Archive of Our Own

Love wasn’t something you can rely on.

That’s what Keira learnt at 8.

She loved her dad, he was her whole world. He was the only thing she knew, and her only comfort. But nothing good ever stayed, at least, they never did for her.

She tried to love her mom in the stories she was told, about a strong woman who appeared from the stars, but at what point do stories become lies? Keira couldn’t find it in her heart to miss her mom, not in the way her dad did. Never in the way he did.

One thing she was glad that left her was the long looks her dad gave whenever she got ‘angry’, his eyes glazing over as if he was seeing someone else.

Sometimes I think that you’d much rather kill a bird before ever trying on lipstick.

-

After the death, for an unfortunate amount of her life, Keira’s only form of entertainment was shiny, bright, and painfully girly Princess cartoons. They weren’t even the new “Girls can do anything!” kind, they were old. Old, sexist, with the slightest pinch of racist microaggressions, ones that got to a point where Keira had to wonder where the old lady even got them, let alone this many.

Leaving that foster home after the lady was found smuggling crack in her rickety barn with her three grandsons was the breath of fresh air that 12 year old Keira desperately needed, though it didn’t exactly give her the guarantee for a home.

A confession that she will take to the grave is how she first realized that her lack of attraction to guys wasn’t just because all of them were ugly or an asshole, but a deeper, more personal one.

One beautiful summer day, at the ripe age of 13, Keira’s new foster sister at the time, who was around 6, maybe 7 (or even 8, she can’t remember), pulled her away from her summer work to watch Brave. Keira could only feel the gears slowly turn in her head as she watched a “Bad ass princess!”, her sister described, shoot arrows with precision and fight valiantly for her family.

As embarrassing as it was, it wasn’t something she could ignore, and after months of twisting and turning in the bottom bunk of her shared bed, she grew the metaphorical balls to tell her current parents. 

The outcome was, unsurprisingly, not good.

That night, after hearing the adults arguing in the kitchen about whether they should leave her back at the orphanage or just dump her on the street, Keira climbed out of the back window and never looked back.

At 14, she meets Shiro. This weird, kind, but way too optimistic guy that truly believed that Keira had potential. That she wasn’t some screw up or some roadside trash, but someone who was bright, someone who could make a change.

She’s shocked he still likes her after stealing his car and driving off into the desert, but all that did was make him more motivated, and for the first time since she was 8, Keira had a semblance of normalcy.

Being in the Garrison, and learning under Shiro gave her something to work towards, a goal. And god, did that goal feel like a shining beacon in the shit pit called her life.

Then, Shiro went missing.

And then she, along with some random people, got shot into space.

Now she’s a paladin for the universe’s most powerful weapon. Great.

Keira eventually grows her bond with the people that she’s been forcibly interlinked minds with, and she’d honestly say that they’re all solid ‘friends’. 

All except for one.

⋆⁺₊⋆1⋆⁺₊⋆ 

“Paladins! We have received a distress signal from a rebel base that has been taken over by the Galra! They are keeping the rebels there as hostages, and we must move with haste to ensure no casualties,” Princess Allura ordered, her hands moving around the controls of the Castle-ship quickly.

As Allura worked at getting them to the base, Shiro turned to the rest of the team, pointing at different parts of the holographic map that was pulled up,

“Okay team, here’s how we’ll deal with this. Hunk, you and me are going through this middle wing to deal with most of the sentries, Pidge, you stick with Keira and Lana to give them directions towards the cells. Only try to engage with enemies when necessary.”

With a sigh, he turned to Keira and Lana, 

“Girls,”

“Don’t girls us!”

Shiro spared a tired glance towards Lana.

“Guys, you two, just, try to work together the best you can for this. You both make an amazing team when you work together, so please, no bickering during this mission.”

Lana gasped, louder than necessary, and gestured to herself.

“I could never, can’t say the same about Mullet over here though.”

“Says the one that always whines for no reason,” Keira grumbled under her breath.

“What did you say!”

The two glared at each other, almost butting heads at their proximity.

“Oh, so you’re deaf now? You heard what I said.”

Before the situation could escalate, Hunk came in between the two, pushing them apart.

“Okay guys, let’s not start a fight before a mission, let’s think about happy things, like puppies!”

“Hunk, I think the only dog I’m seeing here is this bi-“

“Girls!”

Flinching, both Lana and Keira’s heads spun around to meet the heated glare from their leader,

“God, please, be civil with each other, I’m not asking for anything more. I’m entrusting a vital part of the mission to you two, lives are at stake. Don’t fight with each other, understand?” 

Keira didn’t miss the sharp look Lana tossed at her as they both nodded solemnly to Shiro. Unfortunately she wasn’t above sending one of her own, praying that Shiro didn’t catch it.

-

The base was heavily guarded, forcing all of them having to squeeze into the Green Lion to be able to sneak in. The ride was also a bit rocky, with Pidge trying to dodge the rogue asteroids that surrounded the base. Keira tried not to blush when Lana had fallen into her during a particularly rough turn, but it was made easier when said girl immediately looked at her face and stuck her tongue out, her nose scrunched up in a way that shouldn’t be endearing.

Keira huffed, pushing Lana off as the Lion steadied itself onto the base. As they snuck in, Shiro quietly went over the plans once more before they split up.

Lana walked in front of Pidge and Keira, holding her blaster gun and pointing it to the ceiling for easy access in case of a surprise attack. Keira held her sword in her hand, her grip tight as she and Lana listened intently to Pidge’s directions.

“One more right and we’ll be at the cells, be careful, I’m pretty sure that there’ll be at least four sentries guarding them.”

Lana peered around the corner, her head instantly snapping back to Pidge, her eyes wide,

“What the heck! You said there’s only four there, I saw at least ten!” She whispered aggressively.

“I said at least four! It’s not my fault you’re too dumb to understand my wording!”

Looking between the two, Keira internally sighed before stepping forward, a grin growing on her face,

“Who cares how many there are, it just means more fun.”

“Fun? How fun could it be?” Lana shivered.

Keira turned back to the other, tilting her head with a scowl, “A lot, if you actually cared to train more than the minimum.”

“Go do your job already and stab them!”

Shrugging, Keira ignored Lana’s grating voice as she rushed into the corridor. She quickly grabbed the attention of two sentries, slashing at them easily as she moved onto the next ones.

She heard sounds of Lana and Pidge fighting alongside her, Lana hanging back a bit more to have a longer range to shoot with Pidge closer up front to make swipes with her bayard.

During the fight, Keira found herself becoming more and more overwhelmed with the amount of enemies, they must’ve activated some call for backup at some point. Keira swore not so silently as another guard rushed her alongside the two already in front of her. As she finished off the last one, she heard a shout from behind her.

“KEIRA!”

Her head whipped around to be met with the sight of Lana completely back handing a soldier with the end of her blaster, knocking it out cleanly.

