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loving-lovely-lance · 7 years ago

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Galaxies Collide Under the Changing Year

@wicca-kitty requested for me to make a new year’s eve spinoff of my christmas oneshot, so this is a short continuation of that. it’s only 2.8k words, but i literally just wrote this in two hours so i hope that it’s okay. happy new year pals! —————————————————————— Holidays have always been an important part of Lance’s life. He enjoyed the atmosphere differences and the decorations, the traditions and the change in mood. He enjoyed cooking with his mama, decorating every square inch of his room until his limbs ached and his legs threatened to give out. He would sing holiday music until his lungs couldn’t receive more oxygen, and laugh until his belly ached when he realized just how much of a mess his family was. Taking his family out of the picture, however, proved to take away some of the joy that Lance was usually filled with during the month of December. Now that Christmas with his new, smaller family was over, it creeped closer to the end of the calendar. A calendar that was most likely entirely inaccurate and fictional, he should add. What he wasn’t expecting was to wake on December 31st and, well, wish he could go back to bed. Turning in the grip around his midriff, he met eyes with Keith, who was unsurprisingly already awake. Keith’s eyes fluttered open at Lance’s stirring, smiling slightly. “Morning, Lance,” he hummed tiredly, waiting patiently for Lance to respond. Unable to find enough security to speak, Lance simply smiled a smile that hardly reached his cheeks. Keith’s smiled weakened, and at his worried, pinched eyebrows, Lance cast his eyes downwards. While body language wasn’t Keith’s strong suit, he was surprisingly good at reading Lance. Despite only officially being together for just over two weeks, Keith was quite impressive with reading Lance’s emotions as if they were written out in ink, which they usually were. However, Lance always tried to hide his negative emotions, only allowing himself to be seen as the flirty goofball that his friends were familiar with. Well, except for Keith. Keith always had a way of getting Lance to let his guard down, assuring him that talking out his emotions were better than bottling them up, despite never allowing himself that same comfort. He always could tell when Lance was ‘off’. Lance should have known better than to not speak. Being quiet was a sure-tell way of knowing that something was off with him. Keith frowned. “Is everything okay? You seem upset about something,” he noted out loud, running a gentle thumb over Lance’s cheekbone. Lance sucked in a small breath, pulling his lips into a more convincing smile with a little effort. He shut his eyes softly, leaning into Keith’s touch. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he spoke, pecking Keith on the lips. He snuck closer to him, pulling an arm around his waist so that their faces were only centimeters apart. “We don’t have any missions today. We can just have a quiet day today, if you’d like,” Keith said softly. Another thing that Keith had learned about Lance was as much he enjoyed being with his friends and hated being alone, he also valued his quiet time. Having Keith in the picture combined those two perfectly. Lance hummed in thought. A quiet day would be nice, but it was easier to draw him out of his negative thoughts when he was surrounded by people. On the other hand, spending time alone with Keith would be just as nice, if not nicer. “Maybe we should just play it by ear,” Lance said, keeping a steady gaze on Keith’s eyes. “Either way, we should go get breakfast.” Keith nodded in agreement, sitting up fully and softly gazing at Lance until he did the same. Lance felt guilt faintly pricking at him as the concerned stare never broke on Keith’s face. Leaning forward, Lance connected his lips with Keith’s again, a silent urge of ‘I’m okay’. Waiting for Keith to break apart, the moment became long and drawn out, and frankly, Lance didn’t care. Allowing himself to get lost in Keith’s lips, his taste, his being as a whole, the tension left his muscles, and he hummed in approval. Keith let his hands fall over curved muscles, dropping them lower until he had a strong yet gentle hold on Lance’s lower back. They agreed not to go further than their hips until they were comfortable enough with each other. He tugged gently, pulling Lance closer to him until he was practically in his lap, with long legs stretching until they nearly met with the wall. Burying his fingers in Keith’s hair, he started to open his mouth to finally close the gap when- A louder-than-necessary knock at the door broke the two apart in a haze of want and panic. Lance wiped at his mouth, grimacing at the string of drool that followed while Keith desperately prodded at his hair. “What is it?” Keith shouted, irritation evident in his tone. Way to be obvious, mullet. “Are you two...decent?” Pidge mumbled outside of the door. Lance could practically hear her grimace. “We’re fine, Pidge!” Lance yelled loud enough for her to hear, and the door slid open without second notice. She took a brief glance at the two with a grimace before sighing in relief at the two still-fully-dressed paladins. “Oh thank god. Breakfast’s ready. Hunk said he thinks you’ll really like this one,” Pidge explained, directing her words towards Lance at the end. Lance’s eyes brightened, Keith chuckling beside him at his change in demeanor. Leave it to Hunk to completely turn around Lance’s mood at the mention of food. “We’ll be right out,” Lance spoke without even trying to hide his glee, Keith’s cheeks warming at Lance’s use of ‘we’. He won’t ever get used to being considered a ‘we’ for anyone, most of all Lance. Pidge left without hesitation, desperate to escape the room with the two. Lance turned to Keith with a real smile this time, if a smirk could be considered that. “I’m not done with you. I know what I want to do today,” he stood, reaching into the closet to grab a clean shirt and his jacket. Keith snorted. “Don’t get too burned out on me. We still have to kiss at midnight tonight.” Lance paused to turn over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “So you know about New Year kisses but you didn’t know about mistletoe kisses?” Lance teased, pulling his jacket on and returning to Keith before he had a chance to answer. Placing a hand under Keith’s chin, he guided his lips to his own in a sweet kiss. “Also, I could never get burned out on you, sweetheart.” - “Morning, lovebirds!” Hunk called teasingly over his shoulder, grinning widely as Lance took in the sight before him. Lance’s eyes became saucers, Keith biting his lip next to him to prevent from smiling. Lance tugged on Keith’s hand, pulling him towards the buffet, no, the feast that was laid out on the table. Hunk handed him a plate, smiling at Lance’s joyous glee. Lance scanned his eyes across the rows of plates before him, Keith following not far behind. There were plates of pancakes, waffles, chorizo and eggs, bacon, sausages, and french toast. Lance grabbed a plateful of just about everything, leaving Keith behind him snickering. “Jeez, Lance, leave some for us,” Keith teased, earning him Lance’s tongue stuck out at him. Lance dropped a single piece of bacon on his plate. “Wow. How thoughtful of you.” By the time the two had filled their plates, everyone else was already seated at the table. “Why the big sha-bang, Hunk? Not that I’m complaining, I’m sure that all of this food is delicious,” Lance said with a happy grin, blindly reaching for Keith’s hands as the two sat down together. Hunk smiled softly as he glanced down at the two’s intertwined fingers before speaking. “It’s New Years Eve. I didn’t do anything special for Christmas, so I thought that I would make the best of our resources to make a nice breakfast for us.” Keith smiled softly as Lance shoveled pieces of fresh toast in his mouth, as if it were some wonderful sight to behold. Reaching over, he wiped a crumb from the corner of Lance’s mouth. Hunk suddenly felt very out of place, and he was sure the others did too, watching the two Paladins act so sweet and...in love with each other. It was sickeningly sweet, as Pidge would put it. “So,” Hunk cast his eyes back to his plate, picking around some chorizo and eggs. “Are you guys excited for the New Year?” He asked with a forced smile, completely unsure if it was directed at Lance and Keith or the rest of his friends. “With these two making out at midnight? No way,” Pidge groaned, causing Lance to splutter his french toast and for Keith to hide his blush in his hands. “Pidge!” Lance spluttered, shooting a glare at his smaller friend. “I bet all of the money that I don’t have that that’s exactly what will happen,” Matt snorted around his waffle. “Oh, at least I’m getting a kiss this year. Allura won’t even as much as glance your way,” Lance mumbled pointedly, immediately regretting his words as Matt scowled deeply into his plate. Allura frowned, avoiding eye contact with both of the boys, and Lance briefly wondered if he just screwed everything up for the two of them. He might be a jerk, but the last thing he would want to do would be to screw up someone else’s possible relationship. Still, he swallowed down any guilt that he felt, forcing down an apology like the awful person he was. The table was quiet after that. - After he finished breakfast, Lance stood from the table, washed his plate, thanked Hunk for the meal, and left without another word. Though his steps were fast and long, it hardly surprised him when Keith ran into step beside him. “What was that?” Keith asked, and his voice was both concerned and slightly peeved. Lance already felt bad, but Keith reprimanding him definitely wasn’t going to help. Lance kept his eyes trained on the floor, hurrying to his room. Well, Keith’s room. He really couldn’t avoid him, now that he thought about it. “Hey!” Keith grabbed Lance’s shoulders, turning him around to face him. Lance didn’t know what he was expecting to see, but Keith’s firey-stare completed with pinched brows certainly contributed to his gut dropping. “What’s wrong? Why did you blow up on Matt out there?” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. Lance’s face finally cracked, and his eyes started twitching as he tried to hold back tears. He let out a shaky breath, his head dropping. “I’m sorry. I felt like I was being cornered and I felt really, really vulnerable. I hate being vulnerable in front of people and I just snapped. I love you, Keith, and he was making fun of you too. He didn’t deserve that and I know it, but I just got overprotective of you and cowardly and snapped at him.” Keith studied him for a moment before sighing. “I get it, Lance. But I’m really not the one you should be apologizing to right now.” Lance smiled sadly. “I know that. But can I have a few hours with you first? I promise I’ll apologize to him tonight.” Keith pushed open the door, allowing Lance to follow him inside. Pressing their lips together, Lance allowed his eyelids to flutter shut, and to forget about his guilt for the time being. Keith just knew how to make him feel better. - Adjusting his bow-tie, Keith frowned up at Lance. “Why do we have to wear these suits anyways? It’s literally only us eight, it’s not like we’re going to some diplomatic meeting,” he mumbled out loud, allowing Lance to pull his hair back into a tiny ponytail. Lance pulled away from his hair to make gestures with his hands. “It’s more fun this way. Don’t you feel more official?” He chuckled, twisting around his boyfriend to kiss his cheek. Keith rolled his eyes. “I guess. It’s just so itchy,” he mumbled. Lance nodded in understanding. “It’s only for a few hours though.” The two walked hand in hand down to the bridge where the others were waiting. Keith didn’t miss the way that Lance’s hand tightened around his own. He squeezed his hand back reassuringly, risking a side glance at him. “It’ll be alright, Lance. If Matt’s anything like Pidge, he won’t be able to hold a grudge if you let him blackmail you.” Lance snickered at that, smiling to himself while keeping his eyes glued to the ground. Upon their arrival, Hunk turned with a wide, welcoming grin to the two, waving them in. Lance’s smile weakened as he realized that Matt, Allura, and Pidge were all avoiding his eyes. “Come join the party you two!” Coran exclaimed excitedly, and the paladin’s eyes were all drawn to the large, holographic timer ticking above the room. “Pretty impressive, huh?” Coran acknowledged their awe, smiling proudly. “I thought it would make tonight seem more fun and official. It does bring excitement, wouldn’t you say?” Lance swallowed his guilt down again. “It looks really cool, Coran.” Trying to pull Keith in the direction of the snack table, Keith stopped in his tracks, preventing Lance from escaping. Lance pouted knowingly at Keith. “You should apologize to him before it gets too late. I don’t want you moping around the party all night because you’re too afraid to apologize to him.” Lance frowned. “It’s not just him, though. I pissed him off. And Allura. And Pidge. I don’t know why Pidge is pissed, but I have a funny feeling that it’s because I upset her brother. Deep down, she cares about him, I know it.” Keith rolled his eyes. “You’re getting off topic.” Lance tried to pull away from Keith’s grip, but he was relentless. “Keeeiiith,” he pouted. “Come on, Lance.” “Fine,” Lance frowned, hoping his defeated face would bring Keith some kind of remorse. It didn’t. His purposeful marches became slow, resentful steps, and he could almost feel Keith’s encouraging gaze behind him, even though he wasn’t physically behind him. “Hey, Matt?” Matt turned around, forcing a weak smile onto his face. So maybe he didn’t despise him after all. “Yeah?” Lance sucked in a small breath, ignoring the way his bones twitched underneath as if urging him not to apologize. “I’m sorry. About earlier, I mean. That was a really cruel thing to say and I didn’t mean it,” he twitched under Matt’s gaze. Matt’s eyebrow rose, before a warm smile took over his entire face. It was a start. “It’s okay, Lance. I’m sorry I teased you. I went too far as well and I probably deserved that,” he chuckled, and Lance felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. That was...easier than he expected. “I hope things work out with you and Allura tonight,” Lance said in a small voice, winking at Matt with a grin. Matt snorted, smiling right back at him. “Oh, I’m going to try.” Pidge’s scowl disappeared, and she actually smiled at Lance. Maybe this was a start. - Lance was mid conversation with Pidge when Keith found his hand with a blush and a shy pout. At the touch, Lance glanced over with worry at him. “Is something wrong, babe?” Keith simply tugged on his hand, gesturing to the timer ticking above their heads. At the revelation, as if on cue, Coran’s loud, demanding voice broke all conversation. “One minute!” The words reminded him of the usual booming voice over his family television, his whole family gathered in the living room filled with excitement and a dog barking at the commotion. But he wasn’t in Cuba anymore. He wasn’t on Earth anymore. Lance glanced at Keith, trying to hold back the tears that started to poke through his eyes. Keith reached a hand up, wiping away the tear that strayed from his eye. As if reading his thoughts, he spoke softly. “We’re your family now, Lance. You’re stuck with us now, and whether you like it or not, we love you. I love you. “We’ll be with you every step of the way into the new year. Please don’t be sad or afraid. We’re family now.” Lance smiled softly, his grin stretching into something so raw and beautiful that he couldn’t help but laugh. “I love you so much.” “Three, two, one—“ Keith initiated the kiss, and both didn’t know how to end it. It was like the stars were colliding between them, sparks of love and so much more connecting every piece of them together with delicious sparks of electricity. Maybe Matt and Allura had their own galaxies colliding somewhere else in the room, but neither boy noticed. Because their galaxies were each other, and Keith was right. They’re stuck together permanently now, and Lance didn’t mind it in the slightest.

