#do you think they got lonely??? just sitting and waiting for their new paladins to come????

[scattered-winter]

category 18 event (thinking too hard about the lions again)

[fallout4reactsblog]

I was wondering if you could do an ask for those of us who don't have family to celebrate the holidays with. Companions react to Sole being upset spending their first holiday season without their family.

Cait: “Do you wish you had someone this holiday, Cait?”

It’s a weird question to come out of nowhere, and she leans around the curio she’s searching through to eye them quizzically.

“Why do you ask?”

They shrug. “I was just thinking about my family and everything, and how I miss them, and I thought I would get your opinion.”

She chews her lip thoughtfully and returns to rifling through drawers. “The way I see it, this is the one holiday I actually do have someone to spend it with. Before you, nobody gave a shite about me, you know?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that.” They laugh a little. “What an odd pair we make.”

“At least you’re not completely alone. You’ve got me, after all. Think of how much worse it would’ve been if you were by yourself.”

“That’s a surprisingly adept observation coming from you, Cait.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She chucks a loose snack cake at them.

They dodge, laughing. “It’s just strangely philosophical, you telling me to focus on what I have instead of dwelling on what I don’t. I guess I can learn a thing or too from you, huh?”

“Damn straight. You should listen to me more.”

“If I did, I’d end up dead.”

“Probably just maimed.”

“Brutally maimed.”

She waves a hand through the air. “Details.”

When they’ve quieted for a moment, she murmurs, “But for real, I am glad to have you, sole.”

Quietly, she hears. “I’m glad to have you, too.”

Curie: She taps the end of her pencil to her cheek as she searches for the right word. It’s not “impossible,” and “improbably” sounds too formal, but the word she wants escapes her. Frustrating.

“Curie?”

She glances up at sole, who’s sitting on the other end of the couch. In the middle, their legs have tangled together, and she looks past them to look them in the eyes.

“What is troubling you Madame/Monsieur?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just noticed you’ve been a lot more affectionate lately. I mean, you’ve barely left my side.”

She flushes. “Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all, I just thought it was strange.”

“I simply thought you would be feeling more lonely this time of year. Holidays can be a difficult time of year for those of us without family to celebrate with, non?”

They narrow their eyes. “Why were you even thinking about that?”

“I was simply reminiscing on my time with the other scientists before the war, and I remembered how lonely it was all by myself in the lab. They were always so happy around the holidays. And I thought to myself, sole is not in a lab, but they are also missing their family. I thought perhaps you would appreciate a little extra support.”

“That’s...” they shake their head. “That’s really sweet, Curie. Thank you.”

“Oh, do not mention it. It is merely a gesture of our friendship. You saved me from my loneliness, and I wish to return the favor.”

“Still, it’s kind. I appreciate it.”

“You are more than welcome, Madame/Monsieur. Anytime.”

Danse: He finds them out on the deck, wind whipping past them as they stare over the Commonwealth. They’ve been distant for days now, giving nothing but short answers, eyes far away when they talk. If he’s honest, he’s worried about them. It’s why he’s ditched the power armor in his bay for the moment; right now he wants to be a person, not a Paladin.

“Evening, Danse.”

They don’t turn to him when he approaches, and he doesn’t know how they can recognize his footsteps outside power armor, but he doesn’t question it. He just leans against the railing beside them.

“Something has been troubling you,” he says.

They sigh, and he can almost see them deflate against the railing. “You know, Danse, I thought that it would be easier than this.”

“What?”

“The holidays. I thought, you know, even though my family wasn’t here, maybe the Brotherhood would help fill that- that emptiness, if even just a little. But I guess it just doesn’t look like that.”

Their words hit too close to home, and he deflates a little, too. “I’m afraid you’re a year too late. With the war, there will be no holidays onboard the Prydwen.”

“Did there used to be?”

He nods, not trusting his words. He can’t tell them that, even though he understands why it’s necessary, it still hurts. They’re still new, still building their trust. He can’t sabotage that.

His silence means nothing, though, as sole seems to read his mind. “You must miss that. In a way, you don’t have a family for the holidays, either.”

Gently, they lean their shoulder to his, and he allows himself to lean back against them, just this once.

“At least we have each other,” they whisper.

He nods. “At least there’s that.”

Deacon: He doesn’t want to say it in such direct terms, but the truth is that sole’s house is a little... sad.

To be fair, they’ve only been in the Commonwealth a few months, and a lot of that was spent trying to figure out what the hell had happened to them and the world, but still. Sole’s place feels entirely like a house, and nothing like a home.

“You know, boss, you should just spend the holidays with us.”

They look up from their coffee mug from their place at their sad table with its sad, lone chair. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, just come live at HQ a while. It’s gotta be better than spending the holidays alone out here.” Slowly, he turns in a circle, as if to emphasize how empty (and sad) the walls are.

“But my memories are here, Deeks.” They blow on their coffee. “This is where I should’ve spent the holiday.”

“Yeah, with your family, if the world hadn’t gone to shit and blown up. But it did, so you should just come celebrate with us. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier.”

He doesn’t mention the number of holidays he spent in an empty farmhouse for the sake of memory, and thankfully sole doesn’t ask.

“Deacon, are you actually... worried about me?”

“Oh, you bet, boss. I mean, look at this place. It doesn’t even have electricity. You couldn’t have holiday lights if you wanted them.”

“Do you guys do holiday lights?”

He shrugs. “Do you want to?”

For a brief moment, there’s a spark of life in their eyes. “Would it be okay?”

“Who’s gonna complain? Carrington? Just tell him that he doesn’t have to look at them.”

They hum and say, “I guess I’ll consider it.”

That’s his cue to hit him with the ace up his sleeve. “We do a game of Secret Santa, too.”

They try to hide their smile, but they’re bad at it, and Deacon breathes a sigh of relief, knowing they’re sold.

Gage: “Fuck do you mean, you miss them?”

“I mean I was fucking married and had a kid, you eyeless prick. I actually cared about my family, and it sucks that they’re not here. I’m sorry that you cut ties with your family completely, but not all of us can or want to.”

He huffs, because he can tell he’s pushing a little too hard, and if he keeps going he’ll end up wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.

“Well, Overboss, trust me when I say you won’t even remember them. We got a bit of a tradition here, ourselves.”

They eye him warily. “Do tell.”

He shrugs. “Not much to say. It’s a party, we get drunk, fuck around, light some shit on fire. It’s a good time. Can’t lay around feelin’ sorry for yourself when you’re lightin’ something on fire.”

“So, Yule. You’ve reinvented Yule.”

“Call it what you want. As long as you have a good time, who cares, right?”

Their face is still doubtful.

“At least give it a shot, boss. You’re gonna have to be there anyway to keep up appearances. Might as well try to have a good time while you’re at it.”

“Alright.” They sigh in resignation. “But if I end up drunk and crying in a corner, it’s your fault.”

“I promise to hide you before you can embarrass yourself.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask for.”

Hancock: “Hey, sister/brother, what do you think of these?”

He holds up a couple strands of garland and tosses them over to a waiting sole, still perched on a ladder.

“Shockingly good condition,” they say. “But I think this stuff usually goes on the tree.”

He waves a hand. “You put it wherever you want. I’m just helpin’.”

“Well, do you have a tree?”

“Somewhere around here.” He glances around, but realizing it’s not within direct line-of-sight, shouts, “Fahrenheit!”

“What?” Her voice is muffled by the distance, but her irritation is not.

“Where’s my tree?”

“Wherever you put it last year. I don’t keep track.”

“Damn,” he huffs. “ I thought for sure that’d work.”

He heads into the other room to rifle around for his tree. There’s a beat of silence before sole says, “You know, I never have properly thanked you.”

“For what?” He glares down at the wreath in his hands, which had tricked him into thinking it was a tree, before shrugging and tossing it to the side to get hung up anyway.

“For giving me stuff to do like this. Staying busy really helps me feel less... alone, you know?”

He rocks back on his heels, peering into the other room to make eye contact with them. “Sure thing, sunshine. But I’ll warn you, it wasn’t all my idea.”

They laugh a little. “I figure Daisy had a hand in things, but still. It’s nice of you.”

“I appreciate you assumin’ that I’m not just using you for free labor.”

They laugh again, for real this time, and he can’t help but smile.”

MacCready: He wants to say something. He wants to tell them that it’ll be alright, that he’s been there and it hurts, but you make it out in the end. He wants to be able to comfort them somehow as he watches them duck their head and pretend to not see the decorations in Diamond City, but he’ll be damned if he knows how.

Fortunately, sole has the words where he does not.

“This sucks,” they declare, holed up in the corner of the Bobrov’s bar.

“I’ll drink to that.”

They clink their beers together, sip, and lapse into silence before sole says, “I really miss my family, Mac.”

He closes his eyes, pictures his boy back in D.C., and agrees. “It’s a tough time of year to be without them.”

They reach across the table and grab his hand. “Next year, we’ll go down to D.C. We’ll have found the cure by then. We’ll go see Duncan.”

“Would you really want to go?” His heart is thrilled to hear their words, but his head tells him that might only hurt them more.

“Of course. I want to see you go home and see your kid. I wish we could’ve done it this year, but...”

“That didn’t work out,” he finishes.

They nod.

“You know,” he says, taking another sip of beer, “next year we’ll have a big family celebration to compensate.”

“What, you and Duncan?”

“No, all three of us. We’ll go the whole nine yards. Lights, presents, everything. The real deal, all three of us. Family.”

That brings a smile to their face, and he smiles to see it. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but for a moment he can see the whole thing before him. The three of them together, laughing, making a family out of nothing.

Just make it through this year, he promises sole silently, and I’ll make sure you have a family holiday again.

Nick: He eyes sole in the corner of the agency, where they’re talking to Ellie about some case they’re working. They’ve been talking about leaving these past few days, about heading up to Sanctuary for the holidays. It doesn’t sit right with him. He knows sole, and he knows that only bad things await them at their old home this year.

“Well, I’m headed out.” They breeze by his desk to grab their hat. “Have a nice holiday, you two.

He looks them dead in the eyes and asks, “Why?”

They freeze right where they are. “Why what?”

“Why are you leaving? Got somethin’ real exciting up north?”

Their expression tells him they don’t have a good answer, and he sighs.

“Look, kid, I get it. You think you wanna be alone to mourn and cope with your loss. But I’m tellin’ ya, you’re not coping. You’re just making yourself miserable.”

Under their breath, they mutter, “Damn detectives. Always analyzing you,” before turning to him directly. “Well, you and Ellie already have your thing going on. I’d hate to intrude...”

“You’re not intruding,” Ellie pipes up. “In fact, I already bought you a present. In a way, it would almost be ruder to leave.”

“I bought one, too,” he says. “How about that?”

They hesitate. “Are you sure?”

“Bed upstairs is all yours. Stay a while. It’s not like ya can’t change your mind and leave later.”

They turn to Ellie, but she’s just nodding along. “I freshened up the sheets just the other day, actually.”

“Well... alright.”

He lets himself smile.

Piper: “Damn, Blue. This place looks worse than the Glowing Sea.”

Her eyes scan Sanctuary Hills. Even Preston has headed off to the Castle for the month, so the place looks well and truly abandoned. The breeze kicks up as if on cue, scattering a few leaves across the road.

“Isn’t it great?” They kick a pebble across the street, bitter expression on their face. “No family for the holidays, and nobody else, either.”

“You can’t stay here,” she says, staring at the bleak, run-down houses.

They shrug. “I don’t really have anywhere else to go. I could stay at one of the other settlements, but that just feels weird. My home is here.”

Piper shakes her head. “No way, Blue. I won’t allow it. You are not spending the holidays here and that is final, you hear me? Final.”

They glance over at her with a bemused expression. “Then where am I going?”

“Home, with me, to Diamond City. You’ll spend the holidays with Nat and I, not here in, well, this. I mean, at least Diamond City decorates.”

They laugh a little. “Piper there is no room for me in your house.”

“We will make room. This isn’t up for debate, Blue. And don’t start with the ‘Oh, I’ll be intruding’ stuff, either. Nat’s gonna be thrilled to see you, and I’ll be thrilled you aren’t moping around this place that could probably make Takahashi depressed.”

“What, the noodle bot?”

“The very same. Now, go make yourself a sleeping bag, get whatever else you need, and let’s go.”

They salute her mockingly, “Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”

Better to be mocked than leave sole here.

Preston: He knows without sole saying a word. He knows that pain, the haunted look that trails them, the way they linger just a moment too long in the doorway of their home before sighing. He can’t help but feel for them, too, because he still feels like he’s in those shoes, lonely around the one time of year no one should be lonely.

Maybe that’s why he does what he does. He tells himself he’s crazy, even as he treks across the Commonwealth, searching out their companions, inviting them to Sanctuary so sole can be surrounded by this new, found family they’ve made. He can’t let sole suffer alone, not this time, not ever. He knows what that loneliness does to a person, and he refuses to ask sole to face it on top of everything else.

He reminds X6 that, if he doesn’t play nice, he probably won’t live to regret it.

He meets Gage at neutral territory and, even though it disgusts him beyond belief, they make a temporary armistice for the next few months.

He tells Danse that if he makes so much as one comment about ghouls, synths, or anyone else, he won’t be able to get all the sand out of his power armor for months.

It’s not the most glamorous job in the Commonwealth, but he is bound and determined to make this thing work, no matter the cost or consequence.

X6: “I don’t think I understand. Your family is here.”

They sigh. “But they’re not, X6. Sure, I found Shaun, but he’s hardly the child I thought I was looking for, and my spouse is still dead. My own son doesn’t even know me, much less would want to spend the holidays with me. I may have found Shaun, but...” They sigh. “Did I find my son?”

He takes a moment to contemplate their words. “You’re quite distressed about this.”

“I guess?” They shake their head. “I’m just lonely, X6. That’s all. I miss my family and having someone to spend the holidays with. It just doesn’t feel the same.”

He looks at them, takes in their tired, beaten expression and their slumped posture. Quietly, he evaluates a series of options and outcomes before leaning in and whispering, “Do you want to know a secret?”

“What?”

“A secret. Do you want to know a secret?”

They slide toward him, dropping their voice to a whisper, too. “Yes.”

“Us coursers aren’t supposed to have holidays. We are not supposed to have a sense of family. You know this.”

“Of course.”

“Perhaps you would like to join us, who also have no family, for a small celebration, then. It isn’t much, but there are snack cakes.”

They look at him, almost impressed. “X6, you know that’s not allowed. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I trust you, and I think you need us as much as we need each other. I only ask that you don’t report it, if for no other reason than our bond as friends.”

“I- X6, I’m not going to tell anyone. I’d love to go.”

He nods. “It’s settled then. December twenty-second, one in the morning, the abandoned areas behind biosciences. Bring snack cakes, and bring lots if you want to make friends.”

[phcking-detective]

FOUND

Find Familiar: ch 1

Rating: E

Summary: Nines cast the spell Find Familiar, but instead of an animal, they accidentally summoned a werewolf. Gavin is just happy to have finally found his mate and start pack bonding with the half-elf wizard. His best idea for a fun bonding activity? Touching his dick of course!

***

Gavin wakes up with a warm, breathing body pressed against his own, and it's all he ever wanted.

Then reality seeps in like cold rain and he realizes it's just the one person, not a dog pile, because he doesn't have a pack. Only a wizard who maybe sort of magically owns him now.

So that's a great start to the morning.

He gets a stew started like he promised, once he finds some potatoes and carrots, one lonely haunch of meat in an icebox, and no spices beyond salt. There aren't many places to look, since the whole room is five, maybe six hundred square feet.

Gods. Gavin's a lone wolf living half-feral without a tent or even a fire half the time, and he still thinks this is pathetic.

He knows better than to touch any of the books scattered around—fucking wizards—so he doesn't try to clean anything while he waits for his new … boss? Alpha?? person, to wake up.

(He does risk moving a stack of papers to sit in front of the black leather collar on the desk. Not hidden. Just. Out of sight.)

"No celery?" the wizard asks.

Gavin bites down on a flinch and a few choice swears. Sweet Selûne shift him. Who the fuck goes from asleep to awake completely silent like that?

"No," he growls.

Nines blinks themself more awake. "Is your negative an agreement to my question or simply a negative?"

"Baby, I have no idea what the fuck you mean, but there's not any celery."

"Oh. Thank you."

The conversation ends there when he dishes out a bowl of stew, that Nines eats at their desk, one agonizingly slow bite at a time, almost as an afterthought as they work on creating papers and papers of writing.

Since the wizard is so absorbed in their scribbles they can barely notice food, Gavin strips down and takes a bath. The water runs hot straight out of the faucet, even without any signs of pipes. Sinking into a whole tub of it feels goddamn luxurious.

He's half-shifted before he even realizes, but Nines probably wouldn't notice he got out and swung his dick around like a propeller, so he doesn't force himself back. His hybrid form always feels better anyway, the best of both animals, with human hands and wolf senses, still able to stand and walk upright but with stronger muscles and thicker protective body hair.

He's still sunk down and amusing himself by blowing bubbles in the water with his near-snout when Nines finally surfaces for air on their own side of the tower.

"Gav—oh."

They turn around and blink at him. Gavin hunkers down lower in the water and prepares to force himself back, but even without actively poking the bond, he can tell there isn't any fear or revulsion from the wizard. He still pulls his snout of out the water and scents the air just to check, but … nothing.

"Good. Yes. Feel free to utilize any of the …" Nines pauses, stuck on the words. "Accommodations. Can you read?"

It's probably a fair question—especially since the answer is barely—but Gavin still hauls himself out of the bathtub and onto the sand pit so Nines will have to look at him. All the scars, the body hair almost thick enough to be a pelt, the way his bone structure is clearly halfway between one form and the other right now.

But instead of making the wizard flinch away and stop asking questions, Nines just grabs a different notebook and begins sketching him.

"Why?" Gavin growls out.

He can still speak, but just like his amount of literacy, the amount is barely. With lots of effort.

"Hmm?"

Nines looks up. Sort of. They lift their head at least, but their eyes stay focused down on their notebook, reluctantly dragged up at the very last second.

"Mm? Oh. Yes, here is your contract," they say.

They place the small stack of papers they'd written onto the dining table in the center of the room, then the two of them meet in the middle, each awkwardly taking a seat across from each other at the table, then staring at each other even more awkwardly.

"That is my brother's seat," Nines says.

Gavin raises an eyebrow but doesn't move his ass out of it. At least he put pants on before sitting down.

"I have never had another visitor," the wizard continues. "So. That has always been …"

They trail off, then grab their notebook and begin reading from it.

"My name is Nines. I am a wizard. I am thirty-two year half-elf. I do not have a gender. I use they-them pronouns. Pause for—"

They stop abruptly and look back up at him.

"… Gavin," he says. "I'm a fighter, thirty-six, werewolf. Born, not turned, so we don't really keep track of any races. You're either a wolf or you're not. Probably human though. Uh, he-him."

If they don't bother with human binary genders, maybe they'd understand just … switching genders? He thinks about it while Nines writes down what he'd said, like anything he says is actually important enough to be recorded.

Maybe he should let them get a little more attached to him before he tells them about the other crazy, evil wizard with a claim on him—and all the transformations they'd done on his body.

"Does your entire pack consist of born lycanthropes?" they ask, drawing him back into the conversation.

"Can just say wolves," Gavin grumbles. "And yeah. Haven't taken in a stray for a while."

No one does. That's why he's still—ugh, stop it. Fucking feeling sorry for himself.

"Is there a significant cultural difference between born and turned … wolves?"

Gavin stares at the wizard. Significant cultural difference, Selûne shift and collar him.

"Turned wolves don't have a pack," he finally says. "No one to share the mental load—most of the poor fuckers don't even know what's happening until they're already shifted and scared and starving. They've got just enough instinct to go back home, and then the screaming and running starts …"

He assumes he doesn't have to finish it from there. A hungry wolf sees something run, and they think prey, not child.

"I apologize if I ask simple questions," Nines states while still writing. "But I have never had the opportunity to meet a wolf in person, and so my knowledge is likely biased and incorrect. Is a coastal environment a suitable habitat for you?"

Gavin shrugs. "Sure. You gonna let me run around outside at some point?"

"Yes, of course. You may come and go as you please," Nines says. "How much land will your pack need? I do own the surrounding—"

His pack? Gavin stares at Nines as they ramble on about this land they own and how it's too rocky to support farming but has access to a cove, and the ensuing treaty with the local pod of merfolk, and—

And his pack. He has no idea what game the wizard is playing, but he never imagined it would include letting him "come and go as you please" and providing land for his—

"I don't have a pack," he blurts out.

Nines stops and blinks at him.

"Got kicked out."

He doesn't explain. It's impossible to explain just one thing, because it's all tangled together, in his mind, the words stuck in his throat. Refusing his pack's Alpha, bargaining to have his body changed and transformed, his womb scooped out so he could never be bred, never ever—

And where exactly that got him. They sit together in silence for a long, horrible moment.

"No one has need of a ninth child," Nines finally says.

"You really call yourself that?" Gavin asks in return, for lack of anything less dick-ish to say.

"Yes." Nines looks at him without any self-pity and factually adds, "It states all that most need to know. They do not need me, and I do not need them."

Gavin nods. "Fuck 'em."

"Yes. Well. I—" Nines stops and abruptly pushes the small pile of paperwork closer to his side of the table. "Here is your contract. It details what I … do need. And, expectations. I suppose the fifth clause is no longer necessary, unless you intend to create your own."

"My own … pack?" Gavin asks slowly.

"Yes."

He snorts. "I'm not going to run around and start turning people."

"Yes, that is included in the clause," Nines says. "Subsection A. Not to offend, but I thought it best to lay out a certain number of precautions first. B notes that you will be beholden to all the same laws as any other citizen, and C states you will make adequate arrangements for the full moon with myself or Knight Commander Anderson."

Gavin pulls a face at the rank. That shit's almost definitely a paladin. No sense of humor, holier than thou, and allergic to critical thinking. Just because you pledged allegiance to a deity society deemed "Good" doesn't actually mean literally everything you do is always going to be right or kind or morally just.

"He is also a lycan—" Nines stops and corrects, "A turned wolf, you called it? If expecting the two of you to … have commonalities … is unreasonable, then the subsection can be adjusted accordingly. The point is merely that you arrange for a safe and secure location each month."

"Yeah, we're not going to sniff each other's butts and be best friends," Gavin tells him. "It's probably how you feel about sorcerers and warlocks. Magic just looks like magic to me, but—yeah."

He stops when he sees Nines's face collapse into itself in the purest form of affronted disgust he's ever seen. This time, he can't stop a chuckle before it slips out.

"I can just stay here though?" he asks.

Nines unfurls their face enough to nod. "Yes. My power may be my own, achieved through my own studies, but I was sent to the same monastery as my twin. I acknowledge you have been sent by my patron deity, and I will fulfill my responsibilities to you thusly."

Gavin's eyebrows shoot up. "You're religious?"

"I worship Selûne," Nines answers.

Gavin stares at the wizard.

"Children born under the full moon often have enhanced magical ability," they explain. "She is also the goddess of navigation, quests, and all who work by night. It was the battle with her own twin that caused the formation of Mystral, the goddess of all magic. Many arcane users still worship her as such."

"And werewolves," Gavin says as how this shit all happened clicks into place.

"Your duties outlined in the contract." Nines stops and clears their throat. "Every power has a price, and mine was enacted at my birth. I have always needed certain accommodations. I realize now a mere animal would not be enough to serve as my familiar, yet a person has never been summoned before. A familiar that is both animal and person, however …"

Gavin nods at the stack of papers. "So am I your familiar or your employee?"

"Well, both," Nines answers. "You are magically bound to me, but you obviously are not a simple animal. I have made adjustments due to these extenuating circumstances, but this is a standard contract for all minions, assistants, and others employed by wizards."

He snorts. "Do I have a union?"

"Yes, subsection E, although you will need to opt-in," Nines replies, very sincerely.

Gavin taps the top paper to make a point when he asks his next question, and the paper suddenly yells the word "HEREFORE" at him.

"Oh, my apologies." Nines takes the stack from him and scribbles a few marks in the top corner. "There, the volume should be properly adjusted."

Gavin cautiously slides the papers back over, being careful to only touch the sides of the stack. He takes the first page off the top and pokes his name, one of the few words he recognizes.

"Gavin," the paper announces.

"I have paperwork I must complete to officially register you as both my familiar and my new minion," Nines tells him. "I trust you can be left to your own devices to review our contract?"

"Yeah," Gavin says.

"Very good."

Nines gets up and returns to their desk. Still no collar, only … this contract. Gavin runs his finger along the first line.

"The entity known as Gavin, herefore referred to as THE FAMILIAR, will enter into a magically binding contract with Nines, herefore referred to as THE WIZARD, to serve in the capacities of both a FAMILIAR and a MINION, as outlined by the Wizard Coalition of …"

***

Gavin nuzzles into his bed and groans. Three days of barely stopping to hunt and sleep to get here, and now it's been another three days of slowly figuring each other out.

Which hasn't been bad or anything. He got to run around outside, do a few laps around the borders of Nines's land. Cold, wet, and rocky, but he has to admit, he's kind of digging the melodramatic sea-side vibe. The air smells like salt and storms all the time, crowding out all the memories of soft earth and dense forest.

And he's got a contract. A "boss." That's the word Nines wants to use, so Gavin says that, but they both know he means Alpha.

It's good to have a job, food, and a bed, blah blah blah, he's really grateful and all, it's just—

Maybe not everyone has them or wants to indulge in them, but Gavin does for both.

And it's been nearly a week.

"Nines," he finally says.

He pokes at their bond too for good measure. The wizard won't pay attention to him unless he does. They'll look up and point their face at his face, but somehow their hand will keep writing in the scroll and they won't hear a goddamn word he says.

Even with the mental prodding, Nines barely turns their head. "Hmm?"

"I need to jack off."

Nines keeps writing for half a second before they blink and actually look at him. "… now?"

Gavin half-shrugs, still laying down. "I mean, tonight, yeah."

He's a werewolf using testosterone cream—kept in a jar in his coin purse, which was much more important to enchant to shift with him than shoes—who just formed a mental pack bond again. Full moon already past or no, his hormones are screaming at him that he needs to fuck.

But that's probably not Nines's idea of a fun bonding activity.

"Do you have adequate lubrication?" Nines asks, then continues with narrowed eyes before he can even reply, "Do not use my spell components."

Gavin barks out a laugh. "What—I'm gonna jack it with oblex ooze? That'd melt my fucking dick off!"

"Yes, it would."

He pauses. "Do … you know that for sure?"

Nines sighs. Deeply. "I attended an academy meant to train paladins, clerics, and perhaps the odd druid."

"All the most repressed spellcasters, huh?"

Nines doesn't deny it. Gavin snorts, imagining all the magically-inclined tithe-children being told to keep themselves pure so they can be properly donated to the gods turning into magically-inclined teenagers hit with guilt and libido in equal measure—and all the idiot fuckery they probably got up to without any actual education about their bodies.

"Do you have adequate lubrication?" Nines asks again. "I do not keep supplies for that on hand."

"You don't keep supplies or you don't uh, keep anything on hand?" Gavin wiggles his eyebrows.

Nines flushes and glares like they're still a prefect at that academy. "I—that is not—"

Gavin raises his own hands to prove they're above the sheets. "If that's not any of my business, sure. Figured that, honestly. Which is why I'm telling you that I've got needs, but I can just go downstairs if you want."

"Downstairs?" Nines frowns less furiously.

"That little entranceway at the door is large enou—"

"I'm not going to send you out into the hall," Nines says, like that's what will make them clutch their pearls in shock. "You can stay in your own bed."

"Yeah?" Gavin gives the wizard a once over. "I'm good with that. So good. But what I'm willing to do with pack and what you think is appropriate for a roommate probably isn't the same thing."

Nines's frown turns more calculating, like they're correcting the runes in a spell. "We are discussing you staying in your bed to masturbate while I continue my studies, correct?"

"… yeah?"

"Are you going to call me names, attempt to touch me, or—"

"No, no," Gavin rushes to reassure them. "I can just …"

He moves his hand down and cups himself, just to demonstrate that he's only going to be touching his own body, before he remembers that's not socially acceptable around humans either. Nines only cocks their head to the side though, a mild curiosity leaking through their mental bond.

And fuck, just his hand feels good right now. It's been nearly a goddamn week.

"Do you have adequate lubrication?" Nines asks.

Gavin shivers under the sound of their voice. "Don't need it. Get wet enough myself."

He feels the bond pulse again with that academic sort of curiosity, like Nines is going to start taking notes on him again while he jacks off. He pushes his trousers down, moving slowly enough to give his boss plenty of time to look away. He isn't wearing smalls of course. They'd just be another piece he'd have to pay to get enchanted.

Nines eyes his cock like they might sketch it in exact anatomical detail.

Gavin doesn't mention how he got it—his bargain and the Collar, the collapsed tower, the vows of vengeance—he'll get around to confessing it all eventually. But in the meantime: a fun bonding activity.

Gavin grips his cock and gives it a few strokes. Nines blinks in a way that's more like shutting their eyes repeatedly. He exhales slowly and makes himself stop, although he does still keep his hand held loosely around the base.

