Summary: Keith can't sleep - between the Lion swapping, Lotor problem and Shiro coming back, there's just too much going on in his head to relax. On top of all that, the Castle of Lions won't stop this incessant humming.... He only wanted to go and train for a bit and blow off some steam, but he bumps into a certain someone who can't seem to sleep either. Who needs sleep when you can awkwardly flirt in the middle of the night?
Word Count: 3,602
Genre: Klance Fluff (So much fluff) (And lots of awkward flirting)
AO3 Link: [xxXXxx]
The Castle of Lions hummed at night. It was a stupid thing to suddenly fixate on, but lying there not being able to sleep made it more noticeable, and now it was all Keith could think about. He supposed it hummed all through the day too, but there was always something going on in the ship that drowned it out; Pidge tapping away on keyboards, Hunk working hard in the kitchen, Shiro and Allura discussing the recent Lotor problem, Coran reminiscing loudly and Lance chatting or singing songs while he kept everyone company. There was a certain energy to the team that made the ship feel smaller than it really was - more lived in. It never felt like they were rattling around inside, even though there were only seven of them (plus the space mice). But at night....
At night, there was just stillness and silence.
And the humming.
Keith already knew the low hum wasn’t caused by engines, since the ship was powered by crystals and energy, but the familiar sound did remind him of his brief time in the Garrison. It always managed to stir up old feelings of discord and unrest from that time too; back when he didn’t believe he belonged anywhere and was angry at the world.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling through the darkness, though admittedly it was never actually pitch black in the castle, since so much of it was covered in panels designed to glow softly all the time, and Keith had excellent night vision anyway. But it was still dark and he was alone. He clenched his hands in the thin blanket covering him.
At night, the castle felt... empty.
It felt like it had been a few hours since they’d all gone to their rooms, though Keith had no way of measuring the exact time, and sleep had eluded him so far. There were so many things rattling through his brain that he just couldn’t switch it off and relax. Mostly he was anxious about their continuing fight against the Galra (Lotor in particular troubled him), his unhappy Garrison memories didn’t seem to be able to leave him alone tonight, and the ever-present stress of being the Team Leader now, over Shiro apparently, since the Black Lion was still claiming him as its Paladin, continued to lie thickly in his mind. And then there was Lance. Keith sat up suddenly and the blanket slid off his bare torso. Fuck. He had promised himself to stop thinking about Lance.
Ever since he’d made that video log he had been having trouble with his emotions, and become even more aware of his teammate than usual. Which mostly just annoyed him, because it was stupid things like whether Lance looked happy, if he was smiling, and was he ok? And then all Keith wanted to do was make him smile, make him happy, and know he was going to be ok. He hadn’t even mentioned Lance in his vlog, but he’d dragged up some issues he’d been really repressing for some time, and apparently that list included how he felt about Lance. He tried so hard not to openly flirt with him, because Keith really didn’t want anyone to catch on - especially Lance himself - but... he just couldn’t help himself half the time. He’d find himself standing next to Lance on the ship’s bridge, maybe just a little bit too close, sitting next to him at meal times or seeking him out if he had some free time. He usually didn’t even realise when their casual banter and good-natured bickering had crossed the line into flirting until he would catch himself laughing too much, with too much affection, and his chest was tight with this warm and fluttery feeling that only Lance could cause. And then he’d just get confused because, yes, maybe he’d ended up flirting, but was Lance also flirting back...?
Maybe it had been because he’d opened the window on this whole secret part of his heart, and now he couldn’t shut it back down?
Ugh. Keith rubbed his tired eyes with his knuckles. What a dumb metaphor. He definitely needed some sleep.
Deciding that a distraction and wearing himself out was his best option, Keith flung back the blanket and rose out of bed, pulling on his favourite black shirt and pants over his sleeping shorts. The ship was kept at a constant, pleasant temperature so he had no need for his jacket, but he slipped on his belt and secured his Galra knife into its compartment at the back - after the ship itself had tried to kill him once he never left his room unarmed.
