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Another long, tedious, drawn-out mission done.
But people were safe, threats neutralized, and no compromises made, so success.
Having just safely landed and parked his personal fighter-jet in the upper ATLAS hangar, Lance was debating whether some check-ups and tuning were due or if he could push those to tomorrow, especially given how exhausted the last few days had left him. All the while, his brain was churning overtime, trying to simultaneously map out his team’s training schedule for the upcoming movement, figure out meal prep till the end of the week, fit all of that into his personal schedule… Oh, and let’s not forget trying to calculate the time dilation with Keith’s current location, time dilation with Earth relative to their current position, holidays… and so much more… all in his head, which was slowly getting overheated from it all when suddenly the bright cheerful voice of his former commander shook him out of his impossible calculations.
“Lance! Hey! Hope you are doing well.” Shiro greeted him. “The mission went so well, thank you. Sorry I didn’t make the debrief, was stuck in a diplomatic call with the Olkari.”
“No worries Admiral, to each their own duties.” Lance half teased at the former paladin’s immediate scowl. “But it is good to see you. We need to grab dinner, if you don’t have any plans, that is.”
“Sorry, Lance,” Shiro replied almost bashfully. “Matt is flying back in a few hours. Him and Adam have organised me a surprise that I should not be aware of.”
“Maybe tomorrow then.” Lance chuckled. Shiro’s fiancés were a special kind of menace but the three of them had made it work and the former blue paladin couldn’t have been happier for his friends.
“Yes, I would love that. Tomorrow.” Shiro smiled, gazing at the distance, already imagining what his significant others would have in stock for him tonight. “I am really sorry you and Keith both had to work today.” he then added cautiously.
Lance blinked at him confused.
“You know, with today being today. I am sorry the mission had to ruin your plans.” Shiro tried clarifying further.
“Sorry, Shiro, I don’t follow. I know I was not supposed to take this mission, but it was perfectly fine. I did not have any plans for today anyways. Well, maybe spending some quality time with my latest crochet project but really nothing else.”
Shiro's eyes filled with confusion and for a few long moments he was not sure what to say or how to react.
“I… I thought you and Keith might have plans… for today, tonight or something.”
“Well Keith is on a dark op right now and even if everything goes according to plan, I don’t think I will be able to talk to him in the next four days, at least. Although,” Lance's gaze became soft and fond, “he has been sneaking coded messages to me every day.”
“I am really sorry Lance,” Shiro said after a few moments of silence, taking the sharpshooter out of his thoughts. “It must be tough… I… you… if you need…”
“Shiro, once again, I don’t understand where you are getting at.” Lance’s voice was just this side of frustrated at this point. And the way Shiro was short-circuiting right in front of his very eyes was not helping the situation one bit. “Stop beating around the bush, and just out with it. Please.”
The Admiral was shocked speechless, but he supposed it was fair. He had a tendency to be overly polite. Everyone was telling him that. Most of all, his two fiancés. He coughed audibly, gathering his words and then tried his best to elaborate his scattered thoughts now that Lance had made him point it all out loud. “Well… It’s Valentine's Day, so I thought… well I thought you would be upset at not being able to spend the day… you know… with Keith…”
Lance blinked a few times, like a fish out of water or a schoolboy who had just swallowed his entire grammar and was rendered utterly speechless.
“Oh… Well,” he took a deep breath and looked around the docking bay as if the right words were hiding somewhere there. When none appeared, he just started slowly. “Truth be told Shiro, Keith and I don’t celebrate Valentines. We never have. Frankly, I am surprised some people still do, it being an archaic and bygone holiday, and let’s not even dive into its origins and all…” Lance made a dismissive gesture, trying to dispel his gathering irritation. “I know that you observe it, religiously, but I always thought it was mostly because it is Adam’s birthday, and you had made a cutesy tradition and all.”
Lance’s words struck Shiro hard and plunged him in deep thought, which he tried masking by pretending to examine the scratches on his boots. After a few ticks of silence, the sharpshooter tentatively continued on.