Suddenly, rose tinted glasses slipped themselves onto Keira’s face.

Lana’s head was still under the helmet, her short bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat and her face was donned with a light flush from extortion. Her chest was heaving in and out as she stared down to the unconscious Galran below her, blue eyes squinting at the soldier before deciding that he wasn’t a threat. 

Keira felt her heart stutter as Lana turned her gaze up to her, still breathing heavily as her mouth turned into a crooked smile.

“You okay?”

Flowers practically bloomed around Lana as she shifted her blaster to her other hand, reaching her free hand out to Keira. Nodding slowly, Keira took the outstretched hand and held onto it a moment longer when she stood up. 

“I’m fine,” she replied, because she didn’t know any other way to.

Something twisted in her, strange and unfamiliar, almost alien. A flutter that went from her stomach and into her heart, like a switch that had been already halfway there, finally flipped.

It made her uncomfortable as much as curious, and Lana stood in front of her like nothing had happened.

Like her small world hadn’t gotten turned over by such a simple gesture.

Unaware of the Red Paladin’s inner turmoil, Lana grinned wider at Keira’s disheveled state. 

“You should thank me for watching your back, you totally would’ve been a donut from the laser that dude was about to shoot.”

Keira hummed, almost silently, and turned her head to the side.

Lana eyed her curiously, a brow raising at her lack of response. 

“Oookaaay…” she jerked her thumb behind her, “Pidgeon is hacking through the cell doors to get to the hostages, but my thoughts are that she might need a helping hand to jam through the locks. Think you’re up for the task?”

The challenging tone in her voice was enough to snap Keira out of her stupor, easily mirroring Lana’s smug expression.

“Maybe, what do you think?”

“I think that I’d be able to use my bayard to break through more locks than you could.”

A confident grin made its way onto her face, feeling things become normal once more with their competitive nature. She activated her bayard from its base state once more, being switched back from inactivity, and raised it.

“Wanna bet on that?”

All Lana gave was a cocky smirk as she spun around to face the doors, quickly making work at shooting at them, escorting the fearful aliens inside of them along the way. Watching her, Keira soon joined in the rescuing, making quick and precise stabs at the keypads.

The flutter died down, but the memory of the incident didn’t, adding another cause to her sleepless nights.

⋆⁺₊⋆2⋆⁺₊⋆

Black faded away to dull gray as Keira slowly pried her eyes open. Her vision was blurry, but the only thing she could make out was shiny blue and the sensation of her head on top of metal and something warm.

The blue sparkled more and she noticed the soft tickling of hair brush against her cheek. Swatches of brown, white, and blue swam in her vision as she realized what she was looking at.

“Oh,” Keira breathily whispered, “a real angel.”

The angel let out a broken laugh.

“Nope, just me, sorry to disappoint.”

As her vision cleared, Keira realized that she was looking up at Lana, who was holding her head onto her lap, attempting to cushion her head from the hard armour with her hand. The glittering blue were tears threatening to spill from Lana’s eyes, and the gray was from the dirty paladin armour, which starked in contrast with the deep red splashed across various parts of it.

Before she could ask what they were doing there, Keira felt a sudden sharp pain on the back of her head. She cried out, twisting her head around in a sad attempt to alleviate the pain. A curse could be heard as two arms wrapped around her head, pulling her up gently.

Lana was cradling Keira’s head to her chest, leaning her head down to rest their foreheads against each other.

Keira could hear frantic rambling as Lana rocked them back and forth.

“You’re okay, you’re going to be okay, it’s okay, we are going to be okay, they’re coming, don’t worry, we are going to be okay,”

Listening to her voice, Keira felt the pain flare down to a dull ache, and let out a sigh she didn’t know she was holding. 

She felt drops of water fall on her face, and turned her head to meet Lana’s watery gaze. 

“If- if you die on me, I’ll never spar with you again, and,” Lana hiccuped, more tears falling, “and I’ll never talk to you again, and I won’t sneak out with you to steal Hunk’s leftovers, or help you mess with Pidge when she stays up too late.”

With the high pitched buzzing in the back of her head, Keira could barely make out a word Lana was saying to her, making a low hum that hopefully showed that she was at least trying to listen.

She barely saw the clouds of sand and smoke that surrounded them, and disregarded the feeling of dry dirt seeping into the gaps of her armour. All she could see was blue. It was so bright and pretty, Keira could swim in it for the rest of her life.

Reaching up a shaky hand, Keira brushed her thumb over Lana’s cheek and right under her eye, a small smile gracing her face.

“Pretty.”

Lana’s eyes widened in shock, her lips parting but no words leaving them. Keira tucked away the image of Lana’s pink face before plunging back into darkness, the only perceptible color being ocean blue.

The only thing Keira felt was cold.

The healing pod automatically opened, a whoosh of chill air being released. Keira stumbled out, her head spinning as she tried to regain balance, but before she could eat the floor, she felt herself fall into something solid.

Warmth enveloped her as two arms wrapped around her tightly, almost squeezing the air out of her. She recognized the brown hair that was spilling around her quickly,

“Lana?”

Keira awkwardly hovered her arms around her before settling with just resting her hands on Lana’s back, which only made the taller girl hold her tighter.

Shuffling in the hug, Keira opened her mouth once more before getting cut off by Lana,

“You are a stupid, selfish, selfless son of a fucking quiznack.”

Keira flinched at the sudden hostility, about to shoot back until Lana pulled back, still holding onto Keira’s shoulders tightly, and their gazes met.

Lana’s normally groomed and straightened hair was frizzy, and looked slightly unwashed. Her brows were furrowed and her skin looked dry. The most noticeable part was how her eyes looked like they were on the verge of letting out gallons of water, her mouth pressed in a line to prevent tears from falling.

All of the annoyance and aggression crumbled off of Keira as she saw the same blue eyes that were always the focus in her healing pod induced dreams tearing up right in front of her. 

She didn’t know what to do, or even what to say, her hands staying at her side uselessly. Lana pulled her back into another hug, though it was more of her just clinging onto Keira. She buried her face into Keira’s shoulder, and made Keira in turn hug her back.

“I was so scared,” Lana croaked, “Keira, you were in critical condition, Coran had to monitor the healing pod for two days straight to make sure you wouldn’t suddenly fail.”

A beat of silence washed over them as the weight of the sentence settled in.

“Then it’s good that I always win,” Keira concluded, her tone serious, but judging by the startled laugh that got punched out of Lana, it must have come out a little strange.

With a final sniffle, Lana let go of Keira. They stood in front of each other, shifting around awkwardly until Lana looked up once more, her expression still held a hint of tiredness, but now was more playful.

Her voice carried a teasing edge, “So, you think I’m pretty?”

Keira’s cheeks immediately reddened, but her voice didn’t waver, “Yes.”