"If you don't want echoes, you'll have to wall off your mind on your own end," he advises Nines. "I'm uh … a little too busy here to concentrate."

"Echoes," Nines repeats.

Shit, right. Human. Doesn't seem to specialize in any divination or enchantment magic—so they probably don't have any experience being inside someone else's head.

"Yeah, that's why I offered to," He jerks his chin at the door. "Distance helps, some."

Nines does that tiny little head tilt again. "May I observe?"

Gavin licks his lips. "Yeah."

"May I ignore you?" they ask next.

"Uh, sure?"

He doesn't have any human hangups about nudity, but he's not going to whip his dick out and waggle it at anyone who doesn't want to see it. Jacking off in the same room is probably already pushing it, but then again, the rules seem to be different in boarding schools and barracks and sometimes bars but sometimes not—humans have so many weird fucking rules.

"Then," Nines says. "You do as you please, and I will do the same."

"Works for me."

Gavin gives his cock another squeeze, and Nines turns back to their scroll. Yeah, he's a little disappointed about that, but it's enough just to have his pack in the same room and know he's not alone.

Since the wizard isn't watching anyway, Gavin rolls over and shoves a blanket down around his crotch. He has a whole nest of them, all piled up on top of a mattress Nines insisted he have. They'd tried to bring in an actual bed, but it's just weird, sleeping so high up and away from the ground for no reason.

He gets a soft little mound built up and grips himself again through the blanket. Even if Nines makes him wash it after, this will make his bed smell like him and home and—

Gavin buries his face into his pillow and inhales. It still has Nines's scent on it. All the blankets do too, so now they'll smell like the both of them, like pack.

He feels a fresh jab of interest spike back through their bond and guesses Nines is watching him again. Maybe jacking off right in front of them like that was a little too much, but with everything mostly out of view now, they're back to curious again.

It only takes him a minute to build up a steady rhythm, rutting into the blankets and his own hand. He groans into the pillow and hears Nines breathe in sharply.

Echoes. He grins and keeps going.

He doesn't know what kind of needs Nines has or wants to fulfill, but he likes the thought of making them feel good. Would like it even better if he could crawl over between the wizard's legs and find out what they're working with by licking it.

"Gavin …"

The wolf whines in response to his name in his Alpha's mouth. He squeezes his hand tighter at the base of his cock against the knot trying to plump up there, just in case Nines wants it.

"Yeah, baby?" Gavin manages to growl.

"Oh."

Nines breathes the word, and Gavin can feel a small simmer of arousal bounce back and forth between them—this time from the wizard's end, not his.

"Does it always feel like this?" they ask.

He groans in answer, the only response he has to the soft wonder in their voice. He knows humans' senses are weak and dull, that they don't get hit with lust and frenzy the same way wolves do.

But hearing the awe in his human's voice the first time they feel it too makes him want to show them how good it can really feel.

"Yeah," he bites out. "Better with … you."

His canines get in the way of the words, the partial shift rippling through his body. He's never had particularly good control of it, so there's no stopping the change now when his blood's up.

"Are you wet?"

The question stabs through him. Gavin loses his rhythm with a whimper, nearly overcome with the instinct to crawl over and show his Alpha, present his cock or his mouth or whatever hole they want to use.

And he is wet. He can feel it dripping down the length of his cock, more pooling at the head, smearing into the palm of his hand.

"Uh huh," he pants.

Gavin bites down into the blankets as he ruts harder, but a sharply clicked tongue brings him back to awareness. He turns his head to the side and blearily stares up at Nines as he continues fucking his own hand.

"I would like to hear you," Nines says.

"Baby," Gavin breathes in reply.

Nines closes their eyes and shivers. Well, if they like his voice …

"Wanna lick you," he says. "Suck on you and make you—ahhh, make you feel good."

"I—" Nines stares at him with wide eyes.

"Shh, shhh." Gavin keeps making the noise in a low mumble as he slows down his pace into a dirty grind. "Gotcha baby, get my mouth on your nipples an' your neck, your mouth, make you wet too."

"I don't usually like to be touched," Nines admits.

Gavin's brain snatches onto the word usually, but he doesn't want to push. There's some shit he knows for sure he won't ever do, but then there's a lot more he just doesn't know if he really doesn't want, or maybe only in the right situation, with the right pronouns and body parts, the right person, but then how is he supposed to know if he wants it enough to try it if he won't know if he actually wants it until he's already tried it?

So that's a whole big nest of wyverns, and neither of them need to try to sort it out right this moment.

"Can give you this though, yeah?" Gavin asks.

He twists his wrist on the upstroke against the head, but then stops and holds completely still. Nines tries to strangle a whine in their throat at the lost sensation.

"… yes."

That confession sounds much better. Gavin grins at the wizard and starts thrusting again, still looking at them. Their long eyelashes and shoulder-length hair almost soften their face into pretty, but then thin lips, a straight nose, and strong jaw sharpen the effect back up again. And the ice-blue eyes set against pale skin and black hair just sends it all careening past beautiful or handsome into big words about being scary-haunting-magical that the wolf can't think of right now.

He can feel his orgasm building up, drowning in those eyes staring right back at him, but he squeezes harshly at the base of his cock. The sensation strangles at the root, like the little moans Nines won't let escape their mouth.

He probably shouldn't tempt it, but he sinks into the feeling of tightening and loosening his grip around his knot and the waves of pleasure that sends rolling through them both.

"You," Nines says but can't seem to find anymore words.

"Mmgff." Gavin huffs into the pillow and tries to make his own words work. "Good, feels good. Sorry. Won't knot if—fffuck."

If that scares you. Disgusts you. Bores you, to be stuck listening to him come and come and come while the exasperated wizard is trying to focus on their studies.

He pries his eyes back open when he hears footsteps and stares up at Nines paused in an awkward-half crouch over him, like they're not sure if they're allowed to touch. His tail makes the decision for both of them by immediately wagging in anticipation of pets and attention.

"May I touch you?" Nines still asks.

Gavin nods past a desperate whine. A hand slides up the back of his neck first, while another soothes over his bare flank. Must've kicked off his trousers at some point. All that matters is the hand on the back of his neck, pinning him down, holding him place, exactly where he should be for his Alpha.

His tail wags harder.

"May I see?"

The hands urge him to roll over, and he does, without hesitation, like a dog showing his belly when his master comes home.

Laying on his back like this, he knows the partial shift is even more apparent. Just about everything humans think they know is bullshit, but his hybrid form really does look like those shitty illustrations of big scary wolf men.

And that's without the thick, hairy cock jutting out between his legs.

He's proud of it, wanted it, needed it, but that was for himself. He wasn't trying to impress anyone, and he's not expecting a human to like it.

"Does your phallus typically have this appearance, or is it increasingly engorged due to your partial transformation?" Nines asks.

Gavin stares up at them and tries to impress through their mental bond just how many fucking words that was.

Nines flushes and tries again. "Does it get bigger when you shift?"

"Yeah," he says. "Touch me?"

He holds his cock slightly out toward the wizard in offering. Nines hums in consideration but doesn't make any move toward it. That's fair.

"Do you knot without …" They struggle with the words again. "Sex?"

Gavin strokes himself, tugging upward and pause at the head. It leaves his knot free below, not quite there yet, but noticeably swollen under the attention.

"Can. Sometimes."

"Will you show me?"

Nines stares down at him and meeting their eyes is like looking at the moon. Humans want so badly to sort everything into Good or Bad, even the deities they worship. But some things aren't good or bad, only intense.

Gavin nods, mouth slack and panting. He wraps his left hand around his knot to work it while his right keeps stroking the rest. Nines's eyes sweep up and down him like a search light scanning for a rogue.

"Feel … good?" he asks between pants.

Maybe he's already asked, but it's hard to think right now. He tugs at the bond, trying to pull Nines's mind closer to him, get them to come down out of the sky and feel it with him. The wizard's hands clench into the robes draped over their kneeling legs.

Then they open their eyes again, and Gavin could swear their irises really have turned a silvery-blue.

"Behave."

The order thunders down their bond and into his chest. Gavin groans, the tightness coiled inside him easing another measure. He's not quite ready to unspool, but maybe—maybe just a little?

"I am asking about you."

Nines's voice changes from questioning and a little stilted to informing him of how it is, like casting a spell. Gavin doesn't have any ability himself, but as far as he knows, that's kind of how they do it. Spell casting is just telling reality what to do with enough conviction that reality up and does it.

"Do you want to be mine?"

Gavin thrusts into his hands in answer. It's sloppy and a little pathetic, because there's nothing for him to rut into. But he starts nodding again, just in case that wasn't enough.

"Like this?" Nines touches him for the second time, one hand gently curling around his throat. "To be mine."

He's coming undone. Falling apart. Food and shelter and an Alpha, their own little pack of two, someone touching him and promising to claim him.

"Suh … 'posed to be … yours."

He knows it's true, it's true, true. The call in his mind, their contract, both of them bound by Selûne.

"Yes," Nines confirms. "Show me."

Gavin comes almost before they finish speaking. He tries to hold eye contact as long as he can, but eventually his own squeeze shut as he curls in on himself with a shudder. The first wave passes deceptively quick, with just a few spurts from his cock.

But he's not done.

"Good boy."

Those hands are back again, just like before, this time encouraging him to roll back onto his belly. They stroke through his hair and scritch behind his ears when he obeys, and he thinks life couldn't possibly get any better until there's a warm body sliding onto the mattress behind him.

Then he's being spooned and everything inside him unravels without any warning.

When he's done coming for the second time, he's aware of a few things: the hand wrapped back around his throat, first. That the gangly half-human, half-elf is tall enough to almost envelope him completely. The soft murmur of praise in his ear, shifted halfway up his head now and nearly wolf-like.

Yours.

It's harder to send the thought out when he's only partially shifted. Even with other wolves, they all share best as animals, some basic concepts as hybrids, and only faint echoes when unshifted.

But being the wizard's familiar must be different, since he'd heard the summons in his head from damn near across the country, in all forms, while Nines can't shift at all.

You are mine. I will take care of you, if you allow me to keep you.

Oh yeah, that's definitely different. Wolves share senses and feelings, not full sentences.

Keep me, Gavin manages to think back.

"Yes," Nines murmurs aloud.

The third wave hits him, and he sobs as he comes for his Alpha. His body is just doing the best it can to please, still managing to pump out another two shots of cum. He can finally feel a tinge of mild revulsion from Nines, but it seems to be aimed more at the mess than himself. Bold feelings from a wizard who left a hunk of bread to mold so long they mistook it for a stoneshroom.

"Perhaps I should invest in a toy," they muse. "A sleeve somewhat akin to a bag of holding, so that it can contain all this mess."

Gavin groans in a not-sexy way. "Don't make me fuck a void."

"No, the pocket dimension would only be applied at the tip of the—"

He can't help but start laughing. Pocket dimension applied at the tip—and said completely straight. Goddamn wizards.

Nines expresses their irritation at being laughed at by nipping his ear, and yep, there's wave number four. To their credit, they do continue to hold him until he gets another brief reprieve.

"How many times does this occur?" they ask when he's done.

"Depends," Gavin scrapes together enough brain matter to say. "More with … partner."

"Hmm," Nines says, like the feral scientist they are.

Gavin flips off his pride and goes straight to begging. "Please."

He's not sure what exactly he's begging for though—not to be forced into multiple orgasms while Nines observes or takes notes, or that the wizard will get started on that right away.

"Please, please, baby."

Nines pulls him back to rest half on top of their body, which lets them switch their right hand for their left hand around his throat without him laying on top of their arm. And that in turn frees up their right hand to drop down to his cock.

"Yours, yours," he mumbles. "Alpha."

"What do you need?"

Their hand brushes his own, the one gripping his knot. He lets go for an agonizing second to press their hand against it instead. Nines lets him wrap his hand back around theirs, using both of their hands to squeeze and lightly tug the knot.

"Ah … ahhh …"

"Ask properly," Nines orders.

"Alphaaa!"

He practically wails the word, shaking apart in Nines's arms and beneath their hand, but he can't now, it's not enough on his own anymore, not without permission.

"Hmmm."

Gavin cries freely, but doesn't make Nines grip him tighter or stroke him off. His Alpha will give him what he needs, and he'll take what he's given, like a good boy.

But that doesn't mean he can't ask for more.

"Baby," he groans. "Need it, need it, I—phck, please!"

"Yes."

The final wave sweeps over him so hard he goes blind, or his eyes shut, or he's back on his belly again, face smushed into the pillow, Nines's hand still around him and the blankets beneath his cock to rut into and it's not the last because Nines tells him Again and Again, until he's coming dry, throat hoarse from crying.

And then once more after that.

When he regains consciousness again, his whole body feels sore in the best possible way. There's drool running down his chin, tacky and drying to the pillow. He has his knees tucked up beneath him, but that's OK, because this is how he's supposed to present anyway.

Except the hand reaching between his legs doesn't breach him. Something soft and wet swipes over him instead, and he can't even muster up the mental energy to be scared, to explain why that's still there, that he managed to bargain for a working cock and all his insides scooped out, but that's still—

"Hush." Nines soothes him with another hand rubbing his back. "You did very well. All you must do now is rest."

Gavin sinks back down into the delicious ache and doesn't move while Nines cleans the slick from between his thighs, then further up to his cock. The blankets he'd rutted into have already been removed at some point. He knows from experience not even the best wizard on the material plane could wash his scent out though and takes a moment to feel a little smug about it.

"Yes, you came a truly impressive amount," Nines says. "Excessive, actually."

Gavin smacks his mouth before he can speak. "Your fault."

"Hmmm."

Nines stands when he's done and moves away. Gavin manages to flop onto his side and curl up. His boss did say he could sleep now. He just needs a little nap.

He gets a flask of water shoved in his face instead. The hand petting him goes back awkward again, pat-pat-pat instead of real pets. Nines doesn't seem to know exactly what to do now that they're done, but clean up and water was still really nice of them.

Gavin finishes gulping down the flask and heaves in air.

"I have work I need to finish," Nines informs him. "Have your needs been sufficiently met?"

Sufficiently met? Fuck, he's had orgies that didn't wear him out this good.

"Yeah," Gavin answers. "Need to sleep now."

Nines smiles at him. "Excellent. Good boy."

Gavin grins lazily back at them. "And when I wake up, I'm gonna crawl over between your legs and make you feel good too."

Nines flushes and half opens their mouth to protest.

"When you need a break from your scroll-thingy, and only if you let me," he adds.

Nines closes their mouth. They don't say anything else, but that means they also don't say no. Their blush doesn't go away either. They simply stand back up and sit down at their desk, spending far too much concentration fussing over the exact alignment of all their inks and quills instead of looking at Gavin.

Who keeps grinning, even as he yawns and snuggles down in his bed. He just needs a little nap, and then after that … he has all sorts of ideas for fun bonding activities.

***

***

This fic was commissioned by one of my followers to continue the first drabble! Subscribers to my Patreon get early access to all my commissioned fics 2 weeks before they’re posted to AO3 and tumblr ^^

[tactyl-ymon]

DnD session recap - Service and Struggle

I’d been trying to write this recap since mid december because god there’s just so many emotions in game at the moment and it’s very draining to write about. We got a new barbarian and lost one of the rogues as they had to move interstate

We open with a lone figure paddling through an otherwise still ocean as the moonlight silhouettes a large country that wasn't there a month ago. The figure, drawn forward by a feeling in their gut that this is where they're supposed to be, makes landfall and begins lumbering through the forest as fast as her turtle like legs will allow. It is hours of running peppered with the occasional break to curse whoever thought making towns so far apart was a good idea before our new friend sees the telltale signs of town gates, a place called Merigan it seems. As the guards size up the towering tortle laden with weapons, they shakily ask the barbarian her name and what business she has. Donna Tello Tortellini introduces herself and says she's just looking for a place to sleep for the night, the guards look warily at her large frame and then mention if she's got coin there's a tavern nearby that probably had a room, otherwise there's a stable a few streets away if they promised not to cause a ruckus, the last group they had let camp there were just a constant bother to the guards and town in general whenever they came through. 

Donna Tello asks about the group and it being another in a long line of slow nights the guards escort her towards the tavern, surely nobody could be that much of a nuisance? The guards tell her all about the wicked group that calls themselves Tactyl Y'mon, about the time they had pretended to be ghoulish monsters attacking the town gates and the time they'd arrived with a lively boulder that was very protective over a busted old cart that they wouldn't let anyone get near and the time they had managed to save several townsfolk including the town leaders wife and then tossed his house after staying there the night and got several of the guards drunk, stole one of their pants and jumped through a familys roof before screaming and jumping through their window. As Donna Tello thanks the guards for the hopefully tall tales and mentions she'll definitely try to avoid the group if she can, she enters the tavern for the night and to think about where she might find some decent coin to help her explorations.

It's just before dawn the following day as Eridol is startled awake by the telltale whines of his dog signaling that he needs to go out before the very not telltale sound of his dog screaming about how he needs to pee. Which is enough to slip Eridol's already shoddy grasp on reality with everything that's happened the last few days, this has to be a dream … or insanity, who cares, best to just throw away the whole suitcase of emotions at this point and take his suddenly very talkative dog for a walk. The important questions are asked on their jaunt through the keep, “Could you always talk and were just shy?” “If this were fake, you'd tell me right Pickle?” “Where do you enjoy pats the most?” It's around here that Eridol gets a very familiar reality check in the shape of a golden dragonborn standing just outside the gates of the keep talking to one of the guards, former friend and one time follower of the god of murder, Drackuss. 

With nowhere to run, no weapons to defend himself and no backup Eridol is faced with doing the one thing he swore he would never do, have an emotional conversation with someone who shattered his trust. But Eridol still has his last trump card to get out of the conversation. Freeze up and become unresponsive. Whether Drackuss actually notices or not is irrelevant, the former paladin barrels through what amounts to an apology for how he acted when he tried to brutally disembowel one of their companions before going on a one man murder quest across the country, but how Eridol was part of stopping him doing awful things and he owes the small cleric for that. Eridol breaks and shouts that as far as he is concerned nobody owed him anything, whatever help Eridol gave was balancing a ledger or trying to make up for his own failings. Repayment for all the times that Drackuss had saves the party from otherwise lethal blows. Repayment for Eridol being too far in his own head to notice anything was wrong. Repayment for one of the earliest memories Eridol has of the dragonborn spending days in a rundown church trying to save sick children from a plague. That version of Drackuss deserved a second chance to make his own path but Eridol didn't have to be a part of it and that if Drackuss actually cared what Eridol thought they wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Several familiar shapes creep into the periphery during the silence that follows. The remaining members of Tactyl Y'mon, Whisky, Veiraen, Septima and Emmi wander up from the keep as Core, the groups sometimes government contact and Sukaren, a very imposing blue dragonborn who had been in charge of the front lines to the entry portals to the country march up from behind Drackuss. Core begins by formally thanking the group for everything they had done to shift the country back into the prime material plane and that word had gotten around that the group was at least partially responsible for the shift, people were calling us champions and the like and that there would be some exhibition matches being held in the main city and the group was invited to participate in two back to back. That one would offer a much larger challenge, but if the group could come out victorious in both they'd receive a significant reward for the show. 

Core also goes on to mention that there seems to have been some unforeseen fallout from the whole fabric of reality shifting back into place thing. Hundreds of criminals seemingly disappeared in an instant at the time of the shift back to the material plane. Murderers, cultists, thieves all set to wither in the dark for the rest of their lives gone in an instant with no evidence of what happened and with the official business out of the way, Core suggests walking to the nearest town to spend the rest of the day drinking all of that away like the semi-functional alcoholic sponge he is, the group not ever really needing a reason to drink but having just so many they could choose from decide to go with him. Drackuss shrugs, mentioning that he did what he needed to and that Sukaren and him were heading back to Principium to continue training.

As the two lumbering lizards retreat back to their training regiment, half of the group wanders into the keep to put on pants leaving Core and Emmi standing outside in awkward silence as the last moments of dawn fade away. With nobody else around, Core once again mentions that Emmi’s mother, Sharona really wants to talk to her as soon as possible. That she has so much to apologise for and that she had a plan to find out what happened to Emmi’s father all those years ago. That if Emmi was willing, Sharona would be waiting outside of Principium on a ship for the next week. The silence that follows is almost deafening as she considers the chance in front of her. Inside the keep, Veiraen approaches Eridol and asks if he really meant what he said about Drackuss, that everything he’d done was just rebalancing a ledger and whether that extended to how he thought about the rest of the group. Eridol still not quite over everything that happened outside quietly says that he doesn’t know, that he genuinely cares about everyone and is so afraid of losing people he cares about again. Eridol realises what he said and stiffens before taking a breath and apologising. Everyone deserved better than he could offer, but that he would be a better friend if Veiraen would give him another chance. Veiraen agrees before asking if he could stab Eridol again for funsies and the status quo of bickering siblings is restored like nothing happened. 

Several hours and jugs of grain alcohol later, the group find themselves in a tavern inside Merigan and are alternating between loudly trying to guess what they’d face in the fight pits with Core and how to best announce their awesomeness to the waiting crowd, it’s around the third shout of ‘We’re Tactyl Y’mon, we could fight a swan” that the shouts get the attention of the large tortle barbarian who had been sitting at the bar who with the fading memories of the guards saying to avoid the group, she gets up and introduces herself, saying that she had overheard the group was going to be in some upcoming exhibition matches at the main city’s amphitheatre and that she was a decent fighter and was looking to gather some gold for her travels if the group thinks they could use the extra set of hands in the fights. This is basically all the group needs to hear before collectively welcoming her to the rag tag family and then several rounds later getting around to asking her name. With introductions out of the way and a new friend made, the group staggers slowly back to the keep, singing songs the whole way.

In the coming days, the group train half heartedly before making their way to the capital city of Principium. They enter the familiar halls of the arena that the exhibition matches are held in to raucous applause and quickly take a win in the first fight, much to the joy of the crowd watching. A quick break later and they re-enter for the second match. Whatever the group was expecting is blown out of the air as from the other side of the arena enters faces very familiar to the group. Core, Sukaren, Drackuss, Rorstaad the council member, an old lizardfolk monk ally and a lumbering form of a hill giant with a grudge against the party’s cleric all appear across from them and against the superior combatants and the well oiled teamwork of their opponents Tactyl Y'mon quickly begin to fall. Eridol and Emmi fall within seconds, Veiraen temporarily falls shortly after but by the time he gets his footing again there isn’t anything that can be done. It is only 20 seconds after the fight begins that it ends. Sukaren spits that their time is worth more than mopping up such disappointing fodder. The crowd watching all of this sits deathly quiet, no cheers, no boos, no movement as Tactyl Y’mon quietly leaves the arena, thoroughly defeated by their betters.

Minutes later in the waiting room of the fight pit, Tactyl Y’mon sit and lick their proverbial and literal wounds as Core and Sukaren enter and as Core splits off to speak with Emmi, Sukaren attends to everyone else in what amounts to a “I am both mad and disappointed in all of you” conversation she goes over how this proved to her that the group is not worthy of the champions/defenders of the realm status that the commonfolk believed about them. They were nothing but mercenaries who had bumblefucked their way to success, idiots with no real skills or teamwork, just lucky that they hadn’t faced a serious threat. Sukaren dared any one of them to prove her wrong, to say something that would justify how poorly they just performed. We leave the session with Core and Emmi having a whispered conversation about what’s really important and Emmi rushes out of the room in between all the shouting, making her way to a ship docked nearby, wordlessly hugging her mother before helping her pull up the anchor and pointing the ship towards the setting sun over the ocean.

[adarlingwrites]

Absolution

Summary:

noun: formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

The Capital Wasteland lauded the Lone Wanderer as a hero, a Messiah, a savior who’s willing to give her life for the Good Fight. Beyond the legends, the propaganda, and the mythification that surrounded her legacy, there is only one person who knew her bare soul. She gave him his absolution, and now he will fight for hers.

XXIV

January 10, 2278.

Hannibal Hamlin just arrived a few moments ago, after Cross did. He sees me, smiles, and shakes my hand.

“Charon. Good to see you again, friend. How is Percy treating you? Has she found a solution to your contract yet?”

“Good,” I tell him. “We’re working on it.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The back door swings open, and DeLoria arrives with the dog. Dogmeat bounds towards me, and licks my hand after I ruffled his fur.

“Yo. I’m here. Where’s Percy at?”

“She’s retrieving a few things from the house. She’ll be here soon,” I tell him. “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

“Yeah. I had the dog with me to keep watch.”

Just a few moments later, we heard the back door opening once again. Gob exclaims something I couldn’t hear, and Percy comes into view, dragging a missile launcher with her. It’s the one we found on the first day that I started serving her.

“Sorry I’m late. Had to double check a few things. Paladin Cross, this is for you.”

DeLoria’s jaw drops at the sight of the weapon. Cross carries it with ease, and thanks my partner.

“Holy shit, Perce. Where’d you even get that?”

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, these arrived just in time, Charon. Moira had a hard time procuring them, so let’s put them to good use,” Percy turns to me, handing me a package.

I look inside and smirk.

“As you command.”

Nodding, Percy sets the map Doc Church drew out for us on the bar top.

“Here’s the plan.”

It was near midnight when we finished our meeting.

“Let’s go home,” Percy tells me. I follow her.

After cleaning up, we went into Percy's bedroom, my bedroom now too, I suppose. I lay awake next to her that night, thinking back to the days we spent with the Abolitionists, and their influence on me.

Right after that incident with Harkness, Percy runs into an escaped slave in the city, Mei Wong. She gives Wong some caps so she can buy a weapon. Then, that’s when we learned about the Temple of the Union, and met Hamlin.

November 11, 2277.

Staying close to Percy, we walked on, accompanying Hamlin and the others to the Lincoln Memorial.

Nearly two centuries ago, my first mission occurred here. I think I was… fourteen. Or fifteen. Fuck, my memories from before the Great War are still hazy, but I know it happened. Under the orders of our contract holder then, our unit was tasked to suppress protesters gathering at the memorial.

I remember everyone’s actions.

Vanth, our sniper, did not hesitate to open fire, making rubber bullets rain on the crowd. She didn’t even aim it to the ground; she aimed at the people. Everyone followed suit, save for me who stood there, mortified. I only got moving when my electric collar went off.

Magwayen did the best she could to avoid casualties. I followed her. The others did not. At the end of the day, Mag treated the wounds on my back. Whip marks. Punishment for being too soft.

The next day, I went harder on the people. I remember the smell of tear gas. Mag became distant since then.

I’m certain that if hell exists, I would go there, regardless whether hurting all those people is my will, or not. My hands killed them. I’m a murderer.

I’d never thought I’d come back to that place and do something right for a change.

I watched as my mistress helped the Abolitionists return the statue’s head back where it belonged. Smiling, sweat pouring from her brow, Percy approaches me, and tells me to enjoy the rest of the day while she talks to Hamlin.

They talked for hours. Occasionally, Hamlin would look at me, a certain understanding in his gaze.

I brought my mind back to the present. I figured out earlier that Percy must’ve spoken to him about my contract. Heartbeat slow, Percy sleeps next to me, and I look at her unmarred face. As gently as possible, I brush a lock of stray hair from her face. This angel… she’s doing everything she can to free me from its hold, huh?

Maybe it’s time.

I think I can manage it.

If I survive tomorrow, I want to come out as a free man.

After planting a light kiss on her shoulder, I closed my eyes.

January 11, 2278.

Today’s the day.

The sun’s setting on the horizon. DeLoria walks in front of me, obviously nervous as hell. We approach Paradise Falls’ entrance, where a guard asks us to halt and state our business.

“Yo, is this a place where I can sell people? My friend gave me this piece of shit here and I don’t want anything to do with him.”

The guard looks at us with scrutiny. DeLoria looks like an absolute dick, wearing shades and a set of ill-fitting armor. Only an idiot would buy his disguise, but I guess the guard’s one after all.

Good for us.

Behind him, Percy emerges, and snaps his neck. He lands to the ground with a thud. The others approach; Hamlin and Simone from the Abolitionists, and Cross from the Brotherhood. The paladin hefts the rocket launcher, and as Simone kicks the gates open, all hell breaks loose.

Crouching, Percy disappears again, and the only thing giving her away’s the silver-white outline of her stealth field. The Abolitionists provide Cross some cover fire as she fires the missiles at the slavers.

Now, my turn.

DeLoria follows me close by, and we approach the slave pen.

“Remember the plan,” I tell him. “Watch my back as I get these gates open.”

“R-right,” DeLoria stammers, taking a steadying breath. “Shit, shit. What have I gotten myself into, man?”

“Hey. Do it for the kids.”

The younger man nods at me, bravado coming back. “Yeah! For the kids!”

As soon as I unlocked the gate, DeLoria tossed a bag at the adult slaves. “Here, protect yourselves. Run for it!” he yells.

I moved on to the next gate, where the children stayed. They huddled together, looking at me with fear. But when the gates swung open, they reluctantly approached. Next to me, Percy emerges from thin air. The kids looked at her with awe.

