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When Lance stepped into that lion he wasn’t prepared for war, he didn’t think some dumb metal beast would drag him and his friends into a millennia old conflict. He’s not sure what he did expect, but it wasn’t this.
That being said, he doesn’t regret getting on that lion, getting swept up in the war, becoming a soldier. He’s saved lives changed things for the better, he has a purpose out here. Just, at a price.
Because for every life he’s saved, he’s taken one away. He’s killed hundreds of galran soldiers over time, doomed dozens of planets by saving a different one. He can’t help everyone, often not even his own team, his family. But sometimes he can help someone.
——
The first time Lance simultaneously saves someone and dooms someone is his first two weeks in space, the team is on Arus, small pill shapes aliens give them food and entertainment and worship them as heroes. Lance had been with Coran, chatting in the control room.
Pidge’s little robot friend, Rover, had been flying about the crystal. It was odd the little thing wasn’t with Pidge, the two had been inseparable since Rover came along.
Then it started beeping.
Louder.
Faster.
Time however moved slower, by the time Lance realized something was wrong he’d already reacted, pulling Coran to the floor and covering him with his own body.
Burning.
Everything was burning. His neck and neck and face, his skin was sizzling. But there were more important things. Sendak. He was here he had Shiro, Lance had to move, had to help, two shots are fired before the pain over takes him again.but Lance can’t tell if their from or someone else. Doesn’t matter.
Burning.
It’s duller this time. Like a sunburn rather than a he-just-lit-himself-on-fire kind of burn, there’s a pleasant coolness over the rest of him.
He’s falling.
He hits someone, their arms wrap around his torso. He’s more awake by the time they drag him to a chair. He asks what happened, he doesn’t know what to say. Sendak is prisoner, Lance had managed to hit him with both shots, the Arians are mostly unharmed, but frazzled. His injuries were the worst, burns covering 40% of his back, reaching up his neck and around his chin. H they thought he was going to die. He moved on, others were more important.
This is the attack that alerts the Galran empire that Voltron is operational, three planets and harvested and destroyed, the toll is 13 million people.
Pt1??
“A new recruit? What do we would need a newbie for?”
“Soap, there's no use questioning it,the decision has been made months ago.Now quit bothering me.” Price is truly annoyed. Ever since he broke the news to his team,Soap has not stopped asking about why, when, how and for what reason this new teammate will arrive to the taskforce.
“Okay,Okay,I get it at least tell us where they’re from,I mean we need to work with them at the very best of our abilities and-“
“Johnny”
Finally, freedom and peace arrived in the menacing form of Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley. Never, in his years of work had Price thought that peace and Ghost would occur in the same sentence within his thoughts. As he stood just a few meters away from his office,and the peaceful moments that he’d get by just getting through that door, Gaz came from behind.
“Captain,outside is -“
“what time is it Gaz?” Price asked in the most nice and calmest tone he could muster. Inside his chest panic rose, as he reminded himself of today's date. The recruit is coming today at exactly 16:15 pm
“Its 16:13, sir”
“Thanks Kyle, I need all of you to go. To your bunks,or the main hall,or somewhere else. Now.”
“Why?” again, Sergeant soap thought it was a good idea to talk again and so to break the last straw of his captain’s calmness.
“Ghost make sure this nuisance doesn’t get in my way with his stupid mouth today again, or he’ll gets to experience a whole week of outside recruitment training.Understood?”
With that Price turned on his heel and out of the sight of his teammates
“Fucking bloody muppets” he mutters as he made his way outside
“Great job, Soap.Now what?”
“I know we’re all thinking the same. So, Gaz , even if you don’t want to say it, Im going to say it.We’re going to follow him, obviously.”
Soap looked to his brothers, expecting a quick response,but none came.A minute of silence followed.
“Soap,no”
“C’mon L.t, I know you give more fucks about this as you let on,so if nobody’s going to stop me,I’ll be following my Captain.”
With that he to turned in a over dramatic way just as Price did three minutes ago, and got to follow his captain way outside.
“This godforsaken scottish bastard.A’right ill better follow him and get him back before the captain does, if anyone asks for me tell’em i’m dead or drunk. Thanks sergeant Garrick.”
And so Gaz now stood alone in front of his superiors office door , neither knowing how to react to the oder given or the situation that had just occurred, while he simply wanted to inform his captain of the helicopter sighted near the base. So, he decided, he will do as told by both his Lieutenant and Captain Price, staying right where he was and tell anyone who asked that the Captain is on his Period,Ghost is drunk and Sergeant McTavish turned feral.
