Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Cheese!”

"No, Hunk. No cheese. This isn’t a family photo.”

“Oh, right. Okay so then what do you want me to do with my hands? Like this?” Hunk crosses his arms and stands facing Lance.

“Wh-- No. Just, I don’t know? Act natural.”

“Ah, natural. Right.” He takes a moment to glance around before he turns slightly to the left and looks out into the distance. “Like this?” He asks, hesitantly. Lance sighs.

“This isn’t working.” Lance stands up straight, his camera in one hand and his other on his hip. “When I said I needed a model, it didn’t mean I needed you to pose. Just, I don’t know,” He swishes his free hand in the air noncommittally. “Pretend I’m not here.”

Hunk’s face drops into a humorless pout. “Okay dude, that is totally easier said than done. It’s impossible for me to pretend that you’re not three feet away pointing a giant lense at me and assume that I’m not going to be a teeny bit nervous.”

Lance blinks at him before shrugging. “I can do it.”

"Yeah well, you’re in love with the camera. Not all of us are like that.”

Lance pops the lense cap back on and scrolls through the pictures he was able to take of his friend. “Pidge can do it, too.” He says offhandedly.

Hunk scoffs and joins him in the shade, looking over his shoulder. “That’s a bold face lie and you know it.”

“Yeah, Pidge was actually probably worse than you. Check this one out,” He says with a snort, angling the camera at Hunk so he can get a better look at Pidge’s awkward scowl. “She’s beauty, she’s grace…”

“She’ll punch you in the face.” Hunk finishes.

Since Lance can remember, he's liked seeing the world through the viewfinder. Snapping shots whenever the mood strikes him, which was often, and much to his friends disapproval. They just have to deal with the fact that he loves capturing the moment. Because time is fleeting and he doesn’t like to say goodbye to any of the happy memories. His room is littered with his hobby. Strings of polaroids, mostly of Hunk and Pidge trying to get out of the way of the camera (those are his favorites.) and of his family, the beautiful scenery of their beachside town, flowers-- lot’s of flowers. Multiple printers and an angry momwho is sick of cleaning up after him and refuses to visit again until he straightens out his mess. That doesn't stop her from inviting him over every weekebd for a nice, homecooked meal. He takes pictures of those, too.

Most of the shots he gets of Hunk that afternoon are too boring to even be funny. He clicks his tongue as he goes through all of them, lounging on his bed. He puts his camera on the nightstand.

“Well, so much for that... “ He flops over onto his back again and stares up at his ceiling. Maybe he just needs new subject matter. There was only so much in the small town, and he’s taken pictures of all of it.

A pebble hits his window and he sighs again, getting up and lazily trudging over to lift up the pane. Looking down, he sees Pidge with a handful of the small stones and another raised in her hand.

“Oh good, it only took one this time. Hunk said you left to mope in your room so I’m here to ask if you want to go to the beach. There’s some tidal pools I want to check out.”

Lance can try, but he never says no to Pidge.

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.”

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“Are you even taking pictures or are you just goofing around?” Pidge squats by a small tidal pool and looks over her shoulder at Lance who has his face squished against his camera, looking at everything but the amazing wildlife that he promised to capture for her.

“I know this camera has a digital screen, but I still like using the viewfinder. Helps me find the perfect shot.” He says absentmindedly.

“Yeah, I know but I found a baby horseshoe fish and that doesn’t happen every low tide.”

“Whoa, really?” Lance trots over and aims the camera down at the small creature. “Cool.” He mumbles, checking the shots in the digital screen. He looks up at the horizon over the ocean and wishes the sunset was a little bit nicer today. He’d seen better.

He takes a few more photos of Pidge and the different animals she pulls up from the waters before he plops down on the sand and sighs.

“I need to get out of this town, Pidge. I’m going to stir-crazy.”

Pidge sits back on her haunches and peers over at him. “You say that at least once a week.”

“And yet…” He trails off, sarcastically.

It wasn’t that he was bored of the ocean, or the beach, or the rundown town he grew up in. He just had a need for something different to capture and it was truly, truly getting him down.

Pidge goes quiet for a moment, taking in the silence and the nature surrounding them. She gets up and walks over to Lance, flopping down next to him.

“Don’t know how you could get tired of this view…” She says.

“Honestly, I don’t. But for my art... “ He trails off again, looking down at the camera cradled in his hands. “Just need something else.”

Pidge ponders that for a moment before speaking again. “Have you taken any pictures of the stars lately? I know you got that telescope for that.”

Lance brightens up. “I never showed you? They came out great. Need to try out some long exposure shots to get a better picture of the milky way.”

Pidge smiles at him before something catches her eye over his shoulder. “Hey… Who’s that?” She nudges her chin in the direction she’s looking and Lance turns his head.

Up on the hill behind them, there’s a lone tree, and under that tree there is a bench. Sitting on the bench is someone Lance and Pidge do not recognize. The town was too small to meet a stranger. Lance lifts up his camera and zooms in. His eyes widen ever so slightly as he looks at the man sitting there. His face is passive, his hair blowing slightly in the breeze. Without thinking, Lance takes a picture and it’s like all the pieces of a puzzle fall into place.

“That’s it.” He mumbles.

“Hm?”

“I think I just found my new subject matter.”

Chapter Text

As far as small towns go, this one isn’t so bad. Not that he has a lot to compare it to. It’s quiet, everyone seems to be friendly enough, and the nature is simply stunning. Especially on the little cliff overlooking the beach. Keith had found it his first day and decided immediately that he would visit it again, and again and make it his own. This is a new beginning, after all. He has a home that’s his, money he earned himself, and the clothes on his back.

And now, a pleasant place to sit when things get too lonely.

He isn’t actually lonely. He has Shiro. They will take care of each other. Keith needs to bring Shiro here, if he can catch him, that is. Shiro has been looking for a job nonstop since they moved here. Which, if Keith is going to be realistic, is the best course of action but Keith doesn’t see the rush. Not when he has a good amount in savings. It’s time he rests.

Which is what he’s doing when he spots a couple sitting down by the tidal pools. He ignores them at first until they notice him. Friends would be nice, but they’re not a necessity. Not like this view is.

Keith lets his head loll back and that’s when he hears it. The distinct sound of a shutter from a camera. His eyes snap open and his head snaps upward again as he looks down at the pair. The tall one spins around and faces the ocean again but Keith can see the camera in his hands. Fucking perfect. That’s all he needs, some voyeur with a camera.

“Looks like this spot’s been compromised…” he mumbles to himself with a sigh.

“Hey, uhm! Excuse me!” A voice drifts up from the beach and Keith looks down, hands deep in his pockets and legs spread wide as he sits lazily on the bench. His nose scrunches up as he peers down at the two people now completely facing him as they stand on the beach. “Name’s Lance, do you mind?” He holds up his camera and Keith thinks there isn’t a point to ask if he’s already done it.

“Keith. Didn’t you already take a picture of me?” He half-shouts back down at them and watches as the tall one－Lance－ straightens up and hides the camera behind his back. As if his hands weren’t already caught red.

“Actually, I was taking a picture of that leaf right there, right next to your shoulder.” Lance says with a wobbly smile, like he’s lying. Keith rolls his eyes before glances over and sure enough there’s a leaf perched on the headrest of the bench next to Keith. He sighs but smiles despite himself.

“Fair enough.” He stands. “Are you locals or something?”

“That’s an understatement…” Lance says with a bright smile.

“What about you?” The other one, who seems to have been ignored until she spoke up, steps in front of Lance to ask. “I’m Pidge, by the way. Lance is shitty at introductions.”

“Yeah. Uh, just moved here.”

Pidge makes an agreeing sound and Lance brings the camera back out, fiddling with it before lifting it to his face.

“Is that an actual leather jacket? Like biker leather?” He hears Lance say from behind the camera and he feels exposed. Like Lance can pick out every detail and every mistake, from his scuffed boots to his split ends. He turns away from the beach, face flushing from embarrassment. Feeling overtly scrutinized and vulnerable under the gaze of the camera lens.

“Of course it is.”

“Holy crow. Hold on, I gotta see this...”

“No, you don’t ha--” But he’s scrambling up the cliff and Keith is now face-to-face with a tanned, beach bum, sand glittering his skin.

“This might be a weird thing to say,” Lance starts, dusting off the front of his pants, camera dangling from the strap around his thin neck.

“Somehow I’m not surprised,”

“But have you ever considered modeling?”

That is not what he was expecting and he is very much surprised. So surprised that his mouth flops open and shut, uselessly.

“I-I mean, not like in a ‘you’re drop-dead gorgeous’ way, but in a…” He puts a fist to his chin, contemplatively. “Like you’re unique looking and people should be allowed to see it, kind of way.”

“So I’m not attractive, I’m weird looking. Is that what you’re saying?”

“If you want to frame it that way, Gerard.” Lance says with a smirk and he brings up his camera again and snaps a shot. Keith instinctively covers his face with a hand. “What! No way!”

“What is it now?” Honestly, who is this guy?

“Those are not fucking fingerless gloves-- Pifge! Get up here!”

Distantly, Keith hears Pidge reply with a firm, “no.” Lance seems unphased by it and steps closer to Keith who would step back if the bench wasn’t right behind him.

“So, what’s your story? Where did you come from?” Lance says, bringing the cursed camera back up to his face.

Keith swallows thickly but musters up a response, anyway. “Arizona.” That seems to impress Lance because he makes a long whistle sound.

“This must be culture shock for you, then. Ever seen the ocean before?”

“No, this is my first time.”

“What do you think?” Lance brings down the camera and gives him a soft smile. The setting sun glows behind him and he can hear the rush of the waves below. “Like what you see?”

Keith thinks he does.

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Shiro usually comes home late. Tonight is no exception.

Keith had kept himself busy, like he’s done the last week they’ve been moved in. He straightens up the house, waters the plants. There’s dinner on the stove, ready to be heated up whenever Shiro is ready, and most of the boxes have been unpacked.

“How’d it go?”

Shiro just walks passed Keith and flops down on their old, dusty couch. Lolls his head back and closes his eyes.

“Not good, I guess…” Keith muses, wringing his hands. One of them needs stable income. They can't continue like this. And if Shiro can't even get an interview, someone who is the equivalent to perfection and poise, then someone like Keith, who lacks all forms of social finesse couldn't possibly be more successful.

Shiro sits up and smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re looking at a new mechanic assistant.”

Keith blinks, struck silent for a moment before returning his smile, relieved. “Whoa, a mechanic? Are you qualified for that?” He chuckles, sitting down on the small footrest, a hand-me-down from their foster home.

“They think so,” he says with an easy shrug. Keith knows he’s just happy to have a job. Now, he has to get one, himself.

“When do you start?” Keith asks.

“Tomorrow, actually. They had me doing some stuff in the shop today just to see what I could do and they seemed to be impressed enough.”

Until that afternoon, the house had had a tense atmosphere. Keith figured it would be like that but it still bothered him. When Shiro and Keith decided to move out of Arizona to start their adult lives, Keith was antsy with excitement of the unknown. When reality hit them, when the rent was a little more than they anticipated, when they didn’t have enough to go back, the air around them gloomed. Feeling heavy on Keith’s shoulders.

At least now, they have something to fall back on. A pang of guilt hits Keith but he puts it away as Shiro asks him about his day.

“Have you hung out with Lance again?” He asks around a mouthful of spaghetti. Keith stops mid bite. He’s embarrassed but he’s not sure why. It’s normal to make friends and it’s normal for Shiro to ask about them.

“Uh, no. No, I haven’t.”

Shiro nods slightly before putting down his fork. “Keith,”

“I know what you’re going to say. I’m fine. It’s okay. I’ll ask him if he knows of any places hiring.”

“That’s not what I was going to say, but I think that’s a good idea.” Shiro says with a smile. It’s the smile he always uses when he wants to encourage Keith and it always works.

“I was going to say that you should invite him over sometime.”

Keith sputters. “We’re hardly acquaintances. I’ve talked to him once!”

“But you have his phone number.” Shiro says, twirling his fork.

Which is true. Before they parted ways, after the sun was almost completely set, Lance pulled out his phone and asked for his phone number. Promised to let him know if he needed anything for future photoshoots. Told him he’d talk to him soon. That was four days ago－ not that Keith is keeping count.

They fall into an awkward silence, which happens every time Shiro makes a good point and Keith has no rebuttal. The only sound in the room is the clanking of silverware against plate. Shiro clears his throat.

“I got a call from our parents.”

“Oh.”

Shiro puts his fork down and stares at Keith who pointedly ignores him.

“Keith, everything is going to be okay. Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

He can’t argue with that. But this was completely new territory for the both of them and Keith was anxious. They were finally in control of their own lives but did they have the means to take the reigns? He’s not so sure.

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Keith hears the familiar click of a camera shutter and rolls his eyes. It’s already becoming a habit and this is only the second time he’s run into Lance.

“Hello to you, too.” Keith says easily. His hands shoved deep within his windbreaker. Lance looks out from behind his camera and grins brightly.

“Howdy.”

They fall into a comfortable silence as Lance flicks through his pictures. Keith fights back the urge to look over his shoulder. They aren’t at that level yet. Yet?

“Pidge was going to join me today. I was going to look for dead things on the shore and she’s all about that kind of shit. But, I was tired of waiting around. Didn’t think I’d find you here this early, though!”

Keith shrugs, looking to the side and feigning nonchalance. So they’re alone, then? “Had nothin’ better to do.”

Lance cocks his head slightly and slings his camera strap about his neck. “You all moved in already?” Keith nods. Lance nods.

“So,” Lance says, rocking back on his heels and looking around. God, this is so awkward. Keith should’ve wandered the town-- hell, he should have stayed at home.

“So.”

Lance looks him up and down before grinning lazily. “Wanna go look for dead things on the beach with me?”

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Keith flicks a shell into the ocean with his toe and a small wave washes over his bare feet. Lance is a little ways down crouched, camera pointing to something he seems to have found.

“Dude, gross…” He hears him say and smiles despite himself.

“Found something dead?” Keith calls over and Lance let’s out a bark of a laugh.

“Did I? Come here.”

“Do I have to?”

“No seriously, it smells like ass. You gotta smell this!”

“I really don’t.”

Keith gets coerced to go over and smell what is actually just a very large crab that didn’t make it, and has been half picked apart by seagulls. He promptly pulls Lance away when he tries to pick it up.

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“No way.”

“Totally. Pidge can attest. And also Hunk. Who, by the way, you have to meet. He’s like a personified teddy bear but much more responsive.”

Keith pops a french fry in his mouth and chews slowly. “Yeah but,” He swallows, “you still can’t just sit there, look me dead in the eye, and claim that you saw Bigfoot.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I did just that.” Lance says, taking a long sip of his fountain drink. “I can prove it, too. I mean,” He leans back, an arm slung over the back of the chair. “If you really don’t believe me, that is.”

Keith deadpans. “I definitely don’t believe you.”

“You’re a skeptic, I get that.” Lance says with a shrug.

“Bigfoot wouldn’t be in this part of the country. The sightings are usually in north west, up in Canada and shit. He’s not exactly a tropical creature.”

Lance blinks, doe-eyed and Keith vaguely wonders if he just freaked out the one person who wants to be friends with him.

“Okay, Mr. Cryptozoologist, riddle me this…” Lance says with a glare. His face flips through expressions faster than Keith can keep up with. “The Stink Ape.”

“Please.” Keith scoffs. “Even I know that’s a bunch of bullshit.”

“Oh but normal Bigfoot is perfectly acceptable and a possibility because he frolicks around in fucking Portland.” Lance says with a flick of his wrist. Keith smirks.

“There’s more evidence supporting that over some smelly monkey in Florida of all places. I know you’re trying to prove that Bigfoot could be in this small, cozy beach town but I’m telling you I ain’t buying it.” He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I got a photo of it.” Lance says, eyes half-lidded, looking rather devious. Keith swallows thickly.

“Bull shit.” He mutters but Lance keeps on smiling.

“I totally do, and I’ll show it to you.”

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Lance’s home is exactly what Keith expects. The furniture is eclectic, with varying in weathering. His rugs are mix-matched, laying every few feet away from each other on the worn wooden floors. His walls are a vibrant blue that makes him think of the ocean that’s just down the road. Keith notices a family portrait on the bookshelf and bends a little to look at it. There’s about eight people with huge smiles just like Lance's. Keith feels a tightness in his chest.

“You can kick your shoes off by the door. My darkroom is this way.” Lance says, peeking back around the corner.

His darkroom is a closet in his room. Which Keith tries to not oggle at too much. He does notice the large bed in the middle, covered in different patterned blankets and about five pillows, scattered about. Keith ignores the boxer briefs laying on the floor.

“I keep it in a little album in here, you know… so if the feds come snooping, they won’t find it.” Lance says with a wink and Keith rolls his eyes.

The red light above them flickers on when Lance tugs the chain with a click. He pulls a photo album out from a small shelf and flicks through it.

“Ah!” He says, seemingly finding the photo in question and turning the album towards Keith. “Right here.”

Keith sighs and takes the album in his hands to get a steadier look. The photo is of the shore and a patch of trees on the top of a small sandy hill. Sticking out of the trees is what seems to be a dark, furry leg and an arm, as if it was briskly walking into the treeline.

“Are you sure this isn’t just a person trying to get out of the way of your damn camera?” Keith says, not amused in the slightest. Lance puts a hand to his chest and gasps.

“Are you doubting my journalistic integrity?” He points at the image, leaning in close. “See this? That’s fur, dude. I saw it with my own eyes! And this,” He points to the leg and foot. “Do those look like human toes to you?” He leans back and crosses his arms, smirking as if he just outsmarted Carl Sagan, himself. “Bigfoot.”

Keith rolls his eyes for what seems like the millionth time that day and flips through the book. He’s surprised to find it’s not filled with sad attempts at capturing a creature that definitely doesn’t exist. He sees portraits of Pidge, looking disgruntled, awkward in that she probably doesn’t like getting her picture taken. He continues to flick through the book and finds other people he doesn’t recognize, but they look happy, sad, contemplative. Each image clearly tells a story, with the personality of each person apparent.

Keith can feel Lance watching him, probably gauging his reaction to his art. Which is quite good. He says as much.

“These are nice.” He closes the album and hands it back to Lance who looks a little humbled, like he’s about to attempt to be modest. “You’re not just some pervert with an expensive camera.”

“Hey!” Lance squawks, snatching the album and putting it back on the shelf with care. “I’ll have you know that I have won awards for my photography. And, I’ve even gotten paid for it.” He turns his nose up and Keith chuckles.

“Oh, I’m sure.” He looks around the room and notices some papers clipped to a rope hanging across the small space. He turns towards them. “Are these your latest?”

“Yeah, they’re not very good though.” Lance says with a shrug. “Been having a hard time getting inspired lately.”

“Feel like you’ve already seen everything there is to see here?” Keith says, keeping his eyes on the photos drying. Lance nods, turning serious.

“Well…” He says after a moment of silence. “Mostly.” Keith glances at him and they lock eyes. Keith feels an intensity looking at Lance for the first time since they met and it makes him feel small, vulnerable. Like Lance’s eyes are lenses and they are capturing Keith’s thoughts and peeling away his very carefully constructed outer shell.

Keith doesn’t know if he likes that or not. He doesn’t know if he should help him out and open up.

Chapter Text

Lance feels good.

It’s the kind of good that reminds him of going to his favorite restaurant as a kid, or the first day of a new school year. It vibrates through him and makes his leg shake as he sits on a swing at the park with Hunk.

“And I was thinking, if it tasted that good, just, you know… As an appetizer? Then just think what it’d be like as a full course meal!”

“Yeah.” He hates to admit it but he’s already lost track of the conversation. Concepts and compositions racing through his mind as he plots out a theme for his next photography project- Keith inspired photography project

“You should come with me and Shay next time. It’d be fun. I think Pidge would like it even though she’s super picky. You think she’s too picky for this place? I was wondering that and like, I think it’s delicious but, you know, not everyone has my palette.”

“Yeah, no you’re right.”

“About what?”

“Huh?” Lance looks up at Hunk, sensing the question but not remembering what he was be asked exactly. Hunk’s face falls as he realizes that, yeah, Lance was anywhere but there in the present with him.

“Dude, you seem kind of distracted right now. What happened?”

Lance stills on the swing and blinks. He runs a hand through his hair and laughs nervously. “Oh, I’ve just been busy, recently. Like… as of yesterday.”

“What? Busy?” Hunk cocks his head.

“I might have made a friend who is super photogenic?” Lance says, cringing at his own use of words. Were they friends?

“Whoa, you mean there’s someone in this podunk town that Lance McClain doesn’t know?” Lance chuckles and nudges Hunk with his hand making him swing sideways slightly. “No, but seriously. You gonna use this for your blog?”

Lance stills and looks down at the ground. He’d been slacking when it came to his blog, and the free stuff was starting to accumulate in his already tiny home.

“Hunk, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, I have an amazing idea.” Lance looks up, face open and serious. Hunk stills on his own swing and stares at Lance.

“W-what? Is everything okay?” He looks out where Lance is looking.

“I just got the best idea.” Hunk cocks his head in question. “I’m going to ask Keith to model for my blog.”

“You’re unbelievably-” Lance starts cackling. “The worse best friend…” Lance wipes a tear from his eye as he laughs, bent over slightly. “I have ever had.”

They fall into a comfortable silence until Hunk clears his throat. “So, Keith, was it?” Lance nods slightly. “What’s he like?”

“A really hot cactus.”

Hunk stills on his swing before chuckling awkwardly. “A cactus.”

“Yeah, he’s unapproachable as Hell, but you know me. I love a challenge.”

“And he’s okay with you photographing him? I mean, what with him being a human cactus and all.”

Lance pushes his feet against the ground and the swing moves forward and backwards a little faster. “He wasn’t opposed to it. I don’t think he thought he could stop me even if he tried.”

“Lance, it’s not okay to take people’s pictures without their consent… We’ve been over this…” Hunk groans and Lance brushes it off with a snort, swinging higher. Maybe the squeaking of the chains will drown out Hunk’s nagging.

“You can ignore me all you want but that won’t change the law, Lance.” Hunk tries again, speaking a little louder as Lance gets higher and higher.

“What was that? ‘Lance, you’re the smartest, most talented photographer in the world?’ Hunk, you Don Juan. You flatter me!” He can hear hunk groan as the swingset creaks under the force of Lance’s swinging.

“I’m just saying, the day you get arrested, I’ll be there. Behind the yellow tape. Mouthing, ‘I told you so.’”

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It’s not that Lance is sitting around waiting for the possibility of Keith showing up, but he’s sitting around waiting for Keith to possibly show up. And Lance wouldn’t call this little thing he’s dealing with an obsession but this little thing he’s been dealing with has turned into an obsession. He just hasn’t stopped thinking about photographing Keith, that’s all there is to it.

He waits for almost an hour, until waiting turns into relaxing and the breeze lulls him into a contemplative, peaceful state. The seagulls call from the beach below and a flock of pelicans fly overhead. He shouldn’t be bored of this place. It’s objectively beautiful. But he’s seen it all, every day, for most of his life. The same people, the same shore, the same wildlife. And he has all of it documented. There’s only so much he can do with landscape shots of the ocean. Even the architecture of the town is overdone and cliche.

But Keith. Keith who looks like he doesn’t belong here- Looks like he should be in some back-alley gang, riding his motorcycle through the streets in heavy combat boots and a shiny leather jacket, he's new and exciting and different.

Damn, that just gives Lance more ideas.

“You come here often?.”

Lance almost jumps out of his skin. Shrieking before whipping his head around, Keith chuckles softly at Lance’s reaction.

“Oh, yuck it up, punk. Real funny.” Lance huffs, turning back around and slumping on the bench. “You got some nerve sneaking up on an innocent bystander.”

“Right, innocent. And I’m sure you’re here because you like the view.” Lance pops and eyebrow up in suspicion as Keith takes a seat next to him, propping a foot on the bench.

Lance gives him a long stare before rolling his head back. “It’s a good view.” he shrugs.

Keith hums an agreement and they fall into a comfortable silence. Hunk had begged Lance to ask permission for him to take photos of Keith. He was pretty sure Keith would be all for it. Or wouldn’t care enough to say no. Either way was a win for Lance. And this was the perfect time to pop the question. He opens his mouth to speak when Keith beats him to it.

“So, uh I was wondering if you knew of any good places to apply around here…” Keith says, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair. Lance notes that that pose is very good and to use it sometime in the future for whatever project he ends up pursuing next.

“Apply?” He is half listening.

“Like to work. Shiro got a job already, he’s my uh… he’s like a brother. Uh… So, I’ve been thinking I should get one too so he’s not the only one bringing money home…” He scuffs his other shoe against the ground.

Lance thinks for a moment. “Mmm. I don’t know of any places off the top of my head, but I can at least show you the places I’ve worked. Put in a good word for you.” He gives Keith his biggest, warmest smile in hopes to easing his discomfort. Keith seemed tough but he’s probably very vulnerable and soft on the inside. Lance likes people like that.

Keith gives him a small smile back in thanks and Lance commits it to memory.

There’s another lapse in conversation before Lance remembers what he originally wanted to ask. He kicks both of his feet up. “Oh, hey! I wanted to ask you something, too.”

Keith looks at him expectantly.

“You know how I take pictures?”

“No, I hadn’t noticed.” Keith deadpans. Lance’s face falls and he snorts indignantly.

“Oh, ha ha. Very funny. But seriously. I’m looking to start a new series and I was wondering if you, know… You’d want to be a part of it?”

Keith looks at him for a moment before shrugging. “Okay, I’ll bite. What would I have to do for this project?”

“Oh, I don’t know… pose in different outfits. Take some direction from me while I photograph every inch of you. The usual.” He says with a cheeky smile. Keith huffs.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you mean I’ll be the thing you’re going to take pictures of.”

Lance’s confidence wavers. “Is that an issue?” He really hopes not.

Keith sits back and hums. Lance notes his perfect profile and logs that away for later compositions. The light hits his features nicely, too. Certain angles of his face look better than others. He wouldn’t need to touch up the photos much, not with Keith being the subject matter.

“I won’t have to get naked, will I?”

“Not unless you want to.” He smarms. Keith rolls his eyes and stands up.

“Sure. I’ll try it out. In exchange with you helping me get a job. How about that?”

Lance stares for a second before grinning. “Consider yourself employed, my friend.” Lance says, standing up and shaking Keith’s hand to complete the agreement.

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“Please, Pidge!”

“What’s in it for me?”

Lance blanks for a second, a million options running through his head. He needs to get some leads on places hiring. The sooner he gets that boy employed, the sooner he can start his project. It’s a win-win.

“I’ll do your laundry for a week.”

“That’s like, one load of laundry. Try again.” She’s ruthless.

“I’ll let you borrow my oldest video games.”

“Played them all. Next.”

Lance groans dramatically and throws his hands in the air. “I don’t know! What do you want from me?”

“You’re mortal soul.”

Lance’s expression slumps into one of unamusement and he stands up, brushing the sand off of his shorts. “You’re hilarious.”

Pidge shrugs and takes a sip of her drink. “Suit yourself. Too bad, too. I wanted to help the new guy.”

“I can’t believe one of my best friends it the literal Devil.” Lance grumbles and Pidge chuckles at that.

“I’m pretty sure Matt’s place is hiring.” She says after a moment, swirling the liquid in her cup around.

Lance plops down next to her again and smiles. “That’s more like it.”

“If only there was someone who could ask…”

“Pidge.”

“Oh, like you’re incapable of talking to my brother without me? I gave you a lead, now follow it.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be a genuine Pidge Conversation without you being fucking difficult about everything, but thanks.” Lance says, chuckling and ruffling her hair, ignoring her squawks of protest.

“Whatever, just bring him over some time this week. If nothing else, Matt would be thrilled to see you. You never stop by anymore.”

Lance blinks up at Pidge as she stands up and pats her shorts. “What, I’m supposed to take him there, myself?”

Pidge looks over her shoulder at Lance, her glasses slide down her nose slightly. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Why wouldn’t… I’m not his babysitter!” He doesn’t have to hold his hand for everything. Sure, Keith’s new but he’s an adult.

Pidge turns towards Lance and sneers. “Oh, like you’re not dying to spend more time with the guy. He’s all you talk about.”

“I’ll have you know, that I can and do talk about many things that aren’t the new guy in town.” Like photography, and fashion, and food, and how mullets are making a comeback.

Pidge isn’t buying it.

“Whatever you say, loverboy.”

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance fiddles with the lens of his camera as he sits in the small town square. He needs a new one, especially now that he has a big project in mind. Some things, when one is low on inspiration, get pushed to the back burner. A new lens (preferably one that isn’t older than time itself) is one of those things.

He brings the camera up and waits for the lens to focus. It takes longer than it should. He watches an elderly lady cross the road with her cart of groceries through the magnifying glass of his camera lens. Starting a small project is perfect for passing the time and getting back into the groove of creating a series again. And he can only take pictures of the things that wash up on shore for so long before the redundancy snuffs what little inspiration he has left.

Twisting his body, he focuses in on a small garden in the window of a townhome. He snaps a picture of that. If anything, it’s pretty and he can sell prints of that to anyone.

Which reminds him. He needs to stop by the store he sells his photos at and pick up his check.

He pushes off of the bench he was squatting on before lazily heading in the direction of the quaint local art store in town.

What he expects to see is the usual crowd. A store clerk, helping someone pick out their first set of watercolors. The few other artists stocking up on supplies, and the occasional tourist, dazzled by the kitschy art and trinkets in the window. What Lance doesn’t expect to see, but ultimately does, is Keith. Keith with a guy who looks like he could bench press the two of them at the same time.

This is about the time he should probably stop staring and start saying something.

“Lance?”

“Oh, shit. Keith?” Smooth. Who else would it be? “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?” Better.

Keith chuckles slightly. “Following my friend around. What about you? Getting something for your camera?” He nods his chin towards Lance’s camera, slung around his neck. He holds it up instinctively, cradling it in his hands.

“I was actually coming to pick up my check. I sell prints here, so…” He doesn’t finish the sentence because said friend comes up behind Keith and gives Lance a warm, beautiful smile.

“Is this your friend you told me about?”

“Acquaintance. And yes.” Keith sputters, a soft pink coating his nose. Lance is instantly drawn to the color and even more so, ‘friend?’ That’s interesting.

“The name’s Lance.” He reaches for Shiro’s outstretched hand to give it a firm shake. Keith looks mortified and Lance is on fire with how that makes him feel. “You must be…” Lance pauses for a brief second before the name comes to him. The only person Keith has mentioned is probably this guy. “Shiro.”

Shiro smiles and grips his hand before releasing it. “Keith must talk about me, too huh?” He says, giving Keith a sly smile. Keith goes redder and crosses his arms, eyebrows knitting together in the middle, stubbornly. Lance decides he likes this look on Keith. It suits him.

“So, you sell prints here.” Keith says gruffly, trying to derail the conversation from anything else that could embarrass him. “And is it good money?”

“Oh yeah, they sell like hotcakes.” Lance lies. They sell moderately well for a no-name photographer on a beach town with no outstanding sites other than the ocean. Tourists like them. And sometimes, they sell well around holidays but when there’s little else to see, and he’s not pandering to the masses and commercialising himself, there’s only so much he can make off of them.