“Hey. Your friends from Lamplight asked us to help you. Follow the guy with the nice hair, kids. We’ll meet you outside.”

The children followed DeLoria, while the other slaves joined the fray, exacting retribution on their captors.

“Charon, you know what to do,” Percy tells me, squeezing my arm, and disappears once again.

I take out the contents of the package Percy gave me the night before.

C4 explosives.

Time to blow this place up.

I started at the clinic. An old slaver lies dead on the floor. The vault next to the cash register is already looted. Must be Percy’s doing. She’s still thorough. I placed one explosive under the desk.

After that, I went to the slaver barracks. The place is deserted, bottles lying about.

Then I heard a click of a gun behind my head.

“Hold it right there,” a familiar voice tells me. “Wait a minute, it’s you! Hah, the zombie- ugh!”

A shot resounded through the building, and the slaver’s body thumps against the floor. I look behind me, and Percy stands there, 10mm in her hand. Her stealth armor helmet pops open and she smiles at me.

“C’mon big guy, let’s get a move on.”

She watched my back as I installed another explosive, and we ran back out to face Paradise Falls’ leader.

Eulogy Jones.

I kick the door to his pad open, and he sits atop the bed, looking far too relaxed for someone whose base is being torn to shreds.

It’s almost as if he was expecting us.

Two female slaves jump at Percy and before I can save her, Eulogy Jones shoots my calf, and I kneel, groaning in pain. I can barely keep my eyes open as one of them searched Percy for my contract, and handed it to Eulogy.

No, no! Not this shit again!

“Good girl, Clover,” the slaver croons.

Then, he turns to us.

“Ah, I knew the two of you would show up here. Welcome.”

A look of horror crossed Percy’s face as she heard shouts outside. Bloodied slavers barged through the door, and one of them was grabbing DeLoria by the collar.

“Butch! Where are the others?!”

“They got away, don’t worry about- ow! That hurts!” One of them kicked the greaser.

“Not for long,” he tells the greaser. Then, he turns to my partner.

“Word travels fast in the wasteland, you know. It didn’t take long for us to figure out what you’re up to, my dear. The two of you haven’t really been subtle about it. Paradise Falls has contacts everywhere. It didn’t take much for one of them to strong-arm Church into telling us what you’re up to.”

“Bastard!” Percy spits. “What have you done with him?!”

The two women restraining her keep her down as she tries to wriggle free.

“Let’s just say that Jotun sent him into an early retirement.”

That dangerous look, the one that frightens me, is back on Percy’s face. Her mouth is pressed into a tight line, trembling in her fury.

“And you,” he turns to me. “Who would’ve thought that you’d be back here, fifteen years later, Charon? Or should I say, Artyom Volkov.”

In the corner of my eye, Percy is looking at me with uncertainty. “Artyom Volkov?”

“That’s right, Miss Zhou. That’s your bodyguard’s name, before he was brainwashed into submission. There are a lot of things that you don’t know about him. Did you know that aside from helping us acquire new merchandise in the past, he was a war criminal, before the bombs dropped 200 years ago?”

“Liar. Charon can’t even remember most of his life before that. How could you know such a thing?”

“You never bothered to learn his history? My dear, I simply asked him all those years ago. Artyom here probably locked those memories away when I sold him to Ahzrukhal. Fifteen years is a very long time and you’re bound to misplace some memories, but I suppose someone as young as you wouldn’t know.”

Percy is breathing hard, looking at me with those wet and wide eyes, and I couldn’t look at her. The entire ordeal felt like peeling gauze off a wound that didn’t quite heal, or my skin being charred by hellfire from an atom bomb.

“Charon, tell me he’s lying.”

I can’t answer her. She’s no longer holding my contract.

“Answer her, Charon,” Eulogy orders me, and I comply, bile rising to my throat.

“He’s not.”

My new master steps closer, and grabs my partner’s jaw.

“I could put you in the pen as breeding stock, like this boy here,” Eulogy said, motioning to Butch.

“But you know, you remind me of my Clover here,” he continues. “Crazy girl, and I’m an expert on crazy girls. I just know you’d be crazy in the sack too. You just need to be housebroken.”

“Fuck you,” Percy spits.

“Soon, babe, soon. Now, Charon, take Miss 101 and her friend here to their new quarters.”

I feel it, the ghost of an electric shock shooting upward to my brain again.

But I can withstand it now.

“No.”

Percy and Butch look up to me, and before the burn can incapacitate me again, I whip out my shotgun and shot Jones in the head, twice. One to kill him, another out of spite.

My shotgun clatters to the floor, and the shocked slave girls couldn’t do anything as Percy escapes their grasp and takes back my contract from Eulogy’s dead hands. 

“You disobeyed another order,” Percy gasps, looking at me with a soft look.

A piercing shriek filled the room as the girls lunged at me, but Percy shot one of them in the head. The other one who got too close, she whips with her pistol.

“Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa, Percy wait! These girls are slaves too! We can’t just shoot ‘em,” DeLoria exclaims, rushing over to the fallen girl. DeLoria attempts to help her up, but she scratches his chest, kicking and screaming, and she turns to me, manic.

“You son of a bitch! You killed daddy! You killed Mr. Eulogy, you killed him, you killed him! I hate you, you fucking shuffler!” she shrieks, like a petulant child. A deranged, petulant child.

Percy knocks her out cold. “You’re welcome to carry her, Butch, if you care so much.”

“Percy…”

Limping, I place the last C4 explosive while Percy loots the place clean. Then, she comes and wraps her arm around my waist, supporting me, holding me like she did the first time I ever got injured in her employ.

We hear heavy footsteps, and Cross comes into view, offering us a helping hand. Behind us, DeLoria carries the unconscious slave girl in his arms. I’d never thought I’d see the day when he’ll care for anyone other than himself.

I’d never thought I’d see the day that I would be free from my contract either, but here we are.

“Percy, I think I’m ready.”

My partner looks up to me, her eyes glistening in the moonlight.

“You guys go on ahead,” she tells Cross and the others. “We just have some unfinished business to attend to.”

We sit outside Eulogy’s pad, her back against my chest, and Percy fishes my contract out of her PipBoy glove. Her glasses are fogging up as it starts snowing again. I dug in my pockets, and after palming through crushed cigarette boxes, I found a lighter.

“Charon, are you sure about this?”

I nod, trembling as I hand her the lighter.

“Do it.”

I expected my skin to be set ablaze as the fire ate the edges of my contract, or for agonizing pain to shoot up my spine and kill me in an instant, but instead, I stared as my paper soul went up in flames without eliciting a single reaction.

As the paper turned to ashes, I sat with my partner in silence.

“It’s done. Charon, your contract is gone- Charon, no!”

I never noticed my hand reaching for Percy’s pistol involuntarily, aiming it to my temple, and firing.

When I opened my eyes, Percy was on top of me, breathing hard, her small hand restraining my arm in a surprising show of strength. She wrenches the pistol from me and throws it a few feet away from us, then she looks me in the eyes, her glasses slipping off of her face and landing on my chest.

I can feel her breath on my lips.

Burying her face in my chest, a sob wracked her body. I held her as tight as I could.

“C’mon, let’s send this place to hell.”

Reunited with our companions, I hand Percy the detonator.

Paradise Falls is no more.

[answrs]

Catbun Shiro AU

I promised to post my notes for this au and then never got on the desktop to do it, asdfkl sorry y’all. :x @headspacedad this one’s for you. (I reeeeeally hope this isn’t too confusing, it’s mostly a big jumble of notes for the au assembled in relative order to something resembling a plot. so uh, you’ve been warned. there’s pictures at the end though!)

Important note on setting, since I’m deathly allergic to basically anything besides the existence of characters post season 2, the whole deal with the castle is pretty malleable as a setting to me. basically, castleship wasn’t destroyed, at least not entirely. it’s disabled and most of it is too damaged to inhabit, but the lion hangars and the controls are still functional, if a bit beat up. (tbh mostly because it’s much easier than trying to juggle everyone with the lions as the only transport). so they’ll end up setting up camp close to the lions with Allura and Coran having a quick way to get to the control room to steer the castle out of any action they fall into, since the weapons/defenses are basically shot. no time travel nonsense or other funky shenanigans either, but the characters are all there.

also I’ve never written voltron before and it shows asdfkl but I TRIED AND THAT’S WHAT MATTERS

Now that’s out of the way, the actual good part of the au, the plot! :p

-

It happens when Allura tries to smash “their” Shiro into the clone’s body. Something goes wrong, or maybe Shiro’s soul is just so affronted by the idea of them expecting him to just... nonconsensually wrest control from an already occupied body. But he’s still being yanked back onto the mortal plane and if he doesn’t have a body his mind will die, so either subconsciously on his part or purposefully on Black’s, it rebounds into the nearest available viable occupancy.

The group watches as Allura struggles, frustratedly trying to shove “Real” Shiro into the traitor’s body, but before they can comprehend the shock and despair on her face as the tendril of essence is ripped away from her, the black lion roars and bursts away, no pilot at the helm and racing towards stars-knows-where.

-

It’s a small junk planet of sorts, with no obvious humanoid or sentient species. Shiro is groggy and stumbling around because there is very much something wrong with his limbs… 

(the black lion seems much larger than he remembers and oh look he can see his reflection in her plating now and whoops…)

The body looking back out at him from the mirrored surface is some sort of small quadruped creature. Its fur is entirely black, or possibly a dark gray, but for the tuft of bright white on the head just like his former body’s had had. did whatever stuck him in this thing have just that sheer luck finding a body, or was that obnoxious hairstyle just inexplicably tied to his soul now-? (he can feel Black huffing her laughter in his mind, she'd had the option of a body with matching fur to her namesake color, but his quintessence had bleached his new little mane going in. or… something to that effect, at least. he'd gotten much more fluent in translating her thoughts and images into words in that void of her mind, but a year could only teach you so much with a whole universe's worth of cultural (and species) divide.)

rolling the steel grey eyes- again just like his own- or would it be former? body ("windows to the soul", a quote surfaces in his memory), he goes back to plotting out this new vessel. It's quite fluffy, but he can make out two long ears that remind him of a rabbit. the hind legs are elongated like one too, though not to the extent an Earth's species' would be, he thinks. The tail poking out just behind them is short too, but reminds him more of the grouchy old cat his grandmother kept when he was growing up. opening his mouth, the similarities to the old bobtail seem to extend to its dentition too, pointed fangs indicative of whatever species this was being at least some sort of predator. Life hadn't been kind to the former inhabitant, and not just that this body had been recently vacated. nicks are evident on an ear, and he'd bet the unkempt fur covered up at least a few scars of its own. But thankfully none of his own scars had seemingly crossed over on top of the rest. he can very much feel his (formerly) missing arm… paw? and he starts when it finally dawns on him just how much easier his breathing is without that huge scar marring the bridge of his nose.

-

the team arrive to find Black lying in a covered clearing of sorts, calm as can be, and shields down. nothing seems amiss but as they get closer, Lance with his sharpshooting eye is the first to spot something on Black's muzzle. with everyone on edge after the clone, even the local fauna don't get a pass from their scrutiny and they ready their weapons, but the moment a charge starts to hum the shields slam up, startling them.

-

(the clone = Ryou/Jiro/Taka, Shiro’d called him many things watching him from his place in Black, which is absolutely of course not just an excuse I’m making up because I can’t decide what he decides to go by so I just keep using them interchangeably sorry if it’s confusing D:)

Once the team collects Black and her finally returned passenger, Shiro absolutely is constantly sitting on Ryou's head, or riding on his shoulder, or just generally hanging out around the clone.

(Honestly, at first it's also because he's not entirely sure he trusts anyone, clone or not, not to do anything rash and he'll be damned if he's not be there to prevent another tragedy.)

(He's still rather indignant on the man's behalf, honestly, and even if he can somewhat see why the group reacted how they did he doesn't accept their actions. And he's been watching the guy through Black basically the whole time, it was so obvious to him the poor kid was being controlled against his will. Not to mention his reaction afterward, how he doesn't trust himself and is afraid of hurting anyone even tied up and literally disarmed in the back of the cockpit the group is convened in. Maybe Black has rubbed off on him with treating her chosen paladins as cubs to be protected, but he sees him almost as a little brother and it rubs him the wrong way how he's being treated by the group. So even if the comfort he can offer him is little and a bit strange, he'll chill on his leg for hours for a nap and some eventual fingers combing through his fur when the clone is finally distracted enough to not be thinking about it.)

-

It’s possible Shiro had been part of Black long enough to pick up how to communicate through the lion's bond, and uses it to talk to his new little brother. (It’s certainly a lot easier than constant, neverending charades)

Telling the kid to ask the others to remove the restraints, to which Jiro steadfastedly refuses, half because he's afraid of himself, the other because (to the other's confusion, since they only hear the clone talking out loud) they absolutely would not believe that the request isn't just his own and he was making it all up. Gets kind of heated because Shiro just will not let it go despite his refusal, because to him he obviously isn't dangerous and doesn't see the problem here. He's been disconnected from the problems of the living for a bit too long perhaps, and while he knows on a level there’s distrust between the team and the clone, and even the clone with himself, because he's seen the man’s soul and has known him much longer in a metaphysical sense he kinda forgets others don’t automatically see in that way.

There's one point early on, that the group first learns Shiro can (and has been) talking through the mind link to him. Lance notices the small fluffy body half inside of his bag, rummaging around through his toiletries. He’s been going crazy with all the extra fur on this body (it might even be shedding season for the creature, and it's just so. damn. ITCHY.) and he's desperate enough he’s resorted to getting the scissors he knows are hiding in there out himself. Except no one knows what he's doing and eventually break to come ask the clone if he knows what the fuck is going on and what he's trying to tell them, to which he's like, he wants you to trim down the fur?? he's been driving me insane complaining about it the past few days?? can he not tell you himself?? (he thought Shiro could and had been talking to the others just like he had been to him the whole time. and was just choosing to complain and annoy him constantly for whatever reason instead of asking them himself)

-

Piloting the lions in a battle the first time is... not great. There's a nearby planet being attacked and Red nothing short of demands her pilot back, allowing Blue a perfect excuse to grab Lance again, because Black's got two perfectly semi-functional pilots right here, so really, what's the problem? the paladins eventually figure since Black refuses to respond to Keith and Red is practically banging down the door to his mind while ignoring Lance that it's better to have four lions than two and fly in their original configuration, leaving Allura to pilot the remains of the castle to a safe distance since the weapons and shields are damn near useless in a fight right now.

None of the paladins would want to fly with Jiro, and he doesn't trust himself enough to do it even if they would, but Shiro can't exactly reach the controls right now and she's been out of the battle long enough and the galra are converging and ffs, Black just has to do everything herself now doesn't she... Cue a very terrifying sudden scene of his body going lax with a blank look on the poor clone's face, eyes glowing the bright yellow of the giant lion as he robotically stands up and goes straight to the awaiting lion's maw, ignoring or discarding any restraint with impossible strength as the Alteans and company scramble to stop him, only to ram into metal or shield as the lion scoops them both up, apparently tired of waiting. (They didn't notice, but the small passenger's body clinging to the material of his shirt had also gone ramrod straight, but Black is very much telling both of them to Cat Up and just get over here already)

thankfully they don't have to form Voltron, since there's absolutely no way they'd be able to just then, even if the rest of the team somehow thought only the "real" Shiro was at the controls. after the battle Black finally allows the others to enter, and en masse they burst in to find The Traitor™ sitting in the seat, lone hand on one part of the controls, Real Shiro™™ situated on his knee, paws resting on the other half. Clone is eyeing them guiltily, but not moving in order not to jostle his passenger, who’s just now turning to look at the small audience, blinking owlishly as he finally manages to disengage from Black's direct connection. (he's spent so long enveloped in that nebulous and vast mindspace he needs to remember he has a body to return to now, mismatched as it is.)

---

and now some pictures! pro-tip, turns out it’s much harder to mix together a cat and bunny than i’d ever expected like what??? ah well, have a doodle of The Fur Boi

And a little pre- vs post- haircut inspo:

[randaccidents]

Breaking and Entering

Ah the first week of school! The easiest way to drain all your writing juices. Stuffs gonna slow down from here and not like 3 fics a week like what I was doing, but I’m unlikely (cause I never finish promises) to stop now cause I have like *leans over to check* about 10 WIP fics I wanna write with new ideas every week soooooo...

Right the fic! Its a fic! Yayy I wrote things. The dialogue might come off as clunky cause school punched me in the guts while I was trying to write that.

Shadow People AU from the wondrous mind of @mine-sara-sp

TW: toxic thoughts, self-harm, self-blame, description and talk of that loneliness that seeps into your chest and hooks in deep and never ever wants to let go making you doubt your actions

Crypt broke into someone’s base and left with the real treasure and a no-no word gets thought.

The pickaxe shatters in his hands. Mechanically, he replaces it with another, adding to his internal count. That was the fifth iron pick he’s broken thus far. Another 3 to break before he had to surface and go to the shadow meetup. The thought of that made the hole in his chest feel twice as large, and he swung his pick hard enough that the shattered rock flew in large chunks around him.

It wasn’t that he was feeling lonely or left out. He had friends. He had 3D, and Phas, and TFC, and Abyss, and the grey stone that surrounded him on all sides. He had a pick in hand, a reason to keep chipping away at stone walls all day. He was fine!

...and he was a big old fool, to continue to believe that lie.

Collecting another pile of coal, he silently wondered if this was what the other shadows saw of him. A useless lump of black, easily replaced by better sources of fuel and light, cast aside like it was nothing. Bitterly, he broke the next block of stone, left hand holding onto the coal piece. Now he had only one use, like the coal he held - to ensure that 3D remained happy and unbothered by the venom of the other shadows, just like how the coal was only useful for torches that lit up the few blocks surrounding it. Ugly, practical, no use in the canvas of almost every build.

So deep into his bitterness, it came as a surprise when he broke through into a cavernous room. This wasn’t the first time he had broken into another person’s base, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. He guessed that he should check whose base this was and its size before he closed the hole he made in the wall, if only so that he wouldn’t accidentally break into it again.

Stepping through the hole, the first thing he noticed was just how large and sprawling the whole build was. This was going to be a pain to dig around, he could just feel it. Looking around, he took note of the many scattered blocks of precious ores lying around the room. This hermit seemed to be very rich. He would guess Jevin, but the slime wasn’t disorganised with his ores. Maybe Scar? The build of the room didn’t quite hold enough details to pin it to the hermit though. Looking around, he felt the beginnings of anxiety rise up his throat as he fully registered the scale of the room, how open it felt to stand under its ceiling. Picking a random hallway, he ducked into it and began counting how many blocks wide this end of the build was.

Walking down the large hallway, Crypt peered into every room he came across, curiosity overriding his earlier anxieties and bitterness. It’s been a long while since he had broken into someone’s base, although that was mostly because he heard this season was all about building up the overworld. Feeling the loneliness of being left out beginning to choke up his insides, he quickly ducked into the nearest room, slipping past the door in search of a distraction.

To his surprise, he found a room full of greenery and wildlife, parrots and bunnies and wolves and other animals lazing about the room. Looking up revealed a glass covered ceiling, redstone lamps shining through coloured glass to give everything a pleasant blue tint. Light humming music drifted through the room, backlit by the sound of water flowing through the room. Crypt took another step into the room, entranced. The room was expertly put together, a feeling of openness enmeshed with closeness in a dizzying mix of comfort he never thought he could feel in such an open room. Leaning against a nearby hand-crafted tree, Crypt closed his eyes. The room felt so isolated, cut off from the world around, that he couldn’t help but feel at peace. Despite all that, some small part of him was still counting the seconds, waiting for the moment he was meant to surface from the underground and meet up with 3D. He might have time to be alone now, but he’s meant to be easy to deal with, so he counts the seconds in his head instead of in the durability of his pickaxe.

Once he’s mentally reached two iron pickaxes left, he pushed himself off the tree. Stretching, he looked out wistfully over the garden room. This had been a great place to relax after his exhaustingly painful thoughts, but he still had to count the size and shape of the whole base. Turning away, he headed for the entrance.

And came face to face with two identical shadows, frozen in the doorway staring at him. He similarly froze, caught like a sheep eyed by wolves.

One of the two shadows seemed to snap himself out of it first. He came walking forward, holding out a hand to Crypt. “Hi, Crypt right? I don’t think we really got to meet properly considering what happened the last time we saw each other. I’m Cavalier! Welcome to the Hoard!”

Crypt looked down at the hand offered to him. Noting down the purple-and-yellow feathered wristband the shadow - Cavalier - wore, he added another identifiable shadow to his mental list of those he knew as he grasped the hand in a warm shake. Who else was new here that he had never met? Who else did he meet and never remember? Swallowing the sudden surge of bitterness, he gave Cavalier a warm smile. “Yes, I’m Crypt. I don’t quite remember where I met you first, but you are a very kind shadow.”

He could sense the moment when he messed up, feel the sudden tension run a rod straight through Cavalier into his grasp. “I’m not a kind shadow.” whispered Cavalier, his eyes averted and refusing to meet his.

Well, he couldn’t have any of that. No matter how toxic this line of thinking was, only he was allowed to feel sad in any form. He squeezed the hand he held lightly. “Cavalier, I may not know who you were or what you have done before I met you, but you have yet to drive me out of what is clearly your house, instead welcoming me for visiting. You are kind.”

“And so are you Crypt, to comfort Cavalier so quickly.”

The voice might have sounded like Cavalier’s, but it didn’t fool Crypt. Meeting Paladin’s eyes, he offered up a fragile smile. “Hello Paladin. Speaking of which, I may have broken into your area by accident. Is it alright for me to measure the size of this Hoard of yours?”

Paladin looked up at the ceiling in thought. Crypt felt Cavalier let go of his hand, the shadow moving to lean against Paladin to whisper into his ear, and felt a stab of jealousy that he quickly buried. No, he wasn't jealous of their bond, not at all.

"There might be a few problems with that actually," Paladin began, holding up his hand as they began to list out his reasons. "Firstly, the Hoard kinda twists and turns a lot, branching out in many directions. Secondly, I’m pretty sure that Keloid and Avarice intend to keep expanding the Hoard. Third, I kind of have a forge in here that may or may not expand. So it’s going to be difficult for you to really measure something that’s going to keep expanding.”

Crypt sighed dejectedly. This direction would be blocked off to him then. Reminding himself that he was meant to be easy to handle, he steeled his heart and gave them as careless a wave as he could. “It’s no matter. I can always tunnel another direction.” The durability counted steadily downwards in his mind. He turned and began walking towards the doorway, throwing a final comment over his shoulder. “I’ll show myself out. Sorry to break in.”

“Wait!” A hand grabbed his arm, bringing him to a gentle halt. He turned, raising an eyebrow at Cavalier. The shadow fidgeted under his gaze, suddenly uncertain of himself. "Uhm, since we didn't really meet before, a-and I don't know when we'll meet again, do you want to join us for a bit? Just to chat? You don't have to if you're busy, I understand!"

Looking at Cavalier was a mistake. Crypt questioned how anyone could say no to Cavalier. Sighing good-naturedly, he moved to a tree behind Cavalier, patting his helmet as he passed. Sliding to a sitting position, he smiled up at the stunned duo. "Well? I don't have a season you know."

Cavalier was quick to rectify that problem, practically throwing himself to the floor before Crypt, to the amusement of the other two in the room. Stomach down on the floor, he interlaced his fingers in a peak, resting his head upon it. Paladin leaned himself against Cavalier's side, amusement written across his face. Cavalier spoke up, not pausing for a single faux-breath. "What do you normally do? I don't see you around much, but you're from last season so you must have done something, right?"

Crypt smiled down at the excited shadow. Having someone be curious about him, wanting to know about him, was something new and foreign and oh so lovely. With warmth bubbling through his chest, he began to answer.

"You're right, I am from last season. But normally…"

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

Paladin was mid-rant about the difficulties of smelting emerald into workable tools when Crypt's mental timer went off, snapping the last pickaxe in twain. It was time to meet up with 3D for the shadow meetup. He found that he didn't want to leave, comfortable in his surroundings and the people around him, who were genuinely interested in what he had to say. But he had a job to do.

With a small grunt of effort, he pushed himself to his feet, cutting off Paladin's rant. "Crypt, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. The tone of voice made Crypt shake his head wistfully. Ah, to feel concern for him not borne of pity. He hefted the pickaxe he still held in his right hand. "It's about time for the shadow meetup. I have to meet with 3D, and I suggest you two prepare to leave too, or you might be late. See you fellas around soon."

Turning, he headed straight for the exit, only for a whisper of words to stop him in his tracks. "We haven't been in weeks, not since the first time Cav went…"

Whipping around, Crypt regarded the two shadows before him. Paladin was glaring at the ground, face severe. Beside him, Cavalier had managed to sit up, his face reflecting pained memories. Something dropped in the pit of his stomach. He could just comfort them, he knew, but part of him screamed to, for once, know what had happened. He asked the dreaded question, voice as gentle as he could without sounding like pity. He out of every shadow would know that pity helped no one. "What happened the first time?"

Cavalier's hand moved to clutch his wrist, tightening around the wristband that lay there as he looked away. "You know the one you shouted at?" Paladin asked.

He flinched. Oh, so it was his fault. He really shouldn't have tried to connect to the loop. Paladin looked up at him, face softening. "It wasn't you. You saved him actually. Coda was going to destroy his wristband."

"I fail to see the problem."

Paladin tilted his head at Cavalier, directing his attention. He could see Cavalier's fingers tighten, cutting holes into his arm. He wanted to comfort the shadow who had been so happy just minutes ago, yet he could tell that if he moved from his spot, neither of them would tell him what had happened.

And he was so tired of not knowing what had happened.

"You know Puzzler?" At his nod, Cavalier continued, fingers digging further. "He gave those who served him gifts. I was one of them. All the gifts were supposed to be destroyed after the war, but I kept mine. It's… important. To me." Cavalier turned his gaze to his wristband. "They didn't like that."

He found himself wanting to know more, to understand this part of the war no one wanted to talk about. But he could also see when his questioning would only cause grief. Moving to kneel before the knights, he gently began to pry Cavalier's fingers open. "Is that why you said you weren't kind? Because of what you did in the past?"

Cavalier's small nod, his guilty body language, reminded him so much of 3D. He patted the shadow's hand as he pried open the final finger. "But you're trying to be better now, to repair relations with them, and that's proof enough that you are kind."

Another hand pressed over theirs, making Crypt lift his head. Paladin was still looking away from them, but the shake of his hands spoke for him. Crypt squeezed his hand, prompting a sigh. "Trying works for him.” he whispered, voice choked and bitter. “Me? Two seasons later and only one new family member to show for it. I don’t think anyone notices if I’m even there. Makes it that much harder to be there for him. So we don't go anymore."

He heard the loneliness, the pained longing to be part of a community in Paladin's voice. It was a pain that he was well versed in. Some part of him guiltily rejoiced, he didn't expect to find someone else who understood, but it was overshadowed by his friends’ - could he call them friends? He decided that he would. - hurt. Gently, he pressed their combined hands to his forehead. “I understand,” he murmured, pushing himself to encompass all of his sincerity in his limited words. “It hurts, when no one cares enough to know if you’re even there anymore, or ask where you went. It’s a hole in your chest, something that doesn’t fill up because no one truthfully takes you seriously." He squeezed gently, ignoring the insistent sound of shattering iron in his head. "But you're not alone. You have each other, and from what I know those vexed shadows care too. Being in the loop is not the best, in all honesty. No one really cares about how little old Crypt feels anyway."

"But I- we do." came the soft whisper from his left, from the hand with purple and yellow wrapped around its wrist. The hand leading towards blue didn't respond, shifting as if to pull away. Crypt held on tight, lifting his head to meet their gazes. Paladin was quick to break off, looking away guiltily even as Cavalier held his gaze. Normally, this would have hurt more, reopened the hole in his chest. But after their conversations, after them both listening attentively to him rant about stones without judgement, their tones of concern and desire to be with him, he instead felt immense sadness that they couldn't see that they cared, and were kind.

Was this what Abyss meant when he said he was blind?

Paladin was still turned away from him. How could he comfort someone who wasn't even looking? A small memory poked at the back of his mind, and he let it guide him. Twisting his body slightly, he leaned forward to rest against Paladin's side, just as Phas always did with him. He thinks that it was a form of comfort. He knows that Paladin and Cavalier enjoyed touch, always reaching for a hand to hold. He hopes that this wasn't the wrong choice, feeling the knight tense up at his touch.

Then, Paladin relaxed, leaning into him in return. Crypt felt another presence press hesitantly against his back. He shifted slightly, allowing the presence to slot in among them, softly and gently cradled against his being. It was… warmth, something sliding in to fill a gap in his chest.

Paladin shifted slightly, poking him in the side. “Didn’t you say you had to go to the shadow meetup?”

… fuck.

He jumped out of the comfortable pile of shadows and headed for the door, grabbing his pickaxe as words stumbled out of his mouth. “I have to go so sorry it was nice meeting you two.”

Twin voices vocalised their goodbyes as he turned the corner and ran down the hallway. A voice snaked its way along the walls, carrying a question. “Will you come back and visit again?”

