Continued Reality: A Voltron Fanfiction

CATCHING UP

"What the quiznak just happened?" Hunk shouts.

"I'd like to know that myself," Keith says, confused.

Lance stares down at his hands. How did I...? He has no idea. All he knows is how scared he felt. The creature was coming straight towards them. They were all in danger. Instinctively he threw his hands out, and all the creatures were just... gone. Poof! No more. Could it have somehow been Allura?

Pidge points at his glowing markings, obviously wondering the same thing as him. "Do they have something to do with this, if you know what I mean?"

Lance shoots Pidge a warning look, but it's already too late.

"I don't know what you mean," Keith says. He folds his arms and turns his gaze to Lance. "Please, do explain."

Yes, Lance, this was my doing. And it's okay to tell them. They need to know, Allura's thoughts tell him.

Lance nods in confirmation and then sighs, trying to figure out where to begin. "So... Allura isn't completely dead." He proceeds to tell them everything, from the first time his markings began to glow to Allura's involvement just now.

"This is amazing news!" Hunk says excitedly. "Allura is still with us!"

"Well, technically she's with me," Lance says with a smirk. "But yeah, I guess you could say that."

You don't have to brag, Allura scolds.

"This is great news," Keith says. "But... how did you –she– get rid of those creatures?"

Lance pauses. "Yeah, how did you do that?" He asks Allura aloud.

I'm—I'm not completely sure. I just had a strong desire to keep all of you safe, and somehow I was able to teleport those creatures away to the other side of the universe... through you.

Lance relays to the others what Allura told him.

"So, she may no longer be here in our physical existence," Pidge says, "but she can still help us?"

It appears so.

Lance nods.

"Aww, thank you so much Allura!" Hunk says. But then he pauses. "Um, can she hear me?"

Yes, I can hear all of you.

"She can hear all of us," Lance repeats with a chuckle.

With this realization, everyone begins speaking all at once with "thank you's" and "we miss you's" for Allura.

"Whoa, whoa! One at a time," Lance says, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face. The situation may not be ideal, but it's better than not having Allura around at all, like it was before. The pain her loss caused him was becoming almost unbearable, but now he feels that pain beginning to heal.

"Let me get this straight... your girlfriend is now in your head?" Veronica asks with a raised eyebrow.

Lance rolls his eyes. He loves his sister dearly, but why does she have to be so annoying sometimes?

"If you don't mind, keep us updated on what Allura says," Keith says. "We have no idea what else we'll have to face ahead of us. If there's any way she can help, it would be appreciated."

The group all sit back down in their chairs and attempt to relax after their close call. Lance leans back as far as he can and clasps his hands behind his head. His markings have quit glowing for the moment, but he knows that Allura is still there whenever he needs her. Just that thought in itself makes him happier than he has been in a long time. She is like his own personal guardian angel, and he already can't wait for the next thought that she puts in his head.

Keith stares out the front viewport, a million thoughts flying through his mind all at once. The others fell asleep fairly quickly, and have been out for a couple vargas now. Even Kosmo is snoring softly at his feet. But he can't find it in himself to rest at the moment.

Shiro occupies most of his thoughts, despite how hard he tries not to think of his former mentor. It is impossible to describe how much he misses Shiro, how much he is going to miss him for the rest of his life. Shiro taught him so much about life —so much about himself. He taught him not only how to be a leader, but also that he could be a leader. He used to believe that it was impossible for him to be a leader, just because he couldn't be a leader like Shiro. But Shiro helped him realize that he didn't have to be exactly like him. He could be his own kind of leader, and that was just enough.

Keith has been described as a loner for most of his life. He definitely still enjoys and appreciates his privacy, but for reasons he can't explain he suddenly feels the need to talk with somebody. Not necessarily about Shiro, or anything else in particular. He just desires to find some comfort in a friend. He glances around at his companions, and notices that only two of them are currently awake —Veronica and Pidge. Once she notices him looking, Veronica winks at him. But Pidge seems to be in her own little world, staring out of the window closest to her at the vast emptiness of space.

He needs comfort, and Veronica makes him uncomfortable. So he finds himself making his way over to Pidge.

"Hey," he says softly as he approaches.

When she jumps, it's obvious that he has startled her out of her thoughts. "Oh, hey," she replies.

Keith drums his fingers against the side of his leg, unsure exactly what it is he wants to say. Pidge stares at him, confused. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Keith lies. He isn't okay at all. He hasn't okay been ever since he got the news about Shiro. "Are you?"

"Yep." She sounds about as convincing as he does.

"So... how have you been?" Keith asks genuinely. It had been so long since he'd seen his fellow Paladins in person, he realizes that he doesn't even know much at all about what is going on in their personal lives.

"Oh, well... fine, I guess." Pidge almost seems awkward opening up to him, but she finally gives in. "Matt and I have been trying to help our dad perfect the teleduv technology."

"I heard about that," Keith says. "How's that going?"

"It could be better, but I think we're finally making some headway with it." She smiles. "But personally, I've been enjoying working on Chip the most."

"That's your robot, right?"

Pidge nods proudly. "I've designed him with as realistic facial features and body movements as possible, while also retaining an innocent, whimsical appearance about him. I am currently programming him with as many languages as I can, human and alien alike. Being able to translate so much, he's going to help a lot of people."

"Sounds like it," Keith says. It definitely sounds like Pidge has kept her brilliant mind busy, and he finds that he is actually pretty proud of her. "You're doing great work."

Pidge blushes. Is it just him, or does she do that more often now? "Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you."