#voltron #keith #lance #klance #mallura #i didn’t even proofread this lmao so i’m sorry if there are any mistakes

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loving-lovely-lance · 7 years ago

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Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

this was supposed to be a collab with my pal @caseydambro on ao3, but due to unforeseen circumstances, my invitation got extended far past december. i didn’t want my writing and her art to be abandoned, so i decided to make this blog to post this (and possibly other oneshots in the future). i pounded this out in two days to make sure that it would be finished in time, so i’m sorry if there are any mistakes. anyways, i hope that you all enjoy this, and make sure to check out the art that casey made for it as well. merry christmas! :)

Lance’s eyes scanned across various alien-shop windows displaying intergalactic tech and trinkets. The exciting, new giddy joy that the unfamiliar once brought him seemed old and outdated now, as uninteresting as wearing outdated fashion. Nonetheless, he returned smiles to the salesmen who stood outside of their shops, just trying to earn their pay. Coran walked (well, walked was an understatement) not far in front of him, voicing his cheery knowledge on the alien items as he passed them, and Lance tried his best not to tune him out. His head bobbed as he took long strides behind the aging man. Despite his age, his legs carried him a ways farther that brought tall, lanky Lance to short, quick breaths as he tried his best to keep his pace. Something about Alteans having more stamina, or something. He’s sure that Coran has told him about it once or more. Coran suddenly stopped abruptly, and it took all of Lance’s restraint to not barrel into him at the change of pace.

“Here we are, my boy!” Coran announced, smiling nostalgically at the aging shop with crooked wood. Without another moment’s notice, the two wandered into the quaint little shop, and Lance’s mouth opened involuntarily as he took in the environment.

The walls were covered with a strange alien wood, a dark oak color with beautiful blue flowers sprouting from the creases of the splintering material. Vines hung around the ceiling like a crown, fairy lights twisting around the vines and dangling like icicles, a magnificent blue and gold glow enchanting the charming shop. A humanlike alien sat on a small bench behind a counter that matched the walls, waving at the entrance of the two before returning to their book.

Lance was overwhelmed with a sense of homeliness. The little shop was reminant of the bookstore that he always visited with his sister, the way her eyes lit up brighter than the twinkling lights as she was drawn in by the smell of books and coffee, tugging on his hand as she set off to each bookshelf- Lance swallowed down the lump in his throat. He couldn’t let himself get emotional in public.

Coran must have noticed his change in attitude, and suddenly placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. His aging eyes held much warmth, and Lance managed to pull himself together before he could let himself fall apart. Save his and Coran’s embarrassment. “Find something for yourself,” Coran said softly, and Lance nodded before shooting a grateful smile at his companion.

While Coran spoke to the owner of the shop about whether they still carried a book about “caring for the engine of a class A ship”, Lance found himself drawn to a collection of plants that were lined up on a table near the window. He recognized the the structure of some of the plants, familiarity striking him where it hurt him the most, and he restrained himself from getting emotional again as he placed each name in his brain.

Poinsettia. Hibiscus. Carnations, and-

He raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t fight the smile on his face. Maybe the tradition of love was a universal concept. “Coran?”

Coran turned away from his conversation with the cashier. “Yes, my boy?” He spoke, void of any irritation. The cashier simply twirled a pen between slim, blue tinted fingers. Ah. It wasn’t a book, but rather a journal.

Lance waved him over. Coran held up a finger to the cashier as he followed Lance. Upon his approach, Lance picked up the small plant between his fingertips, holding it out for Coran to inspect. His mouth quirked up in the corner. He briefly wondered whether Coran would know the implications behind the small plant. “Is this mistletoe?”

Coran inspected it closely, seemingly searching for something. When he found whatever it was he was looking for, his eyebrows raised, and his confident smile was back. “Why yes, it is!” He cried.

Lance’s smile grew. He didn’t even hesitate, dropping it in the palm of Coran’s hand. “I want this.”

Coran quirked an eyebrow. Lance shrunk slightly. It was a weird request, thinking about it. “Are you sure this is all you want?”

“Positive.” Lance nodded, regathering his composure and smiling sweetly as he would to his mother when he wanted something. It must have worked, because Coran nodded, guiding the two of them back to the cash register.

“We’ll take the book and this mistletoe.”

Lance’s master plan was all set later that day, as he found Pidge typing away on her computer. She barely even heard him approaching her, and he silently thanked the heavens that she’s not easily scared or he could have had a small fist in his face. He planted his chin on top of her hair, scanning his eyes across the rows of code that she typed at an un-human speed.

“How’s it going, Pidge-Podge?”

