Archive of Our Own

1

“What are you working on?” Lance asks, coming up behind Keith. He rests his chin on Keith’s head and drapes his arms over his shoulder. Keith leans into the touch, rolling out his wrist. 

“Remember that author I was telling you about, the thriller one?” Keith asks. 

“Sure, yeah, the one who writes about freaky ghosts and stuff?” Lance says.

“Yeah, he actually commissioned me to make a cover for one of his upcoming books,” Keith says. Lance gasps and steps back from Keith to walk around and look at him. 

“Keith!” Lance says. Keith flushes and breaks their eye contact. Lance turns Keith’s chair and puts his hands on Keith’s knees. “This is really cool,” Lance says softly. 

“I get early access to the book,” Keith says sheepishly. He’s not used to being openly excited about this kind of stuff. Normally he doesn’t care about how big the movies are that he’s in, or who he’s making the art for, but this one is really cool. He’s been reading this guy's stuff for a decade. 

“Tell me about it,” Lance says. Keith finally locks eyes with Lance again and melts slightly. 

“I’m not supposed to tell anyone anything,” Keith says. Lance raises an eyebrow and stands up, grabbing Keith’s hands on the way up. 

“I’ll keep it a secret,” Lance says, “it’s not like the kids wanna hear about scary ghosts anyways.” Keith smiles and lets Lance help him stand. Lance leads them over to Keith’s couch and pulls them down, hugging Keith close in his arms. 

“You’re clingy,” Keith says, shifting in Lance’s arms to kiss his neck. 

“Mmm, and you like it,” Lance hums, threading his fingers through Keith’s hair. 

“You’re warm and I’m always cold,” Keith says, resting his head against Lance’s chest. 

“Make all the excuses you want,” Lance says, “I know you like me.” Keith rolls his eyes and smacks Lance’s chest playfully. “We’re having a game night at Pidge’s place on Friday, wanna join?” 

“Oh my, do you like me? Is that why you want me there?” Keith asks playfully. Lance snorts and squeezes Keith. 

“So what if I do?” Lance asks, “what are you gonna do about it?” Keith wiggles a bit in Lance’s arms and goes for his armpits. Lance tries to swat him away, but Keith knows exactly where Lance is ticklish. “Alright, okay! Enough!” Lance says through giggles that warm Keith’s heart. 

“I’ll be there,” Keith says, “as long as you promise to help me cheat in Monopoly again.” Lance grins and kisses the tip of Keith’s nose. 

“Of course,” Lance says. Keith sighs and slumps against Lance, taking in his familiar and comforting smell. “You need to clean your kitchen,” Lance says, drawing patterns on Keith’s back. 

“I was planning to do that, but then you came over and distracted me,” Keith says, “you’re very distracting.” 

“So are you,” Lance says, “I was going to work on my financial reports, but you looked at me and smiled and-” 

“Shut up,” Keith says, “go do your reports now, then. I’ll stop distracting you.” 

“Or… we could wait a little longer before we do that,” Lance says, “you’re comfy.” Keith smiles, hiding his flush in Lance’s shoulder. 

“You’re cheesy,” Keith says. 

“Like cheddar, baby,” Lance says. Keith should find that lame, but it’s charming. Everything Lance does is charming, no matter how inherently cringe. 

–

“Alright buddy, just a couple more takes and you’ll be done for the day,” the director says, patting his shoulder. Keith nods and looks over at the stunt. His body is aching and it has been a very long day. He really doesn’t want to throw himself through a brick wall ‘a few more times’ but that’s what they pay him to do. Stunts like these are normally not something that bother him, but he has plans tonight and they’ve already done it ten times. 

“How can I do better?” Keith asks. The director seems to sense that he’s fed up and gives him a sympathetic grimace. 

“You’re doing great,” he says, “we just don’t have the angles quite right with the cameras.” 

“How many walls do we have left?” Keith asks. 

“Three,” the director says, “the faster we do this, the faster you’re done.” 

“If we go over time-” Keith starts. 

“You’ll get your money,” the director says with a knowing smile, “is everyone ready for another go?” he yells out at the camera crew. Keith sighs and walks over to his mark, letting the makeup team wipe away the bad dirt and cover him in adequate, perfectly placed dirt. He shakes his limbs out and glares at the wall. He’s going to have a massive bruise on his shoulder from this one. “Action!” Keith goes through the motions he’s now familiar with, giving them the perfect shot to blend him and the actor together in post. 

Then he looks back, sees the explosion he totally doesn’t know is coming and feels the uncomfortable tug of wires pulling him towards the wall. He crashes through it, thankfully managing to avoid any dust getting in his mouth this time, and flops back on the crash mat. He groans and rolls like he’s in pain, which isn’t really much of an act anymore, until he hears cut. He stands and brushes himself off, blinking the dust from his eyes. “How was that?” Keith asks. Based on the strained smile on the director's face, Keith has a feeling he’s not done yet. 

–

An hour later, Keith is just getting out of the parking lot. He’s still covered in dust, his shoulder is aching and his entire body is tired. When he was assigned this job, he was only supposed to be shooting for three weeks. This is week four and he had a ten hour day of shooting. He loves this job, but it often tests his will. When he sees the time on his dash board, his heart stops. Even if he goes straight to Pidge’s place without stopping to change and shower, he’ll be an hour late. He grabs his phone and calls Lance. 

It rings for a while and eventually goes to voicemail. He groans and sends off a quick text saying he’s going to be late, even though he is already late. He spends the entire drive cursing at himself. This isn’t the first time he’s been late to something Lance invited him to. Time gets away from him a lot and he promised Lance he would be on time for this. It’s not the most important event in the world, but it’s important to Lance and that’s what matters. That’s what breaks Keith’s heart. 

