#look i just wanted Shiro to make the cat-out-of-the-bag joke

[akaluan]

Zapakutou Rebellion, DE maybe-future-drabble

Kaito grimaced as the rogue Zanpakutou reached into him and /yanked/, pulling his three spirits free with a brutal disregard for his comfort. Still, he refused to show the pain, even as Ichigo, Shiro, and Zangetsu all materialized around him.

Ichigo grumbled, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave Muramasa a gimlet stare. “I don’t care who or what your purpose is, leave us the hell alone, bastard.”

“Yeh!” Shiro broke in, “We jes got fuckin’ comfortable inside Koneko again, an’ ya had ta rip us out like that!”

Zangetsu said nothing, but he stepped up behind Kaito and gave the rogue Zanpakutou a disapproving stare.

Muramasa’s face was a study of confusion, as he stared between the three spirits. “Wh— why are you not obeying me? Don’t you want to be free?”

“Look,” Ichigo declared firmly, “I don’t care what the hell your grief is with your wielder, but we /like/ ours.”

“Koneko-chan’s finally been trained right!” Shiro ignored Kaito’s startled ‘hey!’ except to shoot a smirk over his shoulder at Kaito. “We get ‘ttention, get ta fight whenever we want, an’ he don’t bother us fer shitty things!”

“He is quite pleasing,” Zangetsu finally added, when Muramasa turned his confused gaze on him. “Now, I suggest you leave before we show how complete our teamwork actually is.”

Muramasa’s expression flashed through anger and disbelief and straight into a blank mask that revealed nothing of his thoughts. “We’ll see how you feel about that. I’ll deal with you four later.”

Kaito narrowed his eyes as Muramasa fled, wondering what, exactly, had driven the other to do that. Based on previous encounters he had been told about, fleeing before he had achieved his goal was very much unlike the other, especially without a fight. He exchanged cautious glances with Ichigo, finding his friend just as pensive and wary.

“What. The hell.”

All four of them froze as a /very/ familiar voice spoke up from behind them. Almost as one, they turned to confirm who had spoken up.

Kurosaki Ichigo had approached them at some point, and was currently standing with his face blank in shock, sword nearly touching the ground in a loose grip.

“Kurosaki,” Kaito greeted the other flatly, before movement off to the side caught his attention. With a grimace, Kaito watched Ishida stepping out from around a tree and approach them. “And Ishida.”

“Kaito, what the /hell/?” Kurosaki asked, as he pointed at Ichigo. “Why does /he/ look like /me/ with striped hair?!”

Kaito and Ichigo exchanged uncomfortable looks. None of them had considered /this/ would be how they were revealed; in fact, they had been attempting to avoid Muramasa completely for just this reason. Unfortunately, that plan had worked out about as well as some of this /other/ plans had gone. That is to say, not at all.

“I would assume,” Ishida spoke up into the uncomfortable silence that was starting to grow, “that he looks like you because he is you. Or… a form of you.”

“Wh— did you /know/?!”

“No. But looking back, it makes far too much sense.” Ishida shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, looking between the three spirits and Kaito. An uncomfortable cast settled across his features, eyes pinched and unsettled. He addressed Kaito directly, then,  “You’re me, aren’t you.”

Kaito bit his lip against the hysterical laughter that was bubbling up in his chest; at his side, Shiro didn’t even bother. The spirit broke out into maniacal laughter, pointing at Kurosaki’s blank expression and clearly finding great amusement in it.

“Shiro, shut up,” Ichigo grumbled, as he thumped Shiro over the head.

“Hah!” Shiro gave a last few cackles as he straightened up, then gave a toothy grin. Before Kaito could do anything to stop him, Shiro said, “Looks like th’cat’s outta the bag, eh Koneko-chan?”

Kaito groaned, pinched the bridge of his nose, and wished he was anywhere but here. /Anywhere/.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 180

180

Lance cleaned. He cleaned like a vampire possessed. Nothing escaped his cleaning. From the top of the house to the bottom was vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed, washed, packed and organised. He didn’t stop for sleep. The door to the nursery was shut. The room taboo in the household. Every trace of Keith’s scent was washed away. Keith’s things packed up neatly. Some things slightly tear damaged and a photo frame may now be glassless as it’d been hurled out the bedroom window in a fit of anger. Kosmo didn’t escape. He got bathed, groomed, nails clipped, and bedding washed. Blue got extra wet food, plenty of snuggles, and carried around as she protested loudly.

Stripping his bed, he told himself he was being stupid sleeping with so many blankets. He was a grown man, and grown men didn’t act this way. He also didn’t stop limiting his strength. Able to lift most furniture one handed as he vacuumed, then again as he ran the mop over the floor. Frustrated at the lack of speed with human appliances, he’d nearly hurled the washing machine outside in a fit of rage when the rinse cycle took too long. If Keith couldn’t love him any more, he needed to stop relying on him and believing in love like a dumb teen. Show after show was deleted from his watch lists. He’d have deleted the whole section off streaming if he could have. Matt and Rieva were in Platt so Keith could get used to their scents before the moon, leaving him alone, after asking Pidge and Hunk for some space and time to rest up.

Every single particle of his house reminded him of Keith. Every joke they’d shared. Every dumb plan they’d made. The scratches in the floorboards from where Keith tried to kill him. All the good times. By the time he was done, the only scent in the air was the “pine fresh” scent of aerosol disinfectant and cat poop from Blue’s litter tray. When the house was clean, he started baking. In all his cleaning, he’d forgotten Keith’s favourite coffee cup. Seeing it sitting next to the coffee machine, he missed the other half of his soul that didn’t seem to exist any more.

*

Keith... Keith didn’t know what to make of the world anymore. Fangs. Claws. Yellow eyes. A rage inside him that couldn’t be contained. He didn’t know left from right. Everyone was a foe. Everyone including the one person who absolutely hadn’t been. Lance. Lance who smelt like something he wanted to roll in. Lance who’s egos made him all weird and jumpy, and this weird other messed up self mad for no reason that he could understand. He didn’t know it’d be like this. This... this existence. He didn’t know this and he didn’t know himself anymore.

He was scared. He was scared of the world. He was scared of himself. Lance came and said a lot of things to him, and he didn’t get it. Lance was being kind and sweet, but he was just so angry. He hated this. Lance hated him. Then Lance loved him. Then Lance was leaving. Then Lance wanted him at the scan. Then he didn’t. Then he was gone. And he didn’t get it. He didn’t get why he opened his mouth and said the wrong thing. He’d driven Lance away from him. They’d been so happily in love. Every single touch radiated love. He didn’t really remembered mad at Lance. Coran said that was coma related and okay. He just... didn’t... How could he be around Lance when he was this mad?

Starting small, Keith wasn’t allowed out the medical wing. He’d Shiro twice. The third time he couldn’t look at him. His ego saying some not so nice things about his brother. He got Shiro didn’t want him to die and that he’d thought this Keith’s only chance. But Lance didn’t like him like this. He didn’t like him like this. Everything was too much, but it didn’t stop coming and he didn’t know what to do. He was being too blunt. Krolia had tried to have a conversation with him, but then he’d gotten all cranky and before he knew it he’d broken the hospital table in front of him. He couldn’t do anything right. He just... wanted Lance. He wanted Lance to fix things. To fix him. The furthest he’d gone since turning was down the hall and back again, to get him used to sounds. God. He hated sounds. He didn’t see how he’d ever get used to things he’d never noticed before. As he sat waiting patiently, he could see Coran on the phone outside the room. He looked worried and Keith knew he’d taken the call outside so Keith couldn’t hear what he said. They were probably organising his execution order instead of letting him go see Lance.

Letting himself back into the room, Coran looked upset. He smelt funny. If old man had a scent that smelt slightly like mushrooms were growing on him, that’d be the closest thing to Coran’s scent he could come up with. Sitting down, Coran rested his head in his hands. This was Lance related and Keith fucking knew it. His ego disgustingly annoying. How could it be okay with Lance hurting, and hurting for Lance? How Matt, Rieva, and Lance made a family, he didn’t know

“What is it? He doesn’t want me there, does he?”

With a pained groan, Coran raised his head. The man seemed as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. Actually, this had to make the top 20 times he’d seen Coran stressing

“Well. What happened?!”

Keith had noticed he’d turned into Krolia 2.0 with the bluntness. He could see why werewolves were thought of as dicks, because he felt like a bag of ducks deserving a dick punch

“I’m sorry, my boy. I think you may have to stay here. Rieva and Matt returned home today... Lance has had a bit of a breakdown”

What did Lance have to be having a breakdown over?! He wasn’t suddenly a werewolf. There went this stupid poxy new ego of his. He didn’t like it

“What do you mean?”

“He’s cleaned the house and shut himself up in his office”

That didn’t sound that unusual. Lance took pride in his house being neat and organised. Plus Pidge and Hunk would keep him from going too far into his head

“He left two days ago”

Keith wanted to shut up. Why did he have to be so angry? Why did his ego see Lance hitting the end of his mental rope as weak. Lance wasn’t weak at all. He was strong, kind and very beautiful. Why did every emotion have to be anger. Happy, nope, better glare at the world. Confused, whelp, better snap. Actually angry, here came the growls, snarls, and claws. Lance was beautiful. But suffered from low self esteem and anxiety. He knew that... But how did he know that? He wasn’t Keith anymore. He shouldn’t know things about human Keith’s life.

“Yes. It seems he told Hunk and Pidge he came to rest, cleaned the house, and locked himself away, instead of resting. Rieva said he’s stripped and remade his bed”

What was wrong with that? That’s what he normally did

“I must go to him”

“He’s probably just working”

“Keith, you misunderstand. Rieva said he’s... not in a good state”

“Lance loves cleaning”

“His bed only had one blanket on it. He’d denying himself the comfort of a nest, and gone against his instincts to nest. The staff barely managed to bring him out of labour. He doesn’t know how close he truly came to things being too late. I fear he wishes to do something very stupid. He called Curtis, asking if Curtis had ever heard of vampire returning to being a human”

Why would Lance want to be human again? Okay. Lance had always wanted to be human again. But he couldn’t carry the twins if he was human. His ego didn’t like that. It kind of liked the twins. It was a weird feeling. Like pride and confusion. What did Lance gain from being human. He wouldn’t...

“He wants to be human again because of me”

“I fear so. Curtis called Rieva, not knowing she and Matt were returning. They’ve both being commuting for work as it was. Lance feels that you cannot love him because he’s a vampire”

Keith let out a shaky breath. Ego angry. Him... shaken. That didn’t sound safe or sane. Two weeks was a lifetime when their lives were so messed up..

“If you’re going to see him, can I come?”

Coran lifted his head

“I don’t know, my boy. You’re still going through the changes of being turned. Your ego is currently unpredictable...”

“But Lance is hurting!”

With a shaky breath, Coran let his head drop again

“He’s been hurting for a long time. He didn’t wish the turn upon you. He and Shiro haven’t spoken to my knowledge since you woke. He requested we not be mad at Shiro, knowing Shiro was in an impossible situation with me unable to do anything. I tried all I could. But each time I adjusted your quintessence you had a negative effect. Initially when you were comatosed, Lance’s presence kept you stable. You seemed to know he was there, despite that being quite impossible. He made you a nest, gathered things of comfort, trying to make this transition less scary for you. But as strong as he is, he couldn’t help but lose his cool when it came to you. He combatted his depression staying by your side to care for you. He still loves you a great deal. Any actions you perceive were done in pity, were done in with great love and respect. He knew his presence may lead to insanity by overwhelming you with his own ego, that is the sole reason he left. He placed your health and needs above his own... It was agonising to watch”

And what had he done? Lost his cool because he didn’t know why there now felt like were two of him in his body? Told Lance he wanted to die? That he’d rather be dead than with him

“I hurt him”

“I spoke with Allura. Lance understands. He too went through the change, though he was much younger and slept longer before waking. Vampires also don’t rely on the first full moon to stabilise their egos. She said Lance was most distraught over having broken your trust in him”

This was what Keith didn’t get. How Lance could love him when he wasn’t Keith anymore. Lance smelt weird, but maybe it wasn’t a bad kind of a weird. It was kind of a weird that made him want to roll around in it

“Coran. I don’t know. He loved Keith. I’m not Keith anymore”

Coran chuckled, the sound turning deep into a proper laugh. Trying to recompose himself, the fae wiped at his eyes as Keith clenched his hands, angry automatically

“Sorry, lad. If you’re not Keith, then I don’t know who you are. Just because you’re now a werewolf doesn’t mean you’ll forget being human, or have a whole new identity. You’re still Keith, you just Keith with a little extra now. Goodness me, don’t tell me you’ve been fighting with your memories. You’re still you, my boy! Yours and Lance’s quintessence are still very much connected. That may have wavered but it’s still there. Fancy thinking you weren’t Keith. That would be like Matt not being Matt. I will say, once the moon passes you will notice I real change in my our ego”

Keith felt like of how Kosmo looked each time he had to scold him. He didn’t know how this worked. All Lance’s explanations on ego seemed lacking, not that Lance hadn’t tried, he’d thought he got. He didn’t. He was so tired of being angry, but was angry at himself for being angry so it was kind of like being stuck in an infuriating loop

“So I’m still me?”

He didn’t feel like him. He wouldn’t be so angry at Lance if he was him

“You are, my boy. I know it’s very scary right now, but things will be better. You managed not to snarl at Matt the last time he visited. That’s excellent progress for a wolf who wasn’t been touched by the moon”

He hadn’t liked being visited. He felt like a caged animal on display

“Will this anger ever go away?”

“With time. Oh, dear. We really must be going to see Lance. Any later and you’ll transform in the car. I’m most anxious to drive again today. I’ve been practicing”

*

Coran still couldn’t drive. Keith frustrated and feeling quite ill well before leaving city limits. The restlessness he felt seemed to have turned his stomach into a pit of snakes. He could hear the way the car gears screamed in abuse each time Coran tried to change gear. This was not fun. Maybe it’d have been safer for him to stay at VOLTRON for his first full moon. Matt and Rieva always seemed to be particularly horny and energised before it happened, but they weren’t douches to Lance like he’d been. He hadn’t even asked Coran for a phone to talk to Lance, as Lance had suggested he did. The amount of faith a vampire seemed to have in him made his ego go all weird. How was he supposed to be with Lance if he seemed to hate the mere fact his boyfriend existed?

And that was another thing. Were they still boyfriends? Like, boyfriend boyfriends? Or estranged boyfriends? Lance didn’t come see him until Shiro went running to him. His Lance would have flipped the world off and stayed. This Lance wasn’t acting right. Like Lance was mad and he could feel it in the air. He didn’t get it. If this was his Lance, than why did he have to be mean and cruel to feel better? He felt like everyone who’d ever bullied him had taken over his body and now he enjoyed inflicting pain as much he did.

Reaching Lance’s house, things felt stranger than ever. He knew the house. He knew the drive. He knew it, but it was as if he was seeing everything all over again. The sounds of nature made him feel as if he had that chirping arsehole symphony of cicadas playing just for him. He could smell cow shit... something dead... Lance... as well as two werewolves. Lance always said they smelt like wet dog. He supposed there was a definite trace of that. Matt didn’t smell awful, but he did smell like he needed to be on guard around him. Rieva smelt nicer. Like flowers and girly shit... and stuff. Matt was pretty growly too. Apparently sniffing someone’s mate was a no go, even if you’re only trying to tell your ego that they’re not a threat.

Opening the door, Kosmo came bounding out. His precious boy all paws and no grace as he crashed into Keith, knocking him on his arse as he took a paw to his junk

“Kosmo!”

Kosmo yipped as he gave exactly zero fucks, pushing Keith down and laying on top of him. What the hell was this? Kosmo had knocked him down in the past, but wasn’t he supposed to be a powerful werewolf now. And why was he laying on him. Coming out the house, Rieva came jogging over, Keith growling at her sending Kosmo bolting away from him with his tails between his legs

“That’s enough out of you. Coran, thank you for coming. Keith... what are you thinking letting Kosmo climb on you? He’ll never respect you as his owner if you let him boss you around”

Keith spluttered. His ego bruised enough over being taken out Kosmo

“Me? He knocked me down!”

Rieva placed her hands on her hips as she stared down at him

“Because he’s missed his human. He’s been glued to Lance’s side until Lance shut him out the office. Coran, I think it’s best you go see Lance right away. The sun will be setting soon and Keith needs a run down on what to expect”

Coran took the weirdness in his stride. All their friends were so goddamn weird

“Right you are, my girl! Matt not here?”

“He’s around the back trying to stop Lance if he tries to climb out the window. I did tell him Lance was too pregnant to be running off, but you know Matt”

“I’ll make sure to talk some sense into Lance. You two enjoy your run. Please don’t let Keith do anything stupid”

“Coran, you know Keith. He and Lance are very stupid”

Coran winked at the pair of them

“In all the right ways. Rightyo, I’ll see you two later”

Left with Rieva, Keith continued to stare up at her. He’d only come to see Lance, this whole moon thing made little sense

“Stop staring. You’ll be changing soon, and I suggest you not do it in the drive way”

“I’ll be changing?”

“You’ll be meeting your wolf side tonight. The first step is getting naked”

Oh no. Not more nudity. He wasn’t okay with the nudity

“I... uh...”

Rieva thrust her hand out

“You can’t deny it. You feel the energy don’t you? We feel it. Like there’s electricity in your body with no where for it to go”

“How do you know?”

Rieva rolled her eyes at him

“I’ve been a werewolf for years now. I think I know when I meet a newly turned wolf. Though you are rather sane so that does make talking easier”

“I don’t feel very sane”

“You’d be feeling differently if you weren’t. Tearing at your own skin by now. I was not entirely convinced in Coran’s methods, but you have definitely changed”

“What methods? He had someone bite me while I was unconscious”

“He did no such thing. He even chose a different werewolf at the request of Lance, trying to spare you the awkwardness of having one of us sure you. Now, out to the back with you. Unless you want your clothes destroyed when you turn”

Reluctantly Keith took Rieva’s hand. He didn’t feel like he was going to turn into anything. He just felt... cranky. Scowling at Rieva, Rieva ignored his mood, leading him off behind the house.

Matt gave up his window duties when Keith and Rieva came around the corner. Kalternecker letting out a lazy moo, eyeing him with zero interest

“Keith! Oh, man! Look at you. How do you feel?”

“Cranky”

“I remember my first time. Rieva turned me on a moon, so I was lucky there. We’ll have you back to normal soon enough”

“Matt, be nice. He’s still developing his ego. Keith, how do you feel?”

“Like I want to punch myself in the dick”

Rieva giggled at him

“We’ll the moon is in the sky. But you really do need to strip off. It won’t be long now”

“Can I not?”

“And have Lance sew your clothes back together? I think he’s having a hard enough time as it is. The house has never looked cleaner”

“Lance cleans all the time”

“Ah, but this time he cleaned Blue’s litter tray twice, before crying when she messed it up a third time. Now, clothes off!”

Keith hid himself behind Lance’s roses to strip. Matt and Rieva not caring as they stripped off in the backyard. Matt scolded for not picking up his clothes. Keith didn’t get how Matt’s ego could take it... and look happy about it. Whistling as he dropped his pants, Keith glared at Rieva who clapped her hands

“Take it off!”

“Fuck off”

Matt chuckled at him. Keith wanted to thump him

“Oooh, this is going to be so much fun. Have you gone over ground rules?”

Rieva shook her head

“Not yet. But you can, if you’d like?”

“Okay, man! Listen up. Rieva is my mate. She sets where we go and how far we go. If we get horny, you go away. I’m not to blame if you come too close to my mate. That’d be like me watching you and Lance have sex... actually, that wouldn’t be too bad, but it’d be more like me being in the middle of it and I’d prefer to keep my balls. You stay with us. If you get lost, stay where you are. We can sniff you out. You don’t come back to the house until the sunrises again. No chasing humans and no going near town. Pack playing is a thing. We fight and we bite, but it’s not to hurt each other. Oh! Don’t wake Lance up. And don’t try to hump a stray dog... What am I forgetting?”

“The most important thing. You’ll be overwhelmed. You’ll want to run. Let yourself run. It’s good for you. It gets the good feelings going. You’ll only be able to partly control your ego, so you’ll howl and do all sorts of wolf things that you don’t need to be embarrassed about. You’ll probably feel really horny too”

This didn’t sound fun. Rieva and Matt kept staring at him

“What?”

“We’re waiting for you to come out of there”

“I don’t think I want to”

“Dude, get used to the nudity. Babe, can I shift now?”

“If you want to. I can watch Keith”

“As long as that’s all you do”

Rieva wrapped her arms around Matt, the pair sharing a very passionate kiss. He used to kiss Lance like that. He missed Lance. Why couldn’t Lance be a werewolf? Then he’d be able to be with him... Shifting into a wolf, Keith noticed things he hadn’t noticed before when the pair had turned. Like the way Matt’s bones cracked in a way that sounded like agony. Lance looked so cute when he “batted out”. A little ball of anger that fit nicely under Keith’s chest and fed off his fingers with those razor sharp teeth of his.

Nudging at Rieva’s leg, Rieva ruffled the fur between Matt’s ears

“I’ll join you soon. Why don’t you race to the back fence and back, warm up a bit for tonight?”

Matt nudged up into Rieva’s hand, before fixing Keith in the gaze of his yellow eyes. Keith feeling like someone had doused him in cold water. Rieva was Matt’s mate. If he touched her, Matt would tear his throat out. How this was going to be fun, Keith didn’t know.

Uncomfortable being naked, Keith sat on the grass. Blades stabbing into his bare arse as he hugged his knees to his chest and waited for something to happen. His butt felt wet and he didn’t like it. With his keen sense of smell, he knew he wasn’t sitting where Matt had peed. He’d never noticed how much things smelt. From outside he could smell the scent of tea on the air. He’d heard Lance answer the door to Coran. Lance knew he was here, but he hadn’t come out... and Keith didn’t like it

“Stop thinking. Let the feeling build”

Easy for Rieva to say. She wasn’t stuck in this weird arse situation. Looking back at the house, he wanted Lance to appear in the doorway

“He won’t come out. It’s safer for him and your twins to stay inside”

“He doesn’t even want me here”

Rieva smacked his arm

“Don’t be stupid”

“He wanted to know how to be human again. He doesn’t like me like this”

“He adores you”

“That’s why I’m here and he couldn’t care less”

“If you’re going to be like this, I’ll leave you alone for your first turn”

“No one asked you stay! Go on then”

“Damn it. We both know I wouldn’t. Being a werewolf isn’t too terrible”

“Says you”

“Yes. Says me. Both Matt and I enjoy a relative non limiting normal life. It is possible... oh, I’m going to shift... I can feel the changing coming. It’ll hurt for your first time, but as fast as your body is breaking, it is healing. The more you change your form, the less it’ll hurt”

Rieva shifted into her wolf form, howling at Matt who was running around like an idiot. It disturbed Keith that he could see the pair. Running over to his mate, he tackled Rieva down, Rieva nipping at Matt’s ear, before looking at Keith as if to ask him why he hadn’t turned. How should he know? He was sitting. The slimmest line of red had already disappeared. Maybe he was broken wolf? That’d be hilarious. And just about on par with his life. Opening his mouth to the tell pair to fuck off, he felt the bones in his hands start to shift, horrified as his skin slowly rippled and tuffs to fur pushed through. The pain was immense, yet he couldn’t help but scream when that pain hit his chest and he could literally feel his ribs cracking. Rieva was right. The pain was weird, he could feel it, then came this almost rush of release on its heels.

