#might copy it to allura

[torveiglyart]

hi! What are your vld ships? Just wanted to know if we had the same ones:)

So I'm not like a huge shipper but there are certain ones that I'm just like "aww" at so:

• Lance x Keith

Their dynamic is so fluid and fun and every trope can be applied to them it's just, yeah, you know? Weren't they also supposed to be canon until s3?

• Allura x Lance

Ah yes the canon one. A lot of people say it came out of nowhere but they had chemistry (imo) back in s5, and I think they were genuinely good for each other.

• Romelle x Allura

This one's weird in that I one-sided ship it. Idk if Allura would ever feel attraction to Romelle, but the other way? Yeah.

And then for the ships that I headcanon or are totally canon but like, I don't make art of them or anything. I feel like "I ship them" isn't the right words.

Zethrid x Ezor

Lotor x Allura (Maybe if Lotor hadn't been insane...)

Hunk x Shay (I always forget about Shay 😭. I promise I have nothing against them.)

There are ships I'm like "ew no" with but that's not the question so 🤷.

Also the whole Adam thing makes me sad. No offense to Curtis, but like, there was no development there with Shiro. Kalternecker got more screen time than Adam. 😔 We never even got a last name.

[one-thousand-and-one-fandoms]

Inspired by @mdoodlerfandomart 's Coalition Lance AU.

~~~

The Voltron team was in a somber mood as they made their way back to Earth. Pidge a bit less so, because she was so looking forward to seeing her mom and dad, but even that only served to remind her that one of their own wouldn't be coming home to his family. The Voltron team had a Lance shapped hole in their ranks and everyone was feeling his absence.

Coran missed the incesant chatter from the coms which Lance had usually initiated, and Allura missed their gossip beauty sessions. Shiro had an immense amount of guilt over Lance's capture, despite technically not having been there when it happened. He contantly wondered if his clone had somehow set Lance up in an ambush, and hated that his memories of that time were disjointed and blurry at best.

Pidge busied herself by radioing every ship and planet within distance to ask if they had seen a man, tall, brown skin and blue eyed, but everyone she could get in contact with said no. (On the plus side of this process, though, they did discover that the Coalition seemed to be in good hands, so that was a relief, at least.)

Hunk kept a small notebook where he drafter hundreds, if not thousands, of ways in which he might have to break the news to Lance's family that their son, brother, cousin, uncle, etc., was MIA, likely presumed dead. None of them were completed because Hunk inevitably broke down in tears every time before he could finish any of them.

And Keith... well, Keith kept holding onto hope that Lance was alive, somewhere in the wide universe. He simply refused to believe that Lance was dead. The team kept telling him he was in denial, but it was the only thing that kept him going. Otherwise he didn't think he'd be able to function. He often played with one of Lance's necklaces that Keith now wore and wondered about his whereabouts.

If he was in a good mood, Lance had escaped to a planet of peaceful aliens and awaited rescue. It was his greatest, most indulgent daydream that they defeated the Galra once and for all and Keith led a rescue mission to find Lance, found him and brought him home. However, if he was in a bad mood, he tended to imagine progressively worse case scenarios that left him on the verge of a panic attack and spiralling. It was the uncertainity that got to him and wore him down.

As the Earth finally appeared in front of them, Red and Blue picked up speed and went ahead of the rest to spearhead the formation. It was a bit unusual, but the Paladins didn't have the energy to question it. There were a lot of mixed emotions in the group and they were absolutely exhausted in every way that mattered. The comms were quiet. Each Paladin was lost in their thoughts, and their missing Paladin weighed heavily in their minds.

Suddenly, as they entered the Earth's athmosphere, the comms began to crackle.

"Earth to Voltron, do you copy?"

Every single one of the Paladins startled in their seat and their eyes widened in disbelief. They turned on their comms and cameras. They all looked at each other as if they had seen a ghost. Hunk was the first to break the silence.

"Was that...?"

"Earth to Voltron, do you copy?" the voice repeated and this time Keith yanked the radio out of its base as his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

"Lance?! Voltron to Earth, we copy. Lance, is that you?!" Keith yells into the receiver.

"Keith?! Oh my gosh, you're alive!" Lance exclaimed on the other side.

"What do you mean I'm alive? You're alive!" Keith retorted and he couldn't help the smile on his face or the tears in his eyes.

Just then they received a notification of an incoming live transmission that Pidge immediately accepted. A new screen popped up in front of them and there he was, alive and breathing, the one and only, Lance McClain.

On the screen, he laughed incredulously as he wiped at his eyes and said, "Hey guys, it's been a while."

What followed was chaos: everyone began talking at the same time, raising their voices to be heard above the others, and asked all sorts of questions wanting to know how Lance ended up on Earth, how he escaped the Galra, was he okay, he he seen their families, were they okay and the cockpit descended into pandemonium as Lance valiantly attempted to answer all of them.

Keith, however, was quietly taking in and just looking at his boyfriend after years of holoscreens and memories. Lance was no longer a lanky, awkward teen. He'd filled out: his shoulders broadened and, while still thin, he seemed to have gained a lot of muscle. His face had sharpened and Keith could see a bit of stubble on his chin and cheeks. He had a few new scars, too. He was also wearing a Garrison unifform, with a few medals in it.

"Keith?" Lance asked, and Keith realized he'd just missed most of the conversation. Keith smiled.

"Hey, sharpshooter," he replied. Lance sent him a flirty smirk in return.

"What? Did you miss me?"

"You have no idea," Keith answered and didn't care if he was being sappy in front of the Paladins and however many people were in the command center. Lance chucked wetly and his gaze softened.

"We're ready for you to land. Unfortunately, our hangars aren't anywhere near large enough for the lions, but there's an open field right outside. Crew members will be waiting for you in their vehicles to bring you to base. There are some people here who can't wait to see you guys!"

Keith raised an eyebrow. Lance looked, and sounded, so mature... so professional. It was hard to believe he was the same goofball he fell in love with.

"How come you're at the helm?" he asked. Lance smirked, but it was Pidge who answered.

"If you hadn't been so busy making oogly eyes at him, you would have heard that he's the head of the coalition. You know, the one we've hearing about," she snarked with a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Wait, for real?!" Keith exclaimed.

Lance gasped and grabbed his chest in a wounded gesture, "You heathen! Can you sound a little less surprised? Do you really have so little faith in me? You wound me!"

Someone out of shot of camera in the command center said something to Lance that the Paladins didn't manage to catch. Lance's reaction, though, was telling enough. He scoffed in mock offense and replied, "You take that back!"

Keith laughed. It was nice to see his Lance in this new, grown version of him. He asked, "How did that even happen?"

Lance scoffed again and rolled his eyes, "Again, it's a very long story and I don't want to clutter the frequency. You're welcome to come for dinner at mine's and I'll tell you all about it." Lance winked.

"Fine," Keith relented.

"Transmission over," Lance said and his screen disappeared. Only then did Keith pay attention to the looks of awe and joy in the rest of the Paladins. Hunk was even openly crying and babbling about how glad he was that Lance was okay. Keith felt the same.

It was as if a stone had been lifted off of his chest and now he could breathe! Liquid fire poured through his veins and, for the first time in a long while, he felt like he could battle a hundred cruiseships and win! Red purred in his mind, and Keith was transported back to the very first time he flew red, before the war and their losses had worn down his excitment and passion for flying a sentinent lion in space. He smirked.

"Race you," he said, and sped down towards the Earth at full speed. Red happily obliged.

"You cheat!" Pidge yelled and gave chess.

Hunk followed with an indignant, "Hey!"

Allura, Shiro and Coran laughed joyously and tried to catch up.

Keith didn't care all that much, to be honest. He had a very pressing reunion to get to, after all.

~~~

I hope you liked it! It's just a scene, and it doesn't encompass a lot of events but I wanted to focus on the characters. I'd like to explore other scenes, perhaps later, from Lance's POV on Earth or maybe Keith's POV when he first finds out Lance is missing until they exit the time dilation worm hole thingy.

Let me know what you think!✌🏼

[vee-is-a-clown]

Ok but what if Alteans can take information from someone's head by kissing them? Like Starfire but could be used for more malicious purposes. I'd suppose that Alteans can combat it quite easily but people of other species don't understand it and can't defend their brains.

I'd also imagine that different people store the information and memories in their brains differently. Lance's brain is a comfy book shelf filled with scrapbooks whereas Keith's brain, I think, would be filled with different notebooks with haphazardly notes about the memories. The Alteans don't get the memories the way that the person sees them, they get them in these weird, material-esc forms which they can inspect in the mindscape.

Allura wouldn't have known English, she kissed one of the paladins to inspect their language and also learn about whoever just stomped into her castle with dirty shoes. I'm in favor of her kissing Keith so it gives Lance something to be jealous of. Unfortunately, Allura doesn't understand English so she's desperately trying to grab stuff that looks like it might be about the other intruders to copy and take back to her mindscape and ends up grabbing just a bunch of random stuff.

This would show up for comedic effect by her randomly asking what seems like a stupid question and then they remember she's an alien and then they remember that she's supposed to have Keith's memories and they look over at him and he looks like he's about to die of embarrassment because he in fact doesn't know this really obvious thing and he feels stupid. Alternatively, she uses language or jokes that are very specific to Keith and it freaks people out. This is, of course, before she develops her own sense of the English language and can communicate in her own way. What confuses everyone is the accent. Keith doesn't have a British accent. Why does she? (I certainly don't want to figure out the logic of that so it remains a mystery as well as most Altean culture.)

Allura introduces herself to all the intruders by Keith's memory of them. She's like, "Ah, Pidge. You fucking beat Keith at Uno on board game night and he will never forgive you for that. And Shiro, you are a kind and compassionate man. Hunk, is it Hunk? Or is that just a nickname for friends only? Oh, and Lance."

Even better if Lance is like "I think you should get to know me better. I have so much information in my brain that you need to take a look at." And Allura says, "No, there really isn't."

Btw I'm posting about this because what if Keith and Lance were secret dating and Allura found out from the mice but she was suspicious of Lance's intentions because she knows Lance is like, really flirty with any girl that he sees (including mostly Allura) and also, she's seen those hearts scribbled in the corner of Keith's mind notebook, ok? So she treats Lance a little differently and he notices and pulls her aside alone to ask her what's up and she's like "I know you and Keith are dating and I don't trust that you love him because I know damn well that he loves you and my team's dynamic isn't going to shift because you just had to flirt with another alien girl."

Lance is like "woah, woah, hold on here. I can show you. Just kiss me."

And Allura kisses him and his intentions are true. He loves Keith. Really fucking unfortunately, though, Keith only just walked in on that "just kiss me" part.

[voltrontranscript]

VLD S7E9: Know Your Enemy

Season 7 Episode 9: Know Your Enemy

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Episode Summary: Hearing that Sendak has taken over Earth, the Paladins hide their Lions on Saturn before landing incognito and discovering all the destruction Sendak has wrought, as well as the innovation found within the last free stronghold on Earth: the Galaxy Garrison.

[Google Doc]

Pidge: Dad, please respond. Voltron is coming. Hold on.

Hunk: Are we too late?

Sam: Katie? Katie, is that you?

Pidge: Dad, it’s me. I’m here.

Sam: Katie, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Where are you?

Pidge: We’re within the solar system. Heading to Earth now.

Sam: Wait! You must stop!

Keith: What? Say again?

Sam: Stop. Sendak has invaded the planet. He’s taken over Earth. If he finds out that Voltron is here, he’ll threaten the people of Earth in exchange for the Lions.

Keith: Reverse thrusters!

Hunk: Copy that. Hold tight!

[Cut to Garrison Command.]

Sam: Pick up those Galra ships’ locations. We need to scramble any transmissions immediately.

Curtis: Scanning location. I got it. They’re opening a channel. Triangulating position for broadcast. Sending interference.

[Cut back to space.]

Sam: Paladins, we blocked the patrol’s transmission. You’re clear.

Lance: Roger that. Let’s take ‘em out!

Pidge: Wait! Don’t destroy that ship. We might need it.

Lance: Really? For what?

Pidge: I’ve got an idea. We can’t fly our Lions to Earth without being spotted, so they’ll have to stay here on this moon in Saturn’s rings, which should keep them hidden from Sendak’s radars. We’ll fly in another way.

Allura: I hope the mice and Kaltenecker aren’t too frightened without us.

Keith: Hang on! We’re entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Hunk: This is weird. This is almost exactly how we left Earth, crammed in the cockpit of the Blue Lion.

Keith: We’re overweight. I’m losing altitude! Brace for impact!

Hunk: Hey, I know this place. I’ve been here. This is Plaht City. It’s about a half an hour from the garrison.

Lance: Woah, I can’t believe this is all that’s left of it.

Keith: We need to get to the garrison. Stay together. Let’s move quick and quiet.

[Scene change to the interior of Plaht City.]

Lance: Woah! Take cover!

Keith: I’ll distract it, you take the shot. Don’t miss. I wonder how many of these things they have around here. Pidge, any chance we could see those things before they get to us?

Pidge: Already on it. Looks like we’ve got four more headed our way.

Shiro: It’s not drones. Look.

Rizavi: Stay down, we got this!

