Chapter Text
Lance had never been happier. They were going home.
Home. Back to Earth where the rain didn't smell sickly sweet and flowers didn't try to eat you. Back to where there weren't Galra trying to kill you and teammates that only tolerated you. Back to the sunny beaches and the music-filled nights of Varadero.
Back to him.
Lance shuddered, holding his jacket tighter in his arms, the only source of comfort available as he thought about what was to come.
Recent events have caused each of the paladins their own source of trauma. Losing the castleship, almost losing Shiro, heck, almost losing themselves in the quintessence field was enough to cause stress to last a lifetime. And now here they were, all sat around a fire, eating some warm soup that Hunk had managed to make with the food they managed to pack away. They landed on a small planet about an hour ago, and after Allura revived Shiro, everyone, including Lance, was desperate for a distraction. Which led to Hunk telling stories of his family, Shiro of his fiance, and Krolia of her time with the Blade. It was the most relaxed Lance had seen any of them be. It was the most relaxed Lance had been in a while.
He watched quietly as Romelle and Allura burst into giggles at a joke Hunk made, watched as Krolia and Keith shared a look of fondness, and watched as Shiro stared at the empty space where his Galra arm used to be.
In his silence, the memories of their recent battle began to echo in his mind, sending chills that alighted each nerve as Lotor's screams and pleas ricochetted over and over again. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Coran had sat next to him. The older gentleman watched him quietly, until giving a small cough to indicate his presence, to which Lance jolted in surprise, finally meeting his weary gaze.
“My boy, you've been silent. Anything on your mind?”
Lance let out a small chuckled, more of an exhale than anything.
“Just thinking about home.”
Coran smiled warmly at him, eyes crinkling up at the corners. “You will be with your family soon.”
Lance just nodded, leaning against the older Alten, resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes. The wind began to pick up, bringing a musty smell along with it, and while it wasn't very pleasant, it was subtle enough that Lance could easily pretend it was the salty sea air blowing against his face and ruffling his hair.
Soon enough he'd feel the real thing.