#ch: ulaz

[maychorianrecs]

Forge Fire by squirenonny

Forge Fire by squirenonny Words: 19,745 Author’s Summary: Keith thought he’d passed the Trials of Marmora, but when he approaches Kolivan looking for information about his mother, he learns there are four more Trials to pass before he can call himself a Blade. Kolivan, Antok, and Thace watch as Keith undertakes the remainder of his Trials, and they remember their own Trials—a grueling ordeal from which no one emerges unchanged. They cannot aid him in the Trials, but they can help him prepare, and they can help him through the aftermath. After all, the Blades are kin, and kin does not let kin suffer alone. One part Dads of Marmora, one part Kolivan introspective. My Comments: I adore the worldbuilding and the emotions and the backstories and the characterization and everything about this, basically. Kolivan's perspective is so warm and rich, and Keith's desperation to belong is palpable. The ending was ridiculously satisfying, too, and I just... This story feels GOOD, y'all. You should definitely read it.

[farmhandler]

Bittersweet

Bittersweet

Rating: M

Pairing: Sendak/Shiro

Warnings: Daddy Kink, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy Sendak, Bottom!Shiro

CH: 8/?

WC: 5K~

Read on AO3 | Read the whole series

A/N: I did forget to post ch7 on here so go read that first!!! Enjoy ch8~

Hearing his voice after so long was tougher than Shiro would have imagined. It didn’t help that when Sendak picked up only two rings in, the first thing out of his mouth was “Shiro."

There was no hello, no question as to who was calling or what he might want. Just his name, breathed with reverence.

“Hi,” Shiro said, pausing after. He was still driving, so he had the road to focus on and keep himself from shooting his phone constant glances. “So, um, hey. It’s been a while.”

Sendak didn’t say anything, which boded well.

“I was wondering. I mean—I got the call from Ulaz. But that’s not why I’m calling,” he hastened to add. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the steering wheel to help keep himself calm. “Though I wasn’t expecting that. You still find ways to surprise me sometimes.”

More silence. Shiro licked his lips.

“How are you doing? You haven’t had any issues since I saw you last?”

Immediately Shiro wanted to slap himself. I know you almost died, but how’s it going?

Still there was no response. He glanced at his phone, but he wasn’t muted.

Did Sendak not want to talk to him that much? His fingers went tight around his steering wheel. Shiro was starting to suspect that calling Sendak had been a mistake. If he was going to give him the silent treatment after they had agreed to a break, then maybe they weren’t ready to have this conversation.

He was about to say as much when he heard Sendak’s voice crackle to life from his speakers.

“I’m doing well,” Sendak said, in a tone Shiro wasn’t sure he’d ever heard. His voice sounded wet, like he was seconds from crying. “Are you…” There was a painfully long pause, and when Sendak continued, his voice broke. “Are you well?”

A wave of longing and grief slammed into Shiro so hard that his knuckles gripping the steering wheel went white. He swallowed a few times before answering.

“I’m okay,” he said. “Can we talk?”

“Yes,” Sendak replied with immediate understanding. There was no need to ask what Shiro meant. And this time, he sounded much more collected. “I would like that. I would—” he paused. Shiro prayed he wasn’t about to start crying because he didn’t think he could handle that, and he still needed to see to be able to drive. “I would like to see you.”

“We can do that.” Shiro hesitated, but couldn’t stop himself from adding, “I’d like to see you, too.” More than ever. “Where do you want to meet?” Tapping his fingertips against the wheel, Shiro considered his options. There weren’t many. He would prefer it to be private. “…My apartment?”

“I will take you out.” Shiro opened his mouth, but Sendak was still talking hurriedly, likely anticipating his response. “To a local eatery. It would be a neutral space. For both of us.”

Oddly touched by the consideration, Shiro blinked at the road slowly. His thoughtful tone was unexpected but not unwelcome.

“That sounds like a good idea. What time works for you? Assuming you’re working the same schedule, how about we meet at seven on Friday?”

Friday was still several days away which would give Shiro plenty of time to prepare.

“Friday it is, then.”

“Friday.” Shiro nodded to no one. He felt the sudden urge to keep the conversation going and keep Sendak on the phone. He wanted to say what was on his mind; he missed him, he loved him. But those weren’t the things he needed to say in that moment.

“See you then, Sendak,” Shiro said instead. It took all his willpower to hang up.

Shiro didn’t think he’d been this nervous to see Sendak since the first day they met.

He had changed his clothes four times—the first two because he felt he was trying too hard, and the last one because he thought maybe he looked like he wasn’t trying hard enough. He didn’t want Matt or anyone to know what he was doing in case it gave him second thoughts, so he was going at it alone.

This is ridiculous, he thought. He lifted a black turtleneck he was considering. Spring had not yet sprung, so he still had time to wear warmer clothing. But if they were going to sit inside, drinking hot drinks and eating hot food, he knew he might become uncomfortably warm. With their conversation looming overhead, he anticipated being sweaty enough.

Shiro ended up wearing one of his favorite leather jackets with a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath. Midway into the relationship Sendak had bought him an expensive, very nice leather jacket, but he didn’t want to wear anything Sendak had given him. They needed to be on equal, even ground for this conversation.

With his wallet, keys, and a manila folder in hand, Shiro went to their meeting spot early. It always seemed like Sendak had to tear himself away from his work, so he anticipated waiting a while.

Much to his surprise, half an hour early wasn’t early enough. When he walked into the pizza place and looked around, he spotted a familiar figure seated near the back.

Sendak sat in a booth by himself, casually scrolling through his pad. He didn’t see Shiro come in, but it wouldn’t be long until he smelled him, so Shiro took the opportunity to watch him and take in the sight he hadn’t seen in almost two months.

God, he had missed him. Two months was enough time to bend the longing into a fierce ache.

Sendak was wearing a sweater that somehow fit his frame perfectly. It was black, which came to no surprise, and the tufts of fur peeking out from the edges of the sweater were too adorable for words.

Keep it together, Shiro. You’re still supposed to be angry. At least a little.

While Shiro had been deliberating how to best approach (aside from the obvious), Sendak had spotted him. The moment his eyes locked onto Shiro he sat up straight, setting his pad down and staring at Shiro with an intensity that made his face begin to flush red.

He stood from the table just as Shiro waved and began walking over. Sendak’s eyes never left his.

“Hey, Sendak,” Shiro greeted once he was close enough. “It’s—it’s good to see you.”

His greeting fell somewhat flat. And upon closer inspection, it was clear that Sendak had not been taking care of himself properly. If this were their first meeting, Shiro wouldn’t have been able to tell. But they had been dating for months, and he knew what his fur looked like when it was kept up at the bare minimum. Brushed and shiny, but only on the surface.

There was no point in acknowledging what he saw though, so when Sendak repeated his sentiment he just nodded.

“I took the liberty of ordering ahead so you would not need to wait,” Sendak added stiffly. His shoulders sagged a little at Shiro’s stare. “I thought it would be quicker. Should you wish to leave for any reason.”

It was a flaccid excuse, but Shiro didn’t call him out on it. He thought about how best to answer and decided on, “Thank you. You know I’ll eat just about anything as long as there aren’t any olives.”

“No olives,” Sendak agreed awkwardly.

While they spoke, his fingers were slowly curling and uncurling into fists. His eyes kept darting towards Shiro’s neckline. Standing there in a sweater and jeans (jeans! Shiro hadn’t seen him in jeans in ages) at a casual pizza joint, he couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable.

“I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really glad you’re okay. And I really appreciate you meeting me here like this.”

Shiro had aimed for polite and congenial, but he couldn’t hide the aching notes in his voice. Sendak breathed out a sigh that was more like a groan.

“I have missed you,” Sendak said. He took an aborted step closer. “Our time apart has given me much to think about.”

“Yeah?” Shiro swallowed. “I missed you too. Let’s sit down and talk.”

They didn’t sit down. They stared at each other, standing in the middle of Emerald City Pizza late at night, seconds somehow stretching into eons.

Sendak stepped into his space and Shiro let him, barely resisting with a single hand pressed against his broad chest. Shiro ducked his head, and Sendak followed him, leaning in too close for comfort, his breath warm on Shiro’s cheek.

