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nexthecryptid · 4 years

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This is Home Ch. 5

This is Home Ch. 4

Summary:

A pack called the Galra are up to something, and it’s somehow tied to the disappearances of creatures, and the increase of demonic activity. Keith had somehow stumbled into the danger when he found his mother, making the choice to stay away from his friends to keep them safe. But in the end it didn’t even matter. They’ve got targets on their heads, and the Galra are slowly closing in on his home town Arus. He isn’t sure how to face his friends… Two years was a long time to be gone. … There are rumors that are floating around VLD University, crazy ones. While some of them Lance could tell was him or his friends, there are others that were… inexplicable. To make matters worse, he’s having dreams again, dreams about someone who just vanished. It felt like he was being haunted. Lance didn’t know he was going to have other things to worry about until the ghost revealed himself.

…

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“There are only certain things you should keep hidden, mijo. Like plans for a birthday surprise, or maybe the ending of a t.v. show or book.” Her voice was soft, sounding like how a feather would feel as it soothed some of the anxiety he had away. He leaned into her touch as she ran her fingers through his hair, gentle and slow as she played with his curls. Her movements followed along with the melody of the ocean before them, the waves crashing and dragging along the sand before them in a silent beat that only they could hear.

“And the stuff we can do, right?” Lance asked, his grip tightening around the hand she had offered to him.

“Especially the stuff we can do. However, there are certain circumstances, certain situations, where it is okay to tell or show someone our magic. Like today.” Her words were supposed to be reassuring, but a spike of anxiety echoed through his body instead, making him want nothing more to curl into a tighter ball and hide. Today he had messed up.

“I’m sorry Mama.” He sniffed, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“Oh, Lance. Look at me mijo” She gently coerced him into standing in front of her, her hands gently lifting his face so that she could look him in the eye.

“I showed Hunk!” He cried.

“You did what was right. You saved your friend's life! You knew you could save him if you used your magic, and you did. I am so very proud of you Lance.” She gently wiped the tears away, leaning down and kissing his forehead with so much love, Lance could practically feel it wrapping around him.

“But… But what about our secret?” He asked.

“It is still our secret. Do you trust Hunk?” She asked.

“Yes! He’s my best friend! And he won’t tell anyone I promise!” He grabbed her hands, yelling as if it would emphasize his trust. And to him it did.

“You see? While it’s important that we keep our magic to ourselves, you will come across people that you can trust to tell. You just have to trust your judgement, and wait for the right time. Sometimes the time will come when you least expect it.” She said, smiling softly.

She took his hands into her own, holding them tightly before humming. He followed her gaze then, looking to the ocean and listening closely to the melody it sung.

…

Lance could still feel the ghost of his mother’s fingers running through his hair as the wind blew over him. He shivered as chills ran down his spine, the cold bite of the autumn air making him shake a bit. He pulled his sweater tighter around himself as he sat up, rubbing his arms to warm himself up a bit. He squinted through the brightness and looked around, noting that the sun hadn’t moved all that much. Neither Hunk or Adam had returned either, so he could tell he hadn’t slept for long. But it was long enough that he was cold. Another gust of wind blew through the small clearing again, Lance deciding that he could think about everything after he got himself into the sun. He left the stuff behind, figuring they could grab it later once his friends came back.

While the dream was short, it was more than enough to give him the message it had intended to pass over. Or at least he thinks he knew what it was about. He just didn’t really know how it fitted in with the rest. Every other memory seems to emphasize that the event was about Keith, that it had something to do with him. But there was something more than just that, he just didn’t know what. He could feel it though, like trying to remember an artist to a song he loved. On the tip of his tongue, but the words didn't come until it was already too late to matter.

A million questions ran through his mind as he crouched down by the pond, basking in the sunlight as he let himself warm up. He was always one for the sun, but even it’s warmth wasn’t comforting as he thought about the problem at hand. There was also a feeling that sat heavy in his stomach, one that he had been ignoring since the visions started. He was afraid to acknowledge it, knew what it meant if he did. But at this point, there really wasn’t anyway of not feeling it.

For once in a very long time, there was hope that Keith was alive. That maybe… he was coming back.

The word hope kept echoing through his mind then, drowning out all the questions that had been repeating themselves. While some of them were concerning, it didn’t seem as important as the fact that Keith was alive. Why else would he be having visions of him?

“I swear if I’m wrong-” He cut himself off when he heard something, dropping down to his knee and looking around to see where it was coming from. The sudden panic pulsed through his chest, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. It sounded like something was running towards the edge of the clearing, nearing where he had just left their stuff. He let out a breath of relief, figuring it was Hunk or Adam coming back from taking a look around, probably finding nothing. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his knee, prepared to call out to his friend.

What he hadn’t expected was to see a wolf jumping through the trees and stopping short of their bags.

Lance had only seen wolves through pictures or at a distance at the zoo. He had never seen one up close, and though he thought they were pretty cool, it really wasn’t on his agenda to make that happen. He had joked about them just being bigger dogs, but he knew better. He knew they were dangerous and now that he was staring into the eyes of a gray wolf, he could tell that they were a lot bigger than he had initially imagined. Bigger, and scarier.

He tried to remember all of the details that he had read the last time he was at the zoo, trying to think of anything that could help him in this situation. But all he could think about was the fact that wolves usually traveled in a pack when hunting. He hadn’t ever heard about wolves being in the woods though, so there was a possibility that this one was alone. It had been a while since they had come here, so the wolf could have shown up in that time, and there had been rumors floating around that animals started showing up. He just thought that they were about his friends. But if the wolf was alone, there was a chance he could just scare it off and then try to signal his friends to come back so they could leave.

That plan was quickly tossed out the window when the wolf slowly raised its head, Lance’s heart dropping as a loud howl echoed around them. There were others, and he wasn’t about to stick around to find out just how many there were. He took the opportunity, turning on his heel before taking off into the opposite direction. If he could make it to the trees, to one with low enough branches, he could climb his way up and avoid becoming lunch for the wildlife. The howl was loud, so there was no doubt that his friends were already on their way back, and they couldn’t be too far. Hopefully.

The howl was short though, hardly giving him a good enough head start. He could hear it kick one of the bags as it began chasing after him, Lance refusing to glance behind to see just how close the wolf was already to him. He cursed when he couldn’t reach the branches of the first few trees he neared, growing desperate as he tried to go further in while trying not to trip over the roots. Running from it was inevitable though, the wolf circling in front of him and blocking his way. He skidded to a stop, cursing as he landed on his ass, the pain shooting up his spine. He wasn’t running for long, but he still panted, his panic seeping into his lungs as he tried to scoot backwards. Tears welled in his eyes as the wolf stepped closer, Lance letting out a strangled yell. It made the creature pause, it’s head lowering, and if he wasn’t panicking, he could probably see the guilt in its movements. But instead he backed himself against a tree, pushing against it as if he could simply dissolve into the trunk. He squeezed his eyes shut out of fear, desperately trying not to imagine the amount of pain he was about to be in.

For the second time that day, something unexpected happened.

He felt the nose of the wolf press against his cheek in a gentle manner, Lance shivering at the way it felt slightly wet. Gross. He didn’t relax though, shaking as the wolf began to sniff him, hovering over his face, hair, neck, chest, like it was looking for something particular. He swallowed nervously as he felt the wolf pull away, a grunt coming from what sounded like their chest. He took a deep breath and slowly peeked an eye open, flinching slightly at how close the wolf had stayed.

It was then he actually looked at their eyes and took it in. They weren’t yellow like had initially thought, or how most wolves he had seen. Instead they were like light purple-gray and one that he had become accustomed to. But he couldn’t remember where he had seen the color before, and for some reason it bothered him. It drew him in with their familiarity, distracting him from the fact that he had just been running away from a creature that could kill him within seconds, it’s teeth only inches away from his throat. There was something… almost human. His eyes widened and it clicked in his mind that he wasn’t just looking at a wolf.

“You’re a… Shapeshifter…?” He mumbled. When the wolf’s ears perked up, it only confirmed what he had said. He relaxed a little, and if it weren’t for the situation, Lance would have found the way the wolf seemed to nod comical.

He wanted to ask them another question, find out what was going on. But he snapped his mouth shut when the wolf started growling suddenly, once familiar eyes now an eerie yellow. The fear from earlier quickly returned as he flinched when the wolf moved, watching as they turned away.

A loud bellow was the only sign Lance needed to know that Hunk was there, spotting the large brown bear rushing towards them. The wolf started barking, teeth bared and snapping their jaw in an attempt to intimidate the other, but Hunk didn’t stop. He threw his whole body against the wolf, knocking them away from Lance in one swift movement. The wolf caught himself though, landing on their feet before rushing back. They jumped onto Hunk’s back and sank their teeth into his neck, latching on as they clawed anywhere they could reach.

“Wait! Stop it!!” He yelled, panic building in his gut as he watched the two knocked one another around. Either neither of them heard him, or they were too caught up in the fight to acknowledge what he had said. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do either, tears of frustration welling in his eyes as Hunk let out a pained whine. He was panting heavily, and Lance could see multiple scratches on his friend’s body. The wolf didn’t look any better, standing on shaking legs with a distinct limp.

The growls, roars, or yelps they made covered any sign of the new creature that sprung forward, latching itself onto Hunk’s front paw before it could strike the wolf again. As if things weren’t crazy enough, it was a panther that came to the wolf’s rescue, standing protectively over the other when Hunk finally shook them off.

It was who the wolf had called for earlier.

“Lance! Over here!” He spotted Adam standing by the pond, arms waving for his attention. The panther seemed to notice him too though, darting towards the brunette. Hunk tried to go after them, to stop them, but the wolf caught him off guard, slamming its body into Hunk and knocking him over.

Lance got the gist of what Adam was telling him though, his hands stretching before him as he felt a sharp chill spread from his chest, down his arms and into his hands. Markings that had once been invisible glowed under his jacket as he concentrated, gritting his teeth as he felt the strain. The pond water rose and twisted from it’s bed, shooting out like a snake as it quickly scooped the panther up, carrying them along as it then scooped the wolf up. He was careful though, not wanting them to drown as he pulled his arms in, the water copying his movements as he pulled it towards him. He waited till they were a few feet away before letting them down gently. He couldn’t hold the yell that ripped from his throat as the water froze around them in a makeshift jail, feeling his arms grow painfully cold.

“Too much.” He mumbled to himself, his teeth chattering. He let himself sink down to the ground, his body shaking violently from the sudden drop in his body temperature. He was pretty sure his lips were blue, his breath visible as he let out a shaky huff.

“Take your jacket off.” Adam instructed as he ran up beside him, cupping his hands under the sun.

“Sheesh, you haven’t even bought me dinner.” He said, never the one to give up on an opportunity to joke.

“Lance!”

“Okay, okay!”

Lance whimpered slightly as he did what he was asked, wincing when the air hit his bare arms. There were clumps of ice stuck on his skin, snowflake patterns etched into the layer of frost that covered the rest. He would probably find it beautiful, if it weren’t for the fact that his arms felt like they had frostbite.

Hunk limped over as quickly as he could, huffing with what Lance could tell was agitation. Leaves started to form and collect around him as he walked closer, a sudden gust of wind whipping the leaves around him until he was completely covered. Just as quickly as they formed, they evaporated, Hunk no long a bear. He still limped as he made his way over, plopping down beside him with a hiss. He never looked away from the others though, still tense and on alert. Lance grimaced at how many wounds the other had, knowing that there were more under his clothes.

A glow coming from Adam’s hands caught his attention again, bits of light floating upwards like fireflies. He brought it over and slowly poured the light over his arms, Lance immediately feeling the warmth seep deep into his sink, ice melting off instantly. His shivering subsided, his eyes slipping closed as he let Adam’s magic do it’s thing.

“My own personal heater.” He joked, hearing Adam snort.

“Lucky me.” He heard, and he hummed in response.

“So what do we do with them?” Hunk asked, Lance opening his eyes to see the wolf staring back. In fact the panther was staring at them too, the two of them watching with wide eyes. It was weird to say the least.

“They’re shapeshifters. Or at least I think they are” Lance stated, the tension only growing when he said that.

Once his arms were fully healed, he put his jacket back on, still feeling the chill of his magic pulsing within him. He could feel something push at the magic that kept the water frozen, feeling like it was a nudge or a scratch that he couldn’t reach. He frowned, unsure what he was feeling. It wasn’t until he looked back to the shifters did he realize what he had done unintentionally. They looked confused, focused on some unseen force before padding around impatiently, tails flicking with frustration.

“I’m going to let them go-”

“Lance, no!”

“Just trust me.” He quickly said.

“We trust you Lance. But we don’t trust them. How do we know they won’t attack us once they’re free?” Adam asked, and he could understand his concern. But he didn’t feel like there was a need for it.

“Because if the wolf wanted to hurt or kill me, they would have done it before Hunk got here. There was plenty of time for it. We can’t get answers if we don’t talk to them. And until I drop my magic, they won’t be able to shift back, and Hunk you are in no condition to be switching back and forth to play translator.” He reasoned.

It was silent for a few minutes before Hunk sighed.

“Okay.”

He grinned, a wave of determination pushing him to climb to his feet. He ignored the way his legs felt like jello, figuring that they all had enough to worry about as he walked up to the ice. He slowly took a deep breath, looking to the panther and the wolf for a second. They looked antsy as they padded closer, and instead of scaring him, it sparked a jolt of excitement.

A shiver ran up his spine.

“Okay, before I let you out, just know that I could have frozen you solid and left you like those cavemen you seen in cartoons. So be nice or I’ll actually do that.” He warned, his tone light, but he was also serious.

He took a deep breath before pressing his hand against the ice, his stomach doing a flip as he felt part of his magic return to him. He felt less cold as he changed the ice back to water, returning it back to where it belonged. His legs didn’t feel like they would give out under him anymore, the chill in his chest dwindling away.

“Okay. You guys should be able to turn back now.” He said, looking back to the shapeshifters. They both looked to one another, and he quickly looked away to give them their privacy. With Hunk, it was fine, but for them, it almost felt too intimate to watch. He turned towards Hunk and Adam to give them a reassuring smile, wanting to reiterate that things were fine.

“Lance.” It was just above a whisper, and he noticed that it didn’t seem to come from either of his friends. The voice… sounded so familiar, but there was something else that made it the opposite. It was deeper, rougher than what he remembered, trying to place it to a face, to a person. He knew that voice.

“Lance.” This time his name was said louder, sounding almost desperate and pained.

Time felt like it had slowed as he turned towards him, his breath caught in his throat as locked eyes with the same gray ones he’d seen earlier. Only this time he recognized them, recognized the person who was staring at him as if he was a ghost. Maybe he was? Maybe he was actually dead and this was just his version of heaven or hell or whatever you’d like to call it. The last two years had flown by, and maybe the numbness that filled his chest was maybe his spirit drifting between existence and the afterlife. But it couldn’t have been that. No.

Because the pain that was blossoming in his chest felt very real. It hurt. As did the sob that ripped through his throat.

“Keith?”

...

A/N: Strong and protective Hunk is a blessing and you can try to rip that from my cold dead hands. My boy can fight!Please comment and let me know what you think!

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blue-likethebird · 5 years

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I’m kinda bored so I’ll be taking ficlet requests:

Requests are always available unless I’ve marked them closed in my bio. If you want a fic then simply shoot me a private message with your fandom/pairing, and prompt!

Fandoms I’ll write for:

Boku No Hero Academia

Voltron: Legendary Defender

She Ra and The Princesses of Power

Yuri!!! On Ice

Yakusoku No Neverland/The Promised Neverland

Naruto

Fairy Tail

Relationships I’d especially love to write (although I will take requests for other ships too, so long as it’s not one I’ve said I won’t write):

Tsuyu x Ochako (BNHA)

Momo x Jirou (BNHA)

Mina x Camie (BNHA)

Mina x Tooru (BNHA)

Inko x Toshinori (BNHA)

Inko x Rei (BNHA)

Romelle x Allura (vld)

Allura x Nyma (vld)

Veronica x Axca (vld)

Hunk x Shay (vld)

Mermista x Perfuma (spop)

Catra x Scorpia (spop)

Mila x Sara (yoi)

Sakura x Hinata (Naruto)

Temari x Tenten (Naruto)

Lucy x Juvia (Fairy Tail)

Any combination of Cana x Erza x Mirajane (Fairy Tail)

Natsu x Lisanna (Fairy Tail)

Any Platonic Relationship

Things I won’t write:

Adult/Minor, Incest, or abusive ships

Kl@nce-centric works*, j3ith, piladin or sh@ladin or works about Lotor (vld)

Bkdk, kcchk, tdbk, krmn, kmjr, tdmm or works about mitsuki, overhaul or endeavour (bnha)

Ot@yuri or pl!roy (yoi)

Sasusaku, Works about Obito (Naruto)

The big four (fairy tail)

Gore

Chatfics

NSFW, fetish or kink stuff

That’s about it, if you’re interested, shoot me a message!

*I am willing to include klance as a background ship, but I probably won’t write klance-centric works, as there’s plenty of kl content out there and I’d like to focus on creating content for vld’s wlw ships and rairpairs

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motherofmymotherreclist · 6 years

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Forced Bonding

· The Tie That Binds by leonidaslion (Supernatural, Explicit, 3K, 2011)

o No one asks Sam what he wants.

o [Wincest, incest, non-con elements, forced bonding, angst, John is a shitty parent, minimal smut]

o This is the angsty fucked up version of a forced bonding fic. But I’m trash, so I love it.

· Necessity by notboldly (Star Trek, Mature, 14K, 2010)

o When Jim is attacked by a telepathic species, Spock bonds with him to save his life.

o [slow build, romance, minimal smut, telepathy, empathy, bonding]

o A classic forced bonding to save your life fic. Focuses on the discomfort of the sudden intimacy and how that brings them together.

· ♥ ♥ Then You Think Again by leah k (blinkiesays) (Teen Wolf, Mature, 22K, 2012)

o "You had no idea that it was going to work!" Stiles throws his hands up. Why is Derek the most frustrating werewolf in the history of ever, why is Stiles even helping him, why is this his life? "Why did they even believe you in the first place?" Derek says, "You reeked of me," which is unfair. Stiles only smelled because he'd gotten covered in Derek's bodily fluids trying to staunch the bleeding.

o [bond or die, hags made them do it, bonding, forced intimacy, empathy, useyourwords!Derek, humor, sarcastic!Stiles, UST, pining, werewolf instincts, scent!kink, minimal smut]

o Another one where Stiles’ voice is on point. Funny and tense with the UST. Forced bonding for the win. Their relationship builds really nice and organically.

· Here Comes Your Man by hannahrhen (Avengers, Teen-Explicit, 25K, 2013)

o (Reluctant!Soulmate AU) An unexpected bond forms between Tony Stark and one of his greatest enemies. But not everything before is forgotten, or forgiven.

o [Tony/Loki, forced intimacy, dub-con, angst, bickering, denial of feelings]

o This relishes in the awkwardness of forced intimacy as Tony has no understanding or patience for the bond. It’s laid out as a series, but really this should have been chapters of one fic.

· ♥ ♥ Choices by Kethrua (Dresden Files, Mature, 28K, 2011)

o In an AU to Changes, Harry sold himself to John Marcone instead of Mab. They both take a while to adjust to this. Written for the Kinkmeme, for a prompt requesting both serious treatment of the issues and smut. Contains non-explicit reference to past child abuse and rape.

o [bonding, dubcon, magic, power imbalance, healing, hurt comfort, smut, trust issues]

o I love this fic so much. It has perfect pacing and character development. The love and growing trust between the characters is so obvious and yet understated.

· A Shove Towards Love by General_Button (Voltron, Teen, 31K, 2016)

o A simple rescue mission turns into chaos when the species on the planet Novaria take an interest in the lives of two of its paladins.

o [Klance, meddling aliens, aliens made them do it, but there’s no smut, bickering, pining, mind meld, forced proximity, soul bond]

o This is great example of the trope. Keith and Lance are somehow both pining and acting like they can’t stand each other at the same time, and you just want to smack them, until you don’t.

· ♥ Debt of Honor by Brianna Falken (Star Trek, NC-17, 33K, 2009)

o Six months after being taken prisoner and raped by a Vulcan captain, Kirk finds that same Vulcan is now being assigned as his first officer when peace between Vulcan and Earth is declared. Originally published in the print fanzine Beyond Dreams 7 (2004)

o [Non-con, non-reform Vulcan, super angst, rape recovery, healing, bonding, slow build]

o This starts with a pretty graphic rape scene so please take care of yourself, but if that isn't your trigger or you can get past the non-con, this is a lovely story about forgiveness and healing. It’s actually one of my favorite star trek fics, something about the characterization both breaks my heart and gives me all the feelz. Literally the definition of a fandom classic since it came out of a fanzine.

· Defendere by Lomonaaeren (Harry Potter, Mature, 37K, 2012)

o When Harry stumbles into a magical ritual meant to enslave Draco, he manages to create a bond that leaves Draco with some free will. And the ability to irritate Harry in the name of "guarding" him.

o [Drarry, forced soul bond, dub con, lots of consent issues, free will issues, slow build, pining, UST, angst, forced intimacy]

o This one felt weird because of all the consent issues, but it does deep dive into the forced bonding and intimacy, and it’s well written. I’m just not sure I think this relationship is actually healthy, but it’s fanfic so, ehhh. The author does address the consent issues, don’t get me wrong, I just couldn’t 100% believe that they were solved.

· Unexpected Consequences by lauren3210 (Harry Potter, Explicit, 39K, 2015)

o Harry was going back to school. He was going to play Quidditch, sleep in lessons, hang out with his friends, and generally just enjoy being a kid for a change. And he was also going to do it while being bonded with Malfoy, because apparently life was just going to continue throwing curveballs at him. Harry didn't know why he expected anything different.

o [Drarry, slavery sort of, consent issues, slow build, healing, enemies to friends to lovers, trust issues, magic, bullying]

o Draco is completely in Harry’s power and must learn to trust his jailor. It’s very good. One of those classic Drarry fics IMO. It’s what Defendere could have been.

· ♥ Present by reillyblack (Teen Wolf, Explicit, 112K, 2018)

o When Stiles's best friend Scott presented as a werewolf, it was just the worst. Worst by far was that it meant Scott had to leave immediately to live with the werewolf pack in the mountains -- which no one knew anything about. Stiles couldn't even visit, so he only got to see Scott once a month when he came back to visit his mom. It sucked. A year later, he presents too.

o [world building, ABO dynamics, werewolf dynamics, scent kink, inventive werewolf world, like—super inventive, soul mates, Oblivious!Derek, plot, smut, UST, pack dynamics, pack bonding, BAMF!Stiles, Stiles doesn’t take shit from anyone]

o As you can tell from my tags, this fic has precious and wonderful world building. I absolutely adored it. It’s everything you could want from werewolves. It’s also well plotted and fun as hell.