Keith walks over to the table that has a box of his prints, neatly wrapped in comic book covers. The easiest way to protect them from the elements and people’s fingerprints. He flicks through a stack and pulls out one. It’s one of his black and white prints. A close-up shot of fingers on an acoustic guitar. It’s a self portrait of sorts.

He stares at it for a moment. Shiro is the one to break the silence, having been watching Keith with an adoring expression on his face.

“What do you think of that one, Keith? You keep staring at it.” Keith bristles instantly and shoves it back into the pile. “Why don’t you buy it? You’ll be helping out a local artist.” He suggests, giving Lance a nudge and he doesn’t know why that makes him feel a little shy. Like he’s not worth the money. Like his art isn’t completely bitching and also good enough to catch Keith’s attention.

“I don’t have money for this. Not yet.” Keith finally says. “This stuff’s good. I like the guitar one.”

Lance suddenly doesn’t want to tell him it’s a self portrait. He’ll feel too vulnerable. Or that any extra knowledge behind the work will scare Keith away and he won’t want to be a part of it anymore.

Shiro walks over to the stack and looks through it as well and Lance feels naked under their possible scrutiny. That happens sometimes, when people he admires (admires? He’s only just met them) look through his work.

“Why don’t you use this as an incentive to get that job?” Shiro suggests, pulling out the same photo and looking at it. Lance fiddles with his camera. A nervous habit.

“I don’t need an incentive to get a job more than bills to pay and food to buy.” Keith grumbles. But Lance notices his gaze flicking back to the photo in Shiro’s hand. Shiro looks to Lance once more.

“Do you have extras of this one in case they run out before he can get his first check?” Lance nods dumbly. He should say something but the words are stuck in his throat. Either way, it seems to please Shiro and he smiles warmly. “Good. And don’t give him one for free just ‘cause you know each other. Make him work for it.”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh, my God, Shiro. We get it.” Keith says, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration. “Lance said he’d help me find a job, anyway. He knows what’s up.”

Oh yeah.

“Pidge’s brother!” Lance blurts out, unthinking. Shiro and Keith exchange glances, so he backpedals. “My friend Pidge. Her brother works in a store just outside of town. They sell small rockets and telescopes and drones and shit. Uh, Pidge said you should try there. I mean, if you’re into working what is essentially nerdy retail.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea.” Shiro says, patting Keith on the back who grimaces in return. “Try there first then. See where it leads you.”

“Yeah, sure.” Keith says, bashful in a way that Lance is starting to really enjoy.

“Cool. Uh, I can take you there whenever you have time. I gotta stop in and say ‘hi’ every once in awhile, and it’s been a hot minute.” Lance says, backpedaling again. Keith blinks at him before nodding slightly.

Shiro looks pleased.

“Then it’s settled. Thanks Lance, for helping us out like this. It’s a big move and we could use all the help we can get.” Lance sends Shiro his cockiest smile and shrugs.

“Well, you know. When you’re the schmooziest guy on the beach, you get the scoop before anyone else. Matt’s cool. And I’m sure he could use the extra help.”

Keith reminds Shiro that they have places to go and people to see to which Shiro says his goodbyes. And Keith starts walking out of the store before he can finish his pleasantries.

“It was really great finally meeting you.”

“Likewise.” Lance says, hands behind his back and an easy smile on his face. Shiro gives him another hardy handshake before leaving to catch up with Keith, but not before saying he thought Lance’s hands photographed nicely.

Chapter Text

Lance checked his phone for about the tenth time in the last half hour. He could check it more, if he's going to be honest with himself. But Hunk and Pidge are over and they wouldn’t let him live it down if they caught on. He feels the suspicious vibes coming from Pidge, regardless of whether she plans on saying anything about it or not.

Hunk suggests a movie, Pidge suggests a video game. Lance checks his phone again.

It’s not that he’s expecting a text from Keith, except that he is. And it’s not that his mood falls ever so slightly when a new text message doesn’t pop up on his phone, but it does. He had gotten his number so they could meet up and head to Matt’s shop. Lance was ecstatic and immediately tried to start up a conversation but Keith didn’t seem to be the texting type. He could call him, but he doesn’t think his heart could handle it going to voicemail.

After closing the messaging app and then opening it again, he notices Hunk and Pidge’s eyes on him. Here it comes.

“Now, I know you’re Lance. And you do very Lance things, like, all of the time. But…” Hunk starts.

“Is this a Keith thing?” Pidge finishes, glasses gleaming in the light. Lance’s first line of defense kicks in.

“What? Maybe if you guys hurry up and pick something to do, I wouldn’t be bored out of my mind and needing to check my phone!”

They swap glances at that before laying their gazes back on Lance.

“So, how’d you get his number?”

“I don’t think I know who you’re talking about.”

“Cut the crap, it’s Keith, isn’t it? And I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess he hasn’t texted you back.” Lance can’t control how his expression falls at that and Pidge celebrates. “Knew it!”

Hunk pats him on the back. “I’m sure he’s just busy…”

“Busy ignoring him.”

“Pidge.”

“You know, I don’t need this form either of you. Not your pity, Hunk. Though I appreciate it. And definitely not your condescending tone, Pidge.” He punctuates with a point in Pidge’s direction. She grins. “And besides, it’s not like I tried to start a conversation or anything…”

“It’s totally a Keith thing.”

“Have you tried texting him first? You know, get the ball rolling. Maybe he’s shy.” Lance ponders that, checking his phone again before locking it and tossing it on the ground in front of where he’s sitting cross legged.

“I did when we first swapped numbers but no go.” He flops down on his back, arms spread open. “He is shy, though. That’s for sure.”

“Shy doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be your friend.” Hunk suggests, graciously. Lance gives him a small smile. He really does appreciate it. “I know I was pretty shy when you bulldozed your way into my life, and now look at us! I can’t get a moment’s peace.”

“Yeah, you’re like the master of butting yourself into people’s lives without their wanting you to. I should know.” Lance doesn’t know if that’s a compliment or not.

Hunk reaches for his phone and unlocks it. “What was the last thing you said to him, anyway?” Lance sits up and ruffles the back of his head, thinking.

“I tried the Lance Special. Tell a kind of flirty joke, hope they laugh. Then ask them about themselves. It’s foolproof, usually.” He pouts down at his feet as Hunk types in the passcode which he’s known for years. You just don’t keep things from Hunk. It’s impossible. “Except this time, he just kinda blew me off…”

Hunk reads the messages quickly. “Hmm. You really think he’s not interested in being friends with you? I thought you guys like, talked for hours just sitting on the beach.”

“Right! That’s what I’m sayin’!” Lance flops back again with a loud huff and Pidge adjusts her glasses.

“Well, if he is shy, then you’re just going to have to work harder. Lemme see that.” She takes the phone and glances over the messages herself before shrugging it off. “I wouldn’t be too worried. If he hated you, he wouldn’t bother to talk to you.”

“You don’t know him, though…” Lance pouts, glaring up at the ceiling of his room.

“Didn’t you say he liked your photography?” Hunk asks. He did like it. He said so more than once- a thought that Lance has latched onto to give him the courage to even ask for his number in the first place.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you. Just act natural.” Which is easier said than done.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Shiro.” Keith says, practically kicking open Shiro’s bedroom door. He jolts in his seat at his computer desk and whips around.

“Knocking, Keith! That’s what normal people do-”

“I don’t know what to do, I’m freaking out.” Shiro relaxes visibly and stands up, walking over to Keith and leading him into his room. “I mean, it’s not a big deal- except that it is. I don’t know what to say to him and it’s been like a few hours and I think it might be too late to answer now? I don’t really get how this works…”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down. What?” Keith sits on the edge of Shiro’s bed and holds up his phone. “Lance?” Keith nods slightly and Shiro gives him a pitying smile.

“He’s texted me a few times and then he just stopped and I think it’s because I’m boring.” He concludes.

Shiro sighs. “First off, you’re not boring. Secondly, I don’t see the problem except that he probably thinks you’re ignoring him. Just text him back. You don’t seem to have any issue talking to him when you meet up at the beach? How is this different.”

Keith takes his phone back and glares down at it in his hands. “It’s way different.” He mumbles. “I can’t tell if he’s joking or not…”

Shiro chuckles. “Then ask," Keith gives himba look at that. "Or assume he is?” Shiro suggests with a shrug.

Keith mumbles, “That’s easier said than done. You’re not the one trying to make a friend here.” He blinks down at his phone, text messages still unanswered and huffs in annoyance. Other people made this seem so easy when in all actuality, it is the single most hardest concept to grasp and Keith’s already short patience gauge is low and draining.

Shiro smiles softly and lays a hand on his shoulder. “Wasn’t he going to show you somewhere where you can apply for a job? Maybe you can bring that up.” Keith’s mouth pulls into a tight line as he mulls that around.

“I guess…” He decides. He unlocks his phone and types it in before showing it to Shiro for a second opinion. He nods and presses “send” before Keith can back out of it.

(11:19) lol
(13:02) So, you said something about a possible job?

Keith stares daggers into the phone when it suddenly dings in his hands. He looks up at Shiro who gives him a knowing look. He glares and reads the message

(13:02) YEAH!!!
(13:02) I mean… whenever u want, I’m free!
(13:03) Or I can make time.
(13:03) Whatevs easier!

(13:04) Uh, yeah. I’m basically free all of the time.
(13:04) Hence needing the job, and all.

(13:04) #true
(13:04) Well, I have a job, soooo I’ll send you my schedule and you can just pick a day?
(13:04) Or, I mean… I can also tell you where it is and you can just go?

Keith tightens his grip on his phone. That is the more reasonable thing to do. But if Keith’s being real with himself, (which he is trying to do) he doesn’t want that.

(13:05) I’m okay with whatever.

(13:06) I need to head over there anyway, so it’s no biggie going together.
(13:06) Gotta keep being a good beach town embassador and show you the ropes!
(13:06) U know how it goes…

(13:07) Yeah.
(13:07) Cool.

Smooth, Keith.

(13:08) Cool.
(13:08) So…
(13:09) What’s up? Doin anythin cool?
(13:09) I’m with Pidge and Hunk n they’re getting on my case about not coming up with something to keep us occupied.
(13:09) As if I’m the deciding factor!
(13:10) I mean, I am but you know…

(13:11) lol
(13:11) I’m sitting on Shiro’s bed while he works on something.
(13:11) He’s taking online classes I think?

(13:12) You in school too or

(13:12) School? Not yet. Thinking about it though.

(13:12) You plannin on it?
(13:13) I’m going in the fall.

Keith lays back on Shiro’s bed and continues to text Lance throughout the afternoon, until Shiro kicks him out for laughing out loud and distracting him from his work.

They plan on meeting the next day in the morning with Lance saying something about ignoring the smell of his car. Keith tries his hardest not to mention it. He really does. And Lance is quick to tell him that it was like that when he got it. That it was the only thing he could afford at the time and Keith thinks Lance is probably really insecure about it. Just makes it more fodder for their bickering. Which has slowly become a thing between them.

Keith likes it. It’s comfortable.

“It’s like, if mildew took a piss on an old sponge.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not that bad.” Lance says as they roll up to a stop light. The engine rumbles and the car vibrates with age. “You get use to it.”

“If you have really gone noseblind to this, then I question you even having a sense of smell to begin with.” Keith says, rolling down a window to feel the ocean breeze. He will never take that for granted, no matter how long he lives here. Lance turns off the a/c and rolls his own window down. They’re manual, just like the locks and the side mirrors. Even the radio is outdated. But it’s blue, just like the name Lance gave it.

“Keep talkin’ shit about Blue and you’ll find yourself stranded on the side of the road, pal.” But he’s smirking as he keeps his sharp eyes on the road. Keith eyes him for a moment before leaning back in his seat.

“Just sayin’. I better not smell like horse piss every time I get out of the car.” Keith realizes too late that that implies more car rides together but if Lance isn’t going to point it out, then neither is he.

The store is a little ways out of town, in the mainland. Keith doesn’t really know what to expect. Maybe a grocery store. Or some specialty store where they sell art supplies, surf boards or something like that. What he finds is that, yes, it’s a specialty store. And no, it isn’t anything he would have guessed would be out here in a million years.

“Is this…” Keith says, awestruck as he gets out of the old car, jaw slack.

Lance locks his car and strolls up to the building, “Yup.”

The building is rundown, weatherworn, and absolutely Keith’s kind of place. He feels a little itch of excitement as the door rings when they walk in. Before him, are shelves and shelves of telescopes, model ships, and amatuer rockets. Keith bites back a squeal.

“Hey Juan, is Matt in?” Lance walks up to the counter and leans on it casually as he’s told that Matt is in the back doing inventory and that he’ll be right out. Lance looks back at Keith and smirks and Keith realizes he’s obviously fidgety. He grips his hands into fists and forced them to his sides, not allowing his nerves to get the best of him..

Matt comes around the corner and greets Lance with a warm pat on the shoulder. Keith is completely taken aback by how much like Pidge Matt looks. They really are siblings. All messy chestnut hair and round glasses and ill-fitting tshirts.

“Oh, Matt. This is Keith,” He motions for Keith to walk up and Matt takes his hand and squeezes it. “He just moved into town and he’s looking for some work. You got anything for him?”

Matt gives him a long look, but his smile is soft and inviting. “I think we can find a place for him.” Lance’s smile brightens up and Keith tries his hardest to keep his eyes on Matt and not Lance and the way his cheeks dimple.

Matt goes to the back to get an application and Lance turns to Keith, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Told you it’d work out. Are you excited?” Keith shrugs, smiling bashfully. He had a lot of expectations when he moved to this town. Making friends and forming connections was certainly not one of them. Yet here he is, connecting with a possible employer with the help of a friend and he feels normal.

-------------------------------------------------------

Keith can feel the lense on him. It itches his skin and he tries to ignore the unfamiliar sensation as much as he can. He doesn’t understand why someone like Lance, who has all this amazing talent and all of this interesting scenery, would willingly choose to photograph someone like Keith. Not that he has a particularly bad opinion of himself, he just never thought of himself as anything other than bland. He’s dark in contrast to the bright, tropical paradise they live in. Who’d want to see that?

Yet Lance is getting him from all different angles, mumbling under his breath and sticking his tongue out in concentration. Keith holds back a chuckle. It would ruin the image he’s apparently going for. Moody, yet approachable.

“Okay, so the sun is getting a little low. Let’s move to that side of the building and I can get some nice cast shadows.” Keith complies, though he doesn’t know what any of this means. He didn’t think there was much to taking photographs but apparently, there is a lot that goes into it. He’s learning that now, as Lance continuously adjusts the lens on his camera, checks the lighting, moves the giant reflecting umbrellas (He keeps meaning to ask what they’re called.), and staring- staring right at Keith, analyzing how he looks and how he should pose and making sure he looks natural, relaxed. Keith feels anything but natural, and his shoulders tense up with a complete lack of relaxation.

As he leans against the brick wall and waits for Lance’s next command, he glances to the side and sees the sun sparkling off of the ocean in a glorious splash of oranges and yellows. He hears the camera click again and knows that Lance probably saw something he liked. A little bit of pride blooms in Keith’s chest.

“How long have you been taking pictures… as, you know, an art?” Keith asks, keeping his eyes fixed on the ocean. Lance takes a few more shots before lowering his camera.

He walks up to Keith and leans on the wall next to him. He fiddles with his lens some more, keeping his head low. “I didn’t really have a choice.” He leans back and rests his head against the wall and Keith notes the long expanse of his neck. “I was given a dinky little Coca Cola camera as a kid and that was it.” He shrugs. “I’ve had an obsession ever since. I get antsy if I go too long without taking pictures. And I see possible photographs constantly. If I could just look at the world through only my camera, I’d die a happy man.” His smile is listless and Keith can’t help but be drawn in. He knows he’s staring but Lance isn’t pointing it out and he doesn’t really want to ruin this moment with immature banter.

Unfortunately, Lance has other plans.

He raises the camera up and snaps a shot, the flash blinding Keith momentarily and making him reel back, rubbing at his eyes harshly.

“God- Lance!” He spits and Lance laughs, pushing off the wall and turning away. “You’re such a prick…” But there’s no malice in his voice. Keith kind of resents himself for the lack of bite.

“Come on, Chuckles. Want to look through today’s spoils?” He holds up the camera in one hand, the other resting on his wrist.

-------------------------------------------------------

(21:54) Hunk
(21:54) MY man. My Guy
(21:54) Are you free like right now
(21:55) I got some shots and i want a second, or third opinion and pidge isnt answerin

(21:59) Lance, you know I work in the morning, right?
(21:55) Work that I have to be rested for.

(21:56) I know i know!
(21:56) I spent the afternoon doing a shoot with keith and we picked out some but you know i need your input before i make a final decision

(21:58) Well as sweet as that is, Lance, it can wait until I get off tomorrow at like 5.
(21:58) By the way, what are you doing tomorrow at like 5.
(21:58) I don’t have work the next day.

(21:59) Uh, i think i can do that
(21:59) I MEAN, IF I MUST………..
(21:59) HUNK.
(22:00) I GUESS I CAN WAIT.
(22:00) DUNNO HOW LONG THESE PHOTOS WILL LAST BEFORE SOMETHING INEXPLICABLE HAPPENS TO THEM
(22:01) BUT HUNK HAS WORK.

(22:01) I do.

(22:01) We’ve narrowed it down to 50 pictures, just by the way
(22:02) I’ll wait for you, but it’s going to be a doozy

(22:04) Whoa, what 50?
(22:04) How long was this photoshoot? That’s more than usual.

(22:05) It wasnt any longer than any other one
(22:05) It was actually a lot shorter than they usually are. I just told keith what to do and he did it no questions asked!
(22:05) And it helps that the camera loves him…
(22:06) That’s the problem! There are too many good ones and we were having a hrd time choosing.
(22:06) And keith is no help anyway because hes too cool for this.
(22:06) I cant just compliment him to his face like that…

(22:09) Okay, okay. Tomorrow night. I’ll come over.
(22:09) Try not to fall more in love with the guy before then, alright?

(22:10) Youre delirious, my friend. Go to bed.

(22:15) <3

Lance lowers his phone and places it, clenched in his hand, on his chest as he stares up at the ceiling. Keith had gone home about a half hour ago and if Lance is going to be real with himself (and he’s going to damn well try), it was more than nice. It was comfortable, it felt right, like they’d been friends for a lot longer than a few days.

Which is dangerous. Which makes Lance want to look through the photos again because he can stare at them as long as he wants without Keith getting embarrassed because he’s not here to stop him.

He sits up and pulls his laptop into his lap, opening the folder with all of the photos they couldn’t decide on for the final product. A lot of them are of Keith looking off into the distance and those are good but they’re not really singing to Lance like the candid ones he got of Keith looking at him. They show more emotion, he thinks. Probably because those were the times he surprised Keith in some way and got the reaction on film. Lance likes the surprised ones but there is one in particular he’s immensely proud of.

Among the hundreds of photos he took that afternoon, there is only one of Keith smiling.

Chapter Text

Hunk clicks through the folder and Lance fidgets, hovering over his shoulder so he can point out the ones he likes.

“Okay, Lance. Seriously? You’ve picked out thirty in a row. You’re going to have to narrow it down. Not everyone is going to want to see a bunch of pictures of some random guy just ‘cause you think he’s hot.” Hunk sighs then, going through the photos again.

Lance deflates and falls onto his back with a loud groan. “I’m not crazy, right? They’re all good!” Hunk makes a noncommittal noise to that and Lance glares, lifting his head up a little. “Oh, come on.”

“They’re not bad, Lance!” Hunk says, placatingly. “It’s just, I think there is a way to whittle this down so it’s not overwhelming for your blog. Like, okay this one? This one is a definite yes from me.” Lance sits up and peers at his screen. The photo in question is one of Keith leaning against a brick wall, around the time the sun was starting so set. The sun rays glow across his face and bring out the red of the shirt he’s wearing. His face is set in a stern glare, but he’s undeniably handsome. Lance drags the photo into the “Keep” folder.

“Keep going.” Lance says, swirling his index finger and Hunk focuses back on the slideshow.

Incredibly enough, they are able to select 15 images out of the 50 that Lance and Keith originally couldn’t decide on. Lance promises to make Hunk dinner, and so he does.

“Mama’s favorite. Empanadas and rice and beans. With… I dunno, some kind of pork. She dropped it off this morning.” Hunk rubs his stomach, a blissful look on his face.

“Dude, I miss your mom’s cooking so bad.” He says, joining Lance in his tiny kitchen. Lance hums at that. They were getting too old, too busy with adult life, to spend lazy afternoons at Lance’s family home a little ways down the beach. He moved out, but he couldn’t move far.

“Pidge is missing out, dude.” Hunk says between bites. “Where is she, anyway?”

Lance shrugs. “I guess I could text her and see where she is.” He fishes out his phone from his pocket and unlocks it. His eyes open slightly at what he sees in his notifications. “Oh.”

Hunk hums, not looking up from his plate. Lance rereads it just to make sure he isn’t just seeing things. He says Hunk’s name and faces his phone at him, forcing him to look up.

“Dude.” He says, intelligently.

(18:45) I think I found your blog?
(18:45) You do have a blog, right? This looks like your work.
(18:46) Not that I want you to get a bigger head than you already have, but most of this isn’t half bad.

(19:00) Keith, my man. Are u implying that not ALL of my work is flawless?

Lance doesn’t have to wait long for a reply.

(19:01) I take back what I said.
(19:01) Upon further inspection, this isn’t your blog. The work is too good.
(19:02) Forget I said anything.

(19:05) Too late, keith. I already screenshot you complimenting me.
(19:05) Im printing it out and sticking it on the fridge, to commemorate the day that keith
(19:05) Uh, whats your last name

(19:05) Kogane.

(19:06) That THE keith kogane(™), said my work was good.
(19:06) Mcclain, just by the way

(19:08) Who the fuck is that

(19:08) Me!!!!
(19:09) Lance. Lance mcclain

(19:09) Oh

“Lance, I’m just going to go ahead and start cleaning up if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, sure.” Lance looks up only when he hears dishes clinking in the sink and the faucet on. “Wait, Hunk! You don’t gotta do that! Here, lemme help!”

Hunk just chuckles and hands him a dish rag. “I was starting to worry you didn’t hear me. Too wrapped up talking to your boooyfrieeeend…” And Lance splashes him with the soapy water.

-------------------------------------------------------

Keith’s first day is thankfully, uneventful. Matt is gentle and patient, and insanely good at explaining things to Keith when he asks questions. It just compells him to ask more. Not that he has a lot of questions to ask to begin with, he's just on inventory which is pretty straight forward. By the time his lunch break rolls around, he's finished more than what he was given as a starting goal. Matt looks pleased and Keith’s chest fills with pride.

“So, you live here with your brother?” Matt says between mouthfuls. Keith takes a long sip of his soda and nods, biting into his sandwich. “That’s cool. You two must get along.”

They speak quietly with each other and Keith learns that Matt studies aerodynamics at the local university, and that this store is his part time job to take some of the financial strain off of his parents. His father is a scientist and his mother studies marine biology, them living on the outskirts of town worked for both of them and Matt’s education. Pidge is home schooled, on her way to getting her high school degree and her AA in one go. Keith whistles, impressed. It reminds Keith that even though he mentioned thinking about going back to school to Lance, he really should be giving it some thought.

It’s good to know a university is so close, he won’t have to leave Shiro so soon, and he can still follow his dream. He mentions as much and Matt’s face lights up with a huge, open mouth smile.

And just like that, they seem to grow a little closer.

Keith finishes his shift feeling relatively good about the job. Matt and Juan patting him on the back and giving him words of encouragement and even offering to take him home, which he easily declines, having a bus pass that Shiro purchased for him. He walks out of the store, waving over his shoulder and feeling good when a horn beeps and startles him.

“Get in, loser.” Lance says from his beat up blue car, parked crookedly in front of the store. Keith’s shoulders slump slightly.

“How’d you know when I got off?” He says, walking up to the driver’s side window to glare down at Lance.

Lance flicks his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head and winks. “I have my ways.” They hear Matt call to Lance and Keith puts two and two together. He looks back down at Lance, an unimpressed look on his face. Lance falters and scratches his chin. “I figured, I’d give you a ride home, see how you fared on your first day?”

Keith sighs and walks to the other side of the car, popping open the door and sliding in. “Well, thanks I guess.” Lance smirks and pulls out of the parking lot.

The breeze is dry but as they make their way closer to town, the air becomes deliciously salty, making Keith relax into the worn passenger seat. Lance glances at him.

“So? How was it?”

Keith looks out the window, a small smile on his face. “Not too bad. Matt’s a pretty nice guy.” Lance makes a noncommittal noise to that. They slip into a comfortable silence before Lance takes a deep breath.

“I narrowed the pictures down. They just have to be photoshopped a bit and then I can post them.”

“Oh?” Keith doesn’t want to admit it but he’s a little excited about seeing how it all turned out. He never expected his life would ever go in this direction, but moving out with Shiro was a new chapter in his life, anything would be possible. “Cool.”

“Sure is.” Lance pauses then glances at him briefly. “Wanna see which ones?”

Keith smirks. “Did you pick me up just to take me back to your place?” Lance chuckles to that.

“Please, I’m much smoother than that.”

Keith doesn’t turn him down.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance watches Keith click through the few pictures with intent. He wasn’t nervous until he was pulling out his laptop and handing it over to Keith who sits cross legged on his bed. The scene feels intimate and strangely comfortable. He clears his throat.

“So, what do you think?” He watches as Keith clicks through them again.

“It’s weird…” He begins, keeping his eyes on the screen. “It almost doesn’t seem like it’s me.”

“O-oh.”

“Not that it’s a bad thing.” He amends quickly.

Lance knows what he means, but it still stings. It’s not that the images are bad, but if Keith can’t relate to them, then they’re not perfect. Lance decides then and there, that he will show Keith a picture of him that will have him eating those words. The challenge wells up inside him, makes itself cozy as Keith suggest they get dinner.

“What do you do, you know… besides photography?” Keith asks over take out. He slurps lo mein noodles and shovels rice into his mouth like a pro. Lance can appreciate a good eater. He gets it from his mom.

Lance tosses his empty paper take out box onto the table and leans back. “I do a few odd jobs. Got a lawn mowing thing, though the lawns aren’t exactly large so it’s not lucrative. I started it because some of the elderly neighbors were having trouble keeping it up themselves. I did it for free for a while but they started pooling money together to give so,” He shrugs at that. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, et cetera.”

Keith nods to that, having put down his food to give Lance his fell attention. Lance stutters under the gaze.

“Uh, and then I work some hours at that store, you know…” Lance rubs the back of his neck with his hand, a little sheepish. “It’s not much, but… the photography brings in the most money. Tourists.” He shrugs at that.

“That’s cool, though… That you can do what you love.” Keith is looking down at his hand clutching his chop sticks. “I figured I would be struggling just to make ends meet my whole life.” He pauses. “I mean, my foster parents were nice, but they didn’t really set me and Shiro up with any leads on what to do now. I could either go to the college there that didn’t have what I want to study, or I could go somewhere else and see where that takes me.

“Turns out, that’s right here.” Keith says with a smile and Lance thinks his heart will drill a hole right through his chest. He resists the urge to clutch at his shirt. They’re silent for a moment before Keith seems to blink out of whatever trance he was in and stuffs a huge wad of rice into his mouth, mumbling through it. “I-I mean, there’s a school here… near here! In town. That I think I’m going to apply to…”

“The one Matt goes to? Altea Tech?” Lance rests his cheek on a fist as Keith blinks dumbly at him.

“Yeah… how’d you…”

“It was a shot in the dark, but I guess I’m just lucky.” Keith smirks at that.

“I want to go to space.” Lance sits up. “I know it’s kind of farfetched. But I’ve been obsessed with the universe for as long as I can remember. No matter what I study, I’m always drawn to that. I don’t want to be an engineer or anything. I just want to fly.” He says with a shrug.

“That…” Lance mutters.

“What? It’s weird, right?”

“Uh, it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say?” Lance all but blurts out.

“Well, I mean…” Keith says, a light dusting of pink spreading across his face. Lance’s eyes widen slightly.

“I can’t believe I know a future astronaut… This is wild! Holy crow, I didn’t think I’d ever meet someone who’s gonna be in SPACE some day.” Keith chuckles at that, but Lance continues. “I mean, you gotta tell me what it’s like, you know, when you come back. Oh man. Where will you go? How much school does it take? Theoretically, how soon can you get into space? Can you take a friend?”

Keith holds up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa… calm down, Lance. I haven’t even applied to the school yet. Let’s wait until I’m in the program before we start celebrating.”

Lance leans back in his chair. “Still, though…” He smiles at Keith who abashedly looks down. “That’s pretty cool. You gotta admit.” Lance looks up at his ceiling, as if he can see in the infinite universe through the stippled ceiling.

“It is, isn’t it?”

Lance takes Keith back to his small apartment where Shiro is waiting for him. He jokingly asks for a good night kiss and Keith gives him a dark glare before slamming his car door shut. Lance warns him to be careful with Blue. She’s old. Keith sniffs at that and walks inside.

It’s not until Lance gets home that he gets a text from Keith, thanking him for the ride and dinner.

-------------------------------------------------------

When Keith gets to work the next day, Matt is talking adamantly about something, waving his hands in the air in an expressive manner. Keith shoulders off his backpack in the breakroom and walks over to him as he describes something to the other employees.

“It was beautiful! I couldn’t believe it. I just happened to decide to take a midnight stroll down the beach and I thought it was the moon reflecting off the water but it was actually bioluminescent plankton!” Keith blinks at that.

“Bio-lumi-what?” Matt turns to him, face bright.

“Bioluminescent plankton! They glow when agitated and you can see them sometimes at night on the shore, as the waves crash. The light is a defense mechanism used to confuse predators. My mom has studied them, and I’ve seen video and photos but seeing it in real life was something else. Like space on the waves.”

“Sounds cool.” Keith says, but the image of sparkling waves over ink black water sticks with him through the rest of the day.

Pidge stops in around noon to bring Matt his lunch and she chats with Keith. The store has maybe one customer in it and the overall mood of the place is laid back and casual. Keith doesn’t fear losing his job if he has a friendly conversation with Pidge for a few moments.

“You likin’ it here?” She says, spinning on a stool in front of the glass bar. Keith had just finished stocking the drones and was locking up the sliding door to the bar.

“It’s pretty easy.” He says with a shrug. “Not really rocket science.”

Pidge scrunches her nose up to his pun but let’s it slide. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thinks Lance would’ve liked that joke.

“Oh, did Matt tell you about the plankton?” Keith nods. “I wish I had gone with him, but alas. I was stuck inside, building a computer and not being a beach hippie.” She says, pointedly glaring at her brother.

“Hey, this beach hippie got to see something really neat and you’re just jealous.” Pidge sticks her tongue out at him.

“He didn’t even get a picture.”

“So, is it rare? Like, seeing the plankton here?” Keith asks, part of him wanting to see it badly and the other part assuming he never will.

