Just so you know, I have officially completed the second draft of this book so now all I need to do is upload it! Hopefully you are glad to hear that this is the longest book I have ever written and it hits an amazing 80,000 words. 81,077 to be exact :D I'm very proud of it.

Having meals with his family was something Lance had dreamed of when he was in space. He craved his mum's homemade dinners and missed his family's recounts of their days. Veronica always had something to say about her crush- Lance knew everything about her down to the colour of her eyes (hazel with some grey flecks)- and his parents always complained about their jobs. Luis was usually too busy eating to comment but, on the odd occasion, he'd bring up something that happened at school or a new video his favourite YouTuber had posted. The atmosphere of family dinners was one of Lance's favourites. However, at that moment, they had somehow become his least favourite.

The tension was thick in the air, weighing down everyone around the table. Lance's mum was clinging to desperate attempts at conversation as she asked how everyone's days had been. Lance zoned out before anyone could respond, pushing his food around on his plate. It had once been his favourite meal but something about the atmosphere was making Lance feel too nauseated to eat.

When Veronica hit her elbow against Lance's, he assumed it was his turn to reply. He looked up from his food, just to mumble, "It was fine." In reality, it had been incredibly boring. He had laid in bed until his parents had dragged him to the psychologist's and had gotten straight back into bed when he got home. His own thoughts running circles in his head made him feel exhausted most of the time; there was something about his family not trusting him that put him down.

"You've hardly touched your food." His dad pointed out, as if it was a Sherlock Holmes' level observation and not just plain obvious.

"Do you not like it?"

Once upon a time, Lance would have basked in the attention but, after everything that had happened, he couldn't do that anymore. Everyone's gazes on him might as well have been fire burning him with how uncomfortable they were making him feel. An intensity washed over him that told him he was going to be sick. It came out of nowhere but was enough of a warning for Lance to pull himself up. Not wanting to worry his family, Lance kept his face as straight as possible as he headed to the bathroom. He was only just able to shut the door and dive towards the toilet before he was throwing up what little he had eaten.

After he'd finished, he relaxed onto his knees. His breaths were heavy and his throat was on fire but he was simply relieved not to be vomiting anymore.

A long moment passed before someone knocked on the bathroom door. That someone was confirmed to be his mother when she asked, "Are you alright? You've been in there a while."

"I'm fi-" Lance tried to lie but that just so happened to be the exact moment he retched again. Upon hearing it, his mum shoved the door open.

"Hijo..." She rubbed Lance's back until that second wave of nausea passed. Then she asked a question Lance could never have predicted which made him feel sick for a completely different reason. "Did you make yourself sick? Tell me the truth."

"No, of course I didn't!" Lance's surprise was apparent in the raised volume of his voice.

"Promise me. Please."

Lance turned his head to make direct eye contact so she knew he meant every word. "I promise, mamá."

"Okay." The frown on her face seemed to suggest that she didn't believe Lance but he hadn't expected anything less.

-

"I'm afraid this is where we part ways," Allura spoke, voice solemn. Each of the paladins stared at her with frowns across their faces and thin, sorrowful eyes.

"Wait, what?" Lance responded, at the exact same Keith forced out a broken, "Allura?"

"This is our only chance to undo what has been done; to save all of existence. I have to take it. It is my purpose," Lance's mouth fell open as tears began to well in his eyes. "Your paths go on... Mine ends here."

"But there is no Voltron without you..." Hunk murmured, voice much quieter than it had ever been. He sounded so nervous and hurt as Allura stepped into his vision.

"Voltron isn't needed anymore. The rest of the work is up to the people and they'll have you to guide them, Hunk." Allura placed a hand on Hunk's cheek before pulling him into a hug. Almost instantaneously, tears began to plummet down in his cheeks like a pair of perfect waterfalls.

Allura turned to Pidge as Hunk wiped away his tears in an attempt to compose himself. "Goodbye, Pidge..." She spoke up again.

"I'm going to miss you, Allura." Pidge avoided eye contact, knowing she was also on the verge of crying.