· Rare Merchandise by CateAdams (Star Trek, Explicit, 120K, 2015)

o Jim and Spock are kidnapped by Orion slavers during a diplomatic mission, transported to a location outside of Federation space and sold to a mysterious woman who commands an entire world. Once there, they are forced to participate in her terrifying agenda: their friendship used against them and their strength brutally tested. Can they survive and escape, or will they be used to bring down the Federation itself?

o [For want of a nail, angst, action, Non-con elements, character torture, forced bonding, mind meld shenanigans.]

o This is a very action oriented fic that will keep you reading late just make sure everyone lives through it. It has some mind rape elements though, so be careful there.

· ♥♥ other things the road to hell is paved with by LuciaZephyr (Dresden Files, Explicit, 138K, 2011)

o Book One of the Matter of Chicago series. Diverges from the canon plotline from Fool Moon, chapter 23, running on the idea of Marcone not holding the Idiot Ball and thus getting Harry to sign his contract. Very slow burn romance. Essentially an AU take of the entire series.

o [slow burn, deliciously slow burn, magic, power imbalance, magical contract, Oblivious!Harry, manipulative!Marcone, trust issues, plot]

o This is one of those perfect fics. I don’t know what else to say; look up a summary of the Dresden Files and then read this if you haven’t read the books. It’s better than the source material. The bond is more an oath of fealty/obedience than the more traditional telepathy or empathy version.

· Human is Just a Word by lady emebalia (emebalia) (Teen Wolf, Explicit, 173K, 2017)

o Getting claimed by a werewolf has so not been on Stiles' agenda for the night. But at least he can choose whose human pet he's going to be. That's a plus, right?

o [fuck or die, forced bonding, so much angst, slow build, pack dynamics, werewolves are known, BAMF!Stiles, scent kink, forced intimacy]

o This has a lot of similar qualities to Present, so if you liked that, then you’ll probably like this too. It has a different concept of the intimacy of wolves and enough drama/tension to burst a blood vessel.

· Bond by Anna Fugazzi (Harry Potter, Mature, 204K, 2006)

o Yet another one of those Harry and Draco Are Forced To Be Together By Something Beyond Their Control And Then Stuff Happens Leading To Twoo Wuv stories.

o [Drarry, fandom classic, fuck or die, UST, pining, smut, they eventually fuck like rabbits, magic compulsion, bonding, mystery, angst, loss of virginity]

o This is the OG best of the best of Drarry bonding fics. If you haven’t read it and you like either Drarry or the bonding trope, then what even are you?

· ♥♥ The Saffron Soul by BeautifulFiction_FMA (Fullmetal Alchemist, Explicit, 267K, 2010)

o When a serial killer blurs the lines of alchemy in an effort to seal two souls together, Ed finds himself under suspicion from the police. Can he prove he is innocent, or are he & Roy doomed to suffer the consequences of the killer's ideals?

o [RoyEd, BAMF!Edward, BAMF!Roy, murder mystery, action, adventure, dream sharing, empathy, plot, smut, slow burn]

o This is one of my favorite fics of all time. I’ve reread it countless times. The characterization is amazing, the plot engaging, and the writing wonderful. All of her FMA works are great but this is the masterpiece.

#fanfiction #fanfic recs #forced bonding #harry potter #supernatural #voltron #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #dresden files #drarry #klance #destiel #teen wolf #sterek #soulmates #soulbond

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armadil-lo · 7 years

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Rules: tag 15 people at the end of this challenge!

I was tagged by the ever-lovely @miss-ingno :D <3

Five things you’ll find in my bag:

(I don’t usually carry a bag lol so I can’t make it to five things haha) -phone -wallet -notebook and pen if it’s a uni day

Five things you’ll find in my bedroom:

-five big Rooster Teeth posters -a PS4 with no TV to connect to -a desk that is permanently messy -probably a powerade -a few aesthetic decorations that my sister collects for me lol, eg: a wooden letter ‘L’, a plaque with a quote on it, a purple bottle with star-shaped lights inside it

Five things I’ve always wanted to do:

-speak Spanish fluently -finish a multi-chaptered fanfic? (technically I’ve done this once before - 24 handwritten chapters over about 18 months - but I haven’t been able to do it again in the four years since I finished that one) -also publish an original book one day of course -have my own children -travel outside of New Zealand. idk where just, somewhere new?

Five things that make me feel happy:

-spending time talking to or hanging out with my close friends (whether that be in person or my online friends, you know who you are I hope <3) -when people come to my inbox and discuss headcanons and AUs with me !!!!! it’s been happening more often lately and it genuinely makes me just !!!! -similarly, when people leave comments on or say something in the tags of their reblogs of my fics/art/whatever~! I feel. somewhat undeserving most of the time. but they still make me smile heh -mY CAT. I miss her omg? -the fact that season 4 of Voltron is less than two weeks away?????

Five things I’m currently into:

-VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER -Jeremwood Sky Factory AU -iced chocolates from Rob Roy’s Dairy down the street -just the songs Dead Girl Waling and Candy Store from Heathers despite not knowing a single thing about the musical and having never seen it -How To Get Away With Murder (I’m rewatching the first two seasons with my friend who’s never seen it before - and I feel so EVIL not being able to say anything about the plot twists until they happen hehehe - and then we’re gonna watch season 3 for the first time together too) -((I had to add a sixth one because I almost forgot Miraculous Ladybug !! lol))

Five things on my to-do list:

-find a job for the summer and into 2018 -actually? figure out where I’m living in November and December? because at this rate I might literally be homeless whoops. I just. don’t want to have to move back home over Christmas. -the art giveaway prizes !!! -a bunch of writing... (my Voltron Klance AU, La Vida Mocha, a couple gift fics, something for the aforementioned Jeremwood Sky Factory AU, and more) (most if not all of this post still stands basically, but now there’s more I’ve added onto it) -catch up on the AH Rainbow Six Git Gud videos

I tag:

I’m going to spice things up and tag my fifteen latest followers - I wanna get to know y’all! But feel no pressure haha~ :’)

@softkcgane @barbpumpkelman @tenlittle-cockbites @crystalgems114 @soma-ulte @play-to-gay @cmacmac @aceditz @deductionsanddaydreams @illegalknives @sortamaliciousryebread @dimplesandcurlsss @apricityofthedamned @ryan-haywoodya-haphap @mattygum

#me stuff #tagged #this got long whoops sorry!

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crystallinetides · 7 years

Text

Honestly I love these

Tagged by: @just-plain-aiden !! the goal is to get to know the people you tag

Relationship Status: Single, bruh

Fav Color: Blue! The exact shade changes, but for now it’s like mint.

Chapstick or Lipstick: I wear chapstick literally all the time but I LOVE the look of lipstick.

Last song I listened to: Royals by Lorde

Last movie I watched: .... uh... I think it was “Secret Life of Pets”

Top 3 shows: Voltron, FMA:B, aaaaand... I guess Miraculous Ladybug?

Top 3 ships: Klance, Edwin, Roy/Riza

Five things you’ll find in my bag: Wallet, loose change, earbuds, at least one pen, chapstick

Five things you’ll find in my bedroom: clothes on the floor, musical instruments, old cosplay shit, too many stuffed animals, lots of fluffy blankets

Five things I’ve always wanted to do: travel the world, become a doctor, sleep for a week, win the lottery, go skydiving

Five things that make me happy: reading, writing, eating, playing video games, talking to my friends

Five things I’m currently into: Voltron, writing, reading fics, Aveyond (PC game seriously PLAY IT), Kingdom Hearts

Five things on my to do list: Study for the MCAT, watch “A Series of Unfortunate Events”, catch up on Attack on Titan, save money for moving, work on my fics.

I ain’t gonna tag anyone bc I’m lazy, but this was fun!

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nexthecryptid · 5 years

Text

This is Home Ch. 1

Summary:

A pack called the Galra are up to something, and it's somehow tied to the disappearances of creatures, and the increase of demonic activity. Keith had somehow stumbled into the danger when he found his mother, making the choice to stay away from his friends to keep them safe. But in the end it didn't even matter. They've got targets on their heads, and the Galra are slowly closing in on his home town Arus. He isn't sure how to face his friends... Two years was a long time to be gone. ... There are rumors that are floating around VLD University, crazy ones. While some of them Lance could tell was him or his friends, there are others that were... inexplicable. To make matters worse, he's having dreams again, dreams about someone who just vanished. It felt like he was being haunted. Lance didn't know he was going to have other things to worry about until the ghost revealed himself.

...

Prefer to read it on A03? Read it Here!

. Next

“You won't ever lose me Keith.”

…

Lance’s eyes snapped open, nearly choking on the air he inhaled almost too quickly as he was shoved into consciousness. He couldn’t help but whine, his eyes stinging from the light that bled into his room through his window. He was tempted to pull the sheets over his head, wanting nothing more than to just go back to sleep. But he had things to do, and chances were, he wouldn’t have been able to go back to sleep anyway. With a defeated sigh, he rolled out of bed, letting out a loud and obnoxious yawn.

He grabbed his phone from under his pillow, pulling the cord out before checking it. He swiped away most of his notifications, either being one of his game apps or social media telling him to check out such-and-such. He hummed a song he had been listening to the night before, walking around his room to start his morning routine. He chucked his work outfit onto the bed, opening his calendar to double check when his shift was.

His eyes fell on the day highlighted in red, his humming cut short as a wave of emotions crashed into him. It was the weekend before classes started, a weekend left before he was thrown into another year of projects and essays, assignments piling up with the stress that school gave him. But he wasn’t thinking about school, wasn’t thinking about how it was his last year and if he was going to graduate or flunk.

No... the only thing Lance could think about was…

“Because I don’t want to lose you Lance…”

Lance’s jaw tightened as he let his phone drop onto his desk, sitting heavily in his chair as he tried everything to not think about it. But that’s not how the mind works. Everything he could think of somehow always related back to him . He ran a hand through his hair, groaning as he let his head fall to the desk. With a small ‘ow’ he huffed and rested on his chin, eyes closed as he began humming again.

A familiar blue flower came into view when he opened his eyes, a sigh of defeat escaping him. He sat up and scooted closer, picking up the fake flower from the pen holder and turning it slowly. He brushed his fingers against the petals as if they were delicate, petting them into place as the song he had been humming changed. He touched the necklace that laid over his chest, running his thumb over the crystal for comfort. He could feel the sadness welling behind his eyes again, but he smiled regardless, letting himself fall back into the memory.

There were so many nice things to remember about Prom night. His best friend Hunk had went with his new girlfriend at the time, both of them awkwardly talking when they had arrived. After a while though, Shay had shyly asked him to dance, and the two seemed to relax, enjoying themselves as the first date nerves fluttered away. Pidge had been working the lights and sound, not really one for dancing. They seemed to enjoy themselves though, helping out the DJ whenever he needed a break or talking to him as the students partied on. Since Shiro and Allura had already graduated, hey hadn’t gone. But they were texting them every so often to check on them like worried parents. And Lance…

Lance had gone with Keith.

They were practically inseparable the entire night, never leaving each other’s side for long. Initially they had just hung back from the main dance floor, finding themselves a table and talking about things he couldn’t remember. Lance did most of the talking though, often cooing over an outfit, and Keith seemed content with just listening to him. But when he had made a comment about some of the couples dancing, humming along to the songs that he knew, Keith had suddenly got up.

“Keith?” He asked, watching as his friend moved over to in front of him.

“Wanna go dance?” Keith asked, holding his hand out for him. He wasn’t sure if it was the lights or if he was just blind, but was pretty sure Keith was flustered, avoiding his gaze as he waited for Lance to respond.

“I have never seen you dance before.” Lance commented, taking his hand and following him out to the dance floor.

“That’s… Uh…” Keith cleared his throat, looking at him only when they had found themselves a spot on the dance floor.

“Well?” He asked, raising a brow, stifling a few giggles at the face his prom date made. It was like he had eaten something sour.

“I… I don’t actually know how to dance.” He admitted, awkwardly holding his arms out before letting them fall to his sides, his shoulders tense.

“That’s okay! I’ll show you.” Lance assured, noting that Keith was putting himself in a very uncomfortable situation. He was stepping out of his comfort zone… for him. He wanted to make it as fun as possible.

It was obviously awkward at first, Keith just watching Lance and trying to copy his movements. But after a while, a few jokes and teases later, Keith was starting to loosen up, dancing along to the beat. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad, it only mattered that they were having fun . Even when the crowd grew, Keith only moved closer, Lance holding his hand to keep from losing him.

When the music slowed and people started to walk off for their own reasons, Lance figured they would do the same. But Keith didn’t move to leave, instead stepping closer and placing his free hand on his hip, smiling so warmly that Lance had lost any thought of stopping him. He placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a quizzical look as they began swaying.

His heart nearly stopped when Keith began leading him into a slow dance.

“I thought you said you didn’t know how to dance?” He said quietly, trying to keep his composure.

“It’s more accurate to say that I don’t know how to dance to the music you dance to.” He chuckled.

Lance was pulled from his thoughts when his alarm went off, letting out a soft sigh out before gently sitting the flower back in its place. He took his time as he went through his morning routine, continuing to hum the song that reminded him of Prom.

Once he was fully dressed in his work clothes, he grabbed the bag that was hanging from his chair, deciding to take his jacket as well and headed towards the door. He patted himself for a second before turning back, swiping his phone from the desk, before leaving his room and heading into his kitchen.

Checking the time, he was pleased that he was leaving just on time, grabbing his keys and wallet he had left on the kitchen counter the night before. He stuffed them into his bag, never once stopping as he grabbed his shoes from the hallway closet.

“Three…. Two… One…” He whispered as he slipped his shoes on, looking down at his phone in time to see it light up with a call.

“Hello?” He answered, already stepping out and locking the door behind him.

“Good Morning Lance~! I’m outside.” Hunk called through the phone, making him snicker a little.

“On time as usual. I’m on my way down now.” He hung up, pocketing his phone as he went down the stairs. He passed by a few students as he did so, greeting them with a wave and a polite smile.

As he exited the apartment complex, he couldn’t help but feel something off. It was like there was some sort of shift in the air, like someone, or something had done something. Or maybe… like something was going to happen. It made him pause, his steps slowing as he took the chance to look around. It seemed normal enough. Students were walking to and from his building, some choosing to hang out on the lawns that sat in front, others rushing off to class.

A loud hon startled him though, making his heart pound in his chest. A second one drew his attention to the source, spotting Hunk waving his arm out the car window with a large grin on his face.

“Hey Lance! Come on! We don’t want to be late for work!” He called. Lance gave himself a moment to relax, shaking his head as if he could shake the feeling out of his head.

“Sorry! I guess I got lost in thought!” He laughed as he ran up to the car.

He’d worry about it later.

…

“Okay! I’ve got a Beach Cheeseburger with a side of onion rings, the Onion Cheeseburger with the side of season fries, and an order of Dino Nuggets and a side of grapes for the Queen of Dinoland! Can I get you anything else?” Lance declared, setting the plates down to their designated person, making sure to give a wink to the small girl who giggled over her food.

“I think we’re all set for now?” The father said, looking to his daughter and son for confirmation before smiling back at him.

“Perfect! I am off for the night, so, this lovely lady here will be helping you for the rest of your meal.” He said, winking to the waitress who stood beside him. She laughed and rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulder with his.

“Hello! If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me over.” She said sweetly, the family giving their thanks.

“Have a wonderful night!” Lance said before leaving, trusting Nyma to care for his customers.

He hummed along to the song that was playing overhead, heading towards the backroom. As he passed by the other tables, he noticed that his friends had gathered at their usual table, raising a brow and quickly walking over.

“I’m guessing we’re eating dinner here tonight?” He asked as he walked up, not bothering with greeting them.

“You’d guess correctly.” Shiro chuckled.

“We figured it would be nice to eat dinner together before our Senior year begins.” Adam said, who was sitting beside him.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. We’re all going to die.” Pidge grumbled, looking up from their phone.

Lance laughed a bit, reaching into his apron to grab his notebook.

“Are you guys getting the usual?” He asked, ready to start writing when Allura placed a hand on his arm.

“Oh don’t worry about that Lance. Luxia stopped by and already took our orders.” She reassured.

“Damn she’s good.” He huffed. Hunk walked up then, already out of his work clothes and holding his bag.

“Did you already switch Nyma over to your tables?” He asked, taking a seat besides Allura.

“Yeah. I just wanted to get everyone’s orders in, but it seems the Queen as already did so.” He snickered, Hunk snorting at the nickname Lance had given their boss.

“Damn she’s good.” Hunk muttered.

“That’s what I said!”

…

After dinner, they had all settled into a conversation about the upcoming year. Schedules were exchanged in order to make future plans to hang out, or at the very least to study together. It was crazy to think about really. They were only a year away from graduating, but it felt like they had only just started school. But three years blurred by and here they were, with only two semesters left in their programs. Shiro and Allura had already graduated, and Lance had to admit that he was jealous. They had barely seen the two graduates and when they did see them, they had both looked like they were dying. Lance wasn’t ready for all of that.

“I’m not ready to be old like Shiro and Allura.” He huffed, pushing his empty plate so he could lean against the table.

“We’re not even that old!” Allura argued.

“Allura, we’re already graying.” Shiro joked, pointing to their hair.

“It’s okay Dad. We’ll be sure to put you in a very gold old people’s home.” Lance said, patting him on the shoulder.

“We are not sending Dad into a group home!” Hunk argued.

“Thank you! I’m glad someone here loves me!” Shiro whined, reaching over to hug Hunk.

“I love you.” Adam said casually, the group snickering as Shiro began sputtering, clearly flustered.

“I’ll make sure you and Adam are-”

“Oh Lance!” The voice that cut Hunk him made him tense. He looked away from his friends and spotted who had spoken, unconsciously scooting closer to Adam.

“Lotor.” He managed to say politely, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grimacing. The smile Lotor wore was too polite to be real, his eyes holding a look that made Lance nauseous.

“How are you? How was your summer?.” He hummed in question, Lance jumping when he felt Lotor place a hand on his shoulder.

“Um good.” He mumbled, gently shrugging the hand off. Lotor didn’t seem very pleased by that, simply leaning in a little. He could feel all eyes on them, noticing Hunk shifting a bit in the corner of his eye. If he didn’t finish this quickly, he was pretty sure his friends would get involved, knowing full well that they didn’t have a problem defending him. Before he could say anything else though, Lotor spoke.

“That’s good to hear! Did you see your family? How are they?”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but in case you weren’t aware, you’re asking a lot of questions for someone who’s only Lance’s classmate.” Pidge said bluntly with a look that made Lance feel like he should call an ambulance.

“I’ve just noticed that you tend to hang around school or work here during the summer and was just curious. There’s a few rumors that go around you know, and I simply want to make sure you’re alright.” Lotor didn’t even acknowledge Pidge, continuing on as if there wasn’t five people glaring holes into him. If Lance didn’t like him, he’d probably be impressed. But now he was curious too.

“Rumors? What kind of rumors?” He asked.

“That you haven’t gone home to see your family because you’re waiting for someone to come back who’s been gone for two years…? The same person who left his own brother.” It was like he was being tested, his reaction being the answer to Lotor’s questions. He got what he wanted too, because Lance didn’t respond.

“Oh dear… Lance-”

“I think you should leave.” Hunk had stood as he spoke, standing over him.

Lance winced, trying to tell them that it was okay, but his mouth felt like it had been sealed shut, his tongue suddenly made of lead. He gripped his necklace harshly, unable to move as his body seem to freeze in place. His breathing stuttered, Lance doing everything he can not to start hyperventilating. Some part of him was still aware though, a voice sounding clear and muffled at the same time trying to talk to him. He couldn’t focus though, staring at them but not really seeing them. Somehow though, when Lotor started talking, he heard him loud and clear.

“I’m going to do you a favor and say what everyone’s too afraid to say-”

“Lotor don’t-”

“It’s been two years since he’s abandoned you all. You have to face the truth.. Keith isn’t coming back.”

Lance’s eyes widened, the words hitting him like a punch to his gut. He grabbed the cup in front of him, completely forgetting what he had been drinking, and threw it in Lotor’s face, his body shaking as he glared at him. He wasn’t sure what emotion to really feel, hurt or angry, but his body seemed to move on it’s own accord as he lifted the glass up. He was ready to go as far as hit Lotor, but someone grabbed his arm before he could, pulling him back into the booth and holding onto him. Hunk had moved in front of him at some point, blocking his view of Lotor as he took over the situation.

His chest hurt.

“Leave.” Hunk practically growled, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Look, I’m only trying-”

“Excuse me, I believe that he has asked you to leave.” A voice said softly. Lance looked to see their boss smiling sweetly, her hands clasped together in front of her as she stood on the other side of the booth.

“And you are?” Lotor asked, the want to punch him flaring up again. But Adam had a tight hold on him, and Hunk would have stopped him before he could even get up.

“Luxia. You are causing a disruption in my Diner and preventing my customers and my employees from having a peaceful meal. If you can’t remove yourself independently, I will gladly find someone to escort you with no problem.” The way she spoke must have thrown him off because the other didn’t respond right away.

“...Forgive me. I’ll be on my way now.” Lotor said, his voice tight.

“I’ll be sure to keep him from you all in the future. If there’s anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” Luxia said, her voice soft and genuine as she looked to them. She was like a mother and Lance couldn’t help but smile at that. She followed after Lotor, probably making sure to keep her promise.

Lance listened more than watch as Lotor walked away, relaxing when he heard the familiar jingle of their door. He was let go then, the movements hesitant as if he was going to get up and chase after him. He’d be lying if the thought hadn’t crossed his mind now that he was free but he wasn’t going to win against Hunk who was still standing protectively in front of him.

“Thanks for stopping me from doing something I probably would have regretted.” Lance said to Shiro, leaning into the other’s touch as he rubbed his back.

“Any time.” He responded.

“God what an asshole.” Pidge sneered. The group hummed in agreement.

“Let’s head home for the night.” Hunk suggested, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I believe that’s for the best. I’m sure we could all use some rest after all of… that.” Allura said, slipping out, Hunk helping her up.

“If he’s out there still, I’m going to stab him.” Pidge warned, getting up. Lance snorted.

“Please don’t encourage them.” Shiro sighed.

“Sorry Dad.”

…

They all gathered in the parking lot after they were done paying, walking each other to their car per usual. Allura had offered Pidge a ride home, the both of them getting into Allura’s car and driving off first, Allura having to work in the morning and Pidge being the closest one to her. Adam and Shiro walked him and Hunk to Hunk’s car, an old habit they all had after hearing some bad stories on the news.

“Lance, can I talk to you for a second?” Shiro asked. Lance swallowed nervously, looking to Hunk and motioning him to get in without him.

“What’s up?” He asked, waving to Adam who had gotten in their car.

