Chapter Text
All was calm in the Castle of Lions. Shiro was in the training room working up a sweat sparring with Allura. Coran was running diagnostics with Pidge and Hunk was working on today’s lunch.
The hallways were quiet, the only sound being the intermittent pattering of the space mice’s footsteps. And then it wasn’t
“LANCE! GET BACK HERE!” Keith screamed, he was running around the couch in the lounge, practically sprinting after Lance.
Lance leaped over the couch, putting distance between them as he held his phone up in the air. “Keith, wait let’s talk about this!”
Keith scowled, fists forming at his sides, “Are you going to delete it?”
Lance held the phone to his chest protectively, “Hell no!”
Keith growled, his fangs extending and he leapt toward Lance.
Lance yelped and dashed out of the lounge, “SHIRO KEITH’S TRYING TO KILL ME!”
Keith swung at Lance narrowly hitting a hazy blue light in the hallway. He scrambled after Lance, “Stop yelling you snitch!”
Lance rounded a corner, making a sharp left turn, his sneakers skidding against the floor, “stop growling at me, freaking werewolf!”
Keith was already fully galra and gaining on Lance, “Just delete the photo you asshole!” He was panting by now but he wasn’t slowing down.
Lance stopped abruptly and dodged around Keith. Keith tackled Lance and they tussled on the floor, Keith nearly reaching the phone but always falling short.
At one point Keith had gotten on top of Lance, pinning him down, and just as he was about to grab the phone he was pulled up and off of Lance with a screech.
Keith clawed at the air as he was pulled back by the collar of his jacket like a kitten. Keith turned and glared at the offending metal appendage foiling his plans, “Shiro!”
Shiro let him go and he plopped onto the ground. “What is going on here?!”
Lance pulled his phone close to him as Keith stood and began to scream out his frustrations: “I was just minding my business reading when all of the sudden Lance had his phone in my face, and he’s taking pictures of me without my consent!”
Lance sat up and threw his hands around as he barked back at Keith, “I thought you were sleeping!”
Keith’s eyes widened in exasperation, “WHY DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES IT BETTER?!”
Lance spluttered as he stood and yelled, “You still tried to kill me, let’s not forget about that!”
Keith got in his face, “Only cause you wouldn’t delete the photo!” He seethed, his tail swishing angrily behind him.
Shiro got between the two of them and shoved Keith back, “Change back.” He ordered.
Keith glared with yellow sclera, his canines ever prominent in his scowl, “racist much?”
Shiro flicked his forehead, causing him to hiss, “No, but I want to see that you can control your emotions like you told me you could,” Shiro crossed his arms, “Can you even shift your claws back right now?”
Keith looked away.
“That’s what I thought,” he turned to Lance, “why won’t you delete the photo?” He asked with strained patience, which was evident in his voice.
Lance pouted petulantly, “it’s my blackmail.”
“That’s crap!” Keith yelled from behind Shiro, he was almost fully human with the only exception being his fangs, claws, and a couple of sections of purple skin.
Shiro glanced at Keith, “will you calm down!”
Keith threw a hand out gesturing at Lance, “This is his fault!”
Shiro sighed, “Keith go away.”
Keith bristled, “Why?!”
Shiro crossed his arms, the sass radiating off of him as he cocked his hip, “Because you’re acting like a child so I have to treat you like one, go to the training room.”
“I’m not going in time out just cause-”
“Go to the training room, Keith!” He pointed, no longer even looking at Keith.
Keith huffed as he walked away, the purple splotches slipping away smoothly, “whatever.”
Shiro looked at Lance with that Space Dad look that makes you wanna blurt out all your business. Lance tried to resist but it was a futile effort. The Parental Powers of Space Dad Shiro™ were too strong.
“It was just a harmless,” he waved his hand around, “little…photo.”
Shiro’s brow furrowed, “Okay…but why?”
“I’m not surprised, about 70% of Lance’s camera roll is Keith,” said Pidge pushing up their glasses.
Lance jumped and turned to glare at Pidge, “First of all, when did you get here?! And second of all, 70% is not accurate.”
Pidge crossed their arms, raising their eyebrows in incredulity, “You, Wanna question, my math?”
Lance was quiet for a moment, stymied, “What are you doing here?!”
