schelluminium · 6 years ago
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Bad Artist Keith & Rich Shiro AU
Guys, I worked on something for a few days and I'd like to present this concept to you:
• Keith and Shiro meet in college. Shiro is studying IT in his last semester, Keith is studying art in his first semester. In the figure drawing class Shiro often acts as a model and so this semester he does too. He is immediately drawn to the red faced boy with the big eyes and watches him during the session. Keith is just really flustered the whole time, being faced with a naked adonis. He is still very pleased with his drawing though. Very pleased. But in reality it is very very bad. It seems Keith doesn't know anything about anatomy, the proportions are all incorrect and Shiro's dick... just... looks wrong.
• After class Shiro goes over to Keith and asks him to get coffee with him. Keith has already packed his stuff so Shiro doesn't see the drawing of himself until much later and that is probably for the better. The two would most likely not be a couple if he had seen it before.
• In the café Keith talks very excitedly about his life and art. He had first wanted to study music and then modern dance but soon realised both weren't for him. Later Shiro heard he actually hadn't gotten in because he lacked rhythm and basic knowledge of how to read music and the basic dance steps. Shiro is endlessly charmed by Keith's enthusiasm and his sparkling eyes. Keith further tells him he needs to do something creative, all the other jobs in the world would be too dry and make him bitter like everyone else. Shiro tells him he studies IT and Keith is horribly embarrassed and apologizes but Shiro doesn't mind at all and just chuckles.
• They go have dinner together after that. Shiro insists to pay and Keith is again very flustered the whole evening that such a handsome, intelligent gentleman would take out a greasy loser like him. That evening he learns that Shiro is actually rich. Very very rich. His parents were successful owners of a famous publishing company until they died when Shiro had just left the nest and left him wealthy. Also as top of his class once he graduates he has very good chances to get a high position in a company he took an internship at during the summer. Keith is impressed by Shiro's ambitions and feels suddenly very small and his dream now looks so trivial to him. Keith tells Shiro as much, in a joking way, but Shiro sees through him and reassures him that the arts are very important too and that maybe Keith can help prevent Shiro from getting dry and bitter. That sounds kinda dirty to his own ears and Shiro blushes and it's the cutest thing Keith had ever seen.
• Many more dates follow after that. They take it pretty slow, both finding that romantic and nice.
• When Shiro gets invited to Keith's place a few weeks later he sees Keith's art for the first time. He is... a tiny bit surprised. Keith keeps his drawings and sketch books lying around everywhere, seemingly unperturbed. Keith comes back from the toilet to see Shiro stand in the livingroom in front of one of his still lifes. He gets a bit anxious when he sees Shiro's frown. He asks "what do you think?" and Shiro forces out a "it's... good. Your use of colours is interesting" that he himself doesn't find convincing but Keith beams and thanks him for the compliment and Shiro feels So Bad.
• They spend more time in Keith's flat than Shiro's small house as Shiro finds it cozier here. They cook together whenever they have time, something Keith doesn't seem to have a talent for either but that he likes doing as long as it's with Shiro. He seems especially enthusiastic whenever he needs to cut vegetables. Their schedules are pretty full and they mostly meet at weekends, go to the cinema or go out to eat. But both secretly enjoy the times most in which they don't really do anything together but are just in each other's company. Shiro would study or read a book and Keith would work on a new art piece. Their relationship is cozy and domestic.
• The semester ends and Shiro graduates with an outstanding score in all of his exams. He gets offers for a few of the best companies in the country but he chooses the one closest to Keith. Keith himself fails most of his exams and has to leave college. He is devastated. Shiro suggests they drive up to Keith's parents' house and spend a few days there to cheer Keith up a bit. It would be the first time they would meet Shiro and that Shiro seems to want to take that step makes Keith feel better.
• Texas Kogane is a carpenter and Krolia a florist. Their house is small and looks a bit shabby from the outside but inviting and colourful from the inside. They immediately like Shiro. They can see he is a kind guy who sincerely cares for their son. Shiro is really nervous around the two but soon realises that he has nothing to worry about. They are really into him. Krolia jokes that Keith got his good taste in men from her.
• When Keith quietly tells them he dropped out, Texas calmly puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him it's okay to not go to college; he didn't and was alright after all. Krolia though gets a really fierce look and tells him now he has to work even harder and prove these assholes wrong. Over the weeks that they stay at the Koganes' Shiro learns these reactions were very typical for the both of them. Texas is a calm and relaxed person whereas his wife is temperamental and energetic. They complement each other well, he guesses.
• During their stay Keith helps his dad much. He repairs the door of the shed, installs traps for the rats that eat their way through the vegetable patches and feeds their old stallion Barnickle. Shiro mostly stays with Krolia as is her wish. She lets him help with gardening and asks him out about his life and intentions with Keith. She is content with his answers.
• Shiro and Keith stay in Keith's old room. They cuddle at night and kiss gently but don't get any further. Keith doesn't want to in the room of his childhood with his parents so close and Shiro agrees. Some evenings they ride on Barnickle out into the desert to watch the sunset and the stars that come out soon after.
• When they get back from this trip Keith feels much more optimistic. He gets back to drawing (which he had taken a break from) and practises some stuff from his college courses but mostly feels rebellious and works on his own ideas that they wouldn't accept back then. He is determined to be a freelance artist and sell his artworks. Shiro is really worried. He can't even place Keith's style. It's just... bad.
• Shiro is still fully supporting Keith though. He organises a gallery where he can exhibit his work. He has to pay much for that because they fear for their reputation. The vernissage is a disaster. Nobody turns up. Keith is heartbroken and Shiro feels that way too when seeing Keith like this. He reassures Keith they probably published the wrong date and pleads with the gallery to repeat the event. He will take care of everything. The next night the gallery is full. Shiro has pulled strings, making people who owe him something come as well as his and Keith's friends who also try to support their friend although they aren't really convinced of his dream. Keith is overwhelmed and so so happy. Shiro feels horribly guilty but can't bring himself to feel it was the wrong thing to do when Keith looks like this.
• Although to Keith his exhibition seemed like a success, nobody buys his art. Shiro quickly tells Keith he is willing to take care of customers. If someone wants to buy something, Shiro will handle it, he will hand the sold pieces over and bring the money to Keith. Keith is surprised to hear that and objects that Shiro has enough to do with his own job and Keith can do that himself but Shiro insists to do that for his boyfriend. In the next weeks Shiro buys much of Keith's art without him knowing. He hands the money to Keith and brings the pieces over into the cellar of his own house.
• Time goes by and they are happy together and with both of their work. Until one evening. Shiro invited Keith over for a romantic dinner. While Shiro cooks Keith wanders through the rooms and then goes down into the cellar, nosy as he is. What he sees there takes his breath away. At first he doesn't understand but then he realises what that means and he runs up the stairs, shouting at Shiro and crying. He never felt more angry, disappointed and miserable in his life. Shiro didn't have faith in him, that was the worst revelation. He runs out of the house and back to his flat. There he rips apart some of his drawings as he feels like he lost his dream.
• Back at his house Shiro breaks down and cries in front of Keith's art that he bought. He didn't just put them in the cellar like old stuff he didn't use. He had renovated it, the walls were painted, the air properly conditioned and lamps installed so the drawings and paintings wouldn't be ruined and could be seen properly. He had hung them in order in frames with glass to protect the surface and tidied the panes every day. Now he sits on the floor, crying, and studies every single one, trying to find a favourite but he can't. There is Keith's self-portrait, a painting of Barnickle with his parents' shack in the background, various still lifes with the craziest objects, and so many drawings of Shiro. Shiro sleeping, Shiro reading with his glasses on, Shiro smiling, Shiro frowning... Shiro realises just now that he loves Keith. He never said that, none of them had but seeing his face various times on the wall makes him see Keith loves him too. He cries even harder at that revelation. It seems he just lost his love.
• They don't see each other for weeks. Keith doesn't react to Shiro's texts and calls. Shiro calls in sick at work and stays home, drinking too much. One alcoholic night makes him feel determined to go and visit Keith. He will knock on the door until he's let in, if that doesn't work he will sing so loud Keith has to let him in if he doesn't want his neighbours to complain and if this still didn't make Keith surrender he would simply sleep outside his door. So Shiro calls a taxi and drives over to Keith's, knocking and yelling drunkenly. To his surprise Keith opens immediately, looking at him with wide and hopeful eyes. Shiro only now realises he yelled "I love you, Keith!". Keith asks him calmly if he really meant that and Shiro begans to cry saying yes, he really means that like he never did before and then ugly sobs onto Keith's favourite shirt. He quickly lets him in and they silently lie in bed together, Shiro in Keith's arms. Keith doesn't want to hear any more apologies than Shiro already babbled as long as Shiro is in this state and so they just sleep until the next morning.
