Chapter Text
Four Months Later
“Hunk, dude, I’m being serious.”
“You’re not even dating him, I think it’d freak him out a little bit if you told him that.”
Lance hums. “I want to tell him though and like I've had a thing for him for like, years!”
“You don’t think you’re, you know… moving too fast? Besides, however mature you think you are, we’re teenagers. And he just got over…”
Lance hums.
Keith’s heart is pounding. What did Lance want to tell him? And did Hunk say dating?
“Fine, I guess I might be just like a bit infatuated or whatever. Ugh!”
Are they talking about Keith, really? He’d thought he’d heard his name when he was walking by the kitchen. Plus, who else could they be talking about?
“Lance, you’re cute when you’re flustered, you know that?”
Keith decides to walk away when he hears chairs scrape against the floor. And if he nearly breaks into a run to get out of their line of sight when he hears the doors open, he didn’t really hear anything anyway so it’s not like a big deal. Whatever.
Keith continues to speed walk to the library. But like, a brisk walk that’s normal for him, totally. He shakes his head when he finally collapses on an armchair. The thoughts don’t fall out and he’s still thinking painfully hard.
Yes, he knew that on a surface layer, he and Lance were definitely friends now. A little awkward sometimes, but Lance was his best friend, actually. And he knew that he probably liked it a lot more than he should platonically, letting Lance touch him and braid his hair or the weird, handsy stuff Lance does. But Lance does that kind of stuff with everyone but yeah, Lance knows Keith is gay, so what the hell does it mean?
It makes the most sense that Lance was talking about him, that Lance had said he was infatuated with him. Objectively, Keith heard Lance say that.
So, Keith will do one thing he knows he’s good at. Reconnaissance.
“Allura,” Keith buzzes into his com, “Can you come to the library?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Allura seems to know everything that goes on in this ship and now that she’s with Shiro, they probably share information as well.
“Hello, Keith. How are you?”
“I’m fine, it’s just I was wondering something.”
She nods for him to go on.
“You know how I told you that I thought that I like Lance? But I was kind of worried that I was just upset over Shiro?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Um, I sort of accidentally overheard that Lance likes me too. Do you think that’s right?”
“Accidentally overheard?” Allura says with a grin.
“Okay whatever, I may have stopped to listen. Everybody does it! And you probably have like video cameras everywhere.”
“I don’t, but my hearing is very powerful. Anyway, yes. I think Lance likes you too, which I told you like a month ago. And it’s not like we have a no-relationship policy.”
“Yeah, obviously. You guys PDA everywhere.”
Allura looks taken aback, “Keith, I’m sorry, I should’ve been more careful. You know I really didn’t mean to show off or anything and we should’ve thought—“
“Allura, no, I didn’t mean it like that and you guys are actually pretty subtle. Actually, I didn’t say this earlier but honestly like it helped me get over it. And now… I guess I kind of realized I like Lance because I could see it and not think about being with Shiro anymore. I told you that you didn’t have to treat me like a kid and hide your relationship.”
“Keith… Lance hardly deserves you but please, I really think you’ll be happy.”
Keith smiles.
“Thanks, Allura.”
She comes over and holds his hand for a second.
“Thank you, Keith,” she says, squeezing his hand and letting go. She leaves the library.
Keith gets up and paces for a moment. He leaves the library.
Keith knocks the way he usually does. Lance opens the door immediately and pulls Keith in.
“Jeez, Lance.”
“Keith, IthinkImightbeinlovewithyou,” Lance spits out, then adopts a defensive stance. Keith can’t help but laugh.
Lance peeks over the block he’s made with his arms.
“Stop laughing,” he pouts.
“And like to clarify, I love you as a friend first but you’re seriously driving me crazy right now.”
“Lance! I like you, too. Can you please calm down though?”
“Oh thank God.” Lance crosses himself and then pulls Keith into a tight hug.
“Did you pray for me to like you back? That’s sort of embarrassing.”
“Shush, I’m a religious man. And besides, I'm nervous because you're like the best pilot of our generation and your eyes are stunningly beautiful and your hair is too goddamn ridiculous to be as hot as it is.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I accept your apology,” Lance says, pulling Keith back to look at him.
“Keith, um…”
“Do you want to kiss me? You can.”
Lance looks like he might burst into tears. He kisses Keith quickly on the forehead, then on the nose, then on his cheeks, slowing down as he gets close to his lips.
“Lance,” Keith breathes, feeling a little embarrassed and very warm.
Lance finally leans in and catches Keith’s lips. He reaches one hand into Keith’s hair and wraps another around his waist.
He kisses him so slowly and Keith can feel his stubble and his lips are so soft because he constantly applies chapstick and he’s sucking on Keith’s lower lip and Keith doesn’t remember how to breathe. Keith breaks the kiss and Lance looks down at him, his eyelids half-lidded and Keith still can’t remember to breathe because Lance’s face and his mouth and his tongue are all Keith can think about.
He rushes back into Lance’s embrace, his lips crushing Lance’s and maybe a little too rough and when Lance slips his tongue into Keith’s mouth, Keith finally remembers to breathe through his nose because he couldn’t be paid to break apart from Lance right now.
Lance runs his hand up to the small of Keith’s back and Keith can’t remember ever being so close to another person or feeling so hot. They’re moving fast now and Keith can feel Lance on his leg, especially when Lance pushes him against his bedroom wall. He puts his hand on Lance’s chest, feeling his muscles through his shirt, and his fingers catch on Lance’s cross necklace, and yeah, he doesn’t think he’s ever been this hot before.