Pidge nodded at the dim light against the hall, “Light diagnostic, this one’s being weird.”
Lance nodded, “Keith hit that one.”
“Seventy percent?” Shiro asked. He was still stuck on that detail.
Lance waved him off, “Can we move on please!”
A light swooshing sound was heard from behind and they all turned to face Allura at the entrance of the training room. “Shiro?” She said with a patient smile, “I have an idea.”
‘Klance Interview’ with Princess Allura
Why is it that you hate him so much?
*camera opens on Lance sitting in a chair, neutral lighting cast around him as he fidgets with his jacket zipper*
Lance: I don’t hate Keith. He and I just don’t get along all the time. *pause* It’s usually my fault. *smiles subtly*
*Keith sits in the same fashion as Lance, one hand playing with his hair*
Keith: it’s always his fault! But I’m the one that always gets in trouble for it because I shift, or because I’m about to kill him. It’s not fair!
Lance: It’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing I just can’t help it. It’s so fun to mess with him. My mami used to call me an instigator and said I was always picking fights with my brothers.
Keith: I don’t know why he can’t just be normal.
Why do you feel the need to escalate things?
Keith: I don’t escalate things. *toes the floor with his boot* Lance just baits me a lot.
Lance: I don’t really think about it, it sorta just happens. I won’t even decide to say anything and then suddenly an insult or challenge comes out of my mouth.
Why are you guys so competitive?
Lance:…*scratches the back of his head* I’m not.
Keith: I’m not really that competitive…it’s just Lance.
Lance: I don’t know why I do it, I’ve never really been all that competitive before I met Keith. I mean sure I wanted to be better than other people, but I went to a military school, that was kind of the point, but it was never like this.
Keith: *crosses his arms* I am defensive, sure, but I had never been competitive, it’s just…Lance. He gets under my skin.
(To Keith) You can’t just say no?
Keith: *looks down* I just can’t really say no to Lance. He knows exactly how to push my buttons, it’s fucking annoying.
(To Lance) why is it that you feel the need to pester Keith specifically?
Lance: *taps his foot* I don’t know. My mami used to say I did it for attention, but I think I grew out of that. I don’t instigate things anymore with anyone but Keith, but I don’t know… *shrugs*
If you two are ever not fighting when would that be? What are you doing?
Keith: listening to music.
Lance: Listening to music.
The halls were cold as they walked across the castle. Both of them are unaware of where they’re headed but are forced to comply by the unspoken leader of Voltron rule of obedience.
“Shiro, where are we going?” Keith asked, he shifted to his galran form fluidly, his other form always providing more heat.
Shiro looked straight ahead refusing to meet his eyes, he smiled patiently, “You’ll see.”
Lance, who was shivering beside him, zipped his jacket closed and turned back to look at Allura with pleading eyes, “You’ll tell me, right princess?”
Allura gave him a look, “what do you think?”
Lance grumbled as he marched forward, “freaking mysterious aliens…their freaking secrets.” He looked around at the same boring, gray, and metal scenery. It was quiet, really quiet. He was bored and quiet and it made his skin itch. He looked over at purple Keith. He looked the same as he did when he was human, just purple, and with a tail, and the whites of his eyes turned yellow, and. Okay, there were a lot of differences but they were little things. If Lance was being honest he didn’t really recognize a difference in the parts of Keith that made him look like Keith.
He still had his dorky mullet, his intense eyes, and his sharp jawline, it just came with pointy ears.
Keith looked at him sideways with a glare, “what are you looking at?”
Lance just stayed quiet for a moment until he got to see Keith’s famously adorable confused face. Then he pulled his hand from his pocket and flicked him in the forehead.
“What the! Lance!” He smacked his shoulder.
Lance reached out to flick him again but Keith wrapped his tail around his wrist and pushed back. Lance peered at him strangely, “This is weird dude.” He points at his wrist with his other hand.
Keith looked at him, scowling through his bangs, “I don’t care, stop flicking me.”
“I was just going to because you hit me.”
“Because you flicked me!”
Lance pulled at the base of his wrist trying to pry in between with his fingers, “It’s like a fucking python!” He struggled with Keith’s tail all the while they continued walking, “can you let me go?”
