#pidge is a little shit confirmed

[marinsawakening]

I saw a post that reminded me of this which is why I'm talking about this out of the blue but whenever I see the 'do canonically male characters you headcanon as trans girls count as female characters' debate pops up I remember this one event from the Voltron fandom where an f/f ship week banned genderbending and people lost their SHIT about it, SPECIFICALLY because the mods were like 'we want people to actually focus on the female characters and not submit already popular m/m ships but genderbent'.

This was years ago obviously so standard 'my memory may be fuzzy' disclaimer, but while I believe part of the reasons the mods banned genderbending was bc they believed it to be transphobic (which you could actually argue against and is a stance I don't agree with), and ppl were using that as leverage to argue, but that's not what ppl were actually angry about. Also, I believe the event was run by antis, who had a 'no age gap ships' rule in place, and people were mad about that, but like. The only f/f ships at the time with even kind of an age gap were ones involving Pidge, (which, again, for the record, I never personally gave much of a shit about), and yeah I do believe those were banned and ppl were pissy about that, but most of the ppl arguing with the ship restrictions were doing so in combination with the genderbending restriction, bc what they were mad about wasn't actually about a major female character being banned from the f/f ship week for Ship Discourse Reasons.

What they were angry about was specifically being told their genderbent m/m ships didn't count because they did not, in fact, contain female characters. Arguments were made that, because it was genderbent, it was now f/f and should be allowed in the f/f ship week. The mods went no, those are still canon male characters and popular m/m ships, and we're trying to run a week about the female characters and f/f ships because they don't get enough attention. The mods were fending accusatory and argumentative asks for ages and told people to create their own f/f ship week if they didn't like how theirs was run, which. People did.

A counter f/f ship week was organized but with less restrictions, specifically the restriction on genderbending was lifted. Now, I never followed Ship Week B, because I don't care about shipping and I was there to see more attention given to the female characters, which allowing genderbent m/m content seemed pretty anathema to. But I did check in on it out of curiosity, and to no-one's surprise, Ship Week B contained very large amounts of mostly genderbent sheith, with some shiro/lance and lance/keith thrown in. Like, I'm sure there was also actual f/f content (I remember there being some Pidge/Allura specifically), but I remember very little of it.

And as I alluded to in the large Nuance Disclaimer paragraph: yes this was the Voltron fandom, yes the Disk Horse was involved and made everything far more explosive than it probably would've been otherwise, and also, if the mods hadn't explicitly put the genderbending restriction in the rules list they probably would've gotten maybe a few genderbent m/m submissions tops. It's pretty obvious that a large motivation for Ship Week B was spite, and as someone whose username is literally spitecentral on AO3, I can confirm there is no stronger motivation for fan content than spite. I don't actually think that genderbent m/m is such a major problem in f/f spaces that it needs to be explicitly banned to avoid having it overrun ship weeks.

But even taking all that into account, this whole thing was completely fucking bonkers. Regardless of your opinions on the mods' opinions on genderbending and the Disk Horse, asking ppl not to submit genderbent m/m content on account of it not containing canon female characters is completely reasonable, and the fact that people got mad enough about it to create a whole seperate f/f ship week SPECIFICALLY to allow genderbent m/m content is insane. All the f/f ship week asked was for people to pay attention to female characters for once, and people threw a fucking tantrum about it and not only point-blank refused, but created more content for the male characters out of spite.

So yeah that was kind of a formative fandom experience to me that taught me:

People will take any excuse possible to avoid paying attention to female characters.

People will make literally anything, up to and including female character-centric fandom events, about men.

And that's what I think about any time I see people get offended when others point out that headcanoning a canon male character as a trans girl isn't the same as engaging with female characters.

#Anyway that was this week's episode of 'Tales From the Voltron Fandom' #I considered keeping the fandom anonymous but I feel like it kinda needed to be named #To put all this ridiculous bullshit into perspective bc truly the vld fandom was like this all the time #I may have gotten overly involved in fandom discourse and got pulled into dumb fights and opinions as a result #But at least I never got anywhere nearly as insane as the voltron fandom was routinely #Anyway secret third thing this taught me was that not only will ppl avoid paying attention to girls at all costs #They'll get really cartoonishly mad when you tell them to pay attention to girls #Like this rlly truly wasnt actually about the ship discourse #It didn't help and escalated things but if that was the main issue ship week b would've just been a pidge-centric f/f week #But it wasn't. Because what it was about was ppl wanting to make the f/f ship week about men #My posts

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 23: It Takes Real Lions Season 1, Episode 24: Raid of Alien Mice

Episode 23: It Takes Real Lions I keep noticing how lotor has this chiseled jaw, man they really wanted to make this man seem attractive huh

He's being smart at least, training a robeast by letting him fight 5 robot cats that look WAY sleeker than the actual lions not that the flashback of Zarkon agrees with it

The team is doing some training too though, glad to know they're always prepared Break time! They're going swimming in the lake nearby the castle, using blue as a launching dock

Allura swims too! The boys are stunned they're seeing her in a bikini but nonetheless watch her pretty cool dive,,, except she loses her top and once she finds that out she's not happy about it Neither are Nanny and Coran when they find out she skipped her lessons just to be out swimming in what Nanny deems as Incorrect Clothing,, I know she's doing her job, but MAN IS SHE ANNOYING

I love every screenshot we get of Pidge using Hunk as a pillow, what a duo

Back into her room Allura goes, apparently she can speak at least 50 languages and is studying to learn even more, overachieving to the max Though she's falling behind in her studies, I mean her planet IS at war, so I'd expect a little slack yknow, but not like Coran or Nanny care because they'd rather her not be fighting in it in the first place

A weird light starts coming down to Arus and Coran figures out it's Lotor, obvs the boys set off to stop him but leave Allura behind because "it's too dangerous for her" motherfucker HOW, it's the same shit each time, I feel like you know how bad it gets when there's only 4 lions out fighting but no ig you gotta do it for the DRAMA

The boys get fucked up by the robeast lotor sent out as expected and he knows that Allura isn't out fighting, so he goes to kidnap her from her room which luckily for him is locked because NANNY WANTED HER TO FOCUS ON HER STUDIES This woman good god,,, she couldn't have predicted it but holy crap I hate her with a passion

A couple of guards and Coran get to her in time though, and she runs off to go help the boys while Coran tells her it's too late to do so I WONDER WHO'S FUCKING FAULT THAT IS HUH, GOD IS NO NON-COMBATANT SIDE CHARACTER LIKABLE IN THIS SHOW??

Voltron forms and after some struggle the team wins of course, look I have no idea what kind of message they were trying to send, but apparently it was "Allura can be a princess and fly a lion at the same time" which is fucking stupid BECAUSE SHE NEVER WORRIED ABOUT THAT, IT WAS CORAN AND NANNY CAUSING PROBLEMS AGAIN I hate them so much you guys

/episode end

Episode 23: Raid of The Alien Mice Shooting stars! Except they're hitting the surface of Arus,,, and they're actually pods for weird mutated mice,, They set off the alarms too, the boys are convinced the mice or some of their friends set them off, Allura not so much

Ah cartoon logic,,, a mouse can't chew through metal or set off a bomb in the castle, but somehow they're still definitely at fault for setting off the alarm Once again reminding me that I'm not the target audience, so it just means it's hard to watch

The boys end up searching the generator room anyway after another shortage, finally seeing that the culprits aren't the mice they know, but killer ones instead Also, Hunk pries open a closed automatic door, apparently he lifts weights, which isn't surprising, but I'm glad the show mentioned it and didn't make him out as entirely lazy

Confirmation that they came from planet Doom, those bitches are always the root of problems These mutant mice are literally melting doors and cameras now, horrifyingly affective, one of the mice (chitter) volunteers to find them so Allura puts a tracking collar on him before he goes, how cute

The team and the mice find the freaky little guys BUT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO SHOOT AT THEM TO TAKE DOWN THEIR NUMBERS THEY JUST LET THEM THROUGH TO THE MAIN COMPUTER WHERE THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO also a robeast got sent out, so Keith leaves Allura and Pidge to guard but not like it helps because the other three can't even get to their lions in the first place

Chitter plays bait and fools the mutant mice into leaving since Pidge and Allura can't reach where they are so first chitter can't take them alone, but now he can? great the guy really couldn't fight,, after getting punched out he finally leads the enemies out and Pidge shoots them on sight, as they should've done in the first place

the other boys are running to their lions on foot, almost dying in the process ofc, when Pidge and Allura are finally able to get into their own from the castle a wasted trip because they got to pick up the boys and drop them off at the castle again,, couldn't you have dropped them off directly at their lions lair? no? ok i guess

After the team all regroups and defeats the robeast as voltron, allura treats the mice to some of the best cheese in the castle's pantry, which pidge immediately tries to take a chunk of even though chitter bats him away from it, twice kind of anticlimactic honestly, wish we got more to see with the team actually doing something against the mice and not fighting a random robeast at the end

/episode end

#voltron #voltron defender of the universe #voltron dotu #80s voltron #let's rewind! #toast talks #once again on my anti nany and coran agenda #might make an OC to replace coran because WHY IS HE ACTING AS SECURITY #HE'S AN ADVISOR #gonna kick is ass in TWO universes

[80sgaytrashgoblin]

For the prompts: "Can we make cake? I like cake?"-Pidge

Taglist: @queenscene2

There is one vine/video I immediately thought of when I saw that quote. I have no regrets. 

Hunk sighed, rubbing his forehead as Pidge stood in front of him. He had a grin on his face that was trying to look innocent, but was absolutely malicious to those who know him. And who witnessed Pidge blow up someone’s car after someone just bumped into him. 

“Pidge, blowing up a car is an overreaction to being bumped into.” Hunk leveled his best replica Commander Keith expression at him. 

“But where’s the fun in that?” Pidge grinned with a wink. “I had a set of sticky bombs that needed to be tested, and he made fun of me after he knocked me over, so his car was my new test dummy.” 

“I repeat, blowing up someone’s car is an overreaction to them bumping into you, even if they make fun of you. One is being a jerk, and one is a crime.” 

Pidge just blinked, looking up with puppy dog eyes. Hunk was immune at this point. “Look, Pidge, you need to stop committing crimes. If you do so, you’ll go to Arusian jail, and we won’t bail you out, and you’ll have a criminal record and have to go work at McDonald’s.” 

Pidge’s eyes lit up. “IF I COMMIT CRIME WE CAN GO TO MCDONALD’S?!” 

“NO!” 

                                                              - 0 -

Hunk was dragging Pidge back to the castle, while the kid chattered aimlessly from the headlock that Hunk had him in. 

“I told you, we won’t get cake.” Hunk grumbled, only half-listening at this point. “That bakery closed a few hours ago.” 

“Can we make cake?” Pidge’s eyes went wide. “I like cake! Besides, you promised me cake!” 

“I did not.” 

“You did! You said exactly: Pidge, if you come with me back to the castle, I will get you cake.” 

“I did not say that, you’re lying.” 

“Am not!” 

“Am too.” 

“Am not!” 

“Am too.” 

“What’s going on?!” Allura ran up to them from the castle entrance, looking very concerned. Which is fair, considering that Hunk had gone to go get Pidge about a few hours ago and they had just showed up now. And Hunk was slightly angry. 

“Pidge is being a bastard and insisting that I promised him cake.” 

“He said that he would give me cake if I came back to the castle!” 

Allura took a good look at the both of them, with Hunk being sweaty and tired and miserable and holding Pidge in a headlock. “Let’s get him cake, he won’t leave us alone until we do.” 

“He blew up someone’s car! He can’t commit a crime and be rewarded for it!” 

“Hunk, it’s a bribe, not a reward.” 

Pidge stuck his tongue out, and Allura sighed as Hunk screamed. 

                                                             - 0 -

After a fist fight and a screaming match, Pidge ended up getting his cake.

#80s voltron #dotu #baltdau #my writing #pidge #hunk #allura #my fic #answering anons #toastess-with-the-mostess #pidge is a little shit confirmed #and yes hunk tried to fight allura #he lost

[willadisastercry]

Slow and steady... breathe.

tw: severe blood loss, needles, self surgery, loss of conciousness.

Lance wasn’t particularly aversed to needles, he just didn’t want to have to willingly stab himself with one, ya know? Everyone is distraught once they realize Lance is hurt and that they can’t be there to help him because they’re in the middle of nowhere and can’t leave their lions, so talking him through stitching himself back together is the best solution they have. If only Lance can stay awake long enough to fix himself up so he makes the journey.

“Is everyone alright?”

Keith’s voice jolted Lance from his slumped position after his body had gone lax with exhaustion and his mind wondered off. He almost didn’t catch Keith’s question with how intently he was staring at the floor in front of his pilot chair where a sizable puddle was beginning to form.

“Didn’t really account for having to bail so soon without checking in and we have a long way to go before he get back to where Coran had to move the castle...”

He wondered vaguely what he could’ve possibly spilled as he shrugged off the weariness from the battle they had just narrowly escaped. They were all spent after things went pear shaped and had to evade the hail of fire from galra blasters all the way up to their lion’s ramps.

Everyone ushered their respective ‘yes’s though, even Lance, but Keith decided to do a sound off for damage control anyway since they had a bit of a journey before they made it back to the castleship.

“Pidge? Did your shield hold up?”

Shield. Hmm. Lance knit his brows together as he forced his brain to work through the fog that addled it.

“Yeah, it did. I’m not hurt.”

Unlike Pidge, Lance wasn’t as lucky and his had cracked almost immediately in his one on one with the galra soldier that had discovered him. He’d taken post in a makeshift sniper hole between some storage crates to cover his team as they made their eacape.

“Good, how about you, Hunk?”

Lance wondered what else he was forgetting about the battle they’d just fought, maybe that’s why he felt so strange and out of it, why his mind was so slow.

What the fuck happened back there?

“—saw you take a few hits in close combat at the end there, you alright?”

Lance’s heart fluttered sadly as he recalled how he had been lining up a shot for the soldier that was advancing on Hunk when he’d been caught.

His scope had just zeroed in on the soldier when one that Lance wasn’t aware of made his own surprise attack, clutching the armor around his ankles so painfully that he was afraid it’d crack before yanking him backwards and away from his position.

He had cried out more at fact that he hadn’t gotten the shot in because that meant that Hunk would have to fight and he hated fighting. The guy was a goddamned pacifist in the middle of an intergalactic war, but his build made him look like a formidable threat and attracted unwanted attention during battle all the time.

Lance just wanted to spare his friend from having to engage in the thing he hated so much. But he couldn’t. He’d failed.

“I’m dandy, nothing more than a couple of bruises Coran’s special cream can fix.”

Those bruises were Lance’s fault. He had failed to protect him from that soldier, to protect him from having to do the thing he hated. It took all of him to stifle the broken sound that erupted in his throat as his stomach clenched with guilt.

“Okay, let me know if anything changes.”

Lance breathed shakily as he blinked back tears, but even when he wiped the wetness under his eyes they remained blurry, unfocused.

“Allura? You were with me but you had the quintessence—”

That’s what this entire mission was about...

Stealing a powerful vat of quitessence Pidge had been keeping tabs on with intel she’d stolen from a galra battleship en route to occupy a peaceful planet in the nearby solar system. Shiro wanted them to intercept the delivery so that there would be less catastrophe when they formed Voltron to defend the planet.

It was more than vital that they succeeded and Lance was determined, ready to do whatever he could to prove himself as a sharpshooter and make sure they secured what they were after.

“You can be at ease that I am uninjured and the quintessence is in tact.”

This bit of information did little to ease the rapidly increasing feeling of wrong that was consuming him. They had succeeded and he had done his job relatively well aside for one mistake, but that mistake had gotten Hunk hurt, and he was having a hard time reconciling that to make the success feel like a victory.

He was also having a hard time staying focused on Keith as he spoke with each of them, all of their voices as they recounted the battle muddling together, lost behind the ear piercing ringing that only he seemed to be affected by.

His breathing picked up and he was vaguely aware that he had started sweating, realizing he’d zoned out again just in time for his turn to check in with Keith.

“Great, and Lance? I know you were in a bit of a scuffle, are you all good?”

Five minutes ago he would have answered with a resounding yes, but as soon as he’d sat down in Blue the pump of adrenaline through his body slowed and the weariness had dripped away bit by bit to reveal that he actually felt incredibly weird. Of which was doubly confirmed with the near constant waves of concern Blue was sending him.

“Uhhm,” Lance paused, his mind blank.

For the first time in literally ever he had no idea what to say. His mind was in a thick haze as his body continued to try and come down from the massive high of combat and so he found he couldn’t really grasp what the strange feeling was exactly.

“I... I think I took a couple of direct blows after my shield... maybe my head because I sort of feel... I don’t know actually, just-just weird I guess...”

“Wait, your shield crapped out while you were fighting that soldier?”

Lance was slower to respond this time.

“Yeah, it cracked, my shield...” his words came out between increasingly ragged breaths.

“Well, that’s not promising. What do you mean by weird, do you think you might have a concussion?”

“Concussion...” he mused aloud, not really understanding why that was a concern before he reminded himself that he was fully missing a few key events from the end of the mission. He was faintly aware of worried fussing from Hunk and Allura as he racked his brain.

“Pidge, can you pull up a full visual of Lance?”

“On it!”

“...I don’t think I hit my head though. I mean, yeah, I guess I do feel a little dizzy maybe... and lightheaded... everything looks kinda strange too,” Lance rattled off as he took in his surroundings.

The lights of the panels and screens in front of him blurred and stretched if he moved his eyes too fast, so he tried to keep still and focus on just Keith’s face for now. It was pinched with concern but his voice divulged nothing but calm.

He could feel Blue nudging him, clearly worried over something because she had been withholding control of the steering for a while and was doing most of the piloting then.

“Easy girl, I’m alright,” Lance whispered.

He was becoming more lightheaded by the minute and his movements were now so sluggish he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to steer straight much longer anyway.

“Full screen visual should be popping up—

“Oh, crap!”

“Lance, what the hell?”

“Lance?” Keith’s voice was steady, breaking through the sea of concerned remarks pointedly.

For everyone else the entire view of Lance’s cockpit was now visible and so was the red that painted the front of his armor and much of the floor.

“Lance... do you know how long you’ve been bleeding?”

“Huh? I’m not-I didn’t get... wait, what do you—woah,” Lance had looked down to examine himself, certain there would be nothing.

But there was. And he was really confused because he hadn’t felt a thing but the sheet of red cascading down his armor from his side said otherwise.

He swallowed thickly, head swimming from the angle as he peered down at the grizzly sight. With the threat of passing out now a very real possibility, he brought his head back up to rest against the back of the chair and looked elsewhere as he fought the blood rush that threatened his ability to remain conscious. Something about seeing that much of his own blood was making him sick to his stomach.

“-nce! Lance, focus! Good, okay, so did the soldier have a sword or a blaster?”

He knit his brows together as he thought back on it. He remembers glinting metal that swooped down on him in short, swift arcs. The solider had a very long and very serrated knife, not a blaster. He didn’t even have enough time to transform his bayard before the soldier descended on him, his shield not lasting more than four hits before it shattered.

“A knife, he-he had a knife...”

He tried to ignore the resurgence of worried questions from his friends.

“Okay, can’t be that bad if you didn’t even notice, right?” Keith tried to put him at ease but it wasn’t really working.

He hadn’t noticed when it happened because he was quite literally battling for his life, losing a significant amount of blood in the time that had passed since then. And that scared him.

Because he wasn’t phsyically with the others, he was bleeding out and basically alone.

He was going to die... and his friends would get to watch.

“Lance, stop worrying and just focus on me okay?”

“R-right, sure. Um, what-what do I do though? We can’t just pull over... we’re in the middle of nowhere in outer space and the castle is too far... what if—I don’t want t—I can’t-can’t—“

“Lance! What did I just say? Stop worrying and listen to me!”

He dragged his eyes from the hole they were burning into Blue’s dashboard to meet Keith’s purple saucers.

“You’re okay. You’ve got a med kit in the cargo hold and we can talk you through how to patch yourself up, yeah? You’ll be fine.”

“Fine. Right, I-I’ll be fine.”

“Do you think you can stand? The med kit is on the wall behind you.”

“I can try...”

Lance scooted to the edge of the pilot chair and braced himself before rising onto his legs.

“Shit...”

The world spun before him as the new orientation produced another swell of blood from the comprised bit of his armor where he’d been... he didn’t even know what he’d been yet but he knew it wasn’t good.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, blinking away the static before starting for the back of the cockpit, using the wall to keep himself upright.

