Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Keith was a morning person. As soon as sunlight crept through the cracks in the blinds, he was awake. He always found mornings so peaceful. The melodious chirping of birds in the tree right right outside the apartment window was the best part of his morning.

Actually, scratch that. The best part of his morning was waking up right beside Lance. If it was a good night, their limbs would be entangled and their bedding abandoned. But it was late in the summer. And cuddling in these temperatures just resulted in the two of them waking up a sticky and sweaty mess. But on occasion, Keith would wake up to find that Lance had a hand in his hair, or that their feet were brushing together. That was definitely the best part of his morning.

Usually, he would let Lance sleep. He enjoyed the quiet, he liked watching Lance’s chest rise and fall with each even breath. And he loved the way Lance’s eyelids fluttered open when he came to in the mornings. But some mornings, he could be playful. He could be restless. He couldn’t wait for Lance to wake up.

And today was one of those mornings. Today he found himself eager to wake Lance. He turned over in the bed, one hand resting on Lance’s shoulder as he tilted his head up. “Lance. Hey, Lance.” He whispered, sure his voice alone wouldn’t be enough to wake Lance.

Lance was entirely unresponsive, still deep in his sleep. But that wasn’t uncommon. Where Keith was a light sleeper, Lance was the polar opposite. Lance had slept thousands of alarms, through jackhammer construction outside their apartment, even through a 4.8 earthquake on one occasion. If the boy wanted to sleep, there wasn’t much anyone could do to counter it. But that wouldn’t stop Keith.

“Lance, baby, wake up.” He whispered again, this time a little louder and he opted to shake his boyfriend’s shoulder ever so slightly. Lance’s breathing hadn’t hitched in the slightest. Knowing that Lance wouldn’t hear him, Keith, let out a small chuckle. “My boyfriend sleeps like the dead.” He muttered mostly to himself.

Not even the slightest bit deterred, Keith opted for a more intimate wake up. He pressed himself up on his forearm and leaned down to press a series of small kisses all over Lance’s exposed skin. He pressed a kiss on his collarbone, and on the side of his neck, the entire length of his jaw. He pressed one on his forehead for good measure. But even then, Lance hardly stirred. He hand twitched and he adjusted his positioning ever so slightly. But he was still far from awake. “You’re impossible,” Keith sighed out as he placed another kiss on Lance’s lips.

That kiss prompted a different response. Lance’s lips pulled up into a comfortable smile and he even let out a small giggle. At that, Keith knew he was finally getting somewhere. Lance was finally starting to fall out of sleep. And he knew just the way to finish the job.

It would be a dangerous method, that he knew. He’d tried it only once before. And it ended with Keith in the hospital with a bruised rib and a slight concussion. He knew the risks he was facing. But this time, he would take more precautions. He would make sure this time didn’t end with a trip to the hospital but with the room being filled with Lance’s light laughter and good morning kisses.

With a devilish smirk, he crawled on top of Lance. That seemed to draw Lance even further from sleep as he hazily swatted at the weight now resting on thighs. But Keith knew he was still out of it enough to get his desired reaction. Without a second thought, Keith tickled his fingers against Lance’s sides. Lance jolted uncontrollably, trying to evade Keith’s fingers. Watching Lance flail around prompted Keith to start laughing as he continued to tickle his boyfriend. It wasn’t much longer until Lance’s eyes shot open and his mouth burst with the roaring sounds of laughter. “Keith. Keith. Knock it off!” He gasped out in between his fits of hysteria. “Okay. Okay. I’m awake!”

Lance’s legs jolted as he tried to free himself. But one jolt was all he needed to set Keith off balance. Before Lance could realize what he’d done, Keith’s face was approaching him and their foreheads knocked together with a cringe-worthy thunk. Keith and Lance were both still laughing as they rubbed the sore spots on their foreheads.

When the laughter died down, Lance sent Keith a sincere look of betrayal. “I told you never to tickle me awake again.” He shot with his hand still pressed against the bump forming on his skull.

Keith was still smiling wide, the pain is his forehead long forgotten because Lance was awake and he got what he wanted. “But it worked,” He leaned down to press a longer, more passionate kiss to Lance’s lips. Followed by a more chaste kiss on his forehead, “Good morning, beautiful.”

Lance rolled his eyes, but couldn’t do anything to prevent the blush forming on his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah. Good morning, asshole.” His voice still had the residual perkiness of laughter. “Now go get me an ice pack for my head.”

Keith roared with laughter once again as he walked out to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Lance was used to waking up in an empty bed. At the start of their relationship, Keith had always been home during the mornings. They would always wake up at their leisure and spend the mornings together. And Lance loved that. He was at a point where he couldn’t sleep if Keith wasn’t beside him. Their full size bed was his favorite place in the world.

But then Keith got a new job. A morning job. A job that required him to be out of the apartment before 6 am six out of seven days a week. And while Keith was going on and on about how he’d never had to be up so early in his life, Lance was just as disappointed. The first few nights were the worst. When Keith would slip out of bed at 4:00, Lance would pretend he was still asleep just to spare Keith’s feelings. And when he heard the apartment door close, he would sit up and stare at Keith’s side of the bed. Their full size bed became his least favorite place.

Eventually he’d learned to adjust. He managed to sleep through Keith’s morning routine; he stopped hearing Keith leave. And when he opened his eyes, he was only slightly devastated to find Keith’s side empty.

So when Lance woke up to the warmth of another body in the bed, he bolted upright faster than he ever had before. He had to do a double take. It was Keith, sitting up, scrolling through his phone. Cautiously, he reached out to press his hand to the side of Keith’s face as though to ensure it wasn’t just a hallucination.

Keith side-eyed the hand pressed against his face and let out a small laugh, “Something wrong?” He set his phone down on the night table.

Lance jumped like the sound of Keith’s voice startled him from his thoughts. Keith was really there. “Keith, baby. What are you doing here? You’re like super late for work!” And while he worried about Keith’s tardiness, he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around his boyfriend and pull him deeper into the sheets.

Keith ran his fingers through Lance’s hair. “Lance, I told you last week. Alex and I switched shifts today. I’m working the night shift.” He reminded gently, knowing full well that Lance would be embarrassed he’d forgotten such good news. “Sorry, I probably should have reminded you.”

Lance nuzzled deeper into Keith’s chest. To some extent he was actually glad he’d forgotten because waking up to Keith unexpectedly was the best surprise he’d gotten in awhile. It’d been so long since they’d been able to just lay in bed without a care in the world. With his head pressed against Keith’s chest, Lance was content to stay in bed all day. Or at least until he had to leave for work at 2.

But then again, why waste the opportunity. Lance recalled that they used to do things in the mornings. Keith used to make coffee, and Lance used to cook. Lance would watch the morning news and Keith, being old fashioned as he was, would settle in with the paper. And they would talk. About anything! Any particularly memorable dream or any silly antics the other performed in their sleep. They would talk about the upcoming day’s activities or what they would eat for dinner. But no matter what it was, they were always smiling, always laughing with one another. Lance missed that just as much as he missed waking up beside Keith.

“Hey, Keith. Since your home, do you want to have breakfast like we used to? Just you and me and a plate of scrambled eggs.” Lance asked listening carefully to Keith’s even heartbeat.

