Not a Participation Game

Falling Like Ashes to the Ground, Hoping my Feelings, They Would Drown

Lance got up from the ground and followed the ships' movements with his head, but then realized something. The ship was making an awkward entry. The pilot must have been new to flying. Lance'a heart sank as he himself sank back to the ground.

"You looking for someone?" The Blade asked.

Lance sighed. "Yeah."

"How do you know if he's not the pilot?"

"This guy's having trouble landing," Lance explained. "The one I'm waiting for is a lot more skilled. He does everything perfect, he's the best pilot I know."

"Sounds like you knew him well," the Blade said.

Lance shrugged. "I guess so. He wasn't really one to make friends, but I like to think that's what we were."

"Well, if he's as good of a pilot as you say he is, I'm sure he made it."

Lance smiled. He appreciated that the Blade was trying to help him feel better.

"So how does a Paladin like you know a Blade member well enough to know how he flies?" The Blade asked.

Lance answered, "We went to flight school together. He was the best one there by far, and everyone said he was the best pilot of his generation."

"Was he?"

"Oh no doubt. But then we kinda became Paladins of Voltron, and left our planet with some of the others. He eventually joined the Blade of Marmora because he's also super good at fighting and all that stuff."

"Oh, you mean Keith?" The Blade asked.

"Yeah," Lance said, "do you know him?"

The Blade said "Sort of. I know about him, and I've gone on missions with him before. To be honest, he's not that impressive."

Lance sat up so he could face the Blade and said "What are you talking about? Keith's the best fighter I've ever known! He spends every waking minute training and I've seen him take out twenty sentries without even breaking a sweat!"

After a moment of stunned silence, the Blade laughed. "I was just joking. There's a reason he reached one of the top ranks in such a short amount of time. But with the way you defended him, it sounds like you might have a crush on him."

Lance didn't need to think about it. He knew that he wished he and Keith could be more than friends. He would be lying if he said he'd never considered trying some of his less cheesy pick up lines on him.

"Wait. Do you actually-" the Blade started, stopping when he saw the serious look on Lance's face.

"Yeah." Lance said. "I think I do." In reality, Lance knew that he liked Keith without a doubt. It would have been embarrassing to flat out admit it to a stranger, though.

Then Lance remembered about Keith. The reason he was looking for him. "Or at least, I did." He said softly.

"What do you mean?" The Blade asked.

"Kolivan told us that Keith sacrificed himself to get the shields down," Lance said. He wanted to say more, but he had to force his tears in.

"Oh," the Blade said softly. "And you were hoping that he'd be one of the stragglers."

Lance nodded. "I was worried about this."

"What?" The Blade asked.

Lance said "The Blade of Marmora kinda glorifies self sacrifice. And Keith's really impulsive and acts on the first thought he has if he thinks it'll work. Combine the two, and you get..."

"A preventable tragedy." The Blade finished.

Lance nodded. He felt tears go down his face. He wiped them away. "Did you...did you see him? Do you know if he made it?" He asked.

The Blade didn't answer right away. He took Lance's hand and although his face was masked, Lance knew that he was looking him in the eye. The Blade said "I didn't see him. But there's no doubt in my mind that you'll meet again."

Lance smiled, and he felt tears coming again. "Thank you," he said.

Lance and the Blade spent the rest of the party enjoying each other's company. When the Blade's hand touched Lance's, Lance smiled and held it. They inched closer to each other as they talked, neither noticing or caring.

The sun was just below the horizon, which signified that the party was coming to an end. Lance only now realized how close he was to the Blade, and he didn't want to leave yet. He needed some comfort in his life.

"I have to go with the others," the Blade said, not sounding too happy about that. He stood up and helped Lance up.

"Don't leave," Lance said, barely above a whisper. He shook his head as he realized how immature he sounded. "No," Lance said, "you have to go."

"Kiss me?" The Blade requested, not sounding too sure of himself. Lance nodded, but realized that he couldn't. He touched the Blade's face mask. "Close your eyes," the Blade told him.

Lance did as he was told. After waiting for no longer than one second, a pair of lips that were definitely not human met his. That didn't matter to Lance, though. What mattered is who they were attached to. After only a short moment, the Blade pulled away and put on the mask.

"Will we see each other again?" Lance asked, wanting the answer to be yes, but knowing that it wouldn't be likely.

The Blade was almost definitely smiling when he said "Yes. I'll make sure of it." He squeezed Lance's hand, turned, and ran to the other Blade members. Lance went back to the other Paladins.