The training bay wasn’t far from the rooms where they all slept, and he had been that way many times before, so he strode confidently through the shadowed corridors; softly lit by the many blue panels built into the walls and floor, which only made his night vision even better. Keith felt himself becoming more alert as he walked, looking forward to a good spar with one of the training robots. But the clunking of his boots stopped abruptly when he rounded the next corridor and saw light spilling out from the open training bay door. He narrowed his eyes and began to move forward again cautiously. As he got closer he could hear sounds of metal clashing and grunts of effort from someone inside.
That sounded like....
“-ink you’re so tough huh?” Lance taunted. “Hah!” There was a sound of clashing metal. “Agh! Would you stop quiznaking blocking!”
Keith had crept soundlessly to the doorway, and peered curiously into the huge training bay. Lance was also in his casual clothes, with the sleeves of his top rolled up and minus his jacket, though Keith could see the jacket lying discarded by the wall as if he’d flung it there. He had one of the sparring swords gripped tightly in both hands that he was pressing futilely against the one-handed sword grip of the training robot, teeth clenched in a grimace of effort. Even from a distance it was easy to see that all his weight was wrongly distributed; he was putting all his effort into pushing the sword down on a perfectly executed block, with a stance that left him wide open to a counter-attack. Keith was about to shout out and say as much when the robot surged its arm upwards, throwing Lance completely off balance and sending his sword spinning out of his grip, then crouched down to swipe his legs completely from under him. Keith winced as his friend came crashing to the floor and the training bot had its sword tip pointed directly at his throat.
Keith knew that no harm would have come to him, since the robots were programmed to spar only, but it still passed an angry shiver through his body to see Lance in that kind of situation.
“End training.” He snapped, his voice carrying loudly through the cavernous room. The robot’s arms went limp and it ceased function immediately at Keith’s command.
“Keith - ?!” Lance sputtered, as Keith pushed past the frozen robot and extended a hand down to him. He took the hand without hesitation and Keith pulled him to his feet, trying to ignore the soft, warm feel of Lance’s hands and the ridiculous buzz it pulsed up his arm at his touch.
Distantly he realised that if he’d have extended an arm out to Lance back when they’d first met, there was no way he’d have taken it, and he’d have thrown in a childish retort at the same time. Instead Keith noticed that they were still holding hands and let go quickly.
Lance cleared his throat and dusted himself off. “Thanks man. I, uh, guess I need some more training before I go against those really high level training simulations. Caught me off guard there.” He said while he stretched his arms above his head.
“Kinda looked like the Level 1 bot to me.” Keith smirked.
Lance brought his arms back down sharply. “What - no way - your mullet must be getting in your eyes.” He waved a dismissive hand, then paused. “Wait, don’t they all look the same?”
“Yeah, but they have different attack patterns. At level 1 it’s all about trying to break through your opponent’s defence - keeping a good stance, moving fast and knowing when to strike,” the enthusiasm in his voice was making Keith speak a little faster than normal, and he trailed off into silence when he became aware of it, “and then at level 2 it really gets....” He folded his arms. “Doesn’t matter.”
Keith looked away, but didn’t miss the shadow of hurt that flickered across Lance’s face as he clammed up again.
The training room was a good outlet for the times his temper would flare up, or when things just got too much - so he’d spent a long time using the different training levels. More time than he’d ever admitted to the rest of the team. Not that it should matter, but he wanted it to seem like he had more of a handle on his emotions than he really did, especially now they were counting on him to lead them. It wasn’t even really like he thought Lance would be nasty about it either - a bit of playful teasing perhaps - but he had gotten so used to hiding his feelings that it made him extra prickly about how easy it was to let down all those ridiculous walls he’d built up inside when he was around Lance. When they came down he’d sometimes throw them right back up again without thinking.
