DChan87's VLD One-Shots

Keith's Jacket

Kallura, Tumblr prompt: "Take my jacket."

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There were going to be some casualties of Keith's little "growth spurt", which he accepted as the truth. That did not make it any harder to part with clothes he'd gotten so attached to.

He managed to save his jacket and a few other things from the Castle Ship before they sacrificed it, but he didn't get a chance to wear the jacket. Saying that the jacket was important was an understatement. He liked it, and he thought he looked good in a red jacket. He was 17 when he bought it at a Goodwill on the Havasupai reservation, not long after getting kicked out of the Garrison. It became important to him.

But things had changed. He wasn't a lean, yet athletic kid any more, he was a lean, athletic adult who'd gained some muscle in the two years (two weeks?) he'd spent on that space whale with Krolia. And the first thing he did when they got back to Olkarion was try on his old clothes.

He stared at himself in the full-length mirror, and realized he looked silly. His arms hung several inches from his body, the seams dug into his armpits, and he had a hard time putting it on. On top of that, he couldn't even button it up anymore. It was safe to say that it didn't fit anymore.

He sighed, lamenting this factoid as he struggled to get it off. It was cold outside right now, which meant that, if he happened to go outside, he'd get cold real soon. In fact, it was getting chilly inside right now. He could see some of the frost coating the window overlooking the city. The cold reminded him of desert nights. Because the daytime could be scorching hot, but the nighttimes dipped low, quickly. He was lucky the shack was there, even though his house burned down.

He didn't like thinking about his house. He needed to think of something else. So he thought about the Arizona landscape where he grew up. And those cold desert nights when the jacket came in handy. He immediately felt a lot better. His jacket didn't have to just be a jacket, because now it could remind him of home.

He left his room overlooking Olkarion's capital city, his jacket still in hand. It was in the hallway that he came across Princess Allura. She too was feeling very chilly. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, despite wearing her space suit. It must have been getting very cold. He stopped in his tracks and so did she. "Oh, hello, K-k-Keith," she shivered. He noticed that she was looking at his jacket. "What's wrong?"

"My jacket doesn't fit anymore," he said. Then, as if on a whim, he said, "Why don't you wear it?"

Allura turned bright red. Keith did so to, so he held it out to her while avtering his gaze so as not to show her his own blush. He didn't see Allura looking at it, then at him, then back to the jacket, before he felt it being taken off his hands. He turned and saw her putting it on. It fit her perfectly, causing him to blush again. She blushed, too. "It's warm and snug," she said softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Allura," he said in the soft voice he habitually used for her. He was relieved, and more so when she snuggled up to him, letting him put his arm around her back. He got nervous again when she leaned against him, causing him to wrap his other arm around her and hold her tighter.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Any time," he answered.

"Does this jacket mean a lot to you?"

"Kinda," he said. "It's not that old. But it reminds me of home."

Then she smiled at him and cuddled up to him. "Then I'll definitely keep it."

He smiled at her, holding her tightly.