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Chapter Text

It was in the middle of the night on Arus when he came to her. Keith, her new paladin. She had almost let him die when she met him, but now that she knew him better, she was glad she didn’t. He wasn’t a talkative boy, and it was hard to break the walls he put around himself, but he couldn’t hide from Red. She could see in his heart, and she liked what she saw.

« Hey, Red. I’m sorry to wake you up so early.. Do you even need to sleep? » He laughed, with that quiet laugh he had, like he was afraid to be too noisy, and she welcomed him with a purr, sending him a warm feeling that it was okay.

Keith drove her outside the castle. He was still wearing the clothes he brought from Earth, so she knew there wasn’t any danger. Just him coming to visit her. She was glad he did.

« Okay, so.. Fire, ugh? I don’t know if you can tell but.. I kind of.. Have a history with fire, if we can say it like that? I mean.. » He started stammering, but she purred to make him stop. She had known the second she saw him, and she didn’t wait him to relive his father’s death. He was brave enough to love her despite this.

« I don’t want to panic in the middle of a battle because of my past. I don’t want to let the team down. I can’t disappoint Shiro after everything he did for me. And I’m pretty sure Allura would kill me. »

He laughed again, a bit louder than before, and Red answered with a laughing purr. She had known Allura for ten thousand years, and she had affection for the princess through her bond with Alfor, but she understood where her paladin’s thoughts were coming from. Allura could be scary when she wanted to, even though she would never hurt anyone if she could avoid it. Red sent this comforting thought to Keith, who nodded nervously.

« Yeah, you’re right, she’s great, so I wouldn’t want to disappoint her either. Maybe we could start with a small fire and.. See how it goes? »

Red roared before flying to the sky on the command of her paladin. Of course, since they learned that the planet had others habitants than them, they had to be careful. The arusians were under the protection of Voltron, and Keith would never risks their lives willingly.

« Okay, I think it’s high enough. Let’s do this! »

Without a second thought, Keith pushed the fire command, at its maximum. He yelled a bit, startled, before laughing at himself. However, he didn’t back up, and guided Red through the sky, and the fell a wave of affection for her paladin when she realized he was writing his own name with her fire. While she understood it was his way to reclaim what scared him once, she felt like a proud mother. Then, he wrote « Red is the best lion », and she swore to herself that she would always do her best to protect him.

When she landed back inside the castle, Keith seemed tired, but happy, like the weight of the wold had been taken away from his shoulders.

« Thank you, Red. » He said before standing up, probably to go back to bed. She purred one last time, and then put herself on standby.

She couldn’t wait to share more adventures with her new paladin.

Chapter Text

Collapsed against a wall in Black’s hangar, Keith was looking at his lion, and the head of Voltron could feel that his new pilote was wondering why he had chosen him to lead the team. He had this haunted look in his eyes, like he would have preferred to be anywhere but here, but couldn’t find somewhere else to go. Perhaps his body was too tired to accept to move after the fight they just had.

« You should have chosen Allura. She’s the only one who really knows the enemy and she’s a born leader, that’s what you need. I’m not. I know Shiro thought I was, but I’m not strong enough. I don’t want to take his place. I know he would be disappointed by me but that’s the truth. »

Keith teared his eyes away from Black to bury his head in his arms. Black could feel Shiro’s consciousness strongly disagreeing with his brother’s words, wanting so badly to be able to reassure him. The lion tried to reach for Keith through their bond, but his paladin was blocking him, like he was afraid of receiving reproaches once again. 

« Lance was right, I have no idea of how to lead Voltron. I know he wished he was flying you, but seeing him in Red.. I guess I was jealous too. It was so much easier. I’m the hothead of the team, it’s dangerous. I almost got everyone killed just because I couldn’t wait for a better occasion to take down Lotor. It’s what would have happened if Lance hadn’t stop me. They all knew it too. I could see it. »

Black could feel how his paladin believed in his heart that the rest of the team hated him for the incident of that day, and he tried to reassure him with a soft purr, but Keith was still pushing him away. He wished the new black paladin would let him in, but just like he couldn’t accept Shiro’s death, he wasn’t ready to face the consequences of that death. But suddenly, Keith raised his head to look back at Black.

« I’ll try though, you know. I won’t give up on them. They need me for now, until we found Shiro. Then, you will have him back and.. I guess I’ll just step back. I don’t know who Red will want, she’s bonding well with Lance. Like, he actually remember bonding with her, so it must be strong. »

Keith laughed softly, without joy. He was starting to open up again to Black though, so the lion tried again to send him a reassuring feeling. He could feel that Keith was a bit more relaxed than when he started talking. Maybe the boy just needed someone to listen to him without interrupting him.

« I’m sure you miss him too, I can feel it when we fly. I can feel him, as if he was around me, trying to help me make the right decision, trying to guide me like he always does. But maybe it’s just wishful thinking? »

Black tried to send Keith all the affection he could feel from his former paladin to his brother, and this time, Keith actually smiled a real smile.

« Yeah, a feeling like that. »

The hangar’s door opened, and Keith turned his head to see Lance walking to him.

« Hey man. I.. Ugh, Hunk made cookies and I know you haven’t eaten anything since we came back so.. Care to join? »

Lance looked unsure of himself, like he didn’t really knew what he was doing here, but when he finally stopped in front of Keith, he extended his hand to help him on his feet. The black paladin nodded softly before taking Lance’s hand, but when his friend turned around to leave the hangar, Keith looked one last time at Black.

« Thank you, Black. »

Then, he followed after Lance.

Chapter Text

Seated on a chair next to the hospital bed of her son, Krolia was petting Kosmo, stretched out on the bed against Keith. The black paladin still hadn’t woken up after he led Voltron to fight Haggar’s last creation, and his mother was more worried with each hour that passed.

She was lost in her thoughts when Keith finally started waking up, slowly. Krolia jumped on her feet, and put a hand on her son’s arm.

« Dad? » He asked, and Krolia’s heart dropped in her chest. She wasn’t expecting that, and didn’t know how to react, what to tell him now. She frowned, worried that the knock on his head had damaged his brain.

« Ugh, Keith? Are you feeling alright? » She tried clumsily. She was pretty sure Kosmo was looking at her with a judgmental look.

Keith opened his eyes, and seemed lost for a few seconds before smiling weakly at her.

« Hey, mom, you’re back. » He said with a hoarse voice.

« Yeah, Kolivan is here too, he went to check on the others with Shiro and Adam but they should be back soon. » She informed him, knowing fully well that it would be his first question. A tension seemed to released from his shoulders, and she was glad she did that well.

« So.. » She started, before stopping herself. She was about to ask about his dad, but she was afraid Keith would be sadden.

« You want to know why I thought it was dad who was with me, right? I guess you didn’t see everything on the space whale. » He continued for her, a soft smile on his face.

« You really don’t have to tell me. » She reassured him. He started petting Kosmo, a foreign look on his face.

« I want to. I feel like you’re the only one I can really talk about him with, because you’re the only one who knew him, and I know he would have want you to be there. Just.. Don’t yell at me for it, okay? It was a long time ago and I totally got my lesson from dad. »

Krolia laughed softly at her son’s fear to be reprimanded for something he did years ago.

« I won’t say anything, I swear! »

« Okay, so, ugh.. Dad never bought eggs. He told me I couldn’t eat it, because I’m allergic, but when I was a kid, I didn’t really understood what it meant and I thought it was like when he told me that sugar was bad for me so I don’t eat too much of it. »

« Oh god, I’m scared of where this is going. I hope you’re aware that too much sugar is definitely bad for you, right? » She asked, laughing a bit whilst imagining little Keith trying to avoid his father’s rules.

« Hey, you asked for that story! Anyway, one day, dad had an emergency at work so he just asked a neighbor to babysit me until he came back. Then, she asked me if I was hungry, so I took my chance and.. »

« Keith. » Krolia interrupted him, unable to believe what she was hearing. 

« You swore you wouldn’t say anything! I was just curious, and for what I can remember, the egg tasted gross. Then, I couldn’t breathe and passed out. I woke up at the hospital and.. I don’t know, this memory came back to me when I was still half asleep. » 

Keith smiled sadly, and Krolia couldn’t find in herself to comment on his mistake.

« I know you miss him. I miss him too. Every day. When you’ll get better, maybe we can visit his grave together? » She suggested, hoping it was the right move to do. He smiled to her, still petting Kosmo’s head.

« Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks, mom. »

Chapter Text

It’s been three years since the war against the Galra was won by the Voltron coalition, and the paladins almost never flied their lions for battle purpose anymore. Keith thought about his life as finally peaceful.. Well, when his boyfriend wouldn’t wake him up by yelling in his ears.

« Oh my god, Keith, you’re going to be late if you don’t get up right now! » Keith groaned, trying to fight the sudden light by pulling the blanket on his head.

« Leave me alone. » He whined as an answer, whilst the blanket was taken away from him.

« That’s it. You’re going to be late. You’re best man and you’re going to be late. At your brother’s wedding. I hope you’re ashamed of yourself. Kosmo, do the thing. »

And before Keith could react, his wolf had teleported him on the cold floor of the bathroom. He jumped on his feet, swearing. Kosmo immediately teleported away, and Keith heard his boyfriend laughing at him from the embrasure of the door. He turned his head, ready to yell at him, but his soft, amused smile got the better of him and all he could do was smile back.

« You’re so mean to me. I’m gonna tell your mom. » Whilst Keith was saying that, Lance had made his way to him, wrapping his arms around Keith’s neck before kissing him.

« I know you’re actually very grateful. You would have hate yourself for being late to Shiro and Adam’s wedding. And your mom would have yelled at you. And.. »

« And Kosmo’s just gonna teleport me there. It’s fine. » Keith tucked his head between Lance’s neck and shoulder, not ready to completely woke up yet, but the sound of a knock on the door made him jump. 

« Shit, they’re already there? » He asked, suddenly worried by the time.

« Yeah. I should have asked Red to be my ride. Coran, Romelle and Allura are slower. »

« Too late now, you should go before they break the door. » Then, Keith took a step back to free his boyfriend from his grip. 

« Right. See you at the altar. » Lance answered before winking at him.

« Did you just..? » Keith stammered, feeling himself blushing.

« I don’t know what you’re talking about but.. I can’t wait! » He said, a smile on his face implying that he was perfectly aware of what he just did.

Then, he exited the bathroom, leaving a flustered Keith behind him.

Chapter Text

« I still can’t believe we’re doing this. » Keith said, before putting on his helmet, a small smile directed to his mother.

Now that the war was over, Keith had a lot of free time, and still a lot of catching up to do with several people. One of them being his mom, even if they had two years alone. It just felt like they always had others things to share.

« Come on, Keith, I want to know! It’s too easy for you to just declare you’re faster when you have a lion of Voltron and I just have a ship from the blade. » She retorted with a playful look.

« Black is heavier so it compensates. »

« Please tell me you know that’s not true. Come on, I’ll go easy on you. »

« What? Don’t you dare! You have to do your best! You can’t let me win! » He yelled, outraged.