Keith: I had it!

Griffin: Drones send distress signals when they’re attacked. Our weapons neutralize those signals. So unless you wanna deal with a swarm of those things, let us handle it. Now let’s get out of here before more show up.

[Scene change to the Galaxy Garrison.]

Pidge: Mom!

Colleen: Oh, Katie, I’m so glad you’re home!

Veronica: Lance!

Kids: Uncle Lance!

Lance: Oh, hey!

Mrs. McClain: My son!

Lance: It’s so good to see you.

Veronica: We never gave up on you.

Lance: I missed you so much. Oh, my gosh. You two are so much bigger now.

Lance’s Nephew: You’re the same size.

[Flashback 1 begins.]

Hunk’s Niece: Hey, Hunk.

Hunk’s Nephew: We’re going to miss you so much now that you’re going to be a space explorer.

Hunk: Well, I don’t know about space explorer. I was thinking more of a mechanic for space explorers.

Niece: Can you build us a spaceship?

Hunk: Uh, well, I don’t need to because we’re already in one.

[Flashback 1 ends.]

Sam: It’s good to have you home.

Hunk: So, my family?

Sam: We’ll get them back soon.

Iverson: Officer Shirogane. It’s great to see you again. My apologies for throwing you in quarantine.

Coran: Ah, so you’re the one who strapped Shiro to a table. I heard about that.

Shiro: You were just following orders, as any good soldier would. It’s great to see you, too. Allow me to introduce you to our Altean allies. Meet Allura, Romelle, and Coran.

Iverson: The honor is mine. Your technology has been instrumental in defending this small corner of Earth.

Coran: Oh, yes. Pop-Pop was quite the genius.

Iverson: And Cadet…

Keith: Yes, sir.

Iverson: I owe you an apology as well. I’ve heard about all you’ve done. I was wrong about you. It’s an honor and privilege to see you again.

Keith: Thank you, sir. I guess I wasn’t exactly the best cadet back then. I probably owe you a bit of an apology, too.

Iverson: Ah, and who’s this little fella?

Coran: Oh, Kosmo likes you. But be careful. If you touch it, it could zap you to a different universe.

Iverson: Hm?

Coran: Seriously.

[Scene change to inside the garrison.]

Shiro: Adam… I’m sorry.

Iverson: It’s because of them that Earth still has a chance. It’s time for our debriefing.

[Scene change to the Garrison meeting room.]

Sam: Sendak’s forces remain at bay, but without a meaningful supply line, we’re slowly being suffocated.

Shiro: No one else is putting up a fight against Sendak?

Veronica: Small pockets of underground resistance have attempted to do so with varying degrees of success. Eventually, all were discovered and systematically wiped out. Earth’s offensive capabilities simply don’t stand a chance against the Galra.

Hunk: Why don’t we bring more people into this base?

Sam: We’ve had to put a halt on our extraction ops as they were proving to be too risky.

Hunk: But there are good people out there. They could be protected. My family’s out there.

Sam: I’m sorry, Hunk.

Hunk: But if we have an opportunity now–

Griffin: Hey, do Paladins not understand the chain of command? Your CO said it was too dangerous.

Sam: Officer Griffin, that’s enough. Believe me, I understand what you’re going through, Hunk. We all have family out there, but we have to weigh our options. We can’t lose ten people to save twelve. I’m sorry.

Allura: Well, then let’s find out what we can do. You said you’ve integrated Altean tech with Earth weaponry?

[Scene change to a hangar bay.]

Sam: The Mecha-Flex-Exo fighters, or MFEs, are extremely agile with advanced weaponry, but are only capable of short-range attacks. Sustaining power with Altean-infused technology is an issue we’re trying to overcome.

Coran: Maybe I can help you out with that. I do have some leftover faunatonium. It’s an Altean fuel additive, but also has some unexpected side effects, so don’t get any on you.

Sam: And this is our battleship. It’s large enough to house all of the Lions and an entire command unit.

Sanda: It’s built, but it can’t fly. Everyone, there’s a subject we can’t avoid any longer. Sendak attacked Earth because he wanted the Lions, and now they’re here. It seems that we at least need to discuss our options.

Shiro: Are you suggesting that we willingly hand over the Lions to the Galra?

Sanda: Our supplies are gone. We spent all our resources on a ship that doesn’t fly. The weapons we do have are not enough to mount an attack. All we can do is protect a small pocket of Earth. But for how much longer?

Sam: The universe needs the Lions.

Sanda: So does Earth. They’re our only bargaining chip.

Sablan: I agree with the Admiral. Earth has been nearly destroyed. Countless citizens have been lost. But it could all be over if we give up the Lions.

Iverson: We have a fighting chance now that the Lions have returned. We need to take it.

Allura: I’ll settle this argument right now. We’re not giving up the Lions under any circumstances. There is no negotiating with Sendak.

Sanda: Maybe you should leave the matters of Earth to the people who live here.

Shiro: Please, Admiral. I respect that you’ll do anything you can to protect Earth. But trust us, we’ve been through more than you could ever imagine. We have fought the Galra on the fringes of the universe and in their very home. I know there’s a way to defeat Sendak.

Sanda: How? We barely know what we’re up against. We need intelligence, and we just don’t have it.

Allura: Maybe we do. That information you downloaded from the Castle of Lions contains Sendak’s memories.

Sam: How does that help?

Pidge: It might give us some insight into Sendak’s plan. Allura, you’re a genius!

Sam: We just need some time.

[Scene changes to the server room of the garrison.]

Sablan: Everything from the castle is stored here. Processing the massive amount of complex Altean data takes nearly every node we have. Sifting through that much information is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Pidge: Then let’s get started.

[Scene changes to the IGF-Atlas.]

Coran: I’m actually quite impressed, despite the obviously crude nature of Earth’s technological capabilities.

Sam: It has a lot of potential, but I’m unable to recreate the power of a Balmeran crystal. Maybe your faunatonium will work for this as well?

Coran: Afraid not. A ship like this might need two or three battleship-class Balmeran crystals.

Shiro: I don’t suppose there are any Balmera nearby?

Coran: In this young galaxy? [guffaws] Oh, yeah, it’s right next to the Wizblattle. Uh, that’s a no. No Balmeras around here.

[Scene change to the server room.]

Sablan: Those are Officer Holt’s designs for some of the injured soldiers. They’re extremely advanced, but like everything else, we don’t have an adequate power source to make them viable.

Pidge: Here they are– Sendak’s memories. It’s just code until we find a way to interpret it.

Allura: I might know a way.

[Flashback 2 begins.]

Hunk: Found it.

Hunk’s Father: Good job, Hunk. Now, you remember what to do.

[Flashback 2 ends.]

Hunk: [groans]

Keith: Is everything okay in here?

Hunk: Yeah.

Keith: Look… I’m not really good at talking with people, and I… I don’t expect you to open up to me, but… if there’s ever anything on your mind–

Hunk: This situation stinks! I ca–I can’t believe we finally get back to Earth and it’s taken over by Galra.

Keith: I guess there is something on your mind.

Hunk: And I know–I know it’s stupid, but I used to daydream about coming home to a peaceful Earth. And that would’ve been great. But I realized that nothing… nothing would have been greater than seeing my family. But I can’t. And all I keep thinking about is that I wasn’t there for them. And I don’t even know if they’re okay. An–and I see Pidge and Lance with their families, and–I, I mean, I’m happy for them. I am. But it just… it makes me miss my family more. I–I just… I’ve never felt so alone and scared.

Keith: Look, Hunk, I never told you this, but of all the Paladins, you’re the one I’m most impressed by. It’s no secret that you’ve always been the most scared, but you’ve never backed down. Never. And to be brave is to go on in spite of fear. And that’s who you are, Hunk. I know you’re scared, but your family… they need you to be strong right now. Okay. Alright. Now we’re huggin’.

Hunk: Thank you, Keith.

Keith: Wha– Where’re you going?

Hunk: I’m going to get my family.

Keith: Not without me.

[Scene change to a vehicle bay.]

Griffin: You two heading somewhere?

Keith: This doesn’t concern either of you.

Veronica: No, but you’ll probably be concerned with the patrol drones that will spot you within seconds.

Griffin: And you might be concerned with the blast from Sendak’s automated low-orbit, long-range blaster satellite that takes you out.

Hunk: What’s your problem?

Griffin: My problem is I don’t wanna see our only hope for saving Earth get hurt. That’s why we’re coming with you.

[Scene change to the server room.]

Pidge: Uploading… And… there.

Sam: Whoa. Amazing!

Pidge: We’re mimicking the way the Castle of Lions interacted with King Alfor’s memories. Test it out. Ask him a question.

Sam: Um, alright. What is your name?

Hologram!Sendak: I am Commander Sendak, a royal officer to the Galra Empire.

Sam: Where are you from?

Hologram!Sendak: I am proud to say I was born with unquestionable Galra lineage.

Sam: Commander, explain to me your method of conquering planets.

Hologram!Sendak: There are as many ways to conquer a planet as there are planets themselves. Primitive species are the easiest. It usually doesn’t take more than one or two waves of attack to bring them to their knees.

Allura: What about more advanced civilizations?

Hologram!Sendak: There are always those willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. That’s why it is best to find something they value more than themselves and make that the target.

Pidge: What do you mean?

Hologram!Sendak: Citizens of advanced civilizations have the weakness of caring for each other.

Pidge: A military operation of that scale takes immense time and resources.

Hologram!Sendak: Our operations rely on the resources of the planet. They become our supplies and feed our occupation.

Sam: Have you ever failed in overtaking a planet?

Hologram!Sendak: Tenacity and time conquer all foes.

Allura: What if a planet refuses to give up, no matter the cost?

Hologram!Sendak: If a planet refuses to give up, then we annihilate it. But only one planet has ever refused. Altea.

Allura: I’m sorry, I think I need a break.

[Scene change to beyond the Garrison.]

Griffin: She did it. The signal’s sent.

Hunk: Okay, now what?

Griffin: Now we wait.

[Flashback 3 begins.]

Hunk’s Mother: Okay, just about done.

Hunk: Oh, I hate waiting.

Hunk’s Mother: But waiting’s the best part. It’s the time we get to spend together.

[Flashback 3 ends.]

Rebel: Come with me, quickly.

[Cut to a hideout.]

Rebel: Amazing. The rumors are true. Word of the Paladins’ return has inspired the resistance.

Hunk: Thank you for your help. Tell the resistance we’re gonna get rid of the Galra.

Rebel: Words we’ve waited a long time to hear.

Veronica: Is this where they’ve taken all the prisoners?

Keith: What are they doing down there?

Rebel: They have work camps operating day and night mining ore for Sendak. It’s been nonstop for months. He’s building something, but no one is sure what.

Veronica: I thought the labor force was outside the encampment.

Rebel: They were, but they’ve been moved in.

Hunk: What does that mean?

Veronica: It means… we can’t get you to your parents.

Hunk: No. No. Please.

Veronica: Believe me, if there was a way, we would do it.

Hunk: Can I at least see them from here?

[Scene change to a lab in the garrison.]

Shiro: You wanted to see me? I thought you were with Pidge and Sam.

Allura: Sendak’s memories were hard to hear. But it did remind me of something my father once said. He told me that there are those with the power to destroy, and those with the power to create.

[Scene change to the labor camp.]

Keith: I see movement. It looks like the workers are exiting.

Hunk: That’s them. My mom, my dad. Don’t worry, you just need to hang on a little longer. We’re going to get you out. I’m going to get you out.

[End.]

[girlboypersonthingy]

ik you did a red/green flags post for the paladins + matt, but may i please receive princess allura red/green flags 🛐

(im gonna pretend i didnt have to copy n paste this bc i sent it to the wrong writer 😔)

OOF!!! I’m so sorry I forgot the princess herself. How dare I. Also, I know exactly who you sent this too I’m DYING 😂 sorry this took forever to get to!

Go check out the red flags and green flags for the rest of the paladins + Matt here! ENJOY!

Red flags 🚩

She is definitely bossy and very much a leader. She can come off as overbearing and often micromanages others. She’s not trying to be rude or annoying, she’s not trying to make you feel dumb, she’s just always ready to explain her side, her point of view. She just wants to help anyway she can so she’ll talk over you as ideas pop into her head. And she is never afraid to step up and be in charge if need be.

She has no filter…she’s a totally different species, from a different planet so she’s not accustom to human language and social cues/boundaries. You might be easily offended by something she says but she will genuinely be unaware she hurt you. If you bring it up to her, she will always listen to you, try to understand and apologize. But…she will probably do it again…on accident. You’ll have to keep telling her until she gets the hang of it.

Sometimes she’s too nice. Like…it comes off as maybe a little fake to some ppl

Green Flags ✅

Very considerate and a very good sport. She’s always willing to admit when she’s wrong, praise others for doing something better than her and give proper credit for good ideas. Also wants to make sure everyone is always included and feels supported.

Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? S-sorry.

But fr she’s so ethereal and beautiful. It’s like a constant glow is surrounding her. Her kind heart and gorgeous hair and pretty voice all combine for the ultimate green flag!

