#instead of just peppering the text that's there with really large blank spaces and expecting myself to remember lmao

[hirazuki]

how about "shiro + lotor 2" from your WIPs? (sorry for making you VLDpost in 2024)

Lmao it's my own damn fault for admitting to VLD WIPs in my folder in 2024 XD

So this is supposed to be another missing scene, along the same lines as my one VLD fic I do have published, this time between Shiro and Lotor when they're on their way to the Kral Zera.

Lotor shifted again, braced against the cool metal, careful not to let the back of his head bump against the edge of the dashboard he was leaning on.  Senses honed by almost ten thousand years of persecution insisted that he remain standing, behind the pilot, in case something -- anything -- were to go awry; smooth sailing after the turbulence of take-off did not by any means imply that safety was guaranteed. The prince, however, had forced his body into a sitting position. With wrists propped up on bent knees, he had chosen a spot to the right of the pilot’s chair. Not only could he use what respite he could get before they arrived at their destination, but the man that had expressly -- and covertly -- gone against the wishes of his team deserved that courtesy. Shiro was risking his very position within Voltron to aid him, and had been open-minded and supportive of him from the start; the very least Lotor could do as thanks, he reasoned, was not hover over the man’s shoulder, behind his back, suggesting not only a lack of trust but possibly sinister intentions. He looked up at the paladin. The man had his hands on the controls, occasionally making some adjustments on the screen in front of him. Probably skirting patrols.  The slight veering off-course of the mechanical lion had increased in frequency the longer they were in flight.  We must be getting close. Neither of them had said much, beyond going over the details of the plan, but it was not uncomfortable. The soft whirring of the Black Lion’s engine and beeping of her controls was pleasant enough that the half-Galra found himself thinking that flying like this for the rest of his life would not be so bad. Soothing. That was the word.  “I apologize,” Lotor said, eventually, breaking the silence. “For what?” “I am aware I have caused a rift between you and the rest of the paladins. That was never my intention.” “Oh,” Shiro replied. “Actually, I don’t think it was you, specifically. It’s… been a long time coming. You were just a convenient subject.” “Ah, convenience. It does always seem to come down to that, doesn’t it?”

[easy-tae-breezy]

Unexpected Enthusiast | Neighbour!au Chapter 2

Members: Ten/Reader 

Genre:  Neighbour!au  | Fluff

Word Count: 2,000

Chapter: 1 2 3

Mini Recap- You’re a manhwa artist locked out of your apartment after grocery shopping. When none of your friends want to help you, fate decides for you to go seek help from your neighbour, Ten. 

As much as you wanted to decline his offer, you knew that the ice cream you just bought would inevitably melt and no longer be the same glorious confection that it used to if you were not to let Ten take your shopping. And with that, you were convinced –

‘Perhaps this is for the best..? I’ll just double check no one else is available…’

You rapid-fire-text your best friend to win her over and get her to help you out instead of your neighbour.

-

You, 16:13 PM

Yo, Ten’s helping me out with my groceries. A COMPLETE stranger is being a better friend than you, man. Step up ya game 😏

You, 16:13 PM

I’m safe by the way, thanks for asking…

A+ Amigo, 16:13 PM

Y/n???? who tf is Ten?? 😮😮😮

You, 16:14 PM

You know that dude you passed by when you visited last Tuesday? The one you called ‘super duper cute’? Yeah, him. MY neighbour.

A+Amigo, 16:14 PM

HoLY Cow!! Bro, if I come pick you up… promise to introduce me??

You, 16:14 PM

Hahaha, I knew you’d pull through 😘

A+ Amigo, 16:14 PM

I’m on my way y/n’s cute neighbour!

-

‘Wow…So much for being busy, huh? Such a snake haha,’ you mentally roll your eyes at how your friend was easily swayed into helping you as soon as an attractive male was involved.

Somewhat hesitantly you step into his familiarly constructed apartment and take off your shoes at the doorway. Looking around, the layout was similar enough to your flat next door: a simple bathroom to the right, an open space studio and kitchenette tucked into the far left beside the veranda. However, this flat was personalised and furbished completely differently to your minimalistic, light focused flat. Instead, Ten’s walls were the complete opposite: painted black with one entire side shielded by a large mirror and a hi-fi set strategically placed against it. His home screamed dancer and swag. The studio barely had any litter or long forgotten laundry that boys his age would usually have, totally throwing you off guard even more.

‘How strange..?’

