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"Is all of that completely necessary," Keith mumbled. He stood on the cold bathroom tile, already in his pajamas—an old tank top and red plaid pants.
Lance splashed whatever was on his face off with some water, intentionally splashing Keith too. "It brings me joy...and clear skin," Lance said, readying another bottle in his hand.
Keith groaned. He leaned his head on Lance's warm and exposed shoulder. The only upside to this was Lance usually took off his shirt while doing his copious amounts of skincare, and Keith enjoyed the view.
Lance laughed at his various mumbles of complaint, continuing with his routine.
"I don't see how you have such perfect skin, despite doing literally nothing for it."
"Galra genes, baby," Keith laughed, picking up his head briefly before slumping back onto Lance's warm skin. "I'm a three-in-one shampoo guy at heart, and you know it."
Lance rolled his eyes. "You disgust me."
"I think you mispronounced 'I'm madly in love with you, Keith.'"
Lance kicked his leg playfully. Keith would've retaliated, but he let it slide. He found he was letting a lot of things slide these days.
Keith physically felt an idea pop into Lance's mind. A fresh wave of fear rolled over him at the thought of whatever wretched idea had weaseled into his boyfriends evil mind.
"Hey what if-"
"No," Keith interrupted.
"You didn't even let me finish," Lance laughed.
"I don't care. It's bedtime. No."
Lance finished off his last step. Keith begrudgingly pulled himself off Lance's back and started the cold trek back to the bedroom.
His sulky walk was interrupted by Lance placing a firm hand on his shoulder and whipping him around. Keith definitely could've put up more of a fight, but he would be lying if he claimed he wasn't at least a little interested.
"You should let me do my routine on you," Lance grinned.
"No. Bedtime," Keith groaned, tapping his wrist like he was wearing a watch.
"It'll be fun," Lance whined.
Keith started to say no, but before he could get the words off his tongue he was being practically waterboarded over the sink.
Upon realizing the vast majority of his hair was now drenched, Lance retrieved a little headband. It was fuzzy, adorned with two little pompoms to resemble panda ears. He slipped it onto Keith, who stood there like a cat getting a cone put on at the vet.
"Aww," Lance cooed, adjusting the headband so the pompom ears stood up.
"This is wildly humiliating," Keith said, a twinge of laughter escaping his throat before he could stop it.
Keith was cut off from more complaints by being splashed with water again and having a cleanser rubbed on his face.
Lance's hands weren't calloused like Keith's, instead being soft and tender. Keith closed his eyes, and slowly let the annoyed look slip off his face.
Lance's hands massaging his face felt nice, a gentle kindness he'd learned to appreciate from the other paladin. Keith was used to a different kind of love. Something rushed and fast, over in the blink of an eye. Lance was calm and slow, a welcomed change.
Lance snickered and the calm that washed over Keith. It wasn't a malicious laugh, but it earned him a glare nonetheless.
Soon after, Keith was being splashed again.
"That was nice. Bedtime," Keith said blankly, face feeling fresh and ready to sleep.
"Nope. Three more steps," Lance grinned.
Keith looked at him like he'd just killed his mother. "What? Why?"
"You said yourself it was nice," Lance argued.
"I'm never speaking to you again."
Splashed again. Lance reached over for something Keith couldn't read until it was on his face. It was coarse, rough and buffering. This was noticeably not as nice.
"I don't like this one," Keith mumbled.
"Quit scrunching your nose."
"Quit rubbing sandpaper on me."
Lance laughed. Keith attempted retaliation via splashing, but missed and just got water on the floor and himself. Lance laughed more.
Keith's pain was over soon, as Lance washed it off as soon as he'd stopped laughing loud enough to wake all the other paladins.
Lance turned off the sink. Keith was overjoyed, until he saw the next bottle in his hand.
"End my suffering," he said, leaning his head on Lance's shoulder lazily. Keith was normally not this physically affectionate. He usually let lance be the dramatic one, draping over him exaggeratedly. However, Keith was tired and had started to associate Lance's body heat with the comfort that only blankets could bring him before. After months of falling asleep cuddling, it was hard not to be tired as Lance's warmth radiated onto him.
Lance poured something into his hand in response before rubbing it onto Keith's face gently. It wasn't as nice as the first, but considerably more pleasant than the last. It was cold like water, but felt oddly clean. Keith was more focused on the feeling of Lance's soft hands to pay much attention, though.
Lance patted his cheek, smiling still. Keith tried to glare, but his body betrayed him and he smiled back.
Lance picked up a little bottle of what Keith had decided was moisturizer. As Lance reached for him, a small dab on his fingers, Keith stopped his hand with a gentle push on the wrist.
"I don't like lotion," he said, leaning away instinctively like a child.
"I know," Lance said. "It's really light, I promise." Leave it to Lance McClain to know all of Keith's sensory issues.
"The things I do for love."
Lance was right, it was hardly noticeable once rubbed in. Keith really didn't mind it, and he certainly didn't mind Lance's extra few seconds of massaging Keith's face.
Finally, Keith's hell was over. He felt like Dante, having finally reached the Southern Hemisphere after escaping the inferno. They walked to the bedroom and climbed under the sheets together, as they had every night lately. It was a nice routine, reliable and sweet.
Lance pulled out his phone to scroll for a bit. He liked when Keith got too tired to keep his harsh demeanor, and he especially liked to stay up and get the full tired-Keith experience. It was a well balanced method, as Lance had always been a night-owl and Keith forever a permanent morning-bird.
Keith laid on top of Lance, head laying on his chest and arms wrapped around him. Lance rested his hand with his phone on Keith's back and tangled his other hand in Keith's hair.
Keith mumbled something inaudible. "You can't talk into me and expect me to hear it," Lance said. Keith could practically hear the smile in his voice.
"Your freckles. I like them,' Keith said, mostly incoherent but somewhat understandable for a master like Lance.
Lance chuckled to himself before kissing Keith's head. Keith at any hour past eleven P.M. truly was a sight to behold.
Keith sat up to kiss his lips softly before laying back down. "Goodnight, I love you," he mumbled.
Lance smiled, rubbing circles into his back with his thumb. "Goodnight, I love you too," he echoed, but much more understandable than how Keith had.
Keith soon fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of Lance's breathing and the hum of various videos and games on his phone.