damn traitors. He laid them on his knees and clawed his fingers into the material of his jeans. It had gotten eerily silent, not even Keith was chuckling anymore."Lance?", asked Shiro gently. "Whatever it is, you can tell us. We're your pack."But would they still be after he said it...? Suddenly, there was a sharp intake of breaths. And then there were bodies, pressing against him. Frowning very confused, he opened his eyes to find himself hugged tightly by Hunk and Pidge, while Keith and Shiro just stared at him so... sadly. Crap. Had he said that out loud? That was so not supposed to be said aloud."We'll always be your pack. As long as you'll have us", frowned Shiro concerned. "You... should know that, Lance. We're pack. We save the universe together. We trust each other with our lives. If you can trust us to have your back during battle, you should trust us not to abandon you.""I'm an omega", blurted Lance out, because what else was he supposed to say.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 3: Omega
"I'm an omega", blurted Lance out, because what else was he supposed to say."We... kind of already knew that", smiled Shiro gently, taking one of Lance's hands and prying it off his jeans to hold it reassuringly. "It's okay, Lance. We accepted Pidge when she told us she's not a boy, what made you think we wouldn't accept you when you told us you're an omega?"Lance half-shrugged, averting his eyes. "Old... scars. T—That's why I couldn't tell you. Because you'd ask. You asked Pidge for her reasons. I didn't want you t—to ask for mine." He took a couple hiccuping shaky breaths, eyes squeezed shut again as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. "I—It's not that I don't trust you - I trust you, I trust you with my life. But I can't tell you. I can't. Because I'd have to think about it a—and talk about it and I can't. I can't, I can't, I can't-""It's okay", whispered Keith as he gently pried Lance out from between Pidge and Hunk so he could gather the omega in his arms. "It's okay. You don't need to tell us why. You told us the truth. That's enough. You don't need to think about it, or talk about it. You don't need to."Lance hiccuped. He could feel Shiro behind him and Pidge and Hunk on either side of him. Allura and Coran were trying to squeeze in too, unsure how to behave about such things since their society didn't have packs, but they still tried to comfort. He tried to slow his breathing down."You don't need to explain a thing. That... That reaction is really all the explanation needed", whispered Shiro, sounding oddly pained. "Whatever it is that made you hide it, it... hurt you. Badly. Very badly. That's all the reason there is, really. It's okay, Lance. You don't need to explain."Lance felt relief flood him and he took a deep, calming breath. That was when he noticed that he had his face buried in Keith's neck as the alpha was still holding him. Keith. Of everyone present, Keith. Why? Confused, he tried to bring some distance between them."Would... Would you mind telling us why you decided to tell us though?", asked Pidge gently.Keith glared and actually growled at Pidge for that, half-afraid that would send Lance into another panic-attack. Lance startled a little at that, tilting his head in even more confused. He laid a hand on Keith's upper arm and squeezed gently, indicating to the alpha that he was fine."I... still had suppressant shots from the Garrison. I always kept a couple syringes with me, in case anything happens or comes up", whispered Lance softly. "But... I ran out. In about a week, you'll probably be able to smell it anyway. And... that's... not how I wanted you to find out. I figured I'd at least owe it to you to tell you in person. Even... if you already found out on your own...""Suppressants?", asked Coran curiously."It's not rare for omegas to use them on the job", explained Shiro. "They suppress heats and, in some cases, they also suppress scents. I guess that's why we weren't able to smell you?"Lance nodded and averted his eyes. Coran made a curious noise, humming interested."I've heard of such things before. I'm certain we could get our hands on some alien-versions of it for you, Lance", offered Coran, earning a heated glare from Keith. "That is Lance's decision, isn't it?""O—Of course", huffed Keith irritated; irritated by himself.Of course was it Lance's decision if he wanted to get back on suppressants, but the thought of finally being able to smell Lance's real scent was so alluring and intriguing, he didn't want it to be covered up before he could even get a sniff! But this wasn't the time to make Lance feel pressured."Maybe...", started Lance unsure, looking at his pack. "Maybe just... a heat-suppressant?""Are you sure?", asked Shiro surprised. "You don't have to. If it makes you uncomfortable..."Lance shook his head very slowly. "The past... weeks... I guess you probably noticed, but I've been behaving more... omega-y. I haven't done that in years. But... I... I think it's not... not that bad. I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. Not... with you guys. I think. There was this feeling. This numbness. Like when you tie up your arm before you get your blood drawn, right? Like one of your limbs is tied off. That feeling. But now it starts... to loosen up. I think maybe... maybe suppressing my omega-side is what felt like... tying off part of myself. I think I want to try... and be whole again. Because I trust you. I want to... try and be... well... the... pack Omega?"His face was dark pink and uncertainty was written all over it. To Earth packs, omegas were highly valuable. Together with the pack Alpha, traditionally speaking the Alpha's mate was the pack Omega who took care of the pack. The father and mother figures to the pack. In modern packs, it was normal that even an omega who wasn't the Alpha's mate could be pack Omega. Due to the size of some modern packs, it was not even untypical to have multiple pack Omegas, to help out the Alpha-mate. It was a lot of responsibility and quite frankly, Lance didn't know if he was ready to carry it. He was also unsure how it'd affect his already rather tense relationship with Keith, because as tradition had it, the pack Omega and the pack Alpha were mates, but Keith was Shiro's mate. It could very well happen that Keith would see Lance as an intruder or threat."If you're sure that is what you want, then we'd be honored to have you", smiled Shiro."Well, you... kinda already took over anyway", stated Pidge and looked over at the waiting breakfast. "And it's not like you got anyone else challenging you for the position."Lance smiled nearly shyly and relaxed a little. They accept him as an omega. They'd even allow him to take care of the pack, even after he had lied to them. And they didn't pry on his secret. They allowed him to keep it. He hadn't felt that at ease in forever./break\Lance was clutching AJ tightly to his chest as he walked into the living room that evening for their team-bonding night of movies. It wasn't like they had a whole lot else to do in their castle aside from training all day. But even training needed to end at one point and what better way to recharge than curling together on the couch? For the first time however, Lance was trying to mentally prepare himself to act... omega-y. He didn't really know if he even could. Pidge, Hunk and Coran sat on one of the couches, while Keith and Shiro were curled together on the other, sitting with Princess Allura. Lance's eyes flittered between the two couches, contemplating where he was going to sit. His instincts screamed at him to climb onto Shiro's lap and curl up against Keith's chest, but oh heaven no. He was not going to do that. He couldn't just invade the mated pair's personal space like that. But he wanted cuddles. His eyes found Hunk, who looked really comfortable. He was the closest to Hunk, they were best friends. They had been close for a while. He took an encouraging, deep breath and stepped up to Hunk. Before he could even voice it – unsure how he'd even voice it – Hunk grinned at him broadly and lifted one arm in invitation. Lance looked surprised."You said you wanna try being more... omega-y, was what you said I think", grinned Hunk. "And omegas like body-contact, right? You were already real cuddly before too.""I—I was not", huffed Lance undignified, nose high."Yeah, you totally were", laughed Hunk. "When we'd be studying for the Garrison tests, you'd always lean against me and fall asleep on me. And when you're asleep, you're damn clingy. It's how I figured out that you're actually an omega."Lance frowned as he carefully sat down between Pidge and Hunk, snuggling up to the tall, broad alpha. "You've... known for that long? But... you never said anything, man.""Bro, it doesn't change a thing that you're an omega", huffed Hunk, arm around Lance now.Lance smiled up at Hunk with happy eyes while Pidge cuddled up to him on the other side. Shiro's dark eyes watched them closely. Part of Shiro preened at how Lance seemed to bloom and how well the pack was accepting the omega despite Lance's initial fears. But there was another part of Shiro, one the Alpha tried very hard to suppress. That part wanted to growl at Hunk, grab Lance and put him where the omega belonged. With Shiro and Keith. And then he wanted to rub his chin against Lance, scent him and relish in having him close and just holding him. He knew he couldn't do that; that was a disastrous plan even. Lance had already been unsure enough, that would only chase him away for good, probably. Another part of Shiro feared what would come once Lance actually started to smell like unmated, sweet omega. He had his inner alpha under control so far, but the question was if he'd be able to control it once he was flooded by the scent of the omega he desired."Shiro, relax", whispered Keith into his ear, leaning more against his mate.Shiro grunted in reply and tried to relax as good as he could. His eyes still kept finding Lance. Watching how the omega relaxed more and more the longer the night lasted. For now, Shiro would be content just seeing Lance happy in their pack, finding his place in their pack./break\It happened during a battle against the Galran. Of course it did. Because Lance's body was a traitor and it hated him and how was this even his life? The team had split up on a Galra base. Lance was pinned against a wall by a Galran alpha. The guy's nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed. He could smell it. Could smell that Lance was an omega. Lance's eyes widened and fear took over."How stupid are your people to send an omega into a fight?", snarled the Galran viciously.He was right. Of course was he right. Omegas were useless. Couldn't fight. Could never fight an alpha. Because omegas were dictated by their instincts, by their weak nature. Weak. Useless. Lance's breath hitched when the Galran leaned in to sniff his neck, a growl rumbling in his chest. Omegas couldn't fight, because they were weak in nature. Useless. He was going to die right here, without his team, just because he was an omega. The Galran's weapon fell onto the floor and with the echoing sound of that, a very sudden, sharp clarity set in for Lance. His eyebrows knitted.The only omega-instinct he had at the moment was to flee – his instincts were calculating all escape-routs and how high his chances of escape were. True, his instincts weren't telling him to fight back, because they knew better than that. Omegas, physically speaking, stood no chance against alphas. But his instincts didn't tell him to submit and surrender either. His mind was clear.The alpha on the other hand had dropped his weapon, eyes hazy with desire. Unfocused.That was when Lance realized something. Something very important. Omegas weren't the ones dictated by their nature; alphas were. When he was little, he had been told over and over again that omegas were useless and would never be able to fight and that they relied on an alpha's mercy. Not because it was true, but because alphas were so easily influenced by omegas and feared that, so they manipulated the omegas. It weren't alphas that held the true power, it were omegas. It was Lance.It was a good thing his mind went into overdrive and he was quick on his feet, because after that realization, in that split-second, he formed a plan. A plan that might backfire horribly, but hey, he was Lance – he was reckless. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he tried to relax. He tilted his head, baring his neck. He made a cute, whiny sound that was supposed to appeal to alphas."Eh. Typical omega slut. Always eager for an alpha's knot, aren't you?", snickered the Galran.He took a step back from Lance and started loosening his armor. Lance waited for the right moment and even though he might not be physically strong enough to overpower the guy, a knee to the groin was a knee to the groin. The Galran went down with a grunt and Lance lunged for the dropped weapon, knocking the Galran out with the weapon's help. Joy flooded Lance's system. He had knocked an alpha out. All on his own. Not despite being an omega, but because he was an omega."Lance! Lance!", called his frantic team-mates as they ran around the corner.Well, part of his team anyway. Hunk and Shiro rounded the corner, both froze when they saw him and the unconscious, half-undressed Galran. Lance straightened and offered them a cocky, proud grin. He had won! All on his own. That'd make his Alpha proud, right? Well, apparently not so much, because suddenly Lance had a dangerously growling Shiro pinning him to the wall and sniffing him. Lance gulped, heart beating in his throat nervously."Dude. Dude, stop it", grunted Hunk with a frown. "We gotta clear out. Pidge said they're back with their lions. We need to get out before the base blows. You can sniff him later, Alpha."Lance yelped as he was thrown over Shiro's shoulder and was being carried off. He stared confused over at Hunk who gave him a half-amused look as the trio headed back to their lions. It seemed physically hard for Shiro to put Lance down when they reached their lions, but with a bit nudging from Hunk, the leader finally let go. Lance was left in confusion as he flew off with Azul. The confusion didn't get much better when they were finally back at the castle and the team was gathering in the common area. As soon as Shiro saw Lance, the Alpha pinned him again."Okay. Seriously. I do not appreciate being thrown against walls!", yelped Lance high-pitched."Are you alright? Are you unharmed? Did he... touch you?", growled Shiro concerned and dark."What? Who? Who touched Lance?", asked Keith with an edge to his voice."When Shiro and I found him, there was a... half naked and unconscious Alpha at his feet", explained Hunk before he joined Pidge in the 'getting checked-up by Coran'-corner of the room."I—It was fine, guys, really!", exclaimed Lance, kicking with his feet and trying to get out of Shiro's very possessive grasp. "He didn't hurt me! He didn't touch me, Shiro. I'm alright."Shiro took very deep breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't help much, because all he inhaled was that insanely sweet, alluring scent of unmated omega. It made him want to scoop the omega up in his arms, carry Lance to his den and then keep the omega safely cuddled up between Shiro and Keith where no Galran could ever touch him again. Shiro was an alpha and he had suffered enough at their hands. He didn't want to begin to imagine what they'd to do an omega. And not just any omega, no, his omega. Keith grabbed him by the arm and carefully pried him off of Lance."What happened, Lance?", asked Keith while holding onto his mate."I guess the last of my suppressants wore off. The guy I was fighting smelt it. He went... horny alpha on me", admitted Lance, which made Shiro growl. "But... But I... uh... used it against him? I pretended to submit and he totally fell for it and let his guard down. And then I knocked him out.""That is... indeed truly impressive", praised Coran proudly. "But not too much of a surprise.""Because I'm awesome", grinned Lance cockily."Because on many planets, omegas are the first front of fighters", elaborated Allura kindly. "The only way to manipulate unmated alphas is with omegas. And in high stress situations, omegas are known as the flight-instinct-focus. A clearer, more rational mind than an alpha whose instinct it is to blindly attack and lash out when backed into a corner.""You.. shouldn't have taken such a risk", sighed Shiro, obviously forcing himself to be calm, reaching out to trace Lance's cheek again. "You didn't know if it'd work. It could have backfired. He could have... I don't... I saw what they did to alphas and betas, I can't imagine what they'd do to an omega. It's... I'm... proud of you that it worked, but... I can't imagine what... if it hadn't..."Lance whimpered softly and bared his neck to the Alpha to sooth him. "It worked, Shiro. That's what matters, right? I'm safe. I'm fine. I kicked ass."Shiro snorted, relaxing a little. "Yes, you did. You did very good. Very good. I'm proud of you. But... please, promise me not to try something so risky again while you're alone?"Lance took a step forward and leaned into Shiro's still raised hand, rubbing his cheek against it to sooth the still upset Alpha. Shiro was such a worrying mother-hen. It warmed Lance's heart."I promise, Alpha", whispered Lance reassuringly. "But now that I know it works...""Stop trying to give Shiro an aneurysm, kitten", growled Keith, flipping Lance's nose.Lance blushed brightly at the nickname and glared at the alpha. Shiro still insisted he'd get checked up by Coran, just to make sure the Galran alpha really hadn't hurt him. Stupid, worrying alphas. Stupid omega-ness for thoroughly enjoying the worrying and fussing of his alphas./break\"Is Lance coming too?", asked Keith, looking around the room."I doubt it", hummed Hunk with an amused grin. "He was practically dead on his feet when we finished training. I wouldn't be surprised if he's deep asleep in the shower..."Shiro sat with the bowl of red alien-popcorn nestled between his legs. They had spent the day with very intense training. Which was why they deserved a break right now. Allura was most excited; she had chosen today's movie. Smiling, she leaned over and grabbed the bowl from Shiro's lap. Pidge made a pleased sound at that and sat down next to Allura so she could also snatch some of the treat. Shiro frowned down at the empty spot between his legs; he had made that popcorn himself, how come his pack always stole his food? Coran was busy with the giant flat-screen and starting the movie, while Allura, Pidge and Hunk devoured the popcorn like starving people. They really had overdone it with training and no one found the energy to even as much as go to the dining hall. The door hissed open and there was the tapping of bare feet. Shiro smiled, happy that Lance had decided to join them after all. The smile slipped form his face to make room for a stunned expression.Lance was not wearing his clothes. He wasn't naked – though Shiro doubted if naked would have had a more overwhelming effect than this. No, Lance was wearing a way oversized black shirt with long sleeves. On Lance, the sleeves were so long, his fingers completely disappeared beneath them. It kept slipping off Lance's shoulder in a way that left shoulder and neck invitingly bare. It also reached a bit lower than mid-thigh, nearly looking like a dress on the other. This was not Lance's shirt; it was Shiro's. All of them had comfortable clothes stashed in the changing room in front of the common showers next to their gym. Lance must have grabbed one from the wrong shelf. He also must have grabbed the wrong sweat-pants, because the dark-red sweat-pants were definitely Keith's. And if not for the oversized shirt he was wearing, the sweat-pants would probably ride so low that they would be able to see Lance's hipbones. It pleased Shiro on a completely primal level to see his omega wearing his clothes and his mate's clothes. He had never seen something cuter than Lance in their clothes, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he patted closer to his team.Lance was positively dead on his feet. Hunk had been merciless – which, okay, was a relief because part of Lance had been afraid they'd treat him different now that they knew he was an omega. Then again, all of them had trained hard. But all Lance had wanted was to curl together and fall into like a coma. Sleep wouldn't do; too short. He would like a couple months or sleep, please. He knew why he was so much more exhausted than his teammates – his body was so busy getting the chemicals out that it burned enough energy on that, leaving less energy for training. As great as the urge to curl together and sleep for eight months straight was, the urge to seek out his pack and be with them and the safety his pack could provide by simply being there was stronger. He found them nearly on autopilot. His feet walked him all the way to the common area without him even thinking about it. He smiled sleepily when he entered the room that was flooded with his pack's scents – his senses were heightening, not dulled by suppressants anymore. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly looked around. Pidge, Allura and Hunk were devouring popcorn like it was the last food in the galaxy, Keith was leaning against Shiro on the other couch and Shiro – Shiro was sitting with his thighs spread and ankles crossed, leaving a big space between them. A Lance-sized space, supplied his brain. Before the rest of his brain could catch up with the primal omega-part of his brain did his body move.Shiro took in a sharp breath as all of a sudden, Lance walked straight up to him and then proceeded to curl together in Shiro's lap. Shiro's eyes widened and he completely froze up, one hand mid-way raised in a gesture he already forgot what it was supposed to be. All his brain and body could focus on was the omega curled together on his lap, cheek rubbing against Shiro's thigh as he got more comfortable, legs drawn up tightly against Lance's chest, feet resting on Shiro's other thigh, scent sweet and alluring. A happy smile spread over Lance's lips as he found the perfectly comfortable position to lay in, wiggling around one last time to be sure. Shiro couldn't comprehend that Lance could make himself that small – that he could fit into the space between his crossed legs like that.Shiro still hadn't moved, one arm awkwardly raised in what could have been supposed to be a greeting to Lance. Hunk stared at him in utter amusement, noting that their Alpha was even only breathing very shallow as though he tried not to startle Lance under any circumstances whatsoever. Pidge next to Hunk snickered in a nearly mean way. Then again, the two of them had a lot of fun thanks to Keith and Shiro being the most awkward alphas in the history of alpha and omega courting. It was so painfully obvious those two wanted to court Lance, but they tried to act all casual, most likely so they wouldn't chase Lance away. It was hilarious to watch."Shiro? Are you... still breathing?", asked Keith concerned, squinting at his mate."Y—Yeah", whispered Shiro very softly, still staring at Lance wide-eyed.His expression, taken out of context, would have easily been interpreted as 'Oh my god, I have a bomb laying on my lab and it will explode and tear me apart if I move'. Hunk joined Pidge's snickering. Allura looked mainly confused and a bit concerned as she tilted her head."Shiro? Are you alright? You look like you're having a... stroke?", inquired the princess."F—Fine", grunted Shiro, nodding just the slightest bit.His heart was hammering so hard against his ribs, he was sure it tried to break out. But Lance was so warm and soft and he really fit just perfectly into Shiro's lap, as though he was specifically made to lay in Shiro's lap and he looked so cute and content – until he wiggled his nose and pulled his eyebrows down. Oh god, he was uncomfortable. What had Shiro done to make him uncomfortable? How could he fix it again? How could he make the cute omega stay right where he was?"What's wrong, kotik?", asked Keith, voice calm and casual."Cold...", mumbled Lance displeased, wiggling his nose again.Shiro turned grateful eyes to his mate. Sure, he could be level-headed during battle, but this was different. He had never dealt with an omega before, especially not with one he wanted. He was a total mess, completely in over his head with his emotions. For once, he was grateful that Keith wasn't the overly emotional type. Sure, he let his emotions get the best of him sometimes too and he usually didn't know how to deal with them, but in moments like this, Keith somehow knew what to do. When Shiro's brain completely failed him, his mate didn't."There you go, that better?", asked Keith as he tugged the softest blanket over Lance's shoulder.But before Keith could pull back again, Lance grabbed his wrist and pulled him down, pulling Keith's arm against his chest until Keith was forced to lay down on Shiro's thighs, stuck behind Lance's back and against Shiro's stomach. Now Keith had a similarly stunned expression on his face as Shiro, which only made Hunk and Pidge laugh harder. Lance snuggled up against Keith and started purring rather loudly, the expression on his face completely serene and the omega deep asleep within seconds. Both alphas looked like they were in over their heads."Well, are we going to watch the movie now or not?", asked Coran a bit pointedly.Keith and Shiro slowly shook the stupor off and both carefully adjusted to be more comfortable. Keith wrapped his free arm around Lance's waist and pulled the omega closer against his chest, which increased the soothing purring sound that Lance made. Shiro leaned back against the backrest and finally took his arm down. He decided to reach out for Lance's hair, running his fingers through it in a barely noticeable motion, while his prosthetic arm came to lay over both Keith's and Lance's waists, curling over them in a protective manner. Shiro smiled gently as he watched how serene Lance looked in his sleep and how genuinely happy Keith looked as he too watched Lance.It wasn't just that Shiro wanted Lance, that he wanted to make Lance happy, he was also happy by how much Lance made Keith happy (even though Keith managed to normally cover it with annoyance and irritation). He knew, deep down, that real happiness laid between all three of them. That Shiro and Keith were willing to do anything to make Lance happy too. He just knew it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 4: Truth
Lance was going to die. A slow, painful death and nothing could stop that. He groaned loudly."...You're such a drama queen, Lance", snorted Pidge and rolled her eyes."I fell asleep! On Shiro's lap! Cuddling Keith like he's a giant stuffed toy!", exclaimed Lance frustrated, face dark-red. "A—And I was wearing their clothes. I want to die from embarrassment.""Dude, it's not that bad", assured Hunk, patting Lance's back.Lance huffed and glared up at the broad alpha. Lance had woken up this morning in his bed, wearing Shiro's shirt and Keith's pants. When he had found his way into the kitchen, Pidge and Hunk had already been there and had gladly informed Lance of what had happened after training yesterday. Honestly, Lance couldn't really remember. He just remembered having been utterly exhausted and then finding a warm, comfortable place to sleep in. That place, apparently, had been Shiro's lap. Lance's ears turned a red to match his cheeks. This was so humiliating. How was any of this not that bad? Not to mention, Lance was still wearing their clothes. Mainly so because he had been tired, hungry and confused when he woke up and just headed to the kitchen, where he had only realized his current attire after Hunk and Pidge had retold last night's events."Wait. How did I get to my bed?", asked Lance confused, looking up at them.Pidge and Hunk exchanged shit-eating grins before Pidge scrambled to answer. "What do you think? Shiro carried you. And I'm pretty sure I saw Keith tucking you in."Lance groaned loudly and sank down lower in his chair, hiding his face in his arms. How was this his life? He blushed brightly as he buried his nose in the collar of Shiro's shirt, inhaling that amazingly calming and soothing scent-mixture of Shiro and Keith. Considering the two were mates, all of their clothes also smelt like the other – and Lance loved that mixed scent. Not to mention the intense feeling of pleasure flooding his body. Not entirely sexual pleasure, but a very primal one. His alphas – not just two alphas from his pack, but the two alphas he liked – had tended to him, had protected him when he had been too tired to even comprehend what was happening around him."Lance. How are you feeling today?", asked Allura kindly as she entered the kitchen."You were exceptionally tired last night", agreed Coran, caressing his mustache thoughtfully."I'm fine", groaned Lance, waving a dismissive hand. "Just my body catching up with having disposed of all the chemicals and stuff. And then add Allura's killer-training in and out I go. I still need to get... used to this. To my... omega-body. It's still weird and off, I guess.""But you're okay with it?"Lance stiffened a little and turned to look at Shiro as him and Keith entered the kitchen together. Instantly, Lance blushed brightly at the thought of how much he had embarrassed himself last night. Not to mention the fact that he was still wearing their clothes. Really, the one time Lance would need the Galra to attack their ship and wreck havoc to release him from this situation and they failed. So typical. Before Lance could bury his face in his arms again did they approach him."I—I'm fine with it", nodded Lance sharply, awkwardly. "I need to get used to it, but... I want to get used to it. Those instincts are crazy. That what happened with that Galran alpha wasn't just a coincident, that I can react like that even in training? Woah."He had such a proud and happy grin on his lips at that, because yeah – it really was woah. For so long, Lance