“Kit’s on the left.”

Walking felt weird. His legs were weak and didn’t seem to ever go where he intended, but they held his weight even when he’d acquired the bulky med kit and had use a bit more effort to lug it back to his pilot chair.

His friends were in the middle of a discussion Lance hadn’t heard and continued when he returned. He had to set the kit down before maneuvering carefully around the puddle to get himself seated in his chair.

He began tugging off the top half of his armor, starting with the gloves and elbow guards which came off painlessly. It was only when he moved to the top most pieces that he ran in to some issues. He inhaled sharply when tugging on his right shoulder guard pulled at whatever was waiting beneath his armor on his side.

“Hey hermano, just breathe, you’ve got it,” Hunk offered when Lance stopped.

He nodded and took another deep breath before continuing.

The left shoulder guard came off with little incident when he approached it with more caution, but now came the chest piece. He separated the clasps at the bottom and sides before leaning forward to slide the back piece out, the front piece falling away when he leaned back in his chair.

He gasped and was sure that his friends had too when they saw the gash in his side. It was long and wide, deepest towards his back and tapering off on his stomach just above his belly button.

Lance remembered it now. Once the shield finally shattered, he threw his hands over his head and rolled out from under a hit that would have killed him.

The soldier seethed at the evasion and launched at Lance again, giving him barely enough time to deploy his bayard before he was on him. Twisting around was all he could do to get more distance between them so he could take his shot, but he wasn’t quick enough. He caught the impending strike in his side anyway, the blade cutting into him due to his own momentum even after the soldier had stopped swinging and fell to his knees lifelessly.

He thought his armor had held, not aware of the splintering crack where the blade broke through the joint at the midsection.

“Okay, okay, hey! You’re still okay! You’re going to fix it and we’ll walk you through it, yeah?”

He nodded. The air in Blue seemed to be warmer than usual but it didn’t stop him from shivering now that his armor was off. All of the heat in his body seemed to be drawn to the hole in his side.

“Pidge, do you think—“

“Yeah, I’ve already patched Coran in and he’s got a whole set of medical diagrams pulled up... okay Lance, you ready?”

He attempted a ‘yes’ but his mouth was so dry he wasn’t sure he could separate his lips to speak so he hummed instead, his eyes wide and searching as he combed over the contents in the open kit below him despite the mounting pressure behind his eyes that made keeping them open a challenge.

“There’s a vial of yellow liquid and a syringe, grab those... also the sheers because you’ll need to cut away what’s left of the suit around the wound.”

He grumbled at the thought of stabbing himself with a needle but seemed to shift into a sort of auto pilot after that, moving methodically and ignoring the agony of the pulsing wound on his side now that he was aware of it.

His face paled visibly once he held the syringe up in front of him. The needle was big and the liquid in the vial looked like acid than it did medicine.

It was Allura interrupting his inner turmoil this time, her voice full of fear but sure.

“Lance, you can do this. It will hurt, but you will be grateful once you’ve administered it, trust me.”

“Whatever you say, princess...” he smirked meekly and Allura almost laughed.

Once he’d cut away a haphazard square from the material left around the entirety of his wound, Pidge explained how much of the liquid to pull into the vial and how much he should inject each time and where.

He figured he’d need to get a move on with all of this from the way that everything seemed to be spinning and steeled himself for the first of numbing injections. It was to go right above his hip below the deepest part of the wound.

“Breathe...”

He waited for an inhale and went for it before he could panic.

“Shiiiit!”

Turns out the needle going in wasn’t what he should’ve been wary of because the altean medicine burned. He squirmed and cursed as he pushed in the allotted dose, practically seeing stars at the thought of administering five more of them.

“Relax buddy, you can do it.”

He pushed the next shot in quickly, starting with another before his body could protest and did that with the rest of them all in quick succession, not letting himself focus on the seering fire until he was done. Throwing his head back and doing his best to keep from writhing as much so he didn’t make the wound worse.

“Gah! Fuck, fuck, what the fuck is wrong with altean pain medicine?! Hurts-hurts more than the freaking knife wound—“

“Shut up, you’re okay. You won’t feel anything soon. Hard parts over, but now you gotta relax, freaking out on us is only gonna make things worse.”

Keith’s stupid for being right, but he is.

Don’t freak out. You can do this... you have to do this.

“Okay,” he huffed, “no freaking out.”

His voice was trembling almost as much as his hands as he let the empty syringe fall mindlessly to join the puddle of his own blood on the ground.

The pain in his side was diminishing now, the burning of the numbing medicine becoming a cool sting and then smoothing out into a hollow warmth. He tested the skin around it with his finger and couldn’t feel a thing, perfect.

“What’s next?”

“Ha,” Pidge laughed grimly, “now you have to put your money where your mouth is and thread an actual needle.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that too, the movement made something around the wound on his side twinge but he couldn’t really tell where or why with how numb it was now, which was probably a good thing.

“The pack of needles is in the sleeve... look for one that’s curved... size 3–yeah, that’s it. There is a clamp to guide the needle and a tweezer type tool to help tie it off, grab those. Now you need a couple packs of gauze and tape... the spool of polyester blend thread—wait how do atleans also have polyester? Right, focusing now, sorry! Okay, next is the antiseptic... yeah it’ll probably hurt but you’re not croaking over galra germs if we can help it... sorry Keith, you definitely don’t have galra germs.”

Keith just pinched the bridge of his nose but Hunk seemed to be amused by it, his light chuckle taking the edge off the intense worry written all over his face.

“We sure one of you can’t just do a little space walk over here?” Lance asked as he held up the bottle of antiseptic, “seriously don’t know how the mullet isn’t jumping at the opportunity to torture me, like come onnnnn! I know you’d enjoy it!”

“Shut up and listen to Pidge, the castle is still really far and Coran hasn’t been able to triangulate our location yet, so we’ve gotta keep moving.”

He grumbled pitifully but looked to Pidge’s face on the dashboard in front of him.

“You ever threaded a needle before? The sewing kind not the almost killing your friends trying to show off your piloting skills kind.”

“Ha-ha and no, but i’ve seen my máma do it... something like this I think... hey, I got it!”

“Damn, he really can thread the needle.”

“Thank you Hunk! Finally some recog—“

“Both of you be quiet. Lance, listen to me very carefully because now you have to stab yourself with it. Lock the clamp at the end of needle, you’ll hear a click. You won’t feel it when you start stabbing—stitching, probably just the motion, but you’re still bleeding so you’ve gotta hurry.”

Lance was well aware that he was still bleeding. His body wouldn’t let him forget. The color had all but left his face and he was drenched in sweat. And he seemed to shake steadily now no matter what he did to try and calm down, no doubt a side affect of half of his blood being beneath him instead of inside him. But he ignored it all and put his remaining energy into listening to Pidge.

“Start at the back where it’s deepest and hold the skin together... yep, good now bring the tip of the needle just below—left more, perfect. Coran says to angle it in the direction you want it to come out the other side... go as deep as halfway down the wound and don’t push too far in on the other side where it’s coming out... kay, now push it in, shit. Lance! LANCE!”

As soon as he had the needle situated as deep as it needed to go he lost the battle with how lightheaded he’d become. It had him slow and sluggish before but was now severely impeding his ability to remain conscious for his self surgery.

It wasn’t so much as the actual piercing his own skin that culminated with everything else for him to faint. More of the way he could feel it moving inside of him, like he could feel that the metal was cold by how it stood out against the heat of the wound, just not the actual cold of it or the pain part.

He didn’t know how long he’d been out when the voices of his teammates registered in his head again. They seemed worried, some of them distraught. Like Hunk, he was really scared about something, sounded a little mad the harder he listened.

“...if he doesn’t come around soon I’m going over there—no, I don’t care!”

“Just give him a minute!”

“Wait guys he’s moving.”

“Lance can you hear us?”

“Lance!”

Everything seemed so loud but muddled and indistinct all at the same time.

“Ugh, stop screaming...” he slurred, his head still hurt and he felt even lighter than he had before.

“Open you eyes, bud. You’re almost done, come on,” Keith urged.

Almost done his ass, he’d passed out just after getting the needle in, not even finishing the first stitch. This was going to be hell.

“The needle stayed in, you just have to get it through the other side and tie it off. Coran says you can space them out and skip a few, you just need to get it closed to staunch the flow.”

He hummed again and pried his eyes open wide to blink around wildly before he tried to sit up. But his limbs were so heavy even lifting his arm was hard, so he stayed where he’d slumped down, shoving his legs out farther to get his middle straight.

“J-just through the other side?”

“Yes, where you have it now is fine... just like pinch the skin and coax it through and don’t stab your finger like your about to, you’ll feel that!”

He wanted to laugh, he really did. Because this was so ridiculous. It was probably the dangerous amount of blood he’d already lost but he just found this so amusing.

Having to stitch a knife wound up while a lion flew him back to a castle that wasn’t really a castle—in space! All in space!

He wondered what he would’ve been doing back home if he weren’t here right now, probably nothing nearly as ridiculous.

“Lance, stay with us,” Hunk’s low voice pulled him from his mental tangent.

He rubbed his eye with the back of the hand holding the tweezer, it was covered in blood.

“You’ve got to tie it off now, so pull the thread through until just a little is left, like an inch—stop! Now unlock the clamp and grab that last inch, wrap the end with the needle around a couple of times, not tightly. Release the lock on the clamps but keep a hold of the end of the thread, grab where it comes out the other side and pull through then pull tight and cut, good, done!”

He took in mouthfuls of air like he’d just finished a race.

Shit, he could cry. This was hard and he just wanted to close his eyes and forget about everything. It didn’t hurt anymore. But he just wanted to be asleep and not have to focus so hard on stitching his own wound closed while his friends tried to make him feel better.

Because they couldn’t. Because this sucked and they couldn’t help him.

“You’re doing amazing Lance,” the princess remedied, her voice firm but soft all the same.

His heart felt warm with that, it was something he could hear his máma saying.

“Few more and then you can rest, bud.”

“Y-yeah, okay...”

It got increasingly difficult to keep his hand steady and after the fourth stitch he’d sort of gave up on trying. He resolved to do them quickly like the injections once he’d gotten the hang of it. But his energy was leaving him faster than he could stitch.

And then his heavy breaths and shaking hands made it hard for him to hold the skin together long enough to get the needle through, so eventually he resorted to holding his breath and stabbing wildly.

His friends grimaced every time he did that. They all felt horrible that they couldn’t be there to physically help him but also knew they needed to get to the castle as quickly as possibly.

So Pidge continued to guide him through each stitch and everyone else praised and encouraged him each time he finished one. Their voices pulling him back when he’d drift off into the pull of darkness that continued to tease and toy with him.

“-ng so good.”

“Keep going, bud.”

“-re so strong, Lance.”

“Only a few left... Coran says it looks good.”

He coughed on the dryness that had made its way down his throat and almost into his lungs with how tired every part of him was. Breathing hurt because he had absolutely nothing left on his body that didn’t, made so much worse with the strain of having to withhold air so he could get the needle though.

The wound was practically closed now and not bleeding much through the gaps where he’d forgone some stitches. He was at the part where it tapered. Pidge said it looked like one more would do and so he held his breath and shoved, whining when he poked his hand by accident, not even hearing what his friends were saying as he tied it off almost robotically, the muscle memory of having done it a dozen times now taking over as his mind remained elsewhere.

“-n you hear me?! Lance, Lance listen to me! You’re almost done, don’t go just yet.”

He forced his lidded eyes to look at Pidge, he could barely make out her face with how blurry everything had gotten.

“Open the gauze pads and place them over the wound... tape the bottom and only the bottom down completely then rip off a long enough piece for the top and sides... pour the antiseptic onto another piece of gauze, dab it over the wound, and press it all down before you pass out... got that?”

He huffed wearily and thought he did something of a nod, but it probably didn’t look like it because Pidge asked if he’d heard her again. He had. He was just done. He tore the gauze pads free form their packages and placed them over the wound before taping them down.

None of it looked pretty. Not the sutures, not the bandaging, none of it. But it would have to do. He opened the antiseptic and lost the cap in the process but couldn’t find it in him to care.

He looked up at the screen of worried faces in front of him.

“Go on, bud. It’ll only hurt for like a second and then you can sleep.”

“You can do it, you just stitched your skin back together, this is light work.”

“Once again, altean medicine hurts like hell, but it works. Trust me, Lance.”

Yeah. Trust the princess.

He closed his eyes and waited for it. He really wasn’t sure how anything could top the fire that was the pain medicine, but somehow the antiseptic achieved that. His vision whited and he thought he could hear himself screaming, but he felt too far away to be able to hear that.

He didn’t remember covering the wound with the gauze but apparently he’d gotten three sides stuck down before his head lolled to the side and gentle waves of assurance washed over him from Blue as everything faded to black.

He couldn’t be sure how much time had passed between then and the next time he woke up, but he didn’t have the energy to ask. He just knew that he was still in Blue from the pulse of assurances that surged back up again as soon as he came back to.

“Coran says he’s picking up Black on the radar, he’s making a worm hole now. I’m gonna fly next to Blue to be ready to grab her just in case she doesn’t get the memo...”

He must’ve groaned because someone was talking to him then.

“Oh! Not dead, that’s so good, hi Lance.”

Freaking Pidge. He might’ve laughed. He couldn’t remember.

“Hey dude... nah don’t try and move, just stay there.”

“Thanks for listening to us for once.”

“Lance, you’re so brave, you should be proud of yourself that you were able to do that.”

“Course, princess. Any-anything you say...” he smirked and tried to hold up his famous finger guns, earning some laughs from his teammates that faded quickly.

Blue was the last thing on his mind when he passed out again. She was proud of him too.

#lance whump #voltron whump #voltron fic #vld lance #vld fanfic #vld fandom #voltron legendary disaster #whump fic

[bluethisisforyou]

I mean...7 is always a classic!! Can’t not do that one lmao ❤️

7. “we’re assigned to this mission in which we have to pretend to be a married couple, but i’m actually really in love with you” // word count: 2k+

“Say it.”

“I love you, Andrew.” A relaxed smile spread over Lance’s face. “You’re the love of my life.” The words come sweet and steady, as if they were coated in sunlight.

Keith faltered at that, couldn’t open his mouth. His mind went all over as he squeezed his assignment file just a little tighter. He’s too good- for this? for-

“And, scene.” Lance took a bow, and stood up. “So, as you could see from that, I’ll be okay in expressing verbal affection.” He held his file to his chest. “Now, are we physically affectionate?”

Keith blinked, and quickly loosened his grip. “I’m sorry?”

Lance cocked his head to the side. “Well, if we’re married, then we should have a sort of rhythm. You know, are we touchy? Do we hold hands? Do we have pet names? Do we kiss in front of others?”

Keith felt like he should be losing years off his life for having to go through this. Curse Pidge. “I see. We should draw a line- no kissing.” Are you sure? His mind supplied. “Yeah.”

“Smart.” Lance tapped a couple of fingers to his temple as he smiled. “So we’re not the type for PDA- would make sense. You don’t seem like the type.”

How would you know? Keith thought, his heart skipping a beat. He’s right, but it didn’t matter. “As for pet names, I couldn’t care less.” He looked off, wondering how in the hell it’d come to this- after so many months of just being around him.

“Really?”

No. “Really.”

“Ok, so babe is okay?”

More than- “Just said I don’t care.”

Lance shrugged. “Just saying- it’s best to talk about this before, you know, infiltrating the wedding. Just so, you know, there are no surprises.” He took a few steps in Keith’s direction, stopping a few steps away. “No falling in love with me as a result of a term of endearment.” Lance smiled a small smile, and gently tapped his file against Keith’s chest.

“This is a mission- that won’t be happening.” Keith hoped the pounding of his heart couldn’t be heard. “Now come on- we have to get ready.”

“You got it.”

Some time later, after trying not to stare, Keith headed off first and Lance stood next to him as the elevator doors closed.

As the elevator descended, Keith felt the nausea of it. He shut his eyes, and leaned against the wall.

“Andrew? You okay?”

Keith’s head swam as he opened his eyes. He turned to find ocean blue eyes looking at him, with all the care in the world. He merely nodded- this was the job. He was Andrew Rinton. And next to him was his husband, David Rinton. 

Married three years, dated two. 

Five altogether. 

Five years.

They could do this.

He could do this.

—-

He couldn’t do this.

Standing at the reception, the question rang in his ears. 

How’d you meet? 

“Actually, I tell it better.” Lance swooped in, and without warning, intertwined his fingers with Keith’s. “It goes like this…”

As Lance dazzled the partygoer, Keith let his eyes wander, to see if the target was anywhere. Male, tall, long silver hair. Name: Lotor. Rumored to be with “-and it’s been a dream, hasn’t it, sweetheart?”

Keith swiveled back, hoping it seemed smooth. “Really has.” He smiled, and looked over at Lance. “I love him...so much.” He hadn’t realized he’d paused until he finished. He glanced away, and then back.

“That’s so sweet.” The woman smiled, and cradled her champagne glass. “How do you know the bride and groom?”

Lance was too busy watching Keith out of the corner of his eye to respond.

Keith registered the quiet, for some reason, and met the woman’s gaze. “Ah, went to school with them a little bit ago.”

“Must’ve been quite a time.” She took a sip, and then swirled her glass. “So, what-”

Keith didn’t know if he was imagining it, but he thought, just maybe, Lance was squeezing his hand just a little tighter- 

“Pardon me, but we have to leave this lovely conversation.” Lance nodded, smiled a charming smile, and then tugged Keith away. They pulled through partygoers and eventually came to the outside of the building, a few feet from the corner.

They stood there, and Keith could feel a thudding in his chest. 

“Looks like everything’s in place for the shipment.”

There was the clicking of the briefcase, and some murmuring that Keith couldn’t make out.

“Excellent. See you back inside.” There’s the start of footsteps against gravel, heading out.

Shit.

“We’ll keep in touch.” Lotor laughed, and there was a rustling. Then, footsteps.

Shit, shit-

It was then that Keith registered Lance had a hold on his shoulders, pushing him against the wall. He made eye contact, and-

“Sorry,” Lance breathed, and kissed Keith.

Keith caught a brief glimpse of Lotor passing by, sparing only a glance as he passed. But, his eyes fluttered shut, and for some reason, the kiss lasted longer than it should have. He counted the seconds in his head, and pressed his lips into a thin line once Lance pulled away. 

“Sorry,” Lance repeated, and looked off. “Looks like we’re in the-”

“What was that?”

Lance looked back at him. “What?”

“That?” Keith could feel his heart going wild. “Where you, you know-” kissed me? He couldn’t finish.

Lance pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, and then drew it away. “Cover. Besides, we’re supposed to be married-”

“What was the point?” Keith let it slip, and pressed his fingertips to his temples, as though shielding his face. “Why-”

“Didn’t want them to know we were eavesdropping.” Lance’s voice bled blue in the night. “Now, come on. We should head back and make our report.” He started walking toward the door.

Keith covered his face. No, no. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. This? He uncovered his face slowly, and studied his fingertips. 

It was only ever supposed to be an if. 

But it’s not. Not anymore.

“Lance, wait.”

“Lance? As in Lance McClain, famous spy?” 

Keith stilled, and prepared to spin around when he felt the barrel of a gun press to the small of his back. 

“Oh, dear. Can’t have that, now can we.” There’s a crackle, and the voice spoke. “Confirm that McClain’s here- I’ve got- what’s your name?”

“It’s-”

The loud ringing of a shot interrupted Keith. The person behind stumbled, and the gun fell to the gravel. Keith, in the heat of the moment, felt his stomach, back, checking for the wound- there was none.

He looked at his hands- clean.

There was screaming from inside, and someone came at him and grabbed his wrist. He reacted, and threw a punch. The person let out an “Ow, Jesus!” but held on. It wasn’t until Keith had pulled back his fist that he realized he’d just punched...Lance.

“I-”

“No time for talking. Just run!” Lance threw the words behind him, and moved his hand so that it was holding Keith’s.

Keith didn’t bother responding. He let his legs do the talking.

Before they knew it, they were well in the garden behind the event. There was the murmur of guests, but it kept dying and dying until Keith decided far enough was far enough. He stopped, and disentangled his fingers from Lance’s. “It’s- we can stop now.”

Lance stopped a few feet away, and took quick breaths. “Okay.”

Keith blinked, letting the events beforehand play out again in his head. “Did you shoot the-”

“Did I save your life?” Lance produced his gun, and shook it a little. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Jesus, put that- put that away.”

