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For Keith, the realization that he'd let his heart slip away was a gradual one.
It came in ripples, the waves before a shoreline storm, lapping at the edges of his consciousness. It was the way he worried whenever they were apart, the way his chest tightened when he saw him again, the way he couldn't stop himself smiling, knowing the other was alright.
It was every annoying, endearing little thing about Lance that pushed him away, only to draw him closer in, flooding his mind, the longer he thought about it. Admitting that he had a certain softness in his heart for Lance wasn't the strange part; they were teammates, and some sort of friends, after all. It was the realization that the warmth he felt toward him was more that - that Keith had fallen in love, while his attention was elsewhere.
The first wave hit him when things went quiet, after battle. He surveyed his surroundings, and the first person his eyes sought was Lance. Where was he? Was he okay? Seeing him move to his feet, legs shaking as he stood, raised Keith’s spirits. He called his name and Lance turned to face him, and as their eyes met, the unseen tide rolled in, leaving Keith gasping for air as it swept him away.
Lance was bruised, bloodied, but alive, and the smile that broke across his face in reply to Keith was suddenly a tsunami, a force that Keith could not reckon with. He was in love with Lance, and walking back toward the others, with Lance’s arm thrown lazily around his shoulders as he helped him along, Keith knew there was no way out. He only hoped he'd be able to keep his head above water.
--
For Lance, the waves that had slowly pulled Keith under hit him full force, all at once, and with no warning on the winds.
Perhaps he had simply missed it. Maybe there had been some sort of signal that a storm was on its way, but he hadn't been paying attention. There were a lot of other things on his mind, after all.
But when it hit him, it left him without a chance of dispute. It was later that evening, back at the castle, as he was trying to unwind from another long day. With hot water running over his neck and shoulders, Lance swirled fingers through his hair, washing away the stress of the day. In his mind, the heat of the water mimicked the warmth of human touch, and the fingers in his hair were not his own; closing his eyes, he imagined someone else, gently touching, caring for him, holding him close.
He imagined it was Keith.
Eyes snapping open so quickly that he had no time to wipe the soap from them first, Lance gasped. Realization hit him with such force that he stumbled backward, his back meeting the wall of the shower with a hard thump. Scrambling to stay upright, he grabbed for anything he could reach, pulling himself back onto trembling legs. Every part of him was still slick with soap and water, a fact he barely registered as he bolted from the shower, fumbling for footing and for understanding.
He was in love. With Keith.
Slapping at himself with a towel, he tried to shake the water from his hair, and maybe the thought from his head, but it was no use.
He was in love with fucking Keith.
Groaning, Lance sank down onto the floor for a moment, trying to collect himself before he left the bathroom. Of everyone in the entire universe, it had to be Keith. But the longer he dwelled on the thought, the less it bothered him. Keith could be funny, and even sweet, when he wanted to. He was loyal and strong, and looked really fucking good in his paladin armor, so it certainly could have been worse.
Rubbing hard at his temples, Lance realized just how doomed he was.
How was he going to tell Keith? Should he tell him? It wasn't something Lance really had any experience with, though he didn't want to admit that to anyone. He'd have to figure it out himself, and he'd have to do it quickly. They'd undoubtedly be training again the next morning, and he couldn't let himself spar with someone he was secretly in love with.
Clamoring to his feet again, Lance tore out of the bathroom, determined to make his move before he could think better of it. Passing Hunk and nearly knocking Pidge down in his haste, Lance sped down the halls toward his own room, intent on making a plan and carrying it out, that night, even if it involved writing Keith a note like some lovesick twelve year old. He had to get it out of his system; he was up to his ears in feeling, and he refused to let it drown him.
But as it always did, the universe seemed to have other plans for Lance.
Hovering by his bedroom door was Keith, looking tired and troubled and absolutely fucking adorable, and Lance felt nauseous just thinking that to himself. When Keith noticed him approaching, his eyes went wide for all of a second before he turned them away, and Lance realized he was wearing nothing but a towel, slung low on his hips. He adjusted it, fastened it more securely, and made his way over to where Keith was waiting.
“Hey, what's up?” He asked, trying to sound like he hadn't just been having an existential crisis, himself. Keith shrugged, still not looking at him directly.
“Just wanted to come by and check on you. Make sure you were okay, after today.”
Lance swallowed the lump Keith’s words put in his throat. “Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I'm good.” Keith nodded and gave him a tight smile, turning away like he might leave, but on reflex, Lance grabbed for his arm. “You, uh - You wanna stay for a minute? Just talk, or whatever?”
Finally, Keith looked back at him, eyes locked on his. “Yeah. That'd be fine.”
