"Oh, um, hello," he said hesitantly with a small wave. The look-a-like gave a tinkling laugh.

"You don't have to look so nervous," he smiled. Lance only shrugged in response and looked away from the alien.

"You're Alluran, aren't you?" He asked looking around the strange space around them.

"That's me!" He cheered gripping Lance by the shoulders and pulling him close. "And do you know what that means?!" He asked excitedly. Lance pulled back slightly from the elated prince.

"We start fusing?" He asked cautiously.

"We start fusing!" He yelled after Lance; then paused with a confused look on his face. "Wait, how do you know about that?" he asked. Lance shrugged his shoulders and looked away from the man.

"Well, Allura, Coran, and Sheeva told us about it," he replied. His eyes widened when Alluran gripped his shoulders again tightly.

"Sheeva is alive?" He asked with a pain filled expression. Lance looked at him in surprise.

"You didn't know that?" Lance asked carefully. "I mean he's not technically alive I guess, he's in Shiro's body," Lance explained. Alluran nodded his head after a moment.

"So he's merging already," Alluran mused with a small smile. "Well, then you already understand the process of what will begin happening between the two of us?" He asked Lance with a smile growing on his lips. Lance only nodded silently and let himself be lifted up by the prince in a tight hug.

"Whoa, you're really strong," Lance gasped out as his middle got crushed in the Altean's arms.

"All Alteans naturally are," he commented setting the boy back down on his feet. "Anyways, I believe that when we wake up I will be the one in control, all the cases of encountered up to this point have shown this pattern," he explained clutching Lance's hands in his own.

"Great!" Lance chirped giving the man a smile. "You'll be able to see Allura and Coran first thing at breakfast!" His enthusiastic smile dropped when he saw the look of hesitance on Alluran's face.

"What wrong? Are you excited to see your family again?" He asked holding Alluran's hand tighter as a sign of comfort.

"It's not that Lance, I just don't know how I will be able to face them, considering how I left them," he responded meekly looking down at their intertwined hands. "I didn't have to die the way I did but I wasn't strong enough to go on without him,"

Lance swallowed around the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. To think that this strong Altean prince had been thinking that he disappointed his family when in reality they had only been praising him and his strong relationship with Sheeva. He shook his hands-free and slammed them onto Alluran's shoulders, making him look into Lance's eyes.

"Don't think like that, since they told us about you all we've heard was how great you two are and how strong you have ever been," Lance said earnestly. "Don't doubt Allura and Coran, they would never hold your death against you," Alluran let himself curl into himself a bit and breathed harshly trying not to start crying against Lance. After a few minutes, he straightened up.

"Thank you, Lance, I really needed to hear that,"

"No problem; from how I see it, we're family now,"

"Are you sure that Sheeva will want that?" Pidge asked incredulously looking at the strange dish that Coran was preparing in front of them.

"Of course, this was one of Sheeva's favourite meals!" Coran said excitedly. "Isn't that right Princess?"

"Indeed it was," Allura giggled watching Coran happily humming to an old Altean song as he continued mixing ingredients.

"I don't know man, that's kind of gnarly looking," Hunk grimaced. Keith nodded in agreement, going so far as to poke the mass that was sitting in the bowl. He let out a choked sound of disgust when it seemed to wiggle in response.

"I'd really like for us to have a black paladin left after breakfast please," Keith grimaced. Coran huffed and turned his back to the team to continue his work.

"Where is Sheeva anyway?" Pidge asked from where her head was propped up on her arms.

"We've decided that until Shiro and Sheeva are fully merged than it is best that we stay under the radar, for our own safety," Allura explained sitting down at the table with the three other paladins.

"Makes sense, Sheeva couldn't really pilot Black when he first switched over," Hunk commented walking over with a plate of food goo and joining them. They let conversation was over the group and jumped slightly in surprise when the doors slid open.

"Lance! Good morning!" Hunk cheered with a smile. It dropped slightly when he didn't respond and started heading towards Allura. She looked at him in confusion and froze when he suddenly collapsed and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Um, Lance? Are you alright?" She asked wide-eyed. Without disturbing the hold around her neck, she started jostling him slightly and lightly poking him in the sides. She paused when his face tilted up and she saw that he was crying.

"Allura, I'm so so sorry," he whispered. Her eyes widened when she heard the familiar accent reach her ears. Her head slightly shook as if denying what she was hearing but quickly crushed him against her chest. She let out a quiet little sob as she carded her fingers in his hair.

"Alluran, is that really you?" She whimpered against his head. He nodded shallowly against her shoulder and sniffled in an attempt to reign in his emotions. He turned his head slightly to look at the rest of the kitchen and almost immediately meet eyes with Coran.

"Coran!" He cried a fresh wave of tears covering his cheeks. That was all it took before the older Altean was hopping across the counter and joining the royal siblings. He wrapped his arms around both of them and lifted them in the air in joy. Although the tears on their faces were fresh, they were unable to keep the laughter from bubbling out of their mouths. He let them drop to the ground after a few minutes and he was immediately bombarded with questions from both of them.

"When did this happen?"

"Did you meet Lance?"

"Is this the first time you two have switched?"

"I can't really answer if you talk so much!" Alluran laughed. "I talked to Lance for the first time last night, and yes it is the first time that we switched,"

"I can't believe you're back Alluran, I'm so happy," Allura stated clutching her hands in front of herself.

"Yes, about that..." Alluran trailed off suddenly feeling anxious. Allura and Coran looked at him worry plainly across their faces. He looked up at them, trying hard not to bring his eyes back to the floor instead.

"What is it, my boy?" Coran asked stepping forward to put his hand on his shoulder. Alluran broke down into sobs in front of the two surprising the both of them. They approached him in confusion and worry and his head shot up to them with such remorse that they paused in their step.

"I am so sorry, to the both of you," he cried. "I wanted to stay strong and help defeat Zarkon, but I felt so hopeless after he took Sheeva from me and I couldn't do anything," he put his head into his hands and choked out sobs between short breaths.

"I wanted so much to avenge him but he hurt so much to even move. I'm sorry you had to see me go the way that I did, and I don't expect you to forgive me but I really hope that you will eventually," he stuttered out trying to make himself look at his sister and uncle without sobbing more than he already was. It only took Allura and Coran mere seconds before they were joining Alluran on their knees and hugging him to themselves again.

"Alluran, don't ever believe that we would think any less of you," Allura said clutching fiercely to the blue robe that her brother was wearing. "You lost the love of your life in a horrible way, and betrayed by an important person in both of your lives,"

"We will never hold the way you died over your head if anything it shows how fiercely loyal you are you the ones you care about," Coran added holding the boys head close to his shoulder. Alluran let himself sink into his family members with a soft smile and let his eyes drop closed in happiness. They let themselves sit there in silence, not even the paladin disturbing them as they comforted their lost family. They were only interrupted by the sound of the door once again sliding open.

"Sheeva!" Alluran cried stumbling to get up off the ground. He ran and jumped onto the surprised man, clutching tightly to his firm chest. "Sheeva, I've missed you so much, you can't even imagine how hard it was to be without you for so long," Alluran said breathlessly into his chest where he was pressing his face.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I'm not Sheeva right now," Shiro said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, come on," Keith's exasperated voice sounded throughout the kitchen.