"Remain curious and fearless." Pidge choked out a sob as Allura enveloped her in a hug that time. She buried her head into the princess's shoulder, tears streaming down her face.

"Most of them won't know the sacrifice you made so they could live." Shiro muttered, voice a monotone. Even when losing another, he still felt the need to be strong for the sake of his team; as their leader.

"And they'll never need to," Allura's breath hitched. "Your selflessness taught me that. Thank you..." It was Allura and Shiro's turn to hug, Shiro's eyes falling shut as he tried his hardest not to cry.

"You'll never have to thank me for anything..." Between each word, Shiro paused, unsure whether he could carry on speaking without breaking down. He forced a smile as they parted.

"Keith, I cannot thank you enough for all you've given me." Allura walked towards the original red paladin, meeting his gaze.

"Allura, when you accepted me, it helped me to accept myself," Even Keith sounded like he was on the verge of tears which was unusual for someone who avoided showing emotion most of the time. "Thank you."

"There is greatness inside your heart and in your actions."

Allura stepped towards Lance, grabbing both of his hands with her own. He looked into her eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat that was trying its hardest to release a sob. "No, Allura, the- there- there has to be another way," Lance choked out, voice quivering.

Allura avoided his gaze and stared down at their conjoined hands. "There is no other way," Finally, she looked up. "This is all we have."

"But you're too important to the cause, you-" Lance was unable to continue as his breath hitched and tears flooded from his eyes. "You're too important to me."

"I'll always be with you, Lance... and I'll always love you." Allura's voice cracked as she raised her hand and cupped Lance's cheek. Both leant their head forward just far enough to press their lips together and share their final kiss.

In the distance, light exploded and lit up the area around them. Each looked into it until the shadows of the former paladins came into view. Each were standing there, welcoming smiles on their face as they waited for Allura to join them. Together, Allura and Honerva walked towards them. They were absorbed by the light whilst Lance and the rest of Team Voltron could only watch.

Lance jolted up, his breathing heavy. His heart was pounding like a drum inside his chest whilst tears were silently streaming down his cheeks. He let out a heavy sob before realising the rest of his family was still asleep and covering his mouth with his hand. He gripped onto his covers with all of his might as he tried his hardest to control his breathing. Squeezing his eyes shut, he counted each inhale and exhale.

Allura's words, "I'll always love you," circled around his head. Around and around and around... It was like a broken record that continuously played the soundtrack of a horror movie on loop without anybody bothering to fix it. With the way everything was going, Lance wouldn't have been surprised if he had somehow been thrown into the middle of a horror or thriller movie.

Once the tears subsided about half an hour later, he was left with a dull ache on his cheeks. Once he forced himself up onto his feet and stumbled into the bathroom to wash his face, he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his mouth. Above his sink was a large mirror that made it clear enough that Lance's cheeks were adorned with two blue Altean marks that glowed, even under the harsh light of the bathroom. With shaky hands, Lance traced them with the tip of his finger. They didn't feel any different to skin, apart from the fact that they were like ice. Compared to the heat the rest of his face was emitting, they might as well have been the same temperature as the sea on a winter's day. Tears began to dribble down his cheeks all over again as he closed his eyes and recalled the girl he loved. Allura had been the one to give him the marks. How weren't they supposed to remind him of her? It was like he was thrown into a torture chamber with the torturous weaponry being two tiny marks on his cheek that mocked him.

Lance thought the marks would never come back. After Lance and Allura's final kiss, they had come to life but, along with the princess, they had soon vanished. He had no idea what had made them disappear or what had encouraged them to return but they were there. Lance was sure he wasn't imagining it. He could feel them and see them so there was no way it was simply part of that dream world his parents had assumed he had created.

Opening his eyes and making eye contact with the fragile boy in the mirror he could barely recognise anymore, Lance hunched over. He let out a loud sob that shook the small room, yearning for the marks to go away again.

When Lance woke up the next morning, the marks were gone. There was no way for him to tell whether it had been some messed up nightmare or if they had really made an appearance. It might have been a result of the influence of his parents but he was beginning to grow sceptical of his own mind.