+*. ENDLESS .*+

THINGS   HAD   FELT   different   between   himself   and   keith   since   his   return   to   the   team,      he   hadn't   entirely   expected   it⸻      he   was   confident   enough   now   to   say   his   prior   dislike   toward   the   other   was   purely   due   to   his   own   insecurities   and   the   expectations   of   others⸻      namely   the   garrison⸻      for   him   to   not   just   live   up   to   keith's   name   but   surpass   it   too. 

STILL……      he   couldn't   help   but   feel   some   form   of   betrayal   with   keith   having   left   their   side   for   an   unknown   amount   of   time.      he   was   back   now,      and   lance   was   more   than   willing   to   follow   him   once   more,      but   he   couldn’t   say   his   trust   was……      solid.

HAVING   A   PERSONAL   visit   from   their   team   leader   was   undoubtedly   unexpected,      sitting   there   in   an   awkward   uncertainty   as   keith   closed   off   and   struggled   with   himself⸻      he   was   just   about   to   part   his   lips   and   break   the   ice   but   the   other   managed   to   finally   speak   up   with   a   topic   he’d……      rather   forget.

 ❛      uhg.      ❜         LANCE   COMPLAINED   AUDIBLY,      scratching   at   the   back   of   his   neck.         ❛      yeah   i   guess……      didn't   think   we   needed   to.      what's   there   to   follow   up  ?      ❜

                    taking  the  smallest  step  backwards ,   arms  still  crossed  tightly  over  his  chest ,   he  leaned  back  against  the  wall .   in  the  small  confines  of  the  room  it  wasn’t  hard  to  go  from  one  side  of  the  room  to  the  other ,   but  he  felt  like  he  was  far  too  close  to  his  teammate  just  standing  in  the  doorway . . .   what  a  sorry  excuse  for  a  leader  he  was ,   huh ?   he  knew  that  if  shiro  was  still  in  charge  there  wouldn’t  be  this  air  of  awkwardness ,   lance’s  words  wouldn’t  have  HUNG  for  as  long  as  they  were ,   shiro  would’ve  reassured  him  that  the  team  didn’t  ACTUALLY  THINK  he  was  an  idiot .

                    SHIRO  wouldn’t  have  LIED  about  his  reasoning  for  choosing  him . 

                    with  a  sigh ,   keith  ran  a  hand  through  the  front  of  his  hair  and  shrugged ,   “   i  dunno .   i  feel  like  we  have  some  stuff  to  get  out  in  the  open .   i’ve  been . . .   really  thinking  about  what  you  said .   and  i  guess . . .   i  just . . .   wanted  to  thank  you .   ”   wow ,   where  was  the  giant  tube  leading  to  the  monster  for  him  to  slowly  be  cooked  alive ?

                         the  black  paladin  navigated  to  the  barracks  where  he  and  the  other  paladins  lived  now ,   one  of  only  a  few  locations  that  had  survived  the  attack  on  the  garrison.   making  his  way  to  the  room  Lance  was  assigned  to ,   he  knocked ,   hoping  that  shiro  and  veronica  had  the  correct  information  when  he’d  asked  for  the  other’s  location . 

                        since  his  return  from  the  blade ,   he  had  found  that  his  relationship  with  the  others  had  more  or  less  remained  intact .   but  the  one  he’d  formed  with  lance  was  the  one  most  affected  by  his  absence .   why ,   well  he  wasn’t  sure .   he’d  thought  they  were  fine ,   and  had  tried  to  act  with  him  as  he  used  to .   but  there  was  a  rift .   a  palpable  one .   and  he  wanted  to  try  to  repair  it  somehow .   so  here  he  was ,   at  his  door ,   waiting  for  a  reply  so  he  could . . .   talk  it  out .   admittedly ,   he  wasn’t  great  at  doing  just  that ,   but  he  thought  if  it  were  for  the  sake  of  the  connection  with  voltron ,   he’d  have  to  suck  it  up .

