Sweeter than chocolate
Queerklancing
Keith wakes up and stares right into the beaming face of the sun. He groans and closes his eyes again.
"Wake up Mullet-man," the sun says and Keith groans again, when Lance nudges his shoulder.
"Go away," he mumbles into his pillow and pulls the blanket above his head. It's way too early to deal with this.
"Oh my god, how can you be such a heavy sleeper? It doesn't fit your emo image at all!"
Keith buries his head deeper into his pillows in an attempt to muffle the relentless babbling coming out of Lance's mouth. It's way too early to deal with this shit.
"Get up!"
There's another push to his shoulder, but Keith can already feel how the softness of his bed lulls him to sleep again.
"Fine! If you don't get up I'll ... I'll crawl into your bed!"
"Suit yourself," Keith mumbles into his pillow and feels his consciousness drifting away.
"Fine!"
Keith is only distantly aware of a rustling sound and then he feels how the mattress dips next to him.
"Scoot over."
Keith groans, but does as he's told. He automatically lifts the blanket and Lance chuckles, while he shifts closer. Keith puts his arm down and wraps both of them in the blanket. A content sigh leaves his lips when Lance finally settles down, snuggled into his side. He can feel himself relax into the warmth of another body by his side.
"God why are you so warm?" Lance chuckles and Keith only hums in response, still too drowsy to talk.
"But that's good, because my feet are always cold."
The next thing Keith knows is that someone put a blog of ice on his legs.
"Fuck!"
His eyes fly open and he sees how Lance laughs, while pushing his foot between Keith's calves.
"What the fuck are you doing?!"
And suddenly Keith is very awake, and very aware of the fact, that Lance is laying in his bed.
He feels heat flaring to his cheeks and tries to push Lance, who is now openly cackling, off his bed.
"You invited me into your bed!" Lance laughs and by now Keith is sure that his face his bright red.
"I was sleeping!"
"Well, it didn't seem like you disliked it."
"Shut up!" Keith yells, pushes and Lance eyes go wide and he yelps when he falls backwards and tumbles out of the bed.
"Oh shit," Keith hisses and leans forward to look down at Lance. Lance blinks a few times in surprise and then he starts laughing again. Keith feels a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He clears his throat to hide it, when Lance sits up and rubs his back with a painful expression on his face.
"So, what do you want?" Keith asks.
"Breakfast is ready."
Keith frowns.
"That's why you tried to freeze me with your feet?"
And now Lance's lips split into a wide grin.
"I have an important announcement to make."
"Everyone! Attention please!" Lance says and claps his hands together. Keith lifts his head, while putting a spoonful of space cereal into his mouth. At their last trip to the mall Hunk found a bunch of ingredients and experimented with them. Yesterday they had some kind of blueish pastries that actually tasted like pancakes.
Lance is standing at the front of the table and he's practically beaming. Pidge on the other hand, stands next to him with a scowl on her face.
"Pidge and I have a huge announcement to make!" Lance says and sends a smile to Pidge, who only raises one eyebrow in acknowledgment.
"Oh god," Shiro groans under his breath, but Keith hears it and snorts. He covers his mouth with one hand, when Lance glares in his direction. But it's not enough to demolish Lance's enthusiasm.
"Pidge and I build something amazing!" he says and lifts his arms in a grand gesture.
"More like Lance whined and begged until I agreed to build it," Pidge deadpans and pulls a device out of her pocket. "Ta-da."
It looks exactly like a standard ticker.
"What is it?" Allura asks and she seems genuinely interested in it.
"This my dear princess, is a device that shows us what day it is on earth!" Lance says, puts his hands on his waist and raises his chin with a proud grin.
"Are you serious?"
Hunk puts down his spoon, but he looks at Pidge with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, I noticed that the ticker can show us the date of the altean calendar. So, I modified the algorithm of this ticker to locate earth time. It may not be the exact date but it should be close," Pidge explains with a grin and adjusts her glasses.
"Pidge that's amazing!" Shiro says and gives her one of his soft smiles.
"Come on! Show us how it works!" Hunk says and excitedly fidgets in his chair.
"I wonder how much time has passed," Shiro mumbles. And now Keith realizes that he doesn't have a clue how long they've been gone. In space, time becomes unimportant. The castle has its own day and night simulation but Keith doubts that it's anywhere close to the time they experience on earth.
Pidge presses her index finger on the screen of the ticker and a pair of orange signs appear on them.
"What does it say?" Keith asks and furrows his brows.
"Oh yeah, the ticker only knows Altean," Pidge explains. "It says it's the 13th day of Jahsk."
"Sooo again, what does that mean?" Keith stresses and turns around when Coran starts explaining.
"Similar to earth time-measuring, the Alteans divide the year into 12 segments. Jahsk is the second segment of the year."
"So it's February 13th," Pidge says and before Keith can even think about what that means, Lance throws his hands in the air.
"Which means that tomorrow is Valentine's day!"
Pidge pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. Keith, Hunk and Shiro groan in unison, while Lance's smile is brighter than the sun.
"What's Valentine's Day?" Allura asks and Shiro's head falls back with another painful groan.
"The day of love, romance and confessions!" Lance explains and dramatically presses a hand to his chest. "A day where humans celebrate love and give presents to their loved ones!"
Allura claps her hands together and squeals in delight. "Oh, that's lovely! We also have a day like that in our calendar!"
"Really?" Lance asks and to Keith's surprise hurries over to sit at Allura's side.
"Yeah, usually it includes giving a bouquet of Valurian snails," Coran chimes in. "I once made a bouquet with twenty of the slimiest snails a girl could wish for." He proudly twirls his moustache around his finger when Allura gasps in awe.
"Really, snails?" Hunk asks around a mouthful of cereal. "On earth, we usually give flowers or chocolate."
A longing sigh escapes Keith's lips at the thought of chocolate.
"What's chocolate?" Allura asks in Hunk's direction but the words are out of Keith's mouth before Hunk gets a chance to explain.
"A delicious sweet treat we have on earth."
"Huh," Lance says with a grin. "Never thought that you'd like chocolate."
Keith averts his eyes when he feels heat rising to his cheek.
"Who doesn't like chocolate," he murmurs and turns his attention to his breakfast. He still hears Lance chuckle and feels his face grow even hotter. Next to him Pidge snorts, but yelps when Keith jabs her with his elbow.
"But what's dangerous about making chocolate?" Allura asks and Keith is glad that the question attracts everyone's attention.
"It's not dangerous at all. At least when you know what you're doing," Hunk explains and Allura frowns.
"In Altea we collect Valurian snails to show our loved ones how brave we are."
"You have to climb into the belly of a Valurian to get them after all," Coran says.
"Why do you always have to climb into some weird alien species to collect things?!" Hunk groans.
"I think it's cute," Lance says and there's an enchanted look on his face.
