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The Defenders of the universe embarked on an important mission to gather intel, dressed to impress. Each Paladin clad in a sharp suit or flowing dress. They made their way through snaking halls, following the vague directions they had been given. The goal was eavesdropping on a crowd careless from alcohol and eager to gossip. They haven't altered their appearance much and Keith doubted anyone would recognize them. Outside of their uniforms and bayards they were ordinary people. Then again, how often did you find humans in space? The party was held underground, though, where shadows obscured any details and bathed creatures in etheral lights.The soft thumping of music was getting louder and louder. Every step he took down dark metal stairs twisted Keith's stomach to a painful degree. His palms were already sweating and eyes darting around at his fellow Paladins for reassurance.He looked to Shiro, finding the usual confident and calm leader. He wasn't much of a party guy either, but definitely more atune to crowds than Keith. It was his celebrity status back on Earth that got him used to that.Allura took every step in stride, radiating professional yet easy confidence. As a princess she probably has plenty of experience with parties, maybe even hosted some of her own back on Altea. She held herself as if this was nothing but an everyday routine.Pidge was fiddling with the hem of her suit, used to the comfortable baggy style she had. She looked out of her element and beyond uncomfortable, but a bitter resignation hunched her shoulders. Keith could definitely use her as a refuge when this event inevitably drained his will to live.Looking to Hunk was as much of a reassurance as always. He didn't hide his fear or reluctance, yet trudged forward in typical Hunk fasion. He shined with a kind of warmth that drew people in. Perhaps he has gone to some parties in the past. Keith could imagine Lance dragging his friends to all kinds of shady get-togethers.He dared a look at the man of the hour, seeing what he expected and more. Lance was truly in his element. Face alight with the usual warmth, more giddy and wild than Hunk's, while oozing confidence in a way that was more carefree and fun than Allura or Shiro. He took the steps twice at a time, wanting to join the crowd more than anything. The boy thrived on social interaction, on people, on attention. Lance would definitely be the star of this show, he was going to make sure of that himself. Keith felt the corner of his mouth lift up at the sight of the Paladin, his heart flipping in his chest.Some time ago Keith would have envied that personality, that ease to attract people and make friends. Then he realized just how much of a double-edged sword that was. The constant need to socialize and appeal to the crowd brought it's own insecurities, as did Keith's need for personal space and quiet alone time.The years spent with his mom on that space whale taught him many things. It was time well spent building his confidence, finding himself. He had reevaluated many aspects of his life, including his relationships with the team. He saw the Paladins in a new light. Some things he was happy to finally discover, like Hunk's many admirable qualities and some he wasn't particularly glad to have found. One of those being just how much he had contributed to Lance's pain and insecurities.Nowadays especially he grew more and more concerned for his right-hand man.The Lance eagerly headed down to join the party is the Lance who has forgotten his troubles. The boy unafraid to charge ahead and do what he loved. That's why, Keith thought, it felt so great to see him in this setting. A strange fond warmth spread throughout his body and settled into his skin, soothing the nervous jitter.For a second Lance looked back at his friends and their eyes met. Though caught off guard, Keith smiled. He got lost in ocean blue eyes that hid a mischievious glint. Lance shot back a wicked grin and for a moment Keith considered joining in on whatever crazy plan the Paladin had thought up. He felt his confidence rise, only to plummet once again as they reached the bottom of the stairs.Keith stumbled at the sight of so many bodies squeezed into one room, ears or tails peeking out intermittenly. It made his stomach queazy to imagine how he was going to get past the crowd. He'd have to worm his way through, flush against strangers. His nose scrunched at the thought. Yet there Lance went, not even deterred at the sight of so many aliens awkwardly attempting to dance with what little room they had.His eyes lingered on the back of the Red Paladin disappearing in the sea of bodies, Hunk in tow.He looked at Pidge and saw the same disgust that was on his own face only seconds ago. They locked eyes and silently agreed to find a nice corner to sulk at.He then turned to Shiro, finding sympathy and understanding. With an exchange of nods from his brother Keith headed deeper into the room.The air was thick and warm, humid and suffocating. The music loud and obnoxious techno, not to mention dim lights painted the cramped room in colors his brain associated with war. He barely took a couple