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Chapter Text

      Keith liked to think he was impervious.

      Sure, he’d had a few little infatuations in his time - mini crushes that heated his face and made it hard for him to speak - but they had all been brief, fading away before anything ever came of it. He hadn’t ever had a serious crush, going by the all the love stories he’d heard. Nobody could make him feel that out of touch with himself.

      His first crush was a kid he met on the playground when he was five. They played together for a couple of weekends, and Keith had fallen for the boy’s imagination and enthusiasm. Then his playmate stopped showing up, and he was alone again.

      Years later at the Garrison, he’d been interested in one of his classmates, a Hispanic boy named Taylor. Taylor had curly hair and a snub nose, and was the shortest, scrawniest kid there. He was pretty quiet for the most part, but he got good grades and was quite animated around his few close friends, who apparently didn’t mind Spanglish. Keith had talked to him a couple of times, but Taylor obviously wasn’t into guys, so Keith had eventually let his crush go. That had been his longest crush, lasting well over a year.

      His shortest crush had been a bandit named Rolo, a purple-skinned, relaxed-looking alien. He had the rugged charm and chill attitude of a drifter travelling through space. His spacecraft was just as weathered and simplistic. Keith definitely would have had a few daydreams about him if he hadn't lured Voltron into a trap and attempted to turn the Blue Lion in to the Galra, with the help of his partner in crime, Nyma.

      Nyma had rubbed Keith the wrong way, honestly. Her face was too coy. Her eyes were too dark and unreadable. Or maybe it was just the way Lance flirted shamelessly with her the whole time they were there.

      Or maybe it was just Lance being Lance that bugged Keith. He was pretty irritating, especially around girls. Honestly, it was a wonder he got as much positive female attention as he did. Sure, he had an unfair amount of casual good looks going for him, but who would want to date someone so shallow and immature? If any of those girls got to know him, they'd be running the other way before Lance could bat an (exceptionally deep blue) eye. And Keith wouldn't blame them.

      Lance could be decent at times, when he wasn’t trying to prove himself the best or score himself a date. Sometimes Keith even felt like they could be friends. But then Lance would go and start up another competition, and all their progress went out the window.

      It was frustrating, especially since Keith couldn’t figure out whether he liked the guy or not. He just wanted to know where they stood now that everyone was pretty firmly established in their roles in the team. Lance seemed to be taking longer than everybody else, and that threw Keith off. At least he was starting to settle down, treating the others more like family than assigned teammates.

      Actually, that’s when things started to get weird. Lance apparently had a harder time keeping things secret from his family than from his friends. Which was a problem, because Keith was finding it increasingly harder to ignore the secrets that slipped out.

Chapter Text

      One thing about the “new” storage room - it was filthy. The floor was covered in dust, along with every box and piece of furniture in the room.

      “Ugh,” Hunk moaned, swiping at a new stain on his pants. “It’s disgusting in here! Why do we even need to be here?”

      “Money,” Pidge answered, poking at a crate. “We need more GACs if we want to do any real business. Trade isn’t gonna cut it forever.”

      “So?”

      Pidge adjusted her glasses, looking annoyed. “There’s probably tons of antique junk in here that we can sell.”

      Beyond her, Coran made a sound of indignation. “Antique? This is very cutting-edge technology!”

      “From ten thousand years ago,” Pidge reminded him. “Even if Altea still existed, none of this would be on the market.”

      Coran huffed, but didn’t argue further.

      “We should clean this place up before we figure out what to do with what we find,” Shiro said, looking around. “Everything is easier when you know what you’re working with.”

      “And when you’re not getting suffocated,” Lance muttered. Keith looked over to where his teammate stood. The Blue Paladin was covering his nose with one hand and waving away small clouds of dust with the other.

      “We’d best get to it, then,” Coran said cheerfully, suddenly in a much better mood. Nothing made the Altean happier than a day of good, rousing housework. It wasn’t a sentiment Keith shared - or the other Paladins, judging by the sighs coming from all over the room.

      “The sooner we start, the sooner we’re done,” Shiro said encouragingly. Not overly encouraged, the Paladins got to work.

      Keith wasn’t sure how long they’d been at it when it happened.

      The air was foggy with dust as the Paladins moved boxes and furniture to clean behind and between them. Coran had somehow acquired what looked like a gas mask, but everyone else had grey streaks on their faces where dust stuck to their sweaty skin.

      As Keith paused to swipe his sleeve across his forehead, Lance tripped and knocked over a stack of crates. Dust billowed up as the boy windmilled his arms in an effort to remain on his feet. Judging by the lack of thumps (and yelps of pain), he succeeded. Keith shook his head in resignation and turned back to resume his work.

      “HI-CHUU!”

      The high-pitched sound was so unexpected that Keith almost dropped a box as he whirled around.

      “HI-CHUU! HI-CHUU! Ugh.” Lance sniffed hard and wiped his nose on his sleeve, smearing grime across his face. His expression was bleary until he realised everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at him. “What?”

      “That,” Hunk said numbly, “was the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.” A smile spread across his broad face.

      Lance’s sneeze-reddened cheeks darkened. “Uh… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

      “I can’t believe it,” Pidge smirked. “Loverboy Lance, the smoothest of the smooth, sneezes like a kitten.”

      “I do not!” Lance protested, before sneezing four squeaky, kitten-like times in a row.

      “You totally do,” Hunk agreed. “Sorry, buddy.”

      “Enough about kitten sneezing,” Shiro said seriously. “We have a job to do. Besides...” His mouth curled up in a mischievous smile. “He sounds more like the space mice to me.”

      Lance squawked in outrage as the others laughed. “I do not! HI-CHUU! Coran, tell them!”

      The Altean removed his mask and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m afraid I can’t. You do an excellent impression of Chulatt.”

      Lance clutched his head dramatically. “Nooo! I- Oh quiznak- I- HIII-CHUUUU!”

      The force and sheer squeakiness of the sneeze surprised everyone in the room, Lance included. It brought to mind kittens and babies and mice and puppies, and it was absolutely adorable. Lance’s pink cheeks, wide, startled eyes, and the smudges on his nose made it even cuter.

      And that’s when Keith felt alarm stirring in his gut at the realisation that he’d just thought Lance, his loud and obnoxious rival, cute.

Chapter Text

      Keith walked past the kitchen, stopped, and did a double take. Lance sat at the table, head bent over something that glinted in a metallic way. What was visible of his face was focused but serene as he worked, the weapons flashing in and out of sight.

      Keith squinted. Not weapons. The objects Lance held resembled slender drumsticks with points at the ends - needles. He was knitting. A fat ball of purple yarn sat on the table in front of him, a basket loaded with more yarn lying on its side nearby. All four space mice were nestled in the fluffy material, watching with what seemed like genuine interest. Chuchule and Chulatt wore tiny sweaters.

      As Keith watched from the door, Lance made one final stitch, removed his project from the needles, and held it up for the mice to see. "This one's for you, Platt! I made it purple and yellow because you remind me of Shiro and Hunk. Cool, huh?"

      The yellow mouse squeaked happily, and Keith's chest felt tight as Lance beamed.

      "Here." He helped Platt pull the sweater over his ears. The other mice examined their leader's new garment and squeaked approvingly.

      "Don't worry, I didn't forget you. Look what yours is going to be made of!" Lance produced a ball of maroon yarn and held it up for Plachu to see. "You're okay with red, right? If you don't like it, we can find something else. I just thought dark red would look nice with your fur, and you kind of remind me of Keith, so it, I don’t know, made sense to me?"

      The green mouse squeaked, and Lance grinned. "Cool. Can I add some burgundy? You'd look fabulous in burgundy." Plachu squeaked again. Satisfied (how on earth did he know what they were saying?), Lance deftly set up his new project and began knitting.

      Keith realised he was smiling. Knitting sweaters for the mice? Lance was really something else. And the colour coordination - Keith was no fashionista, but he could tell that Lance had been right to make Chulatt's sweater dark blue and Chuchule's sweater forest green; the colours looked nice against the mice's fur.

      Lance designs and makes clothes for the space mice. How-

      And once again, Keith caught himself. He needed to get a grip. There was no way he thought Lance was cute.

      No.

      Quiznaking.

      Way.

Chapter Text

      "End training sequence," Keith panted. The gladiator froze mid-swing. Then it lowered its weapon and was retracted into whatever room it was kept in.

      Keith's sword returned to bayard form. He grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face, then wrapped his bayard loosely in the towel and dropped the messy bundle on the floor.

      His muscles protested as he stretched. A dull pain throbbed in his knee, where he'd gotten caught in the moment and kneed the gladiator in the (very hard, very made-of-metal) head. Maybe Shiro's right. I need to stop acting on impulse like that.

      He sighed. It was one thing to agree with Shiro, and another to go and change his entire fighting method.

      There should be some kind of impulse control for people like me. Like pills or something I could take.

      Keith took another swig from his water pouch. If there was something like that, Coran was his best bet for getting his hands on it. He'd have to talk to him about that.

      The straw made a wet rattling noise as Keith sucked the last drops of water from the pouch. He frowned at it. He'd find Coran. But not until he'd gotten another water pouch.

   The halls were quiet as Keith made his way to the kitchen, going over his last training session in his head. The lack of noise was unusual, but not unwelcome. It was nice to be unbothered, knowing Shiro and the Alteans were probably discussing tactics on the bridge, Pidge was likely tinkering with something in the lounge, Hunk was experimenting in the kitchen, and Lance was playing video games in his room. As for the animals, Kosmo was most likely running around in Kaltenecker's pasture, while the mice were pretty much guaranteed to be with Allura.

      Unless Lance is making more clothes for them, Keith thought, then blinked at himself. Why was he still thinking about that? Lance had mentioned a big family. He probably just missed knitting doll clothes for his sisters. Simple as that.

      But why didn't that do anything to remove the hippo-sized lump in Keith's throat? It was just arts and crafts, for quiznak's sake!

      A shout of laughter cut into Keith's train of thought. He looked up. The door to the bridge was ajar, and sounds of mirth came from within.

      Huh. That's weird. Curious, Keith changed course and went in.

      The main holoscreen was up, displaying a video paused on Shiro's livid face. The Black Paladin's expression was beyond irked, his skin the colour of Keith's Lion, one eye caught mid-twitch. He was jabbing a finger at something off-screen in a way that screamed "SHUT UP and LISTEN or SO HELP ME-" It wasn't an expression Keith had had the privilege of seeing very often.

      The laughter came from the four people staring at the screen. Coran stood at his station, apparently in charge of playing and pausing the video. Allura perched on Hunk's seat, while Shiro rested his arms on the seat back and Pidge sat in her own station, munching on what looked like pale green popcorn. All four looked as relaxed and happy as they had right after that food fight months ago.

      He cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling like an intruder. "What's going on?"

      "Hello, Number Four," Coran said cheerfully. "We're going over the security feed from Beta Traz."

      "The Slav mission," Pidge wheezed, a wide grin creasing her freckled cheeks. At the zany engineer's name, Shiro shuddered violently. Pidge dissolved into fresh giggles.

      "I have never seen anyone so incensed," Allura remarked. She ran a hand over her hair. "I must admit, it's quite amusing."

      "It shouldn't be," Shiro said seriously. "As the leader, I should have handled that better." He shuddered again. "He just- UGH."

      Keith smirked. "Back it up," he told Coran. "I need to see this." The Altean winked and rewound the video. Keith took a seat on Pidge's armrest and crossed his arms expectantly. He wasn't disappointed.

      Shiro had clearly had enough of Slav at that point in the mission. "That's a tiny puddle. You'll be fine."

      Slav didn't look convinced. "There's a 12 percent chance I could slip," he fretted. "There are even realities in which I drown because, in those realities, I never learned to swim!"

      "What about this reality?" Shiro ground out from between clenched jaws. "Did you learn to swim in this one?"

      "I can't remember!" Slav wailed, flailing his many arms. "There are infinite possibilities!"

      "It's a tiny puddle!" Shiro all but shouted.

      Slav ignored him, choosing instead to bulge his eyes and clutch his throat dramatically. "I can already feel myself not being able to breathe. My lungs are filling with water!"

      Shiro growled in aggravation.

      Keith snickered as the two squabbled. He raised an eyebrow at the real Shiro, who grinned ruefully and rubbed his neck.

      "Look at them go!" Pidge hooted. "Who needs sitcoms?" She leaned over and elbowed Shiro playfully.

      Shiro shook his head, but he was laughing now as well. "You'd do the same if you were stuck with him," he pointed out.

      Pidge grinned. "I'd've tazed him and you know it."

      "Shhh," Allura hissed, just as a new voice spoke up.

      "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Keith returned his focus to the screen, where Lance was escorting a burly, mean-looking alien - Laika, Keith presumed - down the halls of Beta Traz.

      "Yup," the alien said in a deep voice.

      "I still can't believe he thought that was Slav," Pidge commented.

      "Agreed," Coran said, twirling a finger through his moustache. "Yuppers are a common pet on wealthier planets. Anyone with experience would recognise it as an animal."

      "I wouldn't have known either," Shiro pointed out. "Remember, none of us have been around the universe as many times as you." The Alteans exchanged a look, faces repentant.

      "Lance really is a people person," Pidge mused. "I sure wouldn't have wanted to go up to that and bust it out."

      As if on cue, Laika pounced on a Galra drone and tore it to shreds with ease. Not alarmed at all, Lance laughed and exclaimed, "Whoa, you're really savage!"

      "Fearless," Allura murmured, casting a subtle look at Keith.

      "No wonder the Marmorites think you're so awesome."

      "Marmorites?" Keith mumbled, a second before Lance continued.

      "That's what I'm calling the Blade of Marmora. 'Marmorites'." He chuckled. "That sound good?"

      "Yup," Laika growled.

      Off-screen, Pidge snickered. "Marmorites. Sounds like a race of gopher people." At that, Allura started tittering.

      Keith frowned. It's not that funny. 'Marmorites' is actually kind of cu-

       -CREATIVE! In a dumb Lance way! That's what I was thinking!

   "Shhh," Shiro hissed, quieting the girls. On screen, Lance had just resumed talking.

   "Pidge is our hacker," he said, smiling fondly. It wasn't an expression Keith could remember seeing on him often. "Shiro's our awesome leader."

   "Yup," his charge said. Lance, apparently taking that as an invitation to keep going, went on.

    "Hunk's our mechanic. He's also a chef and just a pretty cool dude to hang out with."

   "Yup."

   "And Keith-" Keith narrowed his eyes at the screen. Mullet, drop out, and hot-head came to mind. "- is always doing things like flying into asteroid fields and black holes and cool junk like that," Lance finished, tone warm and- was that admiration? His expression, what could be seen from the camera's less-than-great angle, was soft in a way Keith had never seen on Lance's face. What?

   "And I thought I was the team's sharpshooter," Lance continued. His shoulders slumped a little. "But I guess no one else thinks that." He paused. "Maybe I don't have a thing."

   "What?" Pidge squawked, drowning out Laika's reply. Coran shushed her, eyes riveted to the screen.

   "You don't have to agree with me so quickly." Lance sounded a bit hurt. "They wouldn't keep me on the team if I didn't contribute in some way, would they?"

   "Yup."

   "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just a fifth wheel. Seventh if you count Coran and Allura." Lance stared at the ground. "That's a horrible wheel to be," he said softly.

   "Yup."

   "Okay, WHAT?" Pidge shouted. "Lance? A seventh wheel? WHAT?"

   "There's no need to yell, Pidge," Shiro admonished, but his eyes were on the screen, and his expression radiated concern.

   "Who told Lance he's not needed?" Coran demanded, slamming both hands down on the console. The Altean's moustache bristled indignantly. Keith was reminded that although Coran considered all of them his surrogate family, Lance was his undeniable favourite. "I ought to-"

   "I think we did," Pidge said slowly. "All that teasing about him being the goofball... I think he thinks we meant it." She looked over at Shiro, distraught. "We're the worst."

   Shiro looked worried. "I didn't know Lance was that insecure. Although..." He trailed off, glancing in Keith's direction. "Who was in charge after I left?"

   Keith tore his gaze away from the screen. "Iverson." Shiro winced, and he nodded. "We missed you at the Garrison."

   "With that bully in charge?" Shiro rubbed his forehead. "I can believe it."

   "I hate that guy," Pidge muttered.

   "Me too," Keith and Shiro said in unison.

   "May I ask...?" Allura began.

   "Racist jerk," Keith said by way of explanation. "Not teacher material."

   "Sounds like a real quiznaker," Coran commented.

   "Accurate," Pidge agreed. She sighed. "Well, this video has been spoiled for me. We might as well delete it."

   "I'll take it," Keith blurted. The others stared at him. "I can use it for stuff," he said lamely.

   Pidge crossed her arms, smirking. "Like what, Keith?"

   "Uh..." Keith, drawing a blank, pounced on the first word that came into his head. "Blackmail."

   "Keith," Shiro said warningly, while Pidge's grin grew to Cheshire cat-sized.

   "Not like that," Keith protested. "I just want proof that Lance thinks I'm cool." Everyone was still staring at him silently. Keith felt like he was being interrogated. "And I want to study his fighting technique for training?" Quiznak, why did that sound like a question?

   "Sure," Pidge said knowingly. "I'll send it to you." She waggled her eyebrows.

   "What?" Keith asked, irritated. His confusion grew as his friends exchanged a look.

   "I'll send you the file right now," Coran offered, tapping away at a virtual keyboard. "There you are. You should receive it in a couple of ticks."

   "Thanks, Coran," Keith said gratefully. Feeling very much under scrutiny, he turned and left.

   "Enjoy the video," Pidge called at his retreating back. Keith ignored that. Why did they think it was weird that he wanted the video? He couldn't believe Pidge didn't want the video. Shiro losing his cool like that was priceless. And the fight scenes were pretty epic too. He hadn't been lying about wanting to watch them.

   And if he watched the part where Lance called him cool over and over again a few times, well, that was nobody's business but his.

Chapter Text

      It was late morning, and the training room resonated with the laborious sounds of Paladins in battle.

      "Pow! Pow! Pow!"

      Well, mostly, anyway.

      "For the last time, Lance, it's ba-chuu, ba-chuu," Pidge called. "Get it right!"

      "I am," Lance hollered back. "Pow! Take that!" Pidge rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.

      "We're here for battle training, not arguing about sound effects," Shiro reminded, wiping his forehead with a towel.

      "Who's arguing?" Lance said innocently, before blasting another droid.

      Keith rolled his eyes at the robot he was sparring with. Could Lance get any more obnoxious? He tried to parry a swing and stumbled back as the gladiator's staff clipped his shoulder.

      "Keith, take five," Shiro advised, halting the training session. "Pidge, you're up."

      "But I just started my break," Pidge complained. Shiro looked at her patiently. Pidge sighed and got up, tossing her water pouch aside. "Fine." She pulled out her bayard as Keith reluctantly deactivated his own weapon and took a seat.

      As the gladiator started up, he found his gaze drifting to the shooting range, where Hunk and Lance were taking turns practising long-range combat. It was currently Lance's turn to fight, and he was clearly delighted with it. A bright grin stretched across his face, and he was actually laughing as he danced around the room, dodging shots and firing off his own in reply.

      It would have been impressive, if Lance hadn't been yelling "Pow! Pow!" with every shot. As if to prove Keith's point, the Blue Paladin skipped away from a blast, dropped to one knee, and took out the last three droids in rapid succession, screaming "POWPOWPOW! TAKE THAT, YA TWO-CENT TURD WAFFLES!"

      As the last bot hit the ground, Lance got to his feet and bowed, first to the watching Alteans, then to Hunk, who applauded.

      "What on Altea is a waffle?" Keith heard Allura ask Coran in an undertone as Hunk took Lance's place on the floor.

      "It must be an Earth insult," Coran answered quietly.

      Keith smirked. No, that's a Lance insult. Don't blame our entire planet for his weirdness! He hurriedly rearranged his face into its typical impassive expression as Lance looked his way. Their eyes met for a brief moment before both boys quickly looked away.

      Keith turned his attention to the action around him. Hunk was having some trouble dodging shots and doling them out at the same time.

      Meanwhile, Pidge was a little blur of condensed strategy and determination doing her level best to tangle the gladiator up in her grappling hook. As usual, her best was scarily good.

      Keith looked over at Hunk, just as the Yellow Paladin took a blast to the gut. "OOF!"

      Lance jumped up and ran to help his best friend up. "You okay?"

      "I'll live," Hunk moaned. "But I think I'm gonna- Oh, quiznak..." He rushed out of the room, clutching his stomach.

      "...Right," Coran said. "Number Three, you're up." Lance gave him a thumbs up and jogged to the centre of the room.

      "Be careful," Allura warned.

      "Are you worried about me?" Lance gasped. He grinned and aimed a finger gun at her. "Love you too, Princess."

      Allura huffed. "We've increased the level of difficulty."

      "Gotcha," Lance said, dropping the finger gun and nodding, suddenly serious. He put on his helmet and readied his bayard. A dozen droids descended from the ceiling and began circling him, whirring as their miniature cannons powered up.

      Lance took a defensive stance. "Ready when you are, Coran."

      The Altean nodded and tapped his holoscreen. "And... Go!"

      The shooting range exploded with noise. All twelve droids began firing at the same time. In the same second, Lance wasn't in the centre anymore. He fired at one of the droids and threw himself out of the ring, rolling out of the way of the combined blasts. Coming up on one knee, he took another shot, then lunged out of the way of another round of shots. Keith squinted. It was hard to see, but Lance's expression was completely focused. There was no panic in his eyes, only determination as he alternately dodged and fired.

      "Keith, come on," Shiro called. Keith nodded absently and got up. He couldn't look away as Lance darted around the shooting range, literally keeping calm under fire. "We're doing hand-to-hand," Shiro was saying. "No weapons." Keith nodded. Lance had just taken down his sixth droid. With half the bots out of commission, there weren't nearly as many blasts to dodge, and the Blue Paladin had slowed down, his motion calm and deliberate. Why wasn't Lance this coordinated off the battlefield?

      Keith's vision filled with a set of large knuckles. He ducked, and Shiro's fist ruffled the hair on top of his head instead of rearranging his teeth. Shiro made a disappointed noise - at himself or at Keith, but it was most likely at Keith - and lunged at Keith, who dodged and kicked at the Black Paladin's shins. Shiro easily moved out of the way. "Focus, Keith!"

      "I am," Keith grunted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lance roll to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast from the single remaining droid, jump to his feet, and casually snipe the aggressive bot out of the air. That's skill.

      Strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders and heaved. The next thing Keith knew, he was on the floor, the wind knocked out of him. "No, you're not," Shiro said calmly, shaking his head. He offered Keith a hand up. "What's going on?"

      "Nothing," Keith growled, sitting up. As he accepted the help, he caught sight of Lance removing his helmet and running a hand through his hair, sending drops of sweat flying. He looks hot. Both kinds of hot. Wait, what?

      "Are you sure?" Shiro asked, sounding oddly amused. "You're going red, are you okay?"

      "I'm fine," Keith huffed, hoping he sounded fine. (He was not fine. He was definitely not fine.) "I... I gotta go." Without waiting for a response, he turned and rushed away.

      "What's up with him?" Lance asked, coming up to Shiro.

      The Black Paladin smiled, a bit mysteriously. "I think he needs some alone time right now. I think being taken by surprise like that is messing with him."

      Lance looked unconvinced, but he nodded and went back to the shooting range, wiping sweat off his forehead.

      Behind him, Shiro's smile grew just a tiny bit wider.

Chapter Text

      The elevator wasn't broken this time. Last time had been a coincidence. Accident. Whatever.

      It didn't help Keith's feeling that he'd get stuck again. He pressed the button and squared his shoulders, adjusting the towel on his head as the door slid shut.

      Immediately, unwanted memories rushed into his head. Telling Lance they would stay away from each other. A trailing creak as the elevator lurched and stopped. The sudden darkness, and the moment where neither of them knew what was happening. Lance's disbelieving groan.

      "Now what?" Keith asked.

      A chuckle from beside him. "Ever see The Emperor's New Groove?" Then they were out, standing on the roof of the elevator. "We have to time it out," Lance said. They got into position and began to climb. Lance's movements were laboured but determined, his skin smooth and warm as he pressed against Keith-

      And nope, Keith was not thinking about this. He definitely wasn't thinking about how he'd unconsciously leaned into Lance too hard because it felt nice and then Lance complained and pushed him back, and his back muscles flexed and holy crow how did he have this many muscles and not look buff?

      STOP IT , Keith mentally yelled at himself.

      Actually, no, it was weird. Aside from Pidge, Lance was the skinniest of the Paladins. Yes, he had broad shoulders that looked amazing in his armour, but his lean build suggested he'd never flexed a day in his life. How the heck did he hide all those muscles?

      The elevator doors slid open, jarring Keith from that dangerous train of thought - thanks, brain. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the poolroom.

      The next instant, he was falling backward as water sprayed down toward his face. As it fell back upward, Keith sat up and glared at the ceiling. The water lapped at the edge of the pool innocently.

      How all of it remained on the ceiling was a mystery. How was he supposed to get up there?

      Then his eyes caught a blurry shape moving through the water. Something was up there.

      Keith got to his feet slowly and watched as the shape moved toward the surface of the water. Without warning, it breached, sending water spraying in all directions.

      Lance wore a delighted grin as he dolphin-dived back into the water, completely failing to notice Keith leaping back. He surfaced on the other side of the pool and started toward the middle again.

      Keith watched in amazement. He felt like he was the one on the ceiling. And it wasn't just that. Lance moved through the water with the grace of a seal, or maybe an otter. Or- No. With his bright expression, skin shiny with water, the delight as he played - Lance was a dolphin.

