autistickogaynewrites

[autistickogaynewrites]

To Proposals Misunderstood

While Shiro had been acting odd, each of the paladins had caught on to the fact that it very obviously has something to do with Keith, and the way he's acting odd leaves only one possibility.

He's going to propose.

Or 5 Times Everyone Thought Shiro was going to Propose, and the one time Keith Did.

My Sheithlentines gift for @ecori2 ! I tried to combine your ideas of something silly but also a proposal, so I hope you enjoy!

Also on Ao3!

The first time it happens, they’re at a party celebrating Voltron freeing the people of planet Ganziala. Lance had just managed to sneak away from two thankful royals who had bothering him all evening and saddle up to Allura when he spots them.

Shiro and Keith are swaying together on the edge of the dance floor, Keith’s head resting on Shiro’s shoulder as they whisper and laugh together. Cheesy pick up lines forgotten, he hurriedly nudges the princess in the side and points to where the two continue to sway, even as the music picks up around them. Her face is the picture of annoyance when she first turns, but upon seeing Shiro and Keith, her face softens and she leans into Lance’s side with a sigh.

“You know,” Lance starts, hooking one arm around her shoulders. “I overheard someone mention the other day that today’s banquet would be the perfect time for a certain someone to propose to a certain someone else.”

Allura’s eyes dart between the swaying couple and Lance, hand grabbing and squeezing his arm as she smiles.

“You don’t think?”

“Oh, I do.”

Beaming, she’s quick to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him to the dance floor, steering them through all the dancing couples to a position where they’re within hearing range of the other couple, as long as the two speak above a whisper. The both of them keep Shiro and Keith in their line of sight as they dance, and the second Shiro pulls away to get down on one knee, they both freeze.

The both of them are holding their breath, holding so tightly to each other that it’s amazing neither of them are bruised. Time seems to slow down as Keith smiles down at him, but instead of reaching into his pocket, Shiro holds his arms wide open as if waiting for a hug. Allura and Lance only have a few seconds of confusion before Kosmo comes barreling past, sliding right into Shiro’s arms from where he’s escaped from Krolia.

The two of them are so shocked they don’t even listen as Shiro and Keith chat for a few moments with Krolia, share a quick kiss, and leave the room to head back to their room aboard the Atlas. Allura is the first to come back to herself, letting her head fall forward to lean on Lance’s shoulder as she groans, his arms squeezing tight around her waist in response.

“Is it just me, or are the black paladins the biggest idiots you’ve ever met?”

“Trust me babe, it’s definitely not just you.”

The second time, it’s Pidge who assumes.

She’s on her way to Shiro’s office to ask if he still has those scans the Suvetins had sent over when she overhears him talking on the phone. She usually would’ve just walked away and come back another time, but the way Shiro’s whispering into the phone has her curious. Especially because she’s standing outside an empty storage closet listening to him.

“No, no don’t bring it here. I can come by and pick it up when it’s finished. Yeah, I just don’t want to risk him seeing it and ruining the surprise. Wow, you’ll have it done by the end of the week? Are you sure? I don’t actually need it for another 2 weeks, so I don’t mind waiting. I don’t mind the extra cost either, I just want this to be perfect for him. Okay, thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you helping me. Okay, I’ll be by Sunday morning to pick it up. God, Keith’s going to love this. Alright, thank you. Bye.”

She’s quick to dart down the hallway before the door opens and Shiro walks out, heart pounding as she thinks over what she just overheard. Shiro wouldn’t make a big deal out of nothing, and from the sounds of the half of a conversation she could hear, he has a pretty big gift for Keith. One he had to go have someone else make for him.

Scans forgotten, she’s quick to dart back to her lab and grab the Rover 2.0 she had finished mere days before. She’d updated Rover’s design with a camera in case she needed him to take photos or videos of the inside of a galra base, but she’s okay using him to take a video of Shiro’s proposal to Keith first.

The next few days are torture, but by Sunday she’s practically vibrating with excitement. Today was the day Shiro had said he would be picking up Keith’s gift, and thinking on it, she’s not surprised that he had a ring custom made. When Shiro asks Keith just after one in the afternoon on Sunday to follow him off the Atlas, Pidge follows as stealthily as she can, Rover 2.0 floating silently behind her.

The two of them walk for less than fifteen minutes before they get to a section of the Garrison that had been originally for the all-terrain vehicles that had been needed to traverse the desert. Pidge hides behind a stack of crates as Rover hovers around the corner, camera recording as Shiro grabs Keith’s hands and sighs.

She can’t hear exactly what’s being said from where she’s hiding, but she’s catching enough to know that Shiro’s giving a long speech on how much Keith means to him, how much he loves him, and how his life is so much brighter with the other man in it. He reaches for his pocket and she nearly vibrates out of her skin with excitement, which is quickly doused with confusion when he pulls out not a ring box, but a keychain.

“I know you’re not one for large, extravagant gestures, but I did want to do something special for you for our anniversary,” Shiro speaks, setting the keychain in Keith’s open palm and turning around to pull a sheet off a large misshapen object Pidge hadn’t even noticed.

It’s a hoverbike, near identical to the one Keith had been riding all those years ago when they’d all met. It’s red and black with purple accents instead of red and white, with a painted black lion on the side and shinier than anything she’d ever seen in her life.

She reaches out to grab Rover and shut off the recording right as Keith leans in to kiss Shiro and before they’ve even pulled apart, she’s snuck back off to the Atlas, the disappointment of not seeing Shiro propose sitting on her shoulders, but the joy at seeing how happy the two were together off settling it enough that she wasn’t even upset by the time she made it back and discovered that Rover’s recording had cut out halfway through.

The third time, it’s Hunk who makes the mistake.

It’s nearly eleven at night when he runs into Shiro attempting to sneak out of the kitchen, a plate of something extremely burnt tucked in his arms. When he catches sight of the yellow paladin, he’s quick to shuffle the plate behind his back, but even if Hunk can’t see the plate, he sure as heck can smell it.

“Uh, Shiro? What are you doing?”

With a sigh, he pulls the plate out and frowns at it before dumping the whole thing in the trash can behind him.

“I was planning on surprising Keith this weekend with a fancy dinner and a surprise, but I guess dying and coming back to life didn’t give me any magical culinary abilities.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me for help?” Hunk asked, pulling a hand out of his pocket to run through his hair.

“I didn’t want to bother you. I know you and Pidge have been working on upgrading parts of the Atlas. I thought I was being careful and following the recipe, but I guess not.”

“Buddy, as important as the upgrades are, Pidge can handle them herself for a bit while I help you with this. Besides, it’ll be a good opportunity to think about something else for a bit.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

And with that, Shiro tells him exactly what he has planned. A wonderful, fancy dinner ending right as the sun sets with a special surprise for Keith at the end. He tells Hunk that he’s planning on inviting all of the paladins, since it’ll be a special event and they’re family at this point. The way he talks and smiles while telling Hunk his plans makes it pretty obvious that the dinner is a bigger deal than he previously let on, and Hunk can’t help but bounce in glee mentally at the thought that he’ll get to make the meal that Shiro will propose to Keith to.

The next few days pass quickly, with Hunk experimenting and perfecting the menu as Shiro hands out invitations, telling the paladins to make sure Keith doesn’t find out. At this point, Hunk’s pretty sure the others have figured out what’s happening as well, but none of them talk about it beyond asking what they should wear.

When the day arrives, Hunk’s happy to say that not only is the food perfect, but all of the paladins are dressed in their absolute best, with Keith none the wiser to what’s about to happen. They’re all sitting when Shiro walks in with Keith, hand covering the other man’s eyes and guiding him to his seat at the head of the table. They’re all silent, smiling back and forth at each other when Shiro removes his hand with a softly spoken ‘surprise’. Keith’s eyes are wide, looking between all the paladins and the food in front of him with a smile.

After a few minutes of everyone talking, Keith finally turns to Shiro and asks, “So, what’s the occasion?”

Shiro’s small smile widens to a grin as he says “I’m glad you asked.”

Hunk’s holding his breath at this point, not wanting to interrupt the moment when Shiro stands and walks to the door they had all come through earlier. Before Hunk can question what he’s doing, he pulls the door open to reveal Krolia and Kolivan on the other side.

Keith’s out of his seat and hugging Krolia before Hunk can even blink, with Kolivan resting a hand on his back with a smile.

“I know they were supposed to be gone another four months, but they contacted me a week ago saying they’d be back early and we decided to surprise you. I figure we’d surprise you and then we could all have dinner together.” Shiro says, stepping forward with his arms open as Keith steps away from his mother and into his arms.

Hunk’s brain reboots from where it’d frozen, now realizing that he’d cooked the “Welcome Home Krolia and Kolivan” instead of the “Keith, will you marry me?” dinner, and he’s honestly not even upset. Keith’s smile when seeing the two of them, and the way he’d been so quick to fall into Shiro’s arms is worth all the work, even if it didn’t end exactly like he thought it would.

It’s Krolia who’s fooled next, and it’s through not a single fault of her own.

Shiro approaches her four days after she’s arrived back on Earth, seemingly nervous but quick to ask her if they can talk. In private.