She shifted her head to try to nudge him off, remaining silent as his chin only rolled over her head of hair. She must have brushed it, since it had more volume than usual. He knows how much she hates having frizzy hair. She simply sighed.

“Fine. What do you want, Lance?” She mumbled, fingers never stuttering as the rows of text kept multiplying. He nuzzled his nose in her hair affectionately, and that’s all it took for her to softly backhand the side of his face until he let up. He laughed, rubbing the side of his cheek with his hand.

“Can’t I just be here to support my lovely little Piglet?” He grinned, but she was definitely not amused. She held him in a death glare until his smile cracked. Her eyes returned to the laptop in front of her.

“That’s what I thought,” she snorted quietely, blowing the bangs out of her face. To no prevail, they simply fell back in front of her eyes, and she let out a low grumble. Lance frowned, and suddenly he found himself seated behind her again.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

As if from no where, Pidge handed him a hair tie, but he wasn’t going to settle with just a small, stubby ponytail. He pulled the bangs away from her face with his fingers, combing her hair back the way he used to with his sisters and his niece. She leaned into his touch, allowing him to weave strands of hair into a cute little French braid while she continued to type on her computer. He took extra care in securing her bangs into the braid, but little tufts of hair still poked out in sections of the braid. As he knew that it could bother her while she tried to work, he poked along the locks of hair until they hardly stuck out.

“Do you have any bobby pins, shortstack?”

She grimaced at the nickname. “Shortstack? That’s a new one,” she pushed away her laptop, stretching her arms above her head. Running her fingers over her new braid, she smiled in satisfaction. “And no, I don’t.”

Lance snickered at the cute, stubby braid that he made, and took his opportunity to make his advance.

“Hey Pidge?”

She answered without looking at him, popping her knuckles before pulling the laptop towards her again. “Yeah?”

He was suddenly dangling a mistletoe leaf over their heads, trying to fight back the mischievous smile on his face. “We’re under the mistletoe.”

She turned to him finally, blinking unresponsively. “I am not kissing you.”

His smile did not fall, and he wasn’t suddenly pouting like an actual child. “What? Why not?” His offense was poorly masked, and it was clear that she noticed.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Because that would be weird?”

“Yeah? Well you’re weird for not wanting a piece of this.” He decided finally, standing up and glaring down at Pidge. She actually looked utterly confused. After a moment, her eyebrows raised, and she suddenly looked extremely amused.

“Is this seriously why you came in here?” She mumbled, her face reading a mix of amusement and irritation.

Lance scoffed. He couldn’t deny it, but it was most definitely the reason why he visited her. Not that he would ever let her know that. He changed the subject. “Maybe Hunk will love me!”

He stormed off without another word, but he definitely didn’t miss Pidge’s scoff of indifference. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

He found Hunk where he had expected to find him: in the kitchen. The aroma of chocolate chip cookies filled the air, and his sniff of delight surely didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey, buddy,” he smiled as he planted himself on one of the stools in the kitchen. Hunk raised a mit-covered hand in response. The oven door shut, and Hunk turned around to greet his friend properly.

“Whatcha baking?” Lance asked, pointing a finger over Hunk’s shoulder as he washed his hands. Hunk glanced up at him, shooting him a small smile.

“Cookies. Ever since I found the replacement batter for those teeth-shattering teludav lense cookies, I’ve discovered new ingredients to create new, well, edible cookies. They taste more like the earth cookies we’re familiar with as well, which is really cool,” Hunk explained mindlessly, scrubbing at a pan in the sink. Lance put on his best puppy-dog eyes, and before he even had the chance to say anything, Hunk was already sighing. “Yes, you can have first taste.”

Lance cheered, and he didn’t miss Hunk’s small, fond smile at his outburst. He placed his head in his fist as Hunk set the timer, eyeing down the pan of freshly baked cookies that was left to cool on the counter. Hunk dropped a cookie in front of Lance, and Lance broke into a giant grin.

“Be careful, man, they’re hot.”

Completely ignoring Hunk’s warning, he immediately sunk his teeth in, opening his mouth and panting at the sudden burn on his tongue. The cookie fell back onto the plate as Lance took a large gulp of water to soothe the fire in his mouth. Hunk snickered. “Told you.”

Instead of waiting, he split the cookie in half, blowing on it and dropping into his mouth a little bit more cautiously this time. The chocolate (or whatever this blue substitute for chocolate was) melted onto his tongue, and he was delighted as he savored the flavor. He let out a noise that most definitely wasn’t appropriate for a cookie, but Hunk seemed pleased at his response.

“So they’re good?” He smiled.

Lance swallowed, taking another piece into his mouth. “Hunk, buddy, these aren’t just good. These are incredible.”

Hunk chuckled, but rolled his eyes. “What have we talked about? Eating with food in your mouth?” He mimicked the eyebrow raise of a scolding mother, and Lance stuck his tongue out at him.

Lance scarfed down the rest of his cookie, and then another, while Hunk monitored his next batch. Mouth full of chocolate, he seemed pleased, and he found the small plant in his jacket pocket. He stalked over to where Hunk was watching the cookies. Grinning, he spun Hunk around, holding the leaf over his head.

“Surprise! Mistletoe!”

Hunk’s eyes flashed from the mistletoe leaf in Lance’s hand to his face a couple of times, and Lance could tell that he was trying to swallow down his blush. “I’m not an expert on the whole bro-code thing, but isn’t this, y’know...against it?” Hunk laughed nervously.

Lance shook the mistletoe, smiling innocently at Hunk. “Come on, buddy!”

Hunk coughed into his fist, gently pushing away his friend. He refused to look at Lance’s devastated pout, instead seating himself on one of the high-top stools and watching the cookies rise from afar.

“Sorry, buddy. No-can-do. You’re my bro, I don’t want to do that to you.” Lance grumbled, but didn’t want to fight with his best friend. He pouted, knowing that Hunk wouldn’t take it seriously, and snatched up another cookie. Hunk spluttered random noises as Lance marched off with it. “Thanks for the cookies, anyways.”

The door shut behind him before Hunk could remind him to not get cookie crumbs everywhere.

He found Shiro and Allura in the lounge. The two were discussing plans for the coalition, and their heads both snapped to the door when Lance had walked in. Allura smiled sweetly at him, the type of smile she shared when she was busy but was too polite to say so. “Do you need something, Lance?”

Lance suddenly felt quite shy and insignificant. This was the fate of the future they were talking about, and he was here to ask for a kiss. It took everything in him to not walk out then and there. He steeled himself before nodding and walking towards the two.

“I’m actually here to ask for a kiss,” he announced as if it was something undeniably casual. Both Allura and Shiro’s eyes narrowed skeptically, and Lance took his opportunity to pull out the plant, hanging it in the air over where the two sat.

Allura was the first to respond. “Is that...mistletoe?” She mused, staring Lance in the eye as if what he was doing was some big joke. Which it was, he supposed.

“To be fair, I’m surprised that you and Coran actually know what it is, but uh...yeah, it is.” Lance laughed, and his face was surely red now. Allura snickered, and Shiro watched her out of the corner of his eye with his own amused smile.

“I’m sorry, Lance, but we’re kind of busy right now,” Allura spoke apologetically, and Lance tried to keep a steady voice as he spoke.

“So later then?” He grinned suggestively, and Allura’s huff of annoyance as her facade finally cracked brought just a little bit of familiarity and comfort to Lance.

“I think you already know the answer to that,” she laughed while rolling her eyes, shooing him off with her hand, and Shiro only nodded half-apologetically at him.

“What about you, Shiro?” He spoke hopefully. Truthfully, he would rather not have to kiss his leader, but he would damage his ego if he left without asking.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, Lance. You can have a hug, though,” he stood to pull Lance into a hug, and the two could hear Allura giggling into her fist at the uncomfortable atmosphere. Laugh all you want, Allura.

He pulled away from Shiro’s embrace, trying not to grimace. He then left without another word, trying to shake off the nagging feeling of something seeming off in that exchange.

He had two contenders left, and he was definitely not avoiding one of them. Absolutely not. So what if his heart skips a beat whenever he enters the room, drenched in sweat from training, or how his laugh is like bells to Lance’s ears, or how his smile sets the bird in Lance’s heart fluttering wildly.

Okay, scratch that, maybe he WAS purposely avoiding him. But it’s not because he likes him. Definitely not. If anything, it’s because his utter existence is the bane of Lance’s. Stupid mullet.

Which is why when Lance found himself outside of Keith’s door, he hesitated, and pulled himself far away from the door that would burn to the touch to stop Lance’s thoughts from spiraling into chaos.

So instead, he heard the beeping of the video game contraption starting, and frowned when he realized that it was coming from his room. Clicking open the door, he found none other than Matt, sitting on the floor with a game controller in one hand, desperately trying to pull a blanket around himself with his other. Lance let himself all the way in, pulling the blanket more firmly around Matt’s shoulders, and Matt let out an unholy shriek when he realized that he wasn’t not alone. Something that Pidge and Matt don’t share in common. He flailed his controller, nearly striking Lance in the eye, and Lance was grateful that his reflexes were strong enough to escape the wrath of Matt by just a hair. When Matt calmed down from his frenzy, he frowned in embarrassment.

“Lance? What are you doing here?”

Lance snickered. “Uh, you’re in my room.”

Matt pursed his lips. “That’s fair.”

