#king alfor | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kismetconstellations · 2 months ago

Text

What is Keith's problem with Allura?

Consensus among certain flavors of Keith fans seems to be that Allura never outgrew her "racist" opinions of the Galra, and remained cold, rude, and stand-offish to Keith, never apologizing for the handful of glares she shot his way, and the icy inflection she used when addressing him.

This is, of course, patently, provably untrue. In Season Two, Episode Twelve, Best Laid Plans, as Keith is preparing to head for Zarkon's base in what Kolivan had declared a "suicide mission", Allura approaches Keith in the hangar to tell him:

"I... just wanted to say... The Galra... They've done terrible things. Destroyed entire civilizations. They took my family. But, in time, I've grown to consider you and the Paladins my family. So when I learned you were Galra, I... I didn't know what to think. I wanted to hate you!

"But, it's not you. It's me. My anger has blinded me for too long. I'm so sorry I misjudged you. You've proven it's not what's in your blood. It's who you are that counts.

Please come back to us."

I couldn't come up with a more sincere, heartfelt apology if I tried.

Allura took it upon herself to, unprompted, own up to her less than stellar behavior toward Keith, admit that she was wrong, and express that Keith is important to her and she wants him to return to her, Coran, and the other Paladins alive and in one piece, because he is her family.

You would think this would be more than enough to bury the hatchet and resolve all tension between them. Or, at the very least, that any issue Keith may have with Allura in future episodes could be traced back to her (and Coran) withholding the fact that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin from the rest of the team, and to the handful of glares that Allura directed at Keith after finding out that he's half-Galra.

But, this is not the case. As early as Season One, Episode Twelve, Collection and Extraction, well before either of these potentially inciting incidents, Keith's attitude with Allura was showing signs of being less than friendly.

Keith is the first to object, rather snidely, to the prospect of Allura accompanying the Paladins on an infiltration mission to gather intelligence from a Galra transportation hub.

"I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?"

Despite Allura being instrumental in restoring the Balmera and helping the Paladins liberate the Balmeran people from Galra control.

And, it only worsens from here.

The very next episode, after Allura had allowed herself to be captured by the Galra, sacrificing herself to save Shiro, the man who Keith claims to love, Keith puts forth the idea of leaving Allura in the hands of the monster who betrayed and murdered her father and mercilessly annihilated her entire home world and all of the people living on it.

"Or, maybe we shouldn't go on this mission [to rescue Allura] at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy."

Which prompts an understandably galled Hunk to respond, "Keith, that's cold even for you."

Keith snaps back, "I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking like a Paladin."

Arguably, being willing to allow even one life to slip through the cracks is the exact opposite of the mindset of a Paladin. And, Keith is aware of that, come the top of Season Four, when his saving Regris lands him in hot water with Kolivan.

Kolivan: "Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn't Voltron."

Keith: "I understand that. In Voltron, we would have gone back in to save Regris. I went back to save the mission. Regris had the intel. Getting him and it back on the ship was worth the risk."

He never apologizes, however, for even attempting to argue that saving Allura wasn't worth the risk.

In the third episode of Season Three, The Hunted, he actually scolds Hunk for going back to assist Allura after she took a hit on a hopeless folly of a mission to pursue and attack Lotor that Keith, acting as their new leader, pushed the team into long before they were ready. When rightfully chastised by Lance for acting so rashly and showing no regard for the input and welfare of his team, Keith justifies his actions by arguing, "It's not about the team. We have a mission that's more important than any one of us."

Even after Lance confronts him, again, once the team has been split up and all of their lives needlessly endangered, and Keith at last acknowledges how badly he messed up, he doesn't offer a single apology to Allura, or anyone else.

In the following episode, Hole in the Sky, Keith approaches a disconsolate Allura, presumably with the intention to offer her some form of comfort and encouragement after the emotional turmoil she endured in the alternate reality.

Instead of making the effort to put himself on a level field with her, and look her in the eye, as one would typically do when attempting to extend emotional support, Keith speaks at Allura's back and remains standing on a platform above her, forcing her to have to look back and up at him.