"You smell like... Ulaz,” he said lowly. He brushed his cheek softly over Shiro’s, nuzzling him in a gesture so familiar it made Shiro want to cry. One of his claws teased at the edge of Shiro’s shirt, like he was seconds from rectifying that little fact.

“I know,” Shiro replied, turning his head to meet his eyes. He didn’t let his gaze waver, making sure Sendak understood that even if he did, that was none of his business. “Let’s sit down. I have something to show you.”

Sendak released him and they sat down. Off kilter from the unexpected start, Shiro spent a few long moments adjusting the papers inside the manila folder to give himself a reminder of his goals and the main purpose of the meeting. Once he brought it into the light, Sendak stared at it cautiously. Even with his limited expression, Shiro could tell he was distrustful.

“I spent the last few days drafting these. I ended up needing a little help, but I think I got the job done.”

Shiro pulled out each page one by one and set them down between them. Sendak flipped them so he could read them one by one, the furrow in his brow deepening with each passing minute.

Shiro affected a pose of casual nonchalance, hands folded out in front of him. He had to remind himself not to clench them too tightly.

Sendak set down the paper he was holding. “I do not understand.”

“This is a contract,” Shiro said firmly. “Not exactly a conventional way to agree on things, but I thought given our circumstances, this would make sense.” Shiro picked up the first paper and pointed to the first paragraph. “I wanted it to be clear what the point of this was. Boundaries.”

“Boundaries?”

“I understand that things are different for you for a lot of reasons, and this way we can agree on things that work for both of us. No secrets.”

Sendak continued to stare at him, his confusion fading into a blank expression that Shiro couldn’t read. But that was okay. He had anticipated shock and potentially resistance.

“I didn’t mean for us to fill this out now. I just wanted to show you that I've been trying to take your needs into account even though I don’t…agree with them sometimes.” Shiro cleared his throat and sat back in his seat. “We can at least discuss it.”

For a few minutes, Sendak busied himself by glancing over the papers. He still hadn’t offered a proper response, but Shiro knew how to be patient. He waited, declining the waiter’s offer for more water, and eventually he was rewarded when Sendak addressed him.

“This is not how I expected this meeting to go. I had assumed that you had come to the logical conclusion that you—that I was unfit to be your mate.” He drew in air through his nose, and Shiro realized that the reason he had not raised his head was because Sendak’s emotions were currently overwhelming him.

Shiro looked at Sendak’s hand, halfway extended across the table, and thought about taking it. He thought about comforting him; telling him about all the thoughts he had been having, but he didn’t. Maybe later, but not now.

Shiro curled his fingers into a fist. This would be the second time he had seen Sendak cry.

“I thought about it,” he said gently once Sendak was able to collect himself. “You really hurt me, Sendak. I know you did it for the right reasons, but it still hurt.”

“I understand,” Sendak replied wetly. “I will do anything to make it up to you. Anything.”

“I know. You said that before,” Shiro said, somewhat teasingly. His hand moved without his permission, reaching across and brushing over Sendak’s claws.

Two months. Even longer if he counted the weeks he had been waiting for Sendak to get back with him during their Christmas blowup, before he found him bleeding out. Compared to the entirety of their lives, it wasn’t long stretch of time by any means, but the situation surrounding it made it feel so much longer.

Shiro curled his fingertips around Sendak’s, catching his eye when Sendak realized what he was doing.

Sendak’s hand was warm. And it had been so long.

The moment was broken when their waitress came back with their pizza. She looked between the two of them, them at the papers scattered along the table. “Pepperoni and sausage?” she said, awkwardly looking for a place to put it.

“Oh! Thank you, right here is fine.” Shiro shoved aside the contract papers haphazardly to make space. Sendak went even further and collected them in front of him in a neat pile, pressing his hand over them reverently.

“Thank you,” Sendak said to their waitress without looking at her. Shiro flashed her a smile.

Once she was gone, Shiro passed a plate to himself, then Sendak, and started divvying up the pizza.

“So, like I said,” he continued, as if the moment before had not happened. “I figured we’d go to a private space to work on this, but if there’s anything you want to talk about now, I think we should.”

“Then you are amenable,” Sendak said slowly. “To our continuation.”

Shiro immediately wanted to slap himself. He was getting so ahead of himself that he had failed to communicate clearly.

“I love you, Sendak,” Shiro said. He watched his one yellow eye widen. He had said it twice now, and each time Sendak looked just as surprised. “For better or for worse. You are the one I want to be with. You are my mate. I just…” He faltered, wondering if he was going too far too early. “I just want you to know that.”

As confident as he felt now, Shiro had to wade through an ocean of doubts to get to a point where he felt sure. And even then, there were no guarantees. But with this, he had hoped they could make it work.

At his declaration, Sendak let out a breath like what Shiro had said physically pained him.

“And you are the only one I desire. There is no one else.” Sendak squeezed his hands together on the table, claws buried into fur. “I cannot express how much I regret hurting you.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

For a while, conversation moved to lighter topics. They talked about work, what they had been doing in their free time, and how much they both wanted it to stop snowing all the time. Sendak was more open about his work life, taking time to complain about coworkers and operations succeeding and failing. Because they were in public, he was still tightlipped, but Shiro could feel the difference.

It was a very refreshing change.

Together they finished off the pizza in record time, and then ended up ordering a dessert pie afterwards.

Shiro was happy to keep their contract on the backburner and focus on lighter conversation, but Sendak was the one to push the issue when it came up again.

“You don’t want to take some time to think about it?” Shiro asked.

“It is a brilliant solution. Had I not been so—“ there was the barest pause, and Shiro couldn’t tell what he meant by that, but based on the state of his fur and the lackluster shine on his prosthetic, he could consumed with grief.

“It is well-crafted,” Sendak finished quietly.

“Thanks.” Shiro tapped his fingers against the table. The waitress came back with their dessert, and Shiro set it between them. “Even if I wanted to work on this, I didn’t bring a pen.” He didn’t exactly relish asking the waitress for a pen to work on their relationship contract.

“I have a pen,” Sendak said, because of course he did. He brought out a shiny fountain pen from seemingly nowhere and after Shiro agreed with a shrug, he started working on the rules section.

“You can ignore the part about goals if you want to,” Shiro said, suddenly self-conscious now that his work was being scrutinized. “And you can suggest any changes. Nothing is final.”

Sendak nodded. He could already see him marking a few things to change here and there, and Shiro tried not to take it personally. Sendak had more experience with contractual obligations.

When he got to the rules section with Shiro’s initial suggested rules and additional blank spaces, he glanced up at him quicky before he began writing. Shiro kept eating his pie, forcing himself not to read what Sendak was carefully writing down.

When he finished, Shiro again had to exercise restraint as he pulled the papers back towards him.

“Let’s see what we’ve got,” he said lightly, even though his nerves were shot.

Upon scanning the document, it became immediately clear what was missing. “There’s nothing about surveillance on here.” In fact, there was nothing that Shiro had expected to be on there; save for allowance thrice weekly for Sendak to scent him.

Sendak blinked at him. “I had assumed that was entirely off the table given the circumstances.”

“It’s—I mean. It’s not that I want you to bug my apartment, but I just thought—” Shiro stopped and took a breath. “I don’t want you to pretend there are things that you don’t want,” he continued slowly. “Be completely honest with me about what you want. For now, pretend that anything goes.”

Shiro knew that this was a dangerous game to play, but it mattered more that they were on the same page.

Sendak visibly hesitated, then he snatched the papers back towards himself and began scribbling down hurriedly.

It was several more minutes and a slice of pie before Sendak slid them over to Shiro. He glanced over them, keeping his expectations reigned in.

“A spending requirement?” Shiro swallowed around a mouthful of food. “Why would I need a spending requirement?”

“You have yet the credit card that I gave you on more than trivial necessities. I had intended for you to fulfill your every desire at your leisure,” Sendak said, like it made sense. “This way you will not have to feign resistance.”

“Feign resistance? I’m—that’s n—”

He stopped himself. This wasn’t the time to get emotional; he had to remember that.

“I can see where you’re coming from.” Shiro’s face was burning. Thank god they weren’t near any other customers. “It’s definitely something to consider. So, what about item 6, GPS tracker? Are you asking to install an app on my phone or what?”

At the thought, his skin crawled.

“Whatever you wish. It is not…” Sendak shifted uncomfortably. “It is not intended to control you. You had asked for honesty, and this is among the precautions I would prefer to have to ensure your protection.”