“What… What Lotor said… Do you believe him?” He asked, his question clearly hesitant. But he kept his emotions in check, Lance unable to get a read on how Shiro was feeling.

“No. I don’t. I don’t believe in an asshole who’s only been trying to harass me into giving him the time of day. What I believe in is one of my best friends and your brother! I believe in Keith and he told both you and me that he was coming back! And Keith doesn’t go back on his word. That idiot is too stubborn to go back on his word. And when he does come back, you and I are going to kick his ass for making us worry about him! He’s going to come back! He has to! You can’t listen to Lotor! You can’t give up on him Shiro! You can’t!” He choked back sobs, wiping his tears away furiously.

“Hey, hey breathe. Breathe Lance.” Shiro said, quickly pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think that. I know he’s coming back. Lotor’s wrong and I know that.”

“Why won’t he come back Shiro? Why?” He sobbed, holding onto the other tightly.

...

#Roy Writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance fic #klance #klance vld #klance art #art #my art #Roy draws #keith x lance #VLD #voltron #netflix voltron #Voltron legendary defender #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith vld #lance vld #There are other characters but I'm not tagging them all lol

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nexthecryptid · 5 years

Text

This is Home Ch. 3

Summary:

...

Prefer to read it on A03? Read it Here!

First . Previous . Next

“You got everything?”

Lance took a second look into the trunk to make sure nothing fell out, grabbing his backpack and sitting them next to the suitcases on the sidewalk. He went through a mental checklist then, checking off things he was positive he remembered grabbing. He patted at his front pockets, worrying his lip before deciding to actually pull his phone and wallet out. He then knelt down and opened the front pocket of his backpack, pulling his passport, place ticket, and keys out before placing them back in. Satisfied, he stood back up and turned to his friend, letting out a huff.

“I think so. If I left anything, I’ll just have to bug you to mail it to me.” He smirked, snickering when Keith rolled his eyes.

“Or I’ll just leave it in my apartment until you get back.” He chuckled, shutting the trunk of his brother’s car. Lance knew it was coming, but the slam still made him jump, pouting when Keith smirked in amusement.

“Jerk. I guess I’ll wait till the end of my very long summer vacation to get such important items back from you.” He sighed dramatically, closing his eyes and placing a hand on his chest for emphasis.

“If it was that important, you wouldn’t have forgotten it.” Keith laughed, Lance’s act dropping as he watched the other.

Keith always seemed to laugh with his eyes closed, his nose scrunched up with lips parted to show off teeth. It always seemed to melt into a smile that was so fond, so warm, that it made Lance’s heart stutter. He could feel his chest swell with warmth, so pleased by the fact that he was the reason. Familiar butterflies appeared in his stomach when Keith opened his eyes to look at him, so overwhelmingly fond that he couldn’t help but look away.

“Lance.” Hearing his own name shouldn’t have made his cheeks warm, but it did. He looked back in time to see a smile that almost seemed sad, the warmth he had been feeling quickly dissipating into a smoke of concern.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, stepping closer to him. The question seemed to surprise the other, but it settled back into the same look, a frown replacing the faint smile he had tried to hold. It was the same face he made when they were talking in the forest, when he struggled to tell Lance what had been wrong.

‘I don’t want to lose you’ He had said then, sounding so frustrated with a situation that Lance was blind to. He hadn’t pushed Keith then, waiting patiently for the time when he was able to open up. When Keith was ready, he would be there to listen.

“I’m fine. I just…” He looked hesitant, a hand coming up to run through his bangs. He didn’t mean to, but he flinched when Keith suddenly stepped into Lance’s personal space, quickly looking between them to avoid embarrassing himself. He was standing so close that he could smell the shampoo Keith had used. It reminded him too much of when they would go hiking, the soothing sounds of the wind dancing through the trees as they ripped off leaves and left them to flutter down.

He could feel his heartbeat pick up, feeling as if it would pop out of his chest at any second..

“Hold your hand out.” He heard, looking up to see that Keith wasn’t even looking at him.

He swallowed a bit before he did as he was told, holding a hand up as he watched the other pull something from his pocket. Keith didn’t place the object in his hand right away though, instead holding out a fist at a good distance above. Lance raised a brow before he felt his heart drop, quickly lifting his other hand as the object began to fall. It never landed in his hands though, Lance blinking in confusion. Before he could voice this, he spotted the crystal swaying in front of him, Lance quickly realizing that Keith was holding out a necklace by the chain. He couldn’t help but stare at it, glancing up to Keith before looking back to it and lifting his hands up for it.

“It’s… It’s beautiful.” He whispered. A shiver ran up his spine as Keith laid it in his hands. It was cold and smooth to the touch, Lance letting his fingers run over the surface for a moment. He turned it over in his hand, loving the way the sun reflected off of it the way the light danced. It looked almost clear, but he could see the blue tint in it, the way it almost glowed in his hands.

“I can’t remember the name of the crystal, but it’s meant for protection. I… I thought you’d like it.” Keith explained, a hand raising to rub at his neck awkwardly.

“I love it. Thank you.” He smiled wide, resisting the urge to lean over and kiss him in thanks. Instead, he quickly put it on, feeling a jolt of warmth as it laid over his chest. He couldn’t stop touching it, brushing his fingers over the surface a few more times before eventually letting it be. He wasn’t sure if it was because Keith had given it to him, or that there was something else, but the crystal actually made him feel safer. He couldn’t give it much thought though, an announcement cutting through their moment and reminding him that he still needed to check in and go through security.

“You should probably get going before you miss your flight.” Keith said, clearing his throat a bit.

“Probably. I don’t think my family or bank account would appreciate it if I missed my flight.” He grumbled.

“I don’t think so either. Come on.”

He didn’t have to, and Lance was certainly not going to decline it, but Keith walked him inside, helping him bring his bags in and even staying in line with him. They didn’t talk about anything in particular, talking about their classes that they were going to be taking or about the trips they were going to be going on. Lance managed to convince Keith into taking a selfie with him for snapchat, making sure to save the photo to his phone despite his promise not to. All too quickly though, Lance had checked his bags in and was ready to go through security, Keith walking with him until they were standing a few feet away from the end of the line.

“I’m going to miss you Lance.” Keith practically whispered, Lance nearly missing it over the noises of the airport. It caught him off guard, the worry he had earlier coming back in full force. Normally, he’d tease Keith, remind him that he was only going to be gone for two months before he was back for their second year at school. But there was a shift in the mood. The way Keith looked was screaming something that he couldn’t understand, something that made him want to go back to the front desk to cancel his flight. It made him want to get his bags back despite it being too late. Just then, it didn’t feel like he was just leaving for the summer. It felt like he was leaving for good, like he had no plan on returning or seeing Keith again. But Lance wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t.

He didn’t know why it felt that way...

“I’m going to miss you too.” He said softly, looping his arms around his neck and pulling him in close. He relaxed into Keith’s hold, pressing his face into his shoulder in an effort to hide his own sadness. He could feel Keith squeeze him, holding him as tight as Lance was holding onto him. It felt like… If they were to let go, the other would cease to exist.

It scared him.

It felt like they were there for hours, but at the same time it felt like seconds, time seemingly warping around him. He could feel the burn in the back of his eyes grow as he pulled back, feeling the way Keith seemed to linger a bit longer before doing the same.

They shared one more smile before Lance got in line, something compelling him to look back every few minutes to see if Keith was still there. And he was. He stayed. When it started to look like he wouldn’t be able to see Keith anymore, he gave a small wave, not caring if the other could or couldn’t see him through the crowd. But somehow he did, waving back before Lance lost sight of him.

He waited till he was near his gate, finding the closest bathroom before going in and shutting himself in one of the stalls. As soon as he sat down, he felt the tears come, an uneasy feeling weighing on him as he thought about Keith, about the way he had just been. He jumped when he felt his phone buzz, quickly pulling it out as he wiped furiously at his eyes, clearing his vision the best he could.

Keef : Don’t cry

He swallowed, unable to hold the small laugh as he quickly typed a reply.

LanceyLance: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Keef: Sure you don’t.

Keef: Stay safe okay?

LanceyLance : You too.

LanceyLance : You better come back from your hiking trip safe or I’m gonna kick your ass

Keef : I’ll be back

Keef : I promise

...

“Keith…”

Lance opened his eyes only to find himself in his apartment, the roaring of a plane's engine nowhere to be heard and one of his best friends nowhere to be seen.

He quickly sat himself up, the dream- no, the memory, throwing him off. He knew that he had been sleeping more than usual, and that the memories were becoming more and more vivid. He just didn’t know why, and the thought of the unknown was giving him anxiety. He swallowed and blindly reached for the crystal, wanting to find comfort in the very item he had been dreaming about. Something ugly twisted in his stomach when all he felt was his chest.

A wave of panic washed over him when he looked down and saw only his shirt, quickly patting around his neck in hopes that it had turned around while he was sleeping. When he felt nothing, he bit his lip and started patting the bed, quickly moving to get up. He tried to kick his legs free from the blankets that tangled around his legs overnight, unable to keep his balance and landing on his shoulder. He winced but didn’t waste much time, pushing himself up before grabbing his blanket and shaking it a bit. When nothing fell out he tossed it to the side, checking his bed again. He was getting nauseous, the panic only growing when only his phone appeared after he had tossed his pillow next to his blanket.

“No, no, no, no! Fuck! Where is-shit, where the fuck is it?” He hissed, dropping down and looking under the bed. He could tell that he was breathing too quickly, rushing around his room in hopes that maybe his necklace had fallen somewhere when he had gotten home from the Diner last night. That maybe he hadn’t lost it on his way home. He kept wiping at his eyes, wanting to stop the tears from welling up so he could see clearly, cursing when he had accidentally knocked some stuff over and creating an even bigger mess.

"Lance? You okay bud?" Came a voice from the other side of his bedroom door, startling him as he tried to pick the books up. He mentally cursed, completely forgetting that some of his friends had decided to come over and spent the night.

"I-I'm fine Adam! Just tripped over my sheets and knocked some stuff over! I'm getting dressed now so don't come in!" He called, hoping his voice wasn't as shaky as it felt.

"Well… alright… Hunk is making breakfast now so don't take too long or all the food will be gone." Adam joked, Lance responding with a quick, albeit forced, laugh. He waited till he heard footsteps fading away before he scrambled around again.

Eventually, after practically cleaning his entire room, he checked his work bag, dumping it out and checking each article of clothing, tossing his pants, then apron into his basket before checking his shirt. He nearly sobbed when he found his necklace wrapped around his shirt’s collar, Lance remembering that he tucked it under it so that he could still wear it during work. He let out a long sigh of relief, sinking to the floor and just laying in the middle of the chaos his emotions had created. He’d have to re-organize his stuff later.

“Lance!” He heard and he immediately shot up to get dressed.

“Coming!”

…

“Where’s Shiro?” Lance asked as he walked into the kitchen that also served as a dining room. Hunk was seated at the table, finishing his breakfast as Adam stood by the counter. He was pouring a cup of coffee when he walked in, looking up and smiling a bit.

“He left this morning. He said he was sorry that he couldn’t stick around for breakfast, but he had a meeting to go to.” Adam explained, handing the cup to him when he was done. Lance hummed happily as he inhaled the scent.

“Thank you.” He sighed, grabbing the creamer and sugar that was left out to add to it.

“How’d you sleep?” Hunk asked, and Lance could feel their eyes watching him as he moved. He didn’t look at either of them though, knowing full well that if he did, he would see the concern in their eyes. He appreciated that they worried over him, he did. He just hated it. He didn’t like being the reason for concern. He took a sip of his coffee before turning towards them looking down into his mug.

“I… I slept fine…” He trailed off, clenching his jaw. He just needed to know it was okay. He needed to know it was okay to open up. It was quiet for a moment.

“But..?” Adam encouraged, and that was all he needed.

“But I keep having these dreams." He said, taking a seat next to Hunk, Adam joining them with his own cup of coffee.

"Nightmares?" He asked after a sip.

"No. They're dreams, but not really. They're more like memories, playing as my dreams." He explained to Adam, rubbing the crystal for comfort.

"Hmm. Well, do they have anything in common? A pattern? Maybe a feeling?" Hunk asked, a frown forming.

"They're memories… Memories of Keith, interactions I’ve had with him. I don't know what it means though. Usually I could tell or at least have some sort of clue or idea, but there's nothing that stands out other than that." He huffed.

"Usually? You mean this has happened before?" Adam looked confused, looking between the two of them like a lost puppy who wasn’t sure who to go to. Lance laughed a bit.

“I’ve had this... thing, since I was a kid. My gramps has it, but he’s the only other one in my family who does. Basically, it’s an ability to somewhat guess the future. I get a week’s worth of memories that will hint at what’s going to happen at the end of the week. They’re typically straightforward, but this time it’s kind of confusing.” He huffed.

“For example, Lance predicted that our bus driver was going to have a heart attack once and basically saved all of us from an accident by letting the bus driver know that he should get his chest pains checked out. Probably saved the bus driver’s life too.” Hunk said, and the pride he said it with made Lance flush with embarrassment.

“That’s… incredible!” Adam said in amazement, his eyes wide. It only added to Lance’s embarrassment.

“Th-thank you…” He didn’t comment on the fact that his ability was sometimes terrifying though, some memories he’d rather completely forget. That particular incident, he had kept having dreams of his grandmother who had a heart attack while he was eating dinner with her. He had been the only one home at the time and was luckily smart enough to call 9-1-1.

“How long have you been having these dreams?” Hunk asked.

“Almost a week… which means whatever’s going to happen is going to happen soon.” He grimaced at the thought.

They were all quiet for a moment, Lance taking a few more sips of his coffee as he ran the memories through his head. A lot of them were rather significant in Lance’s mind, all from different times of his life. He wasn’t really sure what else they shared in common, but he was also desperately trying not to overthink it. Did it mean something was going to happen to Keith? Something bad? Or did it mean he was finally coming back…? The hope in his chest flickered before he could shove it away, the flame only growing when he tried to smother it.

“I’m going to the forest.” He stated, looking to the two before continuing, “It’ll help me focus, which may be what I need to find out what’s going on. Plus the two of you probably haven’t stretched out in a while, so you can come with. That way, I won’t be going alone, and you two can take care of yourselves.”

“How did you- nevermind that.” Hunk huffed.

“I’ll go with you. Mainly because you’d go without us even if we didn’t.” Adam chuckled, giving him a look that reminded Lance of his older brother.

“I’d be lying if I said you were wrong.” He laughed, smiling sheepishly.

…

It wasn’t easy being a supernatural creature in the modern world.

Though, it wasn’t as bad as some might think. He mused over the thought as he, Adam and Hunk climbed over a fallen tree, walking further into the forest that stretched behind their university as they talked about his memories. They were still relatively close to the school, having had to wait a while for the campus security to move. They’d usually wait till it was dark before venturing in, one of the benefits of not being a human being that they could see in the dark. It also meant they could hide easier and see without a light to give them away. But today was an exception.

They were heading to the thicker part of the forest, a small open field hidden amongst the trees. They followed a path that only they saw, purely out of memory from the millions of times they’ve gone. It had been difficult the first few times for sure, but each visit was worth it. It was a safe space for the three of them to ‘let loose’, and he was confident they were the only ones who knew about the small clearing.

When they finally got close enough to spot their area, Lance cut their conversation short with a small ‘whoo!’, throwing his hands up in victory before running the rest of the way in. He could hear Hunk and Adam run after them, taking a glance over his shoulder to see that they were quickly gaining on him.

“Hey! No fair!” He yelled after them as they ran past them, their own abilities benefiting them as they moved through the trees without tripping or slowing down. Once they made it to the clearing, they stopped, waiting for him to join them.

“Slow poke.” Hunk teased, nudging him as Lance playfully pushed him away. He took a second to catch his breath, glaring at the two of them as they only laughed, clearly not being affected by their small run.

“Whatever! Not all of us are Shifters or a Were.” He huffed, only pouting when they laughed at him.

It quickly eased into a smile as he looked over the opening, Lance appreciating the beauty of it all. The sun bathed the field with warmth, the clouds casting a beautiful shade as they floated across the sky. There wasn’t too much wind today, so he’d probably stick to the shade until the sun lowered a bit. He let his eyes linger over to the pond that was towards the other side of the clearing, deciding he’d hang around there a bit later as well.

“Is this a good spot, or did you want to move down to the pond?” Adam asked, probably noticing where he was looking.

“I’ll go to the pond later. The sun is still high so I think I’ll stick by the trees for a bit.”

“I guess we’ll go around and check everything, make sure there isn’t anything or anyone around.” Hunk said, slipping his backpack and sitting it against a tree. Adam did the same, rolling his shoulders a bit.

“I’ll join you. It will go by quicker if we both take a look.”

“I’ll hold down the fort while you two go frolic in the forest.” Lance joked, snickering when the two of them rolled their eyes. He yelped when he suddenly felt his hair be ruffled, hearing Adam chuckle.

“Stay out of trouble.” Adam laughed, dodging a whack to the arm.

Lance grumbled as he fixed his hair, sticking his tongue out. Adam only laughed more. Lance watched as he went towards the left of where they were, quickly disappearing into the trees as if he was a ghost.

“Call us if you need us.” Hunk reminded him.

“Yes Mom!” He whined over-dramatically, looking at him with a smile. Hunk laughed before going in the opposite direction of Adam, disappearing in almost the same manner as Adam. It sent shivers up his spine.

Now that he was left alone, he made himself as comfortable as he could, grabbing a blanket from his bag and laying it out. He used his backpack as a pillow, laying back to stare up at the leaves as fluttered around. He took a deep breath, the scent of the forest filling his nose and he couldn’t help but smile a little. It always felt like the forest welcomed him, the wind almost pushing him to go further and explore. But he stayed where he was, relaxing and letting his mind wander for a moment.

A song came to mind, one that always seemed to help him focus. He began humming as he ran through the memories that had been played for him in the past week, going through each one in hopes that something would stand out. He just couldn’t seem to pinpoint any other important details other than the obvious, and it was frustrating. His humming soon morphed into quiet singing, the words drifting into the forest with the wind, the leaves moving as if dancing along.

It was lovely.

It was also distracting.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, a small yawn escaping as he fully relaxed into the grass. His singing faded into humming again, feeling like something was dragging him into something again. He felt safe though, knowing that his friends were around if anything were to happen. But there was something more that told him that he was safe at the moment, like something was either watching over him or protecting him. It told him to let go. That there wasn’t any need to worry.

Before he knew it… Lance drifted off.

...

#Roy Writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #klance fic #klance art #my art #roy draws #keith x lance #vld #voltron #netflix voltron #keith kogane #lance mcclain #vld keith #vld lance

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nexthecryptid · 5 years

Text

This is Home Ch. 2

Summary:

Prefer to read it on A03? Read it Here!

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The chime was what caught his attention each time, pulling him away from his thoughts as he glanced towards the door. His chest filled with warmth that he wasn’t all that prepared for, the sight bringing him emotions that he had once tried to shove away. But he let it linger, watching as the group walked in with smiles on their faces.

Hunk and Pidge lead the group into the cafe, talking about something with such excitement that Pidge was practically bouncing as they made their way in. Shiro and Lance were close behind them, his chest tightening for a moment. He was watching them talk with such pride, Lance saying something that quickly made the group erupt in laughter. Allura, who had been behind them with Adam, said something that only made the group laugh more, their smiles bright and laughter warming the already cozy cafe. It seemed less lonely, less quiet.

He didn’t mean to stare, didn’t mean to watch as long as he did, but the pain in his chest compelled him to. He watched as the group ordered their drinks, Shiro and Adam walking away to grab them a large table. Something ugly twisted in his gut as he watched Lance confidently flirt with the man behind the counter, successfully making the barista flush with embarrassment. It didn’t seem to go anywhere as Allura shoved Lance along, quickly apologizing for his antics when Pidge piped in with something. It soon morphed into the two of them bickering playfully, taking jabs at one another as Hunk tried to get the two of them to settle down.

He couldn’t help but smile at them, the familiarity of the group almost too much for him to handle. He was about to look at his phone when he caught eyes with Lance, the tightness in his chest worsening when it wasn’t a bright blue sparkling at him, but rather a beautiful rich chocolate, looking as if they came straight from a Lindt commercial. Warm, and inviting. They were beautiful.

But they weren’t the eyes he had come to miss when he became restless at night. They weren’t the eyes he had known for years. Ones that could strip every wall he had ever built up and see right through. Eyes that used to bring him such comfort when he felt like the world was falling apart. Eyes that would only shatter and swirl with emotion when they were alone with one another. Eyes that were as bright and welcoming as the person they belonged to.

“You’re thinking about them again, aren’t you?” The voice was soft, reminding him that he wasn’t here alone. Reminding him that he had been staring.

Keith blinked a bit before giving a polite wave to the man he had been looking at, trying to play it off that he had recognized him from somewhere. It had worked at the other smile politely before joining his friends, friends that he had imagined were his own. He looked to Krolia, waiting for her to sit down with their drinks before responding. They had settled in the corner, their view of the cafe comforting as they waited.

“I am.” He admitted quietly, taking a glance around the cafe. Krolia hummed a bit, handing him his coffee before taking a sip of her tea.

“You miss them.” A statement, not a question.

“I do. They’re going to be starting their Senior year at the University next week.”

“You should be with them.” He frowned.

“I want to be but… But I can’t. Not yet.” He sighed, staring down into his coffee to avoid any look she may try to throw at him.

They were quiet for a moment, Keith thinking that it was over when he heard his mother sigh. He took a chance and looked at her, relieved that she was busy scanning the area.

“Tell me more about him?” She asked softly, the question taking him by surprise. It felt like there was something to it, like she had expected something to happen other than getting an answer. He wasn’t sure though, confident that he told her pretty much the gist of everything, including his friends.

“Who?” He asked.

“The human boy. Lawrence I believe?” She clarified. He couldn’t hold the small snort at the mistake she made, doing his best to hold in the rest of his laughter when she frowned. “Am I wrong?”

“His name is Lance.” He corrected, coughing into his fist to cover his amusement.

“I told you. I am very bad at remembering names. But yes. I was referring to Lance.”

“I’ve told you about him.” He argued, raising a brow.

“Yes. But I know less of him then I do of your other friends.” She argued back, and he could definitely tell where his stubbornness came from as they only stared at one another for a moment.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Hank-”

“Hunk.” He interrupted to correct, motioning her to continue when she nodded.

“Hunk is an engineering student. He is also called a ‘teddy bear’ a lot and arguably the one who gives the best hugs out of your friends. You won’t admit it though because you’ll never hear the end of it. He is a phenomenal cook, and an even better spar partner. Despite his appearance, he is very strong and can be very protective when it comes to your friends. He is a human. Peggy-”

“Pidge.” He snorted, deciding to remember that.

