#or a Keith that's friendly with the other three paladins but not the black paladin

[discordiansamba]

Allura, looking at James and Keith who are giving the other the silent treatment after their sixteenth argument since arriving at the Castle: So why is it that those two don't like each other?

Rizavi: Well, one, they're both hypercompetitive-

Allura: Yes, I've noticed that.

Rizavi: -and two, I'm pretty sure they knew each other even before they got to the Garrison? James was like the teacher's pet or something, and Keith was like. the opposite of the teacher's pet. Do you people even have a concept of a teacher's pet?

Allura: No, but I do think I understand the idea regardless.

Rizavi: Okay. Cool. Anyways, considering they were actively getting into fistfights before they came to the Garrison, I'd say their relationship has actually improved a lot!

Allura, squinting at James and Keith: Wait... this is the improved version?

Rizavi: Yep! Doing great, aren't they?

Allura: (suddenly keenly filled with doubts about the success of their mission)

[autisticlancemcclain]

The situation starts on the couches of a hotel lobby on a random planet at three-something in the morning, sprawled all over each other, exhausted, as Coran quietly checks them in.

“Hey, Lance,” whispers Keith, from somewhere beside the shoulder he offered. Lance groans, feigning more tiredness than he actually feels, heart racing since Keith first shifted so Lance would have somewhere to rest his head. He has this strange feeling of invasion, even though Keith offered, even though they’ve been in this position dozens of times before. He’s waiting almost for the other shoe to drop.

“Mm-what,” he mumbles, muffled into his roughed shoulder pads, words smushed together.

Keith sighs instead of answering. For half a second Lance tenses. But Keith only shifts again, not pushing Lance off but moving so Lance is pressed closer to him, and then the heat of his breath tickles the shell of Lance’s ear, and he tenses for a whole different reason.

And then there is, inexplicably, the feeling of what must be Keith’s lips, pressed to the side of Lance’s skull, gentle and lingering, and Lance thinks clearly to himself: what the fresh actual and genuine fuck.

“‘M sorry,” says Keith, so quiet it would be impossible to hear were his mouth not one single inch away from Lance’s ear. He kisses again, and he almost sags into the motion, into Lance. “I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of you earlier. I was stressed. I missed you, too.”

Lance opens his mouth. He muffles a choking sound with all of his strength.

“All good in the hood,” he finally manages, and then wants to strangle himself. “We’re — tight, Keithalicious.”

Somewhere, somehow, there is a God, and this God looks upon him with the utmost cruelty, and so Lance suffers, unjustly, every day of his life. He often prays that he will wake up one morning in the absence of a tongue. A hindrance and horrible sacrifice, of course, but one that may be worth the total sum of humiliation he feels so acutely and so frequently by virtue of God’s gift of language.

Shit is just not worth it, sometimes.

Keith’s laugh tickles a little. “I’m glad, sweetheart.” His final kiss is light, more of a peck than anything. He pats Lance’s hip twice before standing. Lance wonders, vaguely, when the hell his hand was in his hip area in the first place, and how the hell he’s supposed to rationalize that somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind. “‘M gonna go help Coran. See you in a few.”

“Yeah,” is what Lance means to say, but unfortunately when he opens his mouth the only sound that escapes is a strange kind of croak, clawing its way out of his throat and withering to death somewhere in the air between them. It may be, he realises with an intense flash of solemnity, the last remaining dredges of his dignity. Rest in fucking peace.

Keith just smiles again (a real one that shows his crooked incisors and crinkles his eyes and makes him looks handsome, not hot or sexy or beautiful but handsome, in a way that genuinely makes Lance weak in the knees) and jogs over to the front desk. Lance watches him place a friendly hand on Coran’s shoulder, leaning in and narrowing his eyes at the paper the front desk worker offers, saying something Lance can’t hear with his Black Paladin face in full force. When he finally manages to wrench his eyes away, he sees the faces of his team, gobsmacked, staring at him with wide eyes and jaws brushing the polished blue tiles.

“What,” Shiro manages eventually, “the fuck.”

“Since fucking when are you two boning!” Pidge adds, shamelessly.

“I thought you had a thing for Allura?” questions Hunk.

Lance’s own jaw snaps shut. His ears burn, worse than they already were, and he glances at the princess only to find her already looking away. Shame burns something fierce in the pit of his stomach. It’s an unwelcome replacement of the butterflies.

“What me and Keith do behind a closed door is none of your business,” Lance says hotly, straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest ridiculously. His heart pounds. He raises his voice to drown it out. “We had a bonding moment, after all.”

Pidge barks a laugh. The rest of the snorts and giggles soon follow, and soon the team is looking at him in fond exasperation, rolling their eyes and muttering about Lance and his antics. Allura, even, looks him in the face again. The roiling in his stomach doesn’t change, but the pound of his heart is replaced with something bitter on the back of his tongue.

Anything is better than looking ignorant. Even if you look like a fool.

He settles into the corner of the couch — much less comfortable than Keith’s armoured shoulder, somehow — and lets his eyes slide shut, lets the familiar sound of his team quietly conversing and the ambient sound of a public place at night wash over him as he fades into a half-sleep. The same kind of sleep in a car on the way home from a long road trip, late at night; half aware of the movement and murmured sound of your parents’ whispering in front seat, time stretching around you like taffy.

He stirs slowly at the sound of boots hitting the floor, bleary eyes still half-shut. Keith slowly comes back into focus, standing in front of him now. He’s frowning, troubled.

“They booked us two separate rooms,” he explains, pursing his lips at the two keys in his hand.

Lance pauses. “…Yes.”

Keith doesn’t pick up on it. (That, at least, is familiar enough to make Lance smile.)

“You’d think they’d…well, whatever. I suppose it’s fine. I’ll come join you after you’re showered?”

“Keith —”

“I think my room has the bigger bed, actually. You come to mine.” He opens the little envelope thing and pulls out the extra key, sliding it into Lance’s hands. “I’ll bring up your luggage.”

“Keith, I’m not going to —”

Lance stops.

Keith, I’m not going to sleep with you, is what he was going to say. Keith, what the hell. Keith, you’re acting like a pod person. Keith, I don’t understand what’s going on. Keith, everyone is laughing at us and you don’t seem to notice. Or care. Keith, you’re acting like you’re my — boyfriend, or something. Keith, one day ago you didn’t want anything to do with me. Keith, now you can’t seem to get enough of me. Keith, I am going to lose my mind. Keith, Keith, Keith.

“Okay,” Lance says instead, quiet. He turns the key over in his hands. It looks like a regular white hotel key. It feels heavier, somehow. “Okay, I’ll meet you in twenty.”

Keith flashes a quick smile. It, too, is genuine, and Lance lips are quirking up to match before he can think about it.

“Liar. You’ve never taken less than a half hour shower in your life.”

“I have — so.”

Shaking his head, fondness bleeding from him, Keith steps forward, bending down and pressing a gentle kiss to Lance’s forehead. Lance feels all the air exit his body in one huge whoosh.

“I know you, goober. We got all night. Decompress. I’ll check the closet and under the bed before you get there. Don’t take too long.”

Lance stills. He watches after Keith with wide eyes. His heart, finally calmed again, fucking races.

He’s never, not once in his life, told anyone about the — thing. With the — closets, and under the bed. Not one person; not even Hunk.

It’s stupid, is what it is.

But Lance’s older cousin was kind of a — jerk. And when they were kids he would make these freaky fucking paintings with red eyes and smudged faces and — hide them, in Lance’s closet or dresser drawers or under his bed, and convince him they would come to life in the night and posses him, and it was so fucking dumb, but Lance has always been gullible and it used to scare the shit out of him, because he would never know when they would appear and it would just — freak him out. All the time. Unless he checked his entire room once in the daytime before sleeping, he would never be able to fall asleep.

And he’s never fucking — told anyone about that. Because as a kid it was terrifying to say out loud and as he got older it was just embarrassing. But Keith knows, somehow.

Keith knows.

Lance exhales, air whistling sharply from between his teeth, “Whatever. Whatever. You know what? Whatever,” and stomps over to the elevator. “This is — I’m going to shower. And not think. I don’t — whatever.”

He stews the whole way up to his room. He stews as the key doesn’t fucking work in the slot until the fourth try. He stews as he yanks off his armour and flings it into a random corner, relishing in the heavy thud as it hits the wall, hoping it cracks. He stews as he angrily presses all the buttons in the shower and hops in, cussing as he’s assaulted with an onslaught of hot-cold-hot-cold-soap-soap-soap, aggressively blinking away the sting in his eye and cursing the very air molecules around him. He stews the entire fucking forty minute shower, although admittedly he does, by the ten minute mark, start to calm down a little.

By the time he steps onto the bathmat, he’s just — tired.

“Whatever,” he sighs to himself again, but this time it’s more weary than anything. “Just — I guess. Sure. Whatever.”

There’s a fancy complimentary robe folded neatly on the stack of towels. He swallows the lump in his throat, thinking of his beautiful blue one, now ashes with the rest of the castle.

“Whatever,” he repeats to himself, firmly. Eventually he manages to blink the tears away.

The walk to Keith’s room is short, and cold, and probably embarrassing, since he is in a robe and slippers and a twisty shower hat, but he’s too drained to care. Every step is heavy. By the time he manages to slide the key in the lock — this key cooperates, go fucking figure — and shove the heavy door open, he feels…precarious.

Fragile, maybe.

It takes one look from Keith, one flash of soft indigo eyes and bedsheets untucked and folded over like he likes them and a nightlight shining low on the side table, for him to simply burst into tears.

“It has been a long fucking day,” he sobs.

“It sure as shit has,” Keith agrees, opening his arms, and Lance doesn’t bother thinking before collapsing into them, curling into Keith’s lap and tucking under his chin. Keith grips him tightly and squeezes, and it feels so strangely familiar and so perfect that it’s simply too much for Lance to worry about. He does not have the energy. It’s just — too good, and he’s so tired, and if this is all a trick or a dream or anything like that then he’ll handle it in the fucking morning. Right now Keith is warm and he’s a real fucking person offering real fucking affection with absolutely zero strings attached, none of them, and Lance is allowed to have nice things, actually, it’s written right the in paladin handbook, he knows because he wrote it there himself.

He can just — have this one thing.

“Let’s just sleep for a few thousand years,” Keith says, and he sounds exhausted as Lance does.

And if this is a dream than there’s absolutely nothing to lose, and also whatever, truly, so Lance gives fully into every impulse he’s been too ashamed to even admit in his own head and leans up to kiss him squarely on the lips. He is warm and sweet and tastes like toothpaste, and he kisses back without a second of hesitation, and his hands cup the side of Lance’s face and his calloused thumb brushes across his cheekbones, and it’s everything Lance could ever want it to be, and it makes all the horrible everything melt away. So Lance says screw you, universe, and kisses him until he’s too tired to keep his eyes open, and then he tucks in next to him and relishes in his arm over his waist and falls asleep faster than he ever has in his life listening to Keith’s heartbeat.

This is where the situation starts.

———

based on this thread

[writers-worst-nightmare]

Till new flowers bloom (Lance x reader):

Ask: Hey! :D Just saw that your requests are open, so I thought I could tell you one of my favorite fanfic ideas: How about a Lance (from VLD) x Reader fanfic in which he and the reader eventually start dating post-canon. Everything is absolutely perfect, but he’s a unsure about saying the words ‘I love you’ for the first time. Not because he’s unsure about his feelings, but because he doesn’t want to lose another person that he loves. But, with the help of his friends, he eventually finds the courage, arranges an amazing date, and tells the reader how much they mean to him, and promises to protect them with anything he can.

A/N: this was fun to do! I love the idea of a sensitive Lance (almost as much as a sensitive Keith)

Warning(s): the fluff to angst might kill some readers

Pairing(s): Lance x reader

Word Count: 2,579

Request are always open!

Lance and you had been together since the eighth grade in middle school. You guys fit perfectly together, you where more in the calm side of things while Lance was always up and about. You still remember the day that he said he loved you…it was very…well…Lance to say the least…

***

“Y/NNNNNNNNN!!!!!” Lance yelled, phone gripped tightly in his hands, you perked up and cocked your left brow slightly upwards. The brown-haired male rarely talked to you, but you didn’t take it as a offense. You didn’t talk unless it was required to by a teacher or you where in trouble for something you didn’t do (that happened more often then you would think, the shy and quiet kids always get blamed for the things the loud kids do. Always.

“What?” You inquired, leaning back in your chair as Lance propped his phone up on your water bottle and gave you a sly smirk. Your eyes clouded with even more confusion as Lance went on tiktok and started to playing Electric Love.

”Do you know this trend?” Lance asked, you shook your head ‘no’ before lightly humming to yourself.

”No, but the song sounds nice,” you commented slowly. Picking out your words as carefully as a old lady picking out beautiful blooming flowers for her husbands funeral.

“I know it does…” Lance smoothed talked, doing the classic bisexual finger guns as you. You giggled at the boys attempt to get your attention. But just as the song picked up to the chorus Lance pulled you in by the collar of your shirt and kissed you roughly. You tensed up, muscles bunching up in the toughness that held in the kiss. But, soon, you found it to be comforting and relaxed slightly. Lance pulled away from you and smiled brightly.

”I am guessing this means that you like me?” You giggled, staring at Lance as he curled into you and hide his face in the crook of your neck. You felt your body temperature go up slightly as you hugged Lance back and laid your chin on his back.

***

It was short and sweet, anything that somebody could dream of in Middle School. The tiktok bad blown up to massive number and got both you and Lance a following (your followers demanding more Lance x you content, and you happily gave them it). The relationship through half of high school and training pilot school was so sweet. Even when Voltron was formed you guys stuck together likes two peas and a pod.

But one thing differed

One thing stuck out to you

It was always the same thing…

You would sat the words ‘I love you’ and wait for a response

But it never happened. He never responded with ‘I love you too’ or anything. He would just seem happy that you said you loved him and carried on with the day as if nothing happened. The crew started to pick up on slight hints but nobody got it! They would just say that Lance was being nice and shy but you knew the Cuban boy more then anybody. If you had to describe him personality wise ‘shy’ and ‘quiet’ are some words that too wouldn’t use. Lance's personality is very complex, as he has shown several different, often conflicting sides throughout the course of your relationship with him (even in the classmate side of things way back when). He can be very egotistical, cocky, confrontational, and arrogant at times. At other times, he is friendly, kind, reflective, and shows great intelligence. He is usually the first to make light of a delicate situation, either by joking around or flirting. Lance is noted for his poor-timed or vulgar humor at times, noted by him ripping a fart as a joke. Lance's friendly and outgoing personality allows him to connect with mostly everyone (maybe not as much with Keith) despite their many differences. Around girls, however, Lance tends to focus on flirting, sometimes neglecting his teammates. Lance is brave, adventurous, friendly, and free-spirited, often howling like a wild man during his fights and adventures, showcasing his unrestrained love for what he does. However the moments he is able to let go of those feelings are the times he is able to do the most for his team. He can be quite sensitive, reflective, and distant at times when his teammates are not around or when his guard is lowered. Lance is shown to be quite homesick, deeply missing the Earth and desiring to return to his family, reminiscing on the beach near his home, splashing in puddles, and experiencing rainfall. This is one of the few times he appears sad and he is unwilling to let his friends witness it.

He is often impulsive, not very in control of his emotions and often loses the gravity of the team's mission to dreams of glory, praise, and being the center of attention. Lance reacts angrily when Keith doesn't prioritize the shows Voltron is putting on to gain support, and he is easily the most enthusiastic of the Paladins about performing in front of a crowd. Lance tends to get caught up in the way that he sees the world rather than the way things actually are. Because of this, he is noted to be the least perceptive of his team. Lance was the only one fooled by Pidge's disguise as a boy. He also sees many of Keith's comments as insulting or aggressive when Keith does not appear to mean them that way because Lance believes Keith is his rival, and the "rivalry" between them is entirely Lance's own creation. Lance is insecure about his own abilities and placement on the team, and so often acts as though he has something to prove. Lance admits that he doesn't see himself as one of Voltron's best warriors and suggests that he may not be the best choice for a Paladin of Voltron. Contrastingly, Lance often shows a high degree of situational awareness and tactical skill while on missions, as shown when he corrected Keith's errors twice to protect the Balmera from harm from Keith's reckless attacks. When meeting the Blade of Marmora for the first time, Lance pointed out to Shiro that Keith would become angry and attack someone if taken on the mission. While this was most likely said because of his rivalry with Keith, Lance was correct in his assessment of Keith's character, as Keith's antagonistic nature created tension with the Blade when they discovered the knife in his possession.

Following Shiro's disappearance after the temporary defeat of Zarkon, Lance matured rapidly. He became far more serious in his missions and coordinating battles with his allies. During this time, he also lost much of his animosity towards Keith. Although initially desiring to be leader himself, Lance accepted the Black Lion's choice of Keith as Paladin. He becomes a much more supportive member of the team and steps up to take more of a tactical advisor's role, not sugar-coating his criticism of Keith's leadership tactics but supporting him to move forward all the same. Lance's acceptance by the Red Lion as its new pilot echoes King Alfor: acting as a right hand, trusting the Black Paladin to be a better leader than himself in battle, giving assistance when needed, and supporting his friends.

So he would often be the side character that got only a small amount of screen time and often bullies by other characters and the fandom. Although you loved him and all of his moments. Whether he is sad, cocky, sensitive, or doesn’t say the three words ‘I love you’ back whenever you say it.

It was the complete opposite for you

If someone where to describe you they would say that you where sometimes flirty but not as level headed as Lance. You used to be shy but you think that phase has left your body now (as least you hope with dating the one and only Lance McClain). Usually you flirted a lot with Pidge friendship wise and Pidge would always joke about killing Lance and getting together with you. You woud laugh and laugh as Lance fears for his own life in the corner. But other then the teasing with your best friend Pidge a lot of people labeled you as kind and understanding. You where the one to talk Keith out of leaving the moment he knew who is Mother is. Instead he stayed for a little longer. And when Keith left you defended him with your life. Sometimes arguments would burst out in Shiro saying that you cared more about Keith then you any other teammates. And maybe he was right, but you admired Keith in some way. He was the person that did what you didn’t want to do. The one thing that every half-breed thought of doing but never did in the end. When the days where off and you could relax a playful pillow fight would often kick off or you could be seen watching some anime (usually the gore stuff but sometimes you couldn’t help but watch Ouran High School Host Club souly based on the fact that Haruhi was there and it is Haruhi).

Maybe you where the toxic one in the relationship, maybe you needed to fix something and do something right.

“Y/n?” Pidge asked, snapping you out of your daydream and into reality. Sighing heavily you let down your guard and turned back on your mic to reach out to your non-binary teammate.

“Yes Pidge?” You called through the mic of your helmet. The slight grief that you felt for Lance handing thickly in your throat. You might have gotten use to if. Used to the feeling that Lance was never going to say ‘I love you’ in your relationship but it still felt worse then getting knocked down by Zarkon when you had a tom of weapons and he had none.

“Something happened to Lance I need you to—“ Pidge was cut off by the sound of you racing to get the rest of your uniform on. You where at the spaceship of backup was needed, although they rarely ever needed you. So you just wore your helmet (you thought it looked pretty cool). You pulled the purple uniform over your head and rushed into your lion.

“OPEN UP PURPLE!!” You called, clearly in a hurry. You grabbed your purple taser that Shiro had given everyone at the start of the mission and went in the mouth of Purple.

You where the purple Paladin, usually the person who has the purple Paladin is connected to royalty somehow. Everyone wanted to talk about it but you always ignored them when it came up in discussion.

The truth is that you are Zarkon’s child, being raised on the planets and then brought down to Earth when a war happened. You where raised by a old lady who found you left alone in the cold and brought you in. She fed you and kept you safe although she didn’t know what you truly where (she just guessed you where a human like everyone else on Earth). You covered up the marks on your face unlike Keith. You didn’t want to leave yet. You couldn’t leave…if you left then what would Lance do? No, you won’t be like Keith and leave your friends and boyfriend to rot in the spaceship while war goes plundering on like a lighting storm all around you. You may be Zarkon’s kid but you weren’t like him at all. You weren’t like Keith. You were y/n. And if you had to die to prove it, then so be it. Purple halted in front of Red. Your eyes widened as you saw Lance, he looks beaten up to the point of near death. Your breath hitched in your throat as you jumped out of your seat, making sure to grab the first-aid kit and then bang on Purple’s door to open faster.

“LANCE!!!” You screeched when Purple finally opened the door to let you out. Blue was beat up badly also, parts of Blue’s body was falling off and their usually clear crystal blue eyes where now dusty and clouded with thought. You found a gap in Blue and rushed in to save Lance’s life. “LANCE!!!” You exclaimed, going to Lance’s side and shaking him rapidly. Thick tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes.

“HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA SJSNEURKNR AHAHHAHAHA!!!!” Keith howled in laughter. You whipped your head around and stared at the black-haired male. You fumbled with your pocket and pulled out the taser. Soon Lance joined in on the laughing as well. Both of them howling like maned wolves on a full moon.

“What are you two laughing at?!” You huffed, arms crossed and staring at the two boys. Soon the rest of the Paladin‘s arrived. All of them laughing together.

“Come in love…let’s get away from them…” Lance suggested, standing up on his own and taking you away. You didn’t have time to notice it before but now you looked around where you stood and there was a bunch of blooming flowers around the place. A small park where some kids sat at the dark navy blue coated bench and watched in awe at the lions and the two of you like you where some superhero’s flying through the sky.

