#juniberries? the flower

[mushed-kid]

would you be able to draw Allura?<33

favorite flower

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Okay, so remember that concept with allura having amnesia? Ive been thinking about that. a lot. and how it related to kuron specifically-

Beacuse there are PARALELLS here. They both have to deal with a legacy left by a past version of them and they both irreversibly change as people. Kuron resents Shiro and what he represents, and allura struggles with living up to the mysticisied and glorified hero everyone tells her shes supposed to be. and its like- if they talked about it like NORMAL PEOPLE, if Kuron had ANY emotional intelligence left, they would see that they have a lot in common actually!!

BUT. at the same time. I dont think its really possible for them to do that, at least right now, beacuse a huge fuckin part of kurons trauma was caused by allura fucking KILLING HIM, and hes understandably pissed about it. and i think that allura not remembering anything would only make him even more upset, bc everyone besides him mourned and idolisied her, and constantly hearing how great and noble the person who killed you was must suck ass, and then she COMES BACK, and maybe Kuron wants to yell at her and make her feel guilty for what she did and he wants to look her in the face and tell her exactly what he thinks about her- but he CANT. beacuse she killed him, took his body from him, and she DOESNT REMEMBER.

i dont really know where i'm going with this, but. yeah. this whole situation propably sucks ass for both of them(maybe theyll never reconsile. Maybe they wont end up as friends. And that's okay!! its cool to think about tho)

Bestie, my friend, my dude, my guy, mere yaar, yOU HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE SPOT!!!!

So much of post s8 au is people who could have understood one another but dont because of the trauma everyone has, and Allura and Kuron are prime examples of it.

Kuron is not happy with her at all and all this 'hero worship' around her just further exacerbates it cause she used his body to bring back Shiro. Didnt even care that they were friends, didnt even care that he was a person, didnt even care that he may have been still alive, just used his body to bring Shiro back. And he hates her for it and hates people treating her like a hero and would have let her know that she's the worst but what is the point of that? She isnt here is she? She's dead and gone and they couldnt even bring back a body to bury because nothing of her left. So really what is the point of hating a dead woman? He avoids anything and every thing to do with her, and just tries very hard not to think about her, no bad vibes here sir we are just chillin hahahaha 😎😎😎😎😎

.......and then she comes back! And oh boy. Kuron is not having a good time at all. He is still very much avoiding her. If she's in the room, he's leaving the room and if he cant than being extremely snide and just glaring at her. Like he truly does want to explode on her and many times came close as well, but than he just walks out and screams in a pillow.

Allura has no fucking clue what to do with him. She doesnt even know him, doesnt know what his problem is, and thinks he's annoying. Really annoying and rude and she knows when she isnt wanted. Like she has met some genuinely terrible people on her journey throughout multiverse and Kuron is definately much better than them but also?? He's a fucking cunt. Everyone else is on the edge around him but no one wants to talk about it. And fine! Whatever! It's not like she's curious about what the fuck is up with this guy, or why he's the only one who doesnt look at her and is either about to cry or look at her like she personally put stars in the sky. She has too many problems and doesnt have the time for some dude's hostility.

But like once she knows about the whole mind replacing thing? Either because she was told or because she remembered bits and pieces. She's going to feel so guilty about it! Like crushing guilt. She'll try to make it up to him but given that he doesnt want to talk to her and even if he did she is convinced he probably hates her and doesnt want to see hom so she just. Going down the guilt spiral. Along with everything else

And yeah I think Kuron can never forgive Allura just like how he can never forgive Shiro. But i also think they'll come to an understanding and realize that they are similar and learn how to live with their pasts without it consuming them.

[bluemantics]

here’s a list of all my fics! i won’t be able to post and reblog much since I’m traveling the next week and a half, so I’ll compile all my works here in the meantime :-)

will also update this list as i write more!

klance:

midnight snacks don't exist in space

G | 1.7K | RP/BP dynamics

There are no rules about eating at 3:00 AM if you're in the far reaches of the universe.

In a bright kitchen while the team is asleep, Lance and Keith find each other, as they always do.

Why We Fight

T | 5.7K | truth-telling au

With the Rebels in need of resources, the team ventures to a planet known for its raw materials in hope that they'll join the coalition. Here's the thing: they need to prove that they can be trusted by telling the truth about why they fight.

Lance finds this more difficult to voice than the others. Unfortunately (thankfully), Keith has returned from the Blade and is more than willing to listen.

"This is bigger than any of us alone."

A Keith By Any Other Name

T | 8.2K | coffee shop rom-com AU

Lance McClain was dared to hit on Keith. Keith thought that’d be the first and last time they’d meet. However, Lance keeps coming back, charming Keith with his jokes and charisma.

Here’s the catch: Keith refuses to tell Lance his real name.

“I’m not telling you my name unless you order and move on.” Keith pointed to the register screen.

“Alright, I’ll do a cappuccino.” Lance pulled out his wallet from his jacket pocket and slid his card over to Keith. “Now will you tell me your name?”

“My name is Yorak.” Keith passed the card back to Lance, who looked shocked at that answer, his eyebrows raised to his hairline. Keith was beginning to realize how dramatic Lance could be.

“Really?!” Lance demanded. He looked pityingly at Keith, and irritation welled up in his gut.

“No!” Keith rolled his eyes.

“You’re the worst,” Lance huffed.

a billion light years from here

T | 8.5K | post-canon fix-it

Keith and Lance reconnect over letters. Through their writing, Keith learns to open up, and Lance learns what a home is.

"For all the game I talked on the castleship about missing home, now that I’m back on my family farm, I kind of feel like there’s something missing. Like, even surrounded by all of the juniberry flowers Allura gave us, and even with my parents, I still feel lonely. Or restless."

Or: A post s-8 fix-it AU told entirely through letters between Lance and Keith, both sent and unsent.

out of my head

G | 1.2K | high school au

Keith didn’t even want to watch the spring musical auditions. Forced by Pidge to accompany them, he finds himself surprised at the talent of a particular actor. He also finds himself surprised by his own response. 

OR:

Lance is ridiculously good at singing and Keith is a lovable, impulsive jock.

baptism by fire

T | 1.5K | canon-compliant angst

Prompt: write a private scene between two characters with no dialogue, of just them two alone.

Lance just witnessed the unthinkable. Keith offers his company in wake of the tragedy.

kiribaku:

unstoppably, immovably, unbreakably you

G | 651 | canon-compliant

A character study.

An unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Katsuki Bakugou’s hand implodes against Eijirou Kirishima’s arm; a flurry of sparks surround them with a sound that rings between his skull.

This is something he knows how to do well. With every blow that Katsuki unleashes, he feels Kirishima retaliate with more, responding like a dance to his every movement. Katsuki is a fine-tuned instrument of destruction, every muscle on his body worked with the intention of winning.

as always please let me know what u think thru asks & comments on ao3!! ill answer asks between travel, but im going to frequently be in spotty service.

[rizavii]

i just realized i don't think i've ever posted this here

[Image Description: A digital drawing of Lance from VLD. He is lying on his back with one hand over his face, looking sadly at a glowing juniberry flower that he holds in his other hand. The image is done in dark colors, with the glow of the flower as the only source of light. Cursive text contoured to Lance's body reads, "and now, I must remember you for far longer than I have known you." End ID.]

[lancemoon1]

I have a headcanon for lance

After Allura died. Lance got a tattoo of Alluras favorite flower a juniberry on his wrist. And every time someone brings up Voltron or the war he subconsciously rubs the tattoo🙁

[pockystick1]

So we just finished watching voltrons final episode. I cried and sobbed. My other friend had her hand over her mouth the whole time and our other friend had a glazed look over his eye. I then, since I was slightly inebriated preceded to crawl onto the floor and scream “FARMER????? HE ENDED UP BEING A FARMER????? NOT EVEN A GOOD FARM. A FARM FILLED WITH JUNIBERRY FLOWERS TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE MISERABLE” I then would throughout the night start to cry and just say “Farmer?????” In a very defeated voice.

I also at one point screamed “IMAGINE YOU GO TO CONFESS TO THE GUY YOUVE BEEN GAY AGENDAING AND HIS WHOLE LIFE IS A FARMER WITH A FARM FULL OF HIS EXES FAVORITE FLOWER??? HOW WOILD KEITH DEAL WITH THAT??”

I have since lost all emotion. Life is meaningless. Also hunk rocks he’s overlooked.

[frostyblustar]

*hands u a flower*

Altean Keith doodle anyone? He misses the Juniberries.

[keithkog]

(Context for why I’m here) Allura’s memorial site often has quite a few people here, even if it’s not a special occasion. I know on the day of her death thousands of people show up. I don’t go to those, Lance does. Thankfully, the nine or so people there left me alone today. This is not normal, usually people would be bugging me.

I found some juniberry flowers, Colleen was able to repopulate them here on Earth. Though I have heard they are not exactly like the original, they have a different smell or something.

I’m not going to say what I did there other than leaving the flowers. Honestly I’m so tired, of a lot of things. The universe is an asshole. I hope Allura is peaceful or having fun if there is an afterlife. I think Adam and her could be good friends.

-Keith

[autisticlancemcclain]

She’s been fine, for this whole time.

Her grief is always a low hum in the back of her mind. Constant. Since the first ring of that phone call to her mother — she knew, before Mom had even picked up, before the phone had finished ringing, her stomach dropped to her toes and took her heart with it — the grief had taken root, making her entire word sharper, a shade of red sliding over her eyes.

