#someone in thier peer group FINALLY

[rayalltheway]

One You Remember

Description: Yellowtusk enters the LWAU, thanks to an encounter he had with a living Changbiyuan far in the past.

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“Celestial!” An unfamiliar voice barked from some distance behind Yellowtusk, stopping him in his tracks as he walked through the outpost. 

A gibbon demon was standing on top of the hill that descended into the village. They were imposing in stature, blue fur and dark haired, the fur outline around their lighter-blue face shaped like a rounded butterfly — a symbol that was designed into their armour and clothes, which had clearly seen recent action. They were androgynous in appearance, looking neither like a man or a woman — so Yellowtusk assumed them to be neither, like his fellow Celestial warrior Peng. 

And right now, they looked less than pleased, at him, it would seem, as they marched down the hill in purposeful strides. They slowed down a bit once they crossed into the town, taking a moment to survey the destruction around them with a softened expression.  Yellowtusk had been sent down here with a larger group of celestial warriors to arrest a viper demon queen that had decimated a village under the rule of a celestial official. The aftermath was enough so that he wished to take his time with – and not just because he prided himself on being particular. 

The gibbon naturally eased back into soldier mode once they drew closer to the troop of celestial guards. They made no move to draw either of the dao blades strapped to their back, but a few of the celestial soldiers moved in quick formation to block their path with their spears. They stopped a hair’s inch from the crossed polearms, not fazed, simply raising their chin to make their voice heard once more. 

“I was one of the warriors on the field of battle today! And for the sake of more of them, I need to have a word with you!” They stated in an authoritative tone, loud enough for everyone to hear — glaring right at Yellowtusk. Things were still for a moment, some taken back by how defiantly this demon was speaking to Yellowtusk the Wise — himself included, though he was quickly recognized as a fellow veteran.

“…Of course.” He said, and nodded at the guards halting the gibbon to let them pass. They breezed past the two, coming to a stop in front of him. Even when they had to look up at him, they still made themselves tall and proud. 

“That was….quite an entrance. Have we met?” Yellowtusk asked in a measured tone. The gibbon’s features flashed a brief are-you-kidding-me expression before they hardened once more. 

“Fortunately not. My soldiers and I have been out here fighting that viper hag for a few weeks now.” They stated, bluntly. “We were in a pitched battle before you all showed up and ended it. Thank you for that, by the way. Sorry most of the action happened without you.” They continued with a light shrug, casting another look to the land around them, a slightly sardonic tone in their voice, though not without care. That itself was nice, and Yellowtusk found many of his colleagues made light of the situations that occurred beneath the earth, but not as a way of dealing with the sadness and unfairness of them, but because they felt so above it. 

Yellowtusk nodded in understanding.

“I see. You were a part of those rebelling demon factions.” He said, referring to the several demon camps that were set up around the mountain, making a truce to oppose a single threat. He felt somewhat guilty for rendering that amity mute for taking over the matter himself with his other celestial warrior. “You must be quite strong to still be alive. What is your name?” 

Changbiyaun arched an eyebrow. “Well, I see why you got that title of yours.” They said with a light smile, before they bowed. “I am Changbiyuan, warrior head of the Butterfly clan, in the mountains some miles north from here.”

Yellowtusk had never heard of them, but returned the greeting. 

“It is good to meet you, Changbiyuan. I’m sorry, but I cannot secure any land in the name of your clan, but any of the viper’s clansmen have escaped into your borders, we can track them down —“

Changbiyaun gave him an incredulous expression and let out a disbelieving scoff. “Are you kidding? It would be lucky if anything manages to grow in that cesspool again. That bitch did a real number on this place, and for what? To make some power-pedestal so she could pretend she’s the one true face of glory?”

Yellowtusk was getting quite stalled by their…plainspokeness. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than Peng had talked to him like this. 

“—And I didn’t come here to ask you to deal with problems I can handle.” They crossed their arms and were glaring at him once more, stoically. “I’m only here because you unjustly arrested my warriors. I am asking you to release them and return them to me, now.” They way they said that made it feel like anything they wanted could be brought forth into existence through the sheer force of their own will — but Yellowtusk only furrowed his brow in response.  

“Your warriors? You mean the viper’s guard?” He asked, suspicious now. They didn’t budge, but rolled their eyes, though not at him. 

