Chapter Text
Daibazaal, the planet of purple and black that seemed designed to keep Keith constantly off guard and directionally misplaced. Living in what was once Zarkon's residence still refused to sit well with him, even a year and a half after the fall of Honerva and the return of the planet he now called home with his mixed-up family. Woken from his first real night's sleep in a phoeb by Acxa's persistent knocking, he held his temper as he dressed. They were all exhausted. His team at any rate. Running relief missions was fulfilling in its own ways, but since had started to spread through the known universe he'd felt himself pining for the glory days of Voltron. The thrill of the fight. The feel of his lion beneath his hands. The constant bickering of his adopted castle family. It was all gone now. They'd all started to go to their separate ways yet despite swearing to be friends forever. It wasn't like they didn't regularly catch up, weekly phone calls were very much a thing, and when the Atlas was close enough, he'd take the time to swing by to catch up with Shiro and Curtis personally, as well as Hunk and Shay, sometimes Pidge if she happened to be on board too. Dressed casually, Keith whistled at Kosmo to follow, his hands jammed into the front pocket of his black jeans as he wandered through the busy halls, a step behind Acxa the whole way. Working with Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor was rewarding, yet it failed to thrill him the way Voltron did, then there was the whole crush thing Acxa had been nursing for him, which he'd been blind too until she'd asked him out and he'd known at the moment she was absolutely not the one for him.
No. He'd fucked things right up with the one person he'd liked back on Earth and learned his lesson from his mistake. He didn't need to love anyone outside the weird collection of friends he'd made over the past few years in space. Sighing to himself, Acxa turned to smile at him
"You would think they'd let us rest"
"Yeah. But you know mum and Kolivan. If you're breathing, you can take a mission"
His mother dating Kolivan was another reason not to come back home as often as he did. It wasn't that he had anything against Kolivan at all, he didn't know how to act when they were holding hands or leaning into each other. Kolivan was still the same hard taskmaster he'd always been, and his boss... who was now dating his mother, which lead to mental images he definitely didn't need.
Following Acxa into the control room, Kolivan and Krolia were waiting for him. Kolivan frowning deeply as he approached with Kosmo, earning him a nudge in the ribs from Krolia
"Keith! I'm sorry to wake you, but we need you for a mission immediately"
He'd already deduced as much. Following the pair over to one of the tables, his mother started pulling up files on its holotop
"We have a missing operative. He was on his way to an arms deal when we lost contact with him. He's now over a movement late reporting in, and no sign of him has been seen at any of the rebel camps in the Ghazex quadrant"
Reaching down, Keith manipulated the files with his fingertips. It seemed all above board, the sellers of the goods honestly not caring where their clientele came from provided they paid upfront and collected the goods from the designated coordinates
"You want me to head out there and check for signs of life?"
"We've been in contact with rebel forces and they found nothing. The weapons themselves aren't so important as the intel that could be gained through interrogations. There've been a number of odd occurrences in the sector space, that's why the meet was arranged there. Guile felt sure there was a link there between these occurrences and the gun runners"
Guile barely looked older than Shiro, despite being four times his age. Nodding, Keith transferred the files to his wrist communicator
"I'll leave immediately"
Looking up from the table, his mother and Kolivan shared a long look at each other as they silently communicated, Kolivan giving a small nod of his head, granting his mother permission to continue
"Keith. We're sending you alone on this one. You'll need to stay below the radar. If it proves to be nothing, then take your time coming back. You're supposed to be on standby as it"
"I'm fine. You worry too much"
"I'm your mother, it's my job"
He was already 23, practically 24, he didn't need his mother's constant worry. He ran his own team, had fought in countless scuffles before their lions had left, and afterwards. He really didn't need his handheld. Quiznak, he'd even been nominated to rule the whole damn planet... Crossing his arms, he frowned at his parental figures
"I'll be fine"
"Why don't you give Shiro a call once you've checked things out? It's been a while since you saw any of the others"
"Mum. If there's something you're trying to say, say it already"
"I'm not trying to say anything. It's simply been a while since you spent some quality time with them"
"I talk to them every weekend by video call. They're all fine"
"But when is the last time you saw them?"
"A few weeks ago? Before the last mission?"