• Shiro wakes up hung-over and embarrassd about what he did last night. That wasn't how he wanted to confess to Keith who hadn't even forgiven him yet. They have breakfast in silence. Shiro is so anxious as he sits in front of a disappointed Keith. Finally Keith speaks and asks: "now that you're sober, did you mean it?", and Shiro answers immediately with yes, trying to describe how much Keith means to him but Keith interrupts him with: "why did you do it?" and Shiro gulps. Keith needs him to be honest now, he knows that so he tells him everything. How Shiro wanted to always see him happy and excited like that first day they met and how he had doubts Keith would make it. How he tried to help and felt so guilty for it. Keith listens silently and looks so hurt that Shiro feels like crying again. He is sure Keith will now tell him it's over but he doesn't. Instead he says "I love you too." Shiro gawks and Keith continues: "I realised when you said you would take care of the business part. You showed me you cared for me and my dream and believed in me. But you didn't. It was all a lie." Shiro feels desperate. "I did care for you! And I still do! That's why I betrayed you, I wanted you to be successful. I know I was stupid and horrible and I am so sorry. I wish I could change anything now but I can't. I love you Keith and I want to be with you. Please." Keith doesn't react to Shiro's outburst and says: "I got a customer. One week ago Mr. Sendak bought four of my most expansive pieces. And then he ordered a portrait of himself. He's an important business man or something and the painting will hang on the wall of a gallery he sponsored." Keith talks calmly but Shiro feels pride radiating from him. He nods in understanding. "I was such a fool. I am so proud of you Keith, you deserve this. I'm going to go now, I'm sorry for coming over drunk and burdening you, that was inappropriate." He gets up with his head down but Keith stops him. "Where do you think you're going?", he asks, looking a bit angry. "I am still horribly mad at you and I don't know when I'll be able to forgive you and hell if you think I'll sleep with you any time soon. But I love you. And you love me. We just established that and I'm not letting you walk away with your tail between your legs. You'll stay and tonight we'll watch a movie that I choose no matter if you like it or not. You were wrong not believing in my art and I will rub that in for as long as I deem appropriate. We'll be together and live happily ever after. Understood?" Shiro can only nod dumbly and then jumps up to hug Keith really tightly and never let go.
• If you read this far I hope you understood the following things:
• In this au Keith is neither dumb, nor lazy nor vain. He aims to have a very realistic style but fails without seeing that himself. He practises a lot but simply doesn't make progress. Just because his art isn't realistic doesn't mean it isn't innovative, unique or won't find any fans, just look at Mr. Sendak. Keith also knows very much about art. He aced his art history exam as best of his class, just the practical parts were bad. His problem is that he can't objectively judge his own art, he sees it in a different light than others.
• This being said I don't want to offend anyone or any art style by this au. Any art is amazing if you are passionate about it. I know how much time and effort goes into it and I don't mean to underestimate that. I just thought this au sounded fun and was first meant as some kind of crack au. It was inspired by Florence Foster Jenkins.
• I might draw something for this au or write a fic, who knows? If you have ideas for this au and want to draw or write for it, go ahead! Tag me in it so I can see it :)
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greenteafiend · 6 years ago
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Tell us about artist/musician AU?? :3c
Hi Friend! 
This document was just a story outline that I sort of word-vomited at my computer so I’ll put the synopsis here, and then the outline under the cut if anyone feels like reading further. Maybe putting this out there will motivate me to actually write it. :)
(You can ask me here about these if you like :) )
After a bad breakup, Lance writes a list of things he wants his next paramour to be. It takes him awhile to realize that Keith, his rebound guy, meets every stipulation.
Lance:
SO Lance just had a messy break up. Was dating a beautiful girl he was madly in love with, but she was rich and her family was snobby. She was constantly doing tiny things to ‘fix him up’ which made Lance feel insecure about himself, and she never wanted to hang out with his friends, and didn’t approve of him doing his gigs at the bars around town even though that’s how they met. The last straw was at a family dinner where she outright lied about what Lance studying at university to make it seem better to her parents like she’s ashamed of him, and also she didn’t stand up for him when her dad said something queerphobic when she knows that Lance is bi.
So a fling with someone cute as a rebound is exactly what the doctor ordered. He’s doing his usual Saturday night gig, when he notices a cute boy that can’t seem to keep his eyes off him, so he hits on him. There’s a one night stand, they both drink too much and stumble upstairs to Keith’s apartment. It’s meant to be a one-time rebound sort of deal, but instead it becomes an ‘every Saturday’ sort of deal.
Even though Lance keeps internally insisting that it’s so soon after his ex, it’s just for fun, it’s not serious, Keith keeps on being EXACTLY what he wants/is looking for.
Keith:
He grew up in foster care, and at his last foster home before he aged out of the system, he befriended an old man who lived next door - Kolivan. The foster family didn’t trust him with a key so he was often stuck hanging around outside until someone came home to let him in, and he’d doodle while he waited. Kolivan felt sorry for him when it rained, and would let him wait inside. Kolivan (unbeknownst to Keith) is a big deal™ in the art world, and takes an interest in Keith’s art, offering him tips and pointers and lending him books about art technique. Keith mows his lawns and climbed a tree to get his cat down once, and feeds it for Kolivan when he’s out of town. So when he turns 18 and has to strike out on his own, he still goes back to visit the old man every Saturday and they do art and pet the cat, and Kolivan is sort of Keith’s best friend. In all the time that Keith has known Keith, he’s never made mention of any family so Keith sort of assumes that much like himself, Kolivan doesn’t have anyone.
Anyways, fast forward to Keith being in his early twenties. He works as a janitor at an art gallery by day, and draws and does art a lot in his free time. He lives in a tiny shitty apartment because it’s what he can afford. He’s friends with Shiro, who he met at the gym - they spot weights for each other. Sometimes he gets lonely and he’ll go to a bar, let himself get picked up by some guy, but on the whole he’s pretty content with his lot in life.
And then Kolivan dies, and he’s devastated. He’s even more devastated when he goes to the funeral and finds that Kolivan did have family, and none of them seem to be very upset, they’re all more concerned with who Kolivan left his art fortune too. He finds out that they’re planning on putting down Kolivan’s cat and he impulsively asks if he can have it, and they say yes, so now he has a cat. Except, at the place where he’s living the tenancy agreement has a strict no pets policy. He gets lucky and Shiro knows someone who’ll let them stay at in the flat above the bar they own (Coran maybe) for cheap seeing as it’s usually noisy til pretty late, and they don’t mind him keeping the cat.
So the day he moves is a Saturday, and Keith finds himself with nothing to do because usually Saturday was the day he’d take the bus over to Kolivan’s place, and doing art just reminds him of how alone he is now that he’s lost the person who was essentially the closest to him, so he goes down to the bar and has a few drinks to drown his sorrows, and there’s a live band playing and the boy singing sort of catches his eye…………..
The drama:
Turns out that the person Kolivan left a huge chunk of his money/art to is Keith. Needless to say, the family isn’t happy about this. The family just so happens to be Lance’s ex-girlfriends family, and they’re keeping this from Keith for as long as possible to try and weasel out of giving him anything.
Lance is poor, and his mother is sick. He had to drop out of college because they couldn’t afford it because of medical bills, and take up working full time to help support his family so he does a bunch of random jobs all over the show, but they need a lot of cash to pay for treatment, and she’s currently on the waiting list.  
The ex girlfriend approaches him, and asks that he steal a letter or something from Keith and destroy it so he can’t claim the inheritance (don’t ask me how the law works because I have no idea lol) , and in exchange they’ll lend him the $$ he needs for his mother’s treatment.
By this point Lance is pretty much in love with Keith, and he’s pretty sure Keith is in love with him too, and he knows that if he betrays Keith’s trust like this, they’ll never recover and he’d never be able to forgive himself, but on the other hand this is his mother’s life they’re talking about…..
