#great minds come together...in my mind...to make lance and keith walk

[catsushinyakajima]

guys hear me out. crossover ep. Maybe if Lance had the tall walking stick from astra's tried and true ("Lance has somehow managed to find a somewhat straight branch that’s taller than he is, using it as a hiking stick" [@existwound, ch2]), then Keith and Lance would've actually done some WALKING in walk with me by elli, in which THERE IS ONLY SIX MINUTES OF WALKING ("After only a short, six-minute walk..." [@bluemantics, ch2])

[autisticlancemcclain]

The air in his apartment is getting staler, and his scalp is starting to ache.

Everything is going to fail, he thinks to himself, unhelpfully. He doesn’t have time to correct himself because he has time for nothing. He barely has time to breathe. People will be coming in less that two hours, and he’s only just begun decorating; at this rate people will arrive and everything will look barren and horrible and boring and of course no one will say it to his face but he can hear how muttered conversations will go on the way home, how everyone will think he’s —

The front doorknob rattles. Lance gasps, a great, heaving breath forcing its way in and out of his lungs, realizing for the first time his hands are trembling too much to hang the tinsel correctly.

“Lance?” calls a voice, familiar and soft and raspy from years of cigarette smoke. “You in the kitchen?”

Lance finds himself frozen in place. His mind has gone completely blank, and he’s become a statue; thoughtless, still, unblinking, unable to process. As if someone has hooked him up to a remote and pressed pause.

Quiet sounds of boots unlacing echo the empty apartment, followed by socked footsteps. Keith appears round the bend of the front hallway, eyebrows knit together in concern, lips pursed.

“…Lance.”

“Everything is falling apart,” Lance blurts. He twitches suddenly, stiff muscles spasming, and the sudden movement rocks the rickety footstool under him. Quick hands flit out to grip his arms before he falls, steadying him on the ground with a soft, “Woah, dude.”

For several moments the only sound is the synched billowing of their breathing. Keith’s hands slide down his biceps to rest on his elbows, squeezing gently. Slowly, dragging through molasses, Lance’s heart begins to slow.

“You’re freaking out,” Keith says. “There is no need to freak out. Take a breather.”

“I don’t have time for any of this,” Lance says, heartbeat picking up again. “I barely finished the last of the food fifteen minutes ago, decorations aren’t out yet, there’s flour all over my clothes and my face is a mess and I haven’t washed my hair —”

Darting out faster than Lance can track, Keith’s hands come to rest on Lance’s cheeks, thumbs brushing under his eyes — rough, warm, startling. Lance stares at him with wide eyes. Keith smiles back, quickly, widely, crookedly; breathtaking. His hair is twisted back neatly, thick and gorgeous, and festive red sparkles line his eyes. Pretty red stones glitter in his ears to match. The gold bands of his thumb rings are cool against Lance’s cheeks, and the chain he got from his mother rests delicately over black knit fabric. The high-cut neckline of his sweater compliments his frame nicely. His jeans are the only pair he has without rips — a pair Lance forced him to get last time they were shopping together.

The air punches right out of Lance’s lungs, and the last of his worries with it. Keith tucks a curl behind his ear, lingering.

“Go shower and get dressed,” he urges, indigo eyes dark and imploring. “Let me help.”

“Okay,” Lance breathes. He doesn’t move.

Keith smiles. He pulls Lance’s face down at the same time that he stands up on his tiptoes, eyes fluttering shut. Their lips press together softly, one, two, three, and then he pulls away.

Lance makes a noise in the back of his throat. His fingers come up to brush the swell of his lip. “What was that for?”

Keith’s eyes flick up at the doorway. Amusement dances across his expression.

Mistletoe, green and white and fragrant, hangs delicately from the door frame.

“Oh,” says Lance, flushing. He remembers, abruptly, the stepladder and falling into Keith’s arms. He becomes hyperaware of the bareness of the rest of the apartment, hardly lived in one month.

“Lance,” Keith says again, noticing the shift in his expression. He slides a hand down and pats his hip. “Go, you walking mess of anxiety. I got this. Get fixed up. Everything will be fine.”

Lance closes his eyes, exhaling shakily, and nods. It’s too late, now. Whether or not things get finished is irrelevant — he can’t very well host a Christmas party in sweatpants and his grossest, most threadbare hoodie. Whatever Keith can manage while he showers will have to be enough.

He rushes off to his room, tearing off his clothes the second the door locks behind him, practically throwing himself under the stream without bothering to wait for it to heat. He rushes through his routine faster than he maybe ever has in his life, toweling off so roughly the first two layers of his skin go with it, and buzzing around his closet like a horde of wasps on a field of decaying grapes.

There is Nothing to wear. Because of course there isn’t. The outfit he’d picked last night suddenly seems inadequate, and most of his other stuff is still boxed up, so he doesn’t even have the time to go digging. Eventually he just throws on what he’d planned and tells himself to get over it.

Forty-five minutes have passed, by the time he steps out of his bedroom, and the state of his apartment makes him gasp.

String lights are hung delicately along the walls and wrapped around his small tree. Ornaments and decorations sit artistically on every surface, as if each placement was deliberated and perfected. Paper snowflakes, even, that Lance had made in a fit of procrastination to avoid work weeks ago, are hung from the ceiling. Keith stands on the same footstool Lance tumbled from earlier, hanging a few more.

“Keith,” Lance chokes out. “Oh my God.”

His friend shoots him a grin. “What, surprised? I told you I’d handle it. Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do.” Lance swallows as the words come out on reflex, heavier than he’d ever usually let them. “I just.” He looks pointedly away from where Keith stretches his arms above him, thin paper held delicately between his thick fingers, sweater raising to show a strip of pale skin. “I appreciate it, is all. Turns out you do have some taste, Mullet.”

“Asshole,” Keith huffs.

But he’s smiling.

They spend the next twenty minutes in comfortable silence, putting up the last of the decorations and plating up the last of the food. Lance doesn’t need to say, I should have asked for help from the beginning. Doesn’t need to say, I’ve missed being close to everyone, being a real adult is hard, finally finishing school and growing into a new phase of adulthood, away from all the people I’ve grown up with, is hard. I had to prove I’m handling it. Doesn’t bother admitting, I couldn’t have done it on my own. Thank you for knowing me enough to come even if I couldn’t ask.

Keith brushes his hand on the small of his back as he walks by. Lance smiles, shy and pleased, and sinks into the comfort of Keith knowing, of Keith knowing him; of the proof of their familiarity despite all the new changes. He sighs, long and silent and heavy, something settling in his bones.

When the doorbell rings, and the rest of his friends start pouring in, he’s ready for them.

———

Hours later his giggly and red-cheeked and a little bit tipsy. Pidge brought bottles of liquor and Allura brought novelty shot glasses, and the rest of that story wrote itself. Lance lost count somewhere between Hunk slicing up the honeyed ham he brought and Shiro busting out the Twister. Cheesy Christmas songs have been looping for hours on Veronica’s CD player, and the air smells of plátanos a sweet-smelling incense Adam pulled out, and Lance is drunk on more than just the booze.

“The place looks great!” shouts Shiro, not particularly because it’s loud in here. He looks pretty red-cheeked, too, glass of wine tucked protectively to his chest. Adam watched him in amusement, arms half-raised in preparation for his clumsiness.

“Keith helped,” Lance admits, just as loud. Their shouted conversation draws teasing glances from the rest of their friends, but for once Lance isn’t self-conscious of the stares on him.

They’re drunk. It’s Christmas. Who cares?

“Speaking of, where is Keith?”

Lance frowns. He blinks some of the dizziness out of his eyes — he truly needs to stop walking around, there was way more rum in that daiquiri than he thought, typical Matt — and scans the crowd of people shoved into his tiny apartment. He would recognize that mullet anywhere and from any angle, and it is not currently among the masses.

“Hm,” he says out loud, and wobbles off.

The first place he checks is his bedroom. It’s locked, but he knows Keith can pick a lock and also has no qualms about picking the lock for Lance’s bedroom, because he was raised by wolves. He’s not in there, though, so Lance pivots to checking the bathroom — occupied by Kinkade and Rizavi who are busy sucking face — and the weird little linen closet tucked in a random alcove, which is empty. Keith is, strangely, nowhere to be found, but he couldn’t’ve just — left, right? He would have said goodbye.

Lance pouts. He hopes he would have, because Lance’s emotions are Compromised right now, okay, and if he gets sad he’s going to get sad for real. And Keith leaving just like that will, indeed, make him sad as shit.

“I need t’clear my head,” he mumbles to himself. He pushes through the tight circle Allura, Pidge, and Veronica have formed — he does not want to know, it might be actual witchcraft knowing them — to make his way to Hunk, tugging on his sleeve to pull his attention away from Shay.

“‘M gonna go get air.”

“Don’t die,” Hunks says. Lance nods, moving to stumble away, but Hunk grabs his sleeve and tugs him back. “No, wait, drink this, buddy. Else you’re going to walk into a wall and we’re going to end up in the ER on Christmas again.”

Lance dutifully chugs the three separate glasses of water Hunk hands him, realizing suddenly that he’s parched. By the end of them and also a banana Hunk has him eat, his head has miraculously stopped spinning.

“Hunk,” he says in total seriousness, “I love you. Deeply. From the bottom of my soul.”

Hunk rolls his eyes fondly and presses a kiss to the top of Lance’s head. “I know, you doofus. Begone.”

Lance snickers and heeds his command. As he closes the apartment door behind him, shutting out the noise with it, he breathes a huge sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how overwhelmed he’d been getting, as much as he’d been having fun.

He understands, immediately, where Keith has gone. He huffs a smile.

“Goober,” he says around a smile, and jogs to the stairwell.

———

A sobering seven flights later, he pushes open the door to the roof, panting breaths turning to steam in the frosty air.

“You are elusive, you fucker.”

Keith looks over his shoulder, smiling in that quick way he does. “And you’re tipsy.”

“Nuh uh! Hunk made me drink water!”

“Right, and that undoes the six shots you took when Pidge dared you.”

“Obviously.”

Keith laughs, a little, and Lance preens like he’s won the whole lottery. Keith most definitely notices. Lance can’t bring himself to care.

“C’mon, let’s sit somewhere not so close to the edge. Knowing your shit luck you’ll go careening over the edge and I’ll have to jump after your dumb ass.”

Ignoring how that makes his heart pound, Lance shoots back, “That wouldn’t solve anything, stupid, we’d just both be dead.”

“A very Merry Christmas to us both, then.”

Keith finally finds a spot on the ground that’s mostly clear of snow and only a little wet. He plops himself down. Lance grimaces, looking down at his expensive and shimmery black slacks before sitting down beside him.

“You good?” Lance asks after a moment.

Keith lets out a breath. “Yeah, it was just getting to be a lot in there.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re basically a cat in human form. Surprised you didn’t bite anyone on your way out.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Make me.”

Keith looks over, eyebrows raised. A smile twitches at the corner of his mouth.

“That was very transparent, you know.”

Lance shrugs, not bothering to hide his own smile.

“Hey, you’re the one who kissed me. Not my fault I’m thinking about it.”

“You think I kissed you to shut you up?”

“A little.”

Keith holds his gaze, challenging. Lance crosses his eyes. Keith snorts, punching him in the shoulder.

Heh. Success.

“I didn’t kiss you to shut you up, you goober. I kissed you because I wanted to.”

“…Did you maybe want to again?”

Now it’s Keith’s turn for his smile to turn shy, for a slight flush to rise on his cheeks. Lance’s own cheeks hurt from grinning.

“No mistletoe up here. Not sure I have an excuse this time.”

“Aha, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Lance digs in his pockets until he finds the little sprig, plucked from when he and Hunk were caught under the doorway sometime after shot number five. He holds it up between them.

Keith’s smile grows. “You really are a genuine actual goober.”

“You seem to like it,” Lance says cheekily.

“It’s fine, I guess. If I had to live with it.”

“Mhm.” Keith’s hand has snaked its way around Lance’s neck. Lance’s own hands are planted firmly on the ground between them, keeping him balanced as he leans closer, closer, closer. “Is that the case.”

“Yeah,” Keith breathes, and then he doesn’t bother with anything else, closing the distance between them. “Merry Christmas.”

Lance sighs into his mouth, tilting his head as their mouths move, as Keith’s long eyelashes tickle his cheek. Merry Christmas, indeed.

———

based on this art by @mothmanavenue

[the-ferocious-kittyrose]

My complicated opinion on Keith Kogane

Keith Kogane is definitely one of the more popular characters in the VLD fandom. People love brooding emo bad boys.

My feelings on Keith are... complicated. I definitely don’t hate him. I have a lot of problems with the character but I don’t think I could ever bring myself to actually hate him. Mainly because I kinda relate to him. We both have problems controlling our emotions, interacting with people, and making friends.

And we both have trouble believing there are people who truly have our best interests at heart and won’t abandon us because we’re a burden.

What I do hate is the way his character was written and the way it negatively impacted the characters around him.

There are definitely a lot of factors that contributed to VLD ending up the way it did. But to me, Keith and the writers insistence on pushing him to the forefront was the poison that killed the show.

Ok, before we get into this whole rant I feel like I should talk about the things I do like about Keith.

I like the premise of Keith’s character. He’s half Galra and never really fit in on Earth. He didn’t act like the other “normal” kids so kids made fun of him and adults didn’t want to deal with him. So in order to protect himself from the pain of rejection he would put up a tough angry facade and push people away and reject them before they could reject him.

This is something that really resonates with me personally having grown up neurodivergent. It’s awful growing up in a world that isn’t made for people like you and not knowing how to interact with or connect with your peers. Especially when you don’t know why you’re like that.

You learn to avoid social interaction because it always ends up negative. You put up walls because you don’t feel like anybody understands you or what you’re going through.

I know the writers probably didn’t intend to code Keith as neurodivergent. They just wanted Keith to be a hothead with abandonment issues, but nonetheless, this interpretation means a lot to me.

I also really like his relationship with Shiro. Keith is so used to being left behind and abandoned that when he meets someone like Shiro who’s patient and genuinely cares it’s new and strange. He’s so ready for Shiro to abandon him, even telling Shiro to send him back to the home, but Shiro refuses to leave him and tells Keith ethat he’s never going to give up on him.

It’s also interesting to see how their relationship develops over time. It’s clear Keith trusts Shiro, but you can tell that that fear of abandonment is still there deep down. In S2, Keith tells Shiro that he’s like a brother to him, and then in season 6, he takes the extra step and tells Shiro that he IS his brother and that he loves him. And for someone like Keith, telling their friend they love them is a big scary thing.

And also it’s just great to see a platonic “I love you,” especially between two guys. Don’t be afraid to tell your bros you love them!!!

Now let’s talk about the stuff I didn’t like.

Keith doesn’t have much going for him in terms of personality. He’s just sorta brooding and serious all the time. He does make jokes occasionally but it’s rare. The writers were more focused on making him cool and badass rather than fun.

I always loved the idea of Keith as a cocky carefree asshole who doesn’t give a shit about rules/laws and is kinda rude/aggressive but has a heart of gold deep down and would do anything for the people he cares about. (Just like a cat.)

I would also make him more alien esc. In terms of design I like the idea of Keith having red eyes with narrow pupils and fangs. And also just small things like the way he walks and holds himself. He growls and bears his teeth when he’s angry, his hair puffs up when scared, he’s fast and agile, disappearing and reappearing without making much noise, small things.

Then you have his race and sexuality. I have no doubt in my mind that Keith was intended to be a straight white dude. A lot of people see him as gay and Asian but there’s no evidence for this in canon. Acxa was originally intended to be his love interest and his race was never mentioned in canon. His name isn’t even Kogane in canon. (And the race of the voice actor doesn’t equal the race of the character. If that was the case Shiro, Hunk, and Lance would be white.)

They should’ve totally made Keith Japanese like he was in the original. It would’ve been so easy! Just canonize Kogane as his last name and have the book say he’s half Japanese half Galra. They could’ve also done what they did with Shiro and keep his og GoLion name. Just have him be Akira Kogane. Definitely cooler than “Keith.”

And as for his sexuality, I definitely think they should’ve had Keith be gay. But well get to that Later...

I also don’t like how they handled the whole Krolia thing. Not only was it crazy rushed, but it completely goes against the shows theme of found family.

Keith’s arc should’ve been about overcoming his abandonment issues and learning to accept the paladins as family. But instead they just get rid of the abandonment issues by just giving him his mom back.

I know a lot of people love Krolia but I don’t feel like she should’ve been introduced in anything other than flashbacks. Because Keith’s mom isn’t really that important. The show is about found family and friendship, not blood relation.

You can definitely have Keith learn about his mom and his family, but I feel like giving him his mom back was too much.

Personally, I always headcanoned that Kolivan was Keith’s grandfather or just a close friend of Krolia’s, and when Keith showed up at the Blade’s base Kolivan recognized the blade as his Krolia’s. Keith could learn about his mom through Kolivan telling him about her, how she was a great person and warrior who died fighting to make the universe a safer place for her son.

Another thing I didn’t like was the whole Keith leaving the team for the Blades thing. I know why he did it, he felt like the team was gonna reject him, he wanted to be more useful, and wanted to learn about his family, but I feel like you could’ve touched on all that without having him abandon his team.

One of the biggest problems with the show is that they did a bad job at establishing the paladins as friends, they feel like coworkers more than anything, and I feel like Keith being absent for two seasons contributed to that.

And his absence is hardly addressed. The team forms Voltron perfectly without him and no one ever says they miss him. Keith doesn’t even seem like he missed them after being gone for two years.

And a lot of the weight was taken out of that Keith v Kuron fight by the fact that Keith and Kuron hardly interacted.

That whole thing amounted to four things, Keith meeting Krolia (which I don’t think should’ve happened), them finding the colony (which was a dumb plot I don’t think should’ve happened), Keith aging up two years (which was weird and unnecessary), and Keith meeting Kosmo (which is... complicated).

I don’t think this plot was necessary. Keith should’ve stayed with his team.

Then you have his relationship with Lance. I know people are very sensitive about this topic. People have very strong opinions about whether or not Keith and Lance were intended to be romantically coded.

Personally, I do like Klance but I don’t believe they were romantically coded. I think if you want them to get together some things would have to go differently.

For example, the bonding moment. In canon, Lance tells Keith, “we make a good team.” I don’t see this as referring to him and Keith. I think he was talking about the whole team. If you want it to be about the two of them, I feel like it should be Lance telling Keith something like, “ya know, you’re not so bad after all,” and then Keith smiles and responds, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

Another example could be the scene where Lance comes to Keith with his insecurities. (Whether it’s as a leader or a friend.) This scene was weird in canon, Lance comes to Keith for advice and Keith basically tells him to just stop thinking about it.

I would prefer if Lance brought up to Keith how he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough or that he doesn’t have, “a thing,” and Keith is completely dumbfounded like, “what are you even talking about?” He goes on about all the good shit about Lance. Talks about how Blue chose him, how he’s a great shot, how he’s good at dealing with people, meanwhile Lance is standing there in shock as Keith says all these nice things about him.