Perhaps this scene was blocked this way because, like so many other creative decisions in this series, it "looked cool". Unfortunately, this staging with all of its visual subtext establishes a precedent for Keith and Allura's dynamic going forward.

In contrast to being Allura's equal, as Shiro was, and sharing the position of leadership with her, the two of them valuing one another's insight and trusting each other implicitly, Keith is Allura's superior. As she now ranks under him in both age and position on the team, he's become her commander; shutting down any input he didn't authorize as a "lecture", even when that input is coming from a place of earnestness and compassion. See their conversation in Season Four, Episode One, where Allura is there to meet Keith as he arrives back at the Castle from another mission with the Blades that resulted in the death of Regris, and delayed Keith getting to the team he's meant to be leading when they needed him.

Keith: "Allura, I know you're mad at me, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

Allura: "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I heard what happened on your mission."

Keith: (after a long, tense pause) "...Thanks."

Allura: (after another drawn-out silence) "I know how important the work you've been doing with the Blades is. They are incredible allies, and have been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And, while the news of a new quintessence supply-line is deeply troubling, I cannot help but feel that--

Keith: (cutting her off) "I said I didn't want a lecture."

Rather than rise to Keith's bait, Allura continues on, "Keith... Since our battle with Zarkon, we've been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol-- Voltron. It's so much more than a weapon. It's become a symbol of freedom, and, hope for the oppressed to rally around.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is, the Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot. We cannot."

Allura's candid and entreating speech appears to fall on deaf ears. Keith continues to go on missions with the Blades, running from his position as the new Black Paladin and "decisive head" of Voltron.

It can be argued in his defense that he only ever saw himself as a temporary Black Paladin, holding the position in Shiro's stead until Shiro's return. And, with the cloned version of Shiro in proper form, acting as a key strategist and, to some extent, undermining Keith's calls in the field, Keith's concerns that he's unfit for the role have once more reared their head, and he feels that he is no longer needed. This is, of course, despite the obvious inconsistencies in "Kuron"'s temperament, behavior, appearance, and even wardrobe choices when compared to the original Shiro's. Inconsistencies that, as Shiro's closest friend, Keith should have been aware of and more than a bit perturbed by. And, despite the fact that, at this current point in the show, the Black Lion is not responding to "Kuron".

Keith has knowingly left the Paladins down a Lion and without a means of forming Voltron, several times repeatedly. Allura, "Kuron", and everyone else on the team would be well within their rights to be absolutely furious with him. Yet, the next time Keith happens upon Allura, while she and the other Paladins are handing out supplies to rebels and refugees on Olkarion, he's the one glaring at her.

By the end of this episode, "Kuron" has managed to connect with the Black Lion, further enforcing in Keith's mind that he is no longer needed as a Paladin, and Keith announces to the group that he's officially abandoning his post and leaving to work with the Blades full-time.

Allura is right there with the others, enveloping Keith in a group hug and expressing, like everyone else, that she will miss him as he embarks on a new journey down a path divergent from the rest of their family.

That new journey brings Keith face-to-face with his long-lost mother, and the two of them find themselves stranded on a space whale inside of a "quantum abyss" that has a convenient time distortion that only affects them and the space wolf they adopt.

This highly selective time-skip was done, presumably, to accelerate Keith's character development and make him a better fit for his "destined" role as the ultimate leader of Voltron. And, while his two years in the Quantum Abyss with his mother made Keith older, and ostensibly more mature, they did nothing to abate his underlying resentment for? Grudge against? Bitterness toward? Allura. Upon his return in Season Six, Episode Four, The Colony, Keith is ready to launch an attack on Lotor, while Allura is a passenger in Lotor's ship.

Keith: "I promise I'll explain everything once we get to Lotor."

Pidge: "We can't get to him. He just entered the quintessence field with Allura."

Keith: (unfazed) "We traveled through realities, before. Can't we fly in there and attack?"

Lance: (apparently the only one with any sense) "She said Allura is with him.

We can't risk hurting her."

Note the change in Keith's expression when Lance interjects.