"What the hell is cute about getting slimy snails?" Keith snorts and Lance glares in his direction.
"It's romantic, Keith!" Lance hisses. "Well, I didn't expect you to understand that."
"Excuse me for not wanting to crawl into another alien creature."
Keith rolls his eyes, when he sees the surprised smile Shiro gives him and realizes what he just said.
"N-Not that I was even thinking about doing that!" he bristles and now he's sure that his cheeks are red.
What is wrong with me today? he thinks and attacks his space cereal, which is already mushy. Pidge opens her mouth to say something but closes it when Keith glares at her. Luckily the conversation drifts to other Altean traditions and they compare them to human ones.
Lance is animatedly talking to Allura about the meaning of flowers and Keith takes the opportunity to stare at him. It didn't really come as a surprise that Lance likes Valentine's day. Keith wonders how many times Lance probably confessed his love to a girl on this day. There's a weird sting in his chest at the thought and he pulls a face, when he quickly eats another spoon of mushy space cereal.
Keith looks at Shiro, who has a confused expression on his face but still laughs, when Lance explains how badly you can fuck up if you choose the wrong flowers.
And suddenly Keith realizes that all this talk about Valentine's day traditions completely distracted them from thinking about how long they have been stuck in space.
"Come on, Pidge!" Lance whines and drops his chin on her head. "It's my special day!"
"It's not that special," Pidge grumbles and keeps working on a device in her lap. Keith is sitting on the couch next to Hunk, absentmindedly cleaning his knife, while watching Lance and Pidge.
"You're like my little sister! You have to give me something!" Lance whines and his whole body goes slack against Pidge's back. She visibly slumps under his weight and her eye twitches dangerously.
"Why is he so excited about Valentine's?" Keith scoffs and looks down at his knife. He doesn't want to admit it, but he feels irritated by Lance's enthusiasm. Hunk doesn't look up from the display he is typing on and laughs. "It's the same every year. I don't even notice it anymore."
Keith lifts his head and sees how Shiro pries Lance off Pidge, who looks close to punching him.
"He doesn't even have a Valentine.... Or does he?" Keith says casually and tries not to stare at Hunk in anticipation.
"Oh my god," Hunk says and Keith's head whips up to see Hunk staring at him with wide eyes.
"You seriously don't know."
Keith drops his knife to his lap, panic rising from his stomach to his chest.
"What?" he asks and he feels his heartrate picking up. "Oh my god I hope he isn't planning to confess to Allura because that would be-"
"Dude", Hunk interrupts him. "Lance isn't excited because it's Valentine's. It's his birthday."
"Huh?"
"His birthday is February 14th."
Keith only stares at Hunk for a few seconds before that information reaches his head.
"WHAT?"
"Oh my god you really didn't know!"
"No?! How should I know?"
"Dude everyone knows."
"Are you serious?!"
"Yeah, everyone started planning something for him after breakfast," Hunk says and his face is twisted into a worried expression.
"Are you kidding me?" Keith groans and rubs his forehead, disheveling his hair in the process.
"Yeah. Hey Pidge!", Hunk yells and Pidge raises her head with a frown on her face.
"What?"
"Do you have a present for Lance?"
Pidge groans and rolls her eyes.
"Well he won't stop bothering me, so yeah. Why?"
"Just asking," Hunk replies and Pidge shrugs before going back to work.
"See?" he says and now Keith is really freaking out. Panic bubbles up his throat and his voice breaks when he talks.
"Hunk, what should I do?"
Keith has never been good at getting presents. Or remembering birthdays. Maybe Lance did tell him before and he just forgot? But now that he knows that everyone is planning something, he doesn't want to be the only one showing up empty-handed.
"Okay, okay! First calm down," Hunk says and raises his hands in a reassuring gesture. "Take a deep breath."
Keith inhales quickly, closes his eyes and holds his breath for a few seconds before letting it out in a sigh.
"Good, now listen to me."
Keith opens his eyes to look into Hunk's grinning face.
"Because I have the perfect idea."
"Hunk, I don't think this is a good idea."
"It's a perfect idea! Now get over here and help me."
Keith pulls a face but does as he is told. He bends down to pick up a basket of weird looking red fruits.
Keith can't believe he's doing this. He's standing in the kitchen in the middle of the night, picking up some weird alien fruit.
"Okay, so first we gotta peel these. It's easy. Here."
Hunk pushes a knife into Keith's hands and picks up one of those fruits.
"First you have to remove the black thing on the top like this."
Hunk quickly cuts off the top. "And then you can just peel the skin down." He easily removes the skin in a fluid movement. Keith looks down at the fruit in his hands and clumsily copies Hunk's moves. It looks pale and meaty underneath.
"And this is supposed to taste like chocolate?" he asks and looks at Hunk, who has already peeled four of the fruits.
Hunk glances at him and grins.
"Smell it."
Keith's mouth twitches in disgust when he lifts the fruit to his face, but his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, when he inhales the sweet smell of cocoa.
"Wow."
Hunk laughs and Keith looks at him in awe.
"How do you manage to find these things?" Keith asks and goes back to the task at hand.
"Well, I just bought everything I could find and experimented with it," Hunk says and shrugs, while dropping another peeled fruit into the basket.
"Originally, I planned to surprise everyone with it but this is even better," Hunk chuckles and sends Keith a warm smile.
"Do you really think this is a good present?" Keith asks and hisses, when he cuts into his thump.
"Be careful, and yes! Of course, it's a good present! It's chocolate... in space!" Hunk exclaims and raises his hands.
Keith sighs and tries to focus on what his hands are doing.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"Keith, I'm always right. So, shut up and trust me."
Keith laughs at these familiar words and picks up another fruit.
After they peeled enough fruits, they mesh them into a pulpy mass. Then Hunk puts in some kind of dark liquid to make it smoother and heats the whole thing up on the altean counterpart of a stove. In the end, they have a dark substance that smells exactly like chocolate.
"Hunk you are amazing, this smells great!" Keith closes his eyes and inhales the familiar scent. A pleasant warmth spreads in his chest and suddenly he knows that Lance will love it. It's not only chocolate. It feels like home.
"Yeah, I know. So we gotta be quick now and get these in shape before it cools down."
"Shape?"
Keith stares at the mess in front of him and frowns. He wipes his forehead with the back of his hand and smears even more chocolate on his face. He probably looks as exhausted as he feels.
"This is ugly. I can't give this to him."
"It's fine."
"It's not! Look at this!" Keith gestures to the clumps of chocolate in front of him. "And then look at yours!" He points to Hunk's perfect little chocolates, neatly rowed up in a box.
Hunk chuckles. "What did you even try to make?"
"I... ," Keith starts but sighs. "I don't know."
"It's okay," Hunk laughs and pats Keith's shoulder.