“Where are we going?” You asked, leaning against Lance’s arm and intertwining fingers with him.

“You will see.” Lance chuckled, you rolled your eyes and started following Lance. Totally embraced in the fact that he was still alive. His scent smelled like the fresh clean breeze and coconut mixed together in the most perfect way.

Soon, the two of you went to a small opening in the park, kids where gathered around and staring at you with excitement filling their eyes. “Y/n! Can you read me a story?” One of the kids begged, the kids had curly blonde hair and round blue eyes. You nodded your head and sat down to pick up the book. You opened your mouth to start resting it to the blonde-haired girl before Lance coughed. You turned around and couldn’t believe the sight in front of your eyes. It was Lance on one knee, a dark purple case in his hands and a warm smile on his face. You looked for any sign of joking or a prank but all you could see was admirable and love for you in his tired dark blue eyes.

“I know this is kind of out of plan, but you know what? I am like that…so…” Lance trailed off, looking into your eyes. You stared at each other in silence before Lance spoke again. “I love you…and I am sorry that I hadn’t said it to you in all these years of us being together…but I hope I will make it up you…so y/n, will you make me the luckiest man on Earth and take this ring…?” Lance asked, pulling out the ring from the box. The ring had a small diamond but in it was a lavender flower inside. On the inner ring it had the lyrics for Electric Love in Lance’s handwriting.

“I guess McClain isn’t that bad of a last name…” You teased. Lance laughed softly before he took the ring into his hands and slipped it on your ring finger as a final say that you two where going to get married soon.

[rubymoon-snape]

Chapter Disclaimer: I only own the Governor, the King, and the berry drink. If anyone wants to use them, they can as long as I get credit.

Author Note: This is broganes and team as family.

"Poisoning"

Voltron had liberated a planet from Galra rule, though sentries were the only things there. There were no Galra soldiers on the planet, which was strange to the Paladins. It was relatively easy to liberate the planet, but the inhabitants were no less grateful and threw them a celebration.

Allura insisted that all of the Paladins attend the celebration, much to Keith's dismay. He wasn't a fan of parties. There were always too many people, too loud music, and too many instances where he was required to mingle. He was not a people person; everyone knew that. He tended to stay on the sidelines, and this instance was no difference. He was glad that he wasn't royalty or the leader of Voltron. Both Allura and Shiro had to talk to a lot of people, including the rulers of the planet. All Keith had to do was not offend people, which was easy to do if no one approached him. Fortunately, the only one who did was a girl who was bringing drinks to all the party goers, including the Paladins. In an attempt to keep the peace, Keith accepted a drink every time he was handed one. One taste told him it wasn't alcohol nor was it anything he had had before, and he couldn't stop drinking it either.

%%%

Shiro knew how to multitask and make it seem like he wasn't. He was listening to the stuffy governor but also keeping an eye on Keith. He knew his brother didn't like parties and was probably looking for an escape route. He was surprised to find him leaning against a wall with an empty glass flute in one hand and a full one in the other. One of the many pretty girls, whose job was to offer drinks to all, seemed to be exchanging the cups and standing in Keith's personal space. Shiro was surprised that Keith wasn't opposed to it, but he was concerned about the dazed look in Keith's eyes. Something wasn't right.

"Black Paladin, is everything all right?"

Shiro blinked and turned back to face Governor Zhelk. "My apologies. Something is amiss with one of my men. Let me check on him before we continue our conversation."

"I insist we continue now. Surely your man can take care of himself, seeing as he's Galra."

Shiro narrowed his eyes. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Did you think we didn't know? Yes. One of our 'saviors' is part of the race that conquered the universe."

"Keith isn't part of the Empire. He's actively trying to end their tyranny."

"All Galra are the same and deserve the same fate." Zhelk chuckled darkly. "And I see your pet is on his fifth glass of the K'h'jli berry drink."

For the first time, Shiro realized that the drink Keith had was different than everyone else's. Keith's was a dark purple drink, while the rest of the party goers were enjoying a royal blue liquid. "Why is Keith drinking that?"

"The K'h'jli berries, once made into a drink, will slowly poison Galra. The more they drink, the more they want. The toxins build up in their systems until they die. The amount always vary. We were very excited to test the drink on a half-breed."

Shiro had to refrain from striking the official and rushed over to his brother's side. "Keith!"

Keith raised his head to look at Shiro from beneath his fringe. "S'iro?"

"I think you've had enough, ototo." Shiro plucked the glass from Keith's hand, not wanting to worry him.

"But it tastes so good, nii-san." Keith reached out for the glass Shiro kept out of his reach.

"Everything in moderation, kiddo."

Keith pouted but stopped reaching for the glass. "Fine."

"Let's go back to the castle ship."

"But aren't we supposed to stay here?"

Shiro tried to think of what to tell Keith without telling him he had been poisoned, when Keith's eyes rolled back into his head and he started falling. Shiro managed to catch him before he hit the floor. "Keith!"

%%%

"Keith!"

Shiro's shout caught the attention of Allura, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. The quartet immediately turned to look at where the Red and Black Paladins were standing...well, only Shiro was standing. Keith was being supported by his brother.

"What's the matter with Keith? I've never heard Shiro sound so scared before," Lance commented, taking a step away from the pretty girl he was flirting with.

The girl hung onto his arm. "I'm sure it's nothing important. Weren't you going to tell me more of your daring adventures as the Blue Paladin?"

Lance's eyes flicked from the girl to Shiro and Keith and back. "As tempting as that is, I ought to check in with Shiro. He is the leader after all. Excuse me." Lance withdrew his arm from her grip and made his way over to the pair of Paladins. "Shiro, what's going on?"

"Lance, gather everyone else. He's been intentionally poisoned!"

"Intentionally?"

"Now, Lance. I'm taking him to the castle. Hopefully there's time." Shiro shifted his hold on Keith and carried him bridal style out of the ball room and into the castle ship, knowing that the team would be following him as soon as Lance informed them of the situation.

He carried him to the infirmary, running into Coran on the way. "Oh, Shiro. I didn't expect any of you until the morning. What's wrong with Number Four?"

"He's been intentionally poisoned!"

"Oh my! What did he ingest?"

"K'h'jli berry drink."

Coran grimaced. "Not good, but at least it's treatable. Let's put him in a healing pod," Coran explained as he and Shiro rushed to the pod room. "It'll flush the toxins from his body, but it'll leave him weak for about a quintant."

They reached the pod room, and Shiro stripped Keith and put him in the white bodysuit that promoted healing while Coran programed the pod. The tick Shiro set Keith into the pod, Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance rushed in. Allura took one look at her Red Paladin in the healing pod and demanded, "Do we know what happened? All Lance said was that Keith was intentionally poisoned."

"He was given glass after glass of K'h'kli berry drink. He was on his fifth glass," Shiro replied.

Allura gasped. "How dare they?!"

"What is K-whatever berry drink?" Hunk asked.

"It is fatal to Galra. Thanks the ancients that Keith is part human. That alone spared his life," Allura stated.

"That coupled with how quickly Shiro got him here saved his life. He will recover but will be weak for the next quintant," Coran added.

"How long will he be in there?" Shiro asked.

"Since he had five glasses, at least two and a half vargas," Coran informed them.

"Good. That should give me enough time to give the governor a piece of my mind," Shiro promised.

"Not without me. However, we are going to seek an audience with the king." Allura's tone left no room for arguments, even though no one was going to argue with her.

"While you two do that, Pidge, Hunk, and I can build a nest for when Keith gets released," Lance suggested.

"An excellent idea, Number Three. I will show you where the extra pillows and blankets are kept."

The two leaders left the castle ship, while the others constructed a nest. They marched into the palace and informed the guards that they sought an audience with King Malse concerning an assassination attempt on one of the Paladins. They were granted an audience immediately, and Shiro and Allura thought it showed that the poisoning was an isolated attempt.

"Princess Allura, Black Paladin Shiro, I understand that one of the Paladins was poisoned. Which one and what is his/her condition?" King Malse inquired.

"It was our Red Paladin, Keith, and he will recover," Allura reported.

The king sniffed. "A pity."

Shiro blinked. Surely he didn't hear that. "What do you mean, your majesty?"

"Galra are monsters that plague this universe and must perish. Your Paladin has Galra blood and must suffer the same fate."

Shiro couldn't believe the king was so racist that condemning an entire race to death didn't even faze him. He hadn't even noticed that he started moving until Allura caught his arm. "Shiro, stand down. King Malse, I'm sorry to hear your views on Galra. With all due respect, Voltron withdraws our request for you and your planet to join the Coalition."

"Princess Allura, you would throw away a powerful ally because of a Galra half-breed?"

"No. I throw away this alliance because my Red Paladin and friend isn't respected and safe here. Shiro, let's go." Allura led Shiro out of the palace and back to the castle ship.

They split up once they entered, Shiro going to the pod room and Allura heading to the bridge to launch the ship and get away from the planet. She steered the ship towards a more friendly sector of space. Once the castle ship was safely hidden, the princess joined her Paladins in the pod room to wait for Keith to be released from his healing pod.

The pod beeped twice, alerting the group to the fact that Keith was being released after two and a half vargas. Shiro stepped a little closer and caught Keith when he stumbled out of the pod. Keith's eyes fluttered open, and he grasped Shiro's vest. "Shiro? What-?"

"It's okay, ototo. Let's get you settled before we go into detail." Shiro guided his brother into the well constructed nest that contained the Garrison Trio and the two resident Alteans.

Keith settled between Shiro and Lance. Shiro held a hydration pouch and gently nudged the straw between Keith's lips. Keith sucked on the straw, quickly draining the pouch. Shiro removed the straw and allowed Keith to lay his head against his shoulder. Keith licked his lips and asked again, "So, what happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Allura asked.

"Um, we were at the celebration for liberating a planet. You and Shiro were talking with a high official, and I kept getting offered this drink. It wasn't alcohol, so I kept accepting the drink. I don't remember how many glasses I had."

"The thing is, Keith, the drink you had was actually poison."

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Keith lifted his head from Shiro's shoulder in alarm.

Shiro guided Keith's head back to his shoulder and started stroking his hair. "No, ototo. You were the only target."

"But why me?"

"They targeted you because you are part Galra."

Keith closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at Allura. "I didn't cost us an ally, did I?"

Allura shook her head. "You didn't jeopardize the alliance, Keith. They did. By targeting one of my Paladins, they showed that they don't care for Voltron as a whole, because the team is a unit, a family, and we protect our own."

Tears leapt to Keith's eyes. "Why do I feel so drained?"

"We put you in a healing pod, Number Four. The procedure to flush the toxins from your body makes you feel drained as you put it. It's going to take time until you feel better," Coran replied.

"So, no sneaking off to the training deck," Pidge quipped.

"I can barely stand on my own. I doubt I can sneak anywhere," Keith retorted. He looked at Coran. "How long is this going to last?"

"About a quintant."

Keith sighed. "What if there's an attack?"

"Then, I will fly Red, and Allura will fly Blue," Lance answered. "That's why we have the system we have in place."

"Lance is right, Keith. You don't have to worry about anything but recovering right now. You'll be up and about in no time, and I'll be dragging you off of the training deck," Shiro agreed.

"All right. You win, but one more question. Who built this nest?"

Hunk fidgeted nervously. "Pidge, Lance, and I did. Coran got us the pillows and blankets. Is it okay?"

"No. It's not okay. It's great."

"Really? I tried to copy how you build your nests, buddy."

"I appreciate it, Hunk." Keith yawned.

"Get some sleep, Keith. We're all here for you, and we are safe," Allura stated.

"Thanks, Princess." Keith closed his eyes again but didn't reopen them, falling asleep against his brother's shoulder.

The Paladins and Alteans quietly conversed about their next move until they heard Keith purring. Shiro smiled. "That's a relief. Keith purring is a sign that he knows that he is safe and content in that knowledge."

"It's also a sign that he knows that we don't mind his Galran heritage," Allura added. "We should also get some rest. We have had a busy day as well."

Lance leaned against Keith's side, while Pidge scooted over to sit in front of Lance and leaned against Keith's legs. Allura moved over to sit in front of Shiro and laid down with her head in Keith's lap. Hunk and Coran sat down behind Keith, one laying against his back and the other stroking Keith's hair. Keith's purr was so soothing that it lulled the other six beings to sleep.

Fin

[poorrichardslegacy]

Kacxa Week 2020 Day 7 - Return to Braylar IV

SUMMARY: Keith and Acxa return to Braylar IV with their teenage daughters. It is the first time either of them has been back to the planet since their first visit as enemies 23 decaphoebs earlier.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26923546

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Acxa/Keith (Voltron) Characters: Acxa (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Keith's Wolf (Voltron), Original Galran Character(s), Original Characters Additional Tags: Kacxa Week 2020, Family Secrets, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Pack Family, Wolf Pack, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon

---------------

Acxa looks around the clearing as Keith lands their ship on the surface of Braylar IV.

“Well, that was certainly a much smoother landing than the last time I was here.”

“Mom, any landing would be smoother than the one you made the last time you were here. You crash landed, remember?”

“Actually Cataleya, I try to forget that part of that trip.”

---------------

Disembarking from the ship, Keith sees four Cosmic Dire Wolves approaching. He and Acxa grin from ear to ear when they recognize the lead Wolf.

“Cosmo!”

The three rush forward to great one another. Standing over 8 feet tall at the shoulders, Cosmo bends down and allows Keith and Acxa to scratch him behind his ears.

“Oh, buddy. It’s so good to see you again! How have you been?”

“I am well, Keith. I assume all is well with you and Acxa? And the pups? Cataleya and Mireya? They are well?”

Acxa laughs. “The pups are fine, Cosmo. In fact, they’ve grown up since you last saw them.” She turns, looks behind her, and summons her daughters forward. “Girls, you remember, Cosmo? You were six the last time you saw him.”

“Mom, of course we remember Cosmo!” They rush forward to greet their former companion, who is just as happy to see them.

Keith sees a she-wolf with two pups standing behind Cosmo. He taps Cosmo on his shoulder. “Are you going to introduce us?”

“Of course. Keith, Acxa, Mireya, Catleya…this is my mate Corima, and our pups Tiguan and Merina.”

The Koganes bow in unison at the waist as they greet Cosmo’s family. “Corima, Tiguan, Merina…it is an honor to meet you.”

Corima and her pups bow in return. “The honor is ours, Black Paladin.”

“Black Paladin. That’s a title I haven’t been called in a long time.” Keith pauses and looks wistfully at Acxa. “A long time.” He turns back to Cosmo. “So, it’s been awhile since we’ve been here old friend. How is the pack?”

“The Sonai are well. About two decaphoebs ago, Father was severely injured fighting the Hyenas. They attacked a neighboring clan that was friendly to the Sonai, and he and I went to help them. Corima was a member of that clan. She helped me nurse him back to health and…well, here we are. I became alpha male of the Sonai when father and I returned.”

“Mother and Father are very eager to see you again. Shall we go to the compound?”

---------------

They enter the compound where the entire Sonai clan has gathered to meet them. As is their custom, the wolves bow out of respect for their visitors. Keith and his family return the courtesy, bowing in greeting as well.

Stepping forward out of the crowd with a noticeable limp is Soran. He is followed closely by Ashira, who keeps a watchful eye on her mate. Ashira looks well, but for Soran it is a different story. The decaphoebs have not been kind to the old Dire Wolf. Besides the limp, Soran is considerably grayer than he used to be.

Happy for the opportunity to see his friends again, Keith steps forward to greet them.

“Soran. Ashira. It is so good to see you again!”

“It is good to see you as well, old friend. I knew this day would come. I have been looking forward to seeing you again for a long time.”

“I’ve brought my family with me. I’d like to introduce them if I may.”

Soran looks past Keith and spies Acxa. He moves close to Keith and whispers to him. “So, you finally wised up and claimed her?”

Keith whispers back. “It’s more like she claimed me, but I’m not complaining.”

“It’s just as well, since you weren’t about to do it.”

Keith assumes an air of mock indignation. “And everyone asks me where Cosmo learned to be so snarky…like father like son.”

“Hey, I taught my son everything I know.”

---------------

Acxa shyly says hello to Soran, apologizing for her state the last time she was here. She gives Ashira a warm greeting as well, since Ashira and her sister saved Acxa’s life following her crash landing on Braylar IV.1

Ashira notices the girls. “Tell me Acxa, are these your pups?”

“Yes, they are. Girls, come here and say hello to Cosmo’s mother.” Acxa introduces the girls, who both render the respectful greeting Keith hammered home to them on the way here.

Soran turns to Keith. “So, she claimed you and you got busy. Well done!”

---------------

Keith sets up camp for his family in the cave that he and Acxa used for shelter 23 decaphoebs earlier. They are joined for dinner by Soran, Ashira, Cosmo, and his family. That night, around a campfire in the cave, Soran asks Keith’s daughters if their father told them of their parent’s first visit to Braylar IV.

“Do you know all that transpired in this very cave, young pups?”

“No sir, they mentioned they were here, but they never went into details.”

“Would you like to hear about it? How that rascal of a father of yours saved your mother’s life?”

“YES, PLEASE SIR!”

Acxa shoots Keith a panicked look. There is a part of this story she prefers not be told. Keith nods to his wife, then turns to Soran. “I don’t think that’s necessary. We don’t want to put you out.”

“Nonsense! These pups need to know about their parents before they were mated! It will help them understand who they sprung forth from.”

Soran turns to Acxa, a glint in his eye. “You’re not ashamed of anything I may tell them, are you?”

Acxa gives Soran a deadpan look straight in the eye. “Would it make a difference if I said yes?”

“Nope. I’m going to tell them anyway.”

Acxa sighs and looks to Keith. “That’s what I thought he would say.”

Soran proceeds to give the girls the full unabridged version of Keith and Acxa’s earlier visit to Braylar IV.2 3

Embellished and entirely from his perspective.

---------------

As Soran finishes his exaggerated story of Keith and Acxa’s first visit to Braylar IV, Mireya and Cataleya look at each other then turn to their mother with smirks on their faces.

“Mom…I gotta ask this…how in the name of all that is holy did you and Dad ever get together?”

“What do you mean, Cataleya?”

“Ok. This is what Soran just told us. You and Dad are enemies. You’re trying to kill each other. You fight Dad two planets from here, he cripples your fighter and breaks your arm, then he just flies away and leaves you. You crash land on this planet, you have to fight poisonous Hyenas, one of which poisons you, and you nearly die. All because Dad put you in this position. Not exactly good boyfriend behavior if you know what I mean.”

Keith, hurt by his daughter’s words, speaks up for himself. “In my defense, your mother jumped me at Braylar VI. I was just defending myself.”

Speaking of jumping on Keith, now it is Mireya’s turn to poke some good-natured fun at her father. “So, Dad, let me make sure I understand things from your point of view. You do all that to Mom, then you feel all guilty and decide to check on her. You got Mom naked while she was delirious with fever, yet you were a perfect gentleman and didn’t touch her…well…except for taking her bodysuit off…, you got your butt kicked by Narti and had to get the Sonai to help you beat her, and then you let Mom leave without saying goodbye? Wow, that doesn’t exactly sound like a romantic date to me. It sounds more like a date from hell. Mom, tell us again why you picked him?”

Seeing the hurt behind Keith’s eyes, Acxa reaches out, takes his hand, and whispers to him. “I’ve got this.” She pulls a recording device out of her pocket and turns to her girls. “You want to know why I picked your father as my life partner? This is why.”

Keith goes wide-eyed upon seeing the device. “You still have that thing?”

“Of course, I do, love. And it still plays like it did the day I found it.”

“Mom, what is it?”

“This? Oh, your father slipped this this little gem into my bag before he and Narti loaded me into the shuttle to return to Lotor’s cruiser. I think it’s worth listening to. You girls put an interesting forensic slant on what happened here, but there’s more to the story than what you just heard. You’re missing the nuances and you don’t really know what happened from your father’s perspective. This recording will put Soran’s story in a whole new light. It opened my eyes when I first heard it, so many decaphoebs ago.”

As the girls gather around their mother, Acxa starts the playback on the recording Keith made so many years ago.

“Hey, Acxa, it’s me, Keith. The Black Paladin. The guy you probably want to tear up into a million small pieces right about now. Yeah. But before you do that, let me explain a few things.”

“Wow, Dad, you look so young there. And hunky. I see why Mom fell for you…”

“Wait…Hunky? What does that…”

“SHHH! Dad! We want to hear this!”

“You might or might not remember the first fight against the Hyenas. I came down to help you because…I needed to...it was the right thing to do. One of them got close to you and slashed your right leg. You were injured pretty badly, lost a lot of blood.”

Pausing the recording, Acxa tells the girls about the onset of the symptoms of the Hyena poisoning. The big needle Keith used to inject the medicine that slowed the poison. How he asked for permission to remove her armor to treat her leg. And, how he treated Ashira, who was also poisoned by the Hyenas.4

She hits the play button again.

“I was also the one who called for Narti to come get you. I’d gone to your fighter to figure out your communication protocols, and I happened to see her on radar. I called, she came down, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“I wanted to tell you all of this to your face, but…you were pretty loopy. You had no idea where you were or who you were talking to you. I don’t kill helpless enemies. But I know, technically, we are enemies. The next time we meet, if you come after me again like you did the last time, I will use deadly force if necessary, to defend myself.”

“I’d prefer not to do that. I had no desire to fight you at Braylar VI, because of our shared experience in the Weblum. I have no desire to fight you now. Not after what we just went through together.”