She’s heard people describe grief in shades of grey. Heard people talk about how everything goes flat, dull, unimportant, emotionless.

It has never been like that for Pidge.

Her grief made her furious. She knew from the moment her mother let out that first choked sob, turning away from Katie like somehow if she muffled her tears enough she wouldn’t find out what that phone call was saying. Pidge knew from that fucking second that someone had taken half her family away, and she knew the second after that they would pay. The bitterness had bubbled hard and fast in her chest, and she’d moved. Cut her hair and faked her name and lied to her mother. She spoke every word with clenched teeth, tense muscles trembling in rage any time an officer so much as looked at her wrong, so much as whispered the name Holt.

Her grief has never made her dull. Her grief has made her strong, has powered her through the Garrison and space and the Galran Empire. Her grief has powered her through war.

But today, she looks in the mirror, hair shorter than she remembers and poofed around her head, round coke-bottle lenses reflected back at her, and the colour leeches out from the room.

She recognises her reflection.

But she does not recognise herself.

“Pidge? Are you in there, love? You’re tardy for birthday breakfast!”

She doesn’t startle at Allura’s voice. She barely even registers the sound. She stares at herself, unblinking, until her eyes burn.

“Pidge?” Allura calls again, softer this time. “Is everything alright?”

Katie startles herself with her own sob. Her eyes widen, glancing through the mirror at her own mouth, finding it gaping, hearing her lungs gasp out for breath, some kind of gagging noise coming from her throat, tears wetting her cheeks. She feels none of it. It’s like she’s watching it happen to a different person, a different Katie.

The girl in the mirror is completely foreign to her. She doesn’t recognize the creature with eyes like cracked glass, who is choking on her sobs, whose heart is pounding and aching and hurting.

Pidge Gunderson is the mysterious new student at the Garrison, who bears a striking resemblance to the missing-in-action Kerberos Mission cadet with the same short hair and glasses, who is angry and who is tough and who is fearless. Pidge Gunderson is the Paladin of the Green Lion, Protector of Forests and genius hacker, unphased by Zarkon’s fury and unmoved by the constant pain around her.

Pidge Gunderson is nowhere to be found. Instead, in the mirror, is Katie.

Katie Holt is terrified. Katie Holt is aching. Katie Holt is in pain. Katie Holt looks like her mother, broken-hearted and alone at her dinner table, reading the note her daughter left her and sobbing into her hands.

“Oh, Pidge.”

Cool hands touch the back of her neck, the small of her back, and then she’s enveloped in the familiarly foreign smell of sweet juniberries.

Like something in her has cracked, Katie cries in Allura’s hold, great heaving sobs that shake her whole body until she hurts, until she feels like she’s cracking, like she’s splintering along the fragments of her bones, spine cracking in half and splintering her into a thousand pieces. Allura tightens her hold, but Katie is sure that she’s going to fall to pieces anyway, a billion of them, impossible for Allura to hold together.

“It always hurts worse on days like this. I know. I know, asteraki.”

The reminder only makes her sob harder. Of course Allura knows — Allura has lost everything. Everyone she has ever known, every person she loved, her home, the flowers that grew under her window and the the sounds of Altea around her. She has so little left of home.

“It’s not fair,” Katie chokes out, barely making out the words. “I want my mom.” She sobs again, a broken, wailing sound, the sound of the wounded and dying, the sound you would hear with the smell of the freshly turned dirt of a grave. “I want my brother. My dad. I want my family back.”

Allura’s hands shake on the back of Katie’s head. Her voice cracks as she speaks. “Me, too.”

Katie has no idea how long they cry. At some point they slide to the floor, holding onto each other, tears smearing their faces and lungs aching from the pain of their grief. Neither of them moves when their tears run out, eyes dry up, muscles cramped and aching. They sit together, sniffling, holding their grief inches in front of them, stifling in Katie’s small ensuite washroom, crouched in front of the sink.

The sounds of footsteps are quiet, at first. Muffled voices are harder to mistake. The creak of Pidge’s door even more distinctive.

“Gremlin?” Lance calls, softly. A muttered really, Lance? goes ignored. “Everything groovy?”

…Groovy?

Pidge is hurting. Undeniably. But the shock of Lance’s dumbass sentence is so — her laugh is sudden, startling, making a bubble of snot burst out of her nose and setting Allura right off. By the time the rest of the team files into the already-cramped bathroom, it’s to the sight of the Leader of the Coalition and her Green Paladin, eyes red and irritated, cheeks tear-streaked, laughing each other hoarse.

“Sounds like a party,” Shiro says, smiling as he plops down on the floor. The rest of the boys follow, flopping about and elbowing each other several times (with the exception of Coran, who manages to sit quite gracefully).

“A bit of a pity party,” Allura explains, trying to get herself under conte. “We’re laughing now because Pidge snot-bubbled.”

The look on Hunk’s face sets them off again.

“Gross,” he says, but he’s smiling.

“Definitely a little,” Pidge agrees. “Someone pass me some tissue paper?”

Lance, closest to the roll, hesitates. “Do you promise not to throw it at me when you’re done with it? I’ll scream. I don’t care how sad you are.”

Pidge and Allura glance at each other. They could do with seeing Lance screech. A quick look at Keith’s smirk confirms he wouldn’t mind, either.

“Promise,” they both lie at the same time.

Lance, who is chronically trusting and endlessly gullible, passes them both a bunch. They quickly wipe their faces and, without coordinating or anything, pause for just long enough that Lance lets his guard down, then chuck the dirty, snot-filled tissues at him at the same time.

As promised, his shriek is so shrill they actually can’t hear it.

He lunges for the doorway of the bathroom immediately, kicking poor Shiro in the head on his way out, cussing up a storm as he goes. The rest of the team promptly loses their whole shit.

“You shitheads! You gall-brained jackasses! You complete and utter fucking scallywags! I’m returning your fucking birthday present, Pidge, and Allura, I’m keeping the mice forever! I hate you two!”

The mention of her birthday sends a twinge of pain through her chest, but the completely incensed look on Lance’s face is enough to keep it at bay. She hasn’t seen him so mad since she broke his hair straightener right before they had to go to a gala (where Lance was partnered up with Keith, although he’d rather shoot himself in the brain than admit that’s the real reason he was so pissy about it. But Pidge knows. She heard him bitching to Kaltenecker about it, and also she has a fucking working human brain and two eyes that can see, and Lance is not subtle).

“Best birthday present ever,” Pidge sighs, wiping a tear from her eye — a happy one, this time. She considers flicking it at Lance, but holds herself back when she realizes he might return her birthday present for real. Today has been kind of shitty, so far, but not shitty enough to forgo presents.

“What happened, dear?” Coran asks quietly, once they’ve all calmed down (and Lance has convinced him to switch spots so that he’s closest to the exit should any more…incidents occur).

Pidge sullens, a little, glancing down at her knees. It takes her a long moment to speak, but the rest of the team waits patiently for her.

“Matt said he was going to build a working particle accelerator with me on my fifteenth birthday,” she says quietly.

Keith is the first to soften, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “Your dad made a promise too, I’m guessing?”

She thought she was out of tears, but a new one gathers at the corner of her eye, burning a hot trail down to the tip of her nose, dripping onto the tiled floor. It’s so quiet that she can hear it plop.

“Yeah.” She sniffles. “He and Mom —” her voice cracks on her mother’s name, guilt making her stomach clench — “had something planned. They wouldn’t tell me what, just promising that it was going to make me smile for a month.” Her face crumples. “I’ll never know, I guess.”

Allura’s hand finds it’s way back to Katie’s back, rubbing it gently, soothingly.

“You’ll find out,” she assures.

Hunk hums in agreement. “It might take a while, but you’ll find out.”

Pidge wants to fight that, a little. They’ve been in space a whole year now, and she’s found absolutely nothing. Zilch. Not even a single lead that hasn’t been a dead end. Why should she believe them? Why should she believe that anything will be fixed, that her family is anything but dead?

But…they’re all looking at her so lovingly. So supportively. Even Lance, who she just harassed a little. All of them have soft, encouraging smiles on their faces, cramped with her here on the bathroom floor because she couldn’t stand on her own.

“Okay,” she agrees, barely above a decibel, but her team as no trouble hearing her. They all grin at her; Allura’s marks glowing, Coran’s moustache twinkling, Lance’s brown eyes shining, Hunk’s dimples showing, Keith’s crooked incisors peeking out, Shiro’s scar creasing. All of them smiling at her as proudly as they do when they fight off a Galran fleet. Like she is of equal measure to that, to them.

Happy birthday to me, she thinks to herself, and for the first time today she thinks it truly might be.

[bladedalchemistreplica]

||MUSE HC/ASK/AU MASTERPOST

______

Just alfor and Kolivan's logs of anything that relates to them((at least anything key or hc, so not just art and other! --below i added other asks related to other muses

Alfor Headcanon___Alfor has a tendency to become chaoticlly organized

Alfor Headcanon___Alfor is daring, before mellowing out when Allura was born, he was one to have one set of eyes on him at all times.