"No it's not! I can't give this to him! Just... give him yours or something," Keith bristles and yelps when Hunk hits his head.
"No! You worked hard on this so you will give it to him and he will love it!" Hunk exclaims and Keith stares at him with wide eyes, while rubbing his head.
"O-Okay."
"Great." The smile is back on Hunk's face like nothing happened. "Let's clean this mess up and head to bed."
Keith makes a mental note, not to mess with Hunk, before he gently puts his chocolate into a box.
"I can't do this Hunk."
"Jesus, relax it's just a present."
"I'm sure he will hate it."
"He won't hate it!", Hunk sighs. One of his hands is resting on Keith's shoulder, but it does nothing to ease the nervousness in Keith's stomach. He's holding on to the box of chocolate like his life depends on it.
"See? He likes Pidge's present," Hunk says and they both look at Lance who happily leans against Pidge's back, playing around with the little music-maker Pidge gave him. He almost crushed her in his arms, when he saw it.
"Yeah, but that's Pidge," Keith says. "Everyone likes Pidge. Lance and I ... aren't like that."
"Stop talking like that. He likes you more than you think."
Keith turns his head to ask what Hunk meant, when Hunk suddenly calls out to Lance.
"Hey Lance, Keith was looking for you!"
Keith's heart is about to jump out of his throat, when he sees how Lance looks up and smiles. Keith lets out a strangled sound, when Hunk slaps his back hard enough for him to stumble forward.
"Hunk!" he hisses, but Hunk only laughs and runs in Pidge's direction. Keith quickly hides the box behind his back, when Lance gets up and walks towards him. His smile is so bright that Keith's heart decides to skip a beat.
"What's up?" Lance asks and glances at Hunk and Pidge who walk past them to leave the room. Hunk smiles encouragingly at Keith and there's a mischievous grin on Pidge's lips. Keith decides to kill them, when this is over.
He turns to look at Lance who stands in front of him, smiling with an expectant look on his face.
Okay, now or never.
Keith can feel the beat of his heart in his throat and he swears that his fingers are shaking, when he brings out the gift from behind his back.
He pushes it into Lance's hands and mumbles: "Here. For you."
Lance blinks in confusion and stares down at the box in his hands.
Keith wants to punch himself. He should have at least said "Happy Birthday" or something, but now his mouth refuses to move.
Lance is still staring at the box in his hands, without any reaction whatsoever and now Keith feels panic welling up in his chest.
Suddenly Lance moves his hand and carefully opens the box. Keith pulls a face, when he sees that he managed to damage the box with his grip. His present is a disaster.
A weird garbled sound slips out of Lance's lips and Keith looks up to see how Lance's face goes from blank to bright red in less than a second. Keith blinks in surprise when he sees how Lance tries to hide his face behind the box with a loud groan.
"Is this chocolate?" Lance asks and his voice is high-pitched and squeaky. Keith really doesn't know what he expected but it wasn't this. He stares at the tip of Lance's ears, which are also quite red.
"Uh, yes. Hunk showed me how to make them," he says and Lance makes another garbled sound that Keith can't quite classify. So, he goes for the worst assumption.
"You don't like it."
"No!", Lance squeals and lowers the chocolate. "I love it."
Keith didn't think it was possible but Lance's cheeks grow even redder when their eyes lock. Keith rubs the back of his neck, when he feels how Lance's embarrassment starts to affect him as well.
"That's ... good, I guess."
"I just really didn't expect to get something from you."
Lance's voice is barely a whisper and Keith raises an eyebrow.
"I'm not that big of an asshole."
"I know! That's not what I meant. I mean... It's just...", Lance starts and his gaze flickers down to the box in his hands.
"What?"
"It's the first time I got something."
Keith snorts. "I'm sure you got something from your friends in the garrison. You were popular."
"That's not... it's the first time I got something that actually means that ....," Lance's voice dies before he can finish his sentence.
Lance glances up from the box and he looks so shy and embarrassed that Keith's heart skips another beat.
"Or did I ... read this wrong?"
Oh.
And then the realization hits Keith.
All of a sudden, his face bursts into flames. Lance's lips twitch into a smile, when Keith clears his throat and averts his eyes in a hopeless attempt to hide his abashment.
"N-No, I mean uh-" Keith says and he's so flustered that his voice breaks and he has to clear his throat again. "D-Don't you want to try these?" he croaks and gestures to the box.
"Sure!" Lance exclaims and now the bright smile is back on his face. Seems like Keith's own embarrassment somehow managed to calm Lance's.
Keith feels dizzy, when he follows Lance to sit on the sofa. It feels like his body and mind still haven't really caught up with what exactly just happened.
And why is he sitting so close to Lance? Their knees are touching, when Lance puts the box in his lap.
Keith pulls a face, when he sees the messy chocolate.
"It... probably doesn't taste very good though," he says and Lance nudges his shoulder.
"Don't say that!"
And with that he pops one piece of chocolate into his mouth. Keith stares in awe, when he sees how Lance's eyelids flutter close and a pleased groan leaves him.
"Oh my god," he opens his eyes and looks at Keith. "It's chocolate."
And then he starts laughing. "Oh my god this is amazing! How did you do it?"
"Honestly, I have no idea, Hunk helped me."
"God, Hunk is amazing, this is almost exactly the same," Lance sighs and takes another piece.
"Really?"
"Didn't you try it?!"
"No," Keith admits and realizes that he was too occupied with shaping this mess that he didn't stop to taste it.
"Here! Try it!" Lance says and lifts the box.
Keith stares at the dark substance and suddenly remembers the meaty fruit it's made off. He pulls a face, but still takes out a piece.
Keith's eyes go wide, when the familiar taste of chocolate fills his mouth. He feels how it melts on his tongue and a soft sound escapes him. It tastes like home. Keith licks his lips to savor every last bit of it.
"Hey, Keith."
"Hm?"
Keith turns to look at Lance and suddenly he feels a pair of soft, warm lips pressed to his. It only lasts a second, but it's enough for Keith to realize that Lance tastes sweeter than chocolate.
"Happy Valentine's day," Lance croaks, when he leans back and Keith swears that he has never seen a person get this red before.
But he probably doesn't look any different, when he lifts his hand to touch his lips in surprise.
"W-Well!" Lance almost yells and leaps up from his seat. "I think Hunk wanted to make lunch!"
Keith almost expects Lance to rush out of the room, but he stops to offer Keith a hand.
"You coming?"
Keith smiles and takes it. He immediately intertwines their fingers and chuckles, when he feels how Lance tenses beside him.
Lance audibly swallows.
"Let's go."
Lance hand is slightly sweaty but Keith is sure that his isn't any better as nervous as he feels. His heart is still beating fast in his chest, but he can't remember the last time he felt this happy.
