Hey all - I don't own Voltron or Legendary Defender or any the characters.
Notes - The band goes to a Movie Premier and things don't follow the usual routine. I blame England. Lance may blame other things.
For the first time ever, one of TLD songs had been used in a movie. That was kinda cool. They had planned the tour to include a stopover in London for them to attend the opening. The band had done their share of red carpet events and had figured out some strategies to get through them smoothly.
Since Lance and Allura had ended their relationship, he rarely brought a date to big events. When asked why, Lance would joke that he had to 'babysit' Keith often reaching over to muss his hair or poke him as he said so. There was a bit of truth to the statement. Keith had the tendency to come across as distant and awkward when having to talk to nosy, overly-sunshiny, entertainment reporters. He had also been known to growl at paparazzi and members of Galra Press. It was good sense to have another band member nearby to draw the line of fire or defuse potentially combustible situations.
At first, Shiro played this role - walking Keith up the aisle, smoothing his brother's rougher edges with a warm smile. Shiro didn't really get interviewed anymore, being seen as less of a celebrity now that he focussed on management, but he remained even-tempered as he watched over the group and was able to step in if any band members got in over their head with the press. Shiro now had the broader spectrum of responsibilities that came with management, and couldn't focus only on Kieth anymore. This lead to Lance stepping in as Keith's red-carpet-buddy as part of a larger shift in their relationship that happened when Keith became the band's frontman.
Even when Allurance was a thing, the couple would often drag Keith along with them. Sometimes a disgruntled Keith would complain that he wasn't their 'pet' and would hang back with Pidge and Hunk instead. Unfortunately, the drummer and keyboardist were terrible at keeping the lead guitarist out of trouble. Pidge had the unfortunate habit of egging people on, and Hunk was just too nice to step in and pull Keith out of a confrontation. There was an unmentionable incident where Keith was caught on camera, flipping the bird right into a Galra reporter's face. After that, Keith stayed close to Lance on red carpets.
When they were together-it just worked. Lance had the uncanny ability to see when a conversation was going south. He could catch Keith before his face soured, or a sarcastic comment came out his mouth. He would tell a joke or make a face, to shift the mood. Sometimes Lance would have to interrupt and redirect conversation, but it seemed natural on camera given Lance's already hyper persona. Lance loved having a front row seat to Keith's interactions with the fans. However cold or distant Keith appeared to the press, he still came across warmly, if not a bit shy, in front of fans. They loved his hesitant answers and blushes. Lance got a kick out of watching Keith's shy smiles when young people, with hero-worship in their eyes, gave him gifts of flowers and artwork. While Keith didn't always know what to say, he would listen thoughtfully, sign posters and body parts. Then Lance would help him move along to the next person calling his name.
In actuality, Lance felt safer hanging out with Keith in the limelight. He didn't want to bring another date. Lance never really wondered why. He assumed he had come to hate the idea of a romantic relationship playing out publicly. While his a Allura's affair had been well received by most of their fans, they were still watched closely by the press. Every facial expression was analysed. The colour of their clothes, a inopportune yawn, holding hands tightly, not holding hands at all, even a shoulder brush was spun to indicate the impending engagement, or the demise of their relationship. An innocent whisper would be presented as their secret pregnancy or plan to break off from the rest of the band.
Lance was looking forward to the night. It was a night off performing music. The Paris show had gone well and the tour was more than half over. He was going to get a chance to schmooze the press, work the crowds and soften Keith's awkward and rough edges in the short interviews they would be subjected to. They'd get to watch a moving together and later he would get to hang with his friends at a party. This was the kind of thing they dreamed about when they were playing in Pidges's basement all those years ago.
Lance surveyed himself in the mirror, appreciating the way his silk navy suit made him look even longer and leaner. His hair was partially slicked back, two errant bangs falling just so over his eyes, giving the underlying impression that they couldn't be tamed. He centred his patterned tie, and clipped silver cuff links at his wrists. He shot himself finger guns and grabbed his wallet and phone and headed out the door. He was still fiddling with putting them in his pocket as Keith came out of his hotel room. Lance paused to admire his bandmate, who looked amazing. Keith, uncomfortable with 'suffocating and stuffy clothes' wore a casual black suit. The soft linen was tailored to fit his slim build and showed off his shoulders, arms and butt in the best possible way. Under it was a collarless deep red shirt, with the top button undone. The whole outfit was made more comfortable by the black sneakers. Keith must have let Romelle, their stylist, do his hair because it had clearly been blown dry and moused up a bit. He also wore a pair of wire rim glasses that he didn't need, but that Romelle insisted made him look 'sexy smart.'
"Hey." Lance raised his eyebrows and grinned. Keith responded by pulling a face. It was no secret that Lance loved these events and Keith didn't.
As they walked to the elevator, Lance pondered the best way to tell Keith he looked good, and not be 'weird about it.' He decided maybe the pressure to 'be normal' was getting in the way of his regular flirtatious self and decided, for tonight, not to worry about it. He pressed the down button and heard Keith sigh as though he were being led to the gallows. Lance mustered a reassuring smile, meeting Keith's wary eyes with sparkling ones, and said, "Dude, it's going to be fine."
