All of my children deserve better. Hope you enjoy this!

Home. They were really going home.

Shiro sat on Black's paw and watched the other paladins, the princess, their guests and Coran move around the campfire, chatting and laughing together as they prepared the night's meal. They were stationed on a somewhat-empty planet for the time being, getting some well deserved rest and taking time to make sure they were headed in the right direction. They'd been able to get in contact with Matt, letting him know what was happening and where they were headed, with promises to check in when they could. But for now, they were taking a much needed break. They had tents set up off to one side of the clearing they'd landed in (Shiro thanked whatever higher power was out there that they had them) and Krolia and Keith had set up a firepit in the middle. Shiro closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It felt strange to breathe after so long. He took another breath.

"Hey, Shiro!"

Shiro opened his eyes, turning to the sound of the call. Pidge was waving at him, beckoning him to the fire. He pushed himself up, making his way over to the group. Allura slid over on the log she was sitting on, and Shiro sat down. Coran handed him a makeshift tray, which he balanced on his lap. He was still trying to get the hang of having only one arm, but so far, it wasn't too bad.

"What are we having?"

"Keith wouldn't tell me what he hunted down, but it tastes like chicken, and there was a grain we found that's similar to earth rice, so I did what I could with it. I was able to save some of my sauce jars before we left, so hopefully, it isn't too bad!"

Everyone began eating, and a collective groan of approval rose up.

"This is amazing!" Lance cried. "Hunk, you've done it again!"

A chorus of agreements, and Hunk blush, scratching his neck. "Thanks guys."

Chatter continued, but Shiro just sat back and ate, letting the contentment wash over him. He made eye contact with Keith, who tilted his head slightly - a question. Was he okay? Shiro gave a small nod, and Keith went back to talking to his mother. He had some things on his mind he wanted to get out, but not at that moment. Right then, he just wanted to enjoy the peace.

After dinner, the dishes were gathered by Romelle, who went off to go wash them in a nearby river and collect some water, shooing Hunk away when he insisted on helping ("You cooked! Let me clean!") Krolia went off to do some exercises, the pet wolf following. Allura and Coran went to go look at maps. The paladins stayed around the fire. Now was his moment.

"Everyone, I need to talk to you."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Shiro. He stood and cleared his throat.

"I want to thank you. All of you."

"For what?" Pidge asked.

"For keeping it together while I was gone. Allura and Coran have been filling me on everything that I've missed, and I just want to let you know how proud I am of you all. You've shown a lot of maturity, courage, and strength in the face of everything that's happened. I know you didn't ask for this, but you stepped up when it mattered, and continue to fight for a better future every day."

Shiro turned to Hunk. "Hunk, I wasn't sure how well you'd hold up in the beginning, but any doubts I may have had have been effectively crushed. You've proven yourself many times over, and I'm immensely proud of how far you've come. Not only have you watched our backs during battle, you've also taken care of us out of it. I don't know where we'd be without your cookie to supplement food goo."

Everyone chuckled.

"Your engineering prowess has save us many times and I know it will continue to help, along with your friendliness and willingness to learn. Allura told me how you stepped up and got the Galra to work together to save the planet from the radiation belt when their shield was down. That was incredible. I'm actually sad I missed it, but I know there will be plenty of moments for you to lead in the future, and I can't wait to see you step up."

Hunk beamed.

Shiro turned to Pidge. "Pidge, I've had the pleasure of working with three Holts, and I have to say, you might just be my favorite. Don't tell your brother." Pidge fist pumped, cackling, and Shiro chuckled before he continued. "You've astounded me with your resilience and your intelligence. I know it was hard for you in the beginning, missing your brother and father and not knowing if they were okay, but you powered through and kept focus, even when it felt like your family was just out of reach. You had your moments where you were rash, but I don't fault you for them. I understand – you just wanted your family safe and whole again. I'm proud of you for not giving up – on your family, on your teammates, on our mission. Allura told me about how you copied the programming. I know you didn't want to use whatever you made to stop it, but I'm glad you thought far enough ahead to have it, just in case. This is a dangerous fight, and we need to be as prepared as possible, which you are. I'm proud of you for that, and I know your Dad and brother would be, too. I'm excited to see where else your genius takes us, especially you."

Pidge too, beamed at the praise. Shiro turned to Keith next.

"Keith, I always let you know how proud of you I am. You've always been a hot-headed person, but you always come through for us. I was concerned when you left to join the Blades, but you've done well. I know how scared you might have been when I disappeared, even more so when the imposter turned on you all. But you didn't give up, not when you knew we all needed you, and I'm incredibly grateful."

Keith gave a small, genuine smile, his eyes shiny. Finally, Shiro turned to Lance. The Blue Paladin's eyes were wide, and he looked nervous. Shiro smiled at him, and he relaxed a bit.

"Lance, there are some things I want to talk to you privately about, but I will say this: I am so, so proud of how much you've endured on this mission. Everyone's taken their fair share of beatings, but you… you've been hurt more than your fair share. Allura told me about the heavy hit you took in battle and... I need you to know that you're an important member of this team. You've been there when we needed you, eased the tension with jokes, been a listening ear when we've needed you. You matter. I don't know where we'd be without you. And I want you to know that I'm proud of the person you've become, and the leader I know you are when it counts. And if you ever need to talk, about anything… I'm here. I'll listen. I care about you as much as everyone else. Never forget that."