“No thank you?”

“Can you wait a second?” Keith turned his body away, and he ran a hand through his hair. 

“Uh, not really. Not after you blew our cover.”

Keith stiffened at that. 

Lance, wait.

“I mean, that’s academy stuff, Keith-”

“Shut up.”

“You almost died, okay-” Lance’s voice raised, unmistakably. 

Ignoring that, Keith spun around, and looked dead on at Lance. “That’s not fair. It’s not my-” He gritted his teeth. “Okay, sure. I said your name. But we had the- the rule, and you broke it.”

Lance hooked his gun to his side and groaned. “Look, they would’ve gotten both of us, and then we’d really be in trouble. I mean, we probably already are, but...we’re in less trouble- for now.”

Keith felt his blood go hot. “Wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“You-” Keith pointed a finger, jabbing the air. “You’re-”

Lance held out his hands. “Say it.”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“I’m not a mind reader, okay?” 

“I’m in love with you!” Keith slapped both of his hands over his mouth right after, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He cursed himself out in his head, and he sank into a squat. 

Fuck.

The odd quiet of night filled the space between them. There was a gentle wind that skimmed the tops of the hedges, and the sort of sound of crickets. 

Perfect, Keith thought. Just perfect.

The sound of footsteps across the grass stopped right before him. There was a rustling, and a slight gust of wind. “Keith.”

“...You really don’t have to say anything.” He felt like he was burning, and twitched when he felt a hand on each of his wrists.

“Look. Gonna need you to look at me for this.”

Keith sighed a little, and raised his head. He fell back onto the ground when he saw Lance sitting cross-legged in front of him. “Why-”

Lance laughed a little. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you right here?”

Lance gently brought Keith’s hands closer, and brought them to his left cheek. He pressed Keith’s right knuckles to it. “Ah, perfect fit- these are the knuckles that hit me a little while ago.” 

Keith flushed, and as he danced between the decision to move them away, he was too late.

Lance drew Keith’s hands close, and pressed a gentle kiss to Keith’s knuckles.

That’s when Keith moved, and brought his hands to his chest, holding them close. “What was that for?”

“For thinking I wasn’t in love with you when I am.”

Keith froze.

Lance put his hands on his legs. “You want to know something? I’m the one who requested to work this case with you. Maybe even joked about the husbands thing, but Pidge must’ve known more than I thought.” He laughed a little. “But...I think it really clicked when you were held at gunpoint back there.”

And you punching me kind of...just felt like a sign from the universe. Granted, not the best.”

Keith did his best to breathe evenly, and to not blink, as if that would wash away the moment too soon. He felt a swell of warmth in his chest. “It might bruise.”

“Calling yourself strong?” Lance cracked a smile, and looked down.

“It might bruise,” Keith repeated, “so, I should kiss it better.” He smiled, a little. “Right?”

Lance looked back up, almost startled. “I-”

“Why do you look so flustered?” Keith couldn’t help himself- he moved so that he was mirroring Lance’s position.

“Didn’t expect that so...fast. From you.”

Keith laughed a small laugh. “I literally just blurted the worst confession ever known. You know, about being in love with you?”

“Ah- right.” Lance took a shaky breath. “Just...taking it all in.”

Keith cupped Lance’s cheek, and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on his face. He drew back. “There. Should hold for a bit.”

Lance blinked. “I think I’ve loved you ever since our second stakeout.”

Keith blinked in surprise, then felt a smile spread slowly across his face. “You said that night was anything but a bonding moment.”

Lance turned his head to the side, looking off into the night. “Couldn’t let on. Sorry.”

“You’ve apologized to me several times tonight.” Keith slid his hand under Lance’s chin, and pulled him back. “You could start making it up to me.” He spared a glance at Lance’s lips, and then looked back at him. “What do you say?”

Lance said nothing.

He simply leaned forward, the smallest smile gracing his lips.

Keith couldn’t stop thinking about it as he, Keith (not Andrew), kissed Lance (not David). He smiled at the thought of husbands- something not true at the moment, but tonight was only tonight.

Tomorrow might be something else entirely.

#guess who lost control of this? #me! #also peep the b99 reference kind of sort of #this was a lot of fun hope you liked it! #asks #lostwnder #mini fic #klance #klance fanfiction #klance fanfic #klance fic

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 178

178

12 days after collapsing, Keith finally came back to him. Showing signs of waking, Lance hit the call button, summoning Coran who immediately moved to Keith’s side, Lance forced back for his own safety as no one knew how Keith would react to suddenly being a wolf.

Groaning, Keith tried to pull his hands up, snarling when nothing happened. Slumping down, he let out a long breath. Lance’s gaze remained firmly on Keith’s face. If his boyfriend couldn’t distinguish scents, he hoped seeing him would be enough to reassure Keith

“Keith?”

Mental confusion was to be expected. Heck, brain damage possible. Keith tensed at Coran’s voice, yet drifted off before making a verbal reply. Much the day passed with Keith out of it. His eyes opening once or twice to stare up at ceiling, then he’d drift off again.

Verbalness didn’t come until mid-evening. Coran shining a torch in Keith’s eyes, Keith mumbling to “fuck off”, quite slurred but there. Lance laughing in relief. He couldn’t picture a more Keith way to wake up when he’d had his sleep interrupted and not been woken with kisses and promises of coffee. Knowing he should stay back, Lance didn’t. He really couldn’t. Taking Keith’s hand in his, he squeezed slightly too hard, his boyfriend’s eyes fluttering back open to stare directly at him

“Hey, babe. You’re okay. You’re okay and you’re safe”

“Lunnnce?”

Lance smiled through his tears as he nodded

“Yeah, babe. It’s me... I’m here”

“Smells... bad...”

The way Keith wrinkled his nose sent Lance’s heart soaring

“That’s because you’ve never smelt a vampire quite like me”

“Dun like...”

Yeah. He got it. He smelt like something dead that Keith would roll around in. He’d have to make it exceptionally clear that peeing on his death soil would not be tolerated

“I know. Rest some more for me, babe”

Keith was stubborn, his gaze glassy, tugging on his restraints he bared his teeth, showing off his now exceptionally pointed canines

“Whaaaas wrong with me”

Shit. His boyfriend must be more aware than Lance thought he was. Smiling, he tried to reassure him. Those cuffs probably had Keith’s brand new ego furious and confused

“Nothing, babe. Nothing is wrong with you. You’re going to be okay. I love you. Now go to sleep. We’ll talk when you wake. I’m here. I’m not going aware”

Coran put his hand to Keith’s head, Keith’s eyes starting to droop. Surely Coran’s plan wasn’t to make Keith sleep every time he woke up?

“Whaaad...s... wrong with me...”

“Nothing at all. I love you”

Keith dozed for another two hours. Lance didn’t mean to, yet ended up doing the same. He woke to find Keith staring at him intently. Much more lucid than the last time. Lance felt that same heart raising happiness as the first time Keith had opened his eyes on his own

“Babe?”

“What did you do me?”

There was a little slurring but no where near the same amount as when Keith woke before

“Babe...”

Keith drew his head back, eyes guarded. A quick glance to Keith’s hand confirmed his claws had come through. Keith probably didn’t know what to do with the energy running through his veins or how to control it

“Somethings wrong with me... what did you do to me!”

“Keith. You’re okay. You’ve been in a coma, for the week and a bit...”

His soft and gentle tone was snapped at

“What did you do to me?!”

The allegation of him doing something tore Lance’s happiness away. Where the fuck was Coran when he actually needed him?

“Let me call Coran, he’ll be able to explain”

“Fuck Coran! What’s wrong with me, Lance!? Why are the light to bright?! Why do you stink?!”

Lance‘s bottom lip trembled, head dropping forwards. He hadn’t wanted this for Keith

“You had a brain bleed. You nearly died. Coran tried to revive you out of it, but nothing was working...”

“No... no...”

Keith had always been smart, even if he didn’t believe it for himself. His eyes went to his hands, then back to Lance, narrowed in anger directly at him

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do this. But you were dying...”

His boyfriend yelling, as Lance winced in guilt

“You turned me?!”

“I didn’t...”

“You fucking turned me?!”

Hyped up on anger, Keith tore the restraints off the bed. His boyfriend shooting forward, to slap him across the face with enough force Lance felt like his brain had been pingponged

“Get out!”

“Keith, please...”

“You broke my trust and you fucking turned me into a monster?! I’d rather be dead!”

Aggression on the back of a change was to be expected. Keith didn’t mean the words he was saying. His senses overloaded by how huge his world now was. Holding his smarting cheek, Lance started to cry

“Babe. Please... please listen to me... Coran said he’d tried every other possible way...”

“Then he should have found another one! Get out! Get out, I don’t want to see you!”

God. He knew Keith would be messed up. He’d found a place to belong and now that place had turned him into this. Stumbling away from the bed, he didn’t move fast enough. Keith’s hands going to the restraint on his left ankle. For all he’d done, now it meant nothing. Keith’s ego didn’t recognise him as friend. Nor did it see him as foe. It saw him as a traitor.

Slipping out Keith’s room, Lance was met by their friends gathered in the corridor. Hunk holding flowers, the first to stand

“We... heard he was waking up”

Pidge the first to realise something was wrong. Her eyes filling with guilt as she looked to her lap. Shiro the first to go... there

“What did Keith say?! Is he okay?!”

A bitter laugh broke free. He’d fucking told them. He’d told them Keith wouldn’t okay with this. Even if the idiot wanted the bite to stay together, the choice had been forced upon him. Raising his head, he let his hand drop, broken smile on his lips. He took no delight in watching Shiro’s face fall with his words

“Congratulations, Shiro. He said he didn’t want to see me and that he’d rather be dead. I hope you’re happy with everything you gotten. Coran, he snapped the restraints. I recommend you get in there before he tries to hurt himself”

Brushing past Shiro, the flower Hunk held fell to the floor. Pidge quickly to hug Hunk tight. Curtis comforting Shiro. Matt and Rieva both gazing down at their hands. Funny how no one moved to comfort him. He’d poured every ounce of love into caring for Keith, even when he knew he was being a dick about it, he thought they understood. Walking through the group, he felt drained and done. He’d thought he’d have to walk away alone, until Allura came jogging up to his side, then moved into his path

“Leave me alone, Allura”

“I can’t. You’re like a brother to me, Lance... Let me in”

“I can’t...”

“Lance”

“What do you expect me to say? Keith’s finally coherent and the first thing he says is that he should be dead. He... he said I broke his trust”

Digging the heels of his palms into his eyes, the sadness he felt the others didn’t deserve to see spilled out. Breaking Keith’s trust was what hurt the most. He could understand Keith’s anger, but to think Lance had chosen this. Like he’d been waiting for this to happen, that’s what cut the deepest. Allura didn’t care. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed his neck

“The Keith I know wouldn’t mean it. He’s confused and hurting. He needs time”

“And what am I supposed to do in the mean time?! He hates me!”

“He doesn’t. You need rest, come with me”

“I want to go home!”

“I know, but you’re emotionally exhausted right now. And Keith, he’ll need you when he settles. Come with me to my rooms. If you feel the same after you’ve rested, I’ll come home with you. I’m not leaving you alone, even if you hate me for it”

Lance shook his head at Allura

“I could never hate you”

“Then you’ll just have to let me in. Here, raise your head”

Lance sniffled as he did. Allura blurred into a blob from his tears. Wiping at the stream, she smiled warmly at him

“That’s better. We’ll work this out together”

“I don’t see how”

“It’s always darkest before the dawn. A hot shower and a good meal, things will seem better with some rest”

*

Allura prepared him a warm bath with bubblegum scented bubbles. Taking his time, the warm water seemed to cool too fast. Keith on his mind, as he had been nonstop. Rieva and Matt would have been there had Keith turned aggressive. Rieva would welcome Keith into their pack. The three of them now sharing something he wasn’t part of. In a world of scents, what if Keith found Matt and Rieva a more attractive match than himself? Matt could be spacey, and horny, but he was good looking in his own way. Rieva was plain beautiful. She was smart and witty. She had a dry sense of humour, and kept herself grounded, though she’d be a femme fatale if she played up her ego. No male wolf could resist her. He was just Lance. A boy from Cuba. With not that much to offer now he was jobless.

Allura had prepared a fluffy robe for him, it waited with a pair of her pink fluffy slippers by the bathroom door. Lance wasn’t sure he deserved such luxuries, but she’d taken his clothes away, not leaving him with much choice in what to wear. Bundling himself up, the fabric smelt of flowers. Kind of nice, and kind of making him long for his mother. Knowing such thoughts would do him no good, he made sure Allura’s bathroom was acceptably clean before letting himself out into the living area. In the small kitchenette, Allura had pulled her hair up, something green being stirred in the bowl in front of her

“How are you feeling?”

Was it wrong to feel better? He’d known he let himself go looking after Keith, he hadn’t taken the time to enjoy the movement of the twins when he had Keith to think of. It’d been nice to reconnect with the feeling of them moving inside of him. Pressing against the spots his hands laid on

“I feel bad to say I feel better”

Allura tilted her head, her smile not waving in the slightest as she scraped the spatula on the side of the bowl

“You’re allowed to feel better. I’m sorry. I think I messed this up. I was attempting to surprise you”

Shuffling over to her, Lance had no idea what the goop was

“Should I ask?”

“I thought perhaps a face mask and some self pampering would help you relax. I’m afraid you’ve started growing a mono-brow”

“I’m a mess, aren’t I?”

“Nothing a little self love won’t cure. I’ve got some blood too. Relatively fresh, from this morning”

Allura’s kindness made him feel shitty

“I don’t deserve this”

“I think you do. I heard about what happened while we were dealing with that demon. Everyone has been so worried about you and Keith”

“They should have been worrying about Keith and Curtis”

Allura giggled. Lance wasn’t what there was to giggle about

“Curtis is healing. You haven’t stopped since you woke. Coran was quite frustrated at your stubbornness in taking care of Keith”

“I can imagine. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he hated me”

Taking his hand in hers, Allura shook her head, scolding him for being stupid

“Coran would, and could, never hate you. Never. He simply wished you’d rest more”

“I thought... if I stopped, I’d lose him. I thought that if maybe I was there when he woke he’d be less scared. Like he’d see me and that... would make it okay. You know, maybe he’d listen to me instead of seeing me as a threat. I know it was stupid being a vampire when he’s now a wolf... I feel stupid. I felt like love would conquer all... I... I trusted in our bond”

“Your bond is still there. You still love him. This will work out, I know it”

Lance sucked his bottom lip, feeling like he was intruding for asking

“Is that something you saw?”

Allura’s smile wavered

“Oh, no. No, I haven’t seen it. I just have faith”

Damn. Her foreseen futures never seemed to be anything good... much like her attempt at a home made face mask

“I’m sorry but I’m low on faith right now. I appreciate this though... why don’t I start a new batch from scratch? You’re still recovering too”

“I must admit, I don’t have the knack for this like you do. Lance, I feel like I’ve been a terrible friend. I must confess I did avoid both you and Keith. I didn’t want to see anything bad”

“It’s okay. I get it. It’s not something you can control”

“That doesn’t excuse not being there for you”

Lance snorted. Allura would have been if she could have been. She’d needed days to recover from the demon incident, plus she was probably running around micromanaging everything to free up Coran’s time

“I haven’t exactly been the easiest person to be there for. I haven’t even asked about Lotor”

Allura sighed dramatically, Lance feeling the edges of his lips turn up. She continued with her theatrics, playing out his and her part in two different voices

“You honestly don’t want to know. He’s all like “I’ll come back!”, and I’m all like “You don’t have to!”, and then I find myself missing him. Then he’s all like “I have a good reason”. Does he not think I know that? Don’t mention his terrible tastes in suits! I wonder to myself what I must be thinking?”

“He tried to do a good thing...”

“He did, yet, he makes me so mad, I want to stomp my foot and scream”

“No one’s stopping you”

“This much is true. If you’re taking care of the face masks, I’ll get that blood out. I hope you’re prepared. I would like one order of a night off with some serious pampering, and no emergencies”

“You and me both. What are we going to watch?”

“I have no idea! Ugh! Decisions...”

Lance let her make him smile. Allura was often so calm and composed, to see her like this reminded him of when he was kid

“Allura, can I do your hair for you?”

Taking her pony tail in her left hand, Allura looked at the end of it

“I thought we agreed we were going for self love”

“I know. You have such beautiful hair, it makes me want to braid it like I used to do for my sisters”

“In that case I would love it!”

“Great. Let’s get the prep done and settle back for some serious relaxing”

Settling in to watch a rom-com, Lance liked hanging out with Allura. Face masks came first, then Lance braided Allura’s hair according to a photo she liked on Google. His snacks for the night consisted of blood, and a few handfuls of stolen popcorn and they curled up on the sofa under a bright pink unicorn blanket. He didn’t make the best visitor, needing to pee meant disturbing Allura, but she never made a big deal out of it.

Nearing the end of the first movie, Lance was starting to doze off when there was a knock on Allura’s door. Comfortably warm and settled, the pair of them looked at each other before Lance pulled the “It’s your room” card on her. Allura missed Lotor a lot. Lance had a feeling that she’d come to understand Lotor differently since he actually kind of tried to prove he wasn’t as bad as he led everyone to believe. Sitting up, Lance watched Allura cross the space, able to jog without a heavy belly in the way. Stepping back from the door, Lance watched something white being waved. He could smell Hunk and Pidge there.

Not wanting a fight, he sank lower in the sofa. Hands on his belly to keep himself grounded

“Pidge! Hunk! What a lovely surprise. What brings the both of you here?”

“We wanted to see Lance... He’s still here, isn’t he?”

Allura looked to him. Lance peaking over the back of the sofa

“He is...”

“Look, we brought movies and food. We don’t want to fight. We want to see our best friend”

Damn Pidge. He couldn’t be mad at either of them, let alone fight with them when they’d really done nothing wrong

“I’m not sure...”

Allura tried her hardest to be polite, but what was the point of having friends if he didn’t make the effort when they’d made the effort to come see him?

“It’s okay, Allura. They can come on in”

Making a beeline for him, Lance found Allura’s place stolen by her as he copped an armful of Pidge. Two shopping bags hung off each arm, not that that stopped her

“We thought you might have left”

“I don’t have my keys”

“I’m sorry. You know I’m not mad at you, right? Me and Hunk aren’t mad”

He couldn’t escape. He didn’t want to think. He wanted to enjoy hanging with Allura, and now Pidge and Hunk

“Pidge, I can’t deal with that right. But I’m not mad at you guys either”

Pidge pulled back, beaming mischievously

“Good! Now, Hunk and I did the drive around. We’ve got garlic knots, Italian, Chinese, pizza, slushies, and DVD’s”

“DVD’s are totally old school”

“I didn’t know if Allura had streaming or not. I forgot to check before we left. Oh my god, you missed the biggest fight too. Curtis called Shiro a “wanker”. He was going to come with us, but Coran said he shouldn’t be leaving the medical ward yet”

He adored Pidge, but that was one part of her that made him feel bad. She was so fiercely loyal that she found herself “picking sides” when there shouldn’t be sides being chosen

“Pidge. Shiro’s Keith’s precious brother. This is between me and him. I don’t want you guys being mad at him because of what he did”

“You’re so mature. I mean...”

Nope. No. He didn’t want this at all

“Pidge. Please. Right now Allura and I are on a mission not to think about that. I want to focus on me and the twins. Please can we leave Keith moving out to another day?”

Pidge’s eyes widened in shock

“He’s moving out?”

Lance didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. It’d all come down to how much Keith hated him once he calmed down

“We’re basically over at this point in time... and now I’m about to cry again”

Pidge shook her head as she started rummaging through one of the bags looped over her left arm. Lance fanned his face, not wanting tears to remove the lingering tingles from the face mask

“No! Noooo. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. Here, look, I’ve got chocolate too. It’s the good stuff. Full bars and all”

“You guys can stay, but... I don’t want to talk about this...”

“Okay! Deal. Allura, is it okay to put stuff on the table? Or are you a sit at the dinner table kind of girl?”

Allura shrugged. Bouncing back from the arrival of Hunk and Pidge and off to get more bedding... which was pink. Allura really loved pink and pink looked great on her

“I don’t mind either way”

“Excellent! Now, what movie do you want to watch? I’ve got horror and I’ve got b-grade horror”

He liked the rom-com... but the rom-com didn’t like him back. He missed Keith. He wondered what Keith was doing right now. If he was okay. If he and Shiro were talking. Or if Shiro had been yell and growled at too. He didn’t want anything that made him think

“B-grade”

“Excellent! It cost me a whole dollar, which we all know means badness guaranteed!”

