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Keith couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged him.
It’s not like he didn’t have anyone in his life to give him hugs. He had been steadily growing closer to the team and considered them all his friends, but they never hugged him.
Shiro was the only person who was physically affectionate toward him, and even then it was sparse. A hand on his shoulder, a pat on the back. It was better than nothing, but spending years isolated in a desert had left him starved. He needed more, and god it ached.
He tried not to seem upset when he saw the rest of the team being affectionate with each other. After a successful mission they would always gather together and celebrate their victory, complimenting each other on their skills and exchanging hugs - only they always left Keith out of the hugging part. So he stood to the side with his arms crossed, holding himself and staring down at the ground.
After a particularly taxing battle, Keith left the celebration early. He saw no reason to stay. It would just be painful.
He headed to his room. His armor was scratched and dirty and his hair clung to his neck from sweat. He held his helmet at his side as he dragged his feet along the floor.
Footsteps rang behind him in the hall. He turned to see Lance, helmet under his arm as he jogged toward him.
“Keith!” Lance called.
Oh no, Keith thought. Out of everyone on the team, Lance was the most physically affectionate. It was rare not to see him leaning against one of his teammates or casually touching people when he talked to them. He was the last person Keith wanted to see right now. He didn’t want to be reminded of how no one, not even his most affectionate teammate, would touch him.
Keith turned to face Lance. Despite how bad it hurt, he didn’t want to avoid him. If he were being honest, he savored every moment they spent together, but he wouldn’t let Lance know that.
“Hey, Lance.” Keith’s voice softened. He looked at Lance, who somehow managed to look good with his brown hair a tousled mess and dirt smeared on his face. Keith’s stomach did a flip.
“Why’d you leave so early? Is something wrong?” Lance asked.
Keith’s heart sank. “I just, ah-”
“Do you really hate being touched that much?”
Keith paused. “I- what?”
“You always look really angry and closed off when we get back from missions, like you don’t want anyone to hug you.” Lance quirked a worried eyebrow. “Is that why you left early?”
An ache spread across Keith’s chest, a gaping hole that could only be filled by the warmth of another person. He needed it so badly. He turned his eyes to the ground and wrapped his arms around himself.
“Do you hate being touched?” Lance’s voice was earnest, like he cared.
“No, I don’t-” the words sputtered out. “I don’t hate it.”
Lance seemed to think for a moment. He reached out and pulled Keith into a hug, and it was like all of the breath was sucked from his lungs. He stood still for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Lance. He squeezed his eyes shut and clung onto his shoulders. The armor between them was clunky, and he wished more than anything that it wasn’t there putting space between them. Slowly the hole in his chest started to fill up, a warm and satisfying feeling, and Keith knew he needed more of it, couldn’t get enough of it.
All too soon, Lance pulled away, and the hole tore open again.
“You’ll be getting a lot more hugs now that I know you don’t hate them.” Lance gave him a bright smile. “See ya later, Keith!” He turned and headed toward his room.
“See you,” Keith choked out. He stood in the hall for a moment to steady his breathing before he headed into his room.
That night the hole in his chest kept him awake wanting more.
From then on, Lance was more affectionate with Keith.
An arm wrapped around his shoulders, legs draped across his lap when they sat on the couch together, all casual, like he had done it a million times before. Keith supposed Lance had done it a million times before, but never with him.
Lance suddenly being so affectionate with him was overwhelming, but welcome. Keith started to think that Lance had touched him more in a week than he’d ever been touched his entire life.
He and Lance sat quietly on the couch one day, each focused on their own tasks. Keith was also focused on Lance, who leaned against him with their shoulders pressed together. The warmth from his body seeped through their jackets, and Keith was aware of the steady rise and fall of Lance’s chest.
He knew that to Lance, this was nothing, but to him, it was more than he could have ever hoped for. He wanted to get closer, feel more of his body pressed against him, but for right now, this was enough.
“Can I play with your hair?” Lance asked, breaking the silence.
