Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lance was pacing as he got the phone call. He had just heard the news from his agent- he got the part of Robin in Hollowed Out! He auditioned for the show about a month ago, then went to call backs a couple weeks ago, now he had the part that he was hoping for. The audition process was nerve wracking- he hadn't auditioned for a show in a few years, only ad campaigns and those weren't the same high tension situations. 

He was ecstatic about the show, there was so much hype about it recently. The director was Adam Shirogane, who was well known for making fantastic shows and Lance was particularly excited about meeting him. Adam and his husband Takashi Shirogane, everyone calls him Shiro, have been together since Lance was a teenager, and he had always looked up to them. Shiro was one of Lance's favorite actors, even before he had come out as gay. Lance had been really struggling with coming out to his family, and they gave him some of the inspiration and courage he needed to finally do it. Being raised in a Christian household made him feel like he wouldn’t be accepted, but his family eventually came around after a year or so of high tension. 

Not to mention that he hasn’t exactly been rolling in job opportunities lately, ever since his last show ended he’s done a few publicity things and some commercials but no acting. It’s been so long that he was scared about this audition, scared that he’d lose some of the spark he used to have. But apparently not! So no use worrying! He told him self over and over again after he got the call. He continued to flap his hands to calm himself down. Maybe he wasn't exactly famous yet, but he had a following and surely this is a step in the right direction. Especially after High Stakes finished up. 

His last show was fun, but he kind of hated his character. The show was basically a Glee rip off, but not nearly as annoying cause there was no Rachel Berry character. His character was basically the gay stereotype for the show, it was better than glee cause the world’s progressed since then, but still not great. Lance was ecstatic at the time to be playing an out queer character so he completely ignored the campy writing and cringey lines that employed old stereotypes. The music was fun and a little silly representation is better than none at all. 

So he was excited to say the least, about this show. It was an action, which he wasn’t used to, and it had supernatural elements. He low key hoped that his character Robin would get to turn into a vampire or werewolf or something. He also kind of hoped that there would be some LGBTQ+ representation in the show, since Adam is the director he figured they’d be cool about it. It didn’t even have to be Lance’s character, he just hoped that Adam would see the benefits of having queer characters in media, like Lance had always seen. 

The first meeting with all the cast and directorial staff would be in a week, there he would meet his co-stars and get the basic idea of the show. He wasn't sure who any of the other actors were yet- but he assumed it couldn't be too many people he'd heard of if he was chosen over everyone else who auditioned. He’d also get his script, and the following day they’d have their first read through. A part of Lance hoped that Adam would bring his husband through at some point so Lance could finally meet him. He'd be cool about it- he told himself- since moving to Hollywood from Cuba he'd met a few famous people and he tended to be a charming personality so he wasn't too worried. 

The move from Cuba to the U.S had been a difficult choice. He loved his family dearly, they were one of the most important parts of Lance's life, but he had always dreamed of L.A. Ever since he was a young boy singing in the choir and performing in his high school theater he'd loved performing. He was told his whole life he was good at it too. His voice, even through puberty, was clear and strong. His family had encouraged his acting dreams and would drive him to Havana to rehearsals and performances in the National Theater where he eventually got scouted. 

The offer he first got wasn't a big one, just vocal performances, but it was a ticket into Hollywood. He thought it through for a long time with his family before taking it. So he moved to the U.S at twenty years old. He had a few opportunities here and there until his big break with High Stakes. And he was happy in his life, he really was. 

The morning of the read through breezed through faster than Lance was expecting. He'd spent the week gushing to his twin sister, Rachel, all about the show and how excited he was to work with Adam. She teased him immensely about how awkward he was when he met Adam at the auditions. Adam and the other director, Coran, were both very kind and encouraging the whole time so Lance wasn't embarrassed about it until his sister pointed out that they could likely feel the anxiety seeping off of him. 

That morning didn't go as planned though. As he was eating a quick breakfast he'd managed to spill coffee on his shirt that he'd planned the night before. He groaned and replaced it before going to brush his teeth and hair. Only then did he notice that he had started to break out. He checked the time, hoping he'd have enough to do his skincare routine. It was usually only something he did at night but his bumpy skin was in desperate need, especially if he was going to be meeting his costars today. 

Lance didn't know too much about the other characters, or really the show in general. He had been given auditions sides that showed interactions with one other character- Alexander- and then a monologue. He had also received a synopsis about the show but he had several questions. It was an ensemble show, like his previous one, so while there wasn't one main character Lance got the idea that if audience members had to chose one- it wouldn't be Robin. The main characters consisted of six individuals: Grey, Alexander, Amber, Gemma, Theo, and Robin. The directors said that the characters were also open for any genders so names were open to changes if they were too heavily gendered. Lance admired that, he had always liked genderless casting. 

When he was finally finished getting ready it was long past when he was supposed to leave if he wanted to get there early to meet everyone in a professional manner. His anxiety rose in his chest as he grabbed his things and booked it out the door. 

He drove carefully, but quickly, to the studio and arrived approximately two minutes before the meeting was set to start. He was sweating through the California heat as he made his way through the parking lot and up to the meeting room at the top floor. 

                       ****** 

Keith walked up the stairs to the meeting room, he had a notebook and pen with him to take any notes he’d need. He’d just taken the part of Alexander in Hollowed Out, he wasn’t going to take it initially, but Shiro convinced him once he said that he’d be working along side of him. Shiro was playing Grey, he was the main character, well, Shiro said “All of them are the main characters” but Grey was the leader so... 

Keith sat down at the seat that had his name on it, it read “Keith Kogane- Alexander Hallet”. The only thing he knew about his character was that he was a total badass, and a bit of a jerk. He’d get tons of stunts to do, and have a bunch of cool choreo. From the script he read for auditions he gathered that he wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around, and Keith was more than happy to play that guy. 

The room filled up pretty quickly, he’d gotten there a little early and chatted with Adam and Shiro before the rest of the cast had arrived. He recognized some of the other actors, there was Hunk Garret, he was pretty famous in the sit com scene. Keith actually liked a lot of the shows Hunk was in, he’ll have to mention that to him later. Then there was Coran, he was one of the directors and played a side character, Keith has worked with him before. He was odd but well intentioned. 

He recognized Allura from movies but had never had any personal connection with her, he knows that her and Shiro are pretty good friends. Katie Holt showed up, he didn’t recognize her but she seemed cool. The person they were waiting for was Lance McClaine. Keith was seated next to him, he thought he recognized the name but couldn’t place why. 

He was answered when Lance came in the room and made a nice, loud entrance. Keith’s face fell. He was that annoying kid from that stupid musical show, what was it called? Oh who cares, Keith hated it. He watched one episode and couldn’t watch more. He’s not opposed to musicals or musical tv shows, and the actors weren’t even bad singers, but the story was just so bad! It was like Glee, but with out any good characters. Lance sat down next to him and Keith tried not to look at him. 

“Hey! I’m Lance McClaine! You’re Keith, right? I loved you in your last show!” Lance sounded out of breath as he huffed next to him. The accent startled Keith initially. In the show Keith had seen one episode of he had an American accent and this didn't sound like that. Keith couldn't place the accent but it sounded Hispanic, maybe Central American? 

Keith decided not to be rude, he turned and smiled at Lance. He was going to say something but stopped when he saw how freaking gorgeous this man was. 

Lance had dark tan skin and was covered in freckles. He was a lean guy, but not in a stringy way. He also had these bright blue eyes. The kind that distracted Keith from everything he was gonna say. He quickly composed himself though. Lance was looking back at him in complete awe, something Keith was used to at this point. It was rare that Keith had to stifle the same expression though. 

”Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you, Lance.” Lance smiled and they shook hands. The meeting started not too long after. They went straight to business, they all got their scripts and talked about the show until Keith was fed up with hearing all of the character’s names. 

Katie’s character was named Gemma, Hunk’s character was named Theo, Allura’s was Amber, and Lance’s was Robin. Keith was kind of jealous, they weren’t all great names but at least they weren’t as generic as Alexander. The meeting was pretty standard stuff for Hollywood so Keith let himself zone out. He was sure that he could ask Shiro or Adam any questions he still had. 

He couldn't help but notice the energy exuding from the man on his left though. Lance was sitting up perfectly straight and intermittently staring at Shiro, then Allura, and even at Keith when he thought Keith didn't notice. Keith couldn't tell if he was just a big fan or hopped up on caffeine. It slightly bothered him though. He never really liked working with people who were fans. They always treated Keith differently. It was often extras so Keith didn't end up dealing with them too much but Robin was supposed to be the character Alexander had the most screentime with so this didn't bode well. 

When the meeting ended he talked with Shiro for a bit. Keith was regretting more and more taking this role. It had been a favor for Adam after all. This show was Adam's dream project and Keith would do anything to help his brother-in-law out. So when Adam talked to him last week saying they hadn't found anyone they liked for Alexander and asked Keith to at least audition, Keith agreed. 

“Keith it’ll be fun! You get to beat people up! You love doing that!” Shiro told him as they walked down the stair case. Keith grumbled something about how he did like beating people up when they heard someone call their names. 

“Wait!” Lance called, he ran down one set of stairs to catch up with them. Shiro and Keith looked at each other in surprise, then back to Lance. He was sweating as he followed them down, his clothes disheveled and he stood up quickly to arrange himself to be more proper.

“Sorry, I just didn’t get a chance to introduce myself to you, Shiro. I now realize that this isn’t the best first impression and I should’ve just waited until tomorrow but, well. I’m already here.” Lance rambled on, Keith couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit annoyed at how much he talked, he seemed like a guy who had good intentions, but also the sort of dude who’s too caught up in his own life to care much for others. His accent was thick so when he was speaking as fast as he was, clearly out of anxiety, it was a little difficult to follow.

Shiro smiled at him kindly. “Lance it’s okay, and this isn’t my first impression of you. I helped Adam with the casting, so I saw everyone’s audition.” He explained to the two of them. 

“Wait you did?!” Both Keith and Lance asked at the same time. Shiro nodded and looked at Keith.

“Did you not know that?” Keith shook his head. “Anyway, Lance your audition was great! We’ve been looking for a Robin for a while now. We needed someone who’d be able to play well off others but also do well by himself, and you were perfect!” Shiro smiled kindly and Keith rolled his eyes at his geniality, something that neither of the others noticed. 

Lance looked at Shiro with his mouth agape. Keith thought just for a second how stupid he looked. Lance was a good looking guy but this was not his finest look. Lance shook his head a little and closed his mouth, just to reopen it to talk. “Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me. You and Adam were kind of role models to me growing up so it really means a lot.” Lanced continued to ramble, a dark flush covering his cheeks. Shiro patted him on the shoulder and gave him one of his dad smiles. 

“Of course, and hey- We’ll see you tomorrow!” Shiro mentioned before we headed out. Keith gave him a polite wave before heading down the rest of the stairs. Lance just stood there and watched them go. 

Keith went back to Shiro and Adam's place. He hugged his dog, Kosmo, close to his chest as he sighed. He had been staying with Shiro for a while ever since... well, he didn't want to think about that. He was still looking for a new place. It was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to start a new project right now. With his personal life in upheaval it wasn't the best time to change his professional life around. Especially not a show that was already planned to have at least three seasons. Shiro and Adam talked in the living room about how well the meeting had gone and about the read through the next day but Keith didn't care. It was hard for him to care about too much right now. 

Everything was just difficult and it might be for a while, and he needed to get over it. Every night had been restless since he had left his old condo. Full of turning in his sleep and wishing there was someone else in bed with him. Not just anyone though, he missed his old roommate. Kosmo did her best to comfort him, which Keith certainly appreciated, but he wasn't feeling much of anything. 

The script read through went really well. Keith loved his character already, and he really liked the dynamic of all the main characters. He had a lot of bickering with Lance’s character, but was pretty chill around everyone else. He was a bit of an asshole but mostly kept to himself. All of the other cast members seemed to really get into it. He found himself enjoying the dynamics of the table read. People were high energy and accommodating of each other's character interpretations. Keith even found himself getting invested in the personal relationships and how it translated from words on a page to verbalizing them. 

Lance asked if they wanted him to use an American accent for his character. The directors said that he should talk in his normal voice, and Lance looked a little happy about that. Keith imagined it would be hard to have to cover up your own voice. He didn’t grow up in Korea or Japan and neither did his mother and his father had passed; so he never had an accent but he can imagine that it would be tough to have someone tell you to sound less like yourself. 

After the script read through was finished Coran suggested that they play some getting to know you games and other ice breakers. Just with the main cast, so they can all get to know each other and have better chemistry. It will also help to ensure they weren't super awkward around each other when shooting started. 

They went onto the set for this, the set was almost complete, they had some workers in the background finishing up with some of the painting. The main set for the show was a bunker, the main characters find it at the end of the first episode and then they all live there for the rest of the series. They were currently in the living room area. It looked similar to the Men of Letters bunker from Supernatural, but this wasn’t as cozy. It was more like a bomb shelter bunker than cool library bunker. 

They all sat together in different spaces around the room. Hunk sat at the coffee table facing the middle of the room, Katie sat across from him. Shiro sat in a chair against the wall. Allura sat next to Shiro in another chair. Lance sat on a low bookshelf, and Keith sat on the floor against the wall. Coran stayed standing at the doorway. 

“Okay gang! First things first! Let’s all introduce ourselves with our name, pronouns, and one fun detail about yourself! I’ll start, my name is Coran and I use he/him pronouns, and I am an Aquarius sun!” Coran introduced excitedly and calpped his hands together. This had all been his idea and while the rest of the cast seemed fine with it, Keith wished he could just go back to Shiro's place. They all looked to Lance next. 

“The name’s Lance! I use he/him pronouns and I am a huge fan of pretty much everyone in this room.” Lance admitted with a small blush as he looked at the floor for a second. Allura awwed at that and everyone laughed and thanked him. Keith rolled his eyes subtly and couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Lance was pandering. 

“Okay I’m Hunk, he/him, and I love to cook! Especially big meals for my friends!” Hunk beamed. 

“I’m Katie, but I’d prefer to be called Pidge. She/her pronouns and I have hacked into a government website, which one? I cannot disclose.” Everyone laughed at that, the energy in the room was good, not awkward.

”I’m Takashi, I go by Shiro. He/him, and I have never worked on a tv show before, only movies.” Shiro introduced himself and gave Keith a look that read 'be nicer' and Keith just shrugged at him. He hadn't done anything rude, yet. 

“I’m Allura! She/her pronouns, and I am very excited to work on this show! I’ve never worked on a supernatural or fantasy project so I’m really excited!” Allura's British accent rang through the room pleasantly and Keith smiled kindly at her. He hadn't met her officially yet but Shiro talked about her often. 

It was Keith’s turn. He didn’t really know what to say about himself. He thinks the most interesting thing about himself was that he was a star, but so was everyone in this room. “Uh I’m Keith, he/him pronouns. And I am allergic to dairy?” Lance and Pidge laughed at him, mostly just at how awkward he was, and Keith managed to smile at them. 

“Alright! Now let’s play some games!” Coran announced and Keith held back another eye roll. He knew that they were trying to make their relationships less awkward but Keith thought that if they were all good actors they wouldn't need to do this. 

They played some trust games, that human knot game, and now they were gonna play this game Coran had made up. Keith wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt after they were all allowed to let go of each other's hands. The only person who had noticed was Lance, who's lips twitched in amusement at Keith's discomfort. 

“Pair up!” Coran called out and everyone moved. Keith turned to Shiro but he was already paired with Allura. He turned back and Lance was next to him. 

“Buddies?” Lance asked hopefully and Keith just forced out a smile. He nodded and the three pairs separated. 

He mostly found Lance annoying but he was trying his best to be nice to him. So when they had to play a game where they couldn’t separate from each other was kind of annoying. The idea of the game was to learn each other’s body language or something like that. So they always had to be touching, but had to keep moving. Coran suggested to talk during it so it wasn’t as awkward. 

It was still awkward. 

Lance took Keith’s hand and spun him around, which Keith was not expecting. When he was facing Lance again they hooked arms and Lance starting walking in a circle, so they were basically arming. Keith's temper was already close to the surface from all the social interactions of the day, it was more tiring to be with new people, but he pushed it down.

“Are you trying to dance or something?” Keith asked with his eye brow quirked up. Lance looked at him with an annoying smile and said:

“What else am I supposed to do? Every time I’ve done this activity with someone it’s gotten super sexual super fast. And I kindly assumed a straight guy like you would not be up for that.” Lance smirked as he wrapped his arm around Keith’s shoulder, they then kept moving, Keith felt ridiculous. 

“First of all, I’m gay. Second of all, how did you manage to make it sexual?” Keith asked with a disbelieving eyebrow raise. Lance may be attractive but Keith couldn't imagine him making anything sexual- he was far too awkward. Lance looked at him surprised, then smirked. 

“Just remember that you asked.” Keith’s eyebrows furrowed before Lance grabbed his waist and then they really started dancing. 

Lance put his forehead against Keith’s and laughed at Keith's wide eyes. Lance then rolled their shoulders together until they were back to back, Keith’s face was red and he was trying his best to not laugh as well. When they were facing again and Lance had hooked his leg around Keith’s, like they were doing the tango and grabbed his hips to pull Keith into a dip.

That’s when Keith just lost it. The situation was far too awkward for him to remain stoic. Lance had the biggest smile on his face and Keith just couldn’t stop laughing, it was too funny to him. Then Lance started laughing and they tried to continue without parting but eventually they separated because they were laughing too hard. 

“Ooh Lance and Keith are the first ones out!” Coran announces. Keith wanted to object but he couldn’t stop laughing. Then Lance tapped his shoulder and pointed to something. Keith managed to sober himself enough to look to where he was pointing. He followed Lance’s finger to a camera that was set up. Coran told them at the beginning of their exercises that they would be recording them for a gag reel but they had all forgotten. Keith saw the camera, then slowly looked at Lance. They looked at each other for just a moment and started laughing again. 

They only played a couple more games before their time was up for the day. They really did all get closer, they weren’t friends yet but they liked to be around each other. Even Keith, who pretty much hates meeting new people liked hanging out with them all. He liked how well all their humor went together, and even though things were awkward now, he could see himself really liking some of these guys. Maybe even Lance, who he had some reservations on. Maybe he was annoying but he really did seem well intentioned. 

They start filming next week, so he has enough time to memorize his lines, and he’ll be learning his fight scenes later on in the process. They start by filming the scenes with big crowds, so they can have everyone in the same place at the same time, and then as the season goes on they just have the main actors on set. 

While Keith is learning his lines he gets a text from Shiro. 

Shiro: Hey everyone! This is Shiro. Adam thought it would be a good idea if we had a group chat between the six of us, just for whatever reason you guys need. So if everyone could just introduce themselves so we know who’s number is who’s, that’d be great! 

(***)***-****: Hello everyone! This is Allura!! I know I already said this but I’m so excited to be working with you all! 
(***)***-****:Hey this is Pidge

(***)***-****: Heyyyy this is ~Lance~
Pidge: What’s up with the ~? 
Lance: That’s how I say my name out loud, like ~Lance~
(***)***-****:I gotcha buddy, that is exactly how he says it, also hiii this is Hunk!

Keith read all the texts then put in names after he knows who they were. He supposes that he should introduce himself now, though he was the only one left, so they could probably figure it out. 

Lance: aaand the only person to not respond is Keith, big shocker.
Lance: Whatcha doing buddy? Brushing your mullet out? 

Keith looked at his phone weirdly, mullet? He doesn’t have a mullet! 

Hunk: Lol Lance be nice 

Lance: I’ll allow a lot of things, I’m very open minded, but I cannot abide mullets

Pidge: lmao he does have a mullet 

Shiro: Maybe making this chat was a mistake.... 

Keith: Yeah, you think? 

Allura: No Shiro it’s great! 

Lance: The mullet man himself, good to see ya buddy

Shiro: Everyone be nice! Okay well I’m going to bed, I’ll see you all next week, make sure to get tons of sleep for next week’s shooting, we don’t want anyone falling asleep on set. Night everyone! 

Pidge: Is he always gonna text in paragraphs like an old man? (With love Shiro) 

Allura: I am going to turn in as well! It was wonderful meeting you all, take care of yourselves! 

Hunk: I feel so loved🥺

Lance: omg hunk you used the 🥺 emoji we’re besties now

Hunk: 🥰

Lance: 😘

Keith groaned at his phone and put it down. It was about time for him to sleep as well, he needs to maintain a healthy schedule for the filming so he should start now. Next week will go fine. He’s sure of it. If it isn't- well, he's survived worse. 

Chapter Text

On the first day of filming Keith was waiting on set, the rest of the cast was still getting into costume. They had two scenes to film today, but they were pretty important so they reserved a full day to them. Keith thought the shooting schedule was odd, but none of his business how the crew wanted to run their show. 

The scene was in the eighth episode, they had to evacuate all the townspeople before the monsters they fought in the previous episode took over the town. They were all pretending to be federal agents, so they were dressed in suits and some of them had jackets that said FBI on them. It was the only big group scene- they'd decided to start with the scenes that had the most cast members and work down from there. The last few weeks of filming being dedicated to two people, or in the rare case one person, scenes. 

Keith got to set early like usual so he was first into make up and costume. His hair and makeup crew is super nice, but he didn’t have anything special today so he was in and out before most of the other cast even showed up. Keith was quietly scrolling on his phone, feeling too tired to force himself to talk to anyone else. He'd introduced himself to his hair and makeup team and thanked god they weren't the chatty type. 

He was currently sitting on the stage part of the set. The set for the first scene was in a government building, most likely representing a public forum room. There was a green room he could've been sitting in but that increased the chances of someone he didn't know talking to him. He saw other cast members file in and go to hair and make up. He knew Shiro was done a while ago, he was probably with Adam. Keith rolls his eyes just thinking about them. Yes they were cute, but he got sick of them pretty much a month after they started dating.

He’s known Shiro since he was a kid. They were family friends, and when Keith’s dad died and his mother took off, Shiro’s family took him in. Since then he’s talked to his mom a few times, they keep in touch but he’s not totally over her leaving- mostly because she's never given him a reason to forgive her. The only people who've always been there for Keith is Shiro and his parents, and that hasn’t changed for him. His parents, or more appropriately- Shiro's parents, adopted him at a young age after Krolia, his mother, left. As far as Keith was concerned, Emi and Botan Shirogane were his parents, no one else. 

“Hey Keith!” Allura says strolling over to sit next to him. He smiles and turns his body so they can have a conversation. As much as he wasn't feeling like being too social, he'd grown to like Allura's presence. She was sweet and calming, even when she was excited she wasn't overbearing. She wore a dark blue pant suit, her long hair is pulled back and her makeup looks very natural. It’s not a look he sees from her often.

“Hey Allura, good to see you again.” He kindly replied. She smiled, her smile was bright and warm. “And you as well!” Keith smiled, he liked her British accent, he thought it fit her well.

“You always come to set early?” She asked him and sat next to him, but not too close. 
“Yeah, I like to have some time on the set before all the chaos. Plus this way I’m never worried about being late.” Keith shrugged and shoved his phone away to be polite to her. She nodded serenely. 
“I’m the same, I used to be late to some photo shoots, and one day the director yelled at me, and he was so scary I’ve never been late to anything since.” She laughed a bit while telling her story. Keith’s eyebrows knit for a second, but he smiled.

“That guy sounds like a jerk.” Allura laughed loudly.
“Oh yes, he was.” They laughed together for a moment. He noticed the rest of the main cast coming out of makeup. 

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all had dress pants and white button ups with an FBI jacket on over. They looked nice, it was the same thing Keith was wearing but still. They all gathered in front of where Allura and Keith were sitting. The three of them looked like they had grouped together and were excitedly talking about something. 

“Hey guys!” Hunk exclaimed while waving. Keith and Allura waved politely.

“Guys I had an idea,” Pidge started, “So you know the gag reel? They’re already planning on having one I think. But it gave me an idea.”

“It’s a good idea! It sounds really fun.” Hunk interrupted, Pidge looked up to him and smiled. She didn't even look annoyed, she looked like she was excited to hear his approval. It was weirdly sweet. 

“What’s the idea?” Keith asked when she didn't continue. 

“Right! So we do a mini video diaries of us back stage, nothing with any spoilers, and we post it like a week before the show airs so there will be more hype to watch it!” She explained finally, with Hunk nodding along energetically. 

Allura clapped her hands twice, “Oh I love that idea!” Pidge nodded and smiled hugely.

Keith shrugged, “Yeah sounds fun.”

Pidge and Hunk high fived, “Great! And Shiro already agreed!”

“Speaking of the handsome man himself...” Lance muttered while Shiro approached them. Lance was eyeing Shiro up and down in a way that wasn't exactly lustful but not purely observant either. Keith looked at Lance weirdly, he always hated it when people would hit on Shiro in front of him. It just made him uncomfortable.

Shiro waved to everyone as he walked over.
“Okay guys, Adam says he’s gonna talk to us in a minute, he’s got to get everything sorted out with the extras.” Everyone nodded and they continued to chat quietly.

Lance started glaring at Keith at one point. Keith wasn't sure when, or why, he hadn't said anything. Keith looked behind himself at one point, just to check to make sure he was glaring at him. He was. The state unsettled him so much that he shifted a couple times to see if that would make him look away. It didn’t. No one else seemed to notice the weird tension seeping off of Lance as he pretended he wasn't glaring holes into Keith's face. Keith was utterly confused as he was certain he hadn't done anything to piss him off, yet. 

Adam came over to make sure we all remembered our marks and blocking and whatnot. After that he and Coran made the typical first day filming speech. When they were done they yelled “Set!” And everyone got in their places.

Alexander and Robin were standing next to each other at the side of the stage, Theo was supposed to be giving the big announcement to the crowd. Amber waited at the door to make sure everyone from the town was there, Gemma had a list of everyone in the town and when the scene started she’s send the list around for everyone to mark that they were there. Grey was at the side of the room, he was acting like security. He had on a plain black suit and his hair was slicked back.

The extras were still being settled when Lance leaned into Keith. “I bet that we’ll have to shoot this scene eleven times.” Keith turned his head to him, Lance wasn't smiling, but he almost was. Keith wasn't sure why Lance was randomly talking to him after glaring at him all morning, but he was willing to play when the day would be this boring. 

“Okay, I’ll bet fifteen times. To add onto that- I bet the first cut will be because Hunk stumbles over something in his speech.” Lance snorted.

“Nah it’ll be because one of the extras does something weird like sneezes, or has a coughing fit.” They looked at each other. There was a mutual glare of competition in their eyes.

“Winner gets...” Keith started and lifted an eyebrow.

“Winner gets to make the new bet.”

“New bet?” Keith asked Lance.

Lance smirked and said “Yeah, series of bets, just today to make things more interesting. Our characters do like nothing in these scenes.” Keith looked at the ground and contemplated. It wasn’t exactly professional, but he did love competition.

“Deal,” they shook on it and then the first take started.

Lance was right of course, each of them had one line in this scene, and they were supposed to mime talking to each other but they had only one real line each. Keith’s was “Everyone settle down!” And it was at the end of the scene, when Hunk and Shiro had finished addressing the crowd. Lance’s only line was “Please remain calm.”

So a game was a good call. 

The first take cut when an extra sneezed, they immediately apologized and they reset for the next take. Lance nudges Keith and whispers “Next bet, I bet that Shiro will have at least three girls state at him for a little longer than what’s comfortable.”

Keith scoffed “Only three? Okay, I bet five. Two of them being way too young.” Lance snorted but they both sobered up when the next take started. Something deep in Keith's chest flared up at the disbelief that came to Lance when Keith bet something. It wasn't a secret that Keith had always been competitive. Most of his coworkers had commented on it at some point, including in interviews. 

“We understand that this is a huge inconvenience, but for your safety this is the best option. My associate Gemma Fords is handing around a sign in sheet, please cross your name out along with any children you have.” Theo announced to the group, several hands were raised from the crowd.

“I know you probably have several questions, but there isn’t much time, please finish confirming that you are here, then when we are done go back home and grab anything you’ll need for a week. Along with any pets you have, we are setting you up in a community center in the city over.” Gray walked up next to Theo and whispered something in his ear.
“Yes and we will have some of our agents stay with you all to make sure everything runs smoothly.” Theo finishes up. Gemma gives him the thumbs up from the back of the room, signaling that the sign up sheet is filled.
Gray starts talking in his commander voice, “Alright, if we could have everyone leave in a very calm manner, and we will meet you at the community center in thirty minutes. Take this time to gather what you need. We will be taking attendance again once we get there.” The extras started moving about, Robin and Alexander went to make sure the crowd didn’t get too rowdy as they were hurriedly leaving.

An extra pushed Alexander and he shouted over all the hustle “Everyone settle down!” From across the room Robin said “Please remain calm.” The crowd continued to disperse leaving just the main six. Grey said a few things, he assigned Theo and Gemma to stay with the group at community center. Then the scene ended.

Lance smiled at Keith like he was obscenely proud of something. “What?” Keith asked. 

“That was twelve takes, I’m closer, boom!” Keith rolled his eyes. They all moved over to the set for the next scene, it was just outside the forum, on the steps of the building, they were basically just guiding people to where the center was, it was just supposed to be a bunch of takes of them helping people.

“Okay, I bet that I can do more push ups than you.” Lance crossed his arms and Keith laughed and raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude we don’t even have time to-"

“They’re still setting up the cameras for this scene.” Lance had such a baiting look on his face. Keith knew he shouldn’t- but he couldn’t help it, he knew he could win and he wanted Lance to know that. Keith had worked for years on his body, and maybe it was hubris, but he doubted that Lance's gangly arms could keep up. 

They were doing push ups for who knows how long, Pidge started filming them, and a crowd of extras had gathered. Lance tapped out at 80, Keith did five more then cheered. He was tired and his muscles weren't exactly happy about him not stretching first, but he looked better off than Lance- who was sweating and breathing heavily through his mouth. 

“Alright alright, cameras are ready. Set!” Adam called to everyone. The boys got up, both of them a little shaky.

Everyone was in position when Keith said “I bet that more extras will come up to me for help,” Lance glared at him, and chewed a bit at the inside of his lip.

“Fine, we’ll see who’s the fan favorite.” They had to do several takes of this scene, the cameras needed to be in the position to get each character helping out townspeople. Along with that, Hunk kept laughing at something this one extra was saying to him.

After the first take Lance held up five fingers to Keith, Keith smirked and held up seven. Lance rolled his eyes. Then Keith ran up to him real quick while Adam was talking to someone.

“I bet that the next take will be the last one.”

“Bold bet,” Lance smirked back. 

“I’m confident in us,” he started walking away before quickly turning on his heel. “And you can’t mess it up on purpose!” Lance laughed and put his hands up in defense and they set up for the next take.

It was not their last, they had two more. After the scene was done Lance wandered over to Keith.
“Bet you that the speech given by Adam will contain the phrase ‘we couldn’t do this with out you’”

“I’ll take that action.” Keith smiled back, a genuine smile for once, but Lance's was still slightly angry- Keith wasn't sure why. 

Adam gathered up everyone and started his speech. “Thank you to everyone here! This show means a lot to us and we’re so glad you could all help us create it! You all did amazing and we hope to see you all again! Okay break.”

Lance snapped his fingers and Keith just patted him on the shoulder. “Okay so what do I win?” He asked.

“We’re not done yet," Lance crossed his arms defensively and Keith did the same and narrowed his eyes. 

“No?”

“We don’t know how many people checked Shiro out enough to make him uncomfortable.” Lance explained and Keith rolled his eyes.

Some of the extras wanted pictures with various cast members, mostly with Allura or Shiro but the rest of them too.

Once they were all back in the make up room Lance popped the question.

“So Shiro, how many people checked you out so intensely it made you super uncomfortable?” Lance asked, completely lacking any nuance, which was fairly amusing to Keith and even Allura. 

“Uh what?” Lance and Shiro sit on opposite ends of the make up room, they were just shouting at each other.

“You know, all those fans, some of them are bound to be attracted to you.” Hunk suggested. Keith wasn’t sure if Lance told him about the bet or if he was just curious as well.

“Oh well, I don’t know I didn’t count them. I suppose seven?” Keith pumped a fist. Lance whined loudly.

“Okay now what do I win?”

“No no no no, we are not ending on that. One more bet. Come on.”

Keith rolled his eyes, the prize better be big. “Fine, I bet that I’m a faster runner than you.” He was a pretty fast runner, and he won the push ups contest, he could win this too.

“Okay, meet outside after you’re done with hair and makeup. Pidge! Bring your camera!”

“Bold of you to assume I haven’t been filming this entire conversation.” She said from next to Keith, he turned to see that yes. She has been filming them. He laughed and waved at the camera, he must look very silly right now. He has had his makeup off, and is in his normal street clothes which is just a black t shirt and jeans.

They meet outside in the parking lot, the plan is to see who can run from one end to the other and back faster. They marked off the start/ finish line with chalk that they had in the break room.

Keith and Lance were neck and neck, just about to start running. Allura had the stop watch, Pidge had the camera, Hunk was at the other end (they had to high five him before turning around), and Shiro was in the background with Adam. Shiro had his face in his hands.

“It’s only our first day.” Was all he said. Adam patted his back, but he looked excited himself. Some of the extras stayed to watch.

“Ready...” Allura started “Set... Go!” They both took off across the parking lot, they seemed to be going at the same rate when Lance sped up just a fraction more.

Lance got to Hunk a second before Keith did, and Keith lost time on the turn. Lance crossed the line two seconds before Keith and everyone cheered, Keith groaned.

“Hahahaha! Yes!” Lance cheered for himself. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Okay Mullet, what’s the prize?”

“I don’t know! You came up with this idea."

“Hmm, okay. You have to do something embarrassing on the video diary.” Keith shook his head quickly.

“More embarrassing than losing to Lance?” Pidge asked from behind her camera. Lance turned to her with the most offended expression.

“Hey!” Everyone laughed, including Keith.

“Okay Fine, what do I have to do?” Keith straightened up and dusted himself off unnecessarily. 

“Ooh! Okay you should tell them an embarrassing story!” Hunk suggested, Keith looked at him with his best what-the-hell-man? expression that he could muster. Lance clapped him on the back.

“Okay fine! Fine! Let me think of one.” Keith sighed and tapped his foot. 

“I have one for you! Shiro shouted from a couple feet away. 

“Shut up!” Keith pointed a finger at him. He knew exactly what he was gonna say. That story must never come to light though.

“Okay fine, Pidge I’m ready.” Lance and Allura watched excitedly from behind Pidge’s shoulders. Hunk was talking to Adam about something.

“Okay hey everyone watching! I’m Keith Kogane and I just lost a bet so now I’m gonna tell an embarrassing story I guess.” Lance nodded and did the ‘go on’ motion. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Okay uhm, when I was a sophomore in high school, I was at a football game with a friend and she tried to kiss me and I freaked out because I wasn’t out at the time. I was super scared that my friend would be homophobic cause a lot of people around there were. So I told her that I was dating this cheerleader, and my friend got really mad at me and went up to the cheerleader at half time and asked her about it. I was really desperate cause I didn’t want to be caught in a lie so I y’know, begged her behind my friends back to just lie. And she did! And after the game she said she had a crush on me and she thought that I lied because I liked her.... so we dated for like five months.” Lance and Pidge winced and Lance let out a “ooooh yikes.”

“During that time, my friend found a poem I wrote about this guy I had a crush on, and she gave it to my girlfriend thinking it was about her. And so that girlfriend loved the poem and kept it in her locker for like, three months. Eventually she got mad at me for something and yelled at a party that I lied about us dating and we’d only been together for five months, so then everyone was confused to why I had lied, especially my friend. So then I came out to her and she reminded me that her brother was gay.” Lance started laughing and Shiro chuckled. Allura politely covered her mouth when she laughed and Pidge just shook her head.

“That’s not as much embarrassing as it is cringey,” She said. Keith rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in exasperation. He didn't have many embarrassing facts about him, honestly. He was such an introvert and he didn't do much with his time besides acting. 

“Does it help that my girlfriend and I had the same haircut?” He asked with a small, teasing smile. Now everyone was laughing.

Pidge said through laughter “Yes! Hah, yes it does.”

Pidge put away the camera and everyone started dispersing. Keith was walking to his car when Lance called after him.

“Wait Keith, I gotta know. Did you both have mullets? Or what was going on with the matching cuts?” Keith laughed under his breath as he unlocked his car.

“Not exactly, we both had the swoopy bang style, you know, like the emo look.” Lance laughed and playfully hit his shoulder.

“Well, still better than a mullet.” Keith pushed Lance and got in his car. He wasn't sure what the fuck just happened. The betting or the weird relationship blooming between himself and the other cast members. He wasn't sure he'd ever been that open in front of a group of mostly strangers in his life. He wasn't sure why he was being so open with these folks. Maybe the loneliness had started to get to him. 

He’d always remember that as the most eventful first day of shooting.

Chapter Text

The thing about Lance was that he was the most oblivious person ever. Only thing he wasn’t oblivious about was the fact that he was oblivious.

His was so excited for his first day on set, and he really wanted to be friends with everyone on cast. He had seen everything that Allura and Shiro had been in, he was a huge fan and mildly attracted to both of them. And he’d enjoyed Hunk and Keith’s shows. His whole family had been a fan of Keith's show- almost to an embarrassing degree. He hasn’t seen anything with Pidge but he’d seen some clips.

When he met up with everyone for the first time he thought he’d stop breathing. Every time he talked to Adam or Shiro his heart almost leaped out of his chest. He couldn’t even begin to describe the affect they have had on the community and on his own life. He held so much admiration for them that it hurt. He was so worried they wouldn't like him. That he'd mess up too often and they'd just kill off his character and replace him with someone better. He had to make a good impression. 

When they were waiting on set before filming started he realized that something was off. It took him a second to realize what was wrong though. He automatically became friends with Hunk- that wasn’t the problem. Neither was Pidge, he already sort of saw her like a little sister. He knew it wasn’t Shiro, that dude was his hero. It wasn’t Allura, probably. He is attracted to her a little bit, he definitely was when he was younger. But now? Of course she was gorgeous, but he didn’t feel any pull towards her. Maybe it was Keith.

He stared at Keith, trying to figure out what was bothering him. Maybe it was the mullet, he was joking about that mostly (but come on, he's famous and he still has a mullet??), but why else would he feel weird around him? He felt insecure. Like he wasn’t doing enough. He felt small and inadequate compared to Keith. Keith was someone he looked up for a few years, even hoping to work with him at some point. But the guy wasn't what he expected. He was stand-offish at some points but weirdly open at others. He glared at Lance during some of the ice breakers but then laughed at Lance's antics the same day. 

He tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes at Keith. What was wrong? Was it really that he just admired him so much and now that they were coworkers Keith wasn't acting like he should? Lance couldn't put his finger on it. 

Keith’s movement broke Lance’s stare. Keith turned his head to see if Lance was looking behind him. After that Lance tried not to stare so hard.

When they were setting up positions for the scene Lance came up with an idea. If he figured out a way to embarrass Keith maybe he’d feel better. Not too seriously that he’d feel guilty, or that Keith would hate him. He just needed something. Something to make the feelings stop eating away at his chest. The sinking one that made Lance want to curl up into a hole in the ground. He felt so small and he hated it.

He decided a series of bets would work, he’d get to encourage his own competitive side, entertain others, beat Keith in something, make himself feel better, and all while making it seem strictly friendly.

It worked out well, he was a little embarrassed that Keith beat him in the push up contest. He also managed to do it while looking so good in his costume? His hair was pulled back in a pony tail and he wore pretty much the same as Lance, a white button up with an FBI jacket and dress pants. But something about the way he could see Keith’s body move underneath the cloths made him feel worse.

He felt better when he won the race. And even better when Keith had to tell an embarrassing story. The weird discomfort in his chest disappeared for a while as Keith blushed and rolled his eyes with a laugh. His vulnerability made him more likeable but there was something wrong with it too. Like it was unearned. Lance and he weren't friends. Lance wasn't sure he wanted to be friends with him, not if that insecure feeling stuck around. 

A few days into shooting Keith had been rude to him after a scene. At least, Lance thought it was rude for someone he'd just met. They were going through a scene with a few other actors and Lance kept messing up a line that had a bit of a tongue twister in it. It probably wasn't too difficult for a native English speaker but Lance kept swearing in Spanish under his breath when he couldn't get it right. 

They had to keep redoing the godforsaken scene all because of Lance. Between takes he apologized over and over again and Hunk had started to pat him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. Lance was definitely blushing by the time they were done with the scene. It had taken quite a while to finally get it. He didn't explain why he was having a hard time and he didn't know if the others could tell. Lance was clearly stressed and frustrated. Allura and gotten him a water bottle at some point and told him that he was doing fine and Lance almost started crying. 

When he was taking off his makeup, Keith sitting next to him doing the same, he apologized to him as well. Keith had the line after Lance's fumbled one and he looked like he was getting frustrated by Lance as well. 

"Hey man, I'm sorry about today." He confessed to Keith, blushing so much and not wanting to make eye contact. 

"It's not a big deal. Happens a lot early in the process. Just make sure you have your lines memorized ahead of shooting in the future." Keith said coldly and Lance's jaw dropped a little. He was utterly shocked that Keith believed he didn't have his lines memorized- he was a professional just like him. 

"I have my lines memorized." Lance insisted, looking Keith firmly in the eye. He didn't back down even has Keith's calm, purply-brown eyes turned on him. He gulped under his calm gaze. Keith's attractiveness was never lost on Lance. He had looked at Keith's photo enough to be used to it though. 

"Doesn't seem like it," Keith tilted his head. Lance couldn't read his tone but the words themselves burned Lance's eyes. 

"Well, vete a la mierda tambien. (fuck you too)" Lance swore and rolled his eyes. Keith just blinked at him. 

"What?" Keith asked and Lance shook his head. 

"I am just as much of a professional as you are." Lance said rapidly and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"I never said you weren't." 

"La implicación era clara. (the implication was clear)" Lance snapped. 

"I have no idea what you just said." Keith admitted and Lance stood suddenly. 

"Yeah, I can tell." Lance said sarcastically, referring to his thick accent that Keith apparently confused for stupidity, or maybe unprofessionalism. Keith didn't go after him as Lance went to change out of costume. He clearly didn't care enough about Lance's feelings to check in on him after their spat. Maybe this was just how Keith interacted with everyone. 

The feeling didn’t leave his chest though. It lived there for the rest of the week.

It dulled, but it remained. Keith seemed to realize that he hurt Lance's feelings the day before so he approached Lance at the beginning of the next day. 

"Hey," He greeted in the green room. 

"Hi." Lance greeted back shortly. 

"I'm sorry if I said something rude, I didn't mean it that way." Keith started and Lance looked up. "I sometimes say stuff that I don't realize is rude or mean until someone tells me so. I'm not the best at reading people. Sometimes Shiro has to tell me that I upset someone for me to realize." Keith shrugged and Lance gestured at the spot next to him on the couch. Keith took it hesitantly. 

"I messed up the line so much because the pronunciation of them is difficult for me, not because I didn't know my lines. 'Th' isn't a sound in Spanish, you see. That sentence was basically a tongue twister." Lance admitted quietly and Keith's face cleared up and turned red. 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I didn't even- I mean," Keith stuttered and ran a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have implied that you didn't. I was just getting frustrated with the long day and I tend to take that out on whoever is closest." 

"You should work on that." Lance retorted and Keith smiled minutely. 

"Probably. I didn't know you had trouble with English, I can't tell." He shrugged. "I saw an episode of your show and your American accent was so good I didn't even know you weren't American until we met." 

"I'm Cuban. I've known English from a young age, my parents insisted we learned, but I've never been great at it. It's almost perfect since I've moved to the U.S, but still. I'm a little... insecure about it, I guess." Lance looked at his hands and shrugged. 

"I can't say I understand, but I sympathize." 

"Thanks for apologizing. I really thought you just- well, that you didn't see me as an equal." Lance blushed. They weren't equals. Keith was famous. Lance wasn't. Not exactly, he was semi-famous in some circles, at best. 

"I really didn't mean it in that way. I was just annoyed." Keith scratched his arm but didn't say he say them as equals. He was just sorry about the mix up. Lance huffed but kept quiet. 

"I'll try to be less annoying, then." Lance said and Keith seemed to miss the sarcasm in his voice, again. 

"I'll try to be less annoyed." Keith added in a way that made it sound like he thought he was the bigger person in this scenario. Lance bit his tongue in surprise as Keith left to talk to Shiro. So Lance still annoyed Keith, but not because he was foreign. That was of little comfort. 

"I can't stand that guy," Lance muttered as he watched Keith strut off set to the dressing room that evening. 

"Keith?" Hunk asked and Lance nodded. 

"I think he seems fine so far." Pidge shrugged as the three of them exited the set as well. 

Keith hadn't talked to Lance one on one since that morning but he did seem unhappy the entire time. Ever since the first read through Keith looked bored. The only time he wasn't was during their betting. Lance shook his head. "No, no, I can tell. He doesn't even want to be here. " 

"Um, why would you say that?" Hunk asked with a tilted head. 

"He clearly thinks he's better than the show, and therefore the rest of us." 

"I mean, I guess he seems a little distant," Hunk conceded and Lance nodded in approval. 

"Oh come on. Give the guy a break. We've only known him for like, two weeks." Pidge groaned with an eyeroll. 

"I can just tell, Pidge. He rolls his eyes at me all the time. You can just tell he thinks he's better than us." Pidge stared at him for a second before looking at Hunk. Hunk narrowed his eyes at her like he was discouraging her from saying whatever it was she was going to say- like he already knew. 

"Maybe he just doesn't like you." Pidge shrugged again and Lance's eyebrows furrowed.

"What? I'm super likable!" He objected, but secretly agreed with her. Keith didn't seem to like anyone but Shiro, but especially not Lance. 

"I'm sure that's not it." Hunk glared at Pidge and patted Lance's shoulder. "Maybe he's just a grumpy guy." He tried to comfort Lance but it didn't work much. Lance would just have to work on more ways to piss Keith off. That was the only time he felt better around Keith. The only way he had any power in their weird relationship. 

They’d almost finished filming the first episode, today they only had two scenes to shoot. One outside the bunker in a meeting and one in the bunker. The second would be mostly them exploring the place and settling in.

Lance was goofing off with Hunk in the break room, and Pidge was filming them for the video diaries. They all decided that some of these would be in the gag reel as well.

Keith walked in and went straight to the coffee. Lance felt that strange gut feeling. He couldn’t get it to go away.

“Hey there Mullet, get in here!” Lance yelled from the couch. Keith turns towards them, he’s leaning against the table and blowing on his coffee in a Styrofoam cup.

“Why?” Keith asked plainly. Lance rolled his eyes, they were trying to get as many people in the video as possible and Shiro and Allura were no where to be seen. 

“Cause it’s fun! Come on!” Pidge yelled to him. He rolled his eyes and sat down next to Lance. Their elbows touched and Lance shifted so they wouldn’t anymore. Like Keith's touch burned or something. That had been happening every time they touched. Like Keith was acidic or something. 

They were just playfully chatting, Keith didn’t contribute much, but Lance was loving the idea of being able to say anything to the camera. Even if Keith sitting so close to him and being such a grumpy shit was weighing on him. 

“Places in five everyone.” A stage hand peeked into the room to announce. They all got up and wandered over to set.

The scene went on for a while. The characters were still awkward around each other, Gray was the appointed leader but none of them were yet comfortable.

The characters were drawn towards each other because of disaster, they were the sole survivors of a monster attack of a general store. Luckily none of them lost family members, but with the oncoming storm of the apocalypse they all left their lives behind to try to stop it.

“And why are we following the directions of a dusty old map?” Gemma said near the end of the scene. They were in a forest, an actual forest in the lot behind the studio.

“Because,” Gray said exasperated. “The spell that saved us has origins in Faelish (made up language of the magic users of this area), and this is a Faelish map to... somewhere.” Gray finished, he was just as confused but trying to keep it together.

“Yeah I gotta agree with Gray here, the after shock of the spell left that imprint on us. I’m not sure about you guys but I feel like this is what we have to do.” Amber said to the group as they move through the forest.

Robin looked down at his hands, Lance concentrated on looking like he was contemplating. Robin was a complex character, he was sarcastic but mostly just to cover up how broken he was. That’s how Lance read him at least.

Alexander bumped his arm with his own and gave him this caring look. Lance didn’t think he would find that look on Keith’s face. But there it was. A look that was scared and anxious, but also empathetic, but it also showed strength. Alexander was someone with a lot of walls up, and Lance noticed that he often let his walls come down a bit around Robin. Their friendship grew a lot with the season.

“Hey, you okay?” Alexander quietly asked Robin. Robin looked at him surprised.

He scoffed and said “What me? I’m great. I love stomping through the woods looking for who-knows-what.”

Alexander laughed under his breath and said “Yeah that about sums it up.”

The group wandered for a little while longer, they chatted awkwardly the whole time. They arrived at the clearing and had to pretend that the door to the bunker was in front of them. They would film that part inside then stitch the two together.

They filmed the short exchange of them all waiting outside the door. Then walked straight into the camera like they were entering the bunker. It was cheesy but Lance kind of liked it.

“Cut! Alright meet back at stage 6 in thirty, and we’ll run that quick exchange again.” Adam yelled, all the cast and crew started walking back inside.

“Hey dude,” Hunk said, starting to walk next to Lance.

“Hey man! That was a fun scene to shoot. And we only had to do it like, twice!”

“Yeah it was great! Hey I have an idea, it might be kind of stupid though...” Hunk trailed off.

“Hunk, you’ve never said anything stupid ever.” Pidge said from his other side and patted his arm. 

“Yeah buddy, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” Lance assured him with a smile. Lance really liked Hunk so far. He seemed like such a genuine guy, someone who was easy to get along with and willing to work hard in his job. 

“Aw thanks guys. Well I was just thinking that next Saturday we could have a little get together with the main cast? Like we’d watch movies and maybe just chat?”

“Hunk. That is an amazing idea.” Lance told him, he was smiling quite big now. He absolutely loved Hunk and he’s only known him two weeks.

“Yeah sounds fun.” Pidge said, she was distracted by something on her phone to say more.

“Cool! And if you guys didn’t mind I could make some food, like a big dinner. Or just snacks or whatever you guys want.” Lance could tell Hunk was a little nervous right now, he totally understood. Lance was not a stranger to social anxiety, especially when he first moved to the US. Things were different here and the culture shock still ate at his brain sometimes. 

“Yeah man that sounds great!” Lance patted him on the back. They had arrived back at the building so they all settled into the break room while the next scene was being set up.

“Tell Allura and Shiro!” Lance prompted Hunk with an elbow once they were all seated. Hunk looked at him like he was surprised by how excited Lance was. But he looked happy about it so Lance didn’t mind the surprise.

"And Keith," Pidge added, giving Lance an amused look and Lance nodded with an eye roll. Obviously they would invite him too. 

“Okay, um hey guys.” Hunk waved to the three, they all looked at him kindly. They were all so polite in the way they interacted with the other cast members. It was a little fake, Lance started to realize. They were acting, even around their coworkers. Maybe that was why Keith rubbed Lance the wrong way. He had too many walls up. The only time they were down was when Lance was actively humiliating him. 

“Well I already told Pidge and Lance, but I was gonna invite you all over next Saturday to just hang out and watch movies or something.” Hunk invited them and Allura’s face immediately lit up.

“Oh my goodness that sounds so fun! I’ll be there!” Her British accent was so pretty and soothing. He totally understood why he used to like her. Allura was a heartthrob, honestly, and Lance had loved watching her rom-coms as he was learning English. Her accent made it a bit difficult but Lance thought she was so pretty he didn't mind.

“Yeah that sounds fun, we’ll be there.” Shiro said, gesturing to him and Keith.

Keith looked at Shiro with an expression Lance couldn’t read. But he turned to Hunk and said “Yeah Just text the chat what time and everything.” Keith shrugged with one shoulder. 

Lance cheered and gave Hunk a high five. They talked about what movies to watch for the next couple minutes. None of them agreed. They shot the quick dialogue in two takes, Lance was grateful for that. He was pretty tired. Long first week.

The next scene was just them exploring the bunker and talking about it, then they had a little inspirational bit at the very end where they all meet again in the middle and have this look of mutual agreement between them all, that this was their life now. And they were gonna do whatever it took to help save the world.

Again, it was cheesy. But Lance loved that sort of thing.

This took a while to shoot because Lance and Pidge kept getting lost in the bunker set. They also would mess around anytime they broke or messed up. Man the gag reel would be hilarious this season cause Lance had done a number of stupid things just today.

He tripped over nothing while turning a corner, he got lost several times and had to have Allura or Shiro come find him. He and Hunk ran into each other by accident, he made several funny faces at the camera and etc. No one seemed to mind though. Lance assumed that he wasn’t the only one goofing off. Pidge definitely would be. He also knew that Pidge had definitely sworn in front of the cameras a couple times.

The scene took a while to get perfect, but they got enough shots of them looking around, and the one of them all at the end that they thought it good enough to call it.

Lance was taking off his makeup when his agent called. He immediately picked up, he loved his agent. His name was Slav and he was just the weirdest dude he’s ever met. Got him great jobs though.

“Slav! My man, talk to me!” Lance said loudly into his phone.

“Lance, hi, I have some news for you.” Slav was kind of a weird talker. You just had to get used to him to deal.

“As you know, the cast for your show is being released at the end of next month. This means you will be booked with interviews for a while afterwards, well. That is the most probable turn of events... of course it could go entirely different, though the chances are low-"

“Slav, my man. What was the point of this call?” Lance had to cut him off, he got off track real quick and had trouble getting back on if he was too far.

“Right! Of course. So the best option for you is to keep up your appearance on social media until then! So that people will be able to associate your face with your character as soon as possible! So I am once again going to suggest getting a social media agent, we have some at the firm that I could assign you to! This will take the stress off you and-"

“Slav, we’ve had this conversation. I like being able to be one on one with my fans on social media. I can make my own tweets and posts. I appreciate your concern, but I’m going to pass. Again.” Lance rolled his eyes. His coworkers all looked at him a little worriedly but he waved them off. 

“Alright, well I have nothing else for you right now. You’re doing well though! As soon as the cast is released your standing and popularity will only get higher.

“Sounds good, thank you Slav. See you later."

“Yes, good bye.” Lance hung up and set his phone down. He had finished getting out of make up and costume so he immediately got up and started to leave.

“Hey Lance!” Shiro said, he was still seated and taking his makeup off.

“What’s up?"

“Your Agent...”

“Slav? He’s great, why? Do you need representation?” Lance couldn’t imagine that Shiro didn’t have an agent.

“Heh, no I just wanted to confirm that I overheard you correctly.”

“You know Slav?” Shiro’s face held such contained horror and anger. His right eye twitched ever so slightly, Lance could tell that this was not intentional.

“Uhmm, yeah. I’ve met the guy.” Shiro’s eye twitched another time. Lance just patted him on the shoulder. He knew that Slav tended to drive some people up the wall. Lance liked him, generally, but he wasn't everyone's cup of tea. 

Lance was walking to the parking lot when he saw Keith on the phone outside his car. Keith looked up from the ground and waved at Lance. Lance’s car was a couple over from his so he walked over to him. Maybe he could get in a brief barb before leaving for the day. It was the least Keith could do for him after being so sour all day. 

“Yeah of course. Thank you so much again. I really appreciate it.” Lance could hear Keith saying. “Okay yeah I’ll see you around.” Keith hung up and put his phone away in his pocket.

“Who were you calling?” Lance inquired as he stood in front of Keith. Keith crossed his arms. “Was it your boyfriend?” Lance asked, making sure to draw out the o in boy, just to let Keith know he was joking. He knew it worked when Keith rolled his eyes.

“My dog sitter. She’s been watching her while I move.” Lance’s face lit up. Maybe he wasn't Keith's biggest fan but he loved dogs. 

“You have a dog?!?” He asked excitedly and Keith laughed at him. His laugh was surprisingly charming and endearing. 

“Yeah her name is Kosmo.”

“Pictures. I need pictures.” Keith took his phone out and showed picture after picture of the cutest husky. “I love her.” Lance stated. They had started standing next to each other, their shoulders pressed together. Lance didn’t move away this time, something about the warm sun must've made some of Keith's acidity slip away. 

“Heh thanks, she’s the best.” Keith sighed and Lance looked up at him. 

“You said you were moving?” Lance asked casually.

“Yeah...” Keith sounded kind of annoyed. Not at Lance, just about moving. “I used to share a place with a friend of mine but we had a bit of a falling out and I’ve been looking for a new place. I'm stayed with Shiro and Adam for a while and Kosmo is with us for that. But with all of us out of the house at once I just felt better with a sitter.”

Lance was taken back by this. Keith was close enough with someone, besides Shiro, that he’d live with them? Something in his brain didn’t compute. Also they had a falling out? That made more sense to his picture of Keith in his head. Cool, rude, cold, kind of silly now that he knows him, but for the most part he’s kind of disagreeable.

“You guys had a falling out? What, did he get tired of you leaving hair in the shower drain or something? Or maybe he got tired of watching the same episodes of your old tv show. Ooh! Or he got sick of having no milk in the house cause you’re allergic.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed, he was getting angry. Good, Lance knew how to deal with angry Keith. Soft, dog owner Keith was new territory and it made Lance's stomach lurch in a weird way. 

Then Keith’s face settled. He let out a soft chuckle.

“Heh, yeah something like that.” Lance was struck for a moment. What the fuck just happened.

Keith turned to get into his car, he opened his door and stopped.

“Also, I can be around dairy. I just can’t drink it. You know that right? It’s kind of important to me that you know that.” Lance pushed out a fake smile and flipped him off. Keith chuckled, again. Then Lance moved away and watched him drive off.

This guy was so confusing. He thought he understood something about him, then nope.

He thought he liked seeing Keith mad. But then another thought said he liked it even more when he laughed. That thought was brushed aside. Lance liked it when everyone laughed. He was a comedian and loved the attention.

He was right though, he liked seeing Keith mad. Lance felt better about himself when he looked Keith in the eyes and saw that fire behind them.

He’ll find a way to mess with him. He knew it wasn’t the best choice, but it felt necessary at the time. Maybe one day they could be friends. But for now, Lance just wanted to infuriate that guy. Any way he could.

Chapter Text

Hunky Bear: Okay guys! I’ve made some snacks and we can order some take out later in the evening
Pidgeon: Cool, what’s your address again?
Hunky Bear: It’s 1719 Weston Drive. It’s a big brown house, you can’t miss it.
Allura✨: This will be so fun! Should I bring anything?
Shiro 😫: I’m gonna be a little late, 7ish
Hunky Bear: That’s fine Shiro, whenever you can come is all good. And Allura I suggest a sleeping bag and a pillow. I have extras of each of anyone forgets
Lance: I’m almost there btw

Lance put down his phone, he was in a cab with his overnight bag. It just had a pair of clean clothes and a sleeping bag. He had a hat and sunglasses on, he didn’t want to be recognized by anyone. He wasn’t super famous but every once and a while someone will see him.

He was psyched for the party! They’d been filming for two weeks and he was really enjoying the experience. The crew was amazing and so nice. His own hair and makeup people loved him and he loved them! They joked around all the time. He of course loved the cast. Lance had gotten close to them pretty fast. He was already like besties with Hunk and Pidge. He was working on Allura and Shiro. He’d guess that they’d all be super close by the end of the night.

Keith on the other hand...
He was difficult. Mostly because of Lance’s pranks. He’d only done small stuff cause he doesn’t know him super well yet. But so far this week he’d left a fake ticket on his car, stolen his sides, and put sugar in his coffee. That last one wasn’t much of prank, he was honestly doing Keith a favor. Lance hated black coffee, but it was all Keith drank.

Keith was mostly chill about it. When he got the car ticket he was mostly confused. Lance was with him when it happened.

Keith picked up the fake ticket Lance had placed in his wind shield wipers.
“What the hell?” He murmured. Lance tried not to laugh.

“Whatcha got there?” Lance asked him. Keith looked at him then back to the ticket.

“A ticket? I haven’t done anything illegal?”

Lance let him stew for a few more seconds before he flipped the ticket over.The ticket said ‘$1000 fine for having the worlds worst mullet!’ When Keith read it his head spun towards Lance. Lance started laughing of course.

“You were so confused!” Keith stalked over to Lance with a glare that could kill. Lance shrieked and started running away. Eventually Keith caught up and picked Lance up from behind and spun him. Lance was screaming dramatically and Keith was mostly laughing. He set him down and punched him in the arm.

“Do that again and I’ll beat you up.” Keith held back a smile and walked away from Lance. Lance rubbed his arm, Keith was really strong.

When he stole his sides he chased him through the break room until he got them back.

When he put sugar in his coffee he spit it out immediately. “Gahhh what’s in my coffee?” He turned to Lance with his bitch face. Lance just smirked and winked before leaving for his next scene.

Pidge caught them all on camera, though she had to hide for most of them so it wouldn’t reveal it as a prank too early.

Lance smiled thinking about the past week. He really liked working with these guys. He’d never felt so comfortable so fast with a cast. Once he arrived a block away from Hunk’s place he got out of the cab and walked the rest of the way.

Hunk lived in a nice brown house with a beautiful garden. He walked up to the door and knocked. Hunk opened the door with a big smile.

“Lance! Hey! Come on in.” Hunk offered a hug and Lance hugged with his one free arm. Hunk was his favorite coworker so far. He was kind, funny, and professional. Their humors worked together and they almost always had similar ideas. 

“Hunk I love your place! It’s so pretty.” Hunk scratched the back of his neck and looked around.

“Heh, thanks. It’s a little big for just me, but it works for having people over. Which I do a lot.” Hunk gave Lance a mini tour since he was early.

Once they returned to the living room Lance sat on one of the couches. Hunk had a cooking show on his tv, and his kitchen smelled amazing. The living room and kitchen were connected, only separated by the carpet of the living room starting. Hunk was putting chips in a bowl and Lance got up to help him. Hunk smiled and told him what he could help out with. They talked about old coworkers and set up some snacks. Lance was glad he'd arrived early since he was enjoying spending some time alone with Hunk. 

He wasn't exactly at making friends but it was hard to keep up with people when you stopped working with them. He'd just gone through a messy breakup too, so some of his friends were a bit isolated from him. Though, not many of his and Nyma's friends took her side. The whole situation was just so messy that a lot of people had back away from it, which was fair enough. 

“Hunk, I hope it’s okay, but I brought some vodka?” Lance said once they were done setting up. 

“Dude, that’s totally fine. I haven’t set mine out yet but I have so much alcohol. I figured we’d play some drinking games later on.” Lance’s smiled widened.

“Dude, you are the best,” Lance said as they high fived.

People started arriving. Allura first, then Pidge, then Keith. Shiro arrived a half hour later. In the mean time Hunk showed them the essentials; the bathroom, kitchen/living room, backyard, and second bathroom.

Once Shiro arrived everyone sat down in the living room, the cooking show still on in the background.

“Okay we can order dinner whenever you guys feel like it.” Hunk said as everyone settled in. Pidge started telling a story about her brother. Lance was enraptured by the story of this bigger than life man she spoke of. 

“Wait...” Shiro started. Everyone looks to him. “Pidge Holt. Is your brother Matt Holt?” He asked Pidge. Pidge looked around the room confused. 

“Yeah? Do you know him?” She asked. Shiro started laughing. Everyone looked around confused except Keith. He mostly looked shocked. 

“Heh, sorry. Yeah Matt and I go way back. I knew he had a famous sister I just never connected the dots. We haven’t talked in a while and the cast hasn’t been released to the public so I guess it makes sense.” He explained to the group. Keith whispered something into his ear. Shiro nodded and said “Yeah, fine. It’s probably better for them to know.” Shiro all but groaned and Keith's face split into a grin. 

“Matt and Shiro dated.” Keith told them all and Pidge’s face fell.

“Ewww, Shiro whyyy?” She covered her face. His face flushed deeply. Lance and the others were laughing. “You’re laughing. My idiot brother dated my co worker and you’re laughing.” Pidge stared right at them and said. Her face still pink from embarrassment.

“Wait does he have an Instagram?” Lance asked her.

“I am not telling you! No! Do not look him up!” Pidge yelled at him from across the room.

Keith leaned towards Lance and said “His @ is ratthew_holt” Pidge groaned and buries her face in a pillow.

Lance found his Instagram and said “Damn, he’s hot. I’d date him too Shiro.” Shiro choked on his drink and Pidge faked a gagging sound. Allura and Hunk gathered around his phone to look. They spent a couple minutes going through his pictures when Pidge grabbed his phone.

“Okay! Enough! We don’t need to keep talking about him.” She said while putting Lance’s phone on the kitchen island.

“Wait, sorry Pidge one more thing. How’d you meet him Shiro?” Allura asked him. They all looked at him.

“Uhh well....” Shiro blushed and Keith snorted before Shiro hit him. “We uh, met at a club...” Pidge’s mouth dropped. Lance let out a cackle, Keith joined him laughing. Hunk and Allura took a second to understand.

“No! Why would you tell me!?” She did a circle around the room. She came back with a bowl of Cheetos and started stuffing her face.

Allura went back to her seat next to Pidge. Lance just realized that he was seated next to Keith. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t realize that earlier. It wasn't intentional whatsoever but Lance couldn't remember if he or Keith had sat down first. 

Hunk turned on a movie they had all seen so they didn’t have to pay attention. They chose “Iron Man”, they all liked Superhero movies and it was one they’d seen enough.

Half way through the movie they ordered food from a nearby Chinese restaurant. Hunk answered the door for the delivery guy with sunglasses and a hat on. He didn’t want a possible fan knowing where he lived. Lance realized he should probably do that. He orders all the time and just now thought that maybe some delivery person knew where he lived.

“Hey Allura wanna split?” Shiro asked, Allura nodded and they switched spots to sit next to each other. Lance looked at them for a second. They were two undeniably gorgeous people. Then he thought for a moment, everyone in the room was gorgeous.

Keith nudged him. Lance turned to him.

“What?” 

“Why you staring like a weirdo?” Lance’s eyebrows scrunched up, he leans his shoulder against Keith’s. 

“I was just thinking about how hot everyone in this room is.” Keith rolled his eyes but Lance saw his smile. “Hey Shiro,” Lance started. Everyone looked at him. “Do you know what happens in the later seasons? Has Adam given any details to you?” Shiro looked around like he was checking for paparazzi.

“You guys can’t tell anyone. Adam only told Allura and I cause it influences how we act in the first season.” Allura smiled like she knew what he was gonna say. Lance leaned onto his knees in anticipation. After a moment of silence Shiro said “Amber and Gray get together in season two.” Everyone gasped. Allura and Shiro laughed and looked at each other.

“That makes so much sense!” Hunk said, he had put down his food. Pidge started chuckling.

“So do you guys have to make out on camera next season then?” She continued chuckling. Lance had quick flash backs to the times he’s had to make out on camera. It’s awkward if it’s with someone you don’t know well. He can’t imagine it would be that weird for Shiro and Allura. Sure, Shiro was gay and Allura wasn’t interested anyway, but they were close friends.

“Uh yes, only one make out scene and a few kisses throughout the rest of the series, is that right?” Allura said. Shiro nodded and went back to eating his food. Keith was chuckling under his breath.

“What’re you laughing at mullet?” Lance asked him. 

“Oh, just remembering the kiss scenes I’ve done in the past.” Keith grimaced and Lance got an idea. 

“Wait, okay,” Lance put his hands out in front of him. “Everyone tell their worst on screen kiss story.”

Pidge laughed and said “I’ll go first! Okay, It was for ‘Runner 2’ and it was with the main character who was supposed to be my best friend. But the actor and I hated each other. We had to shoot the scene so many times because each time I got close enough to his face I’d start laughing. I felt kind of bad about it but he was a jerk so not too bad.” A couple of them chuckled at that.

“Okay I’ll go next.” Hunk said, he set his empty package of food down on the coffee table and brushed his hands together. “Okay for my show ‘Forever 33’ my character had a love interest named Vicky for the first couple seasons. Her and I were kind of awkward around each other cause we went into the show knowing that we’d be love interests so we never got close. I remember every time we’d finish a kiss scene she’d say ‘I have a boyfriend’.” We all laughed, even Hunk. He looked a little exasperated from the memory.

“Like we’d finish kissing and the director would cut or whatever and I’d say like ‘good job!’ Y’know, to be nice and stuff and she’d say ‘I have a boyfriend’ then walk away?? Like I didn’t think I was doing anything to make her uncomfortable but I don’t know?” Lance patted his shoulder. “I’m not sure what her deal was but the writers wrote her out of the story cause she was difficult to work with apparently.” We all took a moment to calm down from laughing.

“I’ll go.” Shiro suggested. He and Allura switched food containers. “I wasn’t out at the time- and the movie was supposed to be this indie film and there was a whole sex scene in it.” Keith started laughing, Lance assumed he knew the story. Lance is pretty sure he’s seen the movie he was talking about. He blushed just from thinking about that scene.

“So we were filming that and we had to retake it so many times. She got pretty annoyed with me. When we were almost done with the scene, nothing had gone wrong, my boyfriend came onto set to surprise me and he immediately started laughing. No one there knew why he was there cause again I wasn’t out. So they had to cut the scene and I had to go explain to the security guards trying to drag him away that he was my ‘friend’” he put friend in air quotes. “And I was like... not wearing anything but a cup. So I was walking up to my boyfriend who was being taken away by security, wearing nothing. It was mortifying.” They were all laughing, Keith especially.

“I guess that’s not so much about the kiss, but that’s what came to mind.” He picked up a beer from the kitchen and drank at least half of it in one go.

“Wait....” Pidge looked at the ground with a stare. Her face scrunched up all angry like. Lance’s eyebrows knit in confusion and he looked to Shiro who finished his beer quickly with big eyes. Keith started laughing even louder.

“Oh nooo...” Lance started to say. Keith nodded with a huge smirk. Lance started laughing as well. Hunk looked around confused. Allura got this Look of realization on her face and she chuckled a little and put her hand on Pidge’s shoulder.

“Will someone explain what’s happening?” Hunk asked. Shiro popped open another beer.

“The boyfriend who ruined the shot was Pidge’s brother.” Keith said between laughs. Hunk’s face lit up and he let out one big HAH before covering his mouth.

“Let’s move on, please.” Shiro said, sitting back down next to Allura.

“Seconded,” Pidge said from behind her hands.

“I can go,” Allura said. She was next to Shiro so It made sense for her to go next. Lance was still trying to figure out which one to say.

“I’ve been in several romance movies, so I’ve kissed so many people on screen.” She chuckled a little. “I don’t really have a bad experience with any of them in particular. Though there was this one guy who assumed we were dating because we were in the movie. It was the most bizarre thing. After one of the kiss scenes, the director cut the scene when it was done and the man kissed me again out of no where. And I asked him ‘what are you doing? He called cut.’ And he explained that he thought we were dating. When I asked him why he thought that he said that he was a method actor.” Shiro started laughing a lot. Everyone chuckled a little but Lance was surprised by how funny Shiro though that was.

“Okay wait, me next.” Lance said. “I was this musical show right? And I played like the stereotypical gay guy. And in one song we were supposed to end the song with a big kiss. It was huge for the characters and the plot cause their romance had been building for a while. So it was this big moment in the show. So when we did the first take I was so nervous that we knocked teeth together.” Pidge laughed at him and Hunk covered his mouth. Allura chuckled politely and Shiro just smiled.

“So we reset, and the next time our noses like pressed together in a weird way so the director made us keep doing it. Eventually we’d taken so many takes that the director stopped the scene for a five minute break. He came up to the two of us, put his hands on our shoulders, and said ‘make out, right now’. So we did. And it went fine! No awkwardness. The director hit us both over the head and the next take we did was perfect.” Lance got up to grab a mixed drink. Keith asked him to grab him one so he did. 

“So were you just nervous or something?” Hunk asked when he sat back down. Lance shrugged.

“I think it just that he and I weren’t close, and we wanted to make it perfect, but once we got past the awkwardness of kissing each other we were able to y’know. Kiss each other.” He handed Keith his drink with a slight overlap of fingers for a moment. They made even briefer eye contact and then looked away quickly. 

“I guess I’m the only one left.” He said and shrugged. “Well I’ve only had romances with women on screen, so I thought all of them were awkward. But there was one where the directors didn’t really tell us exactly what to do. It was a full on make out scene and the only directions we got was ‘just go with what feels right’. Which, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that?” They laughed at him. “Nothing feels right but okay?? So anyway, we were making out and she takes off her shirt so I take off mine. Then she straight up grabs me,” Lance chokes on his drink quickly and Keith smirks at his while he pauses his story.
“And I'm trying to play it cool and stuff but the shot was waist up so she didn’t have to do that??” Pidge and Lance laugh loudly at him. Shiro joins in as well. Hunk and Allura laugh a little but mostly are polite. 

They finish Iron Man so they put in Pidge’s movie, even though she said “I will kill all of you”. They all just laughed and she brought a couple of bottles of various alcohol into the living room. “I’m not watching this sober.” She said while sitting back down on the ground in front of the couch.

Half way through the movie someone suggested that they play a drinking game. They all agreed so Hunk grabbed the mixed drink, which Lance knew from mixing it with him, was incredibly alcoholic.

“Wait wait wait...” Shiro said, he’s been tipsy awhile now. “How old are all of you?” He asked them.

“Wait! No one say anything! I wanna see if I remember everyone’s age.” Lance yelled and they all looked at him weirdly. He internally told himself to be a bit quieter, he tended to be loud when he had a few drinks. 

“Why do you know all our ages?” Keith asked from next to him.

“As soon as I got the cast list I looked everyone up. I learned as much about everyone as I could.” Allura awed but Keith and Pidge agreed that they thought it was weird. Lance brushed them off. “Okay, Keith and I are both twenty four. Hunk is twenty five. Pidge is twenty two. Allura is twenty seven, and Shiro is twenty nine. How’d I do?” Everyone nodded their heads.

“Man I feel old.” Shiro said, Allura rubbed his back.

“Okay what drinking game?” Hunk asked.

“I feel like we’re a little old for truth or dare.” Keith remarked 

“Never have i ever! It’s a classic and it lets you really get to know each other.” Lance suggested. Everyone agreed so they started.

"Are we in high school?" Keith asked sarcastically and Lance was buzzed enough that he didn't even think before hitting Keith's shoulder as everyone else told him to stop being so cynical. 

“Okay I’ll start, and we’ll go clockwise,” Shiro said.

“Never have I ever, gone to public school.” Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and Lance all drank. Shiro and Allura had been stars since they were young so they’d always done private school.

“Never have I ever, dated a girl,” Allura said. Hunk, Lance, Keith, and Shiro drank.

“Never have I ever, dated a boy,” Pidge went. Shiro, Keith, Allura, and Lance drank.

“Pidge have you never dated anyone?” Allura asked curiously. 

“Nah I’m aro-ace so I’m not really into all that.” Everyone nodded and Shiro have her a supportive Dad Pat ™️.

“Never have I ever, gotten arrested,” Hunk suggested and Pidge drank. When the group asked for an explanation she refused. 

“Never have I ever, had sex with my director,” Lance said, looking directly at Shiro. Shiro rolled his eyes and drank. Allura and Keith also drank. Allura looked a little guilty about it but Keith just shrugged stoically. 

“Never have I ever, been on a show where the director disliked me,” Keith said. Pidge and Lance drank. Lance also snidely commented on the fact that Keith's directors wouldn't hate him if he was sleeping with them. Keith was the only one who heard him but he seemed to be buzzed enough that he laughed it off. Lance wasn't sure if he liked that more than Keith getting pissed off about the crudeness. 

“Never have I ever trespassed,” Shiro said starting the the circle over again. Pidge and Keith drank.

“Never have I ever smoked marijuana,” Allura said, no one drank.

“Never have I ever given a blowjob,” Pidge said, she had a little gleam in her eyes. Like she wanted to embarrass them. Everyone but Hunk and Pidge drank. 

“Never have I ever had a one night stand,” Hunk said. Keith, Allura, and Shiro drank.

“Lance you’ve never had a one night stand?” Hunk asked him.

“Nah, I’m not opposed to them, I just haven’t. Y’know?” Hunk nodded and they continued.

“Never have I ever hated my any of my costars,” Lance said. Pidge and Keith drank.

“Never have I ever had real sex with one of my love interests. Like, not in character,” Keith explained. Allura and Lance drank. Lance held out a high five for Allura and she bashfully gave in.

They played a couple more rounds but they were all pretty wasted. It was about 11:30. Hunk started putting away any remaining food that wasn’t eaten, but he was pretty drunk so he didn’t finish everything.

Hunk offered to let anyone sleep in his guest room and in his basement. He did warn everyone that his basement was cold though.

Allura and Pidge decided to share the guest room. They would share the bed but each have their own sleeping bag. Hunk out out extra blankets and pillows but went to sleep soon after. They were all kind of out of it. Keith and Shiro seemed the most drunk but none of them were very sober. 

“Lance you can have the couch. Keith and I will go downstairs.” Shiro told them while grabbing his sleeping bag.

“Shiro," Keith whined childishly. "The basement is cold. I’m always cold.” Keith said. Lance noticed that he was a whiney drunk. Lance himself was usually a flirty drunk, then later on he became a sad drunk.
Shiro rolled his eyes

“Keith it’s fine, you can stay up here. There’s two couches.” Lance said while he rolled out his sleeping bag.

“Thanks Lance, I’ll see you in the morning Shiro.” Shiro looked like he was going to argue, but was too tired to care. He went down stairs while Keith rolled out his sleeping bag and turned out the lights.

“Keith.” Lance got the courage to start once they couldn't see each other anymore. 

“Yeah Lance?”

“Which one of your directors did you sleep with?” Lance asked, unsure why he cared. 

“What?"

“While we were playing the game... you said you slept with one of your directors.” Lance drawled out.

“Oh yeah. Yeah I had a director when I was about nineteen, he was directing just one episode of this show I was a background character in. He was kind of a silver fox sorta guy and once we finished filming that day.... He invited me back to his place and y’know the rest.” Keith laughed a little, but there was something resentful in his words. 

Lance’s stomach felt weird. He thought it was probably just the alcohol. But his chest felt like there was this weight there. Something was wrong.

“Silver Fox? How old was he?"

“Uhm... I don’t know. About fifty.” Lance heard the shrug against the sleeping bag. 

“Fifty?!? You were nineteen!” Lance sat up in his sleeping bag. Keith heard the movement and sat up as well. They couldn’t see each other well in the dark but could kind of make out each other’s outlines from the moonlight.

“Yeah... it’s Hollywood Lance.” Keith said like it was obvious. Like that made it any better. 

“But- that’s just so... gross.” Lance grimaced and Keith sighed.

“Yeah, I guess it was.” He sounded so dejected. Lance's eyes widened, he never expected him to sound like that. 

“I didn’t mean to insult you.” Lance said while he lied back down.

“No it’s fine. You’re right.” Lance could hear Keith lie back down. “Don’t tell Shiro, okay?”

“Why not?” Lance asked.

“He’d look at me weird. I don’t want that. He’s my older brother.”

“He wouldn’t look at you weird.” Lance turned so he was facing Keith.

“Yeah he would. I told him about a different time I slept with this other guy and I was really excited about it cause he’s kind of famous and all Shiro was worried about was the fact that the guy was older than me.”

“Well how much older?”

“About thirty.”

“That’s a lot older Keith.” Lance said quietly and Keith sighed again. 

“Yeah.”

“Do you only sleep with older guys?” 

“I used to. When I was still in the closet I had went to gay bars but always wore a hat and a ton of makeup so no one would recognize me. And I only slept with men I thought wouldn’t recognize me, so like. I don’t know, older than forty mostly. Turned out some of them did recognize me and I got a part or two from it. Ugh, definitely don't tell people that." Keith groaned into his hands.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I don’t know, it sounds like those guys took advantage of the fact that you were scared of coming out. It’s kind of gross that they specifically targeted you.”

“It’s gross to want to sleep with me?”

“What? No Keith that’s not what I meant.”

“I didn’t realize that someone wanting to sleep with me was so horrible and gross.” Keith sounded angry. He turned away from Lance.

“No Keith! I meant cause they’re super old and you were younger than twenty! They specifically chose to sleep with someone younger than half their age. That’s what’s gross.” Keith didn’t reply. “Keith? Did you fall asleep?”

Nothing.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Still nothing.

Lance slowly got out of his sleeping bag, and walked over to the other couch. Keith sat up in his couch when Lance sat on the side of the couch. Their faces were toward each other. Keith was backlit so Lance couldn’t really see his face but Lance’s face was illuminated by the moonlight.

“Keith I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know, I’m just tired and drunk and want to sleep. I’m not mad at you.” Lance let out a breath.

“You sure?”

“I mean, I’m kind of upset but it’s not because of what you said.”

“What are you upset about?”

“That you’re right. I’ve known it for a while and didn’t really ever think about it because I didn’t want to.” Lance waited for him to finish. Keith turned his head slightly and Lance could see just the outline of his nose and his eyelashes. “I was... kind of used. By a lot of people.” Keith curled his legs into himself. Lance moved so he was sitting criss cross in front of Keith.

“And I didn’t mind at the time cause I thought that was the only kind of relationship I could have.” Lance wanted to comfort him but he didn’t know how. His head was swirly and all his thoughts were jumbled. He mostly just wanted to sleep but a bigger part of him kept screaming to hug Keith. To hold him and let him know he was okay.

“You deserve better Keith.” Keith looked back to Lance. Lance himself was surprised at the words that had come out of him. But he kept talking.
“You deserve to be with someone who won’t just use you for your body, or your fame. You’re a good guy and I don’t really know you that well but I know that you deserve someone who cares about you. Who respects you.” Lance’s eyes focused a little more, he could see Keith’s face but not the details.

Lance put his hand on Keith’s knee and kind of pushed it down so he could hug Keith. He wrapped his arms around Keith’s back and rested his head on his shoulder. Keith’s arms slowly wrapped around Lance as well.

Keith cleared his throat and Lance took the hint to unwrap himself. He leaned back and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Sorry, I’m not really sure where that all came from. I’m pretty drunk as well.” Lance explained. His inner thoughts yelled at him to stop explaining and just fall asleep right there. Something about Keith was so comforting and he wasn't sure how when he'd been uncomfortable around the guy the entire time they'd known each other. 

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s better than fine. I- I needed to hear that I think. And sorry, for unloading my shit on you. Hopefully we’ll both forget this all tomorrow.” Lance let out a short laugh.

“If I don’t go back to my couch I’m gonna fall asleep right here,” Lance said. Keith kicked his back and Lance meandered back to his couch.

“Night Keith.”

“Night Lance.”

Lance thought of everything that just happened. The feeling he had the past two weeks was gone. He didn’t feel insecure around him. Might have been because Keith was sharing something personal with him, but maybe it was something else.

Lance would have to think about that another time, when his brain wasn’t doing flips.

He didn’t notice, but his stomach had stopped hurting. And he drifted off to sleep with a blank mind.

Chapter Text

Keith had been avoiding Lance since the sleepover. He felt like such a dramatic teenager but what was he going to do? It’s been three weeks and Keith only talks to him in character. Lance played pranks on him and he just ignored them, he doesn’t want to give in and show a reaction. 

He can’t believe he told all that stuff to Lance. Okay, he can kind of believe because he was drunk out of his mind and he’s known to be a bit of an over sharer when drunk. But still, he never talked about that sort of thing with anyone. He talked about it sometimes with James but never as in depth as he did with Lance. 

Oh god, James. Keith thought. He had just about finished moving out of their shared place. James was his old friend, they did a show together a couple years ago and have been close since.

A couple weeks ago James kissed Keith. It was mutual and they hooked up before Keith freaked out the next morning. Keith wasn’t ready for any relationship, he’s still figuring out how relationships are even supposed to work. It was odd enough to him that James was not only his age but that he wanted Keith for him. 

He thought James would be considerate of that, they’d been friends for years, but he was mostly just upset. They decided that it was best if Keith moved out and they not talk for a while. It was pretty hard, James was pretty much his only close friend for a long time. And he liked him, a lot. 

So here Keith was. Drinking coffee with sugar and cream in it. It was disgusting. He was watching Shiro and Hunk’s scene finish, he tried not to be in the break room if he could help it.

He was pretty sure people knew what he was doing. He’d gotten pretty close with the rest of the cast. He and Allura hung out just last week. He was cool with Hunk and Pidge as well. He was really close with Matt so he texted him a little while ago, he couldn’t tell him how he knew Pidge yet. The cast reveal was next week.

So he was doing well. Besides that Lance was constantly pranking him and staring into the back of his head.

Okay, he sometimes talked to him. He couldn’t avoid it sometimes. But he mostly just listened to Lance talk and every once and a while he’d nod along and smile. This only happened if they were in a scene together and there was a lot of time between takes, or whenever they were in hair & makeup at the same time.

He’d feel bad about it normally, but anytime he thought about that night he cringed. He told Lance about so many things that no one should know. He barely knows Lance. He and Lance don't like each other. They'd been at odds the entire time they'd known each other. He doesn’t even talk about that sort of thing with Shiro, mostly cause Shiro would make him go back to therapy.

Once Hunk and Shiro’s scene was done, he was up. He had a scene with a recurring character, she was really nice. The actresses name was Shay, she was cool. Keith was pretty sure her and Hunk were friends. So he had a scene with her, Allura, Pidge, and Lance.

While Adam was talking to Allura about her blocking Keith leaned back in his chair. They were in the prep room, so a big table with ugly ass chairs around it.

“Hey Keith,” Lance said, sitting down in the chair next to him. Yes, Robin was supposed to sit next to him in the scene, their characters were friends by this point. But still, did Lance have to talk to him? Keith felt a deep mortification every time Lance looked at him. He was so glad that night had been dark so Lance wouldn't have the memory of Keith's face while he admitted to sleeping with people twice his age. 

“Hey Lance,” Keith barely looked at him.

“So episode five, we’re halfway done with the season!” Lance leaned on the table, trying to see Keith better.

“Uh yeah I guess we are.” Lance frowned, Keith didn’t have time to feel bad though. Adam called action soon after.

Alexander was proposing a plan for the next episode, it wasn’t too complicated, but it included him taking on a large amount of monsters while the rest of the team split up. The rest of the team split into two groups, Gemma, Robin, and Theo shut down the electrical system by dismantling the security and basically breaking the tech. Gray and Amber snuck in once the system was down, and Alexander would distract the monsters.

Once Alexander finished proposing his plan to the group, they all looked around uneasily.

“Alexander you can’t do that!” Robin said standing up.

“Why not? What’s wrong with it?” Alexander shot back. Gemma, Amber, and Shay’s character, Azaria, looked at each other then all sat down. Robin and Alexander got into fights all the time, and when they did the rest of the group just sat back and let it happen. Gray and Theo used to try and stop them, but they’ve learned since then.

“You’re going to distract an entire group of vamps? You’ll die Alex!” Only Robin ever called him Alex. Alexander looked away, an angry look on his face.

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“I think you’re going into something bigger than you, and you’ll die.”

“Do you have a better plan?!”

“Yeah! Gemma and Theo don’t need my help, I don’t know shit about tech, I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“Why?!?”

“It’s up close fighting, you never do up close fighting.”

“Oh my god,” Robin started pacing. The three girls started to leave the room.

“We’re just gonna grab Theo and Gray.” Gemma said awkwardly, the three girls left.

“Why are you so difficult?” Robin asks.

“I’m being difficult? Why won’t you just let us do my plan? My plans have always worked!”

“Your plans haven’t ever consisted of you doing your own suicide mission!”

“It’s not a suicide mission-"

“Hey guys!” Gray yells at them. They both look up from where they were. They had slowly gotten closer and closer, all their rage spilling into each other, encouraging one another.

“Both of you, sit down!” The two boys sat and Gray stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

“Robin, show some respect. Alexander has never led you astray. That being said, Alexander you’re being an idiot and there is no way you’re going in alone.” Alexander scoffed and rolled his eyes. Robin got a cocky look on his face.

“Robin will go with you, end of discussion. I don’t want to hear any more fighting or I swear I will break both of your arms.” They both nodded and the scene ended with Gray shaking his head while he left the room.

“Cut! Great job guys, I think we got it.” Coran yelled from his director’s chair. Keith didn’t have anymore scenes today, the rest of today was dedicated to Gemma and Amber’s fight scene with a werewolf.

Keith decided not to remove his makeup on set, so he just got out of costume and started to leave.

“Keith wait!” Keith stopped for a second, then decided to keep walking. It was Lance. “Keith!” Lance skidded past Keith, he had been running to catch up. He was out of costume but still had his makeup on. Keith could tell because his freckles were muted. “Keith why are you ignoring me?”

“What?”

“You’ve been ignoring me for like three weeks!” Keith looked away from his face. He couldn’t look at Lance’s face. All he can remember is the embarrassment of that night, he looked at Lance in the moonlight and thought he was gorgeous.

“I haven’t, I talk to you while doing hair and makeup.” Keith started walking again, he opened the door to the parking lot and put up his sunglasses as the late afternoon sun hit him. Lance grabbed his arm and they stopped walking.

“Keith that’s such bull! You haven’t talked to me since the party and I want to know why!” He wanted to know why? How could be not clearly see that Keith hated himself for telling him anything? How could he not see that Keith didn’t want anything to do with him. Keith pulled his arm out of his grasp, but he didn’t start walking.

“You don’t know Lance?! Really?” Keith removed his sunglasses, maybe a little dramatically, so Lance could see Keith's eyes. 

“No! Did I do something that night? I was really drunk and don’t remember everything. Like I remember we were talking but I didn't think I said anything too bad. I know you were mad at me for saying that you deserved better than some assholes who just use you for fame, but I thought you forgave me." Keith’s jaw dropped. He really didn’t know.

“You don’t remember the people I slept with?” Lance shook his head, Keith took a moment to look at him again. He looked really upset. Keith turned his head away so he wouldn’t have to look at how sad he was.

“Why does that matter? Did I say something judgmental about it? I just remember that you admitted to sleep around a lot in Hollywood. Including a director, I think. I don't remember why I thought so badly about it at the time, because I don't think there's anything wrong with sleeping around. I'm sorry if I said otherwise.” Keith’s stomach turned. He was apologizing when he hadn’t even done anything wrong. He couldn’t let Lance feel bad about this. He had actually helped Keith that night, Keith was just so embarrassed that he needed that help. 

“No, Lance. Please don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Keith gave in, he rubbed thumb over his fingers on his other hand. He did that sometimes when he was nervous.

“I um... I told you something I'm not proud of because I was so drunk. I’ve been so embarrassed about it that I haven’t wanted to talk to you since.” Lance raised one of his eyebrows and scrunched his eyes.

“What did you tell me besides that? Cause, Keith, that's nothing to be embarrassed about." Lance set a hand on Keith's shoulder and Keith still didn't want to look him in the eye. Keith's heart was softening and he hated that feeling. 

“Just some stuff from my past, it was stupid and embarrassing. You helped me though. It was sweet of you.” Lance looked taken back.

“I helped you?”

“Uhm, yeah. You did. I’m sorry I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder.”

“I wish you would have just told me. I thought I must've been really rude and then forgotten." Lance snorted and Keith looked at the ground. He remembered the way Lance put his hand on his knee, and the way he wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

“So you really don’t remember?” Keith asks him again. Lance gives him a firm shake.

“Nothing I didn't just tell you." 

“Heh, it’s funny. You helped me out and hugged me, I don’t think you’ve ever hugged me before, and you don’t even remember.”

“Wait, we had a bonding moment AND I cradled you in my arms?!?” Keith and Lance laughed.

“Weird way to put it, but yeah I guess." He and Lance finally made eye contact and it scared Keith into a flush. “I gotta go, I’m moving into my new place today.” Keith said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

“Need any help?” Lance asked and Keith blinked at him. Lance must have felt really bad about Keith ignoring him. 

“Oh, um. Yeah I kind of could... I asked Shiro but he’s got an interview thing.”

“Pfft, cast isn’t even out yet and he already has an interview. Anyway, stay right here, I’m gonna grab my stuff.” Lance motioned to the studio and Keith just nodded absent mindedly. 

Keith looked around the parking lot, checking for paparazzi. They like to swarm studios. He didn’t see any, this was a pretty underused studio so it made sense, but he likes to check no matter what. Lance ran out of the building with his bag and stopped next to Keith.

“Okay, I’ll follow your car to your old place and then help move stuff to your car, then drive over to the new place and help you move stuff in there. Sound good?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to do this.”

“I don’t mind, I have nothing planned for today.” Lance shrugged with a sunny smile and Keith just nodded wordlessly again. He wasn't used to Lance wanting to spend so much time with him. He was pretty sure that Lance didn't like him until that night. Maybe some of the affection that Keith felt in that hug had subconsciously seeped into Lance. The idea made Keith blush. 

They drove over to Keith’s old condominium, and parked in the parking structure. They got out and Keith grabbed his keys.

“Okay, I have everything in boxes so it should be easy, just moving said boxes.” He told Lance while he was unlocking the door. Something was wrong, he took his keys out. The door was unlocked. “Shit,” Keith’s eyes grew big.

“What? Were you robbed or something?” Lance asked, they both walked into the place slowly.

“No, my old roommate is here. I assumed he’d be at work.” Keith spun to face Lance, he pointed a finger in his face. “You can not say anything weird to him!” Lance put his hands in a surrender position, but he was holding back a smile.

They started moving boxes, transferring them to Lance and Keith’s cars. James came out of his room a couple minutes in.

“Keith?” He asked, looking around the place. Keith winced at Lance and he turned slightly to look at James.

He was standing in the hallway with grey sweat pants and one of Keith’s black shirts. He knows it’s his cause James doesn’t own any. Something he'd teased him about multiple times. He didn't look great- like he hadn't slept in a while. 

“Sorry, I thought you’d be at work.” Keith shoved his hands in his pockets.

“No it’s fine,” James’s eyes flicked to Lance. His eyebrows scrunched up. “Who’s he?” He tilted his chin towards Lance. He looked pissed off and Keith felt a part of him die at the embarrassment of bringing a different man into James' place after what happened between them. 

“Uh hi, I’m Lance.” Lance awkwardly waved.

“Co worker for a new show.” Keith explained to James. James’s face didn’t settle at all. 

“Well, do you need any help?” He offered to Keith.

“You don’t have to do that James, it’s fine.” Keith told him quietly. Lance started taking things back out to the cars, he probably could tell that they wanted some alone time. Once Lance had left, Keith walked over to James. “I’m sorry, again, James.”

“Keith, it’s fine. I’m sorry I got so mad about the whole thing. But I think it’s still best for you to move out...” James scratched his arm and Keith realized that the redness in his eyes might be from crying instead of lack of sleep. 

“I agree, but... I hope we can still be friends.” James nodded. Keith leaned forward and kissed him briefly on the lips. James smiled sadly at him. Keith always liked his smile. It made his chest feel warm.

He vaguely saw Lance come back inside and he moved away from James. Lance minded his own business though, just grabbing another box and leaving.

“I suppose you want your shirt back,” James said.

“Heh, no. Uh, you keep it. You can always use a black t shirt.” They smiled at each other, and Keith went back to packing his car. Lance didn’t ask any questions, which Keith was both surprised by and grateful for.

Once they were done, Keith and James hugged, and James shook Lance’s hand. He waved them off and Keith and Lance drove off.

Once they got to Keith’s new place, Lance got out of his car with a huge smile.

“Keith! My apartment complex is like, around the corner!” Keith was actually surprised that Lance lived in an apartment. He knows Allura, Hunk, and Shiro all had their own houses. Keith only got another condo because he hates empty space.

“Oh no, this means you’re gonna be here all the time doesn’t it?” Keith groaned, though he was being facetious. 

Lance hit his arm. “Only once your dog is here.” He joked. They started bringing the boxes in. The condo was nicely positioned, it was at the end of the street, and was in a dead end. The condos around him were owned by old tv show stars, so he probably won’t get much flak from anyone here.

“Hey Keith,” Lance asked when they were half way through moving boxes.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you and James were dating? I wouldn’t have told anyone.” Keith sighed.

“We weren’t dating.” Lance gave him a bitch face.

“I saw you guys kissing.” Keith put his hands in his face. Why? Why did he keep doing embarrassing stuff in front of Lance.

“We were friends, and we almost dated but... didn’t.”

“Oh I’ve been there. The ‘almost’.” Keith looked to him. Lance didn’t even realize that he’d said something that meant something so profound to Keith.

“Yeah...” They finished unloading the boxes from the car. The place was already furnished so they luckily didn’t have to move any furniture. They sat down on a couch when they got into living room.

“Was he what you told me about when drunk?”

“What? No. Something else.” Lance didn’t push which was good.

Keith starts to unpack his clothing into his dresser in his room. Lance flops onto his bed.
“Yes, please make yourself comfortable in my new bed.” Keith mumbled sarcastically.

Lance helped a little with him unpacking, but mostly he just skipped through Keith’s tv. Keith said he didn’t have to stay, but Lance said he didn’t mind. Keith rolled his eyes at that.

“So when’s your dog getting here?” Lance asked while Keith was ordering dinner.

“Not until tomorrow, quick, do you want anything?” Keith showed him the menu. Lance got off his couch and grabbed the menu. He pointed to something and Keith ordered it. He wasn't sure why he was encouraging Lance to stay. Likely to stave off the loneliness he felt after leaving the place that had once belonged to him and James. 

The food arrived a little while later and they ate while watching one of Hunk’s tv shows.

“Wait, we gotta take a selfie with Hunk on screen and send it to him!” Lance said, he set his food down and pulled Keith into a photo with him. Keith rolled his eyes but laughed at Lance's excitement about his new friendship with Hunk. 

It was a pretty good picture, Keith admitted. Hunk was clearly in the background, and Lance had this bright smile and his arm wrapped around Keith’s neck. Keith had a smile on, but just because he was laughing. He noticed Lance save the photo on Snapchat before captioning it and sending it to Hunk.

“So how do you think people will react to the cast list?” Lance asked him a couple minutes later.

“Uh, they’ll probably be psyched to see Allura and Shiro in something together. They’ll also probably realize how weird it is that all of us are from like, different genres of media.” Keith chuckled. Lance paused before talking.

“Oh yeah. I guess we are. Shiro is usually indie, Allura does serious and sometimes romances, Hunk does comedy, Pidge does sci-fi, you do supernatural, and I do musical stuff. Huh.” Lance leaned back in the couch. Keith kind of appreciated how comfortable Lance made himself. “Wait why’d they cast us all from different genres for a supernatural show? Wait Keith why’d you mention that, now I’m confused.” Keith laughed and threw out their empty takeout packs.

“I think that people will automatically see how hot we all are, and we’ll attract a ton of LGBT+ fans.” Lance said when Keith sat back down.

“Are those two things connected or...?”

“Heh, yes and no. People of course will notice that we’re all hot. And LGBT+ people will want to watch cause there’s four members of the community starring. But they connect because all the bisexuals will be in love with every cast members!” Keith started laughing, Lance started laughing when he saw how hard Keith was laughing. Keith hit his shoulder.

“You can’t assume stuff like that!”

“I’m bi! I’m allowed to say it!” Lance laughed and Keith rolled his eyes.

They talked for a little while longer. Mostly about the show. Lance left around eight. Keith walked around his new place. It was so... quiet. And empty. He liked it better when he wasn’t alone. He missed James. It’d be better when Kosmo got there.

But he went to sleep alone that night. He felt better knowing that Lance didn’t remember the details of their drunk talk. And he was glad he and Lance were taking again. He actually liked having him around. Even if he was kind of annoying. He liked Lance. And maybe he was just looking for a new friend right now because of James, but he was glad to have someone around to fill the silence. 

Chapter Text

They had four more episodes to film, and the cast list had just been released to the public. They were all booked up with interviews, group and individual.

Lance hadn’t gotten this kind of attention since his last show ended. It was kind of nice. He was now more famous just by association. He himself wasn’t super famous, but since he was in an huge upcoming show with the Takashi Shirogane and the Allura Altea. He felt so comfortable with the cast now, he didn’t have any doubts about how well these interviews would go.

“Hey Lance!” Hunk yelled to him, they were about to leave for the day, they’d just finished filming episode six.

“Hey man!” Lance stopped walking and waited for Hunk to catch up with him.

“I don’t know if your agent has informed you yet, but tonight’s our first interview with the whole cast!” Hunk was telling him with his normal happy smile.

“Yeah! I’m super excited! It’s with the Hottest Upcoming Stars show right? Hosted by Lotor Galtean?” Hunk nodded. He’d never met Lotor before but he used to be a model, and then got his own talk show a few years later. He mostly just interviewed casts of new or upcoming shows. “Dude, I used to have a crush on Lotor, don’t tell him okay?” Lance laughed while he told Hunk.

“Dude, you’ve had a crush on almost everyone.” Hunk chuckled, Lance shrugged.

“You’re not wrong!”

“What’s he not wrong about?” Keith was suddenly right next to them, he’s a fast and quiet walker, Lance thought.

“Just that Lance is attracted to like, every celebrity.” Hunk was really exposing him.

“Hunk!” Lance yelped a little but Keith just laughed at them. The kind of small laugh where he covered his mouth with his hand. Lance thought it was almost cute.

“That’s true, you comment at least once a week how hot everyone in this cast was.” Keith stopped laughing. Everyone was calling Lance out. 

“Por los clavos de Cristo, you don’t have to call me out like this you two!” Lance hardly spoke Spanish in front of the cast, he knew none of them knew what he was saying. He’s occasionally say something just to confuse them, but he knew his accent was even deeper when he spoke Spanish. Some things just came naturally though, it wasn’t a conscious thing all the time.

Keith and Hunk laughed at him and they all went back to their homes to get ready for their interview that night. 

He had felt so much better about his relationship with Keith since he'd helped him move in. The morning after the party all those weeks ago Keith had staunchly ignored him and Lance couldn't really remember why. He didn't think Keith should be embarrassed about sleeping around. Lance might not do it but he didn't care if others did as long as people were conscientious about it. He had actually felt really honored that Keith had told him something so personal. 

He felt closer with all the cast after that night, and he thought Keith just had a hangover that morning. But then he ignored Lance for weeks. Lance couldn't figure it out. He tried to get Keith's attention by pranking him again and again, anything to just have his attention again. The rest of the cast surely could tell that something was going on but no one commented on that. Lance wasn't sure if he was happy about that. He had come to the conclusion that he must've been really judgy about Keith's proclivities and that he should really clear things up with him before they got even more out of hand. 

Turned out he had forgotten something important that Keith told him. And apparently they hugged? He couldn't remember that, though the thought made his body feel a little fuzzy. He jumped at the opportunity to do something for Keith now that he wasn't being ignored. Maybe he could make up the awkwardness of the situation by helping him move out. He was sure it had worked when Keith didn't kick him out of his new place. 

Ever since that night though, he just felt comfortable around Keith. All animosity had somehow disappeared in one drunken hug. Something Lance wished he understood. The feelings of insecurity had dulled once Keith opened up a bit, he supposed. And he could have that openness without embarrassing Keith himself, but just being his friend and letting Keith admit these things himself. Strange, how that worked. Stranger that it took Lance weeks of being ignored to figure it out though. 

A sharp tug in his gut appeared anytime he and Keith were in the same room now and he couldn't really figure out why. Maybe the idea of someone he idolized so much possibly being his friend was it. But he didn't feel that way around Shiro and Allura. He was comfortable around them. 

“ Está bien mamá, te llamaré después. Te quiero.” Lance hung up his phone. His mom called him as soon as she saw the cast list. He was going to Skype his family tomorrow. But for now, he had an interview to get to.

He was tapping his leg anxiously as he waited off stage with the rest of the cast. He was wearing a nice navy blue suit with a black button up underneath. He thought he looked nice, handsome. That’s not what he was nervous about. He hadn’t been in front of a live audience in ages.

“Hey, everything’s going to be alright.” Allura said, taking his hand gently. He looked up to see her smiling, reassuring face. He sighed and nodded.

Allura was wearing a light pink dress, her braids were up in a bun. She looked gorgeous, as always. Pidge had on a forest green pantsuit. Shiro wore a plain black suit and a white bow tie. Hunk wore a golden jacket with a white button up and black dress pants. Keith was wearing a maroon jacket, with black dress pants and button up. His tie was the same maroon as his jacket.

“I know, it’s just been a while.” He said, squeezing her hand. Hunk wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“We got you,” he assured him.

“Aww, everyone! Group hug!” Allura stage whispered to everyone. Shiro and Hunk immediately joined, Pidge slowly joined when Allura grabbed her hand. Keith rolled his eyes and hugged the group. Lance felt all safe and warm with them. His eyes almost watered but he kept the tears in.

“Sorry to break this up, but you’re being welcomed on stage in about two minutes.” A polite stage hand told them. They all laughed quietly and pulled away.

“And now, please welcome, the upcoming cast of ‘Hollowed Out’!” They heard Lotor announce them, and they started walking onstage. Shiro led, then Allura, Hunk, Lance, Keith, and Pidge.

The applause was huge, the fans already loved them. Lance smiled his award winning smile and waved to the crowd. The others did as well. They all sat down on the long couch, that was next to Lotor’s desk that was in front of his chair. 

As the applause settled down, Lotor looked at the cast. Man, thought Lance. Now his smile was award winning. He had on a dark purple jacket and dress pants with a black button up.

“It’s so nice to meet you all! So as we all know, the cast list for your show came out this week!” More applause rang out. “So how has filming gone so far?” He asked the group. Shiro, naturally, went first.

“Well first of all, we’re so excited to be on your show!” More applause. “The filming has gone great so far! We all know our characters really well, and the writing is genius!” Shiro finished. 

“Yes, we’ve all gotten very close along the last couple months, and I think that just makes it even more fun and maybe even improves the show quite a bit.” Allura tells the crowd.

“So for those in the crowd who may not recognize all of you, do you all mind introducing yourselves real quickly? Also maybe something a little personal about yourselves that the audience might not know.” Lotor asked of them. 

“Of course! I’m Takashi Shirogane! I usually go by Shiro. And something you might not know is that I recently got married!” The crowd cheers loudly. Shiro had married Adam last year, but it was a private wedding so most fans didn’t know about it until recently. Shiro’s smile shown brightly, Lance loved how he got that smile any time he talked about Adam. It was sweet.

“I’m Allura Altea! I’m sure you can tell that I am British, but most people don’t know that I was born in Birmingham!” Lance, privately, had no idea where that was. 

“Hello, I’m Hunk Garret! And I love cooking! I’m thinking of writing my own cookbook some day!” 

“Hello everyone! I’m Lance McClain, and I was born and raised in Cuba!” He tried to speak slower than usual and clearer, making sure that the audience could understand him. Lance wasn’t sure if his fans knew he was Cuban, he had the accent but sometimes people couldn’t recognize that it was from Cuba specifically. He also had to use an American accent for his last show, so a casual viewer wouldn’t have even heard his real voice.

“I’m Keith Kogane, and most people think I’m a cat person, but I actually prefer dogs.” Lance chuckled quietly at that and looked at him. Keith was specifically calling Lance out. He had said the same thing to him last week when he’d met Kosmo. Keith subtly smiled at him, giving him a bit of side eye, but not in the annoyed way.

“And I’m Katie Holt! I don’t think most people know this, but I go by my nickname my brother gave me, Pidge.” Lance didn’t know Matt gave her that nickname. He still hadn’t met Matt, but Pidge said that he was coming to town next week.

“Wonderful! So your show, ‘Hollowed Out’, what would you say it’s about?” Lotor asked them.

“I’d say it’s about a group of people who have to come together to save the world. They’re all different but are connected by their shared experiences and trauma.” Keith explained quite eloquently. Shiro and Lance looked at him surprised. He usually wasn’t one to step up and respond when other people could do it for him.

“That’s a great way to explain it. If I could add anything I’d just say that it’s a group that becomes a family and finds a way to save the world while it’s falling down around them.” Allura adds quickly. Lance notices that Lotor smiles softly at Allura anytime she speaks. He smirks at that.

“There’s also monsters! Tons of fighting and action!” Lance thought to add, the audience laughed at this. Lotor chuckled as well. 

“One last question, what is each of your favorite things about working on this show?” Lotor leaned into his desk slightly. His dyed white hair was at his shoulders, the way it complimented his darker complexion was gorgeous. No wonder Lance had a crush on him when he was still a model. He could still model now, Lance thought.

“I’d have to say the writing. The writing for the show is absolutely fantastic. And the directors really understand the show and the characters. It’s quite refreshing to work with such a great, understanding team!” Shiro told Lotor.

“I’m sure it helps that your husband is one of the directors,” Lotor smiled at Shiro. Shiro’s face flushed a bit.

“Hah, yes it certainly doesn’t hurt.”

“My favorite thing is the supernatural elements in the show. I’ve never worked on any fictional show and I quite enjoy the myths and legends that this show has.” Allura says, Lotor’s eyes catch hers and they smile at each other.

“I really like working with all these wonderful people! The cast of course is amazing, and our crew is fantastic. We have so much talent on set every day and it’s such a fun yet professional environment.” Hunk explains, he talks with his hands a lot, Lance hadn’t noticed that before. Maybe he was nervous.

“I personally love my character. His name is Robin, and I can’t reveal much about him yet, but he’s super cool. I think his storyline and overall character arc over the course of the series is really something special.” Lance was kind of just saying what came to his head. He wasn’t lying, of course. He did love Robin, and he’d play Robin as long as the show would let him. He just didn’t expect himself to say that.

“I really love the fighting sequences. We have this amazing choreographer, Acxa Marmora. She choreographs every fight scene and she’s a wonderful teacher. I do my own stunts for this show and I really love how action packed it is.” Keith rambled a bit, he got flustered if he doesn’t prepare things, Lance noticed. 

“My favorite thing is also my character. Gemma is just such a wild card. She’s a tech genius but also like crazy good at fighting. She’s just, an inspiration to me personally.” The crowd clapped for them. 

“Well it was so wonderful meeting you all! And everyone make sure to tune into any news about ‘Hollowed Out’! Everyone have a wonderful night!” We all waved to the crowd while walking off stage.

Once they were off stage Lance hugged the closest person to him, he was so excited about the show and his fans and just, everything.

The person closest to him happened to be Keith. He threw his arms around his shoulders and spun a bit. Keith laughed in his ear but he didn’t mind.

“Guys! That was so cool!” Lance said, letting go of Keith. He kept one hand on Keith’s shoulder though. The rest of them all smiled, there was an electricity of excitement between all of them.

Lotor walked over to them, smooth and suave as ever.
“Thank you all so much for coming on my show, I look forward to seeing your show when it comes out.” His voice sounds like velvet somehow?

He and Allura started talking about something, Lance kept wiggling his eyebrows at her when Lotor wasn’t looking. She would make wide eyes at him and blush.

They all decided it was best to let her be, so they all left the offstage area.

“So Keith, you’re a dog person?” Pidge asked him when they were all walking down the hallway.

“Yeah! I have a dog named Kosmo, why?” Keith’s eyes light up when he talks about Kosmo. Lance liked that about him. He met Kosmo last week and he instantly fell in love with the sweet little fluffball. 

“I have a dog named Bae Bae!” They spent the next couple minutes talking about dogs. Hunk and Lance just looked at each other with a tired smile. Shiro called Adam as soon as they were away from Allura and Lotor.

“Adam! Hey!” They all turned to him, they wanted to know his reaction to their interview. “Yeah it was great! Did you watch it?” Shiro asked but they couldn’t hear what Adam was saying.

“Put him on speaker!” Pidge whisper shouted. Shiro did so.

“It was great! People on Twitter are already blowing up about how well it went!” Adam exclaimed through the phone.

“So we did well?” Hunk asked nervously.

“You did great! People love how casual you were with each other and they can really see the bond you guys have formed.” Adam told them. Hunk and Lance high fived and Lance started a little victory dance that Hunk quickly copied before they devolved into laughter. 

“I suspect that the show’s popularity will only grow from here. You have a ton of interviews set up for the next month or so. Keep up the good work!” Adam said. Shiro took him off speaker and they quietly talked about domestic things. Shiro tried not to show much of his relationship in front of them. Mostly cause Keith made fun of him. But they could hear Shiro say “Okay I’ll be home soon. Love you too.” Lance’s heart melted. They’re so cute and healthy and happy and it made Lance weak.

Allura came down the hallway, her face all flushed and her eyes still wrinkled from smiling. Her face had a light smile, she was looking down at the ground.

“Was that Adam?” She asked when Shiro had hung up. He nodded and filled her in on the good news.

They got out into the parking lot, the lamppost’s light made a nice vibe for the night. Lance grabbed both of Allura’s hands and spun them around. Allura laughed and she blushes.

“Soooo how’d it go with Mr. Handsome?!” He asked her, wiggling his eyebrows more. She laughed and averted her gaze, Lance could tell she was blushing again. Hunk and Keith stood near them, both crossing their arms, but they had amused looks on their faces. Pidge stood next to Lance and started wiggling her eyebrows too. Shiro laughed softly and looked at the group fondly.

“Nothing happened if that’s what you’re asking,” she slipped her hands out of Lance’s and got her keys out of her purse. She started walking to her car.

“Soo he didn’t ask you out?” Lance asked while following her. She smiled and looked down.

“No, we did exchange phone numbers, but that is all!” Lance and Hunk gasped. Keith and Pidge smirked at her.

“Ooh Allura’s got a boyfriend!” Pidge and Lance mocked her. She rolled her eyes but continued to smile.