She agrees, and they head to his private office, locking the door behind them. She sits in one of the plush armchairs in front of his desk as he paces behind it, but after a few minutes he turns to her and speaks.

“I would like to ask your permission to eat your son.”

It’s near perfect galran, and the fact that he’s learned to speak it almost surprises her more than the fact that he just asked to cannibalize her son. She’s known that people do odd things to get off, but this is where she’s quick to draw the line. She’s not entirely sure that Shiro knows exactly what he said, and hoping that he’s made a mistake, she asks him to repeat himself. In english this time.

He stutters over his words for nearly an hour, talking on how he’s known Keith for so long and he cares so much for him, not that time is the only reason someone can love someone else. He’s sure she loves her son very much, and he loves Keith just as much, or maybe just a bit less since she is his mother.

It’s the oddest rambling she’s heard since Keith’s father tried to tell her how beautiful he thought she was, but eventually, he reaches a point.

“I was just hoping that as his mother, you’d give me your blessing to be with Keith. Romantically. For as long as he’ll allow me to stay by his side.”

A light bulb goes off in her head as she realizes he’s asking for permission to propose to Keith, and she’s quick to give him her blessing, a hug, and be on her way. Honestly, she’s not surprised he made the mistake in attempting to ask in galran, but she is mildly surprised that he attempted to learn it to ask her.

Honestly, he should have said ‘Myeck nea she tokia’ rather than ‘myeck nea shii toke’, but honest beginners mistake, and she’s glad to find out that he’d simply wanted to ask her blessing for marriage rather than permission for his odd sex life.

The fifth time, all of the paladins are fooled.

They’re traveling a galaxy over for a meeting with a new planet when they decide to stop and rest. The planet they’ve landed on is absolutely gorgeous, and Shiro suggests a hike. They’re all feeling cooped up after staying aboard the Atlas for the last month, so they’re all quick to agree and grab their things.

It takes several hours, but they finally decide to stop when they make it to a large cliff overlooking the entire forest for miles around, a large waterfall a few hundred feet below them spilling into the most beautiful lake. The two suns highlight the whole sight in the most beautiful way, and all of them find their breath stolen as they look around.

“You know,” Shiro starts, turning to Keith with a soft smile. “This view is breathtaking, but as happy as I am to be seeing it, I’m happier seeing it with you.”

The others pause, turning silently to look at where the two are staring at each other lovingly, all of them secretly hoping that today will be the day.

“I can’t believe everything I’ve gotten to do and see since Kerberos, and I’m still so happy that I get to do and see all of it by your side. I know before Kerberos was my final desperate attempt to do something and make something out of myself before my body failed me, but I’ve been able to do so much more, and even when I struggle, you’re right there beside me supporting me. I know we’ve been through a lot, both good and bad, and standing here, I can only hope that we’ll be able to celebrate the good and weather the bad together for the rest of our lives.”

Mere moments after he’s finished speaking, Shiro gets down on one knee. The other paladins are all holding each other, eyes glued to the scene in front of them as they try not to scream in joy. Everything seems to move in slow motion, but the moment is shattered when instead of reaching for a ring in his pocket, Shiro simply turns his attention to his untied shoe.

The others are frozen in shock as he simply ties the shoe, stands up with a smile, and kisses Keith on the cheek as if he didn’t give the most wonderful, heartwarming speech. The other paladins all look at each other, attempting to make sure that they all witnessed the same event, and when it’s confirmed, they all agree to never get their hopes up on the two black paladins getting married.

It’s the year anniversary of the defeat of Galra forces invading Earth when it actually happens, and not in a way any of them expect.

There’s a celebration planned, both to celebrate their victory and honor those who fell during the battles, ending with a celebratory dinner aboard the Atlas at sundown. The paladins and most of the Garrison’s top officials are set to attend, with the event being broadcast for those who aren’t attending to view. There’s a separate table on a stage over the rest set up for the paladins and Shiro, with the garrison officials sitting spread throughout the rest of the room.

Keith sits at the head of the paladin’s table as the head of Voltron, with Lance sitting to his right as the right hand of Voltron. The others are all seated in much the same manner, with Shiro sitting opposite Keith. Keith’s set to give a speech, and while they all know of it, none of them have heard even a whisper of exactly what he’s set to say. When the event finally starts and Keith stands, holding one glass up in toast, the whole room quiets and turns to him.

“It’s been a year since the human race drove the invading Galra forces away from Earth, and while we are here today to celebrate our victory, we’re also here to honor those who lost their lives in the fight. Everyone here has experienced loss, whether that be the loss of someone who lost their life in the battle, the loss of a home destroyed by the Galra empire, or the loss of a sense of normalcy and peace. These losses will not be forgotten, and they have not been taken from us in vain. We honor and remember those who were killed, we mourn but rebuild the homes we lost, and we strive forward still to return to the peace we knew once before.”

Here, he pauses and looks down from where he had been staring out over the crowd to make eye contact with Shiro. He smiles, and tips the glass towards the other man before continuing.

“I know first hand the pain and horrors the empire struck throughout the galaxy, from the horrors we faced everyday as Paladins of Voltron, to the more personal suffering I was witness to by way of being close to the Alteans and those the empire harmed. Still, we all move forward, not only working to restore the peace we held before, but accepting the others who travel to Earth in search of that very same peace. Voltron has been a force for good throughout the galaxy, as well as here on Earth, but more personally, Voltron has led me to my family. Through Voltron, I’ve made a family with the other paladins, the alteans, and even my mother, who I had no hope of ever learning anything about, let alone meeting. While Voltron was responsible for so much good in the universe, there’s someone else who very specifically was responsible for most of the good in myuniverse.”

Setting his glass down with a soft clink, Keith steps away from his seat and walks around the table to stand at Shiro’s side, smiling down at the confused look on the other man’s face.

“Takashi Shirogane has been my guiding light since I first met him, and while I know it wasn’t the best first meeting, he has yet to hold it against me. He’s always pushed me to be the best possible person I can be, while supporting me in every way that he possibly could. Losing him the first time nearly killed me, and I thought I’d been reborn when he came back to me. I’ve fought to keep you in my life, and I realize now that I would fight forevermore to keep you by my side.”

Kneeling, Keith pulls a small box out of his pocket, flipping it open to reveal a simple purplish-black ring. Shiro’s eyes fill with tears as his hands cover his mouth in surprise, the other paladins looking nearly as shocked as he does.

“With that said, Takashi Shirogane, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Shiro nods in agreement, tears finally slipping free as he grins so wide it seems almost painful. Keith’s smiling wide too as he slides the ring onto Shiro’s finger, grabs the sides of his face, and pulls him in for a kiss.

The second they’ve all recovered from their shock, the other paladins stand up and cheer, hugging each other and screaming as Keith and Shiro pull away from each other.

Chuckling, Shiro wipes away one of the tears that’s slipped free of Keith’s eyes and whispers.

“How many times are you going to surprise me before this is over?”

And grinning back, Keith replies.

“As many times as it takes.”

[autistickogaynewrites]

Anyone waiting for their bad things happen bingo prompt, I promise I’m working on them, I just also have to finish up a zine piece before the 15th and I had to kinda scrap a large part of that, so that’s where my focus currently is! I’ll get back to your requests as soon as I can, and I’ll try to upload them all together!

[autistickogaynewrites]

Handprints have been filled, Hearts have been requested! Also on Ao3!

“You know, for all I’ve heard of the strength of Voltron and the bravery of the Paladins who pilot the lions, you really don’t seem as if you fit either of those traits right now.” The guard watching over him mocked, laughing as Hunk jerked forward to attack him and was quickly pulled back by the chains that kept his wrists anchored to the wall behind him.

“What did you do with the others?” He growled, still yanking at his chains in hope of getting free.

Stepping forward, the guard hooked two fingers under the edge of the collar they had snapped around this neck and yanked it backwards, choking Hunk and toppling him backwards.

“Awww, worried about your friends?” He smirked, reaching into a holster on his hip and pulling out what looked like a purple and black TV remote. “Since you’ve been so entertaining, I suppose I can be kind enough to let you hear them.”

The guard pushed one of the buttons on the remote and after a few seconds of crackling static, a man’s voice broke through.

“Maktov. Why are you contacting me?” They growled.

“Ah, Vhando. The Yellow Paladin here was hoping to hear from his friends.” He chuckled, turning to smirk at Hunk.

“Oh, of course.” They chuckled, an odd dragging noise coming from their side. “Since the Blue Paladin seemed so chatty earlier, I’m sure he’d love to be the first to say hello.”

There was another moment of odd sounds before a gasp of pain and a clattering noise was heard from Vhando’s side of the line.

“Lance? Lance, are you there? Are you okay? Are you with the others?” Hunk asked, jerking forward in his chains again in an attempt to get closer to Lance.

“Hunk?” Lance groaned, “Hunk, no matter what you hear, you can’t do anything they say. I need you to promise me that Hunk, no matter what y-.” He yells, cut off at the last moment with a pained scream that lasts longer than Hunk thinks should even be physically possible.