« Oh no, I meant not crushing you too hard. »

« You’re the worst. »

They laughed, and they both sat on their ship. The race began. Krolia had taken a better start, but Keith managed to catch up in the first turns. Krolia almost bumped into a massive rock, losing her concentration for a few seconds because she was looking proudly at her son. But Keith didn’t even realised that, completely emerged in his own race to bother looking at what his opponent was doing, as long as she wasn’t in front of him. Krolia wasn’t ready to let herself being ignored though, so she pushed Keith’s ship away from his path with her own ship, making him lose his concentration for a moment. 

« Hey! You’re cheating! » He protested, coming back in the race as fast as his ship would allowed him. 

« You didn’t say anything about rules. You just told me to do my best. » She retorted. 

They were now on the home stretch, and Keith took advantage of a small advance to block his mother’s ship with his own, allowing himself to pass the finishing line just before her. Then, he turned to look at her, a proud grin on his face. They both took off their helmet.

« And you dared call me a cheater. » Krolia said with an amused smile. 

« What? I just did my best, like you said. »

She laughed whilst tousling his hair. 

Chapter Text

When Keith left the simulator, he didn’t expect to find Adam waiting next to the door. He was standing against the wall and looked a bit sick, but when he saw Keith, a natural smile appeared on his face. 

« Hey, Keith, how was it in there? » He asked while straightening.

« Good, I think. But Shiro’s not done yet, he still has one group before he can go home. » Keith explained, intrigued by Adam’s presence there. Usually, they always all met directly at their apartment when their respective tasks are over with.

« Yeah, I know. I.. Actually I was hoping I could talk to you. Like, alone. » Adam answered, without meeting Keith’s eyes.

« Hm, sure. » Keith said with a frown, anxiety starting to make its way to him.

There was no reason why Adam would want to talk to Keith alone if It wasn’t because it was something he didn’t want Shiro to hear. Whatever it was, Keith couldn’t help but think it wasn’t good. Still, he followed Adam outside until they reached a bench, and waited patiently for Adam to speak again. When the older man finally spoke, he was anxiously looking at his hands.

« So.. Ugh.. I.. I started thinking about this a while ago and I realized that I should talk to you about this before doing anything because.. It’s important, and as you’ve been living with us for a while now I.. »

Adam was rambling, but Keith couldn’t really listen to him because his blood was pulsing through his head. It was like his world was collapsing around him, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He thought everything was going alright, that he finally found people who cared about him. But now that he was pretty sure Adam was about to ask him to leave his and Shiro’s place, he felt like he was losing everything.

« .. Keith? Are you okay? » Adam had eventually stopped watching his hands to look had Keith, to find out that he wasn’t listening anymore. He frowned, noticing the distress in Keith’s face.

« I.. I understand. Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it, I get it. » Keith answered, a bit harsh.

« Oh. I didn’t think you’d react like that. I thought you liked me, or at least that you liked me for Takashi. Unless it’s because it’s still a bit early for that? But I’m sure it’s what I want. What I’ll always want. And.. »

« Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about? You’re not asking me to move out? »

Adam’s panic suddenly stopped to let its place to a deep look of confusion, and Keith found himself hoping again that everything could be okay. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe everything would fall into places.

« Ugh, definitely not. Keith, I would never! You are at home in our apartment, it’s not more ours than yours! And you’re like.. Takashi’s brother, and I like to think that you could consider me like family too.. »

Adam was now looking at Keith in the eyes, honesty visible in his expression. Keith’s panic was slowly going away, letting him thinking straight again. Everything was alright, he didn’t have to move away, he could stay with Shiro and Adam, they weren’t tired of him yet. He finally smiled at Adam, a tiny, shy smile. Adam immediately smiled back, looking relieved.

« Thanks. And I definitely like you. Not only because you make Shiro happy, but also because you’ve always been great with me. Sorry I doubt you. »

« It’s okay. So, what I was trying to say is.. I mean it, when I say I want us to be a family. I want to ask Takashi to marry me, and I was hoping you could help me propose to him. If you agree with this, of course, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or something. »

« Oh, no.. I’d love that! Help you propose and.. The family. That’s what I always wanted. »

Keith had tears in his eyes, but Adam knew it wasn’t sad tears. He could feel the same kind of tears in his own eyes. So he just opened his arms to Keith, hugging him for a good thirty seconds before starting planning.

Chapter Text

They were reaching the exit where they left Black when the Galras eventually found them. Luckily, the first Galra who shot wasn’t the best at aiming while running, so they missed the team. Keith immediately stopped his run to Black to take a fighting position, one hand taking out his blade, the other one grasping his bayard to turn it into a sword.

Then, he exchanged a look with Lance and Shiro, the others two on this mission, also ready for battle. Shiro glanced at Black before looking back at them, and they both nodded, accepting the plan. They all knew the ship was full of enemy soldiers, and there was no way they could take them all down with only the three of them, so they had to fight whilst going slowly in Black’s direction. Sure, Black could have helped, but Shiro probably knew Keith would never leave them to run to his lion. It was too dangerous.

In the same movement, Keith and Shiro ran to the closest Galras. Lance stayed a few meters away, shooting the enemies from afar with the red bayard. It wasn’t a hard battle, but the enemies kept appearing as soon as they killed them. Keith was fighting two Galras at the same time, one with each of his swords, when a third one tried to take him down, shooting at him with his gun. Everything seems to go in slow motion. He could see the bullet coming his way, without being able to do anything to stop it. He was preparing himself for the shock when a shield appeared between him and the bullet.

« Can’t use your shield with those fancy swords of yours, hm? » Shiro teased him, taking down his own shield to kill the soldier with his mechanic hand.

« No, but I can kill them twice faster than you can. » Keith answered with a smirk, before skewering the two Galras he was fighting.

He knew there was no need to thanks Shiro for him to understand. After hundreds of battles together, they had learned to communicate with just a look. A little further, Lance had finally reached Black.

« Guys, as much as I enjoy hearing you praise yourselves, they’re too many. Just run, I’ll cover for you. » He yelled at them, taking down a Galra soldier with every bullet he shot.

Trusting him to have their backs, Keith and Shiro ran to Black. They arrived next to Lance a few seconds after, and Black immediately put his head on the floor to welcome them. They rushed inside and flew away, back to the rest of the team.

Chapter Text

The sky was abnormally bright, that night, and as Keith couldn’t sleep, he decided to go on a walk with Kosmo. Since they met, the space wolf never left Keith’s side, and it was comforting for the black paladin to have a companion always by his side.

They reached an exit, and Keith’s eyes were automatically attracted by the sky, the stars. The moon seemed huge to him, but perhaps it was just because he couldn’t remember it like before he went in space. It also looked more blue, the contours less clear. It was weird, but not as much as the fact that it didn’t really bothered Keith. It was okay, he had seen weirder things.

There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and Keith’s feet should have been frozen, same for the rest of his body, as he was just wearing pants, but he was actually feeling rather warm. He could have been worried about this, but his hand was wrapped up in Kosmo’s fur, and with the wolf’s flank against his side, he decided that it was probably his warmth he was feeling.

They were walking for ten minutes when Keith saw a blanket on the ground, perfectly dry despite the snow everywhere else. He felt the urge to sit on it, so he did just that. Kosmo followed him like he always did, wrapping himself around Keith. He thought he heard someone groan, but couldn’t see anyone, and it seemed familiar anyway, nothing to worry about, almost reassuring.

Keith’s eyes were wandering in the sky. One could think that after everything Keith had been through, he would be tired of space, but it had always been his passion and would probably always be one of the most important part of his life.

« Oh, look, Kosmo, this is Canopus, one of the brightest stars ever. Must be cool to go on it, right? Oh, no, I don’t really want to go there, please don’t teleport us. »

Keith laughed slightly while Kosmo gave him an exasperated look. It was weird. Could the wolf understand what Keith was telling him?

« Anyway, here’s Hadar. Sound a bit like Haggar, I don’t like this one very much. Do you? »

He looked at Kosmo, testing his reaction. The wolf shook his head softly, and Keith convinced himself that he was just over-interpreting Kosmo’s moves. Maybe Lance was right. Maybe he spent too much time with his wolf.

« This one’s Achernar. What do you think about it? »

Keith then realized how stupid his situation. There he was, talking to his wolf, in the middle of the night, outside, on a mysterious blanket, with snow everywhere around them..

« Do you think it told them its name, or do you think they forced the name on it? »

And now his wolf just answered to him. Keith straightened up, looking at Kosmo like everything he knew had suddenly changed. He looked around him, trying to found someone responsible of a stupid joke, but there was no one.

« I.. What? »

But Kosmo stood up and jumped away from the blanket, before disappearing. Keith heart was beating too fast, and he was starting to panic when he felt the ghost of a hand on his arm. He looked, but there was nothing.

« .. Keith? »

Keith didn’t understand what was going on, but this voice reassured him immediately. He could recognize it in the middle of thousands of others. And suddenly, everything went black around him.

Keith opened his eyes slowly. He was laying on his bed, and Lance was looking at him with a frown.

« You’re awake! I think you were having a nightmare or something? » He questioned, finally smiling at Keith.

« I.. Do you think Kosmo hates his name? » He answered with another question, a bit worried by his dream.

Lance sighed before rolling on his back.

« I can’t believe you’re still on that. What was your dream about? Was it Kosmo torturing you because of his name? »

The only answer Keith gave him was a pillow on his face.

Chapter Text

It all started when Keith showed up at Shiro’s office, unannounced and unexpected. It wasn’t that he never did that usually. No, Keith often came to visit Shiro. What startled Shiro was the look on Keith’s face. It was a mix of determination, anger and mischief, and definitely a look that announced trouble. So why did Shiro smile when he saw him? Probably because he was happy that Keith went to him while being in that state of mind and not someone else.

« Hey, Keith, can I.. » Shiro started, but he was shut down before he could finish.

« I want revenge. »

Keith was now glaring at him, and even if he was starting to worry a little, Shiro still asked:

« Against who? »

« You. »

He could have seen the answer coming, but the truth was that he really didn’t expect that. He had no idea of what he could have possibly done to attract the wrath of Keith, but he knew the boy wasn’t violent and that he would probably be able to calm him down.

« And what did I do? » He simply asked, like they were just discussing the weather.

« You beat me. Again. But I want revenge. This time I’ll win. »

Shiro couldn’t help but laugh slightly at that. Since he met Keith, they often race against each other, and each time, Shiro had won. And every single time, Keith had pout for a few hours, then waited a few days before coming back to Shiro and ask for another one. Each time, he was closer to Shiro’s performance, and the older man didn’t doubt that one day, he would beat him, but for now, he knew Keith still lacked experience. Even so, he would never decline a race. Especially to him.

« Of course. Let me just grab my stuff and I’m in. » Shiro said before standing up, in front of a surprised Keith.

« Wait, what, now?! »

He looked like a deer caught in headlights, and Shiro had to laugh. He put his hand on his shoulder, and gave him a reassuring smile.

« Yeah? Your talent is always with you, Keith. »

Keith immediately recovered, and he smirked at Shiro.

« Okay, let’s go then. Prepare for defeat, old man. »

Shiro smiled at him, and they both left the room.

Needless to say that Keith lost the race that day too.

Chapter Text

It was a day off for team Voltron, so Keith decided to train for a bit. He found a new exercise he hadn’t tried yet, and decided to give it a go. The training room simulated an obstacle race, and Keith was about to start when the door opened.

Lance came in and looked surprised to see that someone was already there. He looked at the simulation with amazement before noticing that Keith was there, looking at him with an amused smile.