      Keith cleared his throat as his friend emerged, and called out. "How'd you get up there?"

      Lance yelped and went under. He popped up (down?) again, looking flustered. "Don't do that!"

      "I wasn't trying to scare you," Keith said defensively. "You weren't paying attention!"

      Lance made a face. "Whatever, Mullet." He pointed at a hexagon outlined with blue lights on the floor. "I jumped up here. The gravity's reversed halfway up or something."

      Keith frowned. That must have been some jump.

      "Just do it," Lance insisted. "I'm not making this up." He slapped the water for emphasis. Drops plummeted, then rose back into the pool.

      Keith hesitated, then stepped onto the hexagon and did an experimental hop. The floor was springy like a trampoline.

      "Not like that," Lance said, sounding a bit amused and a bit annoyed. "Higher. You have to hit the gravity change."

      Keith jumped as high as he could. As he reached the peak of his jump, a feeling of weightlessness spread through his gut. Suddenly, he was falling up.

      "Roll!" Lance called.

      Keith automatically flipped onto his side. He hit the ceiling and rolled. Unfortunately, he went the wrong way and hit the pool. Bubbles filled his vision, and Keith experienced a moment of disorientation before he righted himself. He surfaced to the sound of Lance laughing.

      "What's so funny?" Keith grumbled.

      Lance shook his head, sending droplets flying from his hair. "I thought you were going to roll the other way."

      "Like you did better," Keith said in irritation.

      Lance's grin faltered. "Yeah, well, I don't need battle reflexes to make a splash." He glanced down (up?) at the bottom of the pool. "Well, that towel's not going to do you much good now. Hang on."

      Keith shielded his face, but Lance made only the smallest waves as he dove. He had time to wonder if Lance was being more careful now that he knew he wasn't alone before the Blue Paladin was back, holding a sodden towel. "Here ya go."

      Keith took the towel and wrung it out. He tossed it to the side of the pool, only for it to drop to the poolroom floor.

      "Too low," Lance commented helpfully.

      "Stupid gravity," Keith grumbled. "How do I get down?"

      Lance smirked. "Are you seriously going to go after it? It's not like you need it." When Keith nodded stubbornly, Lance sighed. He pointed. "There's another space trampoline over there."

      "Stop putting 'space' in front of everything," Keith snapped, climbing out of the pool.

      "I can do what I want... Space Mullet."

      Keith ignored that.

      "We're one big space family. Space Dad, Space Uncle, Space Princess, Space Gordon Ramsay, Space Nerd, Space Emo, Space Wolf, Space Mice, Space Sharpshooter..."

      Keith whipped around. "If you don't cut that out right now, I will-"

      "You'll what, Space Samurai?" Lance wore a crap-eating grin that was the last straw.

      Keith roared and lunged, fully prepared to grab Lance and shake him, hard. Except Lance dodged nimbly, and he wound up belly-flopping into the water instead. Keith came up, sucked in a lungful of air, and tackled Lance.

      They fell backward in a tangle of limbs. Keith's cheek smacked against Lance's chest. For an instant, he could feel the other boy's heartbeat.

      Then Lance was grabbing him by the shoulders and shoving him away, shooting off in the other direction in almost the same motion.

      Keith found himself watching as the other boy sped through the water, as quick and streamlined as a shark. His face was full of wild excitement as he came up.

      It was an expression that exactly portrayed how Keith felt whenever he was on his speeder, back on Earth. The memory made him feel warm inside. Lance made him feel-

      Lance ploughed into him underwater, sending Keith reeling. Keith was ready to fight back when the other boy surfaced, laughing and smiling, open and bright. Something tightened in Keith's chest, and the will to exact revenge faded.

      He had to go. Now.

      Keith practically threw himself out of the pool and onto the space- the trampoline. "Keith?" Lance called, his voice full of surprise and questioning.

      "I'm done," Keith said. It came out harsh. "I don't have time to mess around with you."

      As he grabbed his towel from the floor and entered the elevator, he caught sight of Lance's hurt expression. The thing in his chest tightened again. What was going on?

Chapter Text

   Keith gritted his teeth as he dodged yet another blast. The fighter they were trying to bring down hadn't looked like much at first, but it was proving to be a worthy foe. Cannons were mounted on the underside of each wing like a fighter bomber, and its streamlined shape made it just as agile as the Lions.

    “Stay still,” Keith growled, knowing that not only was the fighter’s pilot unable to hear him, but his demand would have been ignored anyway.

    “You okay, Pidge?” Shiro asked over the comms.

   Pidge made a noise of frustration. “I can get close enough, but it’s moving too much for me to make any progress!”

    “Sorry!” Hunk apologised. It was his job to keep the fighter occupied with chasing him while Pidge used the Green Lion’s cloaking ability and jaw-blade to slice off the cannons.

    “If Zarkon fills his fleet with these things, we’re toast,” Lance commented, swooping in on Blue to take a turn being pursued. Hunk steered Yellow to safety to wait for his next turn at the front.

    “Not helpful,” Pidge growled. Lance made a noise of apology.

    “Shiro, why don’t you just go right through it?” Keith put forward. “One sweep and we’re done.”

    “I can’t,” Shiro answered patiently, like he’d been expecting the question. “Black isn’t quick or manoeuvrable enough to keep up.”

    “And he’d take too much damage just trying to keep up,” Hunk added. “I don’t know how I’m still alive!”

    “Keep working on the cannons,” Shiro told Pidge. “Hunk, Lance, try to keep the fighter as still as possible. I’m right behind you if one of you needs help.”

    “And I’ll wait for you guys to disarm it,” Keith finished, frowning. This didn’t seem like a very efficient plan to him. He wanted to be part of the chase, overtaking that Galra, destroying Zarkon’s latest toy with Red. And this plan clearly wasn't working.

    “I have an idea,” Lance said suddenly. “Hunk, Pidge, cover me.”

    “Lance?” Shiro questioned.

   Lance’s voice was serious. “Trust me, Shiro. Keith, get ready.”

   Keith watched as the Green Lion sped up, joining the Yellow Lion at the front of the chase. The Lions weaved around each other in front of the fighter, drawing fire away from the Blue Lion as it turned and flew directly at it.

   He’s going to get himself blasted to pieces, Keith thought.

   The Galra craft fired. In the nick of time, the Blue Lion moved out of the way, and in the same second, it opened its mouth and shot a blast of ice at the enemy ship. Huge shards of frozen water formed on the offending cannon, then spread until the entire wing was encased in ice. Lance fired again, and both wings were suddenly iced over, their cannons useless. “Now!”

   Keith narrowed his eyes as Red shot toward the fighter, which was still quick, but now defenceless. He’d been given an open target. Let’s end this, he thought to Red. The Lion rumbled in agreement. Keith manipulated the controls, and Red engulfed the fighter in a surge of devastating flames. For good measure, he followed through by activating Red’s jaw-blade and slicing first through one wing, then the other. Sparks flew as the fighter split into three immobile, useless pieces.

    “Nice!" Shiro said triumphantly. “Let’s head back.” As the five Lions flew back to the Castle, leaving the charred remains of the Galra craft behind, the Black Paladin added, “Good thinking, Lance.”

    “No problem, Shiro,” Lance returned, sounding very pleased. Keith rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that it had been a good plan. Voltron wouldn’t have been fast enough to catch the fighter, and taking it down in steps hadn’t worked either.

   Maybe he hadn’t given Lance’s tactical skills enough credit.

    “That was amazing!” Lance crowed, giddy with triumph. “They listened! It worked! I can’t believe it!” Blue sent a hint of amusement into his mind, and he laughed. “This is big, Blue! I did something awesome, and it worked!” He pounded the dashboard in jubilation. His fist came down on a button, but he was too excited to notice.

   Keith was thinking about taking a shower when his comm link turned on. “Did you see that?” Lance exclaimed. “I mean, I know you did, you were there kicking butt the whole time, but still! That. Was. AMAZING!” Keith frowned and opened his mouth to answer. “Hunk and Pidge were like, whoosh, whoosh, I’m here, shoot me! No, shoot me! I’m over here! And I was all, shoot the cannons, Blue! And you went POW! And the cannons were gone, and then Keith comes in like, you messed with the wrong Paladins, son! AND MELTED THE WHOLE THING.”

   He’s not talking to me, Keith realised.

    “And then he went and cut it up like Shiro did with that cruiser that one time, and santo cuervo, that was so cool…” Lance sighed happily. “And I helped. Like, that was my idea, and we actually beat that thing. Mamá would be so proud!”

   Keith couldn't help but smile at that. This open, childlike enthusiasm was different from Lance's usual cocky attitude. It wasn't the first time Lance had acted this way, but something about hearing him chatter to his Lion without taking an audience into account made this time seem special.

   "D'you think Coran and Allura saw?" Lance asked Blue. "I bet Coran would be impressed. And Allura, but it was Coran's story."

   That's considerate of you, Keith thought. And I guess you wanted to prove you were listening?

   "And I thought, Coran's been feeling kind of unimportant lately, this could show him how much he helps us take down the Galra. Also, I kind of wanted to make sure he knows I listen to his stories." Lance sighed. "Everybody thinks I don't pay attention."

   Okay, that was enough eavesdropping.

   "What?" Keith said, trying to sound confused. Like the comm link had just been turned on.

   Lance yelped. "Keith?"

   "Were you talking to me?" Keith asked.

   "No! I was just discussing something with- Hang on, how are we talking right now?"

   Keith shrugged, although he knew Lance couldn't see him. "You must have turned on the communication system by accident."

   He could almost hear Lance check, and then go pale. "You uh... How long was this thing on?"

   "Not long," Keith hedged. Not a lie, right? "You were saying something about not paying attention?"

   "Oh." Lance sighed just loudly enough for the comm link to pick it up. "Is everybody on?"

   There was a moment of silence while they both waited for confirmation. Keith realised that he hadn't thought about the other Paladins overhearing Lance's exchange with Blue.

   "I think it's just us," Keith said.

   "Yeah."

   They were silent again. Red was sending faintly amused vibes into Keith's head for some reason, along with an instruction. Before he could agree, Lance cleared his throat. "So, if you tell anyone I said this, I'll deny it 'til the day I'm dead and buried, but... good job back there. You were awesome."

   Beat me to it, Keith thought, half at Red and half to himself. "Thanks." He hesitated. "You too. It was a good plan."

   He could hear the change in Lance's voice as the Blue Paladin shifted into Cocky Mode. "Thank Coran. I mean yeah, clearly you guys would be lost without me, but he was the inspiration here."

   "Oh yeah?"

   "The idea came from one of Coran's stories. He's like, god-tier at telling stories while working, by the way."

   Lance would know. "I'll have to remember to tell him."

   "Oh no you don't!" Lance protested. "This is my news, Mullet. You weren't even there for the story!"

   "No," Keith grinned. "But I can get there before you." He grinned as Red hurtled forward, passing the other Lions, Lance's outraged sputtering playing loud and clear on the comm.

   But then Lance started laughing, and Red alerted Keith to the fact that the Blue Lion was coming up fast behind him. "C'mon, Blue! We can't let him beat us!"

   The race was on.

Chapter Text

   "SPAAACE MAAAAAAAALL!"

   The cheer came from three different throats as Pidge, Lance, and Hunk raced into the launch bay, wearing matching expressions of pure joy and anticipation.

   "I can't believe we're going back!" Pidge exclaimed. She patted her pockets, which jingled suspiciously. "I made sure to bring lots of GACs this time, so I can buy something!"

   "Are they even going to let us back in?" Hunk asked anxiously. "You know, after the whole space pirate thing?"

   Lance smirked at Keith, who ignored him. "I don't want to get arrested."

   "We talked to the owner of the mall," Shiro said calmly. "It took a bit of... explaining, but we've been pardoned." He gave Coran an amused look. "So long as there aren't any more incidents, it'll be fine." Coran huffed and twirled his moustache, but didn't deny his role in their last visit.

   "Oh, good." Hunk high-fived Pidge. "I wanna see how Vrepit Sal's doing. Maybe find some new ingredients to work with."

   "I'm gonna get more video games," Pidge added. "Or parts. I want to build a new Rover, but I can't with the materials I have right now." She grinned at Coran. "Told you that ancient junk would make us money."

   "I'm feeling very attacked right now," Coran told the space mice mournfully.

   Lance patted his arm sympathetically. "Welcome to the club." He turned to Allura. "You coming this time, Princess?"

   Allura folded her arms and raised her chin. "Absolutely. Someone has to be the responsible one."

   "And...?"

   Allura smiled excitedly, fiddling with her sleeve. To protect her identity, Lance had whipped up a disguise composed of a knee-length skirt (a piece of curtain with the ends sewn together), one of her less fancy shirts, and his jacket. She'd tied her hair back in a ponytail, and was wearing makeup to hide her markings. "I haven't gone shopping in over ten thousand years. I can't wait to see how things have changed!"

   "The customer service is atrocious," Coran muttered.

   "I'm looking forward to seeing this place," Shiro said. "It's not every day your team comes home with a retro video game, a stolen knife, a stack of scaultrite lenses, and a cow."

   "Kaltenecker is a blessing to us all," Lance declared, gesturing dramatically. "Finding that shop was meant to be."

   Shiro crossed his arms, unconsciously mimicking Allura's pose. "So long as we don't bring back any other animals, I'm okay with that."

   Lance nodded. "Yeah. I'm not planning on getting any more games, anyway." He grinned at Keith. "I guess the ground rules are, no cows for me, no fountain-diving for Pidge, no sampling-without-asking for Hunk, and no stealing for you."

   Keith rolled his eyes. "We'll see."

   "Keith," Shiro warned.

   "The guy had it coming!" Keith protested. "He stole my knife and threatened to call security on me!"

   "Jerk," Lance muttered, just as Hunk said, "Rude!"

   "Rude salesmen or not, I want you all on your best behaviour," Shiro said sternly. "We're just stopping for supplies, not liberating the mall from injustice." The last statement was directed at Keith, who crossed his arms grumpily and looked away.

   "Right," Coran said cheerfully. "Let's be off, then!"

   The Unilu Space Mall was every bit as huge and overwhelming as Keith remembered. The sheer amount of people was enough to raise his hackles. (Figuratively. He didn't have actual hackles. Unless his Galra genes kicked in right then and made him sprout fur, that is. Hopefully that wouldn't happen.)

   Nobody else seemed fazed. Shiro was looking around appraisingly, his expression open and calm, while beside him, Allura was practically bouncing on her toes as she tried to stay composed. Pidge and Hunk were pointing out stores they'd visited to each other, and Lance was staring longingly at a shop in the distance.

   Keith looked around again. The dumpy mall cop from before was nowhere to be seen. They were safe.

   "I can't believe this was an Unilu swap moon," Allura gushed. "They've improved so much! It's so clean and orderly!"

   "Still haven't figured out the bathrooms here," Pidge mumbled to Hunk. Hunk looked alarmed. Then a shopper walked by holding a tray of exotic-looking food, and he lost focus again.

   "Meet back here?" Lance suggested, his eyes still on the faraway shop.

   Shiro examined the nearest map. "That works," he decided. "We'll be leaving in a couple of vargas, so don't forget to keep an eye on the time." There were nodding heads all around. "If you see Galra, try not to make a scene. Just come back, contact the rest of us, and we'll figure it out from there. Got it?"

   "Got it," the Paladins chorused.

   Shiro nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, then we're-" He stopped. Everyone except Keith had taken off.

   Shiro sighed. "Go ahead," he said to Keith.

   Keith frowned. "I didn't really have anywhere I wanted to go." Not back to Slice Capades, that's for sure. "I was thinking I'd hang out with you or something."

   The Black Paladin sighed again and looked up at the giant clock, maybe to hide the way his mouth twitched upward. "I was hoping to walk around on my own a bit." He paused. "Why don't you go keep an eye on Lance? Make sure he doesn't go fountain-diving again."

   "Pidge did that," Keith protested. He didn't mind hanging out with Lance, but what if he started feeling weird again? And he was not interested in babysitting.

   "And you think it wasn't Lance's idea?"

   Keith scowled. "Fine!" He turned and stalked away, completely missing the look of triumph that appeared on Shiro's face - and the fond smile of a man who knows more than he's letting on.

   It took a couple of minutes to find the store Lance had made a beeline to. But once Keith was standing in the shop, he realised he should have known Lance would be there. Instead of the exotic, weird, and downright out-of-this-world (great, Lance's sense of humour was rubbing off on him) wares the other stores sold, this one boasted an array of games, articles of clothing, and knick-knacks from Earth.

   The fact that the proprietor wore a baseball cap decorated with the number fifty-one and resembled the stereotypical Grey alien made it that much easier to believe that the wares actually were from Earth. My faith in cryptids has been fully restored.

   Lance stood in front of a display of hoodies, muttering to himself. He'd collected a small pile, and as Keith approached, he nodded to himself and picked out another. "Yeah, Hufflepuff works the best. Now for Keith..."

   "What about me?" Keith asked, stopping a couple of feet away. Lance shrieked and nearly flung the hoodies at him.

   "Keith! Uh, just picking out some hoodies." He turned back to face the display, adjusting his grip on the garments. "Uh, wanna help?"

   "Sure." Keith took a closer look at the display. The hoodies were all one-size-fits-all pull-overs, all black fleece, and all with an emblem from Harry Potter. He recognized all four houses, as well as the Deathly Hollows symbol and the school crest.

   "Okay, so I've picked out a hoodie for Hunk, Shiro, and Pidge, and I was getting to you," Lance began. "Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw." He did jazz hands with his free hand. "Objections?"

   "Hunk, I get," Keith said thoughtfully. "Shiro?"

   "Two words, Samurai: Space. Dad."

   "True. And Pidge?"

   "Ravenclaw. I was gonna do Slytherin, but I kind of thought Ravenclaw would be better since we already have two Slytherins."

   "Riiight." Keith hesitated. "And you thought Slytherin because...?"

   Lance shot him a grin. "She's creative, ambitious, and good at getting past the system. But she's also a genius, so Ravenclaw works too."

   Keith nodded. "Who gets Slytherin?" He realized who a second before Lance held a finger horizontally under his nose and waggled both eyebrows.

   "Coran?"

   "And Allura," Lance said. "Altea was the planet of the Slytherins, I'm deciding it now." He shifted the hoodies in his hands. "You can see why, right? Allura's super devious and ambitious when she wants to be, and Coran's super creative about team bonding."

   Keith nodded again. "That works," he agreed, finding two Slytherin hoodies and adding them to Lance's pile. "What were you thinking for me?"

   "Gryffindor," Lance said promptly. "Brave, impulsive, and zero filter. And it's your colour."

   Keith sputtered. "You picked my Hogwarts House because it was my colour?"

   Lance shrugged. "Hey, Hunk's house lines up too." He paused. "Lion-s up, actually. Get it?"

   "Ha ha," Keith said flatly, rolling his eyes as the Blue Paladin laughed. That was actually kind of funny. Kind of.

   "I know, I'm hilarious." Lance examined the display one more time, then selected one last hoodie and turned to find the cashier.

   "Which one did you get for yourself?" Keith asked, curious.

   "Just a Hogwarts one," Lance said with a shrug.

   "Why?"

   Lance rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I uh, don't know which house I'm in."

   Keith thought for a minute. "What are the house types again?"

   "Creative and ambitious, caring and hard-working, smart and eccentric, and brave and impulsive."

   "Huh." Keith took the Hogwarts hoodie from Lance and replaced it with a different one. "You're right. You could fit in any of them. Better make it Gryffindor."

   Lance stared at him for a second, eyes wide. Then he smirked. "Well. I am a man of many talents."

   Keith rolled his eyes, then squinted at the price tag. "How much are these? I can't read this."

   "One thousand five hundred GACs each," the proprietor announced, materializing next to Keith. Lance, predictably, yelped and nearly threw the hoodies. "But, for the defenders of the universe and one of my favourite customers, all seven for the price of one."

   "Sweet!" Lance cheered. He skipped over to the counter (Keith's cheeks felt hot for some reason) and set the hoodies down so he could rummage in his pockets. Keith frowned at the small pile of coins the Blue Paladin's search produced. That didn't look like enough.

   "I'm paying for half," he announced, digging out his own reserve of GACs.

   The proprietor nodded calmly, but Lance shook his head. "What? Keith, I'm getting these as gifts for you guys."

   "So?" Keith asked, adding his coins to the pile.

   "It's not a gift if it's bought by the person receiving it."

   "You found it and picked it out, so I'm calling it a gift." Keith crossed his arms. "Either you accept that I'm paying for half, or you explain to half the team why they don't get a sweater."

   Lance glared at him, then sighed and waved a hand at the proprietor, who run up the purchase, put the hoodies in a bag for them, and bid them a pleasant quintant. Lance was barely out the door before he was pulling his hoodie over his head. The "Earth" garment immediately shrunk a little, but the sleeves were still long enough that they covered part of his hands.

   "Well?" Lance asked, pulling the hood up and striking a dramatic pose. "Whaddaya think?"

   Keith smirked. "You look like you're impersonating a teddy bear." His smile widened as Lance put both hands on his hips and scowled.

   "I look amazing and you know it." Actually, with the slightly baggy hoodie softening his lean frame, the tufts of hair poking out from under the hood, and those lively blue eyes, he did look a bit like a stuffed animal. Or maybe a doll. Either way, it was a good look for him.

   A tug in Keith's chest, followed closely by an odd heat in his face. Quiznak.

   "If you say so, Lance." Keith glanced at the clock, trying to keep Lance from noticing how weird he suddenly felt. "We've got some time before we need to head back. Want to see what other stores there are?"

   Lance grinned and shouldered the bag. "Lead the way, Samurai."

   The hoodies went over well. On the return trip, the pod was full of soft, black hoodies in various sizes and shapes. Lance still had his hood up.

   "So," Coran said cheerfully. "What did you all get up to?"

   "I found a great parts shop," Pidge answered, grinning. A bulging plastic bag sat on the floor by her feet. Keith could see metal through the little rips in the shiny material. "And I had enough GACs left over for the latest edition of Killbot Phantasm III!" She pulled a small, brightly-coloured box from the bag and waved it at Lance.

   "No way!" Lance exclaimed, leaning in to look at the game. "I thought only three hundred copies were made, and all of them were on Earth! How'd you-"

   Pidge smirked. Lance wisely didn't ask.

   "I visited Vrepit Sal's," Hunk offered. "He's really upped his game since the last time we visited." He ran a hand through his hair. "I did have to tell him that I can't work there and keep the universe safe so he has customers at the same time. But he gets it." The Yellow Paladin sighed happily. "It just warms my heart to see people enjoy my cooking. One lady said I made her day!"

   "Nice," Shiro approved. "How about you two?"

   "Hoodie shopping," Keith said briefly, gesturing at his torso. Unlike Lance's hoodie, his was not very baggy, and the sleeves ended at the wrist. He was pretty sure he didn't look nearly as much like a child's toy.

   "And we found an arcade," Lance added cheerfully. "Keith won like 50 GACs beating this game where you have to spar with a robot." He elbowed Keith playfully in the side. "It was awesome."

   "The gladiator's tougher," Keith said gruffly. "You destroyed the shooting range."

   Lance shrugged. "I'm not the one who got every single target in the knife-throwing game."

   "Yeah, but-"

   "Okay, as oddly adorable as your blooming bromance is," Pidge cut in dryly, "not all of us are done sharing. How about you, Shiro?"

   The Black Paladin smiled. "I enjoyed myself," he answered. "It's been awhile since I visited a mall. It was fun." He turned to Allura. "What did you do while we we there?"

   The princess held up a bag. "I found some lovely figurines," she said happily. "Very sparkly. And I found this beautiful flower!" She reached into the bag and carefully removed a fragrant potted plant. "I believe the florist called it-"

   "La mariposa!" Lance exclaimed. He reached for the flower, then hesitated. Allura, looking surprised, passed it to him, and watched in confusion as the Blue Paladin practically buried his face in the white petals.

   "Lance?" The question came from Shiro.

   "We had butterfly flowers in Cuba," Lance said happily, stroking one of the broad, sword-shaped leaves. "It was Mom's favourite. She grew them in the backyard." He sniffed the flower, then sneezed.

   "Wait, aren't you allergic to the butterfly flower?" Hunk asked.

   Lance didn't let go of the pot even as he sneezed again. "HI-CHUU! It's just a mild allergy."

   "You're turning red," Pidge commented. Keith looked closer at Lance's face. The Blue Paladin's cheeks were flushed and a little puffy-looking, and although he was still beaming, his eyes were watery. The back of his neck looked like it was reddening as well, though it was hard to tell through the shadows cast by the hood.

   "I'm fine," Lance insisted, rubbing his neck. "HI-CHUU! I can handle a few sniffles." He turned pleading eyes on Allura. "Can we please put this in my room? Or go back and get another one?"

   Allura looked conflicted. "I was going to put it in my bedroom," she said slowly. "But I suppose we could put it in the great hall or the dining room."

   "You shouldn't be spending time close to it if you're allergic," Shiro told Lance. His tone softened as Lance's face fell. "We'll find a good place for it when we get back to the Castle." He held out his hands.

   Lance reluctantly gave him the flower pot. Then he pulled his hood low over his face and turned to face the window. Keith heard a few muffled sniffles and felt his chest tighten again.

   This time, it was definitely out of concern for his friend. How can Allura resist that face? He looked so sad. Those puppy dog eyes were weapons-grade.

