(( Shiro and Matt moment? You guessed it ;). And some Klangst. You're welcome.))
There had been multiple discrepancies with Shiro's company in the recent month. Things going missing, employees leaving later than they should've, even someone recently breaking into Shiro's office.
This wasn't just some small fish, irrelevant sort of industry. Shiro was the head of a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical company, and when someone broke into his office, it was imperative that they be removed.
The only problem was that he couldn't figure out which of his office employees was responsible. The cops couldn't get involved. Shiro avoided calling them at any and pretty much all cost. Cops and gangs- well... 'families' didn't mesh well.
And that was why he was turning it into an assignment for Keith and Lance. He figured since they worked well together, and were both skilled at combat, that they could go together. It didn't seem to be a very dangerous mission, but Shiro assumed Lotor had something to do with it.
He was in the living room, just chilling out with a glass of red wine and trying to decompress. Being the boss was stressful, and that was his way of taking the edge off.
Pidge, after having spied Shiro in the living room, scurried up to Matt's room. She felt like she was walking in on a hibernating bear at first, but once she saw her brother playing video games, she smirked.
" Mattttt!" She whisper shouted, throwing her voice.
" What?" Matt groaned, only half paying attention while sawing some guy in half on the screen. Biohazard.
" You know... Shiro's alone right now... in the living room." She wiggled her eyebrows. " I thought you might want to... utilize that."
Matt blushed while paying her more attention. She'd said something that actually made him interested.
" Maybe you should keep him company~" She teased. Matt's face pretty much steamed from how flustered he was. He threw a pillow at her.
" Stoppp!" He whined, but began mulling the idea over in his head. What harm could it do?
He let the guy on screen kill him while pacing over to the vanity in his room, running a hand through his hair, and then walking from his room. He was only wearing a basic sweatshirt and comfy basketball shorts, but for some reason he felt good about himself. He didn't need to be wearing one of Pidge's scandalous creations to try and hit on Shiro. And by hit on, Matt meant sit there awkwardly and hope that Shiro got the message.
Matt walked down the stairs, casually strolling into the living room and acting like he hadn't been expecting Shiro to be there.
" Oh. Hey..." He greeted, seeing that Shiro wasn't up to much.
" Hey." Shiro said, not minding Matt's presence as he sat on the other end of the couch. " What's up?" He asked him before taking a sip of wine. The sip must've cost him over five dollars at least, given how pricey the wine was. The aged stuff was always so expensive.
" Nothing really." Matt leaned back into the couch cushions, surprised that he didn't really feel nervous. Maybe all the video games had gone to his head, but for once he wasn't scared to stutter after every word he spoke to Shiro. " What are you up to?" He raised an eyebrow while looking at Shiro.
Why the actual fuck did he always look so handsome?! How did he pull it off?! Was Shiro a secret God or something?!
Maybe that was just Matt's overwhelming feelings for Shiro making him delusional.
" I've just been sitting here... thinking about life and stuff..." Shiro trailed off, swirling his wine around the glass. Matt watched him in what seemed like fascination. " Did you want some?" Shiro asked him, offering the glass to Matt. It would've been rude not to. Especially when Matt was looking so cute like that.
Record scratch in 3... 2... 1. What?! Had Shiro seriously just thought that? He'd known about his attraction to him, but had never realized it was on that scale before.
" Sure." Matt shrugged. He was old enough to drink, though he rarely took advantage of his age. He took a tiny drink of the wine, and his face scrunched up from the strong bitter flavor it had.
Shiro chuckled and watched Matt cover his mouth.
" Ew..." Matt managed to swallow it.
" Not for you?" Shiro stifled more laughter while drinking a bit more. Matt cleared his throat and hoped that the taste would get out of his mouth sooner rather than later.
" Hard pass." Matt said.
He had unconsciously scooted closer to Shiro, but was beginning to notice it as it became impossible to ignore.
" More for me, then." Shiro smiled.
For some reason being around Matt just made him smile. It wasn't like he had to try to be in a good mood for everyone else's sake. Everything just fell into place and worked.
Matt felt conflicted, and he could've made countless memes about it. He wanted to tell Shiro how he felt, but the potential ramifications of it were so scary that he was deterred.
Shiro just watched Matt, who seemed to be squirming and antsy. His face was dusted with a faint pink pigment, and he was fiddling with the strings on his hoodie.