Pidge nods. “Pretty rare. But it’s not like you’ll never get a chance to see it, either. Take a stroll down the beach every night and you’ll come across it eventually.”

“Sounds like a pain in the ass.” And a waste of time. Pidge rolls her shoulders, stretching.

“Majorly. It’s best to just luck out like Matt, I guess.”

She stays for a few hours until Matt is shooing her away so they can start the clean up and end their shifts and close the store for the day. She waves over her shoulder and unlocks her bike from in front of the store before pedaling away.

Keith’s shift ends and he takes the bus home, pulling his phone out and tapping away, out of boredom of course and mot because he's been itching to talk to Lance about local sea life.

(21:15) Bioluminescent Plankton

(21:16) What about it

(21:16) Have you ever seen it before?

(21:16) Once
(21:16) I was real little tho why

(21:17) Matt saw some last night on the beach.

(21:17) Whoa thats super cool!!!! Which beach did he say????

(21:17) No.
(21:17) Probably whichever is closest to his house.

(21:18) What are you doing tonight?

(21:18) Sleeping, preferably.

(21:18) Wrong answer
(21:18) Were gonna go find some glowy nighttime beach shit
(21:18) Ill pick u up at 11

Keith buries his face in his hands. Not out of frustration with Lance, but that he couldn’t be happier.

By the time 11 rolls around, Keith has changed three times, has run a brush through his hair more than that, and has paced in front of his mirror, arguing internally on whether or not he should change again. Was he dressing up too much? Was it too casual? Should he wear a jacket? Should he wear swim trunks?

He decides on cut off jeans, the frayed ends tickling his knees, a black v-neck and a red flannel that he could either wear or tie around his waist, depending on how chilly the night air will get.

Lance pulls up to his apartment around 10:45, texting Keith that he was outside, even though Keith had been waiting by the window and was already pulling on his shoes. He stumbles out of the door, yelling a ‘good-bye’ to Shiro before locking up and composing himself. He pops open the door and slides in with a huff.

“Let’s hope we’re lucky tonight, yeah?” Lance says and they drive off.

Keith’s bare feet sink into the cool sand as he looks out across the horizon. The moon reflects off of the sea and the wind is cool and salty. Lance kicks off his shoes next to him and jogs up to the shore, stopping short of the waves.

“What, is it cold?” Keith calls out to him and Lance just looks over his shoulder and sticks out his tongue. Keith chuckles and peers out into the endless sea. No blue sparkling plankton; at least not on this part of the beach. Still, Lance looks like he’s having fun.

“Man, if only it wasn’t absolutely terrifying to skinny dip in the ocean- I’d be all over that!” He calls over and Keith gapes.

“Yeah, right.” Keith calls his bluff like they’ve been friends for years. “I’d pay money to see that.”

“Oh?” But he doesn’t take his shirt off. He just stands there, staring out at the sea.

Though they don’t find any bioluminescent plankton, and neither of them get naked and jump into the water, they do spend a good part of the night walking the length of the shore, shoving shoulders, and staying just a little bit closer.

Chapter Text

Keith comes home that night and the only word that he can use to describe how he feels is elated. Lance is crass and egotistical, but never too much. Not enough to make Keith choose isolation over his company. And because of Lance, he has one less thing to stress about living on his own- money.

He locks the door behind him and starts when Shiro coughs from the hallway. He’s leaning on the entrance, a crooked smile across his face. Keith knows what’s coming before he even opens his mouth. He puts up his hand.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t even say anything yet!” Shiro laughs.

“You don’t have to. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s a hard ‘no.’” Keith pushes past him to get to the bathroom. Shiro lets him stomp by, hands held up in surrender.

“I was only going to mention how nice it is that you have friends.” He says, as if that alone isn’t embarrassing enough. Keith ignores him and locks himself in the bathroom. He hears Shiro laugh through the door as he turns on the water, full blast.

“Keith, you know what I mean. You’re not exactly the social butterfly.”

He knows. He doesn’t need to be reminded. Yet, talking to Lance is one of the easiest things he’s experienced in a while. He thinks of them walking down the beach, where Lance tells him about his home life, asks Keith about his. Doesn’t judge him when Keith tells it to him straight. That he and Shiro were orphans, that he didn’t care to meet his birth parents. That he didn’t have that strong of a bond with the foster ones. That Shiro was all he needed.

Speaking of which.

“Was Pidge or anyone there?” Keith bristles at that.

“N-No.”

He doesn’t open the door to see the smug look that is definitely plastered on his brother’s face. And he definitely ignores the chuckle he hears from the hallway. He just brushes his teeth with more ferocity than it calls for and spits blood into the sink.

Hiding out in the bathroom until he’s sure Shiro got bored and went to do something else, he slinks into his room and flops down on his bed to think. Which is the last thing he should be doing. He should be sleeping because he has an opening shift in the morning, but Lance keeps running through his mind at mach speed. Smiling blindingly and giving him all of the encouraging words Keith has never heard from another person besides Shiro. But Lance feels like a different important than Shiro. Not better or worse but just as crucial.

Keith checks his phone and notices a ‘got home safe’ text from Lance, buries his head in his pillow and tries not to smile.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance starts his shift with a pep in his step. He didn’t think he’d actually get to see the plankton last night but it was worth it just to do something fun with his new bro. His-incredibly attractive- arguably naive in the most adorable way- new bro.

He’s sighing into his palm as he props up his head on the counter when there’s a ding at the door and two very cute old ladies wonder in. Lance’s customer service smile is on his face in seconds as he greets them kindly. They walk over to the counter and ask him how he’s doing. He knows who they are, just can’t recall their name’s exactly. They know everything about him, on the other hand. Asking about how his mother is doing and if he’s been home recently.

“Haha, not recently. But my mom visits more often than not.” He says, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.

“Well, someone has to keep you fed. You’re all skin and bones!” One of them tuts and Lance shrugs bashfully.

“I got that swimmer’s body, what can I say?” He chuckles.

One of the ladies looks him up and down and says, rather cheekily that he’ll make some lucky girl happy one day. He chuckles and blows it off politely. It’s not the first time he’s heard that particular line, after all. The only difference is that Keith immediately comes to mind, and that’s no way to think of your new bro. Not when said bro is fragile when it comes to friendships and he doesn't want to risk damaging their newly budding bond.

It’s later on in his shift, as he’s sweeping the floor when Hunk walks in carrying two grocery bags, a huge smile on his face.

“There’s my favorite blue collar bro! Brought you some lunch.” Lance could cry.

“Hunk, you big thoughtful angel, you shouldn’t have!” He bites his knuckle, dramatically and Hunk chuckles. It’s not like he had texted Hunk, complaining about his measly meal an hour before in hopes that he’d get the hint to bring him something substantial and delicious, but…

“You on break yet?”

“Just a second.”

Lance and Hunk sit in the back room, digging into their meals and humming happily.

“So, Keith and I went to the beach last night looking for that glowy plankton.” Lance says, nonchalantly. Hunk blinks at him.

“Whoa, moving a little fast, aren’t we?” He says, eyebrows wiggling and rice stuck to his chin. Lance rolls his eyes.

“I’d ask you to do the same thing if you told me about anything remotely cool. In fact, I’m pretty sure our entire friendship is based on impromptu adventures in the middle of the night!” Lance spits, pointing his fork forcefully at Hunk.

“Well, you got a point there. But I’m pretty sure you’ve never described me as a ‘hot cactus’ before…” Lance blanches.

“I would never describe you as a cactus! You’re more like a… a.... What’s a cuddly plant? Do those exist?” Lance falters.

“Oh! Those moss balls that float around in fish tanks!” Hunk says, snapping. Lance grins, widely.

“Yeah! You’re a hot one of those.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“But my point still stands. There is nothing different about my friendship with Keith. Except that you’re my best bro and he’s the new bro on the block, you feel me?”

“Aww, you flatter me, sir.” Hunk says, batting his eyes. “But, you bring him up constantly aaaand you have a heart next to his name on your phone.” He points down to Lance’s phone on the table between them and Lance’s hand shoots out, snatching it up and holding it close. He’s definitely not pouting.

“You could have one too, you know…”

“Dude, my name is ‘Hunka-Hunka Burnin’ Love’ in your phone, but that’s something we’ve had going on for years. You just met Keith and already you’ve raved about how he looks,” Hunk starts counting on his fingers. “You bring him up constantly, you took him out on a beach date in the middle of the night, you got him a job! The list goes on.”

Lance glares down at his plate of food, now cooling during their talk. It’s not that he wasn’t attracted to Keith. He knew a hot person when he saw one, but it’s definitely too early to make any assumptions on how his heart is doing. Lance has been known to fall quick and hard. He knows now to practice patience. Even if Hunk is usually right on these things, and he knows Lance like the back of his hand, crushing on Keith and liking him are two entirely different things to Lance. And he’s not in that deep.

“Whatever, dude. Finish this delicious meal and get out of here. I’ve got chachkies to sell.”

-------------------------------------------------------

“Keith, come out here!” Shiro calls him from the parking lot of their apartment complex. Keith peeks out through the blinds and he’s him standing there, a huge grin on his face. So, it’s not horribly bad news. That’s a relief.

Keith slips on his sneakers halfway and trudges out into the bright sun, blinking back and bringing a hand up to block out the bright rays. Shiro grabs his hand and spins him around, placing his hands over his eyes and walking him somewhere. Keith panics slightly, not liking this in the least.

“Shiro, what the fuck are you-”

“Language. Just sit tight, I have a surprise for you.” After a moment, and Keith stumbling only a few times, Shiro releases him and he has to blink the blinding sun out of his eyes again, adjusting to the light. It takes him a moment to register what it is that’s in front of him.

“No way…” He breathes and Shiro looks ecstatic.

“Do you like it? I know you hate getting a ride from Lance or me, and taking the bus, so I figured, for your hard work, you deserve it.” Keith turns to him, eyes wide and sparkling violet. He doesn’t know what to say. He just gapes at his brother like a dying fish and searches for his voice. Shiro laughs at him and tells him to give it a spin.

The motorcycle is by no means new. The paint is matte and the pieces seem mix-matched. But it purrs to life as Keith kicks the ignition and smoke doesn’t blow out of the tail pipe. He grins widely at Shiro who tells him to adhere to road laws, that this wasn’t a free ride for him to go starting drag racing. Keith’s wide grin turns devilish and he peels out of the parking lot, Shiro’s yells drowned out by the road of the engine.

The air is warm and salty as it whips by him, hair blowing wildly and eyes alight. He leans into a curve on the beachfront road, the glittering sea racing by him as he glides down the street. He feels free, with no destination in mind, nowhere to be, just the bike under him and the pavement under that.

Before he even realizes where he is, he’s pulling into Lance’s parking lot, cutting off the ignition and dismounting.

“Lance!” He calls out, panting from the rush of adrenaline. “Lance, you gotta come see this!” He’s walking up to the front door to knock when Lance stumbles out.

“There’s a little, 21st century thing called a cellphone, my man. Maybe you’ve heard of… it…” Keith grins as Lance notices the bike, leaning on its kickstand. His mouth moves a little as if he’s trying to gather words. “Wh…”

“Shiro just gave it to me! Isn’t this fucking awesome?” Keith says, breathless and happy beyond measure. Lance glances at him and the look lingers before an easy smile spreads across his face.

“You aren’t kiddin’.” Lance says, hands on his hips as he looks the bike over. “Well, I’ll be.” He walks over to the bike and bends to get a better look. “Guess you won’t be needing me picking you up anymore, huh?”

Keith scuffs his boots against the ground and laughs nervously. “Not that I don’t appreciate it…”

“Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean.” Lance looks back at him again before his smile fades into a frown. “Where’s your helmet?”

Keith starts at that, bringing a hand to his hair. “Uh…” In his haste, he didn’t even check to see if Shiro had a helmet to go with it. Now that he thinks back, he does remember Shiro yelling something after him as he sped off. Whoops.

Lance tuts, giving Keith a disappointed look. “Keith, what if you got into a wreck? How am I supposed to live with that on my conscience?”

“Well, I didn’t?” He tries, sounding unsure. Lance shakes his head.

“You’re here now. And I’m not comfortable with you heading home without a helmet so why don’t you come in. I gotta show you something, anyway.” Keith follows him inside, feeling almost ashamed. But not regretting it.

He follows Lance into his room and is told to make himself comfortable, so he sits on the edge of Lance’s bed.

“I know you saw the final photos I chose but here are the printed versions.” He comes back out and hands the photos to Keith. They’re larger than normal, photo album photos. He looks through them and blushes slightly, not being used to seeing pictures like this of himself. It feels detached, like he’s being fake. Lance must notice his change in demeanor because he fidgets.

“If it makes you feel better, I’m not looking to sell these… Just, just use them for the blog. And my own portfolio.” Keith doesn’t look up at him. He just keeps carding through the pile.

“Which is your favorite?” He asks, trying to ignore Lance’s insecurities so that he doesn’t have to watch Lance wallow in self-deprecation. Lance takes the bait.

“This one.” He takes the photos and pulls out the candid one of Keith smiling. “It’s the most natural looking one. It’s nice.” He says, smiling down at it and Keith’s face lights up, he’s sure.

“Yeah, well… don’t get used to it. I don’t smile much.” Keith says, pointedly frowning. Lance straight up laughs in his face at that.

“That sounds like a challenge, hombre.”

“One you’ll lose.” Keith says, smirking without realizing it. Lance points an accusatory finger at him.

“You just smiled!”

“What? No I didn’t!” And Lance hurls a pillow at him, smacking him in the face. “Lance!” He moves the pillow and catches Lance with his fists up, ready to brawl. And when has Keith ever passed up a fight?

Keith and Lance walk out to his bike after a few rounds of pillow fight and a snack. Keith has to work in the morning and Shiro is probably freaking out. Keith realizes only much later that he left without his cell phone as well.

Shiro is definitely freaking out.

He mounts his bike and looks at Lance who stands back kind of awkwardly. Keith cocks his head to the side at that.

“So… see you around?” He offers, trying to diffuse the tension a little. He doesn’t understand Lance’s sudden 180 in demeanor.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Uhm…” He scratches his chin then looks down at Keith’s bike then at Keith and he kind of gets where Lance is going with this.

“You want a ride, don’t you?” He says, smirk on his face, cocky and firm. Lance starts at that, backpedaling immediately.

“Uh, no? Who said anything about that? Why would I want to get on that death trap with a loose wire like you?” He huffs. Keith chuckles at that.

“Whatever you say.” He revs the vehicle to life and Lance fidgets slightly.

“B-But you owe me!!” Keith puts his foot back on the ground and looks over at Lance. “For all those rides I gave you. Gas costs money, you know!” He looks everywhere but at Keith.

“Sure thing.” Keith says, with a promise of Some Time Soon.

-------------------------------------------------------

Do not have a crisis. Do not have a crisis. Do not have a crisis. DO NOT have a CRISIS.

Lance paces his room, hands wrapped in his short hair, and proceeds to have a crisis.

Keith is so incredibly hot. Lance thought he was hot just by himself, with his dark clothes, long hair, long lashes, big eyes… but add a motorcycle to the list and Lance is done. He’s just fucking done.

He makes himself dinner as a distraction, but all he can think about are Keith’s firm forearms attached to calloused hands gripping the handlebars, revving the engine. A confident smirk on his face and a gleam in his eyes. One that Lance wouldn’t mind having aimed in his general direction.

And Lance definitely doesn’t think about Keith picking him up on that same motorcycle to drive around town, going out to eat and then just going anywhere, with no destination, just the two of them and the road. He doesn’t think about that or Keith’s body pressed against him as he holds on, going way passed the speed limit. Nope. Not that.

Lance brushes his teeth. Thinks about Keith’s arms, covered in motor oil as he fixes up his bike. He gets into his pajamas and, hours after Keith had left, he’s still on Lance’s mind.

So maybe Hunk was a little bit right.

(20:01) hunk
(20:01) first off, dont say you told me so because i know! I KNOW you told me so
(20:01) and you were right. And i was wrong. Im a fool and im just putting it out there now.
(20:01) now, without further adieu

(20:02) You like Keith.

(20:02) god dammit hunk!!!!!!!
(20:02) and also yes?????

(20:03) You gotta let me tell you I told you so.

(20:04) fine.

(20:04) I told you so, dude.
(20:04) I totally called it.
(20:04) Well, me and Pidge.

(20:05) pidge too??? Oh come on!
(20:05) was i the only one not attuned with my own damn emotions???
(20:05) unbelieveable!
(20:05) i dont believe it!

(20:06) Yeah, you were like, totally obvious about this.
(20:06) But enough about the past. What are you going to do about it?
(20:07) You know, now that you know and stuff.

(20:08) uuhhhh absolutely nothing?

(20:08) Wait, really?
(20:08) The legendary flirt, Lance Mcclain is going to do NOTHING about a massive crush he has on a guy who obviously is digging him back?

(20:09) WHOA WHOA WHOA
(20:09) hold the phone.
(20:09) now give the phone to me.
(20:09) keith does NOT have a crush on ME. I have a crush on HIM. thats how this works.

(20:10) Laaaaance…

(20:10) Nope, uh uh, no, not budging on this one
(20:10) unless the words come straight from his mouth, they dont exist on this plane or any other

(20:11) Lance, that’s literally the most ass-backwards thing I have ever heard.
(20:11) Anyway, how did you finally come to this groundbreaking conclusion? Meditation?

(20:11) he got a bike

(20:12) A bike…

(20:12) yeah you know!!! A motorcycle!!! A super sick ride and he just… drove it to my place to show me?? Forgot his helmet and everything

(20:12) Aww… :)

(20:12) do NOT

(20:12) Sounds like love to me.
(20:12) Is he going to let you ride on it?

(20:13) he had better, is all im sayin’

(20:13) This is so cute. I can’t wait to tell Pidge.

(20:14) Whoa, hold your horses, mr. pidge does not need to know any of this. She doesnt need more blackmail material, shes set with me for a lifetime
(20:15) just keep this between you and me… and thats it
(20:15) cant risk keith finding out, of all people
(20:15) and i know i can trust you.

(20:16) Love you too, pal :)

Lance goes a few days, obsessively thinking about stupid, hot Keith and his stupid, cool motorcycle. There’s an itch inside him that needs to be scratched but he doesn’t know how to get to it. This happens from time to time- where he’ll know that there is something he has to do. A type of place to visit, a person to talk to, a type of food to eat- anything that will get to the itch. He’s mowing the lawn of a little old couple a few houses down from him when it hits him. Keith looked so alive when he talked about the bike. He looked more happy than Lance had seen him to date. Keith felt like his photos weren’t candid enough, not real enough, not like him. The pieces started to fall in place and Lance almost ran into the mailbox.

I need to talk to Keith.

He finishes up the front lawn, moving to the back, giddy and bouncing as he pushes the mower across the grass. The smell, which he usually hates, gets ignored for more pressing matters. Like Keith on his bike- like Keith working on his bike- like a close up of Keith’s hands, gripping this machine that he loves- like Keith thinking of his relationship with Shiro and that expression translating through image. Capture perfectly by Lance’s camera.

“Are you thirsty, Lance? It’s sweltering out.” The wife comes out as he turns off the mower. There’s sweat beading on his forehead that he hadn’t noticed. He wipes it and takes the glass of lemonade she brought him, graciously.

“Thanks, ma’am. I got the sides of the house, too. Around the A/C unit and the gutters. Anything else you need today?”

“No, no. You’ve done quite enough. Now, go enjoy your afternoon. You were looking a little distracted.” She says with a wink and Lance chuckles, rubbing more sweat off the back of his neck.

“Y-yeah. Got some plans for another new series. They just keep coming recently.”

She gives a small nod to that. “Glad to see you working again. I was getting bored of your tropical flower pieces.”

Lance heads home, sweaty and smelling of freshly cut grass. He hops into the shower, freshens up, then plops down on his couch, whipping out his phone. It’s now or never.

(10:19) so keith…
(10:19) hypothetically
(10:19) would you be opposed to another photo shoot

(10:20) Another one? I guess I don’t mind it.
(10:20) It was kind of fun. Do you have something else in mind?

(10:21) i am so glad you asked, buddy
(10:21) you know that bike you just got
(10:21) how about you pose on that bad boy and i snap some shots
(10:21) harley girl style

(10:22) no

(10:22) keeeeeeithhhhhh come oooonnnnnnnnn
(10:22) itd be so cool!!!!
(10:22) PLUS!!!
(10:22) that bike is something you like, right? Maybe these will come out more keith-like than the first set i did with you…

(10:23) Well…
(10:23) I appreciate you considering that.
(10:23) What do I got to lose?
(10:23) When do you want to meet up next?

Lance definitely doesn’t squeal like a little girl.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Who was that texting you?” Pidge says, spinning on one of the bar stools in front of the glass display case. Keith pockets his phone.

“Lance.”

“Oh-ho?” She wiggles her eyebrows at him and he glares at her, pouting, in turn.

“What does that mean?” She chuckles at him and his glare darkens.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just cute is all. You get this soft expression on your face whenever you talk to him.” Keith bristles at that.

“Wh- How- I do not!” He says, voice going up a few octaves in his embarrassment. He talked to Lance like he talked to anyone else that was his friend. Perfectly normal and casual, and definitely not soft! Keith is anything but soft. “Whatever. Don’t you have school work to do or some weird machine to take apart?”

Pidge just sets the stool to spin around again. “Nope. I put everything aside today to come bother you and Matt.”

“Which,” Matt says, sticking his head out from the back room. “we appreciate, Pidge. But Keith is still learning the ropes and doesn’t need to be constantly distracted by you.”

“But he was on his phone!” Pidge says, pointing an accusatory finger at Keith who begins to sweat.

“I don’t care, either pick up a broom and sweep, or leave.” Matt says from inside the back room. Pidge groans and hops off the stool.

“I’ll catch you later, Keith.” She says, saluting before coming back to the display case, hands pressed on the glass that Keith definitely just cleaned. “Oh, what was Lance saying, by the way? Is he doing anything right now? I might go bother him…”

“He was asking about my bike… and if I wanted to pose with it?” Pidge wiggles her eyebrows at that and Keith just sighs. “Not like that. Jeez… I think it’s ‘cause of the comment I made about the last photos he took of me. He wants to do it right this time.” Pidge cocks her head. She didn’t need to fully understand. Keith knew where Lance was coming from and he appreciated it more than he was comfortable letting on.

“Anyway, he’s home now, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Oh, you’ve given me more info than I ever hoped to know!” She sing-songs, jogging out of the store and waving over her shoulder. Leaving Keith a little annoyed and more than a little confused. It only lingers for a moment before he’s shrugging, picking up the glass cleaner and rag and wiping off her finger prints.

Chapter Text

Keith sat on the work table, surrounded by jars of nuts and bolts and wrenches and cans of oil scattered across the surface. He kicked his legs back and forth and watched Shiro work on his bike. It’d been running smoothly for him but it wasn’t brand new. Shiro said he’d do weekly check ups on it so, and Keith quotes, ‘his baby brother was safe on the road.’ Keith doesn’t mind. It lets him see how Shiro works and the shop is cozy- homey in a weird way that draws him to it. He’s happy Shiro found a place like this to learn a new trade.

“How’s the old girl looking?” Keith turns towards the voice and sees the senior mechanic stroll in, wiping his hands on a dirty rag.

Shiro stands from his crouched position next to the bike and smiles. “Running better than ever.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” The man twists his curly moustache in between his fingers. “I remember when I first found her. She was in bad shape but nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix.” He turns to Keith. “You must be Shiro’s little brother. I’m Coran, nice to meet you. Excuse the mess, we seem to always be swamped with something or another.”

Keith shrugs, smiling easily. “It’s cool. I’m just glad to have a mechanic in the family.” Coran nods to that.

“And Shiro is showing a lot of promise…” Coran says, elbowing Shiro playfully. Shiro bats him away, bashful at the praise.

“Sorry I’m late!” The three men turn towards the open garage doors to the voice. Hunk bends over, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. “Traffic. An accident or something.” He says through pants and Keith blinks, not expecting a familiar face. Hunk seems to meet the same realization as he notices Keith. “Oh, hey! What are you doing here?”

“That’s my line.” Keith says, but he smiles regardless. “I’m getting a check up for my new bike.” He nudges his head in the direction of the motorcycle and Hunk connects the dots.

“Oh, my goodness. You’re Shiro’s brother.” Hunk says, bemused. “I can’t believe I never made the connection before.” He turns to Coran who seems a little more than confused. “He’s Lance’s new friend, you know, I told you about him.”

“Oh, right! Small world, isn’t it? Well, Keith,” Coran says, turning towards him. “I hope you’re feeling welcome in our cozy, little town. I know there’s not much here, but we like to pride ourselves in our top-notch hospitality.”

Keith smiles at that. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice here.”

“Give it a few years and you’ll start to go stir crazy just like Lance.” Hunk says with a chuckle. Keith doesn’t know if that will ever be the case but it’s worth noting, he supposes. “Anyway, I’m just here to finish up last night’s project and get my paycheck.” He turns to Coran as they begin to discuss privately amongst themselves. Keith watches them without realizing, caught up thinking about how strange of a social bubble he’s built in the few weeks he’s lived here. First, there’s Lance and Pidge, finding him on a small cliff overlooking the sea. That one interaction set off a chain reaction of new people, opening up Keith’s small world that originally just consisted of him and Shiro. It’s unexpected but not unwanted.

“Well, Keith.” He tosses the keys to Keith who catches them with one hand, snapping him out of his staring. “Don’t be late to work, but no speeding.” He says with a point. “And don’t forget your helmet this time.”

Keith chuckles and hops off the table, taking the helmet from Shiro and securing it on his head. He slings a leg over the bike and revs it to life. “I always wear my helmet, Shiro. It’s the speeding I can’t promise.” And he peels out of the garage before Shiro can scold him anymore.

On the road, the wind whips by him and the sun is high in the sky, shining down and making him regret wearing a jacket. It’s a pity he has to waste a beautiful day like this at the store but he’s sure this weather will last. It didn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon, after all. That’s what’s great about living on a beach, he supposes. Still, the ocean sparkles to his right as he rides along the beach line road. He’ll have to stop by after work, he decides. Maybe Lance will join him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance taps on his chin, deep in thought as he looks through the analytics of his blog.

“Seems like I’ve gotten a little bit more traffic since posting those pictures of Keith…” He mumbles behind his fist. He lingers on the picture of Keith smiling and then scrolls past it quickly, catching himself. “Not surprising… haven’t updated in awhile… No new comments, though. Just some likes.”

It’s then that his phone buzzes.

(13:25) Movies. You. Me. Pidge.
(13:26) Keith? I saw him at work today with Shiro.
(13:26) Did NOT know they were related.
(13:26) anyway,
(13:26) I’m cooking crab bisque.

(13:26) oh hell yeah dude! Count me in!
(13:27) ill text keith
(13:27) also the blog post is up if you wanted to check it out maybe give me a thumbs up you know
(13:27) support your local starving artist

(13:27) Lol, yeah no problemo dude.
(13:27) Ask Keith and Pidge about tonight, I’m going to go out and get some groceries.

(13:28) you got it, cap.

(13:30) keef
(13:30) great barrier keef
(13:30) you at work rn? Hunk wants to have us all over for dinner and movie
(13:31) and i cant say no to free hunk food its impossible.

(13:40) Yeah sure.
(13:40) I was thinking about maybe the beach later on too?
(13:40) I dunno, it seems like it’d be a nice night for that.
(13:41) Maybe we’ll see the plankton.

(13:41) !!!!!!!!!
(13:41) keith you smooth operator.
(13:41) are you asking me to go with you to the beach?

(13:41) ??? Yes?
(13:41) I mean, I don’t know how long Hunk’s thing is going to be but the later we go, the greater the chances to see the plankton.
(13:42) I may have been doing some research on it.
(13:42) The Plankton, that is.
(13:43) Anyway, I figure Hunk and Pidge would probably be into it, too. We can make it a thing. IDK.

Lance’s shoulders slump a little. It’s not like he was getting a little excited at the prospect of going to the beach with just Keith again. But, leaving with each other and leaving the other two behind would be a little suspicious. Especially to Pidge and her eagle eyes. Hunk would most definitely make it his life’s work to not let Lance live it down. Is it worth it?

(13:44) I still owe you a ride on my bike.

Totally worth it.

Lance honks continuously until Pidge comes out of her house, the same look of disdain on her face she wears every time he picks her up and blares the horn of his car until she opens her front door. Matt is completely immune to it now. Or he just never cared.

“You’re an absolute ass, Lance Mcclain.” Pidge says as she slides into the passenger seat. Lance just smirks, his sunglasses glinting in the light of the setting sun.

“Love you too, Pidgeon.” He pulls out of her neighborhood before she starts up any conversation.

“What’s Hunk making?” She asks, not looking up from her phone. Lance tells her about the crab bisque and she makes a face, scrunching her nose up in mild disgust.

“It’ll be fine. It’s Hunk, remember? You like everything he makes.”

“Everything but gross crab.” She mutters. “What about the movie?” Lance shrugs at that, the movie not being top priority to him. Keith taking him to the beach later tonight is. Definitely something that’s been consuming all of his thoughts all afternoon, and not what the night prior to all of that will hold.

“Keith coming?”

“Mmyup.” He says, attempting nonchalance. Pidge gives him a sideways glance and he ignores it as best as he can.

“Hunk mentioned something pretty interesting to me the other day, just you know… speaking of Keith.” Lance whips his head so quickly in Pidge’s direction that he gets a cramp.

“You don’t say?” He struggles to say through the pain and utter betrayal.

“Yeah, something about our boy Keith. He got himself some wheels?” Lance visibly relaxes at that.

“Oh, yeah! It’s this old bike that his brother fixed up for him. He was super jazzed about it.” Pidge keeps her eagle eyes on him and Lance starts to prickle. What’s she trying to get at?

“I wonder if he’ll let me drive it.”

“You can’t even drive a regular car, you child!” Lance sputters, almost laughing. Pidge pouts at that, propping her feet up on the dashboard as she is known to do. Especially in Lance’s car.

“You think he’ll give me a ride?” She says, sounding a little hesitant, as if he wouldn’t. Lance scoffs at that.

“Course he will. He already promised me one.” Pidge ‘oohs’ at that. “Yuck it up, small fry. It’s going to be awesome and you’ll just have to wait your turn.”

“I don’t think I want your sloppy seconds.” She says, eyes narrowing.

“More for me.”

“Oh, I’m sure…” She says with a smirk and Lance would retaliate if they weren’t pulling into Hunk’s complex.

Parking, Lance turns off his car and pops open the door. He’s about to say something sassy back to Pidge when he notices Keith pulling up next to them. The loud engine cuts off and Keith pulls off his helmet, shaking his hair out. Lance could keel over now and he’d be completely fine with that. Keith notices them, then.

“Oh, hey. Good timing.” He says and Lance just stares because as attractive as Keith is on a regular day, seeing him sitting on his motorcycle, with his helmet under an arm and his hair framing his face in an elegantly disheveled way, is a whole other level of Holy Fucking Shit. He swallows those thoughts down, his adam's apple bobbing dramatically. Keith cocks his head slightly, noticing Lance’s quiet staring.