Mireya reaches in and hits the pause button on the playback device. “Wait…you two met on a Weblum?”

“No dear. Inside a Weblum.”

“WHAT?”

“The second stomach if you want to be precise. That’s another story.”

“Yeah, one that you two are going to tell us on the way back to Diabazaal! Then we want to hear the Androse Campfire story!”

Acxa prepares to restart the tape. “Pay attention girls, this is the important part.”

“I apologize for saying you lack honor. Narti told me about you. I believe what she said is true, and I was wrong to say what I said to you.”

“I also apologize for the pilot taunt. Turns out you’re just as good a pilot as I am. If not better. The skill it took to fly that fighter to Braylar IV with a broken arm and walk away from a crash landing is amazing.”

“Finally, I apologize for removing your body suit without your permission. I know you’ll figure it out sooner or later, so it’s best I admit it now. I mean nothing happened…it’s not like I haven’t seen…well…ok it was the first time I’ve seen…but it was purely clinical. Yeah, that’s it. I mean you were sweating…perspiring…uh…your body suit was saturated. You would have gotten a lot sicker if I left you in it. I did it for your own good. I hope you believe that. Please don’t kill me for it.”

“Wow, Dad…you were quite the smooth talker there…”

“Aww, he was really embarrassed Mireya…I think it’s cute…he tried.”

Acxa smiles and blushes at the memory, and at the sight of a clearly embarrassed and flustered Keith on the video. “Yes he did.”

“In another place and another time, I like to think we could be friends. We seem to have a lot in common. Also, if you ever have a change of heart and want to join the Coalition, you can do so any time. I would welcome you as a comrade in arms. And…as a friend. I hope someday we have a chance to talk when we aren’t pointing weapons at each other. In a selfish way it would be good to talk to you about what it means to be a half Galra.”

“Good luck and be safe, Acxa.”

Acxa carefully stows the recording device and faces her daughters.

“So, you see…your father did say goodbye. All kidding aside girls, after hearing that tape I began to realize that I had feelings for the man who would someday become your father.”

She takes Keith’s hand and looks him in the eye. “He told me decaphoebs later, the first time he said he loved me, that the message on this device was his way of telling me he was interested in me.”

She turns back to her daughters. “But he didn’t have to tell me that. I knew, just by listening to this recording. It only took us just over four decaphoebs to finally get together after we were here. Too long, in my opinion. But…we did it.”

“Thanks for sharing that recording, Mom. And for telling us how you fell for Dad.”

Mireya sheepishly turns to her father. “Dad…I’m sorry for needling you about what you did when you and Mom were here the first time. What you did was sweet. I see why Mom fell in love with you.”

Soran can’t resist on final parting shot at Keith.

“Good, then perhaps you can enlighten me. Because I still don’t see it.”

Keith turns to Ashira, a deadpan look on his face. “Ashira, would you smack him for me?”

Ashira give Soran a sharp whack across the top of his head with her paw.

“Ow!” The surprised wolf turns to Keith. “Why did you ask her to do that?”

Keith laughs. “That my old friend was a love tap to say how much I missed you and your snark. You’re just too tall for me to reach your head myself.”

“Well, if that was supposed to be a love tap, any chance you could let Ashira know the next time you decide to do that? She just about killed me!”

Ashira gives Soran a stern look. “Don’t be so dramatic, you old coot. If I wanted to hurt you, trust me you’d know.”

As the group shares a good-natured laugh, the Kogane girls turn to one another.

“You know, Mireya, this is turning out to be a pretty cool trip after all.”

  1 Return of the Prince, Chapter 11, Cry of the Wolf

2 Return of the Prince, Chapter 11 Cry of the Wolf

3 Return of the Prince, Chapter 12 Riders on the Storm

4 Return of the Prince, Chapter 11, Cry of the Wolf

[mermaider00]

The Black Lion’s Choice

(An AU fic)

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t! Can you guys?” 

In the hangar of the Black Lion inside the Castle of Lions, Lance spun around to his teammates and friends. He had his paladin’s helmet under one arm and a brightness in his eyes as he looked at everyone who was left waiting with him. Keith, Shiro, and Allura only stared back at him. 

Lance’s armor was freshly polished and his face held a gleam from a sheet mask applied that very morning. 

Keith, with his arms crossed over his own red and white armor, gave a shrug from Lance’s excited outburst. “I don’t know. Nothing’s happening.” 

“It’s gonna happen,” Lance argued with a determined nod. “Shiro said so.” 

Shiro held up his hands in defense. “I didn't exactly say what you think I said, Lance.” 

“I think we all heard you loud and clear, buddy. Today, Black is getting herself a new paladin.” He turned back to the Black Lion, sitting quietly and majestically and gigantically. His chest puffed up and he set a fist on his skinny hip. “And that paladin is gonna be Lancey Lance.” 

“I’m... honestly in awe by this news,” Allura muttered. Unlike the other two boys, she wasn’t dressed in her armor, choosing instead to wear her flight suit for comfort. Shiro was without his too, she realized, glancing over at him and frowning some. He was back in his civilian clothes, and seeing his usual vest zipped up against his chest was somehow a disheartening thing to her eyes. A vest he’d needed help to zip up, she thought sadly, considering he was without his prosthetic arm that had been destroyed, and a new one had yet to be built for him. 

After the battle with the clone of their Black Paladin made by the witch Haggar, Keith had told her that the spirit of Shiro was trapped inside the Black Lion, kept safe there by the beast machine after his body had been incinerated by quintessence. With the great power of magical Altean Alchemy, she had extracted that spirit and replaced it inside the body of his clone. The time waiting for that body to accept a foreign soul had been tense and painful, but they’d managed it. 

In doing so, his bond with the Black Lion had been destroyed, and Shiro could no longer pilot her. 

An end of a great era, Allura thought with sorrow. But perhaps it would make way for something new? 

Would the choosing of Lance as Black Paladin begin a great and glorious new era for Voltron and the Coalition? 

“I think we should go over it one more time,” Allura suggested, coming to stand next to Shiro. His new pure white hair would take some getting used to. “In case we’ve missed something?” 

“Good idea, Allura,” Lance said happily. 

“Yeah good idea,” Keith muttered with an unconvinced lift of his brow. “Because I’m having a hard time understanding it.” 

“What’s not to understand? Shiro said I’m gonna be Black Paladin.” 

“That’s not what I said,” Shiro grumbled out, sighing deeply and rubbing his temples with his one hand for a few moments before he went through all he knew yet again. “Let’s go through the timeline. All of your written and oral reports tell me there was an altercation with Lotor that resulted in a big misunderstanding between Team Voltron and the Galra Empire, which could've threatened our alliance with the greatest faction in the known universe. During this altercation, Keith takes out my clone, and Allura ultimately saves my life.” 

“You mentioned the Black Lion speaking to you,” Allura added, staring up the great head of Voltron before them. “When she was keeping your soul safely inside her. Would she speak to you in the same way the bond works between Lion and paladin?” 

“It was... something like that.” Shiro sighed again, softer this time. “The bond is like a voice in your head that isn’t a voice at all. The Lion gifts you with new abilities to unlock when the bond is strong enough, and they can sense you as if you were one being. Black has also been known to show me events of the past during an astral projection, but it isn’t a voice. None of those things are a voice, it’s all just deep emotional and spiritual connection. My experience with Black while she housed my soul was something else entirely.” 

“Still not understanding,” Keith cut in. “If she cared about you so much and had that kind of connection with you, why is your bond broken now?” 

“I don’t know,” Shiro admitted, finding the yellow eyes of the Black Lion and once again trying to feel something. He felt mostly nothing. “The whole time I was in there, it felt like she was waiting for someone. She took me, my clone, and even Keith to fly her, but the choosing of Keith to take my place only happened because I influenced it, and she temporarily agreed. I don’t know exactly why she’s not accepting you anymore, Keith, but I think it has something to do with her waiting.” 

Keith went quiet as he tried to think. Apparently, the only reason he was able to pilot Black was because Shiro made it all happen after he’d died and been absorbed by the beast machine. Black would not take him at her controls anymore. 

But the Red Lion had welcomed him back home. 

Allura crossed her arms over her chest. “This was all so much easier to manage when I just assigned you all to your Lions. Now you all have history with more than one of them that makes this predicament entirely too complicated.” 

“Black won’t take me or Shiro,” Keith began, seeming to speak his thoughts out loud now. “But Red took me back and won’t take Lance. I thought maybe the Lions wanted our original lineup but that’s obviously not the case, even more so since Blue still wants Allura.” 

“She’s waiting for someone,” Shiro said again. “It’s why she won’t let me fly her. I think she’s been waiting a long time, and she’s finally standing firm and getting what she wants. When I was with her, it wasn’t like the bond when you’re a paladin. I heard her voice. I heard her speak to me.” 

“What did her voice sound like?” Lance asked. 

“It’s... hard to describe. I felt it everywhere, in my ears, in my head, in my heart and even in my blood. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced with her before. She told me her paladin was a boy she knew. One who longed to fly her, who was part of the team, and one who was as quick and sharp as the Altean blade he wielded. All of those things describe Keith,” Shiro continued, giving a rueful smile to his longtime friend. “But apparently Keith is not the one. And the only other person who meets all those requirements... is Lance.” 

“Yes!” Lance cheered, pumping a fist into the air. Not only had he polished his armor for the occasion, he had polished the armor of the Black Paladin, and was wearing it proudly. “I mean, it’s sad to leave Red. I’m definitely gonna miss that speed, and Blue has bonded pretty hard with Allura. Hunk doesn’t fight with a sword and in his heart we all know he prefers being with Yellow. I’m the only other guy left. And I’m a guy without a Lion now.” 

“It does make sense,” Allura said. “What doesn’t make sense is how the Black Lion is responding at the moment.” 

“I know, what’s up with her?” Lance murmured as he stared up at Black again. 

The Black Lion looked anything but receptive to a new pilot at the moment. With two former Black Paladins and one possible new one in the hangar, her safety shield was up around her body positioned in a sitting pose. A waiting pose, Shiro thought again, but the waiting should end any moment. When they had originally found Blue in that cave back on earth, Blue’s shields had been up as well even though her next paladin had entered the space with her. 

It had taken a little time for Lance to break through the shields, and carry them all off to their destiny. 

Keith then suggested, “Maybe Black doesn’t like the fact that you’re wearing the Black Paladin armor before she even lets you fly her.” 

Lance looked down at his chest and the black symbol of Voltron painted there. “That can’t be. I think I look kinda dashing. It just means I’m ready for her.” 

“Girls don’t like it when you’re presumptuous.” 

“Okay, stop before this turns into a thing,” Shiro interrupted before a spitting match between the boys could begin. “Lance, you’re the only one of us who makes sense based on what I know. Black has been waiting for you. Maybe it was solving the altercation with Lotor peacefully instead of resorting to emotional violence that couldn’t be taken back, or maybe it was you mastering the skills of two other Lions, I don’t know. But you will be Voltron’s next Black Paladin.” 

“You’re quiznaking right!” Lance said excitedly, setting his black and white helmet down onto the floor and approaching the safety shields around the Black Lion. “C’mon, girl, loverboy Lance will treat you like a lady.” 

Allura heard the entrance doors to the hangar whoosh open. Someone was entering. Probably Coran or Pidge. 

“Maybe...” Lance continued softly, narrowing his eyes in thought. “Maybe I’ll just do the same thing I did with Blue, huh? Maybe I’ll just knock.” The boy lifted a hand, fisted it before knocking with the exact same pressure he’d once used to knock on Blue’s shields. 

And just like that... the shields went down. Lance grinned in victory. 

“Princess.” 

Allura and all three men spun around at the sound of a familiar voice. Through the doors entered Emperor Lotor, the sound of his boots clicking along the floor and his hands placed gracefully behind his back. His eyes held no desire or appreciation for a quick break with Team Voltron and his mouth held no friendly smile. He entered the hangar with what felt like regret and obligation oozing from his skin, and he was quick to be rid of it. 

“Our meeting, Allura. Shiro,” Lotor added, nodding to the one man in the room that didn’t make his heart clench inside his chest. “I’ve anchored my flagship to the Castle of Lions, as you’ve requested. I don’t have much time to give you or your comrades. My Empire needs me.” 

After a woman named Romelle had been brought back from the Altean colony beyond the Quantum Abyss, she had accused Lotor of unspeakable crimes that ultimately turned out to be proven false, and nowhere near as heinous as she’d believed. It was a misunderstanding that had cost Team Voltron a lot, the biggest loss being the Emperor of the Galra’s trust in them. Blooming friendships had ended and Voltron was to return to Princess Allura’s castle instead of being given another home aboard the Galran Central Command. 

Not only had friendships and camaraderie been ruined... but any possible romances as well. 

Allura tried not to frown. The biggest mistake of her life had been made when she’d chosen the word of a stranger over their most important ally. 

The alliance between Voltron and the Empire, however, had survived the devastating fallout. 

Protecting the innocents of the universe from being threatened by another Zarkon was far too important to all of them. 

“We will be right with you and your subordinates, Emperor Lotor,” she said softly, folding her hands in front of herself and setting her shoulders back instead of slouching forward. “There is a quick matter we’re addressing at the moment.” 

Lotor’s eyes studied the scene before him. So much was different, he realized, staring at the new appearance of Shiro and the new armor the boy with the high-pitched voice and pointy chin was now wearing. The armor of the Black Paladin, he saw, his white brows lifting in surprise and maybe a little amusement as well. The armor of his father, and standing before the Lion his father flew too. Shiro, the only one aboard the castle Lotor did not carry any resentment for, was not in uniform at all, and held a very masked disappointment inside him. He would no longer be Black Paladin, Lotor realized. 

Without Shiro, Team Voltron had all but collapsed before the earthling solider had returned in the form of a clone. 

What would happen to them now? 

“You will fly the Black Lion?” Lotor asked Lance out of curiosity. He wanted to leave the Castle as soon as possible, but this was a very interesting thing to behold. 

“Damn skippy,” Lance answered proudly. He’d always known his day would come. “Look, she even dropped her shields for me, what a good girl. Hey, Allura, I might even be the first guy in intergalactic history to fly three Lions, huh? We should be writing this all down.” 

“Yes, Lance,” she uttered, trying to sound cheerful but it certainly wasn’t showing on her face. “Ah... Lotor, I think you should be here for this moment. Lance will soon be Black Paladin and the head of Voltron, though Shiro and myself will still lead. I think it’s best for you to be aware of any new developments within our group.” 

Lotor didn’t answer her. Instead, he stared up at the Black Lion. A spectacular beast machine, he thought, and one that came with an emitting warmth within her hangar. Could the others feel the warmth too? 

Deep inside his head, he heard a very soft calling that was somehow both familiar and unknown. 

“Well, it’s time to boot up my girl,” Lance declared, picking his helmet up from the ground and setting it over his head in preparation. “Once I get the hang of her controls, I think we should fly out in formation, just to see how it feels. And I’ll form the head!” he shouted with a dramatic deepened voice, doing a little jig before taking a few steps closer to the Black Lion. 

Lance then yelped when Black’s shields shot back down, sending him back a few inches before it could slice off his toes. 

Allura gasped, and Keith and Shiro straightened up in shock. 

“Hey,” Lance groaned, pushing himself up from lying on his back. “What gives! First you let me in then you throw me out? What’s wrong with her, Shiro?” 

“I... I don’t know,” Shiro said softly, his eyes quickly traveling all over Black for some foreign intrusion that had spooked her. “I don’t know what happened.” 

“Maybe she doesn’t like you,” Keith said. 

“Oh shut up, Keith!” Lance barked. “She likes me just fine.” 

“Something isn’t right,” Allura murmured. “What could have gone wrong?” 

“Shiro, you said she wanted me.” 

“That’s not what I said!” Shiro all but yelled, then stopped to take a breath. “I only told you what she told me and we’re coming to these conclusions ourselves with machinery we still don’t really know or understand. I could be wrong, and she’s waiting for someone else.” 

“But...” Lance lifted himself back to his feet, bowing his head a bit before shaking it and turning to them all. There was a slight redness in his cheeks right under his eyes. “I don’t have a Lion anymore. If I can’t fly Black then I don’t fly at all. It makes sense. You said it makes sense, Allura.” 

“These are magical machines, Lance,” Allura calmly told him. “I can’t possibly know what they want at all times. Perhaps my father could, but I cannot.” 

“This is the Black Lion,” Lotor then interrupted, taking a few steps closer to the beast machine, and quietly marveling over it. “The Lion that is the most skilled in combat and the one who takes the most energy from her paladin. Perhaps you do not hold enough energy to her liking, young man.” 

Lance scoffed at him. “That’s ridiculous, I have more energy than everyone in this room. Back on earth, I could go to school at the Garrison all day and then party with the ladies all night.” 

Nearby, Keith rolled his eyes. 

Lotor stared up at the Lion, continuing to feel that warmth. He’d once been inside it with Shiro, what felt like an eternity ago. Even then he’d been aware of its power and the great toll it took from her paladin. The Blue Lion was friendly and the Red Lion was picky, but the Black Lion took only the great leaders who could carry the burden and form Voltron. 

“There’s something,” Lotor murmured, looking straight ahead at the safety shields, the light reflecting in his blue eyes that were still shadowed from the fallout he’d experienced with those he’d once considered his friends, and more. He lifted a hand, claws pointed up. Warm, so warm. “She is... waiting.” 

All four paladins went still behind him. 

And when Lotor placed his hand on the shields of the Black Lion, they instantly went down again. 

Not only did they go down... but Black moved, and gave a great roar that rocked the Castle of Lions. 

Before, Shiro had felt nothing from Black. He’d tried, again and again, sitting in front of her or touching her or even climbing into the cockpit to take hold of her controls, hoping something would happen, that she would communicate to him again, or wisp him away to the astral plane for more answers about what she wanted and who she was waiting for. 

Now, the very last and dying embers of his connection to the Black Lion flared to life like a great inferno, and the knowledge he’d been craving crashed into him like a raging storm. 

I’ve been waiting... for the baby. 

Her voice, he was hearing it yet again. Shiro’s eyes widened, went as white as the hair on his head and as bright as Black’s as she celebrated the return of the baby she’d been waiting for. He saw it all before him, saw the past as it was instead of a simple story Coran could only repeat from memory. He saw the paladins of old, including Allura’s father and Zarkon before corruption. He saw Haggar, smiling and glowing as a younger woman. 

No, not Haggar, Shiro thought as he watched closely. Honerva. She’d once been called Honerva. 

And inside her was... a baby. 

A baby the Black Lion had waited patiently for. 

I felt his heart beat. I felt his heart stop. His tiny, tiny heart. I tried to save them all. 

Shiro watched as Zarkon offered Honerva to the rift out of desperation, his eyes zeroing in on her swollen middle covered by the baggy cloaks she wore to conceal her belly. Zarkon and Honerva had tried to keep their pregnancy a secret, knowing they would not be received kindly by anyone because of Honerva’s deteriorating condition in the pursuit of science that had come before her own unborn child. 

And they’d all died. All three of them. 

I have been waiting centuries for the child of Zarkon. I know him. I see him. I want him. 

Together, he and I will fly. 

Shiro suddenly gasped loudly, clutching his chest when the images were sucked away and the last of those embers fizzled out to nothing. The only hand he had left clutched his chest and only then did he realize he was being held. Keith had his shoulders, that worried line between his dark brows. Allura had a hand on his cheek and kept repeating his name, and Lance stood nearby for support. 

Lotor only stared back at him. 

“I’m fine,” Shiro breathed, rubbing back his white hair. “I’m fine.” 

“What did you see?” Allura asked him, taking a step back to give him some space. “Your eyes were glowing, and so were the Black Lion’s.” 

“She wants Lotor,” Shiro announced, knowing it to be true now without a doubt. “That’s who she’s been waiting for. She wants you,” he said to Lotor. “She wants to fly with you.” 

“What!” Lance exclaimed, even stomping a foot down. That slight redness on his cheeks turned into a frustrated blush. “But... I’m supposed to fly her. I changed my armor and everything. You said...” 

“I know what I said,” Shiro told him sternly. “This time, I know. Her paladin will be a boy she knew, and Black has known Lotor since before he was born. One who longed to fly her, who was part of the team, and one who was as quick and sharp as the Altean blade he wielded, that’s what she said. There must have been a part of you that wanted to fly the Black Lion of Voltron,” he then said straight to Lotor. “Every boy at some point wants to be like his father, to earn his father’s respect, even if that feeling is fleeting and he doesn’t deserve it. You’re also part of our team, whether you’re happy about it or not, and you’re an Altean swordsman. You meet all the criteria. You, Lotor, are the next Black Paladin.” 

What a thing to hear, Lotor thought as he looked at Shiro, ignoring the others staring open-mouthed at him now. Following in his father’s footsteps, just like Zarkon, he thought, feeling the pain in his chest as he heard the ugly comments in his head all over again. This is how he would follow in his father’s footsteps. This is how he was just like Zarkon. 

The Black Paladin, Lotor mused, glancing up at the great beast machine. She had been calling to him all his life, and he hadn’t known her voice or her warmth. 

The Black Lion then leaned down to him. He wasn’t afraid though she was a gigantic being, and the hangar was filled with the unmistakable sound... of mighty purring. Black gently set her snout against Lotor, and the purring increased. 

You are my cub now. 

He heard her, Lotor thought with wonder. He heard her clearly, as if she’d opened her mouth and said the words. 