Keith smirked, his canines pointing out and resting on his bottom lip, “no.”
Lance whined, “Keeeeeeeith!”
Keith just chuckled, “It’s not my fault that you-ah!” Lance pulled his arm and it tugged Keith’s tail. Keith yelped and shifted back entirely.
Lance looked at him weirdly, “what was that?” He wouldn’t look at him, his head turned away from Lance, doing that thing where he tries to hide behind his bangs. If Lance didn’t know any better he’d say that Keith was blushing.
Keith crossed his arms, “nothing.”
Behind them, Shiro snorted.
He growled at him and Shiro rolled his eyes, “We’re here idiots.”
Lance stuttered forward to the ordinary doors that lay in front of him, “doesn’t look any different,” he scans the panel opening the door, “what is this place?”
The four of them entered the room. The room was ordinary, with gray paned walls and blue fluorescent lighting. A desk, a couple of chairs, and about 8 dozen boxes and crates.
Allura stepped in front of them, “This is the storage room, this room holds all of the ship’s supplies for about six months worth of food, fuel, toiletries, etc…it is now also the setting of your mandatory and effective immediately, weekly bonding session.” She gave a diplomatic smile and folded her hands. Shiro stepped beside her and gave the image of a united front showing them that it was indeed mandatory and nonnegotiable.
Keith blinked, he held up his index finger, “First of all, weekly bonding session sounds gay as fuck and that’s coming from me.”
Lance held back a laugh.
Allura gave a blank confused expression before turning to Shiro and softly saying, “I’m not sure how to respond to that.”
Shiro stepped forward and put a hand on both their shoulders, never failing at making them more uncomfortable, “I know it’s weird, I know you don’t want to do it, but this has gotten out of hand. You couldn’t even walk for two minutes to this room without bickering. So now every week you two are to come in here, hang out, I advise listening to music, and get along.”
“Shiro, but-“ Keith started.
“If I see that you two are starting to get along without the intervention of anyone else to calm you two down then we’ll lift the rule, but until then work it out. One hour. We’ll be around” Shiro informed them. He gave them a stern look don’t you try anything his eyes warned.
I hate you Keith’s said, but Shiro was immune to the powers of Keith’s aggressive eyes and he just closed the door behind him as he walked out.
Lance plopped down onto what looked like the space version of a bean bag. It was blue and shaped like an ice cream cone lying horizontally, “so what have you been listening to lately?”
Keith smiled, whatever anybody else thought about their relationship didn’t matter to him. On the outside, it may look a little hostile, and sure they aren’t as close as they probably could be, but it’s never been toxic. They just like messing with each other, but neither of them is ever really upset at each other, even if they are…it never lasts. “Well, I’ve remembered recently that the killers exist.”
Lance gasped dramatically, “emooooooo.” He hissed.
Keith shoved him, “You act like you didn’t already know this about me. I was an emo child, sue me.”
Lance’s eyebrows shot up as he leaned forward, hands on his knees as he exclaimed, “Was?!” Keith is giggling behind his hand, “What do you mean was?!”
Keith was trying to speak through his laughs, “I mean, I…I was emo.”
Lance shook his head, “False! Absolutely false!”
Keith rolled his eyes but he couldn’t hold back his smile.
Lance pulled out his phone scrolling through his Spotify, “How many playlists did you download before we left?”
Keith started counting, he had his headphones sitting on his neck already and he sat leaning back in another bean bag, “23.”
Lance smirked, nodding, “25.”
Keith scoffed, “That’s not fair, you have Spanish playlists too.”
Lance laughed outright and almost obnoxiously, “That’s BS because I know you have K-pop on there.”
Keith looked up suddenly, his face red and eyes wide, “How, how?!”
Lance chuckled at his reaction, spinning his earbuds on his index finger, “Your password is your year of birth, it wasn’t exactly challenging.”
Keith began furiously typing on his phone, “You are a fucking creep you know that,” he refused to look up at Lance, “I’m changing my password.”
Lance rolled his eyes, “to what? 1234?”
Keith was silent as a blush spread across his face. Lance could see him hitting the backspace button.
“Seriously?!”
“I have a bad memory!”
Lance cackled at Keith, while he just stewed in his embarrassment, “You suck and I hope you stub your toe every night for a week.”