Keith’s fingers were still carding through Lance’s hair, combing out any small knots he encountered. He pressed a kiss to top of Lance’s head. “Sure, babe.” He smiled, wrapping his free hand around the brunette and pulling him closer. “Just five more minutes.” But based on the way Keith was nesting himself deep within the covers, he had no intention of getting out anytime soon.

Five minutes quickly turned to ten minutes. Ten minutes to thirty. And thirty minutes to an hour. Despite Lance’s previous wishes, he found himself quite comfortable just lying against Keith’s chest.

Glancing at the clock, Lance noticed how much time had passed. How much of the day had been wasted just laying in bed. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to care. Because this time was precious. This was exactly what he wanted back. What he’d taken for granted when he had it. “Hey, Keith.” Lance broke their comfortable silence.

“Yeah?” Keith asked, his hand still rubbing up and down Lance’s back.

“I know it’s probably a lot to ask, but,” Lance bit his bottom lip, “would you be able to permanently switch your shift?”

Keith’s hand suddenly stopped moving across Lance’s skin. “Lance,” Keith sighed.

Lance propped himself to look at Keith. “I know, I know.” He strung a hand in Keith’s messy bedhead. “It’s a lot to ask, I know that. But I miss having you here in the mornings. And I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it until I got to spend this time with you. I want to do this every single morning with you.” He leaned down, pressing his forehead firmly against Keith’s and fighting back the tears building up in his eyes.

Keith smiled, Lance’s hitching breath hitting his face. Slowly, he tilted his head up, bringing his lips to Lance’s. Even after the kiss, he kept his face intimately close to Lance. “I miss being here in the mornings,” he admitted, “I’ll see what I can do.”

That was all Lance needed to hear. Keith would try for him. And maybe he would love being in their full size bed again.

Chapter Text

Lance made sure he set an alarm. He’d triple checked it prior to going to sleep the night before. So when the intro to Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando” filled the bedroom, he was quick to reach for his phone before Keith would hear it.

But despite his best efforts, he found himself fumbling with the stupid task he’d set as the only way to make the noise stop. When he set the alarm, it was genius. He should have to complete a series of simple math problems to turn it off. That way, he’s be less tempted to just roll over and go back to sleep. But in retrospect, it was probably pretty stupid. And the alarm would be blaring until he completed the last problem.

Thirteen simple addition problems later the alarm finally stopped. And he was right, he didn’t feel tired. But much to Lance’s dismay, Keith was starting to wake up. He could feel Keith shifting under the covers as he turned to face Lance. “Babe. Was that your alarm?” He asked, his voice slurred from sleep.

Lance started rubbing Keith’s back, an action he knew would lull Keith back to sleep. “Sorry, I forgot I set that.” He easily lied, “Go back to sleep. It’s still early.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh.” Keith hummed. Thanks to Lance’s tender touch, he was asleep again within minutes.

Once he knew Keith was in a deep enough sleep, Lance carefully slipped out of the bed. Quietly, he crept out of the room and took up residence on their living room sofa. With his laptop on his lap and his textbooks sprawled out around him, he was set to begin his early morning cram session.

Mornings were the only time Lance was able to study in peace. He was always so easily distractible. And his friends could be so persuasive. So to balance all that out, he’d decided to start studying early in the mornings, while all of his distractions were still asleep. No one would bother him. And with finals just around the corner, he needed as much study time as he could get.

He found he could be very productive when there was no one around to distract him. In only forty minutes, he’d managed to memorize a full page of complex mathematical equations and make corrections to his French literature essay. The sun wasn’t even in the sky yet. Lance still had plenty of time to get some more work done. Keith wouldn’t be up for at least another two hours.

Or so he thought.

As he opened his physics textbook to the current chapter, he heard the bedroom door slowly creak open. He craned his neck in that direction just in time to watch Keith stumble out rubbing tired eyes. But more than Keith’s tired pout and his adorable bedhead, Lance was drawn to the fact the Keith was wearing nothing by a t-shirt. Lance’s t-shirt.

It was the blue one with the facebook cat right in the center. The one the brunette wore the day before. The one he lazily tossed on the floor when getting ready for bed. It was even a little big on him. So he wasn’t surprised to see that Keith was practically swimming in it. It fell to halfway down his thighs and was loose around the neckline. He looked adorable.

“Keith, baby.” Lance whispered, certain any loud noises would startle him, “What are you doing up?”

“You weren’t in bed,” Keith replied through a long yawn. “Wanted to know where you went.” He leaned against the hallway wall for support. “Why are you up? It’s still dark out.”

Lance set his book down to focus all his attention to his boyfriend. “I woke up early to get some homework done.” He chuckled lightly at his Keith’s head bobbed up and down as he drifted. “Why don’t you go back to sleep. You’re still tired.”

Keith managed a simple nod before walking over to the sofa and collapsing down, his head falling right into Lance’s empty lap. It wasn’t exactly what Lance had in mind. But he would be lying if he said it wasn’t cute. And he couldn't exactly turn Keith away when he looked to perfect with Lance’s long t-shirt and sleepy pout.

As Keith curled up against the couch, Lance wrapped an arm around him. He instinctively starting rubbing small circles into Keith’s back. And once again, Keith fell back to sleep quickly. With Keith snoring softly in his lap, Lance reopened the textbook and started reading the chapter, periodically planting light kisses on Keith’s forehead.

This was the kind of distraction he could handle.

Chapter Text

When Lance awoke, it wasn’t naturally or peacefully like he had anticipated. No. He was startled awake by the loud noise coming the next room. Keith was blasting music. Keith was blasting music at 7 am. Like, in the morning. Like way before any normal person should be awake.

But Keith was clearly awake, sitting out in the living room with loud music practically shaking the entire apartment. Was it even music? It didn’t sound like any song Lance had ever heard before. More like a collection of instruments playing over each other. And it did not sound nice. Not at all. And especially not at seven in the morning.

He tried just drowning it out. Trying to ignore it. He tried plastering his pillow over his ears. He even tried putting headphones in. But the noise from the living room overpowered every method he tried. Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to ignore it if the music was nice. Or if it was a notch or two quieter. But as his head started to ache, he found that he just couldn’t let it slide.

Lance didn’t want to get mad. He loved Keith. And it wasn’t like Keith had a habit of playing loud music in the morning. This was actually his first offence. So he decided a cute, gentle nudge to turn the volume down would be enough to get the message across. And what was cuter than trudging out the room in nothing but the alien print boxers Keith got him for his birthday.

He huffed as he pulled himself to his feet. Exhaustion still coursing through his bones, he made his way out of the room and dragged his feet until he found the source of the noise. “Keith. I love you, babe. But could you please turn that down?” He asked, scanning the room for his boyfriend.

He found Keith sitting at the kitchen table. And sitting with Keith, three men he’d never seen before. His previously tired eyes shot open at the sight of three strangers sitting at his kitchen table eating his cereal. His focus shifted between his boyfriend, the three strangers, and the laptop sitting between them, which he discovered to be the source of the awful noise still filling his apartment.

But Lance could no longer hear the music. All he could hear was the sound of his blood pressure rising because Keith had guys over. Keith invited guys over early in the morning without telling him. And now he was standing in front of them with disheveled hair and alien print boxers.