Without thinking of the others, Lotor couldn’t help but place his hands on the Black Lion, his cheek against her metal, and close his eyes to feel that all-encompassing warmth he’d been without all his life. That intense love he’d never been properly given. 

And during these quiet and meaningful moments, he shared his thoughts with her, his emotions, his deepest of feelings. She had to understand. She had to know. 

The Black Lion accepted it, and would wait again. 

“Oh, so now she’s purring,” Lance spat out, ripping his helmet off and wanting to chuck it in great disappointment. “Blue or Red never purred at me.” 

“Lotor,” Allura began, needing to forget Lance’s feelings for now. There were more important things to discuss. “You must fly her. You must become Voltron’s next Black Paladin.” 

It would be hard to voice his decision, Lotor knew, caressing Black one last time before she eased away, and sat up straight. It would be so very hard, but his heart could only take so much in one lifetime. It had been one tragedy after the next, and now he was finally able to change this universe for the better and live without others constantly hurting him. 

Now, he would live without great hurt. 

“I appreciate the offer, Princess Allura,” Lotor began, then turned to them with the poise and calm of an Emperor. “But I would not join this team as is even if you all dropped to your knees and begged me.” 

Lance’s mouth fell open, Keith winced, Allura paled some. 

Shiro... couldn’t say he was surprised. Not even a little. 

Lotor gave the Black Lion one last look before gracefully making his way to the exit of the hangar. 

I will come back for you he told her, and knew she heard him through their bond. One day, we will fly together. 

I will be waiting, my cub. 

“Now that I have defeated the Fires of Purification, now that I am supplying the Galra with unlimited quintessence extracted humanely and have the last living population of Alteans under my protection and loyal to me after saving them from extinction, I must say that I do not need to form Voltron to defend this universe. Everything I have worked and bled for, everything I almost died for,” Lotor added, staring at each and every one of them, “is now well within my grasp. I will be awaiting you, Allura, and Shiro aboard my ship for our meeting,” he said, the doors whooshing open for him. But before he left, he turned to them one last time. 

“When it comes time to choose the next generation of Voltron paladins, I will answer the call to fly the Black Lion and lead them. She is waiting patently for me and I will not disappoint her. But I will not fly alongside this team who so quickly called for my death.” 

Lotor walked through the exit, held their gazes as the doors began to close. 

“Perhaps you should ask Romelle,” Lotor told them, and grinned as the doors closed. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Lotor Appreciation Day! 

[aro-aizawa]

anyways, since the idea won’t leave me alone here’s my pitch for a prince of the galra keith au where lotor doesn’t exist and canon is just a suggestion i guess. (under a cut part ways in bc uhhh it’s like 3.7k words. rip.)

for starters: krolia is human and zarkon’s his dad. a nightmare idea, i know bc uhhhh the same thing that occurs w thinking about how lotor exists is uhh “zarkon fucks?” yeah. yeah he does. which uhhhhh yeah. but bare w me here, bc he’s still an utter dick in this au and krolia is still a badass. 

in this au, krolia was married to mr shirogane and had shiro before leaving earth on a garrison solo mission to pluto. she collided with a stolen galra ship manned by a prisoner who was trying to flee the empire, though the galra ship wasn’t damaged her ship was completely destroyed but she managed to survive for the prisoner to bring her aboard. together they tried to escape the empire, but they got caught. the prisoner was executed and krolia was taken to the arena. 

(earth believes she crashed her ship in the rings of saturn, and honor her death. no solo manned missions to space anymore, and certainly not to places humans haven’t been before. it also delays plans to send more people up there, so the next manned mission isn’t until shiro’s mission to kerberos. mr shirogane dies a five years before that mission.)

there she fought viciously and won literally every single one of her fights with only a dagger she’d earned early on in her battles. even when they provided bigger weapons, she always came on top with just a knife which earned her high praise and approval. enough to gain zarkon’s attention. 

idk why but he forces her to marry him, and when shiro’s 9 years old and krolia’s been in space for 5 years, keith’s born. he doesn’t actually go by keith at this point though because i doubt zarkon would let krolia name him that. not quite sure on what he’d go by though i quite like kyix of discordiansamba’s burgundy. krolia wanted to name him keith, and so calls him that when they’re alone as a secret nickname. 

keith doesn’t look fully human. a la lotor style i guess, he looks human but has purple skin and yellow sclera. pointy zarkon-ish ears and fangs. he’s still tiny as fuck though and doesn’t grow, to which he’s furious about bc galra are big and he’s a shorty but no one mentions it to his face otherwise he’d stab them right where they stand. 

krolia tries her best to raise him w good morals and lessen zarkon’s influence on him but she doesn’t fully manage it. he’s willing to please zarkon even if he’s not cruel about it, and he does wish for the best for the empire but knowing that his father’s reigned for over ten thousand years, he knows he’s probably never going to sit on the throne himself. doesn’t prevent him from getting all the training a prince would need (including a lot of combat training). 

he’s never told much about earth because krolia finds it hard to talk about. she does tell him about humans as a species and teaches him the three earth languages she knows, korean (her native language), japanese (mr shirogane’s native language) and english. she especially doesn’t tell him about shiro, but she does say that she left a husband and her family behind on earth, that she misses them a lot. 

back on earth, shiro goes to kerberos when he’s 26 (two years older than canon) and they still get caught. most canonical events in the year time zone go almost exactly the same. shiro gets sent to the arena, matt and sam still get sent off to the camps before matt’s broken out by the resistance, katie goes undercover as pidge, and lance and hunk are just regular dudes, but lance is in fighter class straight off the bat. 

(to earth, shiro crashes the ship and dies just like his mother did. which is......all kinds of sad to think about.)

except when shiro lands on earth, the garrison trio decide to break shiro out on their own. they then steal a jeep and head out into the desert, finding a nice guy who owns a shack (canon keith’s father but not in this au, who im gonna call mr fireman bc he doesn’t have a canon name). he’s been doing some investigating some funky stuff (the lion), and lets the kids crash at his place bc kids shouldn’t be wandering the desert w/o any supplies at night it’s dangerous. 

anyways, the shack conversation all goes almost exactly the same w mr fireman taking keith’s place. he goes with the kids, but he doesn’t get in the blue lion, she doesn’t let him in. mr fireman parts ways with the kids friendly-like, and the four of them head off to arus. 

things.....largely? stay the same? when it comes to stealing the red lion off the ship, they actually have to get the lions to drag it out of the cargo bay because they don’t have a pilot for it but as long as the lion is out of the empire’s hands, that’s all that matters although allura does try to pilot it when sendak’s ship is destroyed. due to having no pilot, they can’t retrieve black for shiro. so they only have three active lions, but three lions are still pretty powerful. 

from there i haven’t exactly worked out all the kinks but somehow they get in contact with rebels from their steady liberation of galra-controlled planets. they do small targets, taking out the weakest on the fringe of the empire and build up footholds while building the coalition. shiro fights with them on the ground, and using the castle with coran and allura when it’s not possible. sometimes he rides along with the other paladins. 

sometime before they go the galactic hub, and skipping over crystal venom entirely, they join forces with the rebels and the coalition to pull off a mission to kill zarkon. they’d received intelligence to suggest that he’s visiting a less secure ship, to oversee a project for a few days. instead of taking the lions and just blasting the ship to pieces, they decide to infiltrate and take him out stealth like to guarantee his death. 

only the information is faulty because it’s keith there instead of zarkon. 

when they learn that keith is zarkon’s son.......they kidnap him. 

their goal was to hold him hostage and/or interrogate him for weak spots in the empire, but somehow they end up thinking “hm maybe he can be redeemed bc his dad is literally an asshole and ehhh he can’t help who his parents are?” so they give him a chance....tentatively. 

keith, seeing this huge opportunity to sabotage his father’s greatest opponents and eventually steal the lions back for his father, takes this absolutely for granted and fakes his redemption. he basically pulls a lotor, and ends up helping them in certain areas but sabotaging them in others. he’s unable to report back to his father for spying purposes, but he does leave clues and/or hints to weaknesses somehow. all the while, the real reason for these things going wrong isn’t thought of. 

all the while, the paladins are trying to bond with keith. trying to get him to redeem himself, and they end up really liking him even though he’s still rather a loner, doesn’t pretend to be nice and trains like every day. he particularly gets along with shiro, the two of them forming a close bond that keith had not planned or counted on. 

allura is the only one who’s still suspicious of keith. she’s not....hostile. not really, she pretty much acts like she does in canon when keith’s heritage gets out. though they do have a few moments where they could maybe see eye to eye. she’s still apprehensive and unwilling to think that zarkon’s son could be anything but evil. 

this pays off when she investigates a major hit to the castle that renders it unfit for battle for a time and finds that keith was responsible for it. 

at this point, keith has been seriously reconsidering his allegiances. thinking that maybe the right thing to do really was to redeem himself and help out voltron and coalition. he’s not completely blind to the shitty things zarkon did, he’s well aware but he figures that maybe getting his father’s approval isn’t worth all the suffering of others nor something to desire. 

allura attacks keith and calls him out in front of everyone. providing evidence of literally all the times that keith’s fucked them all over. the team feel betrayed, keith is super guilty, and allura’s just pissed. keith doesn’t get a chance to explain before he’s thrown into a prison cell on the castle to wait until voltron can contact the coalition and decide what to do with him because it’s clear that zarkon hasn’t exactly been hurrying to find him. 

but then zarkon attacks the castle of lions with a massive fleet headed by haggar, a force that’s way too much for just three lions to take on while the castle’s defenses are still down. the whole team is in trouble and it pretty much starts to seem like zarkon’s gonna win and the paladins are gonna get killed. 

until the red lion reaches out for keith. 

so he breaks out of prison (that he could have done within minutes of being confined there), and heads to the hangar. he jumps in and uses the element of surprise to disable the fleet enough to make them need to retreat. 

the paladins are freaking out because uhhhh who the hell is the pilot of the lion? they do a little sound off like “allura that’s not you? coran? shiro?” but then keith uses the lion to communicate and basically says “sorry i broke out jail”. 

when they get back to the castle keith awkwardly does a heartfelt explanation of his plans and how the paladins actually did sort of make him want to redeem himself and realise just how much zarkon needs to get murked and stuff. he apologises for fucking them over and he even offers to go with whatever punishment they decide to dish out with no retaliation. 

the team go off and talk for a while. debating if they could really trust him anymore. allura is adamantly against it, pissed off that he’d already betrayed her trust after all zarkon did and the fact he piloted her father’s lion. lance joins her, upset he trusted him at all. pidge and hunk are apprehensive, pointing out that the lion must have seen the good in him to choose him. shiro believes in what keith’s saying and has faith in the kid to actually redeem himself. 

they tell him he can stay but the only reason he’s not dead and/or serving time in prison is bc he’s the red paladin. they make a lot of rules about what he’s allowed to do and not to do though, which keith doesn’t enjoy but he doesn’t complain about them. one of them is that he’s only allowed to fight the empire in the red lion and no on the ground stuff. 

now that the team have the red lion’s paladin they awaken the black lion and they form voltron for the first time. it’s badass, and the liberating of planets goes even faster than before. 

the paladins start to bond again even slower than before bc they need to rebuild that trust. it goes....pretty rockily considering the fact that keith is still pretty prickly in personality, and the others aren’t entirely convinced he’s actually changed sides. but shiro is essentially the only one that actually makes any headway in rebuilding the trust/relationship. 

one night he asks about keith’s mom. bc human far out in space? as far as the team knew there should have only been them and the holts, so he’s definitely curious. keith tells him about a pilot who’d been picked up in their solar system after their ship got destroyed and took them as prisoner. he tells shiro all about his mom and what she taught him of earth. 

but shiro. he starts to wonder who on earth this pilot was. because, uh, only very few pilots have gone missing in space and one of them is important to him. so he asks her name. keith replies krolia. shiro asks “as in...krolia kogane?” and keith’s like yeah. 

shiro mentally freaks out, doing mental acrobats all over the place but his thoughts mostly boiling down to a mixture of “HOLY SHIT MY MOM’S ALIVE” and “HOLY SHIT I HAVE A HALF-BROTHER WHO’S AN ALIEN PRINCE”. he manages not to let keith know he’s freaking out, and excuses himself. 

they end up doing a covert blood test and yup keith is shiro’s half brother. this earns him points in “okay yeah he’s capable of change if we warm up to him”, so the team start to treat him more favorably, not that keith is aware of this new revelation. so it’s common knowledge to the ship minus keith. shiro tries even harder to bond w his little brother, bc uhhh yeah he’s never had a little brother and he definitely likes keith so far even though he was a little evil for a while. 

keith at some point expresses to shiro why he’s fine with not telling zarkon that keith’s on the paladins’ side. that his mother would most likely be killed for turning him against zarkon due to the fact that paladins are humans, and that she’s still at central command completely unable to get away. like a glorified prisoner because, well, she is. 

shiro suggests to the team that they pull off a rescue mission to free krolia, not only for keith’s sake but for shiro’s sake too. plus the fact that she’d been a prisoner for twenty three years. which then kicks of the finale of season 1. (yes we’re still in season 1. it should have been way longer than it actually was.)

things go largely the same, except that in allura’s place it’s krolia. when keith charges at zarkon his identity is revealed to him. they manage to rescue krolia, keith fights zarkon and thace destroys the shield holding them in place. they don’t go through a corrupted wormhole though. 

then there’s a cute heartfelt reunion between keith and krolia. during which keith emotes more than he ever has in front of the paladins, who have pretty much all accepted that yep keith’s a good guy now considering he almost fought to the death with zarkon. 

but then shiro steps up and calls krolia mom which confuses the fuck out of keith, the only one who doesn’t know. krolia shakily says “Kashi?” and they tearfully hug, krolia completely caught off guard that her other son wasn’t on earth where she left him. keith is confusion until krolia explains, and keith asks if that means shiro is his brother. they say yes and they have a big old threeway hug, to which lasts for like an hour because its big family bonding time. everyone is happy for them.

you’d think, huh is this the end of the au? this is pretty long already.....nope!! we’re just getting started!!! (this thing is a monster......hence why im never going to even attempt to write it out lmao)

we go into season 2 where krolia starts to talk to the others about the rebel galra group that she helped and kind of joined called the blade of marmora. she tells them that there was a galra named thace who kept her in the loop about keith, and the goings on of voltron. she tells them that they would be a very good ally in the fight against zarkon. 

shiro then backs this story up with his memory of how ulaz helped him escape jail, and says that they should trust them. the team tentatively agree, but decide not to immediately go to them and focus more on building the coalition. krolia pulls keith aside and gives them a knife that they had given her to protect herself as zarkon prohibited her to carry weapons. its keith’s marmora blade that she was unable to activate because of her lack of galra blood, but they gave it to her to protect herself anyways. 

canon largely stays the same for a while. zarkon still does the tracking thing, except when allura and keith go out in a pod, krolia comes with them. they have a little thing where they make clear with each other where they stand and end up having a little fun despite the tense atmosphere until the castle is attacked by zarkon.

when the team meet up with the blades, keith demands why they didn’t help krolia themselves. they’d already proved with shiro that they could free prisoners if they wanted to, and demands to know why they didn’t risk it for krolia. he wants to know why they never took a bigger part in taking down the empire and why they never stepped forwards to work with voltron themselves instead of letting the team come to them. 

kolivan says that he only gets the answers, an alliance between them and gets to keep the blade if he joins as a member of their order and take the trials. keith accepts. the rest of the blades however, don’t like the idea that the son of zarkon was joining up and taking the trials. but when keith passes and pretty much immediately tries to kill memory zarkon on sight, he proves himself to them. the blades ally with the coalition and voltron. 

again, season 2 goes quite a lot like canon. except!!! in the finale they actually do end up killing zarkon along with haggar and shiro doesn’t go missing! hurray!!! 

but. that means with no prince lotor, and a dead zarkon instead of comatose zarkon, there’s no one to lead the empire. hence a kral zera is called. 

(here is where i mention i have vague memories of s3 onwards and haven’t seen past s4. so i don’t...actually know how most canon events from here on out go in explicit detail. its all pretty vague.)

the plan from there is for keith to attend and win. if he gets crowned the new emperor, he could officially announce the end of the war, and significantly reduce the amount of fighting the resistance would have to do to bring peace to the known universe. the coalition & blades don’t fully trust keith however, thinking that once keith is on the throne he’ll just betray them. 

keith understands and explains he doesn’t actually want the throne. he suggests that they just kill everyone on the planet when the kral zera is called, with no more candidates, the empire will be severely fractured and would still be easier to defeat than having a leader. in the end, they go with the idea of having keith become emperor, but the coalition there in case people fight back against his orders. 

keith wins, some back down and obey and some don’t. the coalition and voltron take down those that fight back, and from there it’s a lot of “keith orders galra to release planets and those that don’t, get liberated by the resistance”. its a lot of politics where keith frees all the prisoners of the empire, lets them get back to their home planets and finds sam returning him to pidge and matt. 

he sets up a colony in an empty solar system for the civilian galra to live governed by the blades, while he sees to it that those that were soldiers are put on trial and punished for their various crimes. 

again, still not entirely sure what happens in late canon, but i guess from there it does the whole...sendak takes earth thing? but it’s actually a pretty easy mission considering they have the might of the entire coalition (which is almost the entire universe at that point) and the blades and voltron. but after the defeat of sendak there pretty much isn’t any opposing galra resistance to keith’s reign? so from then on it’s just the paladins, allura, coran and krolia back on earth experiencing things. 

krolia busts into the garrison like “hey guess who’s not dead! also meet my alien son who’s king of an entire race of people, and my other son who’s leader of the universe’s most powerful weapon also with a sick glowing arm”. the garrison sweats under the pure power and skill the three of them exude. especially when krolia utterly annihilates all records on their simulators/actual ships. and then keith and shiro join in on it too and they end up giving them all the awards and accolades bc no one is going to top that ever. 

the paladins go to disneyland. keith is still technically emperor but considering the blades have been overseeing all galra activity anyways, he’s not really needed. so he just bums around earth for a while, getting to know the other half of his heritage that he never really got to. 

krolia meets mr fireman and they end up getting together bc krolia deserves good things and a desert hermit who helped get shiro back into space and eventually to her with is a good thing. they still live out in the shack tho bc mr fireman is committed to it at that point, bc he ended up living there through sendak’s invasion pretty well. 

and then uh i think that’s pretty much it. keith is a normal teenager, allura and coran get puzzled by human shit, lance reconnects w his family, hunk does too and cooks a bunch of food and pidge works w the garrison in making it less shitty while also just tagging along with whatever dumb things they decide to experience. 

end of au!!!!

[softlysheith]

maybe i’ll love you for a while

Summary: Shiro wants to wait for the right moment to tell Keith how he feels. Keith beats him to it.

( @sheithsecretsanta gift for @sideofsaltblog !! mutual pining, post s7 & s8, confessions, fluff. word count: 2564. ao3 link)

Seeing Keith finally open his eyes feels like finally being able to breathe again.

“Shiro.” His voice is weak from not being used, but it is still his, saying Shiro’s name so sweetly it makes his knees tremble. “You’re here.”

Shiro doesn’t remember moving, but one second he’s by the hospital room doorway and the next he’s gathering Keith into a hug. He feels a tired laugh from Keith’s chest before he feels arms wrapping around him. It’s not as strong as their usual hugs, but it’s just as grounding, the touch fully assuring Shiro that now he has nothing to fear.

He’s not losing the most important person in his world any time soon.

“Of course I am,” Shiro whispers. He hugs Keith tighter, mindful of his injuries. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have your duties. I’m just happy you’re here now.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

If only he had the choice, he would stay right where he is now until Keith is back on his feet, at Shiro’s side where he belongs. By the way Keith’s smiling at him now though, eyes soft, Shiro knows that he understands.

“Is everyone else awake?” Keith asks when they pull away, keeping their hands intertwined.

“Yep. Pidge and Lance are up and about.” He slides off the bed and sits on the chair beside it, but he doesn’t let go of Keith’s hand. “Allura and Hunk are still in the hospital, but they’ll be discharged within the week. You got most of the damage.”

Keith lets out a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m just glad they’re all okay.”

Is it selfish, he wonders, to think about how he wasn’t okay while he waited day after day for Keith to wake up? He may not have been hurt physically, but watching Keith sleep for weeks on end, not knowing whether he would wake again, was worse than any death he has ever experienced.

He can’t lose Keith. Not after everything.

Maybe that’s a little too much to reveal so soon, though. So instead he says, “Well, I’m not letting any of you leave me so soon. I just got back, y’know.”

“Shiro,” Keith says, his eyes all soft and earnest again, squeezing Shiro’s hand tighter. “I’m not leaving you. Never.”

Shiro smiles. “I know. And I’m not going anywhere either.”

One day. One day he’ll tell him. One day he’ll say those three words back to him, the words that affected his clone so deeply that now the words are engraved in his memory, his heart.

I love you.

He can’t tell him now, with Keith still so weak and everything else so fresh. But he will.

He just needs to time it right.

He may have to wait for the right moment for a very long time, he realizes.

Keith has woken up, but he’s far from being better. There’s still the bruises and broken bones he’s now suffering from because of the fall. Shiro’s just relieved it wasn’t any worse, but he reckons confessing your newly-found love for your best friend while he’s just escaped death isn’t very romantic.

More than that, there’s a war going on. For now there’s some semblance of peace while they and the Galra regroup, but it won’t last. Adding a relationship (or the burden of breaking his best friend’s heart) to everything else Keith is carrying on his back won’t be any help to anyone. Shiro needs to be there to help out with some of the load, just as Keith has been there for his own burdens.

