#i miss early voltron

[mintydotdoodle]

AO3 going down is divine punishment for me trying to reread my favorite klance fic again

[callmelyc]

I've been slowly finding and collecting the vld books just to have a full collection (and for small tidbits I do like) and forgot the paladin guidebook has a lion quiz in the back!

So here are all 10 questions! Which lion would u be piloting?:

Yay ur done here's what the book says for each lion:

-mostly As as a response? You should pilot black

-mostly Bs? Red

-mostly Cs? Green

-mostly Ds? Blue

-Mostly Es? yellow

I got 4 v 4 Red and Blue (with one stray yellow and one stray black choice) I am Klance 😎

[pokidokieships]

Zutara and Shallura? AND gorgeous art? You have truly blessed tastes I love it ❤️❤️❤️

Aweee tqsm I’m so happy you enjoy my art 🥺🫶🏽🫶🏽

Yesss I’m a sucker for powerful brown skinned women who have great chemistry with stoic but loving men who are in awe of them and would literally die for them 🥰

Shallura and Zutara are both ships where they balance each other and are equals unlike with their canon love interests, and both my girls got done so dirty in the end by the show writers. I could go on and on! But hey at least we have fan works ❤️❤️

[jajanvm-imbi]

Wow I REALLY miss the early Voltron era (like seasons 1-3)

[yelmor-boots]

just finished watching episode three: return of the gladiator

[felassan]

this post is just some thoughts on/speculation re: the recent news (the new blog post and the IGN article etc). under a cut for length.

I’m so excited for the official first look at the gameplay!! (ofc) and psyched that it’s happening in early summer as opposed to late summer like August or thereabouts. it feels surreal in a good way that it’s now basically ‘DA:TV Eve’ :D With 15+ minutes of gameplay from the start of the game, we could gain a lot of new information and context such as who the PC is, where the story kicks off and the premise/framing of the story, who the starting companions are, etc.

it surprised me that the name of the game changed, but I like the new title, I think it’s cool and unusual and from dev comments it's not something they decided on a whim or anything. a title change makes sense in the light that Solas isn’t the only focus of the game or the only player on the board – that he’s a key player, but not the heart of it, and the companions are who is being centered. in any event the feel of a title to like say and stuff for me doesn’t affect gameplay or what it’s like interacting with characters etc. I would play this game if it was called Dragon Age: The Quantum Blorbening anyway.

‘The Veilguard’ is the name of our crew of companions, as in a group or faction. (It reminds me of “the Kingsguard”.) Obviously we can see from the name that this group will be involved in protecting and defending the barrier between the Fade and the waking world in some manner. I wonder, will it be a group we form, or a group we join/are recruited into? They must be a fairly recent addition to Thedas. What’s their relation to the Veil Jumpers, if any? Does the existence of the Veilguard imply that the theories that the game will begin with the Veil torn down already aren’t the case? Will the Veilguard always want to protect the Veil during the story, or will there come a point when they re-evaluate that idea? It sounds like they’re always able to take down the new evil threat, but will they always be able (or always want to) to prevent the Veil from being destroyed? also, in-world, who named them The Veilguard?

Maybe our PC’s own ‘title’ (Warden, Hero, Inquisitor, Herald of Andraste, kinda thing) will be Veil Guardian or Guardian of the Veil or something like that..? we obviously won’t be the only veil guard, but while the DA:O PC was ‘the Hero of Ferelden’, in-game they often were referred to in passing simply as Grey Warden or The Warden, despite there being another Warden present (Alistair). When the devs have been talking about The Avengers, I think about that and also get Guardians of the Galaxy kinda vibes. With Varric and Harding’s storyline in DA: The Missing, I wonder if he will be like the Nick Fury (he kind of brought the Avengers together and coordinated them right? Or at least recruited them all, put the team together?), with Harding joining the team itself..? Avengers assemble, form Voltron, etc. with stuff like “you’ll unite this team of unforgettable heroes”, it sounds like the PC (as in previous games) will end up leading the group in some manner, even if they are new to the squad. That reminds me of the HoF. ^^

Somewhere out there in the multiverse, on a different plane, DA4 came out and it was a multiplayer game. it’s good to hear about refocusing on creating a singleplayer game with a focus on characters, choices & decisions, worldbuilding, companionship with characters with their own deep storylines that intersect with the main plot etc, with the customizable hero and the cast of their companions at the center of an SP story. and no online team members, no live service etc.

The world of Thedas itself is still my favorite ‘character’ :D

Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor mention. 🥺

I don’t mind one way or the other about most gameplay specifics. Some of the aspects of combat gameplay (of course, I’m just guessing based on reading some lines in an article atm), like the pausing the action and the ability wheel to give orders, sound like ME: Andromeda gameplay, and Andromeda had good gameplay/combat gameplay that was fun and fluid to play.

