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Keith descended Hunk's basement stairs, a plastic bag from 7/11 in one hand, a chocolate chip cookie he'd snatched from Hunk's ever-full cookie jar in the other. The three other Voltron members were there, splayed about the basement lazily as they waited for Keith.

"Sorry," Keith mumbled through a chocolatey bite, "I had important business to attend to." He thought about Lance pushing him up against the wall at the Y a mere 20 minutes ago. He dared his cheeks to blush and give him away to his friends. "Here," he said, setting the plastic bag on the low table in front of the sofa, "I got everyone drinks and then we can share the other stuff."

Pidge snatched his Monster from the bag greedily, swooning at Keith as he held the can to his chest. "Master has given Dobby a Monster, Dobby is free," Pidge crooned in his best Dobby impression (which was terrible and sounded more like Elmo than Dobby). Keith rolled his eyes.

He'd gotten Shiro a cherry coke (his favorite) and Hunk one of those Starbucks frappucino drinks even though they paled in comparison to Hugs n' Mugs frappes. Keith had also bought hot Cheetos and Takis, which he knew would be inhaled immediately. Shiro may be a fitness junky, but there was nothing he wouldn't do for spicy food. Pidge, on the other hand, would eat anything remotely unhealthy.

Keith sat down (criss-cross applesauce) and looked up at Hunk, who was typing languidly on his laptop, as he sipped at his Redbull. "Are you working on the application?" Keith asked the baker, who responded with a nod.

Shiro leaned forward, taking a few Cheetos. "He's been typing it up since we got here. I didn't know that we'd need so much paperwork for a simple application."

Hunk wrinkled his nose in frustration before leaning back, closing his laptop with a soft tap. "It's not a simple application-- this is the golden hippo we're talking about."

"And cash!" Pidge called from his spot on the floor. Shiro gave him a look.

"We have to write up a mini-essay on who Voltron is and why we want the money," Hunk explained tiredly. He drummed lightly on his laptop cover with his fingertips, working out a rhythm from one of their songs.

Keith tilted his head to the side. "What'd you say we wanted it for?"

Hunk's woodsy brown eyes met Keith's. "It's a secret."

Shiro smiled, pushing himself off the couch and stooping to grab his bass, slinging the strap over his neck and plugging it into an amp. He strummed a few chords, tuning the instrument as he went, before turning his gaze expectantly to the others. "Well?"

...

Keith's voice was pleasantly raspy as he sang, keeping a careful eye on Hunk's laptop screen, which was displaying all the audio levels as Voltron ran through their audition song. It was loud, up-beat, and punk-rocky: everything Voltron strove to be. Keith's fingers slid down the neck of his guitar reflexively and he closed his eyes, belting out the last chorus as best he could even though he was feeling a little tired after so many attempts.

Every time they'd stopped to listen to the track, one of them had pointed out something they wanted to fix and thus, the cycle began again. Keith could tell how well this version was going, though, and he could feel the pulsing energy of the other members beside him. They were all excited, pumped full of adrenaline and practically bursting with anticipation for that last note.

Keith effortlessly danced his fingers down the frets for the final riff, a product of hours of practice. Hunk finished off the track with an impressive drum roll and a crash of symbals and they crowded around the laptop to play it back.

Shiro met Keith's gaze, his eyes wild and bright, sweat dampening his hairline. None of them spoke until the recording was over. "I think that one's it," Shiro said proudly, ruffling Pidge's hair, which was messy enough as it was.

Hunk bit his lip. The mouse hovered over the "Submit" button on-screen. "Ready?" he asked the others, holding back a smile.

"Rea-"

Pidge leaned forward, interrupting Shiro's confirmation, and clicked the mouse himself, cackling evilly when Hunk's dismayed expression turned toward him. "WE DID IT!" the freshman crowed, dancing out of Hunk's reach as the baker lunged at him.

Shiro grinned at Keith, slapping him heartily on the back. Keith wondered if it would bruise: Shiro didn't know his own strength. "And now we wait," Shiro said as he watched Hunk chase Pidge around the couch.

Keith pulled his phone from his pocket to text Lance.

: just submitted our song for botb

loverboy: !!!! PROUD !!!! OF !!!! YOU !!!!

: when can u come over again

loverboy: Tomorrow <3

Shiro peeked over Keith's shoulder and punched him lightly. "How cute."

Keith scowled and put his phone away. "How's Adam?" Shiro shut up, the tips of his ears flushing.

...

