Archive of Our Own

Choose something babe, 
I got nothing to believe, 
unless you’re choosing me

"You’re leaving again?"

Keith only looks up from his pad, eyebags already forming as he sits on the Garrison lounging room. The administration had been kind enough to give them all their private suite, each one with their respective rooms but sharing a lounge and a kitchenette. The sky is dark, stars twinkling behind the curtains as Lance keeps by the entrance, knees close to buckling over at the news Shiro told him a few minutes ago.

"I am." Keith says and Lance tries to mask his apprehension. He clutches at the threshold, gulping as he nods along and turns away from Keith. 

There’s a beat of silence, where no one speaks and Lance swears Keith could hear his heart beating out of his chest. This was probably for the best, Keith was never one to keep still for too long. Despite it, Lance can’t help but feel the longing, yearning to be closer despite them both being in the same room. 

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Keith breaks the silence, cuts it in two and Lance bites on his lower lip. “A recon mission. Probably would take a month or two. 

Keith’s leaving tomorrow, it had been mere weeks since they defeated Honerva, since everything went back to normal and Keith was leaving. Lance nods again, tries to make his mouth work, to get his voice to sound as neutral as possible as he utters, "I thought you were staying for Coran’s birthday."

"Kolivan asked for me,” Keith comments, eyes still glued to the screen, "I can't turn away from my duties."

Lance gulps, keeps a tight grip on the door’s threshold. He tries to take in a breath, feels it rattle all of his bones as he breathes out. How can Keith enter a spaceship after the war is a mystery to Lance. How can he jump into another mission right after everything that’s happened? 

He forces his eyes to look back at Keith. He’s still seated in the lounge, hair wrapped in a messy ponytail, a few strands still coming over his forehead. Lance can notice the tiredness, can see the way his shoulders hunch and while Keith he’s one of the most level-headed people Lance has known, he also needs a break. 

“A-Are you sure?” He asks, taking a careful step into the room, hands reluctantly pulling away from the door frame. “You’re all rested up, ready to go back into action?”

Keith stops typing into the pad and looks up at him. It’s the first time their eyes meet. Lance tries not to blink, to not look away in nervousness. He clenches his fists at his sides, tries to keep his breathing as even as possible as Keith keeps looking at him, gaze unwavering. How Lance would do anything to know what he was thinking, to understand his decisions and try to find a way to reason with him. 

“I don’t do well waiting around,” Keith comments at last. Lance doesn’t believe he fully answered him. “You know that.”

“I do,” Lance nods, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, “Just making sure you...” 

He trails off, tries to find his words again but is unable to. What can he say? Lance has no power over Keith, he can’t tell him what to do, what to decide, regardless of his feelings towards it. It’s a terrible idea in Lance’s eyes, he can’t deny it, but it’s Keith’s decision in the end. 

Lance has no say over it. 

"Be safe then," He manages to say it as smoothly as possible. Lance tries to smile, his lips quipping up but no emotion there in the slightest. "I-I have a meeting from 9 till the afternoon so I won’t be able to see you off, but tell me when you’re back."

“I will,” Keith gives him a smile in turn, small but sweet all the same.

Lance feels his eyes burning as he nods again, walking away from the lounge and into his room. He forces himself not to look back, the door hissing open and closing as he steps in, shutting with a final click. 

Everything’s washed in darkness, the night taking over his room and Lance doesn’t even feel like turning the lights on. Lance walks into his room, finally lets the façade drop and the realization of what will happen soon starts descending upon him. 

A shudder runs down his whole body, makes it harder to walk until Lance flops on top of his bed. He doesn’t even bother to discard his uniform, the fabric rumpling over the soft comforter. He tugs at one of his pillows, hugging it close to his chest as he buries his face into the cotton. His lips are sealed shut, trying to keep himself from crying, but his eyes betray him, burning and scalding. 

Keith chose the Blade over Earth. After all this time and still he chooses space over their home. The war is over, there is no fighting to be done on Earth, and yet Keith still finds ways to run where chaos reigns. The Blade has existed for millenia, will keep existing until their bones turn to ash, and Keith still has to be involved every single time. 

His teeth grind, makes his head throb at the onslaught of emotions. He can’t ask Keith to stay, can’t even ask him to linger another day, hell he doesn’t have the courage to even speak to him about his feelings, his true feelings regarding their relationship. They’re only friends, and that’s all they’ll ever be, after Voltron there is nothing tying them together anymore, they will both go on their separate ways. 

Lance would love to quell those burning feelings for Keith, to keep them buried for no one to see or to find out. No one needs the baggage, the burden of carrying Lance’s love with them. Keith has enough problems on his own, he doesn’t need Lance’s feelings added to the mix. 

He turns on the bed, back to the door and buries deeper into the pillow, hot tears running down his cheeks, teeth grinding as he bites back a sob. Lance is drowning head-first into a familiar abyss, one he knows so well after Keith left for the Blades all those years ago. The first time the only thing that comforted him was the fact that eventually Keith would come back, they needed him for Voltron after all. This time, Lance doesn’t have that security anymore. 

Keith has no ties to Earth anymore, his mom is with the Blades, his newly-appointed team all depended on him, Hunk would go on his cuisine explorations and while Pidge and Shiro stayed at the Garrison, they always encouraged Keith to go on his own. 

And, let’s face it, Lance is not a good enough reason to stay.

He smothers himself into the pillow, tries to stop breathing and forces himself to sleep. It doesn’t come for a long time, leaving Lance twisting and turning, trying to block Keith’s image from his mind as he eventually drifts away, body tense and pillow wet. 

When the next day rolls around, Lance doesn’t even go to the meeting. He doesn’t even step outside his room when he hears the ruckus of a group of people leaving the lounging area. Lance stays in the same position as last night, body turned away and eyes squeezed shut, trying to block the sound of a spaceship powering up from his mind. 

The next time Keith leaves, Lance avoids going to the Garrison all together, calling in sick at the last minute. No one asks for him, it makes sense since they believe he’s been withdrawing from their group meetings because of Allura’s loss. Lance doesn’t bother correcting them. 

While it was true he was still sad about Allura, would wake up crying most days at the thought of not being able to talk to her anymore, he had come to accept it for a while now. He missed her presence as a good friend, as one of his best friends, but no other feelings lingered. He had a hunch that she felt the same way months before Honerva happened. 

So Lance doesn’t meet up with Keith when he returns for the first time, nor the second time, or the third time. All together he stops meeting up with him, simply focusing on his own work and trying to mask the surprise whenever Keith appeared in the lounging area. Lance also didn’t bother meeting up with Voltron anymore, would occasionally answer their chats and calls, but otherwise avoided them whenever Keith was around. They would exchange quick nods and ‘hellos’ here and there, but nothing like before.

Maybe it was selfish of Lance to be so distant with Keith, but the ache that followed every time he learned he was leaving yet again, was too great to bear. Lance, who was so used to wearing his heart out in his sleeve, to profess his love every chance he got, was so afraid of falling deeper into that chasm. Loving Keith came with a cost, it came with Lance’s heart chipping away, piece by piece, every time he learned of his departure once more, fearing this would be the last time they saw each other. 

Lance was too much of a coward to try to hide it away, to force his feelings back inside. The moment his eyes landed on Keith away, a burning sensation sprung up in his eyelids, words threatening to spill over at the mere sight of him. It was too much of a torture for Lance. 

So it was to no one’s surprise when Lance packs his bags and leaves for Cuba. 

He leaves a letter on Shiro's desk, thanking him for the teacher position but rejecting the offer all together and only gives Pidge a quick hug before he hops on a bus and leaves for the airport, not accepting anyone’s offer of flying him back to his homeland. He hadn’t even called his parents in, simply showed up at their doorstep, eyes still puffy as they welcomed him with open arms and a warm meal. 

Lance told them he needed to think as the only explanation, didn’t mention the Garrison job or Keith’s constant departures, and they never asked, allowing him to stay as long as he needed. He noticed the worry in his parent’s eyes, the way they whispered when they headed back to bed, the way Rachel lingered in his room, talking about nonsense, trying to make him open up. Lance just went along, talking but never really opening up to them. 

Days turned into weeks as Lance settled into his usual routine, waking up at the crack of dawn, strolling to the beach, heading back to his home to make breakfast, helping out in the family’s farm, lunch, heading over to a grassy patch and tending to his growing sunflower buds, napping on and old tree, heading back to prep dinner, reading some old book, and then heading off to sleep. 

It was a month in when Hunk called him. 

“Buddy! Where are you man? I’ve been looking everywhere for you in the Garrison,” Hunk pipes from the other side of the call, “I couldn’t find Pidge in her lab, wonder where she’s at?”

“Probably at the cafeteria filling up on tater tots,” Lance chuckles, taking a bite out of his scrambled eggs. He doesn’t have much of an appetite today, but he’s been dropping too much weight for it to not concern his mama, so he forces to open his mouth and swallow. “And if she’s not there, then probably sleeping back in Matt’s room after an all-nighter.”

“Sounds about right,” Hunk sighs and then asks again, “And you man? I want to greet my best buddy before I jump into more meetings about the new restaurant chain. Where do I find you?”

Lance feels the lump in his throat, trying to sound casual as he answers, “I’m back home man. I…left the Garrison a while back. Sorry I didn’t tell you, everything happened so fast and I didn’t have time to notify everyone.”

Hunk pauses for a second, the silence stretching from seconds to a minute. Lance hears a deep sigh from the other side followed by Hunk’s footsteps echoing in the Garrison’s hall. 