He blinked, seeing his shadow fly across the walls and keep pace with him, a perfect replica of his body. Shaking his head good-naturedly, he gave his shadow a grin and a thumbs up. Turning another corner, he left his unnaturally formed shadow behind, the shape buzzing excitedly as it zoomed back down the hall.

Bursting into the large cavern from earlier, Crypt quickly located the hole he had made and dove in, rushing to make up for lost time. It wasn’t until he hit the first branch in the passageway that he stopped, a problem suddenly before him.

He’d promised he would visit. He wanted to visit. But he didn’t have anything to mark the route to the Hoard. Rummaging through his inventory, he came across the pile of coal he had mined earlier. Bingo. Pulling out the dusty sticks TFC had summoned him with, he jerry-rigged a few torches together, striking the coal against shards of stone. Placing the torch down, he spared a second to admire his ingenuity before the mental striking of broken pickaxes sent him careening down the strip mine, torches lighting up every branch, something forgotten given new use.

[tiny-opal-essence]

Pocket Paladin Chpt 9

First mission

“You doing ok, Lance?” Hunk whispered through the comms as he and the others were led through the streets of Olkarion by Ryner.

“Yep.  How much longer do I have to be in here?” Lance questioned from the right pocket of Hunk’s utility belt.  He peeked out through the small gap where Hunk hadn’t zipped it shut all the way.  He was glad there was some light, even if he was starting to feel anxious.

“Not much longer.  We’re almost there.” Hunk responded.

“Why couldn’t I just sit on someone’s shoulder?  I would be hidden by the collar on the armor.”

“Not from the front.  We don’t want word getting out about your predicament.” Allura reminded the group.

“You agreed to stay out of sight when we go on low-risk missions.  Pockets are the best way of doing that.” Shiro added.

And the best way to make me feel on edge.  Lucky me.

Pidge was still unable to hide her amazement at all the new things that the Olkari had built since the last time they were there.  Ryner was explaining all of the advances that had been made and Lance could tell that Pidge was in heaven.

The only thing that could make this day better for her is if we found her family.

‘You know they’re probably already dead.’

Nope.  Not listening la la la la la.

Lance couldn’t see Keith from where he was, but he had been quiet the whole time they were walking.

That’s weird.  I know he’s a lone wolf kind of guy, but he usually still says something at least.  Is he still weirded out by what happened earlier?  I shouldn’t have gotten that close to him.  I know he likes his space.

“We’re here.” Lance heard Ryner say.  “Now, tell me what it is about the blue paladin’s condition that you could not say in front of everyone.  I understand that it is keeping him from his duties as a paladin, but just how serious is it?”

“Pretty serious.” Hunk unzipped his pocket and waited for Lance to climb on.  “See for yourself.”

Ryner looked shocked.  “I see why you were claiming that he was in a coma.  This is something that defies explanation.”  She seemed to collect herself.  “How are you feeling?”

“Physically, fine.  Mentally, not so fine.”

“Are there any anomalies with this besides your height?”

“His height changed at a different ratio than his weight did, which completely goes against the square-cube law,” Pidge explained.  She reiterated what they had learned about Lance’s condition in the past few days.

“…so you can see why we don’t want too many people to know.”  Hunk said.

“That’s why we came up with the coma excuse.  It explains his absence from the team in a realistic way that will not be questioned by others.”  Coran added on.

“I wish there was something I could do to help you, but I don’t believe bringing you back to your normal height is within my abilities.  Because it was magic that did this, only magic can reverse it.” Ryner lamented.

“That’s alright.  We actually were here to see if you might have some supplies that would help us make Lance more comfortable until we’re able to reverse the spell.”  Allura said.

“What do you need?”

Hunk began listing the parts that he and Pidge needed.

“I believe we have most of that in our lab, but those last few I am unfamiliar with.  Perhaps you would be willing to help in their creation, Pidge?”

“As long as you have one of those headbands, I can make them and some extras for you guys.”

“We need to make sure we get the measurements right, so Lance and I will come too,” Hunk added on.

“Me and Keith can get the other supplies from the lab and meet you back at the castleship.”  Shiro offered.

“Do you know what they look like?”  Pidge asked.

“We know what we’re looking for.  Me and Keith were both first in our years at the Garrison.”

“Until he was kicked out,”  Lance added on.

“Do you have to mention that?” Keith spoke for the first time on the mission.

“*gasp* He speaks!” Lance exclaimed.

Yes!  I got him to say something!

“…You were kicked out of the Garrison?” Shiro asked.

“…Yes.”

Oh.  I guess Shiro didn’t know about that.  Sorry, Keith.

“Well, that will give us something more to talk about on the way to the lab.  We’ll see the rest of you back at the ship.”

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“I can’t believe you did that to Iverson.  I’m glad you didn’t give up on me, but did you have to give him a black eye?” Shiro asked in disbelief.

“He had it coming.  I heard you say that you wanted to punch him sometimes because he kept saying that there was no such thing as pan and that you were just gay cause you were dating Adam.”

“Wanting to and actually doing are two completely different things.  Was I that bad of an influence on my ‘little brother’?”

“Lance said he was still wearing an eye patch the day we found you.”

“You sound awfully proud of causing him permanent eye damage.”

“He kept saying you were dead and that I should just move on and find another gay mentor.  I think it was justified.”

“Well, at least your heart was in the right place.”  There was a short pause in the conversation before Shiro spoke again.  “How did Adam handle my supposed death?”

“He still cared about you after the breakup, so he was torn up about your “death”, but Simon and Curtis helped him through it.  Those two actually started dating a few weeks before I was kicked out.”

“Simon and Curtis finally stopped dancing around each other?  Wow.  I didn’t think that would happen for a while.”

Reminds me of a certain two paladins I know.

“I don’t think anyone did.  They wanted to get together earlier, but they were worried it might have made Adam feel awkward and kind of like a third wheel in their group since he was still single, but he’s the biggest supporter of their relationship.  They were still arguing over who gets Adam as their best man when I was kicked out of the Garrison.”

“I’m glad they’re all doing ok.  Are things still going alright with you and Lance?  You were pretty quiet today, even for you.”

“We just had an awkward moment right before this.”

“What happened?”

“He got really close to my face, slapped my cheeks, and said that my pores were dying before getting pink in the face and backing away.  I think I might have scared him.  It made me feel awkward, though I feel weird every time he gets close to me.”

“Good weird or bad weird?”

“I don’t know.  I think more good but still weird.  I can still feel where he touched me.”  Keith brought his hand up to his cheek and brushed his fingers over the spot absentmindedly.  “Uggh!  And we were actually getting along before that.  I even told him about Mr. Fluffy Cuddles!”

“It took almost a year for you to tell me that!  How was he able to get that story out of you so easily?” Shiro asked with obvious fake offense.

“I don’t know.  It just felt…right and…easy to tell him.  Somehow, I knew he wouldn’t judge me about it.  I even told him that I was moved to a different home after that, and he didn’t say anything or even press for more information.  He might not realize what I meant, though.”

“Lance is a pretty understanding guy.  He probably picked up that you didn’t want to talk about growing up in the system.”

“But now I’m worried that he might say something to the others.  I don’t want their pity.”

“I’m sure Lance isn’t going to tell the others.”

“Like how he didn’t tell you that I was kicked out of the Garrison?”

“Did the others know that?”

“Everyone except Allura and Coran.”

“Lance might have just assumed that you had told me.  He can keep a secret if he knows it’s a secret.”

“Until he sees some alien chick and starts flirting with her.  It’s so annoying!  He’s always flirting when we have something important to do!  I mean, he’s gotten better, but still.”

“Have you ever thought that there might be another reason that him flirting with other people annoys you?” Shiro asked in the hopes of helping Keith realize that he had a crush on Lance.

“No.  What other reason is ther- oh look, we’re at the lab.”

Dammit.  Language.  So close.  What is it going to take for him to realize his feelings?

“Alright.  Let’s get what we came for and get back to the ship.” Shiro said.

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“This is a private sector of the armory for testing new designs, so we’ll be safe from prying eyes.  It should be safe for Lance to be out here.” Ryner explained.

“Yes!  Air, sweet sweet fresh air!” Lance dramatically exclaimed as he was lifted out of Hunk’s pocket once more.

“Are you alright?  Did I not leave it unzipped enough for you?” Hunk worried, being the only one who knew about Lance’s fear.

“I’m fine.  Just being theatrical.”

“Do you always have to be this dramatic, Lance?” Pidge asked with a knowing smile.

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Ahem.  Perhaps our focus would be better put to use on what we came here to do?” Allura chided them.

“Quite right, Princess.  We want to make sure we get everything we need before we leave.” Coran added on.

“This area has a variety of plants to choose from.  I’m certain you’ll find one to your liking, Pidge.” Ryner commented as she handed Pidge a circlet.

Pidge looked around the grove they were in.  There were flowers of all different kinds and colors growing around the roots of the trees covered in vines.  It was obvious why this would be an experimental section of the armory.  The mix of flora was almost overwhelming.

“Hunk, do you think you could give me a hand in picking?” Pidge placed the circlet on her head.

“Sure.” Hunk stepped closer with Lance in hand.

“I feel like these ones would give the best density, but those ones over there look like they would be more flexible.  We’re going to be working with pretty small parts, so both of those factors are important.”

“True, true.  Lance, is it ok if I set you down on the branch here so I can help Pidge?”

“Sure, big guy.  It’ll be a nice break from all the manhandling.”  Lance climbed off of Hunk’s hand and onto the branch where he took a seat and watched as Hunk and Pidge discussed the different structural needs of the parts they were going to create while taking turns looking at him to make sure he was ok.  

The bark of the tree was rough under his hands and he found that he could fit his entire hand in the grooves in it.  Next to him, a small leaf was growing.  Well, he figured the others would call it small since it was the size of him.  The veins of it were visible thanks to the sunlight shining through it.  He reached towards it to trace one of the veins and was surprised when it felt fuzzy.  As he looked closer, he noticed tiny hairs on the plant.

That’s so weird, but so cool, but weird, but cool.  Is it weirdly cool or cooly weird?

He was distracted from this thought by Pidge.

“Lance.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any color you’d want yours to be?”

“Blue,” Lance responded without hesitation.

“I should have known.” Hunk said knowingly.

Pidge closed her eyes and placed her hand on one of the blue flowers near her.  A few seconds later, it had changed into a helmet shape which she handed to him.

“See if this fits.”

Lance put it on his head and quickly saw that his view was blocked by the helmet.

“I think I need a smaller size.”

“Sorry, I forgot how small you are-“

Thanks.  That makes me feel so great about my height.

“-I was thinking about the wrong proportion change.  This time should be right.”

And it was.  Pidge then placed her hand on the trunk of the tree Lance was sitting in.  He could feel some sort of energy coursing through the bark beneath him as he watched the leaf he had been studying start to change.  It folded itself smaller and smaller and Lance thought he could almost see the individual cells rearranging themselves to Pidge’s wishes.  It detached from the tree and fell alongside other parts into Hunk’s hands.  Pidge removed her hand and the shifting feeling disappeared.

“Nice catch, Hunk,” Lance said from his perch.

“Thanks.  Here, Pidge.” Hunk handed the assortment of parts to Pidge who looked all too eager to get her hands on them.

“These should work perfectly!  Thank you so much, Ryner!”

“It is I who should be thanking you, Green Paladin.  Were it not for you and the rest of Voltron, our planet would have been lost.”

“Here’s this back.” Pidge took off the headband.

“Keep it.  It is the least we can do after all that you have done for us.”

“Sweet!  I mean thank you.” Pidge responded.

“I hope that our next meeting is under better circumstances.”

“As do us all.  Thank you once more for your assistance, Ryner.” Allura stated.

“We better get going.  It’s getting late.” Coran said.

“Can’t we stay here a bit longer?  I haven’t even gotten to see everything Ryner’s been telling us about.”  Pidge pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t.  Every minute we remain in the same place increases the chances of someone we don’t want to know finding out about Lance’s situation.  We need to keep moving to avoid detection.” Allura responded.

“Ugggh.” Pidge groaned unhappily.

‘You know it’s your fault that she feels like that.’

What?

‘If you weren’t like this, she would be able to stay longer.’

I know, and I feel bad about that, but-

‘But what?  If it weren’t for you, she might be able to strengthen her connection with the forest.’

“Don’t worry, Pidge.  There will be many more improvements to see the next time you are able to visit.  I do hope that when we see each other next your height has been restored, Blue Paladin.”

“Me too,” Lance responded as he climbed back onto Hunk’s hand before being gently lowered back into his pocket.  

He worked to keep calm as the zipper was pulled almost shut, cutting off most of the light.  The sound of it was a bit much for his ears, but he understood it was necessary for his safety.

Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“You good, Lance?” Hunk asked through the comms.  He rested his hand on the outside of the pocket.

“Yep!” Lance said as he patted Hunks hand through the wall of the pocket.  “Let’s get this show on the road.”

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“Did you guys find everything?” Pidge asked as their group stepped back onto the castleship.

“We found everything just fine.  How did making the other parts go?” Shiro wondered.

“Perfect.  We should have enough and if not,” Pidge held up the headband, “I can make more.”

“Hear that, Keith?  You aren’t the only one with a cool gadget anymore!” Lance taunted as Hunk lifted him out of his pocket.

“Bite me.”

“Ooo kinky.  I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Lance.” Shiro used his Space-dad voice.

“Sorry, Shiro.”

“Me and Pidge are going to go put all these away,” Hunk gestured to the newly acquired parts and food that the Olkari had given them, “then we can get started on movie night!”

“Movie night?” Shiro asked.

“Oh, that’s right.  You were…gone.” Hunk somewhat awkwardly tried to avoid directly mentioning that Shiro had been a prisoner at the time.

“Pidge came up with the idea as a way to lift our spirits.  Every Donnerstag, we watch one of the movies on Pidge’s laptop.” Allura explained.

Hey, I came up with that idea!  She’s just the one who has the movies downloaded on her laptop.  I’m the one that thought of watching them!

‘Does that really matter?’

I guess not, but some recognition would be nice!

“She means every Thursday.” Pidge translated upon seeing Shiro’s confused face.

“Number 5, or should I say number 4 given Lance’s circumstances, has quite a few smashing films there.  That bee movie was particularly moving.”

“It’s called Bumblebee, Coran.” Keith quietly corrected.

“But isn’t it much easier to shorten it to the bee movie?”

“NO!” Lance exclaimed from Hunk’s hands.

“We do not speak of that horror!” Hunk added on.

“Wait.  There’s a movie called the Bee Movie?”  Allura asked.

“Yeah, but it’s…weird.  You’re probably better off not watching it.” Shiro said.

“I trust your judgment in that, Shiro.”

“It’s probably going to take a little while to file all of these away, so Lance should stay with you guys.” Hunk held his hands out to Keith who raised his own hands so Lance could crawl over into them.

“We can get everything set up while you do that,” Coran said.

“Sounds good.” Pidge responded.

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

“Who wants popcorn?” Hunk asked as he came into the room with some bowls on a floating tray.

The others quickly raised their hands and Hunk passed out the bowls of popcorn.

“Since this is Shiro’s first movie night, he should get to choose what we watch.” Keith grabbed a piece of popcorn between his fingers and handed it to Lance on his shoulder.

“I second that motion.” Lance grabbed the piece from Keith’s fingers and took a bit out of it.

The others voiced their agreement.

“Alright.  What are the options, Pidge?” Shiro asked.

“Let’s see.  Chappie, Astro Boy, the entire Transformers series including the cartoon from the 1980s, Ex Machina, the Matrix, the Terminator series, the Robocop series, Blade Runner and the sequel, Short Circuit, Real Steel, Pacific Rim and the sequel, Robots, I Robot-” Pidge listed.

“I’m sensing a theme,” Shiro said with a smile.

“Haha.  Wall-e, Big Hero 6, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Iron Gian-”

“You have Iron Giant on there?”

“Mhmm.”

“I haven’t seen that since I was little.  Can we watch it?”

“Sure.”  Pidge pushed start on the screen.

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“For such a backwater planet, they make pretty good movies.” Axha commented.

“Eh, I’ve seen better.  This is boring.” Zethrid stated.

“Oh come on, Zethrid.  Just admit that you’d love to be held by a giant.” Ezor teased from Zethrid’s lap.

“Maybe you would, but I prefer being the bigger one in the relationship.” Zethrid leaned down and kissed Ezor.

Kova *meowed* on Narti’s shoulder.

“Fine, we’ll keep it PG Narti,” Ezor said.

“Oh.  Looks like the boy is dead.  Shame.”  Lotor commented.  “Humans are such fragile creatures.”

His generals voiced their agreement before refocusing on the movie and seeing the Iron Giant’s eyes turn red before he turned towards the military.

“Now it’s getting interesting!” Zethrid said as the Iron Giant vaporized a tank.

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“Pidge, are you alright?” Allura asked about Pidge’s sniffling.

“I’m just glad that he survived the missile.” Pidge brushed away some tears.

“You’ve watched this movie a ton of times.” Hunk politely commented.

“Yeah, well the ending still gets to me!” Pidge said.

“Me too, number 4.” Coran joined Pidge in crying.

“*Yawn* I’m going to get some sleep.  Do you need any help bringing the dishes back to the kitchen, Hunk?” Shiro asked.

“No, I can just put them on the floating tray.”

“Do you want any more popcorn, Lance?” Keith didn’t hear a response.  “Lance?”

“Awww!  He fell asleep leaning against your neck.” Hunk said with a soft voice.

“Well, what do I do now?  I don’t want to wake him up.” Keith whispered to Hunk.

“Just gently nudge him into your hands.”

Keith did that and was relieved when Lance stayed asleep.  

Everyone said their goodnights and went to their rooms.  

Keith tried to be gentle as he put Lance in his makeshift bed, but the jostling was just enough for Lance to wake up.

“Ugggh.  What time is it?”

“Lights out.  You missed the end of the movie.”

“Oh well.  I’ve seen it a few times, so no great loss.”

“Sorry I woke you up.  I can give you a few minutes if you want to change into your pjs.”

“It’s ok.  Sleep now, change later.”

“Alright.  ‘Night, Lance.”

“G‘night, Keith.”

Lance was out like a light, but Keith was still awake for a little bit, wondering about the strange feeling he had when Lance was near.  He felt safe around him, like he could tell him anything.  But Keith was hesitant to do that based on how far their friendship had come.  What if it somehow pushed Lance away and they started picking fights with each other again?  No.  It was better to keep some distance between them.  People can only hurt you if you let them get too close to you.  If they don’t get close, you won’t be hurt.  It’s better that way Keith decided before he fell asleep as well.

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Realities without a Lance: 72 (+3)

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[naruwitch]

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 19: The Black Paladin

Rai directed Zerith back to the Castle of Lions as quickly as possible. The longer they took to make their plan, the more danger Allura and C.C. would be in.

The moment they landed, they rushed out of the Lion and onto the Castle's main bridge. Coran was there, waiting for them. When he saw that only the seven Paladins returned, he knew immediately that something was amiss.

"Rai, scan the download from the ship. Find out where Zarkon's Central Command is," Lelouch ordered fervently.

"On it!" The Green Paladin acknowledge, practically launching himself into his control seat and bringing up the computer screen, Shirley and Milly looking over his shoulder.

"What happened?" Coran asked, running over to them, "Where's Allura?"

"She and C.C. were captured. They sacrificed themselves to save me and the information. I didn't have a choice," Lelouch regrettably told the advisor.

"Wha-how is that possible?" Coran demanded, eyes wide and heart racing in panic. This was his worst nightmare coming to pass!

"Coran, I'm sorry things didn't go as planned, but we can't focus on what went wrong. We've got to figure out how to make it right. Rai, anything?" Lelouch shouted at the Green Paladin urgently.

"Guys, you need to see this," Rai said with wide eyes, pulling the image up to the main screen. Everyone's eyes widened at the massive size of the Central Command Center. It was probably the size of a small moon at the very least!

"Look at the size of it!" Coran gasped in fear.

"Are you saying that C.C. and Allura are being taken there?!" Shirley asked, visibly shaking.

"Lelouch, I think we should go in right away," Kallen said to her team leader, "Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us."

"I agree," Rivalz nodded, "We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands, and walk away."

"Um, do you guys not remember the Balmera?" Shirley asked, looking at them all anxiously, "We could barely take out one fleet. But this... a base this size could hold a thousand fleets!"

"I hate to admit it, but Shirley does have a point…" Milly agreed with a worried frown.

"Maybe we should consider other options," Suzaku said, "going after C.C. and Allura may not be the best course of action. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy," as he talked everyone's, even Lelouch's faces morphed from confused to shocked. Was this seriously coming out of Suzaku's mouth?! During the mission, he was the one most concerned for Allura's safety besides Coran. Now that she was captured, he was saying that they shouldn't go after her at all?

Noticing their expression Suzaku was quick to reiterate his statement. "What I'm trying to say is, maybe we should look at options that don't involve charging head-on. Maybe we can use stealth. We use Zerith's cloaking to sneak into central command, and once inside, Shirley's Geass can cloak us further. We find C.C. and the Princess and then just get out! We won't even need to fight!"

"I don't know if stealth is an option, Suzaku," Rai admitted, looking back at the base on the screen, "just look at this thing. The defensive capabilities seem nearly impenetrable!"

"Besides, we might not have time for stealth anyway!" Kallen added, "That takes planning and timing, which we just don't have right now! Plus, what do you think would happen if Zarkon finds out C.C. is immortal or about Geass? Who knows what he could do with it?!"

Suzaku's eyes widened, "I-I didn't think about that…"

"Of course you didn't," Kallen sneered, "just like you assumed that everything would be fine and dandy if you became an Honorary Brittanian!"

"What?!" Suzaku squawked in shock, "What on Earth does that have to do with anything?!"

"You think things would get better if you just followed orders like a good boy and maybe your people would be treated better?! I don't know what kind of fairy tale you're playing at Suzaku, but it definitely isn't reality!"

"First of all, this is a completely different situation! You have no right to judge me!" Suzaku argued back, gritting his teeth in anger.

Before Kallen could bark back, Rivalz got in between them, "Guys stop! Listen, we're all upset that we lost C.C. and Allura, but fighting isn't going to help anyone!"

"No! Lelouch is the one that lost them!" Coran exclaimed, looking pointedly at the prince.

"Hey! Last time we checked, you weren't even there! You got no room to put the blame on Lelouch like that!" Kallen glared hard at the advisor, fists shaking.

"That's enough!" Milly suddenly shouted authoritatively, "Sitting here and arguing isn't going to help anyone, especially Allura and C.C.!"

"Alright," Lelouch said after taking a deep breath, "First things first, we need to locate the base. We find that we'll find them."

o~o

The Galra ship was just coming to dock at Central Command. The crew themselves seemed quite elated. Who would have thought that a routine stop at an outpost would've led to capturing one of the biggest enemies to the Empire? The Emperor would likely reward them nicely, maybe even promote them to the main fleet.

The two prisoners in question were seated together in a single cell, as it was big enough to house both of them. They were both seated and silent, anticipating what was to follow.

As they felt the ship dock, C.C. gasped as she felt a pulse in her head, the Geass mark on her forehead flaring slightly.

Allura didn't have time to ask C.C. what was wrong when they heard the door to their cell opening. Standing there to greet them were three druids, the middle one being the very leader of them herself.

"Come with me," Haggar ordered, her tone showing that any other option would result in dire consequences.

As the two women were being led out of the cell, cuffed, C.C.'s headache intensified, the mark resonating even more.

Hearing her slight groans of discomfort, Haggar stole a glance at the Princess's companion. Overall, she looked similar to the other Earthlings that the Galra captured just a few years ago, however… the witch could certainly sense some abnormal energy emanating off of the girl. And it felt vaguely familiar.

'Interesting…'

o~o

"Anything?" Lelouch asked around the bridge as everyone was working on trying and finding either a weak spot or an entry point into the base.

"There's just no way in," Rivalz said with a frown.

"He's right," Suzaku confirmed from his station, "They'll have us tracked from every direction."

"Keep looking! There's got to be something!" the Black Paladin ordered. He then looked towards the central computer, seeing Coran. The advisor hadn't said a word since they'd all begun their search. Lelouch's expression turned solemn. He had a pretty good idea of what the advisor was feeling right now. It was likely similar to how he felt when he learned what had happened to his mother. But unlike the Empress, Lelouch swore that they would get Allura returned safely.

Lelouch approached the advisor cautiously. He wasn't exactly the best at comforting people unless it was Nunnally, but he had to say something. Despite what the others said, Allura and C.C. were still captured on his watch, and he had to take responsibility for it.

"I know you're worried about her. We all are. I'm sorry I let her slip away," he apologized, looking down forlornly.

Coran looked sadly at the Black Paladin, "I know it's not your fault. It's just... I've already lost so much. I can't lose Allura, too."

Lelouch smiled painfully, "I feel the same way about Nunnally."

"Your sister, correct?"

"Yes."

"...I've heard Allura talk a lot about you, and your sister with her father," Coran admitted. Lelouch looked up at him in surprise. "She's discussed whether or not we can not only improve your sister's condition but also improve the state of affairs on your planet. One of the things she wants more than ever right now is for all people to live peacefully, and that includes yourself."

Lelouch blinked and then smiled slightly. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he was greatly touched by what Coran said. He really hoped that such peace could become a reality someday.

He quickly turned his thoughts back to the situation, "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get her back. We just need a way to get close to Zarkon's ship unseen."

"Wait a tick, I think I've got a way!" Coran suddenly realized, as the image of one of the small planets orbiting the base expanded onto the screen.

o~o

The platform rose slowly, bringing its occupants to the main level of the center. The windows gave a perfect view of the universe outside as stars sparkled in the distance. But their majestic luster was lost as the two women were brought closer to a lone figure in a red cape.

As C.C. laid her eyes on the Emperor of Galra himself for the first time, a little bubbling sense of anxiety began to swell inside her. It was an emotion she hadn't appropriately felt in years, and to feel it rising up now of all times terrified her even more.

"Princess Allura," Zarkon's baritone voice acknowledge, not even turning to face his captives.

"You monster!" Allura exclaimed, charging furiously at the Emperor, "You destroyed Altea!" Before Allura could even reach the Emperor, though, Haggar's evil magic gripped the Princess in the air before she collapsed to the ground, panting from the pain of it. "Voltron is going to put an end to your empire!" she glared daggers up at the leader.

"No, it will only make me more powerful," Zarkon countered, "Your father knew that as well as I. That's why he led me to believe he destroyed it all those years ago. But now, your new Paladins will come for you, and they will deliver Voltron to me, and, with it, the key to unimaginable power."

The Emperor's eyes then tracked to their other captive. The green-haired Earthling that was supposedly traveling with his enemy, "Who is this?"

"I am uncertain," Haggar said, before she raised her hand again, her magic gathering, "but I intend to find out."

C.C. gasped in pain as Haggar's magic also lifted her in the air. And she was unable to contain her screams as what felt like hot knives and claws began ripping into her mind, ripping it open and exposing long-buried memories to the surface.

"No! Stop!" Allura cries as she tries to rush to help C.C., only for the two other druids to restrain her with their own spells.

Haggar's eyes widened slightly as she saw the Geass symbol on the girl's forehead begin to glow, images of her memories flashing before her eyes.

"He mustn't die!" she cried as she leaped in front of a young boy as a bullet embedded itself in her skull. Moments later, the same boy is crouched over what he thinks is her lifeless body, only for the said body to grasp his hand, linking him to the mysterious power that she held inside of her.

Another human, this one in the uniform of the Orange Paladin, gasps as she grasps her hand, the same link forming between the two in the Balmeran prison.

Other bits and pieces flashed past her eyes. A large human with white hair standing in what appears to be ancient ruins, a female human with long flowing brown hair standing next to him, with a very young Earthling with long flowing blonde hair. He looked no older than an adolescent, but he emitted the same energy that this girl was giving off.

Then her captive grunted, and a mental wall suddenly burst up, shoving Haggar's mental probs off of her mind. The woman collapsed in a heap, breathing heavily and bracing herself shakily on her hands and knees as she struggled to stand.

"Interesting," Haggar muses as her gaze stayed on the girl a few moments longer before turning to her Emperor, "I wish to examine her. I dare to say this, but I believe we found something with greater potential than Voltron."

As C.C. raised her head to look defiantly up at her captors. The bubble of anxiety slowly morphing into an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time, one that spread down her spine and almost all the way to her toes.

Fear.

o~o

Lelouch winced slightly as he felt a small needle of pain pierce his skull, but it wasn't painful enough for him to cry out. He heard a gasp and a groan behind him, and as he turned, he saw that Rai and Shirley had similar expressions.

Something inside Lelouch turned cold. Whatever was happening to C.C., and probably Allura by extension, couldn't be good. They needed to move fast!

After shaking away the feeling, he turned to Team Voltron, "Eyes front. We've got a plan to get Allura and C.C. We're going to jump to the heart of the enemy, unseen and undetected."

"Wait, I thought we needed Allura to open up a wormhole," Milly asked, confused.