“I appreciate that honesty.” Shiro tapped his fingers flat against the table. “Definitely…on the ‘to consider’ list.”

A week ago, Shiro would have lost it the over a list like this. Now, with their needs being laid out in the open, it felt less like a threat looming over his head and something that he could, for lack of a better word, control. He didn’t have to agree to anything Sendak was suggesting, and he wasn’t as freaked out as he thought he’d be.

“I have a few suggestions,” Shiro said. “But you’ve already given me a lot to think about. Plus, my hands are greasy; wouldn’t want to ruin the papers here.” He wiped said greasy hands with his napkin. Sendak raised a brow at his obvious attempt at avoiding the talk at hand, but thankfully he didn’t push. There were things Shiro wanted to say, but—not here. Here had just been a neutral zone to lay the groundwork. “How about you give me the night to think on all this and then we can reconvene privately to revise it?”

Sendak’s ears had been moving in several directions for a while now, an indication of his general mood, and when Shiro stood to use the bathroom they went flat, pinned to his head.

“You are leaving now?” he asked, painfully sincere.

“I just have to go to the bathroom,” Shiro assured him. He waited until Sendak relaxed before leaving.

In the bathroom, Shiro peed and then washed his hands, but hesitated in front of the sink mirror.

The night had not gone exactly as expected. This, he told himself, was a good thing. It was good that Sendak was enthusiastic. It was good that things could feel normal for a brief moment.

Am I doing the right thing? he wondered, staring into the mirror. Should I be approaching things differently? Is this happening too fast?

Is this what you want?

He glanced down the drain, then back up at the mirror.

The face staring back at him bore no hesitation.

With that, Shiro took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom.

After weaving his way through the restaurant back to their table, he found Sendak hunched over the papers again, head in his hand. Shiro frowned. He thought the short break would give him a few minutes of reprieve, but he instead Sendak looked frantic and uneasy, rifling through them like he was looking for something.

“You okay?” Shiro asked, moving to sit back down.

“I...” Sendak rose suddenly and faced Shiro. Once again, he was reminded that they were in the middle of a public restaurant, and he hoped Sendak remember that too. “I fear that my actions may be misinterpreted,” he said hurriedly. “I don’t want you to think that I am aiming to control you. I am not” he paused for breath, his large chest heaving for a few moments “I don’t want to hurt you. I only wish for your happiness.”

“…I know that,” Shiro replied. He pushed Sendak until he sat back down and then Shiro slid into his side of the booth. “I don’t think that you did everything on purpose just to hurt me. I’ve never thought that. I think…” He looked around at the other customers, a few who were glancing their way. As much as it was necessary, he didn’t want to talk about all the ways in which they were hurting here at this restaurant. “I think we need to save this particular conversation for later.” He spotted their waitress passing by and flagged her down for the check. "That okay?"

"I...suppose you are right. We cannot accomplish all in one night." Sendak huffed, lacing his fingers in front of him carefully. "Things need...time."

Disgruntled didn't even cover how put out Sendak sounded at the prospect of time.

"Exactly," Shiro agreed nonetheless. "Tonight was good. I think it's a great start to starting over. And next time I'll be more involved. Tonight I really just wanted to talk."

That was when the waitress approached with a pen and paper. “Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked. At the shake of Shiro's head, she glanced between the two of them. "Just one check tonight?”

Shiro hesitated to answer immediately, staring at Sendak across from him.

“You know what? Just one check,” Shiro told her.

Sendak gazed at Shiro like he didn’t know what to make of him.

“I was going to have us split dinner,” Shiro began. “But I thought…” He licked his lips. “I think this is okay. I don’t mind letting you have this. This is the kind of thing that makes you happy, and that’s…that’s okay.”

“As I recall, you drew as much pleasure from our arrangement as I do.”

“It’s not the same though,” Shiro replied. He leaned his head on his fist, dragging his thumb along the edge of the table with his other hand. “I know you. You like to provide.”

Shiro’s voice edged on teasing, lowering into a register more flirtatious than he had intended.

Nothing changed about Sendak’s face visibly, but when the waitress came back with the check, Sendak took it from her without hesitation. His chest puffed while he filled out the total, and he exhaled deeply once he set it at the end of the table.

It was his black card. Completely unnecessary for the amount their meal has cost, but impossible to miss. Shiro’s eyes flicked to Sendak, then back to the card. He said nothing, but the air felt…charged.

This is bad. Hold it together.

“Shall we?” Shiro suggested once she returned with his card, his voice even.

The cool air that met Shiro outside was wonderfully chilly. The restaurant hadn’t been overly warm, but he was damp with sweat from their conversation.

He stood just outside the entrance and breathed it in for a few heavenly seconds before his body adjusted and it reminded him that it was actually cooler outside than was comfortable.

“You are driving?” Sendak inquired beside him. Shiro opened his eyes and glanced over at his car parked on the other side of the road. He nodded at it.

“Yeah, it’s not too close to my apartment. Though I’m sure you knew that.”

“I see,” Sendak said. It didn’t seem to bother him. It shouldn’t. He liked control, but he didn’t want to control his every move.

How much of it was true? How much could Shiro trust?

“I don’t want you to think ill of me,” Sendak added suddenly. Maybe his unease had been obvious. “If it is what you want, we do not have to continue.”

His fists clenched and then unclenched. It was obviously the last thing he wanted.

There was so much Shiro wanted to say, and so much he felt like he couldn’t. Sendak had made mistakes, and it would be wrong of Shiro to act like they didn’t matter, or that they didn’t change things.

“Can you believe it’s been two months?” Shiro wrapped his arms around himself and turned to face Sendak. “Feels like longer. And the last time we were together, we—” He had to press his lips together to stop himself. “Sendak, this may be weird to ask, but can I hug you?”

His response was immediate. Like he had been waiting for permission, Sendak stepped forward and swept him into a firm embrace. Shiro didn’t even hesitate to wrap his arms firmly around Sendak’s middle, burying his face in the warmth of Sendak’s sweater.

The ever familiar smell of his cologne overwhelmed him. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Sendak as close as physically possible, wishing for a wild moment that they were alone and not out in public.

“I missed you so much,” Shiro choked out. “I was so mad at you. I still am sometimes, but I missed you. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

In response, Sendak squeezed harder. He nearly lifted Shiro off the ground in his fierce embrace, and after an eternity he loosened his grip so he could look Shiro in the face.

“Da hos del thenak,” Sendak said, evidently switching off his translator just to say it. Even without an explanation, without understanding a word, Shiro knew what he meant.

“The next time I see you, you’re going to tell me what that means. Okay?”

Sendak nodded against his forehead, close now, so close. Their breaths mingled in the air.

Shiro's resolve to keep it at a platonic hug rapidly crumbled as Sendak slipped an arm around the small of his back and cradled the side of his head with the other hand. He repeated the phrase again, and again, nuzzling the side of his face, inching perilously close to the length of Shiro's throat, and on the third repetition Shiro yanked him back into a kiss.

Sendak made a sound like he was in pain, and seconds later, as he opened Shiro’s mouth with his tongue, it transformed into a needy, warm groan. The hand around his waist pulled tight, his claws digging into Shiro’s hips. Shiro brought his hands up to frame Sendak’s face, a weak attempt to keep the kiss somewhat chaste, and Sendak took that as permission to back him up against the concrete wall beside the restaurant and deepen it.

He'd missed this. Sendak’s smell, his—his scent drove him wild. Shiro loved the way he smelled; the way his hands felt holding him tight; the way he kissed him like he wanted to devour him.

“Sendak,” Shiro gasped, sliding his hands down, over his massive pecs. Fuck. “Stop it. We’re not—“ another kiss, one Shiro couldn’t help but melt into “I’m not doing this with you.”

Sendak’s lips left his and Shiro felt their loss. Then Sendak’s teeth grazed his ear, while his hand rubbed along the crook of Shiro’s neck, spreading his scent where possible. Since it was clear his words weren't enough, Shiro raised his hand and slipped it over Sendak’s, curling it over the back of his palm and threading their fingers so he could tug at it.

“Sendak,” he urged.

“Two months,” Sendak breathed. He pressed his full weight into Shiro, breathing hard. “Dozens of cycles. You are right: I want to provide for you. I want to provide you with anything you could ever want. Nothing you desire is out of my reach. I ache for your presence alongside mine.”