   Okay, maybe it wasn't just that. Logically, an allergy shouldn't be cute. But Lance's pink, rounded-out cheeks and bright eyes from behind a spray of flowers - white and green against black, blue, and pink - it was too adorable not to notice.

   So he's adorable now? Keith rubbed his forehead and stared at the floor. There was definitely something wrong with him if he thought Lance was adorable. Is it possible that- NO. This wasn't like any of the crushes he'd had before. This was probably just some weird space bug that was making him feel like this.

 He. Was. Not. Crushing. On. Lance

Chapter Text

   A movement or two later, the Paladins were invited to a banquet. They had prevented a small Galran fleet from invading an inhabited moon earlier that day, and the locals were eager to show their gratitude.

   Keith had decided to stay in the Castle, partly because he’d much rather train than stand around talking with alien dignitaries all evening and partly to make sure nobody tried anything, although he doubted anyone would. It was probably going to be a quiet, uneventful visit.

   He was in the med bay looking for the Altean equivalent of a band-aide when Hunk and Pidge stumbled in, doing their best to support an unusually floppy Lance between them. Although the Blue Paladin appeared to be conscious – barely – he was having considerable trouble keeping himself upright.

   “What’s wrong with him?” Keith demanded, taking in Lance’s dazed expression.

   “Something in his food,” Pidge puffed. “Idiot got himself drugged.”

   “Not on purpose,” Hunk added, sounding less winded. “I mean, nobody was trying to drug him. The-”

   “Garlic knots,” Lance mumbled, blinking sluggishly.

   Hunk nodded. “There was this dish like garlic knots, only one of the ingredients is like a drug to humans. Lance and Coran shared a big plate of them, and it didn’t do anything to Coran.”

   “Luckily,” Pidge muttered. “You two are idiots for sampling first and asking later.”

   “Reminded me of home,” Lance protested sleepily, lifting his head to give Pidge a mournful look. “We ate garlic knots a lot together… I miss them…” He turned drooping eyes upon Hunk. “You could make garlic knots. You’re the best cook ever… I wish we cooked together like we used to… I miss hanging out with you…”

   Keith felt his forehead scrunch as Lance turned his gaze back to Pidge. “Pidge, mi hermanita, I love you so much, bad disguises and all, but don’t take my best friend away, please? I don’t like… being… alone…”

   Both Hunk and Pidge looked stunned as Lance slumped between them, apparently spent after his little speech. “That’s some drug,” Pidge remarked shakily. “We’d better get Coran in here, quick.” She glanced at Hunk. “Do you…?”

   “I can watch him for you,” Keith offered before he realised what he was committing himself to.

   Hunk frowned. “Are you sure? You and Lance-”

“We’re fine,” Lance said, lifting his head again. “I’m okay with Keith. He’s cool. Really cool. I wanna be that cool… I don’t wanna be the last one again…”

   “Okay, buddy.” Hunk scooped him up carefully and carried him over to the cot. Keith tried and failed to miss how Lance seemed to melt into the bigger boy’s arms, suddenly looking much smaller and younger. He sighed sleepily as Hunk placed him on the cot and backed away. “We’ll be back soon with Coran,” Hunk promised. He looked over at Keith, gratitude in his eyes. “Thanks, man.”

   “Just go,” Keith said, more gruffly than he’d intended. His frown deepened as the Yellow and Green Paladins exchanged a look. Thankfully, they said nothing more, and a minute later, he was alone with Lance.

   A few moments of silence passed. Finally, Keith cleared his throat as quietly as possible and glanced down at his charge. To his surprise, Lance was looking back up at him. His pupils were abnormally dilated between drooping eyelids. Combined with his flushed cheeks, dishevelled hair, and spaced out expression, the guy should have looked like a party animal on the tail end of a high. Instead, he brought to mind a sleepy child.

   Keith tried to keep his face and tone neutral. “Hey. So, uh, you’re okay with me being here?”

   Lance nodded. “I like being with you.” Before Keith could compute that, he continued, still slurring his words a bit. “Being alone is scary. I hate it. I hate when people aren’t happy. I want everyone to have a place. You’re good at helping people… at everything. I wish I was like you.”

   “You-” Keith’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “You want to be like me?”

   “You’re smart and strong and brave and good at stuff,” Lance explained. “People know who you are. Imma goofball without a thing. I don’t belong… Why are you so good at stuff?”

   “I- I’m not,” Keith stammered. “You know I’m not. The rivalry-”

   “The rivalry,” Lance echoed. “Friend Tactic Number Nine. Not working. You still don’t like me-”

   “YOU WERE TRYING TO BE MY FRIEND THE WHOLE TIME?!” Keith all but shouted. Lance winced, and Keith dropped his voice hurriedly. “You were trying to be friendly? What?”

   Lance nodded sleepily. “You’re not like Hunk. Friend Tactic Number Seven. Talk about family and hobbies together. Competition seemed better. Guess I was wrong again…”

   “Is this some kind of truth serum?” Keith mumbled. That gave him an idea. “Hey Lance, why do you flirt with every girl you see?”

   “Girls like knowing they’re pretty,” Lance answered. “I like spreading confi- confidence and happiness. They like the attention. Win-win-win-win…” Apparently losing track of how many “wins” he’d said, he trailed off.

   “So why do you flirt with Allura but not Pidge?”

   “Pidge is confident. Doesn’t need that kind of attention. Doesn’t want to hear about her looks.” Lance wrinkled his nose, sounding close to fully awake for a moment. “And she’s like a little sister. I’m not that gross.” His face slackened again. “I help her feel smart. Acting dumb helps. She’s annoyed but superior. Good for her ego. Allura doubts herself all the time. Having an annoying admirer distracts her, reminds her that it’s not all about war. Worth… it’s worth the embarrassment.”

   Keith blinked. “Embarrassment? Don’t you love flirting?”

   Lance shook his head, eyes drooping. “Learned it from acting class. Makes me look confident, makes others smile. Hate pretending. But I have to. Voltron needs Lover Boy Lance…” His eyes finally shut, his voice fading out. Keith leaned forward to hear as Lance whispered the rest of his sentence. Then, with a sigh, the Blue Paladin was asleep. Keith remained where he was, staring down at his slumbering teammate. Lance’s words echoed inside his head.

   “Voltron needs Lover Boy Lance… not the real me.”

   “He’ll be fine,” Coran said, looking up from the screen. “The drug will be out of his system by the time he wakes up.”

   “When will that be?” Hunk asked anxiously.

   Coran consulted the screen before answering. “In a couple of vargas at most. And no need to worry about his health, Number Three will just have a bit of a headache.” He coughed delicately. “Also, he may not remember what happened after the banquet. I wouldn’t recommend telling him.”

   Pidge and Hunk both seemed a little conflicted about that, but Keith nodded emphatically. If Lance found out how much he’d revealed, he would have a conniption.

   Still, there were things he needed to know.

   “Hunk, can I talk to you for a minute?” The Yellow Paladin paused on his way to the door.

   “Sure. What’s up?”

   “It’s about Lance,” Keith said, leading the way to a secluded spot. “While you were gone, he… said some things.”

   Hunk looked worried. “Like what?”

   “Like how he doesn’t actually like flirting? Do you know what that’s about?” Keith tried to look mildly concerned and not at all shaken by what he’d all learned about Lance. He didn’t want Hunk getting too worked up over something that was probably not that big a deal.

   Surprisingly, Hunk relaxed a little. “Oh, that. Lance flirts when he’s nervous or uncomfortable. It’s kind of like a coping mechanism for him. Like, attractive people are intimidating to him, and he feels better knowing whether or not they can handle him being obnoxious.” He shrugged. “Don’t ask me why.”

   “Really?” Keith asked. “That’s weird, even for Lance.”

   “I think he got it from one of his siblings,” Hunk said. “He was super shy when he first got to the Garrison.”

   “Huh. I never would have thought.”

   “Yeah, he’s really gotten past that.”

   “Yeah.” There was a moment of silence.

   “Anything else you wanted to know?”

   “Yeah, actually. Did Lance get good grades at the Garrison?”

   Hunk frowned. “He should have. I mean, he’s definitely smart enough to, and he worked hard on everything. It was the teachers he had a problem with.”

   Keith narrowed his eyes, suspecting where this was going and hating it already. “Iverson?”

   “Iverson,” Hunk confirmed. “Lance was late to class on the first day, and Iverson’s hated him ever since.”

   Keith clenched his fists. “I hate that guy.” He glanced over at the cot, where Lance lay, sound asleep. “Does he still hate immigrants? There were a couple of kids in my Fighter Class sector that he picked on for coming to North America.”

   Hunk blinked. “Immigrants? I thought Iverson hated anybody of colour.”

   “Last I saw of him, he hated anybody new to the continent. Something about being replaced by foreigners?” Keith felt like growling. “He was a jerk to Shiro when Shiro first started at the Garrison. Kept making hints about him going back to Japan.”

   Hunk rubbed his forehead. “That explains a lot, actually. I was wondering why he’d pick on people of colour when he’s not exactly white himself.” He winced. “Lance spoke barely any English when he started. No wonder.”

   “Huh.” Keith thought back. Lance was from Cuba. They spoke Spanish there, right? “Sounds like he and Taylor would have gotten along.”

   “Taylor?” Hunk repeated.

   “Yeah. Short, Latino, didn’t talk a lot?” Keith raised an eyebrow as Hunk shook his head, looking puzzled.

   “I don’t think I met him at all. Sorry, dude.”

   “But… I saw you guys talking a couple of times. You were friends with him!”

   Hunk ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t remember anyone named Taylor,” he repeated. “I think you-” An odd expression flashed across his face.

   “Hunk?” Keith prompted.

   “Sorry, dude,” Hunk said, shaking his head. “If I talked to anyone named Taylor, I don’t remember now.” He smiled a little. “Maybe ask Lance when he’s up. He might know him."

Chapter Text

   It was late. Or rather, it felt late. Keith wasn't really sure what time it was when he ended the training session and decided to call it a night. Everyone else was already in bed (or in Pidge's case, somewhere in the vicinity of a bed), so he had the Castle to himself.

   Keith hummed tunelessly to himself as he made his way down the halls. It had been a mixed-reviews kind of day. He'd gotten in some effective hits, but so had the gladiator. His forearm would be turning colours for days. And he hadn't even reached the level he'd been striving for.

   "And all the world is calm..."

   Keith halted, bayard out and at the ready. What was that?

   "The music playing on for only two..."

   That was music. Earth music. Keith listened hard.

   "And when I'm with you
   So close to feeling alive
   A life goes by
   Romantic dreams will stop..."

   The song continued, the singer just barely audible. Keith could pick out two voices, both male, singing in unison. Other than that, he couldn't tell anything about who they were or what instruments were being played in the background.

   He followed the singing to the launch bay, where he stopped just outside the door. Up close, he could hear what sounded like a miniature orchestra accompanying the singers' voices. It sounded like the instruments and one of the voice were recorded, but Keith didn't recognise the other voice either. Hunk sometimes hummed while he cooked, but he was so quiet for the most part that it was impossible to tell if it was him. The singer didn't have an accent, so he was pretty sure it wasn't Coran. As for Lance and Shiro, he'd never heard either of them sing, so he had no way of knowing what they sounded like.

   There was a brief lull in the music, followed by a new tune. The singer had finished his song and started on another. Keith recognised this one from childhood memories of watching Disney movies with his dad.

   "I may not be brave or strong or smart
   But somewhere in my secret heart,
   I know love will find a way..."

   There was a lot of emotion behind the singing this time, like the singer was echoing Keith's sudden nostalgia.

   Well, now Keith had to know. He opened the door a crack, moving slowly and carefully. Then he leaned forward and peeked into the launch bay. His breath caught.

   The singer sat on Blue's enormous paw, one leg dangling. He was leaning back against the Lion's leg, eyes closed as he sang. Kosmo lounged on the floor by his feet, all four space mice nestled in his fur. They looked like they were enjoying the music coming both from the singer's mouth and from the phone held loosely in his hand.

   It was Lance.

   "I was so afraid, now I realise
   Love is never wrong, and so it never dies
   There's a perfect world shining in your eyes
   And if only they could feel it too
   The happiness I feel with you
   They'd know
   Love will find a way..."

   Keith stared. Lance was good. He kept up with the recording perfectly, hitting all the notes smoothly and clearly. Maybe he made a few mistakes, but to Keith's untrained ear, they weren't noticeable.

   And his voice was softer when he was singing. He clearly wasn't trying to be heard right now, it was just happening. Being loud probably has to do with all the family members he had to talk over, Keith realised. It's a habit. Now that he's alone and not talking to anyone, he's quieter, not even on purpose. The revelation didn't seem that important at the moment.

   Lance's voice brought new meaning to the term "dulcet tones"; it was silvery and smooth, and somehow both light and full at the same time. It was... what was the word? Soulful? That was it. There was so much soul in that voice.

   The last note echoed through the launch bay as Lance finished the song. He sat perfectly still for a few moments, and Keith was surprised to see a tear roll down the Blue Paladin's cheek. He was equally surprised to discover that he wanted to go in there and wipe it away. It must be a friend thing.

   Lance took a deep breath and jumped up, swiping at his cheek. "Well, I think that's enough slow songs for one night," he told the animals briskly. "How about some Shakira?" The mice squeaked and scampered down from their perch on Kosmo's side as the wolf sat up, tail wagging.

   Shakira? Keith wondered. He'd never heard of any Shakira, though apparently Lance's audience had. The mice were actually hopping up and down as Lance scrolled through his phone. "Here we go!" He hit a button.

   "Ladies up in here tonight! No fighting!" The voice exploded from the small orange device and made Keith jump. His heart was pounding as Lance set the phone on Blue's paw and took a few steps away from his Lion.

   "We got the refugees up in here! No fightin', no fightin'!"

   Lance cheered the name along with the recording. "Shakira, Shakira!" Then the music started, and the Blue Paladin began to dance.

   Everything in Keith ground to a halt. His face flamed red, and his jaw dropped. It was one thing to see Lance do a little victory dance after a tough but successful mission. It was another to see Lance completely let loose.

   The motions were fast and brief, each one made easy by Lance's lean, lithe build. His feet moved lightly to the beat as he gyrated, swinging his hips and waving his arms above his head like a flamenco dancer. There was an expression of pure bliss on Lance's face as he moved, eyes closed and mouth turned up in a smile.

   Keith came back into himself as the song ended and Lance sat down abruptly, laughing. That was... Lance had... He couldn't-

   I'm just overtired, he thought, running a hand through his hair. I need sleep. He turned and fled, trying not to think about what he'd just seen. It was going to be a long, sleepless night.

   The next time Keith found Lance singing, the Blue Paladin was standing on the tip of his Lion's nose, holding Platt out over the edge like Rafiki did with Simba, and belting out The Circle of Life.

Chapter Text

   Everyone in the Castle knew about Lance's extensive self-care routine. He'd gotten a lot better at getting up quickly, but it was obvious he still followed his routine religiously.

   So it was extra shocking when, one morning, he completely forgot to do it.

   Keith was up early. He'd woken up hours before his alarm, and after half an hour of unsuccessfully trying to fall back asleep, had opted to sit in the lounge and go through his utility belt. Things kept appearing in the pockets - things like food wrappers and cool rocks - and he made a point of emptying out the unnecessary stuff every couple of weeks.

   He was sitting on the couch, contents of his belt spread out around him, knife in front of him and waiting to be cleaned, when the door slid open behind him. Keith looked up.

   "M'rnin'," Lance mumbled, shuffling in. He yawned and knuckled the sleep from one eye as he trudged over to the couch.

   A bit surprised (and not at all internally blushing at how cute Lance looked when rubbing his eyes like a little kid), Keith swept a pile of energy bar wrappers aside to make room for the Blue Paladin, who made a noise of sleepy acknowledgement and plopped down on the couch.

   A few minutes passed, during which Keith very deliberately kept his eyes on his belt as he worked. Lance didn't say anything, but Keith knew he was watching. He glanced up very quickly before lowering his gaze once again, then stopped and did a double take.

   Lance obviously hadn't done his nightly routine; he still wore his baseball tee and jeans, although he had ditched the sneakers and jacket. His face was bare and lacked the smooth gleam produced by a face mask. Keith could see a dirt smear on his cheek that he kind of wanted to wipe off, and the hint of a shadow under his eyes...

   Realising he was staring, Keith raised his eyes to meet Lance's only to find them closed. The other boy hadn't noticed him staring looking at all. That alone spoke volumes about Lance's mental state.

   Keith must have made a noise, because Lance shifted a little and opened his eyes. "Hmm?"

   "You doing okay?" Keith asked, going for broke.

   Lance passed a hand over his eyes. "Didn't get much sleep," he mumbled. "Thinking 'bout the war and all that's happened lately." He yawned.

   Keith frowned. "So you came here?"

   "Saw you come in," Lance said. "Thought I'd join you. 'S better than tossing and turning all night." He chuckled tiredly. "Better for my hair, anyway."

   Keith felt his expression go sceptical. Judging by how messy Lance's hair was, he'd already spent the night tossing and turning. "If you really want to be here, I guess. I'm not really doing anything, though."

   Lance shrugged, unperturbed. "It's fine. I'll just sit and watch you organise your edgelord stuff."

   Keith sputtered. "Edgelord?"

   "That's you," Lance clarified. "'Cause you're emo and do lotsa hardcore junk. Edgelord." He nodded once and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest like he'd just won a big argument.

   Keith rolled his eyes, but sighed as he returned to his task. "Whatever." Lance smirked in satisfaction, and that was that.

   Now finished with his belt, Keith got up to dump the trash. Then he sat down and began cleaning his dagger. For what felt like a long, peaceful time, the only sounds in the room were of metal being sharpened and shined.

   Then, pausing to rest his fingers, Keith turned to look at Lance. The Blue Paladin's eyes were closed, and he was swaying. As Keith watched, Lance slowly tipped sideways before flopping over. His head landed squarely on Keith's lap.

   If he hadn't been so surprised, Keith would have found it amusing and attractive that Voltron's self-proclaimed sharpshooter had impeccable aim even when unconscious. But he was too surprised for that.

   "U-um, Lance?" No answer. He was out. And shivering. Did Lance get cold more easily when he didn't have enough sleep? Keith had never noticed. He looked around and spotted a blanket lying on the couch to the left of theirs, just within reach. Moving carefully so Lance didn't topple over, he reached for it.

   It took a couple of tries, but he was able to hook a finger in the fabric and tug it back to him. As he tucked it around Lance and moved to get up, the boy's eyes blinked open. Keith froze, staring down at him. But Lance just blinked, unseeing, for a moment before closing his eyes and snuggling closer to Keith.

   Keith pretty much stopped breathing. He stared down at the boy cuddled close to him.

   Asleep, Lance's face was peaceful, the faint bags under his eyes (so that's what the face mask was for) all but gone. There was a cloud of tiny freckles on the bridge of his nose, each dot marginally darker than the skin around it.

   Keith took a shuddery breath. Seeing Lance like this - soft, vulnerable even - did things to his heart. Things he probably should have seen coming.

   Lance was handsome and funny and willing to do anything for a friend. He would have been exactly Keith's type, if not for the fact that he was, well, Lance. Lance who made obnoxiously horrible jokes, and insisted that everything was a competition, and was always so sure he'd win, and who flirted with every girl he laid eyes on. He was cocky and full of himself and-

   "Voltron needs Lover Boy Lance, not the real me."

   What?

   Keith frowned. Lance acted like he had all the confidence in the world. He'd said so while drugged with truth serum. Did that mean he didn't actually think of himself that highly?

   He tried to remember what Lance had all revealed. Cooking with Hunk, Pidge's bad disguises (of course he'd known about Pidge's gender, the stupidly observant idiot), thinking Keith was cool- wait. He'd also said a lot about not being useful.

   Quiznak.

   How had he not realised how much of Lance's arrogance was fake? Lance had been dropping little hints about his insecurities from the start! He'd actually mentioned it during that mission at Beta Traz!

   Keith groaned. I'm such an idiot. In response to the unhappy sound, worry crept into Lance's expression, and he wrapped his arms around Keith's waist, as if trying to comfort him.

   Keith inhaled sharply. He was suddenly filled with the kind of fierce determination he had always only felt in battle. He had to protect this selfless, vulnerable boy at all costs. It didn't matter if the enemy was murderous aliens or painful emotions. He would keep Lance safe. No matter what.

   When Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk entered the lounge a few hours later, they found the Paladins of Water and Fire sound asleep on the couch, wearing matching expressions of oblivious content.

   Lance was curled up half on Keith's lap, a blanket draped over his shoulders and Keith's chest. Keith's cheek rested on Lance's head, and he had his arms wrapped around Lance, like he was shielding him from the world.

Chapter Text

   "What do Jawas have that no other creature in the universe can?"

   Keith squinted at Lance, baffled. They were on their way to a new planet to negotiate an alliance. What did Jawas have to do with anything?

   "Don't respond!" Hunk barked. "It's a trap!" He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, but Lance was already laughing. "Quiznak."

   "What is it?" Pidge asked, apparently missing both Hunk's warning and Lance's expanding grin.

   "Nooo," Hunk moaned.

   "Baby Jawas!" Lance hollered gleefully. "I'd like to see a Wookie have a baby Jawa. Hey, that reminds me. Hunk, you ever cook for a Wookie?"

   "No," Hunk said slowly. Lance nodded sagely.

   "They're very picky. I hear they don't like their meat..." he aimed two finger guns at his best friend, "... Chewie."

   Hunk facepalmed. In the seat next to Keith, Pidge groaned.

   "You know, there's a reason stormtroopers never travel by boat," Lance continued, in a suspiciously conversational tone. "If anyone fell off, he'd sink like a clone."

   Keith made the mistake of snorting at that one. A crap-eating grin replaced Lance's mock-serious expression.

   "We're doomed," Hunk told Pidge solemnly. "We're so doomed."

   "Um, ouch?" Lance commented. He crossed his arms and gave each of the other Paladins a diabolical smirk, making sure Hunk got a double dose.

   Okay, that's kind of hot, Keith admitted to himself. I still want to run screaming, though.

   "A quest has been offered, and I accept," Lance declared. "I won't stop until you admit my Star Wars jokes are Han-s-down the best in the galaxy."

   "Laaance," Pidge moaned.

   Lance shrugged. "Blame Hunk for provoking me. Besides, without jokes, there's nothing to do except... Leia-round and be bored." He elbowed Hunk. "Eh? Eh?"

   "We're sitting," Keith said flatly.

   Lance made a face at him. "Sheesh, tough crowd. I deserve a Rey-se."

   "I blame you," Pidge hissed at Keith.

   "I blame both of you," Hunk interjected.

   "What's the internal temperature of a Tauntaun?" Lance yelled. "Lukewarm!"

   "Shiiirooo!"

   "Alright, we're finished with the Star Wars jokes," Shiro called from the front seat. His words brought silence to the pod. For a few seconds.

   "Finished?" Lance repeated. "Finn-ished?" His obedient expression wavered.

   "Oh no," Hunk moaned.

   "Well," Lance said loudly and deliberately, a grin spreading across his narrow face. "Luke's like we're not done just yet."

   "LANCE."

   Gaeroz reminded Keith of the desert before a sandstorm.

   The ground was orange, the sun red in a beige sky. The trees had dark green bark and off-white leaves.

   As for the people, the Gaerozians resembled a cross between a peanut and a Puigian. They were roughly human-sized, with faintly patterned yellow skin, six-fingered hands, and pointed, mobile ears. Each Gaerozian's torso was peanut-shaped, and they had sturdy limbs, four large eyes, and a round face crowned with thick spines instead of hair.

   They weren't fighters, Allura had said, but their artisan skills, and their connections to many planets, would be helpful in freeing the universe.

   Standing in front of the pod, looking out over a complex of market stalls and mud-walled apartments, Keith could believe it. The streets weren't as busy or full of diversity as the space mall, but it was clear that Gaerozian wares were highly in demand.

   "It's like a more crowded, brighter-coloured Mos Eisley," Lance remarked. He had Star Wars on the brain, apparently.

   "No more Star Wars," Pidge begged.

   Surprisingly, Lance rubbed his neck sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. It's an uncle thing." He paused. "I miss the kids sometimes."

   "You'll see them again," Keith said confidently. Lance blinked at him, startled. Keith couldn't blame him. He was trying his best to be discreet, but handling people wasn't his forte. Keeping Lance from feeling hurt without Lance knowing he was doing so was hard.

   "We'll go back to Earth as soon as Zarkon is defeated," Shiro agreed, coming up. He put a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder. Lance smiled gratefully at him, then over at Keith. Then he turned and walked over to Coran, who was looking at a map of the city.

   Keith watched him go. A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and he turned to find Shiro giving him an unreadable look. "What?"

   "I'm proud of you," Shiro said quietly.

   Keith blinked. "Why?"

   Shiro just smiled at him mysteriously and walked away.

   Walking through Qidr, Keith didn't know where to look first. The stall selling fabric woven from stones? The fried vegetable vendor? Lance's face as he caught sight of something shiny?

   Nope. Not happening. He turned away.

   "Feel free to look around," Coran said, stopping in an open spot. "Number Two and I will be at the city hall if you need to find us."

   A pause.

   "Which one of us is that?" Shiro asked.

   Coran looked him dead in the eye. "You."

   "Wait, does that mean I'm the tallest?" Hunk exclaimed while Shiro stared blankly at the ground. "Whoo! I'm Number One!" He high-fived Pidge.

   "Right," Shiro said, snapping out of it. "Come get us if there are any problems." He looked pointedly at Keith. "Try not to start anything."

   Keith crossed his arms and looked away.

   "This way," Coran told Shiro, and the two left.

