An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 12/12
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Krolia (Voltron), Kolivan (Voltron)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gay Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, POV Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Pining, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Sharing a Bed, BAMF Lance (Voltron), Alien Planet, Alien Cultural Differences, Author Goes Ham With Their Linguistics Degree Just A Little Bit, Crushes, Secret Crush, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Slow Dancing, Don't copy to another site
Summary:
An unexpected collision en route to a Coalition conference leaves Keith and Lance stranded on an unknown alien planet, with no communication to the outside universe. As they work together on patching up the Red Lion, theyâre left to ponder an unexplained series of disasters plaguing the locals, all while Keith tries to balance a secret mission entrusted to him by Kolivan and his resurfacing feelings for the Red Paladin.
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Courtesy of yours truly, an actual person with ADHD (whoâs just slightly sick of bad ADHD characterisations)
We donât ramble randomly, we infodump. I see a lot of writers writing ADHD characters as speaking these enormous, unbroken paragraphs on essentially whatever topic happens to be current, which isnât how ADHD works. We might be long-winded at times (though really, not any more than non-ADHDers are,) but when it comes to those signature rambles, itâs about a topic weâve hyperfixated on. Often, these topics seem random to NTs, but for us itâs very specific and topical. Often times, Iâll have only a handful of functioning hyperfixations at a time, and itâs usually something you can put under a specific header (cold war history/biology/etc., a particular band/genre, a specific show, and so forth.) My advice? Get a sense of your characterâs hyperfixations before you write it in; Rick Riordan does a fantastic, albeit slightly heavy-handed, job of doing this with Leo Valdez in Heroes of Olympus. (another VERY IMPORTANT tip: just donât write big unbroken paragraphs of rambling if youâre expecting me to actually read that shit. As an ADHDer itâs like physically painful for me to try and sift through that lmao)
We experience a wide range of emotions, and we experience them very strongly (AKA weâre not just balls of hyperactivity and joy.) Intense emotions are a hallmark of ADHD, which is why a lot of the time we seem super happy and energetic all the time to non-ADHDers. Itâs a L O T more socially acceptable for us to express the intense happiness we feel, not so much the other emotions we feel just as intensely. Particularly for impulsive-type ADHDers, the main emotions we struggle to regulate are excitability, irritability, frustration, and dysphoria, all of which are emotions weâre taught from a very young age to be ashamed of and hide (which happens, in my experience, like this: you exhibit the strong emotion, you act in a way that is seen as unreasonably intense to non-ADHDers, and rather than learn to cope with the intensity of the emotion weâre taught to turn it inwards.) When we experience these intense negative emotions, we internalise it like weâre taught to, and our emotions appear more subdued to the people around us, though we still experience them intensely. Weâll typically close off and downplay our state if pressed, but in my experience we open up to people who we know to be ADHD/ND. That being said, weâre not always able to internalise itâespecially (honestly, almost exclusively) when stressors pile up/when weâve dealt with it for so longâand thatâs when we explode. Because we experience emotion a lot more intensely than non-ADHDers, we almost always cry when this happens. Iâm talkinâ ugly cry people. Iâve got hella information on the subtleties of a good olâ fashioned ADHD-brand meltdown, which would make this post even longer than itâs already doomed to be, so if youâre interested in some tips on that feel free to shoot me an ask!
Our thought process is not random; we have highly-associative brains. Please. For the love of GOD. Stop fucking characterising us along that âOOH SQUIRRELâ line of bullshit. Iâll come directly to your house and curse your shins to bump against every coffee table you encounter. Donât fucking test me.
Our thought process is highly-associative, which essentially means our brain makes more connexions between memories and thoughts when theyâre being solidified, which results in memories triggering thoughts that wouldnât occur to non-ADHDers. These links might seem tenuous when you donât have a highly-associative brain, but theyâre there, and theyâre fairly evident on the part of the person with ADHD. And as a writer nota bene, donât retroactively make these associationsâin other words, donât try to justify the link after itâs made just because a subject change is plot convenient for you. Try your best to make these transitions organic if youâre gonna include them. A good example of this is Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine Nine: he makes pretty sizeable leaps in topic, but the transitions always make sense.