She’s a big softy. The closer you are with her, the softer she gets for you. She’s soft as in she will let you get away with things easily, she will give you what you want if you just ask real nice. She can only stay mad at you for like maybe an hour (and that’s if you get into a big fight or something) and then she’s coming to find you bc yall need to make up NOW. Big ol’ softy 💖

[im-smart-i-swear]

5 headcanons for Girlfailure!Jiro au please

jiro LOVES horror movies, the more gorey and grotesque the better<3 shes got a soft spot for practical effects and body horror specifically

pretty much the whole team suspected jiro might not cis from early on and when she finally came out everyone unanimously pretended to be very surprised

her eyesight is absolute shit(shes got astigmatism now! it was alluras first time yknow creating a whole functioning human body from scratch and so a lot of the less crucial details stray from being a perfect copy of shiro) but she was really opposed to wearing glasses bc it would make her even less indentical to shiro and thats Bad. eventually the headaches got to her tho and she caved in

jiro's love language is mimicry. if she looks up to/likes someone, she WILL try to copy their mannerisms and personality in one way or another(this behavior gets mixed reactions from ppl)(her favourite ppl to copy are allura and lance btw. and coran)(and shiro but i mean thats kinda a given bc of The Clone Situation)

keith and jiro refuse to maintain eye contact or a conversation longer than strictly nescessary for a VERY long time

(<- bonus lol) sometimes she forgets shes not a ghost anymore and this results in her either slamming into walls and furniture on accident or standing still in absolute silence and dozing off until someone snaps her out of it(when she was dead, she would often do this when she was bored, it was the closest thing to sleep she had)(ghosts cant sleep or fall uconcious)(yeah she was fully aware and concious 24/7 for months. it was TERRIBLE)

(<- bonus 2 bc why not?) her relationship with womanhood and gender and gender roles and the expectations of how women are 'supposed' to look and act is sooo complicated.. on one hand figuring out shes trans made her a lot happier and was a big step in finding out who she wanted to be, but also i feel like womanhood sometimes feels just as restictive as being shiro has- she is terrified of not being 'womanly enough', of somehow doing it wrong, and at the same time misses how easy being shiro seems compared to the horror and pain of being her own person. of couarse she loves being a woman tho, she finally feels like a person instead of a thing with a clearly defined purpose! but that doesnt mean some things arent hard to deal with and theres a lot of insecurity and doubt in the beginning

[mithclearwell]

You want to know about everyone’s X.exes huh?

Well, I’ve got two!

The first one I came up with was actually part of a Voltron: Legendary Defender crossover, wherein he was created by Altean scientists and paired with Princess Allura after she lost her mother. He was assigned as her teacher/guardian and stayed by her even while she was in stasis. He became an admin for the Castle Ship.

My second X.exe is also an alien, from the same planet as Slur.exe and Duo.exe from the anime. He arrived on Earth much earlier than them and became the basis for every single netnavi out there. He is eventually found and adopted by a girl named Isabella, who becomes his NetOp.

She knows that he doesn’t like fighting, though he does take care of any troublesome viruses. He prefers to help her with her homework and household stuff. To make this easier, she creates the PoCoBot a.k.a. Pocket Copy Robot. It’s like a chibi version of the Copy Robots navis use to interact with people in the real world. I was inspired by the Laptop persocoms from Chobits and this concept I found on Pinterest where Cyber X and Zero were tiny, pet robots.

I made fanart of both of these X.exe OCs, though you might have to search through my blog for them

Sorry for the infodump

awwww I LOVED the tiny Persocoms from Chobits!! That's adorable and now I want one, too xDDD

I don't know anything about Voltron, but I do know about Duo's background as an ALIEM, and I think that's a very interesting possible origin for X.exe! I like these ideas. ^-^ I'd love to see the art, too, so I may try to look for that <3 Thanks for writing in!

[autisticlancemcclain]

“Let me try.”

Everyone (except Hunk, notably) exchanged looks.

“No offense,” Pidge said cautiously, “But this is a tech thing, Lance. If I can’t figure it out, what makes you think you can?”

Lance grinned, ambling over to Pidge and gently plucking the laptop from her hands, settling comfortably on the floor.

“It’s not a ‘tech thing’,” he said, “But more of an internet thing. I might not be able to code like you can, Pidgey, but I can guarantee you I know my way around the web.” No one looked very convinced, but no one was stopping him, either. He opened the a browser, and then paused. He turned to Hunk, grinning. “Time me, buddy!”

Hunk grinned right back. “Starting in 3…2…1!” The second the word was out of Hunk’s mouth, Lance’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Pidge raised a brow. She didn’t know he could type that fast. He was typing at least as fast as she usually did, if not faster.

“You really think you can find it, Lance?” Keith asked. Look, he wasn’t trying to be contrary or doubting, but forgive him if he couldn’t quite see Lance pulling this off! Pidge had been looking for these stupid blueprints for days, but the only ones available seemed to be completely inaccessible by strong-arming through the code. The only other way they could find was to buy them, and they cost more than the estimated cost of five entire solar systems. Obviously not an option.

Without looking away from the screen, Lance answered with what Keith felt was an over abundance of sarcasm. “Love the support, buddy. Really feeling the love.”

“Excuse me if I’m a bit skeptical!” Keith defended. “We’ve been trying to access these stupid fucking blueprints for days, and the only thing Pidge can get to is the fucking payment page which, so far, had been virtually indestructible! And you’ve never seemed like much of a techie before, so. I feel like I’m justified.”

“You’d be surprised,” Hunk spoke up. “Lance may not be able to, like, break down a firewall or whatever, but if there was a digital copy to be found on Earth, he found it and in under an hour. Songs, movies, shows, government documents, sealed Garrison records. He somehow found some backwater website with access. It was honestly incredible.”

“Why was he —” Shiro sighed. “I don’t know why I’m asking. We met because all of you broke into a government facility. Why wouldn’t you be accessing restricted files, is probably a better question.”

There were varying levels of pride and amusements among the Paladins. Shiro shook his head, sharing a fond and exasperated smile with Allura and Coran. As… difficult as it could be, handling a group of exceedingly intelligent and reckless teenagers, it was a little funny that they managed to look at any barrier and immediately begin planning how to get around it, rather than accepting that it was a no-pass-zone.

“Lance is just kind of excellent at piracy, and it’s a pride thing at this point,” Hunk explained. “Hence the timing. Seven minutes, by the way.”

Lance nodded, but made no further acknowledgement. Various websites were flitting across the screen at a speed that seemed nearly impossible to follow. One could only assume Lance was following a trail of sorts, although it looked nothing like when Pidge was working through a programming problem. There wasn’t a line of code in sight. The team watched on for a few more minutes, each trying to decipher what the hell Lance was doing before it happened — suddenly and inarguably on the screen appeared the ever-so-elusive blueprints.

“Eleven minutes and fourteen seconds!” Hunk cried.

“Fuck yes! New record!” Lance exclaimed, pumping his fist, using his other hand to download the file.

Pidge’s jaw dropped. “How did — I tried everything, and I couldn’t —”

Keith was just as shocked. “You didn’t even have to mess with anything! You just… kept opening links!”

Lance shot him a smug smile. “I’ve had unfettered access to the internet since I was six, and an unwavering determination to not pay for shit. No force, man-made or otherwise, was going to have me pay four hundred fucking dollar per textbook at the Garrison. If there is a copy online, I will find it, through sheer spite alone.”

Shiro couldn’t stop a small chuckle, and patted Lance on the shoulder. The boy beamed back at him.

“Thank you, Lance,” he said sincerely. “That was incredible. I can’t wait to use your skills more in the future.”

[corvus--rex]

So, I started this back in December, wrote about 25 words for it, and then it just sat there doing absolutely the fuck nothing. Until tonight apparently when I added 1k+ to it out of nowhere. To be totally clear, I have no idea where this is going, but figuring out cis swapped versions of everyone is interesting.

~*~*~*~

It happened gradually.  One by one they just disappeared.  All five Paladins, gone from the castle.  The Lions were still in their hangars, but neither Allura nor Coran could find any trace of their pilots.

Keith woke with a groan, uncomfortable on the hard floor.  Maybe that gladiator drone hit him harder than he thought.  He was immediately aware of a toe nudging him in the ribs.  Reflexes kicked in before rational thought and he grabbed the leg attached to the toe, throwing its owner to the floor.  His attempt to pin them was thwarted, their positions flipped, and he once again found himself on his back on the floor.  Keith felt like he was looking into a mirror, or more accurately, some hologram simulation Pidge might have come up with.  The French braid hanging over one shoulder didn’t particularly surprise him, he knew his own hair was getting long, it was the narrower jaw, softer lines, slimmer frame.  While the person pinning him to the floor looked like his clone, he knew that unless Zarkon’s witch had upped her genetic experiment game, she couldn’t be.  He also knew he didn’t have a sister, he’d had enough visions in the Quantum Abyss to tell him that.  So who the actual fuck was this girl that looked like his copy?

She released him without warning, getting up and extending a hand.  “Come on, I don’t bite.  Much.  I’m Keira.  And who the fuck are you, besides being my not-clone?”

Keith accepted the assistance cautiously.  “Keith.  And who the fuck are you?”

Keira rolled her eyes at him, the expression familiar even on a feminine face.  “I already told you.  Keira?  Let’s go, I know Lea’s going to want to meet you.”

“Who?” he asked, following her out of what looked exactly like the castle’s training deck.

“Lea.  Sorry.  Leandra.  My girlfriend.  What about you?”

“What?  Oh, right.  I have a boyfriend.  Lance.”

“Huh.  Even alt-me is gay.”

“Yeah.  Very much so.  Where the fuck are we?”

Keira turned around, gesturing to the walls as she walked backwards.  “This is the Castle of Lions.”

Keith stopped.  “And next you’re gonna tell me you're a Paladin of Voltron.”

Keira stopped as well.  “What else would I be.  But that means that you're one too.  Holy shit, I think you're from an alternate reality.  One where it’s very similar but slightly different.  I wanna know how similar.  How’s your dad?”

“He…died.  When I was-”

“Six?  That’s when my mom died.”

“And yours?  Your dad, I mean.”

“Blade of Marmora.”

“So’s my mom.  I think literally everything is flipped.  I think your girlfriend is the other version of my boyfriend.  Our parents are flipped.  Next you’re going to tell me that Allura and Coran are flipped too.”

“I need to find Lea,” Keira said as she turned around again, leading the way faster than before, “And who the fuck are Allura and Coran?”

Keith broke into a jog to catch up.  “Princess Allura, and Coran.  When we found them in cryosleep we thought they were the last Alteans.  Turned out we were wrong about that, but that’s an entirely separate story.”

“Oh, you mean Prince Allurant and Corranore.  Yeah, we thought they were the last Alteans too.  But then I took an accidental road trip with my dad and we found a secret Altean colony.  Met Romellus there.  He’s a little scatterbrained, but I like him.  Dad kind of adopted him.”

“Yeah, Mom basically adopted Romelle when we found her.  It sounds like all our events are the same.  Like, nothing is different except for this,” Keith said, waving a hand between himself and Keira.

“I think we should be able to figure this out with Pidge’s help.  He’s our tech genius, and probably yours too.”

“She is.”  He stopped again before following Keira.  “Goddammit, that means that Matt’s a girl here.  I don’t want to know what that looks like.”

Keira turned to walk backward again.  “Maddie’s a guy?  That dork?  But hold on, you didn’t call Pidge anything different.”

“No, she goes by Pidge and threatens to stab anyone who calls her Katie.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Pidge.  Ok, this was the last place I saw Lea.  She’s usually with Hana now.”

They were in front of the kitchen, and Keith could only assume that Hana was their Hunk.  Keith stopped short, suddenly realizing that Shiro had to have a female counterpart in this reality as well.  As much as Pidge liked to tease him about being the emo loner, he really didn’t know how to hide his emotions other than literally running, and he knew that this realization was written all over his face.

“What?” Keira asked.

“Your Shiro…”

“What?” she asked again, but the confused crease between her dark brows smoothed when she realized, “Oh…Shiro, Shirogane…yeah.  That might be…interesting…I’m assuming your Shirogane adopted sibling is a guy too?”

“Yeah.  Shirogane Takashi.  Six-three, built like a brick shithouse but is actually a massive dork, metal arm…”

Keira nodded.  “Shirogane Yukiko.  Or just Yuki.  Adalie, her fiancée back on Earth, used to call her ‘The Amazon’.  But that was before Kerberos.  Before Yuki, Maddie and Sam – Samantha Holt, Pidge’s mom – got captured by the Galra.”  She shook her head, clearing the memories of her last days at the Garrison.  “Anyway, we’re here to find Lea.  And probably Hana.”

Keira turned on her heel, soundlessly stomping into the kitchen.  Keith had met Lance’s sister Rachel before, and if he hadn’t known better, he would have thought it was her sitting on the counter, nearly knocking a bowl over with her storytelling.  Keith noticed the other girl moving around the space, Hunk’s twin sister if he’d had one.  He was distracted enough that he didn’t see the other two people at first.  Not until a familiar high-pitched shout of his name came through.

“Keith!” Lance yelled, leaping over the counter.  He stopped when he got closer, cautious.  “You are my Keith, aren’t you?”