“I thought Pidge had told you,” Lance jumps in, having more difficulty speaking without that tightness in his voice. He leans away from his breakfast, trying to calm down his pounding heart. Whatever Hunk says next, will change nothing, it’s not like he’s going to just gather up all of his things and move back to the Garrison just because his best friend told him to. Lance wasn’t needed there, and could hardly do a useful job back at the academy. He only needed to focus on helping his family and staying away from a space station. 

“She didn’t, I-” Hunk cuts himself off and then asks, “Are you at your parent’s house?”

“Yeah, I… am looking at houses to buy. I would probably move in a few months after I sign the contract, but yeah… I’m here with my mom and dad.”

“Gotcha, see you in a few.”

Lance hears the line go dead and then he looks down at his phone, the call cut off. Hunk’s contact info pops up on his screen and Lance is still stuck on those last words. Did he hear correctly? Lance shakes his head, tries to rationalize the thought, because there was no way Hunk was flying all the way from Arizona to Varadero. He probably misheard and Hunk meant about sending him a text in a couple of hours. 

It turns out Lance had heard correctly right when Hunk appeared on his doorstep a few hours later. 

"Buddy, are you okay?" Is the first thing Hunk asks when Lance lets him inside. He’s clad in his usual uniform, apron still on and a flimsy bag thrown over his shoulder. Lance looks out, sees the shuttle pod sitting in his front yard and closes the door after him. His parents had left for a quick errand so it was only the two of them together. 

“Yeah man, everything’s…good,” Lance says, opens up his arms and Hunk goes in for a hug. It’s a nice feeling, Hunk’s arms around him and giving him a tight squeeze. Lance chuckles into it, hugging his best friend back and trying to fight off the feeling that something was up. 

“Yeah?” Hunk asks, leaning back from the hug, not convinced. Lance sighs, tries to answer once more but Hunk cuts him off, “I-I know it hasn’t been long since Allura…” 

The silence hangs in the air for a moment, making Lance’s eyes water at the mere thought of her. It’s hardly been a year since she passed, and while time has been making things more manageable, Lance still misses her. She would’ve been a good ear at the moment, her kind words and teasing advice would’ve made Lance laugh, trying to find the good out of this shitty situation. 

But it’s usually the quiet moments where he longs for her unwavering comfort. Her small smiles when the mice talked with her, that glint in her eye whenever she learned a new word in a foreign language, how her voice rose in pitch whenever she found a new sparkly thing to obsess over. It was in those moments Lance wished he could share with her as a friend. 

“I know.” Lance nods, quickly wipes the water in his eyes. “But I’m okay Hunk, really.”

Hunk grimaces, doesn’t look convinced in the slightest. He sighs, and then pats Lance’s shoulder once again and adds with a quiet voice, “Is it…Keith?”

Lance can’t hide the grimace this time. Hunk stills beside him and Lance knows this is a losing battle, can’t even try to brush it off as if it was nothing. He sighs and turns away from Hunk, crossing his arms and still figuring out what to say after this. His heart is thundering in his chest, Lance can feel it wanting to burst out from the deepest parts of himself. It’s unfair how just his name can reduce him to this. 

His eyes water once again and Lance had promised himself he wouldn’t cry over Keith again. He made his choice and Lance made his, there was nothing to be mournful about. It’s not like they were anything other than teammates. 

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve known for a while…” Hunk says, dropping his bag onto the floor. Lance turns to him and Hunk responds with a sigh and a shake of his head, “I’ve had a hunch since he first left, why weren't you there to bid him off…and all the times after that.” 

Lance gulps, feels that familiar knot in his throat as he nods. If Hunk noticed, then surely the rest of the team did as well. It’s useless to mull over it anyway, Lance is far away from the Garrison, if they theorized something was up it was a long time ago. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” He says after a while, crickets already chirping on his front porch. He should get dinner started soon before his family arrives and set up the guest bedroom for Hunk. Lance tries on a smile and then pats Hunk on the back, “I’ll show you to your room.” 

Hunk smiles back, but before Lance can get far he envelops him in another hug. This one is different. It’s like a lifeline, a reassuring and steady stone against the raging waves. Lance sighs into him, melts a bit into the embrace as he hugs him back, feels the warmth of Hunk’s body and tries not to think too much about his friends. 

“I can bake you some garlic knots, how does that sound?” Hunk says when they part, “We can do a back to back marathon of Star Wars if you’re up for it.” 

Lance feels a genuine smile then, mind flashing with memories of their time spent together at the Garrison, the endless movies they watched over and over again as they wondered what it would be like to be up in space. Funny how things tend to work out in the end. 

“I’d like that,” He nods, feeling Hunk’s tension ease for a moment as they both head up for the stairs, “But starting from the prequels, I want to see Anakin in his Jedi outfit.”

They spend the night just like that, Hunk’s freshly baked garlic knots between them as the Star Wars theme blasted from Lance’s data pad. They huddled into the same bed, exchanging smiles whenever their favorite parts rolled around and quoting the dialogues out loud. It was an incredible night, it left Lance a bit giddy when they went to sleep just as the sun started to rise in the horizon. 

“You should talk to him,” Hunk muttered into his pillow. Lance turns to him, both of them barely fitting into his old bed, but making do. He sees his friend’s back, hears the way his voice is slurring, heavy with sleep but wanting to say something before fully succumbing to it. 

“Hmm? And what would I say?” Lance goes along with the idea, actually thinks it through for a second before outright rejecting the thought, “Keith please stay here on Earth, in the place where you never felt welcomed? Here away from your mom? Yeah, I don’t think so buddy.”

Hunk stays silent and Lance waits for the snores to come after, but instead he says, “He listens to you.” 

Lance opens his mouth, ready to refute him, but Hunk whispers, “You weren’t his right-hand man for anything. We never could make him slow down, but you did. Even when we were going back to Earth, you would suggest a plan and he’d follow through.”

It leaves him speechless for a moment. Lance remembers, of course he remembers all those times back in the Castle of Lions when Keith would make a rash decision and he would ease out the tension in the room. It was nothing to brag about, nothing to even notice, it was something just Lance did to make things more amicable, and well it always seemed to work. His plans weren’t the best, but they never got into too much trouble for them. Keith wouldn’t argue back on them, would follow through and then the mission was over. 

“But,” Lance interjects, already shaking his head. Keith might’ve listened to him during Voltron, but he would never listen with something like this. Never with something as big and important as this. Lance’s opinion didn’t matter and they never have whenever it came to the Blade. Keith would never listen. 

“Not with this,” He eventually says, “He’d never listen to me about this.” 

Hunk doesn’t speak up after that and soon enough his soft breathing turns into snores, making Lance chuckle into the bedsheets. He furrows deep into the mattress, tries to shove Keith out of his mind, but Hunk’s suggestion pops up again. 

Even if the situation presented itself, Lance could never ask that of Keith. Despite his hurt and anguish at the thought of Keith putting himself in harm’s way, Lance would keep his lips sealed at even mentioning this to Keith. It was too much of a risk, too much of a giveaway of how much Lance cared and felt about him. And besides, Keith was made to be up in the stars, their young prodigy can’t tie himself down to Earth, a planet that is so far away from his dreams and desires. 

Lance can’t do that to him, won’t do that to him. 

He tucks his face into Hunk’s back and shuts his eyes, the tiredness eventually winning over and sending him into the land of dreams, mind still muddled and recalling distant memories from their time as paladins, when everyone was still together despite the war. 

Days blur into months and as time slowly passes Lance starts to forget about his old life. 

Memories flee by in the shape of dreams, replaying over and over again whenever he sleeps. Sometimes they’re pleasant and others not so much. He’s gotten used to waking up in the middle of the night, a scream ready to tear out of his throat but it never comes out. Lance is left breathless, heart pounding as he slowly sits up from his bed and turns to the other side of the bed, eyes wide open and sweat clinging to his skin. 

He doesn’t sleep after that, usually waits for the sun to rise and slowly stands up, tidies up the bed and heads down to the kitchen. 

His mornings are quieter now, ever since he moved to his own home it’s been like that. He bought the house on a whim really. He could’ve stayed in his old bedroom for a while longer, no one would’ve bothered him, but Lance was getting anxious. Always seeing the same faces, doing the same routine, it was like living on automatic. He saw the announcement at a local paper, a bit of a fixer-upper but with a beautiful view of the sea. It was only a twenty minute walk away from his parent’s house, edging just in the outskirts of town, but enough to be able to walk everywhere within distance and no neighbours. Lance bought it the next day. 

He had enough money from the Garrison. For some reason Shiro still had him registered as an employee and when Lance asked about it he simply texted back an ‘Enjoy:)’ and well that was that. It was too much money in Lance’s opinion, far more than what his parents ever earned and so he always opted to buy things for them, for Sylvio and Nadia, for anyone from his family that needed something. And well, he saved some of it and now he has his own house. 

Lance stretches, the hot Varadero sun slowly rising over the chilly morning breeze, as he bends down to pick up the small watering can. His garden was slowly flourishing, the sprouts slowly growing over the patch of dirt and his hanging pots. Lance smiles as he waters them, silently humming to himself as he tugs his bathrobe closer to his body. 

A vibration from his pocket jolts him out of his trance. 

Lance finishes and takes out his cellphone and looks at the time. It was barely six in the morning, no one in his family should be up by this hour. His bright screen flashes a picture of Sylvio and Nadia, and sees the notification. 

It’s from an unknown number. 

Lance frowns and unlocks it. Goes to his text messages and the first thing he reads is:

‘You don’t live with your parents anymore?’

He continues to look at it, revising it over and over again and thinks ‘Is someone stalking me?’ before the vibrations come back again, this time fully shaking in his hand. Lance yelps, almost drops the phone in the muddy ground but manages to grip it between his hands. He huffs, looking at the screen as a call from the number registers in. 