"It's true that Allura powers the Castle's ability to travel through wormholes. However, I think we have enough of her residual essence stored in the system to make one jump," Coran explained, as he and Lelouch turned to the bridge's main computer screen, the base and the planets surrounding it being pulled up. "We'll hide the Castle here, inside one of these giant gas planets in Zarkon's command system. The gas is so dense, we'll be hidden."

"From there, we'll use the Castle to scan for Allura and C.C. on Zarkon's ship. We'll form Voltron, find them, and get out before Zarkon knows what hit him," Lelouch finished explaining.

"There's only one hiccup," Coran confessed, turning back to the group. "We have enough energy to wormhole in, but, without Allura, we won't have enough energy to wormhole out."

"So leaving without the Princess isn't an option," Suzaku summed up.

"That's correct. Remember, we're not here to fight, though we will inevitably have to. This is a quick in-and-out mission. We are not going to drag things out here."

"Lelouch, no offense, but this is a far less complex plan compared to the ones you come up with on Earth," Kallen noted. "If we mess this up, we're basically handing Voltron over to Zarkon, gift-wrapped and with a bow on top."

Though she didn't mean to, her comment made most of the other Paladins squirm apprehensively. The reality of their situation was slowly unraveling in front of them, and it scared them all.

"I know there are risks, but either way," Lelouch said, as he turned around and walked towards this seat on the bridge. He opened a compartment on his armor's gauntlet, pressed some buttons, and then slammed his hand down on the gauntlet's inside. His uniform's color suddenly morphed. Gone was the white with black accented armor of the Black Paladin, and instead appeared the black and gold accented armor of the masked leader of the Black Knights. He picked up his helmet, which is where he always kept it by his side. He slipped the mask on his head and narrowed his eyes, "we're not leaving without them."

o~o

"Sire, allow me to send my fleet to protect the command system. I will stop Voltron before it can get close-" Prorok began, trying to petition his Emperor as he sat upon his throne along with all the other loyal Galran commanders. Zarkon interrupted him.

"You will do no such thing, Prorok," he ordered, "We will allow them inside our perimeter."

"Once in, they won't get out," Haggar sneered at his side.

"Ready all fleets," the Emperor commanded, "On this day, the Paladins will be destroyed, and I will have Voltron."

"Sire, if I may," Thace spoke up, "what if this Zero character appears? It's more than clear that he is working alongside the Paladins."

"He will be dealt with accordingly," Zarkon answered, clasping his hands together, "he's nothing but another nuisance to squash."

"Indeed. If Zero does show himself in this battle, your orders are to bring to me. Alive," Haggar ordered as her eyes narrowed menacingly.

o~o

"We're here," Zero announced, standing high and confidant at the front of the bridge, his Zero uniform, minus the cape, making him look even more so, as the Castle of Lions exited the wormhole and they hovered in their hiding place. Just as they predicted, the gas planet was so thick, the enemy hadn't detected their presence yet.

They hung around the very edge of the planet's cover and were able to see the base with their own eyes. Just like on the images, the base was enormous, and seeing it now, the uneasiness within the Paladins seemed to spike up another level. Shirley was the one that looked the most scared as she was literally shaking in her seat and almost hyperventilating. Though the other Paladins weren't showing as many outward signs, they were all nervous. Even Kallen had to swallow back some bile that unexpectedly worked its way up her throat. Suzaku felt sweat drops descend down his forehead.

"I'm detecting Allura and C.C.'s energy signatures. From this distance, the signals are pretty weak, but they're both somewhere in Zarkon's main ship," Coran tells them as he continues to type furiously on the main computer.

"That's a starting point," Suzaku mutters as he and the others look up at the main screen.

"Once we get closer, we'll be able to narrow down the location where the Princess is being held," Coran continued.

Shirley suddenly hurled off to the side, causing everyone to jump and look at the Orange Paladin in horror.

"I can't do this," she says as tears start to roll down her face as she clutched her hair into fists, "I'm sorry, I can't Lulu. We're practically entering hell right at the devil's doorstep."

Before Lelouch could reach out to calm Shirley down, Kallen beat him to it, "Shirley, it may not look like it, but I'm scared too. We all are. But we need to push forward. Allura and C.C. need us to do that. That's what it means to be both a Paladin and a Black Knight."

"You can do this, Shirley," Lelouch says, causing the Orange Paladin to look up at him. "I have faith in you. I have faith in all of you," he took a moment to look at each of his fellow Paladins, "We can do this."

Though it was short, Lelouch's speech put the entire team at a little bit of ease, and Shirley managed to pull herself together enough to draw a full breath.

"Alright, Voltron is going to come in fast and without warning. We'll smash our way into Zarkon's ship and grab C.C. and the Princess. Before they know what hit them, we'll have them back on the ship, and we'll be on our way."

o~o

The Lions roared out battle cries as they sprang out of the Castle hangars and into battle. Limbs shifted, and parts connected as the great warrior and Defender of the Universe came to life right before the enemy's eyes. The Paladins that piloted, all of them facing forward and determined to face the enemy head-on. The juggernaut blasted out of the gas planet and rocketed straight for the base.

o~o

"Emperor, we're detecting Voltron within our perimeter!" Prorok alerted Zarkon as they both stood on the main bridge.

"Engage the solar barrier immediately. Attack!" he ordered.

"Yes, Emperor," Prorok saluted.

Within moments, a dark barrier began to form around the entirety of Galra HQ, quickly locking any foes foolish enough to get in, or any from getting out.

"Thace, scramble the fighters!" Prorok ordered his second in command.

"Yes, commander."

From all over the base and the surrounding ships, hundreds of Galra fighters began swarming out of their launch bays, all of them en route and targeting a single enemy.

"Haggar, it is time," Zarkon said to his chief priestess. She, in turn, bowed to her master. It was finally time to reclaim Voltron.

o~o

As Voltron drew closer to the main base, the Paladins watched in apprehension as the violet barrier closed around.

"What is that?!" Rivalz asked, voice quaking.

"I don't know," Rai said, "but I hope once we get C.C. and the Princess, we can find a way out of here."

"Heads up, they're going to fire!" Suzaku shouted as dozens of Galra battleships set their sights on them and started firing their ion cannons relentlessly at their massive foe.

Lelouch grit his teeth and propelled themselves forward further, dodging around lasers and cannon shots. He and Kallen then pulled Aka's head back, and with all the force they could muster, slammed the Red Lion's head through one of the first cruisers. With their grip now steady on top, Zerith balancing them on the other side, Lelouch cried out, "Form sword!"

With a slam into the key port, Suzaku's Bayard flared to life as the giant sword they were all too familiar with blazed into form in front of them, inside the vessel. The sword now embedded inside, Voltron gripped the blade with both hands and propelled himself forward with his thrusters, the cruiser's surface cutting like butter underneath the mighty weapon. Within seconds, the sword exited the cruiser on the other side, and it blew up in an inferno of flames.

They didn't stop there. Building up as much speed as they could, they thrust the sword into the side of another cruiser, pushing it off course to the side. It built up enough, the cruiser eventually slammed into the ship next to it, and Voltron propelled through both. And the one after that as if they were made of cardboard. All three cruisers were destroyed in a matter of moments.

"More trouble, straight ahead!" Milly alerted as a wave of battle cruisers ahead had banded together and began firing rapidly at them.

The sword wouldn't do for this.

"Form bow and arrow!" Lelouch ordered.

Shirley, with a shout of her own, slammed her Bayard into the keyhole, and the sharp sword was immediately replaced with the sleek form of a bow, an arrow of energy already notched within it. With a single pullback of his arm, the arrow fired, dispersing into thousands of tiny energy beams, each hitting the Galra cruisers in rapid succession.

Once the barrier of cruisers vanished, the bow vanished to be replaced with the sword once more, and Voltron shot once more to its destination. Very few cruisers dared to stand in their way as the main base rapidly came closer and closer.

"There's Zarkon's ship!" Lelouch announced as the thrusters propelled them forward once more. As the main base nearly came within striking distance, right underneath it, Voltron pulled back his sword ready to strike.

But before they could do so, Voltron suddenly froze. Everyone gasped in shock. The sword flickered out of existence as they all wondered what was happening!

"What's going on?!" Rai exclaimed.

"We lost the sword! Something's malfunctioning!" Suzaku shouted.

"What's happening?!" Coran asked from the bridge of the Castle. He, too, watched in horror as Voltron froze in place.

"Somebody do something! Voltron's frozen up!" Rivalz cried as his face appeared on the Castle's screen.

"Lelouch!" Kallen exclaimed in a panic.

"I can't hold it!" The Black Paladin shouted as he felt an unknown pressure pressing down on top of him.

Unbeknownst to them, directly above them, Zarkon was beginning a plan of his own. The druids on all sides of the Emperor were pumping quintessence through his veins. He smirked darkly as his eyes shut for a moment.

"You're a fool to bring Voltron here," his eyes snapped back open to reveal a black symbol within his eyes. A symbol that was nearly identical to the one that rested within the eyes of the Black, Green, and Orange Paladins.

The Paladins all yelled in pain as the pressure from Lelouch's cockpit suddenly spread to all of them. They didn't just feel their own emotions, but of their Lions too. And whatever was happening right now, they were afraid. Zenobia, most of all.

In a flash of blue light, the Lions split apart from Voltron, all scattering to different areas of the battlefield.

"Wh-What just happened there?!" Shirley exclaimed, eyes wide in fright.

"Something tore us apart!" Milly said.

"I don't know, but we've got bigger problems right now. Look!" Rivalz pointed as nearly all of the Galra cruisers, and millions of fighters pouring from around the base began soaring towards them.

"Why do I have the feeling these guys knew we were coming?!" Kallen exclaimed.

Without another moment of hesitation, the Lions all sprang into action, charging head-on into the horde of Galra.

All except Lelouch and Zen.

The pressure that Lelouch felt earlier in Voltron intensified even more as malevolent violet energy seemed to engulf the Lion. The same power that was emanating from the bottom of the main base.

In the battle, Maeraka fired her beam at a Galra ship, causing it to blow up moments later as well as blind a few other fighters and a cruiser due to the light. Zerith wasn't too far behind as she and Rai fired a beam across the haul of another ship, leaving a burning trail in its wake, causing an explosion. Just as the vessel combusted, Rai directed Zerith away and back into the battle. Suzaku and Yoru put the suction ability to use, pulling in small Galra fighters and tearing them to pieces once they came within range.

Nearby Polaris and Rivalz fired off their ice beam upon and froze multiple Galra ships at once. Aka flew in from the left and fired off her own beam and shattered two of them, while Zinnia shattered one by head-butting into it. But moments later, she was shot with another blast from the enemy, causing her and Shirley to swerve off course before the Orange Paladin managed to regain control.

"Ah, there's no end to these guys!" Shirley exclaimed in despair as she saw another ship charging its ion cannon. Before it could fire, a large blue beam from above hit the cruiser first, setting it aflame.

Looking up, the Paladins were elated to see the Castle of Lions itself zooming into the battlefield.

"Coran attack! I've waited ten thousand years for this!" the advisor howled out a war cry as he charged in.

All of the Paladins burst into cheers at seeing some back-up. All but Lelouch, who remained silent, too concentrated on trying to fight off this building pressure, that seemed to be getting stronger by the minute as he and Zen were dragged closer and closer into the base.

Lelouch grit his teeth and groaned as he tried to get Zen to move. Preferably away from the base and into the battle. His Lion was silent, and no controls he pushed or pressed were doing anything to rouse her.

Within the midst of the fray, Kallen expertly destroyed two more Galra fighters flying in front of her. She and Aka weaved smoothly in and around explosions and other attacking ships. As her path of destruction led her close to the main base, Kallen called out to her leader.

"Lelouch! Are you okay?!"

"Something is overriding the controls!" Lelouch managed to grunt out, "Zen is not responding!" Before Lelouch could give anything more, he cried in pain as more of the intense pressure came down around him.

"Lelouch is in trouble! I'm going in!" Kallen exclaimed to the others as she dove towards the Black Lion.

From within Zen, Lelouch instinctively activated his Geass, not knowing if it would help, but knowing that something needed to be done. Surprisingly, the pressure lessened, only slightly though.

From above, Zarkon's eyes widened in minor surprise as he felt Lelouch's Geass activate. But…

"So, you wield that power as well," Lelouch's eyes widened and his head shot up as he heard the voice of the Emperor in his mind. But what really caused his blood to freeze in horror was what he said. He couldn't be implying- "No matter. Yours is nothing more than a feeble ember compared to mine."

Lelouch could only watch in horror as Zen's controls finally reactivated, but all of it was in Galra script, highlighted in blood red. The pressure in his head became overpowering as the inside of Zen's cockpit lit up, and Lelouch was shot backward.

Before Lelouch could truly comprehend what was happening, he felt himself tumbling out of Zenobia's mouth and into space. What frightened him more was that just as he was ejected, a symbol he was all too familiar with had flashed through his mind. The black Geass had overpowered his own entirely, no matter how hard he tried to press against it.

"Lulu!" Shirley exclaimed as she watched Lelouch continue to tumble through the air. She immediately tried to propel over to him, only for about twenty Galra fighters to ambush her from below. With a gasp, Shirley hoisted Zinnia up and flew off to the side to try and lose them.

Lelouch eventually managed to activate his jetpack to slow his descent. It didn't help much as moments later, the Black Paladin's back collided with the side of the base, causing the packs to get damaged. Lelouch managed to grab onto a small piece of the side to stop himself from floating away further, but now he was stuck. He looked up in terror as he watched Zen being drawn even closer to who he assumed was Zarkon himself.

"What do we do now, guys?" Rivalz exclaimed over the commlink, "Our plan isn't really working out as... well, planned!"

Lelouch grit his teeth, "I'm getting Zen back! The rest of you focus on finding C.C. and Allura!"

"I've identified their exact location!" Coran responded from the Castle, "Uploading the coordinates to you now. In the meantime, I'll provide covering fire from out here, all alone, against an entire fleet. So, yeah, do you mind hurrying?"

"My jetpack's damaged. I'll need to go through the ship," Lelouch said as he scanned around for any possible openings. He noticed the small outcropping that saved his life earlier and slowly glided towards it. Geass on, Lelouch channeled his lightning into his hand, almost like an electrical spear, and shoved it into the crack. With the little physical strength that he had, he lifted the metal open. He covered his mask as a burst of air followed before he promptly descended into the entrance.

o~o

Meanwhile, Kallen continued to weave Aka in and out of the laser of Galra ships everywhere, shooting off lasers of her own in the process.

"Guys, get the Princess without me, now!" Kallen shouted through the intercom.

"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed, eyes widening, "No, Kallen, it's too dangerous to go off on your own! What are you even doing?!"

"Whatever I can!" she gritted out as she and Aka shot like a rocket towards the underside of Zarkon's base, and slammed into Zen's unresponsive body. She knocked the Black Lion out of the path so hard, Zen went tumbling through space before landing on the surface of Zarkon's lower ship, the violet glow fading away.

o~o

Inside the base, Lelouch, or Zero to others, crouched at the end of one of the halls, waiting for two sentries to come around. But instead of waiting for them to pass, Lelouch leaped out with a battle cry and impaled both of them with his lightning infused fists.

Unlike other situations, he wasn't taking chances with being seen, he couldn't afford that right now.

As he continued to run down the dark hallway, Lelouch's mind began racing. Images of the battles he endured flashed through his mind. Confronting Sendak, him resisting his Geass, the mentioning of the druids, and Rai admitting the familiarity of them, and now this!

Lelouch almost stopped dead in his tracks as the dots finally connected.

"No… Zarkon has Geass?!"

o~o

The Emperor in question glared down at the Lions from above before shedding the heavy armor and cape that he always donned. The black Geass emblem glowed brightly within his pupils as he calmly let himself fall from the ritual platform above into open space below. He then activated his rocket boosters on his heels to shoot towards where Zen had landed.

As he landed in front of the Lion, Kallen was hovering close on the other side. Her eyes fell on the Galra, and she thought she felt a chill run down her spine, glaring daggers at him. She had a feeling she knew who that was, but she needed to confirm it.

"Who is that?" she asked Coran through the comlink, bringing up a video feed in the Castle.

As Coran looked at the screen, he gasped in horror, "It's Zarkon! Kallen, get out there, now! Zarkon's too powerful!"

Kallen wasn't listening, though. Once her suspicions were confirmed, only one goal made itself apparent, "This is my chance to put an end to the Galra Empire! I have to take it!"

Kallen thrust Aka's controls forward and dived down towards the Galra Leader, ready to fire a beam at Zarkon to end him.

"Kallen, don't!" Coran's cries fell on deaf ears as Aka's maw let loose a beam of light directly at the Emperor. The explosion that resulted almost convinced Kallen that she had actually gotten him, but something caught her eye that caused ice to curl in her stomach.

Zarkon had blocked the attack with what looked like a giant purple energy shield. Moments later, it dissipated, and Kallen could see a familiar object in Zarkon's clutches.

"Is that-Is that a Bayard?!"

"You may have a Lion," Zarkon said, holding the dark Bayard up to his chest, "but its power is weak in your fledgling hands."

The Bayard then glowed as a sword that seemed to be made of energy formed from it. Then with a single swing, Zarkon flung a wave of energy towards the Red Lion.

Still in shock from seeing the Bayard, the Black Bayard, in Zarkon's hands, Kallen would've been hit, had the Purple Lion not rammed into her, and pushed her out of the way. The shot barely missed Yoru as the two Lions spun in the air for a few moments before recovering.

All of the other Paladins heard the person Kallen was facing, and Suzaku rushed to help, being the closest one. "If we stop Zarkon right here and now, then this battle is over. Earth will be safe," he declared from his Lion as the two spun to face the Emperor once more, their Lions both growling in challenge.

Zarkon didn't even blink, "You cannot stop me. The Black Lion will finally be returned to its original Paladin."

o~o

Lelouch finally made it to what looked like one of the main hangars. He was out of breath and panting from running, but he was sure he was close to Zen now.

When he was about halfway across the hangar, the door behind him slammed shut, causing him to jump and turn in confusion.

"So," a voice behind him drawled, making the hair on his neck stand up, "you're the infamous Zero." He turned back around to see a hooded woman standing in the middle of the bay. She had long white hair and what looked like navy blue skin,

"You will answer my questions!" Lelouch ordered an eyehole opening in his helmet, and his Geass flashing as he caught the eye of the druid (what else could it be?) in front of him.

She seemed to grunt for a moment before she quickly dispelled the power that attempted to take her over. She then looked up, curiously at him, "How do you wield this power?"

Lelouch took a step back in shock. Just like with Sendak, his Geass hadn't worked, and he had made sure to make eye contact through his mask. It seemed his theory of the Galra and Geass being connected in some way was being confirmed even more as this woman seemed to show some familiarity with it.

The woman's eyes then seemed to widen before a contemplating smiled adorned her lips, "I see, that explains the woman. She granted you that power, didn't she?" Lelouch continued to stand frozen in front of her, "I wonder how many others she's granted it toward. No matter, I'll find out one way or another."

This seems to shake Lelouch out of his frozen stupor as he grit his teeth, Geass still flaring, and charged at the druid, hands flashing with electricity. Just as it looked like he was about to make contact, the druid disappeared and reappeared behind him, laughing. Lelouch turned and blasted behind him, only for her to vanish yet again. Then multitudes of the druid began to appear around him, all cackling with what he assumed was sick glee. He whipped his head from one end to the other, energy crackling in his palms. He was completely surrounded.

o~o

Back on in the battle, Rai and Zerith fired at an onslaught of fighters that came their way. Shirley was right. There was just no end to them at all!

The Green Paladin then gasped loudly, Zerith screeching to a halt. He felt something in the back of his mind. A presence. One that he knew, but knew he didn't at the exact same time.

'So, the Champion returns,' the voice seemed to purr in his head, and it certainly wasn't from his Lion.

Due to this latest episode, the Green Lion had left itself open for several fighters to fire. The only reason that Rai wasn't blown to pieces was due to the timely arrival of Milly, Rivalz, and Shirley, who shot all of them down before racing to Rai's side.

"Rai! Rai, dude, what's wrong!" Rivalz asked urgently.

"Are you okay?" Shirley questioned as well.

Rai quickly shook his head, but his eyes were wide with fear now, "We have to get out of here! Now!" he proclaimed, fear clearly present in his tone.

"We've finally managed to locate Allura and C.C," Milly reported, bringing up her tracking on their screens. "They're in this part of the ship." Her scanners showed a lower area of the main base.

"Okay, how do we get in?" Rivalz asked.

"I-I can try and hack one of the cargo bays," Rai stuttered, still recovering from the scare from earlier.

"No, we don't have time! Shirley, you'll just have to bust through!" Milly ordered.

"What?! Seriously?!" the Orange Paladin asked in shock.

"Just do it!" Milly shouted back.

"O-okay!" Shirley didn't question further as she thrust Zinnia forward, barrelling straight towards the coordinates that Milly passed to her.

o~o

From inside their cell, Allura and C.C. looked up in shock as they felt the area around them shake violently.

Outside, the head of the Orange Lion, crashed through the wall of the prison, the two sentries guarding their cell, raised their guns to the intruder, but Shirley was faster. As Zinnia's mouth opened, she fired one arrow at the first sentry, spun around and dodged a blast from the second one, before hitting it as well. To her pleasant surprise, those were the only two robots that were guarding the prison, at least in this area.

o~o

Up at the central command center, Thace's screen started beeping in alert. The Galra looked up to see that a part of the haul had been broken through.

"Sir, the hull's been breached. It's one of the Lions," he reported to Prorok.

"Focus fighters on that quadrant," the commander ordered. He would retrieve those Lions for his Emperor!

o~o

On the outside of the base, with the backside of the Orange Lion hanging out of the ship, the Green, Blue, and Yellow Lions surrounded it, guarding Zinnia and Shirley against attacks that would be coming from the hoard of fighters that was coming their way.

"Looks like we've got to cover Shirley's butt!" Rivalz shouted as he swerved Polaris around several fighter shots, gritting his teeth.

o~o

With her arrow, Shirley shot a hole through Allura and C.C.'s cell. As the Orange Paladin entered, she was relieved to see that neither woman looked too hurt.

"Shirley!" Allura gasped.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Shirley shouted, motioning to her newly made exit.

"What are you doing here?" Allura demanded, "Tell me you didn't bring Voltron straight to Zarkon's central command! Where's the Black Lion?"

Suddenly, from over their comlinks, they heard Lelouch yelp in pain as if he had been hit with something.

"Lelouch is in trouble!" C.C. exclaimed as she sprung and ran out of the cell. "We have to save him."

As Allura and Shirley ran behind her, Shirley felt pain of her own just behind her left eye. C.C. was right. Something was happening to Lelouch right at that moment.

"Shirley, did you get C.C. and the Princess?" Rai asked through their helmets.

"Yeah, but there's a change of plans," she replied, blinking rapidly, trying to disperse the throb.

o~o

Lelouch grunted as he attempted to blast one of the druid clones, but it quickly disappeared into the air.

"You're nothing but a child," she taunted from behind, "tampering with forces you can't even begin to understand."

With a shout, Lelouch spun around and punched the clone directly behind him, only to be hit with a powerful blast of her own, sending him flying across the room with a yell.

"You're only scratching the surface of the power that you possess," she hissed as a ball of energy appeared in her hand and fired in Lelouch's direction.

Gasping, Lelouch managed to narrowly roll out of the way, and chargee her again, seeing as the clones had vanished. He dodged two more blasts of energy that were shot at him. With a battle cry, he flung his arm forward, attempting to swipe at her again, only for her to vanish directly behind him.

With a sneer, she thrust her claw forward, her hands glowing with her magic, deeply scratched Lelouch's side. With a choked gasp, Lelouch collapsed, agony running up his body from the wound inflicted.

Her enemy incapacitated for the moment, him kneeling and clutching his glowing wound, Haggar wasted no time probing his mind for information. Lelouch grit his teeth and tried to fight back, but due to the fatigue of battle, her influence was too strong.

Small glimpses of his childhood back on Earth flash before his eyes, and he can only assume that the druid is seeing them as well. His mother's assassination, Nunnally comatose in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her head and legs. The confrontation with his father and his resulting banishment.

Then, another image flashes by, one that even causes Lelouch to freeze. It was the face of his father, Charles Zi Britannia, and a Geass of his own flashing in his eyes.

He felt his head being physically jerked back. The druid had grabbed onto his helmet, and he felt foreign energy seeping through the mask and into his mind. She was trying to rip in closer, get as much information as she could.

Lelouch groaned in anguish, but he grit his teeth. She'd already seen more than she needed. He'd push her back as best as he could. She wouldn't get anything else!

o~o

"This is insane!" Kallen shouted as she sent another blast in Zarkon's direction. She and Suzaku had been engaging the Emperor for nearly ten minutes, and it didn't seem like they were leaving a single dent on him.

The Purple Paladin himself doesn't say anything, but his thoughts are very similar to Kallen's as well.

Once again, Zarkon quickly blocked the blast with his Bayard like a rubber ball against a brick building.

"To think that fate would bring me to face these two Lions in battle once again. What a disappointment of Alfor and Melenor's legacy," Zarkon said.

Suzaku then tried to take the moment of distraction to try and crush Zarkon underneath him with Yoru, but Zarkon jumped out of the way, his Bayard morphing back into a sword once again.

Simultaneously, the two Paladins lunged their Lions forward, both of them racing upon the base surface, shooting lasers at the Emperor as he flew towards them at high speed. He easily dodged out of the way of all of them.

Just as Zarkon was about to hit them, Suzaku attempted to suck the Emperor in with the black hole function. Instead of being pulled in and finished off, though, the Emperor seemed to simply use it gain more momentum and sliced his blade right at the Lion, who immediately fell to the ground.

Suzaku groaned as he felt the impact. Okay, this was getting ridiculous!

"Suzaku! Move!" Kallen shouted from above. The Purple Paladin lifted his head in time to see Zarkon produce a huge cannon from the Bayard that was aimed directly at him!

With a grunt, Suzaku managed to sweep out of the way, just as the blast nearly grazed Yoru's shoulder. The shot didn't hit them, but Kallen and Suzaku both looked in horror as the blast easily sliced through one of the base's outer layers. Zarkon didn't even seem to care!

What kind of a monster were they facing?!

"Kallen, Suzaku, get out there!" Coran's voice echoed through the link again, sounding even more desperate now.

The two Paladins didn't have time to reply as Zarkon then flew into the air, the sword once again in hand, and attempted to dive-bomb them. They managed to jump out of the way, but the impact that Zarkon made caused a massive explosion as well.

Zarkon was literally tearing his own base apart just to get to the Black Lion!

"Do you copy? You don't know what you're dealing with! He's too powerful! Listen to me, it's imperative that neither of you engages the-" Coran's voice was cut off as the two Paladins simultaneously slammed the off button to the communication link. Both of the Lions readied themselves, blades appearing in their jaws as they both shot off and charged the Galra at full speed.

Zarkon was waiting for them, as he Bayard turned from a blade into a large metal whip that he threw towards them.

At first, the Lions were able to dodge around the weapon until Aka's leg got caught by it, and Zarkon slammed the Red Lion into the Purple Lion.

With both the Lions down once again, Zarkon's blade appeared once more, and he charged towards them, aiming to finally end the two Paladins at once.

"No…" Kallen groaned as she forced Aka to stand up with her own willpower. Suzaku, behind her, was still somewhat dazed from the attack and wasn't moving. As Kallen stood between Zarkon and her comrade, she took several deep breaths, her anger, and determination building with each one, before screaming out a battle cry.

At the same time, she felt something twist within her bond with Aka, and appearing on top of the Red Lion's back, was a giant cannon.

Seeing this development didn't slow Zarkon's descent towards them as the cannon charged up. With a flash, Aka unleashed a cannon blast so massive and powerful that it actually forced Zarkon to stop and block the attack. It even drove him back a couple of paces.

With a grunt of his own, Zarkon finally dove out of the way of the attack. The remaining power from the attack flew past him and hit the outer base once again, causing a large chunk of it to go up in flames.

Kallen stared wide-eyed at not only the destruction she seemingly caused from that single attack but also the fact that Zarkon had been able to block it! "Whoa!"

"Kallen! Come on!" Suzaku shouted as the two Lions ascended into the air once again. With the ray gun still activated on Aka's back, Kallen fired another shot at the Emperor. To her pleasant surprise, Zarkon actually flew out of the way of the attack instead of blocking it. It left a fiery trail behind the Emperor as a result.

Suzaku took that opportunity to try and dive bomb Zarkon again, but somehow, the Emperor anticipated this and sliced Suzaku out of the air once more.

"You fight like a Galra soldier," they heard the Emperor commented to the Red Paladin.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kallen spat. She knew that out of all of the Paladins, even out of all the Black Knights, she was undoubtedly the most… battle-savvy for lack of a better term. But she knew for a fact that she was human. There was no way that she was related to the Galra, neither were any of the other Paladins for that matter… right?

