“As you wish...”
Keith Kogane x Reader
Word Count: 6907
Summary: Y/n is a bit of a film snob and loves to keep their best friend, Keith Kogane, on his toes. So when Y/n responds with, “As you wish” every time he asks them for a favor, Keith grows suspicious of their oddly dated words and unrelenting kindness towards him.
A/N, TW // cursing: To be frank: I worked too damn hard on this. It took waayyyy longer than I thought, but I’m really excited to be finally sharing it! If there’s anybody still out there who likes reading Voltron: Legendary Defender works, now’s your chance. I know I said it would be 7k, but with editing it became 6.9k. And if you see any unedited bits, no you didn’t ✨🧚🏽♀️❤️ Anyways, please read. Lol. Thanks in advance, if you do. Deadass, my magnum opus.
Lingo to know!
Sleeping Quarters: a dorm-style bedroom
varga: approximately 1.4 hours (84 minutes)
Warnings: angst, fluff, cursing, mentions of violence, nightmares, self-deprecation, and spoilers for ‘The Princess Bride’
//
It had really taken some time for Keith. Arguing with himself in the bathroom mirror, desperately trying to talk himself up, only to talk himself down- down and out of the very thing he had no courage to do. Keith had been curious for the longest time as to why Y/n was always so kind to him. His long-time best friend from the Garrison had always complied with all of his requests no matter how laborious they seemed.
Y/n would be idly lying on the couch in the lounge, delving deep into the book they were reading when Keith would poke his head in asking if they wanted to spar.
“I just haven’t been feeling as great with my left arm as my right lately,” he explained. It took a second for him to notice that they had been reading right before he walked in and silently hoped he hadn’t interrupted them. But before he could protest and take back his request, Y/n looked up from their book and simply replied with a smile, “As you wish.”
In the late hours of the night, Keith would wake up in a cold sweat from the terrors of some nightmare, usually about one of his many near-death experiences. No matter how much he tried to brush it off, it wasn’t enough to keep his circling thoughts at bay thus keeping him from a good night’s sleep.
So when he found himself dragging himself and his blanket to Y/n’s sleeping quarters and knocking quietly at the door, Keith immediately felt terrible for waking his groggy best friend’s slumber.
“Keith?” they called out softly. Their hair was a bit messy and they were doing their best to suppress their yawn while rubbing the sleep from their eyes, but nonetheless the genuine concern laced in their voice and soft look on their face was enough to make him come undone. Nonetheless, they were beautiful to Keith.
“I am so sorry, Y/n. I-”
“Nightmare, again?” they softly interrupted. All Keith could manage in that moment was a nod.
“Would you like to sleep with me?” they offered.
Keith sighed at how they knew him so well before whispering a small, “Yes, please.”
Giving him a knowing look, Y/n lifted up their covers and nodded towards the bed.
“As you wish,” they smiled sleepily.
Keith would crawl into their cave of sheets without a word, embarrassed of asking for such a favor. But when Y/n would snake their arms around his torso, he couldn’t help but to sink into the safety of their warm presence. Every time he’d sleep with them, he woke up smiling and reminiscent of the fleeting dreams he had the previous night.
What he had done to be so deserving of Y/n’s kindness, Keith couldn’t say. Until he could grow the courage to ask them just why, it was just something Keith would have to put off for now. That is, until he bumped into them while walking out of the bathroom. The two of them grunted little “Oofs” of discomfort and surprise before looking up at one another.
“Oh, gosh. I’m sorry. That was my bad, Keith. I should’ve watched where I was going.” Y/n assured before giving a nervous laugh and rubbing the spot on their head that softly collided with Keith’s chin. Keith could only look at them and swallowed nervously.
“Hi,” he breathed out with a small smile before scolding himself. Really, Keith? “Hi”? Could you be any more awkward?
“Hey, Keith” they smiled. “What’s up?”
“Ahh-um. Uh. It barely hurt!” he blurted. Well, I guess I can be more awkward.
Even if he was, Y/n didn’t seem to care as they carried on the conversation.
“Yeah? Well, I’d hope not. Can’t have the right arm of Voltron being incapacitated, now. Can we?” they laughed and it was like music to Keith’s ears. It was enough to drive a laugh from his chest as well. He’d do anything to listen to it for the rest of his days.
As their laughter settled down, Keith was forced back into reality where his urges to ask Y/n just why they were so nice to him only resurfaced. Y/n just looked at him as his thoughts swirled around in his head.