                        it  felt  like  keith  and  the  champion  the  princess had  talked  about  were  in  a  stare  down ,   neither  willing  to  look  away .   allura  and  shiro  spoke  for  the  team ,   but  his  attention  was  on  him .   or  rather ,   he  was  interested  in  how  the  mystical  sword  on  his  back  worked .   for  the  other ,  it  may  have  to  do  with  the  gigantic  lions  that  had  come  from  nowhere  asking  for  a  place  to  stay  for  a  few  days ,   speaking  of  a  war  they  knew  not  of .

No one was playing the piano, so that made it far game, right? Right. Beat sat down and glanced around warily before plinking at the keys softly. That sounded…okay!

With no one to stop him, Beat grew more into it. The plinking was replaced with him confidently playing the piano.

It was horrible to everyone but him.

                    nobody  looked  twice  at  the  masked  man  in  a  tuxedo ,   not  when  there  were  homemade  mechs  and  attractive  men  and  women  in  intricate  costumes  of  everyone’s  favorite  video  game  and  anime  characters .   what  a  fun  time  he  was  having ,   able  to  walk  around  without  fear  that  his  manager  would  deem  it  inappropriate  or  unprofessional .   with  his  mask ,   a  pretty  wooden  thing  with  beautiful  detail  work  across  the  forehead ,   no  one  would  be  able  to  tell  who  it  was  beneath  it .

                    it  was  nearing  time  for  his  performance ,   so  he  made  his  way  to  the  practice  room .   these  were  admittedly  some  of  his  favorite  performances ,   playing  popular  anime  openings  on  piano  for  a  crowd  of  excited  nerds .   he  truly  felt  at  home  here .   as  he  walked  through  the  door ,   he  heard  the  keys  of  the  piano  being  pressed ,   an  eyebrow  raising  under  the  guise .   he  stopped  in  the  doorway  to  listen  to  the  badly  played  piano ,   but  smiled  nonetheless .   how  endearing .

      HELMET WAS removed upon their landing, thankful to be on a planet with breathable air. The last planet they visit was.. less accommodating. She stood along her fellow paladins, listening to the others explain their situation and conversation with the locals. Once trust was determined, they finally felt comfortable enough to break away for a moment.

      PIDGE, HOWEVER, wanted to stay behind for a bit to study the place a bit more. Always the knowledge seeker that she was, she couldn’t help but scan and see what interesting plants, objects, or technology that was held on this planet. She felt a gaze, slowly moving to look up from her screen.

      “  Hi,  ”  she greeted, not sure how to fix the awkward, intense gaze he gave her.   “  Um.. I’m Pidge.  ”  Her last sentence sounded more of a question, but whatever it took to break the heated gaze. 

                        the  moment  their  eyes  met ,   link’s  own  narrowed ,   not  looking  away  from  the  other .   pidge  was  her  name ,   an  odd  one  but  he  had  certainly  heard  stranger .   he  moved  closer ,   eyeing  the  device  now  instead  of  the  paladin ,   and  then  came  to  stand  to  her  side .   the  silence  was  awkward ,   but  he  didn’t  care .   the  quiet  comforted  him ,   and  he  would  sooner  rather  never  speak  again  than  sit  through  this  loud ,   vast  world  he’d  helped  save .

                           after  a  long  beat ,   he  replied ,   his  voice  soft  and  quiet  from  unuse ,   “   i’m  link .   ”   brows  furrowed  slightly  from  the  noise ,   sheathing  the  MASTER  SWORD  into  it’s  holster  and   squatting  down  beside  her  to  look  at  the  screen .   symbols  he  didn’t  know  flashed  against  it ,   everything  looking  far  more  complicated  than  anything  the  sheikah  could  have  made .

         “Perfect! That way you can make sure you have it saved!” {/He was so polite! Asahina could say she was easily enjoying Makoto’s company. But how funny…this was the second boy she knew that was named Makoto. Okay, not the second, but the second one with brown hair, green eyes, and an overly friendly disposition. This guy just happened to be a swimmer like her!} “Nice to meet you, Tachibana-kun! But…hm. Now that I think about it…you did the backstroke, right? And training is going great! I get to train for that, and use it as my showcasing at Hope’s Peak Academy! So it’s two birds with one stone!” {/How kind of him to ask about her training! He really was a fan! And not one of those creepy ones either. As he bent down, she stood on her toes so he wouldn’t have to go but so far. One arm loops around his broad shoulders, and she brings him in closely. Phone shots were always hard, they always had to be so close. But there’s nothing wrong with giving someone a bit of a hug.} “–Smile, Tachibana-kun! Gimme a big one!”