“Pidge is the small one, but can also be intimidating. They match the characteristics of a cartoon mad scientist in your opinion. They are also often called a gremlin despite the fact that they are human. They are snarky and sarcastic, but ever the loyal one. They are also the video game champion, and you are constantly impressed by their ability to code and invent despite the fact that you have no idea how it is done. Alice-”

“Allura.”

“Goodness!” She huffed, clearly frustrated that she couldn’t remember their names.

“It’s okay.” He reassured, chuckling a bit.

“Allura,” She sighed before continuing, “is the one you all consider the ‘mom’ friend. She is the most intimidating out of your group, as well as the most knowledgeable in a variety of fighting techniques. She is full of wise advice, and she is also a very powerful witch who has provided assistance on many occasions. She wants to work internationally. She is also the one who helped you feel more comfortable with who you have romantic interest in. And then… Shiro.” A pause.

“That’s right.” He said warmly.

“Shiro is the ‘dad’ friend and arguably the most responsible out of your group. He likes to make puns in almost every scenario and everyone finds them funny but will never admit it to his face. He and his family took you in after your father passed, and is someone that you look up to. He is working on becoming a teacher, and he works well with kids. He has taken a liking to an artist that is also trying to become a teacher, in which you used to relentlessly tease him about. He is also like us, fond of taking the form of a lion.”

“Wow.” He couldn’t help but smile at how much details Krolia remembered.

“The only thing I can recall of Lance is that he is human, and also a part of your group.” She said with finality.

She proved her point when he tried to think of a time where he had told her about him. But all he could remember was him avoiding the questions, or just mentioning small bits in pieces in the stories he had shared. Truth was, it was hard to talk about him. It was hard just saying his name on most days.

“Were you two not very close?” She asked, sounding like she was trying to be careful. He blinked a few times before snorting, shaking his head a bit.

“Close? He was my best friend.” He admitted. He took a sip of his coffee, taking a moment to think of what he would say. The better question was where to start?

“Oh?”

“We met when we were kids, but we weren’t really friends until middle school. He tried to befriend me earlier, but I was just too damn stubborn, too angry. But it never stopped him because he was stubborn too. He would challenge me in everything we did, sports, academics, even eating lunch! He would call me his rival, declaring it to the world as if it had that much of effect. It was his way of trying to be my friend, even when I kept telling him that I didn’t need any, didn’t want any. He was so damn persistent, and eventually… I gave in. We stuck together ever since.” He said, knowing he had some dumb smile on his face.

“He sounds like a good person.” Krolia hummed, smiling warmly as she listened. Lance just had that type of effect on people. Making them smile, even when he wasn’t around, even when a person hadn’t actually met him.

“He was. He was stupidly selfless when it came to others, caring about them, sometimes more than he cared about himself. He would help in any way he could, make them smile, laugh, motivate them when they were struggling, even if he wasn’t feeling all too good himself. He just… has this ability to know what exactly to say or do when it counted the most. He was just the type of person that could make the room brighter, just by walking in! And his smile… I never knew a smile could be so warm, so contagious until I met him.” He said fondly.

“You speak as if he wasn’t alive.”

“I used to try to convince myself that he wasn’t.”

Krolia did something that he wasn’t entirely expecting, eyes widening as he watched her laugh into her tea.

“The more we speak, the more I see myself in you.” She mused, reaching out and gently taking his hand.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I’ve been in the exact same position that you are in right now. In love, but away.” She said softly, Keith’s hand tightening around hers. She gave a comforting squeeze.

“When I left you and your father, I had left to fight a battle to keep you two safe. It was painful, and there wasn’t a day where I didn’t think of the family I had left behind. But it only served to encourage me to continue fighting. I decided that the best thing to do was stay away, that it was needed to keep you safe. Like you, there were times where I tried to convince myself that you two didn’t exist, moments where I tried to forget. It was impossible though. In the end, I was so desperate to see you two, to be with your father again. When I made it back to our city…” She took a moment, her eyes growing sad and distant, “It was already too late. Your father had passed away and you were gone.”

“You did it to protect us. You didn’t know.” He reasoned. Keith had to come to a full understanding as to why Krolia left, as to why she never came back. He was angry, sure, but he understood and forgave her. He’d be a hypocrite if he told her she should have done differently.

“No, but I still regret my decision. Even if I had done it out of protecting the two of you, I still had chances to come back, still could have made a better effort. I’m sure if I had, we could have found a way to protect you. Together. Your father was strong, but I stayed away out of fear. I… Keith, don’t make the same mistakes I did.” She sounded like she was begging, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

His jaw tightened as he squeezed her hand, letting her words fully sink in. He didn’t leave with the intention of never coming back, in fact, his plan was to come home early for a variety of reasons. But he had become a part of a large and dangerous situation after finding his mother, deciding that returning wasn’t an option, not wanting to drag his friends, his family, into something they were completely unaware of. He didn’t want to lose them.

But… wouldn’t he end up losing them in the end anyway? He had practically abandoned them, disappearing off the face of the earth as if he had never existed at all. At least when Krolia left, she told her father the reason. He hadn’t.

The thought made guilt crash over him like a wave, violently tossing him around despite his body never moving a muscle. It made him nauseous, drowning him in memories and choices he had made; in future scenarios and reactions that were impossible to predict. He could feel the anxiety lapping at the back of his neck and washing over his shoulders, tensing with discomfort as he bit the inside of his cheek.

He opened his mouth to respond, unsure of what he was going to say, when Krolia looked away from him, the chime of the door distracting them both from their conversation.

“They’re here.” She said softly, sitting back and letting go of his hand. They shared a look, one that told him that it wasn’t over.

Keith nodded and sat up, sipping his coffee as he shoved all thoughts of his friends away. He gave himself a mental shake, quickly reminding himself as to why they were there in the first place.

A large group of creatures had been causing trouble for creatures and humans alike. They called themselves the Galra, and they had been dabbling into things they shouldn’t have through experimenting. To make matters worse, a large amount of humans and creatures were going missing, and they were the ones responsible. Ever since Keith had found his mom, he had been doing his best to help her not only protect her own pack, but to stop the Galra before they were a threat to his friends back home. It had been going as well as you expected, but the Marmora pack wasn’t one to back down from a challenge Keith had learned.

“Krolia! Keith! It’s nice to see you again!!” Thace greeted, smiling warmly. Krolia stood and shared a tight hug, repeating the action with Ulaz who only smiled and nodded in greeting. Keith awkwardly waved, getting up to shake hands with them. He couldn’t help but notice the computer bag Ulaz was carrying, noting that he had placed himself the furthest away from the crowd.

“It’s lovely to see that the two of you are in good health! How did your trip go?” Krolia asked, all of them taking their seats. This was where their conversation was coded. Where a passerby simply assumed they were friends or relatives getting together to talk about a trip or to catch up, they were really talking about a recon mission the two of them had just returned from.

“It went well! We were able to study and discover some new information on the old civilizations we had been interested in. They were hidden in the back of the library we visited and we were fortunate to come across it. The librarians were a little weary at first, but we were able to convince them to show us the records when we told them that we were studying about the Galran civilization.” He sounded satisfied as he said that. Keith and Krolia shared a look.

We were able to find new information on the groups the Galra had been targeting. It had been buried deep, but we were able to access the files. The Galran that we had been with had been suspicious but we were able to convince them that we were loyal to the pack.

“Did you learn where some of these civilizations may have originated from?” Keith asked.

Was there information as to where to locate some of these groups?

“We did.” Ulaz said, pulling his bag onto his lap and pulling a laptop out, plugging a USB drive in before logging on.

“We also learned of other civilizations that we weren’t aware of.” Thace added.

There are a lot more groups then we had initially suspected.

That made Keith frown a bit, the concern clear on Thace’s and Ulaz’s face as they pulled their information up.

When they pushed the laptop to him to look at, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting. The files that were on the USB drive were folders labeled as the ‘civilizations’ they had been talking about. He didn’t look at the names thoroughly, simply scrolling to see just how many files there had been before looking to the first one.

Altean

Arusian

Balmeran

Mer

Olkari

His heart dropped.

“Tell me about the Altean civilization.” He demanded.

“Keith?” Krolia asked, frowning a bit.

“Why is the Altean civilization under your research?” He asked. Why was he looking at Allura’s last name?

“Well…” Thace hesitated, probably confused, before gently pulling the computer and clicking on what he assumed was the folder. After a moment, one that felt like hours to Keith as he began to bounce his knee, Thace cleared his throat.

“The Alteans are known to have practiced witchcraft. They were around for ages before suddenly disappearing without a trace. Finding an artifact has proven nearly impossible until recently. We found that there are photos that have been connected to the artifact, so it may actually help us. Each civilization has similar information, some more than others. This one in particular only gave us images to work off of.” He explained, turning the laptop around again.

A coven that called themselves Alteans. They are of old magic and very rare to come by, but they have somehow found one of the witches recently. There are pictures that show us information that will help us locate them. The other groups have similar information. This coven has the least information as of now.

Keith gripped the table harshly, his nails digging into the wood as he looked at each image.

In a bout of cruel irony, on the screen were files on every single one of his friends, the one on Allura having the most information. He swallowed hard, the guilt from earlier returning. He had taken into account that there was always a chance that they would somehow be dragged into it, but he had always tried to keep an eye out on any information regarding Arus.

He sat back and ran a hand through his hair, his knee bouncing more as he stared at the information before him.

“Have you researched the Alteans?” Ulaz asked, seemingly picking up on his distress as he tried to play it off.

Have you met an Altean?

“My friend back at school had done a project on them. I’m the one who helped take these pictures.” He said, hoping they would understand. When their eyes widened, he figured they had.

My friend is an Altean. And all of them are our friends.

…

Keith could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he headed towards Krolia’s car, waving to Thace and Ulaz as they walked in a separate direction. He kept quiet as he got in the car, still processing the information that had been shared with them. If he hadn’t already been frustrated with his conflicting thoughts before, he was certainly frustrated now.

Chaotic…

That was the best word to describe the amount of emotions swirling inside of him. All he could really focus on was the thought of it already being too late, thinking back to what Krolia had said. Sure the information they had was very limited, but that isn’t to say that they hadn’t sent someone, or even a team, to search for his friends already.

He pulled his phone out and quickly pulled up the news website that focused on his hometown. He clicked onto the page that mainly focused on missing persons, looking through the list. To his relief, there weren’t any names that he recognized, going back to the main page. He scrolled through some of their recent articles, looking for any signs that an accident could have been faked, covering for a death, or even a story on a freak accident. Again, to his relief, he didn’t find anything that stuck out. They were all pretty ‘normal’, a fire at a restaurant that was on the other side of town and a car accident due to a drunk student. No deaths, no tragedies.

He did come across an article that was puzzling though.

Weird Sightings in Empty Forest.

He frowned and clicked on it, checking the date before reading on.

...The claims from students about weird sightings in the town’s forest have become more frequent and strange as we get closer to the new year. Rumors are spreading through the campus that is keeping both students and staff on edge.

Some of the more popular claims include sightings of water seemingly floating through the air, producing a small glow before it suddenly flees or falls to the ground. Others include the sightings of wild life, such as a bear, lion, and on occasion wolves. Some students also claim to hear voices in certain areas of the forest, singing, screams or even laughter.

Authorities are puzzled by these claims, but have not moved forward with an investigation.

“No one has been harmed by any of these claims.” Chief Iverson says when asked why he hadn’t sent a team to investigate. He believes the claims of wildlife, but the ones of voices and floating water he does not.

“I’m sure it’s just students pranking one another. Or even students being under the influence. But no matter. We must take the claims of wildlife seriously and order that one is to go into the forest for their own safety.”

What do you think of the rumors?

“Did you find something?” Krolia asked, concern evident as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“There’s been weird activity in the forest back home. After we make sure they’re safe, we should check it out.” Keith said, showing the article title to Krolia.

“Okay.” She agreed, pulling away from the curb and heading towards the highway ramp.

He took a deep breath, setting his phone down and running a hand through his hair for the nth time that day.

He only hoped that everyone was okay.

#Roy Writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance fic #klance #klance vld #klance art #roy attempts to draw #my art #keith x lance #vld #voltron #netflix voltron #Voltron legendary defender #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith vld #lance vld

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nexthecryptid · 5 years

Text

This is Home Ch. 4

Summary:

…

Prefer to read it on A03? Read it Here!

First . Previous . Next

A/N: I'd like to give a warning to readers that at the beginning of this chapter is a little graphic. It contains fire and graphic burns so please read carefully.

If you are uncomfortable and would like to skip it, please start reading after "He was too late".

Keith is having a nightmare. He finds that the house he had went to first is on fire, and then later finds that all of his friends had been inside and had been caught in it. He wakes up after hearing one of his friends call out for him.

...

It was too late. They were too late.

He stared in horror at the house in front of them, engulfed in flames as the smoke blanketed neighboring buildings, blocking the light of the moon. The glow of the fire lit up the night instead, flickering ashes floating through the air as if they were fireflies. He didn’t wait for the car to come to a full stop before getting out, swinging the door open violently and stumbling over his feet onto the street. The heat felt like a smack as he rushed to the sidewalk, wanting nothing more than to rush inside but he hesitated. Fear stopped him.

Fear of finding out what he had lost.

Things were collapsing inside, the glass shattering from the heat and spraying the yard with shards. Instinctively he took a step back, covering his face to avoid getting hit. He thought he heard something then, someone calling out, someone screaming. He couldn’t tell if it was coming from inside or not, but it didn’t matter. That was the only thing he needed.

There was a chance. A chance that they were still alive.

He barreled through the door, hissing when he felt the flames lick at his arms. He didn’t waste time though, quickly rushing around the debris to find something. To find nothing. To find anything. He could hear people shouting, the sirens blaring closer and closer as he continued his search. But they still sounded too far away, and time wasn’t on anyone’s side.

He froze as he came across what he had been hoping against, a sense of numbness slowly creeping through his body.. His eyes spotted them through the smoke, through the flames, widening with realization, widening with fear. Only… it was much worse than he had imagined.

There were bodies. Not a body. Bodies. No… Corpses... Six. There were six… All huddled together, all burned beyond recognition. But he knew who they were…

He flinched when one of them moved, their bodies moving in such an impossible and gruesome way. He could feel bile at the back of his throat as he watched pieces of them fall off, could smell the scent of burnt human skin. They were slowly crumbling, but they continued to move despite the pained sounds coming from them. He clenched his jaw, watching their head turn to him, watching their arm reach out for him.

“Keith…”

Hearing the voice, hearing his voice, felt as if all the air was sucked from his lungs, his desperate cries going unheard as he reached out desperately for him. Their fingers brushed, and in an instant his cries were drowned by a pained wail.

Keith could only watch as his friend crumbled, falling back towards the others until their pained screams died out under the roar of the flames. He stumbled back, numb from shock, and stared. Stared until reality hit him. His emotions ripped through his throat with enough force to make his body tremble and collapse with the building.

He was too late.

…

Keith felt himself startle awake, hissing when his knee knocked into the dashboard in front of him. He growled in annoyance as he gently rubbed the pain away, sitting back and sighing a bit. They were still in the car, sunlight flickering through the trees inside. He did his best to stretch in the cramped space of the passenger seat, already feeling the way his body berated him for sleeping the way he did. He rubbed at his neck a few times before letting his hand fall back into his lap, sitting back and taking a quick look around. He needed to distract himself, the image still fresh in his mind as he frowned at the unwanted nightmare.

“Are you alright?” Krolia asked.

“M’ Fine. Where are we?” He asked, not really in the mood to talk about it.

“We’re just about to pull onto the university grounds. I was unsure when you had wanted to take over, but I figured you could use the rest and was going to wait till we got there before waking you.” She explained.

He took a look out the window again, this time recognizing the buildings they were passing. It felt odd. While everything seemed familiar and unchanged, he couldn’t help but feel like he was seeing everything for the first time again. The further they went in, the more he remembered, the more he recognized. He shifted slightly, the thought of actually being in the city making him antsy.

“Thanks. Do you mind if I just direct you?” He asked.

“Not at all.” She said softly, and she seemed to know what exactly he was thinking. If he got out of the car, he didn’t think he’d be able to hold himself from running. Worse if he actually took over driving. With Krolia at the wheel though, his impatience couldn’t lead to any reckless actions.

He thought back to his nightmare for a second, desperation filling his gut as Krolia slowed to a stop at the light.

...

“This is it.” Keith said, looking up to a small white house, wind chimes hanging from the porch’s roof. There was a distinct smell to the house, plants grown and placed specifically in the yard to ward off anything unwelcomed, small symbols carved into their pots as well as the fence that bordered around it. While these details were hidden from any passerby, Keith knew they were there, had even helped set some of them up. The house itself blended in well with the others, and wasn’t isolated. It was also just down the street from the main campus’ main buildings.

Meaning it would be hard to attack without witnesses.

When he stepped out of the car, he took a deep breath, humming at the comforting scents that mingled through the air. He had no doubt that some of the flowers had already begun to act, feeling himself relax almost immediately. He took a moment to stretch, hearing and feeling the satisfying pops and cracks that came from his bones. Krolia had done the same, taking a look around the property before stepping onto the sidewalk. Keith motioned her to follow him as he started walking up the path, noting the cars that were parked in the driveway.

“Is this your home?” She asked, looking around curiously at some of the plants.

“No. We’ll probably head there last, depending on where everyone might be. Shiro is probably working right now, so there wouldn’t be a point to go there now.” He explained, pausing at the steps to watch her.

“I see. So is this-”

Before Krolia could take a guess at whose house they were at, the door had been thrown open, the noise of the door smacking the wall startling both shifters. He let out a yell when they slammed into him, stumbling a bit before finding his balance and kept the both of them from falling down the steps. The smell of chamomile and lemon hit his nose, vanilla lingering from inside the home, and he sighed, unable to hold the smile as he wrapped his arms around her. He knew for a fact that it was her, a pang of guilt hitting him when he felt the other shake. Small sniffles could be heard, and her grip only tightened.

“Hey Allura.” He said softly, rubbing her back a bit.

“Don’t you ‘Hey Allura’ me!” She snapped, roughly pulling away to glare at him.

“I’m sorry…”

“You better be! Do you have any idea of how worried we were? How scared? Does Shiro know you’re back? Please tell me he does, or so help me Keith!” She spat, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

“I haven’t seen him yet.” He admitted.

“Keith!”

“I can explain! We-”

“You have a lot of explaining to do!” She snapped once again, making him wince when she jabbed his chest with her finger.

“I’m sorry.” He repeated.

“I know. But Gods Keith... I’m glad that you’re back.” She said, the relief evident in her voice. He offered an apologetic smile, Allura smiling back with a sigh, shaking her head a bit. Her hair had been cut shorter, bangs being swooped to the side and the length falling just above her shoulders and curling around her cheeks. She looked more mature if possible, her posture never losing her confidence. But he could tell not much else has changed, based on the mother-like reaction he got.

“She is just as you described her.” Krolia chuckled, gaining both of their attention. Allura raised a brow, glancing at Keith before stepping forward. She cleared her throat before holding a hand out.

“My name’s Allura. Though I suppose you already knew that.” She said, smiling politely.

“Yes. Keith has spoken of you all on several occasions. My name is Krolia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Krolia is my mother.” He added. Allura looked conflicted then, her hand retreating a bit and nodding.

“I see. I’m beginning to understand why you’ve been gone for so long. But, I’m sensing that there is something more to it then reuniting with your mother.” She mused, looking to Keith for confirmation.

“Yeah. There’s a lot more Allura. That’s why we came to you first. But I’d feel better if we had the others here.” He explained, crossing his arms.

“I have… several questions I’d like to ask. But seeing as you’re anxious to see the rest of our friends, I’ll wait until then. I can imagine that it will be easier for you to give us all an explanation at the same time rather than repeating yourself as well.”

“I think with the situation we’ve got on our hands, it’ll be better if they knew what we were too. I think… I think we should tell them.” Keith suggested quickly.

Keith knew he sounded crazy then, knew the suggestion came off as unordinary coming from him. Out of Shiro, Allura, and himself, he had been against the very idea the most. To Keith, the less people who knew he was a shifter, the better. It wasn’t because he couldn’t trust his friends or thought they would let the information slip, he had total confidence that they would keep their secrets. He just didn’t know how they would react to it. And that part scared him, no matter how much Allura and Shiro had assured him that everything would be fine. In the end, they had agreed to keep their own abilities a secret as well, not wanting Keith to be suspected or make him uncomfortable. But now… With the Galra on his mind, he was willing to face whatever reaction they would have, even if it meant they would be uncomfortable or even scared of them.

“Well… I certainly was not expecting... that. But it does make me more concerned about the situation at hand. Let me grab my things.” She said, turning on her heel and quickly entering her house.

“While you go and find your friends, I believe it will be best if I take a look around to scout the area. I’d also like to make certain that we weren’t followed and contact the others.” Krolia said quietly.

“Alright… Just… Be careful.”

“You as well.”

…

“Where are we going first?” Keith asked, Allura driving them towards campus.

“We’re on our way to the school’s library. Pidge said that they would be there to get some work done, and Shiro is currently having a meeting in one of the nearby buildings. The others haven’t responded yet, so we’ll go and get those two first.” She explained.

Keith’s knee started bouncing, anxiety pooling in his gut at the information. He had to remind himself that his friends could be working, or maybe busy with their own school work. They could stop by their places to see them and everything would be fine, everyone would be fine. It was funny how before they had made it to the city, he had been tempted to turn back. But now all he wanted to do was get everything over with and see all of them again.

He caught Allura looking at him through the mirror, an almost amused smile on her face and he quickly went back to glaring out the window. She could tell what he was thinking.

When they finally got to the library, Keith had practically jumped out of the car, waiting as patiently as he could for Allura to join him. He looked at the large building in front of him, growing antsy as he tried to think where Pidge would most likely be. They were probably going to spend a while hunting their friend down, so Keith just wanted to get started already. Before he could even go in though, Allura quickly grabbed his arm and laughed.

“Still impatient as ever! I’ve already messaged Pidge to meet us out front, so relax.” She teased.

He only huffed in response, crossing his arms as he turned to watch the door. It only made her laugh. He relaxed though, waiting until he could spot a familiar mop of hair. He nearly missed when Pidge came out though, not expecting them to have a completely different look. He blinked a few times, a smirk forming quickly when the two of them made eye contact.

“No fucking way!” Pidge yelled, not wasting a second before running over. He was prepared this time, catching the other in his arms and pulling them in tight. The familiar smell of old books and coffee clung to them, a hint of oil and wiring mingling in, telling him that they had been working on something recently. It was definitely Pidge.

“Did you get shorter while I was gone?!” He teased, grinning when Pidge returned the hug.

“I got taller, asshole!” They laughed, pulling back and quickly wiping tears from their eyes.

