A/N: @unmeimiru commissioned me for this one! This is based on the Snakes and Horses AU by @polarspaz ! There isn’t too much of an intro explaining the entire situation, so if you wanna know more, go check them out!
There wasn’t much to be said about the transformation because the paladins really didn’t know much. One moment, they were fighting the Galra flagship, and the next they were hit with a beam of oddly-colored quintessence, and they were, well...mythical.
That being said, it was hard at first. But adjustments were made, the paladins adapted, and a new standard of normal came into play.
That lasted a nice long week.
Keith and his naga body seemed to be having the most troubles. He became secluded (more so than usual), he stopped eating as much, he even started snapping and nearly biting those who annoyed him. After a quick group meeting, it was decided that perhaps Lance should talk to him.
He found the Red Paladin locked up in the showers, hot water filling the room with steam that fogged the mirrors and windows. Based on how the walls seemed to sweat with moisture, he'd been in here a really long time. A little too long for his normal brooding shower.
"Hey, Keith? Buddy? Your jack-off session is going a little long this time, the rest of us need a turn."
That was certainly one way to draw him out. "I'm not jacking off!" he shouted, making a frustrated noise as something fell to the ground. "Fuck!"
"I'm not sure how much hot water the castleship can hold, but I'm pretty sure you're using it all up."
"It's a spaceship and also a castle and also a huge weapon, I think it's fine. Just leave me alone for a bit."
So maybe it was also a brooding shower. Lance sighed and decided to make himself comfortable on the steamy floor. The tiles weren't good on his knobby knees, so he flopped over as best he could without cracking his back. "Are you gonna make me do the Shiro talk?"
"...the Shiro talk?"
"You know-" Lance put on his best Shiro impression, "'You're equally as valuable as the rest of us and you're a great paladin and I'm gonna be your father figure. Blah blah blah patience means focus blah blah blah-'"
"It's patience yields focus. And I don't need that talk again, not from you at least."
Lance started making himself a little support out of towels. "Okay, so what do you need from me?"
Keith went quiet for a long time, and Lance was patient about it. When he finally shut off the water, Lance perked up. "So...you know the whole transformation thing happened?"
"What? I transformed?" he tapped a hoof on the tile, "I didn't even notice."
"I thought you were trying to help."
"Sorry, continue."
"Well...you know how I get colder now? And how Hunk hoards things and all the new stuff?"
Lance was getting a bit impatient, but he nodded. "Uh-huh."
"...snakes shed, Lance."
Keith heard restrained laughter hiding in towels and felt his cheeks burn. "It's not funny! I-I can't even see, Lance!"
The centaur immediately stopped laughing. "Wait...you can't see?"
"No! There's like...dead skin or some film over my eyes, and I haven't eaten in days and I just wanna go hide and everything itches!"
Lance rose from his spot on the ground, trying desperately not to slip on the wet ground. "Well, I know a thing or two about dead skin. Maybe I could help you?"
"It's a lot of skin, Lance. It's disgusting."
"It can't be that bad, Keith. And I just made up some of that Altean face scrub Allura uses, I'm sure I can let you borrow some. Come on, man. At least let me assess the situation?"
Keith blinded palmed for the lock on the shower, struggling to get it open without his direct line of sight. When he finally got it open, Lance tried not to flinch away. "Okay, that....is a lot of dead skin...shit..."
It was like someone had dunked Keith in a layer of kindergarten glue and let him dry out, then pushed him into a pool. White-gray flakes of skin covered his entire snakey body, except where the water had doused him to make the skin transparent and stick to his body again. Quite honestly, it was both Lance’s and every employee at Lush’s nightmare. He was about to make some quip about the mullet producing extra dandruff when he saw Keith’s eyes.
The normally piercing blue-gray was glossed over, not unlike a lizard or a frog with a second pair of eyelids for going underwater. Underneath the film, Lance could see Keith’s eyes darting back and forth in a panic, trying to focus on something in the hazy blur. The Blue Paladin kept the dandruff comment to himself.
“Shit buddy, that looks real bad...” he muttered instead, “I don’t know much about snakes, but we can at least get your human parts cleaned up. And I don’t think this shower is gonna do you much more good. Hop on, let’s get you an exfoliating scrub.”
With Lance producing extra body heat from his horse body, and Keith needing extra warmth, the two developed an agreement only a few days after the transformation. Keith could lay on top of Lance and soak up his heat so long as he didn’t make any broody or mean comments while he was there. It was a work in progress, but Lance had definitely gotten used to the extra weight on his second back. So he carried the wet Keith back to his room with no problem, hoofs clopping along the castleship floor.
The first part of the skin removal process was done in relative silence. The first thing Lance did was gently pull the film off Keith’s eyes, giving him a big smile when he could finally see again. “Alright, there you go. You can get back to glaring at us soon.”
Keith blinked a few times before doing exactly that. “Just help me get the rest of this off.”
Lance laughed and got to work. There wasn’t nearly enough of the Altean scrub to get all of Keith’s body, but they focused on the key areas where it was needed and improvised the rest. It took a lot of grit, elbow grease, and scrubbing, but at the end of the day, Keith was clean and covered in shiny new scales that glimmered under the castleship lights.
“Well, I think that’s as much as I can do for you,” Lance said as he swept the last bit of skin into a dustpan with his tail, “But you gotta put lotion on every night if you don’t want next time to be as bad.”
Keith nodded, still admiring his shimmering arms. “I will. That was brutal.” He looked up with the most sincerity Lance had seen in a long time, “Thank you.”
The centaur blushed and scuffed a hoof on the ground. “It’s not a problem. It’s not like I could bear seeing your dead scales suffer any longer. You’re lucky I didn’t come at you with a pumice stone.”