One thing I am 😔 about tho is the change of party size from 3 companions to 2. I love Mass Effect and it’s a 3-person squad in that series too (and it works well ofc both in terms of gameplay and dynamics), but I’ll still miss having 3 companions with me in DA :< esp in a game with such a focus on the characters/companions. What can I say, I’m just a blorbo hoarder. I’ll also miss all party members being directly controllable.

I wonder if the 7 companions (seven is a lucky number ^^) will have a class split like 2 warrior/2 rogue/2 mages+1 ‘unique/special’ companion (e.g. Dog, Shale – maybe the flaming head Skellington?) or +1‘extra/secret’ companion or something (e.g. Loghain).

Also, speculatively, being that we’ve never had a qunari woman as a companion before, I hope one is a qunari woman, and since we’ve never had a dwarf woman as a companion before in a ‘main’ game (ily sigrun), I hope one will be a dwarf woman. That also makes me curious about the race and gender split of the 7. Maybe it’s like 2 humans/2 elves/1 qunari/1 dwarf/1 ‘unique or special’ (e.g. Shale)..? Maybe it’s like 3 men/3 women/1 nonbinary person, or the first 6 are a mix of men, women and nonbinary people, and the seventh is something like Dog or a spirit or something?

There were 6 companions in ME1. In DAII, there were 8 in the base game (Seb was DLC), but Bethany/Carver were only around for part of the game. today one of the main things people love most about DAII is its cast of companions. ^^ also, with the way the devs talk about the companions, it's giving "Found Family" trope vibes. that's another thing that people love a lot about DAII. ^^

will it just be the 7 of us, like the crew in DA2? Will it be like in DA:I, where the organization (Inquisition/Veilguard in this case) has main figures/an inner circle, but also commands other people? Or will it be like Mass Effect, where you have a crew which is comprised of companions (in this case 7) who join you on the field as well as a few other developed characters that hang out at ‘home base’? on the number paring down from 9 to 7, I’d rather quality and depth over quantity. In ME2, Kasumi and Zaeed (as DLC) didn’t have proper conversations on the ship. I wonder if “pare down” refers to it being versus the number of companions we had in DA:I, or whether at some point in development of DA:TV there used to be more than 7 companions and some were cut.

each of the 7 companions is from/represents a different faction. For example, while not stated to be a companion in the trailer he was revealed in, it's common speculation that he is, and Davrin is a Grey Warden. Going by the 4 factions Varric and Harding deal with in The Missing, surely 4 of these companion backstory factions in DA:TV are the Grey Wardens, the Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons. And the other 3..? the Lords of Fortune are a new addition to the lore that have also been prominent in recent material. A Grey Warden, an Antivan Crow, and a Veil Jumper walk into a bar.. : ) the composition of The Veilguard is reminding me of Duncan’s words about the Grey Wardens: “Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings.”

---

some more wild speculation on the 7 factions.

1. Davrin - the Grey Wardens

2. Bellara - ??

3. Harding - Inquisition/Inquisition remnants (I do not think Varric is a companion)

then, based on prominence in previous promo material and The Missing etc -

4. A Lord of Fortune

5. A Veil Jumper (STRIFE PLS!!!)

6. An Antivan Crow

7. A Shadow Dragon

??

or… this prev concept art (bearing in mind it might represent nothing at all except ‘general mood’ & no specific actual characters, or be from a different version of the game before a reboot or before cuts etc, who knows) shows 8 characters. could it be the 7 companions and the Player Character? Skellington Guy (green flaming skull guy) could easily be the (speculative!!) ‘unique/special 7th one’, assuming a 2/2/2 warrior-rogue-mage classbreak down among the other 6 (which is speculation only too ofc). lmk what you think : )

I’m nervous about upsetting or getting the new companions killed already HH.

It’s nice to read how strongly they feel about the new characters and their stories.  

I’m so excited to explore all the regions and varied biomes.

I’m still not clear/sure on whether “you can romance the companions you want” means all 7 companions are bi/pan+, or that there are no non-romanceable companions among the 7 (like no Stens or Varrics), or whether it was more like a general off-hand comment that can’t be read into that much.

I wonder if the Varric-narrated in-game cinematic from 1 year ago plays at the start of the game? Or after we meet Varric?

here is a link to a ramble/speculation about the new logo/icon.