« Didn’t know you’d be there. I thought you’d be resting, with your ankle and everything. Are you sure it’s wise to train now? » He asked, frowning at Keith.

Lance was now in front of Keith, a worried look on his face. Keith tried to reassure him with a confident smile. It was true that their last mission left Keith’s ankle in a pretty bad shape, but it was better now, and Keith wanted to be back in the game as fast as possible. After all, anything could happen at any time. They couldn’t afford to spare him.

« Yeah, it’s all good. Wanna join? That way you can check by yourself. » Keith answered with a playful look.

Lance nodded, a smile dispelling his worry, and they began.

They were halfway through the exercise when things became complicated. Lance had barely shut down the last drone that was attacking them when they turned around to found out they now had to jump across a hole so deep they couldn’t even see the bottom of it.

« Ugh, I’m not sure we should continue. There’s no way you can do this jump without hurting your ankle. »

Keith sighed and looked around them, but there wasn’t any other way for them to go. Obviously, this was an obstacle, and in an obstacle race, you couldn’t pick the ones you wanted to do and the ones you didn’t.

« I don’t think we really have a choice here, Lance. It’s the only way. But you can hold my hand if you’re scared. » Keith teased, trying to make Lance forgot about his ankle problem.

« Thanks but I’ll pass, holding hands would insure the fall. Anyway, we’re stopping the race. We can’t afford having you hurt again. Computer, stop the training session! »

But nothing happened. Lance repeated the order, and turned to Keith as to accuse him of being responsible for the lack of answer, but the computer’s voice finally reacted.

« The training session can not be stopped during an attack. »

The two paladins exchanged a look. Keith shrugged and Lance groaned.

« Okay, first, this rule is stupid. Second, there’s no attack.. » Lance started, but shut up when he saw three huge creatures coming their way. They seemed made of metal, were twice their size, and had a dozen of arms, each one holding a different weapon.

« I’d say we run. » Keith whispered to Lance, who nodded before taking a few steps backward to take a run-up, quickly imitated by Keith.

Keith landed one second after Lance, with a grunt of pain. Lance rushed over him, swearing. He had a worried look on his face.

« Are you okay? »

« Yeah, it’ll be fine. But I think we should stop anyway. Imagine if they jump after us. » He answered in a playful tone to reassure Lance and make him stop worrying for nothing.

Lance looked back at where they were coming from, where the creature were still approaching, and yelled to the computer to stop the training. The simulation disappeared around them and all that was left was the empty training room.

« Good. But you can’t walk like that. Let me carry you. »

« Lance, no! I’m fine, I can.. »

« Yeah no, I’m carrying you. »

« No! »

Of course, Lance ended up winning this fight, but it wasn’t really a defeat for Keith.

Chapter Text

« It’s a disaster. » Keith affirmed, flour all over his hair.

« You could still pretend you wanted to look like Shiro. » Hunk teased him, trying to save their concoction.

It had been three hours since Allura asked them to bake a cake for the dessert of their dinner to celebrate another victory, and they weren’t any closer to have something done. True, Hunk was really talented, but even if Keith was ambidextrous, both of his hands were useless for baking.

« Why is it so complicated? » Keith asked Hunk, with a look of distress on his face. He sighed as an egg exploded in his hand. « Quiznak. »

« No offense dude but.. Maybe you should let me handle this on my own? It would be faster. »

« No! I promised Allura I’d do it, and i don’t want the other to think I don’t care. » Keith pouted, crossing his arms.

Hunk looked tired, but didn’t say anything to stop him when Keith took another egg. This time, it didn’t explode in his hand, but pieces of the shell went everywhere in the concoction. Keith looked up to Hunk, and Hunk feared that he was ready to start crying right now.

« Okay, ugh, let me handle the eggs. You can.. prepare the sugar, maybe? » Hunk came to his rescue, taking the mixing bowl away from Keith.

Keith nodded, thankful. When he returned with the sugar, Hunk almost expected another catastrophe, but it looked good to him, so he just let Keith add the sugar.

« What now? » Keith asked while Hunk was mixing the sugar with the rest.

« We just have to add the chocolate and it’s done. But don’t— »

Keith, who had grabbed the pan, dropped it hastily with a groaning of hurt.

« .. Burn yourself. » Hunk ended unnecessarily.

The pan fell on the floor, sending melted chocolate everywhere. Hunk and Keith looked at each other before busting out laughing. They only stopped when the kitchen’s door opened, letting in a surprised Pidge.

« What the quiznak are you guys doing in there? You know the right place for the food isn’t on the floor or in your hair and clothes, right? » She asked, looking at them like they were some sort of weird specimens she was trying to understand.

« I.. We.. Ugh, it hurts. » Keith stammered, holding his burned hand with the other one like he didn’t know what to do with it.

« You’re an idiot. » She answered.

Pidge walked to him and took his arm to guide him to the sink. She poured some cold water and put his hand in the water before turning around, leaving the kitchen like nothing happened. Keith looked at Hunk, and they laughed once again.

« Okay, just stay like that for a bit. I’ll take care of chocolate. »

A few minutes later, the cake was in the oven, and Hunk breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he turned to Keith.

« Never try to bake again. »

Chapter Text

As soon as they landed on this planet calling for help, Keith felt there was something weird. True, they wouldn’t be asking for the assistance of Voltron if there wasn’t something wrong, but it felt different from what he was used to.

He looked at Shiro and Allura to see if they shared his concerned. Allura was the one who knew the most about alien cultures, and Keith had always considered Shiro as the smartest person he knew. The black paladin was frowning, but didn’t looked more anxious than usual when dealing with this kind of situation, and Allura was smiling. It was enough to reassure Keith, at least a bit.

« We should split up. The faster we can identify the origin of this fog, the faster we can fix it. Allura, Coran, you will talk to the locals, see if they noticed anything. Keith, Pidge, you will go in the forest, see if it’s a plant that is somehow responsible for this. Hunk, Lance, you’ll check by the river and the lake. I’ll patrol with Black from above. » Shiro said with confidence, and everyone nodded.

Coran and Allura were the first ones to leave, then Shiro, then Hunk and Lance, who decided to only take Blue to go. Pidge turned to Keith, a thinking look on her face.

« I think we should take Green. Red is faster but Green has a connexion to nature and can be invisible. Plus, you always can call Red if we need her. »

Keith simply nodded, founding nothing to say against Pidge’s reasoning. It made sense, even if Keith would have preferred having Red close to him. He found her presence reassuring, but he didn’t want to disagree with Pidge and looked like he didn’t trust her, so he remained silent.

When they arrived in the heart of the forest, the fog seemed thicker, which was a good news because they might find its origin here, but also a bad news because it meant trouble. Keith and Pidge looked around themselves, and Keith frowned when he saw some kind of light in the fog.

« Look over there. I think we should go see what’s doing this. » He told her, and she followed him in the direction of the light.

They kneeled down in front of a weird bright plant. Keith extended his hand to touch it, but Pidge hit his hand with her own to prevent him.

« Are you crazy? It can be anything, do anything. We can’t touch it with bare hands until we know more. » She explained, taking a glove out of her bag.

Keith took a look at his own, fingerless, gloves, and suddenly regretted his choice of aesthetic. Pidge pulled off a bit of the plant, and its light disappeared. Then, the missing part grew again, and the the light was back.

« This was.. weird. » Pidge commented.

« Good weird or bad weird? » Keith asked, hoping it would be the first.

« I don’t know yet. We need to bring this back to the castle. »

He nodded, and stood up before helping her to do the same. Then, his earpiece crackled, and he heard Lance’s voice.

« Hey guys, we found what’s causing all this trouble. I’m not sure we’ll need Voltron but it would be better to have all the lions here before we try and stop it. »

« We’re on our way. » Keith simply answered.

« I’m still taking this. » Pidge informed him while putting her sample of the plant in her bag.

Then, they both ran to Green.

Chapter Text

Keith get out of the bed. He couldn’t stand to look at Lance’s sleeping, peaceful face anymore, not when he knew what was coming for them in the morning. Everything would change. He didn’t want that, but he didn’t really have a choice. He couldn’t choose his own happiness when the lives of thousands of people were at stakes, could he?

With a sigh, Keith took a jacket, and realized while putting it on that it was Lance’s. He shrugged and decided to just go with it, wanting nothing less than going back to the quiet bedroom. He walked without a destination, but his feet took him to Red’s hangar.

The former red paladin was about to greet the Red lion when he saw that someone was already there. He recognized Allura in a second, and after a moment of hesitation, he walked to her. She turned around when she heard him, but didn’t look surprised to see him.

« I’m guessing you’re anxious too, about tomorrow. » She simply said with a soft smile.

Keith nodded, his throat tied.

« I also guess that’s why you’re here, and not with Black. Unless it’s about Lance? » Allura asked with a cheeky smile, looking for a moment at the jacket Keith was wearing. Lance’s.

« Yeah I.. Black wants me to be a leader. With Red, I could be more.. myself, I suppose. She always understood me like no one else could, I didn’t even have to ask her help, she just did it anyway. I feel more at peace with her and.. I guess I wanted her to advise me. Just one last time. » Keith confessed quietly, almost ashamed to reveal so much about himself to Allura.

The princess nodded slowly, thoughtful. 

« I see.. Are you sure you’re talking about Red, though, and not her paladin? Maybe you’re not seeking the advises of the right person. »

She was right, of course she was right. Allura was probably one of the smartest person Keith ever knew, and she cared about those who were close to her. She paid attention to them more than they could imagine, and knew how to read others.

« L.. Lance? I.. I can’t. I can’t tell him I don’t want to try and be the new leader of the Galras. I can’t tell him I’ll just do it because I have to, because someone has to. I can’t ask him to choose for me, because there’s no right choice here. Or I do it and feel miserable for the rest of my life, or I don’t, and feel guilty if everything goes wrong, because it would be my fault. I can’t. I just can’t, Allura. »

When he stopped talking, Keith realized he was hyperventilating. Allura put her hand on his back, trying to soothe him, but nothing could take him away from his terror.

« I think you already know in your heart what you’ll do, what you must do, and that’s why it’s so hard right now. Whatever you decide, we’ll support you. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing. »

Then, Allura hugged him, and Keith felt like he was about to throw up.

« Thanks, Allura. You helped a lot. » Keith never had spoken words less true.

Chapter Text

Shiro was working in his office when Keith stormed in. His bag violently hit the ground and he let himself fall on the couch. Shiro immediately stopped what he was doing to look at the kid who was now under his responsibility. He cleared his throat to get his attention, but Keith was still laying on his back with closed eyes.

« So.. How did it go? » Shiro asked hesitantly.

« What to you think? » Keith answered rashly, frowning a bit.

Shiro bit his lower lips, not knowing what to say. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, but not saying anything was probably worst, so he just went with it, hoping it would be enough to fix things.

« Did someone bothered you? Did you not.. like the classes? » He tried, not wanting to assume that it could be Keith’s fault. He knew he wasn’t a bad kid, that he just didn’t have luck in his life, but he wanted to gain his trust, to be able to help him and make a difference for him.

« I.. It’s just.. »

Keith stopped before really saying anything, but Shiro didn’t push. He waited for Keith to speak his mind when he was ready, when he found what he wanted to say and how. It was important for Shiro that Keith knew he had all his attention and his time. Then, Keith opened his eyes and straightened to be seated on the couch. He looked at Shiro before speaking.