“Oh! Uh, yeah! We… We just got here-OOF!” Pidge elbows him in the stomach as she walks by and Lance doubles over, holding his side.

“Obviously we just got here, Lance. Let’s chill inside Hunk’s place instead of out in the parking lot, perhaps?” Pidge says, walking backwards towards the apartment building. Lance avoids looking at Keith as he follows her inside.

Entering Hunk’s apartment, they’re greeted with a waft of rich smells. He’s in the kitchen clad in an apron with a wooden spoon in hand. Lance makes himself right at home and flops down on the couch while Pidge finds the nearest outlet to plug her laptop into. Keith stands awkwardly in the doorway and Lance motions for him to come in, scooting over on the couch a little. Keith slips off his boots and walks in, taking the seat and smiles. Lance’s heart stutters and he fidgets a little as Keith rests his helmet on his knee.

“Man, I’m starving. How long you think it’s gonna be?” Keith says, casually. As if Lance isn’t having an absolute meltdown next to him. He just shrugs dumbly and Keith gives him a look. “You feeling okay? You look a little pale.”

“‘M fine!” He clears his throat. “Fine. I’m fine. H-How are you?” Good one!

Keith cocks an eyebrow, looking Lance over. “I’m… I’m alright.” He pauses. “Are you going to be okay enough for tonight or should you head home soon? ‘Cause, seriously Lance, you don’t look too good.”

“No! No, I’m great! Just… Just hungry, is all! You know how it is. Gotta keep up my protein to keep these muscles buff.” He flexes for good measure and that gets him a laugh from Keith.

“Whatever you say, Beanpole.” Keith chuckles. Lance smiles at him, wide-eyed and adoring.He can do this. He can keep up the friendship while also harboring feelings for him. No problem.

“What’s tonight?”

Lance and Keith both start at that, Pidge peering over the top of her laptop at them and Lance realizes that he’s had a very nosey audience the entire time he was fumbling with talking to Keith. He’s going to hear about this until the end of time, he knows it. Lance tries to answer her before Keith does, but luck sure isn’t on his side tonight.

“I invited Lance to come to the beach with me after this. We’ve been looking for that glowy plankton your brother saw a while back. I figured we might as well try after this since I don’t have to wake up early tomorrow.” Keith says it all like it’s no big deal. Like Lance isn’t next to him, struggling with keeping his hands to himself and not on the wisps of Keith’s black hair or his broad shoulders or his soft lips-

“Whaaat! I want to go!” Pidge whines. “Matt literally won’t stop rubbing that in my face. It’s starting to get old.” She pouts, typing as she speaks and Lance scrunches his nose, glancing at Keith for his answer.

With no grace, and absolutely no tact, he shrugs and Lance wants to pull his hair out. Of course! Of course this almost second date is going to turn into two guys and a Pidge, looking for plankton on the beach and definitely not getting to first base!

Wait, does Lance actually believe that’d happen? Tonight? So soon?

“I don’t see why not? Though, I don’t have room on my bike for the both of you.” Keith glances at Lance who tries to play it cool and hopefully succeeds. “Though, you brought your car here, so that might be pointless.” Oh, Hell no.

“Well, I mean, I can just come back here and get it before we go home! No biggie!” He can feel Pidge’s eyes on him and his blood runs cold.

“But wouldn’t it just make more sense to drive?” Keith says, cocking his head.

“Yeah, Lance,” Pidge smarms. “But you know who doesn’t have a car and needs to be taken home and has never ridden a motorcycle before? Me.” Keith chuckles at that and Lance wants to pull his eyelids off.

“You might be a little young for that, still. Or at least too small.” Keith says, his voice dripping with mock condescension. Pidge huffs, bangs blowing up before flopping back down across her forehead.

“What are you guys talking about?” Hunk says, wiping his hands on his apron as he walks into the living room. Lance slouches down the couch.

“Lance and Keith are going to the beach after this to look for bioluminescent plankton and I’m going to crash the party, but Keith won’t let me ride on his motorcycle.” She pouts and Lance counts that as a little victory.

“Yeah, you’re too young for that, no offense.” Hunk turns to them. “Should we skip the movie then and just head to the beach?

“What?!” Lance says, sitting up. “You’re coming too?!” Everyone blinks at him and he catches himself. “I-I mean, don’t you have work? It’ll be… late?” Lance doesn’t miss the smirk Pidge flashes at him

“Well, I mean we can still watch a movie? The later, the better.” Keith says. Hunk agrees to that.

“Oh, yeah… dinner’s ready by the way. We’re going to eat-and-watch so pick something out, Lance. Because I know you’re the pickiest.”

Pidge looks to Keith and deadpans. “Lance will shoot down every option unless he’s the one that chooses it, just, if you were wondering.” Keith chuckles at that and Lance shoots Pidge a dark look.

He’s going to pick out the worst movie ever just to watch them all suffer.

-------------------------------------------------------

Hunk’s cooking is beyond Keith’s expectations. He knew it was going to be good considering how much Lance and Pidge raved about it, but this was a whole new level or rich smells and the promise of something truly delicious. Keith tries to slow down and savor it, enjoy the beginning of the movie and not be the a complete slob, but he can’t control himself. Not with food this good. He sure as hell can’t make anything half this good and Shiro would sooner burn the house down before making something edible.

“What do you think, Keith?” Hunk asks from the floor, where he insisted on sitting because they were his guests. Keith nods.

“It’s amazing, Hunk.” He says around a mouthful and hears Lance chuckle from next to him on the couch.

On the screen is some romantic comedy that Lance picked out. Keith didn’t catch the name of it, too busy salivating over the crab bisque as he was spooning it into his bowl.

Regardless of the name, Keith can’t seem to get invested in the characters. They’re too hollywood, too generic and relatable to the average teenage girl and he knows Lance did this on purpose. He doesn’t really quite get the drop in his friend’s mood, but he noticed it as soon as Pidge started talking to them. He could ask, but Lance seemed to be invested in the movie, regardless of how boring it is.

Hunk and Pidge make comments about how oblivious each character is, how unfunny the jokes are, and how shitty Lance’s taste is. Lance just smirks any time they complain and Keith smiles at that. It’s petty, but it’s cute too.

Wait. Cute?

Keith wants to explore why that word came to mind but Lance is leaning into him and whispering in his ear and all thought processes stop.

“How long until you think they shut up and just accept their fate?” Keith leans away to look at him, confused. “You think they’ll complain through the whole movie? Hunk owns it. I don’t know why he’s upset.” He whispers with a grin.

“The fact that you picked it is probably half the reason.” Keith says, nudging him with his shoulder. He could be imagining it, but if feels like Lance leans back into him. The small bit of contact does something to Keith’s chest, tightening it and squeezing.

“Tch, well he should know better.”

“Stop flirting and watch the damn movie, Lance.” Pidge says, making both of them jolt and sit up straight. It’s only then Keith realizes how close they are, wrapped up in their own sphere.

Lance mumbles something that sounds like ‘cockblock’ but Keith could also be hearing things- wishful thinking and all that.

Wait. Wishful thinking?

Does he want to be flirting with…

The climax of the film happens, the two love interests fight, it turns into confessions, which turns into a heady make-out and Pidge and Hunk make gagging noises as they dramatically roll around on the floor. Keith laughs at that.

“Oh, come on. You two need to grow up. It’s like you’ve never kissed someone before!” Lance says, attempting to embarrass them, Keith assumes.

“I haven’t!” Pidge yells, sitting up on her knees.

“Aww, wittle baby never had a kissy…” Keith can see Pidge’s anger spike. He scoots a little bit away from Lance, in preparation for whatever’s to come.

“Oh, and you have? You 21-year-old virgin?” Pidge says, and Lance blanches.

“I have too!” He says, rising to the bait, voice cracking and being an all around embarrassment. His mocking has backfired and Keith is just going to keep his mouth shut.

“Oh yeah? Who? Your grandma doesn’t count.” Pidge says with a dark grin. Lance pouts.

“I will have you know that I have kissed,” He counts on his fingers for a moment. “Like… four people! In my day.”

“In your day.” Pidge deadpans. Hunk laughs behind a hand.

“Come on guys, who honestly cares?” He says, always the peacekeeper.

“He started it!” Pidge says, pointing an accusatory finger at Lance who gasps in mock offense. “And what are you laughing at, Keith?” Keith starts, blinking like a deer caught in headlights.

“I, uh…”

“Hey! So! About that plankton!” Hunk says, clapping his hands once. That gets everyone’s attention, much to Keith’s relief. He didn’t want to get dragging into any conversation where he’d have to reveal his love life, or lack thereof, in his case.

Pidge and Lance stare each other down before Keith sighs, standing up and picking up his helmet. Lance is the one to break eye contact first as he looks up at Keith.

“So, who’s riding with who?”

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance fidgets for a moment before Keith asks him to hurry up and get on the bike. He has Keith’s spare helmet on, it’s sits awkwardly on his head and he can’t help but worry about what his hair’s going to look like when he takes it off. But Keith is propped up on the bike, looking at him expectantly, and if that isn’t the epitome of hot, Lance doesn’t know what is.

He steels himself one last time before approaching the bike and slinging a leg over the back seat. He sits there for a moment before he notices Keith looking over his shoulder at him.

“You gonna hold on or just hope you don’t fall off?”

Lance blinks a few times before remembering that, oh yeah, he needs to wrap his arms around Keith’s waist, like he’s seen in the movies. Like he’s seen on the road. He has to take his own arms- his two very real arms- hold onto Keith’s very real midsection, and hold on. Press up against him. No big deal! Just guys being bros! Just Keith, his very attractive friend-not that that matters!!!- and him, a very bisexual boy who is attracted to said friend-also doesn’t matter!!!- riding on a motorcycle, to the beach at night to spend time together- with other friends, too!!!- hugging on said bike, like it’s not big deal- because it’s not!!! Lance can totally do this.

He fucks up immediately and grabs Keith’s sides instead of wrapping his arms around his waist and Keith jumps slightly.

“Oh, my God, Lance.” He grumbles, taking Lance’s wrists and pulling his arms so they’re around him, making Lance’s chest bump against Keith’s back. “Like this, do you have a death wish?” He huffs. Lance stares on, dumbfounded, like this is heaven and he actually has died.

Keith’s stomach is flat. And firm. Lance’s swallows thickly at that thought and tries to focus on the engine revving and Keith pushing off with one foot as the bike springs to life. Lance tries to focus on the wind whipping past them,as well, and not Keith’s shoulder blades and his broad shoulders and Lance wanting to rest his forehead between them, relax into those muscles and feel them move under him. Nope! Definitely not those thoughts!

He instinctively clings on tighter as they round a corner, leaning into the curve of the road and making Lance’s heart jump into his throat. He doesn’t squeal but Keith glances back at him anyway, after they’ve made the turn and the road smooths out again.

“You doin’ alright?” He yells over the sounds of the wind and the engine. Lance just nods, afraid that if he opens his mouth to reply, an embarrassing noise will come out. Keith turns back to the road and it’s only a few more minutes before they’re slowing down to pull into the beach parking lot. The sand crunches under the tires as Keith brings the bike to a slow stop. He places a steading foot on the ground and pulls his helmet off, shaking his hair out. It’s unfair, honestly. That, not only is Keith photogenic, he rides a motorcycle, and can make the most outdated hairdo look like the latest trend.

“Well?” Keith says, adjusting the kick stand and placing a hand on his thigh. Lance follows the movement, wide-eyed and waits for his thoughts to catch up with him. “How was it?”

“Uh…” He says, intelligently. Keith chuckles and gets off of the bike, securing his helmet and motioning to do the same with Lance’s. He takes his own helmet off mechanically and hands it over, still waiting for his mind to reboot. It was a rush, to say the least. Fast, wind whipping, Keith’s firm body and sure movements. The turns and dip in the bike as they lean into it together. Lance can’t seem to put it into words. “That was…”

“Wild? I thought so the first time Shiro took me out on the road.”

“He knows how to ride one, too?” As if the amount of hotness the two brothers have between them couldn’t grow exponentially. Keith gives him a puzzling look, cocking his head to the side, cutely.

“Yeah? How else do you think he knows how to fix one up?” Lance doesn’t know what to say to that, because ‘duh, Lance. Good job!’ And it’s around that time that Pidge and Hunk save his lame ass by pulling up next to them. Pidge hops out, a flashlight and net in hand. Lance doesn’t know where she got them in the time between them choosing rides and them getting here but Lance has learned a long time ago not to ask questions.

“What’s with the net? You can’t catch them.” Keith says, walking over to the others and leaving Lance behind. He jogs up to the group as they make it down the wooden steps to the cold sand of the beach.

“I doubt we’ll even see any tonight but there are other things on the beach, you know.” Pidge says. “I want to find some crabs.”

“You know the last time I did this, there was a whole pod of horseshoe crabs. And we followed them down the beach.” Hunk says, toeing off his shoes and socks. Lance remembers that night.

“Oh man, I picked one up and chased Hunk around with it. It was hilarious!”

“Lance…” Keith says, exasperated.

“They’re harmless, Hunk. What are you so afraid of?” Pidge says, shining the flashlight in Hunk’s face. He squints and holds up his hand to block out most of the light.

“Their underbellies are disgusting, okay? Have you see how many legs they have?! Like giant, dinosaur cockroaches.” He makes a disgusted sound and they leave their shoes back by the stairs and head towards shore.

“Cockroaches only have six legs, Hunk. Horseshoe crabs have more than that.” Pidge says, aiming the flashlight towards the water. The light dances off of the foam as the waves crash on the shore.

“Whatever. It was gnarly and Lance, I swear to everything that is good on this Earth if you EVER do something like that again- which I know you will- no more free food.” Hunk says, but the group has moved on and he follows quickly, not wanting to be left alone in the dark.

“What was that, Big Guy?” Lance says but Hunk seems to have given up.

It’s high tide and Lance sits down to roll up his pants. Keith watches him then does the same.

“Do not get me wet, Lance.” He warns. Lance doesn’t miss a beat.

“You know I can’t control that...” Keith rolls his eyes and flicks sand at Lance. They laps into a comfortable silence as Pidge roams the shore with Hunk not too far behind. Lance could do it right now. He could just tell Keith. All he has to do is open his mouth and say the words.

Keith, wanna go out sometime?

“You know,” Keith says, beating Lance to the punch. “When Shiro asked me where I wanted to move to, I couldn’t think of anything but staying in Arizona. Shiro wasn’t too keen on that.” He says with a chuckle. Lance gets the inkling that Keith is about to trust him with some personal information and he can’t bring himself to interrupt. He’ll lap up anything Keith gives him, he’s in deep.

“He said,” Keith’s voice then drops low, mimicking Shiro’s. “Keith, we can go anywhere we want now? Live a little.’” Lance huffs at that. Sounds like something that would happen between these brothers. “So, I gave it some thought and, you know… I never really thought about the ocean. I didn’t care about the beach and I don’t like crowds, or tourists, or capitalism... “ Lance full on laughs at that. “But, when Shiro suggested this town, I don’t know… something pulled me here.”

“What was it?” Lance can’t help but ask. This moment feels so fragile and precious. He needs to be an active member, just to prove that he can. That he doesn’t fuck everything up with a poorly timed innuendo. Keith can trust him with personal information, he needs to know that.

Keith takes in a deep breath through his mouth as he adjusts, getting comfortable. “I think somewhere deep inside, I knew I wanted something completely different and new. My entire life, I’ve been at the mercy of the government, and different adults I hardly knew, and bureaucracy, just being a number on legal forms and a problem for the state. But, with me finally coming to age, being able to go anywhere I wanted- for the rest of my life- I think I felt the complete opposite of the desert was where I should be.” Keith stops a moment to take another steadying breath. “And I’m glad I listened.” He looks at Lance and Lance feels a spear shoot through his heart. The wind seemingly kicked out of him by the force of how much he feels for the man sitting next to him. It’s a raging need to protect him. Make him smile like that all the time. Show him that he can enjoy his life, now.

Keith searches Lance’s face for something and he doesn’t know what Keith finds but he’s standing up and brushing the sand off the back of his pants. Lance can do nothing but stare up at him as the conversation and his emotions roil in the pit of his stomach.

“There wasn’t really a reason for that story. I just thought you should know…” He says, his face turned away from Lance and Lance would love nothing more than to grab Keith and turn him towards him. Force him to look at Lance with whatever raw emotion has taken home there.

“N-no! I’m glad you did!” Lance finally says, scrambling to his feet. “Thank you.” He says, much softer and Keith finally looks at him with a soft smile and Lance gets the wind knocked out of him a second time that evening.

-------------------------------------------------------

“What did you find?” Keith says, jogging over to Hunk and Pidge who are kneeling around something on the shore. He’s feeling a little vulnerable, having opened up to Lance out of nowhere. He probably made himself look like a pitiful idiot, but Lance didn’t crack any jokes. He didn’t make it about himself. He took the information and he thanked Keith.

He’s not sure how that makes him feel but it stays in his chest, thrumming evenly. He’ll have to explore this emotion eventually.

“Looks like Hunk came across some bones.” Pidge says, nudging the thing with the edge of her net. Hunk flinches back.

“Eugh! Don’t touch it!”

“I mean, it’s been in the salt water for who knows how long. I’m sure all of the icky germs are off of it, Hunk.”

“Lemme see.” Lance says, a beat behind Keith. He puts his hand on Keith’s shoulder to let himself in the circle and Keith feels his cheeks burn slightly. The thrum in his chest pulses. “Looks like a vertebrae. Like from a shark or a dolphin?”

“Do sharks have vertebrae?” Hunk says, chewing on a nail before he remembers he’s been rooting around in the ocean and he takes his finger out of his mouth quickly. “I’ve never seen a shark skeleton before.”

“It’d probably just look like a really big fish skeleton. Haven’t you ever seen one of those?” Keith says, picking up the bone. Lance and Hunk all yell out in disgust, but Keith doesn’t see what the big deal is. Pidge just gets a closer look.

“So… Who wants it?” Pidge says, conspiratorially. “Because Hunk found it, but he’s grossed out by it, I don’t care either way, and Keith you seem like you’re in the same boat.”

“Why doesn’t Keith just keep it, then?” Everyone looks at Lance and Keith can’t help the surprised look on his face. Why should he keep it? “Well, you know…” Lance says, backpedalling. “He’s new here. It can be his first piece of the beach. Great way to start a collection.”

Keith thinks that is the best idea. He wraps his fingers around the bone and holds it to his chest.

“Think I will keep it.” He says with a soft smile on his face. Lance scratches his chin, clearing his throat and stands up a little straighter. He’s attempting nonchalance but Keith can see right through him. He’s bashful. He’s secretly sentimental. And Keith can’t help but think that is the most endearing thing of all.

In the end, and after two hours of roaming the dark beach, they don’t find any bioluminescent plankton. They do find some jellyfish, what could possibly be a sea turtle nest in the making and a moon so full, it takes Keith’s breath away whenever the clouds move from obstructing it.

Keith offers to take Lance back to Hunk’s to get his car but Lance declines and says he can just go with Hunk. He doesn’t look too cheerful about that; he must’ve enjoyed the ride there more than he let on. Keith logs that little tidbit away for later. Pidge, however, could use a ride and she tugs on the back of his shirt, a mischievous look on her face.

“Looks like it’s the easiest way we can do this…” She says, feigning innocence and thinly veiled excitement.

“Don’t tell Matt.” Is all Keith says before she’s cheering and booking it to the parking lot. “Wait ‘till I get there!” He calls after her but she’s already up the rickety wooden steps. Keith sighs and Lance laughs next to him.

“Don’t crash while she’s on there. Matt will literally kill you in the most ruthless way possible.” He warns.

“You sure we’re talking about the same Matt?”

“Uhm, have you seen how Pidge is? That shit runs in the family.” Keith laughs at that.

Hunk says a short good-bye and heads to his car but Lance hangs back and waits for Keith to pull on his boots. Not the best choice of footwear but he’d better get used to it. This is his home now.

“Thanks, you know…” Lance says, clearing his throat. Keith looks up, mid lacing. “For the ride. And, you know… hanging out with us, tonight. Pidge and Hunk had a good time.”

“And you?” Keith says, cocking his head. Lance blinks down at him before looking to the side, brows slightly knit together.

“Y-yeah, ‘course I did.”

A car horn pulls them from their tiny little world of wondering just what the other one is thinking. They move a little faster, embarrassed for taking so long and staying off behind the rest. Pidge is bouncing anxiously next to his bike and he unhooks the spare helmet and shoves it on her head.

“Remember. No Matt.” He says, warningly. Pidge just huffs at that.

“Like I would, anyway.” She climbs onto the bike and Keith slings his own leg over it before looking towards Hunk’s car. He gives a small way and Hunk waves back. He catches Lance’s eye and the solemn look that he’d had half the night rubs Keith the wrong way but he could just be tired. It is pretty late.

“Are we going to leave or not, Lover Boy?” Keith sputters at Pidge who just smirks. “What?” She asks innocently and Keith glares down at her.

“Just… Just hold on.” She instantly wraps her arms around his middle and squeals when he takes off down the road.

As they make their way down the beach line, Keith feels the weight of Pidge’s arms around his middle and is reminded that he made these friends. They enjoy his company enough to invite him out. He ate a home cooked meal that wasn’t burnt (no offense, Shiro), and he has the start to a very cool, new collection. The bone presses into his thigh as he rounds a corner and he already knows where he’s going to display it.

Pidge hollers and whoops through most of the ride and they stop a few houses down from her’s so the loud engine doesn’t draw any attention.

Pidge pulls off the helmet and shakes her hair out as she hands it back to Keith.

“That was awesome! You gotta let me drive it next time.”

“Don’t push it.” Keith says as he walks her the few yards down to her house. “I won’t even let Shiro drive it. This girl is all mine.”

“Speaking of which, how was Lance?” She says, feigning the same nonchalance and Keith glares down at her.

“What do you mean?” He says, trying to sound unperturbed and failing.

“I mean, you guys have gotten pretty close in a super short time and I was just wondering what’s going on with that?”

Keith wracks his brain for anything that could explain where she’s going with this. The confusion must show on his face because she’s suddenly cackling and slapping him on the back.

“I won’t push the matter anymore, don’t worry. God, Keith, you looked so scared for a second there. I’m just talking about Lance’s huge, schoolboy crush on you. It’s no big deal!” Or so she says, but Keith’s mind is short circuiting and there is no way- absolutely no way!- Lance, of all people, would like Keith. Lance!

“Pfft, okay Pidge. I think the night air is getting to you. There’s no way-” But Pidge is smirking at him, eyes slanted in a way that sees right through his thinly disguised ignorance.

Fortunately for Keith, they make it to her front door and she pulls out her keys. Keith thinks that’s the last of it, but she’s turning towards him, the same shit-eating grin on her face and Keith bristles.

“Denial is a river in Egypt, Keith.” The door is thusly shut in his face.

Chapter Text

Lance opens every single cupboard in Hunk’s kitchen before Hunk says something about it.

“Lance you already looked in there. Why don’t you just sit back and I’ll make us something? You’re pacing and it’s, frankly, stressing me out.” Lance glances over his shoulder, hand still on the door of the open cupboard before he closes it with a loud thud. Hunk flinches at it but says nothing else as Lance flops down at the kitchen table.

“I don’t even know what I’m in the mood for. Surprise me or something.” he says, with little emotion. Hunk stares at him, hands wringing for a second before he turns back to the kitchen.

“Well, all right.” Lance hears him rustle around as he picks at his fingers. Something is eating at him. He knows exactly what it is, and he wants to talk about it, but every time he goes to open his mouth and spill that he’s practically head over heels for their new friend, his lips clamp down and his body distracts itself with some menial task. He’s tried for two days to talk to Hunk about this. He just needs proper motivation.

Lance watches Hunk scuttle around the kitchen, pulling out dishes and boxes of things and nudging cupboards closed with a free foot or elbow. He props his head up on the palm of his right hand and taps his fingers against the table with his left.

“What are you making?” He finally says. It’s safe. It has nothing to do with Keith.

“Rice Crispy treats, but with crumbled heath bar on top.” Lance perks up at that.

“You spoil me, Hunk.” Lance chuckles, the tension in his shoulders relaxing.

It’s not that he’s upset about his crush- not anymore. He had come to terms with it the last time they went to the beach. He’d made up his mind that the feelings are here to stay, that he might as well get used to wanting to kiss Keith at any given moment and if the only way to keep this as least bloody as possible is to keep it to himself, then Lance will shut the hell up and take one for the team. The only issue is Hunk and Pidge have already pestered him about it. And he knows the less he talks, the more they’ll want. He’s surprised Hunk hasn’t said anything to him about it, yet. Not in person, and not since he had texted him about it the night he realized it.

“So, Shiro told me something about Keith today while I was in the shop…” He starts, nonchalantly, but Lance knows his angle.

“Oh, yeah?” Lance says, attempting to sound uninterested but completely focused on whatever Hunk says next.

“Yeah, says that we’re the first group of friends Keith’s made in a while. He told me he was worried that Keith would spend his days alone. Isn’t that sad?” Hunk glances back at Lance who just shrugs. “I mean, we’ve been friends for- what? 10, 15 years?- and what would we be without each other? Keith hasn’t had that. Well, not until now.” Hunk pops a bowl of marshmallows in the microwave. Lance knows, Keith opened up to him a little bit and he got the gist of how lonely Keith’s life has been up until now. Lance can’t imagine not having a plethora of friends to choose from. Something small and tight clenches in his chest.

“Yeah, he told me.” Is all he can muster up to say. Hunk doesn’t seem to notice the drop in his mood. Thank you, high school acting classes.

Hunk brings over the tray and places it on the table in front of Lance. As he cuts the Rice Crispy Treats into squares, Lance watches the redundant motion.

“Hey, Hunk…” His mouth starts to move, his mind slowly catching up to it. “What should I do?”

“Well, for starters, pick the biggest piece because if you don’t, I will.”

“What? No- No I mean, about… you know,” Lance slumps in his chair slightly. His lips form into a small pout. “About Keith.”

Hunk looks at him for a moment before shrugging, taking out the biggest piece and putting it on a napkin for Lance. “Well, you got two options.” He counts them on his fingers. “One, you can tell him, get it over with, get the feelings out there so you’re both on the same page. Maybe he’ll feel the same. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll give it a shot? Who knows?” Lance leans his head back and it bumps against the back of the chair. “Two, you tell no one, suffer in private, try and get over it while also maintaining the friendship. Die alone.”

“Hunk!”

“Three, drop him entirely. Though, I really don’t think you’d do that. That would just suck, dude.” He finishes, pushing the rest of a treat into his mouth and moaning at the sweet taste. Lance picks idly at his own piece, his appetite shot.

“Well, option three is out for sure. I wouldn’t do that to him- or anybody.” He looks down and to the side. “That’s just cruel. I’d rather suffer alone.”

“So, is that what you’re going to do, then? Just try and get over him and act like nothing’s wrong?” Hunk says, taking another piece. Lance hasn’t even taken a bite of the first one.

“Well, yeah. Option one is too risky. Not gonna happen, nope.” Hunk gives him a soft look at that. Lance would like anything else but his pity right now. Not when he pities himself enough to last him a lifetime.

“Wanna know what I think?” Lance glances up at him, not answering. “Well, you did bring it up, so I’m going to assume you want to know what I have to say on this particular subject.” He pauses for dramatic effect, hands clasped together, index fingers out and pressed to his lips. He tilts his hands, pointing the extended index fingers at Lance “Tell him.”

“E-Excuse me?” Lance sputters but Hunk has his hands raised up, palms facing out.

“Now, hear me out.” Lance does. “You like Keith.” Lance nods. “You’d like to date him.” Lance nods a little more hesitantly this time. “The only way to do that is to tell him.”

“You’re insane.”

“Uh, no. If you never tell him, then the chances of you two getting together drops significantly. You really think Keith would go to you first? He seems a little resigned. You’re going to have to be the calculating one and make the first move.”

Hunk thinking there’s already a possibility with Keith is sweet and Lance appreciates that, he really does! But this isn’t about that because it’s not a thing that is real. It makes sense that Lance likes Keith. There’s nothing to not like about the guy. The flip side, however, is a whole other story. As much of a show as Lance puts on, he doesn’t see what would be so great about him as a romantic partner.

“Now, that sounds all fine and good on paper, my guy, but this is real life and Keith is a friend! A friend who wouldn’t consider me even if the stars fucking aligned and pigs started flying.”

Hunk’s face falls and there’s the telltale sign of pity lacing his features. Lance doesn’t hate a lot of things, but being pitied sure is up there. He crosses his arms and starts tilting his chair back, balancing it on the back two legs.

“You really don’t think you have a chance, do you?”

“Don’t even know if he likes dudes, Hunk. That’s kind of a big deal. And if he doesn’t, then I’m double out of luck. Like, more so out of luck than I already am in that department.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Lance sputters at that, his chair tipping back forward as he slams his hands on the table.

“Have you lost your marbles? ‘Ask him?’ Sure! I’ll just walk right up to him and say, ‘Keith, dicks or chicks?’ and just assume he’ll answer like it isn’t the most awkward thing in the world. I don’t think so.” Hunk has taken his piece of Rice Crispy Treat during his rant and is pulling it apart to eat the smaller bits, letting Lance calm down and take a breath.

“First off, uh no. Who just goes up to people and asks them about their sexual preferences? No one, Lance. You have to be more creative than that. Does he have a Facebook? Is it listed there? Maybe you can bring up you being bi in conversation and let it come out naturally? You’re a smart guy, Lance. You’re just being difficult because this is out of your comfort zone.”

Lance is speechless at that. It’s rare that he gets such a stern talking-to from Hunk but, per usual, his logic is sound. Still, he won’t be going down without a fight.

“If I’m so smart then why can’t I come up with a counter-argument to that? Checkmate, buddy.”

Hunk’s face falls and his brows knit together in frustration. He groans. “Lance.” He says, flatly. “Everyone has this problem. You’re not weird or different or alone.” He stands and places a supportive hand on Lance’s shoulder as he passing him to put the tray back in the kitchen. “And I’ll help any way I can, but you should tell him. You’ll feel better.”

“That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one…” Lance grumbles but Hunk is already in the kitchen, taking out tin foil and wrapping the tray up for later.

Lance continues to rock his chair back, one foot propped up on the table. His brows pinch together as he mulls over Hunk’s advice. If- and this is a huge if- Keith feels the same way, if he gives Lance the opportunity to woo him, Lance wouldn’t even know where to begin. Keith has done all the wooing, whether he realizes it or not. Lance has nothing! He’s got a camera, and he’s got the sea, but Keith’s got those dark, inviting eyes, those long lashes and clear skin. He’s got a bike and a hot brother and a nonchalance that Lance would kill to be able to pull off. Saying Keith is out of his league is a gross understatement. He doesn’t understand why Hunk doesn’t see that? Though, Hunk would never say anything to put Lance down. Maybe. Would he?

