Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Lance’s family farm was located in the American midwest.  Every year on his birthday his friends would travel from all over the universe to attend.  He preferred the simple life anymore, curling up under the night sky and counting all the stars that were still in existence because of Allura.
 
However, his birthday was a different story.
 
Hunk and him would get to work weeks in advance, sending out invitations and coordinating wormholes.  Hunk and Shay were putting together a ridiculously lavish menu, working with multiple galaxies to bring the best dishes.  The guest list was implausibly long, huge tents and guest quarters assembled overnight as people arrived on the 27th of July.  The birthday toast was at midnight.
 
Pidge wandered out of her ship with Matt and her parents, looking around her with a smirk.  It had been five years, five birthdays of Lance’s, and every year he managed to outdo himself.  It was an event like no other, one where numerous dignitaries and soldiers and aliens of all types came together.  Residents from all corners of the galaxy converged on the McClain farm. They had more land than they could ever plant on, so whichever fields weren’t being used during crop rotation were converted into campgrounds, parking lots, and festival grounds.
 
Yes, Pidge was blinking in the bright, lush yellow of the field, and that’s what she would liken it to.  There were floating lights dancing around in the air, and tiny plates serving horderves and other snacks floating around.  There were wicker chairs and benches set up around fountains flowing with different kinds of drinks. Pidge started beaming when she saw the ferris wheel, and the virtual reality sets, and the anti-gravity bounce house.  Lance’s nephews and nieces were already playing a game of anti-gravity soccer, which was hard enough for Pidge to coordinate when she was on the ground and affected by gravity.
 
The hot sun lit the whole farmland up like a fairground, the grass underfoot lush.  The sunlight beamed through the multicolored ribbons hanging off tall metal poles, casting brilliant hues on the guests that were already gathered.  The invitation laid out a clear schedule for the two days of activities. The first day would be guests arriving and casual games. The evening would include a dance party, where midnight would be rung in with champagne and an incredible DJ.  The next morning would be hangover brunch and small fun games. The afternoon of Lance’s birthday will be screening his favorite movie of all time, with gourmet popcorn and a craft station.
 
Then the formal gala will end the evening, and everyone will begin to filter out, most leaving by early the next morning.  Pidge knew that lots of people would stay the extra two or three days to spend time with Lance, but they tried to limit that number as much as possible.
 
Lance wasn’t good at saying no, though, so it always ended up being a solid few days of nonstop party.
 
“I wonder why Lance is a farmer and not a party planner sometimes,” Colleen Holt murmured as she gazed out at the beauty that awaited her.  Matt saw Shiro in the crowd and caught up with him immediately, waving passively at his family as he abandoned them. Pidge caught sight of Lance’s cousin, Lilia, and waved good-bye to her parents too.
 
Lilia had become her birthday buddy over the last few years.  She was jagged and sarcastic, and had a wickedly dark sense of humor.  The two of them clicked almost immediately. Lilia was working on efforts in the Northeast United States to establish a central hub of communication between all the smaller isolated governments that had popped up since the Galra were forced out.  She looked like she had just arrived herself, still in a sharp grey suit and her hair done up in a bun. With her hair up you could see the design just above the back of her neck. Her undercut had a floral theme this year, where last year it had been her favorite constellation, and the year before it had been a maze.  
 
When Lilia saw Pidge approaching, she smirked.  “Hey, stranger. Word on the street is that you finally got the funding to do a study abroad program for your students.”
 
Blushing a bit, Pidge shrugged.  “It’s not a big deal. We wanted our students to get a taste of what it’s like to be on other planets as residents, not just as guests.”
 
“Very impressive indeed,” Lilia reached out and brought her into a quick hug.  Pidge struck up a conversation about the most recent updates in their translation technologies, and the two of them were in their own little world.
 
They barely noticed when the tiny Galra cruiser docked, a group of about thirty spilling onto the fairgrounds.  A few were members of the Blades, a few of them were just Galrans that Lance had come to call friends. Keith came out last in his formal Blades attire, looking out over the shining stretch of land with a squint.
 
Daibazaal was shrouded in almost complete darkness, so being exposed to sunlight was always a shock to him again.  He was rarely on Earth anymore unless he was here for a diplomatic mission or to visit his friends. Krolia touched her son’s shoulder thoughtfully, encouraging him to leave the ship.  Pidge ran over and jumped into his arms, leaving Lilia to stare fondly after her friend.
 
“Hey pipsqueak,” Keith muttered in annoyed fondness, trying to extricate himself from Pidge’s grasp, “give me a break, octopus girl.”
 
Pidge conceded and let herself fall to the ground, hugging Krolia next and then staring intently at Keith.
 
“Where’s Acxa?”
 
Keith’s face turned bright red, and he looked down at the ground, scratching his head nervously.  “She, uh… we’re not together anymore. We actually broke up a few months ago.”
 
There was a tiny silence before Pidge decided to change the topic to something more exciting.  “Did Lance tell you that he brought some of the vendors from Clear Day?! They were just excited to get off their planet for a few days.”
 
That made Keith shrug in indifference, to which Pidge smiled.  “I missed you, you weird fun-sucking asshole.”
 
“Thank you?” Keith asked tentatively as Pidge ran back over to Lilia, leaving Keith alone.  Krolia and Kolivan had already wandered off to speak to some of the Olkari that had already arrived.
 
He started walking towards Lance’s family manor.  It was a huge sprawling building, because between the McClain family and the many people that they employed it was practically an apartment complex.  Keith went towards the center building, letting himself in the back door to the kitchen.

As expected, Hunk and Shay were busy working on the frosting on the cake, and both of them jumped up in excitement as he closed the door behind him.  “Keith, you’re here!”
 
“Hey, guys,” he let himself get enveloped in hugs, and soon he was eyeing the cake warily.  “I didn’t realize that you could make so many different kinds of candy look like coral and fish.”
 
The cake had an under the sea theme, with blue frosting and numerous candy and marzipan creations decorating it to look like a sprawling reef.  
 
“I’m proud to say that I’ve perfected a few recipes with candy that is bendable enough to change shape but sturdy enough to maintain the shape after it is formed.  I’m going to patent it,” Hunk said with a proud smile, and Keith felt himself start to relax. He loved all the good that he was doing with the Blades, but spending time with his very human, very loving friends helped him to feel at home again.
 
“That’s awesome, dude,” Keith thought for a moment.  “I’m excited to see you when you come for that cooking convention on Daibazaal in a few months.  I’ve already taken the days off so we can eat everything in sight.”
 
Hunk sniffed with happiness, enveloping Keith in another bone crushing hug.  “Thanks, dude, I’m so ready to have my taste buds be blown away.”
 
Shay patted Hunk fondly on the head.  “While you guys are on your bro weekend extravaganza, I’ll be handling our catering business.  Please return him in one piece.”
 
Keith smiled devilishly, shrugging.  “I’ll try my best, Shay. I’ve got to go put on human clothes, I’ll catch you guys later.”
 
Hunk watched Keith walk off, his hand finding Shay’s.  “He seems different. I don’t know if it’s better or worse.”
 
Shay began molding more candy, looking down the hall after Keith.  “Acxa and him were always setting each other off. I guess that they ended things.”
 
“That’s…” Hunk didn’t want to say that he was relieved, but he was.  Acxa and Keith were a lighter and a powder keg, both of them cold and indifferent until something set them off.  Whatever it was that they were fighting over became nuclear.
 
Hunk got back to finishing up the dessert cups that would be distributed later, directing two of his kitchen staff to cutting vegetables and dicing fruit to go out to the arriving guests.
 
When he turned around, Hunk saw Lance standing in the kitchen entryway in loose khakis and a striped V-neck.  His Altean markings were bright with the light streaming into the kitchen, making him positively glow.
 
“You’re almost 24, dude.  Congratulations,” Hunk was elbow-deep in pudding, but he knew that Lance wouldn’t bother him to stop what he was doing.  
 
“Thanks,” Lance was beaming, watching everyone work in the kitchen.  “Every year you outdo yourself, buddy. The best birthday gift I could ever get is getting to spend time with you.”
 
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Hunk sniffed as he looked over excitedly at Shay.  “Lance loves me!”
 
“You love him too, darling,” Shay responded, barely suppressing a grin.
 
Lance’s vibrant personality had subdued over the years.  Losing Allura really took a lot from him. Hunk doesn’t like to think about that first year without her, where Lance barely got out of bed, where his family had to keep him under constant supervision.  That was what inspired Hunk to make his birthday party such a big deal. That was how they had arrived at today, the fruit of many years of Hunk’s efforts to give Lance something to look forward to.
 
The planning sparked something in Lance that Hunk wanted to nurture as thoroughly as possible.  Hunk knew that Lance loved working on his family’s farm and loved living a simple, uncomplicated life, but having the party to plan every year has kept Lance’s creative side going, and kept him connected to all his friends.
 
It had become their project, something to bond over and slave over.  
 
Lance’s birthday had become a holiday for everyone to come together and celebrate someone they held dear to them: him.
 
“Don’t stay in here, I want you to be surprised by some of the food,” Hunk chided, and Lance threw his hands up with a grin.  
 
“Alright, I’ll go entertain my guests in the yard.  Don’t forget to wrangle up some of my family if you need help.”
 
“Yes, captain,” Hunk saluted the birthday boy.
 
Lance’s face fell to one of fond reverence as he turned around.  He was in the central part of the downstairs of the house, and to his shock when he walked into the central walkway someone was descending the stairs.
 
It was Keith, who he had seen duck upstairs with a change of clothes earlier.  Now he was in a pair of loose jeans and red tank top, his long hair braided so that it fell over his shoulder, bobbing as he took each step.
 