“Probably?  As long as we’re still together and you still leave dirty clothes all over the floor.”

Lance made a shrill indignant sound.  “…Yeah, that’s fair.  Ok, you are my Keith.”

“Well, fuck, Lea, you’re the same in every reality,” Keira said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

“Rude.  Laundry is not as important as good skin care.  Not that you’d know anything about that,” Leandra shot back, muttering something about shower soap not being anywhere near the same thing.

“What?  Soap is soap,” both Keith and Keira said at the same time.

Hunk and Hana just shared a look and sighed.

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19* | 20* | 21* | 22* | 23* | 24* | 25

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Itty Bitty Keith. Prt 2

Itty Bitty Keith. Prt 2

Age regressed Keith

Keith from age 2 to 17.

*

Sitting with Keith sleeping in his lap, Lance held the toddler against him. They’d finally gotten Allura down from the ceiling, their resident princess tied down to two heavy blocks of metal from the lower regions of the castle. With everyone staring at him, Lance couldn’t help but feel self conscious. It kind of felt like when they’d brought Kalternecker aboard and he’d been the only one with any knowledge of cows.

Snapping another photo of Keith, Pidge was loving this as she claimed she needed all the photos she could get for future blackmail purposes. The only reason Lance was allowing it was because Keith didn’t have any photos of him when he was younger, and while they might not be of his true life growing up, Lance wanted their to be copies just in case Keith wanted them later down the track. Smacking away Allura’s hand, he’d had about enough of their princess poking his Keith

“I told you to let him sleep”

Allura fluttered her eyelashes at him. That might have worked once, but now he was impervious to her charms

“He’s so tiny and adorable. His head is so big… and look at those little hands”

It was clear to Lance that Allura had no experience with toddlers

“All I’m saying is that if he wakes up crying, you’ll be the one having to explain to him why he’s not at home”

Allura huffed, Lance swatting Hunk’s hand away. His best bud trying to take the chance now that Allura was out of the running

“Come on, man. Look at him…”

Lance expected better from Hunk

“Bud, you should know what it’s like to wake a toddler from a nap”

Hunk was quick to pull his hand back, forcing himself to hold them behind his back

“I know, but, like, dude. Keith would never let any of us this close”

Being the dad of the group, Shiro let out a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Keith’s cuteness not lost on him, until Pidge called him “grandpa”. He’d deflated on the spot

“Coran, are we totally sure this is Keith?”

Coran was the worst. He’d left wet marks on Keith trying to ruffle Keith’s hair. He was back in a time out again

“Indeed, Number One. His cells seemed to have reacted quite unexpectedly”

Shiro seemed to deflate further as Pidge mouthed “grandpa” at him again. Lance might trust his team, but he wasn’t so keen to hand Keith over when they were all acting like idiots

“Shiro, Coran said Keith’s fine. We both decided we shouldn’t tell Keith anything as we don’t know what his memory will be like”

Lance was quite proud of himself for being forward, only, Pidge cackled with laughter

“Oh my god, look at Lance. He’s being all responsible. Who crowned you the baby whisperer?”

Lance shot her the coldest glare he could. Everyone knew he came from a large family

“He’s a toddler, not a baby. Toddlers are like the training for teenagers, only they’re cuter”

Pidge rolled her eyes

“Like it could be that hard. Give him here, I’ll look after him. I just have to feed him and keep him out of trouble”

Hunk and Lance shared a look. Pidge could be the cool aunt, but she was clueless. Allura cleared her throat

“Perhaps as princess I should take care of him? Pidge is correct, toddlers can’t be so hard…”

Really? Now Allura wanted in?! Keith had no idea how damn charming his cuteness was! Shiro let his hand drop, before proving that he too had no clue

“I think I should be the one to look after Keith. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I can be there for him because I know some of his past… plus… look at how tiny he is!”

Seeing Coran go to speak, Lance didn’t want him agreeing with Shiro. Sometimes a man just needed to take things into his own hands

“Wait. Wait. Okay. Hands up who’s wiped a poopy bum before?!”

Pidge and Allura immediately shook their heads, followed by Shiro who cast him a confused look that Lance ignored. He, Hunk, and Coran raising their hands

“Okay, keep them raised if you’ve had to spend any time around angry toddlers”

Pidge went to open her mouth, Lance sensing what she was about to say

“Pets don’t count. Neither does Matt”

Huffing, Pidge crossed her arms. Again, the three of them had their hands still up. Lance moving on

“Who’s had recent experience with toddlers from Earth who have no idea that aliens exist”

Coran threw him the dirtiest look he’d ever seen the man throw as he dropped his hand, leaving just him and Hunk in contention

“And who out of us has the most free time to watch a toddler and not be distracted by coding or cooking?”

Hunk dropped his hand with a sigh

“You’re right. Toddlers are slippery”

Pidge wasn’t letting it go

“But we can’t leave Lance with Keith! They barely get along as it is!”

With the way Lance’s hips hurt, he and Keith got on far better than Pidge could ever imagined

“Excuse me, gremlin. We totally get along”

“Now that Keith’s tiny and you’re some great authority on kids”

Lance rolled his eyes. He was definitely not a great authority, but he knew how not to let Keith die which was far better than the job Pidge would do

“We don’t even know if he’s been potty trained. Let alone what his vocabulary is like. You do realise I’ve been babysitting for my cousins and my older brother for years, right? I’m the favourite uncle”

Pidge didn’t skip a beat trying to insult him, hurting Lance’s feelings as she did

“Because you’re the only one”

“Pidgeon, I’ve got two sisters and two brothers. Plus, hello, huge Cuban family, remember? Everyone comes by the farm house. There’s like never not a moment kids are there”

“But you and Keith…”

Wow. He’d never felt more doubted by Pidge in his life

“I’m not about to upset a toddler. They can be downright demonic”

“They can’t be that hard if you’re sitting here”

“You can’t just leave them with tech parts Pidge. If it can go in their mouths, it goes in. What are you going to do if Keith eats some component?”

Pidge looked to Hunk for backup, Hunk still had his hands behind his back

“Lance is right. My little cousin swallowed a watch battery once. It still scares me that she nearly died… we were lucky to get her to hospital in time”

Pidge’s eyes went wide

“Who goes around eating a watch battery?”

Hunk’s soul seemed to dim behind his eyes as he too realised Pidge hadn’t a single clue about toddlers

“They don’t really know better… plus, Lance is right. Toddlers don’t stop…”

Lance had let his guard slip, Allura placing her hand on Keith’s hair

“Yes, well, perhaps we should leave Keith in Lance’s care. Oh! We could have a roster! We could all spend time with him”

Shiro smiled at Allura

“That’s an excellent idea. I’m happy to take him first”

“Why do you get to take him first?”

“Because I’ve known him longest”

“I think it’s fair that we all get to share Keith’s cuteness”

Oh god. If his Keith could see this he’d have malfunctioned and run off. Lance removed Allura’s hand from Keith’s head

“Guys, he’s sleeping right now. It’s like seriously best we let him sleep, or you’re all going to learn the hard way that toddlers are monsters. I’ll take him back to my room for now. Maybe you guys can figure out something for him to wear? He can’t run around in his shirt with no pants on. I’m not letting him get sick from wearing nothing”

Coran and Allura both looked to each other at the same time, sending a shiver down Lance’s spine. He’d definitely just given the pair of them an idea. Hopefully they’d soon realise that both of them were kind of useless and together they’d more than likely wind up fighting.

Hefting Keith up against him as he stood, Pidge covered her eyes, confusing Lance until she blurted out

“Dude, his butt! Couldn’t you have put underwear on him?”

Like kids knew bodily shame this young. He hadn’t. Unfortunately there was evidence of this as his stupid older sisters liked to mock

“Relax. I would have put some on him if he had any that fit. No one’s looking at him like that and I’m pretty sure we’ll all be fighting to stab them if they were. Toddlers generally either really love clothes or loath them with a passion of a billion suns”

Pidge didn’t come out from behind her fingers

“I’m not saying it like that… I’m just… I never thought I’d see his butt”

“Wait until he escapes and makes a run for it naked…”

Hunk laughed, both of them knew all about the nudie run. His nephew Sylvio had been a firm hater of clothes until he’d turned five

“Dude, Keith’s gonna be so embarrassed at the end of this”

That was if Keith remembered it…

“Probably, but we all have to work together to make this a safe and fun environment for him. I’ve got some things in my room he can draw with if he wants… anyway, Uncle Lancey-Lance is going to take Keith so he can nap, message me if you guys need me”

*

Keith was quiet. He’d been loud, and casting some seriously annoyed look when he’d woken wanting his daddy. Pretty much sizing Lance up, then asking who he was when he realised that he wasn’t in his own room. As unhappy as the toddler was with his explanation that he was at a special day care and Lance would be looking after him, Keith was killing Lance with his cuteness. Lance wasn’t offended that Keith was wary of him. He knew full well that he was a stranger and not Keith’s primary care giver. The poor kid wanted his mum and dad, neither of which Lance could magically materialise as he attempted to divert Keith’s attention by asking about him.

Getting Keith ready for dinner, Keith’s strange shyness lasted right up until they met the others in the dining room. Keith didn’t want to hold his hand, wounding Lance’s heart. No, Keith was not having the best day of his toddler life even with his nearly incoherent questions about where they were. Yeah… Keith had no idea what a daycare was, or who a teacher was supposed to be. That made sense once he’d thought about it, seeing Keith’s mother was Galran and his family had lived in the middle of nowhere. He’d expected too much too fast.

Then they’d gotten to the dining room. Once the door had slid open, Keith was greeted with a serious of “ohhhs” over how cute he was. The poor kid hiding behind Lance’s leg and peaking out at their group of friends that he didn’t know he was friends with. Crouching down, Lance took Keith’s hands in his, channeling his “positive uncle vibes” in an attempt to make Keith feel calmer, smiling as he tried to keep eye contact

“Keith, these are my very special friends. I know they’re all scary right now, but I know how brave you are. They’re all new friends but I know you’ll get along with them. We’re going to look after you until your mummy and daddy come to pick you up tomorrow”

Keith’s bottom lip quivered, his purple eyes killing Lance as they teared up

“I want mom”

“I know you do, buddy. You have the coolest mum ever, don’t you. Your mummy and daddy told me how special you are, and that you’re a good boy. We’re going to have dinner now, and then we can play with everyone. Does that sound fun?”

Keith’s bottom lip was still quivering, his chubby little cheeks were too quiznakking cute

“How about we have a special treat after dinner? You’re being so brave right now that I think you deserve a special treat after your dinner. My best friend, Hunk, he made a super duper yummy dinner for us, and I’m sure you’ll love it”

Keith seemed more upset

“I don’t like green”

It took Lance a long moment to get it, laughing softly and squeezing Keith’s hands as he did. Keith still didn’t love his vegetables as a teen

“Don’t tell, Hunk, but I don’t either. But he makes them taste really good. If they don’t taste really good you don’t have to eat much of them. Deal?”

Keith sniffled

“I want my mom”

“I know, sweetheart. We can tell her all about how you did so good eating your greens for me. She’s going to be so proud. So will your daddy. Come here, you can sit with me”

Hefting Keith up to him, Keith really really wasn’t sure about their friends. Lance sitting next to Hunk seeing Hunk had toddler experience. Allura practically had love hearts in her eyes over tiny Keith, but Keith didn’t want to know about it. With his head on Lance’s shoulder, he peered across at Hunk, Hunk beaming one of the biggest smiles Lance had ever seen from him

“Hey, Keith. I’m Hunk. Lance let me know you’ll be staying with us for now. I hope you like your dinner”

Keith immediately turned his head away, Lance chuckling at the cuteness of the clingy toddler

“Try not to take it too personally. He didn’t want to know me until he saw everyone else”

“Stranger shyness?”

Lance nodded at Hunk’s question

“Oh, yeah. And not waking up in his own bed. He’s been asking for his mum and dad, but we both know that he’ll get to see them tomorrow. He’s really not sure about any of this. But, he’s going to be a big brave boy and eat dinner with us, aren’t you, Keith?”

“I’ve made some cookies for after”

That got Keith’s attention. Lance rallying his heart to be strong as Keith looked up at him. He’d just taken a critical hit as Keith asked

“Cookies?”

So Keith liked cookies… and knew what they were… right, now he had some form of bribery to get him to eat those nasty greens. Right. For the rest of dinner he had to maintain being the adult here and not go giving into those purple eyes

“That’s right, you can have cookies after you eat your dinner. You don’t have to finish everything, but you do have to try everything. Reckon you can do that for me, bud?”

“I can try”

Keith landed another hit. It wasn’t like he was talking proper English that everyone could understand but Lance prided himself on his “toddlerese”, and his ability to nod and pretend he knew what was being said

“Okay, champ. Let’s do this”

By lord if Hunk hadn’t been thoughtful to a fault. Everything was bite sized and everything was something Keith could use his hands to eat, concentrating hard on making a mess but letting Lance eat his own dinner without too much trouble. Toddler Keith had cast a spell over the whole team. Even Pidge didn’t seem immune to his charms, praising him for trying his vegetables in the same breath as grumbling having to eat hers so she wasn’t shown up by a toddler. They’d also solved some of Coran’s issues too while he’d been busy watching over Keith, Coran wearing three pairs of gloves that left him clumsy yet not leaking all over the place. Allura hadn’t floated off… it was nice. A nice warm dinner. There hadn’t really been too much time for that of late, everyone so busy that Lance really cherished the moment.

