Chapter Text
Unbeknownst to the other paladins, red and blue had gotten closer during Shiro’s absence. It had first presented as even more fighting amongst each other, until one day when they had been at each other’s throats, and the emotional dam had broken. That night ended in tears, feelings, and falling asleep in a vicinity neither would've been caught dead in before. So, right up until the team had finally found Shiro, Lance and Keith had found comfort in sleeping next to each other every night, and pouring out emotions when sleep was evasive…
~
It had been a tough day of training. Allura wasn’t wasting a single second getting them back into tip-top shape now that Shiro was back. The result was a sloppy dog pile of paladins lazing on the couches of the break room barely paying attention to the educational videos Coran had insisted they watch.
Hunk was the first gone, having fallen asleep almost immediately after Coran and Allura had left to manage the castle. However, shortly after, Pidge had jogged from the room, shouting that she’d already watched all of Coran’s movies, and that she had better things to do, when questioned. A weary Shiro had lasted the length of nearly four short videos before the need for sleep had him climbing out from under Hunk’s protective arm. Neither of the remaining conscious boys had any desire to protest when Shiro left them alone.
~
With the warmth from Shiro’s body fading after he had made his exit, Keith had instinctually shuffled closer to Lance to make up for it; Lance, who had a fire burning in his soul that made his skin warm to the touch. Keith had discovered it was one of his favorite things about Lance, especially since Keith himself was prone to getting cold very easily. Pidge had once pointed out how ironic it was considering his hot-temper. Regardless, he was pleased when he felt the movement of Lance coming to rest behind him.
Keith was content to share Lance’s body heat, and when Lance started tracing small circles around his shoulder he felt every muscle he had relax at the soothing touch. After a few minutes of his heavy eyelids trying drift shut, he turned away from the bright lights of the holographic images he hadn't really been paying attention to. This brought him face-to-chest with Lance, barely even space left for Jesus between them. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of Lance, and his extensive skincare regimen: a clean, sweet smell, even if a bit over-complicated due to the sheer number of products the boy used.
When Keith had flipped over, Lance had stopped brushing loops on his shoulder; instead, his fingers drew across Keith’s décolleté to rest one hand over the spot where Keith’s heart was thumping steadily. The other arm reached up to slowly lift Keith’s jaw. He could see Lance searching for any indication that Keith didn't want to partake as he leaned down gradually. When Lance’s lips finally closed the distance, Keith found that they were softer than they looked, supple and firm, completely unhesitant and almost surprisingly gentle.
The slightly lethargic, but actually really good, first kiss (not the Keith would tell Lance that, he really didn't need anything else to brag about) didn't last particularly long, and soon enough Keith felt Lance pulling away the tiniest bit to smile at him. It wasn't his cocky smirk, or his broad grin, just a small, intimate look of pure happiness. Keith, knew he was bad at expressing his emotions with anything other than his fists, but he sincerely hoped his face was a mirror image. Keith felt Lance’s arms move again to wrap around him tighter, and his own hands came to rest on Lance’s waist.
~
And that was exactly how Hunk had found them the next morning, when his growling stomach had woken him up. Once he'd seen the two of them cuddling, his appetite was momentarily forgotten as he called up Pidge and Shiro as quietly as he could. About six dobashes later, Pidge arrived, bags under her eyes, but energetic enough to take commemorative photos. She was debating with Hunk whether or not to draw on their faces when Shiro showed up, extra blankets and pillows in his arms, and he began tucking the still-sleeping paladins in as carefully as possible. Allura and Coran entered the room just behind Shiro, and couldn't stop cooing over the absolutely adorable sight. The bunch only left when Hunk’s hunger could no longer be ignored, and he suggested breakfast, to which everyone agreed.