"Kuron" attempts to diffuse the situation, instructing everyone to calm down, and assuring that, when Allura and Lotor return, "we'll get this all sorted out".

Judging by his reaction, this is not what Keith wanted to hear.

I'll concede that Keith has been made aware that Lotor is, indeed, dangerous, having manipulated and deceived them all. And, in spite of the Real Shiro's teachings about the virtue of patience, it's Keith's nature to want to eliminate a threat as soon as possible, attacking first and asking questions later. If at all.

Yet, his willingness to rally the troops and open fire or swing fists and/or a sword at Lotor without any regard for Allura's safety is deeply concerning.

Three episodes later, Allura uses her newfound powers and knowledge of quintessence alchemy to extract the Real Shiro's essence from the Black Lion, as the Black Lion had preserved what she could of him when his body was destroyed in the team's final fight with Zarkon back in the finale of Season Two, and transfer it into "Kuron"'s dying body. Which is its own can of worms.

You would think that Keith, having professed his love for Shiro (albeit to "Kuron"), would be forever indebted to Allura; singing her praises and all-but worshipping the ground that she walks on after she brought Shiro back to him.

But, in the sixth episode of Season Seven, The Journey Within, when Keith, Allura, and the other Paladins find themselves cast adrift and floating aimlessly through space for an untold length of time, older and supposedly wiser Keith is the first to snap under the stress of the situation. He reverts to his abrasive, anti-social behavior from the first season, times ten, and decides to use his position of power over the still teenaged Paladins to lash out and make petty, intentionally hurtful digs, with Allura and Hunk as his targets.

Allura: "My father... Had something he always said in dire situations."

Keith: "'Give up'?"

Allura: (diplomatically giving him a chance to retract the deeply offensive words that just came out of his mouth) "Sorry?"

Keith: (doubling-down) "It just doesn't seem like he was a real fighter when the chips were down."

I've had many a conversation with a friend (hi, @sockdooe!) about Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos rather transparently being Altean-hating Galra-supremacists who used Keith as their mouthpiece to spout off Pro-Galra propaganda. This is especially obvious in the series finale, when Keith effectively runs postmortem defense for Zarkon and Honerva-- something I will cover in-depth, a bit later.

"MonSantos", as the fandom has dubbed them, took issue with characters who are innately altruistic, self-sacrificing, upstanding, unwavering in their moral values, and willing to make peace with words, rather than immediately going on the offensive against any perceived threat. This is overwhelmingly obvious in the way that they killed Shiro and mocked him for being "boring", in interviews, only bringing him back to life when their hands were forced, killed Allura to force her to atone for Honerva's sins (one Altean for another, kind of like how Shiro and "Kuron", two disabled gay men with their own distinct traumas, struggles, and personalities, were treated like they were completely interchangeable), and planned to kill Hunk.

They liked "complicated", able-bodied, "morally gray" characters, and characters who needed to grow into their roles, instead of being perfect fits for them right off the bat.

Whether those characters actually achieved any growth under "MonSantos"'s direction is its own topic of discussion.

Shiro's stability and dependability warranted him being belittled and killed, as not only was he "boring", but his mere presence in the narrative somehow, "prevented the other characters", namely, Keith, "MonSantos"'s pet character and Chosen One, "from growing". To Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, people who boast this sort of twisted mentality, a gentle, soft-spoken, space-faring diplomatic king, like Alfor, was, of course, "cowardly" and "weak". While Zarkon, a fierce combatant and military strategist who became a child-abusing, murderous, power-hungry monster, has all of the hallmarks of a "great leader". And, the uncorrupted version of him that Keith and the other Paladins encounter inside of Honerva's mindscape is thus qualified to conclude that Keith has these hallmarks, too. Because they're both Galra.

I guess the contents of your blood are only irrelevant to your character when you're a Galra who perpetrates negative behaviors. Like pitting terrified, inexperienced, and malnourished prisoners against each other in a fight to the death for the entertainment of yourself and your fellow loyal servants of the Empire.

