Here is a little bit of Keith!
I suck at these little authors note things.
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Keith POV
Everyone has been getting along so well recently, and while I've never felt like I had a family before, this is what I would imagine one would be like. Shiro has taught me so much when it comes to doing activities with my fellow paladins. He worries for me, and I know he knows I'm trying. I've been working on encouraging the others with helpful words or actions like helping Pidge dodge attacks, even if she was doing well with that anyway. I try to do these activities with the others as much as I possibly can. It might help me discover how I can connect in "less combative ways" as Shiro had told him. I guess other people don't bond the way I do.
During group training sessions in or outside the lions, I feel a certain peace in being connected to my team. I'm slowly associating them with family more and more each time, which makes Shiro happy. Seeing as he is my partner, the term 'boyfriend' seems a little too...mushy, and leader, I want him to be happy and pleased with my actions. The more we connect as a group, the more I can trust and feel things I normally don't with people other than Shiro. The more this happens the easier it'll be to form Voltron.
"Shiro he did it again, he hasn't said a single snarky thing to me all day!" I complained to my lover as we cuddled on the couch in the lounge room. It wasn't really something we did in the more public space, but today it just happened to be where they met after training with the lions outside the castleship. Another group training session Lance failed to show up to. Shiro huffed amusedly in response to my complaint. Curse this man for all his calm and collected mind! Shouldn't he also be upset?
"Keith, he's probably just been busy, his whole day does not consist of him purposefully seeking you out to snark or joke with you." Shiro said with a little gravelly sound coming out near the end. He was tired. "Well don't you think it's suspicious he didn't want to train with his lion?" I asked rubbing a curly with my thumb into the base of my lovers neck. "No not particularly, Ive seen his logged hours in the computer, he's been training." At this I frown and my eyebrows crease together in thought. "You're not worried about him are you Keith?" Shiro asked with a knowing smirk, the bastard. I clocked my tongue and I shook my head. " No, he's not training with us, and I don't know, I just want to connect with him like I can with you, Hunk, and Pidge! For Voltrons sake." I clarified, puffing out a frustrated sigh which makes Shiro chuckle.
One person, the only person, I have not been connecting to as well is Lance. I know he still sees me as some sort of rival, proclaimed solely by his mind you! However, his childish actions are only going to hurt Voltron and the team. He's honestly not as bad as I thought he was originally, but he still irks me to no end. Why does he think insulting my hairstyle, or getting butt-hurt every time I beat him during training is helping anything? Sure sometimes he is funny and sweet, keeping Pidge in check with sleeping, helping Hunk when he's freaking out about food, even when he tells Shiro to rest when Shiro is running on empty and overworking himself?
"Well if it's any consolation Keith, I think we are going to stop on a planet soon, if it's calm enough we may be able to...have a talk with him." Shiro said with a look of concern, I must have been thinking for a while and left him in silence. "Yeah, but how do we know he will accept to come with us, on his own? Yeah he would go with you, but me? I don't even think he likes me in any way Shiro." I admitted, although a little muffled because I've shifted to put my face in the crook of his neck. "I think he's still adjusting." Shiro said, but I couldn't help but feel even more frustrated.
Lance never really does anything to help me. Is it because he hates me? Maybe he's jealous of me and Shiro? That would make sense, Lance isn't exactly good at hiding the way he looks at Shiro. Sometimes I think he's looking at me too, which only gets shattered when all I receive is a snarky greeting. Still, it pains me quite a bit to see. We are all bonding and becoming one force, but Lance just feels so out of reach to me, and all I want to do is reach out and grab him, force him to train with me or Shiro, or both.
Shiro and I have talked about Lance in detail, especially on days where his avoiding me is at its peak, or when he's been taunting me more than usual. We both thought it was odd he could seem so caring, yet so distant. It was why he and Shiro had also considered and been contemplating asking Lance out on a date when we get off on the next friendly planet. We had both admitted to having feelings for the Cuban boy, even if my feelings were fueled with annoyance, he was still undeniably beautiful inside and out. Hell the boy knew it himself, calling himself the 'sharpshooter' and flirting with pretty much any attractive thing within a ten foot radius of him.
"Well, I'll bet he's been in the training room since we left for our training. Maybe you can go to the training deck and coax him to rest for a bit? Maybe even ask him to train with us later. Just you me and him." Shiro said all this with a raised brow, my silence after him trying to make me feel better probably made him realize I was still overthinking it. He was right I should go and just take the first steps. Maybe if I show him I care, it could open up some room for growth, at this point, he's avoided me so long this week, I just want something. Anything.