Turning for the first time took time. His body writhing on the grass before the pain finally left and he was left feeling limp. Looking down to his hands, he saw big black paws. With all the grace of Kosmo after taking a thermometer up the butt, Keith rose to his feet, everything seemed so much bigger, clearer... with a growl, he got that Matt wanted him to follow him. Keith trying to work out how to move his legs. He felt like he looked like one of those cats from the videos where the owner puts cardboard rolls on their legs and they walk funny. He didn’t like it. He swayed like he was drunk. He could smell way too much. The dew on the grass. The birds in the trees... and his hearing... He could hear the TV on in the house, but somehow knew Lance wasn’t watching it. Miserably failing at walking, his legs got tangled and he fell.

Matt didn’t laugh at him. Keith confused by the fellow wolf’s actions as he trotted over started pushing into Keith’s side. Oh. Matt was trying to get him back on his feet... his feet that felt weirdly big. They’d said he’d lose control... was he supposed to be thinking in wolf? Was he thinking in wolf and his brain translating to human? Or was he thinking in wolf and just knew what it meant? Raising his moist nose, he sniffed the air. Something smelt really, really good... and he wanted to pee on it. Growling at him, Matt practically shoved him onto his feet. Keith stretching out each step. He knew how to human walk, but four legs... they didn’t move like his arms and legs. His ego was laughing at him. Mocking him. It was so weird. It didn’t have an actual voice yet he understood it so clearly. He was a wolf. He was a werewolf. Top of the chain. His actions were disgracing himself and the werewolf community.

Not moving fast enough, Matt nipped on his ear. Keith letting out a whine so pathetic he wanted to be scooped up like when Kosmo was a puppy and carried around. He could scent Lance way too clearly. His ego like “Who the fuck is this!?”, while his heart longed to see Lance and show him he’d made it through to this stage. Casting his gaze up to the moon, he really could feel something there. An imaginary tug. Almost as if the moon was so much closer to Earth than it should be. He couldn’t see the craters on the moon, yet it shone pretty damn prettily up there in the blue black inkyness of the sky.

Moving back to his side, Rieva nudged his front foot with her equally wet nose. Matt growling at the pair of them as Keith breathed in her scent. Parts of him were tingling, but not for her. What was this? 30 seconds in and he was horny? Is that what it was always like? He could smell Matt wanted Rieva as badly as Rieva wanted Matt. He wanted to bite Matt, but this was all so weird. Nudging his foot again, Keith took a cautious step forward, stretching out his leg then not sure how to make the rest of his body reach his front paw. The grass was squishy... squishy and he could feel the grains of sand against his paws. He didn’t like it. His body wanted to run, but there he was... not even able to walk. Whining sadly, Rieva huffed, knocking into him, and making him fall back over. Why did he have to have four legs?! No one needed four legs! Is this why octopi had 8. Because four sucked?

Rieva and Matt ended up boxing him in. Keith moving his legs to match their steps. He felt huge compared to them. Their paws seemed nicer than his huge black ones. His huge black ones just wanted to trip him over... He must have got the hang of it though, before he knew he’d done it, he’d reached the back fencing with the pair of them. Casting a glance back at Lance’s, he could still pick up traces of Lance. He didn’t want to cross the fence line, but his new pack gave him no choice. Rieva going first to show him how it was done, then when he failed and got his legs tangled up again, Matt grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him over the wooden fencing and off towards the wooded area in the distance.

[somekindoftuber]

vld youtuber AU part two (klance)

part one

Lance gets home from spring break with his raw footage and gets right to editing. He’s pretty pleased with how it came out, but he still waits a few days to post it, worried he’ll seem overeager. Shiro posts the video that Lance is in the next week, and he’s so thrilled, it came out great. Keith had been working the camera a bit and Lance sort of wants to thank him for capturing some flattering shots. He quickly posts the video of his song and links Shiro’s channel.

He contemplates sending a follow request to Keith’s locked twitter, but doesn’t. He just met the guy and he doesn’t seem to be the type that opens up easily, and Lance doesn’t want to push his luck.

Flashback to when Lance left Shiro’s garage after filming. Keith is cleaning up and getting ready to lock up the garage when Shiro gives him A Look.

“Lance was nice, don’t you think?”

Keith pauses where he’s sweeping the floor. “He’s alright, I guess.”

Shiro just grins at him.

Things go well after that. Shiro follows Lance back in twitter, and they chat about videos and cat memes. Lance has noticed that Shiro will sometimes disappear off the internet for a few days at a time, but doesn’t pry.

Lance keeps streaming, and starts to occasionally post videos of his streams. He uploads an Overwatch clip where he sang a stupid song over the mic that had his entire team rolling with laughter, and it gets a lot of hits. A few days later, he gets an email, and has to blink a few times. Because it’s from Keith.

Lance,

Thanks for posting that Overwatch video. Shiro was feeling down and it really cheered him up.

-K

And that’s it. And it puts the biggest smile on Lance’s face.

Months go by and things are normal. Lance keeps finding himself looking at Keith in Shiro’s videos, but who can blame him? The guy is hot, and there’s nothing wrong with admiring the view. He hasn’t really spoken to Keith beyond that one email exchange - Lance had sent him a reply that was probably a little too long-winded but whatever - but he doesn’t mind. Too much. That’s what he tells himself.

Pidge calls him out on his bullshit. “You are absolutely crushing on Shiro’s brother,” she says like it’s the most obvious thing ever.

“I am not.”

But then he mentions it to Hunk on Discord and his oldest friend just laughs at him. “You so are,” Hunk accuses. “Even I can tell.”

Lance just glares into his webcam. So maybe he is. So what? He’s allowed to have a crush. Crushes are harmless. Besides, the guy lives five hours away and Lance doesn’t even know his last name. He’ll eventually get over it and that’ll be that.

Lance gets another opportunity to film with Shiro and he absolutely jumps on it. Shiro invites Lance to stay with them since they have a furnished basement he can stay in for the weekend and he is so excited. It also means he’ll be getting out of Pidge’s hair, since she has some intense projects to finish before the semester is over and needs to focus. So he puts in a time off request at the cafe where he works part time.

Lance packs his bag, his guitar, and all of his filming gear and makes the five hour drive on Friday morning. He only makes one pitstop for snacks and a bathroom break in some tiny town with absolutely no cell signal, then is on his way again.

When he parks on the street in front of Shiro’s place, he checks his phone and panics. Tons of texts. Emails. Twitter DMs. Missed calls. He hadn’t seen them because he was driving, and the one time he stopped, there was no signal. The most recent text is an unknown number:

>Lance this is Keith I got your number from Pidge please call me asap

Shit. Shit shit shit. He calls the number and it picks up after one ring.

“Hello?”

Wow, his voice even sounds nice over the phone. “Uh, Keith? This is Lance.”

“Lance.” There’s a pause. “Um. Where are you?”

Lance looks up at the house. “In front of your house…?”

He thinks he hears Keith curse under his breath. “Okay, I’ll be out in a second.”

Keith sounds tense and Lance is out of his car immediately, shutting the door just as Keith comes out of the small house. He definitely looks tense, shoulder hunched as he marches towards Lance.

“Hey,” Lance greets. “Is everything okay?”

Keith glances around, looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Um. Shiro isn’t feeling well. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to film this weekend.”

“Oh.”

They stand there on the sidewalk awkwardly for several minutes. Lance looks down at the phone in his hands. “Sorry,” he tells Keith. “I was driving and didn’t have a signal, so I didn’t see any messages until I stopped just now.”

Keith rubs the back of his neck. “How far did you drive?”

“Harborville,” Lance shifts his weight. “It’s about five hours from here.”

Keith curses again and fiddles with his phone. Lance is starting to panic because he just drove across the state and the place he was supposed to stay is sounding like a no-go and he’s too tired to drive back he doesn’t really have money for a hotel right now —

“Grab your stuff,” Keith says, “and follow me.”

“Uh. You sure?”

Keith’s expression is blank. “Shiro said you could stay, so you can stay.”

Keith ends up helping Lance carry his stuff inside, down to the basement apartment. It’s small but nice, with a tiny bathroom and a back porch that opens up to a wide yard of weeds and grass. Keith gives him the wifi password, then shuffles awkwardly.

“Sorry. You came all this way for nothing.”

Lance looks up. “Oh! Uh, no, it’s okay, things happen.” He puts on a smile. “I’ll find something to occupy myself, and I can get out of here tomorrow.”

The atmosphere is so, so awkward.

“Um.” Keith motions at his phone. “I was gonna order a couple of pizzas. What kind if toppings do you want?”

Lance perks up a little. “Oh man, I’ll eat literally anything. Get whatever you want, I’m good.”

Keith just nods and goes upstairs. Lance uses the bathroom (holy hell that last energy drink was a mistake, he’d been holding it for so long), then answers all the texts he got from everyone that wasn’t Keith. He assures Pidge that he’s fine, explains what happened, and says he will be back tomorrow.

Keith comes back downstairs about a half hour later with two pizza boxes and a couple of bottles of beer. Lance helps him and they go out onto the back porch, where he finally get to meet Kosmo. His mood is instantly lifted, Kosmo is huge and unruly but sweet as can be, and Lance alternates eating pizza and throwing a drool-covered ball across the yard, watching Kosmo dart after it like a freight train. Keith laughs softly.

“Are the cats around?” Lance asks as Kosmo rests his giant head on Lance’s thigh.

“They’re upstairs,” Keith answers quietly. “With Shiro.”

Okay. Guess he’s not meeting the cats this weekend.

They finish off most of the pizzas, Keith saving several slices for Shiro. It gets awkward again. It’s barely sunset and Lance has no idea how he’s going to spend the next twelve hours. Sleep?

“Wanna play some Overwatch?”

Now there’s an idea. “Yeah! I brought my laptop.”

Keith gives him a little half smile, though it seems forced. “I’ll go get mine.”

They set up their laptops in on the coffee table of the little sitting area in the basement, sitting on the carpeted floor. Keith brings down another beer for each of them and they start playing, Lance using an external drive to record because why not. Keith adds him as a friend so they can play together and it’s stupid how much that pleases Lance, even if he gets the feeling that Keith is just humoring him out of guilt. Keith is also a Genji main and that’s not surprising in the least, though he sometimes plays a pretty effective Mei and a devastating Doomfist. Lance sticks to Widowmaker and Ana, and though it takes them a few rounds to find a groove, the end up working surprisingly well together, each getting Play of the Game a few times.

They take a break and Lance ends his first recording to start another while Keith goes upstairs for another round of beer and a box of cookies that they put between them, and then it’s time to really have fun. Lance invites Hunk into the game and they find some gag servers. Lance starts singing his joke songs, making everyone laugh. At one point he darts back to the room where his stuff is to grab his guitar and play it while he sings. He makes up little jingles about player’s screen names until Keith finally chokes on his beer a little, then throws back his head laughing.

And holy shit, Keith has an amazing laugh, his face lighting up and the corners of his eyes crinkling as he snorts a little. Lance keeps singing just to keep hearing him laugh, and finally Keith is hunched over his laptop covering his face because he’s in tears. It’s incredible and Lance thinks that this, right here? This made the five hour drive worth it.

His voice gets too tired to keep singing and Keith looks sleepy, so they agree to call it a night. Keith takes his laptop and says goodnight with a smile that looks genuine. Once he’s in his sleeping clothes and settling into the guest bed, he’s messaging Hunk to gush a little about Keith. Hunk just sends him several eyeroll emojis and tells him to go to bed.

Lance wakes up disoriented and takes a full five minutes to remember where he is, dehydrated and groggy with a headache forming. Right, he’s in Shiro’s basement. He gets up and brushes his teeth, then looks at the stairs. Can he go upstairs? He can smell coffee, and he would do just about anything for some caffeine right now.

He hears a chirp and looks up again. The basement door is open and there’s a fluffy red tabby at the top of the stairs, looking right at him. One of the cats! With a giant grin, Lance creeps up to the top. The tabby backs up, and Lance is out of the basement before he realizes it, crouching on the floor to hold his hand out to the gorgeous cat that sniffs at his fingers.

He’s been petting the cat for several minutes before he realizes he’s in a kitchen, and he’s not alone. Sitting at the little breakfast table in the corner is Shiro, and he looks like hell. Hair a mess, face scruffy, bags under his eyes and wearing rumpled sweats with a blanket draped over his shoulders. But what Lance notices the most is that his prosthetic arm is gone, his right bicep tapering in the middle before it just stops, covered in webs of scar tissue. His chest is dotted with more scars.

Lance stands up. “Shiro?”

Shiro doesn’t respond right away, his eyes sort of vacant as he stares at the wall. Then he turns to look in Lance’s direction and seems to snap to attention.

“Lance,” he says and his voice is rough and tired as he pulls the blanket around himself with his left hand. He looks over to where the coffee maker is on the counter, at the opposite side of the kitchen. “I was just getting some coffee--” Shiro goes to stand but he looks like he’s in pain, favoring one leg.

Lance jumps. “I’ll get it!” he rushes over to the coffee maker and is sort of relieved to see Shiro sit back down in his peripheral. There’s a bunch of mismatched mugs in the glass door cupboard just above the coffee maker, so he pulls out one and fills it.

“Uh.” This is super weird. “Do you want sugar?”

Shiro gives him this tiny little smile. “There’s some hazelnut creamer in the door of the fridge.” he fidgets a little. “You’re welcome to have some too, if you want.”

Lance thinks that might be the best thing he’s ever heard and pours himself a cup, then goes for the creamer in the fridge. He brings the two mugs to the table and sits down across from Shiro, passing him the mug that’s printed with instructions on how to moonwalk. Shiro mutters a thanks and takes a few sips.

Lance nervously drinks his coffee and tries not to freak out. This is definitely not how he expected this weekend to go. The Shiro in front of him was so far removed from the one he knew online - the cool, confident Shiro was a million miles away, replaced by a man that sat at the table and sipped his coffee like he was expecting the roof to collapse on his head any second. It was unnerving, and Lance feels horribly out of place, like he was intruding on something meant to be private.

Before he can say anything, Shiro speaks up. “I owe you an apology.” he looks like he’s struggling. “You came all this way, and I can’t even film with you. I’m sorry.”

Lance does his best to smile. “It’s okay, really, it’s not your fault you got sick.”

Shiro frowns, then slowly lifts a hand to rest on his right shoulder. “I’m not sick,” he says. “It just... Bothers me sometimes.”

His arm. Shiro is a veteran. The pieces click into place.

Shiro explains a little, that his time in active duty changed him. That sometimes he remembers things he doesn’t want to and it’s hard to get past it. He says he’s better now, with therapy and medication, but it’s still difficult sometimes. Sometimes he still shuts down, gets phantom pains.

Lance doesn’t really know how to respond to that, so he just reaches out and pats Shiro’s hand where it’s resting on the table.

The sound of tapping claws makes them both turn, Kosmo rounding the corner panting happily, followed by a half-asleep Keith. And Lance can’t help but grin, because it’s an adorable sight. His hair is wild and poofy and all over the place, shirt slipping off one shoulder and wearing sleep pants that are printed with cats playing jazz instruments. Keith rubs at one eye with the heel of his hand and doesn’t really seem to register either of them, going straight for the coffee maker.

Lance learns that Keith takes his coffee black.

He’s halfway to the table with a steaming mug in his hand before he even realizes Lance is there, then Keith pops awake with a squeak.

“Morning,” Shiro says. Lance shrinks a little in his chair before muttering a “good morning.”

“Uh.” Keith keeps glancing between them. “Good morning.”

Shiro looks unfazed and takes a drink of his coffee. “Lance and I were just having a chat.” He smiles. “What did you two do last night? I heard a lot of laughing.”

Thanking all that is holy that he finally has a conversation topic to break this intensely awkward silence, Lance tells Shiro about their Overwatch game and the songs he made up. Keith snorts a laugh or two over his coffee and Shiro is wearing a genuine smile.

The conversation lulls. “I should probably pack up and hit the road,” Lance says. He tries to hide his disappointment. But Shiro shakes his head.

“No, please, you’re welcome to stay. We can probably get a little filming in tomorrow.”

It’s the best thing Lance has ever heard.

An hour later they’re all showered and dressed and Shiro looks significantly better, his hair combed and face shaved. He’s wearing his prosthetic again, even if he still has dark circles under his eyes. They pile in Shiro’s truck and head to a local bookstore with a cafe attached, and Shiro introduces Lance to Allura, one of his oldest friends.

Lance is struck a little speechless at first because Allura is so beautiful she can’t possibly be real. But she shakes his hand and Lance can’t place her accent but she’s sweet and cordial, sipping on a coffee with a book next to her elbow that’s in another language.

They spend several hours in the cafe just talking about college, YouTube, cats, and their shared friends the Holts. Allura is in grad school studying sociology or something like that (the title was long and complicated and sounded super difficult). Shiro gets up to get another muffin and Keith goes to the restroom, and Allura puts a hand on Lance’s.

“Thank you for caring for Shiro,” she tells him.

Lance is confused. “I didn’t really do anything…?”

But Allura shakes her head. “He’s told me about you and your videos. You make him laugh and have been a friend to him. It means more than you know.”

Lance blushes hot and doesn’t know what to say.

They return to Shiro’s and have a small barbecue, just the three of them and a small charcoal grill, a pile of meat, and a cooler of beer and soda. Lance plays happy songs on his guitar while Keith plays with Kosmo in the yard. Shiro looks so much better than he did that morning, and they trade stories until sunset. Shiro goes to bed and leaves Lance and Keith alone.

They talk into the night as they pick at the last kebob. Keith is still stoic and secretive, but he’s loosened up after a couple of beers and speaks more candidly than Lance has ever heard. About how he and Shiro aren’t related by blood, how he had it rough before Shiro found him. About adopting his dog from a shelter. Little things, too - Keith hates spicy food, is ambidextrous, and is a crossfit trainer. Lance files away all these little bits of information like precious treasure and goes to sleep with them bouncing around his brain.

The next morning, they head to the garage to film. Shiro doesn’t do an intro, still looking sort of tired, but assures that he can do a voice-over later. Lance and Keith trade camera duty as they work on the old chopper. It’s in bad shape and Keith has to bust out the welding equipment at one point. Lance swallows hard and tries to keep the camera steady because that shouldn’t be hot. Keith in a welding mask with a torch shouldn’t be hot but wow. Lance is definitely in trouble here.

They film for hours until Shiro says he’s too tired to keep going, then they pack up and head back to the house. Lance helps cook dinner and Shiro looks relieved, saying that he and Keith can’t cook very well outside of barbecue. They sit around the table and Lance can’t believe he’s there, in Shiro’s kitchen, trading stories with him and his brother like they’re old friends. A few months ago they seemed so untouchable, like celebrities that he looked up to. Now Shiro is laughing so hard he snorts at a story that Lance is telling him. Lance catches Keith’s eye a few times, smiling when he does.

Lance has to head back on Monday morning, and Shiro pulls him into a hug. It has Lance sputtering a little before he hugs back. Shiro whispers a thank you and it’s so sincere and heartfelt that Lance feels his eyes water a little. Keith just clasps his hand, squeezing it tight. No hug, but the look he gives Lance says a million things that he’ll have to sort out later.

For the drive home, Lance puts on his Florence + The Machine playlist and sings until his throat is sore, so happy he feels like his heart could burst.

.

Continued in part 3!

[draconida]

Shance Fic Recs

Well, while I was in my AO3 profile, I realized how many bookmarks I have! So I've decided to make fic recommendation lists.   [This list will have other parts, and I include fics with Kuro and Sven]

1- Black to Blue by PuppetMaster55

Lance, the undisputed (no longer, since he finally got the team to stop questioning his position like a month ago) leader of Voltron finds himself in the absolute strangest scenario: being the Blue Paladin.

Lance, still finding his place on team Voltron, wakes up to the weirdest world: one where he's the Black Paladin.

OR, I take a universe where Lance was always the Black Paladin and have him swap bodies with canon Lance, throwing both sets of teams for a trip.

[This fic is the beginning of a series in process, super recommended]

2- Black & Blue by starboyshiro (this author writes a lot of love to Shiro)

“Something wrong, babe? Did you have a bad day or something?” Shiro asks, plopping down on the couch next to Lance.

“Nothing happened, I'm just looking at all of these cute cats thinking about how much I want one, but can't have one.” Lance frowns, resting his head on Shiro's shoulder as he continues to scroll through Instagram.

Shiro can't stand to see his boyfriend upset. That's been a proven fact since Day One of their relationship. It's only natural that when Lance mentions his disappointment at never owning a cat, Shiro goes above and beyond to cheer him up…

3- I Fold by starboyshiro [Explicit]

“Do you even know who I am?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“Most people around here do.”

An intense poker game turns into a rather steamy night. Can this scrawny grad student handle the force of the famous journalist Takashi Shirogane?

4- Is That A Bowl Of Popcorn In Your Lap Or Are You Just Happy To See Me? by munchiesafterdark [Explicit]

“How many bags should I do?” Shiro called, waving the four unopened packs in his hand at Lance questioningly.

“I think two should be fine,” Lance shrugged. “We can always pop more if… we…” He trailed off, train of thought vacating the station as Shiro turned his back to him to put the remaining packs of popcorn into the cabinets. His hips swayed to an unheard rhythm, defined muscles flexing as he reached up and slid the popcorn into place on the top shelf. Lance’s eyes trailed down to the V of his back, the sweats hanging low enough for him to spot the curve of his round ass. Yet another anomaly of those pants was the manner in which they accentuated his bottom while still remaining baggy around his legs.

The obnoxious ding of the microwave nearly startled Lance out of his skin. His shift on the couch must have been audible, Shiro raised a brow at him over his shoulder, a cocky smirk crossing his lips as he leaned over to retrieve the finished bag of popcorn.

Fuck, he was toying with him! Well, two could play that game!

5- Nasty Smoothie by strawberrylovely

Lance works in a smoothie shop. Twice a week, a certain customer comes in and orders a nasty smoothie. Lance is head over heels.

6- A Hit and A Miss (tletoe) by strawberrylovely

Basically, Lance goes to a party with Hunk and blows his friend a kiss. However, he wasn’t expecting the cute stranger standing in front of Hunk to think the kiss was for him.

7- you should let me (love you) by godsensei

There’s something in the bathtub. Suddenly, Lance is pissed at his past self for watching so many horror movies with creepy shower scenes. He’s certainly too young and beautiful to die like this, right?

Right, totally.

He hesitates, but creeps forward, peeking slowly behind the curtain.

Hm. There’s a hot guy in there.

8- just call me daddy by proletaricat [Explicit and omegaverse]

It's the typical a/b/o story - someone's off their suppressants, surprise heats, bam sex! Except this time Lance escapes capture with the help of Hunk and Shiro has to apologize for his behavior later, interrupting Lance in the middle of his Altean telenovela. Then they bang. It's... it's basically just a PWP with daddy kink and knotting.

9- Sometimes Playing Around with the Occult Can Turn Out Well (Like... REALLY well) by gorgawesome [Explicit]

Lance had the best costume prepared for this Halloween Party. He was totally gonna slay and finally get laid for the first time in MONTHS!

Except it's Halloween Night and he's stuck looking after the family bookstore, because local robberies or something. Honestly? He was too busy pouting to be listening.

Can an awful, boring night turn for the better? Yes. Yes, it can.

