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That’s the last one that comes as a surprise. At this point Keith is more than certain Lance is attracted to him, more than certain Lance is heavily interested in him, and will more often than not relish in Keith’s attention than ever dare turn him away.
All this knowledge made Keith bolder.
Keith starts to press into his side while the group stands on the brig discussing battle strategies.
He starts leaning his head on his shoulder during meals.
He starts reaching for his hand when they’re out on assignment and outside of their lions.
He starts to wrap his arms around Lance’s waist from behind, head laying on his shoulder, chin toward Lance’s neck, at just about every opportunity he can.
If he’s in front of him when the group is standing around doing nothing he’ll just step back, pulling Lance’s arms around him and humming blissfully like that second time.
And Lance.
Lance is weak.
He is so weak to Keith he has no idea what to do with himself. He lets Keith move him around, he lets Keith push into him and nuzzle him and hold him and for all the gods in all the worlds Lance can’t…!
…initiate it himself.
Sure, he can reciprocate. He can wrap himself around Keith like the shorter boy is everything he’s ever wanted (he is) and like he is this beautiful perfect treasure to be protected and held in his arms for all time (again, he is.)
He can press kisses to his forehead and intertwine their fingers and squeeze Keith into his chest in a way that Lance can almost imagine his chest opening up to take Keith within himself, keep him safe and warm like his very own heart because God.
God, he is.
This. Ridiculous cat of a boy. With his short temper and his recklessness and his beautiful eyes and his perfect face and his awkward nature and his soothing voice and his hips—
Hah.
Ha-ha.
Lance has it bad and has no idea how to handle it.
“You could. I don’t know. And maybe it’s just me. But you could. Maybe. Just maybe…” Pidge starts while sitting across the kitchen table from him. Lance already knows where this is going but let’s it happen anyway.
“TALK. TO. HIM.”
Hunk is trying his hand at baked goods again and retrieving his newest batch of attempted confectionaries from the oven when he grunts in agreement, “I mean to be fair, Keith was supposed to. But…”
Pidge waved him off, “Look, I’ll grant him that, I did tell Keith to do it first but credit where it’s due, at least Keith had the balls to do something. Now it’s Lance’s turn to return the favor.”
Return the favor.
That’s the problem.
Is it possible that Lance is reading this whole thing wrong and Keith really is just… Using him for the occasional physical comfort? What if in attempting to deepen…whatever this is, he just makes things awkward?
“Sometimes I wish,” Pidge starts idly, looking at Hunk, “That the whole “friendly respect” thing had a few more loopholes.”
Hunk laughs outright and braces himself next to the table where he’s just placed the hot tray, “Gosh could you imagine? We could cut all the shit between everyone. Hell, we’d never see Shiro or Allura again.”
“Nah those two are respectable. If Lance here ever grows a pair though we’ll never see him again.”
“What on earth are you two talking about?” The voice sounds just behind Lance’s head and he jumps when arms wrap around his neck from behind, sliding forward and down his front as Keith’s chest meets his back.
Hunk glances back at them while Lance tries his damndest to settle his breathing and he laughs again, “You’re not wrong Pidge.”
“Am I ever?”
“Double modulating.”
“Fuck right off you heathen.”
Lance feels more than sees Keith raise a brow in the way his ear moves up against the side of Lance’s head. He imagines the quirked brow, the other boys pale lips in that straight line denoting his lack of understanding.
Ah god. Was there ever a time Keith wasn’t precious?
Lance reaches up to cover one of Keith’s hands with his own and when that wasn’t enough he lifts it to his lips and keeps it pressed there.
If this bothered Keith in any way he doesn’t voice it.
Pidge does, rolling her eyes in a full body motion that had her almost collapsing back onto the kitchen counter where she was now perched, “You know we’d have to get ear plugs too.”
“You think so?” Hunk offers.
Pidge nods solemnly, “I’m positive.”