“What’re you thinkin’ about?” they piped up.
“What?” his eyes snapped up at them. Keith felt like he had been caught, guilty of merely thinking.
“You’re making that face where your brows scrunch up and you bite the inside of your cheek,” Y/n laughed. “I know you, Kogane. What’s going on in that pretty mind of your’s?” they asked tilting their head out of genuine curiosity.
The two of them continued walking aimlessly through the hall, no destination in mind. Keith’s inner turmoil only continued to grow as he debated whether or not he should tell Y/n what’s been bothering him.
“Well, now that you bring it up, there actually is something on my mind. Do you think we could about it somewhere private?” Keith held his breath waiting for an answer. Toying with his fingerless gloves, he avoided their gaze in anticipation.
Y/n raised their brow and gave him a victorious smile, but nonetheless replied, “As you wish,” while twirling their wrist outwards for dramatic effect.
There it was again Keith thought- that odd and dated phrase.
“Let’s go to my room”, they advised while holding out their palm for Keith to hold. Keith just looked into their eyes, then back at their hand before warily putting his hand in theirs. Y/n then tugged at his strong and calloused hand, practically dragging Keith just a little ways down the hall towards their quarters.
It baffled him to no end. How could one person have such a profound effect on him? Sure, Y/n was the human embodiment of blue skies, sunshine, and everything else that was good in the universe. Big deal. And sure, he liked who he was when he was around them. Big whoop. Keith always felt wanted when he was with Y/n. But they’re like that towards everyone… Right?
Before he could get to the bottom of his own dilemma, the duo finally ended up at Y/n’s quarters.
Keith frowned when they let go of his hand and his eyes never left their form as they plopped down onto their bed.
“What’s up, Kogane?” they chirped.
Despite having been in and even spent the night here countless times before, he felt as though the room could have swallowed him whole. He felt completely helpless under the heap of emotions Y/n made him feel. Now, being left to his own pestering thoughts and devices, all Keith felt like he could do now was cut right to the chase.
“Why do you always say that?” Keith finally let slip.
He couldn’t help it. When you walk through life, devoid of love, you start to believe you’re unworthy of it. On the past occasions that he was shown love, he found that it could be taken away in less than seconds.
“Say what?” Y/n laughed. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”
“T-That saying, ‘As you wish’.” Y/n head’s tilted at this, but Keith continued, though stammering a bit. “N-Not that I mind it. It’s just-” he trailed off trying to find the words to say. “You’re always so good to me,” he explained, his voice quiet.
For a beat, all that remained was the pregnant silence that was enough to make Keith want to take back everything he had just said. But instead of answering him, Y/n looked up and started distractedly messing with the books on their shelves. They then posed a question in response. “Keith, have you ever seen the ‘Princess Bride’?” they queried back instead of answering his question. Though they weren’t facing Keith, he could sense the smile in their voice.
“No, I can’t say that I have. What does that have to do with anything?” he asked defensively. Keith hated not knowing things and Y/n could hear it in his voice. Though they hated to hear their best friend at odds with himself, Y/n couldn’t quite bring themselves to tell Keith how they truly felt about him. Not right now, at least.
“Well, I guess you’ll never know why until you’ve seen it,” Y/n shrugged.
“What?” Keith asked, frustration laced in his voice.
“Yup. ‘S a shame. It’s such a classic- I can’t believe you’ve never seen it!”
“Well, I haven’t exactly had the time to-”
“Riiiight. Excuses, excuses!” Y/n teased now facing him. “Nobody gets away with not having seen ‘The Princess Bride’ on my watch.” Keith just huffed at his best friend’s antics.
“And how do you suggest I watch it, Y/n? We’re in space.”
“I don’t know, Keith,” Y/n bluffed while shrugging and subtly avoiding his stare. “But you’re a smart guy. You should be able to figure it out. Maybe Pidge can help you out!” they offered.
“Now, is there anything else you wanted to get off your chest? Anything, besides questioning my ulterior motives.”
Keith, knowing the lengths that Y/n’s stubbornness could go to, took this as his cue to quit pushing the subject.
“No,” he said in mock defeat making Y/n laugh, half out of relief and half at his theatrics as their best friend sulked out of their room. Keith was almost out the doorway before he slapped his hand on the doorframe poking his head inside one last time.
“But I’ll find out sooner or later,” he smiled sweetly at them before disappearing into the hallway. Y/n’s smile slowly faded and their face paled as they gulped nervously.
Did he really mean that?