Still. He’s got something to fight for. Whether Keith accepts his feelings or not, one thing is for sure – no way in hell are they leaving each other.

Shiro’s left him too many times. He swears he won’t do it again.

But, well. He may be waiting for the right time, but there’s no harm admiring from afar.

He was planning on spending the last night on Earth by himself, going over battle strategies and preparing for the long journey ahead.

But a second after he tells everyone to spend time with the people they love, Keith’s eyes drift over to meet his own, and that’s all Shiro needs to cancel everything he has planned.

Spend time with the ones you love. Well, he doesn’t think he can be a good leader if he doesn’t follow his own words.

Keith approaches him when the meeting adjourns, showing off that little grin he reserves just for Shiro. “Any free time in your busy schedule, Captain?”

“For you, Sir? Always. Any plan?”

“We can meet up outside the Garrison around five, get Black to take us to the usual place? I can ask Hunk to whip us something to eat.”

And – this feels different from their hang outs before Kerberos, their visits to each other’s rooms in the Castle of Lions, Shiro’s sleepovers in Keith’s hospital room while he recovers. The way Keith describes everything sounds too much like a date that it sends Shiro’s heart beating a mile a minute.

“Sounds perfect.” Maybe his voice sounds too soft right now, too sweet for someone just talking to his best friend. “Can’t wait.”

Maybe his tone doesn’t go unnoticed, because Keith’s face turns to such a pretty shade of pink that Shiro can’t take his eyes off him. “Yeah,” he says, eyes softening. “Me neither. Can you talk to Hunk while I take care of Black?”

“What, you think I can’t cook for us?”

Keith’s loud, disbelieving laugh is all the answer he needs. “I’ll see you later, Shiro.” Then, devastatingly, he puts his hand on Shiro’s bicep and gives it a friendly squeeze as he walks past.

Or, he thinks it was friendly. Maybe. He probably shouldn’t get his hopes up, should he?

God. Shiro leans on the meeting room table, feeling a little weak.

There’s a chance he could be reading everything wrong, but… he can entertain a couple of his hopes and dreams.

A couple hours later he’s sitting on Black’s muzzle, sitting on a picnic blanket (at Hunk’s insistence) and sharing halves of a sandwich with his favorite person as they watch the sun dip down the horizon, and there’s no place Shiro would rather be.

A tiny laugh interrupts his train of thought. He slides his gaze over to Keith, lets his heart melt at how he’s trying to hide his smile behind his hand. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, just – Black told me she’s glad you brought the blanket with you. Said she didn’t want crumbs all over her.”

Shiro snorts, makes a point of pinching off a bit of his sandwich’s crust and sprinkling it over a space on Black’s muzzle that isn’t protected by the cloth. His connection with Black isn’t as strong as before, but the wave of annoyance that she sends him is enough to make him laugh.

“And people call you the golden boy,” Keith chuckles, shaking his head. “If only they knew how much of a rebel you really are, huh?”

“I wouldn’t trust that side of me to anyone but you,” Shiro jokes, bumping his shoulder against Keith’s.

“What an honor.” Keith rolls his eyes, but they soften when he turns to look at Shiro. “I missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“Y’know. Joking around with you. Hanging out with you at all, really.” Keith averts his gaze, focuses on how he’s playing with his sandwich by turning it over and over. “I know we’ve been busy, but – I dunno. We haven’t really talked much since-”

“Since you got out of the hospital,” Shiro finishes, voice weak. Keith’s been out of the hospital for months now. “I’m so sorry, Keith. If I pushed you away, I swear I didn’t mean to. It’s just been so hectic with Atlas and getting everything ready.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself, Shiro. I was busy too. It’s neither of our faults. I just don’t want to drift away from you because of everything going on.”

Keith has lost him so many times, he realizes then. How many times has he scared Keith, made him think that Shiro would be gone from his life forever? How many times did he cross the universe to bring him back?

Well, he’s here now, and he’ll be damned before he gets ripped away from Keith’s side again — and he sure won’t let himself be the one to drift away.

“Never,” he promises. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Keith.”

Shiro watches in awe as redness begins to bloom on Keith’s cheeks. He still refuses to look at Shiro in the eye. “Oh.”

“And I’ll always be here for you, whenever you need me,” Shiro continues, bumps his shoulder again. “Name a better team than the Black Paladin of Voltron and the Captain of the Atlas. I’ll wait.”

“Dork,” Keith snorts, and when he leans in to rest his head on Shiro’s left shoulder, Shiro swears his heart stops.

They fall into silence after that, content to just eat and appreciate the last sunset they’ll be seeing in a while. The weight on Shiro’s shoulder never leaves, only shifts occasionally whenever Keith grabs another sandwich in the basket or reaches for their shared thermos, and the longer the weight stays there the calmer Shiro begins to feel. It feels right, just like everything else with Keith.

It’s a foolish wish, but Shiro wants this moment to last forever.

Keith breaks the silence when they’re out of food and the sun has fully set, replaced with a cloudless night sky and stars to guide them home. “Shiro?”

“Hm?”

“I’m not… misreading anything, am I?”

And just like that, his heart rate picks up again. “Depends on what you’re reading.”

“You. I mean, whatever this is,” Keith says, pointing towards the two of them. “If I’m wrong, we can pretend I never said anything, but…”

Maybe this is the right moment, even if he didn’t think so at first. “Well, how are you reading this?”

His left hand takes Keith’s hand in between them, and he laces their fingers together carefully. He almost misses the little gasp Keith takes in, the way his fingers tighten around Shiro’s hand for a split second before relaxing.

“You’d make a good writer,” Keith says around a nervous little laugh, his thumb stroking the back of Shiro’s hand repeatedly.

“Good thing I have you as my muse,” Shiro says, preens when he turns and sees the blush on Keith’s cheeks when he laughs.

“Ridiculous.” Keith nuzzles into Shiro’s shoulder, making him laugh when Keith’s long hair tickles his neck. Keith sighs. “… I really love you, Shiro.”

He’s expecting his heart to burst with joy, to feel lightheaded with it, but hearing Keith’s silent confession feels more like a piece of a puzzle sliding into place. It feels grounding. And like everything with the man he loves so much, it feels like it’s meant to be.

“I love you too,” he says, feels that final piece of the puzzle lock in. Everything feels right. “But, Keith—”

“It’s not exactly the best time to start anything yet, I know,” Keith says, finally lifting his head from Shiro’s shoulder to look at him in the eyes. “I’m just glad I know now.”

“After,” Shiro promises, and this is a promise he can never break, and he knows he’ll do anything in his power to keep it. “Something worth fighting for, right?”

“You’ve always been worth fighting for, Shiro.”

And he knows, deep down, that Keith has been fighting for Shiro for years, just like how he fought for Keith back when he was still so young and vulnerable. To know and hear it now though, with the entirely new context, has his heart racing.

After. When the stakes are gone, and he can devote all of himself to Keith, who deserves so much more than that.

But there is one thing he’s wanted for so long that he can’t wait for any longer.

“Can I kiss you?”

Well, he meant to say it more tactfully than that, but he doesn’t miss the way Keith’s eyes widen, then lighten up. “I thought we agreed to wait,” Keith chides him, playful.

“I know, but one doesn’t hurt, right?”

Keith just shakes his head in mock exasperation, but he leans in anyway and lets Shiro capture his lips with his own.

He can admit to himself that he’s thought about how it would feel to kiss Keith more than a few times, but he could never be ready for the real experience. Keith is sweet with the way he moves, hands moving to the back of Shiro’s neck and playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck, making him shiver.

Shiro breaks the kiss, only so he can tug Keith to position himself in front of Shiro instead of beside him. Keith kneels before him, gentle hands guiding Shiro’s head to tilt up and meet his lips.

They manage to keep it chaste and close-mouthed, but by the time they part for good, Keith is seated fully on Shiro’s lap and Shiro has no idea how much time has passed.

Watching Keith slowly open his eyes feels like watching the sunrise. Maybe because Keith lights up his world just as much. He can’t resist telling that to Keith, who flushes, playfully pushes him away. “You’ve been hanging out with Lance too much.”

“You liked it.”

“Sure.” Keith stands, and Shiro resists the urge to pull him back down. “Anyway, that was definitely not just one kiss. We should be heading back.”

“Right.” He lets Keith pull him up, then gathers him in his arms once they’re both standing. “For the record, I know we agreed to wait but don’t expect me to keep my hands to myself.”

Keith laughs, rests his head on the crook of Shiro’s neck. “As long as you don’t make it obvious. I always knew those shoulder touches meant something.”

They make it back to the Garrison without incident, and soon they’re standing outside Keith’s quarters. Shiro’s room is only a couple doors down, but he doesn’t want to leave Keith’s side yet.

Once he does, they’ll have to set aside their budding relationship for who knows how long, when all he wants to do is watch it grow.

Keith, of course, senses his distress. “Hey.” He tugs at Shiro’s hand, and when Shiro looks at him, he smiles. “We’ll be okay. Something to fight for, right?”

A peaceful future with Keith, where they can let their love grow however they want, with nothing to endanger it. He’s fighting for the universe, but knowing he can have that after it all ends empowers him more than anything. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” Keith squeezes his hand before he lets go. “Get some rest. We’re gonna need it.”

“Yes, sir.” Keith has already unlocked his door and is a step inside when he remembers. “Hey, Keith?”

Keith turns to look at him. “Yeah?”

“Love you.” A reminder doesn’t hurt, and he just realized how amazing it feels to be able to say it so freely.

Plus, he’s never going to get tired of the way Keith blushes. The smile he gives Shiro is shy, sweet. “Love you too, Shiro. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Across Time and Space (Chapter 7)

Summary: Sequel to I’ll Take Her Place.  Slav is showing off a piece of experimental equipment, when it malfunctions and blasts Katie and Keithir to another universe. At the same time, it drags Pidge and Keith over into theirs, effectively swapping places. With their fate resting in the hands of Slav, will they be able to get back home? Or are they stuck to live the rest of their lives in the wrong universe?

Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net under the username “kishirokitsune”.

Chapter 7

ALTEA – CASTLE OF LIONS

“We leave you all alone for one week and come back to find you've lost two paladins!”

“Welcome back, Lance,” Allura said without looking up. “Did you two have a good time in Nalquod?”

Lance crossed his arms over his chest, staring down Allura while Hunk caught up after his long sprint through the castle. Hunk looked a little winded as he came to a stop next to his husband, his brows furrowed in concern as he noted the lack of people on the bright. It was just the two of them, Allura, and Coran.

“Nalquod was great, but that's not what we're talking about right now. What's going on, Allura? You sent that message about an accident with Katie and Keithir and them being missing and something about another reality and then nothing else!” Lance barely paused for breath, and as he talked his anger drained from his voice, leaving behind frustration and fear.

Allura stepped away from the console, leaving Coran to continue without her. “I am sorry we had to call you back like that. I will admit, we've been a bit panicked and were not thinking clearly. The situation is... complicated and we're trying to keep it as quiet as we can. It wasn't something we could fully explain through a message.”

Allura took a deep breath and began to tell them everything that had transpired over the past three days, starting with the malfunction of the trans-reality extrapolator and ending with moving Pidge and Keith to one of the unused rooms so that, while they were still sharing a room, they could each have their own bed and space.

“We told Emperor Zarkon and Honerva, of course, as well as Katie's family and Travis. Everyone who has the knowledge to help is pitching in,” Allura said. “Hunk, once you've settled back in, I'll take you down where they're working. Another set of eyes will certainly be of value.”

“Anything I can do?” Lance asked.

“I could use a hand with coordinating everyone from here!” Coran piped up.

Lance looked a little discouraged.

“Pidge and Keith could use a friendly face. Someone they'll be comfortable with. I've been afraid of saying names to them, in case I mention someone who they are not on friendly terms with,” Allura said.

It was far from ideal, but Lance could admit that it sounded better than standing around on the bridge, waiting for video calls. It still rang of busywork to him. Something for him to do for the sake of having something to do, while everyone else worked on the really important stuff.

He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sure. I can do that.”

“Shiro will join you once Koichi is down for his nap. I think he plans on taking Keith to the training deck today. We're hoping that since it was one of Keithir's favorite places, Keith will be the same.” Allura sighed, glancing back at Coran before shaking her head and walking towards Lance and Hunk. “Pidge may want to join them, but if not, just make sure she doesn't stray out of the paladin wing. The fewer people who know about this, the better?”

“Shiro's not helping Slav?” Hunk asked, not in a manner that indicated confusion, but instead amusement.

Allura laughed gently. “No, he says that it's a matter a bit beyond his expertise, though he's willing to listen whenever I talk about it.” There was a pause as she grinned at them mischievously. “And also if he has to be in Slav's presence, he's afraid he may throw something at him.”

Lance laughed, feeling better about his role in everything, and patted Hunk on the shoulder. “Have fun talking science with Slav. I think I'm going to enjoy a nice, relaxing day with Pidge.”

Hunk made a disgruntled sound. “Are you sure you don't want to trade?”

“Sorry, babe. Not a chance.”

Lance playfully leaned in and kissed Hunk on the cheek, dancing away when his husband tried to grab him and retaliate. Allura covered her mouth to hide her giggling.

“How about I go ahead and get things back to our room, so you can get to work,” Lance suggested.

Hunk blanched. “You don't have to do that. It wouldn't be fair to make you do all of the heavy lifting. I'll help you first. Like Allura said, I should get settled in first and then I can go help.”

“It's four bags and they hover. Unless you think I'm too weak to pull them along with me?”

“No, of course not, but-!”

“Great!” Lance clapped his hands together and gave Hunk a bright smile. “Have fun, babe!”

He took off before Hunk could get in another word, mentally vowing to make it up to him later. Maybe with his free time, he could plan the Best Honeymoon Ever, since theirs had been interrupted. He could even pester Pidge for ideas! Sure, she wasn't the same as Katie, but he bet she'd have some interesting thoughts on it, all the same.

Unless she wanted to go to the training deck too. Then he was absolutely taking the chance to show off his superior shooting skills and impress them with his bayard's secondary form.

After that he could plan all he wanted.

OLKARION – CASTLE OF LIONS

Keithir had tried everything he could think of to communicate with the Red Lion. Meditation didn't work. The special headsets designed to heighten mental concentration didn't work. Begging the Red Lion for any sign that she could hear him didn't work. Sleeping in the cockpit didn't work.

He was at the end of his rope. He had been so sure that the Lions had the answers, but neither Red nor Green were willing to open up to them. Keithir was starting to think they weren't able to. Maybe the Lion-Paladin bond was completely different in that reality. After all, the others all looked confused when he and Katie tried to explain it to them.

Still, Keithir couldn't give up. He refused to. There was one last thing he could try.

He took a deep breath and knocked on Shiro's door. It slid open a moment later and Shiro greeted him, his voice coated with surprise.

“Is everything alright?”

“Nothings wrong, but I had a thought and I need your help to do it.” Keithir waited a moment to give Shiro time to respond. When he nodded, Keithir continued. “I started to think, if your Keith can pilot the Black Lion, maybe that's why Red won't respond to me. She's Lance's Lion here, not mine. If I try to communicate with the Black Lion, maybe she'll listen.”

“Are you asking for permission?” Shiro asked. “Because you don't need to. If you think that's what you need to do, then go for it.”

Keithir shook his head. “I'm asking for your help. If both of us go to her and try to make the connection, maybe that will work. I would ask Lance, but I get the impression he doesn't like me all that much.”

Shiro chuckled. “He does butt heads with Keith a lot. Sometimes to the detriment of the team, but there's still trust between them. If you asked for help, he wouldn't turn you away.”

“He'd just lord it over me,” Keithir guessed. It was what his Lance would do – had done, on the rare occasion Keithir asked for his help. And of course, the reverse was true.

“Only for a few months,” Shiro joked with an easy grin. “Hopefully you'll be home before then. Keith would have to bear the brunt of it instead.”

Keithir snorted in amusement. “I'd hate to be the cause of that.”

“Do you want to do this now? I have time,” Shiro said.

Keithir shook his head. “Kolivan asked to see me, so I shouldn't keep him waiting for much longer. Would later today be alright with you?”

“Any time you're ready.”

Keithir thanked him and walked away with a lightness to his step. Even if it didn't work, at least he knew he was trying everything he could think of. Trying was better than sitting around and listening to Slav babble on about things that didn't make sense to him.

He met up with Kolivan in one of the smaller meeting chambers, where he also found Katie waiting for him. She greeted him with a smile and a kiss.

“What's going on?” Keithir asked curiously.

“There is a mission. One which I hoped to send Keith on, but you are equally as well equipped for this. I would trust no one else,” Kolivan said.

Keithir frowned and looked to Katie in confusion. “You know about this?”

“I do,” Katie confirmed. “You should listen to what he has to say before you decide.”

What was so important that Katie thought the risk was worth it? Because it was a risk. A mission in the middle of a war. There was so much that could go wrong; too much that could go wrong.

“We have a spy stationed under Warlord Ranveig, who has reported the finding of a vial of highly unusual quintessence. Unfortunately, she no longer has access to it and says that Ranveig has used it to create a dangerous weapon. With the way things are going lately, I believe her position there is no longer safe. Your mission will be to get to her and convince her to return with you.”

“Why me? There have to be other members of the Blade who could do this,” Keithir said.

“You are the only one she will listen to.” Kolivan didn't go into a deeper explanation than that and turned to the podium next to him, passing his hand over the top to bring up a holographic image of a Galra woman with short hair and markings on her face.

For a moment, Keithir stopped breathing.

She was someone he'd only ever seen in the pictures his dad kept, neat and tidy in a small photo album. There weren't many of them – Travis said that he worried what would happen if anyone else saw them, but the few he had were cherished by them both.

Keithir swallowed and reminded himself to take a breath. “Mom's alive?” He barely heard Kolivan's response. All he could focus on was how close he was to seeing her. For the first time, he could have a conversation with her; it was a chance to get to know her and learn more about his Galra lineage.

He wouldn't have another chance.

He glanced to Katie and her understanding gaze gave him the strength he needed.

“I'll do it, but first I need to know everything you have on this base and Ranveig. The fewer surprises I face, the better,” Keithir said.

Kolivan nodded in agreement and got to work detailing all of the data he had, thanks to Krolia. Katie stayed by Keithir's side, asking questions of her own in support of her husband's choice.

It wouldn't be easy by any stretch, but Kolivan was certain they could draw Ranveig's attention elsewhere, which would leave Krolia in charge and alone in the base. It would be Keithir's best shot at getting in and out without detection. The real challenge would be convincing Krolia it was best for her to leave.

“When do I leave?” Keithir asked.

“Tonight.”

Katie wished she could go along with him. If she could pilot the Green Lion, she was sure she could have tagged along using the active camouflage, just to provide backup in case of an emergency. She was sure Green could keep her and the baby safe.

She smiled and placed her hand over her belly.

While the delivery of the news had been far from what she had planned, she was glad Keithir knew. Intentionally hiding her pregnancy from him would have taken a toll on her, and probably would have made him worry about her more than if she'd told the truth.

“No secrets,” she reminded herself of their old promise.

Katie took a deep breath and went on her way, hoping to find Hunk or Lance so she would be too distracted to constantly wonder where Keithir was or if he was in trouble. Her best bet was to start with the kitchen and broaden her search from there.

Surprisingly, neither of them were there. They also weren't in what Lance dubbed the “super cool hangout space” or in their rooms. She was sure they weren't out on a mission, but just in case, she headed towards the bridge.

“...like this.”

“I don't you don't,” Allura said, sounding tired. “But so far, all of the information he has given us has proven to be correct. I don't see why this should be any different.”

Katie stopped in her tracks just before the turn to the bridge, listening to Allura and Lance talk. She frowned, quietly moving to stand against the wall and get as close as she could without being discovered.

“But why? Why tell us any of this after he tried to kill us in the past! There has to be something we're not seeing,” Lance said persistently. “We can't trust him, Allura!”

“I don't trust him, but if Lotor is willing to give us information, then it is my duty to accept that and use it to our advantage,” Allura said, her voice calm.

“Lotor!” Katie hissed under her breath, unable to stop herself. She covered her mouth with her hand, praying they hadn't heard her, but as footsteps came towards her she knew she was busted. Katie stepped away from the wall as they turned the corner and saw her.

“Can I help you with anything, Katie?” Allura asked politely.

Cursing herself for revealing her location, Katie shook her head. “I was just looking for Lance, but it's not important if you two need to talk.”

“No. We're done here.”

Lance frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but Katie beat him to it.

“You can't trust Lotor.” She faltered slightly when Allura raised an eyebrow, recognizing a warning when she saw it. But she couldn't let it go. “I don't know what he's like here, in this reality, but if he's even a fraction similar to the Lotor I know, you can't trust him. He twists the truth to his advantage and manipulates everyone, making it hard to pin the blame solely on him. He makes you think he's helping, but it's only because he has something to gain from it.”

“He's giving us information on how to defeat the Galra. How would that be of benefit to him?” Allura asked.

“It's hard to know with him. We didn't know, right up until we were caught up in his trap,” Katie said. “He hid the Red Lion from us, and when Keithir and I got in the way of his plans, he plotted to kill us and destroy the Red Lion in one go. He didn't count on Keithir being her paladin. If not for that, I don't think we would have survived.”

Allura had nothing to say in defense of Lotor after that. “I am glad you both survived. We will be cautious and continue to double check anything he tells us, but that doesn't mean I can ignore tactical information.”

Katie bowed her head in understanding.

