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loveafterthefact · 4 years ago

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Love After the Fact Chapter 59: What Do I Do Now?

Even adults sometimes want their parents.

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Lance is lying on his back, the perfect pillow for Keith, nestled against his side, and BleepBloop, wedged between them. He's got his tail wrapped around the Altean's waist. They’re on a blanket under a tree, the warmth of the early afternoon a balm against their skin. After the unpleasant morning, Keith’s glad to spend some time curled up with his chosen mate. Just lie here and inhale Lance’s scent, soak up his warmth, absorb the rhythm of his breathing. They match breath for breath, primary heartbeat to heartbeat.

Despite his content, Keith can’t quite find sleep. He’s restful, sleepy, but there’s too much going on inside his head. He can’t help but think of Thace’s words, the notes on his test results.

“Perfect Health.”

The problem with perfect health? It means Keith has to consider his responsibilities and weigh them against what he really and truly wants.

Part of him doesn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction. All these people standing around wondering when he’s gonna push one out. They’re probably all milling about on Altea right now, gossiping about how he’s going to come back pregnant. They don’t deserve it. They don’t deserve Lance, they don’t deserve him, and they definitely won’t deserve his kits. Because obviously his kits will be perfect and beautiful and theirs, and therefore unworthy of anyone else.

Additionally, he doesn’t want to become a breeder. He has other things he still wants to do. He doesn’t want to sit around inside a castle and push out kits. Some of his species seem content with that life (probably because they’re just fucking nuts), but Keith is a warrior, and a leader (he’s trying), and someday he’d like to be an explorer. He still has dreams of a big life. The idea of his sex suddenly become a restraint bothers him.

But... He has responsibilities, both to his people and Lance’s. He doesn’t really care about elevating himself in Galra society. His friends within the Blade of Marmora and his family are enough for him. All the same, he wants to contribute to his race, be it because of Zarkon’s brainwashing or his own personal desires. Plus, he kind of needs to provide Lance an heir. It’s literally his only purpose, politically speaking.

“Perfect Health.”

What perfect health means is that his excuse is gone. Time to spread his legs!- Or so he’d think, except Lance is perfectly content to wait. Lance isn't even nineteen, and he's only just barely approaching twenty. Insanely young to be parents, even if that’s the expectation. They could absolutely wait if they wanted to…

And Keith definitely wanted to. But with that one phrase, “Perfect Health”, he can’t help but wonder.

He’s in this bad spot where no matter what he does, someone will end up mad at him. Possibly Alfor, which would be extremely inconvenient. Possibly Lance, which would break his heart. Possibly himself, which would just be par for the course at this point.

He taps Lance on the shoulder, waits for his eyes to flutter open. “I’m going to go find Shiro. Will you be alright on your own?”

Lance nods, humming an affirmative, already falling back asleep. Keith presses their lips together, Lance’s response sleepy but nonetheless sweet for it. “I love you.”

The Altean hums again, smiling his way back into a doze. That’s another thing: Lance really is sweet, and he’s been desperate to make Keith happy since before he even arrived on Altea. Bond or no bond, he feels like he owes Lance something. Which is stupid and not rational since Lance doesn’t want fuck all from him except support and affection, but Keith has a few anxieties when it comes to family.

After giving BleepBloop a goodbye pat, Keith heads out. Once he’s arrived at the compound, it takes him a minute to find Shiro. He’s in the yard, training some new recruits. “Hey, Keith. How’s it going?”

“So-so. You?”

“Well enough.” Shiro frowns. “What’s bothering you- Watch your footing, Klai. A good breeze would knock you over!”

“Thace says I’m well enough for a kit this first season. And I have to have at least two before too long.”

“And you don’t want any. I don’t blame you.”

“What? Yes I do!” Keith stares wide-eyed at his littermate? “You don’t?”

“How can I?” Shiro retorts, turning on him. “For that matter, how can you?!”

Keith can’t believe he’s hearing this. He’s always assumed his kind, warm-hearted brother wanted that. “Why wouldn’t I want that?”

“Keith, you grew up alone! How can you possibly risk leaving your kits to that same fate! How can you invite that kind of suffering on innocent life?”

“I- I would be a good parent. I’d make sure my kits would be provided for. Why should my not having had a family impede me from building one of my own?”

The found siblings gape at one another, disbelief written on both of their faces. It’s never occurred to either of them that they might have different goals in life. They’ve always been of a singular mind. Peace is a good option; the empire is stretched thin and vulnerable; Altean food is fucking nasty.

It never occurred to Keith that Shiro, who has so much to offer and so much natural talent as a mentor and leader, wouldn’t want to pass on his genes, nurture someone that’s his own flesh and blood. It never occurred to Shiro that Keith, damaged, neglected, traded like a commodity, would still want to start a family of his own.

Shiro sighs, runs fingers through the silver hair on top of his head. “You really want kits?”

Keith nods, ears wilted, tail limp. He eyes his littermate carefully, trying to figure out how to appease him. Stupid kit instincts.

“Okay. Hey, it’s okay. We’re okay. I’m sorry.” Shiro rubs the top of Keith’s head. “But if that’s what you really want, I’m not the right person to talk to.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” Keith sighs, turning back to the sparring newcomers. “I’ll talk to my mother. I planned to anyway, since she and I both have that disorder.”

He can feel needles and aches in his bones again, prominent in his shoulders, knees, and hips.

“Good idea.” Shiro smiles. “So, what do you think? They any good?”

“They’re good for soldiers. They’ve got a lot to learn if they want to be Blades.”

“I agree. The potential is there, but the refinement is not. Speaking of which, I know you’ve been trying to keep a low profile because of your age, but you and Lance should come to training tomorrow morning. You say he’s improved, and I want to see that, and I want to see his supposed marksmanship. I also know that you haven’t been challenged in a while, so I want to see how much you’ve regressed.”

“Good idea. I could use a bit of conditioning, and a bit of exercise, to be honest. I’ve been very lazy since coming home.”

“I know. Rumor has it a pair of princes have been lounging about down in a certain village, grossing everyone out with their affections.”

“Oh, fuck off! The sun feels nice, alright?!”

“What about the rain?”

Keith’s ears twitch, betraying his embarrassment. But he smiles. “Yeah. That too.”

“Aw, you lovesick idiot. Go say hi to your mother!” Shiro shoves him away, but it’s more playful than anything else.

Of course, Keith has to push back, so Shiro has to push back, so Keith has to try and tackle him, so-

Lance sighs, glancing at the datapad propped up in the windowsill, setting BleepBloop on his shoulder. While he waits for his father to pick up the call, he looks over a recipe someone handed him while he was folding up the nap blanket. It seems simple enough. Chop up some stuff, throw it in a pot, cook it over a fire. Said pot was already outside, boiling bones to make the broth.

He’s cooked before, actually, making a hobby of it as a way to spend more time with Hunk, Rosetta, and Shay. That said, he’s never done it on his own. Well, he’s seen what a finished stew is supposed to look like, and it’s about time he and Keith stopped freeloading off the neighbors, so… fuck it. He might as well try.

"Here you go." Lance hands BleepBloop a small beanpod, which the primate bites, then throws across the room. "Guess you only eat meat, huh? Wait a tick, and I'll give you some, okay?" The primate chitters, clearly annoyed at his stupidity, but he's easily appeased by a head scratch.

