Summary: Keith is absolutely not watching his teammates play a game without him and he most definitely isn’t wishing he could join them. Not at all. Besides, even if he did want to play, he knows he’ll just ruin it as he and fun don’t really mix. No. It’s safer to just stay here, out of the way.
Story snippet:
And before Keith could second guess himself he was on his feet and headed towards the game — faintly hearing Shiro’s surprised call of his name and clearly not expecting Keith to abruptly head over to the group — where it looked like Lance had just claimed his fourth victory based on his crowing.
Lance’s eyes snapped right over to Keith, his lips pulling up into a large, cocky grin that sent every alarm bell ringing and telling Keith he’d just made a huge mistake coming over here.
Damn him and his recklessness.
“Come to play, mullet?” Lance’s hands gravitated to his hips, challenge clear in the pose. “You think you can beat the amazing Lancey-Lance?”
Keith’s brain blanked.
If he said yes then it was a challenge and it would escalate.
If he said no then Lance would tease and taunt and it would escalate.
And this, Keith realized, was why he always fucked things up.
He literally didn’t know what to say and now he was standing here like an absolute idiot and he needed to say something, anything, what the fuck did he—
With a small headache and working on Zutara Week fic first, I’m surprised I finished this.
@klanceweek
Campfire, Tent, S’mores
Keith was focused on his book that he almost missed the scratching at his tent door. The human sized shadow said differently. Shame, he was hoping it would be Big Foot. Instead it was Lance McClain. School’s resident only male cheerleader, very out and proud bi kid and the guy who had been flirting with him all year.
Keith was a loner, minus his brother and seemingly long-term boyfriend Adam. Usually along with his dark clothes and scowling, he had his noise in a book, ignoring everyone around him. He knew it confused everyone how he was in honours classes with stereotypes, but then they’d have to question how golden boy Shiro was constantly getting in trouble for things he and Adam would do when they overindulged in alcohol, even if it was in the house like the rules stated.
For some reason though, Lance was interested in him, very interested. He’d poke at him like a childhood bully who tugged at his pigtails but anyone who bothered him would get insulted 10 ways to Sunday and he seemed to always have a compliment ready for Keith. It was kinda nice in a weird way. Something he looked forward to. He never perused anything though, worried that it was just harmless fun for Lance, nothing more. But that afternoon after Keith got annoyed at Hunk, one of Lance’s friends, and broke his bug net – not his finest moment, yes, he knew – Lance asked if he wanted to go for a walk. A minor lecture about how it was Hunk’s best net, but the rest of the time was spent talking about his cryptid sighting desires. Lance didn’t look bored the whole time. Either he was a good actor or he actually liked Keith enough to sit through that. He gave history and facts for every cryptid he talked about.
“I think you’re in the wrong tent.”
“Well my tent currently has a close sexcapade happening so, here I am.” Keith raised an eyebrow. “My cousin Allura made me share a tent with her boyfriend just so she could sneak in. thing was, she told others they could use her empty one for a party. It was either come here or follow Hunk to look for bugs.”
“Well I’m not really doing much.” Keith tried to say, lifting his book as proof.
“That’s fine. You read; I don’t mind hanging out here.” Lance said, truly not looking bothered.
“You…actually like me, don’t you?”
That stupid smile Keith had been starting to love came to his face. “What was your first clue?”
“Can’t blame me. Popular kid liking the loner?”
“You probably don’t even remember that we went to middle school together. I couldn’t stand you then cause I thought you lord yourself over everyone, but then I saw you threaten to beat up a kid who wouldn’t stop bothering those who were staying back and realised, maybe you weren’t so bad. Then high school started and you shot up, got muscles and somehow grew hot. Once I saw past the loner shield, I couldn’t help but like you more. I hope I wasn’t imagining you flirting back.”
Keith tried to keep the smile off his face. “You weren’t.” he felt at lost for words to he dogeared his page and pulled out a deck of cards from his duffle. “Crazy eights?”
“Poker.” Lance stated. “When you’ve got 2 older brothers, a dad and his crazy brother and a sister who has free time at the space station when waiting for results, you learn pretty well. How about for every hand we win, we get to choose a date idea?”
“A date idea?”
Lance shrugged his shoulders. “We put off telling each other how we feel for almost a whole semester. I just want to make sure our break if filled with things to do.”
Keith let out a laugh as he unboxed the cards and started to shuffle them. “Well, I hope you like cryptid hunting then.” He dealt the cards, noticing Lance had a smile growing on his face. “That is the worst poker face I’ve ever seen.”
“Maybe I’m distracting you with how happy I am. And 3 of a kind.”
Which beat his hand and made him way happier. Until Lance let out an unholy shriek.
“SNAKE!” Keith saw a moving scaled body and quickly got up, helping Lance unzip the zipper, grabbing his hand to pull them out. Lance’s scream had grabbed attention as other students exited their tents to find out what was going on and their teacher came over as well.
“Ha, ha! That’s what you get for breaking my net. You screamed like a girl.” Hunk called, looking very proud of himself, Pidge next to him bored.
