#and annoyed with his crush on allura

[dragonhybrid456]

CAN YOU WRITE KIETH OR LANCE X MALE READER

OR, OR, OR VOLTRON X READER HEADCANONS!! DATING OR CRUSHES OR COURTING IDC BUT USE GENDER NEUTRAL READER SO EVERYONE CAN READ IT ☺️

PLEASE

I went with the dating headcannons, hope you like them :)

Warning!! I have not finished Voltron completely yet, but I do know bits and pieces so this might be a bit ooc

Voltron dating headcannons (GN reader)

Keith:

* I like to think that his love language is acts of service

* He’s very new to the whole “dating” thing and isn’t really good with his words so he relies on doing things for you

* Need help training? He’s got you. Stressed out? He’s not the best at it, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t try and help his lover

* I don’t see Keith as the type of guy to use a lot of pet names

* Like dont get me wrong, I love pet names, but I personally can’t see Keith using them

* As tough and mean he is to others, you see a softer side of him

* Not in a “he’s really a big baby on the inside” crap

* More of a “he feels more calm and relaxed around you”

* After a stressful mission, he will definitely enter your room without a word and just flop either next to you or on top of you

* No words would be expressed, all he needs is some quiet and you to decompress

* In no way would he EVER let you get hurt

* This man will protect you with his life

* He can’t stand the thought of losing you, it kills him just thinking about the “what if” situations

* Not a big social person, but if you are then I think he will at least tag along for the ride

* Keith definitely worries that he’s not the “best” or “ideal” boyfriend for you

* He’s part Galra, he’s mean, he’s abrasive, he’s stubborn, what could you possibly see in him?????

* He needs a reminder now and then that he’s enough for you and that you love him

* You’ll sometimes find him late at night in the training room if he’s had a tough day

* You’ll have to physically drag him into bed and hold him down for him to sleep

Lance:

* Oh boy, he’s not called “lover boy” for no reason

* Absolutely loves to compliment you every single day

* Calls you stuff like, “mi amor” and “my girl/boy/partner”

* He likes to show you off and talks about you a lot

* Honestly the rest of the team is a little sick of it but they are also happy that he found someone like you

* Takes you on joy ride in his lion when he has some downtime

* He gets an earful from Allura

* His love language is definitely physical affection

* He loves holding your hands, your hugs, kissing you any chance he gets, and cuddling you

* Thinks he’s the big spoon but is really the little spoon most of the time

* When he gets homesick, he likes to be around you and talk to you to distract himself

* But some nights he’s crying in your arms, missing home, missing his family, and not knowing if or when he gets to see them again

* He likes to tell you stories from when he was little, what his family is like, and stories from his time at the garrison

* Will complain to you about how Keith annoyed him this time

* Overall, definitely a great lover

Shiro:

* Shiro is definitely more experienced with love than the other two

* He calls you stuff like “darling” “sweetheart” and other cute older pet names

* His love languages are quality time and acts of service

* I like to think that with all the excitement and craziness that comes with being apart of Voltron that he likes to just spend time with his lover and relax

* You two don’t even have to be doing something together

* He could be reading while your in the same room doing something completely different and he wouldn’t mind, just as long as he’s around you after such a stressful day

* Has severe PTSD and get nightmares almost every night

* He’s used to dealing with it alone but once you enter the picture he’s gonna have to get used to you waking up with him to comfort him

* Always tells you to go back to sleep and that “it’s nothing” but you know better than that

* He also has some self esteem issues about his metal arm, being disgusted by it some days and wanting nothing more than for it to disappear

* Please comfort him, space dad needs some love 🥺

* Likes to listen to you talk, your voice grounding him to reality and comforting him in times of need

* Like Keith, he is also protective of you

* After Adams death, he can’t help but have nightmares of you meeting the same fate

* Sometimes he becomes so paranoid about it that you have fights about missions you are sent on

* He knows you can take care of yourself, he trained you after all, but that won’t ease his nerves and memories about Adam

Hunk

* MY FAVORITE BOY 😍😍😍

* He’s so sweet to you, you don’t understand!

* He likes to call you “baby” “baking partner” or just a shorten version of your name if you have one

* His love languages is definitely gift giving and physical affection

* He loves cooking and baking new recipes for you to try and give him feedback

* With physical affection, he’s gonna be a bit nervous in the beginning about it, having never been in a relationship before, but he slowly starts to get more into it

* Hand holding, cuddling, hugging, there all his favorite ways to say he loves you

* He definitely one of the more nervous one when it comes to you fighting along side Voltron

* Hunk himself is more of a pacifist and is therefore already a little uneasy about even HIMSELF fighting

* So for you, his lover, to be put in the front lines with them has him very uneasy and nervous

* He just loves you so much he would never forgive himself if something happened to you 🥺

* He is always there if you have something on your mind that’s bothering you

* Whether it’s something small or large, he will always listen to you

* And vice versa, if he has something on his mind, be there for him cause he sometimes feels like he’s not listened to by the others

Pidge

* Definitely the least experienced out of the group (her and Keith are like neck and neck)

* I don’t see her using pet names, much like Keith

* Idk it just strikes me as odd for her to use pet names

* She definitely has stupid nicknames for you, but not stuff like baby or sweetheart

* If you don’t like that, sue me

* Her love language is definitely quality time

* She likes when you come around while she’s working on a new project so she can geek out about it

* You don’t even have to understand anything she says, she just likes when you’re around her when she’s working

* Also has you test some of the safer projects, she would never let you NEAR the more outrageous ones

* Unlike the others, she’s actually really open to you fighting along side her

* Don’t get me wrong, she would murder everyone if you got hurt, but she likes working with you and strategizing

* Will make you a weapon and enhanced suit if you asked

* Even if you don’t, she probably already has them in the works

[uniquecellest]

Klance and Adashi parallels that keep me up:

Keith and Adam: both went and did something sewer slideal (to be fair though Adam was ordered and Keith got saved by Lotor)

Lance and Shiro: both died but ended up coming back to life (Lance via Alluras powers and Shiro via having his conscience being put inside a clone), they're also both like mega flirts and disasters

Shiro and Keith: wanting to be in space no matter what and helping people constantly

Lance and Adam: love piloting but also wanting to be on Earth (I like to think Lance helps out on the farm but he's also the new lead MFE pilot for the Garrison and is teaching a new generation)

Also both ships have their own holt sibling that more than likely annoyed them about their crushes (Matt definitely bugged Shiro more than Adam and Pidge definitely bugged Lance more)

If yall have any other parallels throw them down

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

My thoughts about episode 3, season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina :

Thordak is such a drama queen : "Soon, my children, very soon, the corpses of our ennemies shall be your cradles, and their eternal agony your milk !" But Lance Reddick makes it terrifying.

We're going to Draconia ! Of course, with the non-existence of a certain dragonborn and his asshole actor, they had to redo the "why", but it works ! Because amongst other things, this means we're going to learn a little bit more about Allura and Kima, and that's never a bad thing.

Cassandra is such a good little sister who's annoying :

Also she's right. When Vex invites you to your room...

I OPEN THE DOOR, COMPLETELY NAKED

Love it so much. I knew it was coming and yet. The stroke of genius of Laura Bailey lives on. I told the story of this scene in the Campaign to my sister and friend, remembering her exact tone of voice from the campaign, and laughing so much while telling it.

Love that they did the superposition of the Vex/Percy scene (hot) and the Keyleth/Vax scene (not hot at all, but sad).

I love less the fact that it's Vax who says "We can't be together" in this adaptation. Of course it's logical with his vision (my sister guessed he was going to say that). But me, a Campaign viewer, who was drawn by Keyleth's indecision between her youth, her affections, her moral fortitude and commitment to the Aramente, all of that while knowing she's supposed to live a very long time, and also drawn by the fact that she was the one who chose to renunce hapiness (at first, then chose to believe in Vax)... I don't like it. that's all. I'm hoping she will have some other character growth.

As my sister said : "Some people know how to have fun in this castle" :

Oh, Scanlan. He continues to break my heart.

Really vain note, but Pike's nightdress is so cute, I want the same

THE WALK OF SHAME, HAHAHAHA

The misunderstanding with "Dis" is excellent. It reminds me of when the cast sang all the time "We Built Dis City".

the desing of the Hells is so good (I saw horrible things so it's good, it respects the assignment).

Allura and Kima backstory ! Oh, there were crushes, heh ??!! And resentment ??! And ... oh, that bitch.

"Nice steering, babe !" while running away from a dragon. I love Kima so much.

that shot is INCREDIBLE :

oh oh. With Dohla dead, I just realized... Allura can't open the portal by herself ! They're stuck in the Hells !!

That chase sequence was so good, by the way.

The Vex/Percy relationship is such a good one, fantastic adaptation. I love them so much.

Oh, hi Matt ! ewwwwwwwwwwww

[klance-headcanons-official]

GALRA GENERAL KEITH AU!!