While he waits for his father to bother answering, Lance begins by chopping some meat wrapped in leaves and covered in spices. It’s the same color as bits of meat still stuck to the bones cooking outside. Taking a luxite knife, Lance does as he’s seen the locals do, slicing the meat up along with the leaves right on top of the dining table. Picking off a piece of leaf, he hands a small chunk to BleepBloop, almost certain Keith would kick his ass for feeding it to him.

“Lance.” It’s his father, dressed in pajamas, watching him from the screen of his datapad. It’s later in the quintant back home, already after dark. “How is Daibazaal?”

“Very different, and the people don’t like me much, but I like it here.”

“You’ve been out in the village?”

“Yes. Keith has a den.” Lance scoops up the meat and leaves, dumping them in a stone bowl. He starts on a basket of vegetables and tubers, starting by using a mortar and pestle to mash up some plump, violet fruits with soft insides and a thin skin. “...He has friends here.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad for that. Have you seen the imperial family at all?”

“No, which is probably fortunate, given that Keith and I have been wandering all over the place like a pair of tourists, flaunting that he’s only just now growing up.”

A moment's pause, then, “Lance, what was the one major thing I told you to do?”

“Have sex with Keith?”

“Lance.”

“Stay safe," he grumbles. There’s silence in the wake of their heads butting together. “When did you last hear from Allura?”

“Just a few vargas ago. She informed me that Romelle no longer recognizes her.”

“What are we going to do? Where do we go from here?”

“Nothing. Nowhere.”

Lance’s heart stops. “How can you say that? She- Wasn’t she your friend? Don’t you care about her and Allura?”

“Son, it took me a centaphoeb and a half to piece Romelle’s brain back together. We’re lucky she’s with us at all.” Seeing the look on Lance's face, Alfor remembers he sometimes needs to be more gentle with his bleeding heart of his son.

“There’s nothing more I can do for her, Lance. I’ve tried everything. If something new becomes available, I’ll be more than tempted to arrange treatment myself, but the truth is… It’s cruel to keep forcing Romelle through all these experimental treatments. They can be traumatic and invasive, and half the time, there’s a decline in her condition, and almost never any improvement at all.”

Lance recognizes the truth in his father’s words, but it still hurts. Romelle is one of his few friends. BleepBloop smears a tear over his cheek before it can fall onto the vegetables he’s chopping. “What am I gonna tell Allura?”

“Nothing. You don’t have to tell her anything. I am going to tell her that there’s nothing left to try right now, but that I will be refocusing my efforts to find a new solution.”

“You’re going to lie to her?”

“Your sister deserves that, don’t you think?” Alfor murmurs, watching his son prepare food like a commoner.

“I don’t understand.”

“One day, you’ll have children of your own, and you’ll learn. I know I haven’t exactly been a good father, but I’ve never been indifferent to your pain. Either of you. The kindest thing I can do for Allura is lie.”

Lance nods, staring at the pile of vegetables before him. He can feel the sharp downturn of his mouth. “There’s really nothing I can do?”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.” The king sighs. “It’s a hard lesson for people like us, Lance: Some things are out of our control.”

Chuckling, Lance scoops all the vegetables into the large stone bowl. “Yeah. I think Keith’s catching on.”

“To what, that you’re a control freak?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s known that since the Frost Ball at the very latest.”

Grunting his reluctant agreement, Lance grabs his datapad, sets it outside by the stew pot so he can keep talking to his father while he babysits the stew. BleepBloop steals a lump of meat and runs off with it. Checking the paper recipe, Lance casually dumps all the ingredients in.

“What the quiznak are you doing?”

As per the recipe, Lance pours in a leather satchel full of grain. “Locals got tired of me freeloading, so today I am making stew. I’ve never made it before, so they gave me a recipe. On paper… I’ve never touched paper before.”

“I have, a few times. Pretty neat, right?” Alfor smiles.

“Yeah. It’s like… soft. But also not? Anyway, I told our neighbor when they came by with the ingredients that I’m willing to learn how to do other stuff if they’re willing to teach me. I don’t have anything against labor.”

“Be careful. You are not the people, Lance. You are separate from them.” Easy for his aloof, antisocial father to say.

“I know.” He does know. He also knows that his desperate need for community is in direct opposition with his responsibilities. “Keith has a lot of friends here, or at least friendly neighbors. I think he was kind of adopted by the locals.”

“If the locals are friendly with him, you need to establish yourself as a prominent figure within the community.” There’s a fine line between friendly and friends, and they both know it. Lance knows he’s already been far too friendly with Thace, a man who just handed him his newborn within seconds of meeting. Alfor doesn’t need to know about that.

“You mean be neighborly? I’ll be neighborly, and you learn some less… aggressive vocabulary, okay?” Lance shifts the fire beneath the pot, sliding some of the burning logs into the stone oven on the other side of the oblong fire pit, gradually bringing the stew from a boil to a simmer.

A young adult half-Galra comes up, carrying a stone bowl full of dough. They have brightly colored skin, including a prehensile appendage on top of their head. “Mind if I borrow that extra fire?”

Lance shakes his head. “Go for it. I’ll speak to you later, Father. Please say hello to Dad for me.”

“Of course. Have a good evening, Lance.”

“You too.” Lance lets his father do the hanging up. It’s so weird, having an actual conversation with his father. He’s not sure he’ll ever get used to it. Or Galra society. “Okay, I gotta ask you a rude question.”

The unfamiliar Galra looks up, somewhat amused. “Go ahead.”

“What pronouns do you use?”

“She/her. Name’s Ezor. Galra gender identity killing you yet?”

“Driving me insane,” Lance admits.

“Just guess, and if it bothers someone, they’ll correct you. It’s how we all get by.” The woman smiles, working the dough in her hands into small balls, wrapping them in leaves, sticking two at a time on the stones by the fire. “Thanks for letting me borrow your fire. I didn’t feel like making one.”

“I’d never made one before. Good to know it’s worth borrowing.”

Lance looks up from stirring the stew. It’s almost dark, there’s a growing chill in the air, and Keith isn’t back yet. He decides not to worry about it, instead assuming he’s with his brother.

Keith’s actually with his mother, having taken plenty of time earlier to horse around with his brother and some of his old friends. The Blade of Marmora, Emperor Zarkon’s private army, has been his family since he came to the mountain. He’d actually wanted to fully join the Blades after his first season, and sometimes he misses the community. They don’t treat him any differently, except to tease him about the ribbon braided into his hair.

It doesn’t bother him, but he does wonder how he might have ended up if he hadn’t been married to Lance.

He also wonders how he might have ended up if he hadn’t finally found his mother, who’s a truly wonderful combination of fierce and gentle. For example, scolding him for lying about and acting a fool instead of keeping himself well-conditioned, then promptly giving him a hug and a hot cup of tea.

“So. I never see you anymore unless you’re having problems.” Krolia sits back in her chair, smirk crossing her face. Keith glares, riling easily at his mother's unfair but completely accurate observation. “Come on, kitten. I can tell something’s bothering you.”

Hating how easily he softens, Keith spills. “I don’t know if I should get pregnant or not.”

Krolia lifts an eyebrow, staring at her young son. “Are you healthy enough?”

" Perfect Health."

"Yes."