" What's with the blush?" Shiro asked him, not even thinking about it. The glass of wine he'd had prior might've been starting to mellow him out.
" What blush?" Matt played dumb. " Whose blush? Not mine. I'm not blushing..." He stammered.
Shiro raised an eyebrow at him as if further asserting his question.
Matt gulped and smiled anxiously. A nervous chuckle escaped his throat as he felt the urge to make up an excuse and flee. The not so shy part of himself wanted to stay, wanted to keep his ass magnetized to that couch.
" I don't know." Matt told him. Shiro was painfully aware that Matt was lying.
" You're sure you don't know?" He teased him.
" Yep. P-positive." Matt folded his arms and mentally kicked himself.
Shiro smiled to himself. Who did Matt think he was fooling?
...
The next day, Lance and Keith had gone to the gym. They'd both been slacking on their training lately, and needed to get back on track.
" Come on, Lance." Keith stood behind the bench, spotting Lance as he struggled to finish out his set.
" Shut up." Lance sputtered, trembling while extending the bar above himself, lowering it shakily, then pushing it back up for a final time. Keith helped him get it back on the rack.
Sweat dribbled from the taller boy's forehead as he sat up and panted a bit. Weight lifting wasn't his specialty, but he was decent at it. He could bench about 180 pounds on a good day.
Keith chuckled and ruffled Lance's hair, having already done a set himself.
" Look, you're alive." Keith snickered.
" Yeah, yeah." Lance grumbled. He was just happy that it wasn't leg day. He circled around the bench to stand by Keith. " You want to go shoot?" He asked. That was Lance's favorite part, and happened to be his best area. His aim was phenomenal.
" Sure." Keith said.
The door to the weight room opened, and in came Shiro.
Lance decided against the kiss he was about to place on Keith's lips once he saw him.
" Hey..." Keith greeted.
" I'm happy you both are here. I didn't want to have to hunt you down." Shiro said.
" For what?" Lance curiously inquired.
" I have an assignment for you both." Shiro informed. " There's a list of people who I need you to watch at my office. I need you to see which one of them stays late, then follow them after work and tell me where they go." He said.
Lance glanced at Keith and his face sank a bit.
" Is this going to be dangerous?" Lance asked, letting his hand snake around Keith's waist and hold him.
" It depends. I think Lotor has a spy, so if I'm right, I don't know what their intentions are." Shiro seriously said.
" Okay." Keith spoke. " I'll do it."
" Keith..." Lance said under his breath. " Shiro, isn't there a way you can send someone else with me?" He asked him.
" What? Why?" Keith narrowed his eyes.
" Why would you want me to?" Shiro questioned Lance, clearly perplexed, but wanting to hear his point.
" I don't want Keith to be in danger." Lance looked down.
Keith clicked his tongue.
" I'll be fine. You've went on assignment with me before, remember?" He sassily said.
To think that Lance would be concerned about him wasn't really all that sweet to Keith. He didn't understand why Lance would've been any different from himself. They were all in the family, and they all knew the risks of being involved. When Shiro tried to send people on assignment, it was a well known fact that they weren't always the safest.
" But... Keith..." Lance scuffed his tennis shoe at the weightroom floor and sighed.
" But what?" Keith folded his arms.
Lance really hadn't been planning on saying anything about it to Keith. He knew that it was too soon, and that the feelings he had should've taken way longer to formulate and build. But they hadn't, and regardless of the time frame, they were there and thriving. The last thing Lance wanted to do was make Keith uncomfortable.
" Nothing..." Lance mumbled, not wanting to spill his guts right in front of Shiro.
" Whatever." Keith scoffed. He might've been a little aggravated. Was Lance trying to call him weak? " We're going, Shiro. When do you need us out there?" Keith asked his brother.
Shiro glanced between the two boys a couple times, wanting to make sure that he wasn't starting a fight. Lance didn't say anything further.
" By tonight. You can watch everything from my office, where I set up the cameras. Once you figure out who it is, call me." Shiro told them, and Keith nodded. Lance didn't seem to have a response while staring at the floor. " Lance?"
" What?" He mumbled.
" You got it?" Shiro questioned, and Lance halfheartedly nodded. It was good enough for Shiro as he took his leave, deciding he needed to give them some space.