Over all you would just have to develop their relationship more. More meaningful interactions. And if you want the relationship to be romantic you would have to establish that early on. Establish that one or both has romantic feelings for the other in like S1/S2 because if you wait too long it’s gonna feel forced/out of no where.

And then... you have the Black Paladin arc... I’m gonna be real with y’all, this is the arc that killed the show for me, for a few reasons.

One, even ignoring the whole quintessence bond thing, it makes no sense for Keith to be the bp. He doesn’t fit the role. I adore Shiro but choosing Keith as his successor was a dumb move. I get that he saw potential in Keith but they’re are fighting a war, there’s no room for favoritism.

Shiro should’ve chosen Allura as his successor. Not only does she have actual leadership experience, but you would only have one paladin in a new Lion instead of three.

If a lifeguard breaks his leg and can’t work, he should choose an experienced swimmers to take his place, not his little bro that’s still in water wings in the hopes that it’ll teach him to swim.

Two, Keith being the bp doesn’t help his arc. Keith’s arc is about overcoming his abandonment issues and learning to be a team player, he doesn’t need to be the leader for that.

VLD should’ve been about the paladins growing into the best versions of themselves they could be. Their development shown by unlocking new abilities in their respective lions, new forms for their bayards, and new Voltron bayard power ups. They shouldn’t have to change lions and themselves.

Keith and Red have a strong bond and work great together. Keith and Red are both temperamental, unpredictable, and have issues with trust. Keith having to fight to get Red to trust and open up to him mirrors how others have to fight to earn Keith’s trust and get him to let down his walls.

It would’ve been interesting to see them grow together. Keith has no emotional connection with Black.

We never even get to see them bond. Keith just suddenly becomes the “perfect” bp/leader because he got over his mommy issues

Three, it’s a MASSIVE disservice to Shiro’s character. Shiro put all the work in earning his position as the bp, he literally fits fought Zarkon on the astral plane to earn her trust, yet Keith is the true bp? What?

It sucks. Sendak told Shiro that a monster like him could never be a paladin and the writers went and proved him right. Hell Shiro didn’t even get to kill Sendak, Keith got that too.

And don’t tell me, “but he got the Atlas!” REALLY!? A massive Deus ex machina that required absolutely no effort from him to acquire!? Filled with a bunch of rando background characters no one gives a shit about!? You’re totally right, that 100% makes up for it.

I could go on and on about how the treatment of Shiro in this show (and fandom) is blatantly ableist but that’s a rant for another time.

It sucks. I want to like Keith! He had the potential to be an amazing character but the writers just kept on trying to turn him into something he wasn’t and it ruined him for me.

They kept trying to turn Keith into the main character and ignored that ALL the paladins are the main characters. It’s an ensemble cast! You don’t have to have everything come back to one guy.

[biqherosix]

can i get some youngest paladin hcs with team voltron? and uh,, maybe some bits of,, older brother shiro, like not actualyl related to reader but ya know just being a good older figure of them, only if u want!!!

defenders of friendship - headcanons

fluff

(voltron legendary defender — platonic! team voltron x reader)

even when you and the paladins have to defend the world, they know that they'd do anything to protect you first. even if that meant involving themselves in a little bit of fun

cw / none

a/n — hi anon i hope you enjoy this !! it's not totally amazing but platonic content for any fandom is so hard to look for and i always eat that shit up. hopefully this satisfies :) ily all sm ! @sokkas-honour this is for you bc you love big brother shiro and ik you need this so 🥰 ps no surprise here but keith’s part is my fave lmao and hopefully i don’t fall off the face of the earth anytime soon bc the inspiration is seriously flowing

you're literally baby, but contrary to popular belief i feel like the paladins would be pretty chill with you

trust me if they can let pidge do the things she does, you can too (plus you're super badass so it doesn't matter)

not to say that they aren't protective, bc they totally are !! they just show it in like different ways

for instance, coran, shiro, lance, allura, and hunk are the most protective and vocalize their concerns and like you really feel the love with them

you're actually the closest with shiro and lance; it's to be expected since they're just the kinda people who really just always want to make sure you're comfortable, but team voltron loves you all the same :)

lance is very affectionate, so he always has a hand out for you, but on occasions he can't hold your hand he'll intertwine a pinky with yours to let you know he's there

he's also always whispering random stuff in your ear if you sit next to him during diplomat meetings (that seating placement had been revoked after lance made you laugh so hard you fell off your chair during important alliance making)

i'm pretty sure you asked the blue paladin to give you a piggyback ride around the castle once and he was ready to oblige but he ended up falling on his face bc he's a noodle (keith walked in on him as soon as he faceplanted and never lets him forget it)

so you asked shiro instead (which resulted in a pouty lance; you made sure to have a sleepover with him filled with gossip and face masks)

shiro ever the serious thinks it could be dangerous at first, but inevitably lets himself be vulnerable and now you just casually cling onto his back during meetings in the castle, no one pays any mind to it honestly

he just loves that your young lil self keeps him grounded and despite all you've seen you still carry a sense of innocence and bright air for team voltron

also when you're feeling down he lets you wear a jacket of his and it's so big on you 🥺🙈 you know it's not necessarily practical but you will wear shiro's oversized jacket over your paladin armor sometimes

oh and catch him with mini braids in his hair or the little tuft of his white hair a different color in the coming movements in space :)

now, hunk always makes a little too much baked goods for the sake of bringing the extras to your room by the end of the night and sometimes he'll even keep you company while you eat them to talk about anything !!

if he can't stay he always leaves a lil note for you in the basket about how much he appreciates you and everything (you kept the notes in a little box to read whenever you're feeling not great)

as much as you wanna cook with hunk you're under strict orders from lance not to bc he's scared you could be allergic to alien shit and die

on the other hand allura is basically your older sister ! she likes playing with your hair whenever you have conversations together and she listens intently, offering advice because she understands that there's so much pressure behind defeating enemies

she dotes on you though, and loves playing little road trip games with the mice; and when you're travelling for super long periods of time you keep her company in the control room

normally she likes the peace and quiet steering the ship brings her but you're built different so you can babble about anything while you're together

she feels bad when you fall asleep in your respective paladin chair (even if hunk shiro and lance ended up getting / making some pillows and blankets to make it more comfy) so those nights she carries you to her room and you get some space girl cuddles 🥺

coran always makes sure to come in on those mornings with some altean tea and sing some tunes before you start your days, it's his way of trying to make sure you're doing okay

and sweet sweet coran — he always wants to include you in things so when everyone is doing their own thing and he wants to clean, he'll ask you to help him and tells you about altean culture, and even some embarrassing stories

you also take the time to tell him all about earth and their fashion choices, you two are quite the critics !!

so you have your loving older sister, doting brothers, and space uncle coran; but then there's keith and pidge i-

okay so they don't necessarily tell you they care they show you through two ways: educating you, and bullying you whilst being educated

keith was the one who had the honor of training you with your little bayard space daggers but still makes an effort to make sure you learn how to defend yourself with anything you can grab your hands on

thank the ancients for keith because now you can defend yourself with casual shit like spoons and bowls

sparring sessions consist of "ugh no okay let's just focus. patience yields focus" "don't hold it like that you'll end up cutting into yourself instead of the enemy!" and my personal favorite "y/n your form is sloppy they'll dropkick you if you keep that up"

keith may come off as harsh or trying to overwork you sometimes but he just wants you to be able to defend yourself when he's not around, especially when he's off with the blade of marmora

always makes it up to you with a cold glass of water and a really bad joke after a session (on special occasions you get a pat on the back but you pull him into a hug, lance never lets him live that down either)

any given situation he's the first one by your side when you're injured because he zooms over to you bc lance and shiro go pew pew pew

pidge though omg sometimes she sleeps in your room more than she does in her own because she falls asleep teaching you how to code and you even help tinker with her projects

she doesn't bully you as much as keith does but she only started bullying you because you corrected her one (1) time while tinkering

"pidge you misspelled that, you could accidentally turn off the whole system" "okay and who's the one who's been coding for more than a day? i got this" (she did not in fact, get it, because the thing wouldn't even turn on)

their little shenanigans in trying to care for you brought them all closer though they wouldn't admit it to each other (they all think that but will do progress reports when you're not in the room)

tldr: team voltron is the sweetest family ever and you love them for it

[petri808]

Oh look at the date! Klance ficlet for @diablosart they know why lol 😏

“What the hell we’re you thinking?!” Keith snapped as he popped his helmet off and chucked it hard at the ground. “Thanks to you were now trapped in a cave in!”

“Look, I’m sorry! I got distracted!” Lance snapped back.

“By what?! We were supposed to be scanning for the jababian dagger. What were you doing, watching your smut videos again?!”

Lance pulled off his helmet with a scoff. “First off, I don’t watch smut videos. Second, even if I did, that’s none of your business. And third, no, I was scanning, just wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

Keith rolled his eyes and spat back with a sarcastic riff. “Well that explains why you knocked both our cats out of the damn air crashing us into this place!”

Using a flashlight, Keith scanned the inside of the cave and noticed a lot of fractures spanning the walls. According to the computer in his Lion, the cave was full of an unstable and weak type of volcanic rock. ‘No wonder it caved in so easily…’ He groaned again. “Just great, if we try to blast our way out, it might collapse the ceiling on us.” Keith walked over to his helmet and picked it up. “I’ll need to do a thorough analysis before attempting to break free. The computers on the ship could do a better job scanning this cave, but they won’t arrive until morning.”

“Are you serious?! We’re stuck in here?!”

“At least for the night, so, stop your bitching since you’re the one who got us into this mess! Why don’t you start a fire while I get to work with the computer.”

“Fine,” Lance stomped away muttering to himself. He was just happy Keith was too irritated and didn’t press him further on what he’d been distracted about.

The pair had been sent ahead of the rest of the Voltron group to look for some kind of special dagger. Lance couldn’t remember what was so important about it, just that it possessed magical properties and they didn’t want it falling into the enemy’s hands. A distress signal was sent out to their ship, so now they just needed to settle in and stay warm until help arrived. He managed to find a cache of old animal bones deeper in the cave to use as fuel for the fire, coupled with some dried leaves and tetrodontyl feathers that must have blown in over the years for kindling. Whether it would last the night was yet to be seen, but it was all he had to work with. Their Lions only held so much in terms of supplies because they weren’t meant to hold long term reserves. But luckily there were emergency blankets and some instant rations they could eat.

Lance never realized just how cold and uninviting a cave could truly be until he became stuck in one. It was creepy with the sounds of bugs scurrying in the darkness, water drops echoing through the silent air, and occasional cracking sounds from any temperature fluctuations. He hated the quiet emptiness because it left open room for his mind to wander and more thoughts to break through as he stared into the flames of their campfire. Lance frowned and brows furrowed, remembering the distraction that led to this debacle. Of course, this was the opposite of what he would have wanted! Their lions sustained damage, and to be stuck, alone, with the reason for his distracted mind was causing his stomach to turn inside out.

Maybe Lance should have pushed Keith harder to drag Pidge or Hunk or Allura along on this trip and not him, anyone but him. He didn’t want to come. Didn’t want to be alone with the man. Hasn’t, for a while now ever since he’d developed different feelings for the guy. ‘How ironic,’ Lance groaned in his head. To go from professional jealousy to romantic pining, he was such a fool. Could anyone blame him? Keith was handsome and smart, but not surprisingly it took someone who could be as hot-headed as himself to catch his eye. Or maybe it was surprising if Lance really thought about it. Girls easily caught his attention, but with Keith it was an attraction that grew through close working confines and of admiration. In essence, he fell for the character of the man and not just for his looks.

“Oi?” Keith snapped his fingers to get Lance’s attention. “The eta is now 8 hours till Shiro and the rest get here.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, okay.” Lance responded in a rather distracted tone that mirrored the monotonous looping thoughts in his head. He felt horrible about causing this disaster in the mission while at the same time kept thinking about Keith…

“That’s all you can say?” Keith questioned his teammate. “Okay?” But when he received no response, he pushed the man’s shoulder hard. “What is going on with you lately Lance? You’ve been distracted a lot and it’s starting to affect your performance.”

“Am I not allowed to have a bad day?” Lance retorted. “Everyone has their bad days, man, it’s not always a crisis.”

Keith sighed. His anger had dissipated but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still annoyed. He thought they were close enough friends that would turn to each other if something was wrong, but apparently he was mistaken. “It’s my job as the leader to worry, so cut the bullshit Lance. I know enough to know something is really bothering you. If you don’t wanna talk about it, fine, but you need to figure it out cause this,” he gestured to their damaged lions, “can’t keep happening.”

“I know, I know,” Lance dropped his head with a long exhale. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to screw up. It’s just— there’s something eating me up and I have no idea what to about it.”

A silence took hold as the two men sat there illuminated by the fire’s light. Keith didn’t want to keep pushing, but he could see the angst on Lances face and it bothered him. In all the years they’ve known each other, there was only one other time he’d ever seen the man so… sad? But it couldn’t be for the same reason, because if Lance had met a new girl he was interested in, Keith was certain he would have heard about it immediately. Lance wasn’t exactly shy about the subject unlike himself. So, what could it be? Keith stared at the fire as he pondered what to say next, but nothing really felt right to say to his friend. This wasn’t exactly a topic he was skilled in with his own little buried secret. For the next couple of hours, they stayed that way, shifting only to stoke the fire or eat some of the rations they had available. It would probably be a great idea to get some rest, but neither made a move to do so. Just… kept staring in awkward silence at a dying fire.

The temperature change in the cavern was slower than it would have been if exposed to the outside air, but nonetheless, by the mid-way mark of their wait the pair could feel it dropping. Blankets were pulled tighter around their bodies in an effort to hold back the cold, and the men had moved closer together to conserve the body heat between them. Maybe it was the exhaustion kicking in, but the limited distance no longer bothered Lance. The hours of silent reflection were also leading him to one conclusion. If he wanted to stop the frustration, coming clean was the best solution. Yet one thing kept holding him back from making the leap— the proverbial aftermath.

Yeah, so telling Keith how he really felt might take the weight off his shoulders, but what would happen after that? What if Keith is disgusted? He’ll not only lose a friend, but how could they continue working together? That would be so uncomfortable! Lance groaned in his head. Would he be willing to give up his role in Voltron? What if Keith ended up leaving instead, causing him to feel guilty about it? Would the others hold it against him? Maybe if they talked it out, they can work out something amicable… ‘Argh!’ Lance screamed in his head as cradled his lowered head. Why did he fall for a teammate!

Keith looked over at the movement and saw Lance’s demeanor. “If you’re tired, why don’t you rest?”

“It’s not that,” Lance mumbled. “I mean I am, but it’s not that.”

“Oh…”

“Have you ever had a crush on someone but didn’t know how to tell them?”

‘So it is over a girl…’ Keith’s brow raised. “Why can’t you tell them?”

“Because, it’s awkward when you’ve known them for so long.”

‘Huh, so maybe it is Allura.’ Keith couldn’t say he was surprised, but it stung just a little. “You should probably just tell them, I mean if it’s eating you up this bad, isn’t it better to just know how they feel too?”

“I don’t know…” Lance sighed. “It’s not like they’ve ever given me a reason to think they’d like me back.”

“Still, once you do know, you can start moving forward again, cause right now you’re stuck and that’s worse.”

Lance glanced over to Keith who was looking in his direction. The man was right. Didn’t make a decision any easier… but he was probably right and all he could do is hope for the best. That didn’t mean he was ready to face Keith head-on either or see the physical reaction the man might have. Lance turned his head away and kept his arms wrapped tightly around himself for protection. “It’s… you…” he mumbled quietly.

“Come again? I didn’t catch that.”

“I said… It’s you.” Lance mumbled again, but this time a little louder.

“Me??”

“See, yeah, I told you it would be awkward— just forget I said anything. I feel better just getting it out.”

Keith forced Lance to turn back to him. “No, I mean I was just surprised cause you’re always chasing after women, but—”

“I’ll just drop it and move on,” Lance cut him off. “I don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable.”

“But that’s the thing,” Keith interjected, “I’m not. It’s okay because I’ve liked you too but I just thought you weren’t into guys.”

Lances eyes flashed wide. He really hadn’t expected such a response, especially not this quickly. “You do?” His voice trembled as he verified the man’s statement.

“Yeah…” Keith blushed. “I don’t exactly have experience in this stuff, but I like you too Lance.”

Lance jumped up in excitement. “Wow— for once my screw up turned out to be a good thing!”

“Uh-huh…” Keith chuckled. “But don’t do that again!”

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 11x05: Out of the Ashes - Details

Okay, let's talk details of 11x05.

 ***As always, spoilers abound below for 11x05. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

We start with Aaron's dream. First of all, there's the full moon. Remember that Still had a full moon at the beginning, and every time we saw Beta on the outside, such as singing or walking with walkers, it often showed a full moon. In Beta's case, it's probably because his nickname as a singer was Half Moon, but he also had a lot of Beth symbolism around him. I think it’s likely that the reason they gave the name Half Moon was to indicate Beth symbolism.

 Then, Aaron says to Gracie, "we’re almost home." Part of the home theme, and also kind of showed me that this was a dream. There's absolutely no reason why Aaron would randomly be outside the walls with Gracie at night. I don't have a whole lot more to add to the scene than what I said yesterday. I do believe it's a foreshadow of something happening with Gracie, but it also may be a foreshadow of other things that are coming, including stuff with Beth.

This is kind of a funny detail, but I have to say that I love the Jerry bit at the beginning. We see him tiptoeing over people, trying not to wake them on his way to the bathroom. So, we have an entire sequence that can be summed up as, "Jerry pees.” ;D

The next thing we saw was the Commonwealth video. The really cheesy one with Lance Hornsby that we saw in the trailer. Some of the symbols we saw in that video were interesting. Such as a bunny cake (rabbit theme), someone playing a guitar (Beth played a guitar in 5x09), 

ice cream (both Eugene and Stephanie talked about ice cream and it became sort of a Bethyl theme, especially because there were so much Bethyl symbolism around them during those conversations; also, Daryl had his “I never” about frozen yogurt in Still). We see a plaque that says, "The Great War,” (probably a reference to World War I, but also part of the Revolution/War theme).

There was also a blond, Beth-lookalike nurse in blue scrubs.  👀

I also noticed that the Commonwealth badge looks a lot like the UK flag. Not so much in its shape or design, but rather the colors. It's got the same red and blue shades as the United Kingdom flag. Remember that we saw the UK flag around Juliet Ormonde's character in the world beyond. So, we think it's a symbol of the war to come with the CRM.

When Yumiko goes into the bakery looking for her brother, there's a song playing called “Three Speed Girl.” It was just the three that caught my attention. (Look up lyrics). They all a lot of apples in the bakery. Not real apples but glass, decorative ones. Not only Apple theory, but specifically what apples represent.