Hey, so...this probably isn't for here but what WOULD be the reality where alfor isn't with melendor? Do they have good terms? How exists? Also is alliura there or she get snapped? [[AU related]

Wait- is alfor always gonna have a kit? In all or most threads? [to mun]

《《《▪︎▪︎▪︎☆ Pizza bagels

Alfor is an extremely skilled swordsman

Antok and ____

Kolivan Headcanon___Has a strong tendency to ignore or forget his own needs

_______{{||The blade's leader practices [[Kolivn mention

|TAGGED POSTS

[[ KOLIVAN [[ALFOR [[KEITH [[ROMELLE

[[CHARACTER FLAWS__[[Alfor [[Kolivan

[[SLEEPING HABITS__[[Alfor, [[Kolivan

[[MUSE GREETINGS__[[Alfor [[Kolivan

CUTBELOW___Various headcanon/Asks/e.t.c

[[Not every ask is here but most of the important/longer ones here!

Have a Protection Squad: Which muse(s) seem the most sheltered and/or naive? Are there other characters who look out for them? Is so, who are they?

❣️ - What are their love languages? 💓 - What are some signs they’ve fallen for someone? How do they show their affection? 💖 - How and how often do they try to impress their partner(s)? How and how often do their partner(s) impress them? For anyone muse needs your attention and love~

So have you tried earth candy yet

Is your muse difficult to ship with? [mun directed

Care to give us any silly things?

Psst mun, can you bestow us HCs aside from Alfor and Kolvian???

Okay, which muse would enjoy peppermint, and who would think it takes like medicine/toothpaste?

🥃 - Alcohol! The stronger, the better, or do they have a low tolerance for those types of things? Do they drink alcohol by itself, or do they commonly have it with a meal?

Valentine's Day is coming? Are there any plans for dates, romantic or platonic?

MUSE DIRECTED

Hey Olia- are you and Ozar orphaned? You seem to be since you and him call te-osh mama or something like data

The shoebox's first mentions [ghost-thread related]

Kova is stronger than a Mlade of Mormoa. Kova is more the top kitty.

Matt, did you teach Phantasma about furries? Or did she find out that herself?

Fluffy boi___Tavo's first ask

So question, if I have a laser point and turn it on, who would chase the light? And this includes if those lions do it too.

Thace, how much do you adore alfor? I think you might be spoiling alfor in the future@

Freedom guys! What's the options on the galra? Do you hte them, want them to die? They took a lot from ye.

How many tall ladies? (Regris)

ALFOR ASKS__

Why do you have scars on your arms?

Alfor you sure you won't wanna go back? I mean you kinda have someone or commanders kiddo on the way

So how are you going to tell Thace about the kitt? Like after you get the courage to meet him?

So how many kits do you get?

How are you going to raise the baby? Also fluffy Kova

Juniberry... It's a flower... I thought it was a fruit. I feel bamboozled

Wow. Alfor gets a nice new wardrobe... while Thace only gets jammies.

You know, Halo forms are cool. I wonder what they can and can't do with it. Could they eat and digest? Could they use their original strength in such a tiny body?

Alfor, you've done a lot of harm for thousands of years. Ya know that right?

So...Alfor, what entertainment do you have with the galra? Or what have you had with entertainment with the galra? I mean they gotta have something since Zarkon's an emperor and that.

[[[experiences__Alfor's time with the empire's fleets

Alfor, what happens when sendak comes back? Will he try and take tavo or just bring you back since your kinda zarkons trophy

Tavo is gonna be sendaks spitting imagine when he grows up. Sucks.

[aspenmissing]

𝙲𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚅𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚖 (𝙿𝚝 𝟹)

Pidge and Hunk are still floating around in the Green Lion's hangar.

"Wait. Wait, wait. I have an idea" Pidge holds out her hand "Grab on!" They both reach for each others hand before they grab on.

"Yeah! We did it! Now, what?" Hunk asks.

"Now, kick me as hard as you can!"

"What? No, we're friends"

"No, no. Kick me so I can fly across the room and get to the control panel"

"Oh...oh, oh!" Hunk kicks Pidge and she goes towards the control pannel, but misses it "No, no, no!" The door then opens, making Hunk and Pidge fall to the ground. Lance, Y/N, Soul , Coran and Keith enter.

"How can you guys be taking a nap while this castle is trying to kill us?" Lance asks.

"Taking a nap! We've been floating around in Zero G? You know how scary that is?"

"That's not scary! That's fun! I was almost ejected into space!"

"I got attacked by killed food, and that's the most horrifying thing you can imagine! The stuff of nightmares! It'll haunt me to my grave!"

"Well, I had a robot trying to kill me!"

"And I nearly drowned, in a bathroom! I mean, ironic much!" Lance looks to Coran.

"I don't care what you say, Coran. This castle has gone apple and bananas!" Coran groans.

"Perhaps the infection from Sendak's Galra crystal is worse than we thought"

"Well, let's get rid of it" Hunk says.

"It's too late. When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire system"

"Sendak?" Keith asks.

"Wait" Y/N says "Has anyone seen Shiro?"

==

Shiro is still staring at Sendak.

"We're connected, you and me. Both part of the Galra Empire"

"No! I'm not like you"

"You've been broken and reformed. Just look at your hand" Shiro does so.

"That's not me!"

"It's the strongest part of you. Embrace it. The others don't know what you are. They haven't seen what you've seen. Face it. You'll never beat Zarkon. He's already defeated you"

"I'm not listening to you!" Shiro covers his ears.

"Do you really think a monster like you could be a Voltron Paladin? Even your own sister is disgusted in you"

"Stop it!" Shiro punches the Pod, cracking it. Sendak's eyes open and smiles evily at Shiro, making him panic and push a buttom to send Sendak out. Alarms start blaring. Shiro bends down, breathing heavily. Later, the Paladins, Soul and Coran enter the containment room to see Shiro holding his head.

"Shiro, are you okay?" Y/N asks, touching his arm. He flinches away and she looks at him saddened.

"Where's Sendak?" Keith asks.

"I...I had to get him out of here. I was hearing his voice. He...He can't be trusted on this ship"

"It is the ship! I got stick in a cryo-pod, then, in an airock. Keith got attacked by a robot. Y/N nearly drowned, and Hunk and Pidge got attacked by food. It's been a weird morning" Computes begin beeping as a hologram of the ship appears/

"What? How is that possible?"

"What is it?" Keith asks.

"The ship is starting a wormhole jump!"

==

The Paladins, Coran and Soul enter the main deck to see Allura at the center.

"Allura, what's going on?" Shiro asks.

"We're going to Altea" Alura turns her head to face them "We're going home. My father is taking us" They rush forwards before King Alfor face appears on the screens. (Red-Bad King Alfor. Blue - Good King Alfor)

"Stay away from my daughter!"

"Uh..."

"Allura, wake up!" Y/N shouts.

"The crystal must have corrupted King Alfor's artificial intelligence. It's taking over!" King Alfor appears next to Allura. They reach their destination, staring in horror.

"We're heading straight for a star and it's about to explode!"

"Father, I can see Altea" Coran goes to the barrier, and puts his hand on it.

"Allura! Allura, wake up! What you're seeing isn't real" Allura turns her head to face Coran before seeing some creatures fly past her. She smiles before seeing a meadown filled with flowers.

"The juniberried, the most exquisite flower of all" Allura picks one up.

"Allura, please!" A hologram of Coran appears "You've got to listen to me!"

"Is this real?" Allura asks.

"Of course it is real, Daughter. That flower you're touching is real"

"But where is the fragrance of the sweet juniberries?" Coran says, making Allura sniffs the flower again before coming back to reality.

"Huh? That's not Altea"

"When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system. Allura, you must reset the course and get us out of here" Pidge says and Allura goes to the controls but is electrocuted back out of the barrier, caught by Shiro. King Alfor appears.

"Father, please, I beg you to turn this ship around. If we don't do it soon, we will all perish!"

"I know. That is my intention"

"What? Why?"

Don't you see, dear daughter? Zarkon can never be defeated. He's been ruling for ten thousand years"

"But we must continue to fight!"

"Fight for what? It is all over for Altea. You don't have to live a lifetime of war. You can be with me and the rest of your people"

"Father, please! The paladins and I can still stop Zarkon! Somewhere in there, you must want that to happen"

"Allura, my A.I. has been corrupted. You must disconnect my power source" It flickers back "We can stroll across the Blossom Canyon every morning, just like we used to. Remember how much you loved that?"

"I remember. I'll see you soon, Father" Allura turns around "I've got to get into the A.I. chamber to disconnect my father's power source manually"

"But that means losing King Alfor forever!"

"Paladins, get to your Lions! I need you to slow the Castle's descent into the star"

"I can try to override the sytem to open the hangars" Allura and the Paladins leave the control room, leaving Coran and Soul. The Lions comes out of the hangars and push against the ship, using their thrusters. 

==

Allura makes it to the A.I room and goes to the center.

"Don't do this!" King Alfor says.

"You must"

"All my memories, all my knowlegde will be lost forever!"

"Do it, Allura. If you are to live, we must say goodbye"

"I'm sorry about this, Father" Allura goes to touch the container but everything blackens. "Huh?"

"Oh, my dear daughter..." Allura hears laughter and looks over at a memory of her and her father.

"Father..." She looks around to see memories of her and her father, young. Her childhood memories.

"This is not real. This is all in the past" Allura runs through the memories till she stares at the one of her father holding her when she was a baby, her baby laughter filling her ears. She begins crying. King Alfor appears.

"You don't have to fight, Allura. You don't have to make this sacrifice" Allura rushes forward and hugs her father, surprising him.