“Are you happy with your relationship with Lance? Are you ready to take that next step?”

“Yes.” He’s frustrated with the number of choices that have been taken away from him, but none of that is Lance’s fault. In fact, Lance is going out of his way to give him as many choices as possible.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I… Someone will end up unhappy. If I decide not to, Alfor will be even more annoying and Lance will be sad, even though he’s pretending he won’t care. If I do have a kit, then I’ll be mad at myself."

"Why?"

"Because then I'll have just gone and done what everyone else wanted!"

"And?" Keith balks at his mother's insight. "There's always an 'and', Keith."

And-” Keith gulps. “And then that’s all I’ll be good for.”

“All you’ll be good for?” Krolia frowns. “How in the cosmos did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“That’s all anybody wants from me. To the Empire, I’m a breeder. To the Alteans, I’m a breeder at best, a novelty at worst. I want- I want to be other things, Mom. I know I’m worth more than that.”

“Am I a breeder?” Krolia asks quietly, fixing her son with a hard stare. Keith sinks down in his seat, appropriately abashed. “Is Thace a breeder? We are all what we make ourselves, Keith. You can be a breeder, if that’s what you allow yourself to be. Or you can be a father, a warrior, an explorer, a future king- Whatever you want to be, that is what you make yourself. What do you want to be, Keith?”

“I… I don’t know. I- More. I want to be more.”

“Do you want to be a father? Do you want kits of your own?”

“...Yes. I want that. A lot.”

“If you become a father, sooner or later you will give everyone the satisfaction of seeing you bear Lance's children. It is up to you if that is your only great achievement. If you want to be a father and something 'more', what will you do to make those things happen?”

“...I don’t know.”

“Then that’s where you should start. You have time, kitten. You're young enough yet.”

Krolia stands, rubs her kit behind the ears. He’s so very nearly grown, and she barely got any time with him. Beneath her gaze, a spasm crawls down his legs, up his back, over his shoulders. “Do you have a shot with you, kitten?”

“Yeah. Can I-”

“Come on.” Krolia leads her hurting son over to the bed, helps him into it. Keith curls up, tail curled tight to his body. Giving him the injection into the port on his arm, Krolia climbs up next to him, settles her warmth next to his. “Rest. Then you can go home to Lance.”

Keith whimpers, curling tighter as pain wracks his body. He nods, settling in against his mother. His muscles stay tense, unwilling to make himself more vulnerable in his condition.

“Just rest, kitten. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe.” Krolia strokes her baby’s hair, missing all the decaphoebs behind them, all the ones she didn’t have. “Momma’s here.”

Her son is blessed, privileged with medical care that she never had, but Krolia is loath to see her kit in pain. Galra are forever devoted to their own young, even after they grow up. Her love for Keith will remain strong even after instinct has faded. Knowing that he is her only kit, he’s even more precious. Her greatest achievement in life is her son.

“It's late," Keith whispers some time later, gazing at the darkness outside. He looks tired, pain even he can't resist sapping his strength.

"It is. Do you want to stay here, or go home?" Krolia already knows the answer, but it's a small choice she can offer her entangled son.

"I should go. I've been missing Lance since I left. Which is super freaky."

"It'll pass." Krolia watches her son play with the end of his braid. "You really do love him, don't you."

Not a question. A statement. A surrender.

"I do. He's earned it, Mom. We both worked hard to be friends, and now we're working hard for this. But he was the one who reached out first. I was content to hate him forever."

"I'm still content to hate him forever." Krolia sighs. "But I'll tolerate him, since you're so fond."

"Thanks, Momma." Keith kisses his mother's cheek, heads for home. He's got a lot to talk about, and a husband who happens to really enjoy that exact thing.

Lance is lucky he's cute. Or maybe it's Keith that's lucky. Who the fuck even knows at this point?

#LoveAftertheFact #LAtF #klance #galtean au #altean lance #galra keith #adashi #altean adam #galra shiro #voltron legendary defender #vld

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voltron-s7-8-rewrite · 5 years ago

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The End is The Beginning

This is part of my Voltron Season 7 & 8 re-write. If you are interested start HERE PREVIOUS

Here it is, the final story. Thank you to everyone who has read this. I truly hope that you enjoy this ending. I'm sorry it took so long to post. I meant to have this up earlier, but then the Holidays got in the way. It all works out though, as I started writing this last January.

Without further ado~

_______________________________________________

The End is The Beginning

In a vast, white, void each of the Paladins slowly opens their eyes and look around. Standing side by side, there is nothing to be seen but an endless plane.

Pidge questions where they are, and a bitter voice from behind says they are at the end of all existence.

The Paladins all turn to find Honerva sitting in the distance, cradling Lotor's dying body in her arms. They slowly approach her and Allura asks her why she did what she did, why did she destroy everything.

Honerva ignores the question, focusing on Lotor's battered face. She gently says that all she ever wanted was to have her family living peacefully, allowed all the joys and love that life offers. Her voice turning bitter she says that wasn't to be as over and over others robbed them of every chance of happiness they could have.

Allura quickly cuts though her tirade and says that what she says is not true, Honerva was offered all that and more, but rather than accepting that sometimes life comes with hardship and disappointment. She and Zarkon meddled with powers and abilities that were unnatural and corruptive. They chose to force their will upon the universe, no matter the cost; unfortunately that cost turned out to be theirs and their son's lives. No one robbed them; they made the choices and willfully squandered what they had.

As she speaks, more people start appearing in the void behind the Paladins; Shiro, Krolia, Kolivan, Matt and his parents, Axca, Ezor, Zethrid, Romelle and Sven, the MFE's, and the rest of the Voltron Coalition.

Honerva sees them appear, and knowing them to be the Paladin's loved ones she rages once more. She spits that they couldn't possibly understand, they are all allowed happiness. They get to stand there with all who they love, strong and healthy, while her son, who was never even given a chance at a life free from darkness, is dying broken and abused in her arms. She finally answers Allura's question saying that if she and her son weren't allowed to be happy, she ensured no one was.

Lance speaks up and gently says she's wrong, they do understand. Hunk says they have faced sorrows in their life, and Pidge says that they've been through hardships, Shiro says they've suffered through trauma and terror, Keith says that they have lost loved ones, and Allura says that they have all faced trials and pain that seemed insurmountable, but still, they faced and overcame it without taking it out on others.

Allura watches Honerva, who sneers dismissively, unmoved by their words, and sees that the woman can't comprehend anyone else having pain. She says that Honerva's heart is so rotted, that all she sees is her own suffering. It's then that Allura comes to a realization; she closes her eyes reaches out with her senses and feels the last traces of the corrupted Guardian still festering inside both Honerva and Lotor.

Opening her eyes, Allura steps towards them. The Paladins become alarmed, but Allura turns and gives them a comforting smile, motioning them to stay; she knows what she's doing.

Approaching Honerva, the woman warns the Princess not to come near her or her son, but Allura gently says she is not going to harm them; she's going to free them. She slowly bends down in front of them and lays a hand on each of their heads. Glowing, her Alchemy flows through her and into them.

Gently and painlessly, she removes and purifies the last bit of the White Lion that had corrupted mother and son so many years ago.

Honerva, free of its poison for the first time in over 10,000 years, slowly opens her eyes and clearly sees all those who are standing before her. For the first time in those thousands of years she is whole.