The confidence in Lana’s smirk faded instantly, the finality in Keira’s answer making her flush red. She immediately tried to save face, stuttering as she spoke, 

“Oh- oh, um, of course you’d think that, since I’m the most pretty person here! Obviously.”

Genuine, Keira nodded along, “Obviously.”

Her blush still not fully dissolved away, Lana swung her arms back and forth as she tilted her head towards the med bay doors,

“Hunk is making goo cookies for you, go take a shower, you reek of pod stink, you’ll infect the kitchen if you don’t.”

“Maybe you should take a shower before telling me to, you look pretty gross too.”

“It’s not my fault I skipped my full hair and skin care routine to see you because a certain someone just had to go and get hurt!”

Keira crossed her arms, a smile playing at her lips, “Glad to know you care, skipping most of your skin and hair care routine? It’s the most selfless sacrifice I’ve ever heard of.”

Laughing, Lana turned to leave, “Okay, mullet, now go take a shower! The BO coming off of you right now is crazy.”

With a swift few steps, Lana left the med bay before Keira could counter back.

Later that day, sitting in her dim room, only illuminated by the faint artificial light of the Castle, does Keira realize the words she said in her post-pod lightly pain reliever drugged state. 

So, you think I’m pretty? 

Yes. 

Keira fights the urge to bang her head into the metal wall. Why did she say that. She should've said something like In your dreams, Sonic.

…

She slams her gloved fist against the wall, the pain not even making her flinch.

Where in the entire galaxy did SONIC come from??

Lana probably thinks she’s so weird now, who just casually calls their friend beautiful? She acted normal afterwards, but she left in such a hurry, probably to rant to Hunk about how creepy Keira is. 

Keira felt that they’ve only now just been becoming friends, and now, just the thought of ruining their progress is scaring her more than any Galra.

Rolling over in her sheets, Keira stood up abruptly, her blood buzzing under her skin in a way she couldn’t get rid of by just laying in bed. She reached for her blade, running her thumb over the purple insignia on the hilt before making a bee line for the training room. 

She’d already wasted time being in the pod for too long, Voltron can’t afford a single paladin getting off their game just for one small injury.

Stepping into the training room, she felt herself ease at the white walls and the smell of burnt wires that permerated into the recycled air there. She held her blade with an iron grip, focusing rather on the grooves of the hilt and the rush of air as she lunged.

Anything to keep her mind off of how pink Lana’s face looked after her comment, or how tight she had hugged her. Yeah, just platonic girl stuff, Lana probably doesn’t even think of Keira in that way. Lana hugs everyone, and she gets embarrassed over stuff easily.

Gritting her teeth, Keira drove the blade through the bot’s middle, leaving it in pieces on the floor as she called out to the Castle system,

“Initiate training sequence twenty!”

⋆⁺₊⋆3⋆⁺₊⋆

Keira stared into her reflection like it had personally offended her. 

Voltron had been invited to a gala, hosted by one of their allies, to celebrate the recent victory of a battle that led to a string of planets under the Galra’s rule free. Allura had insisted that attending it was necessary, not only to make more connections but also to ‘unwind’. 

How could Keira possibly unwind in a sparkly red dress with jewelry Allura had forced her to put on. The image in the mirror looked nothing like how she normally looked like.

It brought back a memory of when she was six, and her dad had gone against her wishes of being a werewolf to get her a poofy pink princess costume. He had insisted that she looked cute, but the tantrum she must’ve thrown definitely wasn’t. And if she looked funny then, she definitely looked hilarious now.

The dress had a sweet heart neckline with two straps over the shoulders, a long cape clipped to the back to sweep down to the floor. The way the dress flared out at her hips for the long skirt made her feel all the more stupid. 

Looking down the dress, she felt her stomach twist at the sight of the black detailing along the end and the red to black gradient on the silk cape.

It was a forceful reminder that she was the Black paladin now. 

The gala was also Allura and Coran’s way of trying to take the team’s mind off of the stress of looking for Shiro. It’s so stupid, how are alliances with random planets more important than finding Shiro? He should’ve been in her place, wearing a full black cape and a sharp suit, leading Voltron with the confidence and experience Keira didn’t have.

If Shiro was here, he would’ve laughed at Keira’s fully red dress, and made some comment about her being girly for once. He would’ve given her some support in her argument with Allura about wearing something more practical, like a suit. And he definitely would’ve teased her more about how close she and Lana have been getting.

Keira rubbed her eyes, then looked back to the mirror to settle her gaze onto her face. It looked the same as ever, save for some dark lip tint and waterline eyeliner, though with her eye rubbing it resulted in a shitty smoky eye. She doesn’t care enough to fix Allura’s hard work. 

Her hair was tied into a long braid, a silver hair clip with a black flower tucked in above her ear to pull back some of her bangs.

She looked like a mutt forced into a dress.

With a groan, Keira turned from the mirror to leave her room. She stepped out into the hallway, walking slowly to prolong the inevitable night of talking to strangers about war and being under the scrutinizing gazes of aliens that are still in disbelief that the leader of Voltron is half Galra. 

Suddenly, the sound of heels clicking against the cold floor rapidly is heard behind her, growing louder by the second. Keira straightened her back, turning to see a speed walking Lana quickly approaching her. 

As soon as Lana caught up, she rested a hand on Keira’s shoulder, bending over to catch her breath. Confused, Keira let her breath for a moment until the Red paladin stood up fully to face her. 

Lana grinned, dragging her gaze across Keira before settling it onto her face,

“You clean up good, love this color on you.”

“Don’t patronize me, Lana,” Keira deadpanned. 

“I’m serious! You look great, I think this is my first time ever seeing you wear something so elegant,” She smiled again, slightly wider, as she swept her eyes over Keira once more. 

Keira couldn’t help the small scowl forming, Lana was definitely using this to blackmail her later, she probably has a camera hidden somewhere and already took pictures to send to Pidge.

“Thanks, you look…” She trailed off, taking a moment to take in Lana’s attire.

Lana was wearing a halter top dress with a low cut, mostly form fitting but flaring out slightly around the knees for a mermaid style. It was mostly a silky blue, but bright red details on the bottom made it look like flaming waves lapping up on the sea shore. 

She too, wore a cape like Keira, really selling her new-ish role as right hand man. The cape hung around her neck, cascading down to the floor like water, a sky blue to blood red gradient. 

Her long hair was tied up into an elaborate bun to ensure that no pieces would fall out, a detailed gold and red hair clip holding it together, her bangs and a few strands pulled out to frame her face.

She looked stunning.

“You look fine.”

Lana’s face visibly dropped, her smile leaving and an annoyed expression taking its place as she crossed her arms.

“Very eloquent, team leader, is that how you flirt with girls in your free time too?”

The nickname felt less like respect and more like a well placed hit, and Lana knew exactly where to strike. Leftover emotions from her earlier spiral made their way up as she spat back venom.

 “I don’t flirt with anyone in my free time, something you should try doing for once,” Keira clenched her jaw, knowing her response was a low blow.