"Goodbye, Father" King Alfor smiles softly.

"Goodbye Allura" The glass container smashes, as all of King Alfor's memories fade away. Soul, who found her way to the room, goes next to Allura, placing her paw onto her leg. Allura looks to the creature and picks her up, hugging Soul while crying.

"She did it" Coran says, seeing the barrier go away. Alarms start blaring. and the Paladins are still pushing the ship back when Allura's face appears on their screens.

"Paladins, get to your hangars. We're getting out of here" They return to their hangars and they escape through the wormhole just as the star explode. Later, they are all in the control room. Allies is sat down, Coran and Shiro on either side as the Paladins are in front of her

"I'm so sorry about your father, Princess" Shiro says.

"We all are" Y/N adds.

"I'm so sorry about your father Princess"

"Thank you. But that was not my father" Allura stands up "The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not be here with is anymore, but his dream lives on through all of us, and his legacy is Voltron"

==

Hours later, when everyone has went to bed. Shiro is in the control room, looking into space. He the sound of the door opening, but doesn't turns around.

"What are you doing up so late?" A voice says. They sit next to him and he turns his head to see Y/N.

"Thinking. You?"

"Soul may be small but she's a loud snorer" Shiro chuckles "So watcha thinking about?" Shiro sighs, looking back into Space.

"Just what Sendak said" Y/N looks at him with a frown.

"What did he say?" Shiro's eyes tear up, but he refuses to cry "Shiro? Hey, it's okay-"

"He called me a monster...that I shouldn't be leader of Voltron" Shiro says "He said that even you're disgusted in me" Y/N's smiles softly.

"And you shouldn't believe that for one second" Shiro looks to her and goes to talk but Y/N stops him "I don't care what you look like Shiro, you are my brother. That piece of metal doesn't make me think of you any less" Shiro looks down at his arm.

"But I killed people..."

"You killed them so that you could survive" Y/N sighs "Do you trust me?" Shiro looks at Y/N with confusion.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes" Y/N takes Shiro's metal hand and places it around her neck "What, what are you doing?!"

"Squeeze" She states. Shiro looks at her in horror "Squeeze as hard as you can" Shiro pulls his hand away quickly, staring at her hard.

"Why did you do that for? I could have hurt you?"

"If you really are a monster, then you would have squeezed my neck, I gave you an easy chance and a monster would have took it, no hesitation" Shiro looks at her "Your not a monster, Shiro. Your just a man who's been broken... and needs someone to help fix him" Y/N says "You may be a pain in my butt sometimes, but your my brother. And I wouldn't change you for the universe" Y/N is suddenly hugged by a teary Shiro.

"I love you" Shiro says, hugging her tight. Y/N hugs back, smiling softly.

"I love you, too" The siblings watch the stars, knowing that as long as they are together, nothing will happen.

[dashoulina]

Some Voltron drawings that I made a long time ago (two years) , but still extremely proud of:

1. Purple juniberry flowers

2. Beezer and The Mice

3. Weblum

[bluemantics]

New Klance Fic!!

a billion light years from here

T, ongoing

Keith and Lance reconnect over letters. Through their writing, Keith learns to open up, and Lance learns what a home is.

"For all the game I talked on the castleship about missing home, now that I’m back on my family farm, I kind of feel like there’s something missing. Like, even surrounded by all of the juniberry flowers Allura gave us, and even with my parents, I still feel lonely. Or restless."

Or: A post s-8 fix-it AU told entirely through letters between Lance and Keith, both sent and unsent.

Read the fic:

[drawnandredrawn]

Today’s Daily Honey brought you by break sketches and that perennial favorite of mine, juniberry flowers

Lately I’ve been thinking about actually setting up my ko-fi for subs and including a tier that forces me to post all the sketches I wouldn’t normally post but even if anyone went in on it I’m not sure if that would end up being anything other than a flood of Honerva doodles I’m extra selfconcious about.

[the-kittens-of-vol-tron]

Enchanted

Chapter 1! Previous Chapter!

AO3! 

Chapter 5: Forever Wondering 

Summary: Lance's POV of the party and Keith sees more of how the knights operate

Word Count: 5,743

-----

Backtrack slightly to get Lance’s POV. Starts in the garden scene <3

Lance’s POV 

He couldn’t stop staring even if he wanted to. He was cute. To put it into simple terms. It felt weird to find the crown prince if an entire planet was cute but he was. 

His heart pounded as the prince moved through the garden. Lingering a bit at each new planet. Lance had never wanted to kiss someone so badly before. 

“What are these called again?” The prince asked as he gently touched the purple petals. 

“Juniberry. They’re only found on Altea.” Lance took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.  “Do you like them?” 

“Yes. They’re beautiful.” 

He forced himself to kneel down next to the prince, making sure to keep his distance between them. He wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from doing something stupid. “I wanted to say sorry for being quiet yesterday and today. I was dealing with-” 

“No need to explain. It’s okay,” he responded quickly, changing the topic. “Your sword is beautiful. I’ve never seen it before today.” 

Lance felt his mark begin to glow softly. Stupid marks! “Thank you. I thankfully haven’t had to pull it out around you. You’ve been pretty safe and easy to guard.” 

The prince rolled his eyes, was he blushing? He couldn’t be. “Shut up.” He leaned over some, bumping his shoulder against Lance’s, keeping it pressed there.

Lance’s brain was freaking out. Was he even aware they were touching? Did he mean to do that? Lance reached forward, plucking a flower out of the ground. He held it between his thumb and pointer finger, letting it spin as he moved his fingers. 

He kept reaching for more flowers, moving his hands rapidly. He made sure to pick the flowers from different spots. Avoiding creating a bald spot in the area. He worked quickly, he had made these before and he was scared he would back out if he took his time. “There!” He turned towards the prince, holding up a flower crown. “For you, my good sir.” He bowed his head as he held out the crown. 

The other boy laughed, “you made me a flower crown?” 

“Yes.” Lance did his best to save that sound to memory. 

“A king does not put on his own crown.” 

Lance could have died right then and there. Was this overstepping a boundary? This had to be overstepping a boundary. He leaned forward, praying his hands weren’t shaking. He gently placed the object on his head. 

He wanted to reach forward and run his fingers through the prince's hair, but he pulled his hands back. “There you go. You are officially the king of the Juniberry flowers.” 

The prince lifted his hand, gently touching the flowers.

They sat like that for a bit before moving to another section of the garden. Keith paused in front of a wall, staring at the green leaves that covered it. 

“These are called ‘Virginia Creepers,’ they’re from Earth.” Lance stopped in front of the wall. 

“They just grow like that?” 

“Yes, and Earth had more as well. This is the only one we could get to grow on Altea.” He was prepared to continue his information dump but something shifted. It was subtle and anyone else wouldn’t have noticed it. But not Lance. Not an Altean Knight.

He quickly grabbed the prince, covering his mouth as he moved them backward. A knife sank into the wall right where his body was. He rolled his eyes,  Adam. 

“Guys, that’s not funny!” He shouted, he loved his fellow knights. They were one big family, and maybe if his person wasn’t with him. Things would be different. He would laugh it off or yank his sword out so they could tussle. 

But he was here. Right in front of him. He needed to make sure both of them knew was taking his job seriously. 

“I told you it wouldn’t be funny!” Romelle said. 

“Blah blah, come on,” Adam said, chuckling slightly 

They didn’t know he wasn’t alone. They thought it was just him. He ground his teeth some, ignoring the ache in his jaw. 

“What you two did was not funny,” Lance kept his voice low. 

“It was just a joke Lanceyyyyy,” Romelle giggled as she rushed forward some. She froze when she saw the Prince. “Oh…oh no.” 

“What did you say El?” Adam looked where she was, his face going pale some. “Shit.” They both bowed, communicating their original intentions. 

“Uh…you can stand.” The prince seemed unsure about the situation. 

“Well….are you going to introduce us or…?” Adam asked, a cocky smile on his face. 

“I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face,” Lance said under his breath. “Prince, this is Adam and Romelle. Knights to the Queen of Altea and Princess Allura. Who they should be with right now.” 

Both the knights chuckled. “We were dismissed. They’re just in a meeting and they have Coran which is all of us times ten.” Romelle spoke, a bit too happy given the situation. 

“Are you going to be at the party, Lance?” Adam asked. 

Lance dropped his shoulders slightly, trying to ease the tense air. “I go where the Prince goes.” 

“You know Nyma will be there,” Romelle wiggled her eyebrows. 

Lance fought back and eyeroll, he knew they would bring her up. Did he use to like Nyma? Yes, yes he did. Did Nyma use to like him? Yes, yes she did. But after flirting back and forth for three years Lance finally kissed her after he was sworn in. 

The spark for both of them quickly flickered out. 

Nevertheless, they flirted together during Lance’s prime-time training, so of course, the other knights were quick to pick up on it. And even, despite the time that had passed and Lance telling them, there was nothing between them; his colleagues never dropped it. Even if she was involved with some mechanic named Rolo now. 

It was a weird game to them. 

“Okay…but as I said. I will go where the prince goes.” 

The two knight’s shared a look. Their signature look of trouble. Lance internally groaned before they spoke; somehow in perfect unison. “You don't like Nyma. You like the prince don't you?”

Lance knew his marks were glowing before his emotions finally spiraled out of control. They could read him like a book. 

