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How did they get into this mess? Seriously , Lance was incredibly confused.
It started like any other routine side-mission that didn't need all of Voltron. He and Keith went to a planet with a warm climate that needed help. He could have gone to that other world that needed some support at the same time as this one. When they found out how advanced the tech was there, both Hunk and Pidge almost vibrated from excitement . Of course he insisted that they go together. It had nothing to do with the desire to go to a warm planet with Keith.
Nope, not at all.
Also, his lion withstood heat the best, and the Galra, for some reason, had been chilling (ha!) close to the sun by this planet. It was as good an excuse as any. Whatever.
The planet itself seemed to be tidally locked. The native Crytillos people lived in a specific goldilocks zone. It was right between the side burning hot side that faced the sun, and the freezing cold part stuck in perpetual night . Despite being in this habitable spot, this planet was still boiling. It was something that Lance noticed as they went to talk to the people.
The natives were kind-of humanoid, and stood on two legs with arms, hands, and a head. Their legs reminded him of a deer or horse; their ears were almost cal-like; and their eyes were round and seemed to almost sparkle . They were kind of cute, in a cartoonish way. That was also because they were so colourful . On occasion, he saw people with rich brown hair and eyes like his own, but that was the dullest colour he came across.
He supposed that was where this mess started. He and Keith went to talk to the King of the Crytillos people. He was a tall, formidable man who turned out to be quite friendly. That was a relief to Lance, since since Keith wasn’t exactly known for tact when it came to snide world leaders. Inside of the buildings, they were able to remove their helmets. The King insisted on it, since the traditional greeting was a hand on top of the head. Helmets just wouldn't do.
Lance immediately started to flirt with the Princess, but she shot him down. It wasn’t even a subtle thing. She was pretty mean about it, and even citied his 'plain looks'. Keith looked skeptical at that, which, thank you Keith. Lance didn’t think he was plain at all.
Then the tables and turned when the Princes started flirting with Keith. She batted her eyelashes and reached up to touch his black hair. Lance couldn’t stop the jealousy that rose up in him, even if he wasn’t quite sure what he was jealous of. Was it the fact that the Princess overlooked him for Keith? Or the fact that someone who wasn’t him flirted with him? It was very confusing.
“It’s my hair,” Keith realized when they got a second away from her. He reached up and tugged at the locks that framed his face. “I don’t see anyone with black hair, eyes, or…anything.” That was true enough. Everything was so vibrantly coloured, Lance couldn't see even a hint of grey anywhere.
The Princess’ infatuation with Keith started to get on Lance’s nerves. It wasn't only because she came on so strong, but because of how uncomfortable Keith looked. He tried not to bluntly ignore her. They wanted these people in the coalition. Good on him, he really did try.
Lance, however , felt the overwhelming urge to pitch his food over at her face. That wouldn’t be good manners, since this was a thank you lunch banquet for them. He still wanted to do it though.
After they finished the meal, the King gave them a tour of the castle, and of all the resources the planet had to offer.
Though not a warrior race, the Crytillos people did have a lot of natural metals and minerals. The extremes on either side of their planet might be a good place to hide a base or two too.
“This is what the Galra wanted most,” the King explained as he led them into a large room. Lance snapped out of his thoughts in time to look around. Everything seemed like it was carved from white, iridescent stone. At first, Lance thought it was empty, but then he saw it. At the far end of the room was a tiered platform, a white pedestal with a clear, egg-shaped stone.
“What is it?” Lance asked. The King tried to answer, but an Aid called for him. He excused himself to go and talk to them by the door.
Lance leaned near the stone, and stared at it with interest. He stumbled a bit, but Keith grabbed him and kept him upright.
“Don’t break it,” Keith warned him. Lance wanted to argue back, but it occurred to him that Keith sounded more teasing than anything else. There was an affectionate look on his face, like he thought Lance being an unintentional klutz was the most endearing thing ever . Lance couldn’t help but flush a bit at that.
The Princess cleared her throat, and drew both of their attention to her. She looked annoyed as she said, “Would you like to know what this does?”
“Sure?” Lance replied. That’s why they were there, right?
She smiled, but there was something about that smile that he didn’t like. “Right. Keith,” she fluttered her eyelashes, “could you put your palm on the sphere.”
Keith blinked at her and raised an eyebrow. “No?”
She huffed and placed her own hand on it. “See, it’s fine.”
“I’m good,” he replied. A yelp of surprise escaped his lips when she reached forward, grabbed his hand, and put it on the sphere. The second he touched it, it started to glow with a bright white light. Keith looked like tried to yank his hand back, but it didn't move.
He shot the princess a dark look and demanded, “What did you do?”
