chapter 3
okay, this fic can basically go anywhere in theme, so please don't be upset about that ^^' I try my best to stick with the theme!
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Keith muffled his laughter as he watched his mom try to milk the cow. Hunk tried his best to instruct her, but she really had no idea how hard to pull, or how to grab the udder. She tried to ask Katlenecker how it felt, and asked Hunk why she was naked and held captive by the Paladins.
Pidge and Allura was screaming with laughter as Krolia pulled once, and Katlenecker slapped her tail in her face.
Shiro stood in the background, trying not to snort from laughter.
"Oh my god Lance, I can't believe-" Keith turned to look at the blue paladin, but didn't see him.
He froze for a second.
Oh yeah, he was probably still in the bathroom.
Keith shrugged, and returned to look at his mother try to calm the animal.
While Krolia did her best, Keith walked over to Allura. She was wiping off tears as he came closer.
Her hair was put up in a loose ponytail, and she wore a pretty dress-like piece. It seemed to be a ceremonial outfit. Well, they were celebrating after all.
"Hey Allura, I have a question. Would you mind?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. She nodded.
They walked over to the buffet, and grabbed some food. Allura took a few different pastries, while Keith tried the only thing that looked remotely like something from earth. It didn't taste the same.
He smiled at her, but now his worry appeared on his face.
He was a bit worried.
"Allura, I.. Have you noticed anything about.. Lance..?" he tried. His thoughts trailed back to the day before, where Lance plainly refused to tell him what was wrong.
He was sure that Lance hated him right now.
"About Lance?" Allura asked with a louder voice than him. The others didn't hear her.
She looked down on her plate. There was some kind of bothered sadness on her face. Her eyes looked worried.
"He has been.. hard to reach, lately. I think it began after Shiro yelled at him, but it must stick deeper than that. I have tried to make him open up to me, but he puts up an act. I cannot reach him.
And it really is a shame too, since he has progressed so much with the bayard and everything.."
Allura kept talking. This seemed to have been on her mind for some time. Yelling? Bayard? Keith couldn't believe nobody had told him any of this!
"Wait up - Shiro yelled at Lance?!" he didn't want to believe it. His brows wrinkled together in anger.
"It was a moment of weakness from Shiro, he didn't mean it-" Allura tried to calm the Galra teen.
Her worried eyes helped him to not cause a commotion. He let out a sigh.
He had to talk to Shiro about this later.
"You said he has progressed with the bayard. I saw him yesterday while he trained - he's actually pretty skilled with that sword. Why has nobody told me this? Even I nor Shiro can transform our bayards!" Keith gritted his teeth. He didn't know what to think.
Allura nodded in silence. They were silent for a second.
"When you look at the level of the bayards, Lance is the unrivaled winner of that competition. He has already unlocked three versions of the bayard, where two are guns and one is a sword. And a longsword, of all things!"
Something dripped from Alluras face.
Her head fell low, covering her head with the ponytail.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be emotional about this, I just.. The sword.." her voice was weak, but she continued by telling him about the Altean broadsword that once belonged to her father.
It was special to her.
Why didn't Lance tell him any of this?
Why didn't he brag about this? The usual Lance would have showed off once Keiths plane landed on the ship!
That reminded him of yesterday.
They never mentioned the broadsword, even though it was completely new to Keith. He had not even questioned it!
He had to tell Lance.
He quickly glanced at the clock to know the time. Lance had now been gone for a good 15 minutes. Should he wait longer? He was unsure about it.
He felt guilty for not showing interest in Lances sword, or pursuing the paladin further to get the information.
He really didn't understand the new Lance.
Why didn't he brag, take up space or make jokes?
What happened?
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Keith wanted to know, so bad.
His eyebrows wrinkled together. He tightened his lips. His stare was locked on the one thing on his plate that looked like a hotdog.
"Allura, are you.. SURE that this happened before Shiro.. yelled at him?" He didn't want to think of it as an option. Shiro was like a big brother to him, he didn't want to think that Shiro would do such a thing! Not even to Lance!
"Keith, I truly am sorry but I don't know.. But I am starting to believe Lance has forgotten his own progress with the bayard and his use for Voltron. I don't know how to make him recognize his own power.."
Keith bit his lower lip.
"I should have told him that his fighting was good.
I should have commented on the broadsword.
I should have told him I was happy to see him again.." Keith felt his sight became blurry. Now he couldn't see the hotdog.
Allura seemed to call his name, but he couldn't hear it. What did she say? His head was heavy, his vision was blurry and useless now. He felt warm tears hit the hand holding his plate.
He felt a small, warm hand touch his shoulder.
He still could not hear what the voice said, but he understood that he should not stay at the party.
His feet moved towards the door leading out. He had so many voices and sounds in his head now, he couldn't bear it. The voices repeated words. Names. Name.
He blamed himself for Lance.
Where was he again?
The voices outside his head were still not audible, but the other paladins had not yet recognised the situation between him and Allura. Thank god for that.
The warm hand let go of him, but gave a small push towards the door.
Keith could only see the floor, his blurry feet and the doors that swooshed open.
Then another pair of blurry feet.