“Shut up you two!”

He knew his words would have no effect on them but it was at least worth a shot. Instead, he was met with their insufferable giggles as they mocked him for his crush. 

“Lance, I want to go to my room.” 

Lance wanted to kiss him, his small social battery came in handy. “Follow me, your highness.” 

“See you at the party!!!” Romelle waved at them as they walked away. 

Lance chewed on his inner cheek, it wouldn’t be long until they told Coran of his feelings. 

---

Every time Lance touched the prince he felt his body grow weak. A part of him wanted to “forget” about the Altean tradition of their knights escorting their respective person into a dance. But, the other part made a valid point. If he skipped that tradition what would that be saying? Would it be a middle finger to not only the knights, present and fallen, but also to the Altean royals? He really didn't want to disrespect either of them. 

So he took his arm, using all the energy he could spare to keep his marks dimmed. Holding his arm wasn’t enough, he wanted to hold him, kiss him, just be near him. But this would have to do. 

The party itself was enjoyable. Tamed for an Altean party in all honesty. He did what he was supposed to. Knowing to stay on high alert. There were a lot of new faces around him, and new faces for the other knights. They needed to keep all of them in their sights. 

The prince pressed a small kiss onto Allura's hand. He did his best to ignore how his stomach churned and his lungs ached at the sight. The prince wasn’t one to do that…could he, possibly, fancy the princess? 

He could feel Romelle tensing up around him. His heart fell at the realization of why. She liked the princess as well. 

He silently made his way towards her, keeping his voice low and his eyes on the crowd. The prince stayed in his peripheral vision. 

“Anything feel off to you?” He whispered. 

“No, but it’s better if we stay on our toes. You never know what anyone could be planning.” 

“I know…El, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“Do you like someone?” He refrained from saying who in case Allura was listening.

Romelle frowned slightly, “yes…and it’s who you’re suspecting.” 

Lance nodded, taking a moment to think. “How many rules are we breaking?”  

Her lips turned upward some, “too many.” 

They stayed chatting for a bit longer; it was nice to catch up with her. Things were well. The younger royals seemed to be having a good time, nothing was out of the ordinary. Things were how they were supposed to be. 

The atmosphere in the room changed as Nyma stepped onto the stage, her eyes staring directly at Lance. Yet, something was off. Everyone in the room was enjoying the performance, everyone but the one person whose opinions mattered. 

The princes. 

Lance found himself watching his prince. He seemed tense, his jaw clenched tight as he watched Nyma perform. He didn’t even blink. 

Lance wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. Wasn’t sure how to help him. 

The last song ended and Lance shifted his eyes toward the performer. Nyma was looking back at him, her eyes suggesting she knew something. He found himself clapping some, swallowing around the dryness of his throat as Nyma made her way toward them. 

After speaking to the crown prince, she moved towards him. “Lance!” 

He smiled, “Nyma.” 

She pulled him in for a tight hug, “I saw you staring at the prince the entire performance. Have you found someone new?” She whispered in his ear. 

“You always knew me like the back of your hand.” He mumbled back in Altean. 

She pulled away some. “He’s cute, I think you should go for it.” 

“He’s a prince. Wayyyy out of my league.” 

Her hands danced around the metals on his chest, chuckling at what he said. “Don’t think so low of yourself. You have a lot to offer my love.” She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. A platonic gesture. 

As she pulled away Keith began to walk away. Well, he more liked stumbled. Lance quickly picked Nyma up slightly and lifted her out of his way. “Sorry,” and he made his way toward him. 

He was talking to Shiro by the time he managed to squeeze through the crowd. Everyone wanted to talk to him. Lance didn’t know what anyone was saying. Keith wasn’t okay. Something happened and he missed it. He fucking missed it. Some knight he was. 

“Is everything alright?” He did his best to control his breathing. 

“He’s fine. Enjoy the party Lance, I’ll take him back to the room.” Shiro said. 

Lance knew he was lying, he had picked Shiro apart the first time he met him. “I can come with him-” 

“Stay here,” Keith growled out. 

The world went silent, the only sound Lance could focus on was those two words. They replayed in his mind. The roughness of his voice felt like knives in his chest. Was the room spinning? 

“Lance, my boy! How are you doing?” Coran appeared beside him, slapping him on the back hard enough to cause his armor to clank. 

Lance took a deep breath, gasping a bit at the rush of air. “Coran...I-” 

“Walk with me,” Coran grinned at him, twisting his mustache around with his two fingers. 

He was in no place to argue. Coran gripped his arm tightly, waving them through the crowd. Politely excuse them from any conversation that someone wanted to make with them. Lance couldn’t focus. Why did everything feel…like this? 

He had only felt this way once before. But given the circumstances of that day, it made sense. But this? He didn’t know what was happening. His chest hurt, somehow getting tighter with each step. His vision was blurry, but he wasn’t crying. Noises muffled around him until it was silent. A cool breeze on his face. 

Coran had his hands on the railing, the balcony overlooking the castle pond. “Isn't it beautiful with the moons?” 

Lance looked down at his hands, trying to ground himself. “What’s happening to me?”

Coran frowned, watching the small ripples on the water from the wind. “This is the first time you and the prince have been separated isn’t it?” 

“No…well. It’s-” why was talking so hard right now? He let out a frustrated groan, his hands finding home in his hair. He released a couple of shaky breaths. “On Daibazaal we have times where I’m not with him. I don’t sleep in the same room as him, I don’t follow him into the bathroom. For a while, I didn’t attend any meetings with him. We have moments apart but this.” He released a choked breath, “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.” 

Coran turned toward him, reaching up to grab Lance’s hand. Gently pulling them from his hair. “Is this the first time he has sent you away?” 

He gave a defeated nod. 

“Well,” Coran lightly patted his cheek, a fatherly gesture. “That explains it.” 

Lance looked at him with pleading eyes. He needed to understand. 

Coran removed his hands, moving them back to the balcony. “When I was first placed in charge of King Alfor, I followed him everywhere. It was the tail end of the war. And even with the alliance, there was still rouge Galran trying to keep the fight going. I was with him every day and night. We were never separated, except a couple of minutes at a time.”

He took a deep breath, pulling the memories to the front of his mind. “But things started to calm down. And the crown prince of Altea suddenly had free time on his hands. He could focus on other matters…like dating.” 

Lance chuckled. 

“The first night he sent me away all he wanted to do was have a night alone with the queen. Now, this was before they were married so years ago. I freaked out. I let him have his time away but the entire time I felt like I was suffocating. This person who I was sworn to protect just sent me away. I…felt betrayed.”  

Lance closed his eyes, he was feeling the same. 

“It took a couple of times being sent away before I started to calm down regarding leaving the king alone. I did some research and read diary entries of past knights. It’s a mutual issue. The first time you’re sent away by your person. It honestly just sucks.” 

Lance released a breath laugh at Coran’s lax words. “Least I know I’ll be okay.” 

Coran made a ‘tck’ sound. “It might be harder if you have feelings regarding your person.” 

Lance’s shoulders dropped and he found himself leaning on the railing. Would a fall from this height be less painful than this conversation? “Adam and Nyma already ratted me out huh?” 

Coran shook his head, “no my boy. I can see it all over your face. You’ve always been observant in your training but with your prince? You’re watching him like a hawk. It’s clear you like him more than others in the past. ” 

He pressed his forehead against the railing, letting the cool marble seep into his skin. “Does the King and Queen know?” He stood up quickly, “am I getting fired?!” 

Coran released a loud laugh, disrupting the peace of the night. “No. And they might but I don’t think so. You know I know you like the marks on my face. So do the other kids.” 

“And Nyma apparently.” 

Coran smiled, “you used to spend a lot of time with her. It wouldn’t surprise me.” 

“No, she told me. Before the prince stormed off.” 

Coran made a confused face, “why did he storm off?” 

Lance shrugged, “I don’t know. I missed whatever bothered him. I’m not as good of a knight as I thought I was.” 

Coran slapped the back of his head gently, “stop that. You know I don’t like when any of you think low of yourself.” 

Lance didn’t respond. He always struggled the most out of the knights with his self-esteem issues. Even if he displayed a confident demeanor, on the inside he was unsure. “I just…maybe this wouldn’t hurt so bad if I knew what happened.” 

“Well,” Coran began to twist his mustache. “What happened right before the young prince stormed off?” 

“As I said, Nyma told me she knew I liked the prince and then he stormed off.” 

Coran shook his head, “think harder. What detail are you missing?” His voice was light but encouraging. A tone he reserved just for Lance. 

Lance closed his eyes, focusing on the situation that occurred. “She talked to me, gave me a hug, and kissed my cheek.” 

Coran nodded, “and then?” 

“...the prince stormed off.” 

Coran snapped his fingers, “you have your answer.” 

“You knew? Didn’t you?” 

Coran nodded, and winked at him. "But this does indicate one thing.” 

Lance tilted his head. 

“With that reaction, I have a strong feeling the prince might like you back.” He nudged the younger boy, raising his eyebrows some. 

Lance’s marks immediately lit brightly and he tried to cover them with his hands. “Don’t mess with me old man!” 

Coran laughed, “I’m serious my boy. Seeing a girl kiss someone you like tends to cause a reaction like that.” 

Lance frowned, “Galrans don't really do public intimacy. They’re ‘conserved’ as the prince said. Maybe it just made him uncomfortable.” 