“I see that you’ve brought out party Keith for the occasion,” Lance’s breath caught at the rare smile Keith showed him.
 
“Party Keith is a rare occurrence.  I’m only doing it for your birthday,” Keith poked Lance’s shoulder tauntingly.  “Don’t get used to it.”
 
“Never,” Lance agreed, and the two of them shared a quick bro-hug, and Lance could smell that Keith had just used the lemon bar soap, the smell comforting him as much as the friend holding him.
 
The two of them were very different men than they were in Voltron.  Keith had grown into a dutiful and dedicated leader, one who was better and better with dealing with people and had even come to consider certain people family.  Lance’s devilishly suave demeanor had dulled after Allura left, leaving him far calmer and more laid-back. They no longer clashed like fire and ice. In fact, they were still extremely close friends.
 
“It’s been a while.  How have things been here?” Keith waved to the house in general.  
 
“Good,” Lance lit up at the chance to talk about the farm.  “The local university has been doing a lot of research on growing foreign produce in Earth soil, and so we have a whole field of other-wordly vegetables that are doing great.  How have things been on your end?”
 
“We’ve managed to populate some of Daibazaal’s moons with refugees from planets that have died off.  The refugees have helped boost the economy so my job has been pretty easy. Acxa and I broke up, Krolia is working with New Altea to…”
 
“Whoa, wait, you and Acxa broke up?” Lance touched Keith’s shoulder, “I thought…”
 
“I, well…” Keith sighed, “We can talk about it some other time.  It’s your birthday!”
 
The enthusiasm was odd coming from Keith but appreciated all the same.  The two of them stepped out of the house to see Shiro and his husband hiding on the back porch making out.
 
“Gross, guys,” Keith hissed, “You’re worse than teenagers.”
 
“They’re newlyweds, Keith.  They’ve basically been reset to teenagers,” Lance’s voice was wistful as he gazed at the two blushing men with a twinkle of humor in his eye.
 
“We’re right here, you know,” Shiro muttered with good humor.  “The birthday boy finally arrives. It’s good to see you, Lance.”
 
“Yeah, we haven’t seen you since the wedding.  I’m assuming you’ve spent the whole time holed up in your fancy floating house?”
 
“If only,” Shiro’s husband, Curtis, patted his chest, “This guy keeps getting pulled into diplomacy issues.”
 
“I’ve got a responsibility to keeping the universe in one piece,” Shiro argued back, but there was no malice in either of their voices, just soft teasing that left Lance feeling strangely empty inside.
 
“Come on,” Keith tugged at Lance’s hand, “Let’s get you out to your guests.”

***

Pidge and Lilia were on their third mimosa each when the two of them disappeared behind the house.  Lilia had said that she was going to show Pidge where they kept the special Altean produce and flowers, and when the two of them were out of sight of the other guests Lilia instead brought Pidge’s hands into hers, gently pressing her against the side of the house.
 
“What are you…” Pidge asked, but Lilia silenced her with a gentle kiss, one that made Pidge happily squirm in the taller girl’s arms.
 
Lilia stepped back then, her face blushing and eyes bursting with lust.  “Come on, the garden is just this way.”
 
The shorter girl blinked, adjusting her glasses and wondering briefly if the last few seconds had all been a strange dream, or if Lilia was just teasing her.
 
Somehow it didn’t matter, the two of them disappeared into the Altean garden anyway.
 
They wandered amongst the flowers, glow bugs pollinating everything and shining blue and bright even in the direct sunlight.  The two of them wandered and joked and Pidge wondered if they were going to pretend it never helped.
 
When they arrived back at the fairgrounds, Lilia and her were holding hands.  Pidge wasn’t sure when it happened, but the feeling of Lilia’s hand in hers made her heart beat against her chest as fast as dragonfly wings.
 
Lance was talking exuberantly to his guests, passing around hugs and offering everyone drinks and food.  A few people were asking for directions to the campsite, and a few others were clearly family members who were all hugging and shouting for each other as they converged.
 
Keith was right next to Lance, hugging his family and looking altogether uncomfortable.  It was nice of Keith to put up with it, of course. Keith had a soft spot for Lance, Pidge knew, and in recent years he’d do anything to see Lance smile, even if it meant letting Lance’s infant nephew drool all over him.
 
It was kind of cute, truth be told.  Pidge wondered if they even knew that they were orbiting around each other like gravity was pulling them together.  
 
Lilia squeezed Pidge’s hand and pointed towards her family.  “I have to go say hi, but I want to catch up with you later. Save me a dance?”
 
She winked, leaving Pidge blushing, flummoxed, and giddy, all of them the strangest combination and not at all what she was expecting for today.

***

Lance stood in front of the congregation of people, his body welling up with emotion.  So many people that he’d met over the years, so many friends and coworkers and fellow soldiers all side-by-side to celebrate with him.  Lance has stopped seeing his birthday as a time for him to celebrate himself and started seeing it as a way to celebrate the people he cares about.
 
That’s not to say that he wasn’t still the birthday boy.
 
“Hey, everyone!”
 
There was a tiny stage standing over the field of guests made out of what looked suspiciously like a Galran drone.  The attention was quickly drawn to Lance himself, of course, and people paused in their conversation. There was such a huge crowd of people, friends that he’s made over the years, and as he took in all the smiling, happy faces he couldn’t help the pang of longing in his chest that there be one more person in that crowd.
 
“Welcome to Lance’s Birthday Bash Five!  I want to take a few minutes to thank the people who helped with the preparations for this huge shindig, namely my family for putting aside their lives to organize and budget, and to Hunk and Shay and their fantastic catering staff, as well as our host for this party, the one and only…” Lance side-stepped off to the side the stage as a panel of the floor of the stage opened and a man rose up from beneath, in slow motion and with a devilishly handsome grin.
 
“...Coran!”
 
Everyone cheered and hollered for Coran, who was bowing and reveling in the attention as Lance prepared to continue his speech.
 
“All in all, being able to bring all of you together makes me so unbelievably happy.  I’ve been so fortunate to have a life full of incredible people, and I can’t wait to party my way into 24 with all of you at my side.  I’m going to pass the mic to Coran for the run-down of the schedule and other important information, but if you have any questions anyone who helped plan the event will be wearing a purple pin and can help you with whatever you need.  Let’s get down to business, people!”
 
The cheer was deafening, and Lance jumped off the stage.  He made his way back towards his family and he froze in his tracks.
 
Keith was grinning, a pure, unadulterated happiness radiated off of him.  He had one of Lance’s nephews on his shoulders, and one wrapped around his left leg, giggling and talking to Keith in excited voices.
 
It made Lance lose his train of thought and stop, staring in awe.  This wasn’t Party Keith, the one who has the catchphrase “I’m here for a good time not a long time.”  This was someone that Lance had only caught glimpses of. This was a tender Keith, one that exuded patience and compassion.
 
Was this what Keith was like during his humanitarian missions?  Had Keith always been this sweet with his family? Lance thought back over the last few years, and moments came to mind that were stringing together in his head like a beaded necklace.  Keith playing manhunt with the kids. Keith taking the babies from his sisters and mother so that they could go dance. Keith carrying Pidge inside to sleep after she passed out on the pong table.
 
They weren’t just isolated memories, now they were a collection that had formed into a new side of Keith that Lance had been watching form for a while but too blind to see.
 
They weren’t the same men that ended the war with the Galra, and Lance realized that there was still more to learn
 
Something clicked in Lance’s head, something that shook him to his core and made him wonder what had changed, or where he had gone wrong, but…
 
...as Coran announced the schedule of events, he was frozen.  Afterward, the people around him all went in to hug and greet him, excited to see the man of the hour.
 
All he could see was Keith.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was quiet on the grounds of the McClain estate, mostly just excited gossiping in rooms and tents and ships.  Dinner had been served buffet style, and everyone immediately went off to get ready for the nightclub atmosphere that would soon flood the farm.  Coran had drones working on assembling the dance floor and DJ booth, the high grass and wheat surrounding it on all sides keeping most of it hidden.  
 
Keith watched it all go up with fascination, sitting on Lance’s roof.  He’d found this little hideaway during year two of celebrations. Despite the fact that Keith had become much for personable over the years, he was still an introvert at heart, and whenever the festivities got overwhelming he came up here.
 
Mostly, he was just unnerved by the amount of people that had flooded the bathrooms in the estate.  It was always like this whenever there was a dancing event. Everyone wanted to be able to compare make-up and ensure that their outfit was cute and weren’t happy with the mirrors or loneliness of their own tents.  The house could accommodate plenty of people, of course, but Keith had needed a few moments alone.
 
There was an attic in the house that was only accessible through Lance’s cousin Rosalie’s room.  There was a window up there that could be easily opened, and had access to the highest level of the house.  It was almost flat and quiet. No one could see him up there unless they were searching, and that was how he liked it.
 
Keith had worked out a deal with Rosalie to ensure that he was the only one allowed up.  In return for the privacy, Keith would always bring her a fun present from his missions. Every year she would be giddy as she added another gift to her collection.
 
This year it was a crystal from a planet that was made completely of smoke and crystal and glass.  The locals were slime creatures, that believed that each of the types and colors of the crystals and indicated something unique and magical.  At first Keith assumed it was the same stuff that pagans and new-age people from earth enjoyed, until he actually watched one of the crystals light up and heal a sick and dying child.  
 