dun dun DUN   
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deathishauntedbyhumans · 6 years ago
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The Colour of You
Stranger: [Soulmate AU: You see color when you make eye contact with your soulmate. Please reply as anyone who's trying to set Keith up with Lance.] For the last time, I'm done with all these blind dates. None of them ever work out and I'm getting sick of all the rejection. -K
You: You keep saying that, but you always show up to them. Don't you think you can skip the dramatics this time and just go meet the guy? P I seriously think this is going to work out this time. P
Stranger: Because you call Shiro and literally make him drag me out of my house. -K Doubtful. -K
You: You can't blame me for having methods. P Stop being so negative. It might work. You don't know. P
Stranger: Yeah yeah, whatever. -K If it hasn't worked the past twelve times it won't now. -K
You: You have to meet your soulmate sometime, Keith. P
Stranger: Which isn't going to happen, I probably don't even have one. -K
You: Of course you have one. P I swear to god, I will drag you out of the house myself this time. I won't even call Shiro. P
Stranger: I'm not going Pidge and that's final. I have comics to finish, I don't have time for this. -K
You: Then I'll send him to your house. P
Stranger: If he comes I'm calling the cops. -K
Stranger: I'm not interested Pidge. -K
You: You wouldn't call the cops. Shiro would kill you. P I know you want to find your SM. Stop whining about it and let me help you. P
Stranger: He'd probably be the cop who shows up honestly. -K You've tried helping but nothing works, maybe I need to stop pushing it or something. -K
You: He's really excited to meet you, Keith. I've been talking you up to him for weeks. P
Stranger: [...] Let me guess you buttered me up so I don't sound like a cosplaying hermit who does costume commissions and art online and never leaves the house unless I need to run errands? -K
You: Actually, no. P For once, I think I actually managed to find someone as geeky as you are. He's in that art class I didn't want to take, and he actually makes it bearable because all he does it mumble stupid shit under his breath while the professor drones. AND the only thing he draws is fanart. He's not professional, but he's good at copying styles. I've seen some of the stuff he works on, which is why I mentioned you in the first place. P
Stranger: Huh. Is that so? -K
You: Yes. Now would you please get your head out of your ass and meet him? P
Stranger: [...] Maybe the next time I'm in town. -K
You: You're out of town? P
Stranger: No I'm at home. -K
Stranger: But I don't really have a reason to walk into town right now, so I'm staying home. -K
You: You HAVE a reason. His name is Lance, he draws anime like a nerd, and he WANTS to meet you. P
Stranger: [Long Delay] Where does he want to meet? -K
You: I told him you'd meet him for coffee at Red Lion. P
Stranger: What time? -K
You: In an hour. P
Stranger: Ugh... Fine.. I'll fucking be there. -K
You: I knew you would. Name your kids after me when it works out ;) P
Stranger: Only because Hunk is blowing my phone up. -K
You: You needed the push. P
Stranger: *middle finger emoji* -K
You: Oh, you know you love me. P Have fun on your date ;) P
Stranger: Shut up. -K
Stranger: A few minutes before they were supposed to meet up Keith walked into the cafe wearing a beanie over his long hair, torn up jean shorts, and an old shirt he bought in a thrift shop. With his messenger bag on his shoulder Keith looked around, visibly nervous before deciding to get himself a drink. Thinking back on it now, he probably should have asked what this guy looked like...
You: For what felt like the hundredth time, Lance pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, staring down at the text he'd received from Pidge with the location of the place he was supposed to meet Keith. Keith, who Pidge hadn't stopped talking to him about for the past month. Keith, who... Lance may or may not have had a teensy little crush on, just from the lengthy descriptions from Pidge. Oh, god, he was nervous. He was so nervous. He took a deep breath and pocketed his phone once more, staring out the windshield of his car. And then, the alarm on his phone went off, and he startled violently before laughing at himself nervously and locking the phone a second time, turning the alarm off. He exited the car and locked the door, huffing out a breath as he stepped into the cafe. It was a small place; he'd never been before, but Pidge had mentioned that it was one of Keith's favourite places around, so Lance was more than willing to try it. It wasn't incredibly crowded, but most of the tables had at least one person sitting at them as he gazed curiously around the establishment upon entering.
Stranger: While waiting for his drink to be made Keith found himself a small corner booth to set up in, putting his tablet up and laying a large sketch book close to him, his backpack sitting on the table decorated with all kinds of buttons- comics, anime, cartoons, fashion- you name it. Five minutes after three the barista stepped forward and put down a large frappe on the bar calling out the name Keith, which caught the artist's attention. He stood up and walked over, unaware Lance had entered the building as he grabbed his drink, leaving two dollars in the tip jar as he always did. He grabbed himself a straw before heading back to his seat, getting comfortable once more. Keith looked at the time and frowned, glancing around. Maybe he was being stood up..?
You: The sound of the barista calling out a name got Lance's attention out of habit, and he glanced towards the counter automatically, brain slowly processing the name that had been said. And then... Oh. Oh god. Keith. She'd said Keith, and that... Fuck. Holy /shit/, that was Keith. It had to be. Lance couldn't help staring at Keith as he got his drink, couldn't help the way his eyes went wide because /shit/, pictures of him and descriptions of him didn't do him justice. Keith was /hot/. Too hot. It was a little unfair. Lance only stopped staring when he felt someone bump into him from behind, and he realised that he'd stopped just inside the doorway. His face went red as he apologised to the stranger; he was certain that it had already been flushed at the sight of Keith across the room, but that wasn't important. He steeled himself, running a nervous hand through his hair and glancing down at himself before deciding that, yes, this was really happening, and making his way across the room. "...Keith?" he said as he approached the table Keith had sat down at. "I, uh... I'm Lance. Pidge wanted to... set us up?"
Stranger: Keith was sketching when he heard his name being called again, absentmindedly rubbing the scar that was on his right cheek while observing the 3D model on his tablet. "Yeah?" Keith looked up when he heard the other begin to explain himself, looking into his eyes, "Oh. Yeah, she mentioned-..." Keith slowly stopped speaking as color came into Lance's eyes before it began spreading across the entire room slowly, as if not to overwhelm Keith. This.. soulmate.. Pidge had actually.. found his soulmate..?
Stranger: [brb real quick]
Stranger: [back]
You: Lance grinned --albeit a little awkwardly-- as Keith looked up at him, but the grin dropped very quickly into a look of absolute awe as their eyes met. He'd heard of colour before; he'd heard of first meetings being magical, incredible, amazing things. But he'd never actually even been able to imagine what it would be like. He was staring at Keith again, but this time, he could /see/ him. His eyes were a brilliant colour, so blue they were nearly violet, and his jacket was... /red/, and... "Oh my god," he whispered, head whipping about as he registered what was happening before he situated his gaze back on Keith's face. He dropped into the booth, right across from Keith, careful not to hit anything on the table on the way down but unable to stand any longer. "Oh my god," he whispered again. "Holy shit. Do you... Do you see it too?"
Stranger: Keith nodded as he looked around, in awe of what he saw. He never knew there were so many shades of color in the world... Now he understood why Shiro wanted him to find his soulmate, this feeling.. the warmth in his chest, the colors in the room.. were /magical/. "... Yeah.. I- I see it too.." He informed, looking back to Lance as he gulped.
You: "You're my soulmate," Lance whispered reverently. He honestly hadn't known what to expect, coming here. Sure, he'd already had it bad for Keith, but he'd had crushes before, and /they'd/ never turned out very well. This... This was something entirely new. And it felt /incredible/. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, but it was hard to contain the glowing feeling in his chest. His hands fluttered for a moment in front of him before he dropped them onto the table, just in front of where Keith's array of admittedly-interesting objects stopped. "I can't believe it."
Stranger: "Neither can I.. Ugh, Pidge is never going to leave me alone when she finds out she was right.." He groaned, hesitating before putting his sketchbook and tablet away, resting his backpack n his lap. "... So.. soulmates.. Uh.. I don't.. know what to say..?"
You: There was absolutely nothing that was going to stop Lance from just /looking/ at Keith. The world could have ended right then and there, and Lance wouldn't have noticed or cared, because Keith was /gorgeous/. His hair was a deep ebony-black, rich and dark where it was peeking out from underneath the beanie on top of his head. His skin was pale beneath it, and his eyes... Fuck, Lance was going to be dreaming about those eyes for a long, long time. At the mention of Pidge, Lance made a mental note to send her a thank you card. Or a fruitbasket. Or... something else she would actually like. Maybe a new phone case? It didn't matter right then. What mattered was /Keith/. "I... don't, either. What do you say when you find the one person who was made to complete you, man?" He felt himself flush and rubbed his hands over his face briefly. "Oh, god. That was stupid. Sorry. I'm... not very good at talking. Actually, scratch that. Everyone always says that I'm too good at talking, because I don't know how to shut up." He dropped his hands again. "I just never know what to say, so I end up rambling... like I'm doing right now. Oh, god. Please just pretend I stopped talking, like... when I started."
Stranger: "I didn't think you actually existed." Keith stated bluntly at the first question, looking to the side and rubbing the long scar on his face, "... If it makes you feel better I'm shit at talking, so.. I usually just don't." He informed with a sigh, glancing to Lance, looking him over. He was pretty cute, hot too.. Tall and slim with bright blue eyes that Keith would try to find the perfect shade for so he could use in a future for a commission, messy brown hair that was somewhat styled.. But he had good fashion sense- much better than Keith that's for sure. "Relax, it's fine.. I don't know what to say either..."
You: It hadn't really been something that Lance had been drawn to look at immediately, but he did find his attention pulled to the scar on Keith's face when the other brought a hand up to brush against it. It seemed like a subconscious move, either to hide the scar or just to feel it, but either way... Lance couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten it. He bit his lip against the question. Later. They would... Oh, god. They would have plenty of time for that later. For questions, and for answers, and for... learning about each other. "I'm pretty sure I exist," he stated, going for an easy smile. He was pretty sure he missed it by a mile, but hey. He was /nervous/. "You, um... Oh, god. Okay. I know we just met, and found out we're soulmates and everything, but..." He blew out a harsh breath, making a "hhh" sound. "I've literally been thinking about meeting you since Pidge showed me a picture of you for the first time, and just..." He made the sound again before planting his elbows on the table and dropping his face into his hands to hide what he knew must be a spectacular blush. "You're even more attractive in person and it's throwing me off, man. Especially in colour." He groaned, everything coming out just a tad muffled through his fingers.