As soon as the words left Keira’s mouth, she regretted it immediately. Lana’s eyes widened a fraction before hardening, her hands dropping to her sides.

“Well if that’s how you want to be,” she muttered, pushing past Keira, deliberately shoulder checking her despite the wide hall.

Keira watched hopelessly after Lana’s retreating figure, cape whipping behind elegantly despite the angry stride as the click of heels grew more and more distant. 

The gala was as suffocating as ever, with a large dance floor filled to the brim with people, servers flying past with plates of food, and people trying to talk to Keira constantly.

She misses when she was just ‘the angry red one’ and could be let off the hook and left to lurk in the back of the party. Normally, Shiro and Allura would’ve easily taken over diplomacy and negotiation. Now that she was the Black Paladin, everyone apparently wanted her opinions on battle strategy and space politics.

It wasn’t that they weren’t all important, but Keira sorely needed a drink. She’s 19 now, so it’s basically legal for her to drink in, like, Germany, right? Keira glanced at the open bar with a desperate glint in her eyes, the wall of colorful bottles and the little glasses calling to her. No one here besides the other paladins would have the balls to stop her from drinking her heart out, and as long as she kept to herself it would be fine, no harm no foul.

Speaking of the other paladins, Keira realized that she was so ‘invested’ in an old general’s story about his past victories that she lost track of the locations of her team. She scanned the crowd for their faces, finding them easily with their color coded outfits.

Allura was off doing her own mingling with leaders of other planets, Hunk was speaking to a group of engineers from an advanced civilization, Pidge was messing with one of the robot servants, and Lana was…

Where was Lana? 

Keira narrowed her eyes at every smidge of blue, trying to find the familiar face until she heard an unnaturally high giggle. The sound grated against her ears as she looked around for the source, her eyes landing on Lana with a magenta hued alien with feathers instead of hair, a red beak that bent when he spoke.

Judging by his blinged out look, rings and ear cuffs all tied together with a crown, he was some sort of prince, or at the least nobility. He puffed out his chest, a proud expression on his face as he spoke.

The gesture irked Keira, she was never a fan of boastful guys that flaunted, dismissing her sexuality. But she felt her chest twist as she saw Lana smile at him, running a hand down his arm as he spoke proudly about whatever.

Keira needs a fucking drink.

She makes a bee line to the bar, taking a seat as she flags down a bartender, a smiling face coming to greet her.

“Black Paladin! It is a great honor to serve you today, what would you like to order?”

“Uh,” she looked around the bottles, trying to find a name she recognized (why did she ever think a fireball shot would be in space), "whatever packs the best punch.”

The alien looked at her with a disturbed face, “Our beverages do not have any form of sentience that would make them fight someone, but I will look for a more potent drink for you.”

Keira mumbled out a quiet thanks as the bartender started moving around, of course figures of speech don't translate well, she doesn’t even normally use them anyways. 

A tall glass of fiery red liquid was placed in front of her, three large pieces of ice bubbling at the bottom. As she brought it to her lips, it took everything in her to not spit it out. The alien was right, it definitely was strong. Every sip she took burned, but it helped take her mind off of her surroundings.

Once the glass was drained, she almost begged for another. The bartender glanced over periodically in a justified concern after handing the second drink to the paladin.

Staring at the drink, Keira laid her head onto the surface of the bar counter. Her finger traced the rim as her mind drifted to Lana and that prince.

What does he have that Keira doesn’t? He looked annoying, and wasn’t even attractive. He probably thinks he has a chance with Lana, yeah right. Lana is too good for him, definitely leagues over that dude.

Keira pressed her cheek harder against the cool counter with a groan. What does she care, Lana can go do whatever she wants, it’s not like they’re together or anything. 

Another laugh drifted from where Lana was, it sounded painfully artificial. 

It took everything in Keira to not turn her head to look at her. She could imagine how Lana looked, her smile would be wide as she spoke with as many people as she liked. Her hair was definitely still in perfect shape, and her jewelry probably made her shine like gold against the colorful lights.

God, she is so fucking pathetic. 

The sight Keira must've made for others, still laying face down onto the bar, was most definitely atrocious. The Black Paladin of Voltron, supposed leader and valued soldier, drinking her tears pitifully at the open bar where everyone can see.

She could imagine the message it sent to onlookers. Everyone, look! This is who you’re entrusting your own and everyone else’s in the galaxy's lives with! Some gay high school dropout from Texas! Yee haw, and all that.

The revolution made Keira’s already alcohol flushed face even more red in shame. She shoved away her half empty cup, standing up abruptly. The sudden movement made her almost fall, but she eventually regained her composure as she slowly made her way in search of privacy.

The room around her spun, and the gust of wind that blew in her face when she opened the balcony doors was very welcomed. She stumbled to the railing, holding onto it with a deadly grip as she looked out into the scenery.

It overlooked the thick foliage of the planet, the night sky casting a dark blue tint over the vibrant colors of the plants. They had seen a glimpse of it when they arrived, but the hosts had rushed them inside so quickly to greet the other attendees that she couldn’t get a good look.

Taking in a deep breath, Keira took a moment to calm her face. The privacy that came with drinking alone was okay, but the one given to her now was like a gift given by god. No one else was here, just her and the unfamiliar constellations dotting the sky.

Keira stayed like that, breathing in deep breaths of the cleanest air that she’s inhaled in years, until the doors behind her creaked open.

She turned, worried that she’d have to leave to get away from a stranger, only to see Lana’s surprised face.

They mirrored each other’s shock, and before Keira’s could wear off Lana spoke.

“Hi,” her voice was barely a whisper, but rang out like a bell on the empty balcony.

“Hey,” Keira’s voice cracked.

She fully expected Lana to turn around, leaving Keira alone on the balcony to enjoy the party, but was shocked to see that she stepped away from the door and started making small strides across the balcony.

As Lana walked to the edge, Keira noticed the slight wobble in her steps, the shakiness in her legs that she tried to steady with a firm grip on the railing. Looking closer, Keira saw the light red dusting on Lana’s cheeks, and the faint smell of some sort of cocktail surrounded her like perfume.

Watching Lana lean on the railing, her eyes gazing over the landscape, Keira couldn’t help but ask the obvious.

“Lana, are you… drunk?”

Lana’s tired facade left immediately, her head lolling over to look at Keira with a small lopsided grin.

“Not drunk, just a little tipsy, y'know? I gotta confess, though, I had like three of these little cocktail things and they were crazy good, they were like a blue razz Caprisun flavour on crack.”

“You had three drinks!? Do you even know how irresponsible that is!” Keira nearly shouted in shock.

Lana groaned loudly in annoyance, throwing a heated glare, “Don’t act like a saint, Keira.”

Scoffing, Keira turned her head away, but still tilted her head to be able to stare at Lana.

It’s okay, she thought, a few glances wouldn’t hurt.