Keith was quick to jump out of his seat and rush over to his boyfriend who looked about thirty seconds from losing his cool. “Lance. Baby, look at me.” He coaxed softly. When Lance finally focused his gaze, Keith cautiously continued. “I know what you’re probably thinking. But it’s not like that. Remember how I told you I was getting back into music?” Lance nodded, he remembered Keith saying something like that. “Well,” he gestured vaguely.

Lance once again scanned the guys at the table. So this was Keith’s new band. His previous rage quickly turned to embarrassment. This was not how he’d expected to meet the guys Keith would be working with. And he wasn’t sure if he should formally introduce himself or run back to the bedroom and lock the door for an indefinite period of time.

Thankfully, Keith made the decision for him. He turned to his bandmates before speaking, “Let’s finish the soundboard another time.” That was his not-so-subtle way of kicking them out. And they seemed to understand. Because in less than a minute, they were packed up and headed out the door.

With them out of his mind, Lance could better focus on Keith. “When you said you were getting back into music, I didn’t think you meant at seven AM on a Saturday.” He spoke accusingly.

Keith looked to the floor. Lance knew he was trying to find a reason for his actions. Looking for a response that wouldn’t set Lance off. “I know. I’m sorry we woke you up. And I’m sorry I forgot to tell you they were coming.” Apologies were always a good fallback. “I love you, Lance.” And that never hurt either.

Lance could tell Keith felt guilty. And that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He loved Keith, and he didn’t like to see him suffer. “Look, I’ll let it slide this time. Just don’t let it happen again.” There was a period of silence between them before Lance looked up at Keith again, “Your bandmates saw me in my underwear, Keith.” He laughed lightly.

Keith smirked up at him. “So,” He joked, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist. “Now they all know that my boyfriend looks super hot in boxers.” He planted a few kisses against Lance’s shoulder.

“Even boxers with cartoon aliens on them?” Lance argued, but still leaned into every kiss Keith placed on him.

“Are you dissing the aliens?” Keith teased. Lance rolled his eyes. “Thought so.” He kissed Lance’s neck and lightly slapped his ass, “Come on, let’s go back to bed.”

“I’m really not tired anymore.” Lance objected.

“I didn’t say go back to sleep.” Keith grabbed onto the elastic around Lance’s waist.

Lance didn’t object.

Chapter Text

Keith didn’t get excited for much. He wasn’t a fan of sports; he didn’t have a favorite band; he didn’t even have a favorite TV series. He didn’t care for holidays or special events. Hell, the man hardly cracked a smile when he and Lance went to the shelter in search of a dog to rescue. It was pretty safe to say that Keith was a man of simple things.

But he wasn’t heartless. Quite the opposite, actually. As Lance came to learn, Keith had a huge heart. And he could be quite the sentimental charmer when he wanted to be. Keith loved Lance; and he made sure to spoil the brunette every chance he got.

Sometimes, he was extravagant. Sometimes, Keith would make secret reservations at fancy restaurants or plan a weekend vacation. Other times, he was simple. He would buy flowers or leave Lance little post-it notes reminding him how much he cared. And sometimes, he would just wake up early and set up a simple breakfast for just the two of them.

He was no chef. And he didn’t pretend that he was. When he thought about preparing a breakfast for Lance, he completely overlooked anything that would require him to use the stove. He hardly liked using the stove in his most competent state of mind, let alone when he was hazy and still disoriented from sleep. The toaster was a definite possibility. Maybe even the microwave. But absolutely nothing that involved the stove.

Keith checked the freezer for any frozen waffles or microwavable breakfast sandwiches. He was pleased to find several boxes stacked in the third shelf. But upon closer inspection, and as a testament to his frequent misfortune, he found all the boxes to be empty. Stupid Lance and his stupid bad habit of putting empty boxes back in the freezer.

So frozen breakfast was out of the question.

As he looked around for a plan B, he found himself fixated on the cereal boxes on the top shelf of the pantry. Hesitantly, he reached out to grab a box. Hopefully Lance hadn’t put empty boxes back in the pantry, too. His mind eased when he heard the cereal shifting around the box. Just enough for two bowls, Keith speculated as he finished pulling it down.

Frosted Flakes. It was a sugary cereal Lance always insisted they bought. Lance insisted they were good because it was Kelloggs and and they were full of vitamins and stuff. And while Keith insisted that any cereal targeted at children was absolutely not nutritional in any way, shape, or form, the damn box always ended up in the cart.

Keith went against his better judgement and poured two bowls of the flakes, horrified at the literal sugar crystals that were saturating the actual cereal pieces. Parents really let their kids eat this stuff? They seriously target this to child athletes? But again, he bit back his hesitations. This was a sentiment for Lance. And Lance liked this stuff. Besides, one bowl wouldn’t completely shoot his metabolism. But he would definitely be spending an extra half hour at the gym just to make sure.

With the cereal poured, Keith put the bowls in the table along with the milk, orange juice, and two bananas (to add some actual nutrition to the meal). The table was set. All that was missing was Lance’s presence. Keith glanced back to their room, one hundred percent certain that Lance was still sound asleep.

Chuckling, he went to wake his sleeping boyfriend. It took a significant amount of effort, and Keith was thankful he had enough sense not to pour the milk because the cereal would have been a sopping mess by the time Lance made an appearance at the table. But with enough shaking and gentle coaxing, Lance finally started to come to.

He rubbed tired eyes and stretched out his long limbs across the entire length of the bed. Keith found it to be adorable, running fingers through Lance’s knotted hair. “Good morning,” he smiled, “I made breakfast. It’s waiting on the table.”

Eyes still closed, Lance quirked a brow. Keith absolutely did not make breakfast. He knew it, and Keith knew it too. “Okay, I didn’t actually make anything. It’s cereal. But it’s all poured and waiting on the table. So get your adorable, lazy ass out of bed.”

Lance’s eyes finally cracked open. He looked Keith over and smirked as he turned back over and pulled the covers tighter over himself. “I’m not getting out of bed for cereal.” He slurred. It was a lie. He would totally get out of bed for cardboard if Keith had prepared it. But this particular morning, he felt like seeing just how far he could push.

“Come on, Lance. It’s your sugary cereal with the tiger on it. It’s your favorite!” Keith tugged at the covers and shook Lance a little more violently.

Lance turned over again with a devilish smirk. He held his arms up like an infant confined to a crib, clenching and unclenching his fists. Keith looked confused at first, but eventually he understood what Lance was getting at. “No, no way! I’m not carrying you to the table.” He crossed his arms vehemently over his chest.

Lance continued reaching up at Keith with the beginnings of a pout forming on his lips. He would even force himself to cry if need be. The stand-off lasted only a little while longer before Keith finally caved, sighing and scooping Lance up in a bridal fashion and escorting him out to the kitchen.

Lance laughed adorably as Keith carried him, “You’re a big pushover, you know that.” He teased, kissing Keith’s blushing cheek.

Keith set Lance down in his chair and pushed him in. “Shut up and eat your sugar.” He muttered as he took his own seat.

Lance laughed impossibly louder at that, “I love you.” he grinned as he grabbed the milk.

Keith really was just a sentimental, sappy, pushover.