10- I found religion between your thighs by KillTheDirector [in process]

He had been topside for over four decades, enjoying the freedom he never had down in the pit. Routines were established then broken then reestablished, but Shiro abided by them because that’s what kept him alive.

Then he met a witch that was more suited to being an incubus than him.

11- One Symbol Off by Silas_Writes [Explicit]

anonymous whispered: Incubus/succubus shiro and witch lance use summoning circles and potions inappropriately

12- To Seduce the Seducer by singtolife [Explicit]

At a college party, Shiro meets Lance, and they hit it off immediately. Only to find out after they have sex that this amazingly sexy guy was a little too good to be true.

13- Blue Skies in Stockholm by Shanced [Explicit, non-con and Kuro]

Lance gets captured by Shiro (who was fused with Kuro by Haggar) and the rest is self indulgent kinky sex. Lance gets raped and wrecked by Shiro and develops Stockholm syndrome, or the likes of it, Shiro can apparently unfuse with Kuro and they have a really good time.

14- Treadmill by kitausu

At 2 minutes of torture in, Lance heard the buzz/click noise of someone’s electronic key activating and opening the door to the gym. And of course, because this was Lance’s life, Hunk had pushed him onto a treadmill with a mirror right in front, affording him an absolutely stunning view of the man walking through the door.

Had Lance loved till now? He was pretty sure that he had never even felt an emotion before seeing the beautiful male specimen reflected beside his face in the mirror.

or, Lance waxes poetic about Shiro's everything, and Hunk set it all up in the first place.

15- Black & Blue & Red All Over by thesynapticsnap

When Lance shows up to the gym with a limp and covered in bruises, Shiro assumes the worst (spoiler: It’s nothing bad! Nor anything kinky, surprisingly).

16- Car Door Blues by ShiekahKami

Shiro never would have expected that accidentally knocking that cute guy out could change his life for the better.

17- Give It a Shance by YonaDawn [in process]

The domestic life of Shance. At least until they become Twitter and Youtube famous. Then it's a wild domestic life.

18- Bowling for Balls? by EllaAniMine

They were just supposed to be bowling... It was harmless fun, or it was supposed to be.

Lance thought he was being funny, but a message that was supposed to be a joke was sent, and now Lance isn't laughing.

19- llévame si quieres by kalakauuas

Shiro takes his dogs to the park and meets the world’s cutest uncle and his niece.

"Lance and his little niece, petting Shiro’s dog, looking soft and serene; it’s like nothing could ever be truly wrong in the world if this is able to happen. What Shiro wouldn’t give to have this sight in front of him over and over again. He scratches Sirius behind the ears, and gets a reassuring lick in return as an act of solidarity. You’ve got this. Man’s best friend, for real."

20- (Mg,Fe2+)2(Mg,Fe2+)5Si8O22(OH)2 by starboyshiro

Lance and Shiro decided to expand their little family and adopt a dog. What they name him is rather questionable.

21- You're Worth More by AbandonedLibrary

Lance wanted to prove his pod his worth after that jackass rolo came in with black pearls in hand.

As the pearl expert in the group he needed to keep his name sake.

Though... Lance learned there are things worth more than pretty pearls.

22- Curiosity Caught a Cat by c0cunt

Shiro has been distancing himself from his friends and family for a long time. All he really has now is Matt's cat, Zekrom. At least, until a man crashes into his balcony to pet his cat.

23- Head Over Heels by saecchii [Kemonomimi and Explicit]

Shiro gains a new roommate, who he is absolutely smitten with.

24- Stray Cats by kitausu

Lance is really enamored with the cute guy who keeps coming into his pet store and buying WAY too much cat food.

or, Shiro moves into a new apartment and sees how many strays there are in the parking lot and just HAS to feed them.

25- Kiss the Bees by kitausu

Lance is smitten with the beekeeper next door.

26- BlueVoice by kitausu [Explicit]

Lance runs a relatively popular voice RP blog and one day hears his own voice coming out of the headphones of the really hot guy next to him at the gym.

27- Change of Plans by kitausu

When Shiro is left at the alter, he decides to go on his honeymoon alone. Enter Lance, the man Shiro had hired to take him and his would-be bride on a month long tour of Europe.

28- To The Grooms by AChapterCanBeABook

There is no better way to celebrate the best day of your life than reminiscing with the people who you love the most and who have been with you through nearly every step in your life. Let's not forget a little bit of embarrassment which goes along with best men speeches, especially if your best man is your brother and the other best man is his accomplice in this whole thing. nevertheless, it doesn't fail in livening up a wedding as well as making in just that much more sentimental.

29- Tell the Truth by thesynapticsnap

Lance is bitten by a 'love bug', turning him into a blushing, stammering mess around his crush- Shiro. Shiro helps him deal with the negative side effects, learning more about Lance's crush and considering his own feelings as they talk.

30- Guess Again by thesynapticsnap

Keith confronts Lance about something he witnessed during a team mind-melding exercise…too bad he’s got the wrong culprit.

31- Smooth by thesynapticsnap

Lance’s first meeting with Shiro doesn’t go as planned – it turns out so much better than he expected.

32- Blind Date by kitausu

“What’s the crisis? I thought you had a blind date? Didn’t go well?”

Lance wailed, collapsing into the couch with a dramatic sigh.

“Yesss, Hunk. He’s too handsome. He’s just so hot. You would not believe what he did to me. I still can’t believe it.”

or, Lance goes on a blind date and can't handle how hot Shiro is.

33- SandMan by Might_suck_but_thats_ok

Shiro goes on a blind date with Lance.

34- Lucky by zombiegardener

Shiro accidentally tells Keith that he's dating one of his frenemies from high school over a Saturday morning phone call, because how is this his life?

35- Boundaries by zombiegardener

It's really hard to keep a relationship secret when you're making out in the middle of a hallway.

36- beauty queen on the silver screen (living life like i'm in a dream) by heavenlyrare

What do you give to someone who already holds the world in their palms?

OR

The sweaters Shiro’s mom knits him every Christmas actually serves a greater purpose for once.

37- Text Me by strawberrylovely

Shiro, trying to get away from two girls who won't stop flirting with him, sits down next to a stranger who he pretends is his boyfriend. The stranger, who has pretty blue eyes, goes along with it.

38- Undateable by strawberrylovely

Lance just wishes someone would date him. Shiro offers to do just that.

39- Black Friday by strawberrylovely

Lance is gonna get that stand mixer. Unless of course a handsome stranger gets to it first.

40- Midnight Tradition by strawberrylovely

Lance goes to a New Years party and meets a guy named Shiro. They may be strangers, but they kiss at midnight anyway. After the party, Lance doesn’t think he’ll ever see Shiro again. That is until the next New Years party when the two meet again and a tradition starts.

Parts 1 / 2 / 3

[demiboydemon]

Adashi Headcanons

* Shiro and Adam met in their first year at the Garrison, when they were still cadets. They were assigned to be roommates.

* Adam’s first thought when he saw Shiro was ‘Oh no. He a stronk boi.’

* Shiro’s first thought when he saw Adam was ‘I wish I could do my eyeliner as good as that cute emo guy.’

* When Adam was younger, he was emo. Very angsty, very black-wearing, very eyeliner, very ‘no one understands me ugh’.

* He claims he was scene, not emo, but Shiro says they’re the same thing.

* Adam insists they’re completely different.

* Even before they’re dating, Adam is the only one who calls Shiro ‘Takashi’.

* It makes Shiro feel safe and happy.

* Shiro, Matt, and Adam were flight partners and best friends. Matt sometimes got tired of Adam and Shiro not realizing their feelings for each other, but mostly it was funny to watch how oblivious his friends were.

* ‘Shiro, I swear, if you don’t confess your feelings to Adam, I’m going to tell everyone about your dick piercing.’

* ‘Matt, I don’t have a dick piercing.’

* ‘That won’t stop me from spreading the rumor, honey.’

* Adam ended up being the one to confess first, though.

* It was not elegant.

* What happened is that Shiro stuffed a ton of cheese puffs in his mouth and Adam was immediately like ‘You’re very cute and I like you’

* Shiro got diagnosed with his muscular disease about a year in to their relationship. He was desolated that his life wasn’t going to be a long one.

* Adam was by his side as soon as he was told Shiro was sick.

* Adam comforted Shiro as he cried.

* Adam gets glasses about 6 months after that.

* ‘You’re even more gorgeous now that I can see you properly.’

* Adam chews on the tips of his glasses when he’s nervous.

* Shiro and Adam both get jobs at the Garrison after they graduate. They live together in an apartment on Garrison grounds.

* Shiro proposed.

* He had planned it to be sweet and romantic, but the plan went out the window when Shiro told a bad joke and Adam smiled at it. It was such a cute smile, Shiro was just like ‘Marry me please?’

* Adam and Shiro adopted a cat, and named him Broccoli.

* They got Keith when he was 10, after he stole Shiro’s car.

* Shiro brought Keith home, but Adam was actually the one to suggest fostering Keith, after he saw how much Shiro cared about him. Plus, they had been thinking about fostering for a while now.

* Seeing Shiro happy made him happy, and after less than a day, Adam loved Keith, too.

* The deal was, Keith would live with them on breaks and weekends and live at the Garrison during school days

* Keith also hung out at their house a lot after school, because his roommate was an ‘annoying assface’

* Adam is a great cook. Shiro is...... not as talented, to say the least.

* He once accidentally lit ramen noodles on fire and blew up the Garrison teacher’s lounge microwave.

* Adam thought it was hilarious. It was less hilarious when they had to buy a new microwave.

* It’s true that Adam didn’t want Shiro to go to Kerberos, but they didn’t break up.

* They stayed together until the ‘pilot error’ on Kerberos, when Shiro ‘died’

* Adam was devastated for a few weeks, but then he started seeing holes in the Garrison’s story.

* He helped Pidge sneak into the Garrison because he thought the whole scenario was pretty suspicious.

* Iverson: How did a little girl infiltrate a top notch military base with no help from the inside? Adam: No idea.

* When Keith got expelled, Adam told him he could live with him, even though Shiro was gone. Keith just ran away into the desert. Adam put in a police report for a missing teen, but they couldn’t find him.

* Adam was overjoyed when he found out Shiro was back on Earth. He was mad when he found out he flew back into space in a blue robot lion.

* Adam didn’t 100% understand what a ‘blue robot lion’ was, but the officer who told him was equally confused, so Adam didn’t ask too many questions.

* You know those videos everyone sent with Sam to give to their families?

* Shiro’s was to Adam.

* Adam didn’t listen to the video immediately. He didn’t want it to be over, and once he watched it, it would be done.

* But eventually he watched it.

* It made him cry.

* His poor fiancé, captured in space, forced to fight other prisoners in the arena.

* When the paladins arrive back on Earth, Adam was one of the people to welcome the lions.

* When Shiro and Keith (And also a purple lady? And a wolf?) stepped out of the black lion, Adam couldn’t help himself. He didn’t care if he got in trouble or broke protocol.

* He ran toward Shiro.

* Shiro saw Adam almost immediately after he walked out of the lion. He looked like he did the last time Shiro saw him, just with another stripe on his uniform, a few grey hairs, and bags under his eyes.

* Their eyes met and Shiro started running toward Adam, too.

* When they met in the middle, Shiro picked up Adam and spun him around.

* ‘Adam... I- I missed you so much. I’m so, so sorry, I never should have left, I-‘

* Adam kisses him.

* ‘You don’t need to be sorry, Takashi. I’m sorry, and I missed you, too.’

* When the paladins caught the Garrison up on everything, Adam and Shiro sat next to each other and held hands.

* Shiro’s even more buff/strong than he was before Kerberos, which Adam is definitely excited about 😏

* And once he gets a new robot arm...

* Shiro definitely likes it when Adam calls him ‘Captain’.

* And after Shiro gets promoted to Admiral, he likes when Adam calls him that, too.

* Adam drives Shiro to therapy for his PTSD.

* ‘I can drive myself, Love.’

* ‘Over my dead body, Takashi.’

* Shiro has a lot of nightmares about his time in space.

* Adam is always there for him as a shoulder to cry on and a person to cuddle.

* Adam’s usually the little spoon, but if Shiro has a bad dream, he has no problem switching.

* Adam loves stealing Shiro’s way-too-big hoodies.

* Keith is Shiro’s best man at their wedding.

* Adam’s is Matt.

* Coran officiates the wedding.

* After the war is completely over and the universe is at peace, Shiro and Adam adopt a bunch of alien kids whose biological parents died in the war.

* They’ve never been happier.

[ambivalentangst]

Everything as It Should Be

Mhmm yeah okay so there’s something I gotta say,,, , I love @voldsomt-sor with all of my big, mushy heart and it’s their birthday!!!! UwU!!!!! As a result I’ve prepared a lil post-season seven birthday gift for you using number thirty on this list and platonic shance, as requested. I hope you like it—happy birthday babe!!!!!

Shiro finds Lance in the Garrison cafeteria at approximately three thirty in the morning. This is concerning for a number of reasons, the most prevalent to Shiro at the moment being that Lance insists on getting as much sleep as possible. At times, Shiro gets frustrated with Lance—when a joke goes too far, when his flirtatious grin makes an appearance at an inopportune time, but he never really wants him to change. If it was a fluke, simply one sleepless night, Shiro would be less worried. If Lance didn’t have purple bags smudged under his eyes, if his normally radiant complexion didn’t look a little grey, it would be fine. As it is, he edges his way into the kitchen with purposeful, loud steps to announce his entrance.

Lance startles, head swiveling side to side before landing on Shiro, who pretends he can’t see the flash of light indicative of a bayard’s presence. His memories of when he wasn’t around are hazy and don’t lend him any answers when his mind races, wondering when Lance took on that kind of hypervigilance. Lance smiles, lips stretched unnaturally thin over his pearly teeth.

Shiro waves, though the action is uncertain, faltering. He’d come for some instant noodles after skipping dinner in favor of meetings with Garrison personnel, and his stomach was demanding to be filled. “Hey, Lance. What are you doing here?”

It’s just the two of them. The isolation, once so common in the sprawling grounds of the castle, bothers Shiro like a cat having its fur rubbed the wrong way.

Lance shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep. Needed to walk a little. Got tired of that, and ended up here.” Despite the clipped sentences, he’s forcing warmth into the explanation, doing his best to keep whatever is bothering him away from Shiro.

At least he doesn’t appear to be lying. Shiro makes himself think of that as a positive. He abandons his original quest, coming to sit across the table from Lance. “I get that. You doing okay?”

Lance starts in flippantly. “Nah, just couldn’t sleep like I—”

“Lance, you know that’s not what I asked.”

Lance’s mouth screws up, eyes darting back and forth in a frantic search for an escape. Shiro doesn’t like the feeling it gives him, knowing Lance doesn’t want to talk with him. When had that happened? Lance talks and talks and talks even when he shouldn’t, so why now is he stalling?

“Look, I know things aren’t the same, I’m not your black paladin anymore, but we’re still friends, aren’t we? You can trust me.”

Lance’s stare is quick to flit to Shiro, full of warning and a little bit of pain he doesn’t understand. Just as soon, it settles back on the table, a finger tracing a scuff in the metal of it. “Things just haven’t been sitting well with me, recently. It’s all been so much.”

Shiro nods. Okay, overexertion. That’s simple enough. “You know you can take a few days off, right? Go see your family, really be with them. We’re okay right now—none of us will blame you.”

Lance’s hands grip the table, stopping their fidgeting. One of the bulbs overhead is flickering a little. Shiro is way past thinking the effect it gives is ominous. Rather, the shadows it casts on Lance’s face just make him look sad.

“It’s not that kind of much.”

The words are spat at Shiro, tickets from an arcade game he hadn’t expected to do so well on. He fumbles for a moment, scooping them up from the floor. When they’re safely tucked in his pocket, he tries again. “Okay.” He thinks and decides that last time, he rushed into things. He goes slower, tries harder to understand. “Okay,” he repeats. “Then what kind of much is it?” Lance doesn’t usually talk like this, using phrases that dance around the mind and one has to consider the weight of. Shiro’s concern grows.

“I could handle it, was handling it. I mean, your—whatever it was, I guess—didn’t like me much, but I could handle that. Now, it’s just—”

A sound of frustration, hands flexing with it. “It’s not right. I know I’m where I’m supposed to be, but, I don’t think Keith really thinks so.” There’s an ashamed, almost fearful look that follows the admission like he’s waiting to be told off, to have Shiro not take his side.

Shiro and Keith have never tried to hide their closeness, and he hides a wince at how that’s coming back to bite him. “Go on,” Shiro encourages softly, wishing he was on Lance’s side of the table to comfort him physically.

“I know he’s stressed. He doesn’t like Earth much and he misses Krolia. Being the black paladin is a lot, anyway, but he—I don’t know. It’s probably stupid but it’s like—like, what? You think you’re the only one suffering? Before he left with the blades we talked,” Lance doesn’t say about what, “and I thought we were cool, but now he’s different. We’re supposed to be a team, and it’s not working like it used to. He’s not as nice, and I wish things could back to how they were.”

Lance looks up at Shiro, bracing himself to be told he’s wrong, that he’s exaggerating. Shiro can see it in the strain of his shoulders, that Lance has convinced himself it’s dumb. He mulls over what’s been said, allows it for a split second. He’s glad Keith has grown and, truthfully, he doesn’t know any of what’s been going on with him and Lance. He’s been gone. This gap in his knowledge, the lack of direction he’s left with, hurts more than he thought it would. He would like to think that Keith isn’t doing it on purpose. No matter what’s an accident and what’s not though, Lance is hurting. Shiro may not be the leader anymore, but he can’t allow that either.

He reaches forward, ignoring the painful jab of the table into his stomach to take Lance by the shoulders. “It’s not stupid, Lance. Anything that has you feeling like this needs to be addressed. How long has this been bothering you?”

Lance shrugs. Shiro doesn’t pry, just tries to sort out what to do. He’ll have to have Keith and Lance talk, definitely, and oh godwhat a mess that’ll be. He’ll have to ask the others if they’ve noticed anything strange there, but first and foremost, Lance. He’s sitting in front of him baring his vulnerabilities, expecting to be shot down. It’s a good thing Shiro’s always been good at defying expectations.

He forgoes actually getting up and going around the table between them, sliding over it to sit next to Lance in one smooth motion. Shiro can physically feel the stress leave Lance’s body as he slumps against him, head pressed into his chest.

“It’s not stupid,” he tells him again. They’ve never been all that close in the scheme of things, but that’s not going to stop Shiro from giving Lance the comfort he needs. He’s his teammate, his friend, his family.

Lance doesn’t end up saying anything more.

Maybe it’s because he’s afraid the little sniffles he’s making into Shiro’s shirt will carry through to his voice, maybe after confessing something he was so scared of he’s truly run out of words. It doesn’t really matter. The grip he holds on Shiro expresses his thanks in a way they’re both on the same page about. That, if nothing else, settles into its proper place.

[leiyahime]

Advent 2018: Day 09 - Chestnuts/I don’t want to go home

Childhood AU: Keith doesn’t like living with his foster family. Thank god there is his close friend Shiro!

Day 09: Chestnuts/I don’t want to go home

 The day came to an end. The sun was about to set but the boy didn’t care. He sat at the playground. Alone. As he had been most of the afternoon. The other children who had been here today with their parents had already left. His foster mom brought him here and expected him to return when he was hungry. He was hungry, but he didn’t really like it at home. He knew his foster mom cared more about the younger girl she and her husband had taken in a year ago.

He had his chestnuts and played with them. He wanted to build animals with them as they had done at school, but his foster mom didn’t want him to do anything that produced any form of dirt.

 “Keith?” A well-known voice caught his attention.

 “Shiro!”

 “Shouldn’t you be home?”

 “I don’t wanna go home…” Keith said and greeted Rover, the Labrador mix Shiro often took for a walk. The dog barked and wagged its tail, happy to see him.

 “Again?” The four years older boy asked worriedly.

 Keith nodded. “She brought us here and then left with Nyma when I didn’t wanna go with them.”

 Shiro crouched down to be on Keith’s eye level. “I see. Shall I drop a message and you stay with us tonight? It’s weekend after all!”

 He nodded without much hesitation.

 Shiro took out his phone and wrote a text message to Keith’s foster mom.

 “Can we take the chestnuts with us?” Keith asked.

 “Do you wanna build a zoo with them?” Shiro’s eyes started to sparkle.

 “YES! A whole zoo!!” Keith found that idea even better than his own of just a few animals.

 “Then let’s do this! But then we need more chestnuts. Let’s collect them on our way home!”

 The two boys got up and started their way home. Shiro called to inform everyone that he would bring Keith along.

 Six-year old Keith and his friend picked up chestnuts under every tree they found until they couldn’t carry any more. They laughed and joked with each other no one could assume that both of them were through so much in their young lives.

They had been in the same orphanage and had become close friends there. And then Shiro had been taken in by his foster family and the contact broke. But after Keith had found his own foster family they had met again at this playground.

By then Shiro’s foster family, the Holts, had officially adopted him because he went along so well with everyone. He and his siblings Matt and Katie were close friends and Keith had first envied him for that. But since they were also nice to him and let him come over whenever he wanted that envy had long gone and he loved playing with them!

 They didn’t even make it home alone, when Colleen Holt, Shiro’s new mother, came to them and held out a plastic bag. Shiro had told her about their plans. They filled the chestnuts into the bag and collected even more together.

The sun had set when they arrived home and Colleen sent them up to wash their hands.

 They went to Shiro’s and Matt’s room where the other boy was sitting over his studies but looked up.

 “Ah, a well-known voice. Hi Keith! How are you? Will you stay the night?” he asked.

 “I’m okay. Yes. You wanna make a chestnut zoo with us? Pidge can join in, too!”

 “Yeah! I’ll go get her!”

 So the four of them spent their evening creating their zoo only interrupted by their dinner, but then they immediately continued. They made elephants and giraffes and lions and tigers and horses and dogs and cats and everything they could think of.

 When it was time for bed, Keith got into the pyjamas he had always here and crawled into Shiro’s bed as he always did, when he slept here. He loved the older boy so much and was glad to have him as his best friend. When he felt Shiro’s arms around him he could always sleep the best!

[bestestbird]

Type O - Part 7

Part 1, Part 6

Get ready for some mishmashed old timey slang :D

-

-

Shiro lifted the phone to his ear, illuminating the side of his face, and replied, "hey, it's Shiro. I've got a bit of a... situation." His eye's strayed between the heads and Keith.

 "Oooh boy." The line said, and Keith could just about make out the voice on the other end. It sounded male, with an accent he couldn’t place. "You've got a situation. Not sure I want to hear about this."

 A smile slipped onto the edge of Shiro's mouth, and he said, "yeah, well, good news, I got those blood junkies that were haunting the roads."

 “Well you can’t say that’s not the cat’s pyjamas.” What on earth did that mean? “Alive I hope, new rules, and all that malarkey,” the voice sounded pleased, jovial even, and Shiro’s smile became fond in response, like the officer’s disregard for the law was an old joke.

 “Yes, alive-.”

 “Just checking,” the voice quickly cut in, “You’ve had incidents in the past, and it costs us a lot of money to put them in pine overcoats.” That earned an eyeroll, but there must have been some truth to whatever it was they were saying because Shiro kept his mouth shut on the matter. “We’ll send some fella’s out, but where’s the snag? You said it was a situation, unless that means something good now. New slang? I’m trying to keep up.”