They walk in comfortable silence until Keith can hear the familiar sound of their family preparing lunch, in the kitchen down the hallway.
"Lance, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"When is your birthday?"
"In July. Why are you asking?"
Keith chuckles and shakes his head.
"Oh, no particular reason," he says, when they enter the kitchen and Hunk greets them with a bright smile on his face.
part 2
Work Text:
„I can't believe you didn't know when my birthday is," Lance said, crossing his arms with a huff. "Well ... I'm not going to complain because it turned out great thanks to Hunk. BUT!" He stabbed a finger into Keith's chest.
"I expect something big from you for my next birthday! "
That were Lance's exact words a few month ago when Keith told him what really happened on Valentine's day. And now Keith is standing in the dining hall, completely frozen - because Hunk is sitting on top of a ladder with a birthday garland in his hands.
"Hunk."
"Yeah?" Hunk asks, not turning away from his task.
"Please don't tell me that it's Lance's birthday tomorrow."
Hunk freezes, hand in mid-air. He turns around slowly, and Keith grimaces when he sees Hunk's shocked face.
"You forgot about it again?!"
"Shit, you gotta help me, I didn't even forget it the first time, I'm just-"
"Are you serious?" Hunk almost drops the line he's holding, and Keith really can't blame him. He doesn't believe it himself.
"Hunk... Help."
"No way, buddy! You're alone on this one."
"Fuck," Keith spits out and drops down at the nearby table. "I can't believe I forgot. He fucking told me he expects something big."Keith groans and hides his face in his hands.
It didn't take them long to start dating after his quasi confession on Valentine's day, but Keith didn't think that he would fuck up that fast.
"I'm officially the worst boyfriend ever," Keith whines, and his forehead slams into the tabletop with a loud bang. There's a faint creak, and then a warm hand lands on his shoulder.
"Fine," Hunk sighs. "I'll help you think of something."
Keith lifts his head. "Really?"
"I'll just tell you if your idea sucks or not, though. It doesn't mean anything if it's just something I came up with, Keith."
Keith sighs in defeat. "Yeah you're right."
"Okay." Hunk grins. "Now let me hear what you got."
"Wow."
"Fuck."
"You really have no idea, huh?" Hunk tries to hide the chuckle behind his hand, but it's useless.
"That's not funny!"
"Hey Hunk, I- Woah," Pidge says as she enters the room. "Why does Keith look like he's about to die?"
"He forgot Lance's birthday."
"Again?!"
Keith throws his head back with a groan. "Why is everyone saying that?"
"Well, it's the truth," Hunk says, picking up some paper to cut out more shapes for the garlands.
"It's not. That was an entire different situation!"
"Does it matter?", Pidge says and sits down at the table. "You forgot about it, and now you're screwed."
Hunk chuckles. "Yeah, his ideas are horrible."
"Well, then what do you plan to give him?" Keith hisses, glaring at Hunk. Hunk doesn't even look up from his work when he answers. "I'll be cooking a special meal of course. It's already on the stove."
Keith blinks a few times.
"Fuck. That always works."
Hunk only hums in response, but there's a pleased grin on his face.
"What about you?" Keith asks as he turns to Pidge. Pidge is just as socially inept as him, she must have something lame. But the confident grin on her lips makes Keith stomach churn in stress.
"I used all of my skills to build something amazing for him."
"You build something? Nice!" Hunk chimes in, and Keith wants to die on the spot.
"He will hate me forever," he whines as he buries his face in his arms.
"Who will hate him?"
It's Shiro's voice that reaches his ears now.
"Lance," Pidge answers.
"He forgot about his birthday," Hunk adds.
"Again?"
Keith muffles his pained scream into his arms. "Yeah, I know I fucked up!"
"Wow... that's ... wow."
"You're not helping!" Keith groans, and turns his head to glare at Shiro who only raises his hands in a deflective manner.
"Sorry."
"What do you have for Lance?" Pidge asks, and now Keith looks up in curiosity. What could Shiro possibly give Lance?
"Umm, it's nothing special," Shiro says, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I came up with a few special fighting moves I want to teach him?"
"Special moves?"
"Yeah, I spent some time watching him train and made some mental notes about his physique and stuff. And then I ... came up with moves that would be beneficial for his fighting style."
Shiro pauses and looks at them.
"Wow, now that I say it out loud it sounds like a really stupid gift."
"No," Keith deadpans. "It's perfect. He'll love it."
"Really?" Shiro asks, and he's practically beaming at Keith.
"Yeah man," Hunk says. "The guy who's always been his hero developing special moves just for him? He'll go crazy."
And now Shiro looks flustered at the praise. "Stop it, I'm not his hero anymore."
Pidge pointedly rolls her eyes when Keith looks at her, making him snort in response.
"So," Shiro says when he sits down next to Hunk. "What are we working with? Do you have any idea what you want to get for him?"
"All his ideas are shit," Pidge states.
"I'm sure that's not true," Shiro answers with an uncertain smile.
"I have nothing," Keith says straight out and Shiro's smile fades. "All my ideas got rejected."
"Yeah because they were just too ... plain." Hunk grimaces.
"Or ... let's call it extravagant," Pidge chuckles.
"I'm horrible at this," Keith moans, exasperatedly running a hand over his face.
"Okay," Hunk starts. "Lance said he wants something big, right? Then you gotta think like a boyfriend! Do something like ... a grand romantic gesture!" Hunk spreads his arms with an enthusiastic grin.
"That isn't like me at all."
Hunk drops his arms with a frown.
"Well... that's true. He'd immediately know that it was my idea."
Keith doesn't miss the pointed look Hunk sends him and sighs.
"Maybe you should just be straightforward."
Keith turns to look at Pidge who spoke up and his shoulders sag in relief. He can always count on Pidge and her rational thinking. But the mischievous grin that spreads on her lips now sends a shiver down his spine.
"Go with something sexy."
And then Pidge winks at him.
"Pidge!" Hunk shrieks, and his face immediately colors in a dark shade of red.
"What? Tell me Lance wouldn't like that."
"Well ...," Keith starts, but Hunk yelps again, furiously shaking his head.
"I don't want to hear that!"
"Jesus, don't be such a baby," Pidge sighs.
Keith is about to open his mouth because actually that idea isn't that bad - when Shiro loudly clears his throat.
"Anyway," Shiro croaks, a small flush on his cheeks. He turns to Keith with a serious expression. "Keith. Just think about something you would like to give him. If it's something you chose while thinking about him, I'm sure he'll love it."
Keith slumps back into his seat with a deep drawn sigh. "I guess ... you're right. I just ... I want him to be happy," he mumbles.
"Awwwww," Hunk coos, and Shiro sends Keith a fond smile.
"I'm sure you will find something."