Tears pooled in Lance's eyes and ran down his cheeks. Lips quivering, he nodded.

"All of you," Shiro said, "are important. When I was in the Black Lion, I was afraid. Afraid I'd never see any of you again, afraid you wouldn't know how much I cared about you, how proud I am of you. I'm telling you this as a friend, not a leader. I don't know what will happen, when the universe is saved, and we're all free to do what we want. I don't know what you all with choose to do, but no matter what happens, I want you all to know that you're my family, and I love you." Shiro scrubbed a hand over his face, taking a shaky breath. "Sorry. I'm not sure where all of this came from, but it's been on my mind for a while, and I just needed to say it - oof!"

Shiro barely caught himself as Pidge attached themselves around his middle, sniffling. Lance came next, throwing his arms around Shiro and sobbing outright. Keith siddles up, silent tears running down his cheek as he hugged him. Finally Hunk, squeezing them all tight with loud, hiccuping sobs. Shiro let his own tears come, his body trembling.

"We love you too, Shiro." Pidge mumbled, and the others agreed.

"You're an amazing leader." Keith said.

"You see stuff in us that we don't always see in ourselves." said Hunk.

"We wouldn't be Voltron with you. You're important, too." Lance said, and it took all of Shiro's willpower not to fall to his knees and cry. Slowly, the paladins peeled themselves off, wiping off their faces and smiling at each other. Romelle returned with the clean dishes and several full canteens. She paused when she saw them.

"Are you all alright?" she asked.

Shiro nodded. "We just had a nice talk, that's all. Got a little emotional."

She nodded, understanding passing over her face. "Family matters." She put the dishes down and went to join Krolia in her exercises. Suddenly, Pidge's eyes lit up.

"Hunk, Lance, Keith, I need your help with something. Shiro, we'll be right back." They took off, and Shiro watched them go, still smiling to himself. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was Allura. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to startle you. I overheard some of what you told the paladins. It was wonderful, Shiro, and it seemed like something they really needed to hear. And something you really needed to say."

Shiro nodded. "Being in the Black Lion… I really was scared that I'd never see any of you again. I just want everyone to know I care about them. That includes you and Coran as well. You're both amazing, the way you stepped up to help save the universe, even after all you've been through. Thank you, Princess."

Allura hugged him, and he hugged back. "You're welcome. And thank you, and the other paladins. For everything." she yawned, covering her mouth. "I think I will retire for the night. Coran is almost done mapping out our course. We should be back on our way in a day or two."

"Excellent. Good night, princess." Allura departed, and Shiro sat back down on the log, watching what little remained of the fire. The sun was setting, and he was starting to feel sleep tugging at him as well. Just as he stood up, Lance ran up to him.

"Hey, Shiro, are you heading to bed soon?"

"I was just thinking about it, actually."

"Great! Come with me." Lance turned and started walking, but Shiro grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Lance, wait." Shiro turned him around. Keeping his voice low, he said, "What I said earlier about talking to you privately… I wanted to tell you: It's not your fault."

Lance's face paled, expressioned pained.

"When I contacted you, in the astral plane, I did it because I knew you'd listen. The reason you couldn't hear me very well is because our connection isn't as strong as it should be, and I'm sorry about that. But it wasn't your fault. You did what you could. Please, don't blame yourself, okay?"

Lance pressed his lips together, turning his face away. "Okay."

"Allura told me what really happened. You died, Lance. How are you holding up? Have you talked to anyone about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about-"

"Lance."

Lance turned back to Shiro, eyebrows drawn in tight. "What is there to talk about Shiro? Allura saved me. I'm alive. That's it."

"That's not it, Lance… but I won't force you to talk about it if you don't want to. But I'm here, alright? I mean it. If you ever need to talk."

Lance hesitated, then nodded, quickly rubbing at his eyes. "Okay, okay, no more emotional stuff. Come on." He began dragging Shiro toward the tents. When they got there, instead of going toward the tent he shared with Romelle and Krolia, Lance tugged him toward the tent he shared with the other paladins. They ducked inside, and Shiro stopped short.

Five sleeping bags were arranged in the tent, four on the outside and one in the middle. Pidge, Hunk, and Keith sat on sleeping bags, looking up at him.

"We wanted to ask you last night, but you volunteered to share a tent with the others so fast we were afraid to. But we want you to stay in here with us tonight." Lance said. "Please?"

"We'd sleep better knowing you were nearby." Pidge mumbled, and the others nodded.

Shiro smiled, understanding. He went to the center sleeping bag, getting comfortable, and the others did as well.

Pidge yawned. "Good night guys. Love you."

"Love you, too." Lance murmured.

"Love you guys." Hunk said.

There was a small pause, and then, so quiet you almost couldn't hear it, Keith said, "I love you all, too."

Shiro reach out, briefly touching Keith's arm before snuggling deeper in his sleeping bag. "Good night, everyone. I love you, too."

Some good feels to take the sting off the latest season. Please, review! Please!