Chapter Text
“Do you know that time in a relationship when the honeymoon period is over? When you stop holding hands all the time and stop kissing all the time. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t in love anymore. It is just a different kind of love, you know? It is more about thinking about bills and the future than making out all the time. The butterflies are gone and it is more about just being comfortable together or whatever.”
“Yes?” Lance responds.
“When are you two going to get to that point? Like please God can it happen soon?” Pidge rolls her eyes.
They are sitting in the lobby of the library waiting for Hunk to get back from the bathroom. There were only two seats available so Keith said he would just stand, but Lance had tugged him down into his lap. He had taken advantage of his position, tickling Keith’s sides and nuzzling his neck while Pidge played on her phone, shooting occasional disgusted looks in their direction.
“Never. That is never going to happen to us,” Keith answers Pidge without hesitation.
“Nope, this is your life now,” Lance adds.
“You know, we are in a crowded place…”
“Let them look.” Lance shrugs.
“It’s not like we are doing anything illegal,” Keith says, leaning back to kiss Lance’s cheek. Lance nuzzles him and then turns Keith’s face further to kiss his lips.
Pidge takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.
They had lasted for over a year now and sometimes Lance can’t believe it. He has to be somewhat sympathetic to Pidge though. They are a touchy feely couple, always holding hands, kissing, standing close. He would have never guessed that Keith would be so damned cuddly. He loves it though. Lance is like a cat who doesn’t mind rubbing against his human all day long.
Despite Pidge’s silent and sometimes not so silent judgment for their touching and kissing habits, she had slowly grown closer to Keith. Nyma and Pidge had become surprisingly close and it was not uncommon for the four of them to hang out together.
Keith had been a good sport about Pidge occasionally releasing some aggression toward him until, eventually, her teasing turned into something that felt friendly.
She had also softened considerably when heard all the details about Keith’s parents. Keith is a private person and Lance is proud of him for opening up though he guesses it is partially because Keith views Pidge as someone he has to have on his side if the relationship will work.
While Pidge’s own parents are amazing, some of her extended family are not so she understands what Keith is going through. She even helped plan a surprise party for Keith near his birthday when he wasn’t currently talking to his parents.
It also helps that Keith is, by all metrics, a surprisingly caring boyfriend and Lance is wildly in love with him. Pidge supports Lance and knows that, at some point, supporting Lance means supporting Keith.
Graduation is looming for Lance and Pidge. Keith would likely need another year, so he is significantly less busy at this time. Lance sometimes has nightmares about failing one class and not graduating, triggering him to study so much that he feels he might have a shot at acing all of his exams rather than just passing.
Hunk, Rolo, Pidge, and Lance basically live in the library during this time with Keith joining them on the weekends just to act as moral support. Moral support didn’t just mean Keith playing on his phone while they did work. He takes being a supportive friend very seriously. Every few hours, he takes coffee orders and stands in the long line himself while everyone else keeps working. He brings them pizza or fast food depending on what everyone wants. He rubs Lance’s shoulders, runs through flash cards with Hunk, goes to the stacks to get books for Pidge, and humors Rolo when he wants to look at memes on his phone and take a break. Lance feels himself falling even more in love, knowing, of course, that he will return the favor for Keith when the time comes.
It is also the only time, ever, that Keith refuses Lance’s advances. Lance didn’t even think it was possible.
“Come on Keith, just a quickie.”
“You have to get up at 7 tomorrow.”
“But sex will make me tired.”
“If you are horny I can just suck you off real quick. Sex takes too long. You need to sleep.”
Lance moans and sprawls himself across the bed. They had just gotten back from the library and dropping Pidge off. He is feeling a bit turned on. All work and no play makes Lance a dull boy. He is far enough into the relationship to understand that Keith means business when he uses his serious tone though. He would not give in. Lance had to beg him to even spend the night. Keith only agreed because Lance said he could make sure he wakes up in the morning.
“During your next finals week I am going to deny you sex too.”
“Fine. If I am about to stay up all night having sex instead of resting, then fine. I am not denying you sex anyway though. It just isn’t a good idea right now. It is close to midnight and you have to get up early. You need to sleep.”
Lance pouts, trying to look as cute as possible.
“Think of my dick as the prize you get at the end of the road when you finish your exams.”