“I...don’t know what that is. But I appreciate it. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Lance wasn’t expecting to have the favor returned. “Well...I think there’s been a rock stuck in my back hoof for a day or so now.”
“You didn’t ask anyone to get it out earlier?”
“I thought it would go away on its own!”
Keith scoffed and took Lance’s hind leg in his hands, “You really know nothing about animals, do you?”
You know, I love your Au stories of Lance, especially of the centaur lance, parasite Lance and Thundercat Lance. I admit I am now into Lancelot shipping and sometimes I kinda imagine if Lotor captures Centaur Lance, would Lotor make him as his personal hourse ?
I’ve gotten a bunch of asks for centaur Lance and Lotor, so I whipped up this crappy picture.
It was one of the things he despised the most and since becoming a Naga he’d felt nothing but cold. It didn’t help that he was now a cold-blooded reptilian and had no way of keeping himself warm, but now he felt like he was coming down with something because of it.
He could wrap himself up around Lance like he normally did, but he felt like he was irritating the other boy, and Keith really didn’t like being an inconvenience to people.
So, he’d just have to find another way to keep himself warm, slinking away to try to find some way of staying warm.
~
Lance had a long day, looking forward to just coming back to his room and resting, even if he couldn’t use his bed, it was better than nothing.
Trotting back to his room, his mind wandered to the red paladin. He hadn’t seen him all day.
Usually by this time Keith would have made his way to him one way or another, seeking warmth. As irritating as it was Lance almost missed having Keith there, knowing it wasn’t the other boys fault for being cold.
He slid the door open to his bedroom, expect another restless night of sleep, when he saw something that made him do a double take.
There were two mattresses laid out on the floor neatly, like one big bed, so that he could lay down properly.
He wondered, who had done this we a small piece of paper.
Dear Lance,
Sorry for bothering you lately, I hope this helps.
From,
Keith
It was short and simple, but made guilt bubbly up in lances gut all the same. He had been pushing the other boy away all day with his clinginess, when he was only cold and trying to get warm.
And he had still done something nice for him.
Lance had to find him to apologize and thank him for his gesture, so Lance turned around going to find Keith.
~
Turns out finding Keith was easier said than done as Lance couldn’t find him anywhere.
Making him even more nervous. He had checked everywhere Keith normally was when he wasn’t with the other paladins, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.
So, that’s how he ended up, standing outside of Keith door. It was the only place he hadn’t checked so if Keith wasn’t there he didn’t know what he’d do.
He didn’t even bother knocking just sliding the door open…Keith didn’t appear to be there.
Lance was about to turn away, and alert the others to the red paladins disappearance, when a small sound stopped him in his tracks,” HeHHT-sshh” It was airy and quiet but it was all the motivation Lance needed to turn around seeing the mound of blankets on Keith’s bed shift.
Sure, enough out poked the dark-haired boy sniffling slightly,” Ladce?” He questioned sounding a little off.
Lance was so relieved to see him, glad that he was safe,” I’m sorry Keith I shouldn’t have shoved you away earlier.” He said looking down at his hooves feeling guilty.
Keith felt a little fluster,” No it's fide, I was beigg a duisagce.” He answered, sounding like a he had a dish rag shoved up his nose.
Lance’s brow wrinkle a little concerned,” No you weren’t you were just cold, and I was being a jerk.” He told the other boy.
Keith looked like wanted to say something but was caught off guard by a slight hitch in his breath,” Hhh…!!" Lance was almost worried, thinking that he had made the other boy cry when,” HeHHT-sshh! … eht'SHHH!” He doubled over with a small fit, sniffling a little afterwards.
Lance was a little shocked by the outburst, guilt welling up in the pit of his stomach as he quickly put to and two together,” You’re sick.”
Keith sniffled rubbing his nose,” It’s just a cold.” He said, not wanting to worry the other boy.
But it didn’t seem to work as Lances frown seemed to deepen,” That you probably wouldn’t have, if I had just sucked it up and kept you warm.” He said guilt lacing his words.
Keith sighed,” You cad’t get sick frob beigg cold Ladce.” He answered back, sniffling congested.
“It doesn’t make it better either.” Lance said, deciding he was done arguing with the boy lifting him into his arms, making him squeak a little, feeling his long tail curl around his waist.
“What are you doing?” Keith asked, clinging to Lance nervously, not sure exactly what he was doing.
Lance chuckled,” Keeping you warm dummy, what does it look like I’m doing?” He said, exiting Keith’s room making his way towards his own. The other boy mumbling something like; you don’t have to.
Lance smiled entering his room setting Keith on the bed, laying down as well moving close so that he could keep him warm,” I know, I want to though.”
Keith ducked under the covers a little hiding his face, a little embarrassed.
Lance just found it adorable, pulling the smaller boy closer to his chest, sharing his warmth with him, feeling Keith relax a little.
Running his finger through Keith’s hair softly and soothingly till his breathing slowed down to a stead rhythm. His mouth hanging open a little so he could breath, snoring stuffily.
But Lance didn’t mind, he just felt better knowing that the other boy was safe and warm in his arms.
Okay so this was requested by @dayseypieshipping :AYE HEY I LOVE YOUR STUFF OKAY Can you maybe do a thing based off of PolarSpaz's snakes and horses au? And maybe focus on Keith needing to be wrapped around lance like all the time and lance being like tf dude but secretly liking it and they end up getting together idk dude I need more fics
I hope they like it, the AU is based on @polarspaz‘s Mythical Au, I think it was, so I hope it’s okay that I borrowed the idea.
Wow! Just saw Centaur Lance in paladin body suit. And if was really nice. Does he wear only top of armor or there is some horse armor on bottom of his body too?