Lance must have read some of the inner conflict on his face, because when he looked back he shrugged and the easy-going grin returned, calming Keith down and relaxing that tight knot in his chest. Lance’s voice was light, but his ocean blue eyes were sincere, “Hey, no need to get defensive Hot-Head. I already know you need to get out more, so it’s not like you can shock me with your creepy intense knowledge of the training robots.”
Which oddly echoed what Keith had been thinking. He knew deep down that it was something Lance wouldn’t care about - he’d seen the unwavering loyalty and compassion hidden under his usual snark and cheer. Keith narrowed his eyes, but it held none of the temper that had flared to the surface before, despite being called both ‘defensive’ and ‘Hot-Head’. Lance had a strange, unique, terrifying and wonderful effect on him. “Seriously? You see someone get touchy about a subject and you bring it right up? And call them names?”
“It’s how I roll.” Lance winked.
Keith swallowed hard. “Actually, I think this is all just to keep me from mentioning how badly you got your ass handed to you by the Level 1 training robot.”
Lance clutched his hands to his chest as if wounded and groaned. “Um, ow. Now who’s bringing up touchy subjects?”
“At least I didn’t call you names.” Keith countered with a light chuckle, not even realising he’d moved, but somehow found himself much closer to Lance than when they’d begun talking. He was close enough to smell sweat and the lemongrass shampoo he always used.
“Oh yeah? And what would you call me?”
If Lance had noticed him come closer he didn’t make any indication of it, or attempt to move away.
Was this - ? Were they - ?
“I’d probably just call you an idiot.” Keith wasn’t even sure what he was saying anymore, since so much of his brain was taken up with this just ... awareness of Lance. Being so close.
So close.
Too close.
They were -
“’Cause that’s real mature.” Lance scoffed, but his voice came out much breathier than normal. Keith felt it on the bridge of his nose.
But then he began to snigger, and he couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of him. It was completely and utterly ridiculous to laugh at a time like that, but that reply was just so Lance. It did unfortunately dispel whatever had been... happening between them, and he took a half step backwards as the intensity surrounding them died with his laughter. He really couldn’t help it. It bloomed this deep, almost achingly strong affection in the pit of his stomach and he couldn’t contain it.
It was the lightest, most precious feeling he’d ever had.
“You’re the idiot!” Lance’s voice cracked and he looked away rapidly. “It would take one to know one!” He folded his arms.
Keith’s laughter faded and he wiped his eyes. Lance was still looking away, but his ears were red anyway. Keith smiled, “True,” he agreed softly.
A glint of light bouncing off the sword, still on the floor nearby, brought his attention back to why he’d even come into the training bay in the first place before he got... distracted. “What were you training with a sword for anyway Lance? Your bayard is a gun. You don’t even use swords?”
Good. That was good. A switch back to a more neutral topic was what he needed, since his brain and body were still very much preoccupied with their ‘moment’ that his outburst of joy had spectacularly disrupted.
It was an innocent enough question, but if anything, it made Lance even more flustered. The tips of his ears were scarlet from what Keith could see through his dark mop of hair. Silence hung in the air. Keith was about to say something more when Lance said in a small voice, “I do when we’ve formed Voltron.”
“What...?”
Lance sighed. “When we’re Voltron I’m in the Red Lion now, and that makes me the Right Arm. I produce and control the sword.” He looked up at the ceiling. “And I don’t know the first thing about fighting with swords.” He smiled, still obviously not-looking-at-Keith. “As you could see.”
“Lance -” Keith began.
“I know it sounds kind of dumb, but I don’t want to be the one that lets everybody down because I can’t fight properly. I mean... I’ll never be as good at it as you were.... But I... I’m trying to get better.” There was another pause and Keith didn’t quite know what to say to that, so Lance continued quietly, “Allura told me that I was your Right Hand Man - so I want you to be able to count on me.”
Keith punched Lance in the shoulder, but it didn’t have any real force behind it, which finally brought surprised blue eyes back down to meet his own. “You really are an idiot.” Keith ground out with a frown, his eyebrows drawn together.
“Wha- Hey - !” Lance rubbed at his shoulder.