“You mean the ‘guard’ that is made up of demons that the snake lady poisoned and kidnapped so she could force them to do their bidding? Because yeah, they’re  not hers.” The stated. “A quarter of them are warriors of mine and my sister’s clan. She had the gall to take them from within our borders.” They growled out that last part with a dark expression, fists clenching from where they rested on their biceps. 

Yellowtusk knew that, but was still a bit surprised regardless. He and the other celestial soldiers had arrested the viper’s demons following her defeat because her venomous control over the kinds of others was something she spread to her henchmen. He had removed the spell himself, leaving the demon in a confused daze. Even so, he had orders to see her warriors incarcerated, punished for partaking in crimes against the Celestial Realm. 

“And what exactly makes you believe we have them? We’re short of her full army.” He asked, wanting to be sure whether or not this gibbon was bluffing in order to make up for any numbers they might have lost during the battle with a handful of miscellaneous demons. They, on the other hand, narrowed their eyes at him with a slightly disbelieving look, before reaching into a pocket and thrusting their hand out at him, Yellowtusk seeing a small metal crest between their claws. It was silver and light, with the metalworking forming swirling lines that came together as a butterfly. It was a clan crest. 

“Because I saw one of your soldiers confiscating the armour of MY clan, that’s why. You should know which ones they came from. They ALL had this, covered by those scales that viper made them wear. She made them fodder.” The fury in their voice as they recounted the Viper’s deeds did indicate to Yellotusk that they were telling the truth, and he was stilled by the idea of what they described. He regarded the crest coolly, thoughtfully, but found the gibbon was unwilling to take silence as an answer.

“This is ridiculous.” They shook their head, arm dropping to their side and squaring their shoulders with righteous indignation. “You KNOW they were mind-controlled. You took the Viper demon down, the real threat is gone. Allow the warriors she captured to return to their rightful posts, and regain their agency. Their lives.”  Glancing around, Yellowtusk could see the Celestial soldiers around them were staring now, watching the display with either shock or anticipation. Yellowtusk scowled in the direction of some who looked amused under their helmets, and they turned away quickly. 

Yellowtusk sighed and turned back to the gibbon, who couldn’t seem to care less about the mocking eyes on them. 

“Would you speak to me in private about this?” He asked, his voice as imploring as it could be in this setting. Their face briefly scrunched up in distaste, but they also seemed to take note of his meaning, and sighed, nodding. They followed him into one of the larger nearby buildings still left standing, which Yellowtusk had been using as a makeshift office for his time here. Once he was sure they were alone, he turned to them in the dimness, sunlight breaking through the holes in the roof and walls. 

“Listen, Changbiyuan, I’m afraid that isn’t –” He paused, thinking and deciding to rephrase his next words before speaking again. “Our orders, my orders are to see any of the Viper’s forces imprisoned. She went against my realm, attacked one of our own. The emperor demands we make an example of her, and all who served her.” He said – though he didn’t find much conviction within his own words. He collected himself, keeping up his reasonable, yet untouchable front. The doubts he had and shared only with Peng in private, quiet places would not suffice out here in the field, where his loyalty was owed.

Even so, he felt himself wavering while looking into the gibbon’s eyes, something close to outrage burning within the browns of their irises, surging through them. “Unwillingly served her. Did you write THAT down? Or was that in the order given to you?” They challenged, eyes blazing. “My warriors would have never chose to do anything for her. They would have died before they submitted to a will they know not to be right.” Yellowtusk’s eyes widened at that notion, as they spoke it like it was just as things were. As they should be. 

“…I’m sorry. I do not have a choice here.” He said, as if he was still in broad daylight, under the sky, in the sights of Heaven, still staying under their thumb no matter how unjust it felt not doing so. He waited for Changbiyuan to let their anger slip, to end up getting dragged away by the nearby guards even with no intention of fighting, or even just curse him out and storm off. Instead, their eyes stayed on him for a long moment, before they dropped to the ground, nodding their head, seemingly in understanding. Or in consideration.

“Alright. I understand… “ they said, uncharacteristically calmly, and Yellowtusk did feel relieved, though the feeling was dragged down by a gnawing guilt — 

“If you need to enact punishment, then I’m right here.”

There weren’t many things that could make Yellowtusk’s mind halt, but this was officially one of them. “What?” He asked. 

Changbiyaun sighed, looking ahead, a heaviness set upon their frame. In this moment, the weight of their own sense of duty — the weight of the aftermath of war — was clear as their pride, and perhaps even outshone it. 

