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Keith was getting sick of it.
Krolia and he had been on this space-whale-thing for a couple months now. He knew the quantum abyss was supposed to show flashes into the past and present. He’d gotten used to it by now.
But really, for the love of god, could it stop showing him the past?
He’d already lived through it once. He didn’t need a painful flashback every couple hours reminding him of his father dying, Shiro disappearing, all the times a fellow blade died right in front of him... Sure, the flashbacks he got of Krolia’s mind every so often with him as a baby were fine, but the past is the past.
Why, out of all this time, has he only gotten one look into the future?
He still couldn’t decipher what it was. What were Shiro and he doing? He remembered Shiro yelling at him about not going anywhere. He’d asked Krolia, and she wasn’t sure either.
He’d also asked Krolia if she’d been seeing glimpses into the future. Her facial expressions said yes, but she refused to tell him. Something about “protecting him” and “letting him find out for himself”.
He WANTED to find out for himself. The space whale seemed to disagree with that and insisted on showing him painful flashbacks everyday. The next one was bound to happen soon.
“Yorak, NO, that’s for dinner, come on.” Keith heard the sound of his mother nearing the cove, giant fish and cosmic wolf in tow.
“I told you, his name is Blue.”
Keith had always had a fondness for the color blue. Of course, red was his favorite. But blue had always been special to him. Everything he loved was usually related to the color blue in some way, Shiro one of the very few exceptions. It was the color of most of the toys his dad had bought him as a kid, the color of the lion he was always drawn to, many things. So when the wolf he adopted just happened to have blue stripes and a blue tail, he couldn’t resist.
Krolia chuckled. “You and your father... he’s already used to Yorak.”
“He’s used to Blue too. Guess he has two names. Come here, Blue.” Keith patted his lap and the wolf was gone, only to reappear on top of him a second later, knocking him down. He licked his face.
“Yeah, yeah, I love you too.” Keith pushed the wolf slightly off him, allowing him to sit up, but not too much.
“Did you get the flash yet?” Krolia asked him. It had become common for them to ask this to each other, as they would essentially pass out for however long the duration of it was.
Keith shook his head. “Not yet. Soon. Did you?” she nodded. He gestured to the huge fish creature Krolia was attempting to skewer. “What is that?”
“Hm, not sure. Yorak- er, Blue- really seemed to like it though. I’m sure it’s edible.” she started a fire with her blade.
Suddenly, Keith saw a familiar, bright, white light, and it sure wasn’t the fire.
It was time.
______
Keith felt cold water hit his face. He looked around.
He didn’t know where, but he was on a beach. It was raining, yet he could still see a portion of the sunset.
Keith didn’t remember any of this. So either it was an extremely specific memory, or for once-
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Keith looked to his left and felt a large range of emotions swarm him.
It was Lance.
Keith couldn’t take his eyes off him. He was mesmerizing. “Yeah,” he said in a gentle voice he’d never quite heard himself use before, unsure if he was referring to the sunset or the blue eyed boy in front of him. “It sure is.”
Lance took his gaze off the sunset and directed it towards him. His normally sharp features were soft, his wet hair was draped over his forehead, and water dripped from his face that Keith wasn’t quite sure was rain or tears.
Lance put his hand on Keith’s right cheek, and Keith felt himself leaning into it. Lance closed his eyes, covering the already small distance between him and Keith.
Keith closed his eyes, leaned in, and Lance... started licking his face?
Keith’s eyes jolted open.
Oh. It was just Blue.
“Are you okay? You actually passed out that time.” Krolia said, concern in her voice.
Keith sat up, gathering his surroundings again. “Y-yeah. I... I think I saw the future that time.” Keith stared at the crackling fire in front of him.
It had started to rain outside.
“You sure you’re okay?” His mother asked again.
“Yeah. I’m... fine.” He put his hand on his cheek, where Lance’s was. Keith looked outside at the rain, thinking of the moment he’d shared with his former rival what felt like moments before, unable to get him out of his mind, wanting to feel his touch once again.