The Blades had gone to assist with efforts to establish interplanetary trade, and in return the planet had given a collection of “soul crystals” to the group.  Keith himself got to keep three. One crystal was pure white, opalescent and cloudy. When Keith touched the crystal, any dark feelings he had drained out through his fingers.  The thoughts themselves stayed, of course, but the darkness surrounding them lessened. The darkness would swirl mesmerizingly in the crystal for a few days, and then it would clear up.  It couldn’t be used more than once every few days, but it had proven extremely beneficial for his mental health. The second one was a truth-telling crystal, that was pink and green swirling together in an odd concert of eye-popping and loud color.  The Blades had used it during interrogations many times, and it had proven accurate and even life-saving in the past. If the person told the truth, it would light up pink. If the person lied, it would light up green. If what the person said was ambiguous, the crystal would pulse once before dimming.
 
The third one was a memory crystal.  If you were touching the crystal, you could recount a situation that had happened in the past and project it in a hologram in front of you.  Keith had used it to watch precious moments that he had with his father, but eventually he realized that watching these memories were too painful.  He rarely uses that one anymore.
 
When Keith gave Rosalie the option of the hologram one or the bad thoughts one, she picked the bad thoughts crystal.  Keith was disappointed that she hadn’t taken the other one off his hands, but that was fine. Seeing Rosalie light up made it all worth it.
 
So now Keith had bought access to the roof for the next few days.  From his perch he watched as Lance’s aunts and uncles set up flashing lights and speakers, Coran directing them with the same enthusiasm as a conductor guiding his orchestra.
 
A few of the windows were open, and the smell of hairspray and perfume was wafting towards Keith.  He knew that not all races were like humans with their beauty habits, but that most of the guests tried to adhere to traditional Earth customs for Lance’s party.  It wasn’t a requirement, of course, but most of them had fun with it. It was part of the experience of visiting.
 
Keith had snuck a beer up with him, thinking about Lance.  He wondered where in the house he was, surrounded by friends and family while he picked out the most obnoxious outfit to wear to the party.  This evening was only for the adults, all the kids getting a movie night in the McClain’s huge basement theater. Some of Lance’s relatives that were right on the edge would try to sneak into the fray, and usually one of the older family members would shuffle them back into the house.
 
The night always started off jam packed with mostly talking and catching up.  By the end, though, most of the older adults retire for the night, and it’s just the young adults dancing and laughing and living it up.
 
When Keith saw Lance strut out onto the newly formed dance floor, Keith swallowed his beer too quickly, choking on the bubbly substance.
 
The birthday boy was clad in sinfully tight light blue jeans that were ripped up all over the place.  He was walking in light up high-top sneakers, too, and his shirt wasn’t really a shirt as much as it was sparkling suspenders over a cropped t-shirt that read “birthday boy” in bright purple lettering.  His hair was slicked up and defying gravity, and he was happily flitting between family members and drones to assist with the set-up.
 
Keith decided that his time was watching the world around him from the sidelines was over, at least for the night.  It was time to return to the real life.
 
On his way down, Rosalie was already in her unicorn onesie for the night, looking at him thoughtfully.  He felt exposed for a moment as the younger girl tapped her chin.
 
“Are you gay?”
 
The question caught him off guard.  What the… “why are you asking?”
 
Her blue-green eyes flashed knowingly.  For a thirteen-year-old she was oddly astute.  “That’s not a no. I just see the way you look at Lance.”
 
Embarrassment flooded Keith’s face.  “I’m figuring it out, kid. I’ll tell you what, though.  When I figure it out I’ll make sure to update you first.”
 
Her lips thinned as she thought over the deal, and then nodded sagely.  “Is that why you and Acxa broke up?”
 
Keith was not having this conversation right now, was he?  With Lance’s little cousin? In a unicorn onesie? He ran his hand through his hair with nerves, but the little girl was looking up at him expectantly.
 
Lance’s family had always treated him like one of their own.  They took him in whenever he needed time away from Daibazaal or the Blades.  They always made sure to buy all the paladins Christmas gifts, whether they came to the McClain Christmas Ball or not.  Lance’s siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles had made him feel like he had a home, and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to any of them.
 
“Alright, if I talk to you about this you are sworn to secrecy, okay?”
 
She nodded knowingly, patting her bed next to her and buckling down for gossip.
 
Unsteadily Keith sat down, his hands fidgeting nervously in his lap.
 
“In truth, Acxa and I were never really… together.  We were both in the Blades and traveling, so we rarely saw each other unless we both happened to be planetside.  We both enjoyed each other’s company when we did get to see each other, but it was never anything more. After a while it frustrated her, and so we started fighting all the time.  I think we were fighting at last year’s party, too,” Keith blinked, thoughtful for a moment before he continued, “I think a little after that I realized that I just didn’t feel like I wanted a relationship with her.  I’m still not sure if it was just her, or if I don’t like girls altogether. Gender is weird with aliens, too, because everyone’s definition is different, so it’s really confusing to try to figure out.”
 
Keith had never said any of this out loud.  His voice was wavering by the end of it, and Rosalie passed him one of her stuffed animals, which he squeezed with mild embarrassment.  It did help to ground him, however.
 
“Lance struggles with that too, you know.  Sometimes him and Veronica will talk about it.  You guys might be able to help each other figure it out.”
 
The suggestion wasn’t laden with anything mischievous or any innuendo.  Rosalie honestly wanted Keith and Lance to help each other, and learn from each other.  The determined look in her eyes made Keith melt.
 
“Yeah, I’ll see if I can talk to him.  With all this craziness I can’t guarantee anything, but I can try.”
 
A wide smile broke out across her face.  “Awesome! Now go get downstairs, I’m sure he’s waiting for you,” she stood up and yanked him towards the door, oddly determined and insistent.  “Thanks for the crystal!”
 
The door shut behind him, and he sighed, heading down the sweeping staircase that lead towards the outside of the house.  When he looked around, he saw quite a few people were standing around waiting for Lance to officially open the doors and release them onto the dance floor, and so Keith made his way towards Hunk and Shay, who were laughing hysterically with Shiro and Curtis.  
 
“Keith!  You look awesome!” Curtis was beaming at him, and Shay nodded in assent.  
 
Hunk just looked at Shiro with a knowing look, and Shiro said gently, “Hey Keith, is that supposed to be a shirt?”
 
Shiro was, of course, referring to Keith’s outfit.  He had on a pair of tight black jeans with a studded belt, two chains attached and running down his pant legs loosely.  His shirt was mesh, basically just a net over his chiseled chest. Keith always asked for Curtis’ help with outfit choices, as most of his other friends were pretty fashionably inept.  
 
“It’s more of a lifestyle,” Curtis said reassuringly to Shiro, rubbing his arm.  “You’re definitely going to catch someone in your net today, Keith.”
 
“Thanks, Curtis,” Keith said petulantly, sitting next to him with eyes narrowed at Shiro.  “At least one of you supports me.”
 
Shiro raised his hands in surrender.  “My bad, Keith. I didn’t mean to make you feel weird.  You do look great.”
 
A small smile inched to Keith’s face, and he was now giddy to get out onto the dance floor.
 
A few minutes later they were joined by Pidge who was followed by Lance’s cousin Lilia.  Were they… wait, Keith had to do a double take, because he swore that they were holding hands and grinning like two idiots in love.
 
“When did this happen?!” Keith asked in a far too high-pitched voice, his face awash with surprise and, shockingly, protectiveness.
 
“What?” Pidge asked innocently as Lilia’s arm came around her waist sneakily and possessively, eyeing Keith with a challenge in her eyes.
 
“What Keith meant to say is that he’s happy you’re having a good time,” Hunk interjected pointedly, and the tension eased a bit.  All of the other paladins were fiercely protective of Pidge, and seeing her with someone in any capacity was jarring.
 
More people walked over then, and Keith grimaced.  It was Krolia and a few of his fellow Blades, who were dressed in their interpretation of human dance party attire.  Watching his furry companions walk up in button-downs and shorts was always a little unsettling. They looked like fraternity brothers that moonlighted as purple werewolves.
 
Krolia figured it out a little more, and was wearing a shining and sweeping jumper that fell around her lanky and tall frame prettily.  They rarely saw her in anything but her uniform and sleeping clothes, so Keith was excited to see his mother dressed up. They were going to have so much fun.
 
The door opened then, and Lance and Coran popped their heads into the hall, opening the double doors and gesturing towards the dance floor.  “Welcome, one and all!”
 
It was a mad dash to get outside.  Shiro was the first one out, his eyes wide as he pulled Curtis along with him.  There was a DJ booth propped on the “stage”, with a Bi Boh Bi DJ starting his first track.  There were glittering, color-changing lights floating all around, and a few bar stations set up around the edges.  There were high-top tables further out towards the back, too, with little candies and party favors.
 
There was something unexpected there, however, as there were a few humans who were standing by the DJ booth.  Shiro didn’t recognize them, and was confused why they were allowed in separately than the rest of the party.
 
Coran quickly turned on the mic and the Bi Boh Bi turned down the music.  “Hello, everyone! This year we’ll be trying something fun and new! There will be a few short dance lessons going on before we officially open up the dance floor.  We have all styles here tonight, so no matter what you’ll get to learn something new!”
 
It was a good idea, Shiro realized.  A lot of their alien friends were confused by the concept of human dancing, and just tried to do their best.  Though many had picked it up over the years, it couldn’t help to do a quick refresher course.
 
They were quickly arranged, and Lance was moving through the crowd, seeking someone out when his gaze fell on Keith, who was milling around and eyeing the dance instructors with quiet suspicion.
 
When Lance saw what Keith was wearing, his step stuttered to a stop before he took a deep breath and continued towards him.  He was doing his best to ignore the way Keith’s chest rippled under the mesh shirt, and finally Keith saw him approaching and a smile that could light up the universe split across his face.
 