On a micro, character level, Keith's comments are even more repulsive. Alfor sacrificed himself to ensure Allura's safety. Keith's own father, a fireman, put his life on the line for others daily, which is what lead to his dying a hero, and being tragically ripped away from his young son. Of all characters, Keith should have the most empathy and implicit understanding that Allura's father is an emotionally fraught subject for her.

(Or, perhaps not, since he was unable to even look at Allura after she had to shut down Alfor's compromised A.I., losing him for a second time, in Season One's Crystal Venom.

)

This is emblematic of the power imbalance between Keith and the younger Paladins. Keith has his own trauma that he hasn't even begun to work out. Not only has his character regressed, in many ways, his time with the Blades and lengthy exposure to the blasé attitude about death that is standard fare for the majority of Galra seem to have had an adverse effect on his already tenuous mental health. As many without healthy or any coping mechanisms are wont to do when caught in spirals of stress, fear, anger, and despair, Keith is attempting to self-destruct. He's deliberately stomping on proverbial landmines to provoke his teammates into telling him to drift off by himself, as Lance eventually does, so that Keith's (incorrect, based on a cognitive distortion from past trauma) feeling that he is an unwelcome, unneeded outsider will be validated.

This is toxic behavior.

Keith is no longer a surly juvenile delinquent, or anti-social just-turned-legal-adult who is learning to cooperate and cohabitate with others after spending a year in the desert by himself. He's a twenty, perhaps even twenty-one year-old man in a position of power over teenagers who has had two years to do intensive soul-searching with the mother he never would have found had it not been for King Alfor and the Voltron Lions that Alfor built.

And, once again, Keith never would have got Shiro back without the existence of Alfor's Lions, because Ulaz helped Shiro escape his imprisonment on Zarkon's command ship and sent him back to Earth to prevent the Blue Lion being seized by the Empire.

"MonSantos"'s preferred Black Paladin should be beyond grateful for everything that Allura and her father have both directly and indirectly done for him. Instead, the character who is told that he is "the future" (because he's half-Galra), and magically gained the ability to summon the Black Paladin Bayard (which Shiro, the "boring", "broken", former Black Paladin who isn't at all worthy of recognition, given that he's only a measly little human, reclaimed from Zarkon and got to use just once before he died) to him at will, chooses to insult Alfor and hurl verbal abuse at Alfor's daughter.

Who, need I remind you, informed Keith that she considers him to be part of her new family.

Hunk tries to tell Keith to lay off.

Rightfully hurt by Keith baselessly accusing her beloved father of being spineless, Allura verbally retaliates while maintaining a truly impressive level of composure: 'You... have a lot of nerve questioning someone's leadership. Think how you left us."

Hunk, still trying to maintain a semblance of peace, pleads to Allura, this time.

And, Keith, firmly in his self-destructive spiral, decides to accelerate the explosive fall-out of this bone-dry tinderbox of a situation by pouring a bag of salt on Allura's wounds from Lotor, who preyed on her desperation to connect with her lost people and culture.

A desperation that the narrative repeatedly punishes her for simply having at all.

"As I recall, you were the one who got us all cozied up to Lotor."

This leads Lance to again interject, "Keith, you ran away. Maybe you should have just stayed away", and poor sweet Hunk to do his best to put an end to the in-fighting.

"Lance, Keith, everyone, stop. Look, guys, I understand what's happening here-- you're all brave heroes who don't know how to react to being scared, and it's causing you to attack one another. That, or you're all going space-mad. Hopefully you're just scared. I'm-I'm scared all the time. I can talk you through it."

Keith's response to this remarkable wisdom and insight?

"Sorry, Hunk. I guess I just don't know how to be a coward."

Though Hunk is unbothered by Keith's puerile name-calling, Lance, again, interjects on his friend's behalf, telling Keith to drift off by himself; as stated, earlier, and just as Keith wanted. Hunk takes it upon himself to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the team together, grabbing Keith's leg to prevent him leaving them for a second time, and his efforts net him a positively scathing response from his "new and improved" team leader:

"Why, Hunk? Are we really even friends? Is there anything holding us together besides some messed up series of coincidences? I mean, what are we? Some 'chosen saviors'? Do you really believe that? What are we even doing out here?!"

