Quick Disclaimer: Voltron is the property of World Events Productions

Lance groaned as he burrowed under the covers, cursing whichever deity that seemed intent on depriving him of sleep. It had been a long day, what with wresting yet another stolen magickal relic from Haggar while fending off yet another robeast, and he ached all over, which was why he was actually somewhat grateful that he was sleeping alone for once. Not that he would have minded some company - far from it - but Keith could be very difficult to resist and he was simply too tired for much of anything. Although for some reason his brain resolutely refused to accept that fact.

Completely unable to relax, he shifted position yet again with a frustrated sigh. Suddenly a flash of gold caught his attention and he sat up, blinking in surprise at the patently impossible sight that met his eyes and devoutly hoping he was somehow asleep and dreaming. Because otherwise...

"AAIIIEEEEEEE!"

Keith awoke with a start, heart pounding as the unholy shriek ricocheted through his skull, completely obliterating the perfectly enjoyable dream he'd been having. He spent a second or two trying to gain his bearings while wondering a bit petulantly why whomever was screaming couldn't have waited just a *bit* longer, before realizing that the sound was emanating from Lance's room. With a sudden sensation of queasy dread, he shot out of bed and bolted into the hallway.

The door to Lance's room was locked and Keith pounded frantically, shouting for Lance to for god's sake open the door. He barely registered the presence of Hunk and Pidge beside him until Pidge gently elbowed him aside and quickly tapped a series of buttons on the console beside the door. The lock disengaged with a soft click and Keith turned to stare at Pidge in surprise. The bespectacled pilot shrugged, looking faintly abashed. "Master code," he explained. Keith spared half a second to wonder how exactly Pidge had gotten that bit of information before rushing into Lance's darkened room, Hunk and Pidge hot on his heels, alert for any threat that might still be lurking in the shadows.

Lance sat hunched over in the bed, rocking slowly back and forth and shuddering violently. As the door opened he slowly raised his head to stare at the intruders, and Keith felt his heart constrict as he noticed the tears streaming unheeded down his lover's face. He moved to Lance's side as fast as his suddenly shaky legs would carry him, sitting beside the smaller man and gently snaking one arm around his shoulders. "Lance? You okay?" he asked gently, struggling to keep a rising note of hysteria out of his own voice.

The other man met his concerned gaze with a confused stare, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening. "Keith...?" he rasped. At the other's reassuring nod, he began to whimper. "This... this isn't happening. It isn't right... I - I -" He burst into tears again as the others exchanged worried glances.

"He's not going all Cassandra on us again, is he?" Hunk queried nervously. He liked Lance and all, their constant bickering aside, but while he certainly appreciated the other man's almost unerring ability to sense danger from a practical perspective, it also tended to give him the creeps, and seeing him this unhinged was downright alarming.

Any reply that Keith or Pidge might have attempted was cut short by a light alto voice from behind them. "Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

All eyes snapped to the doorway where the princess stood silhouetted, clad only in a far-too-sheer nightgown, golden curls flowing loosely over her shoulders. She paused for a moment and then padded gracefully into the room, radiating a carefully cultivated air of vaguely detached ennui. Hunk goggled for a moment, then hastily averted his eyes as a blushing Pidge elbowed him. Keith, on the other hand, barely registered the princess's state of dishabille, absorbed as he was with worrying over Lance's precarious mental state. Lance, for his part, was staring at the princess with an expression of unbridled horror scrawled across his face. "This can't be happening," he moaned. "This has to be a nightmare... it can't be real..."

The princess crossed her arms over her chest, huffed in annoyance and snapped, "Shut up, Allura."

The room suddenly became very, very quiet.

"...Allura?" whispered Keith, eyes widening to their natural limits as his gaze swiveled between the princess and his quaking teammate. "Then... who...?" His voice trailed off as realization dawned and he gasped in disbelief. "LANCE?"

His lover nodded curtly, absently twining a lock of golden hair around one dainty finger.

Keith promptly fainted dead away.

To be continued... assuming I don't get strung up by my heels for this. *runs and hides*