“Taller? I don’t see it.” He shot back, ruffling their hair a bit. It wasn’t the mop of hair that he had grown accustomed to, now cut in an undercut fashion with hair that spiked out. It suited them more than the one they had gotten to match their brother, though they still had the glasses. And even though he had teased them, Pidge had definitely gotten taller, and he could tell they had grown stronger too.

“Where have you been?! We all thought you had died or something!” They snapped, quickly punching his arm. It hadn’t hurt, but he said ‘ow’ anyway, rubbing his arm.

“Yeah… I’m sorry about that.” He said, putting all jokes aside.

“You fucking better be! I looked everywhere I could for you! I couldn’t find you, I couldn’t even find a trace! I thought… I thought you had disappeared like my Dad had. Like Matt!” They started sobbing, glaring at him through tears. He could see the circles under their eyes, dark and noticeable even under the glasses.

“I’m sorry.” He repeated softly, guilt eating away at him.

He frowned when Pidge just kept rubbing at their eyes, their glasses falling when they pushed them too far out. He quickly caught it, handing it to Allura before pulling Pidge back into a hug, rubbing their back. They clung to him then, Keith letting them cry for as long as they needed.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” They murmured eventually, pulling back and using their shirt to clean their face.

“Me too.”

“You better not be going anywhere either. I will kick your ass if you leave again.” They threatened.

“I won’t. I promise.” He laughed, ruffling their hair again. This time they swatted his hand away.

“Here.” Allura held their glasses out, Pidge squinting a bit as they took it from her.

“Thanks. ‘Llura’” They mumbled, cleaning the lenses before putting them on. They blinked a few times, adjusting them a bit before looking to their hands in disgust.

“Yeah, please don’t touch me with your snot hands.” Keith teased.

“I will if you don’t shut up. I’m still mad at you.” They huffed, but Keith could see them smiling.

“Hold on. You can use this.” Allura pulled a small bottle of hand sanitizer out from her purse, squeezing some into Pidge’s hands.

“How are you always prepared?”

…

“Shiro says he’s getting out of the meeting now.” Allura informed, the conversation they had been in dying down. Keith felt their eyes on him, the pressure enough to kill him as his nerves began to buzz. He took a deep breath then, feeling someone place a hand on his shoulder to give him a comforting squeeze.

“Okay… You guys… You guys stay here.” He cursed inwardly over how shaky his voice was.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Allura asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Yeah. Just… going to go face my brother who I’ve never contacted once in the last two years to let him know where I’ve been…” He forced out, the laugh so awkward it made him cringe.

“Worst case scenario is that he’ll kill you.” Pidge offered, and Keith immediately turned to glare at them.

“Technically Shiro does have first dibs on taking your life. He is your brother after all. Though to be fair, we all agreed to end your life together and then revive you. I’m sure I could find a way to do so without going into the dark arts.” Allura added. He blanched. Pidge cackled but had no idea that Allura probably could.

“You guys are the worst.” He mumbled.

“Go!” They both yelled and he grumbled, quickly walking away.

He looked up to the building Allura had said that Shiro had been in, nibbling his lip as he tried to work himself up to actually go inside. Theoretically, he didn’t have to go in, he could just wait outside the door in hopes it would be the one he took. But realistically, Shiro might go out through a completely different door depending on what Allura said to him, so he could miss him and it would only frustrate him. But his nerves were starting to get to him, the thoughts of unpredictable reactions rushing through his mind and freezing him in place. This was only one of the two hardests reunions he was going to have today, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle it, let alone both. What was he going to say? A simple ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t feel enough when he said it to Allura and Pidge, so it definitely wouldn’t feel enough now. What was he going to do? What should he do? What-

“Keith?” The voice was quiet, but the desperation in his voice was so loud. He swallowed and turned toward the voice, already feeling tears well in his eyes. Like Pidge, the smell of old books and coffee had stuck to him, but there was a hint of pine and fallen leaves, something so very Shiro. There was another smell that mingled with his and it threw him off, but he had doubt that it was Shiro, and he could worry about that later.

Shiro stared in disbelief, mouth hanging open as eyes studied what he was seeing in front of him. He looked older, dark circles nearly hidden by the glasses he was wearing. His hair still had the weird patch of white in the front, but he could see more whites growing into the rest of his hair. He looked a bit thinner, but not enough to concern him too much. But it was enough to add to the guilt that consumed him. The look of relief that washed over Shiro’s face made it feel like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, tears already pouring out as he moved closer. Keith couldn’t stand still anymore, rushing over to meet him, the hug crushing.

“I’m so sorry Shiro.” He whispered, afraid of the sobs that would escape if he spoke any louder.

“I know Keith.”

…

Keith quickly composed himself as they headed back towards the library, running a hand through his hair a couple of times as well as rubbing at his eyes a bit. He heard Shiro snort and shot a glare at him before walking faster. Shiro stuck close though, not letting Keith stray too far. He couldn’t blame him, and he knew the rest of his friends would probably be like that after they had gathered. He was sure the only reason Allura and Pidge had stuck behind was because they had already slipped some way of tracking him onto his being without him noticing.

He shivered.

“Why did you wait so long before coming back?” Shiro asked, his voice quiet. He glanced back at him, feeling himself shrink a bit with the sad look that Shiro had on his face.

“I thought it would be for the best. But I was wrong.” He admitted.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“I will. I’m going to tell you all what happened and what’s going on and why I came back. And what I am.” He assured, pausing to look Shiro in the eye. As he expected, Shiro was caught off guard, but instead of saying anything, he nodded. They started walking again, something uncomfortable twisting in his gut.

“Hey look! You’re still alive!” Pidge yelled, hopping up as they walked up.

“Ha ha.” He huffed, crossing his arms.

“I still haven’t gotten a response from Adam, Hunk or Lance.” Allura said, frowning a bit as she checked her phone again.

Lance. He felt his chest tightened.

“They probably don’t have any service right now.” Shiro mumbled, pulling his own phone out.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked.

“Adam texted me earlier saying that he and the others would be going into the forest. They’re probably still there.” Keith could hear the concern that laced itself into Shiro’s voice, making his hair rise. The article that he read a few nights ago came to mind.

“I understand that they enjoy hiking, but with the rumours that have been circulating, I would think they would try to avoid it.” Allura looked worried, her frown only deepening.

“I think the only reason they’ve gone is because of what happened the other night with Lance.” Pidge cut in, and realization dawned on Allura and Shiro, the three of them exchanging a look that he couldn’t interpret.

Lance. What happened with Lance? His chest tightened again.

He would have asked about it, but the fact that their friends were still in the forest, maybe, made him anxious. Someone from the Galra was able to find pictures of them. Hell, maybe they had even taken them. And it just so happened that there were strange phenomenons happening in the forest around the same time? The only reasonable explanation in his mind was that maybe someone from the Galra pack was there, using it as a way to hide, but also doing just enough to keep most of the humans away. Which meant his friends could be in serious danger.

Which meant Lance could be in danger.

“We have to find them and get them out of there. Now.” Keith said urgently, quickly walking to the car. The others quickly followed, Allura unlocking the car before they piled in.

“Keith-”

“I’ll explain everything later on. But we need to go now!” He felt bad for raising his voice out of frustration, but Allura seemed to understand.

“Okay. We’ll find them Keith. Don’t worry.” She said reassuringly.

…

He was extremely worried.

The place Allura had taken them was the same place the others had also gone, Hunk’s car parked under the shade of the trees at the start of the parking lot. It was easy to miss, the street being a one way and the trees blocking any driver’s view of the vehicle. If it weren’t for the fact that Allura had planned to park where they were, they would have missed it. She pulled in next to them, frowning a bit as she got out. Her frown grew puzzled as she inspected the car further, bringing her arms up to indicate that she was thinking.

“What is it?” He asked, coming up next to her.

“Can you smell anything from their car?” She whispered, glancing behind them as Pidge and Shiro got out of the other side of her car.

Keith raised a brow, but took a second to actually smell the area. He could smell the different scents from the forest, his friends that were present, Allura’s car as it cooled down. His eyebrows knitted together then. He could smell water. But there weren't any rivers or ponds nearby, and it hadn’t rained either. Strangely though, it was coming from the car, as if a large amount of water had been dumped on it to wash all other smells away. But the car was completely dry, and so was the asphalt it was parked on. He tried to find anything else, but found nothing and it was troubling.

“Just water. I can’t pick up anything else.” He mumbled, crossing his arms.

“What’s wrong?” Pidge asked, walking up and peering into the car. He shot a look to Shiro, tapping his nose to see if maybe he could pick anything up.

“Nothing. I was just checking to see if they had left anything behind.” Allura lied, curling a finger around her hair nervously.

“Pidge, why don’t you stay behind in case they come back.” Shiro suggested.

“Sure. I’ve got a lot of equipment in my bag so I’d feel better staying with them anyway. I could probably use my laptop to contact you if they do come back while you’re still looking. Let me see your phones?” They asked, Shiro handed his phone over, Keith doing the same. Pidge looked to Allura expectantly.

“I’ll actually be staying behind with you so you won’t be on your own.” She said, and Pidge nodded.

“Alright. Let me get these setup then.” They went back into the car, starting to pull out their laptop to do what Keith called ‘their’ magic.

“There’s magic around the car. It’s like a cloak, almost as if the person who did this was expecting someone to go looking for them.” Allura whispered to him and Shiro once Pidge were out of earshot. Keith gritted his teeth.

“We’ll be quick. Contact us immediately if anyone shows up or if anything happens.” It wasn’t a request, and Allura knew it.

“I will.”

“Okay. I’ve connected your phones to my laptop. I’ve also plugged in my own signal booster into your phones, so you should be able to get my messages and send them while in there.” Pidge called, hopping out of the car and handing their phones back.

“Thanks Pidge. We’ll let you know if we find them.” Shiro promised.

“You two stay safe.”

“We will.”

…

#roy writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #klance fic #keith x lance #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith vld #lance vld #vld #netflix voltron #Voltron legendary defender #voltron #lance x keith

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nexthecryptid · 6 years

Note

Cuddle??? Is that a prompt?? Bc it would be so amazing to read a cuddle in your writing style 🌈🌈💞❤️🌸❤️❤️😭

A/N: I AM SO SORRY. I THOUGHT I GOT BACK TO THIS FOREVER AGO. AND I DIDN’T. I AM THE WORSE. HOPEFULLY YOU’LL STILL ENJOY THIS EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK ME AGES TO GET BACK TO YOU DX

Lance was shifting between singing and humming as the music played in the kitchen, his steps following the beat as he moved around. The smile on his face seemed to grow brighter, completely lost in his own world as he cooked. He wasn’t exactly dancing, but it was definitely the way to describe it as he moved around smoothly, never once tripping over himself or dropping the food he was handling. He was having fun.

Keith couldn’t help but watch quietly, enjoying the content look on his boyfriend’s face as he moved around. He leaned against the door frame, waiting for a good moment to let the other know he was there. He didn’t want to startle the other, knowing that he had that effect on people despite trying not to. Once Lance had placed the pan back on the stove top, away from any risks of injury, Keith moved in.

“Hey.” He said softly, slipping his arms around his waist just as he turned. Lance had stumbled a bit, making a noise of surprise as he quickly latched onto him to avoid falling. Keith wouldn’t have let him.

“Keith! Don’t do that!” He scolded, smacking his arm lightly. “Dios, are you trying to kill me?”

“Sorry.” He chuckled, feigning innocence as he smiled.

“Whatever.” He huffed, simply pouting. Keith chuckled again and pressed his lips to his forehead.

“What are you cooking? It smells good.”

“An old recipe. My Abuela used to make it all the time and I’ve kind of been craving it.” He admitted.

“Cool. Want me to set up the table?” He asked, pressing another kiss to Lance’s nose.

“If you don’t mind. It’s just about done.”

“Sure.” He pressed one more kiss, this time to his lips before letting go and walking away. He couldn’t hold his smirk as he heard a small, strangled noise from Lance.

…

After dinner, Keith successfully kicked Lance out of the kitchen, forcing him to scroll through Netflix to pick a movie. Lance had insisted on cleaning up after himself, but Keith didn’t feel like it was fair. So he took over, putting the leftovers away, cleaning the counters, and washing the dishes, making sure to do it all in the way Lance would have done so he wouldn’t worry.

“Did you find a movie?” Keith asked as he walked into the living room, glancing at the screen.

“Not really. I figured we could just catch up on B99 because we’re forever behind.” Lance shrugged a bit, standing up and looking to Keith expectantly. He snorted a bit before plopping on the couch, adjusting himself so that he was comfortable before lifting an arm, his other hanging off the side. Lance quickly joined him, nuzzling up to him until he was comfortable as the theme song for B99 played.

He hated to admit it, but he wasn’t fully paying attention to the show that they were both usually invested in. He was only watching Lance, watching the way his eyes lit up in excitement. The corners of his mouth quirked up as he snorted, his shoulders bouncing with his laughter. He smiled at the way Lance would press closer, as if they were miles apart, the way he hummed when he felt Keith’s fingers brush through his hair. The way his hand fell over so casually, silently searching for his own. The way he seemed to smile wider when their fingers intertwined comfortably. Keith just had these days. Days where all he wanted to do was watch Lance, to just stare at him. It grounded him to reality, the weight on him reminding him that Lance was very much alive, and was very much here with him.

He he was so grateful for that.

“Keith?” He was so busy watching him, he hadn’t noticed that Lance was now looking at him.

“Hmm?” Keith blinked a few times, finally noticing the concerned look directed his way.

“You okay? You kind of spaced there.” He said softly, fingers gently brushing against his cheeks. It didn’t matter that they had been through a war, Lance was always gentle.

“I’m sorry. I was… It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I was too busy just.. Looking at you.” He mumbled. To any other person, even to himself, it sounded a bit creepy. But Lance knew… He always seemed to know the meaning behind his words. And he could tell because Lance’s face grew a few shades darker, words caught in his throat as he tried to respond.

“Oh…” He managed.

“Lance… You’re just… So beautiful.” He mumbled, gently brushing his hair back and running a thumb over his cheek. He felt the way he leaned into his hand, his eyes closing a bit. And then Lance let himself collapse, face pressing into his chest as a string of noises left his mouth.

“Stop!” Lance managed to whine.

Keith only laughed.

A/N: Again, so sorry for not sending this out sooner. Forgive meeee

#roy answers #roy writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #leith #vld #voltron legendary defender #keith kogane #lance mcclain #klance fic #keith x lance #lance x keith #vld lance #vld keith #prompt #fluff #klance fluff #leith fluff

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nexthecryptid · 6 years

Text

The Little Things Ch. 3

Summary: Lance thought he would be okay. It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit. No problem. He was fine. Everything was fine.But it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine.

Prefer to read it on A03? Here!

First - Previous - Next

Wednesday - 11:40 am

Lance rushed towards his classroom, checking the time on his phone before sighing in relief. He was about ten minutes late, but the warmth that seeped into his hand reminded him that it was totally worth it. He paused at the door to his class, catching his breath and fixing his clothes a bit before entering. He scanned the class, spotting his friends before quickly making his way over, grateful that the professor hadn’t started.

He sat down between his friends, carefully sitting his coffee on the table before pulling his books out, humming slightly. He turned to Hunk, greeting him with a large smile and a fist bump. Hunk smiled back, turning back to his bag to look for something. He then turned to Pidge, noting the small glare they directed towards him.

“Hey Pidge.” He greeted, keeping up his happy tone.

“You’re late.” They said, rolling their eyes and opening their laptop.

“It was only ten minutes.” Lance pointed out.

“Ten minutes we could have been using to work on our group project.” They growled, typing in their password with more force than necessary. Lance frowned and looked to Hunk, raising a brow. Hunk shrugged with an apologetic look, glancing to Pidge. He let the conversation drop in favor of drinking his coffee, grateful when the Professor then called for attention.

“As a reminder, your projects are due two weeks from now, and your second exam will be in three. If you haven’t already begun your projects, I suggest you kick it in gear now. Two weeks can go by faster than you think. I will be giving you time in class today, so use it wisely.” He said, looking around the class, lingering on some of the students. Pidge made a small noise, Lance looking over to see their jaw clenched, fingers digging into the desk. He rose a brow, a frown settling on his face.

Pidge… What’s wrong?

Probably annoyed they had to deal with you. You were late, probably thought you weren’t going to show up! You’re stressing them out!

Stress...

As the lesson begun, Lance couldn’t help but glance over to Pidge occasionally, as if they would explode if he looked away for too long. He took down the chapter corresponding to the lesson, adding the outline before shifting his focus a bit more onto his friend.

At a mere glance, Pidge looked fine. They were looking at the slides, watching the professor, and taking notes on their computer. But Lance knew differently. There was a look in Pidge’s eyes, one that looked slightly panicked. The corners of their mouth twitched, probably because they were biting the inside of their mouth and they messed with their nails when they weren’t typing. Lance leaned back a bit with a stretch, using the new angle to look at their laptop. There were two windows opened that he could see, divided onto the screen so Pidge could look at them both simultaneously. One was a word document, Pidge typing their notes from the lesson. The other was something Lance saw Pidge use for programing, lines of code being typed in as the Professor spoke. Pidge was multitasking, or at least trying to. After writing a line of code, they deleted it, Pidge’s fingers twitching slightly before clicking onto a different window. This time it was an article, probably something Pidge was researching for another class.

Pidge was clearly stressed, probably overwhelmed with all of the assignments that were piled onto them. Lance could relate… While it was normal to get jabs by Pidge when he was late, it was different today. Pidge was genuinely upset, and it was probably because they thought Lance would skip out, which meant they would lose another day of working on their group project, together. They worked separately last class, and they still had a good chunk to tackle. It would explain their short fuse of patience, because they probably felt like they were running out of time.

While it usually worked itself out after a few days, Lance could tell it wouldn’t this time with the way they were trying to work on everything right now. Pidge needed a break, and Lance was going to make them because no one else would. Hunk was probably thinking about his lunch date, completely unaware of what was happening right now, not that Lance could blame him considering he was probably a nervous wreck. Keith was out of town at the moment, so he wouldn’t be able to, and he hadn’t seen Allura or Shiro in some time. He knew if they were around, they would all do it. It would have been easier if he had them around, but hey, he could take care of it no problem.

Hopefully…

…

Wednesday - 1:15 pm

“Alright, now that we got all the basic information down, all we need to do is highlight some the key parts.” Hunk said, clapping his hands together and looking over his notes.

They had spent the last forty-five minutes working on their project, tackling some of the larger aspects of it. Lance smiled down at his notes, feeling a bit proud of himself since he was the once that came up with what they were doing. Pidge had seemed to relax a bit too, Lance making sure they only focused on the project instead of being sidetracked with jokes. While he loved to joke around, he knew it would only frustrate Pidge, so he eased up on the fooling around. Hunk closed his notebook, looking at his phone, his nerves clearly coming back. Pidge didn’t seem to notice.

“Okay but we still have to-”

“Easy Pidge. We got a lot done today, so let’s wrap it up for now. Plus, Hunk has a date to go to.” Lance reminded, placing a hand on their shoulder as an apology for cutting them off.

“But we need to-”

“-take a break. Come on. You and I have reservations at a nearby place.” He said, hoping it would persuade Pidge to settle down. He felt bad for cutting Pidge off again, but Hunk was already tyring to make his escape and he was getting worried.

“I owe you one.” Hunk whispered before rushing out. Pidge growled and pulled away from Lance, clicking their tongue in annoyance.

“Whatever.” They mumbled, reluctantly putting their belongings away. Lance had thought he won, but Pidge got up and was ready to leave without him.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? We’re going for lunch remember?” He asked, raising a brow.

“I’m going home.” Pidge huffed, continuing their exit. Lance scrambled after them, quickly stepping in front of them.

“Come on Pidge.”

“I don’t have time for this Lance.” Their eyes narrowed a bit and they moved to walk around him. Lance stuck his arm out to stop them again.

“Then make time.” He reasoned.

“Go away Lance!” They snapped, shoving his arm away.

You’re going to regret this.

“Pidge.” He said gently, grabbing their arm and pulling them back. He braced himself, knowing full well he was pushing Pidge too far, but it was needed.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit Lance! What don’t you get!? Are you really that fucking stupid!? I’m not here to play your stupid games, I’m not here to fucking deal with your shit! I have too much work to do, so leave me the fuck alone already! God you’re so fucking annoying!” They yelled, slapping his arm away. The students around them stopped, looking over to see what was happening. But Lance didn’t pay them any mind, ignoring the sting in his arm as he looked down at Pidge. He tried not to take it to heart, tried not to feel hurt by Pidge’s words, but there was only so much Lance could ignore. Pidge was glaring at him, breathing heavily as the anger boiled in their eyes. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes if only to escape the look for a moment.

Can’t argue with something that’s a fact.

“This doesn’t concern any of you so move on!” He called to the students who were watching them, looking at them with a pointed look. Some flinched and quickly rushed away, some turned to their friends and whispered. He ignored them and looked back to Pidge, surprised by the reaction he got. They flinched, eyes widening as it seemed to really sink in what they had just done. Guilt washed over anger, tears forming at the corners of their eyes. It was then he decided that he rather have Pidge look angry at him then looking near tears.

“Lance I-”

“Follow me Pidge.” He said softly, giving them a small smile. They flinched at their name but nodded, walking next to Lance as they walked out the building.

While they could have easily gone to a nearby cafe, or even the dining halls, Lance picked a place that was about fifteen minutes away, just on the edge of campus. The Diner that Lance was taking Pidge was the group’s favorite place to hang out for several different reasons. The main one though, was because that’s where they had all met. While yeah it was a bit out of the way, it gave Pidge time to walk in peace. It also gave Lance time to clear his head.

When the Diner came into view, he noticed the way Pidge’s shoulders relax a little, walking a bit closer to him. He smiled a little and gently patted their head without a word. When they walked in, he called back to the waiters and waitresses, greeting them all. He knew every single one of them, which wasn’t surprising considering he also worked there. He walked up to the booth where they usually waited to be seated, but instead of waiting, he reached back and grabbed one of the notepads that sat there. He wrote down his own order, knowing exactly what he wanted before looking to Pidge.

“Want me to pick for you, or do you have a meal in mind?” He asked. Pidge shifted a bit before shaking their head.

“Surprise me.” They said, smiling a bit. Lance smirked and wrote down a meal that he knew Pidge would enjoy. He then went towards the back, hanging up their orders before calling back to the cooks, greeting them. After having a small chat, he found Pidge at their usual booth, sitting across from them.

“Feeling better?” He asked, placing his chin in his hand.

“Yeah… I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I’ve just been…” They trailed off, wringing their hands together, glancing at their bag on occasion.

“Stressed? Frustrated? Tired of all the teachers secretly coming together to plan your demise through countless assignments and terrible, overwhelming projects?” Lance offered. Pidge snickered, rolling their eyes.

