Work Text
"Black Lion Pilot"Daniel was still bummed about not being allowed to keep Black Lion, even after all he did to earn the right to sit in the pilot seat. He desperately wanted to prove to the Force, specifically Keith, that he deserved to pilot the lion again. He had heard about Keith bonding with Black as one leader to another, and he hoped that he would be able to connect to Black in a similar fashion.He entered Black's hangar and stood before the lion he coveted. He stared at the lion, desperate to have a connection of some sort. Suddenly, he was hit on the head. "Ow!""Sorry about that, kid."Daniel looked up, rubbing his head, to see Keith looking down from the top of Black's head. Daniel frowned at the implication of their positions (Keith looking down at Daniel)."Watch out, kid. I'm coming down." Keith jumped down off Black and landed in front of Daniel.Daniel noticed that Keith was wearing the usual Black Lion pilot uniform with tiny differences. His boots were the typical solid black but his black pants had a red stripe up the sides, and his black shirt had a red trim on the bottom hem and around the top of the collar. However, the biggest difference was the circlet adorning his head.Realizing what Daniel was staring at, Keith answered his unasked question. "This is Arusian tradition. The noble marrying into the royal family is to wear a circlet, signifying their new status.""You don't sound happy about it."Keith stooped down and picked up the scrub brush that had fallen and hit Daniel on his head. "I'm not, but when Allura mentioned it, I couldn't tell her 'no.'"Daniel decided to change the subject, sensing a topic he didn't want to hear about. "What are you doing?"Keith gripped the scrub brush. "I'm cleaning Black."Sensing an opportunity, Daniel offered, "Want some help?"Keith cocked his head. "You want to do some work?"Daniel shrugged. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have offered.""Watch the attitude, kid. It's not becoming of my potential successor. Stay here." Keith turned around, missing Daniel's wince, and jumped back onto Black's head. Keith gathered the cleaning supplies and jumped back down. "We can clean Black's paws."%%%Keith wasn't sure what Daniel was playing at. He knew the cadet was still wanting to fly Black, but what did he gain from joining him in the cleaning? It wasn't like he was going to be able to convince Keith to give him another shot. The last time he was in the pilot's seat proved that Daniel definitely wasn't ready to lead, let alone fly Black Lion.Normally, Keith worked in silence, but he needed to take this time to teach Daniel about teamwork. Before Keith could say anything, he felt Black purring from the cleaning he was getting. Keith couldn't help but chuckle at Black's reaction. Catching Daniel's confused look, Keith explained, "I have a strong bond with Black, and he's loving the cleaning.""I haven't heard of any of the pilots being able to hear their lions.""We all can. My bond deepened when I had to earn Black's respect. I had to show Black that I trusted him to not harm me and that I was on the same level as he was, one leader to another. From that moment on, he and I had an extremely deep bond."During this experience, the lions tested the entire team. We had to discuss our options, which we did as a team. Everyone's opinions were heard, acknowledged, and respected. We grew into stronger pilots, which made us an even stronger team."Keith stopped as he heard Black tell him something he was to relay to Daniel, who noticed. "What's up?""Black wants me to tell you that you have to know who you are and what you can do to fully connect with your lion.""Does he-" Daniel paused before looking up at Black. "Do you want me as your pilot?"The silence as he waited for Black's answer was deafening and almost unbearable to Daniel. Keith was also silent, which was also unnerving. Daniel was beginning to think that maybe he had gone too far asking the lion, but he had to know if he had another shot.Suddenly, Black Lion leaned down and gently nudged Daniel, but he spoke to Keith. "No."Keith didn't understand Black's decision, but he respected it and wasn't going to ask for his reason. However, Keith felt like Daniel deserved to know Black's answer. "He gave an answer, and you'll probably not like it. He said 'no.'"Daniel froze. He hadn't actually thought that the lion would deny him. "No? But I thought that piloting Black was my destiny.""If the lion says no, then that's his decision, and it has nothing to do with fate or destiny even though Allura thinks otherwise." Keith muttered the latter part under his breath.Daniel couldn't help but smile at Keith's muttering. Even though Allura was all about fate and destiny, Keith was about hard work and teamwork."Is there any possibility of me piloting you?""No. Keith is my pilot." Keith heard this in his head.He shook his head. "He still says no."Fin