"Yeah," Keith pouts, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Well, I need to check the food, I'm cooking," Hunk says, and pushes his chair back with a squeak. "Shiro, you have to finish the decorations." Shiro blinks in surprise when Hunk pushes the finished garland into his hands. "And Pidge, make sure that Coran is keeping Lance occupied."
"Roger!" Pidge says, salutes, and leaves the room. Hunk really planned this through, and for a second Keith is annoyed that he didn't mention a thing towards Keith about any of this.
"Did you plan all of this on your own?"
"I know that Lance loves a good party, so yeah," Hunk grins. "But I only asked Coran to keep Lance busy when I couldn't find you earlier."
Keith curses. Why did he have to train all the time? If Hunk had told him earlier, he'd at least had the day to get something. Now it's already too late for him to go out.
"Hey," Hunk's gentle voice rips him out of his thoughts, and Keith looks up into his soft eyes. "Just listen to what Shiro said. I'm sure you'll come up with something great."
Keith grimaces, but nods. He watches as Hunk leaves, and his gaze shifts to Shiro who is struggling with the decoration. Keith tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling. At least he has the rest of the night to think about something for Lance.
"Happy birthday."
Lance blinks his eyes open, and Keith sees how his words need a second to reach him. A lazy smile slowly spreads on Lance's lips, and like always it lights up his whole face. It makes his eyes shine, although Lance can't really hold them open just yet, and he still looks crinkled from sleep, but - he's the most beautiful person Keith has ever seen.
"You remembered." Lance's voice cracks and it's deeper than usual.
Keith's heart is about to burst with love, so he leans in to press a kiss to the corner of his lips.
"Yeah," he says and then pauses. "Actually no. Hunk reminded me."
Keith doesn't even have time to worry about Lance being angry because the boy in his arms just laughs hoarsely.
"I knew it," he chuckles and buries his face into the crook of Keith's neck. Lance is warm and soft in Keith's arms, and he can't help but sigh contentedly.
"Thanks," Lance whispers. Keith can feel his breath on his neck, and he pulls Lance closer to his chest. He presses a kiss to the top of Lance's head and mumbles into his hair.
"No problem."
Lance chuckles, making Keith shiver when his lips brush against his neck.
"Wow, I get special treatment on my birthday. Usually, you're not that cuddly."
"Shut up," Keith mutters, his cheeks heating up, and he pinches Lance's side when he laughs at him.
"Ouch! You gotta be nice! It's my birthday!"
Lance leans back, pouting, and there's no way Keith can resist that face.
"I demand a real kiss as payback," Lance whines, trying to keep a stern face, but his lips twitch into a smile.
"Alright, alright," Keith sighs, and Lance squeals delightedly as he wraps his arms around Keith's neck. A pleased hum leaves him when Keith leans in to kiss him.
It's just a soft brush of his lips against Lance's, but it's still enough to make Keith's heart skip a beat. Lance sighs into the kiss, and a tingling heat pools in the pit of Keith's stomach. His fingers twitch against Lance's skin and - oh this is dangerous.
Lance leans back with half-lidden eyes, a pretty red flush on his cheeks, and a certain glint in his eyes that makes Keith's heart beat faster.
"Can we just stay here for the rest of the day?" Lance whispers, and man, Keith would love to do that. But Hunk would kill him.
"Don't you want to know what Hunk planned for you?" Keith asks with a smirk, and then laughs when he sees how Lance's eyes go wide with excitement. In the next moment, a pained groan leaves Keith as Lance suddenly rolls over his body, successfully jutting his elbow into Keith's stomach.
"What are you waiting for! Get up!"
Lance is hopping on one leg while hurriedly putting on some pants. Keith snorts and runs a hand through his hair.
"Already, on it."
The moment they walk into the dining hall, Hunk pulls Lance into a bone-crushing hug. For a second Keith is worried that Hunk will hurt him, but Lance's happy laugh makes Keith's lips twitch into a smile as well. Pidge is next, and Lance presses her face against his chest until she punches his side because she's suffocating. Shiro is a little awkward when he hugs Lance, hesitantly patting his back, but Keith knows that Lance doesn't care. Allura and Coran both give him a tight squeeze too and going by Lance's smile those hugs are already the best present he could possibly get.
Which reminds Keith. The present.
He stayed up late, thinking of something to give Lance. He only came up with one thing that wasn't completely out of character for him AND would hopefully make Lance happy. He's still unsure about it, so he didn't mention it yet. But ... Lance didn't really seem to expect anything from him. Which... is kind of frustrating.
They spend a relaxed breakfast with lots of amazing food; Hunk even managed to make a cake. Keith takes a bite and immediately recognizes the chocolate flavor from the fruits Hunk showed him on Valentine's day. The table is filled with almost inappropriate moans as they eat the cake, and even Coran and Allura, who never tasted chocolate, hum in appreciation.
"Oh man! I want my present now!" Lance whines when Hunk tells him that he has to wait for dinner until he gets his real gift.
"What about yours Pidge!" he asks, whirling around to look at her. Pidge adjusts her glasses and grins.
"Nope, sorry, Lance. You gotta wait."
Lance throws his head back, groaning in despair, and Keith heart starts thundering in his chest. Panic raises in his stomach. Technically he could give Lance his present now. So, he swallows, gathers all of his courage and opens his mouth.
"Lance-"
"You can have mine now," Shiro chimes in, probably not realizing that Keith was about to say something. Lance leaps up from his seat, making the chair fall back with a loud crash.
"You have a present for me?!" Lance shrieks, and the disbelief is obvious in his voice.
"Uh, yeah? Of course, I do."
Lance opens his mouth. And closes it again.
"Umm, i- it's really nothing special," Shiro stutters, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
"Oh, shut up, I'll love it!" Lance shrieks, reaching forward to grab Shiro's arm. His eyes are practically glistening with excitement and the surprised look on Shiro's face melts into a fond expression.
"Alright, then follow me."
Of course, Lance loves Shiro's present. He can't stop bouncing on his feet when they get to the training room, and Keith snorts in amusement. Lance has never been more excited to go to training. However, once Shiro starts moving and shows them the moves he came up with, Keith understands why. Shiro is amazing. And the techniques he came up with are perfect for Lance.
Something funny happens with Keith's heart as he watches them train. Shiro is patient and detailed as he shows Lance the moves, and Lance just looks so happy to get all of Shiro's attention for once.
Keith - and everyone else as he takes from their amazed reaction - can tell that those moves were designed for Lance. Not only because Lance gets the hang of it pretty quickly, but because they just feel like him. They're quick and witty and just ... Lance.
As Keith watches him move - sees how smoothly he's dodging Shiro's attacks - he's itching to try this too.
"Hey," he says loudly, catching Lance's and Shiro's attention. Keith grins as he pulls at his gloves to adjusts them.
"Let's see how those moves work against a real opponent," he taunts, swings out his hand, and materializes his bayard.