Stranger: Keith's entire face turned red as Lance spoke, the male sputtering before turning to look away, pulling his beanie down in an attempt to hide how flustered he was. "I.. I'm not that attractive, that's you.. I'm just.." Keith struggled to find the words, biting his lower lip, "I'm just.. me.. you're really attractive though, pleasing to the eye to look at." He stated bluntly, the flush spreading to his ears as he spoke, the man still scratching at his facial scar.
Stranger: [brb again, sorry]
You: ((No worries!))
You: Lance couldn't help himself; even though he was embarrassed, he couldn't keep his gaze off of Keith for more than a few seconds at a time, it seemed. He looked up again to find Keith blushing, and oh /god/ the pink tinge to his pale cheeks was a sight to behold. As Keith's compliment sunk in he giggled --giggled! fuck!-- and then, before he could think better of it, he was reaching across the table and gently placing a hand on Keith's wrist to stop him from scratching at his face. "I think you're really, really good-looking," he told him honestly, fervently, even though it made him flush again to say it. "Like, seriously. You're probably the most attractive person in town. Maybe even in the world. Or the universe. Probably all of those." He was rambling again, but damn if he could help it. Keith's wrist was warm beneath his hand, and... They were /touching/ now and that glowing feeling in his chest only felt more like it was going to burst out any second.
Stranger: Keith gulped, looking down at their hands before pulling his hand away. The purple eyed man removed his leather glove before reaching out, hand shaking slightly as he laced their fingers together, their palms touching. "..." He licked his lips, keeping an eye on their hands as he felt Lance's warm skin against his cold skin, ".. I think you're biased Mr. Lance Soulmate..." He teased quietly, looking up at him as he bit his lower lip, still holding his hand on the table. "You're the attractive one and that's fucking that.. Okay?"
You: For a split second, Lance was afraid that he'd overstepped some invisible boundary when Keith pulled his hand away. He was just getting ready to stammer out an apology when Keith reached out again, and anything that Lance was going to say was lost in a haze of "Oh my god he's holding my hand he's /holding my hand/ and it feels so nice." And then Keith was /teasing him/, and Lance was pretty sure he was going to melt into the floor because the little mischievous glint in his eye was the cutest fucking thing he'd ever seen in his entire life. "Why can't we both be attractive?" he somehow managed to get out, trying for a cocky grin that he was moderately sure actually looked right. His gaze was still on Keith's, though, and the awe in his eyes hadn't diminished one bit.
Stranger: The flush in his cheeks turned almost a dark red when Lance gave that smirk, stirring his insides. God he was so fucking gay... "... Good point." He borderline squeaked. That.. that was sinful. He could be adorable then /hot/? Shit.. He was so gay it wasn't even funny...
You: Oh, man. That was... Keith was literally the actual cutest thing Lance had ever seen in his life, and it was going to kill him. He was pretty sure his heart was going to jump out of his chest, it was beating so quickly. "I try," he said through a laugh, squeezing Keith's hand gently. The grin softened to a genuine happy smile as he calmed again, the laughter fading. "You're my soulmate," he stated softly, holding on just a little more tightly to Keith's hand. "I'm so lucky."
Stranger: Keith couldn't help but laugh as Lance spoke in awe, squeezing his hand gently, "... So.. besides doing fanart in college what do you do?" Keith asked after a few seconds, stroking Lance's thumb with his own, focused on Lance's face. "Pidge didn't tell me a lot about you besides you two being in art class together..."
You: "She didn't tell you anything?" Lance asked, blinking. Okay, he and Pidge /seriously/ needed to have a conversation, because he was pretty sure he knew Keith's entire goddamn life story at this point. (That was a lie, but... he knew a fair bit about him, thanks to her incessant chatter over the past few weeks of class.) "Wow. Okay. Um..." He looked down at their conjoined hands, momentarily distracted by the gentle motion of Keith's thumb against his own. "I'm not as cool as you, that's for sure. I'm... really not that interesting, actually." No wonder Pidge hadn't told him anything. "I'm a Theatre Arts major with a background in Psychology... Long story. Not that interesting," he added with a sheepish smile. "But I work at a pet store to pay the bills. It's not great, but it's... y'know. Work." He shrugged a little. "Like I said. I'm just... me. Not that interesting."
Stranger: Keith hummed, "That's pretty neat, I couldn't do theater, camera and stage shy." He informed quietly, squeezing Lance's hand gently, "... Do you actually like animals, or is it just a job that pays for you?" Keith asked, finding himself fiddling with Lance's fingers absentmindedly, since he wasn't holding his usual fidget cube.
You: Once again, Lance found himself drawn to watch Keith's fingers play against his own. It was rather endearing to watch, actually, as he fiddled gently with the digits he was holding. "Oh, I love animals," he assured Keith, looking up at his face again to answer the question. "That was how I got the job in the first place, actually. I went in to get food for my cat, and I ended up in the little room they have with kittens, helping one of the people that worked there originally put them away because they were all being... well, kittens." He laughed, shaking his head. "And then they told me to apply, because they could use a 'cat wrangler' like me," he recalled. "It's not a bad gig. I didn't know anything about anything other than cats when I first started, but I know a ton now about all sorts of animals, so it's been neat."
Stranger: Keith grabbed his phone from his bag and tapped the screen a few times, looking through his photos before clicking on one. "I have a cat too." He informed as he showed a picture of his light orange cat, who was laying up in a homemade cat tower napping. "Her name's Socks."
You: Lance let out a soft gasp when Keith pulled up the photo, gently placing his hands around Keith's and tilting the phone so that he could better see the screen. "Oh, my god. She's so precious?!" He looked from the photograph to Keith, grinning. "She's adorable. Hang on, I think I have..." He trailed off, tugging his own phone out and scrolling through it for a second before tapping on a photograph and pulling up a picture of a small grey ball of fuzz curled up in a patch of sunlight on a carpeted floor. "This is my baby," he said proudly. "Zuli's a sweetheart... Unless she gets catnip. Then she's a demon. But I love her anyways."
Stranger: Keith got off his chair a little bit to lean forward, tilting the phone so he could see better. "... She's cute, looks really young." He hummed, sitting back in his chair, refusing to let go of Lance's hand. "I remember when Socks was that small, though it wasn't all that long ago, she's not even two yet."
You: Lance clicked the lock button automatically and set his phone face-down on the table in front of him. "Yeah. She's almost a year, now, I think?" He crinkled his nose a little in thought and then nodded decisively. "Yeah. Ten months or so, I wanna say. I can't wait until she grows out of her troublemaking phase. If... she grows out of it. Does Socks still knock things off of shelves just for the hell of it?" he asked, laughing good-naturedly.
Stranger: "... Usually just her toys or nonbreakable objects." Keith informed with a hum, "She thankfully doesn't do it really often, mostly if she wants attention and I've absorbed myself in my work."
You: Lance nodded sagely. "She could teach Zuli a lesson, then," he said. "I mean, to be fair, I'm pretty sure she thinks that everything that she can reach is a toy made just for her, so it might be a moot point," he added, squeezing Keith's hand again. It was... really easy to talk to him. The conversation felt natural, and holding his hand... It all just felt /right/.
Stranger: "Look into training her a bit, that's probably the best idea. Whenever Socks would knock something off I'd spray her in the face with some water." He informed, "It didn't take her too long before she learned that wasn't something to do and stopped."
You: "She /likes/ water," Lance said with a groan, shaking his head and then dropping it down to the table briefly, bumping his forehead against their entwined fingers. "Believe me, I've tried the spray-bottle. She thinks it's a game. Little weirdo," he added affectionately. "It's mostly alright. She doesn't usually knock expensive stuff down... Just crystals off my windowsill, mostly."
Stranger: Keith laughed quietly, hesitating before letting his hand go in favor of pushing Lance's bangs from his face, "That's a little odd.. hm.. I don't know then.." He murmured, resting his head on his other hand, watching Keith with a small, tender smile on his face, "Hm? Crystals?"
You: Lance felt his face heat under Keith's touch, but he leaned into the hand brushing his forehead with a soft smile. "Oh, y'know, like... Rocks with healing properties and stuff?" He sat up again and almost immediately snuck his hand back into Keith's, lacing their fingers together once more. "Quartz, Tiger's Eye, Malachite... My older sister got me into it. She's really into the whole... Aura, Crystal, Energy thing, and she turned me onto it. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it actually kinda helps." He dug in his front pocket with his free hand for a second before coming up with a black rock, smooth, shiny and shaped into a circle. "Here, see? This is Hematite. It helps with stress," he stated, holding it out for Keith to take.
Stranger: "... Oh, I've heard a little about that.. Hunk's mentioned it to me a few times I think when he came over to make sure I wasn't dead." Keith hummed, smiling as their fingers were laced back together. ".. That's neat.. Maybe you could teach me more sometime." He requested, reaching out to touch the rock but not taking it. He had no place to put it where it wouldn't get lost after all.