ADHD is highly comorbid with other neurodivergencies. Iâve not met a single person with ADHD who is *only* ADHD; I personally have almost ten other neurodivergencies Iâve been diagnosed with. The most common comorbidities are: anxiety/depression (every ADHDer I know has at least one if not both of them,) autism spectrum disorder, and dyslexia. ADHD is a developmental disorder, which means our brains are fundamentally structurally different from NT brains, and this lends itself to the presence and development of other conditions. Donât be afraid of including those other conditions/symptoms in your characterâs story for realism! That being said, for the most of us, our ADHD is the most prominent condition we have, so we identify with it the most. The way we often see it, ADHD is the *main* condition, and the others feel like tag-alongs (this isnât always the case and it isnât always true, but thatâs how we tend to interpret it.)
Our symptoms get worse when we get tired or stressed, but especially tired. When weâre stressed but reasonably rested/fed, we typically have the mental faculties to perform pseudo-neurotypically (we do decently well with controlling our symptoms,) though they might become slightly more pronounced. Lack of sleep/mental rest amplifies our symptoms and inhibits our ability to control them, most noticeably in our working memory (remembering/following instructions, immediate task completion, concentration, etc.) Just as NT/non-ADHDers become scatter-brained as they get increasingly stressed, so do ADHDers. The two main differences are that 1) itâs more pronounced and has a lower threshold, and 2) we (conveniently for you!) have a set list of symptoms that are going to react predictably to this.
We are very aware of our symptoms, thank you very much. While there will be times where my symptoms slip out and Iâm not paying attention to them, nine times out of ten Iâm very painfully aware of how non-NT Iâm acting. When I simply canât slow down my speech for the life of me, when I feel myself rambling about a hyperfixation, when I get stressed over something little and have an emotional outburst, I know. A lot of authors miss this, but ADHDers are very early made aware of why weâre perceived as different, and often times thatâs done so at the expense of our self-esteem. Our ADHD doesnât exist in a vacuum in our minds, and weâre very often self-conscious about how weâre socially read because of it. If youâre trying to get into the mind of a character with ADHD, thatâs an important dimension to keep in mind. The self-consciousness factor is usually diminished when weâre around ppl who know that weâre ADHD, but when they show up around people we havenât told weâre ADHD, weâre not usually quite so keen to share it. While this probably isnât the same for all people with ADHD, itâs been my experience at the very least.
Anyhow this has been sitting in my drafts for God knows how long, so Iâll just release it into the wild. ADHDers, if you have any other tips, or want to share your experience, please feel free to add on!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron)
Additional Tags: klance, Laith, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Weddings, POV Keith (Voltron), Sex, Anal Sex, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Top Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Making Out, Anal Fingering, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions
Series: Part 3 of Squelette's Klance Smut Oneshots
Summary:
âAlright.â Lance says. And they pull away. He swipes the key card in the door and pulls it open, insisting Keith go in first. They get changed, they brush their teeth, and they go to bed.
Thatâs what shouldâve happened. Instead, what happened was this.
~
Keith and Lanceâs fake relationship has run its course, served its purpose and would serve them no further. Keith suggests, to mark the occasion, that they share just one more kiss.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron)
Additional Tags: klance, Laith, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Roommates, Keith & Lance (Voltron) are Roommates, POV Lance (Voltron), Anal Sex, Anal, Riding, Top Lance (Voltron), Bottom Keith (Voltron), Making Out, Kissing, Nipple Play, Walking In On Someone, Sex, Smut, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, yes I managed to squeeze that hc into a smutfic, the devil works hard but my self-projection works harder
Series: Part 2 of Squelette's Klance Smut Oneshots
Summary:
Another moan rang off the walls, and Lance stilled, his sneaker dropping to the floor, because he couldnât have, thereâs no way he just heardâ
âLance,â Keith begged, âoh god, Lanceâfuck.â
~
All Lance intended to do was return to his apartment for thirty seconds to retrieve a forgotten essay. He gets a little more than he bargained for when he realises his roommateâwho was supposed to be asleepâwas undoubtedly awake.
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I'm a sucker for number 12 if you fancy giving it a go?
bro honestly me too? Itâs kinda funny bc the next chapter of Left as in Gone has this trope too! So part of me was like âdo I even gotta write another thing?â but then of COURSE the answer was âabsolutely u doâ so yes here have a this thing.
Thanks for your patience; I hope you enjoy!
Preview:Â âSo youâre not going to tell him?â
âIâŚâ Lanceâs voice lowered to a murmur. âYouâre sure heâs asleep?â
Pidge hummed assent. âHe could sleep through the apocalypse, honest.â
âSo?â Hunk prompted.