 “No, no,” Shiro was near laughing now, “we’ve got the traditional kind of situation, but there’s not a lot traditional about it.”

 “Stop confusing me,” the voice grumbled. Shiro glanced to Keith, and his smile faltered.

 “I've got a baby vampire out here with no Sire," he finally admitted, and the line was silent.

 Then they asked, “how baby?”

 Shiro grimaced, phone light highlighting the shadows of his face, making his frown appear deeper, “two months.”

 Keith could practically see the sharp intake of breath from the noise on the phone, "hoooo, someone’s going to be up the shit creek."

 “Yeah,” Shiro shot him an apologetic look, before adding, “and they're an Omega."

 "No." The other end breathed, unbelieving.

 Shiro nodded even though the other person couldn't see him, "yeah."

 There was a beat where neither of them spoke.

 "Fuck a duck, we'll be right there."

 “We’re not going anywhere.” Shiro answered, and the called ended. To Keith he said, “they’ll be here soon.”

“That pretty much the only thing I understood from that conversation.”

Shiro chuckled, “yeah, Coran’s been around a long time, and he likes being hip, that’s the right word isn’t it?”

 "Close enough," Keith replied, finally able to smile. It was wan, but after the rest of the night just being able to do it felt like a miracle. Shiro was smiling back, his face no longer illuminated by the phone as it had automatically switched off.

 There was only so long they could sit there smiling at each other, and eventually their gazes dropped. Keith could see Shiro looking around, thinking, but he couldn't bring himself to do the same. It might mean having to look at the heads, or their bodies, which he wasn't ready for yet.

 "Hungry?" Shiro asked whilst Keith had been counting the cracks in the concrete. It made him jump as the night was pure silence, no birds or crickets to be heard. He didn't like the implications of the question as the only blood-filled things here were him and bodies.

  Shiro was standing, patting down his legs, and then his ass when he continued, "I'd offer you my arm, but these guys pretty much drained me dry, so yeah, I'm hungry too. There's some blood bags in my car." He nodded his head in its direction, waiting for Keith to answer. Keith copied his motion, up and down.

-

-

Next part is already written, but it was too long to put all in one post. I’ll put in out in about 6 hours :)

Part 8

[akira-mess]

My hero

This was inspired by @lightningstrikes-art awesome art of Keith and Shiro as kids, this one and this one!

KeithxShiro / 1621 words / Ao3 / Chapter 3 of ??? /prev chapter

Age 6

His little feet were moving anxiously as his eyes were wandering between the clock on the wall and the teacher in front of him. He just couldn't wait anymore, he wanted the class to end fast, he wanted to go back to Keith's house and maybe play with him?

After what happened the day before, he decided that he was going to become Keith friend, and it wasn’t because someone had asked him to, at that point he didn’t care about the promise he made to his mother and to Keith’s dad; but instead, he was doing it because he wanted to.

He wanted to become his friend so that Keith wouldn’t be lonely, he didn’t want him to cry anymore.

It was the first time that he got such a wish to protect someone that he didn’t even know.

Come on! He thought excited as his little feet moved even faster, just a few more minutes and classes would be over, his eyes completely glued to the clock by that point. Come ooon!

Five more minutes, four more minutes.

When there were only three more minutes left, it was as if time stopped flowing, every second felt like an eternity.

“Takashi,” his friend, who was sitting next to him, poked his arm, “we’re going to play at the park today, do you wanna come?” He whispered under the vigilant eyes of their teacher. “Everyone is coming!”

And as soon as his classmate finished his sentence, the bell of the school ranged; on the background, he heard what he thought was his teacher telling them that they could leave, but he didn't pay much attention. "I can't go." He answered quickly, as he jumped down his chair, grabbed his little backpack and left his class in a rush.

Along the way, he heard his classmates calling his name and one or two teachers telling him not to run in the hallways; in another moment he would have listened to the teachers, but this time instead of listening to what they’re saying like the good superhero he was, he only sped up.

His mind was completely filled with the mission at hand: getting to Keith’s home as soon as he could.

 Age 5

On a normal day, he would have eaten some breakfast and at the time he would be sitting on his porch seeing the people walk by. Back at his old town, some of the old ladies would drop by and give him some sweets, he didn't really talk to them, but he always accepted their food; be it that they did it out of their own volition or that they did it because his father asked them to, he didn't mind, if he wanted to be healthy he had to eat, right?

A sick body would only bring trouble to his father.

But that wasn't a normal day, to begin with.

Just as his little hand had gotten hold of the knob of the door, he remembered the whole mess that happened the day before, how he had cried in front of that weird kid, how he had said more than he should, how that kid said that he would come back…

In an instant, he froze. Is he… going to come today? He could deal with the old ladies coming to give him food, he could deal with the kids that came to make fun of him, but when he had to deal with such a straight-forward person…

His free hand clench around his clothes, his little chubby face showing a conflicted expression. There was no way was there? Why would someone come back just to see him?

It took him a few more minutes to finally convince himself that that kid wasn't going to come, and while he felt just a little disappointed, he only pushed those thoughts at the back of his head. He won’t come. He thought decisively as his little hand turned the knob to the side.

But at the moment he was going to open the door, some quick steps could be heard at the distance, and they only kept on coming closer and closer. In his empty and quiet house, only the sounds of his heart beating faster could be heard.

Is that… He couldn’t even finish his own thoughts when a cheerful voice called out to him from the outside.

 Age 6

“Keith!” He called happily as soon as he reached the other’s house.

Unlike the day before he was met with a closed door, but he didn’t pay no mind to it and instead, he only sat at the porch (the same place in where Keith was sitting the day before), took out one of his superhero’s comics out of his bags and opened it up.

"I'm going to be here if you want to play, okay?" He added with a big smile, and behind him, the door that was just a little opened was closed completely. But more than feeling angry at the action, Takashi only smiled even more.

That meant that Keith was behind the door, right? Could it be that he was waiting for him to come?

“I’ll wait for you!”

His mother once told him that if he wanted to approach someone he had to do it slowly, he had to win their trust and make them comfortable, he couldn't pressure them into being friends with him right away. Of course, his mother told him that regarding one of the stray kittens that were born in the park, but thanks to that he managed to become friends with them and he even managed to adopt one of the kittens—a black and white cat that he proudly named "Black".

Even if that advice from his mother was about cat, he had the feeling that it could also apply to Keith, both he and Black when she was a kitten were quite similar, the two of them ran away as soon as they saw him, they were really cautious of him and they were both really cute!

And so, just like with Black, he would give Keith his space until he warmed up to him. If it worked on a little kitten, then it would work with Keith, right?

Happily, he continued reading until it was dinner time, and just then he put back his book, got up and turned back to see the closed door.

“I’ll come back tomorrow!” He promised.

And he did, every single day after his classes ended he would go back to Keith's house and he would sit on the porch. One day he read some comics books, the other he would finish his homework, some others he would play some video games, occasionally his mother would bring him some snacks—one for him, and one in a little box for Keith— and she would only chuckle at him before going back.

Between all that, a week passed by. He didn’t manage to see Keith directly, but he knew he was there.

Sometimes he would hear him laugh because of a joke he read out loud, when he couldn’t pass a level in one of his games, Keith would slide one of the guidebooks he had under the door and he always left the cleaned boxes that contain the snacks his mother made him outside the door, with a little “thanks” scribbled on a piece of paper.

It was little things here and there, but he was really happy.

He wasn't sure how long things would be like that, but to his surprise, one day in where he sat down on the porch, as usual, things changed.

“I’m here, Keith!” He greeted happily, he didn’t pay much attention to the slightly open door and instead, he busied himself with getting his console out of his bag. “I brought some chocolate today, do you want some?” He spoke to Keith from time to time like that, he has never gotten a direct answer, but sometimes Keith would slide a paper under the door with an answer to his questions.

That day he patiently stared at the door ready to slide some of his chocolate bars under it. But instead of a paper sliding under it, what he found was a pair of eyes staring at him, followed by a chubby face and finally the little boy was outside.

“Don’t you… get tired…?” Keith asked, his eyes looking at the floor, and his little hands holding the same purple plushy he saw the first time.

“Keith!” He repeated happily, a big smile adorning his face. I did it! Of course, in his excitement, he had forgotten to pay attention to what the boy was saying.

And that earned him a puzzled look from Keith, but he didn’t mind, at least he was finally looking at him! “You… Erm…”

“Shirogane Takashi!” He pointed to himself, almost bearing with the excitement. “You can call me Takashi!”

But the boy only shook his head, his messy hair looked really fluffy as he did. “Shiro…” He whispered and Takashi was even happier than ever, if Keith was already giving him a nickname, then that meant that they were friends, right? “Why are you…”

“Do you like kittens?” He interrupted Keith almost immediately, he couldn’t let his opportunity go away like that.

“Kittens? What are you…”

"Yes! My cat had some a few days ago, they're really cute! Do you want to see them?" If Keith grew to like one of the kittens then that meant that they would get closer, wouldn't they?

The boy in front of him only looked at him even more puzzled, but after thinking about it for some minutes he finally nodded.

[pain-somnia]

A Gift From The Universe [6/?]

Day’s Note: hello everyone. I usually hate to make these long notes at the top of a chapter but I have to get this off of my chest right before I start this update.

I don’t want anyone reading this story if they have a problem with ShiItaIzu. Exit now if you do. Don’t read my work.

I know there has to be some people that probably read my fics and just ignore them despite the fact that you would be missing out on a huge chunk of the story by doing so and that’s cool. But it’s rude—so rude—to leave a review telling me you find them creepy and that you’ll just skip them. The comment isn’t necessary if you’re trying to tell someone that you like their story. I even said in my notes that I don’t want to hear any negative and bigoted comments about them.

Actual criticism of my writing is expected. I’m not going to please everyone. But telling me that a relationship creeps you out isn’t going to make me stop writing about them. So just stop reading. I wish FF didn’t have that 4 character limit for the tags. This is a ShiItaIzu story just as much as it is a SasuSaku and InoSai story.

For everyone else: sorry to put this block of text on top of this update. Enjoy some more ShiItaIzu on the side of your SasuSaku.

Also this update is dedicated to @gyuppii, Irene, @stelduggery, and @xxxsasusakuxxx, for always indulging me when I go headcanon crazy

FF.NET

first chapter * previous chapter

Chapter Six: Back-Talk

Inuzuka Hana slid into the available seat next to Izumi. The other brunette tutted at her and tapped a finger on her wrist.

“Sorry. My idiot brother ate chocolate again and I had to wait for his medication to start working.” Hana had a way of sounding affectionate while still being annoyed with Kiba.

“When is that kid ever going to remember that he’s allergic to it?” Shisui’s voice came out sounding thick as he had just stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. He had gone ahead and started cooking the meat while they waited for Hana to arrive.

“Hopefully before the next false alarm.” Itachi served the girls some of the more choice grilled meat slices before taking any pieces for himself.

“There was another false alarm?” Hana’s jaw dropped.

“We didn’t head home until the sun was already up,” Izumi let out a large yawn.

Hana patted her shoulder sympathetically. She had been friends with the Uchiha trio long enough to know about how the entire clan would stand vigil whenever their ancient former clan head seemed as though he were about to finally pass away.

The wizened old man was practically senile at this point but it was as if he refused to die.

“Obito-nii was freaking out because he thought Madara had finally croaked but the old man just turned over and asked him for his breakfast and then got up and walked around complaining about how useless his caretaker is.”

Shisui paused in his explanation to stuff more meat into his mouth.

“He called Sasuke Izuna again. I never get tired of that. The little guy just sighs now and peels his tangerines. Doesn’t even grumble about it not being his name anymore.”

“Speaking of Sasuke,” Hana rolled her eyes and let out a breathy laugh, “I heard he’s going to be named rookie of the year.”

“Let me guess,” Izumi examined her nails to try and hide the smug grin creeping onto her face, “Kiba has been complaining about our little guy?”

“Wow, how did you know?” Hana asked sarcastically. She let out a sigh and pouted. “I swear Kiba has ADHD. He could have been rookie of the year if he applied himself.”

Shisui snorted which earned him a glare from Hana. Itachi tried to frown at him but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. Izumi just gave Hana’s shoulder a comforting pat.

“Sasuke is a dork but I wouldn’t have expected anyone else to take that spot.” Shisui leaned back and patted his stomach. “I am stuffed.”

“You ate two thirds of the meat on your own,” Itachi noted. “And all of the pickled daikon.”

“Ita-kun had to fill up on rice because of you,” Izumi scolded Shisui.

“Well maybe you should just cook us up something later. I know Hazuki-san has been teaching you how to cook.”

“That would be nice,” Itachi agreed.

“Come on guys,” Izumi protested, “I’m still terrible at it.”

“I’m sure you’re not that bad. You do everything well.”

“And you probably look super cute in an apron too,” Shisui added with a wink. “Give Itachi a run for his money.”

“Will you three please stop flirting in front of the single mess over here,” Hana feigned a glum tone as she joked.

As she was Izumi’s best friend she was trusted with the status of their relationship. She would have had to have been blind not to notice. Hana always teased Izumi about how she smelled of both boys after any of them came back from a long mission. Izumi’s face would flush red and she would stammer as Hana barked out a laugh at her embarrassment.

“Awww!” Izumi wrapped her arms around Hana and brought her into a tight embrace. “You’ll always be my favorite.”

“Hey!” Shisui turned to Itachi for backup but was ignored by him in favor of drinking his tea.

The girls laughed at him and Izumi slid the bill across to him.

“You did eat the most.”

“Now that’s just mean Izumi.” Hana shook her head and pulled out her wallet. “I’ll pitch in too Shisui.”

“You know what, you’re my favorite too.”

“Hey!”

. .

Ino was digging through Sakura’s bag for a hair brush when she found a neat little carton of the best fruit in the world.

“Yum! My favorite,” Ino chirped pulling out the box of cherry tomatoes. “The perfect snack for break time.”

“Those aren’t for you Ino!” Sakura snatched the box out of her hands.

“If not for me than who?” Ino snatched the box back.

Ino watched as Sakura’s face practically glowed red. Flustered, Sakura averted her gaze and muttered something under her breath. Ino heard her but decided to tease her by pretending she hadn’t.

“Come again?”

“...ke-kun.”

“I’m sorry I still can’t hear a thing you’re saying.”

“Sasuke-kun, okay?” Sakura snatched the carton of tomatoes back. “He got rookie of the year and I wanted to give him something and he doesn’t like sweets.”

“What about my gift? I got top scores too!” Ino pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“But did you get rookie of the year?”

“No,” Ino said glumly, still pouting. Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. Ino was taking this so seriously.

“Fine,” Sakura sighed. “I’ll make you some pudding later.”

“Yay!” Ino threw her arms around her neck. “Now come here so I can get those tangles out of your hair.”

Ino reached back into Sakura’s bag. As she grabbed the brush her hand brushed against a jar. Curious, Ino pulled it out of the bag as well.

“I also made a salve...for burns,” Sakura mumbled. “I use it for burns I get when I work in the shop. I thought I might, I don’t know, give him some?”

Ino stifled a groan. This was what always made her so frustrated with Sakura! She was doing so well with breaking out of her shell but then there were these little clouds of self-doubt and Sakura would draw back into herself.

“Give it to me then.”

“What?”

“Well, I technically helped make the salve. I knew where all of the ingredients you needed could be found.” Ino shrugged. “I could give it to Sasuke-kun. It’s not like he’s any less cute now that I’ve met Sai-kun.”

Sakura’s jade eyes went wide and her jaw dropped open. Her right eye was twitching and it was obvious that Sakura wanted to say something but she was holding back. It was a hilarious sight but laughing would ruin Ino’s little game.

“Don’t you think giving such a practical gift would show Sasuke-kun such a mature side of me?” Ino shook her head slightly to shake out her long ponytail in a flirtatious manner. “Like I’m sure he already knows how gorgeous I am but what a way to remind him of how smart and considerate I am, right?”

“Or pig-headed.”

It was Ino’s turn for her jaw to drop.

Sakura’s pale pink brows were drawn forward in a glare, her round cheeks puffed out and flushed red. It was the angriest look Sakura had ever sent at Ino.

“Pig-headed?”

“Stubbornly draping yourself all over him all of the time and squealing like a little pig despite his obvious discomfort,” Sakura huffed. She puffed her chest out, hands on her hips. “Really attractive Ino, really. Just so appealing.”

Ino scoffed, absolutely insulted. She wanted Sakura to be more honest but not that much.

“I at least do something.” Ino jabbed Sakura’s forehead with her pointer finger. “The brain behind this giant forehead is only good for books but not for real life apparently.”

Sakura sucked air in and puffed her cheeks out more, face turning an even darker shade of red. She snatched the jar out of Ino’s hand and stormed off mumbling under her breath something that sounded like “I’ll show that pig doing something.”

“Finally,” Ino exhaled feeling exhausted. Grabbing her bag she headed into the Academy building.

I can’t believe she called me a pig!

. .

Exhausted as he was, the graduation test was a breeze.

Sasuke packed up his hitai-ate into his pack and stifled a yawn. He was ready to head home and have a cat nap out on the engawa with Shiro and all of the cats.

Naruto had originally wanted to drag him along to celebrate graduation. Sasuke was almost willing to go along with the hyperactive kid. There was a part of him that was relieved that his friend had shaped up enough in the end to graduate, but there was another part of him that wanted to go home and rest.

And there was a bigger part of him that wanted to rush home and show off his new hitai-ate to his family.

He didn’t graduate early like his brother or Izumi. No one graduated early anymore but there was always hope to be the exception just to prove that he could be just as great as Itachi. But he was the top of his class and now officially the youngest shinobi in the Uchiha clan. A shinobi like his loved ones. He finally had the forehead protector that put him one step closer to his older brother’s level.

So he was a little proud of himself.

All he had to do know was get home without being stopped by anymore people trying to congratulate him.

Almost as soon as he thought he was in the clear and was heading down the road that lead to the far side of the village to the Uchiha district someone called out to him.

He would have ignored it and pretended he hadn’t heard of it weren’t for the fact that the voice sounded familiar. A good kind of familiar.

“Sasuke-kun!”

All day it seemed as if Sakura had something she wanted to say to him but couldn’t get the words out. It was such a contradiction to the usual chatter that flowed out of her.

Sasuke slowed to a complete stop to allow her to catch up. He was avoiding everyone but it didn’t seem right to ignore Sakura.

There was also a part of him that was kind of hoping maybe Sakura had come to congratulate him. There was something pleasurable about her acknowledgement that was different than the recognition from that of his family.

It was a kind of pleasure that made the back of his neck heat up and his stomach go light and airy when her eyes sparkled as she beamed up at him.

“Um…”

Sakura’s gaze was averted but there was a pretty bloom of pink flushed on her cheeks. A bashful tuck of her hair behind her ears brought his attention up to the hitai-ate tied on top of her head where her red ribbon was previously.

No more bunny ears…

Sasuke looked at her  expectantly. There was no way she had traveled to the far end of the village just to stand in front of him.

“I, uh, got you something.”

Sakura swung her pack off of her shoulders. For the first time that day Sasuke noticed that it was misshapen, a different sort of bulk than it usually had when it was filled with her books and journals.

“Just to say congrats, you know? It’s really amazing that you got rookie of the year—not that I doubted you would get it! It wasn’t a surprise at all, really…”

Now she was rambling. Sakura did that often but usually it only took a look from him for her to realize she was straying from the point and she would get right on track. But she wasn’t looking at him, keeping her eyes trained on the ground.

“Here!”

Sakura thrust out her arms in front of her. In her hands was a carton of cherry tomatoes and a flat, circular jar.

“It’s an ointment for burns,” Sakura explained. “You favor your katon and well, your forearm protectors don’t really do anything for your cheeks so uh…”

Her voice trailed off and that’s when Sasuke realized he still hadn’t made a move to take the gifts she was offering.

“Thank you,” he said softly, finally taking the gifts.

That was the magic of Sakura.

Naruto was his first friend, fated to be his friend since the day Kushina made that wish, but Naruto didn’t really understand him. They were always at each other’s throats and arguing but that’s just how they were.

Barbaric as it was, they were friends that spoke with their fists.

And then there was Sakura who seemed to be able to get him even with how little he contributed to their conversations in comparison to how much she filled them.

“I hope you find it to be soothing.”

Sakura smiled so sweetly that all Sasuke could do was nod in response. He was the one receiving a gift and yet Sakura was the one that looked overjoyed. It was strange making someone that wasn’t his mother or his brother so happy by doing so little.

It was strange but he wanted to do it again. He swallowed and quickly thought of the first thing that came to mind considering where they were standing.

“We’re pretty close to that senbei shop I told you about. Do you want to—“

“Sasuke!”

Sasuke stiffened at the call of his name. There was no mistaking that voice.

“Hey Little Uchiha!” Shisui ran up to the pair and ruffled Sasuke’s already disheveled feathery hair.

“Cut it out!” Sasuke grit his teeth and elbowed his older cousin. Shisui always had the worst timing. Or convenient timing as it seemed like it was his life mission to embarrass Sasuke whenever possible.

In retaliation for the elbow to his ribs, Shisui placed Sasuke in a headlock.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Sakura-san.”

Sasuke turned as much as he could to see his brother bowing in greeting to Sakura, having missed when she had introduced herself.

“So cute!” Shisui dropped his hold on Sasuke and proceeded to ruffle Sakura’s hair with both hands.

“Shisui!” Sasuke hissed. Normally so polite, Shisui was being overly familiar and rude.

“Hands off the prepubescent girl, Shisui,” Izumi scolded knocking his head with her knuckles.

Hypocrite, Sasuke griped inwardly. She has reacted the same when she first met Sakura.

“I’m pubescent,” he heard Sakura mutter under her breath.

“Izumi is going to make us an early dinner. Would you care to join us?” Itachi smiled pleasantly, holding up the shopping bags in his hands as if they further explained what he meant.

Sasuke choked on air at his brother’s invitation. How did he make everything seem so easy? The words came out so smoothly while they were trapped in his own throat.

“Izumi-nee knows how to cook?” Sakura clasped her hands together in front of her chest, beaming up at the older girl in admiration.

“We’re about to find out,” Shisui answered while giving Izumi a smirk.

“I wish I could but I have to go help my parents in their shop today. I keep running out of allowance.” Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, giving them a sheepish smile. “It was nice meeting you all though. Bye Sasuke-kun, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sakura turned and jogged down the road, her long hair trailing after her. Sasuke was watching her until she turned the corner until he felt the eerie sensation of being watched.

“What?” He glared at his brother’s lovers. They snickered into their hands, not taking him seriously.

Itachi emitted a sigh, causing Sasuke’s head to snap in his direction.

“That’s just too bad, Sasuke. I guess your invitation for senbei would have been turned down as well. Better luck next time.”

“What?”

Sasuke’s cheeks heated up. He didn’t think they were close enough to hear him!

“It’s none of your business!” He snapped at them before marching into the Uchiha district.

“What did I say?” Itachi blinked at his younger brother’s retreating back.

“Don’t worry about it Ita-kun.” Izumi rubbed his upper arm in a comforting manner. “It’s just puberty.”

Shisui cringed at Izumi’s words and held himself tightly.

“May the gods be with us.”

. .

Sakura was wiping down a table when Nara Shikamaru strolled in.

“They’re in the patio,” she answered his unasked question. Besides picking up satchels of his mother’s favorite jasmine tea, Shikamaru was also tasked with locating his father who was most likely hiding in the Haruno’s tea house, playing shogi with Haruno Kizashi.