Lance knows he shouldn’t answer unknown calls, especially with a text as ominous as that one, but he does so anyway, at least to confront the creep. Lance accepts it, already clicking his tongue when the receiver breathes into the mic. 

“Dude, what the-”

“Where are you?” 

Lance stills at that. His heart drops to his chest, feels it clench around and twist all of his insides. He instantly clamps up, feels a slight shake run down his fingers as he grips the phone a bit tighter, trying to steady himself at the sound of Keith’s voice. He had dropped the watering can at some point, the water splashing onto the wet ground as Lance tried to take a step back. He heaves out a breath, steadying against the column of his front porch, eyes wide as he listens. 

“Lance?” Keith asks into the phone. 

It’s been a while since he heard from Keith. Scratch that, it’s been a while since he heard Keith. Time had passed and Lance assumed he was still working for the Blades. He probably still is considering the absence in Shiro’s comments about him. 

Lance gulps, tries to steady himself as he forces himself to talk, “Hey Keith, sorry you caught me off guard.”

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, just, uh, watering some plants…” Lance sighs, clenches and unclenches his hands as he thinks of what to do to distract himself. It felt as if he was meeting Keith all over again, learning how to talk to him back in their early days of Voltron. How long has it been since they’d last seen each other? “What’s up?”

“I…sent a message a couple of minutes ago,” Keith starts, words careful, “Is this your new number?”

“Uh, yeah, the last one broke on me,” Lance picks up the watering can, setting it on the small wooden steps leading up to his porch. He plops down into one of them, hearing the wood creak underneath him. “Sorry I didn’t tell you, I assumed my phone would update my contact info.”

“It’s okay, Hunk shared it with me.” Keith says and Lance does feel a bit bad about it. It’s not like he avoided telling Keith, he simply didn’t tell anyone, just changed his number and hoped the application would follow through. Pidge had to get his new number from Hunk too, sending him a sticker with a cat showing the middle finger. 

“I’m sorry for the sudden call, I uh…” Keith says after a beat. Lance continues to listen, heart still galloping as his knees start to bounce, trying to ease the anxiety. “I went to your parent’s house, and wanted to drop you a quick visit.”

He doesn’t register the words at first. Lance’s brain mulls over them, repeats the sentence in his head and then the nerves skyrocket. Keith was back on Earth? Keith was in Cuba? 

What?

“At six in the morning?!” Lance bellows, cheeks dusting pink as those questions keep resurfacing, “Keith there’s people sleeping!”

“I know! I assumed you would be up, but your mom, she-” Keith groans and Lance can clearly picture him messing up his mane of hair. He can’t stop the small giggle, already thinking of sending his mom an apology after he hangs up with Keith. “They told me you don’t live with them anymore.” 

Lance swallows, hard. He’s going to get shit for this, he knows because Shiro and Pidge gave him a hard time for not telling them as well. Lance fiddles with the string of his hoodie, twisting the fabric over and over again as he mulls over his answer. There’s no way to respond without Keith taking offense to it. 

“I don’t.” He slowly drags out the words, the cold breeze picking up again, “I bought a house.”

A beat of silence. “Since when?”

“A couple of months ago.” His knees keep bouncing, arms crossed over his chest as he continues to fiddle with his hoodie. He can feel the creaking of the porch underneath his bouncing, feels the shake vibrate over his body as he continues, “It’s still a bit of a fixer upper, I have to paint the roof, change some of the plumbing, sell some of the old furniture, a lot of stuff really. But yeah… it’s mine.”  

“Congratulations, that’s great Lance…” A silence stretches between them until Keith sighs on the other end of the phone, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I…” Lance fights off the lump in his throat, searches for what to say, because in the end no matter how angry and hurt he feels with Keith leaving, this was a clear blow to their friendship. Lance knew he was in the wrong when he didn’t tell anyone about the purchase, the petty part of him feeling satisfied when they all chimed in with questions. 

This time is no different. He does feel a sense of weird satisfaction. Almost as if he was shoving it into Keith’s face that he was fine, that he was more than fine since he went away. Lance moved on with his things, got himself a nice house, a good routine, and well, there’s nothing more to it. But Lance’s softer side feels the sting. 

“I only told Hunk,” He ends up saying, a lame excuse in his eyes, “It was a bit of an impulsive decision really. I moved in a day, my parents were the only ones who knew and by the time I realized no one knew where to find me, well time had already passed.

“You were…” Lance bites his tongue because in all honesty he doesn’t remember at this point where Keith was, just assumed he would be somewhere in the Blade, “Who knows where at this point. I just, well, I didn’t think it was worth mentioning, you have a lot of things going on, so…”

He goes silent, holding his breath for a moment as he reeled in the words he just uttered. A part of him wants to take them back, to reel in the accusations, but the longer the silence stretches, the more his mouth stays shut. Keith had decided what he wanted to do with his time and Lance did the same. They’ve been apart for months, maybe it’s already been past a year at this point, and while Lance doesn’t feel the pang that comes with Keith’s absence anymore, the fact that he’s calling again makes his heart ache. 

“Send me your location.”

Lance blinks, hands gripping the cell a bit tighter as he takes a quick breath, “O-Of my house?”

“If you want of course,” Keith adds with a tight voice. Lance opens his mouth, eyes looking around his garden, almost as if he was expecting Keith to appear out of thin air. “I won’t insist if you don’t want to, I just…”

The cold breeze picks up again, Lance feels the chill running all the way through his bones as butterflies slowly start to flutter over his stomach. A familiar warmth spreads around his chest, makes him huddle into his hoodie, toes curling under his thick socks as he waits for Keith to continue. 

"I really want to see you right now."

His face heats up, feels his own cheeks redden at the words. Keith wants to see him? Right now? Lance looks around again, knee bouncing and then he quickly stands up. God, he must look like such a mess right now and Keith wants to come over? Lance shakes his head, dread and a weird sense of excitement filling him to the brim. 

“Okay,” Lance doesn’t know how he didn’t manage to stutter, blush running all the way down to his neck, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

There’s a sigh of relief at the other end of the call and Lance doesn’t even want to decipher that. He hears Keith utter some words on the other end of the line before he ends the call with, “Thanks, I’ll see you in a bit.” 

Lance manages to send his location with shaky fingers, heart stuttering as he sees the message being delivered to Keith’s contact, now fully saved into his new phone. Mere seconds pass before he sees the blue checkmarks and Keith’s short ‘on my way’ as a response.

He sucks in a breath, considers rushing inside his home and taking a shower, to change out of his dirty old pajamas when he hears far in the distance a motor of a space pod running. Lance gasps, looks overhead and sure enough, out in the distance he could see the tiny spec of a spaceship. He only manages to rush inside, comb his hair and throw some water onto his face before he feels the engine coming closer and closer. 

The ground shakes for a moment as the space pod lands and Lance quickly dashes down the stairs and out into the porch again, out of breath and eyes wide open. He’s still in his pajamas, hands clutching at the hems of his hoodie as he sees the familiar sight of a Blade of Marmora spaceship stationed right next to his house, carefully placed next to his orange tree. Lance keeps looking at it, gulping once his ears pick up the hiss of the shuttle opening.

His feet move on his own, walking down the steps and into the garden. He keeps his eyes onto the ramp that descends to the ground, heart about to burst until he hears steps. Lance stops and slowly he sees the figure descending the ship. 

Keith hadn’t changed a thing during their time apart. His hair was the same, tied into a low ponytail; the scar on his cheek was still present, now accompanied with a smaller one right over his eyebrow; he was wearing the jacket Lance had sent him over Christmas, t-shirt snug over his chest and tucked neatly under his jeans. He looked good, more handsome in Lance’s eyes since they last saw each other. 

Lance’s entire being is brimming with a mix of emotions, unsure on how to proceed. It’s been more than a year now and if Lance was unsure on where he stood in Keith’s life before, he’s ten times more confused now. Still, he stays there, watches Keith walk down the ramp, a duffel bag slung over his shoulders as his eyes make contact with Lance’s. 

“Hey,” Lance says when Keith is close enough, walking over the grass, indigo eyes still glued to Lance’s face, almost as if he was noticing all of the different changes throughout their time spent apart, committing everything to memory. Lance gulps, tries to find what to say next as Keith is mere centimeters away from him. God he hopes his marks aren’t glowing. “What’s up, mullet?” 

Keith watches him, eyes intent and doesn’t speak. He reaches Lances in three strides, forgetting all about personal space and pulling Lance closer to him. He yelps, doesn’t know what’s happening for a second until he feels Keith’s arms around him, face smothered against his chest. 

Lance tries to breathe, heart bursting as it finally clicks in his mind that Keith is hugging him. His body is all stiff, shoulders tense and arms unsure of where to go. Even so, Keith keeps him there, snuggled against his body, chin easily propped on top of Lance’s head. 

As the seconds pass, Lance can’t help it any longer. He melts against the embrace, feels his limbs just attaching and slotting perfectly against Keith’s. He wraps his arms around his waist, tucks his face into the crook of his neck and without thinking too much of it, takes a deep inhale. Keith’s familiar scent overwhelms him, the same firewood and musk enveloping his senses and making Lance dizzy with content. He smiles into their embrace, feeling Keith’s arms tighten for a moment around him. 

No one says anything, they stay in that hug for a few minutes and Lance doesn’t feel the cold breeze anymore. Faintly he can hear the waves crashing against the sand, can taste the saltiness in the water, but his focus is all on Keith’s hug, the proximity between the two of them, and a certain thought brewing in his head. 