A rather peaceful start for them, Garrick thought.
In the helicopter, a young man looked down at his wrist, the watch showing exactly 16:14.
In exactly one minute the helicopter should land,he’d get off his seat, take his duffel bag and backpack, depart the helicopter and meet the Task force 141, under command by the British army and the CIA. He would meet his new colleagues and captain, staying with them for a exactly three months before He would be seated in this exact position, back to his home country and comrades.in exactly 45 seconds he would be on time, he thought, in 46 he would be late.
He hated being late, he despised the thought of being where he was supposed to be even a millisecond late.He knew how much could change within a single minute or even second. His time out in the fields made it even mir obvious to him, how important it was to be accountable, accurate and quick. He dreaded the thought of being late, as he knew, the seconds one waste, may be the last of anothers life
How long are thirty seconds really?
He looked down at his watch, he laughed. It was a quick moment of bitter happiness filled by empty thoughts.
29…28….27
The Helicopter landing and the small ruckus of the helicopter as it touched the ground was the only thing he felt.
16:15 exactly on time, Second.
calex !! 2k wc
first time posting a fic on here YIKES
i was going to make this longer but i got through one part and got bored
updated!!
inspired by Maroon by Taylor Swift
sue me
The first rays of pale sunlight seeped through the windows of Alex Cabot’s loft, illuminating the incense ash that sprinkled across the oak floor.
Casey Novak, with her rumpled hair and wine-flushed cheeks, tucked her legs beneath her and knelt beside the record stand. She gently brushed the sandalwood from cardboard jackets: Rumors, Tusk, Mirage. Faint creases on sleeve corners told their own quiet stories of late‑night needle drops long before she’d moved in, long before Alex had made space for another toothbrush beside hers.
From across the rug, Alex tipped the soiled incense holder over the small trash bin, grimacing as the ash slid from the ceramic in a hush of gray. Her borrowed Harvard Law crewneck hung just past her thighs; every time she shifted her weight, Casey’s gaze caught on the swing of fabric, the easy way Alex occupied her own home—and now, somehow, Casey’s too.
They’d meant to review witness statements and crash early. Instead, Alex had put Fleetwood Mac on the turntable, and Casey cracked open some cheap‑ass screw‑top rosé. Everything after Blue Letter dissolved into laughter—burned popcorn, a debate over hearsay exceptions, Casey’s terrible impression of Judge Petrovsky that made Alex choke on wine and clutch her ribs.
Steam drifted from a single mug on the coffee table—the blonde’s jasmine tea. Casey had already stolen a sip, her lipstick print glowing a faint maroon on the rim beside Alex’s own. She lounged back against the couch, idly brushing her toes against the loose hem of Alex’s sweater, a slow, playful sweep that made the burgundy fabric sway and Alex glance down with a half-smirk.
“How’d we end up on the floor, anyway?”
Alex asked, voice still rough with sleep. Casey, knees drawn up and heels resting in Alex’s lap, tugged her hair down from its haphazard bun and let it encompass her shoulders. “Easy culprit,” she said, a lazy grin tugging at her mouth. “Your old roommate’s bargain-bin wine demolished our sense of time management.
Alex’s laugh was a quick, unguarded burst, sharp and melodic, filling the loft with the kind of warmth that made everything feel brighter. The sound bounced off the brick walls, then sank into Casey’s chest, stirring something she hadn’t realized had settled there. It was a sound she didn’t know she’d need this much. One she’d come to crave more than anything. Three weeks had passed since Casey moved in. Boxes were still haphazardly stacked in corners, a lone lamp perched on the dresser with no shade. But mornings like this, with Alex beside her, had a way of making everything feel rooted in place, as though they'd shared this space for years, not just weeks.
A faint draft slipped in from the fire escape. Smoke from the incense curled and spiraled, pale and gentle against the glass, wrapping the room in its quiet calm. For a few moments, they simply listened. The soft popping of vinyl static, the ticking radiator, the steady, almost shy rhythm of two heartbeats learning the same tempo. Outside, Manhattan kept its frantic pulse, taxis groaning across the wet pavement, but from up here, the noise felt decades away.
Alex reached for the kettle, poured a second mug, and handed it over. Their fingers grazed and Casey’s pulse thrummed, not with urgency but with a grounded certainty that surprised her.