“I’m sure he was just being friendly,” she explained with a coy shrug.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure he was real friendly,” Pidge said suggestively while nudging Lance. They both laughed.

Allura sighed. “I will see you all on Monday!” She got into her car and started to leave. She was smiling all the while.

“Man, they could make the Perfect human together.” Lance told the rest of the group.

“I was actually thinking the same thing.” Hunk agreed and Lance laughed. 

“We should all get going, it’s dark out now.” Shiro told them. “Good job tonight, I’ll see you all on Monday.” He walked to his car. Pidge and Hunk walked back to Hunk’s car, they carpooled here.

“We should carpool.” Lance said to Keith as they walked to their cars. They usually ended up parked near each other. 

“What?” Keith wasn’t really paying attention.

“Hunk and Pidge carpool because they live in the same neighborhood. You and I live even closer than they do, so we should carpool!” Keith stopped walking and leaned against his car, contemplating.

"I don't want to." Keith grimaced and Lance gaped at his bluntness. "You're usually late, Lance." Keith defended himself and Lance rolled his eyes. 

"I won't be late, jesuchristo." Lance groaned and bumped Keith's arm. "Come on, what? Do you hate the environment?" Lance needled him and Keith crossed his arms. 

"We don't really know each other that well, is all." Keith shrugged and Lance crossed his arms back at him. 

"Perfect way to get to know your costar." Lance pointed out and Keith bit his lip. Lance understood the unspoken: I don't know if I want to get to know you. And he tried to ignore the way that burned his throat. 

"Why do you want to bond so badly? I thought you didn't like me that much. You just come over to see Kosmo." Keith looked away and Lance furrowed his eyebrows. 

"I didn't really like you, that's true. But the more I get to know you the less I feel that way." Lance admitted and Keith's eyes widened. 

“Alright, but I like to go to set early.” Lance jumped in excitement. It’d been an exciting day all around for him.

“So I’ll pick you up at six-thirty on Monday morning?” Keith asked. Lance winced at how early they had to wake up.

“I’ll walk to your place, that way I can see Kosmo every morning.” Keith chuckled and nodded.

“It’s a deal, see you then.” Lance nodded and they went their separate ways.

Lance woke up that Sunday at seven. He had a few things to do that day, but for the most part Sundays were his off day. They never filmed on Sunday, so usually he’d go shopping.

He put on an old t shirt and flannel, along with black jeans, a baseball hat, and a pair of sunglasses. He did this every time he went to the store. He tried to get in and out as fast as possible. Shiro and Allura told him to get a personal shopper just once a week, but Lance didn’t think he was famous enough for that yet.
He had no idea what the rest of them did. He’s pretty sure Hunk didn’t wear a disguise, he’s usually cool with fans as long as they don’t follow him home or anything. Like he’d hide from delivery people but not at the store.

Lance got what he needed from the store as quickly as possible. He used the no human interaction check out so no one would see his name on his credit card. Once he was home he put on some music and started to put things away.

His phone buzzed from his countertop, he finished with his groceries then checked the text.

Mama: Lance! La familia espera tu llamda!
Lance: Un momento, los llamare por Skype

He got out his computer and set it up in his living room, making sure to have a nice background.

He called them, they picked up on the second ring.

“Lance!” Several voices shouted over each other. Lance’s chest filled with warmth and he smiled brightly.

“Hey guys!” He said to them. He mostly spoke in English with his siblings and their children, but his mother wasn’t as fluent so he spoke in Spanish to her mostly.

“Lance! You’re working with so many famous people!” His sister Rachel yelled at him. 

“I know! They’re all very nice.” He told them. His older sister Veronica moved Rachel to talk to him.

“What’s it like? Are they super cool?” She asked him. He chuckled, very on brand for his family.

“Heh, yes they’re all very cool and fun.”

“Como has estado?” His mother called from the kitchen. She was busy making dinner. Her accent was much thicker than his, his accent came out more when he spoke to them though. 

“Estoy genial, el show va bien!” He told his mother. She came into view of the camera and waved to him.

“Lance te ves tan delgado!” She said once she saw him. He rolled his eyes.

“Mamá! I’m fine, really.” She narrowed her eyes but smiled. She blew him a kiss through the screen and he blew one back.

They called for a while, he got to see all his siblings. Marco lived in Florida with his wife Ruby, and their kids Mateo and Estel, so he joined the video call. His younger brother Luis was there of course, he was in his senior year of high school. His older sister Veronica had moved back in temporarily after their dad had died a couple years ago. And Rachel was just visiting, she usually lived in another town, she was a senior in college there.

He was really grateful to have been able to talk to them for as long as he did. They talked about Rachel’s college, and Luis’s classes, and how Mateo was almost old enough for kindergarten. Lance loved hearing about their lives, he missed them all so much.

“I hope I can visit after we finish filming. At least for a week. It’d be great to see you all in person.” They all agreed. They all wanted to know more about his celebrity friends, he rolled his eyes at them. It was fair that they were curious, Lance knew these people and worked with them everyday, it was normal for him. For his family though, the most famous person they’d ever met is him.

“So are you dating anyone?” Veronica finally asked. Lance sighed, he knew the question would come eventually.

“No, I am not dating anyone.” He rolled his eyes when they groaned at him.

“You haven’t dated someone in years! Since Nyma right?” Rachel asked. Nyma was another cast member on his musical show. He dated her for like, a year. It wasn’t super serious but to his family it was. He almost never dated, even if he flirted with almost everyone. 

“Nyma wasn't years ago, like one year ago. But yeah, I just haven’t met anyone.” Veronica and Rachel looked at each other. Then back to him, they were giving him the most ‘that’s bull shit’ face he’d seen from them.

“You’re working with like, so many hot famous people! You’re telling me you haven’t slept with any of them?!?” Luis asked. Veronica lightly slapped his shoulder. Luckily their mom didn’t hear.

“Okay, enough of this. I am not dating anyone! If I do start dating someone, I’ll tell you!” They hung up soon afterward. 

He lies down on his couch. He really did miss them. They joked around a lot but they always supported him. When he came out they were so kind and accepting. He thought it would go badly because his parents were raised catholic. But they both agreed that they loved him far more than they hated gay people. It was slow progression at first, but they’d gone from ‘I love my son more than I hate gay people’ to ‘I love my son, and gay people.’

They’d never gone to pride with him or anything, but it still meant a lot to him. He’d only had one boyfriend, his first year in America. He brought him home and as soon as his mom and dad saw how in love they were, all their prejudices started to melt away. His mother said that she loved the LGBT+ community because they loved Lance. Lance cried at that, and they hugged.

They watched his show too! Where he played a gay character in a loving relationship with a couple of different men along the series. His dad died halfway through the show and he came home for the funeral.

It was a tragedy, but they’d grown from it and have been able to move on with out staying stuck in despair.

He remembers how his mother grabbed his hand after his father had been buried. She rested her head on his shoulder and they both cried.

A tear falls from Lance’s face as he remembers that day. It was a couple years ago but it still hurts. His father died. He thought about him often, and he did everything he could to live for his father.

A buzz from his phone snapped him from his haze. He sat up, wiped the tears off his face and looked at his texts.

Shiro😩: Here’s some of the photos from the interview yesterday. If you post them make sure to only speak politely and credit the photographer and Lotor’s show.
Shiro😩: [picture of them walking on stage] [picture of all of them sitting together] [picture of them laughing] [closeup of Shiro talking] [closeup of Allura smiling] [closeup of Hunk laughing] [closeup of Keith and Lance smiling at each other] [closeup of Lance explaining something happily] [closeup of Keith smirking] [closeup of Pidge smiling]

Lance smiled at the pictures. The one of Keith and Lance especially. That was when Keith was talking about how he was a dog person and they looked at each other because it was an inside joke. He can imagine that since the audience didn’t know that, it looks a little.... suspicious.

All the other photos were amazing. They quality was great, the angles made them all look gorgeous, and the pictures really capture each other their personalities.

He got more texts from the group chat

Allura✨: This are wonderful! Thank you! I’ll tag you all in my Instagram and Twitter post

Hunky Bear: Oh my goodness we look amazing!

Mullet: Shiro are you talking about Adam in that pic?
Mullet: You always get that stupid ‘I’m in love’ face whenever you talk about him

Lance looked at which one he was talking about. It was taken when he was talking about having just been married. His face had a little blush and his smile was adorable.

Shiro😩: ... yes

Mullet: Knew it

Pidgeon: You’re one to talk Keith
Pidgeon: Look at that picture of you and Lance

Lance rolled his eyes. He knew what it looked like.

Lance: We were smiling about an inside joke!

Pidgeon: Surrre

Lance went to bed soon after. He had to walk over to Keith’s early tomorrow morning. He took a quick shower then settled in for the night. He wasn't sure what had pushed him to ask Keith to carpool. Something about Keith had him returning over and over again. Even when he hated him. Even when he was ignored. He thought he wanted to embarrass him and tear him down so they'd be at the same level, but maybe he just wanted to Keith to see him the same way he saw Keith. 

Whatever that was. 

Chapter Text

Keith was eating toast when there was a knock at his door. He knew who it was, he was surprisingly on time. Keith walked over to the door, asking Kosmo politely to stop barking. He opened the door and Lance let himself in.

“Come on in,” Keith said sarcastically. He closed the door behind him and watched as Lance kneeled over to pet Kosmo.

“Awe who’s a good girl? You are! Yes you are Kosmo!” Lance cooed at her, Kosmo jumped into his lap and started licking his face. Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s dog voice.

“You’re on time today,” Keith commented while going back to his breakfast.

“Yeah, I took a shower last night instead of this morning. Made things quicker.” He told Keith, still petting Kosmo.

It’d been about a week since they started carpooling and he has only been on time twice. The first day, and now today. Keith didn’t mind too horribly, he was never horrendously late, usually just fifteen minutes. Keith just used that time to scroll through social media. Pictures of the cast from different interviews were everywhere now. People were very excited about the show. They only had three more episodes to film, which is about four weeks of filming, due to fight sequences having to be taught and what not.

“You’re still eating breakfast I see. Looks like I’m not the late one today.” Lance stood up from the floor and leaned on Keith’s counter.

“I’ve gotten used to you being late, okay?” He said, finishing off his toast.

Lance laughed at him, but not for long. Keith grabbed his arm and they walked out to Keith’s car. Lance tried to plug his phone in to the aux but Keith wouldn’t let him.

“I’m driving,” Keith said and put on the same playlist he always does. It’s filled with punk rock and punk pop. Lance just called it ‘Keith’s emo playlist’.

“If I drive us will you let me play my music?” Lance asked when they pulled out of the driveway.

“What? You’re not gonna drive my car! You’ll crash it.” Keith told him while starting their drive to the studio.

Lance scoffed and put a hand to his chest. “What? I am a wonderful driver I’ll have you know.” Lance told him.

“Come on Keith! I’m tired of listening to this angry/sad music!” Keith looked at Lance briefly when at a stop light. Lance pouted and Keith rolled his eyes.

“You can drive us tomorrow, we’ll see how you do. Okay? Just stop whining.” Lance clapped and Keith tried to hide his smile. He found that he liked hanging out with Lance. It was nice to have him around from time to time. He evened out Keith’s grumpiness.

They arrived to the studio. Usually they were the first cast members here, besides occasionally Shiro. But today they saw Allura get out of her car as they pulled in.

Lance got out of the car and waved to her.

“Hey Allura!” He said, she turned, smiled, and waved back at Lance. Keith's phone rang and he stayed behind in the car to take it.

Turned out it was just a stupid spam call so he heard the tail end of Lance's conversation with Allura. 

Allura waited for them by the door. She looked between them a few times. In a movement so small it might've been imagined, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips twitched before returning to normal. 

“Lance, you're here awfully early.” She commented when they were walking down the halls.

“Hey Allura! Yeah, Keith gets up annoyingly early and he's my ride so...” Lance explained with a shrug and Allura looked back at Keith with raised eyebrows. She looked surprised in Lance, like she wasn't him to admit they got there together. 

“You and Keith- oh, well, it's a good habit.” She smiled simply and moved with her day. Keith noticed something off about the way she looked at them now though. Lance didn’t even notice how she smiled at them, like she knew a secret.

Keith was sitting in the break room with Shiro, Lance and some of the recurring cast members like Shay, Ryan and Ezor. They were in the next scene, waiting for Allura, Hunk, and Pidge to be done with their scene.

He heard someone walking down the hallway, humming a song quietly. Then the person popped his head into the break room, he recognized the group in there and walked in.

“Matt?!” Keith almost yelled, causing Shiro to look up from his book, and Ryan to drop his prop.

Matt smiled and walked over to Keith, they hugged quickly. Keith and Matt got along famously. Even after he and Shiro broke up they kept in contact. Keith would say Matt was his best friend after James. So, his best friend now that James was out of his life. 

“Hey Keith! How’s it hanging?” Matt asked when they pulled apart. Keith was smiling like an idiot, Matt’s been on tour for a while and he hasn’t seen him in more than a year.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa....” Lance stood up and rushed over to where Keith and Matt were standing.

“Matt? Like Matt Holt? Pidge’s brother and Shiro’s.....” Lance rambled, looking at Shiro slowly.

“The one and only. Hey Shiro, what’s up, man?” Matt nodded at him and Shiro walked over. They hug and Shiro claps him on the back.

“I’m doing great, how about you?” Shiro asked calmly and Matt shrugged. 

“Pretty great as well, my tour just ended.” Matt responded. He, Shiro, and Keith chatted casually for a few more minutes. Lance looked between the three of them over and over again.

“Wait, wait, wait, how are you guys so cool? Didn’t you guys date?” Lance interrupted their conversation to ask his question. Shiro and Matt look at each other and smile awkwardly.

“Yeah man, we dated like... what? Eight years ago? We were friends before and we’ve been friends since.” Matt explained to Lance, he had a sympathetic expression, like he understood Lance’s confusion.

Lance gaped at the two of them. Like he couldn’t understand how anyone could be friends with their ex.

“But- but, you guys are just cool?” Shiro sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

“Yeah Lance,” he said.

“Oh yeah, congrats on the wedding by the way! Adam’s great!” Matt told Shiro, Shiro smiled and thanked him.

“So you’ve had sex with each other, met each other’s parents, and dated for how long? And you’re just friends now?” Keith grabbed Lance’s bicep and pulled back a little. Shiro and Matt noticed the casual touch between them and looked at each other but didn't say anything. 

“Maybe lay off the questions,” he whispered to him. Lance looked at him, his eyes full of confusion, but they settled once he looked at Keith.

“Right, Sorry guys.” Lance told them. Matt laughed in good nature.

“It’s alright man, it’s confusing for some people.”

“It’s just that, Shiro was so embarrassed whenever we talk about you guys dating. So I assumed that it ended badly-" Lance rambled on trying to explain himself. Keith pulled back on his arm again.

“Oh you were embarrassed of me?” Matt asked Shiro, he smirked at him, obviously teasing him.

“I wasn’t embarrassed of dating you, I was embarrassed that we were talking about it in front of your sister!” Shiro explained. Matt just laughed at them.

“Matt?!” Pidge entered the break room with Hunk and Allura. Matt turned around and broke in to a huge smile. Pidge smiled as well and they walk into a hug. “You weren’t supposed to come in until tomorrow!” Pidge says into Matt’s shoulder. They slipped out of their embrace.

“Yeah, I got to town early and decided to surprise you at work! I ran into a few of your costars here and started chatting them up.” Pidge punched his arm but laughed. 

“Yeah why didn’t you tell me you dated Takashi Shirogane?!?” She scolded him. Matt scratched the back of his neck.

“I’m not sure, it was so long ago and I had just come out as pan and it was just complicated.” Pidge gave him a forgiving smile.

Keith had to go to his next scene, Shiro and Lance went with him.

When they were done with the scene- it took like ten takes, Lance kept getting distracted- they all met back up in the break room.

“So we’re going out right?” Matt asked while everyone was changing out of their makeup. He stood behind Pidge and made comments every couple of seconds. Everyone agreed that they would go out to a club afterwards. One of the hard to get in to, famous people all around type. It was called ‘Spiral’, Keith had been there a few times, but you had to be pretty famous to get in. Or at least friends with famous people.

“Wait, Matt! Idea!” Pidge says while finishing up taking her makeup off. She takes out her camera that she uses for the video diaries. She turns it to face her and Matt.

“Hey everyone! This is my brother Matt Holt, you guys might’ve heard of him, he’s a stand up comedian. He just got back from his tour around America and decided to come visit us here on set!” Matt waved into the camera.
“Hey guys! Like the little Pidgeon said, I’m in town for a bit so I’m gonna hang out with the coolest cast in LA! We’re going out tonight for drinks, mostly so we can make fun of Keith when he’s drunk...” Matt smiled and Keith yelled “Hey!”

They all walked to the parking lot together, making sure that everyone knew where the club was. Lance and Keith started walking to Keith’s car. Matt had parked a few places away from them.

“Wait, did you guys drive here together?” Matt asked them as they opened the doors. Pidge and Hunk took notice of their conversation. They looked at each other then to Matt. They all smirked as Lance just tilted his head. 

"His car is nicer than mine." He explained like it was obvious and Keith could tell by Matt's smirk that he was interpreting the situation differently than Lance was. 

"Oh, nice." Hunk gave him a supportive thumbs up, which only confused Lance more. 

“Why is everyone so surprised by this?” Lance asked them. Hunk shrugged but Pidge muffled a laugh behind her hand while Matt looked at Keith like 'why didn't you tell me?' Lance looked at Keith confused, and Keith avoided his gaze and shook his head. He didn't even want to dignify this situation with a response, the idea itself was ludicrous enough to make him blush. 

They all meet up outside Spiral, then walk in with no trouble. The bouncer just nodded at them as they pass by. Keith suspected it was just because they were with Allura and Shiro. But maybe people did recognize them, their faces had been everywhere for the last couple weeks.

They ordered drinks and sat down at a table while they drank them.

“Whatcha got there Keith?” Lance asks him.

Keith looks at his drink. “Double Coke and rum.”

Lance hummed and said “I got a daiquiri, strawberry, obviously.”

Shiro and Matt got a beer, Pidge, Adam, and Allura did a round of shots, and Hunk just got a coke. He said he wanted to make sure we could all get home safely.

Eventually they wound up on the dance floor. Lance and Allura were dancing the most, though Matt came in a close second.

Keith and Hunk were chatting at their table, Shiro was with Adam, they were half dancing half whispering to each other in the corner of the dance floor. Pidge was dancing with Matt, Allura, and Lance, but she was mostly just swaying while the others went at it hard.

At some point it looked like Allura, Matt, and Lance got another round of shots. Keith wasn't one for counting other's drinks but he was curious about how people's personalities would change with each serving. No one was in a clear lead right now, most of them having at least two. 

“Yeah I just feel like Theo would be open to anything y’know?” Hunk was telling Keith. They were discussing their characters and Keith asked Hunk if he thought Theo was straight or not. He voted for probably not. “What about Alexander?” Hunk asked him. Keith thought about it for a moment, pursing his lips.

“I don’t know. It might be nice to play a not straight person for once.” Hunk laughed at that. Hunk was straight but he’s a huge ally, and totally supportive of all his friends. Keith had always felt completely at ease around him and Allura, the token straights. 

“Yeah I can totally see him and Robin together.” Hunk said before taking a sip of coke. Keith’s face fell.

“What? Really?” Hunk was confused to why Keith was so startled by this.

“Yeah, they just seem to care about each other a lot. I don’t know, maybe it’s just in a friendly way, but I could see it either way.” Hunk explained. Keith took a sip of his second coke and rum.

“But they fight all the time?”

“Yeah, I kinda thought it was because they don’t want to see each other get hurt. And maybe that’s the only way they know how to express their feelings to each other. They’re both kinda repressed individuals.” Keith looked at his drink. Then he finished it off.

“Whoa there Keith, that was fast.” Hunk put his hands in a surrender motion. “I didn’t mean to upset you or anything, you know the character better than anyone obviously.”

“No no, I’m not upset at you or anything. It’s just been a long day.” Keith told him, Hunk looked pretty skeptical.

“It’s only Monday dude, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but maybe don’t go too hard. We’re working all week.” Keith nodded.

“Yeah I know man. And I won’t, no blacking out or hangovers. Don’t worry.” Hunk patted his shoulder.

Lance wandered over to the table.

“Guys! Stop being boring and come dance with us!” He exclaimed and held out his hands. Hunk and Keith each took one hand and let Lance lead them to the dance floor.

Hunk mostly started talking to Pidge, they’re both pretty awkward with this sort of thing. The others though...
Keith felt quite stupid dancing next to Allura and Lance. He’s danced with Matt plenty of times, Matt wasn’t exactly good at dancing. He just had so much confidence that he looked like he knew what he was doing.

Lance and Allura looked like they were trained or something. Allura actually might have been. The way they moved was something Keith was very envious of.

Allura was more elegant and beautiful while dancing, she possessed such grace that everyone else in the room looked like stumbling idiots compared to her.

Lance was just so natural, everything he did seemed like him. He’d roll his hips and shimmy his shoulders in a way that Keith could just tell was so Lance. He looked like he was completely at home, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

Keith just did what felt right. The song was something Lance had played in the break room before. Lance was always starting dance parties in the break room. He and Allura and some of the other non main cast members were the only ones to join.

Keith was never a dancer but in his tipsy state he didn’t feel like doing anything else. He noticed that Pidge and Hunk had gone to sit back down. They seemed much happier talking over there.

Allura took Lance’s hands and they started spinning on their heels. Keith looked at them, their faces were lit with happiness. Matt looked at him and grabbed his hand. Keith looked at him in faux annoyance. 

“Come on Keith, dance with me!” He joked while pulling Keith into his arms. They laughed as they sloppily danced together. Matt spun him around and dipped him. Keith leaned into Matt’s chest and threw his arms around his neck while Matt pulled his hips against his own. Keith rolled his eyes and smiled but let Matt roll against him. 

They were just messing around- they both knew that. They did stuff like this all the time. They’d flirt just as a joke, they’d never actually like each other that way.
They’d known each other for ten years, Shiro and Matt had dated for two of those years and Keith didn’t even know he was gay at the time. There was no reality where Keith and Matt would ever become anything other than friends. So they were both comfortable doing things that Keith was uncomfortable to do with most people. For instance, Matt was semi grinding on Keith right now. 

Keith had his back pressed close to Matt’s chest and they moved together like they’d done this a million times. They hadn’t really, only every now and then when they were both drunk at a club. They were laughing the entire time, they knew what they meant to each other and that wasn’t going to change.

They stopped grinding and Keith turned to face Matt, they kept dancing for a while.

Lance had just noticed the absolute sex show that was being preformed only five feet away from him. He dropped Allura’s hands out of surprise and stopped dancing. She looked at him confused but her face filled with understanding once she followed his gaze to the boys dancing together.

Lance couldn’t even describe why he was confused. Matt and Keith were both grown adults. Maybe he felt unsettled because Matt was Shiro’s ex boyfriend. Keith’s brother’s ex. He was pretty sure Matt was also a couple years older than Keith. It seemed wrong somehow. His jaw was dropped as he stared at them in shock and a little bit of... was that horror?

Allura put her hand on his shoulder and asked him “Are you alright Lance?” He finally tore his eyes away from Keith wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist.

“What? Yeah. It just seems... weird.” Allura nodded in understanding. They walked over to the bar.

They did a quick round of shots, just the two of them. Then they wandered to Adam and Shiro talking civilly with Pidge and Hunk.

“Shiro, hey.” Lance said when they joined them at the table.

“Hey Lance,” Shiro noticed Lance’s decline in good mood. “You okay there?” He asked him with a worried eyebrow furrow. 

“Yeah, I’m all good.” He looked at Pidge. “How old is your brother?” He asked abruptly. Pidge looked taken back. She looked to Shiro then back to Lance.

“Twenty seven. Why?” Lance stared at the wall behind Pidge. He could tell his eyebrows were crossed. He couldn’t describe why he felt this way. His stomach was churning but also felt like it was boiling.

“Just wondering.” Lance said. He looked over the crowd of dancers and his eyes settled on Keith and Matt laughing. Keith was being dipped by Matt. Lance could imagine his eyes burning holes in their heads. It made him feel slightly better.

He could hear the others whispering something. He heard the words ‘Keith’, ‘Lance’, ‘drunk’, and a couple conjunctions. He turned towards Shiro quickly. He looked around for Adam, he was either at the bar or in the bathroom, whenever he was he wasn’t here.

“So you’re cool with this?” He asked Shiro. Shiro raised an eyebrow at him. Lance scoffed and pointed at the boys. Shiro didn't look surprised at all.

“Yeah? They’re just having fun Lance. They don’t like each other that way.” Lance was almost fuming. Why was no one else disturbed by this? “They do this all the time Lance,” Shiro told him.

“What?!" Lance asked, unsure why his voice cracked. 

“At clubs, they’ll dance together and just have fun. Why not?” Shiro went on and Lance looked at Pidge for assistance.
She shrugged and gave her ‘I don’t care’ face.  

"That's your ex and your brother, though." Lance insisted to Shiro and Shiro just nodded like he was explaining something to a child. 

"They aren't hooking up or anything, Lance." 

"How do you know? Because they're acting like they are." Lance crossed his arms. 

"If they decided that was something that was right for them, which they wouldn't, Keith would have at least told me. But he also just wouldn't do that." Shiro replied firmly. Lance didn't like that Shiro seemed mad at him. Or that Hunk and Pidge were looking at him in concern. 

"Would Matt?" Lance asked and Pidge straightened up. 

"Hey, man. Lay off, that's my brother." She defended and he took in a deep breath. Whatever, he thought. Then Matt and Keith came back to join them at the table. Both of them looked incredibly hyped up, like they had won the goddamn lottery.

“There you guys are! We couldn’t find you anywhere!” Matt said to the group. Keith sat down next to Lance. Lance thought he should move away from him, but he didn’t. He did mumble something incoherent under his breath though.
Something along the lines of “maybe we all got sick of the sex show.” No one heard him though. Lance couldn't be sure that he hadn't said it in Spanish. 

Matt went to get more shots and Lance joined him. He then challenged Matt to a shot contest, which Matt won. That burned Lance more than the alcohol mixing in his throat. He didn't really lose the contest- more like his coworkers told him he should stop after a few since they did have work tomorrow. Lance did somehow have enough logic to agree. 

Matt and Keith did dance a bit more while Allura tried to distract Lance by dancing with him. It partially worked. 

Matt went to use the bathroom at some point and Shiro stood up with Adam.

“We should head back home, and before Hunk asks, yes we’re sober enough to drive.” Shiro said and Hunk smiled at him and gave them a thumbs up.

“I suggest you all head home soon. Work tomorrow.” Hunk told them and they all agreed and stood up. Pidge agreed to meet Hunk outside when Matt came back.

Lance and Keith started walking out together. Lance was kind of pissed off that he had to talk to him. Maybe he just wouldn’t talk to him.

“Are you okay to drive Keith?” Hunk asked him. Keith nodded. “I’ve only had two drinks and they were light. I also drank them like an hour ago.” Hunk patted his shoulder. 

“Okay, don’t get in an accident. And make sure Lance gets to bed okay? He’s really hammered.” Hunk whispered that last part.

“I can still hear you!” Lance scolded him.

Lance opened the door to Keith’s car. He didn’t get in right away. Neither did Keith. Keith leaned against the top of the car and was about to say something when Shiro walked up to them.

“Lance, that's Keith's car.” Shiro told him, speaking to him again like a child. Keith rolled his eyes. Lance was getting pretty sick of everyone questioning him on this. What was so wrong about preserving the environment??

“Yeah? We drove to work together and now we're driving back together. Simple math.” Lance slurred an explanation to him, he was being sassy but he did not care. He could also tell that his accent was getting a little thicker, but everyone seemed to understand him fine. Matt and Pidge walked out and joined Hunk nearby the conversation in the parking lot. 

Shiro's eyes widened in some kind of realization and he looked over at Adam. Adam was staring intently at Keith like he was understanding something new about him. Keith's face was a little red under all the scrutiny. 

"So you two are...?" Adam started and Keith shot him a glare. 

"Carpooling." Keith responded firmly and Adam and Shiro share an unconvinced look. 

"Is that what they call it now?" Matt whispered not so quietly to Pidge, who chuckled but elbowed him in the rib to shut up. 

“Well, just don’t let this affect work.” Shiro told them, Keith hit his face with his palm. Shiro and Adam went to move on before Lance scoffed loudly and started laughing at them- which left everyone in a bit of a shock. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?" Lance yelled and Keith walked around the car to hold Lance's arm as he swayed, they all exchanged worried glances about him falling over. "Keith, what are they on about? Why does everyone care so much about our business?" 

"Lance, we're just worried about the possible drama. But you're both adults, I'm sure you'll handle it just fine." Adam tried to calm him down but it just confused Lance more. Did he lose something in translation? Was there another meaning of the word Carpooling that Lance didn't know? 

"What? How little do you think of us?" He asked, trying to right himself on Keith's arm. 

"Lance, no one is saying that!" Allura interjected with worried eyes as she looked between him and Keith. Keith just rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He looked mortified and Lance wasn't sure why he wasn't explaining it all to Lance if he understood. 

"Lance, maybe you should just get some sleep." Pidge suggested and he hated how condescending they were all being. 

“Will everyone stop talking to me like that? Why can’t everyone just hop off my dick?” Lance yelled and Pidge jumped a little. He knew if his mother heard him talking that way he’d be in big trouble. He instantly regretted yelling at the group. God this was so embarrassing. Matt stepped in front of his sister a little and glared at Lance, though it lost some effect due to his own intoxication. 

"Hey man, no need to start yelling." Matt scolded him. 

"Matt, not now." Hunk whispered to him. Hunk walked over to him slowly, like walking on egg shells.

“Hey, Lance. We didn’t mean any harm okay? Why don’t we talk about this in the morning?” Lance looked at him. He loved Hunk. He was besties with him. But he was so confused, and his mind was so twirly right now?

“Hunk please, anyone! Please just tell me what I did wrong!” Everyone shifted uncomfortably.

"Lance, get in the car." Keith advised and Lance was aghast to see that Keith was angry. Lance couldn't tell who he was angry with and it terrified him that it could be him. Keith's face was flushed and he wasn't making eye contact with anyone and it took Lance a while to realize he was embarrassed. 

"Not until someone explains to me what's going on. I'm missing something, I can tell! Did I misinterpret something? Did it get lost in translation? I know my English isn't perfect, please just stop making fun of me and tell me what I missed?" Lance pleaded with big, concerned eyes. A wave of sympathy passed over the group and Lance hated it. He hated pity. 

Keith was the first one to speak up, he turned Lance to him. Lance looked at his eyes when he spoke, he loved how understanding they looked.

“Lance, they assumed that we were sleeping together and that’s why we’d drive to work together. You didn’t do anything wrong okay?” Lance looked at the rest of the group. Adam and Matt looked distinctly uncomfortable. Pidge was holding her brother’s arm- she was startled by the yelling. Allura's and Hunk's faces were full of sympathy and love. Shiro just looked disappointed as he bit his lip and looked down. 

They all exchanged quick glances, realizing that their assumptions might have been wrong but not entirely off. 

Lance let out a short exhale of breath that sounded like a sad laugh. He smiled a bit.

“We’re just carpooling, guys.” He sounded so tired and sad when he said it, his own voice surprised him. With Keith's help he got into the car and put his head in his hands. Keith closed the car door. 

Keith joined him after a minute. Lance knew that he said something to the group. But he didn't know what and he was too tired and frustrated to ask.

He can’t remember much of the car ride, besides that Keith pulled his left hand off his face when they arrived at Lance’s building.

“Hey Lance, we’re at your place.” Keith whispered and Lance just looked at his hands helplessly. 

“I didn’t mean to yell at everyone. I just- I was just so confused and it felt like everyone was making fun of me or like-“ he sighed. “I don’t know.”

Keith got out of his door and circled around to Lance’s. He helped him out of the car and they walked to the elevator together.

“It’s okay Lance. No one is mad at you. No one was making fun of you, they made assumptions and that’s on them.” Lance leaned against the elevator wall as Keith pressed the button up to his floor.

Keith’s arm was still around him.

“Are you and Matt...” Lance started but looked away before finishing. His face got all hot from how embarrassed he was. “Never mind, it’s none of my business. Sorry.” He mumbled out.

“Matt and I are just friends. We’ve never done anything more than what you saw. We just feel comfortable around each other, that’s all.” Keith explained softly and Lance just nodded numbly. He wasn't sure why he cared. 

Keith walked him to his apartment and unlocked the door for him. Lance walked into his place and stood, looking out the window. He heard Keith in the kitchen, and the faint sound of water. Then there was suddenly a glass of water in his hand. Lance drank it without being told to. Keith handed him another glass and he drank that one slower. Keith led him to his bed room, Lance sat on his bed. Keith kneeled down to look at him.

“Hey, everything is okay. I’ll come over tomorrow morning with some coffee and breakfast.” Lance leaned down on his bed. Putting his head on his pillow. He watched Keith set an alarm on his alarm clock, and heard him rustle around in his bathroom. He didn’t think at all, he just had this overwhelming feeling of being sad. He felt so shitty and didn’t know why. He fell asleep before he could figure anything out.

Lance’s alarm went off, the chiming was like a battering ram in Lance’s head. He slammed his hand on the damned thing and looked at the time.
It was 7:30. He usually woke up at 6. Keith set his alarm though... right? He thought he remembered Keith setting his alarm and going to his bathroom. Lance sat up slowly and saw a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol next to his alarm.

He took two and stared at the ground.

He made such a scene last night.

How can he look at his friends the same today?

Lance flopped back onto his bed at the thought of working today. His eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep for a few more moments. 

Chapter Text

Keith slowly knocked on Lance’s door. He set Lance’s alarm for seven thirty, about an hour after he and Lance usually leave for work. He didn’t mind being late to work today, Lance needed that sleep. They wouldn’t even be late, call was at eight, Lance and Keith usually got there around seven and took their time getting ready and then just chatted. Today they would have to get ready faster. Lance opened his door, he looked horrible.

“Hey Keith,” he opened the door more to let Keith in. Lance was still in his clothes from yesterday, and his hair was messed up.His eyes even looked a little duller than normal.

“Hey Lance, got you breakfast and coffee. We can go as soon as you’re dressed.” Keith put the paper bag on the countertop. He had gotten Lance a cinnamon bagel with cream cheese and a regular coffee with tons of sugar and milk. He waited for a couple minutes as Lance came back out of his room, wearing a t shirt and sweatpants. He slipped some sandals on and they walked to Keith’s car in silence.

Lance had finished his breakfast by the time they’d gotten to the studio. When he got there he went straight for the coffee machine in the break room. He finished his coffee before they reached Keith’s car. Keith walked into make up and hair room and sat down in his seat. He did his regular make up as fast as possible, then had to have his special effects make up artist add some bruises and cuts. They were filming a scene that was after a fight scene so he was all roughed up. Hunk immediately crowded Keith, asking a bunch of questions.

“Keith, I am so sorry. Are you and he okay? Does he hate us? Did he get to sleep alright? Oh my god he totally hates us now doesn’t he?”

“Hunk!” Keith said, Hunk stopped spiraling. “I made sure he got home safe, and I let him sleep in. He’s eaten breakfast, he’s drinking some coffee- he’s fine.” Hunk fidgeted with his fingers, Pidge put her hand on his shoulder.

“He was really drunk. Is he doing okay?” Pidge asked Keith with her arms crossed.

"He's fine, just hungover. I don't think he's mad- just embarrassed." Keith shrugged, trying to dampen his own anger at the situation. 

"And you?" Shiro asked from a few seats away. 

"What about me?" Keith asked, avoiding eye contact with them all. 

"Are you mad?" Shiro sighed and asked more explicitly. He was used to this with Keith, if you left any room for ambiguity, that's what you'd get from Keith. 

"I don't know if mad is the right word. A little uncomfortable, I guess." 

"We shouldn't have assumed anything, I'm sorry." Allura added and she genuinely seemed it. 

"I probably would've thought the same thing. I want to make it clear that that's not happening. I moved to a condo near Lance's place and he asked if I wanted to carpool. We're just coworkers." Keith made clear and they all nodded. 

"Sorry, Keith. I hope you and Lance's relationship isn't weird after this." Pidge added quietly. She was being way more understanding than Keith thought. He saw the way she jumped when Lance yelled at them all.

“Yeah, if he feels like explaining it, he will.” Keith told them. Lance walked into the room slowly.

He ignored everyone and just went to putting on his plain makeup and drinking his giant mug of coffee. Once Keith’s special effect’s artist, Zethrid, was done he went to change into costume. He met up with the rest of the cast on set. They were on a different stage today, shooting a scene in an old house. They all had roughed up make up, Keith’s face was covered in fake sticky blood. Lance walked over to them a couple minutes later. He stood really close to Keith, and mostly ignored the rest of them. They filmed the scene, it took a while though. About ten takes. Lance forgot a couple lines, and a couple of them also messed some stuff up. At one point we take a five minute break. Lance walked over to Keith and almost hid behind Keith’s arm.

“Lance,” Keith probes him to look at him.

“Keith, I feel so stupid.” Lance briefly looked at Keith’s face. They both had fake bruises and blood streaking their faces.

“You aren’t stupid, and no one is mad at you. They’re just worried.”

“I want to talk to them, I’m just so embarrassed.” Keith took Lance’s arms and moved him around to the front of himself so he isn’t hiding anymore.

“I’ll come with you,” Lance stared at Keith for a moment. His face was full of regret and fear. They walked over to the rest of the cast. Keith gave them a completely unnecessarily threatening look. 

“Hey guys!” Hunk says to them, acting way more casual than he was earlier when he was freaking out. Lance waved at everyone.

“Hey everyone, uhm. I want to apologize for yelling at everyone yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well and-" he let out a sigh and looked at the ground. “It doesn’t matter why I did it. I’m sorry and I will do my best to not let it happen again.” He slowly looked up to the group, no one looked angry or upset.

“Lance, no one is upset with you. We were just concerned about you. We all really care about you!” Allura walked forward and held Lance’s hand. He smiled at her. It’s a tired smile, Keith knew that was all he could muster right then. Allura hugged him. Adam called for a reset and they did the next scene in two takes. They still had another scene to shoot, but they had to get the blood off for it. The makeup artists just made them look like the day after they were beat up. So bruises and cuts, but no blood streaming on their faces.

Keith briefly overheard part of a conversation between Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Lance. Keith was just grabbing water during one of their breaks and those four were by the snack table and didn't see him. 

"I can't believe you guys though I would sleep with Keith!" Land objected and Pidge and Hunk just looked at each other. Allura tilted her head from side to side. 

"Why is it so hard to believe?" She asked with narrowed, interested eyes. 

"You know I can hardly stand him." Lance shrugged and Keith laughed silently. 

"And yet, you're carpooling." Pidge pointed out with a snack in hand. 

"That's out of convenience! And saving the planet or whatever." Lance defended and crossed his arms. 

"I thought it was you trying to become friends with him?" Hunk asked and Keith saw a light dusting of blush along Lance's cheeks. 

"I mean, I guess it's a little bit of that. It's not like I want to dislike any of my coworkers. That doesn't mean I'm sleeping with him though!" 

"True, and we already apologized for our assumptions, Lance." Allura reminded him and Pidge just smirked. 

"Can you blame us though? You two slept in Hunk's living room together and were getting all close when you were drunk. Then you two don't talk for weeks but it's obvious that you wanted to talk to him. Then suddenly you're showing up to work together? And you get insanely jealous of him dancing with my brother? What were we supposed to think, Lance?" Pidge asked through a mouthful of something and Keith paused. Lance had been jealous of Matt?

"Wait, did you assume something happened that night?!" Lance asked indignantly and Keith winced, thinking about what actually happened. 

"He did ignore you for weeks after. Then one day you two just seemed to make up and had been closer since." Allura added with a shrug. 

"He just said some embarrassing stuff while he was drunk. I don't even remember what it was but he assumed I was judging him for it. When I finally confronted him about this he explained and we got over it. I helped him move as a peace offering and realized we live close together. Then asked to carpool. End of story." Lance told them concisely and Hunk nodded. 

"That makes sense! No offense, but I'm glad you two didn't have sex on my couches." Hunk said cheerily and Lance's face reddened even more before he started stuttering while Pidge laughed loudly. Keith was too embarrassed at the idea of that to listen any longer so he walked back to the stage and went through the lines for the scene that he already knew. 

“Hey Keith, have you talked to Matt?” Pidge asks Keith when their having their makeup done. Keith tried not to move for his makeup artist, but his eyebrows did furrow a bit.

“Not since yesterday, why?”

“Just wondering, he’s staying with me for a while.”

“Yeah I figured.” He was doing his best not to be awkward around her. But he had just spent a lot of quality time with her brother, and she saw it too. Keith was almost embarrassed. Almost.

“You know, he’s told me about you before.” Pidge continued on, any awkwardness he wasn’t aware of.

“Yeah?”

“Well after he and Shiro broke up he didn’t tell me who his ex was, just that his ex was some huge movie star- I totally thought he was lying.” Keith laughed at that. “But he told me he just got out of a serious relationship and was pretty upset about it. He said that he at least got to keep being friends with his ex’s brother. Guess that’s you.” Keith smiled a little. It’s nice to know that his friend had valued him enough even way back then.

“Heh, yeah that’s me.”

“Guess now I know why he made me watch all seven seasons of that show you were in.” Keith’s eyes moved towards her. He was trying really hard not to move his head.

“He did?” He was pretty surprised by this. Matt cared enough to watch all of his show? Well, it’s a good show, maybe that was why.

“Yep! He made me watch a couple of Shiro’s movies too.” That made sense to Keith, Matt really loved Shiro. They loved each other, they were best friends for a while and fell in love. In the end they both decided they were better as just friends though. Matt even met Adam after a couple years. Him and Adam got along decently, but Keith got the feeling that Adam wasn't Matt's biggest fan. 

They ran their other scene. Keith was really tired. They’d stayed up pretty late and he didn’t sleep well. They’d also done three scenes today, all of them long and done in many takes. He stared at his fake beat up face in the mirror. He didn't like the look. Not something Keith liked to remember.

“Keith? You gonna take your make up off?” Pidge asks him. He snapped from his memories and looked at her. He must have been sitting there for a while. He nodded slowly and started taking the makeup off. He could feel Shiro looking at him from across the room. Shiro was the only one who knew. Why would anyone else know? It wasn’t that big of a deal. Really it wasn’t.

“Keith, I’m gonna use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Lance told him and walked out. Lance has been pretty dull today. His head must be killing him. Everyone had been making him feel better. Hunk even offered to take him out for ice cream but Lance refused. He said he wanted to sleep for ten days. Keith didn’t have the heart to remind him that they worked the rest of the week.

"I shouldn't have assumed. You're a professional." Shiro muttered and Keith realized it was just the two of them left. 

"I haven't always been the most professional." Keith shrugged. 

"I just thought that might've been why you didn't like him at first. Sexual tension." Shiro shrugged back and Keith curled his lip in disgust. 

"With Lance? Hardly. That disdain is just disdain." 

"Yeah okay, I believe you." Shiro added sincerely and Keith just nodded in appreciation. 

They got into Keith’s car. Lance was going to drive today, but obviously that has been out off until next week. He didn’t play any music, didn’t want to aggravate Lance’s head. He wasn’t sure if it was any better than this morning. It’s been several hours, his head ache should be gone, but still. Keith wasn’t sure if Lance was in the mood for Keith’s emo playlist.

“Wait, Keith.” Lance said when they got to their neighborhood.

“Yeah?”

“Can we go to your place? I didn’t get to see Kosmo today. I miss her.” Lance sounded so... just tired and... Keith couldn’t find the right words to describe him. He’d say sad, but he doesn’t think that’s right.

“Yeah of course. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you. She loves you.” Lance turned to him and smiled. Keith was pretty sure it was the only time he’d smile with out a sign of sadness.

“Really? She loves me?” He sounded so hopeful.

“Yeah of course she does. You play with her every morning and you’ve occasionally gone on walks with her. She loves that.” Lance looked to his lap and smiled. When they get to Keith’s place Lance immediately hugged Kosmo. He lied on the couch and Kosmo sat on top of him. Keith just smiled at them. He was so glad he had Kosmo in his life. She’s such a sweetheart. Lance fell asleep on his couch very quickly. Kosmo stayed with him like the amazing dog she is. Keith went to his room so he wouldn’t bother him. He decided to call Matt. They hadn’t talked in person for a while until last night. So he FaceTimed him on his phone.

“Hey Keith, what’s up?” Matt said casually. He looked like he just got out of the shower. His hair was all wet and we wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was lying on Pidge’s couch. He’s been to Pidge’s place at least once so he vaguely recognized where he was.

“You just walking around without a shirt on?”

“I was about to put one on when you called. So this is really on you man.” Keith laughed at him.

“Pidge asked me on set if I had talked to you yet today.” Matt looked confused. He set his phone down and pulled a graphic tee on.

“We talked last night?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Hmm I don’t know man. Wait. Pidge!” Matt yelled for his sister. Keith saw Pidge walk into the living room, she had on sweats and a t shirt.

“What.” She said simply.

“I’m on FaceTime with Keith, why’d you ask him if we’d talked today?” Pidge walked over to the phone. Keith and her waved at each other.

“Uh mostly I was just tryna see what Lance’s reaction was. Don’t tell him.” She said, she sounded kind of guilty about it.

“Why would you want to see his reaction?” Keith asked. Matt started laughing, when Keith glared at him he turned it into a fake cough.

“Dude, he was like.... crazy jealous of you two last night.” Pidge explained.

“What?” Keith asked, not wanting to let on that he had heard her say as much earlier. He still had a hard time accepting that though. The only thing Lance had mentioned about Matt was asking if they were sleeping together. 

“Yeah man, and he seemed really offended when we thought you guys were sleeping together.” Matt agreed with his sister.

“Because it’s rude to believe people are sleeping together just because we’re friends! He was just really tired, he had a long day.” Keith was defending Lance, mostly because he was on Lance’s side. It was weird that everyone assumed things about them.

“Whatever man, you guys have a weird friendship.” Pidge told him. She had since then sat down next to Matt on the couch.

“How is it weird?!” Keith almost shouted. As he said that Kosmo ran into his room and jumped on his bed. Lance knocked on his door.

“Keith, sorry I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Lance told him. He noticed that Keith was on the phone with someone. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?” He asked.

“It’s just Pidge and Matt.” Keith explained to him. Kosmo curled up next to him in his bed.

“Wait is that Lance?!” Pidge asked. Keith rolled his eyes. Matt and Pidge started laughing.

“I’m gonna go....” Lance said kind of awkwardly. He looked better than before. He needed that nap.

“You don’t have to.” Keith muted himself and set his phone down. “I could order some food. Greasy food is supposed to be good for hangovers.” He stood up from his bed. Matt and Pidge continued talking to each other while they waited. Lance looked at his phone, then to Kosmo.

“Okay, yeah. That’d be nice.” Keith nodded and told Matt and Pidge he has to go.

“Okay, see you later man!” They both said. Matt made some crude gestures at him and Keith rolled his eyes and hung up. Lance and him grabbed MacDonalds. It wasn’t great food but neither of them cared that much. It was eight on a Tuesday, they didn’t really care much about anything right now.

“Tell me about your friends.” Lance told him. They were eating their dinners on Keith’s couch while watching Lance’s old musical show. Lance was embarrassed about it, but Keith knew it would make him feel better. Keith actually liked it more than he thought he would upon rewatch. 

“My friends?”

“Yeah, like besides us from the show.” Lance clarified.

“Um okay. I don’t have many close friends though, so this’ll go by kind of fast.” Lance shrugged. “Okay, obviously Shiro. He’s like my brother. Adam and I are friends, we usually only see each other if Shiro’s there but we’re still friends. Matt, I’ve been friends with him for ten years. He’s probably my closest friend now that I’m not friends with James anymore. James, I guess. He’s an old costar of mine. He was in like two seasons of my old show. We were friends for a long time and moved in together. Um, I’d say Axca and I are friends, our choreographer.” Keith listed out people.

“I know who your friends are, I meant like... tell me about them. How you met them, why you’re friends, what’s your zodiac compatibility...” Keith chuckled at him.

“What’s with the sudden interest?” Lance shrugged.

“I spend like everyday with you. I want to actually know you.” Keith almost smiled, maybe they were actually starting to get along. 

“Okay, Shiro’s family basically raised me when I was about ten. They took me in and really helped me out. He’s my best friend for sure, and I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am if not for him.” Lance lied down on the couch and leaned against a pillow, so he could see Keith better. “I met Adam and Matt through Shiro. Matt and I have really similar humor, and we’ve known each other for so long that we’re just completely comfortable with each other now. Adam is like... another dad. I love him, but he is such a dad friend.” Keith chuckled remembering when Adam had lectured him on drinking when he blacked out a couple years ago. “Axca is just super cool. We met on set and just get along really well.” He already kind of explained James, and didn’t really want to talk about him anymore.

“You forgot the zodiac!” Lance pushed his arm with his foot. He was wearing socks luckily. Keith rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know their signs! I know I’m a, oh what’s it called. A Scorpio.” Lance scrunched up his nose. Keith laughed and pushed his foot. “Oh shut up!”

“I haven’t said anything, but Scorpios.... yikes.” Lance smiled.

“Ok, what sign are you then?”

“A leo, the best sign!”

“Pfft okay. I think Shiro is a Pisces, whatever that means.” Lance scoffed at him.

“You’re both water signs? That’s a lot for one household.”

“Whatever. What about your friends?” Lance’s smile faded a little.

“I uh, also don’t have many friends. Actually.” Keith was super surprised by this. Lance made friends with everyone he met. “Well, okay. I’m friends with everyone I meet, but I don’t talk to many people outside of the place where I met them. Like I don’t talk to any of the crew off set.” Keith nodded. That was how it was for most actors. “Obviously you guys on set. I have four siblings, they’re all my friends. I’m still friends with Nadia, she was on this show with me.” He pointed at the screen. When a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and light brown skin came on screen Lance pointed at her. “That’s Nadia. She’s great.” Nadia started singing, she’s fantastic. “I’d say I’m friends with my agent Slav. And my ex Nyma and I aren’t super close but I we talk now and then. Oh! And Nyma’s new boyfriend Rolo and I. We’re buddies. Kind of.” They talked about Lance’s friends for a while. Lance lit up when Keith decided to look up everyone on cast’s comparability.

“What was it like, in Cuba?” Keith asked him when his computer was loading.

“Beautiful. It’s warm and rainy and gorgeous. It’s a lot greener than California.” Keith looks at him. He had this far away look on his face.

“What about where you grew up? Where did you grow up?” Keith moved his stare before Lance saw him.

“Uh I was born in Texas but moved to California when I was pretty young.” Lance broke into a huge smile.

“You’re from Texas?!” He asks.

“Yeah?”

“Oh my god, did you ever wear like, a little cowboy costume?!?” Keith now regretted telling Lance anything.

“I only lived there for like two years!”

“That’s the perfect time to wear a little cowboy costume!”

“I don’t think I ever wore one.”

“You’re breaking my heart Keith,” Lance put his hand on his chest. “My family loved dressing me up when I was younger. I think the best costume I ever wore was a little Frankenstein monster.” Lance was staring at the ceiling. Keith leaned back.

“Your family seems really cool from what you’ve told me.” Lance smiled just thinking about them.

“They’re the coolest. Y’know I was scared I’d get kicked out since they’re Christian but they never stopped loving me.” Keith looked at his hands. Lance took a moment before he remembered that Keith was raised by Shiro’s family. The thought that Keith might’ve been kicked out never occurred to him. He quickly tried to back peddle. “Well I just meant that I’m lucky in that way, there’s nothing wrong with being kicked out, that’s not the kids fault it’s the parents. And honestly I don’t-“ Keith put his hands out to calm him. 

“I wasn’t kicked out. Calm down.” Lance let out a breath.

“Sorry, I Just freaked out that I might’ve offended you.” Keith shook his head.

“Nope, I moved in with Shiro because my dad died when I was nine and my mom left me a year later.” Keith picked up his computer and put it in his lap. This way he had a bit of a wall between him and the world. He was fine telling people that it happened. He’s told plenty of people. But he knew Lance would be all nice and understanding and Keith didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“I’m sorry that happened.” Was all Lance said. Keith shrugged, trying to remain casual.

“My mom and I still talk sometimes. Not often though.”

“I understand,” Lance said. Keith looked at him confused.

“I mean, not about your mom. I see my mom all the time. I meant about your dad.” Lance had sat up for this. Keith realized what he was talking about. His eyebrows furrowed in empathy. “My dad passed a few years ago.” Lance told him. Keith’s heart broke when he looked at Lance. He wasn’t crying, but he looked so distraught. And that was so recent, Keith assumed he meant that his dad also died when he was a kid.

“I’m sorry for you loss.” Keith said to him. Lance looked at him and smiled sadly.

“Yeah, me too.” They sat and watched the show in silence for a few minutes. Not awkward silence though, but like there was a sort of understanding between them. “Okay, let’s see everyone’s sun sign.” Lance said after a few minutes. He scooted so he was seated right next to Keith, both looking at his computer. “Okay, Shiro is a pieces, you’re a Scorpio, I’m a Leo, Hunk is a Capricorn, Pidge is an Aries, and Allura is a Libra.” Lance listed off.

“I don’t know what most of that meant.”

“Have you found a comparability chart yet?” Lance asks him.

“I’ve found several, they’re all slightly different.”

“Wait! I had a great idea!”

“What?” Keith asked him.

“I’m gonna livestream this!”

“Hah, okay. If you want to.” Keith shrugged. He didn’t really care that much. He looked fine and the background wasn’t messy so why not.

“Hey everyone! Wow, there’s already so many people here! That’s amazing. Hah. Anyway, I’m at Keith Kogane’s house and we’re looking up the zodiac compatibility for everyone on the cast!” Lance turned his phone so the camera was including him and Keith in the picture. There were tons of hearts and comments already. Keith couldn’t even read all the comments.

“Wait Lance, do you not know how to pronounce my name?” Keith asks him.

“What? Is it not Kogane?”

“You’re pronouncing it like (Co-gain) it’s (Ko-guh-neh).” Keith explained to him. Lance’s jaw dropped.

“I’ve been pronouncing your name wrong for like three months! Keith! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“I’ve never heard you say it out loud!”

“That’s so embarrassing.”

“I don’t know how you didn’t know it? We’ve done tons of interviews where I introduce myself!”

“I don’t know! I’m always so nervous at interviews I guess I just didn’t notice.”

“You’re an idiot Lance.” Keith rolled his eyes. The comments were blowing up. Most of them about how Lance didn’t know Keith’s last name.

“Keith they’re bullying me now,” Lance complained to Keith in reference to the comments.

“Good.” Lance hit Keith’s arm. “Okay I found one.” Lance moves the phone to lean against one of their pops. The screen could see Lance and Keith sitting close together on a couch, Keith had a laptop in his lap. “Okay so we’ll do Pidge first. She’s an Aries so...” Keith moved his finger across the chart on the screen. “So she has a little heart by Leo, that’s you Lance. A heart with Libra for Allura, ooh. Pidge and I have an X. Aries and Scorpios not good together I guess.”

“You’re both competitive signs.” Lance explained.

“And with Hunk she has an X as well. Well her and Hunk get along great so I don’t know about this.” Keith told the camera.

“Give me that,” Lance took Keith’s computer and moved it to his lap. “I’m gonna find a better chart. One second. Keith respond to some comments or something.” Keith leaned in to look at some comments.

Omg Lance is so cute

Anyone else wondering why Lance is at Keith’s house at 9 on a Tuesday???

Good question ^^^

Keith!!! Notice me!! 

You guys are so weird, in the best way 

I’m so excited for their show 

”Okay well...” Keith starts talking. “There’s a lot of comments wow. Um someone said that they are excited for the show. We are too! We’re almost done filming, then it’ll be out a month or two later. Some one else said that Lance is cute,” he leaned back and looked at Lance. “They think you’re cute.”

Lance smiled and said “You guys are too kind. Okay I found a chart I like better.” Lance said.

“There’s so many colors on this thing, Lance.” Keith said after looking at it.

“Yeah! Each color says something different!” 

“Okay, read away.” Keith told him. 

“So Pidge and I are at a 97%, and apparently we have great chemistry and are harmonious together.” Keith scoffed.

“You guys are menace together is what you are.” Lance hit his arm and continued. 

“Allura and Pidge have a 85% and are naturally good partners. That’s cute. Her and Keith have a 50%, and have a mutual understanding.” Keith nodded. 

“I can see that.” He said. 

“Pidge and Hunk have a 47% and are highly volatile but have good work combination.”

“How does that even work? They’re bad together but also not?”

Lance shrugged and said “They have a good working relationship but aren’t good together. That’s not true at all, they’re great friends. And lastly Shiro and Pidge have a 67%.”

“You’re next right?” Keith asked and Lance nodded. 

“Okay Allura and I have a 97% and we’re harmonious together!” Lance smiled. 

“That seems right,” Keith said.

“Ooh yikes. Keith, you and I have a 58%, but it says we have a mutual understanding of each other.”

“I suppose so...” Keith said with a small grimace. 

“Looks like we’ll never be together, oh what a tragedy!” Lance puts a limp hand to his forehead, he’s playing distressed. Keith rolled his eyes at his dramatics. Keith was about to say something but remembered that they were live and closed his mouth. “Hunk and I are...” Lance gasped dramatically. “35%!! Highly volatile and have nothing in common. Okay this thing is broken. Shiro and I... 38%, yikes. Low commitment and nothing in common.”

“See? My chart was better than this.” Keith said and Lance brushed him off.

“Allura next! Allura and Keith have 35% and have nothing in common and are highly volatile. Allura and Hunk have a 55% and great sexual chemistry but are highly volatile.” Both of them start laughing. Neither of them being true. “Hah, okay, moving on. Allura and Shiro got an 88%, they work well together and have a mutual understanding of each other. Keith it’s your turn! You and Hunk have a 95%! You’re harmonious and work well together. You and Shiro got 97%, you are harmonious and have high sexual chemistry.... ew.” 

Keith looked at the camera and added “For those of you who don’t know, Shiro and I are like brothers... so yeah. Ew.” They both made wide eyes of disgust at the camera. 

“And last but not least! Hunk and Shiro have a 88%, they’re harmonious, they work well together, and have sexual chemistry.” Keith and Lance looked at each other.
"Okay next time we’ll find something more accurate.” Lance said before closing Keith’s computer. “Let’s look at some comments!” Lance picked up his phone and brought it close to Keith and Lance’s faces. 

Next time?!?!??

Excuse me please explain next time??? 

Anyone else sensing some chemistry?

Keith’s house is so calm and peaceful 

Where’s Kosmo!!

I agree^^ I wanna see her!!

That chart was way off

Was there anyone else who didn’t know that Shiro and Keith were like brothers?!

Still hung up that Lance didn’t know how to pronounce Keith’s last name

^I’m still hung up that Lance is at Keith’s house this late but none of the other cast members are...

Are the cast members friends?

Lance!! I’m your biggest fan!! I love you!! 

Are we all ignoring how close they’re sitting? 

Calm down, they’re just friends smh

 Lance looked through a bunch of comments. There were so many  

“Kosmo is sleeping right now, I don’t wanna wake her sorry.” Keith said, responding to a comment  

“Someone asked if the cast members are friends, yes we are!” Lance responded.

“We all hang out from time to time, we’re all good friends,” Keith continued. He and Lance were becoming friends so it wasn't exactly a lie. 

“Also thank you! To Lafayette!_gunsandships!! She said she was my biggest fan, that’s so sweet. I’m your biggest fan! Love all you guys.” Lance responded to a comment. They talked to the fans a little longer, they noticed that Pidge joined the live stream. They weren't sure how long she'd been on there. 

“Pidge? That you?” Lance asked 

Yep 

“You joined late! We looked up everyone’s zodiac comparability!” Lance whined to her.

”Eh, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t very accurate anyway.” Keith told her. 

Lance ended the live stream about fifteen minutes later. They cleaned up all the mess from their fast food dinner.

”Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow Keith!” Lance said to him. He gave Kosmo a much sweeter and longer goodbye. 

“Yeah, see ya. Make sure to set your alarm for six thirty again! Today was a one time only thing.” Keith told him as he walked him to the door. 

Lance turned to him before he left. He looked at the ground. “Thanks, by the way.” Keith tilted his head.

”For what?” Lance scoffed. 

“For everything! You took care of me, and looked out for me. And cheered me up. I was having the worst night and then the worst day and you helped me change that.” Lance explained to him, ending a little breathlessly. Keith raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t realized that he had affected Lance that much.

”Oh uh. Yeah of course man. It was no problem.” Keith told him.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Lance said awkwardly before exiting. Keith smiled and watched Lance walk away. 

He felt good knowing he was able to help him. But honestly he wasn’t even thinking about what he did. He just did what he wanted to do. He knew Lance would be tired and hungover so he bought him breakfast and let him sleep in. He knew he was nervous about talking to his friends so Keith went with him. Then he knew he was sad so he indulged Lance by buying him dinner and doing a live stream with him.  

Keith had fun. He liked hanging out with Lance. And he thinks he’s learned more about him recently. He was glad to know that their fans liked them so much. It warmed his heart that people cared so much. Sometimes Keith felt like people didn’t care about him. He didn’t feel that way today. 

Chapter Text

“I’m literally gonna cry,” Lance told Keith when they got out of Keith’s car in the studio parking lot.

“Don’t cry, please.” Keith told him, sounding almost annoyed. It was the last day of filming and Lance was feeling all sorts of things.

“Keith, don’t be like that!” He whined against Keith’s shoulder. They walked together inside the building, Lance made sure to pay close attention to every detail of the place as he entered. He loved working on this show and the thought that he wouldn’t be for a couple months made his chest ache.

“Allura! You’re as sad as I am right?! Keith’s an emotionless robot!” Lance ran up to Allura, she had just sat down to do her makeup. She turned in her chair to see the boys. She smiled sympathetically and stood to hug Lance.

“Of course Lance! I’m going to miss you all so much!” She said while they rock back and forth in their hug.

“I’m not emotionless...” Keith grumbled from beside them. Allura let go of Lance and hugged Keith.

“Oh Keith, I’m going to miss you!” Keith let out a small affectionate laugh and hugged her back.

They all start on their make up, but Lance is talking the entire time. To his crew, to Keith’s crew, to other cast members, but most of all to Keith.

“Mariam, Freida, Collins, you guys are amazing! I’ll miss you all and your amazing skills and talents!” He told them as they finish up on his hair and makeup.
Keith stood up from his chair at the same time, he politely thanked his crew with a kind smile and Lance grabbed his arm.

They'd been a lot physically closer in the three weeks since the whole carpool incident. Keith didn't mind, he almost liked it, honestly. 

“Time to go change into our costumes for the last time!” He said while dragging Keith to the costume rack.

“We have at least two more seasons genius,” Keith grumbled while pulling his arm out of Lance’s grip.

“Yeah but who knows when that will start up again!” They get changed and by the time they’re out the rest of the main cast is there.

“Hunk! Pidge!” Lance said as he exited the dressing room. Keith walked over to Shiro and they start talking about something Lance can’t hear.

“Guys guys guys, it’s our last day!” He hugged both of them, quite awkwardly since their height difference is significant, to say the least.

“Yeah but we’ll be back soon,” Pidge assured him as she started gathering her costume.

“I’m right there with you Lance, I’m gonna miss you guys so much!” Hunk and Lance hug again.

”You’re the only one who understands me Hunk.” He said into Hunk’s shoulder. They had three scenes to film today, then they’d have a wrap party later that night. Of course the editing process would take a while so the show won’t air for a while. 

“Stop being drama queens, we have to get on set.” Pidge said to the two men still hugging. They separated and all walked to set together. 

The first scene they were shooting that day was set in a broken down gas station. The scene was all of the main cast meeting up again after their last fight where several of them were separated and hurt. Lance’s character Robin had broken his leg and needed Alexander to help him walk. 

When the scene started, Alexander was helping Robin into the gas station and they were the first to arrive. They both had several bruises and were covered in blood and dirt. They were involved in a horrid fight with an army of various monsters. 

Alexander sat Robin down on the floor against the old counter. 
“We were all supposed to meet here as soon as possible, how are we the first ones back?” Alexander asked Robin as he searched for any medical supplies. 

“I hope they’re okay,” Robin croaked out. Lance tried his best to make his voice sound horse and depleted. 

“They will be,” Alexander whispered to himself. He found a roll of toilet paper and some very old alcohol. He started cleaning Robin’s wounds. 

“Robin? Alexander? Thank the lord you’re okay.” Amber said as she walked into the store. She hugged Alexander immediately and sat down next to Robin on the ground. “What happened with you guys?” She asked. 

“Huge group of monsters, there were vamps and ghouls, it’s like they were being controlled or something. We barely got away.” Alexander explained while wrapping one of the worse cuts that Robin had. 

“What about you?” Robin asked Amber. She looked away, she had a pretty bad cut streaking across her cheek and her clothes were battered. She looked like she had been thrown down a cliff. 

“I was with Gemma, we were almost out when we got cornered by a were wolf. We fought it off for so long, but it got the better of me and threw me against a wall. I don’t know how long I was out, but Gemma was gone when I woke up.” She looked out the window, deeply troubled. Lance couldn’t help but appreciate how good of an actor Allura was. He knew that already, but every scene he had with her he appreciated it more. 

“I searched the place before I left and couldn’t find her. The wolf was gone too.” She sniffled, and rubbed her hand across her face, which only spread the blood around. She looked at her blood covered hands like she forgot about her cuts. 

“I’m sure she’s fine. Gemma can handle herself.” Alexander told her before cleaning her cuts. He didn’t sound too certain though. Both Robin and Amber could tell that he was saying that for Amber’s benefit. 

“Hello? Guys!” Theo yelled into the store. He rushed over to them when he spotted them. His whole face looked bruised and cut up but no dripping blood. He had a wrap around his arm, like he had stopped somewhere before here to patch himself up. “Guys, I was in the control panel and I saw everything! There are cameras everywhere in that place.” He told them and sat down on the other side of Robin. 

“So you saw Gemma and I with the wolf?” Amber asked him, he nodded. “Did you see where it took her?” She asked again. 

“Yeah, it was taking it to some trap door that leads to a basement. I was on my way to get her when I ran into Grey. He told me he just barley avoided getting squashed by some giant creature he didn’t recognize. I told him about Gemma and you, he said he’d get Gemma and that I should find you and get here as soon as possible. It took me a while to find where you were without the map, but when I did you weren’t there. I figured you came here so I followed, after bandaging myself up.” 

Theo took out some more first aid supplies from his cargo pants. It was just gauze and stuff for stitches, but it would come in handy for Amber’s cut on the face.
The characters talked for a bit longer while Theo and Alexander made sure everyone’s injuries were taken care of. Theo helped Alexander once they were done, though Alexander tried to turn him down several times. 

They watched the sun set as they waited for their friends, the scene ended with them watching the lowering light. 

They only ran the scene twice, both times were good, they just wanted different angles. The next scene they shot was directly afterwards, but the tech people had a couple things to set up so they just waited on set in their spots until they start up again. 

“You guys are going to the wrap party right?” Lance asked them while they were waiting. 

“Yeah of course! I’m super excited!” Hunk responded cheerfully. 

“Yeah I’m going, as long as I don’t have to be designated chaperone.” Keith said and stood up to stretch a bit. Lance noticed how his shirt would ride up just a bit when he stretched and he could see his stomach. 

“Nah, I’ll do that this time. I’m not gonna drink for a while I think.” Lance said while anxiously rubbing his arm. He was still embarrassed from last time. No one had ever brought it up but he still felt bad. 

“What about you Allura?” Hunk asked her. She smiled and looked away, but Lance could still see the blush on her face.

”Oooh, what’s with the blush?” She tucked a braid behind her ear and chuckled. 

“Well, I may have invited someone to come along.” She admitted to the boys.

”Oh my god Allura! Tell us everything!” Lance screeched and grabbed her shoulder.

“It’s Lotor isn’t it?” Keith asked, smirking from in front of them. She shyly nodded. 

“We’ve gone on a couple of dates and when Shiro said I could bring a date to the party I asked and he said yes!” She was now full on smiling. Her smile could literally light up an entire room. 

“That’s great Allura! He seems cool!” Hunk said and high fived her. Keith nodded and smiled at her. Her and Lance talked on about it for a couple more minutes before the next scene started. 

Pidge and Shiro were waiting on the other side of the store door, just waiting for their cue to enter. 

That scene didn’t take long, three takes isn’t bad. The scene consisted of Grey and Gemma getting back in worse shape than the rest of them, they told the group what happened and then they plotted out a plan. 

The last scene they filmed was the last scene of the season, they filmed the big fight scene and any scene with extras or guest stars before hand. 

The last scene was after the spelled they cast to stop the mind control on the monsters had just finished and they had already defeated the wizard and all the monsters. All they had to do in this scene was settle down together in the bunker and talk about what they’re gonna do next. 

Lance loved this scene, it seemed so cozy. He was seated right next to Keith, Robin and Alexander had become friends pretty quickly through out the season. They went over some future plans, and it left off with a bit of a cliffhanger. 

“Cut!” Adam said after their fifth take of the scene. “Okay I think we got it! That’s a wrap on season one of Hollowed Out! I’ll see you all at the wrap party!” Everyone cheered and Lance hugged Hunk again. 

He took his time getting out of costume and makeup. He made sure to thank every crew member he could find, and of course his lovely costars. 

Pidge made all of them do a quick goodbye to the video diary, it was sweet and made Lance even more sad about leaving everyone. 

Keith and him drove back to their neighborhood. Lance was driving and he was making Keith listen to his hype up playlist. Keith didn’t complain about it today though, like he usually does, he just looks out the window with a content look on his face. 

“So I’ll meet you back at your place in like thirty? I just gotta change real quick.” Lance told Keith once they pulled into the parking garage of his apartment complex. Keith gave him a thumbs up and drove off. 

Lance changed into more party like clothes, ripped jeans with a light blue and yellow crop top with an open button up thrown over it. It wasn’t going to be covered by the press, so he wasn’t going to wear anything fancy. It was pretty much just friends there. He was determined to have a good time tonight, sans alcohol. 

He knocked on Keith’s door, Keith stepped out soon after. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a band t shirt. The same thing he was wearing that morning, except he was wearing a long sleeve white shirt underneath his t shirt, so all you could see was the sleeves. 

The party was at a hotel not far from the studio, and it was in a special lobby reserved for Hollywood parties. Keith and him got out their IDs to show the body guard that was waiting outside the party doors. He said they didn’t need them cause he recognized them. They both smiled politely and walked into the party. 

It was already full of people. They were a little late, granted, but there were still a lot of people there for how early it was. The lighting was slowly changing from purple to red to blue then back again. They were playing music but it wasn’t easy to hear over all the chatter. There was a bar in the further right corner, and a mini stage along the left wall. Lance recognized pretty much everyone there. The writers, camera runners, the makeup teams, costume designers, PAs, guest stars, reoccurring characters, lighting crew, sound crew. Everyone was there.

Lance went to start talking with whoever, and Keith left him to talk to Axca and other fight choreographers. 

Lance was currently talking to Shay, who played a reoccurring character Azaria. Both her and the character were super cool. Shay was an absolute sweetheart and Lance was almost certain that she liked Hunk. He couldn’t tell how he was feeling about it though, so when he saw Hunk he called him over. 

“Hunk! Over here buddy!” He called, Shay turned and smiled when she saw him walking over. 

“Hey Lance, Shay! How’s it going?” He asked when he got there. He was wearing a regular shirt with a vest and cargo pants. He told Lance that wearing them so often on the show had made him like them. 

“We were just talking about how we think the fans will react to the show.” Lance explained to his buddy. 

“Oh yeah? I think a lot of people will like it, or at least, I hope so.” He said nervously. Shay smiled at him and looked away when he looked at her. 

“Yeah I was just saying that a lot of people will easily identify with the characters.” She told Hunk, he smiled and they started talking more. Lance slowly started walking away and smiled when they didn’t even notice him leaving. 

“Shiro! Adam! Hey guys!” Lance said when he saw them at the bar. He walked over to them, figuring they would be talking to people all night and he wanted to get a few words in before everyone swarmed. 

“Hey Lance! Great job man, you’re the perfect Robin.” Adam said, clapping Lance on the back. Lance split into a grin, every time he talked to Adam he got excited, but even more so when he complimented him. He’s always looked up to him, and here he was complimenting him. 

“Thank you! And you’re the best director I’ve worked with! Don’t tell the others...” He told Adam. He gave Shiro a brief hug and they shared some compliments before more and more people came over to talk to the power couple. 

Lance waited at the bar as the bar tender got him a Shirley Temple. He looked into the crowd and smiled. He loved working with these people and was glad he would again in the future. 

He spotted Allura walking over to him, and he smiled as soon as he saw her and Lotor hooking arms. Allura was wearing a short floral dress and Lotor had on a button up tucked into dress pants. With his golden completion and white hair tied back, and her dark brown skin and black hair, they were by far the best looking people in the room. 

“Allura! You look stunning as always. And Lotor, it’s great to see you again.” He shook hands with Lotor and hugged Allura. 

“You as well, I’m excited for the premiere of your show!” He said to Lance politely. 

“Yeah me too! I wish it could air on tv instead of Netflix though, it’s more dramatic that way.” He explained to the two. The show was owned by Netflix, and not a channel so all the episodes would be on Netflix at the same time. Great for bingeing, not great for dramatic cliff hangers between episodes. There weren’t that many though so not a huge deal. 

“What are you going to be doing between now and then? Besides several interviews of course.” Lotor asked him. Allura ordered her and Lotor something from the bar. 

“Well next week I’m going to visit my family back in Cuba, but I’ll be back for when the show gets released. Then I think they have us filming again about a month or two after the first season is released. So I guess I’ll just be chilling.” Lotor nodded along with a gentle smile on his face. Allura came back with drinks for both of them, he thanked her with an adorable smile. 

“What about you Allura?” Lance asks his friend. 

“Oh well, I’ve actually been asked to model in Switzerland for a month or two. It’s a short gig for some make up brand I hadn’t heard of before. It should be fun though!” She told him. Lance’s chest ached, he was happy for her, really. But he wouldn’t get to see her for so long. He had gotten so close to her and the others so fast that it seemed foreign to not see them every day. 

“That’s great Allura! I’m going to miss you so much!” Allura rubbed his arm gently. 

“I hope we‘ll all be back in town so we can watch the show together though!” 

“That’d be really cool, we could have another sleepover or something.” Lance thought of their first sleepover. It was so fun, he had gotten to know them all so well. That's when he and Keith had finally gotten close, even if it was momentary.  

“Oh there’s Pidge! I’ve been looking for her!” Allura said looking over Lotor’s shoulder. Lance looked where she was an saw Pidge and her brother Matt. Lance knew he was staying with Pidge for a couple months, but he didn’t realize that he’d be coming tonight. He hadn’t talked to him since last time. He’d been in the same room and conversations, but he’s never had an actual conversation with the guy. Lance just had a bad feeling about him. Something in his stomach hurt whenever he thought of him. 

That feeling in his stomach only worsened when he saw Keith walk over to the siblings, and he hugged both of them. His grip on his drink tightened, he set it down on the bar so he wouldn’t drop it, or break it. 

“We should go say hi!” Allura said to them. Lance watched at Lotor and her started walking. He sighed, grabbed his drink again and joined them. 

“Hey Allura, Lance. Oh, hi Lotor, good to see you.” Pidge said when they joined them across the room. Keith nodded at them in his attempt to say hello. 

“I don’t think we’ve met, I’m-" Matt started, holding his hand out to Lotor. 

“Matthew Holt, I saw you on tour.” Lotor interrupted him and took his hand. Matt smiled and Lotor introduced himself. Lance subconsciously moved closer to Keith. He didn’t even realize until his arm brushed his friend’s. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Keith asked him quietly, the rest of the group keeps talking about whatever. Lance leaned into him to respond. 

“Pretty good, you?” Keith nodded, and looked at Lance’s drink. “Thought you weren’t drinking tonight?” 

“It’s a Shirley Temple, no alcohol. Don’t worry.” Lance told him, Keith was such a worrier, he was gonna get worry lines along his face soon. 

The next hour and a half was spent talking to other crew and cast members. Then Coran and Adam both gave speeches, along with the writers. After everyone who wanted to speak had, they turned up the music and people started dancing. 

That’s how Lance spent the rest of the party. He’d dance with one group of friends, then another, then another. It could be better described as dancing along with those friends. The only people he danced with was Hunk, Allura, and occasionally Pidge. He tried to avoid Matt as much as possible, which sometimes meant avoiding Keith, which sucked. 

He was dancing with Hunk when he saw Matt grab Keith’s hand and he dragged him to the dance floor. Keith had been leaning against the bar looking at something and then Matt walked over and they talked. Then Matt dragged a reluctant but smiling Keith to the dance floor. Lance watched the whole interaction but he couldn’t hear them or read their lips. 

He watched them dance, it was different tonight. They were still dancing like a couple, like waltzing and dipping and touching wherever. But it wasn’t really sexual, there wasn’t any grinding or thrusting. Lance greatly appreciated not having to watch that mess again. It still bothered him though. 

Hunk noticed how distracted Lance was, they were just swaying along with each other while Hunk sang along with the song. He looked at Lance, then to Keith and Matt behind him, then back to Lance. 

“Dude?” He said, Lance snapped his attention back towards his friend. 

“Yeah?” Lance asked. 

“You’re watching them dance again?” 

“Yeah, they aren’t being as gross tonight, thankfully.” Lance tried not to look back at them, but he did. Several times. 

“You know, you could dance with Keith...” Hunk suggested while Lance was distracted. 

“What? I’ve danced with Keith?” Lance says confused. He’d danced with Keith and Allura and Lotor just an hour ago. 

“I mean like, I don’t know. You and him have danced next to each other, but you haven’t danced with him with him. Y’know?” Lance looked at Hunk’s face to see if he was joking. Lance knew what he was saying, he just didn’t want to acknowledge that. 

Lance went to the bar to grab a water. When he turned back to where he and Hunk were dancing, Hunk was gone. He looked around the room for him. He finally saw him with Keith and Matt. Hunk locked eyes with him and waved him over. Matt and Keith had seen him so now he had to. He sighed and walked over. 

“Party’s almost over isn’t it?” Lance asked, looking at his phone for the time. It was 11:30, they had to be out of their by 12. Lance knew that some people were going to a club after wards to continue partying but he and Keith agreed to just go back instead. 

“Yeah I guess it is,” Hunk said. “Hey Matt, you were an engineer for a while right?” Hunk asked out if the blue. 

“Uhm, I went to school for it yeah. I help around at some labs on occasion but not often, why?” Matt responded. 

“I just have a couple questions, here, why don’t we grab a drink?” Hunk asked and Matt nodded and they walk away to the bar. Leaving Keith and Lance alone. 

“Didn’t know Hunk was interested in engineering,” Keith said awkwardly. The song changed to a slow one. They always play a slow song as the second to last. Lance internally cursed Hunk. 

“Wanna dance?” Lance asked Keith, he smiled wide with his eyebrows wiggling. The only way this wouldn’t be awkward is if they just joked their way through it. So that’s what Lance was gonna do. He held out his hand for Keith. 

Keith rolled his eyes, but took his hand and smiled. Lance put his right hand on Keith’s hip and Keith put his right hand on Lance’s shoulder. They held their left hands together. Lance started moving them along, making sure to make his movements big and silly. Got to keep things friendly and funny, he kept reminding himself. Not that he would ever want anything else. 

At one point his spun Keith and Keith was so surprised that he punched Lance’s shoulder when they were done. Then Keith spun Lance faster, they were laughing the entire time. 

“This reminds me of first read. Do you remember? That game Coran made us play?” Lance asked him. 

“Heh, yeah you were so weird.” Keith replied, Lance got his face closer and started moving his leg around Keith’s like he did that day. It’s imitating a tango he learned for his show, and it always made Keith’s face bright red. 

The song ended soon after and they stopped touching, Lance felt like he had just chugged two coffees. He was full of adrenaline and his chest was lighter than before. He almost felt drunk, but he was certain he wasn’t. He was probably just tired. 

Keith and Lance left after the last song, and after Keith shared another round of shots with the other cast members. They avoided any paparazzi outside the hotel by leaving through the pool exit. 

“So, Keith Kogane, what is next for you?” Lance imitated a reporter, putting up a fake mic to Keith’s mouth. They had just sat down in the car, Lance was driving of course. 

“Well, next I’m going to sleep for two full months.” Keith said as he laughed. Lance smiled at him playing along.

”Big plans then?” 

“Oh absolutely, very excited about them.” 

Keith was smiling and Lance’s stomach hurt. It felt weird though, like he was anxious. But unlike when they were at the club, or when Keith was dancing, his stomach didn’t hurt like he was going to throw up. Lance couldn’t help but smile when he saw how happy Keith was. 

“Look at you,” Keith said after a moment of them just staring at each other. “Pronouncing my name right and everything.” Lance rolled his eyes and laughed, then put his face in his hands. Keith kept laughing, Lance was sure Keith was past tipsy at this point. He’s never this giggly when sober. 

“We should do a live video, it’s been a couple weeks.” Keith suggested. Lance took his hands away from his face to look at Keith. Keith had the look on his face, the one that lights up a room. It’s such a rare face for Keith. His smile is showing his teeth, and his eyes are just slightly wrinkled. Lance could never say no to Keith when he looked so excited about something, it was such a rare look from him. Especially around Lance. 

“Okay fine, but quickly. We should both be getting home.” Lance fished his phone out. He went live and tons of people flooded in. He smiled and waved to his screen. Keith does as well. “Hello everyone! We just got done with the wrap party for season one and just wanted to come on here and say a quick hello.” Lance told the live stream. Keith scooted closer in his seat to Lance. 

“Hey guys! It’s late here, if you live in the same time zone as us, you should be asleep right now!” Keith chastised the followers. 

Oh my god the season is done already?!? 

Does that mean it will be up soon? 

You guys look so nice! 

Are y’all driving in the same car??? 

Where’s my boy Hunk?!

It’s like 2 am where I am 

You guys are doing a live at midnight?? 

Favorite crackheads 🥰

Anyone gonna talk about about how they’re in the same car probably going to the same place at 12am?? 

What are you guys doing between now and the next season’s filming? 

Lance read through some of the comments, deciding which ones to answer. There were tons still coming in, he didn’t have time to read them all. 

“I think the season should be up on Netflix in about two and a half months.” Lance responded, Keith leaned against his shoulder so he could read some comments. 

“It’s my car, just for the record.” Keith mumbled, Lance put his hand in his face and pushed him away. He’s probably too tipsy to watch what he’s saying. 

“If it’s two am you should probably go to sleep, sleep is very important!” Lance said to one of the comments. 

“Between now and the next season filming I’m going back home for a while, what about you Keith?” 

“I am helping Shiro out with making the merchandise for the show! It should be fun. But besides that? I’m just chilling with Kosmo.” Keith responded to the question and Lance noticed how he slurred his words a bit. Keith said a couple more things to the fans, and Lance chimed in every now and then. But for the most part Lance just watched Keith ramble about Kosmo. Usually Lance would join in, he’s always one to sing Kosmo’s praises, but he was tired, and enjoying how Keith talked so adoringly. 

“Keith,” Lance said quietly, gently holding onto Keith’s elbow to get his attention. Keith looked at Lance expectantly. “We should get going, it’s late.” Lance said, Keith looked at the time. They’ve been on the live for almost thirty minutes. 

“Oh right, okay well we should get going now! It was great to talk to you! And hopefully we can answer more questions in the future! Bye guys!” Keith said to the camera. 

“Yeah everyone have a good night!” Lance ended the live and started driving back to Keith’s. 

“Lance it’s really dark out,” Keith noted as Lance walked him inside. Lance looked around, the only light comes from street lamps, but that’s normal for almost one am. 

“Yeah I guess it is,” Lance agreed. Keith isn’t super drunk, but Lance still walked him to his bed, just in case he needs anything. 

“So you shouldn’t walk home in the dark!” Keith protested, taking off his t shirt to show his long sleeve shirt underneath. Lance stood in the doorway of Keith’s room. Keith is kind of adorable when he’s drunk, well- drunk and not grinding on Matt. That’s not cute. 

“Keith it’s fine, I’ll just use your car and you can pick it up tomorrow when it’s light.” Lance explained to him tiredly. 

“But you shouldn’t be driving in the dark either!” Keith objected loudly, probably unaware of his volume. He started to take his socks and shoes off. 

“Keith, I drove all the way here in the dark.” Lance pointed out. Keith looked at him surprised, like he didn’t notice how dark it was until he exited the car. He finished taking his socks and shoes off. Lance thought he was going to keep stripping and was thankful when he doesn’t. He isn’t sure what he’d do. 

“But the parking garage to your apartment is far and you’re famous and people are creepy!” Keith whined and walked closer to Lance. Lance quirked an eyebrow at him as Keith stands right in front of him. Keith’s messy hair is almost brushing his face. They’re the same height usually, but Lance currently wore dress shoes while Keith was bare foot.

“Keith,” Lance continued until Keith stands on his tip toes so their eyes are at the same level. Lance couldn't stop himself from smiling. 

“Lance just stay the night! I have an extra room it’s not a big deal!” Keith tried again. Lance looked to the side, he could feel his face getting warmer and he smiled. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were just trying to get me to sleepover,” Lance joked. It’s how he does this, if things get serious he jokes, that’s all he knows how to do. 

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do!” Keith laughed loudly. Lance stopped smiling to look at Keith’s face to see if he was joking. “Lance I’m just worried about you and about.... me.” Keith looked at the ground and backed away a little. “I’m always alone here Lance. It sucks.” He kicked at the carpet that he stared at. 

Lance starts to walk over to Keith, he’s going slowly so Keith doesn’t get startled. He put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Keith doesn’t look at him.

“Keith, you aren’t alone.” Keith let’s out a disbelieving laugh. 

“I love Kosmo, but she doesn’t actually talk to me that often Lance.” He finally looked at Lance. Lance noticed how sad he looked. He wondered how long Keith has felt this lonely, how could he not notice? Lance should have noticed. 

“No I mean, I’ll stay. You don’t have to be alone, you can call me over whenever. And I’m sure any of the cast would do the same.” Keith rubbed his hands over his face. Then kept his face covered. 

“No, I’m being stupid and I’m not thinking right. I’m sorry, you should go. It’s not a big deal.” Lance took his hands away from his face. He looked tired. 

“Too late, I’m staying. Now go to bed, I’ll be in the other room if you need anything okay?” Lance told him and Keith looked away from his intense stare, but nodded. 

Lance made sure that Kosmo joined Keith in bed before going to the kitchen to grab him a glass of water. He shouldn’t have a huge headache tomorrow, but he’ll still be kind of dehydrated. He quietly put the glass of water on the night stand. He noticed that Keith’s shirt and jeans are on the ground now. He’s already asleep under the covers; Kosmo sleeping at his feet. 

Lance smiled and closed his door. He was in Keith’s condo now. And he was going to sleep in one of the guest rooms. He kept telling himself this, going over what he’s supposed to be doing. He’s supposed to be sleeping, and helping Keith if he needs it. But there’s part of himself that wants to go back into Keith’s room and hold him until the next morning. Just to let him know he’s not alone. Keith was a part of Lance's life now, and he can’t stand the idea of him not knowing how much he is cared for.

The other part of him is wanting to run. To walk out the door and go anywhere. He was in the house of a famous person, not only a famous person, but a famous person who he’s also friends with. A famous person who lets him give him stupid nicknames, and who steals his tortilla chips whenever he’s over, who helps him to bed when he’s beyond drunk. He became friends with him and the rest of the cast so fast. Faster than he’s become friends with anyone, besides the kids he’d gone to summer camp with. 

But this was different, he knows them. He knows Allura and Pidge and Shiro and Hunk and Keith. He knows Keith and is freaking out that he’s putting too much trust in people he’s barely met. But then he remembered when they were in interviews together, they all laughed together and would finish each other’s sentences. And on set when they would mess around they all just knew his sense of humor. He remembered that Keith knew his coffee and bagel order, and that one time Shiro asked Lance something and Keith answered cause he knew.

Because Keith knows Lance. 

Keith knows Lance really well and that freaked Lance out. 

He sighed and turned all the lights off. He washed his face and heads to the guest room. 

He told himself that he was just tired and overthinking things. But the look in Keith’s eyes when he admitted that he didn’t want to be alone is etched into his head. He told himself to just sleep on it, and things will make more sense in the morning. 

He doesn’t hear Keith call out for him at all. Every time he hears anything though, he wakes up. Just in case. 

Chapter Text

Keith woke with a dry mouth. He stared at the ceiling of his room as he tried to will himself to get up. He hadn't had enough to drink to give him a hangover- just anxiety over the previous night's actions. He was always so open when he was drunk. He shoved his face into his pillow and tried to forget everything he'd said to Lance. Sure, it was all true, that didn't mean he wanted anyone to know! 

He slowly got out of bed and noticed the glass of water on his bed stand. Lance must’ve left it before he went home. Keith drank it all and picked up his phone. He had a couple notifications, mostly social media stuff. He also noticed that he was only in his underwear... his clothes scattered around the room. He threw on some sweat pants and a t shirt he usually saves for hungover days. This counts he supposed, he isn’t feeling too shitty but still.

He walked into his living room/kitchen and heard the soft sounds of pop music. His eyes are drawn to Lance swaying around in Keith’s kitchen with a spatula. He was making something.

“Lance?” Keith asked once he got to the kitchen island he used as a table. Lance turned immediately and smiled once he saw Keith. He walked over to him, and grabbed his phone to pause his music.

“Morning Keith, you feeling okay this morning?” He asked with an upbeat attitude. Keith looked behind him to see eggs cooking on the stove, and bread in the toaster.

“Um, bit of a headache... and things from last night are a little blurry but I don’t feel terrible?” Lance nodded and took the eggs off the heat so they don’t burn.

“What do you remember?” Lance asks, not looking at Keith’s face. Keith looked at his hands and decided to lie. He wasn't sure if it would work. Maybe Lance would've been able to tell how drunk he was, or maybe not. 

“Uh, I remember you drove me home... speaking of which, why are you still here?” Keith was a good actor, he knew that, but Lance didn't look entirely convinced, even though he didn't look at him. 

“Yeah, um. I walked you in and you asked me to stay the night in the guest room.” Lance explained, serving two plates of eggs.

“What? Why would I- I mean, no offense or anything, but why would I do that?” Keith thought out loud. He looked at Lance to see if his face held any answers. But of course, Lance being an actor and everything, he had a blank face. The toast popped out of the toaster and Lance served them both and sat down next to him.

“Um, you said you didn’t want me to walk outside in the dark cause I’m famous and stuff. You were just worried about me.” Lance told him, his voice sounded.... trained. Like he practiced saying that over and over, the forced casualness made it suspicious. Keith suspected that Lance knew he was lying. They both knew the other was lying and Keith wasn't sure why they even tried. Until he realized: 

Lance was giving him an out.

Keith nodded, “Oh alright, that makes sense.” He took the opportunity to not talk and they ate in semi silence. Lance left a little while after, he had to start packing for his flight back to Cuba. He was going to be there for three weeks.

Keith wasn’t really sure what to do with himself now. He was helping Shiro with designing merchandise but that wasn’t going to take all the time he had between now and the premier. He had the occasional interview for the show, some solo and some with other cast members. He was most likely just going to relax for the next couple months. He hasn’t had this much time off in forever, he should be thankful for some down time.

But before he had James to hang out with during his limited down time. Now he has time but not James. He splayed himself across his couch, Kosmo came up to sit with him. He hated living alone. He knows it’s stupid, he’s a grown adult who hates living alone but damn it’s so lonely.

Growing up he had his mom and dad with him. Then his dad died. Then his mom left. But he at least he has Shiro and his parents. Once he graduated high school he had moved in with a guy named Bandor who was also looking for a roommate in LA. They never got too close, he was honestly closer with his sister, Romelle. But then he got his first starring role in an ongoing tv show, and he had to move to Washington for filming. Every year he did that show he lived there while filming and back in LA during the off times. On a different tv show, Afterlife, he met James, and they eventually decided to get a place together in LA.

And here he is now. In a condo for two, by himself. Well, at least Kosmo was there. 

The first week he did nothing. Literally nothing. He woke up, ate, watched tv or read, scrolled through his phone for more time than logical, and then slept. Shiro called a couple times to make sure they’re all set for design next week. The group chat with his co stars was pretty busy though. It was full of pictures from the party, and chatting about whatever they were doing over break. Lance talked less than usual, Keith wasn’t surprised though. He went home to spend time with his family.

He called Matt a couple times, just so he didn’t go insane with not talking to someone besides Kosmo. Matt was still staying with Pidge, Keith was really tempted to invite him to stay over with him but knew that Pidge and Matt have been away from each other for a while.

The second week is more eventful. Shiro and Adam come over everyday to work on ideas. It went pretty well and Keith is glad that he is forced into a sort of schedule. They decide that they want shirts, sweatshirts, pullovers, and hats as their first line of merchandise. They have two different designs, and one that is just the title in the font that the producers approved.

One design is all of the main characters in fighting position, with their weapons at the ready. The second is a symbol from the show, it’s connected to the spell that binds the characters, and it has a quote underneath it.

Once they get their designs approved they send a picture of the rough draft of the products to the group chat.

Shiro: Hey guys! Keith, Adam, and I have the design of the first line of merchandise ready! [first design] [second design] [third design]
Shiro: They go on sweatshirts, t shirts, pull overs, and hats! What do you guys think?
Hunk: I love them! We look super cool, people are gonna love them
Pidge: Oh hell yeah! They look rad
Allura: Oh my goodness! Hunk is right, we look amazing!! I can’t wait to buy a pullover

Keith watches everyone respond. Part of him is waiting for Lance. Just because he knows how much Lance valued design.

And he knows Lance is on a different time schedule but so is Allura. She’s in like... Keith couldn’t actually remember where Allura was modeling currently but it was further than Lance was. 

Lance: Those look sick man!

He finally responded after a couple hours. Keith rolled his eyes. Part of him missed seeing Lance every single day. Which is so stupid cause Lance annoyed the shit out of him most days. He’s a great actor but goofed off all the time. Whenever the shot is just of Keith Lance made it his mission to fuck with him. It hardly ever worked, but it’s still fucking annoying.

But Lance was his friend. They all were. But he didn’t see them as often as he saw Lance. He knew Lance better, he even considered him one of his closest friends now that James wasn't in his life. 

That first he considered calling James and making some bad decisions together, but decided against it for the betterment of both of them. Last time he saw James he said he wanted them to stay friends but neither of them had even tried to reach out to the other. 

Keith was interrupted from his sulking by a knock at the door. He groaned, but went to the door either way. He looked through the peephole to make sure he could open the door in his lazing around the house clothes. He was pleasantly surprised at who it was.

He flung open the door, revealing none other than Matt Holt.

“Matt? What’s up?” He asked carefully.

“Well I just knew that you’d be skulking around your house by yourself for the next month or so. Thought you could use a friend.” Keith smiled to himself and opened the door for Matt to enter the room. He was right after all, Keith has been skulking. 

"Man your place looks horrible," Matt said, taking a look around the condo. There were dirty dishes and take out containers everywhere, not to mention the sweatshirts thrown about the room. Matt picks one up and inspects it before saying, "At least none of these are James..." Keith hit him in the arm. 

"I gave James all his stuff back. Nope, all this mess is mine." Keith grumbled. Somehow, that was worse. 

"So you obviously haven't had any action lately, you would've cleaned up first." Matt laughed at him. Keith rolled his eyes and slumped on his couch next to the piles of blankets. Maybe letting him in was a bad move, thought Keith. 

"Come on man, crack a smile." Matt sat down next to him and nudged his arm. 

"I haven't had anyone over, besides Shiro and Adam, in a while is all. I'm not depressed or anything." Keith grumbled, Matt looked at him worriedly, but Keith couldn't see. 

"When was the last time you did anything social?" 

"I was working with Shiro and Adam on the merchandise. We finished that a couple days ago." Keith couldn't think of anything else. He talked to some people over text but he didn't think that counted as being social. 

"That's work Keith, when was the last time you did something fun? Like go to a bar with a friend? Or slept with someone cute? Have you seen any of your friends recently, besides Adam and Shiro- who shouldn't even count. They're more like dads." Keith tried to remember when the last time was that he even left the house. 

"Uh, I guess the last time was the wrap party, Lance and I hung out a bit afterwards but I think I was pretty out of it to remember." 

"That was almost three weeks ago Keith. Dude, you haven't seen anyone besides your brother and his husband in three weeks?" 

"I talk to you like everyday?"

"That doesn't count! Come on," Matt stood up and grabbed Keith's hands and pulled him up. "We're gonna clean this place up, you're gonna take a shower, and then we're going out." 

"I don't know, I'm not really feeling like doing... anything." 

"You're not gonna like what I'm about to say, but I'm gonna say it anyway."

"Ugh, I'm not depressed Matt, I'm fine." Keith groaned and slumped back into the couch. 

"You are, and no you're not. But I wasn't actually gonna say that." Keith raised his eyebrow, not knowing what to expect. 

"When the show was filming, how often did you go out?" 

"Uh, I don't know. As a cast we hung out almost every weekend. I didn't want to go at first, but Shiro insisted that I went to the first couple, then Lance made sure I went to the rest. Lance and I would hang out almost everyday after filming actually. We'd just watch tv and make fun of each other's old tv shows, but especially his old one. He had such a babyface in it. We'd do a lot of livestreams, the fans love them. We never did anything that would spoil the show, just fun stuff about us as people. Heh, the fans probably think we're dating at this point. We always do livestreams from my house or my car or y'know. And the interviews always have us sit next to each other, people are starting to think it's intentional, I think. During interviews we finish each other's stories when the other laughs too much, it's a riot honestly."

Keith had been looking out the window, into the sunlight, with an adoring face. Matt guessed that he didn't notice the way he was talking. Like he was nostalgic, for something that only happened a couple weeks ago. He got carried away and distracted pretty easily, for someone who's been depressed for a while, he seemed perfectly content just now. "Anyway, what were you gonna say that I wouldn't like?"

Keith looked at Matt, still with a content smile on his face, like he was still remembering something comforting. Matt smirked at him and Keith didn't understand why and lifted an eyebrow at him. 

"You haven't done anything since Lance left." Matt stated and Keith twisted his face up and glared at Matt, who just kept smirking. 

"You're right, I didn't like that you said that." Keith started picking up dishes, trying to get out of the conversation. 

"Keith come on, you know I'm right."

"There is no correlation! I'll concede that maybe I've been a little sad since the show ended. But it's because I don't have something to do all day! Not because I miss him. He just happened to leave at the same time." Keith actually cleaned really fast when he was trying to prove he doesn't have a crush on his coworker, thought Matt. All the dishes were gathered into the kitchen and he was in the process of loading the dishwasher, all the while grumbling. 

"Keith, it's okay to like him. He's a charming guy." Matt shrugged, trying to assure him as he watched him doing his dishes. 

"Lance?!?!" Keith looked at Matt like he's insane for suggesting anything of the sort. He looked almost disgusted at the idea, but Matt knew better. "Lance is NOT charming. He's annoying! He's ridiculous and irritating."

"Then why did you spend all your time with him?" Matt leaned on the kitchen counter as Keith puts away more dishes. 

"He's- well, I guess we're friends," he turned to Matt and stuck his pointer finger in his face. "But that doesn't mean that I like him that way! I don't see him like that."

"So... you don't think he's hot?" Matt asked slyly and Keith glared at him with a slight blush. 

"Of course he's hot, Matt. He's a celebrity. That doesn't mean I like him!"

"But you're attracted to him?"

"I never said that. Now, can we drop this? We can go out somewhere, if you want."

"Finish cleaning and take a shower first. Love you man, but you look like shit, and even without the dishes your place does too." Keith sighed but continued on his work until Matt was satisfied. The two went on a hike with Kosmo after Keith took a shower. 

"Okay, fine. This is better than sulking in my house and watching reruns." Keith conceded after they got to the top of a hill. It looked over the beach, but it wasn't a well known path, so they didn't think there would be many fans or paparazzi. They saw maybe three other groups of people, only one recognized Keith, and asked to take a picture. 

"Yeah, activity is shown to be good for your mental health. Especially physical activity, it creates the happy chemicals in your brain. Pidge told me about it."

"Physical activity? Hmm, maybe Axca would want to spar sometime. That would be a way to get out of the house." They stayed at the overlook for a while. They joked around and watched the sun start to set. 

"I'm sorry to be so, I don't know, annoying. I haven't even asked how you've been." Keith told them as Kosmo was rolling in the dirt. 

"Dude, you don't have to apologize. You helped me through the break up with Shiro, which lasted months, and he's your brother! I'll always be here for you." Keith smiled at him, Matt could see the appreciation in his eyes. Keith suddenly hugged Matt, which is pretty out of character for him. Matt smiled and hugged him back, putting his head on Keith's shoulder. They've always been about the same height, Matt being slightly taller. 

"We should probably walk back to the car before the sun sets and we can't see." Matt said when they pull away. Keith agrees and they start down the path.

"So, how have you been?" Keith prompted Matt. 

"Oh, good. My tour went really well, and it's really good to be spending so much time with Pidge. I haven't seen her in like, a year and a half. Which sucked, we used to do everything together." Matt started and Keith heard the sadness in his voice. "I remember one time we hacked into some government website and almost got caught, and Pidge-" He started laughing too much to finish. "Pidge- Pidge was more worried about what our parents would say than if we got arrested-" Keith started laughing along with Matt, it sounds just like Pidge. Family is the most important thing to her, and for her that includes her friends. Keith feels honored to be considered a part of her family now. 

"She said that if we got arrested that we'd figure out how to get out, but if Mom finds out then we'd be done for." Keith and Matt continue to laugh about stories that Matt tells until they arrive at a restaurant. 

"I'm staying the night." Matt said while they were eating dinner. No arguments from Keith. He hated living alone, it drove him half mad most of the time. He liked having people in the same space as him. It made him feel less alone. He's been alone a lot, and he's pretty much sick of it. It's one of the reasons he used to sleep around so often- cause he knew he wouldn't be alone for at least a night. He still believed that there's nothing wrong with sleeping around, if do it for a good reason. It wasn't healthy for him though. It just affirmed his self hatred and abandonment issues.

He hasn't slept with anyone in a couple months, which is different from his normal pattern. He kind of... wanted more. He wanted to wake up next to the same person everyday. Not a different person everyday. The funny thing is, he could probably be with anyone. He's famous for fucks sake. He has an uncountable amount of fan accounts (he definitely does not watch the edits of him being hot). The problem is... there wasn't anyone that Keith wanted. 

He hasn't met anyone who he thinks sees him, like- really sees him. Or at least, someone who sees him and still likes him. The thing about being famous is that thousands of people know who you are, but they don't actually know you. They might know where you were born, how many productions you've been in, or how many public lovers you've had, but they don't really know you. They don't know the way you take your coffee, your favorite song, your comfort tv show, or the way your tears crawl down your face. Nothing is real in Hollywood. He wasn't real either. 

"When was the last time someone stayed in your spare?" Matt asked when the two walked into the condo for the night. 

"Uh, Lance stayed there the night before he left." Keith said absent mindedly, putting away the now clean dishes. 

"Lance stayed the night on his last day in town?" Matt lifted his eyebrow, man it is too easy to tease Keith about this, he thought. 

"Yeah? I was drunk and it was late. Like I said, he stayed in the spare room, not mine!" Matt put his hands in the surrender position and went into the guest room. Keith heard laughing in a matter of seconds. Matt then came out of the room with a sticky note in hand, waving it around in Keith's face while he's still laughing. Keith snatched the paper and read it. 

I don't know when you'll find this, because it looks like you never come in this room, but I hope you feel better. I can stay over whenever you want, you don't have to be alone all the time.

Ps. This mattress sucks, Mullet.

Keith started to blush furiously as Matt continues to laugh at him. God, why does Keith keep telling Lance embarrassing things when he's drunk? He needed to stop drinking in front of Lance. 

"I so totally don't believe that this is platonic. Get mad at me all you want. But this is some husband level shit right here!" Keith put the rest of the dishes away as fast as possible, trying to ignore the jabs that Matt kept making. Lance and him are strictly friends. He could never even imagine dating Lance. What would that even look like? Lance is so awkward, he can never take anything seriously. He'd stumble his way through any date and make a stupid show for paparazzi. He's nothing that Keith would want in a partner. A friend, yes. They work as friends, but Keith doesn't think they could ever be more. Even though his chest feels empty just thinking about all this. 

"Yeah yeah, Lance and I are just perfect together. Ha ha." Keith said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and made his way to the living room. It looked a lot better, honestly. He hated to admit that Matt is right, ever, but in this case he'll concede. He was sort of living in a dump. Adam and Shiro didn't seem to mind, but they were all worked up over the merchandise that they didn't seem to care much about their surroundings. 

Matt and Keith go to sleep in their respective rooms around twelve. Much earlier than Keith's been doing recently, but he also hasn't moved from his couch recently so he was tired enough today. 

The next morning Keith woke up to a million notifications. 3/4s were all social media, the rest were various friends, but mostly Pidge and Lance. Keith didn't read the notifications yet, he saw how many he had, and went to get coffee. Something told him that he would want it.

Matt was already in the kitchen, and poured Keith a mug when he saw him. Whatever it is, Matt seems to have heard about it. 

"So what is it this time?" Keith asked, sitting down at the island and drinking half the mug in one go. 

"You haven't read the article?" Matt asked. He's wearing one of Keith's shirts that he keeps in his spare room. Keith suddenly wondered if Lance was wearing one of his shirts the night he slept there. Keith was too out of it that morning to notice. But then again, Keith is almost convinced he would've noticed Lance in one of his shirts. 

"No, let's see." He pulled out his phone and went to the first notification he had. Some magazine had published an article about him, it was posted this morning. 

Keith Kogane has a secret boyfriend! None other then the comedian, Matt Holt!

The headline alone made Keith roll his eyes. He looked at Matt who just nodded and rolled his eyes along with him. 

"What in the world-"

"Just finish reading the article." Matt insisted. Keith continued to read the article. It included multiple people as resources, and pictures of them together at the park yesterday, and of Matt and him entering his condo last night. The people who had quotes asked to remain anonymous- fucking assholes. One person saw them at the club, which means it must be a celebrity, dancing that one night. Another person, who he assumed was one of his neighbors, saw them together all of yesterday. The pictures are legit though- there's about five of them all together. One where Keith and him are watching the sunset, one where Keith is staring at Matt- it looks like he has heart eyes for fucks sake. Another is of them hugging with the sunset in the background. Then two of them back at Keith's house, of them entering together and leaving Matt's car. 

Keith finished up the article and got another mug of coffee. Matt had yet to say anything, and Keith had yet to check all the other notifications. He sighs and guesses that he should probably do that. 

Shiro: This has to be fake [link to article]

Shiro: I'm just going to assume that this is just the paparazzi being assholes 

Adam: Jesus Keith, you need to be more careful in public

Pidge: KEITH KOGANE I SWEAR TO GOD

Pidge: IF YOU ARE DATING MY BROTHER 

Pidge: ONE COWORKER WAS ENOUGH

Pidge: I DONT NEED TWO COWORKERS WHO HAVE MADE OUT WITH MY BROTHER 

Pidge: Okay Matt told me y'all aren't dating and it's some stupid paparazzi thing, but I swear Kogane. 

Pidge: Matt also told me to apologize, so sorry I guess

Hunk: Um... I don't want to be one of those people who believes whatever the internet says so I'm just gonna ask if this article is true at all? [link to article]

Hunk: Sorry if that's rude 

Allura: Goodness gracious, paparazzi are the worst. My apologies, Keith. 

Allura: This happens to me all the time, if you want to talk it out

James: You've got to be fucking kidding me Keith [link to article] 

James: I don't know if this is fake or not, but I just want to say I knew there was something weird between you and Matt. And you always told me it was nothing. 

James: At least I'm not the only person who sees it.

Lance: I FUCKING KNEW IT

Lance: EVERYONE TOLD ME I WAS INSANE

Lance: ok Shiro told me it was fake but still. I am not the only person who sees it!

Lance: also! Those pictures are really sus mullet

Lance: i know shiro says that you aren't dating but they have some pretty strong evidence against you

Lance: you told me yourself that there was nothing between you two and im gonna trust you on that

Lance: i am so gonna make fun of you for this though 

Lance: i mean seriously these pictures are hilariously romantic! what were you two even doing if you werent on a date?

Axca: I can beat up the paparazzi if you want [link to article] 

Axca: And the publisher and writer

Coran: I think you need to talk to your agent about some things, young man. If I can be of any assistance let me know! 

Kolivan: We need to talk about how you want to handle this. We should have a meeting with Matt and his agent as well. 

Zethrid: Dude, nice

Ryan: So, I don't know if you know that James and I are friends... but he told me everything. If this is real, then it's kind of sucky of you.

Ryan: James really liked you

Ryan: Don't tell him I texted you 

Then a thousand more twitter notifications about it. Thousands of people were retweeting it. Many didn't believe it, but still. This whole thing just exposed Keith too much. He and Matt aren't even dating, this could be so much worse and Keith is still panicking. People he barely talked to messaged him. He barely talked to Zethrid outside of work. And Ryan is a reoccurring character on Hollowed Out but Keith almost never talked to him. He didn't even know Ryan knew James! 

And Kolivan, his agent, wanted to meet up. Kolivan hates meeting in person. This is bad. Bad for his image for sure, he's always been upfront with his fans about any serious relationships, which was easy because he never had any! His fans are gonna think he's lying to them. And worse is, what are the people he actually knows gonna think? Some of them know that Shiro and Matt dated, what does this show to them? That Keith is dating his brother's ex boyfriend? And he told James he wasn't ready for a relationship yet, which is partially true (he mostly meant he wasn't ready for a relationship with James. Right person, wrong time.) But now he and Ryan think he's just an asshole!

"Keith, hey, breathe." Matt started, walking over to where Keith was. He didn't even notice that he was breathing heavily. "Call Kolivan, you and him can figure out what you want to say to the public. Okay? It'll all work out." Matt sat in the chair next to him, putting his left hand on Keith's shoulder. Keith nodded and left the room to call his agent. 

"Keith?" Kolivan's deep voice intoned from the other line. 

"Hey Kolivan," Keith winced. His manager must be so sick of his bullshit by now. This was far from the first dating scandal he'd dealt with. Just the one that hit closest to home, since it was with someone he was close with and had actual suspicious photos of him with. 

"First things first, are you and Matt actually dating?" 

"No, strictly friends. We were just hanging out for the day, he stayed the night in my spare bedroom. I swear-"

"I believe you Keith. Now we just have to make them believe you."

"Right, how are we gonna do that?" 

"You have a twitter, how about you reply to the article just saying that the photos were taken out of context."

"And that I am not dating him right? I should include that bit?" Keith tried to joke but then remembered that Kolivan doesn't do jokes. 

"Yes, Keith." Kolivan sighed. "That should be enough, maybe if you can get Matt and some other people to agree with you. People tend to believe multiple sources."

"Sure thing, thanks Kolivan." 

"Of course, and Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't go hugging anymore attractive boys at sunset, and then bring them home. Okay?" Keith laughed, actually laughed. 

"Yeah, okay Kolivan." They hang up and Keith logs onto twitter. He looks at the sea of responses. 

[Article]

walkingded: no way this is true

hooloo245:  @walkingded agreed, how would they even know each other? 

ilymattholt: @hooloo245 Matt dated Keith's older brother, Shiro. Matt and Keith have been friends for years

desperado78: Can't we just be happy for them as a couple instead of speculating over everything?

lancemclainswife: noooo Keith and Lance are supposed to be datingggg

badbitch69: @lancemclainswife they've known each other for less than a year, like @ilymattholt said, Matt and Keith have been friends for a long time

TakashiShiroganeoffical: The pictures in this article were taken completely out of context. Matt and Keith have been friends for years and that is all they are. Further more, the stalking that the photographers and writers of this article performed is absolutely horrendous. Celebrities deserve the opportunity to privacy.

gleekfan458: Why would someone put so much effort into making something just for it to be disproven in a day. Shiro is right, the photographer and writer are seriously out of line

Hunkofsunshine: As Keith and Matt's friends I would like to defend them, they have a right to privacy even though they're celebrities. They aren't dating, but even if they were, they should be able to do so in private like anyone else. 

RatthewHolt: As much as Keith and I are very close friends, that is all we will ever be. These photos prove nothing and the writers know nothing about us and about our friendship. Yall should be ashamed of yourselves for this honestly, we were just hanging out and yall turned it weird. 

AlluraAlteaoffical: @Hunkofsunshine and @TakashiShiotganeoffical are correct. These two deserve privacy. As a victim of the same sort of paparazzi harassment I take this very seriously. Please give @RatthewHolt and @KKogane some room to explain themselves before you jump to conclusions. 

allurasbiggestfan: Dang, you know it's serious when Allura doesn't use heart emojis in her tweet

gayass420: This is all so stupid, Matt said they aren't dating. Why would he lie to us?

cottagecorelez: @gayass420 celebrities lie to cover up something they want to keep private, which is totally valid. If Matt and Keith are dating but want to keep it quiet, they should be able to do that without scrutiny.