“Did something happen?” Lance finally asks. He carefully leans back, looking up to see Keith’s indigo eyes right on him. It pulls at his heart, and can instantly tell that something indeed happened by the way Keith is looking at him. Worry gnaws all over and Lance is quick to ask, “Are you hurt? Where-”

“Lance, I’m okay,” Keith interrupts him, the same small smile stretching over his lips. There’s the barest trace of a stubble over his chin and desire bubbles up in Lance’s chest, “My mission already ended. I got to Earth a few hours ago.”

Lance isn’t convinced, he can already tell that there’s something Keith isn’t telling him. He frowns, leans further back from the hug and he can already see Keith’s easy smile slipping away. 

“I know you Kogane,” He warns him, cocking his head to the side and squinting up at him. Why is he so surprised, Keith never tells him anything, not before he left and he’s certainly not going to start doing it now. Frustration rises in that single moment and Lance is tempted to pull entirely away, but it’s not like Keith knows any semblance of what Lance is feeling at the moment. 

In the end he only sighs, rolling his eyes as adds, “You’re the same as always.” 

Keith keeps looking at him, unable to even contradict him. He quietly says, “It’s nothing. I swear it’s nothing like that, you don’t have to worry Lance.” 

“Easy for you to say,” He snaps, “You’re not the one who has to stay and watch you run-”

And Lance clicks his mouth shut. The frustration is still there, bubbling up but he’s not admitting anything to Keith, not after all this time. He takes another deep breath, pulls away entirely from the hug as the cold breeze seeps in his skin. Lance crosses his arms, hoodie tight around him as he tries to make his mouth work again, “Forget I said anything.” 

Keith keeps his gaze on him, a sort of desperation threatening to give out. Lance starts to think that the distance between them now is even greater than a year ago. He made things too awkward, demanding Keith to tell him what was going on with his life, when Lance hardly had done the same. Gosh, he was such a mess. 

“Lance,” Keith starts, mouth opens again and Lance doesn’t know if he wants to hear what he has to say. 

“I don’t want to fight.” The words stumble out of Lance’s mouth. He’s a real piece of work, first accusing Keith of something and now backing off the argument when he was the one that brought it up in the first place. Lance wants to re-do this whole conversation again, maybe reject Keith’s offer to come over and stay holed up in his house for the rest of the month. 

“Please?” He asks, cringing at the pleading in those words, “I shouldn’t have prodded, I know how you are, I’m-”

“Don’t apologize,” Keith rushes to say, taking a step towards him and shortening their distance. Lance gulps, hands already twisting under his armpits, shoulders tensing as Keith adds, “There’s nothing you should be sorry for.” 

Lance grimaces, “But I-”

“Lance, I know you, okay?” Keith’s voice turns gentler, calmer and too understanding for Lance’s liking. He takes another step and they’re almost as close as mere moments ago. “I know you worry and I know you ask questions and you do all that because you care. I’m not mad at you and I don’t want to fight either.” 

Keith takes a breath and hesitantly reaches out his hand. Lance watches him, arms still crossed but slowly reaching out his left arm. Keith takes his hand, soft and slowly as he threads the fingers open, trying to ease that tension away. Lance’s throat hurts, feels a knot lodged in there as he keeps looking at their hands, feeling Keith’s rough palm underneath his own. 

After a brief silence Keith adds, “I’m not hurt, I wasn’t hurt during my last mission and nothing went wrong. Kolivan…he gave me some time off before the next mission and I thought it would be a good idea to see you.”

The wind flutters and Keith’s mouth opens again, “I really wanted to see you.”

Lance hangs onto the words, slowly repeats them over in his head as he keeps looking at their intertwined hands. He’s too much of a coward to try and look at Keith directly in his eyes. Lance takes a breath, feels a shudder travel all through his body and tries to believe the words. 

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Lance mutters, sarcasm dripping from every word, “Missing good old Lancy Lance?”

Keith gives his hand a small squeeze, still looking back at him before the wind picks up again. Lance suppresses his shivers, steps forward as he looks out the horizon, and could still catch the faint echo of the waves rolling over the beach.

“Let’s head inside, it’s too cold out here.” Lance turns back to his house and adds with a deep breath, “Here she is, my lovely little lady, don’t mind the porch, I still have to paint it.” 

He lets go of Keith, picks up the discarded watering can to perch it on top of the stairs where the rest of his gardening kit was secured. Lance breathes in and out, tries to keep his emotions in check as he distracts himself with the tools, watching from the corner of his eye as Keith clenches his hand by his side, walking up the squeaky front steps. 

Lance opens up the front door and a rush of warmth greets him. He sighs, lips stretching into a more relaxed smile as he stomps onto the welcome mat and takes off his muddy boots, placing them by the entrance to change into his Blue Lion slippers. He turns back to Keith and points at the adjacent shoe rack, “You can pick any of the slippers, just don’t get mud inside the house.” 

Keith nods, a bit tense as he walks the threshold and starts looking around. 

Never in a million years Lance thought Keith would walk into his house. Maybe when he first bought he thought of someday in the future inviting everyone over, but that slowly faded out of his mind. His house was nothing compared to the Garrison or even close to their dormitories back in the Castle of Lions. 

It was a quaint two story home, a nice cozy living room with the chimney next to the entrance and by the left a small dining room and a kitchen, the cabinets and cupboards painted in a faded yellow that Lance wanted to replace with a pale green. The stairs up were right next to the living room, leading up to the master bedroom, one guest bedroom that Lance used as a flimsy study and a full bathroom. The laundry room was right outside of the kitchen, leading into a beautiful back garden that was still full of weeds and discarded stuff Lance found at an old yard sale and was tempted to buy. His roof was a mix match of old tiles and some of them fell off since the winter started, leaving Lance to scramble whenever it rained. The floors were all old tiles that Lance felt brought the place together, even though they were a bitch to clean every week. 

All in all, it was a beautiful house, one that still needed some adjustments, but Lance was happy with it, running it and fixing it at his own pace, surrounded by plants and lovely trees that provided a beautiful shade in the summer. 

“So what do you think?” Lance asks when Keith’s eyes linger on the photo frames hanging at the entrance. All of them are portraits of his family and only one photo of team Voltron when they defeated Honerva, a scrapped picture of Allura included at the edge of the frame. “Still needs a lot of repairs, right?”

Keith keeps looking at the photo, eyes misty as he mutters, “It’s beautiful.” 

Lance shuts his mouth, and lets the words hang in the air. Keith turns back and they’re looking eye to eye once again. “It’s perfect. You should be proud Lance.” 

And Keith says it so earnestly, so fondly that it brings that flush back to Lance’s cheeks once again. How the fuck is he going to survive from now on? He turns away, hugging his bathrobe closer as he yelps, “T-The shower’s upstairs if you need it, I’ll make us breakfast!”

Lance escapes to the kitchen, hears Keith chuckle and then dump his boots onto the entrance, probably taking one of the slippers from the shoe drawer. He takes out a pan, and well if he’s going to have to deal with Keith for the foreseeable future then he at least deserves some pancakes as a reward, doesn’t he? He hears the water running and god Keith is showering in his bathroom upstairs?!

“Fucking fuck,” He mutters as he spins the batter, hands clammy as his heart almost bursts out of his ribcage at the thought of Keith seeing his laundry, his basket of dirty old clothes and the clear mess of skin care products he had left on the sink of his bathroom, at the mere thought of Keith undressing inside his bathroom-

“Fuck!” He burns his fingers with the stove, pan hot and sizzling as the batter splashes onto the surface. Lance winces, eyes quickly swiping back up the ceiling as if expecting to see Keith upstairs in his bedroom. God, he never should’ve picked up that call. 

By the next morning, Lance’s porch was freshly painted. 

Lance’s heart leapt to his throat, a beautiful warm gray covering all of the planks, not even crunching when he tried to check on them. The color was perfect against the light yellow dusting his walls, the contrast being just how he had envisioned it. 

“Keith!” Lance exclaims, turns back inside the house, lips split into a wide smile, “The porch! Someone painted the porch!” 

He dashes back to the kitchen, emotions racing as he finds Keith, clad in an old tank top and faded jeans, a bucket of paint dangling on his fingers. There was paint all over his fingertips, even some brushstrokes dusting his toned arms and staining his old worn-out jeans. That wasn’t even the worst part, Keith’s hair was up in a ponytail, forehead visible for everyone to see and accentuating his sharp jawline even more. 

Lance didn’t know what to say. 

“You said it needed painting right?” Keith asks, earnest and with a slight crook in his grin, “I also fixed the creaking, it shouldn’t bother you anymore.”

What the fuck. 

“Y-You-” Lance gapes, “did it?!” 

“Yeah.”

“Keith!” He exclaims, embarrassment now flooding him all over. What must Keith think, that Lance needs all the help he can get to finish his house or something?! “You’re a guest! You don’t have to fix anything! Y-You should relax and enjoy your time here, I didn’t mean for you to become a handyman!” 

“I don’t mind,” Keith shrugs, placing the can of paint on one of the spare closets, already taking a bucket of paint with a lovely shade of brown as a label. “It helps me feel useful around here. The roof needed painting as well, right?”

“Oh no, I’m not letting you paint my roof!” Lance dashes forward, taking the bucket of paint into his arms. “You need to learn how to relax! Sit down, have a nice meal or something! Go read a book, stroll around town, who knows!”

“Lance,” Keith says, not letting go of the bucket’s handle. He steps closer and Lance’s eyes focus on the movement, how the tank top looks a bit tight around the chest area, biceps straining as he keeps gripping the handle. Keith was going to attract a lot of attention around the area that’s for sure. “I like doing this, it helps me ‘relax’ as you said.”

“You have such a weird concept of relaxing,” Lance sighs, shaking his head, “I get that you want to be helpful, but I don’t feel good with you doing all the work!” 

“Then we can do it together.” 

