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"So, Keith, James, are yal dating again or..?" Hunk asked. Both men tensed, and Lance whipped his head around to look at Hunk. “Keith and Griffin dated?!"
"Calm down McClain, it was years ago. There's no feelings anymore." James voice said over comms.
James, Keith, Hunk, Nadia and were creeping through the ruins of the city, looking for a downed Garrison patrol drone. Usually they wouldn't bother, but this one was powered by an Altean crystal, and had valuable information about the nearby Garla prison camps.
Lance, Kinkade, Ina and Pidge were in the upper stories of a nearby building, covering their friends and watching for sentries and Galran drones.
"How long ago?" Lance asks, looking at James's back through his scope. "We broke up like a year before I left the Garrison. Decided we were better as friends." Keith answered.
"I still think it would've been nice to know that our team leaders dated before the mission." Lance huffs.
"It doesn't matter. It was forever ago. I'm not going to try and steal your boyfriend McClain, I'm perfectly happy with my own."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Lance shrieks as Keith gasps and snaps his head towards James. "You have a boyfriend? Do I know him? Is he from our class? Do I need to threaten him?”
"Yes, kind of, no, and no. I have better taste than that, Keith."
Keith raises an eyebrow and turns to Nadia. "Does he?"
Nadia grins. "I think so. They're stupid cute. It took them fucking forever to get together though."
"In their defense, semi- apocalyptic conditions and no prior knowledge of the other, including sexuality, make dating difficult." Ina interrupts.
"How do you not know James is gay?" Keith laughs. "His favorite book is The Song of Achilles."
Pidge gasps. "Holy shit I love that book!! I must've read it like a hundred times."
"Thank you! See Keith, it is a good book. Some might even call it a literary masterpiece."
Keith rolled his eyes at the brunette. "You are the only person I've ever heard call it that, and I stand by my decision not to read it."
"You really should, it's pretty good." Hunk adds. "Ha!" James laughs, and Keith sighs. "I'm surrounded by idiots. Anyway, back to your boyfriend. What does he look like?"
"Uh-un, my turn for questions. You and Lance aren't dating?" James asked.
"NO!" Both paladins exclaim.
"God fucking damn, I think yal broke my eardrums!" Nadia said as she shook her head.
"They really should be though. The amount of sexual tension is unreal." Pidge states. "For real. Lance always says they're rivals, and makes up a bunch of excuses to be paired with him on missions or stand near him." Hunk adds.
"Sounds like James and Ryan, the whole standing near each other thing except since they're actually dating." Ina says. "We were going on patrol once and Iverson yelled across the hangar to hurry up and kiss so we could leave."
"God that was embarrassing." James laughed dryly. "You should've seen Ryan's face, I've never seen him so shocked."
"Ryan, Ryan. That name sounds so familiar. What's he look like?" Keith asked. "He's a little taller than you, built like fucking Greek God, and he has these absolutely gorgeous green eyes." James says with a sigh. "And he's sweet and he's smart and he's funny and I am a complete idiot when he smiles, and I am completely fucking in love with him." James ends, leaning against a wall.
"Simp." Nadia sings, peeking around the corner. "Little McClain, we clear?"
"Almost. Wait for about 30 seconds and then go across the street into that convenience store, the drones are making laps. Also, I hate that nickname." Lance huffs.
"We knew Veronica first." Kinkade mutters. "And she's significantly taller than you."
"Is he pretty or handsome?” Keith asked, returning to the previous conversation.
"Literally the perfect mix between the two. Honestly, he's breathtaking." James sighs.
"In more ways than one, I'm sure." Keith jokes. "Smile?"
"Do not get him started. I've heard way too many drunken rants before they started dating, I don't need to hear it again." Nadia complains.
"Kinkade, what's our Interval to get to the next clear zone?" Hunk asked, trying to get back on track, despite the conversation next to him.
"You guys have 2 minutes to get all the way down that street after the drones passes otherwise you'll get caught. After that you're clear for about 200 yards. Also, James, please stop talking about how gorgeous you think I am."
"You are gorgeous though." James replies.
"It's embarrassing and we're on a mission." Kinkade complains as Keith and Pidge shriek. "Oh it's HIM?!! YAL ARE FUCKING ADORABLE TOGETHER!" Pidge yells.
"Respectfully, good job James. And Hunk, you owe me twenty bucks when we get back." Keith says with a grin.
"Unfair! You know what James's heart eyes look like! I just met both of them." Hunk whined.
"Even Iverson knew they were pining." Ina interrupts. "Leif!" Ryan hisses.