Chapter Text

Keith was a man of routine. He liked to have a schedule and stick strictly to it. If he had to make even the slightest changes, it would ruin his entire day. Depending on the severity of the change, it could even ruin his whole week.

The routine was roughly the same day to day, week after week. Wake up at 6:00 to go to the gym, come home, wake Lance, get ready for the classes of the day, attend morning classes, grab lunch with Lance, attend afternoon classes, go home, do homework, go back to the gym, go back home, eat dinner, maybe relax if he had the time, then go to sleep and start the whole thing over again. His routine was his passion.

So when his internal clock woke him at precisely 6:00 he was ready to start another day. It was supposed to be just like any other Wednesday. His muscles were aching to go to the gym.

Actually, his muscles were tingling. Specifically, the muscles on his left side. He could hardly feel his left arm. In a moment of panic, he turned his head a lightning speed to investigate the issue. He relaxed when he realized it was just that Lance had fallen asleep against him, trapping Keith’s arm beneath his body.

He smiled fondly at the peaceful smile on Lance’s lips. It’s been awhile since Lance looked so peaceful. Ever since the brunette received a warning grade in his critical thinking class, he’d been overworking himself in order to bring his grade up. And slowly but surely, it was working. Lance’s grade was rising into a more acceptable level.

However, trying to balance his school work, his part-time pizzeria job, and his required volunteer position was becoming a bit too stressful. Keith could tell by the seemingly eternal exhausted expression he wore. He was hardly sleeping, which was why this particular moment of Lance actually resting was valuable to Keith.

Come to think of it, Keith wasn’t exactly sure when Lance slipped into bed. But judging by the faint humming of the fan in Lance’s laptop, it couldn’t have been long too ago. He’d been falling asleep later and later the past few weeks, only adding to his increasing exhaustion. And Keith knew he was purely drained by the way he was cuddling up against him.

Lance was definitely a cuddler through and through. The fact that was pressed against Keith was nothing out of the ordinary. But Lance was curled in on himself. One hand clutching relentlessly on the fabric of Keith’s t-shirt. His legs were snaked around one of Keith’s. Lance’s head wasn’t tucked in the crook of Keith’s neck, but rather rested on his chest and the hand not gripping Keith’s shirt was stuck in the tangles of Keith’s long hair.

That was only how Lance cuddled when he was desperate, when he was running thin, when he needed more than he was getting. Lance needed more than he was getting. More rest, more comfort, just more.

Keith wanted to get out of bed. He had to start his routine. He had to get to the gym, or his entire day would be off. He started to move, trying to pry himself away from Lance. But when he started to move, Lane stirred and the smile on his lips turned to a pout. He muttered something about not moving. Something about staying, and Keith couldn’t resist.

He looked back down at Lance. His poor, exhausted, momentarily at ease boyfriend. And he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed. He wanted to go to the gym. But Lance absolutely needed him. With no further hesitation, Keith rested back in the bed, pulling Lance even closer and coating him with loving comfort. He’d make up his lost workout before dinner.

Keith hated to have his routine interrupted; but for Lance, he would make an exception.

Chapter Text

Lance’s morning routine was nothing short of miraculous. Where Keith had one bottle of shampoo and one bottle body wash in the shower, Lance had over fifteen different products for his hair and body alike. Keith barely had any room left on the counter for his toothpaste aside all Lance’s skin lotions and hair gels. His process was meticulous, following the directions clearly as they were written on each bottle.

It took hours. With his average forty minute long showers, and his blow drying process, and then the make-up and the hair product, and it went on and on. And it wasn’t just a special occasion thing. It was an every single day routine. Every. Single. Day. Even if he was running late, even if he wasn’t going anywhere all day. He still had to make sure his routine was complete.

But, he’d admit, he did put in a little extra effort if he knew there were big plans. Like planned get togethers, work days, or school presentations. But he always went a little overboard for dates. Alongside his regular routine was an over-the-top make-up application. Keith never said anything, but Lance knew he liked the brunette with a full face. And Lance liked doing it. He liked applying eye liner and contouring. He liked concealer and body glitter. He liked getting done up. He liked getting done up, especially for Keith.

Date nights came few and far between. And date days were even harder on the both of them. They were students, they had jobs, they were trying to make everything work. And even though they saw each other every day, it was rare that they actually went on a real date. Lane couldn’t even remember the last time they saw a movie together, or went to dinner off-campus.

So when they had scavenged the hours to take a day-long Saturday date, Lance jumped on the opportunity. Dinner, a movie, ice cream, a walk in the park, stargazing. Lance truly believed he would be able to fit it all into one day. He just had to get ready for the day. It was going to be the best day ever. Lance could feel it in his bones.

When he finally finished his routine, he went back into the bedroom to wake up Keith, still sound asleep in bed. “Keith, it’s date day. Wake your lazy butt up.” Lance encouraged, voice light with laughter and excitement.

Keith didn’t stir. So Lance tried again, and again and again until Keith finally moved. Instead of pushing himself out of bed, he wrapped his arms around Lance’s torso and pulled him back into bed. Lance gasped on the way down, landing halfway on top of Keith. “Lazy date instead?” Keith slurred still over half asleep, his arms wrapped around Lance and head nuzzling against Lance’s side.

Lance kicked off his shoes and readjusted himself so that he wasn’t completely lying on top of Keith. Without speaking, he made it known that a lazy date would be just fine. Maybe they could catch the movie later, way way later.

Keith looked up at Lance with a grateful smile. “You look beautiful, as usual.” He pressed a kiss to Lance’s well contoured cheek.

At least he didn’t completely waste a face.

Chapter Text

Keith wasn’t a fan of surprises. He hated them, actually. No suspense, no games. He liked things simple and planned out. Unfortunately. Lance had learned this the hard way. He’d tried planning a surprise birthday party for Keith months ago. However, instead of the excitement he expected, he received a punch in the gut and three days of the silent treatment.

Fortunately, Lanced seemed to have learned his lesson. Always announcing his presence and never making Keith guess anything. He was always straightforward and tried to keep his teasing games to a minimum. He’d learned that Keith’s fear of surprises was worse when Keith was in a vulnerable state. Sleeping was a prime example. Lance had taken many elbows to the ribs because he tried to start an impromptu cuddle session with Keith.

Needless to say, Lance had gotten the hang of how to behave around Keith. And they had found a comfortable balance between Lance’s love of surprises and Keith’s absolute hatred. However, Lance had to do a little more sacrificing than Keith did. Actually, a lot more sacrificing.

It was difficult at first for Lance. He was a man with a fondness for romantic gestures. He loved sneaking behind his partners and covering their eyes. He loved surprise gifts and unidentified adventures just waiting to be discovered. And Keith would have absolutely none of that. It was disheartening. But Lance stuck through it.

Now, he enjoyed making his presence known. Every single day he fell more in love with Keith, and all his quirky mannerisms.

When Lance heard the sink running behind a slightly open bathroom door, he knew for certain Keith was behind it. Smirking, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He had every intention to announce himself. It was the safest option, given that Keith was bent over the sink. There was no way Keith could see him.

There was no way Keith could see him coming. This was an opportunity to test the waters. To surprise him without actually surprising him. Because he wouldn’t be stupid enough to just go snake his arms around the other, no matter how temptingly domestic it would be. It was a guaranteed death sentence. And Lance currently didn’t have death wish.