   The second Shiro's floof disappeared from view, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk cheered, "GO LOOSE!" and split, all heading in different directions. Keith looked around in startled confusion. Then, since he'd kind of sworn himself into this, he followed Lance.

   The Blue Paladin, naturally, found a fountain right off the bat and started wandering around the shops encircling the decoration. Keith hesitated. Should he go talk to Lance? He didn't seem to need support right now. In fact, he looked genuinely happy.

   I want to hang out with him. Wait, that's still a friend thing, right? Not weird? Why is knowing people so complicated? Keith took a deep breath and started forward. He was doing it. He was initiating a conversation. He was-

   Wait, was that a doll in Paladin armour?

   Keith stopped at the stall. There were a variety of dolls, all of them realistic down to the skin texture, but what caught his eye was a set of five dolls. They looked like miniature versions of him and his friends. What the quiznak? On one hand, they were so accurate it was creepy, but on the other, they were the most perfect toys he'd ever seen. He picked up the Keith doll and tugged gently on its arm. The arm moved.

   "They're designed to move just like the Paladins themselves," came a crumbly voice from behind the counter. Keith looked up to find the vendor watching him intently.

   "Uh... really?" He moved the toy's arms. They didn't bend farther than what would be normal for a human. "That's... Wow." These guys are insanely good. "How much do you want for them?"

   "Sorry," the vendor said apologetically. "We don't accept GACs. Trade only." Keith frowned. He was pretty sure he didn't have anything of value. Not expecting much, he felt around in his belt pockets. His fingers found a cold, smooth surface. What's this?

   Keith pulled it out. The mystery object was a rock he'd found on another planet. It was bright pink, shiny, and shaped like the world's most perfect mushroom. He didn't really want to part with it, but the dolls. He held it out reluctantly. "I, uh, have this?"

   The vendor took the rock and examined it. "Hmmm. I think this'll do." He gestured at the dolls. "They're all yours." Keith scooped up the figurines and carefully tucked them into his belt pockets. He held the Lance doll for a moment, before taking a closer look at the face. Huh. They forgot his freckles. That was strange, since the rest of the dolls were accurate down to the markings on Shiro's prosthetic arm. It's probably nothing. He pocketed the doll and turned to scan the crowd for Lance.

   While Keith had been shopping, Lance had browsed his way past each shop in the area. Finding nothing, he turned and started back through the open space surrounding the fountain. Surrounded by the shorter-legged Gaerozians, he wasn't hard to spot. Keith turned and looked over the vendor's wares one more time, just to admire the intricate dolls, then turned to follow Lance.

   "Wait!"

   Lance stopped and turned, surprise evident on his face. "Yeah?"

   The speaker, a little girl with short spines came to a halt in front of him, panting. She caught her breath and looked up at him, four eyes wide. "You're... You're the Blue Paladin!"

   Lance smiled and ran a hand through his hair. A tinge of irritation crept into Keith's otherwise good mood. Showing off for the ladies again. Even if they are too young for him. "Yes I am," Lance said cheerfully. "And you must be a princess visiting the market!"

   The little girl looked down at her outfit bashfully. "This isn't a princess dress."

   "Ah, so you're in disguise so nobody takes you prisoner!" Lance said, snapping his fingers. He nodded approvingly. "Genius."

   The little girl giggled.

   Lance leaned forward conspiratorially. "What is your name, Pri- Person Who Is Definitely Not A Princess?"

   The little girl was beaming now. "I'm Qrun." She dipped her head, suddenly shy again. "You're my hero."

   Lance's eyes went just a tiny bit softer. Not that Keith was watching. "Aw, thanks."

   "I mean," the girl continued hurriedly, "all of Voltron is amazing, but you're my favourite Paladin. You freed an entire planet from a mind-stealing monster! Oh, and when you saved the Green Paladin's life when you were almost dead, that was so cool!"

   Lance blinked. "How...?"

   "Videos," Qrun explained.

   Lance gasped dramatically. "The princess knows all!"

   Qrun's shy smile turned into another giggle. "I'm not a princess."

   "Of course not." Lance winked exaggeratedly. Keith huffed in amusement at that.

   "Princesses are wimpy anyway," a little boy announced, materialising behind Qrun. He was followed by two other Gaerozian children, all of whom stared at Lance with worshipful eyes.

   Lance put a hand on his hip and tilted his head. "Oh, but they're not. Take Princess Allura. She could take down Zarkon all by herself."

   "So why doesn't she?" the tallest child challenged, crossing her arms.

   Lance knelt and gestured for the kids to come closer. "Even princesses need help when there are thousands of enemies to face," he said in a conspirational tone. "Do you know any Earth legends?"

   The children exchanged confused looks, before chorusing, "No?"

"Well, princesses are a big part of our culture," Lance began. He got down on his knees, like he was preparing to tell a story. The kids mimicked him, leaning forward. "One princess defended her home from invaders with nothing but a frying pan and her hair." He tugged at a tuft of his own hair as if to demonstrate.

"Really?" the first boy whispered.

   Lance nodded. "Uh huh. Another princess broke herself and two other people out of an evil sorcerer's dungeon and led the way in taking him down."

   "What's a sorcerer?" the fourth and smallest child asked.

   Lance thought about that for a couple of seconds. "Do you know what the Galra druids are?" he asked finally.

   "Yes," the kids said together.

   "It's like one of those."

   The children went "Ooooooh" in unison. If they'd had any doubt about the toughness of princesses, it was gone now.

   "And we can't forget the princess who could hit any target with her bow and arrow," Lance added. "She's one of my favourites."

   "Like you with your blaster?" Qrun asked. That was fair. From what Keith had seen, Lance never missed.

   "I heard you took like a squillion impossible shots when you broke the engineer Slav out of Beta Traz," the tall girl shared. "Like that, right?"

   Lance rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks darkening. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

   "I wanna be a princess when I grow up," the first boy announced, putting both hands on his hips and staring up at the sky.

   "You can't be a princess, Argir!" the smallest child protested. "You're male!"

   "Hey, you don't have to be a girl to be a princess," Lance soothed, resting a hand on Argir's shoulder as the little boy opened his mouth to fire back a retort. "Don't let anyone tell you what to be." He looked around the small group, making sure to meet each child's eyes. "You get to choose."

   "Yeah!" Argir said defiantly. "I'm going to be a princess, just like the Blue Paladin!"

   Keith swore Lance's face went pinker, before the Blue Paladin chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Call me Lance." He winked. "All my friends do."

   "Really?"

   "Wow, thanks!"

   "Princess Lance is the best."

   "I dunno," Lance said thoughtfully, "you guys are pretty awesome..."

   "This is the best day of my life," the smallest child whispered.

   "What's it like being a Paladin?" the tall girl asked, abruptly changing the subject.

   Lance tilted his head in thought. "Well, we spend a lot of time working. The armour's pretty cool, though, so it's not a complete bore. And the Lions are insanely awesome."

   "How is fighting Galra boring?" Argir asked sceptically.

   "Well, actually, fighting the Galra is dangerous and scary," Lance explained. "It's really hard, too. Getting ready to fight the Galra is when it gets kinda dull. Lots of paperwork and talking. YAWN." He pretended to nod off, and Keith smiled as the kids giggled and poked him awake.

   "I bet you'll defeat the emperor Zarkon soon!" the smallest child announced.

   "Yeah," Lance agreed, nodding. "We need help, though. That's part of why we're here."

   "What's the other part?" Qrun wanted to know.

   "Well, it's partly to check out the amazing stuff here," Lance began. He grinned. "And partly to meet a bunch of kick-butt princesses. Mission accomplished!" He tapped Qrun's nose playfully, then ruffled Argir's spines and winked.

   All four kids were beaming. The tall girl started to say something, then stopped when what sounded like a drawn-out cowbell rang out. "Gotta go," she said instead.

   The kids got up and melted into the crowd, waving and calling goodbyes over their shoulders. "Bye, Princess Lance!"

   "Later, fellow princesses!" Lance called, getting up and waving. When the quartet was out of sight, he sighed and shook his head fondly, and started to walk away.

   "Wait!" Qrun shouted, running back to the Blue Paladin. As Lance turned, she stopped and held out both hands. "I have something for you!"

   "Wow." Lance's surprised tone matched his face. "Princess, you shouldn't have."

   "Meeting you is the best thing that happened to me," Qrun said breathlessly.

   Lance reached for whatever it was the little girl held, then stopped. "I don't have anything to give you in return. Uh, unless you like kind of used socks?"

   Qrun pressed the object into his hands. "It's a gift." She scuffed the dirt with her toe. "I... I just wanted to say thank you for protecting the universe."

   "Thank you," Lance said softly, looking up from the thing he held. "This is beautiful." He tucked it into his pocket and patted it gently. Then he turned to Qrun. "Can I give you a hug?" The little girl nodded. Lance knelt and wrapped his arms around her. Something twinged in Keith's gut as Qrun's little arms encircled the Blue Paladin's neck. Then the hug was over. Lance started to get to his feet. "Bye, your majesty."

   Qrun gave him a quick peck on the cheek and sprinted off, calling a hurried "Bye!" over her shoulder. Lance waved, a soft smile on his face as he straightened. The twinge in Keith's gut became a little sword stabbing something in his chest repeatedly. He walked over to join Lance, trying not to let his sudden irritation show.

   "Hey."

   Lance jumped and turned to face him. "Hey."

   Keith let his gaze wander across the stalls. "Get anything in the market?"

   "Uh, kind of." Lance pulled the gift out of his pocket, and Keith quickly returned his eyes to the boy next to him. It was a miniature Lion carved out of some weird blue stone. The quality wasn't as high as the wares of the doll stand, but it was still way better than a human kid could had done. "The cutest little girl gave me a present. You?"

   Keith's hand brushed one of his belt pockets. "I found some to- figurines."

   Lance nodded. "Cool." They looked out over the market for a minute. Keith wasn't sure if this was an awkward silence or a comfortable silence. He didn't feel comfortable.

   "I saw you with those kids," he offered. "You're good with them."

   "There are lots of kids in the McClain family," Lance said, smiling absently. "I babysit them a lot. Or, I used to. Rachel's probably taken my place now." His face fell. "I missed her birthday..."

   And nope, that was not happening, not on Keith's watch. "I don't think she'll be that upset, especially since you'll be returning a hero."

   Lance gave him an unreadable look."Thanks, Keith." Another silence. "So, uh, who'll you be going home to?"

   Keith frowned at the nearest building. "Well, my dad died years ago, and I never met my mom, so..."

   Lance put both hands on his hips. "Okay, there is no way you're going back to that shack on your own."

   "Where else am I going to go?" Keith demanded.

   "Come home with me," Lance offered. "My family would adopt the heck out of you."

   Keith blinked. His face felt hot for some reason, and the stabby feeling in his chest turned into a barrel rolling around in his rib cage. "Wh- Did you just..."

   "Or Hunk," Lance said hurriedly, suddenly sounding close to panicking. "Hunk's moms would love to have you. Or Shiro could take you to live with him. Or... well, anyone on the team would gladly do it."

   The barrel vanished. Keith looked away. "O-oh."

   They stood in silence for what felt like forever - definitely an awkward silence now - before Keith couldn't take it anymore.

   "Maybe we should-" he began, just as Lance blurted, "So, do you think-"

   "Uh, you first," Keith said quickly. Except Lance said the same thing at the same time. They stared at each other. "No, seriously," they said in unison. "You first." Another pause. "Stop that." This was getting out of hand. "Stop!" Another pause, while they stared at each other in profound confusion. "WHAT."

   Pidge saved the day by running up in what was somehow an annoyed panic. "Guys! I need your help- What are you doing?"

   "Nothing!" Keith and Lance answered at the same time, before eyeing each other anxiously.

   Pidge didn't look convinced. "O-kaaaay..." Her lips quirked up in an odd smile before she adjusted her glasses and continued. "Anyway, Hunk got his head stuck in a wall, and I can't get him out."

   Keith frowned, puzzled. "How did he..." he began.

   Lance, thankfully, didn't say the same thing. He merely nodded grimly. "Let's go."

   Pidge led the boys to where Hunk was practically hugging the wall of a building, bent a little to accommodate his head, which had somehow gotten stuck on the other side of a small window. He was humming to himself when Pidge stopped next to him and announced, "I found them."

   Hunk jumped. Then he sighed with relief. "Thank gosh. Uh, can you get me out?" His voice was muffled by the wall.

   "We got you, buddy," Lance said, patting his shoulder. He turned to the others. "Pidge, go around to the the other side and push. Make sure his ears don't get folded forward or something. Keith, take that arm. I got the other."

   "This has happened before?" Keith asked, grabbing his assigned limb.

   "More than you'd think," Lance said matter-of-factly. Then, "Not the hand, grab the shoulder."

   "Remember last time, when you tried to follow that cat into the old shed through a hole in the wall?" Hunk commented cheerfully. "And you got jammed into the hole and couldn't get loose?"

   Lance huffed. "In my defence, I didn't know the door wasn't locked."

   "I heard about that!" Pidge exclaimed. Her face scrunched up. "Wait, that was you? But... how? You're skinnier than Matt."

   "I can see it." Keith said without thinking.

   Pidge turned and looked at him funny. "What?"

   Keith realised he probably shouldn't have said anything, but it was too late to take the words back. "His shoulders," he explained lamely. "They're broad enough to get stuck if he's not careful."

   "I didn't know you paid that much attention, Keith." Even through the wall, you could hear the smirk in Hunk's voice.

   Keith's face heated up. "I..."

   "Are we going to get Hunk unstuck, or are we going to waste time talking about my godlike bod?" Lance complained. It could have been the Gaerozian sun shining on him funny, but Keith thought his cheeks were a little pink as well. Not a bad look for him.

   Pidge scoffed as she found a door and went through to the side Hunk's face was on. "Pffft. God of twigs, maybe."

   "Hey!"

   Hunk fidgeted uncomfortably. "Uh, guys, my neck's getting sore," he offered.

   "Right," Lance said quickly. "Keith, brace yourself. Pidge, get ready to push. Three... two... one!"

   The following "OOOF!" came from three throats as Hunk's head popped out of the window and the husky boy fell backward, knocking both Lance and Keith down along with him. They landed in a pile. Keith wasn't sure who was on the bottom, and who was on top, only that he was in the middle and he was not made to be a pillow.

   Hunk laughed delightedly from somewhere around Keith's kneecaps. "Ha! Freedom! Yes!"

   "You're welcome," Pidge said drily. Keith managed to lift his head enough to see that the Green Paladin was hanging out of the window from the shoulders up, having pushed so hard that she'd followed Hunk's head through the window.

   "Oh." Hunk sounded sheepish. "Thanks."

   "No problem, buddy," Lance returned. Something moved under Keith's arm, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Now can whoever's on me get off? My lap's getting crushed."

   "Sorry." Hunk rolled out of the pile, nearly flattening Keith's foot. The Red Paladin took a deep breath, enjoying the sensation of not being squashed.

   "And, uh, can you get your elbow out of my face?" Hands shoved at Keith's arm, and, missing, jabbed him in the stomach instead.

   "Ow!" Keith growled.

   Lance paused. "Wh-"

   It was then that Keith realised he was lying on his back across Lance's torso. He sat up hurriedly, just as Lance got the elbow out of his face and jerked himself upright. "Wait, I'm-" Sitting on Lance's lap. They stared at each other, faces inches apart. The click of a shutter came from Pidge's general direction.

   Then Keith came back to himself and threw himself backward. "GAH!"

   At the same time, Lance shoved him away and tried to scoot backward, shrieking. "GETOFFGETOFFGETOFFOHDIOSNOMEREGISTRÉPARAESTOMIENAMORADOESTÁSENTADOENMIREGAZOOHGOD..."

   Hunk and Pidge watched impassively as the two Paladins scrambled to separate themselves. Hunk turned to Pidge. "Can I see the picture?"

   "Maybe later."

   Shiro turned on the speaker and leaned close to the mic. "You guys are quiet. What's going on?"

   From the back of the pod, Pidge didn't look up from her phone as she answered. "Nothing."

   "Keith?" Shiro said sceptically.

   "Nothing's going on," Keith said distractedly. "Everything's normal. NORMAL."

   "Uhhh..."

   "He's fine," Pidge piped up, rolling her eyes. "There was an unexpected and completely accidental group hug."

   Shiro was apparently satisfied with that. "Alright," he said resignedly, and turned off the speaker.

   The pod fell silent again. To Keith, however, that only raised the volume of the storm inside his head. What was that. What the QUIZNAK was that. I was on his lap. I was sitting on his lap. ON HIS LAP. Was that a bonding moment? WHAT IS GOING ON? Okay, calm down. This is normal, and I'm fine. I'm fine.

   He really needed to get this sorted out.

Chapter Text

   The bridge was dark and silent when Lance crept into the room. He looked around, just to be sure, but didn't see anyone.

   Good. He didn't want anyone around to see this.

   He walked over to Coran's station, moving quieter than was probably necessary, and opened a screen. A push of the holographic button, and he was set.

   "Hey from space." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "Lance here. How are you guys?" There was no answer, not that he'd been expecting one.

   "Have you lost your first tooth yet, Silvio? I'm so proud of you, bud! You and Nadia are getting so big! I wish I could be there to see it. Your tio could teach you so much."

   He chuckled. "But then your mamá would kill me. She doesn't want you risking your necks like me."

   He paused, remembering his sister-in-law's warnings from long ago. Thread real needles, not death-traps, she'd said. Put all this locura imprudente behind you and be happy on the farm. Well, those risks had landed him on Team Voltron, so he wasn't sure he regretted not listening.

   "Hey, it's May fourteenth today, right? Happy birthday, Abuela! Well wishes and a birthday pinch from space! I can't see you right now, but ay, you're looking great!" Another pause. "Hunk still wants the family recipe for Torticas de Moron, by the way. I haven't told him yet, don't worry." He smiled. "He only gets the recipe when you and Mamá aren't around to make them anymore. I won't forget." It was getting hard to say no though, because he sure as heck wasn't getting any cookies from his family in Cuba.

   "We're doing well out here. Pidge is working on a new robot. She's calling it Wall-E, 'cause she's making it out of old parts. Remember when we watched Wall-E?" He ran a hand through his hair, smiling at the memory. "And Marco choked on his popcorn when EVE did the Rubix Cube, and we spent like ten minutes getting him to breathe properly? And then Veronica got mad because we missed a good part? Heh. Good times."

   Okay, enough nostalgia. Back to the present. "Hunk's doing good. He's still pining over Shay, which is both sweet and exasperating, because dude, you couldn't be more obvious about it if you tried. And he's been working on perfecting his recipes..." He trailed off. He'd said this already. "He's amazing, but you're still the best cook in the history of the universe, Mamá." He missed her food, even when it wasn't her best work. It was just one of the many things he wished he could have back.

   Moving on! "Keith's being his usual grumpy self. He's still hot as heck, though. It's vastly unfair. I want to hate him, but then he goes and makes the best face, or beats up some robot in battle, or does something super dangerous and cool in Red, and it's like," he threw his hands up in mock defeat, "AAAAGH why are you so good at everything?"

   Okay, that was enough glorifying his rival. "Um, anyway, Shiro's still Space Dad to the max." He couldn't help but grin at the screen. "I came up with this wicked awesome idea to bring down a fighter we were chasing, and he said yes, and IT WORKED. Are you proud of me? Allura and Coran were. Both of them are doing good too. I wish you could meet Coran, hermano. You two would get along so well." It was true. Luis was every bit as eccentric and caring as the older Altean. Coran reminded Lance of him so much it sometimes hurt.

   He shook his head. "Oh, and Ver," he said quickly, hoping his voice didn't sound as rough as it felt. "Allura's still single." Wink, wink. "I'm pretty sure she's not into guys, so you might be in luck. Better sharpen your courting skills, though. She doesn't like flirts." He paused, then added, "Take it from me. De nada, by the way."

   "And no, I haven't come out to my crush yet. I'm nervous, okay? What if I get rejected? Do you know how awkward that would be? I mean, we see each other all day, every day. I actually think we're starting to click. Confessing and getting turned down would throw it all off! I can't risk that, not now! Also, no, I'm not telling you who it is. You don't get to tease me until after I've asked them out."

   "I just... I miss you guys so much. If there were someone who could take my place on the team right now, I'd be home in a heartbeat. I can't tell you how much I want to be there with you. I can't..." He cleared his throat as his voice cracked again, and put on a smile. "But the universe needs Lancey-Lance to keep it safe from the Evil Purple Space Furries, so I guess that'll have to wait for now. I'll be home soon, I promise. Until then, adios, familia, los amo, I promise I'll be careful and stay safe."

   He did the peace out gesture at the screen. "Sincerely, me."

   There was absolute silence. Lance stared at the screen, eyes filling with unwanted tears. It was stupid. He wasn't even looking at the pictures from his phone, just a recording camera. A camera that held the video diary he'd kept every day since they'd arrived on Arus. A camera that held months of unseen letters to his family, who probably never would see him again.

   Lance took a deep, shuddery breath and wiped the tears from his face. He'd be okay. He always made it out in the end, even if it wasn't the way he'd planned. This was temporary, after all.

   Still sniffling a little, he turned off Coran's console and left. No one would know. He'd done too good a job of keeping his one-sided video calls a secret.

   The door slid shut, and the bridge fell silent once more. Then, moving slowly and cautiously, Keith crawled out from behind Pidge's seat where he'd fallen asleep, and stood up. He stared at the door, mind whirling.

   This changed everything.

Chapter Text

   Pidge threw her arms up in disgust. "It's impossible!"

   "Operation Fire and Ice?" Hunk asked sympathetically.

   Pidge groaned. "Yes." She waved a hand at her laptop. "Just look at them. They're pining so hard, they can't see anything through all the quiznaking trees!"

   "No swearing at the table," Shiro said tiredly, sitting down in his spot. He took a sip of Hunk's latest attempt at quality space coffee. "What are you looking at that's got you so riled up?"

   Hunk and Pidge looked at each other. "Lance and Keith," they chorused.

   Shiro paused mid-sip, staring blankly at them over the rim of his cup. Then he set the space coffee down emphatically on the table. "They are so oblivious, right?"

   "Right!" Hunk agreed. "We've been trying to get them together for ages!"

   "Ever since Lance recognised Keith from fifty yards away at the Garrison," Pidge added. "Longer for Hunk."

   "Same here," Shiro admitted. The other Paladins laughed delightedly.

   "You got them to hang out at the space mall, didn't you," Pidge accused, grinning.

   Shiro raised his hands in a what-can-I-say gesture. "Guilty as charged."

   "Genius," Hunk said admiringly. "That was basically their first date. Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. You were friends with Keith before the Kerberos mission, right? Did he ever mention anybody named Taylor?"

   Shiro ran a hand through the white section of his hair, smiling fondly. "Yeah. He had a thing for that kid. I never met him, though. Were there any Taylors in your class?"

   "Nope," Hunk said triumphantly. "Not officially, anyway." Beside him, Pidge's eyes widened as she figured it out.

   "Oh my gosh."

   "The Tailor was Lance's nickname back at the Garrison," Hunk explained. "He told everyone it was because of how he-"

   "Threads the needle," Pidge finished with him. The Yellow and Green Paladins grinned at each other.

   Shiro thought about it for a second, then chuckled. "That explains a lot. Keith talked a lot about someone named Taylor, but he was always trying to get Lance's attention." He looked curiously at Hunk. "Why'd you ask?"

   Hunk fiddled with his spork. "Keith asked about Taylor the night Lance got truth-drugged," he revealed. "He wanted to know if Lance and Taylor got along."

   Pidge snorted. "Is Keith blind? Lance can't have changed that much."

   "I can show you pictures," Hunk offered.

   "Pictures?" Allura repeated, entering the dining room in time for that last comment. "Of what?"

   "We were just talking about Keith and Lance," Shiro explained, ignoring the frantic head-shaking and abort signals from Pidge and Hunk.

   To the younger Paladins' surprise, Allura sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "I wish those two would just admit their feelings for each other." She looked over Pidge's shoulder at the files displayed on the laptop. "This is... thorough. Oh, there's the elevator incident! A pity it didn't work."

   There was a moment of silence. "That was you?" Shiro said slowly.

   "The elevator malfunction?" Coran said, coming in. "I believe that was my idea. Putting Number Three and Number Four into a risque situation like that? I only wish they'd taken advantage of it."

   Another silence.

   "What... OH." Hunk's face scrunched up in horror "OH. Coran, no."

   "I'm just a kid!" Pidge squawked, clapping both hands over her ears.

   Shiro and Allura aimed matching alarmed looks at Coran, who twirled his moustache innocently. "What? Wouldn't that kind of interaction cement their relationship?"

   "Please tell me you mean bonding," Allura said hopefully. "Telling each other how they feel?"

   Coran smiled. "Something along those lines."

   "LA LA LA CAN'T HEAR YOU," Hunk yelled. "LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

   Shiro shuddered. "We just want Keith and Lance to acknowledge their feelings for each other. Not... that."

   "Understood." Coran said, nodding. "No more extremes. Can do." He joined Allura in going through Pidge's collection of pictures, videos, and audio files. "You've been busy. Might I make a few suggestions?"

   Pidge removed her hands from her ears and grinned. "Welcome to Operation Fire and Ice. Here's the plan so far."

Chapter Text

   Poof.

   "Gah!" Pidge jumped so hard she fell off her chair. "Keith, control your wolf!" she complained as Kosmo sauntered past, tail wagging idly, and disappeared again.

   "I don't control him any more than Coran controls the mice," Keith protested. He looked over at Coran, who was pouting. "Uh. Sorry."