Lance stopped laughing, and he fixed Keith with a deadly serious stare, “You take that back.” He demanded.
Keith stood his ground, though fearful of what Lance might have up his sleeve, “Make me.” He bit out.
Lance’s eyes narrowed with concentrated determination and Keith felt his soul leave his body.
In one swift movement, Lance was on top of Keith. Normally not a huge problem, being a paladin, learning close combat maneuvers was a part of the gig, but before Keith could even begin to try one Lance’s fingers traveled to his sides and Lance was tickling him without mercy.
Much to Lance’s delight huge bouts of uninhibited laughter bubbled up from Keith and he was helpless in Lance’s hands, “Lance!” He cried the smile he was wearing splitting his face, “Sto-HA-HA-hop! Stop! please!”
Lance smiled as he continued to assault Keith’s ribs he should really laugh more, “Are you going to take it back?” He moved his fingers to start squeezing at his sides, and Keith’s laughter raised an octave as he squirmed desperately under Lance.
“Never!” He gasped out, rolling around, trying to get away from him.
Lance shook his head, “then you leave me no choice,” he said with a sigh, “you really shouldn’t cross someone who knows your most ticklish spot.”
Keith stuttered between laughs and desperate gasps, “Wait! Lance!”
Lance moved straight to his neck and began tickling Keith unrelentingly. Keith screamed. He spasmed, his laughter hysterical and high-pitched. “LAAANCE! STOP! PLEAAAAASE! I TAKE-“ Suddenly Lance’s fingers sped up and Keith squealed loudly, unable to communicate at all past the bubbling laughter.
“You take what?” Lance paused for a moment looking down at Keith with a smug smile.
Keith was panting heavily, gasping for breath, “You are evil!” He wheezed.
“Hmmm,” Lance shook his head, “Sorry, not the answer we were looking for.” He reaches forward.
Keith jumped, scrambling away from Lance’s hand, “I yield! I take it back!”
Lance chuckled as he sat back in his seat, “you blush really easily.”
Keith was moving shakily back to his chair as well, “I couldn’t breathe!”
Lance grabbed for his phone, “whatever you wanna tell yourself, samurai,” he plugged in his earbuds, “come’er.”
Keith glanced warily at Lance’s hands, “I don’t trust you.”
Lance rolled his eyes with a smile, “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not going to tickle you, come here!”
Keith shook his head.
Lance smiled at Keith’s antics he has to be doing this on purpose, Lance thought as he watched Keith pout in his chair, “I promise I’m not going to tickle you will you please come here?”
Keith reluctantly stood and sat next to Lance, their thighs touching as Lance placed his earbuds in Keith’s ears, “who is it?”
Lance scrolled through his Spotify, “These underground dudes called with confidence, well not really underground, but still, I really think you’ll like them.” He pressed the button and the beginning drum beats rolled around in Keith’s head as the verse started.
I remember the first night that she said Oh, maybe I can't do this on my own
It had that indie rock vibe to it that Keith loved, guess Lance had been paying attention, and it had an upbeat tempo to it that had Keith bobbing his head slightly.
Lance watched Keith listening to it, he would never tell Keith, but he had been searching through his playlists for two weeks trying to find something he thought Keith would enjoy. After all, they were each other’s only sources of new music now, and…well he liked the smile it set on Keith’s face listening to it.
Despite the weather, it gets better You won't do this alone.
Keith couldn’t help but feel like Lance really thought about it before he showed Keith this song, it was kinda perfect. It was times like this when no one was around that he and Lance got along the best when they were just friends.
Lance hadn’t always liked Keith, but he always admired him. He had really only disliked him because he was having trouble getting into the fighter class and he attributed his frustration to Keith, but it was never his fault. Now it seems silly that he was ever mad at him, just because he excelled at something, now he was starting to consider Keith a ‘Pidge and Hunk level friend’. “Did you like it?”
Keith had pulled out the earbuds signaling completion of the song, he was trying hard not to smile Lance could tell, “It was…dammit it was really good.” He laughed at himself, “What’s the song called?”
Lance blanked for a second before he looked back at Keith, “Voldemort.”
Keith blinked, he seemed dazed for a moment before reaching for Lance’s phone, “Ha ha very funny what’s it called.” He deadpanned.