Then, realization sets in as she is bombarded with the knowledge of all the evil she and her family committed. Finally able to know and understand her vile actions and crimes, she lets out a mournful scream of terror and anguish that strikes all those there to their cores.

Weeping bitterly, Honerva realizes that she was wrong; she says she does deserve this, that everything that has brought her to this moment was her own doing. She lets out another cry, unable to do anything else.

It's then that a hand touches her cheek, gently brushing away her tears. She opens her eyes to find Lotor looking up at her, for the first time in their lives, his gaze is filled with love for her. Honerva gasps as he calls her 'mother' and slowly sits up from her arms.

In shock, Honerva can't believe what she's seeing. Lotor gently embraces her, saying he's free of the entity and like her he can see everything so clearly now.

A new voice says they all do.

Everyone looks up and is stunned to find Zarkon appearing behind his wife and son, but this isn't the Zarkon that ruled as a Tyrant for 10,000 years. This is Zarkon, the Paladin of the Black Lion, whole and free of the corruption of the Guardian.

He bends down to be on level with his wife and son, and Honerva asks how he can be here. He explains that when Lotor ended his body, his soul was finally freed from the corrupted White Lion; his restored soul was able to come here to join with all those who had passed. As he speaks Alfor, Trigel, Gyrgan, and Blaytz appear behind him.

The Paladins and the Voltron coalition stand in disbelief. Keith asks how this is possible, and a new voice with a familiar twang responds that just like how their mortal bodies are made out of the same cosmic dust, their souls are made of the same Quintessence. Here, within the Connected Consciousness of all Existence, they live. With that, Keith's father appears, smiling to his stunned son and wife.

After that, others begin appearing as well; Melenor, Adam, Bandor and his parents, Marco and his father, Hunk's Aunt and Uncle, Rhyner and the Olkari, Antok, Regris, Thace, Ulaz, Rolo, Admiral Sanda, Te-osh, Ozar, Ven'tar, Narti, and countless others. All have smiles and joyous tears, being reunited with their loved ones.

After the shock wears off, Honerva turns to her husband and says that it's too late, there is nothing they can do now that she destroyed everything, but he says that's not true. Now that she is no longer corrupted, she can power the Sincline with true Alchemy, a life-giving force, and restore everything back to what it was.

Allura hears this and realizes Honerva does not have the power to do that alone. Solemnly she steps forward and says that if she helped, they could do it together.

The Paladins are shocked to hear her say this, and tell her that she can't; but Allura says it is the only way and she knows that they would all do the same thing in her place. Honerva doesn't have the power to do it alone, and this is the only way to restore everything.

The Paladins know her words are true, they all would offer to this if they were in her place. Still, they won't let her go this alone, each steps up and says that they will go with her then.

Allura argues that they can't, they are still needed, Voltron is needed. They ask her what good Voltron is if it's missing its heart? They know there are others that can take up the mantle of Paladin; they will not leave Allura to this fate alone.

Quietly watching this, Lotor says that they are all correct; Honerva doesn't have the power to do this alone, but Allura is still needed in the universe. That is why he will assist his mother with restoring the Universe.

He looks at Romelle and the other Alteans, then Axca, Ezor, Zethrid, and Narti and says that he can never right all his wrongs he's committed, he then looks to Allura and says that at least he can do is ensure that the universe still has her as a guiding light. He owes it not only to both of his people -Alteans and Galra- but to the universe as a whole. He asks Allura to allow him to do this for her, and everyone else he has wronged.

Allura and Lotor look at each other and there is an understanding between them. She agrees and steps back towards the Paladins.

Lotor smiles and thanks her, then turns and takes his mother's hand; they turn and walk together towards a light as Zarkon smiles on.

Those still living, and those who have passed share one more moment together, all at peace knowing one day they will all be reunited once and forever more in the Connected Consciousness of all Existence.

_______________________________________________

A light bursts forth and with it, all of reality comes back into being. The Coalition ships and Voltron drift silently above Oriande. All traces of the Rift, Sincline, and Komar Mechs are gone.

The Paladins slowly open their eyes and look around. Keith asks if everyone is alright and they call back that they are. Lance asks if they think everything is back to normal. Pidge starts scanning the system and says she can't find anything out of place. Allura closes her eyes and reaches out with her senses. She gently smiles and says everything is as it should be.

The Paladins look at the spot where the Rift had been with mixed emotions.

They are then hailed by The Atlas, and Shiro's voice comes through, asking them if they are alright. Keith confirms that they are, and asks him the same. Shiro says everyone has reported in and that all is well.

Allura suddenly speaks up in awed disbelief, saying that it's over, it's really over. The Paladins listen to her as she continues to repeat that it's over, the war is over, and they won. Each time she says it, it settles in more and more. Realization sinks in and the Paladins break out into tears and cheers as voices across the Coalition join them in a chorus of victorious cries.

Shiro smiles tearfully and tells the Paladins to come home.

_______________________________________________

Following this, we see a montage as the Universe regains its balance now that it's completely freed.

_______________________________________________

The Paladins arrive back in The Atlas' hanger where everyone is there to greet them, including Romelle and Sven. Overwhelmed at seeing them alive, the Paladins rush and embrace them.

Reunions happen all around as Keith shares hugs with his mother and Shiro as Kolivan stands by smiling with Axca, Ezor, and Zethrid.

Pidge, Matt, and their parents embrace as a family never to be torn apart again, and Veronica hugs both Lance and Hunk.

the MFE's and the Paladins all shake each other's hands and gives hugs, and Pidge reunites with the freed Olkari.

Tavo and Luca introduce the rescued Alteans to Allura, their Princess. The Alteans embrace her as their own, bowing down to her in respect for all she's done.

From there the Voltron Coalition returns to Earth, The Atlas leading the way.

On earth, Hunk, Lance, and Veronica are reunited with their families as the world celebrates the return of the Defenders of the Universe.

Over time Voltron, BOM, and Rebels work to take down the remaining warlords –most of which surrender without a fight thanks to former Warlords like Lahn aiding the Coalition, and Keith being there as the Black Paladin helps to bridge their trust, the Black Lion once more being a symbol of hope for the Galra.

The remaining Warlords and Altean Acolytes, as well as the surviving Alteans from the alternate universe are judged for their crimes; with Allura and Keith helping to see that they are justly dealt with.

Voltron takes time to revisit old worlds, from Arus, Puig, and Reiphod, to the Frozen Planet of the Mer, and everyone in between. Reconnecting with all their old friends and ensuring all planets and people have a voice in the new, freed universe.

During this time, Matt and the Rebels help to move Galra off the formerly occupied planets while Keith, Kolivan, and Krolia guide them to a new life.

Allura and the Alteans, along with Keith and the Galra, and the Olkari all work with the Coalition to find new home worlds for their people.

The Olkari are the first to settle peacefully on a world brimming with beautiful forests. The now Hoktrill-free Moxilous joins them, happily living a new life with the Olkari.

Sven joins the garrison, and works alongside Shiro, Veronica, and Slav, fitting into The Atlas crew perfectly.

Hunk and Pidge are approached by Shiro and the Garrison. Hunk is asked to become an Ambassador and voice for Earth. And Pidge is approached with the idea of creating a new defense program for Earth: Vehicle Voltron. Both eagerly accept.