“Hunk!” Lance snapped, the proud look from the boy’s face dropping when he saw him next to Keith.
“Oh, that wasn’t you. Sorry Lance!”
“Nice Hunk, you ruined a romantic moment.” Pidge teased. When Pidge was the one to point those out instead of gagging, you knew you messed up.
“It’s a garter.” The teacher stated, emerging from Keith’s tent with the snake in hand. “It’s harmless.”
“I don’t care. I don’t like snakes, please get rid of it.” Lance begged, hiding behind Keith as the teacher brought it closer.
“You were in a tent alone with Keith?” Allura asked, her hair messy. She didn’t like Keith for some reason.
“You and your boyfriend kicked me out of my tent to have sex.” He stated loudly.
“Shut up! I swear, you’ll pay for that.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “Sure, he’ll send his little fire nation crew after me, so scared. Sir, can I have permission to spend the night in Keith’s tent instead? Mine’s contaminated.”
“Just know we’ll be listening for any noises. Everyone back to bed.”
“Sleeping together already?” Keith teased, squeezing Lance’s hand.
Lance shoved him, obviously not bothered by Allura’s glare. “Down boy. Most you’ll get from me is cuddling.”
“I’ve been told I’m very huggable.” Keith said.
Who would have guessed an extra credit camping trip would lead to such a nice thing?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“You’re sticking me with a newbie!?” Lance squawks. “Shiro, my guy, you must be joking. A newbie is going to triple my work tonight. I’ll be running around like crazy while trying to teach some slack-jaw to count by fives. I swear, if you…”
“I’ll try not to slow you down too much.”
Keith is a loner who’s had trouble keeping a job for longer than a couple of months. Lance is an exuberant flirt who gets on his last nerve in his latest workplace….and then, not so much. Just your typical slow build, getting together fic.
What the fandom says: OMG, STOP MAKING MY BABY BOI LANCE SUFFER!! PLS VOLTRON WRITERS! WHY YOU GOTTA PLAY ME LIKE THIS?? HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!! *sobs*
What the fandom does: writes 10000X more langst fanfics and posts than any other angsty character *cough* keith *cough* *cough* shiro *cough* allura *cough* pidge *cough* and draws more than enough fanart of homesick lance needing/wanting to be cradled and problematically getting angry at socially inept keith who can't talk to people except shiro, somewhat. And therefore, bringing further complaints about langst and how he doesn't deserve it, while cackling in the corner and writing even more langst.
me (who sees through it all and is tired of the fandom making lance the angsty one when keith literally has no relatives that want anything to with him or have been forcibly taken away from him and therefore has had no interactions on a degree of being loved or appreciated. His only focus being a pilot because there is nothing else for him and lance calling him out like a bad guy when keith never meant to do any harm and was doing the only thing he was good at and knew how to do. Not only Lance making Keith being the bad guy for being the best pilot, BUT THE FANDOM AS WELL. Then getting kicked out the garrison for probably asking questions about the classified kerberos launch, and in turn, disabling him to do the one thing he was probably best at and ever enjoyed, period. While he was left, again, alone to fend for himself in a godforsaken desert with no interaction with people, ensuring him to be even more socially inept ... Then realizing that he is part galra, which starts the whole "i am evil" complex, along with him being unsure of who his mother is and what her intentions are now. Leading to inner turmoil and self doubt and self exhaustion of him being left out against the group, AGAIN, and being unsure who he really is supposed to be. Then, Shiro pulling the 'I want you to lead Voltron' card which creates even further stress for Keith because he now has to be sure enough to not only take care of himself, but now his team. When he is only 16. Everyone not being supportive, at first, of him being team leader while he doubts his OWN SELF. Clone Shiro comes in and undermines Keith just when he gets the hang of things, creating an inferiority complex. MEANWHILE the fandom has Lance being OVER analyzed for missing home, rain and, although he canonically thinks he's not useful, forgets to point out he's now Keith's right hand man. Not to mention, no one appreciates that Keith is an overall better pilot than lance - sorry lance stans - and that's a CANON FACT ): Could you not?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Keith Kogane wasn't really interested in the art of witchcraft until he found a small shop in the city - and it honestly was one of the best decisions he ever made.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
At twenty-four, Keith decides to figure out what this 'tumblr' thing is. It's confusing at first, but Keith learns to have fun with it with help from a few new friends. AKA Keith's adventures on tumblr.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Shiro: And how are your classmates?
Shiro: Can I call them your friends or will that offend you?
Keith: They're maybe my friends? Hunk and Pidge keep inviting me over for movie nights
Shiro: Have you picked out any of the movies?
Keith: Yes
Shiro: But even after subjecting them to that, they still invited you back? I'd call them your friends, kiddo.
Keith: …
Shiro: So its two friends?
Keith: Two friends and a Lance
Shiro: What's a Lance?
Keith: He's…..
Keith: I don't know. I'll tell you when I figure it out.
---------------
Or a graduate school AU featuring what happens when Pidge and Hunk are OVER Lance and his repressed feelings for Keith. A story hopefully filled with slow burn fluff.