It takes Hunk almost sacrificing himself to ward off a giant monster, and Lance, Pidge, and Allura reminding Hunk that they are, indeed, a team, and would never leave him to die, for Keith to offer an, in my opinion, vague, flimsy apology for "those hurtful things" he said. Of course, because this is a TV Y7 cartoon made to sell toys to children, Keith gives a little speech about how that "series of coincidences" mattered because it brought them all together as Paladins and, "more importantly", "friends", and that brings the Lions to their rescue, allowing them to form Voltron and travel through space at hyperspeed to end up just outside of the Milky Way.

Once on Earth, Keith dons his Diet Shiro persona and gives Hunk a more in-depth and sincere apology, informing Hunk that he is most definitely not a coward. Allura, however, gets nothing, despite her, once again, coming through for Shiro (her platonic soulmate) in a major way.

After Keith was the one who left Shiro to inhabit a body with only one arm.

At long last, we reach the deservedly widely reviled finale, where the executive producers made their most morally bankrupt, inexcusable, and unforgivable creative decision. Which is saying a lot. Allura commits suicide to undo the damage that Honerva, an utterly irredeemable monster, had done to multiple realities, just so Honerva can get exactly what she wanted.

Before she willingly steps into the void with a brave smile on her face, Allura says a personal farewell to every member of the team. Except Coran, because this show was helmed by people who wanted you to feel miserable and angry at the world and yourself for watching it. Unless you have the privilege of being a Keith and/or Pidge fan. The fourth trauma survivor to be cruelly killed off, and the third member of a marginalized community to meet their end for the sole purpose of elevating "MonSantos"'s pet, Allura's final words for that pet are, "There is greatness in your heart, and your actions."

And, in response, said pet stands there, silent and stiff as a board in Allura's embrace, and showing less emotion than Shiro, who had, at this point in the series, been reduced to a distant military figure and side-character who has no meaningful relationships with anyone.

A year later, Keith stands on Daibazaal, the Galra home world that Allura's sacrifice revived and renewed. And, with all eyes on him, and while being broadcasted on multiple screens, he delivers a big, "epic" speech.

"With the return of Planet Daibazaal, the Galra Empire is at a crossroads. For too long, the people of this extraordinary civilization have been manipulated by a dictatorship that placed a misguided sense of self-preservation above all else. "It was a tragic, unfortunate series of events that lead us down this dark, never-ending path of power and greed. But, now... we... the citizens of the Galra Empire... have an opportunity to make right all of the injustices set into motion by our forefathers. Because of the sacrifice made by Princess Aurora (yes, that's seriously what he calls her), we have been given a second chance-- to come together in rebuilding the Galra Empire."

That's right. "Rebuilding" the Empire responsible for the destruction of Altea and the genocide of its people-- Allura and Coran's people. For the abduction and imprisonment of Shiro, Matt, and Sam Holt. For Shiro's extensive trauma and further torture via his body being subjected to nonconsensual experimentation, his innately altruistic and self-sacrificing nature challenged over and over again by forcing him to kill or be killed, and implied sexual violation at the hands of Sendak.

The Empire that enslaved the Balmerans, making them prisoners on their own home planet forced so far underground that entire generations had never seen the sky and had no concept of freedom. And, the Empire that mercilessly ravaged and nearly killed that planet, which is a living creature.

The Empire that enslaved the Olkari, left the Taujeerians to die, and inflicted untold acts of unmitigated barbarism all across the universe for ten thousand years.

That Galra Empire.

Now, I'll extend Keith, and "MonSantos", the benefit of the doubt that maybe he (and they) didn't mean the "Empire" as it was under Zarkon's command. Though the usage of that word, considering its unignorable connotations, is profoundly dubious. Maybe, he really means to upheave the entire concept of a Galra Empire, and rework it from the ground up, perhaps with the implementation of a parliament and a democratic voting system. Though, that hardly makes an "empire", as "empires" are by definition:

"A major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority, especially : one having an emperor as chief of state".

