word count: 1581
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A loud splashing noise filled the lone Paladin's ears, as his vision was replaced by the red lights of his visor with undertones of the sparkling blue waves. His eyes were blurry and unfocused, not like he could read the urgent looking Altean texts on the screen of his visor anyways.
He blinked once, then twice, then three times before he could make out very little english text.
SYSTEMS DAMAGED. OXYGEN TANKS FAILING—95% FULL. LEG THRUSTERS; DAMAGED. BACK THRUSTERS; DAMAGED. IMMEDIATE REPAIR REQUIRED.
Lance's eyes widened, as he swallowed down a breath of nervousness and guilt. He couldn't die, he was too young. Voltron needed him—!
His train of thought paused.
He wasn't needed.
Voltron could go on without him; there was one too many Paladins. One didn't belong, and he knew exactly who it was.
The thought hurt him, it hurt him too much. Feeling unwanted, feeling depressed, feeling like a disappointment. Lance had always wished for an escape, for someone to take him so far away in the stars and give him chance of success. A chance to prove that he wasn't some kid with ADHD who didn't know how to function in life.
He was being so selfish with all of his wishes, now look where it got him, dying in the middle of the fucking ocean.
He quickly did some calculations: he was sinking too fast to beat the gravitational pull of the planet and swim upwards. Also, the water was way different compared to the ocean on Earth, it was denser than normal water. He'd die of oxygen deprivation and exhaustion before he could even reach the top.
There was no chance of survival for Lance McClain.
He laughed to himself softly, here he was dying in the thing he loved most; the ocean. Who would've ever expected such a cruel fate to bestow him like this? Like god had crowned him the unluckiest man on Earth—well, the Universe in this case. At least that meant he succeeded in something.
"Lance!" An overjoyed voice yelled into the comms. "Get your ass back to the Castle! We're going to celebrate my birthday, another successful alliance, and a liberation!"
Lance's heart panged in guilt. He couldn't tell Keith his situation, he just couldn't stand to break the poor Paladin's heart on the day of his birth. He remembered their late night talks, how he confessed that he had always been lonely until he became a Paladin
He had been without family for ages, Lance couldn't even imagine the loneliness he felt on his birthday. The ones who brought him into this world gone without a trace.
Instead, he laughed, "I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm stuck in a pickle right now," He trailed off trying to change the subject. "You better get here fast, we can't start the party without you, you're apart of the team after all," Keith responded.
Another bullet of guilt straight through his heart. His eyes flicked to the oxygen level to the corner of the screen: 77%. God, his oxygen level were deteriorating faster than his phone battery. "K-Keith, stay on the line with me. There's something I need to tell you," Lance requested.
"What, you're gonna give me the biggest cuddle of all time when you get back?" Keith snorted. Lance laughed once more, "I wish. But, uh, I might not be able to make it in time for your birthday. Or at all."
Keith furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"Lotor attacked us, and Blue and I crashed. I don't know for how long," Lance paused, trying to find the right words. "Fuck, shit—I'm sorry."