   Pidge sighed and picked herself up off the floor. "Whatever. Hey, where are Hunk and Lance?"

   At that moment, the door slid open, and the Blue and Yellow Paladins entered the kitchen, followed by Shiro and Allura. Keith blinked. Both boys were singed, streaked with oil, and wearing overalls and goggles.

   "Holy quiznak," Pidge exclaimed, causing Coran to wince again. "What happened to you guys?"

   Hunk rubbed his nose sheepishly, smearing the oil on his face more. "We had a couple of problems in the workshop," he admitted, referring to the section of the Lion hangar where he did mechanic work.

   "I didn't think welding those parts was a good idea," Lance muttered. His eyes were hidden by the blackened goggle lenses, but Keith was pretty sure the Blue Paladin's expression was disgruntled.

   "So that's why there are black footprints leading to the kitchen," Shiro said, sounding faintly amused.

   "Quiznak," Coran muttered.

   "I think the two of you should save Coran the trouble of cleaning up," Shiro told Lance and Hunk. "After you've gotten yourselves clean, anyway."

   Hunk groaned. "No lunch first?" Beside him, Lance patted his shoulder consolingly. Keith thought they looked like a couple of mad scientists after an exploded experiment, with their messy hair and blackened faces.

   "It wouldn't be sanitary to eat in that state," Allura said sternly. "I don't want any of you sick. What if the Galra attack while we are unable to form Voltron?"

   "Go wash up," Shiro added. "You can eat after the Castle is soot-free."

   "Yes, Space Dad," Lance said glumly. He pushed the goggles up onto his forehead. Keith's stomach lurched, trying to decide if the look was hot (tousled hair, goggles on forehead, teeth gleaming even whiter in his oil-streaked face) or cute (clean circles around his eyes, slightly pouty expression, hands jammed in his pockets). Actually, no, that wasn't what was going on. He just was surprised that Lance would help Hunk out with his mechanic stuff.

   "Space Dad?" Shiro repeated, but the door had already slid shut on the younger Paladins' retreating backs.

   "That's you," Keith said, feeling vaguely like he was quoting someone.

   Shiro looked confused. "I thought I was more of a space older brother, or maybe an uncle."

   "That's Coran," Pidge corrected. "You're not quirky enough for uncle."

   "I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered," Coran told Allura.

   She laughed. "I'm sure it was a compliment."

   "From Pidge?" Keith mumbled.

   The Green Paladin pointed an accusing finger at him. "I can hear you, you know."

   Keith shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less true."

   Pidge squinted menacingly at him. Her fingers slipped discreetly into her pocket and brushed the device inside. "You're gonna regret crossing me, Kogane."

   "I'm terrified," Keith said flatly. He knew it was a bad idea to anger the girl, but he'd never been one to shy away from danger.

   "Alright, settle down," Shiro started. His words were lost as Kosmo appeared back into the room, landing nimbly on the table before poofing away again. When the air cleared, however, there was still someone lying on the table.

   "What the-" Shiro cut himself off. "Lance?"

   Lance rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbows, expression stunned and confused. "Wha?" His face flushed bright red as he realised where he was. "KOSMO!"

   Keith felt like his face was on fire. Lance had removed his shirt and goggles, and had apparently been in the process of removing his overalls as well, because the bib and suspenders were scrunched up under his ribcage. His hair stuck up even more than before, and the oil on his face was smeared. And he was lying on the table in an unintentional model pose.

   "Lance?" Shiro repeated. Beside him, Pidge appeared to be choking on something.

   "It's not my fault!" Lance said quickly. "I was just about to take a shower like you said, and Kosmo poofed me!" He sat up and pulled the suspenders back up over his shoulders, still bright red.

   "Weird," Pidge commented. Her lips twitched.

   "Regardless of how you wound up on the table, I'd suggest you get off," Allura said sternly. She looked like she was trying to hold herself back from something. It was intimidating enough that Lance slid off the furniture and fled, still blushing furiously.

   "That was... unexpected," Shiro said finally. He glanced at Keith. "Are you okay?"

   Keith stared at him. "I... I have to go." He forced himself to stride calmly out the door. Then, as soon as it closed behind him, he took off. Sadly, it was impossible to outrun the heat pounding in his face. That was something he should not have seen.

   It wasn't a one-time thing. A few days later, Keith was enjoying some alone time in the lounge when Kosmo teleported onto the couch and away again, leaving him with a lapful of confused and embarrassed Lance.

   When Keith went for a walk on the latest planet they'd stopped on, he found Lance stuck up a tree and had to rescue him. Lance had apparently been playing video games when Kosmo grabbed him by the jacket hood and teleported him into the tree.

   And a day after that, Keith exited the elevator just as Kosmo dropped Lance in front of the door. They crashed into each other hard. "That wolf is insane," Lance muttered, picking himself up off the ground and then offering Keith a hand.

   "He's just playing," Keith disagreed, but he wondered.

   After a week or so of embarrassing incidents during which Kosmo abducted Lance and deposited him near (or on) Keith, things came to a climax.

   The Paladins had just finished another training session, and were enjoying the water packets Coran had handed out. Keith walked back and forth as he drank his, letting the repetitive motion wind him down.

   "You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Lance commented from where he leaned against the wall.

   Keith avoided looking at him. "I'm not doing anything."

   "Except pacing," Lance pointed out. He took a sip of water before continuing. "I get that you need to let out energy, but you're making me dizzy."

   "Well, sorry for inconveniencing you," Keith snapped.

   Pidge and Hunk exchanged a look. Hunk nodded subtly.

   A second later, there was a telltale poof. Keith didn't have time to register the sound before Lance disappeared in a puff of smoke. And then suddenly, he was right there.

   "Whoa!" The Blue Paladin lost his balance and fell backward. Keith's arms shot out as if they had a mind of his own, and suddenly he was the only thing keeping Lance from hitting the ground.

   There was a moment of silence while Keith stared down at the boy staring up at him, entranced.

   "OOOOOOOOOOOOOH," Hunk, Pidge, and, surprisingly, Coran chorused.

   Keith, startled, let go of Lance. Lance yelped and toppled backward. At the distressed sound, Keith lunged forward automatically. His arms wrapped around Lance's torso and tightened, pulling the taller boy close to Keith's chest. At the sudden contact, both Paladins froze.

   The entire Castle seemed to go silent. Keith was finding it hard to breath. Their faces were inches apart, Lance's upper half literally cradled in his arms. In a moment of numbness, he wondered if his armour was enough to keep Lance from noticing that his pulse had sped up.

   Then, just as suddenly, whatever trance they'd been caught in vanished. Keith quickly released Lance, who stumbled a little as he regained his balance. "Uh, sorry about that."

   "It's fine," Lance said, just as awkwardly. "But something is seriously wrong with your space wolf."

   "Maybe he's trying to tell you something," Allura suggested. "Animals are very good at reading people. Perhaps he wants you to be friends?"

   "But we are!" Keith protested, just as Lance piped up with, "We already were friends!"

   "Maybe something else, then," Hunk offered.

   Keith and Lance exchanged a confused look. "Like what?" Lance asked.

   Pidge slapped her forehead. "Gee, I dunno," she said sarcastically. "Maybe he thinks you should be sparring partners."

   "That's a good idea," Lance mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not the best at hand-to-hand." He turned to Keith. "If you're up to it, obviously."

   Keith crossed his arms over his chest, maybe to hide how hard his heart was pounding in his chest. "I'm more concerned about beating you too badly."

   "In your dreams, Mullet!"

   "You keep telling yourself that."

   "Are you saying I'm-"

   As the two bickered, Shiro looked over at Pidge. "Are you going to stop telling Kosmo to push them around now?"

   Pidge shrugged. "I'll stop signalling him, but I can't guarantee he'll stop playing matchmaker on his own." She grinned. "I'm pretty sure he likes kidnapping Lance."

   "Who knew Kosmo was into romance?" Hunk said wonderingly.

   "I thought Pidge had too easy a time training him," Coran remarked.

   Allura smiled. "Regardless, I think it's working." She patted the Green Paladin on the back. "They will spend a lot more time together now. Good work, Paladins."

   "No problem, Princess," Pidge said, puffing out her chest in a hilariously accurate Lance impression.

   Shiro held out his hand. "I'll still need the whistle, Pidge."

   "Technically, it's not a whistle," Pidge corrected. "It's a bleeper that sets off the whistle I hid in his ear."

   Shiro didn't waver. "Pidge."

   Pidge sighed. "Alright, alright," she groaned, rummaging in her pockets. Shiro accepted the little device.

   "Alright, now that Stage One is complete, what did you have planned for Stage Two?"

   Pidge's face lit up. She rubbed her hands together deviously. "When we're through with them, Klance will be all that's left."

Chapter Text

      Keith had no idea what was going on. At least, that's what he told himself. Why would he care if Lance had a crush? It wasn't like that affected him. Maybe it was just curiosity.

      Allura was out, since apparently Lance was playing wingman for someone named Veronica. Then again, she's a beautiful butt-kicking space princess. That sure seemed like Lance's type.

      What about Pidge? Lance had called her "little sister" in English and, according to Hunk, Spanish, and he'd said he wasn't gross enough to hit on her. That doesn't mean he's not interested.

      Well, if he liked people he had a family bond with, why not Shiro? He was tall, muscular, and handsome, and Lance practically glowed whenever the Black Paladin complimented him. Keith wouldn't blame him for being interested. He'd had the briefest of crushes on Shiro himself, before he'd fallen for caught feelings for Taylor.

      Or maybe Coran? No, Coran was too much of an uncle figure to Lance. And too old. Allura's almost as old, but that never stopped Lance from flirting with her.

      Hunk? Maybe. Lance had said it himself - he missed spending lots of time with him. (Since then, Hunk had done his best to make sure they hung out more.) And they were always hugging or leaning against each other during conversations. Is that it? But then again, it could just be a friend thing.

      Argh, why was this so hard? Keith just wanted to know who Lance was interested in! And the weird things that kept happening to him weren't helping.

      Aside from the occasional mishap with Kosmo, things should have been normal. But no. The universe apparently had it in for him.

      "Good work out there," Shiro told Keith.

      Keith nodded his thanks as he pulled off his shin guards. "Lance's cover fire helped."

      Shiro gazed off into space, probably replaying the battle in his mind. "You know, I think we owe a lot of our victories to Lance," he remarked. "He's definitely earned the right to call himself Sharpshooter."

      "Hunk's not exactly the best long-range fighter," Keith pointed out. "So yeah, Lance is the team sharpshooter."

      Shiro shook his head. "Even when you're friends, you put him down."

      "I didn't mean it like that," Keith protested. "Lance is a great shot! I'm just saying he'd still be the best even if he was only a little better than Hunk."

      Shiro looked amused. "I'm glad you feel that way," he said with a smile. Then he excused himself and left. Unbeknownst to Keith, it was to have a similar conversation with Lance.

      Keith knocked on the door. When nobody answered, he took it to mean Pidge had her headphones in and opened the door. "Coran says-" He was cut off by the ball of condensed glitter that hit him in the face and exploded.

      "Oops!" Pidge pulled off her goggles and shot Keith an apologetic look. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was going to come in!"

      Keith rubbed glitter out of his eyes. "Really?"

      "Scout's honour." Pidge crossed her heart.

      "Pidge, you're not a scout."

      There was a knock at the door, and Lance poked his head into the room. "Hey, Coran sent me to ask what's taking you... so..." His jaw dropped at the sight of the Red Paladin literally coated in and dripping with glitter.

      "Project malfunction," Pidge explained, smirking a little.

      Lance tore his gaze away from Keith. "Wait, you're working on Operation Razzle Dazzle? Without me and Hunk?"

      Pidge winced. "Yeah, sorry about that," she said apologetically. "I wanted to see if I could install a mini cannon on Wall-E."

      "Can we please focus?" Keith complained, trying in vain to wipe the glitter from his sleeve. "Does this stuff wash off?"

      Pidge looked even more guilty, if that was possible. "Uhhh... maybe?"

      "Great," Keith groaned. "Just great." He rubbed his nose, then sneezed out a cloud of sparkles. When he opened his eyes, Lance was staring at him, jaw practically hitting the floor. "What?"

      "I gotta go," Lance said quickly, before turning tail and disappearing. Keith watched him go, confused.

      "What's up with him?"

      Pidge shrugged, lips twitching. "I have no idea."

      Lance and Keith exited the training room to find Allura waiting for them. "I took the liberty of watching you spar," she said. "I'm impressed with the amount of progress you've made."

      "Who wouldn't be?" Lance asked, flashing a grin. Keith elbowed him, trying to ignore the sudden twist in his gut. "Keith's a decent teacher," Lance continued, using Keith's shoulder as an armrest. He winked as Keith frowned at the elbow flattening his jacket collar, then at him.

      "You make a great team," Allura agreed. Her smile took on a sly quirk. "I think you two have really bonded."

      Lance aimed a finger gun at her. "You got it."

      "Don't forget this time," Keith mumbled.

      Allura chuckled. "The more you train together, the more smoothly our missions will go. Please, don't let arguments stand in the way of that."

      "We won't," Lance and Keith chorused. At that, Lance grinned at Keith. Keith was too busy smiling in return to see Allura's triumphant smirk as she turned and walked away.

      Things had been weird lately, but that didn't keep Keith from nearly jumping clean out of his boots when he left the training room and walked right into a cloud of butterflies. Completely caught off guard, he swung his sword to clear a path and ran.

      Bugs. It had to be bugs. Keith felt like cursing as he sprinted through another swarm of the brightly-coloured creatures. Why the heck were there so many butterflies in the Castle? They weren't even on a planet right now!

      He skidded around a corner and ran into the bridge - and straight into Lance. Lance went "Eep!" and toppled over.

      "Graceful," Pidge commented from her seat.

      "Zip it, Pigeon," Lance groaned from under Keith. Feeling a little guilty, Keith scrambled off him and helped him up, then swatted at a butterfly.

      "What's with all the bugs?"

      "They must have gotten into the vents on that last planet we were on," Hunk said brightly, turning his head to watch as a red insect flew by, fluttering in playful loops around a blue one.

      Keith ducked as a swarm approached him. The action did nothing to keep the insects from landing on his head, chest, and shoulders. He couldn't hold back the shout of horror distaste as he tried desperately to shoo them away.

      "Hey. Hey. It's okay. They don't bite." Shiro caught Keith by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes as he spoke. "They aren't from Earth. You're okay."

      Pidge made a noise suspiciously similar to a repressed snicker. "Keith's afraid of butterflies?" She stopped when both Shiro and Keith glared at her, the latter from beneath a layer of not-butterflies. "Sorry."

      "It would be scary having them all fly at your face like that," Lance said unexpectedly.

      "But why mine?" Keith growled, trying to shake off the insects.

      "Ah, the Dlyxxian bolbrafly," Coran exclaimed, entering. "It's been years since I last saw one. What a treat!"

      "They're on my face," Keith growled.

      Coran twirled his moustache. "They must be attracted to your sweat. It's quite similar to the scent of the flowers they eat."

      "They're trying to eat me?!"

      "Oh, definitely not." Coran shook his head. "The flowers secrete a sweat-like juice that the bolbrafly drinks."

      "They're drinking my sweat."

      Hunk put a hand to his stomach. "Oh, that is so gross!"

      Pidge made a face at the Yellow Paladin. "Hunk, if you barf on me, I will never help you with your projects again." Hunk swallowed hard.

      "I guess they don't look that much like butterflies," Lance said wistfully. A blue bolbrafly had landed in his hair, looking for all the world like a bow instead of a sweat-drinking bug. Keith stared at it, squinting.

      Lance was right. The wings were too round, the body too short, and the antennae too long for it to be a butterfly. Plus, these little Mothman-wannabes only had four legs each, not six. (He should know. He'd certainly done enough research to know.) And they were all one solid colour, not patterned with different colours. Actually, now that he was looking, Keith realised all of the creatures were either red or blue. The red ones seemed very interested in the blue ones, and the blue ones didn't seem to mind the attention.

      Apparently Hunk noticed as well. "Hey, why are the red ones only playing with the blue ones?" he asked.

      Coran looked very happy to be asked. Too happy. "The red ones are male and the blue ones are female," he explained, twirling his moustache and winking. "They... like each other."

      So red and blue do get together sometimes, Keith thought, then was flustered mad at himself for thinking something that ambitious ridiculous, then went red as he realised what Coran meant.

      "Coran!" Shiro scolded.

      "Nooo!" Hunk wailed.

      "My innocence!" Pidge moaned. "You've ruined butterflies for me!"

      Keith couldn't help looking at Lance, thinking that if the Blue Paladin wasn't vocally protesting Coran's dirty mind, his expression would say it all. He was surprised.

      Lance wasn't reacting at all, because he hadn't heard any of the commotion. He was focused entirely on the bolbrafly as it fluttered out of his hair and landed on the very tip of his nose. Keith got a melty feeling in his chest at Lance's awed expression: mouth slightly open, eyes wide and crossed a little to look at the insect, eyebrows arched like his face had frozen mid-pleasant-surprise.

      Neither boy noticed the flecks of red and blue dye on their friends' gloves, sleeves, and prosthetic, or that some of the bugs were still dripping a little.

      What's that smell? Keith sniffed the air again, trying to make it last as long as possible. He knew Hunk was a master chef - he could turn bizarre alien plants into an almost-normal Earth dish, for quiznak's sake - but this took the cake. Was that cinnamon? Did that scent mean caramel? How was Hunk finding ingredients like that?

      "Oh, hey, Keith." Keith jumped. While he'd been trying to name the ingredients he smelled, Hunk had come out of the kitchen, carrying a platter of blue pastries. The Yellow Paladin wore his favourite apron (where had the The Good-Looking Is Cooking slogan come from?), a stained pair of oven mitts, and an easygoing smile.

      "Uh, hey." Keith tried to inhale discreetly. "What's up?"

      Hunk shifted the platter in his hands. "I'm trying a bunch of new recipes." He paused. "Can you do me a favour and bring these to Lance? I can't leave the kitchen or the juniberry muffins will burn."

      "Uh..."

      "They're for Lance, so don't eat them." Before Keith could respond, Hunk shoved the platter into his hands - thank goodness it wasn't hot - and disappeared back into the kitchen, calling a rushed, "Great, thanks!" over his shoulder as something began to beep.

      Keith blinked at the closed door for a second. "Uhhh... what?" He frowned down at the pastries. This was definitely the source of the cinnamon-and-caramel smell. There was a small bowl nestled among the pastries, full of a suspicious-looking grey goop. He thinks Lance would like this?

      Well. Hunk was his best friend. And the Castle's resident chef. He knew best. Keith adjusted his grip on the platter and set off for Lance's room.

      Along the way, he did his very best not to take a nibble - who was he kidding, he wanted to take a huge bite - out of any of the pastries. It was very hard, but he somehow resisted. Maybe it was the thought of Lance's disappointment when he didn't get his treat. Or maybe it was the fact that Hunk was terrifying when he truly got mad.

      Lance was obviously in his room when Keith arrived. Soft, tuneful humming came through the door.

      Keith hesitated, then knocked. The humming stopped. A moment later, the door opened.

      "Hey," Lance said through a yawn. "What's up?"

      Keith held up the platter. "Hunk sent me with these?"

      Lance yawned again. Then his eyes focused on the platter, and his whole face brightened. "No way!" He took the platter and examined its contents, a smile forming on his face.

      "Enjoy," Keith said enviously, and turned to leave.

      "No, wait." Lance waved him back. "Come in. We can share them."

      Keith was in that room faster than he'd care to admit. He stood awkwardly while Lance made himself comfortable on the bed. "So..."

      "Nope, nuh-uh, not happening," Lance said abruptly. "You're not standing in the corner eating churros. Not in my house." He patted the bed. "Come on."

      Keith hesitated.

      "Keith. Bed or out."

      Keith chose the bed.

      Wow, so that's why he uses so many pillows and blankets. It was a lot softer and more comfortable than his own bed. He kind of wanted to flop over and take a nap.

      "Dude, when was the last time you slept?" Lance asked, sounding amused.

      Keith blinked himself back into reality. "Not that long," he said defensively.

      Lance huffed in what seemed like friendly exasperation and nudged the platter closer to Keith. "Churro?"

      Keith selected a pastry and examined it, trying not to seem too eager. The middle was purple and looked gooey. He took a bite and almost melted. Forget cinnamon and caramel - this was bliss heated up and dusted with sugar. It was the wind in his hair, baby hippopotami, and angels singing. They kind of sound like Lance. He washed that thought away with another bite of condensed joy. He was just hallucinating from the deliciousness.

      "Wow."

      Keith opened his eyes. "Huh?"

      Lance's mouth smirked, but his eyes were oddly soft. "Man, if I loved anything as much as you love that churro, I'd have to marry it."

      Keith flushed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

      "Nothing." Lance waved his hand dismissively. "I've just never seen anybody so invested in his food before." He smirked for real as Keith reached for another churro. "Try the grey stuff. It's delicious."

      "What?"

      "Don't believe me? Ask the dishes," Lance continued, singing now. He chuckled at Keith's confused expression. "Dude, if you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast, your life is pointless."

      Keith looked away. "I'm not interested in fairy tales."

      "What? Why not?"

      "I dunno." Keith shrugged. "I just don't think love is that easy."

      Lance snorted. "Right, because getting turned into a monster and attacked by villagers in front of your crush is easy."

      Keith turned and stared at him. "What?"

      Lance smirked. "See, now you're interested," he said smugly. "I don't have the movie, but Pidge does. We can watch it sometime." He reached for another churro. "In the meantime, I'm gonna eat churros until I can't fit in Blue's cockpit anymore."

      "Not happening," Keith said, taking three. "I've had a rough week, I'm getting my fair share of heaven-in-a-dipping-sauce." Hunk should have known better to send the resident sweet tooth to deliver goodies. He was sorely tempted to shove all three in his mouth, but that seemed a little immature even for hanging out with Lance. Speaking of Lance...

      "Are you okay?"

      Lance sniffled again and wiped his eyes. "Yeah, of course. When am I not okay?" Well, that was some lacklustre bluster.

      "Are you sure?"

      Lance nodded. "I just... miss watching movies and eating homemade snacks with my family," he admitted. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he let it drip off his chin. "It's tough sometimes."

      "Oh." Keith stared at the wall for a moment. Then he dipped a churro into the sauce and used it as a paintbrush to make a face on his hand - after he'd removed his glove, of course. He made his voice sound high and silly, like a Muppet. "Hey Lance."

      Lance blinked, probably not expecting Keith to turn his hand into a puppet and make it "talk". "Hey?"

      "Wanna watch a movie? 'Cause I sure do!"

      Keith tried to keep his face impassive as the Blue Paladin stared at him, lips twitching. Then Lance grinned. "Are you kidding?" He grabbed the platter. "But I'm in charge of the churros."

      Keith smiled and licked the sauce off his hand, dropping the Muppet voice. "I can maybe sneak some baked goods from the kitchen." Although anyone whose sauces can make my hand taste good is probably more dangerous than the druid I stole that quintessence from.

      "Keith the Thief," Lance said, chuckling. "If you can steal so much as one tart from Hunk, you'll be my hero forever."

      I'll steal them all if it keeps you from hurting.

      "Good job with that last session," Shiro said warmly, slapping Keith on the back. Unfortunately, he used a little too much force and knocked the smaller Paladin off-balance.

      Caught off guard, Keith stumbled forward and crashed into Lance, who, fortunately, had the reflexes to hold him up before he could send both of them sprawling.

      "Oops," Shiro said. "Sorry about that, Keith."

      "I'm okay," Keith managed. Lance had both hands on his shoulders, and it was very distracting for some reason.

      Lance smirked at Shiro. "Aren't you past going Hulk on us by now?"

      Shiro ran a hand through his hair, looking sheepish. "I still underestimate myself." He raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to see you getting along so well."

      Keith's face went hot as he realised he and Lance were still holding onto each other. He quickly pulled away. At the same time, Lance quickly dropped his hands to his sides. "Gah, sorry!" He wasn't sure which of them said it, or if it was both of them.

      Shiro chuckled and walked away, shaking his head. If his back hadn't been turned, Keith might have seen the smile marking a job well done.

      Keith rubbed at the stain on his chest, which only spread the mysterious liquid and made his hand sticky. How had he gotten this... whatever it was smeared all over the front of his jacket? The goop was a transparent amber colour, and so gluey and stubborn that it reminded him of tree sap on Earth.

      As Keith tried again to clean his jacket, getting it on his neck and jaw as well, something buzzed behind him. The sound quickly built up to a low rumble. Keith stopped walking and turned, just as a swarm of bright pink insects enveloped him.

      "AAAAAAAAAGH!" The bugs seemed to be everywhere, scuttling around on his hands, crowding on his chest, crawling across his face. Pain spiked through his skin like tiny swords stabbing him all over as the bugs bit. Unable to see, Keith stumbled and fell.

      "KEITH!" A moment later, something soft and flexible dropped over him, and the bugs were gone. Keith lifted his head and opened his eyes to find Lance's jacket draped over his torso and Lance crouching between him and the bugs, shield out and protecting him from the biting terrors. Shiro stood in front of them, swatting bugs with his superheated hand. Within a minute, the insects were all either dead or retreating.

      "Thanks," Keith croaked, climbing unsteadily to his feet. The jacket slid off as he got up, and he fumbled to catch it. The welts on his right hand left spots of blood on the worn fabric, and he winced as he handed it to Lance. "Sorry about that."