Keith (and "MonSantos") could have phrased his rousing speech as, "rebuild this planet and its great civilization, foster peaceful relations with the planets around us, and work together to undo the evil that was done by a tyrant, whose insatiable lust for power has left an indelible stain on the Galra name". Rather than attempting to humanize and absolve Zarkon and his one-dimensional, cartoonishly evil men, many of whom are still very much alive and attempting to make their own grabs for power in the vacuum left by their Emperor and his heir's demise, of culpability, and pledging to help the "citizens of the empire" resume conquering and colonizing surrounding planets, as that is how an empire is formed and maintained.

There's a later throwaway exchange between Shiro, Keith, and Lance inserted in what I can only assume was an effort to present Keith as humble, and offer a "humorous" commentary on his penchant for dodging any and all unwanted responsibility.

Shiro: "Speaking of which, how are things going on Daibazaal?"

Keith: "We're calling for an election to select a Galran representative for the Galactic Coalition. So that's a step in the right direction."

Lance: "Let me guess-- they asked you to be their leader and you said no?"

Keith: (with total nonchalance) "Yeah. Pretty much."

Lance: (like an actor in a sitcom reciting his exasperated straight man character's catchphrase) "Classic Keith."

(Cue laughter from the other guests around the table, like this actually is a sitcom.)

I made that assumption because Coran, the man who was a second father to Allura and loved her deeply, and also would have been absolutely devastated had he heard what Keith had to say about his beloved friend, King Alfor, tells Keith, "Allura would be proud of your decision, Keith. I think she knew that you would always be the key to the Galras' future."

And, yet, Keith was perfectly okay expressing callous and blatant disregard for Allura's life, safety, and emotions on multiple occasions over an extended period of time, and had the audacity to look down on her father for prioritizing making certain that his daughter would live over fighting a futile battle that he knew he had already lost.

Allura came to value Keith and other heroic Galra, regardless of their blood, and made that crystal clear many times. But, outside of the ship tease in Season Two's The Ark of Taujeer, before the franchise staple Keith/Allura romance was dropped in favor of Allura/Lance, when and where did Keith show that he valued Allura? And, that he had any respect at all for her people and their culture?

He scowls at her back over her wanting to personally investigate a trapped ship that is issuing an Altean distress signal in Season Three's Hole in the Sky.

The same episode where he is literally placed above her after the Paladins wind up in an alternate reality that is predicated on a half-baked, "What if the Alteans and the Galra switched roles?" concept, and where Allura is shamed and treated like a foolish, naive little girl for being nearly taken in by pretty painted pictures of a reality where her people thrived, eliminated the "Galra scourge", and set about spreading their "peace" across the entire universe.

I opened this essay by asking, "What is Keith's problem with Allura?" And, I think, all evidence considered, the answer to this question is fairly cut and dry.

Facets of the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom love to characterize Allura as an unapologetic racist. But, perhaps the real racist was the skinny, edgy, half-alien colonizer twink who was appointed the savior of the universe by hateful executive producers who wanted everyone both fictional and otherwise to grovel at their pet Chosen One's feet, all along.

#Keith Critical.#Allura #Takashi Shirogane #Shiro #The Silver-Haired Princess and Her Silver-Haired Paladin.#Kuron #Shiro's Clone With A Bad Haircut.#Hunk Garrett #King Alfor #Zarkon #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Meta.#VLD Meta.#This one was a doozy.#I blame my chronic fatigue for it taking as long as it did to type it all up.#I'm sure many more articulate people than me have made this point before #but I thought I would give expressing it in my own way with an abundance of evidence a go.#This show is emotionally exhausting and its themes and messaging are beyond repugnant.

14 notes · View notes

galraluver · 8 months ago

Note

Alfor x reader? I hope I'm doing this right, scenario where alfor is introduced to earth cats by the reader? Which may lead you to a kitty adoption :>?