“I always count on you, and there’s no way you could let me down.” Keith’s expression softened and he reached out a gentler hand to place on his shoulder, in a comforting gesture they were both familiar with, but the motion was much smaller and he ended up placing his hand on Lance’s bare arm, just below where he’d pushed his sleeves up to. Not even really thinking about what he was doing Keith let his hand trail slowly over soft, tan skin, feeling goose bumps under his fingertips, and he pressed his hand into Lance’s. He’d also apparently taken another step closer whilst doing this, because he was well aware of their proximity again.
Lance’s hand was warm, maybe even a little sweaty, but they just... fit.
What was he doing??
Keith tried to pull sharply away; all his emotional walls being thrown up in a panic at his impulsive gesture, but he was stopped by Lance tightly entwining their fingers together. He looked up in surprise to see a smile so wide he was practically grinning. Keith stopped his struggle.
“Are you...?” Keith began, wanting to make sure - wanting to make absolutely sure - that he hadn’t just completely misjudged everything between them, and that his stupid impulsiveness hadn’t just ruined their friendship. He knew they were only holding hands, but it was the way he’d done it that made it a gesture that meant something more. But then it was Lance who had laced their fingers together wasn’t it?
“Are you?” Lance echoed, raising his eyebrows. Which Keith took to mean exactly what he’d been trying to say - ‘Are you okay with this?’
“Uh, yeah, of course.” He managed through the haze of is-this-really-happening, suddenly finding it very difficult to look at Lance. “I made the first move didn’t I.”
At the sound of angry sputtering Keith whipped back around to see that the smug grin was gone from Lance’s face, and the redness from his ears had also bloomed across his nose.
“You made the first move!? Dude, I’ve been flirting with you, like, really hard, for weeks!” His voice rose rapidly in pitch.
Keith looked incredulous and pointed at Lance, almost accusingly, with his free hand. “You’re kidding-! I’ve been the one flirting with you for weeks!”
“Nuh-uh. Nope. I am not having that.” Lance shook his head while he reached out and grasped the hand that was pointing at him, pulling it down between them and lacing those fingers together too, so they stood facing each other, both hands entwined firmly. “I wasn’t sure if the flirting was working, y’know? So I was going to ramp it up and really put on the ‘Lance charm’. But...” He shrugged, “my best move is the old yawn-arm-stretch while watching a movie. And there is a severe lack of movies in space.”
Keith huffed out an amused breath, and he could feel his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. He had it bad for this idiot. He had it very bad.
“So if you think about it,” Lance continued, “I was really the one that made the first move. Because I would have done. If I could.”
“Except that you didn’t?” Keith corrected through his smile, tilting his head slightly.
Lance squeezed their hands, pouted, and shrugged again. “Technicalities.” He said breezily, his blue eyes bright.
Considering Keith had started the night not being able to sleep, and only went to the training room to blow off some steam, everything had taken an unexpected turn. A welcome and happy turn, to be sure, but he just... would never have expected this. Ever. His emotional distance was an unfortunate side effect of a life spent mostly alone, and he just wouldn’t have believed that someone had the tenacity and ability to bridge that distance. And that he could do it, again and again and again. It surprised him that he had been so wrapped up in the thoughts of how he shouldn’t be flirting or acting upon his feelings for Lance, that he had missed them being returned.
“I thought,” Lance said, with a playful smile, “I thought, ‘Keith is like a baby deer-’”
“-How am I like a baby deer?”
He lowered his voice to a whisper, “‘-Can’t come on too strongly or you’ll spook him.’”
Keith yanked his hands out of Lance’s grip before he could notice and tighten them again, and for a heartbeat he looked hurt, probably thinking he’d finally offended him and gone one step too far. But Keith took a few paces away, picked up the sword laying nearby and swung it experimentally.
“Whoa, hey Keith, I was only joking.” Lance held up his hands in alarm, backing a few paces away.