“All three. I feel like if I work on one thing, I’ll completely forget about the other. And every time I feel like I’m making progress, I take another look and see that I messed it up and have to re-do it. I can’t even do a simple line of code right now without messing up the compatible sequences!” They huffed, burying their face into their hands.

“Which is why you need a break.” He said. Pidge opened their mouth to argue but Lance continued. “Before you say you don’t have enough time, let me remind you that you do. Two weeks for our project, we’re already three quarters of the way done. We didn’t finish because we lost our motivation to continue. Hunk had to leave, and with that came with the much needed break from working forty-five minutes straight. Now when we go back, we’ll have a fresh look and will be forced to go over what we did. It’s the same with your lines of codes. You were pushing yourself so hard, you lost track of some of you numbers. But when you took a break and looked back at it, you spotted your mistakes and fixed it.” Pidge looked at him for a moment, nodding after a minute when they started to understand.

“Okay… I get it.” They said reluctantly. “I just… I don’t want to stop in the middle of it all.”

“You’re not stopping. You’re only taking a much needed pause my non-binary goblin.” Lance offered. Pidge laughed.

“Thanks Lance.”

Lance beamed.

…

“PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!!” Pidge cheered, their lunch plates being taken away by the waitress who giggled.

“See, if you didn’t take a break, you wouldn’t be able to have your cookies.” Lance said, giving thanks to the waitress as she walked away.

“You’re totally right Lance. Rare as it is, but even you can be right.” Pidge teased and Lance felt his chest swell a bit. Pidge was back to their usual self, and Lance couldn’t be happier.

“Secretly, I’m a genius. I just make all of you think I’m not.” He joked, biting into the cake that he ordered.

“It’s not a secret if we all know. You’re just as smart as we are.” Pidge said, and Lance faltered slightly at the compliment. He smiled and looked down at his cake then, using it as an excuse to stay quiet. Pidge didn’t seem bothered as they dug into their desert, looking around the diner.

“Hey, where’s Keith been? Usually he’d be here helping you plot against me.” Pidge asked.

“His sister is having a baby.” He said, smiling at the mention of his boyfriend.

“Oh, congrats to her! Nobody told me I was going to have a niece/nephew. Rude.” They huffed, pouting, making Lance laugh.

“Course not. We didn’t want the gremlin to be a bad influence.” He teased.

“Whatever. I’m just glad I don’t have to see you two love birds doting on each other.” They rolled their eyes, finishing their cookie before humming contently.

“He’ll be back by the end of the week so I’ll make sure we’ll ‘dote’ on each other right in front of you.” He snickered, avoiding Pidge’s napkin when they chucked it at him.

“Now that we’re done, how about we work on our homework together?” He asked, clearing the table before pulling his notebook out. Pidge blinked in surprise before grinning.

“Yeah! I feel like I can tackle some of my other projects now. Well, I have a few ideas for it… but I’m not sure what I should do...” They said, pulling their laptop up. Lance hummed, placing his phone on the table, clicking on the recording app and starting it.

“Bounce your ideas off me, even if I won’t be able to understand. Sometimes, talking about your project can help.” He offered. Pidge hummed in thought.

“Well, there's this one program I was thinking about developing. The problem is…” Lance sat there and listened, smiling occasionally when Pidge seemed to get passionate on certain aspects. Occasionally they would pause to type something onto their computer before looking at him as if he just gave them the answer before continuing on their rant. Yeah, Lance didn’t really get any work done, but he was taking his own advice and taking a break. Plus, he liked watching his friends, not in a creepy way or anything, just the way they acted, the little quirks they did. It kept him occupied from his own thoughts as he focused on someone else. It was nice…

…

Wednesday - 5:27 pm

“-was making schematics for this one robot, but the design was too clunky for my liking so I tried to modify it so-oh! I could replace the thicker wires for thinner ones if I can find a way to place them specifically around the attachments to hold them in place.” Lance had no idea when they went from coding to robots, but he didn’t mind it. But he did notice the way the sun was lowering. He checked his phone, noticing the time before stretching his back and yawning. Pidge echoed him a minute after, looking at him and smiling.

“You look like you need some rest. Why not call it a day?” They asked, closing their laptop.

“Ah, someone learned from my lesson.” He snickered before nodding. He was heavily leaning against the table, eyes struggling to stay open at that point.

“Have you been sleeping well?” Pidge asked, throwing Lance off.

“Yeah.” He lied, sitting up and putting the notebook he hadn’t touched away, stopping the recording on his phone. He quickly sent the audio file to Pidge, giving them something to look back to if they forgot their ideas they didn't write down.

“You sure…? You ordered like three coffees while we were here.” They pointed out, looking concerned.

Don’t they have enough to worry about? Go ahead, make them worry about you too!

“I enjoy the coffee here. Besides, there isn’t a lot of caffeine in them to begin with.” He shrugged, sipping the last of said drink.

Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.

“Whatever you say Lance. Get some sleep tonight alright?” They said, probably their last ditch effort to get something out of Lance.

“You kidding? I’m going to be sleeping like a King!” He grinned and finally Pidge moved on, laughing and getting up. Lance followed them out of the diner, insisting on walking them to their dorm before walking to his own.

…

Wednesday - 11:58 pm

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sleep. He tried showering before bed, doing his nightly routine and completely relaxing himself. He opened his window, making his room nice and cool so he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night too warm for comfort. When that didn’t work, he tried reading his textbooks, hoping that the boring content of the book would put him to sleep, but even then he was just numb, taking in the information and finding himself weirdly interested.

What made it worse… Is that his thoughts were starting to get to him. The frustration was filling him to the point where it was overflowing into tears. He tossed the textbook across the room before curling up, his body shaking before a sob broke out. He sobbed into his hands, moving them to grip his hair and pulling harshly.

Pathetic. Useless. Stupid. Annoying. Forgettable.

“It’s not true…” He cried weakly. He reached for his phone, scrolling down to Keith’s name, finger hovering the call icon. He bit his lip, ready to hit it, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t bother Keith now, not when he’s with his family. He couldn’t… He tossed his phone away before sobbing harder.

Weak.

...

A/N: Let me know what you guys think!

#roy writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith x lance #vld #Voltron legendary defender #voltron #netflix voltron #langst #klangst #fic #fic: the little things #the little things

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nexthecryptid · 6 years

Text

The Little Things Ch. 5

Summary: Lance thought he would be okay. It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit. No problem. He was fine. Everything was fine.But it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine.

Prefer to read it on A03? Here!

First - Previous - Next

Friday - 12:32pm

You look like shit…

I feel like shit too…

Lance let out a long sigh as he leaned against the back wall of the back room, leaning his head back and taking a moment to just breathe . His knees occasionally trembled, begging him to take a seat. He took his phone out to check the time, relief rolling over him as he noticed how close to the end of his shift he was. By some miracle, he had managed to get a few hours of sleep before coming into work, but it seemed to do more damage than good as he felt the sting of exhaustion when he closed his eyes for a brief moment. He debated if he should grab a quick lunch before heading home, feeling his stomach grumble a bit. But the urge to just keel over and pass out seemed to push it back.

He was exhausted …

It didn’t help that it was Friday, one of the busiest days of the week. Nyma, a blessing really, had decided to take some of the larger tables before Lance could get to them, something about him taking it easy and getting all the good tips. He knew she was just worried about him, the events of last night still fresh in their minds. He could feel her gaze on him always drifting to his cheek, and despite Lance covering it with makeup, it felt like she could still see it. He got the same looks from Rolo everytime he brought the plates back and it made him feel uncomfortable. He knew it wasn’t pity or anything, it was just pure and genuine concern. Probably even murderous intent because Nyma was still pissed at the guy and Rolo pissed that he wasn’t able to help out his friends But it still didn’t sit well with Lance.

They keep staring at you. Keep waiting for you to break down. Do it. Break down in the middle of the whole restaurant!

He grimaced, looking down at his phone and welcoming the distraction from the notification light flashing. He had messages from several of friends, and apparently a group chat had started amongst them. None of the previews for the messages looked urgent so he simply swiped the notifications away. He didn’t have time to read all of them at the moment and decided he’d look at them later. After his nap though. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket, shoving himself off the wall as he decided to get back to work. Florana would come in relatively soon and take over his tables and all he’d have to do was clean up. He could do that, he could make it.

Nothing was going to stop him from going home and sleeping.

…

Friday - 12:57pm He had thought so at least.

As minutes flew by and Florana came in, it seemed like everything was going according to plan. He led her to all of his tables, informing the customers that he would be heading home soon and that she would be taking over, occasionally throwing a few flirtatious remarks. Florana would only giggle, shaking her head before throwing back some of her own jokes knowing Lance wasn’t serious. With the customers comfort taken care of, he could focus on clean up.

Except… one thing did seem to prevent him from going straight home. To be more accurate it was four, and they were people.

“Lance!” He looked up from wiping a table down and looked over, his eyes widening. A few mixed emotions filled him as he forced a smile on his face, turning to face his friends. He briefly caught Pidge adding a ‘told you it was the end of his shift’ before they were being led to their usual table by Florana.

There was several reasons to his conflicting emotions. While yes he was excited to see his friends at the diner, he was also extremely annoyed that the universe decided to stop him from going straight home. He loved his friends, he did. But he was still exhausted, and the feeling hadn’t magically gone away. Then his eyes landed on Allura, who was covered up and had looked slightly paler than usual. He was then worried that the older had decided to ignore her health and came out despite still being sick. But Hunk was keeping her close, making sure she was okay so he was less worried and became more angry. Why did they decide that it was okay for her to be out if she was still sick? But he couldn’t lie that he was a bit relieved to see her up and around again, haven’t seeing here for almost a week. He mentally groaned as he quickly finished up wiping the table down before going to their table.

“What are you guys doing here?” He laughed, trying not to sound like he didn’t want them there. Well he did, but he also didn’t. It was very conflicting.

“I wanted to come here for lunch and invited the others to join. I have been cooped up in my room for far too long. I thought I was going to lose my mind.” Allura said, rubbing small circles into her forehead. Hunk rubbed her back a bit, the group all laughing. Lance smiled then, shaking his head.

“Poor Allura. The Princess locked away in her tower.” Pidge teased, Allura laughing and rolling her eyes.

“The Princess who broke out of her own castle.” She added and the group laughed again, Lance relaxing a bit.

“Anyway, go finish your shift so you can come join us. I know you haven’t eaten.” Hunk said, giving Lance a pointed look.

“Alright, alright. Sheesh, I can never escape your mom-senses.” He joked. Hunk suddenly placed a hand on his arm, a serious look on his face. For a moment, Lance could feel his anxiety rising, not sure what had happened to the mood. But then Hunk spoke.

“Lance… I am your Mother.” He said in his best Darth Vader voice. Lance blinked before bursting out with laughter, Pidge joining, being the only other person there who had watched Star Wars. Shiro and Allura watched in amusement, laughing at Hunk’s dramatics rather than the reference.

“Oh my- Hunk!” He laughed, shaking his head as he moved to finish up.

“That’s Mother to you!” Hunk called after him before the door to the back room shut behind him. He laughed a little bit more, moving to gather his stuff, pulling his apron off and folding it to put away in his bag. His friends were ridiculous.

You wanted them to go away. Admit it. You just wanted to go home and ignore all of them.

His smile faltered, the thought repeating in his head a few times. He did… But could you blame him? He was looking forward to sleeping his Friday away. He wasn’t ignoring them because he just felt like it! He wanted to ignore them so he could get some rest. Because he was tired, because he had just finished a long morning shift and had a long week of restless nights!

Selfish .

Is that such a bad thing? Can’t I be selfish? Just a little bit?

You’re always so selfish. Never think of anybody else. You only think of yourself! You always think of yourself!

Lance’s fingers slipped into his hair, his thoughts clouding any logic that was trying to voice itself. A knot seemed to tie itself in his stomach, making him feel nauseous as he slowly sat himself against the wall. He swallowed a bit, resisting the urge to heave up stomach acid as he pulled his knees up, trying to focus on his breathing rather than his own dark thoughts. He just needed a few minutes. Just needed to not throw up. Just needed to not cry.

He could pull himself together…

…….

Friday 1:03pm

Hunk waited till Lance had disappeared into the kitchen before turning back to the table, his smile now replaced with a look of concern. Something was off. He couldn’t tell exactly what, but something was definetely off about Lance. And he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one who thought so. He could feel the emotion essentially rolling off the rest of the group as well, the tension growing before finally, Allura decided to break the silence.

“Does… Lance seem a little off?” She asked, looking around the table.

“He’s definitely off.” Hunk confirmed, worrying his lip as he glanced back at the door. “He was off yesterday, and I’m pretty sure he was off since Monday. I just… didn’t notice it until now…” He said, the guilt pooling in his stomach.

“You were being a nervous wreck with Shay.” Pidge reasoned, but he knew they were feeling guilty too. They were both so caught up with their own things, they had completely missed Lance.

“I know, but something was wrong and he still pushed it aside to help me… And I didn’t even notice! What kind of a best friend am I? I don’t even know what’s wrong!” He sighed, rubbing his forehead a bit.

“He’s been off since Monday?” Shiro asked, a look of guilt falling onto him.

“Probably. He was struggling to stay awake in class. We just… didn’t think much of it at the time because of our own shit.” Pidge sighed, clearly annoyed with themselves. Allura frowned a bit, looking to Shiro.

“Did something happen?” She asked, and Shiro grimaced a bit.

“I came in last night because I wasn’t having a good day. I was hoping to see Lance, see how he was doing, and kind of forget the day while also catching up with him since I wasn’t around campus for a while. I figured his odd mood last night was because a customer had punched him, and that he would bounce back after our talk. I didn’t know he had been struggling through the week too.” He shifted a bit, looking uncomfortable for a moment. A silence fell over them, and Hunk couldn’t help but grip the table in anger. Lance didn’t reach out to them, and it was most likely so he wouldn’t have added to their problems, even if it wouldn’t have.

“It’s not anyone’s fault.” Allura said quickly, snapping all three of them out of their guilty thoughts. “We all have our own problems, and we deal with them differently, Lance is no different. His way of dealing with his problems isn’t exactly healthy, but that’s his way. He cares so much for us all, that he tends to put his ownself second. We have no way to change that, and we cannot force Lance to change either. We can encourage him, but at the end of the day it is his decision whether to change or not. May I also add that it may be very difficult for him to do so. He has coped this way for his whole life. A few words from us won’t change that. But we can still support him now, despite how much it has already festered.” She said, placing a hand on Pidge’s shoulder, her other reaching out to Hunk’s. She looked to Shiro, and they all seemed to ease at her words. It was comforting.

“You’re right.” Shiro said.

“I usually am.” She replied, getting all of them to laugh a little, the tension of the serious conversation easing off a bit.

“So what’s the plan?” Pidge asked, leaning forward a bit.

“We give him some time to rest, give him some space, and some reassurance that him taking care of himself is perfectly alright. If he thinks anything is wrong, he’ll only push his problems aside and try to help us with ours. And while I truly appreciate and love that part of him, it’s only going to push him further to the breaking point.” Shiro said.

“So… Let’s give him today and tomorrow. Sunday is our usual movie night, so we can check on him then.” Hunk offered.

“He knows I’m busy with my projects so I’ll work on those with Matt so he knows I’ll be okay. Allura has been sick all week, so she’ll be busy collecting missed work. If you want, one of us can help you so Lance won’t offer.” Pidge added.

“That’s sounds perfect. Hunk, can I ask for you assistance?” Allura asked.

“Of course. I can also tell you about Shay while we’re getting all your work together. I’ll also help you catch up and even make you some food to get you back on your feet.” He said, grinning wide. Their plan was coming together, all that was left was Shiro.

“I’ll be spending time with Adam today or tomorrow so that should reassure Lance that I won’t have another bad day.” He said. They all shared a smile, the relief of covering all of their bases washing over them all.

“I’ll try to convince him to get some rest then.” Hunk said, deciding it was the least he could do to try to help his friend. His best friend.

“Operation Let Lance Rest 2k18 is a go!” Pidge declared. The group laughed at them, Pidge grinning proudly.

…

Friday 1:23pm

“You guys better not be causing trouble in my restaurant!” He heard as he walked out of the back room. He had changed into his normal clothes, work clothes stuffed into the bag in his hands to be washed later. Luxia was walking away from his friends, smile on her face as she shook her head. He chuckled a bit, spotting the look of feigned innocence on his friends faces.

“Please don’t get me fired.” He joked, voice wavering slightly as he walked up, dropping his bag next to the seats. Hunk pulled him into a side hug, successfully pulling him into the booth besides him. He felt Shiro’s hand ruffle his hair a bit next, Lance humming happily at the affection.

“Us? Get you fired? Please. Luxia would murder us before ever firing you.” Allura teased. Lance stared at her for a moment before a smile crept on his face, a flutter in his chest.

“It would be pretty hard to replace all of this.” He said, not sounding a 100% confident, but motioning himself nonetheless.

“Pretty hard? More like impossible. Nobody can replace you bud.” Hunk said warmly. Lance could feel his face heat up, the complement completely catching him off guard as he sputtered a bit. The group laughed and he soon joined him.

They’re lying!

No they’re not!

“Did you guys order for me?” He asked, choosing to change the topic.

“Yeah. I got you a few slices of pizza and some soda. That okay?” Pidge asked.

“It’s perfect. I was craving the pizza all day. I swear I was drooling.” He melted at the thought of pizza. A quick but filling meal, and the soda should give him just enough sugar boost to keep up with his friends.

Allura then broke into a small ran about her sickness, having also ordered pizza because she had been craving it ever since she got stuck in bed. Lance listened along, not saying much and opting on leaning against Hunk instead, his body sagging a bit more than he’d like to admit. He kept zoning in and out, focused on fighting his urge to sleep the best he could.

“Hey Lance.” Hunk said softly, gaining his attention from his ongoing war.

“What’s up Big Bear.” Lance said, calling him a nickname, small smile on his face.

“You feeling okay?” He asked, touching his hand a bit.

Busted.

Lance fell quiet, his hand twitching a bit as he took a glance to him. In the matter of seconds, his smile was gone, and tears were threatening at his eyes.

“Lance? Are-”

“I’m just tired from my shift.” He said quickly, looking away. Hunk’s hand quickly enveloped Lance’s, thumb rubbing comforting circles.

Liar. You’re such a fucking liar!

“Hey… It’s okay to not be okay Lance.” Hunk said, and all at once, everything kind of hit Lance.

His exhaustion. The negative thoughts that kept pestering him. The way he continuously beat himself up over small things. The overwhelming feeling of having to make sure all of friends were okay. The way he felt obligated to take care of them. The way he felt obligated to push his own problems aside. The way everything seemed to pile up, both academically and emotionally. The stupid ways that he got hurt. It was just a lot, and it hit hard.

You’re being dramatic.

“I don’t want to be not okay. I want to be perfectly okay.” He gritted out, turning his hand so he could hold Hunk’s hand back, lifting his other hand to run his fingers through his hair.

“I know…” Hunk said softly, resting his cheek on his head. “Look… Get some rest today okay? We all got some plans for later today and tomorrow. Movie night is still a go, but until then, go home and get some rest yeah?” He asked. Lance frowned a bit, looking around the table, his concern coming back. Plans to avoid you. To get away from you.

He winced and held onto Hunk tighter.

“Hey. We just have work to do. We all wanted to hang out with you tonight, but you look tired. Shiro also told us what happened last night. So you go home and get rest or else I’ll call your actual mother to come force you to get some rest.” He threatened and Lance snorted.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t doubt me. I have her number on speed dial may I remind you.” He said, going as far as actually pulling his phone out and showing him said contact. Lance stared at it for a moment before snickering.

“Alright, alright. You win.” He said reluctantly. “I’ll get some sleep.”

“Good.”

“If-”

“Lance-”

“If you tell me what all of you guys are doing so I’m not worrying” Lance said, pulling away to look at him. Hunk blinked before nodding.

“Of course.” Hunk said before turning to the rest of the group. “Okay! Quick, before our food comes. What’s everyone’s plans for today and tomorrow?”

Lance carefully listened to everyone.

Maybe… Just maybe… everyone would be okay…

…

A/N: Let me know what you think!

#roy writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith x lance #vld #voltron #netflix voltron #Voltron legendary defender #langst #klangst #fic #fic: the little things #the little things

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nexthecryptid · 6 years

Text

The Little Things Ch. 7

The Little Things

Summary: Lance thought he would be okay. It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit. No problem. He was fine. Everything was fine.But it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine.

Prefer to read it on A03? Here!

First - Previous

A/N: Heyo! Very sorry for the long wait but I have a small, exciting announcement at the end, so please, please, please read it! Thank you!

As always, please enjoy~!

Sunday - 9:03 am

Streams of sunlight peeked behind the corners of the curtains, only a sliver of the room receiving the glow of the morning. But it was enough to stir Lance from his sleep, lapping at his cheeks in comfortable warmth. He hummed happily, leaning into the warmth that cradled his cheek in hopes of getting more. But the curtains weren’t drawn, and all Lance did was move to a colder spot on the bed. He frowned slightly, forcing his eyes open as he looked towards the window, a pout on his face. He didn’t remember if he or Keith had closed them, but he wished they hadn’t now, spending a moment wishing they would move away on their own, trying to summon his inner ‘force’. When the curtains didn’t move, he let out a long and quiet yawn, huffing and deciding that he wanted to get up anyway.

When he did start to move, he was stopped when something held onto him, pulling him closer in a protective matter. He shifted in the hold to look at Keith, blinking a few times before a smile tugged at his lips. Throughout the night, his hair had gotten more wild, sticking up in different angles, some falling into his face. It was cute. Lance carefully reached up and brushed them away, kissing his forehead before settling back into his hold. Keith’s arm seemed to tighten just a bit more, sighing in what Lance could only describe as content. He couldn’t help but feel a little selfish as he laid there, realistically being able to move if he wanted to. But instead he stayed, watching Keith for a good while as he reveled in the protective hold he had on him.

It made him feel wanted.

It made him feel safe.

He could feel his thoughts start to eat at the back of his mind, trying to push into his head and drown him as he became more awake. But Lance pushed them away, forced them back, ignored them, because right now all he wanted to do was lay there with Keith holding onto him. He just wanted to enjoy the moment because damn, it had been a long week. He still felt the hint of exhaustion, but he also felt rested. He didn’t struggle to fall asleep last night, essentially passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he hadn’t woken up once through the night. It helped that Keith had been there with him, murmuring comforting words until he was asleep. Lance thought Keith would have left afterwards, but he had decided to spend the night, planned on it, and it made his heart do things it probably shouldn’t have.

So he was going to enjoy it. He was going be at peace, if even just for a moment.

“Morning.” A sleepy mumble came, making Lance jump slightly. He huffed when Keith started chuckling, sending a glare at him. But it softened almost instantly, Lance unable to stay annoyed with Keith’s bed head in existence.