"You've only seen them once since Allura's memorial. Curtis is driving Shiro crazy"
Keith raised an eyebrow. That couldn't be right. He distinctly remembered dinner with Hunk and Shay, with Curtis and Shiro casting enough sideways glances at each other to make Hunk blush in second-hand shame. After the death of Adam, Keith knew his adoptive brother was capable of moving on, despite how deep the wound ran. It'd only been a matter of weeks between Adam's death and their return. As Adam's brother, Curtis understood Shiro's pain in a way Keith couldn't. Curtis had been there for Adam, he'd been there as Adam had fallen apart over their broken engagement, Shiro's disappearance, the reappearance of Sam Holt... and somehow along the way they'd bonded deeply yet both were hesitant to take the next step so as to not tarnish Adam's memory. Keith personally thought Adam was a dick for breaking off the engagement when all Shiro wanted was one last trip to space. They'd both hidden from him how much Shiro had suffered with his condition, Keith not noticing the subtle small ways Adam would check how Shiro was fairing with just a touch or a look. Now Curtis was the one to cast Shiro those subtle looks, his people skills having sharpened drastically since he'd first left Earth. That's what happened when you had a loudmouth like Lance for a best friend and right-hand man. Out of all of them, Lance was the one who'd constantly surprised him, such as his choice to say goodbye to space to be a farmer
"How do you know about Curtis and Shiro?"
"Because unlike you, I've spoken with him. Take some time off after this mission and go see him. It'll be good for both of them, and for you"
"I was going to take some time off now that we've returned"
"Excellent. Look into the disappearance then take your break"
Right. The mission. His thoughts definitely shouldn't be shifting towards Hunk's fine dining skills which left everything he'd eaten since lacking. There was a whole planet out there, yet food goo still seemed to make up the basis of most long term supplies for the Blades
"Keith?"
Huffing at his mother, Krolia continued to stare at him
"I'm going already. I'll call you when I find a lead"
Acxa fell in behind him as Keith left to pack
"I could come with you if you need an extra set of hands"
"You heard Krolia. I need to stay below the radar"
"You have a habit of getting into trouble when left alone"
You fly the ship in the wrong direction once and they never let you forget it
"I'll be fine Acxa. Take your time to relax. We've been working nonstop this last phoeb. Maybe you could take some time to check in with Veronica?"
"She's busy"
Keith could hear the pout in her voice. Acxa had formed a firm friendship with Veronica during their time on Earth. Despite having confessed her feelings for him, Keith was sure that Acxa was harbouring a crush on his so-called rival's elder sister. With Zethrid and Ezor in a long term relationship, he wasn't sure what was stopping Acxa from seeking out the same happiness
"Then call her again"
"I have. Twice. I don't think she's accepting my calls"
"Have you tried since we returned?"
"No"
"There we go then. Kosmo, take us to my room"
Grabbing a fistful of his wolf's fur, the jump across the palace was instant, saving him from dishing out more bad relationship advice. He'd had plenty of stupid crushes that had never amounted to anything more than a momentary fixation that served to confuse him even more. The highlight of his nonexistent dating life had been receiving the sex talk from Shiro who'd been just as red as Keith was by the end of it. Unfortunately, he'd had to suffer through the same talk with his mother... with Kolivan present. A two phoeb relief mission hadn't eased his embarrassment over the whole thing, as he'd found himself unable to meet Kolivan's eyes for longer than he'd cared to admit. Grabbing out his go bag, he packed light. Most of his things were already aboard his private ship on the off chance he'd be randomly evicted like he was currently being. His ship was nothing like Black. There was no magical mental bond to keep him distracted or reassure him when things went wrong, but it had been a gift from his mother so held some sentimental value
"Ok, boy. Let's go before I give in to the urge to crawl back into bed. Can you believe they're sending me out again so soon?"
Yipping and teleporting across his room, Kosmo had far too much energy. Or maybe he was getting too old for all of this shit. His bed was a crumbled, yet inviting mess, that almost begged for him to crawl back beneath the covers for at least another 6 to 12 vargas of sleep. Catching hold of Kosmo as he teleported again, his wolf teleported him straight into the cockpit of his ship
"Good boy. Let's get this show on the road"
*
With 9 vargas between him and his destination, Keith took his mother's advice. Pulling up his com's list, he thumbed through his contacts where he accidentally hit Lance's name. Each time he'd talked to his friend had been hard. Keith unable to forgive Allura for hurting Lance as she did, despite understanding her sacrifice had been necessary. Her death had shaken Lance to his very core and had left him shaken for months after the fact. Being Lance he'd cried, cracked jokes, then announced he was staying on Earth. His best friend's parents relieved to see their son not leaving again, and the term Voltron was spoken in hushed tones right up until the day they'd left him behind. Lance hadn't even come to see them off.