« I’m.. I’m trying my best, you know but.. There’s this guy, James, who can’t accept I did better than him so he just.. Try to make me react, i guess. I wanted to punch him so badly. »

« But you didn’t, right? You showed him you’re worth more than that and I’m proud of you. I’ll talk with your teacher about that though, it can continue like this. »

If Keith was smiling slightly at Shiro’s encouragement, his smile dropped at his last sentence.

« No, you can’t interfere! He’ll be worst after that. I have to deal with him on my own. »

Keith looked so certain that Shiro simply nodded, hopping he had at least helped a little.

« If you’re sure. But if it goes out of hand.. »

« I’ll let you know. » Keith said with a smile, before leaving Shiro’s office.

Shiro sighed and get back to his work. He hopped things would settle down for Keith. The kid deserved a rest.

Chapter Text

Keith didn’t remember how many days had pass since the last time he had interactions with a living being. Shiro was gone, Adam wasn’t himself anymore, and Keith had been expelled from the Garrison, the only place that had been a home for him after his dad passed.

Now, he was in the desert, trying as hard as he could to find an answer to his situation. Because it just didn’t make sense. He had always been one for conspiracy theories, but now that he had hints, he couldn’t connect them and finally have proves. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with a piece missing, but a piece that would be at least 70% of the puzzle.

Keith was absently watching at the wall where he hanged all the hints he could find when he heard a noise, as if someone or something had knocked on his door. Surprised, he slowly turned around to look at his door. A part of him, the careful one, wanted to ignore it, or catch something in case he needed to defend himself, but the other just wanted to have social interaction, even if it was something or someone that wanted to kill him. He was about to open the door when he decided to at least take his knife in hand.

Outside, there was nothing but the emptiness of the desert that Keith was used to, and he let out a deep sigh. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but he was still disappointed. His knife dropped from his hand, but instead of hearing it sank in the sand, he heard it collide with a rock. Keith looked down. It was just a basic stone, as there were hundreds.

« Hello? Was that you? Did you knock on my door? What do you want? » Keith asked it, kneeling in front of it to see it closer.

The stone wasn’t more impressive from down there. It was still plain, without any distinctive sign. Keith took it in his hand, looking at it from every angle, but there was nothing to be noticed. Realizing his situation, Keith laughed at himself. There he was, talking to a rock, accusing it of knocking on his door, as if a dumb stone could do that, as if it was going the answer to him.

Keith let go of the stone, which hit the sand with a soft sound, barely audible for him. Then, without really thinking about it, he collapsed on the ground, his laugh turning into a sob. No, this rock wasn’t Adam coming for him even if Shiro wasn’t with them anymore. No, it wasn’t Shiro, miraculously back alive from his mission. It wasn’t his mother either, who would have feel guilty for abandoning him, or his dad, back from the grave. No. It was just a stupid stone, because that was all he had left.

Chapter Text

Keith was pacing back and forth in the corridor, next to the door of Lance’s bedroom. He was playing nervously with his bayard, or.. Lance’s bayard, now. That was the problem. Now that Lance was Red’s paladin, he had to give him the red bayard, and it was harder than he thought it would be. 

He knew Lance had already gave the blue one to Allura, he saw her with it, but it wasn’t that easy for him. He felt like he couldn’t just give him the bayard without saying anything, it would be weird, but he wasn’t one for words.

Keith knew he couldn’t simply continue like that until something happen and get him free from this situation. If someone else passed by there, it would be even more awkward. If Lance get out of him room and found him here.. Yeah, Keith couldn’t let that happen. He took his courage in both hands and knocked slightly, nearly hoping that Lance wouldn’t hear. But the door opened almost immediately.

Lance was standing in front of him in his pyjamas. When he saw it was Keith who wanted to see him, he scratched the back of his neck nervously. He tried to smile, but it looked forced, far away from Lance’s natural smile. Keith didn’t know why that fact made his heart tighten. It just did, and he didn’t want to think about it.

« Keith, hi. Ugh, do you need me for something? » Lance asked him, like it was unthinkable that Keith could want to talk to him without a Voltron or team motive.

The new black paladin looked down at the bayard in his hands, and Lance’s eyes followed to drop on the object that Keith was holding. His mouth opened in a ‘o’, like he wasn’t expecting for Keith to give it to him.

« This belong to you, now. Just.. take care of her, okay? » Keith said while handing the bayard to Lance, who took it hesitantly.

Lance looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find his words. He was probably the only one who could understand Keith’s feelings, as he surely felt the same about Blue. But the words never came, and before it became too awkward, Keith nodded and turned around to leave. He took a few steps away and stopped. He looked back, and Lance was still standing there, red bayard in hand.

« I know Allura said Red was the hardest lion to tame, but she’s always been great with me. She’s a free spirit but she cares so much. She likes songs, so I know you use pick up lines with Blue but.. Maybe try serenades for Red? She’d like that, I think. Just.. Trust her and let her in, okay? »

Keith looked at Lance almost with fear, like he was expecting for Lance to make fun of him for how he talked about Red, after all, he admitted that he sang for Red, but no. The new red paladin smiled at Keith.

« I will. And.. Thanks for the bayard. I’m sure you’ll do great with Black but.. For what it’s worth.. Red misses you too. »

Hearing that shouldn’t make Keith that happy, but somehow, it did.

Chapter Text

The most stressful moment of the wedding was behind him, so Keith could finally relax and enjoy the party. When Shiro asked him to be his best man, Keith didn’t even hesitate before saying yes. It was obvious that when it would be his turn to get married, Keith would ask Shiro to do the same for him, so he couldn’t say no. Nevertheless, doing the best speech possible was important for him, and finding the right words was hard. There was no word to express how much Shiro and Adam meant to him, but he managed to do okay, he thought, and he was pretty sure he saw Shiro wiped a tear.

« Hey, mullet. Penny for your thoughts? »

Startled, Keith jumped slightly on his chair. Lance had let himself fall on the seat next to him, a smile so big on his face that Keith was almost blinded. An easy smile appeared on his own face, like always when his boyfriend was next to him.

« I’m just happy for them. Are you tired of dancing already? I saw you with Vero, she’s such a disaster. » Keith answered with a smirk.

« Yeah, my feet hurt, she crushed them too much. I need a better partner. » Lance said with a flirty smile. Keith laughed before looking around.

« Allura’s alone and she’s a great dancer, maybe try with her? » He teased him, knowing fully well that Lance’s crush on Allura ended years ago, and that they now were just really close friends.

« Really funny, but I’d prefer to dance with my boyfriend. »

Lance then stood up, offering his hand to Keith to help him up. Keith’s heart was racing in his chest, but before he could think of an excuse to escape, Shiro and Adam called for everyone’s attention.

« It’s time to throw the bouquet! Everyone please gather in front of us. » Shiro said, smiling while grabbing flowers from nowhere.

« I think they have to be behind us, actually. » Adam answered with a thoughtful look.

« Wait, where did you even find a bouquet? None of you had one during the ceremony! » Keith complained, not happy with this new event, even if it saved him from dancing. Wasn’t the best man supposed to know everything that was going on with the wedding? Was he a crappy best man? Or were Adam and Shiro crappy grooms?

« True, but Takashi wanted to do this tradition and I thought it was a great idea so we bought one for that. »

« You bought a bouquet just to throw it? » Keith asked, skeptical. 

« Yeah? Anyway. Everyone, get together! »

All the guests started to gather on the grass, and Lance slipped his hand in Keith’s to pull him toward the others.

« Don’t think you’re going to escape this dance, you owe me. » Lance whispered to him while they walked.

Keith laughed slightly, too nervous to answer. Once everyone was ready, Shiro and Adam turned their back on them, each with one hand on the bouquet. They looked at each other silently, understanding the other with just the look on his face. They smiled, and in the same movement, threw the bouquet. It flew in their direction, and before Keith could react, Lance was jumping to catch it. Then, he handed it to Keith with his legendary flirty smile.

« Why.. » Keith mumbled, but stopped himself, unable to find words.

« Because you’re a catch. »

Then, Keith hided his face in the crook of Lance’s neck.

Chapter Text

Keith was coming back to his room from his training with Kolivan when he heard it. Sobbing. He frowned and started looking for the person in distress. Even if he wasn’t the best to cheer others up, he couldn’t just walk away when he could at least try and make it better for them.

After a few seconds, he saw her. A new recruit, seated on the floor, crying in the dark. Keith came closer, and kneeled next to her, searching for the good words. He didn’t know her, he wasn’t experienced enough to teach newer recruits than him, but still, he wanted to make it better.

« Hey.. Are you okay? »

She jumped a little, and when she looked at him, there was fear in her eyes. True, crying wasn’t the Galra’s way, but he wasn’t going to judge her. In a way, she was lucky it was him who found her, but she shouldn’t cry outside of her room if she was that scared of being discovered.

« Yeah, I just have something in my eye. »

« Something like.. Sadness? »

He tried teasing her, hoping she would take it well. At worst, she would storm out and, well, it wouldn’t be his problem anymore. But at his surprised, she laughed quietly, without joy.

« More like hurt. I twisted my leg during training but I didn’t want to look weak, so I just.. Made do with the pain. Now I can’t go back to my room because I can’t walk so yeah, I’m great, thanks for asking. »

She was a bit rude, but also tough, and Keith liked that. He wanted to help her, but he could feel that she would send him packing, so he just sat next to her.

« At my first meeting with the blade, I ended up almost dead, fighting to keep my blade. I could have given up, but it would have meant giving it back and I would have preferred to die than that. So I guess I understand not wanting to let others know you’re not as strong as you seem. »

« Yeah, almost looks like you’re looking for a reason to die. »

Surprised, Keith looked at her with wide-eyed. He wasn’t expecting that, especially from someone who didn’t know him before five minutes ago.

« What? » He just asked, unable to find something else to say.

« We were all there, you know, on the Naxzela mission. I saw what you tried to do. »

Keith sighed. He knew a lot of people had seen that, but he didn’t think someone would actually say something to him about it. They were at war, after all, sacrifices needed to be done, and it was the principle of the blade : the mission before the individu. 

« It would have work, so it was a good move. If I had to die to save millions of others, then so be it. It’s the job of members of the blade, you know, so get used to it. »

On that, Keith stood up, fed up of this conversation. She tried to reach for him, but he was already to far away.

Chapter Text

When they finally landed back on Earth, Keith stayed remote while everyone was running to their families. He looked at Lance being buried under the hugs of his family with a soft smile, but then, he noticed Adam walking to Shiro, and he tensed. Adam was family to him, so he was hoping that he could work things out with Shiro, but he knew that he couldn’t do anything to help them.

At his feet, Kosmo looked like he wanted to follow Shiro, who was now walking to Adam too, so Keith put his hand on him to make him understand that he had to stay there, with him. Also, having Kosmo to pet was a great way to busy Keith, he didn’t want to just stand there, doing nothing, and playing with Kosmo’s fur was a great way to relax himself.

Finally, Keith saw Shiro and Adam stopping in front of each other. They looked like teenagers, not knowing what to say to the other, but unable to stop smiling.

« Come on.. » Keith mumbled, waiting for them to at least hug or something.