“They’re my soldiers. They’re in my charge and it is my duty to direct and guide them, and it was because of my own miscalculations and unthought decisions that put them in this position. They’re all some of the most sincere, most loyal demons I know, which is why I know they wouldn’t have done anything in these last few weeks that they weren’t forced to, and they never would’ve had their dignity violated so deeply if it weren’t for my misjudgment.” Thier voice never wavered. There was no self-pity in their words, no need for sympathy. Yellowtusk was still stunned even listening.

“I was in command, and of sound mind. I should have done better for them, and never should have forced my own will upon them the way that viper did. They are not at fault. and if you need someone to blame, I will take responsibility for their crimes, if you — “ They stopped, and brought their eyes back up  to Yellowtusk’s — and they were pleading.

“If you just let them go. Please.” 

Yellowtusk was silent, before he regained himself, giving the gibbon a hard look. “This is rash. You should know fully what you are saying. Surely your family — they need you here, protecting them.”

Changbiyaun snorted in response, looking to the side and shaking their head. “Dammit, that’s why I’m saying it. Wouldn’t you do the same?” They asked, glancing back at him, and Yellowtusk wasn’t sure if he should respond to that, though they didn’t give him time to.

“Those warriors are my clan. My family. I am here because those are the people I need to protect. So if I don’t do all I can for them, then I don’t deserve to.” They said, their voice full of fire, of finality, which was no less than what their eyes displayed, directed at the warrior within Yellowtusk rather than the Celestial without. 

He stared. This demon warrior of the mortal realm, displaying more bravery and nobility than most he met in a century. Was he so unsure of himself that he was letting them have the high ground here?…but then, has it been him on the lower end this whole time, no matter whether he was from the clouds above or not? How could he even still be standing here deliberating this? 

He took in a long, deep breath — and let it out like it was his last. Dammit, he thought, as he turned to the low table in the corner, various bamboo slips organised upon it. With a surprising amount of delicacy, he took a blank one, took his nearby ink, and wrote with careful speed. 

“That won’t be necessary.” He said as he finished, standing up and turning back to Changbiyaun, who was waiting only somewhat restlessly. He held out the slip to them, and they stared at it before giving him a questioning look. 

“That declares to the guards that you can access the captured warriors here in camp in order to locate yours, and leave with them.” He stated, and it was their turn to look surprised, eyes widening.

“What? You mean —“

“You can take them and go. Do not make a fanfare out of it, I do not do this lightly.” Yellowtusk said, still maintaining his necessary front as they took the slips from him. They were still looking up at him, their shock and suspicion laced with concern — directed at him.

“Your orders — you’re going to go back upstairs with an army that’s a quarter shorter than required?”

Yellowtusk shrugged. “Not if that quarter was never here to begin with as far as they’re concerned.” 

Changbiyaun stared at him for another moment longer, before their mouth closed in a firm smile, straightening once more and bowing. “Thank you.” They said, their strong, bold eyes soft with gratitude as they raised up, before turning and walking out of the building, into the sun.