Lance's lips slowly spread into a mischievous grin.
"Bring it, Pretty boy."
Keith is a walking disaster.
It's almost time for dinner, and he didn't manage to give Lance his present yet. There were enough opportunities, but every time he tried to open his mouth, the words just got stuck in his throat. It's not even like his present is embarrassing or anything. Keith is just ... He's scared. That Lance will think it's stupid.
But somehow deep in his heart, he's also waiting for Lance to ask him for it. Because the thought that Lance really didn't even expect Keith to get him something hurts.
Also, the amazing presents the others have for Lance aren't making this any easier for Keith. Just earlier Pidge finally came around to give Lance the thing she built.
A karaoke machine. She freaking build a working karaoke machine in space. How in the world is Keith supposed to top that?!
He leans back in his seat and stares at the ceiling as he sighs. Lance screamed so loud when he saw it, Keith was sure his ears would start bleeding. The karaoke machine only played the background music like some old 8-bit videogame music, but Lance didn't care. Keith snorts when he remembers Pidge's horrified face when Lance demanded that she had to sing the first duet with him.
She looked embarrassed through the whole thing, but Pidge couldn't help but laugh at Lance's ridiculous dance moves. Obviously, Hunk and Lance delivered a well-rehearsed piece with matching chorography that was quite impressive. Even Shiro tried his best, but ... he was horrible. Keith knew that he's not a musical talent, but he's never heard anyone sing that off-key. But Shiro deserved all the kudos for the passion he put into his singing - and Lance cheered loudly for him anyway.
Allura didn't know any of the songs and sat out on this one, but Coran tried his luck and - man. Keith will forever deny that his performance brought tears to his eyes because Coran has the voice of an angel. It took everyone awhile to regain their composure, and Lance just pulled a very confused Coran into a tight hug.
And .... Of course, Keith didn't get out of it. He tried his best to refuse, but Lance had the audacity to use his puppy eyes and the "But it's my birthday!" line, so naturally Keith gave in.
His cheeks heat up again as he remembers how Lance made him sing an extremely cheesy duet. Well, Lance sang most of it, and Keith only quietly mumbled into the microphone, but ... Lance was happy.
And isn't that the most important part? Isn't that the reason Keith tried so hard to find something for him? He sighs again.
"God, will you stop sighing, this is getting depressing," Pidge suddenly groans, and Keith turns his head to look at her.
"Sorry."
Hunk and Coran already went to the kitchen to prepare the dinner. Shiro choose to help them too after sitting around for a while, leaving Pidge and Keith alone to wait in the common room.
Allura, however, had taken the opportunity to give Lance her present. Everyone was surprised when a mischievous grin spread on her lips, and she pulled Lance along with her. Really, Keith has no idea what she could possibly get him. And why it required Lance to leave with her.
But the moment the door opens with a whoosh, and Keith insentiently turns his head - he knows why.
And suddenly he isn't sure if it's not his birthday.
"Ta-da! What do you say!" Allura says and claps her hands.
"Um. Wow."
Even Pidge sounds impressed, and now Shiro walks into the room as well. He stares at Lance for a second, and then he wolf-whistles.
Keith, however, stopped working. Because Lance looks stunning. And entirely embarrassed.
"Lance always complained that he only has one set of clothes, sooo I dug through some old altean clothes and found this!" Allura sing-songs, and she looks extremely proud. "Doesn't he look amazing?"
Hell, yeah, Keith wants to say, but his mouth is too dry. The design of the clothes is unmistakable altean; it has the same high collar as Allura's and Coran's outfit. It's simple, yet fashionable, white with dark blue accents - and good god it clings to Lance's body like a second skin. The cut of the top highlights his broad shoulders, brings out his narrow waist, and Keith's swears that his legs look even longer in those tight pants.
Maybe it's just that Keith has never seen Lance in anything else but his usual clothes or his fighting suit (or wearing nothing at all which is Keith's personal favorite) - But Lance looks even more beautiful than usual.
Especially now that he turns to shyly look at Keith, a pink blush high on his cheeks and asks: "What do you think?"
Keith wants to kiss him then and there. But instead he awkwardly clears his throat, knowing fair well that he can't hide his own embarrassment.
"You look beautiful."
Lance's smile is like the sun, and Keith wouldn't mind being burned to ashes at all.
"Dinner is ready!"
Hunk's head suddenly pops into the room with a cheerful smile. "Oh wow! Lance, you look amazing!"
"Thanks!" Lance replies and his shoulders relax.
"See? I told you, you look great!" Allura chirps. Lance smiles at her, and he has to tilt his head down a little. "Thank you."
Allura squeezes his arm, then turns around to Keith. "So, don't you want to escort the beautiful birthday boy to dinner?"
Keith grimaces for a second but stands up. He offers his arm to Lance who looks surprised but happily giggles as he links his arm with Keith's. Usually, Keith would never act this ... cheesy, but - well it's Lance's birthday after all.
They walk into the dining hall, and a mouth-watering scent immediately fills the air. Keith's stomach grumbles in response and he's so ready to dig in - but Lance freezes at his side.
Keith frowns and turns to ask what's wrong, but the look on Lance's face makes the words die on his tongue.
He has never seen Lance like that, and Keith's heart lurches into his throat at the shocked and pained expression in Lance's eyes. He wants to ask what's wrong, but suddenly Hunk speaks up.
He's at the table, setting down a big pot with what looks like soup.
"Before you say anything, I know that it can't possibly compare to your mom's cooking! I mean I couldn't even get the soup right on earth, and imitating it with space ingredients was almost impossible, so-"
"Hunk."
Lance's voice is quiet, but Hunk immediately closes his mouth. Keith turns to look at Lance, and his heart squeezes painfully when he sees Lance's eyes swimming with tears.
"Thank you," Lance croaks. And he doesn't have to say more than this. His face is like an open-book and Hunk's expression melts into something gentle and understanding.
"No problem, buddy."
They sit down at the table, and the food tastes as delicious as it smells. Everyone is chatting animatedly, but Keith knows that they're secretly watching Lance as he eats the first spoon. However, everyone is kind enough to just continue talking as Lance quietly hiccups, bringing the spoon to his mouth again and again. No one comments on the silent tears that Lance hurriedly wipes from his cheeks with the back of his hand.
Keith's own throat feels painfully tight, and all he can do is place a soothing hand on Lance's knee. Suddenly, he feels warm fingers wrap around his, and Lance squeezes his hand tightly as he continues eating in silence.
Somewhere along the line Lance starts talking too, still not letting go of Keith's hand, and Keith can finally breath again. Once they finish eating, Coran announces that it's time for his present.
He leaves to prepare it in the common room, and Hunk gets up to put away the dishes. Lance sends Keith a quick thankful smile, and then he gets up to hurry after Hunk.