Keith steps closer now, his right hand placing right over Lance’s. The touch is warm, tender and everything that made who he was; An ember warming the dimmest of lights, a fire that spreads over a cozy bonfire, a blaze that refuses to die out. Lance’s heart stutters, feels his own fingers grip the bucket’s surface as he continues to look up at Keith. 

The whole night Lance had spent wondering why Keith was here. With what purpose did he pop out of the blue to come back to Earth, to request seeing him in such an urgent manner? Lance had tossed and turned in his bed, Keith probably sound asleep in the guest room, not an ink of suspicion of Lance’s sleepless night. 

Whatever the reason may be, Lance knew it would end up breaking his heart one way or another. 

“All right,” He grits out, already dreading the ache in his lower back when they finish. Keith’s grin widens, a lovely thing that Lance isn’t used to seeing so close. He tries to bite back a giggle, his eyes surely twinkling at the sight as he sighs and turns away with an exasperated, “The sooner we start, the better.” 

His back did end up hurting like a bitch, sore all over, but his roof was finally all ready. The lovely shade of brown made the rest of the house pop, and Lance couldn’t stop looking at it once they finished. Even Keith had managed to fix almost all of the loose tiles, ensuring that no leakage would break through his house in case of a rain. Lance was floored with the final result, grinning and almost jumping right into Keith’s arms when he stepped off the ladder. 

And when it was time to make dinner, Keith had already called for a pizza, Lance’s favorite place giving him the usual order delivered right to his doorstep. Lance gaped up at Keith, still lying on the couch as Keith had simply chuckled and placed the box on the small table. 

“I think we deserve a small celebration after all that.” 

The following days went by just the same. All of the problems Lance had listed out when Keith arrived had magically been repaired by the time he woke up, and if not he would find a sweaty Keith clad in his usual tank top, working his hands away at whatever new issue he had found with the house. Broken sink? Keith had already changed the plumbing; A couple of missing tiles on the bathroom? Keith had already bought the replacements and was doing the mixture; Flickering light bulb? Keith changed it very Lance could even go to the store and find a new one. 

Lance was left gaping after him, each time trying to dissuade Keith from helping out, but ultimately giving up, when he saw the final results. His house had never looked better, all of the slow progression Lance had made over the years was finally coming to light in just a matter of days and it overwhelmed him with excitement. 

He opted to thank Keith with food, always doing something out of his mama’s cookbook and serving it as a hefty reward for his contribution. Keith took it all with a grateful smile, shoulders at ease and eyes twinkling whenever Lance stared for a second too long. 

Keith living in his house became like a second nature to Lance as the first two weeks passed by. He was always there for breakfast, coffee already brewed up and either making some scrambled eggs for both of them or serving Lance’s favorite brand of cereal in two bowls. Lance was no longer jumpy around him, on the contrary, it was almost as if his body relaxed at the mere sight of him, a content sigh leaving his lips whenever he saw Keith’s figure at the end of the stairs. 

It was a strange feeling. Lance was so used to Keith’s absence, hardly thought about it when a new day came around, and now he was living with him as if not a day had passed by. It reminded him of back in the day, the two of them lounging around the Castle of Lions, animosity charged between them. Now, it’s a much softer feeling, one that Lance couldn’t help but lean into. 

Day after day he wondered if Keith ever felt like this, a sort of contentment with their arrangement, the two of them working in sync and catching up with 2 years worth of anecdotes. It was exhilarating, hearing all of Keith’s new adventures, the amount of people he had met throughout the years and a pang of jealousy always wormed its way into Lance’s heart. 

It was a selfish thing to do, wanting all of Keith’s undivided attention for himself, but Lance had been so deprived of it that it was only natural for him to grow attached as the days passed. It was as if he was knowing Keith all over again, learning and tending to all of these new sides from him. Lance’s feelings only blossomed further. 

A month had passed by and Lance couldn’t be happier, those days of foreboding and quietness were long gone, replaced by Keith’s soft chuckles and Lance’s chirpy laughter, the house flourishing under this new energy around its walls. Lance saw it in the way the plants started to grow despite the cold, how the kitchen evolved with its newly painted cabinets, and how the chimney always kept their space warm. 

It was perfect in his eyes. 

“Um Keith?” Lance asks, standing in the middle of the kitchen as the lights go out. He stands for a few more minutes, waiting for the electricity to run again. Maybe Keith was tinkering with the electrical panel to get the backyard lights to work properly. “Was that you?”

“That wasn’t-”

Before Keith could finish a loud grumbling echoed over the house. Lance jumped in his place, looking at the ceiling and before he could even utter it, soft rain started to splatter on the windows. The rainy season had just finished and Lance assumed the rest of the month would go by swiftly as ever. Another thunder grumbles and Lance walks, hands stretched out to avoid bumping into anything. 

“Where are you?” Lance yells, hands coming up to the threshold, eyes barely adjusting to the darkness. It was way past 7pm and if the electricity didn’t return by now, it would return until the next morning. Lance tries walking towards the chimney, already thinking of lighting up a fire to illuminate the living room when he feels a pair of hands around his waist. 

He screeches, practically jumps at the sudden scare as Keith laughter booms all around.

“Fuck you!” Lance admonishes him. He can feel Keith’s body next to his, his chest touching his back, hands carefully angling him towards the living room. Lance slaps his bicep, huffing as Keith keeps chuckling, “Don’t scare me like that!” 

“Sorry, I didn’t think it would frighten you,” Keith’s body still rumbles, moving them both forward. Lance’s arms stay outstretched, trying to navigate them both through the darkness. 

“You’re the worst,” Lance complains, “How did you even find me anyways?”

“Galra have nightvision,” Keith sighs, stepping forward, and practically taking the lead in directioning them towards the living room.

“You’re really a cat Keith, you can’t deny the allegations any longer,” Lance giggles, walking with ease as Keith’s hand stays on the side of his waist, thumb rubbing over the fabric of his hoodie. He gulps, tries not to think about their proximity too much until Keith stops. 

Lance feels him move away, stepping back to get closer to the fireplace probably. He hears him tinkering with a couple of discarded logs left on a neat pile by the side, arranging them over the chimney. Lance keeps looking around, hoping to see anything until he hears a match going off. A small ball of light brightens his vision, and Lance turns to it, seeing Keith holding up one lit match before tossing it into the wood. 

The fire slowly builds up, cozying up the space and gradually lightening up the room amidst the darkness. Lance sighs in relief, feels his shoulders sagging as he moves towards the couch and plops down on it, entire body lying on the surface as his legs dangle on the armrest. 

Keith is still tending to the fire, looking at the logs as they continue to flicker, adding a couple of more before turning back to Lance. He smiles, lips all soft and tender as he moves towards the couch and sits on the floor, head close to Lance’s. 

“I can’t purr, so technically not a cat,” Keith chuckles, eyes flickering to Lance for a brief second before turning back to the fire. 

Lance grumbles under his breath, “You practically do when you have your coffee in the morning.” 

“I don’t,” Keith says, “I just like how you make it.” 

And there he goes again. 

Keith would blurt out tiny sentences here and there, nothing too grandiose or overly dramatic. Just plain simple things that he liked about Lance. How he did his hair in the morning, how his bedsheets smelled like at night, how he cooked blueberry muffins in the best way. Tiny compliments here and there that would make Lance’s heart flutter all around. 

There’s nothing special in how he makes coffee, he just adds a cube of sugar and some cinnamon to give it a different flavor than plain old machine bought coffee. And yet Keith would find ways to compliment him, in any way or form. 

Lance tries to hide his blush, turning on his side to watch the fire as well. But after a second too long, his eyes drift back to Keith. The orange glow frames his profile in a lovely light; it accentuates his jawline, the way his nose upturns and just how his raven hair flows down in waves. He looked beautiful and Lance couldn’t bring himself to say the words. 

He kept staring, studying Keith’s face in the silence, trying to commit every feature to memory. Lance’s stomach churns, twists on itself the longer he keeps looking, from his ears, to Keith’s eyebrows, down to his cheeks and lips. Lance keeps looking until Keith turns to face him again. 

His cheeks burn, almost as if caught in the act and Keith stops for a moment, mouth opening as if he was about to say something. Lance tries to hide his surprise, looking down at the floor as his hands start feeling clammy, sweat gathering at the palms as he shifts on the couch, sitting up and tucking his legs into himself. 

“I-It’s getting chilly in here,” Lance gulps, looks back towards the darkened hall, “I should get some blankets from the storage room, let me-” 

“Lance.”

Keith’s hand wraps over his own. Lance can’t hide it any longer, his whole face heats up, fingers gripping the cushion as he turns to Keith, mouth agape as he tries to make sense of this. What can he do? What can he say to tidy everything up and not reveal his feelings in the process. His brain racks for excuses, mouth opening and closing as he tries to say anything. 

Then, Keith’s face is right in front of him, centimeters away and before he could say anything, Lance is being kissed. 

‘They’re soft’ Is the first thing Lance’s brain manages to come up with. Electricity runs through his every limb, making him burn from the inside as Keith continues to kiss him. It was a mere press of lips, sweet and innocent as they both lean into the touch, tender and careful on what to do. 

Lance doesn’t want to pull back, feels his own body lean forward until Keith is the first to back away. Somewhere along the way Lance’s eyes had slipped closed, the world spinning for just a moment as Keith was still there, kneeling right in front of him, gripping his hand for support. 

No one speaks, only the crackling of fire echoes in the room. Lance’s heart is thundering throughout his body, nerves frying his brain as he continues to look at Keith.

“I’m sorry,” Keith blurts out, “I…don’t know what came over me.” 