As Keith and Allura's focus turns more to their people, and Pidge and Hunk's focus becomes that of working with the Garrison in different ways, Lance happily continues to work with the MFE's, taking command in the Red Lion and going on missions with them, helping the Rebels, and aiding anyone in need.

Allura and Keith finally find home worlds for their people, two uninhabited planets that circle the same sun and rely on one another. Believing the planets to be perfect, as they rely on each other to keep balance in the system, they feel that's how the Alteans and Galra must learn to see the Universe; all are needed in the balance of life.

With this their new home found, the Alteans approach Allura with a gift: a new crown. They bow and offer the crown to Allura, asking her to officially lead them. Honored by their request, Allura accepts this duty.

The montage ends with a ceremony attended by species from all over the universe, Allura is crowned Queen of the Alteans.

All the races cry out in joy for the Queen who helped save their universe.

_______________________________________________

In the engine room onboard the Atlas; Sam and Matt are looking over the systems while Shiro assists them. The father and son finish their final check up, and Shiro puts one of the panels back into place. Sam says that everything looks to be in perfect condition and ready for the upcoming launch.

Matt playfully teases his father about how he's being overprotective of the ship, and that he's got to let his baby fly on its own now. Sam grumbles while Shiro chuckles.

Shiro says that they are going to really miss having Sam with them, and says that if he and Colleen ever want to come back, there will always be a place for them. Sam thanks him and says that even though they loved being a part of The Atlas, they both agreed that it's time for them to settle back down on Earth and reclaim the life they lost. They are both looking forward to going back to teaching, especially now that they have students from all over the universe coming to Earth to learn. He then playfully points to his son and adds that the universe has enough on its plate dealing with one Holt in space now that he's living with the former Rebels as they continue to keep peace.

It's Matt's turn to grumble as Sam and Shiro laugh at his expense. Shiro says he's sure when Pidge eventually heads back out to space she'll be able to clean up any mess that Matt makes. Matt raises his hands in surrender and says they can lay off now, and the three men share a laugh.

The playful jibes over, Matt asks Shiro if he's totally ready to leave Earth. Shiro says he is, and though living on New Altea will take some getting used to, he'll have friends and family with him there. Besides, with Altean tech everyone is just a wormhole away.

He says that being out in space, learning about the universe, and everything that's out there has always been his dream. Now he'll be able to learn more than he ever thought possible without the worry of any illness to hold him back, or a universal war to wear him down. Matt smiles and says he understands exactly what he means.

Sam places a hand on both of the young men's shoulders and says that he's proud and excited for them both, but they both better make it back for Holidays, or else Colleen will personally hunt them down and drag them back to Earth.

The two men laugh and say they will.

_______________________________________________

Inside the Garrison's kitchen, Hunk and Shay hand Romelle a small box. Hunk says it's a going away present for her, all of his mother's recipes. Pidge helped him translate them into Altean so she can practice her cooking. Shay adds that her grandmother's soup recipe is also in there, since she liked it so much.

Romelle is touched by the presents and asks them to visit often. Hunk says his and Shay's training to become Ambassadors for their peoples will keep them tied up for a while, but as soon as they become fully fledged diplomats, they will all be able to see each other more often. Romelle says that if they need any off planet training, they are more than welcomed to come to New Altea. Hunk and Shay agree and thank her.

Lance and Pidge appear in the kitchen and greet the two ladies as they approach Hunk. Lance complements Romelle's crown; officially adopted into Allura's family, she is now the crowned princess to the Altean people.

Romelle readjusts the crown -Allura's old tiara, now bearing a new stone- and says it's still taking some getting used to. Lance and Pidge say that it suits her. She warmly thanks them, saying that their support gives her courage.

_______________________________________________

Later, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance walk down the Garrison halls, catching up with each other as they have all been so busy with their work. Pidge talks about how the creation of Vehicle Voltron is going well, and the wonderful multi-planetary team they have assembled to work on it.

Lance shares all the work he and the MFE's have been doing together, and how even though it's been hard work, it's been so good to see worlds and races really recover from the war. The two are happy for him, and he points out that it's not the same though. He misses flying with Hunk and Pidge and says if they want to come back to Voltron he's sure they could; the Lions still haven't found replacements for them yet.

The former Yellow and Green Paladins thank him, but say that it's just as the Lions once said, their time as Paladins came to an end. They, like Shiro felt they had other things that they needed to do, and Yellow and Green encouraged them to move on.

Lance sighs wistfully, but says he understands, he just misses Hunk, Pidge, and Allura on the team. Hunk and Pidge encourage him, saying that they are certain that the lions will find new Paladins soon.

Lance grumbles that it will only happen if Keith settles down for one moment so they can actually focus on it; he's been so busy helping the Galra that he's hardly around to do anything Voltron related.

It's then that they see Keith coming out of a meeting with the Blade and a number of other Galra diplomats.

Lance says speak of the Mullet, and the three approach him. They see a solemn look on his face and greet him, asking what's wrong. Keith, deep in thought says that he was asked to be one of the leaders of New Daibazaal's government.

The Garrison trio are surprised to hear this, and Lance guesses that he turned the offer down, but Keith reveals he actually said yes. He's not sure how long he will hold the position, but he's accepted the role for now. The others are shocked at first, but quickly congratulate him, pulling him into a group hug. All three know he'll do great as one of the leaders of his people.

They then realize what this means, Keith is leaving Earth.

Hunk cries that everyone is leaving and Lance and Pidge agree, saying that it's not fair. Keith smiles at them, warmed that they will miss him. He says that at one point in his youth, he had nothing on this planet that would have kept him here, he would have left without a second thought; but now he has so many friends and loved ones that he had to stop and think hard about this choice.

However, he never felt that Earth was where he belonged, he feels called to the stars and even if New Daibazaal isn't where he permanently settles, he knows he needs to be with his mother and their people right now.

He looks to the three of them and says that they have helped change his life for the better and that he will miss them so much. The three get teary-eyed and hug him once more, telling him that their doors will always be open to him.

Once they break out of the hug, Keith asks Lance if they can talk privately for a minute, and they break off from the other two.

_______________________________________________

Keith and Lance walk for a bit and Keith explains that with him leaving Earth, he's stepping down from being the Black Paladin. Lance is shocked and deeply upset, first Allura stepped down to rule as Queen, then Hunk and Pidge due to their duties at the Garrison, and now Keith? He says the original Paladins were able to fulfill their roles despite being on different planets, why can't they?

Keith acknowledges that, but says times were different back then. The universe is still very unstable at the moment, and planets can't afford to have leaders and vital people constantly run off to fight elsewhere. Besides, he says he's now come to the same realization that Shiro, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge had before him; there's a new purpose out there for him.

The two walk into the Lion's hanger where they look up to Black. Lance wonders who will lead Voltron now, and Keith says Black has already chosen its next Paladin. Lance asks who, and Keith looks at him and says "you". Lance looks from Keith to the Black Lion in disbelief.

Lance is stunned into silence, when he finds his words he says he is honored, but he's not sure if he's ready for that. Keith smiles and says that he knows Lance is. He's seen how Lance has grown from a playful showman, to a focused leader. He says he believes in Lance's ability and knows that he will make a great Black Paladin. Lance says that means the world to him, coming from a leader he truly respects.