All of Thedas is at risk from a big, scary new threat. As we know, Solas was never the only being interested in the Veil and its removal or destruction. (you can also outline lots of reasons why it should be brought down, like the way the world used to be, elven immortality, the effect on mages/magic etc). it’s also long been theorized that Solas isn’t the main threat/main antagonist in DA4, and maybe more like the Dragon to someone/something else, or a figure like Loghain in DA:O, who you can kill or convince to join you in your fight against the real overarching threat, in that case the Blight. Corypheus broke the Veil in the Red Lyrium future. Demons always want to cross it. the Evanuris are trapped in some way that involves the Veil being in place. Flemythal can never achieve true vengeance while her killers are sleeping or imprisoned somewhere she can’t reach. The Bio25 book says that “The Evil Gods have Thedas in their sights” and that “shadows of the past stir”. It also says that the “Deep Roads teem with evils both new and old”. There are theories about a double Blight. The most recent trailer has someone gushing “Glory to the Risen Gods. They’ve come to deliver this world”. Tevinter Nights hints at fck-knows-what – places and beings, “past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit”, things with chthonic kinda vibes. Etc. a threat being “unleashed” has the implication of someone let something go.. or someone.. let something in... there are also other groups and beings to consider, like the Old Gods, the Forgotten Ones, the Executors.

I thought this phrasing from the IGN article was interesting, though it's not a direct quote from Gary. “Solas, who helped create the Veil, now wants to destroy it.” Helped create? Until now it was more like “Solas created the Veil”. Helped who..? 👁️

The other evil threats/the real threats, these ‘other gods’ (Gary McKay mentions them twice: “it might not just be Solas”, “the Dread Wolf is not the only god” you need be worried about), are surely the upside-down figures in this mural, right? Surely they are the “Evil Gods” (whoever /they/ are) mentioned in the Bio25 book, right? :D

[auroreiya]

rewatching voltron before it gets taken off netflix (on my birthday, no less. worst gift ever) and I completely forgot how deep some of this stuff got. I also forgot how stressful the final two seasons were. really gonna miss this show, especially the simplicity of the early days of voltron. I have no one to talk to about this ;-;

[b4ts1e]

Ahhhhhh- so apparently Netflix is going to be taking Voltron off of their site on December 7th this year. Despite the fandom having had been excruitatingly toxic, the show was still part of my early teen years- so I won't lie I'm going to miss it being something I can watch at anytime.

That being said- if anyone knows anywhere I could find the full seasons other than Netflix, please let me know! I've only been able to find sites holding season 1, but nothing else- so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. ^^

Thank youuu <3

[soulreapin]

i think in like early voltron the thing keith missed most is the color orange

he thinks its so stupid because out of all the things why a color

but it’s the garrison and flight school with shiro and his dads rainboots on the rare occasion it rained and the flames crackling in their fireplace on chilly nights

you dont see orange out in space much. it’s altean blue or galra purple, or neutral yellow. orange is few and far between.

unrelated, keith’s favorite flowers are marigolds so that his dad’s spirit knows he’s always welcome in keith’s home, regardless of where he is.

[alohaasaloevera]

KL post-canon sorta fwb/situationship AU where they rile each other up!!!!!!1!1!!1!

—

Lance is so fucking annoying. Keith has decided that his mindset from when he was 18 (and sexually confused—actually, maybe just repressed?) is now superior.

Keith hates how Lance flirts with anything that even remotely looks like a woman. He hates how he jokes around too much. He hates how extensive his skin routine is. He hates how he can’t decide whether he wants to punch Lance or kiss him senseless every single time he wiggles his eyebrows as an attempt to flirt or recites a crappy one-liner at him.

His Things I Hate About Lance list is about to be updated, because they’re at yet another diplomatic party on earth (which is actually more of a “celebrating the fact that the universe didn’t get destroyed” party) and Lance is wearing a navy blue button-down shirt which is very much accentuating his muscles, and it’s causing his brain to malfunction. I guess the constant labor at the farm paid off, Keith thinks.

He’s also flirting with a lady who also seems to be extremely appreciative of Lance’s outfit choice. They look like they’re about to decimate each other in the middle of the room with how their eyes are focused solely on the other. Lance’s eyes flick over to him for a second before he just smirks at Keith—the smug fuck—then he focuses back on the girl in front of him before settling his hand on her hip and leaning closer, his voice a hushed whisper against the shell of her ear.

Keith just rolls his eyes. Not that he cares about who Lance sleeps with anyways.

“You’re drooling.” Shiro says, which earns him a moderately hard slap from Keith on his non-prosthetic arm. “You look mad, too.”

“Shut up.” Keith grumbles, because apparently his 14 year old self’s attitude is now the best way to go, “Go away.”

“Jeez, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“I said, shut it! Or else telling Adam you made out with Curtis.”

“Please, they’re probably making out with each other as of this moment.”

“Gross!”

“What are you, 12?”

Keith does not go ahead and answer that question, mostly because he doesn’t want to admit that he’s acting more and more immature as the seconds that he stares at Lance and the woman go by.

Shiro, who has been a spectator of Keith pining over the Red Paladin since the early days of Voltron, sighs, before ruffling Keith’s hair, “Please just try and talk out whatever this weird sexual tension between you and him is. For me, please? I’ve already constructed a customized shovel talk for him if you ever do get with him, and let’s just say updating it over the years—”

“Alright, alright! I’ll do it!”