There were more responses, but Keith couldn't read anymore. Too much exposure already. He gathered up his thoughts and wrote his response. 

KKogane: Matt Holt and I are not dating, but if we were, we should be allowed to do so in private. Neither of us owe any of you our life story or the personal details of our life. The fact that someone followed Matt and I up a hiking path and followed me home just to take pictures of us is despicable. I hadn't seen Matt in some time because of our busy lives, so we spent the day together. He stayed the night in my guest room. I wish that I could do things like that more often without having to worry about paparazzi, but I guess that isn't the case. 

KKogane: Thank you to everyone who had our backs. And to all the fans out there, I hope this doesn't change your opinion of either of us. 

Then Keith turned off his phone. 

Keith went to sit next to Matt on the couch. Matt turned his phone off and they both just sat next to each other. 

“This is so stupid.” Keith finally said. 

“Pretty much. Your response was good though. Well thought out.” Matt responded. 

“James-” Keith started to say, but faltered. Matt looks at him with kind eyes, like he’s open to listening. “James is mad. He always thought you and I were secretly boning or some shit.” 

“Hm, maybe we should secretly bone,” Matt joked. Wiggling his eyebrows and smirking. Keith laughed and hit his arm. 

“Too soon!” Keith cried out humorously and Matt continued to chuckle. 

“James is allowed to be upset, but that doesn’t mean you have to worry about it. You didn’t want to date him, so y’all didn’t.” Keith smiled at his friend, he was really good at rationalizing things. 

The day went by pretty fast. Matt and Keith hung out all day, and purposely didn’t go out. 

“Does this mean I’ll have to move? Cause the paparazzi know where I live now…” Keith speculated after dinner. Matt was sitting on the couch, facing the tv that’s playing Hunk’s old tv show. Keith is lying down horizontally facing the tv with his head in Matt’s lap. 

“Nah, I don’t think so. If more paparazzi show up you can think about it more. Also might want to think about a restraining order. Or a fence.” Keith still hasn’t been on his phone. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He didn’t reply to any of the messages he got this morning. His friends would understand. He had this idea in his head. An annoying idea that he couldn’t get out. It was an unwelcome thought, but it kind of intrigued him. He was curious. Curiosity never went anywhere good for him though. 

“Hey Matt,” 

“Yeah?”

“What about my brother did you like?”

“You mean beside his fantastic body and face?” Keith shoved a hand in Matt’s face, who then laughed it off. 

“He was my best friend, Keith. We did everything together. I think I was secretly in love with him the whole time, but I was too closeted to figure it out. He was always there for me. No matter what. And he, well he had this way about him that was so inspiring. You could tell that he actually cared about other people. He loves so openly, and that’s fantastic.”

Matt didn't sound like he was in love anymore. He used to have the biggest heart eyes whenever Shiro was brought up. Now he just sounded like he’s reading something, like something he wrote a while ago in a journal. He knows about what is written, but doesn’t connect to the words the same way anymore. 

“Why do you ask?” Matt asks after a minute or neither of them saying anything. 

“Oh, I don’t know. I guess I was curious.” Keith looked at Matt from his lap. He can see his eyelashes really well from down here. They’re a lighter color, like his hair color almost. “Matt,” Keith started.  

“Yes?” 

“I’m going to kiss you. Just to see!” Keith sat up and moved into Matt’s space. Matt didn’t seem to mind, but he seemed skeptical. 

“To see what? If I’m a really good kisser?” 

“Just shut up for a second. Do I have your consent?”

“Yes, Keith.” 

Keith leaned in and kissed Matt. 

And…. Nothing.

It was just kissing. It’s nice, kissing usually is. It’s a nice feeling, especially for someone as touch starved as Keith. But it was like kissing a girl, there wasn’t anything to it. He tried putting his hand on Matt’s face to push their faces together, but still nothing. It was just kissing. 

He pulled away and looked at Matt’s expression. 

“I’m sorry, it- it didn’t work.” Keith looked away. Matt raised an eyebrow.

“What didn’t work? Was that supposed to turn me into a prince or something?” 

“No it’s just- I’ve had this feeling in my gut for a while that I just need to be with someone. Not like, sexually, but emotionally. In a romantic relationship. And I feel a lot of love and affection for you, and apparently everyone else seems to think I’m in love with you, so- Then you told me that you were best friends with Shiro but secretly in love and I just thought that maybe that’s what it was! The feeling I’ve been having. But it’s not. I didn’t feel anything. When we kissed I mean. It just felt like kissing my best friend. I don’t know! Lance and James always tell me how I act like you and I are a thing! And I thought maybe everything would be easier if I did like you but I don’t and everything is still shitty and complicated.” Keith put his head in his hands. 

Matt scooted over and patted him on the back. He didn't seem upset at least. 

“Keith, it’s okay. I understand. You confused your platonic feelings for romantic, it’s normal.” 

“It’s annoying! I can’t believe I just kissed my brothers ex! And my best friend! Why did I do that?” 

“Keith, hey, it’s okay. It’s been a long and eventful day. With all that’s been going on in your head, it makes sense. You’re okay.” Matt assured him and Keith would always be thankful for his kindness here. 

“Well what about you? Why did you let me kiss you? I know you don’t like me that way.” 

“No, not in a million years." Matt said so sure and monotonously that Keith almost laughed. "I could tell you needed to work some stuff out. And kissing isn’t a big deal for me, I kiss my friends all the time. Honestly, if kissing me helps you figure out that you’re not in love with me, I’ll kiss you as much as you want.” 

“Heh, okay. I think- I think I’m going to go to sleep. Long day.” Keith got up from the sofa and left for his room. Oral hygiene be damned, he was not leaving this room. He was so embarrassed, he just made out with his best friend to only figure out he doesn’t like him. It’s like what happened with James- Well, not really at all. 

With James, Keith did like him romantically. He liked his attitude and his face, and his wit. He repressed those feelings until that one night. And it was a good night. He realized that he did like James, but not in the way he wants. He didn’t like the way James saw him. 

Keith doesn’t even know how to describe the way James saw him, but it wasn’t right. It felt odd, and Keith felt exposed and vulnerable. And yes, Keith is aware that vulnerability is important in relationships, it didn’t feel right with James. Keith wants a long term relationship, and he couldn't see himself with James for long, is what it boiled down to. 

Keith was so over today, nothing good has happened. He eventually decided to turn his phone back on, he should probably respond to his friends, at least.

Pidge: Matt also told me to apologize, so sorry I guess

Keith: Don't worry about it Pidge. Matt is staying the night again, but I promise we're not dating 

Shiro: I'm just going to assume this is the paparazzi being assholes 

Keith: Yeah, sorry for the heart attack you probably had

Adam: Jesus Keith, you need to be more careful in public

Keith: Yeah yeah, I took care of it, DAD

Hunk: Sorry if that's rude

Keith: No, you're all good man. And thanks for sticking up for Matt and I on twitter

Allura: This happens to me all the time, if you want to talk it out

Keith: Thanks Allura, you're the best. And thank you for what you said on twitter. 

Lance: i mean seriously these pictures are hilariously romantic! what were you two even doing if you werent on a date?

Keith: We were just walking! We were in a public park with Kosmo

Keith: Also you actually flirt with everyone you meet so I don't want to hear it

Keith debated responding to the others but figured they could understand everything from his and Matt's twitters. He put his phone on his stomach and stared at the ceiling. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. A one day scandal that is mostly resolved through twitter. Of course, there's probably going to always be some remaining people who think they're secretly together. The worst part of the whole thing was that he felt so exposed, people would be speculating on his feelings and his relationship with his friend. Which then made Keith question what his relationship with Matt even was. And god could that be more embarrassing? Matt was cool with it, cause he's Matt, but it was weird for Keith. 

Keith needed to figure out all this shit but it's so fucking hard with the world watching you. How in the world is he supposed to find someone he liked when paparazzi crowded him around people he doesn't like? Getting close to someone would be so hard, and Keith needed to take his time when getting to know someone. Where is he even supposed to find someone?

Just then he got a notification.

Lance: i don't flirt with everyone i meet! only the hot ones 

Keith chuckled and went to reply. 

Keith: Which in your opinion, is everyone

Lance: what can i say? its not my fault the world is full of pretty people who would look fantastic with me

Keith: Yeah yeah. How's Cuba?

Lance: amazing! i missed it here so much keitthhh 

Lance: my family is so awesome and its nice to not be around celebrities all the time

Lance: like no one here cares what i wear or what i do all day

Keith: Sounds nice

They chat for a little longer about nothing in particular, eventually he falls asleep with a small smile. Something he couldn't have imagined earlier that day. 

The rest of the week goes by fast, Matt stayed for a couple days and then returned to Pidge's place. He sparred with Axca one day, and it's a relief to talk to someone who straight up does not care about the media or the public eye in general. They talked about the article for like two minutes then it wasn't brought up again. Axca was someone who Keith felt entirely at ease around. 

They didn't know much about each other from talking, but rather from the way they interacted. Their relationship was purely through actions rather than words, which Keith realized was preferrable for her. They knew that he was gay and that she was lesbian which put them both at ease enough to be themselves around each other. Sometimes they worked so in tandum with each other that Keith wished that they had both been straight so they could just marry each other and move on with their lives. Though, if he thought about it for longer than ten seconds he got grossed out. 

He facetimed with Allura one day, she was currently modeling in Switzerland. They talk a little about doing a group facetime with the main cast next week. Lance was due back in California soon but Allura won't be back from Switzerland until a day or two before the premiere, and Hunk is in Samoa with his grandparents next week. 

The three weeks since the show ended were mostly shitty. The last week was better than the rest though. And only two more weeks until the premiere, which is remarkably fast, the crew should be applauded honestly. And at least he'd have Lance to bother him for the next two weeks, or, Keith thought that Lance would be over here. He kind of just assumed, but it's totally possible that Lance will be busy or hanging out with other people. Keith did remember that he had two interviews in the upcoming week, so he'll be forced out of the house at least twice. 

Things were easier back when he didn't have to worry about this sort of thing. When he's just spend time with Shiro or James on his off time. He'd go on almost dates with James and pretend he didn't have feelings for him. Or he'd spend the day at Shiro and Adam's house, eating their food and teasing them for being so coupley. 

Nowadays Adam and Shiro are busy all the time. And James and he try not to talk, if possible. 

It's stupid to think about, a celebrity feeling alone, not knowing who actually cares about him. There's thousands of people who love his acting and his stage personality. Maybe he should do more social media stuff, he'd be more connected to fans and other celebrities. 

There's a lot to think about, but for now he needed sleep. He planned to pick Lance up at the airport tomorrow- unsure how he got stuck with this job. 

Chapter Text

“Alright everyone! Thank you all for coming on! As many of you know, Hollowed Out is coming out on Netflix tonight!! And just for a bit of fun the cast thought it might be fun to do a group livestream!!” Lance told the livestream he currently has on.

He was in Hunk’s kitchen, the rest of the main cast is in the living room. The group hasn’t all been in one place in a little over a month. Lance himself was in Cuba for three weeks, and Allura only got back from Switzerland two days ago. Hunk got back from Samoa last week. 

“Lance! Bring them into the living room!” Allura asked him from her place on the couch. Lance set the phone up against the tv so they could see the entire group. Shiro was in the arm chair, Allura sitting on the corner of the couch, with Hunk next to her. Pidge was sitting on the other side of him but on the ground leaning on the couch. Lance and Keith were sitting weirdly close together in the other corner of the couch. 

Lance didn't think their position was odd until he watched the recording back over and realized that no one else in the room was as close as them. 

“Alright yall! So Pidge is gonna hop onto the stream so she can monitor the comments.” Lance said to everyone.

The show dropped in about an hour, so they planned on just telling stories and maybe answering some questions before hand. 

“Okay so as many of you know, we made a video of random stuff we did back stage in our free time. It was recently posted to my YouTube if you want to check it out!” Pidge announced, the video was posted yesterday to create more hype. 

“Yeah and there’s no spoilers in it so don’t worry about that if you haven’t seen the show yet!” Hunk explained. 

“Also just a real quick promo,” Shiro started to say. “We are going to be selling merchandise! It should be up for sale in a couple days. It’s all really cool so you should check it out!” 

“I’m actually wearing one of them,” Allura said, pointing at the pullover she was wearing. 

“Okay okay, onto the fun stuff! Any questions for us?” Lance asked the crowd. 

“Okay first one I saw is, ‘Who’s the main character in the show?’” Pidge read off from her screen. 

“Well, everyone is a main character-“ Shiro started to say. 

“Oh shut it Shiro, everyone knows Grey is the main character.” Keith started, and he was right too. They were all technically main characters, but Grey got the most screen time, at least so far. Amber was supposed to get more screen time too, since she and Grey get together. 

“Okay, next is ‘If you could make a scale of who’s on time and prepared to who on cast is late and clumsy, who would be which end?’ Okay, so like, on a scale of Lance to Allura?” Pidge joked. Lance gasps in fake surprise. 

“I am always on time and prepared!” Lance objected in pure offense. 

“Prepared, yes. But you only started coming on time when you and Keith started to carpool, cause Keith is always the first one here.” Hunk pointed out, Keith and Lance shift slightly in their seats. They try not to mention to the fans that they carpool, in case they have the same reaction that the cast initially had.

Lance had felt so electric since Keith had picked him up at the airport. He was surprised that Keith had said yes, but he was fine with it. And they'd been seeing each other regularly since then. Always under the pretense of Kosmo missing him, or vice versa, of course. 

“Yeah Keith was here before Allura everyday, until he had to pick Lance up, now he’s usually only five minutes early.” Pidge laughed out. 

“Okay so on a scale, it would be Lance as one, then Keith, Pidge, Hunk, me, then Allura as ten. Sound about right?” Shiro asked the group. Everyone nodded and Keith grumbled about how he used to be the earliest, and Lance elbowed him. 

“‘What’s your favorite episode, and why?’” Pidge read off. 

“I’ll start,” Shiro says, “I really like the first two episodes which are a two-parter. I’m always a sucker for good beginnings. It’s when everyone is introduced and they find out all the exposition and what not.” 

“I really like episode five. I can’t tell you why without spoiling a bunch, but my character has a lot to do in it.” Allura explained. 

“I also like the second episode, cause there’s some action but we also get to see the characters interact in a strange situation. I don’t know, I’ve always like it.” Hunk continued the circle. Pidge thought for a few seconds before speaking:

“I think I’d have to choose episode seven actually. There’s a lot of cool supernatural stuff, which I’m a sucker for, plus I get to mess around with computers and stuff.” 

“Well I have to say the grand finale of the last episode!” Lance announced. “It’s where all the strings come together and you see what the writers were weaving!” 

“I’m not really sure, I also like episode seven/eight. I’m not sure why, I think I just like the plot of those episodes." Keith commented before they move on to the next question. 

"'Who is all of your favorite character, besides your own?'" Pidge read off again. Everyone had to take a moment with that. "I have to say Theo, he's a really good technician and a good friend to Gemma. He's a good friend to all of them actually." Pidge stated her answer. 

"I think Gemma is my favorite," Allura started "She is quite smart and is an integral part of the team. She is strong in her own way, and I really like how there is a difference in Gemma and Amber's characters, it shows that there isn't one way to be strong as a woman." 

"I like Theo too, he's very much a caregiver and sort of the dad friend in the group." Shiro decided, and that actually surprises Lance. 

"I think mine would be Amber," Hunk added. "She's just so cool and such a badass. I really admire her." Everyone looked at Lance and Keith for their answers. 

"I think Robin"

"Probably Alexander"

Keith and Lance said at the same time. Everyone laughed as Lance and Keith looked at each other in surprise. 

"I said Robin because he keeps Alexander from doing stupid things, why'd you say Alexander?" Keith asked, obviously confused.

"Alexander is the only one who can put Robin in his place when he's being an asshole, plus he's pretty hot." Lance joked, wiggling his eyebrows as the group laughed. Keith smiled, rolled his eyes, and pushed Lance's shoulder away with his hand. 

"Next question is: 'Are you all friends in real life?'" Pidge read after rolling her eyes at the boy's antics. 

"Yes! I knew Shiro as a friend before filming and met the rest through this production but we are certainly friends outside of work." Allura answered first. 

"Yeah we all get along really well! I've never had a cast that I get along with so well." Hunk said, Allura leaned her head on his shoulder and he leaned his head on hers in response. Lance thought about touching Keith to agree but stopped himself. 

"I know I've had costars who I don't really click with- I can't say the same for any of these guys. We actually hang out a good amount outside of work." Lance interjected instead. 

"Okay, last one before we end the stream to watch the show: 'What is the best part of working on this show?'" Pidge announced. 

"I really like the characters, they are so interesting and change so much over time." Shiro decided. 

"I agree with Shiro, characters were super fun to play and the story is so interesting." Lance agreed, shifting next to Keith- who was hogging the blanket. 

"I like all the fight scenes, the choreographer did a really good job with making them look real and they're impressive. I also love doing stunts so it was great for me." Keith said with a smile as he thought about Axca. 

"I think I would say these guys, I wouldn't have met them without this show putting us together." Hunk nodded and everyone cooed at him. 

"I agree with Hunk! The people, but also I really enjoy the magic in the show, it's all so exciting and different from anything I've done before." Allura told them. 

"I think it would be a mixture of my character and also the writing and science of it." Pidge answered finally. 

"Alright, we need to get going, the show will be starting soon!" Lance announced as he gets up to get his phone. He walked with it back to his seat where they all say goodbye to the fans. "I hope you all enjoy the show! It's gonna be great!" Lance said before ending the stream. 

"That was so fun! We should do that again sometime." Allura cheered and clapped her hands. 

"I am so excited for this, I don't know about you guys, but I haven't even seen the whole show through yet." Hunk said while grabbing snacks and drinks. 

"Yeah I don't think any of us have seen the scenes we weren't in, plus none of us have seen it with the CGI and editing, so it should look super cool." Shiro interjected. 

"Hopefully the CGI is good, it was hard enough to act like you're fighting a werewolf- I might lose my mind if the werewolf look stupid." Lance joked, taking back some of the blanket that he was sharing with Keith. 

"I hope the camera got good shots of the fight scenes," Keith said as he grabbed a bowl of chips for him and Lance to share from the coffee table. 

"It'll be great!" Allura added, getting more comfortable in her seat- they were gonna be there for a while. 

"Can we talk during it? What's the consensus on that?" Lance asked with a mouthful of Doritos. There was a general agreement that they could talk during group scenes since they all knew what happened, but talking during other scenes should be limited to reactions only. 

The show started, and they all sat in anticipation. Pidge and Lance kept checking their phones for the fan reaction throughout the show. Shiro kept texting Adam, who was watching with some of the other directors. Lance could feel Keith tense up whenever the camera was on him, or when Alexander had a particularly important line. When it came to a scene with Robin and Alexander only- Keith held his breath. It was an important scene for both of the characters, a turning point in their arcs. Robin had gotten badly injured and Alexander was blaming himself for it, in the scene Robin was putting his own anger about it aside to make Alexander feel better. It was one of the rawest moments for Alexander, one of the only times he showed his own vulnerability. 

Lance remembered filming that scene, they were the only actors called for that time, the rest had a later call time. Keith was anxious about filming cause he hated being vulnerable at any time- but especially on camera. But during the scene? Keith was amazing. Lance hasn't seen such raw acting from Keith yet, maybe in his old show, but it was different. He was in Lance's face, and there was clear distress in every feature of him. Lance remembered wondering how Keith could incorporate all that emotion in the simple lines he was given, and into every part of his face. 

Lance looked at Keith now, he was looking at the screen with worry. Lance leaned into him more to get his attention. Keith looked at him, he's biting the corner of his lip. 

"Stop worrying, you did great!: Lance whispered to Keith, he was certain no one else could hear him. Keith stopped biting his lip and nodded minutely. 

"Wow," Shiro said when the scene ended. Everyone else was silent- their faces spelled with surprise. The credits for that episode roll. 

"I bet you guys my whole salary that people are gonna ship Alexander and Robin." Lance gambled while sipping at his beer. 

"I'm right there with you," Pidge said with her expression still awestruck.

The rest of them hadn't seen the scene, and would have only known about it if they had read this scene in their script. It was a slightly romantic scene- in Lance's opinion. The writers didn't intend it that way- as far as Lance knew- and the directors didn't say anything about it like they had to Allura and Shiro about their characters. But Lance couldn't help but have a romantic take on the friendship between Alexander and Robin, and it seems that that translated into his acting cause he definitely saw something between the characters when in context of the show and not in the context of acting. Or maybe he just liked the idea of watching himself fall in love. 

The show was ten episodes long, every episode about a half hour, so it took about five hours to finish. They all stayed up to watch it though, almost no one even got up. It was a great show, in Lance's opinion, it was better than most shows he's seen. All of them were talking about it in excitement as they all cleaned up. It was all a jumble of everyone talking at the same time. 

Pidge: "Keith you were so right, those fight scenes looked sick!" 

Lance: "The effects were actually really good??? And we looked so good while fighting those werewolves!"

Hunk: "Y'know I thought the scenes with all the extras would be kind of clunky but they worked really well!"

Shiro: "You guys all did so well!"

Allura: "Yes, all of us did such a good job! I'm so proud of you all."

Pidge: "I swear- the fans better like it"

Keith: "Oh, they'll like it."

Shiro: "Adam says the responses are all really good so far!"

Allura: "Lotor told me to tell all of you how amazing you all were! He is excited for the interview in a couple weeks."

Lance: "Guys we all looked sooo hot. No joke there's gonna be some sexy fan edits and I, for one, am so here for it." 

Keith nudged Lance for that comment, but smiled all the same. They all went on for a while, but eventually decided they would talk about it more tomorrow, it was really late, or early. Luckily none of them had anything to do the next day. 

Everyone took their typical sleepover spots at Hunk's, Lance and Keith were on the couches again. It was dark outside, and they turned off all the lights. Lance was still buzzing from excitement, he was unable to sleep. 

"Keith?'

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep, I'm too excited."

"You won't be excited tomorrow if you don't get any sleep." Lance could hear Keith turn away from him. 

"Come on Keith! Don't be like that! We looked so good, I can't wait to see all the ship edits."

"You really think people will read it that way?" 

"That's how I read it." Lance shrugged to himself. Lance was surprised at the disbelief coming from his costar. 

"Really?"

"Yeah? Did you not? You acted like you read it that way."

"That's just the way I thought Alexander would react in those situations."

"Like he has a secret crush on Robin?" Lance laughed. 

"I didn't think that's what I was doing, but I'm not opposed to that reading I guess. If fans see themselves in that relationship or the characters than that's a good thing, right?"

"I'm excited to see what the writers are gonna do about it. Also sort of worried. If it wasn't for Adam having a lot of say I'd be worried that they would try to capitalize on it by queerbaiting, but I don't think Adam and Coran would allow that, y'know?"

"I don't know. It's a difficult situation-"

"It's not really though. Writers and actors that are uncomfortable with gay people and relationships say that. They just don't want to make the homophobic people watching angry and possibly lose money from it." Keith didn't reply, he knew that Lance was right, but what is he supposed to say? He just tried to sleep, and Lance got the idea and did the same. 

Lance looked on twitter the next day to see the thousands of new comments under the Hollowed Out tag 

jaxbodispray: Yall don't even understand the way this show has me rn

indigoisacolor: @jaxbodispray I'm right there with you! A cultural reset for sure 

pjacksonfan483: I am literally obsessed with Amber, please marry me [pictures and gifs of Amber]

hunnahmuntana81: No but the way that Hunk as Theo is the cutest man ever- look at this mans [pictures of Theo] 

hunnahmuntana81: I literally can't get over how handsome he is- Hunk did us so right with this 

foresttrail44: @hunnahmuntana81 okay but have you seen Grey??? This man is SO JACKED 

keith'sbiggestfan: Can someone please let Keith know that he doesn't have to be tHIS FUCKING HOT and talented????? His acting in this was top tier istg

lancedits34: Lance McClain I am in love with you [photos of lance at stream and of Robin] 

lancedits34: Also was anyone else picking up on something between Robin and Alexander???? Just me??? [photos of Robin and Alexander] 

heatedice696: @lancedits34 no I was definitely seeing something there too, idk if I ship them yet but there's def potential 

heatedice696: I mean, look at the way Alexander looks at Robin [photo of Alexander staring at Robin] 

iduna555: okay but can we please talk about how cute Gemma is? SHE HAS MY WHOLE HEART [photos of Gemma]

kitykatz390: I wish we lived in a world with fae and magic, I mean look at fae world [pictures of the fae world from the show]

wantednb!1: ok but the way all the characters grew so much and it's only been one season??? That writing??? Iconic

ohnoso90: I was so not ready for this show to be THIS DAMN GOOD! I thought it would just be some fun supernatural romp but y'all it's so good, if you haven't you NEED to watch it 

ohnoso90: if not for the story than for the acting, these guys were all talented in their previous shows and movies and the expectations for this show were high because of it. AND BOY DID THEY EXCEED EXPECTATIONS!!!!

hellspawn030: I've never seen such talented and raw performances from Katie Holt, Hunk Garret, Lance McClain, or Keith Kogane. They were all good in their previous shows, but the chemistry and dedication to their characters is so good istg. Of course Allura Altea and Takashi Shirogane are always fantastic, but even their performances in this felt new. Allura especially has never had such an interesting character, and her performance of Amber knocked it out of the park. 4.5 stars/ 5 stars for sure. 

hellspawn030: I only took 0.5 off because there's only ten episodes, I am starving for more content, please. I beg. 

gollygeejohn443: i wanna marry every character plz help im too bi for this [photo of all of the characters]

combat4kk: I finally understand why Keith talked about the fight choreo so often, as a theater fight choreographer, I can tell you that it was some impressive stuff for real, and most of the actors did their own stunts!

Lance was ecstatic that people loved the show so much, and he knew that people would think they were all hot. Take that Keith, he thought. 

The next couple days were full of people posting stuff on twitter and tumblr, Lance is totally loving it too. He called his family on the Sunday after it was released and had a very extensive conversation about literally everything. The call took up most of the day.

Two weeks later they had an interview with Lotor again, and they were all currently backstage. 

"I haven't seen any edits of me yet, but I trust that they'll be out soon" He told Keith, who was just looking at him with an unconvinced smile. 

"Really? I saw a couple of me already." He looked at his nails in faux distraction just to irritate Lance. Lance rolled his eyes and was about to say something rude when the stage hand told them they were on in a couple minutes. 

They all huddled together before they went on, it was their first interview after the show had been released, and it was nerve wracking. It is with Lotor, Allura's kind-of-boyfriend, so at least they all sort of knew each other. 

"Alright, no spoilers, try not to talk to each other unless you're also talking to the audience. Most important: have fun!" Shiro told them all as they shuffled together in their little circle. Lance knew this is abnormal for casts to be this close after one season, most jobs he's had there was always some animosity between some of the stars. It wasn't like that with these guys. 

"Now it is my pleasure to introduce the stars of Hollowed Out!" We heard Lotor announce, so we all walked on in a line. We all waved to the crowd as they cheered us on. It is certainly not a bad feeling. 

"Thank you for having us on your show again Lotor." Hunk said as the cheering died down. 

"It is so good to see all of you again! And that season? I mean-" He paused as people cheered. "It was fantastic! It was so exciting and it really shows off all of your talents." He finished saying. 

"It was certainly fun to make," Shiro mentioned. 

"Let's get right into it then! Are you all ready for some questions?" They all nodded with smiles as he got out his cards. "Alright first things first, can you all introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about your character?" 

"Sure thing!" Shiro started, since he was closest to Lotor. "I'm Takashi Shirogane, but I go by Shiro. I play Grey, who is the reluctant leader of the group. The characters are thrown into this mystical and scary world. Grey is the eldest of the group, so the others tend to look to him in any situation which leads to him becoming their leader throughout the season. He's a pretty serious guy, though it is clear that he has a soft spot for the rest of the group." 

"I'm Hunk Garret, and I play Theo. Theo is one of the tech people within the group. He's pretty open to all the weird obstacles he has to face in the season. He lets himself fall into a sort of fatherly figure too, always making sure everyone is doing alright."

"I'm Keith Kogane, I play Alexander. Alexander is the strongest fighter in the group but also the most hotheaded. He is impulsive, rude, and has some serious anger issues." Keith paused for the laugh, and continued, "He seems to understand more about the supernatural world than the rest of them, suggesting that he's had experiences with it before, which explains why he's so good with fighting." 

"Hey there! I'm Lance McClain, I'm playing Robin. Robin is a fighter, like Alexander, but he is new to the whole supernatural world. He was training to be a pilot before all this happened, and he doesn't really want to deal with all this crap that is thrown at him. You get the sense that all he wants is to be done with this world and go back to his old normal life."

"I'm Allura Altea, I play Amber. Amber is quite a powerful character, she already has experiences with the supernatural world and is seemingly able to use magic of some sort- though we haven't seen much of that yet."

"I'm Katie Holt, I go by Pidge, and I play Gemma. Gemma is the other tech person in the group, and she is definitely skeptical of the supernatural world from the start. She believes more in science and technology than magic and superstition."

"Thank you all, now onto the questions. We see in the show that the show explores magic along with tech, so how do these very different things work in tandem within the show?" Lotor asked them and Allura leaned forward to talk first. 

"Well, I think it is done quite elegantly. It is shown that the supernatural, the monsters, fae, magic, is all natural to the world. It is an intrinsic part of the universe. While technology is manmade, it develops over time as people understand more about the world. The two work together in the show through showing how progress in technology can help with progress in magic, and vice versa."

"That's a great answer. I just want to add that they aren't so different in their universe. Like, the magic that makes up the world isn't like it is in other stories. Magic is based on the inhabitants of the planet, it shifts to fit whoever is living there, like technology shifts depending on who's making it. And a lot of the tech has magic in it, like our weapons are enhanced with magic but build from tech. It's all intermingled." Pidge responded to Allura. 

"Those were great answers, thank you. Next, I have more of a personal question for you as actors. What was your favorite part of your character's storyline through the first season?" Lotor continued

"I'll start," Hunk said. "Without giving any spoilers, I really like Theo during the seventh and eighth episodes because he starts to grow into more of a leader instead of just a father figure. He grows to be more confident in himself and his abilities and I really like that he can grow that way."

"I think my favorite is when Gemma really starts to accept that tech cannot exist without magic, she had been begrudgingly worked with magic before but didn't really want to have to change her opinions because she's a very stubborn person. But in this one scene- that I won't get into for fear of spoilers- she has to change how she views the world and that means she herself has to change."

"Amber is a pretty evolved character at the beginning of the season, and I think most of her growth happens within future seasons, so this is a little tricky to answer. I suppose I always really like when she and Gemma get into a fight- over what Pidge was just talking about. Amber was more open to tech than Gemma is to magic, but she still didn't understand it too well. Without spoiling too much, Amber gets in a fight with Gemma, and later on in the season she uses tech to solve a problem instead of magic. She uses what Gemma taught her to help save her friends and as much as it seems small in the moment, it really is a big step for her character." Allura answered elegantly, as always. 

"I think mine is when Grey finally starts seeing himself as a leader, which is pretty early on in the season. Like Amber, Grey has a lot of character development in later seasons, so I won't get into that. But for season one, Grey has this growth from reluctant leader to a strong and confident leader who can delegate without feeling like he's losing power." Shiro answered. 

"Robin has a lot of good moments I think, but my personal favorite is when he really commits to the job. The whole season he's trying to get out of this fight, but near the end something happens and he just has to fight. It is entirely a personal choice that he makes because he finally realizes that his old life is gone, and really, he's grown out of that life too." Lance said, he tried to not to give much away, but all of them are basically giving away half of their character's arcs. 

"I know mine, it's the scene in episode seven with Robin. Alexander hasn't opened himself up to anyone yet, and he's basically been a stubborn and shut off jerk the whole time. But something happens, and he has to realize that he isn't right all the time and in that scene he finally opens up and lets himself be vulnerable." Lance knew Keith was talking about the scene where Robin got injured and Alexander had to apologize to him. It's a brilliant scene, and Lance is almost blushing just thinking about it. Keith's eyes were watering and his voice was rough, he looked beautiful. 

"Yes, that scene really was something, if you don't mind talking about it for a minute or so." Lotor said and they all nodded. "We have just a quick clip of that scene right here." The scene showed on the screen above them, it started pretty close to the end of the scene. Most of the acting from Keith that Lance liked so much was not being shown because of spoilers. 

"You don't get to keep doing that Alexander! You can't keep taking risks like that, you're hurting people. You're hurting me." Robin's voice rang throughout the auditorium. Lance can hear the hurt in his own voice, it's a really strange to hear his own voice sound so angry. And sad. His voice got so quiet when he said the last sentence, and he was pretty impressed with his own ability to put so much emotion into three words. 

"Robin I- I'm sorry." Alexander's face is written with guilt, realization, and understanding as he starts to understand why Robin has been trying to stop him from doing impulsive things all season. "I didn't think that... I thought it would just hurt me and I didn't care.... but now you're- And that's my fault. I'm sorry, Robin." Lance could hear Alexander's voice quiver and lose itself at the end as he sat down and put his head in his hands. There's quiet in the scene, as it shows Robin's face. This is when Robin is deciding to put aside his anger and hurt to comfort his friend. He is choosing to forgive Alexander, not necessarily because he deserves it- but because he needs it. 

Lance has to say that he thinks that comes across perfectly on his face. There's anger that turns to sympathy, then to hesitation and compromise. Then he puts his hand on Alexander's shoulder. Alexander takes his head out of his hands, his eyes are barely watery, to look at Robin's kind smile. The scene ends, and the lights come back up on stage. There's applause from the audience, and Lance notices Keith's embarrassed forced smile. 

"I mean- really guys, that's quite a scene right there!" Lotor beamed, all smiles and laughter. The audience seemed to agree with him, based on the applause. "Did you two have to do anything to prepare for this pretty intimate scene?" Lance and Keith looked at each other for a moment before Keith spoke. 

"To be honest, not really. I know that if the scene was with someone else we might’ve had trouble getting that vulnerable in front of each other, but it’s just Lance." The crowd seemed pretty surprised by that, and Keith seemed to have realized what he said a second later cause he adds on: "I mean with past show's casts. This cast is much closer than any show I've been in before, and that definitely changes how we prepare for scenes. With a costar from another show I might have had to run the scenes a few times, but with this cast I feel like we can do most things in one or two takes because of how close we are."

"Yeah it's about the chemistry between actors. With someone you don't know well it's hard to seem like you're friends, but Keith and I already are friends so it helps for sure." Lance tried to help Keith out, the crowd and Lotor seemed to accept that. 

"Well I'm afraid that's all we have time for folks, thank you again to the cast of Hollowed Out! Give them a round of applause everyone, they've been wonderful tonight!" They all wave and leave the stage, totally not rushing or anything. 

Once all of them were off stage, they walked down to the dressing rooms to chat. They planned to meet here after anyways, Adam likes to send them all the good news that rolls in after they aired. Keith and Lance sit next to each other on a couch with a sigh. Intense interview. 

"It's just Lance?" Pidge teased with crossed arms and stood in front of them. Even her green pantsuit seemed to be mocking the pair. 

"They know what I meant! Lance clarified it." Keith stuttered- for an actor he wasn't great with people teasing him. 

"It just made it sound like you and Lance are closer than the rest of the cast is." Shiro explained. He didn't look mad though, just inquisitive. "It's not a bad thing. But you have to know that the crowd will take that anyway they want. Lance, good job trying to cover that up." Lance nodded. 

"He kind of put us on the spot, I mean, that's the only scene he decided to show? What was up with that?" Lance asked aloud to the group. 

"I am sorry about that, I did not know he was going to play that clip- or I would have told you so you could prepare." Allura told them earnestly. 

"It's not your fault 'lura. It happens, it really isn't that big of a deal. The interview went really well!" Lance tried to cheer them up. 

"Yeah I thought our answers were really smart and thought out." Hunk tried to help Lance cheer everyone up. 

"Adam just texted!" Shiro said after pacing while looking at his phone. All of the members gathered around Shiro. "He said overall the interview went really well! People loved hearing about our take on our own characters! And he also wanted me to make sure to mention to Allura and Pidge that people loved the way you two talked about the tech and magic within the show!" Pidge held out her hand for Allura to high five, and she shyly obliged. 

"I bet there will be more news about it in the following days," Keith said, turning away from the group to walk to the door. Lance followed. 

"Hey," he touched Keith's arm lightly as he caught up with him. Keith barely turns his head to look at him. "You're magnifying." Lance told him. 

"What?" Keith asked as they grabbed their coats. 

"It's a cognitive distortion, look it up later there's a bunch of them, but you're magnifying right now. That means you're taking a small part of something that may be negative and making it seem like a much bigger deal than it is. The rest of the interview went really well! And that was barely even negative, fans already know we're friends."

"It's different in Hollywood." They exited and walked towards Keith's car. "Everything we do is magnified by the public. I went on a walk with my friend and hugged him- and from that people thought we were dating!"

"Okay there was more proof than that-" Lance interrupted but stopped when Keith glared at him. 

"People are already speculating about us, the more tiny, seemingly insignificant things I say the more 'proof' they have. And at some point it'll pile up so high that they'll start stalking me again! And everything we do together or say about each other will be under inspection and we'll lose all privacy!" He's barely shouting to Lance from over and across the top of the car. "And we'll have to distance ourselves from each other just so people will leave us alone! I don't want to have to lose my friend because of something stupid I said." 

Lance could tell Keith was really upset. That thing with Matt must've hit him harder than he let on. Lance has to admit that he felt touched that Keith was so worried about losing him as a friend. Keith didn't say that sort of thing often. Lance walked around the car so he's face to face with Keith. 

"Keith," Keith wasn't looking at him so Lance took his hands. Keith looked at him. "It'll be okay. We'll cut back on how public we are with our friendship. I do a lot of public things with my friends, but I don't have to. And hey, we aren't gonna stop being friends because of some flimsy rumors. I promise you right now that the public eye will not stop our friendship." Lance saw the sliver of Keith's smile come through. 

"Lance, if we're trying to get people to think we aren't dating, you might have to stop randomly holding my hands and standing suspiciously close to me." He tried joking at least, that means Lance succeeded in cheering him up, at least a little. 

"But I love holding your hands" Lance joked, that got Keith to laugh, actually laugh. Lance has always enjoyed that laugh, it's pretty rare though. He feels honored anytime he can get it out of him. Keith pulled his hands away and opened his door. 

"Get in the car, lover boy." 

Chapter Text

Keith couldn't help but enjoy all the press. It had been a while since he had heard this much about him from a show. As much as his old show got tons of love, including love for him and his character, his old character wasn't as complicated. His old character wasn't as hot either. Alexander certainly had his thirst trap-like moments. He was actually surprised at how many of the fan edits were of him fighting, or in situations were he was angry. People were weirdly attracted to instances like that. 

Lance kept showing him the fan edits of Robin, Lance was obsessed with them. Keith has to admit, they're pretty hot edits. Their fans were incredibly talented. Lance also showed him ship edits of every character pairing imaginable. Keith's favorite was actually Gemma and Amber's, they had some great moments- even if they were only ever going to be friends. Amber and Grey were getting together next season, so sadly, no mystical lesbians. 

"Keith, you are getting such good press from this. Everyone is in love with you now," Lance hollered to Keith from his couch. Keith was just staring at his phone from behind his counter as he sipped at a coffee. 

"Hm, good. Always wanted to be a heart throb." Keith mumbled sarcastically before taking another sip. 

"Joke all you want, but that's actually happening." Lance told him, he sat up slightly on Keith's couch so he could see him better. "Especially with bi girls and gay guys." Lance continued, showing Keith something on his phone. Keith had to walk over to the couch to read Lance's phone. Just a bunch of comments about him, more of the same. 

"Why are you under the Keith Kogane hashtag?" Keith asked while he sat down. Lance looked startled, like he'd been caught. He cleared his throat, but tried to cover it up with a laugh. 

"I was on the Hollowed Out tag and wanted to see what people were saying about you, so I could tease you about it." Lance kicked Keith as if to change the subject.

"Yeah yeah, when are we getting scripts for season two?" Keith moved on, and can feel Lance become less tense. 

"Uh, I wanna say next week. I think we're filming the sixth episode first, if I read the email correctly." Lance opened his email to show Keith, Keith didn't mind him leaning into to do so. He leaned right back into him as well.

Okay so maybe Keith's love language was touch. He loved being physically affection with friends and lovers- especially since he doesn't know how to show affection with words. He's always loved physical affection, but it was difficult to do so with friends when he was a celebrity, he was shown that to the extreme with Matt. So when he was in his own house he found it comforting to be able to touch like this, without any anxiety. He just hoped Lance didn't mind it. 

"What the hell are we supposed to do until then?" Keith asked in exasperation and tossed his own phone on the carpet. Lance whistled for Kosmo to come sit with them. Lance was now Kosmo's favorite guest. Adam and Shiro weren't happy to hear that, especially after they took care of her for so long. 

"I have an idea, but you might not like it." Lance said, suspiciously. 

"I do not like the sound of that." Lance just smiled at Keith's face.

"There's a bar in the west side that I've always wanted to go to since I moved to LA. I have never convinced anyone to go with me though." 

"We aren't really in the position to be going to bars, we would get swarmed. Unless this is like, a celebrity club?" Lance smiled in that way he does when he's up to something. A little sheepish, but overall confident that he knows more than the other person. 

"That's the thing about this bar- no one would recognize us."

"What? How?"

"You gotta agree to go with me first!" Keith knew that his curiosity, and desire to hide in plain sight, would get the better of him. 

"Okay fine." Lance fist pumped and jumped up from the couch. "So what's the magic plan that won't get us noticed?" 

Keith had never walked in heels this high. His experience with heels was pretty limited, but he'd had a good amount of costumes that required at least a bit of a heel. These bright red Stilettos were at least five inches, but Keith had to admit- they went along great with the ruby red sleek, sequin dress he was rocking. 

Yes, Lance had convinced him to go to a drag bar, drag was necessary just to enter the doors, but it was true that no one would recognize them. Lance had to call in a favor with our costumers at set to get the dresses and shoes, and he borrowed some makeup from Allura. Then they spent at least an hour watching YouTube tutorials on how to do drag makeup, and then attempted to do it on themselves. All the while trying out different voices they could use that night. Keith had never had that much fun in his own home. Something about Lance just made things feel less stressful and complicated. 

By the time they were done, they couldn't recognize themselves. The fake boobs and tape job was remarkably well done for people who had never done this before. Keith was wearing a thin and sleek red dress, with a sequin top. Lance was wearing a long, sparkly blue and white dress that had a slit up the leg. Keith's hair was long enough to style into a messy bun, but Lance had to borrow a blonde wig from costuming. 

Keith could not stop laughing as they got out of the taxi together- the driver was surprisingly kind to them both- because Keith could barely walk but Lance was strutting like a peacock. They waited in the club line, which wasn't too long, and just chatted. No one noticed them at all! No one pulled them aside and asked if they were famous, or asked for their autograph, or tried to take intruding pictures of them. Keith felt so free. 

"Okay, what should our names be?" Lance asked, he was speaking in a higher voice, and using an American accent just in case someone recognized his accent. 

"Our names?" Keith asked. He tried to use a British accent- which just made Lance laugh. 

"Yeah, we can't use our real names." 

"Right, well. We look like the Snow and Heat Miser from A Year Without Santa Claus, so..." Keith crossed his arms, his fake boobs being an obstacle he'd never dealt with before. Lance burst out laughing at his comment. 

"That's perfect, Heat Miser. Or maybe, Madam Heat Miser?" Keith chuckled. 

"And you'd be Mistress Snow Miser?" Keith asked and Lance laughed and clapped Keith on the back, which almost sent Keith in his heels to the ground- luckily Lance caught him. 

"Alright Madam, lets stay on our feet." Lance chuckled at him as they entered the bar.

It was loud, with throbbing pop music, the bass so loud the floor vibrates. Lance had an expression of awe about him, like someone looking at the Grand Canyon for the first time. 

People bumped into them on their way to the bar, but Keith didn’t mind. They got their drinks pretty fast, the service was great. 

“Hey, first time here?” A tall drag Queen asked them as they sat down. She had a kind voice, a little low, but it matched her attitude. She was wearing the biggest and most bizarre earrings Keith had ever seen, but they seemed to match her dress. Her make-up also flawlessly matched her dark complexion, the contour that Keith attempted looked so good on a professional. 

“How’d you know?” Lance asked, with a light hearted laugh. 

“I perform most Saturdays, and I been coming here most weekends since the 90s.” She sat down next to them and shook their hands. “My name’s Ms. Frizzle, like the school bus teacher.” 

“I loved that show!” Lance said in amazement as they all introduced themselves. 

“Our names are pretty tentative, but I’m going by Madam Heat Miser right now.” 

“And I’m Mistress Snow Miser,” Lance beamed. Ms. Frizzle laughs and smacked Keith’s shoulder. 

“I love your energy, and the summer- winter motif you got going on is adorable.” She stood back up from her seat as the lights in the room started to change. “I got to get to the stage now, I just wanted to welcome you two to the club. I’ll see y’all around.” She walked back behind the stage at the other end of the room. 

“Oh my gosh! This is so fun, thank you for coming with me!!” Lance said, gripping onto Keith excitedly. Keith got this warm feeling in his chest when he saw Lance that excited. 

“I’m glad you talked me into it! This is amazing!” Keith commented as they made their way to the dance floor after having finished their drinks. 

The show started soon after, Ms. Frizzle was the host of it too. The show consisted of different drag queens singing, dancing, acting, lip synching, or a combination. Everyone in the club sang along with some of the songs, and Keith had never felt so close to a community before. He never was really able to go to many pride events without being noticed as a celebrity. 

They talked to a bunch of people, some were newer to the crowd like them, some had been coming for decades. Everyone was kind though, and everyone accepted them into their group. 

The anonymity in this place made him feel like the people here liked him for him and not just because he was an actor. 

Keith was talking to someone by the name of Jezelle at the bar while Lance was still dancing. Jezelle and Keith had been dancing with him, but needed a break from the heels. Jezelle was also new to the scene and not really used to walking in heels. 

“I swear I’m getting blisters from these,” Jezelle said under her breath as she pulled her shoes off. Keith hissed out a sympathetic wince as he saw the blisters along her Achilles’ tendon. 

“I am too scared to take mine off. I think I’ll just be buried with them.” Keith joked, his shoes were a little too tight for comfort. Jezelle laughed and sipped at a cocktail. They both chatted while they watched Lance and some other people they met dance. 

“You and Snow together?” Jezelle asked after a little while, people in the club had shortened their nicknames to Snow and Heat. Which was totally fine with Keith, he was mostly joking about those names and Lance latched onto them. 

“Yeah we came together,” Keith answered and smiled at Lance as he and the others dropped to the floor in an organized dance. 

“No I mean- are you two dating? Or like, sleeping together or anything?” Keith was actually startled by this, they hadn’t even been doing much that Hollywood would have usually considered proof of a relationship. 

“Oh, no no. Nothing like that. We’re friends.” Keith hadn't let that slip through his mouth so easily before. It felt weird. Only people he’d ever considered his best friends before was James and Matt but he felt like Lance was sneaking up on that spot. 

“Right, so is it cool if I ask her out?” Keith blinked in surprise. Jezelle didn’t even know who Lance was. Knew nothing about him. Didn’t know his name or anything.

“I don’t- I mean. It’s not really my choice. It’s up to Snow. But if you like her, by all means.” Jezelle gave him the thumbs up and wandered over to Lance. Keith bit his lip as he watched them. Something about this didn’t feel right to him. 

It wasn’t Jezelle, she’s great. She was really nice and funny, and Keith was sure that their non drag Queen self was just as cool. Keith had actually really enjoyed talking with her, but something about watching Jezelle ask Lance out made Keith’s stomach turn. 

Maybe it was that they didn’t even know each other. Jezelle had said earlier, when they met, that Jezelle was just a persona. That outside of drag, they were a cis gay man, who just enjoyed drag. Didn’t even give a real name. And Lance hadn’t given his real name, he couldn’t. They don’t even know each other. 

Keith had had plenty of one night stands with people he didn’t know though. Many of which he couldn’t tell you the names of now. So why was this bothering him? 

He didn’t have to answer, as he watched as Lance politely declined Jezelle’s advances. From Keith’s view, it looked like she took it very well and moved on to dance with her friends- sans shoes. 

Lance walked over to Keith at the bar though. He sighed, he sounded content though. 

“Breaking Hearts?” Keith asked him. His fake British accent always brought a smile to Lance’s face.

“Shut up,” Lance shoved Keith’s shoulder. “We should get going soon. You have a meeting with Kolivan tomorrow.” 

“How’d you know that?” Keith chuckled. 

“I checked your schedule. You haven’t had too much to drink right?” Lance asked. 

“No, just two. Couldn’t walk in these things if I had anymore. You?” 

“Just the first one, then water. Y’know I’ve been staying away from it since I yelled at everyone.” Lance looked at the floor. 

“No one even cares Lance, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.” 

“I didn’t like it though, I know I scared Pidge and I was rude to all of you. It’s not a feeling I like.” 

“You’re too good of a person.” Lance turned to him and smiled. “You wanna dance while we wait for an Uber?” Lance nodded and pulled him onto the dance floor. 

He would say his dancing was better than it usually was now that he had heels and a dress. Something about the vibes just made him feel sexier, so his dancing felt like that. Now, his dancing with Lance wasn’t as close contact as it was with Matt, but it was more sexy than he would do with anyone else- besides Matt. 

They’re just messing around and having fun. Loving that there’s no scandal around them dancing. When their Uber arrived Keith tugged at Lance’s hand and they rushed to the car in a fit of laughter. 

They were still high on humor by the time they reached Keith’s place. It took a while to undress, Lance had a million pins in his wig and hair, and Keith had to figure out how to untape. They wiped off most of the makeup, but were too tired to get everything. They ended up falling asleep in Keith’s bed, both wearing old t shirts, soccer shorts, and those ridiculous heels they couldn’t get off. 

The group had agreed to meet up to read through the script together a few weeks later. They got the script for every episode but had only done a first read (an official one with the directors and full cast) for the first episode earlier that day. They were all gathered at Keith's condo this time, they usually did Hunk's house because he has the biggest place, but Keith had a dog. Pidge and Matt had a dog too actually, Bae Bae, but Matt didn't want any spoilers for the next season so Keith's condo it was. 

"Ooh Allura and Shiro get a make out scene in episode six!" Lance cheered from his corner seat of the couch with Kosmo curled up in his lap. Keith was next to him, Allura and Shiro were on the other side of them. Hunk was sitting in a cushioned chair that Keith had brought out from the guest room, and Pidge was on the floor leaning against the couch. 

"Yes Lance, they get together in episode five." Shiro said without looking up from his script, he sounded tired. Shiro and Adam recently started on the papers to adopt, but it was all very hush hush right now, meaning only Keith knew. It would take years for the whole process to be done- especially since they were both gay and celebrities. They would have to prove that they would be home enough to actually care for a kid, so they couldn't actually adopt until the show ended. 

"Yo Lance, have you read the blocking for episode seven yet?" Pidge said with a smirk on her face. 

"No?" Lance flipped through to the right page, his smile grew as he read on. 

"What is it?" Keith asked, looking over Lance's shoulder. It was a fight scene between Alexander, Robin, Grey, and some monsters. Keith skimmed for what Pidge was talking about. Then he found it. 

"Oh Ha ha Pidge." He grumbled when he found it. Alexander and Robin end up tumbling on top of each other during the fight and had to stay that way because Grey asked them not to move- the monsters they were fighting were blind but could hear really well, Grey had a plan to finish off the last one, but needed everyone else to not make a sound. "Why would they even write that in?" Keith muttered.  

"It's fucking funny," Pidge chuckled along with Hunk when Pidge shows him the page. 

"It's growing the sexual tension between Robin and Alexander so when we finally have our sex scene it makes sense!" Lance joked and Keith nearly choked on his coffee when Lance commented that with full confidence. Pidge broke out laughing and even Shiro cracked a smile. 

"Wait there's a sex scene? Already?" Hunk asked in utter confusion as he flipped through the last couple episodes. Which only made Pidge laugh more. Keith elbowed Lance, who is still laughing. 

"There's no sex scene Hunk. Lance is being a dick." Keith told Hunk, who just made a soft 'oh'. 

"I'm telling you, there will be in later seasons! Robin and Alexander are gonna get together if it kills me." Lance insisted, Allura smiled and rubbed Keith's shoulder sympathetically, which slightly confused Keith. 

"You just want to make out with Keith," Pidge teased and crossed her arms. 

"Yep, you got me." Lance joked, then turned into Keith to pretend to kiss him, Keith shoved him off while the room laughed, including the two of them. 

"This is why we never get any work done," Shiro commented with a fake sincerity. He still had that tired smile but he laughed along with the rest of them. 

"That's why you love us, Shiro." Allura gave him a cheeky smile. 

"Pidge is rubbing off on you," Shiro told Allura with an eye roll. 

"Yeah Allura and I are besties," Pidge added and gave Allura a high five. Allura just laughed, her laugh sounded like bells, like something you'd expect from a fairy. 

The afternoon went on as normal, they ran lines for the sixth episode since they were filming it first. Keith pretty much had memorized his lines for the scenes they were filming first. Lance and him certainly had more scenes together this season, Keith sort of understood why Lance thought they were going to get together. Keith knew that the writers were going for a reluctant friends who sometimes squabble that turns into a sort of mutual respect and admiration that then turns into really close friends- but Keith totally saw how it could be read as two people falling in love. They'd just have to wait and see what the writers had in store for them. 

The rest of the group eventually left, they had first day of filming in a few days. Lance stayed behind- mostly because he fell asleep with Kosmo on top of him. Kosmo still didn't move once Lance woke up, so Keith had to make dinner by himself. 

"Hey Keith," Lance said while Keith was cutting up some vegetables. 

"What's up, sleepy head?" 

"My lease for my place is up in two weeks..." 

"Wait so are you gonna just re-lease it? Or do you have to move?" Keith suddenly got a little anxious. They became friends because they carpooled and Lance came over all the time to be with Kosmo, would that not happen if he moved away? And now that they're trying to not do as much public stuff because of paparazzi that would also cut down on their time together. He felt kind of stupid about all this, but he wasn't good at making friends. 

"I could- but I don't really like the place that much, so moving is probably what I'll go with." He calmly pet Kosmo's head and scratched his ears. 

"Hm, Kosmo will miss you coming over constantly, you're her favorite." He dumped the cut up vegetables into the broth he was making- chicken noodle soup is good for the throat and with filming coming up they need that. 

"Not if I move in here." Lance bit his lip when Keith looked up to him. Keith wasn't sure what he was feeling in that moment. 

"You don't think that we'll drive each other crazy? We'll work together and live together. Plus we spend all our time together." 

"I mean, if you don't think it's a good idea then it's fine. I'll find a new place-"

"That's not what I meant- It'd be great if you moved in, I just don't want to ruin our friendship by crowding each other or something." Keith couldn't look at him for a second. He didn't know how to do this. The whole friends and roommates thing wasn't exactly his forte. He's always messed it up in the past. But what were the options here? 

"I don't think we would, we already spend all our time together." 

"I'd be fine with you moving in, but you gotta promise me that we won't get tired of each other." 

"How could I get tired of Keith Kogane?" Lance smiled from the couch. Keith gave him a levelled look. He's fully aware of the fact that Lance did not like him for a while when they were getting to know each other. 

"So you're moving in?" Keith put a lid on the soup and walked over to sit with Lance and Kosmo. 

"Yeah, moving in." Lance leaned onto Keith more with his most irritating smile. 

"Okay, here we are, back on set again! Our first week or two of shooting is always our biggest set days. So today we have the most amount of people on set, with a bunch of people playing monsters and the like. They're all super talented stunt people, it'll be super exciting!" Pidge says into the camera she has facing herself, with the first day of filming the video diary is starting up again. 

What Pidge neglected to mention was that they had to get there at 5:30 to get into makeup, hair, and costume. They were shooting big scenes all week, long and with a lot of cast so their hours were long. They would probably only get out today at 10pm, the hours change throughout the week too. Tomorrow they would start around 7am and end even later. 

"They've been training a lot longer than we have too, so we're gonna try really hard not to mess up." Hunk added, biting his nails. They all had to do some stunts and Hunk was new to it, so he was pretty anxious about it. 

"Hunk it'll go great! And it's okay if it takes a couple of takes." Lance told Hunk, patting him on the back. 

"Let's go check in on Keith, he's getting his make up done right now!" Pidge says as they all walk over to the makeup area. Keith is sitting in his chair as his makeup artist made him look like he'd just gotten the ever living shit beaten into him. His whole face was looking like a bruise, and was currently getting fake blood painted on the side of his face. 

"Ooh Keith, looking like shit!" Lance teased as he squeezed into the frame. Lance also had bruises and fake blood on him, they looked pretty similar. 

"Aw thanks Lance, you too!" Keith said with a sarcastic smile and ruffled Lance's hair. 

"You guys are just throwing gas on the fire," Pidge muttered as she watched the two men hit each other. 

"Aren't even trying to hide it at this point," Hunk whispered back to her. 

"Boys are already getting into trouble?" Allura asked as she entered the frame, already in full costume and makeup. "Oh! The video diary! Hello all!" Allura smiled and walked over. 

Once Keith's makeup was done he joined the group, they were mostly just making jokes and talking about what they had done over break. He was surprised when his phone started vibrating, he thought he had turned off all sounds on his phone while on set. He was even more surprised at the caller ID. 

"I gotta take this," Keith said quietly, Lance noticed but didn't follow him. Keith heard Lance say "Probably just his agent," as he walked away. 

"Krolia?" He asked, once he was far enough away for anyone to hear him. 

"Keith, it's good to hear your voice again. Sorry I haven't called in a while." Keith just huffed, last time he talked to her was last Christmas, almost a year ago. "I'm not bothering you am I? I don't know your hours for work." 

"I have a couple of minutes, was there a reason for your call today?" 

"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your show! I just finished it yesterday, I really liked it, more than your other show. That one wasn't as fun. I've watched a couple of your interviews, you seem to get along really well with your cast mates. I'm glad you got to do something with Shiro, I know you've always looked up to him."

"Yeah well, he's my big brother. And yeah, I get along really well with these guys. I'm glad you liked the show, I'm actually on set right now for the next season so I should go." He rattled off quickly, not ever wanting to prolong conversation with her. 

"Wait! I also wanted to ask what you thought about me coming over for Christmas? I know it's a month away, but I'm close to California in my travels anyway." Keith didn't respond, he didn't really like the idea of seeing her right now. "Just think it over and call me back later, okay?" 

"Yeah, okay. Bye." 

"Bye Keith, Love you." Keith hung up and resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. He was almost fuming, she doesn't talk to him for a year and then expects him to be okay with her intruding into his life like she's earned that right? She was missing from his life from age nine to age twenty-two, and even then she didn't even really do much to make up for not being there. 

Keith turned his phone off and put it with the rest of his things before stalking off to the green screen set. 

They didn't have much more time before they had to actually start shooting. Keith went through the motions most of the day, he didn't actually have much acting required for these couple of scenes, it was mostly stunts on his behalf. Stunts and quick shots of them doing cool stuff. It was stuff he did all the time on his old show, so when the day was done, he mostly didn't even notice. 

"Alright Keith, you ready to go home?" Lance asked tiredly as they finished getting out of costume.

"Home?" Allura asked as she wipes off her makeup. 

"Lance moved in, his lease on his apartment was up last week. He's over all the time anyway." Keith shrugged as he went to take his hair out of the pony tail. 

"Keith no! Leave your hair up! It looks so good up!" Lance fussed as he messed with Keith's hair, he stood behind Keith and they both look at themselves in the mirror. 

"You're ridiculous," Keith said as he moved out of the way of Lance's hands. 

"You guys realize that Pidge and Hunk are filming for the diary over there, right?" Shiro asked. "You guys being all couple-y is going to be in every background shot." Shiro laughed but Keith just rolled his eyes. 

"We are not being couple-y! Besides, they can't hear us from all the way over there." Lance pointed at Pidge and Hunk who are walking around the set still. 

"Yeah, okay Lance." Shiro said as he grabbed his jacket. 

"Let's go," Keith snapped and the two made their way out. 

"Me fixing your hair is not a couple-y thing to do! We have makeup and hair artists who touch our hair all the time and no one ever says anything about that!" Lance complained when they get to the car. Keith just rolled his eyes and put on the radio. 

"Shiro is just looking out for us, people interpret things however they want."

"Hey, you feeling alright today?" Lance asked, completely changing the subject. 

"What? Yeah?"

"You just seemed super out of it. Like you did your lines and actions but didn't talk much besides that."

"Oh, I guess the scenes today just weren't something I was super into."

"You love fight scenes." Lance sounded worried. 

"I like actual fight scenes, like one on one combat. This was a lot of group work, and it lacked the same spark that Axca's choreo had. I'm glad she's doing the rest of the fights."

"You're just mad that you didn't get punched or punch anyone."

"Pfft, what are you talking about?"

"You do all your own stunts and fight scenes, even if it means that you get thoroughly beaten. Last season you could have gotten a stunt double to get pushed off that building but nooo you wanted to do it yourself."

"It's more authentic. Then I know exactly what my character would be feeling. Well, kinda. Alexander didn't have a mat to fall on when he fell." 

"You're insane, Kogane." They arrived home and entered their building. Lance didn't actually have much to move in, mostly clothes, so the place didn't seem much different. If anything, it seemed homier to Keith. 

Keith turned his phone back on, his mom had texted him a couple times, just stuff about visiting her parents for Christmas. He liked his grandparents fine, they were very kind but tended to take their daughter's side in everything. He thought he should probably tell Shiro about this. He'd want to know. He'd want to help Keith feel better. Keith wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Shiro would say though. 

"Oh hey, what'd Kolivan have to say?" Lance asked after putting his stuff away in his room. 

"Hm?"

"He called you before we started filming today." 

"Oh, that wasn't Kolivan, it was uh- it was my mom." Keith tried to sound casual. 

"Your mom? Wait your mom called? That's why you've been weird all day!" Lance exclaimed, rushing over to Keith. Lance grabbed Keith's arms and examined his face. 

"Okay, maybe, but it doesn't matter. I'm fine."

"What'd she say? What happened?" 

"Just- it doesn't matter. Christmas plans. Which is kind of funny honestly, cause the last time she talked to me or saw me was last Christmas." Keith threw his hands up in exasperation and Lance tilted his head. 

"Why didn't you reach out to her?"

"Because every time I tried for thirteen years she didn't respond!" Keith yelled as he slipped out of Lance's grip. "She ignored her only child for years every time I tried! I would have been fine if she never came back into my life, that was her decision! So I shouldn't have to be the one to reach out and try to make it better! It isn't my job." Lance leaned against the counter and gave Keith a second to breathe. 

"Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't do anything wrong. It’s just been a really tiring day, and I’m pissed at her." Keith told him, Lance smiled sadly and hugged Keith gently. Even with all the increased physical affection between the two of them they didn't actually hug very often. Keith thought it was odd for a second before letting himself be comforted. 

"It's all good, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I suggested that you did something wrong. I have no idea what you're going through." Lance muttered into his shoulder. Keith just hooked his head over Lance's shoulder and hugged back. It was nice to have someone here for him besides Shiro- who always had the same things to say about Krolia. 

Keith decided he would text his mom back later. 

“And look! We’re the best roommates! Our first fight and it wasn’t even really a fight! We’re great at this.” Lance was obviously trying to cheer him up. 

“Yeah we’ll definitely never have any problems, but we might if you keep leaving the sink counter covered in water.” Keith joked as he walked away. 

“Yeah whatever,” Lance yelled to him as Keith got ready for bed. They had about ten hours before they had to be back on set. The people he really felt bad for was the crew, they were working their asses off and have to reset a scene if the actors mess up. 

“Goodnight Mullet!” Lance yelled to Keith before he went to bed. He’d done that every night since he’s moved in. 

“Go to sleep!” Keith always yelled back, glad that Lance could never see his smile as he said it. 

Chapter Text

Rooming with Keith was the best decision Lance had ever made. Keith was quiet, he had the best dog in the world, Lance's room was sweet, Keith either cooked or ordered dinner most nights, and he was usually pretty clean. Lance did the dishes most days but he felt it’s fair because he hasn’t cooked even one thing since he arrived. 

He was reveling in the peace he had. Besides the stressful schedule. They had gotten through hell week- the shoots with all the extras and big scenes- they now were working on the rest of the fight scenes. He kept telling himself it’s just another month or so before it’s just the main six actors on set. Those are the best days. 

“Lance can you feed Kosmo?” Keith called to Lance from the other room. Lance was getting ready for work that day, just finished dressing. Not that it even matters what he wears. 

“Why can’t you?” Lance asked with a friendly smile as he strolled into the living area. Keith was in the kitchen making something. 

“I’m making breakfast! You know you can’t go to set without some food- you get all grumpy.” Lance smiled and leaned on the counter with his arms crossed. 

“Whatcha making?” He asked, Keith turns to him with a pan full of eggs. 

“Omelets. Now go-” Keith pointed to Kosmo, who was waiting by her food dish like a little lady. 

“Now who’s my precious little lady? Who’s such a good dog!?” Lance asked Kosmo in his pet voice. Kosmo got up and wagged her tail happily. “What a wonderful girl,” Lance told her as he poured out her breakfast. Kosmo gratefully licks his arm before devouring her food. 

“You’re spoiling her.” Keith commented as they ate their omelets. 

“She deserves it.” Lance smiled over at her. Keith smiled at him, though Lance can barely see from his peripherals. 

“Lance! I had the best idea the other day!!” Hunk started as they get into makeup. 

“What is it?” Lance always gets all excited whenever Hunk has ideas- he’s a genius. 

“Okay- hear me out y’all- karaoke.” He looked around the room at all the other cast members. Keith and Shiro raise one eyebrow, while Pidge and Allura started to buzz in excitement as well. 

“Hunk- my man, my bestie, my home slice- that is brilliant!! I knew you were a genius!” Lance clapped him on the shoulder him with a huge smile, which Hunk kindly reciprocated.

“I’m not too excited about singing myself, but I would love to see Lance make a fool of himself so I’m there.” Pidge said with a smirk. 

“Pidge, you do know Lance was in a show all about singing right?” Shiro asked, barely smiling. 

“Really? So you won’t be the worst singer there? Dammit.” Pidge snapped her fingers jokingly. 

“No- that would be me.” Keith said grimly. 

“Oh my gosh that’s right! You guys haven’t heard Keith sing yet!” Shiro started cracking up. Keith glared at him with a slightly red face. 

“Shiro! Shut up! That was years ago! I’m better now.” Shiro just shrugged while still chuckling. 

“Okay we have to know what happened?” Lance asked Shiro, who got a huge smile and leans in. 

“Shiro! No way!” Keith looked at him exasperatedly. Shiro rolled his eyes and leaned back. 

“I’ll tell you later,” Shiro whispered with a mischievous smile.

“I love karaoke!” Allura interjected. “Could I bring Lotor? I’d kinda like you guys to get to know him more.” Allura’s face is a little redder, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. 

“Of course! I was thinking we could open it up to all of cast and crew actually, not a mandatory thing but just a ‘hey if you wanna hang’ sorta thing.” Hunk waved his hands about while talking. 

“Sounds great Hunk, Adam and I would love to go.” Shiro said as he got up to go to costume. 

“Could Matt come?” Pidge asked and Lance tensed momentarily. 

“Totally!” Hunk responded. Pidge got a pleasant look on her face, she really adores her brother. Lance though, he’s not a fan. Something about him just pisses him off. 

“Oh my god, Matt singing though Pidge?” Keith laughed and shook his head, standing up to get to costumes. 

“Yeah yeah, he’s horrid. But it’ll be funny.” Pidge grinned and they walk over to costumes together. 

“What about you Lance? You have anyone you’d want to invite?” Hunk asked him as their makeup artists do their final touches. 

“Oh, me? No. I haven’t been on a date in a while. I actually hooked up with someone in Cuba a couple times, but nothing serious.” 

“Oooh sounds fun, what happened?” One of the things Lance loved most about Hunk is how willing he is to gossip and giggle with Lance like they’re teenagers again. 

“Just someone I knew in high school, her name is Dolores. We were best friends in high school but I think there was always something between us. Nothing now, of course, since I'm here, but it was nice to see her for a bit.” 

“But no one in LA?” 

“Not so far. You know I dated Nyma, from my old show, for about a year like two years ago or something. Since then just a couple flings, nothing I would even consider a real relationship.” 

“Do you want one?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe. It might be nice, but I’m always kinda concerned people only like me cause I’m semi-famous.” 

“That wouldn’t happen if you dated someone in the industry.” 

“True, but what about you? Any hot ladies?” Hunk immediately started blushing and looked away. 

“Well…” 

“Ooooh!! Who is it!!” Lance did a little dance on their way to costume. 

“Okay remember Shay from last season?” 

“Eeeh! Yes!! The one who’s supposed to return this season?!” 

“Yeah, we’ve sort of been seeing each other.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Dude that’s awesome! She’s so cool! How long?" 

“I know, she’s amazing and it’s going so well!! We went on a date after the wrap party!” Hunk’s voice got higher as he gets excited.

"I'm so glad it's going well! I love Shay!" 

"Yeah, I'm really happy we gave it a shot. I haven't seen anyone in a while so it's nice to have someone as kind as her in my life." 

He and Lance squeal for a minute or two before they have to get back to set.

The day was exhausting- so many fight scenes from so many different angles. Everyone was so tired by the end that Pidge didn’t get out the camera even once. 

“So Hunk- when’s this karaoke happening?” Shiro asked as they all get ready to leave. 

“Oh well, the only time off we have for filming is Dec. 20th through Dec. 27th. I figured like the 27th or something like that.” 

“Sounds great! Lotor and I will be there!” Allura said as she leaves. 

Keith and Lance left together, as always. They’re both so tired that they don’t have much to say. 

“What were you and Hunk squealing about before shooting? You sounded like teenagers.” Keith questioned with a smile when they get in the car. 

“Oh! He and Shay are seeing each other! I don’t know if they’re official or anything so don’t tell anyone until he tells people but isn’t that exciting?!” Lance can feel his body getting less tired as he talked about his friend’s good news. 

“I knew they would! They were always talking last season, they’re so cute.” Lance turned to Keith with a surprised smile. He did not expect to hear such investment and care from Keith. 

“Yeah, so he and Shay, Allura and Lotor and Shiro and Adam are the power couples of the set.” 

“Ugh Shiro and Adam. I love them both- but I am tired of how lovey dovey they are.” Keith groaned loudly. 

“I think it’s cute!” 

“You didn’t have to live with them.” Lance laughed, Keith doesn’t. 

“You gonna bring a date?” Lance asked. “Seems like everyone is except for me and Pidge.” 

“I’m not dating anyone?” Keith said like he was confused.

“Yeah but still. I don’t know, Hunk asked me so I figured I’d ask you.” 

“Nah I haven’t been on a date in- well. A while.” 

“You and James weren’t that long ago.” 

“He and I weren’t dating?” 

“What? Okay enough of this- full story time.” Keith groaned and hit his head on the top of the steering wheel- luckily they were at a red light. 

“What’s there to tell? We were best friends and we worked on the same set for a while. We liked each other and one day we finally talked about it and instead of doing anything rational- we just had sex and it ruined everything.” 

“He’s that bad?” 

“Shut up, no. It just made things different. We moved too fast and it just wasn’t the right move for us. We talked more the next day and I just wasn’t ready for a serious relationship with him yet, but he was. So that was that.” Lance could see the white of Keith’s knuckles on the steering wheel, he was gripping that hard. 

“If you weren’t ready then you weren’t ready. No need to get mad at yourself for it.” 

“I know it’s just- he got mad because- I don’t know. If I wasn’t ready with him, with how close we already were, then will I ever be?” They pulled into the driveway. 

“Keith-” Lance started, he stopped when Keith turned to look at him. No expression. 

“Never mind- it doesn’t matter.” 

“Keith, man, come on. It’s okay, you’ll find someone. Or you won’t- and that would be okay too.” 

“Yeah yeah, come on, let’s get inside. I’m exhausted.” 

That week went about the same every day. Wake up early to get to work and work all day to get home late. They were able to record a couple fun things for the video diary but not as much as they usually do, since work was so tiring every day. 

“Alright guys! Tomorrow is our last day on set before we have our winter break! Let’s go around and ask some people what they’re gonna do over break!” Hunk cheered into the camera before walking over to the makeup team. 

“Summer and Greyson! What are you guys doing over break?” He asked his own team. Summer being a very kind and quiet makeup artist, Greyson being her very boisterous boyfriend who does hair. 

“We’re gonna visit my family over in Phoenix, then Summer’s family in San Fransisco.” Greyson answered with a bright smile. Lance always sorta liked him, if he and Summer weren’t the best couple ever he would’ve asked him out. 

“That sounds fun! Are you guys flying or driving?” Hunk asked, Lance knew that Hunk is friends with them outside of the industry. 

“Driving, we love a road trip!” Greyson said, Summer just nodded and took Greyson’s hand. 

“I get nervous on airplanes,” She confessed and Greyson leaned into her shoulder with a smile. Dream couple. 

“For those who don’t know- Greyson does my hair and Summer does my makeup. We also hang out plenty outside of set though, I went to high school with Summer.” Hunk told the camera. 

“Yeah Hunk and I go way back- couldn’t believe we got to do a project together!” Summer said happily. 

“I should just make you guys my team for every show, you guys are great! Alright I gotta go ask more people, thanks for your time! Happy holidays!” 

He interviews every Make-up and hair team, even the ones he doesn’t know well. Lance doesn’t have a scene for a while so he watches and occasionally will say something. He’s only here this early cause Keith has to go over the fight choreo for today before they film it, and he has a scene later on so might as well. 

“Alright Keith, Shiro, and Pidge are practicing some fight stuff but Allura and Lance are right here!” Hunk walked over to Allura and Lance who are sitting on the couch in the green room. 

“Hey Allura! What are you doing for the holidays?” 

“Nothing much, my family doesn’t really celebrate Christmas. We usually get each other one gift each just for fun, but no tree or big Christmas celebration. I think I’m going to visit Lotor’s family though, they celebrate.” She explained. She has her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail for most scenes, she is currently adjusting the tie. 

“What about you Lance?” 

“Well usually Christmas is a huge thing at my house, I have a big family so lots of celebrating. I sadly cannot go back to Cuba this season, but I’m gonna video call them all the time.” 

“Same with me, I can’t visit my Grandparents in Somoa but I can visit my parents for like a day before they leave.” 

“Dude! We should hang out!” Lance slapped the table in excitement, he was worried about spending Christmas alone after his call ended. 

“Is Keith going away?” Hunk asked and Lance tilted his head a little. 

“I actually have no idea what he’s doing. I sort of assumed he was.” Just then, Shiro, Pidge, and Keith entered the room.  All of them headed towards the coffee station. 

“Hey guys! What are y’all doing for the holidays?” Hunk asked as he stood up to film them. 

“Not much, Matt and I are gonna spend some time back home with our parents but we don’t celebrate Christmas so not much.” Pidge shrugged one shoulder lazily. 

“You’re Jewish right? Do you guys celebrate Hanukkah?” 

“Not really, we have a menorah and give each other some small gifts, but it’s not that important of a holiday to my family.” Pidge explained as she sipped on black coffee like the heathen she was. 

“My mom is visiting I think, so I might be at my grandparent’s for a day or something.” Keith shrugged, sitting down next to Lance. 

“Uh, Mom and Dad are expecting you to come home with Adam and I.” Shiro told him with a lifted eyebrow. Turned out that Keith didn't tell his brother about his mother's request and Shiro did not look happy about it. 

“Well of course, when is that?” Keith asked. Shiro turned to the camera. 

“Adam, Keith and I are gonna go back home to visit my parents.” 

“You gonna visit Adam’s family?” Hunk asked and Shiro shook his head. 

“Adam was raised in the foster system,” Shiro told him concisely. Hunk apologized for assuming and they all went on talking about plans. 

Hunk eventually turned off the camera. Which then had everyone talking more liberally. 

“Shiro you know Krolia is gonna want me with her and my grandparents on Christmas Day.” Keith told with a tired look in his eyes.  

“Yeah, that somehow doesn’t surprise me.” Shiro sighed, sounding bitter. Lance was taken back, he’s never heard Shiro sound so bitter. “Okay come over for Christmas Eve, then you can go back to your grandparent’s for Christmas Day?” Shiro proposed with a tight jaw. 

“Yeah, that would work.” Keith grumbled. Lance got the impression that he really didn't want to see his mother again. Lance hadn't heard too much about their relationship but knew that it was contentious, at best. 

“So you and Lotor are going public with your relationship?” He overheard Hunk ask Allura. 

“Hm?” She looked at him a little confused.

“You told the camera you were going to his place, we are going to show this to other people. Pidge can probably cut it out if you want though.” 

“Oh! We are not public right now, but we will be by the time we post the video.” Allura explained with a happy smile.  

“Makes sense, do you think people will be surprised?” Pidge asked. 

“To hear about us dating? Maybe, we haven’t been in anything together, never done even a photo shoot for the same brand.” Allura shrugged and looked off like she was considering it. 

“Nah, people will just see how pretty you both are and not care how it happened.” Lance commented, butting into the conversation. 

“Yeah there might be a quick article about speculating, but I doubt anything big or important. People have more fun with rumor relationships than they do with real couples.” Allura answered. 

“Yeah way more conspiracies around Matt and I than James and I- who actually had a relationship.” Keith scoffed angrily. He and Shiro turned into the conversation now, both happy to stop the holidays chat. 

“There was some speculation on twitter while you guys were in that show together.” Shiro reminded him. 

“Yeah but there wasn’t a full article about it,” Keith mumbled petulantly. 

“I know I’ve had several rumors and slander about me and some of my costars just because we got along in interviews. Paparazzi make me sick.” Allura scoffed.  

“Excuse me? You six are needed on stage five.” A cute stage manager said. He must be new because Lance hadn’t seen him before. He smiled ever so slightly at the stage manager and he blushed under his stare. He looks a little younger than Lance, maybe twenty three or twenty two. 

Everyone started walking to the stage, Lance made sure to straggle back so he could talk to the new kid. 

“Hey, you new here?” Lance asked him, as they walk to the stage together. 

“Me? Oh yeah, this isn’t my first set though. I worked on a couple films before this.” He gestured a bit with his hands as he spoke. It was endearing, honestly. He also had an accent that sounded similar to Lance's. If Lance had to guess, it would be somewhere in northern South America. 

“Yeah? Anything I’d know?” Lance tilted his head and the man bit his lip anxiously under Lance's gaze. 

“Probably not- a lot of independent projects about lesbian couples and mental health.” Lance laughed and the stage manager rubbed the back of his neck while he chuckled. “I was an intern on Infinity War though, I just got coffees and stuff.” 

“Whoa! Really? Did you meet any of the main actors?” Lance asked excitedly and he nodded. 

“I mean, I was just grabbing coffees for the directors. I got to see them film though, that was pretty cool.” 

“That’s awesome! I haven’t been on any big sets like that.” 

“You’re joking right?” He started laughing. “You were on High Stakes! And Hollowed Out is huge!” 

“You watched High Stakes? The glee ripoff?” Lance asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah! I loved it!” Lance feels his face heat up, this guy’s eyes were staring right at his. His dark brown eyes were really pretty. 

“Really? I always thought it was kind of silly.” They arrived at their stage and Lance stopped before he had to walk onto the filming area. 

“I really like musicals, so, y’know.” He shrugged and looked away. He had a really nice smile. He checked his watch and looked at the director Coran. Coran nodded at him and the cute guy’s face went into work mode- like he had before Lance started talking to him. “Alright everyone, places!” He called and started to walk away. 

“Wait, sorry I didn’t catch your name.” Lance asked him, a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s Kaleel,” Lance shook his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Kaleel.” 

“You too, Lance.” Lance blushed as he realized that he didn’t even introduce himself- Kaleel already knew who he was. Lance wasn't sure why that embarrassed him a bit. Kaleel worked there after all. Maybe because Lance didn't also know his name? 

Lance strolled to his mark and got into character, pushing everything out of his mind that wasn’t Robin. 

They finished up around 9pm, and all the actors started getting ready to leave. Lance wanted to catch Kaleel before he left. 

“Hey Kaleel, sorry are you busy right now?” He walked over to him, all while still wiping his face down with a makeup remover wipe. 

“Yes, sorry, I have to oversee the crew taking everything down.” He was distracted while Lance talked to him. 

“That’s okay! Sorry for bothering you.” Lance replied, really not minding- the guy was just doing his job. 

“You aren’t bothering me! It’s just- Yeah that goes just over there-” He told a crew member carrying a light fixture. “It’s just a bad time- Careful not to drop that, Rafael, it’s worth more than my paycheck.” He said as they walked together, pointing at another crew member carrying something heavy. “I won’t be done with all this for at least another hour and a half. Coran you headed out?” He asked Coran, who nodded and left. 

“All good, I’ll just talk to you tomorrow?” Lance asked as he continued to follow Kaleel around. 

“Yeah I’d love to chat more, I’m sorry I can’t right now- I swear I’m not usually this rude.” Kaleel laughed a little while he wrote some stuff down on his clip board. 

“All good, see ya,” Lance walked away as he saw more people walk up to Kaleel with questions and a bunch of stuff in their hands. Kaleel smiled apologetically as he had to walk away. 

Lance leaves to find Keith, he was just gonna ask for Kaleel’s phone number, but he can always ask tomorrow. 

“Hey man, where’ve you been?” Keith asked with a foot tap, ready to go. 

“Just talking to the cute new stage manager.” He grinned confidently. 

“Oh?” Keith hummed with a smirk. 

“His name is Kaleel, and uh, that’s all I know so far.” 

“Oh yeah? Which one is he? I didn’t get a look at him, mostly cause my eyes weren’t glued to him, unlike yours.” Keith teased, pushing his arm as they walk to Keith's car. 

“He’s has really pretty dark brown eyes, short afro, wearing all black, he had a head set- cause you know he’s one of the main stage managers- his skin is a little darker than mine, he has nice big arms but besides that he looks pretty thin.” 

“Wow, did you like, watch him all day?” They start driving home, the traffic isn’t that bad for this time of day. 

“No! I’m just very observant. I think he had an accent, I didn’t talk to him long enough to place it though.” 

“You gonna ask him out?” 

“I might, I want to get to know him first though. I was gonna ask for his number but he was super busy. Looks like he’s like super important or something. Kinda hot honestly.” 

“Pfft, you find everything hot.” 

“Wrong!” 

“Yeah okay whatever.” 

“Last day on set! Last day on sat!” Pidge chanted into the camera with Hunk. 

“It’s only a week off from set but it feels weird to be away when we’ve been here constantly for a month.” 

“I am glad for the break, as much as I like it here, and I do, this week was exhausting.” Shiro said to the group, he does look a little more tired than usual. He’s been weird lately, closer to the end of his rope than usual. Adam too, Lance would be worried that they were fighting if he didn’t know them so well. 

“I’d love to stay and chat with the camera- but I got a cute boy to flirt with.” Lance told the camera before blowing a kiss to it. 

“Who are you flirting with? Keith’s right here?” Pidge joked to Hunk, who elbowed her. 

“As if,” Keith responded, barely looking up from his phone. 

Lance finds Kaleel staring at his clipboard beside stage #3 and saying something into his mic. He strolls over all cool like, though he was in full costume and makeup so he wasn’t really looking his best. 

“Hey Lance!” He smiled at him as he stopped next to him. He even has nice teeth. 

“Hey, now a good time?” 

“Great actually, I have a few minutes.” Kaleel let his clip board fall to his side to show that he was free. 

“You seem really busy lately, you must be excited for break.” 

“Yeah actually. Though home is too far away to go in such little time.” Kaleel shrugged one shoulder and Lance nodded sympathetically. 

“Yeah me too. Where’s home then?” They walk over to the snack table. 

“Columbia, moved here with my cousin a couple years ago. What about you?” 

“Cuba, my family is pretty upset I won’t be there.” 

“Mine too, my Abuela is pissed.” Kaleel laughed and Lance joined in. 

“So is mine! When I called last she was so pissed I thought she would come through the camera to pull my ear back to Cuba.” Kaleel laughed and barely moved closer, but he did move closer. “So I was wondering if I could get your number or something?” Lance said, albeit a little awkwardly. He was usually so good at flirting, but it’s been a while. 

“Yeah! Sorry, that sounded way too excited, um, yeah.” He chuckled a little, he’s cute when he’s flustered. 

“All good, maybe we can see each other over break?” Lance asked as Kaleel put his phone number into Lance's phone. 

“That’d be cool! Oh, sorry I’m getting a message through my-” he pointed to his head set. Lance nodded. “Sorry, I gotta go. Break a leg today!” He smiled and walked off to the cameras. 

“Yeah,” Lance sighed to himself with a smile. 

“Ooh,” Pidge says in his ear from behind. “You got a boyyyfrienddd” she teasesd and Hunk chuckled.

“I literally just asked for his number, chill.” Lance rolled his eyes but couldn't stop smiling. 

“Wait are we making fun of Lance? I’m in, what is it now?” Keith joined the three of them, wrapping an arm around Lance’s shoulders. 

“He got the stage manager’s phone number!” Hunk informed him. 

“Oh Kaleel? Nice!" 

“You knew? Lance didn’t tell us!” Hunk whined and shook his shoulders dramatically. 

“I met him yesterday, it’s not like I’ve been keeping it a secret." 

“Yeah he just told me on our way home, not even a full conversation.” 

“We get it, you live together!” Pidge groaned. Keith and Lance looked at each other and Hunk stifled a laugh. 

“We don’t talk about it that much.” Lance rolled his eyes with a huff. 

“You so do!” Pidge complained. 

“Yeah, and it’s not the normal roommate stuff either. Normal roommates complain about each other, you guys just talk about it like newly weds.” Hunk teased.  

"Alright, shut up and let me gush about how cute this boy is." Lance scolded them. Hunk started jumping up and down and started to clap his hands fast. 

"Yes! Tell us all about him!" Hunk cheered, Keith and Pidge rolled their eyes and started to walk in front of the other two. 

"Well I don't actually know him that well, but he's Columbian and also has Spanish as his first language. He's been a stage manager for a little while, mostly on indie films. He was an assistant first, obviously, and when he was an assistant he worked on the set for some marvel movies. He also loves musicals!" Lance rabbled on. 

"You love musicals too!" Hunk gasped and Lance beamed. 

Keith and Pidge walk ahead and chat, quiet enough that Lance can't hear them, but he does notice that Keith has that exasperated expression and Pidge kept laughing. Keith eventually smiled and shook his head- Pidge must have been teasing him. 

Lance and Keith get into the car, Lance managed to get into the driver's seat before Keith. It's sort of like shotgun, but with the driver's seat. So of course, Lance put on a musicals playlist. Keith immediately groaned.

"Lance, seriously? I know your new boyfriend loves musicals but that doesn't mean you have to listen to them constantly."

"Ha ha, I like them too. You are the one that never lets me listen to them. Just give them a chance." Keith grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Yeah whatever, don't get into a car accident because you get distracted by your own re-enactment of the musical, okay?" Lance rolled his eyes. A couple weeks ago Lance ran a red light for that very reason, and Keith will never let him forget it. 

"If you let me show you a musical, I bet you would like them." 

"I've watched High Stakes and Glee, and I was not a fan."

"Totally different things dude! I will show you some over break, I promise you. You like most Disney movies so I don't see why you wouldn't like musicals."

"Yeah whatever." Keith looked out the window while crossing his arms. 

Most of break went as expected, boring and uneventful. Lance mostly just hung out with Hunk and Keith, though he does have a date scheduled with Kaleel on the 26th. Today was Christmas Eve, which he mostly spent alone. Hunk was there in the morning but he had to drive his parents to the airport for their trip home. Keith left to go home with Shiro and Adam, and he wouldn't be back until late tomorrow evening since he's also seeing his mom. 

The only thing Lance had planned was to call his family and take care of Kosmo. His family was about three hours ahead of him, so he called them around their dinner time which was like 3pm for Lance. 

"Feliz Navidad, Mama. Coma estas? (Merry Christmas, Mom. How are you?)" Lance asked his mother who was the first person on the call when he opened up zoom. 

"Feliz Navidad hijo mio, la estamos haciendo bien. (Merry Christmas my son, we are doing well.)" His mother had a calm and loving expression, but she seemed tired. Lance knows she gets stressed around the holidays since they always host their relatives for Christmas. "Rachel, Veronica, consigue a tus hermanos, Lance esta aqui. (Go get your brothers, Lance is here.)" He heard his mother call to his sisters. He heard more yelling, this time from his sisters while they rounded up the rest of the family that was there. Their cousins wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, but their Abeula and Abeulo on his mom's side were there. His dad's father would arrive tomorrow as well, his wife died when Lance's dad was young. 

Most people back home didn't speak English very often, though many people could speak it conversationally. His parents had made it a goal to have their kids fluent in both languages. His father loved travel and always dreamed of visiting the Great Lakes up north; it was one of his dreams for all of the family to go there together when they were older. So his siblings often spoke English to each other, partially to have some privacy from neighbors and grandparents and partially to practice. His older brother Marco even moved to Florida, and Rachel was considering moving somewhere in the states as well. His grandparents and mother mostly spoke Cubano (people from Cuba refer to their dialect of Spanish as Cubano) since they were raised with it and continued to live with other Cubano speakers. 

"Lance!" All his siblings cheered when they saw him. They were all there- his twin Rachel, younger brother Luis, his older sister Veronica, and his eldest brother Marco. Marco's wife Ruby and his kids Mateo and Estel were there too. 

"Tio Lance?" He heard Estel ask off screen, his face broke into a huge smile upon hearing his niece. 

"You wanna see him?" Marco looked off screen towards his kids, then he picked up his daughter and sat her in his lap so she could see the screen. "There he is," Marco said to her, pointing at the computer. 

"Tio!" She cheered, as her brother tugged on Veronica's sleeve. She picked him up on her lap so he could see the screen as well. 

"Hey guys! Mateo, how's school going?" Mateo was in kindergarten and Estel was still in preschool, she was only three. 

"Good! I'm the only one in class who knows English and Spanish!" Mateo told him. Marco's family moved to Florida for Ruby's job, but they were able to visit home pretty often so Mateo and Estel knew a little bit of Spanish along with the English they learned in school and from their parents. 

"That's awesome buddy. Estel how's preschool?" She was a little preoccupied with a toy she was holding but managed to say 'fun'. 

"She's a little shy there but she has some friends, right Estel? Nate and Sophie?" Marco said half to Lance and half to Estel. "Mateo why don't you and Estel go play?" The two kids left with a quick goodbye to Lance. His siblings all tried to squeeze into the screen together, his mother and grandparents in the other room for the time being. 

"How's the show going?" Veronica asked thoughtfully.  

"Pretty good, we're shooting season two now. We have a break for the holidays but it'll be over in a couple of days." 

"Wait, where are you? That doesn't look like your apartment." Luis noticed. Lance averted his eyes, he hadn't told anyone in his family that he moved in with Keith. They were just gonna get way too excited that he was living with someone so famous. His brothers were obsessed with Keith's shows and his sisters both used to have a crush on him. Plus all their fans assumed they were dating. 

"Uh yeah, I moved in with a friend. Cuts down on rent so I can save up more to come visit you guys." Only half true, it's not like he couldn't afford to go back, he mostly just didn't have any time. Kosmo decided now would be a perfect time to show up, she sat directly on top of him. "This is actually his dog, Kosmo." 

"What friend?" Rachel asked, her eyes squinted like she knew something was up. Stupid twin instincts. 

"Does it matter? Anyway, how's college going Luis?" Rachel had just graduated college and Luis just started at a community school. He wanted to become a mechanic- Lance was lowkey jealous, he always thought mechanics were super cool. 

"Pretty good, kinda easy. Why're you changing the subject?" Luis interrogated. Lance pushed his lips together, as much as he was a good actor he wasn't good at lying to his family. 

"Yeah, you're being weird." Veronica noted.

"Did you move in with a boyfriend that you haven't told us about?" Marco asks, with a bit of a smirk. All his siblings started talking at once. 

"Is he famous?" -Luis

"You didn't tell us you were dating!" - Rachel

"The place looks nice so he's obviously rich!" -Luis

"You already moved in with a new boyfriend?" -Veronica 

"Is it cause he's ugly?" -Luis

"That dog seems really comfy with you." -Marco

"Is he in the show with you?" -Rachel

"So you aren't gonna get back together with Nyma?" - Veronica

"Mama won't be happy you moved in with a partner that fast" Marco mentioned while all his siblings asked a million questions at once and he saw his mom notice all the commotion and she was coming over. Lance knew he had to shut this down fast. 

"Guys, guys stop it! Keith isn't my boyfriend!" They all fell silent at once. Lance covered his mouth at once. He did not mean to mention Keith. They all gaped at him, then started talking again in a flurry. 

"Keith Kogane?!" - Veronica 

"Everyone thinks you guys are dating!" -Rachel

"Do your bosses know you're dating a costar?" -Marco

"He's way out of your league!" -Luis 

"Can we meet him?!" - Veronica

"Our brother is dating a movie star!" -Luis

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rachel asked. Lance saw their mother standing behind Marco and she cleared her throat. Lance buried his face in his hands. 

"Que esta pasando? (What's going on?)" She asked the siblings who all open their mouths to speak at once, but she turns towards the computer. "Lance?" They all look at him, well, him and Kosmo- who was know licking his chin. 

"Me mude con Keith Kogane, mi amigo. (I moved in with Keith Kogane, my friend)" His mother's eyes got bigger. 

"Keith Kogane? From that horror show?" She asked in English, clearly surprised. They all nodded. "El es tu coprotagonista, no? (He is your costar, isn't he?)" 

"Si, mama. He is a good friend too." 

"El es tu novio? Que bien, es un chico guapo. Te parece un buen amigo en entravistas. (He is your boyfriend? That is well, he is a handsome boy. He seems a good friend in interviews)" His siblings all laugh to themselves, even Marco who Lance always thought was more mature than he actually was. 

"No mama, solo una amigo y companera de cuarto. Estos paganos asumieron que estábamos salien. (No mom, we are just friends and roommates. These heathens assumed we were dating.)" He glared at his siblings who were still trying not to laugh. 

"Oh, alright then. Friends are always good." His mother seemed to decide after a minute or so. He then talked to his family for a bit while they all ate. He talked to his Abeula and Abeulo for a bit, both were a little offended he didn't come back for the holiday. He must've apologized a million times. He eventually had to keep telling them that he was going to call tomorrow morning as well. By the time he got off the call he was feeling pretty hungry himself. 

He wanted to talk to Keith, to complain to someone about the exhausting and lonely day he'd just had. But he didn't want to interrupt Keith celebrating with his family. So he ate dinner with Kosmo and watched the Grinch, Hunk came over afterwards since they were both alone.

"How'd your call home go?" Hunk asked as they made Christmas cookies together.  

"Pretty good, it was nice to see my grandparents and my niece and nephew. I don't get to talk to them as often as my siblings and mom." 

"You have four siblings right?"

"Yeah, Marco is 28, Veronica is 27, Rachel is my twin so she's also 25, and Luis is 19." 

"That sounds nice, to have so many siblings. I have an older sister but she moved back to Samoa."

"Why?"

"She originally moved back just for a year to help out with my grandparents but she fell in love. She started dating this guy and eventually they got married, so she stayed there."

"That's actually kind of adorable, how'd they meet?" 

"It's a pretty cute story. She went to the farmer's market every week for groceries for her and our grandparents, right? So my matua matutua, my grandparents, love papayas, but my sister has never really liked them. She begrudgingly agreed to buy them and the vendor who sold them was this handsome man about her age. His family was known in the city for harvesting papayas, but he didn't like them either. When she first met him there she told him that she was only doing it for her matua matutua and that she hated them and I guess they just bonded over that. They got married last year."

Lance had to hold back a gasp- and then laughter at the usage of the word 'papaya'. It was not something people from Cuba would throw around easily. He knew that in other countries it does not mean the same thing, but he hasn't heard many people talk about the fruit often so it always escapes his mind that is what it is called everywhere else. Eventually he can't hold back his laughter and Hunk looks at him weirdly. 

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that- In Cuba, 'papaya' refers to female genitalia." He started laughing more and Hunk joined in.

"What do you call them there? Do you not have them there?"

"We do, we call them 'Fruta bomba'. But seriously, fruta bomba aside, that story is so cute. That's a Hallmark movie, Hunk. That's adorable. I would, no joke, watch that movie." Hunk chuckled and they continued to talk about family while decorating their cookies. 

"So did you ever finally tell them that you moved in with Keith?" Hunk questioned later. 

"Ugh, yes. It went exactly as I thought it would too. I didn't even say his name at first, I just said I moved in with a friend and they all assumed I meant a boyfriend. Then I told them, y'know, that Keith isn't my boyfriend and they all got super excited. Like didn't even hear the 'not dating' part and only heard his name. It doesn't help that so many people online already think we're together, so when my siblings told my mom she just believed them! I told them it wasn't like that but I don't think Rachel believes me." 

"Wow. Sorry man, that does not sound like fun." 

"It'll be fine. They'll meet him at some point and realize how wrong they were." Hunk didn't say anything, and when Lance looked at him he had a peculiar look on his face. Lance decided to ignore it in favor of putting in a new Christmas movie. 

Hunk stayed over so they wouldn't be alone for Christmas morning. Eventually he left so he and Lance could call their families. Lance had a nice time with his family, he had previously sent their gifts so they all had what he got them, and vice versa. His family was all quite happy with their gifts, and so was Lance. He got a blender from his grandparents, a book he's been wanting from Veronica, a really nice formal shirt from his mother, cuff links from Marco and Ruby, a Bluetooth speaker from Luis, and a framed collage of pictures of him and various friends and family from Rachel.

That was his favorite gift honestly. It had friends and family from Cuba but also pictures of his friends from LA. There was one of the whole Hollowed Out cast and another one of just him and Keith, he was pretty sure it was a paparazzi photo because he hadn't seen it before. It was at the wrap party for season one, Keith and him were dancing. They were laughing at each other, though it looked like it was mostly Keith laughing at Lance. Lance remembers that night pretty well, he didn't know that there was any paparazzi there.

Then it occurred to him that Keith knew. 

Keith and Matt were dancing together a lot that night, and Lance remembered thinking that it was strange they weren't doing their normal overly sexual dances. But he got it now. The only reason they were being so PG is because they didn't want to do that in front of paparazzi- not because they didn't want to. Not that Lance cared, it's none of his business who Keith dances with. It doesn't matter, he is deciding to not think of it anymore. 

Most of his family was entertaining their guests, their relatives had arrived a little earlier so he got to see some of them but mostly he just talked to his siblings. Right now he was with Rachel, who had gotten a little tired of all the people and moved the computer up to her room so she could get away from the noise.

"How's Abu McClain doing?" Lance asked Rachel, that's their dad's father. Rachel looked to the side with a little grimace. 

"You know he's been quiet since Dad died, only talks when someone talks to him first. Aunt Maria and Uncle Jules have been with him most of the day." Those are his Dad's siblings. 

"He's probably excited to see Mateo and Estel though, right?" 

"Oh yeah, you know how much Mateo looks like Dad. Plus Abu loves to spoil anyone he can, and since all his grandkids are adults it's all on Mateo and Estel." Marco is the only one who's had kids so far. Though Uncle Jules' daughter August is pregnant, having just gotten married last year. 

"Has Mama said anything about... well, y'know."

"Not really, she got a far away look in her eyes when Abu brought him up. She misses him."

"We all do." Lance looked down at his hands. His father's death had been hard on the whole family, it was so unexpected. He and his siblings try not to bring it up too often around their mother, she had been through enough. "What about Abi and Abu Sanchez?" He asks about his mother's parents. 

"Oh they're great! Very spry for old people. They've been entertaining Estel and Mateo the most. The cousins of course are in their typical brag competition. Suzie thinks she's winning just because she's some CEO and is married to some rich guy. Obviously you're the winner, but since you're not here Suzie is being insufferable." Lance laughed, Rachel had never really gotten along with their cousin Suzie. She was Uncle Jorge's eldest daughter, Jorge is Mom's only sibling. 

"There's no winning Rachel, it's just life. Even if it was, I don't think I would win anything." Rachel rolled her eyes. 

"You're famous!"

"That doesn't mean anything, also I'm not even that famous." 

"You so are!" Rachel couldn't finish what was, no doubt, a wonderfully serious argument because Keith got home. 

"Lance? I'm back!" He yelled from the doorway while taking off his coat. Lance turned back to Rachel so fast he hurt his neck. He stared at her with wide eyes, begging her not to say anything to anyone. Rachel's mouth just dropped. Keith walked up behind where Lance was on the couch. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize you'd still be on your call. Sorry," he said and started going back to his room. 

"Oh my god it's actually Keith Kogane!" Rachel finally burst before Keith completely left the room. Keith smiled awkwardly and walked back over to wave slightly. 

"Rachel, Lo juro por Dios. Par favor no- (Rachel, I swear to God. Please don't-)" 

"Veronica, Luis, ven a ver al novio de Lance! (Come meet Lance's boyfriend)" Rachel yelled off screen. Lance hides his face again. Veronica and Luis come on screen within a minute. 

"Santa mierda (Holy shit) It's Keith Kogane!" Veronica squealed. Luis stared at the screen in shock.

"Uh, Lance..." Keith murmured under his breath. "What should I do?" 

"Ugh, I'm sorry. Just sit for a minute, do you mind?" Lance asked his friend with a bright red face. 

"Yeah of course, do I finally get to meet your family?" Keith teased him as he slid into the couch next to him, Kosmo immediately sat on him. 

"Santo Dios!, quiere conocernos? (Oh my god he wanted to meet us?)" Veronica asked Lance, knowing that Keith can't speak Spanish. 

"Yeah yeah. Anyway, Keith this is Rachel my twin. Then Veronica and Luis. Marco is off somewhere else. Bichos, este es Keith. (Bugs (Cuban slang for someone annoying), this is Keith.)" He introduced them all. Keith smiled kindly and waved. Lance's family all talk to each other in Spanish so Keith can't understand them. It basically was just them being excited. "I was actually just going to hang up." Lance said with big eyes at his family. 

"Oh come on Lance, let us talk to your boyfriend!" Luis teased and Lance groaned. Keith laughed quietly but then looks at Lance with the smuggest expression ever. Lance just knew that something terrible was about to happen. 

"Boyfriend? What does Kaleel think about that?" Keith asked with a teasing glint in his eyes. Lance is five seconds away from hitting Keith. Then of course, the uproar. 

"Who's Kaleel?" -Luis 

"Wait you never said-" -Rachel

"Kaleel?!" -Veronica 

"Is that a girl or a boy?" -Luis

"Wait Keith really isn't your boyfriend?" -Veronica 

"I was just joking..." -Luis 

"Keith, I am going to kill you." Lance said with wide eyes and a fake smile. Keith's smile turned into a fake look of appall as he covered Kosmos' ears. 

"Not in front of Kosmo!" He joked. Lance shook his head but couldn't help but smile. Keith had that affect. 

"Okay I gotta go now guys!" Lance quickly told his siblings. They all protested as they wanted to talk to Keith more. "Let Mama know I am going, and tell everyone Merry Christmas from me! Si alguno de ustedes menciona a Kaleel, lo matare. Adios! (If you tell anyone about Kaleel, I will kill you. Bye!)" He said the last part quickly so they couldn't protest and hung up. He closed the laptop and moved it so he could hit Keith safely. 

"You are the worst!" He punched Keith's shoulder. Keith just laughed at him and rubbed his arm. 

"You should've told them yourself! They're your siblings! Besides, I just said his name."

"You saw what they're like! Tell them anything about my romantic life and they ask way too many questions."

"Mhm. Anyway, how was your Christmas?" Keith asked as he played with Kosmos' ears. 

"It was pretty good, Hunk and I made cookies and I got to talk to everyone back home. You?" Keith sighed and put his head back onto the cushion behind him. "That bad?" Lance asked, all hostility gone. 

"Well yesterday was great. We had a whole family meal with our parents and Adam. We opened presents last night since I left this morning. Seeing Krolia again though... was interesting."

"What happened?" 

"Well we went to her parent's house. I don't really know them very well, I see them about as often as my mom. It wasn't bad, just awkward and tense. They're a little resentful towards me, I've never really known why. They forgive Krolia for leaving me, I think they thought she did the right thing. They kept asking me why I don't know any Korean, why would I? My Korean mother who was supposed to teach me left me and I was raised by a Japanese family because they wouldn't take me in. It's their fault, really. I'm still Korean, even if I don't really know anything about my own culture." Keith started muttering halfway through. "My Dad taught me a little Japanese before he died, cause he was born there, but I barely learned any before he passed. I think they were always resentful towards my father for marrying Krolia, they wanted her to marry another person of Korean heritage." 

"I'm sorry. That's not fair to you." Lance told him. Keith shook his head slightly, and whispered 'no, it's not.' Lance wanted to hold him, to comfort him in some way. Keith shrugged and put on another soft smile. 

"It wasn't all bad. It was nice to see them again, and Krolia was really excited. It made me a little mad that she was so excited to see me, she can see me whenever- she chooses not to. If she really missed me that much then she should've tried harder to see me more often. Ugh, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Sorry, I don't mean to be a bummer. 

"No need to apologize, everyone's allowed to be a bummer when they need to." Lance scooted closer and started to pet Kosmo while leaning onto Keith's side. Keith took the invitation and rested his head on Lance's shoulder. 

Lance never knew how to talk to Keith about his mother. It was a complicated situation that Lance had no experience with. They both had deceased fathers but Lance's mom was one of the most supportive people in Lance's life. He couldn't imagine life without her. He couldn't imagine anyone leaving their child, honestly. Keith didn't seem to like to talk to Shiro about his mother, based on him not telling Shiro about his plans until last minute. Lance felt honored that Keith had trusted him with that information. Lance just hoped he was helpful in some way. 

Chapter Text

Keith was absolutely dreading the karaoke party. He wasn't going to go originally, but Lance basically forced him to go. So here he was, in a bar with bright neon lights, listening to people butcher classics. 

So many people from set were there, which Keith actually did like. It was like a nice little party to celebrate all the work the crew does before they all had to get back to work. He was hoping Axca would come so he could have someone to talk to who wasn't going to judge him for not singing, but she thought it was too stupid to come. And she didn't have a Lance to talk her into it. 

Lance was off in the crowd somewhere with Kaleel. They went on a date yesterday, it apparently went really well according to Lance. He said they have a lot in common and got along like old friends. Keith was happy for them, genuinely. It's hard to make good connections in this industry. It's one of the reasons Keith never dates anyone. It's fucking hard. 

Plus for a while before he came out as gay his manager said he shouldn't date anyone so all the girls watching him kill zombies might think they had a chance with him. It was ridiculous. He changed managers since then, of course. Kolivan wouldn't do shit like that. 

"Will you lighten up?" Matt wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He seemed to come from nowhere, but Keith knew logically he had just moved through the large crowd. Matt seemed to already be drunk- he didn't have to wake up at six tomorrow for work. 

"I'm light." Keith grumbled.

"Aw, you upset that Lance has a boyfriend?" Matt teased and Keith's stomach tensed. 

"What? Of course not, I'm happy for him. They aren't boyfriends yet either, by the way."

"Whatever man." 

"I'm upset because I hate singing in front of people and I know a bunch of you guys are gonna make me."

"So seeing your mom didn't go well?" Matt asked, finally taking a seat. 

Keith thought on Christmas day. It could've been worse, it was a lot better than he expected actually. Still not great though. His mom acted like she hadn't abandoned him when he was a child, and his grandparents acted like she was right to have done so. 

"Wasn't great." Keith murmured. Matt scooted closer and put a hand on Keith's knee. 

"You want to talk about it?" Keith looked around the bar. They rented the bar out for the night so it was just people who were invited could get in. Paparazzi were outside though, and it was always possible for them to have gotten in. Keith put his hand over Matt's, it was nice to know he was there. 

"Not really. Not now at least." Matt nodded and changed the subject. Keith was grateful for such a kind friend. 

"So you already know we're gonna make you sing, you have no choice there. But you do get to decide what song you get to sing." Matt offered. 

"Ugh I hate karaoke. It's so cheesy." Keith groaned loudly. He saw a couple of his co-workers making their way towards them. 

"You wanna sing a duet then? At least you won't be alone up there." Matt asked and Keith glared at him but smiled. 

"Fine. I still get to pick though." Matt put his hands up in surrender. 

"Of course, of course. As long as it's romantic." Matt teased while leaning into Keith. Keith rolled his eyes and leaned back into his friend. 

"The most romantic song I can find!" Keith joked at him. If people were gonna think they were a couple no matter what they do, they might as well lean into that. 

He saw Lance and Kaleel at a small table by themselves. They were talking with smiles and occasionally laughing. Keith felt his chest inflate; he was happy that Lance was giving it a chance with someone. Keith did want to get to know Kaleel more though, make sure he was good enough for Lance. 

Keith smiled to himself and kept looking around the room. Allura was talking with Lotor, Shiro, and Adam- the two power couples of the show up to this point. Across the room he saw Hunk and Shay with a couple of the crew members Keith recognized but didn't know the name of. He saw Pidge a little ways away with her own hair and makeup crew. Ryan and Ezor were dancing- Keith didn't even know they knew each other. They were both reoccurring characters but Keith didn't think they were ever in the same episode. Everyone in the crowd looked so happy. 

Matt and Keith were in line to sign up for a song, a few crew members were in line ahead of them. He kept looking around and scratching the back of his neck. 

"Dude, why are you so anxious?" Matt asked, and Keith looked back to him with raised eyebrows. 

"Oh uh... I don't know. Last time was a bit of a mess. It's not like it'll happen again, realistically. But-" Keith shrugged, he still had flashbacks. 

"What? Oh dude that was like eight years ago, no one besides Shiro even remembers." Matt put a hand on his shoulder. Keith tried for a smile but it fell flat. 

The last time he did karaoke was when he was barely an adult. He wasn't out as gay to anyone, not even Shiro. He knew though. He knew and he went to gay bars from time to time. He had to wear a not so convincing disguise because he was already semi-famous. He had only starred in two things, but the newest movie was a pretty big deal- did well in the box office and whatnot. 

Anyway- Shiro and Matt were celebrating another one of Shiro's movies so they went out to karaoke and Keith went along. Keith was underage but no one could tell so he got drunk off his ass. He got drunk off his ass and sang a bunch of songs. Keith doesn't even remember most of the night. Shiro and Matt took a lot of videos and pictures because they thought it was funny. Which, to be fair, it mostly was. He wasn't a good singer then, he had never had lessons and he wasn't a god performer. It was embarrassing for him and funny for everyone else. People always forget that that's the night it happened. 

Shiro and Matt are the only ones who know. They always disassociate the event from the karaoke debacle- for them it's two separate days. For Keith though? It was one mistake after another on one of the worst days of his life. 

Keith told them he was going to take a cab home since he wasn't feeling well, he was starting to sober up and had gotten a headache. Shiro and Matt were too distracted to make sure he got to the cab okay. Keith knew that would happen- they hadn't been paying him much attention recently no matter where they were. So Keith took a cab to a gay bar at one in the morning. 

Keith spent most of the night doing just fine, making out with strangers and getting free drinks from older guys. His usual. By four in the morning he had pretty much sobered up and thought he would be fine to walk home. He had spent all his cash and he tries not to use anything with his name on it when in public. He thought it would be okay, it was late and almost no one was out. He didn't really look like himself either, so the chance he would get recognized and followed was pretty low. 

He walked past another bar around the corner- a more conservative one. The kind with pool, people who only drink beer, and confederate flags draped across their walls. A couple of guys walked out and were all laughing together. Keith tried to stay out of their way, and it didn't work. They saw the stamp on his hand from the club, and saw glitter smeared on his clothes and face. 

It's a bit of a blur- what happened- but he remembered a couple things he was sure of. 

They yelled at him. They were all laughing together like they were in on a joke. Keith tried to walk around them and they pushed him. He tried to cross the street and they followed. They kept asking about his sexuality in crude terms- Keith mostly blocked out all the slurs. He remembered orange street lamps and hot breath on his neck as they walked him around into an alley. He did everything he could to escape but he was thrown around and bashed into the floor. They yelled slurs at him and kept beating him until he couldn't see their ugly mugs anymore. 

He could still feel their hands and fists all over his body even years later. It was hot, their skin was rough and radiating heat. He woke up in the hospital with three broken ribs, a broken arm, and bruises everywhere. The doctors were surprised there was no concussion since he had hit his head so many times. He told everyone what the attackers did, but not why or anything they said. No one knew it was a hate crime until Keith told his brother and friend about five years later. 

"That's not-" Keith sighed as he was talking to Matt. "I don't care about embarrassing myself while drunk. I do that all the time. You and Shiro always forget." Keith shook his head. Matt looked at him with a blank expression before realization crossed his features. 

"That was the night before we found you in the hospital, wasn't it? We didn't know what actually happened to you until years later." They walked a few steps forward to move up in line. 

"Yeah, I was out all night after that stupid karaoke disaster." Matt scrunched his eyebrows, Keith knew he felt guilty about forgetting. Keith couldn't really blame him though, it was years ago and he rarely talked about it. 