Keith turned to see Lance studying him, his blue eyes exploring his own. Keith’s cheeks warmed.
“It just looks really soft and I-”
“Sure,” Keith blurted out.
Lance smiled and turned back to what he was doing. He wrapped an arm around Keith and softly ran a hand through his hair.
Keith took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. A sense of calm washed over him. It was quiet for a moment.
“Keith?”
“Hm?” Keith hummed in response. He opened his eyes to see Lance watching him. How long had he been doing that?
“When was the last time anyone played with your hair?”
He thought about it for a moment. He couldn’t remember. “I don’t know, why?”
“Because when I do stuff like this you act like no one’s ever touched you before.”
“Well, barely anyone has.”
Lance furrowed his eyebrows together.
“What?”
“That’s sad. Everyone needs touch.”
“I guess so.”
Lance didn’t respond. He nestled further into Keith and rested his head on his shoulder.
Slowly the hole in Keith’s chest began to fill up, and the gnawing, aching feeling was replaced with warmth, replaced with Lance. Keith hoped it never stopped filling.
The team was getting ready for a movie night. Pidge made a projector out of old parts so they could watch whatever movies they had downloaded on their computer. Tonight’s pick was a C list ripoff of Jurassic Park titled Dinosaur Land .
The lights were dimmed and the glow of the projector cast a faint light around the room.
“Alright! It's ready,” Pidge announced. They got up from behind the projector and found themself a place to sit on the floor.
Allura sat next to them. “I’m excited to watch one of your earth movies! We didn’t have anything like that on Altea.”
“Oh, I think you’re going to love this,” Pidge said with a hint of mischief in their voice.
Hunk entered the room with two bowls of popcorn and found a spot next to Pidge and Allura while Shiro settled himself on the couch. Keith leaned against a wall, unsure where he should sit.
Lance entered the room with an armful of blankets. He tossed one to each person before settling on the couch with a blanket of his own.
“Keith!” he called, waving him over and patting the space next to him.
Keith pushed off of the wall and made his way to the couch, grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Is everyone ready?” Pidge asked as Keith sat beside Lance.
Everyone nodded in agreement and they pushed a button on their remote to start the movie.
Lance didn’t waste any time while the opening credits rolled. He pulled Keith closer to him, wrapping the blanket around both of their shoulders as he did.
Keith tried to keep his breathing steady, but it was difficult with Lance so close to him. Lance’s arms were wrapped around him holding the blanket in place, pressing their bodies together. All Keith could think about was how close he was. He found that he couldn't pay attention to what was happening on screen, not even when the first of the horribly cheesy deaths happened.
They shifted so Lance sat behind him, allowing Keith to lean back into his chest. Lance’s arms wrapped around Keith’s waist while Keith rested his hands awkwardly in his lap.
His heart raced. It felt so intimate to him. He didn’t think Lance gave this kind of touch to people he only considered friends.
He took in a breath and brought his hands up to trail along Lance’s arms, lacing their fingers together. He felt Lance suck in a breath behind him, his heartbeat quicken against his back. Lance squeezed his hands and leaned forward to rest his chin on Keith’s shoulder.
Keith’s mind blanked. Lance was holding his hands. He leaned further into him and ran a thumb across Lance’s knuckles, noticing how soft his hands were in comparison to his own.
He was glad for the dim lighting, otherwise he was sure the rest of the team would be able to see the red in his face.
He hoped to god no one would notice.
Unfortunately for Keith, they did notice eventually.
He and Pidge were in the kitchen watching Hunk make breakfast. Hunk worked at the stove while Pidge sat on the table and watched, and Keith leaned against the edge of the table near them. Shiro and Allura stood to the side, having a conversation that Keith didn’t pay much attention to.
Lance came into the kitchen, blue robe hanging from his shoulders and lion slippers on his feet.
“Good morning,” he addressed everyone as he entered the room. He walked up to Keith and slipped an arm around his waist.
Keith held back a smile.
“Morning, Lance,” Hunk said, turning from his cooking to look at him. He saw Lance’s arm around Keith and quirked his eyebrows in question. “What's going on here? Are you guys dating or something?”