Keith stays where he is, watching how Lance says something to Hunk, and how the bigger boy pulls Lance in for another hug. Lance buries his face into Hunk's chest and somehow, he looks really tiny and vulnerable.
Lance doesn't really talk much about his family. Keith knows that it's just too painful for him and that's okay. He's just glad that Lance has a friend like Hunk. The gentle giant with a heart of gold.
His eyes meet Hunk's over the top of Lance's head and Keith forms a silent 'Thank you' with his lips.
"Now! It's time for my ultimate present!" Coran exclaims, his arms stretched out in a dramatic gesture. Everyone got into the common room to find a huge display put up in front of the sofa.
"I'm ... kind of worried," Keith whispers, so only Lance can hear him. Lance giggles in response, and Keith is happy to see that he cheered up.
Coran continues as he twirls his moustache. "I'll have you know that it took all my wit and some technical help from Pidge to get it done. Now sit down and enjoy the show!"
Keith sits down next to Lance, and suspiciously eyes the screen. He really has no idea what it could possibly be - but ... after seeing that instruction video Coran made about the Weblum, he doesn't really trust his ... skills as a director.
And sure enough it's Coran's own face that pops up on the screen.
"Is this thing on?"
"Yeah, it's recording," Pidge's says off-screen and everyone laughs at her annoyed tone.
"Oh!" Coran stands up straight and clears his throat. "Happy Birthday, Lance, my boy!"
Keith's snorts when he sees Coran lip-syncing his own video from the corner of his eyes.
"This is my present for you! Pidge helped me build this drone, that I will now send out into the universe for a special birthday surprise! I hope you enjoy it!"
The screen cuts to black, and the next image starts out really blurry. "Hold it higher!" Someone commands and suddenly the picture shifts into focus, showing no one else but the King of the Arusians himself.
Keith hears how Lance squeals in surprise, and even Keith never expected something like that.
"Hello, blue paladin! I heard it's the day you were brought into the world! So as a thank you for saving us and our planet, we will now present you the special Arusian celebration dance!"
The image shakes again, and then three aliens step into the picture, starting to dance in small circles to the beat of drums.
"Coran this is so cool!" Hunk exclaims, and Keith takes the opportunity to glance at Lance. He has his hands pressed to his cheeks, and there's a wide grin on his lips. The screen illuminates his face, and he looks so happy that Keith's heart squeezes painfully in his chest.
The screen cuts out after the aliens finish their little dance, and the next ones on the screen are the Taujeers with their robot-like voice, wishing Lance a great day, and showing off the new planet they found to live on. The Olkari show up as well with greetings, but they get distracted by the drone. "I'm sure the one called Pidge build this, it's quite magnificent," Ryner says in awe until someone reminds her of the purpose of the video. "Oh right! Blue paladin, we'd like to thank you and your team for your help! I expect great things from all of you!"
When the next video starts, Keith has to blink a few times in surprise. Mermaids. Lance was telling the truth. Both Lance and Hunk scream in delight, once the - beautiful as Keith has to admit - mermaids swim into the picture.
"Lance!"
"Our hero!"
"Happy birthday!"
There are a couple of people - mermaids - in the picture, pushing to get a place in front of the drone. The screaming only stops when a royal looking woman clears her throat and swims into the middle.
"Lance, blue paladin, hero of our planet. We cannot thank you enough for saving us. The least we can do is thank the universe for creating you on this day."
"Come and visit us again sometime!" Another pretty mermaid pushes into the screen and Lance laughs.
"Man, you really left an impression on Plaxum," Hunk chuckles.
"Well I'm a hero after all," Lance says, putting a finger to his chin with his trademark flirty grin. Keith only rolls his eyes at that. He heard everything about Lance's adventure on the waterplanet. So that's Plaxum ... the mermaid who kissed Lance.
Huh.
Before Keith has the chance to observe her more closely, the screen cuts off again, showing the Balmerans. Shay and her family are waving in front of the camera.
"Lance! We heard it's a special day for you, so we want to say thank you for being born!" Shay says with a soft smile. "You've done so much for our people and I hope we get to see each other again."
She pauses for a second. "That also goes for Hunk."
"Isn't this supposed to be for Lance?" Her brother Rax says, and suddenly Shay shrieks, knocking the camera off kilter, before it cuts out.
Keith's gaze shifts to Hunk who is obviously blushing as Pidge elbows him in the side. The next thing they see is Coran's moustache in closeup-view.
"Did it record everything?"
"Yes," Pidges hisses, and then Coran's whole face shows up. "Great!"
He takes a step back and grins at the camera. "So, Lance. I hope you liked your present. It wasn't easy to get to all of the locations, but I hope you enjoyed it!"
The smile on Coran's face turns gentle. "I just wanted to show you directly how much of an impact your work as a paladin has on the people living in this universe. You're an important member of team Voltron and a remarkable young man. That's all I wanted to say."
He steps forward, and then the video cuts out.
Coran turns to look at Lance with a wide grin.
"Happy birthday, my boy."
Lance immediately gets up from his seat, and pulls the surprised Coran in for a tight hug.
"Coran this was amazing, thank you so so much," Lance says loud enough for everyone to hear, and for a second Keith is scared that he will start crying again. There's only so much Keith's heart can take in one day. But when Lance turns around there's a wide smile on his face.
"Yeah! That was so cool!" Hunk chimes in and turns to Pidge. "You have to show me that drone!"
"So you can send video messages to your girlfriend?" Pidge taunts, wiggling her eyebrows.
"For the last time, Shay is not my girlfriend!" Hunk screeches, but the blush on his cheeks betrays his words.
Keith takes the moment to watch Lance as he talks to Coran. He looks happier than Keith ever saw him. And, really, it's amazing what everyone managed to create for his birthday; to show him how important he is for the team - for them. Lance is practically glowing as he laughs, and suddenly Keith feels a sting in his heart. Because, right now, he wants Lance all for himself.
His heart is beating fast in his chest when he gets up from his seat, but he's ready to do this. Well, as ready as he'll ever be.
"Hey," Keith says, and his heart does a happy somersault when Lance turns around with a smile. "Do you have ... time for me?"
Keith's voice breaks at the end of the sentence and he grimaces. This always happens when he's nervous. Keith didn't think it was possible, but Lances face lights up even more.
"Sure!"
"Great," Keith says with a small smile. Then he takes Lance's hand and pulls him towards the door.
"Guys, Keith and I are leaving for a while!" Lance chimes into the room, making everyone interrupt their conversations.
"Have fun," Pidge says, and the dirty grin on her face makes Keith's face bursts into flames.
"Let's go," Keith mumbles and pulls Lance out of the room.
"Man, I thought you'd never work up the courage to give me my present."
"Huh?"
Keith almost stops in his tracks, but Lance is pulling him along by his hand.
