Okay, so I haven’t been able to get this post by @voltron-messenger out of my head for the past few days, so to get out of my writing slump, I wrote my own adaptation of it...
“What do you mean Lance is ‘missing?’” Keith emphasized his confusion with air quotes. Clearly that had to be an exaggeration. The blue paladin had been moping around the castle just a couple of hours ago.
Keith himself had finished training early to spend time with the brunet. He thought he’d made the offer to join him in the training room pretty clear in his text, (everyone knew that the way to Keith’s heart was through sparring), but when Lance failed to show up, he figured he should probably compromise and search for him.
He’d just entered the bridge to find all of the remaining residents of the castle huddled around Coran’s station, where he was frantically typing at the controls. The large hologram of their quadrant of the universe was up, and the gorgeous man seemed to be running a scan, the individual planets and nebulas flying by.
“How many more sectors do we have to scan?” Shiro asked worriedly.
Keith was just about to announce his arrival, maybe ask for one of Hunk’s Quick-Fire Recaps™, when Allura answered, “It’s hard to be sure, Shiro. While his isn’t the fastest lion, it can still cover some ground. His sonar could also mask our sensors if he really doesn’t want to be found.”
She turned to the other paladins then, a hard expression on her face. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Keith that Lance is missing!”
His heart skipped a beat at the words, a lump forming in his throat. She must have misspoken. Maybe she meant to say, ‘Don’t tell Keith that Lance’s lion is missing, because then they’ll start fighting and honestly we get enough of that on a daily basis!’
Unfortunately, Pidge’s words confirmed his terror. “It’s kind of too late for that, Princess.”
The other members of the team turned to him with varying degrees of shock and sympathy on their faces. Allura bit her lip and avoided his gaze anxiously. “How much of that did you hear?”
Keith inhaled deeply in an attempt to keep his voice even. “What do you mean Lance is ‘missing?’ Is this some kind of lame joke?”
Hunk and Pidge exchanged anxious looks as Shiro approached the red paladin, his human hand outstretched toward Keith’s shoulder. “Keith…”
Keith practically leaped back, batting the hand away. “Don’t ‘Keith’ me! What the quiznak is going on here?”
“Didn’t you notice? We’ve been texting Lance for hours in the group chat and he isn’t responding.”
“It seems our dear blue paladin was feeling down and took his lion out for a ride,” Coran supplied, still concentrated on his console. “I have his departure logged here about five hours ago. He seems to have turned his tracking off, so I’d wager he just wanted some alone time.”
Keith shook his head, rushing to the Altean’s side. “No, Lance’s idea of ‘alone time’ is giving himself a two hour mani-pedi followed by a homemade facial mask in his room.”
“That’s true,” Hunk agreed with a nostalgic smile. “Sometimes, back at the Garrison, he’d mix an extra mask for me and chase me around our dorm until he got it on.”
“Right! And I know for a fact that he hasn’t done that in a few weeks because I can usually smell the tonics from my room, so that can’t be the reason.”
“Then what’s your theory, Keith?” Allura asked curiously.
“I think…” The words died in his throat as reality sank in. Lance didn’t like to show it, but he was incredibly sensitive. He came from a big family, so he was probably used to hiding his emotions; running away might have been a defense mechanism for him as a kid. “Shit!”
It was his fault! It was all his fault! He shouldn’t have chosen training over him! He should’ve rushed to Lance’s room and popped a DVD into the player and texted Hunk to bring snacks and curled a blanket around them and –
– and what? Lance didn’t seem to see him that way. The blue paladin might’ve been open to the cuddles in the moment, but nothing would’ve sprung from them.
He still needed it, his subconscious reminded him. Even if he doesn’t return your feelings, he still needs your love and support.
“Keith?”
“He needs someone!” Keith didn’t know where the bold declaration had come from, but he didn’t stop there. “He really shouldn’t be alone right now. He’s probably in a lot of pain, and having Blue with him isn’t going to be enough!”