“I’ll let him play another game. I don’t feel like heading home yet. You free for a round?”

“I can’t play today.” Sakura gestured to the apron she was wearing. “I’m working. Want a cup of tea?”

“Do I gotta pay for it?”

“Nah. I’m in a pretty good mood so it’s on me.”

Sakura went back into the kitchen and prepared some Shui Hsien tea. It was a favorite in the store amongst the villagers that preferred the tea from the far, far away land her mother’s family had immigrated from generations ago.

Brewing tea was Sakura’s favorite part of working for her parents. Playing with the fire to make the perfect cup of tea was down to almost a science. Just like how creating the environment for their different leaves was down to a science.

When she brewed teas she could imagine herself brewing antidotes and creating new medicine to assist those that needed her help.

Sakura thought about her hitai-ate sitting on her desk in her bedroom and inwardly squealed with excitement.

She was a genin now and that was the first real step to becoming a shinobi others could rely on. She was on her way to achieving her dream.

Day’s Note: here’s the latest update you guys. I’m sorry for putting that huge block of text at the top but I was so freaking irritated and it’s not like I can have a private discussion with guest reviewers and I really needed to say it to everyone just so y’all know my stance on comments for ShiItaIzu. It’s just so unnecessary to say that━just exit the fic and move on.

In other news I set up a ko-fi and the button can be found on the desktop version of my tumblr blog or as ChronicallyChill on ko-fi. Or you can go here! Most of my money is spent on medical bills and other bills I have to take care of. I am lucky to live under my parent’s roof as they “moved me back in with them” (I was paying rent but hadn’t moved out completely yet because of work) when my illness was no longer manageable on my own.

I actually can’t drink coffee so donating a coffee is hilarious to me but any spare cash goes towards food money. I am chronically ill and things like cooking, even just making a sandwich can be hard because I can’t stand for too long because I am constantly in pain or exhausted or I don’t have the time because I needed to sleep more or worse couldn’t even get up in the morning but had to force myself to get to work, so most days I go without breakfast (and dinner usually). So if I have $3-4 to spare I am able to grab something to eat in the morning.

To readers of The Planning Of A Matriarch: and update is coming up! Be on the lookout for it coming out around it’s one year anniversary.

For everything else I’ve started updates on them too but i’m trying to complete the requests that were sent to me on tumblr as well because they’ve been sitting incomplete in my docs.

Talk to you guys soon (really soon hopefully!)

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Pining insanity

So I think I know who this is, in terms of I might know you on Discord. @after-midnightmunchies, I hope you enjoy this for the @voltron-ss, it was easy on the part of we ship the same ships but I won’t discredit how hard it was to try and figure out what couple to do and come up with a prompt. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

“Hunk, open the door.” Lance whined from the other side of the door of the Samoan’s dorm room.

The door swung open, Hunk looking extremely concerned, that concern growing when Lance dropped his head against Hunk’s chest.

“Lance, what’s wrong?”

“They were kissing.” Lance moaned.

“Who? Oh, wait. You mean.” Lance nodded, sounding wounded. “There, there. It’s ok. Come on.”

Hunk led Lance into his room and let him drop on his bed. Hunk sat on the bed and patted Lance on the back, trying to let him feel better.

“Why can’t I forget it? This is so…uggg!” Lance moaned.

“Because love doesn’t leave when you want it to. So you saw Keith and Shiro kiss huh?” Hunk said.

“Yeah. I know it shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m Keith’s roommate and I’ve been friends with them since I worked on the project with them. I shouldn’t have fallen for them, but I did. What is wrong with me?”

It’s something Lance had been going through for the past couple months. Before the two even started dating, Lance had a crush on them both but when they got together, he tried forgetting it. And failed. Hanging out with them felt like torture sometimes and while he wanted to push away, he didn’t. They meant too much to him to try and forget them.

“Nothing is wrong with you. You heart just decided it wanted something you can’t have, though unless their poly, which I do remember them being.”

“Don’t start Hunk. There is no way it’s gonna happen.” Lance said, no matter how much he wished it. He took a big breath and pushed himself up. “I can do this, I can forget these feelings and I’ll be fine.”

“Yes you will.” Hunk said feelingly, patting Lance’s shoulders. “How about we do an indoor spa night? Maybe we can pull Allura away from all the clubs she’s in.”

“Oh, I can’t.” Lance said, looking a bit guilty. “I promised Shiro and Keith I’d go to the movies with them.”

“Movies? With them? On a Friday? Like, obvious date night?”

“They invited me. And they asked which movie I wanted to see. If they plan on making out the whole time, at least I’ll be focused on a movie I want to see and not them.”

“Uhhh,” Hunk seemed confused but nodded anyway. “Ok, sure I guess. Tell me how it goes right?”

The movie was fine. Lance enjoyed it and the small part that Lance wanted to show in a corner enjoyed how Keith and Shiro made him sit in between them. They had been on the level above the middle walkway, so Lance had propped his feet up on the railing. Keith had done the same, Shiro whispering to them that they’d get in trouble, but Keith made his feet rest in a way that he was leaning more on Lance.

Being a cuddler, Lance was fine, though he had been wondering why Keith was cuddling against him. Keith wasn’t much for physical contact unless he started it but even then, never to the point of cuddling. Lance decided to ignore that and focus on the movie. It did make him think though. This wasn’t the first time he joined them in an outing that could have been a date for them.

‘It can’t be that odd. We’re really close friends and Allura and Hunk are busy most of the time.’

Lance was walking to his dorm, trying to text Keith. Keith had offered to take him to the mall and after the day he had, Lance needed retail therapy. Plus, it would give him a chance to get Allura a pick me up present from the Lush store with all the work she was doing with the groups she was in and the work she was putting on herself.

“Get it loser, we’re going shopping.”

At the sound of iconic lines, he turned to see Keith pulling up to where Lance was standing.

“Did you just Regina George me? You?” Lance had never felt more in love-No, no, nope. Not love, because Keith had a boyfriend and wouldn’t be interested in Lance McClain, nope, no way.

“Yes, and I hated every minute of it.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” Lance asked, stepping closer to Keith’s open window.

“I was coming to invite you out to the mall and you look like you’ve had a day. Come on, I’ll even get you a Cinnabun.” Keith said the magic words. Lance was quick to get into the passenger seat. “You and your gigantic sweet tooth.” Keith said, laughing to himself.

“Less jokes and more driving. We’re getting Cinnabun first.”

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the mall and Keith followed Lance as he dashed right over to where Cinnabun was held. He looked like a kid in a candy store at the sight of the iced rolls.

“Which one do you want?” Keith asked, leaning close to him, looking over his shoulder.

Lance pointed to one in the corner that looked like it was completely covered in icing. “That one.”

“How do you not get cavities?” Keith asked, while getting the worker’s attention.

“I take perfect care of my teeth, thank you very much. My dentist still can’t believe I’ve never got a cavity before.” Lance boasted, not seeming to pay a whole lot of attention to his dessert being taken and put into a box until it was handed to Keith, who paid and handed the desert to Lance. “I could have paid.”

“I don’t mind. Come on.”

Lance watched Keith walking away. It had been weird, all the times he hung out with Shiro, Keith or both, it felt different for some reason. Lance was sure that it was because he had crushes on them but it was different than that.

Just the other day, Lance had been missing his cat, and Shiro surprised him by driving him to the closest cat café, which was an hour away, even buying Lance a cat eared beanie he had been looking at when they got in there. Shiro was allergic to long haired cats but he didn’t complain a bit when all the long haired cats surrounded Lance, one blacked haired cat even crawled up into Shiro’s lap.

Even now, Keith letting Lance drag him around, and feeding him pieces of his Cinnabun while he carried his shopping bags after Lance refused Keith’s help carrying them, it felt very different. Lance didn’t know why, but these outings had been feeling a bit more like dates.

Which couldn’t be right, because Keith and Shiro didn’t like Lance like that.

Right?

Lance wasn’t sure how much more of this he could handle. For the past month, maybe more, Keith and Shiro had been acting flirtatious to Lance. Lance could say with full confidence that while he could let out pickup lines to any person who caught his fancy, getting them in return, he became a complete mess. It wasn’t blatant flirting, just little things. Compliments on his appearances, giving him praise when he did something good, doing small little things for him.

“I think they know.” Lance was telling Hunk.

They were in Lance’s dorm for a change. Lance knew Keith would have a long lab at the time, so he didn’t have to worry about Keith coming back when Lance was gushing about him and his boyfriend.

“What makes you think that?” Hunk asked, gently rubbing Lance back. His own back was against the wall the bed was pushed against, Lance laying on his stomach in front of him.

“They’re being…I don’t know, boyfriend-y? I mean I like it but it’s just weird. It’s like they know how I feel and they’re trying to get me to admit it, like try to kiss them or something.”

“Lance, come on. This is Keith and Shiro, they wouldn’t do something like that to trip you up or anything. Maybe they’re just being nice or-”

“Hunk, if you try to say that they might like me, I’m kicking you out. There isn’t a chance in hell that they’d feel that way for me.”

Hunk frowned at his friend’s self-deprecating comment. He really wished Lance had the confidence he could fake. Maybe then he’d realise just how important he was.

“Fine,” he said begrudgingly, “what are you going to do about it then?”

“I don’t know, pretend it doesn’t exist and hope like hell I’m just seeing things?”

Lance phone dinged with a notification and Lance leaned over to grab it from his bedside table.

“Don’t drop it again.” Hunk warned. He was honestly surprised Lance hadn’t cracked his phone’s screen the amount of time’s it’s slipped out of his hands. He was really gonna have to bug him about getting a pop socket for it.

It got safely into Lance’s hands and onto the bed so he could open and scroll through it. He pouted at the message. “Ugg, reminder to get tickets to the Royal Ballet’s film of Alice in Wonderland.”

“I’m really sorry I can’t take you.” Hunk apologized. His girlfriend went to the same school their friend Pidge attended and he was planning on driving up to go see her. Lance was determined to go and see the ballet, but so far he couldn’t find a ride.

“It’s fine. I mean the tickets are expensive anyway. But I really want to see it, I know they have the DVD of the first one they did, but the Alice that’s playing is a fav of mine from the company. And the White Rabbit. Besides, I think you’d get tired of me gushing about ballet.”

“I swear, if your parents could have afforded to send you and your sisters to ballet classes, you’d still be doing it wouldn’t you?”

“Hell yeah,” Lance said, turning on his back. “But just watching it is enough. It’s so worth it to see the beautiful dancing and the costumes. God, whoever could go with me will think I’m so weird for being so overly excited for this. I just really, god Hunk. I really want to go. Even if I have to spend my entire pay check on the ticket, I want to go.”

The door swung open and Keith walked in, looking tired.

“You’re back early. I thought you had lab?” Lance asked, watching Keith drop his bag on the end of his bed and drop down on it.

“Fire alarm went off because in another lab, someone set something on fire, so we have to reschedule. I’m really tired.” He answered, running his hands through his hair.

“You sleep. I can go to Hunk’s room.” Lance said.

“Oh, uh I actually need to start on an essay. Sorry.” Lance felt like Hunk really wasn’t. Something told him Hunk was trying to be sly and keep Lance and Keith in the same room.

Hunk gave him a look as he headed out the door, while Keith flopped down on his bed looking close to sleep. Lance sighed; Hunk really knew how to push it.

“Come on Keith, at least take you shoes off.” He instructed, approaching the half asleep young man. He unzipped Keith’s boots and pulled them off for him, tugging at the blanket Keith was on top of. Keith ached enough for Lance to pull it from under him and cover him. “Good?”

Keith hummed, already slipping off into dreamland. Lance knew he should just go back to his side of the room and do something, but it wasn’t often he got to see Keith asleep. Lance usually passed out first or Keith would be in Shiro’s room. Lance wanted that, to fall asleep next to them. Lance was a hug fan of cuddles piles and napping with other people and he had to be honest, both Keith and Shiro were the perfect cuddling partners, well except for Hunk. It was Hunk, nothing could beat him.

Lance wanted the chance to snuggle close with them, happy and safe in their arms, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t theirs and they weren’t his. They couldn’t be, why would they want him?

Lance was curled up against the door of Hunk’s bedroom, waiting for him to come back. He needed help. He heard voiced and looked up to see Hunk and Allura turning the corner.

“Lance? Hello, how are you? I haven’t seen you for a while.” Allura greeted. She wasn’t wrong, her workload and other obligations had made her too busy to hang out with him and Hunk. He guessed she was finally free if she could help Hunk bake, judging from the baking items in their hands. He could smell the lemon berry cake from where he was sitting.

“You ok? You look kinda, I don’t know, stunned I guess? What’s wrong?” Hunk asked.

“Can you open the door? I need to sit down.”

Hunk let them all in, resting the cake on his desk and focused on putting his stuff away, while Allura sat next to Lance on Hunk’s bed. Lance pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Allura.

“These are tickets to the screening of the Alice in Wonderland performance. Lance you got tickets? That’s amazing. But, there are three?”

Lance wasn’t even looking at Allura, more interested in his sleeves. “That’s because I didn’t buy them. Shiro and Keith got them for me, as a date. Because apparently, I’ve been their boyfriend and I didn’t even know.”

“Wait, what?” Hunk abandoned putting away his baking items and sat down next to Lance. “What do you mean?”

“You know how I’ve been complaining about how they’re really extra, flirty and I was sure they knew and were trying to get me to admit it? I confronted them about it after they gave me the tickets and they looked so confused. They were under the impression that I agreed to date them like 2 months ago. Except, you know how I feel about them. If they asked me to date them I’d be screaming it from the rooftops. So how, ugg, how did they come to that conclusion? Were they joking and just messing with me? Did it actually happen and I somehow forgot? What?”

“Ok, first calm down. I’m the only one who gets panicky here. And second, I know it’s not something you want to hear, cause I know it’ll confuse you, but I don’t think they’d trick you. You know those two, they’d never to that to you.” Hunk said

“That should make me feel better, but I just feel confused. How, when did this happen? Not only that, after they told me that and just looked at me, like they couldn’t understand why I didn’t know this, I just took off. Now they’ll never like me.” Lance moaned, hiding his face in his hands.

“Lance, come on. They did so much for you. They genuinely like you, I know it.” Allura tried comforting, but Lance just continued making wounded noises in his hands. “I will call Shiro and find out what happened ok? I think they also deserve an explanation.”

“No! You can’t call him please. I don’t want them…I can’t…”

“Lance, you deserve an explanation as to what happened, why did they even think this and they deserve to know what you’ve been going through. Hunk, stay with him.” Allura got up, already dialling a number.

“Hunk.” Lance whined, but Hunk just rubbed Lance’s back, trying to be the smallest amount comforting as he could be, while wondering if he was going to have to throw punches. “What if it was all a mistake? How am I going to face them? I room with Keith!”

“You can room in here. Rolo is never here so he won’t mind.” Hunk was quick to say. Lance let out another wounded noise and dropped to hide his face in Hunk’s lap.

“Ok, they’re coming here.” Allura said after getting off the phone.

“Wh-Here?”

“Yes here. Lance needs a place where he feels like he has control and he can’t do that at his or Shiro’s room, so he can do it here. Now, Lance I know you haven’t really calmed down much so do you want us to stay here when they come or do you want to face them yourself?”

“I don’t know. Are they really coming here?”

“If they don’t want me to go start yelling at them without getting the whole story, yes. Don’t choose now. Shiro has to collect tests from the class that he’s TAing so once he’s done with that, they’ll be right over. Now Lance, deep breaths please.”

“Do you want a slice of the lemon berry cake? I was gonna give you half anyway since Shay likes it more than Pidge so I knew she wouldn’t try to devour it when Shay turned her back.” Hunk asked

“Please.”

Lance had almost devoured his half when someone knocked on the door. He was more put together than he had been when he first entered the room.

“Do you want us to stay?” Allura asked, getting up.

“Can you stay outside the door?”

“Of course.” She opened the door where both Shiro and Keith looked uncomfortable and apologetic. “We’ll be outside the door, so don’t give me a reason to storm back in here, got it?”

“Yes princess.” Shiro answered

“Excellent. Hunk, come on.”

Hunk gave Lance shoulder another pat on the shoulder and followed Allura out the door, the low click closing Lance in with the two guys he still felt in love with, even with all the confusion. The quiet felt so awkward though. Lance wasn’t used to this, with them silence didn’t feel weird or suffocating. Somehow it always felt fine, even during the times Lance felt like he had to hold a much tighter grip on his feelings.

“Lance, um…” Shiro started. Shiro never seemed unsure of himself like he did standing in front of Lance. “Allura told us that, you never knew that we asked you out.”

“Trust me if I did, I would know.”

“I see. Can we tell you when we asked you out, and see if you remember? Maybe we weren’t as clear as we thought.”

How would he not remember? He was more than certain that the day Shiro and Keith ever asked him, he would never forget. Nothing could make him forget it.

“Remember the Harry Potter dance a few months ago?” Keith asked.

Dance? Oh the family and friends weekend dance. They had the theme of Harry Potter that weekend and he and his friends went wearing house cardigans and ties over their outfits. He remembered he switched Shiro’s Hufflepuff tie with his Ravenclaw one. Though, he was sure when he woke up still in his clothes from the night before, he was wearing a Gryffindor one.

“You slipped between us on the dance floor and were being your usual self and I think that’s when it hit us. We’ve liked you for a while and we had been wondering we were ready to add someone else to our relationship.” Keith continued.

“The last time wasn’t the best. Keith and I almost completely lost each other, so we’ve been really careful in this, that decision. But I don’t know, just watching you dance between us both, it kinda clicked for us that we wanted to ask you out.”

Lance remembered that. He remembered the small burst of courage that made him slid between the two of them, keeping their attention on him. He was quick to disappear once embarrassment caught up with him.

“We talked it over once more, to make sure we were both in agreement and then went to look for you. You were on one of the couches, resting I guess. You seemed a bit tired but you answering clearly so…”

That he didn’t remember. After he danced, he went over to the refreshment table and…

“This is gonna sound strange, but was I drinking anything when you came over?”

The two black haired guys look at each other confused at the question but Keith answered anyway. “Um, I think you had a cup. Why?”

The two stared at Lance as he burst into an entire string of curse words and muffled screams. They could hear something banging just outside the door. Keith decided to check on the two outside while Shiro kneeled in front of Lance.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Lance didn’t say anything except moan and groan even more, hiding his face in his hands. “Lance, please tell me what’s wrong. If we did something wrong, we want to know.”

“I was drunk. I’m a sleepy drunk.”

“What? Drunk? Lance, I swear we didn’t do anything except ask you out.”

“I know. I know you wouldn’t. I know you guys would never do that. I just…uggg!”

“Lance doesn’t remember anything once he’s drunk. He might say or do anything but he has no memory of it. Whether it’s because he’s tired or blacked out, well…” Allura filled in for Lance.

“So when we asked Lance out and if he’d wanted to be our boyfriend and he said yes…?” Keith started.

“Lance had no clue what he agreed to the next day. But hey, at least the mystery of the necktie is solved. It must have been Keith’s.” Hunk said

“Um, yeah, you said, ‘I’ll be your boyfriend, but I want Keith’s tie.’ Then after you got it, you said, ‘I never thought you would ever be interested in me’.” Keith explained.

Lance sounded like a wounded animal making Shiro hit Keith in the leg.

“Obviously there has been a lot of miscommunication. Lance, we’re really sorry we’ve cause you all this trouble. We never meant for you to feel confused or anything. We should have made sure to check with you the next day instead of just assuming.”

“I need time to process everything.” Lance said, sounding out of breath.

“Of course. We can go. We are sorry Lance. Trust me, we never wanted a relationship with you to start out so misleading.”

Lance appreciated how understanding they were being. Now he had to figure out just what he was gonna do now.

Lance thought long and hard. He still wanted to be with Keith and Shiro. While he wasn’t in the know about being their boyfriend, they still treated him so well. He had Allura act like a bridge between them and according to what she heard from them, the reason they hadn’t moved for more romantic moves was because they knew Lance liked to move slow with his relationships. He wanted the first kisses to be special and they wanted to give Lance the kiss he wished for.

“They really care about you. Poor Shiro looks like he did something horrible. I think he think he disrespected you assuming you were all going out without checking with you.”

“I want to give it a real chance with them. I just don’t know if it should approach them or wait for them. What if they lose interest?”

“Lance, trust me. They aren’t losing interest. They just don’t want to rush you.” He knew she was right. Didn’t mean he still didn’t worry.

He was heading back to his room. Rolo got into a fight with his own girlfriend and decided to take advantage of the empty room that Hunk left after his classes. He knew Shiro had made Keith room with him to give Lance space, so he was sure the space to relax and try and decompress. However he was surprised at the sight of Shiro and Keith leaning against the wall to his door. Why Keith was waiting outside made no sense, he never forgot his keys. Lance was guilty of that more than he cared to admit. He also noticed a big bouquet of tulips in Shiro’s hand. Tulips were his mom’s favourite flower and he loved the sight of them.

“Lance.”

“Hey guys.”

Shiro handed him bouquet of flowers. “These are for you. We wanted to ask you something, if you’re willing to hear us out?”

“Uh, yeah?” What was going on?

“Keith and I have feelings for you and we’ve talked about it a lot and we want you to be with us, if you wanted.”

“Ok?” why were they telling him this? He knew this already. Wait, hang on. Where they? Could they be? Were they asking him out, like it was the first time, because he had been in a drunken mind space he didn’t remember the first?

“At the Harry Potter dance, it kinda hit us how much we wanted to be with you. And we’re really sorry it took us so long to come and ask you this. I don’t think I could take waiting anymore. We want to be with you. Like take you to the movies.”

“Feed you Cinnabuns when you’re focused on shopping.” Keith said, making Lance smile.

“Take you to a cat café when you’re missing your own cat.”

Their dates, or what had been dates without Lance’s knowledge. They wanted to do that stuff all over again, with him with the knowledge of knowing now.

“We want you to be our boyfriend Lance, and possibly go out with us this weekend?” Keith asked

“Where to?”

“Well, I heard that you really wanted to go see the screening of the Royal Ballet’s Alice in Wonderland, so we got tickets.” Keith answered, pulling out three familiar tickets from his back pocket. “And before you ask, these aren’t the one we gave you. We got other copies from the theatre. We wanted to do this from scratch.”

Ooh, how could Lance say no? He didn’t think anyone would ever go through such effort. His past relationships didn’t.

“Sure. I would love to.” Before he lost his nerve, he did what he had been dying to do forever and quickly pressed kisses to their cheeks. He was glad to see they were turning about as red as he felt. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”

“Oh well, it’s taken everything to keep Keith from shoving you in a corner and kissing the daylights out of you, so we understand.” Shiro explained

“You only say that because once I start, you’ll want to join in.” Keith was quick to snap back.

Lance stifled his giggles, watching his boyfriends argue in front of him. Boyfriends, Lance could get used to that word very quickly.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.4

Lance kept the rear view mirror on the two strangers in the back. The shorter one of the two was unfairly hot. Lance might never have had sex, out of fear of losing self control, the fact he was monster, and he didn’t know if he was going to knock some poor stranger up with some half vampire kid, but he knew well enough that the man was edging on his type. Untalkative, the man had his arms crossed, hand clutching the raspberry slushy Pidge had forced upon him. He looked as impressed to be in Lance’s car, as Lance was to have him there.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you three do that has you out so late at night?”