Lance chews on his bottom lip and let’s the chair tilt back and forth while Hunk busies himself in his kitchen. If he waits for the perfect opportunity to present itself- whatever kind of situation that would be- then he’ll do it. But that won’t happen. He can promise to do it for Hunk, at least. Just to get him off his case, but never go through with it. It’s backhanded, and will probably bite him in the ass later, but nothing frightens him more than the possibility of rejection and what that will look like on Keith’s perfect features.

So, he does just that. He tells Hunk that he’ll confess to Keith when the time is right. It seems to placate his friend and he hopes he makes it believable enough that Hunk won’t bring it up again.

All he has to do is wait until the feelings leave. Because the opportunity will never happen.

Because an opportunity like that doesn’t exist.

-------------------------------------------------------

After two weeks, Keith has finally gotten the hang of the pricing gun.

It’s not like he struggles with a lot of things in his life. Obviously, holding friendships while also changing households as a child is an outlier. But, he was top of his class, most of the time, homeschooled for another chunk of his adolescence which put him ahead of the curve, and picked up new hobbies fairly easily.

But now he has this job. In this tiny, outdated beach town. In a store that still uses dial-up for their registers. And a pricing gun that had a rubber band of symbols, that printed them out of alignment on the stickers, cutting off the tops or bottoms of the numbers and making Keith want to rip his hair out and just write the prices by hand.

Another label feeds out of the gun and the price is wrong, printed halfway up the top of the label, cut in half and smudged. Keith stares at it. Stares at the wrong number because he’s going insane. He never makes mistakes like this. But, his frustration is getting the better of him and he’s ready to storm out and never come back. All it would take is his legs to work and he’d be out of here faster than a jackrabbit on a July afternoon.

“Got the hang of it, yet?” Matt says, wheeling over to him from behind the glass bar. Keith grunts in the affirmative as he gingerly sticks another label on a box of gears. It’s parts for a drone, which should sell like hotcakes, but don’t. This store, being as outdated as it is internally, is still more technologically advanced than a town where people care more about watching the sunset than having the latest tech.

But Keith kind of likes that about it.

“Pidge might be coming in today, so heads up on that one. Also, I got your schedule for the next week posted.” Keith nods to that as well, having moved on to another shelf.

Matt spins in his chair for a moment before stopping to face Keith again. “Have you met Allura yet?”

“Uh, no?” He says, turning towards Matt, label gun lowered. “I really haven’t met a lot of people since I moved here.”

“Well, funny you should mention that because she’s having a little get-together this weekend and I figured I’d ask you before anyone else.” He spins around in the opposite direction this time and Keith follows him with his eyes. He’s never been invited to a party before.

“Would she be okay with that? I mean… I’ve never met her…” He turns back to the shelf and picks up an unlabeled box. “Don’t wanna intrude…”

“Intrude? Pfff…Allura’s cool. We bring new people all the time, it’s always a blast. Here.” Matt takes the gun from Keith and adjusts the dial a bit after he notices Keith struggling with it. “It gets jammed sometimes.”

Keith mutters a thanks and goes back to labeling. Parties weren’t something Keith got invited to a lot growing up. In fact, he’s never even been to one, outside of dinky birthday parties for him and Shiro. A get-together was definitely a party, right? Maybe a little smaller. He can deal with smaller.

“So, who else is going?” He asks, hesitantly. Hoping at least someone else besides Matt is going. He wouldn’t be surprised if Lance goes, being the life of the party no matter who he’s with.

Matt spins around again, looking up at the ceiling. “Mmm, well probably the whole gang. She’s kind of a core member. Which is why it’s so weird you haven’t met her yet.” Keith shrugs at that. “So, what do you say?”

Keith ponders that as he stands up, his knees popping as he rises and he groans, stretching. “I’ll think about it.” Matt seems to accept that answer as he wheels away.

(18: 01) Keith!
(18:01) Are u still at work???

(18:02) Just closing up shop now. Why?

(18:02) Do you open tomorrow?

(18:02) No, I close…
(18:02) Why?

(18:02) Did u drive your bike there?

(18:02) Lance.

(18:03) lmao sorry
(18:03) Im tryin to figure shit out
(18:03) hunk is busy, pidge is mia as per usual, and im BORED
(18:03) so I got to thinking

(18:03) Never a good sign.

(18:04) and i was like “wonder what my good buddy keith is up to”
(18:04) oh its about time the store closed up i bet hes going to be available now
(18:04) lets hit a dude up
(18:04) a bro

(18:05) Sure. What did you have in mind?

(18:05) dunno. Im developing some film but im lonely, keith. Im a lonely guy
(18:05) come keep my company

(18:06) I’ll head over as soon as I’m done closing up.

(18:06) have i ever told you youre my favorite?
(18:06) dont tell hunk.

(18:07) And break his heart? I would never.

So, a short detour to Lance’s is nothing new. What is new is Keith seeing Lance work in the darkroom and that’s something that propels Keith forward down the road, leaning into curves and letting the sea wind whip by him. He’s a little giddy when he parks his bike and texts Lance that he’s arrived. He only has to wait a moment before the door is opening and Lance is pulling him inside.

“Quick, I need to get the paper out of the chemicals before it gets overdone.” He says, running back to his room. Keith takes his time unlacing his shoes and shrugging off his jacket.

“It’s not like cooking, Lance. I don’t think overdone is the right term.” He calls out, throwing his jacket onto the back of the couch.

“Whatever, it’s saved!” is Lance’s muffled reply.

Keith walks into Lance’s room and sits down on the bed. There’s an album laying next to him that he hasn’t seen before and his fingers itch to pick it up and look through it. He’s sure Lance will let him but Lance is in his darkroom and Keith is out here. He taps out a rhythm on his knee with those fingers instead, keeping them occupied while he hears liquid slosh from behind the closed door of the darkroom.

Lance pokes his head out of the cloth covering the door and motions for Keith to come inside. He has fresh photo paper clipped to the crossing wires, dripping with chemicals, and the smell hangs thick in the air. The imagery’s starting to fade into existence. Keith watches one as the photo develops right before his eyes. He’s mystified and vaguely notices Lance watching him with a fond expression.

“Pretty neat, huh?” He says.

“Yeah…” Keith murmurs at that. The picture is of a figure, standing in the road next to a vehicle. The next one is similar but there are two people, side by side.

“Those are of my parents. Visited them recently and took some shots for Christmas cards later this year. It’s kinda my thing.” Lance says as an explanation. Keith glances at him with a smile.

“Good idea.” Keith says over his shoulder before watching the rest of the photos develop. Lance chuckles and rubs a hand over the back of his head and neck.

They leave the darkroom to let the photos dry and Keith takes the lapse in the conversation to scan the room. It’s a little more messy than usual, which happens when Lance is focused on his photography. There are a few folders of photographs on his desk, clothes scattering the floor, some plates on his bedside table and the album on his bed. He walks over to the bed and thumbs the corner of the cover. Lance leans against the wall, arms crossed and tells him he can look through it.

Keith sits on the edge of the bed, one foot tucked under his other leg and pulls the album into his lap. Opening it, gingerly, he is greeted with a brilliant sky scape, pink clouds over teal sky bleeding into the darker horizon. It’s insanely pretty. Lance must notice how his eyes widen in astonishment because he makes his way over to the bed and sits next to Keith to look over his shoulder.

“I know what you’re thinking. Sunsets are so overdone, but this one was just too good to pass up.” He says as way of explanation. As if he needs to explain himself.

“It’s gorgeous.” Keith says a little breathlessly. He turns the page and is shocked again by another skyscape, this one of the night sky with stars streaking across the expanse of inky black.

“Long exposure shot. I used a low power telescope and left it out all night to track the movement of the stars. I thought it was pretty cool. Don’t think I can sell it, though.” He says with a shrug, sounding much too nonchalant when the image has taken Keith’s breath away.

“I love it.” He says, almost under his breath and Lance stills next to him.

“Do you?” He says, chuckling in embarrassment. “I-I mean, it’s not like I’m the first person to do this. It’s not that special.” Lance says, playing it off and Keith will have none of that. Not when it’s just the two of them. Not when Lance is being so vulnerable. Keith won’t trample on that.

“It is special. You made this.” He says, brows furrowing in seriousness as he stares Lance in the eyes. Lance wavers slightly, searching Keith’s face though he doesn’t know if Lance finds what he’s looking for because he’s turning away now, rubbing at the back of his neck again. A nervous habit. Keith turns the page and finds more night sky pictures, each one unique yet obviously Lance. Where the horizon sits on the page, which trees frame the image, stars overlaid to form the milky way, making a series of works that is so very Lance.

He flips through the album, saying little comments here and there, pointing out what he likes about each one and Lance, for the most part, keeps quiet, listening and looking intently. As if he’s hanging onto every word Keith says. He’d be lying if he didn’t think it was endearing. Intimate.

“I like your portraits and your landscapes, but these are probably my favorite.” Keith concludes, closing the album after looking through it twice.

“‘Cause it’s space, right?” Lance says, a cocky look on his face and Keith pushes his shoulder lightly.

“Partly, but there’s something about them… I dunno…” Maybe it’s the subject matter, or maybe it’s what the subject matter suggests- the vastness of space that is both terrifying and beautiful. The fact that nothing really matters in the grand scheme of things. That his life is a blip compared to the unending universe. Expanding and Collapsing whether Keith is there or not. Looking through these images reminds him of that. And Lance made these images. Made Keith think about his worth. “They’re just… beautiful. Calming.” He says with a shrug and opens the album to look through it again.

Lance unfolds from his sitting position next to Keith to get up and grab his camera. “Ignore me- just keep doing what you’re doing.” He mumbles and Keith does, thinking Lance must have seen something in the moment that he wants to preserve. He turns the page.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance’s stomach pools with a feeling he can’t quite pin down. It’s heavy and makes his heart clench. It’s a sickening feeling that makes his head reel with how much he’s feeling right now. Keith looks through his album, complimenting his work that he puts so much of himself in. Looks at the pages with a soft expression that strums all of Lance’s heartstrings, playing a melody that makes him want to cry.

He snaps a shot as Keith smiles down at one of the photos.

“This one might be my favorite.” He says, tracing the edge of the page with an index finger, sending a shiver down Lance’s spine. As if that finger is caressing him, as if he’s smiling down at Lance, himself. He feels the ghost of it across his skin and wonders if it was a mistake to invite Keith over. If he’s crossing a line that they’ve been dancing around for awhile now. He can’t think on it for too long before Keith is looking up at him with an open expression and Lance would love nothing more than to lean in closer, feel his body heat and melt into him.

What he does instead is , mumble a “say cheese,” and snap another shot of Keith and that beautiful look on his face. Keith rolls his eyes and huffs, goodnaturedly.

“Those are going to look awful, Lance.”

“Impossible.” Lance says, sitting back and looking through the photos. They’re ethereal, with the single small lamp illuminating a soft yellow haloing his head. “Nothing I shoot is awful.”

“I see the confidence is back. So much for modesty.” He chuckles and Lance smirks up at him. “You still have to take pictures of my bike…” Keith adds, offhandedly, flipping through the album again.

“Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. Find out your schedule and figure out what time of day I want it to be. Lighting is everything,” Lance winks and Keith quickly looks back down at the album. Too much?

With it being just the two of them, late at night, Keith open and vulnerable, Lance laid out bare with his entire soul in Keith’s lap in the form of a photo album, now would be the perfect time to pop the question.

Keith, I was wondering, if you weren’t busy this Friday- maybe after work or something- you and I can go out somewhere. My treat.

So, you doin’ anything later? How about doin’ me?

Keith I might be so in love with you, it makes me want to throw up at just the thought of you not being mine…

Anyway, chicks or dicks?

Lance groans, flopping down on his back, the bed bounces Keith a little who looks at him, curiously.

“You okay? I can head out, it is pretty late.” Keith says, making to move but Lance cuts him off.

“No way. Stay as long as you want, please.” He doesn’t mean to sound so desperate and he hopes that his voice is jokey enough to not make Keith feel pressured but he’s not ready for the night to end. The atmosphere will pop and he’ll likely never get a moment like this alone with Keith again. So, he wants to be a little selfish? He deserves at least that.

Keith shrugs at that, laying down next to Lance with a huff and holds the album up at the page with his favorite photo. His arms lock at the elbows as he gazes up at it. Lance turns his head towards him, watching that look settle on his face. He’s radiant and Lance needs… he needs something. An outlet, a confession. Something that shows Keith how important he is.

“You can take that.”

Keith’s eyes widen and his head turns slowly towards Lance, bangs falling across his brow. His eyes dart around Lance’s face, looking more bewildered than Lance has ever seen anyone look at him. Like he just sprouted a second mouth and it was spewing obscenities.

“Lance, what are you…”

“I’m serious. You can have it! I’m not doing anything with it, I’ve looked at it a thousand times. I’m sure I still have the file of it on my harddrive somewhere, so if I really need to, I can print it again.” Lance pauses to take a breath, looking away before the blush on his face becomes too noticeable. “I mean, I can print you one specifically if you don’t want to take that one. It is a little old and the colors are kind of faded, the paper is yellowing a bit-”

The bed moves as Keith sits up, shifting closer, looking frantic and elated.

“No! I want this one. I-I’ll take it… if… if you’re really okay with giving it to me....” Lance just nods, dumbfounded, looking up into the eyes of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen and he’s gone. He’s so far gone, down a bottomless pit of attraction, where he’ll keep falling and falling, not wanting to climb out.

Lance nods mutely at that and Keith sits back, carefully pulling the photo out of the sleeve and looking at it with rapt attention. Lance just watches his eyes scan the image, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows thickly. And then he turns towards Lance again, features soft and fond.

“Thank you.” He takes a shaky breath. “Seriously, thank you.”

There’s a long moment of silence while they just kind of stare at each other. He wants to bridge the gap and give Keith more than an old picture. Wonders if it’ll be taken as graciously. He doesn’t get the chance, Keith is laying back down and holding the photo, angling it towards the light so he can get a better look and Lance is left feeling like the wind has been sucked right out of his lungs and his stomach has been filled with rocks. Wondering ‘what ifs.’

Lance walks Keith out to his bike after giving him a hard folder to keep the photo safe. He puts it in his riding bag and slips on his gloves as he thanks Lance again.

“It’s really not a big deal. Like I said, I got a million of those. I’m just glad it’s going to a good home.” That seems to satisfy Keith as he unlocks his helmet and goes to put it on before lowering it to speak again.

“Oh, uh… Matt invited me to some party? Are you going?” He says, looking hesitant and nervous.

“Allura’s party? Yeah, I planned on going.” Lance recalls the text from her but had completely forgot about it. “What about you?” He scuffs his sandals on the concrete as Keith fidgets as well.

“I was… I was thinking about it…” He glances up at Lance through thick lashes and Lance could keel over right now. Was Keith gauging Lance’s decision? Will he only go if Lance goes?

Keith just nods at that, spinning his helmet in his hand before securing it on his head.

“Well, thanks for the photo- again… Uh, and for having me over.” He kicks the bike into ignition and revvs it.

“Thanks for keeping me company. My night wasn’t completely boring.” Lance says easily, a grin spreading across his face. Keith rolls his eyes at that and speeds off, leaving Lance’s heart racing, mind going just as fast, and an emptiness of a good night ending far too soon.

Chapter Text

Keith thumbs through the stack of sleeved photographs. He had promised himself he’d buy one once he got a job and now, with his first paycheck and the month’s bills paid for, he has some money left over and he hadn’t forgotten the photo of the slender, tanned fingers on the strings of an acoustic guitar. Now that he has one of Lance’s photos hanging up on his wall in his bedroom, the long exposure shot of the night sky, it’s going to need a friend. That’s his excuse, at least. Not acknowledging the fact that he’s already growing a small collection of gorgeous photography from someone who is so incredibly important to him, it hurts his heart just thinking about them.

He’ll explore that later.

That’s what he keeps telling himself.

He finds a copy of it and pulls it out before flipping through the rest of the pile. There are others he likes but not as much as the guitar picture. He decides he'll just stick to one before it becomes a problem and makes his way to the register, taking his time to look at the little ornaments and things posted around the small shop.

The floorboard creaks when he steps up to the register bar. The woman who greets him is plump, with soft features that remind him of a grandmother.

"Find everything okay?" Keith nods in the affirmative, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. "Isn't this photography beautiful? The artist is a local, you know. He's been selling his art here since he was in high school. He was cute as a button back then, too."

It hadn't occurred to keith just how ingrained in the town and its people lance was, and still is. This is his home, after all. Keith feels a warmth blossom in his chest as he watches the woman scan the label for the photograph.

"You probably have seen him a few times. He works part time here,"

"Oh! Uh," He stammers. Feeling embarrassed that he hadn't mentioned already knowing Lance before she started on her soapbox. "I, uh, I met him the first week I moved here..." The woman blinks in surprise at that.

"Well, look at me, ranting away! You must be good friends, then. Lance has that way with people..." Keith allows a wide smile to pull at his lips as he exchanges his card for the photograph.

"He sure does..." Keith doesn't miss the look she gives him, as if she's making her own assumptions on the validity of their relationship. Or what type of relationship it might be.

Keith says his thank yous, bids the nice woman a good day and mounts his bike. Stopping at the nearest grocery store, he picks up a few things the house needs and some command strips. Frames are too expensive for him right now, but he makes a silent promise to himself that he'll purchase frames for the pictures once he can spare the extra money.

Shiro’s home when he trudges through his front door, arms filled with grocery bags. His brother rushes to him and takes some bags, relieving him and his arms of the weight.

“If I had known you were going grocery shopping, I would have lent you the car…”

“It's no big deal. I had errands to run.” He shrugs, plopping the bags on the dining room table. He pulls out the command strips and heads to his room, Shiro in tow.

“What'd you get?” Keith knows he's just being curious and friendly but something about telling his older brother that he just bought his crushes photography and is now planning on putting them on the wall by his bed so he can look at them as he falls asleep at night-

Wait, “crush?”

“Uh, I got some things to decorate my room. Just gonna put them up now.” Shiro brightens up at that and offers to help. And when he's looking at Keith with such adoring, hopeful eyes, he can't possibly say no. “Sure, you can help…” He concedes, shoulders slumping.

Shiro gleefully pulls one of the bags over to pull out its contents. Keith can feel his face heat up as Shiro flips through the two photographs, safely placed in the hard folder Lance had given him the night before.

“Oh, here’s the guitar picture! I was wondering if you remembered wanting to buy it…”

Keith just nods to that, picking at the corner of the command strips package. He waits for Shiro to poke fun at him but he doesn’t. He just looks at the photograph in silent contemplation. Pulling the other photograph out, his eyebrows raise in surprise.

“This one’s cool.” He comments. Keith nods at that, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. It’s the photograph Lance gave to him, himself. The one that’s special- just for Keith. Something about that blooms hot and heavy in his stomach. Feeling possessive and in control. As if it’s for his eyes and his eyes only.

“Must be a long exposure shot, right?” Keith nods to that, too. Shiro stares down at the photo for another long, excruciating moment. “Don’t remember seeing this one at the store, is it new?”

Here it is. Keith should have known that Shiro would make him talk about it whether he wants to or not. Keith finally gets the command strips package open and pulls one out, reaching out and taking the photo from Shiro.

“Lance gave that one to me,” He says, trying to sound nonchalant but he can feel Shiro’s knowing gaze aimed right at him. He bristles. “What?”

Shiro nibbles on his bottom lip, eyes crinkling as he holds back laughter. “N-Nothing! Just, you know… surprised!” Keith rolls his eyes and turns away from Shiro. “Didn’t think you’d become his biggest fan, is all.”

“Oh, shove off, Shiro. God.” And that’s when Shiro lets out a large cackle, doubles over, clutching his side and this is exactly what Keith was afraid of. He lolls his head back and groans. “You’re so embarrassing…”

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just, you’re so obvious, Keith.” Shiro wipes at an eye and Keith thinks he’s being overly dramatic.

“Yeah, well I think you’re being ridiculous and looking into things that don’t need to be looked at. I’m not obvious about anything other than wanting to decorate my room a little bit. I don’t see how that-”

“It’s cute.”

“E-Excuse me?” Keith blinks rapidly, surprised and abashed all at the same time. Shiro smiles softly at him, sitting on the edge of his bed and not helping out like he said he would.

“You seem to be fitting in, even if you don’t realize your emotions- I know you’ve struggled with that for a while- I’m just glad we’ve both seemed to have made our place here.”

“I… yeah, I guess so…” Keith says turning away to hide his blush. It’s not just about meeting Lance and how that’s changed his life. It’s about making their own lives, where they get to choose where they live, what they do, and how they live it. It’s about making friends and long lasting relationships outside of each other. It’s about sharing this experience together.

There’s a lull in the conversation as Keith tries to line up one of the photographs, tongue sticking slightly out of his mouth in concentration. Shiro shifts on the bed, laying on his side, hand propping up his head.

“But, Lance is pretty cute, right?” He says and Keith chucks a command strip at him.

“Get out!” And he does, but only after some wrestling and finding Keith a leveler.

The rest of the week goes by slowly. Keith goes to work, he texts Lance, he goes home, he hangs out with Shiro, he learns how to change the oil for his bike, he goes to sleep, he wakes up and repeats. It takes until the day before the party for the idea that he was actually going to said party to sink in and he proceeds to freak the fuck out.

“Shiro!” He calls from the bathroom, sticking his head out, shaving cream sliding down his neck. “Shiro can you put my clothes in the dryer?” He hears an affirmative groan from the living room where he assumes Shiro is slouched on the couch, having already picked out his outfit for the night. Keith is a little pissed he’s the only one stressing out over this. But then again, someone like Shiro doesn’t have to worry about making multiple social faux pas.

He had been fine most of the day, honestly he had been! It wasn’t until he was getting ready to change out of his lounging clothes to something more presentable that he realized nothing he had that was worth wearing out was clean. Then the panic set in. Then the rush to get some laundry done. Then everything looked wrong when he stared at himself in the mirror, steam fogging up the bathroom after taking the most thorough shower of his life.

Everything has to be perfect. This is his first party, he has to make a good impression. Sure there will be mostly people he knows there but there will be strangers there as well and that’s the tricky part. Those strangers will be who he has to impress.

And boy is Keith bad at impressing.

He’s wiping off his face and slapping on aftershave when his phone violently vibrates, scaring him half out of his skin.

(16:24) yo hombre you ready to partay?

(16:24) Still doing laundry and getting ready but yes?
(16:24) When are you heading over? Should I wait until you’re already there?

(16:25) eh i was gonna relax a little and then see what im feelin
(16:25) it doesnt even start for a few hours are you nervous?

(16:25) I plead the fifth.

(16:26) OMG U R NERVOUS!!
(16:26) awwww, keeeeith… :) thats so cute!
(16:26) babbys first party
(16:26) make way for the foster kid he never got to let loose and get shit faced someone get this fucker a whol KEG

Keith groans, but smiles despite himself. This guy is just too much. But Keith feels an intense sense of affection for the goofball.

Affection? That’s a fitting term for his feelings.

(16:28) Yeah, yeah. One beer is fine, thanks.
(16:28) No need to go crazy.

(16:28) KEETH. KEITH MY MAN.
(16:28) MY GUY. MY FRIEND.
(16:28) one does not simply go to a party and drink only 1 beer
(16:28) drink three at least
(16:29) AT LEAST, KEITH.

(16:29) I mean, I’m not going to be bringing anything so I don’t want to drink someone else’s shit, you know
(16:29) Isn’t that how it works?

(16:31) SORRy. I HAD TO TAKE A LAP.
(16:31) because that was the cutest, most innocent thing i have heard all fuckin day.
(16:31) dont even worry about that just bring your greasy self and have a blast
(16:31) no stress night is ON

(16:32) Okay, Lance. Whatever you say.
(16:32) See you tonight.

(16:32) ;))))

Keith pockets his phone, having gotten at least clean jeans on in the time he started replying to Lance. His chest feels tight with how fast his heart is beating and he would love nothing more than to just crawl in bed and pretend he’s sick so he doesn’t have to deal with whatever nonsense he’s going to witness tonight but, he promised Lance.

And he can’t say no to Lance.

Shiro insists that he be the designated driver for the night, much to Keith’s dismay. He wanted to ride his bike there. Maybe the cool air would clear his head and calm his nerves. But sitting in a car with Shiro just makes him more jittery, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans every so often. Shiro notices. Of course he notices, and he gives the only advice he seems to ever give out.

“It’s going to be fine, Keith. You’re going to have a blast.”

Keith rolls his eyes at that, looking out the window, refusing to give that a reply. There’s another moment of silence before Shiro speaks up again.

“What are you so worried about?”

Keith isn’t even sure himself. That he’ll fuck up in some big way and lose his friends? Yes. Definitely. But how he’d fuck up, he has no idea. But the fear is there, nestled in his chest, making itself at home. He’s worried that just feeling like this all night will be part of the reason he has a terrible time.

Shiro takes his silence to mean something, because he doesn’t bring it up again, and he doesn’t press the matter. He just turns up the tunes and drives towards Shay’s beach home in silence. Keith is only semi thankful for that.

The outside of Shay’s house is dimly lit with white christmas lights and there’s a low thrumming of bass music coming from inside. Keith feels like he’s going to yack as Shiro pulls up along the front yard, parking right behind Lance’s car. Keith feels a little bit of ease knowing for sure that someone he knows will already be there.

Walking into the front door, Keith is greeted by Hunk, of all people. His arms stretched out wide as he pulls Keith into a warm hug, doing the same with Shiro who chuckles and returns the embrace. Keith takes a moment to look around the living room, not seeing much of a party but hearing it somewhere. That’s when he notices the sliding glass door on the opposite side of the room, lights lining what looks like a back porch. There are a few people standing out there but he can’t tell if he recognizes them or not.

“Oh, don’t worry about your shoes. Everyone is hanging out in the back, anyway.” Hunk says to Shiro as he’s bending over to unlace his boots. Keith notices then that Shiro is holding a six pack and he feels acutely aware that he didn’t bring any sort of offering to a house owned by someone he’s never met before. Great, another embarrassment to obsess over…

Shiro and Keith follow Hunk to the back and he opens the sliding glass door with a flurry.

“Guess who just got here?!” He yells out and Lance instantly bounds up, beer bottle in hand, bright smile spread across his face.

“‘Bout time you showed up!” He says, slinging an arm around Keith’s shoulders and pulling him close for an awkward sideways hug. Keith doesn’t have time to react because Lance is moving on to Shiro, greeting him with a little less enthusiasm but just as pleased. “You guys find the place okay?”

“It was no problem at all.” Shiro smiles, amicably then scans the backyard. There aren’t as many people as Keith thought there would be but the night is still young. “Where’s the hostess? I brought an offering.”

Lance chuckles at that and takes the six pack, leading them to a table decorated with a plethora of brightly colored bottles- handles of liquor and liters of soda.

“Help yourself to the booze, make yourself at home, I’m going to go find Shay so you can meet her.” Lance says, easily, languid as if he’s already tossed back a few. This loose and easygoing Lance saunters away and Keith can’t help but watch his hip sway. He quickly grabs a beer.

-------------------------------------------------------

Holy fucking SHIT, Lance is in trouble.

He was so worried about making a good impression, being the life of the party that is expected of him, and wowing Keith into wanting to spend some alone time with him so he could possibly, maybe confess and ask him out, but then Keith goes and ruins it! Shows up looking sharper than ever, a little abashed, and so endearingly innocent, and all of Lance’s game- all of it!- flies out the fucking window!

Lance bumps the back of his head against the bathroom wall, where he had slinked away to calm his rapidly beating heart. He’ll look for Shay when he can calm the fuck down first and get used to the fact that Keith does look good with the sleeves rolled up. His thin waist accentuated by his shirt tucked into tight pants that hug him in all the right places-

Okay, Lance isn’t going to calm down at this rate. He takes another swig of his drink and walks over to the sink, staring at himself in the mirror, determination painted across his features.

“Do not fuck this up.” He says, pointing at himself with the hand holding his beer. He gives himself another stern stare just to get his point across, then runs his free hand through his hair, nods at his own reflection again and leaves the bathroom.

There really aren’t that many people there. It’s a little on the early side, but their group of friends isn’t huge. Shay had invited someone of her work friends it looks like, and that’s what’s filling up the backyard and turning Keith into the wallflower he is probably terrified of being. It’s then that he notices Shay in the kitchen and makes a beeline towards her.

“You have new guests, Lady Shay.” He says coolly, leaning against the counter as she opens a bag of chips.

“Oh, thank you, Lance! I’ll go introduce myself in a second. Do you know who it is?”

“Uh, yeah. Buddy of mine and his brother. Adoptive brother? Yeah, they just showed up and brought booze.” He says, trying desperately to not show how excited he is. Shay doesn’t seem to notice, thank God.

“Oh! Then you will have to introduce me!” She giggles, picking up the bowl and following him to the back. Keith is under a tree towards the back fence, drink in hand, looking out of place and just as awkward as Lance feared. He pulls Shay over and startles Keith, his drink sloshing.

“Hey, sorry about that! Uh, this is Shay, Hunk’s girlfriend-oof!” Shay elbows him and he rubs at his side and glares at her. Keith chuckles at that and it almost makes getting a bruised rib worth it.

“I am not! Hunk’s girl friend. We are… We are just- just friends!” She says rather flustered and Lance grins at that. It’s too easy, on both ends. They are more hopeless than Lance is. That thought makes his night seem less suffocating and the idea of getting somewhere with the Keith situation less daunting.

Keith takes it in strides, extending a hand to shake with hers as he introduces himself. “Keith. Thanks for having me and my brother over.”

“Oh, it is no problem! Anyone who is friends with Hunk is welcome here. And I’ve heard so much about both of you.” She says, her smile reaching her eyes. Lance watches the exchange fondly. Feeling like the night might be a little easier on Keith. He just wants the guy to relax and have a good time.

She says a few more pleasantries and then excuses herself to make her rounds. Keith turns to Lance then and holds his drink up in a greeting.

“You enjoying yourself?” Lance says, settling next to him against the tree. Keith shrugs and brings the bottle to his lips. He’s looking off, eyes turned away from Lance which gives him a perfect opportunity to oggle at Keith’s mouth, his hair, pulled into a low, sloppy pony tail, and his button up shirt that isn’t buttoned up all the way. Keith glances back at him and Lance’s eyes instantly snap up to meet his.

“As far as parties go, and I’m no expert,” Lance snorts at that. “It’s not half bad. Not what I expected. It’s chill.”

“I told you, man. But you’ve only had one drink and I’ve only had one drink, and Hunk doesn’t have his tie around his head yet, so the party hasn’t even begun.”

“Oh yeah?” Keith says with a smirk, side eyeing Lance and making his cheeks light up. Flirty Keith is dangerous. “Well, I’m almost done with my drink and you’ve been nursing that one since before I got here…”

Lance tenses up at that. He knows exactly where Keith is going with this.

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, Kogane?” Lance says, a warning lilt to his voice as he sizes Keith up.

“Well, I’m not, not suggesting it.” He says, the smirk widening as he stares Lance down.

“Keith, you’re playing with fire, my friend. I’m Cuban.” He warns, giving Keith one last chance to stop before it’s too late.