Restraining herself from fully facing her, Keira let her eyes linger on how flushed Lana’s cheeks were, and how the planet’s two moons made a halo of light behind her. The wind carried the messed strands of hair in the air, and her eyes were impossibly bright in the dark night.

“You’re gorgeous.”

Now that made Lana’s crooked frown get wiped clean off her face. 

Not minding the girl’s expression, Keira, still very intoxicated, continued,

“Like- I know I was rude earlier, by saying that you looked fine, I mean you look fine, but better than fine, like, you look perfect.”

If it was even possible, Lana’s face turned a shade redder, her mouth slightly ajar in disbelief.

“Oh,” she breathed out, “Thanks, Keira. You, um, look really good too.”

Those words only served to make Keira’s little heart do a backflip, because Lana thought she looked really good too.

Maybe she didn’t look so bad.

⋆⁺₊⋆4⋆⁺₊⋆

A weight pressed down on her chest, heavy, but comforting.

Keira stirred awake, opening her tired eyes only to be met with expectant blue ones.

Lana’s chin jabbed uncomfortably into her, but she dismissed the slight discomfort in favour of smiling down at her. 

“Good morning,” she croaked, voice tinted with sleep.

Smiling softly, Lana shifted her head sideways to rest her cheek against Keira, her ear over her heart, eyes closed in content.

“Morning,” she whispered lightly, Keira wouldn’t have been able to catch it if it wasn’t for their close distance. 

For a moment, they stayed like that, letting the sound of the waves lull them back into sleep, until Lana cracked open an eye, a mischievous gleam in it. She pulled herself up, forearms pressed into the pillows, bracketing around Keira’s head like a cage.

Lana leaned down gently, pressing a languid kiss onto Keira, who reciprocated quickly, eyes fluttering shut. She brought up her hands to bury them into short curls, letting herself breathe in the lingering scent of salt water that clung onto Lana like a second skin.

Separating from the other, Lana’s eyes crinkled as she looked down onto Keira, who was fully and entirely awake now. 

“I heard that the tide is pretty low right now.”

-

Keira grumbled as she tried to shuffle on her worn sandals, ending up having to fully kneel down to adjust the buckle strap. 

She looked to her side, where Lana was already waiting on the back porch, staring out into the distant sea. 

“Where are your shoes?” Keira gestured to Lana’s bare feet.

Lana turned, a playful smile easily resting on her face, “A little sand never hurt anybody, you big worry wort.”

Sighing, Keira shook her head as she stood up, not able to fight off the growing smile, “If you complain about your feet getting ‘too sandy’ don’t expect me to give up my shoes.”

“That’s a big fat lie and you know it, Red,” Lana chuckled, pulling on the other’s wrist as they stepped onto the beach. Short blades of grass slowly transitioned into tiny gravel and fine sand as they approached the water.

The sky was gray, thick clouds casted a mellow grayish-blue hue onto the beach, gusts of cold wind blowing. The ocean was alive, small ripples with the occasional large wave washing over the shore.

Keira could feel Lana shiver from where she was pressed against her as another gust of wind came. She would’ve laughed at how Lana had one hand gripped arm and the other tightly wound around the front of her pj robe as to not threaten it to release any warmth, if not for how her worry trumped over any urge to make fun of her. 

“Why didn’t you get a jacket? You look like you’re freezing,” She nudged Lana with her shoulder, a small teasing glint in her eye accompanying her concerned tone of voice. 

Lana huffed, squeezing closer to Keira’s side as they sat in front of the sea, waves lapping up to barely graze their feet.

“Who even wears a jacket to a beach,” She mumbled, “Not me, that’s who.”

Their knees knocked together as they held each other's hands, and Keira couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of cool metal pressed against her fingers. Her thumb mindlessly rubbing the gold ring resting on Lana’s hand, tracing over the red gem engrained into it.

She tried to keep focus on looking at the morning waves and enjoying the breeze, but her eyes drifted back to where Lana’s head rested on her shoulder, her eyes now closed.

A small grin grew on Lana’s face as she felt Keira’s gaze, “Enjoying the view?”

Keira pressed two kisses over Lana’s shut eyes, “Mhm.”

After a while, Keira noticed the waves growing more violent, crashing over each other like they were trying to fight each other. The tide grew, water rushing over to fully wash over both of their feet before being sucked back into the sea.

She had the thought to wake up Lana, to beckon her back into the house with the promise of a nap, until a roar shook the ground.

Keira could feel the sand jump from the volume, and she herself would’ve flinched more violently if it wasn’t for the fact that it sounded so familiar. 

She whipped her head around, to see a large lioness perched on a slightly distant hill, surrounded by delicate grains of sand and short blades of grass. 

The lioness stood tall, its short red fur billowing in the wind like flames, eyes a startling gold with an almost artificial glow to them. Said eyes had a stream of tears pouring from them, scalding hot with steam rising from where they had hit the sand. 

It turned its head to the sky and roared again, the sound ripping through the sky, so gut wrenchingly induced with emotion and pain it felt the same as a burning iron. 

Nausea grew deep in Keira’s chest, the feeling of something being torn away from her wrapping around her throat and taking away her ability to breathe properly, quick and short huffs of air entering and leaving her mouth. 

Suddenly, she snapped her head back around, the internal pain not being helped by the sharp twinge in her neck, as she looked back into the water. 

The sea was calm. 

Silent.

Taking in another ragged breath, she hurriedly looked back to Lana. 

Her eyes were still shut, an almost serene look spread across her face, but her mouth was slack, her jaw completely unhinged. 

Rain started to pour, drizzle washing over the two of them along with the rising tide that was now up to her hip.

The hand that was holding Keira’s was now limp, almost falling until Keira tightened her hold onto it. 

Keira’s entire being shook as she called out to her, her voice shaking as she looked at the sleeping girl,

“Lana? Lana, come on, it’s starting to rain.”

Lana stayed quiet, her body starting to slip from against Keira and slightly tipping forward.

“Lana, this isn’t funny, you’re going to get a cold,” Keira’s voice grew desperate, eyes darting around Lana’s body for any sign of movement.

Then, Lana tipped over, her head becoming completely submerged into the water, bubbles rising from where her mouth and nose must've been.

A shout rattled Keira, frantically wobbling on her knees towards Lana, almost crawling in the waves to hold her body, the ocean trying to take her away from Keira. 

Her hands gripped Lana’s shoulders, turning her over to get her to sit properly, the water now halfway up their upper arms. 

Salt water poured from Lana’s ears, mouth, and nose, her eyes were still glued shut, skin an unnatural gray shade, so different from its normal golden glow.

Keira’s eyes were blurry, tears flowing fast from them not unlike the Lion from before, her voice growing louder.

“LANA!” She shook the body, “LANA! Please, don’t do this to me.”

Her shoulders rose and fell with every sob, voice cracking and filled with desperation as she held the long been cold body. Overgrown bangs were plastered onto Keira’s face with rain and tears.