Shiro swallowed his words. He was trying to remain strong, but Sendak was making that very hard.

“I—I have to leave.”

“You said I made you cry,” he added, sounding broken up by the fact. Truly, honestly, as if causing Shiro pain was no longer something he could bear. As if he really understood what he had done.

A couple walked out from the restaurant doors and passed by, hardly paying them any attention, but it was enough to encourage Shiro to turn his head away. Sendak planted a kiss along the side of his forehead, sending a sharp electric shudder down Shiro’s spine.

“Enough,” he said firmly, using every ounce of willpower to pull away. “I know you’re sorry. And you did make me cry. But we are not doing this. Get off me.”

He reluctantly withdrew, a sour look on his face. A frustrated Sendak was a thing to behold.

“...At least allow me to scent you.”

“No,” Shiro said. “No, what we just did wasn’t okay. It’s not going to happen again.” No matter how much he wanted it to. “Not until we figure this out.”

“How long?” Sendak asked. “How long until we can meet again?”

Humans place so much emphasis on time, Sendak had said once. Thinking about what he said earlier, Shiro wondered how much longer those two months may have felt for him.

“How about…Sunday. My place. That’s only two days from now.”

“I will arrive in the morning,” Sendak agreed. “I will need to work that afternoon and evening, but in the morning I am yours.”

“Okay.” Shiro looked at Sendak’s hand, remembering the patches of fur missing all over his body. They had grown back by now, but the memory would be forever etched into his brain. “Okay,” he said again. He reached out and brushed their fingers together. Sendak’s hand engulfed his and clutched it, as if to keep him tethered there to him.

“Be safe.” Shiro said. He squeezed his hand as best he could. “Take care of yourself.”

Sendak’s gaze went painfully soft. “I will.”

Shiro went back to his car, sparing Sendak a few glances before he slid inside. Sendak stayed where he was, watching him much like Ulaz had before he finally lifted his phone and began speaking, likely summoning his driver.

I wonder which one of them has been watching over me, he wondered. The thought had crossed his mind before. It made sense; there was no way in hell Sendak would meet him without some kind of assurance that he would be safe. He would have to ask Sendak once they met again.

He drove off, already thinking about his own rules he wanted to add to the contract.

[angels17324]

The Violet Paladin (Keith x Reader) Ch. 15

Hows quarantine treating everyone? I know I don’t have to explain myself on not posting but guys I want you to know I am a health care worker I’ve been at work for almost 10 hours a day everyday for the last two weeks on both days and nights. So I love you all I know I am trying to keep writing but its hard. Guys if you don’t need to go out please don’t stay home find some new fics to binge read or shows to obsess over I don’t want to lose anyone to this virus.  Word Count:   Update Schedule: Unknown (Im gonna try and set myself a goal of updating on  Wednesdays call me out if I forget guys!!) [Masterlist] [Prev] 

When I got back on the castle I learned that Shiro would be in one of the healing pods for a while. I still hadn’t told them anything about what happened, but I’d rather tell them at the same time then one by one. We were all in the healing bay watching Shiro.

“Is he okay?” Hunk asked when we heard Shiro groaning. 

“Sometimes the healing process causes involuntary brain waves,” Allura explained. 

“It looks like he’s having a bad dream,” Hunk mumbled. 

“He just got blasted by a space witch and mauled by giant lizards, what dream could be worse than that?” Keith asked. We all waited for a short while longer before he started to wake up. We had all gathered closer and smiled at him when he opened his eyes. He told us about having a dream of a Galra soldier helping him and some coordinates in his arm. 

We waited for Shiro to get dressed before walking down to the green lions hanger. Lance was filling Shiro in on what had happened with him and Hunk and Mermaids? I wasn’t really sure, I was just thankful the attention wasn’t on me, I don’t even know how I’m going to tell them. 

“(Y/n)?” I heard Hunk called out. 

“Huh?” I looked to see everyone was staring at me. 

“You were kind of zoned out there,” Lance looked me. 

“Oh…” I breathed. 

“You know you’ve been acting really weird since you got back, you’re the only person who never shared what happened while we were all separated,” Pidge crossed her arms. 

I sighed, I was going to have to tell them sooner or later and I might as well just get it over with, “I don’t really even know where to start,” I stated. “A lot happened honestly,” I guess I should just ease the information in. “Well, I guess I can start with I crashed onto this planet where I was met by a girl who ended up being the planets princess,” I said I wasn’t trying to be vague but I’m still not sure how they will take it. “She ended up taking me to the queen, where I found out I was on the home of the original Violet Paladin, and at first the queen wasn’t very happy learning that I was the new paladin,”

I explained a bit of what I learned like how they had closed of all communication with the rest of the universe, and how the only reason I think they hadn’t been attacked is because in the Archives I learned that they never shared the location of their planet with anyone. Coran shared that not even Alfor or any of the other original paladins had been to the planet and that I was the first ‘outsider’ I bite my tongue to hold back from correcting him at least yet. “Okay but none of that explains why you’ve been acting weird,” Pidge said ever observant she is. 

“It might just be easier to show you then tell you.” I pulled out my phone I had snapped a photo of the picture that the Queen showed me and I showed it to the group. 

“It looks like you, but it’s not,” Pidge state. 

“Is this some creepy twin in space thing?” Lance asked. 

“No, how do I put this… it’s true it’s not me, but it’s also not a twin thing… I mean, except the actual picture in this is over 28 years old.” I explained, I could almost see the wheels turning in their heads. “It’s my mom!” I exclaimed not really being able to take it anymore. 

“How!” Pidge was the first to speak up since she was the only person here to ever meet my mom. 

“Wait what?” Lance was the next one to speak up. I explained to them as much as I knew which still wasn’t much other then the fact that she was the queen’s little sister. It felt so much better to have this off my chest. We continued to the hanger to find out what if anything was in Shiro’s arm. The whole way down Lance kept questioning me about everything, I was kind of annoyed but I just ignored him. 

While we were waiting for Pidge to find the coordinates I just kept thinking about everything that's happened. I wonder if my mother would have ever told me about this? And if that was why she was mad that I had joined the garrison.

 Eventually Pidge found the coordinates, but Allura didn’t seem too happy about trusting something from the Galra but we went ahead and used a  wormhole to get to the base. In front of us were these large crystals they were kinda cool. 

“Well this is it. No signs of life, living or otherwise.” Coran said. “I don’t want to bring the castle any closer those xanthorium chucks contain highly unstable nitrate salts even bumping one can blow us straight to Wozblay,” Okay slightly less cool. 

“Are you sure this is right?” Shiro asked. 

“These are the coordinates Number Six gave me.” Coran said.

“Hey! My decryption is solid,” Pidge defended glaring at Coran. 

“We’ve gotta be missing something,” Shiro said. We ended up waiting a few minutes before alarms began blaring. 

“There’s an intruder in the Castle!” Coran shouted. Allura found him on level five. We all suited up and went down. We each began running through the halls to find this guy. Lance was the first to find him. I began to head back towards Lance listening to Corans commentary. Next they ran by Pidge. I soon found him dragging Pidge and being followed by Lance, and I joined following them. 

Then Hunk who somewhat blasted at us. We all chased him but kinda lost him as he ran towards Keith. That was the only good part of Coran’s commentary is we knew where this guy was. By the time Hunk, Lance and I caught up with Keith was quite literally hurled at us knocking the four of us down. 

We watched as Shiro and the guy were at each other’s throats before they both backed down. And that’s when Allura slammed him into the wall. When Shiro explained that the guy was the Galra soldier he’d remembered. 

We eventually had him chained up in our common room. Ulaz was apparently a Galra soldier in this secret underground revolution called the Blade of Marmora. The coordinates we had were actually corrected its just the base was hidden in a space fold. Honestly you could feel the tension between everyone from Allura’s mistrust of Ulaz, to the rest of us kinda being on the same side as her, except Shiro. 

Everyone except Lance, Allura, and Coran took the Red Lion to the base. We learned that they had several members in the ranks of Zarkon’s army including his main ship which is why we got away last time. Pidge asked about her family, which Ulaz agreed to transfer prison data to the castle of lions. 

“What’s that weapon you carry?” Keith asked. 

