swim with me? [klance au]

Choice

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several months later

Matt was sitting up on the kitchen counter when Shiro come downstairs, sipping coffee and looking at his phone. Shiro himself made a beeline for the coffee pot and poured himself a mug, glancing over at Matt curiously. The brunette was frowning.

"What's on your mind?" Shiro asked, and Matt looked up groggily.

"Nothing. Just tired," he said, yawning to prove his point.

Shiro nodded, accepting the answer, then walked over to Matt, stepping closer until his hips were against the counter between Matt's knees. "I've been patient," he said in a low voice. Matt stared at him.

Shiro, being the tall, persistent guy that he was, was able to reach forward and press his lips softly to the side of Matt's neck, right below his earlobe. Matt sighed sweetly, setting down his coffee and phone and put his hands on Shiro's shoulders, pulling him closer. Shiro pulled his lips from Matt's neck to instead, his chin.

Matt made an impatient noise in his throat and Shiro chuckled softly, lifting his face just a little to kiss Matt softly, putting his hands on the hips of Matt's jeans and sliding his waist closer.

This time, the kiss was different. Matt had been waiting, but so had Shiro. And now this was happening and it felt right.

...

Lance held Keith's hand as they strolled through the aquarium, stopping briefly at all the different small tanks with seahorses and bioluminescent fish. Lance had a tourist-y camera around his neck and Keith was wearing his glasses.

They were walking to the top of the aquarium, where the big watching tank was and where they could sit down and watch the colorful fish. The first time they'd come to the aquarium, Lance had mixed feelings. Yes, it felt like he was home again. Yes, it was cute how the fish were drawn to him, staring at him with big eyes like they could tell he was a mer- or, at least, used to be.

But no, he hated that they were in cages even as Keith explained that they only took in injured animals. No, he almost started crying at the sight of a shark. No, the homesickness was almost too much.

But now Lance was used to it, and it was the only escape to the ocean he really had. And of course, Keith always came with him. Keith seemed to be with Lance always, beside him, behind him, in front. It wasn't that Lance minded, he didn't, he just wondered if this was special treatment.

The two made their way up the gently sloping ramp that curved around the giant watching tank, climbing to the top where they could relax and Lance could let his eyes go blurry as his head leaned on Keith's shoulder (even though he was taller).

Over the weeks, all the color drained out of Lance's hair. He asked Allura, who asked Lotor, and he'd gotten the vague answer that it was because of The Process. Apparently, his brown locks disappeared with his freckles. Lance would sometimes hug his knees to his chest and see if he could see any spots on his legs, any tiny birthmark that would indicate a spark of luminescence.

But he could never find any. Lotor had done his job well. Lance felt like crying sometimes. At least he still had that- same old saltwater tears.

Allura told Lance that they were crafting a sculpture of him for their village, a life-sized figure of him with his tail curled around his trident. Allura told him that they'd use his real trident, the one with the beautiful pearls. Lance almost wanted to ask her if he could keep it instead. He didn't.

Keith tugged Lance over to an empty space on the top floor of the viewing tank and sat down on the rough carpet, leaning back on his palms. Lance sat close enough to Keith that their hips touched, breathing a sigh through his pursed lips.

Keith was in school. Lance was too, at night at least. Keith still worked at Starbucks and Lance was still at McDonalds, but he was transferring to a better job with better money and better employers soon, he just didn't know where yet.

Shiro was helping him with that. Shiro was also becoming a pilot, and he'd shown Lance his plane once. He and Matt were dating steadily, and Lance hoped they were happy. It sure seemed that way.

The full transition to te human world had been harder than Lance wished to admit. There were many nights that he couldn't sleep, holding his shaking hands to his chest to try and stop their tremors. Federico helped, though. And Keith too, of course. And all of his other friends.

His family came up when they could, and he and his father were able to make proper amends. And after, Federico and Carlos were reunited, crying and laughing and hugging so hard that Lance couldn't help but take pictures. He had one framed in his room, still in the attic.

Lance missed his brother and sister, his mom and dad, Hunk and Allura more than ever now since they'd migrated to warmer water for the winter and Lance wouldn't be seeing them again until spring, but he'd talked to Keith and they were planning on visiting Keith's parents in a few weeks, just in time for Christmas.

Lance had never seen snow before. Keith promised to teach him how to snowboard so he could enjoy it properly. Lance didn't like the cold weather particularly, but he grew to love the snow days and hot chocolate and blanket forts that the Holt house built when it got cold, and the summer sun would smile through the clouds at Lance whenever he felt sad.

Lance stared at the fish in the tank thoughtlessly, letting his breathing slow down and his eyes drift. Keith almost never spoke at the aquarium- Lance figured that he wanted Lance to have this silence to himself, but today was different.

"Do you regret it?" Keith asked, not particularly loudly or softly, just aloud, waiting for Lance.

The question hung in the air as Lance felt a rush of emotions push through his heart. He turned to Keith.

"I loved the ocean, Keith. I still do. I always will. It's my home, my family, my friends, and everything I know. The ocean is a part of me."

He paused. "But you're a part of me too. And I chose you over the ocean. I chose you over my life there. I chose you over everything I knew. And maybe that's stupid. Maybe that's dumb. But I won't regret it. This is the life I chose, Keith.

"I chose you."