“Lance! Lance, what’s happening?” Hunk cried out, straining even harder, barely paying attention to the way the collar tugs at his throat as the chain is pulled taut.

The screaming finally stopped, replaced with several harsh, wet sounding coughs before Lance spoke again.

“They took Shiro too, but Keith, Pidge, and I are fine. Focus on yourself Hunk, and no matter what, don’t tell them anything!” He yelled out, this time ending his message with a pained grunt before Vhando took the communicator back.

“We’ve already received our orders regarding the Paladins from the Witch. The red one will be sent to the labs to examine his half-galra physiology while the green one is to be sent to the arena. the Witch is curious as to whether she’ll be as capable as the Champion or if he was an anomaly amongst his species.”

“What of the Black and Blue ones?” Maktov spoke, turning to smile at the look of horror that had overtaken Hunk’s face.

“the Witch has already taken the Black one with her back to the labs, and the Blue one is to be disposed of.”

“No!” Hunk screamed, tears coming to his eyes as he pulled so hard against the chains that his wrists bled. “Don’t you touch them! I’ll kill you!”

“Have they decided the method of his disposal already?” Makov asked.

“Public execution. I believe he is to be stoned to death. the Witch has even kindly extended an invitation to see to the other paladins.”

“I’ll kill you!” Hunk roared, muscles straining and teeth bared, “If anything happens to any of the others, I’ll tear you apart!”

“Oh Paladin,” Maktov laughed, turning the communicator off and putting it back into the holster, “Their fates have already been sealed by the Witch’s orders. You might want to focus on yourself for now. If you do as you’re told, the Witch may be merciful enough to let you live.”

[autistickogaynewrites]

Hand prints are Filled, Hearts have been Requested! Also on Ao3!

When Pidge had vowed to stay on as a Paladin of Voltron, she had quickly been made aware of the dangers the job came with. Witnessing the horrors the Galra had brought upon the universe first hand had prepared her for more than she could have ever imagined on Earth and as such, while she knew she wasn’t invincible, she did feel she would be able to handle anything that might be thrown her way.

Unfortunately, it turned out she was incredibly wrong.

Pulled forcefully out of her thoughts, she screamed as the pain flared through her leg where the knife buried in her thigh was twisted.

“There we go. I was almost worried I’d killed you with how quiet you got there for a moment,” The alien holding her captive grinned, “What are you thinking so hard about?”

“How my team is going to tear you apart once they find me.” She hissed, straining against the cuffs holding her arms behind her back and her ankles to the legs of the chair even though she already knew they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Chuckling, the alien, a rogue bounty hunter named Miyro if she remembered correctly, yanked the knife out of her thigh and wiped it on the sleeve of his jacket, smiling wider as she choked back a scream.

“Pfft, that’s only if there’s enough of you for them to find.”

Blood turning to ice in her veins, she tried her best to glare up at him, knowing that her face was covered in sweat and blood, and probably didn’t look nearly as intimidating as she hoped it would.

“What’s even the point of this? I’m not giving you any information, and if you plan on selling me to the Galra, they only pay for livingpaladins.”

Smirking, Miyro sat on the chair across from hers he had brought in earlier, pulling a scrap of fabric out of his pants pocket to more fully scrub the blood off of his blade.

“Oh I don’t have a need for any information you would deign to give me even if I tortured you enough to get you to talk, and I have nointentions of turning you over the the empire.”

Apparently satisfied with the cleanliness of the blade, he shoved the scrap of cloth back into his pocket and stood, tucking his knife back into the holster at his hip and cracking his knuckles.

“Then what’s the point of all of this?” She hissed out.

Taking two steps forward, his right hand lashed out, grabbed her wounded thigh, and squeezed.

The strangled scream escaped before she could stop it, and Miyro seemed to grin wider before squeezing even harder. When the choked off screams faded back into gasps of pain, he pulled his hand back, wiping the blood off on the shoulder of her under armor.

“I believe it’s called fun.” He spoke, licking his lips as her eyes widened in horror. “And I’m going to have a lot of fun seeing how much I can make you scream before I decide to kill you.”

Without another second’s hesitation, he whipped the knife back out of it’s holster and slammed it into her stomach, laughing as she screamed again. Once the scream died down, he waited for her to look up into his eyes before winking and twisting the knife with a sharp jerk of his wrist.

“Oh, and no passing out on me either! If you pass out or die before I’ve finished having my fun, I have no problem tracking down one of your little paladin friends and picking out a new toy to play with, and I won’t be nearly as merciful with them as I’m being with you. Now, I want to hear you really scream.”

And as the blade exploded into thousands of heated shards inside her, she gave him exactly what he asked for, screaming louder than she had before.

[autistickogaynewrites]

Got my Bad Things Happen Bingo Card! You can get your own card here, and please feel free to request certain prompts with certain Voltron characters or pairings! 

[autistickogaynewrites]

Was Love Unheard?: Epilogue

Epilogue to Was Love Unheard?

“Okay, so we’ve got the classic chocolate chip, chocolate chunk, chocolate chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodle, oatmeal, peanut butter, creme brulee, no bakes, and of course, peanut butter chocolate chip.” Lance proclaimed, waving an arm out towards the counter where what looked like hundreds of cookies lay.

“Sweet cheese and crackers,” Hunk muttered, turning from where he was staring in shock at the cookies to Lance. “What happened?”

“Well~,” Lance drawled with a smirk, slinking into the kitchen and grabbing one of the chocolate chip cookies, “When you got put into the cryopod, Keith kinda flipped out and started working himself to the bone in the training room. I guess Shiro found out and tried to convince Keith to stop, but when he didn’t, he had Allura change the lock code on the door so Keith couldn’t get in. Apparently when the option to punch his feelings out is gone, Keith turns to stress baking. Who knew?”

“Keith made...all of this?”

“Yeah! There was actually like, a four layer chocolate cake with some kind of raspberry filling too, but Shiro completely took that thing for himself. Oh, and a thing of chocolate chunk brownies, but Pidge and I devoured those.”

Hunk found his brain short circuiting at the thought of all the time Keith must’ve spent in the kitchen to make so many sweets, and without much thought, he reached out, grabbed a chocolate chip cookie, took a bite, and had his mind completely blown.

“Holy shit,” he whispered, blinking down at the cookie in his hand before taking another bite, “Holy. Shit.”

“I know right? No hate man, but I think his cookies might be a little better than yours.” Lance grinned, grabbing a snickerdoodle this time.

“No think, these cookies are definitely better than mine.” Hunk muttered, finishing his cookie and looking around to decide which one to try next.

Before he could actually decide, stuck between the no bakes or peanut butter chocolate chips, Keith walked in, hair tied back in a ponytail and a towel thrown across his shoulders.

“What’s going on?” He asked, looking between Hunk, Lance, and the cookies still sitting on the counter.

“Keith, Keith,” Hunk spoke, stepping forward and placing his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, “Why didn’t you tell us that you could bake like this?”

Raising an eyebrow, Keith turned to Lance for a moment before looking back at where Hunk was staring at him as if he’d just announced that the galaxy was free, Zarkon was dead, and they were heading home.

“Because it’s not a big deal? I was stressed, I rushed through a bunch of cookies, and then I went and took a shower.”

“Keith. These cookies are 100% worth me dying.”

Behind him, Lance let out a hiss and what sounded like a whisper of ‘too soon’. Turning to look at him over his shoulder, Hunk winced.

“Too soon?”

“Definitely.”

In front of him, Keith had gone from looking mildly confused to incredibly upset.

“If that’s what you think, I’ll make sure not to make them again, just so you don’t get any ideas.” He spoke, stepping back from Hunk and turning to leave the room.

Blinking in shock, Hunk turned to Lance, who only shook his head at him, grabbed another cookie, and left the same way Keith had. Looking between the cookies and the door Keith had left from, Hunk hurriedly snatched up two of the chocolate chunk ones and raced out the door to find Keith.

“Keith! Baby, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! Please don’t deprive us all of your wonderful baking just because it’s so good it makes me say stupid things! Keith? Keith please!”

[autistickogaynewrites]

I wish you would write a fic where...

Send me an anymous (or not) summary of the fic you wish I would write. (maybe I will write a tidbit)

[autistickogaynewrites]

Was Love Unheard?

Inspired by @space-peachx‘s comic! Also on Ao3!

"Hey, Keith?”

“Stop talking Hunk. The others are on their way.”

“Heh, that’s good. Means you won’t have to carry my body back by yourself. Gotta admit, that was a concern.”

“Seriously Hunk, stop talking. You’re going to be fine. Coran said he already has a pod ready back at the castle, so you just have to hold on a little longer.”

“You know, you’re so beautiful. Even when you cry, although I think I like it better when you smile.”

“Hunk, I swear to god-”

“No, let me talk. Even if I survive this, which isn’t looking too likely with the blood I’ve already lost, I’d be in the cryopod for a while, and I want to tell you this while I have the chance.”

“Hunk, please-”

“I love you. I didn’t want to tell you until I could really figure it out, pinpoint the exact moment I realized, but I can’t. Loving you seems to be as much a part of me as my being the yellow paladin and I regret not telling you sooner. I’m sorry Keith.”