Lance looks up to the Black Lion and asks it if it's ready for this new partnership. The Black Lion's eyes flash and it stands and roars in answer.

The two look up to the Lion, with humbled pride. Lance says it will be difficult finding and learning to work with a new team. Keith smiles knowingly just as the hangar doors open and says he doubts that. Lance turns to see the MFE Pilots walk in, not noticing the two Paladins.

Lance looks from Keith to the MFE Pilots and back and asks if he really thinks they could be the new Paladins. Keith asks him what he and Black feel.

Lance closes his eyes, testing the new bond he has with the Black Lion, and realizes it's true, the other Lions have already chosen the MFE Pilots as their Paladins.

He opens his eyes and looks to Keith with a smile. Keith pats him on the shoulder and tells him to go talk to his new team. Lance laughs and runs over to the group.

_______________________________________________

Night before the Atlas is prepared to launch the five former Paladins, Lance, and Coran sit and have a private dinner together on the roof of the Garrison. They talk and laugh, reminiscing over their adventures while sharing their plans and hopes for the future, just enjoying each other's company.

As the sun starts to go down, they realize how late it's gotten. Lance calls for one final photo, and everyone gathers together and takes the picture. They look the photo over and all approve of it. They sit there, knowing they should head off to get some sleep before the launch, but none want to leave yet.

Coran sees this and smiles. He coughs to get their attention and points out that they never finished their last Monsters and Mana campaign. Allura says that it will be a little while before they see each other again; they may forget the nuances of the story if they don't finish.

The others smile, and agree that that has to be finished. Coran pulls out the game and they play together under the stars.

_______________________________________________

The next day people from all over the place come to the Garrison to witness The Atlas' launch.

Pidge, her family, Hunk and his family, along with many of the other Coalition members and former-rebels watch and wave from the ground as the mighty ship begins to take off.

A loud roar is heard and Pidge and Hunk cheer as the Lions of Voltron fly overhead. The Lions move to follow behind The Atlas, escorting it to its new home.

Lance, flying the Black Lion, now wearing new Black Paladin armor asks if the others are alright. Griffin in Red, Rizavi in Blue, Leasdottir in Green, and Kincade in Yellow all call in positives.

Lance smiles and makes a call to form Voltron.

_______________________________________________

In the Atlas, Shiro and Sven arrive on the bridge where some of the new Galra leadership, including Krolia and Kolivan, as well as Queen Allura's Altean council of Coran, Romelle, Luca, and Tavo stand.

Shiro sees Keith in his new Galran armor is standing with Allura near the view screen. He approaches and tells them they will be arriving to New Diabazaal soon to drop the Galra off, before taking The Atlas to their home on New Altea.

Allura and Keith smile to him, and the three watch the screen as they approach the two Planets.

Shiro asks if they are nervous. Keith says no, he feels confident and hopeful. Allura agrees, smiling brightly she says "after all, this is the beginning of a new story."

_______________________________________________

The End

_______________________________________________

Notes:

I am so sorry this took so long to post. I did not mean for it to take this ling, but I just had a rather off holiday season (not bad by any means, just off), so it's been harder for me to get back into the swing of things.

It does kind of work out though, as I created my first draft of this rewrite pretty much one year ago.

But anyhow, let's get into talking about this ending.

So, my biggest problem (and I think most people's problem) with the ending of the series was what happened to the main characters, especially with the end cards. I heard they were supposedly tacked on at the last minute, and it sure seems like it. While Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk had somewhat 'happy' endings they were only happy in a very sterile way.

What do I mean by "sterile", well, there was nothing deep or meaningful to their look at their end cards:

"Shiro found his happiness and finally left the battlefield behind" Ok, that sounds good and all, but there was no development to this 'happiness'. What even makes him happy? I though his passion was space exploration, did he get to return to that? We don't know. He's just happy.

"The Holt Family established the next generation of Legendary Defenders." It's nice that the family stuck together, but that doesn't give us anything about Pidge specifically. Plus not everyone would get the Vehicle Voltron cameos that give weight to what they are doing.

"Hunk created a culinary empire, bringing the universe together, one meal at a time." Hunk's is the best and as we at least know he's doing things he enjoys, cooking and bringing people together. We can assume it's like what was shown earlier in the episode, where he cooks for leaders during a delegation, but the image presented looks more like he's the owner of a galactic restaurant chain more so then anything else.

The summaries to their lives just feel so hollow, and those were only the 'happy' ones, it only gets worse from there.

Coran didn't even get a title card, but let's talk about him for a minute. He was left completely alone without any close friends or loved ones nearby. Even though Merla was shown speaking to him, showing he talks to people, they had no relationship. What were we supposed to get from that scene? I was left with the feeling that he would forever be alone, his life dedicated to nothing but ensuring that Altea flourished in Allura's name, never stopping to rest, least the ghosts of the ones he lost haunt him.

Even though I hate Allura dying (and I'll get to that in a moment), if they had Romelle there with him at the end instead, his story would have ended on a more positive note. Since they had an established friendship in the show we could have seen it as him having lost one daughter only to gain another. We would know he would be able to have a new family with her.

Speaking of Romelle, all she got was a cameo relegated to the background of Hunk's ending where she wore a chef's outfit. Such a great ending for this important Voltron legacy character! [/sarcasm]

Back to the main Paladins;

"Lance continued to spread Allura's message while surrounding himself with the things he loved." It sounds like he become an Altean missionary who shared the gospel of Allura, even though the picture just shows him working on his family's farm. I know many others, and myself felt that he would forever pine after Allura, living his life out in a way that forever left him longing for something more. How is that a good place to leave a character?

What about his dreams, his goals in life? He was the most ambitious of the Paladins, and while his ambitions at the beginning of the series might not have had the best reasoning (going to prove how good he is by being better then Keith and stuff like that), his reason should have grown and changed though the series, not his whole existence. He should have still been determined to become a Pilot and do great things, not to prove his worth, but because he had the passion, drive, and determination to go out and do them.

"Keith helped transition The Blade of Marmora to a humanitarian relief organization." Keith working for a humanitarian relief organization, that's a good idea. Fits with his caring and how he shows his love through acts of service. However, him transitioning The Blade of Marmora into a humanitarian relief organization is such a stupid concept. That would be like something tossing out the idea of turning the Navy Seals into a humanitarian relief organization. These people are specifically trained to fight. While they can offer aid, and work with humanitarian relief organizations, they are completely different things!

On top of all that, due to how the last two seasons went with his supposed friendships with the Paladins, I was depressingly left feeling Keith's story ended exactly where we met him at the beginning of the series: A loner with few friends and connections. Yes, I know he now had his mother, but she was to be shown busy as a leader of the Galra without Keith. While Axca, Ezor, and Zethrid were in the background of his title card, when were we shown them becoming close? We weren't. The golden rule of visual storytelling is "Show, don't tell". Because we weren't shown, we can't say it happened.

Heck, I don't even remember if Keith spoke to Axca at all after "The Way Forward", and she was the one he had the most positive interactions with.

With all the Paladins spread out back on Earth, Keith seems to have once more gone down a path of solitude. The character who needed friends and family the most ended up alone.

And Allura's ending was the worst ending of them all. I've talked many times throughout these rewrites of the many horrible things I felt was done to her character throughout the last two seasons. Killing her was the moldy cherry on top of that spoiled and rancid cake. Allura, who lost and sacrificed so much; whose character should have been raised up and allowed to flourish into a leader better than those who came before her, instead her ending was the same fate as the final villain, and there was no rightful justification for it.