Send me a ship with one of these and Iâll write a mini fic
Full disclosure, Keith had actually woken up about fifteen minutes ago. B-list action movies were the worst genre of film, as far as falling asleep in the middle of them went, and all it had taken was one (of several, heâd gleaned over the last quarter hour) car explosion too many to jolt him begrudgingly out of his slumber.
Still, heâd learned many years ago that if you fell asleep at the end of a movie, people usually didnât expect you to help clean up after. And though the trick no longer worked with movie nights at homeânot since Adam had moved inâit had worked like a charm with his new friends over the past few months. As the end credits rolled before his closed eyelids, the couch beneath him creaked under someone standing up with a yawn.
âLetâs draw a dick on his face,â Pidge muttered.
Never mind, Keith groaned internally, lamenting the loss of his sloth for the sake of his pride. He drew in a breathâ
âDonât.â
And let it go. It was almost a task to keep his slack expression from adopting a furrowed brow, because that was definitelyâ
âJust let him be.â The scrape of a plastic bowl on a wooden coffee table played harmony to Lanceâs continued argument, the creak of the floorboards his percussion. âHe deals with enough torture from us already.â
Hunk scoffed from his place on the recliner, the silence of a nonverbal communication hanging in the air before Lanceâs footfalls echoed back into the room.
Lance clicked his tongue. âThe things I do for himâand heâs never going to know,â he muttered.
âProbably âcause of how you act when heâs awake,â Hunk pointed out, the sharp click of the recliner locking back upright following suit.
âYeah, wellââ another wordless gesture, probably ââokay? Iâm dealing with it the best I can.â
Keith almost rolled his eyes, figuring the vaguery was about as much reasoning as Lance could have for the continued tension between the two of them, despite Lance denouncing their purported (A.K.A. fabricated) rivalry some few weeks ago.
Until Pidgeâs response, that is.
âSo youâre not going to tell him?â
âIâŚâ Lanceâs voice lowered to a murmur. âYouâre sure heâs asleep?â
He felt a scrutinous gaze against his skin, and he did his best to sell the slump in his body (the tension it gave him likely not helping his case, but it mustâve been enough for Pidge.)
She hummed assent. âHe could sleep through the apocalypse, honest.â
âSo?â Hunk prompted.
Lance sighed. ââCourse not.â
Keith bit his tongue. Could these assholes start being more specific? Or at least have the decency to leave the room so he could pretend to wake up without embroiling himself in this secret that he canât even understand anyway?
Hunk gave a low whistle. âNever thought Iâd live to see the day.â
âDoes this mean loverboy Lance has hung up his bow and arrow?â
Keithâs heart kicked in his chest. Wait, loverboy? Did she meanâŚ
âYou said it yourself: itâd only freak him out if he knewâand Iâm not going to do that to the group. âSides, Keith needs us: his only other friends are his dog and brother-in-law, and Adam only counts on good days.â He laughed, but the others didnât seem as eager to join in.
Hunk gave an uneasy sound. âI donât know if Keithââ
âHe would. Trust meâPidge?â
âIâŚâ She sighed. âI wonât say Iâve run the numbers, but itâs not exactly promising.â
âItâs not worth it,â Lance concluded. âEven if heâd stay, whatâs the point? Itâs not like I have a chance anyway.â
âLanceââ
âYouâre going to tell me Iâm a catch?â Lance interrupted, then laughed. âPlease do; I need to hear it.â
Hunk joined in with a chuckle of his own. âIf I didnât have a girlfriend, Iâd date you in a heartbeat.â
Lanceâs hand thumped against his chest. âA man after my own heart. Pidge?â
She scoffed. âIf I had to date anyone, I think youâd be one of the least offensive options out there.â
Empty beer bottles clinked against each other. âOh, itâs an honour just to be nominated!â
âYâneed any help, bud?â Hunk called out after his retreating steps.