Keith chuckled and flipped the sword around, partly from practice and partly just to show off, then held out the handle for Lance to take; he looked intrigued, was about to say something, then shut his mouth again, and eventually just took the blade. Keith moved behind him and crouched down to pull his feet into a wide stance, to keep his centre of gravity balanced, then stood back up and pressed his front to Lance’s back - so he could arrange his arms into a good starting position for a sword fight, using his hands to hold onto Lance’s wrists.
“Uh-” Lance began, the sound coming out as nearly a squeak.
Keith had pushed and pulled Lance into position, but kept his legs, front, and arms pressed firmly against him, still gripping his wrists, so he could almost use him like a puppet from behind. Lance was warm. And this close the lemongrass smell was a lot stronger; it was a smell that suited him. It was easy to see and feel the height difference between them when they were like this, even though it wasn’t by too much, so Keith’s nose was just above Lance’s hairline. He lowered his lips slightly to the middle of Lance’s neck, and felt the gallop of his heartbeat speed up. He wondered if Lance could feel it through the thin layer of clothes that separated their skin.
He wanted them to be close. He wanted them to stay close. The feelings in his heart, deep in his soul, were loud and clear. Keith knew he still had some emotional issues to work through, but none of that seemed to phase Lance. And he figured it would be a better journey made with some company. Especially if that company was the one person in the world he couldn’t imagine living apart from.
He was glad he’d made that video log.
He was glad he couldn’t sleep.
“Now we’ll see who the baby deer is.” Keith whispered into Lance’s neck, his breath stirring the tiny hairs there. He could feel Lance shiver.
Summary: Keith gets a break from Marmora missions when Kolivan sets up a meeting with Shiro at the Castle of Lions, and he gets one precious night at home again. Coincidentally that night also happens to be the night of his birthday. Keith is entirely disillusioned with birthdays, but if there was one thing he could say he would want he’d have to admit that it was a person. And that person just knocked on his bedroom door.
Word Count: 2, 874
Genre: Klance Fluff (So much fluff) (A sprinkle of angst) (some kissing)
AO3 Link: [xxXXxx]
Keith finally let his shoulders relax as the door to his room swished shut behind him, and he leaned on it heavily, letting out a long breath. It was nice; spending a night at home. Keith chuckled at the unexpected thought and closed his eyes with a small smile. Just when did the Castle of Lions become ‘home’ to him?
It’s not even like they’d been in the Castle all that long, but already he could feel the mix of relief and comfort in returning, and the sense of peace the familiarity gave him. It practically sang through his bones. He’d never had this kind of experience before; homes and families were for people with consistency in their lives. Not him. How could a small room in an alien ship be affecting him this strongly?
A knock on his door made Keith leap forward in surprise. He’d already caught up with the others when he’d arrived a little while ago, so he wasn’t sure why he would have any visitors now. He glanced at his bed longingly with tired eyes. Sleeping arrangements were obviously not a priority to the members of the Blade of Marmora, since Keith had regularly been sleeping on hard bunks for the two months he’d been gone, or even the floor if the other members were taking up the beds (he suspected it was his Galra/Human lineage that gave him a mixed response from the others, despite being a Paladin of Voltron). And that was only if they weren’t out in the field on a mission, as Kolivan then expected them to work without luxuries like sleep until the job was done.
In fact, he was probably the one at the door - changed his mind, and they were going to head back to his ship instead of staying the night.
The knock came again, and Keith finally said, “Yes?” though it came out a little sharper than he intended. The bedroom door swished open at his invitation. “Lance?” Keith blurted out, unsure if the surprise in his voice was because he had genuinely thought it was going to be Kolivan, or because of just how pleased he was to see Lance standing in the doorway.
“Hey.” Lance grinned as he entered the room, and oddly continued to face forwards as he backed into the control panel on the wall to close the door behind him, which made Keith notice that he was holding his hands awkwardly behind his back. Like he was hiding something. “Thought I’d come and see how our favourite rebel bad-boy is doing.” He continued breezily with a wink.