//
Galra activity was at a bit of a low in the vast blanket of outer space and this could only mean well-deserved leisure time for Team Voltron. How they spent their free time varied amongst the paladins. Lance was happily playing the day away with some retro video game in his room. In the kitchen, Hunk was experimenting with some alien spices he picked up from the last planet they liberated from Galran tyranny. Pidge was happily hacking away at any Altean technology she could get her hands on. Allura and Coran spent their time scheming on the bridge about their next possible steps in defeating the Galran empire.
And Shiro, ever the workaholic, felt as though he could finally breathe. He started his days early. So, when he finished training, helping Allura and Coran with some battle strategies, and finally showered for the day, the Black Paladin felt as though he had nothing to do- and doing nothing was not in Takashi Shirogane’s vocabulary. He even had time to spare for a nap- and he never had time for naps! So, after much thought, a well-rested Shiro made the executive decision to initiate team-bonding time and boosting morale. They so well-deserved it and it was the least he felt he could do as the leader and head of Voltron.
Making his way to the lounge, Shiro quickly found Y/n reading a book on the conversation pit-styled couch, their legs rested atop Keith’s lap who was nonchalantly sharpening his knife. The image made Shiro softly smile before he made his presence known.
“Good, you guys are already here!” Shiro piped up making Y/n and Keith’s eyes look up from their activities. Shiro continued. “I’ve been meaning to make an announcement.”
Right on cue, Allura’s voice rang throughout the castle via the Altean equivalent of a PA system. “Everyone, please report to the lounge for a team meeting. Attendance is mandatory!” Allura’s sweet voice echoed.
Y/n looked to Keith with furrowed eyebrows to which he only shrugged. Once, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and Coran each made their way into the lounge, Shiro began to say his piece.
“Hey, team. I’ve been thinkin’. We should have a movie night. I think we’ve earned it.” Shiro declared with a proud smile.
“That sounds all fun, Shiro. But how are we supposed to watch it?” Y/n questioned. “Ya know. Us being in outer space and all?”
“Right! I’m glad you mentioned that. You see, Pidge here found a way to project movies into holograms produced by the ship’s technology. So, we could watch it here in the lounge, if you guys would like that.”
“Oh, yeah!” Pidge perked up at the mention of her genius then turned towards Y/n and Keith’s direction. “That was probably the best idea you’ve ever had, Keith. I’ve been itching to try it out with you guys since last week. Are y’all in or what?”
Y/n’s face paled and she could feel Keith’s smirk from the other end of the couch.
So, this was Keith’s idea.
“We’re so in,” Keith stated enthusiastically with hints of mischief infused into his voice.
“I could go for a movie night. I’ll whip up some space popcorn. Maybe some snacks. It’ll be a good time!” Hunk smiled at the thought of feeding his found family that he loved so dearly. “As long it’s not a horror movie,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, I am so down for a movie! I am always in the mood for a good rom com,” Lance chimed in.
“This all sounds wonderful! But I must ask: What is a movie?” Allura queried with wide, curious eyes. After Lance patiently explained the concept of movies to her, Allura realized that Alteans, did, as a matter of fact, have motion film in their culture. They just called them something different- something along the lines of ‘pictomations’. Coran even took the courtesy of sprinkling in some of his favorite, romantic pictomations into the conversation. Soon enough, the lounge erupted into full discourse about what movies and genre of movies they should watch. Though it was a wholesome sight to see the team so animated, all Y/n felt like they could do was watch the scene unfold.
Then, Keith removed Y/n legs from his lap before standing on the couch.
“How about ‘The Princess Bride’?” the mullet-clad boy suggested with a cheeky grin.
Oh, you little shit.
If it was even possible, the Paladins’ excitement seemed to grow even more, saying things like “I love that movie!” (courtesy of Pidge) or “That’s my favorite movie of all time! Like no joke.” (courtesy of Lance).
“Oh, come on, guys.” Y/n interrupted while bringing themselves to stand up on the couch, now somewhat at Keith’s level. “Wouldn’t you guys rather watch something we can all agree on? Like a Marvel movie! You can never go wrong with Marvel movies, right?” A few of the paladins pondered the suggestion while others were more vocal about their disagreement.
“But Y/n,” Keith whined trying his best to stifle a giggle. “I’ve never seen it,” he pouted while crossing his arms and Y/n mirrored his actions in silent disbelief at their best friend. If Y/n weren’t so anxious about Keith finding out their true feelings for him, they’d almost be impressed at the lengths he’d gone to simply learn the deeper meaning behind their seemingly cryptic words. But that feeling quickly faded away at the sound of Lance’s shrill voice.