Matt silently invited Lance to play, patting the ground next to him, and Lance happily obliged. He plugged in the extra controller, leaning against the wall as Matt started the game. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering, thinking of soft, black hair, which was why it was to no surprise that he lost the game in the first thirty seconds. He stared blankly at the screen, while Matt only frowned in confusion and slight disappointment.

“Everything okay?” Matt asked genuinely, frowning at his friend.

Lance cleared his throat, trying to bring a cheerful tone back into his voice. “Yeah, just a little spaced out. Let’s go again.”

The level restarted, and this time Lance put all of his energy into trying to focus on the screen in front of him. He felt that familiar rush of adrenaline, and then he was in hyper-focus. He listened for Matt’s cues, assisting him when he needed it, and in no time, the two finished the level. Both cheering, both sharing a high five. Lance felt anxiety crawling up his spine, so he found the plant in his pocket and held it up without further ado.

Matt frowned at the plant, waiting for an explanation.

Lance snorted. “C’mon, dude. You’ve gotta know what mistletoe is.”

Matt only laughed. “Sorry. I’m saving these lips for Allura. I’m not giving you my kiss virginity.”

Lance opened his mouth in clear amusement. He tried not to snicker. Hence ‘tried not to’. “‘Kiss virginity?’”

Matt gave Lance his most serious look. “Well what do you call it?”

Lance laughed and rolled his eyes. Matt was ridiculous. “I don’t know, first kiss? What, do you call it ‘sex virginity’ too?”

Matt put his finger under his chin in exaggerated thought. After a long moment, he finally nodded. “Yeah.”

The genius who made it into the Garrison with an above perfect GPA, everybody.

Matt suddenly stood, dragging his blanket behind him. “Well, I’m off to bed,” he announced, stretching his arms.

Lance’s eyes were drawn to the clock with their fabricated time system on the wall. “It’s only seven-thirty,” he mused.

Matt stopped mid-stretch to peek at Lance through one eye. “Really? Oh. Then I’m off to go bother Pidge,” he corrected himself, smiling at him before turning around, leaving Lance with the mess of a game system.

“That’s the spirit.” Lance laughed.

And then there was one.

Saying that Lance was nervous was an understatement. Why he was nervous was a story for another day, but as he was reminded that this was his last resort, he hesitated outside of the only barrier between him and his utter embarrassment.

Which is why after almost a full ten minutes, Lance’s fist was still a few centimeters from the door, and frankly, his arm was getting tired. This is ridiculous. He’s just another person, he’s not above Lance (as much as Lance sometimes believes he is).

Cursing under his breath, Lance finally bit the bullet and rapped his fist against the door. His heart shot into his throat as soon as he heard shifting from behind Keith’s door.

“Coming?” Keith called, but it came out closer to a question. Lance tapped on the pocket of his coat once. Twice. By his third tap, the door slid open, and Lance swallowed down his blush as he was suddenly mere inches away from him. Warm, violet eyes reflected the glow from the lantern on the wall. “Lance? Is everything okay?” He questioned, concern painting his face and increasing Lance’s heart rate. Lance couldn’t find it in himself to speak, so instead, he sucked in a breath and pulled out the plant. He dangled the mistletoe over the two of them, and Keith’s eyes held nothing but confusion. No irritation, no disgust.

Lance tried to pull together his bravado, but it was short lived and crumbled more with every word. “It’s mistletoe,” he pushed, but Keith only raised an eyebrow.

“You know. It’s Christmas tradition to kiss under the mistletoe. Not that’s it’s Christmas, yet, and I don’t even know if we’re going to celebrate considering we’re in space, but-“

Keith cut Lance off, pressing a finger to his lips. Lance felt his heart stop once again. “-you want me to kiss you?” Keith asked softly, searching his face, his eyes, anything to give him an answer. Yes, he did.

Lance felt his face flush. “I mean, ‘want’ is an overstatement,” he tried to backpedal. His confidence melted into a puddle on the floor long ago, and he would surely be joining it if he kept up this pace. But Keith was patient, way more patient than he deserved, and he wondered for a split second if he should have just come out and told him the truth.

Keith snorted. And it was cute.

“Whatever you say, Lance.”

Without further warning, Keith’s lips were pressed against the flesh of his cheek, and Lance’s blush was back in full force. Lance felt his face flush and his stomach sink, the type you feel when you’re dropping on a rollercoaster. Exhilarating, but slightly terrifying. He felt Keith giggle against his cheek, before pulling back with a rosey face of his own. Lance dropped his mouth dumbly, physically restraining himself from bringing his hand up to his cheek which was currently on fire for more reasons than one.

Keith smiled at him sweetly, satisfied with his reaction, and then the door was being closed. Lance didn’t even notice as the mistletoe fell out of his hand and onto the ground.

Too many thoughts were swirling around Lance, too many to swallow.

His cheek was buzzing from the touch, and his mind was buzzing with the thought ‘oh god, you missed’.

And with that, he knew that he was totally and completely screwed.

This boy would be the death of him.

Lance watched curiously as the two Alteans scrambled around to find bins full of decorations, announcing to Lance that they had something to show him. The other Paladins had gathered at the commotion, and Shiro and Hunk were currently helping lift the different bins that most likely outweighed the older man trying to carry them. Pidge had even taken a break from her own tasks to Lance’s request, and the bags under her eyes suggested that she needed it more than she was letting on.

Coran let out a triumphant ‘ah ha!’, to which Lance had hurried over to see what Coran had been so excited to show him. If his widespread grin was anything to go by, he was hoping it was good.

“Don’t overwork yourself, Coran,” Lance said softly, touched at the thought that all of this effort was being put forth for him specifically.

“None of that. Now look inside!” Coran smiled cheerfully, and Lance cracked open the bin. A puff of dust emerged at the exposure, Lance coughed into his fist, before turning his attention back to what looked like a...tree? He cleared some more of the dust before-

“Coran, is this a Christmas tree?” He said with childlike wonder, a giddy joy overwhelming him.

“That it is, Number 3! Although we refer to it as a ‘Talyeugian tree’. After I bought you that mistletoe the other day, I thought that some more ‘Christmas’ decorations might be to your liking. It is officially ‘December’, as you call it, after all.”

“It has been over ten thousand years since we’ve had an official Talyeugian celebration, so why don’t we start up again now?” Allura said nostalgically, smiling with the same joy that Lance felt at the aged tree.

“Yeah. That...that sounds really great.” Lance said, feeling a new warmth in his chest.

“Perfect. Hunk and Shiro, you can begin setup on the tree with me,” the two nodded, carrying the tree over to a barren corner in the lounge. They may have dropped the tree a bit too abruptly, but if they did, Coran didn’t say anything.

“Princess, you and Number 5 can help hang ornaments.”

Pidge huffed. “I hate that nickname,” she muttered, but Allura’s excitement pulled the scowl off of her face as soon as it was on it.

“Keith and Lance, you guys can begin hanging the Talyeugian lights. There’s a bin over there,” Coran pointed to a large green bin, overstuffed with a variety of different twinkling lights. Lance risked a glance at Keith, and then the two set off to begin their task.

While they have spoken since the cheek kiss a couple of days ago, they haven’t brought it up. But to be fair, why would they need to? There was nothing in need of being talked about. So maybe the atmosphere was a little more awkward. Neither of them felt the need to acknowledge it, it wasn’t a big enough deal.

Maybe Keith pretended that Lance hadn’t sat closer to him on a couch meant for five people.

Maybe Lance pretended that Keith’s glares weren’t as venomous and were longer lasting than usual.

Because everything was fine between them, and there was nothing unusual.

But it was like the tension in the air grew thicker as they were not in the presence of others, just out of reach. Neither wanted to break the silence, silently afraid that they would somehow ruin the moment that they didn’t even intend to create.

But someone had to speak, and Lance knew it would be him first.

“Where should we start?” He asked quietly so that only Keith could hear. Keith finally met his gaze, and was his face rosier than usual?

“Wherever’s fine,” he mumbled, and if he seemed more closed off than usual, Lance didn’t notice.

“Here,” he dropped a cord of fairy lights around Keith’s neck like a necklace, flicking on a switch that read ‘on’, since apparently Alteans are too advanced for power sockets. The glow from the crystal blue lights shone Keith’s violet eyes a delicious indigo, the smaller boy’s eyes flickering dazedly between the lights and the Paladin in front of him. Lance couldn’t help it. He smiled sweetly at him. His smile was surely much too warm for someone who he supposedly hated, but after a moment, Keith’s smile was just as warm, and that made his insides fill with warmth as well.

Lance felt that warmth crawl up his neck, and his hand instinctively crawled up to stop it, as if that could prevent it. He had to tease Keith to save his sanity.

“Are you sure that you’ll be able to hang these without a ladder? You’re almost as short as Pidge is.”

Keith’s smile fell, quickly replaced with a scowl. “I’m not that short.”

“Sure.”

Lance led the two into the hallway, and if Keith shrunk in on himself while out of Lance’s sight, he didn’t say anything. Then Lance was struck with a predicament, and his eyes widened comically as he came to this conclusion.

“Realized that even you’re too short to hang these lights without a ladder?” Keith snorted into his gloved palm.

Lance narrowed his eyes at him. Maybe so, but there’s no way that he would tell him that. Keith clearly saw through his attempt at brushing it off though, and he giggled. He actually giggled into his palm as Lance glared daggers into the lights.

“What’s your amazing plan now, genius?” Keith spoke between laughs.

Lance huffed, switching his glare to the boy in front of him. Keith’s laughs stopped immediately.

