Writing for babitty on AO3 (link in comments)

Pidge's eyes burn, every second she stares at her screen only increases the pain... Increases the intensity of the fire in her eyes. Nonetheless, she is reluctant to step away. Although a fire may burn her eyes, a stronger one burns in her heart. Her brother, a pun loving nerd is missing. Her brother, who always helped her with her homework, played Mario Kart with her and was a large part of her life is gone.

His absence is not normal. He's not on some vacation... He hasn't moved into his own apartment. Instead he is in limbo. He isn't with her, but he hasn't died either. Well, as far as she knows. The spaces he leaves - all the times he should be laughing along with her - makes the days feel long. Makes the days feel endless. After all, Matt isn't the only one missing. Her sweet dad, who was well loved for his contagious optimism, is missing as well. Is gone.

Clenching and unclenching her hands in order to relives some of the painful tension built up in them, Pidge resumes decoding Galra intel. Surely, there must be record of her family somewhere. Surely, she will find them. Surely, surely, surely... Pidge chants words of encouragement to herself until all she can think about are those words, and the hope they contain. Although the hope keeps her awake a few hours longer than she originally intend, she inevitably crashes. Sadly, her dreams aren't as positive as her conscious thoughts. The horrid possibilities of the outcome of her family haunts her, making her restless. She sleeps, but at what cost?

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Hunk finds happiness in the form of his parents - two small town bakers who practically live in the kitchen. Even on days when they aren't working, they prepare meals and create new recipes. As the first to taste test each one, Hunk rarely leaves the kitchen either.

The kitchen is small and crumbling, much like the pastries his parents make, but Hunk doesn't care. There's a literal and metaphorical warmness to the kitchen. A room with happy yellow blinds, bright smiles and sweet aromas. Hunk only leaves when school or other responsibilities force him to. When he does leave, he carries the warmness with him. It's a kind of warmness that comes from knowing that although his parents may not be in the same room as him, they are a drive away. (You use the word leave several times in these paragraphs. Maybe find a synonym for it.)

Space destroys warmth. It swallows it whole. Yellow blinds are replaced with glaring white walls, smiles are replaced with weary frowns and the only thing he can smell is fear. His own feelings of fear increase when he realizes just how big the universe is. ravel across it is only possible with superior alien technologies. Oh and that's another thing that scares him. Aliens are real and many of them aren't E.T types. Instead, they want to hurt them. Some act as though they want to eat him for lunch.

The comforting warmth of happiness and familiarity has vanished and been replaced with cold space. The only warmth he feels is the hot feeling of panic. He could die any day, in any way and his parents would never know. He himself may never realize he's dead.

With a shaky breath, Hunk wraps his arms around himself. Squeezing his eyes closed as tight as possible, for a blissful second he is able to pretend the arms wrapped around him belong to his parents. He's able to pretend he's at home.

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Normal dads don't give their sons knives as a present on their tenth birthday. Normal dads don't just disappear, either. But that's what Keith's dad did, seemingly swept up in by a large tornado that plagued Texas the same year his father gave him the knife. That year, Keith was left with nothing. His house was reduced to fragments and so was his heart. Well, almost nothing. He still had the clothes on his back and his knife. Of course he still had the damn knife, it was like no knife he'd ever seen. It was dark, sharp and mysterious. The only thing that hinted at its complicated past was the glowing insignia.

Growing up, the knife gave him hope. Hell, it gave him dreams. His parents must be superheros or secret agents in order to have access to such cool weaponry! The one possibility Keith never considered was that his mother was an alien.)

Keith knows his father is human, which means the Galra part of him must come from his mother. How the hell did his mother meet his father? When did she leave them? Why did she leave them?

Discovering that he was part Galra answered many questions. However, it also created twice as many. Why isn't he purple and furry? Would he turn purple and furry? What if he turned purple and furry? Would the team still want him if he looked less human? Would the team still love him if he looked like the enemy?

Between losing his parents and discovering his far from simple heritage, he can't help but think... He can't help but believe that he's cursed. He's cursed to lose his family, one person at a time.

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Shiro sees ghosts - Haunting visions that remind him of the past. Although many are shapeless blobs that scream, others have distinct forms. . Many look like the aliens he was imprisoned with; the aliens he has killed...

Shiro doesn't just see them, he runs from them. They chase him, innocent souls seeking justice. Primal cries, tears and growls of "how could you kill me?" rumble like thunder as he runs for his life. His running never gets him far. It's as though he is on the universe's largest treadmill. It's a treadmill that seems to have a soul of its own, with the belt clawing at his feet. It seems to say "if you don't surrender, I'll kill you myself."

The words are more of a promise than a threat. The treadmill grabs and pulls him, manhandling him until he falls. Once he's grounded, the ghosts take over. They claw at him, kick him and punch him. "How does it feel, Shiro? How does it feel to die?"

