Chapter Text
It's been a long week. So long that it almost feels like years have passed. Keith stared up at his ceiling thinking of nothing but lance. Keith hadn't gone to school since his and lance awkward conversation through their soul link.
He was embarrassed and maybe ashamed of how he felt about lance. It had been forever since Keith had a simple crush on someone. It was all too complex for him. Turning into a ball of embarrassment was easier than having to talk to Lance face to face.
Keith could feel Lance's pens writing to him even now and then but he couldn't bring himself to roll up his sleeves or push his fabric from his pants just to see some sort of rejection.
Keith never should have responded to Lance's soul messages. It would have saved himself so much heartache, he regretted letting himself grow close to Lance even before he knew about the marks being from lance.
There was a knock at Keith's bedroom door pulling him away from the swirl of thoughts that began to plague Keith's mind. Keith turned towards the door and saw his older brother looking at him with a stern but soft look.
“You look exhausted.” Shiro stated dully. He didn't say more than that for a few minutes. Keith and him just stared at each other. Both standing on a thin balancing beam, careful not to fall into a void of mess and complicated emotions.
“Someones here for you.” Shiro finally broke. Then he took a leap into the void. “It's lance he says he needs to talk.”
Keith groaned and rubbed his hands down his face. Why couldn't he just be left alone from.all his problem why did they have to come to him.
“Do you want me to let him in?” Shiro crossed his arms. “He has stuff for you.” Keith eyebrow bucked. What stuff? Keith hadn't given Lance anything that he would need to return.
“Yeah.” Keith managed to speak out. He pulled his knees to his chest as he now laid in a ball. He hoped Lance hadn't come to berate him for his foolishness.
After Shiro left with a nod, Lance had appeared at the door with a soft knock. Hand behind his back.
“Hello” Lance smiled softly.
“hi.” Keith mumbled. He was waiting for the worst to finally come. He knew he deserved it.
“I have a gift.” Lance pulled out a bouquet of beautiful Violets. Their petals were perky and vibrant. “I thought you might like them when I saw them at Tops this morning.” Lance walked towards Keith and sat gently on the edge of Keith's bed.
“It's nice to see you.” Lance commented as he set the flowers next to Keith, who grabed them with one hand and faced them so he could smell their musky floral scent. Keith remained eerily silent.
Eventually Lance broke the tension.
“So soulmates huh.”
Keith nodded.
“Yeah. I'm sorry about that.” He mumbles into the flowers trying to hide his embarrassment.
Lance laughed a sad laugh. “There's nothing to be sorry about Keith, you didn't do anything wrong.” Lance lifted a hand and rested it on keiths calf. “Honestly I'm glad you're my soulmate.” Lance genuinely smiled towards keith.
Keith squinted thinking for a moment this was all a con to trap Keith and make him feel more shame then he does. But lance never wavered.
“Why?” Keith asked quietly. “I've been an asshole to you.”
“Not really.” Lance shrugged. “Shit happens, besides I can't be mad at you. You're too amazing.”
Keith cringed but giggled despite it. “Thanks I guess.”
It was silent again.
“Why didn't you show up that night? At the park, why didn't you come?” Keith was quiet but he was stern he needed to know.
“It's a long story” Lance rubbed his face before laughing at himself. “I tryed explaining to you through the link but I'm assuming you didn't read any of it.”
Keith shook his head.
“Well. My abuela came into town.”
……..
Lance paced back and forth through his room. His mother wouldn’t let Lance leave at this hour. She wanted him home for when his Abuela was going to arrive. She was going to be staying for the week. His mama wanted him to be here for her cliché cheek pinches and comments about how thin he was.
Lance wanted to sneak out so badly to go see keith. He chewed on his lip. Keith was probably so confused. Lance hoped he wasn’t screwing with Keith’s head. Lance stopped at his desk and reached for a pen to write out an apology but before he could he heard his abuela shout his name.
He looked between the door and back to the pen but shook his head and chose not to test his abuela patient.
Once lance was down stairs standing inches away from his abuela she wasted no time to waddle over to lance and start obsessing over his looks.
“Lance! You so thin No has estado comiendo, ¿por qué mi chico” she shakes her head as he lifts Lance's arms up to look at how twiggy they are.
“Estoy tan delgada como el año pasado, abuela, don't worry about me.” Lance tried to reassure her. But with his luck it was to no avail.
“You need to eat some of my cooking, Emillies cooking is not fattening.”
Mama laughed as she crossed her arms behind her mother. “I dunno if I should be flattered.”
“Es un insulto” abuela rolled her eyes as he patted Lance's shoulders.
“I remember when you were knee high, you're taller than me now.” Abuela smiled fondly.
Lance tried to smile. He tried to laugh and distract himself from the possible heartache he was causing Keith.
He tried to convince himself it was going to be ok but in reality he knew that most likely wasn't going to be the case. In the months lance has known Keith he’s learned Keith is very sensitive to feelings of rejection and being left behind. Lance wasn't sure why but he knew Keith was going to feel like Lance was abandoning their friendship.
Eventually Lance's abuela settled in nicely into the home and headed to the guest room for a good night's rest. It was late, maybe 10 pm or 11 maybe. Too close to midnight for lance to go check on Keith.
He was going to head to Keith’s home as soon as his mother would let him, and if she didn't he'd surely see keith at school and would be able to explain.
He needed to explain to Keith he hadn’t meant to change his plans. But first he grabbed a pen and wrote out an apology and an explanation on his wrist. He didn’t get a response so he assumed Keith had gone to bed. Though it had some doubt because Keith did have a habit of staying up until the early morning.
…..
“But you didn't come to school all week and I got worried something happened. Or you did something.” Lance glanced at Keith's hoodie sleeve. Keith told him stories about how he'd cut himself when he was younger when he felt alone and broken down.
“I couldn't face you.” Keith muttered. “I didn't think you'd want me.” He knew Lance didn't want him.
“I was embarrassed.”
Lance sighed heavily. “I don't think I've ever wanted anyone more than I want you. And that I find embarrassing.” Lance smiled again. This time Keith smiled back sitting up with the flowers in his lap.
“So we're ok?” Keith fiddled with the stems of the Violets.
“More than ok I believe.” Lance cupped Keith's jaw. He leaned in and looked at Keith as if to ask for him to continue. Keith pressed forward and kissed Lance's lips. It felt soothing like the smell before it rains, the sensation when you finally stop walking and your legs start to tingle.
It felt amazing.
Lance leaned back with a smile and swiped Keith's hair from his face.
“I think I love you.”