"I'm sorry man. If you really don't want to do this we don't have to. I'll tell the others to back off and-"

"You can't tell them!" Keith insisted urgently. 

"No, no, of course not. I just meant that if they try to pressure you I'll distract them or something. I could also just drive you home, I am totally fine with leaving if that's what you want." Keith looked around. He wanted to be with friends. And Matt was being very understanding. 

"No it's- it's alright. As long as I stay with my friends, I think I'll be okay. Just don't leave me alone, okay? Leave me with friends or whatever, just don't let me walk alone okay?" Matt smiled and grabbed Keith's hand. "I have to get over the correlation. I've been to gay bars plenty of times and have had no problem, it's just... ugh I hate singing!" Matt and him laughed as they looked over the song book. 

So that's how they ended up singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John. 

"Don't go breaking my heart" Matt started

"I couldn't if I tried" Keith responded, lacking any emotion in his voice. 

"Honey if I get restless..." Matt grabbed Keith's hand again and Keith couldn't help but smile. 

"Baby you're not that kind" It helped that most of the audience was talking amongst themselves, not paying too much attention to each the performers but rather just enjoying the music. 

So they sang the chorus and Keith felt mostly okay during it. Still embarrassed, but Matt was there to distract him from any bad memories. He tried not to look out into the audience anymore, just look at Matt. His focus was drawn back to the audience when he heard cheering. He looked into the crowd abruptly and saw Lance cheering with a huge face splitting grin. 

"WHOO HOO GO KEITH!" Lance yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth. He then pumped his fist in the air and cheered again, yelling his friend's name in support. Keith flushed at all the affection and actually turned away from the crowd. He saw that Matt was grinning ear to ear and turned Keith back around as they sang together. Keith tried to move again but Matt wrapped his arm around his shoulders and kept him from moving anymore. The image of actor Keith Kogane being hugged viciously from behind by famous comedian Matt Holt while they sang an old ballad must have been quite amusing. 

"Nobody told us" Matt sang. 

"Cause nobody showed us" Keith answered back. 

"Now it's up to us babe" Matt sang and kissed Keith on the cheek affectionately. 

"Whoa I think we can make it" Keith smiled at his friend. When he looked into the audience again he saw that his cast had gathered around Lance's table and they were all cheering. Pidge was recording with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. Matt noticed and threw a peace signs to the camera. The two finished the song and Keith felt pretty alright about it by the end. They even got some applause as they left the stage. 

"Okay, thanks for making me do that. It wasn't too bad. And... it helped. To change up the connotations and whatnot." Keith said to Matt as they waded through the crowd back to their friends.

"Yeah we sounded pretty good!" Matt exclaimed. Lance saw them before they sat down and hopped up from the tall chairs to talk to the recent performers. 

"Keith!! You didn't tell me you could sing!" He gave Keith a side hug and they walked back over to the table together. 

"That's because he used to be horrible at it. You sounded good, man." Shiro complimented him as they sat down. 

"You were great!" Lance said with a smile. His face was pinker than usual, he must have been drinking. Keith hit Lance's shoulder to get him to stop talking and Lance took the sign. 

"You two going next? They have some musical numbers." Allura asked Lance and Kaleel. Kaleel instantly shied into Lance's side so Lance put an arm around Kaleel's shoulder. 

"Oh... I'm um... I'm not really a singer. I get stage fright..." Kaleel admitted quietly and pushed up his glasses. 

"That's alright! But Lance you really have to sing, that's what you're known for, after all." Allura insisted. She was partially right. Lance's claim to fame was his musical tv show, and he did performances from time to time on special occasions. His fan's favorite thing though? When he would record himself singing and post it on social media. But was singing what he was known for? Keith thought that disregarded all the amazing acting he's done, especially recently. 

"Oh I'm definitely gonna sing! I'll blow your socks off!" Lance boasted and Kaleel looked at him adoringly. Man, Keith thought, they must've had a great date. 

By the time it was Lance's turn most of the crew had left. A lot of them had to get to set early in the morning, so staying too long wasn't the best idea for them. That didn't stop Kaleel from staying to watch Lance perform. Keith tried to get to know Kaleel as they sat and waited. The rest of their friends dispersed around the room, Matt and Pidge stayed close by though. 

"So, Kaleel. Lance says you're from Columbia?" Keith asked him. Kaleel looked taken back from Keith talking to him but nodded with a smile. 

"Yeah, I moved here with my cousin when I turned eighteen." Keith nodded, he wasn't really sure what to say. He was never good at small talk. "I hope this isn't weird, but I have to tell you that I am such a huge fan of you. I love that zombie show- I mean really. The special effects weren't my favorite but man the suspense in it is great! And that movie- uh... Country Roads!- where you turned into a werewolf while fleeing across the country with that bounty hunter!" Kaleel stopped at stared at me for a millisecond before blushing. "I'm freaking you out with all my crazy fan-ness, aren't I?" He scratched the back of his neck. 

"No! Not at all, it's sweet." Keith was actually just surprised that Kaleel liked anything Keith was in. He didn't take him for someone who was interested in action and supernatural stuff like what Keith was usually in. Also... Country Roads had a sex scene between him and the bounty hunter, one of his many romantic interests played by a woman- It was always weird to hear about someone you know watching a sex scene you were in. 

"You probably get that sort of thing a lot." Kaleel said. 

"Oh, I guess. I'm sort of used to it now, to be honest. I was only surprised because I thought you were more interested in musicals cause you like Lance's show." 

"I love musicals. I like a lot of genres I guess."

"Of course, that's totally normal. I only guessed that cause you seemed to fan out a lot over Lance and... yeah." Kaleel blushed, it was hard to see in the low light but Keith thought his skin was turning slightly maroon. 

"Oh... well yeah. That's just cause... y'know." Kaleel looked at where Lance was waiting in line. Lance was talking to someone Keith didn't recognize, but Lance seemed to get along great with them. That was Lance though. Keith looked back to Kaleel who was resting his cheek on his own shoulder, he was staring at Lance with such great admiration. "It's Lance." Kaleel concluded with a shrug. Keith smiled at him and then looked at Lance. 

"Yeah." Keith sighed. He was really happy for Lance, Kaleel seemed like a really nice guy. 

Lance was electric on stage. Keith had heard Lance sing before, he'd even heard him perform before. This was different though. He was performing like he was on Broadway or something. He was singing a song from a musical that he'd made Keith listen to before. The song was "All That Jazz" from some musical that Keith forgot. Kaleel seemed to get excited though, he recognized the song. It was odd, to say the least. 

Lance was amazing though, applause all around. Pidge recorded it as well, though she was a little let down that no one embarrassed themself. Kaleel didn't say a word throughout the performance but cheered Lance on. Lance walked on back with a hop in his step. 

"Lance you were great!" Kaleel said as Lance sat next to him. 

"Yeah way to embarrass everyone else." Keith said with a smile as his friend took a drink. 

"That was my intention. Blow everyone else out of the water!" Lance exclaimed. 

"Well you totally did!" Kaleel said excitedly. Lance blushed and Keith thought it was probably a good idea to leave them be. They didn't stay much longer since they had to be back on set at seven am tomorrow. 

"We shouldn't have stayed so long last night. I am exhausted." Kaleel said to Lance the next morning. Kaleel had his head set and clip board out and was leaning against the wall. He wasn't overseeing the set up today so he had some time- he was supposed to supervise take down later that night. 

Lance and Keith were still getting their make up done along with the other actors. They just had basic makeup today so they were able to do it themselves. Keith was used to doing makeup by himself, he usually never had makeup crews unless there was some special affects. He knows a lot of actors will never do their own makeup, they leave it to the professionals and whatnot. Shiro and Pidge do that, just cause they don't feel like learning it themselves. Keith doesn't really like people touching his face often so he'll avoid it as much as he can. 

"I know but it was fun!" Lance whined. 

"Hm." Kaleel said and closed his eyes. Lance looked at him with a smile. Keith couldn't help but think how cute they were. They aren't even really a couple yet but Keith could tell they really liked each other. 

The scenes they were running today was for the end of the season, group scene with the six main characters. It was supposed to be right before the big fight. The planning scene, if you will. 

"Alright everyone, focus up." Grey said to the group as they gathered around the large wooden table with blueprints and schematics on them. 

"Grey we've been over this a million times." Gemma said exasperated. She was sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Amber was sitting next to her, sitting as stiff as a board. 

"Leave it, Gemma." Theo said, sounding exhausted, he was leaning on the table next to Grey. 

"We already know what's going to happen! There's no point going over it over and over hoping for another outcome because there is no other outcome!" Gemma said while slamming her hands on the table. 

They all looked over to Alexander and Robin, who have been keeping quiet. They were sitting next to each other across the table from Gemma and Amber. In the previous episode Alexander and Robin had been hit with a spell that was slowly degrading their bodies, they would continue to get more and more sick if they didn't find a way to undo the spell. Grey didn't want them to fight against the demons with the rest of the team but there were too many for the four of them to go alone. Alexander and Robin were some of their strongest fighters too, it would be impossible for them to get past the demon army without them. But because of their curse, Grey was sure they would die in the fight. 

They had to fight the army because their leader was opening the rift to hell the next day, which would end the world. They had already figured out how to stop it, but they needed to get past that army first. Gemma, Amber, and Theo had to get through the army first, they were the ones who could stop the rift, so Grey and the boys would have to stall the army. Grey couldn't do that by themselves and they all knew it. Grey just didn't want to admit that Alexander and Robin would have to put themselves in that much danger. 

"She's right, Grey." Alexander said, Robin looked at him and they nodded at each other. 

"We had a plan, let's stick to it. The curse doesn't change anything." Robin said numbly. Grey shook his head like they're both insane. 

"It's already dangerous enough without your curse. How well do you think you two can fight? You'll die within seconds." Grey yelled at them. Amber winced, she was already really worried about their health. She and Grey recently got together as well, and it was hard for her to listen to him yell out in pain. 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Alexander said sarcastically. Robin elbowed him and Alexander glared back with a shrug. 

Grey looked over at the team to see if anyone would back him up. They all avoid eye contact and he stormed off. Amber and Theo sighed. 

"Let's just- let's all turn in for the night. Long day tomorrow." Theo concluded and the rest of the team agreed. Amber and Theo look at each other. "You wanna check on him, or should I?" Theo asked tiredly. 

"I'll go. Get some sleep, Theo." Amber decided while patting Theo on the shoulder. They both exit. 

"I'm sorry, guys." Gemma whispered to the boys. They look up with sad eyes to watch her. "No one else wanted to say it, but we all know how this turns out." 

"You're right. We know it. We're gonna die from this curse anyway, might as well take out some demons while we're at it." Alexander stated. Robin was being uncharacteristically quiet. 

"I'm sorry. I wish we knew how to get rid of it." Gemma said as she stood up. "We'll keep looking." 

"We won't make it that long, Gemma. We'll die in battle like Grey said, it's okay." Alexander shrugged again. Gemma's eyes get watery and she left the room fast. The rest of the team wasn't taking their curse well, but the boys were trying to take it in stride. 

"Why'd you have to be so blunt with her?" Robin asked sadly. Alexander looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. 

"Why not? We're gonna die tomorrow." Alexander shrugged and Robin held back a sob. Alexander looked at him startled at such an expression. 

"You talk like you don't care! You don't care that I'm going to die? That you're going to die?" Robin asked with tears in his eyes, he turned his body towards Alexander and he did the same. Alexander opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking. 

"Of course I care if you die." Alexander whispered, he moved his hand as if he was going to comfort Robin, but put it back in his lap. They sit in silence for a minute. "So does this mean you don't want to fight tomorrow?" 

"No, of course I'll go. But I don't want to die. We'll still fight, but we aren't going to die. We'll find a way." Robin put his hand on Alexander's arm, they're both shaking. 

"Okay." Alexander agreed as he stared at Robin's shaking hand. Neither of them smile but it's clear that they come to an understanding. 

"Cut!" Adam yelled and everyone moved. "Great scene guys, only three takes! Okay I'm done with Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk for the day. Everyone else set up for scene 38B! Allura and Shiro you can break until 2pm." Adam finished up. The crew all set into motion and he distantly heard Kaleel shout some stuff at crew members. 

"Great scene, Keith." Lance said with a small smile. He then got up and wandered to hair and makeup. Keith followed after a minute. Something felt different.  

 Things went well that week at set. They got a lot of work done and didn't have to do too many takes which cut down on how much time they all spent there. Lance and Kaleel were getting a lot closer, Kaleel was over at their place a lot. Keith didn't really mind. Kaleel was really nice and he didn't do anything annoying like leave dishes out or watch the tv too loud- stuff that Lance actually did.

They had that Saturday off so Keith slept in. When he did wake up it was because he heard Lance squealing. Keith wandered into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water and Lance bounded over to him from the couch. 

"It's about time you wake up!" Lance said with a smile. 

"It's my day off, I'll sleep in if I want. It's only eleven." Keith grabbed a bowl and some cereal. "What are you squealing about anyway?"

"Well Kaleel is coming over again today." 

"So? He's been over almost everyday for almost two weeks." 

"So, I'm going to ask him to be my boyfriend! Like actually instead of just going out or whatever." 

"Oh cool." Keith poured some oat milk into his cereal and grabs a spoon. 

"Ugh Keith that is such an underreaction. This is big news! I haven't actually had a partner in years!"

"Fine, fine, congrats or whatever. He seems like a good guy." Keith said through a mouthful of cereal. 

"Siempre olvido lo aburrido que eres. (I always forget how boring you are)" Lance groaned while rolling his eyes. Keith had no idea what he said but it didn't sound too good. Keith smiled as Lance paced around by the door. Keith smirked at him. 

"You want me to leave so you two can fuck all over the apartment?" He said in a mock-innocent voice. Lance turned to him so fast Keith thought he would snap something, and his face was completely red. 

"Juro por dios que te matare! (I swear to god I will murder you)" Lance muttered at Keith. "Since when do you make sex jokes anyway? That's my domain." Lance complained as he punched Keith's arm. 

"Since it makes your face all red. It's so easy to embarrass you nowadays." 

"I hate you. And for your information, we haven't even had sex yet so hah." Keith's eyebrows raised. 

"Really? I thought.... well never mind." He put his hands up in surrender. 

"I don't like rushing things is all." 

"You really don't have to explain." Keith said but Lance sat down and sighed before talking again. 

"Kaleel is just so sweet and smart and creative. He's nicer than most people I've dated. Most people I've dated are jerks though so I don't know. I just want to go a little slower with him in case I scare him off or something."

"Lance, I'm really not-"

"I guess I just need to know that he's here for more than that. He wants to actually date me and not just the celebrity me. That's happened too many times for comfort, and I actually like Kaleel. Like I could actually date him for a long time and... I don't know. I wouldn't mind the public and paparazzi knowing about us. Cause like- ugh. I'm getting ahead of myself." 

"I don't really-"

"But he's gonna be here soon and ugh what if he says no and I got all excited over this guy for nothing!"

"Lance shut up!" Keith said loud enough for Lance to stop talking. Lance looked at him like he just remembered he was there. "Lance, don't worry about any of that right now. Just ask him out and take it from there. No need to freak out over possibilities. Sorry for yelling." Keith thought he sounded rude even to himself, and he really didn't know why. 

"No, no, it's fine. You're right. Sorry." Lance looked like he wanted to say more but there was a knock at the door. Lance walked away to the door and Keith put his empty bowl in the sink. 

"That's my cue to leave." He murmured as he walked back to his room. He heard voices and put his airpods in so he couldn't hear them.

He got so annoyed at Lance. Why? He just wanted Lance to shut up about all that couple stuff. He was just teasing him then it got all intense and it made Keith feel itchy and gross. He just wanted to drown right now and he couldn't understand why. 

Chapter Text

Filming was just about done for season two- only two weeks left for Lance. It was getting a bit intense on set though. Everyone was tired, instead of everyone all talking and gossiping between scenes they mostly just collapsed on the couches, drank coffee and ate snacks, and looked at their phones. Every once in a while Hunk or Pidge would do a short video for the video diaries but they lacked much spirit. Lance was trying to cheer his friends up when he could but it wasn't much help. 

He had also gotten used to hanging out with Kaleel during his breaks which meant less time with the rest of the cast. In his defense, they were in their new couple bubble. About a month ago Lance asked Kaleel to be his official boyfriend and Kaleel had agreed enthusiastically. The cast and crew all knew but the couple wanted to wait a while before telling the general public. That did include Lance's family, which Lance was having some mixed feelings on. 

Kaleel and Keith had both tried to reassure him that his family was unlikely to tell anyone but he didn't want to take any risks. Besides, he still thought it was a good idea to wait until they were together a while before he tells his family. Just cause if they break up soon, then his family will get excited over nothing. Lance has to know it's serious first. It felt pretty serious but still. They spent a lot of time together cause they were still in that new relationship bubble where they want to spend every moment together and never fight. They slept together for the first time after like a week of being official, and Lance thought it went really well. Kaleel didn't leave afterwards and he still seemed interested in Lance as more than a one night so that was a good enough sign for Lance. 

Kaleel stayed over most nights and came and left whenever because he always had an earlier call and later leaving time than Keith and Lance. Lance actually hadn't heard much from Keith recently. He wasn't sure if it was just stress and exhaustion from the show like it was with everyone else or if it was something else. He didn't want to third-wheel him and Kaleel so Lance didn't see him much besides on set and in the car; and when they were on set they were mostly in character. 

The season itself was going great. It had a lot of fans buzzing, the first season still also had a lot of press and buzz. Lance had an interview coming up with some YouTube channel. Just some fun stuff like fan questions with another costar. He hadn't heard which costar it was yet, he assumed Hunk, Keith, or Allura though. Shiro didn't do many YouTube channel interviews and Pidge doesn't like interviews period. She only does the ones the producers make them do. 

He was about to do his last scene for the week. Just the scene where he and Keith's characters get cursed by an evil Fae that tricked them. He had Saturdays off from acting but that's when his interview was, so not really a day off sadly. He just had to keep telling himself that there was only two more weeks of shooting. 

"Ensley! Please come back!" Robin shouted as they ran down the corridor of the Fae's shop. Alexander is next to him with his weapon at the ready. His signature axe was always in his hands or on his back. Robin had a blaster in his belt. 

"Robin, this doesn't look good." Alexander said to him quietly. 

"We startled her! That's all. We need to know if there's a Fae spell that can close the rift before Bat opens it. Or in the worst case, one that can close it after it's opened." 

"Yeah, but is this hermit the best Fae to ask?"

"She's the best in town. The bar tender said she knows every spell known to Fae kind." 

"Fine, whatever. This better not back fire." Alexander grumbled. Lance could really see Keith coming through whenever Alexander looked angry. It was actually a pretty good look on him; his eyes narrowed, lips clenched, and his eyebrows furrowed. Lance was never confused on why he was such a heart throb. 

The boys found Ensley in her backyard. A beautiful and huge garden with a fountain that Ensley sat on. She had a potion in her lap that she was quickly brewing. She was grabbing at random plants around her and crushing them together. 

"Ensley, we aren't here to hurt you. We heard you were the best sorceress and could possibly help us. See there's this demon called Bat who is opening the rift between hell and earth with ancient Fae magic. Every Fae we've talked to about it has said they haven't studied anything that old ever." Robin explained as they put their weapons away slowly. 

"But they said that you had." Alexander finished. 

"They are correct. I am the best." She put the potion in her belt with a cork in the top. She stood, and the boys exchanged a hopeful look. She looked at the two of them, looked at their weapons and smiled. She then flicked her hands at the two of them and muttered something they couldn't hear. They both collapsed in pain and groaned loudly. "I am especially known for this spell. It's called 'I Growing Flae', The Growing Ill. You will get sicker and sicker until you die." She smiled and started to leave. 

"But- you-" Robin strained himself to say. The spell hits like a ton of bricks then calms down after about five minutes, then as time goes on they get worse and worse. Lance could barely look at Keith. He knew it was fake, but he couldn't stand to watch him in that much pain. It looked so real, so visceral and horrifying. He wanted to hug him or something. 

"Bat has that spell to open hell! You have to help us stop him, you're the only one who can!" Alexander yelled out through gritted teeth. 

"Who do you think taught him?" Ensley smirked, stepped on Alexander's hand as he reached for his axe and left. 

"Dammit!" Alexander yelled and hit the stones beneath them. 

"Cut!" Adam yelled. "Alright, great scene guys, I really thought you were dying." Adam said with a smirk as Keith and Lance sat up. "And Ina that was great! Only four takes guys, that's great. I'm done with actors. Kaleel, take it away." Keith went over to compliment Ina as Lance moved away from the stage. Kaleel started directing crew members so he got out of the way and started to take his makeup off. 

"Hey Lance, you okay?" Keith asked as he sat down next to him in their makeup chairs. Lance looked up in surprise. 

"What? Yeah of course. Why?"

"I don't know. After every shoot you wordlessly leave the set, it's out of character for you." 

"Just tired, I think. 

"Alright. Well you have tomorrow at least." 

"Hah, I wish. I have an interview on some YouTube channel."

"Oh with StudioB? I'm in that interview too." Lance thought it said a lot about how their relationship was going that he only just found this out. He and Keith used to talk non stop. Well, Lance would talk nonstop and Keith would add something every five sentences. Which suited them both. 

"Good, maybe it won't be such a drag then." 

"Yeah maybe with you there I won't want to strangle the interviewer." Keith said sarcastically and Lance smiled. "Knew I could get you to smile." Keith said quietly and Lance bumped into him with his shoulder. They went home soon after and watched some old sitcom while eating Chinese take out on the couch. 

"It's good to see you again." Lance said quietly as they dug into their dinner. 

"What? You see me all day everyday." Keith said, trying to get Kosmo to not eat his noodles. 

"Yeah I see you, but I rarely have any quality time with you. We used to talk all the time about anything. Now whenever Kaleel is over you hide in your room. Be honest, do you not like him?" Keith stopped eating to stare at Lance, and Lance couldn't even read what Keith was feeling. 

"I like Kaleel a lot actually. I just thought you guys wanted space cause, y'know, you're a couple. Plus I'm sorta sick of being around couples, I lived with Shiro and Adam long enough." Keith faked a little shudder which made Lance smile to himself. At least he didn't hate Kaleel. 

"I appreciate that, and that's fair. But I don't know, I want to hang out with both of you. It'd be nice if you two were friends. Not besties or anything, but I don't know." Lance gave another shrug with one of his shoulders and Keith nodded. Lance still couldn't read his expression. 

"I get it. I'll hang out with you guys tonight, okay?"

"Thank you. You know, you could always get a boyfriend. Then we could all hang out together! And you wouldn't feel like a third wheel." 

"Yeah but... people? Ew." Lance smirked to himself at his friend. There was a knock at the door and Lance called that the door was open. Kaleel came in and locked the door behind him, just like always. 

Lance turned to see his boyfriend- he did not look good. Well- he always looked good. He was handsome and cute and hot- in Lance's words. But right now he looked exhausted and over worked. Both were true. He told Lance the other day that he hasn't been able to go to the barber in a long time and that he didn't like how his hair looked right now. Lance thought his medium length Afro looked really good on him, but Kaleel insisted that he looked better with a short, closer cut. He had circles under his eyes and his cheeks looked a little gaunter than usual. Lance would have to ask him later if he's been eating enough. Lance smiled at him and Kaleel gave him a tired smile back. 

"Come sit down babe. I ordered you some shrimp fried rice, let me heat it up for you." Lance said as Kaleel sat down on the other side of him. Kaleel looked at him with big eyes like he couldn't believe Lance's generosity. Lance ignored it and went to warm up Kaleel's dinner. It was almost ten, way too late for him to be eating dinner. 

"Hey man, long day?" Lance heard Keith say from the living room. Kaleel sighed. 

"No tienes idea. (You have no idea)" Kaleel muttered. "Yeah man, someone broke a light." 

"Oh shit, really?" He heard Keith hiss out a wince.  

"Yeah, luckily a small one but still. Super expensive. I didn't fire him, cause I don't want to do that. But our producers aren't gonna be too happy. Anyway, that took a while to deal with on top of everything else." 

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Hey Kosmo." Lance peaked at his boyfriend as Kosmo stole Lance's seat to lick Kaleel's face. Lance thought Keith might've seen him, but Kaleel didn't seem to notice and Keith didn't look at him at all so it was hard to tell. "Y'know, shrimp fried rice is my favorite meal. I didn't know he knew that. He keeps surprising me with his.... I don't know. Lance-ness." Keith snorted, Lance didn't know he snorted. 

"Yeah, he has a good memory. And would do anything for the people he cares about." Keith said with such... the best word would be affection. Lance saw Kaleel smile softly. Lance loved Kaleel's smile. His eyes look softer and his lips curl slightly to the right. Lance was startled to see that Keith had a very similar smile as well. Just slightly crinkled eyes and barely a smile. He looked like he was remembering a nice dream. Kaleel sighed contently. 

"Yeah," Kaleel said dreamily. 

"Yeah." Keith smiled a little longer at Kaleel then looked slowly to meet Lance's eyes and his smile grew bigger. Lance felt his face flush and he felt his left side of his lips tighten into a shy smile. He then moved back to get Kaleel's food out of the microwave. He decided to pretend he didn't hear anything. They were whispering the last part, so they probably didn't mean to share that with Lance. Though maybe Keith did. That man was an enigma. 

"Here you go, hun." Lance said as he gave Kaleel his steaming food. He picked Kosmo up and placed him back in his lap as he sat back down. 

"Muchas gracias, realmente necesitaba esto. (Thank you so much, I really needed this)" Kaleel told him and Lance gave him a kiss on the head. 

"Por supuesto querido. (Of course, dear)" Lance muttered and the three of them watched Friends with occasional chatter. To Lance's appreciation, Keith and Kaleel got along great. They agreed on almost everything. Lance never really noticed how similar they were. 

"Carino (sweetheart), you have tomorrow off, right?" Kaleel asked a little while later. Kaleel was sitting between Lance's legs and had his back against Lance's chest. Kaleel's head was right next to Lance, he often tilted it back to rest on Lance's shoulder. 

"From acting, I have an interview at noon. It shouldn't take all day though, why?" Lance said. 

"Seria bueno tener un dia para relajarse juntos. (I'd be nice to have a day to relax together)" Lance guessed he said that in Spanish because he didn't want Keith to know. Kaleel was a little shy. They often talked to each other in Spanish when they were alone or wanted others not to know what they were saying. Lance had gotten into a habit of flirting with Kaleel in Spanish while at work. It makes it funnier when Kaleel got all flustered because no one else knows why. They also sometimes just revert to Spanish when they're tired, like when Kaleel thanked him for the food, sometimes it's hard to notice even. 

"Lo se, yo tambien. Manana por la noche? (I know, me too. Tomorrow night?)" Kaleel smiled and nodded before looking back to the screen. Lance saw Keith in the corner of his eye, he's probably confused on what they were saying. He turned to look at his friend. Keith was looking at Kaleel with a neutral expression, and for a split second Lance thought Keith's eyes looked angry. But then it was gone and Keith made eye contact with Lance. Keith smiled, but it was different. 

Lance and Keith had to leave their place at ten the next morning for their interview. Lance let Kaleel sleep, he really needs it. Keith and Lance spent about two hours at their studio getting ready with makeup and getting to know the interviewer so they would have a rapport. 

Keith and Lance were pretty much mutually bored. These things were fun and all, it was just a lot of the same questions from most people. Though this reporter seemed cool. Her name was Frankie and she was really nice and energetic. It always helped when the interviewer had a lot of energy, it encouraged the actors.

“Alright, we’re about to start filming. Do you have any questions before we start?” Frankie asked. Lance and Keith both said no and the cameras go on. “I am here today with Hollowed Out stars Keith Kogane and Lance McClaine! Go ahead and introduce yourselves.” 

“I’m Keith Kogane, I play Alexander in Hollowed Out.” 

“I’m Lance McClaine and I play Robin!” 

“Alright so we’re going to answer some fan questions about you two. You ready?” She asked with a smile and they both nod with a smile. She handed them those sheets that are the most common googled things with their names where most of the results are covered. “Alright Keith why don’t you get us started?” Keith peeled away the first question slot. 

“Alright here we go…” Keith muttered. “Is Keith Kogane… dating anyone?” Lance snorted involuntarily and Keith sent him a glare. It’s a performance glare, Lance could tell when Keith was actually annoyed. “The answer is no. Currently I am not.” Keith said with a smile. 

“Does Lance McClain really have an accent?” Lance actually started laughing. “Yes this is real, I’m from Cuba. In some shows I’ve been asked to use an American accent, but this is how I actually sound.” Lance said in his normal, untrained voice. 

“Is Keith Kogane Takashi Shirogane’s brother? We are not related by blood, but the Shiroganes adopted me in when I was younger. So technically no, but we consider each other family.” 

“Is Lance McClain single?” Lance blushed a bit and looked at Keith sheepishly. “I am not, but my partner and I are not ready to be public with our relationship yet.” 

“That’s exciting news! When do you think you will go public?” Frankie asked excitedly and Lance bit his lip. 

“Oh, well we don’t know yet. We just thought we’d wait until it was a bit more serious. Maybe a couple months.” 

“Is Keith Kogane Japanese?” Keith read out. He grimaced, he doesn’t really like when people ask about his ethnicity. It’s not something he’s sensitive about or offended or anything. He just often got people fetishizing him because he’s Asian. “I am Japanese and Korean. My dad was Japanese and my mother is Korean.” 

“Is that Lance McClaine’s real singing voice? What’s with all the questions about my voice? Yes I do all my own singing.” Lance answered with a small, annoyed laugh. He shook his head and looked over at Keith. 

“Yeah he’s a really good singer.” Keith confirmed. 

“Y’know Keith is actually surprisingly a good singer too.” 

“Not really," Keith made a face but Lance shook his head and waved his friend off. 

“He’s just being modest.” 

“Who is Keith Kogane’s role model? Interesting question. I don’t know if I have one really. I’ve always really like Ian McKellen though.” 

“Was Lance McClain on Broadway? Well I’m honored that people might’ve thought that, but no. I would love to perform there but I’m more of a on camera guy.” 

“Alright this is a bit of a surprise, but I’m going to hand you some tweets about you guys to read off.” Frankie told them and passed them both a hat full of slips. 

“Oh god, are these the mean tweets? I don’t know if my ego can handle that.” Lance joked with a wince. It was a joke, but he would also likely think about any mean comment for at least five days. 

“Here let me read one.” Keith took his hat and pulled one out. “‘I want Keith Kogane to rearrange my Guts’ Oh, these are thirst tweets.” Keith said with almost no reaction. Lance started cackling along with Frankie. 

“He’s so casual about it, he’s like ‘oh just another person who is in love with me, oh.” Lance teased. Keith shook his head with a smile. 

“‘Can I just be serenaded by Lance McClaine’s smooth baritone just once? Just once in my life, can I have that?’” Lance started laughing again. 

“We all wish that, you’re not alone.” Keith joked with a look straight at the camera, his voice monotonous. Lance hit his arm and felt his face warm up and he hoped it wasn't visible on camera. 

“‘Keith Kogane I know you’re gay, and I’m a lesbian- I just think we could work this out.’” Even Keith laughed at that. 

“‘I’d be a great date for Lance McClaine. I’d take him out somewhere real nice. The main course? My ass’” Lance almost couldn’t finish reading this one cause he was laughing so much. Keith chuckled a bit. “Thank you for providing, very sweet, uh… Gina’sbeans, real sweet.” Lance concluded when he had stopped laughing. 

“Okay last one each is all we have time for.” Frankie let them know and they both nodded. 

“‘You know that dangly thing in the back of your throat? I think it’d be really cool if Keith Kogane could reach that with his tongue or something idk’ Wow. I don’t think that’s medically possible.” Keith said, his face barely reddening. 

“Okay last one, let’s hope it’s a good one. ‘Lance McClaine, please sing to me while we have sex’ Aww that one’s kinda sweet.” Lance concluded and they handed the hat back. He didn't think that ever crossed his mind. He wasn't sure he'd want to do that. He wouldn't sound good- being a bit preoccupied and all. 

“Okay, thank you both for being here! It was great to talk to you both and get to know you a bit more!”

“Of course, and thank you so much for having us!” Keith said in his performer voice. 

“Thank you all, byeee!” Lance waved to the camera and then the producer cut. 

“Good take guys, thanks for all your work.” Some producer said to them as they walked back to their makeup room. 

“That was kinda fun.” Lance said to Keith as they wiped their makeup off. 

“Yeah, not too bad. Interesting questions. I always wonder why people are so curious about my ethnicity. It’s important to me, but why do others care?” 

“Maybe it’s other Asian people who are excited to see representation of themselves on screen.” 

“Yeah, that’d be fine. I have a feeling that’s not the majority though.” 

“Maybe not.” 

“So what are you and Kaleel gonna do for your night off?” Keith asked as they drive home. 

“I’m not sure. Probably just watch tv and order take out. I have some face masks so that might be fun. Wanna join?” 

“Uhm, no. I think he wanted some alone time with you. I will take some take out though.” Keith told him and Lance smiled a bit to himself at Keith's willingness to give them some space. He really was the perfect roommate. 

“It’s not because he doesn’t like you. It’s just that he’s had a long week.” Lance tried to explain, hoping that Keith didn't think that Lance didn't want to spend time with him. Because he did. He actually kind of missed Keith. 

“I know, I’m not offended. It’s nice to know he likes me at least.” 

“Oh yeah, he likes you.” Lance said it with an exaggerated air which confused Keith. 

“What does that mean?” He asked defensively. 

“Okay don’t tell him I told you, but he said he had a celebrity crush on you before he got into the industry. But that was like over five years ago.” Keith actually blushed. Lance doesn’t see that too often. Lance laughed at Keith as he spluttered. 

“That actually makes a lot of sense. He said he was a huge fan of some of my older stuff. And he talked about one of my movies that has a pretty explicit sex scene in it.” Keith adamantly stared at the road ahead of him. 

“Hah! That’s hilarious. He saw your strong ass thighs and fell in love.” Lance teased in a coo and Keith hit his arm. 

“Stop making fun of your boyfriend!” 

“It’s not making fun! It’s a kind and general teasing. It’s relatable.” 

“Oh it’s relatable to fall in love with my thighs?” Keith asked sarcastically. 

“Well yeah duh!” Lance leans into Keith and jokingly puts a hand on his knee. Keith jerked his leg and Lance moved his hand with a laugh. 

“I will crash this car, just try me.” Keith threatened and Lance just shook his head in amusement. 

“Lighten up. Haven’t all your coworkers had a crush on you at some point?” 

“What?! No? Not that I know of.” 

“I did. Back when I first moved to LA and just starting out in some small roles I watched Country Roads. I know I for sure had a celebrity crush on you after that.” Lance said in a joking tone. It was true, after all. 

“You never told me that.” Keith said with a disbelieving expression as he finally looked at Lance. 

“Why would I? It was years ago. I had a crush on Allura before I met her. I think Shiro is hot, do I have to tell him that?” 

“You mean more than you usually do?” Keith's lips twitched into a smile. 

“Shut up. Anyway, does it matter what little, naive me thought?” 

“Nope. Little, naive me thought old guys were all the rage so who am I to judge.” Keith said sarcastically and quickly.

“Wait what?” 

“Anyway, we’re home. I’ll go out with Matt or something so you can have the place to yourself.” Keith parked and got out of the car. Lance wasn't sure he heard Keith correctly earlier but assumed he didn't and moved on. 

“Kaleel?” Lance asked quietly as he entered his room. Kaleel was sitting on his bed with Kosmo in his lap. He was scrolling on his phone. He looked up and smiled when Lance entered. Lance loved that cheesy smile. It made his heart melt.

“Hey Lance! How’d it go?” 

“I think it was okay. It should be up tomorrow.” 

“We should watch it.” 

“Ugh it’s stupid. They made us read thirst tweets.” 

“No I love those! They’re so funny!” Kaleel insisted with light taps on Lance's arm. 

“They are pretty funny. Just a little weird I guess. Oh I also told them that I’m dating someone, but I said we aren’t going public yet- I hope that’s okay.” 

“Lance you can tell or not tell whoever. You’re the one who gets a lot of attention for that sort of thing. No one cares who I date unless it’s a celebrity, then they care about the celebrity.” 

“I care.” Lance said as he slipped next to his boyfriend in his bed. 

“Hm, you care who I date?” Kaleel asked, amusement flowing from his lips. 

“Yeah,” Lance teased as he brushed their noses together. 

“It’s a good thing you know first hand info then.” Kaleel smiled with his eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, that helps.” Lance said before kissing his boyfriend. He loved kissing Kaleel. It was always so calming. Like sitting on a beach back home. 

“Kosmo!” Keith called in another room. Kosmo looked up but didn’t move to follow Keith. She loved Lance- she seemed to like Kaleel so far as well. Though, Lance hadn't seen her dislike anyone so far. Lance stopped kissing Kaleel and moved his head away. 

“He’s in here, Keith!” Lance called. Keith peaked his head in and then entered when he saw them. 

“Sorry to interrupt. It’s time for her walk though. That’s right Kosmo! Do you wanna go on a walk?” Keith asked his dog, who started wagging her tail when she heard the word walk. Kosmo jumped off the bed and walked out to the living room. “I’m going over to Matt’s after, I’m taking Kosmo with. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Keith said with a smile and then followed his dog. 

“So. Movie marathon with face masks?” Kaleel asked when they heard the front door close. Lance thought he felt himself fall in love a little more when he said that. 

“You know me so well. Harry Potter or Marvel?” 

“Harry Potter.” They smiled at each other and went into the living room together. Lance made sure all curtains were closed so they didn’t have to worry about paparazzi. Keith usually had them all closed anyway.  

They watched the first two movies before they ordered pizza. They talked through the movies and cuddled as much as they could. They were both physical affection people, which worked out great for them. 

“Lance, would you be a Gryffndor or a Slytherin?” Kaleel asked during the Basilisk scene. 

“I think I’m a Gryffndor. How’d you know I’m not one of the other two?” 

“Well I know you. And I thought you’d be a Gryffndor, but you are very ambitious so I wouldn’t count out Slytherin. Though you’re also really sweet and loyal so Hufflepuff would work too.” 

“Hm, yeah I think Gryffndor. You’d be a Ravenclaw.” 

“Oh yeah, hundred percent. Maybe Slytherin as a second.” 

“Keith is a Slytherin.” Lance decided quickly. But the more he thought about it, he could also see Keith as a Gryffindor. 

“Hm, yeah totally.” 

“Hunk’s a Hufflepuff, Pidge is Ravenclaw, Shiro and Allura are Gryffndors.” 

“You think about this a lot?”

“All the time."

"Keith’s patronus would definitely be Kosmo.” Lance said a while later while watching the third movie. 

“Yeah? What would yours be?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe a lion. I’m a Leo after all. You?” 

“Owl or some other kind of bird.” 

“I can see that. Wait what’s your zodiac sign, I don’t think I’ve ever tested our compatibility.” 

“I don’t really believe in that sort of thing. I’m a Capricorn.” 

“Hm, I don’t know if those are compatible. I know generally fire signs like me are really good with air signs and sometimes water. Earth signs like you are also actually good with air signs.” 

“Everything you just said means nothing to me.” He said with a laugh. 

“That’s okay, just listen to me ramble.”

 
“Anytime.” 

Twitter after the interview came out: 

lancefan3999: Why does no one believe that's Lance's real voice? He's not fake smh.

lancefan3999: Also anyone else curious about who Lance is dating?

furryious96: Shiro's fam took Keith in when he was a kid? Stop that's so cute I thought they were just really good friends and that's why they said they were brothers. This is way better tho

hollowedoutfanacc: It's so good to see these guys again! Also now we know both Lance AND Keith can sing? Musical episode of Hollowed Out? I think yes

gina'sbeans: I never thought Lance would see that tweet. I need to find a hole to live in now, thank you. 

gina'sbeans: But also he was so sweet and cute about it i love him

stolaswings: @lancefan3999 I was thinking it's probably someone from set! We'll know more when the video diaries are released

justfinethx: Okay i know Keith said he wasn't dating anyone and Lance said he was but i still think they're together or something. like they said that to throw us off and they're actually dating. did yall see how they looked at each other in the interview???

koganefanacc: @justfinethx It's totally fine to speculate on that sort of thing before but I don't think Keith would lie to everyone that blatantly. As much as I think they would be really cute together they really might just be really close friends

keatt4ever: can fans of the keith/lance ship shut up after this? like finally? lance is dating someone else

lancefan3999: @keatt4ever you're just mad that Keith said he's not dating anyone and you're a keith/matt fan account 

thinkerbell289: these thirst tweets have me howling, and poor keith looks so awkward. i mean the tweets are relatable as hell it's just funny to see how they react

xmentor1943: Keith's role model is Ian McKellen? I love him for that, we stan a gay icon stanning another gay icon

xmentor1943: also guys remember these are real people so be kind and not too nosy plz

The last couple weeks of filming went by faster than Lance thought they would. The cast’s spirit rose again within the last week. Pidge and Hunk had more ideas for the video diary that they were able to pull off. Lance started back up with some of his Keith pranks. 

His best one was when he and Shiro came into work one day wearing the same thing. Just a generic black t shirt and blue jeans. So Lance switched them when they weren’t looking, with the camera following of course. At the end of the day Keith came out of the change room with a shirt two sizes too big and pants almost falling down. 

They were both quite fit men, but Shiro was just physically bigger. He also had way more muscles which just made his clothes bigger of course. 

Keith was furious, of course. He exited his change room with a scowl Lance hadn’t seen in a while. Pidge and Hunk both howled with laughter when they filmed Keith smack Lance. It was actually pretty painful but Lance just laughed it off. He kind of deserved it. 

“I’m going to kill you. What did you do?” Keith asked as he pulled up Shiro’s pants on his slim hips. 

“Just wait.” Lance said through a chuckle and they all turned to Shiro’s change room. The door suddenly slammed open and they all broke out laughing, even Keith. 

“I swear to god you are all children. Who has my clothes?” Shiro called out, in a shirt so tight across his arms and chest it made Captain America’s shirt look normal. Keith’s pants were basically skinny jeans on him, made his ass look great, but did not look comfortable. He could barely walk in them. 

“I had nothing to do with this!” Allura said from her makeup chair, scrolling through her phone. 

“Lance switched our clothes.” Keith said while holding up the waist of the jeans. Shiro nodded like ‘yeah no shit’. 

“Hey man, the shirt looks great on you!” Lance commented before Shiro walked over to him. Lance actually squealed and hid behind Keith, who merely stepped aside with a blank face. 

Shiro then picked Lance up by the front of his shirt, and actually hanged Lance up on a hanger on the wall from the back of his shirt. Like a bully from a 90s movie or something. Lance wiggled a bit before he looked at the camera with big eyes. 

"Oh no." He fell out of his shirt and landed on the floor with a quiet thud. "Ow." Lance said while rubbing his butt. He had completely fallen out of his t shirt which was about to rip. He reached and got his shirt down to put it back on. While he was putting it on Kaleel walked over. 

"What's going on?" He said with a raised eyebrow. He had on his head set and clip board out so he was still working. He looked over Lance, then Keith, then Shiro. All with the same shocked expression. Lance fumbled to get his shirt on fast enough. 

"Uhh haha nothing, Carino. (sweetheart)" Lance said while brushing his shirt off. Keith and Shiro were laughing under their breaths while Pidge did not do such a good job hiding her laughter. 

"Get outta here you guys," Kaleel joked with a smile. He got along really well with the cast, especially since he got to know them more through Lance. 

"Yeah of course, sorry." Hunk said, completely seriously. He really respected stage managers and especially Kaleel. They all did, but they knew Kaleel wasn't actually mad. Keith and Shiro went to get dressed into the right clothes and Kaleel looked at Lance with raised eyebrows. 

"You're a bad influence. Culicagados*, the lot of you." Kaleel said to Lance, then to the rest of them with a smile. "Pizza de nuevo esta noche? (pizza again tonight?)" He then asked Lance privately. 

"Si, con pina. (yeah with pineapple)" Lance added hopefully. 

"Lo que quieras, Querido. (whatever you want, dear)" Kaleel said before he gave Lance a kiss and left to do his job. 

"Awww you guys are so cute!" Hunk said and Lance blushed deeply. 

"Yeah you're like Shiro and Adam level at this point." Pidge pointed out with her arms crossed. 

"Aw thanks Pidge, that was the goal!" Lance said with a smile. 

"It wasn't a compliment." She teased and they stuck their tongues out at each other. She then turned off the camera, Lance had forgotten it was on. "I'll cut it off before Kaleel gets there if you want." 

"Thanks, sorry, I didn't realize it was still on." Lance scratched the back of his neck. 

"No need to apologize, I cut out personal stuff all the time." Pidge shrugged and waved him off. 

"You don't have to cut out anything with Shay and I, we're gonna go public." Hunk said excitedly. Lance hit his arm in excitement. 

"Dude that's awesome!! I'm so happy for you!" 

"Yeah neither of us are really heart throbs so we shouldn't get too much crap." Lance's eyebrows furrowed. Hunk and Shay were both super hot so he wasn't sure what he was talking about. 

"You're my heart throb." Lance said and he and Hunk looked into each other's eyes. Hunk did a fake flustered little brush off with his hand. Lance bit his nail, pretending to be embarrassed in front of a crush. 

"Aww. You know what I mean though. People go crazy about you or Keith or Allura. I doubt people will write an article on Shay and I is all I mean." 

"Seems like a good thing to me." Pidge muttered and shrugged a shoulder. Lance had recently found out that she'd had articles written about her too. It was wild to think about to Lance, since he knew she was aromantic, but that wasn't something everyone knew. People had really shipped her with the guy who played her love interest in the Runner movies. Who Pidge hated. 

"It is, people don't care much about my personal life, it's nice." Hunk smiled minutely and Lance just nodded. Lance hadn't had any articles written about him. Just a lot of comments and twitter tags. 

Lance thought about that for a minute or two. There was already chatter online since that YouTube video came out. Some fans, not to generalize, but some were speculating over who his partner was. He supposed that's what happened but it would be nice to be like Hunk. Though he genuinely doesn't understand that people don't see Hunk and Shay the same way. They're both gorgeous and hot and incredible actors. Shay was genuinely one of the prettiest people Lance thinks he's ever seen. She wasn't super famous or anything so he supposed that might be why. 

Anyway, the diary was going well now that the cast wasn't so tired and over worked. They got all their intense and fight scenes out of the way and now they only had 1on1 scenes left to shoot plus a couple photo shoots for merch and ads. 

Lance already had his ticket back to Cuba set for a week after shooting ends. He was going to tell his family about Kaleel while home, and trusting them not to spread it. Though it really wouldn't be too bad if it did. Lance felt good about this relationship, like it was going to work out. For a while at least. He was only staying in Cuba for two weeks because he had a ad campaign his agent got him. He was advertising a face cream, one he actually used too so he was pretty happy about it. 

Kaleel had another job stage managing another show, something short that he would be done with by the time it was filming for season three. This meant Kaleel would be busy most of the time, which sucked, but Kaleel mostly liked to keep busy; he got restless otherwise.

The last day on set was mostly photo shoots, which meant a lot of costume changes and some makeup adjustments. Long day in other words. Especially since Coran could not decide what poses he wanted for each character so he had them each do a ton. 

"My back is sore." Keith muttered when he got back to the greenroom. He sat on the couch next to Lance. Alexander was their best fighter so all his poses were fighting stances, Lance guessed. Keith turned this way and that, trying to ease some of the sore muscles. 

"Wanna back rub?" Lance asked sincerely, though Keith didn't take it that way as he laughed and leaned back. 

"Do you even know how to do that?" Keith asked with his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the couch back. 

"He does actually, he's pretty good." Hunk said from the coffee table. Lance had given Hunk a back massage or two when they'd played twister at Hunk's place two weeks ago. Neither of their bodies was as young as they had once been, so it was a bit hard on them. 

"See? I have many hidden talents." Lance smiled and turned Keith's back towards him. 

"Fine, just don't injure me." Keith grumbled tiredly and slumped over the side of the arm rest. 

"Smile for the camera," Lance said to Keith as he started on his shoulders. Lance pointed at the video diaries camera in the corner of the room. Pidge had it there whenever people were in and out the greenroom a lot. She showed it to everyone so people could cut out what they wanted to, of course, she's not going to post anything without permission. She just realized there were a lot of great convos and jokes that happen when she and the other main cast aren't there and she wanted the rest of the cast and crew to be able to be in the video- they put in just as much work as the main six actors. 

"God no, I just spent two hours posing. I'll glare at the camera. See me glaring Pidge?" Keith said to the camera. Pidge just gave him a middle finger.

Lance chuckled and kept massaging Keith's back. Keith relaxed a ton once Lance started, he had a million tense and knotted muscles. Lance would have to teach him some stretches. He hadn't felt a back this tense ever. He would often give his friends and family a massage if they asked for one or if Lance could tell they needed one. Mostly to Kaleel and previously Nadia when he saw her more often.  

"Isn't he good?" Hunk asked Keith after a minute, a giant smile plastered to his face. Keith looked up at him and Lance couldn't see Keith's face but it made Hunk and Pidge laugh.

"Shut up" Keith said, he was breathing weirdly. Lance pulled Keith back towards himself by Keith's shoulders so he can see Keith's face. Keith's head lolled backwards like he could barely control it. His expression was so relaxed he looked like he was about to fall asleep. He then tensed back up. 

"What is it Keith? You just tensed back up?" Lance said, moving Keith forward again and working on his shoulder blades. 

"Dude is holding back loud, unrestrained moans is all." Pidge teased with an evil smirk from her seat. Lance chuckled and Keith gave Pidge a middle finger. It made sense, Keith's back and shoulders feel like they've been tensed his whole life. Boy needs a back rub badly. He should honestly consider getting a deep tissue massage for how stressed he felt. 

"To be fair, Lance is really good at back rubs." Hunk defended him. 

"No hay necesidad de contenerse, papito. (No need to restrain yourself) " Lance teased with a smirk. Keith stiffened again and Lance rubbed out his shoulders to relax him again. 

"What did you say?" Keith asked in a panic and Lance just knew his face was red. 

"Papito?" Pidge asked through a laugh. 

"It's normal in Cuba to call someone hot papito, it's doesn't actually refer to a parent most of the time," Lance explained. 

"Same in Columbia," Lance heard Kaleel's voice enter the room. He continued to massage Keith's shoulders but Keith stiffened like he was doing something wrong. "Pidge and Hunk, you guys are up in five." Kaleel told the two actors who proceeded to get up and down their coffee.

"Quieres un masaje esta noche, Carino? (Do you want a massage tonight, sweetheart?)" Lance asked Kaleel, who blushed and held back a smile. 

"Pendejo, estoy trabajando. (Asshole, I am working)" Kaleel said while shaking his head. "Pero si, por supuesto. (But yes, of course)" Kaleel smirked and left the greenroom.

Lance was a little taken back at the use of 'pendejo', in Cuba it was a bit of an offensive term that literally translated to 'pubic hair' but it was strictly used as an insult that meant coward. He had to remember though, not all words are the same in Columbia and Cuba. He'd ask Kaleel later. 

"You never call Kaleel Papito." Keith said quietly, Lance looked at the camera across the room. He doubted that it would pick up on whispers, especially with Adam getting coffee right in front of it. 

"Nah, I like sweeter terms for people I'm dating. I don't actually use papito often, it's just not often used in my family even though it's common in Cuba." Lance explained to Keith as he heard small sighs leave Keith's mouth. 

"Like what?"

"What?"

"Like what terms of endearment do you use?"

"Hm, well mostly Carino/Carina which means sweetheart or darling. Sometimes querido/querida which means dear."

"What about friends?"

"Hmm, usually back home I'd call my friends Chico or Primo, sometimes Cunado. Those are just like, terms for siblings or relatives. Aunque te llamaria hermoso. (Although I would call you beautiful)" 

"Doesn't that last word mean brother?" Keith asked, and Lance smiled barely to himself. 

"Yeah," he lied. 

"Alright everyone, Adam wants us all in here in five for his wrap up speech." Kaleel said a couple hours later. Kaleel then sat on the couch next to Lance. Lance had finished all his stuff about ten minutes ago. They were all supposed to stick around for Adam and the other directors to talk at them. There was another wrap party that night that he was going to with Kaleel and Keith. They weren't planning on staying long, but they did want to do another live stream after the party.

He posted that on his twitter that he would be live streaming around 11pm and people were already excited. He always forgets how famous Keith is. Lance is semi famous as well, but people are like actually obsessed with Keith. 

"Alright everyone, I'd like to thank you all for all your hard work this season." Lance pretty much spaced out for the speech. It was the same every time. He loved Adam as a director, but this wrap speech is the same sort of appreciation thing on every set. 

"Pendejo es algo normal de decir en Columbia, verdad? (Pendejo is a normal thing to say in Columbia, right?)" Lance whispered to Kaleel, who looked at him weirdly. He did the thing he did every time he had to explain something to someone- bit his tongue and looked at the ceiling. 

"Si, solo significa como..." He thinks for a second. "Gilipollas. Por que? (Yeah, it just means like.... asshole. Why?)" Lance nodded, that made way more sense to him.

"En Cuba quiere decir penco. (In Cuba it means coward)" Lance said. Kaleel mouthed the word once with furrowed brow. 

"Penco?" He asked with a confused little furrow in his eyebrows. Lance smiled at how cute it was. 

"Like uhh, coward." Lance decided English might just be a better way to explain. 

"Ahh gallina. Lo siento, no quise llmarte 'coward'. Solo estaba bromeando llamandote gilipollas. (Oh (gallina means coward in Columbia). I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you a coward. I was just teasing by calling you an asshole)" 

"Eso pense, solo queria comprobar. (I thought so, I just wanted to check)" Kaleel nodded and grabbed Lance's hand. 

"Okay guys, that's a wrap! I'll see you all at the party tonight!" Adam finally said and there was a cheer. 

"Crew members remember clean up is tomorrow at ten til 4. Don't be late." Kaleel said loudly and Adam pointed at Kaleel and nodded at the crew. Kaleel, Keith, and him all walked to Keith's car. 

"Lance I don't think I even know the word 'penco'. That means coward? In Columbia we say 'gallina' for coward." Kaleel said in the parking lot.

"Yeah and pendejo is like... similar to the severeness of 'fuck' but means cowardly." Lance tried to explain and wasn't sure he was doing it justice. 

"Geez, I really didn't mean that. I was just saying asshole in the affectionate way, like we do in English." 

"I get that now, just a bit confusing."

"What are you two talking about?" Keith finally asks when they're all seated in the car. 

"Well both Cuba and Columbia speak Spanish, but there are different dialects and cultures so words don't all mean the same thing. He said a word that in Cuba is a pretty big insult but in Columbia it's not so offensive." Lance explained. Keith nodded and started driving home. 

"Oh that's got to be a little confusing," Keith said. 

"It can be, like in this situation. Usually we can work out what the other is trying to say though," Kaleel added. 

The wrap party is better than it was last year. Better music, better drinks, more people, everything that makes a party better. Keith makes a beeline to the bar while Kaleel and Lance walk the perimeter first. 

"He better not get drunk off his ass." Lance commented to Kaleel when they watch Keith take two shots with Lotor. 

"He a messy drunk?" Kaleel asked with a cheery smile.  

"An emotional drunk. Gets all sad and shares secrets he normally wouldn't." Lance smiled softly to himself. Keith was a sweet, cute drunk- but he always regretted being as open as he was the next morning. 

"Oh yikes." Kaleel bit out. "I guess one of us should probably not drink so they can drive, huh? You or me?" 

"I don't mind if you want to get wasted, you had a long couple months." Lance offered and Kaleel shook his head. 

"Yeah but I have clean up tomorrow. Maybe we can get drunk together tomorrow night, I'll be DD tonight." 

"That works out, I won't get too drunk though. Keith and I have a livestream tonight so it'll be good to be a bit drunk but not black out." Kaleel nodded and they went over to the bar. Keith was talking to Lotor, Adam, and Allura. 

"Hey guys!" Lance greeted them as they join the group. They all greet him and Kaleel with smiles. 

"I hate to leave when you guys just get here, but Maria is calling us over. That's Lotor's agent." Allura explained as she and Lotor leave to talk to a short woman at the other end of the bar. Allura and Lotor were going public with their relationship and needed to work things out with their agents since they both get a lot of crap whenever they date. 

"That's okay 'lura, we'll talk later." Lance said and Allura waved with a sorry expression. 

"Hey guys, great job this season." Adam told to the three of them. Lance ordered more shots for him and Keith. 

"So Keith, I have some umm... news that you might consider bad..." Adam said slowly and bit his lip. 

"Oh god, why'd you say it like that." Keith whined and Adam gave him a sympathetic look. 

"Just don't freak out! It's not that big of a deal, really." Adam looked around, like he's looking for Shiro to save his ass from an awkward conversation. "So there's a character next season who's a bit of a rival for the main six, right? And he's like, especially antagonistic with Alexander cause they have a past so they really don't get along and have quite a bit of fight scenes."

"Okay?" Keith asked, clearly annoyed. Lance and Kaleel were listening in but tried not to interfere. Kaleel was just sipping at a Diet Coke. 

"Well they cast someone without my input, cause a lot of the producers love this guy and so do some actors already here. So I had no control over this, okay?" 

"Oh god, I know who it is." Keith muttered and Lance watched as he balled his hands into fists- his knuckles turning white. 

"Yeah... it's James. I really tried, man, I'm sorry." 

"Not your fault, thanks for the warning though." Adam nodded and walked away with a pat to Keith's back. 

"Who's James?" Kaleel asked Keith and Lance as Keith downed about three more shots. 

"Okay man, let's slow down." Lance told Keith, who rolled his eyes. "Es complicado. Algo asi como su ex. (it's complicated. Sort of his ex)" Lance explained to Kaleel who nodded. 

"I almost dated him, and we were really good friends. We're on fine terms right now, but it's gonna be awkward as hell." Keith told Kaleel. 

"Well if he gets annoying, just remember your character gets to punch him." Lance tried to cheer Keith up. Lance took his second shot. 

The evening actually went really well. They danced with all their friends and had a really good time. He got to dance to a couple of slow songs with Kaleel which he really enjoyed. He got to talk to a lot of Kaleel's friends on set who he almost never got to talk to, besides karaoke, because they were always working. He got to know Lotor and Shay a lot better which was always nice. Shay, Lotor, and Kaleel all got to know each other a lot better too, which Lance thought was just really cute. 

Speaking of cute, Kaleel was wearing a black tee shirt with a jean jacket and old jeans with his cute golden, circle glasses. He was also helping Keith out a lot, Keith was pretty drunk. Lance stopped counting Keith's drinks after five. Lance just really appreciated how Kaleel was taking care of his friend, it was just endearing. Lance himself only had four shots and called it there. That would get him tipsy to a fun amount but not embarrassing. 

"Allright Lancey Lance, we leaving soon?" Keith said to Lance at about 10:30. They agreed to leave the party kind of early. Keith was leaning into Lance's chest and tugging on the lapels of his jacket. 

"Just after we take a picture with everyone." Lance gathered as many people he knew as he could. They did a huge picture with all them, then another with just the main six and their significant others, then just one with the main six. "Okay Keith, you ready to leave? Kaleel?" Lance asked the two. 

"Yeah I'm good. You doing okay, Lance?" Kaleel asked and Lance nodded, he was a little out of it still. 

"Yeah okay let's leave. I am so ready to talk to the world wide audience!" Keith said, his eyes barely open. Kaleel gave Keith a glass of water, which Keith chugged down. 

Kaleel drove them home and Keith just collapsed on the couch. He wasn't sleeping, he was humming something as Kosmo licked his hand. 

"I'll be in your room while you do your stream thing." Kaleel said and Lance nodded. 

"Keith, let's get you some more water." 

"Yeahhh fine." Kaleel said earlier that Keith stopped drinking an hour ago, so he should be slowly sobering up. Slowly. Keith sat up and took his shirt off. 

"Keith, what are you doing?" Lance asked as he gave Keith a full water bottle. 

"Changing. I want sweat pants and t shirt." Keith said like it was obvious. 

"Okay, let's go to your room, yeah?" Lance suggested, smiling a bit. 

"Hmmkay." Keith said and grabbed Lance's hand as they walked to Keith's room. Lance got out sweat pants and a black t shirt for Keith. "Lance you're my best friend. Did you know that?" Keith asked Lance and hugged him. To Lance's surprise, Keith had taken his pants off while Lance was getting his clothes. 

"Yeah Keith, you're my best friend too." He helped Keith put his shirt on- he had trouble getting his head through the head hole. 

"Really?!" Keith asked like a little kid. Lance nodded with a smile as he pushed Keith to sit on his bed so he could help put his pants on. 

"Yeah, I promise." Lance vowed quietly. Keith gave him another, now fully clothed, hug. Lance laughed at him, and then even more as Keith kissed his cheek. "Hm, finally you kiss me." Lance joked but it made Keith break out into a wide beam. 

"I can do it again if you want" Keith slurred. Lance chuckled and they walked out to the living room. 

"I'm gonna warm you up some pizza so you have some food in you. Anything to sober you up." Keith followed him like a puppy into the kitchen. When Lance turned away from the microwave Keith was pouting. 

"You don't like drunk me? I thought we were best friends." Lance had no idea whether or not Keith was joking. It was even harder to tell when he was drunk. Keith was genuinely a difficult person to read and it was three times worse when he was drunk. Lance couldn't tell when he was joking, serious, or when he was just spouting bullshit. 

"We are. I like drunk you and sober you, but sober you will be mad if you show the world drunk you. So sober up before we start our livestream." Lance explained patiently and Keith gave in with another cute pout. 

About a half hour later Keith was pretty much just tipsy, and to the point where he was presentable to the world. Lance had made another tweet that said 'Hey everyone! We're having some technical difficulties so we're gonna be starting at 11:30, sorry for the inconvenience!!' 

Keith was on his second water bottle and had finished two slices of pizza. He was still out of it, but not enough that it's too noticeable. He was pretty cute, honestly. He was currently sitting criss cross on the couch with a blanket over his lower half and Kosmo sitting next to him, and a water bottle in his lap. Lance took a quick picture before walking over to join him. He had two piles of books, the one further away was taller. So he set his phone upright on the first stack and it rested against the second, taller, stack. 

"Alright Keith, you ready?" 

"Hm? Yeah. Sorry if I was annoying before." Keith still had that soft voice he does when he's drunk. 

"That's okay hermoso (beautiful), just keep drinking your water and we have some ice cream if you want some later." He ruffled the mullet and barely stopped himself from kissing top of his head. He liked looking out for Keith. Keith was always so strong and thought he had to do things alone. There was something about him being vulnerable that Lance appreciated. Maybe he was a bad person for thinking that. 

"Hey everyone! Sorry for moving the stream time back, some issues on our side. But we're here! Wrap party is probably still happening but we left early to talk to y'all." Lance greeted everyone with a wide grin. 

"Yeah, hii everyone!" Keith waved energetically. He was a bit cheerier than usual but maybe no one would notice?

"So we just finished filming season two today. It was such a long, fun process but I think it was definitely worth it because it is going to be soo good! The script was amazing, all the work our crew put in is exceptional and I'm sure the work they do in post is gonna make it all even better!"

"Yeah, and we're all really good actors. Lance is really good this season especially." Keith said with a goofy smile. Lance smiled at him and shook his head a little. 

"Everyone is just awesome, and I'm really excited for you guys to see it. Though it'll be about two months until it's out. So! We can answer some questions or we can keep talking about random stuff, whatever you guys are up for." Lance leaned in to read the comments.

Ahhh Lance and Keith I missed their live streams I feel like they don't do them as often anymore

Kosmo is the best girl I want more Kosmo content

What is your favorite episode of the second season?

What's y'all's favorite song?

Lance who are you dating???

They're so cute for this I can't 

Do you guys have favorite characters?

What do you guys do in your free time?

What do you do between seasons?

You guys are my favorite cast members

Im so excited for season 2 im gonna have a heart attack 

"Okay taking it one at a time. My favorite episode of season two is the second to last one. I can't explain why without spoilers." Lance said and nudged Keith to answer. 

"I like the last episode. Those are usually my favorites in general though." 

"My favorite song is currently 'Why Am I Like This' by Orla Gartland cause I am obsessed with Heart Stopper currently. Though 'Someone New' by Hozier is also really high right now," Lance answered. 

"I have no idea. Okay, don't make fun of me but I'm gonna say 'This December' by Ricky Montgomery." Keith said and Lance was sure he wouldn't have said that if he was completely sober. 

"Wait Keith that's so cute. You listen to like... sad boy music. Whenever you have the aux you play emo music." 

"I told you not to make fun of me!" Keith joked as he leaned into Lance's side. 

"I'm not! It's a good thing." Lance insisted but Keith just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 

"Between seasons I like to have some free time to relax but sometimes I'll do smaller jobs. Between now and season three filming I'm doing some work with an LGBT+ organization. Just like speaking around the country and whatnot. I wish I could do more though." Lance just stared at Keith for a couple of seconds. 

"You never told me that! That's awesome, Keith!" Lance hugged Keith with one arm. Keith had enough mind to break the hug quickly. 

"I only found out yesterday what they wanted me to do. You should join me or something." 

"I totally would if I knew! I'm doing an ad campaign that I'm excited about. I actually can't talk about it, but I'm really happy about it." 

Heart Stopper is sooo good!! I'm so excited celebrities like Lance like it that's so cute 

Omg Hozier and Orla Gartland. If I wasn't in love with Lance before....

I love Ricky Montgomery!! And this december is so underrated i love it 

Aww Lance called Keith cute for liking non emo music 

They have such good and natural chemistry no wonder Alexander and Robin have such a familiarity

Omg we stan an activist king Keith that's awesome!!!

If keith speaks anywhere near me you can bet i'll be there in .5 seconds i will scream

do you know your locations yet keith?? and how much tickets cost?

aww theyre such good friends look at them hug 

yeah 'friends' lmao

take it somewhere else, they can see everything you write, no need to make them uncomfortable

lance in an ad campaign??? does that mean he's gonna model? I might die??

"There aren't tickets and it's free. I don't know much about it yet, but when I do I'll put it on insta and twitter." Keith said in response. 

"Yes, I will be doing some modeling. Like professionally, I'm very excited about it." 

"You basically are already a model, Lance." 

"What? Not even. Allura does professional modeling, I've only done some video ads- nothing like what I'm gonna do." 

"They better not change your hair. It looks really good at this length." Keith poked at a loose curl on Lance's head and Lance looks at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"I am not taking hair advice from you, mullet."

"Ugh! Four months! He'd gone four months without calling me Mullet. It's not even a mullet!" Keith cried out in exasperation. 

"You were counting?" Lance chuckled. 

"Of course!" 

"Tarado, (moron)" Lance insulted Keith, and of course he doesn't even know it. 

"Oh! Lance taught me some Spanish today! What was it... it was Primo and Chico is what he calls his friends back home. You and um..." Keith hesitates, even drunk he's smart. "You and another Spanish speaker were discussing a word that means different things since you're from different countries and therefor speak different dialects? Did I get that right?"

"Yeah! Good job, Cuate! (Buddy/pal) Yeah it was pendejo, a nasty swear depending on where you are. From Cuba it's pretty offensive, it means like 'coward'. In some parts people use it casually to talk to their friends but not from my city. The guy I was talking to is from Columbia and there it isn't considered too offensive, it's just like 'asshole' or 'dumbass' and they use it really casual. I actually looked it up later for meanings in other countries and apparently in Mexico it's like a gay slur. Cause there it means like 'sissy' so it's pretty offensive there. Just a fun thing to learn I guess." 

"You taught me another... what was it? It meant like brother or something." Lance blushed at Keith remembering his lie. 

"Hermano- means brother."

"Nah, I must be thinking of something else you said cause I swear it had a 'so' sound or something." 

"Yeah must be something else." 

It's really cute that Keith is learning some Spanish

Tarado means moron if anyone was wondering

and cuate doesn't have an exact translation but it sorta means buddy 

i love languages theyre so cool 

Same thing in German! I'm German and I visited Austria and similar mix ups happened 

Lance teaching Keith Spanish? That's so cute 

When will a hot guy teach me Spanish 

Lance say something in Spanish!! Like multiple sentences 

"Okay, uhhh no estoy seguro de que decir. Sin embargo, este es mi verdadero acento, es ligeramente diferente en espanol. (I'm not sure what to say. This is my real accent though, it's slightly different in Spanish)" Lance says and looks at Keith. Keith has that soft look again. Like he's looking at Kosmo yawn. Maybe Kosmo yawned and then he looked up?

"What did you say?" Keith asked with a chuckle. 

"Just that this is what my 'real' voice is. My accent is stronger in Spanish than in English, though it's still here." He did air quotes around real. It's all his real voice. 

"Hm, I like your accent, in both languages." 

"Hah, thanks Guapo. (beautiful in a platonic context)" Keith smiled and they looked at each other for a second more. 

"Okay guys, I think we're gonna call it a night. It's getting late. We'll see you around! And we are so excited for Hollowed Out season two!!!" Lance said to the camera. 

"Thanks for tuning in!! Love y'all," Keith added. 

"Much love!" Lance blew kisses and turned off the stream. 

"Good job, Keith. I don't think anyone guessed you weren't sober."

"Yay! Reputation saved!" He was still out of it. The fact he had enough mind for that performance was amazing honestly. Keith was so used to performing and hiding so much of himself that even drunk him could act. Amazing. "Sorry I almost mentioned Kaleel, I tried to cover."

"Dude, no one even noticed, you're fine. Now lets get you to bed." Keith stood up with some help and they walked back to Keith's room where Kosmo followed to sleep with him. 

"Thanks for taking care of me. I know drunk me is annoying. I don't even remember what he did." Keith yawned and lightly touched Lance's arm. His fingers trailed down Lance's arm and Lance tried to figure out what exactly Keith was trying to do. 

"You're not drunk Keith?" Lance asked jokingly. 

"No I'm like... somewhere between drunk Keith and sober Keith. The one who hates both." Keith explained with blank eyes. Lance hated seeing and hearing him like this. Lance was pretty aware of Keith's insecurities at this point and he tried his best to assure Keith of how amazing he was but he wasn't sure it worked. 

"Hey, come one. No hating either." Lance caught Keith's hand as it slid down his arm and held it. 

"Fine, fine. I'll give them both a hug later. If I can figure out how." 

"Here, I'll help." Lance held out his arms and Keith fell into them as a sort of hug. Lance can't remember feeling so much of Keith. Not in a weird way, just Keith is always so tense with his hugs. But now he's just melting into Lance's arms. He's warm and malleable, like a real person. Not untouchable Keith Kogane. Just Keith Kogane, Lance's best friend. 

Lance couldn't really describe the amused elation he felt at hearing Keith call him his best friend. He considered Keith as much but wasn't sure it was mutual. It filled his heart to know it was. Keith had become such an integral part of his life so quickly. It was in the blink of an eye and it surprised Lance from time to time. 

"Sleep." Keith muttered. 

"Yeah, go." Lance helped him into bed then turned off the light. 

"Kaleel?" Lance stuck his head into his room. Kaleel was still awake, just reading some fantasy book. He put it down and smiled at Lance as he entered. 

"Hola Carino, (Hey Sweetheart)" Kaleel said and moved over to make room for Lance. He slipped in after turning the lights off. "How'd it go?"

"Good, I think. I don't know. Talk in the morning? I have 'i just sobered up' brain."

"Heh, of course Carino. Good night."

"Good night, mi corazon. (my heart)" Lance burrowed into Kaleel's soft chest. He felt a wave of contentment fall over him as he let himself melt into his boyfriend. 

Chapter Text

Keith woke up confused. Not a good way to wake up, mind you. His dog was with him and he was in his own bed, but he couldn’t remember much. He had a small head ache, but he found a water bottle by his bed so he helped himself.

If he went over yesterday in his mind it helped. Yesterday was the last day on set. So they were doing photo shoots all day. His back hurt so Lance gave him a really nice back rub. That back rub was a little life changing. He didn't think there were other times in his life where he had felt that relaxed. Except maybe after sex. They went to the wrap party and Adam told him James would be on the show next season. Then Keith drank a lot. 

After that it’s a bit blurry. Low lights, music, dancing. Next thing he remembered, though it isn’t clear in his head, is taking pictures. He can’t really remember what happened or why there were pictures being taken. He can’t remember feeling annoyed about it though, so it probably wasn’t paparazzi. 

Then he was home, with Lance and Kosmo. There was pizza. Things after that are a lot clearer. He remembered hugging Lance a lot. And maybe kissing him on the cheek, but he can’t remember why, or even what they were talking about. He did remember they did a live stream, he can’t remember every question or what he said. He remembered how he felt though. Anxious to be online while drunk, and grateful to Lance. 

Not the worst time he's been drunk. He probably shouldn't've kissed Lance. Even if it was just a cheek kiss. It wasn't fair to Kaleel. Keith felt guilty enough when Lance was giving him a back massage. 

Kaleel was eating cereal at the counter when Keith walked into the kitchen. Keith sort of smiled and nodded as Kaleel slid the cereal over to Keith when he sat down. Keith did sincerely like Kaleel, there was just always something between them. An awkwardness. 

“You feeling okay?” Kaleel asked Keith as he poured his cereal and milk. 

“Hazy, but I think I’m okay. Embarrassed.” 

“Heh, you didn’t really do anything embarrassing, you were just… y'know. Drunk.” Keith chuckled. 

“No I just meant…” Keith debated continuing. “I get drunk so often around Lance. I feel bad about making him deal with me.” 

“You know he doesn’t care about that sort of thing. He takes care of everyone.” 

“Hah, yeah he’s cool like that.” Keith smiled down at his cereal but tried to right his face before Kaleel saw. 

“I have to get going to clean up now, I’ll see you around, Keith.” Kaleel told him quietly and Keith looked up. The expression exchange that occurred was something that Keith couldn't understand even if someone told him explicitly. Kaleel's face was taut but there was an understanding behind his eyes. And Keith's eyebrows were furrowed in concern and something akin to guilt. It befuddled Keith deeply. 

“Yeah, I’ll see you around.” 

A minute after Kaleel left Lance came dancing into the kitchen. Actually dancing. 

“Aww you guys are bonding!” Lance squealed as he slid next to Keith. 

“What? You were listening? I guess.” Keith scoffed and looked back into his bowl. 

“Yeah, you’re bonding over a shared interest- me!” Keith spluttered and needed to wipe oat milk off his chin with a napkin. 

“What?” Keith deadpanned. 

“Yeah! He’s obviously my boyfriend and you’re my best friend, makes sense you’d talk about me.” 

“Ugh you’re so full of yourself.” Keith said and kept down a smile. 

“Oh you love me.” Lance said, Keith rolled his eyes as Lance served himself some cereal. “You guys are too nice, by the way. Taking care of your drunk friends is like bare minimum level friendship stuff.” 

“Sure, two times maybe. I just feel like I’ve done it a lot, and I feel bad. So I’m sorry.” 

“Keith, do you not remember my utter breakdown like last year? When I got drunk and yelled at all our friends and coworkers? And when I got so drunk when I went out with Nadia that I literally puked on the couch? Or how about when I drank so much at a club that you had to carry me into the car? Friends do weird shit for each other.” 

Keith did remember all those nights, most of them utterly unfortunate. Keith supposed Lance was right though. Keith tended to forget when he does stuff for other people but always magnifies what others do for him.

“Right, okay, fair point. Thanks.”

“Yeah, you haven’t ever puked so you’re way ahead in my books.” They chuckled a bit and just enjoyed the morning talking about nonsense.

Keith was sad to drop Kosmo off at Shiro’s, but Lance wouldn’t be back from Cuba for another week and he’d rather have her with people she knew than at a kennel. It was always bittersweet to leave her though. His one true companion. 

“Okay remember that she needs to be walked a couple times a day or she gets restless!” Keith instructed and Shiro rolled his eyes affectionately. 

“Keith, oh my god we get it! We’ve taken care of her before. Now go before Kolivan comes in here to drag your ass out.” Adam groaned as Keith instructed them for the one thousandth time. 

“Fine, fine, I’m going.” Keith and Shiro walked out of the Shirogane house together.  

“I’m proud of you, y'know.” Shiro told him quietly and out of nowhere. 

“For what?” 

“For this trip. For all the work you’re doing with this organization. All the help and inspiration for the youngsters that you’re providing.” 

“You did not just say youngsters.” Shiro and Adam still hadn't been approved by the adoption agency yet. But Shiro liked to brush up on his dad lingo all the same. 

“Shut up and listen. You’re gonna do great, your speech is fantastic and I think it’ll really help people. Just like the program will.” 

“I didn’t really do much. All I do really is support with money and speeches. I think they just wanted a famous gay person. Not sure why they didn’t ask you.” Keith wondered with a smirk. 

“You’re younger, and more popular with teenagers. I’m more of a twenties up heart throb. Also- you’re a great activist so far in the community.” 

“Thanks, Shiro. It means a lot.” 

“Have fun, okay? You’ll do great.” Shiro hugged Keith before he got into Kolivan’s car and drove to the airport. 

Keith was worried with how all this would work. He was going on a tour with a charity and he was just supposed to… speak? He was donating a lot and did pretty much whatever they asked him. But he just felt like he wasn’t doing enough. He’d read through his speech a million times and just made small edits here and there. 

He wished Lance was going with him. Or anyone else. He just wished he wasn’t so alone. Kolivan was there, he was doubling as his body guard- with extra pay of course. But Kolivan wasn’t really his friend, a close confidant but Keith wouldn’t really describe him as a friend. 

Doesn’t matter, he’d make friends with the organizers. Or not. He had tons of friends he’d see when he gets back. Either way, he’ll be fine. He just had to keep telling himself that. 

Three months passed. Keith had toured most of the country. At very least the entire west. He was actually really happy. He loved what he was doing and really enjoyed the people he worked with. He missed his friends back home but he was returning this week for the premiere of the second season. He missed Kosmo the most, he’s never gone this long without her. He supposed he also missed Lance, or whatever. 

He just had one more event before he went home for the week, then he was off to the Midwest. He was currently in Seattle, Washington for his last event. 

He was with the organizer, Keris, driving to the stage. They just rented stages in parks most of the time, sometimes they had to set up their own stages. Everyone was really nice here, Keith hoped it wasn’t just cause he was famous, but he didn’t really know. 

“Alright Keith, the sound guys need you in five.” Keris said once they arrived. Keris was a short, stocky trans woman who Keith had gotten to know pretty well over the three months. He liked her so far, not knowing much about her personal life but being close with her through her work. 

“Copy that, thanks Keris.” She smiled and he went off to get his mic all strapped up. 

“Good afternoon, Seattle!” Keith said as he walked on stage. It was a late afternoon, the wind was just making it cool enough to be tolerable. The crowd cheers loudly as he takes his place on stage. 

“It is so good to see so many people here to support this amazing organization. Thank you to everyone watching live, and everyone at home watching a recording. I know that this is the sort of event that is difficult to go to if you are not out- or are in an unsafe situation- so I want to say thank you for tuning in anyway and I hope you are all doing okay. I know when I was in high school I always wanted to go to pride in June but I wasn’t out to my parents, so I just didn’t go. It got especially upsetting when I had boyfriends who would go and invite me and I would have to decide between telling my parents ‘yeah just going to a pride event with my best friend’ or just not going. I chose not going until I was in my twenties.

“Even now when I go to pride events and am completely open and out I still get a lot of hate. Some just straight up homophobic nonsense but also a lot of Asian hate, and of course a mix of the two. Any other queer people of color know what I’m talking about. We get the same homophobia from the straight community, racism and prejudice from white people and sometimes other people of color. But on top of that we get people of our own race and/ or ethnicity who don’t accept us because of our queerness and queer people who don’t accept us for our race and/ or ethnicity. I’m not even close to the first to talk on this. This is a topic that has always been around, cause we have always had to deal with it. Everyone deals with intersections of their identities, it’s what makes us all unique after all. I only bring it up to emphasize that this organization is devoted to helping queer people of color and to do our best to make your lives easier. I know it’s something I really could have used when I was younger. I was so scared all the time, and felt so alone and helpless. I was often manipulated or used by many people, and it got hard to trust anyone.

“I’m gonna tell you guys a story that I have never told to anyone before this year. It’s pretty personal, but after a couple years I feel okay to talk about it. Content warning for violence and homophobia- nothing explicit though. Anyway- a couple years back I was out with some friends at a club. I got really wasted and left my friend group to go to another bar- a gay bar. I wasn’t out at that point, especially not to the general public. So I snuck into a gay bar and had a great time. Honestly, I just danced, got more drunk and got glitter thrown on me.” A couple people cheered and Keith chuckled. “Then I decided to walk home alone. Bad choice for anyone, but especially for me on that day. I walked past a particularly conservative bar and was followed by some of its patrons when they saw me covered in glitter. They followed me until they could corner me and see my hand with the club name on it. They called me several homophobic slurs which I will not share now, harassed me, and beat me up. I was found about a half hour later when another patron from the gay bar passed by. I was bleeding out in an alley for a half hour. I barely remember what was going on, just that I was in pain and that was caused by hate. I was okay in the end, I was taken to a hospital and taken care of by my loved ones. But I’ve always known that that could happen again, to anyone at any point. It was terrifying.”

The crowd was silent, many people looked concerned and angry. Keith felt so exposed, even after three months of this speech he felt so vulnerable. 

“I had to contend with being scared to even exist as a gay person. An experience many queer people can relate to. I looked around every corner before I walked and checked my car every time I got near it. And I couldn’t even tell my friends or the police that it was a hate crime. The guys just got away with it. I eventually just got angry. Just absolutely pissed that I had to be afraid for my life just because other people are filled with hate. I came out to the public and have since tried to make things easier and safer for the rest of the community.

“I had a great support system for this sorta thing though. My whole family was incredibly supportive, it especially helped that my brother is a gay A-lister.” He got a few chuckles and a whoop for a mention of Shiro. “I have also had great fans who have supported me throughout all of it. But I know and understand that not everyone is in such a  situation. That’s one of the reasons this organization was created, to create a support system for those LGBT+ members who need it. We’ve been working to create shelters across the country specifically for members of the LGBT+ community. We also have programs that will create initiatives to include more LGBT+ workers across several career options. 

“There is an app as well, connected to the QR code all around here, that is a community network. There’s social aspects but it also shows different shelters and job options offered by our programs nearby you. It also has several resources in case you’re in trouble. We have some great people working here, and anyone of us would give anything to help any of you. I am also fighting hard to get more representation within Hollywood. I know I didn’t grow up with many Asian role models in the industry, let alone gay Asian role models. That showed me as a kid that who I was was abnormal because I didn’t see anyone else like me. If that applies to you, if you have never seen yourself on screen or on stage let me tell you something you’re probably tired of hearing- You’re not alone. 

“It may seem that way. I know when I was in that alley for a half hour I thought I would be alone forever. That I would die in that alley alone. But queer people saved me, and they continue to do so. A drag Queen and his partner found me and sat with me until the ambulance got there. They held my hand and gave me some water, just random strangers who helped me because we were a part of the same wonderful community. Because we know on some level that we’re all going through something similar. They stayed with me and didn’t out me to anyone, just stayed in touch to make sure I turned out okay. They helped me to believe in our community. I felt less isolated just knowing there were others like me. I feel the same being with my current friends, I have so many queer friends it’s like reading a fanfic. I think I have a total of five cis-het friends. 

“There’s so many of us! We’re everywhere! So many times throughout history people have tried to get rid of queer people but they can’t! Being queer isn’t abnormal, it’s one of the most natural parts of humanity! We are so persistent we continued to find each other and have a community throughout every era. And we’re still fighting, everyday. You are truly not alone, and we are trying so hard here to make you feel that. We’re everywhere, so you’re never truly alone. Thank you all so much for having me, I love you all. Please enjoy the rest of the event, it was a pleasure to be here!” Keith heard the thunderous applause and cheers and his heart filled up a little more. 
 
It was a short speech, but it was just the opening words then the rest of the event got started. The event was mostly social networking for the community, like a pride event but not just in June. There was food by local queer owned shops and some local queer artisans were there as well. He had a photo op area where he also took questions and just chatted with people for a while. He was also able to answer questions about the organization and how it itself can help. Keith was insanely proud of this organization and would do anything to keep it on its feet. 

He was with some fans at the photo op area just talking around 6pm. A group of like five friends had all come together and were really excited to meet him. 

“Hi Keith!!” They all cheered, he gave them a smile and waved them forward in line. 

“Hey everyone! How are you enjoying the event?” He asked as they shyly moved up to him. 

“It’s amazing, I really appreciate all that you’re doing.” A tall girl of about fifteen said. “As a trans Black girl, this all just means so much to me. I’m really interested in the job initiative you guys have. I wanna be a doctor.” She said with a smile. All her friends smiled and nodded in support. 

“That’s awesome! We actually have a lot of success so far with doctors in that program and it’s only been up for about a year.” The photographer grunted and Keith looked up with a startled expression. “Oh right! Did you want some pictures?” They all nod enthusiastically. 

They all wanted individual photos along with a group one. Several of them asked him for a hug which he gladly accepted. 

“So you said you had a lot of queer friends?” Another girl in the group asked. 

“Yeah! You know queer people tend to flock together.” Keith joked and they all laughed and nodded. 

“So do you know who Lance’s partner is? Cause it seems like you guys are close friends” The same girl asked with a smile. Keith smiled and rolled his eyes. 

“Of course he knows who the S/O is. It’s him.” A boy in their group whispered not so quietly. The rest of them all glared like ‘not so loud!’ And Keith just chuckled at them. Lance as his boyfriend? How ridiculous would that be? 

“I do know Lance’s partner, they are very kind and the two are very happy together. I can’t say a word on who they are until they decide to release that.” 

“We get it. We just really wanted to know if you’re really close with the cast as you guys act in your love streams. Cause sometimes actors, y'know, act more like friends for the sake of the fans.” Someone who hadn’t spoken yet said, the one who had hugged him the tightest, like they hasn’t been hugged in a while. 

“I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve been in casts where that’s the case. I can honestly say I hang out with the Hollowed Out main cast a lot. Besides Shiro being my brother, Lance is my best friend and I am great friends with everyone else.” They all did a group hug before he bid them goodbye. 

Another pair of teenagers came up a little while later. Two guys who look about seventeen. They were a little shy while taking pictures but when they were done they were mostly just excited that Keith was chatting with them so much. 

“So do you have a boyfriend right now? I thought you and Lance would’ve been a couple but he said he’s taken.” The taller guy said. 

“Yeah and Keith said he’s single in the same interview.” The other guy said with a nudge. 

“Could’ve changed!” 

“Heh, I will not comment on any of this as of right now except to say I am not dating Lance.” Keith said with a smile. Kolivan had told him not to tell people he was single anymore. Keith tried to ask why but Kolivan said he would tell him later. 

“Okay so you aren’t dating- you have to admit you think he’s hot.” The taller guy got out the Instagram of Lance’s face care line he’s recently been the model of. They just released the first wave of his modeling this past week. 

Keith looked at the photos, Lance looked undeniably gorgeous. He’s a model and actor- of course he’s hot. He gets paid to be hot. Keith lived with the guy, he knows how attractive he is. He will admit to himself that when Lance's ad campaign came out he went through all of them just to look at how pretty and hot his friend is. 

“I think everyone I work with is attractive, it’s partially what we get paid for.”  The boys gave him a hug and asked a bit more about the programs and shelters.

He met a lot of people, he wishes he could remember everyone but that just wasn't realistic. Many had a lot of questions which he thinks he was able to answer well. He was really enthusiastic about the organization and he thinks that was well reflected in his answers and overall energy. 

The last person in line was a quiet twenty- something guy who looked a lot like Keith did when he was a teenager. He was with a woman of about the same age, sister maybe? She said a quick hello and got a picture but mostly gave the guy some space to ask Keith some stuff. 

"Hi, what's your name?" Keith asked him with a kind smile. The kid sniffled a little and smiled back. 

"I'm Kai," he said quietly. "I'm Korean too, and I get a lot of crap for it from some of the gay community so I really appreciated what you said." Keith smiled sadly, it was too often a sad reality. "And I uh-" He looked around, his sister gave him a thumbs up. "I was also gay bashed, last year. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your story. As cliché as it is- it really made me feel less alone." Keith was actually speechless for a second. 

"I am so sorry." Was all he was able to say. He now knew why Kai had kept sniffling, he was crying during Keith's speech and his nose was still a little runny. Kai smiled sadly at him and shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "Can I- Can I give you a hug?" Keith asked with his arms sort of out. Kai's face broke into a smile and he nodded. Keith hugged him so fiercely, he hadn't met many people who had been through what they had. He's heard stories but not many people he knew had gone through it. He felt like he was hugging a younger version of himself. 

"Thank you. I really like your shows too, by the way. And uh... can you point me in the direction of the career initiative booth?" Kai said after they took their photo. 

"Of course, we have a couple for different things. They're all generally in that area." Keith gestured to a group of booths a little ways a way. "Did you have anything in mind in particular?"

"I'm in college for graphic design, so that'd be cool when I'm done with school."

"Yeah! That's awesome! We have some great internship programs, not all of them are paid but I think the majority of them are."

"Speaking of graphic design, I sorta made some fanart of your character from Hollowed Out, if that's okay I'd like to give it to you." Kai said shyly as getting a print out of his bag. Keith gasped and covered his mouth in surprise of the gorgeous art he was handed. He was filled with so much joy from this and he wasn't sure he had been more flattered. 

The print was of Alexander in his season one last episode outfit in mid battle with his axe and fae magic all around him. The colors and details were stunning.

"Kai, this is amazing! I love it, of course I'd like it. Are you sure I can have it? It's really amazing." Kai smiled and looked at his feet shuffling. 

"Yeah, that's just a print. I actually wanted to keep the original. I'm pretty proud of it." 

"You should be. It was really nice to meet you."

"Yeah, I know I look calm and shy but I'm freaking out over meeting you right now. Can I have another hug?" 

"Yeah!" Keith gave him another hug and then watched as Kai left with his sister. 

Keith didn't really enjoy his flight back to LA. It was bumpy as hell and he didn't get much sleep. He was so looking forward to being home. He was just home for a week to do press stuff for the premiere of the new season and then he's back out until season three starts shooting in like a month and a half. Keith got back to his apartment and walked in. It felt nice to be back after three months. 

Kosmo ran up to him and barked in excitement and Keith kneeled for a moment to pet her before he stood back up. He let her kiss his face as much as she wanted as he scratched all over her face. She was probably the thing he missed the most while away. 

"Keith!!!" Lance yelled as he fell off the couch to run at Keith. Keith couldn't help his face practically splitting with how big he was smiling. Lance barreled into him in a hug. Keith barely had time to put down his bag before he stumbled back from the second thing he missed the most. 

"Hey Lance," Keith said as Lance squeezed him. Keith could hardly stand the affection in his own voice. They texted and occasionally called while he was away but it wasn't the same. 

"We have so much to talk about!" Lance said and he pulled Keith to the living room to sit on the couch with him. 

"Where's Kaleel?" Keith asked as he sat down, noticing it was just them. 

"He's at his place, he doesn't live here. Plus since he's on a new set right now he isn't over as often. I mean, he's still over a lot, that made it sound like we were growing apart, we aren't. He just doesn't live here like he basically did during our show." Lance explained in a rush. 

"So it's going well?" Keith asked with a smile. 

"Yeah! I think it's going really well." Keith's chest hurt- probably since he hadn't eaten in hours. "So knowing you, you haven't eaten today, so I ordered pizza to be delivered in about five minutes." Lance said, checking his phone. 

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Keith asked, exhaustion dripping from every syllable. 

"You could say it more." Lance told him with a smirk. "Now tell me about your tour! I wanna hear everything!"

Keith told Lance a lot. About the organization and all the people he met. 

"I watched your speech on YouTube, it was really good, Keith. It was brave." Keith looked away, he hadn't told Lance about the assault before, and he hasn't talked about it since Lance heard. "But uh- why didn't you tell me about you getting beat up? That's big, Keith." Lance's face is too concerned and caring that Keith can't look at it. He stared at Kosmo and pet her while she slept.

"It was so long ago. Only people who knew were Matt and Shiro, and that was just cause they're the ones who were called to the hospital. They didn't even know it was a hate crime until years later." 

"I'm not mad you didn't tell me. That's your choice to tell. I'm just sorry it happened, I wish I could've helped more." Lance placed his hand over Keith's on Kosmo's head. Keith swallowed hard, trying to push down the feelings from that night. 

"I didn't even know you at the time, Lance." 

"Still. Just out of curiosity, why'd you tell everyone now?" Lance's fingers played with the back of Keith's as Keith took in a deep breath. 

"I guess just to show other queer people that they're not alone. And cause I'm pissed. I'm pissed that it happened, and hopefully the more people are aware of it happening the less likely it will happen. I know that's wishful thinking, and that probably nothing will change but.... There was this guy Kai at the last event. He was just like me. He was in his twenties, Korean, gay, and had gotten hate crimed for being gay. He said that I made him feel less alone. That's why I'm doing it." 

Lance nodded and smiled. His supportive, kind, sweet and sorta sad smile. The one that said he understood you, he was proud of you, and that he cared for you. Keith always felt so lucky to be on the receiving end of this smile. 

"Keith, I'm really proud of you. I- I am honestly just amazed by everything you do." Lance said shyly- which was not like him. They maintained eye contact for a while- just a mutual understanding of how fucked the world was and how much they needed each other to deal with it. 

"Well enough about me. How'd your ad campaign go?" Keith swallowed and removed his hand. 

"Great! I have a couple more shoots for this particular set then I'm good for the year! Have you seen them yet?" 

"Yeah a couple teenagers actually showed them to me- they think you're really hot." Keith teased him with wide eyes and a broad smile. 

"That's sort of the point, right?" Lance smiled back. Keith and him caught up a bit more before Keith had to go to bed since he was still jet lagged. 

Keith was wearing a simple red suede suit with a black button up shirt for the red carpet season two premiere. He wasn't a huge premiere fan, but at least with this one they only watch the first episode then he gets to go home again. Though he did have to go through the whole red carpet thing with a million photos. They didn't do a red carpet premiere for the first season, the network had no idea how big the show would get at the time. 

Lance was getting ready in the other room, he was wearing a blue suede suit that vaguely matched Keith's. It was intentional, Lance thought it would be cute and Keith didn't care enough to argue. Keith just plastered on a smile and told himself to just make it through. 

Arriving at the premiere was pretty normal. He and Lance shared a limo with Hunk and Pidge, Allura and Shiro shared with their partners, Lotor and Adam. They arrived after some of the other cast and crew. There were a lot of people there, fans and paparazzi. 

By the time they got there all the crew and other actors were there besides Shiro and Allura's limo- they were the most famous people involved so they arrived last and Keith's arrived second to last for the same reason. Pidge stepped out first in her black and dark green dress that went past her knees, the crowd cheered as she waved and smiled for the cameras. Then Hunk stepped out in his gold suit jacket with white roses on it. Keith could hear people scream Hunk's name and the sound of cameras click loudly. 

"You ready?" Lance asked Keith with a smile. Keith shrugged and Lance smiled before stepping out. Keith waited a minute before following. The light from the cameras used to hurt Keith's eyes but he was pretty used to it now. People called his name and he'd turn to look at them with a smile and a wave. There were several instances where he had to stop walking to pose for different cameras in front of the back drop with the Hollowed Out logos on them. 

His poses were pretty simple: arms to the side, opening/closing his jacket buttons, hand on hip, hands across his chest with a knee popped, sometimes he even smiled. People mostly wanted a serious expression or a trace of a smile. He took a photo with Acxa, who was also annoyed she had to be there but still looked amazing in her blue, purple, and black long gown. 

He took a photo with Pidge and Hunk and then individually with each of them. He turned his head when Shiro's limo arrived. Shiro was wearing a black velvet suit with sparkling lapels, Adam wore a similar suit but with no shimmer. Allura stepped out in a long and beautiful gown that fades from a light purple to a light pink, it was very flowy from the waist down and had a small train. Lotor stepped out with her in a matching suit; he made sure to help her out of the limo. Keith smiled at his friends making their way down the aisle, and he knew people were getting photos of him smiling. 

Allura hugged all four of them that weren't in the limo with her, and Shiro patted them all on the back except Keith who he hugged. 

"I'm so proud of you." Shiro said quietly and then turned so people could take pictures of the two of them. 

They took many photos of the six of them, they all talked to each other quietly while the cameras captured their image. 

"You all look amazing!" Allura said cheerfully. 

"So do you! That dress is amazing!" Lance told her. 

"We haven't seen each other all together since the wrap party, I missed you guys." Hunk said and Allura and Lance awed. 

"We're still on for tomorrow right?" Pidge asked and they all nod. The six of them were doing what they did last year where they do a livestream with questions and then watch the rest of the season together. 

They broke apart after what seemed like forever, people were obsessed with the six of them together. Hunk found Shay to take some pictures together, now that they were out with their relationship they obviously wanted red carpet photos together. Shay was wearing a two piece blue dress and had changed her hair to be in long braids. She smiled when Hunk walked up to her and they wrapped their side arms together for photos, and Keith smiled at their expressions and the cheering from the audience of them together. 

Allura went to take photos with Shiro, they were the big faces of the show, and their characters got together so they would get a lot of attention. Pidge went to talk to Ina and Ryan. Keith couldn't see where Lotor went but Adam went to take pictures with the crew, Keith spotted Kaleel among them. 

Lance slid next to him and wrapped an arm around his back, so Keith did the same as people cheered. A million flashes all went at once and Keith did a couple without a smile and some with. People from the crowd were yelling and cheering their names, he could barely understand what any of them were saying. 

"Kaleel is over there." Lance said to him through his toothy smile. "Should I go over there?"

"I don't know, it wouldn't be that weird to take pictures with the crew. I took one with Acxa and I'm planning on doing another with Adam."

"Yeah but Adam's your brother in law and no one's gonna think you're with Acxa, cause you're gay." Keith thought it was impressive that they were having this full on conversation with all these people around and no one knew. Though many people started to whisper excitedly whenever they leaned in closer to whisper. 

"Dude, stop being so paranoid and take a picture with your boyfriend." Keith said and Lance sighed but nodded. Lance waved to the crowd before walking to the area where the crew was. Most of the crew had gone inside but Kaleel was with Adam and Coran taking a picture. Then Coran went inside and Shiro walked up to Adam to get some couple photos. 

Keith saw Lance walk over to Kaleel; Kaleel smiled like he was looking at the sun, which he basically was. Lance shook his hand and they both looked like they were holding back laughter. They then turned to the crowd and took some pictures together. They were about to walk in together when an interviewer got Lance's attention, so Kaleel went in alone. 

Keith saw Allura and Lotor take several pictures together, they really were the most beautiful and attractive couple there so they were met with incredible uproar and approval. Keith was smiling, he was really happy that people were so happy and accepting of Allura's relationship with Lotor, she's gotten so much crap in the past for any relationship she had. She really deserved to be happy, and Lotor seemed great. 

Keith was watching all the while taking a picture with Ina and then later Ryan- neither of them he knew really well. He knew they were both really good friends with James and put a good word for him with the casting directors. He was then called over by an interviewer. 

"Keith Kogane! How are you doing right now? Are you excited?" The reporter asked. Keith could've sworn he knew her from somewhere. 

"I am doing great, the weather is great for this. I am very excited! We haven't actually seen the show ourselves, so I am excited for that but also for everyone else to see it! I think it's a great season so far." 

"So Katie Holt recently posted the video diaries from this season of the show and we see Lance McClain pull a lot of pranks on you. Is this a normal occurrence on set? Like does he prank everyone?"

"Heh, I'm so glad everyone's got to watch that." Keith said sarcastically which made the reporter laugh. "It is normal on set actually, he is quite a- a prankster. I was gonna saw asshole but I don't know if I can swear on this." Keith laughed with the reporter. 

"It's okay we'll bleep it."

"Oh good! Yeah so he does that a lot, cause again, he's an asshole, but he actually only pranks me. It sometimes affects other people- like Shiro when he switched our clothes, but mostly it's just me."

"Oh so he targets you?"

"Definitely, y'know that's the perfect word for it actually. Yeah he targets me for no reason!" The reporter laughs along and Keith looks around to see if he can find Lance. "I wouldn't be surprised, actually, if he were planning another prank tonight. Gosh why'd you have to ask me that? Now I'm gonna be paranoid all night!" 

"Hah, yeah he's gonna come from behind at some point and hit you with a pie or something."

"I genuinely would not be surprised. He is ruthless." Keith was playing it up, but he was having fun so why not?

"Well maybe you should prank him back next season." Keith could feel his own face light up. 

"You're so right! Oh my god you're a genius! I'll get his ass back!" The reporter actually snorted at that and Keith couldn't stop smiling. That was actually a good idea, he's totally gonna do that now. Once they stopped laughing the reporter asked another question. 

"We did see though, that you two spend a lot of time together and seem very close. He even gave you a massage back stage once."

"Yeah, yeah we joke but we're great friends. He also gives the best back rubs! Like Hunk can tell you, Lance is amazing at it."

"What can you tell us about next season?'

"Oh god, nothing. Like pretty much nothing. I know a couple things will happen, like-" Keith paused. "Never mind, that's a spoiler. Adam will actually skin me if I give that away. Um... I know that we have a new character introduced, but I am not sure what I am allowed to tell you."

"That's okay! One last question: So recently you've been working with a charity for LGBT+ rights, what has it been like to be an activist and an actor?"

"Wow, um, good question. I think, for me, it's wonderful. I have enough of a platform for people to listen to me and it helps me get stuff done. It means I'm always busy but I really don't mind that. Since I am y'know, sort of famous, people look up to me, and I want them to see what I advocate and care about. I want all the people who see me to know that they aren't alone, and that there is a place for people like us to be ourselves."

"Wow, that was great, thank you. Well it looks like we are getting started soon so I'm gonna let you go. Thank you so much!" 

"Thank you, have a great day!" Keith walked away and joined Pidge as they walked in with everyone. 

"Thank god It's over." Pidge said quietly to Keith as they entered the theater. 

"Yeah, and I think there's no cameras in here. Though, honestly, I have no idea." Keith said to her. They looked for their seats, they were labeled with their names. The six of them were in the front row along with Adam, Coran, Kaleel, Lotor, and Shay. 

Keith took his seat between Lance and Pidge and waited for the first episode to start. 

They all gathered at Keith and Lance place for the live stream and the watching of the season. Pidge and Lance had asked for questions on twitter and compiled a list, though they refused to tell anyone else what any of them were. 

They bought a lot of booze and snacks, they were pretty excited. They would start drinking during the stream so they wouldn't be drunk during it but during the show. They all agreed not to bring their significant others, they didn't all know each other and thought it might be a bit awkward. Plus the audience wanted to see the six of them, not the people they barely knew. 

"Alright, do we have everything ready?" Lance asked Keith before their guests arrived. They had never hosted the group before, only Hunk and Shiro had been there before and Lance was anxious to impress. They had obviously cleaned as well as they could, but in addition Lance bought fairy lights for the living room and had placed their folded blankets out on the couches. They had to bring in a bean bag chair from Lance's room since there were so many people coming. 

There was enough room on the couch for about four, then a bean bag chair can have one person, and Pidge always sits on the ground. They've asked her about it before and she just said it was because she was queer. She refused to elaborate when they pointed out that the majority of them were and didn't like the ground. 

The first person to arrive was Hunk, who brought some whiskey and warm pan covered in tin foil. Hunk was a brilliant chef and loved sharing his talents with others. Lance was so excited to see what Hunk had brought, he had had Hunk's food before and talked about it all the time. 

"Ooh Hunk what is it?" Lance asked excitedly. 

"Panikeke, they're like banana fritters, it's really popular in Samoa. Actually this dish is common in most of Polynesia." Lance made to open the tin foil but Hunk smacked his hand away. "Hey! No stealing! We gotta keep them warm until everyone gets here!" Lance grumbled but walked away from the food. 

"Thanks for bringing something, Hunk. We were just gonna eat junk food all night." Keith said with a smile. 

"Oh, this is sorta junk food. It's a dessert." Hunk winced and Keith just waved him off. 

"Still, something warm is nice. Plus it smells amazing." Keith tried to peak at the food but was smacked away like Lance was. 

Shiro turned up next, he brought a 2 liter of coke and a thing of rum. Then Allura showed up with face masks, sprite, and grenadine. Pidge then came last with two bottles of fireball. Pidge was fucking crazy. They had so much alcohol. Keith and Lance weren't expecting their friends to bring anything, but it was sweet that they did. 

"Alright! Same rules as last year. Be careful of what you tell the fans about us so we don't lose all our privacy." Shiro said as they all sat down except Keith. 

"Yeah I'm gonna ask that none of you mention Kaleel or my significant other at all." Lance asked them, they all nodded understandingly. 

"Lotor and I are open to the public so I'm fine with anything about that being mentioned, just nothing too personal." Allura blushed over her mixed drink and Lance smirked over at her. She had told him minimal details about her relationship with Lotor, but he did know that he was a great lover to her. 

"Same with Shay. Well, kind of. I don't really want to talk about it extensively but if you say something don't worry about it." Hunk shrugged and they all nodded. 

"So I'm gonna put all the liquor off screen, but all the mix ins are gonna be on this table. We can move them when the stream is over." Keith said as he moved everything around. 

"Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone hopping on here to watch us being goofy." Lance said as he set up his phone. 

"Yeah, we're gonna answer some questions you guys asked on twitter. We picked some questions we thought were interesting." Pidge explained, showing the camera her phone with her list of questions. 

They were in the same seating that they usually sat. From the left to right it went: Hunk in the bean bag chair on the ground, Allura on the end of the couch with two pillows surrounding her, Pidge sitting on the floor leaning against the couch, Shiro sitting on the next cushion, and Lance and Keith sitting practically on top of each other in the corner of the bended couch. 

"Okay I have a list of questions and so does Lance." Pidge said again. Keith looked over at Lance, who had a paper list in his lap since his phone was being used as the camera. 

"First one up: What was your celebrity crush before you were a celebrity?" Lance started. 

"Well I'll go first," Pidge said. "I'm aro so I have never had a celebrity crush." 

"I always liked Whitney Houston but mainly Halle Berry." Hunk said next.

"Umm... Jake Gyllenhaal." Shiro said embarrassingly. Lance and Pidge gasped loudly at him and Shiro just blushed and waved off anything Lance asked. 

"Well, before I was famous I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was very handsome." Allura said and they all nodded. 

"Um for me it was Johnny Depp," Lance started. "Oh! And definitely Winona Ryder," He finished. They all looked at Keith, who hadn't said anything yet. Lance slapped his arm and looked at him expectedly. 

"Ow! I don't know. Um... Denzel Washington mostly. I guess Leonardo DiCaprio as well." 

"Oh I've met Denzel Washington! Lovely man." Allura said. They all looked at her with open mouths. They sometimes forgot she was super famous. "I've also met Halle Berry, she was sort of my idol." She said cheerfully while blushing. 

"Wow, okay, Allura has met the most amazing people ever and just says it casually." Pidge grumbled. "Anyway, next one sorta ties in: If you could meet one celebrity who would it be?"

"Donald Glover." Lance said quickly. He looked around and said again "Also Beyonce and Taylor Swift." 

"I would love to meet Beyonce and Taylor Swift as well. Also any of the Avengers." Allura added in. 

"Well obviously I want to meet Halle Berry, and I think Natalie Portman would be really cool." Hunk said. Allura whispered that she had met Natalie Portman too and they all laughed. 

"I would like to meet Matt Damon and Tom Hanks. But Beyonce would also be an honor." Shiro said. 

"I'd like to meet Emma Watson." Pidge said. 

"Yeah I'd want to meet Denzel Washington and Ricky Montgomery." Keith said last. 

"This one says: 'I asked this last season, but what is your favorite episode of this season?'" Lance read. 

"I'm a fan of nine and ten, but especially ten." Keith went first this time. Episode nine was the one where Alexander and Robin got cursed and ten was the season finale where the biggest fight took place.

"I'd also say ten." Lance said, probably for the same reason. Lance and Keith also got a lot of screen time in that one. 

"I like five, it's a bit of a weird one but it's fun." Pidge says; five is one where Gemma learns some magic. It's a bit of a weird, trippy episode. 

"I like five." Allura and Shiro said at the same time, probably for the same reason. That was the episode where Amber and Grey got together and the two of them had a lot of screen time and so much intense acting for them. Keith was excited to see that episode, he saw some of the shooting for it and Shiro and Allura were just amazingly brilliant in it. They really have a reason to be as famous as they are, their acting- especially in that episode- is amazing. 

"I like the first one. I don't know why but I'm usually a fan of openings." Hunk concluded. 

"'If you could be or date your own character, would you?'" Pidge asked. "I would love to be Gemma, she's a badass." 

"I would totally date Robin! I would date almost any of the characters, but especially-" Keith cut him off. 

"I don't think I would date Alexander, that bitch has issues. I wouldn't want to be him for the same reason." Lance glared at him for cutting him off. But Lance had already told Keith before that he would date Alexander, and Keith did not want the fans to hear that.

"I would love to be Amber too, she's amazing." Allura said. 

"I wouldn't mind being Theo, but I don't know if I would particularly chose it." Hunk explained. 

"Yeah same, I wouldn't mind being Grey but I wouldn't chose it. I also wouldn't date him." Shiro said. 

"'Would you ever do voice acting?'" Lance asked. 

"I want to do voice acting so fucking bad!" Pidge expressed. "I want to be a video game character, it sounds so cool and fun! Ugh I would love to!" Pidge got very excited over this. 

"I actually have done some voice acting, nothing too notable but I would like to." Hunk said. 

"I wouldn't say no to it, but I'm not super passionate about it." Lance added next. 

"I am sad to say I would be terrible at it. I can't do any voices, all my characters have my voice or sometimes my American accent. I would just not be good at it." Allura said, almost sadly. 

"Same with me, actually." Shiro started, "I am not opposed to it, but I just think I wouldn't be good at it and because of that wouldn't enjoy it." 

"I've done some too. Mostly video game characters, which I would love to do again." Keith told them. 

"This one should be fun: What is your most useless talent?" Pidge said. 

"I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue." Keith said and Lance smacked his arm. Keith glared at Lance in surprise while rubbing his arm. 

"I was gonna say that! Now I have to think of something else!" Lance exclaimed and slumped back with crossed arms. Keith just rolled his eyes. 

"I can touch my nose with my tongue." Hunk said, then did it. 

"I can pick things up with my feet." Pidge said and then demonstrated by taking off her sock and then picking it up with her toes. Keith cringed. 

"I can say for Allura, she doesn't sweat much so she always smells really nice." Lance said jealously. 

"It's not that I always smell nice, I just don't really have B.O." Allura explained. 

"She says that so casually like it doesn't make her more angelic." Pidge said while laughing. Allura blushed and waved off Pidge. 

"I'm really good at cat sounds." Shiro told them with no explanation. Lance was still thinking so he asked Keith for ideas and Keith had a mean idea. 

"Say you don't have a gag reflex" He whispered in Lance's ear. Lance didn't even think that through before he said:

"I don't have a- wait!" Lance exclaimed and Keith started laughing loudly. Lance hit him with a pillow and tried to cover his bright red face. "Dickhead! I actually almost said that!" Keith could not stop laughing and everyone just looked at them bewildered. 

"Lance gives really good massages," Hunk supplied helpfully. 

"That's a useful skill though." Pidge said, just to make things more difficult for Lance. 

"Oh! I can wiggle my nose." Lance said finally, his face still red when he wiggled his nose. 

"Okay this one is easy: Who are you dating and for how long?" Lance said. "I will not say my partners name yet, but we have been dating for about five months." 

"I am not dating anyone cause ew." Pidge said and Keith chuckled. 

"I am married to Adam, I think many people know that. We've been married for about three years and dated for fives years before that." Shiro said. 

"I am dating Lotor Galtean, we have been dating for a year and a half." Allura said while beaming. 

"I am dating Shay Eiden, and we've been dating for a year. Our anniversary was last month." Hunk said cheerfully. Lance, Allura, and Hunk were all giggly and excited for each other. Keith rolled his eyes at all the happy couples. 

"I am not saying anything either way." Keith said, remembering Kolivan's instructions. He still hadn't explained why. Lance side eyed him subtly but didn't do anything obvious so the fans wouldn't notice. 

They answered a few more questions and at ten they turned off the stream and brought the liquor back out. They were all pretty buzzed since they took turns getting drinks off screen, but now it was time to get properly drunk. Keith was excited. 

"Whoo hoo! Are y'all ready to watch us beat some monsters!?" Lance cheers after knocking back a couple shots. They all cheered and clinked glasses together. 

They had already watched the first episode yesterday at the premiere, so they started on the second episode. They agreed to the same rules as last year: They could talk during the group scenes, fight scenes, and between. They can get food and drinks whenever they want as long as they aren't too loud. They are encouraged to compliment each other's performances. And they can leave whenever they want. Though this time they were gonna be drunk so rules sorta went out the window. 

Lance was properly drunk by the time episode three started. He was excited drunk tonight instead of the regular sleepy/sad/angry drunk that he usually is. Keith wasn't drunk yet but he thought he probably would be by episode five. They all continued to compliment each other's acting throughout the show and comment on odd things. 

"Okay but the fans might be onto something with their Alexander/Robin theory." Pidge slurred out while Alexander and Robin had some... interesting blocking. 

"Shut up," Keith grumbled. 

