👉👉

“….Resting bitch face? Excuse you?” He huffed, mumbling it under his breath, though not loud enough to cease the conversation. Especially because almost immediately after, Lance was talking about his own faults and beating himself up, and Keith wanted to open his mouth and tell him not to be so hard on himself. But he knew that Lance was trying to aim for going for something sincere, so he let him talk, before he blinked as the other was poking him, Keith laughing and shaking his head. 

“Did you take human anatomy, McClain? That isn’t where the heart is at all. Assuming that’s what you were going for.” He teased, purple eyes sparkling for a moment. It was one of the first times Keith was really laughing since the incident, and for a moment he didn’t feel like a slob in sweatpants that wanted life to just end. He smiled, twirling the spoon in his hand again as he thought about what to say. Keith wasn’t the best of words to start, and something as emotional as this conversation was even more difficult for him. Especially when Keith, who spoke better with actions, just wanted to lean forward and kiss the younger Paladin for being so kind and not judging him or his body. 

“Though I appreciate the sentiment, a lot of people would think differently if they saw me, you know, naked or something. It’s easy to say something to someone’s face when they look like I do, it’s another to say it when I…well….look like I do.” He mumbled, finally dipping the spoon into the ice cream again, staring at it for a moment, before taking it off the spoon with his finger. He let the cold seep into his skin for a moment, before he took it and placed it on Lance’s nose, laughing harder than he ought to for something as stupid as ice cream. “Thank you, though. For taking my mind off it all.” 

“H-hey, I’ll have you know that I am an expert at anatomy,” Lance said, half-distracted by the cold goop on his nose, the tone of his innuendo completely lost. He tried, at first, to lick it off, only to find that his tongue wasn’t quite long enough for that. 

In the end, he wiped it off on his finger, licking it clean before wiping the rest off on his sleeve. It was so rare, to see this side of Keith. Well, it was for Lance, at least. Silly, goofy, laughing... The selfless part of him is glad, that Keith’s mood has improved. The more selfish part of him is proud that he was the one to do it. That he’s the one who gets to see Keith smile. That he’s the one who made him smile.

The semester is winding down, and when it’s over, I’m going to a convention with @thesizeofthefight ! I’m going to try to do a reply here or there when I can, but I really need this time to focus on school and spending time with my friends on our vacation. I really miss writing with y’all but, I also don’t want to set unrealistic expectations about my activity level.

Honestly, Keith couldn’t believe it. It had been….how many decaphoebs now since he had seen Earth? He remembered a time when getting to Earth was all they had planned, making it back home after the war. But, the war had led to so many changes, some of which Keith Kogane struggled with immensely. Of course, the most prevalent was the loss of Allura. The Princess and himself had had ups and downs throughout the years, especially as she had learned what his true heritage was. But, before her ‘passing’, to put it as such, the words she had said to Keith held strong in his heart. She had left an impact on all of them, and it was like losing a family member. 

Of course, there were other big changes. Shiro getting married, for one. He hadn’t exactly expected it, because despite being probably one of the only Paladins to know Shiro’s sexuality due to practically being his brother, he just didn’t think Shiro would give up everything he had fought for for marriage. Especially to a man that, in Keith’s eyes, he had just met. But, he was happy for him and his new life. Every one of them seemed to have new lives. That was what had brought Keith out to space in the first place. He no longer had a life on Earth, especially after finding his mom. The opportunity to work alongside her, to see a Universe where the Galra were actually peaceful, was a blessing. 

But, Keith missed his Voltron family incredibly badly. So, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that, eventually, he went back to find them. Starting with Lance. Lance was the easiest to find. He knew where Lance had settled, on that beautiful acreage with those stunning Altean flowers. Shiro was busy with marriage he was sure, Hunk was a world renowned chef, and Katie, well, she was doing her own thing growing up in life. Lance’s life, as bad as it sounded, seemed like it would be the easiest to disturb. Besides, not that he would ever openly admit it, but Lance was who he missed most. He knew this was a feeling he had to hold in, considering Lance probably still felt strongly for the Princess. It was a feeling he had had to bury a long time ago. 

His ship landed within the gorgeous acreage, Keith tugging off his helmet, revealing just how much time had passed. He still had his long hair, this time far past his shoulders, braided over his left shoulder sloppily. He had gotten broader, more muscular, than even during his time on the space whale. And the signs of adulthood were prevalent in the way he had a dark jawline of stubble, not quite close to a beard, but perfectly kept in a way his father always had in pictures he had seen. He blinked his violet eyes, Kosmo appearing beside him in excitement, before running leaps and bounds before him. Keith noticed the small farm home, smiling gently, as Kosmo had already started to howl and bark and paw enthusiastically at the door, trying to get the owner’s attention. In the mean time, Keith bent down to pick up one of those stunning flowers, pulling it up and looking at it with a grin. “Well Lance, you sure did well.” He mumbled to himself. 

Maybe Lance should have known that, after everything they’d been through, Earth wouldn’t be the same.

It seemed silly, now, but when he originally decided to return to his home planet, and settle down with his family, in the back of his mind he hoped that it would be just like it always had been. But everyone was older now, the Earth had changed drastically after being part of an intergalactic war, and as much as he adored the attention at first, celebrity status was always a little exhausting. 

Not to mention all of the aliens walking around, as if they had always been there. It was crazy, how quickly humanity adjusted to that.

Even crazier was the fact that some humans were even rarer on Earth than any variety of alien; that’s what Lance was thinking, when Keith showed up at the McClain family farm that day. The howl at the door was unmistakable, and Lance was so excited to see his former teammate that he almost (almost) forgot to check his hair in the mirror, before answering the door.