“It’s a ceremonial blade that each of our members carry,” Ulaz explained. “Oh, nice,” Keith said. Alarms began blaring again. We opened a screen to see another one of those stupid robeasts, but how did it find us this time? Before we left, Ulaz gave Shiro coordinates. Allura blamed Ulaz for us being found, but this time I think I agree with Shiro I don’t think Ulaz told Zarkon we were here. 

We waited in our lions but soon the fight was on. But this thing was nearly impossible to beat, it sucked in the crystals before blasting us, or it tried to suck us in. Ulaz left after the base was revealed… maybe he’s not one of the good guys. No time for that though as the beast tried to suck in the castle. We managed to stop that, but our plan to blow it up after didn’t work. It tried to suck us in again. 

“I’m going to take this down from the inside!” We heard Ulaz call. 

“No let us handle this!” Shiro tried. 

“Voltron is too important,” was the last thing he said to us before he flew into the beasts mouth, just as we thought it didn’t work it started to fold in on itself. He opened a space pocket inside the beast.

When we returned to the castle no one seemed in too high of spirits. I decided to walk around for a bit too maybe clear my head. So much has happened in the last couple of days its been a lot to process. Honestly, how long had it been since we’d left earth? It didn’t seem like that long but there was no day in night in space, we had a schedule but it was more like we slept for a few hours and we stayed up until we were ready to pass out. 

I finally decided maybe going to bed would be the best option right now to clear my mind. I slowly walked down the hall being quiet because I’m sure everyone else is probably trying to sleep now. I was almost to my room when I noticed Keith in front of my door. 

“You need something?” I asked. 

“Oh yeah, I just wanted to talk,” He said.

“About?” I wondered what he wanted to talk about. 

“A few things actually,” He said. “Would you mind if we went in my room for a minute?” I blushed a bit at the request but nodded I did tell him we could talk if he ever needed to. We went to his room. We both sat on his bed. 

“Alright what’s up? I’m not the only one who’s been acting kind of weird lately you’ve gotten more reckless,” I said noting his behavior from the last few days? Weeks? But it was more than that almost like he was also being protective. “Remember that sword Ulaz had?” He asked.

“Yeah, you seemed pretty interested in it,” 

“Well it’s because of this,” Keith pulled out a dagger from under his pillow, it had a weird marking, kinda like Ulaz. 

“Where or how’d you get it if you don’t mind my asking?” I looked at him. “I’ve kind of always had it, I thought it was weird but now it's even weirder because the marking is similar to Ulaz,” Keith explained. “That means the Galra were on earth at some point,” 

“But Ulaz also did say that only the Blades of Marmora had them,” I said. “And I’d reason that if my mom and possibly my dad made it to earth without being detected by the garrison then who’s to say someone else couldn’t? And for all we know, maybe it was imbedded in a meteorite or something and your parents found it and thought it was cool,” 

“You might be right,” He smiled a bit. 

“What else do you want to talk about?” I asked. I could tell there was something else, we didn’t know about the Blades until today so he hasn’t been acting weird because of that. 

“Oh, well, how do I put this…” He said looking down. 

“Keith-” I was cut off, I was so shocked Keith was kissing me! 

[Next]

Tag list~ (if you’re not tagged please check your settings!) 

@somebodytouchedmysaeran @ittie-bittie-tittie @izabellah816 @zanysouleggstudent @rickxreader1shots @chewymoustachio

[amorremanet]

68.3k words || modern setting (sports, Olympics)/fusion AU (inspired by Yuuri On Ice) || teen & up audiences.

Relationships: Keith/Shiro.

Minor/Background Ships: Sendak/Shiro (an abusive garbage fire). past Adam/Lotor/Shiro, past Keith/OMC (one NPC college boyfriend who cheats on him), past Shiro/OMCs (one friend with benefits, and one guy who mistreated Shiro when he was 15-16); Adam/Lance/Lotor (endgame for them); Hunk/Romelle; Allura/Zethrid; James/Kinkade; Iverson/OMC husband Bennett; and Thace/Ulaz.

Additional Tags: Gay Disaster Shiro, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Keith was Raised by the Blade of Marmora, Iverson is Shiro's Godfather, Chubby Keith (it’s mostly slight & inspired by YOI but it’s there), Anxiety (Keith & Shiro both deal with it throughout). Abusive Sendak (karma comes for him in the end though). Drunk Driving & Loss of Limbs (both of these things are in chapter 8. the loss of limb is mostly off-screen but the drunk driving is NOT). Drunken Confessions & Drunken Kissing (in ch. 10, accompanied by a drunken pole-dance).

Summary

Takashi Shirogane never meant to establish himself as a figure skating god; he only wanted to do what he loves and skate. He also didn’t intend to fall for Keith Kogane, a younger skater who’d be an absolute prodigy, if he could focus better and truly channel his passion into his skating. Shiro definitely didn’t plan on becoming a coach barely two years after losing his right arm in the accident that his monster ex-boyfriend got them into.

On the other hand, though, Keith never meant to become Shiro’s friend, much less anything else, and he perpetually struggles to believe that Shiro wants literally anything to do with him. Why should Shiro want Keith in his life? He’s just a kid from Marmora who happens to skate half-decently. There is absolutely no way that carrying this torch for Shiro ends remotely well for Keith and if he were half as intelligent as his Mom likes to pretend he is, Keith would break things off before they go too far. That’s the best life-choice Keith has available to him.

(Un)Fortunately, neither Keith nor Shiro has much capacity for making good life-choices.

Written for @perfectlyrose in the Shiro’s birthday 2019 round of the @vldexchange (and I’m so, so sorry for how late this is going up)! ♡♡♡

Read it here on AO3.

[ringlov]

Automatic Systematic Memory

by dimplelegacymila

mature | 10k | ch: 1/? | Violet Evergarden AU

War causes wounds which stay open long after it's over — even after they have become scars, the pain comes back from time to time. This is an untold story about people with those scars, but most of all, a story about a young man who knew violence long before he knew the meaning of love.

Shiro is a broken weapon of war whose heart beats for only one person with violet eyes. For the sake of this man, he's slowly learning what it means to be a human again.

Because of Keith, Shiro tries to find the purpose of the words "I love you" by helping others. Sometimes, saying "I love you" only needs a piece of paper.

Part 2 of my pieces for @sheithbigbang​! I present to you – human!Ulaz :) I love this au so much *sobs quietly* Thanks for looking! And reading!!

[artsy-alice]

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender Characters/Relationships: Keith/Shiro, Keith & Pidge, Matt & Shiro, Voltron Paladins & Coran & Allura, background Thace/Ulaz, mentioned Keith & Regris, Slav is here for fun Chapter: 6 of 6 - COMPLETE!

(Alternatively: Five Times Shiro and Keith Insist That Their Fake Relationship is Indeed Fake, and the One Time It Totally Wasn’t)

+1. Thace -

Keith cooked a lot these days, Thace noticed.

“Morning, Thace.” Keith said, not turning from his work.

“Good morning, kit.” Thace replied, picking up his mug and taking a sip.

Keith was humming. Thace looked towards his partner and Ulaz let out a bemused smile before returning to his reading.

Keith hummed a lot these days, too.

Many things were different with their Keith these days. He woke up earlier, talked more often and ate more than usual. For once, he didn’t have a part-time job. He’d never needed one, really, even before - Keith simply liked working and having his own money. But now, he spent his free time hanging out with his friends, who also came over more often lately.

“Lunch for two again?” Thace asked, peering over the teen’s shoulder to look at the three lunchboxes he was working on. One was for Ulaz, as usual. Another was for Keith. Thace was pretty sure the last one wasn’t his, because he wasn’t leaving the house today.

“It’s for Shiro.” said Keith, then he looked up at the man. “Eat already. You’re supposed to open up the clinic soon.”

Continue reading @Ao3

Here's the last part of this story! Short, and sweet, and a bit of a tease. Just Keith dealing with the deadly combination of his embarrassing uncles and his adorable not-boyfriend.

OKAY NOW I’M OUTTA HERE. SEE Y’ALL POST-SEASON 7, FOLKS!

[fangzeronos]

Fires and Starlight Ch. 4

Shallura/Kacxa/Punk

Krolia watched as the Lions flew off, sighing as she set the knife in her belt. She walked back into the cave and walked over to the wall, pulling the other Blades’ knives out of the wall, laying them on a ripped piece of curtain.

