Pocky Game – Keith Kogane
A/N: Male!reader.
Words: 1,967
As an MFE fighter pilot, you'd gotten to know the young paladins of Voltron upon their return to Earth alongside your comrades. James had told you stories of the one named Keith, about his sharp wit and snarky personality, and it made you want to meet him. Anyone that could put James in his place was someone you could get along with.
You became quick friends with the four of them. Pidge's inventions were inspiring. Hunk's cooking was heavenly. Lance was an adorable flirt. And Keith… Keith awoke feelings inside you that you hadn't felt in a long time.
You realized, with a deep sigh and a palm to your forehead, that you were attracted to the red-turned-black paladin.
You'd confided in Nadia, your closest friend, about your new discovery. Her reaction had been overly supportive and entirely mischievous.
"Hey, we should have a party," she stated one day during lunch break. "The older officers and lieutenants are doing their own thing – we should have a party to celebrate everyone's success."
You couldn't deny that it was a good idea, but you knew she had ulterior motives.
"Yeah!" Lance eagerly agreed.
"And where would we have a party?" James inquired, raising a brow.
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
With a sigh, you raised your hand, pointedly ignoring Nadia's grinning face beside you.
"I have an apartment about twenty minutes away," you offered.
"Atta boy!" Nadia praised, and you lightly shoved her shoulder with your own.
"It's settled, then!" Lance grinned. "Party at (y/n)'s!"
"When?" Keith sighed, knowing better than to try and excuse himself.
"Tomorrow night?" Nadia suggested. "It's Friday. We can meet at (y/n)'s place when we're done here."
The rest of the group agreed, and you chewed the inside of your lip. What in the hell had you just agreed to?
The next evening, your stomach was flipping over on itself. Nadia had been the first to arrive, rushing to your apartment as soon as she had changed out of her uniform so that she could help you get ready. You'd insisted that you didn't need her assistance, but she was annoyingly persistent. She helped you set out drinks and snacks before whisking you away to your own bedroom where she rummaged through your closet, assuring you that Keith wouldn't be able to tear his gaze from your form by the time she was done.
Knocks sounded upon your front door, and you hoped that the arrival of your colleagues would weasel you out of whatever "date night" ensemble Nadia had selected.
No such luck.
Nadia threw the chosen outfit at you, demanding that you put it on before returning to your front room, or she'd blab your crush on Keith to the entire team. You really didn't want to cross her, so you picked up each article of clothing and shyly pulled it on.
You really looked quite amazing, but you weren't going to admit that to her.
Dressed and just as nervous as you'd been before they arrived, you headed out to the kitchen in search of a drink. The only alcohol Nadia could get her hands on was a few six packs of wine coolers, but it was better than nothing. And, really, you didn't want this party getting out of hand, especially if the goal was to prompt you to finally admit your feelings to the black paladin.
A whistle from the entryway of the kitchen caught your attention, and you glanced up to find Lance standing there in search of a drink. He offered you a smirk and one of his signature finger guns.
"You look great, (y/n)," he complimented. "Trying to impress a certain mullet?"
A blush dusted your cheeks, and you nearly dropped the bottle you were attempting to open. "I don't- what do you-" You sighed, your voice lowering shyly. "Did Nadia tell you?"
The Cuban laughed harmlessly. "Nah, man. Nobody told me. I can just tell. The way you stare at him during training kinda gives it away."
With a groan, you lifted a hand to slam it into your own face. "Does everyone know?"
"Everyone besides Keith," Lance shrugged, twisting off the top to his own beverage. "He's a badass fighter and an awesome pilot, but the dude couldn't take a hint if it chopped off his bangs."
You sighed again, offering Lance the sincerest expression you could manage. "Nadia suggested this party to try and get us together. I keep telling her that it's pointless – he doesn't see me that way."
The brunet was quiet before chuckling softly. "Dude, you're just as blind as he is."
Your brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Lance placed a hand on your shoulder. "He probably hasn't figured it out himself, but Keith is totally into you. He watches every second that you're in the flight simulator, and I think it turns him on."
Your blush returned with a vengeance, and you nearly choked on the swallow you'd just taken of your drink. Lance grinned cheekily at you.
"You… you're just screwing with me, right?"
"I promise, dude," Lance smiled softly. "Besides, I'm the loverboy of the team. I can get you two together by the end of the night."
Before you could insist that you really didn't want his brand of help, he had already disappeared to discuss schemes with Nadia.
As the evening progressed, the group ended up lounging about on the various pieces of furniture in your living room. Nadia called for them all to form a circle on the floor, and with an expected amount of whining and protesting, they made their way downward, you included. You ended up sandwiched between Keith and Lance, the latter deciding to "accidentally" bump your side and nudge you closer to Keith, nearly landing you in his lap. You countered by shoving Lance to the other side, pressing him into Kinkade, who blushed a delightful shade of magenta at the contact.
