#but I just wanted to publish this before the season premire

[aquaburst3]

All I could think about for the last couple days, outside of that masked guy in the pod being Lotor, is, “Why in the holy name of Ra are only Lance and Keith shirtless and dripping wet in the new Voltron trailer? What is the story behind that?” Then, thanks to my inner Klance shipper, like in that Kermit Darker!Self meme, liking to think that Keith and Lance had another bonding moment and thanks to some other posts I saw, I came up with this.

Wincing, Lance rubbed his shoulders. “God that hurt like hell.”

Pidge shot him a deadpan stare. “You know complaining about it won’t make it go away, Lance.”

“I know,” Lance said, continuing to rub the spot. “I wish I could go for a swim. Just to loosen up the muscle from training it so damn much.”

“You could take a dip in the palace pool,” Coran said, standing near one of the console nearby.

Lance’s face lit up, cocking his head towards him. “There’s a pool in the castle?”

A blink. “Of course, King Alfor installed it when the old team was still active.”

He needed to hear no more.

Lance bolted out of the room before his teammates could say anything.

“Huh,” Pidge said, peaking down at the ground. “Thought, there’d be a trail of smoke after him.” 

   -0-

With a strong kick off of the side of the pool, Lance launched through the shimmering, blue water.

 It been awhile since he swam like this.  Sure, he and Hunk were on that water planet not that long ago. But that wasn’t the same.  If anything, that was more of a mission, trying his hardest to get back to his teammates. It was kind of like a videogame water level the more he thought of it. Complete with a weird octopus they had to fight. (What was up with that thing?) 

No; this was different. He could relax and his mind could flow freely as the water.

Not worry about the Galra; not worry about saving the whole galaxy; not worry about dying in space without any of his friends or family back home know what happened to him; not worry about ever seeing Earth or his family ever again; not worry about dragging Hunk Pidge into this whole mess because of him. 

His smile faltered, stopping and sculling in the water.

Home.

His family.

Did his family miss him? Did his friends back home think he was dead?  Did his parents think he was dead? Were they alright? What about Elza and Elon?  They might be. But with the Galra planning to conquer the galaxy, who knows how long that might last...

He shoved that thought out of his mind, pushing forward as hard as he could.

Lance couldn't think about it. He just couldn't! He had to stay strong. Be a worthy Paladin of Voltron. Help save the universe. One day lead a badass crew of his own with hot girls and guys at his side.

But...yet...

Once Lance’s hand hit the wall, his head popped out of the water. Short gasps left him.

Mellet-head (he’d never grow tired of calling him that), who wore a pair of dark swim shorts,  stood on the pool deck. Keith paused a moment, almost transfixed on him. Once Keith spotted him, he took of his boots, which hit the white tilled floor. Lance swore a hint of pink was on his cheeks, but it could’ve been his imagination.

Wait. Keith could swim?  Since when could he do that?

...Then again, Keith might have for a while. Lance didn't have the best track record of knowing tidbits about people, especially after not taking the hint that Pidge was a girl (Hunk and Pidge still never let that one down).

One side of his lip tugged up.   He had an idea...

Lance dove under water, sneaking up on Keith like the sniper he was. Once he was close, water squirted in Keith’s face. Right on target.

  Keith wiped the water off. Purple eyes landed on him.

“Sorry,” Lance said, slipping onto his back and  chuckling. “I had too.” 

Scowling, Keith turned on a heel, snagging his towel from the rack. 

Shit!

“No wait!” Lance called out.

Keith stopped in his tracks, brow quirked. 

“You want to race me?” Lance said, resting his arms and chin on the pool ledge. “I bet you 20 bucks you can’t bet me in a 25 metre race.” 

Brows drew together in confusion. “We’re in the middle of space? What use would that have to us?” 

“Are you backing down from a challenge?” Lance said, smirking.

Keith slapped on his best game face too. “You’re on.” 

Yanking off his black shirt revealed Keith bare chest and blue eyes lingered. He had toned shoulders and abs, wiry and lean. He was slim in a gymnast-martial artists sorta way. 

Keith blinked, snapping Lance back to the real-world. “You alright?”

Lance snorted, turning away to hide the blush on his cheeks. “Course I am.”

“If you say so...”

Keith dove into the water, popping up right beside him. Dark locks blocked his eyes, gone heavy and flat from the water.  Keith wiped his bangs out of his eyes.  “What’s a 25 metre?”

“Just to the wall.”

“Oh,” Keith said. “When do we start?”

Corner of his lip quirked up. “How about...now?”

The two kicked off the side of the pool deck. Heart hammered in Lance’s chest, kicking and pulling his legs as hard as he could.  His hand slammed into the side of the wall, head popping up.

“I-I win,” Keith sputtered out. “You owe me 20 bucks.”

A groan escaped Lance. He’d never let this down.

An affectionate, tired smile tugged on Keith’s lips. Lance couldn’t help return it.

The alarm blared, shattering the silence. They both jolted at the shock. The two boys climbed out of the pool and scrambled to the main hall with towels in tow.