“I guess you would expect it out of me, you know lover boy Lance but to be fair even as a teenager I never saw the appeal, it never really sat right with me, and beyond it being an archaic custom, when I tried learning more about it, it did strike me as weird and honestly irritated me to no end. And then, when Keith and I got together, he really taught me what it was to love someone every second of every single day.
“You might think I am a romantic person but you have never seen someone as romantic as Keith.” A shy fond smile crept up Lance’s plush lips. “He loves with his entire being. Words are hard for him sometimes, so he loves with every single act he takes. Big and small.”
A strange quiet engulfed both paladins. Shiro was looking at Lance with such amazement, as if not sure whether he could trust those words. And Lance… Lance was lost in memories.
“Keith always wakes up before me and even though he calls it sacrilege, he makes me my coffee just the way I like it, leaving the cup on my nightstand. There is always a note, and while it is sometimes quite sarcastic, and bashes my choices of adding as he puts it ‘too much sugar and that wretched creamer’, it oozes his deep feelings.
“He is not one for grand gifts but his are always thoughtful and show just how much he pays attention and listens. Like for example for the holidays he got me fluffy socks, rifle grease and 20 notebooks. It does not sound very romantic to someone outside our relationship, but I was running low on grease and constantly kept on forgetting to get some, so I was always stretching it and then had issues. And even though I use the electronic devices Pidge made for us, Keith knows how much writing and doodling on paper puts me at ease. He even got me ones with kawaii little cats and dogs and cows on them.” Lance chuckled.
“And the socks?” Shiro asked, quite intrigued.
“Oh, well, my last pair is on its final life and fluffy socks are a comfort must for a rainy day.But it’s not only this, it’s small gestures every day. I might say something in an off-hand comment, like a book I might be interested in or how much I have enjoyed this or that… And then days, or even weeks later, he would come home with that book or whatever I was fascinated about. He wouldn’t even mention it. Just have it with him for me. He pays attention to everything I say and incorporates it into what he does. He brings me to tears, that man.” Lance’s eyes were misted as he thought of Keith. Shiro pretended he didn’t see the small tear that escaped.
“But you take holidays together, for special occasions?” The Admiral pressed on.
“We do. Well, we try. It is more like we try to carve out time, just for us. To be honest with you, the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, seasonal celebrations, those we really reserve for family. Keith indulges my family too much, although to be fair mama has practically adopted him and there are moments I feel I am no longer her favourite,” he laughed.
For a moment they stayed in comfortable silence. Shiro was not sure what to say but what Lance had shared sent his mind reeling.
Seeing his commander so pensive, Lance placed a reassuring hand on the former Black Paladin’s shoulder.
“Hey, don’t think too hard Shiro or your brain is gonna start smoking. Thank you for caring. This is just the relationship that we have. Doesn’t mean it is more or less valid, it’s just who we are. I am happy you, Adam and Matt have great plans for a celebration. Also, don’t forget the crew are throwing a surprise party for Adam tomorrow. It’s still your job to distract him enough so he does not suspect anything.” Lance teased.
Shiro blushed, “Yes, of-f-f course. You can count on me. I didn’t even tell Matt because he can never keep it a secret, so we are still on target. I hope Adam enjoys it.”
Shiro’s features softened as he plunged into memories and thoughts of his two fiancé.
Lance smiled knowingly.
“Well, I better get going then. Much to do and you need to get stuff ready for those two rascals, they should be landing soon. I will see you tomorrow Admiral. We have a full day ahead together in between drills, debriefs, meetings and the party. Do you think you can spare some time in the morning to spar with your old teammate?”
“Of course, Lance. Always.” Shiro smiled. “I will see you at 6:00 in the upper level gym then.”
“Let’s be real Shiro, make it 7:30. After all, it’s Adam’s birthday today.” Lance smirked and with a flourish disappeared in the depths of the ATLAS, leaving Shiro a blubbering, jittery, flustered mess.