Shiro awakens, feeling sweaty and at least 100 pounds heavier. Gasping for breath, he attempts to ground himself by focusing his gaze on something familiar. Sadly, one of the first things his eyes rest on is his arm. His Galra arm made of metal, magic and death. Although the ghosts rarely bother him when he's awake, the arm reminds him of them - of the creatures that unwilling exchanged their lives for his. The arm reminds him of all of the things he's lost. Things such as his own innocence, his spaceship, and his friends.

Seconds later, Sam and Matt's faces dance across his vision. Shiro finds himself crying into his pillow and apologizing. He's not sure why he's apologizing though. Afterall, no amount of apologies can bring the dead back.

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Lance anxiously fold and unfolds a familiar paper, his soft paper. Once the act of folding and unfolding it no longer satisfies him, he tucks it and untucks beneath his armor. He knows that he should be careful with it, with the paper becoming especially pliable due to its frequent use but he can't resist touching it... The one of few remnants of his family.

With a small sigh, Lance pulls the paper out from underneath his armor before taking his armor completely off. In a desperate attempt to distract himself from his feelings of homesickness, Lance joins Pidge in the "living room" or a corner of the bridge where they managed to squeeze in some comfortable furniture.

Hoping to scare Pidge, Lance launches himself over the back of his couch, earning himself some curse words and and an elbow to the stomach. Attempting to pull the controller out of her grasp, he manages not to fall of the couch, but fails in getting the controller. He also fails to prevent his treasured paper from falling out of his pants pocket, due to his lopsided and nearly upside down position on the couch.

As payback for having Lance launch himself at her, Pidge reads the paper out loud. Her fierce, vengeance seeking glare softens when she realizes what she's reading. "This is your family."

"Yeah, it is..." Lance replies, his voice trailing off. With a small, sad smile, he adds, "I didn't want to forget."

Pidge raises her gaze ever so briefly to give him a sympathetic look. "Do you have a picture of them? I'd love to see what they look like."

Lance brightens at her words. "Of course I do. I have an army's worth of pictures on my phone." Lance's mood darkens when he remembers... "My phone is dead. I can't show you."

Pidge, much to his surprise, laughs at him.

"Lance, I love you but you're an idiot. I can hook you up! Well, not you but your phone. As for what I can hook it up to, I can make a makeshift charger for it. I'd love to connect it to the internet as well but there's a limit to my power... I still quite haven't managed to make my own satellites or extend the range of Earth satellites. As much as it frustrates me, it's probably for the best. We wouldn't..."

Pidge speaks so fast that Lance only catches half of what she says. With his heavy heart feeling slightly lighter, Lance gives Pidge a tight squeeze before running to get his phone from his room.

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Lance is quick to announce that his phone is charged and Team Voltron is quick to respond. Huddling around Lance's phone, Lance slowly swipes picture after picture. He shows them his family first, even though his initial thought was to share memes. After his family photos come his friends. A majority of his photos are of him and Hunk since they were roommates back at the Garrison. However, a fair number include Pidge, she's often in the background, glued to her phone or computer. After the friends comes teachers. When it comes to the teacher photos they're low quality - sneaky, fast shots that often leave the pics blurry.

The pictures of friends, family and the Garrison has everyone reminiscing. They exchange brief stories, with some of the funniest coming from Shiro. Who knew an instructor could witness so many strange and hilarious things? Despite the numerous funny photos and stories, Keith is near silent throughout it all. He doesn't even make a snarky comment when one photo shows Lance falling face first into a puddle of mud. It takes Lance a few seconds to realize what's wrong. So few of these photos involve Keith or relate to Keith - a talented pilot that ended up having to live in the desert. Suddenly increasing the speed of his swipes, Lance searches for pictures of Keith.

After a few seconds of scrolling and a loud "aha," Lance finally finds a picture of Keith. Pointing to a mullet in the background, Lance exclaims, "Look, it's you! It has to be you. I'd recognize that mullet anywhere."

"It's not a mullet," Keith grumbles and even though his voice is sour, there's a small smile on his face.

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Everyone is surprisingly moody after the photo sharing. Lance isn't sure if it's the daily wear of battle or if it's connect to the phone thing, but Lance hates the negative energy. The negativity - the anger, frustration, and sadness eat away at him like an all consuming fire. It's a fire that threatens to consume him and the rest of Team Voltron if someone doesn't do something to stop it.

After some heavy suggesting (okay, more like begging) Lance manages to convince Allura to call an emergency meeting. Unsure of how to put it in a less direct and potentially offensive way, Lance decides to be blunt. "Something is eating away at us. Don't try to deny it - I can tell. I just don't know what. We should talk it out! It's not healthy to bottle things up." When Lance's words are met with silence, he emits a heavy sigh. "Alright, I can understand not wanting to be the one to go first, so I'll share what I'm struggling with." Pulling his worn but nonetheless loved paper from his pocket, he reads the names and explains its significance. By the end of his speech, everyone looks less tense. In fact, Hunk is so moved that he's on the verge of tears. With his voice cracking, Hunk is the first to open up. Once two people have opened up, it come easy to the rest. Well as easy as admitting your largest fear can get.