He was so busy looking at them that he didn’t notice Lance coming his way until he was right next to him. He forced himself to smile for Lance not to worry about him. It was a good day for Lance, he finally got his family back, Keith didn’t want to be the one ruining that.

« Are you okay? You look tensed. Was there.. Someone you were expecting that is not there? » Lance asked with a worried frown, and Keith cursed himself for making his smile disappear.

« No! Nothing like that! It’s just.. You see that guy with Shiro? It’s Adam, he was Shiro’s boyfriend before we went to space. I guess I just hope it could work out fine between them, they deserve it. They’re the only family I had after my dad passed. Talking about family, shouldn’t you be with yours? »

Not that Keith wanted Lance to leave, but he didn’t want to take away the time he could spend with them, not when he knew how important they were to him. Lance looked back at his family. Some were looking at him, some were happily talking. He smiled at them, and then back at Keith.

« Yeah, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. »

« I am. » Keith said with a smile before turning back to Shiro and Adam. He laughed slightly when he saw them in each others arms. Yes, he was definitely okay.

Then, Kosmo looked at him, started glowing, and before Keith could say or do anything to stop him, he was teleporting the both of them right next to Shiro and Adam. They pulled apart from their hug, but stayed glued to the other.

« Ugh, hi, Adam, nice to see you again. This is Kosmo, he likes to teleport me without me asking. » Keith said sheepishly before either of them had the time to say anything.

« It’s okay, Keith. It’s nice to see you too, and to meet Kosmo. » Adam answered, with the biggest smile on his face.

Keith smiled and looked back at Lance. He would have sworn he heard his laugh from here.

Chapter Text

Keith was about to start a movie and spend a calm evening when he heard a knock on his door. He frowned and took his phone to check if anyone texted him to warn him they were coming. Nothing. He sighed, questioning if he should just ignore them and pretend not to be there or already asleep when they knocked again, strongly, this time. Keith groaned and finally stood up.

When he opened the door, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but certainly not Adam and his two kids, the twins. He and Shiro adopted them two years ago at the end of the war against the Galras, who had killed their parents, and Keith really loved the kids. But not after 8pm.

« Hi, uncle Keef! » The little girl, Layla, said while running in the living room of Keith’s apartment.

« Sleepover! » The little boy, Jack, yelled before running after his sister.

Keith gave Adam a black look, but the man refused to met his eyes.

« Adam? What the quiznack is this about? Because I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree with that. »

Keith crossed his arms, waiting for Adam to finally say what he already guessed but still wanted to hear. Now, he didn’t doubt that he was good for an evening and night of babysitting, so if he had to go through that, Adam had to at least explain himself.

« Takashi and I have a reservation in a restaurant and Lance was supposed to look after the kids but he had an emergency at work and cancelled last minute, so I asked Allura, Romelle and Coran but they were all busy so.. »

« So what you’re saying is that I’m your last choice? » Keith teased, just for the pleasure to see the panic on Adam’s face.

« No! It’s just.. I didn’t want to bother you. »

Then, Kosmo arrived next to them, the twins on his back.

« What’s happening? Shouldn’t you be gone already, dad? » Layla asked. Jack was clinging to her like his life depended on it, and it was the cutest thing.

« He said you’re a bother. » Keith informed her, still looking at Adam with a smirk.

« I didn’t.. » Adam started, but the little girl didn’t let him finish.

« Well, that’s not very nice. Maybe I’ll ask Kosmo to teleport us right in the middle of your date with daddy. »

She laughed, and indicated to Kosmo that she wanted him to turn around and bring them back to the living room.

« You created a monster. » Adam said with a sigh.

« You raised her, not me. » Keith pointed out while finally taking the bag with the kids’ stuff from Adam. « And don’t worry, I would never let Kosmo teleport with them. Not without me anyway. »

Adam laughed slightly, exasperated.

« That’s why you were my last choice. »

Chapter Text

When they came back from the mission, Keith immediately ran away from his team. He was ashamed, and he didn’t want to know what they thought about him after that. Maybe some of them would try to reassure him, tell him that it was okay, but maybe they would tell him that he’s a monster, and he couldn’t deal with that right now. Not when he was afraid of himself and what he could do.

He didn’t know where to go, where to hide. He couldn’t go to his bedroom, the training deck, or his lion’s hangar, that were the first spots they would search if they were looking for him. When he reached the door, he decided that outside was good enough. He already could hear some of them calling for him, and it was frightening him.

Keith finally let himself fell on the ground against a wall. It was hard for him to breathe, but not just because of the run. He was freaking out. If only he had a mirror to check if his eyes were still yellow. He looked at his hands, and he was almost certain that his nails were longer than before the mission, but a part of him knew it just might be an impression due to his panic.

« Keith! »

When he heard his name, his heart raced in his chest, but he was reassured when he saw that it was his mother who found him. Kosmo was walking to her side, and Keith wouldn’t have been surprised that it was him who warned her and brought her to the right place, like he knew she was the one Keith needed.

Krolia kneeled next to her son and took him in her arms. Keith could feel silent tears flowing from his eyes, but he couldn’t find in himself to be ashamed in front of her. She just hold him for a few minutes, never trying to push him to talk or to reassure him with empty words. Her presence was enough to make him feel better.

« I.. I think I’m turning evil. » He mumbled, unable to find the right words to explain to her without being hurtful regarding that it was her Galra genes that were responsible for his troubles.

« What happened? The others didn’t seem to think that. They were just worried for you because you stormed out. »

So they hadn’t noticed? Or did they just pretend that they hadn’t noticed? In any case, it was reassuring to know they didn’t hate him, but Keith was starting to wonder if this episode was worst in his head than it was in reality.

« We were attacked. The Galras went too close to the team and I lost it. It was like a powerful beast had taken control of me and.. And my eyes turned yellow, and my nails were like claws and.. I was so afraid that I would hurt them. That I wouldn’t be able to control myself. »

Krolia released her embrace to look at her son in the eyes before answering to him. She smiled slightly.

« It’s your Galra strength, your heritage, from me. If you can loose control of your anger against your enemies, it’ll never make you hurt your friends, because your primal instinct is to protect them. But if that’s still worrying you, I can teach you how to get a grip on your Galra side. »

Keith smiled, relieved by his mother’s words and the solution she was offering.

« Thanks, mom. »

She stood up and extended her hand to help him on his feet.

« Come on, you have a team to reassure. »

Chapter Text

Keith woke up from a very bad nightmare and sat on the ground he was sleeping on. He felt lost, and it took him several seconds to remember that he was still on the space whale. He couldn’t recall what his nightmare was about, but he felt like it was linked to the visions he was having from his past and future. Maybe it was better for him not to remember everything.

He looked around himself, but his mother was nowhere in sight. Normally, they stood guard one after the other while the other was sleeping, but for some reason, Krolia left their camp without waking him up, and that was bothering Keith more than his nightmare.

It’s only when he stood up that he saw it, a word from his mother, written in the soil, informing him that she was hunting their dinner. Keith smiled without realizing it, reassured by the thought that his mother didn’t abandon him once again. Then, Kosmo arrived to him, rubbing his nose on Keith’s leg.

« So, she let you stand guard for her, hm? I guess you’re really part of the family now, right? » Keith said to Kosmo while petting him behind the ears.

The wolf turned around, took a few steps away, and came back with an apple in his mouth, that he dropped at Keith’s feet. The black haired boy laughed, understanding immediately what the wolf wanted. He took the apple, and he uttered a grunt of disgust when he realized the fruit was half rotten.

« Eurk, it’s gross! Why would you want me to throw that for you? »

Keith looked at the fruit halfway between a laugh and a disgusted grimace. Kosmo just walked away again, turning to face Keith once he was ten meters away. Keith sighed and threw the apple, expecting it to explode when it hit the ground. But Kosmo managed to catch it on time, and came back with it. This time, the apple wasn’t just rotten, but also covered with dog drool.

« I hope you’re aware that I don’t have anything else than water to wash my hand. »

But then again, Keith took it anyway. He couldn’t refuse anything to Kosmo’s happy face, and the wolf didn’t have half the distraction he needed. He threw it, but this time, instead of running, the wolf disappeared to reappear just under the falling apple. Keith was looking at him, his mouth opened from the shock. Then, Kosmo came back to Keith, who petted him instinctively, still taken aback.

« Okay, that’s new, I didn’t know you could do that. » He smiled at the wolf, who let the apple fell on the ground. « Are you already tired of this game? Or is it just that it tasted as gross as it looks? »

Keith let himself fall seated on the floor, and Kosmo started nestling against his side. Keith decided to lie down, and Kosmo adjusted himself too, falling asleep immediately. Keith followed a few minutes later.

Chapter Text

Keith was dressing up when someone knocked on his door and opened it without waiting for him to answer. He groaned slightly, but at least, he had the time to put his pants on before the person saw him. He relaxed when he recognized Lance, a stupid birthday hat on his head. He snorted, Lance would always surprised him like that, never ashamed of anything.

« Happy birthday! And stop laughing, you’re the one who’s half naked. » Lance said while walking to Keith. He kissed him, and Keith felt himself melt.

« Thanks. » He simply answered, before taking his shirt to put it on. Then, he looked at Lance, who was back at the door, waiting for him. Keith sent him a questioning look. « Are you up to no good? Because you definitely look like you are. »

« Nope, I only have good intentions. » Lance said with a smile, taking his hand in his as soon as Keith arrived to the door of his room. He led him in the corridors, knowing perfectly where he was going, even pressing Keith to walk faster.

« You’re scaring me. What have you planned? Because I’m pretty sure every shopping center is closed or destroyed or something since the beginning of the war. » Keith pointed out, trying to slow Lance down.

« Yeah, but we found something else. Don’t worry, you’ll like it. »

Keith wasn’t reassured at all, but he trusted Lance, so he let himself be guided until they reached the dining room, where Shiro and Adam were waiting for them, smiling with excitement at Keith, both wearing those dumb birthday hats. Shiro couldn’t wait anymore, so he ran the few remaining meters and hugged Keith.

« Happy birthday, little brother! »

And as soon as Shiro released him, another pair of arms was around him.

« Happy birthday, Keith! »

« Thanks, guys. » Keith said after Adam let him go. He’s not worried anymore, they’re his family, so whatever they did, he knew he’d love it.

He heard someone right behind him, but before he could turn around and see who had just appeared, thin, but strong arms were wrapping around his stomach.

« Happy birthday! »

Keith turned to see Romelle next to Kosmo, probably responsible for Keith not hearing them arrived. Kosmo licked Keith’s hand, and Romelle put a little birthday hat on Keith’s head, matching with the ones they were all wearing. Leave to his friends to find stuff like that in the middle of an apocalypse.

« Keith! Happy birthday! »

This time, the voices were coming directly from the kitchen, and Allura, Coran and Pidge emerged from it. Pidge had what looked like flour on her forehead, and Allura had chocolate on her cheek. Keith smiled at them before thanking them, receiving a hug from every one of them. It’s only then that he noticed that Lance wasn’t by his side anymore.

Before he could really start looking for him, Lance left the kitchen and came back on the dining room, a pleased smile on his face. Right after him were Hunk and Krolia, a huge cake in the hands. It was beautiful, with several layers, each one matching the color of a lion of Voltron. On the top, a sculpture was rested, probably in sugar, and Keith knew only Hunk was able to do something like that. The sculpture represented a lion, but it wasn’t Red or Black, it was a mixture of both of them, like his friends couldn’t decide which lion was best up there. They definitely had chosen well.

