(Published August 15, 2022)
Hey guys! Lots of things will be changed on this story. Some published stories will be deleted and others will be rewritten! I like to think my writing has improved and things won't seem as rushed anymore.
So, I hope you enjoy this angsty peace and if you have any suggestions of things you want to see, leave a comment!!
⚠️Mentions if suic;de. Please do not continue if it triggers or makes you uncomfortable⚠️
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"Tío Lance, tío Lance!"
Lance turned to look over his shoulder, seeing his nephew and niece running toward him. The two were pretty young, around the ages of five and seven. The Cuban boy stood up, dusting the dirt from his hands onto his jeans. The wind blew lightly, causing him to have to reposition his gardening hat.
"Cleo! Miguel! What can your amazing uncle do for you?" Lance spoke with a smile.
"Tell us the story about the paladins of Voltron again!" The little boy cheered.
"Please! We wanna hear it again!" The little girl then pleaded.
The retired paladin began to chuckle. "Again?" Although his tone sounded shocked and in disbelief, it was no surprise. The two asked to hear about the story about two times a week. Lance didn't mind it though, he was happy they had heroes to look up to. Miguel had even told Lance that he was his favorite paladin. Cleo had actually favored Allura and Keith more, and although he respected her opinion, Lance could not understand what she saw in Keith.
"Alright, alright. Y'all have pulled my leg." Lance gave in.
The man took off his gardening hat, slapping it gently on top of Cleo's head. Reaching down, Lance grabbed both their hands. He started the story from the beginning, talking about how they found the blue lion and from then on had awesome adventures and battles in space as they strolled along the beach.
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"And then Keith came down and slashed Sendak with his sword! Allura sacrificed herself to defeat Harvona and seal off all the dimensions from the other universes."
The kids had their mouths open in shock, as if they had just heard it for the first time. 'And where did you say the lions went?" Cleo asked, having forgot that part of the story.
"I don't know, they just flew away." Lance hummed.
"Why do you think they did that?"
"I think they went back into hiding. So that if the universe ever needs Voltron again, they will be there for the next chosen paladins." He tried to explain, but couldn't find the words to explain it well enough.
Their nice walk on the beach came to an end when Lance's mother, Rose, called out to them for dinner. The two kids ran ahead, their faces gleaming.
"How much you wanna bet I'll be one of the next paladins?" Miguel asked in a cocky tone.
"I wanna be a paladin too!" Cleo yelled out, discarding Miguel's question.
Lance watched the two race each other up the hill. His once happy smile turned into a sad one. Don't get him wrong, he loved talking about what kind of adventures him and the others had, but it made him miss those old days. A lot.
And it wasn't just that he missed being a paladin and getting into all sorts of trouble. Lance missed the people he defended the universe with. Believe it or not, the Cuban boy hadn't really been in contact with any of them.
The last call he had with any of them was with Hunk. That was two months ago. They all had their own jobs and had something to do, Hunk owned his own restaurant, Pidge was becoming an amazing scientists, Shiro was still captain of the Atlas and now a newly wed, and Keith was always away with the blade.
And where was Lance?
On his family's farm, having nothing to do other than plant veggies and Altean flowers. After Voltron was no longer needed and disbanded, Lance had no purpose. Had no job to help the world.
He felt left behind. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, knowing they had important things to do. Although, it would be nice to get a call a little more than once in a while. It'd be nice to have a small hang out, even if it wasn't for very long.
Letting those thought slowly sink in, Lance no longer felt hungry, and went straight to his room. His room was filled with silly things like Voltron posters, lion plushies, and fanart he had received years ago. things one wouldn't normally see in an adult's room.
After a few moments of scrolling through his phone, Lance felt a tear roll down his fave. Sitting up quickly, he touched his wet cheek. The Cuban boy began to laugh in embarrassment, in disbelief that he was actually crying right now. His laughs turned into choked sobs, the phone Lance once held falling from his hands as he used both hands to try and wipe the tears away.
But the tears wouldn't stop falling.
It was a never ending waterfall and eventually Lance gave up on trying to wipe them away. The boy felt selfish for crying. His friends were living their dreams and he should be respecting that.
It didn't even feel like they were friends anymore though. Lance would send them texts and would either be left on open or be told they didn't have time to chat. Although, he understood they might be busy at the time, but for a whole two months?
A thought passed through his mind that left him shocked.
Lance had never given any thought to ending his own life, but in that moment, that was all he could think about.
He didn't contribute to anything. Being a paladin was the most useful he had ever been. Now that he wasn't a paladin anymore, he really had no role to play in the universe. He had been left alone, waiting to slowly be forgotten. Leaving this world sounded better than waiting to be forgotten. Maybe it would also take away the void of pain he felt in his chest.
But surely his friends still wanted him around right? Maybe they were too busy to just have normal. everyday conversations, but if Lance needed to rant, they would for sure make time for him. Wiping his tear stained cheeks, Lance picked up his phone, and dialed Hank's number, Of course, Hunk was the first person he called. They had been best friends forever and his heart leaped with joy when he actually picked up the phone.
"Hey buddy!'
"Uh, hey man. Listen, can I call you back sone other time? The restaurant is crazy tonight and I can't seem to get a break."
Lance's smile immediately fell, his throat starting to close up. "Yeah, sure... but hey, it's really import-"
"Thanks, bud! Catch you later!"
Three beeps let Lance know that the call had ended and he was engulfed in silence. He lifted a hand up and clutched his shirt in a tight fist, the pain in his chest growing. He felt another choked sob rise up form his throat. Not letting the tears that threatened to spill again escape, Lance dialed Pidge's number.
He was left straight to voicemail.
His bestfriends were too busy for him. Who else was there left to call? Shiro had been their leader and Lance's role model, but he'd be too embarrassed to rant to him. He wanted Shiro to see how brave and cool he was, not show him how pathetic he could be. Coran was a wise person, but he wouldn't be the greatest person to rant to when it came to feeling down.
The only person Lance could think of was Keith. As much as he tried to tell himself that there was no way that Keith would make time for him, there was slight hope that he would. A few years ago, Lance would rather get caught by the glare than rant to Keith about his feelings. Times change though and Keith actually gave Lance good advice.
He felt his heart jump when he dialed Keith's number. As he waited, the room started to fell smaller. After what felt like forever, Lance was eventually meet with what would have been Keith's voicemail if he had ever bothered to set it up.
That had been Lance's answer. He hadn't realized he was already this far into the process of being forgotten. He wasn't needed and clearly he had no purpose.
Almost unconsciously, Lance opened his nightstand drawer and picked up the pistol that was hiding there. The weapon was originally for possible break in's, but he was putting it to different use.
The scenery was almost perfect. His window was open, letting the wind come in and move the curtains. the view of the beach with the sun setting was almost unreal. It brought tears to his eyes. He's always had a thing for the ocean and sunsets. Now it would be the last thing he saw. Pulling his hand up, he brought the gun to his head. Lance wished things were back to how they were, fighting against the Galra alongside his teammates. It wasn't a very happy time, but at least he was needed and loved. They were fighting for a good cause. Lance's eyes spilled with tears as he remembered how close they all were. He probably will regret the decision he was about to make, but he needed to get rid of the pain in his heart.
So with a calm sigh, Lance closed his eyes. His finger wrapping around the trigger. The boy could no longer hear his sniffling or choked sobs. All he could hear was the distance sound of waves crashing against the shore. With his last tear rolling off his face, Lance pulled the trigger.
From the place Lance's phone had fallen from his hand, it started to ring, pulling up the name of his old rival and partner in crime.
Keith.