Keith just takes another gulp of his beer and grimaces as he swallows, pushing off of the tree he’s leaning on and standing up.

“I love fire.”

“Okay, here are the rules. We drink them together, no speeding up or slowing down. We start the next drink when the other person is ready. Get it?” Keith gives Lance a bored look as he finishes explaining.

“Do we really need rules like that or are we just going to drink, Lance?”

“We gotta make it fun somehow! We’re at a party!” Keith isn’t getting it. Lance knows this is something he can beat him in. He is completely confident in his alcohol tolerance and it’ll just give him more bragging rights, and maybe even impress the other man. Who knows? Keith doesn’t seem sold on the idea, though.

“Hey, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” Lance hears a snarky, tiny voice from behind him and he swings around to glare down at Pidge who must have just recently gotten there. She looks between the two of them before focusing back on Lance. “Lance, are you already trying to start some stupid drinking contest because I’m not rubbing your back while you hug the toilet again.”

Keith chuckles at that and Lance bristles. “That only happened the first time, I’ll have you know! Don’t listen to her, Keith. She’s just trying to sike us out.”

“More like sike you out.” Keith says and laughs again when Lance dramatically gasps, hand pressed to his chest, appalled.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Lance.” Pidge says with an unamused look. She turns back to Keith to talk to him and that’s when Lance gets a devilish idea.

“Pidge, you looking to get illegally drunk tonight?”

“Absolutely not.” Pidge says without hesitation and Lance groans. Freakin’ goodie two-shoes. “But, you know I’m going to be sober when you two get blackout drunk. Especially if Lance has any influence on you, Keith.”

“You’re honestly no fun. Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Lance says, mood completely soured, but he doesn’t miss the cute giggle from Keith at his snide remark and it brings a dopey, tiny smile to his face.

“So, who’s winning? ‘Cause even though I was halfway joking about the dumb drinking contest, I know that is exactly what the two of you are doing.” Pidge says, glaring daggers at Lance whose shoulders pop up in defense.

“It’s not stu-”

“It’s a tie.” Keith says, cutting Lance off and Lance replies with another disbelieving gasp.

“It’s a tie- for now,” Lance enunciates. Pidge scoffs. “And we’re doing perfectly fine without an audience so why don’t you go mingle with the light sockets or whatever homeschooled nerds like you do.”

Pidge just gives him a blank look then leans closer to Keith and stage-whispers something about Lance becoming a huge bitch when he drinks.

“I can hear you, you gremlin!” That makes Keith laugh again and the sting of Pidge’s attitude suddenly isn’t as sharp anymore.

“That’s the point, Sherlock. Anyway, I’m going to actually go- not because Lance told me to-” She says, pointing firmly at him and making him flinch. “But because I haven’t seen Shay or Hunk yet and I got to make my rounds. Don’t let him suck you into anything dumb, Keith. Stay strong.” She says and Keith gives her an adorably determined look, nodding once.

Lance takes a small sip of his drink knowing deep down in the core of his being that he is totally going to suck Keith into everything dumb.

And it’s going to be awesome.

Lance hadn’t been bluffing when he hinted at being able to hold is liquor. Keith is keeping up as their small pile of cups and bottles grows. Shay had met Shiro and introduced him to one of her work friends, her manager, Allura and that occupied Shiro for most of the night thus far. Hunk was stuck to Shay like glue along with Pidge and Matt, and Keith and Lance were on their 5th drinks.

“I can’t believe you two.” Pidge says, finding them in their little corner where they started this drinking competition. “I just left you two and you’re already sloshed.”

“Uhh, I’ll have you know that I am not sloshed yet, and that I am just satisfyingly tipsy. Keith? Tell ‘em.”

Keith lets out the tiniest hiccup and smiles lazily. “You heard the man. Not Sloshed.”

“But getting there,” Lance interjects, pointing a finger at Pidge with a wink. Pidge rolls her eyes dramatically and walks away.

“I’m going to find you two some water.”

Matt slinks over looking pleased and a little pink in the cheeks. He moves towards Keith and Lance watches with mild interest. Maybe the distraction will give Lance the opportunity to down his drink so that he can take a break while Keith tries to catch up.

Keith is leaning heavily against the wall just inside Shay’s living room and Matt is against the sliding glass door. They clink cups in greeting.

“You enjoying yourself, Keith?” Matt says, holding back an obvious chuckle. Keith just scoffs, but smiles into his cup, anyway.

“It’s alright.” He says and his eyes meet Lance’s which startles him. He doesn’t know why Keith would look at him in that moment but it feels like the entire room shifts on its axis, tilting the space around them while time stops and Lance almost loosens the grip on his cup. But before he can think much further on the meaning those grey eyes are trying to convey to him, Keith is looking back at Matt, talking to him amicably.

He is definitely not drunk enough for this.

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There are a few things Keith learns at the party. 1) Shay is a very kind person. 2) Lance wasn’t kidding about the alcohol. 3) Keith is actually really weak willed.

The first goes without saying. Shay has been nothing but a generous host, bouncing from small group to small group, making sure cups are filled, chips and dips are stocked, and everyone is having a pleasant time. She stops to chat with Keith a few times while, checking up on Lance and his drinking competition. Laughing good naturedly at how serious the two of them are taking it and telling Keith a little about herself. Her family’s from South America, she just visited Uruguay recently and met some outer family members and had a fabulous time. Keith tells her a little about himself and she seems just as interested in his story as he was with her, which is genuine and makes him feel like he’s been friends with her for years.

The second, he realizes as the night goes on. With Lance and him starting and finishing drinks at the same time, Keith is amazed at Lance throw them back, smiling the whole way. Keith isn’t new to alcohol, he’s had his fair share of experience but not in the social aspect, and definitely not with someone like Lance blazing a trail. There’s a sort of looseness that engulfs Lance as the drinks pile up. Lance is more touchy with Keith, laying a hand on his shoulder for seemingly no reason, bumping into him as they mix their next drink, brushing his hand against Keith’s casually. And for some reason, Keith can’t complain. It’s nice. And maybe it’s the alcohol talking, loosening up his own inhibitions and making things he’d usually overreact about seem like everyday motions, but he leans back into Lance when Lance slings an arm around his shoulder and his fingers twitch towards Lance’s when their hands touch and Keith keeps noticing the smallest things, like Lance’s freckles and his dimples, and the way his eyes meet Keith’s constantly.

Lance is attractive. Keith knows that much. He’s attractive in more ways than just his looks. He’s friendly and easy to talk to- a never ending trove of trivia and conversation starters. He’s thoughtful and listens and when he’s not trying to be the center of attention, Keith is the center of his, listening and hanging onto Keith’s every word. And it makes him feel important to Lance. Like they’re two halves of a whole and Lance knows it too.

They’re on drink seven when Lance leads Keith to a more secluded part of the house, mentioning something about how loud it was getting and that he was sick of yelling. They had just finished making a new drink when Lance takes Keith by the hand and Keith doesn’t know what else to do but to blindly follow, trusting Lance knows what’s the most fun, this being his scene and all.

So, that brings him to the third thing he learns that night.

“It’s true, the pig’s name was Bacon.” Lance says, leaning against the wall. They had escaped the noise of the party by slinking upstairs and, not wanting to go into any of the rooms, loitered in the hallway by the master bedroom, where the bustle of the party was nothing more than a hum in the background.

“Let me guess, that was also the pig’s fate.” Keith says, smiling into his cup.

“Sadly, Bacon only lived as long as he could before he was breakfast one day…” Lance sniffs back a fake tear, not seeming the least bit sorry for the poor animal.

“That’s kinda fucked up, man.” Keith says and Lance straightens up, swirling his drink around and shrugging.

“If you name it after the food it’s going to be, it lessens the blow. But hey, when you gotta eat, you gotta eat. Better than buying meat from a corporate slaughterhouse where you know those animals don’t get even a fraction of the love and affection Bacon got from the McClain household.” And Keith can’t really argue with that.

“So your family has a farm, a beach farm, you’ve lived near the water your entire life,” Keith lists off, using his fingers to count. “And you decided to be a photographer?”

“Mmyup,” He says, popping the ‘p’ and looking down into his drink. “Who ever really wants to continue the family trade? That’s too old school.”

Keith shrugs at that because honestly? He wouldn’t know. Lance seems to notice that and backtracks immediately. Keith tells him it’s not a big deal and he knew what Lance meant. They fall into an awkward silence and Keith kicks himself for it, having been enjoying this pleasant alone time with Lance.

Lance seems to get fed up with the silence and fishes out his phone. Keith assumes to busy himself with something since Keith made it so awkward between them. Stupid lack of social graces. Stupid awkward, uncomfortable Keith.

“Scooch closer.” Lance says, motioning to Keith who snaps out of his self-deprecating monologue to blink at the other man, dumbly. “C’mere.” Lance commands after Keith doesn't make a move and is pulled close to Lance’s side. “You're going to be my selfie partner right now. Don't know why we haven't done this yet! Should've brought my Polaroid…”

Keith should reply to that but his mind is foggy from the booze and Lance’s hand is heavy on his shoulder, slowly slipping down his arm and he's holding the phone up and Keith is just a moment too late to catch Lance pressing the capture button and snapping a photo.

“Okay, again.” Lance all but demands after looking at the photo.

Keith is prepared this time, or so he thinks, leaning in and smiling up at the phone. It's not until Lance sings, “say cheese!” that Keith notices Lance turn his head and press his lips against Keith’s cheek. And before Keith can even react, Lance is pulling away, bringing up the picture and looking it over before going back to the camera app and leaning back in.

“This is fun!” He giggles- actually giggles and Keith is still trying to cognize the fact that those very lips, the ones laughing and pulling into a duck face at his camera, the lips attached to the boy that Keith hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since he moved into this small beach town, have touched his face.

“Come on, Keith. You have to have more faces than that one!” Lance turns towards him, camera facing them as Keith short circuits and reboots. “Give us a smile,” He cooes and Keith just blinks, doe-eyed and Lance nods once at that picture.

“I don’t know how you do it, but even with that dumb look on your face, you’re still fucking hot.” He mumbles it like it’s something he hates. Like it’s a fact that grates on him and that snaps Keith out of his stupor.

“How am I-” But the camera is on him again. He sees his reflection in the screen of the app, blinking back at himself as Lance locks eyes with him through the screen, brows pinched in frustration but eyes gleaming with something else and Keith could use another drink! He really could! Because as Lance tells him to pose again, he’s leaning his body against Keith’s side, his face turned fully towards Keith’s face, catching his attention and making him look at Lance straight on. Which is exactly what Keith shouldn’t be doing and exactly what Lance wants him to do because he’s leaning in again, eyes half lidded, breath smelling like peach vodka.

Lance presses a firm kiss to Keith’s lips, eyes sliding shut. Keith doesn’t even remember what it feels like to blink, his eyes are so wide, taking in every single piece of sensation and retaining none of it as his drunken mind tries to catch up to the present, still caught up on the kiss to his cheek and how soft that was, and the fact that Lance called him hot and why he had looked so annoyed by the concept.

Offhandedly, Keith hears the artificial sound of a camera shutter as Lance’s finger presses the capture button.

Snapped very quickly back to the present, Lance is tilting his head and mouthing at Keith, coaxing him into reciprocating the kiss and suddenly, Keith is parched and Lance is an oasis. His eyes slide closed, brows furrowing as he strains to hold back and not be too aggressive, too desperate in his need. Lance doesn’t seem perturbed by it, wrapping his free hand around Keith’s neck and opening his mouth to lick across Keith’s bottom lip.

Keith opens his own mouth hungrily, lapping at Lance’s tongue with his own and tilting his head to the side, letting a soft moan slip out. That only seems to egg Lance on and Keith vaguely registers the clatter of Lance’s phone falling to the ground and skidding away as Lance presses into him, pinning him to the wall, his hands roaming up Keith’s body to cup his face and smooth over his shoulders. Keith’s initial instinct is to push back, give him a little bit of a fight as their mouths move together, soft noises spilling from both of them. Lance catches on quickly. Moving his hands down Keith’s arms and grabbing his wrists, pushing back and pinning him to the wall. Keith growls as their mouths break apart for a moment before he’s leaning up and claiming Lance’s lips again.

Lance slides his hands up the wall, bringing himself closer to Keith’s body, pulling away from his mouth to nose at the underside of his chin. Keith leans his head back and Lance latches onto his neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there and making Keith’s toes curl inside his boots. Lance’s tongue is searing against Keith’s skin and the sensation trails down his spine, his stomach pitted with a heavy hot feeling and he mewls, back arching.

“God, Keith…” Lance grunts and it sends a flash of white, hot sensation down the curve of Keith’s back, igniting his senses.

In the back of Keith’s mind, he thinks this is what it’s like to play with fire.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance’s body is on autopilot. A tiny voice pleads with him to slow down, think about what he’s doing. Try to be rational! But another, arguably equally rational part of his mind, whose voice happens to be a little bit louder, says that Keith is kissing back and moaning in his mouth and arching into him. Surely it’s requited. At least physically so. And if that’s all Lance can get, at least tonight, he’s pathetic enough to take it.

Keith bites his bottom lip after he moves up from Keith’s neck and Lance groans, low and feral. The little bit of pain pushing him a little closer to the edge. He should probably stop this. Get Keith’s attention and talk it out.

Hey, this is fabulous. Like, amazing, sensational. Exactly what I want to do with you right now, but let’s get on the same page…

You like kissing, I like kissing. Why not keep kissing together? We make a good team.

I want to take you home to meet my family and treat you with all the love and support you deserve. Live with you in a small house with a white picket fence and get a bunch of cats and grow old together…

Keith’s movements are slow and sloppy, alcohol coursing through both of their veins when Lance feels his hands moving up under his shirt and Keith’s coarse fingers graze his skin, sending goosebumps up his back and over his arms. He pulls back, shivering, eyes squeezed shut as he enjoys the feeling of those hands roam him- those intense, dark eyes look through him, like he’s the only one worth looking at and it hits Lance there, with Keith’s gaze boring through his soul, that there is something there. That if Lance doesn’t stop and speak up, the moment will be gone. God, they really couldn’t have done this in a more private area? During a romantic moment? Not sitting on the floor in a hallway while a party rages down the stairs below.

“Lance…” It’s just a whisper, breathy and needy and Lance leans in on instinct. Because whatever Keith wants, Keith is going to get.

There’s a moment where their eyes meet and time stops, shifting them slowly back to reality, where they are two friends who have never had any conversation about romance. Friends who should be mingling with their other friends downstairs, not secretly swapping spit in an abandoned part of the house.

Lance desperately wants to know what he’s thinking because this staring silence after just having one of the hottest make-out sessions either of them have ever experienced isn’t clearing the air.

Lance is just about to ask him what he wants to say because Keith isn’t moving to continue, just staring doe-eyed. Jaw moving slightly as he tries to work the words out and then Shiro is coming up the stairs. Boots falling heavy on each step as he calls out for Keith and Lance.

“There you two are. Were you waiting for the bathroom? There’s another one downstairs by the garage…” At this point, Lance and Keith have slammed their backs against the wall, Lance with his phone back in his hand as he feigns nonchalance at the screen, as if they’d just been chilling like friends do and not about to crawl into each other’s laps. Lance tries to sneak a peek at Keith to gauge his expression but he’s already standing up, face adamantly turned away from Lance as he answers Shiro.

Lance stays sitting as Keith follows Shiro downstairs, tossing a “See you down there, I need another drink anyway,” over his shoulder and Lance thinks that maybe he’s had enough for tonight. Keith can have this one. He can win the stupid competition.

Lance looks back down on his phone and it’s opened up to his photos app. The last photo being a blurred image of Lance all but pouncing on Keith and he drops his head on his knees, now pulled up to his chest and groans.

Chapter Text

Keith started life, he assumes, bloodied and screaming. He doesn’t know for sure if he had a difficult birth. Doesn’t know how long he put his mother through labor, how quit his birth was, if his biological mother survived it. But he started life and he is sure it was a momentous occasion. Someone had to have been happy. But he’s not sure.

His first memory is in an office. He’s in someone’s arms, but their face is a smudged out blur. He doesn’t remember voices but he remembers the blinds on the window were vertical, not horizontal, and the memory is almost always triggered by a smell. Night flowers and some kind of disinfectant.

Looking back on it now, he was in the office of the first orphanage he was in. The person holding him was someone that was adopting him. And that person inevitably gave up. Like most foster homes, which he went back through over and over again, abandoned when he was too hard to handle. When his tantrums were too much, and ‘what must his real parents be like if they made a childlike this?’ and ‘don’t you dare run away, young man. I will call the cops!’ and ‘why can’t you just be normal?’

But he chalks all of that up to being trapped in the system, being too young to understand why he didn’t have parents but also ultimately coming to terms with mortality sooner than most other children do, and abandonment issues which cause him uncontrollable angry bouts that seem to come out of nowhere, hit hard and fast, and leave him ashamed and self-deprecating.

But he’s passed that now.

When he hit puberty, he became athletic. And apparently, a child in the system is only worth something if they show some sort of innate talent. Keith learns that he can run. And he runs often. Mostly outside and away, getting scolded when he comes back but it gets less and less of an issue when he’s put into track at the school he gets his homeschool lessons from. His counselor always told him that he should find a healthy distraction for when the anger comes, hot and strong and like a rogue wave, washing over his personality, changing him into someone even he doesn’t recognize. So he runs. When he’s scolded for something he never did, he does lap in the rec room. When he’s bullied by another kid, he jogs around the block. Just getting away is enough to snuff out the rage.

It’s then that he meets Shiro.

Shiro is older than him, and Keith remembers thinking, ‘that’s an adult what is he doing here?’ It doesn’t take long for Shiro to introduce himself. He’s kind and soft spoken and no one bothers him like they bother Keith. No one tries to trip him when he walks by or kicks him off the swings or makes him so angry he has to take a lap just so he doesn’t give someone a blood nose. Shiro is amiable and popular and he gives Keith the time of day. It doesn’t make sense to him at first, but as the years go on, Shiro doesn’t leave him.

Keith had had time to explain his short, pathetic life story not expecting anything but a pitiful look and shallow words but Shiro gives him something substantial that makes his chest hurt to this day. He makes him a promise. Afterall, Shiro knows what it’s like to be left behind and whisked around like he’s just a burden. And even though Keith assumes most of the children who are self aware can relate, none of them act quite like Keith does, and therefore make him an outlier who’s too whiny to befriend. But Shiro doesn’t care and Shiro stays.

And it’s one night that Shiro makes another promise, one he makes Keith promise in time. That when they are old enough- both of them- that they will go and make their own home because they’re a family as far as he’s concerned and Keith cries and cries and wraps his pinky around Shiro’s.

If Keith didn’t have Shiro to keep him together, he would probably be in prison, let’s face it.

Needless to say, Keith appreciates everything he’s done for him. He loves him deeply and he can’t imagine a life without him. Though, these feelings are pushed to the back of his foggy, drunken mind after he was just royally cockblocked by that same Shiro.

“Whoa, Keith. How much have you had?” Shiro says, steading Keith as he stumbles off the last stair. Keith shrugs him off and pushes passed him, brooding and needing something to take the edge off. Shiro follows him, keeping close and radiating unwanted heedfulness.

“I’m not even that drunk, Shiro.” Keith says, whirling on him and glaring. Shiro’s eyes widen but he otherwise looks unphased. Whatever. “What do you want, anyway? I was fine where I was!”

“Uh, is something wrong?” He all but ignores Keith’s tantrum, searching his face for what’s really bothering him. Keith feels naked under that gaze and it just makes him bristle more. He wants to spit it out, tell him that he was having a great time in Lance’s arms, with their mouths slotted together and hands roaming unbidden. But he hasn’t even been able to process his emotions, why it felt so right, and what the next step should be. Something in the back of Keith’s mind tells him Shiro would be a good source to go to for advice but the louder, more drunk voice shouts that he’s frustrated and still horny and wants nothing more than to drown his sorrows with liquor and forget tonight even happened.

Shiro seems to get the hint that Keith’s not spilling specifics and he ends up just getting him a glass of water and introducing him to Allura.

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(13:04) hunk where are u

(13:04) Outside with Shay and everyone else
(13:04) Where are you?!

(13:05) hung… my man . by guy
(13:05) i have ROYALING FUCKD UO
(13:05) rotaly
(13:05) royaly*

(13:06) Don’t tell me you clogged the toilet again Lance…

(13:06) not unless that a euphamisn for fuckng up my changes w. Kith
(13:06) keith

(13:07) Okay, I’m coming to find you where are you?

(13:07) ubstars
(13:07) upsates
(13:07) upstares

Hunk is walking up the stairs before Lance can finish fixing his spelling. He spots Lance in the back corner of the hallway by Shay’s bedroom and makes his way over to him, groaning as he slowly eases himself down onto the floor. Lance immediately leans his head on Hunk’s shoulder and whimpers, feeling the force of how much he wishes he was anyone else but himself right now. Hunk makes a pitying noise and pats Lance on the head.

“There, there, buddy.” Hunk cooes and Lance sniffles, glaring down at floor. He flicks his phone around and watches it spin under his palm on the floorboards. Five minutes ago, Keith was right there, in his arms, with his lips on his and now he’s downstairs and he’s going to be avoiding Lance like the plague and Lance fucked up! He fucked up so bad and there’s no way he or one of Hunk’s hugs, or another drink can fix this.

“Keith’s gonna hate me…” He moans, rubbing his nose against Hunk’s shoulder. Hunk makes a cooing noise and wraps an arm around him.

“I don’t know what you did, but I can assure you that whatever it was, it won’t make Keith hate you.” Lance scoffs at that.

“Yeah right… what’dyou know… you’re just… you’re just a straight with a girl who likes you back…” He doesn’t mean to sound bitter but he’s upset and he needs a punching bag and Hunk is the only one patient enough to deal with a drunk Lance.

“First off, we don’t know how Shay feels about me, remember?” Lance groans at that. Leave it to Hunk to be completely level headed when it comes to emotions and giving love advice. “And secondly, Keith is your friend. You two are close, and whatever it is that happened, I’m sure you’ll be able to talk it out once you’re both sober.”

“Fuck being sober!” Lance shouts, throwing a fist in the air and leaning into Hunk’s side more. Hunk just tightens his hold on Lance’s shoulders and sighs. “He’ll never talk to me again and good! That’s just fine! I don’t need him or his stupid hair and his dumb, hot bike, and his firm forearms and his tight ass and his soft lips and his gorgeous eyes…”

“Uhhh…”

Lance stutters to an end to that sentence and stares down at his legs, spread out in front of him and notices that he’s getting a hole in the knee of one of them. And suddenly, his vision goes blurry and hot tears spill down his face. Hunk tenses up and immediately wraps his other arm around Lance who turns into his shoulder and cries like the day he was born.

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Keith smashes another bottle in the street and that’s when Pidge intervenes.

“Okay, you’re going to have to be a big boy and tell someone what’s up. Because you went upstairs, smiling and having a blast and came down looking like someone shot your dog.” Keith ignores her, picking up another drained bottle and raising it above his head. “You’re gonna get the cops called on you.”

“Yeah right.” He chucks it to the ground and watches it shatter into tiny, shimmering pieces. Pidge steps back, some of the smaller pieces bouncing passed her.

“Did Lance do something?” Keith stills, mid bend over, hand stretched out for another bottle as he looks over his shoulder at her. “Yeesh, I guess so. Reel back the death glare, buddy.”

“It’s none of your business.” He bites out, regardless of whether she hit the nail on the head or not. He hears her scuff her shoes against the pavement, glass scraping and crunching under the sole.

“Did he hurt you?” She sounds incredulous and it just makes Keith’s blood boil all the more. He throws another bottle. “Did he say something fucked up?” She really won’t quit. Until she does and there’s blissful silence for all but 5 minutes.

“Maybe I’ll just go ask him myself…” He says, as if to no one in particular and Keith knows it’s a trap but his hand snaps out anyway, grabbing her wrist and holding her in place. She peers at him, head tilted as she sizes him up and he averts her gaze like a coward.

“He…” Keith starts, closes his mouth, works his tongue over a lump in his throat, tries again. “He didn’t hurt me.” That’s a start. Now, if only he could get the rest of it out. Maybe having a second opinion would be helpful. But Keith doesn’t like doing things the easy way.

“So,” Pidge starts, slowly. “why are you throwing a pissyfit?” The look on her face isn’t accusatory or angry. She looks worried and that helps Keith work the words out of his throat.

“I fucked up.” Because that’s easier to say. “I fucked up, and it’s going to ruin our friendship.” Pidge blinks at that, cocking her head to the side.

“Knowing Lance and how he is with friendships, I highly doubt you could do anything to fuck it up.” Keith rolls his eyes and lets go of her wrist, turning back to the street and kicking the bottom of one of the shattered bottles. “No seriously. You could have said ‘Lance, I hate you never talk to me again,’ and he’s still text you later on that day. The guy doesn’t quit.”

“‘S’not that simple…” Keith mumbles and Pidge groans, dramatical.

“I’ll bet you anything it is that simple.” He hears her shuffle and knows she has her hands on her hips, defiantly.

“What would you know… you’ve never liked anyone.” He knows he’s being immature about this but right now, he’ll say anything to get some drunken alone time. Pidge proves to be a formidable opponent.

“That may be, but I’m not stupid or blind.” She pauses and when he doesn’t reply, she walks up to stand next to him. “I know you have feelings for him.” His shoulders tense immediately. “You might not have realized it yet, but you do. It’s why you’re so scared of ruining the friendship. But, Keith,” She turns to him and graces him with a rare, soft smile. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Keith eyes her for a moment, gauging her sincerity before turning back towards the road. The street lamps reflecting on the shattered glass mirror the speckled stares in the night sky. He thinks Lance would appreciate this view.

And then it strikes him like a bolt, coming up from his toes to his heart and back down again. Suddenly, his heart aches with how much he feels for Lance, tightening the cage of his chest and making his organs scream in protest.

Lance is much more than a good friend. That kiss meant more to Keith than anything he’s ever experienced before. He didn’t want it to stop. He doesn’t want to hide these feelings from Lance. He needs to express them, let them out, or he’s going to surely die from the compression. Clamping down on his heart, his lungs, making him realize that the only cure is Lance feeling the same way.

And that’s when the chill sets in.

Because he won’t feel the same way.

Lance is outgoing, expressive, affectionate. That kiss was just a drop in the bucket of kisses Lance has probably shared with other partners who have been around a lot longer than Keith has. What makes him so different? He’s new, he has no talents, won’t follow his dreams, comes with a considerable amount of emotional baggage and what is that worth to someone like Lance, who could have anyone he wanted if he just fluttered those pretty lashes at them.

Keith lets out the breath he was holding and crouches down, crossing his arms over his knees and burying his head. He feels like he’s going to start hyperventilation. And probably would if Pidge isn’t leaning over him, a small hand on his back, rubbing hesitant circles along his spine and shoulder blades.

“Keith. I know this might be a shock to you, but it’s not a shock to me. So, if you need something to hold onto, hold onto the fact that I’m not freaking out, okay?” Keith breathes out slowly and nods his head. Pidge seems satisfied and helps him stand up again.

“Sorry… I’m way too drunk for this.” he confesses, wiping at his face. At least he had a semi break down in front of Pidge and not a bunch of strangers.

Pidge seems to get the picture and smiles up at him. “Nothing to be sorry about. It happens.” She takes his hand and he notices just how small it is compared to his and that comforts him somehow, he’s not sure why. Maybe it’s because the once, very stern and analytical Pidge is showing him compassion. He’ll gladly take it.

“Let’s get you a cup of water and see if Shiro’s ready to go home, okay?” She starts leading him back inside and Keith’s grip on her hand tightens a little bit more.

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Hunk helps Lance into his house and gets him water while he fumbles with his own shoes. It’s not the most graceful drunken night he’s ever had. And he’s had plenty of cuties stop making out with him and leave without saying another word, but tonight is somehow a lot more sobering, for lack of a better word. Keith isn’t some cutie he checks out at the club. He’s a friend. An incredibly hot, datable friend. That Lance has thoroughly fucked up with. And he’ll be surprised if he ever hears from Keith again.

Hunk isn’t as convinced.

“Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” Hunk says, tucking Lance into bed. Lance just looks up at him with glossy eyes, lower lip puckering out as he tries not to start crying again. Hunk sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed. It creaks under his weight.

“Will you… will you talk to him for me? Like, on my behalf?” Lance asks, voice shaking slightly. He knows he’s being pathetic but his inhibitions are low and the deep emotion he usually feels at all times isn’t being held back by anything right now. “But don’t let him know it’s on my behalf! I don’t want to scare him… more…”

“I know what you meant, buddy. Don’t worry.” Hunk says, patting his covers and smiling warmly. “I’ll see what I can do.” LAnce sniffles at that, pulling the covers up to his nose.

“D’you think Keith hates me?”

“I don’t think that’s even a possibility, man.” There Hunk goes, being a paragon of a person.

“But I kissed him…”

“And that doesn’t really make friends hate each other.” Hunk reasons. Lance sniffles at that and his eyebrows knit together in contemplation.

“Would you hate me if I tried to make out with you?”

“No, Lance. You already tried that a few years ago, remember? And look at us.” Lance hates how much sense Hunk is making. “Look, Lance. Get some rest, sober up, don’t forget to drink water and pee, and then we’ll deal with this tomorrow.” Hunk pats his knee through the comforter and stands. Lance watches him go before the thought hits him.

“‘We?’” He asks, hopeful. Hunk stops in the doorway and smiles back at his friend.

“Yeah, I’ll help in any way that I can. I know you’re head over heels for this guy and I think it’s requited so I’ll do whatever it takes to at least get the two of you on the same page.” Lance tears up at that, feeling far too undeserving of a friend like Hunk. “Now go to bed and stop crying, I finally got my eyes to stop being red from earlier tonight…”

Lance nods and thanks him and closes his eyes as he hears Hunk get comfortable on the couch. Knowing he’s there is a soothing balm on Lance’s rattled nerves. He sips on his water a bit before sleep overtakes him and he dreams of nothing, just blackness.

Lance gives him a few days, but Keith never replies.

Chapter Text

(10:45) i know what you’re thinking…
(10:45) whats a guy as hung over as me doing up at a time like this?
(10:45) well, its very simple
(10:45) i had to throw up
(10:50) youre probably still asleep
(10:55) text me when you get up so i know you made it home

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(09:04) hunk told me that shiro told him that you got home safely so thats good!
(09:04) just about to clock in at the store
(09:05) lemme know if you wanna get lunch or something

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(13:17) wanna go to the beach tonight?
(13:17) i got a good feeling about this one
(13:28) good talk!!!!

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(01: 36) pidge just left
(01:36) she said to give you some space
(01:36) i dont know why you couldnt just tell me yourself
(01:36) im sorry

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(03:58) you know im always here if you want to talk
(03:58) even if its at almost 4 in the morning haha
(4:02) have a good night, keith

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“How’s your bike running?”

Keith and Shiro are sitting at their small dinner table, silverware clattering against plates as they eat their dinner. Shiro’s getting better. This meal is practically edible, even if one side of the porkchop is blackened. But Keith thinks it adds to the overall taste.