“Shut. Up. If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t have done this. If you die, I swear to god I will find a way to bring you back just to kill you myself.”

“Pfft, should’ve known you’d say something like that…”

“Yeah you should’ve known. Oh, Shiro and Lance are running over here now. You’re gonna be fine, you just need to hold on for a minute longer.”

“Mmm, Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you…”

“Hunk...I love you too. Hunk? Hunk! Open your eyes Hunk! You don’t get to tell me you love me and then die! Hunk, open your fucking eyes! HUNK!”

His eyes snap open, and without a second to spare, he’s rolling out of bed and darting to the bathroom, throwing up the little he had managed to hold down at dinner. When he’s finished, he manages to flush the toilet with shaking hands and pull himself to his feet. He shuffles to the sink, rinsing his mouth out with the cup of water he’d left there before going to bed and avoiding his own eyes in the mirror.

He knows how terrible he looks, bags so dark under his eyes they look like bruises, skin unnaturally pale, and hair tangled and matted. While the others had felt better once Hunk had come out of the healing pod after their last mission, Keith only found himself feeling worse.

He had taken to avoiding the yellow paladin any way he could, including skipping meals and sneaking into the kitchen when it was empty. While he was positive everyone had noticed, no one had confronted him on it so he considered it fine for the time being.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he looked at his bed for a second before shaking his head and heading out of his bedroom door. He could try to get back to sleep, but he knew that simply laying there would probably just lead to him fixating on his nightmare, so he figured sitting in the control room and watching the stars through the windows would be a better idea.

Shuffling down the hall, he finally made it to his destination and settled against the steps, sighing at the grounding feeling of the cold against the back of his thighs. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths before opening them and looking out at the stars they were passing.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, the quiet of the room ad the calming atmosphere leading to his eyes drooping and before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep again.

“Hunk! Shiro, let me go, you have to help Hunk! Hunk, please, you can’t just say that to me and be gone. Shiro, let me go!”

“Keith, stop! He’s gone, Keith. He’s gone.”

“No, he can’t be! We just have to get him to the pods and he’ll be fine! Lance, why aren’t you helping? Lance!”

“Keith, stop yelling at Lance. I’m sorry, but it’s too late for a pod. He’s dead Keith, and we need to get you out of here before we’re all killed.”

“No, Hunk! Shiro, put me down! We can’t leave without Hunk! Shiro, please!”

“Keith, I’m sorry but we have to go.”

“No! I don’t even know if he heard me tell him I love him too. What if he died without knowing that? What if he died thinking I didn’t love him too? Shiro, please, let me go!”

When Keith jolted back into consciousness this time, it wasn’t with the extreme panic and nausea from earlier, but with his heart in his throat and a warm hand running fingers through his hair.

Pulling his arms away from where they’d been curled to his chest, he wiped at the tears he hadn’t noticed at first, ears ringing from his dream before finally settling.

“...Keith? You’re alright buddy…”

Giving up on wiping the tears that only seemed to be coming faster, he turned to the voice, brain taking several moments to process the softly smiling face in front of him.

“...Hunk?”

Smiling, Hunk reached out, one hand on the back of his head and the other wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug and settling his face right in the crook of Hunk’s neck.

“Yeah...let’s go back to bed.”

Without any visible strain, Hunk pulled Keith in closer before fully picking him up, one arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees. Keith simply buried his face back into Hunk’s shoulder, too tired and fuzzy headed to think about the fact that Hunk was walking straight to his own room instead of Keith’s.

“Hunk?” Keith finally mumbled, pulling away from Hunk enough to look up at his face. “Where are we going?”

“My room. We’ve all noticed you haven’t exactly been yourself, and while our original plan was to let you sort things out on your own, that doesn’t exactly seem to be working. Also, Shiro told me you had something to tell me, and the way he told me makes me think it has something to do with the way you’ve been acting lately.”

Shifting Keith in his arms, Hunk reached out to slap the panel to open his door before strolling right in and setting Keith on the bed. While Keith sat still, fingers tracing nonsensical patterns into the sheets, Hunk darted around the room, grabbing as many pillows and blankets as he could and tossing them on the bed beside Keith.

“What are you doing?” Keith asked after dodging the eighth pillow Hunk had launched at the bed.

“Well, I figured it’d be easier to have this conversation if we were both comfortable, so I’m grabbing all the pillows and blankets I have. I don’t really feel like making a full pillow fort, but we could probably make a blanket nest?”

Humming, Keith helped him arrange the pillows and blankets into a vaguely nest like shape, enough room in the middle for them lay beside each other with a few inches of space between them. Once it was finished, they both crawled in without a word, Hunk laying on his back with Keith curled on his side, back toward the other boy.

“So, want to tell me what Shiro said you had to tell me?”

“No.”

“Want to at least tell me what’s had you acting so differently recently?”

“No.”

“Ahh, but you admit you’ve been acting differently recently?”

“Hunk-”

“No, let me talk,” Hunk replied, turning from his back to his side so he was nearly spooning Keith, “You’ve been withdrawn recently, more so than usual, and it’s worrying everyone. I know everyone wanted to give you space to deal with whatever it was that’s been upsetting you, but at this point I’m worried about your health. It’s obvious you haven’t been sleeping, and since you’ve been avoiding eating with the rest of us, I’m not sure you’re really eating like you should. I’m trying not to push, but we’re worried about you. I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t.”

“Keith-”

“No! You don’t get to act all concerned about me now after what you did!” Keith snapped, turning from where he lay to poke a finger into Hunk’s chest, “You died Hunk, in my arms, right after telling me how much you loved me. I got to hold you as help arrived barely seconds too late, not knowing whether or not you knew how much I loved you too.”

“Keith,” Hunk whispered, heart cracking in his chest when he saw the tears forming in the corners of Keith’s eyes, “I’m okay now.”

“Yeah, only because Allura was so close! Did you know she told us that if she had shown up even a few ticks later, you’d be dead permanently?”

“Keith-”

“And even after she brought you back, you were in that cryopod for months. Allura and Coran weren’t even sure the cryopod would be enough to keep you alive until you’d been in there for almost a week. And of course, after you come out, you act like nothing’s changed!”

“I’m sorry.”

Pausing, Keith blinked through the tears that had escaped and tilted his head to look up at Hunk, brow furrowing when he noticed the way Hunk’s eyes shone in the dimmed light.

“Hunk?”

“I’m sorry Keith. I shouldn’t have confessed like I did, and I know now how cruel it was to do that to you. But, I did hear you Keith. Even if my death was only temporary, I was so incredibly happy that the last thing I got to see was your face, and the last thing I heard was you telling me you loved me. When I woke up, I had honestly convinced myself that you confessing was a hallucination, and I didn’t want to make things awkward by trying to talk to you when you seemed so upset. I’m sorry Keith.”

Trying, and failing once again, to wipe away his tears, Keith let himself be pulled into Hunk’s arms and soothed, warm fingers running through his hair as Hunk’s other hand rubbed calming circles into his back.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, at least not anytime soon, but I want you to know that I meant what I said before. I love you, and I don’t think I could stop loving you if I tried. I don’t want you to feel obligated to try to love me back, and I completely understand if you confessing was a heat of the moment thing, especially since I was dying.”

“You know, for such a genius, you’re kind of an idiot,” Keith muttered, pulling back from Hunk’s arms so he could make eye contact with him, “I love you. That’s what Shiro wanted me to tell you. When you died, I wasn’t sure whether or not you had heard me, and when you woke up, Shiro told me I should tell you again so I wouldn’t regret anything if something happened to either of us. I’m not saying this because I feel obligated, or because I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I’m saying this because I love you, and I don’t want anything like that situation happening again.”

Grinning, Hunk grabbed one of Keith’s hands, intertwining their fingers together before bringing the hands to his face so he could kiss each of the other boy’s knuckles.

“Hey, Keith?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“...I love you too.”

“Man, I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of hearing that. Although, now that we’ve gotten the dramatic love confessions out of the way, I think we should go to sleep.”

“Mmm, that does sound like a good idea,” Keith yawned, fumbling behind him for a blanket to pull over the both of them, sighing and cuddling up to Hunk once he got it wrapped around them both, “G’night Hunk.”

“Goodnight Keith. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Yep, never going to get tired of hearing that. Almost think it was worth dying for”

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"Aye, aye captain."

[autistickogaynewrites]

Pandrien >>> AutisticKogayne

PandrienWrites >>> AutisticKogayneWrites

Changed URLS!

[autistickogaynewrites]

Let’s play Writer’s Would You Ever

Send me an ask that says “Would you ever write…” and continue the sentence.

I’ll respond with yes or no and give an explanation as to why if I want to.

[autistickogaynewrites]

Who You Are

Finding out that you're not even fully human can be an emotionally exhausting revelation. Luckily, Keith has someone there to help him remember exactly who he is.

Story inspired by this comic by @imaginecroc and birthday gift for @thepictonianjournalist! Also on Ao3!

