word count: 1581

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A loud splashing noise filled the lone Paladin's ears, as his vision was replaced by the red lights of his visor with undertones of the sparkling blue waves. His eyes were blurry and unfocused, not like he could read the urgent looking Altean texts on the screen of his visor anyways.

He blinked once, then twice, then three times before he could make out very little english text.

SYSTEMS DAMAGED. OXYGEN TANKS FAILING—95% FULL. LEG THRUSTERS; DAMAGED. BACK THRUSTERS; DAMAGED. IMMEDIATE REPAIR REQUIRED.

Lance's eyes widened, as he swallowed down a breath of nervousness and guilt. He couldn't die, he was too young. Voltron needed him—!

His train of thought paused.

He wasn't needed.

Voltron could go on without him; there was one too many Paladins. One didn't belong, and he knew exactly who it was.

The thought hurt him, it hurt him too much. Feeling unwanted, feeling depressed, feeling like a disappointment. Lance had always wished for an escape, for someone to take him so far away in the stars and give him chance of success. A chance to prove that he wasn't some kid with ADHD who didn't know how to function in life.

He was being so selfish with all of his wishes, now look where it got him, dying in the middle of the fucking ocean.

He quickly did some calculations: he was sinking too fast to beat the gravitational pull of the planet and swim upwards. Also, the water was way different compared to the ocean on Earth, it was denser than normal water. He'd die of oxygen deprivation and exhaustion before he could even reach the top.

There was no chance of survival for Lance McClain.

He laughed to himself softly, here he was dying in the thing he loved most; the ocean. Who would've ever expected such a cruel fate to bestow him like this? Like god had crowned him the unluckiest man on Earth—well, the Universe in this case. At least that meant he succeeded in something.

"Lance!" An overjoyed voice yelled into the comms. "Get your ass back to the Castle! We're going to celebrate my birthday, another successful alliance, and a liberation!"

Lance's heart panged in guilt. He couldn't tell Keith his situation, he just couldn't stand to break the poor Paladin's heart on the day of his birth. He remembered their late night talks, how he confessed that he had always been lonely until he became a Paladin

He had been without family for ages, Lance couldn't even imagine the loneliness he felt on his birthday. The ones who brought him into this world gone without a trace.

Instead, he laughed, "I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm stuck in a pickle right now," He trailed off trying to change the subject. "You better get here fast, we can't start the party without you, you're apart of the team after all," Keith responded.

Another bullet of guilt straight through his heart. His eyes flicked to the oxygen level to the corner of the screen: 77%. God, his oxygen level were deteriorating faster than his phone battery. "K-Keith, stay on the line with me. There's something I need to tell you," Lance requested.

"What, you're gonna give me the biggest cuddle of all time when you get back?" Keith snorted. Lance laughed once more, "I wish. But, uh, I might not be able to make it in time for your birthday. Or at all."

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Lotor attacked us, and Blue and I crashed. I don't know for how long," Lance paused, trying to find the right words. "Fuck, shit—I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? We need to rescue you. Drop your coordinates, I'll round up the others."

"I'm sorry for ruining your birthday. I can't find my coordinates; the tracking system, thrusters, and oxygen filters are down. I'm running on 64% oxygen," Lance explained, his breathing starting to become ragged.

"Allura—she can help. She can find your coordinates, right?" Keith asked, Lance could hear his hurried footsteps. "I can't move, the water is too dense to move my arms, and I keep sinking further. I don't know what to do, Keith," Lance spoke a little too calmly. "You guys will get stuck too, just find Blue and leave."

"We can't just leave you! You're apart of Team Voltron, you're just as important as the rest of us!" Keith refuted, obviously angered by the mere thought of leaving his beloved friend behind. "I'm too deep in, it'll be too hard to fish me out. Please, just spend your time on something more useful," Lance finalized.

"Fuck, just stay tight. I'll come get you," Keith barked. Lance felt guilty, too guilty. It was eating him inside and out, "Please. . . just stay with me. . ."

"What's your oxygen level at now?"