So Keith is ‘infiltrating’ voltron. Kinda. He’s still the red paladin blah blah blah. He was on earth to get the blue one, then all the crap went down like it does in canon. Find blue, lance drives her into space, meets allura and coran. Bada bing bada boom. Yk, the works

So Keith gets a call from lotor. “Keith. How is it going with voltron? Do you see them being an issue?” “No.. not really. They aren’t, well. They aren’t good at fighting. Shiro, the black lions paladin, may be an issue. As he was the champion.” “I see.. what about the blue paladin?” “*///* He’s cute.” “No.” “No? What do you mean no, my prince?” “NO. You did this on the last mission I gave you! You are NOT dating him,” “WHAT! I never-“ “you would, you have.” “WHAT.” Then Keith gets annoyed and hangs up

He’s pouty for the rest of the day. And he can’t tell anyone cause that would blow his cover. So he takes his frustration out on the bots

Allura sees this and goes “hm. Keith and shiro are the only two good at fighting.” So she asks them, shiro tells her of his unfortunate time as the champion and Keith is internally freaking. ‘Oh my stars she’s gonna find out.’

“Oh, I just got in fights a lot back on earth.” He tells her. And she believed it! So he’s okay.. for now

- Vee 💜

pfff-

no cuz i can totally see the other generals picking on him for crushing on Lance

[ria-777]

There is not enough letters in the alphabet for me to tell you how much I love you

A - Affection

It was so unexpected.

Maybe it wouldn't have been if he questioned himself sooner, but feelings were never his field of expertise.

One morning, like any others, she sat down next to him for breakfast, like she did for every meal of the day and greeted him with a simple, "Good morning Keith," accompanied by a gentle and tired smile.

He always thought it was pretty cute, but she probably wouldn't appreciate the comment. He responded kindly.

Like usual.

Nothing less. Nothing more.

So why the heck did his heart skip a beat like that? Sure, sometimes he worried his cheeks might turn red, but today, it was like a truck hit him and then reversed to be positive he was as crushed as an ant.

Since he was young, Keith always doubted that one day, he'd find his person and instantly know it. There wouldn't be fireworks all around them while the world disappeared and everything became blurred except for them. Careless whispers wouldn't start playing out of nowhere. No one would be able to see his heart beat fast, as if it was trying to pierce through the skin of his chest in a comic way, making a loud sound. His pupils wouldn't take the form of hearts as he stared lovingly at this amazing girl while hers did the same.

That was ridiculous.

She just began eating what Hunk cooked, for once choosing to participate in the conversation while he panicked inside, hoping it wasn't showing too much. That would be embarrassing and the boy wasn't sure he could play it off at the moment.

What were you supposed to do in those kinds of situations?

Act like everything was normal? It sounded nearly impossible, coming from one of the guys who fights aliens every day and had been on the verge of death more than once.

Be nicer than usual? How did he typically behave? Why couldn't he remember their past interactions without noticing how pretty she always looked? Too many questions.

Grab her hand under the table? No way, he'd freak her out. That was like the opposite of acting casually.

Ask Shiro for advice? No, he wanted to figure this out on his own.

Prepare some kind of stunning declaration of his undying love? This was way out of character for him and not the type of things she seemed to be into.

No. No. No.

None of these were good enough ideas. Despite how hard the first one appeared unimaginable to accomplish, it was the best option. For now.

Keith had no idea if he could pretend he was careless of everything while Pidge sat next to him, unaware of the chaos she caused in his brain.

Where could that kind of affection have come from?

Of course he found himself fond of their other teammates for some time now, more than he thought possible when he first met them on that fateful night. Even if he still had some trouble voicing it out.

This was probably why the blue paladin liked to call him emotionally constipated.

Actions were how he did things, how he showed he cared.

Shiro had been his favorite person since the day they met, being the first to actually pay attention to him since his dad tragically passed away.

Hunk was a nice guy to talk to, understanding that it wasn't because the red paladin stayed mostly silent that the conversation didn't interest him. He liked their discussions, so much that just listening was honestly enjoyable and didn't make him uncomfortable in any way.

Even if Lance could still be obnoxious and get on his nerves from time to time, it was bearable, more than he was willing to admit. Some of his jokes were actually a bit funny too, a secret Keith was prepared to take to the grave, not even the Galra could force this kind of information out of him.

Allura, ever since finding out he was part Galra and had a pretty bad reaction to that news, they were getting along quite well. She was kinda like a big sister, caring, but knew how to be bossy and annoy him.

And then, there was Coran who was... well, Coran. There were honestly no better words to describe him. When they were back on earth, they should try making his name an adjective, or at least a type of person that fitted his... special character.

However, his feelings toward Pidge were way out of... of what?

What should be acceptable?

His competences? Hers? Theirs?

He wasn't about to give up because of something foreign to him. If he did so, God knows that being a paladin of Voltron, who consistently had to face new kinds of dangers and environment would be impossible.

Keith had realized some time ago that she had an effect on him, but only now, as she observed him waiting for an answer, all of their eyes were on him. Someone had probably asked a question while they were all still sitting around the table for breakfast. "Sorry, can you repeat, I wasn't paying attention?”

Was her face a bit red? "I was just wondering if you were okay. You barely said anything since you sat down and were just staring." Oh, had it been that long already Keith thought, realizing all of their plates were close to being empty. Maybe they were all just very hungry and ate in five ticks?

"I'm fine, just tired." She simply nodded, avoiding looking him directly in the eyes. "Suuuure, that's why you were gazing at Pidgeon there for the entire meal, 'cause you were exhausted, noooooo other reasons at all." That's why he refused to admit Lance didn't piss him off all the time. He still knew how to pull his strings and ruin the mood.

"Lance, leave him alone." Keith didn't have to look at Shiro to know he was thinking like the Cuban, his tone of voice said it all. Not like he cared right now.

All he could ponder about was how he was going to make Katie "Pidge" Holt his. One way or another. No matter the effort it would take.

(Posted on ao3 and wattpad)

[theroundbartable]

Can I ask from this ask game : https://www.tumblr.com/toomanyfandomsthings/749729499738996736/send-me-a-ship-and-a-number-and-ill-tell-you?source=share

No. 2, 10, 11, 12, 15 for Merthur, Klance and Drarry....Thanks 🌻

I don't mind being asked :). @comingfromastatechampionasshole, I hope this is alright with you, since it's your post. ^^ 2. What their love letters look like

Merthur: I imagine that Arthur would be the one writing love letters. Merely because Gwen told him he was unromantic and that Merlin WOULD do it. Merlin doesn't do it, however, because Arthur keeps calling him a girl. Besides, giving him flowers does the job just fine. So Arthur writes and writes and doesn't ever dare to give them to Merlin because of how much he himself cringes. Merlin finds the attempts between tax reports and the drawings Arthur sometimes makes of him. Merlin never mentions it either but they both know he's seen them.

Klance: Lance writes a DOZEN letters all the time for Keith. He makes a full show of it. But he also gives friendship love letters to Hunk and Allura and Pidge and everyone who appreciates it. Once in a while, Keith would give him one back and every single time, Lance starts to cry when no one is looking.

Drarry: Draco. But it's not love letters, it's HATE letters. It's little pictures of Harry getting electrocuted or sending goblins with insult poems at Harry. Once, he accidentally mixed a drawing of them holding hands up with one where he slapped him and when he noticed, he nearly obliviated Harry.

10. What TV shows they watch together, and which ones they hide from the other

Merthur: They watch Disney movies and specifically King Arthur movies together. Arthur hides that he's watching BBC Merlin though because he loves seeing Merlin use magic and wants to know what he's done the entire time. Merlin keeps that very show from Arthur, unsure how Arthur would react. Unbeknownst to him, Arthur keeps gushing about him every single episode.

Klance: They watch - I would say anything together. From documentaries to soap operas, they watch everything together. Keith hides that he's watching Mamma Mia though because he knows Lance will be insufferable when he finds out.

Drarry: When I say they watch everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Draco doesn't like to admit it but he's really fascinated with muggle technology and especially the effects, so he watches it all and then talks about how "shitty" those effects are, even though he's secretely amazed. Harry knows and teases him about it all the time.

11. What their first impression was of each other Merthur: instant attraction. Have you seen the episode? They were flirting. Merlin =brave idiot, Arthur = kind pratt Klance: Lance was amazed at first, completely focused on him which then turned into jealousy and an awkward crush. Keith didn't notice Lance at first, then slowly got to know him as Lance wiggled his annoying habits into Keith's life and Keith never wanted to let him go again.

Drarry: Draco had always wanted to meet THE Harry Potter and be friends with him, from the very day he learned they were the same age. When they met, he was shocked to find Harry to randomly antagonize him for reasons Draco couldn't fathom. Harry just saw a blond guy who reminded him all too much of his bullying cousin and instantly disliked him.

12. What they do for their anniversary Merthur: Arthur would absolutely forget about it until Merlin reminds him. Then Arthur would make Merlin plan a picnic, which Merlin has long planned anyway. And then they ride out and end up in trouble. It happens every year, the bandits are basically family by now.

Klance: Stargazing. But like, in the black or blue lion on a different planet. Lance really likes water planets and Keith likes deserts, so they switch it up every year.

Drarry: Draco would be OBSESSED with anniversaries. He makes monthly anniversaries and he keeps annoying Harry with it all the time. Like, "It's our 34th monthly anniversary, I GOTTO call at the Ritz to get a table!" Meanwhile, Harry is like: "He just loves going out and I like when he's happy." Anyways, Draco sometimes REALLY blows it out of proportion and arranges a meeting with the queen or something.

15. What they would change about each other

Merthur: ... "I don't want you to change. I want you to always be you."