"Wait, you knew that I have something for you?"
"Well, I can always tell when you're overthinking something." Lance chuckles, turning towards him. He points at the space between his eyebrows and frowns. "You always get a cute little wrinkle right here when you're thinking too hard."
"Shut up," Keith bristles, and swats Lance's hand away.
"Also, I know that you care." Lance expression turns soft at that, which makes Keith's heart stumble in his chest. "Although you probably only started thinking about it like yesterday."
Fuck.
Lance really must be able to read his thoughts because he throws his head back with a beautiful laugh.
"You're lucky that you're so cute," Lance says, leans into Keith's side and presses a soft kiss to his cheek. "Now gimme my present."
"Ugh," Keith complains, but sighs in defeat. "Alright."
"This is it?"
"Yeah...."
Lance tilts his head back, and then looks back at Keith.
"I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to give me your lion as a present."
Keith pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. "That's not it."
"Then what is it?"
There's a short pause, and Keith feels how heat rushes to his cheeks when he averts his eyes.
"I... I was thinking that it would be nice to ... take you on a ride in Red."
He scrunches up his nose in embarrassment, not daring to look at Lance - because this is the lamest gift he could possibly-
"Are you serious?! I always wanted to do that!"
Keith's head snaps up, and he takes in Lance's glistening eyes.
"Really?"
"Are you kidding me? Of course!"
Lance steps forward and grabs Keith's hand with both of his. He's practically brimming with excitement. "Let's go!"
Keith had hoped for it to go well, but this is beyond his expectations. Red purrs happily when they enter the cockpit, and Lance is bouncing on his feet, turning his head to take everything in.
"Ohhhhh! This is so exciting! I mean it looks almost exactly the same as Blue, but still!"
Keith can't help but snort, it's fun to see this childish side of Lance's. He walks up to the pilot seat, leaning against it with crossed arm, and patiently waits until Lance has inspected almost every nook of the room.
"Ready?" he asks, amusement clear in his voice.
"Ready!"
Lance beams at Keith, who isn't moving an inch. They stare at each other for a few seconds until Lance's expression slowly turns confused.
"Don't you... you know, want to sit down?" he asks tentatively, but Keith's grin only grows wider.
"I was thinking that maybe you want to give it a try."
Lance blinks. Once. Twice.
And then his face undergoes a whirlwind of emotion. Confusion, realization, disbelief and -
"What?!"
Keith laughs, and pushes away from the seat, grabbing Lance's hand. "Don't you want to?"
"I- Of course, I do!"
"Then what are you waiting for?" Keith asks, smirking as he leads Lance to stand in front of the seat.
Lance looks at him, then down at the seat and back up again.
"Are you sure this is okay? I mean what if Red-"
Keith doesn't have to answer because a loud purr halls through the room, making Lance flinch in surprise. Keith laughs. "You heard her."
"Oh, man," Lance whispers as he lets go of Keith's hand and slowly lowers himself into the seat. Keith takes a step back to lean against the side, and a swell of pride raises in his chest when Red immediately starts her dash panel.
Lance's hands hover over the controls for a second, fingers twitching uncertainly. Keith's hears how Lance swallows, before he grabs it.
"Okay, you gotta be careful because Red is a little faster than-"
"Eh, don't worry, man. We got this," Lance says, suddenly confident, and Keith stumbles backwards when Lance pushes the handling forward and Red shoots out of the hangar.
Excited laughter tumbles out of Lance's mouth when they dash through the entrance and out into space. "Man, she's fast."
"That's what I was trying to-," Keith starts, but Lance gives Red another push, and she darts upwards in a sharp angle. Lance throws his head back and howls like a wolf. Keith should probably be annoyed that he isn't listening to him, or that he's being thrown around in his own lion. But he can't bring himself to do so when Lance is this happy.
Instead there's a wide grin plastered to his face when he lets Lance have his fun for a while. It's weird to be in Red with someone else piloting her, but Lance is doing a great job.
"Oh, man. Red really is amazing," Lance says now, completely in awe, and Keith can't help but feel proud. So, he leans over the side of the seat, to whisper into Lance's ear.
"You've seen nothing yet."
Keith doesn't miss the way Lance shivers at his words, and Lance turns around with that glint in his eyes that always makes heat bloom in the pit of Keith's stomach.
"Oh, really?" Lance taunts, a seductive smile on his lips. "Then show me what you've got."
And once Keith is settled in the pilot seat - he does. Red is practically vibrating in excitement when she feels the joy of the two boys as they speed through the vastness of space. Keith has never been more grateful for his piloting skills because Lance is laughing and screaming so much that his voice is hoarse once Keith finally pilots Red into the orbit of a tiny planet. It's a beautiful glistening blue and Red comfortably floats around it in soothing circles.
"That. Was amazing," Lance states exhaustedly but still obviously impressed. Keith looks up, a smile on his face and ready to tease Lance, but suddenly Lance is in front of him and the next thing Keith knows is that he drops onto Keith's lap.
Keith opens his mouth, and closes it again when he sees the playful smile on Lance's lips. He swallows and his heart stumbles dangerously in his chest. The thing is - by now he should be used to this - Lance being so close. But the nervous tingle in his stomach proofs him wrong.
Keith's hands immediately find their place on Lance's hips, and Lance wraps his arms around Keith's neck. They easily fit against each other, getting comfortable within the other's touch. Lance hums contentedly, and leans in to press his forehead against Keith's.
"Thank you," he whispers, his breath ghosting over Keith's lips.
"I'm glad you had fun."
Keith doesn't take his eyes off Lance, studies his face like he already did a thousand times. His thick dark eyelashes, the faint freckles covering the bridge of his nose - Those bright blue eyes that look right into his now.
"It was amazing," he breathes and Keith wants to lean in and kiss him, but Lance is still talking. "Why were you so worried?"
Keith scrunches up his nose and leans back against the seat with a huff. "I don't know I'm just... I'm not good with presents and birthdays and stuff."
He pauses and his finger dig into Lance's hips.
"I just .... Didn't want to disappoint you ... as your boyfriend."
"Awww, babe."
Keith grimaces at the nickname, but doesn't complain when Lance starts playing with his hair.
"Hunk told me to be more romantic, but that's just not me."
Lance snorts. "Yeah, that's true. I'd immediately known it wasn't your idea."
Keith sighs. "That's what Hunk said too."
Lance laughs quietly, and Keith can't help but snort too.
"Well, I guess the thing I did on Valentine's is the sweetest present I'll ever manage."
"Oh, Keith," Lance coos, looking at him with an expression that is overflowing with love and affection. Then he gently pushes Keith's bangs away and kisses his forehead.
"There's nothing sweeter than you."
The smile on Lance's face is as soft and beautiful as always.
And finally Keith leans in to kiss it.