Lance’s heart flipped over as he approached, their eye contact unbroken.
 
“Would you like to dance?” Lance asked with dramatic flair, bowing and holding out his hand, and Keith’s face softened to something sweet but also uncertain.
 
“You can’t complain about my dancing, though, Lance.  I have two left feet,” Keith still took Lance’s hand without hesitation, but was waiting for Lance to reassure him.
 
“I’m assuming that’s a yes,” Lance trilled happily.
 
The blue eyes meeting his were illuminated on all sides by the floating crystals.  The sun was also finally starting to set and splashing the sky in purples and oranges, all of which was collected in Lance’s irises.
 
Keith gulped as Lance bumped his shoulder companionably.  “This is about having fun for my birthday, mullet. We can just smile and laugh our way through it.”
 
The lesson went about as well as could be expected, and soon the sun had fully set and the lights were turned up, the field illuminated with flashing and brilliant hues, the music turning up into a steady and heavy bass that echoed in the hearts of everyone dancing and laughing together.
 
After the lesson Keith went to go grab a drink while Lance went over to goofily dance with his cousins.  He saw Krolia at a table, watching the mass of moving humans with interest.
 
Keith grabbed two champagne drinks that were bubbling and pink and made his way over to his mother, placing one on the table for her.
 
“These human mating rituals are so conservative, don’t you think?”
 
It was a good thing that Keith had managed to swallow his mouthful of drink before Krolia spoke, clearing his throat and asking, “What?”
 
“Well, you know that the Galra do things differently.  You always avoid Daibazaal clubs and parties, so I guess you wouldn’t know.  You only go to formal galas for political events.”
 
Keith raised his eyebrow.  “I’ve never even heard of a Galra club.”
 
“They’re so alive,” Krolia’s eyes shone.  “The dancing is animalistic. Here it’s just touching and soulful looks, but there people would publically mate on the dance floor,” she sounded wistful, and this time Keith did choke on his drink, clutching his own chest in an effort to breathe.
 
“Um… you’re talking about when you were younger, right?” Keith squeaked, and Krolia laughed like that was a good joke.
 
“Of course, but I still go regularly.  It makes me feel young and helps me unwind.  Just last week I went and met this lovely former general…”
 
Chugging the rest of his drink, Keith excused himself, but Krolia just touched his wrist gently and he turned around before bolting.
 
“I forget how bothered you are talking about mating, but I did want to ask you something.  Did you intend to mate with Lance?”

“Mom!” Keith’s eyes bugged out, looking around and making sure no one had heard her.  She was looking confused at the sudden outburst. “You can’t just say stuff like that so loudly.”
 
“Earth has silly customs,” Krolia grumbled, crossing her arms.  “Well, just make sure that you don’t get him pregnant.”
 
This wasn’t a time for a human anatomy lesson, Keith decided as he ran his hands roughly through his own hair in embarrassment.  “Yeah, sure, mom.”

She beamed as he walked away, mortified.
 
When Keith returned to the dance floor, he made his way towards Lance and his cousins, who were all taking jello shots off of a platter that Hunk had brought over.  Keith plucked his own up, and they all took them together, cheering after each of them swallowed the sweet goo.
 
“Yeah, Keith is here!” Hunk cheered, throwing an arm around Keith happily, “Keith is here and he’s single and free!”
 
Hunk must have had a few of those shots on his own, so Keith went along with it.  “Yeah, Hunk, single and ready to mingle.”
 
At that his eyes bugged out.  “Let’s find you someone to dance with!”
 
Blinking, Keith looked over at Lance, who was also slightly panicked and met his gaze.  The two of them moved towards each other unthinkingly until Hunk’s eyes widened and he shook his head with a little smile on his face.
 
“Never mind, then.”
 
Lance and Keith stopped short next to each other, looking like they were caught in the act of doing something far less innocent than moving towards each other to dance.  
 
The dance floor was packed to the brim of people jumping and swaying in groups and partners, and soon everyone was laughing and dancing and singing along to the lyrics that played on a screen behind the DJ booth.  Keith and Lance were next to each other, but they were all dancing together. Hunk pulled Lance into a false tango, and Lance’s cousins all took turns dancing in the center of their group circle with laughs and howls from the others.
 
Lance had been swept off by some old school friends, but Keith was still having a blast with the group.
 
After a bit Keith was pulled in with Lance’s cousin Fern, who brought him in close, so close that Keith’s breath caught and he felt his whole body warm up.  The alcohol was starting to flood his brain, and he was drifting a little bit in a blissfully tipsy state when Fern leaned in and kissed Keith gently.
 
It wasn’t demanding or even hungry, just a quick peck followed by him spinning Keith in the circle and passing him off to Lance’s cousin Penny, who pulled her to him and stared at Fern with a falsely shocked look.  “Fern, how could you? He’s just a poor, straight baby.”
 
“Straight my ass,” Keith grumbled unhappily, fighting to get out of Penny’s hold and then moving back towards Fern.  Keith had never felt like this before, like the kiss started an itch under his skin that he couldn’t get away from. It wasn’t even a deep kiss, and they weren’t even touching much.  Fern was tall and lean, and Keith was drawn back by his knowing but kind smile.
 
When their lips met again, Keith leaned further into the kiss, sighing.  Yeah, he was pretty fucking sure now. Acxa had never made his chest lighter.  Her arms didn’t make his skin tingle the way Fern’s did wrapping around his waist playfully.
 
He broke off suddenly, Fern and him smiling before Keith remembered something.
 
“Shit, I’ll be back!”
 
Shrugging, Fern went back to dancing with Penny, the two of them whispering.
 
Keith completely missed Lance, who had seen the kiss and was standing still, stunned.  The birthday boy was being surrounded by his friends from school growing up. They all knew the same songs that Lance did, so their sing-along was intense and full of fist-bumping and wild dance moves.  
 
Lance continued to dance but his mind was skipping like a record, off track and spiraling quickly.  Keith had kissed his cousin. Fern was a flirt, not unlike Lance himself, and Keith and him had kissed.  It wasn’t even nine at night yet and Lance had already watched Keith kiss someone else.
 
It roiled something dark and unnamable in Lance’s gut, enough that his stomach turned and he almost felt sick.  He excused himself from the group, who all pouted and encouraged him to hurry back.
 
When Lance got to the house he went right for the bathroom in the front hall and locked the door, sliding down the wall with his hair bunched up in his fists.  What was wrong with him? He had just barely even realized that he might have feelings for Keith, he had no right to be jealous, and yet tears were threatening in his eyes.  He’d wanted to push Fern off of Keith, he’d wanted to take him away somewhere private and keep him to himself, but… that wasn’t like Lance.
 
There were footsteps in the hall then, and Lance gulped, trying to calm himself down in case the person wanted to use the bathroom.  He heard two voices pass him, and recognized Keith immediately. The other one made Lance freeze. Was that Rosalie?!
 
Poking his head out the door, he watched them enter one of the many sitting rooms, and he felt like a creep but the curiosity was killing him.  Lance snuck up behind them, settling against the wall just outside of the door to the room he’d watched them retreat into.
 
Rosalie was telling Keith all about the movie before she said, “Have you figured it out yet?”
 
There was a low chuckle.  “I told you I’d tell you, didn’t I?”
 
“You did,” she agreed with a level of conviction that made Lance tilt his head in confusion.
 
“Well, I just kissed Fern, so I think I’m definitely gay.”

Holy shit.

There was a sound eerily like a high-five that made Lance want to snort, but he held it in so as not to get caught.
 
“Are you going to kiss Lance, now?”
 
There was a moment’s silence before a nervous voice came back with, “I’m not sure he wants to kiss me.”

Holy SHIT!

There was a shuffling of feet, and Keith continued, “He’s never talked to me about liking guys before.  Sure he’s dated aliens of questionable genders, but never

human

guys.  I’m just worried that if I kiss him and he doesn’t like it that our friendship will be ruined.  I really love having him in my life.”
 
That couldn’t be Keith in there, Lance thought frantically.  Keith wasn’t that expressive. He barely put more than a few words together at a time.  He didn’t analyze his place in the lives of his friends, and he definitely never talked so openly to any of the paladins.
 
Somehow his little cousin got Keith, the champion of emotional constipation, to open up.
 
Lance made a note to ask the little girl for pointers as he swallowed and bolted back outside, the new information making the knot in his gut start to loosen.
 
After a little while Keith made his way back over, but Lance intercepted him, pulling him off to the side where they were more alone.
 
Keith’s eyes widened.  “Hey, what’s up?”
 
“I wanted to ask you something.  Coran and I were planning on having the champagne toast and confetti cannons at midnight, but we were thinking of adding something else.”
 
Lance’s smooth and confident demeanor was shining through here, even though internally he was losing his shit.  Keith cocked his head to the side adorably, looking up at Lance with interest. “Anything I can do to help?”
 
“Yeah, actually,” and Lance leaned forward until their nose was centimeters apart.  Keith’s eyes went wide with shock but he didn’t back away. Instead the other man was searching Lance’s eyes frantically.
 
In a much quieter voice, Lance muttered, “I wanted a midnight kiss.  I was hoping that would be you.”
 
The warm breath that tingled against Keith’s lips made him shiver.  
 
It was like Lance was toeing a cliff’s edge with his hand out waiting for Keith.  He was in suspended animation, waiting to see if Keith would admit what he wanted, waiting to see if Keith would step up to the ledge with him.
 
“You’d want that?” Keith’s expression was slowly turning into something vulnerable or even hopeful, which filled Lance’s heart with longing and excitement and he decided that they could take the leap.
 
