Episode 66.5 Birthday Cake and Beer, A Happy Birthday Short

This is one of those between-the-lines shorts, fanaticizing of what was going on in between the scenes in Voltron. It is a stand alone short with no ties to my other fictions.

This short takes place after Episode 66 `To Soothe the Savage Robeast' (the Keith picking flowers for the jealous princess episode) and before Episode 67 `Doom Girls on the Prowl' (the infamous parade watching, "he approves of you" episode.)

How in the heck did they jump from the emotions in the one episode to the very different and comfortable with each other relationship in the next? Here is my musing as to what went down when the cameras turned off.

These second season episodes appear in the Black Lion collector's box for those who want to revisit them. :)

Standard yada yada, don't own Voltron WEP does, and for goodness sakes if you don't already own all the box sets go buy them already! Let them know we want more Voltron with our wallets!

The stained tablecloth, dead roses and broken glasses had all been cleared away. An unblemished cake sat amongst the rest of the remains of what was supposed to be a celebratory meal. `Happy Birthday Fearless' was written in graceful loops that decorated its surface in red icing.

A deflated Keith sat slumped over in a chair as he stared into the rising bubbles in his beer glass.

The only other person in the room was sitting across from him, leaning back with his feet propped up on the table. Lance took a slow sip from his own glass. "I'm telling ya, she spent all day in a jealous funk because we all believed some woman sent you a looooooove gift."

Keith looked up and rolled his eyes. "It wasn't real, it was just a trick."

"Trick or not, the emotions it revealed were real. You do know when you gave her those flowers all you would have had to do is open your arms and she would have raced into them." Lance offered a sly grin.

Keith shook his head with a snort. "Don't be ridiculous." He pointed his finger off to the side window. "And aren't you forgetting the big ugly Robeast that showed up?"

"Doubly so because the big ugly showed up." Lance laughed then his face turned serious as he pulled his feet down off of the table. He set his drink down and leaned forward. "She loves you and you are a fool to think otherwise."

Keith waved him off with a dismissive hand. "Yeah, well it's just not meant to be." He leaned back in his own chair to put more distance between them.

"Would you stop wallowing in worry about tomorrow and start thinking about today?" Lance pointed out the same window Keith did. "What may be is out there." Lance then smacked his hand down on the table. "This is where we are, today." After a long pause Lance's face turned sober. "Tell me, what is the average length of a full
tour of a space explorer on a deep space combat mission?"

Keith took a slow deep swig of his glass. "Two years."

"Why"

Keith tipped his mostly empty glass to look down into it. "Because that is their average lifespan."

Lance threw his hands into the air. "So why are you worried about tomorrow when we should already be dead!"

Keith lifted one eyebrow up to look at him in disbelief.

Lance sent both hands to rake back through his hair and leaned back in his chair again. "Okay, okay, I know you don't have a deathwish, but let's be real, you're here, she's here and you both want the same thing." He reached for his glass, lifting it to his lips. "Why can't you have a little happiness while you can."

Keith's eyes fell back onto his glass. "You don't think we're happy?"

"I think you have no idea what true happiness is. You've both been dealt shit cards all your lives."

A silence hung in the air between them as Keith continued to stare at his beer, swirling around the small amount left at the bottom of the glass.

As he watched a cocky grin slowly grew on Lance's lips. "I dare you, I dare you to go to her and ask her for what you really want for your birthday present."

Keith's eyes suddenly flashed up with a snarl.

"Relax Loverboy, I know you're over protective of her virtue" He sighed. "Especially from yourself." Lance leaned in to rest his elbow on the table and began tracing random shapes on the tabletop with his finger. "But how about a kiss, a simple sweet, innocent kiss?"

"Ughhh" Keith face-planted his head onto the table with a thud.

Lance looked over Keith's shoulder to the doorway behind him, a wicked grin growing on his lips. He looked back to Keith's slumped over form. "Come on" He spoke in a teasing tone. "I know she would give you one if you just asked."

Keith's head snapped up, eyes shooting daggers at Lance. "I'm not going to ask Allura to give me a kiss, even if it is my birthday!"

A soft gasp came from behind him and Keith froze eyes narrowing in a death stare with Lance.