“What’s wrong?” Lance asked, and looked at his hand with alarm.
“I can’t get it off.”
Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist, and tried to help him yank his hand off of the stone. Even as they both tugged and shoved, nothing seemed to work.
He rounded around on her, blue eyes narrowed. “What did you do ?” Screw being nice and screw the coalition. He was not going to let aliens fuck with any of his friends.
The Princess smiled serenely . She looked towards her father who hurried over after the commotion. The King’s eyes went wide. “Canima, what did you do?”
“Look, Capu,” she replied. “The stone accepted. That means that you can do the bonding ritual, yes?” Her smile widened.
“What ritual?” Keith and Lance demanded at the same time. Lance’s hands were still wrapped around Keith’s wrist, as he tried to tug him off.
The King hesitated before he said, “This stone has been with our people since time began. It binds two hearts, two souls, together for the rest of their lives, which they will live out as soulmates.”
The room was silent as both paladins processed this. Lance spluttered first. “What? Keith has to marry her because she made him put his hand on an egg?”
The King shot her a sharp look. “Canima.”
The Princess was completely unapologetic. “The stone accepted.”
“It is white ,” the King said, as if the white glow in the stone offended him more than anything else.
She pouted. “Yes, but I can make that change.”
Keith who seemed to be in shock for a moment, came out of it almost violently . He tried to jerk his arm away again, but settled a heated glare sent her way. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, but I’m not marrying someone like you .”
The King sighed. "The ceremony must take place once it has started. The only way to alter it is if another with a stronger bond were to place their hand upon the stone. It would force the one with the weaker bond off."
They both stared at the King, and Lance's thoughts raced wildly . Oh god . They were going to make Keith marry this psycho princess! That meant that they’d try to keep him on this planet. There was no way Keith would want to stay, so they'd have to hold him prisoner.
Keith’s arm shot to his side, and the black bayard appeared in his hand and shifted into his sword. He held it up, and Lance grabbed his arm. “What are you doing ?”
“Cut it off!” he demanded. He sounded like an animal backed into a corner. “Shoot it off! I don’t care!”
Keith was willing to amputate himself first. That said a lot about what he wanted.
Lance wasn’t going to let that happen though. “You’re not cutting your arm off!” Without another thought, he pressed his own hand onto the stone. It glowed a deep purple, and some type of energy threw the Princess backwards.
“No!” she yelled. She scrambled off of the floor and came back. She put her own hand back on, but nothing happened.
“Purple,” the King replied in awe. A look of pure delight passed over his features. “Oh! It has not been purple in a long time! Yes, of course I will oversee this ceremony! Please, wait here and allow me to prepare! Come, Canima.”
Lance shivered as the Princess glared at him as she followed her father out of the room. He was definitely on her shit-list now. Oh well, wasn't the first, wouldn't be the last.
“Why did you do that?”
Lance looked back at Keith, who stared at him with wide eyes. He felt his cheeks burn as awkwardness rose within him. “I…I couldn’t let her do that to you, you know? And I—I figured I’d have a stronger connection to you than her? This way we can, you know, do this, then leave, and pretend it never happened, right? I mean, what’s a little arranged marriage between bros, right?”
Keith stared at Lance with an odd expression. By the time he finished his ramblings, Keith completely closed off and looked away. “Yeah, thanks.”
Lance couldn’t help but think that he said the wrong thing.
…
That was how they ended up having to marry one another on this strange planet. It was an odd ceremony, that was for sure. There was no kissing, vows, or anything like that. To be fair though, they both had one hand stuck to the glowing glass egg.
Despite the lack of words, it was intense. They had to keep their free palms pressed against one another the entire time. A glow the same colour as the egg appeared on the hands that touched it. Lance felt that if he tried to tug his hand back, it might move. He didn’t try though. It was hard to think when they had to maintain eye contact the entire time.
Lance couldn’t tell what Keith felt. All he thought about was the fact that Keith's eyes weren't a grey-blue. They were a deep shade that seemed to border on purple. He knew that colour. What was it? Indigo? Sure, indigo. That was fine. He liked it. He had never seen someone with eyes like that before.
He knew that Keith was attractive, but he really was unfairly pretty, wasn’t he? Yeah, he was handsome and masculine in every sense. High cheekbones and long, thick lashes, made something about him beautiful too.
A part of him hoped that Keith thought something similar. That he thought he was attractive in some form.
The King said strange incantations their communicators couldn’t translate. The light in the egg pulsed with his hand movements.
After what felt like forever, he raised both of his hands in the air. The audience that gathered around them all cheered. They seemed pretty excited to see a purple glow, for whatever reason.