      Lance deactivated his shield and took the jacket, tying it around his waist without even looking at the stains. Keith was starting to feel pretty fuzzy, but that seemed nice of him. Like Lance was saying I care more about you than about the state of my favourite jacket. He blinked himself back into focus in time to hear what Lance actually said. "Not a problem." He peered at Keith's face and winced in sympathy. "Yeesh, those things are nasty. We'd better get you back to the Castle."

      Numbly, Keith allowed himself to be led into the pod and then, when they reached the Castle, down the halls until they reached the infirmary. Only when he was seated on the cot did he realise it was just Lance and him. "Where's everyone else?"

      Lance dabbed something cold on his face. "Still at the citadel," he answered without looking up. "The earth people want to thank us for our services. They're holding a feast later today." He glanced up at Keith before setting to work cleaning and bandaging the Red Paladin's fingers. "You coming this time?"

      Keith tore his gaze away from his hands - how had Lance gotten his glove off without him noticing? - and shrugged. "I don't like parties." He inhaled quietly through his nose, letting the pungent scent of the ointment clear his head. The bleariness was fading quickly, which was nice. He was less thrilled about the way he could suddenly feel in great intensity every bite not yet tended to. "They're... not my thing."

      Lance nodded. "I get that. That last party we were invited to was so boring I can't remember anything about it except the name of the planet." He put the roll of bandages down, but didn't let go of Keith's bite-peppered hand.

      "Sounds dull," Keith agreed, thinking, that's because you were here unconscious for most of it.

      "Yeah." Lance absentmindedly ran his thumb along Keith's hand, then lowered his head and gently kissed the other boy's sore fingertips.

      Both Paladins froze. Then Lance dropped Keith's hand and jumped to his feet. "Sorry!" he yelped, going red. "Old habit!"

      "I..." Keith cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat in his face. "It's okay."

      Lance buried his face in his hands. "I can't believe I just treated you like Nadia," he moaned.

      "That's your niece, right?" Keith said without thinking.

      Lance's head snapped up. "How did you know that?"

      "Hunk," Keith blurted, panicking.

      At that, Lance sighed and shook his head in resignation. He gave Keith a once-over. "Okay, your hand and face are good. Take off your shirt."

      "What?"

      "Look, those little monsters bit where there was sap." Lance gestured at Keith. "Your chest is gonna burn tomorrow if we don't deal with the bites."

      Keith hesitated. In truth, his chest was burning now, but after that kiss, he suddenly felt shy about removing any more clothing.

      "Keith. Take off the shirt." Keith took off the shirt. He tried not to breathe as Lance wiped the blood from his skin, being careful not to press too hard. Then the ointment. Lance's hands were warm and gentle as they spread the cooling salve, and then wrapped bandages around Keith's chest and neck so his clothes wouldn't rub and chafe. Then it was over and Keith was putting his shirt back on.

      "Thanks," he said, running his hand carefully over the bandages.

      Lance smiled. "Any time. Now, let's go join the party."

      Keith had to admit; the Luxtans knew how to throw a feast. He'd been reluctant to enter the crowded plaza, but several delicious courses and a heartfelt speech from the chancellor later, he was ready to agree that it was a good party. Seated at the table of honour between Lance and Pidge, looking out over a sea of happy people, he felt... good.

      "Your attention please," the chancellor called, holding up his hands for silence. Like all the Luxtans, he had vine-like hair, limbs like roots twisted together, and a strangely mobile wooden-looking face adorned with small, colourful chunks of rock. His shiny black eyes reminded Keith of beetles.

"As you are all aware," the chancellor began, "we are gathered today to celebrate our liberation from the dishonourable Galra, and our saviours, Venerable Princess Allura and the Paladins of Voltron. As a token of our respect, the High Council has elected to bestow upon our guests the highest honour on Luxt."

      Murmurs ran through the crowd as a council member appeared, carrying a small wooden chest. The chancellor waited until the whispers subsided before continuing.

      "We present to you, the Stone of Honour. I ask that you come forward one at a time to receive your award. First, Venerable Princess Allura." Allura got up and accepted the object she was given.

      As she sat down, the chancellor called the next name. "Honoured Paladin Shiro." Shiro did the same as Allura, but before he sat down, he whispered something to the council member, who nodded.

      Keith wondered at that, but the chancellor called, "Honoured Paladin Keith," and it was his turn. The council member smiled oddly at him and pressed a small object into his palm. Keith slipped it into his pocket without looking at it. He didn't want to make any weird faces in front of an entire city's worth of aliens.

      The object remained in his pocket until the feast was over and the Paladins were back at the Castle.

      "What do your rocks look like?" Hunk asked, holding out his own stone. It was yellow and looked like a cluster of bubbles encasing a stone marble.

      As the Paladins showed off their awards, Keith realised something. His stone was shaped like a teardrop, smooth and shiny with thin amber ripples in the otherwise consistent colour - a shimmery, deep-water shade of blue. Lance's stone had rough-looking shards of crystal jutting out of the top and shimmered in fiery shades of red. Meanwhile, everyone else's stones matched their Lions in colour.

      Pidge's was leaf-shaped and emerald green, with metallic veins that looked like they came from a circuit board. Shiro's looked like a transparent black egg filled with tiny galaxies. Allura's was shaped like the marks under her eyes, and the streaks of pink, white, and blue on it swirled slowly somehow.

      "Hey, your rock's the wrong colour," Pidge exclaimed.

      Keith glanced at Lance. Then he looked down at his stone. "They must have given me the wrong one," he said reluctantly, holding it out to the Blue Paladin. "You can have it." There was a moment of quiet. Then Lance reached out and closed Keith's fingers around the stone. Surprised, Keith met his eyes.

      "You can keep it," Lance said, smiling. "I like the one I have."

      Keith felt his mouth curl up in an answering smile as he cradled the stone in his hands. His insides felt warm and tight, in a good way.

      It was later that night, sitting on his bed with bandages on his chest, a stone in his hands, and the memory of lips brushing the tips of his fingers that Keith came to the realisation that maybe he did have a crush on Lance.

      And that was okay.

Chapter Text

      "End training session." As the gladiator disappeared, Keith wiped his brow and went to get changed. He shivered as he pulled on his shirt. The Castle's heating system must be malfunctioning, because it was colder than usual in here. Keith tucked his shirt into his belt and reached for his jacket. His fingers brushed fabric, and he tugged the jacket off the hook before realising it wasn't his.

      "What the heck?" Somehow, Lance's jacket had made its way into the change room.

      Keith stared down at the garment. Lance hadn't been near the training room all day. How had his jacket ended up here?

      He never takes off his jacket. Especially when it's this cold. I should find him and give it back.

      But to do that, he'd have to walk all the way across the Castle, in the cold, in a t-shirt. Keith was tough, but he wasn't particularly resistant to cold weather. He narrowed his eyes at the jacket.

      A few seconds later, he was zipping up the jacket. It didn't fit very well - the sleeves were a bit too long, the shoulders were too broad, and it was a little tight down the middle. But it was warm. Keith pulled the hood up over his head and smiled. It smelled faintly of salty ocean air, kitchen spices, and something herbal that could have been soap. It smelled like Lance.

      Keith gave himself a moment to breathe in the comforting scents, then left the change room. He'd take it off before he found Lance. Behind him, the mice darted through the door a second before it slid shut. They scampered down the hall, eager to tell Allura what they'd done.

      Keith rubbed his arms as he walked. It was even colder in the halls. He picked up the pace, heading toward the bridge. Lance must be freezing without his-

      He stopped abruptly, just as Lance, turning the corner, saw him and stopped. They stared at each other.

      Lance was wearing Keith's jacket. It was too loose everywhere except the shoulders - that part looked a bit too tight - and the sleeves barely reached his wrists. The hem didn't quite reach the bottom of his ribcage like it did on Keith, and he was hugging himself to keep warm. But the jacket looked really good on him.

      "Sorry," Lance blurted, fumbling to remove the garment. He held it out to Keith with shivering hands. "My jacket disappeared and yours was the only one I could find."

      "Same here," Keith said, reluctantly taking off Lance's jacket and swapping it for his own. Both boys pulled on their respective jackets and looked at each other awkwardly. Keith noted that Lance's face was flushed. I thought he was better-adjusted to the cold than that.

      "Sorry," Lance apologised again.

      Keith shrugged. "It's fine." Weird, but fine. Something was definitely going on, but he wasn't going to mention that to Lance.

      "I'd better go," Lance said clumsily. "I just left to find you, and here you are, so I'd better get back to helping Pidge with Operation Razzle Dazzle. Bye!" He turned and practically ran off.

      Keith stared after him, not bothering to fight off the fond smile that had formed on his face. He wasn't going to lie to himself; that was pretty cute.

      When he spotted the GAC-sized monstrosity on the wall by Lance's head, Keith grabbed his knife and threw without thinking. The spider didn't stand a chance.

      Lance froze as the blade flashed past his face, narrowly missing his nose, and embedded itself in the wall. Then he turned on Keith. "Dude, what the cheese? You almost killed me!"

      "Spider," Keith said.

      Lance's indignation changed to wide-eyed relief. "Thank you, Keith."

      A now-familiar warmth spread in Keith's chest as he nodded. Later, though, he had to wonder how an Earth spider had gotten into the Castle.

      "Hey, where'd Coran go?" Lance was right. The Altean had asked the two of them to help clean the cryopods. But now he wasn't there.

      Is he a ninja or something? Keith frowned. "Maybe he went to get something."

      "You're probably right," Lance agreed, and returned to scrubbing.

      An hour later, Coran still hadn't returned, and the pods were clean, but Keith actually didn't mind. He and Lance talked while they waited for Coran to come back. At one point, the Castle jolted without warning. Keith lost his balance, but luckily, Lance caught him before he fell.

      When Allura practically skipped into the room, face glowing, Keith knew things were going to go downhill. He respected the princess strongly, but her idea of joy was very different from his. As in, increased-training, more-food-goo-for-everyone different.

      "You're in a good mood," Shiro commented.

      Allura nodded. "I am!" She turned to Coran. "I was looking through some of the older storage rooms, and you will not believe what I found!"

      The Paladins gathered around her, drawn in by the idea of some amazing new discovery. Keith didn't have to look at Lance to know the other boy was wide-eyed and eager to hear more. (He looked anyway.)

      "What is it, Princess?" Coran asked.

      Allura clapped her hands excitedly and bounced on the balls of her feet. "I found some old gala outfits from Altea!"

      "Okayyy..." Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, obviously trying not to look too let-down.

      Allura grabbed his arm. "You have to try them on! If there are any that fit well, you can wear them to formal events instead of your armour! Several of them even match your Lions in colour!" She dragged the startled Black Paladin out the door, still gushing about the possibilities her find had opened up.

      The other Paladins shared a look. "We should go with them, right?" Hunk asked nervously. "To keep her from going nuts on Shiro?"

      "But costuuuumes," Pidge moaned.

      "It'll be fun," Lance said brightly. He ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as enthusiastic as Allura. "It's been forever since I last played dress-up!"

      With Nadia, I'll bet, Keith thought, allowing himself a private smile. He could easily picture Lance putting on too-small costumes and playing with a little girl who looked like him.

      Pidge poked him in the side. "What are you smirking at? You hate formal clothes more than I do!"

      Keith's smile melted off his face. Busted. He could have slapped himself for letting his guard down like that. And he'd have to put on an Altean suit - and if Coran's usual get-up was anything to go by, it was going to be fancy.

      "Hey, Mopey." Lance whistled to get Keith's attention. "We're trying on party clothes, not giving the Lions to Zarkon. Cheer up."

      Keith crossed his arms. "Let's just go." Just get it over with. Maybe it won't even be that bad.

      It was that bad. He regretted his decision to not jump into Red and fly away as soon as they entered the new storage room.

      Hunk, who was in the lead, opened the door, stepped inside, and was immediately grabbed by Allura, who snatched up a handful of yellow garments, shoved them into his hands, and practically threw him into an adjoining room to get changed. Lance, who was next, received the same treatment.

      Keith smirked a little as Pidge was handed a bundle of green fabric and guided not quite as forcibly to a different change room - that's what you get for drawing attention to me daydreaming - but then it was his turn. Allura shoved a large pile of red clothing into his hands and pointed at a door a little farther away than the one Lance and Hunk had been *ahem* guided to. "Shiro's in there too. Go get changed!"

      Keith hurriedly accepted the bundle and rushed into the room, not wanting to be tossed in. Who decided it was a good idea to give her super strength?

      "Ah, you're here too," Shiro said in relief as the door slid shut. He was already pulling on a shirt.

      Keith gave him the once-over. "Wow. You didn't have to go through many suits to find a good one, did you?"

      "Don't start." Shiro smoothed down the wrinkles on his front. "I'm just lucky Allura didn't come in and make sure I was changing."

      Keith chuckled. His laugh died in his throat as he sorted through his new clothes. They looked a lot like Coran's suit, but in a dark, purplish shade of red. The white parts reminded him of Red. That doesn't mean I want to wear it.

      "Just put the clothes on," Shiro sighed, now busy putting on a pair of gloves. "You don't want to disappoint Allura."

      "No." Keith shuddered, just thinking about it. He hesitated just a second longer, then began the torturous process of changing into a "gala outfit".

      There were three suits in total. The first was way too big. Whoever had worn it last had been about a foot taller than Keith. The second had sleeves that were miles too long.

      Keith put on the third suit, not feeling too optimistic about life in general. Fortunately, it fit much better than the first two. It was too tight across the chest and shoulders, and the sleeves and legs were a bit too short, but it was surprisingly comfortable considering how fancy it was.

      "Nice," Shiro said approvingly.

      Keith frowned at him. "Really?"

      Shiro nodded. "Absolutely. I can guarantee that L-"

      "What?"

      "L-l-laaadies and lads alike will swoon over you?" Shiro laughed in a nervous kind of way. A bead of sweat glistened on his forehead.

      Keith blinked. "Okaaayyyy..." He took a step toward the door, but Shiro stopped him.

      "Nuh-uh-uh."

      "What?" Keith growled impatiently.

      Shiro picked something up from the table and held it out. "You're not going out there in a suit and fingerless work gloves."

      "Shiiiirrrroooooo..."

      "Gloves."

      "Ugh, fine!" Keith yanked off his usual gloves and snatched the fancy gloves from the older Paladin. "I can't believe I ever wanted an older brother."

      Shiro chuckled. "Well, you got one." He straightened his lapel and strode out the door. Keith took a moment to make his hands as comfortable as possible in those stupid gloves before following.

      He was the last one out and ready. Of course. Allura still looked thrilled when she saw him. Keith gave her the least murderous look he was capable of at the moment and looked around at the other Paladins.

      First, Shiro. The suit he was wearing, black with white parts, was a bit too big on him - particularly around the limbs and midriff - but he still looked good. Then again, it's Shiro. He makes an undercut with a floof work. And wow, that sounded like Lance.

      Moving on! Hunk's suit fit almost perfectly, which was a surprise. By now, Keith had expected every outfit to be too big. The sleeves actually looked a little tight. Hunk mainly seemed relieved that Allura wasn't making him remove his headband, which was a close match to the desert-sunset-yellow fabric.

      Pidge, seated next to him, looked miserable but cute in a dress that was, ironically, a bit too short. It looked like a cross between a sundress and Allura's "casual" dress, and was a wet-grass shade of green. In it, and the headband that apparently was included in the outfit, it was a lot easier to tell that Pidge was a girl. She looks a little bit like one of those American Girl dolls. I'm not telling her I think that.

      And Lance... It was hard to tell what Lance's suit looked like, since he was talking to Coran and had his back turned to the others. From what Keith could see, the suit fit pretty well. The fabric was a shade of blue somewhere between Blue's paint and Lance's eyes. Actually, it was pretty close to the stone in Keith's room. He was really starting to like that colour.

      Then Lance turned around, and Keith's heart turned into a volcano. The suit definitely fit him well. The shoulders were a bit tight, and the stomach area looked a little loose, but other than that... dang. It really wasn't helping Lance's I'm-not-cute campaign that he was staring at Keith, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, cheeks pink.

      Keith let one corner of his mouth quirk up in what he hoped looked more like an amused smirk than a smitten grin. For a dress-up fan like Lance, these outfits must have been heaven.

      "Finally!" Allura stood up from her chair and examined Keith closely, tugging at the tighter areas and tapping her chin thoughtfully.

      "The sleeves are too short," Coran commented, joining Allura.

      Keith crossed his arms self-consciously. "And it's too tight."

      "Nonsense." Coran waved away Keith's words with a breezy gesture. "We're just able to see your muscles, that's all."

      Lance started coughing violently. Keith looked over at him in concern. Is he okay? "No, it's too tight," he repeated.

      Coran sighed. "Alright." He turned to Allura. "I'll make the adjustments as soon as possible."

      Allura clapped her hands happily. "Thank you, Coran!"

      "Lance can help," Hunk offered, patting Lance on the back as the Blue Paladin finally stopped coughing.

      "Yeah!" Lance looked excited. "I'd love to!"

      "Can I change back now?" Keith grumbled.

      Allura eyed the Paladins craftily. "Yes. I think we have what we need."

      If Keith hadn't immediately headed for the change room, he would have seen his friends share a nod in satisfaction. And if Lance hadn't been staring off into space, he would have noticed the collective excitement as well.

      Operation Fire and Ice had picked up an unexpected addition to the plan, and it had turned out beautifully.

      "HI-CHUU!"

      Keith stopped and looked around. The kitchen door was open a little bit, and he could hear people moving around inside. Lance was obviously one of them. He'd recognize that sneeze anywhere.

      "HI-CHUU! Why're we using so much pepper?" Yep, definitely Lance. "I thought this was supposed to be a mild dish."

      "Well, first off, it's not pepper," Hunk corrected. "Second, do you even know what kind of spice this is?"

      "No," Lance admitted easily. "Where did you get this stuff?"

      "Remember that planet with the super spicy food?" Keith was pretty sure the burly teen was shrugging. "One of the chefs gave me a bunch of spices to try, and well, I decided to shake things up a bit." A pause. "Plus, you're super cute when you sneeze."

      Lance groaned. "Hunk, if I get one more 'awww, that's so cute!' look from anyone, I swear I'm going to explotar como un quiznaking volcán."

      "English, buddy," Hunk reminded.

      There was a rush of air, like someone was sighing. "Sorry," Lance said quietly. "Things have been really weird lately. I think it's getting to me." Keith frowned. That was new. "It's like every time I think I can relax, something goes wrong and I end up the butt of another joke." Lance growled in frustration. "I work so hard to maintain the hot-and-I-know-it image, and then dust goes up my nose or I fall asleep on Keith, and everyone starts taking pictures and going 'Awwww!'"

      "It's kind of a knee-jerk reaction," Hunk said reasonably. "I mean, you break the hertz scale every time you see a chinchilla."

      A huff, presumably from Lance. "Chinchillas are different. Chinchillas are adorable. I am a perfectly respectable human being. Who, I might add, is not cute at all."

      "You totally are."

      "I AM NOT."

      "Um, you do realise-"

      "NOPE. No no no, no way, not hearing it. I am not cute. And the next person who says it is going down."

      "Okay, okay. Sheesh."

      "HI-CHUU! HUNK WHAT THE ACTUAL CHEESE."

      "Sorry. Hand slipped."

      "You threw it in my face."

      Keith smiled. It sounded like he wasn't the only one to notice how adorable Lance was sometimes. His smile faded. Oh quiznak, it's Hunk. Lance is in love with Hunk. There is absolutely no chance of him liking me.

      "Oh, by the way," Hunk said. "Thanks for customising the aprons. I like having colour in the kitchen."

      "Well." Keith could hear the pride and satisfaction in Lance's voice. "There's a reason they call me the Tailor."

      Keith froze. The Tailor? Memories flashed through his head as pieces of his understanding shifted and clicked.

      "Adiós, Taylor," the boy's older brother called as he drove away, leaving the boy standing in the drop-off zone with the other cadets.

      A group of new cadets gathered around Taylor in the cafeteria. "Why are you called Taylor? Isn't that a girl's name?"

      "I... how you say? Thread needles?" Taylor answered hesitantly. Keith had thought the smaller boy was joking.

      "Look, there go the Hunk and the Tailor." The joke seemed hilarious to some of the other cadets, but Keith hadn't gotten it. Those were their names, weren't they?

      "He's called the Tailor 'cause of how he threads the needle."

      Their first meeting, when the boy had walked up to Keith, held out his hand, and said in unsteady, heavily accented English, "Hello. I am called Taylor. We are... teammates? That's the good word, yes?"

      I am called Taylor. They call me the Tailor.

      QUIZNAK.

      He'd been fighting with his old crush this whole time. He'd been falling for his old crush this whole time.

      Keith discovered he'd somehow run all the way to his room and plopped himself down on the bed without noticing. He stared at the floor numbly. He'd been fighting off feelings for the one ex-crush he'd never really gotten over.

      This was so supremely messed up.

Chapter Text

      Lance’s jacket had been feeling heavier than usual lately. He’d ignored it at first, but the added weight was driving him crazy. He wasn’t that strong.

      Finally, one morning, he decided to do something about it. He sat down on his bed, draped his jacket over his lap, and emptied his pockets.

      Garlic knots. His pockets were full of bright orange garlic knots.

      What the quiznak?

      Lance stared down at the pastries filling his hands. Had Hunk made them and slipped them into his pockets? Thanks, dude.

      He considered saving them for later, but that didn’t seem fair to the other Paladins. Garlic knots were the best, and combined with Hunk’s cooking skills, these were bound to be the universe’s second most delicious food (after his mamá’s garlic knots, obviously). And the Alteans hadn’t ever had any quality of garlic knot. He had to share.

      Lance refilled his pockets and headed for the kitchen. There, he found a large enough plate and loaded it with the brightly coloured food. He left it in the lounge and went to take a shower.

      Lance sauntered into the lounge, feeling good. The others might make fun of him for being high maintenance, but there was next to nothing that made him feel more nice and fresh than his skincare routine. He wasn’t even irritated when he found Keith sitting on the couch, munching on a garlic knot.

      “Hey.”

      Keith looked up from his snack. “Hey,” he returned through a mouthful of crumbs.

      Lance took a seat across from him. “Aren’t these the best? Hunk’s a literal angel for surprising me with them.” He grinned wistfully.

      “You have any yet?” Keith asked. His words sounded a bit slurred, but Lance wrote it off as the result of a full mouth.

      “Nah. I would, but I want to make sure everyone gets some first.”

      “That’s so selfless of you.”

      Lance blinked at the unexpected compliment. It didn’t sound like Keith was being snarky, so he accepted the friendly words with a cheerful smile. “Of course, I’m hoping there’ll be some left for me. Garlic knots are my favourite.”

      Keith stopped chewing. He stared down at the remains of his knot, then seemed to come to a conclusion and continued to eat.

      “You alright?”

      “’M fine,” Keith said, swallowing the last bite. His pupils seemed a bit too big, Lance thought. They reminded him of the time his brother accidentally ate a sleeping pill.

      Oof. What did we say, Lance? No thinking about your family every time something little happens! Save it for when you’re alone!

      “Lance? You okay?”

      Lance put on an easy grin and got to his feet. “I’m great. In fact, I am so great that Allura probably needs my help right now. See ya!”

      He strode toward the door, only for Keith to catch him by the arm.

      “Wait. Don’t go.” Keith’s voice was still slurred.

      Is he okay?

      Lance gave him his best crap-eating grin. “Well, if you want me that much…”

      “I do want you.” The words were spoken with conviction, which was slightly undermined when Keith blinked twice and made a vaguely puzzled face.

      “Oh.” Lance’s grin disappeared, probably replaced with an expression that matched the surprise he felt. “Um. Okay?” He sat back down. “What’s up?”

      Keith shrugged. “I like being with you.” He frowned. “You don’t hang out with me much.”

      “Believe it or not, Mullet, not all of us enjoy training our butts off all day every day.”

      “Do you hate my hair that much?” Keith asked abruptly. “You never talk about anyone else’s hair like that.” He tugged on a strand, looking frustrated. “Do you want me to cut it?”

      “What?” Lance lifted both hands in a halting gesture. “No! The mullet’s fine! You’re just the only person I know who wears his hair like that, that’s all. It actually looks pretty good on you!”

      Keith’s frown didn’t move. He fingered the knife in his belt thoughtfully.

      “Don’t cut your hair,” Lance said urgently, trying not to panic. His sister had tried to pull a Mulan once, and the result had been disastrous. “Keith, listen to me. Anything you try to do to your hair will be worse than a mullet. Much, much worse. Got it?”

      Keith lowered his hand. “'Kay.” He tapped his fingers together. “Will you stop calling me Mullet?”

      Lance hesitated. Habits die hard, and this was one he’d have to work hard at losing. “If it keeps you from murdering your hair,” he said finally. “I guess you’re Samurai from now on.”

      “Samurai’s better,” Keith agreed, nodding. “I like it when you call me that.” He smiled. “Sharpshooter and Samurai. Cool.”

      Okay, something's definitely off. Keith was never this open with him - or this childish. He's acting like Silvio when he's overtired.

      "What's going on, Keith?"

      "Hmm?" Keith blinked. Lance was a little weirded out by that - how long had Keith been staring at him? - but the Red Paladin's gaze wasn't hostile or suspicious, so he could handle it. In fact,the way Keith was looking at him - uncharacteristically soft and... fond, almost - was kind of nice. He was so hard to read most of the time. "Nothing," the Red Paladin said, sounding a little confused. He yawned and stretched. "Just tired. I think."

      Okay, that was weird for Keith, but not unbelievable. Lance examined the other boy's face with the practised care of a guy who's babysat his fair share of sick and/or exhausted kids. Skin not any paler than usual, no bags under his eyes - faint shadows, though - no shaking limbs or anything like that. The lethargic expression worried him a bit, to be honest.