"But not for long!" Zarkon proclaimed as Kallen watched him leap into the air, and with the Bayard transforming what could only be a giant club, beat Aka out of the air. She slammed back into the ground, right next to Suzaku with a gasp.

o~o

Allura, C.C., and Shirley all burst into the fighter hangar, all under the protection of Shirley's invisibility. They all stopped in their tracks when they saw Haggar bent over Lelouch's fallen form, her hand and the Black Paladin's body glowing a sickly purple.

Shirley immediately pulled out her Bayard and aimed it at the witch, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she shouted as released the single arrow that had been notched.

Her shout was the only thing that alerted Haggar to their presence and managed to let go of Lelouch and dodge the arrow just in time. She sneered before she teleported away.

With Haggar's hold on him gone, Lelouch collapsed back to the ground with a gasp, barely bracing himself on his hands so he wouldn't fall flat on his face.

"Lulu! We have to get out of here!" Shirley exclaimed, rushing over to the Black Paladin and helping him to his feet. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of his wound, but they would have to deal with it later.

As the four of them left the hangar, C.C. couldn't help but stall just for a moment, her eyes trailing back to the spot that Haggar disappeared from. A chill ran up her spine. In all of her long life, she'd only met a few people that she would admit she was frightened of, and Haggar was only her latest addition.

The last time she had felt this way… was when she met V.V.

o~o

Yoru and Aka lay still on the surface of the base. Neither of them was moving despite their Paladins doing everything they could to get them to. Even a twitch would have been reassuring!

Above them, Zarkon's Bayard transformed once again. This time, it took the form of a giant spear, that the Emperor had aimed directly at the two Lions. With a burst of the jets on his legs, the Emperor charged towards them.

"Come on! Come on!" Kallen shouted from the cockpit, frantically pushing down levers and pressing buttons.

Suzaku, on the other hand, stopped. The moment he had seen Zarkon's Bayard flash, he had stopped struggling. And as the Emperor drew closer to finish them off, Suzaku's eyes closed. If this was how he died, at least it was fighting for something he believed in. Really believed in.

However, death would not be the case, as just moments before Zarkon could strike, a roar to his right drew his attention. His eyes widened as the Black and Orange Lions shot off attacks of their own, throwing the Emperor off in surprise, and saving Kallen and Suzaku.

Not even caring if his shot actually hurt, much less hit, Zarkon, Lelouch, with Shirley right behind him, flew down and scooped up the Red Lion in his jaws. Shirley did the same for the Purple Lion.

"We got you!" Lelouch shouted as the four of them flew back to the ship as fast as possible.

As the four lions returned to the bays, Zarkon watched from afar, his eyes boring into what was nearly his prize. He had been too focused on the battle with the Red and Purple Lion. He should've taken the Black Lion right then and there. However, this was only a minor annoyance. The Black Lion would be his once again, one way or another.

o~o

As Zen set Aka down within the Red Lion's bay, C.C. had to catch Lelouch was keeling forward and hitting his head on the console. The wound at his side pulsed darkly, causing him to gasp in pain.

From the Orange Lion's bay, Allura raced out of the Zinnia as Yoru was placed down next to her. She ran to the bridge and swiftly put her hands on top of the teludav pillars, the familiar blue glow washing over her.

"All right, Paladins, time to get out of here!" she announced as she attempted to open a wormhole. However, to her shock, no wormholes opened up.

"Hello? What's going on? I don't see a wormhole," Milly asked, her face appearing on the Castle's screen.

"The Galra barrier is jamming our ability to create one!" Coran exclaimed in a panic. They were trapped. Even though they had Allura back, there was still no way out. Nor was there a way for them to fight all of the Galra troops that were slowly closing in on them.

o~o

From inside the base, Prorok turned back to the lieutenant stationed behind him, "Send in everything we've got! Corner them!"

Prorok failed to notice the absence of one of his top subordinates.

o~o

The spy cautiously made his way done the hall, his Luxite blade clutched tightly in his hand. He approached the area of the energy barrier and ran into a sentry that was guarding the door.

The robot turned to him and addressed the Galra, "This sector is off-limits-"

Before the droid could say anything else, the spy jammed his blade into the sentry's neck, effectively destroying it as it collapsed to the ground.

Not wasting another moment, knowing that each one counted if Voltron was to escape, he entered the control room.

To his relief, there was only one other sentry stationed at the main control board, and he wasted no time stabbing his blade into the sentry's back. The robot collapsed onto the floor with a clunk.

He hurriedly entered his passcode into the computer, a lever uncovering itself in front of him. He grasped it and pulled down.

o~o

"They have us completely surrounded!" Coran cried just as the solar barrier around them suddenly shorted out, much to the Paladins' shock.

o~o

The spy let out a small sigh of relief as he watched the barrier successfully shut down.

Now just to get rid of the rest of the evidence.

Thace bent down and snatched his Luxite blade from the body of the sentry.

The job was done. Voltron was free.

o~o

"What just happened?" Rai asked.

"Who cares?! WORMHOLE!" Shirley practically screamed.

Not wasting this window of opportunity, Allura activated the teludav once more. This time a swirling wormhole appeared before the Castle. Allura directed the Castle towards it, failing to notice the danger that was erupting behind them.

With a shriek of anger and power, Haggar slammed her hands into the magic circle on her ledge of the Galra base. With a dark flash of light, a beam of black energy shot towards the Castle of Lions and the wormhole they were attempting to escape through.

The Castle wasn't hit directly, but the wormhole was not so lucky. As the energy was absorbed into the hole, the familiar blue of the walls twisted into dark, unstable maroon, static energy flashing across the field as they descended.

"Coran, what's happening?!" Lelouch shouted as he and C.C. felt the shaking from Zen's interior.

"The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised! It's breaking down!" the advisor shouted in fear.

"What does that mean?" Rivalz asked, gripping Polaris's controls.

"It means we have no control over where we're headed!" Coran exclaimed, just as a loud bang shook the Castle.

Before either Lelouch, Kallen, or even C.C. could react, the bang shook the Castle hard enough that it dislodged both Lions from the bay, causing the passengers to yell as they started spiraling out into the wormhole.

They weren't the only ones; the other five Lions soon followed, all being flung helplessly out of their bays, their Paladins in tow.

One by one, each Lion disappeared into the wormhole's wall. Their destination?

Unknown.

[lygerastia]

cheiloproclitic (Klance)

Summary: Pining Keith just looooves Lance's lips.

Warnings: none.

Chapters: 1 [completed] 

Words: 3,459

READ IT ON AO3. 

**

Lance is rambling again, much to everyone’s annoyance. Something about uh…their last mission, when the team fought Lotor’s crew and got their ass handed to them. Keith has no idea what he’s talking about—words seem to pass over his head as he toys with his blade, twirling it distractedly. Shiro probably would’ve scolded him if he saw how careless Keith was with the knife; but Shiro was in the room, resting. Keith was glad he had the man back in the team; at least he wasn’t going to be forced to lead again, despite getting slightly used to it. He was going to miss that—but his feelings need to be pushed aside for the moment. He still had the Black Lion to learn to live with. And that was no easy feat. It was different from Red, who he has formed a bond with over time. He still couldn’t believe that he has been chosen as the leader—was he up for it? He wanted to believe so. He wanted to think that he was capable of leading the team and earn their trust.

He wanted to prove himself.

“…”

Keith stares blankly at the knife: another one of his problems. His own identity, the Galra blood that was a part of him…He didn’t want to think about that right now. He didn’t want to think about all of these problems at all. He wanted to be as relaxed as the others, as charming and goofy as Lance. Thinking of Lance, his hues focus on the tall, lanky boy who was still gesticulating and making laser sound effects. Playful, as always. Keith knew better. After that private moment between them, when Lance sought out reassurance from him, things changed. The Red paladin never expected that to happen; it…shook something inside of Keith. No one ever came to him for advice; and yet Lance did. The one that hated his guts a while ago.

Keith…admired Lance. Sometimes, he even wanted to tell him that. But he was afraid of his reaction. Was Keith in the position of praising Lance? He had no idea how to react and, in consequence, his own feelings continued to bloom. He didn’t mind getting closer to the ex-Blue paladin. How many times has he wished for that to happen, to learn what it is to have a friend there for you, to let someone in behind his walls and not fear that they’ll leave him. He wanted to trust someone; he didn’t want to be lonely anymore.

Keith craved for affection and desired to feel more..

He shivers and wipes his eyes, trying to hide the incoming of his tears. He said he wouldn’t cry. And that’s what he’s going to do. He has to focus here. The dark haired boy puts his knife away and sinks back into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t wanted to sulk, so he gives an attempt to listen to what Lance was talking about, although he has heard it countless times before. Lance liked bragging about how he shot all of the guards back there with deadly accuracy—Keith had to admit that that was impressive. Saved his life even. There was no doubt that shooting was Lance’s forte, though it seems the boy in question never seems to acknowledge that. He always sought out validation, a thing Keith couldn’t really understand. Lance should know he was good. Extraordinary. Sometimes, Keith wanted to be as skilled as Lance was. And it was a darn shame Lance couldn’t see himself through Keith’s blue ones.

Lance was handsome. Lance was funny as well as incredibly annoying when he shouldn’t be. But the times when he was serious clearly showed how dedicated and loyal he was for the cause. How he would set aside his pride for the greater good; and how much of a fool he was for not believing that he was a valuable asset for the team. Involuntarily, he cheered everyone up—Keith can’t see the castle without Lance’s loud mouth and arrogant attitude that hid his true character inside.

Keith noticed a lot of things about Lance lately…How, when he was upset with a decision, he kept his opinion for himself and stuffed his hands in his pockets. How smart and clever he could be when it came to strategy and thinking of what the team needs best. No one really seems to appreciate that—maybe Keith had those moments too, but…he learned the truth. How Lance was Keith’s impulse control and how he managed to make him change his mind when it came to jeopardizing the team’s safety. Lance was the perfect right hand for Keith—and Keith, to a certain degree, trusted him. They made a good team. They…

When did this started...?

When did the broody and aloof currently Black Paladin started to think of his teammate like this? He stared at him countless times but only recently he noticed how handsome Lance was. How fluffy his brown hair was and how often did he wanted to ruffle it, to touch it. He never had that impulse before, but now it was more obvious. Keith found out that whenever Lancey Lance smiled, he’d involuntarily smile to himself; a little one, barely visible, but it was there. Without a doubt. And Keith also noticed that his gaze softened when he was looking at the aforementioned boy. And how his pulse quickened. How his cheeks reddened when Lance ‘flirted’ with him or addressed him some words. How good Lance looked in his costume, at that tight ass, or how he peeked at his naked torso when he was changing. That was his secret—observing has become a habit, and he prayed to God that Lance didn’t notice. But oh, so many dirty thoughts crossed his mind in that moment, a thing he didn’t personally think he’d be capable of. It was… a new experience that Keith carefully examined and threaded on with extra caution. He didn’t want to fall too hard into Lance’s trap. What if he read all these signs wrongly?

What happened to him? Feelings weren't his forte.

Keith did not want to think too deeply about what he was feeling towards the other. Maybe it was wrong, but it felt so right.

It was undeniable that Keith had a crush on the sharpshooter. He could figure that out by himself.

Those beautiful blue orbs of Lance’s suddenly stop onto Keith’s and Keith jumps in surprise. Maybe he was too focused onto his internal battles and was too obvious about his attraction. He hoped not. He really did not want everyone to know. Although his heart kept telling him that it was ok to be expressive, that it wasn’t wrong. But damn, how could Keith do that without accidentally fucking things up? He had no idea. He decided to just wait it out and works things out. Because he has been pining on Lance for a long time without really realizing what he was feeling. Those constant jabs at him; he now knew why.

It was all clear—and oh boy he was in deep.

Lance smiles in Keith’s direction; and his heart skips a beat. “Are you listening to me, Keith?” he asks in that goofy tone of voice of his, that was very endearing to Keith’s ears.

“Mmmhhm..” Keith is only capable of letting out a hum, not trusting his voice. He felt too many emotions to believe his voice wouldn’t crack.

It makes Lance grin brightly and he completely turns his body towards Keith. His body tenses immediately and he straightens a little since he had Lance’s full attention on him. He was going to start babbling again and Keith had the task to listen.

“I’m at that part where I so brilliantly shot the enemy that was about to overwhelm you, Keith!” Keith remembered that moment. Ok, he was slightly frustrated by that. Maybe he wanted to impress Lance this time around. But oh well, he had to live like this.

“Yeah, thanks for having my back out there,” Keith compliments Lance and he’s pleased to see how he visibly flusters and tries to keep his smile in control. He glances to the side, acting nonchalant about it. At least Keith was a good actor when it was needed.

“Uhh yeah, no problem, buddy!” he says, kind of proud. “But have you seen it, guys?” he suddenly addresses the others, though his body was still focused on Keith.

“No, not re—“ Hunk starts to answer, but it is interrupted by Lance.

“Then let me recapitulate!” And he starts on talking and talking, again, gesticulating and making cute sounds. Keith sighs dreamily, but he quickly hides it under that cool ‘I’m a bad boy’ façade. He keeps his eyes trained on Lance’s face, though his attention was captured by Lance’s lips.

Oh, Keith learned the hard way that he liked Lance’s lips the most. They were attractive and had a rosy hue to them that seemed to glisten in the light, attracting him. When did he start wanting to kiss Lance? Since forever, maybe. I mean, his lips moved so darn much that it was impossible to focus on something else.

Keith only noticed on a mission when they had to infiltrate a Galra base. While they fucked up the stealthy mission and riled the guards up, Keith knew that they had to hide somewhere. When he saw the opportunity, when he saw that crack, he reacted immediately and, grabbing Lance’s arm, he pulled him in the confines of that gap. They barely fit—Keith has no idea how he could think that they’d actually squeeze in there. But they did; they were pretty skinny after all. It was the perfect hideout: dark and deep enough—luckily for Keith, Lance did not hesitate on following his lead, without questioning it.

“Keep quiet,” Keith hissed in a whisper at Lance, confused as to whether he liked the position they were in or not. It was a necessary yet compromising if one of their teammates were to discover that; which was highly unlikely. They were somehow sitting face to face, their chest barely touching one another. Lance was taller than Keith (not by much, mind you! Tell Keith he’s short and he’ll flip you over) and the small space had him lean above Keith, resting his palms on the wall above Keith’s head. In that moment, the dark haired boy hoped that Lance wouldn’t hear his booming heart flutters or feel the heat radiating off his face at the sudden closeness. Even if he planned this, it wouldn’t have ended so perfectly like this. It made Keith self-conscious of his feelings but at the same time, he liked being able to feel Lance like this. He tried hard to avoid looking directly into Lance’s eyes and glanced to the side, pretending he was listening to the footsteps outside. He could hear them, faintly in the distance—but it slipped out of his mind the moment he noticed Lance’s hot breath above his face. He flushed, he couldn’t help himself. And clenched his fists that were to his side, trying hard to control himself to not put his palms onto Lance’s chest.

His breathing started to grow erratic—this was bad. This was very bad. He wouldn’t be able to control his impulses.

“Are they gone?” Lance whispers close to his ear and Keith’s breath hitches in his throat. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Really, this was fucked up.

“Shh, listen,” Keith snaps, hiding his nervousness. Lance sighs and glances to where they came from. And suddenly, they both hear it. The heavy footsteps of the Galra soldiers running, their voices shouting ‘Look for the two paladins! Capture them!’ Keith’s hand was on his knife, ready to fight were to be discovered. He felt sweat forming on his brow from both the tension of the chase and the hot atmosphere he felt around the Blue paladin. They waited, tensed and poised to attack—but the group of soldiers passed alongside the crack without even paying attention to their hideout. When the sounds faded away, they let out a breath of relief and their bodies visibly relaxed.

“Ok, I think we can go out—“ Keith started but stopped as soon as he turned his head towards Lance. “—n-now…” He hated himself for letting his voice falter. But could you blame him? Lance relaxed too quickly and he was now resting above Keith on his elbows, gradually getting even closer to Keith’s face. If Keith craned his neck a little bit more and stood on his tiptoes, he could easily kiss Lance. They were basically…Keith couldn’t explain this feeling. “I—I uh..”

Lance only looked at him confused, even daring to cock his head to the side cutely. “They’re gone, Keith.” He states, matter-of-factly. But Keith’s mind was not processing facts any longer. His eyes stared into Lance’s blue ones, getting lost in them. It felt as if he was swimming in them and he was getting lost in the ocean of them; more like drowning. It was a dreadful feeling—he was remaining without air at the sight. Dammit, Kogane, compose yourself. “Keith…? Buddy?” Lance’s voice was worried yet dangerously low. “Are you ok?”

Keith’s face was redder than his suit. What should he say?

“Why are you staring at me like that…?” Lance was self-conscious of the staring and a light blush painted his tanned cheeks. And he had a very sexy voice… “Keith…” This time, it sounded like a moan and Keith reacted accordingly.

Without remorse, he grabbed Lance’s collar and held him there, frowning at what he was about to do. His eyes kept darting towards the Cuban’s lips: it was the first time he actually saw them. In the dim light of the ship, they glowed with intense temptation, so healthy and well-kept. As opposed to Keith’s own lips, which were naturally soft yet his uncaring attitude left them chapped and unattractive. He licked them to make them more appealing, although the main attraction was Lance’s mouth. Slightly parted from the surprise and trembling with desire, Keith hoped. Lance looked scared, yet oddly into it. Keith’s heart beat even faster as he started to get on his tiptoes, closing his eyes. Was he really going to do this?! Was he really going to kiss the Lance McLain? He couldn’t possibly…And yet he felt Lance’s hands going down to his hair, resting there and petting his head. What the hell was Lance doing anyway? He was reacting to Keith—did that mean he also felt the same way he did?

No way..

But the wish was there, floating between them. In the way Lance’s fingers brushed against Keith’s dark lush locks and how, during the initial relaxation, Lance’s knee was in between Keith’s legs, almost touching him. Keith felt like grinding against it, just to feel Lance closer, to observe what his reaction would be to that. Would it feel right? Or would it be extremely wrong? Keith was tempted. There was nothing he could do to quench his thirst and feed the hunger he felt in that moment for the tanned Blue paladin. His eyes shone so beautifully…What did Keith do to deserve this? Just a little thrust of his hips, a bit of rotation of his lower half and he’d be…

“K-Keith…” the way Lance said his name, Keith would never forget. How soft it sounded and how vulnerable it made Lance look. It made Keith’s blood boil and his instincts kicked in: he simply wanted to ravage the boy senseless. It should be illegal to be this adorable and sexy at the same time.

He leaned in closer, taking the lead. Lance slowly closed his eyes, wearing a deeply conflicted expression but at the same time—

“Urghhh…” Keith moaned in his palms, covering his face at the memory. They didn’t kiss, though—but the thought was now vivid in his mind. They were interrupted at the right time and parted as if they were about to do something forbidden. It took a while before they could look into each other’s eyes again without feeling ashamed about what they were about to do back then. Other things took their mind off of it and now they forgot about it. At least Lance did. Keith couldn’t. Lance’s mouth was constantly attracting his attention, no matter what. When they curled into that mischievous and perverted grin; whenever he ate something and some crumbs remained latched there—he wanted to lick them off. Lance was so clumsy and oblivious. Keith liked that, sort of. He wondered more often than not how his lips tasted. And it killed him…

This was so fruitless…

“Keith, buddy?” He feels Lance’s hand on his shoulder and he quickly lifts his head, almost bumping into Lance’s big forehead. They were in the exact same position as before and both their faces flare up in embarrassment. But neither moves from their spot, assuming their position. Lance clears his throat, trying hard to keep eye contact. “You—You feeling alright? You were kinda spacing out there…”

Keith wants to die. To disappear off this planet because he’s feeling the urge to kiss Lance right then and there, in front of everyone. But he can’t afford to do that. His lips were so close; not much separated them and hot breath was tantalizing against his own mouth. Just a bit more and..

“Keith, you’re all red.” Lance puts his hand on the other boy’s forehead and Keith flinches. “You’re burning and—wait, why are you staring at my mouth like that?” The sentence makes Keith gulp: he was caught. “Do I have something on it?” Again, clueless Lance strikes again. Fortunately for the Red paladin. How could he explain what he was feeling? He couldn’t. He himself had no idea what he was feeling. All that he knew was…that he was disastrously attracted to that pair of lips.

“I—I—Lance, I was just th-thinking.” And so, the boy pushes Lance’s hand away, averting his gaze. “It’s nothing.”

“Thinking about what?” And, as always, the inquisitive and curious Lance came out in the open. “Keith, don’t avoid me!”

Red in the face, Keith couldn’t contain his feelings any longer and he stood up, bursting “K-Kissing! I was thinking about kissing, ok?! Now leave me!”

Lance only blinked in confusion. “Kiss who?”

“Y-Y…” Keith gulped. He couldn’t say it. He wanted to. But he couldn’t. he lifted his head and pleaded Lance with his eyes to get the picture. Lance softly gasped, taken by surprise by Keith’s expression—and he involuntarily blushed.

“K-Keith…?” Lance mumbled in that deep low voice of his. “Who.” He was serious; he really wanted to know now.

“Yo—Lips.” Keith blurted out, at a loss. What the fuck was he saying?

“Lips?”

“Yours—uhhh, you have umm, nice…lips?” Lance barely heard him and he leaned towards him. Keith only seemed to shrunk under the gaze.

“My…what?”

It was now or never. “I am attracted to lips, ok?!” And, with that statement, he pushes past the taller boy and runs out of there. “I’m going to train!”

“Wait, Keith—He’s gone…” Lance calls after the boy then sighs in frustration, running a hand through his locks. “What’s with that guy?” Lance had no idea what Keith referred to, but it bothered him. What was all the tension he felt whenever he was around Keith? It was weird. It felt as if Keith wanted to do something to him, but he had no idea what. Yet he felt as if, without him really wanting to, his mouth gravitated towards Keith’s on its own. What was this sentiment…? He couldn’t be attracted to that bastard. What the hell was wrong with him? “Do you guys have any idea what he was talking about?” he turns to Hunk and Pidge, the ones who have been present to the encounter this whole time, amusing themselves.

Pidge snickers and gives Lance a shit-eating grin. “From my calculations, Keith sounds as if he’s attracted to your lips.” Pidge’s glasses glints with mischief. “I think he reaaaaallly wants to kiss you, Lance.”

Lance takes a while to process that in his mind; and when he does, his brain completely explodes. As well as his face, which is red as a tomato. “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!” he cries out in despair, but entirely pleased by this information. “I—I need to cool down a little bit…” And he wobbles out of there, feeling faint.

What is he going to do with this information now?

–

[masterlist]

[gotmeringinghellsbells]

Needed Bonding

Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender

Characters: Takashi Shirogane, Adam Wright

A/N: I was inspired by the paladin Adam AU I’ve seen floating around since well.... he was introduced. Unfortunately, I can’t find the creator through tumblr searches, but the au idea isn’t mine. But the idea of Adam being a paladin was just too cute to ignore!

Description: After being reunited, the black and purple paladins don’t speak very often. Apologies have been exchanged, casual banter, talking, discussing, etc., but the two haven’t really gotten that close again. This has been causing a mental funk for both men before Black decides o step in. How could Shiro lead their pack if he couldn’t even get along with his mate? Well, Black would fix that for them. 

_

Gray eyes widened in fear as the world seemed to move in slow motion. Black’s mouth suddenly decided to open after about ten minutes of the two paladins trying to escape her. A simple check up on the head lion turned into an out of control horror ride that left all three crash landed on a new planet that the castle ship had been passing by. The lions weren’t affected by the killer crystal that turned the Castle of Lions against them, but Black seemed to be almost glitching.

She wouldn’t talk to Shiro, she wouldn’t let Adam check up on her system, she tried to trap them within her, and now she was trying to get rid of Adam! Or at least, that’s what that seemed. “Takashi!” The professor’s eyes widened as he was nearly swept out of the lion’s mouth thanks to the intense gust of wind that was running over the surface of the desert-like planet.

He grasped onto one of the large “teeth” like structures, or well tried to. A near miss sent him nearly flying out of the machine’s mouth before a stronghold latched onto his arm. “Adam!” What the hell was Black doing, and why?! It wasn’t easy to pull in a flopping, full grown, human body back to safety; Especially in the winds coming over them. The sense of distress, of panic, it seemed to remind the Black Lion to control herself, and not lose her temper as Red would.

Maybe forcing her paladin to get along with his mate wasn’t the best idea, but he wasn’t working to help the situation! The two gave crappy apologies, were keeping emotions from each other, and hardly talking! How was Shiro supposed to lead a team and expect them to bond when he couldn't bond with something as simple as a mate?!

But… she didn’t want to kill Adam. Damn it. If she closed her mouth, both would be crushed, but if she put her… yeah that sounded better. She needed to control herself, what kind of example would she be otherwise? Maybe this scare would jump start something?

As the winds died down, Adam looked around to see blue surrounding them. He didn’t have much time to think before his body slammed into Black, bring pulled up quickly. Before he knew it, he was in safe, familiar, loving arms. Shiro held him closely and tightly, refusing to let him move even slightly as he cuddled him closely.

“It’s alright, I got you. Your safe.” Shiro was trembling more than Adam at the moment. The fear of losing him was too real, to scary. The only love he’d ever known, his comfort, his safety, his home. “T-Thanks,” the professor panted as he was hesitant to stay in the hold. It felt so warm and inviting but… there was work to be done.

But the hug didn’t stop, not even when the black paladin’s trembling did. “You alright,” the younger asked finally. Adam’s face was a bit pink as he leaned back. “Yeah…. Thanks again.” He felt a bit too flustered to say much else. “Ah, sorry!” Arms released the other as Shiro sat back. “Your fine Takashi. I’m just wondering what caused her to do that.” If Black wanted him gone he wouldn't be here right now, right?

The true paladin sighed as he looked around. Now he could see why the winds stopped, Black was protecting them. “I don’t know but…. We should get back to the cockpit before it happens again.” He offered a hand to the other. “Come on.” He gave a loving smile, earning more of a blush before a smaller smile from his former lover.

Taking the hand, the two stranded men walked back to the cockpit to see if communications or well… anything was working. But alas, nothing was. Black wasn’t dark though and Shiro could sense that she was alright, so why was she doing this?

“Well,” a voice brought him from his thoughts. The paladin looked over from his chair before blushing and looking away quickly. Adam was bent down under a control panel, lower end in the air slightly until he sat back on his legs. “I’m not seeing anything wrong with her. Looks like all we can do is wait for the other’s to notice we’re gone. We should really look for some rations. Knowing Lance and Keih, their bonding exercise is going to take a while.”

Not to mention Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Coran were hell bent on the two space adults bonding again. They may just think they went on an outing, or a date. “I can’t see anything about the planet from Black, not to mention we can't get out of here…. I wonder if there’s anything left over from the last paladins.”

Something Adam said kind of hit Shiro. Was this…. Just a big bonding exercise? It didn’t sound impossible, but just in case it wasn’t…. He wanted to make sure they had at least some water. “Wait…. Are there more rooms on Black?” The lion’s paladin shrugged as he tried to leave the room. “I mean…. She’s pretty bgi. I wouldn’t doubt… oh come on,” he sighed.

He couldn’t leave, Black wasn’t letting him. He’d come so close to figuring out what she wanted, like hell they were leaving now! They had oxygen and enough water in their systems to be fine for a while. “What,” Adam asked as he walked up to the shorter. “Black…. I think Black’s playing with us.” Shiro sighed as he turned to face Adam.

“Playing with us how?” The other removed his helmet before walking back to sit on his chair. “Good question. You have any answer girl?” The purple paladin was quiet as he looked up to the ceiling. He still wasn’t sure how the communication worked and felt a little awkward. It felt like an hour until Shiro finally came back to reality, to which Adam was laying on the floor, trying to nap. A sigh caught the older’s attention before he sat up, looking over his shoulder. “So? What was that about?” The black paladin shook his head. Both helmets were off at this point as the two tried to get comfortable, giving both a better view of the other’s face as a bonus. “She…. she says we need to bond before we go back to the castle.”

Bond? “Bond how? We’ve been talking, we’ve slept in the same bed a few times now.’ They were acting out of habit, but were too awkward to feel the full effect of the romance they once had. “I… I don’t know. I guess we need to do some bonding exercises…. In this small room.” He tried to think of some, but he blanked.

“Cuddling,” the professor asked as he stood beside the lone chair in the room. “Um…. but we did already. Maybe…. Something else?” “Like what? We’ve cuddled, slept, talked, apologized, you just saved me! What else is there?” There was a lot but…. Were they considered bonding exercises? Shiro let out a sigh as he tried to think.

“I’m wondering if she wants us to…. Be how we used to. Drowning in kisses, cuddling, snuggling, complaining, tick,” the younger froze at the last word. Oh no, he felt a smirk creep onto his former love’s face. “Oh? I mean…. That’s a bonding exercise of sorts.” No, nope, not happening. Shiro quickly put his hands up as he stepped out of his chair. “Adam, come on. Don’t,” he groaned as he slowly made his way to the door.

Frankly it would be a nice distraction for the heart ache he was just sent into from the trip down memory lane. “Hey, your goofy laugh is what normally brought us together, remember?” No, crap…. He was trapped. “Adam!” Too late. Fingers were on either side of the other’s under suit, earning forced giggles and snorts.