You: "I'd like that," Lance said with a soft, pleased smile, placing the rock on top of his phone and then returning his full attention to Keith in front of him. "It's really kinda cool. Every rock has different properties, and helps with different things." It took him a second to take stock of the rest of what Keith had said, and then, Lance's eyes widened. "Wait. Hunk. You know /Hunk/?" He cocked his head to the side. "How do you know Hunk?"
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metalotaku-da · 7 years ago
Text
Ot3 allurancelot. Modern college au. characters/background
Jellyfish princess meets, 90’s helpless nerd to love interests of the popular person over a bet to give them a makeover.
 Popular clique 1.
Lotor- 21 bi racial, bi boy, dyes his hair white to match his rival bestie Allura. Childhood friends those two. Lotor has a low key crush. Going to school for business, just like his father wishes. Father is white. Mother is African American. Father is a rich ceo of a multi-billion dollar company. Father plans for him to take his place, Lotor is more interested in starting his own empire. Hasn’t told his father that though. Coffee
Axca- 21 pre law for business. Caucasian lesbian, dating Ezor. Does yoga with Ezor on occasion. Work-a-holic. Enjoys shopping though and a good mall crawl. Comes from a family of powerful rich lawyers who work for Lotor’s father. Lotor’s confidant. Knows he’s crushing on Allura. Tea
Ezor- 19 afro-Brazilian decent. Pan. Sex anthropology. Does yoga and loves doing make up, dance and shopping. Does Narti’s makeup every day, and helps style her, to make sure she doesn’t have clashing patterns or colors. Both her Mothers are models. Dyes her hair hot pink with a yellow and green streak If hot water goes in it she will drink it. But usually goes for cocoa
Zenthrid- 20 chemistry major. Caucasian, pan. Enjoys working out. Often goes to the gym with Shiro. They do kick boxing together. One dad is a rich board member in the business of Lotor’s father, the other is a model. Believes in looking good and being a badass. Dyes her hair purple and pink ombre Best friends are Ezor and Narti. Coffee
Narti- 20 Middle Eastern decent. Muslim. Lesbian. Wears a head scarf. Blind. Has a Seeing Eye dog named Kova. Studying religious anthropology. Enjoys music and food. Likes to try new restaurants and food trends. Records her critiques of them and shares them online on her food blog. Her friends will help her take pictures. Her father is a big investor in real-estate. She had a stay at home mom. Her mother passed away. Closest to Zenthrid. Has a low key crush.  Tea
 Popular clique 2.
Allura- 20 bi racial, bi girl. Father is black British, mother is Chinese. Father is a rich investor friends with Lotor’s dad. Comes from old money. Immigrated to the u.s. when Allura was 4. Mother was into helping with charities and was a stay at home mom. It’s how she met Shiro. Her mother passed away. Going to school for marketing and advertising with a minor in business. Dyes her hair white. Tea
Shiro- 21 Japanese American gay going to school to be pilot. Father runs the American branch of a Japanese corporation. Stay at home mom who does a lot with charity organizations. Likes working out and kick boxing and video games with his boyfriend matt. Was in a car accident with matt. Hit by a drunk driver in high school. Lost his arm and had some scars one on his face. Has a high tech modern prosthetic. Dyes the front of his hair white as a tease to his bestie Allura. Calls it his friendship mark. Coffee, if he’s had a bad day he will brew it with red bull.
Matt- 20 Caucasian bi photography major because he likes capturing beautiful people, likes computers and video games and tech. father owns a huge tech company he founded. Mom’s a high school superintendent. Likes to have his boyfriend Shiro lift him up onto his shoulders as music events and other outings for taking pictures. Was in a car wreck in high school with Shiro. Has some scars to show for it. One on his face. Likes coffee and tea.
Shay- 19 Middle Eastern decent. Straight. Geology mother is a successful and popular artist, father owns popular chain of casinos. Enjoys rock climbing, both indoor and real. Has a love for makeup, piercings and tattoos. Cocoa
 Nerd squad incoming freshmen.
Keith- 19 pan bi racial Caucasian Korean. Going to school for electrical engineering adopted at 13 by Shiro’s family. Was used to not having nothing to get thrown into the home of a rich family. Remembers his roots. Loves astronomy and the 80’s from the movies, music, fashion, video games, and anime. Going so far as to have a mullet. When they do cosplay as a group he’s the do what he’s told needs to be done member. Paint sand sew on buttons by hand. Been friends with pidge since he was adopted. When their families hung out they were the odd ones out. So they stuck together forming a salty close friendship. Keith has a big crush on her. Coffee drinker
Pidge- 17 pan with male preferences, gender fluid. Caucasian. Birth name Katie. Goes by pidge, or whatever bird themed pet name lance and hunk run with. Into video games (pc preference), computers and robots. Has a love for mecha anime. Older brother is matt. When they do cosplay she helps construction props and forms they need. Crushing on Keith. Dated hunk for a short time. Introduced Keith to hunk and through hunk they both met lance. Pidge and hunk met through a love of building and fixing things. Pidge had dragged one of her robots to school to work on during lunch freshman year. He was intrigued and offered up parts he thought would help them. And took them to his locked filled with parts. Best friends since. Even if she snapped at him the first he had tried to touch their bot. Coffee drinker. Sometime joins Shiro with the red bull coffee even if their friends try to stop them.
Lance- 18 bi, Cuban American. Family emigrated from Cuba. He is the youngest of 6 the last three kids being born in America. Speaks Spanish. Cosplay sewing nerd, likes to draw marine life. He has to thrift his clothing and their cosplay supplies. Or raid his hand me downs. He uses his sewing skills to make things his own though. And make cosplay designs from non-human characters. Likes popular shojo and shonen anime and manga. He enjoys video games he can play at his friends’ houses, or at the cons he volunteers at game rooms. He has a ds that Keith bought him as a present and a few games. Has glasses freckles and curly hair. When with his friends or feels comfortable he’s very outgoing and excitable enjoys bring attention to himself at those times and joking. But is also very shy with strangers or when he’s uncomfortable. He and Keith didn’t get along at first when they met through pidge and hunk. Lance thought they were stealing his best friend from him and wouldn’t want them around. So he got defensive at first causing them to fight, but when Keith found lance being picked on, he came to his defense, got a suspension for it too. And they’ve been close ever since. Keith could relate to thinking the other was going to take their only friend. It was what caused him to lash out at lance too. Drinks coffee
Hunk- 18 straight, American Samoa, family emigrated state side when he was 6, ended up next door to lance. Been best friends ever since. Enjoys mecha and magical girl anime has a ds he got as a gift. Like lance he is from a poor family, so he has to thrift his clothing and hobbies. He often does repairs for spare change on people bikes or machines. He tends to pick up broken items at thrift stores or even dumper dives for some of his invention ideas and builds. When they do cosplay hunk builds their props most often. With pidge. His father Is a mechanic and mother works as a house keeper at a hotel. They had odd and late hours so he spent a lot of time with lance’s family, being watched by his older siblings. He and Keith didn’t have the best relationship at first, but after Keith saved lance from bullies, he was quick to bring Keith into his and lance’s little world. The four are now inseparable.  
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amorremanet · 7 years ago
Note
For the three-sentence fics: Sheith, flower shop AU?
pairing + AU setting = “3-sentence” fic (the post)i would like to formally apologize to regris but not for my deliberate failure to understand the word, “three”
also posted on AO3 because whoops, it got long
“Here’s what I don’t get about your situation with Regris,” Shiro announces, pushing up his black-framed glasses with a sigh that wishes it were pensive.
Mostly, he sounds like someone’s trying to drag him out of bed against his will. On the plus, he doesn’t sound like he’s been moping in his room all day, while blasting his favorite angsty girl singer-songwriters, sad acoustic songs by artists Keith has never heard of outside of Shiro, and the occasional hour-long loop of “Careless Whisper.” He also doesn’t sound like it’s noon-thirty on a Saturday, he’s only gotten up to take his meds, and he doesn’t want to admit to or deal with any problems that might have a hand in why he’s napping all day.
But on the downside, his, “I know I have to go to campus today, but God, five more minutes? Stop expecting me to wake up, eat breakfast, and put on pants like an adult” whine isn’t much better. It only has a slight edge because he’s being difficult, but at least he isn’t actively disregarding himself again.
For his part, Keith shrugs without looking up from the arrangement he’s working on. It’s a special order, made up of red roses, yellow lilies, pink orchids from the Blooms of Marmora’s private hothouses out back, and pink juniberry flowers. Keith took this exercise in sculptural horticulture as a commission from Lance, something suitably unique for his, Hunk’s, and Allura’s upcoming “triad-versary.”
This project being a commission for a kinda-sorta friend is irrelevant. Keith owes it to himself and to his work to focus. Besides, Lance’s rich-ass parents don’t mind letting their youngest drop over a grand on something that’s going to wither, wilt, and die within three weeks. He promised Keith an extra tip to go with his commission fee, if Keith, “can really, truly capture the no sé qué of True Love? Like, dazzle me. Find a way to embody how Shiro looks like someone drop-kicked Red into rush-hour traffic when you used to making out with Regris, but do it with flowers. Okay, Mullet? Can you make that magic happen for me?”