“I want you.”
 
A dam broke, and where Lance had been leaning in for a kiss, Keith shook his head suddenly, grabbing Lance’s hand.
 
“Come with me.”
 
The alcohol was making both their heads swim, and Keith was bringing Lance off the dance floor and into the long line of tents and ships, mostly abandoned and quiet, the music drifting slightly.  Keith opened a hatch on the ship that the Galra group had come in, and Lance followed him in a daze.
 
This was unreal.  This had to be some sort of dream, some sort of hallucination.  Maybe Hunk had put some birthday drugs in one of his drinks or something?  Maybe Keith was playing a prank, or he just wanted to show Lance something on the ship.
 
That idea was quashed once the door closed and Keith was on him in a second, holding his shoulders tenderly.  Keith’s face was almost reverent with how he looked Lance over, his hands sliding all over Lance’s body and leaving electricity in its wake.
 
Lance leaned in for a kiss, but Keith put one fingers on his lip.  “I thought I was your midnight kiss?”
 
“Dude, we don’t have to wait…” Lance said hurriedly around the finger, desperation building in his stomach.  He couldn’t be gone from the party for too long or people would notice. He wanted to know where Keith was going with this.
 
Instead, Keith kept his finger firmly on Lance’s lips and leaned forward, pressing his lips to the tip of Lance’s nose.  The other man was stunned, hands shaking as Keith then pressed a kiss to his right cheek, eyes heavily lidded as he passed back over his nose and pressed a kiss to his left cheek.
 
A blush was spreading over Lance’s face.  This was a level of tenderness that he’d never seen Keith show.  In fact, this was a level of tenderness that Lance had never felt before, period.  An overwhelming and unexpected wave of relief washed over him, like he’d been holding his breath for far too long and could finally breathe again.
 
Tears started to flood into Lance’s eyes, and he went to wipe them away but Keith shook his head and pressed kisses to the falling drops, licking down his cheek until he bit gently at Lance’s pulse point.  Lance let out a breathy gasp at the feeling of his teeth there, making him shiver and try to pull himself together.
 
“Keith…” Lance breathed against Keith’s finger, but the other man just shook his head again and dropped to his knees.
 
The sight made Lance’s breath catch.  “Oh, fuck,” he mumbled as Keith looked up at him through long eyelashes and heavily lidded eyes.
 
“Happy birthday, Lance,” Keith whispered, “Can I give you a present early?”
 
The implication was clear, so Lance muttered with a gravelly voice, “Yes, please.”
 
“I want to do this for you,” Keith looked up earnestly now, a little bit of nerves peeking through, “I want to, but I’ve never done this before.  I might not be good at it.”
 
Lance felt his heart clench in adoration at the honesty on Keith’s face.  “It’s you, Keith. Of course it will be good.”
 
The words fell between the two of them, heated and dripping with deeper meaning.  In that weighted silence Keith carefully opened Lance’s zipper and started pulling down the pants.
 
“These are too tight,” Keith muttered with annoyance, “How do you breathe in these?”
 
“It’s a fashion statement, Keith,” Lance smiled down at the boy who had finally slid his half-hard duck out of his pants.
 
Keith began with a tentative widening of his mouth and leaning forward to brush his lips against the tip.  Lance restrained himself from telling Keith what to do or being too rough for fear that the other man would run away.
 
Then Keith’s tongue shot out and licked at the slit, and Lance felt his legs shiver violently with pleasure.
 
“Fuck,” Lance breathed.  There was part of him that wanted to urge Keith to get the show on the road so that he could get back to the party, but there was a much bigger part of him that was just so stunned that this was even happening at all.
 
After a few licks Keith widened his mouth further and slid down Lance’s shaft.  He was being conservative and careful, but his hot mouth was still driving Lance crazy.
 
His whole body was heating up, now.  The way that Keith was dressed that day was unreal.  His shirt was barely even a shirt, and as he looked up at Lance from beneath his long lashes Lance swore that he would remember this exact moment until the day he died.
 
Then, with his violet eyes heavily lidded and staring directly into Lance’s soul, Keith dove as far down as he could go.  
 
Lance choked on his own gasp as Keith choked on Lance’s dick, but he didn’t back down.  Instead he just readjusted, his tongue following his lips and swirling dangerously over the shaft.
 
“Ah!  Keith just like that…” Lance breathed, his head falling back against the wall of the ship.  
 
Keith seemed to take that as encouragement, because he started ducking his head, pulling back just enough on Lance for him to whimper at the loss, and then diving back down farther and farther each time.  Eventually Keith managed to take Lance down completely, without his previous gag reflex. Just when Lance thought he was done for, though, Keith closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, moaning at the smell.
 
It was almost embarrassing that Lance started to crest on the wave of orgasm at that, but he felt the inevitable tug in his gut and the lightheaded white-out before he groaned and muttered, “Keith, I’m going to come.  If you want to…”
 
However, Lance’s chivalry was cut short when Keith just pulled Lance halfway into his mouth and sucked eagerly.  He orgasmed with a spasm of his hips, and came down Keith’s throat.
 
In the haze afterward, Lance felt himself getting tucked back into his pants.  Then he slid down the wall, feeling hands stroking his face tenderly.
 
“I didn’t realize you were one of those guys who fell asleep after they came,” Keith teased, and Lance flung his hands out to bat at him gently.
 
“No, ‘t was jus’ good,” Lance mumbled, feeling out for Keith to slump against him lazily.  “So fucking good.”
 
There was a rumble in Keith’s chest as he ran his hands through Lance’s hair.  “We have to get back to the party, Lance,” Keith chided, but there was no urgency in his voice.
 
Sighing, Lance pulled away, nodding groggily.  “Right, I have to be a host.”
 
Keith hummed in acknowledgement.  
 
“Wait,” Lance finally opened his eyes.  His eyes ran over Keith’s red and swollen lips before he whispered, “I need to do you.”
 
Keith’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t even considered that a possibility, and then he shook his head, standing and helping Lance up off the floor.  “Raincheck? Like you said, you have a party to host.”
 
The two of them were now at eye level, faces close enough for them to question why there was any distance at all.  
 
“Yeah,” Lance swallowed, gaze flicking between Keith’s lustful eyes and his swollen lips, “I just… you’re still going to kiss me at midnight, right?”
 
The tension was broken by Keith’s face splitting into a grin before he descended into laughter.  Lance joined in, and soon they were both hugging and holding each other up, laughing hysterically.
 
“If you still want me.  We’ll have to get back out to the party eventually in order to… holy shit!” Keith was looking at his phone with eyes bugging out, “We have ten minutes!”
 
Then they were running.
 
By time they got up to the DJ booth to meet Coran for the final midnight preparations, the two of them had no time to contemplate or prepare or get scared before the confetti cannons were readied and the champagne was passed out to everyone.  Lance pulled Keith onto the stage with the most honest and affectionate gaze, and they were both breathing heavily and grinning like idiots as the countdown started.
 
“Five!”
 
Lance’s hand tightened on Keith’s.
 
“Four!”
 
Someone that sounded eerily like Pidge whistled at them from the crowd.
 
“Three!”
 
Keith’s face suddenly softened from a giggly smile to something more vulnerable that made Lance reach out and brush his thumb across Keith’s face.
 
“Two!”
 
At the touch, Keith’s other hand came up to brush against Lance’s as it cradled his face.
 
“One!  Happy birthday!”
 
Midnight came with Lance’s eyes glinting with raw excitement as he used his hand to guide Keith’s lips to his.  There was a tentative initiation before Keith pulled Lance’s hand from his face and surged forward to wrap his arms around Lance’s shoulders.  
 
The kiss deepened as the crowd screamed, confetti swirling dizzyingly around the couple as everything fell away.
 
Even through the massive explosion of strobe lights and the roar of the crowd and the way the beat dropped just as their lips met, Lance and Keith only recognized each other.
 
When they pulled apart, Keith grinned so widely that it looked physically painful.  “Happy birthday Lance.”
 
“I’m happy that I finally got what I’ve been asking for,” Lance asserted confidently, and watched Keith’s face go from giddy to shock and then finally settling on bashful.
 
Instead of answering, Keith kissed him again.
 
The rest of the night was a blur.  They made their way back to the dance floor.  At one point Hunk started to horde all the appetizers and hide them at his table, and so in retaliation Pidge and Keith attacked his stash and passed them out to all the super drunk party goers still dancing their hearts out at two in the morning.
 
By three in the morning Lance was trashed, and Keith and Veronica were holding Lance up on both sides, walking him slowly up to his room.
 
“Veronica why are you coming?  I want to be alone with Keith,” Lance whined loudly into the quiet dewy air, and Keith blushed furiously.
 
“Nothing is happening Lance.  You’re drunk. I’m going to tuck you in and then go stay on my ship.”
 
Veronica raised an eyebrow, a mischievous look on her face.  “You don’t have to do anything. It’s nice to have a cuddle buddy.  Also, it’s Lance’s birthday, remember?”
 
Keith sighed inwardly.  Apparently no matter who it was in Lance’s family, they were born to be a wingman.
 
They were just outside of Lance’s room now, and Veronica let them in.  They stumbled over to the bed, and Keith and Veronica wrestled Lance out of his tight pants and suspenders.  After that the real challenge was to get Lance, who kept wiggling out of their grasp, into sleeping pants before Lance collapsed into the bed and his arms wrapped around Keith possessively, pulling him down next to him.
 
Keith flailed, and looked over at Veronica for help, who just whistled and ignored him.  “Goodnight boys!”
 