"58%."

"Pidge, Hunk, Coran, and Allura are working their hardest to find your coordinates. Keep talking to me buddy." Lance heard his voice becoming shaky, as if it were becoming hard to keep on talking.

It was silent for a while, the breaths of the other reassuring the panicking Paladins.

"I'm getting lightheaded, I'm sorry," Lance apologized once more, causing Keith to clench his fists. "You can apologize once you're back home safe and sound, but for now zip it and save your breath."

Lance closed his eyes, starting to relax more and more. It was serene, peaceful, but the sweat of anxiety on his brow was annoying him. He hadn't dared look at the bar that would tell him how long it would be till he died, he could tell he was close to his end though, as breathing was becoming harder.

"We got the Blue Lion's coordinates, don't worry, we're coming," Keith proclaimed hurriedly.

"Mhm," Lance responded, words failing him once more. Once Keith spotted the Blue Lion from the ground, he broke into a frenzied sprint. He paid no attention to the orders and yells of Shiro, only focused on the Blue Lion ahead of him.

He reached forward, the Lion bending down to his unspoken wish to allow him to enter. Keith didn't stop, he wouldn't stop till he knew Lance was safe, that he was okay. He disregarded his own unsteady heartbeat, just for Lance.

Keith's eyes were widen in anticipation, his heart beating a mile a minute, but it was broken at the sight of the Lion's cockpit.

Empty. Just like Shiro's had been.

He fell to his knees, eyes watery in disbelief. Fuck, he could save the whole universe, but he couldn't save Lance. Where was the fairness in that? Were the Paladins of Voltron cursed that bad? Doomed to a fate of anguish for an eternity?

The salty tears in his face couldn't be stopped. Damn it, Lotor should've attacked him instead, Lance didn't fucking deserve it. None of them deserved it. . .

It was quiet on Lance's end, only the haunting echo of Keith's cries being audible. 12%.

"Happy birthday to you. . ." Lance sung softly, his voice hollow. The tears stopped for a second, before coming back twice as hard. "No, please," Keith begged, "Stop. Save your breath."

Lance continued on anyways. "Happy birthday to you. . . Happy birthday dear—" He stopped to breathe. "Happy birthday dear-r-r Keith-h-h," Lance dragged out the last syllable as long as he could with what little breath he had. The tone was forced and ragged, but Keith could feel the love anyways.

"Make a wish," He mumbled after he finished. Keith was too afraid to ask how much longer the other had, so he stayed silent. "I love you, Keith, I love you a lot. I'm sorry it had to be this way," Lance's tone was. . . accepting. It chilled Keith to the bone, he wasn't ready for this, for any of this.

"Maybe—maybe in our next life, things will go better. Promise?"

Keith choked back tears, "P-Promise."

"1% left, at least I can die a happy man," He mused, closing his eyes for one last time. Lance was satisfied, his life had been an adventure, he had proven them wrong, and he had lived up to all his worth.

"Bye, Keith. I love you."

✿ ✿✿

The air of the planet was cold, reminding Keith of the chilly days back on Earth. The lone nights spent on the porch of his rundown cabin underneath the shining stars were sad yet marvelous. He last wish was for Lance to live, so they could experience it together.

He walked, the visor of his helmet protecting him from any debris in the air. His foot moved one in front of the other, the path memorized to him already. He had walked the trail so many times before in the past, what makes today any different.

His feet only stopped when they reached their destination, a ginormous statue bearing the Blue Lion and it's former Paladins. Keith had never gotten around to researching the first Blue Paladin, but he did know his name was Blaytz.

He placed a bundle of blue flowers on the shining plaque. Keith knew the price of war, the lives that would be lost, the sacrifices that had to be made. Things weren't always fair in life. He stood there for a moment, basking in the glory of the statue, before leaving the way he came.

Lance McClain

Blue Paladin, Leg of Voltron, Beloved Uncle

July 28th XXXX — October 23rd XXXX

"Born to the stars, to the freedom of space, and to the loneliness too."