Allura pushed Coran to the side and began typing intensely at the projected keyboard. Altean coding flew across the screen too rapidly for anyone to pick up on. The console suddenly lit up, a corresponding section on the holographic map blinking.
“There!” Allura shouted exuberantly, pointing at the spot, which appeared to be one of many moons orbiting a large planet.
“I’m going for him!” Keith declared adamantly. “I have the fastest lion, and no offense Shiro, but I’m probably the best pilot, and Hunk I know you’re his best friend, but it just needs to be me–”
“Keith!” Shiro’s voice boomed commandingly. His expression softened when he locked eyes with the frantic red paladin. “Go bring our sharpshooter home.”
“I’ll send the coordinates to Red,” Allura agreed.
“And!” Keith turned to leave, but was stopped by Shiro’s voice again. “Make sure that you tell him.”
“Yeah, it’s about time!” Pidge grumbled teasingly. “I’m getting tired of watching you two dance around each other.”
Hunk came up behind him and draped an arm around his shoulders. “Trust me, man, he needs to hear it. Now go!”
Not needing to be told twice, Keith dove into his pod.
Lance, I know you’re ignoring everyone’s messages in the group chat, but hear me out…
We really didn’t mean to hurt you… We were just caught up in our own stuff and we got a little selfish, yknow?
We need you and care about you.
Still no response. Ugh, why did he have to fall for such a drama queen?
Was he really about to do this? There was no guarantee that he’d even get a response.
Red’s reassurance in his head moved his fingers across his phone before he could even think about what he was typing.
I need you. That’s why I’m on my way to bring you back.
Silence.
Keith clenched the controls tighter to avoid banging his head into the dashboard. Of course Lance would make light of his near-confession! What did he expec-
… you found me?
Keith tuned Red’s victory gloat out to compose a response.
Yeah, Allura tracked Blue.
Knowing that he still had a way to go, he added,
Are you okay?
Fortunately for his heart, the response was quicker this time.
i’m fine. just go back to the castle. you’re just coming because you feel guilty and i don’t want that.
“Damn it Lance!” Keith felt his heart sink. How had he neglected to notice the hurt that the other had been sporting?
I’m not going back without you. And I DO feel guilty, but only because I treated you like shit and you don’t deserve that at ALL.
The typing bubble disappeared for a moment, as if Lance was rethinking his response. When it came in, Keith’s heart nearly shattered at the words.
seriously keith just give it up, ok?
“The fuck I will!”
Absolutely not.
why??? you didn’t give a shit about me earlier so why now?
The words spilled into the textbox before he could mull them over in his head. His mind and rationality took a backseat to his heart, and fuck it all he was throwing caution to the wind.
Lance, I always care about you… I was so stupid earlier. I wasn’t thinking… None of us were.
You deserve the entire world and I wish I could give it to you…
A few agonizing minutes passed without a response. Keith had taken the autopilot back from Red, if only to distract himself from the throbbing in his chest and the bile wanting to rise from the prospect of being rejected. Finally, the typing bubble came back, and Keith rushed to switch the controls back to Red before the answer came in.
… come find me and you can
Well that was awfully vague and anticlimactic. Keith reread the words over and over as he tried to dissect their meaning.
When the underlying innuendo finally hit him, he nearly fell out of his seat. Holy shit, was Lance saying what he thought he might be saying? He had to be sure.
What do you mean?
The planet finally came into view, a large gas planet reminiscent of Jupiter. He directed Red to scan the moons for Lance and Blue.
i mean, like… agh this is awkward
That did nothing to clear anything up.
??
There was no sign of them on any of the moons on this side of the planet, so he steered Red in closer. As he did, he felt his phone vibrate with two more messages.
i’ve liked you for a really long time
if you care enough to come find me right now, fair warning: i’ll probably interpret that as you liking me back
Holy shit was this really happening???