Keith scoffed and scowled. “Uh, pretty sure everyone in the Blades prefers the title ‘Freedom Fighters’ thanks.”
“Ooh, you’re ‘The Blades’ now?” Lance removed one of the hands from behind his back and wiggled his fingers in the air as he said ‘the blades’.
Keith tried hard to stop the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. He really tried. But flirting with Lance always did something strange to the speed of his heart and the ridiculous butterflies in his stomach, and he always ended up smiling so much when they were together. “And don’t call me ‘bad-boy’, what are you from, the nineties?” He folded his arms in an attempt to offset the grin he knew he was wearing and Lance laughed in response.
“Hey, the nineties produced some excellent content my man.” He nodded. “See now you’ve made me wanna sing the Pokémon theme tune…”
“Don’t you dare,” Keith grumbled, his voice thick with humour and affection.
“I wanna be the very best,” Lance sang loudly, deliberately squawking off-key, “like no one ever wa- mphh-” Keith had closed the distance between them in a couple of swift strides and placed his gloved hand over Lance’s mouth. He could feel Lance’s smile under his hand, even through the thick glove.
“You are the actual worst.” Keith mumbled, staring straight up into bright blue eyes that were shining with a wicked mischief.
After being away for two months he had been a little bit worried that whatever had been happening between the two of them before he left might have diminished, or that the strength of the feelings he had for Lance was something he had exaggerated in his mind. But that didn’t seem to be the case at all. If anything, being apart had made his feelings that much stronger. It had been so great to see everyone again; Hunk had cried, Pidge gushed on excitedly all about her brother, Allura gave him a hug, hell so did Shiro, and Coran told him he’d saved him some memorabilia from ‘Voltron On Ice’ (which Keith had conveniently forgotten to bring up again before he’d gone to bed). But when he saw Lance he just hadn’t known what to do… No. That was a lie… He’d known what he wanted to do. But….
With considerable effort Keith pushed away his inner musings, and removed his hand from Lance’s mouth. Only then did he realise Lance hadn’t put up any kind of resistance because both his hands were still behind his back. Time to get to the bottom of this mystery. “So what’s behind your back anyway?” He continued in what he hoped was a steady voice.
Lance’s playful grin faded, and he cleared his throat a little while he looked up at the ceiling. “Uh…”
Keith raised an eyebrow.
“Well, we went back to the Space Mall- I don’t know if you managed to catch any of our shows? I was pretty great in them by the way. Though it turned out that Coran was under some kind of whacked out mind control thing the whole time-”
“What?” Keith managed through a bemused chuckle, barely keeping up with what Lance was saying, and not at all understanding how this was going to lead to what he was hiding.
“Yeah, it was as weird as it sounds.” Lance wrinkled his nose as if he couldn’t quite decide whether he found the memories funny or traumatic. Which Keith found adorable. Lance continued, unaware of the effect he was having on him, “So anyway, while we were at the Space Mall I thought I’d have another look around and I… I don’t know. I kind of missed you a lot,” he shifted and looked away and Keith’s chest constricted tightly. The Lance that everyone was so used to seeing; so self-assured and smooth talking, was just one of his layers, but Keith knew that beneath all that bravado was a core full of doubt and uncertainty, and he often wondered if he was one of the only people to have seen this vulnerable side to him. “And this reminded me of you.” Lance finished quietly, pushing his hands forward.
A long, thin red box was pushed towards Keith, tied up with a lopsided blue ribbon.
At first, he just stared at the package, unable to think of what to say, so Lance filled the awkward silence, “We’d been making a load of Gak from our performances - Shiro said we shouldn’t have kept the money, but if they’re practically throwing it at us it would have been rude to refuse,” he shrugged, “and the Unilu I bought it from said he’d do me a special price because I was one of the performers. It seemed like something you’d like.”
Keith wordlessly took the box from Lance and pulled the ribbon loose, then opened the lid to reveal a thick, slightly curved knife with a black handle. He recognised it instantly from the last time they’d gone to the Space Mall together.