The flat was tastefully peppered with red features and decor, such as burgundy shelves pent up above his crimson sofa and a red bookshelf alongside it to match.

Ten was now kneeling in front of his fridge, carefully clearing space for some of your groceries while flowing into idle, easily-flowing conversation.

“So what are you gonna do now that the landlord is temporarily away? Have you found a place to stay yet?”

“Yeah, luckily a friend gave in and said she’d pick me up in a bit,” you explain as you continue to aimlessly looked out of his studio window.

Ten turns his head temporarily revealing a glimpse of his slightly saddened, puppy-eyed expression but quickly returns to his task thinking that you hadn’t noticed.

“Honestly though, you must think it’s pathetic that a grown woman can barely remember her own key code.” You bitterly chuckle at yourself under your breath.

Your eyelids flutter shut with internal frustration and disappointment. Never had you been so forgetful in all your years of life.

 It was embarrassing.

 The recent move completely changed you. Despite the freedom thrust upon you, the liberty you had once wished for finally being granted right before you, you now wanted nothing more than to be semi-dependent on someone. Not fully leaning on a person, just faintly - or at least enough to know that you weren’t alone in the new city.

“I just haven’t been able to fully settle and feel comfortable after moving out here on my own…”

You sigh as a gloominess begins to engulf you while you stand awkwardly in the middle of his flat.

“No!” Ten exclaims as he rises from the fridge, shutting its door as he did so. “That’s such a brave move on your part! Do you remember when I asked if you needed help moving your boxes up the stairs on that day the elevator stopped working?”

You nod and smile at the strangely fond memory. Never had you felt your thigh muscles burn so much.

“And you immediately shot me down! Said it was your ‘duty’ to do this alone?,” he continues, air quoting as he strides towards you.

“And honestly, I’ve never been rejected so fast. And with such an unusual reason too! And it showed to me that you really were a strong, independent woman,” He exaggeratedly Z-line snaps. 

“I did find your multiple trips up the stairs extremely entertaining and endearing too,” Ten nudges you and winks.

You shake your head and shine a small smile as the memory replays and internally cheers you up.

He smiles in satisfaction.

“Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll only be a minute with the coffee,” he says while gesturing to his comfortable looking couch. Your attempts at being a helpful guest were quickly dismissed, you merely nod and continue to project your small smile of gratitude towards his generous words.

Continuing your observations regarding his interior design, your eyes land upon his bookshelf and you notice some very familiar books. Almost half of the romantic comedy manhwas that you had worked so hard to produce over the course of three years were perfectly lined up in order on your college student neighbour’s book shelf.

You inwardly gasp and begin to giggle at how a grown man could be such a fan of your teen manhwa and curiously raise a brow.

‘So this was how he was able to flirt so easily without being flustered, he must have picked up some lines from my comic haha…’ You thought.

Not soon after, Ten arrives with two mugs of steaming, warm, golden coffee and sets them in front of you on the table. He quickly notices the comic you’ve picked up and is easily tinted a shade of embarrassment. He -almost- instinctively throws his hands out along with multiple whiny requests for you to give it back, only to have you react by pulling the book out of his reach and laugh.

“Haha! Alright! Alright…”You slow down the hectic moment,  

“Do tell me, Ten… Why does a grown man, such as yourself, have a collection of romantic comedy manwhas?” you breathlessly say as the two of you finally calm down after a short game of ‘grab the book’.

He knows he’s been caught and with an exaggerated sigh he complies and explains himself.

“Ah, they’re not mine I swear,” he scratches the back of his neck while shaking the other free hand in the air in a denying manner  “my sister left them while visiting so I thought I’d tidy them”.

A small, silent pause embraces the two of you… You quickly break it by drumming on your lap vigorously, mimicking a drum roll.

“And the most unconvincing story of 2017 goes to… Ten!” you exclaim in your best announcer voice, laughing at his cute bashful side that was being unveiled right before you. The man before you no longer seemed so overly confident and indifferent, he was flustered and glowed a heartwarming pink flush. A complete polar opposite.

“If your sister really did leave them, a book or two would have been believable, but she definitely wouldn’t have left an entire series that was large enough to fit in 2 boxes,” you explain.

He lowers his rose tinted face in defeat and chuckles along with your point.

“Okay, you got me,” he exaggeratedly whimpers “but what I said was partially true! She did visit and leave a few volumes, I was gonna throw them out but the art was so pretty and unique. I was drawn to read them! The character design is perfectly tailored to each character’s traits and the background art is so detailed and unlike any other artists work that I’ve come across. It was difficult to put the books down and lead to me purchase a few more and before I knew it, I had almost half of the series! I really recommend it, y/n!” He beams despite his red cheeks and ears.