“Thanks, child.”

“Child? Is that what we’re doing now?”

“Just go!”

—

Keith, both fortunately and unfortunately, does not get to talk to Lance until after the party. He walks around the ballroom, and multiple people tell him Lance was last seen walking out eagerly with a girl, so he waits until the next day to talk to him.

What feels unsettling is that how most of the people who let him know about where Lance has gone were talking in an almost…disappointed manner; like they had expected better from him. Which is ridiculous, because for starters, Lance doesn’t need to be all serious and on guard all of the time, especially since they’re celebrating the fact that they had won the war—in fact, it would be out of character for Loverboy Lance to not flirt with at least one person at a party. Secondly, Lance is basically still a kid. Sure, he’s been through some stuff, but he’s still 20 years old. He wouldn’t even have graduated college by now!

Keith gets that they are the Paladins of Voltron, and their duty is to protect the universe, but sometimes the expectations people have for them make them look like flawless, error-free machines who never make mistakes or miss a beat, when it’s far from that. They’re human too. They mess up plans like half the time (maybe not half, but you get the point)!

When he’s walking to Lance’s house—somewhere about a 5 minute walk away from the city and a 10 minute walk from his own house—he stops in his tracks.

What is he even going to say to him?

He can’t be flat-out, outright straightforward with Lance and say, “Oh, I’m kinda in love with you, and have been for the past 5 or so years, so could we stop this friends-with-benefits situationship we have going on and just cut to the real deal?”, but he also can’t be too vague with it.

Though, if there’s anything that Voltron has taught him, one of the things would be, without a doubt, is that you always have to be prepared to improvise.

He knocks on the cold wood, and just when Keith is about to reconsider even coming here, the door opens.

—

In the course of 5 seconds, Keith goes from knocking on a door to being slammed against that same door. Not that he’s going to complain.

“Sorry—” Lance manages in between kisses, “—about—” a kiss on his forehead, “—yesterday.” He kisses Keith gently on the lips, adding more pressure when the smaller’s arms come to wrap around his neck.

Just as Keith relaxes, he breaks the kiss, genuinely confused, “Wait, what?”

“It’s just that you seemed genuinely sad when I was flirting with her, and—” Lance attempts to explain, only for Keith to cut him off.

“Hey, don’t apologize to me for that.” Keith protests. “I was just jealous that you looked fucking amazing in that dress shirt and she was the one who got to have you. Besides, we aren’t exclusive.”

He expects Lance to loosen up—maybe brag about how he wooed Keith with his dazzling looks, but he sure as Zarkon and Honerva themselves does not expect him say this:

“But what if I want to be exclusive?”

Keith’s heart catches in his throat, eyes widening like saucers, “What?”

“I said,” Lance looks straight at Keith, his gaze piercing,

“What if I want to be exclusive?”

Oh, fuck.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 25

welcome to the twenty-fifth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. ladies and gentlemen we are rocking in space by @mayerwien

LANCE do u like the taste of spam, van kieu because thats what ull get 1 glorious terabyte of def-not-garrison-approved viewing matl every hour on d hour

KEITH And now you’re blackmailing me. Wonderful. Look, I’ll tell you, alright? Not because your threat scares me, but because I’d like to cut this conversation as short as humanly possible.

LANCE glad ur being so cooperative ;) ;)

--

Lance gets a new flight simulation partner. Lance makes a bunch of mixtapes. Lance falls in love?

Galaxy Garrison + texting au. For the Klance Zine!

i can confidently say, in my 6+ years of being a klance stan, i have never seen anything like this before or since. this fic is AMAZING. completely new idea, hilarious, sweet, and totally untouchable. i’ve always love testing fics that are done right (bc theyre always funny), and does this one ever knock it out of the park! the dynamics are amazing and the rivalry is EXQUISITE. bonus of vietnamese keith and filipino lance, and this one line (it’s a spoiler so im not going to put it here) that actually knocked me out of the water. its about the CHOICE.

2. But You’ll Peek Through by Barkour

It's weird, the things you get used to when you've been stuck in space for years. How much you miss home. Socializing regularly with only six people. No wifi. Your cranky boyfriend.

this is one of the earliest vld fics ever written, and it has a CROWN idk. this fic makes me feel so many emotions all at once. like  i miss u 2016 fic i miss u keith gyeong i miss u bitchy klance i miss u early voltron found family dynamic i miss u old lance’s family headcanons i miss u bamf team. rip to the earliest voltron fandom (also. how did this author know about romelle. in 2016.)

