Find your element

"Hey guys. Uh how long- long have you been here?" Great now he was stuttering

Hunk beamed up at Lance with a proud smile. "I haven't heard you sing like that since Christmas at your moms house!" He giggled happily savoring the embarrassment on his friends face.

"We came back to pick you up about 5 minutes ago." Shiro stood leaning against the bed frame. A peaceful sigh leaving their mouths. Lances room was always spotless but still it left them impressed. The air smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. Smelled like home.

"How come you don't sing like that more often," Pidge screeched. "Like what the Fuck! Are you okay?" Her voice softened at the end in concern. Lance stood stiffly still a good distance from the others.

"I'm not the best at singing. It's just something that relaxes me, reminds me of home."

"You didn't answer the question. Are you okay?" Keith placed his hand gently on Lances shoulder. Eyes holding panic for a moment before he sighed leaning into the touch. He was now slightly more sure that he wasn't going to kill anything he touched.

"I'm fine." He whispered. "I didn't hurt any of you, did I?" Pidge leaped from the mattress and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"No, you saved my life. Allura said something about the next level of our training so I'm sure there's a logical explanation." Her answer left him with a soft smile.

"You we're talking in your sleep." Keith mumbled. "You kept apologizing. Saying you didn't mean it. That you could be better. Lance what did you mean?"

Keith's violet eyes were concerned searching inside Lances blue oceans for a hint of an answer. Fear and sadness floated to the top disappearing as soon as it was noticed. He forced a laugh and a charming smile.

"It was nothing. Just a bad dream," he assured them guiding everybody slowly down the hall.

They opened the training room door to find Allura excitedly tampering with a new machine. "Princess the paladins have arrived," Coran chimed happily sending Lance a soft smile.

"Brilliant!" She sang practically skipping over to greet them. "I owe you all an explanation. The places you found your lions weren't coincidental. Each lion corresponds to an element. More clearly their Paladin matches one of many elements."

She let them process this before moving on. "The lions themselves Chanel power from their pilots. Paladins very rarely are able to summon these powers so soon!"

"So we all have some sort of elemental magic thingy?" Hunk asked poking his fingers together nervously.

"Yes exactly."

"And this isn't just an alien mutation?" He continued.

She nodded, "Now that I know you are capable of achieving these talents I can begin trying to help you master them." Allura gestured begins her to the thick metal chair and mask. Besides it with wires sneaking out sat a screen with static.

"However we first needs to find out what triggers them." Coran stepped forward twirling his mustache.

"What does it do?" Shiro stepped slightly in front of Lance as if shielding him from something awful.

"Simple it places you in certain scenarios in hopes of getting your element to awake! I think it's quite fun, almost like those," she paused thinking for a moment. "Those 'Video games' Lance and Pidge enjoy so much."

Coran grabbed Lances arm gently. "I know this might seem frightening my boy, but if you don't mind it-"

Lance nodded slowly sitting himself in the chair. Allura seemed proud placing a clamp on his finger to monitor any changes. She gave him a smile and pulled the mask over his head.

It covered his eyes, nose, and barley his mouth. He saw nothing but darkness an empty void of crossing shadows. Slowly his eyes grew accustomed to the black. He was in a cell dimly lit by a purple trim. A Gallra containment unit. His team members were beside him trying to keep each other calm.

Hunk was fighting the urge to cry as he held Pidge closely. Shiro was still unconscious a large cut tearing his stomach nearly in half. Keith was pacing frantically searching for a way out. Lance pushed himself to his feet, his heart beating in his throat.

They were stripped of armor and weapons bruises littering their skin. Footsteps echoed outside the door. A pair of robots entered and scanned over each of them finally seeming to decide on Hunk. They threw Pidge to the side slamming his best friends head into the floor as they tried to disentangle the crew from each other's shaking arms.

Nothing but rage filled his system. He swung at the soldiers until they dragged him from the cell. Lance could hear the screaming from his team as the door closed. He let himself be tortured for weeks on end as long as they never touched anybody else. Frost would lock the door shut or a wall of ice would block them until he was removed.

The scene changed with a dissatisfied spark. Three more scenes passed before he felt it. They had all landed for a day of relaxation. A planet filled with earth like biomes and lakes. Lance loved to swim, Keith loved a challenge. Their friends waited on the bank making bets on who they thought would win.

So they raced swimming lap upon lap until the water became rough. Waves crashing and slamming. Pushing heads underwater with each rise and fall. Keith was never a strong swimmer, Lance knew this.

The Cuban teen dove down trying to find a flash of red shorts or raven hair. He almost missed him. A pale limp Keith floating gently at the bottom. Lance screamed focusing on air pooling around them. The whole lake bubbled and drifted to an arc above them.

He scrambled across the mud, "Please, breath!" Lance pumped the water from his lungs. "Keith don't leave me!" He screamed tears beginning to fall. There was a moment of nothing but the screaming from above. Shiros voice garbled by the water above.

The water that was slowly freezing to the shape of stairs.

Keith coughed taking sharp deep breaths. Lance scooped him up moving up the stairs so he could pass him onto the bank. The lake crashed back just as The mask was removed. It was raining, a heavy down pour in the training hall. Thunder booming.

The chair was completely coated in ice his fingertips buzzing with energy. The room was warm and cold at the same time. Allura stepped back a little. "Lance you're ok now. Just calm down..." he saw his glowing eyes in the reflection of his chair. He heard his panicking heartbeat and his heavy breathing. He stood from the chair looking over his friends.

The rain stopped, ice melted. Lance ran and checked over everyone giving each of them a bone crushing hug. "That was the worst." His whispered yawning.

"It appears ice responds to fear and negative emotion. Besides that Lance had most control when someone he cares about was in danger. So you are no alarmed, Using these abilities may result in fatigue until your human bodies adapt to the energy expulsions." Before even finishing her sentence Lance let out a gentle snore as he leaned against Keith's shoulder.

"Help?" Keith whispered. Shiro smiled slyly they all saw what had gotten the biggest reaction from him. The most power came from thinking He had died.

"I think you can handle him for now." Pidge snickered snapping a photo.

"Uhm... okay." Keith moved slowly wrapping his arms around The drooling blue paladin. "Do I just put him in his bed?"

"Yes tomorrow we will have someone else go for now unwind before bed."  He could feel their smiling faces as he carried Lance to his room.

He set him down gently pulling a blanket up to his chest. Keith gave the room a once over. The walls full of pictures from missions and shows. Photos of Lance posing with hunk and making Pidge laugh. Even Shiro had cracked a smile. The center photo was Lance leaning on Keith's shoulders as he desperately tried to cover the camera.

Rough sketches of people he could only assume were family members on earth. Lay neatly on the desk. Lance shifted in the sheets curling into a ball hugging a pillow to his chest.

"holy shit,"Keith held back laughter. "Lance is a cuddled and a sleep talker!" He left quietly deciding on training before bed.