“Well I guess he’s always been kinda loud…”
“Nope. The other one.”
“Oh seriously?”
“Guys?” Keith questions again.
Pidge waves him off and Hunk shrugs, “You two should go on ahead, Pidge and I will finish up here.”
The four of them were of course going for their usual sit around and eat shit in the rec room time. Last time they’d tried it was gloriously cut short by the sudden materialization of a Galra cruiser. Keith had basically barreled through the thing with his usual antics but by the time they were done everyone was too tired to hang out.
Honestly, getting out of their lions and saying goodnight to Keith, the adrenaline of the battle still running through his veins would have been the perfect moment to just…
Do something. Anything.
Grab his hand first. Cup his face softly, tell him how amazing he was, tell him he was beautiful, tell him—
Kiss him.
But all Lance had managed was a “Good job guys” and a stupid little shudder as Keith clapped him on the shoulder in agreement and left to his own bed.
“Maybe if you’re lucky Lance will tell you what we were talking about,” Pidge explains, bringing Lance back to the present. “God knows he should!”
Lance sighs and Keith removes himself from Lance’s back before shrugging, “Kay, see you guys in a bit.” He turned and started for the door, “Coming Lance?”
Lance nods and the two of them are walking down a quiet hall now, their fingers occasionally brushing as they walk side by side.
That’s another thing. It’s rare to for Keith to do more than hold his hand if they were alone. He was far more affectionate around other people as if it was somehow less sensible to do it when they were alone.
If they’d ever been alone he wonders how much further it could have gone.
…Is that why? Does Keith only do what he does with the added security of another person being near enough there was no way for a hug or a cuddle to become anything more?
Was Keith only using him? Did he not want anything real to do with him?
“So what were they—”
“Us.” Lance says without thinking, without realizing what truly ridiculous insinuations Pidge had been making. At Keith’s suddenly faltered steps Lance blinks and it all clicks into focus just a second too late.
“I mean I don’t know what they were saying by the time you came in, but the conversation was originally about us so…”
Keith’s eyebrow shoots up again, probably because he knows Lance is lying but he doesn’t fight it.
“…So, what about us?”
Lance opens his mouth to response but promptly shuts it again. How does he tell Keith they were discussing Lance’s horrific inability to start anything with Keith when that’s part of the problem?
“Ah…. Nothing really. You know Pidge.”
Keith’s eyebrow remains quirked, because he does.
They’re getting close to the rec room before Keith speaks again. His words nearly causing Lance to double over in the way the words hit him like a bloody freight train what the hell Keith.
“She’s right though.” He says simply, the eyebrow quirk there for a completely different reason now, “I am loud.”
Lance stands there frozen for a few seconds, watching Keith walk past him and enter the rec room as he casually tucks his hair behind his ear, his violet eyes looking dangerously soft despite what he’d just said.
That’s Lance’s fucking problem right there. How is Keith so…
Keith?!
How does he say shit like that and look at him like that and just—do whatever he wants it’s infuriating!
Why does Keith get to be the only one to do what he wants?
Why does Keith get to use him on his terms like he does?
What if Lance wants to do what he wants for a change? What if he just wants to take that stupid perfect face in his hands and kiss the starlight out of him? What if he just wants to shove him into a wall and cover his perfect skin in small purple bruises to remind him just how much Lance wants him and has wanted him from the start? What if—
…Lance wonders what kind of thing went through Keith’s mind the first time he’d crawled into his lap.
Hadn’t he simply been complaining at the time?
Had Lance made Keith angry?
Lance follows Keith inside and the door shuts quietly behind him. He watches the other stand by the couch, looking at the small pile of miscellaneous games laid out there. He worries at his lip while he seems to consider the options, but his cheeks are tinted just the faintest pink and Lance fucking knows the games have nothing to do with it.
He’s standing there slightly bent at the waist, his arms spread and gripping the edge of the couch, and when he bites his lip again his eyes dart over to Lance who catches it quickly. The flush deepens, and he looks right back down at the games.