Yellowtusk stayed there for a while, before leaving to return back to his duty. He had much more to think about in the centuries that passed as his loyalty to the Celestials waned further and further until he was eventually just biding his time — but he felt that even without his well-regarded memory,  he wouldn’t forget that day. Or that gibbon. 

~~~~~

“Yellowtusk.” The Lotus Prince’s voice cut through the comfortable silence of Yellowtusk’s cell in the Celestial Realm. He turned from his reading, which Ne Zha allowed him to have for taking his arrest so willingly, to look over his shoulder at the figure of the Celestial from the other side of the magically enforced bars. He wasn’t going to try and escape, but he accepted the precautions as only standard. 

“You have a visitor.” Ne Zha stated, and Yellowtusk’s ears raised questionably at that. “The guards will stand by to observe, but I have confirmed they are associated with the Monkie Kid. Don’t get any ideas.” He said, before turning sharply and nodding over his shoulder at someone out of view. Then, he was gone.

Yellowtusk was still with thought. He couldn’t think of who that could possibly be, and the fact they knew the heroes he had briefly fought alongside those few weeks ago didn’t help in that regard.

 Still, he sighed to himself and turned, knowing it was only right to face whomever this was fully and without shame — and was startled seeing they were already standing there. He hadn’t even heard them walking up to the cell. 

An elderly ape with a gentle, relaxed expression and stature was in front of this cell door, long white hair cascading down thier shoulders and partly done up at the back of their head. They wore what looked to be a modern variation of long, loose hanfu under a beige woollen jacket. But what really struck Yellowtusk was their eyes — or maybe the lack of them, and they were empty, dark pools with two golden pupils of light centering them, like he has seen in ghosts or spirits in the past. Beyond that, their dark blue fur framed the shape of a butterfly on their face —

Wait. 

Yellowtusk stood now in utter bewilderment as the memory of that young gibbon warrior full of promise, pride and self-sacrifice came back to him, the image of them melding into the gibbon in front of him now, the crowsfeet around their eyes lifting as they smiled at him, kind and warm — with just the hint of that familiar smirk he remembering when they teased his title, now seeing that he indeed remembered them. 

“Elephant memory?” They guessed, their voice clearly weathered by age along with the rest of them, but still holding that sense of undaunting strength, and compassion.  

“It’s you.” Yellowtusk breathed, stepping closer to the cell door before they were both standing as those two warriors in that dilapidated village building once did, two millennia ago. 

Changbiyaun grinned. “Hey there, Yellowtusk the Wise. Turns out, I missed one.”

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

@gilbirda Ok, so you made a snippet of on of your AUs a while back (braindead rejected! soulmate i think) and I haven't been able to think of much else since. So my brain made a little thingy for you!

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1. Tim takes a risk one day by writing back to whoever was doodling on his body, with a glittery purple gel pen, asking them to stop trying to contacting him.

All the person asked was, "Why?"

Tim never answers.

2. Danny faces constant rejection from his peers, authority figures, his parents and sister neglect him and now his own soulmate doesn't want him. They hadn't even met before he was rejected. Jazz finds out about Dannys powers and tries to reach out but Danny rejects her pretty violently due to his own pain. Then the episode where Sam and Tucker ditch him for Gregor happens and he gives up.

The two people in his life that has had pretty much complete control over his life and trajectory just abandoned him and he does not take it well. He ripped the symbol off his chest, disappeared and never came back.

3. Danny zooms into a new dimension/universe/whatever to avoid his former friends and family from being able to track him only to land in a place called Central City and immediately getting roped into helping Captain Cold who gives him a normal domino mask and they end up working together for a while.

4. Danny somehow overhears one of the speedster talking on the phone about his friends brothers soulmate issue at some point and they perfectly describe the interaction that happened between Danny and his soulmate all those years ago, down to the glittery purple gel pen and the types of doodles Danny had made as a kid and the things he said.

Danny learned one of his soulmates belonged to a group of detective vigilantes in a place called Gotham. Unfortunately he was spotted by the speedster and Danny had to bounce.

5. The Flash made reports to the Justice League about a meta teen who hes been having trouble with for a while and can't seem to pin down. He only asked for tips though as he "could handle it himself."

6. Danny leaves for Gotham and learned about Catwoman and Batmans weird Master Thief and Greatest Detective dynamic and decided that's what he wants to do. He was going to make his soulmate chase after him one way or another. Someone was going to want him even if they were wanting him behind bars.

He begins robbing bank vaults and museums, leaving no trace or clue as to what happened until he starts leaving a calling card of sorts.