Lance did mind. Thanks to Pidge these two strangers had been committed to memory for the rest of his undead life

“Man, you don’t want to get Pidge started...”

Hunk was also uneasy. He’d found his way into the bag of chocolate eclairs, the pile of wrappers now more than the chocolates left

“Oh? Pidge?”

“We’re paranormal investigators. You’ve heard all about Garrisons blood past... well, we’re going to be the first to capture it all on film”

Shiro raised an eyebrow, Lance accidentally meeting his eyes in the mirror, quickly averting his gaze back to the road

“Oh, but Lance is a lawyer... He’s the serious one who doesn’t believe in ghosts”

Thanks for that Pidge, now Shiro’s attention was on him

“You’re a lawyer?”

“Yep. Got the fancy piece of paper and everything”

“Wow. What kind of law do you practice?”

“Family”

Yeah, Lance knew his manners were lacking, he didn’t need Pidge kicking the back of his chair like she did

“Ah. That must be tough”

“Some days are worse than others, but it is what it is. What do you two do?”

It was on the tip of Lance’s tongue to mention the photography thing, but being a dumb human meant they didn’t always remember what was said

“That’s right, you said your brother was into photography?”

Aaaaand the attention was back on Pidge

“Yeah, Keith likes to take photos, it’s more a hobby than anything. I’ll save you the details and just say I’m in finance. Not terribly interesting”

Great. A finance guy right next to the registered hacker of the group...

“Sounds boring”

Shiro snorted a laugh. Lance cursing mentally that he now had Keith’s name in his head

“It has its moments. So you guys are into the paranormal? Ever see anything?”

“Not yet. But you never kno-ooow. Watch where you’re driving!”

Turning onto the dirt road that lead to his house, Lance could have probably been gentler on the ditch. Each year the council filled the damn thing up, only for it to all erode away with the first rains of the year

“If you’re not used it by now, you never will be”

“That’s because you can’t drive for shit”

“It sounds to me like you want to walk home in the morning”

“I’ll be good”

Lance’s lips betrayed him with a smile. Pidge would never “good”, her rebellious behaviour was just another thing about her to love

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve told me that a hundred times and I’m still waiting”

“Oh, shut it, dad”

“If I was your dad, you’d be grounded for life”

“That’s fine. People suck anyway”

“With no wifi”

Pidge lunges forward in her chair, an arm coming around him in a hug

“I’ll be good! Please don’t take my wifi away”

“As if I could. You’re the one who set it up”

“Oh, right. Guess I don’t need to be that nice to you then”

Licking his cheek, Lance wrinkled his nose

“You’re so fucking gross”

“You love me”

“That I do. We’re nearly home. Sorry it’s not much, I don’t really have visitors over. And I hope you’re not allergic to cats, Blue likes to shed all over the place”

In the back, Keith scoffed

“What kind of a name is “Blue” for a cat?”

How dare he insult Blue and her perfect little body of complete perfection. Blue was Blue, his number one girl, not a number one emo reject in the backseat of a strangers car because he hadn’t bothered learning basic maintenance

“I don’t know, what kind of name is “Keith” for a mullet”

When Shiro laughed, Lance was certain it was the man’s first real and genuine laugh for the night

“He’s got you there”

“Go fuck yourself”

Pidge laughed as Keith sulked. If he wasn’t good at taking a joke, then he shouldn’t be dishing it out. Not that Lance was one to talk

“Don’t mind him. He gets cranky when he’s sleepy”

The wrinkles between Keith’s eyebrows deepened at his brother’s explanation

“You’re the one who could have just got a hotel room”

“And you’re the one being rude. Lance, and his friends, are doing us a favour”

“Or they’re going to murder us in our sleep”

“Nah, man. That’s too much effort. I’ll make you a deal though, you don’t murder us and we won’t murder you”

Keith seemed even grumpier at Lance’s joke, Lance just anxious to reach his house already. This was terrible idea, a disaster in the making, and the plot of a pretty average b-grade movie. One thing was for sure though, he wasn’t wearing a matching bra and underwear, pretty much guaranteeing he wouldn’t be the first one murdered.

*

Parking by the steps of the porch, the rain started pelting down as Lance cut the ignition. Relieved to finally be home, he could see Blue sleeping on the windowsill of the living room, having decided to ruin yet another set of vertical blinds in her search for the perfect napping spot. Seeing her was what brought the greatest relief, not the warm light filtered between the blinds, and the knowledge his house would be nice and warm with his bed waiting for his tired arse. Opting to leave the equipment in the car for the night, Lance figured he’d collect it once the other’s fell asleep. All Pidge needed was the camera cards, and her laptop, which she was small enough to climb into the trunk for. God. He really didn’t want strangers in his house, judging things, and even worse, touching things. He liked all his things and he liked them where they were. Routine was key to keeping his sanity, and familiarity helped his Mami whenever he brought her home for a visit.

Fleeing from the car, they all managed to get themselves wet despite the short distance. The rain didn’t bother Lance, not when he couldn’t actually catch a cold from prolonged exposure to the cold. It was his guests his had to worry about

“Come on in. Leave your shoes by the door and I’ll grab us all some towels. Shiro, you and Keith probably don’t have a change of clothes with you, so I’ll lend you some robes now. You can chuck your stuff in the machine, then put it in the dryer before heading to bed. Hunk, wanna show them through the kitchen? I know we’ve got snacks, but I would kill for a glass of red”

“You got it, buddy”

The look in Hunk’s eyes seemed to question if he really wanted Shiro and Keith to know where Lance kept his knives. Hunk was too polite to blurt that out, not like Pidge who had no filter

“Out the way losers, I’ve got a date with my princess”

“My princess, is sleeping on the living room window sill. Don’t blame me if you get scratched”

“That’s just her way of telling me how much she loves me”

“Or how much you drive her insane”

“Rude, much. I’ll meet you guys in the kitchen when I’ve got my Blue”

Pidge pushed both her slushies over to Hunk, Hunk seemed nervous about left alone, but mentally rallied as he managed a smile

“The kitchen’s through here”

With three robes and a bundle of towels, Lance returned to the kitchen where Hunk had started stress baking. The signs were obvious, from the flour next to the mixing bowl, to Pidge sitting on the kitchen bench with an unhappy looking Blue held in her lap

“Sorry, some lazy arsehole didn’t sort the linen closest”

It was lie. He simply, really, truly didn’t want to deal with his visitors. Passing Shiro and Keith a robe and a towel each, Lance went on to wrap a towel over Hunk’s shoulders, then throw Pidge’s at her. Catching the towel, she managed to keep Blue contained in her lap, despite Blue’s displeasure

“Let me guess, that means you?”

Lance’s big blue eyes widened, shocked Shiro would make a joke

“Damn, Lance. I think I might just like this one”

“Oh, bite it, Pidge. Yeah. That lazy arsehole’s me. Even if there were more hours in the day, I’d still probably spend them sleeping. Did Hunk offer you guys a coffee?”

“Already on it, man. I’m whipping up some butter cookies to go with the tea”

Lance sighed to himself again, mentally of course because his mother would have smacked his arse had he done it out loud. He didn’t do guests for a reason. The feeding them thing was annoying

“I hope you don’t mind, but can you show us where the bathroom is?”

Right. They were wet. He was wet. He was supposed to be human, which meant sliding his robe on over his clothes, or rather starting too then realising it wouldn’t go on over his jacket. God. He was making an idiot of himself.

With his jacket over his chair, Lance flashed Shiro and Keith a smile

“Yeah, through here. You guys can go ahead and take a shower if you want. I mean, seperate showers, or whatever, no judgment if you’re into that kind of thing. Sorry, I’m not used to visitors. Feel free to use whatever you find in the guest bathroom, most of it’s Hunk and Pidge’s stuff they’ve left here, but there’s fresh soap bars and spare toothbrushes in the second drawer”

Someone needed to shut him up. Stitch his goddamn lips together, then bury him until his embarrassment worse off. Lance’s moves were still as he led his guests from the kitchen to the bathroom

“Here we go. I’ll put you in the spare room down here, and we’ll sleep upstairs. There’s not much down here, just my office which is the end room. Your room will be the next door up, it’s got two twins in there, so plenty of space. Pidge set up a charge pad, because you guys probably didn’t bring your chargers either. If you go all the way the other way in this hall, you’ll reach the laundry. Everything’s out in the open, so help yourself. I know this is awkward as fuck, and probably is for you two, but there’s no saying no to Pidge once she thinks something is a good idea. Oh, yeah, don’t be afraid to take your time, if you get lost, give us a yell”

Shiro thanked him, towing Keith into the bathroom by the arm. Lance not going to question that one. Not at all. Nope. Nooo... God that family had some good genetics though. Under all his brooding pouting, Lance had caught sight of Keith’s eyes... Eyes like two small galaxies had been captured and shoved in there. How they were so damn purple when he was human, Lance didn’t know, but fuck it was unfair.

When the bathroom door closed, Lance headed down to the office. Pidge couldn’t be trusted with electronic locks, leaving him the only option of dead locking the door. His explanation was that the cases he worked on deserved privacy, which his two friends respected. He’d let them in the office once to satisfy their curiosity, Pidge finding the sheer number of books boring. On the outside it appeared a normal office. Bookcases, filing cabinets, his framed diploma, laptop, printer, all those sorts of normal office things. His desk was organised around the clutter, that totally wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t help he had a weakness for quirky stationary. His current favourite pen was decorated with dancing cacti. The small things in life helped him deal with life’s less than pleasant things. Under his desk were the only two anomalies of the room. On the left, instead of drawers, was his wine rack. On the right, behind the drawers, was his fridge. Lance might be the worlds biggest klutz with his glasses on, but he wasn’t stupid enough to leave his blood bags where everyone could see them. Locked behind a heavy iron door, the previous fireplace of the room meant no one paid much attention to the outside protrusion where it once sat. He’d kept the decorative tiles in place, making a feature of it around his desk in order to keep the questions to a minimum. When it came to time leave his current set up, he was going to be devastated.

With precious minutes ticking down, Lance grabbed himself out the blood pack he’d started for the day. He never let himself go hungry, but with two strangers in the house it was better he let himself have a small feed just to keep his nerves in check. Grabbing down a wine glass and the closest bottle of Shiraz, he poured himself a double before pouring in a good double shot of blood. The bag was O+, not his favourite, yet not the worst. He wasn’t one of those blood snobs that only every drank one type. He was grateful for what he could get, and more grateful to the people who donated their blood under their own free will. Naturally they were compensated for their blood and their time, Coran who ran the blood bank in Platt wasn’t a man to be messed with. Lance knew Coran wasn’t human, yet he had no clue what race he was, nor did he have any idea the race of his niece Allura who often helped out. The pair of them were the coordinators for most of Platt city, and the surrounding area, providing safe blood for those not in a coven or forced from a coven due to whatever reason, with in reason... He knew they weren’t human, as neither of them had aged a single day in all the years he’d known them... which was a pretty long time when he stopped to think about it... which he definitely didn’t have time to right now.

Straightening up his office, Lance then headed back to the kitchen. Hunk busy with the cookies he’d just placed in the oven, while Pidge was sipping on her slurpy. Blue knew she wasn’t supposed to be on the kitchen table, yet gave zero fucks, Lance striding over to scoop her up and pepper her with kisses, after placing his glass down carefully

“Who’s daddy’s good girl?”

Blue shot him look that expressed how little she thought of him, done with his craziness and protesting of her less than regal treatment

“Yes, I know. You don’t care, you just want your wet food and the blanket turned back on. It’s such a hard life”

Stooping to let Blue down, she gave him a look of disgust before licking at her fur as if to erase his pats. Picking up his wine glass again, he took another sip, feeling the way the blood coated his mouth as it slid down easily

“Well, that’s done. They’re in the bathroom now, doing whatever. I still can’t believe you volunteered my house”

Pidge shrugged

“I know if it was Matt who was stuck, I’d want someone good to help him out. I promise to pay for anything that gets damaged”

“Damn, girl. How much they pay you for that tour?”

Pidge shrugged again. They both knew she wouldn’t be paying, if she tried Lance wouldn’t let her

“Enough”

Matt was a bit of a tricky topic. He was a firm believer in all things paranormal and supernatural. For all her enthusiasm and research, Matt dwarfed Pidge’s knowledge by a long shot. Apparently when Pidge was younger Matt had got himself in a bit of jam chasing ghosts, since whatever had happened, he’d left to track things all across the world. Pidge missed him fiercely, and was left constantly cranky with her brother at his lack of regular updates

“Speaking of Matt, have you heard from him lately”

Lance was glad Hunk was the one asking, he’d stripped Pidge bare of all her defences, keeping her secrets at the same time as keeping her grounded

“Not for something like 3 months now. Dad said he was in Italy the last time he checked in with him. Mum worries herself sick when she doesn’t hear from him”

“Pidge, if he’s anything like you, then he’s fine. You Holt’s are a touch bunch”

Pidge sighed, Lance sympathising over how hard it could be not to hear from your siblings. There was nothing like the love and hate that came with having a sibling. Half the time you want to murder them in their sleep, but god help anyone else who messed with them. His whole family had changed after he’d been turned, they’d aged while he remained the same. Now he was getting depressed.

Sliding off the counter, Pidge threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug

“I just... really miss him”

“I know you do. I’m sure he misses you, but he’s like you and once he’s off chasing something time looses all meaning”

“Yeah. I mean, I know he is, but sometimes it really...”

“Fucking sucks”

Pidge nodded as Lance finished her sentence for her. She was just a baby, while he was an old man of 44

“Have you messaged him lately?”

“Everyday”

That had to hurt even worse. 120 plus messages left on read

“Until he comes back, you’ll have to be happy with the two of us”

“I mean... if I reeeeeeally have to”

Hunk turned from the oven, enveloping both of them in a bear hug

“Group hug!”

Pidge laughed, faking an attempt at squirming her way out. Hunk laughing too as he lifted them both off their feet for a moment. Lance’s poor wineglass barely surviving the ordeal

“You two are stuck with me”

“Yep. We sure are. And we’re the luckiest people alive”

Well, Pidge was alive. His undead arse sure wasn’t getting any closer to living

“Okay, that’s enough, losers. I’m gonna go set the tapes up. Hopefully we’ll see something good”

“Or not. Not seeing anything is good too. Lance, go make sure she doesn’t edit the video in some way... I’m going to have nightmares tonight as it is”

“I’ve got you, bud. Come on, Gremlin. Let’s go set up your videos”

Lance had nearly let himself forget there were two strangers in his house. He couldn’t actually forget, but he was trying his damn hardest as he let Pidge’s techno-babble wash over him. He’d never met Matt in person, but Pidge’s missing him was bringing up how much he missed his own siblings. Mami would let him know how they’re doing, keeping him in the family loop. It had to be Papi’s funeral when he’s last seen them all. Lance lying through his teeth that he was named after his father, Lance, to pass off his young looks. He missed his papi. His papi had worked hard all his life, a farmer through and through, with every analogy somehow farm related. Especially when it came to his tractor, that was the man’s default go to when explaining anything, or attempting to have a father and son chat. He missed him something fierce, like he missed his siblings. None of them had invited him to his papi’s wake, Lance felt like he shouldn’t even be at the service, but his Mami gripped his hand and kept him close the whole time. She was the only one who wasn’t afraid of him. Lance hated them all for leaving him, but he loved them all because when they were kids things were so much less complicated. Late night bonfires, hunting on the farm, surfing, dancing in the rain. Huge family Christmas’s where it felt like everyone in town showed up. Kids in and out the the house, not like Christmases now days where he’d spend time with his Mami in the morning, taking her to church for mass then out for a drive, blow off his friends, binge bad rom-coms come evening and cook a feast up for Blue.

Smacked in the face with a flying TV remote Lance was forced back out of his self loathing shell. He had a good life, and even better friends. There was nothing wrong with the way he lived, and he had a sense pride in the work he did. Not all cases went his way, but he his head on better than most as far he was concerned

“What the fuck?”

“That’s for tuning out when I was trying to talk to me”

“You hit me in the face”

“Good. I was aiming for you chest, if that help”

Lance rose a finger to poke at his eyebrow where the remote had hit, there didn’t seem to be any blood, so he supposed he could let Pidge off

“You have my undivided attention. What did I miss?”

“I was saying it’s good to go, whenever Hunk gets here”

“You know he’s really going to have nightmares tonight”

“Then he can crawl into bed with you”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Uh, hello. I’m a girl, and Shay’s a girl”

Lance rolled his eyes

“Really? I hadn’t noticed”

“I’m just saying, don’t wanna make things complicated”

“There’s nothing going on between you two. It’s fine, you’ve shared a bed before”

“But not when Hunk was this close to finally getting a girlfriend”

Pidge held her fingers together, rather than the normal tiny gap

“Fine, but he sleeps in your room and you sleep with the light on”

“What are we? Twelve?”

“Awww, did little Pidge sleep with the light on all the way up to 12?”

“Oh, fuck you. You’re only like 2 years older than me. I bet you kept your night light on until you last night”

Pidge’s face said she was thinking over her words, knowing that something didn’t quite sit right in what she’d said, but if he was to point that out, he’d be hit for having the nerve

“Yep. I’m completely hopeless. Who knows what lurks in the dark. What if the monster under my bed attacked my feet because they hung over? What would I do then?”

“You’re such an arsehole”

“Hey, Blue has a stage where my toes were her mortal enemy”

“I’m going to tell Blue you’re going around telling everyone she’s a monster”

“By definition, all cats are arseholes. She knows she’s the cutest little monster that’s too tiny to take me down”

“Dude, she’s got you wrapped around her little finger?��

“Oh, so Lance has a girlfriend?”

Caught up in Pidge, Lance hadn’t heard Shiro approaching. He damp near jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice

“No, this loser is unlucky in love, like the rest of us”

“Ah...”

Shiro sounded confused, Lance embarrassed

“We’re talking about my cat. She’s a pint sized monster. She’s probably going to be cranky all night because I didn’t give her more wet food”

“Ah, I see now...”

The silence that fell was awkward as fuck... Right. He had to be a good host

“We’re going to watch what Pidge filmed tonight, if you’re up to it. Hunk’s cookies should be done soon...”

“Oh, I was thinking Keith and I might just head to bed. You know, get out of your hair”

“Dude, you have to try Hunk’s cookies. They’re like a gift from god”

Shiro gave a nervous laugh, not everyone got Pidge’s humour, or brashness

“When you put it like that, how can I say no?”

Pidge clapped her hands

“Excellent. Now, the most important thing of all, do you believe in ghosts?”

“I can’t really say one way or another. I do have a friend that’s into that sort of thing”

“Then the next time you talk to them, you’re going to sound like a total expert. Sit down and buckle up, it’s time for an adventure into what lies beyond”

Pidge waved her fingers as her voice adopted a spooky tone for the “what lies beyond” part. Poor Shiro was coping Pidge totally nerding out. At least if she managed to scare him away, Lance wouldn’t have to worry about crossing paths with him, or his brother, ever again. Ugh. Being nice was exhausting.

[shiroe-is-my-baby]

Baby’s First Holiday

Summary: Ariana and Sage are about to turn one, which means that their very first holiday is close, as well as their birthdays a few short months later. With parties on the rise and sleepless nights, the family still can’t be more excited.

W: self-insert, fluff, au

WC: 3,405

The twins were both napping on their blankets on the floor, having been passed out for a little while after a hard morning of playing. Seeing them both already starting to develop and grow so fast just feels strange. It seemed like just yesterday they were small babies just being born. Now, they were so close to their first birthday, being able to speak to me with a few words sometimes. I still feel overwhelmed every time they call to me, making me want to just hold them and never put them down.

I smiled softly, watching them snooze as I stood up to grab myself a cup of hot chocolate. It was a lot cooler in the house now that outside was getting colder for the winter. This gave me an excuse to wear my sweater inside, and I made sure the heater would be turned on at night once it was extremely cold. Keeping it at a decent temperature for the twins and the rest of the house to be comfortable. But it gave me an excuse to drink some warm hot chocolate and cuddle up with a blanket.

It wasn’t long before Luna came jumping onto the couch beside me, gazing at the babies with curiosity. Ever since we brought them home she’s be curious but never getting too close. Ariana almost got too close, before I was scooping her up to make sure she didn’t hurt the cat and the cat didn’t hurt her. But Luna was rather sweet with the kids when they were asleep, sometimes curling up beside them.

But Ariana is too tough to be around her. She’ll pull her tail and it’ll just end up in this big fuss. I slowly pet Luna’s frame, continuing to smile down at the babies. My babies.

I was excited for Shiroe to come home and spend the rest of the afternoon with us. It was merely half an hour before he usually gets home. Something told me that I should shoot him a text about the twins sleeping, so he can come in quietly. Usually, he isn’t too loud, but I didn’t want to take any risks. While I made my hot chocolate, I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to him.

‘Hey love, the twins are napping, so be a little quieter coming in. can’t wait to see you!’

I smiled softly, looking at my homescreen when I closed out of the message app. My favorite image of the two of us that I was lucky to snap when he had kissed my forehead. Biting my bottom lip, I felt my face growing hot as the phone buzzed in my ear as if to break me from my thoughts. He was quick to message back, which meant that he was on his way home or at least close.

Picking up my fresh cup of hot chocolate, I carried it back into the living room as I read the text.

‘Okay, baby. I should be home soon.’

A few seconds ticked by as he shot another message.

‘Can’t wait to see you either.’

My smile widened, and I couldn’t help but giggle at his little kiss emoji he sent. Such a dork even in a text message. My heart fluttered with the thought of him coming home soon. It was nice how even after marriage and kids he still sends my heart skipping beats. I still smile so big when I see him, and I miss him every second of the day. Now that we have the twins, it seems to be a lot stronger. Our bond is much more intense now that we’re a bigger family. Now that Shiroe is the father of my children and not just my husband.

Sitting down on the couch, I watched the twins stir a bit and I tried to watch the softly spoken television. There was something about that quiet room with the soft coos of my babies and the Christmas tree that sat against the wall. It felt just like the holiday season, and I was excited to spend this with my children. Their first Christmas, which was clear by the unsies that I had bought them the other day.

Shiroe was pretty pleased with that one himself.

I blew onto my hot drink, trying to take a sip without burning my tongue. Which, in my tactic, meant slow sips that generally meant tasting nothing. The television was playing a few holiday movies, but I was going to save those for whenever Shiroe came home. That, or I could just turn on Netflix if we even had an opportunity to watch any tonight. We had a few gifts to wrap for a party next week that Marielle was throwing, and then I had a deadline to meet for the last few chapters of my book.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the soft jingling of keys and the slow creak of the door. I smiled softly, my heart full that he really took time into being quiet for the twins. Which was no surprise, given that Shiroe was too much of a sweetheart not to listen. My eyes were set on the kids, lying wrapped up in their blankets and only slightly stirring from their dreams other than anything else.

Shiroe was still quiet removing his shoes and setting his stuff down, smiling at me from the hallway. I gave a small wave, motioning to the twins on the floor. He leaned down to kiss me softly, shifting hair from my face and whispering softly to me.

“How long have they been asleep for?”

“Just an hour, probably. I figured I’d let them nap for a little bit longer.”

He nodded, smiling gently over at them.

“How were they today?” He asked.

“They were good. Ariana is still really quiet, and Sage is standing up on his own a bit more.”