steps, but faceless figures were already bumping into him. His chest constricted at the overwhelming stimuli, too much for his introverted personality.Keith would love to be anywhere else, but he clenched his teeth and pushed through.He felt a small trembling hand grip his arm and knew it was Pidge. He was glad he had someone in the same boat, at least.Why were the two of them even here? Pidge was a technology obsessed recluse and Keith would have rather drowned than instigated conversation with a stranger. Shiro had said something about backup, but he didn't buy it. The ex Paladin was probably using this as an excuse to coax them out of their shells. Of course he was. Forever the nagging older brother. It was even worse than Adam.Keith barreled through a particularly thick group of scaly aliens, careful to make sure no stray tail touched Pidge. He spotted a vacant wall and ither than a suspicious stain it seemed like a decent place to escape to. So Keith headed there, picking up an out of place stool along the way.He leaned against the purple wallpaper and Pidge let go of the iron grip on his arm. She seemed pissy, but Keith could feel the shake in her hands when she grabbed onto him. She roughly threw herself down on the stool he had found and started disassembling some kind of device, tearing bits apart a little more agressively than neccessary.He decided not to push it, knowing exactly how she was feeling. So instead of trying to find some meaningless words for comfort, he leaned against her.She wriggled into the touch, gladly accepting the grounding presence. Something both Paladins desperately needed.They stayed like that, content silence filling their little bubble.Keith watched the crowd, silently judging strangers and listening for any important information. Occasionally he spotted the face or heard the laughter of one of his friends.It was mostly Lance running around and introducing himself. He enjoyed how the boy charmed his way into groups of friends and chatted up anything on two legs. The latter, though, lit an irritating flame in Keith's chest. Something he has become familiar with as of late.His time on that space whale also taught him exactly why he felt the need choke anyone Lance flirted with. One of the realizations he wasn't particularly fond of, but accepted nonetheless.One he was trying to get over, but that proved to be more difficult the closer he got to Lance and the more they opened up to eachother.He searched the crowded room for the ever calming presence of his brother and noticed that a group of people have flocked to Shiro near the bar. He stood tall and conversed freely, but a rubbing of his neck here and a crossing of his arm there alluded to just how guarded he was around those aliens. Years of time together drilled that body language into his head.Keith took pride in being able to read Shiro when so many struggled to see past his walls and calm facades. It was only him and Adam who have known the full Shiro, warts and all.Then he spotted Allura a distance from the bar, who has found a couple of girls swaying off beat. She melded into their group seamlessly and no doubt earned some good intel, judging from the slight smirk on her face. He saw a weird fish-like man drunkenly stumble towards them.Keith's eyebrows shot up as the guy grabbed Allura and muttered something the Black Paladin had no chance of hearing. White hot rage rushed up inside of Keith, ready to push off the wall and punch that asshole. It fizzled away as fast as it came though, because he knew there was no need to intervene. Allura could take care of herself.And that she did.The princess excused herself from the shocked girls and roughly grabbed the alien. A second later the drunkard was flat on his back and groaning in pain. Keith snorted, body shaking with silent laughter.Served him right.His eyes moved on, once again scanning the crowd, looking out for his friends. If he missed an emergency, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.Keith wanted to be there for his team. Make sure they knew that they could rely on him. Especially after he basically abandoned them.The raven-haired boy was well aware the team was affected by him leaving, albeit some more than others.Lance in particular.His mom had pointed that out after seeing a flash of the group hug before he joined the blade. Another perspective on his memories was strange, to say the least, but definitely helpful in hindsight.A mop of muddy brown moved in the corner of his vision and Keith snapped his eyes towards it. It was Lance pulling, or more accurately, dragging Hunk along behind him. The Red Paladin spinned in circles, probably trying to find his friends. Keith lifted his hand in a small wave and managed to catch his attention somehow. As their eyes met Lance lit up like a christmas tree, grinning infectiously. Keith couldn't help his widening smile or the fact that his heart skipped a beat.The damn organ's been doing that a lot lately."Yo, party poopers! How's the brooding going?""Party poopers? What are you, twelve?"The room was loud and they had to shout to hear anything, but the Black Paladin couldn't deny the relief he felt when he spotted Lance. Even though