Everybody started singing, and Keith could feel happy tears in his eyes. He looked at every one of them, thanking the world for having them in his life. When he lost his father, he thought he would be alone, but while looking at his found family, he knew that he couldn’t have been more wrong. And for once, he was happy about it.

Chapter Text

Three people get out running, and Keith saluted them with a smirk, never getting tired of this kind of reaction. He knew he shouldn’t make fun of them, the first time he came, he freaked out too, but now that he knew what was going on behind the scene, it was ridiculous for him to be scared.

« Keith! You can leave the exit, Shiro said it was my turn. Then he left to get milkshakes for Adam and him so you have to go to Adam for your next task. But don’t worry, Hunk already inherits the cleaning. » Romelle said while walking to him.

Keith nodded, content to move away from the outside. It was getting colder and colder every day, but he always forgot to take a bigger coat, or gloves with fingers. Romelle was already starting to shiver, so he took off his scarf to give it to her.

« Take that or you’re going to freeze to death. »

« I’m probably going to freeze to death anyway. » She answered, still taking it.

Then, Keith get back into the haunted mansion, looking for Adam. He decided to go through the house itself instead of the backstage, because generally, there never was anyone in there. If he wanted to find Adam, his best chance was in the house.

While walking, he heard screaming, and looked around until he saw Pidge sneaking around a group of people, using her small size, the dark, and the fact that they were so scared that they didn’t think to look down to scar them from right next to them. She was dressed as a zombie, and it was hilarious.

« You’re good chilling around while we work? »

A bit started, Keith looked next to him to find a really old and ugly wizard. He smiled.

« I’m looking for Adam, actually. Romelle replaces me at the exit. »

« Oh. He left with Shiro to get milkshakes. Just come with me, I’ll help you get ready. You can be an undead pirate! Allura showed me how to do it. »

Without anything to say against that, Keith agreed, following his wizard friend to the backstage. Adam would probably have told him the same anyway, and if he didn’t want them to take initiative, he wouldn’t have left with the other director of the house. It wasn’t like he would fire them anyway.

Once they were on the backstage, Lance took off his weird hat that was projecting a creepy shadow on his face, and he suddenly looked more like his Lance. The Lance he knew, but with a huge nose, warts, dark rings under his eyes, wrinkles, and hair on his face.

Keith get changed quickly into the pirate clothes, that were ripped in a lot of places, and once he was done, he put an eye patch on, reducing the make-up job.

Then, Lance put him a pale green foundation, eyeliner, and draw on his face like some piece of flesh were missing. It was gross, but it looked good enough for it the be believable in the dark, in front of already terrified people.

« You look gorgeous. » Lance said once he was done, a satisfied smile on his face.

« Thanks, but not as much as you. »

Lance snorted and put the pirate hat on Keith head, before putting back his own. They get back in the house, slipping in between shadows until they saw a couple of people, walking worriedly, their eyes going crazy in every direction possible. Keith and Lance smiled at each other, knowing without speaking what they were going to do. 

Then, Lance ran to them, yelling. One of the people screamed and threw their friend in Lance’s direction. Keith laughed and sneaked in right behind them, silently. He simply put his hand on the scared person’s shoulder, waiting for a scream, but instead, they punched him before running away, their friend right behind them.

Keith and Lance looked at each other and started giggling until they heard someone else arriving.

« They totally kicked your ass. You better got me candies if you don’t want Adam and Shiro to know. » Pidge said, then walk out, satisfied of herself.

« You pay. » Keith said before disappearing in the scenery, looking for new victims.

Chapter Text

« I’m freezing. Why are they always so late? » Keith asked Lance when he came back to the bench where Keith was waiting with Shiro and Adam. 

Pidge and Hunk hadn’t managed to freed themselves from their work, but their alteans friends were supposed to be on their way, and while waiting for them, Keith was freezing. Shiro and Adam were cuddling next to him, keeping each other warm, so when Lance came back, Keith just wanted to do the same with him.

« I just received a message from Coran. They had a problem with a delivery or something so they’ll be a bit late. »

Keith groaned and hold a hand out to catch Lance’s and forced him to sit right next to him. Then, he huddled against him, trying to hide his face in his boyfriend’s neck. Lance chuckled, but Keith didn’t care, he already felt better.

« Stop making fun of me, you’re warm. »

« You mean hot? »

« That too. »

Keith tried to bury his face a bit more, and he felt Lance’s arm wrapping around his shoulder. He smiled, feeling content. It last until Adam opened his mouth.

« You guys should do something to warm yourself up. »

Shiro’s face lighted up after en looked around, and Keith immediately saw what was causing this reaction.

« Oh yeah! You should— »

« Shiro, no! »

« Go ice-skating. » He finished anyway, a proud smile on his face.

And of course, this aroused Lance’s interest. He strengthened up on the bench, retrieving his arm from Keith’s shoulder. The black haired man groaned at the cold that was coming back, but was mostly worried about what was probably coming.

« Why would you do that? » Keith asked Shiro, a painful expression of his face.

« Aw, it’s okay if you can’t ice-skating, I’ll help you, mullet. » Lance said while standing up, holding a hand out to help Keith on his feet. He groaned, but took it anyway, preferring this to talking about why he didn’t want to go.

« I hate you. » He still informed Shiro.

Once they were on the ice, Lance didn’t let go of Keith hands, skating backwards to help him. Keith felt bad for not telling him the truth, but he didn’t want to explain to Lance how and why he actually could ice-skating pretty well. He looked at Shiro and Adam, and even from that far, he could tell they were laughing. He definitely hated the both of them.

« You’re actually doing pretty good, I might let you try on your own. » Lance said with an encouraging smile.

Even without trying to do good, Keith couldn’t force himself to be terrible at this, it would be like trying to look like he couldn’t walk, and he didn’t know how to do that. But then, Lance tripped, and he would have fallen if Keith hadn’t rushed at his side, catching him before he could hit the ground. Lance grabbed onto Keith, his arms around his neck until Keith straightened the both of them.

« Wow. That was.. Wow. Thanks, but.. You definitely can ice-skating! Otherwise you would have fallen with me. »

« Can’t you just be happy we’re not on the floor? » Keith said, blushing.

« No! I mean.. It’s so cool! Can you do figures and everything? » Lance asked, excited.

« No— »

« Yes! Yes he can. »

Both Lance and Keith looked at the side of the skating rink, where Shiro and Adam were. They didn’t see them arrive with their almost fall, and they now were watching them with unbearable smirk on their faces. Behind them, Allura, Coran and Romelle were coming to them, and Keith took this as his chance to get away from ice-skating.

« Look, they’re here! We should go and take a hot drink, I’m cold. » Keith said, before letting go of Lance to get out of the skating rink. Lance tried to stop him but almost fall once again, so he dropped it.

« This is only a postponement! » Lance yelled after Keith, who simply shrugged. It was probably true, but weirdly, it didn’t bothered him that much anymore.

Chapter Text

The rest of team Voltron was hanging around in the living room, but Keith couldn’t bear to be in the same room as them anymore. He went to his room, but not doing anything was like torture to him. He didn’t want to go to the training room, hating that part of him that could get violent. Then, he passed in front of the room they recorded their vlogs in, and after a moment of hesitation, he entered.

Keith didn’t sit immediately. He walked slowly to the chair in front of the altean computer, feeling like he didn’t belong there. Still, he started the computer up and sat, twirling the chair nervously. He started the recording, even if he didn’t really know what he wanted to say.

« So.. I guess I’ll start with the fact that I just learned that I’m part Galra, the murderous race we’re fighting everyday.. Now, Allura openly hates me, Coran probably feels the same, Lance already didn’t like me before that so now it’ll be worst, Pidge surely hates me because of what happened to her family, I’m sure even Hunk doesn’t see me the same as before anymore. I don’t even want to think about how Shiro might be disappointed after everything he’d done for me. »

Keith was stopped in his tirade by a sob he hadn’t see coming. Tears were falling from his eyes and he felt ashamed to be like that. If he was a heartless monster, why did he felt so miserable about everything? Why did he care so much about what others think of him?

« I don’t even know how I feel about it. I mean, I know the Galras are terrible people but.. They can’t all be like that, right? If my dad was with one, if he could love one, then there has to be good ones. But I don’t know how to convince the team of that, and that I’m still me, I’m still the same. I’m scared that if I try to tell them what I think, they’ll think I’m like the bad ones and hate me even more. I just don’t know what to do anymore. »

Then, Keith couldn’t continue, his sobbing becoming too strong for him. He stopped the recording and let himself fall from the chair, curling up against the wall of the room.

Chapter Text

Keith was in charge of the decoration for the Halloween party along with Hunk, Allura, Lance and Pidge, so the five of them were wandering in a pumpkins field, because apparently, it was the only real way to pick pumpkins, said Hunk and Lance.

« Look, guys! I think I found the tiniest pumpkin! » Hunk told them, holding a small pumpkin in his hand.

« Oooh, it’s the Pidge pumpkin! » Allura said, taking the pumpkin from Hunk to look at it closely.

The team now was gathering next to them, amused by the comparison. Hunk kneeled down to catch another pumpkin, twice the side of the other one.

« This one could be the Allura pumpkin, it looks noble. » He said, presenting them the pumpkin with a proud smile. They all laughed at it. The pumpkin definitely looked great.

« I have an idea! We should do pumpkin carving of each other! » Pidge suggested, looking excited by the thought.

« Totally! I think I’ll keep this one for Allura. I already know how to carve it to make it perfect. » Hunk answered, holding his pumpkin close to him like he was defying anyone to take it away from him.

« And I keep this tiny Pidge pumpkin, it looks super cute. » Allura said, the tiny pumpkin still in her hand.

« I choose Keith! Do you think there’s pumpkins with mullet? » Lance asked, smirking at Keith.

« You’re impossible. I’ll take Lance, then, I need blackmail material. » Keith retorted, already looking for the perfect pumpkin to embody Lance.

« And I’ll find a Hunk! » Pidge finished.

« Just take the biggest pumpkin you can find. » Hunk told her with an amused smile.

« Only if you help me carry it. »

« Deal. »

The both of them left in a path of the field, rapidly followed by Allura and her tiny pumpkin. Then, Keith looked around and started off quickly, knowing that if he looked like he was on something, it would put pressure on Lance, who would panic and run everywhere without finding anything good.

Predictably, Lance hurried after Keith, looking more at him than at the pumpkins. It made Keith smile. He turned around to look at Lance with a smirk. Lance immediately looked away, but it was obvious he wasn’t really seeing any pumpkin, too busy trying to look natural.

« Need help, Lance? »

« You wish, samurai. I’m gonna win this. »

« It’s not even a competition. »

« Isn’t it now? »

Keith laughed, and Lance joined him in a second. Then, he looked down at the pumpkin, looking actively for the best pumpkin. He didn’t know what it would take him to win this, but he had to win anyway, or Lance would never let him forget about it.

« This one looks good! Not too wide, but quite tall. Taller than the one Hunk chose for Allura, but probably way smaller than the one they’re surely trying to carry to make a Hunk pumpkin. » Keith had kneeled down next to the pumpkin, making it roll to make sure it looked good on every side.