3. Pull Me Closer by @thewriter2

An ancient power dwells in Lance’s very bones. It hums a sweet song of the sea in Lance’s ear, calling him to the water. Keith’s bones are on fire as the very spirit of the flame lives in him. However, it’s these ancient powers that begin to pull them together; that shows them how to properly balance each other out

i SEARCHED for this fic. i made half my followers search with me too. this fic is bamf lance to the fucking max, and its AMAZING. how many of you have wanted waterbender lance so badly you could barely speak? firebender keith? if u said u didnt then ur lying. this fic has literally everything you could ask for in a canon divergence

4. The Homestead by @devooshawrites

Keith is hired for the summer to work on the farm of the McClain family. He and the youngest son of the family become good friends, though Keith might want more.

i am so fucking in love with aus like this. cowboy or farmboy where theyre quietly in love in their own bubble of the world?? i cannot get enough of them. i would read a million of them. this fic in particular is SO soft and tender, it is so so important to me. ive read it so many times. its one of those fics that brings a smile to your face that u literally cannot fight back

5. Prince Charming by @taylortot

Lance thinks that Prince Keith is just another stuck-up royal with an attitude problem until they spend some time together outside of the palace and he discovers that he couldn't have been more wrong.

Written for The First of Forever Zine!

this fic is SO tender it is sickeningly sweet. “rivals” to friends to lovers is so special to me, and no one does it like taylortot fr. love is stored in the tender moments away 

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!  

[akutagawamydear]

I’ve seen a lot of, Keith being angry about the whole Voltron mission thing– and I agree!! That he’s angry about it.. but let me give you

Angry LANCE!! Lance who, didn’t want to be on the mission in the first place and was just going with the flow so he could get home to his FAMILY faster, Lance who didn’t think the mission would take as long as it has, Lance who burns in hatred for Voltron and Allura/Coran and the Lions because. Why? They keep prolonging the mission to save the universe by making STUPID decisions one after another after another, Lance, who seethes inwardly everytime Lotor or another Galra rescue mission comes up, because these STUPID aliens who don’t know their place and should sit down back at their weak little planet are keeping him from his family. Lance, who misses his family so much, who worries and misses them as much as they do him, Lance who’s heart squeezes with a sickness and guilt when he thinks about his family not knowing where he went. Lance who, undoubtedly has Undealt with violent thoughts, Lance who wants to ram his gun into Lotor’s face and pull the trigger at LEAST, 7 times, who wants to wrap his hands around Allura’s neck as he spits insult after insult. Lance who feels an unexplainable itching in his hands to pull on the controls inside Blue (or any Lion) until they snap and the wires are exposed, so he can pull and cut and yank them until she hopefully shuts down (no matter if he gets electrocuted in the process). And, I dunno about ya’ll but, I headcanon that the Voltron mission caused Lance to miss one of his nephew’s birthdays (which he has NEVER done, always being early because he loves his family So so sososoSoSO much that he can’t help but follow them everywhere they go so h can shield them from the world and shower them with his overwhelming love), and that, that SINGLE fact, IRRITATES him to his CORE, because– some stupid mission, caused by some no-good, weak alien princess and her dumb mechanical lions kidnapped him and decided he, a cadet who wanted to fly CARGO ships, was a perfect candidate to SAVE THE FUCKING UNIVERSE, to “save” and avenge the princesses kingdom, which was GONE, is GONE, and will FOREVER *be* GONE, because why? Her and her weakass kingdom could protect themselves from the way life worked? A prince who’s dad and mom don’t care about him and could care less if he lived or died (only really caring because he’s the only kid they have) and he let his issues get to his head and convince him that he needs to use violence to feel powerful.

in conclusion. I want batshit angry Lance, I want Lance to go feral inwardly until it becomes too much for him to keep bottled up and he goes apeshit Outwardly

[midnighmoonligh]

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

Fandom

Voltron legendary defender

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

Character/s

Keith ; 21 ; He/They ; Little

Lance ; 18 ; He/Him ; Cg

Hunk ; 17 ; He/They ; Cg/Neutral

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

⚠Content Warning⚠

Anxiety Attack

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

Plot Summary

The boys are up pretty early. Keith woke up with an anxiety attack.

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

Early morning came and Lance, surprisingly, found himself awake. He was unsure why or how, but accepted it as it was. Instead of making himself dwell on it too long, he decided to just get ready for the day anyway. The process was long but made him feel great.

When he was finished getting ready, it would've been sun rise. Or he thinks anyway. Being away from earth so long made it difficult to remember things like sun rise or keep track of time. It was habit to go off other times now instead. He could admit, he missed the sun. Well anyway, being all ready for the day Lance shuffled through the hallways of the castle. He didn't really expect to find anyone awake. The last thing he wanted was to wake Keith. He needed, and deserved, the rest after everything.

During his adventure through the castle, he spotted light spilling out through the cracks of the kitchen door. For a moment he thought that maybe the light just didn't get turned off the night before. So Lance walked through the door as it a opened up for him automatically. He looked around before reaching for the panel to turn off the lights. Before he could, he spotted Hunk cooking.