But he could do something. Something that would satisfy his domestic romantic wishes but still align with Keith’s sensitivities. In a quick moment without hesitation, Lance knocked against the door frame twice. Hard. So that it would certainly be heard over the sound of running water.

Lance watched as Keith’s shoulder’s jumped slightly. “Lance?” He questioned with a toothbrush still dangling from his mouth. When Keith turned to investigate, he found the doorway empty.

Not a second later, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s torso and rested his chin on Keith’s shoulder. He stole a quick, spearmint flavored kiss.

Keith smirked, spitting the last of his toothpaste out into the sink. After dabbing his mouth with a bathroom towel, he turned himself in Lance’s arm. “I knew it was you.” He joked, kissing the top of Lance’s head.

“I know,” Lance laughed, “I wouldn’t have tried it otherwise.”

Chapter Text

Keith tried not to make a habit of it. It was supposed to be a one time thing. But just this once quickly turned into one more time. Keith convinced himself that every time would be the last time. And he wouldn’t do it anymore, no matter how badly he wanted to.

But it became impossible to resist. So much so that when Lance would talk about getting in the shower, Keith would time it so he knew when Lance would be out. And in that time, he would make his way to the bathroom to wait for Lance to walk out, one towel wrapped loosely around his waist and another around his neck collecting the excess water from his sopping strands of hair.

It was a beautiful sight. They way Lance’s freshly cleaned skin shined under the fluorescent lighting. Or the tiny droplets of water that slid down Lance’s fully exposed torso. Or the way his bangs stuck to his forehead. Even the goofy smile he wore while he wiped water off his face.

But Keith didn’t come for the sight. Though, it was an added bonus. Keith came for the smell. Lance always smelled good. And it was no surprise given the dozens of fragranced products he used every day. But he smelled best right after a shower.

Keith couldn’t figure out if it was the combination of the dozen bottles that belonged to Lance, or if it was one bottle in particular. And he was only slightly ashamed to admit he’d taken a whiff of each bottle Lance kept in the shower just to find the one that smelled exactly like Lance after a shower. But he hadn’t found one. A couple came close, but nothing smelled right. Nothing smelled as perfect as the real thing.

So that’s why Keith found himself perched outside the bathroom door nearly every day. And every day he noticed something new while he waited. Lance sang in the shower. He turned the water off and back on at least three times every shower (five times at most). Lance liked his showers steaming hot, even when it was over ninety degrees outside. He brushed his teeth immediately after stepping out. Keith learned all of this just through waiting.

When it was new, he would time it that he would be “just passing by” when Lance opened the door. But since then, he’d become much less secretive about his waiting game. He would stand right outside the door when Lance opened it, ready to pull the taller boy into his waiting arms.

And Lance had come to expect Keith to be there. He’d pull the door open and no sooner find himself encased in Keith’s arms. Keith’s face lining up nicely with Lance’s shoulders, he let him take in the fresh scent patiently, and only laugh a little when Keith moaned.

He smelled primarily of pine, like a strong car air freshener. But there was a hint of honey, and some mint. An overall rugged smell masked faintly by something more feminine. Something fruity. Something citrusy. His hair smelled like summer, lavender and maybe even coconut. And then there was a sweetness. Brown sugar, maybe. If Keith remembered reading the bottles correctly. And on first glance, Keith would have thought all those bottles would contrast one another, leaving Lance smelling like a garbage heap of different scents. Like an index card that had been used to try too many colognes. But somehow, Lance turned it all into something magnificent. Something Keith was willing to literally sit around and wait for.

Lance looked down and smiled, “I thought you said yesterday this was the last time.” He didn’t mind. Quite the opposite actually. But he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to point out that Keith had been wrong.

“This is the last time,” Keith replied, nose pressed up against Lance’s chest. “Promise.”

Lance knew that was a promise Keith wouldn’t keep.

Chapter Text

The first time Lance woke up, he noticed Keith wasn’t lying next to him anymore. It was surprising; but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so he quickly drifted back to sleep.

The second time Lance woke up, he could have swore he heard the clacking on pots and pans. But after a few seconds of silent consciousness, he insisted it was a dream and fell asleep again.

The third time Lance woke up, he was sure he smelled something burning. It was strong. And whatever was cooking was definitely not edible by anyone’s standards. But there was no way it was coming from his apartment. He was the only one that cooked in their apartment. Keith never so much as looked at the kitchen. He glanced at the window, noticing how it was open. Without any hesitation, he decided it was a neighbor and closed his eyes again.

The fourth time Lance woke it, it wasn’t pleasant. The room was filled with smoke and there was a loud beeping that didn’t seem to stop. He jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen. He had to admit he was equal parts charmed and disappointed by the sight he was met with.

The room was filled with dark smoke. Several pots and pans were scattered around the countertops, some of them empty but others filled with black sludge that would take more than a little elbow grease to get rid of. Several mixing bowls covered the island in the center, each dripping their own mess on the counter. Ingredients were strewn about counters with no sense of rhyme or reason. And don’t even get him started on how many utensils were lying around where they didn’t belong. It was a disaster.

But then there was Keith. Poor, sweet Keith standing in front of the smoke detector waving a dish towel to fan off the smoke and muttering curses under his breath. He was still in his pajamas, still sporting his sloppy bedhead, clearly still tired after a long night’s sleep. The way his eyebrows furrowed showed that he was frustrated by the mess that he created.

Lance couldn’t figure out why Keith thought it would be a good idea to attempt cooking. He’d never been so adventurous before. But he pushed his curiosity aside in order to help Keith deescalate the catastrophe. Height on his side, he stepped in front of Keith and pulled the smoke detector off the wall. He flipped a switch and the beeping instantly stopped.

“Lance,” Keith gasped when he realized Lance was in the room.

Setting the smoke detector on the table, Lance reassessed the situation. The kitchen was a mess, filled with smoke and it would probably smell like burning food for months to come. If it were anyone else, he would be furious. But it was Keith. And he looked adorable standing in the middle of the kitchen in his pajamas with flour dusting his hair. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything but laugh.

Keith took the laughter as the calm before the storm. Lance was so pissed he was hysterical. All he could do was laugh to keep himself from ringing Keith’s neck. “Okay,” Keith started, squeezing onto the dish towel a little tighter, “Before you totally freak out, I just want to explain what happened here.”

Lance listened patiently as Keith explained. “So, it’s our anniversary. Which, I know you really care about. And I do to, but you’re so much more into it. So I thought that I would surprise you with breakfast in bed. And I saw this recipe on Facebook for blueberry banana pancakes that I thought you would like. So I figured I’d give it a shot. I mean, the video made it look really easy. But I’ve never cooked anything before in my life. I mean, I can barely make cereal without spilling milk everywhere.”

Keith was rambling. Lance knew he rambled where he was upset or nervous. Usually, he would cut him off with a chaste kiss or just outright interrupt him, but he was interested in where exactly Keith would go. “So I mixed all the ingredients and I heated up the frying pan just like the video said, but they burned really bad. So I tried again, and again. And I should have given up after the first try. Maybe the kitchen wouldn’t look this bad. And I know. I know it looks bad. And I’m going to clean everything up. I’ll scrub all the pans myself because this is all my fault. And I’ll open the windows to get some of this smoke out of here. But I wanted to get the smoke detector to stop before I did anything else. Which, thank you, for turning it off. But also, I’m sorry that I woke you up because that was exactly what I didn’t want.”

