Blue

Chapter 13

"Wait, wait, wait," Pidge said, tilting her head in confusion. "You were rejected out of your old pack?" A twinge of pain swept through Lance as Pidge brought up the fact. 

"I...yeah," Lance said, avoiding eye contact with his flabbergasted pack mates. "It was a long time ago though...."

"What happened?" Pidge asked. Shiro glared at her. "What?"

"Pidge, I don't think it's fair of you to ask that," Shiro scolded. "This is obviously a sensitive subject." Lance cringed at the word, it made him sound weak.

"It's okay, Shiro," Lance said. "I can talk about it. What do you want to know?"

"Why were you rejected?" Pidge asked bluntly. 

"Well, my entire pack was made up of alphas, so when I presented they kicked me out," Lance said. His pack stared at him in horror.

"Is that why you hid your endotype from us?" Shiro asked. "Because you were afraid we'd reject you too?"

Lance shrugged. "Sort of....but there's more."Lance looked down and twirled his fingers in the sheets of his nest. "After I presented they told me to leave and never come back. So I took as much as I could carry and left. And speaking from personal experience, being a fourteen year old homeless kid in the streets of Cuba is not fun." 

"You were FOURTEEN?!?!?!" Shiro cried.  Lance nodded. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah," Lance scoffed sadly. "So I didn't really have a lot of money, and I was scavenging for food and trying to avoid people in general, when I found them. The McClains."

"The McClains?" Pidge asked. "That's your last name. Were they your last pack?"

"Sort of..." Lance said turning his head. He didn't really want to go into depth of what he was there. 

"What do you mean?" Pidge pressed. "How can you be 'sort of' apart of a pack? You either are or you're not."

"I lived with them," Lance offered. "They fed me, and clothed me, and educated me. But I was never more to them but a trinket. I was just a little trophy, something they could show to other rich families to show that they had compassion. 'Look, we adopted this poor little orphaned omega'," Lance imitated a high pitched noise. "'Look how amazing we are'."

"Oh Lance..."

"I did all the cooking and cleaning, and I took care of their kids," Lance looked into the distance, smiling slightly. "I didn't mind that last part....I always wanted kids..."

Keith perked up at that. Lance wanted kids? Maybe he wanted kids with Keith. Not now, of course, they were in the middle of a war. But maybe after everything they could go back to Earth and settle down....

"But when I turned sixteen I asked them for a way out...I always wanted to see the stars......so I signed up for the garrison," Lance said softly. "I took their name and I went. And the rest you all know." 

"I'm so sorry Lance," Shiro said ruefully. "The pain you must have gone through..."

"It's okay," Lance shrugged. "At least now I have a true pack."

The pack looked at Lance in surprise. Pidge sniffled at the trust Lance had in them. Hunk was beaming with pride. And Shiro....well Shiro was--

"Uhh, Shiro do you need a tissue....? Or a bucket....? Or a mop...?" Lance asked as their Alpha broke down in tears. Shiro shook his head and smiled wetly at Lance before pulling him into a tight hug. "Ah!"

"Lance, I'm so grateful that you feel that way," Shiro said. "We are so glad that you're our pack omega."

Lance sucked in a huge breath and pushed away from Shiro, looking at him in surprise. "You.....you want me to be your pack omega?" Lance asked, tears dripping down his face. 

Shiro frowned at the tears that were falling, brushing a few away with his thumb. "Lance what's wrong? You don't have to if you don't want to..."

"NO! No, I do, I just....." Lance rushed, trying to keep his newfound position. "I just never thought that I'd get to do that.....I always thought I'd be alone.....after all who'd want a--"

"Nope, nuh uh," Keith said, tugging on Lance and forcing him to sit in his lap. "None of that self-deprecating shit. We love you. And we'll always love you. We're really lucky to have you as a pack omega."

That did it.

Lance began to sob, clutching at Keith's shirt tightly. All this time Lance had been alone. Ever since he was kicked out he had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Even when he was taken in by the McClains they never showed him any kindness. They only did what they had to. 

Even at the Garrison, he was shunned by all the omegas. He had assumed that he wouldn't be so alone when he was surrounded by people like him, but like always, he was dead wrong. They hated him and called him useless. He was too lanky and ugly to be anyone's mate. And he would never have a pack because no one would ever want to start a pack with him.

But here was a pack who wanted him.

A pack that was grateful for him.

A pack that loved him.

Lance thought he'd never get that ever again. All the carefully built walls were being brought down. He wasn't alone anymore.

He had a little sister who was into robots and Star Wars. She might be a little rough on the edges but she was kind and caring once you got to know her. 

He had a big brother who cared about him and promised to care for him forever. He was so sweet and gentle that he seemed docile, but as soon as something threatened something he loved he turned hostile in an instance. 

He had a father who swore to always protect him and keep him safe. To be there for him when times were tough and always lift him up. 

He had an Uncle and a big sister who, though different from Lance, was kind and caring. The uncle might be a little crazy and say things that no one understood but he was family. And the sister may be a little cryptic sometimes, she was always down for a spa day.

And most of all Lance had a mate.

Lance had someone who will love him and be there with him through the ups and downs of life. Someone to hopefully start a family with. Someone to lean on and someone to trust. 

His pack encased him in one giant group hug and Lance felt safe.