"I'm just waiting for Amber and Grey to get together. They're so cute." Hunk said louder than he probably meant. This sent Allura into giggles. 

Then in episode six Alexander took his shirt off in a fight scene and chaos ensued. 

"WHOOO hottie alert!!" Lance cheered obnoxiously. "Look at those abs!" He elbowed Keith a bunch and the others cheered along. 

"Ugh shut up!" Keith blushed. 

"Hey what were you guys laughing about? Earlier on the talent question?" Shiro asked tiredly. Keith started laughing all over again.

"Oh my god!" Lance said loudly and sat up. "Keith was such an asshole! He knew I was just gonna say whatever he told me so he said 'tell them you have no gag reflex' What an ass!" Everyone else started cracking up, the alcohol certainly wasn't helping. Lance looked at all of them laughing like he had been betrayed, but eventually giggled along. 

"Well do you?" Allura asked eventually, her cheeky smile peaking through. 

"No! Which Keith knows!" Lance exclaimed. No one could stop laughing- it wasn't even that funny, it was just one of those things. 

"Wait why would Keith know that? That's a weird thing to tell someone." Pidge asked through her laughter. Lance just giggled more and Keith blushed. Lance had told him by accident while talking about him and Kaleel. 

"Oh cause I give him blow jobs on the regular." Lance said matter-of-factly. 

"Yeah right, like I'd let your nasty lips near my-" Keith was cut off.

"Okay okay okay!" Pidge said loudly while covering up her ears. "Ew!" Shiro was cracking up so much he was holding his stomach. They all continued to laugh for a couple minutes before the episode theme song came on and they all sang along. 

Episode five came along and Grey and Amber were getting closer the whole time. 

"God just make out already!" Hunk yelled at the screen. They all cheered in agreement and Pidge threw a piece of popcorn at the screen. Allura and Shiro just smiled at each other. 

"Grey, we can't do this." Amber said as she and Grey had stepped away from the action. They had hugged and were inches apart, staring at each other's lips. 

"Oh god that's so cheesy" Pidge muttered. 

"Why not?" Grey asked quietly. 

"There's just... so much going on." Amber said, looking away. 

"That's such B.S, Amber, we always have stuff going on. We always will. That's not a reason to..." Grey sighed and stepped back from her. Amber's hands moved down Grey's arms, reluctant to separate. "But I'll respect your decision. I'll see you around, Amber." He started to walk away sadly when Amber took a deep breath and gathered up her courage. 

"Wait, Grey!" Amber said, grabbing Grey's arm before he left the room. Grey turned towards her and she kissed him. She brought her hand up to her face and he turned the rest of his body to face her. He kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her back. 

"WHOOOO" Lance and Keith cheered when they kissed. 

"Ugh finally!" Hunk said loudly and slumped back in his bean bag. 

"The two hottest people finally started making out! I'm so happy." Lance said sarcastically, pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. 

Allura and Shiro just laughed good naturedly, they were professionals. Unlike the rest of them who were cheering and wolf whistling as the characters made out. Allura and Shiro did high five after the scene ended though. 

Pidge laughed when Alexander and Robin got cursed. Hunk winced at their screams of pain. 

"Jesus guys, did you kick each other in the balls right before hand?" Shiro asked sarcastically as their characters groaned in pain. Lance and Keith cracked up at that for no reason. 

"You guys are very convincing." Allura said with a sad face, she didn't like this plot line because she didn't like seeing her friends hurt. 

"Good plot twist though." Shiro said again, "The whole 'this powerful Fae we've been looking for forever to save us all is actually evil' thing." 

They all cheered on their characters during the last episode fight scenes. Especially Lance who for some reason thought it was all very attractive. Even though Robin and Alexander looked like they were literally dying- since they actually were- Lance had wolf whistled at Alexander when he cut three monster heads off at once with his axe. 

"Oh my god guys that was so good!" Lance said excitedly as the show finished. 

"Yeah that came together really well!" Shiro said. 

"Totally worth all the time and energy." Allura added in tiredly. 

"I'm just so happy Grey and Amber finally got together." Hunk muttered. 

They all stayed the night since none of them could drive- except Shiro who had Adam pick him up since he threw up. Allura and Pidge shared Lance's bed, Hunk insisted on sleeping on the couch even though Keith offered his bed. So Keith and Lance shared Keith's bed with Kosmo. 

"I hope Shiro's okay." Lance said to Keith as they settled in for the night. Lance and Keith were turned to each other in the bed. They were both exhausted and slurring their words. 

"Huh? Oh he'll be fine, he throws up almost every time he drinks." Keith explained. Keith closed his eyes to go to sleep but Lance spoke again. 

"Why'd you say you weren't single?" Lance asked sleepily. "Are you seeing someone? I know you've been away for a long time but I thought you would've told me." Keith opened his eyes to see Lance's face. He was upset. 

"I'm not seeing anyone. Kolivan told me to stop saying that after our YouTube interview. He said he'd explain it this week at our meeting."

"Oh good. I mean, that's weird, but I'm glad you weren't hiding some hot guy from me." Lance smiled a little. Keith really liked Lance's smile. He wondered for a second what it would be like if he kissed Lance, but shook that thought aside.

It would be weird, since they're friends, of course. He was just drunk and wanting to make out with someone. 

"I would tell you." Keith assured his friend. 

"Cause we're best friends?" Lance sang with a smile. Keith rolled his eyes with a smile. 

"Why'd you say it like that you dork?" 

"Just cause." Lance shrugged with a cheery smile. 

"But yes, you weirdo. Cause you're my best friend." Lance did an arm pump and hissed a 'yesss'. Keith rolled his eyes again and rolled to face the ceiling. 

"Wait," Lance said quickly and Keith turned just his head back. Keith raised his eyebrows and Lance pulled Keith's face towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're my best friend, and I love you." Keith chuckled a little. 

"Yeah, dork, I love you too." Keith said like it was obvious, cause to him it was. Lance just beamed at him and turned away. They both fell asleep with Kosmo at their feet. 

Keith dressed sort of nice for his meeting with Kolivan- he still had no idea what this was about. He had a vague suspicion but wasn't really sure. Kolivan was outside his closed office door. 

"Why're you out here?" Keith asked suspiciously. 

"Don't be mad when we enter, okay? Just hear everyone out, and trust me. I am doing what is best for you." 

"Kolivan- this is the sketchiest shit you've ever done. What the fuck is going on?" Kolivan's lip tightened and looked behind him. He opened the door and they walked in together. 

Inside the room was a long table that usually wasn't there. At the head of the table were two producers from Hollowed Out, and Keith had a fleeting thought that he was getting fired. But then the two chairs facing away from the door turned towards him and Keith let out an angered sigh. He sent Kolivan a deadly glare as he stared at James Griffin and his agent. 

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kogane. Thank you for coming." James' agent said monotonously. James was avoiding Keith's stare as Keith crossed the room to sit across from the two of them. 

"Of course, Ms..." Keith started and put out a hand to shake hers. 

"Ms. Cornwall." She provided. 

"Of course, Ms. Cornwall. It's a pleasure to meet you." Keith sat down next to Kolivan. He kept trying to make eye contact with James to ask what the hell this was about but James would not look at him, he just stared at the papers in front of him- like he was embarrassed. 

"Good to see you again, Mr. Kogane." Walter, one of the producers said. The other producer, Sherri, nodded and smiled at him. Keith nodded and smiled at them as well. He got along well with the two of them. He still felt like he was going to get fired since no one would tell him what was going on. His stomach was in knots. 

"When we heard Mr. Griffin was joining the cast of Hollowed Out for the next season as a reoccurring character, his agent had gotten in contact with me about a proposal." Kolivan started and Keith had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming. "Ms. Cornwall asked your producers to meet so we can all come to an agreement and to work out the details." Kolivan continued. 

"Alright..." Keith trailed off, waiting for someone to explain fully. 

"My client is in a bit of a rut currently. He hasn't gotten much publicity for any of his projects which has made it difficult for him to get more jobs." Ms. Cornwall started. "He was cast in this show with the good input from former colleagues Ina Leifsdottir and Ryan Kinkade, but his character is only planned to be in season three. Therefore, he needs something to help his publicity and credit in the community. We are proposing that Mr. Kogane and my client, Mr. Griffin, publicly state that they are in a romantic relationship. This will boost the publicity of my client exponentially due to Mr. Kogane's status; but also the publicity of the show.

"Mr. Griffin's character and Mr. Kogane's have a past and a very intense rivalry which will be shown often throughout the season. The show will be boosted if the actors of these characters are dating in real life- it will make the performances more intriguing and believable in the eyes of the audience. The publicity that Shay Eiden received after it was revealed that she and Hunk Garrett were dating was astounding. Imagine how much better it will be for characters that have such intense chemistry and with a higher status celebrity like Mr. Kogane. We are proposing that once shooting starts for the next season it is leaked that Mr. Griffin and Mr. Kogane are dating. They will continue their charade publicly through any social gathering, interviews, and we will set up for the two of them to be seen publicly; this will continue until the shooting of season four starts, then they may drop the charade if they wish. We can work out the details of what this will entail once it is agreed upon." Ms. Cornwall finished and Keith tried his hardest not to glare at James. James was looking hopefully at the producers. 

"Well, it sounds like a great idea for the show and network," Sherri started. "We are onboard, but we will not force it upon Mr. Kogane. We will only agree if Keith does." She looked at him with a small, but kind, smile. It was the bare minimum but he appreciated it. 

"Yes, it does sound like a fantastic idea. It would be great for marketing as well." Walter wondered out loud. Ms. Cornwall nodded with a fake smile. 

They all looked at Keith, who still couldn't believe that everyone but him was onboard. He couldn't believe that James was on board as he stared daggers at the man he used to live with- who was looking at him like Keith was his salvation. 

"Keith," Kolivan said quietly to Keith, leaning in. "This would make it so people wouldn't wonder if you're dating any of your friends. It would get rid of any rumors of the such and you could go back to being normal with your friends. It is also getting a little suspicious that you haven't publicly been in a relationship in your entire career- people think that you are simply hiding all your relationships." 

"I can deal with all that- James and I have a complicated past- as you know!" The others in the room chatted as Kolivan and Keith talked quietly together. He could see James talking anxiously with his own agent. 

"James needs this, Keith." Kolivan said simply. Keith turned back to the group who all looked at him. 

"Could I possibly speak to Mr. Griffin alone?" Keith asked the room. Ms. Cornwall and Kolivan share a worried glance but both nodded as they all leave the room until it's just James and Keith. Neither of them said anything for a while. 

"It's good to see you again." James eventually said, making eye contact with him. Keith then blew up and stood up so furiously that his chair fell behind him. 

"So what? I refuse to date you so you get my agent and producers to convince me through some Hollywood talk bullshit!? You got your agent in on this? What the fuck James?" Keith yelled at him, thanking the gods that Kolivan's office was sound proof. 

"Please, Keith, it's not like that." James implored and stood up gently. 

"What's it like then?! You need publicity so you get a job on my show then to take it further you ask to fake date me?!?" 

"I haven't got any jobs since our show! Not even a side character! It's like I became invisible or something!" James finally exclaimed. "I didn't want to work on your show, but with Ina and Ryan there I was able to be cast as a good role. Something that will pay me well and last a while in the public's eye- they love a villain! Then my agent suggested I date someone on cast I asked for anyone but you because I know how it looks!" Keith shook his head in anger. "But it needed to be one of the main characters to actually help me. Hunk is straight, Katie is aro/ace, Shiro is married. Then Allura and Lance came out publicly to say they were in a relationship. Plus it would just make more sense to the public with our past. It would be such a good story." James pleaded and Keith scoffed. 

"Is that all that matters? The fucking story of it all? 'Oh look at these old costars who used to live together but had a fallout come back together after years! And their characters hate each other! How fun!' Is that what you want?" Keith asked, his voice spitting venom. 

"Keith, please. I wouldn't ask if I had another option." 

"You said it yourself though! People love a villain! After your season on my insanely popular show everyone will want you. You don't need me and this bullshit story." 

"But what if it doesn't work? And what if people hate my character? There's just so many variables. Besides, this plan benefits everyone- even the show!" 

"You think you could pretend to be my boyfriend after kicking me out?" Keith got close to James' face, making him contend with what he was asking. 

"I'm sorry for doing that, but I was in love with you and you weren't in love with me. It was unbearable to be around you at the time, just knowing that." James was holding their eye contact, but looked away ashamed as he spoke of the painful memory. 

"You- you were in love with me?" Keith asked astounded and took a step back. 

"Yeah, that's why I- that's why I kicked you out when you said you didn't want to date me. That really hurt, Keith. We were best friends and roommates and I was in love with you. Then you say you like me and we have sex and I thought we would be official finally. But you say you aren't ready for a serious relationship and that being friends would be better? Bullshit Keith, and it fucking hurt." James said so honestly that it hurt Keith. James was near tears and Keith had flash backs to when things were good between them. 

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't know how serious you were about it. I never knew that- no one's ever been in love with me before."

"Fuck you man, everyone is in love with you." James said angrily. 

"Not like that. It's fake. But you- you knew me and loved me?" 

"Yeah, Keith. You're incredibly lovable." James smiled sadly and Keith knew his jaw was still dropped. Someone loved him. Weird. 

They both sat down and just sat in the silence for a minute. 

"If- If I agree to this, can we be friends after?" Keith asked. 

"Yeah! Yeah, Keith I'm sorry to bring all this up. I am over you, I promise. I got over the whole thing, this idea isn't a way of getting catharsis or something."

"I understand." Keith considered for a few moments. "Okay, I'll do it." Keith stood up and James followed completely stunned. They let the others back in and Keith spent the next two hours going over a contract and plan. 

On the way out he walked in companionable silence with James until they left in their own cars. They smiled before Keith drove home. 

"Lance, you will not believe my day!" Keith yelled when he opened the door. "So I walk into the office-" Keith stopped when he saw Kaleel with Lance in the kitchen. "Oh hey Kaleel! Sorry I didn't know you'd be here." He smiled and waved and received the same. 

"It's all good!" Kaleel said kindly. 

"So what happened?" Lance asked expectantly. 

"Oh, um, I'm sorry Kaleel I can't really tell anyone right now. Y'know how weird agents are." Kaleel nodded, and Kaleel didn't look offended so Keith took that as a win. 

"That's okay, Lance esperare aqui? (I'll wait out here?)" Kaleel said and Lance nodded. Lance stood up and nodded towards Keith's room and Keith followed. Kaleel was so cool with this all, they must be really good together. 

"Sorry to be rude to Kaleel, it's not that I don't trust him it's just that-"

"Keith it's fine, we both know how the industry is. Now tell me what happened!" Lance urged him on excitedly. Keith sat on his bed with a sigh. He told Lance the whole idea of fake dating someone but didn't tell him who it was. 

"And you'll never believe who it is." Keith finished with. "James." Lance's eyes went big and jutted his head forward like he didn't hear right. 

"Wait- like James your not-ex?" 

"Yeah. I was pissed at first, I still kinda am- cause I hate the whole Hollywood fake dating thing. But I want to help James. There's probably a better way of doing it, but it would help him, the show, and me. It's only for like... a little over a year." 

"What the fuck? I thought you hated him though?" Lance asked and sat next to Keith on his bed. 

"I didn't hate him. I just was mad that he kicked me out after everything that happened. But then he explained it better and... I get it now." Keith conceded. He had never told Lance that he hated James, because he had never felt that way- but it was obvious from Lance's reaction that Keith's attitude toward the situation had made Lance believe that. 

"What was his explanation?"

"He- He was in love with me. Which I didn't know. And I wasn't in love with him. He said it hurt to be around me knowing that we had feelings for each other but different feelings and even then we weren't going to be together. I don't know, all my anger sorta just faded when he said he was in love with me." Keith looked at his feet. 

"Wait- past tense right?"

"Yeah, completely. This will just be friends doing each other a favor. We're actors, it's not that big of a deal." 

"Geez man. I wouldn't do it- but I'll support you of course." Lance assured him with a hand squeezed and Keith smiled sadly. 

"Yeah, it'll be complicated, but I think it'll turn out okay." Lance smiled at him and rested his head on Keith's shoulder before Keith does the same. 

Chapter Text

#HollowedOut!2: 

foresttrail44: Again, Grey is the hottest man alive [several pictures of Grey in season 2] 

hollowedoutspoilers: *SPOILERS FOR S2E9* Dude that twist though. We were really thinking that Ensley was gonna save the day and become a main character glajdkd we're so stupid [photo of Ensley cursing Robin and Alexander] 

mrsgarrett: please Hunk.... im begging... just step on me already [photos of Hunk and Theo] 

renokajdl: @foresttrail44 @mrsgarrett okay okay Hunk stans and Shiro stans come together to appreciate Theo and Grey being the HOTTEST 

renokajdl: also they're so talented and cute okay i'll stop

retrobitch420: Gemma episode Gemma episode Gemma episode!!! Episode five is the fucking best it's so trippy and full of magic I love it

lanceedits34: lance went full send this season. every time he was on camera it was brilliant [edits of Robin to tiktok trending songs] 

hollowedoutspoilers: *SPOILERS FOR S2E8* Finally.... after two seasons of pining.... Amber/Grey got together!!! So super psyched!! 

helluvababe: omg for real though, Amber and Grey are so cute together! And that first get together scene? So freaking hot

helluvababe: also Shiro and Allura were so amazing their acting was so good. Like I know they're both in serious and happy relationships but if I didn't know that I would have genuinely thought they were in love based off how Amber and Grey are together. Like I know Shiro is gay but I for real thought they were so cute- that just shows how good their acting is 

sherabitch9880: Keith Kogane as Alexander hits every time. His acting is unmatched in my opinion- he and Lance McClain in ep8 were SO convincing I thought maybe they hit each other off screen to get that reaction 

rolexander: ep7 when Alexander tumbles on top of Robin and can't move cause the demons had incredible senses but no eyes so Alexander and Robin just have to lay on each other while Grey fights them off? Yeah that's my favorite scene.

istgimhot: im happy for Amber and Grey, and all the Amber/Grey fans but my dreams of Amber/Gemma and Grey/Theo are crushed :((((( im gonna write one of those fics where everyone is gay. its all gonna be Amber/Gemma, Grey/Theo, and Alexander/Robin 

retrobitch420: @istgimhot plz plz plz tell me the name of the fic if you're serious I would read the hell out of it. Amber/Gemma is my dream ship

heatedice696: okay last season i was hesitant about Alexander/Robin but i am full on board i love them and want them to be together and im so scared that they haven't figured out a cure for the curse. and the way the season ended with them passing out from being sick im gonna die if they dont get together 

lanceedits34: yesss people finally seeing Alexander/Robin yesss hehehehe

jaxbodyspray: the fight choreo this season?? fuck me up that shit is hot! for real they did so well and most of the time they did their own stunts!

charredjokers: For real this season was astounding, Hollowed Out keeps hitting all the right buttons and it's very clear why it has such a large fan following. I am so impressed by all the performances and all the work put in by the crew. 

keith'sbiggestfan: Okay okay can we PLEASE talk about video diaries this season???? They're so freaking cute and funny I can't stop laughing at Shiro in Keith's shirt 

keith'sbiggestfan: Hunk and Pidge are so freaking cute and funny and I love their friendship so much. And Allura is apparently just always so perfect and pretty??? And her talking about Lotor and her before they were out with their relationship is so cute, she likes him so much!! And Shiro and Adam just being domestic husbands in the background all the time??? I can't. [pic of Hunk and Pidge] [pic of Allura] [ Pic of Allura gushing about Lotor] [Pic of Shiro and Adam talking]

keith'sbiggestfan: AND I haven't even gotten started on Keith and Lance. They're like actually friends and prank each other and talk in the background in like every shot?? When they're just hanging out and they like ruffle each other's hair?? In one clip with Hunk and Pidge are just talking and in the background Keith is trying to take his hair down from a pony tail and Lance rushes over and plays with Keith's hair and keeps it up and they're just looking at each other in the mirror??  And of course when Lance gives Keith a back massage?? They're just so fucking cute I can't [pics of Keith and Lance doing the described]

lanceedits34: @keith'sbiggestfan YESSS everyone use #vidiaries2 to chat about it! 

lanceedits34: #vidiaries2 I absolutely adore the background Klance, it makes me so happy

keith'sbiggestfan: @lanceedits34 #vidiares2 omg Klance is the best Keith/Lance ship name that's the official one now no one say anything else

foresttrail44: #vidiaries2 Shiro being such a dad is my favorite part. and when he straight up puts Lance on a hanger like a 90s bully I love him 

gayestgay2gay: #vidiaries2 okay but the non main actors in the diaries are also so cute and i love them!! Like Ina and Ryan are so cute and i want more Ryan content, his character is barely in the show. And that cute stage manager that is occasionally there? I think his name is Kaleel or something, he's always doing something important in the background but when he's the focus he's always super cute and funny. He also seems to get along really well with Lance

ramonastweet:  #vidiaries2 @gayestgay2gay my theory is that Kaleel is the guy Lance said was the 'cute boy' he had to go flirt with- cause Pidge joked that it was Keith but Keith was right there and Kaleel and Lance are often seen together. I think that's Lance's boyfriend, especially since they took pics together on the red carpet premiere 

summerlong: #vidiaries2 @ramonastweet DUDE you're onto something 

moosehair239: #vidiaries2 I can't with Shay and Hunk- they're too perfect and sweet. And we can see them around set like talking and holding hands and stuff. They're just so freaking cute and I'm so happy for them. Also Shay is so pretty??? Like if she and Hunk weren't obviously soulmates I would date her so fast I love her. Honestly- same goes for Hunk. My boy is hot as hell and sweet?? [pic of Shay] [pic of Hunk] [two pics of Shay and Hunk together]

spencereidbaby: #vidiaries2 We all need to thank our lord and creator Pidge for creating the diaries and showing all the dumb-assery that goes on, along with how cute they all are

Lance had been scrolling through the Hollowed Out season two tag for hours. It had been out for a while and people were still obsessing over it- which was a good sign. They start shooting tomorrow for season three. Lance was excited to get back to work and see all his friends again. After he finished his ad campaign he didn't really have much to do. Keith had left for the mid west, though he was getting back that night. Kaleel had finished his other project last week so at least Lance got to see him more often. They had their six month anniversary last week, they didn't make a big deal about it cause they're adults but Lance was excited about it. It had been a while since he had been so excited about a relationship. 

Speaking of relationships.... Keith and James had gone public with their 'relationship' a couple days after the season premiere. James' agent had set up to have a hired reporter take pictures of Keith leaving James' place in the early morning and had a picture of Keith giving James a goodbye kiss. As if Keith would be that careless in real life. It had actually gotten a lot of great reception- like they planned. Keith and James had both posted about it a day after the paparazzi photos came out. 

KKogane: I wish this wasn't the way this got out- but yes, James Griffin and I are dating. Please continue to respect our privacy though, we're real people.

JamesGriff: It's out anyway, so I'll just say it on here to get ahead of it. I am dating Keith Kogane, we've been friends for a long time. Like he said in his tweet, please respect our privacy and our right to share as much as we want. [Selfie of Keith kissing James' cheek] 

Lance wasn't angry, per se, he just didn't like any of that situation. It was sketchy as hell that James had pressured Keith into fake dating him. Keith said it wasn't James pressuring Keith into it, but Lance thought it was. And everyone was freaking out about it! Like they got so much reception from it. As far as Lance could tell, no one thought it was fake. Which fair enough, Keith was a brilliant actor and James was... fine. All their pictures were taken in like one day and were very convincing. A part of Lance was begging for someone to figure it out. 

Kaleel wasn't over right now because he was at set up for the next day, he also had to wake up insanely early the next morning for shooting. So Lance was just scrolling through twitter while sitting with Kosmo. He'd gotten closer with Kosmo since Keith had been gone these past like four months. Watch her never sit with him once Keith is back though. 

"I'm home!" Keith yelled as he walked through the front door. Both Kosmo and Lance jumped up from Lance's bed and ran to see Keith. Lance hugged Keith unbearably hard and lifted his friend just slightly so he could spin them around. They were roughly the same height so it didn't take too much effort. "Okay, okay, put me down!" Keith laughed and Lance put Keith down, but the smile would not slip from his face. 

"It's been forever!" 

"It's been a month." 

"That's forever!" Lance insisted and Keith smiled at him and shook his head. 

"Shooting starts tomorrow." Keith said as he settled back in- unpacking and Lance making dinner. 

"Yeah, should be fun."

"You got your lines memorized?" Keith teased Lance from the other room. Lance rolled his eyes but doesn't stop smiling. 

"Yes! Of course. Favorite season so far. Lots of implications of gayness between Robin and Alexander." 

"What? Where?" Keith asked and came back into the kitchen with his script. 

"Well they're together all the time, even the blocking implies that they're always near each other. Also all of their intimate character moments are with each other. And their scene in episode four at the end parallels the scene with Amber and Grey last season episode six, and then they got together."

"The scene where Alexander helps Robin with broken leg?" Keith said, flipping to the page. 

"Yeah, it's just like the scene where Amber helped Grey after the werewolf attacked him."

"I think the fans got to you. You're seeing a romance cause you want there to be one." Keith was being ridiculous, of course. Had he never heard of queer coding? Or queer narratives? Both of which applied to Alexander and Robin?

"Of course I want it! A gay interracial couple where neither of them are white? Do you know how uncommon that is in media? All the stories about gay men are white dudes and sometimes their love interest is a man of color- and even then their only role is to be the love interest with no character of their own."

"That is true, and a very good point. I never saw a gay Asian guy in media growing up, and it's what I'm fighting for with my group." Keith admitted with a slight shrug as he stared intently at the script. 

"And all the darker skinned Latino gay guys I saw in media weren't main characters."

"Well, neither of us are main characters." Keith conceded and Lance waved him off. 

"Yeah but we have our own fleshed out characters. Like being gay isn't their only characteristics."

"You're making me want a romance between the two. Now that you bring it all up, they do seem to have a lot of scenes that would read as romantic if it was people of the opposite sexes. Okay I'm on board."

"Good! I bet we can convince the writers to let them get together if we act like they're falling in love." 

"But what if the writers don't- and then we're just another queer bait show." Keith tried to reason and Lance sighed. 

"We can explain that to the fans then. Once the show is over it belongs to the fans anyway." 

"You know, you're kind of inspiring when you aren't spouting nonsense." Lance looked up at Keith and smiled. He was charmed and flattered by what Keith had said. They look at each other for a minute before Keith said "Their characters are sort of the concept of opposites attract. Robin is very open- Alexander has all his walls up. Alexander likes fighting a little too much but grows to want more in life than war. And Robin initially wants nothing to do with fighting, but eventually is overcome with a feeling of responsibility and duty." 

"I was thinking the same thing about opposites! Mine was more about how Robin is always wearing shades of blue and Alexander is always red, and the lighting in their scenes together is usually purple. But yours is much deeper and smarter sounding." Lance said and blushed. Keith just smiled at Lance's ramblings. 

"Okay... so we're gonna make it gay?" Keith said with a sort of smirk that Lance didn't see often from Keith. He wasn't much of a schemer but Lance could see it now in his smile. 

"It's already sub-textually gay, especially with all the gay jokes, but we're not gonna let them get away with implying rep with out any follow- through." 

"Man, Lance. The way you're talking- I kind of don't mind the idea of being forced to kiss you in front of cameras." Keith teased, leaning closer to Lance's face over the counter. Lance was momentarily taken by surprise, usually it was Lance fake flirting with Keith and Keith would roll his eyes and laugh. But Lance just smirked and leaned in as well.

Let's call this bitch's bluff. 

"Oh yeah, we'll make it real steamy for all the homophobes watching." Lance purred, joking again. Keith flushed and tried to hold back a smile but eventually broke out laughing. 

"Okay, I should finish putting my stuff away, I have a fake date with James soon."

"Ooh have fun Romeo." Lance teased as Keith walked away flashing him the middle finger. 

Being back on set was both exciting and exhausting. They always start off shooting the biggest scenes- which meant tons of extras, cgi, and retakes. The first month or so of shooting was always the worst because of the hours. 

"You guys know what time it is?!" Hunk asked excitedly, walking backwards into the green room with the camera facing himself and the rest of the room. 

"Six o' five." Keith said tiredly without even looking up. 

"Nope!" Pidge replied, jumping into the frame. "New season of video diaries!!" Her and Hunk then start chattering about their breaks and go to talk to people around the room. They were talking to Ryan right now- who had finally been promoted to reoccurring cast member instead of special guest. 

"Where's James?" Allura asked Keith as they're in between takes- Adam is talking to some of the combatants who were specially hired. Lance looked at Keith with a quirked eyebrow, as if to say 'you didn't tell her?' Keith just gave him a stare that said 'I'll explain later' and then turned to Allura with a smile. 

"He'll be in later today. He's not in this first fight scene, so his call time isn't for a while." Keith said with a faux anxious smile. 

"I was sorry to see the paparazzi outed you, but you seem to be taking it well?" She said kindly, and Lance had to look away. He hated lying so explicitly to his friends. 

"I was being careless, it's my fault, really. I'm still kinda pissed about it, but at least it wasn't a rumor this time, right?" Keith was such a good actor, he was doing the whole broody-but-I-have-to-deal-for-show-business expression. 

"How long have you guys been dating?" Hunk asked excitedly, he was always a sucker for romance. Lance did appreciate that Hunk didn't seem mad at Keith for keeping the 'relationship' a secret.

"Well, I started talking to him again after I heard he was gonna be in this season. Then we just kept talking. It was mostly long distanced since I was on tour, but that wasn't really an issue since we already know each other so well. I would've told you guys, but it was just really new and I'm so not used to being in an actual relationship." Keith explained quickly since Adam was coming back and called for them to continue shooting. 

That one fight scene took about two more hours- they had to get it from several angles and that meant many perfect runs in a row where the cameras would move around them. They were all so tired that they didn't talk much between takes after that. If they did it was quick stuff like compliments or asking what people did over break. Lance even made friends with the combat experts. 

"Okay cut! We got this scene. Everyone take a break. I need crew back in five, and the rest of you I'll have someone come get you." Adam yelled throughout the stage. Lance made a bee line for Kaleel, who he had not been able to talk to yet today because of the hecticness of everything. 

"Hola, mi vida! (Hello, my life!)" Lance cheered as Kaleel saw him and smiled tiredly. Kaleel put his arms out tiredly and Lance quickly hugged him, Kaleel melted into his arms. "Todo ira bein, mi corazon. (It'll be okay, sweetheart)" They often spoke in Spanish to each other just because it was easier, and sometimes so they could be more private. 

"Estoy tan cansado (I am so tired)" Kaleel mumbled into Lance's shirt. Lance held his boyfriend close; one arm around his hips and the other around his shoulders. He kissed his head. Kaleel had been here all of yesterday and today. He got bumped up to primary stage manager so he had way more responsibilities now. They just stood there hugging for a while. Lance hadn't seen him in a couple days and he missed him. Kaleel and him stopped hugging but Lance held onto his hands. 

"Lo estas haciendo genial (You're doing great)" Lance told him and gave him a quick peck. Kaleel smiled and adjusted his glasses. 

"Tu tambien. Coma va? (So are you. How is it going?)" Kaleel asked, not even looking at his clip board- which is a miracle when they're at work. Lance sighed and dramatically threw his head back. 

"Keith me esta molestando (Keith is annoying me)" Lance moaned, much to Kaleel's surprise. 

"Keith? Que hizo? (what'd he do?)" Lance hadn't told Kaleel that Keith and James aren't actually dating. He was obviously going to, but then he wasn't sure if Keith would be mad or not, and then Keith was gone forever so he hadn't asked. Lance was getting pretty sick of always pretending to agree with Kaleel whenever he gushed about how cute Keith and James were though, so he's just gonna tell him and apologize to Keith about it later. 

"Prometes no decirselo a nadie? (Promise not to tell anyone?)" Lance whispered to Kaleel and looked around. Kaleel looked around too and nodded. "James y Keith son citas falsas. Y le miente a nuestros amigos! (James and Keith are fake dating and he's lying to our friends!)" Kaleel gasped loudly and Lance looked around with big eyes. He was pretty certain no one who spoke Spanish was within hearing range but still. 

"De verdad? (For real?)" Lance nodded vigorously. 

"Odio mentir (I hate lying)" Lance complained and Kaleel's face softened. 

"Lo se, precioso (I know, precious)" Kaleel said and gave him another, longer peck. Kaleel looked around and then to his watch and Lance grimaced. 

"Nooo" Lance complained and put his head on Kaleel's shoulder. 

"Lo siento, carino. (I'm sorry, honey)" Kaleel placed a kiss on Lance's forehead and then put his headset back on. Lance waved at him and Kaleel walked away to get back to work. Lance just walked into the break room, waiting to lie to all his friends. 

"Hey Lance!" Pidge cheered as he entered the break room, the camera in her hands. He smiled tiredly and waved to the camera. 

"Hey everyone!" He said, trying not to show how tired he was, but it was his break after all. 

"We just finished talking to the combat experts." Hunk said, pointing to the combat specialists in the corner. They looked most beat up so Lance wasn't even annoyed that they were hogging the coffee table. He sighed and sat down next to Keith on the couch. Keith wordlessly handed Lance a cup of coffee and Lance didn't even care that Keith usually took his coffee plain and just drank up. He was pleasantly surprised that it had sugar and cream in it. 

"This isn't yours, is it?" Lance asked Keith, hoping that Keith had finally seen the error of his black coffee ways. 

"God no, there's so much sugar in there. No, I grabbed it for you." Lance smiled slightly and leaned back, drinking his lukewarm coffee. 

"So now that the camera is off," Allura said once Pidge put the camera away. They all instantly melted into the furniture. "I meant to say earlier, Keith, that we don't mind that you didn't tell us about James immediately. We aren't offended." Allura said sweetly and Keith smiled appreciatively at him. 

"Thanks, Allura. I appreciate it. It's really not that big of a deal anyway," He even fucking blushed. How'd he even make himself do that?? 

"It's pretty big. You've never dated anyone in public, you generally don't date either." Shiro said from his seat. He seemed genuine and Lance almost spit out his coffee, Keith didn't tell Shiro?? He would've assumed he was the first person he'd tell. 

"Well whatever, no one be weird when James gets here- he's in makeup right now. He doesn't really know any of you." Keith said urgently to the rest of them. He glared at Lance and Pidge. Pidge smirked but then gave Keith an innocent look. 

"Hey, at least it's not my brother." Pidge said with her hands in a surrender position. 

"Shut up!" Keith threw a small pillow at her and they all chuckled, having not seen Keith flustered often, Lance saw through it all. 

"Uh, is this the green room?" James asked from the doorway. He had obviously been to makeup and costumes, he was dressed in a beat up jacket and cargo pants and he had several fake cuts and bruises on his face, not to mention the fake dirt all over him. They all looked like this right now pretty much. Everyone turned to James, and Keith blushed again- seriously, how is he doing that? 

"Hey James! Nice to meet you! I'm Pidge." Pidge introduced herself and welcomed James into the breakroom. She had that tone in her voice like she was up to something. Lance wasn't sure if he should be encouraging her or not. 

"Hi, it's nice to meet you all, I've heard a lot about you all." James said, still standing. Keith moved over to make room between himself and the couch arm rest. It wasn't hard, only Lance and him were on the couch which could hold more, but Lance was still irked to have to move over. 

"Sit down, weirdo" Keith said to James, gesturing to the spot next to him. James sat down and Keith subtly scooted closer to James. 

"It's so good to finally meet you!" Allura said excitedly with her signature beautiful smile. 

"It's really nice to be here. I've actually been pretty anxious to meet you guys, Keith really likes working here." James said with an open expression. Keith elbowed James when Pidge perked an eyebrow. 

"Oh, Keith actually likes us? You're the first to hear I guess." She teased as Keith buried his face in his hands and groaned. 

"No I hate you guys." Keith said exasperatedly. 

"He actually said he missed you all a lot when he was on tour." James said in a false whisper and a broad smile. 

"Whoa, Keith that's so sweet." Shiro said sarcastically. 

"James is totally exposing you, we should've cast him ages ago!" Pidge said excitedly. 

"Yeah, I was worried these guys would embarrass me, but it's actually you." Keith told James with an annoyed tone but a small smile. 

"That's my job." James informed him with a smile. 

"Okay, James is my favorite." Pidge clapped happily as the others laughed. 

“Lance, it’s really good to finally meet you too, we met briefly a couple years ago I think.” James said, putting a hand out for Lance to shake. Lance looked at it and smiled slightly and shook. 

“Yeah, I wish we all could’ve met sometime when we aren’t covered in dirt and fake blood” Lance joked and James smiled charmingly. Damn that bitch was charming. Lance wished he wasn't so he'd have even more reason to be disgusted by him. 

“Hey everyone, you have about ten before we need you on stage.” A stage manager told them- Kaleel had more important jobs to do now that he was a primary. Lance missed seeing his boyfriend’s face pop up in the doorway though. 

“I should probably get myself some coffee then.” James said and looked over to the coffee table. “Or not.” The coffee pot looked like it was empty and still surrounded by other actors and crew members. 

“They’ll make another pot at noon,” Shiro said with a pitying smile. They usually don’t run out so fast, they just had a lot of people today. 

“That’s alright, I can deal.” James said, leaning back with a tight smile. Lance felt a small satisfaction within his chest before scolding that part of himself. 

“Uh no no no, you’re a nightmare when you’re tired but still have to work. Just share with me.” Keith insisted and handed his cup over to James. James sipped at it without a word and they all go about their business of talking amongst themselves about stupid stuff. 

“Wait wait wait, how can you drink that stuff, James? It’s plain.” Lance asked James as he sipped on Keith’s coffee. 

“Yeah I take mine plain. I don’t really like it with all that sugar and cream, takes away from the point of coffee.” James explained, and Lance actually believed him. Even if it did draw a grimace from him as he sipped on his sugary latte.  

“Aww Keith found someone who will tolerate his awful coffee preferences.” Pidge cooed playfully. 

“Shut up.” Keith whined in exasperation and leaned into James to take the cup back. They all sat chatting for the next couple minutes, and James and Keith continued to share their coffee. 

The rest of the day went really well. It was long and tiring, and Lance's stomach hurt most of the day from guilt- but the shoots went well. Everyone was very professional so things went fast and smoothly. Lance kept an eye on James between takes and he was also very professional, he would talk to who was near him and not go obviously out of his way to talk to Keith. Good move. If they were always together and all over each other it would be super obvious that they were over compensating. James knows Keith well enough to understand how they would act if they were dating. 

Though Lance knew that sort of thing too. It's not like James is special or anything. 

But everything went really well and Lance was having a hard time being mad at James or Keith. James was just so charming and funny, and Keith was Keith. It was pretty hard for Keith to actually piss Lance off. He'd get annoyed over little things like Keith using two in one shampoo and conditioner and the fact that Keith refuses to give Kosmo the high quality dog food. But he'd just quibble with Keith over these things, he doesn't think he's ever been properly mad at him. 

"Lance?" Lance looked up from set, only now noticing that everyone else had left the stage. Kaleel was standing in front of him with a worried expression. "Estas bein? (You okay?)" 

"Que? Oh, si, estoy bein. (What? Oh, yeah, I'm okay)" Lance started walking off stage but Kaleel still looked at him weirdly. He heard Kaleel walking behind him and he grabbed his hand. Lance turned to him and Kaleel cupped his face, Lance leaned into the touch tiredly. 

"Hablame, carino (talk to me, sweetheart)" Lance melted, Kaleel was so sweet. 

"No sentirse bien (Not feeling well)" Lance said and Kaleel gave him a peck. Lance smiled and held Kaleel's hands on top of his own face. "Vuelve al trabajo. (Go back to work)" Lance insisted. 

"Multa. Estare esta noche- traere comida. (Fine. I'll be in tonight- I'll bring food.)" Kaleel said and Lance smiled softly. 

"Gracias, te amo. (Thank you, I love you (romantically))" Lance said and then his whole face fell as he realized what he said. They hadn't said that yet. Kaleel's eyebrows rose and Lance felt his face flush and he turned and walked away. 

God, why did he say that? What if Kaleel doesn't love him back and they break up? Or what if Kaleel doesn't love him but feels pressured into saying it back because Lance said it? God, he is so stupid. He needed to think more before he spoke. He was thinking it all through while changing into normal clothes. His eyes have not returned to their regular size yet. He headed to the makeup area- not really paying attention. 

"Hey Lance, you okay?" James asked, and Lance only then realized he was there. He was standing with Keith at Keith's makeup mirror, they're both wiping off their makeup. Shiro walked over as well, looking concerned for Lance. 

"I saw you talking to Kaleel, is everything okay?" Shiro asked quietly. 

"Pfft, eres un padre. (You're such a dad.)" Lance huffed out with a laugh. "Creo que me equivoque. (I think I messed up)" James, Shiro and Keith all looked at each other like they were at a loss. "Le diji a Kaleel que lo amaba. (I told Kaleel I loved him)" Lance looked down at his shaking hands. 

"I think I heard the word 'Dad' and Kaleel's name." Keith told the other two. 

"Sorry, I just wanted to say it out loud where no one could understand before I actually said it. Makes it more real, and safer, or something." Lance explained and looked for his makeup wipes. 

"It's alright, are you okay?" Shiro asked with furrowed eyebrows.  

"Yeah, I just- fuck. I think I messed up." Lance sighed deeply as his hands shook. 

"What happened?" Keith asked. James looked a little uncomfortable with this all- he doesn't really know any of them. 

"I- I told Kaleel I loved him. It just sorta slipped out." Lance said and wiped his face off. Keith leaned back a little and had an unreadable expression. 

"Oh- I assumed you had already said that. You've been dating for how long?" Shiro said with a little lean back. 

"Six months last weeks." Lance said mindlessly. 

"And you haven't said 'I love you' yet?" James asked a little judgmentally, which got him a light slap from Keith. 

"I don't fall in love easily," Lance muttered. 

"Well, is it true? Do you love him?" Shiro asked him kindly. Lance thought about it for a minute. 

"Of course." Lance was surprised he even had to think about it. Of course he loves Kaleel. Kaleel is such a wonderful man. So sweet and funny and ridiculously smart. He and Lance don't exactly make sense- but Lance loved him. "I love him- like, a lot." Lance said, coming to a realization. Shiro smiled softly and absentmindedly turned his own wedding ring. 

"Well then what's wrong with telling him? Are you with him because you want him to love you? Or are you with him because you love him?" Shiro asked and Lance felt his eyes return to normal. Shiro's right. If Kaleel doesn't love him yet, but still wants to date then Lance can deal with that. He loved him, that's enough. 

"You're right. I mean- I'd prefer if he feels the same way- but you're right," Lance admitted. 

He and Keith walked out with James to the parking lot. Keith and James spoke in whispers while Lance walked to the car. Lance got into the driver's seat and connected his phone before Keith even noticed. So of course he started playing musicals. 

"Dammit, Lance." He heard Keith say from the parking lot. Lance laughed to himself and smiled to Keith in the rearview mirror. "I'll see you tomorrow, James." Keith said and pecked James on the lips. Lance had to stop himself from cringing. Who was he even performing for? Keith slid into the passenger seat and glared at the radio. 

"There's no one around, you know." Lance said as Keith buckled up; Mamma Mia playing in the background. 

"You never know," Keith muttered. 

"Also- you aren't telling any of our friends? What the fuck? Not even Shiro?" Lance asked Keith, a little angrier than necessary, as they started driving. 

"Shiro knows. He's just a good actor." Keith chuckled. "And yeah, I wanted to talk to you about the other stuff. I'm going to tell them, I just hadn't yet. I had to perform that whole thing for everyone else. I'm going to tell Hunk, Allura, and Pidge soon. They're good enough actors to make it work, I'm not worried about them being weird about it. I should have told them before today, Allura and Hunk seemed really excited for me, and it just made me feel shitty."

"Yeah... I felt shitty too. I don't like lying about something so personal to our friends."

"I'm sorry to make you feel bad, it's a complicated situation. I will talk to the others soon." Keith looked out the window and didn't say anything- he obviously didn't want to talk about the situation anymore. Lance's eyebrows remained furrowed as he thought about it but respected Keith's wish for the conversation to end. He hated lying in most situations and especially when it wasn't something that was his choice. He was just glad he finally gave in and told Kaleel the truth. 

"He loves you back, you know." Keith said a couple seconds later. It was quiet. Just the soft sounds of whatever musical came up. 

"Shiro is right, though. It doesn't matter." Lance shrugged one shoulder. 

"It might not impact how much you love him, but it affects the relationship. And it's clear that he's totally in love with you." Lance looked at Keith- who was still looking out the window. 

Lance smiled a bit to himself and the rest of the drive was in silence. 

Lance was reading through more fan tweets about the previous season and eating celery. He would rather be eating ice cream, but he has to stay in shape for the show and for his modeling. He can eat junk food again when the show is done. Which might be a while... they don't even know how many seasons they're getting. The writing currently has a four season arc, but they have a plan in case they need to stretch it or write more. 

"Hey," Keith greeted nervously, popping his head in Lance's room. 

"Hey," Lance said back. Keith looked at something in the hallway and stepped fully into the room. 

"So... Kaleel is here." Keith bit his lip. 

"What?" Lance sat up straighter and put his bowel of celery on his bed side table. "Well, send him in, or whatever." Keith nodded and left, soon to be replaced with Kaleel's sweet face. Lance never really thought about whether or not he loved Kaleel before today. He just thought about how happy he was with him. They were pretty dissimilar but worked well enough. And Kaleel was sweet. 

"You'd still be in perfect shape if you didn't eat only celery, you know." Kaleel said while looking at Lance's celery bowl. Lance flushed and looked at his blankets. Kaleel walked into the room and sits on the bed. "Te escapaste antes. (You sorta ran off earlier.)" Kaleel said, and Lance didn't really want to look at him. He bit his lip anxiously. 

"Lo lamento. Yo solo- No importa. Me di cuenta de que no importa si no me amas. Te amo. No es condicional. Mientras te preocupes por mi, es suficiente para que esto funcione. (Sorry about that. I just- It doesn't matter. I realized it doesn't matter if you don't love me. I love you. It's not conditional. As long as you care for me, that's enough for this to work.)" Lance explained and finally looked up to his boyfriend who was staring at Lance with big eyes. He was smiling just on one side of his lips and his eyes were crinkled just slightly. 

"Lance, yo tambien te amo. (Lance, I love you too.)" Kaleel said clearly, his eyes crinkling slightly more. He blushed when he said it, something Lance didn't see as often. Lance didn't think he could speak. 

"No tienes que decir eso (You don't have to say that)" Lance was finally able to say. 

"Lu hubiera dicho antes, pero te fuiste. (I would have said it earlier, but you left.)" 

"No lo dices solo porque yo lo dije? (You aren't just saying it because I said it?)" Lance felt like he had to be sure, though he was already smiling. Kaleel laughed, and Lance felt a weight lift from him. 

"Si, idiota. Te amo. (Yes, dumbass. I love you.)" Lance couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy. He surged forward and kissed his boyfriend without any hesitation. 

"Ugh! Soy un idiota! Si no me hubiera escapado, no me habria preocupado todo el dia! (I am an idiot! If I hadn't ran away I wouldn't have been worried all day!)" Lance groaned into Kaleel's shoulder. Kaleel just laughed and gently ran his hand through Lance's hair. 

"Te amo, Lance." Kaleel said softly and pulled Lance's face up by gently running his hand under Lance's chin until Lance looked him in the eyes. Lance was still blushing deeply but looked into the beautiful brown eyes of his boyfriend. 

"Te amo, Kaleel." Lance said back and kissed his lovely boyfriend. 

James was over pretty often. He and Keith spent their time either in the living room or Keith's room. Which didn't make sense. And it pissed Lance off. Keith and James aren't really dating so why are they always around each other? And why did Lance have to deal with it? There was something about James that just pissed Lance off. He was arrogant, boastful, inconsiderate, and deceitful. This was all subtle and Lance wasn't even sure if James was doing it on purpose, but Lance was the only one who noticed. 

Lance wanted to ask Keith about it, but it was hard to get him alone. Either Keith was with James, they were on set, or Lance was with Kaleel. The only time they had alone was in the car, which they would usually spend venting about their days. But Lance finally decided to bring it up while they were on their way to a group interview for season two. 

"Hey, why is James over all the time?" Lance asked as they pulled onto the main roads. 

"What?" Keith asked quickly as he merged. 

"James. He's like always at our place. Like I get you have to pretend to date him while on set so you spend a lot of time with him, but you don't have to do that at our place. Kaleel knows you aren't dating." Keith looked at him in astonishment. 

"You told Kaleel?!" 

"Of course? He's my boyfriend." Lance wasn't sure why this was an issue, but Keith's lips were tightening. 

"I know, but he might tell someone! He has a lot of friends and associates on crew." 

"He promised me he wouldn't, and I trust him. Besides, you're avoiding my question."

"Fine, whatever. Yeah he's over a lot. It was partly because of Kaleel, but also we're friends again- so we hang out a lot. You and I hang out a lot too." Lance mulled this over. It was true that he pretty much lived at Keith's before he actually moved in, so that's fair. Lance was probably just noticing it a lot since he didn't really like James. 

"Okay, and you'd tell me if you two started seeing each other for real?" 

"What? We're definitely not. And of course I'd tell you. I have no reason not to." Keith assured him but Lance wasn't too sure. He didn't really have a good reason to doubt Keith.

The interview didn't really have an interviewer, at least not an on screen person. Keith and Lance were joined by Hunk- the other three were doing theirs later that day. The basic idea was just them watching Tiktoks about season two and reacting to them. The Tiktoks were selected by the producers and would be shown on screen to the viewers while they reacted to them. Very basic idea, but way more fun than what they usually had to do. Lance watched plenty of these anyways.

"Hi everyone! We're here to watch a couple fan made Tiktoks about season two!" Hunk said while waving to the cameras.

"We should probably introduce ourselves." Keith added with a wave and smile. 

"Oh yeah, I'm Hunk Garrett and I play Theo." Hunk said with a blush.

"I'm Lance McClain and I play Robin."

"I'm Keith Kogane and I play Alexander."

"Let's watch some Tiktoks!" Lance cheered and they were handed an iPad. 

The first was a video of the three of their characters with the audio "All trio has these three types of people:" followed by clips of Alexander fighting and walking in slow-mo to the lyrics 'Bitch your ass is done- I don't need your opinion/ Do what I fucking want.' Then clips of Theo comforting other characters with the lyrics 'You can count on me like one two three/ I'll be there'. And lastly clips of Robin being silly and stupid with the lyrics 'I'm a crack head aye/ I'm a crack head aye/ I'm a crack head aye'. Lance actually laughed out loud. It's not even that funny- it's just so accurate. 

"That is- very accurate." Lance muttered through his laughs. 

"It's actually pretty accurate of our own personalities too. Like the three of us as friends." Hunk said to the camera and Lance nodded in agreement. Keith looked at them in clear confusion. 

"What? Am I scary or something?" He said with such an innocent tone Lance couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Hunk started laughing though and that set Lance off, of course. Poor Keith was just staring at them in confusion and looked between them and the camera. 

"Yes Keith! You're so intimidating!" Lance spluttered and Keith scrunched his eyebrows. 

"I mean, I know I have a resting mean face but I didn't think I scared people. Alexander though- he does that on purpose." Hunk and Lance were still muttering stuff to each other and had to gather themselves together for the next Tiktok. 

This was strictly about Alexander. It was to the song "My Axe" by Insane Clown Posse and was synched with clips of Alexander fighting violently and epically with his signature axe. Most of the clips he was covered in blood and dirt but he was still amazingly hot. Lance figured that was the point. Lance had to glance away from the screen because he thought he might blush if he kept staring. He knew how hot his best friend was. 

"Wow." Keith said in awe when it's finished. "Great editing, the song was perfectly synched." Keith said, covering his own smile as he was obviously trying not to laugh from embarrassment. 

"Keith-" Hunk started in a tone akin to astonishment. "You're so hot in that. Sorry, can we see that again?" Hunk asked and pressed play on the video again. Keith started laughing and Lance actually looked at Keith instead of the Tiktok. Hunk is such a good hype man he's hitting Keith playfully on his shoulder from behind Lance's back. 

"I knew someone was gonna use this audio ever since I saw you carrying that axe around on set." Lance commented and the 'interviewer' spoke up. 

"We actually had many we could have chosen of Alexander with this audio. It's very popular." 

"Whoa for real?" Keith asked and they all sort of chuckled. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if Lance made half of them." Hunk joked and Lance couldn't help but chuckle along with the others. 

The next was of Theo- it was several clips synched to the slowed down "Poker Face". The clips were at first just Theo doing normal things, but at the bass drop and where Lady Gaga started singing 'Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun' the clips changed to Theo fighting and just generally being hot. 

"Whoa there Hunk! Hottie alert!" Lance said while cheering on his blushing friend. 

"I don't think I've ever seen a thirst edit of myself..." 

"What? Oh dude I have! I have to send you some." Lance said while looking excitedly at Hunk. 

"If we keep watching thirst traps Lance is going to have an even bigger crush on every character." Keith said while elbowing Lance. 

"The next one is of Robin at least." The interviewer pointed out and Keith just chuckled. 

"Yeah, my statement stands." Keith joked while Lance hit him on the shoulder. 

The next was indeed Robin. The song was "Candy Shop" slowed down with clips of Robin doing random things synched with the beat. It was pretty cool. Not as sexy as Lance thought it was going to be. He looked pretty good synched up with a hot song though. He smirked while watching and could feel Keith chuckled silently against his side. 

"Good song to choose- that's probably my favorite song choice for the thirst ones," Hunk added. "Also Lance- buddy, my man, my homie, my bestie- you're killing it man. Seriously." Hunk said with a complete straight face and Lance dramatically brushed it off. 

"Aww, Hunk. You're too sweet. The credit should really go to the editor- I am not this hot in real life." Lance laughed and Keith made a sound similar to a snort. 

"Yeah he's usually jumping around like an idiot." Keith snorted out and Lance elbowed him in the ribs which gets him an 'ow' from Keith. 

The next is Lance's favorite. It's to the song "Guy Exe." and started with fast switches between Robin and Alexander in the similar position and then goes into longer clips of Robin for half of the song then to clips of Alexander. It was really well done and the clips in the beginning go so fast that their faces almost blend together since they are in almost the same position. Lance made them watch it twice. 

"I love it. I love that song too." Lance said and crossed his legs. 

"Your characters go really well together in this sense." Hunk said and Keith gives him one of his We're-in-public-so-I-can't-tell-you-to-shut-up-so-I'm-going-to-sorta-glare looks. It's so subtle but anyone who knew Keith knew what it meant. 

"We look good." Keith added with a false-relaxed smile. 

The next- and last- one was of all three of them again. It started with a still picture of Grey with his mouth open like he were talking and the audio said: 'The Ex-boyfriends- collect them all!' and then the image switched. 

'Kyle: Beautiful eyes, great sense of humor, belonged to a weird cult and would always talk about the weird cult and eventually you realized he wasn't your boyfriend at all he was just trying to get you to join his weird cult.' The pictures switched from a picture of Theo being gorgeous and cute to one of him explaining something to Gemma while she looks worried. It changed again. 

'Brad: Aspiring musician, forgot your birthday, was secretly several dozen weasels in a human disguise.' This started off as a picture of Robin singing to himself and changed to a picture of him looking like shit after a particularly bad battle where he is covered in blood, hair, and dirt. 

'Chaz: Unemployed, slept on an air mattress, claimed he wasn't the rat king but then one night you followed him to the sewers and he sat down on a makeshift throne and a bunch of rats surrounded him and he definitely said 'I am the rat King' This started off with a picture of Alexander just laying down on a sleeping bag and switches to one of him yelling at a swarm of zombies. 

They all break out laughing as soon as it starts and the laughing gets louder and unbearable as the audio goes on. Even Keith started laughing louder than usual and Lance leaned his elbow on Keith's knee to support him as he bended over laughing. Hunk was laughing so much his eyes were watering. 

"Okay- okay," Lance started to say as they calm down. "That was brilliant. Whoever made that audio is hilarious, and whoever thought of our characters and matched them together: Thank you for sharing this absolute piece of artwork with the world." Lance finished and started chuckling again under his breath. 

"Do I look like someone who would join a cult?" Hunk asked, trying not to break back out into giggles. 

"Honestly? Kinda. Do I look like a 'Rat King'?" Keith asked while smiling. 

"Yes! And I will fully embrace that I am several dozen weasels in a human disguise." Lance added and Keith snorted again. 

"I think Matt will be pissed I took his moniker of 'Rat King'. He wore that like a badge of honor." Keith chuckled to himself and looked at his feet. Lance was pretty sure they hadn't talked in a while. 

They wrapped up the interview and started to get ready to leave. Lance was talking animatedly to Hunk about the current season and how they thought season four might go based on season three. Keith was being a little quiet and Lance only asked him when they got back to the car. 

"Keith- what's wrong? You were all quiet afterwards. Did we hurt your feelings? Did something offend you?" Lance asked worriedly, though he was pretty sure it wasn't that. 

"What? No. I hope I can find that last one again- it's hilarious. No I just brought up Matt and made myself upset again."

"Dude- what happened?" Lance asked as they drove.

"I told him and Pidge about fake dating James, and Pidge was mostly fine with it, if a little upset. But Matt was pretty mad. Like he couldn't believe that I not only would do that but wouldn't tell him. I did tell him! A month late, but still." Lance wasn't sure what to do, so he didn't say anything. "I tried to explain it to him but he just kept saying stupid stuff. We haven't talked since. That was like, two weeks ago, around when shooting started." Keith sounded so annoyed, and sad. 

"What stupid stuff was he saying?" Lance asked curiously. 

"What? Oh, nothing." Keith brushed off. Lance knew this meant that it was an insecurity of Keith's that Matt knew and Keith was unwillingly to come to terms with. Lance couldn't believe that he, for once, was on the same side as Matt. 

Lance didn't mean to get into a bit of a fight with James. It just happened. Lance has been on enough sets to know that sometimes coworkers didn't get along. He had never personally had any beef with costars but had friends who did. His ex girlfriend Nyma had a lot of issues with her ex Rolo who worked on High Stakes! with them. She and him would get into a lot of fights back stage and Lance often had to intervene. Last time he heard they were back together. 

The thing with James started about a month after shooting started. Lance didn't like him up until then, but he didn't do or say anything about it. Why rock the boat? James started it really, so how was Lance to blame?

Lance had put aside the last cinnamon bagel in the fridge so he could eat it later. He wrapped it up in paper towel so no one else would see what it was and get mad at him for stashing one of the favorite bagel flavors, which is also why he didn't put his name on it. Then he went to the stage for a couple hours to film a couple scenes. After the scenes were done he talked to Kaleel for a minute before heading back into the break room. When he got into the break room he saw James sitting on the couch looking at his phone next to Keith and he was eating a cinnamon bagel. Lance figured that James had done a similar thing to Lance, where he stashed his own. 

"Hey James, where'd you get that bagel? I thought the cinnamon ones were all out?" Pidge asked as they all sat down for a couple minutes. Lance had gone to the fridge to get his out and it was gone. 

"I thought so too! I was cleaning out the fridge cause there was a lot of old stuff in there and I found this wrapped in paper towel. It doesn't look too old but there was no name on it. I figured if someone wanted it they would have put their name on it. Anyway, it's mine now." James said, barely looking up from his phone. 

Logically, Lance knew it wasn't that big of a deal. There were bagels everyday, he could get one tomorrow. But he put that one aside particularly for himself and James took it. If anyone else did that he probably wouldn't have cared much. But it was James. 

"Oh, yeah I did that this morning." Lance said, sitting on Keith's other side. Keith hadn't even opened his eyes. He was slumped against the back cushion with his head craned back onto the cushion. 

"Oh, sorry Lance. I assumed it had been there a while. Do you want it? I've only had a bite or two." James offered kindly. James was a good actor though- and Lance had a strong suspicion that he was playing fake nice.

The bastard. 

"No, it's totally fine. I can get another one tomorrow. Not a big deal." Lance responded, putting on his best false kind voice. James smiled back and they all went back to their business. But Lance was close to seething. 

So the next day he offered to get everyone their coffees after a bad shoot. He knew everyone's preferences so he didn't have ask them all. He got everyone's but made sure to add some sugar and cream to James'. It wasn't something so bad that would offend James, but just mildly annoy him. 

"Here you all go." Lance said, handing over everyone's drinks. They all took a sip and thanked Lance as they all relaxed into their respective seats. James took a sip of his and almost spit it out, but swallowed bitterly. "Everything okay, James?" Lance asked innocently.

"Oh, yeah yeah. I don't really like anything in my coffee is all, no worries." James smiled back at him.

That bitch. 

"Oh right! I'm so sorry I forgot! Do you want me to get you another?" Lance asked and James shook his head resolutely. 

"No, no, it's not a big deal." James said and continued to drink his coffee. Lance covered his smirk with his own cup as he saw James try to hide his winces. 

Two days later Lance was coming back from a scene he was shooting alone. He was headed straight to the coffee station. He saw that James was there when he walked into the room. James looked at the door absent-mindedly and finished making his own coffee. He threw away the creamer when he was done and stood there stirring his coffee. Lance walked over and started to pour himself some coffee, and noticed they were completely out of any kind of creamer. James had thrown out the last one. 

"Thought you liked it plain?" Lance asked casually as he added sugar to his own. 

"You know, I actually changed my mind. The one you gave me the other day was so good I've started taking cream and sugar in mine. Not too much though." James added with a smile. Lance gave him an obviously fake smile and James walked away.

That was intentional- Lance knew it this time. 

So the next day Lance sprinkled just a tiny bit of itching powder on James' costume undershirt. He made sure to have Pidge and Hunk film it so it would seem like a normal, fun, backstage prank and not like he was actually targeting James. Pidge and Hunk thought it was hilarious, and Pidge said it was a great way to introduce James to the show. Lance just went with that. 

Throughout the day James was shifting weirdly all day. He hadn't started itching erratically yet though, so Lance placed more and more each day. Pidge made sure to catch it all on camera. Keith had heard about it on the third day. He wasn't mad, but he wasn't exactly on board either. He did seem relieved that it wasn't him being pranked though, so he agreed not to tell James. 

On the fourth day James had started to itch between takes and when they went back to the break room he started itching like crazy. Pulling up his shirt and shifting around in his seat. Lance and Pidge had to hold back laughter while Hunk looked like he almost felt bad. Keith was doing his best to ignore it all. 

"Hey, are your guys' undershirts like... itchy? I think something in the fabric is irritating my skin..." James said while itching his own chest. Pidge and Lance finally broke out laughing, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. James looked at them perplexed for a minute while Lance lost it. 

"What? What's funny?" James said, looking around the room. Keith leaned into James' side and finally addressed the situation. 

"They put itching powder on your undershirt." James looked at Pidge and Lance then back to Keith. 

"It's been itching for days though, not just today."

"Yeah we-" Pidge wheezed out "We started a couple days ago and kept adding." 

"Welcome to set!" Lance said through a chuckle. James narrowed his eyes and nodded before going to change shirts. 

James had said he wasn't mad about it. He said he understood the hazing of new cast members, and that he's seen the video diaries before and knew it was normal for cast members to be pranked. 

But at the end of the week Lance was getting dressed to go home and his clothes were gone. Like completely just gone. He put his costume back on to walk around and look for his clothes, assuming he just forgot where he put them, but he could not find them. 

"Lance, what are you doing still in costume?" Keith asked as he walked out. "The costumers need to wash them soon, we went late today and they need time to wash and dry them before tomorrow." Lance looked at Ferenzi, the costumer intern who handled Lance in particular. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry to rush you, but my boss will have my head if I don't have them in the next five minutes." Ferenzi said sheepishly, they were a young intern that Lance got along with pretty well. Ferenzi was a bit of a klutz, so they got into trouble pretty frequently, and they often said they were worried about being fired. Lance didn't want to be the reason they finally got fired. 

"I know, I'm sorry. I can't find my clothes though! Is there something else I can wear while I look?" Lance asked urgently. Ferenzi shook their head quickly. 

"All costumes are being washed right now. I'm sorry, I might have a towel?" Ferenzi ran around for a second and Lance quickly searched all crevices and cupboards for his clothes. Keith didn't move a muscle to help. Ferenzi came back with a towel and Lance sighed but went to change. He got out of his sweat covered undershirt, jacket, and cargo pants. He folded them up and wrapped the towel tightly around his waist. He was wearing his own underwear- obviously- but still thought it better to walk around with his underwear covered and his chest out than anything else. 

"Alright, here you go. Sorry for the delay." Lance said to Ferenzi, handing them his folded clothes. They thanked him quickly and sprinted off. Keith snorted when he saw Lance wandering around in just a short towel. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Will you help me look now?" Lance asked him with his hands on his hips. Lance was sure he had just misplaced them, maybe they were in his backpack? Or maybe under his makeup table?

"Looking good Lance!" A voice yelled from a little ways away. Lance quickly turned to whoever it was. He saw James twirling Lance's pants in the air while Hunk cracked up, holding his shirt- and of course, Pidge, holding the camera and absolutely losing it. Lance looked back at Keith who was covering his mouth as he laughed along with them all. 

"You- you were in on this?" Lance asked Keith in exasperation. 

"Yeah- sorry, it was too funny not to watch first hand. They were filming the whole thing from over there." Keith said through a chuckle and pointed to the corner leading to the hallway to the break room. Lance sighed but smiled stubbornly. 

"We're even now, McClain." James said as he handed Lance back his clothes. 

"This isn't over, Griffin." Lance said with a fake smile as he went to change. 

So it went on like that for... a while. Mostly just stupid stuff. When they would hang out in group settings out side of work especially- they were still professionals and didn't want to mess up anything at their job. They still pranked each other at work but would make sure nothing was too harmful or distracting to the crew, cast, or the show in general. 

Like James would draw crude things on Lance's script, and Lance would move James' stuff around to random spots just to confuse him. On set it was all very silly and civil. Outside set though.... 

When they had a huge cast sleepover at Allura's place- hers was the biggest place- Lance drew all over James' face while James slept. And James would record Lance when he was very drunk and stupid. They both insisted on playing truth or dare and would only dare each other to do ridiculous things. Lance's favorite was when he dared James to drink an entire bottle of fireball. James threw up soon after. He didn't dare James to chug it- James did that on his own. 

James had dared Lance to eat an entire thing of toothpaste- which is actually really bad for you- so Lance thought they were even on that front. Everyone else got pretty sick of their off screen pranks, since they were obviously not for an audience and just because they were competitive and didn't really like each other.

Kaleel and Keith were the most annoyed by it though. Keith didn't really care at first, but he started to see that it was more malicious than just fun he started to get a little suspicious. And Kaleel had to listen to Lance complain about James the most- he eventually started to zone his boyfriend out as soon as James' name came out. 

"No veo por que te disgusta tanto. (I don't see why you dislike him so much.)" Kaleel said one night, interrupting one of Lance's rants. 

"Es grosero, arrogante, egoista, molesto y solo un dolar en el trasero. (He's rude, arrogant, selfish, annoying, and just a pain in the ass.)" Lance said exasperatedly. Kaleel was sitting up in Lance's bed with his shirt off and looking at Lance in disappointment. 

"Lance, creo que estás haciendo esto más grande de lo que debe ser. ¿Por qué realmente te desagrada? (Lance, I think you're making this bigger than it needs to be. Why do you really dislike him?)" Kaleel asked, turning to look at Lance who was also sitting up in bed. 

"Porque apesta. (Because he sucks)" Lance muttered, which got him a sigh from Kaleel. "Lo hace! Viste lo que hizo hoy? Cuando el y Keith estaban con algunos de esos extras, hizo un gran espectaculo hablando con Keith como si estuvieran juntos y tomados de la mano y esas cosas- (He does! Did you see what he did today? When he and Keith were with some of those extras he made a big show of talking to Keith like they were together and holding hands and stuff-)"

"Bueno ellos son citas falsas... (Well they are fake dating...)" Kaleel added tiredly. 

"They don't have to be so annoying about it though!" Lance said in English. Kaleel was giving Lance a look he vaguely recognized but couldn't identify. "What?" He asked and Kaleel laughed and grabbed Lance's hand. 

"Estoy esperando hasta que termines de quejarte para que podamos tener sexo. (I'm waiting until you're done complaining so we can have sex)" Kaleel said with a soft smile, and Lance stuttered, Kaleel was rarely so forwards. Maybe Lance was rubbing off on him. 

"Oh, lo siento, no sabia que estabas esperando ni nada, si, ahora me callo. (Oh, sorry I didn't know you waiting or anything, yeah I'll shut up now)" Lance said with a smile, forgetting his earlier complaints and kissed his boyfriend. 

A couple weeks after the whole stupid prank war thing with James started they were having a really long day. It was a fight choreo day, and it was intense. They were mostly all doing their own stunts so they were actually getting beaten up. Today they filming a fight between Robin, Alexander, and Silver- James' character. Silver had just tricked the two of them and inadvertently had triggered a bunch of spirits to attack them. The spirits didn't care who was who though, and started to attack Silver as well. 

The three were both fighting off spirits- combat extras in green suits- and each other. They were all trying to get to a scroll that they all came to the temple to get, so when they could get away from the spirits for a second they would try to scramble towards the scroll's hiding place. But before anyone could get closer Alexander or Robin would stop Silver and the other way around. It was a difficult scene to film, especially several times in a row. They were all tired and not wanting to talk to each other. 

Keith was going back to Adam's after the filming was over, the two of them and Shiro were going on a trip the next day and had to leave in the early morning. Lance was pretty sure they were going to Shiro's parent's place for the mother's birthday or something like that. Which meant that Lance had their place to himself that night since Kaleel had the weekend off and was visiting his cousin, also leaving early the next morning. 

"Silver, you ass!" Alexander yelled at Silver as they fought off spirits. Silver was ducking the strikes of the spirits and Robin saw an opening to get the scroll. 

"What? Reminds you too much of old times?" Silver sneered at Alexander as he hit Alexander in the jaw, avoiding the screams of the spirits. Alexander scoffed in disgust and the two start fighting each other, making it so Robin had to keep the spirits off of Alexander instead of getting the scroll. 

"Can you two knock it off?" Robin grunted as he fought off three spirits at once, the others swimming around in the air. They protected the temple and Silver had set the booby traps off that held these annoying ass apparitions. Alexander and Silver stopped fighting and continued to take on the spirits together. Robin knew Alexander could handle more than Robin could, so he rolled himself out of Silver's eyeline and made his way to the scroll, fighting off spirits along the way. 

"I don't think so," Silver snapped, pulling on the back of Robin's collar and choking him. Lance hated this blocking, he felt like a rag doll already, didn't need someone holding him like a kitten by the scruff. 

"Get the hell off me," Robin growled and hit Silver off him. The two fought intensely, this was the most complicated fighting Lance had to do. He got some satisfaction from hitting James over and over though. He knew he would need the weekend to recover though. They were wearing pads underneath their clothes but still. 

"Robin, look out!" Alexander yelled as Silver grabbed a large rock that used to be a part of the temple and raised it behind Robin. Robin's eyes went big and he had to roll away right as Silver smashed the rock into the ground. This did get him within reach of the scroll, so he grabbed it quickly and jumped to his feet. Silver's eyes went big in realization and tackled Robin. Robin raised the scroll under Silver's arm and read the first incantation that would call off the spirits. 

The spirits flew away and Robin gripped the scroll in his hand as tightly as possible. Lance could feel his own finger nails dig into his palm. Silver continued to beat Robin as Alexander ran over to them. Alexander picked Silver off of Robin and pushed him away to help Robin up. 

"You okay?" Alexander asked with concern all over his face at the state of his friend. Robin chuckled joylessly, full of exhaustion. 

"Fine, Alex, fine." He grunted out, covering his ribs where he was hit earlier with the blunt of a spirit's sword. Alexander and him started to walk out but Silver out of nowhere grabbed Robin by the collar again and pulled him back, and punched him straight in the face. Lance fell down and the scene went black. 

"Lance? Lance?" Keith's voice brought him back. He opened his eyes and saw Keith and James kneeling over him, both surprised and concerned. Lance's whole body hurt, but especially his face. 

"What happened?" Lance asked as he tried to sit up. He saw both Adam and Kaleel run over to him. 

"I am so sorry, Lance. I am so sorry, I didn't think I hit you that hard, I am so sorry." James kept saying over and over. 

"Lance? Mi vida, estas bien? (Lance? My life, are you okay?)" Kaleel said as he slid to the floor next to him. He held Lance's face in his hands and checked his eyes for signs of a concussion. 

"What happened?" Adam asked Keith and James angrily. 

"Adam, I am so sorry, I hit him too hard and he passed out." James admitted quickly.

"Only for a second." Keith added, though he had not yet let go of Lance's arm. 

"Lance, are you okay?" Adam asked Lance earnestly. 

"Yeah, guys I'm fine. I was only out for a second." Lance fully sat up and touched his face. "I'm not even bleeding, come on guys, I'm fine." Kaleel and Keith didn't look so sure but nodded anyway. 

"Okay, we have a shot of this part already so we aren't gonna reshoot it. We were gonna wrap after that last shoot anyway, everyone go home!" Adam yelled the last part to everyone. Kaleel stayed at his side as he got up. 

"Kaleel, I'm fine. Go do your job." Kaleel looked uncertain. 

"You passed out, Lance." Kaleel said like Lance didn't know. 

"Go," Lance said and Kaleel walked off. He, Keith, and James were the only actors still there so they went to take their makeup off. 

"I am really so sorry, Lance. I did not mean to hit you that hard." James said, and Lance wasn't sure if he believed him. Everyone else did, but something about James screamed dishonest. 

"It's fine, James. I was probably just surprised." Lance said as they got ready. Keith was the first to get his stuff to go. 

"I'll see you tomorrow evening, okay?" Keith said to Lance before he left with Adam. "You too, James." Keith said almost coldly to James and walked out. 

He and James sat together in silence as they removed their makeup. They stood up at the same time to leave, not on purpose, but they walked out together all the same. Most of the crew was gone by now, Lance had purposefully took a while because he was tired. Plus they didn't have to take down much today, they just had use the turn table stage to switch it to the next stage needed. Lance could only see three cars in the parking lot. His, James', and someone else he didn't know.  

"Hey, Lance, can we just leave all this animosity behind us?" James pleaded as they walked in the quiet night. 

"What?" Lance asked tiredly.

"The stupid prank war thing, I think it's gone a little far."

"Yeah, you punching me is a bit far." Lance snapped back and James looked taken back.

"I didn't do that on purpose!" James said earnestly. 

"Right, okay. Sure." Lance said sarcastically, walking towards his car- James followed him.

"I'm serious!" James said passionately and Lance spun around to look at him. 

"Really? You dislike me this whole time but you just 'accidentally' punch me too hard in a stunt scene?!" Lance seethed. 

"I don't dislike you!"

"Oh, well I dislike you." Lance said matter-of-factly, and James glared at him. 

"Why?!" 

"Come on, James. You don't have to pretend, Keith isn't here. I know you don't like me either. None of this stupid 'holier than thou' bullshit." Lance spouted and James looked at him incredulously, and Lance swore he could punch him right now. 

"I didn't dislike you, but I'm starting to." James said, getting closer to Lance's face. Lance laughed in his face bitterly. He was far too tired to deal with James right now. He hated him and he knew James hated him too. James held up his charade of being better than Lance, like always. 

"You know what, I finally realized why you've been an ass to me since I've met you." James said defiantly, and Lance raised his eyebrows with a smirk. 

"Yeah?" Lance asked smugly.

"You can't stand seeing me with Keith." James stated and crossed his arms with a smirk. Lance's smile fell. 

"What are you on about?"

"You hate that Keith is giving me all this attention, and that I get to make out with him whenever." James walked closer, getting more confident as Lance curled his lips in disgust. 

"That's bullshit. I'm very happy with Kaleel." Lance defended himself. 

"Yeah, how long did it take you to say 'I love you'? Six months. How long have you known Keith again?" James added with a smirk and Lance balled his hands into fists, he was almost shaking. Lance knew he shouldn't dignify any of this with a response but he couldn't stop the overwhelming wave of hatred that he felt. He wanted James to stop talking. To never talk to Lance again. 

"Admit it, McClain. You hate seeing me wander into his bedroom at any hour of the night-" James was cut off by Lance decking him in the nose. Lance was breathing heavily as he shook with anger, he had lost any control he might have had.

"Shut your mouth, Singao (Cuban slang for fucker)" Lance snapped as James gaped at Lance, but he slowly started to smile. 

"I was so hoping you would do that." James said, and punched him right back. Lance and him grapple for a few minutes, each throwing insults at each other.

"Pendaho(dickhead)" Lance grunted as James put him in a head lock. Lance stomped on James' foot and James let go. Lance punched James in the jaw and James stumbled back. 

"I was just thinking about how Keith is gonna be so upset to see me all beat up. He'll have to kiss all my wounds to make me feel better." James teased with a sneer, and Lance scoffed in disgust. His attempt to make Lance jealous was pathetic, but it did distract him long enough for James to punch Lance in the nose. 

"You two aren't even dating- you're just spouting bullshit in an attempt to make me jealous." Lance stuttered as he hold his bleeding nose. 

"Right, we're 'just friends'." James teased with a self satisfied smirk. This made Lance pause. They had been spending a lot of time together... and Keith was being more secretive than usual. Lance surged forward and grabbed a fistful of James' shirt and spun him around and pinned him against Lance's car. 

"What the fuck are you saying?" Lance asked through gritted teeth. 

"I think you understand me perfectly well. Your boyfriend is mine now."

"Kaleel is my boyfriend-" Lance insisted. 

"Yeah, and I'm sure he was happy to hear that Keith finally has a boyfriend, so you can stop ogling him." James teased and Lance slammed him against his car again. James winced but his smirk came back. 

"Get the fuck out of here before I knee you, cabron. (Smart snob (in Cuba))" Lance let go of James, who looked him up and down as if to see if he's serious. 

"I'll see you around, McClain. Probably at your place." James said as he walked to his own car. 

Lance knew he was lying. The only evidence of him and Keith being anything more than fake boyfriends is that they spend a lot of time together, but Keith spent a lot of time with Lance and Matt and nothing has ever happened there. He was still seething though. How could James really believe that Lance was jealous of him and Keith? There was nothing to be jealous of. He loved Kaleel, and Keith and him would never be anything but friends. Everything James said after Lance hit him was just a lie to make Lance angrier. 

God, why had he hit him? That just encouraged James to go on. Which encouraged James to think that Lance was actually interested in Keith. He didn't even play music on his drive home. Drove straight home and warmed up left overs and ate in silence. He just stared at his knuckles crusted in dry blood. He had a split knuckle and James' blood covering his right hand. He actually felt a little better after finally hitting him. Like he had let out a breath of air. But it really just created a whole new set of problems. 

When he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth he was met with his mightily fucked up face. He had two black eyes, and his nose was covered in blood. His lip was split on the side and his entire left jaw was bruised. He washed off the blood and grabbed an ice pack for his bruises and went to sleep. 

Chapter Text

Shiro drove Keith back to his place after they visited their mom. It was her birthday so they went over for a little party. Keith always liked going over there, it made Keith feel more normal. Especially after the long day he had yesterday with the stunt scenes, he needed some family love. Plus his parents always spoiled the three of them. Adam made Shiro's mom a cake so she wouldn't have to cook. Their Dad was a bit of a talkative character so Keith had a full day of listening to Botan's creative ideas. 

Keith had thought things were going pretty well so far. He and James were friends again, filming was going well, he got along with all the cast really well, he and Lance weren't as close as they have been but he thought that was probably nothing. The whole prank war was stupid, but Keith knew James. He was just responding to Lance's stupid itching powder prank. And neither of them wanted to be the one to quit first- it actually reminded him of himself and Lance in season one filming. 

Keith was worried though. James really didn't mean to deck Lance, but it looked bad from anyone else's perspective. Lance said he was fine, so he was hoping everything would work itself out. 

"Filming is about halfway done already." Shiro said as they turned into Keith's neighborhood.

"Wow, is it really?" 

"Little less than halfway, but pretty close, yeah." 

"Wow." Keith had gotten distracted by the stupid prank war that he didn't really notice how long this was taking. Which was good, it meant he was having fun or whatever. "It'll be a good season."

"Yeah, it should be." Keith turned to Shiro and smiled. 

"You excited for your sex scene with Allura?" He asked with a wicked smile. Shiro sighed and shook his head.

"It's not a sex scene, the blocking shows the door close before we even hit the bed." Shiro corrected and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"You're both in your underwear though..." Keith teased anyway. 

"Not a sex scene. I'm not worried about it- Allura and I are great friends."

"True, if I had to film a scene like that with anyone I'd chose Allura. She's so professional but still very friendly."

"Exactly" Shiro said as he pulled into Keith's driveway. "I'll see you on set on Monday." Keith started to leave but Shiro added "Why didn't you want me to drop you off at James'? Aren't you guys trying to be seen in public as often as possible?"

"Yeah, we have a 'date' tonight though. I just want to get changed before I go." Keith said and bid his brother farewell as he left.  

He walked into his house and pet his dog upon entering. He didn't see Kaleel's shoes at the door so he assumed it was just Lance there. He looked around the living room, where Lance usually lounged on his days off. When he doesn't find him he set his stuff down in his room and went into Lance's room. 

Lance was sitting up in bed, eating celery and watching something on his computer. None of this surprised Keith. What surprised Keith was the black eye, cracked lip, and bruised jaw. Lance had a cold pack next to him in bed but it looks like it warmed up. Lance noticed Keith watching him and widened his eyes, quickly picking up his ice pack and covering his face with it. He probably saw Keith's horrified expression. Keith vaguely saw that Lance had a split knuckle and that the skin surrounding was pinker than usual. 

Keith rushed forward and sat on the edge of Lance's bed. He was filled with dread as he looked at his friend. He knew those marks, they were marks of being beaten up. And Keith couldn't swallow, his mind flashed to his own past and he was almost crying with anxiety as he tried to catch his breath. 

"What happened?" He choked out, he refused to cry. Lance put down the used ice pack and sighed. He closed his laptop and moved it to his side table along with his celery. 

"Nothing to worry about, Keith. I fell down the stairs at set after you left." Lance said tiredly, and Keith knew he was lying. Keith had lied too. 

"Lance, I know you're lying. You can trust me though, I know what it's like." Keith assured him and he grabbed Lance's hands in his own. He was not going to let his best friend go through this alone. Lance looked to the side uncomfortably. 

"It's not that, Keith. I promise, this wasn't a hate crime and I wasn't mugged. Seriously, it's fine." Keith almost believed him. 

"Lance, why won't you just tell me what happened?" Lance wouldn't look Keith in the eyes. Keith realized; Lance was ashamed. What of, Keith didn't know yet.

"Just, leave me alone for a while, okay?" Lance asked. "I'm not trying to be mean, or push you away, I just want some peace. Just for a few hours." Keith mulled it over. He understood needing time to figure things out but Keith felt so strongly that he should stay nearby.

"Okay, I have to go out anyway. But I'll be back. Have you talked to Kaleel?" Keith regretted asking- he wasn't sure how it would feel to know that Lance told Kaleel and not him what happened. 

"He's at his cousin's, I'll tell him when he gets back. It's seriously not even a big deal." Lance said sincerely. Keith knew when Lance is acting so he knew that Lance didn't think it was serious, and that whatever it is isn't as bad as what Keith assumed. 

"Okay. I'll give you some space, but I'm coming back. You can tell me anything." Lance just stared at him for a second. "Okay, okay, I'll go." Keith stood up and kissed Lance on his forehead, "I love you. I'll see you later." Keith left the room, but he saw Lance looking uncertain. 

He changed into something the public can see him in and headed out to James' place. He was going to pick him up and go out to dinner somewhere nice. Their agents hadn't tipped off any paparazzi but this was a place where people would see them together all the same. 

When he pulled up to James' place he stopped in the driveway and texted James to tell him he was there. James just texted him that he wasn't going. Keith looked at his phone in confusion. What? He got out of his car and walked up to the door. He knew James hid his spare key in a fake flower pot, pull on the flowers and the fake dirt lifts with them and there's a key underneath. He entered his old shared house, now just James', and walked around looking for James. 

"James? What's going on? Did your agent tell you something she forgot to tell me?" Keith shouted as he headed for James' room. He opened it up in time to see James trying to close the door. Keith opened it anyway and James turned away from him. He was just wearing Keith's black tshirt and boxers. He hadn't even dressed yet. "Hey, what's going on?" He was getting weird de ja vu. 

James slowly turned around and Keith was piecing everything together. James had a black eye, bruised jaw, and had a cut on his nostril. The skin around his mouth was bright red. 

"Did you and Lance get mugged?" Keith asked as he, for a second time that day, rushed towards an injured friend. He cupped James' face softly and moved his head gently to check for any other injury. 

"Is that what Lance said?" James asked disgruntled, while he brought his hand up to remove Keith's hands.

Keith noticed the same sort of bruising and split on James' hand that he saw on Lance's. He grabbed James' wrist and stared at the split knuckle. He assumed that Lance had tried to fight off whoever attacked him, and that's why his hand was injured. But he knew exactly what matching injuries meant on hands and faces. 

"What the hell happened?" Keith asked, his voice dropping an octave. James pulled his hand back and looked around his room. 

"Look Keith-" James sighed. 

"No, I know what split knuckles mean James! Now tell me what the hell you did!" Keith yelled. He walked closer to James who was clenching his jaw. 

"It's a long story."

"Yeah? Well my date just canceled, so I have time." Keith said and pulled James into the dining room before he pushed James into a chair at the table. James looked disgruntled, and Keith had a hard time feeling bad for him. He was almost certain whatever happened, James started it. He had a bit of a violent streak. He and Keith actually got in a fight the first year they knew each other, and James later admitted to Keith that when he was in high school he got into a lot of trouble. He didn't get into fights anymore, but still had a bit of a temper. 

"Okay, okay. We entered the parking lot at the same time and I initiated a conversation. I asked if we could just leave behind all the stupid pranking and just be friends. I said the whole prank war had gone a bit far and he said 'yeah punching me in the face is a bit far'. Like he actually thought I did that on purpose!" James looked incredulous, like Lance had no reason to be suspicious. Keith knew better- James had hit coworkers before. 

"Did you?" Keith asked, still standing with his arms crossed in front of James. 

"No! Of course not! But he thought I did and I told him I didn't and he just started talking about how he didn't like me so that must mean I don't like him. I didn't even know he disliked me until this interaction. I thought it was just a friendly prank war. So I asked him why and he avoided the question and insisted that I hated him. I told him I didn't but was starting to get offended. Then... I accused him of something, a reason that he might not like me. And he punched me." 

"What did you say?"

"Nothing that bad! But... it- it wasn't nice." James looked away and Keith noticed a slight blush on his cheekbones. James didn't blush often so whatever he had said must've been crude in some manner. "Anyway, I punched back and we fought for a while. We both said some pretty offensive things, I think it was just anger and adrenaline that made us irrational. After I said something particularly nasty he slammed me against his car and told me to leave or he'd knee me. So I left." Keith was close to slapping him himself. 

"What the hell, James? Why'd you punch back?" Keith burst out and James gaped at him. 

"You're blaming me? You're not mad at him?!"

"I'm furious with both of you! But you're here- so I'm asking you." James huffed but continued. 

"You know me, someone punches and insults me there is no way I won't fight back. It was against my better judgement, but it happened. It shouldn't have."

"No, it shouldn't have. Were you egging him on?"

"Yes, I was. Only after he threw the first punch though- I just got back into the swing of things and like I said, the adrenaline and anger got to me."

"Why does he look more beat up than you?" Keith was being remarkably calm for how angry he was. James let out a quiet, bitter, laugh. 

"The only fight Lance has ever been in has choreography. I'm better at it, is all." Keith nodded, Lance wasn't a fighter. Whatever James accused him of must've been pretty offensive. He knew James wasn't going to tell him though. 

"I'm pissed at you." Keith stated and James nodded. 

"I know, and I deserve it. I can't believe I let my temper get out of hand like that. As soon as he punched me though I-" James sighed and guilt riddled his face. "I already called my anger management counselor, we're meeting tomorrow." James added quietly- he hadn't needed to see her for years and he seemed deeply ashamed to need her again. 

"Good, she's really good. I hope it goes well." James smiled minutely at him and Keith softened. "Look- I'm still pissed. And I will be until you and Lance make up. I'm gonna go talk to him now, I'll see you on Monday." Keith was leaving when James ran after him and grabbed his hand. 

"I'm sorry." James pleaded and Keith just looked at the hand that was holding him. The ring finger knuckle was swollen and pink. Keith's lip curled in horror at the thought of what had done that. 

"Thanks." 

"You punched James?!" Keith yelled at Lance when he entered Lance's room. Lance looked like he knew this was coming and sat up straighter. Keith had thought it over in the car and he was still pissed- Lance better have a good excuse.

"Look Keith-" Lance started and Keith just knew he was going to make up some excuse. 

"Stop! Just tell me what happened!" Keith crossed his arms and stood in the doorframe. Lance stood up and walked into the kitchen and Keith followed. 

"James said he wanted to leave everything behind and I got mad cause he had just knocked me out. So I said he didn't have to pretend to like me, I knew he didn't like me and he denied it. And I-" Lance looked at Keith guiltily. "I told him I didn't like him and that I knew he didn't like me either. He made a guess at why I didn't like him, something just blatantly crude so I punched him. I shouldn't have- I was just really angry. And things got out of hand and we kept fighting. We said some mean things to each other and just beat on each other. Eventually he said something that just pissed me off so much I pinned him to my car and told him to leave and he did." 

Their stories were pretty similar. Both skirted the topic that had started the fight though. 

"What did he say that made you want to punch him?" Lance looked around the room and then tightened his jaw. 

"Doesn't matter. It was a stupid fucking fight. We were both stupid, and I'm sure James will agree that we were just spouting nonsense because we were so out of it. I was like, seeing red, man. He could've said anything and I would have just kept hitting the bastard." Lance still sounded so disgusted by James. Keith was dying to know what James could've said to induce this much anger in Lance. 

"Why don't you like him? I mean, before the fight." Keith asked and shifted on his feet. 

"I don't like that... I don't like that he basically forced you to date him. Plus he's just kind of an arrogant prat."

"Prat? What are you, British?" Keith teased, forgetting for a moment to be angry. 

"Leave me alone, I was just watching the British Office." Lance scoffed off and Keith held back a smile. 

"You're an idiot and I'm mad at you." Keith stated and Lance nodded. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it was so stupid." 

"I'm gonna be mad at both of you until you make up with James. Okay?" Lance opened his mouth to protest but Keith continued. "I don't want to hear it! Figure it out, okay? Don't put me between you two either- it is not my responsibility. I'm going to bed early. Come on Kosmo." Keith said and walked into his room with his dog. 

It was a week before James and Lance made up. They both covered up their injuries when they were on set, and avoided each other as much as they could. Until that Friday night, Keith was speaking with Kaleel and saw the two talking. 

"Wait, Kaleel, look." Keith said and nodded toward James and Lance. Lance was waiting for Keith by leaning on the wall and James had strolled next to him and leaned against it as well. Neither looked at the other. 

"Oh! Okay, I'm gonna pretend to show you this light over here so we can listen in." Kaleel said as he led Keith to a light fixture by the wall. Kaleel whispered gibberish as they listened to the other two. 

"Hey man," James coughed and Lance's jaw tightened. Kaleel and Keith could barely hear them and neither could look at them without drawing attention. Kaleel continued to speak soft nonsense. Keith liked Kaleel more and more as he got to know him, even if there was always something between them. 

"Hey." Lance responded, they were both speaking with a million walls up. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that stuff." He heard Lance sigh after James said this. 

"I'm sorry too, in no world should I have hit you for saying that. Though it was crude. And incorrect." Lance sneered and James nodded. 

"I know, I know. Nothing I said was true, I was just in a bad mood and wanted to piss you off after you said you didn't like me. I shouldn't have hit you either, I have... anger issues." James bit out and Lance looked over at him. 

"Look, it's true that I didn't like you, but... I can change that. Let's just start over." Lance chuckled softly. "Which is what you were trying to propose that night and I provoked you instead of just agreeing." Lance sighed out and Kaleel smiled. Keith started talking in a soft tone, also nonsense. 

"I'd like that. We work together, you seem really cool, and Keith is clearly important to both of us." James shrugged and Lance nodded. 

"Yeah. Okay, clean slate?" Lance proposed and James nodded along. 

"Yes, absolutely."

"Okay, and one more time; I am just so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I'm sorry too. We were being idiots, especially me. I shouldn't have accused you of... well any of that. You and Kaleel seem really cute together." Kaleel and Keith stopped talking after that and they looked at each other with a shared confusion. James accused Lance of something relating to Kaleel?

"Thanks, and it's all forgotten. Let's just move on." 

"Yeah." They stopped talking so Kaleel made a move towards the others. 

"Okay, Keith, anymore questions?" Kaleel asked in front of James and Lance. 

"No, but thanks for spending a little more time to answer them. Sorry for bothering you." Keith scratched the back of his neck and grabbed his bag from Lance. 

"No! No need to say sorry, I love when people ask me light questions. Gives me a chance to show off my degree!" Kaleel and Keith laughed and looked at their friends expectantly. 

"You ready to go, Lance?" Keith asked his friend, who nodded serenely. 

"Kaleel, I know you have a thing early tomorrow, so I'll see you Sunday?" Lance asked his boyfriend. 

"Yeah, bye, te amo." Kaleel said and kissed his boyfriend before heading out. 

"Te amo!" Lance shouted after his boyfriend. Keith felt a strange twinge in his chest, he didn't like that- he must be hungry. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Keith asked James. 

"Yes, we have that make- up date. I'll see you then." James said and they walk to the parking lot. Before they part ways Lance and James shook hands- much to Keith's surprise. 

"Everything okay?" Keith asked when they get to their car.

"Yeah, we made up. We're actually just gonna start new, y'know, be nice to each other this time around." Lance said and looked at his hands. His face had healed pretty well. He and James made sure not to take their makeup off on set, since that would remove their bruise makeup as well. 

"Good. Now never do that again, I swear you two will give me a heart attack." Keith said as they drove home. 

"Heh, sorry about that. Sorry about everything, actually." Lance told him sincerely and Keith finally smiled at him for the first time in a week. 

"Thank you, and I forgive you." Keith wasn't sure if that was exactly true. He wasn't sure he could ever fully forgive either of them without knowing what the argument had been about. But that didn't seem like something he'd be learning anytime soon and he didn't want to be angry with them anymore. Especially if they had decided to move on themselves. 

"Is that really a good idea?" Keith asked Lance from his spot on the couch. 

"I don't see why not!" Lance said enthusiastically. Pidge looked up from her phone and narrowed her eyes at them. 

"What are you talking about?" She said suspiciously. 

"I'm gonna get a Tiktok account! Just for fun stuff like dancing and answering fan questions in a different way than twitter. It's easier to make jokes through a video than text." Lance explained as he downloaded the app.

"Oh fun!" Allura said, sitting up. "I have a Tiktok! I do a lot of beauty stuff on there, and answer some questions about the industry and whatnot. Platt has my most viewed videos though, of course. Maybe I should do some dance stuff, that sounds fun!" Allura said with an elegant smile gracing her face. 

"Who's Platt?" Pidge asked and Allura lit up. She loved talking about Platt. 

"My cat! Here, let me show you a picture!" Allura moved to show Pidge pictures on her phone much to Pidge's delight. Lance had forgotten that Pidge still hadn't met Platt because she didn't go to the large sleepover at Allura's place and they hadn't gone back since. 

"Aww he's so cute! I'm a dog person myself, but he's adorable." Pidge admitted. 

"I still haven't met your dog!" Allura exclaimed- Pidge talked about her dog all the time. 

"His name is Bae Bae, I'll bring him to a hang out at some point. He gets a little nervous around Kosmo cause Kosmo is so much bigger." Pidge admitted and Keith just looked at her like 'what am I supposed to do about that?'

"Let me see!" Allura squealed and Pidge showed Allura pictures as Hunk and Shiro enter with James. James walked over and sat next to Keith, but nodded at Lance kindly and Lance did the same. This was about a week after they made up. James hadn't been to set as often recently just because he wasn't called as often, so they haven't had much of a chance to become friends. 

"Ooh are we showing pets!?" Hunk asked and grabbed his phone out. "My parents have a dog, but she's my baby. Her name is Chulett. Isn't she cute?" Hunk asked and the girls squealed. Lance and Keith show everyone pictures of Kosmo all the time, so they didn't add much. 

"I have a ferret." James added nonchalant. Everyone turned to him in surprise and expectation. Keith smirked, James still hadn't really gotten used to how Keith's friends work. "What?" James asked when they didn't look away. 

"Pictures!" Everyone insisted, including Lance, who leaned across Keith to look at James. 

"Her name is... Wiggle." James hesitated to tell the name, and everyone giggled at it. They all coo when they see a picture, and then even more when they see a video. Wiggle really is an accurate name. 

James smiled at Keith and Keith thought for the millionth time how glad he was that they were friends again. He had been feeling so content recently, since his friends made up. He missed him. He didn't really realize that until recently, but he missed James a lot. He had tons of great friends, but James was always different. 

Uh oh. 

That's how he thought when he started having feelings for James the first time. Nope, no, absolutely not. Not again! He and James were friends and fake dating. Emphasis on the fake part. He did say a while ago that he was ready for a relationship though. He wasn't sure if that was something he actually wanted with James though. He looked away from James and turned his mind back to Lance's Tiktok. 

James and him were hanging out that weekend. Lance had gone out with Kaleel to the zoo or something so Keith and James were in the living room. They usually went to Keith's room cause Keith wanted Lance to be able to use the tv when he and Kaleel were together. Kaleel liked to watch tv after a long day- and he had those pretty often. 

Keith had been getting along with Kaleel fairly well recently. Same with James and Kaleel. There was some tension since Lance and James' fight but Kaleel and James seemed to get along really well before that. Keith hadn't asked James about it, he wasn't sure why he would, but he was glad for it either way. They seemed to understand each other in a way that Keith never felt for Kaleel. He liked the guy and he was always glad for anyone that made Lance happy but he just didn't- he didn't know how to connect with him like James seemed to. 

"This movie is so stupid. Wouldn't the killer hear them talking?" James said, pointing to the screen. They were watching a horror movie and the main characters were hiding under the bed and talking while the killer was in the room. Idiots. Keith was glad James liked horror movies. Lance and Kaleel always got scared while watching horror movies. 

"Did you see that your name was released as a part of the cast?" Keith asked James after scrolling through social media for a while. 

"Uh, I knew it was happening today. I haven't seen anything about it though. I turned my phone off this morning in anticipation." James confessed sheepishly. Keith held his hand back, as it had the strong urge to hold James'. 

"It's going great. Your agent was right. People love that you're dating a famous costar."

"Yeah, especially Keith Kogane." James teased with a smile. He was a lot like Lance, actually. They were both stubborn, loud, confident, funny, flirty, and liked to tease. All of these were times two when around Keith, too. 

"I'm glad it's working out." Keith said with a smile. "It actually- I'm glad it happened. I missed you a lot and I'm just... really happy we're friends again." Keith said honestly. He was sure he was blushing, he hated that. He hated being vulnerable but James deserved that much from him. 

"Me too. It wasn't my intention, but I'm glad we're close again. I was so mad at you for long, and I feel like I can just forget that now. Now that we're friends again." James said, and he had the same expression he did when he told Keith that he liked him two years ago. Keith was sure that wasn't a good sign, but it made Keith feel good. He was sure he had the same expression. That didn't bode well for either of them. 

He took a risk and scooted closer to James and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. James knew physical touch was Keith's love language, so he smiled and scooted in and leaned against Keith. Keith was so content he thought he could float away. He missed touching like this so much. He and Lance did this sort of thing sometimes, but significantly less so since he and Kaleel started dating. 

"I have another group interview tomorrow, it's with Lotor." Keith told James. 

"Oh, I like him." James added. 

"Me too. I'm pretty sure he's gonna ask about you and I. Is there anything you want me to add or not add?" Keith asked. 

"Nothing in addition to pretending to be my boyfriend." James chuckled and Keith nodded. He felt a warmth in his chest. He felt safe again. Safe and content.

"Okay, Keith, real quick before we go on." Lance pulled him aside after the stage manager gives them a two minute warning. 

"What? Is there something in my teeth?" Keith asked and bared his teeth in concern. 

"No, I need advice." 

"Right now?" Keith asked and looked around. The six of them were at Lotor's talk show again and about to go on. 

"Yeah, it's important!" Lance insisted urgently, shifting in his suit. He and Keith switched their suits, Lance was wearing Keith's red suede one from the premiere and Keith was wearing the blue suede one from the same event. 

"Okay, what?" Keith huffed and shifted nervously. 

"I'm gonna out Kaleel and I as a couple. Bad idea?" Lance asks and bit his lip. Keith felt his chest drop, like an empty, sucking feeling. "I won't mention it in the interview unless the topic is brought up, but I have a feeling it will be. If not then I'm gonna make an Instagram post." 

"Seems fine to me. You've been dating a while." Keith shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly.

"Okay, I just needed the encouragement." Lance said with a huff of excitement. 

"It'll be fine. People will be excited for you." Keith assured with a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder. 

"Let's have them come on out, shall we?" Lotor said loudly and the group walked on stage all smiles and hand waves. The cheering and bright lights were actually a comfort to Keith. He trusted Lotor as an interviewer. "Wow, hard to believe it's been a whole season- and what a great season it was, am I right?" Lotor asked the audience which produced more cheers. "It is great to have you back and to talk to you about this amazing season of television." 

"It is so nice to be back, thank you for having us." Pidge told Lotor and the audience. 

"So guys, what has been your favorite part about working on this show for over two years?" Lotor asked, crossing his legs from behind his desk and turning his spinning chair towards them. 

"I have to say the writing. I find it refreshing to have a fully fleshed out character with her own story and personality; in addition to having a serious but loving romantic relationship where the relationship doesn't define either of the characters." Allura spoke first, since she was closest to Lotor's desk. He smiled at her but managed not to convey too much admiration toward her on screen. 

"I think the environment of the filming. The directors are really nice and so are the writers and producers. The cast all gets along as well as the crew which makes everything run really smoothly and efficiently. Also we're all really good friends now, so I love that I get to work with my friends so often." Hunk spoke next, going down the line. Keith had to stop himself from smiling when Hunk mentioned the cast getting along. James and Lance got into a fight two weeks ago- not exactly the healthiest environment. 

"I like the story, so the writing I guess. I love sci-fi and fantasy and this show mixes the two so expertly. I also love Gemma," Pidge gushed. 

"I like the fight choreography, it's really well done. My friend Axca does most of it, and it really improves the experience of watching it. This upcoming season we have combat specialists in many scenes, and it really makes the show feel more real. That and the special effects are my favorite, I think it's all very impressive," Keith said. 

"I'm gonna keep it simple and say my character, and the writing. I love seeing Robin grow and change and how the writing moves him and the story along." Lance said next. 

"I also really appreciate the special effects, but also all the relationships I've been able to make with my coworkers. Like Hunk said, it's a really friendly environment." Shiro finished it off. 

"Speaking of relationships..." Lotor started off and the crowd cheered. All six of them smiled bashfully. "Many of you are involved with someone who also works on the show. Keith, it was just released recently that your boyfriend, James Griffin, is a cast member for the third season." Lotor told the audience and Keith. 

"Yes, I didn't get him the job, for the record. I don't think I even have that power." He laughed, "He and I are old friends but hadn't talked in a while. Our director, Adam, told us that he was joining this season at the season two wrap party, and I got back in contact with him and we started dating. It was a bit hard since I was on tour, but he insisted that it didn't matter to him because he and I already knew each other so well." 

"That's so sweet. So you two were basically brought together by the show?" Lotor clarified. 

"Yeah, I never really saw it that way, but yeah." Keith chuckled and looked at Hunk.

"The show has a tendency to do that. I met my girlfriend, Shay Eiden, on set as well." Hunk interjected and the crowd cheered at the mention of their relationship. 

"Everyone knows our director, Adam, and I are married." Shiro added as Lotor looked at him. 

"To be honest, I'm aro-ace- so I can't relate much to this topic, but I can say with confidence that this group of people have made my experiences all the better." Pidge added with a laugh and there are scattered cheers. 

"I actually also met my boyfriend on set. It's funny, I didn't realize how connected we all are." Lance started, clearly anxious. "My boyfriend Kaleel Lopez is our primary stage manager on our set. We met about a year ago and have been dating for like, eight months." 

"Is it correct that this is the first time you have revealed his identity?" Lotor asked with a kind smile since he could sense the anxiety Lance was exuding. 

"Yes, it is. We're very private." Lance chuckled nervously. "Of course, Allura also met her significant other through the show, if a little indirectly." Lance continued, moving back on topic. Lotor laughed and looked down while Allura blushed and laughed elegantly. 

"For those watching who don't know what Lance is referring to, Lotor and I met on this show about two years ago and started dating a little while after." Allura explained and Lotor looked at her with an appreciative smile and heart eyes. 

They watched a scene from the second season of the group fighting a hoard of zombies, Keith was pretty sure it was from episode four. It was good that Lotor included a clip from early on so there were no spoilers. 

Shiro and Allura reacted mostly to the scene before they said their farewells. 

"That went well, right?" Lance asked Keith when they exit. 

"Yeah! I thought it was kind of cute, how we all went through how the show is related to our love lives. A bit odd I didn't put that together before." Keith said, partially to himself. 

"It is cute." Lance told himself. Keith stopped walking when he gets to the end of the hallway. James is standing at the other end. Keith couldn't describe the feeling that went through him upon seeing James there for him. It was something akin to elation, though. Lance looked up as well. "Oh, what's he doing here?" Keith was surprised at the lack of animosity in Lance. 

"I don't know." Keith told Lance. He couldn't lie to himself about being happy to see him, and feeling some butterflies in his stomach about seeing James smile. "Hey, hun, what're you doing here?" Keith asked as he reached out for his friend. He added the nickname since there are several employees around. He told the six actors, but apparently Allura had not told Lotor. Or maybe she had and Lotor just hadn't shown any indication of it. 

"There were some seats open so I came to see you." James said with a smile. "Hey Lance, how's it going?" James asked politely with a smile. Keith moved to wrap his arm around James' waist and James just naturally responded with putting his arm around Keith's shoulders. Lance's eyes darted between their bodies but came back to James' face. 

"I'm doing pretty well, you?" Lance asked. 

"Yeah me too. Hey, Keith," James turned to Keith and Lance gave them some space. "Do you wanna come over tonight?" 

"Yeah, of course." Keith agreed easily. It was not a difficult thing for him to agree to these days. 

"Great! I just bought a really nice Riesling and- oh god. I sound like a middle aged white woman." James stopped with the realization and Keith laughed at him adoringly and hit his shoulder playfully. 

"No! Okay... sorta. But it's cute! I have a middle aged white woman as a boyfriend." Keith chuckled and James blushed.  

"Let's just go." James said with a smile and they start to walk out. 

"Hey, Lance, I'm staying at James' so you can leave with the car." Keith said and Lance gave him a nod and went back to his conversation with Hunk. 

It was a very nice Riesling. They both had three glasses of it, so they were a tiny bit tipsy. They were giggling and all over each other, talking about stuff that happened on their old show. 

"I can't believe we let them get away with that! My bare ass was on screen and it was just fine with everyone!" Keith complained about their directors and producers. 

"Hey, no one was complaining! If only we got a full frontal." James joked and Keith spluttered and turned red. 

"Hey! Rude!" Keith objected. 

"I mean, I've seen the full frontal. People would pay to see that on their screens, the network honestly made a mistake." James continued to tease him. Their phones and glasses were both on the table, so Keith's hands were free to cover his face in a blush. 

"God, that was so long ago." Keith said and uncovered his face and smiled. Good memories. 

"Hm, so you're saying I need a refresher?" James asked with a quirked eyebrow. Keith spluttered again, even though Lance was his best friend, he was not used to being flirted with. He always got flustered. Keith was feeling kind of bold though. 

"Do you want one?" He managed to say through his fluster and blushing. James raised his eyebrows and looked at him in confusion for a second and then laughed and shook his head a little. They moved on, talking about this and that. Keith's mind hadn't moved though. 

"I think Silver and Alexander's 'secret' past is that they're ex boyfriends or something." James said an hour later as they were practically on top of each other on the couch. "Messy break up so now they're enemies. Like Rattigan and Sherlock from The Great Mouse Detective." James added. Keith started laughing. 

"The movie about the little mice village where it's just the world of Sherlock but smaller?" Keith asked, cracking up. James looked bewildered at Keith's laughter, like his conclusion was obvious. 

"Yeah," he said and Keith just stared at him. His smile was nice. So were his eyes. And him... "Anyway, you were really good in that fight scene with me. I always forget how good an actor you are cause you're such an honest person but then I act with you and I remember all at once that you're just absolutely amazing and I-" Keith cut him off by surging forward and kissing him. James kissed him back but then pulled back. 

"Keith, we're friends now." James noted quietly, still looking at Keith's lips. 

"I'm not in love with you. I don't intend to date you. But I like you more than friends like each other." Keith muttered against James' lips. 

"So we're on the same page? Cause I fell out of love with you long ago. You're right though... you've always been more than a friend, but not quite a boyfriend, huh?" James hummed and Keith started to grin. 

"Same page." Keith said and kissed him again. James was enthusiastic to respond.

James pulled Keith into his lap not too long after and Keith was furiously going at James' face. He started kissing down his neck next and James sighed happily. Keith took his own shirt off and James did the same. James pulled Keith towards him and his finger tips ever so slightly dig into Keith's back. He's held him so tightly and Keith felt so secure in his arms. Keith wrapped his arms around James' neck in an attempt to pull them even closer together. He ran his hands through James' short hair and tugged at the strands near the base of the head. 

"Do you wanna fuck?" Keith asked as he quickly pulled his mouth off. James looks a little disoriented but smiled widely. 

"Yes, I thought that's what we were aiming for, hun." James teased and Keith shrugged a shoulder. 

"Just checking before I take your pants off. Can I take your pants off?" Keith double checked and James chuckled with a beam. 

"Yeah, please do." Keith did so before James pulled Keith back into his lap so they can make out more. Keith took his pants off soon after and he trailed his hands along James' thighs; James shivered. 

"Bedroom." Keith said and they walked briskly to James' bed and Keith accidentally slammed the door but didn't really care as he stripped his underwear off. James did the same and they kissed again in a happy sigh. 

Keith woke up to a familiar sound. He opened his eyes to see James yawning. They were both still naked, but partially under the sheets. Keith guessed it was morning based on the sunlight coming in the window. Keith stared at James a while. He didn't regret anything as of right now, but maybe he would later. 

"Are we still on the same page?" James asked when he noticed Keith staring at him. 

"I think so. Not a couple; not strictly friends." Keith asked with a shrug and James nodded with a smile. 

"Friends with benefits, if you will." James said with a smile. Keith chuckled and kissed James on the lips. 

"Sounds good." Keith agreed and they spend the day eating food in bed while naked. It was so peaceful, something Keith hadn't experienced in quite some time. So calm and relaxing and Keith felt like he could stay like that for a while. 

Keith thought the reaction from the interview was pretty good when it came out. This was the top tweets he saw the next day:

renokajdl: They're all dating someone related to the show stop that's so cute

MiasRiffen: Kaleel Lopez??? Who?? 

summerlong: @MiasRiffenThat's the stage manager!! The one who @ramonastweet theorized was Lance's S/O!! They were right OH MY GOD

ramonastweet: OH MY GODDDDD YESSS THEY'RE SO CUTE  I CANT BELIEVE I WAS RIGHT

justicelounge: why cant someone look at me the way lotor and allura look at each other

Hottiew/1body: @justicelounge LITERALLY they are so cute I almost died when they smiled at each other

hollowedoutfan4820: We got so much content just from this short interview let us all thank Lotor Galtean 

uberjurassic: I just want to appreciate how Pidge shared her experience with being aro/ace. Like not many people talk about that sort of thing openly and I just really appreciate that

diamondsmarina: im so excited to see keith and james on screen together again!!!! they were so good together in their last show and now theyre dating??? im so hyped up its gonna be great

dojadog: hunk always looks so happy to talk about shay its cute

keyboardsmash: i know its an interview but i was hoping for more content on the show

zeusalmighty: Lance can we please see a picture of you and your boyfriend??? I'm so happy for him, he seems really happy

hootytheowlhouse: Anyone else notice that Shiro didn't talk much this time around??

Things didn't really change... he and James had the same friendship they did before, if a little more touchy, but now they also had sex occasionally. Keith never thought he'd have a relationship this perfect- but he was actually really happy. He hadn't told anyone about the minor change in their relationship. He knew that Shiro and Matt would think it was a bad idea but support him.

He wanted to tell Lance, his best friend. He told Lance he would but that was before the two got into a serious fight. Keith knew that they did technically make up. But Keith knew Lance, he was just tolerating James for Keith's sake, which Keith appreciated; but Lance didn't like James. They got along fine, but they would never hang out on their own, and Keith was worried that if Lance knew their relationship was more than friends that he would go back to hating James.

Lance said that he didn't like James because he thought James had forced Keith into the fake relationship- imagine what he'd say if he knew they were sleeping together. He'd think James had planned this all out in an attempt to get Keith back. Hell, that's what Keith thought when James' agent first proposed it, but he trusted James now. If he said that's not what happened then Keith believed him. 