Hey, don't worry about it, I've got you covered 😊

Honestly, out of all the original paladins I see Alfor as the type of person who would love hanging out at a cat café and spend the entire visit surrounded by most, if not all of the kitties 😽

(Whether Cheeto and Blinky are two boys, two girls or one of each is left to the imagination of you, my dear readers)

_________________________________________

Alfor loved living on Earth with (Y/n), and even though he would eventually take her home to Altea with him, he wanted to spend as much time with her on her homeworld until then. There were so many interesting things to do and see on Earth, and (Y/n) was always happy to take him out to do and see those things. Before Alfor went out in public he had to disguise himself as a human since aliens weren't welcome on Earth, even if they meant no harm, and he didn't want to start a mass panic or get his girlfriend in trouble. There was one thing (Y/n) really wanted to take Alfor out to do, but first she needed to save up enough money before she could do it; there was a cat café in their area and she wanted to take him there since she knew he liked cats, then once she had enough money she brought it up with him one evening during dinner. Alfor kind of knew what Earth cats were, although he'd never spent time with one before and he couldn't wait to go to the cat café with his girlfriend.

The best part was that the cat café (Y/n) was taking Alfor to was it was partnered up with a few animal shelters and adopted cats out to new homes, so if there was a cat they really liked then they would adopt him or her. On the day of their trip they would be going to eat lunch together at the café; Alfor was excited to see the cats, he really hoped that he and (Y/n) would be able to adopt one or two and bring them home with them. After arriving at their destination (Y/n) and Alfor signed in, ordered some food and drinks and selected a table to sit at. There were about fifteen cats lounging around, most of which stared at them when they sat down. Alfor noticed how the cats in the café looked somewhat similar to the cats on Altea, but at the same time they were different; none of them had bold blue, red, purple or orange markings on their coats, although a short-haired calico caught his attention.

“Well, what do you think?” (Y/n) quietly asked Alfor with curiosity, noticing how he was looking at a medium sized calico cat with short fur.

“I wasn't expecting to see so many cats in one place. That cat over there; the black, white and tan one, is very unique.” Alfor answered, looking at (Y/n) again before he told her that he liked the calico cat who sat on a cat bed nearby.

“Yeah, that one's pretty cute.” (Y/n) acknowledged, smiling when she got a better look at the calico cat her boyfriend had his eyes on.

Alfor wondered what would happen if he called the cats over, so that's exactly what he did; (Y/n) was surprised that the whole ‘here kitty kitty’ call was universal, and worked on every cat from pretty much all over the universe. Almost all of the cats perked up and came running when Alfor called them over, including the calico who jumped up onto his lap prior to meowing sweetly. (Y/n) was in awe when the cats flocked around her boyfriend after he called them to him, each of them wanting attention from him. Two of the cats went to sniff (Y/n) when she offered her hands-on them, one black and the other a tuxedo, but then the black cat joined the others over by Alfor. If it were anyone else they would have been jealous of all the attention Alfor received from the cats, but (Y/n) was even more in love with her significant other than before because he was a cat magnet.

“They're all so soft and affectionate, and I believe this multi-colored one likes me. You said that we can take one or two home-” Alfor said while he pet as many cats as he could, hesitantly bringing up their earlier conversation about adopting a cat or two; he didn't want to seem too demanding, although he really liked the calico cat and the tuxedo cat appeared to like (Y/n).

“I did say that, but we can only adopt two. I really like this tuxedo cat, and the calico loves you.” (Y/n) replied thoughtfully; she wasn't expecting to find two cats that they liked so easily, although with her boyfriend being a total cat magnet finding the two kitties that liked them had been simple.

“So we can bring them home with us?” Alfor queried enthusiastically.

“As long as no one else has signed any paperwork for them, then yes.” (Y/n) answered; she really hoped that the calico and the tuxedo cats weren't spoken for, because it would break her and Alfor's hearts if they were.

“Thank you, darling. I can't wait to bring them home with us.” Alfor expressed gleefully, excited to possibly bring the two cats home with them.