Klance: At first it was the Mullet, but when Keith came back from the abyss, Lance is furious that Keith is now taller than him. So it's that, the height. Keith however, he's the jealous type, he's make Lance flirt with him more often. And yeah. MORE. Just so Lance doesn't flirt so much with everyone else anymore.

Drarry: Draco has a list. A very long, very detailed, very annoying list. He means absolutely none of it. Harry wishes Draco would stop writing that list. This was very fun to do haha XD I hope it was fun to read, too ^^

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Lance/hunk/shiro for character opinion bingo :3?

Hi!! Thanks for asking!!!!

Lance-

Everyone but me is wrong about them<3- Source: trust me bro. But ok seriously, everyone is going to have their own opinions and interpretations and they are more or less valid. I get that! And i also get that people are just having fun! I really do! I am not trying to be fun police! But also there is so much in the fandom that is Just......plain wrong whether it's coming from Lance stans or Lance haters or Keith stans who ship kl, i don't even know where to begin with. And even if i did know, if i started listing all of them we'll be here all day. Ok i think my biggest gripe is this insistence that if kl (or any Keith ship really) had became canon it could have saved vld, cause just no. No it won't. The writers hate their characters of colour and the Love Keith, if kl had became canon Lance would have just been reduced to being Keith's eye candy. Neither would making him Black paladin. Just look at what happened to Shiro and Kuron

They got done dirty by the fans- Kl shippers insisting that their fanon 'fixed' Lance and said fanon is Lance having every nuance or complexity removed with only things remaining is either his insecurities and him having a crush on Keith my beloathed. Please i need most fans (especially Keith stans) away from him, doesn't matter what their feelings about Lance are, all of them somehow come up with worse fanon

They got done dirty by the creators- Everyone and their mother has talked about this in great detail but still. Just. A farmer?!?! A FARMER?!?!?!!? Also apparently him moving to Altea even though he spent so much time missing Earth like?!??! I would have accepted that if it's because he is Allura's Prince Consort or a diplomat or something but this is just bullshit

Wasted Potential- Lance could have had such a great arc about being support and humility and finding his own place with his own strength but noOooOoo it's instead about how he'll only ever be second choice to fucking Keith

I am constantly going insane rotating him in my brain like a fork in a microwave- this fucker has been in my brain for 7 goddamn years and he is neither planning to leave nor planning to pay rent

Popular ships for this character suck- i actually like most of his ships except klance, the blight that it is (i enjoy it too occasionally but it's so everywhere it's getting on my nerves, free my boy i am tired of Keith)

Overrated- I love him. He is my most favorite character ever, but people need to shut up about him forever <333, especially because that fanon guy is not my son

Constantly listening to songs and mentally holding them up like paint swatches- i have. So. Many animatic ideas around Lance. So many of them

I WANT TO STUDY THEM LIKE COCKROACH- He's my little labrat and i am an unethical scientist about to have fun experimenting. He's just so intriguing, i think what's intriguing to me about is how much messy, contradictory and human he is as a character

FREE SPACE- Maybe i am bit biased here but in my opinion vld should have had three main focal points. Shiro, as he has connection with galra empire and the horrors they were committing in the present and the universe that needs to be rescued, saved and healed. Allura, as she has connection with the lions and their legend as well as the past of the galran empire and what was destroyed in their wake and seeks justice, healing, and remembrance. And finally, Lance, as he's connected to every member of the new team, no matter how uncertain and one sided those bonds were, to Earth and his family who never even knew about those dangers and are unprepared, what's at stake and the future that needs to be defended and protected.

What's wrong with him (affectionate)- He's so goddamn annoying<33333

Not Enough ScreenTime- Or atleast he definitely he needed more focus

My opinions would be received by most fans as akin to hitting a wasps nest with baseball bat- other than my dislike for kl? I think allurance was fine, yes the relationship needed better writing. But so did every relationship in this goddamn show buddy, as a matter al is one of the only ones that actually had some development for both the characters.

Also Lance should have stayed the blue paladin "He deserved to be someone's first choice" HE WAS ALREADY SOMEONE'S FIRST CHOICE!!! HE WAS BLUE'S FIRST CHOICE!!!! BLUE WAITED FOR HIM FOR 10,000 YEARS!!! SHE CHOSE HIM OVER THE BEST PILOTS, THE BEST ENGINEERS, THE BEST SCIENTIST AND SO MANY OTHERS!!!!! *rattling and gnawing on my cage bars*

BITING AND KILLING AND MAIMING THEM AND DEATH AND VIOLENCE- I am definitely Normal™ about him. Yup. Just don't look at my blog

Hunk-

i have answered him here!

Shiro-

They got done dirty by the fans- I do not get this opinion that Shiro staying dead would have fixed the narrative. Like Shiro had been dead since s2 and only came back at the end of s6 to be a side character. Him staying alive was not the reason behind the quality of the show decreasing. Also the entire "who should be the Black Paladin" debate is pointless the answer will always be the guy who fought Zarkon in the Astral Plane for it.

They got done dirty by the creators- Literally so fucking dirty, Shiro really goes from one of the most interesting character with compelling backstory integral to the plot, to a side character who may as well just not be there. The absolute bs of it all

Wasted Potential- Shiro had So Much going for him as a character, but alas

They work better as a part of a dynamic- Shiro and Black Lion parallel mirrored dynamic my beloved they'll never make me hate you <333. Cause seriously it's the most Lion-Paladin bond in the whole show, their shared similar trauma and that too from same people!!! How can you not???

The popular ships for this character suck- maybe this is just me being a Keith hater, but Shiro's dynamic with literally every other character was far more compelling then his dynamic with Keith. Like with Allura? Shared trauma from same people and also shared responsibility. With Pidge? Trying to find the same people they love. With Hunk? Two characters who struggle with their neurodivergency and need stability. With Lance? Character foils. In all these cases Shiro is in an equal position and feels like a character. With Keith however, platonic or romantic, the entire relationship is about how Keith feels about Shiro, and how sad Keith gets when Shiro gets hurt/missing etc etc, and just a completely one sided mess that is less about them equals and more about putting Keith on pedestal, which is just utterly boring nothing burger to me

I want to study them like a cockroach- Tell me your secrets boy <33

Not enough screen time- Yeah </3

My opinions would be received by most fans as akin to hitting a wasps nest with baseball bat- Like i said i find his dynamic with Keith at best boring and at worst detrimental to his character in canon in Doylist perspective way. Which sucks cause like it's fan favorite relationship in both canon and fanon and is also almost everywhere.

Also i know twinganes (Kuron and Shiro being bros) is really popular but i personally cant see them get along. Especially at first. Shiro canonically doesn't like Kuron and refers to him as an evil clone, which understandable, Shiro did spend months dead in astral plane while Kuron (unknowingly) took over his life and then goes on to nearly kill his friends. But it is also so unfair to Kuron who is not only dead but also no one is mourning him AND his body is being used by Shiro. So if Kuron were to survive all That™ i doubt he'll have high opinions about Shiro as well (hence my post s8 au)

And even if all that didn't happen i still think they'll have problems. Like at best they will be civil and friendly but also deeply uncomfortable around each other (Kuron cuz clone trauma and Shiro cuz Haggar trauma). At worst it's just this-

I like them but i don't think about him much- confession i personally found Kuron to be much more compelling as a character. Shiro is a good character! I get why people like him!!! But also if i had to choose between the two it would be Kuron without a doubt. Shiro just doesn't hit the brainrot levels of likability to me

[bleh1bleh2]

Sometimes i see voltron marvel au's. And all im saying is that lance would be spiderman and keith would be daredevil.

Feel free to read about my reasonings:

So i havent put a Ton of thought into it, its just in the background from also being a marvel enjoyer (AND mcu hater!!!!) for many years. But we all know spidey lance. Its good!! The quips, the flirting, the sharpshooter to shooting webs. It just works.

And keith? Is so so fitting of daredevil. The anger issues. The orphan with a tragic backstory. (The blade potentially being the boxer group that his dad was in before he died??? If youre taking the au more literally and anyways that doesnt really matter to my point) but basically it works so well

DD!keith being an asshole about his territory and lone wolfing crimefighting. Spidey!lance hearing about the masked man in the news. Going "im gonna say hi!" The meeting? Does not go super well

Lance is being an asshole. Keith is being an asshole. Keith doesnt know who spiderman is bc he never reads the news about that stuff. Lance is super offended. You get the point.

Then?? They begrudgingly team up. Then they get along? They work really well? But this guy is So Fucking Annoying and theyre not even friends...... omg theyre friends??? Wait no its not a crush!! Etc.

And thats all i have on those two!

(For the others i have no clue who they would be. Thinking about it for 2 seconds gives me a little something, but not a lot. Black widow allura. Winter soldier shiro. Neither of those fit super well but thats okay. This is brainstorming on the go)

(Maybe shiro could be one of the defenders?? Bc then he would have that background with keith. Maybe luke cage. Or jessica jones. Or danny rand bc the whole cult thing could be funny. And that was literally all of them. OR Elektra (in the way that her and matt are more siblings). It would be funny to me)

ANYWAYS. I think that is all. I cant think of who the others would be. The only thing i would say is that lance would also be a good human torch. (Literally glowing, super hot, famous, family man, jokes for days!! etc) but keith definitely works better as a daredevil than a spiderman and i cant see a daredevil and a human torch interacting in an interesting klance dynamic way

[breeeliss]

Alright, I’m killing this “Latino Loverboy Trope” that y’all love to attach to Lance because a) you guys clearly don’t know what the “Latino Loverboy Trope” is and b) Lance doesn’t even satisfy it. And before you get your panties in a twist, yes, I’m Latina and I’m calling bullshit on this so-called trope because nothing about Lance’s character, Lance’s vlog, or Allurance for that matter is racist, offensive, regressive, or out of character. 