Lance lays back, closing his eyes and groaning. He can feel Keith still standing by the bed, hands on his hips.
A moment passes before he feels Keith crawl in bed with him and start kissing down his chest.
Lance closes his eyes, putting his hand on Keith’s head. He is asleep less than 15 minutes later, wondering how he got so lucky.
*********
“Are you nervous? You are shaking a little bit,” Keith says to Lance, moving a bit closer to him.
“Yes, what if it hurts?”
“Aw, babe. I will hold your hand through it.”
Lance links arms with Keith, leaning on him a bit, and they enter the brightly colored shop in front of them.
They are committing the sin that everyone told them they were stupid to consider. The bad luck omen for relationships. The one that everyone in their lives openly judged them for doing.
A couple’s tattoo.
Of course, Lance rationalizes, they are not really getting couple’s tattoos because they aren’t matching. It only counts if it matches exactly, Lance tells himself.
They decided to choose and help design their own tattoos separately from one another, but with the same tattoo artist. Lance thought it would be cool to make it a surprise for each other on the day they get the tattoos. They had chosen a space or universe theme, thinking that a similarly themed tattoo would be less corny than getting an actual matching tattoo. They had also debated where to get the tattoos on their bodies. They finally decided on their backs, between their shoulder blades, a bit below their necks. It is a joint decision made considering their body types, how easy it would be to hide from employers, and the general outlines of the tattoo designs.
A few hours later, Lance is struck by two facts. One is that he officially has his first (and probably only) tattoo. His skin is permanently marked with the tattoo that reminds him of Keith. Second is the fact that Keith is a big baby when it comes to needles. Though he had supported Lance through his own tattoo, as soon as he was on the table his face had grown somehow even paler than his normal pale shade. He is currently clutching Lance’s hand in a vicious grip, one that almost has Lance asking for mercy.
The second the needle touches him, Keith jerks and looks like he is about to puke.
“He is going to have to stay still,” the tattoo artist says.
“You don’t have to do this,” Lance tells him.
“Yes, yes I do. This proves my love.”
“Sweetie, I already know you love me.”
“I am getting the tattoo, Lance.”
“What if you throw up…”
“I won’t. I am doing this. Back off.” He looks at the tattoo artist. “Do it. I won’t move again.”
To his credit, he doesn’t, gritting his teeth and accepting the needle’s movements.
Lance feels warm looking down at Keith’s design, the one that reminds Keith of him. The mark that would be on his body forever saying that he is Lance’s and vice versa.
Soon, Keith is done as well, black lines stark against his pale skin.
Afterward, they go out for froyo, Keith still pouting about the pain.
**********
Lance decides not to show his family immediately. He knows his mom will not be happy and Anthony will never let him live it down. So, Pidge and Nyma are the first people who get to see the new tattoos. They eagerly stand before Pidge and Nyma, both of whom seem to be trying to keep a straight face.
“Ok, so big reveal.”
They both peel off their shirts and turn around. There is a moment of silence.
“They….they actually look kinda cool,” Pidge says.
“Yeah, I was expecting something really lame,” Nyma adds.
“Talented tattooist right?” Keith says.
Lance nods.
“Much more tasteful than I was expecting,” Nyma says.
“I was sort of expecting you guys to get each other’s faces tattooed on your arms or something,” Pidge snorts.
“Oh come on, we aren’t that bad,” Lance fires back.
“So why did you choose these designs?” Nyma asks.
“Well,” Keith smiles at Lance.
“We decided to do a theme.”
“Yeah, a theme. So the theme was space and the universe.”
Keith goes first. His is a stylized compass in the shape of the North Star.
“I knew right away for mine that I had to get the North Star…”
He grips Lance’s hand here.
“because Lance is my North Star. He is the person who will always guide me in the right direction, show me where I need to go when I am lost.”
Lance ignores Pidge’s deep inhale.
Lance’s tattoo is a geometric design of the galaxy, designed to look circular. “And I got the actual universe, or galaxy, in a circle because Keith is my entire world and with him, my world is complete.”
Nyma actually looks teary eyed.
“I want to die,” Pidge mutters. Nyma punches her arm.
“Ok, I will tease you guys for that later, but that is actually pretty damn sweet,” she mutters a second later, finally smiling.
