Work Text:
Chop. Chop. Chop.
Keith sighed as he chopped the vegetables needed for dinner. He wondered, not for the first time, how he had let his blade be reduced to nothing more than a kitchen utensil. He had let his life become a monotonous routine where once there had been daily excitement.
He closed his eyes and briefly allowed himself to reminisce on the way his life once was. Never spending more than a few days in one place. Full of adrenaline because he never knew when the next battle might hit. He remembered the thrill of discovering who he really was and the relief when the team accepted him. He’d met so many new people, experienced so many new things. He longed for the action, the adventure, the exciting life he’d found out in space.
Even the relatively peaceful work of intergalactic humanitarian efforts was more exciting than...this.
He spent all his time on one place now. The biggest adventure he got was deciding to try a new grocery store because they have good sales. Sure, he had hobbies. He liked to go to the local martial arts dojo, and he’d taken up wood carving to keep his knife skills up. But it just wasn’t enough. He still lived life on a routine, and that was not anything he’d ever known how to do. It wasn’t anything he’d ever wanted to know how to do. Yet here he was. All because of...
“Smells good.”
The familiar voice was the only warning Keith had before a pair of hands wrapped around his waist and a stubble covered chin rested on his shoulder, scratching against his own cheek.
A half smile found its way onto Keith’s face, “Liar. I haven’t even started cooking it yet.”
“Hm…” James hummed, “Well I know it’s going to smell good.”
“How was work?” Keith asked, rolling his eyes and turning his head to kiss James’ cheek.
“It was alright. The kids seemed a little burned out, so we did an impromptu experiment on pressure levels. Kind of important when you’ll be operating a spacecraft with an air lock, but they mostly had fun sucking eggs into bottles.”
Keith chuckled, “Please tell me you’re going to go more in depth with them than that? I wouldn’t want any cadets getting crushed out in space on your account.”
“Don’t worry. You know I wouldn’t skip out on the important things. This was just something fun to lessen the stress from exam season.”
“Yeah. I know. You’re such a stickler for the rules that it makes you a perfect instructor.” The comment was only slightly bitter. Keith had tried to find a place working at the garrison himself, but they turned him away, claiming they didn’t need someone with a history of discipline problems on their staff. Everyone had tried to fight the decision, including Shiro, but in the end even with his accomplishments the public opinion would always be shaped by the negatives, not the positives. And his heritage wasn’t helping that fact any.
“I still think you would have made an amazing close combat instructor,” James said, seeming to read his mind.
“Thanks,” he swept the vegetables into a skillet, “I wish you weren’t the only one.”
James pulled away and spun Keith around to face him, “I’m not the only one. The garrison just...wasn’t the right place. But it’s never been the right place for you. You’re too free spirited for them.” He leaned in to kiss Keith’s forehead.
“You’re too good with your words…” Keith protested. He couldn’t help the grin he was now sporting, “You always have been…”
“I try,” James said with a cocky smirk, “Like when I got the biggest wallflower in Union High to dance with me at homecoming.”
“Why are you bringing that up?” Keith quirked an eyebrow.
“Because holding you in front of me like this,” he squeezed Keith's hips lightly, “Is reminding me how great it was.”
Keith didn’t remember it being great. He remembered it being awkward. He had just moved into his new school, and he was content to ignore everyone around him. His foster parents were the ones who insisted the dance was a great chance to meet new friends and forced him to go. He’d vowed to stay glued to the wall in the corner by himself to just survive the night, but the overly cheerful guy who looked like something out of a prep school brochure had come up to insist he dance.
Of course he had refused at first, but it soon became clear that the guy wasn’t going away without at least one dance, so in the end he had relented. He was led to the dance floor where they clumsily bobbed around each other to the upbeat song the DJ was playing. When it almost immediately faded into a slow song Keith thought he’d found his out but instead the boy, who had introduced himself as James, had held out his hand. Not knowing how to turn down a dance, Keith had taken it and been pulled in close. James adjusted both their hands, and they swayed awkwardly together as James rambled on about things Keith didn’t really care about.
When the song was over, they parted ways. Keith spent the rest of the night avoiding James. Then, Monday at school when James tried to talk to him he pretended not to know the popular boy. It had been obvious that he’d hurt James’ feelings, but at the time he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Now he looked his husband in the eyes, wondering how they’d come so far, “You mean you weren’t just taking pity on the new emo kid?” He teased.
“I guess that was part of it,” James chided back, “But I also thought you were kinda cute. Sucked when you so clearly weren’t interested when I thought our dance went so well.”
“Sorry I ruined such a good memory,” and he was. He knew from experience how important every happy moment was to hold onto, and how easily they could be darkened.
James seemed to think for a second before his eyes lit up, “Why don’t you make it up to me now?”
“What?”
James took a step back, swinging one arm behind himself and offering the other, “May I have this dance?”
“We don’t even have music,” Keith crossed his arms.
“We don’t?” James asked in an over dramatic voice. Then he cleared his throat and began to sing. It was rough. There was no denying that, but he was so passionate about it. Plus the song was old enough Keith wondered briefly if it could possibly be the same one they’d danced to all those years ago. And when James pulled him out into the middle of the kitchen, well, how could he say no?
He slid his own arms up to drape over James’ shoulders, and the hands on his waist shifted to a more purposeful position. They swayed back and forth as James’ voice drifted through the air, sugary sweet lyrics caressing Keith’s ears. After a while he found himself humming along as they gently turned in circles. By the end of the song he’d laid his head on James’ chest just to be closer to him.
James’ voice faded out, leaving the room in a comfortable silence. He gently pushed Keith away before leaning in to capture his lips briefly. Then he rested their foreheads together, “Yeah, this time was much better.”
“Yeah,” Keith agreed softly.
They stood together for just a little longer before James exited the kitchen with a promise to wait patiently for dinner. Keith turned back to his work and let out another sigh, but it was a much lighter sound this time. After all, he didn’t really need adventure now that he’d found happiness.