“Please, why, why are you leaving me,” she held the body closer, her tears mixing with sea water on its face.

Her arms were tightly wound around the body, holding it less like a person and more like an object, until they suddenly felt empty.

Keira’s cries were broken by the loss of weight in her hold, she looked down to see nothing.

Her arms weren’t holding anything, just sea water and air. 

A shiver racketed violently through her as she screamed, water and snot dripping off her face as she cursed at the wind.

-  

A scream died in Keira’s throat as she woke to see a dull purple ceiling. 

She sat up, looking around at her surroundings, expecting rough winds and strong waves, just to see an empty cave, a small fire flickering in the center.

Her breathing was heavy, chest rising and falling with every inhale of air taken. 

Keira reached a hand up to her face, noticing the strange wet feeling on it. She looked at her fingers to see a startling amount of tears.

The feeling of nausea came back, all most violently, a gag almost leaving her mouth until she swallowed it back.

Taking in a shaky breath, she stood up on wobbly legs, her knees almost giving out as she slowly stepped to leave the cave. 

As soon as the entrance of the cave was reached, she bent over to the nearest bush and promptly threw her guts up, dry heaving when there was nothing left.

She was still crying, her face a mess of tears and spit as she wiped her mouth. 

A deep feeling of something, almost precious, being lost was still stuck in her chest. Her already frail bond with Red, stretched thin from lack of contact and distance, carried the most intense feeling of mourning Keira had ever felt.

She could feel the Lion’s tears from all the way on the space whale, the heart break being shared between the two of them.

Kneeling in the shallow soil of the whale, Keira held her head in her hands, trying to think back to her dream. All that she could remember was the overwhelming smell of salt water and the strong sense of loss that soaked through every fiber of her being.

She searched her mind, looking for any clue that could tell her what could’ve possibly happened in her dream, any clue that might’ve given her a sign about what had happened to her Lion.

Her mind drew a blank, a black void with a salty breeze.

“Fuck,” she grunted, her hands sliding through her tangled hair, “FUCK.”

Keira slammed a fist onto the ground, not caring for the small alien insects scurrying away from the impact. Her head hung low, hair shielding her face from a nonexistent audience as she grit her teeth.

-

Krolia, carrying a cut of meat from who knows what, came back to find Keira curled into the corner of the small cave that they’d been sharing for the last year or so. 

She was clean, but her face looked pale, and Krolia had not missed the foul mess in the nearby bushes.

“Are you sick,” she asked plainly.

Keira turned her head further into her arms, “No, just ate something weird.”

“Be careful, we do not know for how much longer we will be here. We cannot afford getting ill with no aid.”

“I know.”

⋆⁺₊⋆5⋆⁺₊⋆

Years of tension seeped out of Keira as she stepped onto New Altea’s soil, the air she inhaled so clean it was sweet, and the sun warm enough to feel perfectly pleasant. 

She locked the door of the small ship that she’d been crammed in for the past three days, all the while escorting a very excited Kosmo out onto the grass. Watching him with light amusement as he chased a small bug, Keira looked towards the castle to see a very familiar face in front of her.

“Keira!”

A high squeal was her only heads up before being enveloped into a bone crushing hug, the smell of juniper flowers invading her senses as she returned the hug with equal strength. She leaned back to be met by white hair billowing in long waves and a blinding smile.

“Hey Allura, how's life been treating you?”

Pulling back, Allura gave a small laugh as she looked at the other, “I should be asking you that, it’s been nearly two years since I’ve seen the ever so elusive Blades Commander in person.”

Scratching the back of her neck, Keira shook her head ever so slightly with a small grin, “I know, I know, time flies when you’re restoring planets and spreading peace across the universe, forgive me, Princess.”

“As I do accept your apology, there is a certain someone who has been absolutely livid at your lack of physical contact in the past years.”

Keira’s eyes widened a fraction before dragging a hand down her face.

“Lana…”

“Bingo! Your absence has caused a damper on her mood, you know?”

“I definitely do, ‘lura.”

Allura laughed again, louder than the last, and rested a hand on Keira’s shoulder.

“I’m happy you could make it on the fifth anniversary, everyone will be excited to see you, and to see how you’ve grown.”

Keira returned Allura’s smile, “Thank you, Princess, you have no idea how excited I am too.”

Allura looked down to the small package sticking out of Keira’s jacket pocket, a sly grin spread across her face.

“I might have an inkling of one.”

-

The courtyard around the castle is lively, yellow lights shining everywhere as the sky dimmed with more and more people arriving. 

It is by no means gigantic, but still fairly large, made up of mostly close coalition allies and friends. This particular anniversary being larger than the typical intimate dinners due to it being half a decade since the war had ended.

 The decorations have a colorful gleam to them that reflects five certain colors across the tables and into the garden, Coran had really outdone himself this year. A rainbow of flowers decorated the fields beyond the pillars of the courtyard, but pink junipers were the most prevalent among the others. 

Her reunion with Pidge and Hunk was nothing short of emotional, with Pidge holding back angry tears and Hunk threatening to wipe his snot onto Keira’s jacket. They hug and talk as if time hadn’t moved, and they’d stayed the same as they were. 

Shiro had ambushed her as soon as he arrived, Adam in tow, bombarding her with questions and “Do you know how worried we've been!”’s. Keira takes it all with grace, trying to answer each question without biting their heads off. 

Still, by the end of the lecture, she’s awarded with a warm hug and a firm pat on the back. 

At the tail end of the conversation, as Shiro was called over to greet the others, Keira tugged on his sleeve, a nervous look on her face.

“You and Lana arrived on the same shuttle, right?”

Shiro’s eyes softened, bringing a hand to ruffle her hair, “She’s right behind me kiddo, told us something about ‘making sure her nails were all the same shade of blue’.”

He looked at Keira’s face once more, and an image of the fourteen year old he once knew flashed in his mind. He stopped messing up her hair, instead patting it down and fixing the bangs with quick, practiced swipes of his fingers.

“She’ll be right out, and for the record, she doesn’t hate you, so don’t even let that thought cross your mind. You two called every so often, right? You’ll be fine.”

“But what if-”

“If she sees you and forgoes the ‘angrily avoiding’ period to say hi? Maybe you could even ask how the weather's been, at the speed you two are going. ”

Keira lightly shoved off his hand, “Shut up, it took you and Adam nearly six years to get married, don’t even mention speed to me.”

“Hah, you sound like that car,” Shiro’s eyes narrow jokingly, his mouth twisted into a weirdly smug expression with lips puckered, all signs of a bad impression forming,  “I am speed, Kachow!”

Rolling her eyes, Keira was about to mention something about ‘ugly faces’ before she caught a glimpse of blue dash past in her peripheral vision.