“YOU’VE NEVER SEEN ‘THE PRINCESS BRIDE’?” he exclaimed, horrified. Keith’s sheepish face showed a shadow of a smile to only shrug in response.
“Nuh-uh. Nope, we simply have to fix that,” Pidge declared. Hunk and Shiro also wholeheartedly agreed, nodding in affirmation behind her.
“Well, I do like princesses,” Allura caved in happily.
“And who doesn’t love a good bride?” Coran chimed.
“Then, its settled!” Keith said turning to face Y/n. “Seems like the only one who doesn’t agree is you,” he taunted, poking Y/n’s shoulder. After slapping his finger away in defeat, Y/n looked at the small crowd before them. All seven pairs of hopeful eyes were on them now in risen anticipation of the final verdict.
“Fine!” Y/n grumbled. The tension finally ceased and the energy of the room skyrocketed with myriads of ‘Woohoo!’s, loud high-fives, and uncontained, excited jumping amongst the team. It took a while before Shiro settled everyone down and started giving out orders.
“Y/n and Keith, I’ll help you guys gather some blankets. Lance, Allura, and Coran, maybe grab some pillows? And Hunk! You said you got snacks covered?”
“Say no more!” the yellow paladin replied with a smile.
“Pidge, you’ll get started on hooking up the movie?”
“Sure thing! Let me get my laptop and I’ll get right on it,” she affirmed.
“Alright,” Shiro replied. “Well, let’s get to work!”
With one last cheer of excitement, everybody quickly filed out of the lounge. But Keith easily took notice of the worried look on Y/n’s face along with their dragging steps. Making his way to their side, he tried his best to cheer them up.
“C’mon,” Keith swung his arm around Y/n’s shoulders. “It’ll be fun,” he smiled. Y/n sheepishly returned the action before looking to the ground.
“Our definitions of fun are on opposite ends of the spectrum,” Y/n quipped making Keith throw his head back in laughter. “And I was kind of hoping, you’d never figure it out,” they sadly muttered, their voice only above a whisper. But Keith never heard their quiet confession lost in the midst of everybody else’s vocal excitement that loudly bounced off the castle walls.
//
After everyone had done their part in preparation for movie night, the lounge and its couches were overflowed with heaps of blankets and pillows as a means of achieving maximum comfort. Everyone dressed in their pajamas with bowls of mysteriously green, space popcorn in their laps gave the same feel of that of a slumber party.
Gathered around the hologram-projector table sat Pidge and Hunk on one couch, Lance and Allura on an another, Coran and Shiro on the next, and Keith and Y/n on the other. They were only a little ways into the movie, but, nonetheless, were all watching the events unfold with such intensity, hanging onto every word of the story told by the grandfather. Well, everybody except Lance who was hopelessly trying out the “I’m-pretending-to-yawn-so-I-can-put-my-arm-around-your-shoulder” trick on Allura who just seemed confused towards his rather old-school advances. When the princess gave him a confused look and kindly told him to get his buttery fingers out of her hair, the blush on his face was enough to go toe to toe with the Red Lion which made Keith and Y/n snicker from their seats.
“Shhhh! ” Pidge scolded. “This is one of my favorite parts.”
Keith and Y/n’s giggles died down as they averted their eyes from the Green Paladin to the hologram before them to see what she had been referring to.
“Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley around,” the Grandfather read to his grandson.
The next scene showed the main character, Buttercup, ordering the farm boy, Westley, around with endless, mundane tasks such as filling buckets with water or polishing her horse’s saddle so thoroughly that “she could see her face shining in it by morning”.
No matter how mundane, repetitive, or laborious, every single time, Westley replied, “As you wish” with no complaints, whatsoever, even if he was in the middle of doing something else. He dropped everything he was doing to fulfill the wishes of her heart’s desire. One would think a humble servant like him would become fed up such excessive requests, especially when she had the full capability of doing those things herself. But that wouldn’t make for a very good love story. Now, would it?
“’As you wish’ was all he ever said to her,” the grandfather continued. Keith slowly leaned towards the hologram with his hands on the table in anticipation of having all of his current questions answered. Y/n’s heart raced in their chest as their knuckles grew white from gripping their pillow too tight. It was almost as if they were embracing for the impact.