" What's your deal?" Keith asked Lance. " Do you think I'm not strong enough?" He rolled his eyes, evidently not very happy. Lance felt like he was about to boil over.
" I told you I don't want to risk you getting hurt." Lance broke his gaze from the floor and directed it deep into Keith's eyes. The taller boy's ocean blue orbs were beading from side to side as he pictured everything that could've possibly gone wrong.
" What makes you so sure I will? What about you? I can take care of myself." Keith spoke with certainty. He felt like Lance was some sort of protective parent. It had completely switched from when they'd first gone on a mission together. One, Shiro had been trying to stop it, and Lance had been in support of it. Now the tables had been turned, and Keith was blind as to why.
Lance put a hand on Keith's shoulder.
" I don't matter. You do." He told his boyfriend.
" We're going, Lance." Keith said. " Everything will be fine." He grumbled.
Lance hugged Keith, hoping that the smaller boy was right and that nothing catastrophic would happen to either of them. But more so Keith. Lance wasn't concerned about himself nearly as much as he was about the other male.
Keith pulled away.
Lance raised an eyebrow at Keith.
" Are you mad?" The taller boy asked him as concern rippled across his face.
" So what if I am?" Keith huffed. " We have a job to do."
...
The dreaded time came soon enough, and Lance and Keith were suiting up for their assignment. It was just going to be the two of them, and Lance couldn't have been anymore distraught about it. He had a horrible gut feeling, and he knew that he shouldn't have been letting Keith step out of the mansion.
He didn't own Keith, and calming him down about it wouldn't be easy. It didn't matter what explanation Lance tried to give unless it was the real reason he didn't want Keith to go. It wasn't that the smaller boy couldn't hold his own, or that he wasn't strong enough. In truth, Keith was probably the most skilled at combat and martial arts out of all the family members. But Lance couldn't tell him. It was too soon to think about using the word.
Lance placed a couple knocks on Keith's door, waiting for permission to enter his room.
" Come in." Keith said from the inside. Lance stepped in, shutting the door behind him. His suit was already on, and he was just waiting for Keith, who was currently tying his tie with the help of a mirror.
Lance hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Keith's shoulder.
Keith narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.
" Are you still pissed?" Lance whispered, snuggling him and trying to make up for it. His opinion hadn't changed, but he was guilty that Keith wasn't happy. Maybe if he had the guts to tell him, it would've been different.
" Do you still think I shouldn't go?" Keith questioned, tightening his bright red tie and tilting his head to look at Lance from the side.
" I just have a bad feeling..." Lance murmured, not wanting to lie to him. " Baby... it's not that I don't think you can do it. I just... I don't know."
Keith rolled his eyes, assuming that Lance was just being paranoid. He didn't like it when people fussed over him for no good reason. He was physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of the assignment, and Keith would've been damned if he didn't carry it out.
He was stuck in the family, like it or not. Shiro had dragged him back into it the second he'd ordered Lance to abduct him. Scratch that. Keith was never out if Lotor and his goons were targeting him after he 'escaped'. The least he could do was be a good and trusted family member who contributed. The gang war had started, and they were all caught up in it. If Lotor was interfering with the company, it was his problem as well, not just his brother's.
Keith took a deep breath, deciding that if he was going out with Lance, he should stop being pissy with him. The silent treatment wouldn't do the assignment any favors.
" I get it, okay?" Keith turned around, and Lance's hands traced down his sides to rest on his hips. " Missions can get dangerous, but we'll be fine."
Lance had lost too many people in his life, and to say that he'd grown to cherish Keith and become attached to him would've been way more than just true. He didn't want to put anyone else in danger, especially not him of all people.
The taller boy let his lips brush on Keith's cheek as he leaned to kiss him. If only he had the courage to sit Keith down that very second and spill everything he had to say. Even if Lance couldn't express it in his words, his actions could speak for him.
Keith realized that Lance was holding something back. He could sense it, but at that moment, he didn't want to ask. He just let the gentle kisses press onto his neck as Lance embraced him. Something about his touch seemed more tender than usually.
Lance wanted to put the gun bag they'd packed as a precaution back. He wanted to shrug off his suit and take Keith's off as well. He wished that they could get back to just chilling, or working out, or doing literally anything besides leaving the mansion.
His gut was ordering him to stay in place, telling him to stay clingy to Keith and not let him go off alone.
Man, later in the night, how Lance hated himself for not listening.