Pidge, Shiro, and Allura all turned to look at them. Heat rushed to Keith’s face as he felt their stares on himself and Lance.
“What do you mean?” he asked, playing dumb.
“You won’t leave each other alone and you’re being all touchy,” said Pidge.
“Yeah, come on, you so look like a couple right now,” Hunk said, “you can tell us if you're dating we won’t judge.”
Keith looked over at Lance, whose cheeks had gone a similar shade of pink as his.
“Ah, no-” Keith started.
“Keith just needs some physical affection, that’s all,” said Lance.
Pidge raised a sceptical eyebrow.
“What?” Lance asked, defensive.
Hunk finished what he was making and scooped it onto their plates. “You mean to tell me Keith actually likes hugs? In that case-” He took off his apron and squeezed Keith into a hug.
Keith made a small noise in surprise. He wasn’t sure how he felt about anyone other than Lance touching him, but he decided this was welcome. He brought his arms around Hunk’s back.
“Group hug!” Lance yelled as he joined in.
Allura smiled and bounced over to join the hug and Shiro followed suit, wrapping his arms around the group.
“You too, Pidge,” said Lance.
Pidge rolled their eyes as they hopped off the table, a faint grin that tugged at the corners of their lips giving them away.
Soon everyone on the team had their arms around Keith, and a warm, bubbly feeling rose in his body. He soaked in the touch, letting it fill him up.
They pulled away, leaving Keith’s hair a bit messier than it was before, his cheeks pink and a wide grin spread across his face.
“We’re always here to offer hugs if you need it,” Shiro said. He rested a hand on Keith’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile.
“Thanks, guys,” Keith said.
Hunk turned to put the now plated breakfast on the table. Lance gave Keith a wink as they all sat at the table to eat. Keith nudged Lance’s leg with his foot, making him let out a giggle.
He could get used to this.
Keith couldn't stop thinking about what Hunk and Pidge said. Hunk knew Lance better than anyone else, and he was the first to think they liked each other.
Lance blushed when Hunk asked.
Did they like each other? It felt like a stupid question, but maybe there was some possibility Lance felt the same way.
Keith laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He needed a definite answer, and there was only one way to get one. He got up and headed down the hall toward Lance’s room.
Lance opened the door as soon as he knocked. His gaze trailed over him. “Hey.”
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
Lance hesitated. “Sure.” He stepped aside so Keith could enter his room.
Lance closed the door and sat on his bed. Keith sat across from him and folded his legs under each other.
“So what’s this about?” Lance asked. His eyes reflected the dim blue light of his room as they examined Keith’s face.
“Do you remember how Hunk asked if we were dating?”
“Yeah,” Lance’s response came out slow, unsure.
“Well,” Keith fidgeted with his hands, “do you think maybe he had a reason to think that?”
Lance’s eyes widened and his face went red. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Keith took a pause, his heart pounding in his chest, “is there something going on between us? I know you’re affectionate with everyone, not just me, and I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I thought, maybe- I hoped that-”
“Keith.” Lance cut off his rambling. He softened his gaze. “You’re not wrong for thinking there's something there.”
Keith opened his mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Lance reached out to guide Keith’s chin toward him. His breath hitched at the touch.
Keith’s eyes fluttered shut as their lips met. He drank in the sensation, Lance’s warm touch against his skin, the soft pressure of his lips, the faint smell of his shampoo. It was enough to send his head swimming.
Keith’s hands wandered up Lance’s sides, gently lifting the hem of his shirt to feel the smooth skin underneath. Lance sucked in a breath and let his hands trail into Keith’s hair.
They broke the kiss and Keith took a moment to catch his breath. He opened his eyes to see Lance inches away, face flushed. His chest overflowed.
“Is it okay if I do that more often?” Lance asked as he ran a thumb along Keith's jawline.
“Absolutely.” Keith smiled and pulled him in for another kiss.
Yeah, he really could get used to this.