Lance wanted to keep listening because Keith was adorable when he was rambling. His face got so focused and his gestures were always gentle. But he knew Keith’s blood pressure was rising with every word. He had to start calming him down. Lance grabbed Keith’s hands in his own, holding them close to his chest. “Happy anniversary, Keith.” He kissed Keith’s cheek with a smile. “I love that you tried to make me breakfast. You’re the best boyfriend a guy could ask for.”

Keith seemed shocked, but ultimately at ease, “Wait, you’re not mad?” He asked.

Lance laughed again, “Well, I’m not gonna lie. I’m not exactly thrilled about the state of the kitchen.” He bit his lip as he assessed the damage once more, “But how could I be mad at you. You were just trying to do something super romantic for me.”

Keith threw himself into Lance’s arms, forcing his head into the crook of Lance’s neck. “Thank you. I was so worried you’d be pissed and break up with me.”

Lance pressed another kiss to the top of Keith’s head. “Never.” He rubbed Keith’s back. “Tell you what, let’s clean this up and then go out for breakfast.” Lance couldn’t help but chuckle, “Or maybe we should just aim for lunch.”

Chapter Text

Lance considered himself a breakfast enthusiast. He loved breakfast. In his opinion, breakfast food was by far the best. He loved starting his day with a well-balanced breakfast, and some nights, he even ended the day with breakfast. Bonus points if it was homemade. But he enjoyed going out to eat too, especially at places with all-day breakfast menu options.

Pancakes were his absolute favorite; more specifically, blueberry pancakes drowning in maple syrup. Which was exactly what he ordered when they sat down at the local diner for breakfast. He didn’t even open the menu. It was the same thing he ordered every time they went. And even though Keith encouraged him to be more adventurous, maybe mixing it up be trying the banana pancakes. Or they had a new breakfast special - cream cheese pancakes. Lance considered it for all of thirty seconds before he expelled the thought.

So when the food came out, Lance was ready to dig in. He had his fork in his hand, cutting up the thick, fluffy pancakes into bite-size pieces. But somewhere along the lines, Lance got distracted. He took a look at Keith’s plate - an omelette with ham, bell peppers, and tomatoes.Ad then he looked at Keith, slight grin as he unwrapped his silverware.

Keith seemed so entranced by his meal that he didn’t notice Lance’s stares. It wasn’t until he had completely finished his breakfast that he notice Lance still had a nearly full plate. He looked up, noticing how Lance was stabbing aimlessly at the plate, hoping to pick something up but ultimately failing. “You’re not eating?” Keith questioned, “But that’s your favorite.”

Lance set his fork down, “Who taught you how to use utensils?” he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Keith took a second to glance down at his abandoned utensils, “Uh, I don’t remember. Why?”

“You cut like a left-handed person. But you’re right-handed.” Lane pointed out. When Keith just stared back at him in confusion, he continued, “you hold the fork in your right hand and the knife in your left hand. Right-handed people usually hold the knife in their right hand.”

Keith still looked confused, “It’s just more comfortable for me that way I guess.” Before Lance could say anything else, he continued, “Are you feeling okay? You’ve hardly touched your food.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Lance quickly waved away Keith’s concern, “Did you know that you always put the food in the left side of your mouth. Never the right. And you always wait until you’ve swallowed every bit to put more in.”

Lance continued to list Keith’s eating habits. Keith took exactly six bites, then he took a sip of his drink. He always made sure his hair was out of his face before eating. He always turned the plate rather than pushing the food around. Lance could go on and on.

“Any particular reason you’re paying such close attention to how I eat?” Keith asked after about the ninth mannerism.

Lance smirked, kicking Keith gently under the table, “I want to know everything about you. From your favorite brand of coffee to how you hold your utensils. You’re captivating. You’re fascinating. And not to mention easy to look at.” Lance winked.

Keith turned bright red, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from smiling too wide. Despite the pounding in his chest, he kicked Lance’s shin, “Okay, lover boy. Why don’t you finish your breakfast so we can get out of here.” Lance picked up his fork again, laughing at how flustered Keith was.

He shoved a forkful of sopping pancakes into his mouth to make up for lost time, “Are you gonna watch me eat?” He mused.

Keith chuckled, “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Chapter Text

Keith took a deep breath as he looked himself over in the mirror. Today was the big day. He was finally ready to pop the question. He and Lance had officially been together for two years. To celebrate, Keith had planned a fancy brunch at the most sought after high-end cafe in the area. Which, coincidentally, also happened to be Lance’s favorite. He claimed that they had the best iced coffee in all of Nevada. And the best tasting croissants.

It took a lot of preparation, but Keith was finally ready. The reservations were set for 11 am. The ring had been secured on a one-year payment plan. And, as far as he could tell, Lance was entirely unsuspecting. Keith pat the velvet box tucked gently in the pocket of his suit pants, trying to figure out exactly when during the meal would be the best time to get down on one knee.

That led him to wonder how Lance would react. The cafe would be packed. And while Lance was a social butterfly, he wasn’t exactly the best when it came to surprises around strangers. Would he squeal? Would he cry? Would he laugh if Keith fumbled? Would he say yes?

What then? Keith had everything planned up until he asks the question. Everything after that point was an unknown. What would Lance say? What if he says no? What if he walks out in the middle of breakfast and leaves Keith just kneeling there? What if Lance had the same idea and proposes to him before he makes his move? What if he took out a line of credit and never gets to use the ring?

What if he says yes? What if he’s not ready to make this step in their relationship? What if marriage is more than he bargained for? What if Lance isn’t the one for him? What if Lance didn’t feel the same way? What if Lance had been using him for two years just to pass the time until someone better came along?

On the brink of a panic attack, Keith sat down on the bed. His mind was running a mile a minute as he speculated all the possible outcomes. Each more terrifying that the last. He couldn’t do this. There was no way he could go through with this without knowing the outcome. He’d talked to their friends about it, and they all said it was a good idea. They all believed that Lance would say yes. But what do they know? They couldn’t be sure. No one could be sure.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should cancel the reservations. Maybe he should return the ring. Maybe he should forget about everything. Change his name and move to Montana. Start over.

While he was still flipping through possibilities, Lance knocked on the door before walking in. “Babe, you ready to go?” He asked tenderly.

Keith tried to compose himself enough to look at Lance. Beautiful, beautiful Lance. He was dressed up in his navy blue suit. His gorgeous navy blue suit with the vest as opposed to the jacket because it was so much sexier that way. His undershirt was pristine white, accentuating his perfectly tan skin and his tie matched the color of his suit. Keith noticed that his hair was slightly slicked back and his eyes looked more defined than usual. Lance looked so good. So beautiful. All for their date.

Keith stood up quickly and nodded. “Yeah, ready whenever you are.” His voice shook and he hoped Lance wouldn’t notice.

Lance gave Keith a once over. His suit was black, and he favored the jacket. His undershirt was more of an off-white, so not to draw attention to his pale complexion. His tie and handkerchief were both a vibrant red color. It was the most dressed up he’d ever been in his life.