Which doesn’t help, as a direction, because the fluffy, black cat-shaped diva who Keith and Shiro belong to would never allow someone to do that to her. Also, Shiro never once looked like that when Keith was still with Regris. But hey, whatever. The money’s good, and Keith knows way more than he likes about how Lance looks at his significant others. He’ll portray that in this arrangement, and everything will be copacetic.
Except for the part where Shiro apparently needs to ignore Keith’s silence, swish out his ponytail, and pipe up with: “Granted, there’s a lot about the situation with Regris that doesn’t make sense to me? You like him, he likes you—”
”And we like each other better when we aren’t dating. When we aren’t screwing around either, for that matter.”
“Keith.” Folding his arms over his chest, idly drumming his left hand’s organic fingers against the high-tech prosthetic on his right-hand side, Shiro digs the small of his back at the counter. “Come on, I’m serious.”
Taking several deep, slow breaths, Keith tries to remind himself that he loves Shiro. Ghosting his fingertips up one of the lilies’ petals, he tells himself that Shiro means well, and that Shiro deserves for his alleged best friend to listen to him when he’s trying to help out. Never mind that there’s nothing to help with, because despite the ostensible focal point of the conversation, this is more for Shiro than it is for Keith.
This works great until Keith’s mouth takes over: “I’m being serious,” he blurts out. “Just because Regris and I like each other doesn’t mean that we should be together. We weren’t working out, so we’re over like that. It’s not a big deal.”
“Six months together isn’t anything to sneeze at—”
“What, it’s not that long.” Keith huffs. “Or are the standards different because I’m a hot mess with Mommy issues, Daddy issues, abandonment issues, and whatever other shit our therapist tells you about me?”
As soon as he says it, Keith chokes down a sigh and a chilly feeling of regret. He can barely force himself look at Shiro, now. Whatever’s glimmering behind his eyes makes Keith want to bolt to the break-room and throw up. The worst part is that he hopes the look in Shiro’s eyes is hurt instead of disappointment — as if Keith needed any further confirmation that he is wrong while everyone else is right, and he’s broken, which will leave him alone in the end, whenever everybody he cares about realizes how much better they deserve and runs out.
At the absolute best, he might only be dropping uncomfortable surprises on Shiro’s head. Normally, Keith doesn’t mind Shiro hanging around the shop while he’s working. Shiro has more free time than Keith would’ve guessed came with an MFA program and holing up in the apartment is terrible for him, emotionally. Keith’s bosses and coworkers have taken a liking to Shiro and he helps out without expecting anything in return, so they don’t mind. Technically, it’s against protocol for Shiro to spend his free time writing here instead of pretending to write at a coffee-shop or a library like his classmates and the undergrads he’ll be teaching next semester.
Selfishly, Shiro steadies Keith’s nerves when customers are being assholes. He keeps Keith motivated when Kolivan’s being impossible to please, and keeps him focused when Ulaz won’t listen to anyone but Thace even though his latest big idea sounds completely asinine. He keeps Keith from going off the handle too badly when Antok’s acting like he knows Keith intimately just because his husband’s kinda taken Keith on as a floristprotege, or whenever Murphy’s Law finds some new way of crashing the party.
Most days, Keith wouldn’t even mind Shiro leaning on the counter, swishing out his ponytail, and refusing to admit that he’s feeling upset about something and desperately wants Keith to give him some extra attention. After so long with each other, Keith recognizes that behavior and understands it. He can usually deal with it fine, even when he’s up to his goddamn eyes in actualizing Lance’s pseudo-surrealist floral love letter, and placing the flowers to Lance’s annoyingly precise specifications.
Most days, however, involve Shiro chilling behind the counter with a notebook or his reading for class, not interrogating Keith about his most recent ex. Never mind the fact that Keith and Regris romantically split up almost seven weeks ago. It’s a fair enough point to Keith, but apparently, Shiro doesn’t think that it matters.
Shiro takes a deep breath of his own before he points out, “If you didn’t want to let Dr. Hall talk to me about you, then you didn’t need to waive confidentiality. You can change your mind and back out of that whenever you want.”
“Yeah, because Coran and Kolivan will really let me get away with that.” Rolling his eyes makes Keith feel petulant, but whatever. Hopefully, Shiro’s looking at the ceiling, so if Keith aims his expression at these roses, maybe Shiro won’t see anything. “It’s bad enough that they ganged up on me about how it wasn’t fair to make you see a therapist without doing anything for myself—”
“They talked to you about your well-being because they were concerned—”
“It was worse enough when they dragged the gang into a godawful bullshit interv—”
“Again?” Shiro pinches the bridge of his nose with his prosthetic fingers. He winces, possibly losing control of how much pressure he’s applying again. “They were concerned and doing what they thought they had to do to make you care about yourself—”
“They should’ve listened to you. I mean, you told them not to do the stupid intervention. You told them how I’d take it…” Keith should have something more to say about this. Something better. But he should also be able to look at Shiro, given that he’s the reason why Shiro might be deliberately squeezing too hard on his nose, and Keith can’t manage to look up from his arrangement.
He fluffs one of the orchids, so it looks like he’s doing something.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” he says. “If they heard I wasn’t letting you keep tabs on me, they’d flip out at me like I’m a five-year-old.”
“It’s not their therapy.” Shiro sighs as if it’s taking a massive amount of effort for him not to snap at Keith right now — which it probably is, considering how much of a headache Keith is, even on his best days. “The fact that they helped talk you into seeing Dr. Hall does not mean they get to have a say in what your treatment—”
Keith cringes at his flowers with an audible ugh, even though none of this is their fault. “Well, I wouldn’t feel good about doing it, okay? You waived your confidentiality with her for me. Doing the same for you is only fair.”
In all likelihood, it’d be fairer if Keith told Dr. Hall half as much as Shiro makes himself open up about in his sessions — but still. Shiro gets to ask Dr. Hall whatever he wants about Keith and vice versa. For now, Keith gets to wrinkle his nose at a clutch of juniberry flowers that refuses to match up with Lance’s sketches. He furrows his brow at one of the laminated sheets that he’s working with and tries to ignore the way that Shiro’s hugging himself in perfect silence.
“Look, for what it’s worth?” he says, when Shiro stays quiet for so long that it’s a miracle Keith doesn’t go puke. “You were right about me and Regris liking each other and clicking well. That’s why we pulled the plug. Broke things off before we started hating each other—”
“But why would it need to have ended that way with him?” Shiro protests, ever hopeful about Keith in ways that make no earthly sense. “Who says that you couldn’t have made it work in the long run and been really happy together?”
“Why do you keep asking me questions like that?” Keith can’t get his juniberry flowers to behave, so he moves on to arranging the little section of orchids and roses. “You know I never have a good answer to them. Since, ‘Because books and movies and TV lied to me, real-world relationships always end in pain if you don’t get out of them quick enough’ is a logical fallacy now or whatever?”
To his credit, Shiro doesn’t take Keith’s bait. He could do what he’s done before and point out that it’s always been a logical fallacy. Instead, he shrugs as if he’s trying so hard to stay casual that it might literally kill him.
“Maybe I keep asking because I know you’re capable of finding an answer, if you try a little harder. Maybe I think finding that answer could help you.” Tucking his long, bleached-white fringe behind his ear, Shiro says, “Also, you’ve started shutting down when anyone else in the gang makes an effort.”
“I talk to Matt and Allura very openly by my standards.”
“Your standards make dead men look perfectly forthcoming. And I understand why you do things like that, Keith, I get it, but…” Shiro heaves yet another sigh. Unfortunately, this one sounds like he’s about five seconds off from crying.
Even in profile, the wide-eyed, lip-quivering, open look on his face makes Keith amend that estimate. Shiro’s probably more like two seconds away from a crying jag. His glasses slide down his nose as he hangs his head, and Keith’s breath hitches in his throat. He curls his fingers tight around the handle of his pruning shears. Shit, there must be something he can say to make Shiro stop looking like that, to fix things so he doesn’t feel so upset and cry. Doing that exhausts him, and Shiro has class tonight, so God help him, Keith has to figure out how to keep Shiro from crying when he deserves so much better than this—
“I promise, I’m not trying to put you under a microscope,” he says, more gently than Keith deserves. “But you’ve been logging way too many hours here since you and Regris broke up—”
“I’ve been working with Lance on this anniversary piece.” Keith’s hands tremble as he lets up on the shears and adjusts the roses. “We had some pretty intense negotiations. Then, I had to fit in extra time in the greenhouses. Ulaz grew these orchids, I couldn’t use them without doing the legwork to replenish—”
“Lance only commissioned you three weeks ago, Keith.” Shiro turns to face Keith properly, slouching at the hips and looking down to meet his eyes. “You started taking all this ridiculous overtime six weeks, almost seven weeks—”
“I know when Regris and I broke up, Takashi. Unlike you, I was actually there for the conversation.”