" Hunk? " he asked, soon watching the larger man jump in surprise.

" Oh, morning Lance, " he greeted awkwardly. His hands stopping whatever he was trying to make. He had food all over him, mostly food goo.

" What are you doing up so early? " he asked as he walked over to the counter tops Hunk stood. The doors shut now that he wasn't so close to them.

" Oh, I don't know. Couldn't sleep I guess, " Hunk shrugged out. He gave one of his signature warm smiles before looking at his hands. Lance definitely didn't have a clue as to what he was trying to make, but the other seemed a little frustrated. He opened his mouth to ask, only for his mind to be read.

" Trying to make an earth recipe again. It's not going that well, " Hunk sheepishly admitted as he lowered his head. Embarrassment easily took over his body language.

" That's okay, anything I can do to help? " Lance offered soon after with a smile.

" Hmm, maybe, " he mumbled back as he tried to think about it.

In the end, Lance "helped" by supervising and occasionally handing Hunk things when asked. Sometimes he helped figure out how to get it to taste right, but otherwise he didn't have a clue as to how he was managing to make the dish. He occasionally hummed to himself while leaning over the counter, resting against it. It was comfortable, took pressure off his lower back.

Neither had noticed how late it got in the morning until Keith came shuffling in. Normally, Keith was one of the first people awake. Then Shiro and so on. The pair perked up, blinking at him. Hunk just smiled and greeted him kindly. Lance on the other hand pushed himself up right. On instinct, he found himself trying to make sure Keith wasn't little. He couldn't really tell. Maybe he was borderline?

" Mornin, " Keith mumbled. " Anythin for breakfast? " he asked after, calmly and quietly. Clearly he just woke up.

" Yeah, I have something finished here. Just a second, " Hunk beamed with a smile. He looked around, quickly making the older a plate to eat.

That left Keith and Lance staring at each other. Lance didn't really realize he was doing it. Not until the shorter nervously looked away with a few blinks. The nervous expression didn't last long after Hunk turned back around. He handed him the plate with ease.

" Here you go! " he beamed.

" Thanks, " he mumbled shortly as he took the plate. He seemed to linger for a few seconds, worrying Lance very quickly. He also received a side glance from Hunk, also expressing worry.

" Can I stay? " Keith asked awkwardly. Both smiled happily.

" Of course! " Lance told him. He threw an arm around him, behaving annoying as always to the older young adult. He got a familiar expression of annoyance too. " Need a stool too? " he chuckled.

Keith huffed and shoved him off. He set his plate onto the counter then tugged over one of the stools. He sat down at the counter, poking at his food. Lance still felt worried. He looked off, even body language wasn't right.

Maybe he really did spend too much time analyzing Keith.

" You alright Keith? " Hunk finally asked as he moved to wash his hands. Lance on the other hand was leaning against the counter again.

" Peachy, " he was dismissed.

" You know you can talk to us, " he pointed out.

" Okay, thanks, " Keith sounded irritated.

Lance chewed the inside of his cheek for a few seconds. Awkward, that's the only way to describe the atmosphere of the kitchen right now. The pair decided to leave him alone, in the end.

After some time passed, both often being met with harsh words from the older in the room, things were getting frustrating. Well, until it got pretty quiet. Both him and Hunk were staring at Keith, who's hands were shaking a little bit. It wasn't difficult to notice he was having a hard time. He just wished he could go over and scoop him up and whisper how everything will be okay.

" Keith.. " Hunk began, moving to lean over the counter he had finished cleaning.

" No, " Keith huffed out, practically pouted.

Crap, he knew the look of that. His hands twitched to move, but he wasn't sure Keith wanted him to do anything.

" Keith, come on, " Hunk huffed at him. " Something's clearly wrong. I just want to help. You don't have to tell me what's going on. I just want to know how to help, " he ranted a little bit.

A long silence came. A pause, really. Lance moved to get up, but the sound of Keith dropping his fork onto the plate stopper him. It made him flinch, well, both of them really.

" Just anxious, " Keith finally admitted. " Don't know why or how, just am, " he mumbled before rubbing at his face.

" Is there anything I can do to help? " Hunk pressed.

" I don't know. "

" Okay, that's okay. "

The two stared at each other now. Lance had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling. It warmed his heart to watch Keith warm up a bit more to the others. He remained still now, well, until he spotted the glances toward him. This also resulted in them staring at each other instead. A silence conversation seemed to flow between them.

Permission. Perfect.

Lance shuffled over after pushing himself off the counter. He moved over and gently rubbed the hot headed paladin's back. Soon, he leaned into him and rested his head against his shoulder.

" This is scary, what did you do to get him to like you? " Hunk teased with a snort.