Keith has gotten more confident and self-assured, the isolation with his mom didn't really help with his aversion to social situations. He still despised the pressure of crowded public spaces, but seeing Lance so at home in them calmed his nerves.Now that the brunette was closer Keith saw he was holding two cups and some kind of mushy mess of a food goo."What are you eating?!"Keith knocked the squishy material out of the boy's hands with a grimace."Hey!""Ugh, you would not believe the stuff he's been shovelling into his mouth", Hunk chimed in, making a disgusted face."It tasted good!""Yeah, sorry buddy, no it didn't. Half of it looked like it was rotting. I'm making some proper food when we get back to our lions.""Dammit Lance! Will you just eat shit off the floor next?!", Keith scolded.The Red Paladin smirked."Don't knock it 'till you try it.""Lance", he warned, but couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.Hunk was already talking to Pidge when the Cuban boy offered a glass of strange liquid. Keith narrowed his eyes, hestitating."It's just water, Keith. It doesn't bite."An unsure sound escaped his throat as he took the drink. The liquid inside was transparent. So far so good."Do you really not trust me that much?", Lance said, feigning sadness with a hand to his heart."No, don't get me wrong, I trust that you think this is water."He lifted the cup to his nose. No scent."Seriously? I specifically asked for it."Then he shook around the contents to test consistency. The liquid moved just slow enough to fail Keith's qualifications."What's the verdict?", Lance asked casually, lifting his cup to his lips.Keith proceeded to smack it out of the Paladin's hand, landing next to the goo he'd gotten rid of earlier. A bulbous alien wandered by and almost slipped on it."Wha- Come on!""Don't drink or eat anything unless Allura makes sure it's safe for us."Lance groaned and dragged it out dramatically. Keith just crossed his arm, carelessly throwing his own drink away and waited for Lance to run out of breath. He wasn't rising to the bait anymore.Turned out the boy owned lungs the size of a football field.He could almost feel a vein popping on his forehead."Would you shut up for the love of-", Keith finally snapped."Gasp! What's with the attitude, Mullet? You're supposed to be a level-headed leader!""If I wasn't a 'level-headed leader' I would have strangled you by now.""Kinky.""Oh my God."Keith snorted and Lance's grin widened."Wanna come dance with me?", the Cuban boy asked, gesturing behind him.Keith blinked.For a second he felt like he might wake up on that space whale. His mom by his side, they would discuss the dream where Lance asked him for a dance and laugh about it.Did the boy realize how gay that sounded?Not that Keith was complaining, hell he was doing the exact opposite, but-He looked over Lance's shoulder to see all the writhing bodies and immediately grew unsure."In there?""What, you wanna dance in the bathroom?""Is there even enough room?""We make our own room."Keith looked the Paladin in the eye, seeing the hopeful glint. He felt a blush creeping up his neck."I don't know how to dance."Lance shrugged and offered a hand."Pfft. Like any of those guys do? It's fine. I'll show you."Never in his wildest dreamest, or nightmares, would he go to one of these parties on his own, let alone dance at them. Maybe he should take this opportunity and find out what all the extroverts loved so much. He didn't see the appeal, but with Lance he felt comfortable enough to try.Did he feel comfortable enough dance with the boy, though?Pushed against eachother by the crowd, keeping nervous eye contact. Warm breaths fanning his face, blush deepening."When are we leaving?", Pidge interrupted, words sharp.Keith turned his head to get a better look at the Green Paladin and hide his face from Lance. The momentary calm he'd offered has already faded and she looked as annoyed as ever, curling into a ball on her stool.From the corner of his eyes he saw Lance's extended hand drop.Both relief and disappointment washed over him."Have patience, Pidge. I don't want to be here either, but our mission is important."Pidge scoffed, jamming some parts of her device together. Her frustration was growing by the second.He saw it then. The look in her eyes, the tense muscles. He would have never noticed a couple of years ago. The calm before the storm. If Keith didn't defuse the situation Pidge might snap and say something she was going to regret."I still don't understand why I have to be here. I mean Lance, Shiro, Allura and even Hunk I get, but- ugh. I could be in my room right now doing actual work."Keith opened his mouth, then closed it, not finding the words fast enough.Lance made the mistake of speaking first."Try to loosen up, Pidge! And hey, we're the ones actually talking to people. Pretty sure you can leave if you want."Pidge let out a humorless laugh and finally slammed her gadget shut, all parts back in place.There it was, the storm."Whatever, Lance. 