“I saw him cut up rocks and whole melons and cool junk like that.” Lance, now with his hands free, made wide chopping motions with his hands in the air, adding his own whooshing sound effect with each swing. But Keith still hadn’t said anything, and he was still just looking at the package, so Lance awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets. “But it’s fine if you don’t want it; because I already know you have a knife, and yours is like a magic-Galra-knife and everything… Now that I think about it, this was kind of a lame gift, I’m usually way better at the whole gift giving thing,” he laughed, but there was no humour in it.
“What, Lance no, I… I really love it,” Keith choked out, “I can’t believe you got something like this for me. I… Don’t even know what to say… I just really didn’t expect this. How did you know it was my birthday?”
“Your birth…. Woah. No no no. Hold the phone. It’s your birthday? As in, today?” Lance sputtered.
“You didn’t know?” Keith’s eyes widened in his genuine surprise.
“Of course not!” Lance threw his hands in the air.
“So what was the present for?” Keith was so sure he’d never told anyone about his birthday, and that was what had shocked him the most; that somehow Lance had found out. He hadn’t had a present on his birthday in so many years, and yet there one suddenly was, and he just couldn’t even process it. He’d realised it was his birthday of course, something like that wasn’t easy to completely forget, but it went to the back of his mind every year and he never really gave it much thought.
Lance’s voice was high in indignation, his hands still in the air, “If I’d have known it was your birthday I’d have got you much more than this - and cake! Hunk would have baked you a cake. We’d have all celebrated it with you! I can’t believe you didn’t tell anyone it was your birthday.”
Keith walked across the room and silently placed his present down on the side table next to his door, his back now to Lance.
“Because,” he sighed, not turning around, “I don’t want it to be this big special day I build up in my mind, and then be let down again. It’s no different to any other day, so why should I or anyone else treat it differently.” He folded his arms tight over his chest.
“Keith….” Lance whispered. “Don’t… shut yourself off from everyone. I don’t know who hurt you in the past,” there was a sharp edge to his voice that Keith hadn’t heard before, “but they were complete and utter quiznaking assholes. And you know what, I don’t even care who I’ve insulted, because they hurt you and made you have this weird idea that you can’t have a great day that’s all about you, and that’s just… that’s just wrong.”
“It’s just a birthday Lance. It’s okay, I came to terms with it a long time ago - they don’t mean anything.” Keith snapped, wishing he didn’t get angry when he got emotional, and blinking rapidly to clear his blurry vision. There was no way he was turning around now. He didn’t want Lance to see him cry like an idiot.
“No. No it’s not okay - this is your day. You deserve a day Keith. You deserve all the days.”
Keith jumped as he felt arms snake around his middle just under his folded arms, and tensed all over as his body was pulled so that his back was pressed firmly to Lance’s front. His skin burned under his tight Blades suit where Lance’s hands rested at the top of his stomach, and his hood was still up but he could feel Lance’s cheek resting on his head. Keith’s pulse was racing, but finally his body relaxed into the gentle embrace, and only then did he realise that the tears he’d been trying to blink away were sliding rapidly down his cheeks.
“I missed you so much. Even your mullet.” Lance’s voice was choked with emotion. Keith managed a shaky laugh at that as he furiously rubbed at his eyes. “I didn’t know when we’d see you again,” Lance continued softly, “and everything I saw reminded me of you. I tried flirting with all my fans after the shows because I thought that would help.” Keith felt his shrug through his back and shivered at the motion.
“Did it?” He asked honestly, a pang of jealousy joining the crazy-train of emotions racing through his heart.
“… No.” Lance’s grip tightened. “They weren’t you,” he mumbled into the back of Keith’s hood. “And then after the show at the Space Mall I managed to escape all the groupies and I saw that Unilu chopping up junk with that knife and I knew I had to get it for you.” Lance’s voice became sad, “You have to know I wouldn’t have let you down if you’d have told me it was your birthday, you could have had presents from everyone and a party and cake - I would have made your day special - we all would have. It doesn’t matter if you don’t consider yourself a Paladin of Voltron right now, because you are no matter what. You’re still my Team Leader.”