“I just don’t know who I am anymore.” He whispers, words said so quietly that he expects them to drift away in the wind and melt in the fading rays of the setting sun.

He’s content, or at least as content as he can be if he ignores the angry buzzing in the back of his head, watching the other paladins scramble around from his vantage point on the small cliff he’d found. Lance and Pidge are running in circles around the small clearing they’re in, her hands filled with mud and a devilish smirk painted across her face. Lance seems to be attempting to beg for mercy, while Shiro tries to catch and calm either of the two, a furrow in his brow a testament to how long he’s been trying. Allura and Coran had stayed in the Castle, giving the excuse that they had several repairs to the ship to take care of, and Keith had barely a second to wonder where Hunk had gone when the boy spoke beside him.

“I do,” he spoke, voice soft but still surprising Keith enough for him to jump a few inches.

Keith turns to look at him without thinking about it, too emotionally exhausted from recent revelations to be more than apathetic at whatever the other boy is about to say. Hunk’s looking down at the others instead of looking at him, but he looks like he’s looking away to gather his thoughts instead of just ignoring Keith, so he doesn’t say anything as he waits for the other to continue speaking.

“You’re a paladin, just like me,” he starts, turning towards Keith with a soft smile. The way the oranges and yellows of the fading sun fall across his face sparks a familiar warmth in his chest. “You’re strong, and brave, and you never give up. You’re my friend and I love you.”

He can feel the familiar heat of tears building behind his eyes, but he’s too busy staring at the warmth of Hunk’s smile to think much more of them. The rest of the world seems to fade out, and the small spark in his chest roars into a comforting inferno. The tears escape and trek their way down his cheeks before he can stop them, but Hunk’s right there, squeezing his shoulder gently as he tries to gather the shards of himself that he’d barely been holding onto before.

The words had been so simple, but Hunk always seemed to know exactly what they needed to hear when they were upset, and this time had been no exception. The tears keep coming, and no matter how much Keith tries to assure himself that he’s fine, they won’t stop. Hunk’s smile quirks up slightly more on one side before he steps forward, the hand on Keith’s shoulder shifting to wrap around his shoulders and pull him into a hug. Keith’s head lays perfectly in the crook between Hunk’s neck and shoulder and before he’s really aware of it, his arms have raised from his sides to wrap around the other paladin’s back, hands gripping as much of the armor as he can.

Hunk’s arms squeeze him a little closer as he rests his cheek against the side of his head, quietly humming as one hand rubs calming circles into his back.

“It’s okay to be upset by things changing, but none of this changes who you are. Whether you’re part Galra, or part Alltean, or even part Olkari, you’re still you. You’re still Keith Kogane, paladin of the red lion, most amazing pilot I’ve ever met, and you’re still the same person I fell in love with.”

Keith’s heart nearly stops in his chest, and he subtly pinches his arm to see if this is a dream or not. When his hand stings slightly afterwards, his brain short circuits trying to decide what to do.

“I’m not expecting anything from you, and I wasn’t even going to tell you originally, but I wanted you to know that I care about you and if there’s anything I can do to help you with any of this, I’m more than willing to.”

Keith buries his face deeper into Hunk’s shoulder when the tears pick right back up from where they had tapered off mere moments before. He can feel the exhaustion that comes after a break down like this flickering at the edge of his thoughts, but he’s so happy to be where he is that he pushes it aside. He wants to reply to Hunk, assure him that it’d be impossible for him not to feel the same way, but his brain feels like a foggy mess and it’s hard for him to get his thoughts in order.

Hunk pulls back from the hug moments later, wiping the remnants of tears off Keith’s cheeks with the same soft smile as earlier.

“I think it’s been an exhausting couple of days for all of us, but you especially, so how about we get back to the castle and you can lay down? Shiro warned all of us a little about how you tend to shut down when you get overstimulated, and you definitely seem a little out of it. I can even heat up some of that jarsvitz or whatever it was that you liked so much before.”

Hunk goes to step towards the castle, Keith reaching out to grab his hand the second the boy has turned. Hunk pauses, turning back to where Keith’s glaring down at the ground, brow furrowed with concentration.

“Keith, are you okay?”

“Stay.”

Hunk blinks for a moment, watching as Keith raises his head to meet his eyes, his own shining with determination.

“What was that?”

“Stay. With me.”

Hunk seems to figure out what Keith means a few seconds later, bright smile spreading across his lips as he adjusts his hand to better grasp Keith’s, lifting it to his lips to press a quick kiss to the other boy’s knuckles before walking towards the castle, smiling as he catches the hint of red spreading across the pale cheeks.

Later that night, when Shiro finds the two of them curled together on one of the couches in the lounge, a small smile painted across Keith’s lips, he simply throws a blanket over the two of them and leaves to track down Lance and Pidge with the pleasant thought that Keith and Hunk just made him 20 GAC richer.

[autistickogaynewrites]

Realizations: In Which They Have A Discussion

Part 5 of @miraculousstorytelling‘s secret santa gift! Delay is mildly explained in the notes of the ao3 chapter, but I’m willing to answer questions if anyone wants to know more.

In which the main four finally sit down and talk about their feelings.

Also on Ao3!

When Nino’s phone rang at nine in the morning on a Saturday, he mentally prayed that for the sake of the person on the other end, it was an emergency because otherwise, someone was going to die.

“Hello?” He slurred, glaring at the light peeking between his blackout curtains as he tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep again.

“Nino, it's Alya. Are you free today?”

Groaning, he switched the phone to the other ear as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he tried to mentally check his calendar.

“Alya. It’s nine in the morning. On a Saturday.”

“Yeah? Are you free or not?”

“Uh, I promised to help maman get groceries, but after that I’ll be free. Why?”

“Good, I think we need to talk. Meet me at the park by the school at noon?”

Noticing how she was talking faster than usual and letting her words slip together, he immediately agreed, looking at his phone with concern as she quickly hung up.

“Looks like I have a phone call of my own to make.”

Marinette had been working on one of her newer designs, a dress inspired by Alya’s eyes when her phone rang, the loud ringtone startling her enough for her to nearly stab herself with the needle on the sewing machine. Jerking her hands back, she scrambled for the phone, accepting the call and holding it to her ear without checking who it was.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Marinette, are you doing anything today?”

“Uh, I don’t think so? I was just going to work on a few designs. Why?”

“I just have something important I think I need to talk to you about today. Can you meet me at the park near your house at about eleven?”

“Sure, I can be there. Are you okay though, Nino? You sound nervous.”

“It’s nothing, just meet me at noon!”

Before she had the chance to even think about responding, the click of him hanging up rang in her ears, surprising her into pulling the phone away from her ear with a gasp. As she stared down at the phone, a thought came to mind, and before she could talk herself out of it, she was typing up a quick text and sending it out.

Croissant Queen: Hey, are you free later today?

Croissant Queen: like, ten-ish later?

Blinking at the twinkling chime coming from beside him, Adrien quickly paused his game and grabbed the phone, quickly shooting off a reply text.

Hot Stuff: i can be

Hot Stuff: what’s up?

Croissant Queen: i just think i need to talk to you

Croissant Queen: can you meet me at the park by my house?

Hot Stuff: yeah of course. are you okay?

Croissant Queen: i’m fine, i just need to talk to you later and it’s not really a text conversation

Croissant Queen: it’s not bad or anything! it’s just kinda personal. i’ll talk to you about it when i see you later though, so don’t worry

“‘Don’t worry’ she says, like that makes it better,” Adrien muttered, flicking through his text conversations and pulling a slightly older conversation up, “What could she possibly have to talk to me about that’s so personal?”

Sunshine Child: can i talk to you about something?

Raising an eyebrow at the text, Alya unlocked her phone and hurriedly typed up a reply, mildly worried on why Adrien would be texting her instead of Nino.

Ladyblogger: sure, what’s up?

Sunshine Child: marinette just texted me and asked me to meet up with her later to talk

Sunshine Child: she said it was personal but told me not to worry

Sunshine Child: i just wanted to know if you had any idea what it could be about?

Pausing, Alya tried to think back on her recent conversations with Marinette to see if she could think of any reason the girl would find it so important to talk to Adrien today of all days. The only thing that came to mind was that maybe Marinette had finally worked up the courage to confess to the model, but Alya was pretty sure that wasn’t the case.

Ladyblogger: i have no idea, but gimme a few to text her and try to figure it out

Immediately backing out of her messages with Adrien, she opened her texts to Marinette and fired one off, completely disregarding the Ladyblog article she had been working on.

LB’s GF: hey marinette, did you text adrien asking him to meet you later?

There was a row of blinking dots, but the reply came quickly.

Mare Bear: yeah, i needed to talk to him, why?

LB’s GF: about what? he just texted me cause he’s worried over what you wanna talk to him about

Mare Bear: it’s nothing

Mare Bear: i mostly just wanted to talk to him cause nino called me and wanted to talk to me and he sounded really nervous

LB’s GF: wait wait wait

LB’s GF: nino called and asked you to meet him later today?