*** Time Skip***
When I find lance it is twenty minutes after I left Shiro and is cuddling spot on the couch. I went to the training deck with my gear bag in hand, and as I get close to the door I hear the sound of Lance's gun firing. I reach up and put my hand on the touch pad and the door opens. I step inside and smile just for a split second. There he is, Lance our beloved sniper, standing almost knee deep in malfunctioning and destroyed robotic parts and limbs. He really has been practicing and is shows, let me tell you. I clear my throat. "You're in here already?" I ask loud enough for him to hear.
His long legs are locked, his thin frame taut and well on its way forming firm muscles along his arms, back, and his thighs. The same thighs resting on those beautiful long legs that he just can't seem to get over, even Shiro had admitted staring just a little too long at them. He was something. That annoying, bratty, too full of himself, something. A true wonder of the universe, but unfortunately, said wonder didn't even know he came in the room.
I dropped my bag down with a soft thud, and raised my voice,"end simulation." When he heard my voice and knew I was there he lowered his gun to look at me, a friendly, although somewhat tired, smile stretched on his face in greeting. "Oh, sorry Keith, didn't see you there. I was kinda in my zone." He said, and I nodded in understanding as he gestured around him and I pretended I hadn't noticed them. "I see that. You been in here long?" I asked, knowing the answer already. "I guess a couple hours now." I let outa strangled sound but it came out more like a garbled grunt, I smirked, maybe I could play around and rile him up like he usually does to me? "You just got here I bet. You don't train a lot with everyone, you're slacking." Okay, that came out a lot harsher than I intended it to, but it was meant to be a challenge, he likes challenges. "What did you say, mullet?" I was wrong.
Immediately his cheerful demeanor dissipated and I noticed his vice like grip on his gun . I noticed his scowl and was instantly confused. Why was he upset? Wasn't this how they bantered normally? "Well, your scores are barely going up, and I'm pretty sure you've been in the healing pod several times these last months. All I'm saying is you should train with us. It would be good for you and the rest of us," I looked at the bag of gear to avoid looking at his hurt face, I just wanted him to know we wanted him there! Why couldn't Shiro have come with me? "You should go help Coran with cleaning the pods, since you seem to keep dirtying them." Shit why is he running?
Immediately my heart started racing, did I do something? Did I say something wrong? I was trying to help! I quickly am down the hall after him, bag still discarded on the floor, it was less important now. When I stopped running I realized I was outside his door, I was knocking frantically, trying to get an answer. I could hear heartbreaking sobs on the other side of the door, and my own heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I'd made Lance, sharpshooter, confident flirt....cry. I sighed and leaned my forehead against the door crack and let out a long sigh. Realization hit me and I tried to think of what to say. "Lance....Lance please open the door."
I heard shuffling and the sound of footsteps but the door remained just as closed as it had the second I asked for it to open. I knew he was close to the door though, I could hear his uneven breaths trying to catch up to him. "No." He said and I almost choked on my own tongue at that point because, well, his voice had cracked and he sounded so broken. Had I not known?
"Lance please." I choked a bit, having a hard time saying the words, "I'm sorry, I went too far." I heard a soft sniffle on the other side and then a wet chuckle. The door slid open and I was face to face with blue, puffy eyes, a damp face, and messy sweaty hair. "....is Keith "I don't apologize for my actions" Kogane, apologizing?" Lance said, just loud enough for me to realize he didn't have that same bite of sarcasm, it was almost genuine. It was genuine. "To me?" Lance finished, and boy did that hurt.
I immediately felt the urge to grab him, cradle him in my arms as tightly as I could, kiss the tear streaks on his face away. As lovely as that thought is, I also know I'd been the reason for those tears, or I think so. "Yes, Lance, isn't that what I just said?" I said dryly and good there was some resembling a smile on lances face at his oblivious comment. "....Lance I...want you to train with me. Me and Shiro. Only us. Us three together." Lance looked skeptical but then nodded a little, still looking hesitant. "Okay, samurai, but why?" I smiled at the nickname which made him look almost shocked.
"Because I want to get to know our sharpshooter."
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Alright guys some things got cleared up, and yet there's a bumpy ride up ahead!
Thanks for reading my lovelies!!! :)