Lance pulled his hands away and stepped backwards so suddenly Keith felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. He heard Lance sniffing and he wiped away his own fresh tears too. This was not at all what he had been expecting tonight.
“Oh wow, I am being such a downer on your birthday!” Lance said through a stretch and a forced laugh. “And way too forward. You know what, we should just start again from me saying ‘it’s your birthday today?’, you can be grumpy about it and I’ll just say goodnight and lea-”
Keith wasn’t sure what had made him turn around and close the gap between them. But suddenly his hands were gripped either side of Lance’s face and he’d pushed their lips together with a force that almost hurt. Lance responded instantly, pulling down the hood on his suit and running his hands through his messy hair, sending sharp waves of pleasure down his spine and into the pit of his stomach. Their kiss was hungry, full of raw emotion and a release of tension that they’d been dancing around for far too long. He didn’t even realise they had moved until he felt his back hit the door, and let out a breath that was snatched by Lance through their frantic kisses. Their bodies pressed together firmly as Keith’s hands went from Lance’s face to his hips, pulling him even closer, as if there wasn’t an inch of himself that he didn’t want to not feel against the other.
Their frantic pace was impossible to hold for long though, and both boys eventually pulled back for air, gasping with a mixture of pleasure and want and love. And the need for oxygen.
Keith was still breathing heavily, most of Lance’s body still pressed against him, and he gazed hard into a sight he had always wanted to see; those ocean blue eyes filled with love looking back at him.
Lance smiled widely and laughed in a way Keith wanted to never stop hearing. “And I thought I was being forward. You just had to go one step further and one-up me didn’t you.”
Keith mirrored his expression and linked his fingers behind Lance’s neck. “It’s what I do best apparently,” he smirked, “and you were talking about leaving and I couldn’t have that.”
“Well, it is your birthday.” Lance agreed, voice husky.
But Keith’s smile faltered, “Lance, I still have to leave in the morning. I… I don’t think I’m ready to be a Paladin again yet. But… will you wait for me? It’s wrong for me to ask you that I know…”
“Keith. I’ve been waiting for you this whole time - ever since we were in the Garrison together. I can wait a little longer. I mean, there’s no promises that guys and girls won’t be throwing themselves at me, but I’m pretty sure I can keep them away if it’s for you,” Lance winked, but he shifted his hips and Keith closed his eyes at the unexpected pleasure it buzzed through his skin. There were perks to a skin-tight suit beyond combat after all.
“And thanks,” Keith said quietly, trying to regain composure, “for the present. And for trying to restore my faith in birthdays. That’s the first birthday present I’ve gotten in a long time.” It was probably the best birthday he’d ever had in all honesty, and he was so grateful for it. This was something he had never even dreamed would happen, and it was almost dizzying to believe that his feelings were reciprocated.
“Oh no, the knife wasn’t your birthday present.” Lance shook his head and Keith noticed a red hue to the tips of his ears. He was glad he wasn’t the only one feeling a little awkward and embarrassed about all this, even though it felt so right and good.
“No?” Keith almost gasped, as Lance rocked his hips again, putting a hand tenderly under Keith’s chin to tilt his head back and bring their lips so close he could feel his breath on them as he spoke, until the words were almost lost in another kiss.
'When you share a bond, a true strong connection, then parting will always be painful - as Keith learns when he finally says his goodbyes to the Red Lion. But knowing who her new pilot is takes a weight off his mind, and he has a favor to ask of her. Meanwhile Lance struggles with his new position in the team until his own heart to heart with Red reveals a little more than his new team leader intended.'
Another Klance fic by me. I decided to write a little character introspection this time - I think I just needed the closure of Keith saying goodbye to Red and giving his opinion on the new Red Paladin.