Shiro, preparing to deal with an annoyed retort, was met instead with a light slap on the arm and a “Sorry Shiro, talk to you later,” as Keira sped away into the crowd.

He blinked, but shook his head in worn fondness, “They never change.”

Keira side-stepped and sped walked like her life depended on it, and it might as well have, with how many poor aliens got their heels stepped on by Keira’s unnecessarily heavy boots. She rounded a corner, a hand already in her pocket, holding a small box, as she hurriedly spoke.

“Lana-” 

She looked up from her pocket, just to see a fairly tall Krellian, the blue shelled bug looking at her weird as it slowly shuffled away.

For a moment, all Keira felt was defeat, a tired chill settling deep into her bones alongside a thick wave of embarrassment washing over. It’s laughable how much she wants to lock herself into her ship and rot in there, she can imagine how many people’s respect she’d lose if they saw how desperate she was.

She can certainly think of one person who’d get an absolute kick out of her current state.

Resigning herself to just meet back up with Hunk and Pidge, she turns around only to get the wind knocked out of her lungs.

Right in front of her, standing slightly far from the party, surrounded by grass and flowers, being bathed in the sunset as she faced away from her, was Lana.

Keira’s heart leaped into her throat as she froze in her spot, unable to look away from Lana’s profile.

Lana’s hair was wonderfully swept over her shoulders, just barely grown out from the pixie cut she once had, curls framing her cheeks with fly aways dancing in the wind. Her eyes held some sort of peace she didn’t use to have back in the war, a rested joy that came from staying dormant. 

She wore a pale blue top, shoulders covered by a jacket, with a long jean skirt. Her skin was warm from the years spent in the sun, freckles made more prominent across her cheeks.

She looked so alive, so present, and so, so real.

So real, in fact, that Keira couldn’t keep in an embarrassing squeak, giving away her position to the literal beauty in front of her, causing said beauty’s head to quickly whip around.

When their eyes met, it felt like color came back into Keira’s life, as her own violet met blue. 

The calm expression left Lana’s face, leaving behind one of surprise, her mouth parted and eyes impossibly wide. 

Then, as if years hadn’t passed, she smiled, soft but familiar, the corners of her eyes slightly crinkling.

“Hey there, stranger.”

“Lana,” Keira coughed, cringing at the voice crack, “Hi.”

Lana grinned a little bigger now, then waved a hand to beckon Keira over to where she stood. Keira immediately followed, stumbling over a lifted tile as stone changed into grass.

As she came to stand next to Lana, she saw how the other girl’s gaze had already settled back onto the incredible sunset, a blinding orange dancing with red and pink, before settling into blue. The clouds perfectly reflected each color, one side a burning red and the other a midnight blue.

“So,” Lana started, “how has life been treating you?”

Keira felt like she might as well been sweating through her clothes, with how nervous she is, unreasonably so.

“Fighting rogue Zarkonites, saving the people, so you know, okay.”

She couldn’t hold back the grin that made its way on her face as she heard Lana’s laugh, brighter in person than what any voice call or video could ever hope to capture. 

Keira spoke once more, “How have you been?”

Lana hummed, “Fighting bugs with pesticide, saving baby calves, so,” she shrugged, “you know, okay.”

“You think you’re funny, huh.”

“Hilarious, actually,” Lana grinned, mischievous giggles slipping from her mouth.

Keira can’t find it in her heart to be truly annoyed, her cheeks warming as she stares at the face she dreamt of every night. 

After a moment, Lana sat down in the soft blades of grass, Keira copying after her as they both settled. 

The music and conversations from the distant party served as a pleasant background noise as they watched the sun.

“You know, it’s crazy how everything ended up.”

Keira turned her head towards Lana’s voice, watching her as the other gazed back into the sky. 

“I know, it still feels like just yesterday we got shot into space in the Blue Lion.”

“Yeah, feels like just yesterday you were the biggest asshole I knew.”

“Says you, who made us rivals again?”

“Eh,” Lana flicked her hand, her head tilting, “tomayto tomahto.”

Keira took in a deep breath of the air around them, the cloying smell of the flowers being the main scent, but she could still smell the distinct light citrus of Lana’s perfume.

“Feels like just yesterday we were always at each other's necks,” 

Hearing a rustle in the grass, Keira turned to see Lana facing her, eyes holding an emotion she couldn’t even begin to decipher.

“And now we’re like this.”

Nimble fingers intertwined with rough ones, each having their own callouses, each sharing the same story.

Air stopped short in Keira’s throat as her breath hitched, looking down from their conjoined hands to Lana’s face, twice, then a third to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. On the fourth, a loud cackle left Lana, her body shaking in an attempt to contain her laughs.

Once her laughing died down, their gazes finally met, 

“Keira-”

“Lana-”

They both spoke at the same time, awkwardly looking at each other after interrupting the other.

“You can go first,” Keira spoke.

“No! Mine can wait, you go!”

“It’s fine, nothing major, you go.”

“No, you,” Lana insisted.

“How about,” Keira thought, finding a compromise, “we say it at the same time.”

Lana nodded, slowly mouthing out 3… 2… 1!

“I’m stepping down from Blade Commander-”

“I’m becoming the first intergalactic ambassador for Earth!”

A beat of stunned silence.

“You WHAT!?”

“You’re becoming the intergalactic ambassador for Earth!?”

The grin on Keira’s face was probably the widest she’s ever smiled in her life. A sort of unbridled pride welling up inside of her as she let go of Lana’s hands to shake her shoulders.

“Lana! Do you know how incredible that is! You’re the first too! When did this happen, why, how?!”

A startled laugh was shaken out of Lana as she grabbed Keira’s arms in an attempt to slow down the jostling.

“Jeez, calm down! I just got the job two weeks ago, and for the record, those ‘Union of the Earth and Stars’ guys were practically begging me to represent them.”

“But why?” Keira asked, before reeling back, “I mean, why now, when it’s already been years?”

Leaning over, Lana gave a grin that was reminiscent of years past, a confidence that slowly took over.

“You really think I’d stay on Earth forever, especially when you all are out here? I’m hurt, Red.”

She held her gaze with Keira as she took one of Keira’s hands, holding their entangled fingers between them.

“Plus,” she added, “I wanted to be able to see you more.”

Keira’s voice croaked, “Wh- me?”

Lana bit her lip to keep in a laugh, “Yes, you, who else would I be talking about, the mice?”

“... Maybe…”

Closing her eyes to calm her uncontrollable laughing, Lana changed her face to look more serious as she shifted to fully face her body towards Keira.

“Why would you step down from being the Blade’s Commander? What do Krolia and Kolivan think?” Lana asked, tone ridden with concern.

“They’re fine with it, mom already said that she’s proud of my work so far. Kolivan too.”

“But why? You’ve put years into the Blade, you worked your ass off for them, you love them!”

“Because I love you more!”

A gust of cool wind came to cool Keira’s flaming face, her blood freezing and absolutely boiling at the same time when she realized what she just blurted out.