The little twinkle of happiness in his eye made me giggle. I knew that he would be excited to hear that, and I hoped that wouldn’t spin out to one of his disappointments that he couldn’t be here more. That seems to be happening a lot lately, especially with the holidays. It seems to make him feel more upset about the fact that he works and he can’t be home all day like I can.

Shiroe kissed my cheek, leaving the room to change and get more comfortable.

When he returned, the twins were fully starting to stir now. It was almost like they knew, and before I knew it Ariana was sniffling and giving small little cries. Shiroe leaned down to scoop her up, kissing her cheek and calming her down with a soft little shush. I smiled, my eyes flickering down to Sage who looked more annoyed than anything else. Usually, Sage sleeps better than Ariana does, but they almost always wake up around the same time as one another. If one wakes, the other is soon to follow.

Ariana called to Shiroe, which only made him chuckle.

“What is it you want, princess, huh?” He asked, looking at her heavy gaze.

“She might need a diaper change, or she might be hungry. But it’s still kinda early.”

Or she could just want some attention.

Ariana always wants her dad’s attention no matter what it may be. Him holding her is probably the best for her. It’s her favorite place to be, safe in his arms. I find the idea absolutely adorable, and I don’t see that changing with age at all. She will forever be close with him. I could just tell by her curious eyes and immediate soothing the moment he’s holding her.

Ariana gave a small nod when Shiroe asked her if she was hungry. Or rather if she wanted her bottle knowing that she understands that. He smiled softly, asking Sage the same question who, of course, never turns down the option to eat. I giggled softly, watching him motion for me to stay sitting while he fed the twins. Which, is exactly the kind of thing I should expect from Shiroe. Never lets me lift a finger like I can’t help him at all. I guess he just really wants to after having not seen them all day.

“How was your day, love?” I asked, calling to him from the kitchen.

I heard the movement of him in the kitchen, and it was funny to listen to him try to talk to me while also cooing to the kids. There was a soft giggle I tried to hide, but I couldn’t help it. He just sounded so cute and sweet and gentle. He still continues to deny that his voice doesn’t change when he talks to them, but… he can’t fool me.

“It was good. Definitely missed you guys a lot.”

I heard that, Shiroe.

I definitely heard that.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you, babe?”

“Uh… No, it’s okay. I’ve got it, sweetheart.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll start wrapping a few presents.”

“Still haven’t done that yet?”

I rolled my eyes, hearing the sarcasm in his voice. We already had this discussion. He knows how I am. He’s seen my procrastination at it’s finest. It’s only gotten worse with the twins, because I’m so focused on them that everything else seems to just be pushed under the rug. Thank god for my wonderful husband that keeps me grounded and reminds me when I need to remember things.

Being new parents makes us both crazy sometimes though. It’s funny, because I’ve seen Shiroe slacking a bit as well which is so unlike him. He’s usually pretty responsible whenever he’s not exhausted beyond belief. Eventually it becomes something that you grow used to, adapting to the change slowly. I can’t lie and say that it wasn’t hard, but the two of us seem to be doing fairly well.

My hot chocolate was now warm enough that I could drink, and I sat down on the floor with a couple bags and items to help. I wasn’t the best person to wrap presents, but I wanted to at least give it an attempt. Most of our friends know when I give them gifts because they look so strange. I’ve heard all of the jokes many times, and it was one of the things that keep me from doing it half the time.

The first gift I ever gave to shiroe I made sure it was pre-wrapped. Because I couldn’t be bothered to give him some jacked up box. Although, I’m sure he’d appreciate it either way. Not without a lot of teasing on my part, though.

“Baby, can you help me with this? It’s getting.. a lot more frustrating than I thought,” I said, dropping the tape onto the floor with a sigh.

Shiroe chuckled softly, helping the twins into the little play area to make sure they didn’t hurt themselves or get into anything while I had my crafting stuff out. This wasn’t a problem for them since they both wanted to play together already, although Ariana did put up a little fight given that he had put her down too early for her. It made me feel better to be able to see them while I fiddled and sighed, sometimes getting a little too distracted. Not that it would make much of a difference to the outcome.

Shiroe’s warm hand found my own, taking the scissors from my hands. “Before you hurt yourself,” He teased, giving me a wink.

I rolled my eyes, muttering under my breath about him being lucky he did take them from me.

My comments were cut short when he tilted my chin, close enough that I felt his breath on my lips. I didn’t even have time to be frustrated with him, getting lost in the familiar pools of his eyes.

“You were saying, sweetheart?” He asked, his voice hushed.

It was almost like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Before I could shut him up with a kiss, there was a soft cough from the twins just a little ways away from us. I giggled softly, which Shiroe was quick to follow. He kissed me softly, running a hand through my hair. We returned to the task, quickly wrapping up the few presents we had. It took a bit longer once we got interrupted by Luna who was jumping and attack all of the paper we had laid out. Which was expected when she sees things that look fun to play with or just interesting to her.

Eventually, Shiroe and I had the presents on the table and we were cuddling under a blanket with the twins crawling around and playing. A movie softly played, but we weren’t really paying attention to it much. Not with Ariana and Sage wanting to literally explore the entire living room and cause trouble for the other. I couldn’t help but giggle at how Sage would not let Ariana have anything to herself.

Shiroe reached for my hand, holding it tightly and giving it a reassuring squeeze. I responded by leaning into him, finishing off the rest of my hot chocolate in one sip. “I don’t think Sage is ever going to give her a break,” I said, knowing that this was most likely how he’d treat her from her onward. Shiroe laughed, leaning his head against my own.

“Probably not…”

“Oh well, I’m sure they’ll be close. I hope they will.”

“They will…They’ll be sweethearts, just like their mother.”

I giggled softly, feeling a soft kiss on my forehead.

Shiroe smiled, nuzzling his nose against my cheek. This only made me giggle harder.

The two of us softly kissed, hearing Ariana start crying when Sage yet again stole something right out of her hands. Shiroe shook his head, reaching down to scoop her up into his lap. His hand was gentle, brushing across her face and listening to the soft sniffles. She was such a sweet girl. I could tell by the way her eyes twinkled and the way that she was so sensitive with things.

Sage continued playing as if nothing was amiss, which only made me chuckle.

“Don’t cry, princess. Shhh…”

I reached over to boop her nose, watching her eyes widen. There was so much curiosity in her gaze, and her cries were nonexistent now. She was getting all the attention in the world, how much better can it get for her? It was her turn to start cooing, which only made me giggling and coo at her more. The twins sounds were literally the cutest and I just couldn’t help myself.

Shiroe chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and lifting his eyes to watch Sage. The little boy was doing as I expected, which is being the little exploring child that he was. One of his toys he had begun to put in his mouth, which is a favorite thing that he does. It wasn’t anything he could swallow, but Shiroe kept a close eye on him just in case. Keep him from getting into anything that he shouldn’t be.

“You’re such a pretty girl, you know that, angel? Yes you are,” I cooed softly.

Shiroe laughed again, eyes flickering to me and Ariana’s face.

He gently tickled her stomach with his index finger, watching her start to smile and giggle.

“There’s that cute smile,” He said.

She started laughing harder, leaning up to reach for his face. A common thing she does, especially when she’s happy. Sometimes she’ll touch his cheek or his nose to imitate us when we do that to her. This time, she did what I can only expect her to do, attack his glasses. I chuckled softly, watching shiroe slowly pull her hands away so he could take them off his face.

“Careful,” He chuckled, “These aren’t a toy, baby.”

Now that they were off his face, her eyes were glinting with such curiousness. I couldn’t help but laugh a little louder than I should.

“Is she… poor baby, she looks so confused!”

Shiroe kept his glasses off, trying to lean down to kiss her and watching as she continued to be so confused. It’s true that he doesn’t take them off much around her, so this might have been the first time she’s seen him without them. It was a rather adorable, and kind of a little funny. Or really funny. Her face was my favorite it was like her father had disappeared, or at least from what she knew.

“It’s probably just something on my face,” He said, slipping it back onto his face.

Just then, her curious look faded and she smiled again.

The two of us got curious again, taking the opportunity for him to take them off one last time.

The look was back again, and this time she was a little on the edge of making a few sounds. I could tell by the contort of her face. I let out a small ‘awh’, petting her face softly.

“It’s okay, Ari. It’s still your daddy.”

She didn’t like that. Not at all.

Shiroe let out a sigh, placing them back on his face and pulling her up to litter kisses all over her face.

Now, it was Sage’s turn to want attention, tugging on the blanket that lay on our laps. I chuckled, reaching down to help him up even though he was already pulling himself up into a stumbling standing position. Shiroe grinned, leaning over to kiss him on his forehead.

“You will be walking in no time little guy,” He said, chuckling happily.

Sage hiccupped, and cooed as if trying to answer back. Which only made me grin brightly.

The four of us sat on the couch and watched a couple more movies. Ariana and Sage ended up wanting down soon enough to play once again, and this time Sage wasn’t stealing stuff from her anymore. At least for a little while. I was super excited for them to get to experience their first Christmas, even though it would be a bigger deal to us in the long run. But it was a huge deal.

Our first holiday as a family.

[do-u-ever-just]

All I Want For Christmas

Rated G.  2.6k words.  Sheith.  Mentioned Allurance.

Read on AO3

It had been a joke.  A funny, ironic, painfully cheesy joke. That’s all.  So, how did it turn out this way?

Shiro had seen it at the mall.  It was just one of those things he had spotted and had immediately done a double take because, seriously, could such a thing even exist?  Which, to someone who had battled in an intergalactic war and seen much, was really saying something.  

The colour, for one thing (mustard yellow and bright green?  Really?) was bad enough but the design was a whole different story.  The white stitching around the collar?  The disgusting little balls of fluff sewn in a string around the sleeves?  Was that really necessary, Shiro had to wonder.  The deformed sheep (not reindeer, sheep) dancing across the slogan wearing, what he had to assume, were Santa hats, but only looked more like odd horns coming off their heads.  Then there was the slogan, scrawled in cursive, stitched in hazardously (a design choice or the tailor was just uncoordinated, he’ll never know), reading across the chest at a most awkward angle.

“Fleece Navidad,” Shiro reads, holding the sleeve of the sweater between a thumb and forefinger, as if the sweater so ugly it might burst into flames any second, hoping to burn itself out of existence.

Shiro wouldn’t blame it.

“Wow.  That’s…bad,” Lance mutters, also staring at the sweater in wonderment, but not the usual kind of wonderment found on people’s faces this time of year.  This was stale wonderment.  A look of horror and unguided disgust.  “Coming from someone who lives for bad jokes and puns this is…this is the work of Krampus.”

Shiro laughs.

“You laugh, but it’s true!” Lance continues, now also holding the opposing sleeve of the offending sweater.  “This was obviously knit from the fur on Krampus’ back!  That’s the only explanation as to how this hellish object of the holiday exists!”

Shiro continues to laugh.

“Hang on, I gotta show this to Allura!” Lance whips out his smart phone, snapping a few photos from different angles, sending it off to his fiancé.  

Shiro adjusts the shopping bags in his hands while they wait on Allura’s response, trying to find a way to carry all of Lance’s bags, as well as the few of his own, in a way so they wouldn’t be hitting him in the calves with every step.  He couldn’t find one, so opted for just suffering in silence instead.  

Lance’s phone chimes, and he laughs at the message on screen, turning it around to show Shiro the animated vomiting cat sticker Allura had sent.  An appropriate choice.

“Haha, okay, okay,” Shiro starts to turn, rolling his shoulders.  They had been back on Earth for a few years now, yet he still found Christmas shopping to be far more strenuous than any of the training exercises Allura had put them through in the Castle of Lions.  “Are we ready to head home?”

“Yeah, yeah! Just one more stop!” Lance snaps out of his temporary state of rest, as he usually does, suddenly remembering their original task and speed-walks into the neighbouring jewellery store.  “I have a few necklaces on hold I gotta check out!”

“Are these for your sisters?”

“No, they have the cinema gift vouchers! These are for Allura!”

“Didn’t you already buy her the couch cushions? And the crystal vase? And I saw you sneaking out of a pet store before.”

Lance doesn’t hear him, however, already at the counter.  Shiro rolls his eyes, though smiles fondly as his friend looks over his options.  He can’t really blame Lance for wanting to take advantage of the festive season and shower his beloved in expensive gifts, especially when they’re so much more used to worrying about other more pressing matters than how many wrapped boxes should sit under the Christmas tree.

As Shiro waits outside, various bags at his feet, that horrible sweater manages to catch his eye again.  It seems so harmless from across the walkway, but Shiro can still remember how daring it had looked up close and how Allura had reacted to the garment.  So, with significant others in mind, he had to wonder, how would Keith react?

Keith was slow on social cues.  That hadn’t changed in the years they had grown and developed together.  He didn’t get jokes unless they were blatantly obvious, blunt and bad.  He never laughed at the more, well-crafted jokes, but give him a simple one-liner and he’d be giggling about it for weeks.  It was one of his more endearing qualities.

Yet, Shiro felt Keith would appreciate this little turn of phrase.  He liked Christmas carols after all, so was no stranger to the lyrics of the well-known folk song.  He’d hate the colours though.  Keith was a man of total habit, and black and red were still the only colours he had in his wardrobe to this day (aside from the white tux that hung carefully from a hook at the end of their closet, next to Shiro’s own).  

The little decorations would drive him over the edge the most, however.  The fluffy cotton balls would irritate him like dust irritates a cat. The fabric would itch around his neck and he would constantly complain about the impractical fit.  

In short, Keith would hate it.  He’d think Shiro an idiot for gifting it to him.  Still, Shiro knows Keith would laugh at the pun, poke fun at the design, torment over the contrasting colours, and do it all with a smile on his face. He’d grin and laugh and take the joke in stride.  

Now Shiro can’t get the image of Keith, happy and bubbling laughter pouring from his lips, out of his head.

Lance walks out twenty minutes later with not one, not two, but three jewellery cases.

“I couldn’t decide which one she’d look more beautiful in, as she’d look beautiful in them all, so I just got all three and oh my God you didn’t…” Lance trails off in utter horror as he eyes the bag Shiro is adding to the pile.  The shop’s logo plain and clean on the white paper bag.  The logo belonging to that horrible Christmas sweater’s home.

“It’s a gag gift for Keith,” Shiro explains.  Of all the people willing to see Keith suffer even for a moment, he figured Lance would be top of the list.  Their one-sided rivalry had never really faulted, merely put on the back-burner until light and benign moments like these.

“I will pay you all the money I have if you record his face when he opens that!”

“I’m sure Allura will be so pleased with her empty bank account.”

“I mean, she might be a little disappointed at first, but she’ll understand!”

Shiro hums in mild agreement as they make their way back to the car.

---

There’s no smell of gingerbread or candy canes when Shiro walks through the door, but he can see the glow of the fire from the foyer, and hears the faint chime of the piano music Keith has playing on their record player.  There’s no fairy lights strung up through the hallway, or tinsel over the banisters, but Shiro gives their small and modest Christmas tree a fond look as he makes his way into the living room.

Keith is lounging on the couch, tapping his foot to the music, a glass of red in one hand and a book in the other.  He looks so at peace, the fire light making his skin glow, his long eyelashes brushing his cheeks as he blinks tiredly.  His hair braided down his scalp and ending in a little tuft at the back of his neck. He’s beautiful, and Shiro wants to kiss him.

So, he does.

“Back already?” Keith asks when their lips part, though leans in for another before Shiro can reply. Shiro smiles against his husband’s lips.

“Lance is an exhausting person to shop with,” Shiro says, straightening up and dumping his few bags on the adjacent arm chair, though makes sure to take a certain one with him to the couch.  “How do I forget that every year?”

“I have a feeling it’s something to do with his constant whining that he doesn’t know what to get Allura when, in fact, he does know.  He just can’t decide-“

“-and then ends up buying everything he picked for her anyway,” Shiro finishes.  

Keith smiles, marking his place in his book and gently placing it on the floor, his nearly empty glass with it.  “Was your own shopping trip successful?”

“I got presents for Hunk, picked up our cake for dinner with the Holts.  I managed to sneak away and get that new video game while Lance wasn’t looking.  Allura’s shoes are being back ordered but they should be here by Christmas.”

Keith nods at all this, a pinch forming between his brows.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you,” he begins.

Shiro hushes him with another peck to the lips before Keith can bury himself too deep under his own self-doubt.

“I told you, it doesn’t matter!  I know you don’t like crowds,” Shiro takes hold of Keith’s hands, silently marvelling at how small they are in comparison to his own.  “You do more than your fair share of Christmas preparation.  Shopping in a mall is a very small part of the holiday season.”

“But to leave you alone with Lance of all people?” Keith cocks his head, worry still imminent in his features, though an amused smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

Shiro smiles back.

“I’ll admit, it’s hard. I fought valiantly.  Blood was shed.  Old wounds, re-opened.  I thought I might never see you again!”

Keith laughs as Shiro places a hand over his heart, faking deep battle wounds.  Lord knows, they’ve had enough first-hand experience.

“I’m so proud you came back to me,” Keith plays along.  He leans forward to gently cup Shiro’s face in his hands.  “Would my victor like his spoils now, or later?”

“How about both?” Shiro practically purrs as he leans in close.  

Their lips meet, and its sweet and soft and deep.  They’re both smiling wildly, their teeth clacking at awkward intervals, but as Shiro places his hands lightly on Keith’s waist and shuffles closer, he finds he doesn’t mind when Keith giggles against him and clutches his face even tighter.

When they’re done making out on the couch like teenagers, when Shiro has poured his own glass of red and settled back next to his partner, arm around Keith’s shoulders and the fire warming his socked toes, Keith takes notice of the bag sitting beside them so inconspicuously.

“What’s that?” he asks, sliding ever close to Shiro, despite being so close to him already.  Keith does that.  Again, creature of habit.

“Oh, right!  I got you something!”

Keith only looks confused as Shiro offers the bag over.  Keith is not familiar with apparel stores and what they might hold, beyond knowing the common department stores like Target or Walmart, so the logo is no giveaway to him as to what it could be.

“Do I open it now?” Keith takes the bag anyway.

Shiro had considered leaving it until Christmas day and placing the sweater under the tree alongside the rest of their gifts for each other, but figured this was too good of an opportunity to pass.

“Yeah!  It’s just something small I thought you’d like.  It made me think of you, so figured, why not?” Shiro doesn’t miss the way Keith’s fingers inexplicably tighten around the paper, crumpling it in his hold.

Keith is careful as he pulls apart the tissue paper, reaching in and pulling out the sweater. He places the bag on the ground, and unravels the travesty of clothing slowly, holding it up so he can look at the full thing in all of its horribly-designed glory.  Shiro waits with bated breath as Keith looks over the sweater, reads the writing on the front, notices everything from the scratchy wool it’s knitted out of to the fluff surrounding the sleeves and the bottom.  It feels like he could hear a pin drop in the room, even over the record still playing its soft tune in the background and the fire crackling in front of them.

Finally, Keith looks to Shiro, and grants him the largest grin ever seen.

“I love it!  Thank you!”

A record scratch echoes in Shiro’s ears, like something out of a cartoon.

“Shit, hang on,” Keith takes the sweater with him, carefully folded over his arm, as he walks over to the record player and flips the vinyl.  He takes his time placing the needle back at the beginning, so the music can continue to play.  

Keith returns hurriedly, sitting so close to Shiro he may as well have crawled into his lap.

“Shiro, you really didn’t have to!” Keith gushes again, still clutching the sweater, holding it up so he can look over it again.

Shiro is dumbfounded, left speechless, unsure of how to handle this turn of events.

“You don’t have to lie for my sake, Keith,” Shiro tries, nervously looking over Keith’s expression as his husband continues to study the absurd piece of clothing.

Keith turns to Shiro so their eyes lock.

“I’m not lying!  Why would I lie to you?  I love it, Takashi!  You said you thought of me when you saw this, that you’d think I’d like it, then went out of your way to get it for me.  How could I hate something like that?”

And Shiro can see that Keith is genuine.  It’s in the call of ‘Takashi’ that left his lips, in the light in his eyes that has nothing to do with the roaring fire.  It’s in the quirk of his smile and the hold of his shoulders.  Shiro is beginning to see how, to Keith, this is more than just a mere gift, and more a physical reminder that Shiro thinks of Keith when he’s not around.

Shiro thought he had all of Keith’s habits pinned down to the letter.  From his preferred sleeping position (spooning, Shiro the little spoon, pressed tightly against Keith’s chest all night long) to how he takes his tea (white, no sugar).  From how Keith dances when he’s sure no one is looking, to how he keeps his books, clothes and knives organised.  

Then something like this will happen, and Shiro has to relearn his husband all over again.

It’s never a bad thing, just another reminder that no matter how complacent Shiro is, Keith will continue to surprise him in the best of ways.  Even after the war has ended and peace has reined throughout the universe, even after years of therapy and finally allowing himself to settle down with the love of his life, Keith serves as a constant reminder that his life will never be boring.

“Really?  You love the sweater?” Shiro has to be sure.  Has to be certain this is not Keith playing his own prank.

“Yes!” Keith nods almost violently, his bangs bobbing and probably hitting him in the eyes as he does, but he remains steadfast in his decision of how amazing this sweater apparently is.

“Well, I’m glad.”

Because what else is he supposed to say?  ‘Haha you genuinely love a gift I was giving to you as a joke’?  He could never torment his husband that way, and besides, why would he ever want to take away the joy Keith has found in a gift Shiro gave, even if his intentions weren’t exactly pure?

Keith is standing now, pulling on the sweater over his shirt, despite it already being warm in the house.  He stands proudly there for Shiro when he’s done and has it settled over his collar, predictably already scratching at his neck.  Shiro grins, pulls Keith down next to him again, and slides their lips together again.  Keith kisses him warmly, sweetly, and when he reaches up to stroke Shiro’s jaw, the balls of fluff tickle and the wool irritates his skin, but Keith is happy, and that’s all Shiro could ever want for Christmas.

[shadowqueen24]

Everything Was Fun, Until It Wasn't But Maybe It’ll Get Better Pt 1

This is my gift for Devon, @idevon for @voltron-ss

Summary: The day before Keith leaves for Christmas break, Pidge takes him out for some fun in the snow. The day Keith actually leaves though isn’t all that fun, it’s terrible and Keith kinda wishes he had stayed in his dorm with Pidge. Hopefully, he’ll find something to lighten up what started as a terrible day.

Pairing: Keith/Pidge(Katie Holt), Keith/Lance

Pt. 1 (Congrats, you’re here!) Pt. 2 (Here)

Can also read it here (Ao3)

Keith Kogane woke up to the sound of his 9am alarm blaring throughout his room. He didn’t have any classes today and forgot to cancel his alarm. He blindly searched the bed for the source of annoyance.

“Hey, I’m trying to finish my work here, turn off your alarm.” Pidge snapped, her fingers dancing her across her laptop. She was this close to finishing her thesis paper and she didn’t need Keith’s stupid alarm ruining her concentration.  

Keith groaned, finally managing to shut off that damn alarm. A pillow smacked him the face.“ What part of quiet, don’t you understand?” Okay, so Pidge had to admit she may be a little agitated due to lack of sleep, but Keith would get over it. He was used to this already.

The black haired boy glared at her, she returned the look back with full force. Keith dragged his body to the bathroom so he could throw some water on his face. If he didn’t fully wake up soon, in his delirious state, there was a possibility that he would mistake Pidge for a gremlin, and actually throw her out the window. He turned on the bathroom light and got a good look of himself in the mirror. Staring back at him was a face full of bags, dead eyes, and sharp-like teeth. Not the nicest looking face, but who cares. People didn’t go to college and not get bags. If someone has, Keith would track them down to punch them in the face for being so lucky.    