He rushes home, rips off his dirty clothes and takes the fastest shower he probably ever has. He doesn’t get a call or text back from Lance, but his text has been read. When he finally gets to Pidge’s place, exhausted but clean, he’s just over an hour late. He takes a deep breath and walks to the door. Matt answers. “Hey man, glad you made it.” Keith nods and steps into the now familiar apartment. 

“I’m sorry for being late,” Keith says, “work went longer than I expected today.” Matt shrugs and pats him on the shoulder. 

“I'm not the one who needs an apology,” Matt says, “we’re playing charades, come on.” Keith follows him into the living room and smiles softly when he sees Lance flailing his arms around. He loves seeing Lance be free and open like this. He’s so expressive and dramatic and Keith loves that more than he thought he ever could. He sits down next to Hunk and tucks his knees to his chest. When Lance sees him, his smile falters, but it comes back quickly when he looks away. 

When Hunk finally guesses correctly and stands to take his turn, Lance sits next to him, leaving space between them. Keith bites his lips and looks at the distance between them. “I’m sorry,” Keith says. 

“Not right now,” Lance says, not looking at Keith. The game of charades goes on for a while and Keith avoids going up. He’s not a fan of all the attention being on him, so he’s happy to watch everyone else act things out. Normally, Lance will go when Keith guesses correctly, but that’s not exactly on the plate for today. Keith knows Lance and he knows him being late today was the tipping point on something that’s been building up. 

When they spread to get snacks and drinks before they start a game of Monopoly, Keith grabs Lance’s arm and drags him to Pidge’s room and closes the door. “I told you, not right now,” Lance says. 

“I’m sorry,” Keith says, “this whole movie has had me working stupid hours.” Lance crosses his arms and sighs. 

“Okay. Can we go play Monopoly now?” Lance says. Keith shakes his head and Lance turns away to look at the book shelf next to him. Keith doesn’t dare walk any closer to him. 

“Clearly there’s something bigger going on here,” Keith says, “talk to me Lance. I can’t help unless I know what’s going on.” Lance scoffs and turns to Keith. 

“This is the problem,” Lance says, “you never communicate. I never know what’s going on with you or your life unless I literally pry the information out of you.” 

“Lance, you know I-” Keith starts. 

“Don’t like attention on yourself, I know,” Lance mutters, “but as your boyfriend, I sort of want to know what you’re up to, you know? Half the time you don’t tell me you’re going to be late until you’re already late. It’s exhausting.” Keith frowns and something squeezes painfully in his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Keith says. 

“If that’s all you have to say, then we’re done here,” Lance says. 

“I- I’ll tell you more,” Keith says a little desperately, “I want you to know about me, I’m just not used to it. I’m not used to someone wanting to know what I’m doing.” 

“Don’t act like the victim here, Keith,” Lance says, “Pidge will ask me what sort of art you’re doing and I can’t answer. She’ll ask about how work has been for you and I have nothing to say. It’s sort of embarrassing.” Keith didn’t realize how much this was affecting Lance. He’s always been like this, a listener rather than a talker, an absorber rather than a spreader. But this is Lance, and Lance loves nothing more than talking and connection. 

“Shit, Lance, I- I’m being a dick,” Keith says. Lance nods and finally looks at him properly in the eyes. 

“Your job is dangerous and every time you text me later than you said you would, I freak out a little bit,” Lance says. Keith takes a hesitant step towards him, then another when Lance doesn’t step away. 

“I’ll get better at this, I swear,” Keith says, “and I won’t be late. I’ll do everything I can to not be late to anything.” Lance shakes his head, but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. 

“It’s fine that you were late today, I get it,” Lance says, “it just sort of set me off, I guess.” Keith finally reaches out and cups his jaw. Lance hums, his skin burning against Keith’s hand. 

“We’ll talk more about this later, okay? We’ll figure out how to make me better at talking,” Keith says. Lance nods, leaning into the thumb Keith runs over his cheekbone. 

“Let’s go win a game of Monopoly,” Lance says. He tilts his head and squints, bringing a hand gently to Keith’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” Lance asks softly, tracing the bruise poking out from the collar of Keith’s shirt. 

“A bit sore,” Keith admits. Lance smiles and leans forward to press a kiss to the bruise. 

“This is the stuff I want to know about. I know you like your job, but you never tell me about the parts you don’t like,” Lance says, “I want to know everything about you. Let me in your brain.” Keith nods, even though a pit of anxiety forms in his chest. Nobody knows everything about him. 

“Okay,” Keith says firmly, “you’ll have to teach me how to share my feelings, though.” Lance grins and grabs Keith’s hand, dragging him out of the room. 

“I’m a great teacher on the subject,” Lance says. Keith has no doubt that he is. 

–

2

Keith knows Lance has had a long week. He had to work overtime every day at the non-profit this week, and he still taught all his Zumba classes and checked in with each green house. Keith is surprised he’s still standing, cause Keith sure as hell wouldn’t be. So he invites Lance over to his apartment and spends his entire day off planning a nice relaxing night for him. Lance is normally the one who does stuff like this for Keith and something he’s learned over their short time together is that he needs to give what he gets. 

He makes sure his place is spotless, since Lance has a tendency to complain about his lack of organization. He makes sure he has all of Lance’s favourite snacks, the best smelling bath salts and the softest blankets on his bed. Lance deserves to be treated well for all of his hard work, and Keith may not know exactly how to do that, but he feels pretty good about this. When everything is as prepared as can be, he sits on the couch, and tries to distract himself with whatever crap is on TV. He basically jumps off of the couch when Lance knocks on his door. 

He smooths his hair down and clears his throat before he opens the door. Even after a few months, Lance still makes him stupidly nervous. Lance is smiling softly when he opens the door and it makes his entire body go warm. “Hi,” Keith says quietly, feeling himself flush. 