You sat there slightly blank and dumbfounded by his kind words. That totally wasn’t what you expected. Usually when people complimented your artwork, you’d immediately argue that it definitely lacked in some areas and could totally improve. Your self-depreciation would often prevent you from truly seeing eye-to-eye with your publisher and fans, causing a lot of release date delays and unhappy teens. However, when Ten gave you his honest opinion on your work you couldn’t help but feel gushy and warm on the inside, his sincere and animated words gave you pride and a deep sense of happiness.

His comments were somehow different.

The genuine and thoughtful words burned their rightful mark into your memory, forever embellishing themselves in your mind.

“Thank you,” you say in a small voice as a blush similar to the young man’s grazes your cheeks.

“What? Haha, you want to borrow one?” He chortles with a hint of confusion in his voice.

You simply hold the book up and point to the artist’s name, your name.

His eyes widen in surprise, he covers his mouth and notably resembles a deer caught in headlights. 

‘How is he so cute?’ You think to yourself.

Ten’s emotions go through a rapid melt of confusion, surprise and utter glee. The man now gleamed with joy and admiration. Ten takes a seat beside you while effortlessly grasping your small hands in his own large, strong and sturdy ones.

An instant feeling of protection, safety and content surge through you at his affectionate skin-ship. He leans a bit closer, excitement pouring out of his every word.

“No way! Tell me, please, does Jae Min end up with David- No! Does Yoo In come back from her spy mission in Japan? Or is she really dead? Ah, don’t tell me! It’ll spoil the surprise,” he concludes with a pout.

“…Or tell me if you want?” He later contradicts in a quiet voice.

You inwardly snicker at his twinkling, child-like expression. To reply to his questions, you merely wiggle your brows to the best of your ability and say:

“A mystery’s a mystery, and girl’s gotta keep some secrets… Buuuut, Yoo In is alive” you whisper ever so slightly in his direction.

You wink, beam a broad, beautiful smile and decide to leave it at that.

‘Hopefully that’ll keep him intrigued for at least another three volumes,’ you laugh to yourself.

Ten comes to his senses, remembering that the two of you had only just formally met half an hour ago. He removes his hands with a minor jump and instead clasps them in front of his chest. Acting melodramatically, he nods whilst still wearing his adorable pout, as if already coming to terms with your statement.

“I knew you wouldn’t let her die, y/n,” he softly sends an angelic smile to you.

“Hey, how about this, if I ever get to open my door, I’ll let you have a sneak peek at the next volume, sounds good?” You attempt to enhance his bright mood and also return the enormous favour that Ten had done you. Not only had he welcomed you into his home and saved your ice-cream, but he essentially helped you quick-start your self-confidence in a way no one else ever had.

Ten had easily proven to you to not judge a book by its cover; a man once so chic and cold looking had a compellingly delicate, angelic and excitable personality within him that was easily uncovered with a bit of encouragement. And to top it all off, he was apparently skilled in the arts of dancing and acting, but to you, that didn't matter too much, because to you, he was in fact the walking art-piece.

He shone you one of his brightest, pearliest smile and eagerly nodded in reply to your offer.

Ring. Ring…

Your phone slices through the light atmosphere and forces you to answer. Your friend had impeccable timing and was ready in the lobby to pick you up. After hanging up you sigh and turn towards Ten, informing him that your friend had arrived much to your dismay. The events thereafter the phone call flashed before your eyes as time began to seem inconstant.

Ten helps you gather your belongings and leads you down to the lobby. You edge out of the elevator, reluctantly furthering yourself away from such a sparkling and kind-hearted being.

The two of you part with alike smiles containing a hint of sorrow. The two of you truly matching one another’s current inner emotions.

You were totally oblivious to the fact that you’d bound to be back in less than a week, after all, you did live next door…

As the car door shut, Ten waves and quietly laughs to himself at the situation he got caught up in and with no one other than one of his favourite artists, and one with such an endearing and appealing personality at that.

“See ya ‘round, neighbour.”

Thank you for reading this! <3 What did you think? I found this really lovely to write and had lots of fun. Should I continue the scenario and see where Ten and his neighbour end up? ^^ Don’t mind any grammar mistakes, I’m on my way to proof reading it again for the 5th time haha

Edit: Another chapter of this series will be added soon! Thank you to all the people who sent in support and kind words towards this series. <3