The older man made a sound of disbelief. “Galrans themselves may be conserved but I have never encountered a Galran that stormed off because of other displays of affection.” 

“Well…the prince is different.” 

“Lance. Why are you trying to deny the reality in front of you?” Coran’s voice dropped into his serious range. 

Lance crossed his arms, “because I’m his knight. He’s a prince I can’t-” 

Coran raised his hand to silence him. “I know you’re aware of Romelle's feelings for the princess.” 

“I am.” 

“Well, the king and queen have already discussed changing the rules some. It’s just love after all. You can still do your job while being in love. You might even do it better while you’re in love.” 

“But tradition-” 

“Will change over time.” Coran placed his hands on Lance’s shoulders; making him look at him. “Stop worrying and just let things happen naturally.” 

Lance nodded, the older man pulling him in for a hug.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything special,” Romelle’s voice moved through the silent air. 

They pulled away from their hug. “Oh El, is the party over?” 

She nodded, “The queen and Allura have dismissed us for the night so,” she held up the glass bottle that was in her hand. “Want to help me finish this Nunvill?” She smiled at them. 

Laughter filled the room, Lance finishing off his…how many drinks had he had by now? “Oh Lance you should have been there,” Adam wrapped his arm around his shoulder; his face flushed. 

“I wish I could have.” More giggles were shared amongst the four knights. The night ended in laughter and a bit too much Nunvill shared between them. 

---

Keith’s POV

He woke up in a bit of a panic, his head spinning slightly as he frantically moved to a sitting position. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He took a couple of deep breaths, flopping back down in the bed. 

His head throbbed slightly and he covered his eyes against the sun that made its way through the blinds. He didn’t even know what time it was. 

He forced himself to stand up, making his way to the bathroom. The dream replayed obsessively in his mind. 

Lance was dead. The details of how he died were fuzzy in his mind but he was dead. He tried to get to him but he couldn’t move. Just forced to watch him bleed, his eyes going cold. 

He splashed some cold water on his face, rubbing his eyes some. All he had to do was get dressed and open the door. Lance would be waiting for him. Very much alive. 

So he did just that. 

Yet, when he opened the door he wasn’t greeted by those familiar eyes. Instead, he was greeted by someone he had never seen before. A taller Altean with green marks. “Uh good morning your majesty!” The younger boy bowed. 

Keith stared at him, “I uh. Morning.” He looked down the empty hallway. “Where is-” 

“Everyone is down in the dining room, sir!” 

Keith stopped himself from rolling his eyes. This kid was clearly new, and probably freaking out over being in charge of him. But rule number one is don’t interrupt royalty.

“Would you like me to escort you down there?”

Keith nodded, spending the entire walk wondering where his knight was. 

King Alfor, his wife, and his daughter were seated at the table. Next to them were Keith’s parents and Shiro. No Lance. In fact, none of the knights were present. 

Breakfast passed quickly but Keith found himself without an appetite. The food was tasty, but he favored pushing it around with his fork instead. 

“How did you sleep, dear?” His mother asked in hushed Galran. Her eyes watch her son play with his food. Something he only did when he was stressed. 

“Fine,” he scooped up a spoon full of food. “Have you seen Lance?” 

“King Alfor said he’s training with the knights…since he was dismissed last night.” 

Keith frowned, he didn’t permanently dismiss him. 

"What's the matter?" His mother's voice questioned, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Keith released his death grip on his utensil, setting it on the table in favor of rubbing his fingers together. "I just…thought he would be back.” 

His mom nodded, “I see. Maybe he was confused. After last night.” 

“Can’t blame him. I would be too.” 

“He’ll be back after training. He's just catching up with his Altean family. He deserves that.” 

Keith nodded, staring at his breakfast.

His mom gently touched his hand, the others still engrossed in their own conversations. "So Allura. She’s a nice girl."

Keith looked at his mom, immediately knowing the direction this conversation was heading. "No."

"That's okay...it would be a good political moved for the two main empires to band together-"

"My marriage won't be a political transaction." Keith moved his hand onto his lap. Doing his best to keep his voice low. "I didn't want this life, and I won't marry someone I'm not interested in." 

Krolia frowned, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to strike a chord with you."

He didn’t respond. 

"Is...is there someone you fancy?" She asked hesitantly.

An image of Lance flashed in Keith's mind and he shook his head. “No...I don't have interest in anyone.” 

The door swung open, and Coran walked in with a big grin on his face. “Good morning your majesties,” he bowed. “Sorry to interrupt but we have two unexpected guests.”  

He stepped off to the side, another Altean and Balmeran entering. 

King Alfor stood. A wide smile on his face, “Hunk! Shay! To what do we own the honors?” He stepped away from his seat, embracing the two people. 

“Hello your majesty, we wanted to stop by since we missed the party last night.” Hunk said as he patted the king's back. 

“Oh nonsense, you two are always welcome in my castle. But I want to introduce you to the Empire, Empress, and the prince of the Galran Empire.” 

Hunk and Shay bowed at them, “sorry we missed you at the party last night. “I’m Hunk Garret, and this is my fiancé, Shay.” 

“Hunk here is our blacksmith for our knights,” Allura’s mother chimed in. A proud look in her eye. 

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, his orange marks glowing slightly. “Oh geez, thanks, Queen. But um, where are the knights? It’s time for the sword's monthly checks and I heard Lance was back so I really want to check his sword. I don’t know how much he used it.” 

“He hasn’t used it once,” Kolivan stated, which caused Hunk to smile. 

“Good, I wasn’t in the mood to make a new sword in twelve hours like last time.” 

“He had his broadsword now, he better not break it in half like his training sword,” Coran said, a humorous look on his face. “They’re actually training right now. We can go down and look for ourselves.” 

“Perfect timing,” Hunk and Coran turned around to leave. Shay moved to chat with Allura. 

Keith found himself standing, moving to follow the two men leaving. Shiro stood to follow. Coran glanced at them and offered him a warm smile. They moved down the hallway, Coran explaining to Hunk that Lance was Keith’s knight. 

“Have you kept in touch with him while he’s been at Daibazaal?” Hunk questioned. 

“We video chat every other night or so. But past that no.” Coran stated. 

Hunk frowned, “I miss him.” 

Keith’s chest tightened slightly. Suddenly feeling guilty for “taking” Lance away from his family and friends. His home. 

They exited the castle, heading toward a courtyard. Romelle was sitting on the ground, her legs stretched out in front of her. Her head tilted towards the sky. She looked like a sunbathing cat. 

In the middle of the yard, Lance and Adam stared at each other. Neither of them moved. Keith forced himself to take a deep breath when he realized Lance wasn't wearing his armor. None of them were wearing it, except Coran. 

Instead, he was wearing what looked like baggy black pants, some form of a high boot and he was shirtless. His skin glistened under the suns above. His chest was rising and falling slightly, and his hair stuck to his forehead some. 

Keith felt his heart rate increase, and his throat went dry. Lance was…well he was hot. He had never admired other people before but he would stare at him all day if he could. Was he really hiding all of that muscle under his armor? Shiro nudged his shoulder and he moved his eyes down. 

Adam and Romelle wore the same boots and pants but they both had a light blue sleeveless shirts on. 

“Hey everyone,” Romelle glanced at them before closing her eyes again. 

“Hunk’s here to do your monthly sword checks,” Coran stated, unbothered by the other two knights staring at each other. 

Romelle hummed, “they're over there.” She pointed to the left of her. “Can you do Adam’s first?” 

Hunk nodded, “how have you been El?” He pulled a small object out of his pocket. It quickly expanded to a bigger box that he kneeled to the ground to open. 

“Good good. Things have been good here. What about you?” 

“Can’t complain, Shay’s been busy.” He pulled out a thick leather glove and a mask to cover his face. “But she likes what she does.” He stood, turning to look at the two Galran’s. “You’re fine there, but don’t step any closer. Oh! And you might want to plug your ears.” 

Keith and Shiro shared a look, clearly confused. 

Hunk made his way toward where the swords were. Each of them propped against a tree. Coran picked up Adam’s sword, holding it by the holder as Hunk grabbed the handle. 

“Ready?” 

Coran nodded. 

Hunk shook his head so his mask fell down and he yanked the sword out. Red lighting exploded from the blade, causing a rumble in the ground. 

Keith covered his ears, trying to make out what was happening. 

Hunk had let the tip of the sword rest on the ground as he studied the blade, one of his gloves running over the metal surface. The lighting lessened some but it still sparked around the blade; only stopping once it was slid back into the holder. “He’s got some scratches but nothing else. I can leave some polish-” 

“GET OFF ME!” Everyone’s attention snapped toward the two knights. No longer standing still. Instead, Lance had Adam’s back against his chest, his legs wrapped around him while his head was in a chokehold. 

Adam swung his fist back, hitting Lance a couple of times but he didn’t budge. “Lance, I swear to god!” 

“Say you lost!” 

“No!” 

“BOYS!” Coran’s voice echoed across the yard, causing them to scramble apart. Coran waved them over and they quickly jogged over. The older man smiled at them, keeping his hands behind his back. “I’m happy you two are having fun but what was happening?” 

They glared at each other. Adam wouldn’t admit he lost!” 

“You cheated!” 

“I didn’t pull your sword out!” 

Adam turned to face him, his marks glowing brightly, “listen here-” 

Coran laughed, resulting in both of them laughing. “It’s good to have you all back together. Adam, get your report from Hunk. Romelle, you’re up next. Lance.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Put on a shirt. We have guests.” 