What you guys are probably thinking of is some weird combination of The Latin Lover Trope and The Casanova Trope. But, as I said, Lance satisfies neither of these tropes. 

The Latin Lover Trope is built off this idea that if you’re a Latino man that has that thick accent, wears open shirts, pulls roses out of his ass, and whispers sweet Spanish nothings in your ear, you’re the sexiest thing on the planet. They’re the tall, dark, handsome men that are dripping in sex appeal and that women can’t possibly resist simply because they give off that weird fetishy “Latin vibe” that white people love to capitalize on. 

Suffice it to say that not one scrap of this applies to Lance because Lance isn’t portrayed as an impossibly suave, ridiculously sexy, totally irresistible character. If anything, most of the times that Lance tries to flirt with people, no one falls victim to the charm. Mainly because his charm is super corny and always kind of comes up at the wrong times (i.e. when the situation is serious/dire).

Not only that, but Lance’s Cuban heritage is not exaggerated for the sake of making him a more romantically/sexually appealing character. He doesn’t speak Spanish, he doesn’t have an accent, he doesn’t Salsa through the halls, and he doesn’t spit out Spanish poetry in an attempt to seduce anyone. Ergo, he doesn’t satisfy the Lain Lover Trope. So to call his flirting a Latinx stereotype is seriously reaching. 

Now, because people seem to have issue with the fact that Lance tends to flirt with any girl/femme-presenting alien he sees, let’s talk about the Casanova Trope, which Lance also doesn’t satisfy -- mainly because Casanovas tend to be complete assholes. 

The Casanova Trope is essentially what some people tend to accuse Lance of satisfying -- i.e. that he relentlessly flirts with girls (like Allura) in a way that seems disrespectful, objectifying, and ultimately not romantic. The problem with this is that Lance’s flirting is neither relentless nor objectifying. If it was, yeah, he’d be a Casanova, a man who essentially pursues women for the sake of bedding them and then abandons them simply to show how awesome he is. They hold no regard for a woman’s well-being. Additionally, this is usually a trope seen with straight white men. There is nothing about Lance’s flirting that suggests he’s doing it for the sake of breaking hearts, moving on, and wearing his conquests as a badge of honor. If anything, most of the times that he does pursue someone, it usually ends up badly for him, not the girl. 

And that’s essentially the point of his flirting. It’s harmless both in its intention and in its impact. Lance flirts because it’s his personality -- he loves being the center of attention and he loves hamming it up and charming people because he wants to seem cool. He doesn’t do it because he thinks he’s entitled to any of the girls he flirts with and he doesn’t do it to cause harm. And we know that his flirting doesn’t cause any harm because people find it annoying and poorly timed at its worse. 

Even in the cases where he’s flirting with Allura, she either ignores him or makes him the brunt of a joke (hence when he accidentally kissed one of the mice and when she essentially completely incapacitated him upon their first meeting). Others really only interfere to stop his flirting when it’s getting in the way of a mission, not because he’s being skeevy or inappropriate. And, you know what? People flirt. That’s sort of how you meet people and let them know you’re into them. You drop a line. You tell them how great they look. You compliment them. Flirting only becomes an issue when it’s relentless, inappropriate, or invasive (like what a Casanova or a sexual predator would try and pull). Again, Lance satisfies none of these things. 

The number one thing that people seem to forget (and this is something that I’ve seen a lot of people beautifully sum up on separate posts).....Lance is nothing less than a lovesick kid with a crush. 

That’s not the face of a kid who’s dripping in sex appeal that no woman can resist. And that’s not the face of a kid who only flirts with women because he sees them as easy trophies for him to collect and quickly discard for the sake of his own reputation. This isn’t a kid who objectifies women, disrespects women, or sees women as targets. This is a kid who at the end of the day is hopelessly crushing on someone that he genuinely admires and respects. The entirety of Lance’s vlog and a good portion of season 4 shows that Lance’s infatuation with Allura is not a trope, is not a gimmick, and is not disrespectful. It’s genuine and heartfelt. 

And for those who criticize Lance for his unwillingness to settle down in the vlog as him not taking his crush on Allura seriously and an embodiment of a Latin Love/Casanova trope, I say to you that Lance is 17/18 at the most. Just because you have a crush doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to admire other people or flirt with other people. This isn’t a courtship. He’s young and he’s in space where the possibilities are endless. He’s a kid who wants to explore, wants to experience, and wants to be open to the things to come. That’s not disrespectful to Allura and that doesn’t diminish his crush on Allura. It means he’s a healthy teenager. 

Criticizing Allurance and Lance’s characterization in season 4 because of this mysterious “Latino Loverboy Trope” is incredibly unfair to Lance’s character. There is nothing manipulative or toxic about Allurance, and Lance isn’t a racist stereotype. Come up with a better reason for why Lance slowly falling for Allura and Allura slowly starting to admire him back bothers you. 

[janestrider]

i wish i could go back to before season 6 when i was still hopeful the characters i liked would have satisfying arcs, and i could still believe all the main cast truly cared about everyone in their group instead of half of them still barely feeling like acquaintances to each other after all this time

[erithel]

Hi, I hope you're doing well, I have a question that I have always wanted to ask you and I will understand if you're not interested in answering it or busy the question is if you're given the chance to rewrite VLD what are the stuff you're going to change and the one you're going to keep the same, and how are you going to make klance happen without feeling forced like what are you going to add and/or remove to make the relationship feel natural?

Oh man what a cool question! (And I hope you're doing well, too).

To keep this post from becoming a literal essay, I'm going to stick with three of each.

So here's what I would change:

I would choose a base focus for the story, and have it either be about war or about space exploration (or one leading into the other).

I would take the time to establish the team as both a team, but also as friends.

I would amp up the consequences.

And here's what I would keep the same (and I know this might be controversial, but –)

The Lion switch.

Lance's crush on Allura in the beginning.

Lance's death and Keith's almost sacrifice.

Going back to the things I would change: I think one of the things the actual canon VLD would have benefited from was making it a show more about space exploration as opposed to war. War didn't really fit the tone of the show, overall, and I know it was aimed at a younger audience initially but I don't think they were doing anyone any favors by downplaying the atrocities of war and oppression.

This ties into addition #3, because war has consequences. Teenagers risking their lives has consequences. Teenagers being ripped away from their families and their home planet to fight a war they know nothing about has consequences. One of those teenagers finding out he has fucking alien DNA, and happens to be a hybrid of the enemy he's been told to hate – yeah that has consequences, too. One of those teenagers feeling isolated from the rest of the team and being talked down to most of the time, feeding into his already existing insecurities about not being good enough also has consequences.

And the thing I honestly thing we were denied the most in VLD was the fact that the Voltron Paladins were supposed to be the strongest, most efficient, most effective team in the universe; the team that shared one mind and worked so well together that they could seamlessly pilot a single robotic unit. And I feel that was not conveyed in canon. In fact, toward the end, the team felt very scattered and clique – just like 5 people doing their own thing and sometimes coming together to fight the bad guys. If I changed anything about this it would be getting them to the point where they really fit into the "found family" trope; that they had each others backs in life, not just in battle, and they formed an actual bond that no one else could possibly understand.

For the things I would keep the same – and bear with me, here, lol – the lion switch had so much potential. I would have kept the base of this and run with it. Keith being made to take the position he never wanted for reasons he hated – but moving it into a plot of the team having to re-learn how to work together. Having the team actually work together to help each other out, and having Keith be more of a "figurehead" leader rather than someone who had to call all the shots. It would have been a wonderful way to make the team stronger, while giving Keith an arc of learning how to rely on others. And it would have shown the other Paladins how valuable they were as a part of the whole.

I would have kept Lance's crush on Allura as a base for building a strong friendship between them. Because it would have been an amazing arc if Lance started the way he did – needlessly hitting on her, making her annoyed, etc – only to have them sit down one day and actually have a conversation that would have lead to them realizing they worked better as friends.

Lance's death and Keith's sacrifice are pretty obvious things for me to keep for anyone who has read literally anything I've ever created (my angst has angst lol). However, of course, these two instances would not have been brushed aside and forgotten.

I realize that I "kept" some things but also ended up changing them, too, buuuuut I'm still going to count it lol!

And as for Klance happening…I think it would have been phenomenal for Lance to have an actual bisexuality-realization arc. They were already on the path of rivals-to-friends in the early season of canon. And I think it would have been an easy thing to continue if Keith had stayed with the team, and Lance had learned to work with him as his right hand man.

(I actually legit believe that in canon Keith either already had a low-key crush on Lance the whole time, or at some point he just fell in love and stayed there.)

So for me, Klance happening would realistically center more around Lance realizing that the whole time he was picking on Keith because he wanted his attention, not because he hated him. That he was Keith's self-proclaimed rival because he wanted Keith to see that he was good enough, not because he wanted to beat his flight simulator scores or whatever. That it was "Lance and Keith, neck and neck" because he just wanted to walk beside him. That he wasn't jealous of Keith for everything he could do – it was a giant, suppressed crush, and he didn't know how to handle it.