Alfor pet the calico cat on his lap and smiled, but at some point he reached for his strawberry shake so he could drink it. The cats with the longer fur were really soft and fluffy, although as much as he liked them as individuals he understood that keeping them thoroughly groomed would be difficult due to their fur length. The other cats eventually walked away to either do their own thing or visit the other people at the other tables; however, the tuxedo cat stayed on (Y/n's) lap and the calico remained with Alfor, both cats having chosen their favorite people. The food and drinks were delicious and there were various cat toys spread throughout the entire café, Alfor couldn't help but grab one of the feather wands so he could play with some of the cats in between eating and drinking. He could hardly wait to bring the two cats home with him and (Y/n), he hoped they would like their new home.

(Y/n) finished eating before she grabbed another toy and played with one of the cats who passed by her, causing the adorable white cat to roll onto her back playfully. Playing with some of the cats was a lot of fun, she was glad that she brought Alfor to the cat café. After she and Alfor finished eating, drinking and playing with the other cats they went to the office to see if they could adopt the calico and tuxedo cats; they were both perfectly adoptable and their names were Cheeto and Blinky, once (Y/n) paid the two adoption fees the lady at the desk finalized everything and provided two carriers for the two cats who had chosen them. (Y/n) wasn't expecting to adopt two cats that day; she and Alfor didn't even have the proper supplies, so they had to stop by the nearest pet store to pick up some basic supplies. Cheeto and Blinky would need some time before they adjusted to their new home, but until then their safe space would be Alfor and (Y/n's) bedroom.

__________

(Y/n) smiled in her sleep when she felt an arm wrapped around her midsection; at some point during the morning Alfor always snuggled up to her, even though he was usually asleep when he did it. Life was absolute bliss with him and things got even better after they adopted Blinky and Cheeto. After they paid the adoption fees they had to go pick up some basic supplies at the nearest pet store; toys, a scratching post, a litter box, food and other such things, then (Y/n) and Alfor picked up any small objects before they let their two new kitties out of their carriers once they had everything set up. A week had passed since then and even though the two cats weren't fully adjusted to their new home yet, they weren't quite as frightened of being somewhere new. When (Y/n) woke up she looked at the foot of the bed after she noticed a slight weight near her feet, smiling when she saw Cheeto and Blinky curled up and fast asleep.

“Alfor, wake up. Look who's sleeping near our feet.” (Y/n) whispered to her sleeping boyfriend, slowly sitting up a little prior to gently shaking his right shoulder; she glanced at the clock and saw that it was eight o’ five, just in time for them to wake up.

Alfor had been sleeping peacefully, although after he heard what (Y/n) whispered to him he began to wake up. Ever since they brought Cheeto and Blinky home, they slept in their cat beds that were on the floor near the dresser. After opening his eyes and letting out a yawn, Alfor sat up, blinked a couple of times and looked at the foot of their bed; he smiled softly when he saw Cheeto and Blinky curled up between their feet, both cats still fast asleep.

“They appear quite comfortable this morning. I never thought they would ever come to sleep in bed with us.” Alfor spoke quietly so that he wouldn't accidentally wake their cats up.

“I know; it really feels like we're a family now.” (Y/n) replied with an equally quiet tone, turning to face her boyfriend.

Alfor couldn't have agreed more; they were becoming a little family, and he could hardly wait to make it official when he and (Y/n) eventually got married. He slowly leaned towards his lover and gave her a good morning kiss; neither of them cared that they had morning breath, plus their kiss didn't last for very long. (Y/n) and Alfor decided to cuddle in bed together for a while, then they would eventually get out of bed and prepare breakfast for them and their cats. They made sure Blinky and Cheeto were spoiled; after the lives the two cats had before they were rescued, they deserved to be spoiled and loved. Having two adorable cats living with them made Alfor and (Y/n's) lives a lot more interesting, (Y/n) was glad that she'd taken her significant other to the cat café when she did.

#Alfor #VLD Alfor #Alfor x Reader #VLD #Alfor x Reader Scenario #Voltron Legendary Defender #Voltron AU Where Everybody Lives #King Alfor #Red Paladin #Original Paladins #Original Red Paladin #Voltron #Cat Cafe'#Cat Adoption #August 2024 #Scenario #SFW Scenario #SFW

11 notes · View notes