I've theorized before that the apples could represent separation between loved ones. For example, in 6x14, we see Michonne and Rick wake up together in the room and they both eat an apple. I came to believe that was a foreshadow of Rick leaving in S9 and two of them being separated. @frangipanilove, however, explained it differently. She says that rather than them being separated, she thinks apples represent them coming back together. As then, a reunion after the separation.

I know that sounds like the opposite of what I explained, but really all amounts to the same thing. The kind of separation that I mentioned is what we see with Rick and Michonne being separated, Beth and Daryl being separated, perhaps even Carol and Zeke being separated (if he does, in fact, get a death fake out). And that's always going to result in a reunion down the road. So if we explain as a separation, it will always lead to a reunion. And if we explain as a reunion, it in order for reunion to take place, there must've been a separation first. See what I mean? You can explain it either way.

So, the apples make total sense in the scene. Yumiko has been separated from her brother for a long time. She said it's been years because the two of them were somewhat estranged, even before the apocalypse happened. And now, in this episode, we see a reunion. So, I think were spot on about the Apple symbolism.

As for Beth, we didn't actually see her eat an apple. I think that would've been too on-the-nose. But, given the Snow White symbolism, or template of her arm falling, remember that Snow White ate an apple, which was poisonous, just before we fell she fell and we saw her arm. So, if TWD is using the apple to represent separation, we didn't actually see Beth eat one, but her arm falling like that represents the Snow White template, and right after that, we see her separation from Daryl and the rest of TF. I think it lines up rather well.

When Eugene and Stephonie are walking around, we see a white horse drawing a mail truck. It's a combination of several very potent symbols. We talked about white horses before and how they represent Beth, and life. Then there's the mail or Communication theme. We've seen so many mailboxes on the show, and this was a horse drawing a mail truck. I’ll talk more about the mailbox theme in a few days. Just keep this in mind for now. They're very purposeful symbols and they do represent specific things in the show.

I also noticed that Stephonie is wearing red rimmed glasses. Remember how last week I talked about how Norman was wearing some funky glasses on TTD? Sorry to keep teasing but this is another thing I’ll post about later in the week. I was going to anyway, so seeing the glasses here jumped out at me. For now, just notice that Stephonie is wearing these and they’re red.

When Stephonie decides to help them talk on the radio, they go into the train station. Of course, there are no actual trains running, but the train is a very potent symbol. It's actually being used more as a civic building, and the group tries to be innocuous, though it's obvious they're up to something. Stephonie and Eugene walked calmly through the building while Princess and Zeke take up positions down in the common lobby area. Meanwhile, Mercer is watching them.

Princess tries to head him off and we have a humorous moment where she tries to flirt with him, and tells him he has beautiful eyelashes. It is not exactly the same thing as the eye theme, but I could almost see them going for the eye theme, but twisting it for the sake of humor, because, well, it's Princess. So, she goes with beautiful eyelashes.

 Eugene does manage to get on the radio with Rosita, who tells him the Whisper War is over. They only talk for a moment or two before they lose the feed. Once again, I think that was very purposeful on Commonwealth's part. I think they allowed him to connect with Rosita, but only for a short time before interrupting the feed and bursting into arrest him.

Meanwhile, back in Alexandria, I noticed that Judith asks, "Is he gone?" I sat and thought about this line for a little bit. Obviously, it's the “gone” theme. Usually, the way TWD always uses someone being "gone" to mean that they have disappeared for short time but will return. Very often they are presumed dead. That's why Daryl's, "she's just gone" about Beth is so important. Also, her line to him, "you're going to miss me so bad when I'm gone."

 In this case, I don't think either Judith or Rosita suspect that Eugene is actually dead. She just means did they lose him on the radio feed. And here's something that occurred to me what was thinking about this. It's actually very common when someone loses communication with someone else via radio or walkie-talkie to use the phrase, "get them back." So, something like, "see if you can get them back," or, "I'll get them back." In that context, it just means to raise them on the radio again and reestablish a connection so they can communicate.

The reason this is interesting is that Daryl has said this more than once about Beth or people who were kidnapped. In 5x06 when he was with Carol, he was talking about Beth and said they would observe Grady and then do whatever they needed to do to get her back. I know they also said something similar about Sasha when she was taken by the saviors, and Sasha had massive parallels to Beth during her death arc. So, that had never occurred to me before, but it's almost like they specifically took that line about “getting them back” from radio lingo and are applying it to Beth.

When talking about whether to go to Hilltop, Aaron mentioned that he didn't want to abandon ship. So, a water/ship reference, but it's also close to something Abraham said in 5x05 about going down with the ship.

When they get out Hilltop, I noticed that we have a shot of the water tower, which is now burnt. When they start questioning Keith, he says that Alpha is dead, and someone says that all that does is prove that “he has eyes.” Earlier in Alexandria, Aaron said, “Eyes open.” I know these are really small potatoes references, but there were a LOT of eye mentions in this episode.

A couple of things where Negan and Maggie are concerned. When they get to this house, the cars out front are really interesting. There's a red car out front, which reminded me a lot of the red car that was seen during the filming of the missing 17 days in season five. There are also just a lot of cars with doors or hatchbacks open, which represent the door being opened in 5x09, when Beth disappeared. The hatchback being open can represent the trunk being open. So, just kind of some interesting symbols.

I also thought it was cool that Judith is teaching other kids how to fight.

I think that’s it for Details. Anything I missed?

[rosesnvines]

Hi @niazelki!! I’m your Secret Santa!! I did not do this lovely piece of art, I commissioned it from the ever so talented @Nyastyle from DeviantArt, and wrote this short story to go with it. I did post it on DeviantArt as well. Hope you enjoy!! @idyllchatter-plance-and-kallura

Pidge let out a sigh. Beezer came rushing to her and a worried expression appeared on his screen. The two were in Pidge’s room and Pidge was curled up on her bed. 

“Hey Beezer, I’m . . .” She paused. Should she say exactly what was going through her mind or lie? She sighed, Beezer was a robot, but it would be nice to talk to someone. “Beezer, are you recording?” 

Beezer shook his head. 

“Ok, do not record this, I just want to get it off my chest.” Beezer watched her as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Lance . . . I like Lance, a lot. I think, I think maybe even love him.” 

Beezer let out an understanding beep. 

“Wait, you knew?” 

Beezer nodded. 

“Really? I didn't think I ever showed an interest in Lance.” She smiled. “But you do know me pretty well. Then you'll understand that I, I wanted . . . I wanted to . . .”. Tears began filling in her eyes. “I wanted to be the girl Lance asked out, not Allura!” The tears fell. “I-I mean, Allura’s great, don't get me wrong, and, everyone should like her, but, but I wanted it to be me!” She placed her head in her lap and sobbed. “I wanted it to be me! But I should have known, I really should have, Lance only notices the pretty girls. I'm just not that pretty.” She chuckled as the tears continued to fall. “I mean, he didn't even know I was a girl until I told him! He can be so dense!” She paused as the tears slowed. She wiped her eyes, sniffled, and then wiped her nose. “Yeah, yeah, he can be really dense, and an idiot, and a show off, but, but he's fun to be around. He’s nice, and caring, a great listener. And he is cute.” She giggled as she blushed. “Those blue eyes of his . . . I always feel like I'm flying, or swimming. I just, I just feel so free when I look into them.” She picked up a mermaid plushie and fiddled with the arms. She looked up at a picture of a sunset. “I just wish he would look at me the way he looks at her.” 

Beezer let out a sad beep. 

Pidge patted his head. “It’s Ok, this is only a relationship. Hey, he could still look at me that way, I just . . . I just need to give him time.” She rubbed her chin. “Hey Beezer, could you go take a picture of them on their date? 

Beezer gave her a surprised beep. 

She chuckled. “I know, I know, I just poured out my whole heart to you, that I want to be the girl going with him to his special place, but, I also want him to be happy. I want them both to be happy. And, I want them to commemorate it. Will you do that for me, please?” 

Beezer gave an affirmative beep as he saluted her. 

“Thank you.” Pidge watched him go before turning back to the picture of the sunset. “Sure, technology’s no sunset, but it has its purpose. It can capture that sunset and give you something to remember it by.” 

...

It had been a few years since they had defeated Honerva, since Voltron was last needed to defeat a great evil, since Lance and Allura broke up. They had spent a good deal of that time trying to bring peace back to the galaxy and help rebuild what had been previously destroyed. Pidge was surprised to see more and more of Lance during that time, but didn’t think much about it outside of enjoying his company. She did note that Hunk and Shay went around doing stuff, so were Keith and Allura, and Shiro was going around with that guy whose name she couldn’t remember. Romelle was helping Coran with the Alteans, the three former generals of Lotor were working with the Galra, and her own brother Matt was off traveling with Rolo and Nyma. Pidge enjoyed every minute that they spent together, but didn’t want to push her luck. Besides, there were other things on her mind. So when Lance suggested a return to Earth for a quick vacation, she jumped at it. A vacation sounded like a good idea. 

After going through the usual check-ins, check-ups, and catch-ups, Lance pulled her to the side. 

“Hey, I, I was wondering if you could come with me somewhere?” 

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Pidge replied with a shrug. 

“Tonight, meet me at Red.” 

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Uh, Ok . . .” 

“Great!! See you tonight!” He gave her a quick hug before dashing away. She watched him leave, blinking in confusion. Where exactly did he want to go? She shrugged and went about other things before getting ready to go. 

Later that night, Green landed near Red. Lance was lounging against his lion, watching the sun set. He was wearing his old blue and white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but the way the lighting was, Pidge thought he was the most handsome she had ever seen him. She blushed as butterflies filled her stomach, but quickly got rid of the feeling by the time she exited her lion to meet up with him. 

He smiled at her, and the butterflies returned. “Great, you made it!” 

Pidge scoffed. “I told you I would come.” 

Lance ran his fingers through his hair as he chuckled. “Yeah, you did. Now, um, do you want to follow me, or just come with me in Red?” 

Pidge’s eyebrow went up as she blinked. “Uh, does it matter?” 

Lance shrugged. “No, not really, but, I would prefer it if we just took one Lion, doesn’t make sense to have both.” 

Pidge shrugged. “I mean, you have a point, if anything were to go wrong, we can get back here pretty quick, and I can call on Green.” 

It was Lance’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Is there really anything wrong going on at the moment?” 

Pidge chuckled. “True, but you never know.” 

He laughed. “Good point. So, what shall it be . . .” 

Pidge blinked at the cutting off mid sentence, but when he didn’t say anything else, she shrugged again. “I guess we can go in Red.” 

He grinned. “Great, come on!” He grabbed her hand and the two dashed into the Lion’s mouth. Lance sat down at the controls and they took off. Pidge let out a soft giggle. Sure, they had done things together while no one else was around before, but this felt different, and she was liking it. 

“So, where are we going?” she asked. 

He smirked. “You’ll see. Just wait.” 

“What? Why can’t you tell me now?” 

“Because it’s a surprise,” was his reply. She pestered him some more, but couldn’t get any more than that out of him. The more she got more grumpy, the more excited he seemed to get. 

Finally, they landed, though it had only been a couple of minutes away from the garrison. Lance grabbed Pidge’s hand and walked like he was on cloud nine. 

“Ok, seriously, where are we going?” asked Pidge with a laugh as she allowed herself to be led around a park. 

He glanced back long enough to shoot her a grin. “You’ll see, just wait!” They walked through a grove of trees before lance came to a stop at the base of the largest one. Pidge raised her eyebrow. This tree looked rather familiar. Where had she seen it before? Lance let out a sigh and pulled out a picture. Then it hit Pidge, this was the same place Lance took Allura out on their first date! The picture was of that moment, Lance and Allura standing in front of the tree. Pidge’s heart went into her throat. Lance sighed. “Yeah, I miss her, and I really wanted her to be the one, but . . . well, as you could tell it didn’t work out.” He looked at Pidge, a sad smile on his face. “I’m really happy for them.” 

Pidge chuckled nervously. “Right. Who knew a TV show caught on that they were best for each other?” 

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, I really should have paid more attention . . . to a lot of things.” His hand went through his hair. Pidge followed it with her eyes, wishing that could have been her hand. “And well, now I realize that she wasn’t the one for me, because there’s this girl who is.” 

Pidge’s heart just about stopped. Who was this girl? “Y-yeah? What’s she like?” 

Lance glanced up at the tree, a soft smile on his face. “She’s really smart, kind, and is very passionate about her work. She puts the needs of others first, and, well, she’s just awesome! And pretty too. I should have noticed before, but I think I let my starry eyed crush get the best of me instead of allowing myself to actually fall in love. Though, in a way, I did fall in love while I had that crush on the Princess, without knowing it.” 

Pidge turned her head to hide her tears. “Then why didn’t you invite her here?” 

“But I did.” Pidge’s head snapped back to Lance, eyes widening. She barely dared to hope, but he was looking at her earnestly. “That’s why I asked you here, Pidge, I, uh, I wanted to ask you out. I mean, sure, this isn’t the same way that I asked Allura out, but, this just felt right, because you’re the right one for me.” He looked back down at the picture. “And, well, to let you know that I have finally let go of Allura.” He stuffed the picture back in his pocket and scratched his head. “Ok, that didn’t quite come out the way I wanted it to, but it also wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” He grinned sheepishly. “That must have sounded stupid.” 

Pidge laughed as the tears came down. “That’s because you are stupid.” 

“Hey!” 

Pidge ran into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But you’re my idiot, and I love you!” 

“I don't know if I should be happy or insulted,” said Lance. 

“Don't be insulted, you just try too hard. You're really not that stupid.” 

Lance scoffed. “Oh, good to know.” But then he chuckled and returned the hug. “But right now, I’m the happiest man alive!” He kissed her.

[greenflamedwriter]

Shance Prompt

To all the Fanfics I’ll never write. But I don’t want to lose them so here they are.

Filler Episode [#0002]

Ship: Shance- Shiro/Lance

Voltron Au: Return to Earth and Shiro gets back with Adam and Lance is heartbroken of Kuro. Plot oriented.

They land on earth and everything is fine, until Lance see’s Shiro and Adam reunite and feels utterly destroyed. Then to top it off they have a row with the instructors and James is high and mighty and says that they should be in charge of Voltron since they are better candidates.

So Shiro agrees and says if they’re team can pilot the lions then build up to their standards and do better than Pidge, Hunk Keith and Lance and are prepared for the Galra then sure.

All of the team gets denied, except for the Red Lion- it lets James pilot it and Lance now realises how much of a spare part he’s been.

That he would amount to nothing but a cargo pilot. 

James is cocky as hell sure- but Lance doesn’t seem too upset like last time- he knew he piloted red because Keith stepped down that he was a fighter pilot because Keith left. 

Lance was only here because Keith had to step down, just because of Lance’s ego? No he was so over that.

So Lance turns to James shakes his hand (stopping the arguments as Pidge was yelling at James and was defensive) 

Lance tells him, congratulations, he’s sure the team will teach him the ropes and that they should hurry to perfect their team dynamic. He turns to Iverson and says he has background experience on the Galra and has loads of intel to teach the cadets. They need to be ready for war as the Galra will not hold back- so Iverson agrees for Lance to be their informat to teach the class everything he knows.

Well- Iverson doesn’t Agree persay, but tells Lance he expects a module of what he will teach the kids that have to approved by the lectueres, Lance agrees and admits to giving a tour of the Altean Castle and giving his presentation inside.

Shiro is pissed off and ready to fight for Lance to stay but Lance intervenes “Shiro this works out, we need a pilot from the Garrison to be here. By Military standards a former pilot and a few dropouts have no weight or loyalty, they want to make sure Voltron is on their side first.”

“Of course we are! We want to protect earth-”

“But not become dictators like Zarkon- think of this as the accords from Civil war, look it’ll work out once they see what you can do-” And the fact that the country will assume Voltron was some terroist weapon so YEAH they needed to show they had control of Voltron.

“What we can do- Lance you’re a part of this team too!” Lance smiled though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I know, which is why it’s better to be on the side lines, the Garrison know nothing about the Galra, Altean teach and the things they need to make them stronger, like Bulmarian crystals or Weblums that eat planets, they need to be prepared and they won’t understand a word Coran is saying and Allura is stuck with Voltron since she’s a new member. She and James can learn more together- this works out! I can help speed things along!”

“What about Shiro he can do all that stuff!” 

Pidge yelled and Lance shook his head even though Shiro nodded along with her.

“No- Shiro is the senior officer and would be working with Iverson and the other instructors and even Head of state- he’ll have his hands full trying to make sure the freakin army won’t use us as some sort of terrorist threat we can’t afford infighting with other continents when ACTUAL aliens might come out of nowhere and kill us- two pair of hands are better, guys...trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“Are you really okay with this?”

Lance blinked surprised at the pure venom coming from Keith, Keith glaring right at him and his mouth slipped shut “I- of course, no use beating around the bush, I wasn’t meant to be a fighter pilot. I should accept my loses while I can.”

_____________________________

Iverson and other lectures start chewing Lance out and he snaps.

“To be perfectly candid, Sir. I’ve been to space and seen everything and have more experience with the Galra, the Alteans craft the materials needed such as Balmera and Weblum- Coran and I can teach you all there needs to know about what we are facing, I can give you my intel and what you do with it is up to you and your superiors.”

Iverson grit his teeth “Fine, Cadet. I will let the instructors know about the extra curriculum-”

“Oh these involves them too actually, how about I give you a tour of the Altean Castle- as science officors have to be in depth to replicate Altean technology since they’re much more advance and we need the extra fire power we can get- it would be easier since I can tell them whats what-”

“Fine, Mclain, do whatever you need. Sort out a trial Seminar and we’ll see if it’s appropriate for the cadets.”

Lance does everything, he helps out and ends up taking over, without warning he’s advanced from Cadet to Intruscter to [whatever the ranking system in the military is Idc] and ends up outranking Keith which is funny, he also gets better with the simulations and becomes a really good teacher, he and Iverson suddenly start getting along it’s scary- Lance avoids Shiro/Adam like the plague and just keeps busy.

Meanwhile James is not working well with the team and ends up crashing Voltron, the team have a comparison of when Lance left and knew the difference and were worried James was going to be a problem.

 Lance stays behind and becomes a teacher for the Garrison cadets and teachers them about the Weblum, Balmera and goes into detail. Students find out he died, and shit he shows his badass scar-

 and then the super dream team!

Romelle! Lance! Matt! Sam! and Shiro all work together to speed up the process to make Earth defendable, they work on the barrier and Lance only manages to get the remaining materials they can get while Shiro and Adam are working on the blueprints for the Atlas.

“Lance?”

Lance turns surprised to see Shiro looking flushed “I...We were thinking of a crew for the Altas.”

“Yeah…?”

Shiro held his gaze “I want you to be on my team, with Coran and the others.”

Lance almost dropped his data pad. “I - what?”