Keith didn't see anything wrong with the update in their relationship. Sure, it could be confusing for some people but Keith never felt confused when he was with James. It was simple to him. They enjoyed each other's company and occasionally, their bodies. He knew that for some time previously he was thinking about starting to date again, but at some point that desire left him. He wasn't sure when, or why, but he didn't want that anymore. He wanted to spend time with his friends, to mess around with James when they felt like it, and to be able to remain friends after James and he stop dating for publicity. 

Keith was seeing Matt that day. They hadn't spoken in like a month or something. Pidge was bringing Matt onto set today though, and Keith was gonna force him to talk to him. He was talking to James about it the other day and James thought that Matt is just worried for Keith but not actually mad at him. He was probably right. 

"Hey James, you've met my brother Matt, right?" Pidge said as she entered the break room with her brother. He had grown his hair out. Long enough that he could pull it back into a low pony tail. It looked good. Keith smiled at him as he entered and he smiled back. 

"Uh, yeah. We've met a couple times a while ago. How's it going man?" James asked politely, standing up to shake hands with Matt. Matt locked eyes with Keith as if he were asking if James was a good person. Keith nodded just a little and Matt smiled at James. Matt had seen how torn up Keith had been after their previous 'breakup' so he had a right to be protective. 

"Pretty good. Pidge tells me you're doing great on this set, you like it here?" Matt asked him. 

"Yeah, I really do. It's great here." James confirmed and Keith smiled to himself. He was endlessly grateful for James becoming a part of this show. 

"Where's Lance at?" Matt asked, looking around the room. "I know Shiro, Hunk, and Allura are filming right now cause I saw them." 

"He's filming a Tiktok in the hallway." Keith told him with a sigh. Matt's face lit up along with Pidge's. They are such a menace to society. 

"Success!" Lance yelled as he enters the break room. "Oh! Hey Matt, long time no see, what's up?" Lance greeted Matt kinder than Keith was expecting. He couldn't tell why Lance didn't like Matt previously, but Lance had never really been friendly towards him. 

"Just hanging out today before I start another tour. What was a success?" Matt asked, obviously intrigued. 

"I made my first Tiktok! I asked my Twitter what dance I should learn first and they voted on 'Woman' by Doja Cat. The dance was really fun!" Lance cheered excitedly. Keith felt his stomach flip flop at seeing how happy his friend was. Keith was just really content in his life right then.

"Pfft, let me see." Pidge said and grabbed Lance's unlocked phone. 

"Okay but no one is going to have seen it already. I only posted it like two minutes ago." Lance tried to explain with a breezy smile and Pidge snorted. 

"Yeah there's already a hundred likes and two hundred views." Matt told him with raised eyebrows. 

"What?! No way, I just posted that." Lance walked around to see the screen and looked at it in amazement. 

"Lance, you're famous." Keith reminded him from his seat on the couch. James snorted from beside Keith. 

"Your followers also had you do that dance cause you'd look hot while doing it, dimwit." Pidge said with a smirk. Matt chuckled at Lance's expression and sat down on a chair while Pidge went to get some coffee. 

"Oh," Lance muttered and walked slowly back to his seat without looking away from his phone. "People are horny, jesuchristo. Look at some of these comments. It's been three minutes!" Lance said and thrust the phone into Matt's hand. Matt just laughed and nodded his head. 

"Lance, how are you still adjusting to being famous? It's been a while." James asked good naturedly. 

"Cause I'm just me, like I haven't even been in much. Not near as much as Keith." Lance gestured around with his hands and Keith shook his head at him. 

"He will never get it," Pidge said as she walked back over with a coffee for her and her brother. 

James, Pidge, and Lance had to leave for a scene and the others hadn't come back yet- so Keith took this opportunity to talk to Matt. 

"Can we talk? In another room or something? The others will be back soon." Keith asked Matt, who nodded and they walked around a hallway that wasn't used. 

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you," Matt muttered. "I really thought James was taking advantage of you being too nice to him, but I talked to Lance recently. He seems to think James is sincere." 

"You talked to Lance?" Keith asked in amazement. Matt and Lance did seem like they were getting along better than usual. Lance didn't used to like Matt but he seemed completely fine earlier. Why did none of Keith's closest friends like each other?

"Yeah, after the fight when you weren't talking to him. I helped him figure out how to make up with James. He didn't really need help though, just some encouragement." 

"Wow. Thanks, I guess." Keith said, this honestly just confused him more. 

"He feels awful about that man, and James does too if Lance is reading him right." 

"They should feel awful. Asshole thing to do, plus super irresponsible and unprofessional! They both could have lost their jobs, or been seen by paparazzi and been made a tabloid. And it was just stupid! Who gets in fist fights over something stupid!" Matt raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

"Wait- you know what they fought about?" Matt asked and Keith turned his head slightly in confusion. 

"No... they both just said it was stupid. Do you know?" Matt looked to the side and tightened his lips. 

"Yes, but I promised I wouldn't tell you!" Matt said in a rush. 

"Is it bad? They seemed to make up okay so I assumed it was stupid."

"It is stupid, but shows a lot about both of their characters. It was a bunch of lies, which is why they were able to make up- they knew none of it was true." 

"You have confused me more." 

"Sorry, man. Maybe one of them will tell you someday." Keith sighed. 

"So, are we good?" Keith asked Matt who leaned against the wall. 

"Of course. I'm still worried about this whole thing, but you're a smart guy. You and James seemed to have worked it out to be very professional." Keith bit his lip anxiously. "Or not? What's with that look?"

"We're fucking." Keith said before he could stop himself, and covered his mouth in surprise. Matt leaned his head in like he didn't hear him correctly and blinked a couple times in surprise. 

"I take it back. You're not smart- you're an idiot! You and James? Again??" 

"I know! I know how it looks, okay? But I think we've come to a good agreement. We know that we'll always be more than friends, but we don't have romantic feelings for each other and we don't actually want a serious relationship. We don't want to date but we can't be around each other and not be more." 

"So you're too horny to not sleep with him whenever he's around?" Matt hit Keith lightly on the head. 

"Ow, and not exactly..."

"So you're friends with benefits who are pretending to date but are pretending to their friends to just be friends. That's so convoluted Keith!" Keith shrugged a little guiltily. "How long has this been going on?" 

"About a week?" Keith winced and Matt shook his head in disapproval. 

"Am I the only person you've told?"

"Yeah," Keith said and scratched his neck anxiously. 

"Not Lance? He's your best friend AND your roommate! What does he think is going on?"

"He thinks that I would tell him, and I would but they literally just had a fight and-" 

"Ohh shit." Matt said like he was just remembering something. He stared off into space for a minute and then started pacing and talking to himself. Keith could barely hear him say "James said it was all made up and Lance believed him.... but now? Not made up.... oh shit shit shit Lance will lose it..." Keith didn't think anything Matt said made sense. Matt suddenly stopped pacing and stood up completely straight. 

"What the hell was that?" Keith asked in alarm. Matt strode over to him and put his hands on Keith's shoulders and stared him in the eyes. 

"Do not tell Lance. Not until you and James stop fake dating or whatever. Or wait until the season is done or something. Just do not tell him." 

"He's my best friend though! I promised I would tell him. I mean, I don't want to cause I think he'll get mad- he doesn't like James- but I really should tell him, right?"

"No! Did you not listen to me?" Matt shook his head in disbelief and annoyance. 

"But shouldn't you encourage me to tell the truth?"

"Not now! I'll explain when you're older." Matt exclaimed and crossed his arms. Keith's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Seriously? Why won't anyone just tell me?!" Keith complained and Matt sighed seriously. 

"Like Lance and this situation- sometimes it's better for someone to not know something. Trust me."

"Fine. I trust you. Are we friends again?" Keith asked, that's all he really wanted to talk about in this conversation but it quickly got derailed. 

"We never stopped, Keith. I was just worried for you. I still am, but it is clear you need a friend right now so I will resist the urge to slap you."

"Thanks?" Keith asked and Matt hit him upside the head again. 

"Sorry, last time."

"Alexander, it's okay to be upset. We'll find a way though." Gemma told Alexander as he shivered in his blanket. They were filming the first episode where Robin and Alexander are still sick from Ensley's curse. Robin and Alexander were sitting at the table with the others but the two of them are wrapped in their own blankets. 

"Amber and I are going to find a cure. We know where to start looking. Theo and Gemma are gonna stay here and fend off anything that might happen. You two aren't going to move a muscle, right?" Grey confirmed to the group and glared at Alexander. 

"We can barely move, Grey. We won't be fighting anymore monsters." Robin coughed out and sipped at his tea. All their friends winced, they really don't look good. 

"We'll take care of them, you two go now. I don't think they have much time left." Theo said to Grey and Amber, but he whispered the last part. Gemma heard and looked at Theo in concern. The group minus the two sick separate to talk. 

"Where are you gonna start looking?" Gemma asked. 

"There's a coven nearby; incredibly powerful. They are very exclusive and don't like outsiders so it'll be hard to get anything from them, but they're our closest bet." Amber explained, holding hands with Grey as she looked worriedly at her sick friends who were coughing their lungs out. 

"Go fast." Theo urged and Grey and Amber nodded and started to leave. Amber kissed Robin and Alexander on the cheek and Grey put his hand on their foreheads to check their temperature. He didn't say anything but looked at Amber in concern and shook his head a little. It was clear that Robin and Alexander are running a high fever and had cold sweats. Amber furrowed her eyebrows and held back tears as she and Grey exited the bunker together. 

"Alright guys, let's get you some more tea." Theo said after noticing their cups were empty. They had mentioned earlier that their throats hurt almost too much to talk. They were constantly wincing from various pains and could barely move. The best they could do was sit there. 

"It'll be fine." Gemma said to the boys, though it was obvious she was telling herself this. The camera followed Theo to the kitchen, he filled the tea kettle and placed it on the stove. He was shaking slightly and his eyes started to water. He heard Gemma talking distantly and then a fit of coughs. This seemed to set him off as he leaned on the sink and started to cry silently. Gemma entered the room in a panic and started looking around. Theo wiped the tears off his face before he turned to her. 

"What're you looking for?" He asked with his voice quavering. Gemma still hadn't looked at him. 

"That pain relief medication. It's been long enough that they can have more." Theo handed it to Gemma, it was next to the stove. She finally looked at him and stops. Her eyes were glassy as well. 

They silently smile sadly at each other. Gemma then rushed forward and hugged Theo. He was surprised for a moment but hugged her back. They don't cry, or speak, or move. Just stood together. The tea kettle started to boil so Theo fixed some tea and Gemma walked away with the medication. 

The camera then showed Alexander and Robin sitting together while the others are in the kitchen. 

"I wish they would give up." Alexander said and coughed blood into a tissue. 

"They won't ever. We could be dead and Grey would get into necromancy." Robin joked through a cough and they laughed painfully. "But seriously, Alex, we'll be okay. If I trust anyone, it's these guys." Alexander looked at him with a small smile and raised his eyebrows a little. "Okay, I trust you more, obviously. But you're stuck with me so you can't exactly help."

"I wish I could. I'd find a way to save you."

"Us, Alex." Robin reminded Alexander. Alexander looked away and wrapped the blanket around himself tighter as he winced and grabbed at his stomach. 

Theo and Gemma came back and they sit and drink their tea and take their medicine. Gemma then helped Alexander to bed and Theo helped Robin. The boys sleep and Gemma and Theo sit at the table together. 

"I'm gonna leave if they die." Gemma said quietly and Theo looked at her in surprise. 

"What?"

"If my friends die- I leave." She made clear and looked away from Theo's sad eyes. "I am hoping against all hope that Grey and Amber find something to save them. Anything, really. I would take anything. If they die though? I'm gone. I'll disappear in the forest or something because I cannot deal with this anymore." Gemma said and stood to leave. She left Theo alone, who just stared at the wall in despair. 

Lance and Keith high five when they're walking off the stage. 

"Gayness achieved." Lance joked in a low and quiet voice. They hadn't told anyone about their decision to couple Robin and Alexander together. They really didn't have to do much though- the writing was pretty gay already. Keith snorted and elbowed Lance in the side as people got closer. 

"That scene always makes me sad." Hunk whined and plopped down into his makeup chair. 

"Yeah it's intense." Pidge added and sat down as well. 

"You guys were great in it, by the way." Keith told Pidge and Hunk, who smiled appreciatively. Keith didn't compliment people often, so when he does everyone knows he really meant it. 

"How's the Tiktok going, Lance?" Pidge asked. It'd been another week since Lance made a Tiktok and he'd made several already. A little more than one per day. 

"Great! I'm gonna introduce them to Kaleel when he's done with work for today!" Lance noted happily. 

"His most liked videos are of Kosmo." Keith said with a smirk. 

"Of course. The one where he chases his tail is my favorite." Allura added with a snort as she thought of it.

"Allura the one where Platt falls off the window sill and falls into a pillow? I was howling for so long, it was so funny!" Lance told Allura and she started laughing in a way Keith had never heard from her. She was usually very prim and graceful. Keith had started to notice that she becomes less so when you get to know her. Like she's more comfortable with them all now. It made Keith happy to know that she was that comfortable in front of them. 

Keith spent the night at James' again. They were just laying on the couch together and watching another horror movie.

"You and Matt made up?" James asked as he eats popcorn.

"Yeah, the day before he left, so like... two weeks ago?"

"That's good. I know he means a lot to you. Heh, I used to be so jealous of him."

"Of Matt?" 

"Yeah, I thought you two were into each other. Always so close and dancing like you were fucking literally on the dance floor."

"Pfft, we were just having fun."

"I know. I just remember wishing so badly it were me. I was so hopelessly in love with you. Thank god I got over that." Keith chuckled and James put down the popcorn. "Run out the door dumbass! Not up the stairs!" James yelled pointlessly at the tv.

"So what you're saying is you want to go to a club and dance with me?" Keith asked provocatively. James raised his eyebrows and looks away from the screen. 

"I would love that, yes." James said and kissed Keith. "What is with you lately?" James asked a minute later and Keith leaned back. 

"What do you mean?"

"You're so forwards lately. Are you like, constantly horny? I'm not complaining, I think it's cute- just curious." Keith sat back and thought to himself. 

"I don't know, I think you and Lance with your blatant flirting have gotten to me. Plus, it's been a while." Keith said and James laughed to himself. 

"Well I like it. You were always too shy last time." James said and kissed Keith again. 

They did indeed go to a club that weekend and did exactly what James was proposing. They went back to the gay club Keith went to the night he was attacked. He was adamant about making good memories there. He hadn't told James what bar this was, or the significance. But James figured it out by how anxious Keith was. 

"Keith, why're you so anxious?" James asked as they entered. 

"What? Nothing, I'm not." James looked around, then back to Keith. 

"Is this... is this the bar you went to before you were bashed?" James asked quietly with a worried brow. Keith sighed and nodded. 

"Keith, we don't have to come here. We don't have to go anywhere, we can just go home if you want." James assured him and took both of Keith's hands. 

"No, I chose this place so I could change my memories of it. I want to associate it with you and I dancing- not being hate-crimed." Keith said and James checked his eyes as if to check if he were being sincere. Keith was sincere, he wanted to get over this thing from years ago. It made him furious sometimes that it had so much power over him. 

"Okay, but tell me if you want to leave at any moment." Keith nodded and pulled James to the bar. 

They had a great night. They met a lot of really nice people, a lot of people hit on them but politely left them alone when they said they were together. They didn't drink too much, they talked to people who recognized him and even allowed a couple pictures. A lot of people thanked Keith for his work with his organization. He was happy to talk to many people about it. 

"Excuse me, are you Keith Kogane?" Keith turned and saw a tall drag queen and a slighter shorter man with her. He thought he recognized them from somewhere so he smiled and introduced himself. 

"Yes I am. Have we met before? I feel like I know you." They smiled at each other and turned back to Keith. 

"My name is Fantasia, this is my husband Clark." The drag queen said and then added "My real name is Trent but what fun is that?" in a lower voice and Keith smiled. He couldn't help but like them, like they were old friends. 

"This is my boyfriend, James Griffin." James shook their hands kindly. 

"I hate to bring it up because it's such an unfortunate night, but we have met before." Clark said and Keith knew where he had met them. Of course! 

"You helped me after I was beat up! Oh my god," Keith was stunned and Clark and Fantasia smiled sadly at him. 

"It was really brave of you to tell that story in front of the whole country." Fantasia said and patted Keith on the shoulder. James looked between the three of them. 

"Wait, you're the two people that helped him and called the ambulance and made sure not to out him?" James asked in astonishment. They nodded a little shyly and James covered his mouth. "Oh my god, thank you." James breathed out, much to Keith's surprise. James looked at them with so much appreciation and adoration that Keith couldn't speak for a second from how much that surprised him. 

"We will always help those in need." Fantasia said and grabbed Clark's hand. Keith stood up and held his arms out. 

"Could I give you a hug?" He asked, a little awkwardly. 

"Oh, of course. Come here." Fantasia said and the three of them shared a group hug. Keith was so grateful he thought he might cry. 

"Thank you, both of you, so much." Keith said into the hug. Fantasia cupped Keith's cheek with one hand as the hug ended and smiled sadly at him. 

"No need to thank us. We've all been there." Fantasia said sadly and Keith nodded sadly. 

"What you're doing for the community with that organization of yours? It's incredible. Thank you." Clark told him and Keith just smiled and wiped away his watery eyes. 

"Come on, we're at a club. Let's dance." Fantasia said and they all joined the dance floor. Keith couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. James was there every step of the way and danced with him like a boyfriend should, and kissed him as the confetti fell, and Keith was so purely happy. 

"Where were you Friday night?" Lance asked him the next Monday on their way to work. 

"James. You knew that." Keith told him and Lance's lips tightened. 

"You were there overnight, is all. You've been doing that a few times now."

"Okay? I did used to live there. My old bed is still there." Keith lied easily. It didn't feel good. 

"But you're just- I don't know. I know you're friends again, I just have been sensing some stuff between you two. Do you have feelings for him? Keith, you'd tell me if you were dating, right?" Lance asked quietly and Keith took an imperceptivity deep breath. 

He should just tell him. He needed to at some point. Why wasn't he? Lance loved him and wanted him to be happy- so he would be glad for him, wouldn't he? But Matt had seemed to sincere in his affirmation of the lie. Matt had more information on the situation than Keith did so he really should just listen to him. But god, he felt so guilty all the time. 

"We aren't dating, Lance. I don't see him that way. We're friends." Keith didn't lie when he said any of that. He just omitted something that he definitely shouldn't be omitting. He had told Lance that he would let him know about any changes with James but he was plain lying to him. 

"Okay, I'm sorry I keep asking. I kind of... I have some issues with lying, I guess. My ex, Nyma, did that pretty frequently and it just messed with me, I guess. I'm probably just not used to you spending time with someone else," Lance laughed at himself and Keith forced a small smile out. The guilt was eating at his stomach and would soon grow up to his lungs. 

"I'm sorry about Nyma. Did she cheat on you or something?" He asked, glad for the topic change. 

"Not that I know of. She just did stuff behind my back. I guess she might've cheated on me. She started dating her ex again soon after her and I broke up so I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know. Things weren't that serious with her anyway so it's not that big of a deal." Lance shrugged and looked out the window. Keith bit his lip as he nodded. He was a terrible person, he just knew it. 

"You deserve better than that." Keith knew it. He knew Lance deserved better than this. 

"Yeah well, I have Kaleel now." Lance smiled and Keith felt a wave of nausea like never before as he forced another smile and nodded his head. 

“Grey, it’s okay” Alexander coughed. Amber and Grey had been able to bring back a witch from the coven who would be able to assist. A man by the name of Silver. Alexander recognized him instantly when he entered and Silver almost left when he saw Alexander was the one sick. 

Alexander told the others that Silver was someone he used to know. A powerful wizard who turned against Alexander when they were younger. Grey didn’t trust Silver, but he claimed he would help out the two as long as he was paid. 

“There’s no other way.” Robin croaked. They were losing color in their faces. Grey looked quickly between Silver and the dying Alexander. 

“If you do anything besides save them, not only will you not get paid- I will kill you.” Grey threatened Silver, who just rolled his eyes.  

“I do no benefit from killing these two. Besides, like the coven said, I’m a healer. I don’t know any harmful spells.” Silver said and stood between Robin and Alexander. He placed his hands on their foreheads and started chanting with his eyes closed. 

Amber grabbed Grey’s arm and Grey held her close. Theo and Gemma watched anxiously from the side. Robin grabbed Alexander’s hand. Keith knew Lance added that in- it was not scripted. 

When Silver was done chanting the two boys were able to stand up. They stumbled around the room, but in general seemed a lot better. 

“They need rest. I suggest three days.” Silver suggested and Grey stared at the boys in astonishment as they stumbled around the room. Grey hands over the money he promised Silver. 

Silver walked over to Alexander who was still holding onto Robin’s shoulder for support. Silver looked Alexander up and down. There was something almost lustful in his appraising, judgmental stare. He fixed Alexander’s collar, and Alexander actually let him. 

“Next time I see you, won’t be this pleasant. Stay out of my way.” Silver whispered just to Alexander and left; his cloak whipping behind him. Alexander glared after him but eventually smiled at Robin. 

“We’re alive.” Alexander said in surprise. The others surround the two boys in a hug. Alexander looked slightly uncomfortable with so much contact but smiled at his friends. Grey helped Alexander to bed and Theo helped Robin. Amber and Gemma hugged each other before the scene ended. 

“Alright wrap for today!” Adam yelled at everyone started moving around. 

Lance was supposed to be at Kaleel's over night. He specifically told Keith he wasn't going to be back in the house until Saturday night. He was spending Friday night at Kaleel's as well as the two of them going to Kaleel's cousin's house so Lance could meet some of Kaleel's family. So James finally stayed over at Keith's place for the night. 

"Okay, so 'It' one and two for movies tonight?" James asked as Keith was grabbing the popcorn out of the microwave. 

"Yeah I haven't seen them yet." Keith called from the kitchen. 

"I've seen the first one and I liked it." James said and Keith sat next to him. 

"I'm just glad I can finally watch horror movies with someone who doesn't jump and scream." Keith mentioned and James chuckles. Lance was such a scaredy cat when watching anything. Even watching semi scary tv shows. 

"I'm always down to watch something to terrify me." James said nonchalantly and dug into the hot popcorn bag. 

"We should start watching mysteries next." Keith decided as the movie starts. 

"Why's that?"

"So we can start figuring out the mysteries ourself! In movies like this we all know the clown is the killer demon. The movie 'My Bloody Valentine' kind of sucks but it's a mystery until the end and it's super effective." Keith explained. 

"That's fair, and yeah that might be kinda fun!" James said. "Speaking of fun... I only have a couple more days on set with you guys." His tone turned sad.

"Yeah, but people are gonna love you in the show. You'll get tons of offers soon enough." 

"Yes, and I appreciate the producers for giving me a chance but I-" James sighed as some kid on screen was kidnapped or something. "I'm going to miss you guys. This set feels good to work on."

"Yeah, they're good people." Keith added fondly. "You can always come visit, Matt does all the time and he's not even an actor. Even Lotor hangs out there sometimes just to see Allura." 

"Yeah I guess. We won't be fake dating by then- I'm not sure people will want me around." James said self consciously. 

"James, that's not why they like you. Allura, Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance know we're not really dating." 

"Wait- they know but they like me anyway?" James looked at him with wide eyes. Keith thought James knew that, he really didn't though, judging from his face. 

"Yeah, James. Is that so hard to believe? They're all friends with you because they like you, which is why you and I are gonna stay friends even after we stop fake dating. No need to panic, hun." James smiled at him kindly and they continued to watch their movie. 

They were in the middle of the second movie when Keith and James had a full conversation again. 

"James?"

"Hm?"

"Are you really okay with not dating? Just like... whatever this is?"

"Yes. I know I used to be in love with you, and I don't regret that, but it's just not who I am anymore. I love you as a friend, that'll always be true- but I'm not ready for a real relationship with anyone. So this?" James gestured between them. "This works for me. I'm over you, hun." 

"Okay, just checking again. I didn't want you to think I was like, taking advantage of your feelings for me or something."

"Can't do that if I don't have feelings for you." James joked with a point and Keith grinned. 

"Exactly! It's just a good situation, right?" 

"Yes, Keith. Stop worrying. Jeez, I have never met anyone who worries as much as you do." James said and cupped Keith's face and Keith blushed. 

"Give me one example besides tonight." He protested, brushing off James' hands. 

"Okay, you ask for consent at like, every step of the way before we have sex. It's like you're worried all the time." Keith furrowed his brow at James. 

"James, that's just basic consent. It's necessary for anything, not me being worried." James looked surprised and a little embarrassed. 

"Really? Oh, sorry. I've just never had that happen to me before." James said and scratched his neck. 

"Well now I'm worried." Keith sat up with a frown. 

"Hey, stop that. Come on, I can practice. Do you want to sleep together?" James asked while biting his lip with a smile. Keith chuckled at James' attempt to be sexy. 

"You dumbass, yes. Wanna go to my room?" Keith asked and leaned into James' face. 

"Yeah, I've never had sex in your bed before!" He noted as they walked into Keith's room. 

"It's better than yours." Keith teased as he closed the door behind him. 

"Can I kiss you?" James asked softly. Keith smiled and nodded. James wrapped his arms around Keith's waist and pulled him close and kissed him. Keith chuckled as they made their way around the room and James pulled away to laugh as well. "Could we take our shirts off? But, uhm, could I take off yours?" James asked with an embarrassed blush. Keith affirmed with a short 'yes' and let James remove his shirt. "Am I totally doing this wrong? Am I ruining it?" Keith had never had the urge to kiss James more than right then.

"You can't ruin it- there's no way to do this wrong, hun. You're doing great." Keith assured with an affectionate laugh. 

"I feel stupid." James admitted and looked away. 

"There's nothing more attractive than someone who respects boundaries. Do you want me to take your pants off?" 

"Yeah, and-" Keith and James started to undress and James stopped them before they get into bed. "Thanks- this feels better than... with other people." James looked away and Keith rested his forehead against James'. James hugged Keith and Keith held him back. He ran his hand through James' short spiky hair and kissed him. 

There was something so intimate about everything that happened that night. More than the one night stands he'd had with various men throughout his life. Maybe he did need a kind of emotional connection to make things better. If that were true- Keith was even more appreciative for James and their relationship. 

They spent the morning walking around in sheets like togas because they didn't want to get dressed- but were too hungry to stay in bed all day. Keith made French toast and they ate together in bed. They had to try very hard not to spill syrup on the sheets but then agreed they would wash them anyway. 

"Is it too forward to say that that was the best sex I've ever had?" James asked as they put their plates away. They were both, at least, now wearing boxers. 

"No, it was great." Keith agreed with a small smile. 

"I'm sorry if I've ever done something without your consent. I didn't really know how extensive it had to be but I felt much better that way and-"

"James, you have never done anything to make me uncomfortable. I was more worried about what that means about how people treated you." 

"Oh, no no don't worry about that. Forget I said anything." James brushed him off but Keith didn't want to drop the conversation. It was concerning that James hadn't felt that respected before. 

"James-" 

"I haven't been harassed or assaulted or anything, hun. No need to worry. I think I was sometimes rushed, but it's not that big of a deal." James shrugged like it was nothing but Keith furrowed his eyebrows. 

"I'm sorry that happened to you. It shouldn't have." 

"It doesn't bother me. It's in the past. I know better now, right?" James said with a smile and Keith nodded a little sadly. James really did seem okay though- and Keith could always tell with James. James wasn't confusing. Things were easy with him. Simple, comfortable, and easy. 

Keith was in his room, finally grabbing clothes for him and James. James was in the kitchen filling the dish washer. Keith heard the door open and his stomach dropped. That could only mean one thing. 

"Hey Keith I-" Keith heard Lance yell and then stop abruptly. Keith walked briskly into the main area and saw an awkward scene, he bit down on his knuckles. James was in the kitchen, frozen, just in boxers. Lance was standing in the hallway staring at James and standing stiffly. Before Keith could think of anything to say he threw James a shirt and shorts. James, luckily, had enough mind to catch them. This did though, unfortunately, draw Lance's attention to Keith who was standing behind him- also in underwear. 

"I'll head out now, Keith. I'll see you Monday." James said after he slipped Keith's clothes on. They had just stood in silence, staring at each other while James shakily dragged the clothes over his body. 

"No, James, come on. You don't have to leave. It's just Lance." Keith said hopefully, looking at Lance. Lance's face didn't betray much except that he was not happy. His face was stony but he looked back to James. 

"Get out." Lance told James. James took a deep breath and nodded, his lips tightened in an awkward smile to Keith. He put his shoes on, grabbed his car keys, and left without another word. James had looked so guilty- but he hadn't done anything wrong! And who was Lance to make him feel that way?

"Lance, what the fuck was that for I-" Keith started before Lance exploded. 

"What the fuck?!" Lance yelled at Keith, his face finally showing an emotion- that of pure anger. 

"You're mad at me? You said you wouldn't be back for hours! Then you throw my guest out?" Keith yelled back. He still hadn't put his clothes on but when Lance wandered to the kitchen island to put his keys and bag down Keith took the opportunity to put some layers on as fast as possible.

"Kaleel's cousin wasn't feeling well so we didn't stay long." Lance offered half an explanation. "You just walk around naked with your guests when I'm gone?" Lance asked quietly. Keith knew better to mistake the quiet for reprieve. When Lance was his angriest he would shut down. 

"No, this is the only time I've had anyone over in years." Keith offered, though he wasn't sure why he was the one feeling bad for indecency. 

"You're fucking James?" Lance finally looked at Keith. 

"Yeah."

"How long?" Keith knew this was coming, and he thought he could lie. He couldn't do that again though. 

"About a month."

"A month?!" Lance was getting loud again. He rested an arm against the kitchen counter and Keith leaned against the wall behind him. 

"I wanted to tell you-"

"You promised you would! I asked so many times! And you said you would tell me! I tell you everything!" Lance's eyes were glassy. Keith didn't know why, he was pissed too but he didn't think it was that deep. 

"I know, I wanted to. I'm sorry, you have no idea how many times I almost told you." Keith admitted, trying to calm his friend down. 

"Why didn't you?!?" 

"Matt told me not to! I know that's stupid but he said he knew what your fight with James was about and said that for your sake I shouldn't tell you until James left the show." Keith explained, hoping Lance would see some reason. 

"That's months away. You were going to lie to me for months?" Lance's voice was full of bitterness. 

"I was going to tell you sooner, like when the season ended or something. Matt wouldn't tell me why, he seemed really worried about you though." 

"Bembelequero… (Cuban slang for a gossipy person)” Lance shook his head as he muttered. Then said: “I shouldn't have told him anything."

"You said you told me everything, but you won't tell me what you fought about." Keith said quietly and could see how that just made Lance fume even more. He didn't have any other ammo though. 

"Fuck you, Keith. You promised me you would tell me and I trusted you!" Lance shouted again and pointed at Keith angrily. 

"Why does it matter if I'm sleeping with him?! We are just friends who sometimes sleep together!" Keith threw his hands up in confusion. 

"God that's worse!" 

"What? How is that worse?"

"Don't you see how bad this is for you, Keith?"

"No, I don't. Cause it feels like the healthiest relationship I've ever had!"

"You- You're still fucking running!" Lance yelled like he'd been holding it in forever. Keith stopped; he didn't even know what that meant. "You have never committed to a person before because you're fucking afraid, Keith. Even now, you find someone who will fuck you, give you the public image you want, be your friend, and basically give you any and all support you want without you having to commit to them!" Lance rattled off on his fingers and Keith had to swallow before he spoke again. His throat stung as he swallowed, but he would not cry. 

"That's bullshit. I didn't ask for any of this. It just happened." He choked out, his voice sounded weak and he hated it. 

"Okay, I have a couple theories about what happened when James talked to you all those months ago. 1) You heard him say that he loved you and you felt bad because you never felt that way about anyone. So you pity him and pretend to date him. You guys become friends again and you fall back in your old habits. It's convenient and natural. 2) You heard him say he loved you and you realized you missed out big time with him. So you agreed to this all so you could manufacture you two being together again and falling in love. But not too fast- if it was too fast you couldn't jump off last minute! 3) You heard him say he loved you and it made you feel better about yourself; and this whole thing was just to help your ego. Being friends with benefits with him just made it better." 

Keith gaped at Lance- did he really think any of those were accurate? Why would he ever say such terrible things about Keith unless he was trying to hurt him? Keith never saw Lance as a mean, cruel person but this was something completely new from him. 

"No matter what the correct number is: This relationship is a way for you to get what you want without having to give anything in return. It's unhealthy for both of you and it's gross." Lance finished off with a cross of his arms. 

"It's-" Keith's voice broke. "It's not any of those. I agreed because I was helping out an old friend and I felt like I owed him after breaking his heart. We became friends again. Maybe I fell into some old habits, but it was the happiest I'd been in years. It didn't feel right though- being just friends. We were never just friends. Being with him in this way makes me happy. It's more than a 'friends with benefits' thing. He's more to me than that. It's not a one sided thing where I get everything I want. I'm not using him; he is an equal participant because that's how relationships work." Keith said through gritted teeth in a low voice. 

Lance seemed to mull his explanation over. 

"You're happy because you can leave whenever you need to and still be on good terms with James." 

"Yeah! That certainly helps! Is that so wrong?" Keith started to yell again. 

"I am just trying to help you Keith! I am worried about you because this is a bad decision!" Lance claimed and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"That is such bullshit. Everyone is so worried about me all of a sudden as I go through the best couple months of my life in the happiest relationship I've ever had! You just hate James. I don't know why. You and him refuse to tell me. I feel like I'm missing a huge puzzle piece here." Keith's eyes started to water. Lance had already let tear slip down- he had always hated yelling.

"Keith, Hermoso- I love you. You are my best friend, so please trust me. I am just trying to help." Lance implored as he walked closer to him. 

"By yelling at me and making horrible assumptions about my character?" Keith was crying now too. He couldn't believe Lance could believe any of those things. 

"I'm sorry for yelling. Please just listen." Lance walked until he was in front of Keith. Keith wiped his tears away with the palm of his hand. Lance cupped Keith's face and Keith could see Lance's tear tracks down his face better. Lance's hands were shaking but soft against Keith's cheeks. 

"You used to sleep around a lot because you didn't care about yourself. You're doing the same thing now, just with someone you trust. It doesn't change that you're doing it because you want a connection but hate yourself too much to commit to one. You told me within the time I've known you that you are ready for a real relationship. For a commitment with someone. To fall in love. You can have that, Hermoso. You deserve to have that. So why? Why backtrack? Why don't you let yourself fall for someone? It can be James- I won't mind if it's him, I wouldn't. I just want you to be healthy and happy." Lance wiped all the tears that fell down Keith's face with his thumbs. 

"Why can't you see that I am happy? Not everyone wants a normative relationship. Not everyone can be so lucky to be in a loving relationship, Lance. We're not all you and Kaleel!" Keith didn't even mean to say the last two sentences. He didn't know he even thought them. Lance slipped his hands off Keith's face in astonishment. 

"It's not luck. You have to put yourself out there; you have to be open to loving someone. I know not everyone wants a normative relationship- many people would be happy in your situation. But you've told me before you want to be in love. You want all that normative stuff- from going on stupid dates to meeting the families to moving in together to getting married. I know you want that- you told me." Keith couldn't stop crying. He wasn't sure why. None of what Lance was saying was true after all. 

"Maybe I changed. Maybe this is what I want; and that's why I'm happy!" 

"It's all just a band-aid though Keith! Fine, maybe you're happy for now. You think it'll stay like this? You're using James to fulfill the things you are wanting; but it won't last long. Even if you stay with him for a long time- it won't make you happy. I know you, Keith." 

"Shut up." Keith whispered finally. Lance raised his eyebrows. 

"When will you open your eyes, Keith?! This is what friends do Keith, they give each other reality checks and that's what I am doing now. Please- realize what is going on with you." Keith clenched his fists and curled his lip in anger.

"You want a reality check from your friend? You're a self-involved asshole." Keith said in Lance's face. Lance shook his head and scoffed. 

"Fine! Stay in your head! You obviously won't listen to me!" Lance shouted and threw his hands in the air. "You're such a coward." He finished off. 

"Fuck off!" Keith yelled through tears. 

"Fuck you!" Lance choked out, also through tears. Keith felt himself start to shake. He and Lance have never been in a fight- let alone been so mad at each other. Keith grabbed his keys and his shoes- didn't even bother to put them on- and walked straight out the door, making sure to slam it. 

Keith had to hold himself together just long enough to get somewhere he can cry. He felt like falling to his knees right on his front porch and sobbing but knows that wouldn't do him any favors. Lance had been so cruel. How dare he assume he knew what Keith wanted? He didn't know anything. Keith started driving. He didn't realize where until he pulled into the garage. 

So he sat in his car in Shiro's garage. He didn't tell Shiro and Adam he was coming. They'll know it's him in their garage though. But Keith couldn't hold it back anymore; he'd been shaking the whole drive over. 

He started to sob. He hit his steering wheel over and over to release some rage within his car. He couldn't even see anymore- the tears were covering his vison. How could Lance hate him so much? He thought they were friends but Lance just ruined the only relationship Keith's been happy in. He said so many hurtful- and personal- things. He crossed his arms over the steering wheel and buried his head in them. Why was he so upset over a fight with Lance? Roommates fight, he tried to reason. 

But not them. They never fought. Lance knew him so well. He knew exactly how to hurt Keith's feelings and he did. What did Keith do to deserve this? A part of him never wanted to talk to Lance again. The rest of him knew that would never be possible. He loves Lance, he's his best friend. Right now though? He hated him. He had ruined one of the best twenty-four hours of his life. He had been so happy. 

Keith heard knocking on his window so he finally looked up. He had to wipe his eyes to be able to make out a blurry Shiro outside his window. Keith blinked a few times and saw the worried faces of Shiro and Adam. They probably heard his rageful and terrible cries. He couldn't find the energy to be embarrassed. He simply stepped out the car wordlessly and locked it. 

"Keith, what the hell happened?" Shiro asked worriedly. Keith just started crying again and fell into Shiro's arms. 

Chapter Text

James didn't think much of the fight between Keith and Lance. He figured they would have worked it out after he left. Lance was probably just upset about Keith lying to him for... god had it been a month? Yikes, maybe Lance has a reason to be mad. James didn't intend for any of this to happen. When he was teasing Lance during their fight he wasn't planning on getting together with Keith- it just happened.

A low level of guilt ate at him as he thought about it though. He had been saying whatever he thought would piss Lance off the most- but then the lies became true. He had promised Lance he was lying but then... fuck, this was complicated. 

He was thankful to Keith for helping him out with his career, but he really didn't plan on rekindling anything. He had caused trouble on previous sets because of his anger issues and that spread around and people didn't want to hire him. James couldn't really blame them. But he was better now after years of therapy and was ready to be a better coworker. Getting a job on Hollowed Out was a really good step. Coran and Adam both said they would tell other directors of his changed behavior. 

His agent, Natalie, had thought that wasn't enough. She said other actors also needed to see that he was a good person, and that having a public relationship would help with that. James didn't really want to have a fake partner but was pretty much willing to do a lot to help himself through this. So he agreed, and then Natalie mentioned Keith and he almost abandoned the whole idea. 

Keith had broke his heart. Sure, he was over him now, but he didn't really want a reminder of all those feelings. But things went well. Keith was great about it, and they were able to become friends again- something James had never even dreamed of. He was glad it happened though, Keith was such a good friend. He was encouraging, kind, funny, and always supportive. But that didn't bring back any romantic feelings for Keith. Of course he was attracted to him, he always had been; and of course they were more than friends. They didn't know any way to be except for more. So when Keith kissed him he was excited, yes. He was worried how it made him look though. He didn't plan it this way at all, but it certainly looked that way to anyone else. 

James was hesitant to go into this relationship with Keith. He had always wanted a serious relationship with someone- Keith used to be that person but he certainly wasn't anymore. He was happy to be in this happy and casual thing with Keith until they parted ways though. Just because they aren't romantic doesn't mean it isn't meaningful to either of them. James had learned a lot about himself just by being with Keith. He was happier with himself. 

All that stuff he said to Lance while they fought was just nonsense. He knew he touched a nerve when he mentioned Keith, so he ran with it. It seemed obvious to him why Lance got so mad about it- but Lance was firmly in denial and James didn't want to get punched again so he was not going to bring it up. Lance did seem happy with Kaleel- though it seemed, to James, to be the same sort of happy that James was with Keith.

Keith didn't talk to him on Sunday. James had texted him that morning asking what happened but didn't get a response. It concerned him but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He had a coffee date with Ryan that day anyway, so he wasn't thinking about it too much. 

Ryan had been James' friends since James arrived in Hollywood. They were both side characters in their first project and got along pretty well. They didn't keep in contact after that, but they happened to be cast together again in another show. They had the kind of friendship where they could talk once a month with a quick life update and then not talk the rest of the time and be fine. It was a low stakes, low maintenance friendship. One of James' only. 

But Ryan had helped to get James his job and he had barely seen Ryan on set at all. When they were there at the same time they'd spend the majority of their free time together. Though Keith was also usually there. Ryan didn't like Keith. It was kind of funny, really. 

After what happened with them the first time Ryan pretty much made up his mind about him. Saying he was inconsiderate and selfish. Once Ryan had worked with Keith on set he liked him slightly more but still held the grudge on James' behalf. James had told him recently that it was completely unnecessary but there was nothing for it. Ryan had stared at him for a full minute in silence when James told him he was sleeping with Keith again. 

Their conversation that Sunday wasn't much better. 

"I cannot believe you're sleeping with him. Again." Ryan rolled his eyes. He'd said all this before but it was a favorite past time of his, to complain about people. 

"It's actually going really well." James told him and Ryan nodded. 

"I just can't imagine it ending cleanly." 

"Why?" 

"I don't know. Nothing with that guy is clean. He's so messy." 

"I won't deny that. Lance found out about us yesterday." 

"Keith didn't tell him before?" Ryan asked with wide eyes and James shook his head. "What the fuck?" 

"It's complicated. I haven't heard from Keith since. I hope their fight wasn't too bad." 

"Told you. Messy." 

They ended up having to change the subject because James got too defensive of Keith. They ended up talking about future projects. Ryan had been getting more opportunities than James was. James was just hoping that it'd get better after the season came out. 

He still hadn't heard from Keith when he went to sleep that night.

When he walked onto set the afternoon of the next Monday things made more sense. All the other cast members were there already, they ran two scenes before James had one he had to get there for. He walked in and grabbed a sandwich from the food table before heading to the dressing room. He was just making his way through his routine when Kaleel rushed over to him. 

James liked Kaleel a lot. He was good at his job and generally pretty funny, even if he was quiet. The two of them had always gotten along with no problems. James didn't know him super well but he enjoyed when Kaleel was around. Especially whenever Lance and Keith got into their rhythm of ignoring everyone else in favor of talking to each other. Not that anyone else saw it that way. 

"Okay I only have five minutes until my break ends so be quick and tell me everything!" James put down his makeup brush and looked at Kaleel in confusion. What the hell was he on about?

"Um... what?" Kaleel sighed and sat down next to him and spoke in a quiet voice. 

"Saturday. Lance wasn't responding to me after he got home. So I came over there on Sunday and he was holed up in his room looking like he had been crying. He said he and Keith had a fight and Keith left. We both assumed he went to your place."

"Oh shit. No, but this text from Shiro makes a lot more sense. Shiro said Keith was at his place and told me not to worry. I haven't talked to Keith since I left on Saturday." James felt the guilt boil up a little more. 

"Okay, just tell me what happened! They aren't talking anymore! They're just avoiding each other on set!" Kaleel said anxiously, looking around. 

"Okay so you know how Keith and I are..." He looked around and whispered in Kaleel's ear. "Fake dating?" Kaleel nodded. "Yeah well we're sleeping together for real. We were just in Keith's place in our underwear, cause Lance said he wouldn't be back until late-"

"And he came home early. Oh no. I'm assuming Lance did not know you two were" Kaleel raised his eyebrows. 

"Matt was the only one who knew."

"Okay, this makes sense actually. Lance hates lying. Any kind. He kind of has trust issues, and his best friend lying to him? Yeah he's gonna be mad. This is not good.” Kaleel wrung his hands together. James was starting to get worried too. Keith and Lance weren't talking? That wasn't like them. 

"But it doesn't seem that deep? I mean, Keith just needs to apologize for lying and Lance should be fine, right?" James asked hopefully. 

"I don't know. I would think so, but maybe he just needs to be mad at him for a while."

"But Keith is mad too? Why would that be?" James asked as he saw Keith exit the break room. His whole body is rigid and his hands were clenched in fists. 

"Maybe... maybe they fought about something else too?" Kaleel thought aloud and James looked at him closer. He had a worry line running right through his eyebrows. James' stomach lurched with even more guilt. 

"Sorry, by the way." James thought he should add. 

"Hm? For what?"

"For beating your boyfriend up." James explained awkwardly and Kaleel's face turned stony and James wondered if maybe he shouldn't have brought that up. But it needed to be said. He'd say it to everyone a million times if he had to. 

"Thanks, I guess. He's forgiven you so I guess I should too, but I still don't understand it." James lifted his eyebrows- Lance hadn't told Kaleel why they fought. What James had said. Probably because his accusations were partially correct. Lance didn't tell Kaleel cause maybe James was right.... oh shit. That made everything worse. God, this fucking situation just kept getting worse and worse. 

"It was just stupid. We're over it now though."

"Yeah, I guess. Don't you ever even think about hurting him again though, understand?" Kaleel said in an intimidating tone. Kaleel was always such a kind and easy going guy- except when he was in stage manager mode where he was serious- but James had never seen him this serious and angry. 

"Of course not." James assured him and Kaleel nodded. 

"Oh good, you're together. What the hell is going on?" Pidge said as she and Hunk ran over to the two of them. Kaleel and James looked at each other in concern. "Keith and Lance haven't spoken a single word to each other since they arrived. They're barely speaking to the rest of us!" 

"Yeah their makeup stations are next to each other and they didn't even look at each other. It was scary." Hunk added with a worried shudder.  

"Shiro just whispered to the rest of us that Keith is staying with him right now because the two got into a huge fight." Pidge added, her eyebrows furrowed. "I hate it when my friends fight." She grumbled and Hunk put a hand on her shoulder. 

"It's unlike them too. They never fight." Hunk said sadly. "Lance won't talk to me. He gets this angry look, and then his eyes start to water and he walks away." 

"I'm sorry guys, I wish we knew more. We know only slightly more- neither of them have told us what happened. We have a guess based on what we do know, though." Kaleel explained and they all turn to James. 

"Yeah... okay." He sighed once Kaleel glared at him. "Some discretion though, okay guys?" James asked them and they nodded fervently. "Keith and I are sleeping together and Lance found out and threw me out of their place. Kaleel and I are assuming the fight was because Keith didn't tell Lance." James said all in one breath. Pidge and Hunk looked at each other and James knew they had some sort of non-verbal communication but he couldn't understand what they were thinking. 

"Okay but knowing Lance? He'd be petty as hell right now if that was all. He'd purposefully bump into Keith and just be an asshole." Hunk said and Pidge nodded. 

"Yeah and Keith would get mad at Lance for his pettiness but also feel sorta bad. He'd get sick of it within a day and confront Lance loudly. Then they'd figure it out and be friends again." Pidge said and Kaleel and James looked at each other in surprise. 

"Yeah... they're right. This is about something different then?" James asked and they all nod solemnly. 

"Or maybe that was what the fight was about, but they said some really hurtful things while it happened. Just like, in the moment. So now they're more mad about the random insults than the actual topic they fought over." Kaleel proposed and James shrugged and continued to put his makeup on. 

"I just hope it resolves soon. I don't think I've ever seen either of them this upset." Pidge said sadly. 

"Me neither." James and Kaleel said at the same time and they sit in silence for a second or two. 

"I gotta head back. My five minutes is up. I'll see you all around." Kaleel said and wandered off. 

Filming with both Lance and Keith was.... awkward. The scene was the three of them plus Allura- who seemed to know less than Pidge and Hunk did. When James walked onto the stage it was just Lance there. He wasn't sure if he should try to talk to him or not. Lance shot him an abhorrent stare that yelled 'don't fucking talk to me- I don't like you' so James kept his distance. Allura joined them soon and greeted the two happily. 

"One more scene for today!" She said, apparently not knowing James was somewhat a part of Keith and Lance's fight. "James, what do you think you're gonna do after this season?" Allura asked politely. 

"Oh, I um, I have a couple offers for some minor roles in movies. I'll probably take one of those until the season comes out." James said in a measured tone. Allura nodded and looked between James and Lance. 

"Lance? Are you okay?" Allura asked and Lance looked at her. His feel softened ever so slightly- only his eyes softened. 

"I'm fine, 'Lura. How are you?" Lance said tiredly. Allura walked over to him and they talk in slightly quieter tones as Keith walks on stage. 

"Hey," Keith greeted quietly. James raised his eyebrows, he was talking to him? He was a little worried Keith would blame him for the fight. James would understand if that was the case. 

"Hey," James said back carefully and looked at Lance. Any softening his features had done when Allura talked to him were gone when Keith entered. 

"I'll tell you later, okay?" Keith whispered to James. James nodded and noticed how upset Keith was. He was very good at concealing his feelings, James had thought his expression was anger but underneath that was sadness. 

"Okay. Hey," James moved closer to Keith. He didn't want to be too touchy in case that would piss Lance off more so he just stood closer. "Are you okay?" Keith looked at him and shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry." James said. 

"Not your fault. Like, at all. Let's just get this over with." Keith said as the director started calling things off. They all got into position for their scene. This unfortunately meant Keith and Lance were standing next to each other with Allura in front of them facing James. 

"You didn't really think that would work, did you?" Silver asked with a snarl. The three had tried to trick him into revealing where his boss was. Silver worked as a healer for a very powerful warlock, Bat, who the team of do-gooders was trying to defeat. "You must have a better plan than asking me?" Silver teased, walking closer to Amber. Amber glared at him and looked aside. 

"Don't you understand who you're helping?" Alexander said from behind Amber. Alexander was the angriest of them all. He and Silver were old friends. Silver frowned at Alexander's words. 

"I do. Do you understand who I'm working for? I think not, if you did you wouldn't be bothering me. You'd be running." Silver sneered and Alexander pushed past Amber so he was face to face with Silver. 

"You arrogant-" Alexander started and Silver quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"Alex, don't." Robin interrupted and pulled Alexander's arm back. Alexander let him a little bit but noticed when Silver narrowed his eyes.

"Alex?" Silver teased and Alexander lunged at him again and Robin held him back. "You're getting bolder," Silver said with a smirk. 

"Let's just leave, he's not going to help us." Amber noted, looking at the exit. 

"You're right, I won't." Silver told Amber. 

"Not willingly at least," Alexander said and pushed Silver against the wall. Silver grunted as his head hit the wall and Alexander put his forearm on Silver's neck. "Where is he?" Alexander said through gritted teeth, adding pressure on Silver's neck. Silver smirked- he wasn't going to talk. 

"Alex," Robin pleaded, trying to pull back on Alexander's arm. Alexander pulled his arm out of Robin's grip. 

"You're not just a healer, are you, Silver? Why else would he keep you around?" Alexander asked him and Amber walked closer, intrigued. 

"Even armies of a powerful warlock get injured." Silver said and pushed Alexander off him. 

"Enough of this." Alexander said tiredly and punched Silver in the face and Silver passed out. 

"Alexander!" Amber exclaimed. 

"What? It'll be easier to question him in our territory." 

"Alex that's not how we do things, we don't take prisoners!" Robin protested as Alexander stood Silver up.

"Actually, that's a good idea." Amber said and whispers a spell to float Silver. James just stayed on the ground- they'd add the effect in later. Amber left with Silver floating after her and Alexander started to follow but Robin grabbed his arm. 

"Just- remember who you are, Alex." Alexander softened and nodded slightly.

"Cut!" Adam said after their fifth take. "We're good. Everyone is dismissed." Adam sounded tired. 

James got up fast and Allura walked away first. James watched, as he dusted himself off, as Lance and Keith didn't move for a second. Lance's face softened again and he looked Keith in the eyes and opened his mouth like he's going to talk. Keith just looked like he's getting angrier every second and shook Lance's hand off him and walked off. Lance's face fell and he screwed his face up again. Lance started to leave and James followed him.

They passed Kaleel who shook his head in warning at James. 

"Hey, Lance I-" James started anyway. Lance spun to look at him and James saw the fury behind his eyes. 

"Ni siquiera intentes hablarme, puta! (Don't even think about talking to me, whore)" Lance spat the last word at him and James felt he should be offended. 

"Lance!" Kaleel exclaimed as his boyfriend walked away, he had the tone of scolding someone who said a bad word. "I am so sorry." Kaleel said to James. James looked around. 

"I have no idea what he said." James said like it should be obvious. Kaleel blinked and then shook his head a little, like he was shaking something off in his head. 

"Oh right, yeah, sorry. Um... don't worry about it. Just um... give him a wide berth." James nodded and Kaleel went off to finish working. 

"Hey," Keith said as James was packing up. Keith had all his stuff ready to go. 

"Hey," James said, he didn't know what else to say.

"Can I um- can I come over?" Keith asked him and James nodded. Keith gave him a little thank you nod and James put his hand out to see if Keith wanted to hold hands. Keith smiled and took his hand. They walked out together without talking. Keith would tell James when he felt he could. James knew it had to be pretty bad though. 

James saw Lance getting into his car as he and Keith entered the parking lot. Lance saw them and looked at their hands and looked away and shook his head. James felt self-conscious and was going to drop Keith's hand but Keith squeezed his hand so he didn't. Keith needed his support right now. Lance slammed his car door and drove away by the time James had gotten to his car. 

Keith sat down on James' couch while James messed around in the kitchen. James wanted to make dinner for them instead of ordering out since Keith was so down. He just made homemade mac and cheese while Keith stared at something on the television. James wasn't sure what was on- he could barely hear it. He guessed that Keith wasn't really paying much attention anyway. When James glanced over at him he was staring at the screen without moving his eyes or changing his facial expressions at all. 

Once James put the mac and cheese in the oven he sat down next to Keith on the couch. He noticed that the show on was Heart Stopper, a new show on Netflix that James had only briefly heard of. He didn't know Keith was interested in watching it. 

"Food should only be about forty five minutes." James told him and Keith looked at him and smiled sadly. 

"Thank you. I'm acting like my grandma died or something, geez, I'm sorry." Keith laughed in self-deprecation and wiped his face with his hands. 

"I don't mind. You went through a fight with someone you really trusted, you're upset. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, it's ridiculous." Keith scoffed and shook his head tiredly. 

"What you fought about is ridiculous?"

"No, what he was mad about is. I think my reaction was justified after all that he said!" Keith was still angry about it- obviously. 

"Take me through what happened." James said calmly and sat back to listen. 

"Right, okay. So I asked why he was so rude to you because he had no right to be and he just ignored that and barreled on about how he's mad that I didn't tell him-" Keith talked for a long time. James listened avidly as Keith emotionally went through the events of the past weekend.

James thought it was odd that Lance would make such accusations about Keith's character. Saying that Keith would take advantage of James' previous affections to boost his own ego is unreasonable- Keith would never. James did have to concede that he did think their relationship was a pit stop for them on their way to more serious relationships and a way for Keith to avoid having to commit to someone. But James doubted that Keith would ever be ready to commit to someone. Lance was right- Keith hated himself too much to give all of himself to someone else; he'd be too ashamed of his own deficiencies. 

In the time that James had known Keith, which was a little under five years, he had never known him to be someone who wanted a stereotypical relationship. He slept around, had casual things, things similar to what he has with James- and he always seemed happy with those. When James asked him out Keith had said that he wasn't ready and didn't want anything more. Keith and James were best friends at the time. If Keith wasn't ready for that with James... James doubted Keith would ever be ready. 

"I'm sorry. It sounds like Lance was being a jerk."

"Yeah! He just wants me to be like him! He's projecting his own feelings of what he thinks a relationship is AND his own feelings about you onto this whole thing and expecting me to agree with him!" Keith was furrowing his brow and drinking a lot of water since he had been talking so much. 

"Do you think he was totally wrong though?" Keith looked at him so fast James was worried about the integrity of his neck. 

"What? I thought you were on my side!"

"I am, entirely. He was out of line and had no reason to be mad at you besides the lying which he probably should've gotten over quicker. I just meant- don't you think this is a way for you to enjoy another person without having to fully commit your entire being to them?" Keith just stared at him for a minute, then back at the screen. "I don't mind- I actually really like that about this. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Maybe you're right. But like I said to Lance a million times- I am happy with this!" James wasn't entirely convinced. Keith said it in the way he does when he's trying to convince himself of something. "Why won't he just listen to me?" Keith said and looked close to tears. James wasn't sure why he or Lance were taking this so hard. James had punched Lance several times and said some pretty nasty stuff and they made up like a week later. Maybe Keith and Lance would too though. Who knew at this point. 

"I'm glad you're happy with me. I'm happy with you." James settled on and Keith kissed him. They sat back and cuddled on the couch while waiting for the food to cook. "What is this show about?" James asked after a couple of minutes. 

"It's just a bunch of queer teens coming to terms with queerness and bullying. It's cute. I like the main couple, those guys!" Keith said and pointed to a pair of teenager boys on screen. 

"I wouldn't think you'd like something about teenagers. You always scoff at them." James joked as he played with Keith's hair. Keith got a little quieter as he stared at the screen with a far-away smile. 

"Lance showed it to me when it came out. I liked it. I watch it when I'm sad now." James continued to brush his hands through Keith's hair and kissed his forehead. That sentence alone did more to tell James about how Keith felt about Lance than Keith ever had.

Filming on Tuesday didn't go any better. James drove Keith and himself to work that morning- which just got him several more glares from Lance. James just swallowed it down and let it happen. He had no control over the situation, just how he reacted. He could pull Lance aside and yell about how he was being an idiot but that would make everything worse. So he just sat in his makeup chair and pretended not to notice the burning hole Lance was staring into his head. 

Keith was quiet on set, to everyone. He said a thing or two to James but nothing of any substance. He chugged coffee like he was dying and James just shook his head when the others gave him worried glances. Like he knew any better than they did what to do. 

"How's he been?" Pidge asked him quietly after Keith left the greenroom. 

"Angry. He explained it to me last night. Lance is definitely in the wrong here." James concluded and Hunk bit his lip. He didn't look convinced. "You don't believe me?" James asked and Hunk shrugged. 

"I don't know what happened, and I don't want anyone but them to tell me. I just know them. I know that things are often more complicated than it seems. Keith did lie to him, James. Lance had mentioned to me recently that he was worried about Keith lying to him about this exact situation but he comforted himself by asking Keith and getting a negative response." 

"Why does he care so much?" James muttered. He knew the answer. He got punched for the answer. 

"I'm not saying that whatever Lance did to piss Keith off was right, but I understand why he was upset." Hunk explained and Pidge narrowed her eyes. 

"I still don't get it though. Lance must have been really bitchy for Keith to react like this." Pidge considered and James tilted his head back and forth. 

"He basically acted like he knew Keith better than Keith did. And said some bad things along the way." James didn't go into details because Hunk was right- they deserved to be able to tell who they wanted to. 

"Well, that does, unfortunately, sound like him." Pidge smiled sadly as she thought about her friend. 

"Hey, James, a minute?" Shiro asked between scenes. James nodded and sat next to him on the backstage couch. There wasn't anyone else in the breakroom, weirdly enough. 

"What's up, Shiro?" He asked nervously. He'd know Shiro almost as long as he'd known Keith but they were never close. As far as he knew, Shiro liked him fine. They weren't exactly friends but always polite and courteous. They both loved Keith deeply so they often had the same motivations. He assumed that's what this conversation was going to be about. 

"I want to talk about Keith." Shiro started and James nodded. 

"I figured. We can take turns having him over until he goes back. That way you and Adam don't have to house him the entire time." James offered and Shiro shook his head. 

"I meant about you and him." Shiro clarified and James swallowed. 

"Um, right. Okay," he nodded and waited for Shiro to continue. 

"He's told me everything. I just- you know what it means to be protective of Keith. It's difficult when he's such a spontaneous and insane kid." Shiro started and James let himself smile fondly. "I hate to ask you this, but I just have to clarify some things." Shiro grimaced and James nodded again, he sort of thought he'd be getting this question a lot. 

"I didn't intend this when I asked him for the fake relationship. I promise." 

"You know how it looks." 

"I do. I didn't initiate anything though, it was all Keith. We've talked about it multiple times before and it's good for us. Honestly, I didn't even want to do the whole fake dating thing. It was my agents idea and I agreed because it was a last resort. I almost gave up when she said she wanted it to be Keith because I didn't want to do that to him. I didn't think we'd actually become friends again, let alone anything else."

"You didn't want to do that to him?" 

"I didn't want it to seem like I was forcing him into a relationship with me after he had made it very clear that that wasn't something he wanted." James finished quietly. It still hurt sometimes, to think about the way Keith had turned him down after James had given himself over. 

"He really hurt you, didn't he?" Shiro asked softly. 

"I've moved on." 

"That's not what I asked." 

"Yes, he hurt me. He's apologized since. I don't blame him, I'm completely over him." 

"You guys are just more, even after all this time?" Shiro asked and James blushed. This wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about with Keith's brother. 

"I don't think we know how to be around each other without being more. Not yet, at least." 

"Are you two happy?" 

"I think so. Keith said he is, but I don't think it's sustainable. It isn't exactly meant to be though. I do eventually want a monogamous romantic relationship but I'm too busy to be looking right now, so for now- yes, I am very happy to be with him." 

"I'm glad. I know he sometimes... He isn't always the best at realizing other people's feelings and I would hate for him to hurt you again." 

"I don't think he could anymore. I mean, it'd have to be pretty bad." James laughed and Shiro cracked a small smile. 

"So this thing with Lance, that doesn't hurt you?" Shiro asked after looking up and down the hallway. 

"No, I don't blame either of them." James didn't clarify if Shiro was asking about the fight, or the clear feelings the men shared for each other. By the look in Shiro's eyes, he knew what James meant.  

Keith didn't go home with James that night. He gave James a brief kiss in the parking lot before leaving with Shiro. James wasn't upset either way. He was just going to pass out as soon as he got home anyway. Though, he did have to remember to text Hestia, his anger management counselor. He was supposed to check in with her every once in a while now that he had to meet with her a few weeks ago. He was glad to have found her. She wasn't even disappointed in him when he told her what happened. She probably should have been. James was disappointed in himself. He was a fucking idiot. 

He'd always had anger issues and never wanted to think about where they came from. Hestia made him think about it though, even if she did have to deal with him yelling at her about it and then immediately breaking down and apologizing. But still, he'd been doing so well. Lance was just- they didn't get along. James thought they did, thought it was just fun teasing with all the pranks. But then Lance blatantly said he didn't like James. What was he supposed to do with that? It didn't take long to work out why though. Lance may have been a good actor, and James could tell that he really did love Kaleel- but Keith had a way of working his way into people's lives. Even if they might've been safer without him in it.

Shiro was exhausted. Nearly constantly he was dealing with something. He didn't mind most of the time. He was a problem solver and enjoyed helping others and keeping busy. But was it too much to ask for an evening alone with his husband?!

Adam usually had to arrive and leave set at different times than Shiro did- which he was used to. It was uncommon for them to work a project together, so Shiro was appreciating the fact that he got to see him throughout the day at all. He always felt like he was helping someone else though. Which again- he usually didn’t mind. But with all the adoption stuff going on right now, everything just seemed harder. 

He and Adam had been trying to adopt for over a year. All their papers had finally gone through a couple months ago. The agency wouldn’t approve them though since they though that Adam and Shiro worked too often to take care of a child. Adam and him had talked about it. Shiro offered to leave Hollowed Out so Adam could stay on and Shiro would raise their child when Adam was at work. He really didn’t mind. But Adam refused that, he said that Grey was the main character and the show was nothing without him. Shiro secretly agreed. 

They finally agreed that they would just wait to adopt until after Hollowed Out ended. The writers were planning on ending it at season five. So really, only two and a half more years. Then they’d both take a break from working for a year, then for the next couple years they’d take turns working. Shiro would do a project, then Adam, and back and forth until their kid was old enough for school. 

They were sad to have to wait so long, but they both really cared about this show. It was Adam’s dream project and Shiro wanted to do anything in his power to help him with it. 

So they’ll wait. 

Keith was kind of like a kid to them. Shiro’s little brother had a knack for… how to put this? Stupidity. He made a lot of bad choices. Shiro didn’t really judge him for it; everyone is dumb in their twenties. Most people are still working things out in their forties. But when Keith showed up at his house sobbing and beating his steering wheel Shiro knew this was something bigger than normal. 

Keith’s normal stupid things were like making bets with people, becoming a tabloid, leaving a happy relationship with James cause he was scared, lying, over drinking, fake dating his ex, and on and on. But this? It didn’t seem entirely like Keith’s fault. 

Keith had told him and Adam what happened while chugging water that night. He was really dehydrated. Shiro and Adam glanced at each other several times during the story. He and his husband often talked nonverbally, especially if Keith was in the room. Keith wasn't the most mature person and he often didn't like when people would tell him the truth when he was trying to deny it. 

Lance said he was mad because Keith had lied to Lance and was now lying to himself about what he wanted in life. Shiro had a suspicion that Lance was right about part of that. Keith had been saying for at least a year that he wanted to try dating, actually dating. But he never went out of his way to meet anyone though, so it was always possible that he changed his mind. Shiro also thought that Lance wouldn’t still be this upset if that’s what he really was upset about. 

Shiro had thought for a long time that Lance and Keith were probably more to each other than friends. It started all the way back in the filming for season one. There was that whole mix up with the carpooling, but Shiro wasn't surprised at all at the idea that Keith and Lance started to see each other. There was always that tension between them, even after they became friends. Then they moved in together! Shiro wasn't sure about Keith's feelings for Lance but he was certain that Lance was hard core crushing on Shiro's little brother. Neither of them would admit it, of course, not even to themselves. He thought they were getting closer to figuring it out and then Lance started dating Kaleel. Kaleel seemed great, but not as perfect for Lance as Keith was. And then Keith went out and got himself a fake boyfriend which he was now sleeping with. Idiot boys. 

But that meant that Lance is actually, in addition to what he said, angry and jealous about Keith and James’ new relationship. And the reason Keith is so upset is because all that criticism and honestly came from Lance- someone who knows him so well and the last person Keith wants to judge him. Especially when he had to see Lance in a happy relationship with Kaleel everyday. 

In conclusion: they needed to get their heads out of their asses. But would they? Probably not. So Shiro just listened, and tried to help where he could. 

“Keith, you can’t stay here forever. You have to talk to him at some point.” Adam insisted the Wednesday after the fight. Keith was wrapped in a blanket on their couch and indulging in his own misery. 

“I hate him,” Keith grumbled. Shiro and Adam rolled their eyes. 

“No you don’t, dummy. You love him, you’re just mad right now.” Shiro said as he poured him and Adam a glass of wine. They had just got back from set, and Keith and Lance were still being as annoying as possible. 

“Well I need to be mad at him a little while longer!” Keith said and buried his face in a pillow. Adam lit up and Shiro knew he had an idea. 

"Come on, Keith. You guys never fight. Except that thing with the dog food." Shiro mentioned against his better judgement. 

"She doesn't need fancy food! She's a dog!" Keith fought back. 

“What about Kosmo? She’s your dog, not his. Are you gonna let him stay at your place with your dog while you sleep on someone else’s couch because he’s mad at you?” Adam asked with a smirk. 

“Yeah why are you sleeping on the couch? We have like three other rooms.” Shiro muttered and Adam glared at him. Shiro shrugged. He didn’t mind Keith staying there, he just wished it was cause he missed Shiro instead of because he didn’t want to talk to his best friend that he’s in love with. 

“I can’t kick him out.” Keith said and unburied his face. 

“Then you move back in.” Adam reasoned. Shiro just sat back and watched. There was no way Adam was going to be able to reason his way out with Keith when he was this upset and stubborn. It would be funny to watch though. 

“I don’t want to talk to him though. I just want my dog.” Keith said then gasped and sat up with a smile. This sincerely surprised Shiro. “Shiro! Will you go pick up Kosmo? She loves you guys and she loves it here!” 

“Really? You won’t even do it yourself?” Shiro groaned. 

“He won’t let me take her. Plus I don’t want to talk to him!” 

“Fine. I miss her anyway.” Shiro grumbled and grabbed his keys. So that’s how Shiro ended up driving to get a dog for his sad younger brother. 

“Shiro? What are you doing here?” Kaleel asked when he opened the door for Shiro. He invited Shiro in anyway and Shiro saw Lance sitting on the couch with Kosmo in his arms. He looked so sad and pathetic. 

“Hey Lance,” Shiro said with a small smile as he walked into the living room. 

“Hey Shiro.” Lance said quietly. 

“Whatcha watching?” Shiro asked as he sat down. 

“Knives Out.” Lance answered. 

“Oh that’s Keith’s favorite… movie.” Shiro said the last word quietly as he realized.  

“Why’re you here?” Lance asked as he paused it. 

“Lance, I’m sorry, but…” he looks a Kosmo and Lance nodded sadly. 

“No I know. She’s his dog. I thought he’d come get her at some point and I could apologize. But… here you are.” Lance let go of Kosmo but she didn’t move much. 

“I’m sorry. Could I talk to Lance alone?” Shiro asks Kaleel, who was standing behind the couch. 

“Yeah, I’ll grab Kosmo’s food.” Kaleel said and exited. 

“Lance… you guys gotta work this out.” Shiro insisted. 

“I know. I know, and I want to. He won’t talk to me though. He’s so mad!” 

“You said some pretty hurtful things. You didn’t have to be so brutally honest.” 

“But aren’t friends supposed to be honest with each other and help each other? Like if Hunk were to break up with Shay for no reason I would tell him straight up ‘Hunk, you’re being an idiot and this is harmful to you. Shay is amazing now grovel to get her back!’” 

“Drastically different situations. But yes, sometimes you have to tell your friends how it is so you can help them. But some things-” he pointedly looked at Lance. “They have to figure out themselves.” 

“He has told me before that he wanted to start looking for a serious relationship!” 

“I know, he’s told me too. But he’s happy with James right now. Maybe it’s temporary for him, but that’s something he needs to figure out. We can’t just tell him what he wants.” 

“But-” Lance sighed. “I was just trying to help.” 

“I know. Sometimes you just have to be there for your friends though. Even when they do things you don’t always agree with. But he’s not harming anyone, not even himself, by not pursuing a different relationship at this time. He’s okay, Lance. Well… not right now he’s not. You said some nasty things, man.” 

“Ugh I know! I was just so mad at him for lying. I asked him over and over and he continued to lie to me!” 

“I know. He’s stupid sometimes.” Shiro conceded with a smile. 

“Heh, yeah he is. But… I love him and I can’t not have him in my life because he lied to me a couple times.” Lance sighed and fiddled with the blanket over his leg. 

“You’ll work it out.” Shiro assured him and stood up. 

“Every time I try to talk to him he ignores me. What am I supposed to do?” 

“Wait for him to talk to you.” 

“Shiro- this is Keith we’re talking about. That could be forever! He’s one of the most stubborn people I have ever met.” 

“Yeah, but he needs you as much as you need him. Hang in there.” Shiro found Kosmo’s leash and attached it. Lance kissed Kosmo on the forehead and Kosmo licked his face. Shiro felt bad for taking her away but he knew that Lance understood. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lance.” Shiro waved and left with Kosmo and all her stuff.

 Keith was so happy to see Kosmo. Shiro didn’t even mind making the trip to get her. Plus it let him have that good conversation with Lance. Adam gave him a smile that meant ‘you give that kid too much’ as he got home. Shiro just smiled back. 

Maybe he was a little easy on Keith, but the kid had been through a lot. His dad died when he was really young and his mom just left after that. He had a harder time handling his sexuality than Shiro ever had too. Since Keith’s parents weren’t around he has really bad abandonment issues. He thought for most of his life that all his new friends and family would leave him if he came out. Even after Shiro came out he still felt like he couldn’t trust anyone.

When Shiro asked Keith why he was still nervous about it after Shiro came out he said “I wasn’t sure how tolerant mom and dad were. One gay son might not have bothered them… but two? I’m not even really their son. They could’ve just gotten rid of me whenever- I wasn’t going to give them any reason to kick me out.” Shiro almost cried when Keith told him that. 

Then Keith got gay-bashed. Shiro didn’t know that’s what it was until a while later. It terrified him to his core to see Keith leave anywhere alone after that. Keith hadn’t said it, but Shiro is pretty sure that’s why Keith can’t stand being alone. That’s why he always needs a roommate or someone around. A mix of abandonment issues from his parents… and that fear of being back alone in that alley. 

So maybe Shiro was a little easy on Keith. He let him stay over as long as he wanted, he bought him sweet treats, he brought his dog over instead of making him confront his problems. The world is hard enough as is. Why make it harder for no reason? If there was an actual problem with Keith- if his drinking got out of hand, if he got involved in an abusive relationship, if he did something harmful to him self or others- of course Shiro would step in and say something. But Keith just needed a little love right now. He wasn’t about to throw him out. 

“Let him be, Adam.” Shiro said as they walked to get sheets for a bed in one of their spare rooms.

“I’m just worried he and Lance won’t make up if we don’t help him to. Keith is very stubborn.” Adam said as they made the bed together. 

“I know, but can’t you see it?” Shiro asked quietly and Adam looked up with furrowed brows. 

“What?” 

“Keith needs Lance. He’ll come around. It might take a while- but he’ll realize he can’t live without him.” Shiro smiled a little and waited for Adam to catch up. 

“Oh. OHHH I see what you mean now.” Adam said as realization struck him. Shiro nodded with a smirk. “Did Keith tell you that or did you just…”

“You don’t have to deal with them as much as I do. Trust me.” Adam smiled and nodded. 

“Fine. Keith can stay as long as it takes. I love how perceptive you are. You never fail to amaze me.” Adam complimented and grabbed Shiro’s hands. Shiro smiled and kissed his husband. How did he get so lucky to find such a sweet and considerate person?

“I love you,” Shiro told him while resting his forehead against his husband’s. 

“I love you too.” Adam replied and they walked back to the living room. 

“Keith get off the couch, we made up the bed for you the last room.” Adam kneeled down to pet Kosmo.

“Thanks guys. Sorry for being such a...” Keith searched for a word. 

“Sad sack.” Adam supplied and Keith glared at him. 

“Rude. But accurate. Sorry guys. I really appreciate you guys letting me stay. And I can stay at James’ place sometimes so I won’t be bothering you all the time.” Keith got up from the couch and started to grab Kosmo’s things. 

“Keith, you’re not a burden. Stay until you’re ready. You can go to James’ if you like; but you don’t have to, we don’t mind.” Shiro told him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Thanks, ‘Kashi.” Keith said with a smile. Shiro smiled too; only his family is allowed to call him that. Even then, his parents call him Takashi, Adam usually says Shiro unless they’re having a serious conversation or being intimate. Keith usually calls him Shiro like everyone else unless they’re having an emotional conversation- like this one.  

Shiro slept well that night with his husband by his side and Kosmo and Keith safe in the other room. It felt nice to be around family. He saw his parents a few weeks ago which was nice, he wished he could do that more often. 

"Adam, I know you don't want him to stay but-" Started later that night before he fell asleep. 

"What? I said he could stay as long as he needed!" Adam objected, turning around in bed to see his husband better. 

"I kind of forced it." 

"No, you just reasoned with me." Adam fought back, ever the debater. 

"Well, I'm glad you see it that way. I just- He's been through so much. I can't stand to think about him dealing with this on his own." 

"I get it, 'Kashi. I don't mind. I just miss alone time." Adam admitted with a dark blush and Shiro laughed before covering his mouth. "Don't laugh at me for that! We've been so tired and busy that we haven't in a while!" 

"I know, I'm sorry. Trust me, I miss it too. I just didn't realize that's why you wanted him gone. He'll stay with James sometimes?" Shiro suggested and Adam huffed. 

"I don't know, Takashi. Work is always just so tiring it's hard for me to be in the mood after." 

"Break is coming up. We have our trip to look forward to." Shiro cupped Adam's cheek as he tried to cheer him up. 

"Hm, we can have sex everywhere in New Zealand." Adam snorted and Shiro chuckled. "I am not waiting to have sex until break- to be clear. I mean, unless you want to." 

"Adam, I would have sex with you basically anytime. But yeah, not while my stupid brother is pouting in the other room." Shiro laughed and Adam groaned. 

"Maybe Saturday if he's not still here. Ugh, I hate that we have to plan out when we fuck. We're so old." He grimaced and Shiro shook his head and kissed his partner firmly. 

"Sorry, sweetheart. I hope we can find some time soon." 

"I shouldn't be making such a big deal about it."

"It's alright, I miss it too, it's not just you. I've been a bit down lately so I haven't really felt like initiating anything, to be honest." 

"Is there something else weighing on you? Besides Keith and the adoption stuff?" Adam asked quietly and Shiro hummed. Adam started to rub his arm and Shiro was glad for the grounding feeling Adam always brought him. 

"Not that I can think of. I think it's just stress from those two things plus the show." 

"We really are overdo for a break." Adam sighed and scooted closer to wrap his arms around Shiro. 

"Hm, agreed. So close, baby. So close." Shiro assured him and they fell asleep soon after. 

Shiro drove Keith to work that next morning. Adam had left earlier that morning to do director things. Honestly he didn’t really understand it. Even Adam looked vaguely annoyed whenever he talked about doing it. Adam was really more interested in the in the moment sort of thing. The, y'know, directing the actors and crew part. 

Shiro and Keith were some of the first actors there besides Allura. 

“Morning, Allura!” Shiro called when he and Keith walked into the makeup room. 

“Oh good morning! Brilliant day isn’t it? The weather is so nice. I think I’ll go for a walk after filming is done.” Allura said conversationally. 

“How are you?” Shiro asked as he sat next to her to do his makeup. 

“Oh, alright. I’m sure you know, but the anniversary of my mother’s death is coming up, and that’s always a little hard.” Allura said with a sad smile. Shiro knew she was only telling him this because of how well they knew each other. 

He met Allura about about eleven years ago in an audition for a drama. They were in an audition where they played love interests. Allura had already been cast in the part and the directors wanted to see how the men they auditioned worked with her. Shiro didn't end up getting the role but he and Allura got along really well. They'd both seen the other's projects and were excited to finally meet. They'd seen each other a few other times at award ceremonies and started to become friends through their mutual social anxiety in those settings. 

About a two years before Hollowed Out was cast he and Allura worked in the same charity and started to spend time together outside of work. Shiro would now consider her one of his closest friends now. As much as he was always helping those around him- Allura had always been someone who would give back as much as she got. That included her listening to him talk about his adoption struggles while he listened to her family grief. 

Her mother died when she was twenty from cancer. About ten years later and Allura was, of course, still grieving. Shiro couldn’t blame her. He had grandparents close to him die and was a wreck for years. He still missed them to this day. He couldn't even imagine how that must be with a parent. 

“I’m sorry for your loss, I had no idea.” Keith said. Shiro honestly didn’t expect him to be listening and was surprised that Allura knew he was. She must trust Keith enough with this information now. That was kind of nice. To know that she felt comfortable enough to confess that to Keith. 

“Thank you. I’m quite alright now though. Lotor and I will have dinner with my father but her grave is in Britain so we can’t exactly go visit her.” 

“Your father is flying out?” Shiro asked. Her father, Alfor, lived in London. 

“We spend the day together every year. If I can’t fly over there then he comes round to see me.” Allura said with a smile. 

“That’s really nice. I hope your dinner goes well. Has your father met Lotor before?” Keith asked kindly. 

“Just over phone calls. Last year I didn’t think Lotor and I were close enough for him to meet my father. He’s quite anxious about it.” Allura said with a renewed smile. She looked tired though. Her smile was forced. She always lost sleep this time this time of year. Especially with all the work she does for the show. And now that she was in a serious relationship- it was just a lot on a person. 

“He’ll love Lotor.” Shiro assured Allura. Shiro had only met Alfor over calls but they got along very well. Alfor was a big fan of Shiro's work so he always got excited to talk to him. 

“I keep telling Lotor that! They’ll get along quite well. Especially since Lotor is British. I haven’t had a British boyfriend since I moved to the states. He’ll be thrilled.” Allura said with a laugh. Shiro was glad that the laugh sounded real instead of the one she often forced.  

“Hey guys!” Hunk said cheerily as he entered. 

“Morning Hunk!” Shiro and Allura said. 

“What scenes are we running today, episode 6 scene 8?”  Hunk asked and they nodded.

“Allura and Pidge have another scene after the rest of us leave I think. Same with Keith, Lance, and I.” Shiro told them and Allura nodded. 

“No I have to do that scene?!” Keith asked and glared at himself in the mirror. 

“What? Did you not memorize the lines for it?” Hunk asked as Pidge walked in. 

“Who didn’t memorize their lines?” Pidge asked as she sat down. 

“No I memorized them. I just forgot that was happening today.” Keith muttered grumpily. 

“What scene is it that you’re so upset about?” Allura asked him kindly. 

“Anything he has to film with Lance he’s probably dreading,” Shiro said quietly.  

“Well yes but also…” Keith sighed deeply. 

“Wait! Is it the one with the broken ribs?” Pidge asked with a grin. 

“Wait that one? Ugh. Great.” Shiro groaned. More of standing between Keith and Lance. Because he didn't get enough of this already. 

“Morning Lance!” Allura greeted as Lance walked in, looking like shit. 

“Hey, ‘Lura.” He said tiredly and started his makeup quickly. Keith stiffened up and got up to get changed. Lance sighed loudly when Keith is gone. 

“He won’t even look at me.” Lance muttered sadly and Hunk walked over to pat him on the back. 

The first scene with all of them went fine. It didn’t take too long at least. Hunk bid them farewell and Shiro went to the next stage for the other scene. He wasn’t looking forward to it. But he’d deal. 

“Grey get out of my way.” Robin said to Grey. Grey was standing between Robin and the room with Alexander in it. Alexander had been injured in a fight that Robin had specifically told him not to go on. Alexander went behind his back with Grey- who thought it was a good idea- and got himself hurt. 

“Robin, don’t be mad.” Grey said in defense. 

“I’m mad Grey! You’re both idiots!” Robin yelled at him. "You're supposed to be the responsible one!" Grey looked to the side and stepped aside so Robin could enter Alexander’s room. 

“He just broke a few ribs. He’ll be fine.” Grey commented and leaned against the doorframe. 

“Alex?” Robin asked softly as he sat next to Alexander in bed. Alexander opened his eyes and looked at Robin quickly before looking away. 

“You were right. The Minotaur threw me against a stone wall and- well.” Alexander said with obvious strain in his voice. 

“Yeah, idiot.” Robin said with a tired laugh. 

“How do you always know better than me?” Alexander groaned with a slight smile. 

“How do you know that and still not listen to me?” Robin asked with a smile. Alexander sat up, but winced and grabbed his ribs as he did so. 

“I took care of the Minotaur. Alexander did most of the work I just had to finish it off.” Grey added a bit awkwardly. Why the writers wanted him here, Shiro wasn’t sure.  

“Wait you got it?!” Alexander asked excitedly. They went after the Minotaur because it was guarding a lab of a renown fae scientist. Grey sighed. 

“It was almost completely empty. Silver got there first.” Grey held up a silver coin- his calling card. He only started using them after he found out it bothered Alexander so much. 

“Dammit!” Alexander said and then winced when it hurt his ribs. 

“Grey, did you wrap him up?” Robin asked. 

“No, he only just woke up.” Grey nodded at Alexander. He had had to carry Alexander all the way back here himself. He was worried Alexander wouldn’t make it since he didn’t know the extent of his injuries. Once he got back he had checked his injuries and Robin appeared before Alexander even woke up. 

“I’ll do it.” Robin said and got out Alexander’s first aid kit. They all had one in their room. 

“Need any help?” Grey asked and Robin shook his head. Grey left them be for now. Shiro stood off screen next to the camera, waiting for his next entrance. All he could do was watch and wait for his entrance line. 

“I can do it, you don’t need to.” Alexander told Robin as he cut the wrap. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Robin said stubbornly. 

“How is Silver always one step ahead of us?!” Alexander asked angrily. Robin helped Alexander take his shirt off so he can wrap his ribs. Robin didn’t say anything but inspects the ribs. They’re all bruised and one is even bloody. Robin grabbed out the cleaning stuff and started to clean the blood and the cut. Alexander winced but didn’t say anything. 

“I’m not sure. He is magic though.” Robin started and went to treat the cut. 

“So is Amber! Why can’t we just get this guy?” Robin put a hand on Alexander’s shoulder junction as Alexander waved his hands about. 

“Stop moving so much, Alex.” Robin said calmly and Alexander huffed but listened. 

“Sorry,” Alexander apologized quietly as Robin put away the cleaning stuff. 

“Alex, I don’t want you to think I don’t trust your abilities. You’re our best fighter. I trust you with that sort of thing. It’s just- I worry about you. Lean forward.” Robin instructed and pulled Alexander’s shoulder forward to help him. He started to wrap the ribs. Alexander tried not to wince. 

“You don’t have to worry about me, Robin.” Alexander muttered and Robin smiled minutely while looking down; Alexander couldn’t see his expression but looked anxiously at him. 

“I can’t really help it, Alex.” Robin finished the wrap off. Alexander stopped Robin’s hands from getting his shirt and looked him in the eye.

“Why?” They look into each other’s eyes with out speaking. Robin looked away first and Alexander blushed and reached for his shirt.

Shiro is almost in shock. The didn’t exactly change the script… but they did. They said each other’s names more and they spoke softer. They changed the blocking a bit too. They stared at each other longer. Their touches lingered. Alexander wasn’t supposed to blush either. The conversation is supposed to be more matter of fact and friendly than this. Shiro wasn’t sure if they were doing this on purpose- or if it was because of their true feelings for the other actor. 

“Hey guys, Amber needs us. She used a location spell on Silver. Alexander, can you move?” 

“I’ll be fine.” Alexander insisted and stood up, his shirt already back on. 

They run the scene three times- just for different angles. No one messed up and the directors had no notes so it was practically perfect three times in a row so they got to leave. 

After the last cut Shiro stood there for a second pretending to be interested with someone on his costume but was really watching Keith and Lance. 

Lance looked at Keith with a solemn expression and Keith glared at him and left. He looked sadder than angry at this point though. Lance huffed and rolled his eyes. Shiro groaned loudly as they both walked away. God they were children. 

“You okay, Shiro?” Kaleel asked as he checked something on his clipboard. 

“Just sick of those two. Love them, but god they’re getting on my nerves.” 

“Tell me about it.” Kaleel said sarcastically. Shiro smiled at Kaleel- he was probably dealing with Lance the same way Shiro is dealing with Keith. 

The next day Hunk pulls him aside during one of their breaks. 

“Can I talk to you?” Hunk asked nervously. 

“Yeah, of course.” Shiro said sincerely. 

“So… I’ve been getting a couple of movie offers lately.” 

“That’s great Hunk! Are you going to take any of them?” 

“I don’t know… I’ve never been in a movie before. I’d only ever been in tv comedies before Hollowed Out. And the big offer my agent wants me to do is… big. I’m just worried it’ll be out of my wheel house. It won’t be entirely humorless, but it’s one of those Oscar fishing movies.” 

Shiro smiled at Hunk. He’s genuinely very happy for the guy. Hunk is a great actor, he was just almost never given a chance to show that off. Hollowed Out has given him more stuff than any of his other shows.

“So, you’re nervous about taking it?” Shiro asked. He wasn't really sure what the problem is. He was sure Hunk would be great. 

“Yeah! I’m not…” Hunk sighed. “You’ve been nominated for an Oscar, right?” 

“Just once. I’ve been in two nominated movies but neither won,” Shiro shrugged. 

“Wow. Well, this movie is expected to get a lot of nominations- including best actor if they hire right. So why’re they asking me and not someone else, like you?” Shiro furrowed his brow. Did Hunk really not know how good and important he was? 

“Hunk, you’re a brilliant actor. This is a chance to show that off. They didn’t choose you because someone else said no. They chose you because they want you.” Hunk looked unsure. 

“What if… what if I mess it all up?” 

“You won’t. But if you do, if you don’t get nominated? That doesn’t mean you failed. There are plenty of fantastic performances that never get nominated- that doesn’t mean they weren’t amazing. It just means that the academy is full of idiots. Which we all already knew. Don’t tell anyone I said that.” Shiro told him, and Hunk smiled. 

“You really think I could do it?” 

“After seeing you in that scene where Theo breaks down in the kitchen? Definitely. You’re better than you think, Hunk.” Shiro put a hand on Hunk’s shoulder and Hunk smiled more confidently. Hunk then hugged him and Shiro hugged back. 

“Thanks, Shiro. That actually really helps.” Hunk thanked him with a smile and they walk back to the break room. 

Shiro had forgotten to ask Keith about that scene until that Saturday. He was going to ask him as soon as they finished filming it- but then Keith and Lance got all glare-y and Shiro honestly didn’t think that was the right time to mention it. Then he just forgot about it until now. 

“Hey, Keith.” Shiro mentioned, popping his head in on Keith’s room. Keith was sitting with Kosmo and talking to her. 

“What’s up?” 

“I have a question, and you have to be honest.” Shiro sat at the foot of the bed and Kosmo walked over to him to get some pets. 

“That doesn’t sound good. Okay, go for it.” Keith said but is obviously confused. 

“That scene you were dreading filming with Lance. The broken rib one.” Keith looked to the side with a slight blush. “Why’d you act it like that? It’s a subtle difference from the writing, but you guys made it more intimate. More…” 

“Gay.” Keith finished and Shiro laughed but nodded. 

“I was gonna say romantic.” 

“Lance and I agreed we’d have our characters fall in love. We didn’t even really have to change much writing or blocking honestly. It was pretty easy.” 

“So… why?” 

“Well our characters both have queer narratives and are queer coded. Plus the writers have basically written a love story. Their intimate moments are together, they’re best friends, their blocking is always together, on and on. If one of us was a woman- the characters would’ve gotten together at the same time as Amber and Grey.” Keith explained. Shiro agreed with him. Entirely. He saw the same things with their characters from the first season. It wasn’t just those things though- it was the way they acted it. 

“Sounds like a good idea. But… how will that help? If the writers just ignore it, you’re actually just helping with queer baiting.” 

“We talked about that too. We planned on talking to the writers after filming this season ended. Before they finalize the script for season four.” 

“And if they refuse?” 

“We’ll explain that to the fans when the show is done. But we’ll fight for it until then.” 

“So even though you two aren’t talking…” 

“It’s bigger than Lance and I. I’m not letting another show get away with queer baiting. Plus… we made an agreement. It seemed wrong to go back on something we both care about just because we’re mad at each other.” 

“I- I am actually really proud of you. I hope the writers listen to you.” Shiro said with a smile and Keith smiled too. 

“Yeah, they better.” 

Allura woke up at her alarm and turned it off before it woke up Lotor. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before she got up. She turned over in her bed to see Lotor still asleep. She smiled as he mouthed something silently in his sleep. The sunlight illuminated Lotor's cheek bones. Allura stroked his face gently and brushed his long hair out of his face. He had dyed his dark hair white again recently, he liked to dye it every couple months to keep up with his roots. His dark tan skin glowed a little more than usual in the early morning sunrise. 

Allura had never been in a relationship where she felt so safe and comfortable. Lotor was such a gentleman, and so understanding. Allura had had many relationships before; none of them felt this right though. Lotor had wanted to move into things slowly even though they were both relatively old to be taking things slow. Allura was ready to settle down, and she wanted it to be with Lotor. She hoped he felt the same way. 

"You're going to be late for work, love." Lotor murmured and opened his dark brown eyes. Allura smiled and kissed him on the lips softly. 

"I'm never late." She smiled against his lips and he did too. 

She tried to force herself up. It was always hard this time of year. Even after so long, she still thought of her mother often upon the month of her passing. She was such a lovely woman and Allura missed her dearly. It sometimes weighed on her that she shouldn't still be so affected by this. It had been years. It made her body tired and her brain slower. It used to be worse- where she could barely move or think most of the day. She supposed she should be thankful that she was improving then. 

"Isn't Shay coming back to set this week?" Lotor asked and Allura sighed before finally getting up. She wasn't sighing about Shay being back- she was extremely excited for that. She was just sighing over having to get up. 

"Yes! Finally, her character is barely in this season. I think the writers are trying to lower the amount of side characters we have. Ryan Kinkade has barely been there either even though he was bumped up from special guest. I'm not sure why, maybe they just want more character depth for the main characters. They're giving James a ridiculous amount of screen time though- our villains have never been this important to the series before. Bat's actor is hardly there."

"Isn't Silver more of an anti-hero though? Audiences love those." Lotor said as he sat up in bed. Allura really quickly got dressed and put on deodorant and perfume before heading to the bathroom to get ready.

"I suppose." 

She always did her own hair instead of having someone on set doing it. None of the hair stylists on set were Black, and Allura didn't really trust them to know what to do with her hair. She knew they were professionals and all, but she trusted herself more. The stylists were very understanding and just told her what the character needed for each scene and Allura would do it herself. Most days she just needed it out of her face for fighting. Her hair was currently in box braids so she just put her hair in a box braid bun. She was so used to doing this hair style for season three it didn't take long for her anymore. 

"Lura?" Lotor stood behind her in the mirror and wrapped his arms around her. 

"Yes, love?" She asked with a cheeky smile. 

"I can tell how much it's weighing on you. You know you can talk to me about it, right?" 

"I don't have much to say. I'm just sad most of the time if I'm left to think about it." 

"Do you want to think about it or do you like the distractions?" Lotor asked thoughtfully and Allura hummed. 

"I think I like the distractions. I'll have plenty of time to think about it when Dad visits. Trust me, he and I reminisce on her every year at our dinner." She sniffed and he nodded and kissed her cheek. 

"Alright, dear. Just let me know if it changes?" Lotor asked and Allura nodded. 

"Of course. I should get going now, dear." She stood and gathered her things. 

"Have a good day at work, love." Lotor said and gave Allura a kiss before she left. She smiled and kissed him back. 

"Love you," She said and started to leave. 

"Love you too!" Lotor said as she left and she smiled to herself. She'll never stop blushing around him, she swore. 

Allura was the first actor to arrive on set, typical. She started on her makeup and was already finished when Shiro and Keith got in. Keith was riding with Shiro- so that meant he was still fighting with Lance. For goodness sake. Allura wasn't sure what happened between the two, but she was worried about them. It had been a week already. The main cast never fought. Not real fights anyway. They got along famously. Keith and Lance moved in with each other so fast because of how well they got along- and now they were in this ridiculous fight. 

"Morning, boys!" Allura called as her friends sat down to do their makeup. 

"Morning, Allura!" They both said. Shiro looked tired. He must've just had a particularly exhausting conversation with Keith. Shiro had told her that he kept trying to help the situation out, but he had no success lately and it was tiring him out. 

"Only a couple more weeks of season three left, can you believe that?" Allura asked. 

"You're joking right? We just started this season!" Keith said and looked at his filming schedule and gaped at it. 

"Wow, that's incredible." Shiro said in amazement. "I'm kind of excited for break though," Shiro expressed. 

"What are you doing for break?" Allura asked curiously. 

"Adam and I are going on vacation. We're going to New Zealand!" Shiro said with a broad smile. 

"Shiro that's amazing! That'll be great! I've heard New Zealand is beautiful." Allura said cheerfully. If anyone deserved a break, it was Shiro. He and Adam had recently decided to wait until the show was done to officially adopt, and Shiro was more bummed about it than he let off. He said it was alright but Allura knew he really wanted a child. She offered to be a surrogate but he said he wanted to adopt since there were so many children out there who needed homes. 

"They're gonna look around the places where the Hobbit was filmed." Keith said with a teasing smile. 

"Yeah! We're going on the tour. Adam so excited for it!" Shiro said. "What are you doing for break?" He asked Allura.

"I'm back with the modelling agency. I'm heading out to France for a while, then Milan I believe." Allura was actually excited for this trip. Lotor had agreed to halt his show for a few months to go with her. He only had one show a week and did limited writing for them in the week proceeding so he was really only missing a couple shows. "Keith?" She asked and he looked up.

"Oh, yeah I'm back to working with my organization. I don't think I'll have to give any more speeches, thank god, or doing tours. It's mostly just fundraisers at this point, so I'll do those and I'll be helping with planning and organizing the separate things we're doing."

"That's wonderful! What is your organization called again? I'd love to go to a fundraiser if I can. Or at least donate." Allura said. She thought that since she'd be away during break she probably couldn't go to a fundraiser, but she'd love to at least donate. 

"It's called Spectrum Health and Care. People also call it SHC or just Spectrum." Keith explained. 

"Sounds like a hospital for gay people." Pidge said upon entering. Allura smirked at her comment and even Keith laughed. 

"Hey, I didn't pick the name." Keith said putting his hands in a defense position. Hunk entered the room soon after. He was bouncing as he walked. 

"Guess who's coming in tomorrow?!" He asked and Allura lit up. 

"Shay!" She responded and Hunk nodded excitedly. 

"Why're you so excited to see her Hunk? You see her almost every day?" Pidge asked with an amused smile. 

"Cause I never get to work with her and she's really good! Plus she gets to know all of you guys and I like when all my friends are together!" He explained and Allura beamed. She and Shay got along very well, they would hang out outside set as often as they could- it was hard with their schedules but they made it work enough that Allura considered them friends. 

"It'll be nice to see her again." Keith said good naturedly and got up to get dressed. Shiro also went to get dressed. Allura thought she should probably also be in costume. 

When she got out she saw Lance was anxiously pacing. His makeup and costume were already on, did Allura really take that long to get dressed? 

"Lance! How'd you get dressed so fast?" She said and he walked up to her. 

"What? Oh, I did my makeup at home and quickly dressed just now. Can I talk to you?" 

"Yes, of course. We don't have very long before we start filming though." She responded. 

"That's okay." He pulled her hand and they walked into a rarely used hallway. 

"Lance, is everything okay?" Lance looked around to see if anyone was coming. 

"No, I just need someone to talk to who's not my boyfriend. I love Kaleel, but he has a hard time being unbiased towards me and I think you'd just tell me the truth rather than sugar coat it."

"Of course, what's going on?" She asked worriedly and crossed her arms. 

"I just need another perspective on the fight with Keith. Can I tell you the story? It's kind of cringey." Lance winced at the memory. 

"Of course, Lance. You can tell me anything." Allura and Lance were pretty close, they were very similar in a lot of aspects.

So Lance told her the story, including all the rude things he said to Keith. She at least appreciated that he wasn't trying to make it sound like he was entirely in the right here. His assumptions of Keith's intentions were rather hurtful, she finally understood why Keith was so upset. Lance had thought, even if it was just for a second, that Keith was fake dating James to boost his own ego. Or that he was doing it to fill a void in his life. What hurtful things to say. Then being brutally honest about what he thought Keith should do with his dating life? He took it a bit far. He assumed too much about Keith's relationship with James, and telling Keith that it would never last? Allura honestly didn't know how she felt about Lance right now. 

"Wow. That's... a lot." Allura said after a while. 

"Yeah. I feel horrible about it all. I was so mad about him lying and just said every bad thought I had and it obviously did not go well. Plus- I still believe his relationship isn't what he wants, but I know it's none of my business at this point. I just want to be friends again." 

"Well, Lance, you definitely need to apologize. Of course, he should apologize for lying as well. I am not sure he'd be willing to apologize first though- given the insults you threw. He didn't really say anything harmful to you, did he?" Lance looked away sadly and shook his head. 

"I've been trying to apologize. Then Shiro said to wait until Keith comes to me, but I think you're right. Keith isn't going to come to me. I am more in the wrong here. So it should be me. But how can I do that when he won't talk to me?" Lance asked and Allura had an idea. 

"I have an idea, I think, but it's a little drastic. Maybe, just keep trying this week and if nothing works, we'll try out my plan?" Allura suggested and Lance nodded. 

"Yeah, thanks Allura. It feels really good to talk about it. Kaleel has been really helpful, but a little coddling. He blames Keith mostly, and Shiro mostly blames me. Which is fair."

"It's a fight, Lance. You're both in the wrong." Allura assured him. "Lance, while I have you, could I ask your advice on something?" 

"Yeah, of course. What is it?" Lance looked glad for the topic change. 

"I think I want to ask Lotor to move in with me. I've been wanting to for a while. He basically already lives with me." 

"That's great Allura!" Lance cheered with a smile. 

"I'm just a little worried. We agreed when we started dating that we didn't want to take things too fast just because of our age. Since we're both celebrities, we wanted to make sure we took things slow. So is moving in after two years too fast?" 

"What? No. I mean, I don't think so. If he basically lives with you, it sounds like it's time."

"I think so too. He's meeting my dad in person soon too." 

"Oh, then he'll be fine with moving in I think. You guys are really close."

"We are. Alright, thanks Lance. I think I already knew I wanted to, I just needed to talk it out with someone."

"Yeah, no problem. We should probably go now though, we start filming real soon." Allura looked at her phone and her eyes went big. Their conversation lasted longer than she realized.

"Oh wow, yeah, let's go!" They ran to the proper stage just in time. 

"Lotor?" Allura asked as she gets home. She smelled something cooking so she knew he was home. 

"How was work?" Lotor asked as he exited the kitchen to greet Allura with a kiss. 

"Pretty good. How was your day?"

"Alright, I finished all the writing for this weekend's show. I just need to actually invite the guests, and arrange everything else and do research and all that." 

"You must be tired." Allura said and they set the table together. 

"Not as tired as you, they're really giving you long hours lately," Lotor commented. 

"They are, aren't they? We're almost done with group work though. The last two weeks are couple scenes."

"Yes, your make out scene with Shiro." Lotor said in an almost jealous matter. 

"That is one of the last ones, yes. You have nothing to worry about, it's Shiro for goodness sake." Lotor smiled a little. 

"I am not worried that you like him, it is just a little hard to watch my lovely girlfriend make out with the most handsome man I've ever seen." Lotor explained and Allura laughed. Allura had kissed so many men on screen that the idea of it being even the slightest bit real was bizarre to her. 

"You're the most handsome man to me," Allura assured him and he smiled appreciatively.

He served them dinner, he made spaghetti and they ate together. They talked about random things, politics, weather, family, work, etc. 

"He's just being unreasonable, it's not your fault." Lotor assured her after she told him about her cousin getting mad at her for not inviting him over ever. Her cousin also lived in London and had never been to the U.S. She had never invited him because she didn't know he wanted to come, and he had never asked so how was she supposed to know? 

"Do you want to move in with me?" Allura said out of no where. "Okay, I was going to work that into a conversation somehow but it just sort of came out." Allura laughed. Lotor looked stunned for a moment so Allura went on. "I know we wanted to take it slow and it's barely been two years but you basically already live here, and-" She stopped when Lotor started laughing. She tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"It's just- I love you. Yes, of course I'll move in. I've been trying to find a way to ask, but your place is so much better than mine and it sounds so much worse to ask 'can I move in with you' then the other way around." Lotor laughed and Allura giggled. 

"This is great! When do you want to move in?" Allura asked excitedly. 

"Well, I'll need to sell my place first. It's near the beach though, I'm sure it'll sell quick."

"Alright, just let me know how everything works out. My real estate agent is really good." She said and he smiled. Lotor came from money, he owned his current house. Allura owned hers as well, but she paid for it herself from her acting and modelling career. She hadn't grown up rich like Lotor, but they were far from poor. She was definitely rich now though. 

"I'm glad you asked, love." Lotor said and Allura beamed. 

"I'm glad you agreed." And they carried on with their meal. 

"Allura?" Allura turned from her dressing room to face the voice that had called her. She beamed when she saw Shay walk in with Hunk. 

"Shay! It's so good to see you!" Allura said and hugged Shay and Shay hugged back. 

"You too! Your hair looks so good! I haven't seen it since you got box braids in. Whoever did it is amazing!" Shay exclaimed. 

"Thank you! I went to the place on Main street for the braids and extensions. I love your scarf!" Allura commented on Shay's scarf with a front knot that holds her updo in place. 

"Thanks! I really like scarves for Azaria as a character. It just vibes with her personality."

"I can totally see that. The only direction I get for Amber is that it has to be out of her face." 

"Shay! It's so good to see you again!" Pidge greeted when she got out of her dressing room. 

"Oh my gosh Pidge!" Shay laughed in excitement and they hugged. Allura knew they're also friends outside of set since Pidge and Hunk were so close. 

"Would you two want to go out for dinner and drinks after work?" Allura asked the two of them. She'd invite some of the guys but... she's always around guys and rarely has any time to hang out with any women. Plus, they were so much drama currently. 

"Absolutely! I totally missed you guys." Shay cooed. 

"Yeah I'm down. We all end around the same time, right?" Pidged asked and looked between them. 

"I believe we are all in the last scene of the evening, yes." Allura said and they nodded

"Okay guys, that was so cute I took a video!" Hunk told them as he ran over to them with the camera. "I was far enough away I don't think I got much audio, it was just really cute to see all you guys so excited to see each other." Hunk said fondly and looked at the recording. 

"You're such a sweetheart." Shay said affectionately and Pidge smiled too. 

"More like sappy." She teased but they all know how much Hunk and Pidge care for each other. They were like brother and sister at this point. 

"Hey Shay! It's been a while, how are you?" Lance greeted as he arrived. Ever the late arriver now he was not living with Keith. 

"Hey Lance! I'm doing really well, how are you?" Lance forced a smile and looked around. 

"I'm alright." 

"Hey, I haven't seen Shiro or Keith yet. Doesn't Keith usually come with you?" Shay asked Lance innocently. Lance looked to the side again. 

"Sorry, I haven't seen either of them yet. I gotta go do my makeup." Lance said and left the group. 

"Yeesh, sorry I should've warned you." Hunk said, wincing at Lance's coldness. 

"Did I say something wrong?" Shay asked worriedly. 

"No, not at all. Lance is just... grumpy? He and Keith got in a fight." Pidge explained.  

"I should go talk to him." Hunk said and left to talk to Lance. 

"What happened?" Shay asked and Pidge and Allura both motion for her to follow them. Shay, who did her makeup at home and had already dressed, followed them to the empty break room. Pidge made sure to close the door. 

"Oh my gosh we have so much to tell you. It's a whole thing!" Pidge said excitedly as she sat down in a chair. Allura and Shay sit on the couch. "I don't know the whole story but they have been ignoring each other and Keith is staying at Shiro's house!" 

"Wow, that must be big then," Shay sighed. 

"Lance told me the whole story, but asked me not to share details, sorry." Allura said and the others brushed it off- nice that they understood and accepted that she wasn't going to break Lance's trust. "It's just silly and messy. Well, maybe not silly. Without too much detail: Keith has been lying to Lance about something pretty big and Lance found out. Lance got really mad about it and then said some really horrible things about Keith and hurt his feelings. Then Keith tried to defend himself and Lance tried to give him some unwanted and honestly unwarranted advice. This just made Keith angrier and he stormed out and has been refusing to talk to Lance." Allura finished telling them. Even Pidge looked a little surprised. 

"How long has this been going on?" Shay asked. 

"Little over a week," Pidge responded. "Lance said mean things about Keith? I didn't know he had any mean thoughts about Keith."

"He was really quite upset and just said mean things for the sake of it. He feels horrible about it now." Allura explained. 

"Poor Keith." Shay looked down at her feet. 

"So Hunk didn't tell you any of this?" Allura asked.  

"No, he said there was some drama that he didn't know much about but would tell me the whole story when he had it. Do Kaleel and James know what happened? Their boyfriends?" Shay asked and Allura blinked. Right- Shay doesn't know that James and Keith are fake dating. 

"Yeah, they know." Pidge said, covering for Allura's clear confusion. 

"Is James here today? I haven't met him yet. And Kaleel? I love that guy." 

"James isn't in today, but will be in sometime this week. Kaleel is always here, he got bumped up to primary stage manager," Pidge explained. 

"Oh that's great!" There was a knock at the door and Lance popped his head in.

"Hey, can I come in?" He asked and they nodded. He slumped over the arm rests of another chair.

"Sorry for earlier Lance, I didn't mean to strike a nerve." Shay apologized. 

"Oh, no, it's all okay. It's just stupid drama." Lance waved it off and the girls all looked at each other. 

"I have some good news, if you don't mind all hearing it." Allura said excitedly. 

"Yeah! Love good news!" Lance said and slid into the seat correctly. 

"Well... Lotor and I are officially moving in together!" Allura squealed and they all imploded with excitement and congratulations. 

"That's great!" Pidge said 

"Oh that's so exciting!" Shay exclaimed. 

"'Lura that's awesome! He said yes?" Lance asked excitedly. 

"Yeah! We talked about it yesterday. I'm quite excited," She beamed. 

"Congrats!" They all say again. 

"Hey, guys?" A stage manager pops their head in. "We need you guys on set." They all got up and followed the stage manager to the stage they were using. 

"Azaria, welcome back. How was your mission?" Grey asked as the scene started and Azaria entered their bunker with Amber. 

"It went according to plan. Here are the schematics of Bat's base." Azaria said and laid out the plans on their table. Azaria had agreed last season to go under cover within Bat's forces to learn as much as she could about him and his army. She eventually had to be pulled out by Amber when her position had been compromised. That scene they were filming tomorrow. 

"These are great, thank you so much. Are you doing alright?" Theo asked her. 

"I broke my arm. All things considered, could have been worse," Azaria shrugged.  

"Alexander over here broke a ton of ribs a little while ago from one minotaur and he's still on bed rest. You were surrounded by an army and only broke an arm? Impressive." Robin said and poked Alexander. Alexander swatted his hand away. 

"Did you have any contact with a wizard called Silver?" Alexander asked. He had gotten sort of obsessive over Silver since he had that big fight in the temple. 

"That asshole? Yeah, he's the one who found out I was a spy." Azaria's lip curled in disgust. 

"Do you know if he knows any magic besides healing? And how close he is to Bat?" Amber asked. 

"Silver? He and Bat are pretty close. He's only a healer as far as I can see. That's why he's so close with Bat. I can't figure out what- but there's something wrong with Bat. He needs to be healed by Silver at least once a day. That's why Silver has such a big head on him- he's important there," Azaria told them. 

"Bat is sick in some way?" Gemma asked. 

"Yeah, in some way that can't be permanently healed by a great healer?" Grey asked. 

"I don't know guys. I'm sorry, I was never able to get that close to him. I never even met the guy. Everything I know is from someone else there." Azaria told them. 

"No, it's okay. You've given us a lot. Thank you again, you took a lot of risk in going there." Amber told her and Azaria smiled weakly. 

"Thanks for saving my ass last minute," She told Amber. 

"Let me show you to your room." Gemma told her and carried her stuff for her. 

The scene went on a little longer. They started to make their plans and talk out strategies with what they now knew from Azaria. 

They filmed a couple scenes that day since they had Shay here. Azaria was only in the last two episodes but in like every scene in those episodes so they had plenty to do. When they were all done Allura met up with the girls to discuss. 

"Alright, how about that place over on 3rd?" Shay proposed. 

"Sounds good, I got my car so I'll meet you guys there." Pidge said and went to her car. 

"I drove here with Hunk, could you give me a ride over?" Shay asked. 

"Yes! Of course." They walked out together and ran into Kaleel as he's leaving. 

"Oh Shay, hi! Sorry I didn't really get to talk to you today. How are you?" Kaleel asked kindly. 

"I'm doing really well! How are you? I heard you got promoted! That's so exciting!" Shay congratulated him and Lance caught up with them. 

"Yeah! I'm also getting a ton of offers from all around. I've already taken an offer for the break." Kaleel said and Lance grabbed his hand as they walked. 

"Oh I'm so happy for you! You're doing great." Shay told him and they hugged before they part ways to their cars. 

"Kaleel and Lance are really cute together." Shay noted when they got into the car. 

"They are. They're a bit of an odd couple. Lance is a lot more outgoing and Kaleel is pretty shy. They're just really different I guess. I would have never thought they'd be together if I didn't watch Lance and him get to know each other." Allura said as they made their way over to the restaurant. It wasn't very far. 

"Opposites attract, I guess?" 

"I suppose. I don't know how long they'll be together is all I meant. They seem to be going in different directions is all. They're happy together though, so who knows." Allura observed as they pulled into the parking lot. 

They joined Pidge at a table near the outside bar. It was a really nice place, a little garden patio outside a nice inside part. Pidge had already gotten waters for the table and she smiled wide when they sat down. 

"Okay, I know it's sort of mean to say- but I'm really glad neither one of you wanted to bring your boyfriends. I love them both- I just need a break from men right now." Pidge said and Allura and Shay let out a sigh of relief. 

"I was thinking the same thing! We work almost exclusively with men! There's lots of women on the crew but with the main cast it's just us. Plus, they've been causing so much drama lately I just- ugh," Allura complained.  

"That sounds really sucky, not gonna lie. I haven't had a girl's night in a while though, so I'm excited either way!" Shay cheered and Pidge and Allura beamed at her. 

"Alright- enough talk about men. I am going to pretend they don't exist for tonight." Pidge decided and they all agreed. Their waiter came over and they all ordered an appetizer and some sort of drink. Allura got a margarita, Shay got a cosmopolitan, and Pidge got a gin n' tonic. 