Keith took a breath to answer, but before he could the elevator chimed and the door slid open. Matt was lounging inside the elevator in a grey suit. His hair also styled back and his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. His smile brightened upon seeing them. "Whoo hooo, hot stuff there Keith, you look amazing!" Lance almost rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hold back his smirk at Matt's enthusiasm. It was too much and Lance waited for Keith to make an embarrassed sharp comment to the over-the-top compliment. For second Lance basked in Keith's grimace. But then Keith takes a calming breath and says, like he is practicing a line for a play, "Thank you, Matt. You look good as well." The words were stilted and Keith's face burns as he said it. But as soon as the words were out, the two met each other's eyes with a look of shared meaning. Matt making an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement? Encouragement? Whatever it meant, Keith understands and his face relaxing into one of his small smiles.
Whoa. Now Lance's face is burning because...
WTF was that?
In the moment the other two men have a silent conversation, the doors slide close behind them and Lance feels trapped.
"Yeah, yeah, you both look good." Lance blusters. " I have to say I appreciate the two of you making an effort because it showcases me, and you know, that's who the ladies are coming to see." While Keith's face shifts as he turns his head and sighs out a small groan of annoyance, Lance smiles because its just what he knows how to do. Matt grins and laughs good-naturedly, and Lance is relieved to no longer be sidelined to watching Matt and Keith bonding, or whatever that was.
The elevator doors open on the main floor, where the rest of their group awaits and they are hustled off into two limos. Lance is surprised when Matt joins him, Keith and Hunk in their car, instead of climbing in with his sister. Shiro also looks a little confused, but simply shrugs and climbs into the second car with Pidge, Allura, and Adam.
Even though there is lots of room in the stretch limo, they pile in the furthest back seat, with Keith and Lance in the middle, Matt and Hunk on the sides. The ride to the theatre is filled with friendly chatter with Keith being his usual quiet self. Lance guesses Keith is trying to psyche himself up to deal with the crowds and thus, tries to keep things light. Matt seems to sense this as well and leads the conversation toward the new model MIDI controller he and Pidge got in Paris. "It is really neat, has lots of cool new features. I know you guys prefer the live vibe, but you heard the awesome sounds we were able to make."
"I have always been curious about them," responded Lance "Keith's the musical purest over there." He teases.
Lance is gratified to see Keith's lips curve up, just at the corners. "You make me sound like a Luddite." Keith responds dryly, watching out Matt's window.
Lance smiles, "You kinda are. About this stuff at least," nudging Keith's shoulder. Keith's only response is a huffing sound.
Lance may be grasping at straws, but takes that as something close to normal...
Until Matt says, "Yeah, we'll have to work on that." patting Keith on the knee.
Lance can't explain the sharp emotion that pulls in his stomach at that seemingly harmless phrase and gesture. Not for the first time tonight, he feels like an outsider and it bothers him. He tries to shake it off, but it feels sticky, like tar. Hunk shoots Lance a look that contains empathy and a warning. Lance is unable to fully decipher the look, but has enough self-awareness to know that he always hates feeling left out of... pretty much anything. He thinks the warning is not to react the way he usually does when that happens. There is an internal resistance, Lance has spent a number of years getting a handle on his reactions to being left out. Despite small lapses, he is proud to say he had grown up a lot from the days when he would spiral into endless blathering and blustering to remain in the spotlight.
But this feels different.
A little more intense.
A lot more intense.
Hunk seems to pick up on Lance's internal struggle and he shifts the conversation to Shiro playing the drums The other day, in Paris. The topic is a happy one and it shifts the mood easily. As they approach the theatre Lance has shaken the discomfort, anticipation giving him a boost of adrenaline as they pull up to the red carpet. This is where he shines. He grins and gives the other three a sparkling smile. "Razzle Dazzle time." he winks and slides out of the limo.
Bouncing from his toes to his heals he takes in the crowds while the other men get out of the back seat. He turns back to place his hand on Keith's back, as is his custom when they arrive at these events. Keith always seems to freeze right as he gets out of the car into the noise and camera flashes, and Lance had found that the small amount of physical contact seems to ground him. In fact, this had become so second nature, that Lance doesn't consciously know that's what he is turning to do until he realizes Keith isn't beside him.
Lance looks over to see Matt standing firmly beside Keith, leaning shoulder to shoulder, his own hand on Keith's back and speaking quietly to him. Lance only has time to register a re-occurrence of that sharp pull in his stomach before an E-News reporter is calling a question out to him and beckoning him toward the barricade along the side of the carpet. He hesitates for a second, looking back at Keith and Matt. Hunk steps toward him, physically offering his companionship, but Lance gives a small shake of his head to his oldest friend. He can't explain why, but he doesn't want to walk up with another person. It's clear that Matt is taking over the role of assisting Keith through the throng, and if that is the case, Lance wants to go alone.