Mare Bear: yeah, at around noon at the park near my house

It took a moment of thinking, but as Alya stared down at the phone in her hands, the gears in her head started turning. She had called Nino and asked to meet up at noon at the park, wanting to confess to him her feelings for the three of them and what to do. Then, Nino had called Marinette, asking her to meet him at the same time and place that she herself had originally asked him. Of course, then Marinette texts Adrien with the same ‘meet me at the park at noon to talk’, and it ends where it begins when Adrien texts her out of concern.

It was a wild guess, and one Alya wasn’t even sure she should let her mind follow, but what if they all were calling and texting to talk about the exact same thing?

She had called Nino because he was someone she knew she could trust, and his coolheadedness was definitely something she could use as she tried to sort through and figure out her feelings. Nino then might have contacted Marinette, having known her longer than anybody else and knowing exactly how trustworthy she was when it came to secrets. Marinette, though Alya was her best friend, would reach out to Adrien for help, taking into account how easily the boy was able to logically sort through any problems while making any negative outcome seem miniscule. While Adrien, oblivious as he is, would simply reach out to her due to her being the closest to Marinette and him being concerned.

Closing her eyes, Alya took a deep breath and thought. She knew she was ready to take a risk today by confessing to Nino, but now she had to think over whether or not she was ready to tell them all. There was a large risk there, but there was also a chance for an even largerreward. The thought of being able to kiss, cuddle, hug, and go on dates with all three of them made her stomach explode into butterflies and her face flush.

She opened her eyes and pressed her fingers to the keys, ready to type up her response. She's Alya freaking Césaire, and while she's no Ladybug, she considers herself close enough. She's chased down akumas for the chance at a great story, helped Ladybug and Chat Noir in the fight against Santa Claws, and was even kidnapped by an akuma, staying calm all the while. If she couldn't even muster enough course to confess to her crushes, was she really worthy of running the Ladyblog?

LB’s GF: can we actually all meet up at your place? i think I need to talk to all 3 of you

Mare Bear: sure, I'll get some snacks together. want me to text the other two and let them know?

LB’s GF: please. I'll see you later

Pushing her phone aside, Alya scrubbed at her face, anxiety sitting heavy in her chest as she started second guessing herself. It was one thing to tell yourself that you were going to confess to your three crushes, but it was an entirely different thing to actually do it, and now Alya found herself wondering if she was actually ready. Of course, she had already arranged for them all to meet, and she didn’t exactly have an excuse if she decided to bail so without further ado, she stood up, grabbed her stuff, and left.

Alya had thought it had been stressful and awkward enough just thinking about talking to the other three, but sitting in front of them with the silence hanging over them, she realized it was actually much worse.

When they had all shown up close to half an hour early, Marinette had waved them up to her bedroom with a plate of treats pushed into each of their hands. They had all settled in a circle on the pillows and blankets tossed in a pile in the middle of the room, and then the heavy silence had settled over them all. None of them looked up from their laps as they nibbled at their cookies and pastries, the quiet chewing being the only audible noise aside from the low hum of customers coming from the bakery beneath them.

As the minutes ticked by, Alya found herself more and more anxious until finally, she snapped.

Turning to Nino, she watched as he tensed slightly, Marinette and Adrien both turning to look at her.

“Nino,” she started, watching as his eyes just barely managed to meet hers before darting away again, “I called and asked you to meet up with me because you’re always so calm when I’m stressing over something, and you give the best advice I’ve ever heard, although don’t tell my mom that.”

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment, gathered as much of her confidence as she could, and opened them to begin talking.

“Marinette, I fell in love with you on the first day of school. I thought you were cute when I first saw you, and I knew I had to step in when I saw how resigned you were to Chloe’s bullying, but I really fell for you when you split your macaron, shared it with me, and smiled. Your whole face lit up and you were so beautiful in that moment that all I knew was I wanted to see that smile as many times as you’ll let me.”

Ignoring the way Marinette's eyes had blown wide and her jaw had dropped, Alya turned to Nino.

“Nino, I fell for you that day Ladybug locked us together at the zoo. I know I came off as annoyed at you at first, but I was really just upset over missing the chance to film the akuma battle. You seemed so nervous though, and once we started talking a little more, I realized how great you really are. When we were walking to Marinette’s and you told me that joke, I turned to look at you while I was still bent over trying to catch my breath and you were smiling at me. I don’t think it was even a smile really meant for me, but you looked so calm and happy in that moment, especially with the light highlighting the gold in your eyes, and I knew that I was a goner.”

Ignoring the anxiety building in her chest now that she’d started her confessions, she turned to Adrien, so focused on what she had to say that she didn’t notice the bright red flush painted across all of their cheeks.

“Adrien, falling for you was almost so ridiculous I wanted to scream. You’re literally the class pretty boy and while I’m sure most of the people at school have a crush on you, I promised myself the day I met you not to be one of them. Of course, that meant literally nothing once I got to know you. Watching you reach out to people who had been akumatized to make sure they were okay, even though you didn’t have to, and always helping others with homework or anything else. I didn’t fully realize until we had that Mecha Strike Tournament and you gave your chance to play to Marinette. I saw how excited you were to play, but you gave up the opportunity to do something that would make you happy to someone else because you knew how happy it’d make them. I love how selfless and kind you are, which is a large part of why I fell for you, but I also want to be able to show you that it’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes. I feel like you give so much of yourself up for other people, and I really want you to know that you don’t have to.”

When she’s done speaking, she drops her eyes to her hands resting in her lap, watching as they tug at a loose string dangling from the hem of her jeans. A large part of her is glad she’s finally managed to confess, but there’s still a small, anxious part of her that she can feel clawing at the back of her mind telling her she should’ve just stayed quiet.

“I’m not expecting anything from any of you,” she started, blinking back the hot tears she could feel blooming in the back of her eyes, “But I’m tired of hiding it from you, and I thought I should be honest and tell you.”

“I fell for Adrien first.” Nino whispered, causing all of their eyes to snap towards him, though his eyes were glued to his lap so he didn’t notice, “You walked into class on the second day and I wanted to scream. It was your smile that really did it for me. I’m not going to lie, you’re pretty as anything else, but your smile just lights up the world around you. I was worried at first when you came in with Chloe, but when I saw how you reacted to the gum incident, I think I took advantage of the situation to get close to you, because as sure as I was that you were romantically unattainable, I knew I wanted to be as close to you as you’d let me.”

Adrien’s face is so red at this point that Alya finds herself wondering if there’s any blood left in any other part of his body, but Nino starts talking again before she can dwell on it much longer.

“I fell for you Marinette the day Sabrina’s father was akumatized into Rogercop. You’d become so much happier and confident after you and Alya became friends, and even when you tripped and spilled food all over yourself, you just laughed it off. Of course, then Chloe was accusing you of stealing her bracelet and I know the Marinette from before would’ve just let them search her bag, but you stood up to not only Chloe, but the Mayor of Paris and refused. You kinda reminded me of Ladybug right then, standing up to the Mayor the way she stood up to Hawkmoth that first day. I was so happy for you, and I was so proud that you had come so far after everything with Chloe, and before I knew it, I had fallen for you.”

Marinette’s now avoiding looking at any of them, turned to the side as both hands fiddle with one of her pigtails. Alya’s chest feels tight with the thought of what Nino’s going to say next, and she closes her eyes when he continues again.

“I already know you’re going to think I’m copying you,” He joked, pulling his hat down from his head and running a hand through the short curls that had been hiding underneath. “But I fell for you that day at the zoo. We were walking to Marinette’s and talking about Mr. Garbage Agreste, and I remember I told the lamest joke and you just lit up. The sun brought out the red in your hair and the gold in your eyes, and I could feel my heart cartwheeling in my chest when you laughed. I knew I was screwed then, but I think I was okay with it as long as I got to hear that laugh or see that smile again.”

Alya could feel her face heating as she brought her hands up to scrub at her cheeks, hoping that they weren’t nearly as red as they felt. When she opens her eyes, Nino’s still staring at his lap, Adrien’s face is a brighter red than Ladybug’s suit, and Marinette looks like she’s trying to gear herself up for something, with her eyebrows scrunched together and her lips turned down into the cutest pout Alya’s ever seen. As soon as her mouth opens to ask if the girl is okay, she’s cut off.

“I fell for Alya first!” She squeaks out, hand still fumbling with her pigtail as Alya’s jaw drops, “It was the first day of school and you were so nice to me. You didn’t even know me, and you still stepped in and defended me. I remember I tried to apologize and you just brushed it off and started trying to encourage me instead. You didn’t even know my name, or anything about me, and you still jumped in to help me, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Being friends with you has changed my life, and the more we hung out, the more I fell for you until I couldn’t even try to imagine my life without you in it.”

Alya’s sure that her face matches Adrien’s at this point, but Marinette continues talking before she can try to say something.

“I fell for Adrien on the second day of school. I was so angry when I saw you putting the gum on my desk, especially with everything that had happened with Chloe, so I snapped at you and then ignored you. Even after that though, you still came up to me after school to apologize. You seemed so vulnerable and open that I wasn’t sure what to do, but then you were handing me your umbrella. When I took it and it closed on me, I was so embarrassed, but then you started laughing and I figured I’d do anything, no matter how embarrassing to hear you laugh like that again. The more time I spent around you, the more I learned, and I loved it all. You’re so unbelievably kind, especially with how your father treats you, and so much smarter and hardworking than anyone I’ve ever met. Every moment I’ve gotten to spend with you has been a blessing, and I need you to know that I love you. That we all love you.”