7. Jason, who's been on the outs with his family lately meets this spunky white haired meta kid running around with a sci-fi mask/visor thing and giving supplies to homeless encampments and keeping the less fortunate alive and befriends him. He learns that this is the guy everyone has been searching for and just...tells no one. Jason is all for a Robin Hood vigilante, and really, its kinda funny to see his family squirm.

8. Phantom and Catwoman rob the same museum at the same time but for different things. They stare at eachother from where they're both still crouched from thier respective landings until Danny breaks the tension with "I didn't see you if you didn't see me?"

Catwoman laughs, amused. "Sure."

9. Danny finally narrowed down which of the batfam is his soulmate and introduced himself to them as Phantom.

The first thing Danny did was hit on Tim. Tim is flustered but otherwise doesn't really respond to it and tries to fight Phantom into submission, so of course Danny ghosts him by disappearing through a roof mid fight. Danny made a big show of his intangibility in that fight and made it seem like it was the only power he had but he was very skilled with it and he wanted to impress him.

10. Phantom becomes well known to the underbelly of Gotham. Mostly the homeless and nightworkers. But Danny was open and friendly. Never judging and always ready to lend a helping hand. Even better. He never came to collect on favors.

Over time, they became loyal to him.

11. Danny gets framed for a series of murders and the whole gang (minus Hood) are trying to capture him, thus, motorcycle chase scene. They use the white of his tires to tell when he's gone intangible due to all the dirt falling off the wheels. Nightwing jumps onto the bike and shocks Danny with his encrizma sticks right before Danny grits out "bye bye birdy~" and makes a big show of taking in a deep breath and holding it.

Nightwing is forced to jump off the bike as Danny runs through the concrete abutment of the overpass and coming out the other side

12. Danny meets Tim and Duke in his civilian form while he was at a Wayne tech conference. Danny had been asked about one of his inventions and was trying to show off the blueprints and explain things and thats why he was there in the first place. Duke of course, was internally screaming because that's the guy thats the guy they've been hunting for nearly a year but can find nothing on.

Red Robin confronts Phantom that night on a rooftop and Phantom laughs at him, "Thats why I was avoiding Signal for so long. He'd see my magical girl form and know instantly."

RR holds out a pair of handcuffs and says "Its over Danny." Phantom smirks and says, "I don't think it is, Tim" before jumping off onto a different roof and disappearing into the night. Tim is shook.

13. Danny over hears Robin berating RR at an old clocktower and intervenes, "Little Wayne, you do realize you were the first person I figured out, right?"

Damian proceeds to lose his mind.

14. Tim accidentally finds a material that Phantom can't phase through and quickly gets to work making things he can use against Danny. What he doesn't know is that Danny can phase through it he just pretended he couldn't because he wanted to see what would happen/what Tim would do.

Danny can sense the material and it feels really wierd to him, but doesn't harm him at all.

15. RR manages to knock Phantoms visor off his face and realizing it was made of tech he swipes it and brings it back to the cave for study.

He wasn't ready for all the information on the computer. Not only was his nemesis(?) from another plain of reality (he thinks Danny is from the ghost zone) but he was once a superhero with his own Rogues Gallery and human city to protect. Which begs the question, why did he become a Phantom thief?

16. The Joker hears about Phantom giving the bats the run around and comes to a misunderstanding about which bat he's been messing with which ultimately ends with Joker saying that he is Batmans ultimate nemesis and Phantom asking what that had to do with him? The misunderstanding is cleared up when Phantom complained about Joker even thinking that he was flirting with Batman because "Ew! He's an old man!"

Joker still got a few shots in for the heck of it but so did our ghost boy but they were no longer enemies.

17. The whole batfam had been freaking out about finally capturing Phantom and celebrating and plotting on how they were gonna get him to keep his mouth shut about thier identities until Jason came in,

Jason: Need help?

Phantom: Please?

Jason: *escapes with Danny*

Batfam: What?! No!!! Why?!

18. The batfam have only a vague idea of the Robin Hood thing going on. They know he's doing it just not to the extent its gone to. They find out later on that Phantom had been working with RH and his gang to sell off the items and most of the profits go to helping people. Other times he strait up gives jewelry and whatnot to children and working girls because "Everyone deserves something pretty, and even if its not your style you can keep it for a rainy day"

Phantom quickly gains a following and Danny doesn't even know about it. Clueless indeed.

19. Dannys main motivation in this is essentially just playing Cops and Robbers with Red Robin. Nothing else really matters to him. Not the robberies, not the fact he's working with a crime lord, not even his own safety matters much to him anymore. Hes readily zooming down the path of self destruction and Hood starts telling his family stuff, but only because he was genuinely worried about "Casper" crashing and burning.

20. No one knows why Phantom is fixated on Red Robin. He refuses to tell them. Red thinks its just because he's the smartest of the bats and he's not entirely wrong.

