Chapter Text
They make their way to the beach, Lance collecting a wide arrow of flowers and large blooms as he goes, cradling them in his arms. He plucks up a number of leafy bits too for reason Keith can’t comprehend.
Lance hums, delighted by the assortment of colors and patterns in his arms. They finally emerge from the trees and hit the sand, Lance stopping in the shade with Keith as the others make a run for the waves.
Keith looks between Lance and the others as he sits down and starts sorting through his collection.
“I thought you’d have been the first to the water,” Keith says, sinking to the grass. “You love the beach. This was your idea.”
“I will, I just have something very important to do first,” he says brightly.
Keith raises an eyebrow. “With...flowers?”
Lance scoffs. “It’s a flower crown you heathen.” He starts weaving the long stemmed lily-like flowers together, interspersing them with something like small roses. His movements are rapid and sure, practiced.
“Do you know how long it’s been since I last saw a flower? Let me enjoy this.” His head snaps up. “Wait, you lived in the desert. When was the last time you saw a flower?” he asks horrified.
“I don’t know.”
Lance seems more appalled by this than Keith things he has any right to.
“Oh my god, you poor thing.” He immediately picks up one of the small flowers and shoves it at Keith. “Here.”
Keith is too startled to do anything but take the little bloom from him, staring at it blankly as Lance goes back to weaving the flowers together. It’s no bigger than his thumb, petals curled tightly closed.
Keith watches curiously as the crown takes shape, Lance testing the fit every now and then on his head. He weaves little sprays of yellow flowers like lilac into the crown, the lengths swaying in the hair.
The lily’s have bright orange hearts fading up into deepest purple at the tips of the petals. The yellow brings more attention to their bright cores, small clusters of white flowers between them, filling out the crown. It’s a beautiful, elaborate thing and Keith stares at it in awe. He’s never seen anyone make one before.
Lance fusses until he’s satisfied, the crown dripping with flowers and various grasses and leaves.
Keith is already starting to sweat and has pulled his hair up into a ponytail. He’s twisting Lance’s flower idly in his fingers, watching the waves. He’s not at all prepared for Lance to reach up and yank his hair tie free a moment later. He taking several strands of hair with it.
“Hey!” His hair falls loose about his face but he freezes mid-protest as Lance gently places the elaborate crown on his head. He adjusts it until it sits just so, one of the lengths of yellow flowers curling against his cheek, twice as bright against the darkness of his hair.
Lance smiles, carefully pushing a tangle of Keith’s bangs to one side with a finger. He finally nods, satisfied. His grin is blinding.
“There. Perfect.” Lance surges to his feet not a moment later, stripping out of his shirt and bolting for the waves, leaving Keith to burn in his own embarrassment and racing heart.
He pouts, reaching up to touch the flowers gently. No one’s ever given him a flower, let alone a crown of them. It feels silly but he’s touched by the gesture. It was...kind. Keith doesn’t have enough of that in his life. He smiles and even as the hair sticks to the back of his neck and makes him sweat he leaves the crown in place. He refuses to be offended or put out by the teasing he takes from Pidge. At the end of the day he takes the crown back to the castle, hanging it in his room as a gentle reminder of what could be.