“Lance, you’re good- you would’ve been chosen by Voltron if-”

“But I wasn’t, it’s because I was there, when given the choice Red went to James, I’m just a spare…” Lance goes to walk away, Shiro grabbed his arm. “Are you saying I’m a spare? That I’m wasting my time on Atlas and should let someone like Iverson be in charge of it?”

“What? No! That’s not what I’m saying-”

“Lance maybe you outgrew Voltron, maybe both of us can be more than that, why can’t you see it when I say you’re a good pilot and a great sharpshooter-”

Lance eyes stung but Shiro was on a roll “I would be honoured to have you on my team, if you say no I hope it’ for the right reasons and not because you don’t think you’re good enough.” Shiro squeezed his shoulder “You are good Lance, I couldn’t ask for a finer pilot.”

Shiro left knowing that’s all he had to say, and Lance scrubbed at his face and hurried away, he had reports to deliver.

Lance gets along with Kinkade and James old team, James himself fumes that Lance was able to be flexiable to get along with both teas of Voltron and Mfe’s. Lance is also able to pilot the are fighter and breaks records. Lance is finally more comfortable in his own skin and ends up going to the shooting range with Kinkade, being so flexable makes James irritated.

Lance talks to James and is able to break through to him that being the best isn’t what matters in the grand scheme of things. So Lance talks about James trying to bond with Pidge and the others and that bonding with his fellow cadets is good for the team.

Lance ends up flying red to show James how it’s done.

Lance felt relaxed being back and could feel the content purr and smiled once he landed he walked out seeing James fuming face.

“I would kindly suggest you give me my lion back.” Lance smirked “She’s all yours.”

James took a step forward and yelped when the barrier swooshed down and he slammed into it, he fell back clutching his nose “What!?”

Lance smirked “I don’t think she’s ready to give me up as her pilot.”

Turns to see Shiro, Keith, Pidge and Hunk and Allura watching fondly.

Lance flushed “You guys were right and the lion- she was teaching me a lesson, I wanted to feel like I earned a spot at being her pilot. I wanted to work for it- but I didn’t, the Red Lion accepted me as I was it was me that felt inadequate.” 

“I guess you don’t need to be on the Atlas afterall, you’re still needed here I see.” Lance smirked “Hard to be in two places at Once...but it was thanks to you Shiro.”

Shiro flushed and ducked his head.

“Well if you change your mind, the offer still stands.”

Feel free to adopt this fic if you want I guess...

[vldkeith]

keithtober prompt #13: mullet

It doesn’t make any sense.

Lance peers across the room at Keith, narrowing his eyes, gaze zeroed in on his stupid mullet. A mullet that, if Lance is remembering correctly, is the exact same length as it was when they entered space.

Like. The exact. Same. Length.

Lance sidles over to Pidge, who is working on her computer on the couch. “Hey,” he says in a hushed voice, leaning towards her conspiratorially. “Does Keith’s hair ever change? Like...it looks the same as it did at the beginning. I never see him cut it.”

Pidge blinks and, for once humoring Lance, peeks over her computer and stares at Keith for a minute.

She raises her eyebrows. “Huh. Yeah, you’re right. It’s exactly the same.”

“Right?!” Lance says, emphatically nodding. “But he never cuts it. What’s up with that?”

“Hey, Keith?” Pidge calls, and Keith starts and looks over. Lance gasps and jumps away from Pidge, glaring at her murderously. She wasn’t supposed to say anything!

Pidge continues, unabashed, “Can you come over here for a second? I wanna see something.”

Looking bemused and vaguely suspicious, Keith slowly stands and walks over. Lance’s eyes follow him the whole time.

Keith comes to a stop in front of Pidge, folding his arms. “What?”

“No, turn around,” Pidge instructs, waving her hand in a circle to indicate what Keith must do. Keith blinks three times but, apparently unable to think of anything truly sinister that him turning around could be a part of, turns his back on them.

Pidge leans in close, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Lance joins her warily because, hey, if Keith’s here, why not inspect further and maybe get some answers?

“Weird,” Pidge says, brushing one of her fingers lightly on the edges of Keith’s hair. This, of course, causes Keith to whirl around, looking alarmed.

“What--What? What are you doing?” he asks, sounding nettled. Pidge soundly ignores him and turns to Lance instead.

“There are no, like, cuts,” Pidge says, eyes shining. “Like. It looks like its never been cut. The edges aren’t sharp or anything.”

“What the fuck,” Lance replies with feeling, and they both turn again to stare critically at Keith. He looks unnerved.

“What are you guys--” Keith begins, but Pidge cuts him off with a sudden, “Oh, wait! I’ve got it!”

Both Lance and Keith watch, intrigued, as Pidge starts rummaging around in her bag, and a few seconds later she produces a roll of measuring tape.

“Keith, turn around again,” she says, unfurling it and snapping it straight. Keith actually takes a step back, gazing with distress at the measuring tape.

“What the fuck is going on--”

“Just do it!” Pidge interrupts, and Keith is definitely not one to push Pidge over the edge when she’s determined about something, so he complies. Lance can relate.

“Okay,” Pidge says eagerly, raising the tape to Keith’s head. “Let’s measure it and write it down, and then a few months later, we can measure it again and see if anything’s changed!”

“Measure--my hair?” Keith says, incredulous, but gets no response.

“That’s a great idea!” Lance supplies eagerly, clapping his hands together. “How long is it?”

“Around 10.7 inches,” Pidge answers. She leans away from Keith, allowing him to turn around in all his annoyed, emo glory.

“We’re watching you, mullet man,” Lance says seriously, pointing two fingers at his eyes and then at Keith. Pidge nods vigorously next to him.

Keith stares at them both, utterly nonplussed.

“What?!”

Two month pass, and Lance would like to say that the mullet problem left his mind during that time, but that wouldn’t be entirely truthful...or, truthful at all. Every time Lance looks at Keith, he tries to mentally calculate how much his hair has grown, and anything that makes Lance McClain do math by his choice has got to be weighing on his mind. Especially because, every time this happens, Lance’s results are inconclusive; he sometimes thinks he can see it lengthening a little, but every time upon closer inspection he doubles back and thinks no, it’s the same, and he goes on and on in circles like this, longing for the day when they can just measure it again and get it over with.

Besides, Keith seems to be noticing Lance flitting about him, staring at his hair (even more than usual), and Lance doesn’t really want to deal with any weird gay-subtext confrontation that could result from that.

So, when the day finally arrives to continue their experiment, Lance practically bounces up to Pidge and drags her to Keith’s vicinity, which happens to be his room this time.

“Keithers!” Lance calls, banging loudly on his door, Pidge snickering next to him. Keith appears a moment later, looking surprised and weirdly sleep--was he napping?

Cute! Lance’s brain supplies. Lance tells his brain to fuck off. They have business to do.

“Wait!”

Lance, Pidge, and Keith turn to look down the hallway at the sudden call, and lo and behold, there’s Hunk, running quickly up to them. They watch silently as, panting, he catches up to them.

Hands on his knees, he holds up one finger, signalling for them to wait a minute while he catches his breath. They all do, because Hunk is great, and they can be patient for him.

Letting out a final sigh, Hunk raises up again. “Phew. Sorry, had to run from, like, the whole other side of the castle to get here in time. Anyway, Pidge told me about your hair experiment, and I wanted in. This has been bothering me for months.”

“Me too!” Lance bursts out, shining, and hugs Hunk. “I knew we were born to be best friends. You get me.”

Hunk laughs and ruffles Lance’s hair fondly while Pidge rolls her eyes. Keith is looking at all of them like they’ve lost their minds which, to be fair, maybe they have.

“Alright, gang, let’s go in,” Lance declares, marching into Keith’s room without another word. Pidge follows and then Hunk, who does at least deign Keith with a sympathetic look.

Keith is left standing in his own doorway, having just woken up from a well-deserved nap, wondering why the fuck his teammates are so goddamn weird.

Fast forward a few minutes and some haggling, Pidge is holding the measuring tape up to Keith’s head again, Hunk and Lance crowded around and staring intently at it.

Pidge lets the tape flutter down in disbelief.

“10.7 inches,” she announces in a small voice. The effect is immediate.

“What!? You’re joking--”

“There is no way it’s the same--”

“What the fuck are you guys talking about?”

Keith cuts them both off and everyone falls silent, turning to face him, seemingly having forgotten that he was even there. He looks like he’s at the end of his rope, which is fair.

“Your hair,” Lance replies, exasperated. “Keep up.”

“What about my hair?” Keith presses, looking glad to finally be getting some answers.

“It, like, never changes,” Lance explains, shaking his head, because honestly, how is Keith this slow? “It’s the same length now as it was two months ago. Two months! Do you cut it? What gives?”

Everyone stares at Keith expectantly, waiting for an explanation. He’s silent for a moment, thinking, and then, slowly, a smirk unfurls on his face.

“Ohh, that makes sense. Okay,” he says simply, sitting down on his bed and stretching. Lance begins to feel helpless.

“So... What gives?” Hunk repeats Lance’s words, looking around at both him and Pidge. The knowledge is slowly dawning on all of them.

Keith is not going to help them solve this mystery.

“What gives what?” Keith asks elusively, stretching back on his bed, arms behind his head. He’s still smirking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My hair is just my hair.”

“Fuck you,” Pidge says with genuine vitriol. She points at him. “We’re gonna figure this out. I’ll be watching you like a hawk, even more than Lance does. We will answer this.”

“Yeah!” Lance says. And then, “Wait, I don’t watch him that mu--”

“I’ll watch too!” Hunk adds, looking resolute. Keith is snickering.

“Good luck with that,” Keith tells them, and then turns around, pulling out his Altean tablet. Lance feels enraged, and bested, and confused, because how the fuck does his hair stay the same for so long oh my GOD--

“Watching you,” Lance says, walking backwards towards the door. Pidge and Hunk follow. “Every second of every day. Watching you.”

“Gay,” Keith replies, deadpan. Lance feels murderous.

“Watching you!”

With that, he whisks out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

Someday, this mystery will be solved.

“Hey, Keith, can you help me with--”

Lance stops dead. So does the figure standing in front of the fogged mirror, towel around his waist, droplets glistening across his skin, knife raised in front of a strand of hair.

Knife raised in front of a strand of hair.

Knife raised in front of a strand of hair.

Lance takes a deep breath and points magnificently at Keith. “YOU--!!” he gets out, but he doesn’t have time to say anything else, because the next second he’s being charged by an angry wet catboy holding a knife, and he shrieks and runs, trying to get out so he can tell the truth, the world needs to know--

“You’re dead, McClain!” Keith shouts, chasing him down the hall away from the bathrooms, and Lance laughs, feeling exhilarated.

Finally. He has proven that Keith Kogane is just a normal person like the rest of them. Now all he has to do is live long enough to get that information to the world.

"Catch me if you can, mullet!"

Oh, it's good to be right.

[hunterguyveriv]

Hidden Beauty

Here is my submission for Days 1(First Sunrise/Set) & 2(Late Night Adventure) of Kacxa Week I had this plan to do quick ficlets for these 2 days but no matter what I did they merged into one and Kind of ties in with “The Promise.”

This post would have been up sooner, but I kind of pepper sprayed myself. Harvested hot pepper seeds from plants I grew earlier and apparently I didn’t wash the oils off well enough xD xD xD 

Anyway, here is my submission for days 1 & 2 titled Hidden Beauty

"Let me take you somewhere in which you will feel young and take your mind away from all this..."

It was nighttime on Verolgah-VI. The two planetoid moons did their annual dance across the evening sky as shooting stars streaked the upper atmosphere. The devastated planet's temperature was chilly, but nothing like what most of the Paladins were used to, save for one.

He looked to the lions with 3 out of the 5 charged up, Red was in the final stages of charging up. He let out a sigh; some things were going to plans, but he had to remain on edge as the leader. Shit tends to hit the fan when one least expected it, and with friends still about 2 maybe 3 more days away, anything could go wrong.

Since they first landed on, well, more or less crashed when the lions collapsed from low energy, the Paladins all slept in the cave with Acxa. But tonight was different; it was cold enough to drive them to the lions that were charged. Hunk, Lance, Shiro, and Coran were sleeping in the Yellow Lion. Allura, Pidge, and Romelle were sleeping in Green, with Blue-Powered down to preserve power. Krolia and Keith's wolf were snuggled up in Black, which was somewhat comfier than the ground from the Star-whale, but nothing close to temperature.

Keith only grabbed his red & white jacket from Black's storage locker, from when he grabbed what little belongings he left on the Castle when he took a sabbatical from the Voltron-Force. Krolia was ready to get some sleep when she asked if he would turn in. His response was he had too much on his mind and was going for a walk. When his mother saw Acxa walk out of the cave, she gave him her sly "mother knows all" smirk and responded with "you kids don't stay out too late" before turning and taking his wolf with her.

Blushing and stammering at her, he turned to see Acxa wearing something similar to an Earth styled tank top in the moons' light, which her blue skin radiant. When he got within range of her, she gestured her head to follow her. He threw his jacket on which even over his Paladin Armor slightly loose. He put his belt with his Marmoran blade on and started walking with her. She took him to her favorite spot in silence. It had been three long years since she saw him last and even though she had so much to tell him, opening up was something relatively new for her. Even taking him to a spot she had grown to love in her mind was a huge gamble, that she was surprised she was doing.

It was one of the most stunning sights next to her that he had ever seen. It was a massive valley with a small creek like waterfall leading into a small shallow lake. Further behind were some of the most gorgeous mountain ranges he had ever seen with millions of stars. Even the nearby Argola nebula was just barely seen. Its blues, greens, purples, & reds intensified by the planet's atmosphere. His mouth agape, Acxa finally broke her silence. "I found this place about a year and a half after I was left here by the coalition."

Keith walked forward, taking in the beauty of the water, reflecting the moons and stars. The water droplets flying into the air reminded him of fireflies he used to catch with his father when he was a small boy, "It's beautiful." She walked up to match his location, slowly wrapping her arm around his. She sensed him tensing a little and then relax, but she knew he was much like her. Both introverted warriors, just starting to let their feelings show on the surface. "In the morning this spot reminds me of my homeworld, before it was officially... 'indoctrinated' into the Empire."

He looked to her, seeing a sorrowful look on her face. "Tell me about it?" She looked at him softly, smiling, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She started to sit down, but he stopped her taking his jacket off, laying it on the ground gesturing for them to sit on it. She slowly sat down on his coat. She looked at him. "Won't you get cold?" He shook his head, "Nah, I grew up in the desert for the most part. I am used to brutally hot and brutally cold temps."

Acxa nodded and looked up to the stars and looked back at him. "From what I remember, it wasn't like this planet. For the better part of a deca-phoeb the planet was a relatively fridgid planet, but it was no barren froze wasteland. My mother's people were born in a region in which it was neither barely above freezing or frozen. The closer you got to the planet's polar region the darker blue their skin got, towards the equatorial sections they were either a lignt blue almost white color almost like that little girl & those two Alteans. But regardless of our skintone we all loved Aaenergola..."

Keith continued to listen to the Acxa tell him of her homeworld. The architecture, the lore, some of the history, the customs, and so much more emphatically. But when it came to the story of the Empire coming to her world, her demeanor and tone changed. Her planet had fought the best it could but ultimately was indoctrinated into the Empire.

She revealed her father was a doctor and her mother a Galra Lieutenant who he had saved from dying. Both harbored no ill will towards the other's race. When she was born, both parents wanted her yo have a decent education despite being a half-blood. But it wasn't until she got to her parents' death when she was 9 that she became bitter. When Aaenergolan Terrorists executed her parents for helping Galran citizens while Aaenergolans were starving. She trailed off as she remembered coming out of her hiding place. Finding her father brutally murdered, protecting the area she was hiding.

Keith, for the first time, saw tears streaking down her face and her lip trembling. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to scoot closer to him. He had asked if she wanted to stop, and she nodded her head, wiping some of her tears away, asking about his homeworld.

As she did to him, he told her of Earth and his life on the distant planet they were trying to get back to. Of the blue skies and oceans, everything that made the planet one of the most beautiful he has ever lived on. Growing up with just a father before he died fighting a fire. His life before his adopted brother Shiro came into it.

Keith told her it wasn't until he was on a Blade mission did he learn who his mother was and later on in the Quantum Abyss, the reasons why he grew up without her in his life. Just hearing his voice caused her to relax and snuggle up to him. He felt her wrap an arm around his waist, prompting him to wrap an arm around her shoulders. When he stopped talking about Earth, she was fast asleep, snoring softly on his shoulder. Not long after, he fell asleep after repositioning, so her head was on his chest armor.

Many Vargas later, Acxa sat right up as one of the suns started to rise. She was expecting to be alone, which typically happened when she let her guard down, showing a side people typically never see. But was relieved seeing Keith still sleeping next to her. She pulled her legs to her chest and started watching the suns rise.

He started to stir, feeling the warmth on his face. When he woke up, he saw Acxa sitting up, his jacket draped over her shoulders. He slowly sat up and beheld one of the most stunning sights as the twin suns started to dance across the sky. The water, especially the waterfall, looked like it was molten lava. Like the sky, the vegetation itself looked like it was ablaze, swaying in the wind with colors of reds, blues, greens, and purples.

Both half breeds talked a little while enjoying the beauty of the sunset heads perched against each other. When the bottom of the second sun was just barely over the distant mountains, they decided it was time to head back to the group. But before leaving, he took one last look at their surroundings and turned to her.

She had a nervous look on her face, "About last night..." He had a delicate look on his face and softly smiled, "I want to thank you for last night. You bringing me to this beautiful place was as if you were opening your true self to me." She closed her mouth, being a little surprised at being thanked; she started to blush purple. "It takes great courage and trust to open up to someone, and I hope I am worthy of both."

Almost 2 hours later: The group was starting to freak out that Keith was nowhere to be found, nor was Acxa. Most of the group was searching the compound, while others were searching the immediate area. Some were worried that the pirates took them, one worried that their host handed him over to the pirates, while another knew all too well where they were. She refused to answer anyone's questions about why she wasn't worried. But Coran soon put two and two together, once being a parent himself.

When the group regrouped, it wasn't until his wolf snapped his head up, ears perked that everyone put their attention elsewhere. With their leader and hostess missing, The Paladins drew their bayards ready for anything. If it were an ambush like last time, they'd be prepared to fight.

Two figures were walking towards them with the suns at their backs, nearly blinding everyone. When the wolf bolted and teleported, everyone got on edge, waiting for the inevitable attack. But it never came. Instead, they could barely make out one figure stopping greeting the wolf and the three of them walking back.

As they got close, enough everyone realized that it was Keith with Acxa wearing his jacket. But what really caught their attention was that they were both holding hands and that their demeanor was different. It was no longer of two socially awkward Galrans who tried hiding there was something there to clearly having broken the ice with each other.

[snaileer]

Chips & Salsa Chp 6

Okay, Lance had definitely not thought through the whole ‘angrily stomp out of the room and leave Keith stunned behind him’ thing. Mostly because now Keith was in his room and Lance had nowhere else to be at five in the morning. It was still a good 2 hours until anyone was supposed to be awake.