Taking a deep breath, he began to explain. " Hunk, do you remember that childish girl I was with at home? "

" Yeah, why. "

" She was an age regressor. It isn't anything gross. It's just when someone mentally reverts to a child to help themselves cope with stressors. "

" Oh, I see, " Hunk blinked as he stood up fully. No judgement was seen on his face. He doubted this man was capable of judging, let alone bullying.

" That explains a lot. I'm assuming you're bringing this up because of Keith? "

A short nod to confirm. Keith didn't say a word. He stared at the counter instead. His hands were rested on it. Well, until he was tugging at Lance's shirt. The action made the taller wrap his arm firmly around him. The pressure helped.

" Okay, I understand, " Hunk nodded. " I'd be happy to help regardless. You're my friends, " he beamed. It was so sweet it felt almost painful.

" Thank you, " Keith mumbled. " For being nice. "

" Don't thank me for the bare minimum, " Hunk snorted. " As long as you're happy, I'm happy.

The three unintentionally nod in unison.

Another moment of awkward silence. It felt difficult, more so as Keith pushed himself away and ran his hands through his hair. Hands that soon Lance took into his own. He rubbed the knuckles gently, hoping to sooth him.

" Do you want to try breathing with me? " Hunk offered.

The larger man moved around the counter, tugging off the apron as he moved. He set the cloth onto the counter as he reached the two. All he got was a small nod. It wouldn't be surprising if the little was becoming desperate to do anything to calm his nerves. With gentle touches, Hunk guided Keith to sit facing him. He held his hands now, so small in his larger ones. With a smile, he slowly guided him to breathe. In for a few seconds, out for a few seconds. Keith focused on counting it more than breathing. It helped. His hands became still as his nerves settled, for now at least.

Once calm, Lance wrapped his arms around him.

" See? Not so scary, " Lance teased, earning a pout by Keith.

" Teddy bear, " Keith mumbled, mind clearly having slipped. He didn't seem to be as small as he normally would be, however. Lance didn't stop holding him from behind. One of his hands rubbed his shoulder too.

" Me? " Hunk asked, blinking.

" Mhm. "

" Aww, " he cooed as he wrapped his arms around them both. Lance yelped, Keith squeaked, but neither pulled away. Giggles came from them both at the bear hug. Tight, but more crushing for the little one. " I'm honored to be your teddy bear then! "

" Best bear, " Keith giggled quietly, moving to hug Hunk back. " an warm, " he mumbled.

[klaissance]

indulgent established klance long-distance boyfriends coalition paladins/BOM keith reunion event GO:

keith gets to the dinner early

he had to ask kolivan to put him on the list as one of the BOM agents going and if that dude ever laughed at anything keith would swear he was laughing at him when he uninvited somebody else to put keith on the list

it's this gorgeous bigass hall with lovely vaulted ceilings and the biggest longest table keith has ever seen

aproned aliens are in set-up mode, scurrying around setting utensils and plates and namecards and chairs all around this table

keith has his mask up and everything and he nods respectfully at some of the staff as he starts to walk the length of the table

it's been too long since he saw the team he knows that and they know it too

he knows they miss him, knows it in his bones that they miss him at least some fragment as much as he aches for them (which is so much all the time)

pidge hacked a touchpad to let it transmit through the signal jammer outfitted at the BOM base so he does get to message and call home sometimes but tbh he's not on-base very often before he's jetting off to the next crazy mission halfway across the galaxy

anyway he's in this hall scanning the namecards and letting his mind wander while he waits for the guests--but mostly his former team--to show up

he finds his own card next to kolivan's, only it just says "blade of marmora guest" anonymous and replaceable, just like usual

allura is set to be seated at the head of the table with the other important people and key speakers

keith smiles despite himself at the thought of allura pacing the halls of the castleship this past week, running through versions of speeches for anyone who will listen

the smile turns into an ache when he thinks of lance, perched on the kitchen counter, legs swinging, or draped across the lounge couch, head tipped off the edge, listening and humming appraisingly at all the right moments

turning those warm brown eyes to the ceiling and pretending to think hard on it when allura asks him if he thinks she's ready

"of course princess" he'd say, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently

"I think you were born ready"

because lance has always been good at that, at making you feel like the most capable person in the Universe

halfway down the opposite side of this grandiose table, keith finds what he hadn't known he'd been looking for: four name placards right in a row, each labeled with a name and "Paladin of Voltron"

takashi shirogane, pidge holt, hunk garrett, and lance mcclain

keith frowns sourly at the next name, some alien duke or duchess or whatever the fuck, somebody important who has just won the diplomacy dinner lottery by being offered the seat next to the blue paladin

he looks across the table from here to his own seat, looming positively miles away across and down this long ass mcfreaking table

who made this chart anyway???