“There will be no forgiveness for this!” Keith hissed viciously, and then Veronica turned off the lights and Keith’s back was curled up to Lance’s front, all his exhaustion from the day catching up to him.
 
Soon they were both floating around in their own dreamlands.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Lance was tangled in something warm.  There was a blanket, and pillows, and something else.  Maybe he’d turned his heated blanket on in the night?
 
Except suddenly the blanket twitched.
 
Lance swallowed, uncertain as he tried to feel out the strange creature.  He was holding out hope that it was a dog, or one of his clingy younger cousins.  His body was draped across it, and Lance managed to feel out that it appeared to be a chest.
 
Curiously he poked at the chest looking for squishiness, and didn’t immediately get thrown across the room.  Those clues combined led him to believe that is was a dude.
 
His eyes were still closed as his fingers danced delicately across strong arms that led down to calloused hands.  Then he traced backwards and trailed along his arms until he was barely brushing the person’s neck. His fingers were nothing more than a flutter or butterfly wings.
 
When he got to the face, Lance felt carefully along the strong jawline, poking at the nose and then accidentally getting his thumb caught in a pout on the mysterious stranger’s lips.
 
Sitting up with a start, Lance realized that he had been feeling at Keith, who looked mildly amused if a little flustered.
 
“Why were you poking at my nipple?”
 
Lance instantly colored, backing a little farther up so that Keith could sit up with him.  “I didn’t realize it was your nipple. I was making sure you were a dude.”
 
“Astute observation.”
 
“Shut up.”
 
“You don’t remember last night?”
 
The memory was still fresh on Lance’s lips and the hot trails along his body.  He knew he couldn’t forget the way that they had touched. “I remember up until that one shot that Coran prepared for us.  It was on fire I think. Then everything else is a blur.”
 
The heartbreakingly fond smile that danced across Keith’s face in the soft morning light made Lance feel lightheaded.  “That was at 2:30. We left before 3. Veronica and I helped you up here.”
 
“Wow, super embarrassing,” Lance admitted, but he was also grinning.  “Guess what, Keith?”
 
Keith’s brow furrowed.  “What?”
 
“You like meeeeee,” Lance sing-singed, poking Keith in the ribs playfully.
 
Keith squealed like a little girl at the touch, and both of them froze for a moment as a realization dawned over Lance’s face.
 
“You’re ticklish,” he said in awe.
 
“Don’t you dare,” Keith deadpanned.
 
“But it’s my birthdayyyyy!”
 
Lance knew that his puppy dog eyes could move mountains and enslave nations, so it was expected when Keith’s eyes narrowed but he relented.
 
“For a few seconds only, you got it?”
 
“Yup, a few minutes only.”
 
“Wait…”
 
It was too late though.  Lance had already tackled Keith back, attacking his stomach with vigor.  Keith’s body reacted with spasms of laughter and discomfort, and he writhed around trying to throw Lance off of him.  
 
“Stop it Lance!  You’re so immature!”
 
Lance was having the time of his life and completely ignored Keith’s pleas.  The sight before him was too beautiful. He needed to savor it as long as possible.  The way Keith’s face was scrunched up in a begrudging smile, the way Keith’s eyes sparkled with hysteria, the way his cheeks colored gorgeously in the dawn light flooding in from Lance’s window…
 
“Seriously Lance!” Keith wheezed.
 
“Make me,” Lance taunted.
 
It only took a second, and Lance only felt the distinct sensation of being toppled over and then pinned to the bed.  Keith’s hands were bracketed Lance’s head, his wily wrists pinned safely against the sea salt scented sheets.
 
The look on Keith’s face was half amused and half feral, and Lance was struck for a moment by the way that one side of Keith’s smile went just a little higher than the other.  He’d never been close enough to notice, he guessed. Now he couldn’t imagine Keith any other way.
 
Both of their faces melted into something soft and intimate, something that was caught and cradled in the early morning haze that they were floating in.
 
Lance swallowed, but his voice was still hoarse when he repeated, “Make me, Keith.”
 
The name “Keith” was so choked that Keith had to lean forward, as if to make sure that Lance could breathe, just to discover the sensation of Lance’s breath rushing past his own lips.
 
It might have been an odd thought, but Lance was certain of its truth as Keith caught his lips in a kiss.
 
Lance hadn’t known what the word tender really meant until that second.  Lance hadn’t truly known the warm caress of love until Keith’s thumb rubbed reassuringly across Lance’s palm.
 
“Is this a dream?” Lance found himself asking, and Keith pulled back a bit, bemused.
 
“Why do you think it’s a dream?”
 
Lance’s breath stuttered for a second, and he struggled to come up with a coherent answer.  Eventually he just told Keith the truth. “I never thought that I’d get to have this with you.  It has to be a dream.”
 
Gnawing at his lip for a second, Keith then perked up and leaned back a bit so that he was straddling Lance’s lap.  Then he brought Lance’s left hand towards his chest with reverence.
 
Then he proceeded to pinch it harshly.
 
Squeaking, Lance yelled, “What the hell, Keith?”
 
“I just pinched you.  It’s not a dream, Lance,” Keith’s voice was just as disbelieving as Lance himself.  “If it is, I don’t want to wake up.”
 
Lance rolled his eyes at the cliche, but it wasn’t heartfelt.  They were still trapped in each other’s gazes.
 
With a huff, Lance surged upwards impatiently and captured Keith’s lips into a biting, punishing kiss, wrapping his hands greedily around Keith’s torso, feeling up every muscle and rib and exposed stretch of skin.
 
Keith had shed his party outfit in the night, apparently, because he was suddenly pressing his almost completely naked body against Lance’s.
 
Quickly Lance pressed Keith back so that they were battling for dominance on their knees, and Lance really did think this was a dream.  Never in his whole life has he had someone touch him the way Keith was. It was like Keith was memorizing each plane and freckle and scar, his hands searching but not hungry.
 
Then Keith’s hand dipped lower, fingers dipping beneath Lance’s briefs and starting to feel at the flesh of his ass.
 
That was when Lance’s eyes widened and he snapped back with far too much energy for this early in the morning.
 
“Keith, come here,” Lance said determinedly, and Keith was still too docile in the early hour to argue too much as he was arranged to sit on the side of the bed.
 
Then Lance fell to his knees in front of Keith, and if Keith was still sleepy a moment ago he was certainly awake now.
 
“Lance?” his voice was pitchy and nervous, but Lance was gently parting Keith’s legs so that he could crawl up closer to his crotch.
 
“I never got to open one of the presents you got me,” Lance said without hesitation, looking up at Keith with false innocence as he leaned forward and breathed hotly on Keith’s quickly stiffening cock.
 
Lance was pleasantly surprised when Keith didn’t move to cover himself or deny Lance this moment of control.  “You’re right. I think now is a good time.”
 
Now Lance was in the zone, head swimming with desire and giddiness but also goofiness.  “Should I try to guess what it is? I can feel around the package.”
 
If Keith was nervous before, it dissipated quickly to leave behind something familiar and mildly annoyed.  “Yeah you can,” Keith affirmed, but then caught himself and added, “If you can guess what it is I’ll give you a treat.”
 
Trying to maintain a straight face during their little game, Lance shuffled forward a little more and brought his hands up.  He massaged tentatively against the front of Keith’s briefs, trying to get an idea of the length and girth of what would very soon be in his mouth.
 
The idea had Lance shiver with anticipation.
 
“Hmm, it feels thick,” Lance noted, fighting back the smile in order to appear contemplative, “Maybe it’s a roll of cookie dough?”
 
Keith choked on his laughter, but quickly was silenced when Lance’s thumb pressed teasingly against the head.
 
“Nope, it can’t be cookie dough.  Cookie dough doesn’t make you whimper like that.”
 
“It wasn’t a whimper,” Keith defended with a growl.
 
Lance ignored him.  “I wonder what else could be so thick and stiff in your underwear…”
 
“I’m going to kill you,” Keith hissed quietly.
 
“Don’t break character,” Lance responded just as quietly, “It’s my birthday.”
 
With a stubborn sigh, Keith said, “Do you have another guess?”
 
“I don’t know.  I feel like… I want to taste it to be sure.  Can I unwrap my present, daddy?”
 
Keith almost darted from the bed, only held still by Lance’s hands secured firmly around his cock.  “No, nope, no way! Daddy kink is where I draw the line!”
 
Lance was dying of laughter, his forehead leaning against Keith’s thigh as he muttered, “I was just messing with you, sorry, this is way too fun.”
 
“Shut up.”
 
Apparently Lance took this as a challenge, because within seconds Keith was being pulled out of his briefs and Lance’s mouth was only an inch from the head of his cock.
 
Lance was suddenly unprepared.  Despite all his teasing, he was nervous.  He’d had sex with men before, but… none of them were someone he cared so much for.  None of them were Keith.
 
What if he fucked this up?  What if he wasn’t good at it, and all the other guys had been lying?
 
What if what if what if…
 
A finger traced along Lance’s cheekbone then and caressed down his face.  Keith was watching him with something that made all the worries start to unravel in Lance’s mind.  “Hey, are you sure?”
 
As the worries dissipated, Lance felt a carnal hunger start to seize him.  Lance wanted to do this. He wanted to taste Keith and make the other man moan and writhe and shiver.  Lance wanted that kind of control, and he wanted to be able to return the favor from yesterday.
 
So with a solidified resolve Lance leaned forward and licked at the underside, then encircled the head with his lips and swirled his tongue eagerly.
 
Keith whined, something very unlike him, and Lance grinned around Keith’s cock.
 
This was going to be

fun

.
 