Making Klance happen would be as easy as making them work together – making them realize that they, in fact, worked incredibly well together and made a good team (lol). And allowing them to realize that they didn't just work together well as teammates – they just liked being around the other person. And eventually they realized that everything was so, so much better with the other person in their life, and they never wanted to know what life would be like without that person.

The general consensus is that the canon story of VLD had some really amazing set ups, but not a lot of follow through. So that's what I would love to give it, if I ever miraculously had the opportunity to do a rewrite.

Of course I'm sure there are other things I would change, as well as keep the same, but these are the main ones that come to mind. :)

[paladin-shenanigans]

I tried to read the rules before sending but the post was half cut off and I couldn't find it in the search box on the mobile app 🙃 so I hope this is ok. I tried to get the gist of it. Also I haven't read every post so I'm not sure if this has been done yet and I haven't started rewatching it yet, but I'm not worried about spoilers so if it can't be avoided go ahead.

Anyway! So I was just wondering what the paladins (and Allura and Coran if that's ok) would do for a first date a potential SO they really liked.

(I normally gravitate towards a female SO but could it be a GN since that can include more people?)

oooo yes of course!! this sounds so cute and soft 😊 surprisingly nobody’s asked for this yet, and this is incredibly tame so i’d be more than happy doing this lmao. and yes on this blog i ALWAYS write a gender-neutral s/o!

shiro

☆ he’s probably one of the most chill date-planners of all of the paladins tbh. and when i say date-planner, i mean he is LITERALLY someone who plans his dates. everything that they do, what they’ll buy (if needed), what they’ll do...unfortunately this man may come off as a bit annoying because of this, but trust me, he’s doing it because he wants to make sure you’re happy <3

☆ but tbh...if he’s having a good time he’ll just completely move away from what he had planned. sometimes he’s aware that he can be kinda uptight with the things he does and whatever happens that makes you happy then he’ll go along with that. which is why he’d probably do something more relaxing, like dinner and maybe a movie.

☆ he definitely insists on taking care of the check, no matter if the two of you are having a sit down lunch or getting takeout, and will probably buy any snacks or drinks that you two want for the movie, heh.

☆ it doesn’t really matter if you guys are in a theater or at home, as long as it’s dark then this man has absolutely no problem with slinking an arm around you and pulling you close, holding your hand during an action or horror sequence if you need it, or maybe even kissing you during a more romantic moment. he’s a bit shy about showing affection at first, especially in a public place, but if it’s dark and nobody can see then he’ll be more okay with it.

☆ he’ll probably try to kiss you on the first date lol. it’s more likely than not that he’ll get all awkward and mess up, but as long as his lips end up meeting yours then he considers it a win

lance

☆ okay, so we all know for a fact that this boy is super flirtatious and likes to flaunt the fact that he’s a ladies man. but actually, when it comes down to ACTUALLY becoming romantically involved with someone he can get, like?? REALLY awkward?

☆ he’s a bit hesitant about asking his crush out on a first date, and he cannot hide his excitement if they accept. he probably likes to wing his dates a lot, but when it comes to the first one, he wants to think of what they can do together because he doesn’t want to mess up.

☆ he’d probably take his s/o swimming! probably at the beach since he likes the salt water, and it’s probably attributed to where he grew up. he also absolutely has a swimmer’s body so it’s likely that he’d be incredibly agile in the water. he’s more one to leisurely swim, no matter if he’s in a pool, lake, or ocean, but sometimes he’ll challenge his s/o to a race (which he’ll probably end up cheating at).

☆ he probably starts a random water fight too and slaps you with a noodle just to rile you up. it turns into this massive water battle that leaves you both exhausted and lying on the sand, panting and laughing together as you try to awkwardly hold hands

☆ he probably takes you for a sunset stroll on the beach just to look at the tide turning orange. he probably also tries to kiss you but randomly screws up, like maybe his nose hits your forehead when he leans in with his eyes closed? yeah he’s not as suave as he thinks he is, he’s definitely awkward but you still find it cute

keith

☆ unsurprisingly he is? SUPER shy about asking his crush for a date? i mean the two of you absolutely need a break fighting the universe when you can catch one, y’all are bound to be exhausted. but he KNOWS that the two of you need a moment to breathe, and in the end he’ll be thankful he did this

☆ he’s a blushing and stuttering mess, that’s for sure. it takes him probably forever to say it, but he asks to just take his s/o for a ride in the black lion (after shiro’s disappearance, or the red one, it depends on the time) just to take in the sights. he promises allura he won’t stray far from the castle but knowing him he probably will and may need a wormhole to get back

☆ he just asks you to sit back and enjoy the ride, and he probably was too since it felt like the lion was moving completely on its own, as if it knew what the two of you were doing there

☆ and it takes the two of you on the most beautiful space ride, through the most magnificent parts of the known universe that you two had ever seen. you catch a glimpse of an allusion of falling stars, probably fly through a group of those small eye-like creatures that glow with the light of nearby stars or suns, maybe even explore the atmosphere of a planet just to see what the sunsets are like

☆ keith is incredibly romantic and sweet in private, so be expected to be given a ton of kisses and hushed compliments under his breath. about how much he enjoyed spending time with you, how much you mean to him and how lucky he feels to have you in his life.

hunk

☆ believe it or not he actually has a lot more confidence than lance!! sure, he may end up a bit of a blushy and stuttery mess if his crush confesses to him first or acts romantic, but he trusts himself to go with his instincts

☆ he probably asks for you to come over and spend the evening with him as he cooks some of his best and most delicious meals for you. he likes cooking to bring people together, so he’d definitely do it to bring the two of you together and to impress you with his cooking skills of course!

☆ if his s/o is also a good cook then the whole thing will probably turn into this all out cooking war that took months, just to see who could impress who more with their skills

☆ he definitely will make the most romantic dessert though. also maybe a huge bowl of spaghetti that you two end up sharing and it all turns into that one scene from lady and the tramp lol. that’s probably how you two ended up kissing in the first place anyways, just ended up eating the meal together and liking it so much that the both of you lost touch with your surroundings and ended up kissing on accident xD

☆ he’ll probably make you chocolates or cakes as well on valentine’s day or just as a random show of kindness to cheer you up if you need it. it doesn’t have to be on a date, just whenever he feels like lifting your spirits.

pidge

☆ she is definitely one of the more awkward paladins when it comes to romance, besides keith, of course. she’d probably be the one to be asked out by her crush, which was very surprising to her.

☆ she’d probably stress about what to do since she doesn’t have much experience with this kind of thing, but as it turns out, since the two of you have similar interests, she’d probably ask if you wanted to just hang out and play video games together and you’d likely be more than happy to do so.

☆ if you weren’t familiar with it then she’d definitely introduce you to killbot phantasm, which of course is her favorite video game franchise. if you were, they you two would probably just end up playing it anyways, probably starting a new world together and working through it.

☆ as i stated in my minecraft headcanons, she isn’t much of a cheater, but she’s incredibly skilled in combat. there’s something about the way she plays that makes it so she can escape without getting too much damage done to her, so she’s always prepared to come to your rescue if you need it, even if she’s getting overwhelmed by an entire group of hostiles or enemies.

☆ she probably wouldn’t try to kiss on the first date. she tends to take these things slowly and see how it all feels before she tries something intimate like that.

allura

☆ like pidge, allura isn’t overly versed in romance either. she’s fine with smaller acts of intimacy, but prefers to take things slowly. however, she may turn head over heels quickly if someone expresses their feelings towards her.

☆ she’s someone who likes to relax and take in the atmosphere when it comes to moments with people she’s fond of, so maybe a nice relaxing walk in the park or even a slow drive just to take in the scenes.

☆ as someone who’s not familiar with a lot of earth flora and fauna, she enjoys learning about flowers and plants and even some of the wildlife. she’ll probably want to stop to smell all of the flowers just to see which one reminds her the most of the altean juniberry.

☆ the date probably ends with you two relaxing on a bench watching the sun set, and she’s absolutely amazed by the beauty of earth sunsets. how everything turns orange, painting the horizon and the earth with pinks and browns and oranges. she’d comment about how beautiful it is and how much it makes her miss altea, how lucky you are to have such a beautiful home.

☆ there’s no way you wouldn’t comfort her (right? please tell me this is true) and she only grows more fond of you if you let her know that she feels like a newfound family to you. trust me, saying this will absolutely make her heart swell and it’ll probably be enough to make her want to kiss you.

coran

☆ he isn’t one to put much thought into romance or dates in the first place. he prefers to focus on keeping allura safe before anything, but of course, if he comes across someone he just can’t keep his mind off of, then he’ll just become absolutely smitten with them.

☆ he’s kind of awkward at first, but in the end he’ll be SO HAPPY that he asked them out. he’d be more like “do you want to maybe go do something together” instead of asking them out on an actual date. but if it feels like a date then he’d consider it an accomplishment.

☆ as a first date, he’d definitely take them to, you guessed it: THE SPACE MALL. he’ll show them around to all of his favorite places and stands and may end up getting distracted by a stand that sells really cool weapons or antiques.

☆ he’s not a massive video game player, but he’d be more than happy to accompany you to a stand that sells limited edition cartridges and disks for the gaming systems you do have on the ship. but trust me, as soon as this man gets hooked on a video game, he gets HOOKED. he will come by and ask you if you want to play a level with him at one of the WORST possible times.