A look of surprise appeared n Keith’s face. His eyes darted to the hand on the orb. He slowly lifted it, and Lance quickly did the same when they realized they were free. They tried to move their hands apart, but realized that they were now stuck to each other instead.
“Um,” Lance spoke up, and raised their attached hands into the air.
“We have only finished a third of the ritual, now we must begin the cleansing,” the King explained to them.
Lance looked over at Keith, who seemed just as concerned.
It turns out, they had every right to be concerned . The cleansing was exactly what it sounded like. A ritual to get cleaned up in special, magical pool of water. It was awkward being stuck to one another when they had to strip down to get in. They both agreed to keep their eyes up, and to help one another balance without any stolen glances.
It was embarrassing , but it could have been a lot worse. Lance hadn’t entertained what a wedding in an alien world would mean. He was very glad that it did not involve intercourse though. Not that he’d say no if Keith were ever up for it, the guy was hot as hell and Lance kind of liked him a lot. This situation wasn't the right one for that though. This ceremony, luckily enough, was all about intimacy instead.
They had to leave their gloves on the hands that were bonded together with that strange purple glow, unable to pull them off . Again, it was weird, but it kind of made sense. The Crytillios people wore many different layers of clothing, and left only their heads exposed .
Despite everything, Lance couldn’t help but find the room beautiful. The walls and massive bath that they were in glinted and shimmered with faint reds and blues. He wondered if that was a coincidence or not. Keith may pilot Black, and Lance was with Red, but red was Keith's colour as much as blue was his, and pink was Allura's.
The water felt nice too, and he relaxed when he realized that he couldn’t actually see into it anymore. Whatever was in the water was almost like a bath bomb. It made things a little less tense.
As Lance relaxed in the water, he started to feel strange. Apprehension and a bit of fear hit him, but that didn’t make sense, because it felt like he was afraid of himself . His eyes slipped to Keith, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.
“You’re confused,” Keith said.
“You’re afraid,” Lance replied as the truth settled in. These were Keith’s feelings and impressions that brushed against his consciousness. He bet that Keith felt the same thing from him. “Woah.”
It was kind of like their bond when they formed Voltron, but so much more intense. When he focused on it, it was almost like he could hear Keith’s thoughts.
Holy shit, he hadn’t been expecting this.
Though Keith’s face stayed rather passive, Lance felt an almost terrifying array of emotions rush through him .
“Lance?” he asked after a moment as he pulled himself together. “Thank you.”
He didn’t have to ask what he was referring to. “Look, the Princess was hot as hell, so I don’t know why you weren't interested outside of not wanting to stay here, but-" Keith felt exasperated and confused at the same time . Lance's brow furrowed. "What?"
“You do know I’m gay, right?” There was the amusement again.
Lance stared at him. “That has never once come up before but–oh–OH! That’s what Hunk meant when he teased you about being suspicious over the Aurasian and not Rolo. Wait! Oh my god! You checked out Rolo!”
Keith didn’t blush, but he did narrow his eyes and felt more than a little embarrassed. “Says the guy who went off with a random girl he just met.” Lance could feel him calm down as he reminded himself to be patient. It was actually very endearing. “I just …thank you. If this had to happen, I’m glad it’s you.”
There was a whirl of pure affection and something else that made Lance’s cheeks burn, because he felt the same way. Keith’s eyes widened with surprise, before they softened into that strange look. The one that Lance saw directed his way many times before. He had never understood before.
Now though, now he did, and it had been there for a long time.It took his breath away. “Oh.”
The water around them turned the same purple as the glow around their hands. The same glow in the egg. Their hands slipped apart.
…
The third part of the ritual involved the intricate sleepwear of the Crytillios people . Their fabrics incredibly soft and comfortable, in Lance's humble opinion.
Despite how many layers there were though, Lance shuddered a bit. It didn’t make sense, the world was so warm. There was no day and night, so it wasn’t like there was a shift in temperature with the rise and fall of the sun.
He had no idea why he was so cold and almost empty by the time he shuffled into the place where he would sleep that night. If he wasn’t so cold, he would have blushed. Despite the large amount of blankets and pillows, it was a small bed. It looked comfortable at least.
The bed itself wouldn't have been enough to make Lance blush. He wasn't a child. No, what made him blush was Keith, who was dressed in similar clothes to him. Keith looked kind of small and shapeless in the clothes, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that they had to share a bed.
Sure, they shared beds while on missions sometimes. The lions were equipped with a bed, but sometimes they only took one or two. That meant they had to share if no one wanted the floor. The difference was, Lance never had to share a bed with Keith before.
The worries that plagued him vanished when he realized how uncomfortable Keith felt too . He didn’t like that at all. “You okay?”