âNah, you guys can head home; I got the rest of it.â
Hunk lowered his voice, clearly addressing Pidge. âDraw straws on whoâs got to wake him up?â
âJust let him sleep,â Lance answered, his voice floating over the back of the couch now. âIâll drive him home when he wakes up.â
âOoh,â Pidge cooed, âwant him all to yourself, do you?â
âDonât want us to know how long youâre going to watch him sleep?â
âYouââ Lance groaned. âI thought we were being nice to Lance tonight!â
âWe were,â Pidge argued. âHunk, we were nice, werenât we?â
âSuper nice,â Hunk agreed, âso now we get to be mean.â
âUgh, you guys are the worst.â The couch complained as he pushed off, their voices echoing towards the front door. âWhy do I tell you anything, again?â
ââCause we already know all of your other secrets,â Pidge replied. âYouâre forced to trust us now.â
Lance sucked on his teeth. âYeah, canât have that shit leaked to the press.â The front door was wrenched open. âLove you, assholes.â
Hunk and Pidgeâs goodbyes were a bit too quiet for Keith to discern, but soon after they were spoken, the front door slid shut, and Keith was insulated in the soft bubble of silence of Lanceâs living room. He held his breath for Lance to step out of sightline long enough so he could feign rousing, practically celebrating when Lanceâs footsteps led him back to the living room, hoping theyâd keep on going to the kitchen.
The echo stilled, just as he reached the foot of the couch.
âOf course, you have to look adorable when you sleep, too,â he practically spat under his breath. Then he heaved a sigh, and continued to the kitchen.
The moment the sound transferred from hardwood to tile, Keith pushed himself up to sit. His stiff muscles complained, and he rolled out his shoulders as his eyes cracked open, taking in the gentle lamplight and distant kitchen light with squinted eyes. He yawned, elbows resting on his knees as he rubbed his fingers into his eyelids.
âOh, youâre awake.â
Keith drew in his first full breath, turning to look over his shoulder as Lance walked back in from the kitchen. âMm.â He cleared his throat, his voice still heavy with the sleep he hadnât feigned earlier. He scanned the living room then as Lance passed the couch, picking up a couple empty soda cans from the coffee table. He remembered himself a little, and decided to ask, âWhereâs Hunk and Pidge?â
He swore he saw Lance freeze for a split-second when he asked it, saw a tension in his shoulders dissipate when he looked Keith in the eye again. He gave an apologetic smile. âYeah, Pidge didnât want to wait âtil you got up to drive you home.â
Keith almost felt uneasy under Lanceâs gazeâhis attention undivided in the low light, his expression soft and open, dare Keith even say fond. He had no business looking at him like that, not when Keith had just woken up, and probably had bedhead orâshit, did he? He ducked and smoothed his hair down with his hands, hoping it looked as casual as heâd envisioned it in his mindâs eye.
âWell, shit.â
âI know,â Lance laughed, leaning a hip against the far armrest, âtypical Pidge, am I right? But I can drive you home, if you want.â
Keith chewed on his tongue. Should I tell him?
âLance, listen.â
It would be easy. Keith wasnât a good actor, anywayâand Shiro always said honesty was the best policy, especially with people you cared about.
âI heard what you guys were talking about before, andâŚâ
And what? Keith didnât have a good answer for himâheâd hardly believed Lance tolerated him as a friend, let alone adding the prospect of⌠other feelings.
âKeith?â He blinked, eyes refocusing and lifting back up to match Lanceâs. Lance chuckled. âThought you fell asleep on me again.â
âNo, IâŚâ He was far too tired to think this over properly, right now. And a ride home sounded much nicer than a half-hour walk in the cold. âThanks.â
Lance gave him a smile that made his insides flip. âCool. Iâll justââ He pushed off the couch. ââLet me chuck these in the kitchen, and we can go.â
âSure.â
âDonât fall asleep on me again, âkay?â He called back from the other room.
Keith rolled his eyes, pushing up to stand. âI can manage.â
Lance hummed uncertainly. âYou sure? You were completely out of it during the movieâsnoring and the whole bit.â
Keith froze mid-stretch, dropping his hands with an indignant pout. âI did not snore.â
âDid too.â
âI donât snore!â
Lance rounded back into sight, waving his keys in front of him. âAnd somehow I heard it with my own ears. Funny how that works.â
He winked at Keith in passing, and Keithâs stomach flipped. He gave a quiet groan, hoping that reaction wouldnât become the norm, in the wake of this unfortunate revelationâLance was the one with the crush, after all.
Right?
He twisted his neck until it gave a satisfying pop, then smirked when Lance inevitably vocalised his disgust at it.
Chapter eleven and the epilogue of Left (as in Gone) are now up! Which means Left (as in Gone) is now Left (as in DONE)!!!!!
Thanks so much to all of yâall for being part of this story with me--the final link will be posted shortly, and itâd mean so much to me if yâall could show it some love!