I had my first exam today. It went well so I'm kind of happy :)

"The sexual tension was way too much," Pidge complained, staring directly at Keith as they spoke. Keith sent them a harsh glare before turning to look down at his food again. "Honestly, for a tick, I thought you were going to make out or something. Right there, in the middle of a battle." Hunk snorted but covered it up by shovelling some food into his mouth. "That is a very Klance thing to do, isn't it?"

"Klance?" Lance questioned innocently, cocking his head to the side. The entire table turned to look at him before Pidge and Hunk burst out laughing. Keith had turned the colour of his jacket, choosing to bury his head into his hands instead of face the puzzled look of his crush.

"Yep. It's your ship name."

"Woah, since when did we have a ship name?"

"Since... forever, dude. I've shipped it since we first got to space. Then you got with the demon bitch and... yeah. Now the ship's back and stronger than ever." Pidge admitted with a shrug. Lance's jaw dropped open but he shut it before anyone could tease him about it.

"But why?"

"Your chemistry! You're at the base of every fanfiction ever. You know, the whole love-hate thing? It's adorable."

"How do you know what fanfiction is about?"

It was Pidge's turn to go red as they took a bite of their food. "I'm just guessing. I mean-"

"I bet you shipped Larry Stylinson or Phan or something." Lance chuckled and, when Pidge hid their face with their hands, he knew he was right. "That's adorable."

"Shut up!" The youngest paladin snapped, eyebrows furrowing. "At least I didn't have a shrine dedicated to Brendon Urie!"

"That isn't something to be ashamed of! Brendon Urie is a literal God."

"Have you read the milk fic?" Keith asked out of the blue, directing the attention back to him. Pidge's eyebrows were raised high up their forehead and Lance's eyes had doubled in size.

"Not at the dinner table!" Hunk exclaimed, glaring at everyone sitting at the table.

Coran leaned over to Lance and whispered, "What's a Brendon Urie?" Lance couldn't answer him because he too busy hysterically laughing.

-

Keith had just finished showering after a late night training session when he heard the sound of someone sobbing. He had just been heading to his bedroom but the noise made him turn into the kitchen, poking his head inside to check on whoever was in there.

Lance was hunched over the counter, staring at his forearm as blood dripped down it. "Lance? What happened?" Keith asked, rushing forward.

"I wanted to do something nice," Lance wailed, his trembling right hand still gripping the knife. "I wanted to cook you something and Hunk gave me a recipe. I- I zoned out when I was chopping something up and- and- it hurts so bad."

"Hey, hey, come here, it's okay. Let me take you to the medbay." Lance nodded as Keith wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him out of the kitchen. "It's going to be okay. We're just going to clean you up."

"I'm sorry for being such a baby..." Lance murmured as Keith helped him up onto a table in the medbay. Keith had rummaged around some of the draws until he came across a wrap of white bandages, some (presumably) antibacterial wipes and some medical tape. Lance held out his arm, the long cut running up it as clear as day.

"You aren't a baby. Now, I warn you, this is going to hurt." As Keith pressed the wipe into Lance's cut, the blue paladin's breath hitched. "I'll be as quick as I can." Once the arm was clean of as much blood as Keith could wipe away, he retracted the wipe and reached for the bandages.

"Thank you..." Keith wrapped the bandage around Lance's left arm until the cut could no longer be seen. He secured it with the tape before stepping back and admiring his first-aid work.

"All done."

Swinging his legs off of the table, Lance jumped down and diverted his gaze to his feet. "Thank you so much for doing this but I- I think I should clean up the kitchen."

Keith shook his head, a smile creeping onto his face. "Don't worry about it. I'll clean it up whilst you get to bed, okay?" Lance was too exhausted to argue.

-

Suspicion began to tug at Keith once he stumbled upon Lance the next night, cooped up in the showers. He heard the sound of soft wails echoing around the cubicles as he walked in to have his own shower. "Hello?" Keith called out, unable to connect the cry to the person. The sobbing subsided for a moment so Keith shuffled over to the door and knocked. "You okay in there?"

"Keith, go away." The distraught, choked up voice was undoubtedly Lance.

"Hey, Lance, talk to me. I'm here for you, alright?"

"Please leave me alone. I- I'm fine."

"You're obviously not. Can you come out?"

"No, no, I can't."

"Are you hurt?"

Silence lapsed between the pair for a moment before Lance stammered out a small, "No."

"Lance..."

"Okay, fine! I'm hurt! But I can deal with it. I don't need your help."

"I don't mind helping you. Are you... dressed?"

"No."

"Okay... can you get dressed?"

Soft shuffling escaped the room before the door was tugged open to reveal Lance. He was wearing his pyjama bottoms but was shirtless. His arm was bloody but it was his right arm as opposed to his left which was still bandaged up. He refused to meet Keith's gaze, instead attempting to shove passed him and flee.

"What happened?"

Lance didn't say anything as they both stared at the deep cut.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was! Who do you think I am?" Lance snapped, catching Keith off guard. He raised his hands in defence.

"I can take you to the medbay again. I think it needs to be cleaned up and bandaged so it doesn't get infected. It isn't as bad as your other cut but it's better safe than sorry."

Keith decided to prioritise Lance over his hygiene: after all, he could shower in the morning.

-

"Rematch?" Lance suggested, eyes thin and lips pursed. Keith bit his lip before slowly shaking his head. He knew Lance's arms couldn't take much action or they'd open up and start bleeding again; even under his paladin armour. "What, you scared, mullet?"

"No... I just don't think you're in the best condition to fight. Your arms, Lance-"

"Are you injured?" Shiro questioned, eyebrows falling flat against his eyes. Lance's face heated up and he turned away from his team.