☆ he’s not one to kiss on the first date, especially if it’s happening in such a public place. he keeps his romantic energy for that kind of moment saved up for later when he knows that he’ll need it.

[romelle]

can i humbly request some lance headcanons (with a dash of kl)? i'm not having the best of days rn, mental health wise, and your headcanons always make me smile <3

i'm really sorry about not seeing this sooner 😥 here's a super long post to hopefully make up for it

lance, holding his camera like he's making a vlog: day 175 of being single in space! doing good, having a fun time. this morning keith raised my chin up with the point of his sword and i blacked out for solid five minutes.

animals love him. this is a fact.

allura, after hearing him talk to kaltenecker: do the two of you have a mind link too?

lance: nah, it's just fun. don't you ever talk to the juniberries?

allura: never, no

lance: you should! flowers love that junk. especially when you tell them they're pretty

allura: i would lay down my life for you

this charm extends to sentient lions, too. whenever he's homesick, he talks about it with blue. it's easier to remember things when connected to her, so he doesn't have to worry about forgetting anyone's face

however sometimes... their connection is a curse

lance: thank you for the talk, beautiful!

blue: of course, paladin. but there's also a different talk i wanted to have with you.

lance: oh? shoot.

blue: not shoot, only talk.

lance: no, yeah, right. go for it

blue: i noticed the feelings you've been having around the red paladin lately, and i thought that i should let you know that it's perfectly natural to-

lance: haha alright not doing that. where’s the eject button

he talks about it with the team, too. usually they're very nice, but sometimes he gets so dramatic that they can't not tease him about it

allura: lance? is everything alright?

lance: yeah, yeah.

lance: it's just that, my sister veronica has a dress like that.

hunk: really? i didn't even know that veronica wears dresses

lance: i mean, it was no ball gown. and hers was blue, not pink. and the material was different. and the sleeves. and the bodice. because there was no bodice. because they were jeans.

hunk: ...why are you like this

pidge: i love you, but you're so annoying

lance, flopping back onto the couch, an arm over his forehead: ronnie used to say that

whenever someone asks him for an autograph, he signs it with lancey lance, and then also adds little sparkles around the name

lance is the one who makes sure the team bonds beyond just the standard exercises. he did it with pidge back at the garrison, and he'll do it with keith now, even while still managing their rivalry

lance: so are you coming to the game night or?

keith: you... want me to?

lance: obviously

keith: oh. i guess i thought that it's just for the three of you

lance: no way. beating hunk and pidge won't be half as fun as beating you

keith: this again. why are you so set on beating me?

lance, in his head: because i have a huge crush on you and want your attention, but i don't know how else to get it

lance, out loud: can't let myself be bested by a guy with a mullet

allura is also a hard one to crack. this is mostly because human and altean definitions of team bonding are WILDLY different 

allura: i'm so glad you suggested that we have this bonding session lance! i had a lot of fun training with you

lance, on the floor, wheezing: great. me too.

allura: shall we say the same time tomorrow?

lance: uh, about that

lance: not that i don't enjoy getting my ass kicked by a pretty girl every time we hang out, but maybe we could do something a little different?

allura: of course! what did you have in mind?

lance: uh. i dunno. what do you usually do for fun?

allura: ...do you know those chairs with little wheels that we have?

lance: sure

allura: sometimes i take one of those and roll around the castle.

allura: or i just hang out with the mice! they're really good at juggling. i've also been talking to the juniberries, like you told me to

lance:

lance: are you aware of the fact that you're perfect

allura: yes :-) now should i get the chairs or what

he's a smart guy! he works on the battle strategies with shiro and allura, helps pidge learn altean, shows hunk some piloting tricks, teaches coran all about earth, and he's always the one keith turns to for an explanation if there's something he doesn't understand

doesn't stop him from being a goof, though

keith: (walks into a room)

keith:

keith: can you please stop doing that

lance, clearly holding his holoscreen and pressing play on a booing sound effect: doing what

one day he accidentally presses the wrong thing, and then a super cheesy love song starts playing at full volume

hunk: you put this song on your keith playlist? that's really embarrassing for you, buddy

pidge: you have a keith playlist????

lance, scrambling to press pause: shut up shut up shut up i hate you both how the fuck do i TURN THIS OFF

keith, who just came in to ask if anyone saw his gloves: um

[mimi-croissant]

Artist Keith and Theater Kid Lance, specifically the musical variety. (They are in junior year of high school, and have known each other since freshman)

Keith paints the backdrops for most productions, and, obviously, Lance acts. They have been against each other ever since Keith dropped a bucket of paint on Lance’s head when he was painting a certain backdrop.

Lance secretly admires Keith’s paintings, and would’ve told him so if they didn’t get off on such a wrong foot.

(Later, when they start dating, Lance will always compliment Keith’s paintings and wrap his arms around Keith’s waist while he’s painting, humming a little song. Today is not that day.)

Keith also secretly enjoys hearing Lance sing, even though he always tells Lance he sounds like a screaming banshee. Keith will take this secret to his grave, but while he paints, he listens to Lance’s covers of the songs on his Spotify, because I think you can post your own music to Spotify and Lance does that. Lance follows Keith on Instagram, too, but it’s a ~separate account~ from his main. (He’s gotta have the rivalry keep up people.)

Now, for my favorite parts, first friendship/feelings realization:

They become friend-friends when they are basically the only two people in the studio, since Keith has to paint and Lance has to practice. Lance is bored, obviously, and starts a conversation with Keith, who is annoyed at first, but they end up having and easy flow of conversation, and are exchanging jokes that has Lance clutching his waist and Keith having to stop painting for a second.

(They end up having an inside joke, where Allura says something during practice and Lance says something really weird, and nobody knows what it means but Keith starts cackling.)

Keith realizes his feelings first, and what he thought was just physical attraction had become a real crush, and he realizes this one day when he goes to the studio after hours to finish a painting, but he finds Lance there instead, walking and cleaning, a pair of headphones in as he’s singing along to whatever is playing on his phone. Keith can barley comprehend the fact that Lance is singing Spanish, because all he can think is that Lance looks beautiful. He panics and bolts into his favorite corner of the studio before Lance can see him, and Keith just draws.

Lance realizes just randomly one day, part of the cast, aka the Voltron friend group, is out for coffee after a rehearsal, and it’s closer to opening night. Keith still has paint on his cheek, his hair in a messy ponytail as a bandana holds his bangs up, and he’s laughing at something while drinking his coffee and almost spitting it out, and Lance kinda just looks at him and is like “oh.”

The best part, the get together scene. It’s opening night and of course Lance does amazing, and Keith’s backgrounds are complimented a lot, and then Lance goes up to Keith and starts talking about how awesome it all was, and Keith is just so filled with happiness he tackles Lance in a hug, which Lance eagerly reciprocates.

They pull away slowly, not wanting to let go of the other. When they look into each other’s eyes, it kind of just clicked, and they both leaned forward to share a kiss.

[petri808]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Come again? I didn’t catch that.”

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

“Me??”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

5.1

*** Mute prt 1

Premise: Having saved a planet the Paladins all get a wish. Langst.

Scene: Not dating but there’s some super heavy pining. Keith is with the Blades. Surgery. Self harm. This ones split into two because of the length. No alternative chapter.

Lance used to love the fame being a Paladin brought with it. Growing up in a loud family, there’d never been as much silence in his life as living on the castle had brought… but even then things hadn’t been the same since Keith left. It started with small things at first. Being told to “shut up” hadn’t happened over night. No. First he’d been ���in the way”. Then he’d been “useless”. Then it was all “leave the math to Pidge”. Then they’d had that adventure with the sentry and he’d thought Hunk and Pidge had his back… only for him to go back to being as useless and annoying as ever. The real kick to the teeth was being told to shut up. So when people wanted to praise him as part of Voltron, he’d thought he’d loved it… only now he felt like a phoney.

He wasn’t as smart as Pidge. He couldn’t cook like Hunk. He wasn’t as seasoned and calm as Shiro. Nor was he was beautiful as Allura. Even Coran had stopped asking him to help with all the castle chores and never seemed to notice when he’d take it upon himself to clean in an attempt to make everyone’s life easier. When Keith had been there he hadn’t been as lonely as he was now. It was very much as saying the said. You don’t know what you have until it was gone. Lotor was now dating Allura. His heart broken that she’d choose such a slime ball over him, but then again, he’d always just be that boy from Cuba who’d loved space. When Keith had been there… he’d felt listened to. He’d felt like he was doing a good job. He’d been such an arsehole to Keith, only to realise that he’d been acting like a child pulling on the pigtails of their crush.

And boy was his crushing on Keith.

Keith… Keith had been through so much. Their friendship wasn’t exactly instantaneous. If he could go back and shake some sense into himself he would. But when he’d finally pulled his head out his arse and realised Keith was just as lonely as he was, that was when he’d made it his mission to make sure Keith was included. Even when he didn’t want to be. Somehow it’d turned into late nights watching the stars. Secret and initially awkward training sessions where Lance confessed his jealousy over Keith’s skills with his blade and Keith had shyly yelled at him about his skills with his blaster. Lance still hated training, but he didn’t hate it nearly as much when he and Keith were working together.