Lance blushed at the realization and moved to grab his shift that was on the ground by Keith. “Good morning your majesty.” He bowed slightly, not meeting his eyes and slid the fabric on. 

“Morning. If it helps from my perspective Adam totally lost.” 

Lance grinned at him, “thanks.” 

“I may have lost, but I’ve kicked your ass enough.” Adam wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck. “Lance may have the looks but I have the charm.” He winked at Shiro who cleared his throat. 

Keith found himself chuckling as Shiro turned to “cough” into his elbow, clearly flustered. 

Adam pressed an over-the-top kiss to Lance’s cheek, “love you!” He removed himself and walked over to talk to Coran who was watching Romelle and Hunk. 

Lance wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. “Asshole.”

Keith found himself staring at his knight. For some reason watching him wipe a kiss off his cheek was enduring. “Do you not like cheek kisses?” 

Lane looked at him, “I don’t mind them. But he acts like such an older brother to me it’s annoying.” 

“Must be nice though.” 

Lance grimaced, “sorry. I forgot you don’t have siblings.” 

Keith shrugged, “I have Shiro.” 

“Lance! You’re next!” Hunk called him over. 

“Be right back, prince.” He made his way over to his sword, pulling it out for Hunk to examine. Keith found himself walking to Coran. 

“Sir, can I ask you a question?” 

The older man smiled at him, twirling his mustache some. “Of course crown prince. But please, call me Coran.” 

“Okay,” his eyes shifted back to his knight who was putting his sword away. “Why did Adam's sword kind of...explode? I guess. But the other two didn’t.” 

Coran smiled at him, it was a soft smile. Almost a fatherly presence around it. Keith was a bit taken aback, most strangers either didn’t talk to him or didn’t treat him this pleasantly. Like he was a person under the title he carried. “These Altean swords are special. They’re based on Voltron. Well, more specifically the separate lions. These swords,” he unsheathed his own. It was the same as Lance’s but the lightning was black. “Are bound to their knights. When you are sworn in there is an additional ceremony for your sword. With just the knights.” 

He continued, “since these swords are bound to their person, if someone else, like our blacksmith Hunk, unsheathed them they will ‘attack’ the person. That’s why Hunk wears a special glove and wears his face covering. The sword only goes after whoever is holding it. Not who’s around him.” He indicated to Keith to raise his hands. 

He placed his sword in Keith's open palms. “Since I pulled my sword out and place it in your hand it won’t attack or feel heavy.” 

“Feel heavy?” 

“Yes, young prince. If you notice, Hunk couldn’t lift Adam’s sword off the ground really. It weighs a lot when others unsheathed it.” He allowed Keith to study the sword. “It’s a bit complicated and doesn't make a whole lot of sense but alchemy is powerful.” 

Keith nodded, letting the older man take his sword back. “So if I took your sword and pulled it out I would…die?” 

Coran nodded, “yes, or you wouldn’t be able to move or swing it if you had protection.” 

“I see.” 

"We only have five swords. If we get more knights in the future, which right now doesn't look likely. We will have to look into other weapons." Coran had a faraway look in his eyes. 

“Is it the same for the knights?” Shiro asked, he looked surprisingly intrigued by the conversation. 

Coran snapped back into the conversation. “Yes and no. The knights can use other swords but they will deal with a dull shock and a heavier blade. It’s bearable but still not ideal.” 

“It hurts Coran!” Lance jumped into the convo. “It’s not a ‘dull ache’ it’s like a thousand needles in your hands.” 

Coran laughed, “you’ve always been overdramatic my boy.” 

Lance smiled and Keith wished he could hug him. He found himself silently vowing to make sure he never loses that smile. 

---

He found himself at the dinner table. He was told they would be heading back home after lunch. Lance stood behind him, back in his armor. Adam stood behind the queen and Coran the King. The conversation flowed naturally and Keith found himself a bit sad to leave. 

They had been so welcoming and friendly. Keith didn’t want to go back to his endless meetings and people refusing to look him in the eye cause he was a prince. 

“Where is Allura? She knows when lunch is,” the queen asked, seeming slightly annoyed. 

Adam elbowed Coran, wiggling his eyebrows some. Both Allura and Romelle were gone, Keith could infer what he was implying.  

“I’m sure she’ll be walking through those doors any moment now.

Keith lifted his fork to his mouth, a blood-curdling scream filling the air.

-----

Ohhhhhh

I just wanted to say that the color swords the knights are given don't really mean anything! It's not really like the lions choosing their paladins; they're just based off the lions  

Side note; I appreciate all the feedback I've been getting (here and on AO3) ilyasm <33

Thank you for reading <33333

[bicsbec]

Stay a Little Longer pt. 2

The quintants that led up to the wedding were a bundle of stress and a test of patience. Hunk was in charge of catering, Keith was in charge of not losing the rings, and Lance was in charge of making sure Pidge didn’t go ballistic when the flowers on the centerpieces were wrong or any other detail were to be out of place.

Coran wondered if all weddings on Earth ran this chaotically.

The day itself ran smoother than Coran had expected, considering the buildup. The only hiccup was that Shiro was a babbling mess of nerves.

“I’m gonna mess up the vows,” he said for the tenth time, pacing the length of the room.

“You know them by heart,” Keith insisted. “You’ll be fine. We’re gonna be right there with you.”

Shiro didn’t look too sure.

“At the end of the day, lad, you love him, and he loves you,” Coran said. “You’re gonna go home married to him when the day is out. Isn’t that what matters?”

Shiro smiled, still nervous, but his confidence was building. “Yeah, it is.”

“Then let’s walk you down that aisle,” Coran said cheerily.

“Great,” Keith said with a clap. “I’ll get everyone in position, before he gets nervous again.”

Shiro jabbed Keith playfully before the sound of people scurrying around was heard from outside the dressing room. The guests were seated, and Pidge was doing the last round of finishing touches.

Just then, Krolia peered her head through the doorway looking frantic.

“Coran! There you are!”

“Is something wrong, Mom?” Keith asked as he stepped aside for her.

“I just need Coran really quick,” Krolia said, pulling Kolivan into the room. “He’s the only person alive that can figure this out.”

“Apologies,” Kolivan said. “I haven’t worn dress robes in a very long time. I forgot—um, I’m not sure where this goes.” He held up a piece of fabric.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Coran smiled. As he took Kolivan in, he noticed that his outfit did look incomplete. Coran hadn’t laid eyes on a traditional Galran dress robe in a very long time, but he remembered them well from all the balls he attended in Daibazaal.

“Are we ready in here?” Pidge asked from the door, seeming to have just appeared there.

“I’ll be just a tick,” Coran said. “Shiro, go wait for me outside, I won’t be long.”

“Krolia, please follow me,” Pidge said, exiting as quickly as she came. Krolia raised an eyebrow at Keith.

“It’s better if you do as she says,” Keith said gravely. With that, the only people left in the dressing room were Coran and Kolivan.

“This would be your military marker,” Coran explained, taking the scarf from Kolivan’s hand. “It indicated your loyalty to the Daibazaal crown. It goes around your neck, under your collar.”

“But I’m not loyal to the crown,” Kolivan pulled his neck away from Coran’s hands.

“It stopped meaning that a long time ago. By the time Altea was wiped from the star system it was just a fashionable accessory. Young boys that were not in the military would wear them. Could you take off your coat? It’s easier to wrap around then.”

Kolivan shrugged off his coat just enough to ease access to his neck and stayed silent for a tick. “Funny thing. Youth.” He vaguely gestured around them.

Coran nodded, concentrating on the knot of the scarf. “I remember being young and in love and all of that. It’s a sweet, silly thing.”

“That it is,” Kolivan had a small smile on his lips, his eyes were far away. It made Coran curious to know what he was remembering. With a light tone he added, “It’s also stupid.”

A surprised laugh escaped Coran. Kolivan’s smile grew wider. “Yes, it is,” Coran chuckled, fixing Kolivan’s collar. “You’re all set.”

Kolivan shrugged his coat back on. “Thank you, Coranic.”

“N-no problem,” Coran stuttered, flustered and confused by the name. Kolivan took a bow and exited the dressing room.

When Coran stepped outside, he found Lance pinning some flowers on Shiro’s shawl lapel. The smell hit him before he saw them properly: juniberries.

“Hey, Coran,” Lance greeted. “How do they look?”

“Um, good—great! They look—yeah,” Coran was transfixed by the flowers.

Lance’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad. These are from the farm back home.”

“They’re beautiful, Lance,” Coran said earnestly.

“Lance! Curtis’ cousin is waiting for you,” Pidge called. “She better not walk down alone.”

“Jeez, I’m coming,” Lance said, hurrying away.

The groomspeople, as Curtis and Shiro had agreed to call them, were in their places, Curtis walking in first with his mother. Coran could feel Shiro’s nervous energy beside him. He glanced over, about to try and calm him down, but he realized it was excitement when he saw Shiro’s expression.

“How do you feel?” Coran asked with a smile.

“Ready,” Shiro said, eyes focused forward. The sweet smell of juniberries hit Coran again.

“How do you feel?” Coran asked with a nervous smile.

Alfor seemed to be just as nervous. “Ready, I think.”

“You’ve met her before,” Coran said reassuringly.