As Allura and Honerva walk to their deaths, Honerva smiles, happy over the outcome as she gets to be reunited with her husband and son, while Allura looks sorrowful, her promising life ending too soon.

What an insulting and reprehensible ending for this character.

I wanted to rectify all these things with this final rewrite, and give them the happy and satisfying endings they deserved. I hope even if you aren't one hundred percent satisfied with my endings for the characters, they are at least more palatable then canon.

Now that I've spoken about the heroes, not onto the Villains.

So, I know Honerva's ending here has shades of her original ending, but I really hope the differences stand out in what I wrote. I'm sure many would want to see her just outright killed/defeated, but since I really play up the 'The Zarkon family is possessed and unable to control themselves' I went with her having a redemptive ending.

The difference between my version and canon, is that canon showed Honerva's issues to be her thinking she was never happy. After Allura made her remember the good times, and that was it. No acknowledgement or apologies for all the evil she committed. Just "Huh, your right. Ok, let's bring the universe back." Nothing was even done with the Rift Creature that was still in her, Allura, and the other Alteans. That was all forgotten along with every other interesting plot thread.

With the chance of repeating myself from other chapters; my version of the 'Rift Creature' -actually the corrupted White Lion- literally warped how she, Zarkon, and Lotor saw everything. They could not truly see right from wrong, only their own desires and how things affected them. So, once freed from that corruption they regained their true selves and instantly knew all the evil they committed. Honerva wanted to make things right. I emphasize 'wanting" cause that's the key to redeeming a character, the desire to make things right.

Her and Lotor sacrificing themselves to fix the universe they helped tear apart was their way of making right all their wrongs and redeeming themselves.

And while I'm sure many would have liked Lotor to live, I see this as the better way; only because if he lived he would have been held accountable for his crimes just like the other Galran Warlords and Altean Acolytes. At least now he can unite with his uncorrupted parents and friends in the Connected Consciousness of all Existence, and one day reunite with the Paladins and experience a true friendship with them.

Speaking of the Connected Consciousness of all Existence.

So, my version of this realm is clearly some sort of Well of Allsparks/Heaven-esk place. I know that idea might be a bit corny, but like I have Keith's dad point out, in S2E4 "Greening the Cube", Pidge says that she was told everyone was made up from the same star dust. Keith was so heartened by that idea, that I thought in this place called "Connected Consciousness of all Existence" it could be the same for people's Souls/Quintessence.

Plus, I thought it lead to one of my favorite parts of this chapter, the return of all the dead characters. I truly wanted this final story to be a celebration of everything that we loved about the series, and this allowed me the opportunity to bring back all the characters we grew to love. Even the minor ones that meant more to the fandom then they did the writers.

It also leaves us with the satisfaction and peace knowing that even though the Paladins are all going their own ways in life, no matter what, one day they will all be reunited not only with each other, but with all their loved ones here.

One more thing I wanted to point out is that Keith does not rule all of New Daibazaal. He is one leader amongst many. I have seen "Emperor Keith" AUs and not only do I feel that role doesn't fit Keith; I don't think that role should exist on New Daibazaal at all.

The Galra just got through living under the thumb of one ruler for the past 10,000 years. There are going to be changes with their new world and that starts with how their leadership is set up. Rather than one person who has all the power, they have multiple leaders who come together and govern for the people. They are not permanent positions and can be voted out.

Keith is certainly an important voice, and one who was actually asked to take a role of leadership by the people (there's a lot of half-breeds who look up to him), but he is not the final say. One day his time as leader will be up, and he will move on.

I actually do envision his future much like the ending of the show where he ends up working with a humanitarian organization. But this time around he, Axca, Ezor, and Zethrid would team up with Allura, Shiro, and the Garrison to create a multi-species group that would then go and work with Voltron and Vehicle Voltron to help those in need.

See? Despite living some time away from each other, all the characters can end up continuing their lives together after all!

Here’s a bonus gallery of a bunch of the designs I tried to recreate/come up with for how the characters look at the end.

First, I forgot to post this back with my version of S8E5. This was what they wore to the Paladin’s game night. As you can see I changed the colors of Rizavi and Leifsdottir’s outfits. I gave Griffin the clothing Lance wore on his date in S8E1. Since he didn’t use the outfit in this version I thought it would work here, especially since I gave Griffin a ‘well thought of’ family, I though his casual wear would be a bit more fancy. For Kincade, I had my friend who really liked him help me design his clothing. We thought this fit him.

This is the clothing the characters wear after the final montage. Of course the Paladin’s outfits are based off the canon outfits shown in the final group picture in the show. I didn’t have much to go on, so I made a lot of it up.

Allura’s dress is the one shown in the alternate universe Honerva went to (Coran at this time would be wearing the outfit he there too).

I completely changed Lance’s hair. I don’t know why the creators wanted to give him such an unkempt look in the last design, but I saw someone do an edit where they gave him Matt’s hairdo from the ‘Chip’ scene at the end. I thought that looked so good on him I opted to give that to him. Plus, now Matt can keep his long hair!

So these are the outfits the characters are wearing in the final scene when they leave for New Altea/New Daibazaal. I gave each Altean a bit of pink in their clothing. Since Pink was the color of remembrance, I figured many, especially the leadership would wear it not only in remembrance of all the Alteans that were lost, but for everyone who had been lost not only at the hands of the Galra, but at the hands of the Alteans as well. It’s a reminder to never let it happen again.

I forgot to put a new stone in Romelle’s crown. Woopsie!

I tried to blend Armor the Galra of old wore with the BoM uniforms. Showing that they are not completely leaving everything that once was behind. Instead they are taking what had been good and bringing it back.

\Keith’s outfit I blended not only with the BoM and ancient Galra armor, but also added some of the Paladin style as well. His armor is black instead of blue as a symbol of his time as Black paladin. I’m not complety satisfied with his design, bit this is where I settled for now.

I opted to give the new line of Plaldins completely new Armor. Since Voltron is currently set up on Earth, their armor is a blend of Altean armor and the MFE flight suits.

I also wanted to do some other pictures like Sven in the Garrison, and some others, but I never got to it. Maybe in the future.

So that’s all for now.

I do have an idea for a short story that would be a continuation of the actual canon story; a way to fix the blunders of the ending and wrap things up on a better note, and be connected to this post of mine. But no promises to when that will be made.

So, for the time being this is where it all ends. Thank you so much for reading all this. I truly hope you enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful day!

#keith voltron #allura voltron #lance mcclain #voltron #takashi shirogane #voltron pidge #hunk garrett #MyVoltronSeasonSummary #mywritings

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ebhenah · 6 years ago

Text

Spirit Week (Voltron Fanfic)

Fictober 18 Day 15

Voltron fanfic featuring Klance future family (as seen in "Forts" from Day 11) FLUFF

Minor S07 Spoilers

Rating- Pg (minor language, same sex couple)

Prompt: "I thought you had forgotten."