had felt so... useless. Like the least valuable member on the team, while all the alphas in their team brought something special into it and he was just dragging them down without really helping them too much. With this? This completely new and different view on everything – maybe he could actually be very useful like this. He blushed furiously as Keith casually ran his fingers through Lance's hair in passing, a very tender and nearly natural motion."Yeah, but you should tell us when training becomes too much like that", chided Shiro concerned as he sat down on one of Lance's side. "You didn't even react anymore by the time the movie ended. I was very worried. That shouldn't happen. What if the Galra attack after training and you're completely out of commission? That's not an option, Lance. You know we need you."Lance knew Shiro meant 'need you to form Voltron', but he couldn't fight the warm feeling bubbling up in his chest. By the stars, how much he craved to be needed, to be valuable. Keith sat down on Lance's other side, the hand still caressing Lance's hair. Part of Lance wanted to lean into the touch and crawl into Keith's lap to curl together on it and bare his stomach so those fingers could do what they were doing to his hair also on his belly. Which was so not going to happen./break\Keith frowned annoyed as he watched Lance. How was the Latino that awkward? Lance was standing in the doorway, looking around the common area longingly, decidedly avoiding Keith."What's the problem, kotik?", asked Keith with a slightly sharp edge."I...", started Lance, shuffling his feet a bit. "...Wanted cuddles..."Ouch. Keith felt like he had been slapped. Lance wanted cuddles, but not from him. He kept looking around because he wanted Hunk or Pidge or Shiro or maybe even Allura or Coran here. Not Keith. Fuck that, being slapped stung far less than this. Keith glared at his hands on his thighs."So I'm not pack?", asked Keith with a slight snarl to his voice."W—What?", asked Lance high-pitched, jumping a little into the air."You want cuddles from your pack, but not from me", muttered Keith resigned.Lance gulped and looked like prey cornered by a predator. And was that it? Keith sighed, not even feeling frustrated anymore, just kind of empty. Was that really it? Lance was afraid of him. Didn't like him. Shiro – and the rest of the pack – with them he got along, but Keith was a problem?"Y—You're not... a cuddler", muttered Lance with a frown. "You used to sit at like the outer edge of the couch. And you don't even like me! W—Why would you-""Stop saying that I don't like you, you moron!", exclaimed Keith, fight coming back to him. "You're the one who decided that I'm your rival! You're the one who decided that I don't like you and you don't like me! I never said that! I never said that I don't like you, or that you're my rival!""...So you... don't don't like?", asked Lance in a small, surprised voice.Keith groaned frustrated and rolled his eyes. "Of course I like you. We're... We're pack. A team. We're... friends." Keith paused to take a deep breath. "I've been packless for too long, I don't really know how to... integrate into a pack. So if I'm not doing that right and not giving you the feeling that I want to be in a pack with you, then... then I'm sorry, okay? But I want to be. Part of this pack. With all of you guys, including you. But if you can't... accept me..."Lance made a high-pitched keening sound and before the omega could fully comprehend what he was doing did he find himself sitting on Keith's lap, pushing his head against Keith's chest, up his throat to rest under his chin. For a very, very, very long moment, there was nothing but silence. Lance frowned frustrated and confused, keeping his head tugged under Keith's chin."Of course you're part of the pack", muttered Lance awkwardly. "But... I'm... I'm still new to this omega-thing and the pack Omega thing even more. And you're the Alpha's mate. Half the time, I'm afraid you're gonna see me as like... a threat. And the other half of the time, I think about how much we edge on all the time – and okay, so maybe I am the one to be blamed for that, but... I'm trying too, okay? I can't do more than try. I'm... I'm sorry if I hurt you with that."Keith blinked slowly and lifted his arms to wrap them around Lance, pulling the omega closer and burying his nose in the soft, brown hair, inhaling that blueberry cinnamon scent. It was a weird mixture and shouldn't work, but for Lance it definitely did. The scent instantly relaxed Keith and made him go practically lax, leaning back more and tugging the omega closer."It's okay", whispered Keith. "Maybe... Maybe we both just have to try harder? That okay?""...Okay", nodded Lance, curling together more comfortably. "Now shut up before you make this any more awkward than it already is, stupid mullet head."Keith snorted but kept any kind of retort to himself – because he had his irritating, stupid omega cuddled up against him and literally the only thing that could make this better would be Shiro.Lance had similar thoughts. He had this stupid, irritating alpha cuddling him and thinking completely dumb stuff. Lance wasn't avoiding him because he didn't consider Keith pack – he would have avoided Shiro just as much, because he wanted more than just platonic pack-cuddles from them. He wanted them, so those platonic-cuddles were kind of weird to him. But he also enjoyed them, because Keith smelt nice and felt nice and could actually also be nice. Though like Keith, Lance was also missing Shiro, because everything would be so much better with them both./break\Everything was going to hell, fast. They had been attacked by the Galra, overpowered by one of Haggar's RoBeasts. They had taken too many too hard hits – not just Voltron and the Paladins but also the palace. It was heavily damaged, the healing pots were out of commission and they barely managed a random jump without any kind of determined destination."S—Shiro, please be alright?", cooed Lance, nudging Shiro's face with his own.Without the healing pots, they barely had their first aid kits to stitch them together, but Shiro especially had taken too many hits. They suspected a concussion. He was bleeding badly and kept passing out. Keith had a nastily broken arm and was propped up on Shiro's other side, trying to keep Shiro awake together with Lance. Pidge had three broken fingers and a black eye (and her glasses were broken from the same hit against the console). The only one mostly unhurt was Hunk, who was helping Coran in taking care of the others. Lance had a sprained ankle, but he didn't care. His pack was hurt. His pack was hurt and there was nothing he could do about it."Oh dear, that is... not good", sighed Allura concerned."What?", asked Keith with gritted teeth, staring out at the planet they were heading toward. "Is it not inhabited, or what? Even if so, we'd at least get to do some repairs.""The planet is inhabited, but... they will not help us", stated Allura, worry lacing her words."What? Why wouldn't they help us. We're Voltron", huffed Pidge confused. "What planet is that?""Horus Kappa", replied Allura solemnly. "We're in the Alpha Ra solar system. They have never cared about the affairs of others and they are... not fond of those not from their solar system.""In the Alpha Ra solar system, the planets only trust their own alliance. They have a deeply seated distaste for races from other planets, from other solar systems", continued Coran, twirling his mustache in worry. "The Horans will most likely not accept us even landing on their planet.""But we have to try!", growled Keith, eyes trained on Shiro's pale, sweaty forehead."Of course, Keith", assured Allura, fidgeting with her hands. "But I remember from my father, the tales of the Alpha Ra Alliance. They have always sneered down at Alteans...""Well, that was ten thousand years ago, surely they changed", argued Hunk upset.Lance snorted beneath his breath before closing his eyes. Fate was cruel. Horus Kappa."We're going to land in Car'Tar in a few clicks", announced Allura solemnly. "Please, do stay back and let me try talking to them. Your race is so young... they will not take kindly to you."Keith grumbled and nodded sharply. Anything to get his Shiro fixed again. Seeing the Alpha so pained, completely out of it, it hurt far more than the broken arm. Though Keith would also like that taken care of. His eyes found Lance's swollen ankle, then Pidge's bandaged hand. They all could use some medical help. Surely those Horans wouldn't just send them away, right?"Stay back. Don't speak", ordered Allura as she straightened her posture. "Come."Hunk and Coran co-carried Shiro, while Keith took Lance's arm to lay it around his shoulders. The omega looked surprised and embarrassed, but he accepted the help and leaned against Keith. When they exited the ship, they were stunned by how breathtaking it was. And not just that. The beautiful city looked like ancient Egypt – there were even Pyramids at the horizon – but at the same time, it all looked highly modern. The aliens looked strange, with bird-like heads and colorful feathers. There was a commotion and only moments later did armed guards surround the team."What do you think you're doing here?", snarled one of the guards, pointing what looked like a spear at Allura. "Filthy Alteans have not dared to enter the glorious Ra Empire in millennia.""Please, we need help. We were attacked, our ship was badly damaged", requested Allura."You will take your badly damaged ship and leave now", barked the alien. "Or not leave at all."His feathers were ruffled and his beak gleamed dangerously. The other guards closed in as the leader pushed Allura back. Keith snarled and moved forward, Hunk too growled at that. They were going to get into even more trouble. They were not just being kicked off the planet; if Keith and Hunk didn't control themselves, they would be far deeper in. Lance's heart hammered against his chest in a painful way and breathing hurt a little. Shiro looked even worse. He needed medical attention. And their ship needed to be fixed. In their current condition, they would never make it to the next galaxy to get help. They needed help now. And Lance knew how to get it."Put your weapon down!", barked Lance, straightening his back and pushing off from Keith.His ankle still hurt a lot, but the adrenaline and fear kept him upright. When the guard turned to point the weapon at him for speaking out of line, Keith grabbed Lance's arm tightly and glared."Are you crazy?", hissed Keith on edge, grip on him tightening."Who do you think you are, to talk to me like that", growled the Horan darkly."I'm...", started Lance, voice wavering a little so he turned to look at Shiro and Keith and Pidge and how they were injured and needed help. "I'm Lan'Zeroth of the Ma'Ahes clan of Bast Beta Tau."He gulped hard as he closed his eyes for a moment. He could hear the strangled and surprised gasps from his friends and how some of the guards shuffled around, most likely lowering their weapons."A Bastet?", asked the head-guard and took a step back, snarl still on his face. "An omega Bastet? Where is your alpha? What are you doing here on your own?"Lance's tongue darted out to wet his lips and he lowered his gaze to stare at the alpha Horan's feet as he felt the lie fall into place in his mind. "I'm expected by my alpha for our mating ceremony. We were attacked and my... dowry got... damaged. My alpha will not be pleased by that. You would not wish for him to be upset because your people refused to aid his unprotected omega.""Why are you unprotected, omega?", asked the Horan, still suspicious."As I said, we were attacked. My guards did not... survive", stated Lance calmly.The guards had an exchange and the next moment, the team was escorted to one of the pyramids./break\They were in a hospital room in the pyramid. They had been taken care of, patched up and locked in here for security reasons. Keith felt physically better – it wasn't like the healing pots on the castle, but their meds sped up the healing process. Keith hadn't really noticed any of the actual healing. His eyes were glued to Lance the entire time, ever since the stupid omega had decided to step forward and back-talk against the armed dangerous bird-headed aliens. And then Lance had said some stuff that didn't make sense and then... Lance had turned blue. Not figuratively because he had put his foot in his mouth again, but literally. Short, blue, shiny fur started covering his whole body, his hair turned a dark sapphire-blue, two triangular ears poking out from between the hair. And now that they were in the med bay and out of their armor, Keith also got to see an at least a meter long blue tail that turned lighter in color until the tip was actually snowy-white. There were strange dark-blue patterns all over Lance's fur. Keith was still trying to comprehend. It wasn't working."Is this like a holographic disguise?", asked Hunk once the doctors were finally all out.They were aware that guards were posted outside, but right now it was just them. Lance averted his eyes, staring at his clawed hands and fidgeting. The silence was not a welcomed one, it was tense."It's not, is it?", asked Keith lowly. "You... You are a... whatever it is he called you.""A Bastet", whispered Lance softly, nodding a little."...That's it", concluded Pidge, tilting her head. "That's the thing you were hiding.""But why? I mean, Coran and Allura are aliens too and we're totally fine with them", argued Hunk."We wouldn't... judge you for being an alien", whispered Keith and reached out for Lance.Keith was sitting on Shiro's bed, the Alpha still knocked out but at least not as pale and sweating anymore. Lance sat on the bed next to them, but he visibly shied away when Keith reached out for him. Lance wrapped his arms around his torso and pulled his legs up, tail wrapping around his body. He was ridiculously pretty, the blue catboy. Keith wanted to run his fingers through the fur to feel if it was soft, he wanted to play with the long bushy tail and he wanted to make Lance stop looking so broken and guilty. He wanted for Shiro to wake up, because Shiro was so much better at talking. He would know what to say to make their pack-mate feel better. Make their omega feel better."It's not about you", whispered Lance, shaking his head. "It's never been about you. It's about me.""What does that even mean?", grunted Hunk confused. "Wait. What you said to the guard, was that like your real actual name and stuff? What did that mean?"Lance looked up at them, lips caught between sharper teeth. "My name's Lan'Zeroth. Lance is what they started calling me on Earth, after abuela took me in. I'm a Bastet, an... alien, from the planet Bast Beta Tau from the Alpha Ra solar system. My... home planet is the neighboring planet to Horus Kappa. That's why the guard accepted my claims; they respect the Bastet.""You said before, that you do not want to talk about your secret because it... pains you to think about it", stated Allura, keeping her voice soft and gentle.Lance shook himself and the next moment, the fur, ears and tail were gone and he looked like their regular human Lance again."Yes. I... I like being human. I like humans. I love Earth. I... I don't want to be a Bastet. I don't want to remember that... place... a—and those people." A sob wrecked his body as he buried his face in his knees. "As long as you didn't know, I was just... another human to you. With you guys, it was real because you didn't know it wasn't. Now you know and it... it... it feels like it... becomes real again. I don't want it to be real."Keith climbed out of the bed and crawled onto Lance's so he could pull the omega into a tight hug, gently caressing his sides and resting his chin on Lance's shoulder. "It's alright. It's alright, Lance.""It's not", sighed Coran and shook his head, earning himself a look from the Paladins. "The Alpha Ra solar system, they are known for their traditions. But this is not a conversation for here or now.""C—Coran is right", whispered Lance, breathing deeply to calm himself down. "W—We need to move. As fast as possible. We need to get out of here.""Why?", asked Pidge worried."Because they're going to check what I said", replied Lance and sat up some. "We need to get out of here and leave the planet before they come back.""Why?", asked Keith with a little more pressing.Coran and Hunk were already busy trying to wake up Shiro and see – hope – that the Alpha could walk on his own. Otherwise, the escape would be very, very hard. Pidge went to get another dose of the drug they had given the team to give it to Shiro and speed up his healing some more."Because what I said was the truth. I am Lan'Zeroth of the Ma'Ahes clan. And I've been missing for over five years. If they check, they'll realize that and they'll... send me back", whispered Lance, eyes dull at the mere notion. "I can't go back. Not to my family, not to... the alpha waiting for me.""We're getting out of here now", growled Keith, not even wanting to think about that.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 5: Heritage