“So,” Alex said, voice soft enough that it nearly blended with the crackle of the record, “when we finally unpack those boxes, where do you want your books?”
Casey leaned her head on Alex’s shoulder. “Somewhere close. I’m tired of looking for things I’ve already found.”
Outside the window, snow began to fall, the first flake landing on the wrought‑iron rail like a single note on an open staff. Inside, two women sat amid incense ash and album sleeves, finishing lukewarm tea and memorizing a silence that felt, for once, like home.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Two nights later, winter hovered indecisively above the city, unable to choose between sleet and snow. The courthouse steps were slick and gleaming when they stepped off the curb, breath visible in the cold.
“You didn’t even call,” Casey said, not looking at her. Her heels clicked down the sidewalk.
Alex tried to catch her pace. “I was buried in witness prep, Casey. I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“You don’t even have to ignore me,” Casey shot back, then stopped, folding her arms tight across her chest. Her shirt was damp, her curls frizzing at the edges, and her voice came out low. “You just forget.”
The words landed like a slap. Casey wasn’t raising her voice, but that calm, steady tone was worse. Alex opened her mouth, closed it again. They stood in the glow of a streetlamp, faces half in shadow.
“I didn’t forget,” Alex finally said. “I just… lost track of time.”
“You always do.” Casey’s voice broke, just a little. “And I wait. And I forgive it. And I keep showing up.” She was calm, but underneath her voice was that quiet, brittle kind of sadness that never announced itself until it was already settling in.
Alex ducked into a bodega, the kind with flickering lights and a handwritten sign for oranges out front, without a word. When she came back, she had a bottle of wine (actual cork, not screw-top) cradled in her hands. “Come on,” she said. “Walk with me?”
Casey hesitated. Then, she stepped out of her heels and scooped them up by the straps. “Only if you promise not to talk about depositions.”
“I solemnly swear,” Alex said, and Casey gave her a tiny smile.
They walked under a dull streetlamp that made everything look a little more golden. Casey tipped her head back and gave a spin on the wet sidewalk, hair flying. “Tell me again why we don’t just quit and move to Barcelona.”
Alex laughed, startled and bright. “You don’t speak Spanish.”
“You do,” Casey teased, and twirled again, before handing the bottle back over. “Problem solved.”
A cab tore past, catching a puddle, Alex jolted to protect the wine, but the bottle tilted just enough to splash a crimson streak across Casey’s white blouse.
“Oh my god,” Casey gasped.
“Oh my god,” Alex echoed, horrified. “Casey, I am so sorry—”
“You spilled Rioja on the one thing in my wardrobe that didn’t already look like a crime scene,” Casey said dramatically, but her grin was spreading.
“I’ll replace it.”
“You can’t replace white-collar ugly,” Casey said, eyes dancing.
And then she started laughing. Real, unguarded, throw-your-head-back laughing. It bubbled out of her so easily that Alex couldn’t help joining in, half-doubled over with relief.
“I choose you,” Alex said between gasps, holding the wine like it was sacred. “Always. Even when I’m an idiot.”
“Especially when you’re an idiot,” Casey said, still breathless. “You’re kind of my favorite idiot.”
Then Alex tugged her closer, gingerly, because the wine bottle was still open, and Casey dropped her shoes and wrapped both arms around her neck. They swayed there, in the middle of the sidewalk, tipsy on nothing but each other.
No music. Just the soft rhythm of laughter, the spill of streetlight, and the way the world seemed briefly, wonderfully, theirs.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Casey dropped her bag. Too hard. Alex winced at the sound.
“You could’ve backed me up,” Casey said, not looking at her. “You didn’t have to cut me off like that.”
Alex, already toeing off her heels by the couch, sighed. “It wasn’t personal.”
“It never is with you.”
Alex turned slowly. “Excuse me?”
“You treat me like your intern. Like I’m lucky to even be in the room.” Casey’s voice cracked, too loud for the space between them, but still too small. Inferior. “I’m not your assistant. I’m second chair. I earned that.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Alex snapped. “You think I asked to work with someone who—” She stopped. Bit the rest off and swallowed it down.
Casey stared. “Someone who what?”
Alex said nothing.
“Jesus,” Casey breathed. “You’re unbelievable.”
She shifted nervously. She knew she was getting ahead of herself but the words were coming out too fast for her mind to stop it. “You don’t even see it, do you? You walk into a room and everyone listens. You speak and people shut up. You don’t have to prove yourself every goddamn day.”