Lance steadies himself internally, turning back to the reporter who is getting impatient and insistent. As he walks over with a 200-watt smile he feels an odd feeling, as though he had left something important back in the car.
Lance's face aches from smiling and he feels a little untethered, like his voice is too loud and his energy level a bit too high as he negotiates the crowds. His suspicions are confirmed when Shiro joins him for the last third of his walk down the carpet, adding a calming balance to the short interviews, helping Lance stay on topic and extracting him from overly long conversations. Lance is carefully avoiding looking over to see how Keith and Matt are faring. He is pretty successful at it except for a moment, when he hears Keith laugh, and not his freaked-out, cornered-by-a-bloodthirsty-tabloid-reporter -on-a-red-carpet-laugh, but his actual, 'I am enjoying myself and that was funny.' kinda laugh.
It's at this point when he murmurs to Shiro through a plastered on smile, "I am done, get me inside." Shiro takes control, as is his nature, and giving the impression he is rushing Lance somewhere important, he waves at the rest of the crowd and guides Lance inside the fancy oak doors to the theatre.
Once in the cool darkness of the lobby, Lance is tempted to run his hand through his hair but doesn't want to ruin the carefully crafted look, so instead rubs the back of his neck, pushing against the collar of his shirt in an effort to loosen the tie underneath."Thanks, man." He says to Shiro. Shiro smiles running his hand through his own hair. Which for Shiro, makes it look ruffled and sexy. "Kinda thought I should step in once Honerva asked you about your favourite kink." Shiro said laughing. Lance pulls a incredulous face, "She did ask that right? It wasn't just me imagining it?" Shiro is still laughing as he puts his hand on Lance's shoulder and pulls him further into the lobby."You look like you could use a drink." Still, bemused and feeling unbalanced Lance follows saying, "I definitely could."
In general, it could have been called a good night. The band wasn't in the movie, so they really didn't have any responsibilities other than to show up and schmooze. The actors and director did a panel discussion after the screening, and only once was the band called upon to talk about the video for the song used in the movie. Despite the Honerva's weird questions on the red carpet, Lance didn't have anything overtly unpleasant happen, but he found himself feeling low and moody. He cut himself off after two drinks knowing his grumpiness didn't mix well with alcohol.
Lance tries to ignore that Keith didn't sit next to him during the show, that they didn't have a whispered commentary… or Lance didn't whisper a commentary to have Keith respond by shushing him and whispering 'shut up'. Lance doesn't ponder the fact that he had zero interest in whispering to Shiro or Hunk, who were his neighbours in the audience. He tells himself he is getting to mature to talk at movies, especially premieres.
Hunk and Pidge, thrilled with the movie, are regaling him with theories on how some of the special effects were achieved. Unfortunately this turns into a argument over how often green screen was used VS a model for one of the character's prosthetic limbs. As the debate becomes heated, Lance begins to plot his escape, because he knows the next step will involve pulling the production team, actors or director into the conversation. Lance abruptly tells them he's going to go. His friends are clearly surprised, and for a moment Lance is surprised too, because he often hangs out at these events until early hours, chatting up everybody from A-list stars to the wait staff. He simply just loves to be with people. What is wrong with him tonight?
Still sitting in shocked silence, Pidge and Hunk give each other a worried glance when Lance says, "I think I am fighting off something." He says, rubbing his head as though checking for a fever, because they clearly know something is up. "I'm going to head back to the hotel. Where is Keith? Maybe I will go back with him."
"Keith's gone on to the next venue, he left with Matt about an hour ago." Pidge says simply, owl eyes blinking behind her glasses.
"What?" Lance asks incredulously, "Why would he do that?"
The question isn't unfounded, the band, knowing they had the movie premiere had booked hotel rooms for the night and were taking a short train ride to the festival venues in the morning. They extended their comfort for as long as possible because they'd be staying on the bus for the next few days.
Since the next stop is a festival, they only need a small crew and sound team. Much of the rest of their team would be staying in London and meeting up when they head to Spain. The skeleton crew that staid had to drive the trucks through the night to get to the site and set things up. Coran had also gone ahead with the bus. The team, once they arrive they had an arduous set up to do. Keith has essentially given up a night in a comfortable bed and sleeping in to… hang out in a truck… with Matt.
Pidge and Hunk look awkwardly at each other, obviously surprised that Lance didn't already know this plan. "I guess he just wanted to hang with Matt a bit." Hunk says, as though this is completely reasonable. 'Which it isn't', Lance thinks as he feels the tightness return to his chest full force and pushes it down with anger. "Well, he's an idiot." Lance says, with feeling. Rubbing a hand down his face, he texts Shiro, asking him to get a car. Lance barely remembers to say a quick, if not curt, good night to Hunk and Pidge before heading for the door.
For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, Lance finds it taxing to smile and nod and properly pay his respects to people as he leaves a big event like this. His smile feels tight and fake and he just wants to crawl into bed and get some freedom from this uncomfortable ache that has returned, full force, to settle in his chest.