Lance gulps, tries not to flinch at the words, as he keeps looking at him. He wants Keith to kiss him again, wants him close, consequences be damned. Whether this was a mistake on Keith’s part, Lance could care less. He’s already gotten a taste of him, he can’t back away now. 

“Lance, I-”

“Kiss me.”

Keith’s eyes stay on him, throat bobbing as Lance tries again, “K-Kiss me again…please?” 

Saying those words is like a death sentence, putting his feelings out in the open for Keith to pry and acknowledge. Lance’s heart keeps hammering, drumming all the way down to his fingertips as the silence stretches, until Keith leans forwards again. His left hand comes up to cup Lance’s face, thumb rubbing over his marks. 

“You’re glowing,” Keith mutters, mouth close to Lance’s, “Like starlight.” 

Lance’s breath hitches, the words making his head spin as Keith comes closer, noses brushing. He closes his eyes, taking in a breath, inhaling Keith’s familiar scent and he wants to live in this moment for a little longer. Wants to bask in Keith’s attention and devotion for just a second more, replaying the words over and over, trying to stop the trembling from his fingers. 

“You like it?” He mutters, Keith’s lips dragging over his cheeks, kissing the skin there. 

“I love it.” Keith hums, mouth straying down, hand squeezing Lance’s as he almost reaches his lips again. “I love everything about you Lance.” 

Lance whines, can’t take the tension any longer and leans into it, slotting his mouth against Keith’s. They kiss again, sparks running down his body at the touch and Lance has to lean forward, angling his body towards Keith, letting go of the cushion to grab at Keith’s forearms, gripping them for support. 

Keith responds in kind, he continues to hold his face, cradle his cheek in a tender touch, while his right hand comes to circle his waist, pulling them chest to chest, connected and deepening the kiss, tongue slipping into Lance’s mouth without a second thought. It makes Lance moan, gasping into the touch as he kisses him back, eager and all too impatient to wait for a second longer. 

He slides off the couch and into Keith’s lap with ease, both of them gasping, Lance’s hands desperately grabbing onto Keith’s shoulders, kissing him over and over again. His mind spins, the room is too warm now and he can only feel Keith’s body pressed against him, the couch digging right at his back, legs on the side, trying to come closer to Keith. 

His fantasies don’t do justice to the real thing, the feeling of Keith’s mouth against his, the way his calloused hands hold him close, tug at the hem of his hoodie as they continue to kiss, tongue hot and heavy, both of them gasping every time they try to come up for air. Lance feels the barest touches of a stubble, it graces his skin and makes him moan into the kiss, pressing closer, knees finally sliding on each side of Keith’s hips and leaning up to capture his face between his hands. 

Keith groans into the kiss, arms tight around Lance as they kiss and kiss, never parting or leaving the other. Lance can’t get enough of it, and wants to bask in the feeling for the rest of his days, Keith’s lips dragging over his own, slowly trailing downwards, leaving little nips over his jaw before he attaches his mouth to the side of Lance’s neck. 

“A-Ah,” Lance moans, head thrown back as Keith sucks at the skin there, tongue dragging circles and making Lance’s head dizzy. His hands grip at Keith’s shirt, his limbs shake at the touch as Keith continues to kiss the sensitive patch of skin, leaving goosebumps all over Lance. 

The kisses trail lower and Lance doesn’t think twice in quickly taking off his hoodie, hair messed up and chest sweaty under the warm fabric. He throws it somewhere along the living room and Keith has leaned back, eyes wandering down his exposed chest. One of his hands moves over Lance’s stomach, and he sucks in a breath when he feels those fingers gracing his skin. 

“Don’t stare,” Lance whines, feeling a blush running down his neck as Keith continues to look, unmoving, “J-Just get on with it.”

“I’m just admiring you, that’s all,” Keith says, voice earnest and steady. Lance gulps, hot all over as Keith’s hand travels up and up, thumb coming up to fondle one of his nipples. He whines, bites down on his lip as Keith does it again, eyes entirely on Lance’s face. “Is this okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Lance pants, “Keep going.”

“I need to know how far you want to go,” Keith mutters, mouth close to Lance’s again. He whines when Keith’s thumb fondles his nipple once more, a continuous motion that makes Lance’s head continue to spin. Everything’s too hot now, his body is burning from the inside out and Lance needs to feel Keith everywhere. 

“All the way,” He gasps, gives Keith a quick kiss, as his hands start tugging off at his shirt, “I want to feel all of you Keith.” 

Finally he’s able to tug off Keith’s shirt, quickly helping him out of it and throwing it back. Lance is enamoured with the sight. Keith's pale skin greets him back, glowing with the fire, a beautiful orange sheen glistening over his biceps. Lance can see new scars adorning his pecs, he sees the way Keith’s chest rises and falls, eyes wide as they keep looking at each other. 

God he’s gorgeous. 

“You want to feel me too?” Lance asks, lips turning up in a small smile as he places his hands back on top of Keith’s shoulders, pulling them close once again, skin against skin. 

Keith groans, kisses him again, harder this time. His tongue slips in with ease, makes Lance mewl as Keith takes one nipple between his fingers and starts to twist. Lance’s hands slip into his hair, tugging at the ends as Keith moans into the kiss, his hips rutting upward. 

It’s all a blur from there. Lance remembers kissing and by the next second Keith was already inside him, folded him in half right in the middle of his living room, making him cry out in the dead of the night. Lance tried to bite down his moans, keep himself from being too loud but Keith would only end up fucking him deeper, making his eyes grow hazy and mind going blank. 

“F-Fuck!” He cries out, Keith’s cock thrusting right in the deepest parts of him, never stopping, “There, right there!” 

“You feel so good around me,” Keith pants above him, pressing Lance into the floor, mouth lapping kisses at his neck and collarbone, leaving a trail of marks over his skin. Lance drags his nails over his back, feels Keith groan above him, thrusting over and over again. “Can’t get enough of you.” 

“Ngh!” Lance cries, his own hips rutting up, rubbing his cock over Keith’s stomach, trying to get more friction as he slowly starts to lose himself in the pleasure. All of the worries, the stress of the day has been filtered out, replaced by Keith. His legs shake, already announcing his peak way too early for Lance’s liking. 

He cries out, a garbled mess of Keith’s name as he sucks at the same tender spot on his neck. Lance knows there would be a bruise in the morning, but he could care less as he starts feeling that delicious heat spread over his body. His legs lock up, connecting over Keith’s waist and pushing him close. 

Keith moans, hips going out of rhythm for a moment and Lance could almost cry. He’s holding on, his entire body just a breath’s away from reaching his peak but Lance doesn’t want it to end so soon. With a gasp, he brings up his hands to cup Keith’s face, forcing him to look back at him. Before he could say anything Keith gives a particular deep thrust, slow and grinding just in Lance’s sensitive hole and he moans. 

“K-Keith,” He gasps, feeling Keith repeating the motion again, dragging out his pleasure and it’s almost too much, “Kiss me, nhg-please!”

Lance is kissed for all of his troubles, his moans devoured by Keith’s tongue as he keeps fucking him, hard and slow. His body rocks against the floor, the boards digging into his back but Lance only holds onto Keith, his entire body caged against the ground. Keith’s left arm is securely around his waist, pressing them together while his right hand quickly makes its way over to Lance’s chin, holding it in place and pressing down to his throat. 

It makes Lance shudder, the rough treatment, craves more of it as Keith once again starts to up the pace. His mind is turning blank, entire body trembling as the heat continues to take over. Lance buckles into the touch, mouth open but only a tiny little mewl echoing in the room. Keith gasps, continues that senseless rocking and it’s all too much. 

“Unhh!” Drool runs on the side of Lance’s mouth, makes him pant and tries to say Keith’s name. He can only moan, all sense of coherency lost as Keith goes harder. Lance’s cock is drenched in pre-cum, overflowing between their joined bellies as he keeps moving to get some much needed relief. 

“Are you close sweetheart?” Keith mutters into his mouth, once again swallowing all of Lance’s high mewls. He leans back with a pop, drool still leaving Lance’s red lips along with another needy moan as he tenses his asshole. Keith groans, buckles on top of Lance as he keeps fucking him through it. His right hand goes a bit lower, this time covering the base of his neck, applying pressure and Lance trashes on the floor, eyes rolling back. 

“K-Keith!” He cries, the orgasm building up faster than before. Everything is spinning and Lance can only hold onto Keith’s body, feeling it burning up alongside him. He doesn’t want Keith to pull out, wants to take everything and then some. Lance will never get enough of this feeling. “C-Close! I’m close!”

“Yeah?” Keith moans, hips going faster now, breaking that slow thrusting and Lance cries out, “Cum for me Lance, let me see your pretty face.”

One, two more thrusts and the orgasm crashes over him. Lance spasms, his body trembling all over as the rush of heat spreads all over. His dick paints their chests white, making it all too slippery and sending Lance into oversensitivity. He cries out, can’t keep his noises in as he throws his head back, eyes unfocused and tiny little fucked out noises echo between them. His arms are around Keith’s shoulders, gripping onto dear life as he keeps going, never stopping. 

Lance cries, eyes watering as Keith simply continues, cock dragging in and out, making him whine as the orgasm keeps prolonging. He’s too wound up, shaking his head and legs still jittering around Keith’s waist. He still holds onto him, not even sure of where to put his hands or what to do as the pleasure continues to build, tears finally overflowing as Keith moans on top of him. 

“I-Inside,” He babbles, sniffling as a sob rips out of his mouth. Lance is the image of debauchery, curls messed up and sweat clinging to his skin. He can feel the peak start up again, his cock attempting to shoot more semen. He clenches around Keith and there’s a muffled curse as Lance cries once again. “Do it inside!”

“F-Fuck,” Keith pants, thrusts harder and then with another moan cums. 