Lance beamed as he slowly extricated himself from his chair and downing the remains of his glass. "If you would excuse me I think I have a punishment coming that I better go get an early start on. Goodnight, Your Highness."

Upon Lance's exit a silence filled the room, neither person moving or uttering a sound.

Allura, hand held to her lips stunned, remained standing in the doorway. "Is that… is that what you really want? A ummm." He could hear the blush in her words.

His body remained ridged, a death grip on his glass and staring at the wall across the room. "I'm sorry, Princess, it's just the beer talking and Lance is just being, well, Lance."

"I see." Allura's voice lost all its usual warmth. "Well I came to bid you a good night, I'm sorry your birthday party didn't work out. Thank you again for the flowers they were a lovely gesture. Good night."

Keith heard the rustle of her pink chiffon as she turned to leave. "No wait, please." He turned on his chair and rose to his feet. "Don't go. Please stay a bit."

Allura stopped but kept her back to him. "I cannot."

"Why?"

A soft sniffle escaped from Allura's nose and she sent her hand up to cover her face.

"Allura? What is it?" He approached her but she kept his back to him. "Please talk to me, what's wrong?"

She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, its not you, I've just had a…"

"Talk to me." He repeated, his hand coming up but he was too afraid to touch her.

"Promise me something."

"Anything." He lowered his hand back to his side.

She sniffed again then swallowed. "Promise me when you fall in love with some village girl that you'll tell me. Don't leave me to find out about it on my own."

Keith took a step back. "What?"

"I know there are probably dozens of them out there. Getting that gift today just reminded me that I'm not the only one who... I mean I understand that one day you will find someone who…"

Keith couldn't believe his ears, Lance was right, Allura was jealous, but there was no one else who could possibly catch his heart. "Allura." Keith let out a soft chuckle.

At that Allura spun to stare at him, eyes red, wet streaks lining her face. Jealousy never looked so beautiful.

He pulled his eyes away from her and cast them to the floor. "Maybe now you know a bit how I feel. Every time Nanny parades one of your gentleman visitors under my nose I think, maybe this will be the one, the one that will take your heart."

Allura's eyes searched him in confusion as her mind was visibly racing.

Keith looked up to her, thinking on Lance's words. He lifted his arms out towards her, in less than a heartbeat she was rushing into them and taking his breath when her body crashed into his, her hands grabbing at his chest with a sob. On hearing her cry his arms closed tightly around her, reflexively pulling her in close. He whispered into her hair. "The flowers were for you, because they can say what I cannot."

Her muffled voice reached his ears. "What cant you say?"

"You are beautiful, precious, rare, unattainable." He inhaled deeply. "And smell so sweet."

"So what do you want for your birthday, Commander?"

He swallowed for he could never tell her.

She stretched her fingers wide across his chest moving her hand over his heart. "A Kiss?"

"A kiss." He breathed, disbelieving the two words came from his mouth. "I'm sorry, you don't have…" but before he could finish the words her head raised from being nested against his neck and her lips found his. It was only a matter of breaths for that simple caress of flesh to begin a dance with a life all its own.

His hands first came up to hold each side of her face, his thumbs wiping away the wetness on her cheeks. He brushed his fingers along the skin of her temples, one hand then lacing into her loose hair at the back of her head and pulling her lips up to him, deepening the kiss. Her mouth parted at the intensifying sensation inviting him to fully explore her, an invitation which his lips, teeth and tongue greedily accepted.

His other hand traced down her back to rest at the outward sweep of her spine, fingers spreading wide and cupping under the curve of her backside, pulling her hips in firmly against him. Her whole body turned to liquid, sinuously conforming to his hand's and mouth's demands, intensely feeling every inch of body contact between them.

Her hands gripping at his chest went limp as her body dissolved under the onslaught of all new sensations, the sense of freefall growing. With a gasp for air she sent her own hands to snake around him, desperately fumbling to find a way to hold on, afraid to loose any contact. One hand moved up over his shoulder getting lost in the sea of his dark hair and grabbing a firm hold of the nape of his neck. Her other hand traced around his ribs and dropped low hooking onto the band of his pants, holding on desperately just as her legs turned to jelly beneath her. She just managed to hook a leg around him as her whole world flipped upside down.