Shiro was pretty sure that his injury must have been worse than everyone was telling him, or the drugs they had given him were far stronger than anyone could have anticipated, because he was hallucinating. There was a gorgeous, gorgeous blue catboy looking like Lance sitting perched up on Lance's chair as they fled in the castle, making their way as far away from what Allura had called the Alpha Ra Solar System. Shiro was a bit fuzzy on the details. Of everything."Can you say that again? Slower? Please?", requested Shiro with a confused look.Keith sat perched on Shiro's thigh, fussing. The other alpha might not be the most physically affectionate, but near death experiences of those he loved did make him very possessive and protective. Shiro had dared to nearly die and Keith was not going to leave him out of sight any time soon. The gorgeous blue catboy kept glancing at them."I'm an alien", offered Lance uncomfortably. "My name is Lan'Zeroth of the Ma'Ahes clan from the planet Bast Beta Tau. That's in the solar system we're currently fleeing from. We were attacked, you were hurt real badly. I could... smell it. I mean, at first I was just generally freaked out, but when I shifted, I could literally smell the grasp of death on you. But... the planets of the Alpha Ra Alliance are not... visitor friendly. At best, they'd have kicked us out, which they tried, and at worst, they'd have us executed for breaching their planet's borders. They... only listen to those from their alliance. And Bast Beta Tau is part of that alliance. So... I... gave up my disguise to get you medical care.""You're so pretty", whispered Shiro in awe as he stared at Lance. "Pretty blue kitty...""...Maybe I should have given him less of that drug", mused Pidge concerned.Lance blushed a dark purple and ducked his head, ears flickering a little while Shiro tilted his head and reached a hand out for Lance. "Can I pet the pretty kitty, Keith?""Okay, I think Shiro has left the conversation", declared Hunk amused but also concerned.Keith sighed and nodded, tugging his head under Shiro's chin. "I'll fill him in later.""We need to talk about this. In detail, Lance", stated Allura firmly. "Once we're out of here."Lance twitched, but he nodded. His eyes were fixed on a planet that was slowly fading into the distance and Keith guessed that it must be Lance's home planet. What an odd thought./break\Keith felt on edge, worried but also amused and slightly happy. Which was an odd mixture to him. But after they had fled far enough to land safely and finish the repairs they had started before taking off, the team gathered in the common area to talk and hear some more about Lance's past. Shiro was a bit more himself now, but still a little beside himself. Keith sat on one of Shiro's sides while Lance was sitting on his other side. Shiro was smiling happily as he was running a hand through Lance's sapphire-blue hair and along the blue-furred cat-like ears, getting to pet the 'pretty kitty'. Lance looked utterly embarrassed but also like he was enjoying himself, purring gently and leaning into the touch. Hunk, Pidge and Allura sat on the other couch, while Coran paced nervously. He definitely knew something the others didn't – and it wasn't something good. Lance's long fluffy tail laid over Shiro's lap and tickled Keith's side, as though it was protectively wrapped around them."Lance", whispered Keith gently but urgently. "Please. Explain to us what... what happened. How did you end up on Earth? What did you mean when we left? About an alpha waiting for you?""...I was promised to an alpha when I fled", admitted Lance.Everyone was staring at him in utter anticipation. Shiro frowned displeased and grabbed Lance by the hips and pulled him up onto his lap. Lance yelped a little as the Alpha wrapped his arms possessively around Lance and tugged the omega's head under his chin. Lance flicked his ears confused, fluffy tail curling tightly around Keith's waist."What did he do? Why did you flee?", asked Shiro grumpily, hugging Lance tightly.Well, for being drugged out of his mind, Shiro seemed clear enough to notice that something was bothering Lance, that someone had hurt Lance. And the alpha did not approve. Hence the tight cuddling. Keith smiled just a little because his mate looked adorable with the serious frown on his face and the blue catboy curled together against his chest. Gently, Keith reached out to caress the long, soft fur of Lance's tail, tracing the fascinating swirls and dots on the cyan-blue tail."Please, bro", requested Hunk worried. "You can tell us. We now know that you're an omega and that you're an alien. But... But there's more. And I think you should tell us.""Yeah. No kidding. We can't protect you properly if we don't know the full truth", agreed Pidge.Lance's large cat-ears twitched as he peeked out from beneath Shiro to look at his worried team and pack mates. "I... On my planet, omegas are a means for pleasure and breeding and really not much more. Arm-candy. You're considered hopeless and a disgrace if you're twenty and unmated. Sixteen is the official mating age since that is when omegas go into their first heat. It's tradition that matings are arranged years ahead. Sometimes even already at birth. So... it's not unusual that you meet your future mate as a child already. To get used to each other. I guess that's better than just being thrown at a total stranger when you go into your first heat.""And... the alpha you mentioned was... an arranged mating?", asked Keith carefully."What about your family?", asked Pidge with a frown, fidgeting with her glasses.Lance snorted a little and averted his eyes in frustration as Coran sighed softly. "You said you're from the Ma'Ahes clan, right Lance? That's... one of the most prestigious clans of Bast Beta Tau. The Ma'Ahes, the De'Dun, the Ap'Ade'Mak, the Men'Hit and the Pak'Het. The five ruling clans.""So you're like royalty?", asked Hunk stunned and wide-eyed."Not really. Kind of. Depends", shrugged Lance awkwardly. "I mean, I'm an omega. Unmated at that. So... essentially worthless anyway. But my blood is valuable. So... I was... supposed to be mated off to the head of the Men'Hit clan. Kon'Seth.""Wait. But you're like seventeen now. How... Uh. I mean, that means you were like young when you left, right? And the head of a clan sounds kinda... old?", asked Hunk confused."He was", agreed Lance thoughtful. "I was twelve when I first met him. He had just lost his mate and four years sounded like a good grieving phase, or so mother said. I should get to know him, get used to the mansion and the staff and all. It made sense to me. It wasn't unusual." Lance paused a little and snuggled more up to Shiro, tickling Keith a little with the tip of his tail. "He was nice enough. Very polite. Friendly. Bought me books and toys. Even entertained my obsession with Earth." His human team mates perked up at that with curiosity, making Lance smile a little. "The Alpha Ra Alliance used to... visit Earth. It's where your ancient cultures got their gods from. Horus. Bastet. Ra. Our planets aren't named after your gods; your gods are named after our planets. I always liked the tales of the humans, while it was mostly frowned upon. Humans are seen as inferior, weak, dumb, underdeveloped. They're used as a bad example in classes.""I feel like you're trying to change the subject, kotik", whispered Keith gently. "Kon'Seth.""...He was nice at first. There was a lot of hugging and pats on the back. And... they... increased with time. He started touching me more and more. And... then his touches got less friendly and less... innocent", admitted Lance embarrassed, claws digging into Shiro's shirt as he made himself smaller. "Abuela called them good touches and bad touches. I just knew that it wasn't right, because it were places that should only be touched by our mates after our mating. I'm not stupid. I realized that... his last mate had died briefly after the mating. And it hadn't been his first mate either. Kon'Seth has had a couple mates before me and they all... I researched, dug around his mansion. They all died. They all died from some kind of strange accidents or such. I panicked. I grew afraid, that all he wanted was... illegal. He wanted fun with an omega who was too young to be mated, using the courting phase as a guise to be alone with the omega. And after the matebond is sealed, the omegas that were now too old for his taste were just... well, he just got rid of them. I was so afraid. He was going to do things to me that I didn't just not want but was also far too young and, uh, underdeveloped for. I went to my mother. Pleaded with her. The way she looked past me, didn't look me in the eye, didn't flinch... I realized she knew. All along. Well, I mean, if a twelve years old brat could figure out what had happened with Kon'Seth's mates, then adults would too. I... I realized that my life was only worth what name and money I could be mated into. The dowry. That's what my life was worth to my mother."He sounded bitter and sad, hiding his face in Shiro's shoulder and tugging Keith closer with the help of his tail – startling Keith, because that tail was strong. Keith however was more than willing to obey and lean against Shiro so he could also wrap his arms protectively around Lance. He gently leaned his forehead against Lance's, feeling the soft fur against his skin. They had a short moment of comfort, but then Allura, Coran, Hunk and Pidge squeezed in from either side. Lance flushed as he suddenly found himself at the center of a puppy-pile. He had ever only done those with his Earth siblings and family before. It was oddly... heart-warming."How... did you end up on Earth?", asked Hunk, voice shakily."I didn't want to stay. I was too afraid and... I didn't feel like... anyone really cared anyway. I was pretty small and scrawny as a kid, so I managed to sneak onto a cargo ship undetected", explained Lance softly. "I left the next harbor, snuck onto the next ship and so on. Until, at one point, I... stole a life boat and decided to make my own path. I don't know, I think maybe... maybe it was Azul calling to me, but... I crash-landed on Earth, in a field. When I woke up, my abuela was the first thing I saw." Lance paused, with a gentle smile on his lips. "She was so kind to me, even though I was a blue catboy. She wasn't afraid. I asked her why she wasn't afraid and she asked me why she should be afraid, because all she saw... was a sad little boy. I was at the McClain farm, owned by my grandparents and their two daughters. One of abuela's daughters already had five children – Elaine, Gareth, Percival, Vivian and Jennifer. Jenny is... only a little younger than me. And they all just... they accepted me, took me in. Allowed me to... to become part of their family. Mama and abuela and Elaine, they tried really hard to teach me that... that... omegas are worth more on Earth than they are on Bast Beta Tau. That I wasn't defined by being an omega. They taught me... what it means to be a family. That... That it doesn't mean to be groomed into some perfect little omega to please an alpha one day. That it was about playing and having fun and laughing together..." Lance hiccuped a little, burying his nose in Keith's fluffy hair. "I love them so much. But I... I enjoyed flying, when I was on the run and found Earth, I loved seeing the universe, I loved flying. I wanted to become a pilot and mama and papa encouraged me and sent me to the Garrison. I... liked it there, because everyone was on suppressants and treated equally and no one knew I was an alien. For the very first time, I felt like I really was a human. It started feeling so much more... real. That's why I didn't want to tell you, because... because I thought that as long as you didn't know I was a Bastet, that you thought I was human, it... it could be... real. For just a little longer.""Lance, it doesn't change anything for us that you're an alien", promised Pidge, hugging him tightly."We won't allow this Kon'Seth or anyone to try and take you away from us", promised Keith with a growl to his voice as he too clung tightly onto Lance. "It doesn't matter what you are. You're a Paladin of Voltron and you're part of our pack.""Yeah, bro, totally", agreed Hunk, a sobbing mess himself. "We won't let anyone hurt you.""You're our Lance", hummed Shiro, chin on Lance's head. "We love you, Lance. Human or kitten. Voltron needs its sharpshooter and we need our Lance.""They're right, Lance", whispered Allura gently, caressing Lance's ear. "You are very strong. You lived through all of that and you found your place to belong. With us.""We will never allow them to take you away, my boy", assured Coran.Lance's dam broke and he started sobbing and crying uncontrollably, surrounded by the comfort of his pack who accepted him and loved him and didn't want him gone. Who would care if something happened to him, not like his biological family. His pack loved him. And he loved them.For the following half hour or so, the team just remained