The rush of warmth inside his ass makes Lance cry out, another orgasm mounting up as he tries to ride it out. His body is trembling all over, eyes unfocused, glazy as more tears run down his cheeks. Keith grunts on top of him, hips thrusting as he continues to fill Lance up. 

Lance takes it all in, asshole clenching as a bit of cum seeps out, running down his ass and making him whine. He feels stuffed, mind still catching up the onslaught of feelings as Keith finally stops and smothers him to the floor. 

They’re both panting, hearts racing as they bask in the silence that follows. Lance is already growing drowsy, the fireplace still lit and warming them up. He hugs Keith tighter, arms going around his back as his legs slowly drop down, still jittering at the tiniest of movements. 

Keith leans back from the embrace, gazes directly at Lance and leans down to kiss him. It’s a sweet kiss, both of them breathing into the soft touch, melting into the slow motion. Lance can’t get tired of the taste, tongue slipping in as he kisses Keith back, smiling into the motion as Keith does the same, right hand tenderly cupping his face. 

“You okay sweetheart?” Is the first thing Keith asks when they part. 

“More than okay,” Lance answers, the words all too sweet and soft. He’s all pliant and boneless against the floor, eyelids almost dropping now, “It was…amazing.”

“Yeah?” Keith asks and Lance nods, smile widening. Keith smiles back, dropping another kiss. “I wasn’t too rough with you?”

“No, you were perfect.” Lance comments, his fingers are now tracing fingers over Keith’s back muscles, going over the lines and carefully drawing small circles. He sighs, content and all too at peace. “Besides, I like it that way. Makes it a bit kinkier.”

“Lance,” Keith’s cheeks turn a rosy color and Lance has to giggle.

“Look at Mr. Shy over here as if you weren’t choking me a few-”

Keith groans, cheeks turning redder and Lance’s laugh turns higher. He snickers as Keith shakes his head, but there’s a fondness in his eyes that almost makes his heart stop. Lance doesn’t know what…this means for their relationship now. Are they still just friends? Are they something more? He has no clue, but he doesn’t have the heart to break the bubble they’re both in, so he keeps his mouth shut. 

By the time morning rolls around Lance still keeps his lips sealed on the topic, mouth now thoroughly occupied sucking on Keith’s cock and swallowing down his seed. They went at it for two more rounds, one on the living room couch, still warm enough by the time dawn finally came and the electricity started to work as normal once again, and the next one on the kitchen counter while Lance was trying to make breakfast in only his hoodie and Keith was too enticed to stop himself. 

Their days fall into the usual routine, with only the small addition of Keith fucking him on every possible surface of his house at any time imaginable; they would be repairing something in the bathroom and they would find themselves fucking against the mirror, Lance bent over the sink as Keith fucked him senseless; something needed fixing in the gardens and Lance would sink down to his knees and take Keith into his mouth in one of the secluded corners in the house.

It was addicting having Keith at all times and Lance feared his feelings would slip any day now, words threatening to spill over every time they ended up fucking, small pleads and gasps of Keith’s name were almost accompanied by a heartfelt ‘I love you.’ 

Still Lance kept quiet, he wouldn’t burden Keith with his feelings. And especially not when eventually he’ll depart back to the Blade of Marmora. Keith didn’t need the baggage and Lance certainly didn’t want to give him more troubles.

‘You should talk to him,’ Hunk’s voice pipes in the back of his head, ‘He listens to you.’ 

The suggestion sounds like a sweet melody in Lance’s ears, making him doubt and question. He knew his best friend meant well and a doubt always seemed to creep in Lance’s mind, the possibility of convincing Keith to stay was all too tempting. They could live together in his house, continue to renovate it as the year passed, chatting and kissing whenever they wanted. It all felt like a sweet dream for Lance.

But no, he would keep quiet, he would tuck away those fantasies deep inside his heart and continue to enjoy Keith’s company for as long as he could. Everything was fine as it was. 

“-then we’ll see you in Daibazal.”

Lance stops in his tracks. He had just gotten back from the grocery store, plastic bags filled to the brim with apples, oranges, mangos and all of the right ingredients for Lance’s famous lasagna. He and Keith had talked about it during the week, preparing everything for a lovely evening and having a nice dinner, that would probably evolve into another round of sex by the time the day ended. 

Now as Lance steps into his home, he feels a shift. Something doesn’t feel exactly right. 

He turns and Keith is nowhere to be seen, not in the living room and certainly not in the kitchen. Lance cranes his head, sees the door to the backyard open for just a crack and he waits. 

“Can’t I think it over?” Keith’s voice comes through the back, strained. Lance frowns, slowly closes the front door so as to not disturb him as he tiptoes inside the house. He carefully drops the bags onto the hallway, heart hammering as he walks closer to Keith’s voice, an already familiar sinking feeling spreading all over his body. 

Lance knew that Keith’s departure would eventually come, he had already said it the moment he arrived, Kolivan had only given him a break between missions. It was inevitable. 

Lance had long since accepted the fact that Keith wouldn’t stay forever in his home, no matter how much he wished for it. Keith would one day pick up his bags and just as he had come, he would run back to the Blades, forgetting all about Lance and their tiny little home they’ve built together. 

“We had agreed on this before your break,” Kolivan’s voice booms through a speaker. Lance inches closer to the door, fingers trembling as he dares to take a peek outside. Sure enough, there was Keith with his back to Lance, shoulders tense and ponytail in disarray while a projection of Kolivan was standing a few meters away. “You would take a 2 month vacation and you would come back to help us with this relief mission.” 

“I know, we agreed on this, it’s just…” Keith sighs, scratches at his head, “Is there really no one else available?” 

Kolivan merely sighs, “You were the one who signed up for this in the first place Keith.” 

Keith huffs, passing a hand through his head as Lance continues to look. His nerves are flaring up, itching him to get out and try to find out what was going on. But he lingers, hidden at the door as he waits for Keith’s words. 

“I…” Keith grows quiet and Lance holds his breath, “Do I have to leave tomorrow?”

“We had been expecting you since last week,” Kolivan says, blunt as ever. There’s a tense silence before he adds, “Is this about the length of the mission? That’s why you’re hesitating? I thought that was the main reason you pushed for this mission to start earlier.”

“I did, yes, but…does it have to be an indefinite mission?” 

It sinks like a rock in Lance’s stomach. He tries not to make a sound, swallowing the gasp from his lips as he quickly steps back and away from the hallway, hitting one of the picture frames in the process. It crashes onto the floor, glass shattering everywhere and Lance doesn’t even try to pick it up. Any second now Keith will know he had been listening and Lance isn’t really in the mood to see him. 

‘Tomorrow? Indefinite?’ The questions flood Lance’s mind, making him numb to everything else as he dashes towards the front door and slams the door behind him, ignoring the calls of his name. What did he expect? Keith was going to leave eventually, rip out Lance’s heart in one swift motion without any preambles or consideration. It stings Lance, makes his eyes go blurry as he tries to heave in a breath. 

He starts running at some point, away from his garden and away from his safe home. What a fool he was for bringing Keith into his little cocoon, warm, safe and away from the world. Now Lance has to live with the memories of Keith living in that same space as him, of them sharing baths, kisses and laughs all over the rooms. Lance was such an idiot thinking he could easily forget about all of those things while living inside the constant reminder. 

Keith was leaving and he wasn’t coming back. 

The tears roll down effortlessly as Lance slows down without direction, feet taking him towards the beach, the ocean waves crashing at the shore as the wind bellows. There’s a chill in the air and Lance can’t feel his nose, eyes blurry and head spinning. He keeps walking, wanting to run all over again when he hears Keith’s voice call out to him. 

“When were you going to tell me?!” He bellows, voice cracking just at the last word. The waves roar in tone with his shout, hair twisting thanks to the harsh winds. Lance could hardly see, the moonlight giving him flashes of what was in front of him as Keith walked closer and closer. 

Keith opens his mouth, hesitates and Lance bristles.

"You’re incredible," Lance seethes. God he never should’ve picked up that goddamn call. "You didn’t even think of telling me?!"

“Lance it’s not like that!” Keith yells, expression stricken. He’s heaving, chest rising and falling, hair all a mess. Lance shakes his head, more tears fall down and Keith steps forward. “I-I wanted to tell you, I’ve been meaning to tell you since I got here, but things got complicated, I-” 

“Oh! By what? You fucking me for a month?!” 

“No!”

“Then what?!” Lance can’t take it any longer. He’s breaking at the seams, feels a hollow in his chest and he can’t stop a sob. Keith looks devastated as he is, trying to come closer to him, but he steps back, feet sinking into the sand. “Keith, God you’re leaving tomorrow.”

He tries to take in a breath, but another sob spills out. His hands are shaking, either from the cold or the mess of feelings Lance doesn’t know. He hugs himself, trying to control his emotions but they’re getting the best of him. He’s pathetic, so pathetic for believing, for even trying to get used to the idea of Keith staying with him. 

"You’re doing this again,” Lance whispers, shaking his head, memories flooding his mind. Keith will always choose the mission above his teammates, he will always choose space over Earth. And now, he will choose the Blade over Lance. The truth is too much to bear. “You’re leaving me again." 

Keith shakes his head, eyes wide and glossy. Lance can hardly make him out with the tears flowing down his cheeks. 

“I knew you would,” Lance confesses, quiet and voice quavering, “I knew one day you pack up all of your shit and leave me behind. I-I knew it since you first called, I knew it since you kissed me…I was a fool to think you would stay.”

He gulps down the last words, sees the hurt flashing on Keith’s face and something twists at his heart. Lance doesn’t want more paint, doesn’t want to feel like this any longer. It’s been too many years, too many re-do’s of the same scenario. His heart won’t take it any longer. 