In the face of his given name being sneered like that, Shiro arches an eyebrow and squints at Keith over his glasses. For a moment, he holds that unimpressed expression, the one like he can see right through whoever’s on the receiving end of it and there’s nothing they can hide from him. Keith’s heart stutters — he might have worked his way from disappointing Shiro to legitimately making him angry.
Given how rarely he shows it when someone’s getting to him so badly, Shiro should be ready to throw a punch. Keith’s more than earned it, by now. He’s been stubborn and difficult, short-fused with a hot temper. More than anyone else in Keith’s life, Shiro’s the one who’s gotten stuck putting up with the worst of Keith’s habits, all the signs that he isn’t worth the effort that it takes to show him any kindness.
When Shiro’s prosthetic arm twitches away from his organic one, that has to mean Keith’s got something painful coming to him. A smack, a punch — it doesn’t matter what. Shiro’s finally going to hit him now, after so many years of never doing that to Keith and seeming like maybe he never would. Pursing his lips, Keith nudges the arrangement down the counter, so it won’t block Shiro’s shot. As Shiro reaches out toward him, he knows that he deserves it. Expecting a fist, Keith flinches.
All that Shiro does is caress Keith’s shoulder. He’s so gentle about touching Keith with his prosthetic, so ginger about squeezing him that, if not for how heavy this arm is, Keith might not have noticed anything.
He should say something now, most likely? That’s probably what you’re supposed to do when someone you love, who has every right to be fed up with you and every right to take a swing besides, chooses to show you mercy instead? But as his eyes go wide, as they sting at him and his lips tremble, Keith can’t find the words. Or any words, for that matter. His throat barely manages to make a wobbly, bemused little noise.
“Keith, you’ve been miserable since you broke up with Regris.” Shiro’s lips quirk almost like he’s trying to give Keith a reassuring smile. “If you’re scared being hurt, or scared of how you feel about him? I understand that. And if you feel like you don’t deserve him? I disagree, like… I’ve told Lance and Allura so many times that he was great, but he still didn’t deserve you. But if you love Regris so much, then dumping him won’t make you feel better. You’ll just watch him with other people and hate yourself for feeling jealous—”
“That wasn’t why I broke up with him!”
Gasping at his own voice, Keith lets his eyes dart all over the shop. He glances in every corner until he’s sure that no one else is in here with them. It’s been a slow morning. No other customers, and aside from Keith, only Kolivan’s come in. He’s back in the greenhouses — right, of course there’s no one else in the shop… No one but Keith and Shiro.
Shiro, who is currently half-agog and blinking at Keith. The question he doesn’t say makes itself obvious: Why did Keith break up with Regris if he wasn’t running from his feelings and the threat of letting himself get attached to another person, the way he’s done with so many other people who’ve tried to get close to him, whether romantically or not.
Keith inhales deeply and looks down at the counter. “It didn’t feel right, okay?” he says. “Being with him when I can’t shake someone else. He deserves better than that.”
“But that’s… Keith, what are you…”
When Keith manages to look at him, Shiro has his entire face scrunched up like a bunny who’s trying to read one of Thace’s invoices. His confusion kindles something warm in Keith’s chest, makes it flare up brighter than fireworks, but — no. No, Keith can’t. Surely, Shiro would’ve done something by now, if he felt anything like Keith does. He would’ve said something. Maybe he doesn’t agree with the obvious truth that he’s too impossibly good for Keith, because Shiro insists on believing in Keith so much that it hurts sometimes. But if he felt even half of what Keith does, then he would have—
“Okay, so who can’t you get out of your system?” Shiro tries to beam at Keith, but his tight, wobbly smile is so obviously fake that Keith wants to scream. All it does is make Shiro look like part of him is dying.
Why do you even need to ask that question? — the thought burns Keith’s throat but he doesn’t let himself say anything.
Squeezing Keith’s shoulder again, Shiro forces a chuckle. If it weren’t so clearly phony, the affection behind it might manage to make it reassuring. “I mean, as long as it’s not Matt, there’s hope, right? You can’t really do anything about him being aromantic, but… Come on, who is it? Someone lucky, obviously, but that goes without saying? As long as they’re open to it, we can figure something out. If they really don’t want you back, we can try to find…”
Shiro trails off as Keith’s hands ball up in his sweatshirt. However that sentence was meant to end, Keith doesn’t want to know. 
Craning his neck and standing on his toes, leaning over the counter between them, Keith yanks Shiro down into a kiss. Their noses knock against each other but Keith tilts his head, throwing himself into this. His chest feels empty but his pulse bangs in his ears and behind his Adam’s apple. He clings so hard to Shiro’s shirt that, if not for the fabric, his nails would be digging into his palms. This is not good, this is going to go wrong, Shiro might not kill him exactly, but oh shit, oh shit, oh shit — Shiro can’t like this, he won’t, but his mouth is so warm and God, Keith’s thought about this for so long… Shiro’s prosthetic hand lets go of Keith’s shoulder, and of course, he’s going to shove Keith away soon, there’s no other way this ends, but—
Keith whines as Shiro’s prosthetic cups his cheek, as Shiro wraps his organic arm around Keith’s waist. As Shiro deepens the kiss, Keith can’t tell where his heartbeat’s gone. It’s not until he needs to breathe that he lets any space between his mouth and Shiro’s. While Keith pants, Shiro doesn’t give up on holding him.
“Oh, my God… I can’t even…” Shiro huffs, nudging his forehead into Keith’s. He lets out a breathy, half-strangled laugh. “Lance and Allura are never gonna let me live this down… I kept telling them you didn’t? That you’d never—”
“Shiro, I love you so much,” Keith says, backing up just enough to let Shiro get a full view of his face. “But Lance and Allura are not invited to this kiss, okay?”
“Duly noted.” With a fond, open smile, Shiro presses his lips into Keith’s like he never wants to let this go.
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ptw30 · 8 years ago
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Ficlet: Shiro and the Paladins
Day 12 of the VLD Drabble Challenge – Crossover AU or the Voltron: Legendary Defender/Jem and the Holograms crossover no one asked for
Ships: Gen but Shiro & Keith as adopted bros
A/N: I broke the rules again.
Keith had his hero and his idol.
He worshiped his foster brother Takashi Shirogane. He spent most of his youth in Voltron Records, watching Takashi and his father, Zarkon, help struggling artists record their music and share their talent. During spare moments – and in between Keith’s dreaded algebra homework – Takashi taught him how to play the guitar, write music, and use the studio’s equipment.
Lance, Takashi’s annoying best friend, called him “Shadow” and “Right Arm” because he never left Takashi’s side.
Especially after Zarkon’s death.
Zarkon died just shy of Keith’s twelfth birthday, and Takashi had been devastated. Barely twenty, Keith’s foster brother was thrust into the CEO position of Voltron Records and burdened with the tremendous responsibilities that came with it. Keith lost his father, too, but he also lost his stability. Zarkon had wanted to adopt him but always feared his biological mother would one day want him back. And despite Keith’s tireless insistence he wanted to stay with the Shiroganes – the family that cared from him since before he could remember – Zarkon promised to adopt him on his eighteenth birthday if that was his desire.
But now – without Zarkon, where would he be? Would he be torn from the only family he’d ever known?
Takashi gave him very little time to worry. Red-eyed and hiccupping sobs, he tucked Keith against his side, said their father knew his end was coming, and made the necessary arrangements. Takashi would receive custody of Keith.
“You’re-You’re okay with that?”
Takashi kissed his temple and squeezed him tightly. “Never ask me that again,” he murmured. “Please. You’re my brother. There is nowhere else you should ever be.”
Keith began to accompany Takashi on his business trips, learning from a tutor and completing lessons during flights or in the penthouses of five-star hotels. He and Takashi were always close, but Keith had stayed behind with their father when Takashi traveled the world with his close friends – Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and their manager and Zarkon’s best friend, Coran.
Now, Keith folded into Takashi’s life, learning how to keep the beat with Lance, play the bass with Hunk, wiggle the keys with Pidge, and manage the finances with Allura. Their band wasn’t famous, but Takashi’s friends were amazing in their own right…even if they traveled but never played. But where Takashi’s friends had always been Takashi’s friends, they now became Keith’s family.
Through the years, Keith adored and cherished Takashi, but he idolized Shiro. The rock ‘n’ roll star, lead singer of “Shiro and the Paladins,” created music with his soul. His voice was rich and deep, embracing the notes and hypnotizing any whom he graced with his gift. And he looked like a rock star with a tuft of white hair, a bad-ass scar across the bridge of his nose, and an enchanting smile that won men and women alike.
And he spent time with Keith.
Takashi signed Shiro and the Paladins to a Voltron Records’ contract a few months after Zarkon’s death, and their music skyrocketed the company to world fame. The group consisted of Shiro and three bandmates – the Blue, Yellow, and Green Paladins – with Shiro’s codename Black. Though their music was catchy and undoubtedly enjoyable, the mystery surrounding their true identities didn’t hurt their sales one bit.  