“That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘As you wish,’ what he meant was, ‘I love you’,” the grandfather explained. It was Keith’s sharp intake of breath, widened eyes, and partially agape mouth that cued Y/n to scoot over to the other, far end of the couch to sink into the blankets in intense embarrassment.
“Oh, how endearing!” Allura gushed before Keith’s sweaty hands abruptly lost balance making him slip forward into the projection which then contorted into a funky, pixelated mess.
“Keith!” the ongoing watchers groaned.
“Way to go, Keith,” Lance criticized.
After a quick apology, Keith leaned back into his seat while the movie recalibrated back into normal imaging. Y/n searched his face for any signs of distaste, anger, or anything, really, but Keith just looked pensive- as if everything started falling into place and started making cohesive sense.
Y/n felt their throat close up with worry, becoming dry to the bone. Reaching for their drink and raising it to their lips to nervously sip, they kept their eyes on the projector as the movie continued.
“And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back,” the grandfather’s voice echoed in Keith and Y/n’s heads.
Oh, God Y/n thought as they brought their hand to their chest to suppress the choked coughs that erupted from the back of their throat. I forgot about that part.
“Are you okay, Y/N?” Allura asked with concern in her voice.
“Drink. Slower.” Pidge ordered without looking up from the movie.
Y/n sent a thumbs up in response while rubbing their chest. “Noted,” they weakly croaked out.
The last thing Y/n wanted to do, was pressure Keith into feeling the same way about them. They didn’t want to pressure Keith to do anything! All Y/n wanted was for the night to be over. If they were lucky, maybe they’d face Keith’s impending rejection in the morning rather than right now in front of their other team members. Y/n felt sick at the thought of it, but as they hid their face in their hands, Keith happened to steal a lingering glance at them. He swallowed thickly at the lump forming in his throat.
Does this mean that Y/n loves me? he thought to himself. I mean, they specifically told me to watch ‘The Princess Bride’ to find out what they meant every time they said, “As you wish”. So, I watched it and the old man said it himself: It’s a placeholder for, “I love you”. It’s practically spelled out in a big neon letters for me!
Keith, ever the overthinker, still second guessed himself. He wasn’t sure if he was making something out of nothing. All he wanted was to hear it come from Y/n’s lips. It was funny because though they’ve been best friends for years and could practically read each other’s minds, no words seemed to encapsulate just what they meant to each other. It was about how they’ve seen each other at their best and their worst and still remained friends. How Y/n had been there for him when his father passed away or when Keith picked up and swung Y/n around when they got accepted in the Garrison. Or when Y/n held Keith’s crying form when Shiro went missing on the Kerberos mission. Even as Keith had been expelled from the Garrison, Y/n held his hand and vowed to always be his best friend. Every time Y/n had been there for him, Keith always mistook it for their natural, guaranteed kindness towards everybody. He’d admit that he took it for granted, but that was not to mean it lessened his affections for them. It was their warm kindness that drew his reclusive self to them in the first place. How their smile met their eyes when they successfully, and so effortlessly, made people happy or how excited they get to help acquaintances and strangers alike. Their heart was what won Keith over and when he wasn’t with them, he realized he couldn’t imagine a life without Y/n. He liked who he was with Y/n.
And little did Keith know, Y/n cried themselves to sleep the night he left the Garrison. Sure, Y/n had other friends to keep them company, but it was Keith who they wanted. It was always Keith.
When they reunited the fateful night Shiro crash landed onto Earth, they held each other tight and neither dared of letting go in fear of losing the other again. It had almost left them in tears until Lance “broke up the love fest”. Next thing they knew, they were aboard a blue, robotic lion with Lance behind the wheel and Pidge, Hunk and Shiro screaming their heads off. Though they felt like they were going to die, Keith wouldn’t have it any other way because for once, this series of unfortunate events finally worked out in his favor. They all led him to this night, the night he was going to tell Y/n how he felt.
He took another longing look at Y/n at the far end of the couch and couldn’t help to feel guilty for pushing for the movie night. They looked so embarrassed, almost defeated, hiding in their mountain of blankets. But they told me to watch it! Keith tried to convince himself into feeling better. But when the team had congregated earlier that day, their pleading eyes told him otherwise.
Sighing in slight regret of his choices, Keith thinks back to the time he had asked Pidge if she could hook up movies to the castle. She had been in the middle of upgrading the Green Lion’s defense system. Normally Keith wouldn’t have bothered her, but the man hated not knowing things. His current lack of answers was killing him. He had been so desperate to find out the meaning behind Y/n’s words, he even offered to do Pidge’s laundry for a week as payment.