Then Keith had left to find his mum. Lance was excited for him, but… he missed him. Stealing a few doboshes between their schedules was hard. Lance didn’t want to pile his problems on Keith’s shoulders. He didn’t want to tell him how absolutely worthless he was feeling. Where Keith had listened, Shiro had told him to shut up right in the middle of a briefing. All he’d wanted to do was mention there was a better position for him to snipe from… but when Pidge said the same thing, she was praised for it and he was questioned as to why he didn’t speak up.

It’d started to feel like every time he opened his mouth he was being told to shut up before he’d even said anything. Everything felt so damn much as it was. And Shiro… shit. He might not be Keith but that didn’t mean he couldn’t support Shiro the way he had supported Keith. Keith had told him that Red had seen his potential… maybe he’d let it go to his head? Because he didn’t feel like he had any potential left.

“Paladins, we owe you a debt of gratitude. Your deeds here today have saved our planet and our people. For each of you, we shall grant you one wish. If we can make it possible for you, we shall. Please think of your wish and we shall know”

The planet, Zakarzo, was a lot like the home planet of the Olkari… only without the trees. The planet an electric city, where every thing upon it was connected. So maybe not like the Olkari given the lack of “wild nature”, but kind of like them with the whole “everything is connected” feel. Naturally the Galra had been interested on getting their hands on the tech of the planet. A huge super computer sat beneath the temple complex they were currently in. Every part of the planet was designed by the computer, from the fake trees to the real designated garden spaces. Before them sat the official council of the planet, all androids designed by the computer as a human interface and extension… not that they were human or looked human… but there were more “human” than some races they’d come across seeing they had the whole two hands and two legs thing going.

Staring at the green lines running through the black of the floor, Lance knew what he wanted to wish for. He wanted Keith to hurry up and find his mum so they’d come back. He wanted that so badly for him… but that wasn’t a wish the people of this planet could help with. Besides, it was a selfish wish. He only wanted them to hurry up and come back so he could see Keith again. So what would be a good wish. Maybe he should wish for his silence? It was a wish that’d make everyone else happy. They’d never have to hear his annoying voice again… and he couldn’t be told to shut up if he couldn’t talk. Then again, what was wrong with being selfish? No. His Mami had always told him not to be selfish. If only this planet had the key to ending the war and sending him back home.

“Your wishes have been heard. Please follow the path indicated with your colour to find the answer to your wish. Black Paladin, your light will be white. All of you have done us a great service. Please take these wishes with you out into the universe and may they serve you well”

Rising from kneeling, their five colours formed where the green lights had been. All leading off in a different direction. His red light looking nowhere as appealing as the others

“Shall we?”

Shiro nodded at Allura

“We should at least see what they have in store for us”

Allura giggled

“I’m rather excited. I wished for a bath with mountains of bubbles”

See. That was perfectly reasonable wish. Allura had a hard time with all she had to do around the castle. Pidge was practically bursting out her skin

“I wished for tech! I wish I could move here!”

Shiro ruffled their smallest paladin’s hair

“Why am I not surprised? Hunk?”

“I’m kind of curious about their food storage technology. Lance?”

Lance opened his mouth, Pidge cutting him off

“I bet he wished for a hot robot babe”

The Cuban’s face flushed red

“I did not”

“Whatever. I guess we’ll find out later. I’m off to get my hands on that tech!”

Pidge took off jogging along her green line. You could take the tech-wizard out of the castle…

“Don’t be late back to the castle!”

“I won’t! See you later!”

As the others seemed to think it was time to split, Lance looked to his red line. He wasn’t sure what’s wished for, but right now he’d settle for the world opening and swallowing him whole.

*

Following the red line down four levels, Lance wasn’t sure where he was as he headed through a red door. Behind the door was some kind of lab, where android parts being placed together

“Red Paladin Lance, welcome. Please follow the red lit path to the end of the hall. You will find the answer to your wish within”

Lance nearly jumped at the disembodied head talking to him. It looked so life like… maybe they were going to swap him out for an android… it’d be far more useful

“Uh… thanks”

With his arms wrapped around himself, Lance headed down the hall to another red door, letting himself in, three androids were waiting for him, two on standby by the seems of it

“Lance. Please take a seat. You may call me Leah. It is the closest translation to my name in your database”

“A-are you…?”

“I am not an android. I do have upgrades, but I mean you no harm. Your wish has been heard and I wish to help”

“Um… I’m sorry, I’m not quite sure what my wish is”

“You wish to have your voice removed so as to not upset your team further. We cannot help with your other wishes. They are beyond our capacity. Please take a seat so I might examine you”

When she put it that way… He didn’t want to lose his voice… but he was the annoying one and the least important. Him losing his voice really would be doing them a favour. Moving over to sit on the edge of the bed, Lance pulled his helmet off

“Excellent. Now, I will scan you. You won’t feel any pain”

Above him a red ring of light flicked on. Red had always been Keith’s colour, not his

“You seem fond of this Keith”

Thank god the light was red or Leah would see how much he was blushing

“He’s a friend”

“Who must mean a great deal to you”

“He does”

“Tell me then. Why do you wish your voice gone. Do you not think he’d miss it?”

“Keith isn’t with us anymore”

“Oh, I’m sorry”

Lance shook his head

“No! No. Not like that. He’s got his own path. He’s alive”

Leah smiled warmly at him

“That is good news indeed. Will he not miss your voice?”

Probably not. No one else on the team would. Just because he liked Keith didn’t mean liked him back…

“My team finds my voice annoying. The universe needs them more than I need my voice”

“You Earthlings are quite strange and complex creatures. The others made wishes for themselves, while you thought of Keith and your team. Your procedure will take approximately 5 of your Earth minutes. Would you prefer to lose your voice immediately, or shall would you like to lose it gradually?”

Lance’s heart was racing. He didn’t want to do this but he had to… he couldn’t take being told to shut up again

“Um… how long is gradually?”

“Over the next castle movement”

“That might be better… just in case…”

Just in case they actually wanted to talk to him. Leah placed her hand on his knee

“Your throat will be very tender after the procedure. I would recommend speaking minimally. On our planet we have evolved past speech. Talking is quite a novel thing”

“How do you communicate things? You speak really good English”

“By electrical impulses. It your electrical impulses that have taught me your language”

That was kind of creepy… though it did explain a lot. Leah wrinkled her nose as she laughed

“I understand. For you it must be very strange. To us a kiss is strange”

“How do you show affection?”

“With a lover one may kiss. With a friend we rub noses. I have insufficient data as to where this tradition came from”

He’d take a kiss from Keith any quintant of the movement… or even a friendly nose rub

“That’s nice. I wish Keith knew how I felt. Maybe I’ll use the last of my voice to tell him?”

“I think that would be more than acceptable. Now. Should there be any complications, your castle healing pods will heal you. However, be sure you wish to go through a cycle. Once you have we will have no way of undoing the procedure as it will heal the damage permanently”

“Okay. And if I don’t heal it?”

“You may return here at any time for treatment”

“I don’t think my team would let me come back”

“We are now part of your coalition. Shall we begin?”

“Will it hurt?”

“Not during the process. It will be completely painless”

“Then I guess we should do this”

*

Rubbing noses with Leah, Lance was the last one to return to the front of the castle after receiving his wish. He felt no different than before, except for maybe a tingling in throat where they’d made a small incision that was then wiped away with their tech.

Sighing at him, Pidge had a scowl on her face that rivalled Shiro’s

“He really did wish for a girl”

“Lance, I hope that wasn’t what it looked like”

“Oh, no. It’s a greeting thing here. Leah taught me about it”

Pidge made air quotations with her fingers

““Greeting” he says”

“It is. Anyway, let’s go”

He didn’t feel any different. Leah said it’d fade with time… but what did he do with the time he had? Did he tell Keith? How could he tell Keith? He couldn’t blurt out that he missed him every single tick of every single quintant. That verged on stalkery… but… maybe he should explain it? So the others could find a proper replacement for him? He doubted they’d even care really. Pidge was always with Hunk. Allura was loved up with Lotor. Shiro was off doing whatever he did and Coran was reliving the glory days of when Altea and Diabazaal were besties. No one cared about him and his issues. He’d keep his head down and let the treatment take affect… maybe they’d miss his voice? Maybe they’d realise what he’d done. Giving a shake of his head, he knew he was asking for too much. This was why he was still sat at the kid table when it came to family get togethers. He just wasn’t good enough, no matter how much older he got.

Trudging back to his room, the others were all talking about their wishes. None of them seemed to have noticed when he peeled off and left them too it. As the door to his room closed, Lance sank down against it. What more could he do? He didn’t want to lose his voice. He’d worked so hard to learn English. To reach the Galaxy Garrison like his big sister Veronica. He knew he was a spaz and that he wasn’t good enough to date Allura, but with how she’d started acting he’d wondered what he’d seen in her. She was nothing like Keith. Keith didn’t call his ears weird. Keith didn’t make him feel about two inches tall. They’d talked about everything… He missed his best friend. If Keith had been there, he would have used his wish on him. Keith never really got people, or least that was what he said… but that was because he didn’t know how express his worry. Not like him who blathered over everything. Now he’d given up his voice. What had he done?

