Ray of Sunshine
by Paulina Ann
Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU. Written for Hunk's Corner drabble challenge of "sunshine."
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"You know, you're just a ray of sunshine, Keith! Really, you are!" Lance proclaimed to the team in Castle Control. "Don't you ever think on the positive side of things? Geez, man!" Lance stormed from the room.
Allura walked over to put a hand on Keith's shoulder. She watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as if he were getting a headache. "Let him cool down a bit and then I'll go talk to him."
"No, I should do it," he said.
"I'm not sure that would be best right now, Keith. He's awfully upset and I can't say I blame him," Hunk said. "I had a date planned for tonight. You shouldn't just spring these surprise practices on us. Doom wakes us up often enough during the night without you doing it too." Then he added belatedly, "Sir."
Keith looked over to Pidge for another dissenting view but the young pilot just shrugged his shoulders. "Practice is cancelled for tonight but tomorrow we will discuss night practices."
"Yes, sir," the pilots said as they left the room.
Allura watched as Keith just stood there. She heard Coran move quietly away. "Lance would have come to the practice."
"Yeah, I know. It's just sometimes his attitude borders on insubordination. If we had been stationed on a regular military vessel, that outburst would have earned him at least a night in the brig." Allura laughed softly and Keith turned to her, "It's not funny, Princess."
"I wasn't laughing at the insubordination part. I was laughing at the thought of this being anything close to a regular military assignment. I mean… really, Keith."
Finally he smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I know how different this assignment is and sometimes I forget how tough far space duty can be."
She looked at him thoughtfully, "You think that Lance wants to go home?"
Keith shook his head no and looked back at the door. "No, he's starting to build a life here; this is becoming home. It's the same with all of them: dating, bonding with others here… building a home."
"What about you?" Allura asked calmly. "Are you building a life here?"
Keith turned to look steadily into her eyes. "Lance called me a ray of sunshine but what he really meant was I wasn't." He reached up to tuck a piece of golden hair behind her ear. "But the ray of sunshine I've found here makes it home for me as well." He gave her a quick nod and then left the room.
Coran cleared his throat and Allura blushed as she turned to him. "Yes, Coran?"
"Why don't you follow him? I think the commander could use a little more sun," he said with a smile.
A smile lit her face. "I think I will, Coran," she said as she gathered her skirts and left the room.