"So I'm modelling in Paris first. I think they're gonna have me do some runway stuff this time cause I'm going to Paris and Milan. I've only done runway once before. I'm usually just ads and magazines and whatnot. I'm sort of excited. Runway means more extravagant stuff!" Allura explained as they got their appetizers. 

"That sounds really fun, do you enjoy modelling?" Shay asked.

"For the most part. Acting is my first love, of course. I will say- the environment of modelling can be really toxic. My first agent was horrible. She was very strict with what I was able to eat and what not. I fired her after she yelled at me for eating carbs."

"Yeah, fuck her." Pidge said and shoved a particularly large amount of food in her mouth as if to prove her point. 

"Carbs are like, the best food. And aren't they important?" Shay asked. 

"I don't know, but I was tired of her. My manager is way better now. She's really kind and understanding. The other models and directors can be a bit difficult sometimes but for the most part it's fine work. I don't mind it. What are you doing for break, Pidge?" 

"Oh! I'm really excited! Someone who works for a gaming company saw our live stream where I said I wanted to act in a game and they suggested me to their company! I am voicing a couple characters for the new Fall Out game! I'm really excited- I've never done voice acting before!" 

"That's awesome Pidge! How long will that take?" Allura asked curiously.

"Honestly, not long, I think. I'm doing a lot of back ground characters and one main character so I'd guess a month. After that I'm going to try another thing that's kinda new." She looked a little anxious about whatever she was talking about. 

"Hm? Like singing?" Shay asked and Allura couldn't help but laugh- she's heard Pidge sing. She's not very good. 

"I have to agree with Allura- I am a horrible singer. You're close though! I am directing a music video!" 

"Oh my gosh Pidge that's big news! Directing!? I didn't know you were interested in that?" Allura exclaimed. 

"Yeah I've been thinking about it for a while now. I think I'm gonna try it out with this video and see if I like it."

"Who's the artist?" Shay asked. 

"Beach Bunny? I don't know if you know her?" Pidge said and Shay almost jumped in her seat. 

"Prom Queen! I love that song! And Cloud 9!" Shay clarified. 

"Yeah! I really like her music and her vibes." Pidge said. 

"Oh, I think I like that one. I don't know her as well though." Allura thought aloud. 

"What about you Shay? I know you took a break recently, but don't you have a project coming up?" Pidge asked after they ordered their entrees. 

"Oh I didn't tell you guys about this!?" Pidge and Allura shook their heads excitedly. "I got the main role in a new show! It's about this woman Isla, my character, who got wrongfully arrested and about her fight for justice afterwards. She goes to jail for a while, but most of it is set in a court or preparing for court."

"That sounds interesting. Plus a great opportunity for you!" Allura congratulated her.

"Yeah that sounds really cool, you excited?" Pidge asked. 

"Yes, extremely. I actually read through a preliminary script and I love it already! My character is so cool," She gushed. 

"Aw I'm so glad all of us have good things coming our way!" Allura squealed and saw the waiter coming over. The waiter gave them their food and they all ordered more drinks. 

After their wonderful dinners they sat and talked more with their drinks. None of them were drunk, but tipsy and having a lot of fun. Allura was so glad they were able to do this. She never got to go out with her girl friends. 

"I've been thinking of getting a pet, I just can't decide what kind." Shay told them as they finished up their meals. 

"Pets are the best- you really can't go wrong there." Pidge shrugged. 

"I love my cat, Platt. A total sweetheart." Allura mentioned. 

"Yeah I've met Platt! I love her. I just feel like I'm more of a dog person, but I do love cats." Shay added. 

"Dogs are a bit more social, but cats are more independent. So it's really just about what you're looking for, either choice is great." Pidge told her. 

"I was thinking of adopting a dog from a shelter, so like, a pit bull or something." Shay explained. 

"Oh pit bulls are so cute! I know some are trained badly and that's why people don't like them as much but if you train them well they're so sweet!" Allura added. She's never had a dog but has many friends who do. 

"Yeah, my cousin has a pit bull and she's a total sweetheart." Pidge said and checked her phone. "I should probably get going. We have an early start tomorrow." They wait for the check to come over and part ways for the night. Allura drove Shay home that night. 

"What's your schedule like tomorrow?" Shay asked Allura while in the car. 

"Well you and I have the rescue scene where we have to fight off James and the combat specialists who play the other army members. I think the boys and Pidge are filming another scene at the same time on another stage. Then I think we all have a scene together and then I actually leave a bit early. What about you?" 

"Yeah I'm in those scenes with you then I have one with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. I have a lot of scenes that'll be filmed in the last two weeks since it's just two actors needed."

"Yeah I have a lot of those. I think the last scene that we're filming for the season is the one with Shiro and I."

"Oh the almost-sex-scene?" Shay asked. 

"Yes, Lotor is slightly jealous of Shiro. Can you believe that?" Allura laughed. 

"Yes, Shiro is super hot. He's one of the most famous actors and one of your best friends." Shay said and Allura paused for a moment. She never even thought of Shiro that way, even before he was out as gay. She always just saw him as a friend and a co-worker. 

"It's Shiro though..." Allura said and Shay laughed. 

"Okay, just because you can't see how hot he is doesn't mean Lotor can't. He's not actually worried is he?"

"He says he just doesn't like watching me make out with anyone else, but that he trusts me."

"Well there you go! No one likes watching their partner make out with someone else, but you're an actor, and Lotor knows that." 

"It's Amber kissing Grey, not me kissing Shiro." Allura muttered. 

"I know hun, and so does Lotor. You have nothing to worry about, Lotor doesn't seem the jealous type." 

"I hope not." 

"Shay, have you met James yet?" Allura asked as the three of them gather on their alternate stage. Shay walked up in costume and smiled kindly at James. 

"No! It's so nice to finally meet you!" Shay said and shook hands with James. 

"You too! Hunk has told me a lot about you." James said with a smile and Shay blushed. 

"He's such a sweetheart. How are things with Keith? You two are still dating, right?" Shay asked. 

"Yeah! It's going really well I think. He's in a bit of a fight with Lance right now, but other than that it's great." 

"You guys seem really cute together on social media." Shay said and Allura tried not to add anything. If she was too enthusiastic in her assurance of their relationship then it would seem suspicious. 

"Alright guys, places!" A stage manager yelled and they take their places along with the fighters. 

"You! I knew you were a spy! Attack!" Silver yelled as he saw Amber helping Azaria escape. The soldiers that are nearby start after the two. 

"Silver, son of of-" Azaria said as she is attacked by three men at once. She picked up a nearby crowbar and knocked one out on the head before attacking the other two. Amber used her magic to knock out two people coming her way and picked up a two by four to fight off the closer soldiers. Silver started saying an incantation to himself as they fight off the small amount of soldiers near the exit. 

The incantation turned out to be a way to heal the soldiers who passed out faster, so they're up on their feet soon after they're knocked out. Silver continued to speak the incantation as his soldiers fight, he was concentrating really hard. 

"Amber! Stop Silver!" Azaria yelled as she climbed up on crates around her and found a two by four piece of wood to knock soldiers back with. The soldiers had laser blasters, they couldn't kill unless they hit your head or heart, but they hurt like a son of a bitch. Azaria tried to block the hits with her wooden bar but got hit a couple times in the arms and legs. 

Amber blasted as path to Silver, the soldiers didn't stay down long but she was able to form a force field around her as she ran after Silver. Silver couldn't move much but slowly backed up and called for the soldiers to protect him. Amber's force field is able to push through them and she pulled Silver into her force field so no one else can get to him or her. Silver's incantation held until Amber punched him and he stopped speaking. 

"Make sure he can't start again!" Azaria yelled as she started making her way through the soldiers now that they can be knocked out. She picked up a laser gun and started blasting through them. Her aim is impeccable as she ducked between crates. 

Amber punched Silver again and expanded the force field so she had room to fight. Silver came back after her, throwing punches that hit Amber and she doubled over. They fist fight with no avail for minutes while Azaria fought off a ton of people. Amber and Silver fight for what seemed like forever. Amber managed to kick Silver in between the legs and he kneeled over in pain. With that quick break she opened a hole in her force field and blast away some of the soldiers coming after Azaria. Azaria now only had a couple men to fight off. 

"You'll never win," Silver grunted while getting to his feet. 

"I so don't care." Amber said as she punched Silver right in the jaw and he passed out. Amber let the force field down and worked on the soldiers with Azaria who has since broke her arm. Soldiers kept piling into the room so they ran to the door. They managed to get through and break the mechanism that controled the door so the soldiers can't get through after them. Then the scenes ended. 

They run it a couple times but ultimately decide that anything that's noticeably bad could be fixed in post. So they head to the break room. The others are all in there, they must be waiting for Allura, James, and Shay to be done to start their group scene.

Their next scene was the final fight in the season, James as Silver and Nathaniel as Bat were their number one opponents along with their soldiers. Grey and Amber would fight Bat together and Alexander would face off James while Gemma, Theo, Azaria, and Robin fought off the soldiers. The scene was long. Like, really long. It ended with Amber accidentally causing an avalanche in the caves Bat uses as a hide out. Alexander saved Silver from being crushed and they think Bat was killed but he actually survived in a scene they don't see. 

Before they moved on to that scene though- they all needed way more protective gear. Everyone had theirs on already except Allura, Shay and James. Shay and Allura got theirs from their lockers but James had never been issued gear this sturdy. 

"Come with me, I'll show you where we keep it." Keith said and took James by the hand and lead him out of the room. Allura was happy for them. Their relationship may be nontraditional but they seemed content with it. And god knew Keith could use some respite. She sat down with Lance on the couch and closed her eyes just to get a little rest before their long scene. 

"So how're things going Lance? Have you talked to him yet?" Pidge asked Lance now that Keith is out of the room. "You two aren't glaring as much as usual." 

"No. He took Kosmo though." Lance grumbled. Pidge and Hunk tried, but fail, to not laugh. 

"I'm so sorry, Lance, it's just kind of funny." Hunk said through laughs. Even Allura let out a snort with her eyes still closed. 

"Yeah, what are you? A divorced couple?" Pidge joked and Shay and Shiro joined in laughing. 

"Shiro! Don't laugh! You're the one who took Kosmo!" Lance said defensively. 

"He made Shiro do it? He didn't even do it himself?" Pidge said while cracking up. 

"It's my dog." Keith defended and Allura opened her eyes quickly. Apparently she was not the only one who didn't realize Keith had entered. 

"I just miss her." Lance told Keith and everyone went silent. They were talking. 

"Sucks." Keith said simply and walked out to the stage with James flashing them all an apologetic smile but at least he had his safety gear. 

They all looked at Lance, awaiting a response. He was just staring at the door in shock. 

"Lance?" Allura asked gently and put a hand on his heavily covered shoulder.

"He talked to me..." Lance said quietly with a little smile. Allura looked at the others and they all shared a worried glance. 

Two days later and they had finished with their plan. They had one more scene to film for this week- the last group scene before couple scenes. Lance had set this up through Shiro, though it had been Allura's idea. He had no idea that anyone else was involved. They would put their plan into action after they were done for the day. Kaleel was in on it, so they had access to the building for as long as they needed. 

Before they went into the scene they had a group huddle while Shay distracted Keith and Lance was in the break room. 

"Okay, everyone knows the plan. James distracts Keith, Hunk gets the dresser, I do the talking. Lance knows I'm involved but doesn't know about any one else. Let's keep it that way so if things go badly, all of Keith and Lance's anger is directed at me," Shiro explained. 

"Shouldn't someone wait there to make sure they actually make up instead of just saying they made up?" Hunk asked worriedly and Pidge nodded. 

"And to make sure they don't end up making things worse with more insults?" Pidge added. 

"And to break up a fight if it comes to that." James added and they all looked at him. 

"Lance and Keith? They wouldn't actually start a fist fight," Allura shook her head.  

"Keith can be a bit rash, and he's an angry guy, but he wouldn't start a fight like that. And Lance? It's Lance." Shiro snorted. Kaleel and James looked at each other. 

"Yeah... Lance has started a fight before because someone insulted him." Kaleel muttered and James nodded guiltily. Kaleel glared at him until he talked. 

"Yeah a while back we were fighting and I said something and he punched me. We got into a bit of a... scuffle after that. We totally worked it out, it's just... Don't underestimate Lance's anger." James told them. Shiro looked at him stonily. 

"We'll talk about that later." Shiro said and James nodded guiltily. "Okay, so we need someone to listen in without them knowing. I'd say I should do it but shouldn't it be someone impartial? Lance insults Keith again and I'm fully on Keith's side." Shiro told them bluntly. 

"It can't be either of us." Kaleel said, referring to him and James. 

"They haven't told Hunk or I what happened. I think it should be someone who knows already. That much should be their choice," Pidge said. 

"I'll do it." Allura shrugged. "Lance told me what happened on Monday. I can be impartial and quiet." 

"Can you move the dresser and pry them off each other if they get too mad at each other?" James asked a little disbelieving. 

"Allura can handle it," Shiro said with a confident smile and Allura smiled back at him. "Alright, it's settled. Everyone else, just don't let on that anything is happening. Let's go." 

They finished up their scene and just acted casually. Lance made sure to be done first with his makeup and sneak into Keith's dressing room while James distracted Keith with normal, unsuspecting conversation. 

They all finished their makeup and costumes quickly so they could pretend to leave but waited around the corner except Shiro and Hunk. As Keith made his way to his dressing room Hunk pretended he was going to his dressing room. Keith entered his room and closed the door. Hunk quickly moved a dresser in front of the door so they couldn't get out. 

"What the?" They heard Keith say and Hunk moved out of the way and Shiro walked over. "Lance? What the hell are you doing in here?"

"Just listen." Lance said and Keith pushed on the door. 

"Who the fuck put something in front of this door? Let me out!" Keith yelled and banged on the door. Hunk walked away quietly and Shiro stood close. 

"Keith, you two need to work this out. I am not letting you out until you two make up. I'll leave you two in private, Lance will text me when you two make up. Okay, I'm leaving." Shiro yelled and walked away. Allura quietly walked over and sat against a nearby wall, out of any sight they could possibly have. 

"Fucking hell, Shiro. Were you in on this, Lance?" Keith asked Lance angrily. 

"Keith. I'm in your dressing room. Yes, Shiro helped me out." Keith hit the wall again. 

"Why?! I don't want to talk to you!" Keith yelled. 

"Because we need to work this out. It's been two weeks, Keith."

"Yeah, and I'm still mad at you."

"And I totally deserve that. But we have to get through this." 

"Why?"

"Because we're best friends, and we need each other in our lives." Keith didn't make any sound. "Please Keith, let's just talk."

Keith spent the next five minutes trying to figure out a way to get out of there. Including trying to climb over the very tall walls. That didn't work. Then he tried to break down the door. That didn't work either. Finally, he tried to undo the screws holding the door in. That, especially, didn't work. Keith sighed loudly. 

"Fine." It sounded like Keith sat down.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of those things I said about why you might've started this thing with James- I was just mad you lied to me, but that's no excuse for cruelty. And about all that other stuff.... I'm sorry. I was being presumptuous. It's none of my business, and obviously you know yourself better than I do. If you say you're happy then I'll be happy for you." It sounded like Lance sat down as well. 

It was quiet for a couple minutes. Allura just stared at her hands and played with her cuticles. 

"Did you really think I could be so selfish?" Keith finally asked quietly. 

"No, I was just saying stupid stuff cause I was mad. You're one of the most selfless people I know." 

"I thought I hated you." Lance didn't say anything. "I didn't. I tried to, but I couldn't."

"I'm sorry, Hermoso."

"Are you ever going to tell me what that means?" Keith asked with a slight laugh- which sincerely surprised Allura. 

"You could always look it up." Lance said back, and Allura can tell he was almost smiling by his inflection. 

"I'm sorry too. I should have told you. I promised I would and I didn't. I was worried how'd you react, especially since you and him had just started getting along after your fight." 

"I gave you a lot of reasons to not tell me though. Punching James out was definitely not something that screamed 'I approve of this guy!'" Lance said with a dry laugh. "I made it hard to tell me, and so did Matt. I'm sorry for that too... I should support you no matter what, not only if you do things I agree with." 

"I'll try to be more honest though. I know trust is a big thing for you, and I never meant to hurt you. You know that right?"

"I do now. I never meant to actually hurt you either. I was just angry, and stupid. I was trying to help but I guess I'm really bad at that."

"You're usually really good at it, actually. I just- I wanted you to believe me, and you just didn't. I don't think it was intentional, but it just felt like you were saying I didn't know what I was doing with my life. That my relationships weren't real and I was just pretending to be happy." Lance didn't say anything for a minute. 

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that at all. Just... God I wish I could undo everything I said." Allura heard Lance set his head against the wall. This was going well, as far as Allura could tell at least. "Are you happy? With whatever this thing with James is?" Keith hesitated. 

"Yes. I don't know how long it'll last, but it does make me happy for now. He's a really good guy, Lance. It feels... comfortable." Lance sniffed. 

"Then that's all that matters." Lance said firmly. 

"I'm sorry for being so dramatic over all this. I just wanted to stay mad so I wouldn't have to talk to you. You really hurt my feelings." 

"It's alright. It was warranted."

"And again, I'm sorry for not telling you. You should've been the first person I told."

"I forgive you Keith. I'm just happy you've found a relationship you're happy with." 

"I forgive you too." 

"Oh good. I will never give you unwanted advice again, unless it's dire." Lance let out a deep sigh and Keith chuckled under his breath. 

"In what situation would advice be dire?" 

"Oh umm... I don't know. You're super drunk and walking in the middle of the road and I yell 'Keith get out of the road!'" They both started laughing again and Allura smiled. 

"That's so stupid" Keith said through laughs. 

"You asked! I was put on the spot!" Lance spluttered through laughing. 

"I missed you." Keith slowly stopped laughing and so did Lance. 

"I missed you too." 

"We're still in costume," Keith snorted. 

"Here, I can text Shiro to come back." Lance started and it sounded like he stood up. "This is real, right? Like you actually forgave me? Not a trick?" 

"Lance, I mean it." It sounded like Keith stood up too. 

"You're a really good actor." 

"Lance, I just needed to hear that you understood me. That you had accepted the fact that I'm happy, and that all that stuff you said you didn't mean." 

"I didn't understand how you could previously want something and then just- not anymore. But I guess people change. And you were right, you don't have to want the same things as I do for your relationship to be valid or healthy. I just needed to get my head around the idea that this wasn't planned- because it really did seem that way. Like James was plotting or something." 

"You said you thought I was doing that." Keith pointed out and Lance hummed. 

"I know. That's when I was still too mad to think logically though, Keith. I know you too well to think that you would take advantage of someone like that."

"You still said it." 

"I'm sorry. It was an automatic thought, not a thing I felt." 

"It just hurt coming from you. You know me so well that if you thought those things about me I must be like that." Keith added quietly and Allura heard movement that sounded like someone walking quickly- likely Lance rushing to Keith's side. 

"No, santa meirda, no. I just- I was trying to understand and I just went straight to the worst case scenarios because that's where my head went first. If anyone is a bad person here, it's me. I do know you really well and that's how I know you are a considerate and loving person." 

"I don't think you're a bad person, Lance. I could never think that. I just don't understand why you would've said such hurtful things to me." 

"I felt blind sighted. Something that I knew was happening but was told wasn't- It just made me so mad at you." 

"I felt terrible about that, Lance. Only once did you ask after we had actually started to sleep together and I almost threw up. I wish I could blame it all on Matt, but he only told me that a week in. I should have told you before that. I just didn't want you to think he was some conniving schemer who was forcing anything on me. You already thought that."

"I don't think there was a scenario where I would've been happy about it. He's still not my favorite person. It's not his fault, or yours, I just- I don't know. I was trying and then pretty much gave up." 

"Being up front from the beginning would've been better though. You know that." Keith admitted and Lance let out a small hum. 

"Yeah, I just meant that you had your reasons. Reasons that I immediately proved." 

"Please, just confirm for me one last time: you don't think I'm an idiot. Some child who doesn't know what they're doing with their life and is just so selfish that they can't see how harmful they're being to everyone else." Keith pleaded and Lance inhaled sharply. 

"Keith, is that how I made you feel?" 

"A little." Keith responded- which for Keith meant yes. 

"Fuck, I am so sorry. No, of course not. You know your body and your feelings better than I could. You have every right to sleep with whoever you want. Even if I don't like them. It shouldn't matter." 

"I shouldn't have dragged this on so long. I just felt so shitty whenever I saw you. Like you were staring burns through me." 

"Fuck. I hate this. I hate that I said any of these things and made you feel this way. I am so fucking sorry, Keith." 

"Stop apologizing, Lance. I- I forgive you. Thank you for understanding me." 

"Of course, hermoso. I'm just sorry I didn't earlier." 

"What did I literally just say about apologizing?" Keith laughed. "I'm sorry too. Let's just end it there." 

"I forgive you too." There was some movement but Allura couldn't make out what it was. "You'll move back in? With Kosmo?" Lance asked, a little muffled. She assumed they were hugging, then. 

"You just want Kosmo back." Keith joked, and Allura could hear his smile. Lance laughed loudly. "Yeah, I knew it. This was all just a ploy to get Kosmo back." Keith started laughing after he finished speaking. Allura texted everyone to clear out since they were finishing up.

"You got me." Lance agreed. 

"Yes, I'll move back." 

"Okay, good. Movie night wasn't as fun without your commentary."

"Movie night? You mean every day after work?" Keith asked in an amused voice. 

"Yeah!" Lance cheered. Shiro walked up and nodded at Allura. That was her cue to get to her car and leave before they realized anyone else was involved. Shiro gave her a questioning look that meant 'did they actually make up?' and she nodded with a smile and walked away. 

Chapter Text

Lance had never been so thankful for Keith as when they had started being friends again. He seriously could almost kiss Keith when he came home from a day of back to back scene work and Keith had made dinner. They were into couple scenes so Lance and Keith no longer had the same schedule. Lance had three scenes he filmed that day. One with Allura, one with James, and one with Hunk. He had more tomorrow. 

The one with James had been kinda awkward. He was really making an effort to be nice to him now. He just didn’t know how to talk to him. He’s never met any of Keith’s partners before and he didn’t know how to talk to them. Keith just talked to Kaleel like they were friends but Lance was pretty sure he couldn’t just act like friends with James. 

Their conversation before their scene today went along these lines:

“Hey James!” Lance greeted, a tad cheery for how he'd been acting lately. 

“Oh, hey Lance.” James greeted back, looking incredibly awkward. 

“Keith and I worked everything out… I’m happy for you guys.” Lance sighed out and James shifted on his feet. 

“Thanks I guess. Look, we weren’t doing any of that when we had our fight. And I wasn’t actually planning on anything happening, I know it seems that way since of what I said… I swear I had no idea anything would happen.” 

“I know. You knew it bothered me to hear you talk crudely about my friend so you did it as much as you could.” 

“Right… sorry again about all that.” James didn't sound too sure. 

“We’re past it.” 

“Yeah, yeah totally.” 

“Sorry for calling you a whore, by the way.” 

“You- what? When did you call me a whore?” James asked, looking both offended and confused.

“Oh, I might've said it in Spanish. Sorry, sometimes I forget, since it was weeks ago. It all just translates in my head.” 

“No problem. I can’t imagine having to translate that often. You called me a whore?” James brushed the first part off then quickly asked the last. 

“Yeah… sorry.” Lance winced and James just stared at him agape. 

“It’s fine, I guess.” 

And then they had to start their scene. Awkward as hell. Could’ve been worse though.

"Lance? I'm here, sorry, long day." Kaleel said as he entered after Keith and Lance had finished dinner. 

"Hey, Carino, let me serve you some dinner." Lance told him. 

"Gracias, I'm gonna take a quick shower if you don't mind." Kaleel said and gave Lance a quick kiss on the forehead. He then disappeared in to the house. Lance turned back to the kitchen to find Keith staring at him. 

"What?" Lance asked. 

"Isn't your one year anniversary coming up?" Keith asked back.  

"Barely, Jan. 21st. I still have months, it's only November 14th." Lance said defensively. He had actually almost forgot it was November already. His Halloween was pretty sucky since Keith and him were still not talking to each other at the time. He just spent the day with Kaleel and watched horror movies and ate candy. They had started filming earlier and had compressed the filming schedule so they were planned to end filming right in time for Thanksgiving. They were able to compress filming since they hired combat specialists and expert fighters instead of regular stunt actors or extras, this sped up the learning choreo process as well as the actual filming since they didn't have to run the scenes as often. Because of this they were able to film more scenes per day and so on. 

"You aren't counting your first date of Karaoke?" Keith asked after a minute of them both just thinking. 

"I wasn't... I should probably ask him if he does though. I was counting the day I actually asked him to be my boyfriend." 

"Makes sense I guess. Well you have more time than I thought," Keith shrugged. 

"Yeah, I still have no idea what I should do for it though. Like does he want something big? Or like… not a big deal? Are we doing gifts? Or like a experience gift? Like tickets to a musical or something.” Lance speculated for a minute or two while Kaleel’s food warmed up in the microwave. Keith didn’t speak as he finished his second serving. 

"Well, first thing to figure out is if you'll still be in Cuba." Keith said. Lance was going home to Cuba for a while after filming. He was definitely going to be there for Christmas. 

"I'll be back," Lance remembered aloud. 

"Be back from where? For what?" Kaleel entered with a towel on his shoulder. Lance always forgot how fast his showers were. Lance, personally, took half hour showers and Kaleel always took five minutes or less. 

"Back from Cuba in time for our anniversary." Lance explained and Kaleel wiped off his steamed up glasses with his shirt. 

"Oh, you'll be back. Jan 21st? You'll be back from Cuba on Jan 10th." Kaleel confirmed and Lance was so glad they were on the same page. 

"You know my flying schedule?" Lance asked with an appreciative smile. 

"Of course." Kaleel nodded as he sat down and started eating. 

"Aww, that's so cute." 

"I'll see you two later." Keith waved and left for his room. 

"We're just too cute for Keith to stand, I guess." Lance told Kaleel, who chuckled.

"I've been told we have that affect." 

Lance had more couple scenes the next day. He had a scene with Shiro, Keith, and Pidge. Keith had scenes with other actors on other stages while Lance was doing his so they had similar schedules. 

His scene with Shiro was brief, just a quick interaction that took about a minute on screen and two takes. 

His scene with Pidge was slightly longer and more complicated. This was one of their scenes where they were under a lot of pressure during a fight. It was earlish in the season, a scene where Gemma was hacking into a computer at an enemy base while Robin guarded the door with his laser gun. 

"Alright, this shouldn't take too long." Gemma said as they ran into the computer room. Gemma started opening the coding of the computers and typing away to create new codes. They were trying to both find any information on Bat as they could along with destroying the code for a machine this fortress uses that was going to decimate a nearby town. Gemma would destroy the code and Grey and Theo would destroy the machine. So it double doesn't work. 

"Alright, just be careful." Robin warned as he stood in the doorway, looking out into the hallway. 

"So are you feeling better?" Gemma asked while typing away. This was the episode after Silver had saved Robin and Alexander from dying from that curse. 

"What? Focus on your hacking." Robin says seriously. 

"I can talk and type. Stop avoiding the question." Gemma said and started clicking with the mouse pad. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Both Alex and I are fine. You guys worry too much." 

"You almost died, I think we worried just the right amount." 

"But we didn't!" Robin said and shot someone off screen. 

"Be honest, you were scared."

"Sure, scared out of my mind." Robin said sarcastically. Gemma moved from one screen with coding to another with schematics. 

"Stop being an ass, it's okay to talk about your feelings sometimes." 

"I talk about my feelings all the time!" Gemma gave him a leveling glance. "Okay, fine. Yes, of course I was scared. I'm not a big fan of dying, and we got a little too close for comfort. And Alex just acted like he didn't even care if he died!" 

"He seemed plenty worried to me." 

"He was worried about me dying, he said I had too much left to do. I think he cared more about keeping me alive than himself. That was the most worrying part." 

"He's an idiot sometimes, isn't he?" Gemma asked as she closed down one program and focused on the other. 

"Yeah, something like that." Robin said, clearly wanting to drop the subject. Gemma looked at him while her program was running. 

"Robin-"

"Just finish it up, please. There's a shit ton of guards coming our way." Robin said as he started shooting people off screen. Gemma looked mad at him but finished up her work and then started breaking all their computers. "Whatcha doing there, Gemma?" Robin asked over the sound of him shooting. 

"Took everything useful for us and broke all their systems. I don't want them to be able to fix it, ergo, breaking them." She said and took her laser gun out of her belt and started shooting the unseen guards as well. 

That scene only took five takes, but not too bad since it was pretty short. He just had his scene with Keith and he could leave for the day. Not a super long day. He had to go back to makeup to get all bloodied up. They were filming the scene after their fight with Silver in the temple. They were just entering the bunker and trying to tell everyone that they got the scroll but no one was there for some reason. So he waited as his makeup artist matched his injuries to the ones he would've sustained in that fight. 

"You going back after this scene?" Lance asked Keith while fake blood is applied to a fake cut on his face. 

"Yeah, just finished the minotaur fight with Shiro. I don't know why that's in the couple scenes. Shouldn't the minotaur count as a third person?" 

"Well, he's only half human. So couple and a half?" Lance joked and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"They have an actor for him though. Only his top half was green screened to be CGI'd later." Keith said as he wiped fake blood out of his mouth. 

"Did you have those blood capsule things?" Lance said, pointing at his mouth. 

"Yeah, for when I get thrown against a wall. Probably looks cool, feels gross though. If I ever bleed that much from my mouth- " Keith shivered from the idea. "I don't know, I don't like the feeling." 

Lance was getting bruises on his jaw, eyes, neck, and cheek bone. Along his cheek bone was a large cut as well. They had to put a little putty around his eye to give the black eye appearance. Keith got similar marks but without anything on his neck. Silver kept tugging on Robin's collar so it dug a lot into Robin's neck. 

"Guys! We got it!" Alexander yelled as they entered the bunker. He had his arm wrapped around Robin's middle to hold him up and Robin was hanging on with his arm over Alexander's shoulder. 

"They aren't here." Robin said as they looked around. 

"Where the hell are they?" Alexander asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Here, sit down Robin." Alexander helped Robin into a chair. 

"I'm fine, Alex."

"He hit you with a boulder."

"He almost hit me with a boulder. I dodged." Alexander rolled his eyes and walked around the bunker. 

"They didn't leave a note or anything." He said when he got back and sat next to Robin. 

"Are our radios working? We could try them that way." 

"They took theirs and Silver broke ours, the ass."

"Who is Silver?" Robin asked curiously. Alexander looked at him in alarm. 

"Did you get a concussion? Did he hit you too hard?" Alexander asked and cupped Robin's face to look at his eyes. 

"Dumbass," Robin scolded as he swiped Alexander's hands off with a smile. "I meant who is he to you? You two know each other. You said previously that he was someone you used to know who turned evil. Not very specific." Lance tried to make Robin sound a tad jealous. Alexander got quiet and looked away. 

"Like I said, old friend. We were friends when we were teenagers. He didn't go by Silver back then- just Samuel. He got into magic, which I thought was cool and all. It was just healing magic after all- no way to harm someone with that. Then we got attacked by a warlock. I held him back as Silver tried to use a spell but nothing worked since all he knows is healing. I kept telling him to knock it off and help me and he insisted he could figure something out. The warlock almost killed me before I was able to cut his head off, but I was so beaten up I passed out afterwards. When I woke up, Silver was healing the warlock, not me. I was barely alive but asked him what he was doing. He glared at me and stepped on my rib cage, trying to break them. A group of Fae saved me, luckily. They healed me and explained that that warlock was looking for an apprentice and that Silver likely wanted to prove himself to the warlock. Used me to make a good impression." 

Robin stared at Alexander for a minute with his mouth slightly open. 

"Holy shit."

"Don't tell the others? It's just... stupid."

"It's not stupid! Bastard almost killed you!" Robin exclaimed in an outrage. 

"I'm fine, Robin." Alexander said with a small smile. "Speaking of, let's stitch up that cut." Alexander said and grabbed a make shift stitch kit they made themselves. 

"I hate him even more now." Robin grumbled as Alexander started to clean the cut carefully. 

"Hate him because he's helping Bat, not because of something he did when we were nineteen." Alexander said but he's mostly distracted by getting the thread and needle together. 

"I mean, of course, but I'm also mad that he betrayed you!"

"Stop moving so much," Alexander muttered as he starts the stitches, Robin winced and closed his eyes. "Sorry, this will probably hurt for a minute or two." 

"It's okay, I've had worse."

"We'll stop them. Bat and his army. I know you're worrying about it."

"It's hard not to worry about it."

"Trust the people you work with. We got Azaria in undercover and she'll help us find their main base and get Bat."

"I trust you guys. Especially you."

"Why especially me?" Alexander asked with a small smile. 

"Hm, must be cause you're my favorite." Alexander chuckled a little. "For real though, you're a really good leader."

"Grey is the leader."

"Of us, but you're a leader to our army. Plus you're a fighter of both the average and the supernatural, which takes most people ages to accept but you manage to live comfortably in both worlds. You're like... the future." Robin sighed and Alexander stopped his stitching for a second to look at Robin. Robin opened his eyes and Alexander looks away. 

"You have too much faith in me." Alexander grumbled and finished off the stitch and tied it off. 

"No, you just don't have enough faith in yourself." Robin insisted and Alexander looked him in the eyes. 

The scene ended there- it's going to cut to where the others are during the episode. They had to run that one a couple of times, Lance thought it was about six. Lance had messed up a couple of lines and Keith had called Silver James at least once. 

They got ready to leave after that. They had a lot of makeup to take off. 

"Thanks, by the way." Lance told Keith, who looked at him with confusion. 

"For what?"

"This scene just reminded me of our agreement with our characters. I never thanked you for the rib scene- even though we weren't talking you held up the bargain." Lance shrugged one shoulder and Keith shook his head. 

"Lance, no offense, but I wasn't doing it for you. You were right, these characters deserve to have their story told as well."

"I'm glad you agree with me."

"Took me a while to see, but yeah."

"We're gonna have to talk to the writers about that soon, before I leave for Cuba."

"Yeah, wanna set up a meeting for after the wrap?" Keith asked and Lance nodded and texted his agent. 

"Alright, Slav is setting it all up. I think it'll go well." 

"Our writers are pretty chill, they'll probably go along with it. If they don't we'll just keep bothering them about it." 

"I can be very annoying," Lance said with a smile and Keith snorted. 

"Yeah, you're very good at it."

"Besides, the writers are probably planning it already. I mean, Robin fixes Alexander's broken ribs? Alexander stitches up Robin's face? Robin is the only one allowed to call Alexander Alex? They're blind if they can't see what they're doing."

"Yeah, for real. Now that I know what queer narratives and queer coding is it's obvious to me." Keith said. 

"Told you! I'm glad Kaleel helped you out with that." Kaleel had a whole class on this in college and offered to teach Keith just a little about that sort of thing. 

"He's a good guy," Keith said and looked at Lance. 

"Yeah, he's great." Lance said adoringly and looked at Kaleel working. He found his water bottle from his bag and took a large gulp before spitting it out in disgust. Keith starts cracking up and cheering. 

“What the fuck?” Lance says in surprise as he wipes his tongue with a tissue. Keith couldn’t stop laughing long enough to answer. Lance found the answer when he saw the video diaries camera aimed at him from the makeup table. 

“I-I can’t believe that actually worked.” Keith said through puffs of laughter, Lance swore Keith’s eyes were getting watery. Lance actually started giggling after that. 

“What did you do?” Lance asked amused. 

“I just put vinegar, salt, and lemon in your water and let it steep. I can’t believe that actually worked. I finally pranked you back!” Keith shouted the last sentence in glee. 

“You dumbass. That’s such a stupid prank,” Lance laughed.

“Still got you though.” Keith beamed and Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, you got me. Three years coming, guys!” Lance cheered to the camera.

“I, unlike you, am professional. So I would never do anything to compromise the set or filming.” Keith said with a false air of arrogance. Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, nothing screams professional like water spiked with vinegar.” Lance said and shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t help but smile. Keith was laughing so much. And Lance was just happy to see Keith so joyed after everything they’d gone through. 

“Shit talk all you want, this is a victory for me!” Keith teased and Lance nodded and turned off the camera. 

“You’re an idiot. Go bigger with your pranks.” 

“I don’t need anything distracting, just mildly annoying. Like you.” Keith said with a smile and Lance started messing up Keith’s hair. 

“I’ll show you mildly annoying.” Lance said and started play fighting with Keith. They just push each other around lightly and mess up each other’s hair. Lance so doesn’t care if it’s childish- he felt like they should enjoy some stupid, childish fun.

“What are you two up to?” Kaleel asked as he passed by the open doorway. Lance feels a little put on the spot by the tone in Kaleel’s voice. He sounds… jealous? Kaleel had never been jealous before. 

Keith jumped away from Lance and looked at Kaleel innocently. Kaleel smiled and gave Lance a smile that Lance realized, with some bitterness, was a little condescending. He did that from time to time and Lance only now realized what that expression was. He recognized it from James. 

“Just messing around. We’re gonna head out. See you later.” Lance said quickly with a smile and gave Kaleel a kiss. 

The last two weeks flew by. Mostly because Lance barely had anymore scenes to film. He did all his couple scenes the first week so the second week he just had promotional photo shoots. Those were pretty fun. He wasn't really sure why photo shoots worked the way they did. It was usually the actors just being the actors and not their characters. They weren't in costume, just nice clothes, and just did poses that the photographer wanted. Most of the cast was there, so at least it was fun.  

Most of his shots were with Keith, because their characters were closest in the show. Lance was wearing a light blue button up with short sleeves and the top two buttons opened and white denim jeans. It was actually pretty comfy, and a look Lance appreciated. Keith was wearing a red button up with long sleeves that were rolled up and ripped black jeans. They looked hot, in Lance's opinion. Allura and Shiro had their photo shoots on other days and Hunk and Pidge had theirs tomorrow. 

They shifted between several poses and expressions. It was kind of boring, but Lance knew they would look amazing. His favorite shot was when Keith stood facing the camera and Lance faced the back wall and stood next to and partially in front of Keith so his right shoulder overlapped Keith's left shoulder, and they looked towards each other and then flipped. Lance just liked compositions like that. 

They weren't on set for the last day of filming, only Allura, Shiro, and the crew were there since it was their almost-sex-scene. Lance was amazed by how professional they were both being. Lance had only ever kissed on screen and that alone made him nervous- like what if he kissed weird and the entire country now saw that? He knew if he ever had to do a sex scene, or anything adjacent, it would take several takes and Lance wasn't sure how serious he could take it. 

Keith and him had plenty of time to get ready for the wrap party though, and Lance suggested that they wear makeup since they had so much time. Keith was hesitant so he just just on a little eyeliner and contour. He looked super hot with just that so Lance didn't push the issue. Lance did contour, eyebrows, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. He thought he looked really nice and Keith agreed. He didn't go too over the top with it since he wasn't trained much with makeup but felt pretty confident with what he had on. He then insisted that Keith let him paint his nails. Keith let him, but only if the color was black. 

"You're just encouraging the emo stereotype at this point," Lance pointed out to him when he was painting his nails. 

"Pfft, whatever. There will be barely any paparazzi there anyway." Keith said with an eyeroll. 

"So... people are expecting us to include James and Kaleel in our stream tonight..." Lance told him carefully. Lance tried not to talk about James with Keith unless Keith brought it up first, which he rarely did. 

"Really? Why?" Keith asked.  

"Well, we both have public relationships at this point and I think people want to see them with us," Lance explained. 

"Fine with me, we just goof off during those things anyway. Doesn't Kaleel have stage fright though?" 

"Yeah, but he's fine on social media. I don't know why, but he's been in plenty of my Tiktoks and people love him."

"If it's fine with James and Kaleel it's fine with me." Keith shrugged and Lance was actually a little disappointed.

He had wanted Keith to say that the stream was something they did together and that even though they were both seeing someone they were best friends and that doing stupid live streams together was a base part of their friendship. Lance supposed that was a lot to ask of someone without actually telling them that’s what you want. He just still felt weird about their fight. He wanted Keith and him to feel like they did before. For the most part they did, just things around James and even Kaleel felt strained. Being with Keith and not talking about relationships felt like everything was normal again. But that didn’t happen often. 

“Cool, I’ll let them know.” Lance said as they got ready to go. 

The wrap party was at a different venue this year. Someplace smaller with a not as nice bar. Lance was fine with it honestly. The bar was never the highlight of the evening anyway. He and Keith agreed only three drinks tonight- and Lance was going to hold Keith to that. He didn’t mind taking care of his drunk friends, but he just didn’t feel like it this evening and Keith agreed. 

It was a nice night. Lots of dancing and just having stupid fun. Matt showed up with Pidge and Lance wanted to talk to him. He was still a little mad at him for telling Keith to keep his relationship with Keith a secret. Lance had confided in Matt about his worries about Keith and his fight with James, and Matt had used that knowledge to keep Keith from telling Lance something important. That fight with Keith caused two of the worst weeks he's had in a while. 

The conversation he had with Matt went a little like this:

"Hey, Matt, can I come in?" Lance said as he showed up at Pidge's place. 

"Uh... sure, Lance. Pidge isn't here now." Matt said awkwardly as Lance walked in. 

"No, I know. I just need to talk to you. It's about Keith."

"...Okay" Matt said hesitantly and they sat on the couch. 

"You know about James, right?" Lance asked.  

"Yeah, they're fake dating." Matt pursed his lips and Lance felt a small fraction of satisfaction at that. 

"Yeah, I'm worried about it." Lance said and Matt sighed. 

"Me too."

"You two haven't talked to him in a while, right?"

"Yeah, I kinda got mad at him for the whole thing. I just needed a short break. It's just so over dramatic and stupid."

"Yeah! Exactly! And James is just so- so- I don't know! I don't like him!" 

"Me neither, I never liked him. I was sad for Keith when they parted ways before but it was the right thing to do. And now they're back together? I know it's fake but knowing James and Keith... I don't know," Matt said. 

"I know what you mean. I uh... I got into a bit of a fight with James recently." Lance admitted quietly to Matt. 

"What do you mean?"

"Like... I punched him. Like really punched him. Then he punched me and it went on for a while and it was bad. Keith says he won't forgive either of us until we make up."

"What did you fight over?" Matt asked and Lance hesitated. He looked around the room and tried to find a good excuse. He hadn't told anyone what the fight was about, and as far as he could tell- neither had James. He was pretty sure that if James had told Keith then Keith would've talked to him about it. Lance really didn't want to talk about it. His blood boiled just thinking about it. It grossed him out and made him feel nauseous just thinking about it. 

"You can't tell anyone." Lance said and Matt narrowed his eyes. 

"Alright," he swore. 

"James and I had started a prank war thing and he asked if we could end it. I ended up admitting that I didn't like him and he was surprised I guess. I tried to get him to admit that he didn't like me either but he wouldn't. Then... he guessed at why I didn't like him." Lance didn't say anything for a while. 

"What was his guess?" Matt asked. 

"He said that he thought I hated him because I was jealous of him and Keith. Like... them being together." Matt doesn't say anything for a minute. 

"They aren't together for real though." Matt furrowed his eyebrows and rested his face in his palm.  

"I know, and that's what I told James. He then said that maybe they were more than friends... like that they were seeing each other for real. He said some crude things about Keith and it made me mad so I punched him. Then he punched back and just kept saying gross things!"

"Like what?" 

"Uhm, like 'I bet it drives you crazy whenever you see me enter Keith's room at night' or along those lines."

"Hm." Matt leaned back. 

"It's just stupid. I know he's lying!"

"Would it bother you if they were actually a couple?" Matt asked calmly. 

"What? It doesn't matter, they aren't."

"But would it? You did punch James over it."

"Well, yeah I guess it would. James sucks! I wouldn't want Keith to be with that asshole who said such crude things and beat me up."

"You did punch first..." Matt pointed out. 

"Okay but I didn't say gross things to make him mad. I just punched him. He could have not punched back." 

"Okay... so you got mad because James said he was sleeping with Keith-"

"Yes! Well, yes and no. I don't like that he was inferring that I might have feelings for Keith, but I also don't like that he implied that he was seeing Keith for real."

"Okay but if you are upset over him being with Keith... doesn't that mean you are jealous?"

"What?! No! It's- it's just that I don't like him and I don't want my friend with such an ass. I'm not jealous, I have a boyfriend. Which! Which I told James when he said I was jealous and he said 'yeah and he must've been happy to see Keith get a boyfriend so he's not an option for you anymore' or something like that. Can you believe that?"  

Matt looked at Lance like he could very much believe that. Matt sighed and Lance furrowed his eyebrows. This was not the reaction he wanted. He wanted Matt to agree with him and say that James sucked and that Keith's friendship with him was absurd. 

"Yeah, I don't know man. I never liked James, but I want to support Keith. I need to talk to him soon, I miss him. I really just needed a break from the drama- but I guess that's not a very good thing to do as a friend."

"He misses you too. Do you... do you have any advice for me?"

"Make up with James. Keep up communication with Keith. You should tell him what the fight was about too."

"You're joking right?"

"Why haven't you told him? The only reason I can think of for not telling him is that James was right and you don't want Keith to know." Matt said matter of factly. 

"Ughhh! Why does everyone think I have feelings for Keith?! I don't! I'm not telling him because it's uncomfortable and stupid and he's just gonna get more angry at me if he knows the reason was so stupid." 

"I still think you should tell him" Matt said as Pidge entered the house. 

"Hey Lance! What're you doing here?" Pidge asked with a smile and Lance stood up. 

"Just talking with Matt, I'm actually on my way out." Lance stared pointedly at Matt. "Don't tell anyone what we talked about." Lance said quietly and Matt nodded. 

The whole conversation was months ago. Like actual months ago and Lance was still mad about it. He never ended up telling Keith about the fight, and he deeply hoped no one else would. Not because he did actually have feelings for Keith, but because he just hated the idea of Keith's face and what he might think of Lance afterwards. Keith might think that Lance liked him and that thought would've just been encouraged by the fact that Lance never told him about it. It was just so stupid and gross to him and made his stomach hurt. 

So he took a shot and went to find Kaleel. 

Kaleel was talking in a group of people, when Lance got closer he noticed it was a group of Lotor, Shay, Kaleel, and James. The significant others of the main cast minus Adam, who was dancing to a slow dance with Shiro. 

Lance was listening in to their conversation as he sat down at the bar. 

"Not their best party," Shay said to the group. 

"Really? What are they usually like?" James asked. 

"Way bigger. Usually in a nice hall of a hotel with a bigger bar and better food. The dance floor and dj stand is about the same as usual though," Lotor shrugged.  

"I'll let you in on a little secret." Kaleel started. "We sort of went over budget for shooting and we didn't want to take money from post production and special effects so... money from the party fund was taken. We honestly didn't think anyone would notice." Kaleel finished and the group chuckled together.

"Wait really? How'd we go over?" James asked curiously. 

"Several things, honestly. Partially because we needed more combat specialists than we thought, and mostly because we tended to go over time with our shooting- which meant we had to pay the cast and crew more. It was a tough season for filming," Kaleel explained. 

"Allura had said that she almost never went over time," Lotor said in confusion. 

"That's because Allura is more professional than most of the cast." Shay said and James and Lotor chuckled.

"I believe there was more over time with the couple scenes without Allura, and mostly scenes not involving the main characters," Kaleel said. 

"Hey Lotor, speaking of Allura, didn't you two just move in?" James asked. 

"Yes, last week we did. Her house was bigger so we moved into her place," Lotor said.

"How's it going?" Shay asked. 

"Well, I think. We basically already lived there. What about you Shay? You and Hunk have been together for a while," Lotor responded in kind.

"Oh, yeah we probably won't move in together for a while. My show coming up is filming in another state so I will be gone for a while. I will be able to come back for some filming for Hollowed Out but I don't have much time in LA for a while." Shay said with a sad smile. 

"What about you, Kaleel? You're basically living with Lance at this point." James asked Kaleel and Lance perked up to listen more. 

"Yeah, I don't know. I don't think that's coming up soon, our anniversary is in a couple months. I'm over there a lot but I think we both need our space from time to time." Kaleel explained. Lance was pretty glad they agreed on that. He didn't really feel ready to move in with Kaleel. He thought that made him a bad person for wanting to keep Kaleel at a bit of a distance but now he knew Kaleel felt the same. 

"You guys look really good together." Shay says to Kaleel.

"Thanks, I think it's going okay." Kaleel said. Okay? Only okay? That doesn't bode well. 

Keith wandered over and sat next to Lance at the bar. Lance lost track of the conversation of the group as Keith talked to him. 

"Whatcha doing by yourself?" Keith asked cutely. 

"Nothing, just taking a moment. Long season."

"Yeah, but a good one." Keith confirmed and Lance nodded. 

"Yeah. A good one," Lance agreed. James and Kaleel walked over to them. James whispered something into Keith's ear and Keith smirked and nodded. Kaleel sat down on Lance's other side. Keith and James waved to Lance and Kaleel and they walked away. They leave through a door he doesn't recognize and Lance tried not to care. Why should he care? He looked back to Kaleel, who noticed Lance watching Keith leave. 

"Wanna dance?" Lance asked Kaleel and he nodded. They stood up and went to the dance floor. Lance is glad to have a moment with Kaleel. Things have felt a little odd between them recently and Lance couldn't figure out why. He was so confident in their relationship until a couple weeks ago. Around when Lance got in a fight with Keith things with Kaleel felt off. Lance thought it was because Lance was being sad and pathetic during his fight- but he and Keith made up and he wasn't acting so annoying anymore. 

So why was their relationship still feeling so... fractured. 

He loved Kaleel. He was a sweet, funny, intelligent, serious, and amazing at his job. He was an impressive man and just a great boyfriend. He was there for Lance and Lance thought he was doing a good job of being there for Kaleel. They didn't have much in common besides being in the industry and liking musicals, but he thought that was enough. You don't always need a ton in common to date someone- opposites attracted, right? Lance thought that at first... but that usually applied to people who have insane sexual chemistry and agreed on basics but not how they execute things. Like Alexander and Robin. They're going in the same directions but coming from different pasts and it worked for them. Lance wasn't sure that applied to him and Kaleel. 

Kaleel was so comforting though. He felt so safe and he was happy with him. Kaleel was just so much of what Lance thought he wanted in a relationship. Someone in the industry who understands him but isn't famous so they wouldn't get too much publicity. Someone who likes a lot of the same things as Lance. Someone who gets along with his friends. It helped that he speaks Spanish too- things were just easier with him.  But maybe... maybe all those things aren't what he wanted anymore. Maybe easy wasn't something to strive for. He felt guilty just for thinking about it. 

He danced slowly with Kaleel and held Kaleel close. It felt like he would float away if he let go. And Lance didn't want to be alone. Kaleel held on the same. Things were quiet and somber as they swirled around the room. Even when the music changed to fast paced and pop like, they kept swaying. It was nice. The closeness and the music. It was a good break from reality. 

"Te amo. (I love you)" Lance said into Kaleel's shoulder. 

"Yo tambien te amo. (I love you too)" Kaleel said and Lance could feel him smile against his neck, and Lance smiled too. 

"When is your conversation with the writers?" Hunk asked Lance later when they were eating their dinner together. 

"Monday. I have no idea how it will go, but I'm hoping it'll swing our way." Lance told Hunk. Kaleel and Shay are sitting with them at a small square table. 

"What's your meeting about?" Shay asked Lance. 

"Keith and I are trying to get Alexander and Robin to be a couple at some point in the series. We just want to make sure the writers agree to it."  Lance explained while finishing off his salad. 

"I can't imagine they'd leave the show without them together. They seem like a more logical couple than Amber and Grey and that happened after two seasons." Kaleel said, taking a sip of his wine. 

"I can see that, actually." Shay said and Hunk nodded. 

"I have been a staunch supporter of Rolex since season one." Hunk said resolutely. 

"Rolex?" Shay asked and Hunk nodded enthusiastically. 

"Yeah! Couple name for Robin and Alexander. Ro-lex."

"Not Ro-exlander?" Shay asked with an amused smile. 

"No, because Robin is the only one that can call Alexander Alex- it's his name for his boyfriend." Hunk explained happily. 

"Aw, that's sorta sweet." Shay thought and Lance noticed Kaleel stiffened ever so slightly. 

"Anyway, it'll go fine." Lance said and tried to move on from the conversation. 

Lance saw Keith and James walk back in while they're talking about this and that. Keith and James looked slightly ruffled but overall fine. Keith's button down wasn't tucked in anymore and James' shirt wasn't tucked in. Both of their hair was ruffled and Lance had to hold back a look of disgust. Seriously? Where'd they even go? A bathroom? A closet? Did they get a hotel room? Lance figured if they got a hotel room that they'd look slightly better and not so obviously y'know. Sexed up. 

Keith and James wandered over to their table, both looking pretty happy. Lance was truly trying to keep from vomiting. He was trying to be happy for Keith and more open minded about James- but seriously? They just had to have sex at a party? In a closet somewhere? Blatantly in front of everyone? Not even trying to hide it. Though, he supposed, that was part of the point. 

"Hey guys!" James said with a smile. He was in a good mood. 

"Hey! You guys ready for the after wrap live stream?" Kaleel asked excitedly. He and James got along really well. Sort of. Kaleel was still mad about the fist fight and made sure to keep things between him and James at a distance. Besides that though, Kaleel and James got along. 

"Yeah! I don't think I've ever done a live stream before!" James said excitedly. If Lance didn't know who James was, and all his annoying traits, he would've thought that James was acting cute. Like a kid in a candy shop. He just looked so happy... Keith made him happy. It wasn't something Lance liked realizing. 

"It should be fun, we haven't chosen questions out this time but we'll  just read the comments on the stream." Keith said and sat down next to Lance, picking fruit off Lance's plate and eating it. 

"That's such a fun tradition." Shay said to the group. 

"Yeah I think I watched one of them on YouTube. They're fun," Hunk said. 

"Yeah it's the first time people will see Lance and I as a couple besides his Tiktoks," Kaleel said. Lance smiled at that, he was happy to show of his boyfriend to the world. He was really proud to be with Kaleel, even if things were a little weird between them right now. 

"Kosmo will sit with us during it, right?" James asked Keith as he took a hold of Keith's hand under the table. 

"I'm sure she will." Keith said with an adoring smile. Why didn't they just date? Like actually date. They seemed to like each other. Even though Lance wasn't very fond of the guy, if Keith and James liked each other they should just date already. 

It was none of his business though. So they danced in groups for the rest of the night. It was fun, and stupid. He and Kaleel danced like idiots and for a while it felt like things were alright between them as they just enjoyed each other's company. He never did talk to Matt, he figured Matt had his reasons to tell Keith what he did. Plus Matt didn't tell Keith anything that Lance asked him not to, so Lance had something to be thankful for.

"Okay so how does this work?" James asked as they settled in on the couch. They had all changed into comfortable clothes. James in a black shirt and grey sweats, Keith in a maroon sweatshirt with black pajama pants. Lance also noticed the hickeys they were both sporting. Keith's were slightly covered by his sweatshirt hood but James' were pretty prominent. Lance was wearing a plain blue t-shirt with gray shorts and Kaleel was wearing a black sweat shirt and plaid pajama pants. Both couples shared two blankets that covered their bottom halves though. Kosmo was splayed over Keith and James. 

"I'll turn the live stream on from my Instagram and we'll introduce ourselves and then start answering questions and whatnot." Lance explained as he set up his phone. "Okay, y'all ready?" Lance asked with a smile and they all gave him the thumbs up. 

Lance turned the stream on and waited a minute or two for people to join. It was remarkably fast since they posted earlier in the day what time they were starting. Lance used to find it weird that so many people would plan on listening to them just talk for an hour. He thought it was kind of sweet now though- they were entertaining people. 

"Hey everyone! We have some guests today joining our post-wrap party stream! Say hi you guys!" Lance encouraged as he leaned back. 

"Hey guys! Why don't you two introduce yourselves a little?" Keith said to Kaleel and James. Kaleel and James looked at each other nervously and James smiled. 

"Alright, I'll go first. I'm James Griffin, I play a new guy named Silver in Hollowed Out. I met Keith a couple years ago, we lived together a while but uh... had a bit of a falling out but we got back in contact recently and started dating." James said awkwardly. Keith shifted a little and leaned against James' side, as if he just noticed the hickeys and was trying to cover them. It worked pretty well as far as Lance could tell. 

"Okay, I'm Kaleel Lopez. I am a stage manager on Hollowed Out and Lance and I started dating about ten months ago," Kaleel said quickly. 

"And you guys probably know Keith and I. Okay! Question time!" Lance clapped his hands together. 

"I can get the stream on my phone so we can read the comments." Kaleel said and pulled out his phone. "Okay, got it all up, you want it?" Kaleel asked to Lance as he handed him the phone.

"Alright, let's take a look." Lance said and scrolled through. 

I can't believe season three is already done filming. We just got season two a couple months ago

Where are all you guys from?

It's so cute they're doing one with their boyfriends

I agree but I miss the two of them alone :(

James and Keith are so cute! I love their story of being best friends then getting together after years of not talking

Kosmo kosmo kosmo

What are y'alls favorite color?

Comfort show/book?

Anyone else see the hickeys on James???? 

They look so comfy in their sweats. I wanna be them

What's your favorite thing about your partner?

"Okay, lots of stuff." Lance said as more and more flooded in. "'Where is everyone from?' I am from Cuba, specifically the Pinar del Rio province." Lance said first. 

"I'm from Chicago, Illinois." James said next. Something Lance didn't actually know. He wasn't sure how James got into show business, actually. 

"I am from Colombia- the Choco department. Department is similar to a province or state," Kaleel told them. 

"I am from San Francisco, but moved to LA when I was in my teens." Keith said and Lance looked at him weirdly. 

"You were born in Texas though." Lance pointed out and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Ugh, yes fine. I was born in Texas but moved when I was two," Keith explained. Lance often made fun of Keith for being from Texas. He didn't actually care, it just made Keith mad. 

"My favorite color is blue." Lance said after reading a question then he looked to the others to respond. 

"Mine is maroon" James said. 

"I like magenta," Kaleel added and Lance smile at him. He didn't know that. 

"My favorite is red," Keith said. 

"Okay next is 'what is your comfort show/book?' I have no idea. Maybe Forever 33? That's Hunk's big comedy show. I watched it when it came out and liked it and then I met Hunk and now it just makes me feel good when I'm sad. Cause it's like, hey that's my buddy up there!" Lance chuckled. 

"Mine is cheesy, but it's actually High Stakes!" Kaleel covered his mouth when he laughed. Keith scoffed and Lance looked at him in astonishment. "Look, I know it's stupid but I love musicals and it's just a giant musical with stupid teen drama and I love it! Plus my boyfriend is in like every scene..." Kaleel said shyly and Lance split into a beam and grabbed Kaleel's hand under the covers. His chest felt all warm and happy now. What a sweet thing to say. 

"Mine is actually Jaws..." James said and Lance and Kaleel sat straight up to look at him. He bit his cheek to keep from laughing at Lance and Kaleel's expressions of horror. "I know, I know. I would also say Die Hard though. I don't know I really like action movies!" James said defensively. 

"Jaws terrified me and I used to live on the ocean. Like literally across the street from me." Lance said to James who chuckled. 

"I don't know why! It's not actually scary to me cause sharks don't actually attack humans that often. Like almost never." James shrugged and Kaleel nodded. 

"You're so weird." Keith said affectionately and James actually blushed. Lance can't remember seeing James blush before. Lance figured he would blush too if Keith Kogane looked at him like that and said anything with so much affection in his voice. "I don't really know what a comfort show means. Is that just a show or movie you really like?" Keith asked. 

"Keith's is Heart Stopper," James said to the camera with confidence. Lance furrowed his eyebrows for a millisecond before remembering they're on camera. Lance had shown Keith Heart Stopper when it came out but he didn't know Keith had ever watched it again. But James seemed to think he had. 

"I don't get it." Keith said looking at James. He used to look at Lance to explain things to him, Lance thought with a twinge. 

"You said you watch it whenever you're sad." James explained and settled himself back into Keith's arms. 

"OH that's what a comfort show is. That makes sense now." Keith said and Lance just looked at him confused. He didn't know that he watched it when he was sad. 

Lance smirked at the comments about James' hickeys but decided to be nice and move on from them. He wasn't sure if James and Keith did that on purpose or if it was a mistake. He wasn't going to give them anymore press if that's why they did it though. 

"This one is cute 'What is your favorite thing about your partner?'" Lance read off. 

"He's the most caring person I've met." James said quickly and seemingly without thinking before hand. He even looked surprised at himself. "He's worries a lot, about everyone and everything all the time. I think he's made me a better person and partner by teaching me what things actually aren't unnecessary worrying, but just being attentive." James finished and Lance can't see Keith's face but he felt Keith's body relax against James from where he's sitting. 

"I like that James understands me. In a way most people never will. He and I have a really good understanding of each other, I think, and when we aren't sure we ask. Good communication and good understanding." Keith said succinctly and Lance watched James smile. 

"Lance is really generous and caring. He will remember things about people he loves so he can show them later that he cares and listens. I don't even know if he does this consciously or not. Like um, he memorized my favorite foods and will get them for me after a long day of work." Kaleel said and Lance smiled at him. He didn't think anyone noticed that. To hear that Kaleel appreciated and loved that about him? It meant a lot. 

"I don't even know if I can pick a favorite thing about Kaleel. I guess that he's always there for me. He's so loving. He's devoted to all his loved ones and his work and shows that all well through his actions." Lance said and Kaleel squeezed his hand under the covers. 

I didn't know that Cuba and Colombia didn't have states... 

woohoo chicago rep!!

We stan men loving magenta 

Okay what's yall's least favorite color then?

everyone loves a variation of red and then theres lance

Keith is from Texas!! I'm from Texas!!

omg lance's comfort show being hunk's show is so cute they really have the best friendship

forever 33 is underrated

can everyone name something about another person in the room that the audience doesn't know???

High Stakes being Kaleel's comfort show because Lance is in it is so sweet I can't- 

High Stakes is better than people think tbh

Lance please sing for us. Please.

Jaws??!! That man is insane

fr jaws gave me nightmares 

okay hear me out... james having jaws as a comfort movie? kinda hot...

lance used to live on the ocean? im so jealous

well he lived in cuba... which is surrounded by ocean... 

Jaws the movie actually caused more shark deaths because people were scared of them :( 

James blushing when Keith called him weird is so cute I love them

ALSO James knowing Keith's comfort show when Keith doesn't even know it?? Couple goals

how long have james and keith been dating? 

and what was their falling out about????

Heart Stopper is so good!

If you guys were Heart Stopper characters, who would you guys be?!

Did you guys like working on Hollowed Out?

Lance showed the screen to Kaleel so they could pick comments together. 

"My least favorite color is teal. I don't know why... it angers me." Kaleel said as he read the comments and Lance snorted. 

"Mine would be orange." Lance said as Keith spoke "Orange." They looked at each other at the same time for the first time in the stream and nodded. 

"I hate purple. I like red and blue is fine, but purple is just too much," James said and he sounded more annoyed than anyone should about colors.  

"Oooh 'can someone name something about another person in the room that the audience doesn't know?' That's fun." Lance said and looked around. "We can't do our partners, that's too obvious," he said again. 

"Kaleel used to have a crush on me." Keith said and looked at the camera with no expression. Kaleel's jaw dropped and he blushed and Lance held back a laugh- James did not. "It was a long time ago! Before he even met me!" Keith said after looking at everyone's shocked expressions. 

"It was barely a crush! I was just out of high school and saw his movie Country Roads and thought he was hot... that's all!" Kaleel defended while still blushing. 

"Keith though?!" James asked through laughter and Keith glared at him. 

"You're dating me?" Keith reminded him and James stopped laughing for a second to respond. 

"Yeah but he liked you before you got hot! I knew you back then, you still had baby face!" James teased and Keith shoved him lightly while smiling. 

"For the record, Kaleel very much does not like Keith anymore." Lance clarified as the comments went insane. 

"Yeah, it wasn't even a crush. Lance and I love each other so liking his best friend would be pretty awkward." Kaleel said and Lance and James continued laughing. Keith shook his head at them. "Okay, I'll go next. Wow, I'm still reeling from being exposed like that. Okay- James hates when Keith cooks." Kaleel said and James stopped laughing. 

"Hey!" James cried in astonishment and it was Lance's turn to laugh. Keith just looked at James surprised. 

"I rarely cook!" Keith said.  

"He's not that bad," Lance added. 

"No he's really not. It's not that he's a bad cook... it's just he's really messy. The whole kitchen ends up like a disaster zone. He cleans it up himself but it gives me a heart attack when I walk in the kitchen and it looks like a tornado flew through it," James explained. "I didn't realize this was gonna be us exposing each other... geez." James added with a chuckle. 

"Well now I won't cook for you anymore." Keith said and crossed his arms, Lance held back a chuckle at James' expression. 

"No! You make the best chicken parm!" James whined and Keith shook his head. "Lance threw away Keith's two-in-one shampoo and conditioner and lied to Keith telling him they had all been recalled due to causing hair loss- then replaced them with Lance's preferred shampoo and conditioner!" James added. Keith looked at Lance and flexed his jaw. 

"Okay, okay, in my defense- you're an actor. How are you out here using two-in-one? I was helping you!" Lance said and Kaleel chuckled along with James. 

"I liked my two-in-one! It takes so much less time!" Keith said and shook his head. 

"To be fair, your hair is much healthier now." James said, tugging lightly on the ends of Keith's hair by his neck. 

"I thought my hair was gonna fall out since I had been using it for years!" Keith said angrily. Lance knew it wasn't a big fight, just a stupid one. 

"I will not apologize for caring about your hair's health." Lance says firmly. "Now, I believe it is my turn to reveal something about Keith. Hmm..." Lance said and looked at Keith. He could say a lot of mean things that would make Keith angry, but obviously he wouldn't do any of that. Something a little personal and entertaining for the audience... 

"Stony faced Keith cries during Les Mis. Not the parts you would think either- like not during 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' or 'On My Own' or any of the normal ones where people die. Not even the epilogue which I cry at every time- no. He cried during 'A Heart Full of Love'." Lance said and Kaleel looked at Keith in surprise. Keith looked at Lance slightly annoyed. 

"What is that one about? I haven't seen it." James asked.  

"It's a love song. It's cute, and sorta silly at points." Kaleel explained with intrigue. 

"It's beautiful, okay? They're so in love! And their voices are so pretty together and it's so sweet and beautiful! Sue me!" Keith said defensively as his face reddened. James smiled at Keith and kissed him on the cheek.

"Keith is more romantic than people would think." James said and Keith reddened more- which he doesn't do often. 

"Hey! Only one exposure for me please!" Keith protested and they laughed as he fake pouted.  

"Okay, more questions. 'How long have Keith and James been dating and why did they fall out before?' Well see Keith has this long hair and he most likely clogs the drains-" Lance started with a smirk before Keith hit him on the arm. 

"James and I started dating in February... so about nine months. And that is not why we fell out years ago!" Keith pointedly glared at Lance. Keith and James had really only started talking again in about June- but had to keep up the silly charade. "We had a falling out about something personal. We have since moved past it and resolved the issue." Keith finished- and he was mostly right. 

"I love working on Hollowed Out." Lance answered the next question. 

"Me too, though that may be because I love being in charge." Kaleel responded. 

"I really enjoy it too, great people all around," James agreed. 

"One of the best sets I've worked on, and I'm not just saying that," Keith added. 

"Okay, this isn't a question, but what is everyone's Hogwarts House and patronus? Kaleel and I have had this conversation before." Lance asked to the group. 

"Mine is Ravenclaw, and probably an owl or something." Kaleel added.  

"Slytherin, and maybe a leopard?" James said and Keith nodded. 

"Keith is obviously a Slytherin with a husky patronus like Kosmo." Lance said and Keith looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah- I was about to say that. Lance would be a Gryffindor with a lion patronus cause he's a Leo." Keith said and Lance nodded enthusiastically. 

"Now even more importantly- what element would you bend in the Avatar universe?" Lance asked excitedly. 

"Either fire or earth. Either way I think I could lava bend." James said with a nod. 

"Air for me." Kaleel said. "Or maybe earth... which is weird cause they're sort of opposites."

"Fire." Keith said as Lance said "Water." They looked at each other and smiled minutely. 

"Wait, okay, what Hollowed Character would you guys be?" James asked them. 

"Ooh, I think I'd be like Gemma, maybe Theo." Kaleel answered. 

"I think I'm a lot like Alexander, though maybe also like Gemma." James said thoughtfully. Lance thought he was a lot like Silver- though he wasn't gonna say that. 

"I'm a lot like Robin, or at least I'd like to think so. If not him, then Amber," Lance said. 

"Yeah, I think I'd be Alexander. If not him then Grey." Keith said and Lance nodded in agreement.

They went on for a while with their questions from the audience. It turned out to be their longest live stream since they just kept talking to each other. It was actually really fun. Lance was worried about it at first, but it went well. Now, he was looking forward to a nice, long sleep. He felt a little weird having both Kaleel and James staying the night. He can't remembering that ever happening. Keith usually went to James' place. Those two had already had sex today, so Lance was hoping they wouldn't again right down the hall from him. He certainly wasn't going to with Kaleel tonight. He was way too tired. 

As far as he could tell, James and Keith were perfectly civil. He and Kaleel talked a little but pretty much fell asleep right away. 

Lance and Keith walk into the building together nervously. A couple days after the wrap party, they're going to a meeting with their writers and agents to discuss some writing for the rest of the show. They didn't have much planned conversation, nothing too fancy. They weren't meeting with producers, just the writers, who are pretty chill for the most part. Lance didn't really think they needed Kolivan and Slav there with them, but in case things go badly, they should have their agents there to help out. 

Lance felt pretty nervous about this meeting. He wanted so badly to aid in the representation that Keith was fighting for, that they were all fighting for. Lance played a gay character in High Stakes, but it was mostly a stereotype who's only plot lines was about his sexuality. Lance liked that if they succeeded today, Robin would be a fleshed out, complex character, who happens to be queer and in a healthy relationship. 

"Good afternoon, you two. Please come on in, Slav is talking to the writers right now." Kolivan said as they entered his office. 

"Oh no, what is he saying?" Lance whined, referring to Slav. 

"Nothing to do with you two. Something about adding an episode about alternate universes." Kolivan said with an eyeroll. They enter the office and sit down across from Blaise Winter and Eda Orway- the main writers. 

"Good afternoon gentlemen, what is it you wanted to talk to about with us?" Blaise asked. 

"We have a request about our characters, and we have a lot to say about it to convince you." Lance started out as Slav sat next to him. Slav was a weird little dude. A short, bald, neurotic and intense guy. He was a pretty good agent, if a little odd. 

"Alright, we're usually open to suggestions." Eda said and leaned back in her seat. Lance and Keith both inhaled heavily as they got ready for their request. 

"We noticed that our characters both have storylines that closely follow well known queer narratives and that the writing, from our perspectives, seems to be leading to a romance between them. We are not sure if this was the intention, but we would like to request that Alexander and Robin have a clear and well known romantic relationship. We both think that queer representation is incredibly important and necessary for stories, especially ones this big in the media. We are willing to help out with the writing and bargain on certain areas." Keith said and then let out a quiet sigh. 

Eda and Blaise looked at them in surprise. Then looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Then back to the actors. Lance swallowed as he watched their reactions. They didn't want that to be part of the story. What were they going to do now? He bit his bottom lip in anticipation as Eda opened her mouth, then closed it again. 

"We- did we not tell you that already?" Eda says and looked at Blaise. "Didn't we tell them before season two's script was finished?" Blaise shrugged and looked off like he was trying to remember. 

"Wait- what?" Lance asked in confusion. 

"We've been planning on those two being a couple since season two. We saw what the fans were saying about season one, and noticed the chemistry you two had and how romantic it all seemed and then started writing it as a slow burn romance. We thought we told you two about that, did we not?" Blaise asked and Keith and Lance shook their heads in disbelief.  

"Wow, okay, sorry guys that's our bad. Yeah we were being very intentional with all that, we thought you knew and that's why you two were continuing to act it as romantic." Eda explained and Slav looked between everyone in the room quickly. 

"Wait, so Robin and Alexander are actually going to get an explicitly romantic relationship? Not just an open for interpretation, could be friends, or last minute situation?" Keith leaned forward while asking for clarification. Lance nodded, he was worried that maybe they were going to go for a last minute love confession with no resolution- which would entirely satisfy no one and leave several questions unanswered; or even worse, a love confession that could be read as platonic. 

"No, we were actually going to have a similar situation to Amber and Grey. They were going to get together in season four with most likely a kiss or make out scene and then a sex scene in season five- nothing pornographic but you get the idea. We wanted to give the queer relationship the same amount of respect and screen time as the heterosexual couple- so similar scenes and levels of intimacy made sense to us. Unless you two are uncomfortable with physical intimacy-" Blaise started. 

"No!" "Not at all!" Lance and Keith assured them at the same time. 

"Great. We will have our intimacy coordinator come in for any scenes needed. They worked with Ms. Altea and Mr. Shirogane for the past three seasons and the three all got along well. Anything else?" Eda asked. Keith and Lance looked at each other in surprise, then shook their heads. 

"Sorry, we thought we would have to fight a bit for this, so we don't really have much to say now." Lance said with a small, embarrassed laugh. 

"Sorry again for the confusion, we really thought we told you." Blaise said with an embarrassed smile. 

"That's alright, it worked out for the better in the end." Keith said happily. 

"We haven't finished the scripts for season four yet, but we can discuss how much intimacy you two are comfortable with before writing if you'd like," Eda offered. 

"Any. All, I mean. Right?" Lance asked and turned to Keith. 

"Yeah, you can write as much or as little, we're professionals and very comfortable with each other." Keith supplied and Lance smiled broadly. Eda and Blaise nodded. They talked a bit of shop with Slav and Kolivan before they were all excused and left the building together. 

"Wow, that went better than I ever imagined." Lance said as they walked to the car. 

"Yeah, kind of surprising. This is great though! We didn't have to bargain or fight at all! And this upcoming season too! Not like, the third to last episode or something stupid like that." Keith scoffed and they got into the car. 

"Yeah, we'll get the same thing as Allura and Shiro, that's great! Plus now I only have to wait a couple months before I get to finally make out with you." Lance teased and Keith cracked a small smile. 

"Yeah yeah, super excited for that." Keith said sarcastically. 

"For real though, I'm glad it's you." Lance said seriously and Keith looked at him with a raised eyebrow as they start driving. "I just mean you're my best friend. I've only had a couple love interests ever, maybe three, all guys on High Stakes. I wasn't really friends with any of them. We got along but didn't ever see each other outside of set. I just think I'll feel more comfortable and better about the whole having cameras in my face during an intimate moment if it's with someone I know and trust. If it's with you." Lance clarified and looked out the window, a little embarrassed. 

"I'm glad it'll help you out. I usually find it easier to make out with a coworker I don't know, but to each their own." Keith replied with a shrug. 

"What? How?" Lance returned his gaze to Keith. 

"I don't know, I've done a lot of scenes like this and I think they went well because it wasn't weird to be kissing a stranger, but, it might be weird to kiss a friend. Like If Theo and Alexander got together it'd be weirder for me than if Bat and Alexander somehow got together. Okay, bad example cause that makes no sense for the characters, my point is just I don't know Nathaniel, but I know Hunk." 

"But you can't trust them like friends." 

"I don't need to trust them as a friend, just as a coworker. I trust my coworkers to be polite, professional, and discreet." Keith explained and Lance thought something sort of mean: he guessed that Keith was more used to kissing strangers because that's who he slept with. Lance always liked to know people before he kissed or did anything intimate with someone. Keith's only relationship of any kind that wasn't with a stranger was with James, as far as Lance knew, so it made sense that he doesn't need to know someone to be intimate with them on or off screen. 

"So... will you be uncomfortable with our scenes?" Lance asked nervously. He had assumed that it would be okay. He had assured the writers as much without consulting Keith. Keith had agreed in the office but had that been because Lance had pressured him?

"No! I'm not uncomfortable with it, it's just a little more normal for me in the other way. Don't worry about it Lance, I shouldn't have said anything." Keith shook his head and Lance felt cold drift down through his lungs. 

"No, I should have asked before I told the writers, I'm sorry. I joke so much I sometimes forget that other people aren't as comfortable with that sort of thing as I am." Lance apologized as he wrung his hands. They pulled into the driveway and Keith turned off the car. They both undid their seatbelts but neither of them moved to leave. Keith just turned in his seat to face Lance.

"Lance, stop. I am completely comfortable with any intimacy that our characters do. I would have said something otherwise." Keith says sincerely while looking Lance in the eyes. 

"But it's me you're gonna have to kiss. I can't believe we didn't talk this out before we went to them! And we might have a sex scene, or close enough and then you'll have to do all that shit with me and it just isn't fair to you, I'm sorry-" Lance is cut off by Keith.

"Lance!" Keith finally shouted. 

"What?" 

"Can I kiss you?" 

"Yeah," Lance sighed before fully understanding Keith's words. "Wait, what?" Lance shook his head and Keith held back a little smile. 

"Just to prove a point." 

"Oh, yeah, okay." He froze as he saw Keith lean into him. His brain went all fuzzy- not a single thought traveled through him then as his eyes subconsciously fluttered closed. Keith pulled away not too long after and waited for Lance to speak. "What... uh," Lance tried to gather his thoughts. "What did that prove?" 

"I was mostly trying to shock you out of your guilt and panic spiral. But also- I'm completely comfortable with you because we know that we can separate acts from meaning because we know our friendship that well. I just want to celebrate that we got the thing we wanted. What the fans deserved." Keith said as he pulled back entirely.

Lance just stared at Keith for a minute. It made sense if Lance thought about it. Well, it made sense for Keith. 

"Sorry for panicking so much," Lance swallowed and Keith shook his head with a small, comforting smile. 

"Sorry for kissing you." Keith chuckled and Lance cracked a smile. "You get what I mean though? It doesn't mean anything besides that I am confident and comfortable in our friendship." Keith added with a reassuring smile. 

"Yeah, I get it." Lance said, still a little bit in shock. "I'm glad you're comfortable, I am too." Lance managed to say with a little nod and they got out of their car. He and Keith continued to talk about the show like nothing happened. Maybe nothing did happen. At least not for Keith. 

The two decide to celebrate their accomplishment of making their characters so gay that the writers forgot to tell them to act gay. And representation and all that. Their celebration included drinking copious amounts of alcohol on a Monday night. To be fair, neither of them had work for weeks. 

So that’s why the two of them were splayed over their living room at 9pm drunk off their asses waiting for their respective partners to come over. Kaleel had just finished up strike so he would be over soon enough. Keith said that he would be lonely when Kaleel got there so he invited James over. 

When Kaleel got there he saw Keith lying down over his couch with Kosmo on him and Lance curled up around a bottle on their floor. Both of them were hazy and laughing about something. 

"Kaleel! Hey buddy!" Keith cheered as Kaleel entered. Lance stood up and tried to walk to Kaleel with out stretched arms. 

"Uh, hey guys. What's going on?" Kaleel asked Lance. 

"We did it! We're gay!" Keith cheered. Lance smiled at him fondly and nodded. Keith was more drunk than Lance was, but they were both pretty wasted. Surprisingly though, they were both very upbeat and silly. Usually Keith was a sad, emotional drunk and Lance was an angry drunk- now they were both fun/silly drunks for some reason. 

"Umm, what?" Kaleel asked as Lance hugged him. Kaleel hugged back lightly but eventually walked Lance over to the couch to sit him down. 

"The writers were already planning on making Robin and Alexander a couple! So we're celebrating!" Lance explained and Kaleel nodded. Keith moved his legs to place them over Lance's lap. Kaleel sat next to Lance and looked over at Keith. 

"Celebrating with... what is this? Rum?" Kaleel asked as he picked up an empty bottle from the floor. 

"You know Kaleel, you are so cool." Keith slurred out and Lance smiled at him. "You and Lance are so different but you work so well together cause- cause uh..." Keith continued and stared at the couple. "You're just so cool and good at your job and we're like, friends, right?" 

"Sure, Keith. We're friends." Kaleel said awkwardly and Keith smiled broadly. 

"WHOO I love friends! And Kaleel you are such a good friend. You're so cool with me being best friends with your boyfriend and for that one time our boyfriends got into a big fight even though I still have no idea what they fought about." Keith slurred out and Lance swiveled to stare at Keith. 

"You said boyfriend." Lance said pointedly to Keith, who didn't seem to understand the question. 

"You and Kaleel are boyfriends," Keith explained like it was obvious. 

"I know that, dummy. You said 'when our boyfriends got in a fight' meaning mine and yours. Suggesting James is your boyfriend." Lance deduced, he was feeling pretty smart from that deduction. Though that might be because he was drunk. 

"Why do you care?" Kaleel muttered, sounding annoyed. 

"Because if they're actually dating then it's great news! I've been wanting Keith to get a boyfriend!" Lance grinned widely at his boyfriend as he explained this. 

"We aren't dating. He's not my actual boyfriend, it's just easier to say than 'the guy I'm sleeping with' and it sounds better." Keith explained and Lance frowned at him. Keith frowned back but it turned into more of a pout with how drunk he was. 

"Ugh, Keith just date him! You like each other, it's obvious, and you're already doing couple things. I don't understand you." Lance groaned and Kaleel shifted beside him. 

"Shut up Lance, we've talked about this before." Keith groaned and moved to sit upside down. 

"Fine, fine," Lance whined and rested his head on Kaleel's shoulder. Lance started humming and then started singing under his breath. 

"Red Solo Cup

I fill you up

Let's have a party"

It was a stupid song but it's all he could think of when he saw the empty rum bottle on the floor. He and Keith started giggling and then Keith joined in to the sort of cheering song they had going on. 

"Let's have a party!

Let's have a party! 

Red solo cup

Oh red solo cup

I lift you up" 

He and Keith's song resolved into laughter and Lance leaned into his friend's side and fell into his lap. Keith sat up from being upside down and hugged Lance and they rolled around the couch while singing their silly little song. Kaleel laughed at them but then stood up and left the room- saying he was going to take a shower. 

"If we have a musical episode after Robin and Alexander get together then we could sing love songs to each other!" Lance realized and they both awed and Lance squeezed Keith's face and moved his cheeks around before Keith lamely pushed his hands away. 

"That's so good, what song would you sing to me?" Keith asked enthusiastically and Lance leaned backwards against Keith's chest and thought about it. Lance got an idea and smirked as he leaned his head against Keith's shoulder. 

"I wanna fuck the ones I envy, I envy

Cocaine and drinking with your friends 

You live in the dark boy, I cannot pretend

I'm not phased, only here to sin

If Eve ain't in your garden, you know that you can

Call me when you want, call me when you need 

Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way 

Call me when you want, call me when you need

Call me out by your name, I'll be on the way like"

Lance started to sing and Keith's face went red. Lance smirked as he shifted off of Keith's lap to sit in his lap facing him and sing into his ear. Keith was so easy to tease, and Lance was too drunk to have any self control. But then Keith smirked and leaned closer to Lance until their cheeks touched and Keith was singing into his ear as he took his hand and placed it gently on Lance's other cheek to press them closer together. 

"Ohh call me by your name 

Tell me you love me in private 

Call me by your name

I do not care if you're lying" 

Lance could feel his face burning up as Keith sang into Lance's ear. Keith's voice was so... hot. It was thick and smoky- Lance would go as far as sultry. Lance breathed heavily as Keith continued to sing. He really was a good singer, better than he knew.

Keith leaned away from Lance's face and they smiled at each other. Lance licked his lips and the right edges of his lips perked up. He tilted his head back and started laughing and Keith joined them. Keith had his hands on Lance's thighs as Lance sat in his lap.

"Please, please sing that for the musical ep." Lance pleaded and Keith raised an eyebrow at him. 

"And why's that?" Keith asked teasingly. 

"It's the hottest thing I've ever seen." Lance whispered and rested his hands on Keith's shoulders. 

"That's not true." Keith laughed and Lance just stared. "You're dating Kaleel." 

"Yeah? I love him very much. Aww, I just remembered he's here in the shower! I love him so much, he's so cute." Lance gushed as he forgot the previous line of conversation. Keith seemed to forget as well as his smile slid off slowly. 

"I like that he makes you happy." Keith admitted and his fingers moved along Lance's thighs. 

"Me too!" Lance beamed. He didn't like that Keith wasn't also smiling though. "I'm glad that James makes you happy. Even if- well, even if he isn't who I'd pick for you to be with. I want you happy." Lance said quietly and Keith narrowed his eyes at him. 

"Who would you pick for me to be with?" 

"I- I don't know. Someone who hasn't punched him in the face?" Lance joked but saw that Keith was not amused whatsoever. "Which was my fault. I know." 

"Why won't you tell me why? You tell me everything except that." Keith pouted and Lance rested his forehead against Keith's and sighed deeply. 

"Because I don't want you to hate either of us. I don't want you to- to see me that way." Lance stuttered and Keith lifted a hand from Lance's thigh to his chest. 

"I could never hate you. I don't think my body would allow me." 

"You should, though. I'm not- I'm not a good person." 

"Yes you are. And even if you weren't I wouldn't care. You're you and I love you." Keith insisted and Lance snorted a laugh. 

"We should write the Rolex confession scene. We'd be so good at it." Lance started to chuckle as he leaned back. Keith blinked at him in confusion. "We're so dramatic and weirdly emotional. I bet a scene we wrote would be fire." Lance shrugged and Keith started to chuckle. 

"You'd just write it to be explicitly sexual. You'd turn it into one of those shitty pornos." Keith snorted and covered his mouth as he laughed. 

"Well, all the better if you're my costar." Lance joked and wiped his hands up and down Keith's chest and Keith slapped his hands away. 

"Stop being such a perv," Keith teased and kicked Lance out of his lap as Lance giggled. Lance ended up laying next to Keith on the couch, looking up at him. They kept laughing until James entered the house and Keith sat up excitedly to look at him. 

"James! You're here! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Keith yelled and James walked in with a smile. 

"Hey, hun, you super drunk?" James asked and he walked in and leaned against the couch back with an amused smile. 

"Yup!" Keith said, popping the p. 

"Robin and Alexander get together!" Lance told James with a smile. 

"That's great news! You two celebrating?" James asked and rested his hand on Keith's forearm. 

"Yeah!" Lance confirmed excitedly.

"It's gonna be so good, James. We'll be so good at it." Keith lolled his head back as he stared James up and down. 

"I'm sure you will be." James smiled at him and ran a hand through Keith's hair. 

"Hey James," Keith tried to whisper but he was so drunk it was a stage whisper at best. Lance could hear everything Keith was saying. "Do you wanna have sex?" Keith asked with a silly smirk, like he thought no one but James could hear him. James chuckled at him with an adoring and amused smile and a twinkle in his eye.

"Maybe another time, hun, when you aren't intoxicated." James assured him and Keith pouted. Kaleel entered the living room then and nodded at James. 

"Hey James, how's it going?" Kaleel said to James. 

"Alright, I'm glad to see Keith this kind of drunk. He's usually emotional when he's drunk, not this cute." James cooed as he nodded to Keith on the couch. Keith was now trying to stand up and walk to James. 

"See you guys later, I guess." Kaleel waved as Keith dragged James away to his room. 

"How are you doing, Carino?" Kaleel asked and ushered Lance to his room. 

"I'm totally fine, I honestly don't even think I'm that drunk." Lance slurred and Kaleel chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, okay, queirdo. (dear)" 

Lance fell onto his bed and splayed his arms out beside him and smiled. He just felt so good. Like he didn't have anything to worry about right now. Kaleel laid down next to him on the bed and Lance moved to make room for him. 

"I have never heard you sing before." Lance observed to his boyfriend in the safety of their dark room 

"I don't like singing in front of people. I'm not very good." Kaleel confessed and Lance whined. 

"It's just me here. I can't even see you in the dark." 

"Fine, just don't laugh." Kaleel said and Lance nodded firmly. 

"A veces llega la lluvia
Para limpiar las heridas
A veces solo una gota
Puede vencer la sequía

Y para qué llorar, pa' qué
Si duele una pena, se olvida
Y para qué sufrir, pa' qué
Si así es la vida, hay que vivirla"

Kaleel sang in Spanish and Lance smiled. It was well known, "Vivir mi Vida" by Marc Anthony. Kaleel was right, he wasn't a very good singer. He hit the notes fine, but he was breathy, like he couldn't hold the notes long enough. He was clumsy, but Lance liked it anyway. His boyfriend was singing him a Spanish love song, and that was enough for Lance. Kaleel continued to sing and Lance wrapped his arms around Kaleel's waist and pulled himself closer until his face was buried in Kaleel's chest. 

Lance woke up with a headache and a dry mouth. He looked around his room for his phone, he found it on his night stand. 2:43 am. It was so fucking early, why was he awake? Kaleel was fast asleep next to him and he could see the moonlight peak through the window. He tried to go back to sleep with no avail. His head hurt too much and his throat was sore. What happened? Last thing he remembered was him pouring another glass of rum for he and Keith and- oh. Oh okay. He was able to put the pieces together. He doubted anything important happened, they were just being stupid and drinking, at least Kaleel was here. 

Lance wandered slowly out of his room and towards the kitchen. He almost jumped out of his skin when he saw someone sitting at the island in the kitchen. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was just Keith. 

"What are you doing up?" Lance whispered, both for his head ache and because it was late. Keith looked up from his glass of water to slowly look over at Lance. 

"My head it killing me. I woke up an hour ago or so and haven't been able to sleep." Keith whispered back and drank some more water. 

"Me neither," Lance said and started to pour himself some water. Keith slid over a bottle of Tylenol. Lance thanked him and drank his water quickly before filling it up again and taking some meds. They sat there in silence together for a few moments. 

"I can't remember everything after I called James to come over, he said he couldn't come for another hour or so so...." Keith said and slumped his head onto his hand. Lance tried to think back as well. He rememebered them drinking and chattering nonstop about Robin and Alexander. He was pretty sure he started singing at some point. And he remembered singing Montero while sitting in someone's lap. Kaleel must've had fun dealing with that and trying to ease him back into bed. 

"Man, I don't know. At least they were here. We probably just got drunk and talked a lot." 

"By the way, I'm really sorry for um... for kissing you." Keith muttered and Lance looked at him. He has to squint a little to see where Keith's eyes are but he saw them. Keith always had pretty eyes and that wasn't different even in the lowlighting. 

"What?"

"In the car. I really shouldn't have done that. You're with Kaleel and even if it didn't mean anything- it really was just to prove a point- it wasn't cool. I just wanted you to see that I didn't care. That I don't mind if it's you. I really don't, because I trust you as an actor and I trust you with me-" Keith rambled. 

"Keith, please shut up." Lance groaned and ran his hands over his face. His brain hurt too much right now for ramblings. "Thank you for apologizing and I forgive you. It is not that big of a deal to me, it wasn't even really a kiss. We're friends, Keith, I trust you. We both know you were just proving a point and trying to shut me up. I don't care, please don't keep hitting yourself for this."

"Are you sure?" Keith bit his lip nervously and Lance used his thumb to pry it out from beneath Keith's teeth. They both stopped breathing for a second. Lance just smiled slowly and retracted his hand. 

"Yes."

"Okay one last apology-"

"Ughh Keith shut up!" Lance groaned into his water glass.  

"I'm sorry! There, I'm done. I'll never bring it up again." Keith whispered quickly then covered his mouth. Lance smiled and nodded. They both went back to bed after a few minutes of sitting with their water. 

Lance left for Cuba later that week. Kaleel drove him to the airport because Keith had gone to work with Spectrum. Kaleel walked him inside the airport until he had to go through security. Kaleel pouted at him and Lance set his stuff down to cup Kaleel's face. Slav had hired a body guard to escort him through the airport until he got to the plane. The guard was giving him and Kaleel some room to say goodbye. Lance also went through a different security check so people wouldn't ogle him. He mostly tried to hide during his time in the airport on this side, back in Cuba he didn't get bothered much since his shows weren't popular in Cuba.

"What's with the pout?" Lance asked Kaleel. 

"You're gonna be gone for over a month." 

"It'll be okay, it's not that long." Lance said and slid his hands down Kaleel's arms to his hands which he grabbed. 

"You better call me. I mean it." Kaleel insisted and Lance smiled. 

"Of course I will. You can finally meet my family. At least over the phone and video call."

"Oh no, now I'm nervous to meet your mother." Kaleel chuckled anxiously and smiled. 

"You don't have to worry about her, it's Luis you have to worry about." Lance said with a laugh and Kaleel groaned. 

"Just- I'll miss you." 

"I'll miss you too." Lance said and kissed him briefly. "Adios, te amo!" Lance said as he walked away and waved to Kaleel. Kaleel smiled smally and waved back. 

"Te amo," Kaleel said back and blew a kiss. He smiled tightly, it was sad and almost... hopeless. Lance smiled but felt his chest fall into itself.  

Chapter Text

Lance touched down in Cuba around 6pm their time. He couldn't sleep on the plane in fear of getting recognized by an American and having an embarrassing photo of him sleeping being taken without his knowledge. He took a cab back home- the airport was pretty far from where he lived and he didn't want to make his family drive all the way out there. It was so good to be home. LA had similar weather but it could never be better than home. The humidity was different, it was never dry. It was always warm and had just enough wind to make it comfortable. Maybe people in LA would think it was too hot or muggy but Lance loved it. 

He paid the cab driver and walked down the long street to his house. His house was near the ocean, right across the street, really. His dad was a fisher, they still had his old boat but didn't use it very often. His mother was an accountant, she mostly consulted for businesses in the area. His eldest brother Marco was a librarian in Florida with his wife Ruby who was an English professor at a university. His elder sister Veronica was in college but dropped out to help their mom out after their dad died, Lance really admired her for that. Veronica was now a manager at their local grocery store, and occasionally supplied fish for said store. Rachel just graduated from college for psychology, and was now in grad school. Luis was still in college for mechanical engineering. 

Lance got to the front door of his house. He smiled as he looked around his old house. It was big enough for their family, but a little smaller than someone from LA would expect. Lance never thought it was too small for them though. A little run down, but their family was always happy with it. He opened the front door and walked in with his bag trailing behind him. Entry way to their house led to their kitchen/living room and the stair case upstairs. He slipped his shoes off, he was a little surprised no one was here to greet him. Up the stair case was two rooms and a bathroom; up there was Marco's room and Veronica's room. Instead of walking up the stairs Lance made his way through the rest of the house. There were no walls to separate the staircase from the living room, and the living room from the kitchen. The house itself was all open space, it was something Lance always liked about his home. There was a door in the living room that led to a hallway with three rooms and another bathroom. The biggest was his parent's, then the smaller two were Luis' and Rachel and Lance's shared room. They were twins so they shared a room with bunkbeds. 

The house smelled good, like something was cooking. But where was everyone? He wandered back to his room and opened the door. He was greeted with several voices and cheering. He looked around the room rapidly as he tried to figure out what was going on. His mother, Veronica, Rachel, and Luis were in his room moving stuff around. 

"Lance! You weren't supposed to get here so early!" Rachel said in annoyance but smiled all the same. 

"Lance! It's so good to see you again, my son. Come here!" His mother cheered and he dropped his bags to hug his mother closely. 

"Yeah man, way to ruin the surprise." Luis said and sat down on the lower bed. 

"Shut up, Luis. Hey Lance, how was the flight?" Veronica asked. Lance pulled out of his mother's grasp and looked around his room. It looked like they had been cleaning the room and making his bed. 

"It was long, I didn't sleep on it at all." 

"You must be hungry, dinner should be ready within the hour." His mom told him and he nodded, setting his stuff down. 

"What's for dinner?" Lance asked. 

"Tamal Cubano, with Platano Maduro Frito. (Cuban tamales with fried plantains)" His mother answered. Lance smiled broadly, that was one of the food his family rarely made, but one of Lance's favorites. Since they lived in a fish industry town they mostly had meals with fish, or sometimes vegetarian meals. 

"That's my favorite," Lance said and his mother tapped his cheek affectionately. 

"I know, sweetheart. Just for your day home though, tamales take a while to make." 

"I know mom, thank you." Lance said with a smile. 

"Okay, unpack, then we can catch up when you are done." His mother said and left the room along with Veronica and Luis. Rachel stayed behind and climbed the bunk beds to sit on her bed. 

"Feels a bit odd to still be in a bunk bed at twenty-six." Rachel commented and Lance shrugged. 

"I kinda like it. The only time I've slept in a bunk bed is at home, it's like something I only get here."

"Right, you never went to college. These are better than dorm beds, I'll give you that." Rachel was currently at University of Pinar del Rio for grad school. It was close enough that she could drive home to visit pretty often, since it was the weekend she was staying to help out with Lance. She only had a week left of school before she came back for Thanksgiving and then a couple weeks before she came back for the winter holidays. They lived in Castillo de Leones, only a 45 min drive from her school. 

"So how's grad school?" Lance asked as he unpacked.

"Eh, it's fine. I mean, I like it. It's just a lot of work, you know, senior year and all. I have to write my dissertation soon, I have some ideas but I don't know if I like any of them yet." Rachel complained as she slumped onto her back. Lance was always off put by how similar they looked. Same skin tone, same freckles, same nose, same hair color, even the same face shape. She had wavier hair though, which Lance would also have if he grew it out. They both had dark blue eyes that almost looked grey. They were the only ones of their siblings who had blue eyes, they got it passed down from their father's mother. They had never met her, but were the only ones in the family to get the trait of her eyes. 

His brothers looked similar to each other- both had similar lighter skin tones, brown eyes, curly hair, and wore glasses. Marco tended to rock a bit of a beard and looked tired almost constantly since having children. Luis looked like he still had spirit in him, unlike Veronica, who looked like her customer service job had zapped out all her life force sometimes. Veronica looked the most like their mother. They had the darkest skin tone and the same sympathetic dark brown eyes and round face. 

"You'll get there, you still have the majority of the year." Lance assured her and she rolled over to face him. 

"So how's Hollywood?"

"Tiring. I really like my job, and my friends, and even my fans. But it's nice to come home where people just know me as the skinny kid down the street with the good voice."

"Yeah they vaguely know that you're a star there, but don't seem to care." 

"Yeah! Exactly, that's perfect." 

"Okay can you finally talk about Kaleel? We barely know more than the public, and we're your family! You only told us about him two months before everyone else!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. And by the way, what about that curly haired boy all over your snap story? Does mom know about him?" Lance retorted and Rachel blushed and looked to the side. 

"I've only been on a couple dates with him! Totally different. You've been dating Kaleel for like, a year."

"Not even. Our anniversary is in late January. Besides, I thought the whole family would want to hear about him." 

"Yeah, but aren't there things you don't wanna share with the whole family?" Rachel asked with a knowing smirk. He and his twin had a really close relationship that hadn't been as strong when he was in LA, but every time he saw her again the same bond was back like he had never left. Lance sighed.

"I'm sorta worried about it honestly." Lance confessed for the first time aloud. He sat down next to his now empty suitcase. "We've been going really strong the whole time except for this past month or so. I got in a fight with a friend at work and I think the whole thing just weighed on Kaleel a lot. Things about him that I never noticed before have been coming up too... I don't know, Rach. Things just feel weird now." He brought his knees up and wrapped his arms protectively around them so he could rest his chin on the top of his knees. 

"Do you think you guys are gonna break up?" There it was. The thing he was terrified to even think of. 

"I hope not, I love him. I just don't know how to fix it, cause I don't even know what's wrong! But something clearly is." Lance explained, thankful that he can speak faster now that he's home, and that people won't stare at him weirdly if he moves his hands as much when he talks. He found out quickly in Hollywood that people thought it rude to move your hands so much in a conversation; and they had a hard time understanding his accent when he spoke as fast in English as he does in Cubanol.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Well... no. I'm just worried that if I bring it up then it'll all just come crashing down around us or something."

"You gotta talk to him about it, Lance. Maybe it's nothing."

"Yeah, you're right. Now about this curly haired boy..." He asked Rachel with a smile. 

"Yeah, yeah. His name is Hugo, he's from Isabel Rubio. He's in my grade studying the classics and I met him through Anne." Anne was Rachel's best friend from childhood. Anne's family used to live down the street from them, but moved across town when her dad got a new job. Anne and Rachel remained best friends and decided to go to the same college and then university. Lance had a crush on Anne when he was in High school, but got over it quickly since it was his sister's best friend. He asked Rachel if Anna felt the same way about him and she refused to answer. 

"So you guys are going out?"

"We've been on a few dates, starting in September. We're both so busy that we haven't really had time to decide what we are. Hence why I haven't told Mom."

Veronica poked her head in and the twins turned to look at her. 

"Dinner is ready, then Mom wants to catch up in the living room." She said and they all left for the kitchen/dining room. 

The dinner was amazing, of course. His mom was such a good cook, he sometimes wondered why she was an accountant and not a cook. Their town had some tourist spots, she could've made a lot there as a cook. He missed real Cuban food so much, any Latin food he found in California was lackluster. It had similar elements but nothing could compare to his mother's cooking. Though he suspected many people thought the same of their parents. 

"Now everyone to the living room!" His mother said when they had finished up their food. "Not you, Luis. It's your turn for dishes, and you know it." Luis groaned and started loading the dish washer. Lance grabbed the serving tray of fried plantains and a fork, he was just straight up gonna eat the rest of these. He hadn't had plantains since he'd last been home. He sat down in the cushy chair in the corner, Rachel and Veronica sat on the couch facing the middle of the room, and his mother sat in another arm chair facing the center of the room. They still had two other chairs and a free spot on the couch available, plus the foot stool and wooden chairs they kept for relatives. 

"How was filming season three?" Veronica asked as she stared at her brother eating plantains by the spoonful. He swallowed and set down the bowl- interrogation time. He looked back on their filming- it was rough. They officially started in July and went into November and it was a long five months. He got into a serious relationship, a fist fight, and a big fight with his best friend. 

"Fine," he lied. "It's a good season, for sure. And you know I love my coworkers, they're the best cast and crew I've worked with."

"How's living with Felix Jannis?" Luis asked from the kitchen. Felix Jannis was the name of Keith's character on his zombie show, Afterlife, that his family loved. Luis in particular was obsessed with the show. 

"Good! He's my best friend, actually- so it's been really nice. He's a good roommate and a considerate friend."

"Wait- he's your best friend?!" Veronica shrieked in excitement. She and Rachel used to have not-so-subtle crushes on his old character. "I thought you just lived with him for filming or something."

"What? For filming? How would that even work?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything about Hollywood!" That's true, he sometimes forgot that the culture of LA was drastically different from anything his family had experienced.

"Yeah, he's my best friend. I also get along really well with Hunk Garrett, but I love all my coworkers." 

"So when do we get to meet Keith then?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow. "We've met previous best friends, like Nadia. Or what about Kaleel?!"

"You only met Nadia over the phone, and she wasn't my best friend. You met Keith over the phone last Christmas!" Lance said stubbornly. 

"Barely!" Veronica protested. 

"Stop pestering him about Keith Kogane. Now what about this boyfriend of yours, Kaleel Lopez? Lopez sounds Latin, is he Latino?" His mother asked. He forgot that his mother didn't have any social media, and his siblings probably didn't show her any Tiktoks or posts of Kaleel and Lance. Everything she knew was what Lance had told her which was pretty much: 'Kaleel Lopez is my boyfriend, he's a stage manager and he's really nice and shy.' 

"Yeah, he's Colombian, actually. Moved to LA with his cousin like six years ago. Let me find a picture." Lance scrolled through his phone to find a wholesome picture of Kaleel. He mostly had pictures of them kissing or even in bed together- nothing explicit, but still not something he wanted his mother seeing. He found one of them at one of their dates, they were on a rooftop with the Hollywood sign behind them. It was a really sweet picture, one taken by a very kind waiter. He showed this to his mother and she gasped and smiled. In the picture Lance had his arm around Kaleel's shoulders and Kaleel's head was leaned against Lance's.

"Oh Lance, he's beautiful. You two look so happy." His mother said with a loving smile. "A very handsome boy for my son, I hope he's kind." 

"He is, very kind, and intelligent." Lance said with a soft smile before he sat down again. Rachel and Veronica asked to see the picture as well so he turned the phone. He knew they've seen him before on Lance's Tiktok and Instagram but were still curious. 

"Is he a native Spanish speaker then?" Luis asked as he sat down in another arm chair. 

"Yeah, not Cubanol though- we've had a couple miscommunications since dialects and whatnot. We've always worked it out though." Lance explained.  

"Does he live with you then?" Luis asked.  

"No, we haven't even been dating a year, Luis." 

"You moved in with Keith after only knowing him a year or so." Luis pointed out. 

"It's totally different to move in with a friend than it is to move in with a partner!" Lance exclaimed and Veronica nodded. Lance couldn't help but notice that she had a knowing looking about her. As far as Lance knew, she hadn't had a boyfriend in a few years so this was perplexing.  

"Pfft, whatever." Luis brushed him off and pushed up his glasses. 

They talk for a long time about the different lives of the family. He learned a lot about what his family has been up to since the last time he saw them. Rachel and Luis talk about their time at school, and Veronica said she's considering moving to California as well. His mother had been getting a lot of work recently, so they had a larger income this year. Lance had offered both Rachel and Luis some of his money to help pay for college and grad school. He has the money, so why not. He also offered to buy his family a house that wasn't so old, but his mother was offended by the offer. He is currently paying a portion of Rachel's tuition- he would've paid all of it but Rachel refused. Luis also decided he would rather pay off his own tuition after he got a job than let his brother pay for him. 

Lance understood that it must be hard to be related to a rich and famous person- but he has all this money and wanted to be able to help his family out. He's been donating to Keith's organization and a couple other organizations, at this point he has a set percent of his salary that gets divided up into a couple organizations. But still, he splits rent with Keith and doesn't exactly have many expenses. 

Anyway, they talk for a couple hours before his mother goes to sleep. Lance stayed up for a little while to talk with his siblings though. Stuff that can only be discussed between siblings, so they all go to Veronica's room. Veronica and Rachel sit on her bed, Luis sat in a saucer chair, and Lance sat on a pillow on the floor and leaned against the wall. 

"Okay, now tell us all the Hollywood gossip!" Veronica exclaimed and Lance rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, what are actors really like without cameras?" Luis asked and leaned forward to listen to Lance. 

"They're just people, guys. They're kind, talented, intelligent, petty, dramatic, and normal." Lance explained and his siblings all groaned. 

"Ugh, Lance! Come on!" Rachel groaned. 

"You said they're petty? Is there a story there?" Veronica asked with interest. She had always been the most keen member of their family, always picking up on things the others were too hyper to pay attention to every word. 

"Just... you know Keith's boyfriend?" Lance finally gave in- at least a little. 

"Uh yeah? He was in AfterLife with Keith. I love that guy! What's his name again...? James Griffin, right?" Luis said in excitement and Lance sighed. 

"Yeah... I don't really like him. Well, okay. I'm trying to like him, but at first I really didn't." Luis' eyes grew big and he leaned in to stare at Lance in surprise. 

"What?! You don't like Grave Bryans?!" Luis asked, using James' old character name. God, that show has such stupid names. 

"I'm trying really hard, because he's with Keith, but yeah... for a while I distinctly disliked him." 

"Why?" Veronica asked keenly. 

"He's just... I really don't have a good reason. We have different personalities is all, ones that don't get along easily." Lance shrugged and scratches his neck. He was not going to tell his family that he got into an actual fist fight with a coworker, it was embarrassing enough. Plus if his mother ever found out he punched anyone he would never hear the end of it. 

"You guys seemed to get along well enough in that live stream for the wrap party." Rachel pointed out and Lance was actually surprised by that. 

"You watched that?" Lance asked and all his siblings nodded. 

"We watched it on YouTube." Veronica told him and Lance rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, your boyfriend used to have a crush on Keith? Yikes, dude." Luis teased with a grin as took his glasses off to clean.  

"It wasn't a real crush! It's like how Rachel used to have a crush on Keith. Completely different." His siblings all looked at each other without speaking. 

"Yeah, whatever. What's Allura Altea like?!" Luis asked and Veronica nodded enthusiastically. 

"She's great! A great friend and just generally a wonderful person to be around. She's really sweet and a good friend, but she's also super professional and always prepared. She's stronger than one would think, too."

"Isn't she dating someone? That hot show host?" Rachel asked and Lance nodded. 

"Yeah, Lotor. He's really cool and they're cute together. They just moved in together too."

"They're both British too? Like that's their real voice?" Veronica asked with a head tilt and Lance nodded.  

"Anyway, they're really cute." Lance went on, playing with a loose thread on his jeans. 

"Okay what about Takashi Shirogane? He's so hot." Rachel asked while slapping her thighs excitedly. 

"Yeah, he's as amazing as you'd think, and he really is as hot in person as he in on screen. He's also really charming, though more serious than I would have thought. He's very parental, I guess. He's really nice, I'm glad he's on the show with me." 

They talked a little while longer before they had to sleep. Lance had had a long day, and was excited to sleep. 

So Lance's holiday went on the same as it always did. He helped around the house and with Veronica's fishing. It was nice to be on the water again- even though he lived in LA he didn't often go to the beach. It was a nice reminder of all the times he had with his father. He wasn't sure how Veronica did it so often though- he got emotional the couple times he helped her out. Being on that old boat, the steady rock of the waves, the warm sun beating on his shoulders, the spray of salt water and the smell of the ocean and fish- it just brought him back to his father.

His father was a quiet, serious man. He loved his job as a fisherman, something Lance never understood as a kid. Lance hated being on a boat for hours in the hot sun when he was a scrawny twelve year old, and couldn't understand why his father enjoyed it so much. As he grew up, he understood his father more and more. He enjoyed the peace of fishing, as well as spending hours on a boat with his loved ones. It was quality time that his father got to spend with them all. Lance vaguely remembered whenever he was upset his father would take him out on the water. He thought it was a punishment at the time- but he saw it now as an act of love on his father's part. It was his dad's way of getting Lance some time away from his world, but also time with his dad to talk things out. His mother had said at his father's funeral that he also loved being a fisherman because it gave him a lot of time at home. A job that only took a couple hours per day, then the rest of the time he could be at home to raise his family. Lance had never thought of it that way. 

His dad passed away when Lance was twenty-two. Car crash. Completely out of now where- he was gone. Ramon McClain was only forty-five when he died. A lovely man, and a wonderful father. Lance always thought of him when he came home. 

Their Thanksgiving was quite nice- he loved seeing his whole family again. Marco's family had come back to celebrate and they were staying until Christmas since Ruby's college had a long break. This just meant Lance got more time with his niece and nephew, who he adored. Their Thanksgiving was different than what Lance noticed his American friends celebrated. In Cuba they learned the Thanksgiving story and whatnot and had the day off from work. It just wasn't as big of a deal as it was in the states. They had a big meal and celebrated with their family, but it was always more about spending time with loved ones than it was about the old story of colonizers. 

He personally loved their Thanksgiving, mostly because it was the only time they ate pumpkin flan. Flan was already something Lance loved, a traditional Cuban dish that wasn't as common in California. His mother didn't make it often either, and only made the pumpkin version at Thanksgiving. Lance could've eaten the entire dish himself if he weren't so full already. The night of Thanksgiving was warm with a slight breeze as they all sat out in their yard. Veronica brought out the radio and played music in the background as they all chatted with their family. There was dancing here and there. 

As Nuevo Travo music played, Lance danced with his siblings. He even took a turn to dance with his niece and nephew- they did not know the steps to any actual dance that the rest of his family was enjoying, but rather just moved around trying to imitate their parents. Lance kneeled down and swayed with them, holding a hand of each of them and spinning them. They seemed to enjoy it far more than anyone else dancing. They didn't often dance as a family, mostly just listened to music together at family events. His grandparents and mother were still seated all in deep conversation. Veronica was talking with Ruby about something as Marco and Luis talked shop about cars. Rachel and Lance were switching out who would talk with their grandparents and who would entertain Mateo and Estel. 

A great night in all, and a good foreshadow to how their Christmas would go. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was Lance's favorite of his time home. He got in contact with some old high school friends and went out a couple times with them. They were the types of people who would go dancing together, and Lance was thankful to have someone to dance with besides his twin- who had two left feet. With his old friends he danced to Timba and Salsa, dances he personally had much more fun with. 

His high school friends were Rafa, Angela, Dolores- who he might've had a thing with before Kaleel, Alexa, and Roberto. Roberto, or Berto as he liked to be called, was dating Alexa since high school. Lance and Delores had always had an unspoken attraction to each other until last time he visited home and they had a brief fling. Rafa had a girlfriend he met at work, she sometimes would go out with them. They knew that Lance was a great singer, most of them were too, but only vaguely knew that he was famous in the states. They were all friends with him long before he stepped foot onscreen, and didn't care about his life on the silver screen like his siblings did. 

He would spend time with either family or friends, and it was great. He sometimes would call with Kaleel or Kieth, but Keith was often busy. His favorite thing to do was run off with his friends and siblings to the beach. There were several beaches within distance of his house, but those were either for the fishing industry/boating or way too busy with tourists. But in their small town they had a hidden gem that they kept away from the tourist industry. There was a small inlet with a beautiful beach that only the local residents knew about. He spent a lot of time there. 