"Yo! Leandro, turn that thing off"
Catching sight of bright neon lights, what looked like some kind of club, then an awkward downward angle of two sets of legs, Keith rushed to apologise for the misdial, only Lance cut him off first
"Hey. Sorry man. Now isn't good. Talk later"
With that, the call was dropped. Keith frowning down at his communicator as his brain kicked into gear. That was definitely Lance's voice... but who the fuck was "Leandro"? And that city... it didn't look like it was on Earth, though it had been some time since his last visit. Earth was recovering and rebuilding, it didn't make sense to concentrate all their resources on the planet when other smaller planets were in greater need. Besides, Pidge was there, her family having taken over training and building the next generation of space fighter jets. If they needed the help, they could always recall the Atlas. Shaking off the weird call, he was extra careful not to click Lance's name as he scrolled back through his contacts, first thinking of calling Shiro, then remembering he'd probably wish to talk about Curtis and that he'd be no real help there, scrolling back up, he tapped Hunk's name as he pulled the call up onto the ship's screen. It was only a few short tick's before the former Yellow Paladin's face filled his screen
"Keith! Hey man, is it that time already?"
That time being their preorganised once a movement call
"No. I was going to call Shiro, but Krolia filled me in on the Curtis situation"
Sighing deeply, Hunk nodded
"It's driving all of us mad. Anyway. What's up?"
Hunk was clearly in the kitchen, Keith could hear the soft sounds of a blade against a chopping board. His communicator must have been placed on a shelf or something so he could take the call
"If you're busy, I can call back?"
"No! No, man. It feels like its been ages"
"You know what it's like, one mission after the next. Acxa's been trying to contact Veronica, but she hasn't been taking her calls"
"Things have been crazy here. That and she's been dodging calls from home"
"That sounds like something Lance would do"
Hunk nodded
"That's exactly what he's been doing. His mother wants her to go check in with him in person, but Veronica insists Lance is doing what he needs to do"
What now?"
"I thought he was on Earth?"
"No? Didn't he tell you? He took a job on Erathus not long after Allura's memorial. Being his best friend, I thought he would have told you"
No. Lance hadn't said anything... that was what... at least 5 phoebs in space and he'd said nothing. Forcing a smile the best he could, Keith nodded back at Hunk
"It slipped my mind. Have you heard from him?"
"No. He took a job working security, and apparently, he's been having a blast. He can't call all the time, but I know he keeps in contact with Veronica"
"You're not worried?"
Looking into the camera, Hunk gestured with his knife
"We both know how messed up he was after Allura. I feared he'd given up his dream of space completely. If he's enjoying his new line of work, then good for him"
Messed up... was one way to put it
"Yeah. Anyway, I'm going to sign off, you know a Blade's work is never done. Krolia's insisting I take a vacation after this mission, so we might be catching up sooner than you think"
"Please come talk some sense into Shiro over this Curtis thing"
Snorting, Keith shook his head
"I am the last person who should be giving relationship advice to anyone"
"Don't sell yourself short, man. You're the number one bachelor in the universe"
"Now you sound like Lance"
"What can I say, he rubs off on you. Take care of yourself, and I'll let Shiro know you called"
"Thanks, Hunk. You too"
Signing off, Keith slumped back in his pilot's chair. Lance was in space and he seemed to be the only one who had no idea. Did Pidge know? Probably. Leaving Earth required notifying the Garrison. If Pidge and Hunk knew, then Shiro would have to. Did Acxa know? If she didn't before, she would now. And why was Lance on Erathus? Erathus was the playground for the rich. Kind of like the Hollywood of old reborn with the boom in interest when it came to all things Earth related. Earth wasn't exactly the closest of planets, so a barren planet had been cultivated then gifted the name Erathus in reference to their Earth. None of this should be bothering him as much as it was. Lance had made it clear where they stood. Attempting to make his best friend feel better after the loss of his girlfriend, they'd gotten wasted on Nunvil and fallen into bed together. It was sloppy, they hadn't even had sex, just some awkward alcohol-driven mutual masturbation as they made out then passed out drunk without cleaning up. The following morning Lance was gone. Keith knew that for Lance it was an ugly mistake that never should have happened, his own heartfelt as if it'd broken when Lance acted like nothing had happened, then admitted that the whole night was a blank when Shiro had teased them over drinking. So rejected by his crush, Keith had pushed his pain down to be there for Lance, only for Lance to decide he wasn't coming back to space. Coran had coaxed him as far as Altea by requesting his help in erecting Allura's monument and speaking of her to the people of Altea, but if it wasn't Allura related it seemed to mean nothing to the Cuban now. Whining softly at him, Kosmo nosed at him with his wet nose
"I know. I'm being pathetic. He already rejected me, yet here I am thinking of him all over again. Come on, let's get some sleep?"