      "Why d'you call her Mom sometimes and Mama sometimes?" Keith asked suddenly.

      Lance blinked, taken aback. He tried to remember all the times he'd mentioned his mother around Keith. Had he been switching back and forth? "Mamá," he corrected, putting extra emphasis on the last syllable.

      "Mama," Keith repeated, apparently unable to use accents. "But you didn't answer the question."

      Wow, impatient. Lance thought for a moment. "I guess I'm still adjusting to using English all the time," he said finally.

      Keith nodded slowly. "Like when you said ten thousand was like a thousand plus ten. I knew you were smarter than that."

      "Uh, yeah, like that," Lance agreed, although he was pretty sure Keith's sudden conviction in this hadn't been the case back when they'd had that conversation. "Numbers are easier for me if they're written out. Like, in..." He frowned. "Numberals? Is that the word?"

      "Numberals." Keith sighed. "You're so cute."

      Lance started to protest, then cut himself off. It wasn't fair to get upset at someone who didn't know being called cute annoyed him. It definitely wasn't fair to get upset at Keith, who clearly wasn't himself today. "Uh, thanks?"

      Keith squinted at him. "What happened to your freckles?"

      "What?"

      "Freckles." Keith gestured vaguely at his own face, like that meant anything, then pointed at Lance. "You had some. Where did they go?"

      Lance automatically brought a hand up to touch his face. "You... know about them?"

      "Saw them." Keith gazed off into space, blinking sluggishly. "When you couldn't sleep and hung out with me."

      Lance's stomach tied itself in a knot. "Yeah. Uh, what else do you remember about that?" He tried to keep his tone conversational, totally not embarrassed at all. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he sure remembered waking up; curled up on Keith's lap, a blanket over his shoulders, and Pidge taking pictures. Keith had still been asleep when he'd left, thank the Good Lord, but what if he remembered Lance conking out on him?

      Keith's face scrunched up as he thought. "You were really tired," he answered after a moment. "You didn't do a face mask." He paused. "Why do you do that, anyway? Why do you care so much about your skin?"

      Lance let out a startled little laugh. "What's with all the questions?"

      "It might be the garlic knot," Keith said unhelpfully. "Now, answers. I wanna know about the skincare thing."

      "Por favor," Lance mumbled, remembering Nadia and her bossiness. He shrugged at Keith's confused expression. "Well, when I was little, my sister would do her skincare routine every day, and she let me join her. It was a thing." He chuckled. "We were the beauties of the McClain family." Were. Veronica was still serving in America somewhere, and he was out here fighting evil purple space cats. "I've kept it up since she left for the Garrison."

      The room went silent. Lance watched Keith out of the corner of his eye. The Red Paladin was staring at him quietly, his face unreadable. Lance wondered what he was thinking. Probably reevaluating our fights and my lame comebacks. Or trying to remember if he's met Veronica.

      "You have nice eyes," Keith said without warning.

      Lance's face went hot, and he may or may not have squawked a little at that unexpected compliment. "Okay, now I know something's wrong." He fumbled for his communicator, painfully aware of Keith's eyes on him, then paused before he turned it on. "Can you walk?"

      "No," Keith said with certainty, adding, "Not on my own."

      Lance groaned. "Okay." Ignoring Keith's sudden hopeful expression, he switched on the communicator. "Guys, I need you in the lounge ASAP."

      "What's going on?" Shiro asked in concern.

      Lance glanced at Keith, who was now watching him with an odd smile on his face. "I don't know what happened, but Keith's gone apples and bananas."

      "That's not the expression," Hunk reminded him.

      "That's not the point," Lance said in what he hoped was a patient voice. "Something is wrong with Keith. Just... come help me get him to the infirmary?" He switched the communicator off and turned to Keith. "Okay, you're probably feeling pretty sleepy right now, but I need you to stay awake until the others get here."

      Keith gave him a mysterious smile. "So authoritative," he commented in a tone bordering on coy.

      "That's what happens when you grow up in a big family, I guess," Lance said nervously. This whole situation was starting to look way too similar to that one scene from Treasure Planet. He really hoped Keith's weird behaviour wasn't the result of a wound that had gone unnoticed.

      "Kosmo really likes you," Keith said dreamily.

      Lance put on a cocky smile. "Well, yeah."

      "I like you too," Keith continued.

      Okay, forget the smile. If Keith - grumpy, lone wolf edgelord Keith - was talking about friendship this casually, something was definitely wrong. Lance ducked his head. "Uh... thanks?" Oh dios, this was not the time for his voice to go squeaky on him. Stupid traitorous voice.

      "You're going red," Keith observed, just as the door opened and the other Paladins hurried in. "Cute."

      Hunk, God bless his precious soul, was the first one in, and therefore the only one who caught that last comment. (Lance hoped.) He took in Lance's flushed face, Keith's overly relaxed expression, and the plate of garlic knots, then frowned and turned to Pidge for some reason. Pidge shook her head, and both teens looked at Shiro, who appeared just as baffled. Hunk turned to Lance. "Where did you get those?" he asked slowly, pointing at the plate.

      Lance frowned. "Wait, you didn't make them? I found them in my jacket."

      Hunk facepalmed. Pidge, on the other hand, looked almost like she was trying very hard not to laugh.

      "Why?" Lance asked suspiciously. "What's wrong?" He felt the blood drain from his face as a horrible thought came to him. "I poisoned him, didn't I? Those things are poisonous, and I left them out for you guys to find, and now he's dying because of me y es mi culpa, oh dios-"

      "Calm down," Shiro ordered. "Nobody's dying." He addressed Keith. "How are you?"

      "'M fine," Keith agreed cheerfully, or as cheerfully as a sleepy Keith could be. "Lance was taking care of me." He turned and smiled at Lance. "You're so good at taking care of people," he said warmly. "You could be the Caretaker as well as the Sharpshooter. That good."

      "Wow," Pidge mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

      "Uh, no problem?" Lance managed to keep his voice from cracking, but it still came out as a question. Quiznak.

      Keith was smiling even wider, like he enjoyed watching Lance lose his cool. He does. We already figured that out. Behind him, Pidge also looked unfairly happy, the little gremlin. There was going to be some grandioso teasing after this.

      Shiro came to Lance's rescue. "Let's get you to your room," he said, helping Keith up. "You can sleep it off there."

      At that, Keith pushed him away and shook his head with more energy than he'd shown all morning. "Lance said to stay awake," he said stubbornly.

      Hunk snorted, and Pidge went "Oh my gosh," in a delighted stage whisper.

      Lance willed his face to stay brown instead of pink as Keith looked over at him expectantly. "Right?"

      "Uhhh..." Lance glanced at Shiro, who shook his head and mouthed, He needs to sleep, we'll fill you in later. "I said you needed to stay awake until they got here," he said quickly. "Now that we know why you're... uh, not at your best, you need to get some z's." Hunk winced, and Lance allowed himself a second to wonder how he'd botched that one before continuing. "You'll feel better when you wake up, I promise."

      "Don't feel sick," Keith mumbled, but he allowed Shiro to lead him out of the room.

      "Way to go, Caretaker," Pidge teased as the remaining Paladins watched the door slide shut. Lance swatted her shoulder lightly.

      "Looks like your babysitting skills came in handy after all," Hunk agreed.

      "Very funny," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "So what's the deal with the garlic knots?"

      His friends exchanged a look. "They're from this banquet we were at," Pidge explained. "One of the ingredients is like a drug to humans. But nobody knew about it until... well..."

      "Until you ate like fifty of them and passed out," Hunk finished. "We had to take you to the infirmary to make sure you weren't dying or anything."

      "I- what?" Lance's head spun as he tried to remember that party and came up blank. "I was like... that?"

      "Worse," Pidge said solemnly. "You called me Herman and said a lot of junk about being 'alone' and 'the last' before fainting or whatever." She smirked. "Oh, and you said Keith was cool and you wanted to be like him."

      Lance groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Somebody eject me into space. Please."

      Hunk patted him on the back. "Don't worry," he said consolingly. "You didn't say anything too weird. And," he lowered his voice, "you don't need to worry about Keith knowing how flustered you got today. He probably won't remember anything when he wakes up, same as you."

      Lance groaned again. "I sure hope so."

      Keith's eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up in bed. His vision was still a bit blurry, and his head ached a little, but that was nothing compared to the rush of extremely cringe-worthy memories that had woken him up.

      He'd truth-drugged himself and acted like a drunk fool in front of Lance. Even worse - Keith started sweating at the very thought - he'd been this close to spilling the beans about his crush.

      The memory of telling Lance he was cute was particularly horrible, since Lance had so recently said he didn't like it. (He was trying very hard not to remember how cute Lance's flushed, startled face had been when Keith had said it.) Keith took a deep breath and got out of bed. He was freaking out over what could easily be nothing.

      Worst-case scenario, Lance found out it was a truth drug and put the pieces together.

      Best-case scenario - and this was the most likely one - Lance remained a clueless yet irritatingly lovable idiot and the crisis never happened.

      I sure hope so.

Chapter Text

Hey guys. I'm sorry for taking so long. Exams are coming up and I've got a lot of work to do, so I'm going to be taking a hiatus. I'll be returning after my exams to finish the fiction, don't worry! In the meantime, thank you so much for your patience and support. Having people read and enjoy my work has really boosted my self esteem, and the fact that you were all so kind from the start gives me hope for the human race. Thank you so much!

Chapter Text

      "Alright, you guys can have free time until we get back from the shop."

      The Paladins were at the Unilu mall again.

      "We?" Coran repeated.

      Shiro crossed his arms. "Yes, we," he affirmed. "I'm coming with you."

      "Why?"

      "Last time we were here, you spent an insane amount of money on costumes. I'm making sure we get that part."

      Coran twirled his moustache grumpily. "One time," he grumbled. "I spend my GACs on fun things one quiznaking time and I'm not allowed to shop alone. Just like Alfor, I swear."

      Shiro ignored that and turned face the other Paladins, whose faces ranged from subtly amused (Keith) to trying not to laugh (Lance and Hunk) to openly snickering (Pidge). "As for you four, partner up. I don't want a repeat of our last visit."

      "What?" Lance squawked, just as Hunk yelped, "I didn't do it!" and Pidge looked incredibly guilty.

      In the following silence, Keith asked, "Why? What happened?"

      Shiro frowned at Pidge. "The black market is no place for a Paladin of Voltron. Especially if it's just for a video game." He turned to Hunk. "And starting a ruckus in the food court? I expected better of you."

      Hunk hung his head. "The stall was a mess," he said weakly. "All I did was point out that they had like fifty different health code violations."

      "At the top of your lungs," Pidge agreed. "You're not subtle." Hunk nodded sadly.

      "As for you," Shiro continued, facing Keith now. "I don't want to hear about you picking a fight in the arcade again."

      Keith crossed his arms. "Lance stopped me before anything happened," he pointed out rebelliously.

      "I know." Shiro looked him solidly in the eye. "That's why you and Lance will stay together for the rest of our visit. Pidge, Hunk, you'll be-"

      "What?" Lance protested. "They're the ones who got in trouble last-"

      Shiro sighed. "I thought you had fun last time we came here."

      "Well, yeah..."

      "Enjoy it, dummy," Pidge muttered.

      Lance frowned at her, then studied Keith for a long moment. His reluctance morphed into a teasing grin. "Okay, sure. Keeping an eye on Mul- on Mr. Bad Boy here can't be that hard anyway. Just keep an ear out for people shouting or getting stabbed. No problem."

      "Hey," Keith objected.

      "Figure it out later," Shiro said, sounding a bit more amused and less Disappointed Dad. "We'll call you when it's time to go."

      "Yes, Dad," Lance and Pidge chorused. As the two grinned at each other, Keith tried to dismiss the clenching in his gut. It doesn't matter anyway. Lance likes Hunk.

It didn't do much to improve his mood.

      "Sheesh, sorry."

      Keith blinked himself out of his thoughts and met Lance's gaze. "... What?"

      The Blue Paladin looked slightly miffed. "If my joke offended you so much, just tell me, instead of, you know, glaring a hole into the floor."

      Keith tried to remember what Lance had said before Pidge had distracted him. What was it? Oh, yeah. Shouting and stabbing. Right. "It's not that," he said gruffly. "That was actually kind of funny."

      Lance opened his mouth, presumably to ask what the real reason for Keith's grumpiness was, then closed it abruptly. A surprised grin spread across his face. "You thought that was funny? Really?"

      The growing elation in his voice was too much for Keith's poker face to handle. He turned away to hide a smile as he nodded.

      "Yes!" Lance whispered, before clearing his throat. "Alright, progress!"

      Nice try, Lance, Keith thought fondly. I can hear the excitement behind your "grown up approval" voice. He kept his tone bored. "Whatever. Where are we going?"

      "Well..." Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "I was planning on checking out the stores around the food court... and, uh... maybe taking a few pictures for my... for my scrapbook." His voice got quieter with every word.

      Keith noted the tinge of pink rising in his cheeks. Scrapbooking? If this boy gets any cuter, I think I'll explode. "Sounds good," he agreed.

      Lance shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted his head at the Red Paladin. "What did you have in mind?" he asked curiously.

      Keith shrugged. "I was going to wander around until Shiro called," he admitted. "I guess we could do your thing instead."

      The laugh that earned him reminded him how far gone he was for this boy. I am very, very far gone.

      "Let's get going, then," Lance said. He elbowed Keith affably. "And if you wanted to check out some stores without me... say, if my back was turned... I wouldn't be able to tell Shiro."

      Keith smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

      Keith wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but window shopping with Lance was a lot of fun - mainly because it was with Lance. The Blue Paladin got excited over anything that reminded him of Earth (which was a lot of things), made funny speculations about merchandise neither of them recognized, and didn't hesitate to enter any store Keith expressed interest in.

      Keith only thought to ask Lance to turn a blind eye when he heard the call of nature. He nudged Lance's shoulder. "I'm going to find the bathrooms."

      Lance didn't look up from the bath bomb-like thing he was examining. "I didn't hear that. You know, I think I'll hang out by the skylight for a bit after this. Not waiting for anyone or anything."

      Keith nodded and headed off to find the restrooms.

      It took longer than he'd like to admit to figure out which one was which, but he managed. Figuring out the sinks was another time-consuming challenge. Keith made a mental note to tell Pidge what he'd figured out about the bathrooms as he headed for Lance's chosen meeting place.

      Okay, now where is Lance? Between the loud voice, the dark clothing, and the fact that he was human, the Blue Paladin should stand out like a Lion in a room full of kittens.

      "You must be made of heximite, 'cause girl, you're the bomb."

      Keith winced. Lance's worst pick-up lines were better than that. He pitied whoever was on the receiving end of the guy's advances.

      "Um, sorry, but I'm a guy."

      Wait. That was Lance's voice. Keith scanned the crowd with renewed intensity. Chances were good the flirt would lose interest after realising his mistake, but he didn't want to risk it. That wasn't a nice-guy tone of voice.

      "My mistake." The flirt's voice again. And he didn't sound any less interested. "In my species, only the females have such a"- he paused, presumably to check Lance out -"fine figure." Oh, he thought he was smooth. "The name's Qlezz. How you doing?"

      Lance sounded nervous. "Fine."

      A chuckle, one that made Keith's figurative hackles rise. "I wasn't asking how you looked, gorgeous."

      "U-Um, thank you?"

      Keith realized he was baring his teeth. He smoothed out his expression but let his teeth remain clenched as he shouldered past a rotund alien in what looked like a lemon-yellow business suit. How dare this cad flirt with his crush! He looked around.

      There. He almost reached for his bayard when the scene in front of him registered. Lance was trapped against a wall by a tall, muscular alien with purple and green-grey skin, whose flirtatious expression coupled with Lance's slightly panicked one, spoke volumes about the situation.

      "Can I borrow a kiss?" His voice was low, going for seductive, but Keith heard him just fine. "I promise I'll return it." He was leaning in now. Lance had gone white.

      That was IT.

      "Hey!" The word came out almost a snarl. Keith lunged forward, and in one motion, grabbed the alien's shoulder, jerked him away from Lance, and slammed him against a nearby planter, putting his sword to the alien's throat.

      "Keith!" Lance exclaimed in relief, stepping away from the wall.

      Keith glanced over his shoulder. "You okay? He didn't..."

      Lance put a soothing hand on Keith's sword arm. "I'm fine. He wasn't trying to hurt me. Just... flirting."

      That's the problem. Not that you need to know that. Keith glared at Qlezz. "I don't care what that was," he growled. "Never again. Got that?"

      The alien blinked four almond-shaped eyes at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was taken." He looked over at Lance. "You could have said something, gorgeous."

      "What?" Oh. Oh. Keith felt his face heat up.

      Lance looked flustered. "We're not..."

      "We're not dating," Keith agreed quickly. Probably too quickly. I wish we were dating. He squashed that treacherous thought down and gave Qlezz his most threatening scowl. "Touch him again and you'll get a much closer look at my sword. If his Lion doesn't get you first. Understand?"

      Qlezz looked confused. Then he focused on Keith's sword and his eyes widened. "Lion... that weapon... You're Paladins of Voltron!"

      Keith said nothing. He deactivated his bayard and released the alien, expression as cold as he could make it as he stepped back.

      Qlezz eyed him warily, then winked at Lance. "Well. If fighting the Galra raises your copper and tellurium levels that much, sign me up." Lance went red and took a subtle step closer to Keith.

      "Go," the Red Paladin growled.

      Qlezz nodded cordially and ambled off. He paused and called, "You shouldn't wear makeup, gorgeous! It's messing with perfection!" then disappeared into the crowd.

      Keith gritted his teeth. What a creep.

      Lance put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Keith," he said quietly.

      "Yeah." Keith put away his bayard, noting the flush still staining his friend's cheeks. That reminds me. "Copper and tellurium?"

      Lance rubbed his forehead. "It's a chemistry line. Copper is CU and tellurium is TE. 'Cute.'" The corner of his mouth quirked up as he spoke.

      Keith narrowed his eyes. "And you... liked that?"

      "What?" Lance stared at him, cheeks pink. "No! I-I wasn't- I don't- It's just nice to get attention once in awhile."

      Keith made a face. "But from that guy?" he said skeptically.

      Lance huffed. "He sucked. I meant it's nice to know people aren't, like, grossed out by my appearance or anything."

      "Those pick-up lines were horrible."

      "Like you could do better," Lance scoffed. "Flirting isn't easy, you know."

      Keith crossed his arms. "Tossing around pick-up lines? Says you." He smirked as Lance stared at him.

      "Prove it," Lance challenged, putting both hands on his hips and leaning forward. "Flirt with..." He turned and scanned the area, then looked at Keith and shrugged. "The hottest person here. You decide."

      Keith felt his smirk stretch into a confident grin. Here was something he could do. "Sure. But Lance... that's not how you spell 'cute'."

      Lance blinked. "What?"

      "'Cute'," Keith repeated. "That's not how you spell it."

      "But..." Lance's face scrunched up in confusion. "That's how the books spell it... What did I get wrong?"

      Keith shrugged, face neutral. "You spelled it C-U-T-E. It's actually spelled L-A-N-C-E."

      There was a moment of silence. Keith watched with a mischievous smile as Lance paled, then flushed. "W-What?" he stammered.

      Keith didn't answer. He squinted at Lance. "There's something on your face." Leaning forward, he rubbed his thumb over the bridge of Lance's nose. "Oh. Looks like it's beauty. Hey, it's not coming off!"

      Lance sputtered as Keith lowered his hand, glancing discreetly at his fingers as he did. His thumb was smeared with concealer the same coffee-with-cream shade of brown as Lance's skin. "Keith, what are you-"

      "Blue was right to choose you. Your eyes are the ocean, and I'm lost at sea." Those blue eyes went wider, and the freckles Keith had uncovered disappeared in Lance's blush. Quiznak, he was cute when flustered. "And I'm definitely the Paladin of Fire," Keith continued, "because the closer I get, the hotter you are."

      "K-Keith!" Lance cleared his throat and tried to give Keith a confident grin, which turned out more like a flustered smile. "Okay, you're pretty-"

      "No, you are."

      Lance squeaked. "That's not what I was trying to say!" he protested.

      "You're blushing," Keith observed. He knew he was laying it on thick with the cheesy pick-up lines, but he couldn't help himself. This was just too much fun.

      "I am not!"

      Keith nodded at a reflective shop window. "Are you sure?"

      Lance walked over to the window and examined his reflection, Keith a few steps behind him. "I'm not- Hey!" He squinted. "You wiped off my makeup!"

      "It wasn't doing much," Keith said with a shrug, leaning against the wall. "And even if it did make you look better, you wouldn't need it. No point gilding the lily."

      As Lance stared at him, working the meaning of the expression out, Keith gestured at the window again. "That's a lucky window. It gets to reflect the most amazing person in the universe."

      Lance's already pink face went red. He mumbled something that sounded like "Thawoobeeoo"

      "What?"

      Lance cleared his throat and gave the Red Paladin a shaky grin. "Uh, that would be true? Be- because I am pretty amazing."

      It wasn't a convincing display of confidence, but Keith appreciated the effort. He chuckled.

      "What are you laughing at?" Lance said huffily.

      Keith smirked at him. "You trying to pretend I'm not good at flirting."

      "That's not-" Lance stopped. "Okay, sure, that's what I'm doing. You got me."

      Before Keith could respond, the communicator crackled with static. "Guys?" Hunk said through the device.

      Lance fumbled to get it out of his pocket. "What's up?" he asked, avoiding Keith's eyes.

      "Come find out," Pidge said playfully.

      "You'll won't believe what we found. It's a vrrtrbrff- Hmf!" Judging by the way Hunk's voice suddenly went muffled, Pidge had clamped a hand over his mouth.

      "Don't ruin the surprise!" the Green Paladin hissed. Then, louder, "Anyway, you should come see it. We're outside - uh - Space Walmart?"

      "Space Walmart," Keith repeated. "Got it. We're on our way." He smiled mischievously at Lance as the Blue Paladin pocketed the communicator and they started walking. "You were saying?"

      Lance pouted. "You're a good flirt," he admitted grudgingly.

      "You don't have to be so grumpy about it," Keith said.

      Lance raised an eyebrow. "Look who's talking." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But it's not that. When I said to prove it, I didn't mean on me."

      Keith smirked. "You said the hottest person here," he pointed out.

      "Yeah, so why-" Lance went red, then crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "You're sooo smooth. Maybe you should be the lover boy."

      More like boy-lover, Keith thought. "That's your thing," he said.

      The light in Lance's eyes dimmed, but he grinned and elbowed Keith. "Yeah, but can you imagine the looks you'd get if you started flirting all over the place?" His grin grew more excited - more sincere, Keith thought. "Ooh, or what if we pretended to swap personalities for a while?"

      "Bad idea," Keith said immediately. "You couldn't be 'emo' if you tried."

      "Keith, I once missed two weeks of school because of a stomachache I didn't have." Lance's smile disappeared, replaced by a moody expression that Keith mostly only saw in the mirror. He crossed his arms and shifted his pace. "I'm not 'emo'," he grumped.

      "I don't sound like that," Keith objected, slightly intimidated.

      Lance huffed. "Say whatever you need to make yourself feel better."

      Okay, he was good.

      "Well?" Lance demanded, dropping his Keith impression.

      Keith frowned and looked away. "Whatever."

      "Whatever," Lance mimicked. The way he dropped his pitch to match Keith's voice almost perfectly was impressive bordering on scary.

      Time to turn the tables. "How did you do that?" Keith asked innocently.

      Lance puffed out his chest proudly, although the baggy hoodie swallowed most of the action. "It's all about paying attention to-"

      "Not that," Keith interrupted. "How'd you look so good?"

      And just like that, Lance lost his swagger and was blushing and tripping over his own feet again. "Not fair," the Blue Paladin complained, regaining his balance.

      Keith snickered. "Looks like you're falling for me, Sharpshooter," he teased.

      Lance stared at him. His cheeks glowed brighter than a cannon about to fire. Keith had never seen anyone turn that shade of red and it alarmed him.

      Quiznak, I overdid it! "Are you okay?" he asked, panicking. "I went too far, I'm sorry! You want me to stop? 'Cause I can do that..."

      "I-I'm fine," Lance stammered, cutting Keith's rambling short. "You're fine. I just... wasn't expecting jokes from you. Or... or nicknames." He chuckled awkwardly. "I'm... what's the phrase? ... rubbing off on you."

      "Maybe," Keith agreed. He pointed at a large store up ahead. "Does that look like a Walmart to you?"

      Lance squinted, then nodded. "Yep. Hey, there's Hunk and Pidge! HEY GUYS!"

      "Check it out!" Hunk called as the Red and Blue Paladins hurried over. "It's a photo booth!"

      Lance's entire face lit up as he gave the futuristic-looking pod a once-over. "No way!" He began rummaging in his pockets.

      Keith blinked. "It's... a walk-in camera?"

      "It's a walk-in selfie," Pidge corrected. "Lots of malls have them." She handed Lance a GAC. "Go wild."

      Lance's grin somehow grew even bigger. Before Pidge could dodge, he enveloped her in a tight hug. Hunk joined the hug immediately, beaming.

      Keith watched enviously. Then, without warning, a fleece-clad arm emerged from the tangle and caught him by the shoulder. Suddenly, he was in the middle. Lance had one arm around Pidge and the other around him, and Hunk had pretty much wrapped himself around all of them like a blanket with muscles. Oh. Wow. This... is really nice.