Halloween was one week away and for some reason, this year, everything was beyond busy. The little school on board the Atlas had chosen this week to be 'spirit week' and the preschool had joined in- which meant that three of their four kids had different thematic activities every. Single. Day. If that wasn't busy enough, there were Coalition meetings every single afternoon that required the full complement of Paladins and MFE pilots to be in attendance. Plus, Thace had been sick the week before and was trying to catch up on his missed work, AND Kashi was teething.

All those things combined had left both Keith and Lance wrung out and twitchy Keith loved their life, and most of the time they did a great job juggling work, family, friends, and couple time. But, every now and then, everything seemed to happen all at once. It didn't help that Lance insisted that McClains went ALL OUT for Halloween, and that making sure the kids got to fully participate in all the 'fun' school activities was important to Keith. He remembered how much he'd hated it when he was in the system and his foster parents, or group home workers couldn't be bothered to make sure that the kids in their care were wearing silly socks, or all blue, or dressed as their favorite story book character, or whatever. It sucked to be singled out for not doing the fun stuff, and Keith wanted to make sure that his kids never knew what that felt like.

So, on the weekend they'd prepped for each and every day. Monday- crazy hair day. Easy- Talia and Rai had long hair and Lance had grown up with sisters, so he was a whiz at that. He'd made tiny little buns all over Rai's head, then added pipe cleaner legs and googly-eyes stuck to bobby pins to turn them all into spiders. Talia's hair was pulled into a high ponytail and threaded through a thoroughly cleaned pop bottle with strategic holes to pool in a plastic drinking cup stuck to a headband. Thace's hair was shorter and paler, so he got spikes and colored hairspray. Done. The kids were thrilled and Lance had taken about 400 pictures of them before they'd left their quarters.

Tuesday was color day. Each class was assigned a color, and the kids dressed head to toe in it. More colored hair spray, and a deep dive into the McClain's family hand-me-down bins had outfitted Thace in "lime" (seriously, though? Lime? Not just green? Why so specific?) and the twins in "purple". Talia had been thrilled, purple was currently her favorite color. Again, leaving the quarters took longer than usual because of the photoshoot with Lance.

Wednesday had been 'silly socks'. That had required an actual shopping trip, and not only had they worn the silly socks on their feet, Lance's sister had shown the kids how to cut socks into fingerless gloves… which was cute, but had led to far too much teasing about his own teenaged fashion choices for Keith's liking.

Thursday was 'dress as your hero day', and when they'd gotten to school, a good 75% of the kids were dressed as Paladins, which was sweet and heartwarming (and led to about a million pictures, since Lance had INSISTED that they bring the kids to school wearing their armor). However, none of THEIR kids wanted to dress up as the Paladins of Voltron. Their parents and honorary aunts and uncles were definitely not 'cool' enough to be their heroes. Oh no- he and Lance had had to put together one Bi Boh Bi costume (Talia had been unable to explain to either of them WHY Bi Boh Bi was her hero, but he suspected she just liked yelling the name at the top of her lungs), one King Alfor costume (thankfully Coran had stepped in to help for that one), and one Kosmo costume. He wasn't cool enough for his actual son to consider his hero, but their space wolf WAS, go figure. Although, honestly, he was just glad none of them had wanted to dress up as Uncle Shiro with his 'cool arm' or Kolivan.

Friday felt like a gift to the parents after all the work of coming up with hero costumes- Pajama day. It should have been easier than it was. None of their three wanted to wear 'boring old' pjs, they all wanted new onesies in very specific themes (and yes, he realized his kids were spoiled… but they were perfect and they deserved to be spoiled and that was final). Of course, none of them had mentioned THAT until they were sitting down to supper on Thursday, and there was nowhere on the Atlas to get that kind of thing, so all six of them ended up on the surface, well past bedtime, with a cranky, teething baby, shopping for footie pjs: one alicorn (very specific- an alicorn has both a horn AND wings. If only one was present it was either a unicorn, or a pegasus- the things you learned from a four year old), one shark (because Thace was basically just 'Lance, the sequel' at the moment), and one 'scary halloween skulleekin' (that was too cute to ever be corrected- if Keith had his way, Rai would be calling skeletons 'skulleekins' until he was 50)... and OF COURSE as soon as Lance saw that they made them in adult sizes, he insisted on getting them pjs, too. A penguin one for Lance, and a purple hippo one for himself. Even Kashi got one- his was a panda, and even Keith had to admit their little roly poly drool machine made the cutest panda ever.

Spirit week cost a small fortune… but the kids had been thrilled, which was what really mattered. It was just that between all that, AND the meetings, AND taking turns walking the halls with a howling infant every night, AND making sure they were all ready for the shockingly long list of Halloween-themed activities Lance's family had as traditions in the latter half of October, Keith really just wanted… like… a nap. Not even a long one. Just like, half an hour of solid sleep, without being chewed and/or drooled on by their youngest. He was seriously cute. Absolutely loveable… The apple of his daddies' eyes… but right now he was a slobbery mess who really needed to let his parents rest before they went completely off their rockers.

So, he'd been absolutely overjoyed when he'd gotten a text from Lance letting him know that Veronica had volunteered to take Kashi for the night, and that the other kids had all been packed off to sleepovers with various teammates. Talia at Shiro's, Thace at Pidge's, and Rai at Hunk's. All he could think about was how good it was going to feel to sleep through the entire night and wake up rested- and free of baby drool. Man, parenthood really changed your perspective on how to spend a night off.

He was barely awake when he reached their quarters. He hardly even recognized that he was hungry until he smelled the food that was waiting for him, which brought him up short. He took a deep breath, letting the aroma fill him. Lance had cooked. Not only that, Lance had cooked his absolute favorite Cuban meal, a secret family recipe for pernil relleno de moros y cristianos. If he was really lucky there would also be croquetas and Cuban corn on the cob. Special occasion cooking.

"It smells AMAZING in here, babe," he called out, toeing off his shoes and hanging up his uniform jacket. He picked up a few stray toys on his way through the living room, tossing them into the toy box with practiced ease. "I can't believe you cooked! How did you have the energy to cook?"

He rounded the corner and was caught up in a warm, lingering kiss from his husband, who took one look at his surprised face and chuckled. "Mmhmm, just what I figured. It's been so busy this week… no one would believe me when I told them I thought you had forgotten. But I know you. I knew it. You've barely stopped moving in days. You are running on autopilot. Babe, what's the date?"

Keith blinked at him, confused. "Umm… it's Friday," he started, glancing around for some kind of clue. He knew it wasn't their anniversary- they'd gotten married in June, and he NEVER forgot that… but Lance was one of those romantics that remembered every little milestone- although thankfully, he never expected Keith to remember the little ones. Finally, his eyes lit on the counter and the few small wrapped gifts that sat next to his favorite Hummingbird cake. "Shit… I can't believe I forgot."

Lance just laughed, handing him a drink and steering him to a seat at their table. "Yeah. Of course I cooked… AND made sure we had the night to ourselves. Happy Birthday, babe. Love you so much."

Keith snaked his arm around Lance's waist and pulled him into his lap, "how did I ever luck into marrying you? You're amazing, I can't believe you did all this! Thank-you." He took his time kissing his husband, wanting to make sure that there wasn't even the tiniest shred of a doubt in Lance's mind about how much Keith loved him and loved the life they'd built together.

#fictober18 #Fictober18day15 #IThoughtYouHadForgotten #Day15PromptIThoughtYouHadForgotten #Klance #Voltron #VLD

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