 “You know that’s useless,” she heard. Krolia let her eyes drift over to Kolivan who was stoking a fire. “It’s useless to gather those Blades. They’ll never react for anyone again.”

 “So?” Krolia asked. “Just because they won’t react to their owners, does not mean we cannot make a grave for each of our friends, Kolivan. Our fallen Brothers. We can’t let their deaths be plaques on a madman’s wall.”

 Kolivan fell silent. He stared into the fire and added a few more small planks, sighing softly. “We thought you two were dead,” he said. “We searched the area the Castle was last seen for a phoeb, hoping to find something. When we didn’t…we declared you and Keith dead, hung a memorial for the both of you in the base. Sylis, he spoke highly of Keith. Said he was one of the best partners on any mission he’d ever had. Everyone…everyone spoke of you like you were a god, Krolia. Their deaths…I heard several saying “Krolia, watch for us in the Spirit’s embrace” as they died. I can’t…imagine what they thought when you didn’t greet them.”

 Krolia sighed softly, picking up Sylis’ knife and sitting beside Kolivan, staring into the fire. “Kolivan…I am sorry. We didn’t expect to be sent three deca-phoebes into the future. When the rifts closed, we thought it was all normal until Acxa—”

 “Pah. The general of Lotor’s? That little girl has no business helping the Coalition. She deserves to die like the rest of the Empire,” Kolivan said, shaking his head.

 “She saved our lives on Zethrid’s ship, Kolivan. She and Keith…are the best damn partners I’ve ever seen since you and I were—” Krolia stopped, her hands clenched. “You can’t get your disdain and hatred for the Empire unclouded from your eyes, old friend. Acxa is one of the few people in this Universe I would still trust.”

 “Who were the rest?” Kolivan asked.

 “Sylis, Kess, Aliu, Prita, Thace, Ulaz, Antok, Vekt, Wiju, Haik. My brothers in arms in the Blades, Kolivan. And you,” Krolia said. “Or did you forget the two hundred deca-phoebes we spent together when you trained me to be a Blade?” She put her hand on Kolivan’s arm, sighing softly. “Kolivan. We’re all that’s left. You, me, Keith. We have to bring the Blades back.”

 “How?” Kolivan asked.

 “The same way we started them,” she said. “Together. These knives will react for others. It’s happened in the past. Our brothers and sisters’ legacies will live on, but…they can’t without our help.” She turned and moved her hand, putting it on Kolivan’s cheek. “Please. I can’t…I can’t do this without you, Kolivan.”

 Kolivan sighed softly. He knew Krolia was right, but after the last three deca-phoebes he wasn’t sure he’d be an effective leader anymore. “Can we even do this, Krolia?” he asked. “Find the men and women that can fill our ranks again and help stop the Empire? It’s in shambles after Lotor’s disappearance.”

 “We can, Kolivan,” Krolia whispered. “We have to. The Paladins need our strength.” Standing up, she walked back over to the wall and continued pulling the blades out and wrapping them. “So many fallen brothers and sisters. We will make sure your legacies live on.”

 Over the next months, with recruiting new members into the Blades, Krolia and Kolivan made their way to Earth, seeing Sendak’s ship fall from the atmosphere. Making her way into the hospital when she found out from Commander Holt where her son was, Krolia walked in like she owned the place, nobody daring to mess with the clearly worried and angry pair coming through the halls.

 Sitting on the edge of Keith’s bed and taking her son’s hand, Kolivan moved and sat against the window. “Wake up,” Krolia whispered, rubbing Keith’s hand. “You’re not allowed to die yet, you hear me? You’ve got a life to live, Keith. You don’t get to leave me yet.”

 Kolivan smiled softly, reaching over and taking Krolia’s hand and squeezing softly. “He’ll be fine, my dear,” he said. “He’s stubborn like his mother is.”

 Krolia smiled softly, squeezing Kolivan’s hand back and nodded. “That is a quiznaking fact,” she said. “And he’s hardheaded like Texas was. And like you.”

Standing up, Kolivan walked over and wrapped his arm around Krolia’s shoulders, kissing her head. “He wouldn’t be one of our top Blades if he wasn’t hardheaded. He’s more determination in one hand then most of our Blades do in their entire body. I’m glad he’s alright. For a while, it felt like Keith was the closest thing I had to a son.”

 “And now he is your son,” Krolia said with a gentle smile, leaning up and kissing Kolivan softly. “Which is something we’ll have to discuss with him.”

 Kolivan smiled against Krolia’s lips. “In time, my dear. In time,” he said. “For now, let him rest and wake on his own. He’s had a long fight, and a war like that has earned him some well-deserved rest.”

 The two senior members of the Blades knew that in time, Keith would wake and be surprised by their presence, and Krolia was determined to sit and wait for the day her son’s eyes opened, something she enjoyed immensely when he was a baby. She moved and set his knife on the bedside table, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on Keith’s forehead.

 “You’ve done well,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”

[butteredonions]

The Smol Shiro Fic Rec MasterList updated: 11/19/17

because there isn’t enough smol!Shiro in this fandom, and they’re hard to find. I’ve compiled a list of all the ones I know of.  

Disclaimer: in the course of making this, I realize that @bosstoaster​ and I have written 98% of the smol!Shiro fics that I know of. There’s so much between us that I guess I forgot smol!Shiro isn’t as prevalent outside....us...? - I must’ve missed some somewhere. I’d love to remedy that. Any other smol!Shiro fics out there?

In the meantime....the list, as I know it!

Toaster Smols

The first half of this list is populated by an excellent smol!Shiro writer herself, @bosstoaster​.

Your Grace Is Wasted, ch. 4 - featuring the smol!Shiro that inspired mine. first in the fandom.

A Dream Away, ch. 2 - one-shot featuring smol!Shiro and Hunk

You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid - 3k, smol!Shiro, this was my birthday fic and everything about it is good

A Smol Outake - 2.5k, one-shot, Sam suggests Shiro purposefully take an afternoon off. Gold.

The Mane Event - 7.5k, double-whammy featuring both Kuron and Shiro as smols. Regardless of how you feel about Kuron, this is entirely too cute to resist. So worth itttttt aka boss tricked me and it’s so cute I’m weak

Onion Smols

by yours truly. 

The Size Of Our Actions - 65k, 12/20 chapters. Shiro’s deaged and the rest of the Paladins must cope until he can be restored to rightful size. ....hopefully.

The remainder of my smol!Shiro set has only been posted on tumblr. These range in size from 200 - 2000 words.

smol!Shiro with actual Black Lion

smol!Shiro, meeting Big Doge

smol!Shiro featuring birthday

smol!Shiro featuring Pidge’s birthday

smol!Shiro featuring Hunk, and co-featuring Pasta With Jam Sauce

smol!Shiro featuring Hunk, who has a cold

smol!Shiro, who caught Hunk’s cold

smol!Shiro, featuring Ulaz

Other Smols 

.... I can only think of one I’m sorry

Piles of Blankets and Memories - 500 words, smol!Shiro feat. Keith, by @oldmythos​. Adorable.

Know some smol!Shiro fic that I’ve missed? Inspired to write your own? Hit me up! The world needs more smol, and I may update this list again at a future point in time. I’d love this corner of fandom to not merely be a toaster-onion party. :) Come join us! And happy reading!

[revasnaslan]

Raised Amongst the Stars UPDATE

Friendly reminder that I have a Dads of Marmora fic over an Ao3 that covers the period of the Blade of Marmora taking Keith in and raising him :3c

Antok POV this time around ; ~ 14,650 words

Preview:

“You’ll be back within the month,” Ulaz continued. “Everything will be fine—”

“But what if he needs me?” Thace asked. Judging by the way his ears were pinned back and the hesitant tone of his voice, he was very unwilling to part with the cub he was holding in his arms. Keith hadn’t yet realized that anything was amiss, pawing at Thace’s cheek until he got Thace’s attention. “I could… request Myrek be sent instead,” Thace suggested, smiling as he rubbed their noses together, and Keith giggled.

“Thace, no, we discussed this last night,” Ulaz said, leveling Thace with an unimpressed look, as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve been cooped up on this base for six months, and it will be good for you to get out there and stretch your legs a little bit.”