                        nodding ,   he  smiled  still ,   holding  the  phone  out  and  up  to  snap  the picture .   however ,   asahina  threw  him  off  balance  with  both  physically  YANKING  him  down  and  mentioning  that  she’d  known  about  him .   that  set  his  mind  reeling ,   shock  registering  on  his  features  as  he  looked  at  her  before  she  told  him  to  smile  and  he  shook  his  head  and  focused  back  on  the  screen  before  them .   “   r - right !   ”   he  gave  a  smile ,   pressed  the  button ,   and  then  stood  straight  again .   

MONOCHROME   COPY   CAST   sideways   glance   at   his   original   self,      the   being   he   used   to   exist   as.      now,      he   was   a   creature   all   his   own,      though   it   very   rarely   felt   like   it.      crafted   from   years   and   years   of   festering   fears   and   doubts,      dark   link   still   saw   himself   as   an   extension   of   the   other,      and   understandably   too.      yet……      as   years   passed   by,      he   was   able   to   account   some   stark   differences   between   the   two.

❛      what   you   fear   most.      ❜         HE   ANSWERED   SIMPLY   in   similar   voice,      yet   lower   in   pitch.      master   sword   of   his   own   was   not   yet   unsheathed,      but   fingers   twitched   at   his   side.      unsettled.      anxious.

                        its’  voice  was  eerily  similar  to  his  own ,   if  not  deeper .   an  uncomfortable  shudder  ran  down  his  spine ,   as  if  the  shadow’s  voice  were  nails  upon  a  chalkboard . . .   WHAT  HE  FEARS  MOST . . .   what  did  he  have  to  fear  any  longer ?   that’s  what  he  liked  to  think  and  believe .   however ,   deep  down  he  knew  that  there  were  many  things  for  him  to  be  anxious  over .   the  peace  of  hyrule  was  secured ,   however ,   so  many  things  could  go  wrong .   what  if  he  failed  to  restore  the  kingdom  alongside  the  princess ?   what  if  he  let  her  unknowingly  fall  into  peril ?

                                         what  if  all  his  work  was  for  NAUGHT  and  he  failed  in  the  end ?

                         princess  zelda  had  called  for  an  emergency  of  sorts  when  the  gigantic  robotic  lions  had  descended  from  the  sky .   link  was  at  the  ready  to  defend  as  best  as  he  could ,   ready  to  give  his  life  again  when  he  faced  them .   he  was  sure  that  was  going  to  be  the  case  given  the  size  of  the  MONSTERS ,   but  was  pleasantly  surprised  when  those  that  emerged  from  them  were  hylian  in  appearance  save  the  ears  and  dress . 

                        it  was  odd ,   how  they  explained  what  was  happening ,   who  they  were ,   why  they’d  landed  in  hylia .   but . . .   they  seemed  honest ,   and  the  princess  had  decided  to  trust  them ,   so  link  was  put  at  ease .   at  least  for  the  time  being .   he  would  still  follow  and  watch  them  carefully ,   but  as  long  as  they  left  soon  like  they’d  said ,   he’d  be  fine .

                         eyes  grew  wide  as  he  stood  before  his  mirror  image ,   dark  and  menacing .   this  was . . .   this  wasn’t  him ,  was  it ?   it  couldn’t  be ,  however ,   he  was  a  spitting  image .   reaching  back  slowly ,   the  hero  gripped  his  MASTER  SWORD  in  hand  and  unsheathed  it ,   eyes  narrowing  now  as  he  analyzed  the  shadow  before  him .   its’  eyes  glowed  red ,   dangerous  and  menacing .   it  shook  him  to  the  core .