“You intentionally watch bad movies?”

Pidge snorted both at the comment and mound of fluffy pink blankets she was carrying over

“Yeah. That’s the whole point. We act out the stupid bits and we point out the flaws”

“I‘ve never tried. I hope I won’t annoy you”

“Allura, you know more than any of us about this creepy stuff. I intend to tap into that wealth of knowledge”

“I shall try my very hardest. Also, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to give me my spot back. Lance makes the most comfortable of pillows”

“But you got up”

“To let you. Would you prefer I asked you to leave?”

Pidge gaped at Allura, before shaking her head in defeat

“Damn. I never thought you had it in you. Respect, girl. Respect. Hunk, shove, I want to cuddle Lance”

“No can do. As his official best friend and sunshine of his life, I’ve claimed this spot for Hunk kind”

Pidge blew a raspberry

“You both suck. Don’t think I won’t remember this!”

“You won’t once you get your hands on your slushy”

Pidge rolled her eyes at Hunk, before sighing heavily at Lance

“He said I couldn’t have four flavours. I got four flavours. He brought whatever comes next on himself”

Lance would always stand by the opinion four flavours were too many, yet if it made Pidge happy, than he’d keep that to himself

“Alright, Gremlin. Let’s get the food out. Then you can have your slushie and we can have a real night in”

“A real night in” that lasted another half an hour for Lance before he fell asleep against Hunk. His best buddy not missing a step by wrapping his arm around him and tucking him up against his side.

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #ashratherose

[somekindoftuber]

vld youtuber AU (klance, part 7)

hey so who’s up for some a n g s t

(content warning for this chapter: vomit)

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six

.

“Favorite color?”

“Red.”

“Cool, mine’s blue. Um, favorite subject in school?”

“....Math?”

“Ew.”

“Lance,” Keith laughs over the mic. “You said no judgment. I was good at math.”

Leaning back, Lance pops his back. “Yeah, okay, fine. Mine was history.”

“Ew.”

They’d been sitting in the Overwatch menu screen for at least a half-hour, Keith indulging Lance in a question swap. “You know,” Keith says after taking a drink of his soda. “When I said we should get to know each other, I sort of expected something more.... Organic than 20 questions.”

“What, my methods aren’t free-range enough for you?” Lance joked, and Keith laughed loud at that one. “Well, you should know, Keith, that I have this tendency to focus on things that I want, and I don’t give up easily.”

Keith went silent for a second. “Things you want, huh?” His voice was low.

Lance felt the heat rush to his face. “U-um.”

“Sorry,” Keith said. “Too much?”

Lance chewed his lip. “Is it too much for you?”

Keith’s tongue clicked through the headphones over Lance’s ears, and when he spoke, his voice was almost sultry. “Nah. Besides, I can be pretty driven when I want something, too.”

Dear lord, this man was going to be the death of him. Now that they’d gotten their feelings out in the open, Lance was discovering a side of Keith he never knew existed - a bold, fearless, self-assured side. And holy shit, was it hot, if a little terrifying. Whatever reservations Keith had about flirting before now were long gone, and it would still throw lance for a serious loop to hear Keith directing low key innuendo at him.

“Here’s one for you,” Keith said. “When did you first play guitar?”

“Oh!” Lance grinned. “I was nine. I had already been playing the piano for two years, but it sort of bored me. I couldn’t get it to make the kind of sound I wanted, if that makes sense? Then my dad got his old acoustic guitar out of storage and got it repaired and restrung. When he played it, I knew it was the sound I’d been trying to find.” His eyes went misty as he remembered the first time he plucked one of the steel strings. “It sounded like heaven.”

“Wow,” Keith said after a minute.

“Your turn. How’d you know you wanted to be a pilot?”

Keith hummed. “I was always sort of an adrenaline junkie as a kid. Raced go-karts, ran track, got in trouble, did some free running. I… spent a lot of time in and out of foster care, which was a pretty numbing experience, so I think maybe I was looking for something to make me feel alive.”

Lance had no idea what to say to that, so he kept quiet.

“I went on a field trip to an air force museum with my school when I was thirteen,” Keith continued. “There was a reconstructed Grumman F-14 Tomcat on display, and when I looked at it, I just thought, I need to be in one of those.” He let out a little laugh. “That’s also where I met Shiro. Or, well, he met me. When I stole his car.”

Lance choked, beating his fist on his chest to get air back into his lungs. “Excuse me?”

Then Keith laughed long and loud. “Told you. Adrenaline junkie. I was a brat with something to prove.”

Lance stared at his computer screen. This was intense, and he had a feeling that he was only scratching the surface of who Keith really was.

-----

October began, and Lance was officially panicking. Because Keith’s birthday was at the end of this month and he really wanted to do something special for it. Now that they were hovering in some bizarre “not boyfriends yet” zone, Lance figured it wouldn’t be too much to maybe go a little further than he would for a friend.

He got out his guitar, a notebook, blank music sheets, and a pencil.

——-

Lance’s channel was gaining followers rapidly. He was no stranger to having an online following, but he had to change his notification settings on twitter to keep his phone from blowing up constantly. He pondered making a separate, locked account for himself, something his friends could follow where he could drop the YouTube persona.

He was sort of envious of Keith’s anonymity online.

And speaking of Keith, there was also the issue of a potential move to Springdale. Lance had looked up schools in the area, and the local community college had a music education program that he could afford. He’d closed his browser and walked away from his laptop after he had that confirmation and spent the next fifteen minutes pacing around the living room, running his hands through his hair until it was sticking up all over the place. It hadn’t felt real until that moment; before that, the idea of going back to school and pursuing an actual career had been just that -- and idea. But now? Now he couldn’t really make excuses anymore. It was all very much within his reach. He just had to muster up the courage to go for it.

Easier said than done.

Lance ended up stress eating half a carton of butter pecan ice cream by the time Pidge came home from class.

Lance posted more Overwatch videos in the meantime, held some more streams. His content was slowing down because he’d taken an extra shift every week at the cafe to save up money. He had no idea what his living situation was going to be come January, but it was safer to assume he’d be on his own and have the money to support himself.

He talked to Keith almost every day. They’d started using facetime, and that did a number on poor Lance’s heart, to get to see Keith’s face while talking to him. Keith was still unfarily, stupidly, irrevocably attractive, even when he was flushed and sweaty from working out or covered in grime from the garage. One time Keith had called when Lance was wearing a face mask, and Lance would have been embarrassed, if it wasn’t for the absolutely hilarious confusion that crossed Keith’s face at the sight.

“I’m kind of big on skin care, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Uh.” Keith’s thick eyebrows pinched together. “I hadn’t?”

Lance smiled as much as he could with the mask drying on his face. “Well, get used to it. It’s a packaged deal with me.”

Keith gave him a little grin then, and Lance nearly swooned.

.

Another night, as they were messing around in Overwatch, the topic of tattoos came up. “Do you have more than one? Tattoo, I mean,” Lance asked while they scrolled through servers.

“Just the one,” Keith answered. “I kinda want more, but I’m not sure what I’d get. You?”

“None.” Lance hummed. “How big is that lion, anyway? I could only see the top bit at the beach.”

“Not that big,” Keith answered. Then there was some shuffling from his end of the voice chat, and he went quiet for a second. Lance thought he heard a click.

“You okay over there?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just - gimme a sec - there.”

Lance’s phone buzzed at his side. He picked it up, the motion completely automatic, to see a new text. He used his thumb print to open it, and the entire universe ground to a screeching halt.

Because on the screen was Keith’s lion tattoo, in its entirety, the dark red ink carved neatly into Keith’s exposed hip. At the bottom of the frame, a thumb was hooked into the hem of a pair of sweatpants, pulling them down and away, and at the top, a dark gray shirt was rucked up to reveal a toned stomach. Lance’s heart might have stopped. There was so much skin, all smooth and milky, stretched over a sharp hipbone, the sweatpants pulled down just enough to reveal the tiny beginnings of dark hair below. Lance’s mouth watered.

“You still there?” Keith was asking, a smile in his voice, but Lance.exe had stopped working.

“Jesus Christo,” Lance breathed. “You -- you gotta warn me before you do that.”

He heard Keith huff a little laugh. “Sorry.”

Lance had the distinct impression that Keith wasn’t sorry at all.

-----

Lance might have pulled a few all-nighters in the course of the month. But he was running out of time, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until it was perfect. This was for Keith, for his birthday, and Lance absolutely did not half ass things like that.

Pidge just rolled her eyes at him and went back to her thesis, heedless of Lance’s internal crisis as she tapped away at her laptop.

He was finally, finally ready to record on the 18th. It took at least four tries to get one good take, and then he had to record backup vocals, additional guitar, piano. It took three days to get the song right, and he didn’t even have a video. A blank screen would have to do.

He set the video to post at 8:00am the next morning, October 23. He really, really hoped Keith would see it, and Lance listened to the song one last time before he went to bed.

I was wondering through, I’d never heard your voice You were just an idea on a screen I was belly up, dried up, a fish out of water Pretending that I could breathe air

But then I met you, and my world burst into color Where was I going before you came my way I don’t know, I don’t care, and I don’t think it matters I’m just so glad that I met you

I had no direction, you handed me a map And it’s pointing me your way I hope that’s alright, ‘cause I sort of can’t help it, You’re drawing me to you, and I don’t want to stop

Because my world is all color now that you’re in it So bright and beautiful, just like your smile And no matter what happens, I want you to know Darling I am so glad that I met you.

In the description, Lance wrote “happy birthday” with a heart emoji, then clicked “schedule video” and let the fates have it. He went to bed with a nervous jitter in his veins.

The next morning, Lance was still anxious as hell, so he went for a long run through the brisk autumn air. After five miles he came home and made some coffee, as it was brewing, his phone rang.

Keith’s number was on the screen.

Lance cleared his throat and picked up. “Hey Keith!” he started, happy that the words only shook a little bit. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Keith answered. His voice sounded strange. “I, um. I saw the video you posted.”

Lance felt his whole body flash hot as he bit his lip. “Happy Birthday, Keith.”

There was shuffling on the other end of the line. “That was for me?”

“Yeah.”

Keith was quiet for a long time. Then a sudden wet sniffle came through, and Lance felt himself panic. “Keith?”

“Sorry,” Keith’s voice cracked. “Sorry, I just--” he broke off with another sniffle, louder this time. “I’m not used to that. To people doing nice things for me.”

Oh god. Lance had made him cry. And the sound was so sad that Lance felt his own eyes sting.  “You okay?”

Keith laughed, the sound wet and strained. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Just. Wow, Lance.”

“Get used to it,” Lance said softly. “I’m definitely the type for grand gestures.”

Another small laugh, then some more sniffling. “What did I do,” Keith whispered, “to deserve someone like you?”

Lance leaned against the counter top behind him, his heart hammering in his chest. “I ask myself that all the time.”

“Oh my god, stop,” Keith groaned, but Lance could hear a smile in his voice. “I have to go to work in an hour. How am I supposed to concentrate now?”

“You’re working on your birthday?”

Lance heard a grunt and the scrape of a chair. “I always do. My birthday’s never been a big deal to me. I think Shiro wants to barbeque tonight, though.”

The coffee maker beeped, and Lance poured himself a cup. “Would it be alright if I made it a big deal?”

Keith hummed. “If that’s what a big deal is to you, then I guess I’ll just have to get used to it, won’t I?”

“Yeah, I guess you will.”

-----

Pidge forwarded an email to Lance the next week. A science conference was being held in Charlotte at the end of the month, and she was going.

“I’ll probably be gone the whole weekend. I’m driving with some classmates, so you can have the apartment to yourself.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Or maybe have someone over.”

“Pidge,” Lance chided, rolling his eyes as she laughed into her coffee.

She was right, though. Lance could have someone over. Of course, there was only one ‘someone’ in mind - but would that be too fast? To ask Keith to come stay the weekend here? Alone with Lance?

His face went hot at the thought. A whole weekend alone with Keith.

They’d only been apart from each other for a little over a month, and facetime was nice and all, but Lance missed him. In person, Keith exuded this… energy that didn’t come through a phone line or internet connection. It was sort of intoxicating, making Lance want to get closer and closer. But would that be too much?

Lance mentally beat himself up for an hour before messaging Keith on discord about it.

LanceyLance Hey so Pidge is going out of town for a conference thing just after Thanksgiving. Would you want to come down here to chill? We can livestream or smth

Keith uh yeah I think that would be okay. what days

LanceyLance nov 28-30

Keith okay cool let me check some things and I’ll get back to you

Lance wondered if “almost throwing up from sheer nerves because I might get to spend a weekend alone with a hot boy” was a good reason to call into work. He went in for his shift anyway and was only slightly distracted. On his break, Lance checked his phone and found a new message from Keith on Discord.

Keith so that weekend looks okay, I put in for time off

LanceyLance cool!

Lance ruined the next three drinks, his heart in his throat.

Later that night, he got on a voice chat with Keith, his heart pounding despite him telling it over and over to calm the hell down.

“I was thinking we could do a livestream, maybe some Overwatch?” Lance said as he picked at a cuticle. “You could be my special guest.”

Keith did that little airy chuckle that made Lance shiver. “As long as you don’t ask me to sing.”

“No promises.” Biting his lip, Lance took a breath. He might as well ask. “You sure you’re okay with this? It’s not, like, moving too fast?”

Keith hummed. “No? I mean, I figured we were just gonna hang out… Why?” his voice dropped. “Did you have other plans?”

“No,” Lance squawked, cursing how his voice cracked. “No, I mean, you said you wanted to go slow, so I was just thinking we could just play some games, maybe watch a movie or go to the marina. That’s okay, right…?”

“Yeah,” Keith breathed, and Lance could hear the smile. “Yeah, that’s cool.”

A hot wash of embarrassment hit Lance, and he covered his face and groaned. Keith laughed a little. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance’s voice was muffled by his hands. “Yeah. I just -- jeeze. I must sound desperate or something.”

“It’s not just you,” Keith said softly. “I mean, same, I guess? I know I said I wanted to take this slow, but honestly, it’s turning out to be harder than I expected.”

The admission was unexpected and sent Lance’s blood pressure through the roof. He could already tell it was going to be a struggle to keep his hands to himself.

-----

One week until Keith’s visit. Pidge was packing her bag early and giving Lance absolute hell about it.

“Use protection,” she said, stuffing a shirt into a suitcase. Lance sputtered.

“Oh knock it off!” He shrieked. “He’s coming to hang out. That’s it!”

Pidge shot him a skeptical look as she folded a pair of jeans over her arm. “Sure, sure. Just do me a favor and disinfect any surfaces you decided to ‘hang out’ on.”

Lance threw up his arms in defeat, then went to his computer. He and Keith had already planned out their livestream, and decided it was close enough to make an announcement.

Lance! @lanceylance Hey everyone! Next Friday (11/28) I’ll be holding a livestream with special guest @k_redlion! Stream begins at 4pm eastern. Be there!!

.

Pidge left early Friday morning, and in the four hours until Keith was supposed to arrive, Lance did one of the most thorough cleanings of the apartment he’d ever done. He dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed and mopped, did laundry and the dishes, changed the sheets on his bed, washed the spare set of sheets for the pull out sofa.

Satisfied, he jumped in the shower and gave himself and equally thorough scrub down. He was all nerves as he dried off and dressed. He was admiring his handiwork in the living room when his phone buzzed.

Keith made it into town, be there in 10

Lance bounced on his heels and went outside to wait. After a few minutes, a dark blue sedan with Virginia plates pulled up and into a parking spot. The engine shut off, and the door opened to reveal Keith, in his leather jacket with his hair pulled up high.

“Nice car,” was the first thing that came out of Lance’s mouth. He internally groaned.

“Rental,” Keith said, closing the driver’s door and going for the back seat. “I love my bike, but five hours on it is a bit much, especially when it’s cold.”

Lance took Keith’s duffel bag for him and led him up to the apartment. He’d set up their streaming area in the living room where they’d be closest to the router.

“The stream isn’t for another three hours,” Lance said, setting Keith’s bag on the chair. “Wanna relax until then?”

Keith slipped out of his jacket, revealing a dark gray sweater that stretched nicely across his chest. “Sounds good. That drive is a little tiring.”

Once Lance had gotten them both glasses of water from the kitchen, they decided on YouTube fail videos, sitting next to each other on the couch, close, but not too close. Keith’s laugh was such a nice sound, and Lance couldn’t help but lean a little in his direction. After an hour’s worth of cats and people slipping and falling, Keith grunted, grimacing.

“You okay?” Lance asked.

Keith gave him a smile. “Yeah, my stomach’s kind of upset. That gas station poptart might not have been a good idea.”

Standing, Lance moved towards the kitchen. “I’ve got some pickled ginger in the fridge, would that help?”

Keith followed him. “Yeah, probably.”

As soon as Lance opened his fridge, horror dawned upon him. “I didn’t get us any stream snacks!”

“It’s not a big deal?” Keith said slowly. Lance handed him the jar of sushi ginger and shook his head.

“It totally is! We need proper junk food for streaming.” He pursed his lips and tapped his chin. “Are you okay if I hit the store? It won’t take long.”

Keith shrugged with the jar in his hand. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll just hang out and rest.”

He showed Keith where the forks were, taking a little delight in seeing how Keith ate the ginger straight out of the jar just like he did, then grabbed his shopping bags. “I’ve got my phone, text me if you want anything!”

The drive to the store was short, and Lance sped through the aisles with a basket on his arm. Gourmet sodas, the nice veggie chips, lemon cream cookies, a package of fresh strawberries. He’d take Keith out for dinner, maybe Vinnie’s again. This weekend was going to be awesome.

On the way home, however, Lance got stuck in stand-still traffic - he could see just far enough ahead to tell there had been an accident. And there was nowhere for him to turn off to for another few hundred feet, so he was stuck. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and shot a text to Keith.

stuck in traffic, might be a little late

He put Pandora on his phone and turned up the volume, shifting his car into park.

By the time Lance made it back to the apartment, he’d been gone for more than an hour and a half. The living room was empty, but Lance went straight for the kitchen. The stream was set to start in 45 minutes, so they needed to start setting up. “Keith?” Lance called as he stashed the groceries in the fridge. “You good, man? We should get started soon.”

There was no answer.

“Keith?” Lance poked his head out of the kitchen. “You here?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see if he’d missed a text as he went towards the back of the apartment. Rounding a corner, Lance stopped. His phone clattered to the floor.

Just outside the bathroom, face down in the hallway, was Keith.

Lance slid on his knees towards him. “Keith!” Reaching for him, he turned Keith over, and gasped. His face was bright red, his eyes screwed shut. He was sweating profusely and burning up with a fever. “Keith!” Lance called again. “Hey, man, answer me!”

Keith’s eyes flickered. “L-lance?” he grunted, his voice weak. “It hurts, oh god Lance, it hurts so bad--”

Adrenaline was dumping into Lance’s bloodstream as he went into full panic mode. “What hurts? What’s wrong? Keith!” But Keith stopped responding, his breathing sounding wheezy and shallow.

“Shit,” Lance muttered, clutching Keith close to his chest. “Shit shit shit!”

His phone was five feet away. He should call 911. But who knows how long an ambulance would take and the hospital was five minutes away, he could get there faster on his own--

Lance had grabbed his phone and hoisted Keith into his arms before he realized it. And shit, Keith was heavy, making Lance stumble and lean against a wall more than once as he made it out of his apartment and to his car, where he dropped  Keith on the back seat.

He’d never driven so aggressively in his life.

Lance screeched to a halt outside the ER doors, and barely managed to put his car in park. He opened the back door and pulled Keith out, hooking one of Keiths’ arms around his neck and half-carrying him inside.

“Hey,” he called out. “Hey, I need some help here--”

At his side, Keith made a choking sound, then curled in on himself and vomited.

The whole world became too fast and too slow. Several nurses ran up to them, pulling Keith away. A clattering gurney was brought out. As Keith’s limp body was hoisted on to it, Lance barely registered someone talking to him, asking him what happened.

“I don’t know,” Lance’s throat was closing. “I don’t know, he was fine two hours ago--”

More questions, but Lance couldn’t hear them. All he could focus on was Keith, unconscious on a hospital stretcher, disappearing down a hallway as nurses ran beside him.