“I have an idea,” he mumbled. “Do you trust me?” He asked, and Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged, but he looked skeptical.

Lance suddenly wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, lifting him as high as he possibly could. Keith tensed noticeably, but he didn’t seem to protest. “What are you doing?”

Lance shifted his grip on Keith, his face flushing when his cold fingers met contact with Keith’s warm middle under his lifted shirt, and Keith shivered in his grip. “The lights are self-adhesive. If you can reach the ceiling, then I can carry you and you can stick them to the crown of the ceiling.”

Keith seemed to understand this, and he stretched his arms up to test his reach, pleased when they just barely reached. “Okay, start walking,” he ordered, and Lance followed.

Keith easily put up the lights, and Lance, well, Lance had a rather magnificent view. He knew he was blushing, but he blamed it purely on the strenuous effort he was putting in to keep Keith mid-air.

“Getting tired down there?” Keith questioned, hearing Lance’s strained attempts to hold down his grunts and groans from holding him.

“I’m just peachy down here. How close are you?” He said with a little effort.

“Mm, maybe two feet?”

This was music to Lance’s ears. Though he didn’t want to admit it, his arms were getting tired from holding him. He’d better have abs of steel after this.

A couple more moments passed by, and Lance’s arms were going numb from his blood flow being restricted. “I’m done with this side,” Keith announced, and Lance didn’t hesitate to place him down on the floor again. Lance shook his arms out and admired their handiwork. Well, Keith’s handiwork. Keith returned to the bin of string lights, and moments later, they were back in their previous positions.

Involved with the task at hand, the two didn’t even notice Pidge coming in to check on them, whistling (or as close as ‘whistling’ could get for Pidge. It was closer to blowing air through her teeth) “My Heart Will Go On” at the sight in front of her. Lance immediately dropped Keith, startled at Pidge’s interruption, and Keith groaned from the ground. Keith seemed irritated at Lance’s outburst and glared at him. Lance was going to kill that little gremlin. She was gone as soon as she appeared, faint laughter heard from the other room, and Lance frowned apologetically at the sight of Keith rubbing at his hip on the ground.

“Thanks for that,” Keith grumbled, and Lance offered a hand out for Keith.

“Sorry about that. I’m going to kill her.

Keith snorted, outburst forgotten. “I’ll contribute.”

After finishing up in the hallway, the two Paladins wandered back into the lounge, only to discover-

“You guys have already finished with the tree?” Lance questioned, a combination of surprised and impressed.

Hunk smiled, gesturing to the fairy lights that framed the room. They accomplished their job a lot faster than Lance and Keith had. They also had six people to help decorate, though. Matt had also joined the living at some point, to Lance’s knowledge.

“It looks great, guys,” Keith spoke genuinely, and it was always a treat to witness the rare, openly friendly Keith.

Lance arranged his fingers in an ‘L’ shape under his chin. “Looks like all that’s missing is the star on the tree,” he spoke nonchalantly, but no one missed his poorly hidden grin.

Pidge glared at him. “Lance, this tree was a pain to put up. If you jump at the tree and call yourself the ‘star’, I will personally evict you into the lonesome of space myself.”

“Too late!” He announced, and all of his friends jumped in front of the tree to attempt to protect it. What they didn’t know was that he wasn’t aiming for the tree.

He charged at Pidge, and her eyes widened for a split second before he was scooping her up by her ankles and placing her on his shoulders. Her entire body tensed, grabbing onto every piece of him that she could reach to prevent herself from falling.

“Lance? What the hell are you doing?! Put me down!” She shouted, surely glaring into his hair.

“Keith, help me out,” he sent a knowing look to him, and Keith simply raised his eyebrows, unsure.

“The star, man,” he mouthed. Keith’s mouth formed into an ‘o’ shape, and upon his discovery of the star, his face contorted into amused confusion before nearly breaking into laughter.

Lance didn’t have time to wonder what was happening before Keith slapped the tree topper in his hand. Lance nearly dropped Pidge in his outburst of laughter.

“Coran, is...is this you?” Tears nearly formed in his eyes at his laughter, and he was sure that Pidge could feel him shaking from his grip on her ankles.

Coran simply smiled at him, a confirmation if nothing else, and then Lance was passing the ‘star’ up to where Pidge still had a death-grip on Lance’s hair.

“Come on, Pidgey-Widge,” he cooed, and her tug on his hair resulting in a ‘ow’ told him she wasn’t impressed.

Nonetheless, she placed the ‘star’ on top of the tree, if not to shorten her stay in the air, and the orange glow from the mosaic mustache shone light across the room, causing everyone to let out a victorious cheer. It was a good family effort, after all.

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when Lance suggested a sleepover the next night, void of the valid question (“We literally live next door to each other, Lance.”), and it definitely wasn’t a surprise when Lance was the first to settle into the living room. Allura followed suit, in a pair of long sleeved, silk pajamas with tiny crowns all over them. She was shuffling an impressive amount of pillows and blankets, and Lance was quick to help her lug in as many comfort items that they could find in the castle.

“Shiro’s very hesitant to join us, you know,” Allura voiced, throwing another pile of blankets onto the ground to create a big, fluffy pillow seat. “He’s really worried that we’re going to be attacked and we won’t be prepared.”

Lance huffed as he, too, threw a pile of blankets onto the ground, jumping on top of his pile. Even though the pile seemed thorough enough, he easily sank to the hard ground, and the air was knocked out of his lungs as he groaned into the fabric. Allura’s giggles could be heard from outside of his pillow cocoon, and they only intensified as he struggled to emerge from it. Instead, he popped his head up after his floundering-fish attempt at escaping. “We’ll be fine. Tell him that if he doesn’t attend my super amazing fantastic Christmas spectacular party, then he’ll be sorry.”

Allura snickered. “Sure, Jan.”

Lance’s eyes widened comically as he snickered. “Picking up on earth slang, are we?”

Allura grinned. “Matt’s been telling me much about your ‘memes’.”

Lance laughed loudly. It was like when your parents try to understand teen culture. It’s absolutely hilarious, but kind of excruciating at the same time. He loves Allura though, so he let it slide.

Matt, ironically, was the next to join them. “Telling Lance about our learning sessions, eh, ‘Llura?” he mused out loud, obviously proud of Allura for taking such an interest in such painful jokes.

Allura grinned brightly at their new member. “Earth culture is so fascinating, I always love to learn about it.”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, because memes are ‘Earth culture’. The only aspect of Earth that really matters, really.”

“Definitely,” Matt spoke in all seriousness.

At Matt’s approach, Lance playfully sent a death glare in his general direction, watching him like a hawk as he settled on the pillow beanbag on the other side of Allura. Matt definitely noticed, winking at him, and Lance stuck his tongue out at him.

A couple of minutes later, Hunk came in, bearing a tray full of cookies and goodies for them to snack on, complaining about burning some of the popcorn. (“It’s truly alright, Hunk. The burned pieces will only enhance the flavor!” Allura spoke cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the cringes from the other three Paladins.) Nearly ten minutes later, all of the Paladins, including Allura, Matt and Coran, were squished together on the sofa and the makeshift bean bags in front of them. Pidge and Hunk squished together in the left corner of the couch with Pidge practically sitting on the arm of the sofa, Coran taking over two beanbags in front of them. Allura and Matt sat shoulder to shoulder on Lance’s left, and Lance restrained from making gagging noises every time Matt attempted a cheesy, romantic advance on her. Shiro, well, Shiro sat on the floor by Coran. If Coran had chosen to move he could have had a seat, but Coran seemed insistent on lying down. Horizontally.

That left Lance and Keith.

Lance had claimed the far right corner of the couch, his favorite spot, and he definitely didn’t miss Keith’s ‘I-want-to-be-included-but-I-don’t-want-to-intrude-or-feel-like-I’m-being-a-bother’ face. He silently invited him to the spot in front of him, the last beanbag, and Keith shyly planted himself right in front of him. He curled his knees in to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, and Lance knew that he felt unincluded.

“Let me know if you’re feeling left out, okay? We all want you here with us,” Lance whispered under his breath to Keith, and he saw his head bob slightly in silent acknowledgment.

“We are not watching Elf,” Lance heard Pidge muse from the opposite side of the couch. Lance frowned, leaning far forward, probably into Keith’s personal space, to respond to her.

“What? Why not?” He mumbled. Pidge simply raised her eyebrows, laughing the fakest laugh Lance had ever heard from her.

“Why not? Because it’s Matt’s favorite movie. And he makes us watch it. Every. Damn. Christmas,” she exclaimed through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at him.

“Elf is a cinematic masterpiece and you know it!” Matt fired back, and Lance was having trouble determining whether the irritation on his face was real or simply an act. From the way that his fist was clenched across Allura’s shoulder, he was assuming it was real.

“I’ll eject you out of the castle in your sleep if you even think about playing that cursed movie,” Pidge mumbled, and Hunk looked extremely uncomfortable at the exchange. Lance couldn’t blame him.

“Alright, settle down you two. Why don’t we let Lance pick? This is his sleepover, after all,” Shiro butted in, trying to prevent the two bickering siblings from actually killing each other.

Nobody missed Pidge’s dramatic groan. “Lance, please don’t play a rom-com. I think I’ll actually combust if you do.”

Lance leaned far over the three bodies in the way and flicked Pidge on the nose, reveling in the way that her hands shot up in defense and her frown intensified. “So I have the power, huh?” He smiled, and it was no surprise that all of the heads in the room turned to stare at him. He was known for having an awful taste in movies.