With cookies in hand, the team headed to the lounge area. Keith still a little shy, but the temptation of cookies was too much to say no to. Like most little boys, Keith had had one hand in Lance’s and the other on his bits, Shiro’s voice warm and full of love as he explained to Pidge and Allura that it was a boy thing and that they never really grew out of it, throwing in a wink that had Pidge smacking his robotic arm. Their princess seemed mortified, yet had her hands full with the metal block that was keeping her weighed down. Settling down in the living area, it wasn’t long before Keith’s first tantrum hit.

Space cookies were not real cookies and Keith felt slighted.

It was perhaps one of the funniest tantrums Lance had ever seen given it was Keith. Keith had started shaking, then thrown himself on the group, a cookie in both hands as he started wailing. He wouldn’t let Hunk take back his cookies, nor were they the right ones. Poor Keith had no idea he’d be eating genuine space food, nor was he old enough to fall for it being alien food. To him, his mother wouldn’t seem “odd” given his limited interactions.

Pidge was clueless, eyeing Keith like he’d attack her at any moment

“Dude, are they meant to do that?”

Lance snorted, he’d have to make sure aunty Pidge was there for the next one too

“It’s hard being so tiny. He’s being just himself, and being so young he doesn’t understand why they’re not brown, or the cookies he’s used to. There’s no point trying to understand toddler logic”

Their resident gremlin shook her head at Lance’s explanation

“I’m never having kids”

“Nah, they’re cute when they’re this old. Everything’s all new and shiny. No one’s bullied them and everyday is an adventure. Give it a varga or so and he’ll be ready for a shower and bed”

Pidge didn’t seem convinced. Shiro was looking at his own cookie, Lance already knowing what he was thinking

“Don’t bother offering him yours. Once he’s got it out his system he’s probably going to try the two he’s got and realise they’re pretty good”

Allura seemed impressed

“Lance, I never realised you knew so much about small humans. Do all humans know as much?”

It should have been obvious from Pidge that that was a solid no

“Nah. I grew up with a huge family, so I’ve had like 9 years of babysitting experience. Being the youngest generally meant when it was harvest time on the farm my job was to watch my cousins and help my Mami. Then there was my nephew and my niece too…”

Homesickness decided now to rear its ugly head. He wondered if they even remembered him, and if his immediate family thought him dead. The thought was thoroughly depressing. Allura nodded as he spoke, before clearing her throat

“I think you’ve got a good grip on the situation”

Lance took her words as praise, tiny cute really was cute, but big Keith was cuter in different ways

“It’s only because I’ve had so much experience. Hunk has too”

Hunk was quick to deflect deflatedly

“Yeah, but he’s talking to you already. I’ve just ruined cookies for him”

“Only because he’s not used to them. Your cookies are awesome, bud”

Hunk huffed sadly at the tray of cookies on the lounge table

“Thanks… we should have told him they were special cookies”

“It’ll be fine. Once he’s cried it out, he’ll be happy again. Like I said, they’re cute at this age. And who knows, maybe he’ll be back to normal tomorrow? Okay, Pidgeon. Do your tech thing, but maybe find something with bright colours and sounds that aren’t too scary. If he has nightmares tonight, I’m taking him to sleep next to you”

Pidge pulled a face, he might as well have been asking her to take Keith to the toilet for the look he got

“Nope, you can have him if he’s going to cry. I don’t want him thinking that his crying is going to get him anywhere with me”

“Fine, I’ll just keep all Keith’s cuteness for myself. Better yet, he can’t stab me because he’s too small and cute. Maybe I should take him to see his grandpa if he has a nightmare?”

Shiro groaned deeply, Lance never would have taken the dig if the mood between the team hadn’t been so good

“I didn’t have any children, now I’ve got children that have a grandchild. Is any wonder my hair’s getting whiter?”

Allura sympathetically patted Shiro’s shoulder

“If it makes you feel any better, you can have my floatation. It is proving most annoying”

Pidge chuckled, adding salt to the wound for Coran who was dealing with his cookie crumbling due to his wet hands

“I’d rather that then Coran’s slipperies, even the white hair would be better than that. Lance, are you sure we should let Keith cry? He seems pretty upset”

Looking down at Keith, Lance nodded

“He hasn’t hurt himself and he’s not in danger of hurting himself. Once he’s calmed down then he can have his cookies and cuddles. Did you guys figure out something for him to wear that’s more his size?”

Allura let out a long deflated sigh

“No. Coran and I intended to, yet between his slipperies and my limited movement, we failed”

“It’s okay, princess. He’s fine for now. We’ll see how tonight goes and reassess it tomorrow if he’s not back to his usual brooding self. We’ve got no one chasing us, and can’t exactly go anywhere else, so there’s not that much of a rush on clothes”

“I shall continue to have a think about it. You humans are frightfully small”

“I think if we ask Coran, he’ll tell us you were once just as small”

Allura blinked twice then looked to her cookie again. Lance realising what he’d said

“Hey, none of that. Your parents would be so proud if they could see the woman you’ve become. We’re all proud of you”

Allura flashed Lance a wobbly smile

“Thank you, Lance…”

Before Pidge cut in

“Nope, no getting mopey. We are going to find the worst kid’s show there is. I bet 10 GAC that I can guess the story line before Lance”

Lance couldn’t resist

“And I bet 20 GAC that Hunk and I nail it before you do”

“Why do you get Hunk?!”

“Because I’m the one with the kid”

Pidge gave it a moment’s thought

“Then I get Shiro. Allura and Coran are ruled out because they probably speak the language. Deal?”

Lance nodded quickly before she could change her mind. Coran seemed to understand galactic TV far too well

“Deal. Let’s find us some whack cartoons!”

[willadisastercry]

Keith pushes his body to its limit to save Pidge and is too stubborn to tell anyone that he’s more than ‘just a little tired’

trigger and content warnings: very ominous countdown, threat of being caught in an explosion, emotional angst where tough calls have to be made, major character is injured and then overlooked/ignored, discovery of injuries far worse than anticipated, just very angsty in all parts, lots of physical pain and heavy emotions described in later parts.

The mission was supposed to be easy. The operation of breaking into an abandoned galra base to gather intel before destroying was bold but low risk. The team calculated every worst scenario and came up with no reason they shouldn’t, especially when whatever they might recover could help them find Pidge’s dad and brother. They thought they’d accounted for everything. Actually, no, they had accounted for everything. Just everything except for intruder protocols to still be in place and functional, or for there to be a seemingly endless arsenal of sentries to complicate things further. So when Pidge and Keith get held up with time running out, decisions had to be made and Shiro agrees to set the timer for the last explosive... while they’re still inside. He did it because he trusted Keith when he said he’d make sure they got out, he just wasn’t aware that meant he’d do whatever it took and then not realize how truly injured he actually was.

NOW UPDATED (and legible) on ao3 as: too busy saving everybody else to save yourself ;)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Keith wrapped around the corner of the hallway with so much speed he nearly sent himself sprawling.

“Pidge?!”

The zap of blaster guns made the air around them smell burnt.

“Keith?!”

The strobing red emergency lights washing out all the purple of the galra base.

“Guys, please respond... Does you still copy?”

There wasn’t much more light in the next corridor.

“Yeah...” Keith huffed breathlessly, the sound of his boots against the metal of the floor audible over the coms.

They were the only ones who hadn’t made it back to their lions yet.

“What about you Pidge...?”

“I copy...” she answered stiffly, “could be better, but I copy.”

Her voice was a strained whisper against the commotion around them that came through.

“I told you I’ve got it Shiro...”

“Alright but hurry, there’s only 2 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock.”

Shiro’s tone was firm, his worry subdued for their sakes, but Keith saw straight through his inflection on the way he said ‘hurry’.

The sound of metal feet pounding behind them was what initially motivated him to abandon their joint effort in hobbling and scoop a very reluctant Pidge up into his own arms.

Now though.

Now it was the countdown until the explosives they’d planted detonated.

“Lance and Hunk are towing your lions back to the castle so head straight for Black...”

Keith attempted to grunt out a yes but was too focused on maintaining his zigzag running pattern as he tried to desperately evade the fire from behind them.

Shiro thought he’d accounted for everything, planned every detail with Allura and Pidge meticulously so that their escape would not be something down to the wire like this.

The base should’ve been abandoned, they weren’t even sure that they’d be able to gather any intel of much use, but they only went through with the plan because there wasn’t supposed to be any risk. And one less galra base is always a good thing.

They had split everyone into groups, separating Keith and Lance almost as soon as they left the castle when they couldn’t agree on who’d carry the explosive without dropping it. Keith and Pidge went in together first because they needed time for her to get the system down. Hunk and Lance went in next and took care of wiring up the explosive in the farthest section from the lions. Shiro and Allura were to go in last and see everyone else out, but that is far from what actually went down.

As soon as Pidge touched the tech in the control room Keith had cleared only moments before, alarms went off and an ominous ticking began.

“Crud, no, no, no—“

“What is it?” Keith asked from his position at the door.

“It’s very possible I just set off a threat response protocol of some kind... I don’t know how much time we have before the sentries that might still be viable find—“

But Pidge didn’t get to finish that statement because a group the robotic soldiers had rounded the corner Keith was surveiling, not close enough to lock in on them as a target and begin firing yet.

“Shiro...?! We may have a slight problem!” Keith called into his coms device as he activated his bayard.

The next few moments were a blur as Keith charged, meeting them halfway and hacking at the arms of the robots holding their weapons, not many of them able to ambush him at once with the narrow width of the service hallway but the continued surge of sentry after sentry was enough of a threat to overwhelm him that had Pidge activating her own bayard.

“That’s the last one,” he huffed, arms dropping to his sides heavily as the last sentry crumpled to the floor in a heap of sparking metal.

“Kay, I got into the mainframe and disabled the distress signal but I can’t be certain that was the only fleet that got dispatched.”

“Then you better hurry with whatever else you have to do,” Keith warned with a sympathizing look before returning his gaze to the long hallway before them, picking up one of the discarded blasters in anticipation of another attack, this way he could thin the group before they made it to him.

“Right,” Pidge muttered, already lost in concentration as she typed furiously at the keypad.

It seemed like every minute it took Pidge to disable the defense system of the base and download whatever information she could sent another wave of sentries with it. Keith was getting tired, his movements becoming sloppier and more out of desperation then strategy as he dropped bot after bot.

“Done! Wiring up the explosives now...”

Keith was in the middle of combating the worst of the latest onslaught, a sizable amount of robots left still before he could rest.

“Let me know when the last one’s down and I’ll set the timer...”

It was another minute before he gave the go ahead, leaned foraward on his knees and panting as he caught his breath, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat from the effort.

“5 minutes on the clock starting... now! Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

“Why only 5?” he huffed as they began their sprint to the loading docks.

“Because I got held up with the alarms and Lance and Hunk set theirs for 10 about uhm... 6 minutes ago.”

“Oh... well then what’s it at now?”

“Should be... 3 minutes and 47 seconds,” she answered after slowing to tap the watch attachment on the her wrist of her armor.

“Shit.”

“Keith? I need an update on your status. Have you guys made it to the loading dock yet?”

“Uhm, we’re en route right now... still experiencing some slight complications, but we’ll get there.”

There was silence for a moment before Shiro spoke again.

“Keith... Allura and I can’t leave without setting the time for the last explosive.”

They were passing a series of adjoining service hallways.

“You can. Just set it for a minute after whatever time left is on your watch, we’ll make it.”

As they raced to the end Keith pulled forward just enough to glance around each and check for sentries.

“Keith I don’t think you understand—“

It was sort of hard to focus on so many things at once when he was so tried already and Shiro’s apprehension wasn’t making it any easier.

“Shiro! I said we’d make it there in time and I mean it. Set the timer.”

No matter how sure he sounded, an extra minute until the last explosion detonated didn’t do much to quell the panic in Keith’s stomach when they still had the danger of getting caught in the blast from the one they’d set themselves to worry about. But he didn’t care if he was sure or not, they had to make it in time so they would and that was that.

“Setting the timer now, you have 2 minutes 53 seconds...”

They had to cover as much ground as possible in the next two minutes to separate themselves from whatever sentries were on their tails or they wouldn’t even have to worry about the timing running out.

“After we clear this hallway it’s a straight shoot to the docks and the lions... get ready for the sprint of your life,” Keith said with a chuckle under his breath that made Pidge almost want to cry. Only when shit was grim did Keith resort his own twisted sort of humor.

“Well, then feet don’t fail me n—“ Pidge attempted to respond but was cut off by the sound of her body hitting the floor, the thud it made spurring Keith out of surging his body forward and twisting around with his bayard already drawn.

He hadn’t checked the last service hallway they passed... so of course the only one he didn’t check was the one filled with a sentries.

“Fuck!” he shouted wildly, his voice wrecked with outrage as he moved with a ferocity that would’ve scared Pidge was she not preoccupied by how much blood coated her hand when she took it away from her stomach.