Since Shiro was the face of the group, he spent time at the studio and spoke the most during interviews, but he always made a point of finding Keith, listening to him, and encouraging him.
He was the epitome of cool, and Keith wanted to be just like him.
“What’re you working on there, buddy?” Takashi came into the hotel room they shared one evening, ruffling Keith’s hair as he collapsed onto the bed next to his brother.
Surrounded by ruffled papers with his guitar propped on his bent knee, Keith spat the pen out of his mouth. “Shiro asked me to write a song for the paladins.”
“Yeah?” Takashi beamed, pushing up onto his elbows. “What’re you writing about?”
Keith’s shoulders curled inward, voice solemn and gutted. “…Dad.”
Takashi’s smile only grew tender, and his hand came to cradle the back of Keith’s neck. “Sing it for me.”
It became Shiro and the Paladins’ third straight number one hit.
“This is stupid.” Lance’s voice blared from the living area of the penthouse one morning when Keith returned with bagels for the entire group. “You should have told him already, Takashi.”
Takashi sighed, loud enough for Keith to hear from the foyer. “He has the right to a normal life. I’ve deprived him of that enough.”
“You ever think that he doesn’t want to go to college?” Pidge this time. “It’s not like he needs to. He already writes our songs, and if he took over as lead guitarist, you could actually focus on being the lead singer. Interact with the fans more and – ”
“ –what about Galra Sound?” Takashi insisted. “I never want Keith to be part of that life. Synergy was my father’s technology, and it’s not his responsibility to protect it.”
“Why not?” Keith interjected, stepping into the room. His heart ached at Takashi’s words. “He was my father, too.”
He was, no matter what blood said.
Takashi grimaced, then sighed, running a hand over the bridge of his non-scarred nose. “I didn’t mean it like that, Keith. But you just graduated high school, where you barely had any semblance of a normal life. I can’t – I don’t want you to look back and regret coming on the road with me – ”
“ – and the Paladins?”
Everyone in the room stiffened; Keith had to bite back a growl. “Guys, you’re a rock group that never goes on stage, yet you happen to always be where Shiro and the Paladins perform? And you know I help Allura with the finances. How stupid do you think I am? I figured all this out like, five years ago.”
Because Takashi wasn’t just his hero and Shiro his idol, though he was both of those things. He was also and always Keith’s brother first.
Lance, of course, was the first to laugh, slinging his arm about Keith’s neck. “So we’ve been sneaking around for years for no reason? Geez, kid! You are one sly little dude.”
“Well, if you guys weren’t so lame and just told me from the start.”
Takashi’s hand clasped his shoulder, fingers clutching, pleading. “I wanted to protect you, Keith. I didn’t want to put you in the danger. The Galra – they’ll do anything to get this technology, and I – I couldn’t bear the thought of them going after you.”
“Is that why you made me take all those karate classes?” Keith interjected, then shook his head before Takashi could answer. “I want to be here, by your side with the paladins. You said I should never ask if that’s okay because I belong here. If you meant that, you’ll let me stay.”
The next time Shiro and the Paladins performed, they introduced their newest member – the lead guitarist, the Red Paladin.
And on his eighteenth birthday, Takashi formally adopted him.
The End
VLD Drabble Challenge Masterpost
Previous Post – Ninja/Military/Spies - Bromance, Shiro & Keith - “Miracle”
Next Post  –  Magic - Gen - Altean Magic and What It Means to Humans (or Just Shiro) 
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My favorite fics
Deepest shade,
9/13,
Explicit,
(https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026126/chapters/18377314)
“Can you fuck someone you're convinced you hate? Lance Álvarez and Keith Kogane, rich sons of rival families, are about to realize that the answer is yes.
Keeping rage and passion apart is difficult enough, but it's also only the beginning. As Lance gets swept up in a decadent affair with a mysterious man, and Keith struggles with ghosts from his shadowy past, the galaxy holds its breath for the storm encroaching on the horizon.
And through it all, somehow, they keep gravitating back to each other.”
Melting Hesitation, 
1/1, 
teen and up
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12002694
When a joint mission brings Keith and Lance closer together, they decide to keep things under wraps, at least until they figure things out for themselves.
A Commutal Contract
13/?
mature
After a terrifying experience during which Lance, seemingly, dies, Keith is haunted by horrible nightmares of holding his comrade in his arms while he took his final breath. To the point where he can't sleep unless he knows for absolute certain that Lance is alive.
And while the attention is surprising, Lance doesn't really have a problem with Keith checking up on him. Or the fact that Keith only seems totally comforted when he can cuddle Lance close and hear his heart beat. After all, there's nothing wrong with two bros cuddling. It doesn't MEAN anything. Or, at least, that's what Lance keeps telling himself.
The world we knew 
4/4
general
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9419840/chapters/21323429
Wake up at 5:00. Go to the gym. Shower. Go to lectures. Evening shift at the convenience store. Late night revision. Rinse and repeat. While Keith wasn’t completely opposed to ‘change’, he just rather prefer not to have anything change at all. His life was perfectly fine the way it was. Tiring, but fine.
Even in his earlier years, Keith was always one to establish routine. A change in routine was only partially the reason why Keith did not actively seek out his roommate though. People as a whole were unpredictable. Messy. Complicated. He was happy; he didn’t need to seek out someone he didn’t know to make his life seem more complete.
What could one person do to change his life?
I think i found myself a cheerleader
1/3
teen and up
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7787473/chapters/17764684
“I am trying to figure out these VSEPR exercises,” Keith sighs. Loudly. “You know, like—”
“Like valence-shell electron-pair repulsion theory?” Lance finishes for him.
Keith stares.
Lance bats his eyelashes and chews on his bubblegum, blowing a large bubble and snapping it right in front of Keith’s face. “What?” he says. “Like it’s hard.”
(or, the fic in which antisocial loner Keith seeks chemistry tutoring from resident airhead cheerleader Lance. Who, actually, isn’t that much of an airhead as it turns out.)
Recoil/Release
13/13
teen and up
https://archiveofourown.org/works/11442399/chapters/25643622
When Keith is bitten by an alien creature with venom that causes your dominant emotions to be amplified, the team is ready for a day of dealing with an incredibly angry paladin.
Which means they're not ready at all for what actually happens.
Greedy 
4/10
explicit
https://archiveofourown.org/works/11027544/chapters/24577158
Routine sets in, easy and clicking into place, like they’re old friends meeting up to get shitfaced in some seedy bar on a Saturday night.
Except that the drink Keith is serving to Lance is a broken nose and bruised ribs, and Lance is ordering his one-way trip to the hospital, not the toilet.
Cores of Diamonds 
1/1
mature 
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12162411
Falling in love is easy, as it turns out. Painfully easy. All it takes is one smile, one tender unguarded second with the boy beneath Lance’s bravado, and that’s it. He’s done for. No questions, no bartering, no phase of denial. But if falling for Lance is the easiest thing Keith has ever done, then learning to express it is the hardest. So if he can’t say it, can’t put into words the way the entire world hinges around the moment Lance barged into his lifeㅡ
ㅡwell then he’ll just have to settle for showing him.
never saw you coming
1/1
mature 
https://archiveofourown.org/works/8140553
Three months in space on his own would have been fine. Three months in space with Lance McClain is a whole other fucking story.
The bittersweet between my teeth 
4/?
teen and up(thus far)
"There was something in Keith that had caught Lance’s attention. Thinking back on it, Lance still wouldn’t be able to clearly tell what did catch it. But if he could make a guess, he would say that it was probably the model’s intense gaze."
Model and Band AU where Lance, Shiro, Pidge and Hunk are part of a famous indie band called Arctic Sunrise, while Keith is a world-famous model. Lance wants Keith to star in their new music video. But turns out that Keith is not really the way Lance thought him to be.
Based on xShieru's (tumblr user yaboybokuto) AU
Honey, this is what its like to be famouse
5/?
explicit
Lance is a hot new upcoming artist and Keith is a versatile model with a bad attitude. Fame has a way of bringing the most unlikely people together.
More than Just A Pretty Face
11/? 
mature 
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9295955/chapters/21068276
All he’d wanted to do was make a little extra cash, maybe put some aside to pay off his student loans later. The last thing he expected was to be “discovered,” gain gig after gig, demanding his time and energy until his jobs were taking more time than his classes. He wasn’t just Keith Kogane anymore, no, he was Keith K., the face of Altea cosmetics, model for New York fashion week, featured in music videos and the occasional commercial. It was...insanity. But was it what he wanted? Lance was just a college student with a pretty steady social media following for his makeup tutorials and finished looks. He had never considered modelling, but he would do whatever it took to get his foot in the door to be an actual makeup artist.
----
Keith and Lance work together and Keith realizes he really doesn't know what he wants anymore. Lance realizes that his celebrity crush is more than just that.
Chapter titles are literally gonna be named after Keith's dorky ass alien shirts because I live for my not so secretly nerdy emo space son.
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