"Let's play the Pocky Game!" Nadia grinned, holding up a hand to reveal several boxes of Pocky in various flavors. You stared, slack-jawed at the girl you wondered why you called your best friend.
"What's the Pocky Game?" Hunk inquired, and you were glad you weren't the only one who hadn't heard of it.
The dark grin on Nadia's lips made you want to run for the door. Looking to the side, you found a matching expression on Lance's face, and you knew you were going to regret ever hosting a party.
"It's where two people take each end of the Pocky stick into their mouth," Nadia explained, "and you chew on it until you meet in the middle. The idea is to break apart before your lips meet, and whoever eats more of the Pocky wins."
"But if you end up playing with someone you like, it's a great way to sneak in a kiss," Lance smirked, and you stifled a wince.
"How are we going to determine who plays?" James questioned.
Nadia plucked one of the empty wine coolers from the floor and placed it in the center of the circle. "With some good, old-fashioned Spin the Bottle."
"I think (y/n) should go first," the Cuban beside you stated, and you turned to send him a glare. He simply winked at you. "It's his party, after all."
"Hey, now," you protested. "Both the party and the game were Nadia's idea."
"And I say you're going first," Nadia countered. She tossed a box of Pocky in your direction, and you fumbled before catching it. With shaking hands, you reached for the bottle, twisting your wrist to spin it. Your heart pounded in your chest as you willed the bottle to land on literally anyone besides Keith.
It landed on Lance, and you stifled an exhale of relief. You pulled a Pocky stick from the box and stuck in your mouth, turning to face the brunet. He took the other end, slowly nibbling until you met in the middle. He ducked his head, breaking the Pocky before your mouths got too close.
"Sorry, (y/n)," he began with a wink, "I'm saving my Pocky kiss for someone special."
Pidge snorted something that sounded very much like "Kinkade," and you turned to grin at her.
"My turn!" Lance clapped, reaching forward and excitedly spinning the bottle. It rounded the circle a few times before stopping, the neck pointed directly at Kinkade. The blush on Lance's face was worth the entire game as he stuck a Pocky stick in his mouth and turned to the dark-skinned boy.
Everyone watched with bated breath as they met in the middle. Before Lance could decide whether to press on or pull away, Kinkade's hand came to rest on the back of his neck. Lance shrieked as he was pulled into a kiss, lead completely by the other boy. Cheers sounded throughout the circle, and applause erupted as soon as the two parted.
The rest of the turns were uneventful, ending in either broken Pocky or tentative pecks of lips. When it finally came to Keith, you couldn't help but watch the bottle as it spun.
And aimed itself at you.
You pointedly ignored Nadia's grin from across the circle, turning to face Keith as he prepared a Pocky stick. You knew you'd get chewed out by both Lance and Nadia if you backed out, but you couldn't help the insecurities rising in your chest. What if Keith didn't like you? What if he pulled away first? What if-
The rest of your worries were put to rest as you ran out of Pocky, and your lips were met with the soft, warm ones of one Keith Kogane. Before you could think to kiss back, he pulled away, staring intently down at his lap. Warmth flooded your core as you continued on with the game, ending up paired with Pidge, Hunk, and Nadia by the time everyone ran out of Pocky.
The day grew late, and you informed your friends that they were welcome to crash on the various pieces of furniture in your living room if they didn't wish to return home. Lance thanked you for your offer, but claimed he had other plans as Kinkade took his hand and dragged him out the door. Nadia accepted eagerly until Pidge nudged her side, jerked her head towards Keith, and led Nadia outside. The rest of your friends bid their goodnights and left, leaving you alone with the red-turned-black paladin.
"Are you leaving too?" you questioned softly.
Keith met your hesitant gaze. "Do you want me to?"
"Honestly?" you countered, feeling a surge of confidence.
He nodded.
"I… I kind of want to talk about the game," you stated, slowly padding into the living room and sitting on the couch. "And, perhaps… continue where we left off."
Keith was quiet for a moment, and you worried that you'd said something wrong. He sat beside you, taking your hands in his. Damn, you liked the way his gloves felt on your fingertips.
He leaned in, pressing his lips tenderly to yours. You couldn't stifle the gasp that followed, but before he could pull away, you leaned closer, returning the kiss like you'd wanted to earlier. His lips molded perfectly against yours, parting and reconnecting a dozen times before the two of you required a proper breath. His forehead rested on yours, his grip tightening on your hands.
"I didn't think that you felt the same," you admitted softly, shyly glancing up to meet his eyes.
"I didn't think you did either," he smirked. "Lance swore that you did, but… I didn't believe him."
You exhaled a chuckle. "I didn't believe him either."
He kissed you again, and the rest of the night was spent sharing lips and soft words, cuddles and caresses.