Shiro was torn between pulling the other in to hug him as he used to when this would occur, or to shove at his hands. There was always the third option of covering his mouth as to save himself form embarrassment, but that didn’t happen. “Chahahaut it ohahahaout!” Why would this work as a bonding exercise?

“Why? You always loved this. The attention it gave you, the endorphin boost, all of it.” He wasn’t wrong, Shiro really did enjoy messing around like they were kids again. It was nice, comforting, and fun. It was a nice distraction and destresser from school, work, family, drama, life, etc. He always loved to hear Adam’s laugh too! And then the other gre about a foot taller and got a bit stronger which made it harder to hear most of the time.

Tickle fights turned one sided and Shiro found himself the victim every time. “You know, your thighs seem pretty accessible.” Adam smirked a bit as he looked to the kill zone. He wasn’t sure how long they were supposed to “bond” for, so he was contemplating hitting the spot now or later. But thanks to the actual parts of the armor that would protect in a fight, he couldn't get many places.

“Dhahahaon’t,” was all the other could say as he felt his legs giving out on him from familiar anticipation and feelings. Memory lane was kicking into overdrive as the other hovered above him. “Ahahahdam!” Yelling the other's name really wouldn't do anything. Adam was having too much fin with this and they both knew it.

“Need something,” the older teased as he kept pinching and prodding at the areas before moving more towards the stomach. Both were on the floor as the attack continued, legs fighting legs, hands fighting with hands. It was refreshing and dorky, but they were having fun. The other’s head pressed into the metal door behind him as he screamed out in laughter, trying to shield his stomach as offensive moves weren’t helping. Might as well defend what he can’t attack.

“Oh, want me to move on then?” Adam was loving this. He was grinning from ear to ear as he watched his former lover loose his mind as he used to after long fights and nights in general. “Yhahahour shahahauch an ahahahss!” A fake gasp was heard before the black paladin felt hands on either thigh. No!

“Takakshi, how rude,” the professor mocked before giving a warning squeeze. He was quick to stop, nearly giving the other whiplash as he moved his head forward. Maybe the thighs weren’t the best idea when there was no pillow present. Skull nearly collided with metal which wouldn’t have ended well. “Ah, sorry. You alri- pff!” Adam was quick to tense up, pulling the head more into his chest as digits moved up and down his sides.

Soft laughter was heard throughout the cockpit as the co pilot tried to resist the sensation. Try being the key word. “Yhahaour thahhahae ass!” He though he may have been hurt! “Kashi!” The other smirked before rolling his eyes. He couldn’t really take his head out of the hold due to the strength of Adam’s grip and the hard chest plate against him. It wasn’t too painful, he could ignore it for now.

That’s when it hit him. He used to be smaller and weaker than Adam. Where as he was still shorter, he was now also much bigger and stronger. With a bit of struggling and an accidental break for the other. Shiro managed to get himself up before moving back to his chair, sitting with Adam on his lap.

The other didn’t stand a chance against the revenge plan. Sun kissed eyes dringled at the edges as a gloved hand when to muffle charming laughter that was flowing from the professor’s mouth. Muffled arguments against the attack sprung up here and there, but Shiro ignored them. He was kneaded Adam’s stomach with a smile before figuring this is when they should probably start to wrap things up. In a final attempt to get them off this foreign planet and back to the ship, Shiro went for the kill.

The sun kissed skin was replaced by bright eyes flying open, a hand squeezing hard against the mouth but quickly being moved away thanks to choke on air. A lone finger scratched behind the other’s ear, driving him nuts. “Khahahaski!” Adam’s laughter was starting to go quiet, a good note to stop at. Shiro did so happily before pulling the taller closer to snuggle into him the best he could with clanky armor on them both.

This was nice, they needed this. Shiro felt a lot more relaxed around the other now, a lot more confident. He was ready for a nap almost, and wanted to take one with Adam. Oh, that’s right… they couldn’t. “Uh…. Black… can we… go home now?” Nothing.

Adam let out a shaky sigh before shaking his head. “I’m not about to do that again.” He was tired and out of breath. Besides, they only had so much oxygen to survive off of. “Maybe something to seal the deal?” Huh? Adam looked over with curiosity before lips were gently pressed against his own.

It was a familiar and loving feeling. The male smiled with a soft chuckle, rather ruining the occasion. As Shiro pulled back to question him, arms wrapped around his neck as they kissed softly, before leading into something a little more heartfelt. They didn’t go too far as they were never really that couple to do so, but they went far enough to feel the machine around them move.

“Apparently, that did it,” the paladin chuckled as he felt his chair move back to the controls. Adam hummed before starting to get up, but something was keeping him down. That something was a metal arm. “You can…. Stay if you want,” the younger offered. Too tired to really argue, Adam gave a nod. He snuggled into the other, soon falling asleep as Shiro found their new home. He should really than Black for this later.

[alusbeauregard]

Meet the Character: Alus Beauregard

► Name ➔ “Alus Beauregard; Free Paladin, Field Medic, Café Proprietor, and Handsome Prince Charming.” he winks with a smile. “Oh, wait, that is technically untruthful.. Well, gaze upon mine image - Am I not a Faerie tale prince?” he chuckles jokingly. “But I doth am just a commoner. Mayhaps that is better - one of the people, at least I wisheth to be.”

► Are you single ➔ “In mine heart, I am never alone! Everyone is my friend, and I will never forget them.”

► Are you happy ➔ “...” Alus gazes upon his tea in reflection for a moment. “Ah-- Yes, of course!”

► Are you angry? ➔ “What reason doth I have to beest angry? I doth tryst to see the best in all things, ‘tis rarely failed mine chaotic mind. If I must be angry, I shalt act on it to make it better immediately - I ‘twould not be having this peaceful interview with thee now, doth thy see?”

► Are your parents still married ➔ “’Twas father ever married?.... I regret to not remember...” his smile waivers. “The calamity, you see... But I remember no mother but those claimed the title whost came after his passing.. Mayhaps a close female companion, few.”

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔ Unknown; found at the church of Saint Adama Landama in Thanalan, abandoned as a babe.

► Hair Color ➔ Golden blonde

► Eye Color ➔ Heterochromia; Gold and Raspberry.

► Birthday ➔ Unknown; celebrates day of adoption: All Saint’s Wake.

► Mood ➔ Cheerful, chatty, loving, and determined

► Gender ➔ Male; prefers masculine pronouns.

► Summer or winter ➔ Summer; hates cold weather.

► Morning or afternoon ➔ Morning! He’s one of those people who wakes up shortly before dawn just so he can watch the sun rise on his morning walk. disgusting

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ “I am always in love with humanity!”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ “Of course! I have no reason to not love someone if I do not know them!”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ “Hmm... I met a rather rude dragoon once, with the most pessimistic personality... I ended contact with him as soon mine job near him was finished; as soon as humanly possible. I would not hide the fact I found his unwaveringly ugly personality abhorrent. I apologize for the gossip - But he had unimaginably poor hygiene at the time as well - My brother pointed out his armor looked utterly caked in unwashed blood, I had never seen something so absurdly unprofessional. <sigh> I offered patience and advice to remedy his toxicity at first, but it seemed to just set him off further into annoyance.”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ “Dear... I certainly wisheth not.. I know one day I mayst have to, though mayhaps I already have without knowing.. I hope they might forgive me, and tell me how I can improve. I will continue to do my best for everyone’s happiness!”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ “...” Alus gazes melancholily upon his teacup once more. “I admit, I have wavered in the past.. But no longer.”

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ “Mmm.. No, unfortunately.. Where is Sir Urianger, anyway?”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ “Ooh.. I ‘twould hopeth they would be honest with me. I would be honest with them! I admire you all!”

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ “... Many a time.” his jovial personality to this point stops cold in it’s tracks for this question, he does not elaborate. His carefree joyousness resumes with the next.

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ “Love!! Love is universal!!”

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Hmm.. Would you dislike me if I answered ‘lemon iced tea’?” he smiles sheepishly, seemingly genuinely apologetic.

► Cats or Dogs ➔ “Dogs are so reliable and friendly, and so universally loved. I wish to imbue, how you say, ‘golden retriever energy’ to my every day.”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ “Many best friends!” he laughs obnoxiously loudly.

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ “Come to my Café for both.” His smile stays, but his eyes sharpen - you almost get the feeling as if he is somehow making a veiled threat.

► Day or night ➔ “Everything is so beautiful in the light! I do not understand the appeal of the darkness of night much at all, honestly.. And ‘tis so quiet of life in the evening, I cannot feel but lonely. The stars are lovely of course! But besides that, I regret to not quite understand. Mayhaps I should find someone to attempt to explain it to me.. Besides Arc.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ “Ah... Yes.” he smiles sheepishly, clearly caught of guilt. “The foster homes I have lived in the past were... Not ideal, let us just say.”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ He laughes that signature too loud laugh, full of voice cracks. “VERILY”

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ “.....” Alus averts his gaze, his smile slowly disappears. “‘Tis a bit of life, is it not?”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “......” He sits in silence, looking at his cup, praying for another question. He does not seem willing to answer. The silence is awkward.

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ “Happiness is the most beautiful cosmetic. I would not choose anything over it in another person, ever. That is what I believe to be ‘love’.”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ “Ah.. I do not discriminate?” He seems to be thinking this over intensely when you look at his expression, though. “I do so wish I was taller, however... <sigh>.”

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ “Attraction... Attractiveness, thy mean? Hm..” he takes a moment to think this over. “’Tis it not subjective - what ‘intelligence’ is defined as? Same as for attraction - I ‘twould assume thy meaneth the attraction of visual aesthetic, though I am ‘attracted’ to certain traits that lie neither within strict ideologies of traditional intelligence nor visual trait.. Mine apologizes, I am most likely overthinking this.” he waves his hand dismissively. “I believeth a person to take care of thy appearance to be diligent, or passionately loving of their hobby of fashion, which is a beautiful trait.. And I believeth a person with passion for their interests to the point to learn much is also beautiful, and such overlaps. I care not for either/or questions, mine apologies. I will find the best in anyone. I think someone with no passion can be quite beautiful as well, like a closed flower ready to one day bloom into the most beautiful rare specimen, never seen before - a special feeling of happiness I would gain like that of a scientist discovering a new species. Even if the species were common, I believe every flower truly unique.. ‘Tis a special viewing, no matter what.”

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ “R-Relationship!! Please never speak such a vulgar phrase as this.... ‘hook-up’ .” he sighs exasperatedly.

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “As well as the famed ‘Beauregard Brothers’ can!!” he smiles triumphantly, as if you’d definitely know how good of a team they are.... Did you even know he had a brother before now?

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ “...” he sits in silence yet again, you’ve come to realize there’s some questions he’s just utterly disappointed to encounter and does not want to answer, and this is looking like another one of them. Finally, he breaks the silence with a quiet voice. “Is... Is it really.. a good world -- a country to live in...where war and death and suffering is a normalcy...?” you can barely hear him, and when you ask him to repeat himself, he answers; “Nothing. Forget it.”

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “... A lot, after father died.. It just never felt like ‘home’ really, again.. Not until Arc and I got our own places next to eachother in adulthood, you see. My family is him, and him alone.”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ “I would leave before I could be.” his voice is cold and serious.

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ “Oh yes, I hate Arc.” he gives a shit-eating grin.

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ “Mm~... Hm, I wonder.” he doesn’t seem disappointed by this question like some of the others, but he seems flippant about taking his answer to this question seriously.

► Who is your best friend ➔ “My brother, of course.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ “.... There is no-one.” he pauses, then clears his throat. “I think it would be impossible, no? Arc knows a lot, but not everything within my mind - But then again, I feel there is a lot I never need to say. He may already know, he often does. I feel it is pointless to keep many secrets.. ‘Twould oft be the same as lying, would it not?“

Tagged by: @mostdangerouspotato

Tagging: YOU, MOTHERFUCKER

[linkade]

headcanon: ryan & lance were kinda friends in the garrison but not really but ryan had the Biggest Crush and he decided to tell lance w a letter & a rose but the day he shows up a lance's door to give it to him was the day lance disappeared. then when the paladins come back to earth, after the war & all lance is hanging out w ryan or whatever and he finds the letter & a pressed rose while looking for something else in a drawer, not knowing what it is he reads it & thats the day they get together

My apologies for this taking so long to get too!! I absolutely adored this prompt, and wanted to make it as perfect as possible. The writer’s block didn’t help not one bit, but I finally present to you the finished product! 

Words: 1,882

He first met Lance when he was thirteen years old and still questioning who he was as a person. Well, was questioning. The moment Ryan layed eyes on the Cuban after walking into Introduction to Aviation he knew. He knew that he preferred boys over girls, because Samantha Rogers kissing his cheek didn’t make butterflies flutter like they did when Lance smiled at him after he dropped his pencil and Ryan picked it up for him.

Back then, Lance didn’t even have his infamous glo up. He was short and skinny and had a squeaky voice, but God did Ryan crush on him so hard. It was almost stalkerish, with him taking routes to classes that purposely overlapped with Lance’s just so he could get a glimpse of him. He’d sit as close to him as possible without being directly next to him in all of their shared classes, and he even found out where his dorm was purely on accident.

Despite going through the extra effort to do all of this, Ryan never gets the balls to actually have more than a four sentence conversation with him. (Even if every “Hey, did you do your homework?” did happen to make him blush like crazy. On one instance, on a free day where they didn’t have to wear uniforms, Lance complimented his shirt. “I love Naruto dude!”, Ryan would have fainted right then and there if he was a weaker boy.)

It continued on like this for four long, agonizing years. Until finally, he got sick of being lovesick. Go big or go home, his little sister would say during softball games, and that’s just what he decided to do. Just like it was straight out of some stupid love story, Ryan buys a single rose with his allowance money and writes a letter.

“My dearest Lance,” He starts, but then crosses that one out. Way too cheesy, he decides, grabbing another piece of paper and starting anew. “Lance,” Satisfied, the teenager begins to pour out everything he feels onto paper. In the end, it’s three pages long and full of nothing but rambly thoughts and cheesy metaphors, but it’s good enough for him because it’s a reflection of his raw emotion.

He feels like he’s floating as he makes his way to Lance’s dorm. There’s nothing stopping him, he’s on top of the world, and even if he gets rejected he finally, finally confessed. However, the letter never makes it to Lance. He knocks on the door, and waits. And waits. And waits. But he never does come.The following day, it’s revealed that Lance, along with a few other classmates he never bothered remembering the names to, has been deemed missing. Ryan doesn’t attend class for an entire week. In the very bottom drawer of the end table that sits rights next to his bed lays the letter, and the rose, waiting lonely and never to be read by the one he cherished so dear to his heart.

Ryan learns what heartbreak feels like at the impressionable age of seventeen. He never forgets it, and never falls in love again. Not until four years later, when he lays eyes on the sunshine boy he never could get over one more.

Lance vaguely remembers Ryan Kinkade from second period ItA. He sat next to him the whole year, yet hardly ever had a full conversation with the shy boy. He was cute, and he had braces back then too. Lance had them too, at one point when he was eight years old. Thank God they were removed before the Garrison, because they might’ve looked adorable on Ryan, but they look awfully horrendous on him. Anyways, Lance had always thought he was the king of Glo Ups before meeting the older, more mature Ryan. Hot fucking damn.

With that more than pleasing point aside, he can also recall always seeing him in the hallways, and Lance never failed to give him a polite smile. They didn’t talk, but Lance never felt an air of animosity. Only…something strange. Something he could never quite put his finger on. But he never did dwell on it, something more urgent popping into his head like planning his and Rachel’s birthday party, or begging Veronica for her notebooks from her years as a freshman Cadet.

Now, he sort of wishes he did. When Ryan suggested they hang for a little while, Lance was all on board. He loved making new friends, and he loved the idea of getting to know the stoic man a bit better. So they lazed around the other’s dorm and talked, until Ryan got a phone call from his mother and excused himself from the room for a few minutes. During that time, Lance managed to give himself a paper cut whilst thumbing through the most recent fashion magazines. (Which weren’t all that recent, seeing as that thing with the Galra happened.)

He bemoans the little cut, and searches for a box of bandaids. Had Lance previously thought about it, he might’ve realized it was a little rude to look through people’s belongings. But Lance wasn’t a thinker, he was a doer. That is, until after the doing was done, and he had time to think about his actions. And not only is Lance a doer, but he’s nosy as hell too. Having four siblings and being the technical youngest (by two minutes and twenty six seconds, but Rachel never lets it go) does that to a person.

So, of course, seeing a letter with an old, withered pressed rose would certainly insight some degree of nosiness from Lance, and seeing that the Letter was addressed to what seemed to be him did the trick. Maybe there’s a different Lance walking around the Garrison, but what are the chances? He picks it up, delicately, and notes that it was written four years ago. What was happening four years ago, for him to have a whole ass letter written for him? With a grin, he begins to read the contents with excitement.

By the end of it, Lance is no longer grinning ear to ear, rather far more flushed than he should be. Outside, he hears shuffling, and he quickly places the objects back into the drawer and nearly trips in his hurry to get back to the chair next to Ryan’s organized desk. The man in question walks in, a fond expression on his face. This causes Lance’s face to heat up even more, and he wonders what causes that look on the other’s face.

Was he reminiscing with his mom? Did she put annoying relatives on the phone with him? Lance wants to know. He realizes, quite embarrassingly, that he wants to be able to cause such soft expressions. Was he a little biased after reading that letter? Yes, he really was, but the things Ryan had to say were so sweet. He never expected it from him, and it makes his insides feel all gushy.

No one has ever said those kind of things to him before, not unless they were trying to get into his pants. And hell, he was so affection starved that half the time it worked, and he got left feeling sort of used and even more lonely than before. But he doesn’t get that vibe from Ryan. The feelings felt too raw, too genuine. And even if it was four years ago for Ryan, the letter was still in peak condition and on plain sight, even if the rose has seen better days.

Lance, very suddenly, feels guilt for reading such an intimate, private letter. And Lance, never, ever handles guilt well. So he’s going to have to suck it up and admit that he found the letter, and read it, and possibly not mention the fact that it’s caused Lance to crush on him. What a wild ten minutes it’s been.

“You okay man?” Ryan asks in that smooth, amazing voice of his. His eyes, oh god, his eyes, shift from fond to confused and concerned and Lance absolutely hates that. He hates that soon they’re going to be filled with humiliation and discontempt for Lance because he was nosy and just wanted a fucking band aid, which, by the way, he never did find,

“Yeah.” He croaks out. “Peachy. Well, not peachy.” Very not peachy, Lance thinks bitterly. Ryan raises an eyebrow.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Uh. Sure. Have a seat, my dude.” He cringes at the use of ‘my dude’ because that’s not what you say to a recently developed crush. It doesn’t seem to faze Ryan, because he easily goes it have a seat at the edge of his crisply made bed.

“All right, what’s bothering you all of a sudden?” He asks kindly when he’s settled, toned legs hidden beneath a pair of sweatpants crossed.

“I read the letter.”

Ryan doesn’t have much of a reaction, at least that’s what Lance thinks until he sees the fear painted in those beautiful eyes of his. “Oh?” The other breathes out.

“Y-yeah. I was looking for band aids and…I stumbled across it and I’m really fucking sorry for reading it, but, before you kick me out or get mad at me I just. Wanna know…do you still feel all those things? About me?” The fear is still there, but something else appears too. Lance would like to call it hope.

“Do you want the truth?” Lance bites his lip and nods hesitantly. “Yeah. I do. Never could stop feeling them, no matter how hard I tried.”

It’s his turn to breath out a soft oh. He focuses on the throbbing of the paper cut on his thumb, attempting to find the right words before he opens his mouth and blabbers something stupid. “And, what would you do if I said that I felt the same way?”

“Do you?” He tosses back at him.

Lance pauses for a moment, before speaking slowly. “…Do you want the truth?”

Ryan, who’s looked calm and composed despite his wild eyes, finally starts to break a bit. A fierce, cherry red color explodes across his lovely skin. “Yes, please.”

“Then..yeah. I do.” Lance smiles at him shyly, and Ryan looks positively shocked. “So I was wondering if perhaps, since this is all out in the open now, you’d like to go out sometime?”

Ryan stares. And stares. And stares, for what seems like forever. Maybe asking him out wasn’t a good idea, Lance thinks fearfully, until Ryan his chuckling. “You- You’re asking me out?”

“Was I not supposed to?” He asks nervously. The other’s chuckling dissolves quickly, left behind with a smile that Lance never wants to stop seeing.

“No, that’s not it at all. I just, never thought this would happen. Lance, I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“I, well. Good! That saves, like, a fuckton of awkwardness.”

Ryan nods in agreement, and stands. “C’mon, let’s go get you a band aid.”

With his finger finally treated, the two continue on talking comfortably. The air surrounding them is nice, and a content feeling bubbles up in his chest. This is the happiest he’s been in a while. He feels that maybe, this is the person he can fall in love with.

Requests are still opened! 

[kurara-black-blog]

[Third Player] Chapter Four: Not Lance

Date: 06/01/19

Words: 1953

Warnings: Langst, Kangst, Klangst, half Galra Keith finding about his Galra heritage, Keith being a gay disaster.

Tag: @moonsworllld ; @xarphay ; @skydisneylover ; @fangirlinguntildawn ;  @mutantgurls ; @spooky-the-owl ; @hauntedfreakdeputyhero ; @goldengaytime404

A/N: I’ll tag you on future chapters if you ask! If you ask!

Previous: Clones

Next: SOON?

THIS FIC HAS A ROLEPLAY BLOG!! Go talk with 3P!Lance!

For a lone wolf, Keith hated loneliness. With a passion.

He learned how to deal with it, yes, he spent quite a long time in exile that he forced himself into. Didn’t mean he had to like it.

News flash: He didn’t.

Not one bit.

News flash: He also had no idea how to solve that.

Childhood? He had no idea how to be social.

Teenager years? He had no idea how to be social.

There was a time he truly believed he would have no idea how to be social in adulthood too.

And he had been okay with that. He was fine with being, as Adam used to say, a “social-weirdo”. He could deal with the loneliness. He had Shiro and Shiro’s weird ass friend and Shiro’s cool fiancée. Keith could deal with it all. He was fine, truly.

Then a boy with blue eyes, loud voice and louder personality appeared. And suddenly Keith wanted to be social.

Only with the boy, but still.

Keith wanted to be social.

(Let that sink in.)

Adam had laughed enough for an entire year the day Keith told him that.

The he gave Keith the very helpful advice of “Take your time, but don’t wait too much. I know that boy; he won’t disregard someone trying to be friendly”, which Keith was glad because he really didn’t want to hear the “just tell him” bullshit he was sure he would’ve gotten with Shiro… Or Shiro’s weird ass friend.

Keith could take his time just fine. The problem was the “not too much” part.

The problem was the glow the blue-eyed boy emitted.

The problem was the shine of his bluest blue eyes.

The problem was the brightness of his smile.

The boy was made of light.

And Keith was a “shadow gremlin”, as Shiro’s weird ass friend used to call him.

Light made him run.

And run he did.

Until they met again. Until the boy—Lance, his name was Lance—shone brightly in front of him once more. And he brought with him the chance of belonging.

Belonging somewhere.

Having a family to call his.

And Keith would be forever grateful for that, no matter how much he would deny if someone asked. He would be forever grateful for Lance.

Falling in love with Lance only made that feeling ten times stronger.

If before he wanted to be social, after he fell—hard, I might add—, he wanted to be a constant in Lance’s life.

And, yes, that maybe sounded a tad creepy, but he couldn’t help himself.

He wanted to be part of Lance’s life just as much as he wanted Lance to be part of his life.

Then Adam’s advice came to bit his butt. “Take your time, but not too much”. He took too long, go figure, and when he was finally ready to confess to Lance those feelings of his, Lance was taken away.

Now, Keith wasn’t a religious person.

(If God existed, Keith wasn’t sure They liked him very much, and the feeling was mutual.)

But if that was how Hell felt like, he could understand why people ran from it their entire lives.

That was something he wished to no one… Other than Haggar. And Zarkon too, but mostly Haggar.

When they found Lance, he was happy, more than happy, he was ecstatic!

Except something screamed at him, something deep within him. And it was screaming “wrong, wrong, wrong” at max volume.

And that something didn’t stop, no, it stayed and it screamed and he was going crazy. It seemed to have a particular dislike for Lance, which was weird… Unless something really was wrong with Lance, which wasn’t the case for Lance had been acting like himself. Sometimes he got that pained look in his eyes, talked aloud with himself, or would lose himself inside his mind for hours to no end, but, hey, you try to survive being kidnapped and experimented on by Haggar and come back without at least some weird mannerisms.

Thankfully, and maybe a bit creepily, Coran noticed how bothered Keith was.

Coran had been acting weirdly around Lance. Still treated him with kindness, but he seemed to keep some distance. It was very, very odd, as Coran saw Lance as his son—there was a debate if Coran saw every one of them as his children and, in Keith’s opinion, Coran saw them more as nieces and nephews than his own kids like he did with Lance and Allura—and would usually be the first to jump in an opportunity to get Lance alone so they could clean the Castle—again—and talk. After they rescued Lance, Coran was hesitant in approaching the boy. And the oddest part is that Lance looked alright with it?

Like he expected and respected Coran’s uneasiness?

Nonetheless, Coran gave Keith help in the form of a book. A book about Galra biology.

Keith had the feeling the man was trying to tell him something.

News flesh: He was right.

Coran gave him a book with a marked page. A marked page about senses and mating.

To say Keith took some time to muster enough courage to read that page is an understatement.

(You can’t just give a book like that to a disaster child, Coran, the quiznack?)

Keith would never admit it, but the book was of great help. Closing it, the Red Paladin sighed. Thinking back to everything that happened, Coran’s question after they told him how they rescued Lance.

“Is that so?” The uneasiness in the man’s voice was subtle, but there. Coran was staring at the Blue Paladin sandwiched between Pidge and Hunk with a faraway look in his face, one hand nervously fidgeting with his mustache.

Keith left the book on his bed, finally understanding that subtlety was not his forte and if he wanted some answers, he would have to ask. With determined steps, he left his room, doing a beeline to Lance’s room. Pieces of the book echoing inside his mind.

“Once a Galra finds a suitable mate, they will develop a sensitivity towards said mate. Their senses will attune with the mate, so the Galra can provide the chosen one with whatever is needed. While it is more common for that to happen to only one or two of their senses, it is not impossible for all five of them to suffer the change. Some Galra have reported some sort of sixth sense, the ability of feeling the energy of their mate, but it’s unclear if it’s something on its own or a result of the mating bond, as it is a mental connection.”

He didn’t need to be a Pidge to understand what that meant. He had recognized Lance as a suitable mate—another thing he wouldn’t admit any time soon—and his senses had attuned with Lance. All five of them, by what he could understand. That said, for his senses to respond to Lance that way, he could think of only two possibilities. One was that there was something very wrong with Lance, wrong enough to bother Keith’s senses and distance Coran. The other was… That Lance, the Lance they had with them, wasn’t their Lance.

Keith didn’t knew which one was scarier. Each brought their own set of problems and their own headache.

With a deep intake of air, Keith knocked on the Blue Paladin’s door.

“Come in.”

Time for the truth.

“Keith?”

“Who are you and where is Lance?”

Okay, maybe he could’ve said something—anything—else, preferably something that didn’t make him sound like a suspicious lunatic, but Keith was well aware of his non-existent people skills, as discussed before. Usually he would let Lance do the talking, seeing as the Cuban boy could easily control a conversation and had a better understanding of people, emotions and social cues.

Anyways, Keith already expected Lance to react strongly to his curiosity, even more after how he worded it, but he didn’t expect for the boy to sigh silently and close his eyes.

Wait, did it mean he was right and that boy wasn’t his Lance?

“Galra senses, he did alert me about them.” Lance looked at him with hollow eyes. “Shit down, Keith—”he gestured to the bed he’d been sitting on even before the Red Paladin came in—“I’ll explain everything.”

“So, you’re a clone made by Haggar from Lance’s hand that she cut off?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re connected to him because of that?”

“Somewhat.”

“Lance is with Haggar, who thinks he’s her son and is training him to be a weapon for the Empire?”

“Yes, well. She used the whole “son” thing to make Lance loyal to her, but by what he told me, she’s being swallowed by her own lie.”

“He’s planning on bringing the Empire down from the inside by gaining Haggar’s loyalty, killing Zarkon and taking his place so there won’t be a lack of power that could bring someone just as bad?”

“Yes.”

“And he told you to stay here with us?”

“Yes. I was supposed to be programmed by Haggar to destroy Voltron, but the danger of making a perfect clone is that it will act the way the original would.”

“You’re not acting like Lance.”

“I am not Lance.”

Silence, heavy and deafening.

“I will understand if you feel the need to beat me, Keith. In fact, please, go ahead.”

Keith choked on the air going to his lungs. How could that boy—that thing ask that?! Didn’t it have instincts or something? Was it out of its mind?

“It’s hard, you know. Because I’m not him, and you guys love me as if I was and I want the love, I truly do, but… But I’m not him. I want the be loved for me. I want the laughs and the smiles and the affection to be directed at me, not at Lance.”