Next to him, Lance laughed.

« You’re taking it so seriously! But if this is the me pumpkin, yours has to be smaller, then. » Lance said, looking at the pumpkin in Keith’s hands, then at the ones around it, comparing them.

« Why smaller? You’re not taller than me. But mine should be wider, though. » Keith contradicted him, thoughtful.

« Oh, because being more muscular isn’t enough for you, you also have to be taller. » Lance teased him, laughing while rolling pumpkins next to the Lance pumpkin in Keith’s hands to continue his comparisons.

« I’m not taller either, we’re literally the same size! And it’s not my fault if you’re lanky. » Keith snorted, sending away a ridiculously too small pumpkin Lance had brought next to him.

Lance gave him a death stare before crouching down in front of the pumpkin, putting his hand on the Lance pumpkin and a potential Keith pumpkin to check the size.

« Are you serious, now? » Keith laughed. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

« What? You said same size. This is same size. And slightly wider, as you asked. We just have to give it a mullet and it’s you. »

Keith was about to make a smart comment when Allura, Pidge and Hunk arrived on the path they were in, the biggest pumpkin ever rolling between them. Hunk was behind it, pushing it with one hand, the Allura pumpkin in his other hand. Allura was on one side, helping with the hand that wasn’t holding the tiny Pidge pumpkin, and Pidge herself was proudly dragging the huge pumpkin with both hands.

« Keith thought I was being ridiculous but this, guys, is another level. » Lance commented, looking impressed anyway. Keith’s mouth was open in a ‘o’, chocked that not only they found something that big, but they had somehow managed to move it.

« It’s perfect, don’t be jealous. And do we even want to know why you were being ridiculous? » Pidge answered, leaning on her giant pumpkin.

« Hey! It’s Keith who thought.. I wasn’t— »

« Yes, you were. » Keith snorted.

He took his pumpkin, the Lance pumpkin, in his arms and stood up. Lance did the same with the pumpkin he chose, and the both of them joined the others, who were doing their best to move their big pumpkin. Keith was pretty sure Shiro and Adam would kill them when they saw it.

Chapter Text

It was the middle of the night when the team heard a scream. Shiro jumped out of bed, and ran in the direction of the scream. Pidge did the same, but slower. Hunk get out of his bed, but was hesitant to go and see what was happening. Coran wasn’t asleep, taking care of the maintenance of the castle, headphones on, so he didn’t hear anything. Allura woke up and sent the mice to see what was going on, and followed while rubbing her eyes. Lance was still deep asleep. 

And Keith.. Keith was running away from his room after screaming like his life was about to end. He ran for one minute before he rushed into Shiro. He almost fell, shivering, but Shiro caught him, and Keith took a few moments to catch his breath.

« Keith! Did you hear that? Do you know who screamed? Or where it’s from? » Shiro asked, a worried look on his face. But before Keith could answer to him, Pidge arrived, out of breath, and when she saw them, she looked relieved.

« Oh, good! Shiro already found you! Are you okay? »

Keith was embarrassed, and Shiro looked perplexed.

« What? »

« He screamed so loudly he probably woke half the castle up. It’s not why you’re here? Or.. You just haven’t recognized it was him. You’re a crappy brother sometimes. »

« It’s not important. What’s important, is that there’s a monster in my room, it bit me, and now, I’m going to die or.. Or i’ll turn into a monster too and.. »

« Keith, what are you talking about? »

They all looked back, where Allura was coming from, the mice on her shoulders.

« A vampire! A vampire cat, even. I don’t know where it’s from, but it bit me! » Keith whined, showing them in wrist, where there were two tiny bloody holes. Around it was a weird shade of green, and Keith was sure it was his skin starting to rote.

« That doesn’t make any sense, it’s impossible. » Pidge argued.

« We’re in space. » Keith said.

« Okay.. Show us the beast then. »

When he opened the door, Keith was shivering slightly, but was reassured by the fact that a good half of the team was with him this time. The vampire cat was licking itself on Keith’s bed, long canines coming from its mouth.

« Wow. Okay, I admit that’s really long, but we have to make tests to know. We need to catch it. » Pidge said.

Keith stayed next to the door, he didn’t want to go back inside. Shiro and Allura started going in, and Lance and Hunk arrived from the corridor.

« Ugh, guys? What are you all doing here? » Hunk asked, looking inside.

« Oh! It’s a cat! » Lance said, excited. He walked inside right to the cat, took it in his arms like he wanted to cuddle with it, and yelled when it bit him. He let go of the cat, and almost put his injured hand in his mouth, but Pidge caught his arm in time.

« Don’t! If it’s really a vampire cat, it’s best if you don’t lick his venom. » She said, observing his hand with interest.

« A what?! » Lance yelled, looking at every member of the team, waiting for one of them to tell him it was just a joke.

« Well, welcome to the vampire club. Better catch it before it eats Coran. » Keith said, looking to the corridor the cat had disappear on. It was going to be a tiring night.

Chapter Text

When he entered the house of Shiro and Adam, Keith didn’t expect to find the most creepy clown of history, and he visited some horrible places in space. He felt Lance’s hand gripping his own for half a second before he let go, but Keith found it cute anyway. He liked to know that Lance found comfort in him, or that if he had to run away from a threat, he would take Keith with him.

The creepy clown came closer to greet them, and Keith recognized Coran. Never in a million years Keith would have believe that Coran could be that scary, but there he was. The closer he came to them, the closer Keith wanted to run away, but he held on.

« Wow, Coran, you’re really.. Terrifying. » Keith complimented him, impressed. Next to him, Lance nodded, still speechless.

« Thanks! You guys look quite good too, but I know just the right thing to make it even better! You’ll see in time. » He assured them with a wink before leaving for the kitchen. They looked at each other, somehow more scared than when Coran was in front of us.

Allura and Romelle appeared from the living room, smiling widely at them. They matched, Allura was an angel, with huge wings and a long white dress, and Romelle was a demon, with horns, red pants, red top, and a tail that looked like it was moving on its own. Keith wasn’t sure he wanted to ask about that.

« Hey, team white! » Allura said to Keith, who was dressed as a ghost, but not your typical ghost with just a white sheet recovering him. No, he had a white, ripped pants, and a white ripped shirt, with a few blood stains here and there. He also applied white foundation on his face and arms to try and look like a corpse. When he finished, Lance had looked at him, pale, and affirmed him that he hated seeing him looking dead, so Keith assumed he did a good job.

« You look great, Allura. You too, Romelle. » He answered, smiling at his friends.

« Thanks. Are you team evil too, Lance? Or are you a nice wizard? » Romelle asked while looking at Lance like some details of his costume could give away his intentions. He was the wizard cliché, with a huge pointed hat, a long wizard mantle, black clothes, and a broom in the hand.

« He’s evil, of course. » Pidge interrupted, arriving from behind Keith and Lance. She was dressed as a zombie with advanced rotting, and it was gross just to look at her.

« Ugh, Pidge, you’re ugly. » Lance told her, looking as disgusted as Keith felt.

« See, you’re mean. »

« I’m sure he just wanted to say your costume is great. Hi guys, by the way. » Hunk said. He probably arrived with Pidge. He was dressed as a skeleton minus the head, that was still Hunk’s normal face.

« I see everybody is finally here! Come on, guests, don’t stay in the hall. » Adam said, coming out of the kitchen with Shiro. He was a vampire tonight, and Shiro a werewolf. More wolf than human, though.

They all followed in the living room, ready for the spookiest night of their lives.

Chapter Text

« Shiro! Truth or dare? » Keith asked, wanting revenge after having to eat a pickle with chocolate syrup on. Not only it was gross, but he also didn’t even like pickle. And chocolate was good, but not on that green thing. Shiro looked thoughtful, and next to him, Adam was smirking, like he was already liking whatever Keith would choose for Shiro.

« I’m going to regret this but.. Dare. » Shiro finally said, an easy smile on his face. He probably trusted Keith not to make him do something too stupid.

« Okay. I dare you to kiss Adam, fangs on. »

« Come on, Keith! Those things will cut my lips opened! »

« You can switch with Kosmo if you prefer. » Keith teased him, petting the wolf who was nestled at his feet.

Shiro groaned and leaned into Adam to kiss him. After a second, Shiro inevitably let out a cry of pain, moving away from his husband. Then, he put his hand to his lips and licked the blood away.

« Sorry, Takashi, but it’s Keith’s fault. » Adam defended himself, laughing with the others.

« It’s not me that put fangs on. » Keith said, taking an innocent look.

« My turn now. Coran, truth or dare? » Shiro said, looking across the living room where Coran was sitting on a couch next to Romelle and Allura.

Their clown friend smiled, and Keith didn’t know if it was on purpose, but it looked like the smile of the devil himself. Maybe it was because he drank a little, or because of Kosmo’s hotness against him, or because of the creepy music and atmosphere, but Keith felt weird, uneasy, while looking at Coran.

« Dare! I dare you all to taste my Halloween speciality! » He announced, and even his voice sound off. Keith shook his head, trying to clear his mind. What was going on? What was wrong with him?

« You’re aware that it’s not how the game works, right? » Pidge asked Coran, but the altean didn’t listen to him and get up, rushing to the kitchen.

« It’s not a big deal, I’m a bit hungry anyway. » Hunk said, even if they already ate way too much candies for one day. Maybe that was part of why Keith was feeling so weird.

Kosmo put his head on Keith’s knees, and the black haired man pet him, an easy smile on his lips. It was like Kosmo could always feel when Keith wasn’t feeling very well, and every time, he tried his best to make it better. Keith just hopped Kosmo wouldn’t teleport him back home for that, he didn’t want to worry his friends. Then, he felt a hand taking his other hand, the one that wasn’t petting Kosmo, and he looked at Lance.

« Are you okay? »

« Yeah, yeah, just too much sugar I think. » He tried to reassure him.

Keith could see that Lance wanted to say something else, but Coran came back with a bowl full of weird circular colorful things, and everyone’s attention got back to him.

« What the hell is that, Coran? » Hunk asked, suddenly way less disposed to try.. Whatever it was that Coran wanted them to eat.

« You’ll see, just try it! »

Coran took one himself, then passed the bowl to Allura, who took one before passing it to Romelle, who gave it to Hunk, then Pidge, then Keith, then Lance, who returned it to Coran. They all looked at each other, uncertain. A part of Keith wanted to scream to them not to eat that, but he knew deep down it was probably a stupid impression, Coran would never do something against them, right? Like to prove it to himself, he ate it at the same time as his friends.

He immediately regretted it. Maybe he would have analyzed if it was sweet or salty, or even good, if he hadn’t felt the urgent need to throw up. He tried to look around himself to see if the others were feeling weird too, but he realized he couldn’t really see, like he was looking through a veil.

Keith started panicking when he felt Lance falling next to him, unconscious. He tried to shake him awake, but couldn’t reach him. He looked at the others, searching for their help, but was pretty sure Hunk and Pidge were down too. Allura, Romelle and looked unsteady, and before loosing consciousness, Keith wondered if they would hold on longer than him.

Chapter Text

When Keith woke up, he felt numb. He could hear his friends moving and talking, but it was like they weren’t around him anymore. His eyes were still closed, but everything was white. It didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt great.