“You look stunning,” Lance awed. “But,” He let out before he gave a small chuckle.

In a moment of insecurity, Keith spat out, “What’s so funny?”

Lance stepped closer to Keith, grabbing his tie. “Your tie is lopsided.” He explained as he untied whatever Keith had done to get it that way. He just needed it to stay. “Have you never tied a tie before?” He asked gently. Keith shook his head. “I’ll help you.”

Lance stared intently at the two ends of the fabric in his hands. “The rabbit goes around the tree twice.” He mumbled as he wrapped the thicker end around the thinner two times. “Then under the bush.” He pulled the thicker end through the loop around Keith’s neck. “And finally, over the log and into his burrow.” He snickered as he tightened the tie. “There you go. All done.” Lance smiled, kissing Keith’s cheek.

“What were you saying?” Keith asked, admiring Lance’s handiwork.

“What?” Lance’s blush was almost undetectable under his contour.

“You said something about a rabbit? What was that?”

Lance twiddled his fingers, “It’s just a silly trick my dad taught me to learn how to tie a tie. It just stuck with me. And now I use it every time I tie a tie.” He said in a hushed tone, clearly embarrassed about it.

“It’s cute. Maybe you could teach it to me sometime?” Keith grinned, truly delighted that Lance used a cute little trick to tie his ties.

Lance smiled graciously as he grabbed Keith’s hand. “Some other time, sure. But we’re going to be late. Let’s go.” He practically pulled Keith from their room.

Keith put his other hand on his pocket, feeling the velvet box. To hell with the what-ifs; Lance was definitely the one for him.

Chapter Text

Keith had an impeccable internal clock. His body knew exactly when to wake up every morning. He never had to set an alarm for classes because he was confident he would be up in time. Always up and out of the apartment long before Lance.

So when Lance woke up to find Keith still lying next to him well after 10 AM on a Thursday morning, he was immediately concerned. And his concern only escalated when he noticed that the bedding was soaked through with what Lance assumed was sweat.

Now wide awake, Lance took a closer look at his boyfriend still sleeping not-so-soundly beside him. His bangs were visibly soaked and matted to his forehead. His skin was ghostly pale, but for the red-tinge flush on his cheeks and the tip of his nose. There was an unsettling rasp to the way Keith breathed while he slept.

It didn’t take a trip to the doctor’s office to confirm that Keith was sick. To assume what he already assumed, Lance pressed the back of his hand to Keith’s sweaty forehead. He was met with a fever so high that he had to pull away. It wasn’t exactly unusual. It was the middle of flu season, and he recalled Keith telling him he didn’t make it to the campus doctor’s office to get a flu shot the days they were offered. Thankfully, Lance had managed to make time for his shot, so he wasn’t all that worried about catching Keith’s flu.

Lance bit his bottom lip. Keith had already slept through the entirety of his first class. If Lance tried to wake him, he was sure Keith would argue that he could go to class. A fever and some sniffles wouldn’t be enough to bring Keith to a halt. Lace had ever seen Keith sick before, but he was sure Keith was type of guy who would push through anything, no matter how badly he was suffering.

So as much as he wanted to get Keith started on fluids and TLC, he decided against waking Keith. Once Keith woke naturally, he would gauge the situation and develop a proper treatment plan. Hopefully it would be after all Keith’s classes had ended for the day.

Fortunately for both of them, Lance only had a night class on Thursdays; so he had all day to nurse Keith back to health. And he’d start by pulling Keith into his arms despite the uncomfortable heat rolling off his body. With Keith resting on his chest, Lance starting rubbing soothing circles in his back.

Keith was startled away by a sharp coughing fit half an hour later. He bolted upright in bed, quickly bringing his arms up to prevent himself from coughing all over Lance. The brunette also sat up, encouraging Keith to just let it happen, that it would be over soon. When the coughing subsided, Keith fell back into the bed and curled back against Lance.

With his best sad eyes, he looked up at his boyfriend. “I don’t feel good,” he pouted.

Lance placed a quick kiss to Keith’s sweaty forehead. “Yeah. You don’t look so good.”

Keith let out a light laugh that turned into a string of coughs, “Thanks for that.” He attempted to clear his throat with a groan, “My throat is killing me.” He complained.

Lance rubbed his hands up and down Keith’s back, “Doesn’t surprise me. You’ve got one nasty cough. And a hell of a fever. What else hurts?” He asked gently.

“My head feels like it’s going to explode.” He coughed, “And my whole body aches.”

“Sounds like a flu,” Lance pointed out, though he was positive it was the flu.

Keith groaned again, “This sucks.” He continued to mumble about the school and their oddly specific and inconvenient flu shot schedule.

Lance chuckled, “I know, baby. But there’s a good side to this too, you know.”

“Doubt it,” Keith interrupted, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his pajamas.

“There totally is. I’m going to stay here and nurse you back to health.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can just sleep it off.” Keith’s eyes were halfway closed as he spoke.

“I know I don’t have to. But I want to. I love taking care of sick people, and I’m super good at it.” Lance begged.

Keith knew there was no point in arguing with Lance. And Lance did have the kind of personality that would make him an excellent nurse. “Okay, if you really want to.” he caved.

Lance’s smile spread all the way across his face. “Perfect. You’ll feel better in no time.” he carefully peeled himself out of the bed. Keith immediately missed him. “I’m going to go grab some supplies.” Lance explained as he ran out of the room.

He came back minutes later with his hands full of different pill bottles, water bottles, and a thermometer. He set all the supplies down on his night table and climbed back into bed. “First things first,” Lance grabbed the thermometer from the pile, “Gauge the fever.” He stuck the device in Keith’s mouth.

While they waited for the think to beep, Keith looked up at Lance. Lance’s expression was an odd combination of sympathy and excitement. Looking at Lance, he knew he was in great hands. And Lance was right, he was already starting to feel better just by having Lance at his side.

Chapter Text

Everything was going according to plan. They had already ordered their drinks; Keith ordered a black coffee with an espresso shot and Lance ordered some iced chocolate mocha vanilla latte or something. Lance’s order was always so long; and his drink got more and more complicated each time he ordered. And Keith swore he ordered a different milk base each time. This time he’d chosen soy.

Lance made casual conversation as he paged the menu. For a small cafe, they had quite a diverse brunch selection. And Lance felt personally obligated to remark about each item. But Keith had long stopped listening to Lance’s words. The only thing he could hear was the thunderous thumping of his heartbeat in his chest. This was actually happening.

Subtly, Keith nudged the package in his pocket. Was now a good time? The right time? Is there even such thing as the right time?

“Keith?” Keith jostled slightly at the call of his name, “Keith, are you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, I hear you.” And that was partially true. In his own trance of thought, he could still register that Lance was talking.

Lance smirked, setting the menu down on the table decisively. “Oh yeah, what was I saying?”

Shit. Keith knew there was no way he could lie (or partial truth) his way out of this one. Lance’s train of thought was also so unpredictable; he could have been talking about some obscure thing that happened at his fifth birthday party for all Keith knew. Knowing full well that he’d get caught in a lie, he opted to just say the last thing he was certain Lance said. “You were talking about how many variations of french toast they have.”