**********
Lance frowns. He is wearing a new suit. The suit is pretty cheap, something he had to get for his new job except he is broke because he hasn’t gotten a paycheck yet. It is partially a graduation present that allows him to get it at all. It doesn’t quite feel right on him just like his job doesn’t quite feel right either. However, he is relieved to find that he can do the work and he likes the work. He had quickly received an engineering position after graduating. It is near the city so he can still see Keith all the time and his friends from college. Even though he is the youngest in the office, he seems to get along with everyone. As he adjusts his tie in the mirror, he sighs and thinks about the events of the last few months since graduation.
They had lost Pidge at the end of Summer on a humid day in August.
Of course, even Pidge herself would roll her eyes at Lance’s dramatics. Lost just means that Pidge got into an amazing graduate program, her dream school, except for the fact that it is located far away. Lance looks it up on google maps and it is 11 hours driving, and nearly 3 by plane. He knows it isn’t that big of a deal. It is only a two year program. She wants to be near her family when she graduates and there are tons of jobs in her field in the city. They will facetime and text and visit.
But it feels like a big deal. Pidge had long stopped being just a friend and Lance considers her family. He can’t remember the last time he didn’t have Pidge by his side.
They tearfully saw her off at the airport. Keith had come, but stayed back in the parking lot to give Lance and Pidge’s parents some privacy to say goodbye. Lance promises himself he won’t cry, but breaks that promise immediately as he hugs Pidge one last time. Even Pidge’s family gives Lance his moment. There are no words to describe what Lance feels at being separated from her. When Pidge is no longer visible, he hugs her mother. Mrs. Holt tells him she will make Pidge visit all the time and that he can come over any time he wants.
At home, Lance is moody, letting Keith hold him while he gives himself the night to feel sad.
He adjusts quickly though. He understands that this is a huge opportunity for her. She texts all the time like she promised.
Today, she is coming back to visit. Lance just had to get through Friday in his stupid cheap suit and then he could see his friend again. They are going to hang out with Keith and Nyma tonight. Saturday morning, Pidge and Lance plan to have some time alone as friends. Then, she would see her own family the rest of Saturday through Monday.
Lance jerks at his tie as Keith screams at him from the kitchen.
“It’s getting cold, you asshole!”
Keith, who had taken to joking about Lance being his sugar daddy, enjoys making breakfast for him when he can. He said it is thanks for all the help Lance is giving him to study for the Praxis, a test to certify him to teach. Keith had decided that he wants to teach, a career choice that seems strange to Lance, but also makes sense in other ways. Over the summer, Lance had gotten to witness how ridiculously good Keith is with kids through his volunteer work. Keith is hoping to get a coaching position for younger kids, but most jobs would require that he teach as well, of course.
There is something that tickles Lance when he thinks about his grumpy bastard of a boyfriend standing in front of a classroom.
Keith had thrown himself into this new career path with complete dedication like everything else he has done in life. Lance is proud of him. He is managing an overload to try to make up some lost time. He already has a placement in a school for the next semester for his teaching internship and, beyond that, all he has to do is pass the Praxis to start looking for a job.
Overall, they had found a comfortable pace together in life. As Keith shovels some eggs onto his plate and scootches some of his study guides to the side to make way for his boyfriend, Lance would not have it any other way.
*********
Keith pulls Lance close, touching the galaxy tattoo on his back.
“I love you.” He says.
“I love you too.”
“Always?”
“Always and forever.”
“Forever?”
“Even when you are wrinkly and old and grosser than you are now.”
“Forever.”
Keith leans forward, kissing Lance gently, rubbing his thumb over the tattoo.
“Ok, I lied about thinking you guys are cute together. When are you going to break up?” Nyma’s voice interrupts them.
“I think I am going to vomit,” Pidge adds.
Keith starts to pull away, but Lance holds him close.
“You guys are just jealous,” Lance says.
Pidge makes a fake puking sound while Nyma laughs.
They bring in the board game that they had been choosing in the other room.
“Monopoly, really?”
“Fuck yeah, I’m ready to ruin some friendships tonight.” Pidge grins.
Lance smiles at his friends, his boyfriend, knowing that nothing, not even Monopoly, would ruin what they had built.