curled together, comforting each other until tears were dry and tempers were cooled down. There was clear murderous intent in Keith's eyes and Allura knew that the hot-headed alpha was ready to take his lion back to Alpha Ra to track down Kon'Seth and end the bastard with his bare hands. It was probably a good thing that Lance was right now requiring comfort, because the need to make Lance stop cry and hold him outweighed the need to go and maim an alpha. Hunk and Lance were crying the hardest, though even Pidge spotted some went streaks running down her cheeks."How... I mean... How do you do the... turning into a human part?", asked Pidge curiously and softly once everyone was calmed down a little and settling more comfortably."Well, you know Alteans can alter their body to accommodate a little? We're... a little farther evolved than that. We can completely blend into any species", replied Lance.Lance blinked and the next second, he looked like an Altean. Pretty much like his human-form, only with the longer, pointy ears and with two glowing-blue triangles underneath his eyes. His brown hair seemed to have gained volume too. Keith blinked and tilted his head intrigued. Lance blinked again and the next second, there was a rather petite Galra sitting perched up on Shiro's lap, startling them. When Lance saw Shiro flinch a little, he realized that maybe that had been a bad choice, so he blinked again – and the next moment, Shiro had an adorable adolescent lion sitting on his lap, fur a soft brown and mane the color of Lance's human hair."Wow. So that actually works for every species", whispered Pidge scientifically intrigued.A moment later and human Lance was sitting on Shiro's lap. "Yeah. It does. So... you're... really all alright with me being an alien and keeping it from you guys...?""Why, my boy, we're aliens too", laughed Coran good-heartedly.Lance offered a small smile as Shiro's grip on him tightened. "We love you, Lance. Whatever race you are, you're still our Lance. And besides, we knew you were hiding something. You told us and we told you we'd respect that you didn't wish to tell us and we do and we love you..."Shiro practically completely engulfed Lance with all of his body, hugging him as close as possible. Lance wasn't really sure if drugged Shiro made him uncomfortable or happy... or both. He could definitely get used to hearing Shiro say the words 'love you'. Keith snorted amused as he snuck under one of Shiro's arms to get in on the hug. Lance flushed as now Keith pulled him up against the Red Paladin while Shiro had them both wrapped in his protective, tight hug."If you want to be human, we respect that. You can... keep whatever form you want", assured Keith softly as he rubbed circles on Lance's back. "And we'll never fly close to Alpha Ra again."Lance let his eyes flutter close as he snuggled up to the safety and comfort of Shiro and Keith. "...But can I... still pet the pretty kitty though, Lance?"Blinking slowly, Lance looked up at Shiro – and holy hell, Shiro had the most convincing puppy-dog eyes possible. Flushing furiously, Lance reluctantly turned back to his true form. And if he was really very honest, he actually enjoyed and had missed his own body."You don't have to shift", argued Keith concerned. "Not if you don't want. Shiro doesn't mean it. He's drugged out of his damn mind thanks to Pidge.""I take full responsibility and will remember the dosagee for later usage", chirped Pidge in."No. It's not...", drawled Lance and shifted a little, twitching his ear. "...I... I kind of... missed it. My senses are so much sharper. And I... I really missed my tail. I forgot how much. It's... strange, missing a limb like that. I adjusted to living without it, but... I really missed it. It's... It's my race I hate. Not my own body. Not really, at least. I missed the warmth of my fur, because humans are so naked and cold all the time. I missed my ears and my tail."He flickered said tail a little, using the tip to tickle Keith's nose. It made the Red Paladin smile a bit./break\Shiro groaned for what felt like the one hundredth time. He was in his and Keith's room. They had escaped from Horus Kappa two days ago, the repairs on the lions and the castle were nearly finished and about two hours ago, the meds had worn off completely, leaving Shiro clear-minded and ready to be filled in by Keith. Granted, Shiro remembered most of what had happened and been said, it was just fuzzy and felt more unreal. Especially the blue catboy. Shiro had been so sure he had hallucinated that one. No. Apparently, Lance really was a blue alien catboy. And Shiro had called him a 'pretty kitty' and asked to please pet him. Repeatedly. Shiro's face was dark-red."If it's any consolation, I think he liked the nickname", offered Keith casually from where he sat next to the bed and watched his mate have a mental meltdown. "Though all of this does explain why he freaked out so much when I started calling him kitten. He must have thought I got behind his secret. Though he really is a pretty kitty. Very pretty kitty.""Keith?", asked Shiro desperately. "Please stop talking? You only make things worse."Keith snorted amused and rolled his eyes fondly. It was nice to watch Shiro break down like that. Kind of adorable, really. Though Keith had to agree with Pidge, they should keep the drug at hand because drugged up Shiro had been wildly entertaining. Not to mention, that drug had worked wonders. Shiro was already up and healed again, faster and more effectively than in the pods. And on top of that, they had gotten free entertainment out of this."We should court him", said Keith, this time more seriously."That has been the plan for weeks now", grunted Shiro, still staring at the ceiling."No. I mean, we should start courting him now", clarified Keith with a shake of his head. "I know you don't really remember the whole conversation, but... you should have seen that pure anguish and fear in his eyes when he talked about that bastard alpha and about his shitty mother who didn't care if her son died or not. He spent all of his childhood being raised to be some proper, prim arm-candy omega who'd never get a choice in what alpha to be with. I don't want that. I want him to be happy. With us. I want us to show him that he has a choice and that if he'd allow us, we'd make him as happy as humanly possible. I absolutely hated that he went to his own room last night. I wanted to take him with us and have him curled up between us, where we can hold him and protect him. I didn't want to let him go. I didn't want to leave him alone."Shiro blinked a bit sluggishly and looked over at Keith, who looked genuinely upset. "Okay.""Okay?", echoed Keith and perked up."I think... I think that at this point, Lance knows he can trust us. All of us. Our team, our pack. I think he is more comfortable with his omega-nature by now and he has been embracing his role as our pack Omega more. He opened up enough to tell us about his past. All of those things were the reasons why we waited, weren't they? So... okay. Let's start courting our omega."The smile Keith offered him at that was downright blinding and Shiro found himself smiling in return at that. Keith got up from his chair and walked over to crawl into the bed right next to Shiro, worming his way under one of Shiro's arms to rest against the other alpha's chest. Keith was even growling a little in pleasure as Shiro started caressing his neck."I want our omega with us", muttered Keith softly against Shiro's neck."Me too, Kei", assured Shiro gently, hugging Keith closer. "We'll never let anyone hurt him like that again. We won't allow some... disgusting pervert to take Lance away from us. We'll court him and mate him and protect him, Keith. He'll be safe and he'll be with us."Keith hummed contently at that, small smile on his lips as he curled together tighter against his mate, drifting off into a dream where Lance would be curled together with them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 6: Courting
Lance was kind of confused when he entered the kitchen the next morning. Coran, Allura, Hunk and Pidge looked somewhere between fond, amused and frustrated as they sat in front of space-goo. The kitchen looked kind of singed? Keith and Shiro definitely looked singed. And whatever it was they had on that plate between them was burned beyond recognition."Why... Why didn't you wait? I would have made breakfast?", asked Lance a little panicky.The mated alphas had never made food before. In the past few weeks, Lance had taken over making breakfast. But now Shiro and Keith had gone through the trouble of making it, before Lance was awake. Did they not want him to provide for the pack anymore? Did they not... not want him as the pack Omega anymore, now that they knew what he was? Were they trying to carefully cut him out, instead of flat-out telling him? Would they kick him out of the pack too? Was it because he was an alien, or did they just not want a pack Omega who had abandoned and turned his back on his intended alpha? That was one of the worst things an omega could do. They didn't want someone disloyal. He knew he was a bad omega. Omegas should never turn against their alphas. Were they afraid he would turn on them too? Lance's heart clenched at those thoughts."They were already making breakfast when I woke up. I asked them why they were 'cooking' too, but they said they needed it to be done before you woke up", laughed Hunk with a grin."Lance? Are you okay?", asked Pidge worried, grabbing his arm."I—I... yes?", tried Lance confused, blinking away the tears that were building up at the muddled thoughts in his head. "I just... I just... Why are you taking my pack Omega duty away from me?"He looked at Shiro and Keith with such large, heartbroken eyes, it confused everyone present. Keith blinked stunned as he brushed his still slightly smoking hair back, while looking up at Shiro."I... uh... what?", was all Shiro could string together, maybe because of the smoke-inhalation.Lance hunched his shoulders a little, feeling very small as his insecurities ate away on him. They had been doing so since the team had left Horus Kappa, if he was being honest. His past had been haunting him, nightmares and darkness and self-blame. All the things his mother had said, as Lance had pleaded with her to not mate him off to Kon'Seth. A good omega stayed loyal to their pack and even more so to their alpha. Lance had turned his back on both and decided to run away. He wasn't a good omega. Why would they want an omega like him on their pack...? That nasty little voice that sounded far too much like his mother whispering that he wasn't good enough for them and that everything he had told them yesterday would just be too much after all."I've been making breakfast", whispered Lance nearly timidly. "Was it too much what I said yesterday? Don't... you want me to be pack Omega anymore...?""Well, that literally couldn't have taken a worse turn even if Shiro and Keith actively tried", stated Pidge as she blinked surprised at Lance. "Like the food isn't bad enough as it is, but this?"Hunk had been the only one to ever cook, and only out of necessity and lack of omega too, so if Shiro and Keith hurried so much to get the cooking done before the pack Omega could, why else would they do that if not to tell the omega that he wasn't wanted or needed as the pack Omega."No, no, no", groaned Keith frustrated, clawing his fingers into his hair."Lance... do you truly believe we would take that away from you because you were abused as a child?", asked Shiro concerned as he stepped up to Lance slowly.Lance shrugged and shook his head slowly. "I... I don't know. I still don't really understand how Earth packs work, the only pack I had been in so far is my Earth family. But on Bast Beta Tau, we... Turning your back on your alpha is the most shameful thing an omega can do. And abandoning your pack... I know I'm not a good omega. I'm a bad omega. Why would you want me in the pack?"Lance grunted as the air got knocked out of him by the sheer force of Shiro's hug. "You're a wonderful omega. You're a perfect omega. You did not abandon your pack, your pack abandoned you when they chose not to help you. You did not turn your back on your alpha, he was not your alpha and he was never meant to be your alpha because he did not deserve you.""Yeah, bro, you're awesome!", agreed Hunk, sobbing big tears of bro-pain as he joined the hug.Within moments, Lance found himself in the center of a pack puppy-pile, with humans and Alteans piling up on top of him, trying to hug him close and reassure him that he was part of their pack. It warmed his heart and reminded him of the kind of things he wouldn't have had at home."Then... Then why would the alphas who never-ever touched anything in this kitchen, unless for actually eating, go through the trouble of cooking?", asked Lance very confused."Yes, Keith and Shiro, why is that? Please, please explain!", drawled Pidge with a smug grin.It only confused Lance even further, especially when he saw the alphas blush. He had never seen either of them blush before, but both? What in the world was wrong here this morning? Everyone slowly settled back down into their chairs, only the alphas kept shifting around in front of the plate with what must have been their attempt at making breakfast."We... weren't making food for everyone. Just for... you", started Shiro slowly."...So you don't want to kick me off the pack, you want to flat-out poison and murder me?"Pidge choked on her laughter. "Please, explain it to him, Alpha. Go on."She was definitely having a lot of fun, so it couldn't be bad. Coran looked sort of fond, while Allura smiled in mild amusement and Hunk was eying Keith and Shiro in a sort of skeptical way...?"We... want to court you", started Shiro gently, tilting Lance's face up to look him in the eyes. "We meant to have breakfast done before you woke up, because we were cooking for you. To show you that we can provide for you and take care of you.""We kind of forgot that neither of us can cook", grunted Keith a bit constipated."...I don't understand", admitted Lance, eyebrows furrowed deeply."We want to court you. We want for you to become our omega. Our mate", elaborated Keith patiently as he looked deep into those very confused azure-blue eyes. "But only if that is something you want too. If the idea of being with us romantically goes completely against what you want, then we will never bring it up again. But if it's something you could imagine, then please allow us to court you so we can prove that it's more than just imaginable but that it's a perfect idea.""