“Your hair looks good,” Lance says, stepping into the apartment. He looks tired, but the smile on his face is genuine and Keith loves that he’s the one responsible for it. 

“You just like flicking my ponytail,” Keith says knowingly. Lance shrugs and kicks his shoes off, immediately coming forward to put his hands on Keith’s waist. 

“I’m glad you invited me over,” Lance says, “I’ve missed you this week.” Keith hums as Lance’s thumbs draw circles on his hips. 

“You always miss me,” Keith says, letting himself be backed against the door. Lance nods and presses their lips together before Keith can say anything else. Keith lets Lance do as he pleases, happy to be pliant under his lips. He’s not sure how long they stand there, lost in each other, but he doesn’t care. When Lance finally pulls back, he looks dazed and relaxed. “I have something for you.” Keith whispers. 

“Really?” Lance says playfully. 

“Yes,” Keith says, “come with me.” He drags Lance into the living room and pushes him onto the couch, mumbling for him to stay put. He goes into the kitchen and brings over the collection of snacks for Lance. The smile on Lance’s face is worth more than anything in the world when he sees what Keith has in his arms. 

“What’s all this?” Lance asks. 

“You’ve been working really hard and I wanted you to… I don’t know- have a relaxing night, I guess,” Keith says, “you deserve to be taken care of.” He feels his entire face flush up to the tips of his ears when he says it, but he hardly pays that any mind when he sees Lance’s face. 

“Keith…” Lance says, “come here.” Keith shuffles over to the couch and sits next to Lance, letting himself be pulled into his arms. “You’re amazing,” Lance says. 

“All I’ve done so far is bring you food you like,” Keith says. 

“And that’s more than enough,” Lance says, “you’re everything I need.” Keith’s heart melts at the praise, and he didn’t realize how badly he wanted to hear something like that until now. 

“I have more planned, and you’re making it really difficult for me to want to get up right now,” Keith says. Lance answers by peppering kisses against his temple. Keith sighs and melts into him. “Lance.” Keith says, trying to sound firm. 

“Just a couple minutes,” Lance mumbles. Keith gives in easily and lets himself relax into Lance. Lance mumbles about his day and Keith listens, always more than happy to listen to Lance. When he truly starts to worry that he won’t have time for everything he wants to do, he slides out of Lance’s arms. 

“Okay, come with me,” Keith says. Lance frowns, but he stands up rather easily when Keith pulls at his arm. 

“Rather demanding today,” Lance says with a dopey smile. 

“You like it?” Keith asks, stopping them in the bathroom. 

“It’s nice to be bossed around sometimes,” Lance says, “now why are we in the bathroom?” Keith flushes and looks over at the tub. 

“You said the other day that you haven’t had a bath in years,” Keith says, “I thought- I don’t know, I thought a bath would be nice. And I bought this coconut soap, cause I know you like the smell and the candle is mango-” Lance wraps Keith in a hug and kisses the corner of his mouth. 

“Thank you,” Lance says, “you’ll be joining me, yeah?” 

“I think the tub’s big enough,” Keith says playfully. Lance nudges his shoulder and starts pulling off his clothes. 

–

After a couple hours of bathing, massages and snacking, Lance flops onto the couch and grabs the remote. “Where the hell did you learn how to massage like that?” Lance asks, “I feel like rubber.” He lets out a blissful breath and sinks into the couch, scrolling through the movies on Netflix. 

“Honestly, I’ve never given someone a massage before,” Keith says, “you just got lucky.” Lance grins and settles on some cheesy looking romcom. 

“I am the luckiest man in the world,” Lance says, “come sit, I miss you.” Keith rolls his eyes. 

“How many times are you going to tell me you miss me?” Keith says, “I’m right here.” Lance huffs and crosses his arms, trying to look as sad as possible. 

“Keithhhh,” Lance whines. 

“I’ll save your last surprise for during the movie, then,” Keith says. Lance smiles and makes grabby hands out towards Keith. He walks over and leans forward to press a kiss to his forehead. “What are we watching?” He finally sits down and wraps an arm around Lance. Lance snuggles into Keith’s chest and tangles their legs together. 

“No Hard Feelings,” Lance says, “it’s that one that's sort of morally weird but still a romcom.” Keith smiles and kisses the top of Lance’s head. Keith doesn’t know much about falling in love, but he’s pretty fucking sure he’s falling in love with Lance. It’s just the little things, but they’re building up and Keith’s chest feels like it’s going to burst when he thinks about Lance. 

The movie is actually pretty entertaining and Keith feels a bit like he’s in heaven. Lance is warm in his arms and his little laughs and comments make Keith’s heart flutter. When they get to the halfway point, Keith pauses the movie, and after some convincing, slips out from under Lance and makes his way to the kitchen. He grabs the plate of garlic knots he made that morning and puts them in the microwave. 

When Keith takes them out of the microwave, the plate is a little hotter than he expected and it slips out of his hands. It clatters to the floor and the plate shatters. Keith's heart stops and his lungs squeeze. “Keith?” Lance says. Keith takes a labored breath and steps back as his eyes start to fill with tears. Flashes of his foster homes fill his mind and he barelyl registers Lance standing at the entrance of the kitchen. “Keith? Are you okay?” Lance asks softly. 

“Fine,” Keith says sharply, “I’m fine. Just- go away. It’s okay.” Lance tilts his head and Keith feels tears fall down his cheeks. 

“Keith, baby,” Lance says softly. 

“Let me clean it up,” Keith says, “don’t- stop looking at me.” Lance frowns, but Keith doesn’t really see it. His vision is tunneled on the broken plate and his mind is stuck on echoes of yells from his childhood. Lance doesn’t say anything, but he bends down and starts picking up the large chunks of ceramic. “Lance, please,” Keith says a little desperately. 