“Good morning babe.” He hummed, deciding to snuggle closer. They stayed like that for a while, longer than Lance thought they would, but it didn’t seem like Keith minded. He only shifted once, and that was because his other arm was starting to cramp. But other than that, Keith kept his hold on Lance, and Lance kept as close as he could.

It was a funny thing. Perhaps not comically funny, but one of those... cute funny things that you can’t help but smile stupidly about. Compared to the beginning of their relationship, they had certainly come a far way. While Lance was more physically affectionate, he wasn’t much of a cuddler when it came to relationships. Keith was the opposite, which had certainly surprised him after they started dating. Lance had thought he was too bony, too lanky, to stiff to cuddle with, and when it came close in his previous relationships, he would get nervous, get self conscious, and would joke his way out of it. Keith, who was as patient as he could be, had made him realize that it wasn’t true. And now… here they were, Lance wanting nothing but for them to stay like that.

…

Sunday - 10:02 am

Eventually Lance had to get up, the need to use the bathroom stronger than his want to stay in bed. When he came back, Keith had pulled the curtains back, the sun brightening up his room. He was sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone with a bored look on his face. Lance laughed and quickly walked over to the window and looked outside, humming when he spotted a few students out and about, some enjoying the sun, others lingering in the warmth before continuing on their way to their destination. He opened the window then, breathing in the fresh air as the breeze blew into his room. It was so nice out, and for once, he actually felt energized enough to go out. He looked back to ask Keith if he was planning on anything before the movie night when he caught his boyfriend staring at him.

“What…?” He asked, raising a brow at the look he was receiving.

Something’s wrong with you.

“You’re beautiful.” Keith answered bluntly. Lance couldn’t help but falter over his words, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth to stop the stupid sounds that were leaving. He quickly turned away, a pout on his face when he heard Keith chuckle at his embarrassment.

He’s lying. How can someone like you look beautiful? You’re ugly… Maybe he’s making fun of you… You did just wake up after all…

Lance winced, trying to push back the frown that tug at the corners of his mouth. He hadn’t done his morning routine, hadn’t even gotten dress and Keith had complimented him. He couldn’t help as his eyes drifted towards his mirror, taking in his appearance, lingering on every small detail. His hair was an utter mess, sticking up in odd angles and clearly tangled. Parts of it was still straight from when he did it yesterday, but other parts had started to lose it’s form, curling and adding to the mess. His freckles also seemed to stand out more, the sunlight acting as a spotlight on his splotchy skin. The bruise was more prominent than ever, dark black and blue. It looked as painful as it was. He could also see where he had bit his lip, an angry red sticking out compared to the usual color. He didn’t even want to look at his body, already feeling how his limbs were too long, his shoulders sticking out and the faint pain in his hand and-

How…? How can he say that I’m beautiful? I’m not-

“To me you are beautiful. You may not think it, hell you may not believe me right now Lance, but god… To me you are... so beautiful.” Keith said suddenly, his arms wrapping around him as he tried to pull his gaze away from the mirror. “Everything you think is wrong, I think is fine. I think is just another part of you that I love. The bruise reminds me just how caring, and just how brave you are, which adds to the long lists of reasons why I love you.”

Lance could feel his eyes well up, wanting to so desperately believe in what Keith was saying. And after a moment of just repeating his words in his head, he did. He tore his eyes away from his own reflection, instead looking at Keith who was looking back at him through the mirror. He swallowed down any response he had that were negative and couldn’t help but smile. It was small at first, but his laugh grew until he was full on laughing, shaking his head at his own ridiculousness. He was suppose to be the romantic in the relationship, the one to whoo Keith off his feet. Clearly, Keith was winning on the whole ‘whoo’ing’. Especially since he was taking his insecurities in account.

“Since when did you get so good at this?” He asked, leaning back and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve had a lot of help from someone. They… They’ve helped me through quite a bit.” Lance smiled at that, watching Keith’s eyes soften.

“Practice does make perfect.” He mused, letting his eyes close as he felt Keith’s lips on his shoulder.

“It helps that I practice on someone as incredible as you.” Lance could feel the grin before he saw it, feeling his blush warm the tips of his ears. He moved to whack Keith, but he missed when the other quickly stepped away, getting distance between them before Lance could even try to hit him again.

“Are you fu- Oh my god Keith. Stop! You’re insufferable.” Lance whined, covering his face. Keith only laughed in response, kissing his cheek quickly.

“You still love me.” He teased, moving to grab his clothes.

“Shut up… Help me figure breakfast out before I kick your ass out.” Lance grumbled, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at him..

“You won’t kick me out.”

“No I won’t… But it is tempting.”

…

Sunday - 5:49 pm

Most of their day was spent outside, Lance convincing Keith that it would be a better place to do homework than going to the library. It gave Lance a bit more energy when he was outside, no longer cooped up in his room where he stored his multiple emotional breakdowns. It was an entirely different feeling being outside, plus he really liked being out in the sun. He had also done fairly well homework wise, tackling some of his smaller assignments while also getting a big chunk out of his group project done. He had to admit, as stressful as the assignments were, it did make him feel better too, a sense of accomplishment washing away the thoughts that called him useless. Plus, all his focus was spent on his homework that he had forgotten about his thoughts for a good while.

As the sunlight began to melt together into the oncoming sunset, Lance figured he had done enough for the day, stretching out his back and listening to it crack. He saved his work before closing his laptop, stretching his legs out next. He looked over to Keith to ask if he was ready to call it the quits, but he stopped when he saw the scowl on his face, clearly reading about something he didn’t like in the article before him. He kept his laughter to himself, pulling his phone out to let Keith finish reading. Or continue… It honestly all depended on how much his professor’s hated him. He looked through his notifications, snorting when he saw a preview of Hunk’s messages.

[Hunk]: Lance McClain

[Hunk]: My bro for life

[Hunk]: The only man I would ever fall in love with other than Gordon Ramsay.

[Hunk]: The Ocean to my Beach

[Hunk] The Jelly to my Peanut Butter

[Hunk]: The Shark Boy to my Lava Girl

[Hunk]: If you don’t show up to Movie Night, I will personally hunt you down and drag you here out of pure love.

Lance choked on laughter as he read through his messages, unable to stifle it down. It took him a minute to actually calm down enough to actually type a reply, waving Keith off when he asked if he was okay.

[Lance]: A little dramatic there aren’t you?

[Hunk]: I came to pick you up and you’re not here ):

[Hunk]: Where are you T^T

[Lance]: I’m on the quad. Was doing homework with Keith

[Hunk]: Ah

[Hunk]: Had me worried there bud. Also didn't know Keith was back. Make sure he comes too. Tell him I made food for everyone, including the chicken dip

“Hunk said to make sure you came to Movie Night. He made chicken dip.” Lance relayed, giggling when Keith’s eyes seemed to light up as he began to eagerly pack his things.

“Tell him thanks.”

[Lance]: Keith said you are a blessing and that he’s definitely coming.

[Hunk]: Did he really tho?

[Lance]: In his own, Keith-y way.

He pocketed his phone then, joining Keith in packing up. He made sure they didn’t leave anything behind, garbage or otherwise before tugging Keith along.

“Someone’s excited.”

“Hunk made food. Of course I am!” Lance snorted, slipping his hand into Keith’s.

…

Sunday - 6:35 pm

“You’re late bitches!”

“Pidge!” Shiro yelled in his warning voice. Lance and Keith followed Shiro into his apartment, Lance grinning towards Pidge who was sitting upside down on the couch.

“How dare you refer to me that way. I am the Boss Ass Bitch.” Lance joked, going as far as posing, hand under his chin.

“Oh my god.” He heard Keith and Shiro.

“Welcome Lance.” Allura laughed, dropping a pile of blankets onto the floor beside the couch followed by Adam who dropped a bunch of pillows.

“Hey bud.” Adam chuckled, ruffling his hair.

“My hair!” Lance whined, quickly swatting Adam’s hands away before fixing it, glaring when the older student simply just laughed.

He plopped onto his usual spot on the couch, grabbing the pile of movies from the table to see what everyone had picked, grinning when he saw a few of the group’s favorites. Shiro and Adam were setting up the T.V, occasionally bickering about some of the cords. He could hear Hunk rummaging around in the kitchen, Pidge informing him that he wouldn’t let anyone in because he wanted to finish up with his food. Keith was pulling out the movies he and Lance picked, tossing them over after snorting at Lance’s choice. He passed the movies to Pidge then, who sat at the other end of the couch. Allura sat next to them then and they started working together to figure out what order the movies should go in, Allura being the one who normally did it.

“What? You don’t like musicals?” He asked as Keith placed their bags by the door.

“It’s just always amusing to watch everyone sing along to all of the songs. Besides, it’s better than the alternative.” He shrugged before taking up his spot besides Lance, taking the edge of the couch.

“What was the alternative?” Hunk asked as he emerged from the kitchen finally, holding several plates of food. He sat them on the table neatly, going into the kitchen once more to get the rest of the stuff. Once he had finally set everything up, Lance stood up.

“Hunk Garret! My bro for life, the only one I’d leave Keith for-”

“Fair enough.” Keith mumbled, the rest of their friends snickering.

“-The Lava Girl to my Shark Boy, the beach to my ocean, the peanut butter to my jelly! I have arrived!” Lance cried, tossing himself at Hunk once his arms were free. Hunk laughed, giving him what Lance called his famous bear hug.

“It’s about time you came. I was ready to go out and find you.” He laughed, sitting them down onto the couch with a tired puff.

“Blame Keith. He forgot to pick a movie out so we had to stop by his place to get something.” He quickly said, yelping when Keith gave him pointed look.

“No. We’re late because I had to convince you not to pick the Bee movie.” He grumbled.

“What!? You stopped him from picking the Bee movie!? You fool! That movie is gold!’ Pidge whined.

“Thank you!” Lance yelled, reaching out to hold Pidge’s hand.

“It would have been the Bee’s knees.” Shiro said suddenly, a chorus of groans as a response.

“On second thought, thank god you didn’t. Shiro would have made stupid puns all night.” Pidge grumbled.

“What!? My puns aren’t that bad…” Shiro pouted.

“No offense babe… but they’re as bad as you’re cooking.” Adam piped in, connecting the computer to the T.V. while Shiro was distracted. Shiro whined in offense, the group laughing as he pouted to himself. They only laughed more when Adam leaned over to peck his cheek which made Shiro then smile.

“How are you feeling Lance?” Allura asked, passing the first movie to Adam so he could plug it in.

“I’m… getting there.” He offered, thinking about it for a moment. The thoughts were buzzing at the back of his head, but it was easy not to listen to them while he was with friends and while he was genuinely having a good time. So he said as much. “It’s better being surrounded by everyone rather alone. Just… took me a while. I also got some much needed sleep.” He laughed.

“I’m glad you are here with us Lance. It would not have been the same if one of us were missing.” She said, rubbing his arm a bit with a smile. Lance smiled back and nodded.

“We’re all glad.” Keith added, the rest of them all sounding in agreement. Lance could feel tears well again, quickly waving his hand in front of his face.

“Okay! We all need to stop being sappy now before I start crying!” Lance shouted, hiding his face into Keith’s chest. He snuggled closer when he heard everyone laugh.

God I love them…

They don’t love you. They’re all lying… There’s no way they’re actually glad to see you here.

No… They do.

Lance shoved his thoughts back bitterly, the urge to fist fight himself growing. He huffed and adjusted himself, absorbing the warmth of his friends instead. He was getting annoyed with his thoughts now, getting agitated with the way it would shove into his life when he was genuinely having a good time. It was a stupid cycle Lance was trapped in, one that he was working on escaping. Hopefully… one day he would be able to.

“Alright, let’s dig in!” Hunk yelled, the group cheering.

…

After passing food around, everyone settled down together, Adam and Shiro taking a spot on the floor in front of the couch. The rest of them piled onto the couch, comfortably cuddling with one another as the movie started. Lance hummed happily as he leaned back against Keith and Hunk, snuggled between them. He nibbled on his food, looking over his friends and watching them, smiling as he kept an eye on all of his friends. They all looked comfortable, smiles on their faces when they weren’t stuffing their faces with Hunk’s food. On occasion someone would quote the movie making the rest of them laugh or join in. In the privacy of Shiro’s apartment, everyone seemed to relax more, be more of themselves, be happy. It was nice.

So maybe he wasn’t exactly okay this week. Maybe he was still struggling. But right now…

He was more okay then he had been all week.

A/N: I’m very happy at how this fic turned out and I’m very sad that it has come to end.

But! As mentioned before, I have something to share~!

I’m working on a new Klance fic, so if you are interested, please check it out here on Tumblr or on Ao3! First chapter is up!

Again, thank you for reading, thank you for the comments, thank you for following me on this little adventure. Hope you’ll join me on the next one!

#roy writes #roy writes a klance fic #klance #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith x lance #vld #voltron #Voltron legendary defender #netflix voltron #langst #klangst #fic #fic: the little things #the little things

8 notes · View notes

nexthecryptid · 6 years

Text

The Little Things Ch. 6

Summary: Lance thought he would be okay. It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit. No problem. He was fine. Everything was fine.But it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine.

Prefer to read it on A03? Here!

First - Previous - Next

A/N: A small warning, but there is some more negative thoughts, some self-hatred. Also! Samantha_Ravenhearst shared a song that you should also listen to! 6/10 by Dodie. It is a lovely song and I most definitely listened to it while writing this chapter. That and The Draw by Bastille. Also, where did you all come from hi! Thank you for all the lovely comments! Feel free to come talk to me or ask me anything if you need to!

Things to know:

Keith’s / Lance’s Thoughts

Keith’s / Lance’s Negative Thoughts

...

Saturday - 9:23am

[Keith]: Hey Lance

[Keith]: I’m getting ready to head back to campus. Want to get some lunch?

Keith placed his phone down, checking his bag to make sure he had placed all of his books and homework. He looked around his room one more time, making sure he didn’t leave anything behind. He had kept his room cleaned, deciding to leave some of his clothes behind for another visit. He cursed when he looked to his desk, spotting a small box that he needed to take with him, a gift for Lance inside. He quickly grabbed it, going as far as opening it to make sure the gift was still inside. Once satisfied, he placed the box into his bag, grabbing his phone and checking his messages. He didn’t get a new one.

Something’s wrong. Lance should be up by now but he isn’t answering?

Could have picked up an extra shift. He’s probably just working. It’s only been about thirty minutes since I’ve texted him.

Or something happened to him…

Keith waited for about a ten more minutes before checking the time on his phone again, a small frown forming on his face. He shook the uneasing feeling that crept over his shoulders and quickly stuffed the phone away, leaving the room he had been staying in. He gripped the strap of his bag, swiping his helmet off from his bed before going downstairs quickly and looking around the house for his mom. When he finally found her, she was waiting outside on the porch, a cup of coffee in her hands as she sat on the steps. He smiled a little, walking out and letting the door close behind him.

“Got everything?” She asked, looking up at him and doing a small check on her own, eyes lingering on the helmet for a moment.

“Yeah. Helmet, phone, keys, and my bag.” He said, lifting each item up. She hummed in response, setting her cup down off to the side before standing.

“And… Did you remember Lance’s gift?” She asked, a smile tugging more at her lips.

“In my backpack. I checked like five times.” He said, laughing as he patted the strap. She smiled warmly at that, also chuckling a bit.

“Drive safe. Don’t let me catch you speeding or I’ll kick your ass.” She said, playful, but the threat was there.

“You won’t be the only one.” He chuckled, his thoughts going back to Lance. He frowned again, the uneasy feeling creeping its way back up.

“Everything alright?” She asked, placing her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a bit in comfort. He reached up and held her hand there, taking a deep breath before shaking his head.

“I’m just worried about Lance. He seemed off Monday, and I was going to check on him after class, but I didn’t get the chance.” He explained, sighing a bit. Lance could text him that he was fine all he wanted, but Keith wouldn’t know for sure until he actually saw his boyfriend. Lance could hide it, and if something was bothering Lance, then he’d had probably hid it from their friends too.

“Then go check on him today.” She said, smiling reassuringly.

“I mean that was the plan.” Keith grumbled.

“Then get going.” She chuckled, giving him a hug before gently nudging him along.

“Thanks Mom.” He smiled and quickly got on his bike, silently apologizing to the neighbors as it roared to life.

“And Keith! Tell him I’ll kick his ass too if he doesn’t take care of himself!” He heard his mom yell over his bike, making him laugh as he pulled out from her driveway. He gave a quick wave goodbye before driving off, minding the speed limit as he headed back to school.

…

Saturday - 12:13 pm

After stopping by his own apartment for a while to clean up, showering in his own apartment more satisfying then when he was at his Mom’s, he went over to Lance’s. He pulled into his usual spot when he went over, cutting the engine and hopping off his bike in one swift movement, practically ignoring everything around him as he went straight to Lance’s room. He checked his phone again, wanting to make sure he didn’t get any new messages. He hadn’t gotten any, but he wanted to make sure in case Lance was possibly busy with work rather than something be wrong.

Something is wrong. He hasn’t responded… Maybe he’s mad at you.

He could still be working… Or sleeping in.

Lance… the morning person… sleeping in?

Keith took a deep breath and cleared his head, digging out his keys and picking out the spare for Lance’s room. He slowly pushed the door in, being as quiet as possible in case Lance was actually sleeping. He kept his movements silent, closing the door and locking it. He placed his bag down besides the door, taking his shoes off.

He looked around the room, noting the bag that was tossed off to the side, notebooks and books slipping out to the floor. Near it was another bag, Keith recognizing it as his work bag when he spotted his uniform sticking out. That meant Lance wasn’t actually at work, meaning he was probably home. His desk was empty though, papers thrown about, some crumpled up. His laptop was closed, so Lance definitely wasn’t working on any homework. The gut feeling he had was getting worse as he moved towards Lance’s bed, moving to touch the stone that hung over his chest, having replaced the chain while he was at his Mom’s.

When he did get to Lance, his chest tightened. Lance was curled up on bed, his body shaking as he hid under his sheets. Keith carefully and gently pulled the sheets off, biting the inside of his cheek. Lance’s fingers were digging into his scalp, occasionally pulling at his hair as he whimpered. His whimpers turned into small broken sobs, tears falling and staining his cheeks. Keith slowly came closer, kneeling down in front of him. He was about to gently wake him up, but he stopped, spotting the bruise on his cheek. He frowned, his anger flaring at the sight. It didn’t help that he could see the dark bags forming under his eyes, a clear indication that Lance hadn’t been sleeping well or at all in the past few days. He winced when he noticed that his bottom lip had an open wound on it, Lance clearly biting it to the point he broke skin. It was swollen, and it looked like it hurt each time Lance brushed his teeth against it. Lance was hitting a low, one where his thoughts were probably plaguing him...

Keith took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever reaction Lance would have for him being there.

Focus…

“Lance…”He said, gently placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, gently shaking him a bit. His eyes widened when Lance shot up from his bed, breathing irratically as he quickly looked around. His eyes widened when they fell on Keith, blinking a few times before easing back down, sitting awkwardly.

“Keith?” He asked, blinking a bit. At first he looked confused, again looking around a bit before staring back at Keith, as if confirming that he wasn’t dreaming. As soon as he noticed the situation and quickly started wiping at his face, turning away, as he tried to clean himself up. Keith couldn’t help the small smile as he noticed Lance was wearing one of his shirts, one he usually teased him about. He reached out and gently took his hand, leaning down and kissing his knuckles.

He’ll try to deny anything being wrong now… If I give him his own time, he’ll open up…

What if he doesn’t?

He will… hopefully…

“Want me to order a pizza? We can watch some cartoons, you know, like we were going to do Monday?” He offered, also offering a chance for Lance to escape if he needed.

“Yeah… I’d like that.” Lance mumbled. “I’m… I’m going to go take a shower.” Keith nodded and got up, leaving the bedroom to give Lance his space

…

Saturday - 12:52pm

Lance nibbled at his lower lip, messing with his fingers as he sat on the couch in his living room. He checked over his phone for a minute, but he couldn’t focus on anything and ended up tossing it to the side, hearing it clatter as it bounced off the cushion and onto the floor. He watched as Keith set up his laptop, pulling up a random Scooby-Doo movie. He would have laughed at the choice, but he was too preoccupied by the thoughts that were swarming around his head, feeling slightly nauseous.

Why is Keith here? Did something happen?

What if the others had said something to Keith? What if he knew something was wrong?

He’s here because he’s worried.

Doesn’t he have enough to worry about? He was just having a good time with his family and now he’s here, dealing with you. You’re a mess. You look absolutely awful and he saw you! He saw you crying! Saw you curled up pathetically! He saw you! How long do you think he’ll stick around? He’s just going to leave you, just like the others. Maybe that’s why he’s here? He’s here to end it. To kick you out of his life. He’s here to get rid of you. You’re so annoying. So bothersome. He probably hates you. The others probably hate you. You hate yourself, why wouldn’t everyone else? Why wou-

“Lance.” Came a soft voice, hands gently wrapping around his wrists and gently tugging at them. He winced as he let go of his hair, not noticing he had moved to grip it and let the hands pull them away. He felt the tears well in his eyes and quickly blinked them away, choosing to stare down at his lap rather than look up at Keith.

“I’m sorry.” He whimpered, trying to refrain from curling up into a ball, his fingers twitching to tug at his hair again. When his hands did start to move upwards, the hands around his wrists gave a small squeeze, grounding him back again.

“What are you apologizing for Lance?” Keith asked, kneeling in front of him. Lance glanced up at him for a moment, relaxing a bit when he noticed the patient look he was getting.

“Because I’m a mess! Because you were just at your family’s, probably having a good time and now you’re here with me! You don’t want me to be here! Someone better should be here!” He said, the tears coming back as his voice cracked.

“I want to be here with you and only you. I don’t want to leave, and I don’t want anyone else to be here. Just you Lance.” Keith said firmly, rubbing small circles onto his wrists. Lance looked at him then, trying to find a sign that maybe Keith was lying, that maybe his thoughts were right, but he didn’t find anything. Instead, Keith looked at him with such a caring look, Lance nearly broke down then.

“So you agree that I’m a mess?” He snorted, a small smile tugging at his lips. Despite how serious Keith was taking this, he was trying to make some sort of joke to ease the situation. Not for Keith’s sake, for his own.

“I mean, yeah. It’s kind of obvious now that you’re not okay.” He chuckled, following Lance’s lead on easing the mood.

“I am far from okay Keith.” He admitted, laughing even though he was also serious. He slowly pulled his hands away, Keith watching, and wiped the tears in his eyes away, sniffling a bit. He then grabbed onto Keith’s hands, holding them and humming when Keith held back, giving a comforting squeeze.

“It’s okay to not be okay.” Keith replied and Lance couldn’t help but laugh again, shaking his head when he saw the small smile on Keith’s face.