"Hey Lance, just wondering if there is any cake lef.…" Pidge was cut off as Lance raised his hand to the approaching two members of the team.

Lance lifted his finger to his lips to quiet them then beckoned them to come closer. Both pairs of eyes boggled as toothy grins grew on each of their faces, for what they saw through the open doorway of the dining room was their two most trusted friends utterly lost to one another in an intensely passionate lip lock that would rival any romance novel's book cover.

Hunk reached up to wipe an eye, and whispered. "This is good."

"Very good." Lance nodded.

"Happy Birthday Commander indeed." Pidge grinned.

The couple suddenly froze in place, Keith pulling Allura back up to stand upright and both slowly turned to see their three teammates grinning back at them. Allura flushed and tucked her head into Keith's neck as Keith's swollen lips moved as if to explain
himself but no words came.

"Told you that's what you wanted, Birthday Boy." Lance laughed. He moved between Hunk and Pidge draping an arm over each of them. "I think I can speak for the whole team when I say, it's a bout flicking time."

"Ah, so are we now all finally here?" Coran's voice called out from down the hall, causing the couple to quickly regain themselves and pull apart to a more respectful distance. "It's not quite midnight. Shall we try to toast our Commander again?" As Coran reached the doorway he took in the flushing glow of the pair, a brow rising in suspicion.

"Lets!" Lance beamed pushing into the room to try and distract the elder. He quickly went about handing out wine glasses to everyone `accidentally' bumping into Coran as often as possible so he could not focus on the couple for any length of time. He then made a grand show of selecting and uncorking a bottle from the castle's own supplies and began pouring it into each of their glasses, giving Pidge just enough to have a sip. He set the bottle down with a flourish and turned to face the group who were now standing in a circle. "Me first." He raised his glass. "To my captain and best friend. Be happy and live each day to its fullest!"

Hunk struggled to contain his beaming smile. "To the luckiest…owch" His eyes shot down to Pidge's elbow in his ribs who was giving him a cautionary glare from over the rims of his glasses. "Umm, er to the best captain I've ever known."

Pidge nodded in agreement and smiled. "And to the nicest guy who more than deserves a very happy birthday!"

Coran stroked his mustache then nodded. Taking a deep breath he raised his glass. "To the savior of our planet." His regal eyes locked onto Keith's. "Who's ever-present sense of honor and duty are a lesson to us all."

Keith swallowed and fidgeted at the thinly veiled accusation, his body weight shifting slightly more away from Allura.

Allura glared at Coran for his choice of words. "To the savior of our planet…" repeating his words in challenge. She slowly turned to face Keith, raising her glass to almost touch his as she met his eyes. "You came to us giving us faith in our darkest hour. We owe you our lives… our everything's... a debt that can never be repaid."

Keith let out an almost imperceptible gasp, eyes getting lost in the swimming blue pools that were whispering their eternal love to him.

"Here Here!" Lance yelled quickly reaching out his glass to clink it against Keith and Allura's breaking their trance before Coran could see what was fully going on and prompting the rest to do the same. "Now let's eat this cake!"

"Cake!" Pidge and Hunk beamed. The group led Keith over to the cake, Allura handing him the knife to do the honors. He cut the first slice handing it to Allura. "Your Highness." He nodded with a soft pensive smile.

She sucked in her lips to contain a returning grin as she took it, quickly finding her seat under the ever more watchful eyes of Coran.

In the distributing of the slices of the cake Coran had managed to take the only available seat next to Allura forcing Keith to have to sit across the table from them earning Coran an eye roll to the back of the head from Lance.

Soon enough the group were all settled in around the table, sharing their fond memories of times with Keith, the battles of the day dissolving away into a memory of the past.

As the stories were being shared Coran's casual yet scrutinizing eyes kept coming back to glance over Keith and Allura. Keith was beginning to become acuity aware that because of whatever Coran had sensed in the air between them the man would now always be watching them intently, looking for any spark. Looking down into his plate Keith's mouth curled up in a smug smile, this was going to be a challenge.

As Lance had Coran's momentary attention Keith forked up a bite of cake and lifted it to his mouth. He glanced up and looked across to Allura and their eyes met in a silent promise that this night was far from over. He slowly let the morsel pass his lips. Yes, this was going to be a challenge, but one he was more than willing to accept.