Adrien looks like if anyone else says anything nice about him, he’ll explode, with tears brimming at the edges of his eyes and cheeks still a shade of red Alya didn’t think was physically possible before today.

“I think falling for Nino was the one I least expected,” she muttered, face immediately paling once she registered what she said, hands flailing about as she talked, “Not in a bad way or anything! I had just known you for so much longer than Alya or Adrien, although I guess I didn’t actually know you. It was that day at the zoo when I realized. When you showed up, you were so awkward and fumbling that I couldn't help but relate. As awkward as you were though, you were still so sweet and kind. When you told me you had a crush on Alya was when it hit me, and when you two showed up at the bakery together, I was upset at the thought that I had lost my chance with either of you, but you looked so happy that I thought it'd be better to just leave it alone.”

If any of them had thought the previous silences were awkward, they realized now that they were nothing compared to the silence that hung over them once Marinette was done confessing. None of them looked directly at Adrien, but they could see him fidgeting with his pant leg out of the corner of their eyes. While the previous silences lasted a minute at the longest, the current one hun over them for nearly seven before Adrien finally spoke up.

“I didn’t even realize they were crushes until recently,” He mutters, refusing to look up from his lap as his hands move to play with the hem of his shirt, “I fell for Nino first though. I saw how you looked at Chloe that first day, and I remember being so glad that you decided to give me a chance instead of just dismissing me as her friend. You became my best friend so fast, and I felt like we’d been friends for years with how you always seemed so tuned into how I was feeling and how supportive you always were. I’m sure it sounds wrong, but I think it was the Bubbler incident that really brought it on. You being akumatized was horrible and I’m still so sorry it happened, but I think my crush started when I realized that you had been akumatized because you were upset for me. I remember trying to apologize afterwards too, and you just brushed it off and told me you were glad that I had tried to enjoy the party.”

Everyone stays still, almost as if moving will disrupt Adrien’s thoughts and cause him to stop talking. It takes him a few minutes to think of what he’s going to say, brow furrowed as he glares down at his lap, but he manages to keep talking a moment later.

“I fell for Alya when Pharaoh was akumatized. I’d kinda looked up to you for a while, especially with how passionate you are about what you care about, but watching you livestream so nonchalantly as he carried you off and talked about sacrificing you blew my mind. You seemed more excited than anything at the chance to be that close to the action, even with all the risks, and you didn’t seem affected at all once it was over. I think I realized then that I wasn’t as close to you as I wanted to be, but I was still so glad to have someone so fiery and passionate about what they care about in my life, and I think part of me wanted me to be something you were passionate in caring about.”

There’s a pause as he takes a deep breath, but he manages to continue with his speech mere seconds later.

“I know you and I didn’t get off at the best start Marinette, but I remember being so excited when I showed up for school the next day and you started talking to me. I was so glad that you had given me a chance, but I don’t think I really fell for you until the derby hat competition. I knew that the chances of you copying Chloe instead of vice versa were low, but I was so nervous at how you'd handle the accusation, especially with my father there. You were so confident and calm though when you proved that the design was one hundred percent yours, and when he’d told you that you’d won, your face lit up so much I was worried that your cheeks had to hurt from how wide you were smiling. I think in that moment, I realized how happy I was to be one of the people you considered a friend, and I was so excited to wear your hat, even as it sent me into that sneezing fit. I’m pretty sure I was sneezing for at least two days after the photoshoot, but it was so worth it to see you smile when you saw the pictures and got to really see how much your hard work paid off.”

It’s quiet again, but this time the silence seems more tired than heavy, the air filled with the confessions that had spilled from each of them. Nobody seems willing to look up from their lap until the quiet tapping of Adrien’s fingers drumming against the floor starts. He only gets through about three taps before Nino’s reaching over and grabbing his hand, interlacing their fingers and rubbing his thumb in circles against the back of his knuckles. Looking up from her lap, Alya notices Marinette’s hands fidgeting in her lap and without thinking, she’s reaching out to grab it. Marinette pauses for a second, but then she’s squeezing Alya’s hand gently and reaching her opposite hand to hold Adrien’s free one. Taking the hint, Alya reaches her free hand out and grabs Nino’s, squeezing it with a small smile when he turns to look at her.

Alya can feel her hands starting to sweat the longer they sit there in silence, but she’s so elated that she’s even managed to make it this far that she can’t really find it in herself to care. Surprisingly, it’s Adrien who speaks up a few minutes later, voice hesitant but strong.

“So, where do we go from here?”

They all turn to look at him, cogs turning in their heads as they all try to think beyond their sweaty hands and the odd circle they’ve sat themselves in. Unsurprisingly this time, it’s Alya who starts the conversation.

“Well, I think it depends on where we want to go from here.” She starts, letting her thumb rub over Nino’s knuckles as she tries to think, “You now know that I love each of you, romantically in case it wasn’t obvious, and I think it’s also fairly obvious that we all feel the same way. I don’t want to force anyone into anything, so you’re more than welcome to say no, but what if we all tried dating each other?”

“How do you mean?” Marinette asks, brow furrowed as she looks up, Nino and Adrien looking as confused as she does.

“I mean, we all date each other. Like, Marinette is my girlfriend and Adrien and Nino are my boyfriends, and vice versa for you guys. If I want to go on a date with Nino one day, Adrien the next, and Marinette the day after, it’s fine and if I want to kiss and cuddle any of you, as long as it’s okay with the person I’m trying to kiss or cuddle, it’s not cheating since we’re all together.”

The other three seem to be thinking about it, but within seconds, a bright smile stretches across Adrien’s lips. Nino and Marinette seem slightly more hesitant, but only in the sense that it seems slightly too good to be true.

“That honestly sounds kind of wonderful,” Marinette starts, looking up to make eye contact with Alya, “but are we sure it’d even work out?”

“Of course we aren’t, but nobody is ever 100% sure any relationship will work. It’s a risk, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means I get a chance to love you all the way I want to.”

Even though it’s not aimed at him, Adrien’s face flares bright red, and Nino laughs before cooing at where Adrien’s trying to bury his face in his lap.

“Aww Alya, look what you did to the poor guy. He’s so red he looks like he might explode.” Nino coos with a smile as he pokes at Adrien’s blushing cheek.

“If just saying that turned him this red, I’d be able to have a lot of fun with him if we were all dating.”

“I wanna try it,” Adrien mutters from where his face is buried in his jeans, bring the whole room to a stop.”I love you all, and if this is something that’s actually possible, I’d really want to date you all.”

“I do too.” Marinette speaks up from where she’s been sitting quietly on the sidelines. “I’m a little worried about it, but like you said, there’s no guarantee any relationship will work out, but this is a relationship I want to at least try for.”

Turning towards Nino, Alya could barely hold back her grin as he simply smiled and nodded at her.

“I didn’t really think it was a possibility to date all three of you, and I felt really guilty over not being able to choose who I love more, but I’d really like it if we were all together” Flailing her arms for a second, Alya quickly pulled the three of them in for a hug, smiling as she felt them all relax and hug back.

When she pulled back from the hug moments later, her heart jumped in her chest at the sight of the other three, cheeks red and small smiles decorating their lips.

“Now!” She clapped, startling the other three as she stood and made her way to the small closet full of spare blankets she knew Marinette had. “I’m emotionally exhausted as crap, so how about we build a blanket fort, pick a movie, and then cuddle and nap?”

“Only if the movie is Princess Bride!” Adrien cheered, getting up to help Alya with the blankets, Nino and Marinette right behind him.

“Adrien, I literally watched the Princess Bride with you last night.” Nino groaned, earning an eye roll and muttered comment from the blond.

It took almost an hour before they were all settled down in their messy blanket fort, Princess Bride playing on Alya’s laptop despite Nino’s objections. They were all cuddled close, more in a pile than anything, but they were comfortable and happy, and before the man in black and Inigo began to duel, they were all asleep.

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Because I Love You

Most akuma battles seemed to follow a set pattern, with the akuma monologuing, Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting as they tried to figure out where the possessed butterfly was hiding, Chat Noir taking a hit for Ladybug when needed, and her finishing the battle on her own with the use of her lucky charm.

Sometimes things don't go as they usually do though, or 'the battle where Ladybug takes the hit for Chat Noir'.

@ml-valentines gift for @beanzwriting, inspired by this comic by @sakura-rose12! Also on Ao3.

Most akuma battles seemed to follow a set pattern, with the akuma monologuing, the both of them fighting as they tried to figure out where the possessed butterfly was hiding, Chat Noir taking a hit for Ladybug when needed, and her finishing the battle on her own with the use of her lucky charm.

The latest battle had completely disregarded the routine, throwing the both of them for a loop.