.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

(don’t worry guys, Keith is gonna be fine!! But Lance doesn’t know that OvO)

#klance #youtuber AU

[why-and-zanx]

I think I just realized why so much lgbtq+ media gets more critisized than other media, (not counting just normal homophobia) it's because members of the lgbtq+ people focus on it and see it as important so they pic it apart more, so while gravity falls and star vs the forces of evil recive very little critization, other shows like legend of koroa and Steven universe a lot of criticism and then shows like voltron which was very queer-baity get even more criticism because of the over arching horrible ness of QueerBaiting™️

Now of course I shall rate all the showsthe shows above So of course spoilers

Steven universe

is overall not the best, it does have good representation which is great but the pacing and overall story focus is WACK as FUCK so yeah

Pros

-repsentation

-large cast of plot relevant characters

-interesting conceptually

-the entire soundtrack holy fuck it's so good

Cons

-bad story focus

-bad pacing

-underdeveloped characters

-lars pre-death

total score 5/10

legend of korr/Avatar the las air bender

waited till then end of its run to confirm that two characters where LGBTQ so points off for that, not to mention both ATLA and LOK have very sterotypical asian representation soooo ew

pros

-very intresting plot

-relatable characters

-fully fleshed out charcters

-there is no war in Ba Sing Se™

cons

-late in plot representation

-characters/nations are negative Asian stereotypes

-jet as a character

overall score 8/10

gravity falls

is a good show but never had a diffinitive ending this is a part of the plot itself but it leaves much to be desire, most of the characters are archatypes and there's not much representation

pros

-intresting plot and concept

-fairly fleshed out characters

-likable and relatable cast

-what's the one thing I asked you not to do?

raise the dead

what did you do?

raise the dead

cons

-lack of representation

-incomplete story

-cast to large/too many side charecters for shows length

-THE DUDE BRO VERSION OF DIPPER

overall score 7/10

star vs the forces of evil,

VERY little representation but bonus points for making Marco Latino but he is very whitewashed during Episodes in which his family isn't relevant, also no diffinitive ending I feel like a movie would have rapped up the plot nicely

pros

-interesting plot

-interesting and relateable characters

-decent size cast that have plot relativity

-Tom Lucitors Characters arc, it's not on parr with Zuko but I am still impressed

cons

-no diffinitive ending

-lack of representation

-odd pacing

-Kelly's Ex

overall score 5.5/10

Voltron legendary defender

lots of queerbaiting and a severly underdeveloped plot that ends suddenly, character death unnecessary to plot, poor ending, bad pacing, undeveloped characters, unnecessary characters, unnecessary/irrelevant conflict, and last bit not least wierd as all FUCKING SHIT pasing

pros

-decent representation in characters backgrounds

-while the ending was bad there was no cliffhanger

-pidges arc (only hers everyone elses is SHIT)

cons

-QueerBaiting™️

-underdeveloped plot

-underdeveloped charecters

-pointless/irrelevent conflict (LOTOS ENTIRE ARC! WHY THE FUCK WAS IT SO WEIRD)

-alluras death

-plot inconsistencys and wack ass pacing

-Queerbaiting™️

-unnsessary plot

-QueerBaiting™️

-have to say it Lotor, he was basically pointless

-QUEERBAITING™️

overall rating 2/10 (it has decent representation/diverse cast that's all I'll give them)

okay I'm done, if you want me to do other shows send an ask, but also make sure that you send me a show that's already over cause it's hard to give problems for shows that's haven't had the time to complete those problems or very well could solve them in the future.

#Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk #STVTFOE #Stevenuniverse #gravityfalls #LOK #ATLA #VLD

[chibi-pix]

VLD AU - Dark Water

Another piece to the mermaid!Pidge AU, this one being mainly focused around Shiro.  At the end, there will be a picture, but it does not fully match up to the story; the two were started around the same time but put off; as the story showed things slightly different, the picture kept its original state and I didn’t want to alter either.  Anyway! Enjoy this 1600 word ficlet in the “keep reading” below.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I’m going down! Nav system is NOT working!”

“What’s your checkpoint, Shiro?!”

“Last check over AARC!”

Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane opened his eyes. Water was filling into his little plane at an alarmingly quick and steady pace. Crap. Not good at all. He went for the belt keeping him in place, working at it with his left hand. His right arm had been caught in part of his plane, the impact it made with the ocean crushing in the side and pinning him.

Shit. Even worse. If he could get the buckle undone, which he was almost too panicked to do, how could he get out? He had to try and find a way to free himself. But his arm was caught and he didn’t even think he could twitch his fingers.

Fuck.

And the plane had filled up completely, barely giving the pilot time to take a deep breath to try and prolong his survival. In his state, he felt he had about three minutes to get out of there before he needed to breathe again… or ultimately end up giving in and letting the dart, salty waters overtake him. He had to be quick.

He was both thankful and concerned that the light was still working in his plane, illuminating the area around him. This let him see the buckle, which he thankfully got undone in about half a minute since holding his breath, as well as his pinned arm. The worst part of being able to see, though, was what was around him. He could hear something that he could explain as a deep, sonance, melodic and ominous at the same time. Was it a creature? Was it just ambiance? No. Shiro couldn’t focus on that; he had to escape, even if his arm was starting to hurt further up.

Shiro was losing his battle. He was struggling to keep his breath held as he pushed past his three minute mark. The lights remained, but he could hardly notice them anymore. It was hard seeing in the water to begin with, the its natural salinity levels made it even harder… but his condition, everything was blurring further.

And then he saw movement. It startled him, but he managed to not give up on his breath holding competition with Fate. The movement seemed to circle him. Quick? No. Massive. It came around again and he saw them illuminated by the lights of his aircraft. Large, round eyes, clearly meant to see in the darkness of the ocean. But this thing… it wasn’t just his off perspective, right? His possible delirious state of being in pain and on the verge of dying in a watery grave? He didn’t know… but he could have sworn this thing that pulled its hands up around his plane was a giant mermaid.

He reached out with his good hand, mentally praying that this creature was real and perhaps sought to be merciful. But it couldn’t be, right? If it was real, logic said it could eat him. But it couldn’t be real… either way, he would die in the end.

-+-+-+-

“Over here!” came a very familiar call. He opened his eyes, seeing through the bleariness the best he could. “I found him! He’s still breathing!” the figure called. He could make out some defining features. Something was familiar about this person. “He’s badly hurt!”

He coughed. Did he survive? What happened? How did…

“Shiro? Shiro, it’s okay, I know it hurts.” The figure looked to him. Yes, this person was definitely someone he knew. “Just try to stay awake. They’re on their way. Just stay awake.”

-+-+-+-

Shiro woke up. He didn’t realize he passed out. He looked around to see himself in a hospital room of sorts. Looking to see a recognizable, framed image, he realized he was at AARC, Atlean Aquatic Research Center. It must have been the closest place to take him for… whatever. He then looked to his side, someone holding his left hand. Keith. A good friend. He was like a little brother to the pilot. Keith had appeared to have fallen asleep there.

Smiling softly, Shiro didn’t want to disturb him. He left his hand in place, letting Keith continue to hold onto it. He then tried to move his right hand, feeling for a button to let the doctor know he was up and would like assistance. Nothing. Not that there wasn’t a button, he didn’t know. He couldn’t feel anything.

Shiro dared to look over to his right. Bandaged up was his shoulder, the arm that was supposed to be connected to it was gone. He looked up when he heard the muffled sound of soft shoes hit tile floor before entering his room. An albino with a Mohawk and intricate, dark tattoos entered. He had been to AARC enough times to know this as Ulaz, the resident doctor. Sure, he was mainly on site for veterinary purposes, but he trained to work with humans, too.

“Hey.” Shiro rasped out, realizing his throat was dry.

“Glad to know you’re awake.” Ulaz said, going to a small fridge in the room and pulling out a pitcher of water. He poured it into a cup and put in a straw before taking it over for Shiro to sip on.

“Thanks.” Shiro said after a few long sips. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“How do you feel?” Ulaz inquired, setting the cup on the bedside table. He brought up a chair and sat down.

“Surprisingly fine, groggy. Hungry.” Shiro admitted. “Must be the pain killers.”

“We had you properly dosed; you’ve been in and out of consciousness for a few days now.” Ulaz explained. “Do you recall what happened?”

“I… I don’t know.” Shiro sighed. “My plane went down… hell if I knew why...”

“Indeed it did; thankfully what could be found was brought back so it could be combed over and see if there were any malfunctions.” Ulaz stated. “You were found not far from it. How you and your plane got to shore, well, hopefully the team can figure it out.” He showed the tablet in his hand, a design for a prosthetic on the screen. “We’re already looking into a new arm for you; due to the damage and time frame, we could not have your original arm reattached.”

Shiro smiled. “Looks like I’ll still get an arm. And months of rehabilitation.” he nodded. “Has… anyone contacted Adam?”

“He flew out the first day to help with the search; he’s in another building helping with the examination of your plane; he’s certain it has nothing to do with pilot error as some have questioned.” he informed. “Kolivan is leading the investigation. Surprisingly there isn’t much missing.”

“You mentioned my arm… it was...”

“Found in the wreckage.” Ulaz nodded. “Shiro, oddly enough, it was removed almost cleanly. And not in a way the wreck should have removed it.”

Shiro closed his eyes, thinking of the crash, his arm pinned. “My arm… it was… it was being crushed in the plane. I couldn’t pull it free.” He did his best to recall the facts. “But something… there was something there. In the water.” He opened his eyes again. “Maybe I was hallucinating. I was in pain… losing oxygen in my lungs… scared.”

“Something?” Ulaz questioned. “What do you think?”

“It was giant… face like a human but not… I can’t tell… even the lights in my ship couldn’t penetrate the darkness that much, right?” Shiro asked. “I had prayed, though, that whatever it was, it would show mercy… but… like I said, I could have been hallucinating.”

“You could have. Or there really was something out there looking out for you.” Ulaz stated. “There are a number of mysteries out there and the ocean is often the most mysterious.”

“So something could be out there?” Shiro asked.

“It’s probable.” Ulaz nodded.

“Nng...” Keith lifted his head. “Huh? Shiro?” He looked over. “Shiro, you’re awake.”

“So are you.” Shiro slipped his hand free and ruffled Keith’s hair. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hey.” Keith smiled. “How you feelin’?”

“Hungry.” Shiro admitted.

“I’ll go fetch some food.” Keith perked up, ready to help.

“Maybe we can walk together to get food. If the doc permits.” Shiro looked to Ulaz.

“Take it easy, you’re still a bit groggy from the meds, but your legs are fine and work.” Ulaz chuckled. “If you need to, use a wheel chair. Your arm should be ready in less than a week, then onto rehabilitation.”

“Hey, as long as I can fly again, one or two arms, I’m good.”

“You crashed and you still wanna fly? Adam’s gonna give you an earful.” Keith sighed, shaking his head. He got up and helped Shiro to his feet, the older man a bit wobbly at first, but soon able to hold his own. “You okay?”

“Just gotta take it slow and easy to start.” Shiro nodded. “But yeah, I’m fine.” He then walked out of the room, looking to see Lance seem to walk past. “Oh, Lance, good… afternoon?”

“Almost.” Lance confirmed. “Glad to see you feeling better and on your feet.” He then walked off.

“Well, he didn’t stay to chat long.” Shiro commented. “That’s odd.”

“Looks like he wants to get somewhere.” Keith admitted as he shrugged. “Anyway, let’s get you fed.” Shiro’s stomach audibly rumbled. “Yup, your stomach agrees.”

“Knowing him, probably to catch some waves.” Shiro chuckled, knowing Lance loved to surf. “My mind agrees with my stomach, food would be great.” He nodded and walked with Keith supporting him, Ulaz slowly moving behind them to keep an eye on the pilot.

Well! I hope you all enjoyed this one.  It was actually the first of the mermaid au stories to be written/started, but I didn’t finish it until last night; I almost forgot I had it started until I was going through unfinished doodles. 

Well! Until next time!

#Takashi Shirogane #Shiro #Ulaz #human!Ulaz #Lance #Keith #Pidge #mermaid!pidge #mer!pidge #giant mermaid #mermaid au #VLD #Voltron legendary defender #alternate universe #ficlet #writing and illustration

[its-artsy-author]

ace up your transformed sleeve

hey! it’s nico, back at it again with some voltron fic! read it on ao3 if you like that better!

ship(s): klance

word count: 1,314

tw/cws: periods, blood/mentions of blood, fear of rejection, fear of transphobia (don’t worry everyone’s a respectable human being in this), and hopefully ok written ptsd

Lance's limbs were numb with sleep and the world was a black mist around him, covering him, choking him, metal arms around his neck melding with human flesh, the popping of gunfire and the brushing of his prosthetic leg against his- and then he remembered his eyes were closed.

    He opened his eyes thickly, blinking sleep out of his eyes and feeling an uncomfortable film covering them. He blinked again. One more time. Okay, it's gone.

    He peered blearily down at the mess of long black hair tickling his nose and the soft porcelain features that accompanied it. Lance pressed a soft kiss to Keith's forehead and tucked his legs against Keith's.

    Keith's legs used to be the colder ones. Now searing metal, attached at the left knee after a near-fatal injury and infection, beat out Keith by at least five degrees.

    It was then, as he slowly came to groggy awareness at... he glanced at the small digital altean lettering glowing on the wall. 3:32 in the morning, that he noticed something. An inkling. Just a little niggle of something brushing at the edges of his brain with the tips of ghost-light feathers.

    The inside of his thighs were sticky. He moved them a little more, confirming his suspicions, then shot out of bed- or, at least, got out as quickly as he could without waking his significant other.

    He slipped quietly into the small adjoined bathroom to their shared suite, gifted from Allura with a "Oh, don't be ridiculous! The single bedrooms are much too small." and being practically shoved to the other end of the castle.

    Lance wasn't really sure what she meant by that comment. He didn't understand plenty of things that his old classmates had traded sly looks and giggles about.

     Lance returned his thoughts to his rather precarious situation. He peered downwards- yup, definitely a period. They had been more sporadic since he'd started T, but it was perfectly possible that he could have a period randomly. He breathed slowly. Inhale. Exhale. Again.

    Okay, he thought, let's think through this logically- wow, that's a first, he joked to himself. Alright. One. I have my period in space. The first one in space, even after a year. Wow, I've been lucky.

    Two. I have no menstrual products. What kind of person just carries that shit while sneaking out on the town to play pinball and try to weasel a beer out of a weak-willed bartender?

    Three. I'm not out to anyone on the team except Hunk, and the girls will probably get mad when i ask because I'll be awkward and they think I'm cis.

    Lance huffed. He tiptoed to his dresser, picking out plain black boxer shorts and slipping them on uncomfortably. The underwear he'd been wearing before dangled gingerly from his fingertips.

    Lance snuck carefully to the door and winced at the whooshing sound it made as he exited his room. He tiptoed uncomfortably through the wide metal halls of the castleship. The washer loaded quickly with the alien version of tide pods. He wondered if aliens had the tide pod challenge. Huh.

    "What are you doing?"

    Lance whipped around, pressing his back against the wall and breathing heavily at the short, skeptical figure in front of him. "Oh, uh-"

    Pidge scoffed, unimpressed. "Why are you washing a girl's soaked panties in the middle of the night? Wait, nevermind- I don't want to know." They made a disgusted face.

    "Oh, I just got my peri- shit." Lance had begun to respond on autopilot. Goddamnit. Those 'auto' things. First autocorrect, now this?

    Pidge scrunched up their nose in confusion. "You got your- oh." They whistled in sympathy. "You don't have any stuff, do you?

    Lance nodded stiffly, shuffling from foot to foot. A droplet of blood began to trickle down the inside of his thigh. He grimaced at the warm, wet feeling.

    Pidge turned. "Follow me." Pidge often asked people to follow them without elaboration. It was one of those things you got used to. He followed them down a wide branch of the main cleaning room.

    Pidge disappeared into a small supply closet, it seemed. "Wait here." Lance did just that, shifting uncomfortably as his underwear got more and more soaked.

    It was just then that Pidge returned, producing a packet of tampons and another of pads. "I wasn't sure what you use. I picked 'em up at that Earth store." Lance flushed, embarrassed, snatching up the pads and ducking his head as he retreated to his room. He muttered a quiet 'thank you' so soft it was barely audible. Pidge caught it with a smile.

    Keith was sitting up in bed when  Lance returned. "Where were you?" They inquired, furrowing their eyebrows.

    Lance rubbed at his wrists. "I have something to do first, can it wait?" Keith tutted, but let him retreat into the bathroom with a fresh pair of underwear.

    Keith waited impariently, tapping their foot on the bed frame insistently.

    Lance returned, sitting next to them on the bed awkwardly. "Okay, gotta psych myself up." He muttered to himself.

    Keith looked at him in confusion. "Psych yourself up for what?"

    Lance took a deep, bracing breath. "I'm trans."

    Keith scrunched up his face in confusion. "So, you, uh, you're a girl?"

     Lance waved his hands frantically in an attempt to backtrack. "Nonono! No, Keith, I was assigned, uh, female," he winced quietly at the word. "at birth. I'm a male. I'm a boy."

    Keith shrugged. "Why does that matter? You're still a boy. Just because your anatomy doesn't line up with your gender doesn't invalidate who you are. Anyway, you already know I'm non-binary. I'm cool with it."

    "But- but you like boys. Why are you gonna be with someone who's not a rea-"

    Keith cut him off angrily. "I swear to god, if you finish that sentence with 'real boy' I'm going to punch you. You are a real boy. I'm not going to take anything else for an answer."

    Lance fretted, picking at his thumbnail. "But don't you want sex? I can't, like, dick you down if I don't have a dick. And I never really was into sex anyways, so how's that gonna work?"

    Keith chuckled. "I'm asexual. I'm never gonna want anything more than kissing and cuddling and hand-holding. You're good."

    "Wait, what?"

    "Hmm?"

    "Tell me what that... asexual thing means again." Lance looked a strange combination of nervous and excited.

    "Uh, okay." Keith scratched the back of his head. "Asexuality is, in its most basic form, a lack of sexual attraction. It's got, like, a whole range, from repulsed asexuals like me that are, quite frankly, disgusted with that whole sex thing and are never gonna want it to flexible asexuals that are a little more open to sex and will do it for a partner to please them. Or it's possible to fall in between."

    "Holy shit," Lance whispered, growing more excited as he continued speaking. "Holy shit! Ahh! Yes!" Lance threw his arms around Keith, shouting, "Oh my god, there's a word for it!" and dissolving into relieved laughter.

    "Uh... What?"

    Lance grinned widely. "Oh my god, I always felt like that second one- flexible, right? But, like, I was always uncomfortable with sex and talking about it and stuff with a sort of like 'what are you doing? why is that so important to you?' sorta feeling. Ahh! There's a word for it!"

    Keith winced. "Volume, Lance."

    "Okay!" Lance whisper-shouted, falling back on his bedsheets and yanking Keith down with a yelp.

    Lance pulled Keith close as they latched around them like a koala, pressing their face against his neck and exhaling soft puffs of breath that washed over his skin only mildly uncomfortably.

    Lance kissed the top of their head gently.

    He whispered softly, in the dead of night, "there's a word for it."

#voltron #no sheith #shaladins dni #nonbinary keith #trans lance #ace lance #ace keith #pidge is ace too but they dont really mention it #pidge holt #keith kogane #lance mcclain #set in that weird time period where nothing's going on that i see in fics so much

[rangoatemybabynsfw]

After he won the bet, Keith picked the most embarrassing outfit he could think of for Lance. However, his choices backfired on him. That Lan-ass looks 100% more fuckable than it already did and Keith is just so horny. He's surprised his dick hasn't poked anyone eyes out yet.

“Are you fucking serious?” Lance quirks a brow as he looks at the hanger of clothes. “I’m not wearing this–”

“You are,” Keith assures him. “You lost, so you pay the price. Or are you going back on our deal? Like a coward?”

Lance grumbles something rude and stalks off with the clothes in hand. To his room to change. Keith smirks with victory as he takes his seat on the common room couch, pulling a book from his jacket to read to pass the time.

He chose the cheesiest looking outfit he could find at the swap moon. It bears a striking resemblance to a french maid outfit from Earth, except its navy blue instead of black. Lance prides himself on looking good so making him wear something that looks cheap and for a girl for a day is definitely going to bruise his pride. At least, that’s what Keith’s hoping but he isn’t prepared for when Lance returns in the outfit.