...Hunk?", asked Lance lost, turning to his best friend. "Help?""Bro, those two are so deep in love with you, there's figurative chubby angels flying around them, shooting heart-shaped arrows every time they look at you", supplied Hunk gently."Pidge?", asked Lance next, voice a little high.It took Pidge a moment before she answered with a sigh. "Is it really that hard to believe that they love you, Lance? Because they do. Hunk and I totally vouch for that."Shiro and Keith stood in front of Lance patiently, giving him all the time to make his mind up and ask the others for help. The two alphas were holding onto each other as they waited."What... What does courting mean?", asked Lance in a small, confused voice. "I know it's a thing humans do. Gareth did it when he met a nice omega girl he liked. But I don't really understand what it means... What... What do you expect from me?""We don't expect anything", assured Shiro softly. "We're going to prove ourselves to you. We'll provide food for you – maybe not self-cooked anymore – and gifts and safety. Dates. We'll show you that we would be good and worthy alphas who deserve to be called yours.""...Because you're giving me a choice", tried Lance slowly, looking from Keith to Shiro."Absolutely", nodded Keith, looking serious. "We mean it. If you don't want us, then we will forget about this and things will just stay the same, Lance. Don't feel pressured into agreeing, not because you're an omega or because Shiro's the pack Alpha. There won't be any consequences if you don't want us. But we want you and we'd be the luckiest alphas in the universe if you'd want us too."Lance's eyes softened as he watched them. How they made sure to phrase everything in the least offensive ways possible. Not saying that they wanted him as theirs, but that they would be lucky to be his, just so he wouldn't feel like property. Making sure that he knew he'd have a choice, that he wouldn't be forced to do anything. And they looked at him so pleadingly as though the fate of the world laid in his hands and with one word, he could end it all. But could it really be? Could those two perfect, amazing, kind, strong, gentle alphas really truly want him? Despite everything he had revealed about himself in the past weeks now? Could they really love him?"I... I'd love that", whispered Lance unsure, fidgeting with his hands."Are you sure? You're not just saying it?", asked Keith, eager but also reluctant."Seriously. You three deserve each other", grunted Pidge pointedly. "Yes, Keith, he is sure. Because he loves you just as much as you two idiots love him. How are you so bad at reading each other?""Pidge, that's enough", warned Shiro seriously before turning to Keith and Lance again. "Lance?"The omega was walking up to the plate sitting on the counter between Shiro and Keith. He grinned a little as he poked the burned parts out of the way until he found something that looked edible. The alphas watched wide-eyed as Lance hastily picked it up and pushed it into his mouth."Lance, no, you don't have to eat that", exclaimed Hunk wide-eyed and green around the nose."I'm not going to eat it all", huffed Lance and rolled his eyes, his cheeks a little red. "I just..." Lance paused for a moment and stared down at the plate. "The reason it freaked me out so much that you two cooked is that on Bast... an alpha would never cook for an omega, normally not at all... Household duties are those of the alpha's omega, or of the beta staff. So... that... that you'd cook for me... I had to at least try it." Lance's blush lit up a little more as he smiled brightly up at them. "But I think we'll leave the cooking to Hunk and me before you do poison anyone."Shiro and Keith flushed in embarrassment, but both were also a tiny bit happy and pleased that their omega had at least tried it and not scoffed at it and dismissed them. Now the hard part was about to begin. They needed to find out how to properly prove themselves to Lance./break\Azul buzzed warm and comforting in the back of Lance's mind as he decorated her cockpit. His alphas had been piling so many presents on him over the past week of courting that he didn't even know where to put them anymore. Little trinkets, jewelry, clothes, stuffed toys, food.A week ago, they had asked him if they could court him. They had still been on the planet where they had finished their repairs. Lance could only guess that while him and Coran had gone to restock their food supplies and Pidge and Hunk had gone to get more medical and technical supplies, Shiro and Keith must have bought a ton of gifts for Lance. Because every morning, noon and evening, Lance would find something in front of his door. So many silly little gifts and he cherished them all, because they were signs of affection from his alphas.Aside from the gifts, absolutely nothing had changed. And Lance was grateful for it. His pack still treated him like a human, like a cherished pack-member, like the pack Omega. Lance also still posed as a human though, because he didn't know how comfortable he really was with his real body just yet, even though he had expressed the desire to stop hiding his true nature. For now, Lance still needed some time to adjust to it all. To them knowing the truth, to Shiro and Keith courting him."What do you think, Azul? I'm still convinced this is too good to be true, girl", whispered Lance.A buzzing in the back of his mind made him wince. It felt like being internally chided by his lioness. He smiled a little at that, tilting his head. Of course she would disagree. She thought he was worth loving and should be showered and bathed in all the love possible. She purred in agreement."Okay. Let's go and see what my alphas are up to", declared Lance in a chipper voice.He poked the blue bell he had just fastened to the cockpit, letting it chime before he left the Blue Lion and made his way to the training room, knowing he was going to find at least one or two of his alphas right there. And it seemed he was right. His alphas were in the middle of tossing each other around, both covered in sweat, panting hard, delicious muscles bulging as each tried to best the other. Lance started purring as he went to sit down in a corner and just watch."Lance! You should train too, instead of watching!", called Allura through the coms.Lance jumped a little and blushed as the alphas stopped and turned to look at him. Pidge and Hunk, who were sparring with each other, snorted amused as they noticed him. Lance ducked his head and ruffled his short brown hair. Shiro frowned at him displeased as he approached."Lance, you can't just sit out on training", chided the Alpha."I didn't... mean to?", offered Lance, his blush taking a turn for the ridiculous. "I just got... distracted. By, uh, you two? Do you have any idea how hot you two look when you spar?!"That melted the frown right off Shiro's face and flustered the Alpha a dark cherry-red, while Keith made a slight squeaking sound in surprise, staring at the omega stunned. Pidge did her best not to choke on her laughter (she failed), while Hunk looked mildly uncomfortable by the thought."So if you're done enjoying the show, would you like to spar?", asked Pidge teasingly."Yes", hummed Lance before locking eyes with Keith. "You up for it, mullet-head?""I... uh... yeah", nodded Keith a bit surprised before getting in position.It was rarer for the omega to spar with Keith or Shiro. Lance frowned thoughtfully for a moment before he blinked. The team was a little startled as Lance shifted before their eyes, for the first time since revealing his Bastet heritage to them. Keith was so busy gaping at how truly beautiful and gorgeous the light-blue fur with the different dark patterns was that he missed how Lance moved. Swift and precise, knocking Keith off his feet before the Red Paladin could even register any movement at all. Suddenly, he had a broadly grinning blue catboy sitting on top of him."Hah. I win", grinned Lance pleased."That... was cheating", grunted Keith irritated as he rolled them over."Why? Because the Galra will wait until you pay attention?", teased Lance."...That one goes to Lance, Keith", agreed Shiro bemused and very proud of his omega."I think you have to do better if you want to prove to Lance that you're an alpha capable of protecting him, if he knocks you off your feet because you're too distracted by getting lost in his eyes to pay any attention to the fight", snickered Pidge.The Green Paladin yelped as she suddenly had to dodge Shiro, the Alpha raising one eyebrow. "If you can tease him, how about you show me how much you have improved?"For the next two hours did the team just roll around, fluently changing their sparring partners. It was an all out brawl between the five of them and it was pure, simple fun. Lance felt like a cub again, playing around with his new-found Earth siblings. By the time they had all exhausted themselves, they came to curl around each other in a pile. Lance purred softly as he found himself between Keith and Hunk, head resting on his best friend's chest while Keith had a gentle arm around his waist. Lance's tail was wrapped around the other two members of their pack for safety./break\"I want cubs."Keith gaped stunned and Shiro downright choked on his food. Both alphas stared dumbfounded and surprised up at the omega opposite them. The three of them were on a date, using every opportunity of saving a planet or stoking up on their supplies to take Lance out on dates. While the rest of their team was nice enough to take over the shopping for supplies, Shiro and Keith had found a beautiful little restaurant that sold food that actually looked edible. The three had been eating in silence so far, a comfortable kind of silence because all three were still exhausted from the fight against the Galra that they had to go through to land on this planet. Saving the people of this planet, going through the big celebration ended at one point, everyone went to sleep for the night and the next day they decided to refill their stocks before leaving again. Still, a long hard fight and then a big celebration, they had been quite draining on all of them. They had been comfortable just sitting in silence, enjoying each other's company and being alone with each other. At least until that outburst."W—What?", squeaked Keith once he regained some sense.Lance blinked a couple of times before he realized what he had said might have come off as a bit random. "Not right away. I don't want you to knock me up the first heat I go into, obviously. But it's something I do want. At one point. When... this mess is over and we get to return home. I want a family. I just, I feel like since you're courting me and we kinda... want to become mates, we should also talk about stuff like that. I want a family, a big family, because I love the siblings I found on Earth and I want my cubs to have... have that sense of family too. This... warmth.""Okay", nodded Shiro slowly, putting his fork down. "You're right. Those are things we need to talk about. To be honest, Keith and I never really talked about that before, what with both of us being alphas and... neither of us really having much of a family as children. But..." Shiro paused and searched for Keith's eyes before he continued speaking. "I think that's something we'd want too.""Yeah", agreed Keith slowly, cheeks a bit flushed. "I mean, tiny blue kittens? Heh. Yeah.""Not all Bastet are blue", pointed Lance out. "They might turn out... purple, or pink, or something.""We are definitely going to make a red cub at one point", declared Keith with a wicked grin.Lance snorted, but there was genuine laughter in his eyes. He was relieved. He had already guessed that the alphas had never given cubs much thought before, considering that two alphas alone couldn't procreate. But it was something very important to Lance, especially since he got to experience what an Earth family is like. He wanted that for his own cubs, he wanted it so much."So... Lance...", started Shiro just a little awkwardly. "We're happy you're more comfortable about showing your... Bastet form. You didn't once for the whole first week after we... After. But now you're showing your fur far more often. That's... a relief. Because you said you wanted to, but then you didn't and we were a little worried.""You're rambling", noted Lance with a fond smile. "Yes. I was... After you said you wanted to court me, I didn't really... I mean, I literally have fur and a tail. I thought that would chase you off so after you said you wanted to court me, I kind of thought looking human would be... better." Lance paused for a little moment, pointy ear twitching. "But then I realized you only asked to court me after you learned the full truth, so it most likely didn't bother you and I figured, if you want me as your mate, you better want all of me, not just my human side. So. Yeah.""I'm glad you realized that on your own", grunted Keith with a bit of a glare. "Of course do we want all of you and not just some part of you. Besides, your... kitten-looks are kind of hot."Lance blushed and grinned broadly. "Keith is a furry.""Oh, shut up, kotik", huffed Keith embarrassed, bright blush on his cheeks.Shiro chuckled fondly as he watched his mate and his mate-to-be. They were so gorgeous together. He loved them both so ridiculously much. And truly, he had been so relieved to see Lance growing more and more comfortable with himself. It felt as though their pack had never been closer. There was a lot of cuddling happening these days and especially Keith and Shiro got all the kitten-cuddles they could want, which was just so perfect. Shiro loved having their omega curled together on his lap during movie night, while Keith gently caressed the soft fur of their kitten."One day, this all will be over and we will be getting home", whispered Shiro absentmindedly, more so to himself than to his two partners. "And then, we will have... happiness.""We're going to have that out here in space too", dismissed Lance with a broad grin. "But we'll have a family there, together. Oh, and you can meet my abuela and my family! They'll love you!"Shiro and Keith flushed at the thought of meeting their in-laws and being a part of an actual family.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Voltron || ShiKeiLan || Voltron || The Lion's Pride || Voltron || ShiKeiLan || VoltronTitle: The Lion's Pride – The Kitten's NeedsFandom: Voltron: Legendary DefenderDisclaimer: All rights to the remake reserved to DreamWorks, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, and for the original to Toei Animation. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.Warnings: shounen-ai, moresome, aliens, ABO-verse, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, knotting, past abuse, hurt/comfortMain Pairing: Shiro/Keith/LanceVoltron Characters: Lance, Azul | Blue Lion, Keith, Krasnaya | Red Lion, Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane, Kuro | Black Lion, Pidge Gunderson | Katie Holt, Grønn | Green Lion, Hunk, Melemele | Yellow Lion, Princess Allura, CoranSummary: When Pidge confesses to the team that she's a female alpha and explains why she hid her true gender, the team catches on that Pidge isn't the only one covering up her status – they realize Lance is a male omega. They don't want to confront him, because they want him to be comfortable enough to tell them on his own, so the team makes an extra-effort to make Lance feel cherished. What they don't know is that being an omega isn't the only secret he has...