Thace frowned, turning his attention back to Ulaz. Once Thace was looking elsewhere, Keith noticed Antok standing nearby—or rather, looked at him and acknowledged him for the first time since he had gotten there. Antok wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, since he still hadn’t tried to mend the rift he had accidentally caused by startling Keith horribly within ticks of him arriving on base. It was an uncomfortable feeling, knowing that a cub was scared of him, but Antok had mostly been trying to ignore it… by avoiding the cub every chance he got.

Keith watched him warily now, with wide eyes. However, he wasn’t screaming or throwing a fit as Antok had seen him do in the past—most of Keith’s fits were not directed at Antok these days anyway. Instead, they were directed at Kolivan. During the last fit Keith had thrown, he had nearly whacked Kolivan in the face. While Antok had gotten a good laugh out of it, he had immediately gone silent when Kolivan had leveled a stern glare on him—one that could only have been rivaled by Evren’s.

Antok really didn’t like having to wait to talk to Thace, but he knew that making sure Keith didn’t immediately start having a tantrum took precedence over saying goodbye to one of his closest friends—if only for a couple of ticks. However, the longer Antok stood there awkwardly, tail tip flicking back and forth against the floor, the more confidence Keith seemed to gain. After a couple of ticks, it almost appeared as though Keith was glaring at him. And then, Keith went so far as to stick his tongue out, as if it was the most insulting thing he could think of. His newfound courage was likely the direct result of being held by Thace. He knew he was safe and thought he could do whatever in the Void he damn well pleased.

Which was probably true—Thace was very protective of his cub.

LINK TO Update | CH 1

[zelshamada]

Close to you (ch.8 - The end) - Shance fluff week!

Title: Close to you

Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender

Pairing: Shance (Shiro/Lance)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance. Fluff.

Beta reader: Cute Amaranthkick.

N/A: For the Shance Fluff Week (2017). @shancefluffweek

Summary:

“According to our data, Shiro and Lance are the most compatible in the test group, plus there’s a high chance they’ll end up together in the near future,” Slav said.

“Where did we go wrong?” Ulaz asked, looking at the blackboard.

“You have to accept it! You don’t have to do anything with the information but it’s the truth,” Slav said like Shiro was the one with problems to believe him.

As if.

Day 8 (The end): Free day - Keep reading (AO3)

[diamondheart31]

Black, Green and Everything in Between Ch.8

Shiro likes Pidge, Pidge likes Shiro. Sounds like it should be simple but it never is. To make things more complicated, Pidge has caught the eye of a hot alien prince who is doing whatever he can to win her affections. How will Shiro handle the competition and his jealousy?

Co-Written by FantasyMagicGirl

Buteo finally had Pidge alone, and he wasn’t sure talk to her.

“So, Lady Pidge mind if I ask you a few questions about what life is like back on your home world?” Buteo asked.

“Sure” Pidge replied her eyes glued to the screen.

“What’s your favorite place on your planet like,” Buteo asked, thinking maybe there was something similar on Accipitridae he could show her.

Pidge paused for a moment. “I guess the house I grew up in” she replied there was a heavy feeling to the tone of her voice.

“I heard you mention that you were looking for your family,” Buteo commented, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“… My father and brother are most likely in galra slave camps or science facilities, so if any of your people come across two people that look like me that would be a lot of help” Pidge admitted pausing in her work, wishing she could do more to find them.

“What are their names? That might make it easier,” Buteo said, thinking it would be best to ask for names instead of looking through all the slaves. “My brother’s name is Matt, and my father’s name is Samuel” Pidge explained, her shoulders looking tense, thinking about her family. “If they are anything like you, I am sure they are surviving,” Buteo assured, putting a hand on her shoulder. He hoped they could help find her family, he may need her father’s permission before courting her. “Thanks Buteo” Pidge said giving him a small smile, praying he was right.

Buteo made a mental note to make sure that he told soldiers to look for Earthlings called Samuel and Matt.

Shiro was surrounded by darkness. He ran around looking for anyone, only to bump into himself in his slave clothes, eyes glowing yellow. The copy turned around his eyes glowing a deep amber, grabbing Shiro by the collar and lifting him off the ground “You’re too damn weak” He growled at Shiro. “Kuro,” Shiro growled back, easily recognizing his voice. He punched his copy to free himself, backing away but keeping his guard up, “And what is it that makes me weak?” Kuro easily shaking off the punch “Oh, besides letting some prince hit on our Katie” Kuro growled, “You’re constantly scared of me, when I’m the only reason you lived this long!” “First of all, Katie doesn’t belong to us,” Shiro argued, “And I’m not scared of you, I’m scared of becoming you.”

“And why’s that? Because I get the job done and go after what I want,” Kuro sneered.

“Because you don’t think! You only think about what you want,” Shiro shouted, “We’re the leader of Voltron, our choices effect the whole team.” “Affecting the team hah! You’re more scared about the team finding out what kind of person you were back in the arena, about losing their respect, their fragile trust in you.” “And what do you think Katie will think if she’s known what I’ve done,” Shiro snapped, “She’d never look at me the same way again.” “She’s hacking through galra files all the time, you think it would be so much better for her to stumble upon it on her own then hearing it from you? it would be way worst then they time she learned we attacked her brother.” Kuro replied. “She would understand why I wouldn’t want to talk about it,” Shiro said, “And I doubt the galra keep files on gladiator matches.” “That’s a pretty big risk you’re taking… at least for you,” Kuro said dryly. “Don’t act like you know Katie,” Shiro growled out, but was worried he was right. “I should say the same to you” Kuro replied. “Which is why I can’t tell her anything,” Shiro said. They haven’t had time to talk much lately. “Almost sounds like you’re giving up on wanting her” Kuro huffed in disgust. “We should wait until Zarkon is defeated,” Shiro said, thinking they shouldn’t have any distractions. Kuro just laughed “it’s almost pathetic how much you’re trying to avoid your own feelings”

“And what do you care if I am,” Shiro snapped, not wanting to talk about this. Kuro grabbed Shiro by the collar “Because I want Katie to be a permanent part of my life” Kuro growled at him. “You’re crazy if you think I’m letting be anywhere near her, I’m staying in control,” Shiro told him. He would protect her. “We’ll see how long that last,” Kuro smirked. “What makes you so sure you can beat me,” Shiro asked, eyes narrowing. “Because right now you can barely keep me contained,” Kuro mocked. “I’ll work harder to keep you under control,” Shiro promised, he couldn’t risk him taking over and hurting Buteo or Pidge. “good luck” Kuro chuckled. Shiro glared, “Let’s say you did take control. What makes you think Katie would even want you?” “Wow, your denser than I thought,” Kuro chucked “You really never seen the way she side glances at us or how her cheeks flare up when she watches us train?” Shiro honestly hadn’t, but figured part of him did if Kuro knew, “That doesn’t mean she’d like you,” he reminded. “So you say, but who knows how horny Katie might be,“ he smirked "I’m sure she could use some time to destress.” “She’ll be scared if I show up suddenly with yellow eyes,” he reminded, blushing at the thought of Katie like that. "Guess I will have to introduce myself first,” Kuro admitted. “And you don’t think she’ll be freaked out,” Shiro questioned, trying to convince him not to bother her. “Katie’s adaptable,” Kuro replied not being deterred at all. Shiro knew that was true, but still didn’t think she’d go for it, “I’ll make a move once we defeat Zarkon.” “And risk Katie getting snatch up by someone else,” he questioned with a huff “Not going to happen.” “What will you do if you do manage to take control,” Shiro asked, wondering what he had to worry about. "Kiss Katie as soon as I can and tell her all the things your hiding,” Kuro replied a little surprised by the questioned. Shiro was silent. Would it be so bad if he let Kuro take control? But what if Katie didn’t feel the same way? What if he scared her away? “Don’t worry, I won’t force her into anything she doesn’t like, I’m not that much of a monster,” Kuro replied reading his thoughts. “But you admit you’re a monster,” Shiro replied dryly. He was making it hard to want to let him take control. He could hurt Katie by accident like he did before. “Like you’re an exception, it’s better to be a monster then dead,” Kuro growled. Shiro knew what he did as a gladiator he did for survival, but he knew it wasn’t right. He couldn’t remember much of his time as the champion, did he really kill people? “I doubt you want to really know the answer to that” Kuro said dryly answering the mental question. Shiro tensed at that. He knew he killed Galra when he destroyed their ships and fleets. But what if he killed people who were just prisoners like he was? It made him think of the Galra. Did any of them have families? “It’s dangerous to think like that during war,“ Kuro casually warned. He knew Kuro was right. The Galra have taken so much from him. But he also knew that not all Galra were evil. Ulaz freed him and even risked his life to save him and his teammates. "You hesitate in a real fight you will die” Kuro growled. “I know that,” Shiro snapped, not wanting to hear it. He knew he couldn’t show mercy during a battle against the Galra. Pidge got back to the ship hesitantly knocking on Shiro’s door wondering if he was asleep but felt the need to check up on him feeling worried about Shiro. Shiro was tossing and turning in his sleep as he mentally conversed with Kuro. Pidge could hear groaning like Shiro was in pain “Shiro are you alright?” she called through the door, but when she didn’t get an answer she hacked the door forcing it to open for her. Her worry rising as she saw Shiro tossing and turning in his sleep Pidge rushing to his side gently shaking him “Shiro wake up it’s alright,” she said thinking she was having a nightmare about his gladiator days. The dark world faded around Shiro as he found himself in his room, staring up at a worried looking Pidge, “Katie, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” He could practically feel Kuro screaming in the back of his mind to take advantage of the fact they were alone and in a bedroom. “What? Oh no nothing happened,” Pidge assured jumping a little as Shiro bolted up from his sleep “You just sounded like you were in pain, so I woke you up,” she explained blushing a little hoping she wasn’t going into too much trouble for hacking into his room. “Oh…Thank you,” Shiro said a little embarrassed, glad she woke him up cause he was kind of tired to talking Kuro. But he thought about what he said about Katie. Should he make a move? He looked up at her, sitting up a bit so he could look her in the eyes. Pidge felt her cheeks heat up as her eyes met Shiro’s, blinking a few times before she realized she was staring and quickly glanced, at his mental arm instead, trying to force her blush away. “H-how is your arm feeling, Takashi?” she asked. “It’s…hard to say,” Shiro said staring down at his arm. If Kuro could control it who knows how and when he’d use it. At least he knew he wouldn’t hurt Katie, but what about the rest of the team?