'Loosen up'? Go to hell", Pidge snapped, voice cold.Keith's eyes widened and caught a glimpse of the hurt flashing across Lance's face. The Cuban boy turned away, smile wilting."I was just trying to help.""Next time keep it to yourself.""Pidge", Keith warned, putting as much weight into his tone as possible."What?!"For the first time she looked around her. Hunk was uncomfortable, awkwardly shuffling towards Lance to comfort him. The Cuban boy looked dejected and trying to hide the hurt with a weak smile. Keith lifted himself off the wall to fully face Pidge, scowling and ready to start a 'big brother lecture'. One he has learned from Shiro himself.He didn't have to, though, because the small Paladin spoke up first."Look, Lance- I'm sorry, I just- You know how I am with this stuff."She found a point on the ground and refused to meet anyone's gaze. Her form looked even smaller than usual, head bowed and still curled into the fetal position."Hey, no, I'm sorry. I was being a jerk. No hard feelings?"Jerk? How was anything he'd said-?Pidge frowned for the same reason Keith did. She knew Lance did nothing wrong, but probably didn't want to drag out the apology."No hard feelings."An awkward silence settled around them. The kind Keith hasn't felt since before they first formed Voltron. Before they became real teammates and closer friends. It unnerved him, an empty feeling spreading in his chest.These people were his family. Seeing them so distant-If only he was better with words he could have prevented this. All the Black Paladin could do now is attempt damage control."Hey Lance, let's go see if there's anything actually edible around here."He gently grabbed Lance's arm and pulled him along. The boy barely protested when they dove back into the sea of bodies.Keith headed towards the bar he had noticed earlier and it was halfway when Lance snaked a hand into his. He flinched at the tingling feeling blooming across his palm. The brunette took that as a cue to pull away, but Keith reassured him with a squeeze that the contact wasn't unwelcome. He was just surprised.He's never really held hands with anyone. Living in solitude and bouncing around in foster care for most of your childhood left a person a tad bit touch-starved.He looked back and saw Lance smiling shyly. Keith's heart sped up, bruising his ribs with every pump of blood. His pale face was colored to a dark shade of red. If he squinted he swore he saw a light blush dusting the other boy's cheeks.Just wishful thinking or-?He whipped his head back forward to continue cutting through the crowd, narrowly avoiding an antenna.Keith was overthinking it. The room was dark and he'd rather not jump to conclusions. Or get his hopes up.They arrived shortly at a bar table.Huh.He didn't know there were proper tables. That would explain the stool he'd found. Keith took a seat and the other Paladin followed suit.He searched Lance's face, but couldn't filter through the swirling emotions. He identified the familiar ones, though. The ones he's seen in the mirror.Confusion, fear, sorrow.Keith coughed to draw the boy's attention and their eyes met."Are you ok?"Lance replied with a nod and a small smile.Keith returned it, hopefully letting Lance know that he was willing to listen whenever.He looked at their linked hands and wondered how he'd gotten here. From a desert shack by his lonesome, obsessing over finding some energy in the desert. To a stuffy party comforting his closest friend only second to Shiro.God. They were still at this dumb party. What was he thinking? This was no place for emotional talks. Lance needed a distraction until they returned to somewhere private. Keith wracked his brain for something, anything to bring up. He sifted through the things that made him happy. Knifes, friends, family, wolf-It came tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance stop it."Did you know that after you guys named Kosmo my mom called us the KK-"A roaring laugh interrupted Keith, shutting his mouth. One moment Lance was closed in and hunched over and the next he was laughing, gripping the table to keep himself from falling over. Tears pricked his eyes and a hand held his stomach. Keith watched as Lance laughed full and whole, no reluctance, no fear, even letting out some ugly, but oh so endearing snorts now and again. He felt the corner of his mouth lifting. It was just so damn contagious.He noticed just how beautiful Lance was, laughing his ass off, not pretending to be anything other than himself. A light blush on his bronzed skin, eyes screwed shut from the laughter. The knowledge that Keith caused that sent waves of pride and fondness across his body.The goofy and deeply emotional Lance shined brighter than any star. Even after seeing so much of space he knew no gas ball would ever compare.Christ. When did he get so sappy?He felt his cheecks burning, but he didn't care. Now he was laughing too and wishing the moment could last forever.Except like everything inevitably did, it ended too soon. Allura found and informed them that they had everything they needed and the mission was accomplished. They headed back the way they came.Lance's nervousness returned when they met up with Pidge and the others. The excited flame Keith lit in the boy's eyes extinguished. Suddenly Keith compared himself to a sunflower, dull and wilting in search for his sunshine.Damn these stupid sappy metaphors.