“Lance please. I’m begging you. Anything but those awful Hallmark Christmas specials,” she begged, and Lance took pity on her this time.

“How about... you’re a mean one, Mister Grinch,” Lance began singing the all too familiar song, and Pidge certainly released a sigh of relief. Allura and Coran looked confused for a good reason, but Keith’s frown suggested that maybe he wasn’t too familiar with the movie decision as well.

“You’ve never watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas?” Lance gawked at him, and Keith simply shook his head with a small frown. Lance puffed out his chest, watching as Pidge somehow managed to conjure up the earth movie on her laptop before hooking it up to the Altean tech.

“Well that’s going to change today.”

Hunk passed around plates of cookies, and Lance couldn’t help but smile at the warmth in his chest as his friends, his newly found family, all sitting together, smiling and laughing. Enjoying each other’s company. Pidge leaned against Hunk, using him as a pillow, and Lance nearly laughed as Matt attempted to do the same with Allura, earning a backhanded smack and a frown of disapproval. As the movie began to play, the snickers calmed down, and the lights were turned off to enjoy the movie in its full glory.

Having seen the movie multiple times before, Lance found himself becoming fidgety. While the others seemed involved and sucked into the movie, his eyes darted from body to body. Before he knew it, he found himself bouncing his leg, and he knew that unless he could control it, he would irritate the bodies around him. It always happened at the worst times. Lance wasn’t really the best company for movie nights, never able to sit completely still and pay attention.

With Keith’s eyes glued to the screen, his eyelids fluttering shut lethargically every once in a while, Lance let his hands rest on top of Keith’s head, running them through his hair like a comb. If the atmosphere was more tense, he would likely have felt more embarrassed about the action, but he was in such a calm state that he couldn’t find it in himself to be bothered.

Keith tentatively leaned his head back, giving Lance full view of his eyes. They were wider than usual, but not in a scared way. More of a curious way than anything. Like a confused puppy.

“Is this okay?” Lance mouthed to him, doing all in his power to not disturb any of the others. That would lead to a rather awkward conversation for sure. Keith nodded sheepishly, leaning further into the couch - Lance’s legs, more specifically - behind him. As he turned his attention back to the movie, Lance continued combing through soft, black tufts of hair, smiling to himself when Keith continued to curve his head into his hands.

It was nice to see Keith like this, with his guard down. The same Keith who held his dagger as his most prized possession was on the brink of falling asleep, something out of his usual attire. He was relaxed, and his body grew heavier by the minute. Anything that Lance could do to help him relax was a success in Lance’s book.

Speaking of relax-

Keith’s movements became more and more exaggerated, the result of his control over his body slipping with exhaustion. Before the movie was even halfway through, Keith’s eyes slipped closed, and he fell into slumber. Lance continued to run his fingers through his hair, supposing that the relaxing gesture helped him fall asleep in the first place. He didn’t mind doing it, either. Lance spotted Allura out of the corner of his eye, noticing her soft smile at the action. He felt his heart rate spike at being noticed, but she simply shook her head softly, her smile never faltering.

“He never sleeps, you know,” she told him quietly, trying not to disturb anyone.

Lance sighed softly, returning his attention to the peaceful boy in front of him. “I know.”

Could Allura tell?

Could she tell the way his lips turned up in the corners as he tried to surpress his smile as he ran his fingers through Keith’s hair?

Could she tell that he felt his heart flutter whenever he’d subconsciously lean into his touch?

Could she tell that he had fallen deep?

A part of Lance was screaming that she shouldn’t, that he can’t allow her.

But maybe allowing Allura in to see this new part of Lance, this part of him that he unknowingly, maybe even unwillingly gave to Keith, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Maybe she understood that this whole time, he’s been chasing after the wrong one.

He was a wolf chasing after prey that could never be caught.

Allura was always just out of his reach. A hare with an extra spring in its steps.

He would chase after her for a lifetime, but the hare would always exceed him. His attempts were in vain.

But maybe he was being chased as well. Another wolf, with stronger legs, bounding after him. A wolf who didn’t belong to a pack. A wolf desperate for love, for belonging, who was a shadow chasing after sunlight. Maybe Lance didn’t mind it.

And maybe, just maybe, he would allow himself to stop running, and just be caught.

Matt was the first to talk after the credits began to roll. “Elf’s better,” he mumbled, yawning tiredly into cold hands. Pidge groaned. He stood, nearly tripping over Coran, who was currently fast asleep on the floor.

Lance noticed Shiro, still sitting on the outside of the couch, staring at Keith with tired, aging eyes. Lance met his gaze with a hesitant smile.

“Should we leave him?” Shiro asked, gesturing to the sleeping Keith for the rest of the group.

Lance shook his head. “I’ll take him back to his room so he can get some sleep,” he explained, crawling over the side of the sofa to pick up the sleeping boy.

“Are you sure you’ve got him?” Hunk questioned, offering his help. He watched as Lance scooped him up in his arms. Readjusting his grip, he simply nodded.

“Don’t worry about it. You guys can choose the next movie. I’ll be out in a bit,” he explained before leaving the lounge. Keith hardly stirred, and Lance was surprised that he had stayed asleep for this long.

Letting his legs carry him to Keith’s room, Lance simply watched him. He looked younger, more innocent, when he was asleep. He didn’t look like he had fought in a war. He didn’t look like he continues to fight in a war. Save for the six inch scar that racked across his right collarbone, exposed from the wide neck of the shirt, he looked like any other teenage boy.

Lance knew that he’d been through a lot, and it showed on his face whenever he closed himself off, crossed arms over a hunched chest.

He stirred slightly, mumbling random, incoherent noises. His eyes fluttered open slowly, staring tiredly at the boy carrying him.

Maybe if he weren’t so tired, he would have jumped out of his arms, or cursed at him. He would have called his names, anything to save his pride.

But sleepy Keith was wired differently than regular Keith, and he seemed content to just be carried. “We’re almost there, buddy.”

He turned his face into Lance’s shirt to shelter himself from the dropping temperature of the castle, and Lance smiled to himself as he buried his nose in his nightshirt. How adorable.

Lance activated the door to his room, carefully stepping in and avoiding anything that he could trip on, which was...nothing? His room seemed as empty as it was when they first claimed their rooms in the inhabited castle. He briefly recalled his conversation with Keith about leaving the team, and how empty it was then, too. Placing him on his bed gently, he pulled the covers over him. He looked peaceful. He took one last fleeting glance at the boy and began walking towards the door when-

“Lance?” Keith’s muffled question came. Lance turned over his shoulder.

“Yes?”

Keith’s response was delayed, and Lance nearly just marked it off as sleep talking. “Stay?” His voice was small and muffled, and Lance felt his heart skip.

Was Keith sleep talking, or was he rationally asking for Lance to stay with him? The better part of his brain told him to leave and never return, but his heart was urging him differently.

“Okay, buddy.”

Against his better judgement, he slowly approached the bed, pausing in front of it for any sign of hesitation from Keith. When Keith anticipated his presence, he pulled back the covers, sliding into the bed next to Keith. Keith’s eyes fluttered open, and he seemed embarrassed to say the least.

“Sorry, I slept better when you were rubbing my head earlier,” he mumbled as if he had to explain himself. Lance smiled, reaching a hand out to comb his hair out of his face.

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I don’t mind,” Lance explained, smiling at the way that Keith seemed to relax at his touch.

“M’kay.”

After a few more minutes of combing his hair, Keith’s breaths evened out, and he was asleep again.

Which left Lance to watch the sleeping boy take even breaths, wondering when he let himself fall so deeply for this boy.

Lance didn’t sleep as well as Keith did that night.

Lance has woken up to a lot of strange scenarios in the past. Living in a household full of boisterous kids led to a lot of bed-bouncing and early mornings of ‘get-out-of-bed-before-I-get-the-bucket-of-water’ occurred quite often. Lance clearly remembered the time where he woke to the electrician hovering over his bed. Lance, for a good reason, screamed, and it took his mom and two of his siblings to get through to him that he was simply trying to fix the broken light above his bed, and wasn’t, in fact, some psychopath. That was definitely an uncomfortable situation.

What wasn’t an uncomfortable situation was waking next to a warm body, arms wrapped around his torso just as he did to the other.

Opening his eyes only to reveal that said-body was staring unashamedly at him was definitely a bit uncomfortable, however.

As soon as blue was on violet, Keith corrected himself, recoiling on himself with pursed lips and guilty eyes.

“Morning,” Lance hummed, proud of himself for keeping a steady voice this soon after waking up. Keith cleared his throat, avoiding Lance’s eyes.

“Yeah, morning,” he mumbled sheepishly, wrapping his arms around himself, likely to warm himself. Lance frowned, reaching out to carefully grab one of Keith’s arms. Keith’s eyes finally met Lance’s, and Lance could tell that he was embarrassed. Placing Keith’s hand back on his hip, back to where it was, he urged Keith to relax again.

“I don’t mind, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said softly, fighting back a yawn. It was a losing battle however, and he hummed into his yawn, unaware of the way that Keith was curiously gazing at him with an almost guilty face.

“I think that’s the longest I’ve ever slept,” Keith stated, sheepish and lethargic.

If having Lance sleep next to him was all that it took to help him get some sleep, then Lance would happily make that a part of his routine.