“Was it bothering you while sleeping,” she asked, her eyes scanning over the arm.

“…I guess you could say that,” Shiro commented, thinking about Kuro. He didn’t sleep well cause he kept pushing him to make a move on Pidge.

Pidge glanced up at him frowning a little “You look more tired than you did before”, Pidge commented, feeling like if Shiro couldn’t sleep or relax it could be really bad for his health.

“I still feel tired,” Shiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Hear anything out of the others lately?”

“no not lately, after transferring the information I got from the scan, I came straight here to check up on you” Pidge replied.

“I guess I haven’t been out long,” Shiro yawned. He had an idea about what might help him sleep better, but was hesitate to ask.

“I’m sure they’re all right, I know Keith’s in the training room, and Buteo was going to go check up on the others when he dropped me off. So I’m sure Hunks checking out food or gear and Allura trying to talk while Lance is hitting on some poor girl,” Pidge assured.

“I guess Allura wants to play diplomat while we’re here,” Shiro sighed, through knew it was a good idea. Voltron was powerful, but there was only so much they could do against the numbers the Galra have. “Are you up to anything?”

“Not really, just waiting while the computer is running multiple diagnostics on the different scans I have” Pidge explained then seeing Shiro questioning look she added “You know, to see if there’s something I’m missing.”

Shiro nodded, opening his mouth to say something then quickly closing it again. He couldn’t say it.

“I take it your still tired” Pidge said standing up thinking Shiro was trying to hide a yawn, “I’ll leave you to get some rest” Pidge said taking a step forward to leave when Shiro’s mental arm quickly but gently grabbed her wrist. “Shiro?” Pidge questioned wondering if he was all right.

Blushing, Shiro pulled his hand away, “Would you mind staying with me a while,” he asked, thinking having her near might help, too shy to ask her to sleep in bed with him.

Pidge gave Shiro a gentle smile, she understood what it was like not wanting to be alone after a bad nightmare “Not at all” Pidge said taking a seat on the corning of Shiro’s bed.

Giving Pidge a smile in return, Shiro laid back down, his metal hand moving and setting itself on top of Pidge’s.

Pidge turned her hand and gently grabbed Shiro’s metal one, hoping it would bring him a little comfort.

Shiro could feel that Kuro felt content, so he took the chance to get some sleep, hoping he wouldn’t be bothered this time.

Pidge figured this was as good of time as any to take a nap letting herself drift to sleep leaning her back against the wall as she held onto Shiro’s hand.

[maychorianrecs]

Children of the Empire by foxysquid for Meteorysh

Children of the Empire by foxysquid for Meteorysh Words: 10,147 Author’s Summary: Those who find themselves without parents can turn to Emperor Zarkon for parental guidance instead—but Thace would rather not. Shuttled off to a school for orphaned children, he has to adapt to a strange place, with no one to rely on. Fortunately, he may not be as alone as he thinks he is. Written for Galra Secret Santa, as a gift for meterorysh! There are also some accompanying illustrations, which you can find here. My Comments: Absolutely stunning. Achy and touching, fantastic worldbuilding and characterization. I felt so bad for tiny Thace, losing his parents and shipped off to a school where he had to guard himself every second of every day for fear of being outed as a traitor. The friendship with Ulaz and eventual conclusion were extremely satisfying. This read like the beginning of an original novel, one that I would gladly devour in like a day at a most.

[maychorianrecs]

Forming Bonds by Eastofthemoon

Forming Bonds by Eastofthemoon Words: 34,054 Author’s Summary: When Keith is told by his father he is going work along side with a young Altean named Shiro in order to protect Princess Allura he is less than thrilled. However, over time, Keith finds himself becoming more and more protective of his new friends, especially with the threat of Zarkon looming over their heads. My Comments: I love it when fics treat the development and strengthening of platonic relationships with the care and finesse that you usually only see with romantic relationships. This is a great AU in which Keith, Shiro, and Allura have to both want to form bonds with each other and work on making their relationship develop, and it’s very satisfying to read.

[maychorianrecs]

The Phoenix by 00AwkwardPenguin00

The Phoenix by 00AwkwardPenguin00 Words: 5,543 Author’s Summary: In which Ulaz is furious (and about to be sick), Shiro and Keith are suspicious, Thace is appointed Chief Babysitter (and is a boss at it), and Lance is hungry. AKA the first oneshot of a triple AU that literally nobody asked for. My Comments: This AU is hitting a LOT of my buttons. In a world where some people can shapeshift into animals, all five Voltron kids have been locked up in Haggar’s lab and forced to undergo horrible things. Most of them are deaged to some extent, and they are incredibly frightened and protective of each other. Enter Thace and Ulaz as FBI agents who clean out the lab and take the kids under their protection. I’m really REALLY looking forward to more of this series.

[maychorianrecs]

Keep Them Galra Rollin (Rawhide) by Demenior for Serbajean

Keep Them Galra Rollin (Rawhide) by Demenior for Serbajean Words: 1,377 Author’s Summary: Sendak, Shiro, ‘n Ulaz have crashed on a jungle-y Death World, and they’ve got till sundown to speed-run their way to a safe pickup location to rendezvous with a ship. They're all grown men who are working together to take down the Galra empire (some more willingly than others), which means they're over the whole 'yeah i tortured and killed you that one time' thing. Totally over it. It's all in the past. Hint: it's not [a birthday gift for Sassafrassrex] My Comments: The possibilities of this setup are fun to contemplate. A little on the dark side, but nothing wrong with that.

[maychorianrecs]

Hope Doesn't Grow Overnight by HotAndColdAF

Hope Doesn't Grow Overnight by HotAndColdAF Words: 6,194 Author’s Summary: Shiro's year with the Galra, as told from Ulaz's perspective. Not really shippy, but I wrote it as a person who does ship it so. Read it as you will. My Comments: Tagged as possible romance but reads entirely platonic to me. This is a rough read, as fics about Shiro’s missing year usually are, but Ulaz’s perspective is a fresh take, and it’s interesting to watch him slowly move from trying to keep logical and disinterested to eventually going all out to help Shiro escape.