He fought like Shiro did sometimes when they were practicing.

The older boy didn’t forget himself often, but when he did, the shift was more than apparent. You could always tell when it was him and when it wasn’t, his arcs and jabs viscious and unrelenting, no space for an ounce of mercy or forgiveness. The fight becoming less of a battle and more of an execution.

Keith fought like that then, not letting the sentry that attacked Pidge even a second to parry his condemning blows, the metal soldier clanking to the floor in a heap of disjointed scraps not long after.

The remainder of the fleet was still making its way down the hallway so they had time to keep them out of range for at least a little bit.

“C’mon Pidge, we’ve gotta—go... shit,” he deadpanned as his eyes fell on her slumped form, the red dripping from the cracks in her armor so apparent against the white even with the muted lighting.

When he seemed to sort of freeze at the sight she offered him her hands and he helped her up with a groan, his hands gripping her cautiously as even standing proved to be challenging.

But then the sound of the fleet upon them filled the hallway and the next moment he was moving just like them. Mechanically. Like the only preset in his manual for this type of situation had been initiated and Keith was no longer at the mercy of his own actions.

His system only knew one thing then and it was to move.

And so he did. He moved deftly, not taking much care for the hail of sentry fire he was under as he rounded the last corner and was then sprinting for the hulking doors of the loading dock. He could see the Black lion practically shaking in anticipation as he hurdled towards them.

“Are you guys taking fire?!”

Pidge was pressed to his chest, her shoulders turned so she could eye the scene behind them, telling Keith when to shift a certain way to avoid a plasma blast. She’d only started watching for him after he inhaled sharply and stumbled.

“-idge... -eith... -se report...”

It was considerably harder to respond to Shiro while on autopilot. Hard to keep up his evasive maneuvers and assure his leader that they would most likely not die at the same time. But he pushed past how heavy his tongue seemed in his mouth and spoke anyway. His words rushed together in almost a slur when he answered Shiro.

And then he assured Pidge his leg had just been knicked when she brought a worried hand to his bloodied cheek from his earlier battle as he bit his lip to keep from crying out, resuming his impossible pace when the sound of blasters didn’t let up. Even through her own daze of pain she could tell he was favoring his left side.

The hallway seemed to stretch out infinitely before him then, like he could run forever and still never reach the end of it. His entire body was screaming, the burn blast on his leg searing with every step, but he couldn’t give up. Not when Pidge was hurt. Not when he knew the base was set to explode any second.

He barely even reacted when he felt a familiar heat flare up between his shoulder blades. Keith couldn’t afford to slow down. Not now. It didn’t matter that he was still getting shot at, he couldn’t do anything about that so he couldn’t care.

Instead he focused on what he could do something about, which was getting them through those doors. He was utterly exhausted and fueled by only adrenaline but he kept running, the thought of the moment he could finally rest the only thing willing his body to keep moving.

His muscles burned under the strain, the concentrated blazes in his leg and back pulsing angrily with each stride. And then his vision was blurring from the fear and desperation that had his lungs in an aching gridlock, the abused organs not able to get much in and had no time to get what he did back out before he struggled to take in another strained breath.

But he didn’t stop running, he didn’t even slow down. Despite how desperately is legs wanted to curl underneath him and how dangerously close his rib cage was to collapsing in on itself as he drove his body well past its physical limits, his mind didn’t allow him to entertain the thought for even a second.

It was decided. He wouldn’t stop until he was safe, until Pidge was safe. It didn’t matter how spent his body was. Because logically... it’ll all be fine, the pain would pass and the horrible trek would end, but only if he got them out of there alive. Only if he kept moving.

Logically, it didn’t matter that Keith was seeing dots or that he was fairly certain he’d forgotten how to breathe, because he really won’t be able to if the base explodes while they’re still in it.

So he relied on his ridiculous ability to rationalize everything, even pain, to trick his brain into continuing despite it, into ignoring it entirely. Because logically this was just a moment, a terrible one that seemed like it would never end but might if he just keeps moving.

And so he let the gravity of it drive him forward. Let himself cling to the moment when he could rest. Maybe he’d pass out once he reached Black. And maybe he’d be so exhausted he’d drop Pidge once he did. But he couldn’t even worry about what would happen when his legs finally gave and he wasn’t able to make it another step.

The moment would come, that was for sure, but it wouldn’t be now.

A little further and then he could. Once they were with the team. When it’s safer. When he couldn’t go any farther. When he had absolutely nothing left to give.

Until then all he knew was that he was running, pushing himself further and further on the sole reasoning that he just had to make it to Black. Once he was in Black he could rest, let go, give in to the encroaching darkness.

Keith was so fixed on hacking his own brain to get his body to do the impossible that he hadn’t even registered when he was bounding up Black’s ramp until it started closing behind him, her jaw shutting with a deafening clank before she took off. He lurched forward unceremoniously, his legs weak and wobbling as he fought to maintain his grip on Pidge.

And then hands were pulling at his own and there were voices all around him but none of them were clear enough to make any sense to him. Pidge’s now limp form was being taken from his arms and he made only a slight effort to stop the hands taking her before he realized.

Oh. They’d made it.

“Keith...? I asked if you’re alright? Are you hurt?”

He dragged his glassy gaze up to meet Shiro’s as he studied the gash below his eye and nodded, distantly aware of the pink glow from Allura as she worked on healing Pidge enough that she’d be okay until they could get her to a pod.

“Wait you’re hurt?!”

Keith couldn’t answer right away. He was still catching his breath and didn’t think he could handle the impending interrogation while standing.

“M’fine... just tired,” he urged shortly as he reached for the wall.

He just needed to sit.

Yeah, sitting would help.

Shiro seemed dissatisfied with Keith’s answer and moved to go in for a closer look but didn’t get to question much further because Allura was calling him over.

Good, Keith thought, because they had to focus on Pidge right now.

They’d be so overwhelmed if he passed out too. And how ridiculous would that be? Passing out just because of a tiny cut and some minor burns because he was a little tired. Everyone was probably tired and he could stand to deal until they got back to the castle.

It was just a lot and if he’d managed to keep it together until now he could manage a little longer... steal some medical supplies once Pidge is in a pod and take care of the burns himself... sleep in tomorrow and to hell if he gets chewed out for it.

Because this was hard. It was probably just as stressful for everyone to carry out their assignments after they’d tripped the alarms, but as much as Keith would like to play it down, it really had fucking sucked.

And it still does.

But that didn’t matter because he’ll be fine.

He didn’t need to be healed from Allura like Pidge. He would be okay eventually. When his muscles were less sore and his head was less angry and he didn’t feel so woozy.

With that resolve he began making his way to the cockpit slowly, limping as subtly as possible to join the others and leaning his shoulder against the wall with a thud. His decent to the floor less than graceful because as soon as he bent his legs he was reminded of the burn on his thigh and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep from crying out, sliding the rest of the way on shaking arms in an effort to lower himself as gently as he could.

But with his body still reeling from the stretch of the injury on his leg he didn’t realize how close he’d positioned himself to the wall, the white hot fire only intensifying when he leaned against it with all his weight amid his struggle to contain himself, lighting the wound on his back with a flare of pain that traveled up and down his spine and into his lungs, stealing the breath he still hadn’t caught.

He couldn’t tell how long it was before he could see straight, but when he could there was still a pink tinge to the space around him and he could still hear voices in a discussion that made no sense to him.

But he had no energy left to care as he sat in a heap of himself against the wall. The moment had passed to alert someone of his less than okay state. They were on their way back to the castle and Pidge was still being healed. Allura would be tired and Shiro needed to focus to guide the others.

He had done the mental aerobics to get there, had willed his stupid logic to override the resistance of his leaden muscles and bypass the mounting blood rush in his ears that threatened to make him crumble before he crossed the threshold to safety.

So he saw very little profit in making such a fuss then after all that, even as he watched absently as more blood pooled on the ground beneath him.

Keith didn’t think that burns bled that much and deduced that it was probably just the split skin of his cheekbone making a mess. He felt a little sorry for Shiro having to clean it up later. That wouldn’t be too fun.

“-bashes left, Coran has a pod firing up now...”

That was good, Pidge would need that.

He was glad he didn’t have to go in one of those today but sorry that Pidge did, mostly out of guilt since he hadn’t caught sight of the sentry before it got to her. She was hurt because of that, because he missed it. It should’ve been him being healed by Allura because his stomach was slashed open, not Pidge.

His leg pulsed angrily then, the wound not visible to him aside from the splintering cracks off the long divet that had been scored into his armor. The blast had only grazed him there but still left a trail of blood flowing in sheets down his leg.

Oh, so maybe it was my leg bleeding everywhere, he thought dimly.

Running had no doubt made it worse. The muscles there feeling raw and stripped of something, like the blast had melted them away entirely.

He tried to sneak a better look but moving that far pulled at his back and there was no way he could slip his armor off discreetly to see. So instead he pressed two fingers up in the space between the plates of armor, a thick spurt of blood escaping after he did, coating his gloved hand and expanding the small puddle on the floor.

His leg shook incessantly as he tried to staunch the bleeding and he had to brace his other hand around his though and breathe deeply until he could see again.

It was only Shiro shouting angrily at him that broke him out of his stupor as he stared transfixedly at the state of the inside of his thigh.

“For fuck’s sake Keith, wake up!”

“Huh...?”

He didn’t understand.

He wasn’t asleep and he couldn’t fathom why Shiro was so angry, not until he looked in the older boy’s direction, eyes first falling over the two slumped forms a few feet away from him.

“I need you to check on Allura! I know you’re tired but now isn’t the time for a cat nap...” Shiro sounded like he was seething, of which Keith guessed was warranted, even if he hadn’t even been asleep.

So he pulled himself closer to his friends, careful to keep his leg out of the way as he did.

Allura had exhausted herself while healing Pidge who would have appeared almost pleasantly asleep in her lap if it weren’t for the red staining her front. Keith brought a hand up as if to take her pulse but noticed it was covered in blood and wiped it on the floor before pressing it down.

Her pulse was strong and he was glad that wasn’t the issue as he placed one hand on her forehead and the other at the base of her skull to bring it up from where it hung forward, guiding it steadily to lean on his shoulder as he eased his back against the wall to be able to support her.

He knew that it would suck, he just didn’t know he would actually pass out this time. But he also knew that his friends were hurt and it didn’t matter that his back was extremely sensitive, because Shiro needed him to help them and was glad to be able to.

Keith assumed that Shiro must’ve been screaming his throat raw telling him that he needed to wake up once he finally came back to the world. It seemed like only the smallest part of him was concerned as to why he couldn’t keep himself awake and alert enough to answer, more frustrated at the situation than anything.

“Keith! Is Allura alright? And Pidge?”

“Yeah...” he sighed, his chest swirling with fire as he fought the strain on the charred spot between his shoulders that angered every time he spoke.

“Did you hit your head at all?” Shiro asked, the annoyance in his voice softening to a cautionary worry until it fell into frustration again when Keith reponded with a simple ‘no’.

“Okay... look I get that you’re exhausted and rightfully so but I need you to work with me just until we get back to the castle.”

“Right,” he breathed shakily. His entire body was trembling now, the malaise from falling unconscious wrapping around his stomach and filling his brain with static.

Shiro then asked him to describe how both of his friends were doing so he could patch Coran in.

It was hard to talk with how dry his mouth had gotten and he kept having to cough and clear his throat but he managed to relay their statuses relatively clearly.

Allura’s chest rose and fell evenly though she still hung on him like dead weight. Pidge’s condition hadn’t changed much either, her breathing just as even and the blood seemed to have stopped flowing so egregiously.

“I see the castle...” he heard Shiro announce faintly.

The ringing in his ears was getting loud again but he forced himself to concentrate just a little longer.

“Wh-what? Are we there yet?” Allura questioned sluggishly as she began to stir against him. He stifled a hiss when her movements made pain flare up in several places.

“Landing shortly, Princess. Don’t move, you’re exhausted. Just rest both of you...”

Keith wasn’t sure which was worse, the pressure of Allura’s arm against his bad leg or the jolt from their landing, but either way he was seeing stars again.

When he could finally make sense of something other than colorful static input, he blinked back tears that formed at the brim of his tired eyes to see Shiro with Pidge clasped tightly in his arms leaning down to offer Allura help as she struggled to stand.

“Keith, are you alright to make it back to your room on your own?” Shiro questioned quickly, glancing past Allura to him when he remained where he was, not making any attempt to move just yet.

“Yup,” he feigned a confident smile and began shifting to sell the lie.

Shiro had apparently missed the fact that Keith had made his own puddle of blood. But he supposed that it wasn’t his fault, how was he to know it wasn’t Pidge’s?

“Actually, why don’t you stop by the infirmary to get that cut cleaned and looked over...” Shiro ammended, calling over his shoulder as he made his way out of Black.

“...might need stitches,” was the last thing he heard before the ringing was all he could hear other than his own heart beat.

After a minute of waiting to see if his hearing would ever come back to him he gave up, resolving that he’d definitely have to stop at his room first to take his armor off and change out of his under suit if he could manage. There would be no hiding the gaping crack or black spray that singed much of his leg piece from the blast and assumed his back looked the same way.