      "You guys are the best," Lance said happily. He ended the hug, to Keith's disappointment, and jerked his head toward the photo booth. "I want a picture with each of you."

      As Lance and Pidge entered the booth, Keith turned to Hunk. "Nice," he said grudgingly.

      Hunk shrugged. "Pidge said she owed Lance some happiness for all the teasing he's put up with. Besides, he's my best friend. We do stuff like this."

      Best friend. Keith's figurative hackles rose. Hunk had the universe's most perfect being falling head over heels for him, and he didn't even know it. This had impending friendzone written all over it! Lance will be crushed if he confesses and Hunk turns him down. I have to make sure that doesn't happen. Even if... even if it means I never have a chance with him. He cleared his throat, then took a deep breath and began. "Listen, Hunk, I need-"

      Just then, Pidge reappeared, looking like she was trying not to smile. "Your turn," she told Hunk.

      Hunk nodded. "Sorry," he said apologetically to Keith. "Can we talk later?"

      "Yeah," Keith answered, half relieved and half frustrated. He watched as the Yellow Paladin entered the photo booth. He's so lucky.

      "Be patient, Romeo," Pidge said in amusement. "You're next."

      "What?" Keith stared at her for a moment before he realized he must have said that out loud. "I wasn't..."

      The Green Paladin rolled her eyes. "Sure."

      There was a moment of silence.

      "Are you okay?" Keith asked, noticing Pidge's mournful expression.

      "Yeah. It's just..."

      Keith waited.

      "I shouldn't have teased Lance so much," Pidge said softly, staring at her shoes. "I didn't know the goofball thing was a coping mechanism. I should have known."

      "Coping mechanism?" That was new information for Keith.

      Pidge nodded absently. "The dramatics, all the arm-waving and shrieking... Lance is a drama queen, but I think a lot of it comes from dealing with stress. Matt was the same way."

      "Is," Lance corrected, popping out of the booth. Hunk also stuck his head out, blinking rapidly. "There's still hope, Pigeon." The Blue Paladin paused, taking in Pidge's remorse and Keith's bemusement. "Wait, what are we talking about?"

      "Nothing," Pidge said quickly. Keith saw her blink away a tear before she pushed him toward Lance. "You're next, right?"

      "Yup," Hunk agreed, exiting the booth. He rubbed his eyes, then resumed his frantic blinking. As Keith passed him, the Yellow Paladin added, "Don't look into the flash. Big mistake."

      "I warned him," Lance mumbled, before grinning at Keith. "So it turns out space photo booths are way better than Earth photo booths. We get a ton more photos, and they're not even timed!"

      "Wow," Keith said, trying to sound like photo booths were something he had experience with.

      Lance gave him an amused look. "You're a terrible liar."

      Keith frowned. "Not true." He'd lied and not gotten caught before. I guess you're just good at reading me. "Are those cardboard weapons?" he asked, noticing a bin full of cheap-looking blades and blasters sitting beneath the camera.

      "They're props!" Lance picked up a cardboard sword and swung it a couple of times. "I think these ones are supposed to be our bayards. There are Lion masks too. Check it out." He passed the sword to Keith and held up a mask painted to look like the Black Lion's head. "There's a Voltron mask in here too."

      Keith turned the sword over in his hands. It was entirely red and the hilt in no way resembled his bayard. Either whoever made it worried about copyright issues, or they just didn't know what the Paladins' weapons actually looked like. "What other props are there?"

      Lance rummaged around in the bin, pausing to put on a Blue Lion mask. "Uh, a couple of other masks - is this supposed to be Zarkon? - some stuff from movies probably, and these blank speech bubbles. Oh, and some markers." He turned to Keith, eyes sparkling behind the mask. "Which ones do you wanna use first?"

      A couple of photos later, Lance got Hunk and Pidge into the booth. "We've got three pictures left," he explained. "I want some group photos!"

      Keith looked at Lance as they got into position for the first photo. The Blue Paladin was practically glowing. When they were ready, Lance beamed at the camera like he'd just received the greatest gift he could imagine. In a way, he had; a fun reminder of Earth, shared by his friends and crush. I wish it were me, not Hunk. Hunk doesn't even think of him that way.

      Flash! The Paladins moved into new poses, and Pidge pressed the button.

      As the timer counted down, Keith whispered to Lance, "We're surrounded by stars, but none of them are as bright as your smile." Lance went pink just as the camera flashed.

      "That's two," Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. An excited smile broke through her neutral expression. "Can we do movie props for the last one?" Beside her, Hunk already had an armful of props, looking equally excited.

      Lance grinned, blush fading a bit. "Are you kidding? Yeah!" He ran a hand through his hair. "This was a lot of fun. Thanks, guys."

      Even though he'd had nothing to do with finding the photo booth, Keith couldn't keep himself from smiling.

      "It sounds like you had fun," Shiro commented. He'd elected to sit with the other Paladins in the back of the pod.

      "We did," Pidge agreed.

      "The photo booth was the best part," Hunk added. He and Pidge high-fived.

      "The booth sent the pictures to my phone," Lance said happily, tapping the device's screen. He passed the phone around so the Paladins could admire their prize. "We can print some copies back at the Castle, right?"

      "Of course," Coran called from the front.

      Lance pumped his fist. "Sweet!"

      Very, Keith thought, flipping through the pictures. Lance and him wearing Lion masks and holding their replica weapons in anime poses, Lance holding a speech bubble reading "VOL" and him holding one that read "TRON", both of them making faces at the camera... Lance had done similar things with Hunk and Pidge - the anime thing seemed to be a recurring theme - but the important part was that he'd had fun with all of them. I want the ones of us together, and the group pictures. The movie one, starring Lance in humongous sunglasses and a paper crown, Hunk with a giant fake moustache and hot pink fedora, Pidge in a Viking helmet, and Keith in a feather boa and jester's hat, all making funny faces at the camera. The serious group photo where they all posed and smiled nicely. And the one where he had a fond smile on his face and Lance was blushing. Especially this one.

      Keith quickly passed the phone to Shiro so nobody noticed him smiling like a weirdo at the picture.

      A few minutes later, the pod entered the hangar and landed. As the Paladins got out and started toward the bridge, Keith hung back. "Hey Lance?"

      Lance stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

      Keith looked him up and down, and smirked. "Ten points to Gryffindor." He walked toward the door, grinning as Lance sputtered.

      "What did you say to him?" Hunk asked as the Red Paladin drew even with him.

      Keith tried and failed to keep a smile off his face. "Nothing. I was just completing a dare."

Chapter Text

      "I'm pathetic," Keith told the Lance figurine in frustration.

      The figurine, predictably, said nothing. It just sat there, a cocky smirk on its unfreckled face.

      That bugged Keith. True, the artisan hadn't known about the freckles Lance kept hidden under makeup, but it didn't seem right for the otherwise perfect replica to miss even a minor detail like that. He grabbed a marker and added tiny brown dots to the figurine's face, being careful not to put them too close together. Then he groaned and threw himself onto the bed.

      This is ridiculous. That trip to the space mall was a week ago. Not only have I not been able to talk to Hunk yet, but I can't stop thinking about Lance! It's like knowing I can't have him makes me want him more! If this doesn't end-

      "Attention, Paladins," Allura said over the intercom. "Please report to the lounge for a special training regimen."

      Keith sighed and got out of bed. Special training meant some kind of torture devised by Coran "to help them become closer as a team". Past regimens included countless mind-melds that failed for one reason or another, being forced into a sticky situation with another Paladin and having to work together to get out, and having to balance eggs between each other. Without hands.

      But when he got to the lounge, it wasn't Coran holding the data pad and wearing a self-important expression. It was Pidge.

      "Alright, get comfortable," she ordered as soon as the other Paladins were seated. "We're gonna be here awhile."

      Keith folded his arms uneasily. He'd ended up next to Lance on the central couch, with Hunk on the Blue Paladin's other side. This would be a very awkward "awhile" if he couldn't keep his mind off his crush.

      "Hold it," Lance exclaimed, standing abruptly. "What kind of training are we talking, Pidge?"

      Pidge tapped her data pad, expression combining mischief and dread. "A horrible-movie marathon," she announced dramatically. "I've asked each of you what you think the worst kind of movie is, and we're going to watch them all."

      The Paladins shuddered collectively. "I knew that question would come back to bite me in the butt," Hunk moaned.

      Shiro was equally distressed. "How long are the movies we're watching?" he asked. "Assuming there's a movie for each of us."

      Pidge consulted the pad and made a face. "I wouldn't sit on the floor if I were you. We're all gonna have flat butts by the last movie."

      "That's it." Lance folded his arms defiantly. "If we're going to suffer, I vote we suffer in comfort." He didn't wait for a response before striding out the door.

      Shiro stood up. "I agree with Lance," he said, looking around at the other Paladins. "Grab pillows, blankets, whatever you need to feel comfortable. We'll meet back here in a few minutes to start our tor- our training."

      When the Paladins reconvened, it was with full arms and resigned expressions. They set up quickly, and soon the couches were heaped with blankets and pillows. Hunk was in his pajamas. Shiro had made a nest on the floor that he apparently intended to inhabit despite Pidge's warning.

      They took their seats.

      "Before we get started, the player's set to play the movies on shuffle," Pidge warned. "I have no clue what order we're watching them in. And yes, I put my least favourite movie in too." Lance lowered his hand. "Any questions?" She moved to start the first movie.

      "Wait!" Hunk jumped up and ran out of the lounge. He returned a few minutes later with a tray bearing bowls of burgundy popcorn, cups of bubbly lime green liquid, a platter of dark orange cookies with electric blue dipping sauce, and a bowl of candy. "How could we have a movie night without snacks?" He distributed the popcorn and beverages, then set the tray where everyone could reach it and sat down next to Pidge, leaving the central couch to Keith and Lance.

      That's weird, Keith thought, but just then Pidge pressed play, the lights went out, and the first movie began.

      Keith was bored right off the bat. It was supposed to be an exciting action movie, but it was way too cheesy and cliche to take seriously. The car chases and gun fights were extremely unrealistic. The love interest wore useless, immodest clothing, was dating a hot guy who was almost guarunteed to either be a villain in disguise or to betray everyone, and had absolutely no personality or talent. And the props were so schlocky that they could probably be replaced with photo booth props without anyone noticing.

      "This is hilarious," Lance mumbled happily through a mouthful of popcorn. Keith couldn't help but smile. Hunk was staring blankly at the screen, Pidge was twitching and muttering angrily to herself, and Shiro had an expression of absolute disgust on his face. Lance, on the other hand, found the tasteless cinematography funny. "So the boyfriend's secretly a bad guy, right?" he whispered to Keith.

      "Obviously," Keith whispered back.

      Lance nodded, not looking away from the movie. "Called it. This would be so much more interesting if he and what's-his-face... the hero dude? ... fell in love or something."

      Keith was startled into laughing. It was apparently the reaction Lance had been looking for, because a few minutes later, he whispered, "Wouldn't it be cool if the dopey love interest turned out to be the head bad guy?"

      Keith thought about it. It certainly would be more interesting. "Yeah," he answered.

      The rest of the movie went by quickly, punctuated by whispered comments and predictions. By the end, Keith was pretty sure he had an entire movie script in his head, courtesy of Lance and his own imagination.

      "That wasn't so bad," Hunk said dubiously as the credits rolled.

      Pidge shuddered. "Yes it was," she said, and pressed skip.

      The next movie was a romance loaded with sappy lines, unnecessary drama, and way too much kissing. There was also a lot of men going shirtless and women in low-cut shirts and miniskirts - when they weren't in bikinis.

      "This is gross," was Lance's only comment. Keith agreed, and a glance at the other Paladins revealed that it was a popular opinion.

      After that, things got interesting.

      It was a thriller. Keith watched, boredom forgotten, as the story unfolded. The main character, a normal teenage girl, agreed to babysit for a rich couple, missing out on a school party. She began receiving mysterious calls from someone who didn't say anything during most of them. She thought they were prank calls from the party, but her classmates denied it when she called them.

      Keith found it riveting. He wasn't big on horror - no need to encourage stress and paranoia, after all - but this wasn't bad. I'll have to ask Pidge for a copy later.

      One of the girl's friends came to visit, but the girl turned her away, not wanting to get in trouble. The music had an ominous note to it as the friend returned to her car. A hand clutched Keith's arm. Startled, he looked away from the screen, just as the friend screamed. The hand belonged to Lance, who had apparently been inching closer since the start of the movie. His eyes remained on the screen, and his expression was of horrified fascination, which was a good sign he'd been looking for reassurance and hadn't known it.

      Keith's heart melted. He should have known Lance would hate a scary movie like this. The guy freaked out when the corrupted Alfor AI took over the Castle, because he thought it was haunted! How can I help him? Lance's grip tightened as the house alarm went off, but nobody was there. I just need to be here for him, Keith realized. The knowledge didn't make it easier to do so, though.

      When Lance's shoulder pressed into his side as the killer asked if the girl had checked on the children, Keith suddenly found it hard to breathe. He tried to ignore his pounding heart and focus on the movie, but it was impossible. The best he could do was listen to what went on while his eyes remained glued to Lance's terrified face.

      The girl found the maid's body in the bathroom. Lance whimpered and clutched Keith's arm tighter. He was pressed up against Keith now, and still unaware of anything outside the movie. As the girl contacted the police and received a promise to help, his grip loosened a little.

      That's good, Keith thought. The police will save her. The kids will make it. Maybe it was Lance's terror leaking into him, but he was starting to find this movie very disturbing. He gently freed his arm and patted Lance's back reassuringly. Then the police called back and told the girl to get out, he was in the house with them and Lance couldn't take any more. His arms wrapped around Keith with the speed of a striking snake, and he buried his face in Keith's chest with a choked whimper.

      Keith froze. He could feel Lance shivering through his t-shirt. His eyes were squeezed shut, he could feel that too. Comfort first, gay crisis later. Keith carefully put an arm around the Blue Paladin's shoulder and squeezed gently. He didn't move for the rest of the movie.

      It was a good thing too, because things quickly went from scary to terrifying. The killer tried to attack the children, but the girl fought him off long enough for the police to arrive and rescue her. She went to the hospital to recover. While she was there, the phone rang, and when she went to pick up, the killer appeared behind her and grabbed her. It turned out to be a hallucination. The movie ended with doctors trying to calm her down as she screamed. Keith was firmly convinced that watching it again was a bad idea. He rubbed Lance's back, then pulled his arm back as the Blue Paladin loosened his grip and sat up, still breathing hard. "You okay?"

      Lance glanced at him, then looked away and nodded. Then he leaned over and put a reassuring hand on Shiro's shoulder. "It's not real. We're galaxies away from people like that. We're safe."

      Keith hadn't realized it, but the Black Paladin looked even more shaken than Lance had. He's so considerate, comforting Shiro right away. I've fallen for a literal angel. He pushed the thought back and knelt in front of Shiro. "You're okay," he said softly.

      Shiro took a deep, shuddery breath and nodded. "I'm okay," he repeated. After a few more deep breaths, he ran a hand through his hair and said in a steadier voice, "Sorry for freaking out. I should know it's just a movie."

      "You've been through a lot," Lance pointed out. "We're fighting a war. You're allowed to be scared." He looked over at Pidge. "We're not watching any more scary movies today."

      Pidge nodded, in full agreement. "The last two are tame, I promise."

      "Good," Hunk said in relief. "Shiro, come sit with me and Pidge."

      Keith helped Shiro to his feet. As soon as Shiro was seated on the couch and wrapped in blankets, the Yellow Paladin gave him a big hug. Pidge was seconds behind in joining them.

      Should I be doing that for Lance? Keith considered it, but Lance had sat down closer to his original spot, and the next movie had started. Reluctantly, Keith took his seat.

      It wasn't long before he realized this was the movie he'd been dreading: a tearjerker. Oh no. Keith knew things were going to get bad, he knew it, but he was powerless to tear himself away from the story. At least there was someone sitting close so he wouldn't be drowning in tears alone.

      Wait.

      With a great deal of effort, Keith pulled his gaze away from the screen for a moment. Lance had moved closer, probably sensing Keith's struggle. He wasn't looking at him - he was watching the movie with what looked like a combination of nostalgia and geniune interest - but something in his position seemed to say, "I'm here for you." Oddly reassured, Keith allowed himself to continue watching the story unfold.

      It was painful. Keith felt tears gather in his eyes as the fox's friends told him he couldn't stay best friends with the dog, and it began to come true. Lance's hand rested on his knee comfortingly.

      The old woman forced her beloved fox to leave her for the safety of a wildlife preserve so the dog's master couldn't kill him. A tear traced a wet trail down Keith's cheek. Lance moved his hand up to Keith's shoulder.

      Finally, the Ultimate Sad happened. The fox and the dog reconciled, but had to separate for good for both their safety. Although he'd been expecting something of the sort, Keith couldn't help it. He cried. Long arms wrapped around his shoulders, and without thinking, Keith leaned into the soothing embrace and pressed his face into Lance's chest, letting the tears fall.

      It felt like a long time before he regained control of himself and sat up. "Sorry," he mumbled.

      Lance didn't let go. He gave Keith's back a little rub. "Nothing wrong with needing a shoulder to cry on." He paused meaningfully. "Take all the time you need. Get the sad out of your system."

      Keith tried to protest, but his throat clogged with unshed tears. Defeated, he allowed Lance to hug him closer, the Blue Paladin's hand tracing light patterns in the back of his t-shirt. Letters, Keith thought absently. T-E-pause-A-M-O, over and over. I wonder what that means.

      The last movie began. Lance loosened his hold, but didn't pull away. It was an open offer: If you're ready for space, feel free to take it.

      Keith didn't take it. It was selfish of him, he knew, but he was going to take advantage of every opportunity to be close to Lance. Before I lose him for good.

      Keith woke up to rolling credits and most of his friends sound asleep in their places. Most of them. Lance wasn't there.

      Keith tried to think back. He remembered being very bored by the extremely dull movie - he couldn't even remember what it was about - and then getting drowsy. The warm arms around him had only served to send him to sleep faster. At least he hadn't been the first to conk out. Pidge had gone to sleep about five minutes in, and Shiro had been nodding off when Keith lost the battle to keep his heavy eyelids open. Surprisingly, Hunk and Lance had lasted the longest.

      Quiznak! I fell asleep on Lance! Keith buried his face in his hands. Ugh, please let me be a calm sleeper. It had never been a concern before, but now... If I drooled on him or hit him in my sleep or said something embarrassing, I'm done. I might as well go back to the desert and throw myself into the nearest sandstorm. He took a deep breath and stood up. He had to find Lance and apologize.

      It took a bit of searching before Keith located him. The Blue Paladin stood in a dimly lit room Keith had never seen before, looking out the ceiling-to-floor window at the stars. Thinking, Keith guessed. He cleared his throat quietly. "Hey."

      Lance turned. He seemed surprised to find Keith there, but not displeased. "Hey." Encouraged, Keith joined him at the window. They watched the stars in companionable silence for a moment before Lance said, "I woke up a few minutes ago. You guys were still sleeping, so I came out here for a bit."

      Keith took his time in responding. "It's peaceful." He took a deep breath. "About earlier-"

      "Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "You were being really nice, and I was rude to you. I just... I dunno, got embarrassed because I got spooked and latched onto the nearest human being like a little kid."

      "Galra," Keith corrected without thinking.

      Lance frowned at him. "When will you realize that doesn't change anything?" he said in frustration. "You're still Keith." Keith blinked at him, startled. "You make this tragic face every time the word 'Galra' or 'human' comes up," Lance explained briefly. "Don't think we don't notice. It's just a few drops of purple in your system."

      Keith opened and closed his mouth a few times, surprised. He hadn't realized quite how much attention Lance paid to how he felt. Does he know how I feel about... him? He looked out over the expanse of stars, then back to the Blue Paladin. Something caught in his throat.

      Lance was beautiful in the starlight, with his hair tousled, his cheeks faintly flushed, and his freckles not covered by makeup. There was a soft smile on his face, and his eyes seemed an even deeper shade of blue surrounded by the darkness of space.

      In those eyes, Keith lost his fear. He took a step closer, leaned forward, and kissed Lance.

      There was a moment of perfect silence.

      "I'm sorry!" Keith stumbled backward, blushing furiously as he returned to himself. "I know you love Hunk, and I don't want to force myself onto you, but I've been trying to keep my feelings under control for such a long time and you looked so perfect with the stars around you that I couldn't help it and now I've ruined things between us, I'm so sorry-"

      Lance stared at him, cheeks pink. Then a smile crept onto his face. "You... like me?"

      "Yes," Keith whispered, staring at his feet. He'd messed up so badly.

      "Keith, I... I can't believe it." Lance ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "You - me - Wow."

      "I'm sorry," Keith said painfully. "I know you like Hunk."

      Lance was silent. Then he laughed, startled. "Hunk? Who says I love Hunk?"

      Surprised, Keith looked up. "What?"

      Lance was still laughing. "Hunk's my best friend and completely in love with Shay. I couldn't love him as anything other than a brother, and I'm fine with that." He paused to catch his breath. "Keith, I've been in love with you!"

      "What?" Keith repeated, shocked.

      "I've had a crush on you since you punched Iverson at the Garrison," Lance said, running a hand through his hair. "You never noticed me, so I tried to pretend it was a rivalry instead. And you believed it more than I did!"

      "Oh," Keith said intelligently.

      Lance laughed delightedly and, taking both of Keith's hands in his, kissed the Red Paladin on the lips. When they parted, Keith realized that maybe this was real. His crush liked him back. "Holy quiznak," he breathed. Then, just because he could, he kissed Lance again.

      "Should we tell the others?" he asked when the kiss ended.

      Lance smirked. "Let's let them figure it out on their own," he suggested, rubbing his thumb along Keith's hand. "Hey, let's go see if they're awake yet."

      Keith let Lance tug him out the door.

      Lance McClain, the Blue Paladin.

      His boyfriend.

Chapter Text

      "So you thought 'Taylor' was a separate person?"

      Keith groaned. "Shut up."

      There was a pause as Lance considered the order, then decided to ignore it. He grinned. "And you had a crush on 'Taylor.'"

      "Yes," Keith mumbled, face burning.

      "You fell for me twice?" Lance cooed. "Awww, Keeeith! That's so sweet." He laughed as Keith huffed at being called sweet. "Come on, Samurai, don't pout. I think it's cute."

      "You're cuter," Keith fired back, smirking at Lance's indignant gasp. "Don't pout, Sharpshooter. You gave me the right to call you cute when you kissed me back."

      "You're lucky I love you," Lance warned. Keith laughed and ruffled his boyfriend's hair, earning a squawk.

      They had been together for over a month now, and it had been the happiest month of Keith's life. He was pretty sure everyone in the universe could tell - everyone who wasn't a member of Team Voltron, that is. For someone who monitored the Castle's camera feed for fun, Pidge was surprisingly blind to their change in relationship. And there were a lot of obvious changes.

      First of all, there was the way their banter never led to serious insults anymore. (Lance still delighted in name-calling, but he didn't use names like Dropout or Mullet anymore. "I love your mullet," he'd said. "Always have, always will. But you said you don't like it, so I'll drop it.") Then there was the way Keith kept finding himself looking at Lance, little glances throughout the day, which he sometimes caught Lance doing to him, and casual touches. A hair ruffle after a light tease, an arm around the other's shoulder while walking, leaning on the other during a conversation.

      And of course, there were the changes in Keith and Lance themselves. Keith had noticed he found less things irritating. Getting used to Lance's love of teasing had apparently increased his patience. He smiled more, he knew that for a fact. And if anything even got close to hurting Lance, well, that wasn’t going to happen on his watch. Meanwhile, Lance didn't try to hide his hobbies as much. He'd started listening (read: singing and dancing) to music wherever and whenever the mood struck him, and it wasn't uncommon for him to pull out his knitting needles during free time in the lounge. And he'd stopped wearing makeup.

      "Why do you hide your freckles?" Keith had asked a few days into their relationship.

      Lance had thought for a moment before answering. "After you left the Garrison, someone told me freckles looked dumb on a Latino," he'd said. "So I started wearing concealer. It kind of became a habit after that."

      "Your freckles are part of you," Keith had said. "That makes them beautiful too." He took Lance's face in his hands and kissed each freckle, only stopping when Lance's giggles crinkled his nose too much to continue.

      "I can't believe the others don't know yet," Lance murmured, resting his head on Keith's shoulder. "Mi familia cubana will know before they do at this rate."

      Keith chuckled. "Maybe that's a good thing." He'd gotten better at interpreting Spanish over the past month. Dating a guy who often switched languages without realizing it had a way of doing that. As for the rest of the team, they were apparently still trying to get the two together. Lance had suspected the other Paladins of matchmaking for some time - Shiro and Hunk in particular - and upon hearing that suspicion, Keith had realized he was right. Their friends weren't overly subtle with their hints. And since the hinting hadn't stopped, Team Voltron was still unaware of their success. "Let's not tell them."

      Lance nodded. Then he sat up abruptly. "Ooh, but can we have a big fight in front of them, and when Shiro scolds us, we kiss?"

      Keith thought about it. "No."

      "But their faces!" Lance wailed.

      "Lance."

      "Fine." Lance put his head on Keith's shoulder again. "We will let them figure it out on their own. Because my boyfriend is boring and doesn't know how to have fun."

      "You and I both know that's not true," Keith said, unbothered.

      Lance paused. "I think we did decide that, yeah." He kissed Keith's cheek. "You're right. As usual."

      "I'm in a relationship with Lance McClain," Keith said softly, putting an arm around his boyfriend. "That's all I need to be."