A few minutes later, they were in Lance’s room, and for the first time, Lance was acutely aware of every inch of the space, and of the fact that Keith was sharing it with him, sitting on his bed. He tried his best to dress quickly, and Keith turned his eyes away again, while he did. On any other day, Lance might have laughed, might have teased him for it. Instead, he tried his hardest not to blush all the way down his neck, fully aware of having lost the battle with his burning ears.
“Thanks for coming by to check on me,” he laughed, attempting to sound casual. Keith nodded, venturing a look back at him.
“You took a few pretty hard hits today, and I just--” Keith swallowed audibly - “I just wanted to make sure you were really okay. And… I'm glad you're here, you know?” Looking down at his gloves, Keith smiled, small and shy. “Just wanted you to know that.”
“I love you.”
The words were out of Lance’s mouth before he had any chance to create ceremony for them, and for a moment, neither he nor Keith said another word. When Keith finally looked like he might speak, might question Lance’s sanity, Lance knew he had no choice but to clarify. The cat was irreparably out of the bag.
“Sorry, I… I meant to say it better. Like… I wanted to say something cool and smooth and. This kinda sucks. Sorry.”
As he stammered, Keith just stared up at him. Lance could feel his throat threatening to close, but he couldn't just leave it at that. He bit down hard on his lip, bracing himself.
“I guess it hit me a little bit ago. Like, yeah, you annoy the fuck out of me, but like… I also don't want you to not be here. And it's. It's more than that, but I don't even know what else to say, so. Yeah.”
For another long, painfully quiet moment, Keith continued staring back at him, wide eyed and wordless. Just when Lance had reached critical panic levels and was considering shoving Keith out of his room and bolting the door, a sound broke the silence that he was entirely unprepared for.
Keith laughed.
It wasn't the quiet, snarky laughter that Lance had come to expect from him. It was loud and bright and beautiful, as Keith threw his head back and grinned from ear to ear, laughing so hard he was left holding his stomach, nearly lying flat on Lance’s bed. Lance smiled in spite of himself; it was impossible not to. Still, he snapped at Keith, caught completely off guard.
“What the hell are you laughing at?”
Wiping the corners of his eyes, Keith shook his head.
“You!” He snorted. When Lance scowled at him, he only laughed again. “No, no, I mean - that was the most Lance thing I've ever seen, you're so…” He took a deep breath, exhaled on a satisfied sigh, and looked back at Lance again. “You're so cute.”
“Cute?” Lance hissed. Before he had the chance to demand answers, Keith offered them freely.
“I’m laughing because… Well, I like you too. I love you, Lance.” His features suddenly took on a serious edge, all traces of laughter gone from his face. “And I was really worried about you, today. I was afraid something would happen, and I wouldn't get to tell you, and it just kind of… Snuck up on me, I guess. But I've been thinking about it for a while.”
“Well why didn't you say something, then?” Lance huffed, losing his battle with the blush creeping down his neck. “I had to be the one to make an ass out of myself.”
“And you did a spectacular job,” Keith smiled, humor returning to his eyes, and Lance was so entranced by how they sparkled that he nearly forgot to be upset.
“Yeah, well. Whatever. Point being, you're stupid, and I'm in love with you.”
Keith nodded. “Likewise.”
“So what are we gonna do about it?” Lance asked, not meaning for it to sound so much like a dare as it did. Still, he stood by it. Keith smiled, more mischievous than Lance had ever seen.
“That can be up to you. I have a few suggestions, but we’ll get to those later. For now, I think we both ought to get some sleep.” He stood from his seat on Lance’s bed, stretching. Lance was across the room and hovering in front of him a second later, scarcely able to remember moving.
“Hey, okay, yeah, well…” He chewed on his lip for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he was trying to ask, eventually just letting the words fall as they might. It had gotten him that far, after all. “How about we do that here. Like, both of us. Sleep here. Tonight. Maybe.”
Keith looked back at him, smile slowly sharpening at the corners before he nodded, arms crossed at his chest.
“I think I might be okay with that. If you promise this won't be the first and last time. I'm not into that kind of thing.”
At that, Lance laughed, unable to stop himself. “You kidding? You'll be lucky if I ever let you sleep alone, again.”
Keith grinned, stepped forward into Lance’s space, whispering just before pressing his lips to Lance’s.
“Good.”
--
True to his word, Lance reached for Keith nearly every night, after that. After a few months, Allura grew so tired of never knowing which door to knock on that she and Coran settled the two of them into a larger suite, with a bed that was actually made for two. It didn't matter much; they all but slept on top of one another, both of them glad to finally have someone to share their nights with.
Being paladins never got any easier, but it was less heartache and hardship, knowing that they each had one another - as well as the rest of their newfound family - to return to, every evening. Life as they came to know it had fallen into place the way that they had fallen in love.
Slowly, and then all at once.