The Lion's Pride

The Kitten's Needs

Chapter 7: Mates
Keith finally realized what happiness actually was. For so many years he thought he would never find happiness, he would never get to experience it. Yet here he was, tucked under Shiro's human arm, fingers gently skipping over Keith's arm, with Lance sprawled out on both their laps, purring softly as Keith was playing with his hair and Shiro had his Galra hand resting on Lance's stomach, caressing is gently. Pidge was hunched close on Shiro's other side, with Hunk on her right, both occasionally throwing teasing words at the trio and having Lance's tail stretched out over their laps like a safety belt holding onto them, while Allura and next to her Coran were on Keith's other side. This was what happiness felt like. This was what family felt like."Hey there", whispered Lance, barely audible and clearly sleepy.Keith blinked slowly and realized that while contemplating happiness, he had been staring down into Lance's face. Azure-blue eyes stared up at him tenderly and half-lid, a smile dancing in them."Hello yourself", whispered Keith back, playing with one of the kitten-ears."You were spacing out. But you looked... happy. What were you thinking about?", asked Lance."Our pack", hummed Keith honestly, tracing Lance's face slowly. "Our... family.""Aw, Keith is getting sentimental in his old age", cooed Pidge. "Married life tamed the lone wolf."Keith flushed and glared and was, surprisingly enough, supplied with a pillow by Allura. Nodding in appreciation toward the princess, Keith threw the pillow at Pidge, making the girl yelp. Allura and Coran were slowly getting the hang of pack-dynamics and playful fights were something very natural between pack-mates. They didn't quite dare to join the playful fights fully themselves, but they allowed themselves to be involved some more over the past months./break\Lance and Hunk were happily tending to the garden with a not as happy Pidge. Weeks ago, their lions had started to show new powers, linked to their elements. And Lance was all over Pidge and Hunk modifying Grønn's new plant-cannons to actually shoot practical and delicious vegetables. Which took some work, but they managed. Not to mention, the greenery was what they needed to feed their newest crew-member: Kaltenecker. The cow mooed pleased as Lance hand-fed her. Hunk was looking totally content as he took care of the vegetables. The three of them, with Coran's and Allura's permission and help, had turned one of the lower levels of the castle into a giant garden. Apple trees, pear trees, a long stretch of grass for Kaltenecker, fruits and vegetables. Lance loved the garden – honestly, all five of them did, including Pidge even if she denied it – because it felt and looked so much like Earth and they all missed it so dearly. Lance however also loved working in the garden, because it reminded him of his Earth grandparents' farm and working there with his siblings. He was at ease when he was here and he knew that Pidge was mainly just entertaining him. The two of them, on their own, didn't have too much bonding time anymore since Voltron, since she spent most of her time with her inventions and robots, something where Lance couldn't really do anything. It warmed Lance's heart that Pidge wanted to spend time with him and just like he sat in and watched her and Hunk techno-babble, she was now the one sitting in and watching Lance and Hunk gardening-babble. Lance smiled as he slowly started milking Kaltenecker – real cow-milk! How they all had missed the taste of something so essentially human."So... can... can I ask you two something?", asked Lance after a long stretch of silence."Sure thing, bro", confirmed Hunk as he went on to picking some apples for apple pie."How... How long does... courting... last on Earth?", asked Lance softly, cheeks pink."What do you mean?", grunted Pidge confused, straightening her glasses."I just... I like the courting. It's very nice. But... when do... when do you do more?", elaborated Lance, the pink turning dark-red as he ruffled his hair slowly. "I just... It's been months now. And I like it, I really do. Keith and Shiro are amazing. And the cuddling and the dates and the gifts are great, but... I mean... Is it normal that we haven't done more yet? Or... Or is it maybe something personal after all...? That... I'm an alien? Because the longer we're not doing more, the more I... feel as though it might be because they don't want to have sex with me because of what I am. And... And I've been working very hard on not thinking like that and I try and want to believe that Keith and Shiro really do love me, for who I am, completely, but..."He was gesturing widely and talking fast, until a small weight collided with his middle. He looked down at Pidge, hugging his midsection close. Hunk came from behind, wrapping his arms around them both and hugging them tightly. Lance blinked, the smallest smile forming on his lips."They do love you and we love you too, bro", assured Hunk seriously."It's... There's not exactly something like a time limit on courting", added Pidge, clearly embarrassed to give her older friend a version of The Talk. "It's a very individual thing on Earth, totally depending on the couple and how they like to handle things.""They probably just don't want to pressure you?", offered Hunk doe-eyed. "Maybe... Maybe you should just go and talk to them? I mean, you want them as your alphas, right? So you should be able to talk to your mates about your feelings and about what you want."Kaltenecker, the traitor, mooed loudly in agreement at that and even Pidge eyed him pointedly. Taking a shaky breath, Lance nodded slowly and decided to make his way over to where he knew to find his mates. They were in the training room, both delicious and sweaty, rolling around on the mats. They had been doing this excessively lately. Sure, Shiro was a training junkie, but this was kind of getting ridiculous as the two of them spent practically every free second down here. Again, one of the reasons why Lance thought that perhaps they didn't want him anymore after all, because they spent so much time down here, as though they were hiding from him."Shiro, Keith. Can... Can we... talk?", asked Lance anxiously.The two alphas, who had just been working each other up, felt their stomachs drop at the tone of voice and the words Lance used. They sat up nearly instantly and grabbed towels to dry off the sweat before heading over to their chosen omega. Keith grabbed Shiro's hand, squeezing it tightly. Did Lance change his mind? Was he about to tell them that he didn't want them to court him anymore? It was the one thing Keith had been afraid of ever since they had started courting, to be honest. That he would do something to offend Lance, that one of their continuous bickering and fights would be taken the wrong way, that he would accidentally drive Lance away."What... do you want to talk about, Lance?", asked Shiro gently as they headed to the bedrooms.They entered Shiro's and Keith's bedroom before Lance answered. "The... The courting.""You changed your mind", blurted Keith out with large, fearful eyes, unusually nervous."What?", asked Lance, surprised by the anxiety rolling off the Red Paladin. "No. I wanted to ask you if you changed your mind! That's what I wanted to talk about?""What? No!", exclaimed Keith stunned."Well. So we're on the same page then. No one wants to back out", noted Shiro, just a little amused by his fussing idiot mates who didn't manage to put their fears into words. "Would you mind telling us what made you think that we'd want to back out, Lance?""I don't... I don't know how long human courting phases normally last, but from my personal biological standpoint, I gotta say it's been too long, because I've been tempted to jump your bones for weeks now", blurted Lance out awkwardly as the three sat down on the bed. "But instead of moving forward, I feel like you guys are... pulling back from me. You spent so much time in the training room these days. I just... I've been trying not to think that way, because you two are going out of your way to make me feel loved and I do, but... but I have issues and... and I can't help it...""We know you have issues, Lance", whispered Shiro gently as he cupped Lance's cheek. "And we're sorry we made you feel that way, believe me, that was not our intention. We wanted to give you time, we didn't want you to feel pressured, my pretty kitten."Lance flushed at the nickname, regretting that he was human right now because his blush was strong and he hated how much fun Keith made of him for it. Mostly about how 'good red looked on him'. Keith hummed pleased by the blush as he leaned over to kiss Lance's cheek."You're... not the only one feeling that way about our courting", grunted Keith. "Horny and like you want to jump our bones. We do too. That's why we've been spending so much time in the training room, to blow off steam instead of pinning you to the wall and ravishing and knotting you, because like Shiro just said, we really don't want you to feel pressured.""Okay. So... can we have sex then?", asked Lance with large eyes, looking from one of his alphas to the other, finally managing to make both of them blush. "What? You just said you want me as much as I want you. We've been courting for months now. I want to be yours. I want to seal our matebond. I want it to be official. I want you to be mine. Can we? Please?"Lance yelped as he was tackled down onto the bed by a very eager Keith, kissing him passionately and deeply. Shiro chuckled, knowing there was most definitely no prying Keith off Lance now. All they had been waiting for was for Lance to tell them he wanted it as much as they did. Shiro blinked surprised as he focused on the now, just to find both of his lovers already nearly naked."Guys. Slow down a little", requested Shiro, gaining both their attention.It didn't have the wanted effect though. For all of their bickering, Lance and Keith were incredibly in synch when they agreed on something and right now they both agreed that Shiro was overdressed. Shiro startled a little when he was attacked by Lance and Keith and stripped down by four greedy hands, two mouths latching onto him every now and again. Lance moaned whenever a new piece of Shiro was revealed, tongue hungry for Shiro's delicious muscles."How are we going to do this?", growled Keith, behind Lance and kissing down his spine."I... I think I want you first, Keith", whispered Lance as he eyed both of his alphas' cocks. "Uh...""Don't be awkward", huffed Keith and rolled his eyes. "I know Shiro's bigger than me. And I'm certainly not complaining about getting you first, kotik."Shiro was definitely thicker than Keith, though Keith was a bit longer than Shiro. And the way Lance eyed both their dicks was kind of borderline adorable. Keith grinned amused as he pulled Lance's boxers down, officially the last piece of clothing in the way of this mating. Lance yelped high-pitched when Keith bit his ass. The Red Paladin grinned against the cheek between his teeth."What? You tell me so often to bite your ass", grinned Keith teasingly, kissing the bite-mark.Lance pouted as he glared down at Keith. Shiro laughed amused, slowly pulling Lance into a gentle, loving kiss. The omega melted against him, completely relaxed. Keith used that relaxed state of Lance to pull his cheeks apart. Lance stiffened just a little, though he knew what was to come. He took a shaky breath once the kiss broke, resting his forehead against Shiro's shoulder. The Alpha held him gently, in a reassuring manner, while there were prodding fingers at Lance's hole."F—Fuck", gasped Lance, digging his fingers tightly into Shiro's shoulders."...You okay, kitten?", asked Shiro concerned, gently rubbing circles on Lance's hips."J—Just, this, wow", muttered Lance stiffly as Keith slowly wiggled his finger in deeper. "This feels so... weird, but awesome but... wow... I... Just gimme a sec to get used to it.""What? You never fingered yourself before?", laughed Keith jokingly."No", replied Lance slowly, a bit confused."...Really?", asked Shiro surprised, nudging Lance's face a little to look at him.Lance shrugged a little awkwardly, avoiding Shiro's eyes. "It's... what omegas are taught on my home-planet. That good omegas don't touch themselves, because pleasure is only a reward for pleasing our alphas. I dunno, I guess some lessons just... stick with you?""I really, really, really hate your back-water home planet and its fucking sexist people", snarled Keith, clinging tightly onto Lance as he gently worked a second finger into Lance."You can masturbate, you know", whispered Shiro gently. "Your pleasure belongs to you."Lance blushed and nodded, burying his face in Shiro's neck as Keith started scissoring him, adding a third finger. The sensation was way too overwhelming for him to put more words to anything. After managing to hit Lance's prostate a couple times, Keith pulled out. Lance was so wet already, his slick was running down his thighs and Keith couldn't help but lean in and lick a broad stripe up the inside of Lance's thigh, making the omega shudder and moan. Keith was really glad that Coran had been able to get his hands on heat-suppressants and contraceptives for Lance when he lined himself up with the wet, tight hole. Because having a pregnant omega in space? Not the best idea. But all three of them definitely wanted to seal their matebond. Keith growled loud and pleased as he pushed in more and more, relishing in the wonderful warmth of his omega around him. He pressed close against Lance's back, drinking in the scent of his omega's arousal. He blinked a bit when Shiro stole a kiss from him, looking aroused but also a little amused. Keith growled playfully at the other alpha as he started thrusting, fucking Lance as slow and careful as possible, not wishing to hurt the Blue Paladin. At least until Lance started to whine for more. As an alpha, he definitely couldn't deny his omega's sweet begging, so he picked up the pace when he felt his orgasm approach and his knot swell. Lance made the cutest keening sound when Keith's knot spread his hole and the alpha came deep inside of him just as they were locked together. Lance shuddered and whined at it and then he went slack in Keith's mouth as the alpha bit down on his neck to mark him."Sh, good", cooed Shiro gently as he maneuvered his lovers to lay down. "Both of you, so good."Lance whined and grasped Keith's wrist, lifting it up to his mouth and biting down hard. Keith hissed surprised, jerking just a little. After the bite, Lance seemed far more calm, though he was still painfully hard, so he turned to look at Keith with large, pleading eyes."W—Why didn't you let me come?", asked Lance a bit unsure. "Wasn't... it good for