He doesn’t know how long it lasts, but soon the light all but leaves the room. Lance pulls back and looks at him. Keith swallows. Lance pushes Keith’s hair back and kisses him sweetly, pulls back and then kisses him again like he can’t stop.
“Keith, um, we should probably go see if dinner’s ready,” Lance says, his voice a pitch Keith has never heard before. He’s sort of pinning Keith against the wall.
“Before anyone comes looking for us, yeah,” Keith says, moving out of Lance’s arms.
“Yeah. Um, give me a minute. You might want to fix your hair too, maybe.”
Keith smooths his hair down reflexively.
“Okay, I’ll meet you at dinner?”
Lance nods. Keith leaves and heads towards his room. He sees Pidge in the hallway, but there’s no way to avoid them without being obvious or looking crazy. Keith doesn’t understand why they all have to live on the same hallway in a castle this big.
“Hey, Keith,” Pidge says, not even looking up from their tablet. Keith nearly sighs in relief.
“Hey, Pidge,” he replies, as casually as possible. Something in his voice must have alerted them though, because Pidge looks up. And sees Keith’s messy hair and swollen lips.
“Did you just have sex?”
“Pidge! Holy shit, no!”
“Really?”
“Yes, jeez, pervert.”
“Why’d you just come out of Lance’s room then?”
“We didn’t… have sex.”
“Oh. Fricking virgins. See you guys at dinner,” Pidge says, turning their attention back towards the tablet.
“What the hell,” Keith murmurs to himself. Isn’t Pidge like fourteen or something? Keith hurries into his room. He brushes his hair quickly but it still looks like he was just rolling around. He puts it into a ponytail and hopes for the best. He washes his face and runs his thumb over his lips. They aren’t red anymore at least.
He heads to the dining room silently, trying not to attract anymore attention. As he enters the room, he sees what appears to be Hunk sobbing over Lance’s dead body.
Except Hunk isn’t sobbing, he’s laughing and Lance isn’t dead, he’s being dramatic.
“What the hell are you guys doing?” Keith says, kicking Lance’s leg where it’s splayed out on the ground.
“Oh sorry, I just tackled Lance and he wouldn’t get up,” Hunk says, hauling Lance to his feet. Lance stays limp in his arms but smiles at Keith.
“Oh, did he tell you that he and Keith hooked up?” Pidge says coyly.
“Pidge!” Keith says as he rushes over to them and covers their mouth.
Coran turns from the table with wide eyes, “Oh?”
Lance, Pidge, and Hunk are suddenly in hysterics. Keith feels his face burning.
“Pidge, I hate you,” Keith says as he releases them.
“Do you and Lance say that to each other too? Like, in bed? I’m pretty sure that’s a thing.”
Keith turns around to leave the room. Lance grabs his wrist and pulls him into a hug.
“I’m sorry, they’re crazy, this is embarrassing, don’t leave me here alone,” Lance whispers into his ear.
“You’re all the worst,” Keith says to the room as he separates from Lance. They don’t stop laughing.
“What’s going on in here?” Shiro says as he in Allura walk in. Keith sighs.
“Who’s going to say it?” Pidge asks. Keith gives them a threatening look.
Nobody needs to say it because Allura whispers it to Shiro. She’s really bad at whispering.
“Oh,” Shiro says, looking at Lance. He comes over and pats Lance on the shoulder, which turns into a death grip.
“We’ll talk after dinner?”
Lance gulps and nods.
Shiro leads him to his seat at the table and the rest follow their lead. Dinner goes swimmingly, except for the weird tension and Pidge and Coran’s barely concealed giggling. Keith’s relieved when he’s finished, but it doesn’t seem like Lance is. He’s clearly not eating and just pushing his space goo around. Keith kicks him under the table. Lance looks up at him and mouths ‘I’m scared.’
Keith rolls his eyes. He stands up and he, Pidge, Hunk, and Coran clear their plates. Pidge, Hunk, and Coran clear out, presumably knowing what to do from the power of Shiro’s thoughts. Keith hovers awkwardly around the table as Lance ducks his head to avoid eye contact with Shiro and Allura.
Allura stands up.
“Keith, would you like to go for a walk?”
Lance looks up, stricken.
“Oh, Lance, calm down,” Allura says as she grabs Keith’s hand and gently but surely pulls him out of the room. Keith sees Lance quickly cross himself as they leave.
He must look worried as well because Allura says, “Don’t worry. He’s just making sure Lance will treat you right.”
“I don’t think he really needs to do that.”
Allura cocks an eyebrow.
“Really.”
“Yes, well. I trust Lance although he does seem rather…flirtatious. And Shiro really does worry.”
Keith rolls his eyes, but he feels sort of protected. Like he’s in a family, where his older brother would threaten the guy who dating Keith. It’s the sort of TV cliché that he wouldn’t have thought he’d appreciate.
Allura walks Keith back to his room as they talk softly.
Keith sits in his bed and smiles to himself. He realizes that he might never have been happier in his life. He turns on his bedside lamp and is just pulling out a book he’s been meaning to finish when Lance’s knock hits his door.
He pushes into the room, a little out of breath.
“Hey, Keith. I promise I’ll never hurt you. Can you tell Shiro that because I’m pretty sure he wasn’t convinced?”
Keith laughs and motions Lance over to where he’s sitting. He rests his head on Lance’s chest and laughs until Lance laughs too, then he pulls Lance down to kiss him. He stops after a second to let the laughter bubble out of his chest and Lance pushes his hair back and kisses his forehead.
“I’ll tell Shiro,” Keith whispers against Lance’s lips before he kisses him again.