She hated it. Knowing that Lotor was being held somewhere in the castle. So much could go wrong with that, especially if the others were as divided as Allura and Lance on how to handle it.

Katie would have to investigate for herself.

ALTEA – CASTLE OF LIONS

They were still restrained to one room.

Well, that wasn't quite true. Allura told them they could go anywhere in the paladin wing of the castle, but all that consisted of was the kitchen, their bedrooms, and the lounge. It was nice to be able to get food on their own, but other than that there was nothing for them to do. Staying in their room felt like the safer choice.

Pidge ached to have something productive to do. To get her fingers on a keyboard or any piece of tech to tinker with. All of the visits were nice, but there was only so much company either of them could handle. Lance and Shiro dropped by around noon, and while it'd been fun to see what her friend would look like in another ten years, Pidge found herself struggling to make conversation with him. She was grateful that Lance came to see her and that he didn't take offense to her lack of desire to talk, and he'd even promised to bring a game to play the next time.

Keith's dad came by again, bringing with him a giant blue wolf, and after he was gone, Pidge's family arrived. She spent most of that hour crying from seeing them all together again, which started a chain reaction for all of them.

By the time it was just her and Keith again, all Pidge could feel was relief.

She flopped down onto her own bed with a groan and decided that moving was overrated.

“I've been thinking about something.”

Pidge mumbled into her bedding.

“Are the Lions here made from the ore of one of those comets? The whatever-reality-bending one?” Keith asked.

Pidge frowned and pushed herself up into a sitting position. “The trans-reality comet? I guess they could be. We know that at least two of them existed, so why not more?”

“What if that's our key to getting home? I mean, Voltron is the whole reason we were able to cross over into another reality and get home the last time, so can't we just do that again?”

Pidge paused to think about it. “That's more of an idea than any I've had, but last time we had to know the exact point we breached through. You and I were in two separate places when we crossed over and there's also the machine to consider.”

Keith didn't looked surprised or disappointed by what she was saying. “We'd have to form Voltron too.”

That brought up a good point. Would they be recognized by the Lions? It was something worth looking into.

“Think we can convince Shiro to let us see the Lions?” she asked.

Keith grinned at her for the first time since their arrival. “I think I can manage that.”

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was more than what they had before. Pidge thought they finally had something she could work with, and it was all thanks to Keith.

[vcepsis]

“How long have you been throwing up for?” -- Sheith, w/ whumpee Keith and comforter Shiro. ^w^' As much as I love your stories with whumpee Shiro, I kinda wanna see you make Keith suffer for a change! :D If that's alright with you, of course!

Thanks so much for the request! Sorry it took so long, but I hope you like the result :) about 2k! (And I legitimately cannot find the ask meme this was referring to oof)

(in case the ask itself didn’t give it away) WARNING: EMETO AHEAD

Keith clutched the edges of the toilet bowl, the image swimming in and out of focus. Ugh, he hated throwing up. He hiccuped wetly, groaning at the taste of the combined burn of stomach acid and alcohol, but nothing more came up.

He’d been in the bathroom on the Atlas for at least thirty minutes while the party outside was still in full swing, and no one had come by to check in on him. Part of him was glad for it; it wouldn’t do to have anyone see him, the indomitable Black Paladin of Voltron,  in such a pitiful state. On the other hand, it made him wonder how important to the party he was if he was so easily missed.

Everyone was celebrating their latest victory in bringing in another faction to the Voltron Coalition. Keith wasn’t sure where, exactly, the alcohol had come from—he doubted it was approved to bring on such a long mission—but no one was complaining.

Keith hadn’t meant to get so disgustingly drunk. At the very least, he hadn’t meant to get so drunk he would puke his guts up. But he could only stand watching Shiro get hit on by that bridge officer for so long.

It was hard to ignore, though. As Captain of the Atlas, Shiro was never hard to spot, surrounded by a new group of people everytime Keith looked over at him. And yet, that damn asshole was right by his side the entire time: handing Shiro drinks, making Shiro throw his head back in laughter, running a hand up Shiro’s arm and smiling at him—

Keith retched again, this time only bringing up a thin string of bile. Fuck, his stomach hurt. He coughed the rest of it up, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. The more he’d seen Shiro and Lieutenant Asshole flirt with each other, the more quickly he’d downed whatever drink was handed to him. In hindsight, that was probably the worst idea possible—God knows what kind of mix of booze he’d had. But at the time, he wanted to get as drunk as possible so he could forget all about the scene playing out in front of him.

Even though he was definitely running on empty at this point, Keith felt his stomach clench yet again, and he couldn’t help but groan. The alcohol was still swirling in his head, making things foggy and hard to focus on. And even after all that effort, he still couldn’t burn out the way that douchebag’s hand had caressed Shiro’s arm.

A knock on the bathroom door jolted him out of his spiraling thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder in a panic. Oh god, what if it was Lance, or Hunk, or Iverson—

The doorswung open easily—because of course Drunk Keith doesn’t know how to lock a damn door—and who else would it be but Shiro, looking devastatingly handsome even under the ugly fluorescent lights of the bathroom. His hair was slicked back—something Keith has only seen a handful of times—and the cut of his dress uniform highlighted all the best parts of his body. In his metal hand was a glass of water.

“Hey buddy,” Shiro said softly, slowing approaching Keith’s crouched form. “How are you doing?”

Keith blew out a breath, slumping back against the toilet, looking up at Shiro. “M'good. How—how’re you?”

Shiro frowned, kneeling down in front of him, cupping his flesh hand to Keith’s face.  Keith’s eyes widened. His hand was so warm. “How much have you had to drink? I haven’t seen you in a while. We were getting worried.”

Keith barked out a harsh laugh. “We?” he repeated, the single word laced with venom. He was imagining Shiro and Lieutenant Douchebag looking for him together, like they were his goddamn parents or something. It was almost enough to make him throw up again.

Shiro, however, just frowned again at his tone. “Yeah. Hunk kept asking me where you were. Pidge noticed you went to the bathroom a while ago, and I had to physically hold Lance back at least three times from barging in here to ‘save you from drowning in your own vomit’”. Shiro shook his head in fond exasperation. “I figured you wouldn’t want them in here if you were….well, you know.”

Oh. The team had been looking for him after all. And even after everything, Shiro kept Keith’s privacy as his main concern. It only added to the weird mix of emotions he’d been feeling all night.

Shiro handed Keith the glass of water. “Drink,” he ordered.

Keith looked at the glass like it was toxic. The last thing he wanted to do was put anything into his protesting stomach, but the look Shiro was giving him was full of tender concern. It might have been easier to say no if Shiro didn’t look so damn good in his dress uniform.

Grimacing, Keith took the glass and knocked it back like it was one of the many shots he had done that night.

Shiro sighed. “Better than nothing, I guess…”

“What’d you want, anyway?” Keith slurred, the glass falling out of his hand. Shiro managed to catch it before it shattered on the floor, placing it near the sink.“You’ve been so busy, haven’t ya? Why’re you here?”

Shiro frowned. “What are you talking about? I came to check up on you.”

Keith scoffed, blinking against the black spots in his vision. “Finally managed to tear yourself away from your new friend, then?”

Shiro blinked in surprise, taken aback. “What? Keith, I—”

“You know what I mean,” Keith snapped, the alcohol in his system removing his filter completely. “I’ve seen you with him all fucking night. Tall, dark and—” The rest of Keith’s sentence  was cut off by a guttural retch, so strong it bent him over double. Shiro cursed, scrambling to turn Keith toward the toilet in time for him to vomit up the water.

Rubbing small circles on Keith’s back, Shiro seemed to finally notice the mess in the toilet. “Geez, Keith. How long have you been throwing up for?” He really did sound concerned now. Keith just grumbled in response before he was cut off again by another violent heave. He felt a hand run through his hair, keeping it out of his face while Keith tried to vomit up his stomach lining.

Finally, it stopped, and Keith fell boneless into Shiro’s arms. Shiro wrapped them around him gently, holding him in place.

“You’re ok, I got you,” Shiro murmured soothingly into Keith’s ear.

For a moment, Keith allowed his eyes to close, reveling in the feeling of his back pressed against Shiro’s broad chest. But then his eyes flew open, and he twisted out of Shiro’s grasp, the hurt from earlier making its return.

Shiro sighed again, dropping his arms. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me,” he said sadly, looking away.

Guilt twisted in Keith’s stomach, making it even more unsteady. “It's—it’s not you. It’s him. He’s been with you all night, and you haven’t even come by to say hi to me. You’re too busy flirting with him.”

Keith knew how he sounded—like a petulant child—but he didn’t care. Not right now.

It seemed to click in Shiro’s head, and his eyes widened. “What—Curtis? Is that what you meant? He’s just being friendly. He’s part of the Atlas’s bridge crew, he’s just celebrating with us.”

“He’s been touching you all night!” Keith yelled, coughing harshly as it aggravated his raw throat. Shiro reached over to steady him, but Keith knocked his hand away. Tears were building in his eyes, he realized with a wave of humiliation. Hopefully Shiro would blame it on the alcohol. “You’ve been by his side the entire time! What was I supposedto think?!”

“Oh, Keith…” Shiro put both hands on either side of Keith’s face, gently tugging him over so their eyes met. “I’m sorry I didn’t come say anything. But to tell you the truth…I was avoiding you.”

Keith bit his lip, trying to turn away so Shiro wouldn’t see the hurt in his eyes, but Shiro kept him firmly in place. “But not for the reason you think. I swear, Curtis is just a colleague. I barely know him. Besides…” Shiro wrinkled his nose. "Fraternizing with a member of my crew would be incredibly unprofessional.“  

“Then why?” Keith asked, voice cracking. He tried to pretend it was from all the vomiting he’d done that night.

This time it was Shiro’s turn to look away. “I…I didn’t want to burden you.”

Keith’seyes went wide. “What?”

“You’ve been so busy with the Blade and Voltron…I didn’t want to add to your responsibilities. I thought if I got too close to you tonight, people would see you as someone responsible for the Atlas too. And you have so much on your shoulders already….I didn’t want to do that to you. I couldn’t.”

Keith put his hands over Shiro’s, where they still cupped Keith’s face. “Shiro,” he said slowly. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Shiro blinked, shocked.

Keith could only chuckle at this expression, despite the fresh wave of nausea rolling through him. “You’re such a dumbass sometimes, you know that?” He chuckled, squeezing Shiro’s hands. “After all this time, you really think anyone can force me to do anything?”

Shiro smiled softly.

“Besides,” Keith continued, voice going quiet, “I don’t mind taking on some work for the Atlas….if it means I can do it with you.”

Shirolooked away, cheeks bright red. “Oh,” he muttered. “Well…..I mean, I guess that…makes sense?”

Keith smiled, the hard knot in his chest finally unraveling. Unfortunately, it also unraveled his stomach. He quickly shook off Shiro’s hands and made a mad dash for the toilet. He didn’t quite make it to the bowl itself, however, and the remnants of the alcohol and water splashed against the side of the toilet.

A metal hand was on his back as he coughed. “Where is it all coming from?” Shiro murmured, worry and amusement mixing in his voice.

He hooked his arms under Keith’s, hauling him up as gently as he could, pulling him away from the mess on the floor. Keith grumbled a weak protest, head lolling back to rest on Shiro’s shoulders. Shiro chuckled softly, his breath warm against Keith’s ear. It felt right.

“Let’s get you to bed, alright?”

“Will you come with me?” Keith blurted out, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Suddenly, he was lifted off the ground, and he clutched at Shiro’s fancy jacket as the world spun. A soft kiss was pressed to the top of his head. “Is that what you want?”

Keith nodded, pressing his face into Shiro’s chest. This was where he was meant to be. “Please don’t…leave me again,” Keith hiccuped, fading fast.

The arms around him held tighter.

“Never again,” Shiro promised.

[yellowmechanicalcat]

emotionally colorblind: plance in season 8

(part three of three)

In part one, I suggested Pidge and Lance had an arc cut from Season 8. Part two covered Season 8′s narrative parallels and how Pidge and Lance challenge Allura and Lance’s relationship. This time, I’ll be discussing Pidge and Lance’s bizarre dynamics in Season 8 and putting forward my best theory of what their arc was intended to be.

A tale of two friendships

Pidge and Allura interact more this season than they ever have, possibly because someone realized that Season 7 was the first time they’d actually had a conversation since, roughly, Season 1. Even though Pidge and Allura never really talked after Pidge rejected Allura’s invitation to bond over being the only girls on the team, Pidge had always acted friendly towards her and was excited when Allura became a Paladin. Season 8 confirms that the girls’ friendship is genuine; Pidge helps Allura get ready for her date and later wins her a carnival prize; they’re partnered up on a mission in The Prisoner’s Dilemma before exploring a Robeast-devastated Olkarion together in Battle Scars; Allura makes sure to cover Pidge in The Grudge. They’re supportive of each other and sympathize with each other’s pain - Pidge’s loss of Olkarion, the challenges Allura faces with the Altean Colony. Their friendship isn’t affected by Allura and Lance dating - but Pidge and Lance’s friendship isn’t so lucky.

In Season 8, Pidge is often seen with Hunk, her family and Slav, with Day Forty-Seven implying she also hangs out with Keith. However, she exchanges barely a handful of words with Lance the entire season, and almost all of them are on missions - this is a far cry from the Pidge of Season 1 who responded to Lance more than any other Paladin. As for Lance, while he’s always been a hands-on kind of guy, comfortable draping himself over Hunk and Pidge to watch what they’re doing or putting himself in Pidge’s personal space to inspect whatever she’s geeking out about, this season sees him keep his distance from almost everyone - especially Pidge. When they lived on the Castle of Lions, he’d have shown up just to see what she was doing (or what she and Hunk were working on) and hang out. On the Atlas, he seems to be focused only on Allura; when Allura is busy, Lance is nowhere to be seen, even though he has the rest of his team and his sister on board. He has a few friendly exchanges with Keith, interacts normally with Hunk and about as much as the others do with Shiro (which is to say, basically not at all), but Pidge is a different story. 

I talked about Launch Date last time, so let’s take a look at the next few episodes of Season 8.

The Prisoner’s Dilemma

This episode has no obvious parallels with previous seasons, although it does bring back Lahn from Omega Shield and the experiment from Bloodlines. It also has a few hard-to-explain moments, such as Keith forming a blaster with the Black Bayard despite never having been seen using one before (while Lance is the team’s go-to gun guy, it’s notable that Shiro uses a blaster a number of times this season and his counterpart Sven also used a blaster). This is the Atlas’ first mission - or one of their first - since leaving Earth.

The other hard-to-explain thing about this episode is how Lance acts around Pidge - it’s typical for Lance in previous seasons, but not so typical for this one. While Pidge and Matt work on restoring the occupied base’s communications system, Lance hovers behind them to watch, rather than joining the others in talking to Lahn or staying by Allura’s side. When the paladins enter Klytax V-3 to respond to their distress call, Lance is in formation next to Pidge and looking away from her. The camera zooms in to show Lance looking over at Pidge, whose eyes are trained straight in front of her. Lance then looks straight ahead, focusing on the mission. Later, when Pidge scans for life signs on the base, Lance is once again next to her, watching her work - Allura, who had led them inside, is opposite them, meaning that Lance purposely landed next to Pidge instead of next to Allura.

Despite being trapped on a Galra ship with a literal monster who has already massacred the entire crew, Lance doesn’t go out of his way to try to protect Allura, nor does he seem to worry about her particular safety. He’s fine teaming up with Hunk and fine with Allura and Pidge splitting up to keep an eye on Lahn.

At the end of the episode, Lance is once again standing beside Allura, where he will typically be seen for the rest of the season. Once back on board the Atlas, he doesn’t try to look over Pidge’s shoulder to see what she’s working on or stand as close as he had earlier on Lahn’s base. Instead, he’s standing the farthest away from her.

For the rest of the season, he continues to keep his distance from Pidge on missions.

Battle Scars

In the next episode, Voltron is fruitlessly searching for Honerva’s Robeasts, although Pidge points out that the quadrant they’re looking for them in is enormous. Hunk questions exactly what she means, and Pidge explains in decidedly non-scientific terms, comparing it to searching for a flea on a dog.

Lance asks why she and Hunk can’t just cobble together a Robeast tracker - Pidge doesn’t respond. But when Allura suggests they could go find the Altean colony, Pidge does respond to her. Allura becomes frustrated over how little she can do for the Alteans under Honerva’s control and lashes out at Lance when he tries to comfort her and tells her that he at least knows what it’s like to see someone you care about hurting; Allura apologizes.

When the team decides to head for Olkarion, Pidge excitedly wonders whether they’ve made any recent technological advances, babbling away. Lance interjects that he only understood a few words of what she said. Pidge ignores him.

Olkarion doesn’t respond to Pidge’s hails. Lance jokes that they’re probably too busy with their technological advances by mangling Pidge’s words - but pauses to ask if he’s using them correctly. Once again, Pidge ignores him, so Hunk answers instead. Pidge only replies to Lance’s mission-specific question when he asks whether the Olkari had responded yet. Voltron lands to find the planet in ruins and we see Lance standing next to Allura as Hunk puts a comforting hand on Pidge’s shoulder; ultimately, Allura heads out with Pidge to investigate what happened.

By the end of the episode, Pidge watches the Olkari evacuate the planet and listens to Ryner comfort a crying child by telling her they’ll adapt, as they always have, and that the old must give way to the new.

Between the previous episode and this one, it looks like Pidge has been ignoring Lance, even though he’s going out of his way to talk to her and engage on her terms. The only time she responds to him is to a mission-specific inquiry, while she obviously has no trouble talking to all of the other paladins. 

One of the weirder moments here is Pidge’s flea example. Hunk may be exhausted, but it’s strange that he would respond to Pidge’s comment about the size of the quadrant they’re in, especially with something like “I can’t even process what that means” - while seconds later, he’s back to understanding Pidge’s technobabble. It’s even stranger that Pidge responds to him with a jargon-free layman’s explanation, the kind she would ordinarily give Lance once he demanded she explain something in English. It feels like a line that was written for Lance but given to Hunk later on.

Finally, Pidge has tears in her eyes as they watch Olkarion be eaten by the weblum, repeating Ryner’s words that “the old gives way to the new”. Is she really only thinking of the planet? Or is it possible she’s thinking of something else?

The Grudge

Pidge is only slightly more responsive to Lance in this episode. Lance asks whether she can get an enemy drone off their trail and she tries her best as Hunk and Allura cover her. Keith ultimately knocks the drone down for Pidge to analyze and Lance praises Keith’s effort. Lance keeps his distance as the rest of the group hovers over Pidge’s shoulder while she works on the drone, and continues to keep quiet as Hunk and Pidge briefly argue over modulation.

By the time the paladins head back to find their Lions, Lance turns out to be the only one who knows what direction to go in without having to rely on tech. When Pidge is suspicious of his skills, he points out he’d simply read the terrain. Lance preens as Allura calls him a genius and Hunk congratulates him; Pidge sulks, unimpressed, which offends Lance. Hunk and Allura both seem more surprised by her lack of enthusiasm than by Lance’s irritated response. It’s the most antagonistic Pidge has seemed towards Lance since their early Garrison days.

Pidge’s refusal to acknowledge that Lance actually knew something the rest of them didn’t clearly bothers him, and it’s enough to distract him from Allura’s earnest admiration, which is something he’s craved for years. We’ve seen Lance react poorly to having his intelligence questioned before - he’s never claimed to be a genius, but it’s something he’s obviously sensitive about.

Throughout the series, Lance has consistently been the most rankled by not having Pidge’s validation. Escape from Beta Traz sees him venting after Pidge questions his sharpshooting, then doubt his purpose on the team. He’s annoyed when others question his intelligence, even if they’re just teasing. He mopes when Allura doesn’t notice him. But for some reason, Pidge’s opinion of him seems to matter more, whether she’s not recognizing his abilities or his intelligence, calling him a goofball, or sort of comparing him to a yelmor.

Zethrid’s grudge against Voltron may be the inspiration for the episode title, but Lance also seems to develop a grudge again Pidge that continues throughout the season. Lance and Pidge don’t really interact again until Pidge takes the initiative to approach him in Clear Day. She compliments how considerate he is to bring Allura a souvenir, but he never actually responds to her offer to help find one, nor does he respond when she proudly shows off the helmet she won.

The longest exchange they have for the rest of the season is in Knights of Light, as Lance asks Pidge whether Honerva knows they’re in her mind but curtly interrupts her scientific explanation to tell her to get to the point.

And yet, after all of that, The End is the Beginning has Lance smiling as he watches Pidge arrive on Altea. How could they possibly have gotten to that point?

The case of the missing plot

Did the writers really intend for Lance and Pidge to be ignoring each other so much this season? I genuinely doubt it. It doesn’t make sense. Why strain the team in the final season?

Based on the gaps in Season 8, I’d guess Pidge and Lance’s narrative was originally set up as something like this: 


Pidge is uncomfortable that Allura and Lance are dating but deals with it because she wants them to be happy.

Lance notices something is off with Pidge and tries to figure it out.


Despite finally being with Allura, which should make him unquestionably happy, something doesn’t seem to be right. Allura isn’t totally at ease but tries her best. Lance keeps ending up in situations where he has fun with Pidge.

Something happens that causes Pidge to acknowledge her crush. Lance is taken aback, but it doesn’t change that he has feelings for Allura.


Allura dies. Pidge continues to have feelings for Lance. She waits for him, and it’s hinted that he eventually moves on with her, although Lance will always love Allura. 