It’s an invitation if Lance wants to take it.
But just in case.
“Keith?”
“Yeah?”
Lance closes the space between them, “Forgive me if I’m out of line.”
Keith stands up straight again, turning so one hand comes off the couch, “Huh…?”
Lance almost falters. Almost pulls back. But he sees it, the touch of excitement on Keith’s face, the hope in his eyes.
Has he been waiting for this? Is this something he wants?
…Well. It’s what Lance wants. And right now that’s his only focus. Still, he continues to give Keith the opportunity to pull away, to drop it. He reaches for Keith’s chin, tilting his face up as his hand trails down the side of his jaw to cup his face in just the way he’s always wanted to.
Keith doesn’t pull away, in fact he lifts his head more, arches his back.
This is definitely something he’s wanted.
“I want…” Lance mumbles, slowly removing the distance between their faces now, “to know how you define…” He can feel Keith’s breath on his face and licks his lips just before they’re close enough for their energies to mix, “…loud.”
The whimper that escapes Keith when their lips meet is instantaneous, and his fingers immediately find the loop of Lance’s jeans to keep his balance as he arches back, body now pressed to Lance.
His lips are soft, if a little chapped, and Lance can feel his heart melting even more for the boy in his arms.
Its not a magical secret of life eye opening kiss, but it’s Keith so that makes it just as good.
Before Lance can push further Keith is pulling away and Lance wonders if he’d done something wrong.
“Y-You’re gonna have to do a little more than that…if you really want to know…” Keith mutters, eyes shining but staring at the ground.
Lance eyes the wall a couple feet away and grins as he lowers his hands to Keith’s hips and slowly starts to back him up, “Is that so?”
Keith flushes at the contact but appears confused for a moment before his back hits the wall. That’s when he realizes, and his eyes darken significantly.
He’s absolutely gorgeous. And Lance is going to wreck him.
He keeps one hand on Keith’s hip, digging his fingers into the boy’s skin just under the hem of his shirt, while the other goes into Keith’s hair and cards through the black strands before gripping him tightly at the back of his scalp.
“I’m sure I can manage,” Is all he says before catching Keith’s lips in his again. Keith’s whimper is a bit louder now but still nothing to cry home about. Not that just holding Keith’s hand isn’t already that.
No, it’s when Lance’s tongue darts out to tentatively press his way into Keith’s mouth that the boy really starts to make some noise. He opens up and welcome’s the intrusion, leathery tongue meets leathery tongue and proceed to dance around each other while Lance pushes Keith harder into the wall.
This incites Keith to not only wrap his arms around Lance’s shoulders, pulling him in tightly, but to also raise one leg off the ground to hook around Lances thigh. It gives Lance way too much access to the guy who’s been pressing into him in all manner of ridiculous ways for weeks and maybe Lance thinks its officially time for revenge.
When he pushes a thigh between Keith’s legs and he gets to listen to the loud gasp that forces their lips to part Lance figures he’s doing a good job. He also takes the opportunity to dive for Keith’s neck, squeezing himself into the niche right above his collar bone, licking the skin lightly before biting down. Keith moans and buries his face into the opposite side of Lance’s neck, panting into Lance’s chest.
“Th-that feels really good Lance…” He mumbles. Lance almost misses it with the fact he is literally living his wildest dream right now but after it finally hits him what Keith is saying spurs him on. He reaches his hands up Keith’s shirt relishing in the skin on skin contact and the way Keith arches his back and rolls his hips and continues to whimper and moan in encouragement.
The guy is just extremely receptive, and Lance might be entirely enamored with him.
“You like?” He whispers, not sure if he should have even bothered responding or if he should have continued sucking marks into his skin.
Maybe he should be concerned that the marks are so high up, everyone will be able to see them.
…Maybe he should make more.