“It’s puttering a little bit. Want me to bring it by the shop tomorrow?”

“Yeah, Hunk can give it a look over.”

They lapse into a silence that borders on awkward. Keith knows what the elephant in the room is leaning towards. He knows that Shiro is just itching to ask- again- what happened between him and Keith. He’s noticed Keith’s drop in mood, noticed him forgetting about his phone, leaving it in his room, letting it go without charging until it dies. Keith knows Shiro wants nothing more than to lay on him some brotherly advice but…

Keith is just so tired.

He’s not even sure why he’s tired. Or why he’s avoiding Lance. Why he can’t seem to even read his texts or answer his phone. He doesn’t even know how he feels about that night. All of the emotions swirl into a sickly murk of unease, not knowing what the future for them could possibly be other than what they’ve had. Keith isn’t properly equipped to sort through the fog of his mind and find the answers he’s looking for. He’s also not equipped to properly ask for help.

So, he doesn’t ask why Shiro is unusually quiet at almost every meal, the only time they really spend together without tv as a distraction, or his bike, or his job. Just the two of them, catching up with each other’s lives. Shiro doesn’t press him, either. He just chews on his half edible meal and doesn’t bring up Lance. Doesn’t bring up the party or how Keith was in tears, hugging the toilet after they got home later that night. He doesn’t mention Keith’s drop in mood or how he stays in his room when he’s not at work.

Keith should be concerned that his brother isn’t being more nosey, but right now, he’s just grateful for the space.

And no matter how he’s feeling, he can’t seem to take the photos off the wall.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance doesn’t think it’s so bad, now that he’s had a week or so to reflect. Keith was a good friend, he thinks. He was standoffish, a little bit shy, but charming and soft when Lance was able to crack through Keith’s hard exterior.

Lance thinks, well, it was good while it lasted.

“That’ll be $35.68. Do you need a bag?” He’s taken up a few extra shifts at the store because he has the time.

And some part of him thinks if he’s here more often, maybe Keith will wander in and he can finally get a read on how Keith is feeling about them. Whether he’s disgusted and hates Lance or if he’s embarrassed and needs some reassurance. Lance just wants to know.

“Have you been feeling alright, Lance? You look a little pale.” His coworker, a nice elderly lady he’s known since he was a child asks him one afternoon. He's crouched down by a shelf of unlabeled boxes, label gun in hand, staring at a box for much longer than necessary. He's lost in thought but he's not thinking about Keith. No way.

“Mm? I'm fine. Why do you ask?” He resumes labeling and feigns like he hadn't been staring off into space for an unknown amount of time. She gives him a long look before straightening a few askewed packages in the shelf he’s standing next to.

“I know you, Lance. I know you aren't this quiet unless something happened. You can pretend everything is fine but holding it in has never helped you.” He blinks at her bluntness then goes back to labeling, his brow pinched slightly as he frowns.

“I'm honestly fine, just tired.”

She makes a humming noise that makes his hackles rise. Yes, not hearing from Keith is fucking awful and no, time is not making him feel better about it. In fact, he's just feeling worse. The more he tries to avoid the thought of Keith, the more he thinks about him and the little things that he's only noticed with Keith. Like, that he smells like old wood after it rains, his hair is coarse and smooth and never frizzy. How he looks, sun kissed after a walk on the beach, sand on his cheek and a smile crinkling his eyes. His teeth are straight, except for a few on the bottom row. It's endearing and cute and fundamentally Keith. And Lance is pissed about it.

Lance doesn't want to think about the kiss. He doesn't want to think about how their lips felt like puzzle pieces, slotting together as if they were cut from the same board. He doesn't want to remember the feel of those slightly chapped lips hesitant against his but eager and wanting. Yet, the memories flood back when he doesn't actively keep them in check, like when someone asks him why he looks so down or when he's trying to sleep at night.

He hates it.

But he can't let it go.

“If I've learned anything from my many years on this earth,” she says offhandedly. A bag of dried pineapple in her hand. “it's that everything happens for a reason.” Lance sits back on his heels and peers up at her.

“Obstacles get in our way not to impede us but to help us grow. Once you overcome it, you learn and it will always turn out for the better. Rolling over and taking it destroys all chance at victory. Do you want to give up?”

Lance hesitantly shakes his head. He doesn't want to give up. He never gives up at anything, now that he thinks about it. Why should Keith be any different?

“I don't know what has got you looking so down, but I know that you are young and tenacious and if it can't be fixed from just how genuine you are,” she gently cups his cheek and his eyes begin to sting. “Then so be it. Sometimes things don't go the way you want it to but they always go the way they need to.”

“What if the end result sucks? What if I want it to go well so bad I can't even bring myself to try?”

She smiles softly at him and takes a long breath.

“When I was about your age, I had a fight with my husband. We were newlyweds but it was rushed and I didn't take into account wanting to go to school, get a career, be a little more independent. My husband wanted a family and a wife who took care of the house. You can see why a fight was bound to happen.” She chuckles as if this is a fond memory. Lance just cocks his head slightly. “I wanted to leave him. It scared me that my freedom could be taken away so easily. I think, I was afraid of change- quick change and my husband didn't understand where I was coming from.”

“So, what'd you do about it?”

“Well, I took some time for myself. He gave me some space which I was very thankful for. After some time to find myself and think about how to compromise. How we can leave this fight satisfied with the outcome.” She stops to smile at Lance. “It took a lot longer than either of us wanted, but he was patient and when he reached out to me, he was gentle and understanding and I felt comfortable enough to open up to him.”

“Yeah?” Lance asks, looking hopeful.

“Mm. He was always the affectionate one. The one that needed to nip everything in the bud before it festered. I'm more slow and calculating, thinking that with enough time I can figure anything out. We butted heads over our differing views but ultimately, his sunny disposition and his willingness to work with me pulled me back in and I knew that is exactly what I wanted and needed. The journey was a little uncomfortable but I'm glad we traveled it.”

“So, are you still together?” Lance asks. She smiles and nods and he relaxes slightly, letting out a soft sigh.

“Until the very end. And I don't regret any hiccup.”

Lance ponders this, looking back at the shelf of unlabeled boxes.

Keith wants space. That’s a definite. How much space is what really bothers Lance. He wants nothing more than to find Keith, shake him by the shoulders and make him open up. Even if he screams in Lance’s face that he hates him and feels violated and never wants to see him again, at least he'll know where they stand.

And maybe, if Lance goes about this correctly, he can ease Keith into opening up, maybe he's just shy. Maybe he's scared of rejection too. Lance knows that what he feels between them isn't empty. It's bursting with something that Lance hasn't been able to label but it’s there and almost tangible. Lance can't ignore the pull they have.

“If… if I did something that might be just as awesome as it was terrible, do you think I could be forgiven?” He doesn't think that question makes much sense out of context but he's not sure how else to word it. He can't say the words out loud.

She gives him a long look that makes him feel a little vulnerable.

“Depends on if it was actually terrible or not.” She regards him for a moment. “This has to do with a friend, doesn't it?” Lance can only nod at that, not trusting his voice. She hums at him before placing the last package of fruit on the stand.

“Talk to that friend. Or you'll have no chance at a positive outcome.”

Lance doesn't see how any part of this could ever be positive.

He knows that they’re just trying to cheer him up. And he knows that Keith just needs some time to sort things out. His coworker made him feel a little bit better, but the distance still bothers him, especially late at night when he’d like nothing more than to reach over to his phone and text Keith about something inane and unimportant. Yet, he stills his hand and his phone never chimes back.

“Lance, you know that if you keep focusing on it, it’s just going to get worse.” Pidge says, snapping him out of his thoughts. He’s not sure if she’s talking about the game they’re playing or his own personal issues.

“Yeah, dude. I know it sucks, but just give him some time to come around.”

“I know that!” Lance snaps. And he does! He’s had enough people telling him to wait it out and he thinks he’s been pretty fucking patient, at least on the outside.

“Do you? Because you look like someone who’s never known happiness.” Pidge deadpans and Lance glares at her. Of course he’s known happiness! He was friends with Keith!

There he goes making himself sad again.

He deflates a little, slumping back into the couch. Hunk and Pidge exchange pointed looks but say nothing more about it, choosing to go about their business and not enable Lance’s sour mood.

He knows he needs to open up a little more. That the complaining isn’t getting him anywhere, it’s just making him insufferable. Maybe if he does open up, they’ll give him actual advice and not something he’s heard a million times by literally everyone. Not advice on how to make Keith talk to him again, but advice on how to cope with the distance until Keith decides to let him back into his life.

“Do you guys actually think he’ll come around?” Lance says after a moment of deliberation. Hunk gives him a pitying look that he hates but he knows it’s coming from a place of compassion so he lets it slip. Pidge, on the other hand, has no qualms with telling Lance exactly what she thinks, even if it’ll hurt.

He expects her to tell him that Keith is probably never “coming around” and that Lance is better off just moving on because he’s a creep that fucked up. ‘Learn from this, Lance,’ he can hear her say and he bites back a whine as she opens her mouth to speak.

“What do you think?” She says, instead. Which throws Lance off a little but he’s always been good at bouncing back.

“I-I… I don’t know. I hope so?”

“Of course you hope so but do you actually think he will?” She presses, her eyes unwavering as they bore into him.

Lance takes a moment, looking down at his lap, his hands picking at each other in a show of anxiety.

“I keep telling myself that he will. That he just needs to gather his thoughts and then he’ll be ready to talk to me but honestly? I don’t have a lot of hope.” He pauses, takes a few breaths. Steadying himself. “I overstepped a boundary. And I think I took advantage of the situation because… Because I like him a lot more than just a friend. And that was the shittiest thing I could’ve done.” He blinks a few times, his vision becoming blurry and his eyes beginning to sting. “I don’t deserve him to forgive me.” He looks up at them, shocked at his own words.

“I don’t deserve it.”
Pidge glances back at Hunk who is starting to tear up, himself and sighs. “Boys…” She stands up and places the game controller on the coffee table before flopping down on the couch next to Lance. “I don’t know why you’d think Keith would cut ties with you over a kiss. Yeah, it’s a grey area, but you don’t know what he’s thinking. Keith’s a little off when it comes to social skills but he’s not hopeless and he’s an adult, just like you.” She pauses slinking her arm around his shoulders and he leans into her.

“How do you know, though… He hasn’t said a single thing to me since it happened. Won’t reply to any of my texts…” Lance says with a sniffle.

“Shiro made it seem like he was shutting everyone out,” Hunk speaks up and Lance glances up at him. “I-I mean, he didn’t say much but he kinda alluded to Keith not even bringing it up with Shiro, himself. Like locking himself in his room when he isn’t at work and stuff like that.”

And to Lance, that sounds exactly like something Keith would do. Strangely enough, it gives Lance a little glimmer of hope.

“Do you think it’s shame? Like he’s ashamed of kissing me because we’re friends and he feels like he fucked up the friendship?”

“Now you’re starting to think critically!” Pidge says, giving his shoulders a squeeze. Lance chuckles at that.

“Shiro didn’t seem too worried about him. He knows him better than any of us do, so I’d trust in him when it comes to Keith and his weird moods. If Shiro isn’t freaking out, then I don’t think there’s any reason to worry.”

“Wow, Hunk saying there’s nothing to worry about is kinda unsettling…” Pidge jokes and Hunk shoots her an unamused glare. A chuckle bubbles up Lance’s chest and he feels a wave of relief wash over him.

“Thanks, guys… I, well, I feel a lot better now. I think I’m going to be okay. At least until Keith comes to me…” They smile back at him and there’s a beat of silence before Lance is beckoning Hunk to get up on the couch and make this normal hug into a group one. He doesn’t need to be told twice before he’s jumping up and flinging his large frame at Lance and Pidge.

Lance hates not being able to talk to Keith. It’s sad and it’s lonely but it seems to be nothing but an ugly necessity. So, he gives Keith space, reminds himself that everything will work out the way it needs to, and prepping what he’ll say to Keith the next time they see each other.

He just hopes he doesn’t ever scare him away again.

-------------------------------------------------------

The waves slosh over the wet sand and Keith plops down, digging his feet into the sand and feeling its warmth. He sighs knowing he can ignore a lot of things except for the beach. Just like the moon pulls the tides, the beach pulls him in and yes, it’d be more enjoyable if he had some company- some company that isn't a specific person, no way- but alone is also good.

Alone is just fine.

He watches a hermit crab dig up from underneath its hideaway in the sand and pick at the grains in search of food. Lance had a pet hermit crab once. His name was Kermit because it rhymed and Lance was a child at the time. Keith watches it go about its business, only food on its mind and he wishes he could live that simply. But nothing ever is.

Family isn't simple.

Friendships aren't simple.

Neither is love.

Keith brings his knees up to his chest and hugs them, his eyes roaming over the small beach around him. Taking in the nature and thinking about Lance. Lance and his soft, tanned skin. His random aquatic trivia, his knack for breaking Keith out of his shell and showing him how to find enjoyment in anything. How to appreciate the little things instead of worrying about what he doesn't have.

And that same boy kissed him. He kissed him like he was starved and Keith was his last meal. The memory burns through his veins and pools in the pit of his stomach, making a shiver run up his spine. It's impossible that someone would feel like that towards Keith, physically or otherwise. Lance, especially. Someone who is so talented and friendly and outgoing and the complete opposite of Keith. How could someone like that want someone like Keith?

Maybe that's why he's avoiding him. Keeping him away so that Keith can figure out what is so great about himself. What could Lance possibly see in someone who is shy to the point of standoffish, lacking in more social cues than anyone else he knows, who doesn't even have parents to introduce Lance to? Keith doesn't see his appeal.

And yet, his lips still remember the sensation of the soft press, the swipe of the other’s tongue. He remembers the noises Lance made that shot right to his core, awakening something ancient and feral. He remembers his breath stuttering and his chest tightening and his eyes prick because, at the back of his drunken mind, he was incandescently happy.

And that’s what it breaks down to.

He was happy and he doesn’t think he deserves it.

A wave washes up a little higher and Keith vaguely notices the tide coming in. He should get up and he should go home and get ready for dinner. He should do anything but sit there and let the tears run down his face because he truly doesn’t believe he should ever feel happiness. And Lance forced it into his life- this thing he doesn’t deserve- and Keith ran away because what else could he do? Bask in it? He shouldn’t even have the right to consider that he should enjoy any part of this. He didn’t work for it. It wasn’t a challenge that he overcame and it’s not the prize he won. It just happened, effortlessly and he can’t wrap his head around the concept.

So, he ran away and he left Lance with no explanation and has ignored him ever since.

Because of his own inadequacy.

Keith presses his forehead to his needs and lets the water wash over him.

“Keith, did you see?” Matt rolls over to him at work, his phone in his hand. Keith looks up from where he was reading a random manual he found to pass the time. “There was another sighting of the plankton a few beaches down! They think it’s going to move up the coast!” Keith never thought that something as simple and as bizarre as plankton could ever make his heart sink, yet here he is, trying to school his features and not let it show that Matt just brought up the one thing he really doesn’t need to think about at work- or ever.

“Oh, cool.” He manages to say, looking back down at the glass bat and noticing some fingerprints on the clear surface.

Matt stares at him for a moment and Keith knows he’s going to ask what’s wrong but the front door rings as someone comes into the store and Matt turns, customer service smile already plastered on his face before his shoulders slump and he whirls back around in his chair.

“It’s just Katie.”

Keith glances up and Pidge has an odd expression on her face. She hadn’t been to the shop in a while, not since the party and Keith can’t really blame her. She’s one of Lance’s closest friends and Keith hasn’t talked to said friend in over a week. She’s probably pissed and she’s probably here to give him a piece of her mind. He figures he deserves that much, at least.

“You forgot you lunch,” She says, tearing her eyes away from Keith and handing Matta lunchbox. Matt takes it with a shrug, mumbling something about just buying lunch at the convenience store down the road. Pidge then turns her intense gaze back at Keith and he stares pointedly at his phone. Maybe if he ignores her, she’ll go away. It worked with Lance.

Wrong thing to think.

“Keith.” She says, and there’s a commanding tone to her voice that makes him peek up at her. There’s a beat of silence before she asks him how he’s doing and he’s not expecting that so he answers without thinking.

“I’ve… been better?” That seems to be an adequate responses because her gaze eases up.

“Well, as long as Lance isn’t the only one suffering…” She says with a sigh, turning to watch Matt walk into the back room with his lunch. She leans against the glass bar and blinks at him. He feels like an interrogation is about to start and his starts to sweat.

“And he is, you know?” She says, another pointed stare and he swallows thickly.

“I’m… I’m sure he is.” Keith mumbles, trying to match her stare.

“I don’t think you really get it.” And now she looks pissed. He can’t blame her. “Lance has been beating himself up over that party since you stopped talking to him. He thinks he violated you.”

That… isn’t what Keith was expecting to hear.

Lance didn’t violate him? Keith took advantage of the situation. Keith is the one who doesn’t know what he’s doing while Lance is one of the best friends he’s had and that little fiasco, no matter how amazing it was, is the end of their friendship. And Keith let it happen.

As much as he wants to tell her all of that, she doesn’t let him speak up.

“Did he?”

“Wh-what?”

“Did he violate you? Do you regret it?”

If there’s one thing Keith knows for certain, it’s that he doesn’t regret it.

“No.” Keith says, and it’s the most sure he’s sound in a week. It’s invigorating.

That answer seems to satisfying her because she smiles for the first time since she walked into the store. It puts Keith at ease a little bit- the pieces falling silently into place.

“Good. When you’re ready, tell him that.” And then she’s turning and leave and Keith looks on, dumbfounded. His brain on overdrive trying to catch up to her words.

Why would he tell Lance that? Wouldn’t that scare him off? But if Lance is suffering because Keith isn’t talking to him, maybe that’s what he needs to do. Rip off the bandaid and talk to him about it. Unless the suffering is from the actual kiss. But then why would Pidge tell him to tell Lance that he didn’t regret it?

Keith’s head hurts.

“Whoa, where’d Pidge go? She didn’t even say bye.” Matt complains from Keith’s left, but he hardly hears his manager. All he can hear is Pidge’s voice, telling him over and over again that he has to bring it up with Lance. He has to talk to him.

He supposes he never had a choice.

Chapter Text

Keith has to talk to Lance. He knows he does, and yet he can’t bring himself to even open up their chat on his phone, or check the missed calls notification that have been mocking him for the last few weeks.

Pidge is right. Hunk would probably agree. Shiro needs to know what's up and then maybe, Keith will finally have the courage to talk to the man, himself.

He takes a steadying sigh, flicking a pocket knife open and then squeezing it closed again. He’s sitting on a bench. The same bench he was sitting on when Lance and Pidge first approached him and it feels a little bit like destiny, he thinks. Sitting where he met the one person who has changed his own perception of life so quickly, without even trying, might either give him the gumption to talk to him or put him in a situation where he'd have no choice. Like if Lance were to stroll up to him right now, he would have to say something. It would be worse if he didn't.

Keith glances over his shoulder at the thought, expecting full well to see Lance, hands shoved wrist deep in his pockets, meandering up the street to hang at the beach. He takes a steadying sigh as there's no one there but a seagull pecking at the asphalt.

“Stupid.” He isn't sure if he's calling the bird, Lance, or himself that.

As the day goes on, Keith finds that he thinks about Lance more and more. Not in a weird way, but in a “man this thing reminds me of him” and “wish I could tell him about this other thing that's relative to his interests” or “Lance would have liked this stupid made for TV movie I'm watching because there's nothing else on.” And each time, Keith feels a jolt of anticipation and frustration and longing all jumbled up in a nasty ball that sits heavy in his stomach. He knows he should talk to Shiro first before he impulsively calls or texts Lance. But Shiro is at work and he won't be home until the late afternoon.

Keith’s leg bounces as the woman on screen confesses to the love of her life that she had ignored for the bad boy the entire movie. He wishes it were that easy, cry to him while it pours out and you're soaked to the bone because you ran across town to confront him before he goes to work. How would Lance take that? A sopping wet Keith, pathetic and shivering as he yells in his face about how awesome it was kissing him and how he'd really like to make it a thing that they do exclusively with each other. He scoffs at that. Lance would probably slam the door in his face and watch through the peephole as Keith turns and stalks back home. He wouldn't blame him. There are countless notifications on his phone from Lance that have gone unanswered on Keith’s end, anyway. And as the days have gone by, they’ve dwindled to nothing. Keith doesn’t think he’s gotten a text in a week. He doesn’t blame him for that, either. Keith would have stopped trying long before. He doesn’t take being ignored well. Lance seemed to have liked the abuse, until he didn't and Keith was left checking a phone with no notifications.

He picks up the remote and turns off the TV with anger slowly rising up his stomach. He only has himself to be mad at and somehow, that makes him even madder.

All he has to do is text him. He just has to. That’s all there is to it. Keith reminds himself that he’s the most impulsive person out there and with that thought in mind, he scrambles for his phone and types out a quick “hey” before throwing his phone at the other end of the couch and getting up to go take a piss.

When he comes back, he checks his phone and unsurprisingly, there are no new notifications.

“Shiro, I need your advice.” Shiro blinks once, hand stilled as he rinses a dish off in the sink. They're silently cleaning up after dinner. The air tonight is staticy and Keith knows it's all in his head, because he's anticipating The Talk, but it has to be done. If not for himself, for Lance. That thought drives him to pop the question.

“You… do?” He sounds incredulous but Keith figures that's his own fault for always dismissing Shiro when he's only trying to help. Keith bites back the defensive response that's fighting its way out of his mouth and grips the plate he's holding tighter.

"I know you have been wondering why Lance hasn't come over lately. Or why I haven't talked about him. Or why I never leave the house unless I have to..." That last part is the hardest to say out loud. Mostly because seeing the pinch in Shiro's brow deepen at the mention of his agoraphobic ways reminds him that Shiro cares more about his own well being than himself.

"Well, now that you mention it..." He jokes slightly, turning back to the sink and picking up another dirty plate to wipe down with suds. Keith stands there a moment, waiting to see if Shiro will help make this easier for him, ask a few questions so that Keith only has to answer, and not think about how he's supposed to word this. But, he doesn't. Of course he doesn't. Keith has to do all of this himself.

Steeling himself with a steadying breath, he tries again.

"We... Well, I guess it was both of us, uh. We were upstairs, I don't remember why. Waiting for the bathroom maybe? Or I wanted to get away from the party, decompress or something and Lance was with me the whole night. Well, up until that point." Shiro doesn't point out the fact that he's rambling. He just stands there and listens with a soft expression on his face and Keith couldn't be more grateful. "One thing lead to another, and I don't know which one of us started it. I don't know if I leaned in first, or if he did or if it was mutual. Either way, we-- Lance and I kissed. I think, at the time, I assumed it was because he's Lance and he was drunk and that's what he does when he's drunk and I got... really upset? Like not mad or sad but, you know how I am. And I ran away and I've been avoiding him ever since." Keith didn't mean to close his eyes, yet here he is, confessing to his brother, fists clenched tight and eyes squeezed shut, as if not being able to see the expression on Shiro's face will lessen the blow.

Shiro's quiet for longer than Keith expects, so he cracks open an eye to peek up at him. Shiro smiles that soft smile he only shows when he thinks something is really pathetically cute. The first time Keith saw that smile was when he was caught helping a stray cat that got stuck in the fence out by the playground at the orphanage. He figured Shiro would go and tell on him for climbing over the fence to get a better hold of the cat, but he didn't. He smiled that smile, rolled up his sleeves and hopped the fence, giving Keith a hand and freeing the cat. It was the first time Keith felt trust. Real trust.

So, it doesn't hurt as much to see that smile on his face.

"I wish you had come to me with this sooner, like right after it happened." He chuckles, wiping off his hands on a rag and leaning against the counter, arms crossed across his chest. "It's so much less of a problem than you made me think it was. I was getting kinda worried there for a second."

"Wh... Of course it's a problem!" Keith sputters. "Not only did I fuck up chances with Lance, I ignored him for weeks and now... now that I know what I want-- what I really want-- I can't... I don't know how..." his voice cuts off, something scratching in his throat and he knows it's true. He knows what he wants. He's known this whole time but admitting it was terrifying. Like with most things, Keith has to be pushed to the very edge before he can jump. But, boy, when he jumps, he leaps.

Shiro let's him teeter off before he speaks again. "If you had come to me that night, I would have asked you two things." Keith perks up at that and Shiro holds up a finger. "One, did you like it?" Keith nods, shyly. Because he did. A lot. And now that he's letting himself actually reflect on it, it was one of the best make out session he's ever had. Shiro nods at that and holds up a second finger, “Two, do you want to do it again?”

“Fuck yes I do.”

“Well, there ya go. What’s the problem?” Shiro says, recrossing his arms. Keith wants to scream, because if it were that easy, this whole situation would be a non issue.

“Shiro, look. I can’t get ahold of him.” He fishes his phone out of his pocket and opens up the messenger app, selecting Lance’s name. “I… I texted him the other day and I still haven’t gotten a reply. If I know Lance like I think I do, he’d be itching to at least say something mean back, but…he hasn’t even read it.” Keith lowers his hand, the fight leaving him as he admits out loud that Lance might not want anything more to do with him. “I fucked it up, Shiro. If I had answered him the next morning…or the morning after that, or any other time he tried talking to me after that party…maybe, we’d be okay.” Keith glares down at the tiles and hears Shiro shift.

“Listen, Keith. I know this might seem like the end all, be all. I’m sure Lance was feeling the same way when you weren’t replying but you seem to have really reflected on your own emotions. I don’t think there’s anything bad about that.” He crosses the kitchen to put a supportive hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I also don’t think it was out of convenience that he kissed you. I think it was on purpose. Maybe you need to show him that you just needed some space to collect your thoughts, now you’re ready to talk to him about it. I think he’d respond positively to that.” Shiro smiles reassuringly and Keith almost feels hopeful. Almost.

-------------------------------------------------------

“No, Lance. The wrench.” Hunk sits back on his haunches and levels Lance with an unamused look. Lance takes the screwdriver that he had pulled out and tosses it over his shoulder. “And whatever mess you make, you’re cleaning up.”

“Yeah, yeah…the fuck is a wrench, anyway?” He moves a few screws and nuts aside in the toolbox, not seeing anything that looks remotely like a wrench. Hunk seems to have given up and gets up from his spot next to some old junker of a car.

He has the day off and sitting at home only proves that he’s weak willed and he doesn’t need to give into temptation today. He finally-- after weeks of waiting around and thinking the absolute worst-- got a text from Keith. He could’ve said more than just a lackluster ‘hey,’ but Lance thinks that response is so Keith. Lance hates how much that thought is endearing to him. Either way, sitting at home meant he’d give in and text Keith back and he’s not ready. He’s still hurt from being ignored for so long, and the part of him that’s petty as fuck wants Keith to suffer a little like he did. Give him a taste of his own medicine.

So, he picks through the toolbox and starts organizing the different sized screws as Hunk works, rolled under a car and tapping his foot to the am/fm radio on the workstation next to him. It would be a gloriously relaxing day if Lance wasn’t anticipation Keith or Shiro walking through the garage door at any minute.

“You sure Shiro doesn’t work today?” He says, eyes glued to the entrance.

“Mmyup. He usually works on the weekends and the first half of the week, not really on Thursdays. You’re safe.”

Lance scoffs at that. Safe, as if he’s hiding. If he were hiding, he’d be home on his day off, in bed and binging something on Netflix. He refuses to acknowledge the small part of himself that is just itching to run into Keith, for them to both be forced to talk about what happened and get on the same page.

There’s a beat of silence before Hunk rolls out from under the car to shoot Lance a long stare. He pretends to ignore his friend but he can tell he’s acting unnatural and on edge. There’s not much he can keep from Hunk, not when they’ve been friends for so long.

“Are you still avoiding him?” There it is.

“Shiro?” He hears Hunk groan at that and knows he’s giving him a disappointed look.

“No, you know who I mean.” Lance doesn’t honor that with a response so Hunk stands, wiping his hands on his jumpsuit. “If you really think Keith doesn’t want anything to do with you, that’s fine. But, I heard otherwise.” Okay, that grabs his attention. “I didn’t wanna say anything but, Pidge talked to Keith.”

Lance turns towards Hunk as his eyebrows lower, scrutinizing his friend. “What do you mean he talked to Pidge?”

Hunk’s shoulders tense and his fingers twist together nervously. “Well, I mean, she saw him at the store… where he works? You know cause she goes there a lot to visit her brother… So, I mean, it obviously came up?”

Lance scoots off the workstation he’s sitting on and his feet hit the concrete floor with a loud thwap.

“Hunk, buddy, don’t you think you should’ve opened with that little tidbit of information?” Hunk takes a small step back, eyes bolting around the room.

“I-I mean, I wasn’t really supposed to…” He stammers before something in him solidifies and he gains a short burst of confidence. “No, Lance. This is stupid. You need to text him back and find him and figure this out. I’m not gonna feed you the answers.” Now Lance is the one taking a step back.

“Wh- I mean, yeah! I will! I just wanted to know what was said about me behind my back, is that a crime?” He bites back and Hunk’s shoulders slump.

“Dude, it’s not like that. We just want you guys to make up.” And Lance knows what he means but it still doesn’t sit right with him. Scrunching up his nose, he glares over at his friend.

“Yeah, well what if it never happens?” He knows he’s being petulant but he’s been at the end of his ropes for a while now. Can any of them really blame him?

“You don’t mean that.” Hunk says with more finality than Lance is used to hearing from him and that stops him from biting back. Instead, he grabs his jacket from off the workstation and slings it over his shoulders.

“Whatever. I’ll catch you later, you look a little busy.” He leaves before he can see the disappointed look on Hunk’s face.

-------------------------------------------------------

The door chimes when Keith slips in and it’s a familiar sound to him. He’s spent more than a few afternoons bumming around this shop waiting for Lance to get off work so they could go do something less mind numbing. He knows it’s a shot in the dark that Lance would be here on one of his usual days off, but Keith thinks, if he’s not answering his texts, he wouldn’t answer his phone and Keith would be left either at home, twiddling his thumbs, or he could go out and look for the guy. You know, The Old Fashioned way.

So, he gathers up as much courage as he can muster and uses his impulsivity to force him over the threshold and into the store.

He hesitantly peeks around, no one noticing him, before he meanders through the aisles and pretends he’s browsing. The other workers know him and he knows he can’t be inconspicuous for long. Not with how used to him visiting they are and how loud his fucking boots are on the worn wood floor. He inwardly cringes every time he takes a step.

It’s not until he’s completely sure that Lance isn’t there that he decides to leave and it’s at that moment when someone calls his name and his shoulders shoot up in defence. He doesn’t want to turn and acknowledge whoever called out to him because he doesn’t want anyone to know he was here, obviously looking for Lance. He’d be mortified if word got to the guy that Keith was searching for him before Keith could find him himself.

He slowly peeks over his shoulder at the sweet old lady who sometimes shares shifts with Lance. He thinks her name’s Lacy. She waves at him, eyes crescented with her smile and Keith gives back his own sheepish smile before stepping towards the door. Maybe he can get out of this without having to talk to her…

“Are you looking for Lance? I’m afraid he has the day off today…” Busted.