21. Danny legit started scheduling his heists with Tim to ensure they're both free after one couldn't make it too many times which blew the birds mind. Phantom must have been just that confident that he would always win. The bats eventually think Danny will stop stealing if RR isn't in the city for a long period of time. Danny more or less followed him and stole stuff from whatever city Tim was in. If there wasn't any museums or banks then Danny would steal a local landmark. Tim still wasn't sure how Phantom stole an entire building that one time but it had never been seen since.

22. Hood grows to be very protective of our favorite ghost boy. They bond and are actually really close. Danny admits he always wanted an older brother.

23. Tim goes off world for a while to see how Danny would react and Danny just...drops off the radar. No one knows where he is and after a week or two they start getting worried.

Tim returns after three months and Danny reappears two weeks after him with a tan and keepsakes from the places he visited on his vacation. Tim later screams into his pillow.

24. Tim has made it his personal mission to figure out who Danny really is, why he's fixated on him, where he came from, ect. Hes trying so hard but can't find anything. Its almost like he didn't exist before. Tim suddenly got an idea after Phantom accidentally got hit in the face and got a nosebleed. Tim saw green blood and immediately realized Danny might not even be human. Fortunately for our little ghost, he thinks he's an alien. A Martian specifically. Tim manages to snag a good sample from treating Phantoms wounds. Ghostboy was so focus on his core thrumming and mentally comparing it to his heart racing that he didn't even notice.

25. Tim later freaks out because the meta is freaking made out of Lazarus water.

The entire batfam was not happy to discover this and decided to work together to pressure Phantom into telling them what he was and what exactly he wanted.

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Vector is 20. How is Vanilla "at least" 32? You don't have to be 26 to have a child.

The humor in that statement being said to me is that both of my parents were 25 and 20 when they had me, thier second child, so I'm very aware of the fact that young parents are a thing, so you're really just preaching to the choir on that, lol. 👀

I'm pretty sure somewhere that there was a profile on Sonic Channel or something back in the day that I distinctively recall Vanilla's age being in the 30s in some translation or something. I remember stumbling on that info back in the heyday of 4Kids dubs and being super interested because Vanilla was and still is such an underdeveloped character as far as substance to her existence, despite her having such an appealing design that just looks so welcoming.

Upon further inspection of the Sonic X Eyecatcher, it appears her age is listed as "Unknown", but either way...

Maybe it's just me, but this character does not look like she's in her 20s, based on how the general way Sonic characters are portrayed in thier age groups.

She's far more reserved and less adventurous than the other 18+ aged characters. I probably cannot think of a single time since her introduction to the franchise in 2002 where she has actually participated in the whole world saving thing. She's either really dedicated to Cottagecore, or she decorates her home like this because she's already settled down well into the role of "Motherly Mom to All"

Like, she let her daughter go into space "in that nice spaceship Tails made" just as long as she doesn't "touch any buttons", so she's clearly not in the same peer group as Vector, Rouge, Storm, Wave, or Big.

Like, she's almost as tall as a human adult.

Rouge is 18, and isn't even near that height, and while I understand that age doesn't usually determine the exact height difference between characters (Big the Cat is also 18, and he's, for lack of a better term, a very big cat), I have to note that Vanilla appears to be more more developed as a well aged adult than a majority of the high teens and above Mobians.

Her features seem very much "mature aged adult" to me. She's not a "young adult", she has a very finely aged appearance, of someone who perhaps has decided to finally settle down in life and has already hit her stride on adventures. Perhaps Vanilla was adventurous in her youth, perhaps Cream takes after her mother very much on the fact, and maybe Vanilla decided after Cream came along that it was time to be more responsible, we really don't know.

Parents come in a variety of ages, and there's no set age to be the defacto "hmm, yes, this is THE age to have a kid".

But all I was saying is that the VecVan pairing kinda wierds me out because there's enough of a possible gap to make it a little squicky. Like, sure, Sonic X had Vector display a bit of a crush on Vanilla, but it all was very one sided.

((This was a fantasy sequence from Vector's POV))

I mean, y'all can ship what you want, but I'd just like to gently remind everyone that Vector is only 20 years old. He ain't been an adult for very long. 👀

I'm just saying... Vanilla is one of the older characters, even if we don't have the concrete proof of her exact age.

[a-sad-excuse-of-everything]

Awake Part One

Keith x reader

summary: one member of the team has some serious baggage from back on earth, and decides to leave for good

Warnings: mentions of suicide, kidnapping, arranged marriage, and a finger getting smashed

2,154 words, and a part two coming soon!

“Screw it.”