But the season was edited and scenes were changed or removed, which left us with something more along these lines:

Pidge is uncomfortable that Allura and Lance are dating but deals with it because she wants them to be happy.

Lance notices something is off with Pidge and tries to figure it out.


Despite finally being with Allura, which should make him unquestionably happy, something doesn’t seem to be right. Allura isn’t totally at ease but tries her best. Lance keeps ending up in situations where he has fun with Pidge.

Something happens that causes Pidge to acknowledge her crush. Lance is taken aback, but it doesn’t change that he has feelings for Allura.


Allura dies. Pidge continues to have feelings for Lance. She waits for him, and it’s hinted that he eventually moves on with her, although Lance will always love Allura. 


Technically, none of those changes would have affected the overall plot. A teenage crush doesn’t help defeat Honerva, it doesn’t impact Voltron or Atlas’ weapons or erase Allura’s sacrifice. But it would explain why so many of Pidge and Lance’s scenes ended up feeling emotionally colorblind. It would explain why there were parallels set up that didn’t really pan out. 

Ultimately, Plance or no Plance, Season 8 is a little like the ride Hunk and Keith were stuck on in Clear Day. You get a glimpse of what’s in store, and then you’re stopped, hoping you’ll eventually find out what you’re missing. We may never know what was ahead on Season 8′s crazy ride; we might find out when it’s re-edited or turns up as a comic book.

But right now, I kind of just feel like Hunk:

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Allura struggles with Changes

For @braincoins

See this Post

This has about as much planning and research as your average Michael Bay film, but hey, I put my heart in it. And Shallura makes everything better.

It was horrible! The agony Allura of Altea felt in this moment dwarfed any difficult choice she had made as a queen, as a princess, as a paladin! The terror incalculable. And now, her whole family was at stake!

“Mommy! Alfie’s stinky!”

Allura’s daughter, Junera, pressed her nostrils closed with both her fingers, her eyes wide and buggy with overplayed annoyance. A quick glance in the rearview mirror revealed baby Alfor sniffling and Allura prayed that he wouldn’t start crying again.

“I know, Junnie,” Allura said, “and I’m--trying to fix it. Please be--”

Allura fought down a gag and rolled down the car window.

“Please be patient.”

Allura had never been good with children. She had dreaded motherhood almost her whole pregnancy. But then, when she held Junera in her arms for the first time, tears welling up in her eyes, the man she loved with her, the family she had found by her side, it was like a switch had been flipped. She wanted to protect this child, this thing she had created through love and genetics.

They gave her an Altean name, Junera, “Juniberry child”, for the flowers she loved so much, that each paladin grew in the gardens and pots in their home.

And Allura wanted to make sure she grew up as beautiful as the delicate sweet blooms she was named for.

She grilled Lance relentlessly for tips and baby books, made at least three  lopsided one-armed sweaters under Hunk’s tutelage before giving into buying cute clothes that said things like “I’m the princess you better run” on them, and made sure Coran was never as far as a phone call away (the kids loved Coran to bits, a sentiment he returned).

And every time she looked at Junnie in her the five years of life, she saw new reasons to love her. Every time her daughter read a new sentence or learned a new word, visited Shiro’s family, when they told her a bedtime story about Voltron, Allura found her heart growing just a little bit more.

Those were Shiro’s eyes, eyes that lit up when she was so happy, that could hold so much feeling at one time, eyes she could stare into forever.

And that face, that was her nan-nan’s face. The face she remembered from her childhood.

But her daughter’s hair, so much like her own, but streaked with ashy grey and black, was a mixture unique to her and so very lovely, Allura always thought.

She was brave too. Never afraid to speak her mind, never shy around people, never afraid to try new things.

She was a princess of Altea, through and through.

Even when she was too stubborn for her own good or arguing, Allura loved her and cared for her more than she could put into words.

And then, Alfor came into the world. Named for her beloved father, Alfor saw the whole world as one big adventure, a play date full of new people to meet and new things to see. He was sunny and friendly and full of love.

So full of love, in fact, that even Junnie was taken with him after a week or two of jealous pouting was under her belt.

He was a little prince. Her little prince.

But boy, could he make a big stink.

It had started easy enough. Her workload had been light today, the weather fair, so working at home with the kids seemed like a splendid idea. It had been a peaceful morning, with a peaceful lunch. Alfor and Junera had eaten agreeably and promised to stay in the nursury until she was finished. If they needed anything ,she had the baby monitor on and, Yes Junnie, you’re a big girl, I know, but if you need help, I’m in the next room over. She’d finished the first set of forms when she’d first scented it. A wet, hot smell that burned her nostrils and tickled her gag reflex. Then she’d heard the crying over the baby monitor.

Allura had dashed out of her office into the nursury where Junera was standing in front of Alfor’s crib, where the crying was coming from.

“Mama,” Junera said, turning to look at her, “Alfie’s stinky.”

Shiro and Coran were normally the ones to handle changing diapers. Allura had so far been lucky, always away on diplomatic matters or when Shiro had been in the other room when diaper changing had been needed.

But now, Shiro was on a mission with the other paladins, providing relief to a system stifled with drought and famine. And Coran was in Washington DC, helping to diffuse a rather sticky situation involving a migrant couple and an Altean baby. Which left just her. She and Shiro had not bothered with nannies or servants. They didn’t need them when they had at least five other people over at their house every other week (Keith still slept on their couch more than once). But now she was regretting it.

The concept was simple enough. Getting the baby’s diaper off and putting on a fresh one. But then she’d went to the bathroom cupboard and found no diapers, just an empty plastic bag labeled “Pampers”.

She couldn’t damage this diaper, then. Not until she could find more.

She’d cycled through every person she knew. No-one but Keith was planet side and he’d made it firmly known that he did not know how to change a diaper. So that was out.

And if she called the guards, they would undoubtedly turn a routine trip to the supermarket into an international spectacle of security (protection was fine, but stifling thy name was guard).

So, with much grumbling, crying, consoling, and carefully scooping disgusting bits of...red out of Alfor’s diaper with an ice cream scoop, Allura loaded her family into the car and set out on what could be her most important mission to date.

If Alfor was going to get changed, Allura thought as her daughter made an exaggerated gagging noise, then she’d have to do it herself.

Allura pulled into a familiar driveway.

But she couldn’t do it alone.

“You want me to change your child’s diaper?”

Allura nodded. She sat in an armchair in the Holt family home, across from Doctor Samuel Holt, while Alfor sat in a play pen on the other side of the room with his sister.

“Yes, Doctor Holt.”

Sam sighed and sat down the datapad he had been using.

“Your majesty...”

“Allura, please. We’ve known each other long enough.”

Sam nodded.

“Allura then. I don’t really know how to help you in this regard.”

Allura’s face fell.

“But you’re a doctor. For Aliens!”

Sam shook his head.

“I’m a xenobiologist not a--well, I am a doctor, but I think you’re looking for a babysitter.”

“Please just teach me how to change a diaper! I can’t reach anyone else! I took out the worst of it, but he still needs to be cleaned. You don’t have to do anything!”

Sam looked like a deer that had just been introduced to a gas tanker.

“I don’t know how to change a diaper!”

A sharp shot of anxiety went through Allura’s chest like an icicle.

“What!?”

“That was always my wife’s department.”

Suddenly, Alfor began screaming again.

“Mama!” Junera’s trilled, “Alfie’s stinky!”

Allura took a deep calming breath. Considering the smell that pervaded the room and made the man across from her make a face like a goldfish out of water, it was quite a feat. She would not scream. Queens do not scream. Princesses, maybe, Queens never.

“Could you maybe...call her?”

Holding his nose, Sam shook his head.

“She’s on Atlas duty with the Katie and Matt.”

“Quiznak.”

“Goggles?”

“Check.”

“Gloves.”

“Check.”

“Alright then,” Allura said, straitening her oven mitts, “let’s change Alfie.”

Alfor gurgled beneath them on the changing table. Slowly, Allura reached down to the safety pin that held Alfor’s diaper in place. It took her two tries before she finally removed her gloves and undid the pin. Slowly, she pulled back the flaps. The scent that hit her was nothing short of a chemical weapon.

“Excuse me!”

Allura made a beeline straight for the little Alteans’ room.

It was about two hours before baby Alfor was changed, cleaned and returned home.

“Allura, I’m home.”

Shiro walked through his front door to find the house unusually quiet. Odd. Usually someone was there to meet him. His daughter, his wife, his son. Had they gone out to eat.

“Allura?” called out again.

Junera ran into the living room up to him. She put her fingers to her lips.

“Shhhhh,” she said, “mama’s sleeping.”

“Oh.”

Shiro knelt in front of his daughter.

“Did mama finish all her work?”

Junera nodded.

“Yes.”

“Was it hard work?”

“Mama changed Alfie’s diaper.”

“Really?”

Junera nodded.

“She’s sleeping now.” said Junera.

“Then why are you still up?” Shiro stage whispered, leaning in.

“I’m not tired,” Junera said.

Shiro smiled and faked a wide yawn. Junera yawned back. He smiled and scooped his daughter up into his arms. How is it you could fall in love with a family all over again after only a day away from them?

“Come on,” he said, kissing his daughter on the cheek, “let’s go see how mommy and Alfie are doing.”

It turns out, Alteans are unable to digest peaches, even the ones processed for babies. Now, Allura’s children aren’t allowed to eat peaches in any regard and all five paladins of Voltron know the ten most popular videos about how to change a diaper on YouTube.

[whorepheus]

about the requests could you write shiro confronting Lance after s6 and him apologizing and being filled with guilt etc

*oops i did it again plays in the background* I don’t have any excuses. This had the most simply, sweetest little outline and then i thought up the extra langst and now the first chapter is almost 4k words.

i refuse to apologize.

~Tay

Shifting Rock  [Ao3] [Part 2!]

Life without the castle was strange, but, looking around their little campsite, Shiro realized that they were finally settling into a routine. The planet they were stationed on had a longer day than Earth or the artificial days they’d set on the castle, but the extra hours felt like the middle of summer, and made their campfires seem all the more homey. Nevertheless, life without the castle also meant he had twice as much to get used to.

Coming back to his body had been weird enough— he was still sifting through the years worth of memories that, even though he’d known them partially while in the astral plane, he still couldn’t seem to made sense of. But the team had been a big help. Keith was hovering, of course, but he and Krolia were eager ears and hands when he needed assistance. Pidge and Hunk were already designing a new prosthetic for him, and everyone seemed willing to lend a hand when he was short one. It made things easier; though that didn’t mean they weren’t still hard.

He didn’t really know what to do with himself as a member of the team. Sometimes he felt awkward talking to them. He could feel his present aligning with past conversations someone else had had in his body. It was jarring and, two weeks back with himself, it still threw him for a loop. The others kept telling him to take his time, but his time being taken was the problem in the first place.

Nevertheless, he tried to slow down. He trained with Keith and the others in the mornings, gentle sparring sessions, and made it to communal meals, but other than that, he let his time be empty. He floated around the campsite, visiting with the others. He wandered  around, exploring the planet and bringing things back for Coran, who had started cataloging the wildlife in the places they stopped. One day he found a small river and just skipped rocks for an hour. And the weirdest thing was, it seemed to work. The more time he spent with himself, the more he started to feel like himself. The more he used his legs, his hand, the more they felt like his.

Which is probably why he finally noticed the things that were off.

At first glance, looking around the campfire, it seemed like the team was as they always were: Shiro was sharing a log with Krolia and Keith was on the ground in front of them feeding scraps to his wolf. Allura and Coran were talking with Romelle on another log, and the Garrison trio was on the last one, Hunk and Pidge leaning together while Lance sat on the ground, leaning against their legs. But, unlike meals on the castle, meals around the fire had been quiet, and it seemed to boil down to the standing Red Paladin’s sudden lack of verve. Even looking across the fire at Lance, he seemed withdrawn. He was curled in on himself, legs pulled up to his chest. Shiro watched for a moment, startling when Lance looked in his direction. The other boy’s eyes went wide, before he stiffened, turning away and tucking his face into his knees.

Shiro couldn’t help a frown. He couldn’t say he and Lance had ever been close, and definitely didn’t know where they stood after his year away from himself, but he couldn’t remember a time when Lance hadn’t been friendly if not exuberant. It was… unsettling to see him so unlike himself.

Shiro found himself stealing glances over the course of the meal and figured he should just check in. He was still technically their leader; it was a part of his job to make sure that everyone was doing okay.

Everyone rose to clear plates and wash up but, by the time Shiro was finished with his mess kit, Lance had already disappeared. He frowned, then decided he could talk to him at breakfast. But, when breakfast rolled around, Shiro realized Lance had somehow perfected his disappearing act. Whether he was volunteering to help Coran go catalog plants and leaving camp or just slipping away unannounced, it seemed like there was nothing Shiro could do to get ahold of Lance. He soon realized that, even with communal meals and group training, he hadn’t spoken to Lance in over a week, maybe even longer.

After three more days of chasing Lance back and forth around camp, Shiro finally managed to get a one on one with him by following Lance on his way out of the clearing to wash his face in the stream nearby. He waited a good distance away beside the black lion, suddenly grateful that Keith had parked her so close to Red. He could pretend he was there on accident and definitely not stalking his teammate.

“Lance,” he called, watching the other boy walk back with his arms laden with bottles and a washcloth. Lance stopped on a dime, all but flinching when his name hit his ears. He turned towards Shiro slowly, mustering a smile.

“Shiro,” he said, the word forced. “What’s up?”

Shiro wandered forward, closing the distance between the two of them. “I just realized we hadn’t checked in in a while. How are you doing?” he said with a smile.

“I’m fine. You?”

Shiro fought to hide a frown, but soldiered on. “I’m doing fine. Actually, I was about to go for a walk. Do you want to come? It’s been a while since we just talked—”

“Sorry, Shiro,” Lance said, taking a step back. “I’ve gotta milk Kaltenecker this morning and I promised I’d show Romelle how it’s done. Another time.” And with that he slipped away, heading straight into Red.

Shiro tried again, multiple times that day to get a moment with Lance, but the other boy was suddenly busy. He was always finishing something or heading to something else. And that went on for three days. Even when they left that planet to continue on to another, Lance was quiet on the comms (which never happened) and, when they landed a star system over, was the first one out his lion to set up camp, working right up to dinner and falling dead asleep afterwards.

In a way, the entire thing made Shiro grateful for the mission.

The next planet they stopped on next was inhabited. The King of Juloke had hailed them  on a coalition communicator as they neared and offered them safe harbor in exchange for a rescue mission on a planet in their galaxy. They were welcomed to the palace, which was subdued, a cloud of melancholy hanging over the entire palace. When they made it to the throne room, they found the king inconsolable. With the help of the queen and the royal advisor, Team Voltron learned that the crowned prince had been stranded a planet away on Humal during a ritual hunt. Because of continued storms on that planet, they hadn’t heard from him in days. It would be their job to go to Humal and find him.

They spent the evening planning and, in a probably unfair gesture, Shiro sat directly beside Lance, putting himself in the other boy’s space for the first time in weeks. It was probably this that made Lance jump up and volunteer to go down onto the planet with Pidge. He would help her set up a beacon to cut through the interference from the storm and help them track down the prince’s ship. The rest of the team would comb the planet for the prince, using whatever information the beacon let them receive to find him. When everything was settled, Lance dismissed himself, going to his guest room to get some ‘beauty sleep’ before the big mission.

In the morning, Shiro walked through the palace courtyard to where Lance was loading equipment into Red with Coran.

“Good morning!” Coran called, turning to wave. Lance walked out of Red, his face obscured by the boxes of supplies he was carrying.

“Morning Pidge,” he yelled. “I think me and Coran got everything you need on board. I just have a few more boxes to get out of the way—” he set his cargo down with a thud “— and then we’ll head out to—” he cut off as he turned around. “Shiro. Good morning.” He said, hesitance in his voice and confusion in his eyes.

“I asked Pidge if I could ride along instead,” Shiro explained. “I hope that’s alright.”

“Oh. But doesn’t the beacon— I mean, Pidge showed me, but it looks pretty complicated to set up. I don’t know if—”

“No worries about that, Number 3,” Coran said, coming to clasp Lance on the shoulder. “We updated the system to run off a combination of gravitational and electromagnetic energy. As long as it’s touching the ground, the modem will run. Besides, it’d be best if Pidge could be here with me to help coordinate. Everything will be fine. Besides, the rest of us are only a call away if there are complications.” Before Lance could even respond, Coran was bustling back into the Red Lion. “Now I’ll just grab the last of the old supplies, and you two can get going,” he called.

Lance and Shiro stood across from each other in awkward silence.

“Sorry to intrude, I just thought it’d be best to have as many lions in the air for a mission like this and, since Keith is flying black—”

“No, I get it. It’s fine. Let’s just… let’s get going.”

They boarded Red, passing Coran on his way out. He wished the two of them good luck as Red’s mouth closed. Lance took his seat in the cockpit and Red rumbled to life, but, even with her steady hum and the roar of her thrusters as they took off, the silence seemed unyielding.

Shiro watched from behind the pilot’s chair as they approached Humal. He’d forgotten how fast the red lion was, and had hoped to talk to Lance on the flight down, but it seemed like he was going as fast as Red could.

“Lance, are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Shiro said, leaning in.

“Fine,” Lance said. “Hold on.” Lance sent Red into a dive as they approached Humal’s atmosphere. Shiro clenched his hands on the back of the chair, crouching low to steady himself as Lance tore through the clouds.

“Lance,” Shiro said, “You don’t have to—”

“You know, Shiro. A storm like this isn’t easy to fly.”

“Right… Shutting up.” Shiro said, simply watching as Lance began the difficult descent onto Humal. Even inside Red, the rain felt powerful, drops impacting like bullets as Lance flew them through the storm. According to the map they’d been shown, there were forest covered mountains that they should be looking for, but they could barely see out Red’s windows, much less find their way.

“Pidge, I need a topographical map,” Lance said into the comms. “Visibility’s shot. I don’t know where to put her down.”

“Sending it now,” Pidge said. “Go for whatever’s tallest without being too dangerous. It’ll give the beacon a greater reach.”

“I’ll try,” Lance said, overlaying the map Pidge had sent with the view out the main window. The vague shapes below gained numerical labels, telling them how high or low certain areas were.

“Head east,” Shiro said, pointing to a corner of the map. “There’s a clearing or something pretty high up.” Shiro held on as Lance turned, pushing Red against the wind. They flew close, looking down at the area, which was surrounded by dense trees leading all the way up.

“Shiro, I don’t know if—” Lance cut off, leaning over the controls as they were buffeted by a gust of wind. “—if this is gonna work. Either the trees will be too thick to land, or we’ll be too exposed with all this wind!”

“We have to at least try,” Shiro said.

“But what if this is our only shot?” Lance said, looking around wildly in the storm.

“Then we take it. That’s the highest point we’ve got big enough to land on in wind like this.” Lance clenched his jaw but nodded, leaning back as he pulled up on the controls. Leveling Red out as they started their descent. They shook and rattled in the wind, working against the huge gusts to approach the tree line. As they drew closer, Lance saw a gap in the trees and aimed for it, sending them down. The wind made it nearly impossible for Red to hover, and Lance was sweating the the effort of keeping her steady as they approached the trees. One wrong move and they’d get caught in a draft, sending them into the trees and down the mountain; and who knew if they would make it back up?

A gust hid Red straight on, shooting them back. They jolted as her legs hit against the tops of Humal’s huge trees.

“Shiro—” Lance said, panic in his voice.

“You’ve got this. You’re almost there. Nose down, head on in.” Lance re-angled Red, sending her down between the trees. As they lowered into the clearing, the wind quieted, blocked by the huge circle of trees. Even the rain sounded less, intercepted by the leaves.

Lance set them down at one edge of the ring of trees, taking a deep breath in his chair as he unclenched his fingers from around the controls.

“You did great, Lance,” Shiro said, patting him on the shoulder. Lance curled away from the touched, pushing himself out of his seat.

“You should hail Pidge. Let her know we’re setting up,” he said, going and starting to undo the restraints holding the beacon in place. Shiro watched him work, calling Pidge and the others quickly to give their location and an estimate for when the beacon would be up.

Shiro saw Lance head down the ramp out of Blue. “Lance,” he called, trotting after him. Lance stood just inside Blue’s mouth staring out at where they’d landed.

The circle in the trees suddenly made sense. Red was perched on the edge of a crater, the bowl of which was filled with water. Something at the bottom of the pool was creating heat, and thick steam rose off the water. Instead of banks, there were just thick, jagged outcroppings of stone hanging over the bowl of steaming rain. It truly looked like a meteor had blown a hole in the mountain or the the spot had been a volcano long ago.

“That was a close landing,” Lance said, walking the few yards through the rain to the edge of the rock they were on. Red was tucked against the trees, so their spot really was safe, but looking out around the area, they could have been in real trouble if Lance had put her down any further in. Not all of the rock looked stable, especially not for something as heavy as Red.

“We can set up the beacon over there,” Lance said, pointing to an outcropping of stone near Red. He turned and went back into the lion, heaving the beacon precariously into his arms. Shiro ran up, taking half the beacons weight and helping Lance carry it out. They set up in silence, Lance hailing Pidge when it was ready. They watched with bated breath as she activated the beacon remotely, listening as it hummed to life and she cheered on the other side of the comms. A few tense minutes passed as she searched the new, clear data for signs of the prince of Julocke.

“We have a hit!” Pidge said. “It’s weak, but it’s a starting point. Hunk, Keith, Allura— sending coordinates now.”