What that really meant was everybody still had 2 hours of productive free time until they’d agreed Allura was allowed to beckon for them. God, he wished he hadn’t argued for the extra hours of ‘beauty sleep’ now. Even if sleep was all he wanted to do.

Still, maybe the time would give him an opportunity to shake off the lingering heaviness of his nightmare.

Lance fiddled with the bracelet on his arm. Pidge really was their very own genius extraordinaire. It was measured perfectly to his wrist. Which was saying something, because he had itsy-bitsy crazy thin wrists. From his Mom’s side.

His siblings had teased him relentlessly for having ‘dainty’ wrists. Ha! Lance smiled to himself at the thought. If only his family could see him now; he would absolutely destroy them in arm-wrestling.

He might even be able to beat Marco, but his brother had-

The ringing surged, “Ah!” Lance stumbled to the side with his head in his hands. His elbow hit the wall and he yanked back immediately, “OooooH! Mmmm- ! Mother trucker!” 

His arm tingled with pins-and-needles as he lost balance and fell to the floor.

“Lance!?”

Shiro? 

Shiro. 

He ran down the hall towards Lance, “Lance! What’s wrong?”

“I hit-” Lance hissed in pain again, “I hit my funny bone.” He cradled his left arm against his chest.

Shiro froze in surprise, until he started to shake. Within seconds Shiro stopped trying to contain his snickering and was laughing outright.

“Shiro!” Lance said scandalized, “Stop laughing at me! The funny-bone hurts!”

Shiro was laughing so hard he was wheezing, “I’m sorry,” he could barely get a word out, “It’s just so funny!”

Lance dropped his head against the ground with a thump. “It’s still tingling!” He whined into his chest, sounding for all the world like a petulant child. Which only made Shiro laugh harder.

-x-

Now, Coran had seen some things in his days. He’d seen stars and galaxies and war and peace, applez and orranges, kings and queens. The rise of civilizations. The fall of planets. The lives in between them. 

Still, it was quite a sight to come upon the blue and black paladins in the hallway of his castle. One rolling on the ground in pain and the other laughing uncontrollably at his friend.

“Paladins?”

“Coran!” Shiro managed to talk as he tried to catch his breath.

“What is the meaning of this, Number one?”

“Lance, hit his-” he wheezed again, “funny bone,” A giant smile still plastered across his face.

Lance shouted out next to him, “There’s nothing funny about the funny bone Shiro!”

“There is for me!” 

“Would you like some help, Number Three?” Coran asked as he walked in front of Lance on the floor.

“Dios mio, yes! Please!” Lance took Coran’s hand to pull himself back up, still rubbing his elbow as he glared at Shiro.

Coran shook his head, “I don't think I will ever understand you humans, you’re a very… unique breed.” 

“Don't even try with this one. The funny bone is the most useless, pointless thing the human body ever came up with,” Lance stated the fact like it was his greatest enemy.

“I’ll have to disagree with you there, Lance, because that was exactly what I needed this morning,” Shiro smiled smugly.

“You shouldn't even be awake this early!”

“Oh, but I am. And I will never forget this. Oo-!” Shiro hummed with a discovery, “But thank you for reminding me! I was hoping to catch up with you to go over the Blue Lion.”

Lance’s playful smile dropped.

“You have Olympic talents for dampening a mood, you know that right?” 

“I have been told that once or twice.” Shiro smirked, “And yet we’ve still got to do it.” He latched his hand onto the back of Lance’s jacket.

Lance’s mind worked overtime to try and figure a way out. He couldn’t confront Blue, not after everything that happened. Everything that he’d done.

“A unique breed indeed,” Coran murmured as he watched Shiro continue to half-drag Lance towards the hangers.

“See you at breakfast, Coran!” Shiro waved at him before turning a corner.

“Hey! There’s an option: breakfast! Y’know… eat, talk... not mess with the Blue Lion.” Lance tried to smile.

Shiro infused his voice with false cheer, “Sure, sounds like a great idea! If you’re willing to actually talk now,” Lance cringed, “Didn’t think so.” 

Shiro stopped them in front of the hangar doors, his shoulders sagging a bit, “Listen, Lance, I get the whole not wanting to share with us thing. I don't like talking about my experiences either.” He sighed, “I know it would probably help to talk about it, we both know that, but we also know how hard that is.” Shiro made pointed eye contact with Lance, “So if we’re not going to work on the emotional, then we’ve got to work on the logical. And that means the Blue Lion.”

“Or…” Lance mock shrugged with his hands, “how ‘bout we don't and say we did?” 

Shiro raised a judgemental eyebrow.

“Fine, fine,” Lance raised his arms in surrender, “Didn’t think that one would work anyways,” he grumbled, “All I wanted was some sleep.”

Stepping up to the hanger doors felt more ominous than usual. But when they opened, Blue was just as amazing as he remembered.

And her barrier just as strong.

Shiro followed him into the room as he slowly made it to the particle shield.

“Hey, Baby Blue,” he paused to look up at her eyes, “Miss me?” 

Lance rested a hand on the barrier, trying to feel her in his mind. She used to be a constant presence. Always there to reassure him, to push him further, to help him be better. 

Now?

Now, as he searched for her connection, Lance could feel the walls between them.

Now, as he desperately hoped for even a sliver of her peace, there was nothing.

Now, as his fears were silently confirmed, Lance knew he’d been cut-off from her.

“Sorry, Shiro, it’s just not happening,” He pulled his hand back from the shield quicker than necessary. He hurried to get out of the hanger and alone.

“It’s okay, Lance, I was planning on a bonding session today anyways,” Shiro smiled gently and followed after him.

Lance spun to face him, “Why?! Because you knew this wouldn’t work?!”

Shiro was started back a bit, “No, I just-”

“Don’t worry! I knew it wouldn’t work, too! Of course it wouldn’t work! Why in the wide wide world of Webkinz would Blue ever want me back?! She wouldn’t! I don't even know why any of you want me back! You have Allura now! She’s literally a magical alien princess! How can I compare to that?!”

“We want you back because you're our friend, Lance. You’re the only one comparing yourself to Allura,” Shiro tried to comfort him, tried to fill in those insecurities and worries. He’d seen them in Lance before, known they were there, but they’d grown since he’d been... taken. “We told you: Blue barely let Allura fly her, you are the Blue paladin. Not anybody else.” 

“Well somebody forgot to tell her that! Did you know I can feel the walls between us? I can literally feel everything that’s stopping me from connecting to her. To my lion. Can you even imagine that? I wish I could help you, but maybe I’m not even meant to be a paladin anymore.”

“No, that’s not true, Lance. I know it’s not. Please, just come to the training today. We’ll try this again, and-”

“Don't you get it, Shiro?! It’s not going to work! We can keep trying, but it’ll never work because she shut me out! She cut me off!” Lance’s voice saddened, “Completely.” 

“We can’t be sure of-”

“Fine! I’ll be there. But I’m not promising anything,” Lance turned his back to Shiro, “So don't get your hopes up.” He left the hangar quickly, pushing himself farther and farther away from the Blue Lion. Further into the abandoned darkness.

Lance curled his arms around himself in the empty hallways, but kept walking. A weight settled in his chest. Accumulating from the nightmare, the fight and, Blue. He was so tired.

The density of the heartache slowed him to a stop in front of the observatory, doors opening automatically.

Oh, how he missed the stars.

He’d been in space for probably more than a year now and he’d spent three months without seeing the stars. Without a window once the entire time.

The tablet-pad in the wall told him he still had an hour ‘till he was needed for anything. The massive window ledges called to him. They were hard, but wide enough and long enough for him to lay on them.

Lance stared out at the space beyond the glass. The infinite universe of stars and planets and cultures.

And silence. Without muddling noise or cheering crowds or hushed whispers or dying fear. 

Just calm, clear silence.

A roar thundered through his mind, and he shot upwards, his eyes snapping open. When had he dozed off?

Fading growls echoed in his ears. Quickly being replaced by the ringing.

He just wanted a moment. Just to relax. To relax without shrill screams lingering in the background. He just wanted to escape it. Escape what it pushed him towards. Escape what it made him do. 

Not now. Not now. Not now. 

Not yet.

Lance worked to calm himself down. It’d been worse than this before and it’d be worse again. He just had to move around it. 

Lance climbed off the window ledge and made his way to the wall tablet. He had to get to breakfast with the team. 

God, Keith would be there. 

God, Shiro would be there. He has the actual worst planning ever. Two fights in as many hours with people he literally can’t avoid.

“Ugh, breakfast is gonna be so awkward,” Lance groaned and then forced himself towards the dining room.

He was correct. Breakfast was insanely awkward. Both Keith and Shiro were there and he pointedly avoided making eye contact with them. 

By staring at his goo. 

Shiro cleared his throat, “So, today’s gonna be a training day. Just to get back in the rhythm.”

Ah, green goo. 

“Of working together.”

Very…. 

“As a team.”

Green.

“Including a bonding session.”

Much goo. Very wow.

“Lance, unless you’ve discovered the secrets to Voltron in your goo, please listen to me.”

Lance lifted his eyes in a deadpan look, “I am listening and the goo says 42. I said I’d do it so let’s do it.” His chair scraped against the floor when he stood up. He wished it’d been louder.

“I really don't think mind-melding is something I want to do right after eating.” Hunk protested as he collected bowls to drop off in the kitchen.

“We’re not going swimming Hunk, you’ll be fine,” Pidge patted his shoulder in reassurance.

Once everyone had left the kitchen, they headed straight for the training room. Lance ahead of them, leaving tension in his wake. He just wanted this whole mess of a day to be over already.

Coran handed them the headbands in silence and they all sat together again. The same pattern as their first day as Voltron. But everything else was different, so very different.

“This is going to be a bit of a change from last time, since we’re trying to focus on just Lance. I’ve adjusted the headbands to compensate.” 

“Let’s just get this over with.” Lance put his headband on, watching the others do the same.

“Relax and breath.” 

Lance gritted his teeth against the ringing, he could handle it for now. For this.

“Let your minds connect. The flow between each of you is crucial to your bond as Voltron.”

Hunk reached out first, feeling the link snap into place. Except one. Something blocked him from Lance’s mind.

He tapped it, pressing curiously and shifting around the edges. Searching for the roots and the boundaries of it.

Pidge was second, she hit the wall harder than Hunk had, then followed his lead. Working to discover the problem. To learn.

“Lance, why aren’t you letting us in? You have to let us in for this to work at all.” Pidge snapped at him.

“Yes, I know that. But I can’t feel you guys,” Lance grumbled back.

“Then what’s wrong? Why can't we get in?” Keith argued as he banged against the mental block, trying to force it away.

“I don't know. I can’t feel any of you.”

“Just keep trying, I know we can do this,” Shiro pushed against the barrier between them, the team following suit.

“I can feel you guys now. Just a little.” Lance’s words sounded tight.

“It’s working, just a bit farther,” Hunk urged. They pressed harder.

“I- I don't know guys,” Lance paused for a second, his team didn't, “I think I have a headache-” Lance gasped.

A pulse shot through the wall, slamming into the paladins, forcing them out of the bond, 

“GET. OUT. OF. MY. MIND!!” 

It smashed against them, knocking them back forcefully.

Hunk wheezed from his place on the floor, 

“owww.”

Everyone else groaned in agreement.

“Gaaah!” Lance shouted from his seat, pressing his palms to his temples in pain, “This doesn't make any- what was- but it didn't-”

“Hey, Lance, Lance, come on. What’s happening?” Shiro moved forward quickly  on one knee, grabbing hold of his shoulders and trying to get him to look up. “Lance, what was that?”

“I don't know. I don't know what happened. But the moment you guys got pushed back, I remembered something.” Lance shook his head roughly.

“What?” Shiro let go of him and rocked back in surprise.

“You never said you had memory blanks.” Pidge pointed out at him from propped up on her elbows.

“I didn't- I don’t.” Lance tried to guarantee that as fact for himself, “But for a moment, when something lashed out at you, a memory came through. But it can't be mine. It can’t be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I haven’t forgotten anything! I hate it; but I remember everything!” Lance jerked out his hands, “I counted. I measured. I numbered every. single. day. At most I was off by a week, maybe two. But this isn't- It doesn't fit.”

“Wait, Lance, how long did you count?” This time it was Pidge that approached him. Getting as close as she could with her hologram wrist gauntlet.

“Ninety-one,” Lance yelled, “I was there for ninety-one days and I remember every goddamn one of them!”

“Wait but 91 days is only-” Hunk started in the background, but Pidge quickly interrupted.

“Ninety-one days only adds up to about three months.”

“And?”

“And you were missing for six months. Not three.” Pidge flipped around her hologram to show the numbers ticking past days on the calendar, finally stopping at 182.

Six Months.

Next Chapter: https://snaileer.tumblr.com/post/622144446399758336/chips-salsa-chp-7

First Chapter: https://snaileer.tumblr.com/post/613092735756402688/chips-and-salsa-chp-1

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 16: Communion-ity

Keith meets a certain head chef and his tiny half-clone. Said tiny clone is very fond of cats and Lance.

First  Previous  Next

Keith’s tail twitches nervously. On the other side of this door is one of Lance’s oldest, dearest friends. Given Lance's reputation, Keith can only imagine what they might have gotten up to together. Most likely things that would have him trembling for the better part of the next decaphoeb. After that, probably only disgusted.

“Anyway, Hunk is one who runs the kitchens. He makes every single one of your meals himself. Because, y’know, all of our food apparently tastes disgusting to you.”

“It’s the ‘sweet’ thing. I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like, but Galra can’t taste it. And apparently you freaks like nothing else.”

“Hey. If Pidge makes that implant for you I bet you’ll love sweet food.”

“Makes a what now?” Keith asks, but Lance throws open the doors, stepping inside with a flourish, bowing halfway amidst a chorus of greetings.

“Alright, everyone. I have my spouse here to see the kitchens, so please be kind to him.” Another chorus from cheery Alteans. Lance holds out his hand for Keith to take, tugs him into the kitchen. Keith stays close, watching Alteans scurry about, preparing to feed not only the royal family, but also the guards and a portion of Altean’s military, the ones garrisoned at the castle.

As Keith walked past, these Alteans stare at him, forgetting themselves for a moment before averting their gazes. It's better than gossip, in a way, but it causes a sort of ache. Loneliness?

“Kitty!” To Keith’s alarm, a very small creature comes running at him, toddling in its chubby legs. Keith grips Lance’s arm, managing not to extend his claws into his spouse’s arm as the child grabs him around the legs in a hug. “Hi, kitty!”

“Rosetta! Rosetta leave the kitty alone- Oh! Oh, gosh! Rosetta, come here!” A pair of very large hands reach down and pry the child from Keith’s legs. “I’m so sorry about that. She’s little.”

Keith looks up to see a very large person in a spotless apron and yellow headband holding the little child. “It’s… fine. It’s all fine. Um. What’s a kitty?”

“You ever seen Honerva carry a little animal around?” the man asks. Keith nods. “That’s Kova. Her cat, also known as a kitty.”

“I don’t look like that.”

“Tell that to a toddler. I’m Hunk, by the way. Nice to meet you.” Keith blinks, looks the towering Balmeran up and down.

“Nice to meet you too,” he mumbles. “Why do you have a child in the kitchens?”

“Oh. My wife is pregnant and needed a break. Toddlers, man. Tiny monsters, I’m telling you. Besides, it’s never too early to begin learning different spices. Isn’t that right?” Hunk bounces his daughter, beaming with delight. He's nothing like Keith had expected.

“You guys are so great,” Lance says, smiling from where he’s leaning against a table covered with produce. “Hunk and Shay are just the perfect little family. Also, they can make cave bugs taste amazing. You wouldn’t believe it.”

“Hey, I can’t take credit for that. My grandmother-in-law taught me that recipe. It’s one of Rosie’s favorites too, isn’t it Rosie?” The child nods, still watching Keith with interest. “So how have you two been getting on? You doing alright?”

“We’re getting on fine,” Lance answers, scowling at a message on his datapad. “Overworked and underappreciated, but fine.”

“I wish I were overworked,” Keith grumbles, ears pinning back against his head. “I mean, what exactly do they expect me to do? Pidge said that all of my devices are monitored until they can find a way to secure my connections and the guards took everything but my knife when I arrived. There’s not a whole lot of damage a lone Galra can do.”

“Hm.” Hunk passes Rosetta to a delighted Lance, who bounces the little one on his hip. “Remember when ‘innocent until proven guilty’ was a thing?”

“That’s only a thing if the commonwealth asks. The reality is that ‘anything to protect our people’ covers a lot of quiznakery.” Lance sighs, tosses his datapad aside in favor of a cluster of some orbed fruits. He takes one for himself, passes one to Rosetta.

“Thank you,” the child chirps.

“You’re welcome.” Lance beams indulgently at the child.

“Thank you, thank you.” Rosetta grins a wide grin at the prince.

“Well you are very welcome, sweetheart.”

Keith silently watches the exchange, watches as Lance expertly handles the child, bouncing her around and chatting with her while Hunk starts in on an enormous basket of some kind of tuber. The prince seems a natural, happy to engage with the child, setting her at a small table in the corner with a collection of toys, playing some game or another.

Something Keith hadn’t realized he’d been clenching unfurls watching his spouse interact with the child. He imagines that Lance won’t reject him when he inevitably must bear them a kit, and won’t reject their kit either. No. Lance will adore their kits, be a good sire, good father, good mate.

“He loves kids. Wants a small army.” Hunk chuckles. “We’ll see what he says after you guys have your first.”

“Hm.” Keith smiles. “Does he have children already? I know his reputation well, at this point.”

“No. He’s always been careful to prevent such a thing, and if any… prior liaison had a child within a given timeframe, he checked to see if they were his by some small chance. Said that he’d take responsibility, make sure they had that second parent.”

“An honorable cad.”

“I suppose. Oh, there’s a tray of samples for you in that coldbox over there. I’d intended it for lunch, but grab it now and let me know what you think. I haven’t had the opportunity to ask about your food.”

“Thank you.” Keith retrieves the tray, sits across from Hunk and his tubers. “And… thank you. For making me food.”

“It’s all good. Fun, actually. I’ve never experimented with Dabazaani cuisine, despite how close Daibazaal is. You guys have good food. I mean, pretty much everybody has good food, but that purple grass you guys use to make bread? Amazing. Rosie loves it, too. She likes it in her stew.”

Keith smiles. “We like to dip it in stew, too... Why do Alteans all eat off their own plates?”

“Most peoples do. Galra don’t?”

“No. Food is… communion. It’s something to be shared. We take from the same pot. We use a sort of flat, crispy bread-like thing to eat softer foods? It’s difficult to explain. We mostly eat with our hands… Sporks are annoying. I don’t use them if I can help it.” Hunk hums, delightedly interested. Keith takes a risk. “It’s why I didn’t eat with everyone for the first few quintants. I was trying to get better at using one.”