______
A couple weeks had passed and Keith hadn’t gotten a look into the future since. He also hadn’t stopped thinking about him.
He was alone with Lance, on a beach, on what felt like Earth.
Lance was going to kiss him.
Lance.
Just thinking about it filled Keith with the same overwhelming feeling he’d felt in the flash. He’d never experienced it before.
Maybe it was love.
He turned to Krolia, who was laying down next to Blue, resting.
“Mom?”
“Hm?”
“How did you know you... loved dad?”
Krolia smiled. “You don’t know what love feels like until you experience it. Your father was unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Of course, it took me a while to warm up to him.”
“Really?”
“Well, it’s not every day you crash land in someone’s backyard. At first I only tolerated him because he saved me. I wanted to get back to space as soon as possible.” She reached out to stroke Blue’s head.
“But your father seemed so ready to risk everything... for me. He wanted to understand where I came from, what I did, how to help me in any way possible. He grew on me, and one day I woke up and realized I’d fallen in love with a human.” She looked at keith. “Eventually you came along, and I experienced love for the second time.”
Keith smiled briefly and looked down. “But what does it... feel like?”
“Love? You’re always thinking about them, and you want to be with them. But if you truly love someone you want what’s best for them, and will be willing to give them up if it means they’ll be happy.”
Keith stood up, Blue following suit, doing his best to not disturb Krolia too much. He thanked her, and they walked outside.
Keith sat down in the grass, while Blue brought him a stick. It’d taken forever to teach Blue the concept of fetch (especially teaching him he can’t just teleport to the stick and teleport back), but he’d finally done it. Keith tossed the stick an admirable distance away, still thinking about Lance.
Hm. Blue.
Blue was Lance’s color. The color of his first lion, the lion that Keith’s parents risked their lives to protect that eventually led to the paladins getting thrown in space together. Blue was the color of the trim on Lance’s shirt, that fit Lance’s thin frame just perfectly and was barely visible under his jacket, but visible enough. Blue was the color on Lance’s armor, even while he piloted Keith’s former lion, red. It was a nice contrast that Lance especially made look good. Blue was the color of Lance’s bright eyes, and Keith had never realized how truly mesmerizing they were.
Maybe blue was the color of all good things.
Maybe blue was the color of love.
Blue nudged Keith’s hand, stick in mouth, pulling Keith out of his daze.
Before Keith could even think about throwing the stick again, a familiar flash of light took him to another world.
______
“C’mon, Red, it’ll be fun. Haven’t you ever seen Wall-E?”
Keith felt Lance’s hand interlace his own and drag him towards an airlock similar to the one he’d saved Lance’s life from so long ago. He felt himself smile at the now unfamiliar nickname.
“Uh, no, can’t say that I have... Maybe you should show me sometime.”
Lance looked at him and smirked. “I’m sure I can get Pidge to get it on her laptop somehow. Now come on, I’ll show you one of the best scenes.” He tugged on his arm again.
“What, they get sucked off into space never to be seen again? Sounds romantic.”
Lance laughed and Keith wondered how the universe had come up with something so beautiful.
“Guess you’ll just have to see, Mullet. Shoot, I almost forgot the most important part.” Lance separated Keith’s hand from his own and Keith immediately found himself missing the contact as Lance briefly disappeared. Once he returned, Lance shoved a fire extinguisher into Keith’s arms.
“Wha... Where did you even get this? Are we going to go extinguish random space fires?”
“I have connections.” Lance smirked and held up his own extinguisher. “Now don’t use your jetpack, it ruins it. Come on.”
Lance pushed the button on the airlock and both of them were thrown into the black abyss. Keith spun around for a little while, trying to get a grasp on his extinguisher again. Once he did, he saw a streak of blue and white fly by.
“Whooooo! Come on Red, try it!” Lance was flying around using his extinguisher as a booster. So that’s what he wanted to do. Keith pulled the trigger on his and flew around. It took a little getting used to, but he quickly got the hang of it.
“Race you around the castle!” Lance said, taking off away from Keith.
“Hey, you got a head start!” Keith exclaimed, following suit.