The akuma, a woman going by the name of Aercian who seemed annoyed that her siblings wouldn’t listen to her, had started following the routine by monologuing about how now everyone was going to listen to her, but before they could get any farther, she had lifted the slingshot that had been resting by her side and launched what looked like a small black marble straight at Chat Noir. He had been shocked, and with no time for him to dodge or grab his baton, he had simply braced for impact, sure that Ladybug would be able to complete the battle without him if it came down to it.

Apparently, Ladybug had disagreed and before he could process it, she was in front of him taking the hit, the marble exploding into a small cloud of black dust.

“Ladybug!” He shouted, covering his mouth as he stepped forward to make sure she was okay, pausing when Aercian started to laugh.

“Don’t bother Chat Noir. She’s not exactly your Ladybug anymore.” She chuckled, crossing her arms with a smirk once the dust cleared fully. “Ladybug, get Chat Noir’s miraculous for me.”

When Ladybug turned to face him, he couldn’t stop himself from recoiling in horror at the sharp purple hue her eyes had taken on as she stared at him blankly.

“Ladybug?”

“Hand over your miraculous Chat Noir.”

Flinching at how calm she sounded, he stepped back, brain scrambling as he tried to think a way out of the situation.

“You know I can’t do that, and you know this isn’t really you Ladybug.”

“Hand over your miraculous or I’ll have to use force.”

Grimacing, Chat hurriedly pulled his baton from behind his back and extended it, using it to launch himself away from Ladybug and to a nearby rooftop. As soon as he landed, he was running to the next rooftop, pushing himself faster as he heard Ladybug land behind him. Without a plan, there was no way he was going to be able to defeat her, and trying to hold her off without one would just lead to him losing his miraculous.

He was making a jump for the next rooftop when her yo-yo string lashed around his ankle and pulled, sending him crashing back to the roof he had jumped from with a spray of gravel and a groan of pain. As he scrambled to stand, Ladybug pulled the string of her yo-yo from his leg, walking toward him with her weapon spinning quickly in her left hand. With her coming towards him, Chat tried to step backwards, but found himself standing at the very edge of the rooftop, an empty alleyway beneath him.

“Don’t do this Ladybug.” He pleaded, trying to catch his breath as she continued to advance towards him, “This isn’t you!”

“Hand over your miraculous Chat Noir.” She repeated, slowing neither her yo-yo or her stride as she continued toward him.

“No! Aercian is controlling you, please snap out of it!”

“Either hand over your miraculous, or actually fight me so I can get it myself.” She spoke, the slightest hint of anger coloring her face.

As she continued forward, Chat looked over his shoulder again to see if there was anyway he could get away, but there wasn’t enough room left on the edge for him to launch himself away, which left him with either going around Ladybug, or being pushed off the edge of the building and hitting the ground below.

“Stop avoiding me and fight!” She finally yelled, swinging her yo-yo at him as he barely managed to bring his baton up to block.

“No!” He yelled, pushed back even closer to the edge with the force of her swing.

“Why won’t you fight me?” She yelled, throwing her yo-yo forward to wrap around his baton and yank, pulling it out of his hands and tossing it behind her.

“Because I love you!” He cried, right arm reaching out to grab her arm as her free hand reached forward to shove him backwards.

Lunging forward, his eyes slipped close as his lips aimed for hers, missing them by mere millimeters as her push sent him slipping off the edge of the roof and crashing to the street below with a gasp of surprise.

Staring straight ahead, Ladybug’s eyes faded to their regular soft blue as the crash of Chat Noir hitting the ground echoed through the air. Dropping her weapon, Aercian’s power over her faded as tears came to her eyes and she started trembling. One moment she had been trying to protect Chat from whatever Aercian had been planning on doing to him, and the next she could only watch through the possession’s fading control as she sent her partner flying off a rooftop and to the ground below, no way for him to stop his fall with his baton laying at her feet.

The tears spilled over her mask and down her cheeks without her noticing, still staring ahead as her thoughts ran rampant.

How injured was Chat Noir? Did he even survive the fall? Had he detransformed or was he still down there in his superhero form? What would she tell his family if he had died? How would she even find his family if he had been killed?

Reigning in the last of her sobs, she wiped her face with one gloved hand, reaching down to pick up his baton and her yo-yo so she could safely lower herself down to check on him, startled when Aercian suddenly appeared beside her. Seemingly ignoring her, the akuma stepped to the edge and looked down, turning to Ladybug with a frown.

“I didn’t want this.” She spoke softly, reaching behind her neck to unfasten the necklace she was wearing. “Here. The akuma should be in this. I’m so sorry, I swear I didn’t want this.”

Dropping the necklace into Ladybug’s palm, Aercian gave her a slight nod and left, leaving Ladybug to stare down at the necklace. It was an incredibly simple thing, with a circular pendant on a leather string, and small dots carved into the circle. Such a small, simple object and yet it was partially responsible for whatever happened to Chat Noir.

Wrapping the cord around her hand, she used her yo-yo to lower herself down, bracing herself for whatever condition she found Chat in. Unsurprisingly, he was laying on his back, a small pool of blood spreading from beneath his head and spreading through the cracks in the pavement. His arms were splayed beside him and his eyes were closed, turned ever so slightly toward her.

Nearly dropping her yo-yo, she raced forward, kneeling by his side to check if he was still breathing, and choking on a sob when she saw that he was. Fumbling with the necklace, she slammed it to the ground, quickly catching and purifying the butterfly that escaped once the necklace had shattered.

Grabbing Chat’s hand with her hand that wasn’t holding her yo-yo, she called for the miraculous cure, gaze fixed to her partner as the wave of ladybugs flew over him before taking off elsewhere, taking the pool of blood and Chat’s shallow breathing with them.

“Chat?” She whispered, squeezing his hand when she saw his eyelids flicker. “Chat Noir, please open your eyes.”

It took a few seconds, but soon Chat’s eyes slowly slid open, letting Ladybug finally breathe as his gaze settled on her worried face.

“Ladybug?” He questioned tiredly, watching as her eyes filled with tears. “What’s wrong?”

Lunging forward, she pulled him into a hug so tight he felt he couldn’t breathe for a moment.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” She whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck as his arms raised to hug her back.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, closing his eyes as he soaked in the feeling of her held in his arms.

“I love you too.”

Freezing, Chat Noir pulled back from the hug to look at Ladybug, watching as the smallest hint of pink peeked out from under her mask.

“What?”

“I said, I love you too.” She responded, making eye contact as he felt his face heating up. “You told me earlier that you wouldn’t fight me because you love me, and I realized that I need you to know that I love you too.”

Smiling, Chat pulled Ladybug into a kiss, ignoring the tears painting his cheeks as she kissed him back, fingers sliding into his hair to pull him closer. When Ladybug’s earrings began to beep incessantly, she gave him another quick peck before burying her face back in his shoulder.

“After everything that’s happened today, I don’t care about secret identities anymore. I almost lost you today, and I don’t even know your name under your mask. I’ll close my eyes if you want, but I think it’s important that you know who I am.”

“Adrien.” Chat responded, grinning when Ladybug looked up at him. “My name’s Adrien Agreste.”

Blinking, Ladybug stared at him for another moment before a blinding smile took over her face, causing his own smile to widen.

“Hi Adrien.” She whispered, closing her eyes as the pink flash of her transformation wearing off rolled over her.

Opening his eyes, Adrien looked down at the girl in his lap, leaning in to kiss her as soon as he could see properly.

“Hi Marinette.”

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late inktober day 27 for @pandrienwrites @pandrien : scene from a garden in my lungs adrino fic :D

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What’s my writing trademark?

I’ve seen this for art, but what about my writing makes you go, “ah, that’s a _____ production”?

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I am so, so sorry for the delay in the next part of Realizations. Financial Aid really screwed me over this semester and I really only got it sorted out this morning. The stress and time didn’t help me write, but I’m determined now to make this a good semester and I promise I will have the next part uploaded soon!

Thank you to everyone who’s commented, sent kudos, or reblogged it! It means a lot seeing people like my work, and I hope you enjoy the next part when it comes! It’s already at 1500 words and barely halfway done, so I hope the length makes up for how long you had to wait.

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So I haven’t gotten to work on it as much as I’d like to, and for that I really want to apologize! I’ve set aside time over the last several days to write, but I’m having issues with my school and my financial aid, so I’ve had to instead use writing time to try to fix things. It looks like I’ll most likely be able to wrap everything up with a quick meeting tomorrow, so I’m going to buckle down and at least finish chapter 5!

So, I read your secret santa story on archive, thanks to @aknazer, and I had to wonder where the 5th chapter is, as the chapter number was 5 instead of 4. Are you writing it? I saw that you might write a 6th as well, and that would be completely amazing, but first I'm just looking for chapter 5. Sorry if this bothers you.

It’s not a bother! I had chapter 5 almost completely done with just a few edits to be made, but I realized a lot of it didn’t follow where I wanted the story to go, so I had to scrap a lot of it. 

I’m hoping to get the new chapter 5 finished today and once I finish that, I’ll see whether or not chapter 6 is going to work. Luckily, the comments and reactions to the story seem to be really good, so I’m hoping that will help me get through it quicker!