“Really? Lance thought you were just very shy. And maybe didn’t like him all that much." Hunk catches Keith’s eye only for the Galra to look away, folding his arms, hunching over slightly on his stool. He is shy. And seems pretty sweet. “Hey.” The Galra shifts, nervous. “Tell me more about what you like to eat.”

“I like spicy things. And… meat. Altean adults don’t seem to eat meat.”

“No, they don’t. Infants do, for a while. They go through a phase where they eat nothing but meat, actually. I’ll reach out to my contact in Daibazaal to see about adding some to my shipments. Have you been to the infirmary at all?”

“No.”

“You should go and get checked for any deficiencies. I want to make sure you’re getting proper nutrition. Make sure Altea is agreeing with you and all that. It’s very different, isn’t it?”

“Yes. There are plants covering everything! They’re really pretty! And the animals here are cute and don’t bite a whole lot.” Keith's ears perk a bit, his tail sweeping over the floor in long strokes.

“The animals are very friendly -mostly-, and this planet has a lot of vegetation. My home planet is more like Daibazaal. Or maybe a mix of the two. Plenty of plants and animals, but not quite as many. Balmera grow crystals like spines along their nerves. During certain times of year, they will all resonate, and may create a brand new balmera.”

“What… Is Balmera alive?” Keith cocks his head, ears perked with curiosity. He's got wide eyes, Hunk notices, big and dark like the night, shining with curiosity. Lance is doomed.

“Balmera are mineral-based organisms the size of planets. Most are inhabited by entirely unique species. My people are found only on a single Balmera. We love her and care for her. We exist in a completely unique symbiosis.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It’s very nice. Making the sharing of food a part of your daily routine sounds nice too. Your people must have strong bonds with their friends.”

Keith smiles, strangely emotional. “Thank you. Others don’t say nice things about my people very often. Especially not here… They look at me like I’m a monster. They hate me.”

“Well I don’t hate you. Pidge, my best friend, doesn’t hate you. They seem to like you a lot, actually. As for the Alteans… xenophobia is an integral part of their culture. Lance is frothing at the mouth trying to find a way to take them all down a peg.

“At any rate, don’t pay them any mind. You are not a monster. You’re just a guy, who happens to be a Galra. Just like I happen to be Balmeran. Just like Lance happens to be Altean. Life is arbitrary, but community is not, right? We choose who we share our pot with. I think I’d share mine with you.”

The Balmeran smiles at Keith, and Keith smiles back, eyes suspiciously moist. Poor little buddy. Hunk would absolutely share his pot with him. He’d give Keith a hug, but suspects that he wouldn’t like it. He doesn’t know Hunk well enough. Instead, Hunk finishes preparing his last tuber to be sent to the garrison for the castle’s military, heads to the coldbox.

“I don’t have any pots going at the moment, but I’ve got some dough here for your bread. We can share some of that.”

“Can I help?” Keith asks, looking hopeful. “I can cook. I know how.”

“Of course. Food tastes better with more hands. Lance! Rosie! Come help make bread.”

Lance trots over with the toddler, setting her in a special chair. Keith settles in next to his spouse, teaching him how to knead the grainy dough and twist it into traditional patterns. Hunk and Lance carry most of the conversation, switching from common to Altean every now and then so Rosie doesn’t understand the less appropriate anecdotes and gossip.

Apparently, there’s one particular courtier named Seran who spends most of her time ruining her two children and harassing people for even the slightest perceived inconvenience. They both make good sport out of loudly recounting hyperbolic stories for Keith, complete with exaggerated voices for Seran and her evil, entitled children. Apparently, Seran's wife, Renli, is almost as bad.

It has Keith doubled over with laughter, eyes watering with mirth as Lance recounts the time Seran’s gardener trimmed her moss slightly too short and she’d chased him off down the street while swinging his own rake at him.

It’s not until he and Lance are returning to their room, sneaking loaves of Daibazaani bread back with them, that Keith realizes he’s still smiling. He bumps against Lance’s side, happily twists his tail around Lance’s ankle.

“Thank you. For today, I mean.”

“You are most welcome.”

“Thank you for everything else, too.”

“You’re welcome, Keith. Always.”

[makorragal-312]

Void (Part Six)

We’re back, baby!

Allura sighed as she sat on her bed, exhausted from the events of the night. Lance had dropped her off at her room a few minutes ago, so she couldn't help but to lose herself within her thoughts. A small smile came to her face as she recounted the night she had with Lance's family. They were truly wonderful people and had effortlessly made her feel like she was apart of the family. She was reminded of her mother's kindness during her talks with Lance's mother. She was reminded of her father's quiet yet sensitive nature when she looked at Lance's father. She laughed when she conversed with Veronica, Marco and Rachel and immediately felt like a kid again when she watched Luis and Lisa watching over Nadia and Sylvio. To say that the kids were miniature versions of Lance was an understatement.

Speaking of Lance...

The Altean couldn't help but to think about the red paladin. She noticed the unusual shift in his behavior throughout the majority of the night. She noticed how confused and conflicted he looked at the dinner table while she wasn't looking. He seemed to have calmed down just a little while they walked in the park, though she could feel there was still some tension from his end. And it didn't help matters that way he acted when he dropped her off.

Lance, would you like to come inside?

U-uh, no thanks! I'd like to, but I gotta get me beauty rest, you know? We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so kinda need the energy!

Alright. So I'll-

Yup! See you in the morning! Good night, princess!

The princess furrowed her brows at the memory. She couldn't forget how fidgety and anxious he was to get out of there, like he was stuck in a mine field and was in fear of being blown to bits She knew that Lance didn't hate her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he's starting to avoid her. Just as she thought that, she felt little feet climb up to her shoulder. Allura turned her head to find the mice, happy and eager to see her and squeaking in delight. She couldn't help but to smile.

"It's good to see you, too. Have you been behaving well?" she asked, grinning. Platt turned their head, looking at the door for a quick moment before turning their head back to Allura, asking about Lance's whereabouts.

"He left not too long ago. He came over just to drop me off." Chulatt quickly climbed atop of Platt's head, tilting their head in curiosity before squeaking.

"Oh, he's alright. And don't worry. he was the perfect gentleman." Allura responded with a chuckle. Soon enough, the mice lined up next to each other, heads on their paws and eyes wide in anticipation.

"You want to know how the date went, don't you?" Allura asked in exasperation, already knowing the answer. Sure enough, all four mice nodded their heads in excitement. The Altean let out a sigh before she began.

"Well, it was…nice. We had dinner at his house and I got to meet his family. They're very lovely people. So…close." Allura let out a sad smile, being reminded of her parents and Altea. She let a cough, trying not to dwell on the memory.

"Anyway, afterwards he took me to a nearby park. We talked for a bit and then he decided to take us back to get ready for tomorrow. That's pretty much everything." Allura finished. She watched as Chuchule climbed on top of Platt, puckering their lips and mimicking kiss sounds. Allura blushed in embarrassment.

"A-absolutely not!" she yelled. Allura quickly turned around, trying her best to hide her blush. She wasn't going to go ahead and feed into their teasing. She heard the mice squeak in glee, assuming that their princess was lying and did in fact kiss the red paladin. Frustrated, Allura turned her head back to them quickly.

"I'm telling you I didn't! Well, he didn't." Allura spoke softly. The mice stopped squeaking as they observed Allura, taking aback by her sudden somber expression. They all tilted their heads in confusion. The princess noticed the gestures and sighed before explaining.

"When we were talking, there was a moment where Lance was opening up. He said that he wanted to help me find a family. A home. Something inside me just told me that he meant it and he truly did care for me. He truly loved me. I tried to get closer to, you know. But he pulled away and kissed my hand instead. I guess I got the wrong idea." the Altean recounted.

Allura thought back to that moment in the park. Words couldn't describe how safe she felt in that moment with him. How her heart felt like it was going to beat itself right out of her chest. How grateful she was for him being there for her. So yeah, she really wanted to kiss her and given how he's felt for her all of this time, she just assumed that he wanted it, too. And he did, it just happened to be her hand and not her lips. She felt Plachu climb up her shoulder and nuzzle their head against her cheek in comfort, which Allura genuinely appreciated. For the third time that night, the princess sighed and plopped her chin into her hand as she slouched.

"I just wish I knew what happened. If I did something to make him change his mind, I at least want to apologize and make things right."

And that's when it hit her. She quickly sat up straight, face filled with anxiety and horror. The mice looked the same.

"Do you think it's because of Lotor?" she asked in fear. The mice looked at each other for a second before shrugging. That certainly doesn't help matters, she thought.

But the more she thought about it, she honestly wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. When Lotor came along, she had completely brushed Lance aside, aiming to focus on her alchemy and helping Lotor whatever the cause. And somewhere down the line, she started to fall for the prince, and he for her. And sure enough, she let him kiss her. She wanted to let him kiss her. And everything was great…until it wasn't. She was exposed to his true colors and his true motives and let him go. And it hurt, because she wanted to believe that he could never do such a thing. He would never go ahead and kill innocent Alteans. She let him onto her ship. She let him near her paladins. And what's worse, she let him near Lance. He warned her of his intentions, but she chose to stand by Lotor.

He thought he was going to betray them. She chose Lotor.

He thought he was after Voltron. She chose Lotor.

He was in love with her. She chose Lotor.

The guilt she felt was immeasurable. It was bad enough that Lance had to witness her getting close to Lotor. But she knew that if he ever found out about their kiss, it would destroy him. And the last thing Allura wanted to do was put him through any more pain.

"He can't know about this."

_______________________________________________________________________

"You know you don't have to stay here, right?"

"I know, but I'm doing it anyway. But don't worry I'll be on my way out soon enough." Keith walked towards Lance, whom was laying down on his bed. He was about to leave Lance's room a few minutes ago until the red paladin began suffering from a tear-induced migraine, so he decided to hang back and look after him until the migraine showed signs of passing. Hence why he was currently walking towards the blue-eyed man with an aspirin pill in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Ugh, who made post-cry migraines a thing?" Lance wailed, accepting the pill from Keith's hand. He sat up and popped it into his mouth before taking a huge gulp of the water.

"I don't think the person who was crying intended to get a migraine in the first place." Keith chuckled, walking to the kitchen counter and sitting on its corresponding stool. Lance swerved his head at him to give the half-Galran a scowl as the latter merely smirked. Lance let out a defeated sigh, knowing he wasn't going to win the argument and plopped back onto the bed. Eventually, the room went into silence.

"Hey, man. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Lance said somberly.

'Lance, you don't need to apologize. You're going through conflicting emotions with Allura. Anybody would break down over that." Keith replied reassuringly. Lance kept his gaze to the ceiling. Even though he already somewhat broke down in front of him earlier, he refused to let him go back to that place again. He was also trying to get to sleep without his head feeling like it's been hit by a sledgehammer.

"Yeah, but-"

"Lance. You're human, You feel what you feel. Don't feel like you have to keep everything down while everyone else brings theirs up." Keith said firmly. He refused to have Lance feel ashamed for breaking down. He may not have been with the team all that time due to him being with the Blades, but he already felt that Lance was the one who was going through the most shit on the ship and would most likely keep it to himself as to not annoy anyone. And Keith would be damned if he had him act the same now that they're back home.

The red paladin was speechless. He didn't expect the leader of Voltron to say something so profound and comforting, especially to him. And in all honesty, he felt as though he had said the words that he had hoped someone had said to him back in the castle when the latter had left and he was left to his own emotional devices.

"I guess you're right." Lance sighed, signaling the return of the original silence that plagued the room. A good ten minutes drifted by before Keith spoke.

"Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to ask one question, and you totally have the right to not answer. Just wanted to let you know." Lance finally turned his head at Keith, intrigued and nervous at the statement. He gazed at Keith, whom was looking back at him, grasping his hands together firmly.

"What is it?" Keith took a breath before he dropped the bomb.

"What are you scared of?"

Lance's eyes widened in surprise. He had almost forgotten that him being scared caused him to not kiss Allura, but he had no idea that Keith was still dwelling on it. He knew it came from a place of genuine concern, which he was grateful for. But he really wished that he had left it alone so that he didn't have to go through those waves of thoughts and emotion again. The thoughts of not doing the one thing he's wanted to do for ages. The feeling of confusion and sheer relief when he didn't go through with kissing the princess. The guilt he felt in going for a kiss with someone when he already had someone else on his mind. And more importantly, the weird longing of the purple eyes that made his chest tight and his heart skip. The same eyes he was looking into now. Hesitatingly, he looked away from Keith as he connected his eyes with the ceiling once more.

"Everything."

[mckinlily]

shalluraweek day 2: wings/bloom

Summary: wings/bloom The war is over, the paladins are back on Earth, but Shiro and Allura find adjusting to peace might be harder than expected.

read on ao3 here

Truth was, it took way too long for Allura to notice. The war was over, Zarkon and Hagar were safely (finally) dead, and the Paladins of Voltron had returned to Earth. Even negotiations with the Galaxy Garrison and Earth’s other ruling parties had, at long last, come to an end. (Earth’s pollical system was surprising complicated and rigid compared to what Allura would have expected from knowing her paladins. When she had told Shiro that, he had just laughed and laughed.) With the politics and negotiations over, the paladins were finally able to go home.

Keith was in the desert, soaking up the Earth sun and the quiet.

Pidge had reunited her family and was making up for lost time.

Hunk traveled to his grandparents's ranch to finally meet two of his youngest nieces.

Lance had gotten absorbed into the mass of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, distance relatives, and possibly nearby neighbors and outright strangers who just got caught up in the fuss, showing him in the praise and attention deserved.

And Shiro was back at the Garrison, sharing his experience and knowledge with faculty and cadets both. Allura thought he looked very handsome in the sharp cut of his grey uniform, regal and commanding like he always should be. He was back as a hero, and already very well on his way to becoming a beloved instructor. Which to Allura made perfect sense. He had already fought for, inspired, charmed, and occasionally strong-armed the rest of the universe; it was time he received the same kind of recognition on his home planet. He belonged here.

(Allura wasn’t sure she belonged anywhere. With the war over and on a strange planet where the inhabitants felt just enough like Alteans to be continually unnerving, she could feel herself crumpling, like her core was turning into dust.)

(They had finally disposed of Zarkon, and what was Allura besides another ten thousand year old relic? Perhaps it was time for her to fade away as well.)

So Allura told herself all was well. The paladins were safe and happy, and they no longer needed her. She was just stretching out the inevitable when the end was in sight.

It was this line of thinking that almost made her miss the problem with Shiro.

Almost. But, thankfully, not quite.

Allura was used to seeing Shiro with bags under his eyes and stress lines on his face—as much as she might not like it, it was an inevitable part of the war—and it took her way too long to realize that he shouldn’t look like that now. That wasn’t Shiro’s default state. Oh, one might think that was if they only saw Shiro in Black Paladin mode or operating in strict professionalism, but Allura had long since learned how to get past that veneer Shiro held up like a shield. The real Shiro, the true Shiro underneath the stress and the trauma and the responsibility he felt towards everyone, was a very different creature.

And once Allura pulled herself out of her moping enough to realize, it was all very clear.

She hadn’t seen Shiro tease or pull tricks or use that deadpan delivery of his dry morbid humor that left everyone who didn’t know him questioning whether or not he was joking. Not in months. Though he attended all the meetings asked of him, his eyes had lost the light that Allura and the rest of team Voltron had depended on so often in their darkest moments. His involvement in the Garrison seemed more dutiful than engaged, and despite nearly every cadet (and quite a few of the instructors) wanting to know about and know better the incredible Takashi Shirogane, Shiro seemed to be pulling into himself more and more. He wasn’t even excited about mentoring, which was especially surprising given how he had immediately latched on to the other paladins when they were younger. Oh, he tried his best with them—Shiro’s kindness, at least, hadn’t diminished—but it was clear his heart was somewhere far away.

At first, Allura was confused. He seemed to have a great job, a home, a planet—But then Allura thought of what she knew of Shiro, what had made him happiest when they worked side by side, and her heart fell.

Shiro had been grounded. It was so wrong Allura was astonished she hadn’t seen it out before. Mentor, teacher, commander—none of that mattered when it meant he was stuck on the ground. The wings of the great Black Paladin clipped, and oh, Allura hurt at the thought. Shiro had always been happiest the rare times where neither the war nor diplomatic negotiations where pressing on him and he got the opportunity to simply be on whatever planet they had landed on. To learn, explore, try new things. And the Garrison had cut Shiro off from all of it.

Allura’s decision was made before she even had to think about it. She caught Shiro’s hand before he turned in for bed and twined her fingers between his.

“Let’s go,” she said, and Shiro had been working with her too long to question what she meant.

Shiro’s stress lines were etched deep into his face, highlighting the redness also growing there. He held his tablet close to his chest, looking uncertain. “I should…”

Allura shook her head. “Should nothing. You don’t owe them.”

"There’s—there’s paperwork. And schedules—”

“And you’re the Black Paladin. No planetary government can tell you what to do.”

Shiro still hesitated a moment. Then he brought the tablet down. “I’ll get my things.”

As it turned out, Shiro didn’t bring much. Just a few sets of clothes and a personal device with a few memories. Allura took his hand again and led them to the Castle. The other Lions were scattered throughout Earth with their paladins, but the Black Lion was in its hangar. Allura spotted its eyes flash as they walked past and smiled to know it, too, was grateful the Black Paladin had come home.

“You never did fly the Castle, did you?” said Allura as they approached the bridge.

Shiro raised his eyebrows, and he eyes finally filled with a bit of that light he had been missing. “Are you offering to teach me?”

Allura let Shiro walk up to what had been her station and put his hands on the pedestals. She then wrapped her arms around him from the back and pressed her face between his shoulder blades. “Hmm...no. Figure it out.”

Allura felt his laugh more than she heard it. But Shiro didn’t hesitate. He had been living in the Castle for three years and was a fast learner. Figure it out he did, and soon they were breaking through Earth’s atmosphere.

“Where to, Princess?”

Allura smiled against his back. “I don’t care. I just want to be with you.”

It was one of those unspoken things they’d kept hidden, back when the war seemed determined to take everything they loved from them. Shiro took one hand off the pedestals and squeezed her fingers, an acknowledgement. Then he leaned forward.

“There are still a few planets I haven’t been to.”

“Be careful on the gravitational assists. The Castle has its own field.”

Allura could feel Shiro’s grin, even if she couldn’t see it.

“Sounds like a challenge.”

That was her Black Paladin. Her rock and her best friend. Her Shiro. Allura hugged him tight and only laughed when Shiro complained he couldn’t breathe.

By the time they reached the Kepler belt, the tension had leaked out of Shiro’s muscles. He twisted around. “What to take a closer look?”

“Black Lion?” Allura asked.

“Black Lion,” confirmed Shiro.

The Castle might be an incredible feat of engineering, capable of delicate movements that should be impossible for its size, but it had nothing one the agility of a Lion—especially not the way the Black Lion could dance under the direction of Shiro. Together, they soared, darting between frozen clumps of methane and ammonia, going faster—faster—faster! as Allura urged and Shiro laughed in delight until their rumbling stomachs called them home.