Lance decided that his new goal was to elicit every kind of sound from Keith.  He wanted all the whimpers and whines, all the mewls and rough grunts.
 
Lance didn’t just want Keith to be with him on his birthday, he realized.  Lance wanted Keith all the time. Lance wanted more than just the sounds from sex.  
 
He wanted early morning and late evening yawns.  He wanted the contented sigh as they settled into bed at night.  Suddenly Lance was overwhelmed with the idea of Keith’s moans while he ate something delicious, or his frustrated grunt when Lance was being annoying.  He wanted all of them. He wanted each sound packaged and stored in his mind, wanted them to play as a symphony, one to help lull Lance to sleep.
 
The thought was suddenly terrifying and magical at the same time.
 
However, that thought was quickly dismissed in favor of another distraction: Lance licked farther down Keith cock and tasted something

incredible.

He hummed, unsure what else to do as the sweet, addicting taste spread over his tongue and sent his brain into a dizzying focus.  It was suddenly very, very, very important that Lance get as much of that stuff inside of him as possible.
 
So he took Keith all in one go, and he felt himself whimper this time as his mouth was filled with the sticky, thick taste of Keith.  It was like his cock was leaking syrup, or crack, or maybe both. Lance’s face warmed up, as did the rest of his body. His arms suddenly hooked under Keith’s thighs so that his hands were grasping the other man’s ass. Keith gasped in surprise but didn’t complain, because now Lance was deepthroating Keith like his life depended on it.
 
His focus narrowed to this one thing.  What was Lance trying to do before? It didn’t matter.  Lance needed as much of that liquid as he could swallow.  His stomach was still pleasantly warming and twisting, aching for more.
 
It ended too quickly with Keith cursing and bucking forward a few times, putty in Lance’s arms as he comes down his throat.
 
Lance licked up every drop, kissing and nipping at Keith’s softening cock until he was pleasantly buzzing but still craving more.
 
He couldn’t… suck Keith’s dick again so soon, could he?  No, that would be ludicrous. Insanity, even. They both needed to get up.  Lance needed to assist his aunts and Hunk with preparations for brunch. They had two chefs coming in that needed to be directed where to set up.
 
Yet, Lance couldn’t seem to remove himself from the position of hovering over Keith’s magical dick.
 
“Lance?” Keith asked with a hum, and the other man looked up when called.  “That was incredible. You were incredible.”
 
The dopey smile on Keith’s face made Lance forget about what had just happened and released Keith from his hold, coming up to tackle him back onto the mattress with a firm hug and a kiss to his collarbone.
 
“I’ve been wanting to suck your dick for years, now, so you really did me a favor here.”
 
Keith froze underneath Lance, but he refused to meet Keith’s violet eyes as he muttered, “You just… I thought you were straight.  You were straight, until… well, I didn’t realize that you were even a possibility for me.”
 
“Well, I am,” Keith reassured, and Lance was shocked to feel a kiss to the swirl of hairline.  “I’m so fucking happy right now.”
 
Chuckling, Lance asked, “Seriously, who are you?  The Keith I know wouldn’t have been able to say something so cheesy.”
 
“Well, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me, apparently,” Keith responded gently.
 
There was a moment of silence before Lance whispered, “Let’s change that.”

***

When Lance and Keith walked hand in hand to the kitchen where they were all busy heating up and putting finishing touches on the food, almost all of Lance’s relatives gasped.
 
“I can’t believe it!  I should have believed you, Hunk!” Lance’s mom said with a huge smile.  “They finally got together!”
 
Both Lance and Keith said together, with equal amounts of surprise, “Finally?!”
 
Shay snorted behind Mrs. McClain, piling cut up watermelon onto a serving platter.  “You guys have been dancing around each other for as long as I’ve known you.”
 
“That’s… I wasn’t even sure I was gay until yesterday!” Keith was incredibly frustrated that his coming out had apparently been unnecessary.  It was supposed to be his thing! It was supposed to be a big moment, but apparently he was the last one to the party.
 
Lance’s aunt raised an eyebrow.  “Wait, they weren’t dating this whole time?  He comes to every family holiday. I just assumed…”
 
There it was, though.
 
Keith and Lance looked at each other for a moment before looking away, embarrassed but also…
 
Keith and Lance texted all the time, and talked on the phone.  Keith came for every family holiday. Once he was thinking about it, it was no wonder him and Acxa never felt real.
 
All this time he had feelings for someone else.
 
“It looks like the lightbulbs are clicking on,” Hunk observed enthusiastically, handing them both cups of coffee, “Now have your revelations while helping with the place settings outside.”
 
The two of them were booted from the kitchen and out into the yard, dumbfounded as they both clutched their coffees for dear life.
 
A few of Lance’s cousins, including Fern and Lilia, were busy unpacking silverware and plates from large boxes.  Veronica and Luis were setting up chafing dishes. When Fern caught their eye, he waved. “Come help! We’re drowning in fine china!”
 
It was clear that everyone trudging around the yard was a little sluggish.  Most of the cousins had stayed out until 3 AM like the two of them. Keith and Lance quickly started to take direction from Lance’s uncle Ambrose.  After a little bit Keith was helping Lance’s uncle unwrap the dishes that were packed with thick tissue paper and bubble wrap to prevent breaking.
 
“So, where are you from, Keith?”
 
Oh, no.  Keith hated small talk.  It was his worst enemy, along with bunnies, the color pink, and his mother’s tendency to not understand boundaries.
 
Keith had been getting better at being sociable in the previous years, but that didn’t mean that he liked it.  He was just better at it.
 
“Uh… I grew up in Texas?” Keith responded.  He wasn’t sure why it came out like a question.  In fact, Keith didn’t know what was going on anymore.  
 
“You’re not sure if you grew up in Texas?”
 
Balking, Keith corrected himself, “No, I definitely grew up in Texas, sir.”
 
“Interesting,” Ambrose handed off a pile of the unwrapped china to Lilia, who was smirking at Keith with evil glee as he continued, “I feel like I’ve met you so many times but haven’t really gotten a chance to get to know you.”
 
The realization hit Keith like a freight train.
 
He was getting vetted.
 
“I know that you work in intergalactic relief efforts.  Tell me about your work? Does it pay well?”
 
The plate almost dropped with how hard Keith’s heart was pounding.  “Oh, um, it doesn’t pay, but the Blades makes sure that we are taken care of.”
 
“Blades?” he asked, eyebrow raising.  “That sounds dangerous, son.”
 
Swallowing, Keith tried to continue to unwrap even though his fingers were shaking with nerves.  “It can be, but I’m really good at it.”
 
“Well, surely if you and Lance settle down you’ll give that life up.”
 
That time Keith did drop the plate back into the box.  Luckily, it was still mostly wrapped. A mixture of fear and anger was swirling in his brain. “Pardon?”
 
Ambrose ignored Keith’s tone.  “I just mean that you can’t leave Lance for weeks at a time not knowing where you are or if you’re alive.  That seems cruel.”
 
His heart was jackhammering as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned in relief to see Veronica.  “Hey Uncle Ambrose, mind if we borrow Keith? He’s needed to carry some of the food dishes out to the serving tables.”
 
Ambrose narrowed his eyes, mustache scrunching up with uncertainty.  “Alright, I guess. We can continue our conversation later, Keith.”
 
Nope, Keith would be avoiding Uncle Ambrose like the plague.
 
“I figured I’d spare you.  Ambrose is a paranoid man and is always freaking out new significant others in the family” she winked conspiratorially, “Didn’t want you to run away.”
 
Relieved, Keith shrugged.  “I don’t think I would have run, but I’m definitely going to keep plenty of space between us for the rest of the day.”
 
Veronica hummed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she continued towards the house.
 
“We all just want Lance to be happy,” Veronica admitted softly, giving him a once over, “He deserves someone that’s going to take care of him the way that he would to them.  Lance jumps into everything with both feet. I need to know that he won’t be alone with his feelings.”
 
Alarm bells were going off in Keith’s head.  He had just jumped from the frying pan into the fryer.
 
When they got into the kitchen, Keith saw that Lance’s mom was struggling to slice up a cantaloupe, and in a desperate attempt to save himself from further questioning he offered to help with it.
 
Veronica made the two finger “I’m watching you” motion as she went back outside with her trays.
 
“Keith, I’m so happy that you’re here.  Lance is always in such a good mood with you around.”
 
See, this isn’t dangerous.  Mrs. McClain was a sweet, doting mother
 
The two of them worked quietly with the music Hunk was blasting giving them a pace to slice to.  When they were done with the cantaloupe, Hunk needed help with mixing crepe batter, and Keith was busy whipping it up.
 
“You know, Keith, I’ve known you for a few years now.  You’ve always been with that Acxa girl.”
 
The glass bowl in Keith’s hands was the only thing stopping him from dropping it and bolting. He went to put the bowl down, but Hunk complained, “Dude, I need that batter like yesterday!  You can’t leave!”
 
Mrs. McClain’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Keith gulped and continued mixing, accepting his fate.
 
“Yeah, Acxa and I were together for a while.”
 
“How do I know that you aren’t just using my son?  How do I know that you won’t dump him as easily as you did her?”
 
Swallowing, Keith took a deep breath and muttered, “Honestly, I can’t guarantee anything.  We haven’t really spoken about what we are to each other yet. It’s been less than twelve hours,” his avoidance just made the protective mother’s face drop into something much scarier, so he continued hastily, “but there’s no comparison between the two of them.”
 
At that her eyebrow quirked, shifting her weight to her other foot.  “Meaning?”
 