*

Landing his borrowed pod, Keith prayed he wasn’t too late. Having been on a mission he’d had to wait until he’d returned to Blade HQ before he could check his comms. The message he’d gotten from Lance was two quinants old. Lance’s face… his voice…

“Hey, mullet. I… I know I’m probably calling at the wrong time and you’re off being amazing as kick some Galra arse… but… I… I just want to say that… I want to say thank you… uh… for being my friend. I know I’m not… not meant to be a Paladin. I’m… not smart like Pidge and Hunk, or kick arse with a blade like you. I’m sorry for all the times I was jealous of you. You… you’re a good guy, and I really hope you find your mother. No matter what… no matter what you do, I’m sure you’re doing the best you can… Keith… please… please don’t hate me. I did something… and I’m so scared. I’m so scared I’m never going to get to tell you how much you mean to me… you… I really like you. It’s pretty funny isn’t it? Someone like me… anyway… Just know that… that I was proud to serve with you. And that I’m praying with all I can that you find your Mum. Stay safe out there, mullet”

He must have watched the message a hundred times on the flight over. He couldn’t get Lance on his comms, no matter how hard he tried. Lance… he was loud and obnoxious. Not afraid to fart out the punch line of his joke. He wasn’t the man who’d left him the message. That Lance looked like he hadn’t slept in a month. His colour pale and his gaze anywhere but at the camera. Keith’s stomach had dropped as his heart started racing. This wasn’t the Lance he knew. The Lance he liked but didn’t dare dream liked him back. They’d gotten closer before he’d left… he’d left to not only find his mother, but because Lance loved being a Paladin. He did a good job backing all of them up. He wanted Lance to have that… and everything he loved about being a Paladin along with it.

Landing in the dock, the others had come to meet him. He wasn’t scheduled back yet, but that didn’t meant they weren’t happy to see him. Shiro opening his arms for a hug

“Hey, kiddo! What brings you back?”

Pausing long enough to hug his brother, Keith drew back to look at his team

“Where’s Lance?”

Pidge shrugged

“Probably asleep. He’s been doing that a lot lately. You can tell when he’s not around, it’s nice and quiet”

What? Lance loved Pidge like a sister. He was the first, and only one brave enough, to stand up to a sleep deprived Pidge

“You… you guys haven’t seen him? Hunk? He’s your best friend?”

Hunk shook his head

“Pidge and I got some pretty amazing tech. We’ve been working on it… Shiro?”

Shiro also shaking his head

“I haven’t seen him. Allura?”

“I have been assisting Lotor… Coran? Lance usually helps you with the castle chores, does he not?”

“Not for a few movements now… I’m sure he’s tickety-boo wherever he is!”

Keith didn’t think Lance was “tickety-boo” at all

“Did anything happen recently? Anything strange?”

The team looked to each other

“Not unless you count our last successful mission… but that was last movement”

“What happened?”

Shiro sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose

“We were all granted a wish for helping to defend against invading Galra. Lance disappeared and reappeared with a girl he was acting very intimate with. It was humiliating to think his wish went on that”

Keith couldn’t unhear Shiro’s answer. He felt gut punched at it. He and Lance had gotten so close… and he didn’t think the Lance he knew would do that. Not when Lance was such a hopeless romantic. Then again, he was rather hopeless. Namely the Nyma incident

“He sent me a message. I think something happened and from the sound of it, it must have happened then”

Shiro frowned his infamous “disappointed Space Dad” frown

“He contacted you?”

“He did. We’re friends… but he was acting really weird”

Pidge rolled her eyes

“This is Lance. If he’s not overly dramatic at least a dozen times a day, he literally complains how he’s “literally going to die””

“I’m telling you something is wrong with Lance!”

Why wouldn’t they listen? He’d left so Lance would be more secure in his place on the team. He wanted Lance to be safe and happy. Lance deserved so many good things… and… he’d left because he’d come so close to kissing Lance so many times. He knew he was being internally pathetic. Lance was all sun shine, while he was an “emo edge lord”.

“You said he sent you message, can you play if for us?”

Uh. He hadn’t thought about that. The message felt so intimate… kind of too intimate to share. He didn’t want Lance being laughed at or thinking he was being laughed at behind his back. Lance had sent it to him, and if he was listening to it right, then Lance actually liked him

“There’s no clues in it. I think we should find Lance and talk to him properly about it”

Pidge sighed at him as she opened her comms, tapping on the screen as she did

“His comms say he’s in his room. Look, this is Lance. I’m sure he’s just being dramatic”

“If he’s being dramatic then I’m going to hit him, but for now I’m going to go look for him. We’ll catch up with you guys later if everything’s okay”

Lance wasn’t in his room. His room creepily clean. Lance wasn’t a slob about his personal space, but he did believe in organised chaos. He said part of it came from his depression, and part of it came from never having any privacy. What good was it to put things away when people helped themselves anyway. Opening the door to Lance’s bathroom, Keith’s poor heart started racing all over again. On and in the sink was bloody vomit. Beside the faucet sat the Altea version of a painkiller. Lance hadn’t looked well. As he backtracked back into Lance’s room, he knocked Lance’s desk, sending his data pad falling to the floor. Picking the pad up, he didn’t mean to look at the screen, but when he saw a file named “mullet”, he couldn’t help himself.

Opening the video in the file, it wasn’t the same one Lance had sent. Lance looked so much worse than he had before. His voice barely above a hoarse whisper

“Hey… Mullet. I guess if you’re watching this you came back. I wish… you didn’t have to find out like this… I… none of the team likes me. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong… but I made a wish. I wished my voice was gone. I mean, if I can’t talk then I can’t say the wrong thing. I must have said the wrong thing because you didn’t reply. The planet said they could fix me if I went back… but what’s the point? No one’s noticed… but I guess no one cares about the seventh wheel. I was only ever a pilot because you left… and left again. I’m sorry… I’m so fucking scared… I know I chose this… but these could be my last words forever… I’m sorry I fell in love with you. I’m going to use a pod. Once I do I’ll never be able to speak again. Don’t hate the team. They saw me for who I really am… and that’s not a good person. You’re good Keith… I hope you never see this but I had to say it out loud at least once”

Letting the data pad fall from his hands, Keith bolted.

Sprinting to the infirmary, he threw himself into the room. Standing in a pod, Lance was bathed in blue. How could Lance…? Why? He couldn’t imagine a world where Lance wasn’t laughing. Where he wasn’t trying his hardest to cheer the team on with his bad jokes. Making his way to the pod, he knew there was a button to get Lance out, but he didn’t know which one. Nothing seemed to be working as his fingers mashed the display.

Something he hit set off an alarm, Coran coming running into the room with the others. Shiro half yelling as he kept trying to get the pod open

“Keith?! What are you doing?!”

“We have to get him out! He has to come out!”

“Good gracious! What is he doing in there in the first place!?”

“His wish! He wished his voice was gone! The pod is healing him so he never talks again!”

Coran sprang into action

“Right, out the way Number four! Let me see”

Shiro pulled Keith away from the pod as he fought to stay near Lance. He couldn’t believe Lance had done this. He loved the messages Lance would send him and nothing felt as good as when he managed to get through to talk to him after a hard mission. He’d never told Lance that could he listen to him prattle on about Cuba for vargas. Now… now Lance’s voice was gone.

“I’m sorry. We’ll have to let the pod finish it’s cycle. He’s already been in there 12 vargas”

Keith’s knees gave out. That was it… he’d only ever hear Lance’s voice through all the messages he’d kept

“No… no way…”

Shiro lifted him off the floor and onto the infirmary bed. Keith so filled with pain and guilt he didn’t know what to do. How could the team let it come to this?!

“Keith, I think you should explain what’s going on”

“Lance… he used his wish… to take his voice away… I knew he… knew he didn’t feel worthy of being a Paladin… and I thought… things would be better and… you guys did this to him”

“What’s that supposed to mean?! We didn’t do anything to Lance!”

Pidge yelling only made him yell back, tears starting to roll down his face

“He always felt like the dumb one! You guys didn’t do anything to him and that’s just it! You didn’t do anything with him anymore! He didn’t tell me everything but… I could… I couldn’t… I couldn’t fill the hole you guys made… He… thought… he thought he’d never be enough for all of you!”

“I think we should start by confirming Lance’s wish. Keith, I know this is hard for all of us right now, but we need to see the message Lance sent you”

Shiro didn’t have the right to use such a considerate tone

“Why? So you can laugh at him when he comes out?!”

“That’s not fair! If he was struggling he should have come to us”

“Obviously he felt like he couldn’t!”

Coran cleared his throat

“Number three will be in the pod for another 5 vargas. I suggest we use this time productively. Allura, please contact the planet. Pidge, see if there’s anything in the data base about this. The pod reads he had a severe throat infection…”

“There was blood and vomit in his bathroom… and his name is Lance, not number three. Why didn’t you guys notice he was sick… then again… he probably didn’t want to be a burden”

“But why would Lance talk to you and not us? No offence, man… you guys didn’t seem that close”

Keith didn’t look to Hunk, he didn’t trust himself not to snap at him too

“Probably because we got pretty close when Shiro disappeared. He knew I felt like an outsider with how close you three used to be… Stupid idiot… He…”

Allura tried to calm him by being “understanding”

“Keith we all know how you feel…”

“I’m pretty sure you don’t”

“Hey, he’s our friend too”

“But you’re not in love with him!”

Well he’d said it now. Hugging himself, Keith cursed the fact he didn’t get Lance’s message sooner. Shiro reaching out to squeeze his shoulder

“Kiddo…”

“Just don’t. Can you all leave? I want to be alone with him for a bit”