“Let me help,” Lance says softly. 

“I don’t want you to see me like this,” Keith says. Lance shakes his head and grabs a bowl to put all the pieces in. Lance doesn’t answer again, he just stands and steps over the mess to walk to Keith. He puts a hand gently on his jaw and wipes a tear away with his thumb. 

“Let me clean this up, yeah?” Lance says. 

“It’s- I can do it,” Keith says, “this is- it’s a little pathetic.” Lance shakes his head and kisses the tip of his nose. 

“It’s not pathetic,” Lance says, “I’ll clean this up and then we’ll talk about it, yeah?” 

“You don’t want to hear about my childhood,” Keith says. Lance gives him a tilted smile and pinches his ear softly. 

“I do,” Lance says, “it’s important to me. I need to know how to give you the most comfort.” Keith lets out a long breath and lets some of the tension out of shoulders. 

“Are any of the garlic knots salvageable?” Keith asks. Lance turns and looks at the floor, spotting one that looks safe enough. 

“I think so,” Lance says, “I won’t tell anyone we ate floor food if you don’t.” Keith smiles and drops his head to Lance’s shoulder. How does Lance always know exactly what to say? 

–

3

“We need a lot of extras for this part of the movie, so if you have any family or friends who want to be an extra, now is the time,” the director says, “we need a total of one hundred people, so shoot an email to casting with numbers.” Keith finishes the last bite of his sandwich and walks over to his locker. Lance has asked to come see Keith at work quite a few times and this is the perfect chance. 

He’s not supposed to call anyone when he’s on the clock to avoid letting any spoilers out, but he doesn’t care. This is a special circumstance. Lance picks up on the third ring. He almost always does, no matter how busy he is. Keith thinks it’s some sort of super power. “Hey sweetcheeks,” Lance says. Keith rolls his eyes, but flushes despite how cheesy it is. 

“Hi, Lance,” Keith says, “do you have a second? I know you’re supposed to be teaching in a bit.” Lance hums and there’s some shuffling on his end. 

“I do have a second,” Lance says, “is everything okay?” 

“Yes,” Keith says, knowing Lance is always a little bit worried about him when he’s at work, “I actually have really exciting news. If we’re quick enough, which I think we will be.” 

“Do tell me,” Lance says in his best British accent, “you know I hate anticipation.” He’s lying, but Keith doesn’t want to build the anticipation up, he’s really excited for Lance to see him at work. 

“They need a shit ton of extras for this movie I’m working on and you could be one of them,” Keith says. He hears Lance’s short intake of breath and smiles. 

“I’d get to see you at work?” Lance asks hopefully. 

“Most likely,” Keith says. 

“Sign me up, right now, I will make time for it,” Lance says, “this is going to be like going to the gym with you but so much hotter.”  Keith sighs as Lance chuckles softly. “Okay, I gotta go now, but I’ll see you later, yeah? You’re coming to my place?” 

“Yeah,” Keith says, “bye sweetcheeks.” Lance lets out a surprised laugh as Keith hangs up the phone. Someone’s gotta keep Lance on his toes. 

–

“So I just have to walk around, right? They’ll tell me where to go, and I’ll go that way and they’ll do it over and-” Lance rambles on and Keith glances at him with an amused smile. 

“Lance, stop worrying so much,” Keith says, “you’ll be a natural at walking, I promise.” 

“And you have stunts in these scenes, right? So I’ll get to see you working?” Lance says. 

“Yes,” Keith says, “you know, it’s really adorable that you’re so excited about this.” Lance makes a sound close to a whine. 

“Don’t do that,” Lance says. 

“What? Call you adorable?” Keith says playfully. Lance smacks his thigh lightly and huffs. 

“Whatever,” Lance says, smiling like an idiot. 

–

Keith looks in the mirror as the makeup artist works on his hair. Lance is sitting on the couch, leaning his chin on his hand, watching Keith closely. Keith has never had anyone look at him like that and it makes his chest squeeze pleasantly. The guy working on his hair leans forward and casts a quick glance to Lance. “I get why you rave about him,” he whispers, “he’s crazy about you.” Keith flushes and shakes his head. 

“You think so?” Keith asks. The guy smacks his head and goes back to his hair. When they’re done getting him and Lance ready, they make their way out to the set and the huge crowd of people out there. Lance grabs Keith’s hand and gives it an excited squeeze. 

“This is really cool,” Lance says, “it’s like we’re in another world.” They walk around for a bit while they finish setting things up and Keith does his best to explain everything to Lance. Despite how long he’s been working in movies, he doesn’t actually know a whole lot about the entire production process. 

When they eventually get separated, Keith gets to watch Lance do some scenes. It turns out he really likes seeing Lance work, even if it’s just walking around a set. When he finally gets to work, he has a rehearsed fight scene to film. It’s a lot of getting tossed around and falling down stairs, but he’s excited. 

Lance is sitting with a bunch of the other extras, but his eyes are firmly on Keith. Keith loses himself in the scene pretty easily and he has a damn blast. Yes, his body is aching, yes he’s sweating and probably smells like shit, but scenes like this are his favourite to film. It’s the closest he ever gets to dancing and it feels really cool. After an hour of shooting, the director calls for a break and everyone spreads around studio.

Keith makes his way to Lance with a grin on his face. He feels really good. His mood drops slightly when he sees the look on Lance’s face. “Hey, what’s going on?” Keith asks. He wipes dirt off of his hands and puts a gentle hand on Lance’s shoulder. 

“Nothing,” Lance says. Keith tilts his head and moves his hand up to Lance’s neck. 

“Communication,” Keith says. Lance sighs and looks down at the floor. 