He smiled, surely way too soft for who it was directed at. “I’m glad I could help.”

The seconds ticked by as the two lay in bed. Keith was a well-known morning person and Lance knew that, which was why he was so curious as to why Keith was still laying with him. While Lance was more than content to lay with him all day, he was aware that that wasn’t the most productive option.

“We should probably go see the others. I kind of bonked out when you did, they probably want to know why I didn’t come back.”

Keith snickered at Lance’s choice of words, before nodding and sitting up fully. Stretching his arms, Lance couldn’t fight the urge to stare at the bare skin that peeked out from underneath his night-shirt, swallowing harshly. It was only when Keith cleared his throat with a faint blush and a raised eyebrow that Lance broke his stare. Lance timidly directed his gaze to anywhere but Keith. Stupid, pretty Keith.

His hair was wild, sticking out in every direction, and yet it only made Keith prettier. God, could this boy ever be anything but pretty? He was starting to believe that it was impossible.

“Go see the others. I’ll come in a few so it’s not as...obvious,” He said softly, waiting for a response, and Keith was quick to follow. He neared the door. A pause.

“Lance?” He hummed, keeping his attention on the door in front of him.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, but it was genuine, and that made Lance’s heart soar. Lance couldn’t help it. He smiled. Maybe he’d one day let Keith see it, see the way that he affected him, but for now, he was content for keeping that a secret for himself.

“Anytime, Keith.”

Nobody questioned their late appearances, but Lance definitely didn’t miss Pidge’s pointed snickers or Allura’s fond smile as the two emerged an hour later than they usually would.

Waking up next to Keith became a normalized part of their routine. Keith still distanced himself as he fell asleep, but subconsciously, he would almost always wake up half on top of Lance, or with his arms wrapped around him in a death-grip. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Keith was definitely a cuddler, and that was extremely endearing to Lance. He would gladly cuddle Keith for the rest of time if he would be allowed to.

The days passed as usual. No calls from the Blade, no emergency signals for the Paladins. It was almost like a true Christmas break for them, and they all definitely appreciated the break.

But nothing good ever lasts for very long, and one night after Lance had snuck into Keith’s bedroom out of the eyes of others, a shrill ringing came from Keith’s pocket. Lance’s head shot up at the commotion, interrupting his task of pulling down the covers on Keith’s bed. The poor boy’s eyes were saucers, and he looked distressed.

“Keith? What’s wr-“

“I have to go,” Keith interrupted, and Lance hated how stiff his posture suddenly became, setting his jaw and steeling his eyes.

“Are you getting called on a mission?” He already knew the answer. “I’ll be back soon,” he muttered, searching through his near-empty dresser for his Blade outfit. Keith couldn’t even care that he was stripping in front of Lance, desperate to tune everything out and set himself back into the fight-mode that he was so unnervingly used to.

“Keith-? Keith?” Lance questioned, but Keith was too involved with fighting with the hood of his Blade outfit to notice. “Keith- Keith!” Lance shouted, distracting Keith out of his frenzy.

Keith looked helpless. He looked determined. If Lance searched hard enough, he could even say that he looked scared. He had a good reason to be. He wanted to tell him everything that was floating around in his head, stirring up his thoughts like a fan blowing around a stack of paper. He could never organize them, they were gone as soon as they came. He could never put a name to all of the emotions that Keith Kogane made him feel. Not in the moments that were counting down with the shrill alarm still going off in Keith’s glove. He had to say something to him before he left. But what could he say?

Keith pleaded with him through a glance. There’s no time.

Lance sucked in a breath, letting all of his emotions and heartache out as he exhaled. “Stay safe.”

Keith searched his eyes for exactly three seconds. The first was terrifying. The second was exhilarating. The third was a goodbye.

“I will.”

Lance was alone again, the only sound louder than the ringing in his head being the fading sound of the alarm as the footsteps sprinted closer and closer to an open grave.

He was pacing and he knew it. Keith had been called on missions before this, hell, it felt like he was never not on a mission, but none of the previous have ever given him the anxiety that he felt this time. Something in the back of his head was telling him that something would go wrong, begging him to do something to prevent said thing from happening. But he was helpless. Nothing he could do could change the order of the universe, he could never be the knight and shining armor that he wanted to be. He could never be anything but useless.

No. Now was not the time for those thoughts.

How long had it been since he left? An hour? It felt like longer. His head snapped to the ticking clock on the wall, the clock that would drive him to insanity.

It’s only been two hours.

Anything could have happened in those two hours, and his anxiety constantly reminded him of this.

In his distraught state, he nearly didn’t hear Allura’s soft knocking on the door. Letting herself in, she sighed. She sounded so tired. Maybe she was just as worried as he was.

“I thought I might find you in here,” she spoke with a newfound softness. Meeting her eyes, she took in Lance’s face, his body posture, the redness of his eyes. She didn’t look nearly as awful, but she definitely looked tired.

“I feel so helpless, Allura,” he whispered, and even he was surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. He wasn’t even aware that he had been crying. Allura frowned empathetically, placing a hand on his shoulder to guide him over to Keith’s bed. His and Keith’s bed, his brain provided. His tears nearly spilled over again.

“I know how you feel, Lance,” she began, rubbing a soothing hand over his shoulder. She wasn’t great at the whole comforting thing, but he appreciated her for trying. “That’s how I used to feel when I still piloted the castle. I couldn’t help but feel like something would go wrong, and I wouldn’t be able to-“ she cut herself off, pressing a fist to her mouth. She was trying to pull herself together for Lance’s sake. After a long moment, she released a slow breath, wiping away the tears that gathered in her eyes.

“-be able to do something to help,” she continued, her voice shaking nearly imperceptibly. “But sometimes...there’s nothing you can do. And sometimes, you just have to be able to accept that fact and let fate play out.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to him,” he said, completely ignoring Allura’s speech, but she only frowned again. Her hand fell from his shoulder to his back, rubbing soothing circles into his shirt. It reminded him of his mom, how amazing she was at comforting him and getting him to smile.

He was now sad for more reasons than one.

“I don’t either,” she spoke comfortingly. “But you know Keith. He’s strong and stubborn and he has thick skin. He’s survived a lot. He’s stronger than you know.”

Lance scowled. “But his stubbornness leads him into making stupid decisions. He nearly killed himself to save us, Allura. He’s so damn selfish. What would we have done without him? What would I have done without him? Does he know that his recklessness is going to kill him one day?” Lance broke, not even trying to fight off the fresh wave of tears. His cries became more and more broken and cracked, and Allura watched as he helplessly tried to pull himself together. He pressed the bases of his palms into his eyes as he processed his words. Does he know that his recklessness is going to kill him one day?

“I think,” he began, trying to will the words to form in his mouth. Let her know. “I think I love him, Allura. And I’m so, so worried about him. I don’t want to lose him,” he spoke through numb lips, ignoring the way that his entire body seemed to burn at his confession. Allura was silent next to him, and his mind was an endless array of ‘you messed up’.

“Maybe you should tell him,” she said after a moment of silence. She smiled apologetically at him, and then she was gone. Allura’s voice was the only thing that outlasted the endless ringing in Lance’s head.

Maybe he should.

Lance realized that Keith Kogane wasn’t as selfish as he once thought. Quite the opposite, actually. He was a fighter. He was empathetic, and brave, and willing. He was selfless.

That selflessness brought an ache to Lance’s heart.

Lance didn’t know when this new anxiety crawled into him. He didn’t know when he became more concerned about Keith’s well being than his own. He didn’t know when he fell in love with him.

But he came to all of these realizations as he watched the ticking clock, praying that he would just come home.

After what felt like an eternity, Lance felt the familiar purring in his head. A buzz of excitement ran through his veins as he tried to interpret what she was telling him.

“What is it, Red?” He whispered, pleading for Keith’s safety. A wave of comfort engulfed him as he remembered that if Keith really were in danger, then Red would have likely bolted out of the castle by now. Or maybe that comfort was just Red soothing him. Either way he didn’t mind. A pause.

Open the door. He’s back.

His heart skipped a beat, and he was charging for the door as quickly as his legs would carry him. A tired, shadowy figure came closer and closer into perspective. If Lance’s heart weren’t pounding so fast with adrenaline and hope, then he most likely would have assumed him an enemy.

But when the hood fell down, revealing a tired but very much alive Keith, Lance suddenly couldn’t speak. Their eyes met, both paladin’s holding in too many emotions to possibly let out. Lance opened his arms, and Keith couldn’t resist. He was suddenly barreling into him.

Lance was probably holding Keith too tightly, but he didn’t care. Keith was probably enjoying the warmth too much, but he didn’t care. Lance pulled away only far enough to place his thumbs on the apples of Keith’s cheeks, unexplainably overjoyed that he got to see those beautiful, violet eyes again. Keith let out a shuddering breath.

“I was so worried about you,” Lance began, breathless and on the verge of tears. He seemed like he was overreacting, and maybe he was, but in this moment he didn’t care. “I had this nagging feeling that something would happen to you and oh my god I’m so glad you’re safe.” He spoke breathlessly, and Keith laughed softly, but Lance could tell from the tattered material on his back that this was not an easy fight for him.

“Lance,” he mumbled, and Lance’s eyes were drawn to his like a moth to a flame. Keith looked like he wanted to say something, desperate to give an explanation or another empty apology, but then his eyes flickered to Lance’s lips, desperate for something else. Lance’s heart sprung in his chest.

And then they were kissing.