He reentered the room the find that Pidge had made her escape. Probably to grab coffee from the cafeteria. He threw a random shirt he found on the floor on. It was nice long sleeve black one that no one saw him wear yet, making it easy for him to wear it and not get called on it.

“You’re disgusting,” Pidge commented, walking to her bed. Scratch that, looks like he had been caught. She was holding a coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other. She seemed much more chipper than she had been earlier now that she had food and coffee in her.

“You wear the same bra like every day.” Keith shot back. He struggled to put his boots on.

Pidge rolled her eyes. Keith would never understand the hard task of finding the perfect bra that still fits after you buy it. She had to milk this bra for all it’s worth. Keith was still trying to put on his shoes. “Unzip it dumbass, it’s not rocket science.” She ducked as a boot came flying at her. She snickered and threw it back.

“So,” She took a bite of her bagel. “Are you excited to see Shiro?”

Keith let out a small smile. Of course he was excited to see his dorky older brother this weekend. They hadn’t had much time to see each other ever since Shiro and his fiance, Allura, moved from Arus to Altea, Allura’s home country. It was a big adjustment, Keith had gotten used to seeing Shiro everyday, even after Shiro had graduated. He was always there to make sure Keith was taking care of himself properly, (“Keith eating 10 packs of noodles a day is not healthy and will kill you!” “Says the weeb trash who tried to survive on pocky and anime alone.”) or just enjoying college period. Shiro promised that Keith could come visit during Christmas break, which couldn’t come fast enough. He didn’t want to admit it but he missed Shiro terribly, even his atrocious dad jokes.

“Yeah, I am. What about you? Are you going home for Christmas this year?” Pidge shook her head, her eyes focused on her on her laptop.

“Nope, not enough in the Pidgeotto bank to afford a flight back to Balto,” Seeing the look on Keith’s face, she shrugged. “It’s not so bad, I can still talk them and I get enjoy personal time with my brother fangirling over me getting into Arus Academy,” She side glanced him. “Or Roommates with noisy alarm clocks. You say you’re not emo, but no one listens to My Chemical Romance anymore Keith.”

Ignoring the jab at him,Keith continued to frown. He was at a crossroads. He didn’t like the idea of Pidge spending Christmas by herself, but Pidge was an adult and could take of herself.

He stiffened when arms wrapped around him. A face buried itself into his chest. “Stop it with the face. As touching as your concern is, I think I’ll be good without big bad Keith protecting me for two weeks.” Keith closed his eyes, leaning into the hug. Pidge and Keith weren’t incredibly touchy people, especially when it come to each other, but they had their moments. Keith cherished every single one of those moments.

Pidge looked up and Keith pretended not see the little specks of tears forming her eyes. She would deny it, but Pidge was secretly over emotional. She once broke into tears after she accidentally deleted an episode of  her favorite show, “Mad Ninjas” from the DVR. Pidge shoved him away. “Okay, cringe fest over.”

Keith chuckled, same old Pidge.

Pidge glanced at the clock on the wall. “You don’t leave until tomorrow morning, right?” She questioned. Keith nodded, confused.

“Why?”

“Let’s go on an adventure!” She didn’t give him much of choice, grabbing his hand, she lead him out door. She still had her outside attire on from her earlier run to cafeteria but Keith scrambled to grab his coat as he was rushed out. He wasn’t sure where Pidge was taking him or what they were going to do on this so called “adventure”, in fact the only time he ever seen her so excited about something that wasn’t tech related. It soon came to Keith that Pidge was taking him to the park.

Arus’s park looked almost like a winter wonderland during this time year. There were twinkling Christmas lights were hanging all around, giving off a festive feeling.The trees and grass were covered in layers of the crystal snow that had descended upon it the night before. The managers in charge of decorating the park deserved a raise. There were all different types snow figures. Keith squinted at odd looking one. It looked like some type of cat but one couldn’t be too sure. The lake was converted into an ice skating rink that everyone from adults to children were enjoying themselves.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Pidge sneaking up behind him. Eyes full of mischief, she pulled back her arm and launched a snowball right at the back of Keith’s head. The dark haired boy didn’t see it coming and jumped at the coldness of the snow, letting out a yelp.

He smirked. Pidge was going to regret that. If she wanted a war then she was going to get one. Meanwhile, Pidge didn’t like the look Keith was giving her. The consequences of her actions came in the form of snowball to the chest. Another one hit her in the shoulder. It dawned on her that she had made the mistake of challenging one of the most competitive people ever to snowball fight.  

She shrieked when as a snowball came barreling into her chest. There was but a second between the first and the second snowball. Keith was merciless in his onslaught. She needed to find shelter soon. “I’m a total idiot, there are tons of trees here.” She fired a snowball, an idea forming.“Trees with tons of snow on them.”

Running as fast as her legs would take her, she darted towards a group of trees. Keith immediately followed after her, he looked around for a sign of her. The black haired boy saw movement from the tree to his right. Like a lion stalking his prey he slowly crept up to tree that Pidge was surely was hiding behind. He prepared to pounce.

“Gotcha!” He announced, hand held up and snowball in hand. The space behind the tree was empty, leaving Keith to wonder where his small companion had escaped to. A whistle sounded through the air. Keith turned around to see a very happy Pidge smiling in triumph. She pointed above him.

The tree he was standing under was covered in a mountain of snow that would collapse at the slightest movement. Pidge had tricked him and like a fool, he played right into her hands. He held his hands in surrender.

“Truce?” He tried. Pidge’s only answer was to throw her snowball at the tree. Way more snow then he would have liked was dumped on him. Snow was in places that snow should not have been. “I guess not.”

“THIS IS SPARTA!” Pidge yelled jumping onto him. Both of them went crashing into the ground. He was ready to let out a long complaint, but the words died in his throat once he realized how close they were. So close that if Keith were to lean up, their noses would be touching.

Had Pidge’s glasses always framed her face like that? Keith knew Pidge was pretty er no, pretty wasn’t the right word. Beautiful was more like it, but now, she looked out of of this world. The air around her wasn’t like anything he could describe and it made him feel alive. 

Pidge made him feel alive.

“Hey.” He breathed, a puff of cold air escaping.

“Hey.”

Devon, I enjoyed writing this because I’ve never written Keith/Pidge before and you may have caused me to bump this rare pair up on my voltron ship list, so thank you helping me experience something new. I hope you enjoy this fic and enjoy your holidays.

[omgahgase]

Bonrin Week Day 4: First

Okay I know this is late, but it took longer than I thought. Since I got such nice comments on my last fanic, I wanted to write another! This one is kinda long, so bear with me. I hope you enjoy!

It’s all Shima’s Fault

Rin has never felt this sort of fear in his life. Not when Satan took over Shiro’s body and tried to kill him or that time during the Impure King incident back in Kyoto. Not even going up against zombies in the Illuminati headquarters scared him as much as this moment. But as he looked up at that the jumbotron displaying himself and Suguro surrounded by hearts with the words “Kiss Cam” right below, Rin’s pretty sure this sort of fear is one feeling he doesn’t like. If you look at things through Rin’s eyes, this whole ordeal was Shima’s fault. Two weeks earlier, Shima asked Rin if he wanted to go to a basketball game in Tokyo. Rin, being the eager little kid he is, jumped at the opportunity since he’s never been to a real game before. Shiro was always a basketball fan, he kinda pushed his love for basketball onto Rin while raising the twins. Neither of them actually played the sport though, Shiro always had missions and the boys to take care of while Rin was just bad at it. But that didn’t stop them from watching games on TV. The Saturday of the game, Rin bounded to his friends dorm, expecting him to be as excited as he was. “Shima!” yelled Rin as he burst through the room door. “C’mon, the game starts at five!” Rin had to duck down to escape the sneaker flying at his head. “Suguro, what the hell?” “Shut your trap Okumura!” Another sneaker flew from his hand. “Shima ain’t feeling well, Koneko took him to the doctors.” “What? Why? He was perfectly fine yesterday.” “The idiot drank some milk that spoiled sometime last month in the cafeteria this morning,” explained Suguro as he threw a pillow from his place on his bed. “How the hell? Not even Shima is that stupid to-” “He was too busy drooling over his new bikini mags.” Rin face palmed. “That pink haired perv!” Rin flopped down on the bed. “What about the game?” A swift kick to the side had Rin flailing off the bed onto the floor. “Here, Shima told me to give this to you.” Two tickets floated down onto Rin’s face. “He said to find someone else to go with.” “Haaah? Are you serious?” “Yes I am. Now get out of my room.” Rin sat bolt up. “But I can’t find anyone this last minute! Who’d want to go to a game that starts in an hour?” “Don’t know. Don’t care. Get out of my room.” “Maybe Shiemi would like to go.” Rin stood and started pacing the room. “But she doesn’t like big crowds.” “Okumura.” “I could ask Yukio-” “Okumura.” “-but he’s already pissed at me for not buying him his damn mineral water.” “Okumura!” “You think Izumo would like-” “For fucks sake, Okumura!” This time the sneaker didn’t miss. “I’ll go with you if it makes you shut up!” Rubbing the back of his head, Rin turned around. “What?” Suguro stood up from his bed and grabbed his jacket. “Jeez, it goes in one ear and out the other.” He made his way to the corner of the room to put his shoes on. “I said I’ll go with you. If it gets you to stop complaining and outta my room, I’ll go.” A smile appeared on Rin’s face. “Thanks Suguro.” “Y-yeah, whatever,” a faint blush tinted the taller boys cheeks. “Move it or else we’re gonna be late.” The two exited the dorms and walked the path to the campus gates. While Rin was telling Suguro about the bentos he made in case they got hungry, they ran into Kuro. “Hey Rin! Where you’re going?” The half demon ran a hand over his familiar’s fur. “We’re going to a basketball game in Tokyo.” “Oh, so you mean like a date!” A deep blush crawled its way up to Rin’s face. “What? N-no, it’s not like that! We’re just going to-” “Rin’s on a date! Rin’s on a date!” “Stop it you damned cat or else I’m not making you anymore tempura!” Suguro watched as his friend and his cat had a very heated argument turned fist fight (paw fight?) once Kuro jumped on Rin’s head and the boy started swinging. He didn’t understand what the cat was saying, but he was pissed. He kept hissing and digging his claws into the shorter boys scalp. After Suguro took out his phone and snapped a picture of Rin getting his ass beat by a cat, he pulled the two apart. “Alright, cut it out. Kuro, whatever this idiot did, I’ll make it up to you by picking up some sushi and milk before we get back. That sound good to you?” The little black familier perked up. He nodded his head and allowed Suguro to pet him before him and Rin walked off campus. Kuro said something to his owner before they were out of earshot, whatever it was made Rin flustered again. “That damn cat! One of these days I’m gonna completely cut his sake line.” “Sure, cut his alcohol supply and make him even more angry. That way, he can beat your ass while full sized.” Suguro laughed as the color drained from Rin’s face. As the two walked to the bus stop, Suguro asked, “What did he say to you to get you so riled up?” The color returned to Rin’s face as a blazing red. “Oh, it was nothing. He just insulted my cooking. He always says my yakitori is a little too burnt.” When the bus came and they boarded, he avoided eye contact the whole ride.

By the time they arrived at the stadium, the game was to start in ten minutes. They gave their tickets to the ushers outside and rushed to find seats. Fortunately, they found some a few rows above court side. During the bus ride, Rin explained who was playing, the players, and their current records. Suguro tried to seem interested, he really did, but he was never a sports kinda guy. Yeah he did play football with Juzo and Kinzo when they needed extra players, but that was about it. But while Rin was talking about the different plays, it made him smile, so Suguro pretended to listen. When the referee blew the whistle and threw the ball in the air, the game finally began. Throughout the first ten minutes nothing really happened. It was the same thing, one player has the ball. The opposing team steals it and so on. It was pretty interesting to watch a bunch of guys run after a ball. But when one team scored the first two points, that smile was back on Rin’s face. Suguro didn’t know why that smile made him feel lighter than air. It wasn’t because he liked that goofy look, or anything. Or the way his eyes would light up whenever an amazing pass was made. Or the fact that whenever Rin got too excited he would latch onto Suguro’s arm, jumping up and down. Nope, none of that. At halftime, they grew hungry so Rin pulled out some sodas and the bentos he made earlier that day. While the two ate, Rin looked at Suguro and couldn’t help but feel…something. Sometimes it’s a light flutter in his stomach, other times it feels like he’s doing twist and turns on a roller coaster. The only time Rin has these feeling is when he’s with Suguro. Rin must’ve been staring too long because Suguro poked him with his chopsticks. “Oi, Okumura, you alright? You look kinda funny. What, you gotta a fever?” The boy leaned over his seat and pressed his forehead against Rin’s. If the poking didn’t snap him out of whatever trance he was in, that definitely did. Rin was frozen in place. His heart was beating a little faster than usual and his hand that didn’t have the bento wouldn’t stop shaking. At one point he even forgot to breath. When Suguro pulled away, Rin had this feeling of losing something that’s supposed to be there. After a few seconds his heart rate returned to normal and he let out a big huff of air. But his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. He closed the bento and returned it to his bag, he tried to hide his shaking but failed miserably. “Okumura, are you cold? You’re shivering like crazy.” Suguro put his finished box back in the backpack, he then proceeded to remove his black hoodie. “Here take my jacket.” Rin nodded and slipped the hoodie on. It was a few sizes too big, so he swam in it, but other than that it gave him a sense of comfort. “Thanks Suguro.” For the second time that day, Suguro blushed because of that blue idiot. “S-shut up. I just don’t want you catching a cold out here. That’ll mean I gotta haul your sorry ass back to campus and get an earful from your brother.” The atmosphere turned awkward after a few minutes of not speaking. Rin was about to say that he was fine when the crowd erupted in cheers and excitement. The two looked above to see the jumbotron blinking red, white, and pink. When the flashing colors stopped, the screen was displaying a young couple on the east side of the stadium. The words “Kiss Cam” bouncing around the screen with hearts popping up. They smiled and turned to each other, dumbstruck looks on their faces. The guy leaned in and pecked his girlfriend on the lips, earning them hoots and hollers. “Wow, this stuff is so cheesy,” said Suguro, as his eyes followed the next victims. “It’s gross when couples do it in public, but now they have to kiss in front of hundreds of people.” “Y-yeah. It’s so dumb.” Rin started to fidget in place, looking anywhere else but at the boy next to him. “I feel sorry for the poor saps who-” “Oi, Okumura?” “Yeah, what’s up?” Rin turned to find a blushing Suguro. “You look like you wanna puke.” “Don’t look now,” He pointed to the jumbotron and Rin’s stomach dropped. “But I think those poor saps are us.” Rin hoped he was lying, he wanted it to be a joke, but nope. There they were, plain as day. A huge heart around their frame with smaller ones moving along the screen. The universe has decided to put the two in the worst situation possible. At this point, Rin started to panic. His face turned as red as Shura’s hair as Suguro looked from him to the screen displaying their blushing faces. His hands clutched his seat and his body felt heavy.

I want to die. I want to bury myself under a rock and die. I didn’t do anything to deserve this sort of punishment! Was it because I forgot Yukio’s mineral water? The crowd started to get anxious, they were chanting “kiss him!” and screaming for the two to get on with it. An elderly woman in the seat below looked at Suguro and yelled, “C’mon young man! Lay one on your boyfriend!” “W-what? He’s not my… We’re just friends!” Rin protested. “C’mon Suguro, tell her we’re-” Rin never got to finish his sentence because a pair of lips crashed against his. At this point in his life, Rin was supposed to have his first kiss by the age of ten. Sadly, him being unsociable never really helped him get any girls. But right now, he’s sorta glad that his first kiss was with his best friend, despite how awkward it is. Suguro’s lips moved Rins, they were slightly chapped and tasted like the orange soda he drank. The two didn’t pay attention to how the crowd exploded into cheers or how they cat called when Suguro placed a hand on Rin’s cheek. They were in their own little world. By the time they pulled away, both boys were breathing hard. Suguro scooted back a bit and cleared his throat. “Sorry ‘bout that.” It took a few seconds for Rin to come back down to Earth. When the world stopped spinning, he took a huge swig of his soda. He tried to stop his heart threatening to burst from his chest, but his heart didn’t want to listen to him. “No, no. It’s fine.” “Really? I acted on impulse. I didn’t the crowd to come after us.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the blush still present on his cheeks. “Really, it was… Nice.” Rin pretended like he didn’t see the spark that lit Suguro’s eyes.

The rest of the game went by in a blur. The two didn’t really pay close attention like they did in the beginning. After the whole Kiss Cam episode, they didn’t say much to each other, the tension was so thick you needed a knife to cut through. But after a few moments in the painful silence, they eased into comfortable conversation. After they exited the stadium and caught the bus, they went to buy Kuro’s sushi. They were walking back from the small store, when Rin, being one to speak before he thinks, blurted out, “You know, that was my first kiss.” Suguro looked at him in bewilderment. “Are you serious?” Rin let out a small chuckle. “Yes, I am. Why do you seemed so surprised?” “Well, to be completely honest, I thought you and Shiemi hooked up.” Now it was Rin’s turn to be shocked. “No you saw it, she shot me down. But I’m pretty sure she has a thing for mole face.” Suguro must be a horrible friend. Only bad friends would feel kinda…happy at this sort of news. He see’s the way Shiemi looks at Yukio, there’s a glint in her eye and a hop in her step whenever she’s around him. She doesn’t look at Rin the way he wants her too. “What about you? You had your first kiss yet?” Rin asked. “Oh yeah, I’ve been kissed before.” “I don’t think your mom counts.” A smile made its way to Suguro’s face. “Shut up!” He lightly shoved the boy, making him stumble. Rin laughed. Suguro felt responsible for making him laugh. He liked his laugh. “It was back in junior high, during my third year. Shima dared me to kiss a girl and I did it.” “Wow,” Rin deadpanned. “How romantic.” The two friends laughed at Rin’s remark. “Well, at least my first kiss wasn’t with a dude.” Rin smiled. That smile made Suguro feel funny. A good kinda funny. “It wasn’t just any dude, it was with you.” Holy shit. It was a good thing it was dark or else the blush on Suguro’s face would’ve made Rin laugh again. He lost count on how many times his cheeks flamed up while out with the shorter boy. It was hard to make Suguro crack a smile let alone blush. But when he’s with Rin, his face just decides to disobey what his brain tells it. The two didn’t notice that they reached Rin’s dorm, until he stopped walking. They both looked up at the building, there was a little pang that shot through Suguro as he walked the half demon to his door. He stood a step below Rin, making the boy a few inches taller. Silence hung in the air along with a gloomy feeling. “Thanks again for coming with me.” It must’ve been his imagination, but with the moonlight shining down on them, a halo appeared above Rin’s head. The son of Satan wearing a halo, the universe must think it’s funny. Suguro stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “It was nothin’. I had a good time.” “You did? Even though we were forced to kiss in front of a whole stadium of people?” “The bento boxes made up for it.” Rin snorted. “I’m happy you thought so. I’ll make another one for you if you want.” “Yeah, that sounds good. Here,” Suguro held up the plastic bag with Kuro’s food. “Tell Kuro that I couldn’t get him tempura, but I hope tuna will suffice.” Rin took the bag, making their hands brush against each other. “Don’t worry, he’ll eat about anything. Actually scratch that, he’ll eat anything except Shiemi’s grass sandwiches.” “But I ate those.” “Which tells me that your taste buds are broken. You better get ready to eat real food.” Rin’s eyes softened as Suguro laughed, his shoulders shaking with every breath he took. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” Suguro sighed. “I better be going. Shima and Koneko must be back in the dorms. They’re probably wondering where I am.” “Yeah okay. I’ll see on Monday.” Rin dug his keys out of his pocket. “Goodnight, Suguro.” “Goodnight, Okumura.” He turned and descended the steps. Suguro was on the last step when his mouth moved of his own accord. “Hey Okumura?” “Yes?” Rin looked over his shoulder. What the hell am I doing? “Would you like to, um.” Suguro scratched the back of his head, not looking up at Rin. Why am I speaking? I should shut up right about now. “I dunno now, go get some coffee tomorrow?” He glanced up to find Rin with a confused look. “ I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I get that you may need to catch up on work or Yukio might need your help on a mission. I just thought that we could- ” The sound of Rin laughing stopped Suguro from his ramblings. God damnit. You done fucked up boy. The sight of Rin clutching his stomach with tears in his eyes, only angered Suguro. He asked if the guy wanted to get coffee and what he gets in return is Rin laughing at him. The bastard. “Oi! Why’re you laughn’? Listen fuck face, you better shut up or else-” “Suguro I’d love to get coffee with you,” Rin said as he calmed down, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. That definitely shut him up. “Oh. Um, okay. I’ll meet you at the campus gates. Nine sound good?” That damn smile was back. “Yeah, sounds good.” It seems like that goofy smile of his is contagious because it found its way to Suguro’s face. “Great, I’ll you tomorrow.” “See you then.” Suguro took a few steps towards his dorms when he heard Rin call out. “Oh one more thing!” He turned back round. “‘Fuck Face’? Really? You couldn’t come up with anything better than that?” Suguro snickered. “What? I thought it was pretty good.” Rin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Goodnight douche bag!” “Sweet dreams bastard!” Suguro headed in the direction of his dorms, the idiots smile still fresh in his mind.

As Rin opened his bedroom door, he expected Yukio to start at yelling him for being out so late, but he only found Kuro curled up on his bed. “Hey Rin, how was your date?” After dropping his backpack by his desk, the boy sat next to his cat, he’s in too good of a mood to put up with his teasing. “It was pretty good actually. We had a good time. Here.” Rin brought out the sushi from its bag. “Suguro brought tuna rolls if that’s okay.” “Yay! I’m starving! Nice jacket by the way.” Rin looked down and realized that he was still wearing Suguro’s hoodie. He completely forgot to return it to him before they departed, his mind was too preoccupied with sight of him blushing while asking him to coffee. Out of curiosity, Rin brought the sleeve up to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled like grass mixed in with the scent of books. It also had a faint hint of sweat and body spray. Overall, it smelled like Suguro. Rin slid out of the jacket and hung it on his desk chair. While Kuro ate, Rin told him the night’s event. Even though the cat was stuffing his face, he was listening to everything Rin told him. When he explained the Kiss Cam, Kuro almost choked on a piece of tuna. “Wait, you did what?” “I kissed Suguro.” By finally saying it out loud, Rin completely lost his shit. “I kissed Suguro.” His hands flew to his head, grabbing fistful of hair. “Suguro kissed me.” He jumped to his feet. “I kissed Suguro!” The boy started pacing the room, mumbling to himself. “Well he is a nice guy,” said Kuro with rice in his mouth. “I approve.” “You approve? What are you my mother?” Rin stopped his pacing to kneel in front of his friend. “No, I’m your familiar.” Kuro cocked his head. “I don’t know how I’d be able to birth you. I’m a boy.” Rin chuckled as he scratched behind Kuro’s ear. “Yes, that’s the reason. It has nothing to deal with you being a cat.” He leaned into the boys’ touch, purring as he laid on his stomach. “So this whole date was all Shima’s fault?” Rin smiled. “Yup, it’s all Shima’s fault. Remind me to thank him later.”