“It was just… don’t get me wrong, that was really cool and you’re really good at what you do,” Lance says, “but holy shit that was really scary to watch.” Keith frowns and presses his thumb gently against Lance’s jaw. “I know it’s relatively safe, but you have bruises and your lip is a little swollen.” 

“I’m used to it, it’s okay,” Keith says gently. Lance sighs and grabs Keith’s wrist, squeezing it like it grounds him. 

“It’s not- look, I was already worried about you doing this job, you know? Sometimes, when I’m not busy, I sit there worrying I’m gonna get a call that you broke your neck,” Lance says, “actually seeing you work made that seem way more possible.” Keith bites his lip. He doesn’t know what to say. This is his job and he loves it, but he doesn’t want Lance to be scared and stressed. 

“It’s safe, okay? They take good care of us and I’m trained for this,” Keith says. Lance nods and lightens his grip on Keith’s wrist. 

“Just… promise me you’ll always be careful. If not for yourself, for me. I know that’s selfish to ask, but I don’t want you to get hurt,” Lance says. Keith smiles as his heart flutters. 

“That’s not selfish,” Keith says, “you just care about me, you simp.” Lance scrunches his nose, but some of the worry has eased out of his face. 

“I am not the simp in our relationship,” Lance says firmly. 

“Really?” Keith says. Lance sighs, but amusement is written all over his face. 

“We’re both simps, how about that?” Lance says. Keith thinks he can live with that. He is pretty much obsessed with Lance, so it’s really not all that far off. 

“I’ll be careful,” Keith says, “but I do have to warn you that the next scene I’m shooting does involve me breaking through a brick wall.” Lance sighs and looks down at his feet. Then he chuckles and looks back up. 

“I’m gonna have to get used to this,” Lance says. Keith shrugs. It took Shiro a while to get used to it too, but he thinks Lance can do it. 

“I can teach you about how I do my falls and everything. It might make you feel better to know what I’m actually doing to protect myself,” Keith says. 

“That would be nice,” Lance says, “you’re getting better at this whole communication thing.” Keith grins and grabs Lance’s hand, kissing the back of it slowly and gently. 

“You’re a good teacher,” Keith says. 

“Which means you should come to one of my Zumba classes,” Lance says excitedly. Keith purses his lips, but he’s sure the smile is visible in his eyes. 

“Fine,” Keith says, “but you’re absolutely not allowed to make fun of my lack of coordination.” 

“Can I tell everyone you’re my boyfriend?” Lance asks. 

“That’s only embarrassing for you, so for sure,” Keith says, “let them know your boyfriend can’t follow the beat.” Lance smiles and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before the extras are called over to prepare for the next scene. Keith watches him go with a dopey smile on his face. 

–

4

“Don’t think about this too much, it’s just a hypothetical question,” Keith says, “curiosity about human nature and all that.” Shiro raises an eyebrow and takes a long sip of his tea. 

“Get on with it,” Shiro prompts when Keith doesn’t continue. 

“So like… when- or I guess… how did you know you were in love with Adam?” Shiro’s lips quirk, but he has the decency not to react any further. 

“Curiosity?” Shiro says playfully. 

“Just answer the question or I’ll go ask someone else,” Keith says. It’s not much of a threat, but Shiro gives in easily enough and leans forward on his elbows. 

“It was a gradual sort of thing,” Shiro says, “I mean… I always knew I was super into him, but falling in love was different. It would be little things.” 

“Little things?” Keith asks, leaning forward now too. 

“Yeah. Like how he’d always fold his napkin into a little triangle before using it, or how he talks to small animals,” Shiro says, “we’d be doing something normal and I’d find myself becoming extremely fond of something he was doing.” Keith hums and bites his lip. “The day that I finally realized I had fallen in love was when he caught something I dropped while he was looking away and cooking.” 

“So what? His hand eye coordination is what finally got you?” Keith asks. Shiro rolls his eyes rather fondly. Keith feels a little like his younger self again. 

“No, it was that he was so aware of me,” Shiro says, “I think it would have been the catalyst whether he successfully caught it or not.” Keith nods and thinks back to his time with Lance. Signs lead to him being absolutely head over heels for him. 

“Thank you,” Keith says softly. 

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Shiro asks. Keith flushes, but he nods anyway. He can admit it. He’s head over heels in love with Lance. “I’m happy for you, bud. He’s a really good fit for you. And I think-” 

“If you bring up the reunion, I will kick your ass,” Keith says. 

“But you have to admit you wouldn’t be together if it wasn’t for me,” Shiro says, “you’re lucky I dragged your ass out to your high school reunion.” Keith takes a deep breath and nods reluctantly. 

“Sure, yeah, you get some credit,” Keith says. Shiro grins, looking rather smug. Keith doesn’t have it in him to be annoyed by the look. His heart is thundering rather loudly in his chest right now. 

–

“Mmmm, you smell good,” Lance whispers in Keith’s ear. Keith shivers and squeezes the fork in his hand. Hunk, Pidge and Allura are sitting across from them, oblivious to how annoying Lance is being. 

“We’re literally two feet away from our friends,” Keith says, not looking away from his half eaten waffle. 

“I was just complimenting you,” Lance says. Keith lets his grip relax slightly and leans away from Lance to look at him. 

“Just- not here, okay?” Keith says. Lance frowns and slides a couple inches away from Keith dramatically. “Oh come on,” Keith says. Lance huffs and turns to his food. 

“You don’t want my compliments, you don’t get anything at all,” Lance says. Keith sighs and pokes at his waffle, trying to look as sad as possible. 

“That’s fine, I wanted to be alone with my waffle anyway,” Keith says. Lance glances up at him, then quickly back to his food. 