So he steeled himself once more and was moving despite every muscle in his body telling him to stop.

He didn’t know how he’d managed to stand up and drag himself back to his room without collapsing, figuring he must’ve mentally blacked out for the journey when the pain became too much because as soon as he was sprawling onto the cold tiles of his bathroom floor he was crying.

Everything that could possibly hurt did, limbs buzzing and his head swimming as his body tried to come down from the overwhelming daze, his injuries pulsing with vengeance after he’d freed himself of his armor.

Keith struggled to slide the medkit out from under his sink with how stiff his back had become but snagged a solid enough grip on the handle despite the slick of his blood on his hands and pulled it into reach, rummaging through the contents like a mad man as he fought to find what he was looking for before the blur clouding his eyes made it impossible to identify anything.

He tore a pack of pressure gauze open with his teeth as the other thumbed the cap off of a wound wash, breathing as deeply as his diaphragm allowed before drenching the grizzly site of his burnt thigh. The liquid was cold and felt heavenly against the heat but soon the stinging overpowered the relief and he was sweating profusely, his vision wavering for the umpteenthe time since his escape.

Once his senses returned he convinvinced himself that he just needed a minute of rest after his crude attempt to clean the wound, the sterile liquid clearing away the tacky red to reveal the bubbling skin at the center of the blast mark. The sight of where the material of the undersuit mixed with his flesh had him cringing away. Though he remained convinced that it really wasn’t that bad. That after he rested, he’d change and venture out to finally join the others, but one minute turned into five and then that turned into ten and then Lance and Hunk were done towing the Red and Green lions back into their respective hangars and Keith was still nowhere to be found.

“Hey, Keith! Don’t you want to see Pidge off before she goes in the pod..? What’s the hold up—“ Hunk says after noticing that Keith’s door had been left unlocked and letting himself in but nearly gagging at the scene he stumbled into.

“Oh my god, is this all from Pidge?” Hunk asked in horror, his stomach twisting into painful knots when he eyed the mess of bloodied armor strewn about, thick traces of red smeared nearly everywhere, all over the floor and in small puddles leading up to the bathroom.

“Hey, Keith...? You in there?”

Nothing for a moment until a sharp inhale and then a faint, ‘yeah’.

“Uh, everything okay?

“Couldn’t be better...” he croaked after an eternity, it was small and strained like he was trying to keep himself contained of something. Of what, Hunk was actually scared to discover, but the heavy breathing coming from the other side of the door told him that his concern was justified.

“Uh, are you sure about that?”

“Mhm.”

“Kay, then why are you... ya know holed up in there and not coming to see Pidge?”

“No reason,” he spat quickly.

Hunk thought deeply for a moment, his brow furrowing as he considered what to say next.

“Look, I know we’re not the closest, but if you uh, need someone to talk to about what happened back there or something you know I’m all ears and—“

“I said I’m good!”

“Keith...”

“Can you just—shit!“

Hunk was fairly sure he would not have liked what Keith would have had to say if he got to finish his sentiment, cutting himself off with a sharp hiss before he could.

“Dude, you really sound like you’re not okay...”

Hunk was beginning to feel the sick turning over in his stomach as Keith went longer and longer without responding to him and just when he thought he’d had enough the other boy sucked in another grating breath through his teeth.

“That’s it. Open up. Whatever’s wrong... just let me help,” he pleaded, raising his hand up to the panel beside the frame that glowed red, taping it to test the lock that was blatantly in place and almost jumping back in shock when it blared green the next moment.

The door slid open with a whoosh and Hunk had to hold a hand over his mouth to ensure that the contents in his stomach remained where they ought to be.

“Keith!—oh, oh that’s really not good,” Hunk determined with a gulp before rushing to the corner he’d curled up in.

The sparse med kit that Coran fitted every paladin’s bathroom with lay open with its contents scattered everywhere in various stages of use but all Hunk could really focus on was the amount of blood beneath his friend.

Fresh blood. Keith’s blood, not Pidge’s.

He seemed to pick up on Hunk’s immense fear and tried to assure him that he was okay. Because he pretty much was. He hadn’t managed to get himself this far just to give up on this endeavor now. The team really didn’t have to coddle him about such minor injuries, especially one he could handle on his own.

“It’s just a knick man, nothing a lil tlc can’t fix...”

“No,” Hunk amended, “with that much blood it is not nothing... it’s you need a pod not good,” Hunk determined grimly as he tried to find the source of all the bleeding, pulling Keith’s hand away from his leg.

“What even—sorry!”

The back of Keith’s bloodied hand was now at his mouth to stem the cry he almost let out as Hunk proded the only piece of armor he hadn’t taken off yet around the wound on his leg, looking like he’d just kicked a puppy when he saw how much pain his friend was in.

“S’fine... just burns.”

“Okay,” he said, his voice pensive and concerned, “Coran has some like topical stuff for that, I use it all the time for cooking burns and it really does the trick.”

“Nah, no infirmary... Pidge is there.”

“Yeah, Pidge is there because that’s where injured people go, and you are injured so that is where you need to be!”

“Hunk I’m serious, I don’t need t—“

“What’s taking you guys so—oh god, Keith, you know you’re like totally sitting in a pool of blood?!”

Keith just huffed and rolled his eyes once Lance barged into the already less than spacious bathroom. He really hated having such an audience but wasn’t sure he could protest much more with how tightly his throat was wound.

“We gotta get you to the infirmary, buddy. Come on Lance, grab an arm.”

Keith groaned deeply and tried to shoo their hands away but he was so weak that catching his combative limbs was easy.

“Dude... you’re already pretty badly injured, don’t make it worse by being too proud to let us help you,” Lance leveled after releasing the skin he’d been gnawing at of his bottom lip.

Neither boy liked seeing how uncomfortable their friend was with relinquishing control and allowing himself to be so vulnerable as to let them do this for him, to let someone other than Shiro take care of him or see him this way.

But before he could officially accept their assistance they shared a knowing look and started pulling him up to his feet, the hands that weren’t clasped around his forearms fell to his back, pressing down on the bits of armor that had broken off and had partially melted into the undersuit, digging the jagged edges further into his singed skin.

“What? No, I told you I’m f—oh fuck, guys! Shit, shit, nGH!”

The pain that followed was blinding, his injured leg shaking visciously and the other giving out not long after that as well. And then he was being held up entirely by Lance and Hunk who were leaning him forward to see what had caused such a visceral reaction, both boys cursing when they saw his back.

“Damn dude, you really got lit up back there didn’t ya?”

“Wha...?”

“Oh, jeez Lance, you might have to take him for a second...” Hunk blurted, looking considerably greener than he had before.

“Crap, okay...” Lance ushered as he bent his legs to get under both of Keith’s arms while he took in heaving breaths, his forehead covered in sweat as he tried to work through the torment of his reangered injuries.

“What-what’s wrong with the blast on my back?” he managed between pants.

“Uhm, blasts, dude. Like plural. Like you look like you were human target practice for those sentries... “

“Huh...” his voice was hallow and rasping. “Coulda sworn it was just one back there...”

“No man, definitely several... Hunk you done yet?”

“Oh...” Keith sighed, his head hanging down as he braced himself against Lance’s arms, “...maybe that’s why i feel so strange.”

“Wh-strange?! What do you mean strange? Strange as in something other than excruciating pain?”

To be clear he was feeling a lot of things but ‘strange’ sort of surmised them best. His entire body felt leaden with exhaustion but also strangely detached from itself, like he was outside of it and still on the floor as if he’d never moved.

A part of him worried he’d never even made it out of the galra base and that this was some horrible side affect of dying that made him believe he’d made it. But he was also pretty sure if he was dead he wouldn’t be hurting so badly still which made the discomfort of his fatigue all the more disorienting.

“Mean like sick... like the kind of sick that just feels gross... and wrong... and tired... I’m really fucking tired...”

“I know buddy, but you did good back there. Must not have been easy getting Pidge out with all the hits you were taking,” the other boy commended and the sincerity in his voice helped convince Keith that he probably wasn’t dead, he wasn’t sure he’d have enough memory of such a tone from Lance to fabricate something like that in his head.

“Yeah,” he agreed breathily, his own voice distant and unclear as he fought against the black that encroached on the boarder of his vision.

With another sigh he was swaying sideways, his body apparently not willing to ignore the damage it’d suffered any longer.

[void-tiger]

Shallura HCs (featuring panace!Shiro)

-Allura adores being the LittleSpoon, especially with hugs. It lets her be hugged as tight as she wants without accidentally crushing someone to death

-Shiro’s fine with indulging Allura. He also doesn’t have to worry about checking his enhanced strength too much—alteans are much sturdier than humans, and Allura’s on the stronger end of the altean spectrum, easy

-Shiro’s sometimes the little spoon tho. (It’s actually his preference—he’s so dang tol for humans that he never ever gets to be the smaller one. It’s also nice to be reminded tangibly that he doesn’t have to be In Complete Control At All Times on his worse days.)

-Shiro getting away with calling Allura “Princess” before they start dating. (“what?? it’s her title!” “you’re not fooling anyone, Shiro.” “...you say something? what’s for dinner.” “oh nononono you’re not getting out of this one—get bACK HERE!! stay out of the kitchen!!”)

-Shiro’s embarassment when someone finally calls him on it, or Allura learns that her title’s also a human term of endearment (although it’s an actual title, too)

-calling eachother their first names in quiet or panicked moments—no Princess, no Shiro (or Paladin). They’re simply Allura and Takashi.

-Shiro accidentally finding excuses to touch Allura’s hands—to keep her from overworking, to balance her when dismounting from a ship, brushing next to hers while they’re both working on the same project or passing eachother food at the table, to get one to follow the other on missions. Cue more embarassment when either it’s pointed out OR he realizes how often he ends up holding her hands without it strickly being neccissary.

-lots of dates where they’re simply just joining hands or linking arms and looking at random stuff at an offworld market. One of their first casual dates is at the SpaceMall. It’s more goofy than romantic and they end up doing over the top posh aires while putting silly hats on eachother and eating corndogs and tacos, but they both have fun, anyway.

-dates either getting interrupted by Trouble, or Trouble comes to them (usually in the form of accidentally starting a workers’ revolution). It’s a running gag that them being on the same mission together is a “date”, with a running bet going for how long a date night in or out gets to run uninterrupted by The Mission.

-Allura loves kissing, but Shiro’s mostly neutral about it—he’s okay with kissing Allura gently on the lips, fingers, or cheek as much as she wants, but he’s not really comfortable “deepening” the kiss. Meanwhile Allura’s swooning. How’d she get so lucky to have someone as tender and adoring as Shiro? Someone who kisses her softly both in private and public, lingering just long enough she feels his breath, with his touch just as gentle as his expression?

-Shiro is, however, favorable with forehead kisses. Allura delights in pushing his bang back and planting a kiss there just to get that soft “oh” out of him every time. He also enjoys having his hair carded—after he’s rescued from the Astral Plane and the two finally start dating, she pets his hair by accident. Shiro outright purrs. He’s embarrassed, Allura finds it delightful, he admits that it feels really nice (“Princess—Allura—no. stop laughing! it isn’t funny!” “forgive me, Shiro, but you have always been an overgrown cat.”)

-Shiro’s idea of finally getting Allura “something sparkly” ...is to take her to the brightest (unpopulated by Galra) starcluster he can find in their current quadrant, get as close to it as BlackLion will let him, and take her dancing in zero Gs with their jetpacks. (Shiro, NO. That is a date.)

-Allura finds him quiznacking cheesy and laughs so hard she nearly floats off. Then dips him when he’s red faced and sputtering. Stars are NOT gemstones. But yes yes, they are “sparkley” so she loves it (and him)

-Take Two at SomethingSparkley: Shiro realizes that Allura likes jewelry, but the pieces she actually wears (despite snooping and finding her jewelrybox with the help of the Team and Coran distracting her) are all functional. Her “earings” function as coms, and her bangles control the Castle remotely. He also sees the holographic photo of her parents. Shiro settles on getting her a broach, only this one has a physical copy of her parents’ portrait inside as a locket.

-Allura cries when Shiro gives her the locket. She also never takes it off.

-Allura realizes she’s falling for Shiro when he’s holding her gently after she’s forced to destroy her father’s AI. Lingering close, holding her from behind, but leaving her the space to use him as a support or move away. He isn’t smothering. He’s simply there.

-Shiro realizes he might not exactly have purely platonic feelings for Allura when she insists on not only joining the Paladins on a mission, but presses what shaky opportunity they do have. (But she’s right...or is she being reckless in her grief?) And realizing he’s holding her hand more than he has to—she can walk on her own—but he can’t seem to stop. And she’s not pulling away. But then things go wrong. And she’s sacrificing herself...for him.

[xochitai]

So, I’ve been scrolling through people’s blogs for way too long, and I saw a bunch of posts talking about season 6—specifically the colony plotline and the issues with it—and it reminded me of what I thought was going to happen when the show was still airing.

I had a theory: what if it was Haggar all along?

Let me explain:

Just to get this out of the way, I came up with this either in the space between s6 and s7 when we were getting clips from s7 or after s7 aired. My memory of certain scenes are very fuzzy and I don’t remember the specific episodes where things I am going to be refencing happened so apologies in advance if I misplace things in the timeline or remember certain details incorrectly.

