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Whenever Keith thought about his life, he always was left with a bad taste in his mouth after. There were good times, sure, but a lot of it was shrouded in hardship and trials. It was no secret Keith was an orphan, it was even less of a secret that he had been expelled from the Galaxy Garrison. It always felt to Keith that he was fighting an uphill battle. So it is no surprise that, after everything he has been through, he has a few—okay more than a few— walls up.
Being stuck in the middle of the galaxy with people you barely know (sans Shiro, but that is a whole can of worms in itself) was definitely a big change for Keith, to put it lightly. Sure they seemed nice, but being forced to suddenly defend the universe with them was something completely out of left field—he would have appreciated it if there was even some sort of connection between them all. It also did not help that Lance, who Keith was supposedly rivals with, kept butting heads with him.
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It was far too easy for Keith to fall into his old ways of locking everyone out of his life, they say old habits die hard afterall. This was especially true with Lance. In fact, it felt as if we were building up more walls when he was around that man. Lance was too stubborn, Lance was hot headed, and Lance was arrogant. Lance was a complete reflection of who Keith was deep down inside, and that scared Keith more than it should have.
So when all Keith wanted was to get away from Lance, it proved to be harder than he thought it would be. It seemed as if it was Lance's life mission to annoy Keith. When they would spar as a team, Lance always seeked Keith out first. When they would eat as a team, Lance would always end up beside Keith in one way or another. When they would rest as a team, Lance always found a place next to Keith. Maybe, Keith thought to himself, Lance just cannot stand losing to anyone, especially him.
This proximity to Lance annoyed Keith. To Keith, Lance was everything he could have been. He could not stand being so close to someone who represented what he had always run away from, someone who was entirely what he suppressed himself from being. He always needed to be strong. He could not be the one to slow others down with his negative thoughts and burdensome needs. The art of denying himself was something Keith knew down to a tee. Being faced with who he could have been if he had not had to go through all the hardships he had gone through, Keith could not help but turn away.
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Yet, despite all the walls he kept putting up, Lance treated Keith the same as always. Albeit he still tried everything in his power to one-up Keith, Lance was there in his truest way of being. Lance was earnest, Lance was gentle, and Lance was kind. Yes he was all those things Keith said before, too, but he was so much more than that as well. Keith was stubborn, hot headed, and arrogant for believing that all of that was what Lance truly was. Keith saw clearer than ever now, just how soft and caring Lance was.
And, maybe, at the edges of Keith’s heart ebbed something he could not quite name. The thought of that scared him. After years of hardening himself in order to face all the adversity he had ever faced, Keith could not fathom opening his heart up to anyone.
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So Keith decided to retreat into himself. He shut everyone out once more. He trained by himself, he ate by himself, and he kept to himself. Keith found himself falling back into his old ways, the way he used to be when he had no one to back him up. It was constant. It was repetitive. It was lonely. Keith could not help but realize how sad it was to have isolated himself.
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Yet, to Keith’s surprise, his isolation did not last long. Lance out of all people sought him out. He insisted that Keith just had to join everyone to train— it would boost team morale and allow for better cohesion with the others. He insisted that Keith had to eat with them, he needed to make sure Keith was taking care of himself or else he would put the rest of the team at stake!
Soon, it became a routine. Lance would wait for Keith to wake up each morning outside his door, then they would head to spar with each other after eating breakfast. Of course, their moments were still filled with banter and annoyance. But, it was something that softened Keith’s heart. Gradually—unexpectedly— his walls were coming down. Somehow, this time, he did not fear it.
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And, somewhere in between, Lance and Keith’s dynamic had changed. Sure, they still butted heads, but at some point their banter became long conversations. They started spending time outside of just training.
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Then one night late and quiet, as Lance and Keith conversed laying beside one another, the stars aligned and Keith realized something. He realized that Lance had made his way into his heart, in a way he never expected to happen all his lifetime. In that moment, Keith realized just how important Lance was to him.
And so Keith takes the greatest leap he has ever taken in his life. He sits up, leans over, and asks Lance in the softest tone ever one question. May I kiss you?
At first, Lance is stunned. He took a moment to process what he had said and Keith, against the inner turmoil he was experiencing, waited. He waited patiently for whatever Lance would say. The silence seemed to last forever. Then, to his surprise, Lance looked him in the eyes and said yes.
Lance then proceeded to call Keith a dummy, wrapped his arms around him, and gave him a soft kiss. Keith could not help it, after the kiss he let out a laugh at how tender the moment was. Lance also let out a laugh alongside Keith Their moment—wow, their moment — was a beautiful one.
After their bit of laughter, they decide to just lie in each other’s arms and savor the moment. It was wonderful, it was warm, it was beautiful.
Keith’s heart finally accepted who Lance was to him. To Keith, Lance was the brightest light he had ever known. To Keith, Lance was the warmest embrace he had ever felt. To Keith, Lance was the most soothing melody that he had ever heard. Above everything to Keith, however, Lance was Lance— in his purest and brilliant form.