“It’s fucking cold,” Keith muttered.
“You too? What is it with this place?” Lance asked as he sat beside him, a few feet away.
Keith shrugged and tried to get up but he stumbled on the clothes. Lance reached out to grab him, and they both froze. They looked down to where Lance’s hand was on Keith’s arm.
It felt warm .
“Oh,” Lance breathed out. Intimacy. Right. That made sense. They were the only things that could keep one another warm.
Keith came to the same conclusion at the same time, and regarded Lance curiously . Lance looked up at him and said, “I’ve always wanted to be big spoon?”
What the ever living hell had he just said ?
The tension in the room disappeared as Keith snorted. “What?”
Lance flushed. “I’m the youngest of five, and my niece and nephew like clinging to my back! I was always little spoon! I wanna cuddle someone too!” To prove a pointed, he rolled onto the super comfortable bed and held his arms out. “Come here! I’m cold!”
Keith rolled his eyes, but the allure of warmth was too much. He flopped down beside Lance, and then scooted closer to him. “Well, my boyfriend always wanted to be little spoon, so I never got to be.”
At first, Lance nodded, but then he froze as the words settled in his mind. “You have a boyfriend?” That came out way louder than he meant for it to, but he would forever deny how squeaky it sounded.
“Well, I have an ex ,” Keith corrected as he readjusted himself. He faced away from Lance, but was still close so that whatever magic was at work kept them warm.
“You had a boyfriend?”
“Stop yelling in my ear,” Keith grumbled and elbowed his stomach. Not that Lance could really feel it through the mass amount of clothing. “And sort of.”
“Please explain how one 'sort of' has a boyfriend,” he all but demanded. Then again, after all this, wasn’t he sort of Keith’s husband.
Wow, that was a revelation.
Though he didn't see it, Lance knew that Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we really …talked, or did the feelings thing all that well. We were just …dumb teenagers. Didn’t really mean much in the long run.”
Lance felt like he was going to choke. He wished his mind hadn’t conjured up it’s own version of what being dumb teenagers meant. Especially since Keith might be able to catch onto it.
“So uh…when we go back to earth then…”
Keith sighed and looked over his shoulder at him. “I broke up with him a few weeks before the Kerberos news got back. So no. That’s not a thing. Wasn't for a long time.” He turned away again.
Without meaning to, Lance sighed with relief. “Good, good. That’s good. That’d be awkward when we get back home.” He tensed up as Keith tensed up beside him. He wasn't sure what he did wrong to cause the rush of negative emotions. Not when Keith was so amused, and a bit exasperated, before.
“I thought you wanted to forget this?” Keith couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice and his feelings.
Lance’s lips parted with surprise. “I…well that’s what you’d want, right?”
“Me?” Keith shifted a bit. “It’s what you want. I mean, you took a bullet for me here, so I’ll respect whatever you’re going to do.” He huffed out a sigh. “It’s gotta be embarrassing for you, right? Stuck in an…arranged marriage with a random guy, right?”
His brow furrowed again, and Lance scowled at the back of his head. “Now who’s assuming. I don’t care that you’re a guy. I’m still getting used to feeling that way, but you know what I mean. And you’re not a random guy too.” He shook his head. “You’re like…my person. You know?”
“Your person?” Keith repeated skeptically .
Lance felt his face flush. “You know? Like how Pidge and Hunk are always hanging out, or how Shiro and Allura seem to work really well together. I guess I always got the impression that we were kind of like that too?”
“Yeah,” Keith said after a moment. He twisted around so that they faced one another, and shifted closer.
A little bit of fear tinted his emotions, but they were mostly warm and affectionate. Lance couldn’t help but tug him closer so that they pressed against each other as much as they possibly could be.
“ Maybe ,” Lance spoke up as he tried to be brave, “ maybe I’d be okay with this being a thing. But like…would it be…insulting if we kept it…you know, to ourselves? For now? Figure things out?”
Keith stared at the fabric of his’s shirt, and nodded his head. His arms wrapped around Lance as he hid his face beneath his chin.
Lance smiled warmly . He made himself comfortable as Keith’s warmth and contented feelings lulled him to sleep.
.
.
.
“Hey, why were you so excited about the egg-thing glowing purple?” Lance later asked before they were set to leave.
The King smiled at him. “The colour it glows shows the bond between people. A white glow is a bad thing. It means there is no connection. A hand bonding to it means that they could be made to belong together, but it’s not a good thing. Other colours mean different things. Purple though.
Purple is rich and royal.
Purple is calming, soothing blue combined with fiery, passionate red.
Purple means true, unending, mutual love.”