keith is still grumping about it as people begin to show up and he shrinks a little into himself, scanning the room for those familiar faces, the anticipation buzzing under his skin

he's so lost in the looking that he forgets himself and gets totally ambushed by a voice right up against his ear

"Getting on just as socially as usual, I see"

he whirls ready to FIGHT but it's allura !!! and the relief and joy at seeing her in person for the first time in multiple space-months is such whiplash that he pitches straight into her open arms and holds tight

when he recovers he takes down the mask and squirms awkwardly

allura is gentle and kind, knows he hates the diplomacy part, knows he's only here because he misses all of them, one of them in particular...

they do small talk for a bit, allura growing worse and worse at hiding her amusement as keith continues to turn and stare at the door with increasing frequency

her eyes are sparkling the way they do when she gossips and she asks him point blank "so, you must be excited to see your boyfriend again"

keith's mind goes blank "n-no" yknow like a liar

she's downright snickering at him and he still can't resist scanning the room

she throws him a bone, tells him the other paladins are running late coming back from the parade but will arrive soon

keith is like coolcoolcool no doubt no doubt but really cannot stop staring at the door and feeling like he might throw up and is his hair okay he didn't really think about this before he showed up, hasn't even seen it in actually days because he's had the suit on, and the suit is DUMB what the fUcK--

they get approached by other diplomats from various coalition planets and allura turns on the schmooze

keith checks his touchpad--there are three messages from lance

"SORRY BABE RUNNIGN LATE"

"c u so SOON :3 <33333333"

"*RUNNING"

" :D "

[johnnyutah]

scotty/matei OR scotty/gideon w/ 21.....go go go go oc heaven now

21: “me & me”

It’s a chilly afternoon at the circus, with most performers and customers scurrying away into the relative warmth of tents and caravans and trailers. As the wind picks up, Scotty misses his trusty hat. He is in a near-constant state of missing, as though the piercing instrument was never removed from some stab wound within him. He’s cold, too, which is kind of funny if you have a great sense of humour like he does. He wonders if Matei would think it was funny if he brought it up. Jeez, you know, I’ve frozen to death in an avalanche before, and this wind is somehow worse. Or, boy, I miss when my body couldn’t feel sensation.

Then he wonders the obvious, and flails, turning to the man beside him. “You cold? Want my jacket?”

Matei gives him A Look. Back in the time that never happened, Scotty would have been able to understand every twitch of the man’s eyebrow. He doesn’t know this Matei, and apparently he’s not making a great impression— seeing as he’s been reduced to speaking like a caveman.

“I’m okay,” Matei tells him, perfectly neutral and gracious. He has a sweater on, of course. Maybe it belongs to his new-old boyfriend. That pierces him too, although Scotty has long taught himself how to cope with an aching heart.

The other interns have all been whisked away to separate locations with separate objectives. Once upon a time, in another time, they moved like Voltron. Scotty would have known where they were even without Corby’s telepathy or Dorothea’s briefings. He could have made correct assumptions about which stall Sammy ducked into, or where Hami and Avery might be found sneaking around. Now, he can’t rely on any innate knowledge, turning to modern technology instead:

[sent] Where did everyone run off to?

[sent] ❄️☃️🎿☕️🥶😰

He looks up from the text to see Matei smiling oddly at him. Again, this expression is new; it bowls Scotty over. “What,” he says, tone soft, smiling back almost instinctively.

“Oh, uh,” Matei’s smile drops and he glances away. “Nothing. You… Nothing.”

He wonders if Matei thinks he’s texting a boyfriend or something. “Just sending a text to the other interns,” Scotty quickly corrects the thought. He used to have charisma, he swears— it dissipated sometime between the early eighties and ancient Mesopotamia and the current day. “I don’t… I’m not seeing anyone.”

For some reason, Matei smiles again— a little amusement playing at his pretty lips. “Okay,” he says, with poorly hidden pity.

“It is okay. I need some time to focus on me,” he lies through his teeth. Matei’s nod is half-hearted but his gaze is sharp. “You know, after everything.”

It looks like Matei is about to ask about everything. Scotty could tell him— he would, if he asked. About the guitar they kept in the living room, how far they’d made it through their watch of The Original Series. About Gideon, too, and Thor, maybe, and the long list of almosts and nevers.

Scotty’s phone chimes loudly in his hand— a message from one of the other interns. He may not be technically fifty anymore, but old habits die hard. Matei steps back, almost startled— the moment shatters. Scotty’s pain receptors need recalibration, because Matei moving away hurts worse than fighting the devil had.

“Maybe you should,” starts Matei, as Scotty says, “Boy, it’s cold. I sure miss when my body couldn’t feel sensation.”

The look Matei gives him is easy to read— he’s seen it on Corby’s face a thousand times now. Somewhere between constipation and concern. Scotty sighs silently. Maybe he really does need some time to focus on himself after everything.