Later. He wants to taste the inside of his mouth again. He licks down his collar bone and trails kisses up his throat to his jaw before merging their lips again. Keith eagerly lets Lance right back in and maybe gets a little too excited because before Lance knows it his hands are gripping Keith’s ass because his legs are wrapped tightly around Lance’s waist.
It’s a very good thing they’re braced against the wall because Lance doesn’t think his legs would be able to support them both with how weak Keith is making his legs feel.
“Really eager huh?” Lance chuckles between kisses.
Keith pulls away from the kiss again, pressing his forehead against Lance’s while he pants softly, “Possibly…”
For a moment Keith tries to catch his breath before realizing that he’s completely wrapped around Lance and the way his cheeks go bright ass red is one of the most endearing things Lance has seen to date.
“I’m gonna start calling you Koala Keith.” Lance grins.
Keith groans and shuts his eyes, “Don’t you dare.”
“Oh, it’s done, it’s officially your new name Koala Keith.”
“Lance, I swear.”
“Yes, Koala Keith?”
“Please shut up and kiss me.”
Lance chuckles again but does as he’s told and the next time they part it’s because Lance honestly can’t take it anymore.
“Can we please do this all the time?” Lance whines, his head laying on Keith’s shoulder, his arms now tightly around Keith’s waist so he was basically just hugging the life out of him.
Keith’s hands grip tightly into Lance’s jacket as he laughs, “Was this supposed to be a one-time thing? Cause I really… really don’t want this to be a one-time thing.”
“Kinda like the cuddles, right?”
“Yeah.”
They’re quiet for another minute before Lance speaks again, “I mean… Can we do this all the time… just us… together…as uh… as a couple…maybe?”
Keith stiffens in his grasp and Lance immediately wants to kick himself in the mouth.
“I mean if you don’t want to that’s fine! This is fine. This is. Uhm.” Lance buries his face in Keith’s neck and starts to press little light kisses to his skin again, “Let’s just go back to what we were doing okay? Just. Forget I said anything.”
Keith breathed a little heavier as Lance tried to change the kind of tension in the room but one of Keith’s hands came up to the back of Lance’s head, softly petting his hair before pulling Lance away to press a soft kiss to his lips.
“I don’t want that,” Keith started.
Lance figured as much.
“I don’t want to forget you said anything. I want…” Keith pressed their noses together, “I want this, with you, only.”
Lance could feel his heart hammering through his chest, “So…the two of us. We’re a thing now?”
“We’ve always kind of been a thing, haven’t we? I mean. I’ve just been trying to get you to accept it for a while.”
“Yooo what? Dude. Dude you’ve been. What?”
“I kept asking you to train with me, I openly flirted with you… when I started crawling into your lap I figured that was a big “date me” red sign? You can’t possibly be that dense.” Keith laughed and almost made Lance lose his stability against the wall.
“I—you—Okay in my defense when it’s come to you I’m a lot of things in excess. Denser, stupider, in lo--” Lance blinked, swallowed, and went back to hiding in Keith’s shoulder, “Nope. I didn’t say that. That wasn’t a thing. You didn’t hear that.”
Keith laughed again, breathier and softer but it was still a laugh and Lance wasn’t sure how he felt about it. At least, until he spoke again, “Oh man, I’ve been in love with you since you shot Sendak, Lance you’ve gotta catch up.”
The indignity. Who did Keith think he was talking to?
“Yeah! Well! I’ve been in love with you since back at the garrison so top that!” That said, Lance should probably think about things before he says them.
Especially with the way Keith pulls him back to look him in the face again, only managing to mutter a simple, “…Holy shit?”
“Well I must be sounding pretty freaking pathetic right now…Remember how I totally awesomely woke from a coma to shoot Sendak? Yeah. Just. Remember that. Okay?”
Ah but if the ridiculous grin on Keith’s face didn’t make the mortification worth it.
Pidge and Hunk never actually showed up to play that night. Which worked out for Lance if he’s honest. He really didn’t feel like playing any games tonight.