The two flew around the large castle crossing paths often, leaving a white trail wherever they went. The castle was a lot larger in person than it looked from inside a lion.
Too large to be racing around with fire extinguishers it seemed, as Keith’s started to run out of juice.
“Okay, I surrender,” Keith said, trying to get his makeshift booster to work again. No luck. “you win.”
“Wow, I beat the Keith in a flying race. I think that earns me at least 5 extra kisses when we get back.”
Keith couldn’t believe what he just heard. He was so flustered he didn’t know how he managed to choke out coherent words.
“If you help me even get back, I might consider it.”
Lance turned and flew towards keith at full speed, running into him and holding onto him as they spun around for what felt like 5 minutes. Once they slowed down, Lance kept his arms wrapped around Keith’s waist, and Keith noticed he had his own arms around Lance’s neck.
“You have a jetpack, you know.” Lance said, pressing his helmet against Keith’s.
“You said it would ruin it.”
“And I hold up that statement. Wouldn’t have gotten to do that otherwise.” Lance smirked.
Just as Keith opened his mouth to say something, he felt another pair of arms, except this time, they were on his shoulders, and this time, they were there in a WAKE UP NOW way, and not in an I love you way.
Keith’s eyes opened to see his mother kneeling over him, sighing with relief.
“Thank god. That was the longest you’ve ever been out from a flash. I was getting worried.” She stood up and started walking back to the cove. “Dinner’s almost ready, if you’re hungry.”
Keith sat up, the lingering feeling of Lance’s arms on his waist haunting him. If there was anywhere he wanted to be in the whole universe, it was back in Lance’s arms.
He stood up, remembering how Lance called him Red. Did he call Lance Blue? The name would fit him, considering how blue seemed to represent the color of Keith’s love, and how Lance seemed to be the recipient of said love the most recently.
Maybe he should call the wolf Yorak.
______
Many months passed. If Krolia had calculated right, they were close to the end of their journey.
One thing was still on Keith’s mind everyday.
Lance.
Keith didn’t know how Lance of all people would end up with him.
Keith thought about way back when Sendak attacked the castle. Keith had held hands with Lance, stared into his eyes, and carried him into a cryopod. Why had Lance pretended to forget?
He thought about all the times Lance had flirted with girls, namely Allura. but Allura wasn’t interested in him like Keith was. Well, Allura wasn’t interested in Lance whatsoever.
He thought about how Lance would make it a point to act like he didn’t like Keith.
So maybe the flashes were just dreams. But then why did they- why did Lance feel so real?
Keith remembered the feeling of Lance’s hand intertwined with his own, caressing his cheek, his arms around his waist. How blue Lance’s eyes were from up close. How Lance’s features softened whenever he looked at Keith.
Keith hoped, with all his being, that they were real. That that Lance, the Lance who loved Keith, who wrapped his arms around him, who wanted to kiss him, was real.
Keith laid down, hoping to get some sleep soon. A bright flash of light denied it.
______
Keith was still laying down, although in something much more comfortable this time. He was in a bed, in a dark room, in what looked like the castle.
“Keith?”
“Hm?” Keith felt tired, even in the flash.
“You know you’re all I have, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Since we left Earth. I don’t have my family to lean back on when you’re not there. I thought Hunk and Pidge were my best friends, but I don’t think they want me anymore.”
Keith flipped around to face Lance. “Lance, you know that’s not true. We all love you. We’re here for you. And we’re not going anywhere.”
“Sorry,” Lance smiled weakly. “I guess I’m just tired.”
Keith scooted closer to Lance, leaning his head against his chest and wrapping his free arm around his waist.
“I love you,” Keith said almost involuntarily, remembering this was a flash. “Don’t be so blue, Blue.”
“Goodnight, Red.” Lance wrapped his arms around Keith. “I love you too.”
Keith’s eyes slowly opened and he found himself with his arms wrapped around the wolf Blue, not the Lance Blue. He was too tired to truly feel how disappointed he was in that fact.
All that mattered was that Lance had said he loved him.
And that Lance was real.