It looks…too fucking cute. Frilly and fluffy. From far away you wouldn’t think it was cheap at all. Lance is even wearing the gloves and little hat that goes with it. Keith’s now wishing he’d bought the matching shoes but since he didn’t Lance is just walking around in his socks.

“I look lame,” Lance frowns in the dress. “And it’s too short, so it doesn’t go with my long legs…I hate this.”

“G-Good,” Keith coughs and averts his eyes. “You’re not supposed to like it. You lost a bet.”

“Look at this shit, if I bend over everyone’s gonna see up my ass, Keith!” Lance gripes.  “Can’t I just wear it for an hour? Isn’t that enough?”

“Nope,” Keith swallows, his eyes darting over and back. “The deal was all day. So uh…suck it up.”

Lance groans in annoyance just as the team walks in. They snicker and laugh about the bet he lost. Hunk jokes that he looks adorable as a maid. Maybe he should do all the dishes at dinner he says, to which Lance responds with a ‘you wish’. Allura doesn’t understand what the fuss is about, men regularly wore dress like outfits on Altea. She admits that the dress isn’t exactly modest but, there’s no reason it should be embarrassing. Pidge says he looks ridiculous and congratulates Keith on a bet well won.

Every time Lance has to bend over to pick something up he puts his back to a wall or chair in blushing shame so no one gets a peek of something they’d rather not see. Then he tugs the dress hem back down when he’s upright, in case he’s exposed. Keith tries not to stare each time but he does catch sight of Lance’s underwear once and he almost chokes. Lance is wearing a thong.

This was supposed to make him feel victorious but now he’s feeling amorous instead. Lance was always attractive despite that smarmy mouth of his but with all the embarrassed blushing Keith finds his heart swelling with emotion. Cute. Lance is…cute.

By the end of the day, Lance collapses on the couch with a groan. Keith can almost see up the skirt of his dress. His legs look so smooth. Like he shaves or waxes and then soothes it all out with a lotion massage. If he reaches out he can touch him.

“Is the day over yet?” Lance asks with a grumble. “I want to get out of this dress and back into jeans.”

“It’s not as bad looking as you think,” Keith tells him since they’re alone.

“Yeah sure,” Lance rolls his eyes. “You know, short skirts are bad for people with long legs. Makes them look even freakishly longer. Ugly. But you probably already knew that and that’s why you chose this dumb outfit…”

“Your legs look great,” Keith says but then tries to backtrack. “I uh, I mean, in that outfit. They don’t look like they’re ugly or longer than they should be. They just look like legs. Normal legs.”

Lance quirks a brow and looks over his shoulder at Keith who’s trying desperately to bury his red face in his book. Only then does a light switch click on, lighting up Lance’s eyes with realization.

He smirks and stands from the couch, stretching his arms high and standing on his tip toes. Then he bends over to touch his toes in full view of Keith. Keith’s eyes flicker over there but Lance’s catch him this time. It’s the confirmation that Lance needs.

“You picked this outfit to embarrass me but…” Lance steps over and takes a seat on the couch…right on top of Keith’s lap. “…I bet I can embarrass you more with it.”

Keith tries to swallow but finds his mouth dry. He can feel the warmth of Lance’s legs on the outsides of his thighs and now…heat sitting squarely on his hard crotch. A heat that grinds forward a little, stealing Keith’s breath with a gasp. His hot hands land gently on Keith’s hands.

“Bet you watched like a hawk every time I bent over,” Lance whispers in his ear. “Bet you wanted to put your hands on my ass–like this,” he adds and presses those hot palms to his ass cheeks pulling another shallow breath from Keith. “Did you want to touch me? Kiss me? Maybe bend this pretty maid over a counter and plow me as I cleaned it?”

“Lance,” Keith barely breathes out a hiss as Lance grinds against him again. This time Keith bucks his hips a little and Lance bites back a noise. Though he stayed quiet it doesn’t stop the heat from flushing Lance’s face.

“Did you…want me to…give in easily? Like you’re the master of the house…and I’m just your lowly servant?” Lance asks, licking Keith’s ear and making the guy under him shiver. “How much would it turn you on…to hear me call you…Master?”

“I–”

“Master, Kogane,” Lance says dreamily into Keith’s ear, making his insides melt. “Is there…anything I can do for you…master?”

“Lance, I–”

“Too bad,” Lance smirks and hops off Keith, taking that warmth with him. “Day’s up. I’m gonna change. If you wanna see me in this again…guess you’ll have to win another bet. Later.”

With that Lance sashays away in that little maid outfit, looking over his shoulder at a flushed and hard Keith sitting there stunned on the couch, still sporting a hardon as he watches Lance go. Lance who shoots him a wink and gives him a casual salute before exiting the room to change. Keith exhales a sigh and immediately begins thinking up bets he can win against Lance just so he can see that outfit again.

#Rango answers #Klance #Volporn #Volpron #just in case

[vcepsis]

I+9 with Klance, pleeeasse?

Thanks so much for the request! Sorry it took so long!

Taken from this ask meme (fever + camping). Since I’ve done one similar to this, I hope you forgive me for doing something a little different this time. Shout out as always to @feverflushed​ for the lovely beta work

—–

Lance groaned softly, his face buried in his pillow as he tried in vain to pull the blanket around himself tighter. He was absolutely freezing, even though he knew it was the fever talking. Another shiver ran through him, making his bones almost ache. He was tired and cold and completely miserable.

But most of all, he was lonely. God, he was so lonely. Growing up with all his siblings and cousins living practically on top of each other had its downsides, for sure, like never fully understanding the definition of privacy. But after living with them for so long, it just meant he was never alone.

For someone like Lance, being surrounded by people he loved was the best thing he could have asked for. And when he would get sick, his baby cousins would pile his bed with their favourite stuffed animals and blankets. His mom would make him soup that would clear his head and warm him up from his inside. His father would move their portable heater from the living room into his bedroom. It never failed to lift his spirits, no matter what awful plague he’d contract.

Now, living who knows how many lightyears away from them, Lance had never felt so alone.

He’d come down with this whatever-it-was alien virus a few days before, and at first, he was scared. Scratch that: he’d been terrified. It was the first time any of them had fallen ill since their impromptu recruitment into a ten thousand year space war, and Lance had been sure he’d picked up some deadly alien sickness that would kill him. But as the days passed, it mostly resembled an Earth-like flu.

Lance sniffled pathetically, burrowing as deep as he could get into the soft Altean blankets on his bed. Shiro and Coran had swiftly sequestered him in his room once they confirmed he wasn’t in any real danger, and since the pods weren’t designed to deal with illness, he was left to tough it out the old fashioned way. And while the others were around to get him whatever he needed, they mostly left him alone to wallow in his misery.

Maybe he was supposed to be more appreciative. Coran had thrown around words like quarantine and isolation until Shiro had convinced him that having Lance in his room would be equally effective. But still, Lance couldn’t help the immense wave of sadness being alone caused. Especially being alone and sick. He’d do anything for his brother’s stuffed alpaca, or the smell of his mother’s cooking. He missed them all so much…

Just as the tears started building, there was a soft, tentative knock on his door.

The noise jolted Lance out of his downward spiral, and he turned on his side to wait for whoever it was to come in. There was a beat of silence before they knocked again, a little louder this time.

“Yeah?” Lance called, clearing his throat when the sound came out rough and scratchy.

“Um…” The voice on the other side was hesitant. “It’s Keith.”

Keith?

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise. What the hell did Keith want?

Slowly, Lance sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He pulled the blanket with him as he stood, wrapping it securely around his shoulders and stumbling his way to the door. It opened with a swoosh.

Keith was standing on the other side, dressed in his usual attire, but without the jacket. He frowned as he looked Lance over. “Hey, uh…are you ok?”

Lance blinked, and belatedly realized there were still tears stuck to his eyelashes. He wiped them away quickly, flushing from embarrassment. This was just great. It was bad enough that Keith saw him looking like a mess, but he had to see him cry too…?

But Keith didn’t comment on it any further. “How are you feeling?” he asked instead. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

Rolling his eyes, Lance scoffed, only to turn away and muffle the subsequent coughing fit into the blanket still around his shoulders. His chest burned in the aftermath.

“Ah, sorry,” Keith said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Lance looked back over to see Keith fidgeting with the end of his shirt. It was a small thing, but it was something so distinctly un-Keith that Lance couldn’t help but notice.

Was he…..nervous?

He sighed, looking back up at Lance. “Look, I….I know you’re probably feeling like shit, and tired, but I wanted to do….something.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Something?” he repeated hoarsely, his voice cracking halfway through the single word.

“Yeah….something.” Keith sighed, frustrated. “Look, I don’t want it to be weird or anything, but I don’t know how to describe it without showing you.”

“I hate to break it to you, buddy,” Lance rasped, “but it’s already weird.”

Keith shoved his hands into his pocket. “I know, I know,” he sighed again, defeated. “Are you up for coming with me to the rec room? It’ll be easier to show you.”

Lance frowned. What the hell was Keith up to? Lance’s first instinct was suspicion, but he was so desperate for some kind of contact, so he nodded. Keith slumped in relief.

“I’m keeping the blanket, though,” Lance said as he stepped out of his room, the door closing automatically behind him. Keith shrugged in acceptance.

It was quiet in the castle as they made their way to the rec room. “Where is everyone?” Lance asked, absently rubbing his aching throat.

“We stopped outside a planet yesterday. Distress call, pretty standard.” Keith had slowed his pace to match Lance’s, who was wobbling slightly as he walked. Staying upright was harder than he expected. “Apparently they’re just wrapping things up now. Getting supplies and medicine.”

“Medicine?” Lance repeated dumbly.

Keith frowned. “Well….yeah? You’re sick. They’re hoping the people on the planet can help, since we helped them.”

Lance couldn’t help the way his breath hitched at Keith’s words, stopping suddenly. The others wanted to help. He might be a burden on the team, but they wanted to help. The tears from earlier suddenly returned, the fever making his emotions run wild, and he had to blink quickly to keep them at bay.

“Hey….” Keith had stopped when Lance did, and he put a gentle hand on his arm. “Lance? What’s wrong? Do you need to sit down or something?”

“I….” The hand on his arm was so warm, and Lance felt the ice inside him thaw a bit. “I thought….I mean, everyone left me alone….and Coran wanted to quarantine me…I thought…”

“What?” Keith’s tone was genuinely confused. “We left you alone because we didn’t want to bother you. Shiro had to keep telling Hunk and Pidge to let you sleep.” 

“Oh….” Lance pulled the blanket around himself tighter, shivering from emotion and the freezing ice that was still in his veins. 

Keith sighed, but it didn’t sound annoyed. “Let’s just…keep going, alright? We’re almost there, and then you can rest again.”

Lance nodded silently, trailing after Keith, trying to make sense of what he was feeling.

Before he knew it, though, they had made their way to the rec room.

Or at least, what Lance thought was the rec room.

The room had been transformed into a giant, ridiculously elaborate blanket fort.

Lance gasped as he took it all in, and the memory of building blanket forts with his siblings flashed through his mind. They would steal all the pillows and blankets from all around the house to make a giant enclosure that would get more and more complicated every time they built it. Then they would all sit with the lights off, using flashlights to play cards or board games and telling dumb, scary stories.

And now he was staring at a blanket fort easily three times the size of anything they’d ever managed to make, yet it still had a cozy, inviting feel to it. The number of pillows and blankets here must have been easily five times the amount they’d ever used back home. The blankets were strung up along the walls and just below the ceiling, with more pillows than Lance could count lining the floors. The blankets in the center drooped slightly, and that slight imperfection made it feel like home.

Keith cleared his throat softly next to him. Lance turned to him, still in shock.

“Coran helped me build it,” he said slowly, trying to gauge Lance’s reaction. “Pidge and Hunk mentioned doing this with their families…..and I know you have a big family at home, so….”

There was a distinctly red flush across Keith’s cheeks, and he refused to meet Lance’s eyes. “Did you…did you do this for me?” Lance asked softly.

The flush deepened, and Keith crossed his arms tightly. “Um….I mean…I know you’re probably not feeling very good, so if you don’t like it or you wanna go back to your room, just tell me, it’s fine.”

The tears made another return, except this time one or two escaped and trailed down Lance’s cheeks. 

Finally looking up, Keith’s eyes widened when he saw the tears. Lance shook his head quickly, smiling softly. 

“Keith….” How could he even begin to describe how he felt? How the loneliness had been eating him from the inside, how he desperately yearned for something from home? And somehow, Keith had known. 

So he settled for smiling at Keith, emotions still running wild. “Thank you.”

The flush was back, and Keith ducked his head. “Y-yeah….don’t worry about it.”

Lance grinned. The obvious embarrassment on Keith’s face was almost cute.

Shuffling over to the fort, he eased himself down onto one of the many mounds of pillows strewn inside it, groaning in relief as he rested his aching joints. Seeming to shake himself out of his trance, Keith joined him, sitting stiff and cross-legged on his own mountain of pillows.

“The others will be here when they’re done,” Keith said, pulling out even more blankets that were buried somewhere in the sea of pillows, making sure they were within reach. “Hopefully they’ll have something for your fever, too.”

“Does Allura know about this?” Lance asked.

“Uh,” Keith said hesitantly, “she will when she gets back.”

Lance barked a laugh, happiness surging through him even though it made him cough. “You gonna convince Shiro to get in on the fun too?”

Keith grinned. “Absolutely. Hunk will make us soup. Pidge will probably have some games we can play. It’ll be great.”

“Like a sleepover,” Lance remarked, nestling into the pillows.

Keith shrugged. “I guess?”

“Have you never had a sleepover before?” Lance asked, incredulous.

Shaking his head, Keith looked away. “Never really had the chance.”

“Well then,” Lance said, tossing one of the blankets toward Keith. “That’s something we’ll have to fix, huh?”

Keith took the blanket and wrapped it around himself. He looked up, giving Lance a soft smile. Lance returned it without thinking.

#vld whump #vld sickfic #caretaker keith #sick lance #flu #fever #caretaking #vcep writes #i know it's a bit of an unorthodox take on the prompt #but i thought it'd be more interesting this way? #like....camping in your living room lol #also you can read this as romantic or platonic #wanted to keep it nice and open ended #thanks so much for the request again!! #keith is a bit of a mess #but he's trying his best

[some-cookie-crumbz]

On Call

On Call - Kidge Month Day 16 Prompt Fill Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Kidge Summary: Based on something that actually happened with my sister, her husband and I. In which, Allura is me, Pidge is my sister, and Keith is my bro-in-law.  Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.

The blare of his ringtone was ear-splitting, forcing him to pull a pillow over his head to try and drown it out. He waited a moment before his mind registered that it was a chip tune version of “The Last of the Real Ones” by Fall Out Boy, specifically assigned as his girlfriend’s. He pulled the pillows off and pulled it up, confirmed further by her icon picture of the two of them dressed in Hogwarts uniforms from Halloween that year. He double checked the time in the corner of the screen and groaned. He swiped to the answer option and held it to his ear. “It’s almost one in the morning, what the Hell?”

“It didn’t kill on contact!” she breathed out frantically.

“… What?”

“There’s a black widow in the hall way, Keith! Allura had to give Romelle a ride home from work, so she bought some spider spray on her way back! And it said it kills on contact! But it didn’t kill on contact!” she continued on, voice cracking a bit in hysteria.

He blinked slowly before pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting up. “Pidge, are you kidding me? You’re waking me up for this?”

“But it’s serious! It could bite one of us!”

“Then just stomp on it,”

“I can’t! My shoes are in the living room!”

“The go get them and put them on,”

“And risk that thing attacking me when I try to sneak past? No fucking thank you, sir!”

“Then have Allura kill it!

“She’s wearing slippers and her shoes are in her room! Which she can’t get to because of the creepy death beast hovering right between our bedroom doors!”

“Oh, my God! You have two cats in that apartment, right? Have Gizmo and Widget deal with it!”

“It’s a fucking black widow! And it’s currently doused in poisonous chemicals that somehow failed to kill it!”

Somewhere, vaguely in the distance, he swore he heard a quiet, “This thing has to be possessed! Or a demon! Or both!”

He took a deep breath, scrubbing his face with one hand, before tossing his legs over the side of the bed. He wasn’t going to win this battle, he knew. “I’m not driving myself down there,” he commented.

“Allura can come get you,” she said, much softer and more composed now.

“Have her head over. I’ll be ready by the time she gets here,” he grumbled, starting to reach for the sandals he tossed on when he was getting the mail.

“Okay. And make sure you wear your steel-toed boots,” And then, seeming to realize that she should show some iota of manners, tacked on a quick “Please.”

She was lucky that he loved her, or else he’d have just hung up on her.

He gave Kosmo a quick pat on the head as he slipped out the door, the pooch lifting and cocking his head at him. “Yeah, I know buddy. It’s too late for this bullshit,” he said before shutting the door and locking up after himself.  He took the stairs two at a time and, as he turned out towards the lot, he saw a familiar electric blue shape coming towards him. Once it skid to a stop in front of him, he slipping inside.

“Hello, Keith,” she said, voice meek. A part of him thought if might be embarrassment but he opted against calling attention to it.

“Hey, Allura,” he said, cutting off at the end to yawn.

“Sorry, and thank you,”

“Mmhmm,”

The rest of the car ride was quiet, with only the low tones of Allura’s stereo playing in the background. Once they arrived at the complex, he was out of the car before she’d even killed the engine. He knew the path to their apartment well enough that he didn’t need a guide, and his own irritation made him want it all to be said and done sooner rather than later. She followed after him, stumbling a bit and having to hobble with one foot temporarily when she lost a slipper, and opened the front door for him when they arrived. Widget, stretched out on the kitchen table, perked up and let out a small chirping noise at the sight of him. Before the little distilled tortoiseshell kitty could make her way over to him for some pets, though, he made a bee line for the hallway, boots clicking against the linoleum floors.

He paused to stare down at the small arachnid that had disrupted his sleep.

There was a puddle of liquid under it, most likely from where Allura had gone trigger-happy with the can of spray, and it was probably wet, too. It wasn’t crawling anywhere in an attempt to escape, though; no, instead it seemed rooted to its spot but was just… lifting its legs. Not as if it wanted to walk, not as if it was struggling to survive, just… Almost as if it was stretching in preparation of its great escape?

He almost shrugged at the thought as he brought the toe of his boot down, a distinct crunch resounding from the deed.

Allura was behind him with a roll of paper towels in one hand. He took a few from her before heading to the kitchen, walking with his boot tilted back on the heel to void spreading spider guts or bug spray everywhere. He cleaned off his boot carefully and, once done, reached out to pick Widget up, who had come over to greet him. He could see Gismo’s fluffy brown tail disappearing around the corner to the hallway, only to be shooed away by Allura. Widget butted her head against his jaw eagerly, letting out high-pitched chirp of an excitement. Between her and Gizmo, he liked Widget a bit better, since she tended to be a cuddler.

There was a quiet creak of a door opening and then Pidge was rounding the corner to meet him, clad in her pajamas. She threw her arms around him, disregarding the protesting meow from her cat, and squeezed lightly. “Oh, my God, thank you,” she whined quietly.

“This was ridiculous,” he mumbled, lifting one arm to embrace her back. “You’re ridiculous.”

“It was super scary though!”

“I have watched both you and Allura beat down guys three times your size! How can you two be so bad at something as simple as killing a spider?” he retorted.

Pidge slipped back a bit, looking up at him with pleading puppy dog eyes. It took all his self-control to not yield to that expression. “We were gonna go get some after-midnight milkshakes. We’ll treat you to one, too,” she offered, fluttering her lashes and amping up the poutiness of her lower lip.

He contemplated turning her down, just to make her feel bad, but some carnal part of him couldn’t resist the draw of the milkshake. He offered a simple nod before setting Widget down and allowing his girlfriend and her roommate to usher him back outside. After getting the aforementioned milkshakes, they drove around for a little bit just shooting the shit and enjoying their drinks. They dropped him off and, as he settled back into his bed, he drafted up a quick, simple Facebook post.

Asleep. Phone. Awake. Pidge. Boots. Allura. Spider. Milkshakes. Home. Sleep.

#Voltron legendary defender #Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Kidgemas #MonthofKidge #MonthofKidge2019 #KidgeaPalooza #KidgeaPalooza2019 #Pidge Gunderson #Keith Kogane #my fics #I swear I'll get my crap in order guys #I just worked my last weekend at my old job and can breath again!

