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Objectively, Lance was hot. He was subjectively the most infuriating man he’d ever met, but no one could deny he was attractive. He had the dazzling smile, the lanky body, the attitude that radiated through any room he was in.
Keith tried so hard to hate him. Tried and failed. It was actually impossible to hate Lance. The man was always there. He was loud and had terrible jokes. Terrible flirts. He danced around to every alien they met.
Despite it all, Lance was Keith’s best friend. He was the one Keith trusted to always have his back. The one who’d been there for all of it.
He just wished he knew why it hurt so much to watch someone else flirt with Lance. He wasn’t jealous of Lance, the alien’s weren’t his type.
Keith didn’t have a type anyway. He was pretty sure blue eyes, tanned skin and corny jokes might be though. He stood at the edge of the room, fingers clenched around a glass. He watched Lance, unable to stop himself.
Pidge swanned on over, a glass in her own hands. She didn’t look like she’d had any of it, nursing the glass instead. Sometimes it was easier that way, no one offered anything if you already held something.
“He must be very entertaining,” she said, eyes moving to where Keith’s were locked.
He startled, jerking his gaze from his fellow paladin. “Shut up.”
She cackled, purple liquid sloshing in her glass. “Jealous?”
“Of Lance?” he glared at her, the words twisted in his mouth.
“Of the alien,” she danced away, leaving Keith in a state of open-mouthed shock.
He wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t. he was just making sure Lance was safe. That was all. Lance needed his protection.
He wasn’t jealous.
The alien put their hand on Lance, and Keith saw red. He stalked forwards, placing himself beside his paladin. Lance barely looked up, but the alien took a step backwards.
Good.
“I apologize, I did not realise he was spoken for.”
Keith watched him leave, ignoring that twitch in his chest. Pride, making the alien leave. Fear, of what Lance would say now they were alone.
“You ok?” he asked, ignoring his churning mind.
Lance laughed, the sound light and startled. “I’m fine. Are you ok?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You looked pretty angry,” Lance said, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m fine.”
Lance turned away, faint smile on his lips.
Keith felt like a rubber band, snapping taught with a realisation.
He had been jealous.
He’d been jealous of the alien.
He was in love with Lance.
Once he’d noticed, he couldn’t unsee it. It was everywhere. It was how Lance would seek him out after a battle and comfort him or go over their battle strategy. It was how Lance would smile at him across the room. When Lance would comfort a group of young aliens who were scared. It was that Lance somehow always had time for anyone who needed him.
Keith was in love with Lance, it seemed as true a statement as stars were bright.
He found Pidge, who laughed and laughed. He found Allura, but she was no help. He couldn’t very well go to Hunk, the man was Lance’s best friend. He couldn’t let Lance find out.
Until it all became too much. Keith felt like the love might become physically tangible. That Lance would be able to sense it radiating off his form.
He knocked on Keith’s door, somewhat quietly. Part of him hoped Lance wouldn’t hear, that he could leave, never brave enough to try again. But, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Hope in his chest.
Regardless of what happened, Lance was his best friend. He was the man who would fight by his side, till the very end.
That wasn’t about to change.
Lance opened the door, letting Keith in despite having just woken up. Keith felt warmth threaten to swallow him, before guilt settled. He didn’t want to wake Lance.
“Hey, you ok?”
Trust Lance to be concerned about Keith, rather than irritated he’d woken him up.
Keith ran a hand through his hair, swaying from foot to foot. “Peachy.”
Lance dropped onto his bed, beckoning for Keith to do the same. He did, keeping a good distance between them. More then normal. If Lance noticed, he was kind enough not to say anything. “Ok?”
Keith took a deep breath. He could do this. “I have a problem,” he admitted, letting the words fall from his mouth. He could do this. “There’s this guy.”
Lance went strangely still beside him, features going carefully blank. Keith hated it. He wanted to know what Lance was thinking. He struggled to continue, looking down at his shaking hands.
“I want to tell him I like him, but I don’t know if he feels the same.”
Lance swallowed, looking anywhere but Keith. “Whoever it is, he’d be lucky to have you.” His voice was thick with an unpleasant emotion and Keith wanted to take his hand, to wipe it from him.
It wasn’t the reassurance he was looking for, but it was something. “He’s my best friend, and I don’t want to ruin that.”
Lance’s breath hitched, blue eyes hesitating to meet Keith’s. “Who?”
Keith held his gaze, fingers itching to reach closer. “Do I really need to say it?”
But with the look on Lance’s features, the hopeful, terrified expression, Keith did.
“You, Lance. I love you.”
Lance folded into a kiss, dragging Keith into his warm arms. “Finally.”
Keith pulled back, only enough to brush their foreheads together. He blinked, watching Lance.
“I fell for you at the Garrison, dumbass. Keep up.”
Unable to stop himself, he laughed, pressing his lips to Lance’s. He could get used to this.