Lance brought the phone out of his reach, “that’s what it’s called.”
“Be serious.”
Lance couldn’t help but laugh at Keith’s expression, he looked like a child when he was annoyed, and somehow it became very apparent to Lance how much shorter Keith was than him, “I am being serious,” he tried to reign in his laughter, “I am so very,” He cleared his throat, “dead serious.”
Keith flipped him off, “What’s it called bitch?!”
Lance switched the phone to his other hand, avoiding Keith’s pawing hands, “that’s not very nice Keith.”
“Fuck you, what’s it called?!” Keith was now in Lance’s lap reaching for the phone.
Again, he has to be doing this on purpose, Lance had wide eyes but he didn’t put down the phone, “I’m telling you it’s called Voldemort!”
Keith pounced at the phone knocking them both over. Keith rose victorious, “Ah-ha! It’s called…its, called…Voldemort.”
Lance struggled to his feet and he snatched back his phone from a flustered Keith, “that’s so funny,” he laughed obnoxiously, “because it’s almost like I TOLD YOU WHAT IT WAS CALLED!”
Keith looked away and sat back down, “Whatever are you speaking of?”
Suffice it to say they did a lot more roughhousing that day (not like that).
“Hunk this is actually heavenly!” Lance leaned forward grabbing more food. Lance looked at it weirdly at first, the bowl placed in front of him looked like cereal but it smelled like meat and the combination weirded Lance out. Until he took the first bite.
Pidge nodded sagely, they hadn’t taken a breath since they started eating.
The whole group was sitting around the table trying Hunk’s newest creation. Hunk sat down finally after serving everyone and he happily spooned his food into his mouth, “it took a while I think it was worth it.”
“It’s like fried rice and mac and cheese had a delicious baby,” Lance announced.
Keith’s face screwed up in disgust, “that sounds disturbing.”
“Seconded.” Called Pidge.
Lance pointed his spoon at the both of them, brandishing it like a weapon, “Disturbingly delicious, you mean!”
Hunk placed a hand on his wrist lowering the spoon, “Calm down buddy, I’m glad you like it.”
Allura piped up from the end of the table, “While it is very delicious we do have much to discuss after lunch so no dilly-dallying.”
Lance whipped his head around to Allura, “Are you rushing my yums?!”
Pidge lifted their glasses as they gave an unamused glance to Lance, “The line is ‘yucking my yum.’”
“Yeah but in this context that’s sacrilegious, like how dare she yuck Hunk’s-“
Shiro sat forward leaning an arm out, “Lance, nobody is trying to yuck, or rush…your yums.” He sighed like he couldn’t believe those words were coming out of his mouth, “We do have important things to talk about though so don’t be ridiculous.”
Lance hung his head, “Yes Shiro.”
Keith reached over grabbing his glass, trying to balance it on Lance’s head.
Lance lifted his head suddenly, they laughed at how Keith jumped. Keith yanked the glass up in the nick of time and Lance glared murderously at him as the rest of the team continued to giggle. Keith has no idea how either of them kept a straight face.
After lunch the team assembled at the hull and Shiro and Allura stood in front of everyone. They were conversing in low tones before Allura stepped back a bit and Shiro called everyone’s attention.
Shiro went on to explain how right now gaining favor in the universe and helping the coalition was top priority. “And this is our goal,” he opened up this hologram of the universe, star systems and planets in galaxies colored either green or purple, mostly purple, “the green on this map is the coalition members, and we want as much of this map to be green.”
Allura stepped forward at this point, “This will take as much of your effort as fighting the galra has and I want to see you put as much value in this as well, while at times these things may seem frivolous I assure you this is our best plan of action for the moment.”
Lance struck a pose, “Alright! RAZZLE DAZZLE!”
Coran gave him a look.
“For the war effort of course.” He coughed.
Keith chuckled.
Shiro walked over to Keith, still looking at Lance, “You are absolutely right Lance, which is why you will be in charge of making sure Keith doesn’t muck it up, being Keith.” He stood next to Keith placing a hand on his head.
“What?” Lance asked.
Keith shot up affronted and smacked Shiro’s hand away, “Yeah what the hell does that mean, I care about the war effort just as much as anyone.”