“Hmmmm. You drive a hard bargain, Kogane,” Pidge sighed. After a moment of fake consideration and stroking the imaginary beard on her chin, she dealt her hand. “Make it a month and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Deal!” Keith agreed, albeit a little too passionately. His voice had even cracked from excitement, but he felt no reason to care as he eagerly held his hand out to seal the deal with the tiny technology-whiz. Pidge, giving him a weird look, hesitantly held out her hand to shake his then went back to what she had been previously doing.
Honestly, Pidge could have done this for free, but it was such. easy. money. It would have taken her a max of ten minutes to find the movie on some bootleg website and reconfigure her laptop to adapt to the castle’s technology… but Keith didn’t need to know that.
He probably thinks I’m a freak, now Y/n thought. Referencing an old in my head every time I wanted to say ‘I love you’ seemed way more romantic in my head.
Rubbing their temples while squinting at the brightness of the projection, Y/n felt a growing headache. Maybe it was the inevitable rejection that was to come or the possible rift in their friendship with Keith they felt as if they created. Whatever it was, it did nothing to help their well-being nor behavior at the moment. They were restless, constantly shifting in their seat, rubbing their sweaty palms on the couch while taking many short sips at their drink in an effort to not choke again. Their body was telling them to stay put until the end of the movie, but their mind said to run away. For a split second, Y/n actually considered it. But as tempting as hijacking a space pod to start a new life on some random planet sounded, Y/n knew running away from their problems would get them nowhere. So, they did their best to stop fidgeting- but it was already too late. Keith had easily noticed their change in behavior.
“Are you okay, Y/n?” Keith whispered, making them flinch out of their attempt at relaxing.
Y/n could barely even give him a side eye because if they looked into those deep, violet eyes of his, they’d be a goner.
A strained, “Mmhm!” was all they could seem to manage, and Keith was unconvinced.
So, he decided to talk to them after the movie. That was when he was going to tell Y/n how he felt.
This was going to be one long varga…
//
There were less than thirty minutes left of the movie. Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik were just about to rescue Buttercup from the cold clutches of Prince Humperdinck and prove some valuable lesson like the ‘power of friendship’ or how ‘true love conquers all’. But Y/n couldn’t take it anymore. It was just too awkward. Every time they would shift in their seat, Keith would too. And every time Y/n would try to steal a glance at Keith to gauge his reactions of the movie, they found him already looking their way. Of course, the rest of the team was oblivious to the tension between the two. Those six team members were so enthralled in the movie, Y/n feared their eyes were getting strained for looking at the projector’s glow for so long. Nonetheless, Shiro was leaned forward on his knees in anticipation, Pidge and Hunk were holding each other’s hands for comfort, Lance was still a little teary-eyed from watching Inigo get stabbed, Allura was clutching her pillow to her chest, and Coran was full on sobbing.
As endearing it was to watch their fellow team mates be immersed in the characters and the story, Y/n felt as though they could either cry, scream, or both, out of frustration. With their heavy breaths and glassy eyes, it was impossible to tell. So, Y/n quietly excused themselves to go to the bathroom, where they could maybe sort their thoughts out, but not without getting shushed by the onlookers of the movie.
Propping themselves up on top of the couch, they swiftly pushed the blankets from their lap and rushed out of the room. Keith took notice of how they subtly brushed a tear from their cheek as they let themselves out. When Keith came to think of it, it had looked like they were holding their breath the whole day. He couldn’t bear to see his best friend like this, knowing that he hurt them enough to make themselves withdraw from what was supposed to be a fun night. Taking it upon himself to make things right with Y/n, Keith excused himself to get more popcorn, and, similar to Y/n, got angrily shushed by the remainder of the team.
Rolling his eyes, Keith was about to pull away from the conversation pit when he was stopped by the sound of Lance’s hushed voice.
“Wait, Keith!” Lance whispered without looking away from the movie. “Could you get us more popcorn?”
Rubbing his face while begrudgingly taking the bowl, Keith accepted it from Lance’s grasp only to dispose of it as soon as he stepped outside.
They’d survive the end of the movie without a snack Keith thought. The only thing on his mind right now was checking on Y/n.
At the moment, Y/n finally felt like they could breathe again. They knew the feeling wouldn’t last long, but it was enough to put their heart at ease. They were almost halfway to the bathrooms when they bitterly thought to themselves.
I shouldn’t even go back. There was only a little bit left of the movie and I already know how it ends. So, what’s the point?