It began off desperate and rough, like Lance was Keith’s oxygen and he could never get enough to fill his lungs. Lance could feel Keith pouring out all of the emotions that he could never speak aloud into the kiss, and Lance felt a couple of tears stream down his cheeks as he put names to them, matching them with his own. Desire. Relief. Hopefulness. Love.

It eventually slowed down into something more intimate, more meaningful. Sadness. Uncertainty. Fear. Desperate kisses became slow declarations of love, and Lance discovered that Keith held more emotions than he could have ever realized. This was everything that he could have ever wanted. Keith was everything that he could have ever wanted.

Lance let Keith break the kiss first, willing to provide as much comfort as he needed, gently pressing their foreheads together. They were both gasping for breath, breathing the same air, and that alone was enough to send Lance’s brain spinning.

When Keith’s eyes flickered up to Lance’s his face contorted with guilt. “Why are you crying?” He asked softly, worried that he caused those tears. Lance noticed his poorly hidden fear, and he brought his thumbs back up to Keith’s face with a small smile, rubbing small circles on his cheeks.

“I love you,” he announced, and Keith’s face became a delightful shade of red. Pushing back the raven tufts of hair that curled in front of his ear, he smiled softly at the boy who he had fallen so deeply for in front of him.

Keith’s facade officially cracked, and he found himself smiling shyly up at the new red Paladin. “I...I love you too.”

That’s all that Lance could have ever wanted.

“Lance, I look ridiculous!” Keith shouted from behind the muffled door of the bathroom. Lance was curious as to why he was taking so long, but it was becoming increasingly clear as to what his delay was.

“Babe, it’s supposed to be ugly. It’s an ugly Christmas sweater,” he wouldn’t tell him that he put in a little extra effort to make Keith’s a bit cuter than the others, that’s for sure.

The door clicked open a minute later, revealing a half-irritated, half-embarrassed Keith. The red sweater that read “Mr. Grinch” was slightly too big for him, revealing his collarbones. Good. Just as he intended. Speaking of big, it was super long, landing mid-thigh on him. He could probably get away with wearing it without pants if he wanted to-... he ended that train of thought before it could even leave the station.

“How-? You look cute in it. You look cute in an ugly Christmas sweater. This is so unfair. I’m calling the police,” Lance muttered, and Keith snickered. Maybe his face matched the color of his sweater, but Lance wouldn’t tell him. Keith flopped back onto the bed, grabbing the back of Lance’s sweater (‘I’ve been mostly nice’) and attempting to pull him back to the mattress.

“Up-up-up! Don’t be a Grinch, Mr. Grinch. It’s Christmas, a day for family,” Lance scolded him, trying to free himself from the iron grip of his boyfriend.

“I have no family,” Keith mumbled, dropping his hand over his eyes dramatically.

Lance snickered then. “Calm down, edgelord.”

But Keith was relentless, dragging his feet even as Lance physically dragged him down to the lounge where the rest of the Paladins were. All of the heads turned as the two entered, barely noting that they entered together. Lance was more intrigued by Pidge’s total irritation and Hunk’s actually sunshine-radiating presence in his bright yellow sweater.

“I see you all found the sweaters I made you!” Lance clapped his hands together, grinning at each and every person in the room.

Pidge groaned. “Not to be rude or anything, but why?” She grumbled, pointing to her sweater that read “Do not feed after midnight”. Lance thought it was clever, anyways.

“Because you’re a gremlin,” he stated simply, enjoying the laughs from around the room, mainly from Matt. Allura and Coran seemed as confused as always.

“Yeah, and you’re a pain in the ass. What else is new?” She mumbled, earning a stern ‘language’ from Shiro.

The others seemed to enjoy their sweaters, at least. Hunk’s “I’ve been good” sweater. Allura and Coran’s matching “Merry Talyeugian” sweaters. Shiro’s “Father Christmas” sweater. Matt’s “I’ve been naughty” sweater.

Being in the vastness of space has its consequences. The tree was barren of any presents underneath, but they were all together, and that’s all that mattered in Lance’s book.

Lance felt warmth as he realized that he found a second family within his team.

Gathering his confidence, Lance slipped away from the team, allowing the music to hook up to the speakers. The familiar bells of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” began, and any conversation that the team was holding dissipated into thin air.

“Pidge? Is that your music?” Hunk questioned, and Lance couldn’t prevent his smile from overtaking his face.

Pidge laughed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. “I wouldn’t play this cursed song if I had to,” she spoke in exaggeration.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need~” Lance began, sauntering out back into the room, nearly breaking character at all of the amused faces that surrounded him. Lance definitely didn’t miss Pidge’s snicker before she herself started singing the lyrics. Coran and Allura looked positively intrigued, watching Lance’s exaggerated movement as he worked himself to the center of the sitting area. After scanning his eyes across the audience, he settled on staring at Keith with a mishevious grin. He certainly didn’t miss Keith’s widened eyes, either.

“I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree~” He sang, gesturing to the empty Christmas tree, resulting in a couple of chuckles around the room. He closed in on his target, never breaking character.

Taking Keith’s hands in his own, he held Keith in a soft gaze, pleased when Keith held him in his own mesmerized gaze. Lance would never get over how pretty his eyes were, a warm violet, now that he could look at them for as long as he pleased. He loves him so much. “I just want you for my own,” He sang, never allowing Keith’s eyes to leave his own, even as he brought one of his hands up to the apple of Keith’s cheek and rubbed small circles. “More than you could ever know.”

It was like they were alone, like there weren’t six other people all watching them curiously. Good. This was a moment for Keith and for Keith only. Keith’s smiled softly as Lance sang the next lyrics.

“Make my wish come true~” his voice quieted, a silent question, answer and a promise all in one as he meditated on the words from his own mouth. “All I want for Christmas~” he sang the exaggerated notes, trying to hit the same notes as Mariah Carey. Keith laughed softly, allowing Lance to hypnotize him with his somewhat-sad attempt at singing.

“...is you,” Keith is everything that he could have ever wanted.

As the bells and the piano started up, he pulled Keith away from the sofa and into the center of the room, Keith looking a bit confused and incredibly worried. Lance stepped back and took a dramatic bow, holding out his right hand for Keith to grab. Keith followed, still looking embarrassed and slightly dumbstruck. “Just follow my lead,” Lance hummed, smiling softly at his boyfriend. Before he could protest, the lyrics started up again. Suddenly, Lance was whisking him away in a dance.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need~” Lance repeated the lyrics as he spun Keith. Hearing the chorused ‘And I’s from Hunk and Pidge, he had to pause to laugh.

“-don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I don’t need to hang my stocking, there upon the fireplace,” he began again, smiling as Keith followed his lead without hesitation, desperate to please him.

“Santa Claus won’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day.” Lance reached out a hand, hiding Keith’s hair behind his ear as he did after their first kiss.

“I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know,” he hummed, watching with a warm smile as Keith attempted to mouth the words that he didn’t know.

“Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you,”

Keith was flushed from dancing, a happy grin on his face as Lance continued to twirl him around the room in an almost-waltz. He looked so beautiful. How did Lance deserve him?

“You, baby,” he hummed, personalizing the words, enjoying how Keith fidgeted in his grip.

The rest of the song continued that way, and the two were completely oblivious to their friends’ reactions.

“I knew it would happen sooner or later,” Hunk hummed to Pidge, smiling at how overjoyed and naturally in love they both looked. “I knew something was up when he asked me to kiss him.”

Pidge’s jaw dropped as she turned to him. “Oh my god, he actually asked you? He asked me too. Please tell me that you rejected him.” She laughed, face glowing with laughter.

Hunk grinned at her. “Of course. I just wanted him to sort out his feelings on his own. Looks like he finally came to,” he explained, returning his attention to the two lovebirds who continued to dance around the room like nobody was watching them. Newsflash: everyone was.

“Yeah,” Pidge decided, smiling to herself. She was proud of them. “Looks like he did.”

If only Lance could see Allura’s overjoyed smile.

Before the song could close with the last chorus, Lance dipped Keith. Keith looked content, so incredibly happy, and that made Lance happy, too.

“Hey Lance?” Keith whispered.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Keith smiled. “We’re under the mistletoe.”

Lance glanced up only to discover that yes, that was mistletoe dangling above their heads. In fact, that was his mistletoe that started this whole wonderful mess. He smiled. “Looks like we are.”

Pressing their lips together, they completely ignored the surrounding cheers, so utterly enamored with love that nothing else mattered to them. Lance pressed their foreheads together gently, ears tickling at Keith’s sigh of contentment.

Lance secretly wondered who put it up there, unaware of the small mice that secretly crawled along in the vent shaft, joyfully chirping among themselves.

“I’d love to kiss you for longer, and there will always be time for that, but this is my part,” Lance explained, pulling away from Keith with a mischievous grin and a laugh. Keith watched with such a fondness that Lance found his head spinning all over again, despite standing completely still.

“All I want for Christmas~” he sang, taking a deep breath, noticing all of his other friends doing the same.

“Is...YOU,” everyone screeched with horrible attempts to hit the high note. Keith had to cover his ears, despite laughing so intensely and so naturally that Lance’s heart skipped a beat, even mid-note.

Keith smiled. There will always be time for more kisses.

Lance laughed. Keith was everything that he could have ever wanted.

#voltron #klance #christmas au #i'd love to hear your feedback!#i'd love to write more oneshots and fics like this if you guys enjoy this :)

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