“I have,” Alfor nodded in agreement. “She’s very beautiful. And brilliant.”

“Sounds like your type,” Coran fixed Alfor’s suit one last time, fussing over his medals and crown.

“I suppose she does,” Alfor regained some of his charm back. The families stood as Melenor appeared at the end of the aisle.

Coran straightened and plastered on his best smile. The smell of juniberries wafted over from Alfor. Coran tried his best to savor the familiarity. Tried his best to be happy for his King.

Coran sat down beside Curtis’ parents with a sigh. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to walk Allura down the aisle on her wedding day. A day he’d never get to see. He wondered if that would’ve happened at all. He wondered what kind of person she would’ve grown into. A wonderful one, he was sure. More than she already had been.

Coran’s heart felt heavy as he watched Shiro say his vows with confidence. He closed his eyes, trying to shoo away the emotions, but that only made him feel guilty. Guilty for not wanting Allura close, when, in fact, he did. Guilty for pushing her away, when he was the one that pulled her into the scenario in the first place.

She would’ve loved this. Maybe not for herself, but she would have loved today.

Coran watched the grooms’ first dance with some melancholy. They seemed so wrapped up in each other, talking and laughing as they shifted around, sometimes looking down at their feet. They looked happy; Coran couldn’t fathom how they must’ve felt.

He found his mood lightening with Keith’s approach. They weren’t really talking, but Keith’s presence was enough for Coran.

When the first dance was over, Curtis walked over to his mother with a charming smile and pulled her along for a dance. Coran chuckled at the sight, not noticing that Shiro was holding out a hand to him.

“Oh, I didn’t know we were dancing,” Coran said.

“I figured it was only right,” Shiro said with half a shrug.

Coran smiled, taking Shiro’s hand and pulling himself off his chair.

“You probably guessed this, but I don’t know these dances, my boy,” Coran said, looking down at their feet.

“That’s alright,” Shiro said easily. “Just follow my lead.”

Coran wasn’t sure how to do that. Shiro was walking in short steps, sometimes forward, sometimes to the side, and Coran could never tell which way he would go next. Which resulted in Coran stepping on Shiro’s toes constantly.

“Stop thinking so much,” Shiro chuckled, making Coran look up.

“Wh—how am I supposed to follow you?”

“Feel where my arms are pulling you.”

“Oh.”

His feet still stumbled, but he managed to not step on Shiro’s toes as much. He smiled at the floor as he figured out the pacing, noticing that the shifts in melody also had to do with Shiro’s timing.

“There you go,” Shiro smiled.

Coran laughed as Shiro spun him around. They danced until the song changed and Shiro walked Coran back to his chair.

“Thank you for today,” Shiro said, sitting down beside Coran.

“No need to thank me,” Coran smiled, looking up at the dance floor and seeing Lance and Keith had entered it without him noticing. Keith seemed like he was trying not to laugh at Lance as Lance talked and danced and stopped, like he was explaining something. “I’ve quiet enjoyed seeing you this happy.”

“I quite like being this happy,” Shiro said. “I like not waking up in a cold sweat every day, I like feeling whole, I like slow mornings where Curtis reads the paper and I make coffee. I’m really grateful for the mundane stuff in my life. I’m grateful for him.”

Shiro was watching Curtis talk with his father as his younger sister tugged on his sleeve. His sister won over his attention and pulled him to the dance floor, placing her bare feet on his shoes as he swayed them around, dancing for both of them. Shiro and Coran watched as Veronica asked for a dance with Curtis and his sister waddled over to where Shiro and Coran sat.

“Takashi,” she began somewhat shyly, “I was wondering…”

“Yes, June?” Shiro said with a smile.

“If I could…dance with you?” June was eyeing Shiro’s prosthetic, like she still wasn’t used to seeing it.

“It would be my pleasure,” Shiro stood and offered her his real hand, seemingly aware of her apprehension. June smiled and took his hand, bounding to the dance floor once more.

Coran watched as Shiro danced with June, faintly heard how she laughed with each spin. He found himself smiling, loving the sight of his family enjoying themselves, not burdened by worries about their safety or well-being. They were safe. They were happy. They were alive.

That was more than enough for Coran. He sighed contently. She would’ve loved this.

* * *

Coran found himself in a good place in his life. It was easy to breathe again. Easy to get up in the mornings. Even the Coalitions squabbles became a comfort, the stress it brought bringing a sense consistency in his life.

Galra Representative Lurok was one of those consistent inconveniences.

“The mass displacement of Galra citizens is an outrage!” Lurok said somewhere in the middle of his long-winded speech about honor and reparations, positioning the old Galran government as a victim of the ten thousand deca-phoebs of universal colonization. Coran’s attention caught at the word citizen. Lurok usually argued about ‘brave soldiers’ and ‘noble forces’ that were being repelled from the planets they had occupied.

Coran’s temple throbbed with the threat of the beginnings of a headache. Displacement of Galran citizens. A small, resentful part inside of him whispered, Good. He shook off the thought, a little alarmed at himself. These were people that found themselves without a home because of crimes they didn’t commit. They weren’t to blame for the state of the universe.

Representative Aihpos cued up some graphs and charts, taking the lead on the Galra’s time to present the ongoing issues their people faced.

“As is evident, the safe houses provided in Daibazaal have reached their maximum capacity. In the millennia of the planet’s absence, the Galra population grew beyond Daibazaal’s housing capabilities. Simply put, there is no place for our citizens to turn to without upsetting the ecological balance of our newly recovered planet.”

Aihpos tended to be the voice of reason between the two representatives, but sometimes even her sound logic leaned into Lurok’s agenda of painting themselves as the oppressed instead of the oppressors.

Right then, however, Coran found himself leaning forward, wanting to hear more.

“Most of these individuals have lived on these planets for generations,” Aihpos continued. “Entire communities and ages of tradition were uprooted overnight with the tragic fall of the Empire.” Coran cringed at the adjective. “Their concept of ‘home planet’ has never been Daibazaal. Very few people alive even remember Daibazaal. Our citizens are being displaced from their homes, and they have no shelter to turn to that their government can provide.”

“And what do you propose?” Curtis asked. Coran’s eyes flew to Lurok, watching for his reaction. Sure enough, Lurok’s nostrils flared. This was usually the part where the Galran’s proposals were shut down, too outlandish or bold to be considered seriously.

“Nothing that isn’t beyond your power to grant,” Aihpos said, as she always did. “Allow our citizens to remain where they have set down their roots. Grant them protection from those that wish the contrary. Preserve their dignity.”

That’s surprisingly reasonable, Coran found himself thinking.

“Can I see your proposal’s draft?” Emi piped in. Lurok sat up straighter, like the question surprised him.

“C-certainly,” Aihpos said, somewhat scrambling for the document. She handed Emi the document as he thanked her with a bright smile.

“I believe this draft’s revision should be a top priority,” Emi said to Coran as he glanced over it. Coran nodded, looking over the document in Emi’s hands. “I propose a motion to make it so.”

“I second it,” Commander Holt said.

“Opposition?” Coran asked the other representatives. Their silence was his answer. “The motion passes.

Aihpos and Lurok shared a stunted look, like they couldn’t believe they got away with it. It was the only crack in their usually proud and composed demeanor. One that always seemed too close to that of Galran generals, their attitudes stubborn and dead set on their objectives. Coran always had his guard up around them, having the dreadful feeling that their loyalty had never shifted away from Zarkon.

His mistrust in them was inevitable, but he tried his best look past it. These were different times. They hadn’t given him any real reason to not be considered trustworthy. It was only his preconceived notions that made him doubt their character.

He realized that this struggle had never extended itself to the Blade of Marmora. Their relationship had gotten off to a rough start, but once they were proper allies, he trusted them blindly.

This should be the case with Lurok and Aihpos, but something about them got under his skin. Maybe it was the fact that while Zarkon ruled, they never opposed him; maybe it was the fact that they no longer served the Empire because the option to do so was taken from them.

It made Coran uneasy.

That uneasiness continued when he noticed the vague wording in the proposal. It was too open to interpretation, words could be twisted, motives were unclear. He brought it up in a revision meeting with Lurok.

“Representative Lurok, your proposal states here in Section 3, Article D, that Galra citizens are to be ‘assigned guard to make up for lack of security.’”

“Yes,” Lurok agreed easily.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“The Galran people face the threat of violence on a regular basis nowadays,” Lurok supplied. “Forces would be deployed to guarantee their safety.”

“Forces? Whose?”

“Well, ours, of course! Who else would look after their wellbeing properly?”

On paper, the idea seemed rational, but what they were actually proposing was something different. They were using their citizens—or so it seemed—who were scattered all over the universe, to deploy their forces again. Forces that had been dismantled and repelled, on planets that were promised peace and the lack of Galran soldiers.

“That move would violate treaties to which the Coalition is bound,” Coran said firmly. “Find a different solution. Contact each planet, see what can be done.”

Lurok’s lip twitched, his chest puffing. “Very well,” he gritted out.

They went down the draft, slowly figuring out the proposal’s true intention and marking the articles that would need amendment.

“Have Representative Aihpos look over these changes,” Coran handed Lurok the document. “We want to help, but it must be done within a reasonable margin.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Lurok took the papers, wrinkling his nose at them like they’d done something unsavory.

“We look forward to hearing from you,” Coran said with a stiff smile.

Lurok only grumbled.

< pt. 1 | pt.3 >