There it was. What Casey could never quite say out loud. The burden that loomed between them. A brick wall. That she felt like a shadow beside Alex. That even when they were laughing, touching, kissing, part of her never stopped wondering how long it would take for Alex to realize she could do better.
Alex crossed her arms, spine straight as a ruler. “You’re being emotional.”
That did it.
Casey’s eyes went glassy, but her jaw locked tight. Alex’s gaze flickered. Just for a second. But it was enough. Enough for Casey to see the wall slam into place behind her eyes. Cold. Controlled. Done.
“I love you,” Casey said, a last-ditch effort, her voice ragged. “But I’m tired of feeling like this. Like I’m chasing after someone who won’t even turn around.”
Alex blinked, but didn’t move. Didn’t answer. The silence pressed in so hard Casey thought it might crush her. She turned and stormed down the hall. And when she reached the bedroom, she didn’t hesitate, just slammed the door so hard it rattled the frame. Then came the sobs. Messy, awful ones, muffled into the sheets of their shared bed,
Out in the living room, Alex stared at the door for a long minute. Then she picked up her heels and her keys and walked out. Quiet. Composed. Like she hadn’t just left a wreck behind her.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°
Crammed into the single‑stall bathroom at the office, whisper‑laughing like schoolgirls at a sleepover instead of two ADAs with open case files and coffee breath.
“Stop moving,” Casey hissed, blotting at Alex’s collarbone with a wet paper towel that wasn’t helping at all.
“I told you not to use teeth,” Alex whispered back, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Her button-down was already halfway open, revealing a smudged scarlet mark just peeking over the neckline.
“I didn’t use teeth,” Casey grinned. “Not exclusively.”
Alex glared but her lips twitched. “You’re a menace.”
The mirror caught the flush on both their faces, the way Alex leaned into Casey’s touch like it was gravity. Somewhere outside, footsteps echoed down the hall, but the moment stayed quiet, warm, dizzy with stolen time.
“We should probably get back,” Alex said, though she didn’t move.
Casey’s fingers brushed the mark one last time. “Too late. Everyone already saw your scandalous hickey. The entire floor knows you’re getting railed by your second chair.”
Alex snorted. “Jesus.”
“Don’t worry,” Casey murmured, eyes soft now. “I’ll make sure you win your next case. For…reputation’s sake.”
And Alex, against all her instincts, let herself laugh, really laugh, and pulled Casey in by her stupid tie.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°
She didn’t even hear the front door close. Just the quiet afterward, thick and mean, like the apartment itself was holding its breath. She slid down the side of the bed until she hit the floor. Her coat was still buttoned, hair still pinned, makeup smudging with every wipe of her sleeve. Her sharp composure was gone, replaced with a mess of hiccuped sobs and red eyes, knees pulled up to her chest.
There were no more hickeys now. No giggles. Just silence thick as grief and the echo of Alex’s voice saying nothing at all when it mattered. She’d cried herself sick and quiet, tucked under her blanket with the door still locked, but it hadn’t helped. The ache stayed put.
Why did it always feel like this with Alex? She wanted to be chosen. Wanted to be seen. She loved her. God, she loved her.
But she couldn’t keep bleeding just to prove it.
In another part of the city, Alex poured herself a drink she didn’t want, stared at a text she couldn’t send. She wanted to call. To say I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. Come home.
Maybe she thought Casey needed space. Maybe she was punishing herself. Maybe she didn’t know how to be soft without breaking. She told herself she didn’t slam the door because she was composed. That she left because she needed space. Because Casey was being unfair.
The words echoed in her mind, muffled by the way her chest ached, tight and quiet.
I love you.
She didn’t mean to hurt her. She never meant to. But closeness always came with edges. And love, real love, scared the hell out of her. Casey wanted all of her. But Alex didn’t know how to hand herself over without losing the pieces she spent years keeping safe.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
i wanna make a part 3
(FancyEventSinger)Price performing at a very, very high end (and over priced) restaurant, the band switching from slow orchestras to upbeat jazz and the guests either conversing with one another or swaying to the music.
(MafiaBoss)Nikolai sitting at the bar and quietly sipping his whiskey while listening to the siren-like voice coming from the stage(if he were a sailor lost at sea, he’d surely be dead by now).
Nik stared at him as if he were in a trance, eyes longing, soul wanting, hands tapping against his glass, mind wondering if he could get the gorgeous performer to sing his name like a hymn.
He wanted him, and by all means he was going to get him.