“Red, can you pinch me? I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming right now.” His seat suddenly burned his thighs. “Geez, girl, it’s just an expression!”
A blue dot appeared on his screen, highlighting a large crater that resembled a lake. It made sense that Lance and Blue had chosen a location related to their element.
As he directed Red in the direction of the dot, he typed back a reply.
Well, that’s good because that would be a correct interpretation…
Lance’s response was immediate.
… for real?
Keith smiled bittersweetly. If Lance said anything else even remotely self-depreciating, he was going to smother him in affection. Then again, he was probably going to do that anyway…
Red and I just landed.
Tell me exactly where you are and I’ll prove to you how “for real” I am
He managed to spot the blue lion as they came in for a landing, pulling up right beside them. He could feel Red relax upon being reunited with Blue, the thought of their lions together bringing a smile to the paladin’s face. His phone lit up as they came to a stop.
… yes sir :)
He leaped out of his seat as soon as Red was settled, petting the console affectionately before racing out onto the planet. Lance was already waiting for him beneath Blue, a shy smile on his face.
“You really came for me,” he whispered when Keith was close enough.
“Of course I did,” the red paladin whispered back. He cupped the brunet’s face with his hands, fingers playing with the curls at the back of his neck. He could feel the other’s pulse, certain that his heart was beating just as erratically.
Lance leaned into the touch, his smile softening. His hands settled at Keith’s hips, the touch almost hesitant. It seemed fairly uncharacteristic of the usually flirtatious brunet, but Keith found that that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it indicated that he wasn’t just another one of Lance’s conquests, and that thought alone made him want to jump the paladin right then and there.
“So…” Lance laughed uneasily. “Are you gonna own up to your promise, or keep me in suspense?” It was hard to miss the blush that spread from his nose to the tips of his ears.
Keith raised a brow, a sly grin on his face. “Is the great Lance McClain nervous about a kiss?”
“Wh-What?” Lance scoffed dramatically. “No way! I’m just wondering if you’re man enough to kiss me! I’ve heard that guys with mullets–”
Keith rolled his eyes and pulled him forward, pressing their lips together gingerly. When Lance’s eyes shut, he added more pressure, coaxing a slight moan from the taller teen.
He parted from the other’s lips slowly, smiling when he felt Lance trying to follow. Triumphantly, he leveled a cocky smirk at the other. “What were you saying about guys with mullets?”
Lance groaned. “Shut up and kiss me again!”
The sensation was indescribable. The best he could compare it to, at the risk of sounding cliché, would be a chemical reaction, like fire and ice colliding. The resulting steam consumed everything around it, and the two were so lost in the moment that they almost missed Shiro’s phone call.
Keith broke the kiss reluctantly to answer, trying to ignore Lance’s whine. He put the call on speaker so that the other could hear. “What?!”
“By your annoyed tone, I assume you’ve found him,” Shiro mused, the snickers of Pidge and Hunk filling the background.
“Did you call to get a rise out of me?” Keith grumbled.
“No, I just wanted to make sure that you were both okay.”
“Don’t worry, Space Dad, we’re fine,” Lance chimed.
“Great. It’s good to hear your voice, Lance. When you two get back, Terrible Movie Night™ can commence. Apparently, there’s one that I missed called ‘Sharknado?’”
Keith’s sour attitude was dismissed by Lance’s giddy fist pump. He was honestly too adorable for this universe.
“Do we have a curfew to adhere to?” Keith asked before Lance could speak.
Pidge wolf-whistled in the background as a bit of interference crossed the line. Hunk’s voice suddenly boomed at them, “TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED!”
“Just don’t defile your lions!” Allura called teasingly.
The called ended just like that, leaving the two paladins blushing like ripe tomatoes. Lance was the first to recover, clearing his throat. Keith managed to regain his composure after that, pocketing his phone.
“So…”
“Race you to Red!”
“Lance!”