Crystal (Warmth series Book 3)

7: Smoky Quartz

Smoky Quartz: elevates mood, relieves depression, and balances sexual energy
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"Go away."

"No."

"Go away."

"No."

"I am not in the mood to talk right now."

"You don't have to."

"Then stop following me."

"Those two things have nothing to do with each other."

"You're still following me."

"You're still talking."

"I am not talking."

"You're moving your mouth and sounds are coming out in forms that translate into words that make sense."

"Blagh-blarg-gobbledy-gook."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're talking."

"You're obnoxious."

"And you're still talking."

"Technicalities."

"Technicalities that are continuing to happen therefore rendering your argument annulled."

"Tha-"  Lance actually stopped in his tracks and turned back to Keith who also  stopped just a pace or so behind him with a vaguely impressed  expression. "That was unexpectedly eloquent."

Keith tilted his head and eyed his mate dubiously. "Are you insulting me?" he asked.

"Maybe," Lance said with a shrug.

"You're a jerk," Keith grumbled.

"I thought that was obvious," Lance said, snickering.

"You are very hard to deal with sometimes," Keith said with a sigh.

The prince shrugged. "I was the middle child," he said. "I had to stand out somehow."

The red paladin rolled his eyes. "I doubt you had to work too hard for that."

Lance  hummed. "Latif was worse." He snickered, turning to continue walking  down the hallway. "This one time, he and Alwida dyed Allura's hair red."

"They... They what?" Keith asked. "Why?"

"Because  they could," Lance said. "She was going to present at the System Lords'  Moot for the first time and they thought it'd be hilarious if she had  red hair," he said.

"Was it?" Keith asked in cautious amusement.

"By  the Lions, yes," Lance declared proudly. "I almost didn't recognize  her. She started yelling and throwing a fit which left quite an  impression. From then on, she was instantly recognizable to everyone in  our quadrant even when her hair was white again." He threw his head back  and cackled. "I think more people were interested in Alteans during  that Moot than any of the others before that."

"What about after?" Keith asked curiously.

Lance  shrugged, his laughter fading. "I wouldn't know," he said. "We weren't  exactly active in politics unless it involved exploration and  peacekeeping. We were thrust onto the main stage of the universal  political field when we build Voltron to help defend ourselves and  others we were sent to protect. But that was before I was born."

Lance  glanced back at Keith when he arrived at his bedroom door. "Voltron was  never intended to be an offensive warrior, only a defender," he said  slowly. "After the Voltron introduction and then Allura's hair fiasco,  the only other time we were at the center of universal events was when  the Galra attacked us." He grimaced and opened the door to his room.  "For once, we were the ones in need of defending and no one came to our  defense."