Tears were running on its cheeks. Keith’s heart clenched. No matter what it was, that face was still Lance’s and wasn’t suited for anything that wasn’t satisfaction and happiness. Don’t get him wrong, it was still beautiful with the trails left by the salty water and the dark blue of bluest blue, but it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right.

It wasn’t right.

“But Lance promised me, he promised me I would be free to be. To be whoever and whatever I wanted. And I’ll do anything for that to happen. So please, Keith, please don’t tell them!” Begging, it was begging. “Please, let Lance work his plans! Please let me keep this hope!”

The clone startled when Keith’s fist hit the mattress near it.

Damn it, Keith wanted to punch something.

Getting up hastily, the Red Paladin hurried to leave the room, but stopped at the entrance. If the situation was different, if things were different, he would’ve stayed and dried the tears, hugged the fears, soothed the pain. He would’ve done everything and then some more for his Lance, but that wasn’t his Lance.

“I won’t tell them yet because I trust Lance and his plans.” In and out, slow calming breaths. “But if you do anything that I don’t like, I won’t hesitate to throw you into an airlock.”

“Understood.” Too soft, its—his voice was too soft. Too damn soft.

But it wasn’t his Lance’s voice. It didn’t make his heart go crazy or a whole zoo run a marathon inside his chest.

“You’re not the one I’m going to beat up.”

With that he left, promising himself to punch Lance—his Lance, the real Lance, the one his heart adored—as soon as possible.

And maybe kiss the Cuban while he was at it.

[adarlingwrites]

Absolution

Summary:

noun: formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

The Capital Wasteland lauded the Lone Wanderer as a hero, a Messiah, a savior who’s willing to give her life for the Good Fight. Beyond the legends, the propaganda, and the mythification that surrounded her legacy, there is only one person who knew her bare soul. She gave him his absolution, and now he will fight for hers.

XXIII

January 6, 2278.

“People of the Capital Wasteland! It’s me, Threeeeee Dog, your master of ceremonies. Everyone ready for the wasteland's latest news? Me neither, but it’s that time again.

We haven’t heard from Miss 101 for quite a while now. Three Dog was even starting to fear the worst after eyewitnesses reported sightings of Talon Company mercs lingering near Rivet City, the last location she was seen alive with her ghoul friend, Charon. GNR sources confirmed the body of five mercs in the metro tunnels that connect from Anacostia Crossing to the Museum station. Sounds like they messed with our dynamic duo and fucked up real bad. If the kid and her bodyguard survived the ambush, Three Dog is still confirming, so stay tuned. Here’s to hoping the Wasteland Avenger and her faithful Ghoul Reaper are still alive and kicking. The Capital Wasteland needs people like them.

And now, for some music. Here’s Billie Holiday with Crazy He Calls Me.”

“Wasteland Avenger my ass,” Percy mutters.

Beside me, my partner tosses and turns, unable to sleep. I roll on my side, and see her back turned to me, arms defensively around herself. We’re huddling together for warmth in a single bedroll, under a musty tent. The campfire outside continues to burn, providing us with additional heat.

“Charon, are you awake?”

I grunted in response, my chin settling on top of her head.

“You got a little scary earlier today, big guy,” Percy tells me, and I wince. “I didn’t want to issue an order, but that’s the only way I got you to stop. What happened?”

With one arm, I prop myself up, and with the other, I pull her into an embrace. She turns and presses her forehead against the crook of my neck.

“I blacked out.”

“Was it an episode? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It wasn’t an episode.”

“Did Phillips really piss you off that bad?”

I look into Percy’s eyes. They were searching mine. I nod, and I press my mouth against her forehead.

“Huh. That’s the first time you ever reacted to someone saying shit about you.”

“I was pissed about the things he said about you,” I corrected her.

We lay in silence for minutes. Just when I thought she had finally fallen asleep, Percy extends her arm and wraps it around my waist.

“I’ve been thinking about what he said. About Dashwood… and me.”

I let her continue, running my gloved hand through her hair.

“He’s got a point. Like Dashwood and Argyle, we’re friends, yes, but our relationship really is unequal.”

I get the feeling that she’s going to bring up the contract again.

“When you’re ready, let’s get rid of the contract together. Promise me?”

“That may take a long time, Percy.”

Looking in my eyes with wet ones, Percy gives me a pleading look.

“I don’t care how long it will take you. I could be old and gray and I’d still wait for that day. Please?”

Please. Damn that word.

“I promise.”

“There’s something else that’s bothering me,” Percy continues.

“What if I keep making the wrong decisions, Charon? What if I screw Paradise up? What if I screw Project Purity up?”

“There’s no room for doubt now,” I tell her.

“I know.”

Letting her go, I sit up and take my shotgun. “I’ll keep watch,” I tell her.

“You should rest too,” she tells me, peering up from the sleeping bag.

“I am trained to go with less sleep. I insist that you rest, angel.”

Percy chuckles, voice soft.

“Fine. Good night.”

I left our tent and stood guard outside.

It was around four in the morning when Percy started screaming, and I rushed into the tent to see what’s wrong. I had to put my arms around her and press her against my chest again to calm her down. Her pulse was racing, she’s sweating despite the cold, and her skin is pale and clammy. I move her closer to the fire, where she clings to me, trembling.

“Percy, are you alright?”

My partner nods. She takes a bottle of water from our pack, and drinks desperately, a stream of water escaping her lips.

“Just a bad dream…”

As my night terrors became less frequent, Percy is starting to have them more often.

I wish I could do something to help her.

Taking off her glasses, she presses her hands against her face. “God, what’s happening to me?”

“You’ve been through a lot of distress for the past days.”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. I am,” she replies. Percy stretches, then gets up.

After having a breakfast of Cram and tucking our gear safely into our pack, we got on the motorcycle and I started driving again. The sun is rising in the east, where we’re heading.

“Are you sure this will work?” I ask her through the roar of the engine.

“Knowing the Brotherhood, they won’t spare any resources to help me. But I still need to try.”

I kept quiet and drove on. When we arrived at the Citadel, one of the guards eyed us and our vehicle.

“A working motorcycle? Never thought I’d see the day,” he comments, opening the gates for us.

He was smart enough not to say anything about my presence and just let us through. The last time he did, things got ugly.

I follow Percy into one of the buildings, where the scribe that gave us the location of Vault 87 usually stays.

“Scribe Rothschild,” Percy calls his attention.

“Ah, Persephone. I’ve heard about the ambush. I’m glad you survived. Have you retrieved the GECK?” the scribe asks. His eyes were glued to the terminal he’s using.

“We ran into some problems, but we found a way to get in through Lamplight. The thing is, the residents are asking me for a favor in exchange for entry. We need to save their friends from Paradise Falls. I’m planning to launch a full-on attack, and I need all the resources you can spare.”

At the last sentence, Rothschild looks up and gives Percy a scrutinizing look. “A full-on attack? You know that the Brotherhood is spread thin as it is, with the mutants crawling about in DC.”

Shoulders tensing, Percy folds her arms. “I thought this chapter of the Brotherhood is dedicated to protecting people. How can you even let Paradise Falls continue to exist? They should’ve been wiped off the map years ago.”

“I told you, Persephone. We cannot spare resources for that. You will have to find another way to get in Lamplight, force your way in if needed.”

“But they’re children, Scribe.”

Rothschild gives my partner a long, hard look, and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry.”

Groaning, Percy massages her temples, brows furrowed and scowling. “I should’ve known that this would be a waste of time.”

Then, one of the tin cans approached us. This one is old, battle-hardened. Her hair was graying and there were lines at the corner of her eyes.

“Excuse me. I can’t help but overhear your conversation with the scribe. You are James’ daughter, am I correct?” she asks Percy, and my partner looks at her with wary eyes.

“Yes. You know me?”

“Indeed! I am Star Paladin Cross. On behalf of the Brotherhood, I welcome you to the Citadel. I am proud to say that I was friends with your father. I helped guard the purifier from the super mutant horde, and when James left, I escorted you and him to Megaton. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Percy looks at me with wide eyes, and back to the elderly paladin.

“Thank you. In five days, we will be launching an attack on Paradise Falls to rescue the slaves and end their operations, once and for all. I would appreciate it if you can join us in the battle.”

“Your father would be proud. I’d be honored to join you on your mission,” Cross replies, extending her hand to my partner, and she shakes it. Cross looks at me, and I expected her to scowl in disgust, but she merely nods, acknowledging my presence.

Maybe this old lady isn’t so bad.

“Meet us at night in Gob’s Saloon in Megaton, on the tenth. We’ll discuss tactics there. See you, Paladin.”

As we turn to leave, Percy stops in her tracks.

“Wait. Paladin Cross, are you any good with big weapons?”

Cross smiles and stands proud. “Brothers are trained well and tempered in the fires of battle.”

Percy smiles, and I can tell she’s formulating several ideas in her mind.

“Good! I look forward to discussing tactics with you.”

“It’s always a subject worthy of discussion. Farewell, friend.”

After changing the fission battery of the motorcycle, I start the engine again, and Percy gets on.

“Where to next, Percy?”

“Rivet City. I need to check if Flak and Shrapnel carry missiles.”

January 8, 2278.

“-get this! Little Miss 101 and her trusty bodyguard are still alive, and have been spotted cruising around the wastes on a motorbike. Where the hell did they even find a working one? Regardless, they’ve been very active for the past few days. What are they even up to? Off to start a motorcycle gang? Just joyriding around? Whatever it is, the Capital Wasteland’s buzzing with excitement due to the return of the Wasteland Avenger and the Ghoul Reaper, now on wheels! Hahaha, bad guys better watch out!

Until next time! This is Three Dog, and you’re listening to Galaxy News Radio, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts.”

“So what are you up to, Nosebleed? And why are you leaving Dogmeat with me again?”

Across us, DeLoria smokes a cigarette, on break from barber duty. Bottles of Nuka and whiskey littered the table. Percy wipes her mouth with a handkerchief.

“Because if I leave him at Moira’s, she might attach him with a fifth paw or something. It’s a secret, Butch. Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

“You’d better not be starting a rival gang, Perce. Once a Tunnel Snake, always a Tunnel Snake.”

“I have no plans of competing with you, DeLoria. How’s the gang anyway?”

Butch falters, sagging. “Well, uh, there’s no new members yet, but only because I’m so busy with being a barber! Gotta get that dough. Ain’t like you who can scour the wasteland for caps.”

I snorted. Percy laughs outright.

“Yeah, you’ll probably end up as mole rat chow if you tried that.”

DeLoria crushes his cigarette in a nearby ash tray and flicks the butt towards Percy, which she dodges.

“C’mon, for old time’s sake. What are you two up to now? It’s getting boring around here. The Butchman needs some action.”

“Butch. You cried when we came across a radroach on the way here. I’d rather not get you involved in something so dangerous.”

The greaser frowns. “But that was a radroach! You know I hate ‘em scurrying little freaks with their scratchy legs, eugh. I can shoot and I can stab anything else!”

“You can’t even shoot without almost shooting Percy,” I tell him, and his frown deepens.

“Oh yeah? Like the two of you can do better…”

Percy snickers. “Charon is a trained soldier, while I spent my free time in the vault at target practice. Just let it go, Butch. You’re safer here.”

“If he wants to be useful, maybe we can use him as bait,” I say, and both of them turn to me. DeLoria looks annoyed as hell, while Percy gives me a blank stare.

Fuck, this is what I get for trying to joke.

“Not funny, asshole.”

“Wait. That might work,” Percy mumbles.

“Percy, what the hell!” DeLoria exclaims, looking a little hurt.

Percy moves next to DeLoria, and she cups her hand near DeLoria’s ear to whisper. Then, the greaser looks at her with wide eyes. “No way. That’s crazy Percy! How are you gonna even-”

“Keep your voice down! Do you want in, or not?”

Butch groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, fine, I’m in. But if I die, I’ll fucking haunt you, Perce. You too, Charon.”

Standing up, Percy drags Butch to the Muddy Rudder’s exit. “I won’t let you. Which is why we need to work on your aim.”

I follow the two up the stairwell, where Butch complains the entire time.

At the top of the ship, there are a few security guards patrolling about. Percy speaks to one of them, then she leads us to the far edge of the ship.

“Do you have your pistol with you?” Percy asks Butch.

“Yeah, always. What-”

“Unload it.”

“Why would I do that?”

“We wouldn’t want to waste bullets and shoot anyone now, do we? Just do as I say, DeLoria.”

Butch does as he’s told and tucks the clip in his jacket pocket. “What now?”

“Aim.”

He does as he’s told, but his stance is off. Percy sighs.

“God, you can’t even aim properly. Charon, help him.”

Ignoring the greaser’s complaints, I shove his feet with mine in an effort to correct him. Once he was in the proper position, Percy perches a bottle cap on top of the 10mm.

Ah. I get it now.

“Practice shooting without making the cap fall off,” Percy instructs him, and steps aside.

DeLoria fires, but it falls off.

“Dammit. This is stupid.”

“Just keep practicing, Butch.”

It keeps falling off, and at that point, I was getting annoyed.

“No, not like that. Don’t use your joint. Don’t wrap your entire finger around the trigger. Use just your distal phalanx to fire,” Percy instructs.

“My what?”

Ah, fuck it. DeLoria’s involved now. Might as well continue teaching him.

“Percy, should I demonstrate it for him?” I ask my partner. She nods.

DeLoria begrudgingly hands me the gun. Percy perches the cap on top of the pistol, and I shoot. It remains steady.

“Watch Butch,” Percy tells the greaser. “See how he doesn’t flick the trigger? Try exhaling as you fire too. Breathing can throw off your aim.”

“Great, now you’re teaching me how to breathe too? Where’d you even learn all this, Perce?”

I do it again.

“Well, aside from target practice in the vault, I came across this simulation thing. It’s like a video game, but if I die in it, I die in real life. I watched the soldiers do it.”

“Simulation? What?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to believe, I know. But it was supposed to be a virtual training exercise for soldiers to get ready for the Battle of Anchorage, 200 years ago.”

The cap fell off of the gun as my breath hitched. I hand it back to DeLoria.

“Now, try it again.”

This time, Butch gets it.

“I did it! Whooo! Look out Wasteland! The Butchman’s coming for you!”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Percy comments.

With a cocky smile, Butch goes back to practicing.

“Meet us at Megaton in two days, Butch.”

“Yeah, yeah. See you.”

I follow Percy down.

[justheretobreakthings]

Can I request some Kidge friendship for the hc card? Either Pidge for "trapped" where she's pinned under a collapsed structure, Keith notices she's not checking in and comes to find her. Or Keith for "excluded", after Shiro disappears the others have been (not deliberately, just oblivious) leaving him out because none of them know him as well as Shiro did, and Pidge is the one to finally notice how exhausted and lonely he is? Either (or both) of those ideas would be awesome to see written 😊

These are both excellent and I’ve got my creative juices flowing for both of them! I’ve got the first prompt finished now, so I’ll go ahead and post the “Trapped” fill here, and get another post up for the other prompt later once I’ve got it written. Hope you enjoy!

PinnedCentral Characters: Pidge, KeithGenres: Friendship, WhumpWord Count: 2,938Written for the “Trapped” space for the @voltronbingo Hurt/Comfort cardRead on AO3

“Pidge? Pidge, do you read?”

The voice was quiet, distant, as it rang tinny and sharpthrough the helmet’s speakers, and even in the relative silence around her itwas difficult to hear. Pidge wondered why that was. She hadn’t adjusted thevolume setting, had she? At least, she couldn’t remember having done so.

Although, if she had done it in the last few minutes… shewas having trouble remembering those as well. She had to take a moment toconcentrate, pull at her memory. They had been on a mission, that was it. AGalra outpost on a planet Voltron was working to liberate. And they’d split upto go after different targets.

Pidge had been breaking into a supply reserve, sheremembered, when… yes, she’d been spotted. Then been able to hack into theoutpost’s internal network and get the sentry bots off their backs, but thatdidn’t take care of the sentient guards. Luckily even after the guard hastilydemanded backup before attacking, she still hadn’t had to fight off manyguards. The others at the outpost must have been preoccupied, what with Lanceand Hunk raiding the central hangar, Keith going after the armory, and Shirosabotaging the comms hub. The team splitting up had really spread the outpostthin.

Of course, it still hadn’t been an easy fight, especially onher own, and with the guards’ oversized weaponry and the supply reserve beingas structurally unsound as it had been…

Ah. That probably explained where she was now.

With a colossal effort she pried her eyes open and squintedat the world around her. She could see the starry sky peeking in throughremains of the walls and ceiling in the corner of the reserve at the edge ofher vision, the steel ceiling beams that had been holding the structure inplace now blasted apart and wrenched at angles, while railings and a steelstairway that had previously graced the wall now lay crashed to the floor.

She didn’t see or hear any movement, nothing from any of theguards she’d been fighting before. They must have been taken down as well whentheir weaponry had brought this section of the building crashing down aroundthem. Fucking idiots.

Deciding that she should probably get up and rejoin thefight, Pidge started to pull her elbow in to hoist herself up and get back tostanding, only to immediately find herself stymied by two factors. One was thewave of dizziness that crashed over her when she tried to lift herself up. Shehadn’t noticed the throbbing in her skull before now, but suddenly it was thereand powerful and trying very hard to be the only thing on her mind.

The second was the fact that she realized she couldn’t, physically,lift herself up. As she tried to pull her right arm underneath her to leverherself, she discovered there was no space for it. Something was pinning herdown to the floor, and she was stuck on her side, her right arm awkwardlysplayed out beside her, the rest of her pressed to the ground by whatever itwas on top of her. One of her legs seemed to have a little wiggle room, but theother she couldn’t quiet feel, and a sharp pulse of pain came shooting all theway up to her hip when she tried moving it.

She sighed and shut her eyes as she waited for the ache toabate. Great. Just fan-fucking-tastic. She was stuck here – she couldn’t getwhatever was on top of her to budge in the slightest – and it looked probablethat her leg was broken. The least she could say on the bright side was thatshe hadn’t been crushed completely; she probably would have been if she hadn’tbeen wearing her armor. She would have shuddered at the thought if she had beenable to move.

Speaking of her armor, she still wasn’t sure what was goingon with her helmet. The voices from her speakers were still barely audible asshe heard them talking over each other. “Hunk, cover me, I’m gonna – ”“Pidge?” “They’re firing from your eight o’clock, watch it – ” “Pidge, do youcopy?”

“Yeah,” Pidge grunted. “I copy. I think I’m – ”

“Pidge, come in.”

She was pretty sure the voice was Keith’s. Leave it to himnot to listen, she thought as she let out a frustrated breath through her nose.“I said, I copy. But I think I’m down for the count so – ”

“Shiro, Pidge isn’t responding.”

“I know, I know, we’ll have to – ”

“Lance, on your right!”

What the –

With a tight frown, Pidge opened her eyes again, and noticedfor the first time that, although her vision was blurred on the edges, it wasotherwise completely unobstructed. No readouts, no crosshairs, no helmetinterior on the border of her sights.

She tilted her head back, fighting off the dizziness themovement brought, to see her helmet sitting a couple of feet away from her onthe ground. Oh. Well, that explained why the voices from the speakers were soquiet. And why the mic wasn’t picking up her voice.

And why her head felt like someone like someone had droppeda car on it.

Pidge groaned and let her head lay flat again, since it wasswimming too much for her to do anything else for longer than she absolutelyhad to. The voices from the helmet kept up, but she was losing focus, and ithad been a strain to hear them in the first place. So she let the sound of aback-and-forth between Shiro and Keith become a buzz in the background as shefelt herself drifting off.

That is, she drifted until a new noise made its way into themix. Her eyes shot open at the muffled, rhythmic thumps. They were echoing inthe remains of the building, so it was hard to tell where they were comingfrom, or how close they were. But she could at least identify what they were: footsteps.

She held her breath, mentally cursing her luck. She hadtaken care of the other guards at the reserve, and with the building wrecked asit was, she had figured her job was over for the time being. The other paladinsshould have been keeping the rest of the outpost too busy to want to comesnooping around in the wreckage. But apparently someone else was on their way,and Pidge was certainly in no shape to fight.

She could only hope that whoever had arrived didn’t noticeher presence, but that hope was dashed when she realized that the other paladins’voices were still coming out through her helmet. They were quiet, yes, but ifsomeone was searching thoroughly for intruders, they might still be able tonotice the sound. And Pidge recalled it being mentioned before that Galra havekeener senses than humans, including their hearing ability, so that was anotherpoint against her.

Desperately she stretched her arm out as far as it couldreach. If she could just get to her helmet so she could turn off the volume ofthe comm… but she discovered to her dismay that the helmet was just out ofreach of her fingertips. And the footsteps were getting louder.

Her heartbeat fluttered as the steps approached, and shebrought her arm back in to reach for her bayard. The weapon was pressed to theground by her hip where it was holstered, but when she hovered her hand nearbyand concentrated hard, the bayard found its way into her hand of its ownaccord.

Just in time, too, as the moment she felt the weight of thebayard in her hand, a shadow fell over her. Pidge blinked upward to see thelooming figure of a Galra soldier, in one of the outpost’s guard uniforms, agun held two-handed across his chest. The moment his yellow eyes locked ontohers, the Galra grinned.

“Thought I’d find some– ” he began, but was interrupted whenhe took a hunk of metal to the face as Pidge’s bayard shot out at him. Normallyshe tried to aim for limbs, but with where the guard was standing and wherePidge was pinned, it was awfully difficult to aim for anything besides theface. Fortunately, this seemed to work out, since she could hear somethingshatter and the guard let out a howl of pain.

She retracted the bayard, then shot it out again. The Galraducked away this time, but that gave the bayard the opportunity to boomerangback wrap around his arm. Pidge gritted her teeth and pulled at the bayard evenas she let a bolt of electricity out, sizzling as it traveled up the bayard’swire and into the guard. He cried out as he seized up with the force of theelectricity, crashing to the ground.

The shock died out, and the wire started to unravel for herto retract the bayard once more, but she was surprised when it was suddenlyhalted. The guard panting on the ground had grabbed hold of the wire, and wastugging it back with all his might. Pidge growled and sent another shockwavethrough, but, despite the obvious pain that washed over the guard’s face, heheld fast and yanked again. One tug, two – on the third tug he put all theweight he possessed behind it, and to her horror Pidge found the grip of herbayard ripped out of her grasp.

The guard clambered slowly to his feet, and Pidge could feelher pulse racing. She was unarmed now, she was pinned, and the guard wasreaching down to pick up the firearm that had fallen to the ground momentsbefore.

God, she was fucked.

The guard heaved out panting breaths as he took up hisweapon, turning back to Pidge with fury written all over his face. He liftedthe gun, and Pidge’s eyes flew shut as she anticipated the inevitable blast.

The inevitable blast that didn’t come.

Instead, the guard yelled out again amidst a sudden crash,and Pidge chanced a peek. Where the guard had been standing there was now aflurry of red and white, and as she watched, Keith brought his sword down onthe guard over and over, fast as she had ever seen him do it.

Keith didn’t slow until the guard was completely down forthe count. Pidge was pretty sure the guard wasn’t dead, just unconscious. Shewould have been perfectly cool with either.

Keith panted as he got his bearings, sheathing his bayardand turning to Pidge, meeting her gaze where she lay pinned on the ground. “You– you weren’t answering on the comms,” he said simply through his huffingbreaths.

“Yeah,” Pidge replied. “Yeah, I wasn’t. Did, uh, did Shirosend you to check on me, or…?”

Keith shook his head. “No, I just – I was, um, I thought youwere – you – you weren’t answering… on the comms…”

Pidge stared up at him. “Wait, you – you were worried?”

“Well, um – ”

“What about the armory? Did you finish up there?”

Keith shrugged. “I wasn’t sure there’d be time.”

“Oh.” There was silence between the two of them, save forKeith’s breaths that were gradually returning to their normal volume and pace.Keith had been worried. Worried enough to have abandoned his part of themission to check up on her. That didn’t quite seem like Keith. Hunk, he wouldbe the type to fret over a teammate that much. Shiro was protective over all ofthe paladins. Lance was caring and, as a bonus, really loved being a hero.Keith, though, the one who would shoot off on missions on his own, lone wolfKeith?

Although, the more she thought about it… Keith separatingfrom the group was never to leave the others, any one of them, behind or indanger. When he went Leeroy Jenkinsing into a fight, the danger was all on him.Pidge had always put it down to stubborn single-mindedness, and she was prettycertain the others saw it the same way. But she had never considered the factthat when he did this, he was leaving his teammates safer than himself.

Maybe him leaving his part of the mission to check on hershouldn’t be so surprising after all.

“Hey, Keith?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. For taking down that guy. And for, you know –worrying.”

“Oh. Um, right. You’re welcome.”

Keith stance stiffened and he didn’t meet her gaze, andPidge started to roll her eyes, only to abandon the effort when doing sobrought that goddamn dizziness back. “Hey,” she said. “Could you, uh – would youmind helping out with one more thing?”

“What?”

Pidge lifted her arm to gesture toward the collapsedstructure on top of her. “Could you see if you can move this? I’m kinda stuck.”

“Oh. Sure.” Keith hurried over and looked at the rubble. “It’s– it’s mainly one beam that’s got you stuck,” he said after a once-over. “I’ll,uh, I’ll see if I can…”

He left Pidge’s line of sight as he positioned himself totry and move the beam out of the way. For a moment nothing seemed to happen,then, there was the very slightest movement in the beam. Pidge wouldn’t have noticedit at all if it hadn’t budged her leg, jostling it ever so slightly, but justenough that it sent pain pulsing up and down the limb. Her breath caught andshe let out a groan of pain.

Immediately Keith was back at her side, staring down at herwith wide, concerned eyes. “Sorry!” he said. “Did that – did that hurt?”

“No, Keith,” Pidge grunted. “That was obviously a moan ofpleasure.” Keith’s eyes widened further and his face started to redden. “Oh mygod, Keith, that was a joke,” Pidge said hastily. “Yes, it fucking hurt, Ithink my leg’s busted.”

“Oh.”

“But keep going.”

“But – ”

“Yeah, it’s gonna hurt, but I gotta get unstuck, right? Sogo ahead, keep lifting. I’ll power through.”

Keith bit his lip and glanced toward Pidge’s leg, then ranhis eyes along the length of the beam. Pidge could practically see gears in hishead turning, although to what end she didn’t know. “I – I think I can get itoff quick. It’ll hurt but – ”

“Hey, if it gets me off the ground, I’m game. Go ahead andrip off the band-aid.”

“Okay,” Keith said with a nod. He ducked away and pried thegun from the incapacitated guard’s hands, then turned back toward Pidge.

“Uh, Keith?” she said cautiously. “I don’t think you cankill the beam.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” Keith said, lifting the gun,turning and angling it upward.

“Keith, what are you – ?”

Her ears rang as the gun blasted, and another crashresounded. Pidge’s vision went white as agony suddenly surged through her leg,but it started to fade as quickly as it had begun in the first place. Shepanted as she focused her eyes again, and noticed a lightness over her bodythat hadn’t been there before. The beam, as she could see once her visionreturned, was about a foot above her now, no longer pinning her to the ground.

She felt hands under her arms, dragging her away from thewreckage. She grunted in pain at the movement to her leg, and Keith mutteredapologies into her ear as he brought her away.

“You’re, uh, you’re probably not up for walking, huh?” heasked.

“Not really.”

“All right.” He let out a breath and squatted down next toher. “Guess we’re piggy-backing it then?”

Pidge blinked up at him. “Wait, you sure? You’re okay withthat?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“… No reason,” Pidge replied. “Yeah, let’s piggy-back.”

She hooked her arms over Keith’s shoulders and let him get herinto position before he slowly stood, bringing his hands up to grip her arms.Pidge had to bite her lip at first as her leg knocked against Keith, but Keithseemed to have noticed, and stepped carefully as possible to keep the leg frombumping around.

“So,” she said as they started walking. “What did you do toget that beam out of the way?”

“Well, um,” Keith started slowly. “Well, the beam was long,and some of that walkway and staircase stuff was still up, pretty much rightabove you, and, uh, it looked heavy, and – and you see that crate there underthe beam that’s up at an angle? It looked like a, uh… what do you call themiddle part of a teeter-totter?”

“The fulcrum?”

“Yeah, that. So, um, so I thought, if I blasted some of thatrailway down and it landed over on the other end of the beam, then maybe itcould – ”

“Keith,” Pidge interrupted. “Did you just save me… using physics?”

“Um, I guess?” Keith said. “I mean, I know some stuff. Andit’s not like I can’t hear it when you and Hunk talk physics.”

“Sure, but, do you actually, like, listen?”

“Yeah? Why?”

Pidge squeezed her arms tighter around Keith. “Nothing, noreason. And, um, thanks again. For your help.”

“It’s no problem.”

“I mean, you didn’t get to finished up at the armory, didyou?”

“Nah, but, well – ” Pidge could hear the shrug in his voiceeven if he didn’t actually lift his shoulder, what with Pidge currentlydangling from them. “This was more important.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it really was.”