“Yeah, enjoy that waffle,” Lance says. Keith pokes around at it a bit more before he gives in and grabs Lance’s elbow. Lance looks at him, not doing a great job of holding his flush back. “What?” Lance asks. 

“I don’t want to eat my waffle alone,” Keith says. Lance grins and slides back over to him, pressing their thighs together. 

“You two done with whatever the hell roleplay that was?” Pidge asks. Keith stiffens and looks up at her in horror. She has a playful look on her face, but he still feels quite uncomfortable. 

“What?” Keith says. Pidge seems to gauge his reaction and frowns slightly. 

“I was just messing with you,” Pidge says, “you guys are adorable together.” Keith nods and looks back down at his food. Lance is oddly quiet next to him, but he can’t quite get himself to look up at him. When the other three fall back into conversation, Lance nudges his thigh. 

“What was that about?” Lance asks. 

“Nothing,” Keith says quickly, pressing himself closer to the wall of the booth. Lance’s brows pinch and he hesitantly scoots away from Keith. Keith misses the warmth immediately, but there’s a weird feeling in his chest he can’t quite place. 

–

When they get to Keith’s apartment that night, things are a bit tense between them. Keith doesn’t know exactly what he’s feeling and he can tell it’s bothering Lance. When their shoes are kicked off and they’re sitting awkwardly on the couch, a silence comes over them. Keith doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. Like always, Lance is the one who finally breaks the silence. “Okay, what is going on?” Lance asks. 

“I- I don’t know, I’m sorry,” Keith says. Lance hums and turns on the couch so he’s facing Keith. 

“I just can’t figure out what Pidge said wrong?” Lance says. Honestly, she didn’t say anything wrong. Keith is the one who’s all wrong here. 

“She didn’t- I guess I just… I have this weird feeling,” Keith says. 

“About what?” Lance says. 

“Well she was clearly teasing us about our flirting, right?” Keith asks. Lance nods, eyebrows still pinched in concerned confusion. “Well… I think it’s PDA. I think I’m weird about that. Apparently.” Lance’s face softens and he scoots closer to Keith. 

“That’s all?” Lance asks. Keith nods, but the weird feeling is still in his chest. “If you don’t want to be overly affectionate in public, we don’t have to be. It’s just hard for me to contain myself around you.” Keith flushes and looks down at his lap. 

“But I do want to be affectionate,” Keith says, “I like being close to you and touching you and flirting with you. It’s almost… exciting for people to see us like that. I’m not sure how to explain it.” Lance looks confused again and Keith finds it sort of adorable. 

“So… what would you like the boundary to be?” Lance asks. 

“I want to  get over whatever repressed thing is making me feel embarrassed about this,” Keith says. Lance shuffles over to him, wrapping himself around Keith. 

“So if we’re hanging out with friends watching a movie, can I do this?” Lance asks. Keith chuckles and threads his fingers through Lance’s hair. 

“Please do,” Keith says, “I want to be able to be all gross and lovey dovey in front of them.” He feels Lance smile against his chest and that might just be one of the best feelings ever. 

“Good, cause I sort of always want to be wrapped around you,” Lance says. 

“Because I’m warm, right?” Keith teases. Lance huffs and somehow presses himself closer to Keith. 

“Right,” Lance says. 

–

5

Lance has never really talked much about his birthday. Keith knows Lance likes special treatment, he knows Lance likes acts of service, so he’s not sure why Lance has been so quiet about his birthday. Keith would think it’s something he’d be adorably excited about, but he hasn’t said a word since Keith asked when it was. So Keith is a bit cautious about what he plans for Lance’s birthday. “Have I told you how much I love your apartment?” Lance asks. 

Keith looks over his shoulder, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Lance is curled in his bed, looking at Keith with dopey, blissful eyes. He looks beautiful. “You’ve mentioned,” Keith says. He finishes brushing his teeth quickly and slips into bed. He wraps himself around Lance and lets his entire body relax. 

“Can I tell you something?” Lance says. Keith hums and tangles their legs together. 

“You can tell me anything,” Keith mumbles. Lance takes a deep breath and turns in Keith’s arm to look at him. 

“I have never felt as safe as I do in your bed like this,” Lance says softly. Keith feels himself flush from head to toe. Any words he has die in his throat as he stares at Lance. “Keith?” Lance says hesitantly. 

“Sorry,” Keith says, clearing his throat, “that’s just… that felt really fucking good to hear.” Lance smiles and buries his head in Keith’s shoulder. Keith’s absolutely, positively, irreversibly in love with Lance, and it’s not as scary of a realization as he expected it to be. 

–

Keith started Lance’s birthday off with breakfast in bed. It was a nice fluffy waffle and some fruit and Lance looked happy enough to cry. After that, Keith took him out to go thrifting and paid for anything and everything Lance wanted. They even got matching shirts that Lance seems particularly excited about. Then they had lunch with all of their friends and Lance got a couple little gifts from each of them. 

Then, they went to Lance’s apartment and took a nap, at Lance’s request and ordered food for dinner. It was a really good day and Lance had a smile on his face the entire time. Which is why Keith has no idea what’s going on. Lance locked himself in the bathroom for a shower almost an hour ago. The water has been off for half an hour and Keith can hear him crying. He knocked, and Lance only quietly told him he wanted to be alone. 

He has no idea what to do. He thought the day went well and he did everything he could to make Lance feel special. He still has a gift left to give Lance, but now he’s not sure what to do with it. It’s just a photo album of all the pictures Keith has taken of things that remind him of Lance over their months together. He’s not sure Lance will be in the mood for something like that right now. 

Finally, when Keith is just about to call Shiro for advice, Lance comes out of the bathroom. His eyes are red and puffy and his shoulders are slumped. Keith stands and walks over to him slowly. Lance looks down, hugging his arms around himself. “Lance, baby, what’s going on?” Keith asks softly. 

