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Lance always enjoyed taking care of himself and his appearance.
He spent a good thirty minutes each night to properly clean his body and care for his skin, rubbing moisturizer onto his legs and arms and ridding his nails of dirt and jagged edges.
On Earth, he would do all of this and more with Rachel and Veronica and even roped Marco and Luis into the activities once or twice if they weren’t busy with homework or chores. It had been something he’d enjoyed greatly, and never dared pass lest he somehow forget the routine.
When he and Keith started dating, Lance didn’t hesitate to introduce Keith to the routine, which soon became a good time for Lance and Keith to simply exist together, relaxing or cuddling or talking or doing whatever their hearts desired for the night. On evenings when they didn’t have anything else to do they’d start the routine early and giggle and laugh as they struggled to build a fort with the minimal supplies they could steal before the mice would eventually tattle. Keith would always pet the mice softly and sneak them a bit of food goo that was used for their face masks, Lance scolding him gently but not very much minding. The mice would scamper off eventually, leaving Lance to grab Keith close and press kisses to his skin, careful to avoid the drying face mask as Keith tried to not move his face much.
On nights where they were tired, or it was late, Lance and Keith would simply put on the masks and lay down together on Lance’s bed, legs tangled together, hands clasped while Lance used his free hand to caress Keith’s skin, tracing the line of his neck and gently pressing down on the point of his pulse, murmuring loving words to each other as they drifted.
On one such night, Lance was leaning into Keith, mask gone as Keith carefully tore off his own, face illuminated by the dim highlights of blue that accentuated every wall of the Castle ship. Lance’s eyelids drooped, his breathing evening out slowly, feeling right at home in Keith’s arms.
He was surprised when Keith’s hand lightly traced the lines of his face, a gentle touch that Lance almost couldn’t feel in the first place.
Lance wasn’t a stranger to Keith’s touch, but each touch that just slightly pressed against Lance’s skin ignited a fire in his veins, heartbeat beginning to race and breath catching in his throat when he met Keith’s gaze.
Keith’s violet eyes were soft, staring at Lance as if he’d made the entire universe by simply looking around, a tender smile on his face as his gaze turned thoughtful, a finger following the curve of Lance’s nose from between his eyebrows to the tip, booping it softly with the half-galran giving an amused chuckle. Then quietly, Keith bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Lance’s lips, his own soft lips melding to fit like a puzzle piece against Lance’s. Lance melted into the kiss graciously, eyes falling closed.
Keith pulled away mere moments after much to Lance’s protest, but he hushed Lance with a finger pressed to the Cuban’s lips, an amused smile taking its’ place on Keith’s face.
The thoughtful gaze returned as Keith moved his finger from Lance’s lips to his cheek, tracing random patterns into the skin for a minute. Lance sat quietly, leaning into the touch but not daring to question what Keith was doing.
Keith would explain on his own.
The patterns paused after a short while passed and Lance blinked, not having previously realized his eyes had closed.
The same soft smile from before was back as Keith whispered softly, “I like your face- it’s soft. And very, very pretty.” Keith leaned in and pressed another soft kiss to Lance’s forehead. “This face mask stuff definitely does wonders.” He added teasingly, voice still soft.
Lance felt his cheeks heat up in a blush as he silently vowed to never skip his routine, if not for himself, then for Keith to enjoy the softness of Lance’s skin under the gentle pads of his fingers.