So this all began with the clip where Haggar remembers herself and she reverts back to her Altean appearance. We see her remove her hood and get a clear view of her full face, which looks very similar to Lotor’s. And this isn’t just the angle or a character being off-model one time, it’s just how she looks [besides, they wouldn’t be the first parent-child combo to share a face]. She also has white hair, roughly the same length, that is a bit choppy and gets fluffier on the bottom.

We know from the scene were Allura disguises herself as a Galra soldier that Alteans with the ability to shapeshift can change their height, build, and color. Would it be so difficult to believe that someone like Haggar, who is very gifted with quintessence, could modify things like their vocal cords as well? She knows how Lotor speaks well enough. And if it is beyond her abilities, she could use a voice modifier. 

He always wears the same thing and styles his hair the same way whenever we see him as an adult, which adds to how easy it would be for her to copy his appearance. Her markings would show, but she can cover those.

It would also explain how he got that big Galran ship to transport Alteans to the second colony and how he was working with Galra scientists so nonchalantly.

The Ship

Lotor doesn’t seem to have much of his own stuff. In his introductory episode, somebody says something along the lines of, ”he fights on the front lines with his men,” but we don’t see him with any troops. At most, it’s just him and his generals. He has those smaller personal ships in the beginning [which could technically count as a fleet] and later the sincline ships, but that’s about it. So where does he get this large Galran ship from, and how did he move it around without drawing attention?

The Scientists

[I’m not sure if they count more as doctors or medical assistants or lab assistants, but for simplicity’s sake, I'm calling them scientists]

We see people in uniforms similar to the one Ulaz wears in Shiro’s flashback. Lotor is incredibly secretive and paranoid, to the point where he killed Narti, the person he entrusted with Kova, in an instant when he figured out Haggar was spying on them through her. He didn’t tell Allura about the colony, even when they were both alone in Orionde. He has been trying to keep Haggar and/or Zarkon from finding out about this for thousands of years. So why would he work with multiple Galra scientists that work under Haggar and bring them to the very place he has been trying to hide?

For Haggar though? Obtaining a ship would be simple. She has Zarkon’s favor and it’s implied he gives her whatever she wants most of the time. As for the scientists, they work for her and with her abilities, she could easily keep them quiet.

And now, for the thing that kickstarted this whole colony plot in the first place: the harvested quintessence. Why would Lotor be harvesting it this way in the first place? From his time on Ven’tar’s planet, we know he found a better way to harvest that both increased yields and didn’t damage the planet. So why would he make the jump straight to harvesting from people, Alteans no less? Unless he was forced, it seems strange. But for Haggar, who is obsessed with quintessence, and who we later see has no problem manipulating and sacrificing other Alteans, it seems like something she would have no qualms about.

The generals might be a problem, but we don’t know how much they know. Besides those scientists, it seems like he goes there by himself or with sentries most of the time. [Perhaps he brought Narti once and when Haggar took over her mind, that is how she found out?]

Also the visual parallel of the Alteans all lined up in the pods and the clone Shiros all lined up in theirs.

Obviously, my theory turned out to be Incorrect and it definitely had some holes [though so did the show], but I thought it would be fun to share and finally let it see the light of day :-)

[vldkeith]

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My Top Posts in 2021

#5

we’re trying, allura! shay’s pressing her hand against the wall which apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people who vibrate back, or something? hand-talking? i guess the answer to your question is yes, we copy.

534 notes • Posted 2021-04-17 23:46:43 GMT

#4

don’t think that “the legend continues” thing means anything btw i think it’s marketing ploy. they had a whole fanart competition earlier that i’m pretty sure was just meant to funnel interest back into the voltron shop, so this might just be a continuation of that?

…right? right? there’s no new voltron, right? …

544 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 14:14:07 GMT

#3

can they flirt in a more normal way please? 

klance moments: 30/?

607 notes • Posted 2021-05-16 21:41:41 GMT

#2

keith is just not a reserved person. like motherfucker look at him

713 notes • Posted 2021-09-26 14:00:58 GMT

#1

keith “there’s a lot to unpack here so let’s just throw away the whole suitcase” kogane

klance moments: 31/?

825 notes • Posted 2021-05-28 15:04:16 GMT

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[quintessenceofdust73]

“Hand over the princess!” Keith bellowed, still wielding his luxite blade in his left hand and the Black Bayard’s newly unlocked Altean Broadsword in his right. Both swords were still dripping with a stringy purple ichor from the bloodless beheading of the witch’s undead son.

“How touching! The half-human abomination has come for his sweetheart,” the witch replied from the higher ground upon which she stood. “Here is your princess, murderer.”

He heard a familiar voice exclaim, “Keith!” and suddenly her image was shimmering before him, her bright soul entrapped in some type of bubble of dark energy.

“Allura!” he cried. “Come on, let’s go!” He ran uphill towards her, but abruptly halted when the bubble of energy disappeared and Allura’s image began multiplying until he was surrounded by a dozen seemingly identical copies of the woman he loved.

“But which one will you go with, you half-bred monstrosity?” asked the witch. “And why would any pure-bred Altean girl degrade herself by choosing a mongrel such as yourself as a mate?” Haggar laughed insanely as she taunted him. “She secretly hates you because you’re half-Galra,” she hissed venomously.

Keith felt tears welling at the corners of his eyes, and he felt a stab of fear that the witch’s words might actually be true.

“Make your choice, but if you choose wrongly, you will be stuck with a Altean witch who will hate you for the rest of your miserable life,” she cackled.

Keith closed his eyes and opened his heart. “Allura, I love you,” he murmured in the darkness of his nightmare. “I’ve come to rescue you because you are my teammate and my friend. I don’t expect you to love me in return. I only want to set you free.” He dropped his swords. The Black Bayard slowly faded away as the luxite blade sparkled before returning to its sheath.

Keith opened his eyes and saw that only one of the Alluras looked directly at him, her kind eyes shining and beautiful face streaked with tears as she smiled at him. The false Alluras bore countenances twisted by fear, revulsion, hatred, and rage. One by one, the illusions faded away.

“Keith!” the real Allura ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you!” she exclaimed, her voice quivering from heaving sobs. ”I love you!” He held her as her shoulders shook, and he wept along with her, stroking her long, soft hair. When her storm of weeping quieted, Keith gently wiped away the remaining tears that dampened her cheeks.

I love you,” she said earnestly as she gazed at him. “I always have. Don’t believe any of the lies that evil witch told you.”

“Allura,” he whispered hoarsely. “I—“

“Very impressive,” the witch admitted. “But you don’t think I’m going to give her to you, do you?” And with that, Allura was surrounded by the bubble of dark energy once more. The witch yanked her away, levitating Allura right out of Keith’s embrace and pushing him to the down the slope with a cackle as they floated away.

“No!” cried Allura, reaching for him.

“Allura!” Keith yelled, but they were both beyond his reach.

From Defenders of the Multiverse Chapter 7, “The Battle to Save All of the Realities”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31663769/chapters/78362156

[thespacenico]

day 3: celebrity

in which allura is a famous actress/singer, and keith and lance are starstruck fans 🤩

“Keith.” 

Keith harrumphs as Lance nudges his shoulder, eyes still roaming across the menu of the small but charming coffee shop that they stepped into a few moments ago. Lance had been complaining all morning about how tired he was, so he’s not sure what could possibly be more important than coffee at this moment in time. “Hm.”

Lance shakes Keith’s shoulder again, a little more insistently this time. “Keith.”

“Yeah.” 

“Keith.” 

“What?” Keith says this through squished cheeks, because Lance has planted his hands on either side of his face and turned his head to face the glass windows that look out toward the street. 

It takes a moment for him to figure out exactly what he’s supposed to be looking at. There’s not much to see outside, as it’s still relatively early on a Sunday morning and most people are either still fast asleep or lounging around at home. The sidewalks aren’t particularly crowded, but maybe that’s why Keith’s gaze is immediately drawn to the person standing on the other side of the street, looking at their phone as they wait for the traffic light to change. They’re wearing a baseball cap, but their hair is pulled through the back in a tight bun, probably in an attempt to remain inconspicuous. And yet, to someone like Keith or Lance, their identity is unmistakable. 

Keith gasps audibly. “Wait. Is that—” 

“Allura Altea,” Lance finishes for him, sounding very much like he’s trying not to scream. “Alive and real and in the flesh. Keith, she’s right there.” 

The light turns red and Allura looks up as the second light at the crosswalk flashes, indicating that it’s safe to cross the street. Keith can’t help but gawk a little as she grows closer, pocketing her phone and tugging the strap of her bag further over her shoulder.

“We have to go out there and meet her.”

Keith makes a rather embarrassing sound like a squawk, whipping his head toward Lance. “What?”

“Dude, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” Lance whisper-shouts, shaking both of Keith’s shoulders. “There’s no way we’re passing this up.” 

“Who’s ‘we’?” Keith whisper-shouts back. The customer in line ahead of them glances back with a raised eyebrow, but he ignores them. “Don’t you see how she’s dressed? She clearly doesn’t want to be bothered right now. We only just happened to recognize her.” 

“You know how long I’ve waited to get her autograph!” 

“Yeah, I do, which is how I know you can wait a little longer!”

“You say that like you don’t want her autograph just as badly as I do.” 

“Well, duh, but I don’t wanna be a creep about it!” 

“Keith,” Lance pleads, clasping his hands together. “Babe. This is Allura Altea we’re talking about. We might never get the chance to see her out in the real world like this again and—wait, where’d she go?” 

The two of them look back outside, searching wildly for any sign of Allura, but the streets and sidewalks are empty. Keith’s shoulders sink with a sigh of disappointment while Lance makes a noise of distress. If they weren’t in public, Lance would probably be on his knees, wailing like the protagonist of an action movie who just found out the villain is their father. But then the bell attached to the front door of the shop rings, and the two boys freeze in unison, heads turning slowly to look behind them.

Allura Altea herself has entered the shop and is approaching the line, eyes already skimming across the menu. As in, the very same coffee shop that Lance and Keith are currently standing in. At the very back of the line. Which means that Allura will be standing directly behind them. They instantly whip back around, stiff as boards.

Lance is practically wheezing. “Oh. My. God.” 

“Shut up,” Keith hisses, more to himself than to Lance. “Oh my god, be cool.”

“Keith. Be cool.”

“I just said that!”

“You did? Sorry, I’m panicking.” 

“That is the complete opposite of what you should be doing.” 

“You’re panicking too!” 

Keith elbows Lance in the side and Lance elbows him back, both of them wincing in pain. Then, to their utter horror, someone clears their throat behind them. The two of them spin around to find Allura watching them curiously, amusement sparkling in her eyes as she smiles sweetly. “Hello.” 

“Hello,” Keith manages to respond, probably a second or two later than is socially acceptable.

Her smile grows. “You recognize me, don’t you? I take it that you boys are fans.” 

“What?” Lance blurts, laughing nervously. “I have no idea who you are. That’s crazy.” 

Keith facepalms. Allura simply laughs, clearly charmed by the whole ordeal. “Oh, please. I could feel you staring at me from a mile away.” 

Lance grimaces, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uh. Yeah, that’s fair. Sorry.” 

“No need to apologize,” Allura hums, extending a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you…?”

Lance seems to hesitate for a moment, starstruck, then reaches out to shake her hand. “Lance,” he supplies, and Allura nods in acknowledgment before extending her hand to Keith in turn. 

“Keith,” he offers, and she smiles again as they shake hands. “Sorry to bother you.” 

“No bother at all,” Allura assures them, adjusting her hat slightly so that her eyes are better seen. “I was rather hoping for something interesting to happen today. Also, I believe you two are next in line. Can I pay for your drinks?” 

Keith’s eyes widen. “Oh! That’s really thoughtful, but—”

“Thank you so much, but that’s really not necessary—” Lance tries, but Allura cuts both of them off at once. 

“Please, I insist! It’s the least I can do. Up you go.” Allura plants a hand on their backs and pushes them toward the counter, Keith and Lance glancing at each other in utter disbelief.

Allura is nothing if not insistent, waiting for them to order their drinks before ordering her own and paying for all three. She asks for two copies of the receipt, signs them both, then offers Keith and Lance one receipt each as a memento of the occasion, as if she had heard their frantic conversation about autographs prior to her entrance to the shop. They chat casually for a few minutes while they wait on their drinks, an incredible feat considering how dumbfounded the two boys are, but satisfying nonetheless.

At the end of it all Allura bids them goodbye, lamenting the several errands that she must attend to, and offers them a cheerful wave as she exits the shop and continues on her way down the street until she’s out of view. 

Keith and Lance sink into the chairs at the nearest table the moment she’s gone, wide-eyed and breathless.

“Keith.” 

“Lance.”

“Keith.” 

“Lance.” 

“Pinch me. Did that really just happen? I swear I’m dreaming.” 

“You and me both,” Keith laughs breathlessly, tipping forward to rest his forehead against the lid of his drink.

Lance lifts a hand and wiggles his fingers in front of him, staring at them in wonder. “I’m never washing this hand again.”