“M’ sorry,” Lance says, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Keith. 

“Don’t apologize,” Keith says, rubbing soothing circles on his back. 

“I- I don’t want you to think you did anything wrong,” Lance says, his breath ghosting against Keith’s neck. “I had an amazing day.” 

“Yeah?” Keith says. 

“Yes. You made me feel really special,” Lance says, “I just… I have a weird relationship with my birthday. With birthdays in general I guess.” Keith hums and leans back so they can look at each other. 

“Tell me about it,” Keith says, “I want to know everything about you.” Lance smiles and some colour comes back to his cheeks. 

“Isn’t that what I said to you a while ago?” Lance asks. Keith shrugs with a knowing smile on his face. 

“Come on, let's sit,” Keith says. Lance follows him easily to the couch and they sit facing each other with their knees bumping. 

“You know how kids' birthday parties were sort of a big deal back in the day?” Lance asks. Keith nods even though he doesn’t really know. He never went to a birthday party. “I… well I never got invited to any of them. The kids in my class would hand out invitations and I never got one.” Keith’s heart hurts, the image of Lance as a little kid, waiting for an invitation that never came. “And when I had my parties, most of the kids couldn’t come for one reason or another.” 

Keith puts a hand on Lance’s knee and tries not to give him a look of pity. He knows that’s not what Lance wants. “I had trouble making actual friends growing up and so I started to hate birthdays. I knew they were exciting for everyone else, but for me, they were horrible. My family was great at celebrating me, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re a kid, you want to celebrate with your friends too.” 

“I’m not going to make this about me, but I want you to know I understand how you feel,” Keith says, “the whole friends thing. I’m still working on that one.” Lance smiles. 

“I guess I’m still dealing with some trauma or something from that,” Lance says, “my birthdays have been a lot better since high school, but I still sort of feel lonely. I know it’s kind of selfish, since I had an amazing day-” 

“It’s not selfish,” Keith says, “it’s hard when something like that resurfaces.” 

“Thank you for today, really,” Lance says, “and if it’s any consolation, I cried less this year than last year.” Keith smiles and leans forward to pepper Lance’s face with kisses until he starts giggling and pushing him away. 

“Happy birthday,” Keith says. 

“Maybe next year I’ll only cry for ten minutes,” Lance says. 

“You can cry as much as you need to,” Keith says, “just remember that we’re all here for you. And we’re all more than happy to celebrate you.” 

“I know,” Lance says, “I’m very lucky to have the friends I have.” Keith smiles and leans down to grab the box he slid under the coffee table.

“I have one last gift for you,” Keith says. Lance takes the box and looks up at him with sparkling eyes. When he sees all the little pictures, his eyes light up. Keith is pretty proud of himself for coming up with the idea and he’s beyond happy he’s able to make Lance smile like that. 

–

+1

“Thanks for picking me up, buddy,” Hunk says. He’s a little loopy from his anesthesia, but he seems pretty much like his normal self. He had a rather non-invasive surgery and Keith was the only one around to pick him up. Keith is sort of glad they get this time together, he wants to get to know Hunk better. 

“Of course,” Keith says, “I have the entire day off anyway.” Hunk puts his seatbelt on and lets out a long breath. 

“Can we stop for ice cream?” Hunk asks. Keith grins and starts the car. He can only imagine how hungry Hunk is. He hasn’t eaten in almost 24 hours. 

“Sure,” Keith says, “anywhere in particular you want to go?” They end up at a self serve froyo place with cups nearly spilling with toppings. It’s been a long time since Keith has let himself eat something like this, but he thinks this is as good a time as ever to indulge. When they’re happily seated with their froyo, Hunk leans forward. 

“I have to be nosy,” Hunk says, “how are things with Lance?” Keith was waiting for this, especially since Hunk’s a little loopy. 

“Really good,” Keith says honestly. They’ve been together for almost six months now and although they’ve had some stuff to work through, things are better than ever. Hunk hums and takes a large scoop of froyo to his mouth. Keith raises an eyebrow. 

“Well, Lance doesn’t exactly tell me a lot, he says what you guys have is special and his,” Hunk chuckles, “I just… are you guys in love? Cause I love love and I want Lance to have love.” Keith smiles and pushes his froyo around in his cup a bit. 

“Probably,” Keith says. Hunk smiles and plucks a piece of chocolate off of his froyo. 

“I’m really happy you guys found each other,” Hunk says. 

“He’s helped me grow a lot as a person,” Keith says, “I can only hope I’ve done the same for him.” 

“Oh you definitely have,” Hunk says. 

“Okay, enough cheesy stuff, I need to finish my froyo,” Keith says. Hunk grins and digs back into his froyo. 

–

Lance told Keith if he knocks three times without an answer that he can just walk into the apartment. It took Keith a few times to actually do it, but now it’s just second nature. When Keith walks into the apartment this time, Lance is in the kitchen. He’s humming and swaying his hips to music Keith doesn’t quite recognize, but he knows it’s from Lance’s childhood. He doesn’t make a sound, enjoying the moment while he can. It’s not often he gets to see Lance in his element like this. 

He manages to get a good minute or two of watching before Lance turns away from the stove and spots him. “Hey creep,” Lance says with a grin. 

“You really need to keep your apartment locked,” Keith says, sauntering over to him, “I’ve been here for a while.” Lance reaches out to him and loops his arms around his neck. 

“I know,” Lance says, “I was swaying my hips a little extra just for you.” Keith shakes his head and rests his hands on those swaying hips. 

“What are you cooking?” Keith asks, “it smells delicious.” Lance hums and starts walking Keith away from the kitchen. Keith raises an eyebrow as Lance pushes him all the way to the living room couch. 