[willadisastercry]

Retrieval mission gone horribly wrong: nearly everyone is whumped...

tw: discussion of blood, breathing difficulties, impalement, loss of conciousness, discussion of the aftermath of an explosion

The mission should’ve been simple. All they had to do was blend in, which meant no armor, only concealed bayards. Everybody knew the deal, Pidge has the tablet that tracts the artifact, the rest follow and protect Pidge who retrieves said artifact. They were supposed to get in and out quickly, to not leave time to dawdle, or room for error. And most importantly, not get caught. But the entire team was off that day, leaving little that went according to plan and multiple members of the group badly injured and in need of tending. It didn’t matter if it was a lack of focus or proper intel... but who was left to save them?

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Hunk had refused to enter the crudely lit corridor and watched in horror as his teammates were enveloped into darkness aside from the shrinking green and red and grey glows of their bayards.

The vibes were just off, he’d argued in protest since the power hadn’t wavered once when they combed the previous floor. We don’t have our suits and cannot afford to blindly walk into an ambush with only our bayards. Not to mention, there is not a single guard around—absolutely nothing to protect this artifact located down a dark and mysterious hallway, does not mean go and check it out anyway?!

But Pidge’s radar confirmed the signal was emitting from just a couples yards ahead and the other boys couldn’t argue with that.

“You don’t have to come with us, bud.”

“Yea, don’t sweat it...”

“...we gotta get moving.”

They were already running short on time for the estimated window of opportunity to retrieve the artifact they were tracking before the security system rebooted. They just couldn’t pass up the chance, but Hunk also just wasn’t going to be caught dead following them down there.

“I guess I’ll cover you on this end...”

There was nothing on his end though. Not a single thing.

He relished in the steady influx of their voices discussing what they saw over the coms. Nothing for a while, Lance stepping on Pidge’s heel, Keith bonking his bayard on the wall accidentally and it scaring them, Pidge saying they were closing in on the artifact. But immediately after they started closing in the clear stream became crackled and unintelligible.

Hunk wanted to throw up, he knew something had gone really really wrong when their coms went down completely but Shiro and Allura could still be heard urging everyone to move faster, that they wouldn’t be able to hold the attention of their defense fleet much longer.

They had drawn the patrol fleets’ fire and were serving as a distraction for nearly thirty dobashes now, their lions had taken a substantial amount of damage and wouldn’t hold up much longer.

“Guys?! Pidge, come in! Lance? Keith? ANYONE?!”

“Yelling! In my ear! Why are we yelling?”

“Shit—yeah, hi Shiro. So... Keith, Lance and Pidge followed the signal down this sketchy hallway, but I didn’t go because it looks like the type of hallway you get murdered in—I shouldn’t say that, but it looks like that. It’s pitch black, zero visibility, I can’t see them at all. Man it felt so wrong down there! I knew something was up, I felt bad about not going with them but I couldn’t, I couldn’t go, something wasn’t right!”

“Hunk! Focus! I need you to calm down and tell me you’re exact location, better yet send it to me.”

“Gosh—okay, yeah, I can focus. I can—“

But Shiro never got to calm Hunk down enough to have him even describe where he was because his end of the coms went out and was replaced with a similar static.

“Crap, Allura I’ve got to go in and help them,” Shiro stated as he sprayed the battle ships with a hail of fire before stealing the castle away.

“I’m coming, guys,” Shiro assured even though they likely couldn’t hear him.

Allura stayed back to draw base’s defensive fighters away and then get them off her tail while Coran cloaked the castle. Once they were out of range, Shiro used their last drop ship to bypass the planets defenses while they were still distracted and landed on the base near Pidge’s green lion.

Shiro had no idea what he’d be walking into when he tracked the artifact on the server Pidge created to identify quintessence.

He sure didn’t think he’d first find a passed out Hunk at the beginning of said sketchy hallway with a heavy plume of smoke billowing from it. His forehead bleeding pretty significantly and he didn’t stir when Shiro shook him.

“Fuck,” he breathed as he lugged the larger boy up by his arms and draped him over his back, using their combined momentum to keep them both upright as he trudged into the thick smoke and dense darkness of the sketchy hallway.

It was so dark he couldn’t see five feet in front of him, but it wouldn’t have mattered with the smoke anyway, the only reason he remembered it was there was how it filled and sat heavy in his lungs.

He called out hoarsely. But nothing for the longest time until he followed the blinking light from the server and turned the corner.

The first thing he heard was heavy breathing. He called out, but no one responded. His glowing hand casting a vague purple sheen that illuminated his path slightly and allowed him just enough visibility to not to eat shit over the debris that littered the floor.

There had been an explosion.

Hunk had been right. There was no one guarding the suspicious hallway with the precious artifact because the guard was the spooky hallway itself.

Shiro slowed and began scanning the entire width of the hallway as he moved, looking for the first sign of life or anything that looked like it would set off a bomb, but wasn’t too worried about that since his team had obviously made it that far without...

He forced any thought about what he might stumble upon when he found them out of his head. All he needed to focus on was finding them in the first place, which got a little tricky when the hallway forked. The server wasn’t precise enough to pinpoint the difference of fifteen feet accurately. So he stopped altogether now and called out again.

He heard nothing for second, but then he heard wheezing, the strangled rattle of someone’s chest working and darted down the right most corridor.

Before he turned down the next corridor he was stopped dead in his tracks when his purple hand illuminated a shaggy haired form crumpled around the corner of the wall. Keith.

He knelt down and grabbed the shuddering boy’s shoulders. His raspy breathing was what he’d been hearing. He refrained from rolling him onto his back to check for further damage because it was peppered with shards of metal, so instead he assured him that he was safe now and that he’d come back for him once he checked on everyone else. Keith only grunted.

Shiro let Hunk down next to Keith and activated his hand once more to begin scouring the hallway.

He called out again, and this time someone responded. Shiro took off on a weary trot as he followed the weak response, he told them to keep talking as he scanned the floor, very aware of each skinny twist of metal that looked remotely like an arm or a leg until he actually saw a leg attached to one. Lance.

Lance was on his side, his shoulder tucked unnaturally under him, with the tip of a jagged wrench of metal sticking into the fleshy part of his thigh.

“I’m okay,” he huffed as Shiro eyed him worriedly, “I just can’t get up. My shoulder is done for but the bleeding on my leg has sort of stopped or slowed at least, it’s not even that deep it’s just very securely in there.”

“Okay, do you think you can stand?”

Lance laughed dubiously, but extended his uninjured arm out to Shiro anyway.

“That was not at all convincing, but I guess we’ll find out... hook your arm around my neck, yeah just like that, now I’m going to brace your bad arm against your side so nothing moves weird and you’re going to put weight on your good leg... on three, one—three!”

As soon as Shiro hoisted Lance up he nearly topppled back over with the wave of excruciating pain that washed over him, he yelped and writhed as he breathed through it, his legs wobbling while he gripped Shiro’s shirt to keep himself upright.

From what Shiro could tell as he carefully manuevered his arms around Lance’s waist and good arm to keep him from falling, his shoulder appeared to be very much dislocated. But it was now safely clutched against his side, so any jostling of it would be awful, but no further damage would be made.

Lance took a shakey breath and stepped back, giving himself a second to sus out if he could make do with his bad leg. A fresh gush of dark red welled around the shard protruding from his thigh and dribbled slowly down his leg. He grimaced, but it carried his weight.

Shiro’s heart sank. An explosion like this wouldn’t have hurt his team as badly if they were wearing their armor, not just the under suit. It was his order, to be discreet. This was his fault.

“Hey, I’ll live. Pidge was father down, she was closer to this explosion,” Lance mused as he leaned heavily on the wall while he made his way forward.

“There were like several. Keith got the brunt of the first one, is he okay?”

“Uh, ish. I had Hunk with me, he’s out so I left him with Keith.”

“Shit...”

“I know, usually takes a lot more to take out the big—“

“No, look.”

Lance pointed to Pidge with the light of his bayard. She was slumped against the wall and looked like she was mostly okay asides from being unconscious, that is if you didn’t mention the glistening pool of blood below her.

Shiro rushed forward and his stomach turned. Only when he got close did he realize that the entire right side of her body was torn up by metal debris.

A lot were minor knicks, but there was one particularly jagged gash in her side that was likely the source of all the blood.

“Pidge? Hey, you with us?!”

The smaller teammate hummed when Shiro shook them.

“I’m gonna get you out of here, okay? This probably won’t feel good, I’m sorry.”

Shiro lifted up Pidge’s limp form effortlessly, ignoring her pained cries as he held her against his chest so that her head rested on his shoulder, one arm clutching the back of her thighs and the other free to help Lance limp back to the rest of the team.

Hunk was responding by the time they got back. A large hand pressed firmly on Keith’s arm as his chest worked, his breath ragged and his lungs wheezing while he breathed through the thick smoke. Shiro made a mental note that he probably had some other injuries to his chest that were making him so susceptible to the effects of smoke inhalation.

“Okay, Hunk how you doing? Can you walk?”

“I ‘on know,” he slurred, “pro’ly.”

“I can help him. You get the mullet, he’s not looking too hot.”

Lance hefted a dazed Hunk to his feet with his uninjured arm. He swayed, but Lance steadied him.

Shiro knelt beside Keith, balancing Pidge on one side while he probbed his stomach.

“Anything hurt over here?”

“No, agh! Not really, mostly my chest... and my back,” he groaned through labored breaths.

“Good, hold on to me,” he postured before pressing the boys hips against his own and bringing him up with him.

Keith’s breath hitched as he adjusted to the new orientation, but he got his feet under him and clutched Shiro’s shoulder before doubling over. He was almost retching like he was going to be sick, but he just couldn’t breathe.

Hunk who was hanging on Lance held out his arm for him to grasp and he did, grateful for the extra support while he struggled to fill his lungs.

“Easy, Keith. Just relax. I know it hurts, but we have to get back to the Castle. We’ll fix you up soon you just gotta work with us for now,” Shiro soothed, dragging him along sluggishly.

“Shi— o— iro— Shiro? Shiro can you hear me?”

As they moved farther and farther away from the artifact, the coms grew clearer until they could hear Allura’s voice distinct and worried.

“We’re here Princess, we’re all here,” Lance answered.

They heard Allura let out a sigh she tried to repress, she didn’t even know she was holding her breath.

“Are the paladins alright?”

“Uh...”

“Ish.”

“Should I patch Coran in and tell him to prepare a pod?”

Pidge let out a particularly pointed whine as Shiro shifted her so she wouldn’t slip lower, his moving also tweaked something for Keith who moaned a very deep and crackly ‘ouch’.

Shiro eyed the darkened expanse of Lance’s thigh, Hunk’s wavering balance.

“Have him prepare a few... just to be safe.”

“Oh dear, alright.”

They had to move quickly but carefully. Shiro had never tread so lightly during an escape except for now when he was toting two very injured and in pain paladins. He moved even quicker when he realized that Keith had gone from only clutching at his shoulder to leaning entirely into his side, his feet at times merely dragging along. Shiro’s grip on his hip pressing it against his own was uncomfortable for them both but there was no other area untouched on his upper body for him to lug him by.

Lance and Hunk made their own way together, swaying and stumbling the entire time. Lance’s leg had pretty much stopped bleeding, the metal protruding from it effectively staunching it for now, but the damage around it grew more and more apparent. His muscles felt both excruciatingly taut and achingly loose as they squelched around the piercing metal.

It would altogether buckle beneath him every now and again, leaving Hunk mostly holding up Lance but relying on him to reorient himself when his head ached so bad that his vision blurred. Hunk was always careful of his shoulder when he’d stop and hang on him, Lance’s bad arm remaining clutched tightly against his side and out of the way anyway.

“We’re almost to Green, come on buddy,” he said as he urged the larger boy forward, practically hoping now.

No one really knew how they made it out without getting stopped, but the robotic foot soliders seemed to only take into account that the perpetrators who set off the explosions would be running, not hobbling.

Green’s whines were present in everyone’s head with Pidge’s conciousness wavering, the jaws of the smaller lion opening up as soon as they neared.

My paladin! Green lion save paladin! Green lion fly paladin to castle!

“We’ve got her, Green. You just get us back and we’ll do the rest,” Shiro assured, settling down on the ground of the cockpit with Pidge between his legs, her back against his chest so he could put pressure on the gash in her side.

He had guided Keith to his knees where he then practically pitched forward onto his stomach.

Looking at the wounds on his back with some of the metal bits still sticking out in better lighting made Shiro want to hurl.

Then again holding Pidge’s insides in place also made him want to hurl but that was why she was positioned the way she was, so he didn’t have to see it.

Her breathing was fast but it was better than Keith’s. Every now and then she’d make a pained sound and he would just whisper in her ear that she was safe and she would calm down soon after.

And then he’d take her pulse. It had gotten slightly weaker but he could still feel it.

Lance had lowered himself to the ground slowly but his good leg was tired and cramping from the effort of getting out of there and so the descent down was anything less than smooth, his legs giving and his back hitting against the wall. It jarred his shoulder so badly he was wailing.

Hunk held his hands against his ears when Lance screamed out, he hated the fact that his friend was in pain but the shrillness of his cries sent stabbing pains into his skull where a pulsing welt had been growing. There had been an explosion at every key checkpoint on the way to the artifact, including the entrance he was supposed to be covering.

When the wave of nausea and blinding pain subsided, Hunk placed his hand on top of Lance’s who didn’t have the energy to tighten around it while he clenched his teeth together, hissing as every movement Green made only hurt him further.

Keith could sympathize.

The only option was for him was to lay on his stomach, shifting his weight to the side of his ribs that hurt less was all he could do. He could feel every one of Green’s movements reverberating in his chest, riling up every bit of hurt that was now present and dialing it to well past ten.

He just wheezed through most of it, the smoke from the explosion still thick and heavy in his throat, but when his lungs ached so bad he couldn’t help but cough it made his bruised and broken ribs hit the ground and his vision whited out several times.

It wasn’t until one fit racked his body so badly he coughed up a bit of blood that hands were on him pulling him to his knees and putting his head between his legs so he could calm down enough to breathe.

“Hey, Green? Please hurry...”

#voltron fic #vld #voltron whump #whump scenario #keith whump #vld lance #pidge whump #hunk vld #takashi shirogane #space dad #whump for everyone #whump fic #explosion #injuries

[wftc141]

Voltron: Global Military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit-Chapter 9: Kingfish

1300 Hours

02/13/18

Goiânia, Brazil

While the analysts continued to go through intel on Sendak's location, the Voltron Lions spent the rest of the night at a local pub for some quality time together. Lance, Hunk and Keith competed against each other in pool while Pidge watched with her glass of Coke. Hunk however stopped the entire game with a story of his life when Lance asked him.

"So you're saying you set off a fire bomb during senior high?" Lance repeated.

"Yep," Hunk answered. "My stupid ass thought it was a good idea to light a firecracker with spray paint in the bathroom. I was a firework enthusiast back then. I ended up with a three day suspension but somebody from the Army was impressed about it and recommended me to the military. So I took that offer after graduation. Got into the EOD for a couple of years before I joined the Rangers."

"That's one way to get noticed."

"So, how many bombs did you defuse while you were in the army?" Keith asked.

Hunk paused for a moment while his eyes remained fixated. Lance lifted his beer to his mouth and took a swig.

"Well...I would say 50 and during my time with the Rangers...250."

Lance suddenly spewed his drink out, spilling it onto the pool table. Other bar goers glanced at them in confusion while Keith and Pidge were equally surprised.

"250 bombs?!" Lance blurted out.

"Holy shit, dude." Keith muttered.

Hunk chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. While we were on tour, there was this Taliban, don't remember his name. Had a record of planting and detonating IEDs on Afghan troops, including a Blackwater patrol. He planted one next to where me and my unit were while we were on overwatch. I managed to find that bomb and disarm it. And that was not all. When me and my team evacuated from the building we were in, the guy was stupid enough to check on his IED. Once he got there...let's just say he now knows what it feels like to get blown up by his own bomb."

The team already surprised and astonished than they usually were. Lance in particular was confounded and invested for more.

"Yo, that was pure badassery," Lance said, pointing at Hunk with his beer. "You gotta tell us more while we get some more drinks."

Lance and Hunk moved away from the pool table and headed for the bar, leaving Keith and Pidge by themselves. Keith watched as Lance slapped Hunk's back, laughing his head off.

"Wish we had him in our Battalion." Pidge commented, grabbing Keith's attention.

"Yeah but you forgot our C.O was an asshole and would probably be less welcome about Hunk." Keith replied.

"If he saw what Hunk did, he'll probably piss himself and would rather hand his leadership to him."

Keith nodded, silently agreeing before looking away.

"So, how's things with Lance?" Pidge's asked.

"Hm?" Keith glanced at her who was smirking in a teasing manner, in which Keith wasn't fond of.

"You two seem to be getting along really well."

He sighed and looked away once again. "Yeah...he's alright."

"Oh my goodness. It is true! Keith Yeun has admitted that he likes Lance!"

Keith was unable to control his smile before letting a chuckle slip out of his mouth. "Stop."

They went at it for a moment before calming down. Keith then glanced at Pidge's who took a sip of her drink. There was something he wanted to ask. Tensions with NATO is potentially going to escalate if nothing's done to persuade them in withdrawing their decision to shut them down. But Keith felt like there were ulterior motives inside, besides their experiences.

"What's your opinion on NATO?" He asked.

Pidge lowered her glass, sighing. Her eyes gazed forward without a glimpse on Keith.

"We've made some mistakes but that doesn't mean Voltron should be to blame for," She answered, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Either NATO's scared or they just don't trust us."

"Makes sense. Hopefully it won't come to this and they'll allow us to go after the real enemies before more casualties arise."

"Amen to that."

Suddenly, Keith felt his pocket buzz. It was another text message to report back. He got his phone out and read the message before looking at Pidge's who also received one too. They both finished their drinks and headed for the door, alongside Hunk and Lance who had just paid for their drinks. One part of Keith's mind thought that the meeting would be bad news but they'll have to see for themselves.

1320 Hours

The team arrived at the hideout where Shiro and Allura were both waiting for them with Colbert accompanying them. They took the seats allocated for them, facing the board full of intel and pinned photographs. Once they were seated, Allura began her briefing.

"We finally have confirmation on Sendak's whereabouts," Allura said. "The satellite pictures we were provided has found him at the favelas in Rio de Janeiro with his Galra forces where a local militia is assisting them."

"What is this, Modern Warfare? Are they taking it straight off the game or somethin'?" Lance asked.

"Dunno," Colbert shrugged. "That part of the slums is a haven for shady business and organizations as there's no chance you'll find a good place for cover. The locals who live there may join the fight too and eventually vanish off the surface. This militia isn't a bunch of thugs. They're trained killers. They were responsible for multiple murder counts and all that bad shit for the past ten years. It's been giving the military a headache in dealing with them, especially with the casualties they suffered."

"The BOPE were more than happy to lend support and they will be taking point to lead us to the militia's district. We'll need to be quiet on this because the militia does use locals as spotters."

"What about the situation with NATO?" Keith asked.

Everybody turned to Allura and Shiro who were silent. There was still nothing they could find or hear from as of yet.

"We're still working on that," Shiro said. "For now, our mission is bringing Sendak in."

The team began to file out of the room, leaving Shiro and Allura together.

"Hopefully Coran and his analysts know what they're doing." Shiro commented.

"I'm sure they're getting to the bottom of this," She replied. "We just need to bring in Sendak and then we'll focus on the rest."

"You're right."

Allura glanced at Shiro who looked as though he was concerned about something.

"Will you be alright?" Allura asked.

"I will," Shiro answered. "We just have to reach him before he does anything else."

1333 Hours

Coran hung up on the phone and let out a sigh. The damp, lukewarm air floated across the room with the ceiling lights barely bright. The others were already getting themselves ready for another operation that isn't NATO-approved yet a worthy risk. Coran can hear the keyboard tapping near him where Gold was.

"Sir," Gold suddenly called out. "I'm in the servers."

Turning around, he approached Gold who was fixated on the bright screen.

"You're in?" Coran asked.

"Yep, only got a short period of time before they find out who's snooping around."

"That's all the time we need."

Gold began to tap away. Coran watched the screen as he scrolled and changed tab by tab. His experience with the Intelligence Corps and Interpol did pay off after all. Gold was one of those focused and dedicated people Coran knew back in the day. Although he maintained an easy-going attitude outside of work, Gold was quite the magic when Coran first met him. Shortly, Gold stopped typing.

