Chill (Klance Warmth series Book 2 of +4)

30: Body Heat

A/N: This is 1/4 plot and 3/4 smut. No shame. You have been warned more than once. If you don't like smut, then read until Keith and Lance leave the holodeck. Then stop. Everyone else, enjoy.

Also, there will only be two more chapters of "Chill." Chapter 31 will be the last real chapter and Chapter 32 will be the preview for the sequel (which is complete) titled "Crystal." I'm sure y'all know what canon arc that will entail. It will also be rated Mature from the get-go for obvious reasons. Fair warning.

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Keithek stepped out of the training arena slightly sweaty, but  feeling much better. His thoughts were still a mess of disjointed  emotions and mismatched nonsense, however. He'd learned a lot from  Allura and Coran, but it wasn't enough. He felt like there was so much  he didn't know about anyone really. He doubted some of it was  deliberate. But the fact remained that he knew very little about his  team. He knew even less about his own mate.

Until a Spilocion  movement ago, Keithek had accepted several things as indisputable facts.  First, Emperor Zarkon was the supreme leader of the Galra Empire.  Second, Prince Lotor was a dick of the highest order. Third, Sendak was a  pile of refuse. Fourth, Keithek himself was a halfbreed alpha. Fifth,  he would never have a mate. Sixth, his father loved him. Seventh,  Alteans were an extinct species. Eighth, Voltron was a legend. And  ninth, nothing could defeat the Galra Empire.

Okay, so more than just several things.

But now he was forced to reevaluate his life and everything he believed. It was stressing him out. It turned out the Alteans did  still exist, even if they were critically endangered. They were  debatably even extinct in the wild, per se. Not only that, but one of  those endangered Alteans was Keithek's mate.

His mate. Keithek had a mate.  Granted, they hadn't been mated in the best of circumstances, but  Keithek couldn't find it within him to regret it. He'd even taken  Coran's advice to heart and had begun courting Lance. If the kiss they'd  shared after rescuing Allura and Shiro from Rolo and Nyma was anything  to go by, this whole courting thing was definitely worth it. Hopefully,  they could progress further soon.

Also, Voltron was not only real,  Keithek was a paladin, and the Red Lion was now a huge part of him. As  if on cue, a low rumbling purr filled his mind bringing a smile to  Keithek's lips. The Red Lion had made a habit of vocalizing when she  sensed her paladin was in distress. With her purr came a pulse of warmth  that enveloped him like a soft, well-worn blanket. It wasn't as intense  or as immediate as when they were united as Voltron, but it was still a  flame he welcomed, like the rare hugs he got from his father before  they went their separate ways.

It was a lot to take in at once.

He  walked passed one of the spare bedrooms glancing at the closed and  locked door as did so. Rolo and Nyma were in there right now. Keithek  still wasn't sure how he felt about them. He could understand how they  became who and what they were, but that didn't mean they'd been in the  right.

The moment they kidnapped Shiro and Allura, Keithek had  begun viewing them as threats. Shiro had become a sort of big brother  figure to Keithek, despite the amusement Keithek derived from calling  Shiro 'Space Dad.' He didn't bother to smother the chuckle that bubbled  up from his chest when he thought of that nickname.

He stepped  into the lift intending to ride up to the deck of the Castle where the  paladins' bedrooms were located. However, when the lift doors opened he  was surprised to see Pidge standing there in her casual clothes.

"Hey," she said, sounding tired. "Going up?"

Keithek nodded and stepped in the lift next to the green paladin. "I need a shower," he muttered.