Y/n shook their head to themselves and a poisonous laugh fell from their lips in annoyance. Annoyance at themselves for quoting that stupid movie, for jeopardizing their friendship with Keith, and for even considering that he would ever feel the same.
“What was I thinking?” they scolded themselves aloud. It had been a rhetorical question, but nonetheless got a response at the sound of footsteps behind them, those of which seemed to be turning the corner of the hall.
“Y/n?” Keith called out softly. “Hey, Y/n. Wait up,” Keith pleaded, but Y/n kept walking. It hurt to ignore his pleas and to keep walking, but to face him would mean to face how they felt about him. Y/n wasn’t exactly sure if they could handle that right now.
But Keith, hopeful and hard-headed, was determined to check on them- to check on them and to hear the words he so desperately wanted to hear fall from their lips. He couldn’t bear another minute of not telling his best friend how he felt about them- not when tomorrow was never promised.
“Hey, are you okay?” Keith asked finally caught up to them, placing a hand on their shoulder only for them to shrug it off sadly.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Y/n brushed off, not even turning to see who it was. “How about yourself?” they quipped back not bothering to look at him nor stop until they’ve reached the bathrooms.
Taking notice of how they deflected his question, Keith stopped trying to chase them. He let them keep walking and decided it was time to play the offensive.
“Y/n,” Keith stops. “Do you love me?”
This had Y/n frozen in their tracks. Keith was about an arms-reach from them in the hallway. After all that trouble of avoidance, Y/n turned around to look him in his violet, stony eyes with a weary smile.
“Of course, I love you, you idiot,” they played off with a smile, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re my best friend.” But Keith still wasn’t convinced.
With a newly found confidence, he stepped towards Y/n not caring that he’s invaded their personal space.
“You know that’s not how I meant it,” he accuses, his voice low and jaw clenched. Y/n is looking up at him with a slight glare, their smile now faded. Their heartbeats were loud and thrumming fast and their eyes, silently daring the other to break first.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Keith,” they weakly teased and it seemed to have struck a chord in Keith.
“You want to talk about dramatic, Y/n? All this time when you could have said you loved me, you had to quote an old-ass movie!”
This made Y/n laugh bitterly, “Well, what was I supposed to do? Tell you that I’ve been harboring romantic feelings for you since we were kids? We’re in the middle of an intergalactic war, Keith! For God’s sake, you’re a paladin of Voltron! We can’t afford these types of relationships, ” they explained frustratedly, waving their hands in the air for emphasis.
When Y/n realized they had raised their voice, they slumped into themselves with their head hung low.
“I-I’m sorry,” they said softly. “It’s just- you have so much on your plate and I didn’t want to be another thing for you to worry about. I thought it would jeopardize our friendship. Because I do love you, Keith regardless of whether you love me back. And I wouldn’t expect you to have the time to even think of feeling the same way,” they trailed off. “But, what do you say we both dip on the movie and forget this ever happened?” Y/n proposed holding a hand out in silent truce, in hopes it might save their potentially destroyed friendship.
Please, please, please take it Y/n thought.
Y/n’s words hit Keith like a bucket of ice, refreshing with clarity, but it still somehow hurt. Keith knew he wasn’t the best with words or showing how he felt. People would usually pick up on his broody body language and that was enough for him to get by. But Keith doesn’t want to just get by- not with Y/n. He really did try his best to make it clear that Y/n could always come to him for anything, but the sentiment was usually insinuated through his actions like a lingering smile, a comforting shoulder squeeze, or resting his head on their shoulder when he was tired.
It’s what best friends do and it was the least he felt he could do after all the times Y/n had been there for him. If he had to lose them to anything, it wasn’t going to be because of the war. It wasn’t going to be because Y/n’s selfless respect and consideration for Keith’s workload. And it sure as hell wasn’t going to be because of his own lack of communication.
Wasting no time to wallow on his mistakes, he took Y/n’s hand, pulling them into his chest.
Confused and blushing, Y/n had no idea what to do with their hands. It’s not like they hadn’t been this close, but the way Keith was holding them was just so intimate. So, they opted for hesitantly laying their hands on his strong chest for now.
“So, you do you love me,” he smirked.
“W-What?,” they stammered. Keith gave Y/n a knowing look that made them sigh in defeat.
“Yeah, I love you. So, what?” they tried to play off as they avoided his gaze.