Lance scoffed, rolling his eyes and drumming his fingers slowly along the table top. “Yeah, like five minutes ago.” The slight furrow of Lance’s brow showed Keith that he was frustrated, or disappointed. He had difficulty telling the two emotions apart most times. But whatever the emotion, Keith didn’t like the way Lance wore it.

“I’m sorry,” Keith reached his hand out to glab Lance’s lying restlessly on the table only to have Lance abruptly pull away.

“You’re supposed to be on a date with me. What could you possibly be so focused on?” Lance’s voice rose slightly and Keith could feel patrons at the nearby tables turn to look at the two of them.

Keith wished he could just tell him. He just wanted to get it over with at this point. Keeping this secret from Lance was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Again, he felt the box in his pocket. And for a moment he actually considered just ripping it out. But he didn’t. Because if there was such a thing as a right time, this certainly wasn’t it. This was the absolute possible worst time he could do it. “I was just…” he scanned the room. He just had to say literally anything but the truth. He looked down at the menu in front of him and blurted out the first thing he saw, “I was thinking about crepes.”

Lance cocked a suspicious brow. He spent the better part of a minute just staring at Keith until he broke it for a short chuckle. “Really, crepes?” The lightness in Lance’s voice had returned and Keith let out a shallow sigh of relief. Lance actually believed him; and to make matters better, he seemed to be amused by it. Keith was let off the hook for now.

Keith let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I’ve never had one before. And I was thinking about ordering one.” He again made a move to reach for Lance’s hand and was thrilled when he didn’t pull away.

“Well why didn’t you just say so?” Lance laughed, flipping his menu to the page with all the crepe options. “Which one were you looking at?” He gave Keith’s hand a tight squeeze.

For the first time, Keith actually read through the crepe options. And honestly, none of them sounded appealing. They were all too sweet for his liking. He cursed himself for lingering on the crepe page. Why couldn’t he have lingered on the page with pancakes. But he’d already dug himself into this hole. So he had to pick one. “The raspberry cream cheese looks pretty good.” It was just about the only one that wasn’t smothered in chocolate.

Lance skimmed that option, “That does sound really good. If you get it, I want to taste it.” That settled it - Keith was getting the crepes.

“Okay. Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll get. Do you know what you’re getting?” Keith asked.

Lance flipped the menu a few pages, to the croissant breakfast sandwiches. “I’m gonna get one of the croissant sandwiches. You know I love their croissants.” He continued to list the pros and cons of each sandwich on the list before deciding on the scrambled avocado. And Keith listened attentively to every word that came out of Lance’s mouth. Just in case he’d be quizzed later.

Not a moment too soon, their waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders before disappearing again. Keith tapped the velvet box in his pocket. What about now?

Lance’s voice broke through his train of thought, “So, I was thinking…” he paused and Keith looked up at him to continue, “I was wondering if we could go for a ride after we’re done here. Of course we’d go home first, to change out of our suits and swap my car for your bike. But we haven’t been on a ride in so long. And it’s such a nice day out. We could just get lost on the windy roads out into the desert and see where we end up.” Lance rambled on.

Keith wasn’t sure why Lance was still trying to make a case for it; he was sold on the idea the second the words left Lance’s mouth. Eventually, Keith cut Lance off, “Yes. I’d love to go for a ride.” He smiled.

Keith was actually slightly pissed he hadn’t thought of the idea himself. Keith used to love taking Lance on rides, loved the way Lance would press himself against Keith’s back and clutch any loose fabric he could find.. He vividly remembered the first time he got Lance to hop on the back of his bike after weeks of protesting that the car was so much safer. But once Lance got over his fear, the bike became his preferred method of transport. He couldn’t remember why, but at some point they stopped defaulting to the bike and opted for Lance’s car instead. A ride sounded perfect.

They passed the time chatting. Every time there was a lull in the conversation, Keith would reach for the ring. But Lance was quick to fill the lulls, leaving Keith no time. His hand rested on the ring for a quick release; but even with a quick draw method, Lance’s voice always beat him to the punch. Before long, their food was brought out to them. Much to his own surprise, he actually enjoyed the crepe. It wasn’t as sweet as he thought it would be. And Lance liked it too, from the little bit Keith cut off for him.

Keith started to get nervous. He promised himself that he would propose here. In the cafe. During this anniversary brunch. That was the plan. Every minute that passed brought them closer to the end of their meal. Every second he considered it, but something didn’t seem right about proposing while Lance had a mouthful of food. So it would absolutely have to wait until after they finished eating.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked.

Keith registered the question. He quickly swallowed so he could answer, “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I noticed you’ve been on edge all morning.” He scratched the back of his neck, “That’s kinda why I suggested the ride. Riding always clears your head. Then maybe you’ll be able to talk about it with me.” Keith was dumbfounded. He sat still in his seat, clutching his fork so tightly his knuckles paled. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Suddenly, Keith felt like he didn’t have control of himself anymore. “Marry me.” The words left his mouth before he realized what he was saying. It was Lance’s turn to be dumbfounded. He dropped the fork he was holding on the floor and just started at Keith. Thankfully he wasn’t chewing at the moment, or else he might of choked.

Well fuck , Keith thought. This was not how he’d wanted to do this. But there was no going back now. He was just gonna wing it. He stood up from the table and moved around to Lance’s side, swiftly getting down on one knee and exposing the small velvet box that’d been hiding in his pocket. The people at the nearby tables were all watching with curious and excited eyes, but Keith couldn’t find it in himself to care. All he could focus on was Lance’s shocked expression in front of him.

“Lance. I love you more than anything in the entire world. You are my best friend, my better half, and my soulmate. Never in a million years did I think I’d be kneeling here, in front of a bunch of strangers in a cafe confessing my love to anyone. But here I am. Because you are worth it, Lance. I knew when I first met you that you were the love of my life and now I’m certain I can’t live without you. You make me a better man, you bring out the best in me. These past two years with you have been the best years of my life. And I want to spend the rest of my years making memories with you.” Keith took a second to breathe as he popped the lid of the box open, “Alejandro Santiago McClain, will you marry me?”

Lance’s hands covered his most of face, probably to hide his blush. But Keith could look into Lance’s eyes and see that he was crying. Not just a single tear, but a full stream of tears from both eyes. Keith waited, staying in his knelt position with the ring exposed. He broke eye contact with Lance for just a moment to see what was going on around them. It seemed as though time had stopped. Waiters and waitresses carrying trays of food were fixed in their position all waiting to see what would happen next. No one in the cafe moved a muscle.

It seemed like ages had passed, but time also stood still. Eventually, Lance broke the crippling silence with a sob as he nodded his head profusely and fell off his chair to wrap his arms around Keith, kissing him longingly on the lips with tears still streaming down his face. He pulled away too soon for Keith’s liking, but Keith would forgive him. “Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.”

The entire cafe erupted in cheers and applause. Keith kissed Lance again. Then he took Lance’s left hand and placed the ring on his fourth finger. Eventually people stopped congratulating them. They returned to their brunch, their waitress brought Lance a fresh fork, and they continued eating. Things were back to normal again.

“So that’s why you were so on edge? You’ve been trying to propose?” Lance asked, smiling wide at the ring around his finger. Keith knew he’d made a good choice. Lance loved it.

Keith grabbed Lance’s hand, holding his fiance’s hand tightly in his own. “You have no idea.”