« .. so weird.. »

« Where are.. »

« .. can’t reach him! »

« .. too high.. »

« Keith! »

It’s Lance’s frightened voice that brought Keith’s conscious back to Earth. Yes, sleeping - or whatever it was that he was doing - was cool, but not when it was worrying Lance. So he forced his eyes open, to realize he was right in front of the celling, his nose almost against it. He turned around, and felt his blood run cold when he saw the others, almost a meter lower. The closer one was Lance, who was standing up on a couch, arms up to try and catch him.

« Oh thanks god, you’re awake! Can you come down? » Lance asked him, still reaching for him.

« What.. What am I even doing up there? What happened? »

Keith tried to catch Lance’s hand, but it was too far away.

« We don’t really know, we just woke up, and saw that Romelle, Coran and you were missing. Then Pidge started drooling, pointing at you and then you woke up and.. Voilà. »

« She drooled?! »

« Yeah, now she’s walking against the wall, I don’t think she’s aware that she can change direction. »

« What the.. »

« My body’s gone! Oh my god I’m just bones! » Hunk yelled. Keith looked at him, and he was so choked by the vision of his friend without flesh on his bones that he fell on the ground, literally.

« Keith! » Lance rushed to him to make sure he was okay, even though Keith hadn’t felt anything, but when he tried to put his hand on Keith’s shoulder, it just passed through him. Lance screamed and put his hand away, looking at it as if he had never really seen it.

Keith straightened up and looked at Lance, hoping to find reassurance in his eyes, but all he saw was terror. Lance reached for him again, but as soon as his fingertip traversed Keith, he took it away again.

« I.. I can’t touch you. I can’t.. »

« It’s okay, Lance, we’ll figure this out, like we always do. » He tried to reassure his boyfriend, even if he felt as panicked as Lance looked.

« I didn’t find Coran or Romelle, and I lost Adam and Shiro. But I’m pretty sure these candy Coran gave us were cursed to transform us as what we’re disguised as. » Allura announced while coming back in the living room. She wasn’t walking, she was flying a few centimeters above the ground, looking natural, like she had move like that her whole life.

« So what? Pidge can’t find us a solution because she doesn’t have one single braincell left. Hunk can’t think straight because he’s just bones anymore and I don’t even know how he’s still alive, Keith is.. Oh my god, Keith, you’re dead. » Lance said, chocked, putting his hand on his lips as if he was trying hard not to throw up.

« And? So are Pidge, Hunk and Adam. »

« Yeah but.. » Lance stopped himself, and leaned towards Keith’s chest. He put his ear at the height of Keith’s heart, and looked about ready to cry. « You don’t have a heartbeat anymore. »

He looked heartbroken, and Keith wanted to hug him more than anything in the world, but he knew he couldn’t, and just trying would make things even more painful.

« I don’t have a heart at all. » Hunk reminded them.

« Yeah but.. You just look weird. Keith looks.. Real. Like a real corpse. »

« Guys, focus please. I don’t like that either, but we need to use the power we were given to try and make things right. Hunk, you should stay to babysit Pidge, we don’t want to loose her in nature. Lance, I’m pretty sure you can do witchy things, I’m able to fly, and probably to do other things, Keith too, so we’ll go look after Coran, Romelle, Shiro and Adam, then we’ll find a solution. » Allura explained calmly.

« But we don’t know these powers! We can’t control them! I got stuck on the celling, and we don’t know how much they’ve changed. I mean.. What was Coran thinking when he made us eat that? Dressed as an evil clown who’s probably gonna kill us all? With Romelle’s help probably? »

Keith didn’t mean to snap at Allura, he didn’t have a better plan anyway, but this was too crazy for him, and he was tired of this kind of adventure. He thought it was behind them, but here they were, dealing with impossible situations, trying to find and save their friends.

« Keith, calm down. For now, it’s our best plan. We’ll figure this out. » Lance told him, his voice weirdly calm despite his panic a few minutes before.

« I.. »

« ADAM, STOP THAT! »

They all turned around at the yelling of Shiro, who arrived in the room, running like his life depended on it. He was half way between a wolf and a human, but luckily, it wasn’t the full moon, so except his appearance, he looked quite like his normal self.

Adam arrived three seconds after him, running too, but fell on his face when he tripped on Allura’s foot, smartly put on his way. He groaned, but stayed on the ground. Instinctively, Keith put himself between him and Shiro, even if it was pointless because Adam would just pass through him.

« I’m so sorry, Takashi, I don’t know what went through my mind.. » He said, too ashamed to look up.

Shiro came back to him, and help him on his feet. He smiled to him.

« Ugh, what was that about? » Keith asked.

« I kissed Adam, it was all my fault. My lip reopened and the blood drove him crazy. » Shiro explained, an apologetic smile on his face.

« Why are you stupid like that? »

« That’s rude, Keith. Can’t you understand the undying need to kiss the man you love? »

« Takashi, stop, I’m blushing. »

« You’re a vampire, you’re dead, you can’t blush. And I’m dead too, I can’t even touch Lance, so even if I understand the need— »

« Oh so you’re just jealous? »

« Guys, focus! »

Everyone looked back at Allura, who was floating just enough to be taller than any of them. Keith didn’t know if she was doing it on purpose to take the role of leader of if it was an angel thing to stay in the air all the time, but he himself wanted to drown on the floor until everything was over.

« We need to find Romelle and Coran. He probably has the solution. » She reminded them.

« Yeah, I want my ears back. They disappeared, I only have the wolf’s ones left. » Shiro informed them like he would talk about the weather. Keith would have made a comment if he was surprised, but after everything, nothing could surprise him anymore. His guess was that Shiro was feeling the same.

Then, the lights went off, and a hundred things seemed to happen in the same time. Adam and Shiro probably tried to grip each other in the same time, because they both moaned immediately, and Keith was pretty sure he heard Shiro apologize about his claws. He was also almost certain that he heard sometime about Hunk trying to get a grasp on Pidge, being bitten by her, and then asking the others if his lack of flesh was protecting him from becoming a zombie himself. 

Lance probably tried to reach for him again, because he felt a weird sensation on his arm and side. Instinctively, Keith tried to get away, and started flying away, not knowing at all where he was because of the dark. He moaned, panicking. He heard his friends calling for him, and was reassured that they didn’t sound too far away. He tried to concentrate on going in their direction, guided by their voices.

« Don’t move, you might float so far away we wont be able to find you anymore! » It was Allura’s voice, but her words scared him more than the dark, or the fact he was floating god knew where. If they couldn’t find him, then, they couldn’t cure him to be human again, he would be lost, alone.

« This is a risk now? Do something! » Lance yelled at her.

« I’m trying! Maybe I can produce some light or something.. » She seemed stressed too, but her role as princess of Altea made her handling everything better than most of them, even if normally, she would have the help of Coran.

Suddenly, a weak light started to illuminate the room. They wouldn’t even have noticed it if their eyes weren’t used to the dark by now. Keith thought Allura succeeded to do whatever she was trying to do, but he rapidly saw that it was coming from Lance. His boyfriend’s hands were illuminated, firstly only on his fingertip, then on his fingers, and finally on his whole hands. He took a moment to look at them before looking around, searching for Keith.

« I’m right here! » Keith told him.

He tried to float towards the team, but another light appeared, a few meters behind them. It was Romelle, but not the Romelle they knew. There was an evil smile on her face, and fire in her hand, illuminating her.

« Well, well, well, scared of the dark? » She asked then, but didn’t let them time to respond and blew in Keith’s direction. Startled, he was dragged on several meters before starting to try and fight it. He saw from the corner of his eyes that Shiro and Adam tried to make her fall and loose concentration, but she pushed them to the wall immediately, and they fell on Hunk and Pidge.

« We can’t stop her! We need to catch Keith or she’ll send him outside of the house and with the wind.. » Allura said to Lance while still trying to stop Romelle’s wind.

« I guess I could fly to him with my broom, if I can get a hold on it, but I can’t touch Keith.. Oh! Allura! You’re an angel! » Lance started yelling, suddenly excited.

« Yes, I have been for a moment now! » Allura answered, sarcastically.

« No! I mean.. Angels are connected to the dead, to spirit, to ghost! Maybe you can catch him! »

Allura looked at Lance like she had never seen him before, impressed.

« I actually might! You think you can handle Romelle on you own? »

« Y-yeah, sure! »

Allura didn’t look certain, but still took flight. Lance threw sparkles in Romelle’s direction, and the wind stopped just for a second when she took a step back, but it was enough for Allura to fly to Keith. She didn’t hesitate a moment to reach for his hand, and to his surprised, it worked. He was so relieved he could have hugged her.

« There she is! Sorry about that, guys! »

It was Coran, finally coming back to the living room. He caught Romelle from behind, and forced her to drink a glass of water. The wind stopped completely, and Romelle blinked a few time with empty eyes, looking lost.

« Welcome back, Romelle, you just tried to kill everybody but it’s okay, I was just in time. »

Allura and Keith landed on the floor, and Lance turned to check on Shiro, Adam, Hunk and Pidge. Keith followed him but was unable to help them on their feet.

« Coran, how come that you’re not evil? » Allura asked.

« I would have been crazy to take this candy dressed as an evil creature! I only let Romelle do it because I thought I could keep an eye on her, but she just ran away. »

« I’m so sorry everyone! Especially Keith. » Romelle said, looking ready to cry.

« It’s okay, everything’s fine. » He reassured her with a smile. Next to him, Lance didn’t look as forgiving, but he looked more at Coran than at Romelle.

« So.. We just have to drink water to be normal again? » Shiro asked Coran, who nodded.

They all rushed to the kitchen, but Lance ran faster, and immediately gave a glass of water to Keith, who drank it, wanted to touch his boyfriend as soon as possible. He felt solid again, and it was probably visible on his face because Lance pounced on him, hugging him like he didn’t see him for years and never planned to let him go. The glass of water fell on the floor and exploded, but they couldn’t care less. They laughed, and pulled apart just enough to meet against through a kiss.

« My ears are back! »

« My fangs are gone! »

Then, Keith and Lance heard Adam and Shiro leaving with a glass of water for Pidge. Hunk and Allura left too, and there were only them in the kitchen. They eventually broke the kiss, and Lance craned his head to Keith’s chest.

« Your heartbeat’s back too. » He said, looking like the weight of the world had been taken away from his shoulders. Then, he straighten up and rubbed his sleeve softly against Keith’s face. Keith didn’t ask, he already knew why, Lance didn’t want to see him looking like that ever again.

« You should drink some water. » Keith said instead. Lance smiled cheekily at him.

« Or.. We could go for a ride.. On the broom. » He suggested, and Keith hadn’t felt so excited for a long time.

« We’re totally doing that. » He answered, taking Lance’s hand to guide him back to the living room. They said goodbye to the others, pretending to be too tired to stay anymore, and no one found anything to say against that, most of them looking like they were going to pass out any minute. Keith was certain he would be in the same state if he wasn’t that excited. Lance took the broom with him, and Kosmo followed them outside.

« Ready? » Lance asked.

« Kosmo, you can go home without us, we’re taking the long way home. » Keith said to the wolf. Kosmo teleported, and Keith turned back to Lance. « Now I’m ready. »

Lance got on the broom, and Keith followed immediately, gripping on Lance as strongly as he could. He didn’t want to be ejected, and it felt good to be able to do that again. Lance kicked the ground with his foot, and they flew into the sky.