kangst/ keith-centric oneshots (woah, cool)

Mindmeld [REWRITE] (PART ONE)

Author's Note: hey guys! so the first oneshot in this book is ATROCIOUS now that I've looked back and reread it. so this is an attempt at a rewrite (ft. better grammar, better plot, and hopefully better pacing!)  I apologize if any translations are incorrect– I realize google translate isn't very reliable :( This takes place a few months after Keith  has rejoined Voltron. )

     ALSO: please tell me if the way I portrayed Lance is at all offensive! I understand people  in the Voltron fandom often take the idea "Lance is cuban" and run with in, usually involving a lot of racial stereotypes.

Warnings: Swearing, hospitals, comas, death, allusions of abuse, panic attacks,

Summary: Taking place after Keith returns from the Blades (sans the Clone incident and Lotor), the Paladins once again participate in the mindmeld exercise, the difference is that this time they're viewing one another's memories. Keith doesn't have fun.

Word Count:

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Keith mindlessly bit on his lip, a bored expression painted on his face. His hands tugged on the end of his cropped jacket. Allura had called the Paladins into the training room, but the facility had been wiped clean of any sign of the normal gladiator robots, as well as the pop-up maze that had been used several times. Instead, the cool colored room was completely empty sans a circle of cushions.

Allura smiled and clasped her hands together as everyone took a seat. She stood in a reassuring posture, "Good morning Paladins! Today we'll be retracing our steps and revisiting one of our first team exercises: a newly modified version of The Mindmeld!" The princess held out her hands excitedly, gesturing as if to say tah-dah!

"The purpose of this activity is to get closer together as a team! So instead of the usual Lion-related activity, we'll be using the Mindmeld to view one another's past experiences."

Keith bit back a groan, Really? We're sharing out memories? "But we can already form Voltron, can't we? Is it really necessary?" He tried to subtly protest.

Allura's face fell, hands twiddling absentmindedly, "Well, yes, but it's good to know one another– it'll strengthen Voltron's physical, not to mention: mental bond. It's a way to connect and understand our teammates more than ever!"

Lance scratched the back of his neck, quirking an eyebrow, "Hate to say it but Mullet is kinda right. I mean, Hunk and I know practically everything about one another."

Hunk grinned, "That's because we're best buds!" Lance returned the gesture, "Best buds for life!" He shouted, the two turning and going in for a long, drawn-out handshake which seemed to take hours to complete. It similar to a car crash, horrible to watch but hard to look away.

The Paladins, excluding the duo, blinked blankly at the interaction. Allura and Coran looked utterly confused. Pidge cleared their throat, "Okay, pushing aside whatever... that was," They motioned to Hunk and Lance, "I gotta agree. We've been fighting together for nearly a year now– is there really anything major enough that would change how we see each other? I feel like we got all that out during the 'FYI, I'm not a dude' talk."

Pidge stuck out a hand, counting off their fingers, "Lance is a lovable idiot who can't get a girl to save his life–"

"Okay, that's just plain rude–"

Pidge interrupted him, continuing their short analysis, "Shiro was and still is an admirable star; Hunk's a culinary artist who's great at engineering," The two mentioned flushed at the praise, Shiro chuckling softly while Hunk grinned appreciatively. The Green Paladin splayed a hand on their chest smugly, "I'm a genius scientist-slash-inventor and Keith–" their grin fell, "...and Keith is well– uh... Keith."