“You wait here,” Lance says, “it’s a surprise.” Keith smiles and Lance leans down to kiss him softly. Lance makes his way back to the kitchen and Keith watches after him. Lance is in a particularly good mood and it looks beautiful on him. To be fair, everything looks good on Lance. He’s just that hot. 

Keith grabs a random book off of Lance’s bookshelf to keep himself occupied while he waits. Lance likes cooking, but he doesn’t do it often. He hates cleaning up, but he also hates when Keith cleans up for him. Something about today is special and Keith can’t wait to know what it is. Lance has been working on opening his own Zumba studio, so it could be good news in that direction. 

He only gets about ten minutes to ponder on that before Lance calls him into the kitchen. Keith’s heart melts when he sees the food set out on the table. Lance has a sheepish smile on his face and a little smudge of sauce by his lip. Keith walks over to him and wipes it off with his thumb. “This is really nice,” Keith says. Lance stares at him as his entire face goes pink. 

“You said you’ve been really craving homemade burgers,” Lance says, “I thought I’d make the whole deal.” Spread on the table are burgers, fries, milkshakes, nuggets and onion rings. It’s not exactly in Keith’s somewhat strict diet plan, but it looks and smells delicious. One day off won’t kill him. 

“Thank you,” Keith says, “any particular reason you did all of this?” Lance shrugs and pushes Keith towards his chair. 

“Can’t I just do something nice for my boyfriend?” Lance asks. Keith bites his lip and nods. 

“I guess I’ll allow that,” Keith says. For the next hour they dig in, talking between bites as they devour everything on the table. Keith has been craving greasy, no good food like this for a while, and each bite successfully satisfies that craving. When they’re both stuffed to the brim, Keith starts clearing his dishes from the table. 

“Nope, stop that,” Lance says, smacking his hands away, “we’re not going to look at the kitchen until tomorrow morning.” Keith sighs and leans back in his chair. 

“Really?” Keith says. Lance nods and stands from his chair, extending a greasy hand to Keith. “We need a shower,” Keith says playfully. 

“We most definitely do,” Lance says seriously, “I got some new soap I want to try out and you know I can’t reach my back.” Keith grins and takes Lance’s hand, letting himself be swept away to the bathroom. 

–

Feeling clean and refreshed, Lance brings them out to the balcony and wraps his arms around Keith from behind. Keith leans into him and looks up at the stars. They stay there for a while in silence, but Keith can tell Lance has something to say. He doesn’t push him, he lets them both enjoy the peace and stillness of the moment. Eventually, though, Lance seems to grow impatient with himself. “Keith?” Lance says. 

“Yes?” Keith says softly. 

“I did do all of this for a reason,” Lance says, “the dinner and the new soap.” 

“And the wonderful blo-” Keith starts, only for Lance to put a hand over his mouth. 

“Just shush and listen,” Lance says. Keith nods and Lance drops his hand. “There’s something I want to tell you. I’ve known for a while, but I’ve been scared of saying something too soon.” He takes a deep breath and props his chin on Keith’s shoulder. “But I keep almost saying it by accident, so I’d rather be intentional with it.” Keith shivers. 

He hopes this is going where he thinks it is. Because he’s on the same page. It’s taking over his mind and it’s hard not to let his heart explode. Lance takes a deep breath and splays his hands on Keith’s stomach. “I love you, Keith,” Lance says, “and I’ve never loved anyone like this before. I love you so much.” Keith melts into Lance and a huge weight lifts off of his shoulders. 

“Oh Lance,” Keith says, voice wavering slightly, “I am so in love with you it’s sort of ridiculous.” Lance lets out a breath of relief and peppers kisses behind Keith’s ear. 

“Thank god,” Lance says. Keith chuckles and turns in Lance’s arms so they can look at each other. He brings a gentle hand up to Lance’s jaw and looks deep into his eyes. There are no words to describe what is passing through them right now, so Keith simply presses their lips together and lets the kiss do the talking. The kiss is the same as always, but something feels different… deeper, about this one. 

When he pulls back, he sees the stars in Lance’s eyes and he’s never been more certain in his life that soulmates exist. He sees the universe in Lance and he can only hope Lance sees the same in him. “I have one more surprise for you,” Lance says. Keith nods and follows Lance back inside. Lance brings them to his room, prompting Keith to close his eyes before they go in. When Keith opens his eyes, he gasps softly. 

Lance’s closet is split into two parts, one side empty with Keith’s name on a cheesy little nametag on one of the shelves. Lance stands beside him, stiff and nervous and Keith finds it adorable. He finds all of this adorable. “I thought since we spend so much time together, you might as well have some of your stuff here,” Lance says, “I emptied out the other nightstand and a drawer in the bathroom for you.” Keith grins and grabs Lance’s hand. 

“Thank you, love,” Keith says. Lance flushes and looks at Keith in awe. 

“Love,” Lance says like he’s never heard the word before. 

“I don’t have to-” Keith starts. 

“No. Fuck, please keep calling me that,” Lance says, somehow out of breath, “I like that.” Keith grins and pulls Lance with him to the bathroom. There’s an empty drawer with nothing but a new toothbrush waiting for him. 

“This is really sweet,” Keith says. 

“You don’t think it’s too cheesy?” Lance asks, “I wasn’t sure about the name tag.” Keith smiles fondly at Lance and cups either side of his face. 

“It’s perfect,” Keith says, “you’re perfect.” Lance looks like he’s about to have a heart attack and it makes Keith’s chest swell. He’s not sure he’ll ever get over the effect he has on Lance. Never did he think someone would love him this much. 

“No, you are,” Lance counters, seeming to regain some of his composure. Keith just grins and drags Lance over to the bed. He’s in love with Lance and Lance is in love with him and it’s the best feeling in the entire universe.