“No,” Keith steps forward again, trying to reach him but Lance only closes in on himself, rejecting the touch. “No, Lance, please listen to me, it’s not like that! I missed you and I needed to see you. When I got to Earth I was so focused on the mission and I enlisted without thought, we had been apart for so long and I didn’t know how to reach you. I thought of not coming here, but Hunk-”

“What did he tell you?!” The anger rises in him, betrayed and exposed out in the open. Lance tries to take it back, but Keith has already caught onto his panic. 

“Nothing! Only that you weren’t in the Garrison anymore,” Keith heaves, eyes still locked onto Lance, “He said that you had moved to Cuba and I worried, that’s all!”

“Worried? You were worried?” Lance laughs, cruel and sarcasm dripping with every heave, “Keith I don’t need your pity, okay?! I’ve managed fine on my own no thanks to you! I had to manage everything by myself so don’t come here trying to make amends now!”

“I didn’t know that me leaving for the Blades would matter that much to you!” 

“It broke my heart!” Lance cries, “Ever since you first left, you fucking asshole!" 

Lance stomps on the sand, feels his entire face up in flames as embarrassment crawls up into his skin. He’s too shaken up, too wired up and he can’t take back any of the words he said. He swipes at his tears, some of them already dried and glued to his skin. He must look like a mess, hoodie and pants all covered in sand as the ocean waves roar behind him. 

"God Keith, I…” Lance sighs, heart hammering for all the wrong reasons now, “If you want to leave, fine! Be my guest! I haven’t been entirely honest with my feelings too…but I don’t want to say goodbye anymore.”

He stands firm on the ground, shoulders shaking as he forces himself to spit out the words. Lance starts crying again before he can even utter them, the thought too painful in his mind to even try to understand. This will surely break him. 

“This is the last time…” His voice breaks, and he tries to reel in again with a quick huff, breath coming out in short bursts, “If you leave, do it, but don’t you dare look for me again.”

The ocean roars alongside him, a big wave crashing onto the shore as those words are uttered. Lance keeps looking at Keith, tears streaming down his face as he refuses to take any of it back. If Keith wants to leave, fine, so be it, Lance can’t get him to do anything, but he’s done. He doesn’t want to hear from him again, doesn’t even want to entertain the idea of ever seeing him again. He’ll bury his feelings once more and lock them deep inside his heart, never for them to resurface. 

Keith doesn’t move, face twisted in agony as the words set in. A weird part of Lance feels a twinge of satisfaction at the development, before he starts crying again. He looks away, has to do so to avoid the desperation in Keith’s eyes. Lance hugs himself deeper, tries to take in a breath when he feels Keith right next to him, grabbing his upper arms and tugging him closer. 

“Ask me,” Keith says, eyes entirely focused on Lance. He gulps, mouth wavering for a second before he tries again, “Ask me to stay.” 

Lance keeps looking at him, pinned to the spot as he tries to make sense of the words. He shakes his head and Keith gasps, desperate as he tugs him even closer. One of his hands cups Lance’s face, wiping away his tears with his thumb and Lance doesn’t want to lean into the touch. 

“I would do anything you ask of me Lance,” Keith tries once again, voice honest and devoid of any games or schemes. Lance’s eyes water once again, trying to believe those words. Keith’s free hand comes around his back, circling his waist and bringing them chest to chest. “Please, if you want me to stay, then say the words.” 

“I don’t…” He starts crying again, “That’s not how this works Keith, I-I don’t-”

“Lance,” Keith leans closer, face mere inches away. Lance can directly see into his eyes, the fondness and the absolute certainty there. Keith has never been a man of words, but of actions, Lance knows this since Voltron. A tiny flutter of hope bursts through his misery, makes Lance want to cry all over again but he waits for Keith’s words. 

“I don’t want to break your heart, never again,” Keith grimaces, almost as if saying the words made him wince. Lance keeps looking, still hesitant as Keith continues, “I don’t want to hurt you any longer. So please, just say the words and I’ll stay with you. I want to stay with you, I don’t want to be apart for who knows how long, but please…I need to know what you want.” 

Lance starts crying again, eyes overflowing with tears as a small hiccup leaves his lips. Keith’s thumb tries to wipe the fat tears rolling down his cheeks, his own indigo eyes shining under the moonlight and Lance fears he might start crying too. He tries to take a breath, to steady himself, but only slight tremors start to run down his arms. 

“Please,” Keith pleads, “Tell me Lance. Do you want me to stay?” 

It almost feels too good to be true. Lance sobs, tries to blink back his tears but Keith is there, carefully wiping his eyes, touch tender and sweet. They’re still pressed to each other, the ocean raging behind them and Lance wants nothing more than to sink into Keith’s arms. 

Hunk had advised him to talk to Keith. And here was Keith now, begging him for an answer. 

Lance just needs to take a step. 

“I…” His tongue is heavy, almost as if it’s terrified to be honest. Lance has run away from his feelings for so long, then forcing them out in the open doesn’t feel right. His entire body trembles, words recoiling back but looking into Keith’s eyes he knows he has to at least try. 

“I don’t want…” Lance takes a breath, “you to go.”

He starts crying harder, sniffling as he speaks again, “I don’t want to see you leave again.” 

Lance sobs, feels his shoulders shaking as he tries to regain his breathing. The last thing he wanted was to force Keith to stay, to keep himself grounded and tied to Lance. As much as Keith said he was willing to do what he asked, Lance couldn’t believe it, his mind replaying everything over and over again, trying to wrap itself to any possible outcome that might stem from this. 

“Then,” Keith cups his face with both hands now, still tenderly wiping his tears. Lance can hardly see Keith’s eyes, his image all blurry as more hiccups leave his lips. He’s laid it out all in the open, heart bare for Keith to decide. “I’m staying right here, with you Lance. I’m not leaving again.”

Lance sobs, feels his shoulders shaking as he tries to regain his breathing. Keith shushes him, wiping more of his tears as Lance’s fingers grip his hoodie, close to tearing the fabric away as he pulls himself closer. Keith doesn’t think twice about it, simply grabs him by the shoulders and smothers him against his chest. Lance wraps his arms around his waist, gripping at him as his whole body shakes with his cries. 

“Please don’t go,” He whispers, voice breaking, “Don’t leave me. I-I want you to stay here. I want you to stay with me.” 

Keith drops a kiss to the crown of his head as he continues to hold him close, letting Lance cry and cry, never pushing and never pulling away. His tears overflow, a steady stream that keeps going and going as the ocean waves slowly rock to a quiet sound, the wind coming to a gentle breeze and the sky turning to a mix of pale blue and violet. 

Lance turns, head cushioned into Keith’s chest and he can hear the thundering of his heart, how fast it’s beating, how it quickens when Lance hugs him a bit tighter. Keith in turn does the same, arms giving him a quick squeeze. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Keith says, voice full of conviction, “I promise you Lance.” 

He blinks back dried tears, fingers wiping them away with a tremble. Lance looks up, tries to find Keith’s expression as he sniffles. His whole face feels swollen, eyes puffy, and chest hurting from all that crying. It’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, emotions going haywire with every sentence. 

Keith is rubbing small circles over his back, easing Lance into his arms, but there’s something else he wants to say. He struggles with the words, still looking up at him and trying to find his eyes. When finally Keith notices, he looks down, eyes glassy when he notices Lance’s expression. It makes him ache. 

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispers, one of his hands cupping Lance’s face. He fully leans into the touch, rubbing his cheeks into Keith’s palm. His thumb slowly caresses his cheeks, rubbing off the tear tracks there. Lance sighs, entire body leaning into Keith’s. “This was my fault. I should’ve been honest from the start. I didn’t think…it was never my intention to hurt you like this.” 

Lane shakes his head, “I should’ve been honest too. We haven’t been the most communicative pair, haven’t we?”

“Guess not,” Keith grimaces, still touching his cheeks and then leaning forward, “I don’t want to make you cry again.” 

Their foreheads touch and Lance can finally breathe. It’s a long exhale, takes all of the stress away from him as he closes his eyes and basks in Keith’s touch. Reassurance flows from it all, makes Lance’s stress ebb away as the soft lull of the ocean stays in the back of his mind. The warmth of the sun slowly creeps up, spills over the beach and when Lance opens his eyes again he sees it enveloping Keith.

“I missed you.” The words spill out. Keith’s eyes open, locking onto him and Lance presses closer, noses brushing together as he says, “So much. I thought I was never going to see you again.” 

Keith’s eyes crinkle, shine before he leans again, this time capturing Lance’s lips into his own. The kiss is warm and sweet, evoking all of the things left unsaid. How Keith missed him as well, how he longed to be together, how much he was willing to do for him. Lance answered with the same fervor, pressing his lips harder, hands gripping at the back of Keith’s shirt as they continued to kiss, sunlight breaking in the horizon. 

“That won’t happen again,” Keith promises with a breath, going for another kiss. Lance melts into his body, arms fully wrapped around his waist as Keith takes his breath away, “I don’t want to lose you. Never again.” 

Lance smiles, genuine and care-free as he accepts the kiss, over and over again. It’s endless, this love he feels for Keith, how it seems to spill with every touch, kiss and press. Lance is unable to hide it any longer, overwhelms him as Keith kisses him between giggles, twirling them both over the sand and almost tumbling them towards the ocean. 

He laughs, finally breaks from that thick fog around him as his mouth is tempted to say those three words. But one look from Keith, Lance knows that is enough. Sometime in the future, he will say them and he knows that Keith will answer in kind, but for now this is it. 

Instead, Lance kisses Keith again, happy and elated as the ocean breeze tickles their skin, eager to walk back to their home, together.