Emo Is As Emo Does (Keith x Reader)

[21] Daddy Issues

HOPE YOU LIKE <3

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Leaning against the wall of the inn building, you were in thought. You couldn't help but grin from what happened earlier. It was now official that you and Keith were going on a date tomorrow. The thing is: you haven't uttered a word about it to the others. Honestly, you contemplated sharing the news. You knew if you did—Pidge and Hunk would be pestering the two of you nonstop, Shiro would probably give an outdated monologue to Keith about feelings which would last longer than the date itself, along with Lance and Matt trying to convince you to date them instead. In a nutshell, everything would be entire chaos. . .more than usual at least.

That's when Keith exited the room and stood with you. Slight awkwardness erupted after that.

"Soooo," he anxiously chuckled midsentence. "You and me, going on a date after all this time. . ."

"Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. It seems like only a few days ago, we were at each other's throats—"

"But nowww," he interjected. A stressed out laugh occurred between the two of you.

After pondering about it, you admitted, "My only question is. . ." You walked up and turned in his direction with your hands behind your back. "What's gonna happen afterwards?" The tone in your voice suddenly got serious. Keith had no comment. The tension was broken when Shiro opened the door.

"Hey, guys, don't stay out here so late. There might be creepy hobos!"

"Like Lance?" Keith pointed to the dumpsters where Lance was hanging out, he was probably trying to find some decent food. Shiro's face went blank. He only ignored it.

"No, just don't take too long." He then slammed the door. Keith decided to listen.

"Fine, we'll discuss it tomorrow. Uh, goodnight," Keith ended the conversation on an uneasy chord. You decided to stay out for a bit longer though. You just didn't feel tired.

But after a while, you gave in and decided to rest. And that was it for the day. . .

The next morning, you came back to consciousness. And of course, your head was yet again, supported on Keith's shoulder.

That nasty little Pidgeon, you mentally grumbled. Unclenching your fist, you sighed. After staring at Keith for a few seconds in a thoughtful way, it was time to get prepared for the day. Now that you remember, you had a date tonight. . .

Yikes.

You've never gone on a real date before. All you knew about love was the boyfriends your hag of a mother led on. How else did she get all that money to afford plastic surgery? She looked trashy either way, but that was beside the point. What mattered was. . .tonight.

Putting that aside for now, you changed into some casual clothes and did the usual. Nothing new. Around this time, the others started waking up. You always made sure to get up before them so there wasn't a crowd of people lining up for the bathroom. Also, this time you were preparing breakfast. No ice cube soup today, Lance.

"Hey! Good morning, (Y/N)!" Shiro beamed. You gave him a halfhearted wave without breaking your gaze off your current task. Frankly, you were still holding a grudge. He just let it go.

Suddenly, Keith approached you from behind. "Hey."

"GAH!" You jumped up. "Oh, hey, Keith. Uh, want some gum?"

"Offering people gum is not cooking."

"Well, DUH."

"So. . .what are you making? I mean, it's not like we have an oven—"

You faced him. "Strawberry shortcake."

"Wow, that sounds really good—"

Once you turned around, revealing the monstrosity you crafted, he paused. He placed his hands together, taking a deep breath.

". . .Alright, what the actual heck is that?"

"Well, I improvised! I took some wheat bread, picked some of the little strawberries from the front of the hotel, extracted some crème from the inside of a Twinkie, and put it together! Thus, baking a strawberry shortcake~"

He placed his hand on your forehead, surprising you at first. "Did a scorpion bite you in your sleep or?"

Now that you think of it, all this lovey-dovey stuff from yesterday probably polluted your mind. Oh no.

"Fine, you know what?" You took the "strawberry shortcake", and as soon as Matt walked over—you stuffed it down his shirt. Storming off, Matt was left there in confusion. That didn't last for long though.

"What a flirt~" Matt sighed. Keith sneered at his behavior.

Right now, you were sitting on a bench that was placed by the road. Cars rarely drove down this route from what you noticed. Besides that, you were in thought. The upcoming date was troubling you. You still couldn't let go of the paranoia. What if you started to really like Keith and. . .something bad happened? You didn't want to set yourself up for that kind of hurt. However, your emotions refused to let you back out.

It was like WWIII—but in your mind. "Aaaaghhh. . ." You held your head and screwed your eyes shut.

"(Y/N)?" you heard. Of course, someone was there. Is privacy nonexistent in this group? You looked up to see Keith, though the sun made you squint your eyes.

"Leave me alone. . ." you muttered, holding onto your arms. Keith sat down beside you.

"Just tell me what the problem is, getting it over with will help."

"Isn't it obvious?" you retorted. "I don't know about you, but I'm not good at this whole dating thing. Maybe everything was just a mistake. I shouldn't have ever snuck on your Lion—I should have just gone on that stupid rescue ship."

"Hey, we all have our problems. But it wasn't a mistake—everyone coming together."

"Maybe for you, a Paladin of Voltron. But me, I'm just—some random chick you happened to come across and—"

"Hey, honestly, if we didn't find you—you'd probably be locked up in a Galra prison or something. So, be thankful."

Oh, yeah. Those pain-in-the-neck earrings. How you almost forgot. At least they have the track-repellent chemicals for now. Anyway, back to complaining about other things.

You looked down at your feet. "I guess I just needed to vent."

"Vent all you want, it's better than you taking it out on the food."

You giggled and paused before responding, "My whole life, I've never had any friends. My mother basically slandered my reputation—to the point where I could barely get a job—or a boyfriend. My dad left, using MY hard-earned money."

Keith nodded and listened. You sighed, taking a breath before continuing.

"It-It hurt because I trusted him, yet he abandoned me. He left me with those kooks. And—" You started to get choked up, but you prevented the tears. Keith's expression softened. He could tell you were unable to finish, so he decided to talk instead.

"I understand, (Y/N). My mom did the same thing—she left me. But it's okay, it's in the past. New people show up and—those people can really make the difference. Even if they are idiots like Lance."

You laughed, causing some of the sadness to fade away. A vague smile appeared on Keith's face. That's when you wiped your eyes and slid closer to him. After a few slow seconds, you leaned in for a hug. He was reluctant at first, but it was quick to blossom into an embrace of solace. It felt secure—he acted as if he was handling a jasmine—the most delicate of all flowers.

In a nutshell, he cradled you in his arms.

"Thank you, Keith," you cooed.

He blushed for once in his life. "Anytime."