"No."

"Yes, you are. A couple of nights ago, he cut himself when he was trying to cook and last night he scraped his arm in the shower. I cleaned him up but I don't think he can fight with them."

"Keith, I'm fine!"

"Does he need a healing pod? I'm sure a varga or so is enough to heal any cuts."

"Shiro, it's not that bad really."

"Lance, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Lance looked up at Hunk with eyes clouded with anxiety. He nodded before following the yellow paladin out into the hall.

When Lance returned, his eyes were rimmed red and he was much more distant than before. Hunk wasn't quite himself either, being quiet and absorbed in deep thought. Keith couldn't help but watch them both the entire training session, attempting to decode the complications between them.

-

Keith was lying in bed, staring up at his ceiling, when he heard a shuffle coming from the doorway. Confused (and mildly concerned), he stood up and turned on the light to reveal a folded piece of paper on the floor. He unfolded it, eyes grazing over the sloppy writing. Just the first sentence was enough for panic to begin running through his veins.

To Keith,

I have to do this.

Keith's breath hitched and a hand clasped over his mouth as he jumped to the worst possible conclusion. He got up onto his feet, running out into the corridor and sobbing as he did so. He reached Lance's room and started to hammer on his door, so loudly that a tired-looking Shiro emerged from his room next door. "What's going on?" He asked, voice slurred with exhaustion.

"Lance, he's going to do something stupid." Keith sobbed, hands trembling violently around the letter in his hands. "We need to stop him. I don't know where he is. I can't lose him, Shiro. I can't- I can't-"

Keith's words were enough to wake Shiro up completely. "Okay, breathe and think. Where would he go? What does it say in the letter? Are there any hints?"

"I haven't read it yet..."

"Then read it. Quick."

To Keith,

I have to do this. For Voltron. I know I've become more of a hindrance to the team ever since all that shit with Allura. I'm so sorry and I wish that it didn't need to end this way. I really liked you, Keith. You were kind and, although I pushed you away a lot, it meant everything to me that you never left.

I just want to start over. I don't want to leave you but I think I have to. You can find a better blue paladin who doesn't spend every night crying themselves to sleep. Someone who can look at a knife before colourful thoughts begin to suffocate them.

I'm not good enough for you or the team. Everyone has their... thing but I don't have a thing. I'm just Lance. Hunk can cook, Pidge is amazing with tech, Coran knows all about Altea and Shiro is an inspirational leader. All I can do is mope and feel sorry for myself all the time. A paladin should be brave and not fear a single thing but I cannot be like that. I just can't.

I'm too messed up in the head.

Maybe if I start over, I can get a farm or something where I can spend an eternity being alone. I love people but I'm a burden. I'm that one friend no one wants around. Maybe I could find a way to get to earth or something so I can see my family again. I'll be happier there. I'll be safe and wouldn't need to worry about being good enough anymore.

I wish I could tell you a proper goodbye but I'm scared I'll wimp out if I have to look at you one more time. For a while, you were the only one keeping me here. I really didn't want to have to leave you but this is for the best. You'll be happier this way.

Before I say goodbye for the last time, I have to admit something... Those cuts. You know the ones. They weren't accidents. I wish they had been.

Goodbye, Keith. I love you.

Love from,

Lance, the former blue paladin :)

"He's running away, Shiro, we need to stop him."

"Wait, Keith, you need to think this through," Keith's eyes darted down to his arm where Shiro had grabbed him. He pulled away from the leader, deciding it was best to disobey that one time. "He's been unhappy lately. Maybe an escape would be good for him."

"Fuck you, Shiro!" Keith screamed, tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to find him whether you help me or not!" He took off running down the corridor, still gripping the letter in his right hand. Once he made it to the room that housed the escape pods, he broke down. He noticed another missing pod and dropped onto his knees, trembling as he continued to cry.

"Keith? Keith, are you okay?" Shiro sounded out of breath as he caught up with the red paladin.

"He's gone. We're too late."

"No, we're not. Pidge can find him. There are trackers on every single escape pod... that's how we found you."

"Wake them up then! We need to be fast!"

"Okay, okay, come on." Both of them headed back to the dorms before halting outside of Pidge's door. They knocked on it until it flew open to reveal an exhausted Pidge.

"You better have a good reason for interrupting my beauty sleep." They muttered before Keith grabbed their arm and began to drag them down the hall.

"Lance ran away and we need you to track him."

Pidge shook their head, finally waking up enough to register what was going on. They let Keith drag them until they reached the main control room of the Castle. Immediately, they began to tap away at the screen, attempting to detect Lance's pod. "He's nearby but isn't moving... Maybe he stopped to rest or something."

"We're going to get him." Keith uttered before rushing back down the corridor towards the hanger. Shiro and Pidge soon followed him before each of them piled into the red lion. Pidge directed Keith as they headed deep into space. After multiple doboshes, Pidge spotted the pod in front of them, standing idle amongst the stars.

"I'll jetpack out there to get him." Shiro offered, getting up onto his feet. Keith shook his head but Shiro cut him off before he could even begin talking. "We need someone with a level head, okay Keith? We don't want to freak Lance out." Shiro climbed out of the lion and used his jetpack to fly towards the escape pod. Once he got close enough to look inside, his mouth fell open. "Keith..."

"What? What is it?"

"He isn't here. He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone? He can't be." Keith started tearing up again, clasping a hand over his mouth as he watched Shiro retreat. "Shiro, are you sure he isn't there?"

"I'm sorry, Keith."

Keith hunched over and began to sob, his entire body violently shaking. Lance was gone. He was gone.

What a cliffhanger  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