But Keith wanted a good look at them. He then gently placed his hand beneath their jaw, making Y/n look up at him as he poured out, “So, you don’t get to decide what’s too much for me. I’ll worry about you if I want and I’ll love you if I want- which I do,” Y/n’s eyes softened at Keith’s words as their hand found his. “Nothing you can do can make me love you less. The fact that we’re in the middle of a war would have been the perfect reason to tell me that, Y/n. Tomorrow is never a guarantee. Not for you and most definitely not for me.”
A tear rolled down Y/n’s cheek at Keith’s words and more threatened to spill from their eyes at the thought of ever losing Keith. “I’m sorry,” they sobbed, grasping his hand tighter.
“Hey. No, no, no. Don’t be,” he reassured, wiping the tears from their cheeks. Keith held Y/n’s face in his hands as he attempted to cheer them up.
“You could have told me you loved me because of my mullet and I would have been equally as over the moon,” Keith said making Y/n laugh a genuine laugh, one that was full of hope.
“So, how about we don’t forget this happened, dip out on the movie, and head to your room for now? So, you can tell me everything else you’ve been meaning to tell me,” Keith suggested, a hopeful smile tugging at his lips.
Y/n parted their mouth to answer Keith, but decided against using their words, just this once. Instead of words, Y/n answered with actions, placing their needy lips on his smiling, chapped ones. Though surprised, Keith melted into the kiss quickly. With their hands around his neck and his hands cradling their head, they couldn’t have been closer. The desperation in the kiss made it clear the both of them were afraid of the other disappearing if they even dared to let go. Soon enough, they were both smiling and their hums of approval made them laugh into the kiss.
Pulling away for air, Y/n’s hands moved to hold his strong arms and Keith’s traveled to the small of their back. Looking at each other with glee, Y/n was the first to laugh before Keith joined in.
As the both of them took a moment to adore one another in their giddy states, the sound of footsteps padding down the hall caused them to gently pull away from each other.
Turning around the corner was Coran, Allura, Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk carrying a limp-bodied Lance, who were all heading towards their sleeping quarters in a small, sleepy mob.
“Did the movie already end?” Y/n asked the tired Paladins.
“Yup,” Lance yawned. “And thanks for getting us popcorn, mullet head!” he sassed from the comfort of Hunk’s strong arms.
“You’re welcome!” Keith smiled sarcastically.
“What’d you think of the movie, Allura?” Y/n queried as she walked by.
“Oh, it was absolutely splendid,” she smiled before stretching out her arms towards the ceiling.
Y/n couldn’t help but to smile at the Princess’s adoration for the film before realization dawned on them.
“Aw, damn it. I made you miss the movie. You never got to see how it ended,” Y/n disappointedly turned to Keith who only shrugged before he called out to the Green Paladin.
“Hey, Pidge how did the movie end?” he asked. Pidge was already through the doorway stepping into her room, but poked her head out for a short moment to reply.
“They all lived happily ever after” Pidge sleepily smiled before closing her door gently and Keith looked back at Y/n with a soft smile to ease their mind.
“There you go. No harm. No foul,” he reassured before swinging his arm around Y/n’s shoulder.
Just as they were about to make their way back to Y/n’s room, Pidge poked her head out of her room again. “By the way Keith, I left my laundry basket in your room!” she smugly reminded before shutting her door closed once more.
Y/n looked up at Keith in confusion, “Laundry? What for?”
“Ah, um. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow,” he yawned before kissing the top of Y/n’s head.
“You wanna do my laundry too while you’re at it?” Y/n teased while reaching to hold his hand. Keith only looked at Y/n then whispered fondly.
“As you wish.”
//
* Updated Taglist *
(i just wanted to tag you peeps that liked my “H-Hello” post just in case y’all were interested! If I tagged you after you read it, I apologize haha I just want to tag everyone who liked that post as a means of including everybody! And, as always, thank you so much for reading! it’s so affirming to know there are peeps who still read VLD works out there :’) Anyways, treat yourselves kindly and stay safe! )
@the-nova-starr
@animeluvr1992
@ivyackermann
@lil-lex1
@ashkazora
@captaincarshoes
@alltimezay
@everything-or-anything
@paracetamoljerx
@hell2electricboogaloo
@lauriiberry
@stankyratman
@wundergirllovesyou
@gray-paladin
@ros3quart2
@agentsketchy
@junkiecraze
@knife-ears-and-ninja-stars
@flawlessangxl
@this-is-where-ur-wrong
@awkwardnessatitsfinest
@justalargeheapoftrash
@om-n0m