It was a dark and dry night in the Castle of Lions, and a key member was fed up. Deciding this life was not for them, they planned out an escape plan and decided to leave for good. The thoughts in their head too strong, and an internal suffering so subtle to the outside that no one noticed their demise. Stuffing clothes, their suit, and other important objects into their bags, they left a note and some smudged blood, and escape out the window. (Y/N) (L/N) hoped to disappear from her team that night, and it worked, almost.

Three years had passed since that night, and all was well with our team. They had happened upon a day off and decided to go out into a random, unpopulated, planet to adventure about. Everyone was excited to get out of their aircraft and onto some sort of solid ground. Lance was eager to go, packing lots of water and snacks along with Hunk, who happened to be doing the same. Keith was silent as ever and tucked into his very own area with a small bag full of necessities to go out by himself. Pidge was fiddling with some sort of electronic gps to keep track of their team, and Shiro was checking up on the planet and doing the proper research needed to know how to get around easily. They all had on their protective armor, but ditched the helmets due to the planet having a breathable atmosphere safe for the human kind.

Soon enough, they had landed, and upon opening the door Lance shot out like a bullet leaving the rest of his team behind. Shiro, being a spacedad, sighed at his ‘child's’ behavior and left him to have his consequences and turned towards the more collected team left.

Pulling a gloved hand through his rooster like hair, Siro looked towards his team and spoke.

“This planet is quite interesting, but be careful. It seems to have some animals living on it, so prepare for predators. Keep your gps’s on hand, the jungle is quite dense. Be back by twelve.”

Nodding, the team branched off into their separate groups and walked their own ways. Keith to the west, Pidge and Hunk to the east, Shiro to the North, and Lance to the south. We shall follow our hero Keith on this expedition.

The black haired teen had a lot to think about at the moment. Being more introverted, he decided to take out his worries in a lot of alone time to process the best ways to react to whatever had happened. His team was so bright and cheerful all the time, so having time completely alone in a new place was refreshing and quite calming. Letting the scowl on his face fall, he dug his feet into the soil and took a deep breath in. cracking his neck, he looked determined at the path ahead and started to briskly walk though.

The forest around him was quite dense and thick, a small path, most likely made by an animal before him, twisted and turned around the large trees and exotic flower bushes that surrounded his figure. To be honest, he quite liked nature when alone, and enjoyed walking to the sounds of birds chirping above him. His peace was interrupted, however, by a beeping coming from his bag. Grabbing it and opening it lazily, he picked up the lit up object under his first aid kit, the gps.

Lifting the object up, he unlocked the screen and peered into the LED display. Eyes widening slightly, he saw an extra dot on the device.

Each dot was color coded so you could easily tell which team was wich on the screen, but something else was there as well. Farther down the island, by what looked like a lagoon-ish area, was a purple one, something he had not seen in a long time. Jhe tried to shake it off and put his gps back into his bag and continued marching along, but something kept nagging at his conscience. The gps these things tracked was implanted mandatorily into their suits, their Voltron suits, so it was impossible that it was you. The note (Y/N0 left stated that they jumped into a river nearby the castle, and an unidentified body had been found, too mangld to see if it was theirs. It was impossible that they were alive and on this island, but it gave him something to do.

Keeping the gps out with him on his walk, Keith started heading for the beachside through the thick jungle. His walk seemed to be calm and peaceful, but the poor guys head was spinning. He couldn't help but think of them. (Y/N) was his best friend, and knew everything about him. They were often his shoulder to cry on, or person to talk to in times of struggle for him. Having (Y/N) gone took a huge toll on him, and since thier death he had become more reclusive and angry, lashing out far more than when they were around. He sighed, feeling guilty that he never helped them with their problems, but took on the burden of his. He shook his head and continued to observe the land around him.

As he walked, the path seemed to get wider and wider, like there was more frequent use to it. The soil was packed down, and had faint footprints followed the path more and more to the side. As he continued to walk, his heels sinking deeper into the soil for the slow introduction of sand, the tree barriers got thinner and thinner and soon he could see a beautiful ocean lining a beach of white sand. It was quite a beautiful sight to see, especially since the planet had not been touched by nad civilisations to ruin it. Deciding to investigate more, he walked towards the crystal blue water and dug his feet into the hot sand lining it.