He would also help Veronica and his mother out with their work. Though he honestly didn't know much about accounting so he wasn't very helpful to his mother. He also went to a class with Luis, but got pretty bored. He didn't understand engineering, like... at all. He went to the shop with Luis too, but was mostly just there to hand Luis tools, since he could not understand what his brother was doing. Mostly though, he babysat Marco's kids so Marco and Ruby could spend more time together for break. He didn't mind at all though, he loved Mateo and Estel. 

"Lanceee why can't we keep him?!" Estel asked him one night when they came across a stray dog on their walk along the beach.  

"He's not ours, we can't just keep him." Lance explained calmly.

"But he doesn't have a collar! He has no one!" Mateo protested. 

"You two live in Florida, you can't bring a dog back there on the plane!" Lance told them. 

"The dog can come on the plane!" Mateo whined. 

"They don't allow dogs on planes, carino," Lance told them with a sigh. 

"Why not!" Mateo asked sadly. 

"Did you like the ride over?" Lance asked. 

"No, it hurt my ears." Estel said. 

"Dogs have even more sensitive ears than people. It would hurt the dog's ears." Lance explained. Was he half making this up as he went? Possibly. That's how he got to kids though. If he said 'you can't care for a dog and your parents don't want to' sounded a lot meaner and would confuse and sadden the kids. 

"But what if it doesn't have a home?" Estel whined and tugged on Lance's shirt. 

"Don’t worry about that titi, the neighborhood takes care of the dogs around here." Lance said and picked up his niece as the three of them get closer to Lance's house. He adored his niece and nephew and he never felt like he was babysitting when he was with them- just spending time with those he loved. 

"Do you have a dog where you live?" Mateo asked as he held onto Lance's pant leg. 

"I do, actually. Her name is Kosmo." Lance looked off, fondly thinking of his dog. He missed her. It was mid December, only a month or so since he left LA. 

"Can she do tricks?" Mateo asked and Lance chuckled. 

"Not that I know of. She knows how to sit though, and she responds when you call her."

"Does she like treats?" Estel asked with a yawn. It was about time for these two to get to bed. Lance kneeled down and opened his arms as an offer to carry her. She grinned widely and wrapped her arms around her uncle so he could lift her up. He carried Estel home, with Mateo holding his free hand. 

"Yes, she loves treats. She's a very good doggo." Lance said in an adoring tone as they entered the house. 

Ruby took her kids to bed and Lance went to call Kaleel. 

"Hola mi amor!" Lance greeted cheerily when Kaleel answered. Kaleel is laying down on his stomach in his bed and has the lower half of his face covered with a pillow. Lance's heart swelled with relief upon seeing his face again. 

"Hola, pintoso (Colombian slang for an attractive man). How are you?" Kaleel said sleepily. 

"Long day?" Lance asked and Kaleel nodded. He was partially responsible for overseeing the post production of Hollowed Out now that he was the primary manager. "We can call another day if you're too tired right now, tata." 

"No, I miss you! I'm fine, just ignore my under eyes." Kaleel grumbled and sat up straighter. 

"I miss you too." Lance responded as he rolled onto his stomach. 

"How's being home?" Kaleel asked sleepily. 

"It's great. I really miss it here whenever I'm gone. It's been a good holiday." 

"Yeah, I get that. I can't wait to move back to Colombia eventually." Kaleel said dreamily. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, don't you want to move back to Cuba when you're done acting?" Kaleel asked and Lance's eyebrows furrow for a second. 

"No. I want to act my whole life, and I want to stay in LA. I really like it there, and I love acting. I might miss Cuba, but I'm really happy in California." Lance explained with a tilted head. He couldn't imagine what his life would look like if he lived permanently in Cuba. Would he just get a job in theater? Like that could compare Hollywood after all these years. He'd take the U.S industry over anonymity every day. 

"Oh... I always thought that when I reached like, I don't know... forty, I would retire from stage managing and become a professor at a Colombian university. I always wanted to go back, I guess." 

"Hm, I didn't know that." 

"Yeah, I mean, I love stage managing but I couldn't imagine doing that for the rest of my life. I loved my college, and I think I would really like teaching. I think I'd be good at it too."

"You would be, you're brilliant," Lance assured his adorable boyfriend. 

"So you're just gonna act your whole life on top of being a dad?" Kaleel asked and Lance almost has a heart attack before he remembered that Kaleel can't get pregnant. He had never had a pregnancy scare- thank god- yet he still almost forgot that that wasn't a possibility currently. 

"What?!" Lance asked in confusion. 

"Well, you want kids, don't you? You're great with your niece and nephew. I just sorta assumed you'd want kids." Kaleel blushed and shrugged. 

"Oh... no actually. I mean, I love kids, but I don't think I want any for me. If I ever did want kids I think I would foster."

"Oh right. I don't know, I've always wanted kids. Like four, maybe." Kaleel scratched the back of his head and Lance bit his lip. 

"Well, I don't know really. I don't exactly have my whole life planned out." Lance said with a fake laugh. 

"I could never do that. Every time there's a change in my life I change my life plan to fit accordingly." Lance felt the blood rush from his face. That sounds terrifying. He didn't even know what he was doing after Hollowed Out finished. 

"Wow. So... what's next for you then?" 

"I wanted to talk to you about that actually." Kaleel started and Lance felt his stomach drop. Was this it? It couldn't be. "I'm going to apply to this big upcoming project, I'm really excited about it actually." Lance let out a silent sigh. 

"That's great, what project?"

"It's a Marvel movie actually, should be really big." Kaleel told him with an excited smile. 

"Wow a Marvel movie?! That's huge!" 

"I only just turned in the application, so I don't even know when I'll hear back. A lot of places will make offers after season three comes out though- so hopefully that'll help."

"You'll get it, you're the best out there."

"Definitely not true, but thank you." Kaleel laughed and Lance took a moment to remember how lovely his laugh was. Kaleel was such a serious man that it was sometimes hard to get a real laugh out of him. Giggles were easy for Lance- it helped that Kaleel was attracted to him- but real, deep laughs were something even he had to work for. They talked a while longer before Rachel came into their room. 

"Oh can I meet Kaleel finally?!" Lance kept forgetting she was back from school for break. 

"Ugh, yeah, fine." Lance sighed and scooted over on his bed so Rachel could lie next to him. 

"Hi!! It's so good to finally meet you!" Rachel greeted excitedly. 

"Hi! I've heard a lot about you from Lance, it's nice to meet you." Kaleel said nervously. 

"He's so cute, Lance. You're so cute." Rachel said first to Lance then to Kaleel- who blushed. 

"Uhm... thank you?" Kaleel blushed deeply and Lance just smiled adoringly at him. 

"So is Lance a good boyfriend?" Rachel interrogated and Lance elbowed her. 

"Yeah! He's great, really caring."

"So how'd you two meet?" Rachel asked. 

"He's a stage manager at Hollowed Out. He was walking a group of us to a stage and I thought he was cute so I started talking to him. He was a fan of High Stakes and musicals so we talked about that a little," Lance started. 

"He asked for my number the next day, and we went on a date a week later," Kaleel finished the story with a nostalgic smile.  

"That's such a boring story, Lance. Where's the razzle dazzle?" Rachel asked and Kaleel laughed. 

"I also invited him to an office karaoke party!" Lance objected.  

"Yeah, and he sang at it. I thought it was very impressive." Kaleel added and Lance smiled at him. Thinking about their first couple months together was so... melancholy. It was so bright. Why weren't they bright anymore?

Christmas was the big event of Lance's time home. All of his aunts and uncles came over for the day and the house was filled with the loving sounds of a full family. It's been a while since Lance had been home for Christmas and the whole celebration is so important to Lance. 

He and his cousins all sat in the back yard together and talked aimlessly. One of his cousins now had a baby so she had to take a couple breaks to calm the baby down. They played music and talked and danced. It was fun and silly, and let Lance be himself without any worry. His cousins were fun to talk to and dance with- even if they were a bit competitive. He sat down with Abu McClain, who didn't talk much. 

"Hola, Abu. Merry Christmas." He greeted softly with a kind smile. 

"Merry Christmas, tata. How are you?" Abu says tiredly. 

"I'm really good, I love Christmas. How are you?"

"It is good to see Estel and Mateo, they're so energetic. Mateo looks just like Ramon." Lance smiled sadly. 

"He does, doesn't he?" 

"I miss my son," Abu said and rested his hand on Lance's. Lance held back the watery eyes. 

"I miss him too."

"I know how you must all see me." His Abu started and Lance tilted his head in confusion at him. "Too depressed. Bringing down the holiday cheer. I don't mean to. I'm not like this on a daily basis. It's just that seeing you-" His voice cracked. "Seeing my son in my grandson's faces is- it's hard, tata. I wish I could see you all without missing him." 

"Don't. It's one of the only reminders I have left. My brothers. My nephew. You. Even if I'm not thinking about him and I see any of you- it's a nice reminder. I miss him so much and I want to not miss him anymore. I love him, even now. We all do. There's nothing wrong with missing those we don't have anymore." 

His grandfather looked at him through watery eyes and smiled. It was a tired, but kind and prideful smile that Lance hadn't seen in him for years. No one in their family talked about his father's passing, except Abu McClain. The subject was never brought up otherwise. Even by Ramon's own siblings. 

"You have grown so much, tata. It's remarkable. I am so- so in awe of you. You and Rosa, how you manage to exist after. I'm so glad you have your own lives." His grandfather spoke slowly as he mulled his words over and Lance just smiled. 

"Come on, it's Christmas." Lance stood up and held out a hand to his Abuelo. "Let's get some food."

He took a minute away from his family to text Kaleel. Just a simple 'Merry Christmas, love. I miss you, I'll call you tomorrow.' Kaleel was celebrating with his cousin right now so he didn't want to interrupt his boyfriend's holiday. He also sent Keith a text 'Merry Christmas!! Give Kosmo a kiss for me!' He laid down on his bed, he just needed a break to calm down slightly. 

His phone started ringing for a Facetime, he sat up and grabbed his phone before laying back down. Keith was calling him, so he answered. Why not? He wasn't doing anything. And he missed Keith. Pretty frequently, to be honest. He hadn't really been keeping in touch with Keith as much as usual, and he missed him. 

"Hola, hermoso, how are you?" Lance greeted (mostly) in English. 

"I'm alright, I just got back from Krolia's."

"You spent the day with your mom? How'd it go?" Lance asked worriedly and Keith sighed. 

"It was actually fine, better than fine. She was civil and kind. She um... She's moving to California to be closer to me." Keith looked away from his phone and Lance could read the hesitance on his face. 

"Wow, um... how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know yet. It's... it's nice that she wants to move closer, right? It was a pretty okay Christmas though, how about you?" 

"Pretty great, actually. Only downside is the family fatigue, you know, I've spent all day with my family and now I'm tired." 

"Yeah, is it nice there though?" 

"So nice Keith. I'm gonna bring you here one day, you'd love it. I think you'd like my high school friends too." Lance sighed and Keith smiled idly. 

"Yeah? Do you see them often?"

"Yeah, they're obviously all closer to each other than me but still invite me out pretty often."

"That's nice, I don't think I've ever tried to get in contact with anyone I've gone to high school with." 

"Keith?" Lance asked, something that he's had on his mind for a while bubbling to the surface. 

"Yeah?" 

"Are you ever going to retire from acting?" Lance asked and rolled onto his side. 

"I don't think so. I mean, maybe I'll get tired when I'm like, sixty, or whatever. But it's, y'know, my passion."

"Yeah, me too." Lance agreed with a smile. "Hey Keith?"

"Yeah?" Keith asked and Lance can hear and see the amusement. 

"Do you want kids?" 

"Kids? Hm, not really. I'm not really against them, I just don't think I want kids. Though I'd love to babysit for friends, y'know? Maybe foster teenagers or something, y'know most foster homes suck so it might be nice to be a good foster parent. I don't know, that's all pretty far in the future. I don't see that happening within the next five years, so why worry about it?" Keith replied and Lance smiled. "Why do you ask?" 

"I don't know, I feel the same way. I was talking with Kaleel recently and he thought it was weird that I didn't want kids and that I was going to stay in LA. I just wanted to know if, I don't know. If I was the only one." 

"I think a lot of celebrities want to act their whole lives, even if they do have kids."

"No I mean- I said that wrong. I don't have my whole life planned out. I don't even know what I'm doing after Hollowed Out, and Kaleel made me feel like I was wrong or stupid for not knowing."

"He said you were stupid?" Keith asked in disbelief and Lance could feel a tint of anger in there as well. 

"No, of course not. He didn't even say anything rude. I don't know, maybe I'm misunderstanding or reading too much into it. He just sounded surprised and like... I don't know. Lately I've felt like he's a little condescending. Maybe it's just my insecurities though." 

"Kaleel doesn't think you're stupid. Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, everyone keeps telling me to talk to him. I can't."

"I don't get it."

"What if- what if we're too different? And he realizes that and we break up?" 

"You think that would happen? If you just talk to him?"

"I don't know Keith, I just- I'm sorry I brought it up. Anyway, I love Christmas blah blah blah, eggnog." Lance joked while brushing off the conversation. 

"Lance-"

"I'm okay, Keith. Kaleel and I are okay, I'm just reading too much into it." 

"When are you coming home?" Keith asked, thankfully understanding Lance's mood and changing the subject. 

"Two weeks, about. A week before the premiere."

"Great, I miss you." Keith sighed and Lance's eyebrows rose while he slowly smiled. Keith never said 'I miss you', like ever. He has a hard time telling anyone that, even when he was away for four months he didn't say it. Lance thought it was probably because Keith was worried that they wouldn’t say it back.

"I miss you too. I'll see you soon though."

"Yeah, see you soon." 

Keith picked Lance up from the airport the day before the premiere. He was standing outside Lance’s terminal waiting for him to clear through customs. Keith was wearing a big sweater, sunglasses, a baseball cap, and had his hair pulled back in a pony tail- trying to hide from cameras. There’s a surprising amount of photographers that circle the LA airport and the outside. 

So Keith waited, checking his phone every couple minutes as he leaned against a post. Then he saw his friend walking through the gate- Lance had sunglasses, a beanie, and a regular t shirt and shorts on. He looked around the airport then his eyes land on Keith and his face split into a smile. Keith stood up straight, no longer leaning on the post and took a step towards his friend. 

Lance quickly walked to Keith with his luggage wheeling behind him. He hugged Keith as soon as they were in range and rested his head on Keith’s shoulder. Keith smiled bigger than he had in weeks. Lance was so warm and, finally, so close to him. Keith turned his head into Lance’s neck and squeezeed his arms just slightly tighter. 

“I missed you!” Lance whined to Keith’s shoulder. 

“I missed you too.” Keith sighed, his smile calming down to one of content. They hugged for a moment longer before letting go and walking towards the exits. 

“How’s Spectrum doing?” Lance asked. 

“Good, I have a couple more meetings before shooting for season four starts but besides that I’m mostly done for the season.” Spectrum was mostly running on its own now, he didn’t have to do much to help besides fund it and occasionally go to meetings. “How’s your family?”

“They’re doing really well, actually. Rachel is a little tired from grad school work but besides that, everyone is really happy with where they’re at. Oh! And Rachel has a guy she’s seeing. I met him for like a minute when I picked her up from school for break but didn’t get to interrogate him. Veronica is thinking of moving to California too.” 

“Really? Just to be closer to you or…?” Keith took Lance's luggage instinctively and Lance just smiled and continued the conversation. 

“Well, partially. She’s never really gotten to live on her own. She went to a community college so she could stay close to home. Then she started grad school a little further away and dropped out when our dad died. So she’s only lived away from home for like two years.” 

Keith didn’t know much about Lance’s dad. Besides he died when Lance was twenty-two, he was a fisher, quiet guy, and Lance loved him very much. Lance didn’t talk about him much. Then again, Keith didn’t talk about his dad often either.

“Well that might be good for her then. Why California though?”

“She says it’s cause then we could travel together whenever we go home; but I think it’s because she needs a safety net. If things don’t work out I’ll be here.” 

“What do you think about that?” 

“I don’t mind. It’ll be nice to have someone nearby. Marco’s family lives in Florida so I see them about as often as the rest of my family.” 

They walked to Keith’s car and put Lance’s luggage away. Keith started driving home as Lance continued to talk about his break. Keith had missed the constant chatter that Lance provided. His condo felt so quiet without Lance, even though James was over pretty often. 

“So how’s James?” Lance asked stiffly out of no where when they were almost home. 

“What? James? He’s fine… he’s excited for the premiere. What about Kaleel?” 

“He’s applying to a job with Marvel. I don’t know when he’ll hear back from them.” 

“Wow, that’s big.” 

“Yeah, it’ll be good for him though.” 

The premiere for season three went about the same as the premiere for season two. Keith rode in with James, Lance, and Kaleel. Pidge, Hunk, Shay, and Ryan rode together and get there before them. Allura, Shiro, Adam, and Lotor will get there later. James was wearing an all black suit, the jacket made of velvet. Kaleel is wearing a normal tux with a blue tie. Lance had a navy striped button up with a royal blue blazer and slacks. Keith is wearing a sheer red shirt with a maroon blazer and trousers. 

When they arrived Kaleel stepped out, then James, then Lance and Keith last. They waved and smiled at everyone around them and listened to the cheering and clicks of the cameras. Keith saw the others ahead of them. Ryan was wearing a floral suit and Shay was wearing a long yellow dress with a halter lace top. Pidge was in a white pantsuit with green embroidery along the top and Hunk is wearing a light cream suit with a half floral cape. Their group joined the other as they all take turns posing and whatnot. The couples are sticking together so Keith stayed by James' side. 

Adam stepped out of his limo in a silver suit with a white shirt, followed by Lotor in a long dark purple suit coat with golden embroidery with a plain black and white suit underneath. Then Allura in a dress with a long pink skirt and a floral lace white top. Cheering grows louder as she and Shiro step out. Shiro wore a white button up with a black and white patterned blazer and black slacks. The crowd cheered even louder upon his arrival. Keith knew his brother was famous, but it was always so weird to think about. They're cheering for the same guy who didn't know the difference between regular makeup and stage makeup. Just weird for Keith every time he sees people freak out his very human brother. 

Keith took an individual picture with all his costars except Ryan- who he didn't know very well. His favorite was with Allura though, she was the best to be around at a red carpet. She was excited to be here, but not anxious. She knew how to work a crowd and was excellent in photos. She had also perfected talking to another person next to her with out moving her smile. 

He took several with James, and some of them holding hands as they walk are taken without them even posing. He was taking one with James when Kaleel and Lance joined them for a group photo. The night was going well enough. They took another group photo with the six main actors, then a couple smaller group pictures. He got interviewed quickly, just a fun red carpet game about the show. It was a 'match the line to the character' game. He did pretty well. Then the worker at the stage door waved his arm in a circle telling everyone to wrap it up. Keith and James take each other's hands and start to walk towards the entrance. 

"You look really hot," James whispered to him with a shy smile as he leaned his head towards Keith's. Keith smiled and gave him a quick peck as they walked. 

"So do you." He complimented back and they continued to walk in. 

"You should wear sheer shirts more often." James said as he felt the fabric of Keith's shirt. They were inside the theater now so no paparazzi are there to watch James mess with his shirt. 

"Hm, maybe I will." Keith smirked and gave James a deeper kiss as they found their seats. 

The episode they watched is pretty good. Not Keith's favorite episode but definitely a good season opener. He went back to James' place afterward and Lance went to their place with Kaleel. The two couples were probably having similar nights as they celebrated their accomplishments. 

Keith and Lance hosted the group stream again. They had the same rules as last time- no significant others, responsible drinking, compliment each other, and no secrets or spoilers given out without permission. Keith and Lance had begun pregaming before their friends even got there. Pidge was bringing pizza, and the rest were told they could bring whatever they wanted. 

Once they were all there they talked for a bit about this and that before they started their live stream. Mostly just caught up on what they did over break, and personal life things. Shiro and Adam went on vacation, Allura's dad had met Lotor and Allura went abroad for modelling, Pidge directed a music video, Hunk started filming for a movie that he couldn't tell the rest of them about. He was filming in Atlanta, he only came back for the weekend then he had another month or so of filming. He said that he only had one more week in Atlanta though, then the rest was done in town. 

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Lance asked as he set his phone up. Pidge and Allura had picked the questions this time so they had their phones out. They were in the same formation they were in last time. They just seemed to gravitate to what was normal for them. Hunk on the bean bag closest to the wall, then Allura on the first couch cushion, Pidge on a pillow on the floor, Shiro on the next couch cushion, Keith on the next cushion, and Lance on the bend of the couch. They all agreed they were ready so Lance turned on the stream. 

"Hey everyone! We're just gonna get started right away!" Pidge addressed and they all greet the screen. "This first question I have is 'if you were a food what kind would you be?'" 

"I think I'd be watermelon," Allura started and they all agreed.

"I think sweet banana bread," Hunk said. 

"I wanna say tortilla chips," Shiro decided hesitantly. 

"Tortilla chips? That's so boring." Keith teased and Shiro shrugged. 

"Fine, I don't know. Plums?" Shiro asked and they all nod, sort of agreeing. 

"I wanna say Doritos" Lance said and Keith chuckled and elbowed him. 

"Which flavor?" He asked and for some reason, Lance seemed flustered by this. 

"I don't know. Probably Cool Ranch." He shrugged and Keith nodded, hoping that he hadn't said something wrong. 

"I think I'd be a granny smith apple." Pidge answered and Hunk raised an eyebrow at her. 

"That's specific," Allura chuckled. 

"Accurate though," Hunk decided. 

"Keith would be lasagna. I don't know why." Lance decided. 

"I'm fine with that. I was gonna say strawberries but that works, I love lasagna." Keith shrugged, looking almost bored. Lance just smiled at him though.  

"Strawberries? That's so cute." Lance chuckled and Pidge laughed along while Keith scrunched his eyebrows at them. He liked strawberries. James told him once that eating strawberries reminded him of Keith- James said that that's what Keith tasted like. 

"Shut up," Keith grumbled and crossed his arms. 

"Okay I have one, 'If you could have a super power, what would you chose?'" Allura asked to the group while she read from her phone. 

"I would totally want super strength." Pidge said without thinking, and everyone looked at her weirdly. "What? Do you see how small I am?" They all laughed at her expense and she rolled her eyes. 

"I think lightning or electricity powers would be cool." Keith wondered aloud. 

"I was thinking water, like Percy Jackson," Lance added. 

"I would love to fly, as basic an answer as it is." Allura shrugged and Shiro nodded in agreement. 

"I think flying, or maybe telekinesis." Shiro said and they looked at Hunk. 

"I don't know, I've never thought about it. Maybe plant powers, like Poison Ivy or Perfuma." Hunk decided with a nod.  

"'What is one thing you dislike about one of your coworkers?'" Pidge asked with a mean smile and Allura kicked her lightly. 

"Pidge! That's rude!" She scolded and Pidge giggled while Keith smirked. 

"It's funny! We can all say one thing about someone else, so no one person gets five insults. Your welcome, Lance." Pidge shrugged with a smirk and Keith had to hold back Lance from getting up. 

"Hey!" Lance cried with furrowed brows. "I'll go first then, Pidge is a gremlin!" Lance claimed and everyone laughed, including Pidge. 

"That's not really someone you dislike about her though, more of an observation." Hunk observed with a shrug. Lance gave him a look of utter betrayal- while Pidge smirked at Hunk being on her side. Hunk just shrugged in response. 

"Fine, I dislike that Pidge is a gremlin." Lance amended and Keith chuckled under his breath. 

"My turn then, I don't like how Shiro talks nonstop about his husband. And Adam is always like fifteen feet away, we work with him!" Pidge complained and Shiro rolled his eyes. 

"He's my husband! Alright, I don't like how oblivious Keith is." Shiro said and everyone laughed except Lance and Keith. 

"I don't get it." Lance whispered, which caused more laughter. 

"Me neither. What am I oblivious about?" Keith asks, and the uproar continued. Keith and Lance looked at each other in bewilderment. Keith shrugged and moved on. "Okay, I don't like that Lance sings non-stop." 

"What?! You love my singing!" Lance protested and put a hand on Keith's shoulder. 

"You're a very talented singer, but you do it all the time!" Keith whined and the others nodded. 

"You sing your makeup routine under your breath at work." Allura supplied and Lance gaped at them. 

"Fine, whatever. My feelings aren't hurt. Allura, Pidge, or Hunk go next." Lance crossed his arms and leaned back with a pout. Hunk said something but Keith didn't hear it as he talked to Lance. 

"Stop being a drama queen," Keith whispered and Lance narrowed his eyes at him. Keith kept smiling and he could see Lance was trying to hold back a smile. 

"You love my singing." Lance insisted and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Not when you sing about feeding Kosmo, or about how dirty my room is, or when you tease me through song-"

"Those are all just fun quirks!" Lance claimed, the two of them still whispering. Keith vaguely heard Allura talking. 

"Next time you sing about my hair I'm gonna punch you." Keith threatened with an intimidating smile and Lance had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. 

"Come on Keith-" Lance begged while Pidge said something. 

"Hey! Lovers! Either talk loud enough so we can hear you, or stop whispering!" Pidge teased them, interrupting Lance. Then she finished saying something about Hunk as Keith and Lance laughed quietly. 

"I like this one: 'If you could play any character in any media, who would it be?'" Allura read off. 

"I would so want to be Jinx from Arcane." Pidge said first. Pidge had not shut up about that show since it came out.  

"For me, either of the guys from Brokeback Mountain-" Lance joked with a sarcastic smile and Keith elbowed him in the ribs and they all laughed. "Ow, fine, fine. I'd want to be Marius in Les Miserables." 

"I would love to be Jacob, in Minari." Keith added with a pointed look at the camera. 

"I think any James Bond movie, maybe Casino Royal. As James Bond, of course." Shiro said and they all lit up. 

"Shiro you would be a perfect James Bond!" Lance exclaimed and they all agreed. 

"You would be excellent," Allura agreed. 

"Any Star Wars character for me. Maybe Finn or Luke," Hunk said. 

"I love Brie Larson, but I've always wondered if I could pull off Ma in Room. She won an Oscar for it, she's wonderful," Allura decided with an admiring sigh. 

They go through a couple questions, some are pretty boring. They slowed down on their questions and just talked to each other about their answers. It took longer than they thought it would. 

"Okay, we took too long to answer so we don't have much time left if we want to stick to our schedule," Pidge pointed out. 

"Okay, I have an idea. Instead of questions can we do that thing where we cover our eyes and point to whoever we think matches the statement?" Lance asked and leaned forward. 

"Lance, what?" Keith deadpanned. 

"Like, okay, everyone close your eyes." They did so. "So I'm gonna say like, 'who is the most likely to win an Oscar?' and we all point to someone, then we open up our eyes when we're done. Get it?" Lance asked and they all nodded. 

"Okay, let's go with that question," Allura said. "3, 2, 1" She counted down. Keith points at Shiro. "Open." Allura said and they all looked around. Lance pointed at Allura, Shiro pointed at Hunk, and everyone else at Shiro. Shiro looked surprised and laughed. 

"Shiro, you're the only person who's even been nominated," Pidge laughed at his surprised. 

"Okay close 'em again." Shiro started, "Who is most likely to forget a line on set?" Keith pointed to Lance. "Open." The fingers are evenly pointed between Lance and Pidge. Lance and Pidge both pointed to themselves and laughed at each other. 

"Okay," Lance started and they all close their eyes. "Who is most likely to get married next?" Lance asked and Keith pointed to Allura. Her and Lotor just moved in together after all. "Open." Everyone was pointing at Allura, including Allura. Regardless, she blushed and brushed it off with a laugh. They all closed their eyes again. 

"Who is most likely to get kicked out of a club?" Hunk asked. Keith points at Lance again- he's been known to be loud when he's drunk. "Open." He opened his eyes to see everyone pointed at him. 

"What?! I have never been kicked out!" Keith exclaimed, he was genuinely surprised by this. 

"You're the most aggressive though." Pidge pointed out with a shrug and Keith rolled his eyes. They all closed their eyes. 

"Who is most like their character?" Keith asked and pointed to Lance. "Open." Shiro pointed to Hunk, Lance and Hunk pointed to Keith, Allura pointed to Shiro, and Pidge pointed to Allura. 

"Who is most likely to get arrested?" Lance asked and Keith pointed to Pidge. "Open." Everyone pointed to Pidge, she looked around and nodded. 

"Who is the best dancer?" Pidge asked with a little shoulder shimmy. Keith pointed to Lance. He'd been doing that a lot this game. "Open." Hunk, Allura, and him pointed to Lance. Shiro and Pidge pointed to Allura and Lance pointed to Keith. Keith laughed at Lance, who looked at him peculiarly. 

"Me? I can't dance for the life of me" Keith laughed and Shiro barked a loud laugh when he saw Lance pointing at Keith. Lance's face looked like it got slightly pink and he shrugged. 

They do a few more rounds before they run out of ideas and decided to end the stream so they could watch the show. 

They started watching, and drank even heavier now that they weren't performing anymore. Keith's head gots a little dizzy, but he didn't mind. Whenever James appeared on screen he couldn't help but smile. He considered texting James to come over several times but has to remember that no- they were watching as a group of friends. James as Silver was just... so hot. And he was drunk. His head felt heavy but he refused to go to sleep. They were already halfway through the season at this point. They talked throughout the show, mostly complimenting each other and reacting to scenes they weren't in. 

"Whoa Shiro you are ripped!!" Lance yelled when Grey took his shirt off in a scene of episode six. Shiro rolled his eyes and shook his head. Allura giggled a little before covering her mouth and Pidge cackled at Keith cringing face. 

"Yeah man, you look great!" Hunk said supportively with a smile and Shiro smiled kindly at him. 

Then they get to that scene in episode seven- the Amber/Grey sex scene. Keith and Pidge cheered loudly while Lance jokingly wolf whistles and Hunk just laughed non stop at Shiro's deadpan expression. Allura was laughing at their friend's antics and shaking her head. Shiro even joined in laughing when Lance said something particularly crude and Keith hit Lance on the shoulder. 

"How did you guys manage that scene so professionally?" Pidge asked through a giggle while the scene was still playing. 

"Yeah, especially since you two are friends in real life?" Keith asks, he was actually curious since he had to do the same with Lance. 

"It's not that hard. We just know that it's Amber and Grey who are doing this acts- two people who are in love. It's not us." Allura described and Lance and Keith got quiet. Everyone was still chattering and cheering during the scene but Lance and Keith were probably thinking about the same thing. 

"Yeah, but it's still your bodies?" Lance asked and Keith tried not to look at him. 

"Grey shares my body, so I just think 'it's Grey's turn now' and that he chooses to make out with Amber with his body." Shiro explained and Keith's eyes narrowed. He never thought of acting like that. He would completely forget himself when he was acting, like disassociating. 

"Yeah right, just 'making out'" Pidge teased with a chuckle and Allura laughed and covered her mouth at her own outburst. All jokes aside, it was actually a beautiful scene. Grey and Amber were certainly in love, and that much was clear through Allura and Shiro's acting. They were still in their underwear at the end- the scene ended actually kind of cheesy. They were alone at the base and started to make out. Then blah blah blah they take each other's clothes off and Amber dragged Grey to their bed. They made out for a while longer, and then Grey reached his leg out and closed the door- and the scene ended. Keith thought it was kind of funny. 

"Ay mi madre! (Oh my!)" Lance exclaimed and fanned himself- overacting to tease his friends. Keith knocked his knee against Lance's and they smiled at each other genially. 

They continued to compliment each other through the show and exclaimed at parts they weren't expecting. Keith was really enjoying it- and not just because he was drunk! He thought all their acting was really good, and their fight choreography was stepped up since they got their combat specialists that everything just flowed and he could feel the kinetic energy there. 

They got to the rib scene and Keith smirked to himself. He was just so excited for the romance between Robin and Alexander to become cannon. He and Lance looked at each other and smiled. 

“Are y’all about to kiss?” Pidge laughed as Robin and Alexander stared at each other. 

“For real, they’re like five centimeters away.” Hunk joked and Shiro shook his head. Unfortunately, Shiro had been on standby while this scene went on. 

“When are you going to tell us how that meeting went with the writers?” Allura whined. Keith and Lance smiled at each other. They wanted the season four romance to be a surprise. 

“Come on, just watch the show!” Lance said instead and laughed with Keith. 

The season ending is pretty impressive. Big explosions and avalanches and emotional scenes. Alexander saved Silver from the collapsing cave but Silver pushed him off and ran away after. The last reveal of the season was that Bat escaped the collapsed cave. 

Good season all around. Probably Keith’s favorite, though he’s pretty sure he’ll like season four best since that’s when Robin and Alexander get their romance arc. 

The group slept in their regular spaces. Shiro brought an air mattress even though Keith offered his bed to Shiro. So Shiro and Hunk stayed in the living room- Shiro on the air mattress and Hunk on the couch. Lance and Keith were back in Keith’s bed. They offered the bed up to Hunk as well- but he insisted that he liked the couch. 

So Keith and Lance went to bed drunk off their asses, along with their friends in other rooms. 

“We’re getting our scripts soon, right?” Lance asked sleepily. Kosmo was cuddled between them snoring. 

“Yeah pretty soon, why?” 

“I wanna know how Robin and Alexander get together!” Lance said excitedly. “Like do they say they love each other first? Is it a quick peck at first? Do they immediately get together afterwards? I wanna know!” Lance slurred with a weak smile. Keith giggled at his friend and shushed him. And the two broke into more giggles. 

“You’re gonna give the surprise away to our friends if you’re so loud!” Keith giggled out. 

“I won’t give anything away! I’m just excited!” Lance whined and hit Keith's shoulder lazily. 

“Me too, actually. I’ve never gotten to play a queer character. At least not a canonically queer one. Definitely not one who got a relationship.” Keith sighed and Lance leaned into his side. 

“Well I’m a great first.” Lance said with a smirk and leaned into Keith's face so their noses touched. Keith smiled good naturedly as he stared in amusement at his friend. Keith was never going to win against Lance's tirade of flirting against him, but he could at least try. 

“We’ll see about that.” Keith retorted and they fell asleep soon after without moving. 

They got their scripts in the mail a week later. The group met again at Keith and Lance’s place to read through it together for the first time. They all promised not to look at it before they read it together so it would be a surprise. 

Keith got out his highlighter and sat on the edge of the couch next to Lance. Lance was practically vibrating with excitement, Keith had to put his hand on Lance’s knee multiple times to stop it from shaking. The casual intimacy between them felt natural but their friend's always took notice. 

“This season better be worth you two dragging us over this early.” Pidge groaned as she slumped on the bean bag with a coffee in hand. 

“It’s only ten am.” Allura informed Pidge with a raised eyebrow as she sat crisscross on the ground facing the couch. 

“Yeah and?” Pidge asked as she ripped open the envelope containing her script. 

“We wake up around six usually for filming.” Hunk noted as he settled on the couch with some muffins he brought for everyone. He set the tray of muffins down on their coffee table which they’d moved out of the center of the room. 

“Yeah, and I’m on vacation for at least another month.” Pidge insisted as Shiro sat next to Allura on the ground so they were all in a circle. 

“Okay, I’ll read the stage directions. Let’s get started.” Shiro says and they get into the next season. 

Robin and Alexander had several moments throughout the season that use romantic tropes but don’t have them saying that they like each other or kissing. That came later. They were reading through the eighth episode when it happened for real. The group had been making comments about how obvious it was in the script that the two were in love- it got less and less of a joke as the season went on. Then episode eight came around. 

The group was going on an infiltration mission to save a group of innocent people who’ve been captured by a pack of warlocks, ghouls, and vampires holed up in an underground fortress. Gemma is in charge of undoing the locking mechanisms of the jail that the people are trapped in. Theo, Amber, and Grey were on another mission to find Azaria- who had gone missing for a while. Robin had to guard Gemma while she was working since she would be too busy to fight off anyone who came after her. This left Alexander to get the people out and defend them as they exited. 

Alexander insisted he could do it alone and Gemma insisted she couldn’t. So Robin stubbornly agreed to the plan. They end up kissing as they separated- but they didn’t talk about it the rest of the episode even though the plan went well.

“Wait! Did Robin just kiss Alexander?!?” Pidge exclaimed and set her coffee down as she sat up straighter. 

“Holy shit!” Allura swore under her breath and they all looked at her in surprise. “What? I can swear too.” 

“Wow, this is why you guys wanted everything to be a surprise, huh? Well this is great news!” Shiro said with a smile. 

“I’m glad the meeting went well then! I’ve always thought these two would be cute together.” Hunk agreed with a firm nod. 

“I like the way this happens too. Though I hope they don’t leave it at this.” Lance decided and Keith nodded. 

“Let’s read on to find out then. Two more episodes.” Allura informed them and they all nodded before moving on.

Grey and Amber had more couple scenes (more make out scenes), Gemma got to be a badass, Theo becomes more of a leader than Grey, and Alexander and Robin are ignoring each other. 

The end of episode nine had the two finally talking and ended with them making out a ton. The blocking looked sweet and passionately romantic. 

“Yeaaah that’s what I’m talking about!” Lance cheered as they read through the stage directions. 

“You two will have fun with this one, huh?” Pidge teased with a raised brow and quirked lip. 

“Yeah, I’m just so looking forward to it.” Keith said sarcastically and Lance smirked at him. 

“Aw this is so cute you guys! And so exciting!” Hunk clapped his hands cheerfully. They all gleefully finish their scripts and start their memorizing. 

The day before filming started Keith settled into his couch somberly. Lance was over at Kaleel’s house so he was just passing the time until he went to sleep. He was reading Waiting for Gadot when James knocked on his door. Keith invited him in and they sat on the couch. 

“Hey hun, what’s up? I thought you were leaving town soon.” Keith asked when they sit. James had taken a job on Shay’s new courtroom show. He played the opposing lawyer- he was always good at playing the villain. 

“I am, in two days. I’ll be back now and then though.” James shrugged and Keith could tell he was nervously about something. 

“Yeah I mean, Silver comes back in episode six and seven.” 

“Yeah yeah. I just came over to talk.” James rubbed his legs anxiously. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah! It’s just that umm… well our agreement was technically supposed to end about now-ish. Of course that’s just publicly, and things privately could stay the same but uh…” James trailed off with James furrowing his eyebrows. 

Keith sighed and nodded. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. James was going to be out of town for a while, and he had gotten a ton of publicity and job offers. That was their agreement. There was a certain hollowness that grew in his chest as he thought about James' absence from his life. 

“Of course, I understand.” Keith said and James opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked like he felt guilty. “James, it’s okay. I’m not offended. We’ll say in some interview that we broke up. It’s not a big deal.” 

“It’s not just that- I have really enjoyed our private relationship but I don’t know if I want to continue it.” James admitted and although Keith felt a certain amount of pain spearing through his lower lungs, he understood. 

“That’s okay too. We always knew that this wouldn’t last forever. I’m just glad it happened, y’know? I missed you.” 

“I just- I feel like I should explain.” James said and grabbed Keith’s arm gently. 

“You don’t have to, really-" Keith insisted, not wanting to hear why James didn't want him. He didn't need to know. 

“Just let me. Please.” James pleaded and Keith sat back. “I love you- as a friend, and I always will. I can’t stand thinking that you might think that I used you. This meant something to me, even if it wasn’t romantic. It was still important. But you and I aren’t going to date anytime soon. We’re never gonna get married or have kids. I’m fine with that. I’m happy to stay friends with you forever. But I want a romantic partner- a serious one. And I don’t feel that way about you anymore- and you don’t feel that way about me.” 

They sat in silence for a while. Keith taking in the information that he, deep down, already knew. James was fiddling anxiously with his hands and Keith could tell that he felt horrible for changing the nature of their relationship. Keith knew it wasn't permanent- but that didn't mean he wasn't going to miss it, or that he was happy about it. 

“I get it. I’m happy for you, and I hope it goes well.” Keith said finally and his eyes darted down to James’ lips. “I’ll miss this, but it’s okay. As long as we can stay friends this time. This time for us- even without the sex- has meant so much to me." He confessed, grossed out at his own vulnerability. 

“We will stay friends. I won’t let us not be friends. I’ll stop by whenever I’m in town, okay?” James assured him and his hand moved to Keith’s thigh. Keith looked down at his hand and back to James with a raised eyebrow. James leaned in a bit and Keith leaned in reflexively. 

“I thought you didn’t want to do this anymore.” Keith asked as their faces almost touched. Their lips were centimeters apart. Their breaths moving between each other in synch. Keith wanted so badly to move in for more- but he thought James didn't want that. 

“One last go?” James asked with a smirk and Keith smiled back. 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah, always, you?” 

“Of course.” Keith says and they crashed into each other. 

Keith kissed James one last time on the neck before they dressed. They may have had a couple of ‘last go’s, but agreed it was probably enough for one night. 

“I’ll miss you.” James said as he pulled his pants on. He kissed Keith on the cheek. 

“I’ll miss you too. We’ll see each other again though. And we’ll still talk all the time. We have a great friendship without all the touchy- sexy stuff.” Keith said and James smirked. 

“Yeah, but it was fun.” James smirked and Keith smiled arrogantly. 

“Yeah, fun while it lasted.” Keith smiled and tried not to think of this as a sad event. 

“Probably for the best though, with Lance and all.” James mused and pulled his shirt on. Keith quirked an eyebrow. 

“What’re you talking about? You mean cause you two got in a fight? That you still won’t tell me about?” Keith asked with an amused smile. James looked around and tilted his head. 

“What? No. I know Keith, it’s okay- I’m not offended. I’ve known for a while. I figured if you were gonna do anything about it then you and I would’ve ended things a while ago.” James shrugged as he finished putting his clothes on. Keith sat up in bed as he tried to figure out what the fuck James was on about. 

“Okay now I’m confused. What’re you talking about? What did you know?” 

“Keith, it’s okay." James laughed. "I know you have feelings for Lance.” James said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Keith just blinked at James. 

“What?” 

“You’re completely in love with Lance. Don’t tell me you don’t know.” James scoffed with a gentle smile. 

“Rewind- you think I have any sort of romantic feelings for Lance?” Keith laughed and stood up from the bed, quickly pulling on his underwear from where it laid on the floor. This wasn't a naked kind of conversation. 

“Um, yeah. I’m certain of it. Sometimes when we have sex I’m just certain you’d rather be looking at him than at me. You can admit it- I’m not offended.” 

“You’re crazy. Like actually going insane. Lance?!? Me and Lance?!?” Keith actually started laughing, though it lacked mirth. 

“You’re even more in denial than I thought. Look, I’m sorry if I’ve bothered you. Just forget I said anything.” James put his hands up in defense. 

“Is that why you’re breaking things off with me? Cause you think I’m in love with Lance? That’s ridiculous.” Keith scoffed and James smiled sadly. 

“No, I’m ending things for the reason I said. I want to look for someone to date. I hope things go well for the two of you though.” 

“There is nothing between the two of us, I promise you.” Keith assured him seriously and the two walked to the door. 

“You’ll figure it out, it doesn’t matter though. I didn’t mean to make this about that. I’ll miss you, Keith. I’ll stop by whenever I can, and call soon- to let you know how things are going and to see how you’re doing.” 

“Right… I’ll miss you too. And thank you, for everything. Love you.” Keith said and hugged James. That was the best he could give him. A show of platonic love. 

“Love you too, and same- with the thanks.” James shrugged shyly and they kissed one last time before James left. 

Keith slumped back down on his couch and sighed loudly. What a weird night. And he had an early morning with filming starting tomorrow and whatnot. 

“Well that was a bummer.” Keith said aloud to himself. What a weird conversation he had with James. The 'breakup' was expected- it was a little sad but for the best. No, it was the Lance part of the conversation that confused, and annoyed, him. 

Plenty of people have thought he had feelings for Lance. Pidge joked about it all the time, and Matt himself had asked about it. But no one as close to him as James has said it. Especially not to say in love.

In love?? With Lance?? Sure, they were best friends and Lance was of course the most attractive person Keith had met. That was just a part of show business. But in love?? He didn’t have any sort of romantic feelings for Lance. 

Right? 

Chapter Text

#HollowedOutS3

fixitFelixJannis: i'm sobbing, crying, throwing up over this season i can't 

craxmax: I didn't think i could fall more in love with these characters but here we are

JennaF765: Silver, my beloved [four pictures of Silver in various scenes]

Lynx’sjinxes: @JennaF765 casting James Griffin as Silver might be their best decision yet no cap

Atinabobina: Theo's so cute this season! My boy is growing up and getting more leadership and omg I just love him [two pics of Hunk as Theo]

FieroChive: I just want to thank the writers for this season, we truly don't deserve all the amazing aspects that they gave us 

TweetyKenna: Pidge and Hunk's friendship is so cute this season it's unfair. I love the video diaries so much and I can't believe how much the cast loves each other

rolexander: Anyone else think that Robin and Alexander were about to kiss when Robin was fixing his rib?? Their faces were so close [pic from that scene]

summerlong: @rolxander FR!! They had so much chemistry this season it's off the charts. They have more romantic chemistry than Amber and Grey and they fucked right on screen

hackersbacker: @rolexander @summerlong it did seem like their body language and their looks were more intense this season. i think they're gonna get together soon

sofiaHenner: @rolexander @summerlong @hackersbacker all the signs point to yes

DeniseHarman: Amber and Grey were so cute this season, I'm so glad they're finally together. All their cute little moments! I know everyone is talking about their sex scene- which fair enough that's cute and hot and sweet- but I actually liked the subtle stuff better. Like when one was upset the other would comfort them, or like when Grey was working and Amber rubbed his tense shoudlers. It's just so sweet [pics of Amber and Grey being coupley]

jaxbodyspray: Anyone else think the fight choreo was amped up this season? Things flowed so much better in fight scenes, they had such a fun kinetic energy

Ryden897: I missed Azaria so much! I wasn't sure if she was coming back or not this season but there she was! She's such a badass this season I'm sorta in love with her. The scenes between her and Silver were some of my favorite in the entire season! [pics of Azaria]

retrobitch420: Gemma gemma gemma please more gemma i love her so much [pics of Gemma through the season]

avatarkorra: @retrobitch420 she's such a good friend this season and just in total doing great and I love her and i miss her. ALSO Pidge was so good this season, probably her best performance so far!!

Zeussuxx: Allura is literally so pretty it's not even fair. She looks so good with braids this season too! I love Amber so much and she was doing so good this season! She got a stable, healthy relationship, she got better magic, she's learning more tech stuff, and I'm just so happy for her [pics of Allura as Amber through the season]

foresttrail44: Grey is so hot. For real, this is just a thirst tweet to praise how absolutely ripped this man is. How can he be so muscular but not look awkward?? And his cute little smile?? And that scar on his nose that gets a bit pinker when he scrunchies his nose in a laugh?? He's so cute and perfect. [pictures of Shiro as Grey, including shirtless pics and one of him scrunching his nose] 

renokajdl: @foresttrail44 How'd he even get that scar? It's right across his nose, seems like a weird place to scar?

genomegnome: Keith and James are the best part of the season- no I will not hear criticism. They have the best chemistry and their characters are so interesting with their backstory. It def helps that they're dating in real life, it improves their chemistry and realism ten fold. I'm literally in love with their dynamic. 

furryous&slow: I love them both so much and they're so hot together in real life and on screen. Their relationship on the video diaries is so cute! Sometimes you see them in the background just talking with their heads together or holding hands and it's just too pure for their own good.

heatedice696: @genomegnome @furryous&slow ^^^ I can't get over them. I'm usually totally on board for Rolex, but Silver and Alexander have the best storyline in the season and they always looked like they were five seconds away from making out!

istgimhot: Anyone else with me on the Gemma/Amber train or am I alone again? 

yourbaeu: I just think he's neat [pics of Hunk as Theo] 

lanceedits34: Lance McClain, or as I like to call him, the love of my life, did so well this season. His acting and fighting was all on point. He just oozes talent and it's just so good and perfect and I want to marry him. 

KeriStone: @lanceedits34 I know Lance is with Kaleel, and I'm truly happy for them, but I want to marry him. 

hollowedoutspoilers: *SPOILERS FOR S3* THAT ENDING THOUGH!! The big avalanche?? Alexander saving Silver?? Everyone thinking Bat is dead but then he's not?????? Losing it

Pencilstencil: Robin is so cute I want him to be happy so bad! Please? Writers?? Just let him be happy?? He gets so thrashed by Silver the whole season and looks so sad whenever Alexander and Silver are talking. [picture of Robin throughout the season looking sad]

GeorgeWellman: we need more fae magic in the show. the first season had a ton and now it's mostly monsters and stuff which is fun but like... i want the fun evil fae and good fae and just more magic and sparkles and pretty stuff! The show is a little grungy now

feonix9204: @GeorgeWellman I sorta agree, season one is my favorite when it comes to the villains and magic but the character stuff gets better with each season

hollowedoutfan: James and Lance getting in a little prank war is so funny! Istg they must be friends in real life they're so cute with the itching powder and stealing clothes?? I love them

lanceedits34: @hollowedoutfan Totally agree!! They must double date with all the time since Keith and Lance are such good friends, and it seems like James and Kaleel get along really well from the stream the four did. And obviously James and Lance are friends, cause Lance has said he pranks Keith so often because they're best friends so Lance probably pranks James so much because he feels comfy with him! 

pinkowlhand: @hollowedoutfan @lanceedits34 I just love that James pranks him back unlike Keith- except that one time

pinappleJoan: The character arcs and dynamics are developing so well! I really like where everything is going! 

harriscaron: I love the show, but I kinda think it's dragging on a bit. I love the show but having Bat come back at the end of the finale was a little too much. Like just change villains already! Silver was just a good villain but Bat just seems a little dry to me

imhollowedout: Any one else think Gemma might like Harlan? I was sensing chemistryyyy [picture of Ryan as Harlan and Pidge as Gemma] 

Lance read through the twitter tags of the new season and chuckled at the fans, just a little. Him and James being friends? Yeah right. There was a lot of praise for James as Silver. People love villains, and James was great at playing a villain. Even Lance had to admit he did a great job, and Silver was one of the most entertaining characters yet, so charismatic and charming. 

Lance bounded into the break room on the first day back. They had already finished one scene and things were going well as far as Lance could tell. It was good to be back with all his old friends. Pidge and Hunk were already in full blast with their video diary shenanigans- they were wandering around the hallways right now just chatting with the camera. 

Lance had just finished talking with Kaleel. He and his boyfriend had their one year anniversary about a week after the premiere, about a month and a half ago. The two were still in a weird rut, Lance thought their anniversary would make things better. Like the celebration would distract them and help get them back to their roots or whatever. It didn’t. They spent the day together without any social media or using their phones at all. Lance got Kaleel a bunch of flowers and made them dinner and sang to him. Kaleel bought Lance chocolates and a ton of self care stuff like face masks and foot scrubs. It was a pleasant evening and Lance thought for a few hours that they were okay. 

Things pretty much went back to normal as soon as the day ended. He loved Kaleel, but he knew some things couldn’t be fixed. Especially if they couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It felt like it should be obvious. Like the entire situation should be easy and simple. But it wasn't. Every moment felt like walking on a tight rope- just waiting to topple off. 

“You feeling okay, Lance?” Allura asked him as he sipped his coffee slowly. He supposed he must have been staring for a while. He smiled casually and nodded. 

“Yeah, sorry. Stuck in my own head.” Lance said and put his coffee down.  

“So we haven’t all talked since the script read through, how are all of you?” Allura asked with a kind smile. 

“Adam and I got a cat.” Shiro said with a bright smile. Lance hadn’t met the cat yet, but Keith thought she was an angel. 

“Ooh! What’s it’s name!?” Allura perked up, she adored cats.  

“Splatter, she’s a sweetie. Just a kitten, we had her trained and house broken during break so she can be left alone now,” Shiro said adoringly. 

“We need pictures.” Pidge demanded as she and Hunk had walked in to hear Shiro describing the cat. Shiro got his phone out and showed a little grey kitten with black and white spots- or splatters if you will. She was adorable with big green eyes. 

“My movie finished filming! It’s in post now. I have no idea how it went, or how I did.” Hunk shrugged and looked at his feet with a solemn expression. Lance thought that was an odd look for Hunk. Sure, he seemed nervous plenty of times before but this seemed deeper than that. Like true self-consciousness down to his core about something important to him. 

“You did great, Hunk. Don’t worry about it.” Shiro assured him with a supportive pat on the shoulder. 

“Yeah can you tell us anything about it now?” Lance asked and sat forward. Keith also leaned forward from beside Lance. Keith had been quiet so far, not entirely unlike him, but he also felt boneless. Like he barely had the energy to move. Lance wasn't sure what could have caused this since they only just started filming again. Keith would likely tell him later though. 

“It’s about a business man who gets in a car accident and it entirely rewrites his brain. He basically loses all passion for anything he previously had in life. He has to figure out what he wants in life, including going to college again and falling in love and whatnot. It’s sweet.” 

“And you’re the businessman?” Lance clapped his hands against his thighs excitedly. 

“Former businessman.” Hunk corrected with a smile. 

“Hunk! That sounds like Oscar bait!” Pidge jumped up in her chair and smiled brightly. There was something about the way that Pidge and Hunk always looked at each other when they were proud or excited about something- there was a certain sparkle in their eyes that they both wore. 

“It uh… basically is.” Hunk admitted with a dark blush. 

“Hunk!! That’s astounding! I wish you the best of luck, and have the utmost faith in you.” Allura said and sat up in her seat with a proud smile and twinkly eyes. 

“You’ll definitely win. You’re the best.” Lance said confidently and Hunk brushed them all off. 

“Enough, guys, enough. Someone else give a life update so I can stop blushing.” Hunk covered his embarrassed smile with his coffee cup. 

“Kaleel and I had our anniversary in January. I know it’s almost March by now but I’m not sure if I let you all know.” Lance noted and Keith nodded. 

“Yes! You two spent a day in, yes?” Allura asked kindly. Lance had messaged her briefly about it before it happened. It was nice to know she remembered.  

“Yeah, simple stuff really. Neither of us wanted to make it a big deal.” Lance shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Sounds like a good first anniversary.” Shiro commented and Lance almost said something about it being their only anniversary if they didn’t work things out. He held back his rude comments about his own relationship though. 

“It was nice.” Lance decided on and leaned back. 

“I got hired for another music video! One for Clairo.” Pidge told them all giddy like. They all congratulated her. 

“I don’t have much news since last we spoke. But things with Lotor are going well. We’re thinking of getting another cat though.” Allura shrugged. “Though we’re worried Platt might not get along with other cats.” 

“Platt’s a good cat, I’m sure she’ll take care of a little cat if you get her a friend.”  Pidge assured and it reminded Lance that Pidge and Allura hang out a lot outside of the group. It sort of warms Lance’s heart to see the two so close. They didn't exactly seem like the type of be friends. But Pidge brought out the mischievous side in Allura while she brought the earnest side of Pidge. 

“You could always consider a dog.” Keith said to Allura. Lance had almost forgotten he was even there- he hadn’t said anything except congratulate Pidge. 

“Lotor isn’t much of a dog person. Though I love them. How about you, Keith? You haven’t said much. How’s James?” Allura asked kindly and Keith tensed up for the first time beside Lance. 

“Yeah, I kinda miss that guy. He’ll be back for a couple episodes but still. I got used to having another friend on cast. It’s bad enough Shay is away so often.” Pidge complained and folded her arms with a smile. Lance grinned at Pidge- she loved her friends way more than she let on. 

“Right… um. We broke up. Like for real.” Keith muttered and the group all froze. Lance whipped his head around to look at him with big eyes. He didn’t tell him. How long ago had this happened? Keith said he would tell him everything! 

“Keith, when you say break up…” Shiro started and leaned forward. 

“I mean we’re gonna publicly break up and our private relationship is now strictly friendly. I mean like… we’re just friends now.” Keith shrugged, and he sounded almost sad. Not entirely though. 

“When was this?” Lance asked, his voice betraying some sadness.

“Literally last night. I would’ve told you guys sooner but… it was late.” Keith told them and Lance relaxed. Last night. He was at Kaleel’s, of course Keith didn’t say anything yet. Okay, freak out ended. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much anyway. 

“I’m sorry, Keith. Are you okay?” Hunk asked kindly and Keith barely raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, how do you feel about that?” Pidge asked kindly. Lance knew that the rest of them were aware of the nature of Keith and James’ relationship, but they were way more understanding than Lance was. Maybe Lance was just a jerk when it came to James though. He wasn’t exactly sad that James wasn’t on set as often anymore. 

“I’m okay. It stings a little, but it wasn’t bitter or anything. He was so sweet about it…” Keith stared at the wall for a second without a changing expression. Then he cleared his throat and started again. “We’re still friends, but like… the way the rest of us are friends.” Keith specified and Lance had to keep back a smile. 

“I’m sorry, Keith. I know you two were close.” Allura comforted with a slightly frown. “I mean, of course you two were close. Boyfriends and all.” Allura added on as she noticed others enter the room. Others who don’t know that their relationship wasn’t what they said it was. 

“Thanks, I’m okay though.” Keith assured them and a stage manager ushered them on stage. 

Lance was leaning against a wall as they waited for Lotor’s stage manager to call them. It was about a week after filming started for season four. He was tired. They ran the big scenes first, and those always took the longest and made them get up the earliest. Lance always seemed to miss filming when it wasn't happening but as soon as it started up again he was just absolutely exhausted all the time. 

Lance was idly watching Keith talk with Shiro. Keith had been odd since the break up with James. Not normal break up behavior. If Keith was crying, listening to Taylor Swift, and eating ice cream then Lance might understand. That’s what Lance did at least. But Keith was just quiet. He said he was fine and downed a ton of fruits. Weird guy. Ate a lot of strawberries and moped around in maroon sweats. 

Shiro had advised Lance to let Keith come to him with his feelings. Told him not to ask to much, that would push Keith away. So Lance sat with him as they watched marine life documentaries and even went to the gym with him on their days off. He wasn't sure why those things helped Keith- but apparently they did. 

Lance had to work out to keep his Hollywood body, but it wasn’t something he enjoyed too much. Keith on the other hand, worked out religiously. Lance had a bit of a hard time keeping up, especially since he was determined not to talk as often. Part of his whole ‘wait for Keith to come to him’ thing. So he couldn’t complain about his muscles aching and the sweat dripping into his eyes. It was so unpleasant. 

“Lance?” Pidge said, poking his arm. 

“Hm?” 

“You’re staring again.” Pidge noted and leaned against the wall next to him. 

“Just thinking about how much my muscles hurt from trying to comfort Keith.” Lance groaned as he rubbed his arm. 

“Okay… I’m gonna assume that you meant exercise or something.” Pidge hummed and Lance turned to her with a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh, no I meant we obviously had so much sex I’m sore all over.” Lance said with a monotone voice and Pidge smirked. Lance smirked back as they turned back to the group. 

“Knew it.” Pidge teased and elbowed him lightly. Lance smiled wider and relaxed minutely upon the wall. Things weren't so bad, honestly. He could deal with the sore muscles if it meant Keith didn't feel so alone without James. Lance couldn't say he exactly understood their relationship but he could tell Keith was hurting, no matter how oddly that manifested- and he wanted to be there for him as much as possible. 

“Welcome back all! It’s wonderful to have you all on my show.” Lotor greeted as they settled onto the long couch. 

“Thank you, Lotor. It’s great to be back.” Allura said naturally. The way his name fell from her mouth was so casual and elegant. Like it was practiced and primed for any situation. Of course, it was, but that didn't stop the endearing feeling it always gave Lance. He wasn't sure he or Kaleel sounded like that when they talked about the other. 

“So how does it feel to be starting your fourth season of Hollowed Out?” Lotor asked first. 

“It’s exciting, this is probably our most ambitious season yet,” Hunk answered. 

“We have a lot of new and exciting things happen this season that we’re glad to share with the audience. Once it comes out of course. Season three only just released.” Lance said and tried not to bounce his knee. Keith usually held his knee when it shook like this, but of course he couldn’t now. 

“Season three was already ambitious, it’s impressive to know it’ll get even better.” Lotor said with a broad smile. “Such a great season with really interesting character dynamics developing. What would you all say the most interesting relationship is? Romantic or otherwise.” 

“I think the friendship between Gemma and Amber is actually the most interesting to me. They’re so different but get along so well because of their similar missions. They both have such a hunger for justice and a spirit for fighting that even though their practices differ they work together like a well oiled machine.” Shiro said first and Lance is actually surprised. He never even considered that relationship. Shiro usually said Theo and Grey, too.

“I really enjoy the friendship and working relationship between Amber and Azaria. The scenes I shot with Shay Eiden were some of my favorite. Azaria and Amber fight in such different ways but always protect each other. It’s also interesting to see how Azaria learns some magic from her,” Allura added in. Lance nodded along. Azaria and Amber did have one of Lance’s favorite friendships, after Alexander and Robin, of course. 

“I have to say Amber and Grey. I know it’s not a creative answer but have always been a fan. Their romantic relationship has been developing in such a nice way since last season. Though I’ve also always really liked the friendship between Alexander and Robin. That’s another pair that’s composed of very different people that somehow get along,” Hunk said next- to no one's surprise. Ever the shipper. 

“I would also say Alexander and Robin. Maybe it’s cause it’s my character, but it’s always been my favorite. They are characters coming from such different places but since they’re united in their passions they’re going in the same direction,” Lance said. Funnily enough, he felt the same about Keith and himself. 

“I like Grey and Theo, though I adore many of the friendships. There’s something about the way that Grey starts to hand over the leader reigns to Theo that I really adore. There's so much trust and adoration between the two of them. Their brotherly relationship reminds me a lot of my own, I guess.” Keith admitted, then makes a funny expression as he looks at the ground. Like he didn’t mean to say that last part. He didn’t usually share about his life with the public. Shiro smiled at him lightly, like he’s so flattered that Keith thinks so highly of him. He shouldn’t be surprised. Keith adored his brother. 

“I gotta say Theo and Gemma. They’re just so goofy together when they’re happy but completely supportive over all. They have a lot in common so they work really well together.” Pidge finished them out and Lotor perked up. 

“I actually wanted to show a scene if that’s alright with everyone? It’s from the first episode, no spoilers for season three.” Lotor assured and they all nodded. They showed the scene where Gemma and Theo take care of Alexander and Robin when they’re sick. It’s excellent acting from Pidge and Hunk, some of the best Lance had seen from Hunk. Lance and Keith don’t have much to do but Lance thought it was impressive anyway.

“What a scene, everyone. Incredible work from all of you. That scene in the kitchen is one of my favorites in the season. Though any scene with Silver is a close second.” Lotor said and Lance tried not to bristle. The crowd cheered as he mentioned Silver. That didn't bother him at all. Definitely not. 

“I might want to change my previous answer to Alexander and Silver. I love Theo and Grey, but I think Alexander and Silver might be more interesting.” Keith changed his answer and the crowd went crazy. 

“He was a great addition to the season, a great rival for the characters and a foil for them as well. All brilliant work from James Griffin,” Lotor said with a nod. 

“He was a great addition to cast, we all got along really well with him. He fits in really well with us. He was especially a great person to pull pranks with on the diaries.” Pidge smiled nostalgically. Those two got along better than anyone would’ve expected. Maybe they really should've, though. 

“I think we have time for just one more general question. What would you all consider your character’s best scene this season?” Lotor asked. 

“I have to say the scene between Amber and Grey. It may be a bit cheesy, but it really is a big moment for Amber. She finally fell in love, and it was with a wonderful man.” Allura said first. Lotor and her smile at each other. It was so genuinely sweet that Lance wanted to look away. 

“I’m actually gonna say that scene you just showed. I think Gemma hardly ever shows emotion like that.” Pidge said next. Pidge bit her lip anxiously, probably thinking about her performance in that scene. There was no need- Lance wasn't sure anyone else could have performed that as brilliantly as she did. 

“I like Theo in the last episode. He fights so well, and takes so much leadership and responsibility. It’s a great show of his real character,” Hunk answered next. 

“I love when Grey punches Bat in the face. It may not be my best acting, but it’s greatly cathartic for Grey.” Shiro told Lotor and there was a general laughter. 

“I’m in a tie between when Alexander saves Silver from the avalanche and when he tells Robin about Silver’s betrayal.” Keith contemplated as he tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. Lance tried not be jealous. Why should he be jealous? The scene where Alexander saved Silver was great, it would be one of Lance’s favorite’s if he didn’t know James or Keith. But he knew James and therefore had a hard time liking any scene he was in. 

“I would say when Robin fixes Alexander’s broken rib cage. He’s a very caring friend and he shows a lot of understanding in that scene.” Lance didn’t elaborate anymore. It was his favorite scene. He and Keith were still fighting at the time, but the expression Keith gave Lance during it gave him hope. He could tell when Keith was acting, and there a tinge of forgiveness and care that he knew was Keith and not Alexander. 

Those were terrible days when they weren't talking. It felt like walking through water. Nothing reached him, not really. It all just floated around him. The only solid thing being Keith- and he wouldn't give him the time of day. Not that Lance didn't deserve it. 

Lotor talked a bit more before they all exited and Lance walked with Keith to their car. He was so tired he didn’t stop to talk to anyone. He didn’t think he would make a good conversation buddy right now. Lance got in the passenger's seat and waited for Keith. He saw Keith talking to Shiro in the parking lot. Shiro gave Keith a hug before Keith walked to the driver’s seat. It was a gentle hug- one that Keith readily returned. 

“Everything okay?” Lance asked tiredly when Keith closed the door. 

“Hm? Oh, he was being all sappy. Since I mentioned brothers in the interview. Y’know how he’s like.” Keith rolled his eyes but Lance could see his smile. 

“You’re sappier than you let on.” Lance teased and Keith let a small grin escape. 

“So I love my brother, big deal.” Keith rolled his eyes. 

“You going to watch another documentary about sharks?” Lance asked as they started their drive home. Allura and Lotor had invited them all over to their place for a small gathering but these two were too tired. Everyone else was going, but Keith and Lance declined. Lance was exhausted and Keith was even more of a recluse when moping over a fringe haired asshole. 

“Hm, maybe. Maybe one about turtles,” Keith said sleepily.

“I love turtles! I used to watch them in the water when I was a kid. I’d try to pet them and my dad would have to remind me that they didn’t like humans that much. Not wild ones at least.” Lance talked without thinking much. Memories of his dad came up unexpectedly from time to time and he always blushed afterward. So vulnerable. But it was Keith. He knew what it was like to lose a father. 

“Smart man.” Keith said in that empathetic voice, the one that made Lance love him a little more every time he heard it. There was also a wonderful trace of admiration and respect, a tone Keith always had when talking about Lance's family. It made Lance's heart feel all warm and... big. 

Keith finally spoke about his behavior two weeks into filming. They had that Saturday off, and Kaleel was working with Adam on something so Lance was alone when Keith walked into his room and flopped onto Lance's bed beside him. Lance's bed wasn't as big as Keith's so when Keith took up half the bed there wasn't much room left. He didn't mind, he shared with Kaleel all the time. 

Keith groaned into the pillow he stuffed his face into. Lance, who was sat up in his bed, glanced at him wearily. Keith almost never did anything like this. So Lance slumped down so he was lying next to his friend. 

"What's up?" Lance asked and Keith groaned again and turned his face to Lance. 

"I didn't think it would hurt this much. Or at all."

"Flopping on my bed? You did pretty much do a belly flop, if this was water you could've really hurt yourself." Lance noted sarcastically and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"It wasn't romantic! At all! But it feels like I've lost a friend, even though we're still technically friends. I didn't think I would miss it this much." 

"You care about him a lot, of course you're gonna miss him. It makes sense to be upset, you didn't lose a friend, but the nature of that friendship did change." Lance told him and moved a piece of hair out of Keith's eyes. 

"It's the best relationship I've had so far, the healthiest at least. I knew it wasn't gonna last forever, he just understood me so well. We had such a good understanding of what we both wanted and what the other could and would give. It was nice. He was nice to me." Keith said and Lance actually felt bad for disliking James, a not unusual feeling whenever he talks to Keith. 

"You can find someone else who will understand all that. If you want, I mean. And James will always be there for you. So will I." Lance assured him sincerely and Keith looked him in the eye. His eyes were so interesting. They were a dark brown, but in certain lights they look almost purple. There was something unfamiliar in Keith's eyes when he said that. Lance hadn't seen it before from Keith- so he didn't know what it meant. 

"It's just-" Keith paused. "Do you remember what we talked about at the first cast slumber party we had? Like three years ago?" Keith asked and shifted so he was lying on his side. 

"The party where we did 'Never Have I Ever' and some other game? I can't remember much about it specifically but it was fun. I was very drunk." Lance told him and Keith smiled minutely. 

"I may have told you somethings that night that I was happy you forgot." Keith shrugged a little and Lance's brows creased. He vaguely remembered after that party Keith had ignored him stubbornly and when he confronted him about it he said he embarrassed himself. Then he helped move Keith out of James' place. He didn't have much memory of that night, especially after three years. 

"What'd you tell me?" Lance asked anxiously. 

"When I was younger I slept around a lot..." Keith started anxiously.

"I know, there's nothing wrong with that. Your tone sounds like- like you're ashamed or something. I know I said some mean things when we got in that fight, and may have indicated that I thought that was wrong but I didn't mean it that way and-" Lance rambled on and Keith shook his head. 

"Shut up, for a minute. Please?" Keith interrupted and Lance nodded. "I know that casual sex is entirely normal and could even be healthy if both parties understand the casualness and one timey-ness of it. It wasn't healthy for me because..." Keith sighed and went on. "Because I was using it as a wall to block out intimacy, or something like that. I don't know, I'm not a therapist." Keith chuckled a little. "But in addition to that... The people I slept with at first were sort of... old."

"What?" Lance interrupted then covered his mouth and Keith shifted his eyes to one side. 

"It's just- it's not pedophilic or anything. I was like nineteen when I started going out to gay clubs. I was still in the closet and thought the only people who wouldn't recognize me were, y'know, old guys. Like- in their forties. It was stupid, it wasn't fun, but I didn't know any better." Keith said and Lance sighed. He felt his eyes and mouth droop. So many people have used Keith and he'd been through so much. It made Lance's blood boil. "It was deeply uncomfortable, I hated them and myself and I only stopped when I got beat up. It wasn't just guys at a club either, but any older guy who offered me... god it's so embarrassing." Keith laughed self deprecatingly and covered his face. 

Lance gently removed his hands from Keith's face and held his wrists kindly. Keith didn't look at him, his lips quivered and his eyes looked glassier than usual. 

"You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me." 

"It's just- it makes me feel gross. Even thinking about it." 

"Why- why're you telling me this now? I mean, I'm glad you're telling me, the way you phrased it made it sound like it had something to do with James. Did he- did he have something to do with this?"

"No, of course not. It's just... I don't even know. I guess he made casual sex good again. I had all these bad experiences with it- old guys, producers, other people more recently who I just used... and then James and I. I guess maybe I need a better connection to someone before I sleep with them. Maybe that's the key. Maybe it has nothing to do with James..." 

"Maybe you do, but that's not why it worked with James. It worked because it was him. Even though it was platonic, you still loved him, and he loved you. It's okay to be upset about. He won't be the last person to love you though, and won't be the last person who..." Lance was trying to figure out how to say this. "You'll have more good sexual relationships, casual or not. I'm sorry things ended between you because I know you were happy, and it was healthy... but it won't be the last time you're happy and healthy. I promise." 

"I know. I guess I just miss him." Keith sighed and turned onto his stomach. "Sorry, for unloading that whole gross story by the way. I think it's some necessary context for some of my actions and thought processes though."

"You aren't gross Keith." 

"Lance, I let so many people use me. And I used them back. Not good decisions on my part."

"Okay but think about it this way: when a forty year old man sleeps with a scared and vulnerable nineteen year old, who really has the power there?" Lance asked seriously and Keith finally looked Lance in the eyes. 

"Maybe I should see a therapist or something." Keith laughed anxiously, and Lance could tell it was to cover up how uncomfortable he felt. 

"That wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm glad you told me. Now if you want to give me a list of names, I'd be happy to beat up some old men," Lance said with a smile. 

"Even if I could remember every single one- no way. Will you look at me differently now?" 

"Maybe a little. Not in a bad way though. In a 'I will do anything to make sure nothing like that happens to you again' way." Lance said and Keith just stared at him. His mouth changed from a thin straight line to slightly curved up. His eyes were still doing that thing. Like he was looking at Lance differently than he had before. It was sort of nice. 

Kaleel came over one night, about a month into filming. Lance was pretty tired, and it was clear that Kaleel was too. Lance wasn't planning on having Kaleel come over, they were both so tired they agreed they would need a night alone. Keith respected Lance's space and went to his room. Lance suspected that he went to bed early. Then Kaleel knocked on his door around ten pm. 

"Kaleel, hola mi amor, what're you doing here?" Lance asked tiredly and Kaleel bit his lip. 

"Can I come in?" 

"Of course, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Lance asked as his stomach did somersaults. What was this about?

"You know that Marvel project I applied to stage manage for?" Lance nodded. "I got it." Kaleel said as they walked to Lance's room. 

"What?! That's great news!" Lance said as he hugged his boyfriend. 

"Yeah, I'll have to stop working on Hollowed Out, but that's sort of expected."

"Kaleel! We should like... I don't know! Celebrate! A big Marvel movie as a stage manager and not just an assistant!" 

"Yeah it's exciting right?" Kaleel said hesitantly and Lance's smile dropped. 

"What's wrong? This seems like good news, but I'm sensing a 'but'." 

"But- filming is in China, Berlin, and Atlanta." Kaleel sighed out and Lance finally got it. 

"When do you have to leave?" Lance asked quietly. 

"A month." Kaleel said somberly. 

"Well- that's okay though. Phones and computers still exist so we can still talk and call all the time! And I can visit you all the time, no matter where you are. It'll be okay!" Lance insisted and Kaleel smiled sadly. Something about him didn't seem surprised at all about this response- but still disappointed.  

"Yeah... we'll work it out. I'm not too worried about all that. I just wanted to tell you."

"But you're excited, right?" Lance asked, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Super excited, I could meet so many of my idols and order them around?? It's bizarre and I'm so excited." Kaleel gushed with a smile. Lance still loved his smile, even if it lacked the old heart twinge. He'd get that back though. Absence made the heart grow fonder, right?

"You're gonna do amazing things. I'm so proud of you!" Lance squealed and hugged his boyfriend closely. He then kissed him softly, enjoying the scent of whatever oil the lights on set use. That metallic scent was so familiar to Lance, and he smiled into his boyfriend's lips. 

"You're a good boyfriend." Kaleel noted sadly and Lance kissed him some more, leaning the two of them onto the bed. Clothes shed quietly and they had a beautiful celebration of talent and love. They still loved each other. What better way to show it? Lance could think of a few, but with Kaleel? This was the first thing he could think of. He probably should think of other things. He should be able to think of other ways. He just couldn't though. 

Lance was sweating his ass off as he continued his work out on the elliptical. Keith was facing him, doing pull-ups on the bar in front of him. Lance was still working out with Keith, if only to spend more time with his friend. Plus, he was starting to see better definition in his arms after just a month and a half of working out. So why not continue it?

Maybe because his muscles hurt and he hated the smell of his own sweat, first of all. But Keith had been feeling a lot better lately- at least as far as Lance could tell.

“So when is Kaleel leaving for China?” Keith asked, mid way into a pull up. His chin rose just above the bar and he didn’t even quiver. Lance watched in amazement as the sweat dipped down Keith's sculpted arms. Keith wasn't as jacked at Shiro, but he was certainly more muscled than Lance. 

“Two weeks, and it’s Berlin first. China is next month.” Lance huffed out as he slowed his pace down a bit.

“It’s a great opportunity for him,” Keith grunted as he continued his work outs.

“Yeah, of course. I’m really excited for him, and proud. It’s just… he sounded so weird when he told me about it.” Lance sighed on and brushed sweat out of his eyes. That was another reason to fucking hate working out. 

“How so?” Keith asked, thoroughly out of breath. God, he was certainly meant for the screen. Any kind, really. 

“He sounded like he didn’t even want to try long distance. Like the tone of his voice made it sound like we were done for, even if he didn’t say it.” 

“But you want to keep dating?” 

“I think so. I do love him, but things just aren’t working. I don’t know why but we aren’t exactly a good match. Maybe things would be better if we broke up, but I don’t want to think of losing him like that. Not seeing him at all? It’s just…” 

Weird- Lance thought. But it’d be more than that. It’d be a bit relieving, not all that pressure of a relationship. He didn’t think it should be this hard, it wasn’t this hard at first. That was probably because they didn’t know each other as well. It’d be sad though too, he loved Kaleel. He loved how caring, smart, cute, and really understanding he was. Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe he needed more than that. It wasn't Kaleel’s fault, maybe Lance was doing something wrong. 

“I get the feeling.” Keith huffed out as he dropped to his feet. He started stretching and Lance turned off the elliptical. 

“How’re you feeling, on that front?” Lance asked before taking a long gulp of water. He tried to sound casual but he wasn't sure it was working out. He was far too tired to try to act at the moment. 

“Better. James texted me to check in this morning. First time we spoke since we ended things. I feel a lot better though. Just knowing we’re still friends and all. Talking with you also helped. Your non subtle ways of trying to comfort me were much appreciated.” Keith smiled and took a sip of water. His forehead and shoulders glistened with sweat and the light showed off all the definitions of his muscles as he moved his arms to drink. 

“What?! Have I been doing that?” Lance asked with a smile and Keith smirked at him. 

“You have never, ever, wanted to work out with me.” Keith quirked an eyebrow at him and Lance looked at his feet. 

“I thought it was subtle.” Lance grumbled as he sat down on a nearby bench. 

“It was sweet, and I appreciate it. You don’t have to keep coming with me though.” Keith assured him and sat on the floor to continue his leg stretches. 

“No, It actually has been helping me. You know that theory that says physical exercise helps with sad feelings or whatever?” 

“Pretty sure that’s proven, not a theory.” Keith said with a quirk of his chapped lips. The man desperately needed chap stick when he worked out. 

“Whatever, I always thought it was bullshit. But it actually works! I feel pretty good lately. I’ve been sleeping way better especially. Besides, I have definition in my arms now!” Lance flexed his biceps and Keith chuckled. Okay fine, it was pretty much nothing compared to Keith or Shiro, but his arm used to look like two parallel lines. 

He had to keep fit for acting, but that didn’t mean he was particularly muscle-y. He was a skinny guy, lanky even. He'd only had one job where he had to take his shirt off and no one ever asked for him to work out more or lose any weight so he just made sure he was fit enough for extraneous hours and for fake combat. Though he had to admit- he threw a decent punch. James could attest for that. Though, Lance definitely didn't want that. He was sure his punches were not as painful as James'. 

“Well you’re welcome to come with me anytime. I can show you some of my workout routine.” 

“No way am I doing what you’re doing. I don’t need that many back muscles.” Lance scoffed and Keith rolled his eyes again with a smirk. 

“You know the number of muscles in your back is the same as in mine- mine are just bigger and defined.” 

“Aw shut up, Mr. Technicality.” Lance smiled and Keith chuckled a little as he twisted his back to crack it. 

"Lance pulled a prank on Keith yesterday but it got so crude I turned the camera off," Hunk told the video diaries as he and Pidge walked through the break room. 

"It was funny, that's what it was." Pidge snickered as she sat on the couch with Hunk. Keith and Lance were at the coffee station talking when the two walked in. 

"It wasn't that bad." Lance grumbled and Keith hit his shoulder. 

"I'm gonna be bruised for weeks, asshole." Keith groaned and Pidge continued to snicker. 

"They were just rough housing, not really a prank." Shiro decided and Lance threw his hands up in exasperation. 

"It was just a little tackling and rassling, no big deal." Lance defended himself and Keith rolled his eyes as he licked his coffee stirrer. 

"I think it stops being rassling when you two roll into a book shelf and it falls on you." Pidge interjected, pretending to scratch her chin in contemplation. Keith moaned at the thought and rubbed his side with a wince. 

"And we have to turn the cameras off when you swear so much," Hunk winced as he remembered the string of curses the two let off when the book shelf fell on them. Neither of them had the cleanest mouth on the regular- and this was certainly not the regular. 

"Uh, all my swearing was in Spanish, that could've been kept in." Lance claimed and Hunk gave him a levelling look. 

"We have viewers that speak Spanish, Lance. It was all way too profane." Hunk told him and Lance crossed his arms to pout. 

"Yeah, I looked up some of what you said- pretty graphic." Pidge said with a smile, though Shiro glared at her grin. 

"Well the viewers missed out on a hilarious escapade," Lance said with a stubborn nod and he sat down next to Hunk on the couch. 

"Doesn't bother me much, I don't need people seeing me rolling around on the ground." Keith murmured and Lance was pretty sure he was the only one to hear it as Keith squeezed into the couch next to him. Lance smirked, Keith just made it so easy to tease him. 

"That's too bad, I kind of liked seeing you roll around." Lance whispered to Keith- who immediately went red. 

"That doesn't even make sense, your flirting is going down hill." Keith sneered back in a whisper, though Lance could see the smile he was trying to hide. 

"Then why'd you blush?" Lance asked with a smirk and Keith opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Cat got your tongue?" Lance teased and Keith's mouth twitched as he tried to figure out what to say. 

"Doesn't bother me- I'm not affected." Keith claimed with a straight face. 

"Really? So if I said that that's not the first bruise-" Lance started when Keith covered his mouth. He was getting pink around his nose and cheeks and his mouth turned to a line. 

"You are a menace." Keith gritted through his teeth. 

"What're you two doing?" Shiro asked tiredly as Keith removed his hand from Lance's mouth. The rest of the group looked at them, they were all talking when Lance and Keith were whispering to each other. 

"Lance here is just acting like a teenager." Keith grumbled and crossed his arms. Lance smirked and opened his mouth to speak again but Keith elbowed him in the ribs before he could. 

"Just having a bit of fun," Lance shrugged and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Save it for episode nine you two," Pidge teased in a low voice and rolled her eyes.

Lance and Kaleel took a beach day. It was the last Saturday before Kaleel left for Berlin, so they were just having a day to themselves. It was a bit of a trip to get to a beach but it's worth it. Temperatures in April in LA weren't too bad, not as hot as Lance would have liked for a beach day. 

"People are gonna recognize you, Lance." Kaleel noted anxiously as they set up their towel in the sand. 

"Nah, I'll keep my sun glasses on and what not. I'm just another hot guy on the beach." Lance told his worried boyfriend with a smile. 

"People might recognize your voice." Kaleel whined as he looked around the beach. 

"I'll use my American accent, I'm very good at it." Lance said in his American accent, he tended to lean towards a more Californian accent- since that's where High Stakes! took place, though his midwestern wasn't too bad. 

"That's pretty good," Kaleel chuckled cutely. 

"Yeah, I'm a total surfer dude! Let's see, I'm from California! Surfs up! In-N-Out and all that! Um... what's another Californian thing?" Lance joked, going through silly phrases. Americans had the funniest phrases and accents. Kaleel chuckled and Lance smiled at his boyfriend snorting from laughing. 

"It's so weird to hear you talk like that," Kaleel said through a laugh and his smile lingered as he stared at Lance. Lance grabbed both his hands and leaned in to kiss Kaleel. Kaleel smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Lance's waist to pull him in closer. Their bare chests pressed together and Lance moved his arms around Kaleel's shoulders. Kaleel's glasses and Lance's sunglasses clanged against each other and almost dug into the other's face but it didn't bother them much. 

The sun bared on Lance's back and warmed his whole body up. He could feel sweat form between his and Kaleel's chests and it barely ran down their stomachs. He used one hand to run his fingers through the hair on the base of Kaleel's neck. Lance stopped kissing Kaleel but their faces didn't move, just their foreheads pressed together in the sun. 

"We should get in the water, to cool off. Hot day out." Lance said breathlessly against Kaleel's lips and his boyfriend smiled. 

"Let's go," Kaleel took one of Lance's hands and they walked to the water together, leaving their stuff on the beach. 

They swam for a bit- both of them liked swimming and they were both pretty good at it. They jumped in the waves and laughed as their faces get soaked and the waves knocked them back. Lance did a hand stand and flipped and Kaleel laughed at him when he fumbled around. Kaleel and him eventually started dancing in the water- a little silly since they keep getting knocked back by the waves, but it was fun. They wobbled around as the water moved them. Lance didn't think he'd ever kissed someone while swimming, but he pulled Kaleel close and kissed him right as a wave came and pushed them back. 

They walked back to shore and laid on their towels soaking in the light and holding hands. 

"It's a little cold for a beach," Kaleel noted after an hour of companionable silence. 

"Well, it is April. Not exactly a beach month. But sunny LA makes beaches pretty much a year round thing." 

"It'll be cold in Berlin, at least colder than here." Lance squeezed Kaleel's hand. 

"Yeah, but cool buildings." Lance assured with a supportive smile and Kaleel turned his head to him. 

"I met some of the other crew members, they're really nice so far. I just got the script- it's gonna be a cool movie." 

"Anyone you know on crew with you?" 

"Someone I knew from another set, a light guy named Ander Jenkins. Cool guy, a little dopey." 

"You think you'll have friends though?" 

"Sure, I don't see why not. Especially since I'll be sharing housing with them all while we travel. Why'd you ask?"

"Just worried about you. I don't want you to be lonely." 

"I won't be. I'm good at making friends."

"Okay, just- you know you can talk to me whenever. I'll fly over as often as possible," Lance promised him. 

"You-" Kaleel paused with a concerned smile. He likely didn't want Lance to do so much for him, but of course Lance would. He'd never tried long distance but he was willing to give it a shot for someone he loved. "Of course. I'll miss you though. Like all the time."

"I'll miss you too, mi vida." Lance said and kissed his boyfriend. They soaked in the sun and the sand and the water for a couple more hours. Talking about silly things every now and then. The two then drove back to Kaleel's place for dinner. 

"Today is Kaleel's last day here, so you all have to be extra nice and considerate today!" Lance told his friends in the break room two days before Kaleel left. 

"Are we ever not nice?" Allura asked with a frown. 

"Not really, just y'know... no pranks or anything. Nice, calm last day for my man." Lance insisted with his arms crossed and the others all nodded. 

"Lance," Kaleel whined from the door. Lance looked up, he didn't even know his boyfriend was in the room, or technically the door jam. "Don't make a fuss." Lance stood up and crowded his boyfriend to grab his hands. 

"Let me make a fuss! You're moving!"

"I'll be back in the fall!" 

"Too long." Lance complained and rested his head on Kaleel's shoulder. Things between them somehow have gotten better since Kaleel announced he was taking this Marvel job. Lance figured they knew they didn't have much more time together before Kaleel left, so they were ignoring most of their problems. That would come back to bite them eventually- Lance is sure of that.  

They were filming two back to back scenes from episode five today. Both of them with the whole main group in the bunker planning. That was most of their scenes- planning or fighting. The couple scenes later in shooting were the more character driven, intimate scenes. Last day of filming was the two scenes where Robin and Alexander kissed- the scene in episode eight and the scene in episode nine. They kiss once in episode ten but it's in a group setting and it's really just a peck before they go on the finale mission. Lance was glad that the two most intimate scenes were filmed alone, no cast around- just crew. Which was already enough people to make Lance uncomfortable. 

"So we have no plan yet?" Gemma asked the group sarcastically as they all looked through papers and maps frantically. 

"No, Gemma. Maybe if you helped it would go faster." Alexander replied angrily as he fumbled with a map. He eventually got mad at threw the map at the table. The rest of the group rolled their eyes and moved on with their work. 

"Alex, come on." Robin whispered to Alexander and placed his hand on top of Alex's. 

"Let's all try to keep a calm head." Theo said to the group and they all nodded. Alex looked at Robin and his expression calmed. 

"We're doing the best we can, we don't have much in the way of information." Amber sighed and closed the book she was reading. Robin smiled slightly at Alexander, just a small, reassuring thing. Alexander moved his fingers so Robin's fingers would fall between his own so they're laced. No one else in the room noticed. 

"One more hour, then we need to eat something. After that more researching." Grey told the group and the others nodded with some groans and sighs. Alexander moved a book pile in front of his and Robin's hands so no one could see them- no one even noticed him move except Robin. Alexander sighed a bit as he continued his reading and Robin frowned at the pile of books. He looked at them, then to Alexander's face, then to their hands. He then looked at his own lap with twisted eyebrows and a frown. 

Lance thought that Robin was probably confused and ashamed. Here he is, desperately in love with Alexander and holding his hand. He had a moment of hope when Alex laced his fingers together, but then Alex moved that pile of books so the others wouldn't see them. Was he ashamed to be holding hands with Robin? It hurt Lance to think about it that way. But that was pretty much what was happening. 

"What if we go through the sewers? I know they're gross but there's a direct path and entry way according to this map of the sewer system." Robin suggested and pulled his hand away from Alex roughly to show the others the map. Alexander looked at Robin in concern when he tugged his hand away, he didn't seem to understand why Robin was mad. 

"Well it would lead us to their jail, but how are we supposed to get out of there?" Amber asked as she looked at the map and points to the entryway. 

"Do we know what the jail is made of?" Theo asked. 

"I'd assume metal bars." Gemma suggested and rolled her eyes. Theo gave her a glare and she shrugged. 

"Is there no other entry way to the building?" Alexander wondered and leaned over the map and into Robin's space. Robin glanced between Alexander and maps distractedly and he shifted away from Alexander subtly, but Alexander noticed and his eyebrows furrowed. 

"Only other one is in the main control room." Amber noted with a frown and pointed to another part of the map. 

"That'll be full of soldiers, hard to get through." Theo told the group and huffed a sigh. 

"Yeah but if I can get my hands on their control system..." Gemma said and stood up. 

"Okay so Alexander and Robin go in with Gemma- they take out the soldiers and then Gemma gets at the system. The rest of us will enter the room second and infiltrate the rest of the building. Any luck and we can take out as many monsters as possible." Grey decided and they nodded except for Amber and Theo. 

"Okay so we know how to get in, but how are we supposed to defeat that many monsters? There's so many and with only three of us..." Theo asked the group. 

"I read about a spell... give me a second." Amber said and went back to her book she closed. She rifled through the book while the others waited.

Alexander looked at Robin and tried to make eye contact with him. He looked back at the table and saw their hands were close again, but Robin was paying too much attention to Amber to notice Alexander move his hand towards Robin's. The camera was focusing in on these two for this scene, so every move of a finger and eye movement had to be specific. Alexander shifted so his shoulder would touch Robin's, something they did a lot. Robin glanced at Alexander and for a second he just stared at the map, like he was deciding something. Then he sighed quietly and moved closer to Alexander, like he was melting into his side. They really were both touch starved idiots. He closed his eyes for a moment like he was savoring the shred of affection. 

"Got it!" Amber cheered and Robin snapped his eyes open as he and Alexander jumped in surprise and glanced at each other before moving apart. "Just a simple light spell, for the vamps and whatnot. Take out a whole group at once! Then we have more time and energy for the rest of the monsters who don't vaporize in sunlight." Amber finished with a smile. The rest of the group nodded and they moved on with the plan. 

They do that scene in a couple of takes, and the next one in ten takes. It took awhile due to set and props being misplaced and broken. Bit annoying to Lance, he just wanted to get home for the evening. Kaleel was leaving in two days, and he was barely going to see him the day he left, he had planned to pretty much say his goodbyes the day before he left. 

Lance rushed through his makeup removal so he could get out fast. He was throwing a little party for Kaleel at a bar, he and Keith were getting there early to set stuff up. He told Kaleel to meet them at the bar whenever he was done. Lance tugged on Keith's sleeve and Keith groaned but they make their leave. 

It was just a small party of cast and crew and some of Kaleel’s friends from outside work. They rented a bar for the night so no one else would be around. The bartender was really nice to all of them and was super cool about them taking up so much space and being loud. Also with Allura putting up decorations and Hunk bringing in a bunch of food. Which Lance was pretty sure isn’t allowed. 

Crew members straggled in, but Kaleel had to be the one to lock everything up so he wouldn’t be here for a while. Lance felt pretty good about this party. It would be fun at least. They all had work tomorrow, besides Kaleel, so no one would get stupid drunk. 

“Lance?” Kaleel asked when he entered the bar. Lance was waiting by the door and greeted his smiling boyfriend. 

“Hey, just a little going away party. You don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to.” Lance whispered to him and grabbed his hand. Kaleel looked around the room with a smile to see all his friends. 

“Thank you, this is very sweet.” Kaleel said and kissed Lance. 

“Couldn’t let you go without a little partying,” Lance said with a grin. 

Lance stayed by Kaleel’s side almost the whole night. They talked to so many people even Lance got a little tired of it. That’s when they pried themselves away from people to dance. It was mostly upbeat party music but when a slow song came on Lance couldn’t help but pull Kaleel in for a slow dance. 

He arms were wrapped around Kaleel’s shoulders and his hands were laced together behind Kaleel’s head. Kaleel’s arms were wrapped closely around Lance’s waist and his cheek was rested on Lance’s shoulder. 

“Thank you, this is really sweet. I’m glad I got to see so many of my friends before I left." Kaleel muttered as they danced. 

"You deserve a nice night. Your cousin is still good to take you to the airport on Saturday? Or should I? I can do it." 

"Lance, stop fussing. Yes, Benny is still good to drive me." 

"Come on, let me fuss over you. Tomorrow is the last day we have together." Kaleel was spending the night at Lance's tonight but was spending the Friday packing up and he was spending the night at his cousin's so they could leave early the next day. Lance was gonna help him pack as soon as he was done at set. 

"Fine, fine, fine it's kinda sweet, I guess," Kaleel decided. 

"I love you." Kaleel smiled and rested his cheek on Lance's shoulder. Lance didn't smile but rested his chin on Kaleel's head. They went home around twelve. 

Lance gently leaned Kaleel against the wall and kissed him. Their breaths were hot on their cheeks, Lance could feel condensation growing on his cheek bones. Their open mouthed kisses are wet and desperate and almost tragically deep. Lance felt like his world would break if he leaned back even a centimeter. There was nothing else he knew how to do, what was he supposed to do?

So he walked Kaleel back to his bed with his hands gripped onto the lapels of Kaleel's jacket. Kaleel kissed his neck and Lance just savored the smell of Kaleel's hair. He sighed and ran his fingers through the short hair at the base of his neck and lightly scratched with his short nails. Kaleel ran his hands along Lance's sides and lifted his shirt up and Lance broke the kiss so they could undress. They panted to try to catch their breath as they stripped in a hurry. Part of Lance thought they had to go as fast as possible, they had to hold on so tight, they had to be together as long as possible- otherwise everything would halt and Lance wouldn't be able to see the sky anymore. 

It didn't always feel like he could see the sky with Kaleel, not anymore at least. But sometimes the stars shown through enough that it made everything worthwhile. Like when his hands wandered up Lance's spine, and his thighs rested between Lance's thighs, and when Kaleel gasped his name.

Lance was sad that it was their last night together, but it wasn't a bad night. It wasn't what he would've wished their last night to be- but it was as good as they were probably going to get. Lance and Keith had to leave early in the morning for work so Lance left Kaleel with a kiss on the forehead and then he left. 

"Lance, let's go. He'll be fine." Keith groaned as he waited by the door. 

"He's leaving tomorrow! I'm only gonna be able to see him for a couple minutes tonight." 

"I know, and I'm sorry about that, but we're gonna be late." Keith reminded him and Lance picked up his stuff so they could leave. 

"Okay, okay, yeah sorry. Let's go." Lance mumbled and they left. 

"You could've been quieter, y'know," Keith said in the car. 

"What?" Lance asked as his rubbed his eyes. 

"Last night. I could hear you guys." Keith clarified and Lance rolled his eyes. 

"Pfft, you did not! Fucking asshole. Someone sitting in that room with their eyes closed wouldn't know we were having sex!" Lance joked and Keith laughed. Lance even broke into a smile and chuckled to himself. 

"Yeah, I just wanted to make you smile." Keith said and Lance's smile faded slowly.

"Well don't get used to it today. Not a great day for me, Keith. But I appreciate you trying." 

"Just let me know if there's anything I can do, yeah?" Keith asked and Lance nodded. 

"Theo, do you know what's going on with Alexander?" Robin whispered to Theo as they look through their books. Alexander was in the room with them, reading through another book on the other side of the room. 

"What do you mean?" Theo asked. 

"He's just... he's weird." Robin said, staring at Alexander over his book. Theo looked at Robin and rolled his eyes- Robin didn't even notice. 

"You know him better than anyone, I don't know what to tell you." Theo sighed and looked back at his book. 

"Yeah but like... has he told you anything about... anything?" Robin asked hopefully, trying not to betray how much he was thinking about this all. 

"That's vague. Yesterday he told me he hates roaches when he saw one crawling around. That the sort of thing you looking for?" Theo teased monotonously without looking up from his book. Robin slumped his shoulders and rolled his eyes. 

"Hey, guys, look at this." Alexander notified them from across the room. He walked over to them with his book open. It was a page of crystals with different affects and whatnot. 

“What will this do?” Robin asked stubbornly. 

“This one, if the proper spell is spoken over it, can make the wearer invisible for a while. Like six hours, then it needs to recharge and it’s good again.” Alexander explained with a rare, tired smile. 

“That doesn’t really solve our problem.” Robin added and looked back to his book pretending he had been reading it. 

“Not our current one, but imagine how much easier everything we do would be with these.” Alexander defended and Theo looked closer at the book. 

“Interesting… I actually think this’ll be really helpful. Thanks Alexander!” Theo said excitedly and walked off with the book. Alexander gazed strangely at Robin who was ignoring him. 

“Are you mad at me or something?” Alexander asked Robin finally. Robin looked up and snapped his book shut. This was a scene not too long after the one where Alexander had hidden their clasped hands. It really hurt Robin’s feelings and he had been cold to Alex since. 

“Why would I be mad?” 

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.” 

“Well if I have no reason to be mad, then I’m not.” Robin said and walked off screen. Alexander threw his hands up in irritation and the scene ended. 

Lance helped Kaleel pack until they were done. There wasn’t much to do, Kaleel wasn’t bringing too much on his trip- everything else was going to Benny’s place since Kaleel’s lease was up at the end of the month. 

“I’m gonna head over to Benny’s now.” Kaleel said softly as Lance finished loading his car. 

“Okay, is there anything else I can do to help? I can carry boxes into Benny’s if you want. It’s only like five minutes from my place.” Lance asked and Kaleel shook his head. 

“You are the sweetest, Lance. Benny and I will do fine though. It’s not like I have that much stuff,” Kaleel explained. 

“Okay, well…” Lance started and grabbed Kaleel’s hands. 

“Goodbye, Lance.” Kaleel said and kissed Lance. It was deeper than normal… and it felt like a goodbye. It was just right. 

“I’ll see you soon, okay? I’ll call and text and visit you when I can. I love you, carino. You’ll be amazing.” Lance hugged Kaleel and Kaleel just sighed into him. 

“I love you so much, queirdo. You mean so much to me.” 

“Okay… goodbye, mi amor.” Lance said and tried to hold back tears. 

“Goodbye, Lance.” Kaleel kissed him one last time before he got in his car and drove away. 

Lance started crying on his way home. He threw himself into bed when he got there and cried softly into his pillow. He didn’t even get up until twelve the next morning. It was his day off after all, and he barely slept.  

“Hey, Naekkeo ('mine' or 'my sweetheart') How are you doing?” Keith asked as Lance stumbled into the kitchen. Keith was scrolling through his phone while drinking coffee. He had a sympathetic smile gracing his calm face. 

“Shitty.” Lance muttered and flopped on the couch. "What's that word you used? I don't recognize it," Lance sighed. 

"It's Korean, I'm learning some since my mom and I are getting closer. She doesn't speak it that often, but more time with her means more time with her parents and they speak it all the time at home. I'm trying to speak it more often to help me learn."

"That's awesome Keith. I just thought it was some English word I never learned. What's it mean?" 

"Oh- um. Just a term of endearment." Keith blushed and Lance shrugged it off. He was too tired and sad to care. “Do you want me to grab some stuff from the store?” Keith asked. 

“Stuff?” Lance asked miserably. 

“Y’know, ice cream. Strawberries, chocolate, chips, nacho stuff,” Keith rattled off. 

“Break up food? We haven’t broken up.” Lance told Keith defensively. Mostly as a reminder to himself though.

“I know, but that’s just generally what you eat when you’re sad.” 

“Except the strawberries. You eat strawberries when you’re sad. I don’t know why but it’s not the break up norm like ice cream.” Lance said to Keith.  

“Whatever, do you want me to grab some stuff or not?” 

“You’re going to the store? People will recognize you.” 

“Curbside pickup. With a hat and sunglasses.” Keith told him with a smile as he placed a baseball cap on his head while shoving his hair up so it looked short instead of the mullet length it was at. 

“Okay, yeah. Sounds good.” Lance shrugged and pet Kosmo sadly. 

“Be back soon.” Keith promised and left. Lance stared at the ceiling and almost started crying again. 

Five minutes later he heard a knock at the door. He stared at the ceiling a while longer before finally getting up to get it. He wiped his face off before opening the door slightly to see who it is.

It was Kaleel.

“Kaleel? What’re you doing here, your flight is soon.” Lance asked when his boyfriend stepped into his house and closed the door behind him. “Did something happen with Benny? Do you need me to drive you?” Lance asked frantically and Kaleel put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. 

“Benny is waiting for me in the drive way, I have some time. I just wanted to talk to you first.” 

“Well… okay.” Lance settled as he stepped back. His stomach hurt in anticipation. The dread that’s been setting up for months was about to spill over. 

“We need to break up.” Kaleel sighed. Lance felt it all come out. Just because he was expecting it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Lance stared at the floor for a moment before looking back up to Kaleel. 

“I should’ve asked you to stay. That was it, wasn’t it?” Lance asked sadly and quietly, his voice not wavering yet. 

“It helped my conclusion… yeah.” Kaleel said and scratched his arm. “I made a lot of opportunities for you to ask me to stay or be upset at all that I was leaving… and you didn’t.”

“I didn’t ask you to stay because this is good for your career. It’ll be good for you as a person too. And I was upset- I just didn’t want that to stop you from a great opportunity!” Lance defended himself. 

“That’s all you ever care about! You’ll always put our jobs before us.” 

“What? I don’t do that! I was just thinking of what was best for you.” 

“I know, and I’m not mad at you. Look, Lance, there are a lot of reasons why this can’t work.” Kaleel explained with a tired sigh. How long had Kaleel been planning this? Did he know yesterday? Or when they last had sex? Or even ever since he got the job?  

“Because it’s long distance?! I know it’s new to us but come on.” 

“It’s not just that. You know that right?” Kaleel asked in that trademarked condescension. 

“Well, I know things have felt off for a while but we can fix that!” Lance insisted and Kaleel sighed and nodded. 

“So you felt it too? So you probably noticed that neither of us tried to fix it. Or even talk about it.” 

“I didn’t know how! I didn’t know what was wrong. Do you?” 

“We’re just… not a great match. We get along and all, but that doesn’t mean we’d be a great couple. We want different things in life- and soon.” 

“What are you talking about?” Lance asked tiredly. Kaleel shifted and looked back to Lance. 

“I want to be married before I’m thirty. And I want kids soon after.” 

“Okay I know I didn’t want kids but we can talk about that when we get there.” Lance whined and Kaleel shook his head firmly. 

“I don’t want to be with someone for years for them to say that they don’t want kids and I’ll have to start over with someone else! And please, Lance, like you even look that far ahead.” Kaleel scoffed with an eye roll at the end.

“Exactly! Can’t we just not think about this right now?!” Lance begged him. 

“I can’t live like that. I didn’t even think we’d be together this long.” 

“What do you mean?” Lance's voice cracked.  

“I’m nobody, Lance! You’re a celebrity. I thought you’d get bored of me.” 

“Have I ever given you reason to think that I’m like that? I don’t think I’m better than anyone.” Lance gestured to himself passionately. 

“I know you don’t. Look at it from my perspective. I was a new crew guy on this huge show with a ton of famous stars. Then one, who I already greatly admired from other projects, starts talking to me and asks for my number. Then we started dating and I didn’t think it would last long because I’m literally just-” Kaleel sighed and his shoulders dropped. “Don’t tell me you ever saw us together forever. I know you haven’t, you don’t think that far ahead.” Kaleel added and Lance stiffened.

“Maybe not forever," he admitted. "But that doesn’t mean I want to lose you. Are you saying you never saw us together for the long run?” Lance asked with some desperation in his voice. 

“No. I didn’t. I didn’t see us making it a year. I’m glad we did, because I love you. But I can't see us together after this. Definitely not long distance." 

"You- did this mean anything to you?" Lance's eyes started to water and his throat closed up. 

"Of course it did, It was some of the happiest moments of my life- when I figured out what this meant to you, I can't tell you how happy it made me. I love you, Lance. And I don't regret our time together, but I don't see why we should keep it up when it's obvious that we aren't happy."

"I'm happy! You make me happy!" Lance said emphatically, knowing the lie when it fell from his mouth. 

"You know what I mean. It's off, it's wrong. I love you, and this has been one of the happiest relationships I've ever had. I think we should end it before we start to resent each other."

"But I love you. I don't want to not be your boyfriend." 

"You're afraid of change, that's all. You'll be okay though."

"You think I don't love you?" Lance raised his voice and asked through watery eyes, how could Kaleel not understand how he felt?  

"You love me, and I love you- but we're not in love. And that matters." 

"I- I don't understand the difference." Lance asked as he felt a tear finally roll down his face. He noticed for the first time that Kaleel's eyes had started to water too. 

"You'll figure it out. We all do eventually, if we chose to." Kaleel shrugged without a quiver in his voice. 

"So it doesn't matter that I love you? You're gonna leave anyway? I don't get a vote in this? This isn't fair." Lance whined, his voice shaky and weak. 

"I'm sorry, Lance. Please don't hate me. I love you. I just can't." Kaleel admitted and his voice finally cracked. Lance's eyes overflowed so much that he couldn't see outlines anymore. 

"Te amo." Lance said through his tears and his voice was ragged and desperate. He couldn't leave him like this- he just couldn't. Kaleel bit his lip and looked away. 

"Lance, yo tambien te amo." Kaleel said and a single tear ripped down his face as he walked to Lance. He moved to place his hand on Lance's cheek to wipe away his tears but Lance flinched away. Lance stepped back and Kaleel looked at the ground with furrowed brows and a twisted frown. "Lance, there's someone out there who will compliment you in every way you need. It's just not me." Kaleel whispered and Lance wiped his face dry. 

"But-" Lance started when the door opened. Both he and Kaleel wiped their faces off and turned to the door. 

"Lance I'm back, there's someone's waiting in a car out front- oh. Shit, hey Kaleel. I'm so sorry, I thought you had left already I-" Keith walked into the house to the kitchen with a paper bag full of stuff. He started talking courteously to Kaleel until he saw Lance's face and stopped. His face fell and he dropped the bag on the table and stepped forward to walk to Lance but stopped. 

"I was just on my way out." Kaleel muttered and Keith stood against the fridge and tried not to look like he was there. Kaleel turned back to Lance.

"You'll figure it out, and things will be okay." Kaleel assured him and started walking out the door. 

"Figure what out?!?" Lance yelled after him with a voice crack. Kaleel turned to him as he opened the door. He looked at Keith- who was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, Keith didn't see any of this. Kaleel then looked at Lance and raised his eyebrows slightly, his lips twitched in a sad smile. Then he left. 

What did he mean? What the fuck could he possibly- 

Oh. 

Chapter Text

Keith had no idea what he had just walked in on. He was out buying groceries to cheer up Lance and then he came home and Lance was sobbing as Kaleel left. Kaleel who was supposed to already be at the airport. Kaleel left and Lance stood there looking at the door for a minute as Keith rushed to put his melting ice cream away. When he looked back Lance's face was covered in tears and he was silently sobbing. His shoulders were shaking and his face was a dark red with tears covering his cheeks and crawling down his chin. 

"Lance, what happened? Talk to me." Keith grabbed Lance's shoulders. Lance's eyes didn't focus until Keith started walking him back to the couch. 

"He broke up with me." Lance said in a quavering voice. He wiped his face completely off with his shirt sleeve and took a deep breath. Then he shook his head a couple times and sat down. 

"Lance- I'm so sorry," Keith said and hugged him close. 

"I knew it was coming. I knew it." Lance insisted and didn't even move to hug Keith back so Keith let go of him and sat back. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he was firm in his decision. He said some... tough stuff to hear." Lance sniffled and wiped at his eyes. His throat sounded scratchy but his eyes weren't watering anymore. 

"What'd he say?" Keith asked as he wrapped Lance up in a blanket. Lance accepted the blanket and leaned into Keith's arm that he wrapped around him. 

"Just like... he didn't see us being together for very long. He knew things were off between us but didn't try to fix it. He even said that he thought I would've gotten bored of him since I'm a celebrity and he's not." Lance said and tossed his hands up in exasperation as he told Keith what happened. "He says he loves me, but I find it really hard to believe."

"Why is it hard to believe that someone loves you?" Keith asked softly and Lance leaned more into Keith's shoulder. 

"He was the first person I'd loved in a while. First actual relationship since Nyma." 

"I know, sojunghan (dearest). I'm sorry." 

"Just- just sit with me for a while?" Lance asked sadly as he sunk even lower into Keith's lap. 

"Of course." Keith assured him and they just sat together. 

The next week consisted of Lance not talking much, laying on the couch or in his bed, eating ice cream, and listening to various break up songs. Keith was trying to be supportive, but he was pretty sure he sucked at it. He just kept buying him more junk food and sitting with him. He just wasn't sure of what else he could do. He told the rest of the cast to give him some space and only talk about the break up if Lance brought it up himself. 

The group was really respectful of Lance's wishes and Keith's big threatening eyes that told them to not fuck up anything. Lance was too fragile most of the time to talk to anyone. It was difficult for Keith to keep up sometimes. Lance was such a good actor that when Robin was happy- Keith would almost forget how miserable Lance was. Lance had known that Kaleel and him weren't doing great- Keith was pretty sure that the thing killing Lance wasn't as much Kaleel and him being over, but the loneliness, heart ache, and betrayal that he felt in his absence. 

Keith pretty much wanted to punch Kaleel in the face. He had been friends with the guy, they generally got along fine, but he hated his guts now. Anyone who could hurt Lance this much was on Keith's shit list for sure. When Kaleel got back to L.A Keith had two fists with Kaleel's name on them. Hell, he might even bring James in- he was a good fighter. He'd take Kaleel's glasses off first, of course, he wasn't an asshole. Kaleel may be a major dickweed in Keith's book, but Keith wasn't gonna break anyone's glasses, those things are expensive. 

He would never actually hurt the guy, as much as he wanted to. That wasn't fair. Logically, he knew that Kaleel had done what was right for him and probably right for Lance. Kaleel was likely hurting too right now. That only calmed him down a little bit when his blood started to boil. 

So Keith was sitting with Lance on the couch and they were both scrolling through their phones. Lance put his down and stared at the ceiling. Keith put his down so he could look at Lance. He had thought long and hard about what James had said during their 'break up'. He still hadn't really made up his mind about everything that he said, but some things were clearer. 

Lance was the most important thing in the entire world to Keith. He loved that man more than he could express and he felt guilty that he took priority over his family. He couldn't explain why Shiro wasn't more important than his best friend but it felt wrong. He isn't sure if these were romantic feelings or not though- that's the thing he was stuck on. 

He's gotten romantic and platonic feelings mixed up all the time. All of his relationship with James was him grappling with whether or not his feelings were romantic or platonic- settling on platonic. He thought maybe he might like Matt- also turned out to be platonic. Same goes back through high school and his early twenties. Most of the time it turned out to just be platonic feelings that he got confused with because of this or that. Mostly though- he always just felt so lonely and his friends made him not feel like shit- which he got all confused about. It's all very confusing. 

With James it started out platonic, then they moved in and it turned romantic, and then sexual. Then they stopped being friends for a while and when they were again it was platonic and then both sexual and platonic. Now they were just platonic and Keith was actually okay with it. He missed James a lot but he was functioning alright. 

So he's learned that he can't always trust his brain to know what his feelings are. He has to be smart about this- he can't lose Lance. He lost James for years and James didn't mean as much to Keith as Lance does- as guilty as he feels about it. He can't control the fact that Lance means more to him, so he's gonna be damn sure what his feelings are before he does anything. At all. 

The cast all had interviews with this one station that posted their videos on YouTube and their website. They were in groups for it, Keith was with Shiro and Allura while Lance was with Pidge and Hunk. Keith had even heard that James was doing one with Ryan and Shay. James had texted Keith a few days ago telling him they finished their interview and the interviewers were on their way to L.A. Those three were in Oregon currently, shooting for James' and Shay's show- Ryan drove over there and visited with James while there. 

The station put James' interview up first, the day before Keith was supposed to go in for his. He watched it on his couch when Lance was in the shower. They asked the same old questions, boring stuff that they were all used to. The part that was notable for Keith though:

"So two of you have gotten together with your partner because of the show, are there a lot of relationships developing on set?" The interviewer asked. 

"That could be said, I met Hunk on set and Lance met Kaleel. Shiro and Adam were already married," Shay shrugged.  

"Allura met Lotor because the cast went on his show- so that sort of counts," Ryan added coolly. 

"Right, and James, you and Keith got back in contact because he heard you were going to be on the show. Has working on the show helped any of your relationships?" The interviewer asked and Keith winced. He knew it was going to come up at some point.