a/n: this is a week late but just so you know i'm still freaking out about that leaked scene from s3.

inspired by the leaked audio and pics from S3E1 that premiered in sdcc. don't read if you don't want to be spoiled because the last bit contains the leaked scene. the title is taken from the song 'the day has come' by x-ray dog (which was the song in the voltron s3 trailer!)

anyways, enjoy!

[EDIT] posted on 7/29

*FEEL THE TIME AND SANDS FORMING IN OUR EYES*

Okay, so Lance supposes that one shouldn't really be wasting time with meaningless bickering when say, one is about to break out a once thought dead pilot out of a military quarantine, a quarantine that would soon be swarming with extra reinforcements.

But, he can't really be blamed when a ball of heat rises up in his throat as Keith looks at him with the smallest bit of irritation and no recognition. "Who are you?"

Okay, maybe he can. But still.

"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance." he says, despite the small voice in his head reminding him that more Garrison personnel are on their way here. When Keith still looks at him with that same confused expression, he continues. "We were in the same class at the Garrison?"

"Really? Were you like an engineer?"

And it stings. Lance had given so much effort into making sure that Keith would notice him, but it looks like that was all for nothing.

"No." Lance spits out, half desperate to make Keith remember, remember him. "We were like rivals, you know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck."

"Oh wait, I remember you now." says Keith, and Lance's heart leaps up. "You were a cargo pilot."

He frowns when he hears the way Keith says that, like he couldn't care less. "Yeah, well, I'm fighter class now, thanks to you washing out."

"Well," says Keith, and they start making their way to the door. "Congratulations."

Lance grumbles, and the two of them walk out of the quarantine, Shiro slung over their shoulders.

-o-O-o-

When Lance comes out of the healing pod, Keith feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. To see the once lively and bright Lance pale and unmoving was . . . unnerving, to say the least. Any doubts on whether he would be fine or not all faded away when Lance had instantly hit on Allura. He rolls his eyes, but the bags under his eyes give away how worried he had been.

They take him to the dining table to get some some food into him. Everyone's crowded around Lance and laughing, Lance is smiling, and Keith actually feels good.

That is until Lance turns to him. "Sounds like the mice did more than you did though."

"I punched Sendak!"

"Yeah, apparently after I emerged from a coma and shot his arm off."

This is normal, competing over who did the most, who did the best. Keith doesn't understand it, but Lance usually instigates it so he just rolls with it.

What's not normal is what Keith does next.

"We had a bonding moment." he says, voice cracking and arms thrown up for good measure. "I cradled you in my arms!"

Lance, the little shit, shakes his head in denial. "Nope, don't remember, didn't happen."

Half of Keith thinks that this is logical, that of course Lance wouldn't remember their bonding moment, given he was barely conscious during it. The other half of him swears that this is Lance's way of petty revenge for forgetting their apparent rivalry.

-o-O-o-

Lance never thought he would be spending his weekend tied up to a tree trunk with his rival slash space ranger partner, struggling against the rope ties as the locals carried the trunk to the volcanic pit for sacrifice. The universe sure loved to prove him wrong.

"This is bad." mutters Keith next to him, as if he didn't already know that. "This is really, really bad."

"Hey, remember when I asked for your opinion, mullet?" snaps Lance. "Me neither."

-o-O-o-

There's a sharp banging noise at his door and Keith springs up from his bed immediately, opening it to find Lance.

"Keeeeith," Lance draws out. "You're late."

He looks at Lance in confusion. "Late for what?"

Lance sighs in exasperation. "You said you were gonna help me with some more hand to hand combat, remember? So we won't get captured again and be almost thrown into volcano pits?"

Keith sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot."

-o-O-o-

Lance feels his heart clench as he watches Keith gaze at the Black Lion forlornly. It's been almost two weeks since Shiro's disappearance, but Keith still hadn't shown any sign of moving forward, instead choosing to glare bitterly at everyone and lock himself away in his room.

He can't let him go on like this anymore.

Lance steps forward from the rest of them and goes to where Keith is standing.

"Hey man." says Lance, catching Keith's eyes. They're intense and guarded, but seem to soften a bit at the sight of him. It overwhelms Lance just how much they've changed together, from not recognizing one of them to depending on the other for comfort. "Listen, we all miss Shiro. I remember what a thrill it was just to meet him for the first time, when the two of us carried him out of that Garrison hospital."

The corners of Keith's mouth barely quirk up at the memory. It's not much, Lance decides, but it's a start.

if voltron doesn't have the classic 'hero-gets-tied-to-tree-trunk-and-locals-almost-throw-him-into-lava-pit', i will riot.

i adore reviews, even if it's a smiley face! constructive criticism is appreciated as well.

come talk to me about klance and s3 on my main blog -kwanteeco or my writing blog -thebluepaladln!