you?""Good? It was fucking amazing. But I thought since I got your virginity, I figured Shiro should get your first orgasm. He's been fantasizing about having his mouth on you for months", grinned Keith.Lance yelped wide-eyed, watching how Shiro zoomed in on him like a predator. The alpha started to slowly kiss down Lance's torso until he got to wrap his lips around the omega's cock. Lance started panting hard and moaning loudly as Shiro sucked him off with gusto, tongue and mouth hungry and greedy until Lance came hard, crying out a mixture of his alphas' names."H—Holy... I... can you do that again? Like, every day?", panted Lance in total awe."I'd love to", grinned Shiro pleased as he licked a little cum off the corner of his lips.They recharged cuddled up to each other, until Keith's knot deflated. As patient a guy as Shiro was, he eagerly pulled Lance off and laid the debauched Blue Paladin out in front of him. Lance was beautiful. Smiling gently at the omega, Shiro leaned down to kiss him deeply while spreading Lance's legs and slowly easing his way into the loose, wet hole, feeling the mixture of Keith's cum and Lance's slick lube the way as Shiro thrust in deeper. Unlike Keith, the Black Paladin did start thrusting hard and sharp pretty soon, making Lance keen and whine beneath him beautifully until Shiro, having waited so long while Keith and Lance had been knotted, came far sooner than he would have liked, but he knew he would have many, many more chances to take his omega and with that thought in mind did Shiro come and fill Lance, his teeth finding the unmarked side of Lance's neck while his knot swelled up to lock them together. Lance eagerly grabbed Shiro's wrist and bit down hard to mark Shiro as his alpha too, making Shiro smile happily./break\"Hey, babe", whispered Lance very softly as he sneaked into the observatory.Keith didn't turn away from his view on the stars, a frown etched into his face. Shiro was right behind Lance, holding hands with the omega and searching Lance's face, trying to see if Lance actually had a plan, or if it were simply his omega instincts that made him seek out their upset mate. Because Shiro? He didn't have a clue what to say to Keith. What did you tell the love of your life when he learned that he was genetically half the race they were currently fighting. The race that had kept Shiro imprisoned and cost him his arm. Shiro had tried reassuring Keith that it would be alright, but he must not have been too convincing, because he could not even convince himself. What if Keith's family was someone they might have to face off? Not to mention, Shiro knew how much Keith's mother meant to him. He had always worshiped her. And now he learned that nothing he thought he knew about her was even real. Keith was lost. And so was Shiro."You know, I'm like the last person to pester you about talking about your alien heritage", joked Lance lightly as he easily lowered himself onto Keith's lap so he was facing the Red Paladin. "But... I want you to know that if you want to talk about it, Shiro and I are there for you. And so is the rest of our pack. Hunk told me about bugging you about it and he was kind of sheepish as he told me, but... he didn't mean it in a bad way, you know that? He just didn't want for you to feel as though we're dismissing the matter. We're not. We're here for you, love."He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Keith's lips while pulling Shiro closer by his hand. "Yeah. What... What Lance said." Shiro winced at how weak and lost he felt and came over at. "I love you, Kei. I want to say the right thing, but I don't know what it is. But Lance is right. You need to know that we're here for you, for whatever it is you need."He slowly sat down next to Keith and laid his arms protectively around his mates. For a long moment did they just stay silent, laying in each other's arms. Shiro and Lance started to settle with the fact that Keith wasn't ready to talk about it yet, just as the Red Paladin changed his mind."She left when I was a little kid", whispered Keith softly. "I... I don't actually have many memories of her, but the few I have, she was whispering reassuring, loving things in Russian. That's... why I cling onto the language. And when she left, I had been convinced that she left for Russia, for her family. Now... Now I think that maybe... Russia meant the Galra Empire. My father and I, we were never close, not after that. I blamed him for the fact that she left and I felt like... he blamed me. Now I wonder if it was neither of us, if it was the war. Or... Or is she still on Earth, is she in Russia after all? How... many generations back does the Galra blood in my veins go? Was it one of my mother's parents? Or farther down the family tree? Great-grandparent? Great-great-grandparent? How long has this knife been in my family...? I just... everything I thought I knew is just... gone.""That's not true", disagreed Lance, voice gentle as he kissed the corners of Keith's mouth. "Your mother loved you. Those whispered words of love from your mother? No one can take them away from you. When you learned I'm an alien, you told me that it doesn't change who I am and that it doesn't matter that I lied to you, right? So... Does it change who your mother is, now that you know she might be a Galra or part Galra, does it change how you feel about her just because she is one?""...No", mumbled Keith unsure, eying Lance."We'll find more out about your family", promised Lance, placing an actual kiss on Keith's lips. "We are. We're going to encounter the Blade of Mamora again and some day, someone will have answers for you, Keith. And Shiro and I are going to be right there with you."Keith seemed to relax a little in Shiro's arms and Shiro felt himself falling just a little more in love with Lance for being an amazing omega who knew how to make Keith feel better when Shiro didn't know how, being not just a good mate but also a good pack Omega.What neither of them knew in that moment was that it would be one of the last peaceful moments the mated triad would be getting for a long, long time, because only few weeks later did Keith and Lance find themselves standing together, holding each other, horror written over their faces as they were left wondering what had happened to their mate, to their Alpha. Takashi Shirogane was gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Epilogue: Home
/25 Years Later – McClain Farm, Varadero, Cuba\"Okay, let's call it a day, cuñado, and see what mi hermano pequeño cooked for dinner!"Keith stretched and rolled his shoulders. He was definitely getting old; not that he would say that out loud, because his cheeky omega would probably never stop making fun of him for it. He turned toward said cheeky omega's oldest brother – Gareth McClain. The tall, broad alpha with the goatee and the friendly grin always reminded Keith a lot of Hunk, which was to say it was impossible not to like the guy. Keith offered a tired half-grin and a short nod. It was soon dinner time anyway and Lance was very serious about that; whoever missed family dinner won't get leftovers either. And he'd have to be crazy to miss out on Lance's cooking or, worse yet, cook for himself (the last time Lance had been gone for a weekend to visit his little sister Jennifer, Shiro and Keith had literally blown up the kitchen and only thanks to Gareth did they manage to fix it before Lance got home).When they had returned to Earth after saving the universe, Lance had been so eager to introduce him and Shiro to his family – and the McClain family had welcomed them warmly. Lance's abuela Eduarda had kissed their cheeks left and right and had smiled warmly at them as she opened her home to them. Her husband Charles McClain had moved to Varadero from Ireland many years ago, to be with the love of his life. When Keith had first seen the way Charles still looked at Eduarda, Keith knew he wanted to look at Shiro and Lance the same way when they would be this old. He also knew he wanted to be surrounded by the same sense of family as Charles and Eduarda.With Charles and Eduarda lived their two daughters, aunt Melaina and her older sister Eirwen, as well as Eirwen's husband Arturo. Eirwen and Arturo were the parents Lance deserved. They loved him and smothered him the way Keith and Shiro wanted their omega loved and smothered, especially after all they had learned about Bast Beta Tau. Arturo had no own family to speak of, very much like Keith and Shiro, which might just be why the man seemed especially inclined toward the two alphas who made Lance so happy. And due to his own lack of family, while his wife had this warm and welcoming family, he had taken on her last-name when they got married. Something that Keith and Shiro had also done for their omega, with the very same reasoning. Lance's parents, aunt, grandparents and his five siblings wore the name McClain with pride and warmth and after all those years, Keith and Shiro wanted to be a part of such a warm family too.Sadly, Eduarda and Charles had passed years ago by now. Yet their farm still prevailed. Even with Arturo, Eirwen and Melaina retired and living in the city, the farm was still running smoothly with Shiro, Keith, Lance and Gareth at its head. Lance's younger sister Jennifer was living in California, while the twins Percival and Vivian lived in Varadero but only helped out with the farm if their help was needed, both living their own lives. The oldest McClain, Elaine, was a successful business woman in New York, who only made her way back home for the holidays."Hello, kotik. Where's the rest of our family?", whispered Keith as he sneaked up on Lance.Gareth snorted as he stepped past his younger brother to try what was brewing on the stove. "Mh."Lance smiled and relaxed into Keith's arms. "Shiro left for the Holts'. You know how overwhelmed Pidge is when her brother asks her to babysit Sammy. And Charlie and Ally are upstairs.""Are Viv and Percy coming over for dinner today?", asked Gareth curiously while setting the table."Don't think so", mused Lance thoughtfully. "But with Percival... you never know. But I am expecting Shiro to be home before dinner, including two of our favorite Holts."Keith smiled against Lance's neck. They had managed to save Matthew Holt all those years ago and had brought him back to Earth with them. He had a hard time getting used to life on Earth again, but he managed, even as a single dad. It had only been a one-night-stand, but nine months later, Matt had found a bundle of joy on his doorstep. Pidge adored her nephew Sammy, but being alone with the pre-teen was always making her panicky and Shiro always volunteered to help her whenever Matt had to pull double-shifts or something. Not that Shiro minded; he loved being a good godparent and uncle and Samuel Holt really was an adorable little nerd.Not to mention, it was cute to see Sammy get up to shenanigans with the youngest McClains. Keith's chest swelled at the mere thought of his children. Some might think that Keith's and Shiro's greatest achievement in life was to save the universe with the other paladins. They'd both disagree and correct that Allura Katie McClain and Coran Charles McClain were their greatest achievements. Their pride and joy. Their precious, clever little princess and their shy, adorable little prince.Leaving the castle behind had been hard for the paladins at first, leaving the Alteans and Hunk behind. Hunk had decided, in the end, to stay on Balmera with Shay. They had two children themselves, Keahi and Malie, the new Red Paladin and the new Yellow Paladin.Each paladin had taken their own lioness home with them, so they could jump and visit the castle or Balmera whenever they wanted. When their children grew older and started bonding with the lions, their parents were proud. Surprised, but also proud. And while a tiny part of Keith was sad that Krasnaya hadn't bonded with one of his own children, he knew that Keahi loved Krasnaya very much and cared well and deeply for the Red Lion. Keith knew his honorary nephew was a good kid."I'll go upstairs and get the kids then", said Keith gently, kissing Lance's cheek softly."Yeah, do that. I'll try and defend our dinner from Gareth", replied Lance, swatting at his big brother's hand. "Will you stop that now. You haven't even washed your hands yet.""Ouch", whined Gareth, shaking his hand. "Keith, your mate is mean to me. Protect me.""Your own fault", snorted Keith amused as he left the kitchen and the bickering brothers.He went upstairs and smiled softly to himself when he found their children sprawled out on the floor in Charlie's room, Ally apparently explaining something physics-related to her younger brother. Ally was undeniably Keith's, with her long, black hair and the deep, purple eyes, while Charlie was like a miniature Lance, which was why absolutely no one had been surprised when he bonded with Azul and became the new Blue Paladin. He was much shyer and more soft-spoken than Lance, but at the core, Coran Charles McClain was as tender-hearted, loving and sweet as Lance. And there was no better leader for the new Team Voltron than Ally. She was responsible, serious and a brilliant strategist, who always watched out for her team-mates."Kids. Dinner is nearly ready", announced Keith after a moment."Is papá back from the Holts yet, dad?", asked Charlie, looking up at Keith with those azure eyes."Yes, he is. Sammy and Pidge are downstairs, setting the table with uncle Gareth. How about we go and join them before dinner is getting cold, or the more likely course of Gareth eating it all without us?", suggested Shiro, suddenly right behind Keith, making him smile.Keith smiled gently as he leaned back against Shiro's broad chest. Charlie giggled at his fathers' display of affection before scrambling off the floor to get downstairs to the former Green Paladin and the new Green Paladin. Sammy Holt was Charlie's best friend and Charlie was always happy when Sammy was over. Especially when Sammy would also bring his aunt Pidge with him. Ally huffed as she also got up and pulled a purple band out of her dress' pocket to tie her long, black hair back. She got onto her tip-toes to kiss her dads' cheeks before passing them."You know, we did something really great there", mused Shiro fondly as he watched them go.Keith laughed at that. "Yes. We made two very great half human quarter Bastet quarter Galra kids."Shiro grabbed Keith's hand and tugged him along downstairs, where as soon as Shiro stepped through the doorway, he was pulled down into a kiss from Lance, who was all bright smiles."Welcome home, honey", grinned the omega, nudging his face against Shiro's.Shiro looked around the crowded dinner table, listening to the laughter and chat. "Yeah... home."
~*~ The End ~*~