(Home, Allura remembered now, had stopped being a place and long since become a person.)

They docked in the Castle and made their way to the kitchen—only to find they weren’t alone.

“Hey, next time give us some warning before we take off, yeah?” said Lance, sprawled out with his feet up on the table.

“I was quite lucky Lance found me before leaving—otherwise I might have been stuck on Earth forever!” said Coran.

“You idiots,” said Keith, stepping forward to shake Shiro. “You thought we wouldn’t want to come with you, didn’t you?”

“Hope you don’t mind I brought my entire family,” said Pidge. “I figured there was room, and they wouldn’t let me leave without them. Also Matt said Shiro required ‘adult supervision.’”

“Hey, he’s only—!” Matt paused and made a face. “How old is Shiro now? Ugh, stupid time dilation.”

“Just because the war is over, doesn’t mean the universe doesn’t still need Voltron,” said Hunk. “There’s still a lot of good we can do, right?”

Shiro looked at Allura, a wry smile on his face. “So maybe we were a little bit dumb.”

Allura finds herself smiling in response. “Maybe a very little bit,” she concedes.

But their family is back together, the war is over, and she’s taking off for adventure again, this time with Shiro’s hand in hers.

From this point forward, Allura knows where she belongs.

[sleepychai-fics]

Voltron x Reader - Share the Pressure

Request: Anon; Could you write an imagine with Shiro training the reader his replacement as pilot of the black lion. The reader being a lot like Shiro calm, collected and extremly dedicated but also very intelligent like Pidge. Tragedy strikes and Shiro is gone so now the reader has to take on the responsabilities and is stressed. So the team helping them cope? :)

Hahaa sorry its late, i hope its okay

Pronouns: Gender Neutral

Words: 1113

Buy me a Ko-fi? (plz consider this and go to my blog for the link, tumblr sucks) 

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Why did it have to be this way? Why did the Black Lion choose me? Why did Shiro have to go?

The darkness in your mind, and that in your room, surrounds you with pity.

Ever since the battle against Zarkoff, the one that ended in devastation, the one that merely happened a week ago, you’d been miraculously appointed as the leader of Voltron. But that wasn’t exactly a surprise to you.

Everyone knew you’d take the mantle. It wasn’t based on a choice, but rather by chance and destiny.

In a hyperactive state during a battle, for some unknown reason, the Black Lion had come to your rescue, whilst Shiro remained on the Castle of Lions.

Everyone froze, the fighting practically stopped for two solid seconds.

With great reluctance, you boarded the Black Lion and fought the rest of the battle with her.

When you returned to the Castle, everyone bombarded you with questions. It was almost too overwhelming.

After the initial shock passed by, Shiro fully committed to training you. It had been vigorous and harsh. And it had only begun three weeks ago.

Then, tragedy hit, and the team was left in your hands.

Determination had taken the reigns. You stayed strong, both for yourself and for the team. But, that didn’t last long.

It had barely been three days before it all got too much for you.

The pressure of being a leader, the vigorous training you continued, the missions you put together, the memories of the events of battles you’ve witnessed. It was just too much for you to comprehend. It was too much to understand. Too much to handle.

Tonight marks the fourth night that you lay awake, thoughts dark and forever degrading.

A knock on your door thankfully dissipates those thoughts from your mind.

At least for now.

Once making yourself seem decent, emotionally and physically, you open the door.

“We’d like it if you joined us in the common room.” As soon as Coran had spoken those words, he turned to walk down the hallway.

Fearing it was something urgent, you quickly follow behind him.

You had practically ran the way there, surpassing Coran before the first corner.

You skid to a stop at the entrance of the common room, sense on high alert.

“What’s wrong?!”

It takes a few seconds for you to address the state of the room.

Blankets and pillows are piled in a semi-organised heap, taking up the entire area between the couches.

Hunk stands nearby with a plate of food. Keith and Lance carry armfuls of more pillows and blankets. Pidge types away at her laptop, which is connected to a web of cords which connects to a projector-like screen.

You decide to rephrase your question.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve decided that tonight we would all sleep in here and watch movies.” Allura walks up beside you and it is only then do you realise that everyone is clad in their pyjamas.

“A sleepover.” Lance says as he and Keith mercilessly dump the pillows and blankets in the pile before climbing down to organise the mess.

“Yes. A sleepover. Thank you Lance.” Allura says as she smiles at you.

You furrow your eyebrow, confusion etching itself onto your features.

“I don’t understand.”

“Perhaps it’ll be better if we show you.” Coran gently takes hold of you by the shoulders and starts pushing you to the mess of comfort.

“Pidge, is the movie connected?” Coran asks as he practically trips you into the pile.

“Just about!”

As you manoeuvre into a sitting position, the others begin to sink themselves into the pile around you, pretty much caging you in.

Lance situates himself behind you before grabbing your shoulders and pulling you back to lean against him. Hunk seats himself to your right, placing the plate of food on your lap. Keith and Allura take places to your left, Keith laying down next to you while Allura takes the chance to lay herself over his and your legs. You see Coran further to your left as he sits on the couch, propping his feet on the mountain of pillows before him.

Pidge taps away at a few more keys before placing down her laptop. She quickly untangles herself from the wires before diving into the pillows.

She crawls her way to your right, wrapping her arms around your waist, laying her head on your chest.

Even as the movie begins to play, you still sit there confused.

“I still have no idea what this is about. Who’s watching the radar?” You try to make a move, but with Lance, Pidge and Allura clinging to you, you are forced to stay.

It’s Allura who decides to speak up. “We know that the incident with Shiro has been taking a toll on you.”

You tense up at her words.

Pidge decides to take over, sitting up slightly to look at you. “We see you struggling to cope with the stress of being a leader. We wanted to give you a break.”

“You looked tired and we could practically feel the tension on your body.” At this, Lance begins to gently knead your shoulders. You wince at the pain that you now notice is pulsating from your shoulders.

Keith looks at you. “You took the incident really hard. You had gone from a soldier to the leader of a universal saviour in an instant.”

You turn your gaze to Hunk who speaks next. “We could see you wearing yourself out. You needed the break that you refused to give yourself.”

“So we took the liberty of forcing it on you.” You can’t help but smile at Coran’s words.

Everyone’s words struck you with reassurance and endearment for your team members. It was hard to fight the onset of tears.

“Guys, she’s crying.” Allura’s voice is laced with worry before Hunk chimes in.

“I think they might be happy tears.”

You nod at Hunk in affirmation before sniffling and wiping the tears from your eyes.

Your voice cracks as you speak. “Thank you. This really  means a lot.”

Without a word, not like there needs to be any, everyone moves in to hug you.

You smile and reciprocate the hug as best you can.

The rest of the night is spent watching a marathon of movies. Unfortunately, you don’t even manage to get through the first movie. Lance’s fingers massaging your shoulder and the surrounding warmth and comfort of the pillows and your much-loved friends lulling you into a much needed deep sleep.

The others weren’t bothered by your quick fall to sleep. In fact, they made a silent promise to make this a weekly tradition.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Instinct (Part 3 - End)

Summary:  In which the paladins are unprepared for the strength of Keith’s instincts and Pidge is taken off guard by her own feelings. Pairings: Keith/Pidge; background Shiro/Curtis

Also posted on AO3 under the username kishirokitsune.

-

Part 3

There was a strange feeling in the air when they arrived.

Lance could feel it as plainly as if it were static electricity crackling across his skin, raising the hair on his arms. He followed quietly next to Hunk, who was happily chatting away about nothing in particular as they walked through the Garrison hangar.

They had landed late in the evening, securing a last-minute spot for Hunk's ship thanks to Iverson's influence, which meant there wasn't a big crowd milling about. Lance was grateful for that. The atmosphere was tense enough without bumping against people as they walked.

“...think that's Keith's ship?” Hunk asked. “Oh, hey! There's your sister!”

Lance would have to be blind to not see Keith's ship. It was all sharp, sleek angles and crafted with black metals, just like every other Galra ship, and sharply contrasted against the gray and orange of the Galaxy Garrison.

Veronica was standing near the open ramp, waving to someone. She turned away with a smile on her face and froze in her tracks the moment she recognized them.

“Lance!”

He lifted his hand in greeting. “Hey.”

Veronica made her way over to them. “Is that the kind of greeting you give your favorite sister? I haven't seen you in months! 'Hey', he says.”

Hunk stifled his laughter behind his hands.

Her gaze softened as she looked them over. “It's good to see you both. Do you have a place to stay while you're here? We're a little tight on space, but I'm sure we can figure something out.”

“We're just going to stay on the Teuila,” Hunk told her. “Our rooms are actually pretty nice and I think everyone will be more comfortable that way.”

Veronica nodded in understanding. “Keith and his crew said the same thing, but I figured it would be best to offer. What about you, Lance? You can come room with me while you're here.”

The offer was tempting, but Lance was going to take advantage of having a room all to himself while he was away from the family farm. It was nice to relax without anyone barging in at all hours of the day.

“As much as I love your couch, I think I'll pass this time,” Lance said.

“I'm here if you change your mind. So, where are you two off to? Not getting into trouble already, are you?” Veronica asked teasingly.

“We're going to go visit Pidge and her family. We made better time than I expected, so we want to surprise her,” Hunk said.

“That might be a little difficult, since she's out with Keith right now,” Veronica said.

Lance and Hunk stared at her for a moment and then exchange a confused look before turning their attention back to Veronica and asking, in unison: “What?”

“What do you mean 'out with Keith'?” Lance continued, throwing air quotes around the last three words. “Since when is that a thing?”

Veronica shrugged. She wasn't remotely unnerved by their surprise. “Acxa says he's been spending time with Pidge since they arrived here and her exact words to me this evening were: 'Keith's taking Pidge out for a drive again'.”

“Again?!” A strangled sound gurgled up from Lance's throat.

Hunk glanced at his friend with concern as he took a moment to organize his own thoughts. “Okay, so that's something new. Unexpected, but not that weird. They've always gotten along pretty well.”

“Yeah, but it's Keith and Pidge! It's just... I dunno, it feels pretty weird to me. Since when have they been that close?” Lance asked, wracking his brain to try and think of anything. They worked together a lot as paladins, especially once Keith became their leader and she stepped forward to serve as the brain of the team even more than before, but that didn't explain how they were suddenly so close.

He frowned.

No, there were other things too. Things he brushed off because there was more important stuff to worry about.

But he was starting to over-analyze the past, which often led him to imagining things that hadn't really happened or reading too much into what he'd seen.

“Well, if Pidge is busy, we can stay on the ship for now and I'll send a message so she knows we're here. The plan was for all of us to get together tomorrow anyway,” Hunk said with an easy shrug. “Do you want to have a late meal with us, Veronica? Shay was making soup when we left. No cave bugs, I promise.”

Veronica made a face, but wisely didn't ask about the cave bugs. “I think I'll pass tonight, but I'll definitely take you up on that before you leave.”

Lance snapped out of his thoughts in time to say goodbye to Veronica. He and Hunk watched her as she walked away and then turned to make their way back to the Teuila.

“Are you really that weirded out by the thought of Pidge and Keith being a thing?” Hunk asked.

Lance made a frustrated noise. “I don't know. I mean, I'm not against it, I just didn't see it coming. He's always been the most protective of her, but I figured it was just because Pidge is the youngest of us. We were all watching out for her. Not that we needed to. She could probably still kick our butts.”

“I've rather not relive that,” Hunk said, shuddering at the memory of the Trial that Coran put them through. Being mind controlled by mushrooms was not his idea of a good time.

“Mostly I think I'm just annoyed she didn't say anything to us about it. Er, she didn't say anything to you, did she?” Lance asked.

Hunk shook his head. “The most she said about Keith was that he got in a few days ago. We've sent a few messages since then, but that was to coordinate the picnic and make sure the timing is right. Have you talked to her recently?”

Lance had not.

When was the last time he talked to her? Last week? No, longer than that.

“I'm the worst friend,” Lance grumbled.

“You're not,” Hunk said firmly.

“I can't even remember the last time I called either of you to talk!”

“Everyone gets busy. It's okay, Lance. We all talked three weeks ago,” Hunk reminded him.

Lance scowled. “Only because you started up a group call. And it's always you or Pidge who does it. I just...  I can't remember the last time I was the one to try and call you guys. Face it, Hunk. I'm a mess and a bad friend.”

Hunk sped up so he could stop in front of Lance and grip him by his shoulders. “You are my best friend, Lance McClain, and I'm not going to stand here and listen to you talk about yourself like this. We are going to go back to the Teuila and eat delicious soup, and talk about all of the ways you are an amazing friend. Everyone falls into a slump sometimes. We're going to figure out how to get you out of yours.”

Lance's vision wavered as tears filled his eyes. He ducked his head to quickly wipe them away. “Y-yeah. Sounds good.”

Hunk moved to his side, taking his hands away so he could drape one arm around Lance's shoulders instead. “Good.”

-

Shiro couldn't remember the last time he felt so confused, especially not in the comfort of his own kitchen.

Curtis sat next to him at the table, his head propped up by one hand as watched Keith bustle around the counter nearest the oven, preparing something in a mixing bowl. There was already a chocolate cake in the oven, making the whole apartment smell nice.

What was truly bewildering, beyond the fact that Keith was baking, was that his brother was also humming as he did so. It was inaudible whenever the handmixer was running, but the moment it stopped Shiro could clearly hear him.

Shiro didn't know what to think. While it was great to see Keith look so happy, it also struck Shiro as terribly out of character.

“Taste,” Keith demanded, holding out a spoon to them.

Curtis moved first, swiping his finger through the frosting and sticking it in his mouth without preamble. Shiro followed suit a little more cautiously, and the taste of peanut butter exploded across his tongue.

“How is it?” Keith asked, sounding worried.

“It's good, but why are you making peanut butter icing?” Shiro asked.

Keith looked visibly relieved. “It's for Pidge. I wanted to make her something she likes, and I remembered that she likes peanut butter.” He shrugged and set aside the spoon and bowl, where it would wait until the cake was out of the oven and cooled.

“I didn't know you liked baking,” Shiro remarked.

“I was thinking about what Hunk always said about food being a way to bring people together, so I made one for the crew a while back. When everyone seemed to like it, I kept making them. Not all the time, but as a special treat,” Keith said.

“Are you taking it to the picnic lunch you guys are doing?” Curtis asked.

Shiro glanced at the clock and noticed Keith doing the same. They still had an hour before they had to leave to meet up with the others down in the courtyard, but was that enough time? How long did it take for a cake to cool?

His fingers itched to text Hunk for the answer.

“It'll have to wait. If the cake doesn't cool, the icing melts off. I, uh, learned that the hard way,” Keith said with a wince. “I'll finish it once we get back and give it to her later.”

He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door, shuffling a few things around to make room for the mixing bowl.

Shiro watched him clean up while he contemplated the best way to broach a new topic; one that had bothered him since their dinner with the Holts.

Curtis suddenly cleared his throat. “So, have you put in your request for ship maintenance yet? You only have a few days left of your vacation.”

“Not yet. I still have two days before I really need to.” Keith didn't sound worried at all.

“Even if you wait that long, they still might reject your request for Pidge to be the one to do it,” Shiro reminded him. “We should come up with a back-up plan.”

“We could try and bribe whoever is approving requests that day,” Curtis suggested. He grinned at their incredulous expressions. “Yeah, okay. That's probably a bad idea, but every good brainstorming session has a few bad ideas!”

Keith shook his head. “The less you're both involved, the better. I don't want either of you to get in trouble for helping me. Besides, I have a plan.”

The timing went off and Keith turned his back to them so he could take the cake out of the oven.

No matter how much Shiro and Curtis tried to convince him to let them help, Keith wouldn't budge. Nor would he tell him anything about his plan. Not even a hint.

“You two should get going soon if you don't want to be late,” Curtis said as the clock ticked over to twelve-thirty.

“You're not coming with us?” Keith asked, sounding surprised.

Curtis smiled at him. “Maybe I'll join you guys next time. I figured the five of you deserved some time to catch up and reminisce without me there as an awkward sixth wheel. I have a few things I need to get done anyway.”

“You wouldn't be a sixth wheel,” Shiro tried to tell him, but Curtis shook his head.

“I would be. Now go and have fun.”

Shiro sighed at the fact that he had two stubborn men in his life (completely ignoring his own brand of Pure Stubborn, of course) and gave up on convincing anyone of anything for the rest of the day.

He and Keith left, heading straight for the courtyard, which had been turned into an extension of the cafeteria with new tables and benches. Young trees were planted and mulched nicely, chosen for their ability to withstand the heat so long as they were watered on a regular basis.

Hunk was busy setting up at a large, round table when they arrived. He had a blue-and-white checkered tablecloth covering the top and a classic picnic basket that was overflowing with food, which he was staring to unload and arrange in the center.

He looked up at their approach. “Shiro! Keith!” He hurried around the table to properly greet each of them with a full body bear hug. “It's been so long!”

“It's good to see you too, Hunk,” Shiro said fondly.

Hunk let go of them and gestured for them to sit as he explained how Lance had gotten sidetracked on his way down, and once he finished talking to Veronica he would join them with the rest of the food.

“Curtis didn't want to come?” Hunk asked as they made themselves comfortable.

Shiro shook his head. “We invited him, but he declined this time. He did say that he'd like to before you have to go.”

Hunk accepted that and began talking about what he'd brought for them to eat, referencing a variety of planets that he'd visited in the past few weeks and his issues with allergic reactions to some of the food he'd accepted along the way. His gaze drifted to Keith now and then, as though he was searching for something and was trying not to make it obvious.

It wasn't long before Lance and Pidge hurried to the table, having met up at some point on their way outside. Lance passed a second basket to Hunk so he could finish setting up, while Pidge slid into the empty space on Keith's left and smiled up at him.

Shiro felt a moment of vindication as Lance raised an eyebrow at their closeness and Hunk fumbled with one of the plates. He wasn't just imagining things.

Lunch progressed without any of them mentioning it, although Lance looked as though he had to restrain himself from speaking each time one of them leaned in to talk to the other or Keith smiled at Pidge. Hunk did several double takes, but was subtle about it.

Not that Pidge or Keith noticed any of it.

The hours flew by, and it was only when Shiro's phone buzzed with a message that he realized how much time had passed. He glanced it over, wondering if he should be worried about Iverson's request for a meeting with him and Keith.

He wordlessly passed his phone to Keith and made excuses for them to leave, which also paved the way for Hunk to jump in and ask to see what Pidge was working on.

“I could use your advice on a few things,” Pidge mused, looking between Hunk and Lance. “Why don't you both come over? Mom made juniberry pie the other night and she'd love for you two to try a piece.”

And with that, the group of five cleaned up their mess and then split up.

-

“Okay, strange question, but why do you have a camera?” Lance asked, pointing to the very obvious device up on a wall near the bedroom door.