“Good work Pidge,” Shiro said into the comms.

“Lets just hope he’s near his ship.”

“Entering Humal airspace now,” Keith reported.

“Careful in the storm,” Lance warned. “Visibility is low and the wind is a problem. We had some trouble landing.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Hunk answered. “We’ll check back in when we land.”

“Now that the beacon’s set up, they’ll have extra data, so navigation should get easier.” Pidge said.

“Shiro, Lance, are you two set to guard the beacon?” Coran asked. “If that goes out, we lose all our data.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to it,” Lance promised.

“There’s a good lad,” Coran said. “Hail us if anything goes wrong.”

After that they settled in, sitting on the ground near the beacon and listening to make sure its steady hum stayed uninterrupted.

The search party checked in every fifteen minutes, giving status updates. Things had gotten harder because the signal from the lost ship was going in and out and, even though they were at its coordinates within the first half hour, they couldn’t find it through the foliage. Their third check in, they found what seemed to be a crash site, trees fallen into each other. At the end of the first hour, they were still trying to move the trees and get to whatever lied at the center.

“Looks like we’ll be here a while,” Lance said, tugging off his helmet and letting the stray rain soak his hair. He closed his eyes smiling up at the sky for just a moment as the drops hit his face. Lance opened his eyes, glancing to the left at Shiro, only to tense when he noticed the other paladin watching him.

“Lance—”

“We should do this in shifts,” he said suddenly, jumping to his feet. He grabbed his helmet and headed towards Red. “You, uh, you can start, while the rain is still light and we can switch out every two check ins. No point in both us sitting in the wet to watch some buzzing cylinder.” And then he disappeared into Red’s mouth.

“Lance,” Shiro called, scrambling after him. He ducked into Red and, when he couldn’t find Lance on sight, walked to the pilot’s chair. Lance was curled up on the seat, knees pulled to his chest and head tucked against his legs. He was taking shuddering breaths as if fighting off tears. “Lance,” Shiro said again, quietly this time. He rounded the chair in time to see Lance tug harshly on his own hair before sitting up to look at him.

“Did-Did you want me to take first shift? I guess it’s the least I could do—” he began to unfold, setting his feet on the ground and rising halfway out of the chair “—my idea after all—”

“Why are you avoiding me?” Shiro asked. Lance flinched, looking away.

“I’m not, I just think one of us should be with the beacon at all times—”

“Not just today. The past few weeks. You’ve been all but running away from me. I can’t get near you during meals, I can’t get near you during missions, you’ll barely even look at me!” Outside, thunder rumbled overhead and the hits of raindrops on Red’s exterior sped up. “What did I do wrong? Why don’t you want me around?”

“What? Shiro, how can you even look at me after what I did?” Lance said, anguish filling his eyes.

“What?” Shiro said, brows drawing together.

“Shiro, I abandoned you,” Lance whispered, clenching his fists in his lap and looking away as he felt tears well in his eyes. “You called out to me and I knew— I knew something was wrong, I just wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. You were dead, and you reached out to me for help and  I—” he sobbed once, burying his face in his hands. “All the while I was befriending your clone. I can’t even tell what of that was real— And even if any of it was, knowing I abandoned you to that? Left you in the astral plane when you tried to reach me? When you were begging for help? I wouldn’t want to be friends with me after that either.” He collapsed in on himself.

Shiro was agog. “Lance, none of that— none of that is true! None of what happened was remotely your fault. What happened… none of us could have controlled that. None of us could have stopped that. You can’t pin any of this on yourself—”

He cut off as light flooded the windows behind him. Lance’s face lit blue and a crack rent the air. Not a second later, thunder shook the air around them, so close that even Red lurched. Shiro leapt forward on instinct, bracing himself over Lance as Red shook, staying over him until the rumbling stopped. He drew back a few inches, not moving his arms as the lion stilled. He looked down at Lance and their eyes met. Outside there was a loud crunch of rock shifting.

“The beacon,” Lance gasped, pushing away from Shiro and running outside. Shiro took off after him calling his name. Outside, the rain was so heavy he could barely spot Lance, the young paladin a blur in the thick sheets of water.

“The ground is cracked!” Lance yelled, heaving against the beacon. Shiro ran over, taking part of the beacon in hand and lifting. He and Lance shuffled away from the lengthening cracks in the ground. If they could just get closer to Red they’d be on stable ground. They could wait out the worst of the storm. And there was no way they could take off in weather like this. If they did, they’d have to deactivate the beacon, and who knew what the weather was like where the others were. They could all end up stranded.

They were halfway to safety when there was another loud crack and the rock under Shiro’s feet shifted, opening a hole to the boiling water below.

“Shiro!” Lance cried. He acted on instinct, tightening his grip on the beacon and whipping around in a circle. Shiro and the beacon went spinning towards Red, falling just beyond the cracks in the rock—

And then he felt himself begin to fall as rock crumbled away beneath his feet.

Shiro landed hard a few feet away, shaking off the blow and looking up in time to see Lance start to fall through the rock.

[thepackwantsthed]

Blue Paladins AU P2

a second part of an au no one asked for because I have feelings

part one | AO3 Link

They defeat Zarkon, but they lose Shiro. 

Lance tries to keep everyone’s spirits up, but Keith misses his brother and it makes him angry and snappish. Lance tries to keep everyone’s spirits up, but Pidge feels like she’s lost a second brother and she throws herself into trying to get Matt and her father back with a single-minded determinedness. Lance tries to keep everyone’s spirits up, but Allura is cracking under the pressure of leading them without Shiro by her side to help. Lance tries to keep everyone’s spirits up, but everyone else is falling apart and it’s making Hunk anxious and unhappy and nauseous. 

Trying to keep his team together is difficult, but Lance is the Blue Paladin, the heart of Voltron, and he will not let them fall apart.

Lance spars with Keith when he’s not out trying to find Shiro, lets Keith take his anger out on him so that he doesn’t take it out on one of the others. He drags Pidge out of her work spirals, ignores the harsh words that she spits out in response, and locks her in her room without her laptop so she’ll get some sleep. He ignores the looks Allura gives him for bothering her in favor of forcing her to sit down, to let him run soft fingers through her hair and braid it until her shoulders have loosened and the knots in her spine have faded. He ignores how unhappy Hunk is when someone watches him fall apart in favor of hovering so that he can remind Hunk how amazing he is and how much he loves him. 

It’s hard work and sometimes what they say to him hurts, but Lance does his best to brush it off. It helps that when it all feels like too much he can go to Blue and spend time with the other Blue Paladins. It helps that when Keith’s left him bruised and bleeding, Pellagia is there to run ghostly fingers against his wounds and cluck his tongue and force him to use his first aid kit instead of letting them sit. It helps that when Pidge has snapped at him too harshly or Hunk shies away from his touch, Ezra is there are his shoulder to remind him that they are only upset and that he is their best friend and that he is doing all of this to help them and one day they’ll appreciate it even if they don’t appreciate it now. It helps that when Allura’s glares have been especially deadly and she’s been especially rude in declining his friendly touches, Blaytz is there to smooth his palms over Lance’s shoulders and rest his chin on Lance’s head and press affectionate kisses against his face as he reminds Lance that there is nothing wrong with being physically affectionate and reminds him that Allura doesn’t find him repulsive or disgusting, she’s just touch-starved from ten thousand years in a cyropod and too stressed out to enjoy Lance dragging her from her work for relaxation. 

Lance keeps his team from falling apart. 

The previous Blue Paladins keep Lance from falling apart. 

Voltron becomes necessary which means they have to swap Lions. 

Maybe in some universe, Lance would sit down in the Black Lion and want it. In this universe, Lance sits in the Black Lion and knows that he can not have it. 

Voltron’s heart and head can not be the same person. It’s not bad to think with your heart, but Voltron’s mission is deadly and sometimes one has to remove feelings from the equation and Lance knows that he can not do that. A Blue Paladin is a good right hand, but they can never be Voltron’s leader. 

Lance knowing that he can’t have it, Lance being comfortable in his role and place in Voltron, doesn’t mean that Shiro, trapped in his Lion and floating with the souls of her previous Paladins knows it. 

And Shiro feels something spark inside of him when Lance sits in that chair. He feels Lance’s dedication and his loyalty and his warmth. Shiro might have said Keith should take control, but feeling the way Lance is makes him second guess himself.

Shiro reaches out for him, wishing for Black to light up, but before his hand can touch Lance, Black’s first Paladin is reaching for him and pulling him back. 

Not the Blue one, Imsy tells him. Black’s first Paladin is a tiny thing, comes only to Shiro’s waist, but there’s a strength in her shoulders and responsibility in the lines of her face.  The Blue Paladins is our heart. They have been our best friends, our confidants, our siblings, and our lovers. But they can not be our replacement. A Blue Paladin in our Lion would break under their decisions. 

Shiro does not agree, but Imsy has spent a millennia with Black - either as her pilot or as a guide for the others - and Shiro knows not to argue. He quiets. 

And when Keith steps into Black and the others murmur their agreement to Black, accepting Shiro’s first choice, Shiro finds himself unsure if he agrees with them. 

He finds himself unsure if Keith can do this, if Keith is really the best choice. 

His existence is wrapped so deeply in Black that Shiro wouldn’t be able to reveal himself to Keith anyway, but he finds himself thinking that even if he could he wouldn’t. 

Blue’s Paladins hear their Lion whispering to Red. And for most of the conversation they aren’t quite sure what’s going on. 

When they do figure it out though, anger erupts inside all three of them. 

Lance is theirs. They will not give him to the Red Lion, they will not allow Blue to give him up. 

Lance won’t know it, but as Blaytz, Pellagia, and Ezra argue with their host the fourth Paladin appears beside them. Ys’ea’s voice joins their chorus. Their people are musical in their nature and when they argue their voice sounds like the pounding of war drums and violins that have struck a wrong note. They have not met Lance them self, but they have been watching as the boy held it together for his team and they know that this boy is worthy of them. They know that this boy is all of theirs and they will not let their Lion tear Lance from them so easily. 

Still, the Paladins are subject to the will of their Lion and Blue chooses to ignore them. They can do nothing as she raises her barrier, as she refuses to let him in. 

Oephips, the third Paladin, appears as Lance rests his hands and forehead against the barrier and asks why Blue is rejecting him with a broken voice. His skin tone shifts with his mood and now his skin is a mesh of angry orange-red and sad blue-purple. He kneels on the inside of the barrier, presses his forehead against the space where Lance’s rests and his three fingers against the space where Lance’s fists rest. He is angry that Blue would take this boy who embodies all that they are mean to be and give him to another Lion. He is sad that Blue, his lovely lovely Blue who had shown Oephips an entire world outside of his tiny planet, would make this boy feel so unhappy and unwanted. 

Blue does not lower the barrier. 

The Red Lion roars and roars until Lance finally pulls away, until he does what a good Blue Paladin does and buries his own feelings in favor of the choice that will help the team, that will keep his fellow Paladins safe.

The Blue Paladins are about love and affection, about being open and caring. But they are also about trust and loyalty.

Blue has broken their trust by locking them out, by locking Lance out, and their loyalty is to the boy that Blue has taken away from them. 

Every single one of them refuses to appear for Allura. 

Part Three

[vegafiction]

Hey there! Thanks for the Voltron Bad Things Happen bingo ficlets. Would you be able to do an Isolation for Lance? It seems like the thing that would suck the most for him. Maybe he's lost in the wilderness on a dangerous world and has to wait for the rest of the team to find him. Doesn't have to be shippy, but I'm cool with klance if that's you're preference (that was the only ship I noticed was in the tags).

Count: ~1.2kPairing: N/AChara(s): LanceFandom: VoltronPrompt: IsolationWarning(s): None

So, I didn’t add a ship in this. It’s mostly Lance-centric, none of the other Paladins show up because I was interested in exploring his mental deterioration as a result of prolonged isolation. I made a note on Ao3 about it so I’ll include it here: Lance’s perception of Red in this is skewed by prolonged isolation and constant stress from having to survive on an alien planet. It’s up to you to believe whether or not Red’s decision here was the right one.

I feel like this could have been way better but I’m not going to force my brain to push out anything else this late at night. >_

Get your own card @badthingshappenbingo

Ko-Fi | Ao3 | Masterlist | Request

He tore through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. He was mindful of the upturned roots or the low hanging branches that whipped past his face or just barely grazed his cheek, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. He clutched his damaged gun close to his chest, his breathing harsh as he forced his legs to pump faster. The loud roar of the creatures behind him carried through the sky. They didn’t sound close, but they weren’t far enough for him to rest.

Lance jumped off a small ledge and slid down the muddy wall until the momentum bounced him off the wall. He stumbled into a small creek, splashing and spraying water all along the length of his sore legs. He continued running.

He didn’t stop until the planet’s three moons drifted into the sky. He slid down another hill then, finally, collapsed safely inside a cave opening.

He gasped for air, feeling his lungs and body burn from the strenuous effort of trying to survive in a world that desperately wanted to kill him. 

There were dragons on this planet – large, impressive, dangerous beasts who took one sent of Lance and decided he was something they would have for dinner. In other circumstances, Lance would have been in awe. They were gorgeous creatures, ancient and mystical, but terribly temperamental and vicious. He’d encounter a few who had been friendly to him; a very small herd he wished he had stayed close to. Their alpha had been the one to save him from the ravenous wolves Lance had accidentally stumbled upon, but most of the dragons on this planet were quite unfriendly.

Some of them had even managed to break his bayard.

Lance rolled onto his back with a pained groan. His muscles screamed in protest with every movement he made, but lying there, so close to the entrance of the cave, would give him away. He forced himself to his knees and crawled further into the cave.

Deep inside, Lance allowed himself to collapse onto the makeshift bed he had fastened from the leaves of the trees and other fibers. He dropped his damaged bayard beside him and turned to the wall.

Lines were etched into the solid rock. There were four lined together as neatly as possible with another slashing diagonally across. Lance picked up a sharpened rock from the ground and scratched a new line beside the others. There were six lines now.

He sighed.

“It’s been thirteen quintants since I’ve been on this planet,” he said to the silence, eyeing the tally marks. His eyes trailed upward toward the ceiling. A sense of dread washed over him. “I really hope I don’t have to fill up this whole wall.”

He tossed the rock aside and, with much discomfort, rose to his feet. He gathered wood and tinder from the far corner and tossed them into the fire pit. He lit a fire through the sparking of rocks then shuffled around the cave for his supply of food.

His first few days surviving alone on this planet had been… unpleasant. He’d gone hungry for three days before he finally managed to kill a few of the smaller beasts. He learned the hard way what berries were edible and which ones were poisonous. (He’d been lucky the poisonous berries were not potent.)

Finding the cave alone had been a blessing. Everything else was pure survival instinct.

“You know, I bet if the others were here, they’d be really impressed.” He grinned to the fire. It flickered and crackled in response. “I know right? I bet they never would expect me to survive out here on my own, but hah! I managed to survive thirteen quintants with just my bayard!”

At the mention of the broken weapon, Lance felt his good mood grow somber.

The flames sizzled.

“It’s my fault. I should’ve been more aware of where the dragons were.” Just like it’s my fault I’m here in the first place.

He propped a berry into his mouth and chewed.

Are they even looking for you? It’s been thirteen days.

“I’m sure they’re looking. They probably… they probably can’t find Red’s coordinates. Once they find him, they’ll find me.”

But you’re nowhere near the Red Lion. Even if they find it, they won’t find you.

Lance shifted uncomfortably in his place, suddenly burdened by the harsh reality that was the Red Lion.

Why hadn’t the Red Lion activated on its own? Whenever Keith was in danger, the lion would act on its own volition and yet, when Lance had been faced with a life or death situation, the giant, mechanical lion had just… remained frozen. It was as though he were unfazed by the fact that Lance’s life was on the line. Like Lance’s life held no importance in the lion’s eyes because he simply was not Keith.

Lance’s brows furrowed as realization dawned on him.

That had to be it. That had to be the reason why. He was not Keith. He wasn’t the skilled fighter pilot Red had chosen at the beginning of their unwanted adventure. Lance was just… Lance, a bottom of the barrel cargo pilot who barely scraped by in the Garrison.

He wasn’t some cool, edgy half-human, half-galra fighter. He wasn’t Keith. He could never be Keith, and maybe… that was why Red had chosen to remain frozen. They were just complete opposites.

Where Lance failed, Keith excelled. He’d been chosen by Red, deemed the only one who could control the lion’s unruly nature. Then, he’d been chosen by the Black Lion as their new leader in Shiro’s absence. And even when he’d willingly gave away the position back to Shiro upon his return, the Black Lion still chose him as their leader. It still obeyed his every command, just like Red, just like the others do.

Maybe Red saw something in him that it doesn’t see in you. Said the voice in his head. Or maybe it sees exactly who you really are: a rotten kid from Cuba and unworthy of being a Paladin.

Lance stared blankly into the flickering flames. He felt the heat of the fire caress his skin, warming his cold, exhausted body. He hadn’t realized he’d been shivering until then.

He tossed another piece of wood into the flames.

“Sometimes I wonder if Blue only chose me to get to Allura.” Suddenly, he chuckled. “Imagine that? A lion using me to get to a girl. I guess that can still happen out in space.” He laid back onto his hands, eyes unseeing. “Maybe I’m exactly where I need to be? Blue doesn’t need me anymore. I’m not worthy to pilot the Black Lion and Red just doesn’t seem to like me. Maybe this was my destiny the whole time, getting stuck on an alien planet, far away from home.”

Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to shed them.

At least you won’t be a burden to them anymore.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

He rubbed his weary eyes with the heel of his palms as a yawned ripped itself from his throat. He crawled back to his pile of leaves and curled onto his side, facing the flames. A part of him wondered if he should snuff it out, it seemed dangerous to fall asleep with an open flame. Yet, he chose not to move. He remained where he laid, watching the fire dance among the shadows until his vision blurred into darkness and the only thing left in his mind was the fuzzy visage of the Red Lion.

[ronswansoneatsmyass]

klance + slow dancing (romantic)

“Can I cut in?”

Lance pretends as though his heart didn’t just try to leap out of his chest at that familiar rough voice. He schools his features into something more mundane, disinterest or even lazy surprise, and slowly turns his head to the Black Paladin as if he was completely engrossed in his alien dance partner’s periwinkle eyes before they were so rudely interrupted. He’s supposed to be angry at Keith, and angry he shall be!

His determination falters at the blatant upset on Keith’s face and it takes a second of just staring into those violet eyes to regroup his thoughts. Lance purses his lips prissily, “I don’t know, can you?”

Keith’s nostrils flare and he turns to the alien Lance leads in a simplified waltz, “I need him for paladin business.” 

The alien releases Lance and smiles, with all three mouths, in friendly merriment, “Of course, Black Paladin.” They turn to Lance and bow their head, “Thank you, Lance!”

Lance swallows shallowly and flashes a heated smirk in return, “No, thank you, sweetheart.”

Keith is filling the emptiness the alien leaves behind as they scurry off, frustratingly intimidating Lance with his dumb broad shoulders and dumb scar and dumb- ugh, everything! Keith frowns darkly at Lance while his hands clasp almost too tightly onto the other’s waist and open palm. “I’ve been looking for you all night.”

“Have you?” Quips Lance, tone airy and distant, “Been busy.”

“As I’ve seen. You wanted to dance with me, I don’t get why you’re acting like this.”

Ah, jumping straight to the point, huh? Just as Keith always does. Lance nudges Keith into swaying slowly, their feet hardly moving as their minds are caught up in each other. He’s pouting now, that much is obvious by his petulant tone and downcast gaze, “We’re dancing now, aren’t we?”

“Lance. Just tell me what I did wrong at least.” Keith takes on a pleading tone at the edge of his words. He moves his head to try and catch Lance’s eye, grunting his annoyance when his boyfriend won’t let him.

Lance stiffens in Keith’s hold but doesn’t break it, a testament to how badly he actually wants to be there. It’s difficult to get Keith anywhere near the dance floor and a selfish part of Lance is being dramatic purely to lure Keith to him. He isn’t really mad, it’s more...sad disappointment wearing the mask of anger. Even though Keith is technically leading, Lance manipulates them into doing a slow twirl.

“Lance.” Repeats Keith, this time more forcefully.

“You dick.” Lance mutters, “It’s stupid, okay? Let’s just forget it or something.”

Keith is quiet for a moment as they press against each other, his hand on Lance’s waist curling to the small of his back to pull him closer. Lance’s cheeks redden into a flustered expression and it makes Keith’s heart flutter, “Hey,” he murmurs softly, lightly tapping his lips against the shell of Lance’s ear, “It’s alright. You can tell me anything. I want to know when you’re sad, when you’re mad.”

Lance can’t help but lean further into his lover’s embrace, hungry for the comforting heat of Keith’s trained body, “Can we just dance for a bit? I promise I’ll fess up later.”

“Lance....” Whispers Keith, his tone a warning for he knows how Lance loves to bottle things up and trick others into forgetting his problems.

“I swear. I just...can you hold me, please?”

Without thought, Keith tugs Lance in even closer than before. He moves his other hand to join its brother at Lance’s back, and Lance threads his fingers behind Keith’s neck. Lance lowers his head onto Keith’s shoulder, hiding his face from the rest of the party as Keith leads them into an easy beat. They must look strange to everyone else, more so hugging with little movement in the middle of the dance floor, but neither care as they listen to the intimate sounds of each others’ breath. 

Somewhere down the line, Keith presses a linger kiss to the side of Lance’s head.