Lana stared back, her eyes wide as saucers, and a slow red flush took over her face. If Keira didn’t know any better, she’d think that Lana was severely sunburnt.

She can hear loud laughs in the distance, accompanied by a shrill scream and the sound of something breaking, but none of those things can break Keira’s eyes off of Lana’s expression as an embarrassed blush grew over her own cheeks.

“I-I mean,” Keira stuttered, “shit, I was planning something better.”

Lana’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape as she mumbled, “Something better..?”

Keira’s fingers fumbled around her pockets, patting and opening each of them before she felt something and pulled out a tiny box, a small blue thing with a shimmery red bow delicately placed upon it. 

“I know it was your birthday a while back, and that you complained about not really having that much ‘shiny’ jewelry so,” she opened the box in front of Lana slowly, the building anticipation almost palpable.

“Holy crow,” Lana whispered as she stared at the stunning necklace, a thin gold chain with a dazzling gem pendant, a blue deep as sapphire but glittered like opal in the setting sun. 

Gently lifting it, Lana was holding the gem in her palm and her other hand held the chain up, disbelief written all over her face.

“Jesus, Keira, how much did this cost?”

Shrugging lightly, Keira responded easily, “Not that much, considering I got the stone myself.”

She snuffed a laugh at the shock on Lana’s face, schooling her face back into its ever present earnestest.

“I’m sorry it took me so long, but I’m here to say it now.

Lana McClain, I am in lo-”

The end of her confession was muffled by Lana’s lips. 

The brunette had pulled her forward from the jacket collar with a strength from their Paladin days, and twisted her free hand into Keira’s hair, disregarding the carefully tied braid.

As much as it embarrasses her, Keira has to confess it took her a solid ten seconds to realize that not only was her feelings accepted, but very much reciprocated. Crazy, right?

It took Lana almost pulling back, in fear of pushing a boundary, for Keira to get her senses back and meet her back with equal fervor. 

And kissing Lana was better than anything Keira could’ve ever hoped to dream of. Her lips were soft as clouds, and she tasted like something distinctly sweet and floral, like rose syrup. 

With her arms wrapped around the other’s middle, Keira fell forward, the two of them rolling to their sides gently as they continued to embrace each other.

Lana separated first, her chest rising and falling in an attempt to gather air, then held Keira’s face in her palms to litter it in kisses. Her hands brushed across Keira’s forehead to move her bangs out of the way, taking her sweet time covering every inch of skin with affectionate pecks as Keira could only bask in the attention.

When she pulled back, admiring her work, all Keira could think to say was:

“You really like me.”

Barking a laugh, Lana moved forward to press another kiss onto Keira, her smile felt through the kiss.

“Looks like I do.”

⋆⁺₊+1⋆⁺₊⋆

“Please, for the love of god, get a room.”

After spending a good amount of time enjoying each other’s company, once the sky delved into a starry blue, the two took that as their sign to join the others.

And now they were met with the scrutinizing gaze of Pidge.

“Get a room for what? We didn’t even do anything,” Keira replied, they’ve only held hands this whole time, no way Pidge can’t handle that.

“No- what? Have you seen yourself right now?”

No, but it really can’t be that bad! At most her hair’s a bit messy from the tugging, but that’s all, right…? 

From the corner of her eye, she can see Lana trying (and failing) to disguise her snickering as hiccups, a knowing grin playing at her lips.

Hunk spotted the three, carrying a small plate full of various treats as he jogged up.

“Hey guys! Man, it’s so good to see you all, oh!”

Keira eyed him curiously at his sudden stop, raising a brow to encourage him to continue.

“I guess you two have certainly been… busy!”

His words hung in the air for barely a second before both him and Pidge began laughing and guffawing as if it was the only thing they could do.

Alongside them, Lana joined in their loud chortling, her laughs making Keira only more confused.

“What? What! What happened?!”

Pidge coughed out a final giggle, wiping the corner of her eye from under her glasses as she addressed her former leader.

“You cannot be serious, do you need a mirror?”

Met with a single nod, Pidge pulled out her phone, the camera already pulled up. Keira took the phone, saying a quiet thanks as she took in the sight.

And what a sight it was.

Her hair, sticking up in ways she didn’t even know was possible, with blades of grass sprinkled all around and in it, was a mess. Her cheeks were ruddy, splotches of red that didn’t seem to fade, her heart still riding off the high of being with Lana.

But that wasn’t the worst part, nowhere close to it. 

Because all across her face, but mostly concentrated around her mouth and forehead, was lip marks from Lana’s lip tint. What was a subtle color on Lana was a starking coral pink on Keira’s space pale skin, making her look like a lovesick clown.

She made a sidelong glance to Lana, who still looked perfect, the only thing telling of a makeout sesh being the slight smudge of tint on the corner of her lips and the light tousle of her hair.

The moment she realized how she looked was probably made clear as daylight on her face, if the way Lana started cackling louder was any sign.

“I’m sorry,” she stifled any further laughs, but amusement was still clear in her voice, “I guess got a little excited, but I swear I was going to say something! Just, you looked so cute afterwards I couldn’t help it.”

Keira’s cheeks warmed at the joy on Lana’s face, the need to maintain that happiness bleeding out of her like an open wound. 

With one last look to the phone, she faced the others, but mostly Lana, and spoke with finality.

“I’m getting these tattooed on.”

“What?!” Hunk nearly screamed. 

Pidge snatched her phone back, a thinly veiled repulsed look spread across her face, “Sure, but don’t come to me when you’re dying to get them removed.”

Chuckling at their reactions, Lana looped her arms around Keira’s neck, pulling her in for a short kiss.

“Well you don’t need to get them tattooed if I can just give you new ones everyday, right?”

Growing red as her old Lion, Keira’s lips thinned in fear of letting out an embarrassing sound as she nodded down at the other, “Mhm.”

“-And that’s my cue to leave, congrats or whatever on the relationship,” Pidge mumbled as she walked away, probably going to talk to Beezer, who just arrived with the other rebels.

Spotting the rebels, Hunk looked around before spotting Shay, sharing an excited wave before saying his goodbyes to his friends.

“I gotta go too, but seriously congrats guys, Shiro’s going to be so pissed he didn’t get to you guys first.”

“Thanks Hunk, say hi to Shay for me!”

Sending a final thumbs up, Hunk turned around to meet his own girlfriend.

After a few moments, the music switched to slow, romantic songs, and the lights dimmed as the dance floor opened up for couples. 

Lana noticed the change, and turned to Keira with a flirty look, only a hint of a joke in it, “Hey beautiful, wanna hit the dance floor?”

Who could ever say no to a face like that?

“Sure,” Keira spoke, quelling the flames swirling in her blood stream, “if you can keep up.”

“Bold words for someone who used to step on my toes, have you been secretly practicing these past two years without telling me?”

“Only one way to find out.”