Those six words floated around in his head for a while, thinking about his friends as he tried to push away his negative thoughts. A comfortable silence seem to fall over them, Lance patting beside him for Keith to sit next to him. Once Keith had gotten comfortable on the couch, Lance leaned against him, deciding to half focus on the forgotten movie in front of them. Keith didn’t push, didn’t force Lance to open up and he appreciated that. Opening up was hard, letting people know what was really going on in his head was terrifying, especially with previous reactions with people he thought he could trust. But… Keith never reacted in the same way, and while Lance had always been afraid before, he knew that he could trust Keith.

Keith trusts me… and I trust him.

…

Saturday - 1:47pm

Lance wasn’t sure when he had dozed off, but he jumped when a loud knock came at his door, fear shooting into his body for a moment. He heard Keith curse under his breath before sitting up, letting him get up to answer the door. It was probably the pizza Keith had ordered. He looked around for his phone before spotting it still on the floor, leaning over and quickly swiping it up to check the time. He didn’t have the effort to go through his notifications and sat it on the table, sitting back on the couch and hugging his knees.

The smell of pizza filled his room then, his stomach growling as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten anything since the day before. He looked towards Keith as he closed the door, watching him as he balanced two boxes on one arm as he held a bottle of soda in his other. He laughed and got up, letting Keith set the food up on the table as he went to get two cups for them, also swiping some napkins from his small kitchen stash by his desk.

“Nothing says student depression like watching Scooby-Doo and eating pizza.” Lance joked, plopping onto the couch again. Keith pulled the table closer, chuckling a bit before joining him.

They sat there and watched the movie, quietly enjoying their pizza and each others company. Lance relaxed the longer they sat there, shifting so he was leaning against Keith again, occasionally commenting on the movie, Keith occasionally sharing fun facts of the monsters that showed up on the screen. It was nice, no pressure, no expectations, just a nice and quiet lunch with one another. He could feel Keith’s gaze drift to him on occasion, but whenever he did look back, it wasn’t a look of pity, discomfort, or annoyance. It was just a pure and welcoming look, and it would make Lance blush, make his heart stutter and make his thoughts quiet down. And then Keith would do something affectionate. A small peck to his head, a squeeze to his hand, a small nudge with his shoulder.

...I want to tell him.

What if he doesn’t want to listen?

Logically speaking, Keith would just be blunt about it and tell me.

With that thought in mind, he started working himself up to actually say something. He thought about what to tell him first. Should he start from the beginning of the week? Should he share what he thought to himself? He wiped at his cheek when he felt pizza sauce and winced, nearly forgetting about the bruise. If there’s anything to start with, he figured the obvious would be his best bet.

“So…I got punched Thursday by a drunk student. Shiro scared him off before he could hit me again and Nyma threatened to kill him more than three times already.” He said, frowning at the image of the large, gross looking bruise on his face from when he had looked into the mirror.

“I’m guessing you held Nyma back from actually fighting him.” Keith murmured. He reached over and gently touched the area around the bruise, a frown settling on his face. Lance grabbed onto his hand, holding it as he turned his head to kiss the inside of his pal. Keith smiled, leaning down and giving Lance a quick kiss.

“He was messing with her, so I stepped between them. I’m pretty sure she’s keeping an eye out for him right now to kick his ass. But it was just so stupid. Like, I got hurt earlier too in class. In class Keith! Look!” He whined, showing him the cut on his hand next. Keith’s frown came back and he hissed at the sight, gently taking his hand and inspecting it.

“That’s it. I’m putting you in a bubble.” He said, kissing the cut before looking at him with such a serious look, Lance would have thought he was serious hadn’t there not been the little quirk in his lips. He laughed and shook his head.

“All by myself? You do know that means I won’t be able to hold your hand or give you kisses or hugs or any affection at all, right?” He teased.

“Fuck.” Keith grumbled, a pout on his face. “Seriously though, does it still hurt? You cleaned it and everything right?” He asked.

“Yeah. I wrapped it up at work and made sure not to touch anything. It’s not too deep, but it does still kind of hurt. Probably because I moved it too much.” He said, looking down at it. There was a moment of silence between them, Keith looking over the cut and his bruise a bit more. Lance smiled at his boyfriend’s actions, knowing full well that he wanted to go after the guy who had punched him, probably even go as far as to fight the chair that broke on him. The image made him laugh.

“Tell me about the rest of your week?” He asked, and Lance hesitated, drawing into himself a bit. But then he moved, crawling onto Keith’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck, getting comfortable there. When he felt Keith wrap his arms around his waist, he fully leaned into him, taking a deep breath. Then he started telling Keith the rest, eventually just spilling everything that had happened, going into all of his thoughts.. Keith listened, holding him tighter when Lance had started crying again. Through it all, Keith stayed, listened, and did his best to comfort him. But just being listened to was all Lance needed, finally feeling the pressure on his shoulders and chest lift up.

“Oh Lance… If I could fight all of your thoughts, I would.” Keith said, Lance feeling his fingers brushing his tears away. Lance laughed, holding onto his shirt.

“Dude, get in line.” He huffed, biting at his lip. He winced when he nicked at the open wound, moving to mess with his shirt as he grounded himself. Keith noticed, giving him a small look before he gently nudge him to get up.

“I have to get something from my bag.” He said softly, Lance reluctantly getting off and sitting on the couch. He watched him get up and walk towards the door, panic filling his head.

He’s leaving. You messed up and now he’s leaving. He-

But before his thoughts could go further, Keith leaned down and swiped up his bag and promptly returned, sitting next to him and angling himself so he was facing him. He dug around his bag for a moment, cursing under his breath a few different times before he sighed and pulled out a box, placing his bag onto the floor.

“This is for you.” Keith said, a small smile forming on his face but Lance saw his eyes flicker between him and the box. He was nervous. Lance rose a brow but slowly took the box, eyeing it curiously. He crossed his legs, facing Keith before opening it. His eyes widened, a smile forming on his face as he pulled the object out. It was a bracelet, a pendent dangling from it. It was a blue jellyfish, lighter blue spots on the bell. When he touched it, he noticed how it wasn’t solid, curiously pinching at it.

“It’s one of those pendants you can chew. You know… since you’re always biting holes into your lips whenever you’re at a low.” Keith mumbled, getting his attention. “It’s also on one of those retractable string things. So you can tug on it.” He reached over and pulled on the jellyfish a bit, letting it snap back in place. Lance stared down at it for a moment before back at Keith.

“You… You’ve bee watching me?” He asked, a teasing smile growing. But it threw Lance to the moon and back, his heart starting to beat faster as his face grew warmer.

“Yeah. After you got me this stone, I figured that there might be something that could help you too.” He said, shrugging but smiling all the same.

“Keith… Thank you.” Lance leaned over, giving Keith a quick kiss before holding his bracelet out. “Put it on?”

“Sure.”

As Keith put the bracelet on, Lance hummed happily, watching him struggle with the clasp for a bit. He couldn’t help but let the warmth in his chest grow as he thought about how Keith actually took notice of the little things he did and how he went as far as to get something to help him with it. While Lance couldn’t completely get rid of his negative thoughts, at least he knew he could lean on Keith when he needed to. And if yesterday was any sign, he could lean on his friends too.

Tomorrow… Tomorrow maybe he’d be okay, maybe he wouldn’t be. But he would be with everyone, so at the very least he’d be somewhat okay.

…

A/N: So, fun fact, that bracelet that I gave Lance is something that I used to have actually. It didn't have the retractable string initially until i added that to it, but it helped nonetheless. Anyhoo until next chapter!

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nexthecryptid · 6 years

Text

The Little Things Ch. 4

Summary: Lance thought he would be okay. It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit. No problem. He was fine. Everything was fine.But it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine.

Prefer to read it on A03? Here!

First - Previous - Next

Thursday - 4:45pm

The day had seemed to whirl by, going by so fast Lance didn’t have any time to himself like he had wanted. He was currently running back to his apartment, shouting apologies over his shoulders as he pushed through the crowd of students that were trying to get to their own destination. He had finished classes not too long ago, grateful that his professor had let them out earlier. Classes had been particularly painful today, both mentally and surprisingly physically.

He started the day off relatively well given that he hadn’t slept again. He managed to get himself through his morning routine, finding comfort in the way he could control his appearance, if only by a bit. His eyes were still red and puffy, but after rubbing under his eyes with some cold water for about ten minutes, it went away, erasing any evidence that he had been crying. He hid the growing bags under his eyes with some makeup, erasing the freckles on his cheeks from view before letting out a satisfied sigh. He straightened his curls out, and by the time he was done getting ready, he felt the negative thoughts ease off a little. But they were still there, and when he walked to class, he got the reminder.

Lance had picked up his favorite coffee, content with the fact that he was going to make it to class on time. But when he was about halfway done with his coffee, he had tripped and dropped the cup, the top popping off and setting the liquid energy free. He felt a bit childish as he thought about how close to crying he was, tears welling in his eyes before he forced himself to pick up the empty cup and top, tossing them away before going to class. He got to class on time after that, relieved as he got ready for the lecture. Halfway through, the Professor had surprised them with a quiz, one Lance knew he had failed. In his second class, he had been mortified. He went to sit down, politely greeting the students who usually sat beside him, when his chair seemed to cave in, causing him to land hard on his ass. Part of the chair had dug into his back as he fell, Lance hissing as he felt tears welling up again. When he moved to push himself up, he also noticed that he had cut his hand from the metal, hissing when he pressed the open wound to the floor. His only comfort was the fact that it was in Professor Coran’s class, who doubled as his advisor. He excused Lance to get cleaned up, as well as offering an escape from the looks the class had casted his way. He could hear them whispering, heard some of them laughing, and his face heated as he took the offer.

He wouldn’t have called his day the greatest, but he also supposed that it could have been far worse, especially with all the problems that seemed to be swarming his friends. He met up with Pidge and Hunk for lunch, Hunk insisting they do so, even though it was technically late for lunch. He had apparently gone overboard with cooking during his class break, making lunch for a group instead of one person. He was still on edge, babbling about his lunch date with Shay and sharing some of the thoughts that seemed to plague him. He also shared that they had another date coming up during the weekend, in which Hunk confessed that he wanted to ask Shay to be his girlfriend then. Lance had reassured him the best that he could, helping him divide the lunch buffet among the three of them.

Pidge had brought their own lunch, but to Lance’s relief, it wasn’t actually one, which meant Hunk wouldn’t have felt guilty for wasting food. Instead of an actual lunch, Pidge had brought a dozen of peanut butter cookies, munching on them slowly before digging into Hunk’s food. They were clearly still stressed, and when Lance decided to ask about their ongoing projects, he instantly regretted it when Pidge looked ready to explode, be it crying or screaming. Lance comforted Pidge to the best of his ability then too. Hunk also helped, occasionally throwing words in that he didn’t understood but Pidge did, making them laugh on occasion.

There had been a pause then, a comfortable silence among the three of them. Lance had broken the silence though, something he now regretted, to ask why Hunk hadn’t invited the other half of their group. With Keith, it was obvious, considering that he was still home. However, Hunk had explained that he got a text from Allura indicating that she was sick and couldn’t join. The fact that Lance hadn’t seen or heard from her the last three days meant that it was probably bad. Allura would never let a cold stop her from studying. Shiro had also declined, saying that he had something personal to tend to. That sent their peaceful lunch into one of concern, and Lance felt guilty for it.

What had surprised him though was how Hunk broke the silence to ask how Lance was doing. He had hesitated at the question, his gaze drifting away from his friends as he thought about the answer. He had wanted to go with the usual ‘I’m fine.’ but saying that one too many times would make his friends suspicious. He then considered sharing what he was going through, but it was a lot to unpack, and he didn’t exactly had the time or the energy for it. He considered sharing about his day, just to get at least something off his chest, but even then he didn’t want to. He also hated his hesitation because even that was a sign. The negative thoughts swarmed then, pushing into his head and weighing down his tongue. He couldn’t share how grateful he was when his phone had went off with a notification to inform he had a message. But the message only sent him spiraling forward, his eyes widened with panic as he let out a slew of curses. He had forgotten about his shift at the diner, quickly gathering his stuff only to curse more when he forgot his uniform. He hissed when the strap of his bag had dug into his hand, nearly forgetting the embarrassing wound. Hunk has asked if he was okay, Pidge looking ready to reach out but he quickly got up and out of reach. He threw a short apology and a b.s. explanation to them before rushing off.

That’s why he was running home now, checking the time every so often. When he finally managed to get to his apartment, he threw his school bag on the floor, not giving it a second glance as he heard his notebooks falling out. He then nearly destroyed his room looking for his work bag, finding it only when he moved his bed. As suspected, it had fallen against the wall and to his relief, his uniform had been neatly folded inside, a plastic bag holding his work shoes as well. He took a moment to double, to triple check that he had all of what he needed, stopping in his tracks only to turn around and grabbing his phone charger before finally taking his leave, ignoring the way his legs shook before he broke into a run.

…

Thursday - 5:12pm

“You’re late.” His heart sank as he entered the diner, breathing heavily from running the whole way. He looked to the woman that stood by the booth, Lance nervously fixing himself. The look that he got from his manager was unreadable, and he couldn’t help the panic that rose in his gut. He was in trouble. He had probably been late too many times. How many times had he called out? Missed a shift?

Disappointment! That’s what you are! Can’t even handle your job, it’s a surprise you still have it!

“I’m really sorry Luxia! A few things came up with my friends and I completely forgot and then I had to go home to get my stuff and I ran here as fast as I could and-”

“Hey! Woah, easy Lance!” She said, cutting him off which made him flinch. “I was just messing with you sweetie, you’re not in trouble.” She said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Lance felt near tears by her reassurance, letting out a long sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his hair, gently pulling it a bit before nodding, laughing awkwardly.

“Sorry.” He said.

Pathetic. Making such a big deal out of a joke. He didn’t know it was a joke…

“Don’t be. Are… are you okay Lance?” She asked, carefully studying him.

You probably look like shit. Go ahead and cry! Make yet another person worry about you!

“It’s… just been a day.” He said, laughing bitterly. “I’m fine though.” He reassured, gathering all his energy to give her a big smile.

“You sure? It’s okay if you need to go home. I can get someone else to close.” She said. He mentally whined, forgetting he was closing tonight but he didn’t let it show, giving a snort as he essentially threw himself back into gear.

“Yeah, I'm good. Besides, knowing you, you’d end up being the one closing. I don’t want to do that to you.” He said, knowing the middle aged woman had a too caring heart sometimes.

“Well…” She didn’t look entirely convinced…

Probably worried you’ll fuck up on the job…

“If you change your mind, let me know okay? I told Plaxum she could go home early if it’s slow tonight, so it'll only be you after Nyma leaves.” She informed. Lance nodded, standing straight and giving a salute.

“Yes ma’am!” He said before giving her another smile. She giggled and shook her head, gently touching his cheek. It reminded him of his mother…

“Please remember that I appreciate you being here.” She said before giving him a small push. “Now go get dressed honey. College Dinner Rush is near.”

“Not CDR!” He laughed and rushed to the back, going into the employees changing room.

…

Thursday - 10:37pm

Lance sighed a bit as he tucked his phone away, glancing out to the booths to see if anyone needed any refills. On most days, he didn’t mind the crowd of college students, being in his element. He was friendly, finding it easy to start a conversation with practically everyone, even some of the quieter students. Being that sociable meant he practically knew half the school, and he loved that he was known as a nice guy. The problem was, he could never have a day where he didn’t have to talk to someone. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes or conversations that day, but he still took part, both because he was working, and because he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It was exhausting.

Fake. You’re being fake to all of them.

He mentally sighed in relief as he wiped down a table, one of his larger groups leaving for the night. He refrained from making a face at the mess they had met, collecting the dishes to send back to the dishwasher. He gave an apologetic look to Rolo as he sat the dishes down, reminding him how much he had appreciated the dish washer when he made a face at the concoction the customers had made out of boredom.

“Seriously?” He said and Lance nearly gagged when Rolo touched it as he started cleaning.

“Dude I don’t know how you do it, but you’re a blessing.” Lance said before going back out. He had expected maybe a few customers coming in, maybe even be called over to a table because he was needed. What he didn’t expect though, was seeing Nyma trying to politely talk with a student who was apparently drunk.

Ah it’s gonna be one of those nights… On a thursday too… He checked on his tables, glancing over to her on occasion as he moved around. Nyma was more than capable to handle things on her own, but drunk students were always unpredictable so he would worry.

He was about to take care of a bill when he heard the drunk student’s voice grow louder, angrier. Nyma looked ready to snap the guy in half, only backing up when he got up and got too close for comfort. If he didn’t step in now, there was no guarantee that the drunk’s face would leave without a black eye or broken nose.

“Sir, if you cannot behave yourself, I will have no other choice but to ask you to leave.” Nyma said through gritted teeth, fingers twitching.

“Awww but ba-babe! Come ooonnnn. Give me a little smoo-oocchhh.” He slurred, hiccupping occasionally. Lance sighed and gently placed a hand on Nyma’s shoulder, pulling her back a bit so he could step in between.

“Sir, that is incredibly inappropriate and not to mention rude. I’m insisting you take your leave. Now.” He said firmly, leveling him with a glare.

“Maaaannn whatever. You guys can’t do shit.” He said, and Lance made a face, smelling the alcohol thick in his breath.

“Sir. Leave!” He snapped, trying to be as professional as he could about it, raising his voice if only to get the attention of the cooks who were much bigger in muscles from the back.

“Shut the fuck up!” Lance braced himself as he saw the other raise a fist, finding Nyma’s arm and gripping it. When the fist connected to his cheek, he winced, his head snapping to the side, but he kept his body still. He swallowed hard, willing the sting behind his eyes away and looking back to the drunk man before him.

“Let me go Lance.” Nyma hissed, and Lance knew she would go for blood.

“I’m going to ask you one more time sir. Please leave. Before I call the cops.” He said calmly.

“Get the fuck ou-” Lance blinked in surprise when the guy suddenly stopped talking, a hand reaching between them and gripping the front of his shirt. Following the hand, his eyes actually widened.

“Shiro?”

“You hit or yell at him one more time, I can assure you, I won’t be asking you to leave.” He said, his voice kind. The drunk student sputtered, apparently sobering up as he pulled away from him, rushing out the door. Lance sighed in relief, wincing when Nyma tugged her arm out of his hold now that he relaxed his grip.

“Lance are you okay?” She asked, turning him around and gently grabbing his chin, examining his cheek. He winced, mentally kicking himself for it when she noticed.

“I’m fine Nyma. Just need to ice it a bit is all.” He reassured, grabbing her wrist and offering a smile.

“You idiot.” She said warmly, “Next time let me kick his ass!” She snapped, glaring at him, unable to hold her annoyance. He smiled before turning to his savior.

“If you weren’t my hero before, you definitely are now.” He said, laughing when Shiro’s cheeks tinted a bit pink.

“I’m just glad I came in when I did. You sure you’re okay? It looks a little red.” He said, looking at his cheek.

Weak… he had to come save your ass because you couldn’t handle it yourself.

“It stings a little, but I’m almost done so I’ll take care after I’m done closing.” He said, pausing before looking back to Shiro. “Have a seat. I’ll get your usual when I’m done with my other tables okay?”

“You sure?” He asked, looking ready to decline but Lance knew better. Shiro had a distant look in his eyes, shoulders tensing and untensing. Something was wrong, and if the look of debate on his face was any indication, he knew Shiro didn’t just come by for food. Being their usual spot, their group always tended to show up at the diner, the place offering comfort its familiarity.

“Yeah. Get settled.” He said, sending him a knowing look.

…

Thursday - 11:25pm

Lance gave a few more thank yous before waving the cooks goodnight, reassuring them that he would finish up, twirling the keys around his finger. Rolo and Nyma had left earlier, Nyma asking probably one hundred times if he was okay with closing. He was trying not to snap that, yes he was fine, especially since he had to spend the rest of his shift dealing with concerned customers. He would have probably took her offer to go home while she closed, but the quiet upperclassmen in their group’s usual booth held him there. He finished up his cleaning, making sure everything was spotless and per Luxia’s liking, declining every offer Shiro made to help. Once he was done, he grabbed the warm sandwiches from the back, getting some chips and leftover cookies before sitting across from Shiro.

“Lance… Thank you.” Shiro said, sighing instead of being worried. After eating there for so long, Shiro gave up on worrying about if it was okay to stay at the diner after hours or not, just grateful for the peace.

“No problem Dad.” He teased, smiling when he got Shiro to laugh. “So… everything okay?” Shiro looked at him for a moment before looking down at his food.

“Just… had a rough day is all.” He said, popping a chip in his mouth.

“Want to talk about it?” He offered, picking up his sandwich to take a large bite, finally quieting the growl coming from his stomach.

“Only if you’re going to talk about your day.” He said. Lance groaned, rolling his eyes a bit. Either Hunk and Pidge said something to him at some point, or his Dad senses were tingling.

“No thank you. Can we just eat in peace, completely ignoring the irrelevant issues in my life?” He asked. Just as he knew something was wrong with Shiro, the older male somehow knew that something was eating at Lance. Out of all of his friends, Shiro was the second hardest person to hide his emotions from, first being Keith. Luckily though, Lance could still play it off, mainly because the way Shiro coped was the same way he did. For the most part. While Lance let his emotions bottle up, choosing to shatter them open when he was alone, Shiro opened up with the group when it got to be too much. Lance liked that because it just showed how much he trusted them, trusted him.

Does that mean you don’t trust them? You’re horrible! They trust you! Why can’t you trust them?

“Are they really irrelevant?” Shiro asked, studying him.

“Trust me.” He winced at his own choice of words. “I will completely forget about today when I go to bed.” He said. The sting on his cheek, the sting in the palm, and his own obnoxious thoughts reminded him otherwise.

They ate then, moving to talk about a common book they read, occasionally cracking jokes. They talked about school, about their families, just about anything and everything. It was nice, a small getaway that both he and Shiro needed. When all was done, Lance offered to walk Shiro home, knowing how he felt about the night. It was on the way to his own apartment anyway, and honestly, he also didn’t have to worry about being randomly mugged. It was nice.

It was a small escape.

A distraction.

But when Shiro went into his building, leaving Lance to walk ten minutes alone to his apartment, he didn’t have anything to distract him from his own deprecating thoughts. His fingers twitched over his phone, tempted to call Keith like he did yesterday, but he refrained. He hadn’t gotten any texts from his boyfriend, so that meant that he was either busy or… he stopped his train of thought. Keith had to be safe. He was probably just busy.

Or he doesn’t want to talk to you.

He sped up his walk, the wind nipping a little too harshly to his liking as he made his way to his apartment. To his relief, tomorrow was Friday, meaning no classes. He had a shift in the morning, but after that, he was completely free, and if he couldn’t sleep tonight, he knew that he sure as hell would after work. He would make himself sleep, even if he had to somehow knock himself out.

…

A/N: Let me know what you think!

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