"What? And don't act like James's ranting is bad. You once spent half an hour telling me how pretty his eyes are, then another hour on how cute you think he is when he's mad. "
"LEIF!" Ryan shrieked.
"Aw, babe, that's so sweet." James crooned as the others laughed. "I hate all of you." Ryan grumbled.
"Even me?" James asked. "Especially you." Ryan answered, and James chuckled. "Love you too babe."
Nadia rolled her eyes and looked at Keith. "You see what I have to put up with?”
When they got back to the Garrison, Keith dropped off the drone with at the lab before heading to the mess hall.
His team and the MFES were already seated, and he saw how close James and Kinkade were.
They were pressed against each other, not an inch of space between them. Come to think of it, they were almost always in physical contact with each other. Talking with their heads close, Ryan’s hand on the small of James’s back. Hell, he’d seen them hold hands. How did he not notice before?
“Wait, I'm still stuck on the fact that you all think me and Keith are dating.” Lance said as Keith sat down.
“Are you joking? There's tons of tension, even more than there was between James and Keith when you guys got back to Earth.” Nadia says.
“In our defense, he thought I'd killed myself, and I thought he hated me.” Keith interjects.
“But we talked and we're fine now. No recent suicide attempts on either end.” James adds.
“What tension though?” Lance asks again.
“Um, the whole “rivalry” thing. That's just a fancy way of saying you're impressed by them and want to fuck.” Nadia explains.
Lance gasps, going bright pink. “It does not!”
James shrugs, sipping his drink. “It did when Keith and I dated.”
“OK but that's when we both knew it meant that, Lance didn't know.” Keith defends.
“Did you tell him?” James questions.
“No!” Lance exclaims. “Otherwise I wouldn't have said it! Besides, isn't it weird talking about all this with your ex boyfriend when your current boyfriend is right next to you?”
James and Ryan exchanged a look before James shook his head. “I’m wholly committed to our relationship. And I told him Keith and I dated, even the whole suicide thing. Plus, we broke up like, 6 years ago. Any feelings are long gone, trust me.”
Keith nodded in agreement.
“It doesn't bother you?” Lance asked, looking at Ryan.
“No. I'm secure.” He answered. “Besides, at the end of the day, we’re in a committed relationship-” he gestured to himself and James, before pointing at Keith and Lance. “- and you two are helplessly pining.”
The paladins in question flushed as the others laughed.
“I’m not pining!” Lance protested.
“No, you just complain all the time about Keith’s voice, hair, laugh, his eyes, his being hot. Normal rival things.” Hunk jokes, listing each thing on his fingers.
“You think I’m hot?” Keith asked, turning towards an increasingly red Lance.
“You’re an objectively attractive guy! Am I not allowed to say that?”
“If it helps, Keith thinks you’re attractive too.” James remarks.
“Dude!”
“What? Whenever we workout you end up yapping about him. You’ve said he’s attractive more than a few times.”
Keith points his fork at the MFE. “James, don't expose me like this. I will show Ryan your braces photos.”
“I’ve already seen them. They're kinda cute.” Ryan says, scrunching his nose.
James grins and pecks his boyfriend on the cheek, causing Nadia to gag. “You two are sickening.”
“See, you two could be disgusting and in love if one of you would just confess already.” Pidge states.
“Fuck you.” Keith spits.
“Actually, I think the whole point of this conversation is that it’s Lance you want to fuck.” Ina says, the first thing she’s contributed to the conversation so far.
After a moment of stunned silence, the group, minus the men in question, burst out laughing.
Keith’s jaw was practically on the floor
“Wha-he- I- Keith doesn’t have a crush on me, and bro code says you don’t tell the person your bro likes that he likes them!” Lance states.
“Lance, buddy, I can’t deal with this pining anymore. That part of the bro code can burn in hell.” Hunk says, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “And I think we should leave these two to talk this out.” He stood, Nadia and Leif following.
“Have fun.” Pidge cooed as the group separated.
“Use protection.” James warned as he and Ryan left, earning a snort from his boyfriend. The two left the mess hall hand in hand, leaving the remaining two at the table in silence.
“You really think I’m attractive?” Lance asks, poking the food on his tray.
Keith flushes as red as the lion they’ve both piloted. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Lance, have you seen yourself?” Keith asks breathlessly. The other man’s blush now matched his own. “Shut up.”
Keith swallowed thickly, gathering his nerve. “So, Lance, there’s this place in Platt City- Hunk took Shay there and said it was pretty good- and we have the day after tomorrow off. Would you want to-”
“Yes! I mean- yes”. Lance interrupted, before inhaling slowly. “Yes, I’d like to go on a date with you.”