The fatigue of the day caught with him full force as the door to his (well his and Keith’s) quarters whooshed closed behind him. It had been a long couple of weeks, juggling missions, training, the remote counselling sessions he led for the Garrison… And let’s face it, every time Keith was away, his heart was heavy. Heavier still when his reckless boyfriend was on a dark mission.
Sluggishly, Lance dragged through his nighttime routine. A light bite to eat, a long hot shower (maybe a tad longer since the conversation with Shiro had made him think too much about Keith), his infamous beauty regiment, then getting into comfy and cozy fluffy pyjamas and settling into bed with a few notebooks and his all-in-one digital pad (courtesy of Pidge, patent pending). He swiftly planned his next week, from the training sessions, to the drills with his team and calls to Earth, personal and professional. Not forgetting of course healthy meals and the required prep. There were a couple of new recipes he wanted to try out. Maybe he would have enough time to perfect them so he could make them for Keith when he got back.
Lance was in the middle of sending out a few emails to some students and parents when an urgent angry-looking message pop-up blasted on his screen.
From Kolivan.
Yikes, had he forgotten one of his regular meetings and catch ups with Big K? He hoped not. Him and the Big Fuzzy Silence had become very good friends over the years of dealing with Keith and the time they spent together was very precious to Lance.
He clicked on the message without delay, knowing that keeping Kolivan waiting was never a good idea.
Hello Lance.
I hope you are doing well.
I wanted to let you know that Keith’s mission went very well and he is back in base earlier than expected. I have forced him to cleanse himself first but he should be calling you soon.
If he does not, let me know and I will shove a communicator in front of his face swiftly.
I hope our plans for a meeting on Zantara-14 next movement are still valid.
I look forward to catching up more then.
K.
A happy smile split Lance’s face.
Thank the ancients for Big K and him looking after Lance’s reckless, adorable, romantic, wonderful boyfriend when they were apart.
He could not wait for their next meeting on Zantara, so he could hug the stoic Galra. They were going to paint the town crimson. Maybe he should invite Adam or Matt, quizznack, why not even take Shiro along and make it a celebration. He will talk it out with both Shiro and Kolivan tomorrow. Right now, Lance did his best to quickly tie up whatever he was doing as he buzzed with anticipation, waiting for the communicator to bridge the distance between galaxies and connect him to Keith.
Sure enough, only a few long stretched out minutes later, Keith’s gorgeous but tired and pale face came into view.
“Hey love,” Keith smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too sweetheart.” Lance could not fight the tears that were already streaming down his face. It was like that every time Keith came back safe from a mission. Relief washed over him with every word his boyfriend uttered.
“I can’t wait to get back home to your arms. Kolivan is expected on some peace talks near the path of the ATLAS, so we are due to worm out in a varga. He is even letting me take the small one-man cruiser. I will be there with you in no time!”
Lance revelled in the eagerness Keith had to come back. It didn’t seem so long ago when the former Voltron captain had a hard time fitting in. Soft sadness and desperate longing fought for a brief second on Lance’s face. He gently stroked the tablet screen where Keith’s face was blinking in and out.
“I can’t wait to have you home…” he barely whispered but the knowing smile on Keith’s lips said the words had travelled the distance.
“I’ll be there before you know it.” Keith’s virtual hand joined Lance’s on the other side of the screen. “I need to go now sweetheart, Kolivan is calling final preparations. Love you.”
“Love you.” Lance whispered back as the screen flicked asleep.
He took a deep breath as a full-bodied shudder ran through his body. Only a little more.
Slowly, he got out of bed and made his way to the small kitchenette in their ATLAS quarters. A few of the appliances quickly came to life under his deft fingers. A soft smile graced Lance’s face as he started preparing Keith’s favourite spicy noodle dish. He has made it a point to always have all the ingredients on hand. He might even have enough time to whip up a quick dessert...
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