He looked at the water that was clear to the bottom, and he smiled slightly at the sight of small fish trying to nibble on his toes. He breathed in the fresh and air, but stopped. Behind him a faint rustling could be heard in the bushes. Turning around, he slowly approached the shrub, guard up. Finally, pushing back the bush quickly, he saw a bunny frozen in place. Sighing and thinking he was silly for worrying so much, he turned around swiftly. Taking a step forward, he stopped when a loud crunch sounded under his foot. Looking down, he silently yelled at himself for stepping on such a vital part of this adventure. He picked up the now crushed gps and dropped it after, deeming it useless. Maybe Pidge would have been able to fix it, but he could not. Checking the time he realized that they had quite a few hours and heading back to the ship would be boring. This was one of three stops they had made on their entire journey, so he did not want to waste more time on a ship. Deciding it was safe to trek forward due to a ath being clearly visible and leading back to the ship, Keith kept walking across the shoreline, mind far from where it began.

Another hour of walking had passed, and pretty soon the shore was starting to end. Keith wanted to continue walking, and his prayers were answered when he saw a somewhat hidden doorway behind some shrubs and bushes. It looked old and musty, like it was untouched for many years. The palm wood door had jagged yet elegant carvings in it, making him more and more curious.Keith knew this could be a trap, and potentially dangerous, but curiosity is a powerful thing. Why was his best friends suit in there? He looked down, debating contacting his team about the subject. He felt selfish at the time, however, and refused. If he were to see something of his dead best friend (Y/N), he was going to see it first and alone. Guard up and trust down, he put his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it.

Getting in was not as easy as you would think. The door was rusty and crusted, not too easy to open. Once that was open, he creaked open the door cautiously and peered inside. It was dark, but a singular lightbulb hung from the ceiling of the dwelling, illuminating the rather large space. First of all, everything was clean. No dust touched any place, and it was extremely organized . Tools homemade and artificially made hung from hooks on the wall, pots and pans lined shelves near a cooking area. A table sat by a homemade window looking out onto the sea, and a workbench in the corner was covered in blueprints and drawings.

Keith had realised he had stumbled into someones dwelling, but nothing could stop him now. Seeing a doorway blocked by a curtain in the corner. He immediately headed towards the door, ignoring the other curious objects and inventions around him. As his feet sunk into the soft soil below, he drew his hand out and pushed aside the beads, gasping when he saw inside. He fell backwards in shock, surprised at what he had seen. Getting back up, and brushing the dirt off of his suit, he opened the curtain fully, peering inside curiously. He took a few steps forward, not believing his eyes.

Inside was what seemed like a sea cave of sort. Though small, it was large enough to rival a two doored garage or something of the sort. He took a step on the rocky ground, marveling at his beautiful surroundings. His eyes darted around feverishly, eyes landing in the corner of the cave setting. His breath hitched in his throat, and he sprinted over to a mannequin in the corner.

A purple body suit hung there peacefully, a sight he used to be so familiar with seeing. The hole in the ceiling of the cave seemed to shine in all the right places, the chrome glittering in what little sunlight the clothing got. In awe he touched the thing, lifting the sleeve and seeing the bloodstain from when you had just become paladins.

Living together was an experience, and (Y/N) happened to be a huge bookworm. Shelves were a must have, and many large bookshelves were full to the brim. A project one, rare, but free Saturday the duo set to work shoving some shelves into the free wallspace where so books dared to stay.

“Keith, hand me the nails, your too slow.”

He shook his head, looking back at them. “No way, your way too clumsy.”

(Y/N) shook their head and sighed, yanking the hammer and nails out of his hands and gently shoving him off of the chair he was stood on. Supporting themselves on the wall with their non dominant hand, (Y/N) brought the hammer back and slammed it into the wall, and missed, slightly smashing their middle finger.

He chuckled at the memory, remembering their comedic scream and the collapse. Also figuring out they always had cheetah print band-aids on hand.

His reminiscing was cut short when he heard a crunch behind him, swiftly turning around, Keith happened to knock over the suit, triggering some sort of trap. The rock below had turned into gravel, and a net soon enclosed the angsty teen around ten feet from the ground.

What in the world had he got himself into?

The net was quite a tight fit to be honest with you, and any slight movement was a force to be reckoned with. He jerked his body every which way and tried to wiggle into a new position to find a way out, but the net seemed to be coated with some sort of natural adhesive. He groaned knowing this was going to take awhile.

It had felt like hours had passed, and through a crack in the wall he had seen that the night sky had turned dark. He had tried several times after to move and alert his team of his situation, but nothing seemed to work. He wondered what his team was up to, and if they were looking for him at this hour. His thoughts were stopped when a loud clatter was heard behind him. He tried to look over his shoulder, and after enough trying he could see (Y/N).

A skinnier, taller, version of them to say the least. Fruits and produce was scattered across the floor as they ran towards the net with a pocketknife. Slicing the ropes Keith fell to the ground and rubbed his head, looking up once more. They stood in silence for a while, the echoes of water droplets falling into the water being the only disturber.

How are they not dead?