"Found it, sir." He said.

Coran leaned over for a closer view. The screen showed several files inside a folder involving Voltron. There was a lot of files which could contain something useful. Coran ordered him to get the files copied and Gold was already on it. He continued to tap on the keyboard, getting all the files in their drive.

"What is Codename Osiris?" Gold asked.

Coran leaned forward and looked at where the cursor was on. There was a file document titled 'Codename: Osiris'.

"That was the name of our mission in Prague…" Coran muttered before shaking his head. "I don't think it matters. Just get everything copied and we'll sort them out later."

Gold nodded while seemingly disappointed about the response. As he got on with his job, Coran couldn't help but wonder about the operation in Prague. Was there something off behind the reason for the operation?

0700 Hours

02/14/18

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Voltron team were immediately greeted with the bright, golden sunrise from the distance as soon as they got off. Dressed in full combat gear to match with their fellow BOPE soldiers, they followed the nine-man team taking point through the cramped streets. The BOPE seemed to know more about the favela more than Voltron does, taking them through areas that aren't usually open to attacks. But the team as always, was accompanied by their recon drone hovering above them with thermal lens.

The streets were eerily quieter than usual, as described by their team leader Cardozo. The shops and houses were barred shut and the windows were pitch black. Shiro glanced around the empty pathway they were on while still keeping his guard up. He couldn't help but feel as if they were being lured into a trap. No favela would be this quiet, even for a place that is infested with armed killers. But the locals at this time would still be fast asleep. Shiro briefly glanced at Keith who was beside him sharing that unsettling feeling.

As the team moved forward into the darker area, Shiro looked up to the rooftops where the buildings cut the sun off. He could feel his heart pacing but he had to keep calm, no matter what.

"You think they would be nice to offer some breakfast? Cos' I'm a little starving." Lance whispered, tugging his shirt collar.

"Santos, focus." Shiro replied.

The team continued to walk down the path in the midst of dead silence. They felt like prey walking into the den of the predators. Something was already off. But they couldn't tell what it was. Once they reached another street, everybody's comm buzzed.

"Lions and Apex 5, you got contacts above you from both sides!" Allura warned.

By the time they heard the news, gunfire erupted from above like a supercell. Everybody was dashing for cover, even though there was not much to hide from. The team lost two BOPE soldiers to the militia. Shiro dived behind an old truck with Cardozo as bullets hailed against it while the others are scattered around the street.

"Seriously? No breakfast?" Lance joked through the gunfire.

"Not now, Lance!" Keith replied.

Shiro risked a peek through the windows to count about a handful of militants with Soviet weapons on each roof before firing back. He managed to shoot one of them trying to load an RPG, causing it to discharge and blow up the entire roof he was on alongside the militants near him. Debris began to scatter around the street and the team began to fight back. Shiro quickly changed mags as Cardozo approached him.

"My men will stay here and hold these Filhos da putas off! You go find the target!"

"Got it," Shiro nodded. "Lions, fall out on me! Apex 1 will stay and hold these guys off!"

The team began to cross the intersection and headed down the alley as the gunfire behind them continued to rumble throughout the favela. They advanced down the narrow hill while reloading their weapons.

"Zero to Black Lion, Kingfish is at the red building near the soccer field southeast."

Shiro said into his comm. "Copy, Zero. Out."

As they reached the alleyway, a loud crack from a distance erupted and Keith fell backwards. Sniper fire. Shiro and the group quickly took cover as another shot went for them, hitting a car windshield nearby.

"Keith!" Pidge's called out.

He was still clinging to his chest where he was hit, gritting his teeth to the pain. Keith was not to move so the sniper wouldn't focus on him. He could still feel the 7.62 round to his plate carrier. All he could do was cough out short, detached breaths. Shiro noticed Keith reach for his comm.

"Sn-sniper...400 yards front...sc-scope flash from the center window of the blue house."

Shiro glanced at Lance who was immediately on it. He positioned his HK416 with the sniper scope on the car he was hiding behind and scoped out for the sniper. He calculated his shot for 3 seconds before pulling the trigger. The flash from the window disappeared and he noticed the rifle fall off the window.

"He's down!" Lance called out.

The team got out of cover and quickly set up a perimeter around Keith. Shiro and Hunk kept watch while Lance and Pidge checked on Keith.

"Keith you good?" Lance asked, lending him a hand.

He didn't hesitate to grab it, although his chest still hurts. "Yep, thanks for that."

Shiro approached Keith and checked his plate carrier for the bullet wound.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

"Its okay," Keith assured, tapping the bullet area. "Only hit the plate. Nothing fatal."

Shiro nodded, relieved of his safety. Without wasting anymore time, the team continued their way to Sendak's location.

Allura tapped into Shiro's group after watching the feed of them taking cover from gunfire.

"Zero to Black Lion, status report, over."

"Black Lion to Zero, Red Lion was hit by a sniper round but the shot wasn't fatal. Heading towards the location, over." Shiro replied on comms.

"Copy Black Lion. Out."

Allura then changed channels to the BOPE team. They were still covering fire for the Voltron team.

"Zero to Apex team. Status."

"This is Apex 5-1, we're still holding position and covering for Lion team!" Cardozo said over the firefight. "We're still going to hold as much as we can, over!"

"Copy, Apex. If you're taking any casualties pull out immediately, over."

"Copy. Apex 5-1 out!"

Once the feed was cut off, Allura stepped back and sighed deeply before glancing at Colbert who was still controlling the drone.

"I hope your team completes this mission, Major." The BOPE captain said.

"I hope so too, Captain." Allura replied.

There was silence in the room other than distorted gunfire. Then, Shiro's comm buzzed.

"Zero, this is Black Lion. We have finally reached the building."

Shiro breached the door into the house. After a quick sweep with a group of militants down, Shiro advanced up the stairs with the rest following him. They stacked up behind a closed door and after a countdown, Lance stepped forward and kicked the door down and the team stormed in with weapons raised. As predicted, Sendak was inside but surprisingly, he was sitting at a table with a tea set unfazed by their intrusion.

"DON'T MOVE!" Lance yelled.

"Now, now, boys. No need for the hostility." Sendak said and stood up with both of his hands raised. "I surrender."

Shiro approached Sendak up close. He was already feeling that urge to act up and do something horrible to his face after all those years Sendak put him in. Those scenes were vivid. Shiro could immediately picture his fallen comrades' bodies and Sven… he deserved something worse. But he knew better than to let his anger take control, especially after what happened back in Al-Khor.

"Nice to see you again, Commander Shirogane." Sendak said, giving him that smirk. It was enough to drive someone mad.

"Keep your mouth shut and maybe you'll see the sunrise again." Shiro hissed.

He pulled him away from the table and cuffed his hands. Once he was fully secure, Shiro tapped into his comm.

"Black Lion to Zero," he said. "We have Kingfish. I repeat, we have Kingfish, over."

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #voltron fanfic #voltron fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #fanfics #fanfictions #my fanfic #my fanfictions #my fanfics #my fanfiction #voltron: global military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism unit #modern covert counter-terrorist au #modern covert counter-terrorism au #covert counter-terrorist au #covert counter-terrorism au

[squirmymochi]

omovember day 20 - using a pillow to help hold it in - klance

Read it here or on Ao3!

edit: here’s my omo fic commission info ;)

Lance ruts against the pillow again, his teeth sinking into his lip as his bladder throbs beneath his skin. He’s kneeling on his bed in the castle with his fluffiest, softest pillow stuffed between his legs, his hands pressing into the thick, feathery material to add some pressure to his crotch. He lets out an involuntary whine as his bladder pulses again, all the water and juice from earlier in the day practically begging to get out.

He hasn’t had a chance to go to the bathroom since he’d woken up that morning--he’d been too busy with training, gaming with Pidge, and helping Hunk bake cookies for the rest of the team--and now everything he’d drank up until that point is catching up with him quickly. He’d started to get the urge to go around two hours ago, but he’d been having so much fun with his friends that he’d put it off until the last minute, and before he’d actually had a chance to go, Coran had declared that it was time to clean the castle and closed off the bathrooms.

He curses himself for not speaking up before the others had gotten to work--it wouldn’t have taken very long, only one or two minutes and then he’d be out and ready to help. But he couldn’t bring himself to voice his need in front of everyone--that would have been far too embarrassing, even for him. And now, almost an hour later, he’s absolutely at his limit, resorting to practically humping a pillow to keep the ocean in his bladder from leaking out.

Another small, breathy wine escapes past his lips as a jet of piss forces itself past his sphincter muscles and leaks into his urethra. He can practically feel it at his entrance, seconds away from spurting its way out. No, no, no, he thinks with a groan, shoving the pillow further into his crotch and rolling his hips into it desperately, doing everything he can to hold it in. The added pressure helps to keep him in control, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

It feels like his bladder is at maximum capacity--he’s positive that he’s never been this desperate in his life. At this point, he’s not even sure that he can stand up without completely soaking his pants, let alone make it to the bathrooms on the other side of the hall. He feels sweat bead across his forehead and drip down the tense lines of muscle on his back from the exertion of holding his piss. He’s shaking, vibrating uncontrollably, which does nothing to help his situation, but he can’t help it. He’s running out of time, and quickly.

He’s startled out of his thoughts by a knock at his door, followed by Keith’s voice calling out a soft, “Lance?”

Fuck! Lance thinks as a short stream of piss leaks past his opening and dampens the crotch of his boxers. Keith, please, please just go away!

“Are you in there?” Keith asks from the other side. To Lance’s horror, the door begins to slide open as he speaks. He barely has time to change positions, sitting cross-legged on the bed with the pillow on top of his lap and his hands on top of the pillow, before Keith steps into the room.

“H-Hey, buddy,” he stammers, hoping his sweating and vibrating isn’t too noticeable. Keith eyes him suspiciously, and he resists the urge to squirm under his gaze--for more reasons than one.

“What are you doing in here?” Keith asks slowly, raising an eyebrow. “Everyone’s helping clean the castle.”

“I-I was just, ah, cleaning my room,” Lance grits out, trying to subtly press his hands into the pillow to gain some relief.

“Why?” Keith asks, looking around. “It’s already clean. Shouldn’t you be helping the rest of us?”

“I will!” Lance squeaks, pressing his thighs together as tight as he can. “I’ll be out in-mmh! I’ll be out in a second.”

Now please, he adds mentally, get out before I completely embarrass myself in front of you!

Keith doesn’t look satisfied with his answer in the slightest. He crosses his arm, leaning against the doorframe and fixing Lance with an unamused stare. Lance can feel beads of sweat dripping down his temple, and unfortunately for him, Keith seems to notice them as well.

“Are you sick?” he asks with a frown, pushing himself off the wall and taking a few steps towards the bed. Lance leans back, taking a hand off the pillow to wipe at his face and mourning the pressure on his crotch.

“I’m fine!” he assures Keith, shifting his hips subtly as he returns his hand to its original position. “It’s, um, it’s just a little hot in here.”

“You’re flushed,” Keith says, ignoring his excuses and pressing a hand against his forehead. His skin is cool and rough and calloused, and normally Lance would be reveling in the contact, but right now all it does is take some of his attention away from his dire need to pee. “Have you been drinking enough?”

Way too much, Lance’s brain answers for him, his bladder throbbing once again. He presses the pillow against his crotch even harder, hoping it comes across as natural. “I’m good,” he promises breathily, arching his back in an attempt to grind his dick into the mattress beneath him.

Once again, Keith doesn’t seem convinced. “Should I go get Coran?” he asks, his tone almost concerned.

“No!” Lance exclaims, eyes going wide. The last thing he needs is another person in his room, watching him try to keep it together. Plus, that would mean Coran would take longer to clean the bathrooms, and that’s certainly not gonna do anything in Lance’s favor.

“Well, what should I do?” Keith demands, a crease forming between his brows. “There’s clearly something wrong, so just spit it out already.”

“There’s nothing wrong! I just- ohh!”

Lance cuts himself off with a moan, doubling over and shoving the pillow in between his legs hard as a long spurt of piss dribbles out of him. He rocks his hips from side to side frantically, rubbing his thighs together and clenching every muscle in his body in an attempt to keep what feels like literal gallons of pee inside him. He can’t help but let out another moan as he cuts off the tiny stream. It’s pure torture, having tasted sweet, sweet relief only to have it taken away from him a second later.

He’s only reminded of Keith’s presence a few seconds later, once he’s managed to get the unbearable urge under control. Immediately, he straightens his posture and relaxes his grip on the pillow, but it’s too late to save his dignity.

“You have to pee,” Keith states blankly, almost as if he doesn’t believe it. Lance wants to deny it, but he knows there’s no point anymore, not when it’s so painfully, blatantly obvious.

“Y-Yeah,” he confirms shakily, involuntarily rolling his hips up into the pillow again. Keith stares at him unsurely, not saying a word.

“I- I would have gone earlier, but- ah- but I kept getting swept up into different stuff, and then- oh god- Coran decided to clean the bathrooms, so I couldn’t.”

Keith keeps staring at him, his eyes darting down to the pillow still clutched against his crotch before coming back up to his flushed, sweaty face.

“I…” he starts, but nothing else comes out. If Lance isn’t mistaken, he almost seems to be blushing.

He doesn’t really have time to focus on Keith’s status, though. He’s so desperate, he feels like he’s about to pop like an overfilled water balloon.

God, don’t think about water! his brain screams as another tiny dribble leaks out of him. He can’t help but let out an embarrassingly needy groan, bucking up into the pillow again.

His actions seem to snap Keith out of whatever trance he’s in. He blinks a few times, fast, then takes a half step forward, arm outstretched as if he wants to help but doesn’t know what to do.

“Are you gonna make it?” he asks, a little awkwardly. Lance whimpers, feeling more sweat bead on his forehead.

“I dunno,” he admits truthfully, moving a hand under the pillow to get a better grip. “Shit, Keith, I really have to go.”

He barely resists shoving his hand down his pants for better access--because grabbing himself in front of Keith is embarrassing enough without having his hand directly on his dick--but he does pop the button on his jeans. He’s met with a tiny bit of relief, but it’s nowhere near the kind he so desperately needs.

“Is there… Is there anything I can do?” Keith fumbles, and yep, he’s definitely blushing. As if he’s the one who should be flustered.

“U-Unless you can magically make Coran get- oh- get out of the bathroom, t-then no,” Lance replies, then cuts himself off with a sharp hiss as another small stream of piss leaks out of his tip. I’m really not gonna make it much longer!

“I can ask him how much longer it’ll take? Or- or maybe I can distract him so he leaves, and then- um… I don’t know…”

Keith shifts from foot to foot awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Lance shudders, grinding up into the pillow and feeling the soft warm wetness of his boxers enveloping the head of his dick.

“I d-don’t want to bother him,” he manages, shaking his head from side to side. Keith stares at him incredulously, all of his earlier embarrassment gone.

“You don’t want to bother him?” he repeats, disbelieving. “Lance, you’re in pain. He isn’t going to mind, especially since it’s so… urgent.”

“I can wait,” Lance huffs, ignoring the signs from his body screaming that he very obviously can’t wait. Keith fixes him with an unconvinced stare as he squirms from side to side. His stormy purple gaze makes Lance shiver, and if he hadn’t already been at his most uncomfortable, that certainly wouldn’t have helped.

“I’m gonna go talk to Coran,” he says at last, turning towards the door. Lance feels panic rising up in his chest, and before he can stop to think he’s scrambling to get off the bed and stop him, the pillow shifting back between his legs.

“No, Keith, I- oh my god!”

He cuts himself off with a gasp as a long jet of piss escapes, soaking through his boxers and into the fabric of his jeans before he can stop it. He doesn’t want to stop it--in fact, the last thing he wants to do right now is quit peeing--but he has no choice. He absolutely will not wet himself like a little child, and especially not in front of Keith, of all people. With all the self control that he can possibly muster and the help of his hands and the pillow, he cuts off the stream, letting out a pathetic little whine as he does so.

It hurts. It hurts to stop after so many hours of holding it in, after almost getting the relief he craves. In fact, he can feel a few tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he stops himself. He clenches every muscle in his body, squeezing his eyes shut and rocking his hips from side to side as another small squirt escapes him, then another. It takes everything he has to get himself back under control, and even then he can still feel a sizeable wet patch on the crotch of his jeans. Oh god, it’s probably bleeding into the pillow, too.

He pries his eyes open and glances down, dismayed to find that there is in fact a small wet circle on the front of the pillow. His eyes dart up to meet Keith’s, and he’s surprised to find a flush of pink on the other boy’s cheeks. He’s the one who’s blushing? Why?

Lance doesn’t have time to think much about that. Almost as soon as he’s fought off the first wave of desperation, another stronger one washes over him. He groans, tensing his muscles again and panting from the effort of holding it in, but this time it’s not enough. A seven-second spurt pushes its way past his clenched muscles and wets the pillow, although it barely brings him any relief. More tears join the few already in his eyes at the realization that he’s not gonna make it, no matter how hard he tries.

Keith seems to have come to the same conclusion, because a few seconds later, he comes to stand by Lance’s side. A hand massages careful circles onto his back, which is strangely comforting considering it’s coming from Voltron’s most socially inept paladin.

“Lance,” Keith says softly, still a bit awkward. “I think you might have to give up.”

“W-What?” Lance chokes out, then cuts himself off with another moan. “No, I can’t-ah-I can’t give up! I’m not a l-little kid!”

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” Keith points out. “And besides, I doubt you can hold out until you get to the bathroom, let alone until Coran is done cleaning it.”

“I can!” Lance protests through gritted teeth, his face flushing even brighter at the accusation. To prove his point, he goes to take a step towards the door, and suddenly his bladder can’t handle it anymore. The pressure of the waistband of his jeans digging into his abdomen coupled with the weight of gravity pulling the water inside him down proves to be his undoing, and before he even realizes what’s happening, hot piss shoots out of him. The wet patch on the front of his jeans starts growing until it can’t keep up, and warm wetness starts saturating the top of the pillow he still has pressed between his legs.

He clenches his sphincter muscles with a groan, pressing his hands into his crotch in an attempt to hold back the rest of the flow, but it’s no use. He’s too weak and exhausted from holding so long to maintain control, and the flow barely slows down at all when he tries to cut it off. He sags against the bed defeatedly, tipping his head back and letting out an embarrassingly relieved moan, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps as he stops trying to hold it in. It feels amazing, like taking a breath after a year without oxygen. He can’t help but wonder if holding for so long might even be worth it, just to feel like this again.

He’d almost forgotten that Keith was in the room, too caught up in his euphoric state to remember much of anything. But once his bladder has emptied most of itself and he starts to come back to his senses, the first thing he sees is his fellow paladin’s face. Keith is blushing almost as hard as Lance imagines he is, although probably for different reasons. He’s completely frozen in place, too, eyes transfixed on Lance as he finishes wetting himself and the pillow, which is squishy and completely drenched beneath him. His mouth opens and closes a few times, but nothing comes out.

Lance is almost too tired and relieved for the flaming embarrassment he should be feeling--almost. He averts his eyes in shame and hopes that Keith isn’t really there, that he didn’t really see that. After all, something like this would be hard enough to hide in the mind-linking exercises Allura has them do on the daily without Keith having witnessed it. He’ll probably tell Shiro, and Shiro will tell Allura, and soon enough the entire castle will know, space mice included.

He feels tears start to prick at the corners of his eyes, but before he can start crying for real, Keith’s voice calls him back to attention.

“It’s okay,” he says quietly, taking a step forward with a hand half-outstretched. Lance blinks up at him, his eyes watery and mouth pressed into a thin line.

“It couldn’t be helped,” Keith continues, finally setting a hand on his shoulder. His voice is surprisingly judgement-free. “You did your best, but it was inevitable. Plus, it could have happened to anyone. So don’t feel bad about it, okay, Lance?”

Lance sniffs, bringing a sleeve up to wipe at his nose and flinching when he feels that it’s damp. He looks down at his clothes and the pillow, wet patches clearly visible on both, and looks away again miserably. “I- I ruined my stuff,” he sniffles. “Everyone’s gonna find out…”

“I won’t tell anyone. And I’ll help you clean everything, too. It’ll be our secret.”

Keith smiles, hesitant but reassuring, and even though the tips of his ears are still pink and he’s still awkwardly bent over so he doesn’t touch the wet pillow, Lance finds that he believes him. “Okay,” he says, almost timidly, wiping at his eyes with his other sleeve.

“Okay,” Keith repeats, a little more confident this time. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

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