Pidge turned in their chair, their body bent at an angle as they smirked at Keith, “I mean you are the most likely to protest against these kinds of events if your ‘emo I hate sparkles and puppy dogs’ history has anything to say about it.”
Keith rolled his eyes pointing an accusatory finger at them, “I do not hate dogs that Pomeranian was pure evil and you know it.”
Lance looked around confused before he reinserted himself into the conversation, “Woah hey sounds like a great story, which Pidge you will be telling me later, but what do you mean I’m in charge of Keith?”
Shiro patted him on the shoulder, “Exactly what it sounds like.”
“So I’m Keith’s babysitter.”
“Exactly.”
“Hey!” Keith yelled.
Many hours later
The room was pitch black. It was 2:23 in the morning, not that it looked any different outside the windows. Lance couldn’t see much of anything except the stars. During the sleeping part of the day cycle the windows in the lounge opened up automatically to allow for a magnificent view. Lance didn’t come here often but he always loved the vastness and reality of it before him. This great expanse, full of stars, full of life, and Lance, one of its defenders. I made him feel better on these nights. The nights he couldn’t sleep.
Lance suddenly heard footsteps and he leaped to his feet whipping out his bayard, he could see a yellow glow, like eyes and he thought he was going crazy.
“Relax it’s just me.”
Lance felt his shoulders unbunch and he realized that if that had been a real threat he would have been royally fucked, it being pitch black. Come to think of it… “can you see in the dark?”
He could hear Keith step closer and see the glowing eyes get bigger, purple irises coming into view, “Only with the yellow, if I don’t shift I’m as blind as you.”
“Rude.” He muttered plopping back down on the couch.
Keith sat next to him, Lance could still only see his eyes and the slight outline of his cheekbones and brow, front lit. “It’s true though.”
Lance had stopped asking why Keith was up, he didn’t have to anymore, but it also didn’t make things better in this case to talk about it so he just tried to offer up distractions to him whenever he could, grateful that Keith would usually do the same. “Wanna listen to music?”
Keith chuckled in his hand, he could tell by the muffled sound, “Do you have your earbuds surgically attached to you or something?”
Lance smiled, “I mean my phone practically is, I am just slightly more prepared than most people and also carry earbuds,” he reached up to his neck and pulled them from under his shirt, “Makes an edgy necklace too if you know what you’re doing.”
Keith snickered as he took the left earbud, “dork.”
Lance ignored him, playing the first song.
Lance had sort of a mental playlist for Keith at this point. He had a catalog of all the songs he had played for Keith that he had liked and he plays them in random order, just whatever he thinks of next, pulling from different playlists. Keith has never asked to skip a song he plays before.
The two of them sat there for a while, just looking at the stars, trying to let go of their worries as they bopped their heads to the soothing sounds of the Wrecks, Arlie, and Twenty-One Pilots.
Keith and Lance were sitting pretty close due to the earbuds having a pretty short cord, but over the course of about twelve songs Lance found Keith practically leaning into him.
It was nice, they hadn’t said anything to each other since the music started playing, but somehow it was like they didn’t need to. The room felt heavy with the weight of their anxieties and troubles but it was starting to lift away. It became lighter as Lance just focused on choosing songs he knew Keith liked and as Keith focused on making sure Lance looked up at the stars between songs.
Suddenly a thought popped into his head. 100 bad days would be pretty great right now. Lance felt strange. That didn’t really fit into my train of thought, he mentally shrugged, still a pretty good idea though. Lance waited for the final notes of COIN’s Crash My Car before he clicked play on 100 bad days by AJR.
He felt Keith flinch before resettling next to him, a little bit closer.
Keith had always thought that song was strangely hopeful and through all the shit they had been going through recently it felt like he could almost imagine a future where this time they were going through would just be a good story. A future where they won, a future where it was finally over.
Lance couldn’t see it but as Keith looked at him and listened to the song, there was a big smile on his face. Things are going to get better, he thought and he listened with his whole soul as the song continued.
“When all is going wrong and you're scared as hell
What you gonna do? Who you gonna tell?
Maybe a hundred bad days made a hundred good stories
A hundred good stories make me interesting at parties”
“Yeah, no, I ain't scared of you
No, I ain't scared of you no more”