“O-oh… no, that’s okay.” Shiro would kill him if he ignored someone who was just being polite. “I’m not really here to hang out…” Smooth.

“Were you looking for something specific?” She asks, customer service mode engaged. Keith runs a hand through his hair, getting antsy.

“Uh, not really. Just browsing…”

“Oh, well I’ll tell Lance you stopped by.”

“No!” and then more quietly, “No… Uh, you don’t have to do that. It’s not big deal, uh. I’ll see you later.” And he takes her shocked silence at his outburst to make a beeline for the door and slip out before she can say anything else.

So, Lance isn’t at work and he’s not answering his texts. There’s little more Keith can do short of driving to his house. But even that seems a little insane. Still, it’s not like he hasn’t shown up at his house unannounced before. And talking will be good for both of them, no matter how much Keith doesn’t want to do and how much Lance seems to want to avoid him.

With that thought in mind, Keith turns towards his bike.

-------------------------------------------------------

It’s not a particularly hot day out, so Lance thinks it wouldn’t hurt to stroll around the downtown area and check out the other shops they have. The peace and quiet might help get him back on track with this whole Keith business.

Yes, he wants to talk to Keith. Yes, he’s still really fucking pissed at him for ignoring him for the last few weeks. Weeks! A few days is understandable. Lance knows he can be a little overbearing and hard to handle. And he knows Keith likes to be left alone sometimes. But weeks without even knowing if he'd ever get to talk to Keith again? Unacceptable.

But if he were to run into Keith, just hypothetically, how would he feel?

First, anger. Angry that he fell for someone who hurt him so quickly. That he wasted months pining for someone who was just going to toss him to the curb. He realizes then that he doesn’t want to answer Keith because he doesn’t want to talk it out with him because he doesn’t want to hear the rejection. He already felt it when Keith started avoiding him. He doesn’t need to hear the words from the source and know for sure that it’s not going to work out.

Next, there’d be a dash of hope because what if he just needed time to sort things out himself? What if he realized that it was awesome, that it wasn’t a big deal, and that he might want to try it again? It’s just a little bit of hope, though. Not a whole lot. Lance thinks Keith would be a little more responsive if that were the case.

Nope, he definitely wants to let Lance down the easy way. To his face. That’s the straightforward thing he’d do.

Then, the sadness would set in. Lance would be-- is so very-- sad. Not only does he click well with Keith and enjoy his company, he really likes him. He thinks about him constantly. He wants to be near him all the time. It might be a little obsessive but Lance loves with his whole heart. And, is it love? Is Lance really in love with Keith?

He stops in front of an ice cream shop and sees his reflection in the storefront mirror. After all Keith has put him through, he’s still in love with the fucker.

And with that realization, Lance accepts the fact that, no matter what Keith has done to him, he’ll love him still. And if he apologizes, he’ll take him back.

As he strolls down the small downtown area with his hands wrist deep in his pockets, every dark haired person looks like Keith and his heart jumps into his throat every time he spots black hair catching the sunlight and shining just right. Each time it’s not Keith, his heart floats back into place and his stomach bubbles with something a little stronger than disappointment.

Without thinking, he comes across his store and he thinks he might as well pop in and at least say hi.

“Oh, Lance!” He’s welcomed instantly and it brightens up his mood, slightly.

“Yo,” He walks up and Lacy she wraps her arms around him, a warm smile on her face. He returns the gesture.

“What are you doing here on your day off? Haven’t you spent enough time in this old building?” She scolds, but it’s in jest. He rubs the back of his neck, feeling a little foolish for coming in.

“Well, you know, I was just in the neighborhood…” She tuts and goes back to stocking. Lance hovers around for a moment before his mouth starts moving without his consent.

“Anything interesting happen? You know… any regulars come in…” He trails off, peeking back down at the woman who has a strange smile on her face. Like she knows what Lance is really asking and he can’t tell if he prefers not having to elaborate or knowing that he’s so transparent.

“Nothing much…” She puts another trinket on the shelf before starting. “Oh! Someone did come in looking for you.” There’s a sly look on her face that’s got Lance a little on edge. Does she mean Keith?

“O-oh yeah?”

“Yes, though I don’t remember his name…” Putting a finger to her chin, she looks up towards the ceiling before sneering at Lance who sputters in response.

“What are you playing at here, Lacy?” he asks, yes squinting down at her. She chuckles at that and pushes his shoulder slightly.

“Both of you aren’t the least bit subtle…”

“Who…?” But she’s turning away from him and walking down an aisle. Lance scrambles to follow her, his head screaming that Keith was here. Keith was here! He was here and he was looking for Lance. His phone burns in his pocket as Keith’s original text goes unanswered. The part of Lance that wants nothing more than to see Keith pulses through him and he feels the onset of panic.

“Keith was here? He was here earlier today? Did he ask for me? Was he okay?” The words tumblr out of his mouth and he can’t seem to put a stopper on it but Lacy doesn’t seem the least bit perturbed. She just smiles through his rambling, waiting for it to dribble down and stop.

“I was told not to say anything, and I won’t. I think you’re smart enough to put the pieces together.” That leaves him bolted in place as the room shifts slightly.

Keith was there and he was looking for Lance and he texted Lance and he’s ready to talk about what happened. There’s hope.

Lances gives her another hug before bolting out of the store. The bell over the door smacks against the ceiling in his haste.

-------------------------------------------------------

Keith cuts the engine of his bike and pulls off his helmet, throwing it to the floor as he races to Lance’s front porch. He takes a moment to catch his breath before he smashes the doorbell. Do everything before his brain can catch up and be the logical one in this situation, that’s the plan and he’s sticking to it.

He waits a beat.

The wind rustles by, his hair sticking to the sweat on his forehead at odd angles.

He presses the doorbell button again.

Waits.

His foot starts to tap on the cement porch as he waits.

He presses it one more time before growling loudly and moving towards the front window and attempting to peek inside.

“He better not be in there…” he mumbles, his anger peaking. This is ridiculous. He’s ridiculous for thinking this would work.

He moves back over to the door and bangs his fist on the wood a few times.

“Lance,” he yells. “Are you home? I just want to talk!” He supposes, now that the words are out of his mouth and not a peep comes from the house, that if someone he hadn’t spoken to for a while, who was ignoring him started pounding on his door, he wouldn’t answer, either. Taking a deep breath, finding his center, Keith turns back towards his bike, picks up his discarded helmet, twists it back onto his head and swings a leg over his motorcycle.

“Whatever.” Pushing the kickstart, he revs the engine longer and louder than he should before peeling away.

He tried everything he could today. He texted Lance, he looked for him at work, he even went to his house! Lance evaded him every time. So he does the only thing he knows how to when he can’t think straight and everything is overwhelming. He leaves.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance kicks a rock on the sidewalk as he ambles down the beach line road that follows the coast.

So, Keith had been looking for him. He’s at least 98% sure he was looking for him. Where Keith could be now, Lance has no idea. But, the hope is there, planted snuggly in his chest, ready to sprout at any sign that Keith is nearby.

He thumbs his phone in his pocket and thinks he could just reply now. That would solve everything. The only problem is that he doesn’t know what to say, how to say it, or if he can even bring himself to hit “send.”

hey, long time no talk how are the wife and kids?

im never going to forgive you but you can try and beg anyway

keith just tell me where you are i miss you so much it hurts.

As he stares at the black screen of his phone, he feels it vibrate before the screen lights up alerting him of an incoming call. His heart literally skips five beats and hops up into his throat before he realizes it’s just Hunk calling him. Taking a steadying breath, he brings the phone to his ear.

“Hey Hunk-a-rino.” It lacks the usual vibrato, but he can’t bring himself to care about that right now. Hunk will be able to tell regardless if something is wrong. That’s the cool thing about best friends, they always know.

“Lance, hey. Where are you? I just got off work.” He can hear the hesitance in Hunk’s voice and he sighs.

“Somewhere near the beach, just taking a stroll, you know how it is.” He stops and turns his gaze towards the water, the soon setting sun leaves an orange glow towards the horizon.

“Ah, yeah you left looking a little down, so I was just making sure you weren’t hiding in your house, putting yourself into a food coma while you binge Netfix…” He chuckles but he sounds nervous. Lance can’t blame him.

“Nah… I stopped by the store and just been walking around since. It’s not too bad out, so I figured I could use the fresh air.” Stop lying to him.

“Ah. Cool.”

“Sure is. Lacy worked today.” Stop avoiding the subject.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, she ragged on me for going into the store on my day off.” Just tell him. Admit you’re lost. He already knows you like Keith.

“Haha, yeah for real…” Just. Tell him.

“Hey, Hunk…?” He starts, slowly, unsure. Hunk doesn’t reply but he knows he’s listening. “Lacy, she uh…” He swallows thickly. “She told me Keith stopped by and was looking for me.”

There’s a soft gasp on the other end and he takes a shaky breath, himself.

“Hunk,” What do you want to say next? You’re angry at him? You’re excited to see him because he must want to see you too? You’re hopeful? You’re… scared?

You’re scared.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Hunk interjects, cutting off Lance’s train of thought and leaving him with his mouth hanging slightly open.

“Uh,” He replies, intelligently.

“He’s looking for you. He texted you. What are you doing about it?” Hunk elaborates.

Those are very good questions. He’s going to tell him, straight out, that he likes him. He likes Keith more than he’s liked anyone else. It’s a strong and volatile feeling that’s rooted itself inside him and made its home, snug and unmoving.

Lance takes a sobering swallow.

“Lance, all you have to do is meet up with him. You have his number. This is the twenty first century. You don’t have to wonder around until you stumble upon each other.” He sounds exasperated as he speaks through the receiver. Lance can’t really blame him.

“When I hang up with you, you're going to call him-” Lance gasps. “Or text him- and figure out a meeting place and tell him straight out exactly how you feel.” Lance can almost see the stern expression Hunk probably has on his face right now. And he's right. He has to talk to him, he has to show Keith that he's serious and that it's important, no matter how uncomfortable and awkward it's going to be, that they hash this out.

That Lance tells Keith that he never had a chance. He's in love and he'll regret it for the rest of his life if he keeps avoiding in. Whether Keith takes to it or not is another story entirely but Lance can't focus on both the anxiety of opening up and being vulnerable and the anxiety of rejection.

“Can you do that, Lance?” Hunk asks, gently. Lance’s expression steels.

“I don't have a choice.”

Lance can hear the smile in Hunk’s voice as he says, “go get ‘im, tiger.”

Hunk hangs up and Lance takes a steadying breath before scrolling through his contacts and hitting Keith’s name.

-------------------------------------------------------

Shit.

Keith rips off his helmet, panting, the last of his adrenaline rush dwindling as he stops thinking about Lance and starts noticing where his rage filled bike ride has taken him. From the looks of things- things he doesn’t fucking recognize- he ascertains that he has ended up in the middle of nowhere. He pulls out his phone and checks the time. It’s almost 8pm, and… he’s out of his cell phone range.

“Great.” He mutters before pocketing his phone and kickstarting his bike back to life. He makes a quick u-turn and starts back from where he came, cursing his temper and hoping he can make it back in time for help Shiro with dinner, or at least find a gas station.

He thanks the forces that be that there’s only one road he’s been on and finding his way back shouldn’t be a problem.

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Lance let’s the voicemail recording play out.

”Hey, this is Keith. Not answering right now. Just text me.” Beep.

He immediately hangs up and calls again. Like hell is he going to let Keith ignore him now, right when he’s got the drive and confidence to confront him and figure this shit out once and for all. It takes a long moment before the ringing begins but even then it’s choppy and out of rhythm.

“What the cheese…” He mutters until he gets the voicemail.

”Hey, this is Keith. Not answ-”

His the call button again. There’s no ringing for an even longer time before it goes straight to voicemail.

“What the hell does that mean? Did he turn off his phone?” Lance starts to feel the beginnings of rage bubble up from the bottom of his stomach, making his hands clench as he glares down at Keith’s contact information on his phone.

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Okay, so Keith might be a little lost. Not outrageously so. Not enough for him to start panicking and asking strangers for directions. But enough for him to feel a little uneasy as he speeds down the road. There was one turn and he couldn’t remember which way on that intersection he took so he stays there for a moment, looking down each road and trying to remember which one leads back to the coast.

“Oh, come on.” He mumbles before kicking back onto his bike and choosing one at random to turn down.

The motor drowns out his ringing cell phone.

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Lance finds himself on the beach. The bench on the small hill above him, mocking him in its emptiness. He stares out at the water, shoes off and discarded to the side, pant legs rolled up to just below the knees. He watches the tide come in, dark orange waves crashing on the sand in the sunset and he thinks that this might be it. It’s dramatic, and it’s assumptuous but that’s just how Lance is. And he gave it his all and now he’s ready to wallow in his self pity.

He toes the wet sand, digging his feet in deeper as a small wave washes over them. Pulling out his phone, he figures, what’s one more unanswered call to Keith in the grand scheme of things? He hits the green call button but doesn’t bring it up to his ear. He can hear the ringing stuttering over the roll of the waves. Then, Keith’s voicemail statics and he stares out into the ocean.

What did he expect?

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Keith smells the ocean before he sees it.

After a small stop at the tiniest gas station he’s ever seen, he was pointed into the right direction and headed out with only the thought of getting home and relaxing on his mind. As he originally thought, a ride would be a good way to clear his mind and here he is. Feeling less like a pointless blob, floating through life and more like a normal guy, just living day to day. Who will get over his heartbreak eventually and then move on to do something else just as menial and white collar.

The trees begin to thin out and he sees the turn on the beach line that he’s become accustomed to driving. He stops on the coast side of the road, using one foot to keep his bike balanced as he watches the sun slink slowly down the horizon. That’s when he notices his phone buzzing off beat in his back pocket. He fishes it out and scrolls through the many notifications that are just now catching up to him.

“Huh, back near a cell tower, I guess…”

He opens the text from Shiro asking him what he wants for dinner, replying with an <.i>“idc. Be home soon.” Then opens his recent missed calls, the red notification number larger than he’s used to.

At the top of the list is Lance’s name. The next few names are also his and it takes Keith’s head a moment to catch up with him.

While he was out getting lost, Lance was trying to get in contact with him. After Keith looked for him everywhere, Lance had called. He doesn’t know if he should be pissed or relieved.

As his phone’s notifications slow down, he sees one voicemail and swallows thickly. Maybe it’s Shiro. But it’s not. It’s from Lance and with only a little bit of hesitancy, Keith selects the unheard voicemail and puts the phone to his ear. What he expects to hear is Lance’s voice, soft, unsure. Knowing that he’s in the wrong and not liking it, but sucking it up to talk to Keith. Or Lance pissy and demanding. Expectant and annoyed that Keith hadn’t been answering him. He even expects to hear Hunk or Pidge, who had taken his phone and forced him to call Keith just so they can all go back to being normal.

What he actually hears is the ocean.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lance’s feet have gone numb by now, as they sink up to the ankle in the sand. He should go home, make dinner, spend the rest of his night off in self pity before he goes to sleep feeling empty.

He knows he’ll try again. He won’t give up that easily. It’s just for tonight. He’s just going to let himself feel defeated tonight. Maybe Keith will come around in a few days- a few weeks. Lance can wait. It’s not like anything else holds his attention in this town. It’s not like there’s anything else that could possibly distract him enough to make him forget just how Keith made him feel. How Keith made his photography look.

I’ll put those photos away when I get home, he thinks to himself. In a box, label it something inconspicuous, push it deep under his bed. Out of sight, out mind.

The sky turns a deep shade of purple as the sun dips, passed the horizon and towards the rest of the world. The water is an inky black, swishing with the tide and wind and the sound is soothing, even if Lance is completely desensitized by it from growing up here. He should pull his feet out of the sand and head home. No reason to be at the beach anymore, not when he has things to do. More heartbreak to gather up and hide and ignore. But his legs don’t budge. His eyes stay fixed out at the water and he blinks.

Rarely does Lance think the darkness is ugly. But tonight seems to be headed in that direction.

-------------------------------------------------------

The beach. Lance is at the beach. And even though the beach stretches passed where the town begins and ends to curve with the peninsula, Keith knows exactly where Lance is. Where he always is when he’s not at home or at work or with Hunk. It’s where Keith met him, under that bench near the pier, unpopulated most of the time.

Lance is there and if Keith can just hurry, he’ll make it before Lance leaves. Sure, there’s a chance that Lance is long gone, that the voicemail was from hours ago, but Keith has to try. It’s the only lead he has. He leans with the curve of the road, the destination slowly creeping up.

-------------------------------------------------------

The first star blinks above him, mocking in a way that reminds him Keith would enjoy this view. That Keith would be happy to sit here with him and talk about space and composition and tidal pull. That if Keith was here, Lance would feel at ease, happy, and whole.

But he’s not here. And Lance feels anything but happiness and ease. He feels dull and sluggish. Finally moving his feet and pulling them out of the sand with a grunt. Stupid Keith. Stupid feelings. Stupid cold ass water. Stupid stars. Stupid bioluminescent plankton. It’s probably fake as fuck, anyway. Matt lied about it to trick him and Pidge like he used to when they were little. He should’ve researched it more. Should’ve laughed it off. Shouldn’t have gotten so close to the new boy in town, with his silk black hair, his violet eyes and long, thick lashes. His toothy smile and his sharp tongue. Lance bends over and digs out a seashell, holding it in his palm and feeling its weight before humming it into the sea. He hears the splash but doesn’t see it, the night having engulfed the beach while he sulked, trapped in his own head with his own tiny demons.

It’s then, as he’s glaring out at the water, he hears something over the crash of the waves. It’s soft in the distance, a high pitched rumble that’s getting louder as he focuses on it. Like a car coming around the bend, but louder than a car-- smaller than a car. More like a motorcycle.

Lance’s blood shoots chilly through his veins as he keeps his eyes trained on the water and hopes, against all odds, that it’s not Keith. That it is Keith. But that he goes unnoticed, out on the shore in the dark. Maybe if he’s still enough, they’ll keep driving by and Lance can finally force himself to go home like he should have an hour ago.

More stars twinkle above him and the motorcycle sputters to a stop, on that hill, right where the bench is. Lance squeezes his eyes shut. It’s Keith. Who else would it be?

Slowly opening his eyes, Lance takes a deep, steadying breath and peeks over his shoulder, spotting a figure next to the bench, with an old bike, pulling off his helmet and shaking out his long hair. It hurts to see him. Lance expected it to hurt. He just didn’t expect it to hurt quite like this. Every beat his heart makes is slow and heavy, thumping painfully in his chest while his stomach, in contrast, riles and rolls, feeling acidic. His throat constricts as he tries to swallow over the quickly forming lump and his eyes burn. How is he supposed to bitch out Keith when he’s seconds away from throwing up?

“Lance?” He flinches at his name, hearing the question in Keith’s unmistakeable voice. Worried, unsure, husky. He can’t bring himself to reply so he stares out into the ocean. He hears something slide down the small sand hill to the beach. Keith brushing off sand from his pants and his jacket, the sand crunching under his boots as he approaches Lance. Stops just shy of him, giving him enough space that he’s not intruding- or so he doesn’t have to see how pathetic Lance probably looks.

“Uh, I saw you called…” He says, trailing off. Not knowing what else to say, probably. “I was, uhm, driving around. Else I would’ve answered.” He hears Keith’s jacket rustle, probably sticking his hands in the pockets. He doesn’t get closer.

The wind whips around them, seemingly urging them towards each other but neither budge.

Keith takes a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.” Lance would’ve assumed it was the wind as well, if it wasn’t for the hope that cracks open in his chest. “I’m sorry I just left you hanging. I was… I couldn’t…” Lance glances over his shoulder in time to see Keith grimace at his own words.

“You didn’t deserve that.” Keith starts again. Lance’s brow drops low as his glare deepens. Of course he didn’t deserve it. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was the one that kept trying to check up on Keith. Kept texting him and acting normal until it was made pretty clear that Keith didn’t want anything to do with him. All over a stupid, fucking wonderful kiss.

“I fucked up in a lot of ways, and I know that now.”

“Tch.” The more Keith talks, the more Lance wants to whirl on him and knock him right in the teeth. He re-clenches his fists.

“I never meant to hurt you, I just… Well, I… I’ve never…” He stutters and Lance’s gaze cuts sharply to the side. Why can’t he just say it. Why can’t he just cut it short-- It was a mistake. Sorry we kissed. I didn’t know how else to let you down nicely so I figured cutting you off was for the best. Lance started this afternoon with hope in his heart. But his chest heaves shut, clamping down on that thought and biting back the rising bile.

“Lance, I don’t want it to end like this.” Lance laughs, noncommittally at that. “Lance.” Keith says after a moment, having heard him. “I’m serious.” He sounds serious. He sounds sorry. He sounds like he’s trying to make it up but the words are just not reaching Lance. Not now. Not when he’s feeling his lowest.

“Are you going to say anything? At all?!” Keith asks, voice rising with desperation. “I-I I found you out here, from a voicemail, just putting two and two together, because I looked for you everywhere today, texted you, and you couldn’t even… You didn’t give me any time… I need to explain myself! That’s what I’m trying to do!”

That’s rich, Lance thinks. So he can ignore me for weeks but I do it for less than that and I’m the bad guy?
“Look,” Lance feels himself saying. Keith immediately stops his ranting and Lance thanks him for that. He’s only going to say this once.

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Keith watches with bated breath as Lance slowly turns towards him, shoulders tense in the moonlight. Taking another breath, Keith takes a step forward, hoping that Lance is open to them making up. He doesn’t want to fight anymore, he just wants to know where he stands with Lance. If what they have can be fixed. He’s starting to feel like maybe it’ll take more than this talk to get them back to normal. But Lance is looking at him and Keith feels it course through him. That gaze, heavy and unmoving. He loves those eyes, the same ones that reflects not only the calm of the beach but the crash of the waves.

“I’m not sure how you feel about me. Or what you want to happen.” He starts and Keith has to lean in to hear him better. “I was worried I had done something wrong, even if everyone and their mom told me I didn’t. You still ignored me and it hurt. It really fucking hurt, Keith.”

Well, that answers those questions. Keith sighs, straightening up with a new vigor: Fix this. Make it right. Repent. Be friends again.

“And you know what? It still hurts. How do you think I felt? Waking up, thinking everything’s fine and then never hearing from you? Wondering if you even got home safe? Worried that I hurt you, that I did something to make you uncomfortable--” Lance is yelling now and Keith can’t blame him. He’s probably been holding this in for weeks. “Ignoring me was fucking stupid on your part. I don’t know what you want from this but we could’ve figured it out weeks ago and then gone on our merry ways…” He spits and Keith feels his blood rise.

“You ignored me, too! Don’t act like you’re the only victim in this!” Lance takes a step back, shocked at the outburst. Good.

“Wh-- I only did ‘cause I was so pissed that you had been ignoring me! How else should I have felt? Relieved? Oh, Keith is finally paying attention to me, I’m swooning. Better go suck his dick before he decides to ignore me again.”

“What the fu--” That same rising blood shoots to his cheeks, coloring them and making them ache. This is not the time for that, Keith reminds himself. He’s supposed to be pissed, not embarrassed. “Oh, so you’re allowed to take time to figure things out but when I do it, you’re the only one affected by it? That’s real funny, Lance. Probably your best joke yet.”

“Like you need to figure anything out,” Lance spits, closing his eyes and throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. Keith just glares at him. His expression darkening dangerously. “It was just a fucking kiss, Keith.”

And there it is. The truth of it all. It was just a kiss to Lance, no big deal. Nothing that meant anything to him but meant everything to Keith. Lance just wanted to be friends. And Keith had told himself that if that’s what Lance wanted, then he’d respect that and get over his own feelings quietly. It’s better to have Lance in his life than not, after all. But now, with Lance glaring at him, the waves breaking behind him like the ocean is on his side and it’s just as pissed, Keith thinks that maybe it’s not worth it. Not worth the heartbreak or the uncertainty or the anger.

“It wasn’t just a kiss to me, Lance.” Keith says, the fight leaving him as instantly as it came. He watches through his lashes, head bowed, as Lance’s expression slowly changes to that of disbelief. His brows rise, losing their tension, his shoulders sag and his mouth falls open slightly.

“Wh… What?” He breathes. Keith sighs again, looking away. The hurt evident on his face. He gives up. There’s no use keeping it a secret anymore, not with Lance’s rejection out in the open, sitting between them, hard and unmoving.

“It wasn’t just a kiss to me.” He takes another shaky breath. “It was more important than that.” Lance stays staring at him, his eyes darting around Keith’s face, probably looking for the lies that aren’t there. Keith is baring it all, there’s nothing left to lose.

“Then, why did you…” Lance begins but Keith is done listening to him talk. His jaw clenches.

“Because, Lance-- do you even hear yourself talk?! You just said it wasn’t anything special! Why do you think I couldn’t talk to you after it happened? I thought you’d have enough retrospection to figure that one out.

“I couldn’t talk to you because it was that important to me. It was great! It was everything I wanted from you-- and you don’t even care! It’s nothing to you--”

“N-No, I--”

“You just said it! Don’t try to weasel your way out of this!” Keith yells, a finger pointing accusingly at Lance who looks like his entire world has been shattered.

Good, Keith thinks.

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It was important to Keith. The kiss meant something to him. It wasn’t just some weird, drunken sexually charged happenstance. Keith wanted to kiss Lance. He wanted it to happen. And Lance…

Well, Lance would do it again in heartbeat. He’d do it over and over until Keith was breathless and blushing.

Lance never wanted to give himself hope, but here’s Keith. Standing in front of him, practically yelling about wanting to be with Lance, and what’s Lance doing? Standing there stupidly. Saying nothing and making Keith wait longer than he needs. Well, Lance thinks they’ve both waited long enough.

He stomps up to Keith, ignoring the adorably startled look on his face and he grabs Keith’s wrist firmly, keeping him from running away. Lance searches his face for any sort of negative emotion, making sure that things aren’t completely ruined. That it can still be salvaged.

“I thought you hated me.” Keith’s eye lock onto Lance when the words leave his mouth and his whole body goes still. “When you never answered, I thought maybe you just needed time to forget that it happened. That you were embarrassed and needed to get over that before you could face me again.” Lance swallows. “But after a while, I started to think, ‘shit, I fucked up hard.’ And then I started to think you didn’t want anything to do with me. That you thought I was disgusting or something… So, you can kinda get why I wasn’t going to drop everything to reply to a text that just said ‘hey.’ Like, come on man.”

Keith’s mouth presses into a thin line, looking embarrassed and upset but the tension from before isn’t there. Lance counts that as a good sign.

“It was just one kiss. That’s true. We were drunk and it shouldn’t have happened like that. And if I could take it back, I would, but-- Keith.” Lance stops, noticing Keith’s eyes aren’t focused on him but over his left shoulder. “Hello? Earth to Keith? I’m spilling my heart out over here and you’re just--” Keith grabs his chin, smooshing his cheeks and turns his head to force Lance to look over his own shoulder. “Wh--”

And that’s when he sees it. Glowing blue and reflecting on the waves as they break behind them. Just a little ways down the beach. The glittering lights being pushed onto shore, leaving a line the shape of the small waves on the sand every time the waves fall back into the ocean.

“The plankton…” Lance breaths, letting go of Keith’s wrist and turning fully around to stare at it, mouth agape.

They’re silent for a moment before Lance feels Keith shake against his arm. He glances over just in time to see the laughter bubble out of Keith, starting in small chuckles and quickly crescendoing into a full on guffaw, hands on his stomach and head tilted back. The laugh is instantly contagious as Lance begins to giggle as well.

Leave it to them to have a fight on the one night that they finally find that stupid fucking plankton.

The laughter dwindles down as Keith takes Lance’s hand into his own, their fingers entwining.

“Got your camera?” Keith asks, his voice husky and his eyes alight. Lance thinks that Keith knows him so well. He fishes out his phone and holds it up.

“This’ll have to do…” He says, but he’s smiling and the fact that he doesn’t have his expensive, high definition camera on him not bothering him in the least.

Keith lets go of his hand so he can snap a few pics and Lance walks over to the plankton, taking shots from a few angles before thinking better of it and calling Keith over. Keith jogs up and Lance tells him to get as close as possible. Keith does as he’s told and sticks his hand into the water as it washing up and around his boots, not caring about getting them wet as he swirls his hands in the water and watches the plankton glow, the flight reflecting off of all of Keith’s angles in the best ways. Lance takes more pictures, capturing the small emotions Keith shows when he thinks no one’s paying attention, both feeling open and vulnerable, but light and free.

Keith stands up, holding his hand out, a small puddle of water in his palm and it glows. Lance brings up his phone and snaps a photo just as a large smile spreads across Keith’s face. He lowers his phone, feeling that words aren’t enough. That the plankton was there for a reason. That Keith doesn’t need to doubt himself or Lance anymore. He grabs the out stretched hand, the glow of the plankton in between them, swirling around their feet, their own magical oasis.

Keith stares at him, eyes open and wanting. But unlike usually, Lance knows exactly what Keith wants. He leans in.

-------------------------------------------------------

Keith meets him halfway, his chest clenching in the best way as he tilts his head and slots his lips with Lance’s. Unlike in the drunken hallway, this kiss isn’t rushed. Their teeth don’t hit each other. Their noses aren’t mashing into one another. There’s no misunderstandings between them.

Keith wants this.

Lance wants this.

The plankton glow around them.

Lance pulls away to smile widely at Keith who rests his forehead on Lance’s, closing his eyes and letting the rest of the tension out of his body. Their bodies have pressed themselves together during the kiss and Keith wraps his arms more securely around Lance’s neck, rocking a little and feeling like they’re the only ones left on Earth.

“Now, that’s what I’d consider an important kiss.” Lance says through a smile and Keith chuckles softly.

“It’s thanks to the plankton.” He says, a hint of defiance in his voice that he knows will get Lance riled up.

“The plank-- Excuse you! I just so happen to know that all kisses from me are important to you, man. You can’t play cool with this one!” Lance laughs, nuzzling his nose into Keith’s neck tickling him as they sway around each other.

“Pretty sure it’s the glowy beach shit, as you so intelligently call it.” and Lance wraps his arms around Keith’s waist and spins him, making him feel dizzy with more than just the motion.

“I know what it’s called,” Lance grumbles. Keith chuckles at that before they fall into a short silence. Just feeling each other’s heat and breathing in each other’s smell.

“Hey,” Lance says after a moment. Keith pulls back enough to look up at him. “I love you.”

Keith feels his face warm, his eyes widening at the bold statement. Lance just smiles serenely, his eyes lidded and soft and so sure of his own feelings. Keith could use a few pointers on how to express so easily. Still, when the words sink in, they shoot straight to his heart, and he groans slightly, burying his face into Lance’s shirt and nuzzling. He feels Lance’s laugh more than he hears it and the arms tighten around him.

“Come on,” Lance says after his laughter dies down. He holds Keith’s hand in his and leads them up the beach towards the hill. “Give me a ride home, babe.” He says, winking over his shoulder and Keith smirks, running the rest of the way up to his bike and handing Lance the helmet.

“Just don’t scream this time.”

“No promises.”