Giving them ten minutes or so to regain their composure, grounding themselves after sharing personal things and listening to the stories of others, Lance claps his hands. The sound gains him the undivided attention of Team Voltron. "Let's work on making each other feel better. What can we do to help another?" Realizing it would be easier to focus on one person at a time, Lance adds, "Let's focus on Hunk first. How can we help him?"

"Oh no, no you don't," Keith says, practically jump up from his seat. "You were the first to share your problem, so we're helping you first. No excuses. No talking, at all. You will not sway us." Keith's ferocious yet kind words earn him murmurs of agreement.

"I do not mean to intrude on your..." Allura says, looking genuinely uncomfortable, "Earth discussion but I have an idea of how we can help Lance."

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While Lance waits for Allura to open a wormhole - so they can get close enough that he can send a quick text - Lance adds names to his paper. Writing slowly so as not to get unwanted attention, Lance adds six names. Originally he was only planning five, but it would be rude to leave Pidge's brother out of the friend/chosen family group. Mentally vowing to learn their birthdays, Lance pockets the paper and exchanges it for his phone.

When a chorus of excited gasps rings throughout the room, Lance knows they're close to Earth. Unlocking his phone, Lance is surprised to find himself receiving message after message.

"Lance answer your phone"

"Ur so grounded"

"Mom is really worried"

"The Garrison won't tell us where you are"

"This is rlly scary dude"

"What do they mean classified why can't you tell us what's going on??"

"We rly miss u"

"Please just tell me you're okay"

"I need to know you're alive"

With tears stinging his eyes, Lance hastily types a message.

"Hey mom. I'm okay. I'm safe. I love you guys. I'm sorry I left without telling you guys, it's a long story. Be home as soon as I can. Please don't ground me. Love, Lance."

Knowing that words wouldn't be enough to satisfy is family, Lance attaches a picture of him and Hunk lounging on the couch located in the bridge. Well, Hunk, himself and one of Pidge's feet, which is just poking into the corner on the left side of the picture.

Well aware that he isn't the only one that misses Earth and the people on it, he offers his phone to the others. "Want to text your Mom, Pidge? How about you, Hunk? Want to text your parents? Keith, surely you must have a relative you can text. And Shiro... Tons of people would love to hear from you." Lance rambles, his words being the only that stop him from crying. Everyone else seems to sense this, and patiently listens to him. They also take their time replying.

"I forgot her number," Pidge confess, with a loud sniffle. "Can you believe it? I forgot my own mother's number! How could I forget her number? She helped me sneak into the Garrison... Created fake documents and papers. She was just as desperate as me to get answers about my father and brother. She likely still is..." Awkwardly coughing to avoid crying, she adds, "I know I still am. I miss them so much."

Hunk immediately moves to comfort Pidge. While hugging her, he says, "I don't know what I'd say. I want to tell them about this," he momentarily lets go of Pidge to motion to the ship, "but I can't. They wouldn't believe me. Even if they did, it would be too dangerous for them to know. What if they tried to get the government to find us? Our best ships would be like sitting ducks out here!" Hunk takes a deep breath before continuing. "You seem to know what to say... Could you text my dad something for me? I think you have his number on your phone."

Lance scrolls through his contacts for a few seconds, and is surprised to find Hunk's dad name still present at the bottom of his contacts list. "I do have his number! Hunk, remember the time you called him in a panic because you thought you lost your house key?" Lance finds himself smiling at the memory.

"Yeah," Hunk says, now smiling as well. "It was in my pocket the whole time. I felt like an idiot."

With one last laugh, Lance sends Hunk's dad a text. "I'm okay. I love you - Hunk"

There's a brief moment of silence before Keith responds to Lance. "Everyone, uhh..." he nervously scratches the back of his neck "Everyone I have is here." There is more silence as everyone lets that sink it.

Shiro's answer breaks the silence. He has the same nervous habit as Keith - picking at the back of his neck. "I bet they already had a funeral for me. It would be better for me to show up in person. Afterall, a text would seem more like a prank than an actual confirmation of me being alive."

"Ahh," Lance replies. "Good point." Before he can say more, Allura interrupts him.

"If everyone is all set, we should leave. I can not hold the wormhole open much longer. Even if I could, I would not recommend us lingering here. I do not want to lead the Galra to your beloved planet." Allura's words, although spoken in a soft voice, stings. Oh yeah, the safety of the Earth and the whole universe depends on them.

They leave before Lance's phone can process any responses.

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Helping each other takes time and it isn't easy... But it's worth it. With hard work and the aid of others, they're able to function. Well not just function, but live. They're able to smile, laugh and enjoy themselves. They're able to feel like kids again.

Hastily putting his clothes back on - a Galra ship had approached them while he was in the pool - Lance emits a heavy sigh. He's lost some of his free time. Once he manages to get most of his clothes and armor on, Lance grabs his beloved paper. Slipping it under his chest plate, Lance places it right over his heart so it can keep him alive... So it can give him a hope of a better tomorrow.