They arrived at the Holt residence nearly a half hour prior, and after they each got a slice of Colleen's delicious pie, retreated to Pidge's room. While she and Hunk immediately started talking about a camouflage device for Coran, Lance spent some time playing with the nebuloids and looking around.

“It's for security. Keith's been helping me with it,” Pidge told them.

Hunk frowned. “Are you worried that someone might break in?”

“Someone already has.”

Hunk and Lance stared at her, shocked.

“But who? How?” Lance asked.

“I don't know. That's why I have the camera set up. The door is the only way in or out, except for the vents, but even I can't fit through that,” Pidge said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her friends only had more questions.

What did they take? Was anything taken?

Did they break in by hacking the locks or did they have the code?

How had no one else seen them? Weren't there cameras in the halls too, especially near Commander quarters?

Did Pidge suspect sabotage of some kind?

Pidge waited until they were calm enough for her to speak without getting interrupted. “No one's taken anything. Instead, whoever it is has been leaving me gifts. Hair pins first, then Balmera crystals-” (Hunk whistled appreciatively.) “-and most recently, a glass cosmolabe.”

Lance frowned. “Someone's breaking into your room to leave you presents? Bu why? And what does Keith think about some stranger giving you presents?”

“He's just as confused about it as I am, but we're sure the camera will work correctly this time,” Pidge said confidently. Ashe raised an eyebrow as Hunk and Lance exchanged significant looks. “What?”

“Keith isn't upset that some other guy is giving you stuff?” Lance tried again, phrasing his question differently.

Pidge cocked her head to the side. “We don't know it's a guy, and why would he be upset by that?”

“I'd be pretty mad if some guy was giving my girlfriend gifts,” Hunk said, going for the blunter approach.

Pidge stared at him and said nothing as her brain tried to compute what outlandish thing he was suggesting. “You – wait, what?” she asked, shaking her head. “What gave you the idea that Keith and I are dating?”

“Veronica told us when we got in last night. We were going to come by and see you, but she said you and Keith were going out!” Lance exclaimed, throwing up his hands.

“Yeah, going out, as in leaving Garrison grounds!” Pidge shot back.

Hunk groaned and buried his head in his hands, looking mortified. “Oh no. Pidge, I'm so sorry. We completely misunderstood.”

Pidge looked over at him. “You haven't told anyone else about this, have you?”

“No!” Hunk said quickly. “I don't even know if Veronica thinks that. Her wording was a bit ambiguous...”

Lance, however, was not so easily convinced. “Are you sure there's nothing going on between you? Since when does Keith willingly spend time with someone who isn't Shiro? And!” He held up one finger as though he had an especially important point to make. “You two looked really cozy over lunch. I even saw him smile at you!”

“Oh no. Keith smiled. It must be the end of the world,” Pidge said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She looked to Hunk for help, only to find him deep in thought and not at all exasperated by Lance.

“You really don't know who your gifts are from? There's no name?” he asked.

Pidge shook her head. “I really don't know. The only thing written on them is my name. Hang on, I still have the tags.” She turned to her desk and shuffled through a few things before she found them and handed them to Hunk.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the handwriting. When Lance sidled over for a closer look, he turned the tags so he could see them as well.

“When did you get the first one?” Hunk asked.

“Five days ago?” Pidge responded, after taking a moment to think it over.

“And that was the hair pins? What about the second one? When did you get the Balmera crystals?” Hunk continued his round of questioning, which Pidge gladly answered in the hope it would lead her to the truth.

“The hair pins were first, and the crystals I got three days ago. The cosmolabe was the day after that, when I got back from dinner at Shiro's,” she said.

“Three times and no one saw anyone come in here?” Lance asked, sounding concerned. “Is it luck, or do you think someone's watching to make sure no one is here?”

Put like that, Pidge couldn't stop a shiver from running down her spine. “But who would go through all of that trouble just to give me a gift?”

“A creep,” Lance stated bluntly.

“No, I don't think so,” Hunk disagreed with a shake of his head. “When did Keith get here?”

Pidge shrugged, not sure what that had to do with the situation at hand. “I don't know. Four days ago? Maybe five, if he got in late in the night, but I didn't tell him what was going on until we came back to find the second gift on my desk.”

“And he sounded concerned?”

“Of course he did! He was the one who suggested the camera to watch the door,” Pidge said.

“Just the door? Not the whole room?” Hunk asked.

Pidge gave Hunk a frustrated look. “It's the only way in or out, remember? Unless you're suggesting that there's someone at the Garrison who can walk through solid walls.”

“Of course not, that's ridiculous,” Hunk said. “What I am suggesting, is that there is only one person who we know who has a cosmic wolf capable of teleporting into locked rooms.”

The room went so quiet that Pidge thought she could hear the ticking of the wall clock hanging in the kitchen. It was broken by Lance making a confused sound.

“I, uh, may have theory?” Hunk offered, sounding unsure.

“Okay, do you want to share this insane theory of yours, or am I going to have to start guessing?” Pidge asked irritably. She had a suspicion that she knew what he was about to suggest, and hoped that he would understand how crazy he sounded once he started to talk about it.

Hunk took a deep breath. “I don't know a lot about it, but I've picked up a few things from Sal and the other Galra I've spoken to. You'll want to talk to someone else to get all of the details.”

“Hunk.”

“Galra courtship,” he blurted out. “It's, um, oh man, I'm going to mess this up. So there's this whole gift-giving phase, where the interested party finds things they think you'll like and leaves them for you to find. That's what's happening to you right now, but on a faster schedule. Like the person leaving them doesn't have much time and wants to prove themselves while they're still here. And you've accepted each of them, which is basically giving them permission to continue. Normally, the next step is openly asking for a date – well, the Galra have a different word for it, but that's basically what it is. The thing is, I don't think he fully knows what he's doing and is just going by instinct.”

Pidge stared at Hunk.

That was... a lot.

Galra apparently had courtship rituals, which Hunk knew vague details about, and all of it could explain what was happening to her. Still, she couldn't believe it. What Hunk was suggesting was crazy! That was, if she was reading into the situation correctly.

Pidge swallowed. She needed to ask, just to be sure.

“So who is it?”

-

Pidge didn't sleep well that night, as Hunk's surprisingly assertive words ran racetracks through her brain. If he and Lance hadn't made such good points, she would have gone another few days before she put two-and-two together. After all, Keith only had a day left before he took off again and it would become glaringly obvious when she stopped receiving gifts at the same time.

Part of her still didn't believe that Keith was trying to court her, of all people. He turned heads wherever he went and could pick anyone he wanted, but only had eyes for her. According to Hunk and Lance, at least, who mentioned watching their interactions throughout lunch.

Which definitely wasn't creepy.

At all.

Somewhere in her disbelief, she felt flattered, and that was why she knew she needed to get to the bottom of things.

Hunk suggested that she ask a Galra for more details, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had the perfect person in mind. A half-Galra like Keith, who traveled alongside of him bringing aid to war-torn planets, and would be familiar with what he was like.

It wasn't an easy task to sneak unnoticed into the hangar, especially when so many people knew her face and were aware that it was an area restricted to her. She narrowly avoided James Griffin and Ina Leifsdottir, and though she was sure the blonde saw her, Leifsdottir didn't say a word. (Pidge would have to find a way to thank her once she didn't have so much on her mind.)

That was her only close call, and it didn't take long before she was close enough to Keith's ship to see everyone who was coming or going. She just needed to wait for someone recognizable that she could talk to – preferably Axca, over Zethrid or Ezor. Those two still sent a chill down her spine.

Luckily, Acxa was the first one she saw. She was walking back to the ship with Veronica, her posture more relaxed than Pidge had ever seen.

She stepped out of hiding once they got close.

“Pidge?” Veronica questioned. “How did you get down here?”

“I need to talk to Acxa about something in private. You can come too,” Pidge added in hurriedly. The whole reason Hunk and Lance thought she was dating Keith was because of what Veronica said, so she figured she may as well correct any assumptions the woman might have.

Acxa's expression didn't change much as she invited them both into the ship. Pidge looked around in interest as she followed behind her to an empty room where they could talk in peace and privacy. There were a few comfortable chairs and small tables, marking the space as a relaxation room of some kind.

“I want to ask you about Galra courtship,” Pidge said the moment the door was firmly shut behind them.

If Acxa was surprised, she didn't show it. “I had wondered when Keith would finally admit he was the one leaving you gifts, but why isn't he the one explaining this to you?”

“Because he hasn't told me,” Pidge replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Hunk and Lance came to the conclusion that we're already dating, and it wasn't until they asked me what Keith thought about a stranger giving me gifts that Hunk started to put things together.”

All at once, Acxa's words hit her.

It was Keith.

Keith liked her and he was the one leaving her presents.

Hearing it as a guess from Hunk was one thing, but from someone who knew it for certain? A warm, fluttery feeling filled her chest as the full weight of it overcame her.

Acxa took pity on her and helped her sit down before slowly explaining the basics of Galra courtship. Veronica sat on her other side, offering her silent support and voicing additional questions or comments to help the younger girl better understand.

The moment Acxa mentioned there were five steps, Pidge fumbled to get out her phone and take notes. She knew it would be useful to look at later, once her shock faded and she could think more clearly.

Pidge thanked both of them for their help before sneaking her way out of the hangar. Once she was back in more familiar halls, she took the time to review her notes.

Galra Courtship

A five-step process, based on common instinct across all Galra types.

Step 1 – Gifting

The first gift is always given in secret. It's to test the waters and find out if the recipient is interested in any courtship. If accepted, the second gift should bear the givers name, so the recipient can decide from there if they are still interested. If gift #2 is accepted, the process continues, with both sides exchanging gifts.

This is to show understanding by both parties; gifts are items the other will find useful or enjoyable.

Step 2 – Dating

Similar to human dating, it involves excursions or sharing activities. This step often crosses over with gifting, though by this point it slows down significantly. The purpose of this step is to bond.

Step 3 - Physical Compatability

Step 4 – Engagement

Informing family and friends of the intent to stay together.

Step 5 – Mateship

The Galra equivalent of marriage.

*Acxa notes that half-Galra have more muddled instinct and may not follow the steps exactly. It's all dependant on how dominant the non-Galra half is. In Keith's case, his human genes largely overrule his Galra half.

It really wasn't all that complicated. Even step one, which needed the most detail to explain, was simple when it came down to it and wasn't so different from human customs.

Pidge's biggest headache came from trying to decide what it was that she wanted.

She returned to her family's quarters to find it as empty as ever, which was a relief. She was in no mood to talk, not even to Matt, who often offered the best insight when she was feeling confused.

No, all she needed was a good project to take her mind off of things. Something easy. Something she could do in her sleep. Something she kept set aside for moments just like those, when she needed a distraction but couldn't put her full focus on one thing.

There only thing in her way was a brand new package wrapped in brown paper, sitting on her desk. She stopped when she saw it and knew that she had two choices. She could open it and see what it was, or she could hunt down Keith and return it, unopened.

The answer to that would be only be solved once she found an answer to a bigger question: How did she feel about Keith?

-

It was his last full day of vacation and Keith was feeling nervous. All of his planning, his meetings with Iverson, and video calls with Kolivan and Krolia would be for nothing if he couldn't find the courage to talk to Pidge.

He should have done it days ago. The moment she came to him, worried about someone breaking into her room, he should have confessed that it was him. Well, to be specific, it was Kosmo helping him by delivering the gifts and he hadn't actually stepped foot into her room until the day she invited him inside.

It started when Shiro mentioned in passing that Pidge was letting her hair grow out. Keith remembered her frustration with it when it was still short and how it sometimes obscured her vision while she was working, so he found some hair pins on his travels.

From there, it snowballed.

Every time he found something interesting, he thought of her. There was so much he had to stop himself from getting, and others he knew he couldn't pass up. The Balmera crystals he gathered during their stopovers on three different Balmera, checking in on the civilians there and making sure Restoration was going well. The cosmolabe was a unique find at a Bantherian swap market, where he traded old intel on a ship graveyard to a pair of scavengers.

As for the cake, it was meant to be an apology. He knew of her love of things flavored like peanut butter and thought it would be the best way to soothe her wrath once he revealed the truth, except he once again forgot to sign his name to it.

Keith had been puzzled by his own behavior for weeks leading up to their return to Earth, right up until Acxa sat him down and said: “Zethrid and Ezor have a bet on how long it will take you to realize you want to court Pidge.”

Denial was his first response.

Pidge was his friend, nothing more!

But the more Acxa explained, the more he started to see that she was right.

Somewhere along the way, he fell for Pidge. For her genius and wit. For her fiery spirit and fearless nature. For her compassion.

What began as a bond between two people searching for the truth, blossomed into a shared determination to protect those they loved, and then bloomed into something that was so much more. A genuine friendship, at least at first, until his feelings changed.

Keith stared at his reflection in the mirror. He knew Pidge didn't place strong value in appearance, but he wanted to make an effort to look nice for her. Maybe he could do something different with his hair?

Kosmo poofed into the room and padded over to him, pressing something against his hand.

Keith looked down at him. “What's this, buddy?”

The space-wolf let go of it easily enough and sat down at his feet, waiting.

Keith chuckled and took a good look at the box. His heart nearly stopped. It was a slender box, just the right size for Kosmo to carry in his mouth, and covered in brown paper. On the very top was a tag bearing his name in red ink.

“Pidge knows?” he breathed out, looking questioningly at Kosmo, who quietly woofed.

Pidge knew.

Keith backed up to his bed and sat down. With trembling hands, he pulled the paper away and lifted the lid, revealing a brand new tablet. The casing was black with faint red and purple veins running through it in a marbling pattern. Where he would have expected a brand logo of some kind was instead the trademark emblem of Voltron – a stylized 'V' that he would recognize anywhere.

There was a note beneath it.

For Keith,

This is a prototype of my own design and is powered by a pair of Balmera crystals that are capable of regenerating energy. It should never run out of power. It is also pre-programmed with the call numbers for myself, Shiro, Hunk, Lance, and Coran, so you always have a way to reach one of us. I hope you find it useful.

Katie Holt

“She signed it with her real name,” he told Kosmo, who did not reply.

Before Keith could start to wonder what it meant, Kosmo walked over, raised one paw onto Keith's leg, and teleported them away. It was only when he heard a shocked gasp that he realized where he was.

“Kosmo!” Pidge's voice echoed alongside his own.

“I'm so sorry, Pidge,” Keith hastily apologized. “I don't know why he brought me here.”

“No, that's my fault. I asked him to, I just wasn't expecting you so soon.” Pidge hopped down from her stepladder with the security camera in her hands.

Keith winced when he saw it. “Pidge, I--”

“Should have told me from the beginning? Yeah, probably,” she cut him off flippantly. “Honestly, I'm too relieved that it was you all along to be really mad right now, but we will talk about it later. I think there's a lot we need to talk about.”

Pidge set the camera down on one of her junk piles and two of the nebuloids crawled out to investigate the new addition. She crossed the room and sat down on her bed next to him. “So, Galra have courtship instincts? I guess that's the least weird thing I've learned about alien biology.”

“Did Acxa tell you?” Keith asked, wondering how the two of them ended up talking. Had Acxa specifically sought her out?

“Hunk figured it out when I was telling him and Lance what was going on. Funnily enough, they thought we were already dating and were very concerned about why you were okay with a stranger leaving me gifts,” Pidge told him. “After that, I went to talk to Acxa so I could clarify a few things. She was very, um, informative.”

Keith remembered his own talk with her and how she took a special delight in making him turn as red as possible with her in-depth description of the third step.

“I guess the question is, how will we proceed? I mean, you leave tomorrow, don't you? Can't promote universal peace and make amends for what the Galra have done from here on Earth,” Pidge said.

Keith sat up a little straighter.

That was it. The best chance he had, set up by sheer coincidence by Pidge herself.

He took a deep breath. “Pidge, I was wondering if you'd like to come with us.”

Pidge went very still, and here eyes widened in surprise. “You want me to go with you?”

“I've been thinking about it for a while. Longer than just this week, but after hearing about everything that's going on, I thought now would be the best time to ask.” Keith had rehearsed what he wanted to say, but in the moment he forgot all of it. His best bet was the keep going without interruption, so he wouldn't lose his train of thought.

“We need a technology expert on board and there's no one I'd trust more than you. This isn't just about courting you. We can figure something out if you want to stay here. I'm asking because there's no one else I'd rather have by my side. And-” (And here was the important part.) “-you would be working for the Blade of Marmora in an official capacity. If you miss Earth too much, this opens the door for you to be hired on as a consultant for that project Mr. Holt is working on.”

Pidge was quiet for a moment longer. “You've really thought this through.”

“I have. I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner. I should have,” Keith said.

There was so much more he wanted to say. An explanation for why it took so long. Another apology for not doing the courtship steps correctly. But words have never been his strong suit and they were starting to fail him after all of the talking he'd done.

“You know... I've really missed being out there among the stars.”

Pidge's voice was so soft that Keith nearly missed what she was saying. He looked at her, staying quiet so she could decide without pressure from him.

“I know it sounds like a hasty decision, but I do want to go with you. I miss it out there. The freedom. The experiences. You.” She paused, raising her eyes to meet his. “I've missed you. Hanging out with you this week has been the most fun I've had in ages. And besides, what better way for you to show me how the cosmolabe works? The sounds like a nice fourth date to me.”

Keith could hardly believe it. Was Pidge... flirting?

“Are you counting our morning run as a date?” he asked.

“It was a shared activity, wasn't it? Not my favorite date, by the way,” Pidge joked.

Keith laughed and a smile remained on his face for long afterwards. “I think our fourth date will be me whisking you away to the stars. And yes, we can use the cosmolabe. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out on your own.”

“I probably could, but you did promise and I've been distracted,” Pidge said. She looked around her room, sobering up slightly, though there was still a pleased smile on her face. “I guess I have some packing to do.”

“Do you want any help?”

Pidge shook her head. “It's going to be a lot of me picking things up and asking myself 'do I really need this?' and coming back later to ask the same thing again. You don't want to be around for that.” She made a face. “I have to tell my family too. If you don't hear from me, assume that mom has made good on her threat to ground me until I'm thirty. I can't not tell them though. Mom would steal a ship and hunt me down if I do that again.”

Keith didn't doubt it. All of her fiery spirit didn't come from Sam Holt, that much was certain.

“When you're ready, I'll send Kosmo to get your things. You know how to reach me,” he said, holding up his new tablet.

Pidge stood as well and it was clear from the look in her eyes that she was already busy calculating how much she needed to bring with her.

The first time they left Earth, all she had was the clothes on her back and her laptop. Keith couldn't wait to see what she could accomplish with proper gear.

Feeling daring, he bent down and brushed a kiss against Pidge's forehead. Her pretty blush remained imprinted in his head for the rest of the day, long after Kosmo teleported him back to his room on the ship.

Soon they would be back among the stars, where they belonged.

Keith couldn't wait.