"Hey, Mom," Keith greeted casually as he unlocked his apartment door, tucking his phone between his shoulder and ear as he shrugged off his hoodie and kicked his shoes onto the mat by the door.

"Keith! Oh good, I was worried you were already asleep." Keith glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes after 9 and he'd just gotten home from Hunk's after the band had celebrated their submission with a few dozen rounds of MarioKart.

"How early do you think I go to bed?" Keith laughed, slapping his keys on the counter and making a beeline for the fridge, suddenly very hungry. He eyed a slice of pizza that had been in the fridge for about a week but went with leftover dumplings instead (they were Trader Joe's, which Keith secretly loved. Every time he went shopping there, he felt like he was at a free therapy session).

Krolia was, like her son, a night owl, and often stayed up through the early hours of the morning just to sleep through the afternoon when Keith was growing up. "It's just the way she works," Tex had told Keith once as he carried a sleeping Krolia upstairs when Keith was leaving for school.

"I like the quiet of it all," Krolia explained one night when Keith stayed up with her to finish an assignment. She would curl up in the old paisley love seat, pile on a few blankets, and tip-tap away on her laptop through the night before allowing herself to drift off. Then, bright and early, Tex would wake up for work, scoop her from the chair, and move her to their bed, just like clockwork.

Tex never looked like he minded though, his face soft and loving and his big fireman arms flexing as he moved. Keith hoped that the way he looked at Lance was the same way Tex looked at Krolia.

"Well, I don't know!" Krolia laughed. "You're a college student, who knows what your schedule is like." Keith smiled. He was about to mention the audition when he heard the muffled rumble of his father's voice over the line.

"Is it Keith?" he heard Tex murmur, followed by Krolia's hum of confirmation. "Here," Tex requested and Keith could practically see the way he was holding out his hand, asking for the phone. A shuffling over the receiver.

"Keith?" Tex asked.

"Hey, dad."

"What's up, kiddo? And what are you doing up so late?" Tex's deep, southern accent felt like a warm hug around Keith's mind and he felt homesickness suddenly tighten its grip on his chest. Tex would always say things like that when Keith was still in high school, poking his head into Keith's room and tossing him a bottle of water or a plastic-wrapped Lifesaver (he always had them stashed away somewhere).

"It's nine o'clock, dad," Keith said patiently.

Tex grunted. "That's my bedtime, but I guess I'm just an old man, huh?"

Keith laughed but he'd noticed that there was an odd strain to Tex's voice, something there that he didn't recognize, and it was beginning to yank at Keith's nerves. As much as he knew his mom liked to talk to him, it was odd for her to call so late, even with her odd sleeping habits. "What's wrong?" tugged at his tongue, anxious to be spoken. He waited instead.

He told them about Voltron, which they giggled about, and the audition and his job, carefully avoiding anything about Lance or the pride parade on purpose. He hadn't necessarily told his parents about his sexual orientation, nor was he about to discuss it over the phone, especially when something was definitely, most certainly, inscrutably wrong. Tex and Krolia were some of the most caring and understanding people Keith knew and he knew that they would accept him when he did eventually come out, but now was not the time.

Finally, Keith was able to break through Krolia's rambling and ask, simply, "What'd you guys do today?"

A brief pause. A silence. A moment of hesitation.

"Well, I woke up early for once," Krolia started, keeping her composure even though Keith could hear the slightest tremor in her tone. "I made your father breakfast and sent him off to work. Were there any accidents today, Tex?"

"None today."

"And then I had an appointment with my doctor in the afternoon."

"Are you okay?"

"I've just been having some pain here and there, I'm not as hungry, normal stuff. I'm sure it's just a bug or something, but your father wanted me to get it checked out just in case."

Keith felt his stomach turn. Was there something she wasn't telling him? Or were his nerves off for some reason? Krolia, however, didn't elaborate, and instead moved on to another topic.

Keith didn't have the heart to ask.

...

ok first, im sorry. unexpected hiatus was unexpected. and i know that happens a lot. school happened then college applications happened and im an absolute mess of stress rn. i just needed a mental break for a lil.

also im sorry this ch was so dry?? im a bit rusty after being so long away but hopefully once i get back into the groove of things it'll b a little better

i missed u guys, srsly

qotd: how are you? tell me about how u've been since the last update (:

also, did they take away pics and vids at the top of chapters on mobile watty? i'm going thru my chapters n none of them have the art or songs i put /: maybe my phone's just being funky tho

love u so so much <3