That was when butterflies started kicking up in Keith’s chest.  “I, uh… never mind, forget I said anything…”
 
Someone must have been watching over him, because at that moment Pidge poked her head into the kitchen, looking frazzled.  “Hey Keith, quick! They need us to grab some decorations from the attic!”
 
Keith dropped the finished mixture on the counter to Hunk’s delight, leaving Mrs. McClain to puzzle after his retreating back.
 
They were halfway up the stairs when Pidge wheeled around on him.  “I know you have a hiding spot in this house. Take me there.”
 
The two of them had always bonded over the respective introverted personalities, and the panic on Pidge’s face could only be caused by too much socialization.  “Follow me.”
 
A few moments later, Pidge and Keith were sneaking past a sleeping Rosalie and climbing up onto Keith’s little hideaway.
 
“I owe you one.  I was getting mobbed down there,” Pidge ran her hand through her short hair, tapping her foot against the shingles.  “Turns out you can’t date a family member without getting completely torn up and analyzed. They say that Lance’s grandmother sends out spies and makes the final call if the significant other can be in the family or not.”
 
Keith’s mind whirled.  “That’s what was happening, then.”
 
“I figured you’d be in the same spot as me,” Pidge dug around in her jacket then, pulling out what looked like two mason jars of orange juice.  “I snuck some of the mimosa mixture so that we could get a break.”
 
The two of them clinked glasses and started sipping the sweet and bubbly drink, watching the sun climb higher into the rapidly brightening sky.  
 
“So, you and Lilia?” Keith asked, feeling obligated to say something.
 
“We don’t have to talk.”
 
“Okay,” Keith backed off, instantly regretting the question and sitting out the next thirty minutes with Pidge on the roof, sipping mimosas and watching the fields yawn into life.
 
“So, you and Lance?”
 
“I thought you didn’t want to talk.”
 
“I’m a scientist, Keith.  Inquiring minds want to know.”
 
They made eye contact, Keith unamused and Pidge smug until finally Keith relented.
 
“It’s not something I expected to happen.  It just did.”
 
She pursed her lips in thought, scrutinizing Keith’s mildly annoyed visage.  “Yeah, that checks out. I guess we’ve all been waiting for it for so long that it’s surreal to actually see it.”
 
Keith just nodded along until he thought back over the words that Pidge had just used, feeling heat encroach on his cheeks.  “What do you mean, waiting for it?!”
 
Chuckling, Pidge took her last sip of mimosa, running the jar between her hands.  “You guys have been vibing for almost as long as Voltron has been a thing. Remember, we all mind meld.  It was clear from the outside that you two had feelings for each other. We just didn’t realize it would take this long.”
 
“Why did everyone else know I was gay before I did!?” Keith squawked, throwing his hands up in the air, “This is bullshit!”
 
“Yeah honestly we were all amazed it took this long.  I figured it out within .2 seconds of seeing the two of you butt heads.”
 
“Thanks for the info, friend,” Keith grumbled, standing up and downing the rest of his mimosa, “I’m going to go be gay somewhere else.”
 
“Have fun, Keith!  Thanks for the hookup for this sweet secret spot.”

***

Lance had been hooking up with Keith for less than twelve hours and he’d already lost the asshole.
 
“Have you seen Keith?” he finally asked his mother, exhausted from wandering the grounds looking for him.
 
“He went upstairs with Pidge,” his mother’s eyes twinkled, “I have to ask, darling: does he make you happy?”
 
Snorting, Lance shook his head, “He does, but we’re still working on it.  Please don’t put him through abuelita's trials. It’ll probably just scare him off.”
 
His mother coughed, twiddling her thumbs.  “Ah, right, you see…”
 
“You didn’t question my potential boyfriend, right?” Lance felt panic mount in his chest.
 
Two strong arms wrapped around Lance’s waist then, and his heart lifted as he felt lips just barely ghost over his neck.  There was a distinct citrus tang to Keith’s breath as he muttered, “hey.”
 
Lance hummed and leaned back almost unthinkingly, before taking a moment to process the look of shock and mild panic from his mother at the PDA.
 
“I, um, think I have to go finish rounding up the guests!  Come on, Keith!” he grabbed Keith’s hand and they both charged towards the yard.
 
People were finally meandering up from the campsite, most of them in pajamas or comfortable clothing.   The two of them made their way over to the buffet and finally dug in.
 
Their table was slowly populated by the rest of the crew.  Pidge, Lilia, Shiro, Curtis, Hunk, Shay, and Coran were all some of the first people awake, laughing and joking and reminiscing.  There was some retro pop music playing from little floating speakers, and there were two stations with chefs making everyone omelettes and crepes.
 
Lance’s foot found Keith’s under the table while they were sitting next to each other, just gently brushing against his calf.  The thrill of the sensation was wholly new. Was this why people played footsie? If so, then Keith finally understood the draw.
 
He reached his foot out and stroked against Lance’s calf next, but Lance didn’t make a face or even acknowledge anything.
 
That was when Curtis, sitting across the table, muttered, “Uh, Keith?  That’s my leg.”
 
Keith instantly melted on the spot into a puddle of embarrassment, turning beat red.  Shiro looked bewildered between Curtis and Keith. Lance and Pidge were hysterically laughing at the revelation, Lance’s hand patting Keith’s on the table.
 
“Aw, you tried, baby.”
 
“Shut up,” Keith grumbled.
 
“There you are!” Keith heard Krolia say, coming over to their table.  Keith could see that she already had a half-full mimosa glass in her hand, and recognized that it was very likely that she was tipsy.  She put her hands on the back of Keith’s chair, raising her glass. “To Lance!”
 
The rest of the group mumbled in response, still pretty tired and hungover.
 
Krolia didn’t have time to notice, however, before she sniffed the air thoughtfully, puzzled face turning into one of discomfort.  “Lance, Keith, can you come with me?”
 
The two of them met each other’s eyes, blue to violet.  Keith had a sort of manic glee that maybe Lance would get the same treatment from Keith’s family as Keith got from his, and the two of them followed her a short distance away before finally setting her hand on Keith’s shoulder.
 
“I see that you’ve laid claim to Lance, and that’s wonderful, but I think we need to talk about what that entails.”
 
“Excuse me?!” Lance squeaked, “I’m not… what does that mean?”
 
Keith’s face was already red from earlier, and now it had passed into purple territory.  His breathing was jagged and harsh. “What the fuck, mom?”
 
Krolia rolled her eyes, wavering a bit as she muttered, “For Galra, taking on a claim used to entail subjugation of a member of another species.  I didn’t think you were interested in that, Keith.”
 
At this point Keith couldn’t even respond, just choke in confusion and staring helplessly at his mother.
 
“Lance, you and I can get a serum that counteracts the effects of the chemical.  Until then I highly recommend avoiding any sexual contact. I can smell it on you, Lance, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  The chemical’s addictive qualities can be quite overwhelming when someone is first exposed.”
 
Keith looked over to Lance for help, who was growing red now himself. “Oh, fuck, that’s what that was.”
 
“What was?!” Keith touched Lance’s arm in complete and total panic, trying to make sense of what his mother was saying.
 
“Um, when we were… doing things this morning, I tasted something, uh, really good?  I didn’t even think twice about it, but it was definitely… doing things,” Lance said helplessly, avoiding eye contact.
 
“Very articulate,” Keith deadpanned, as Krolia nodded her head in recognition of Lance’s explanation.
 
“I can have a serum ready by this afternoon.  Keith, I would just need you to become aroused and put a sample of your addictive self lubricant in a collection vial on the sink.”
 
Keith’s hand on Lance’s arm tightened.  “I’m not doing that!” he screeched, and when everyone at brunch looked over at them in panic, Keith dropped his voice.  “I’m not giving you my weird dick juices!”
 
“Alright,” she rolled her eyes, “you two can just deal with the aphrodisiac effects and hope that Lance doesn’t become addicted.”
 
“I… just give me a minute!” Keith yelled, and Lance tugged on Keith’s sleeve.
 
“Krolia, can you give us a minute?”
 
She nodded, chugging the rest of her mimosa.  “Sure thing. I missed mimosas. I used to drink them on earth all the time…” and she turned around and went back to the drinks table, leaving Lance and Keith to stand, awkward and stunned.
 
“Did I, like, drug you with my dick?” Keith asked, unable to make eye contact.
 
“Uh, I think so.”
 
“Okay then, awkward dick juice sample coming right up…”
 
“Wait, no!” Lance cried out suddenly, and Keith finally turned to square up with Lance, whose face was still quite red and he was biting his lip nervously.
 
“No?  You don’t want my mom to make the serum?”
 
“Uh…” Lance rubbed his arm thoughtfully, “I think I can get the serum, uh, eventually, but the way it made me feel this morning was incredible.  So maybe hold off on that?”
 
For whatever reason, the knowledge that Lance liked the taste of him sent his brain stuttering happily.  He caught himself, though. “Okay, well, I’m going to have her make the serum anyway. We don’t have to use it if you don’t want.”
 
Nodding, Lance took Keith’s hand in his.  “Let me have my psychedelic aphrodisiac for a few days.  It’s my birthday, after all,” Lance grinned sweetly, and Keith dissolved.
 
“Fine.”

***

Pidge’s hand was twiddling with Lilia’s under the table when Hunk finally asked, “So when did this happen?”
 
Lilia’s sharp eyes narrowed in on Hunk, and Pidge sighed.  “Why does this have to be some sort of inquiry? I’ve gotten enough questions today!”
 
Shocked, Lilia glanced over at Pidge.  “Excuse me?”
 
“You know, your family has been grilling me every chance they get,” Pidge admitted, and Lilia cursed under her breath in Spanish.  
 
“I’ll be back,” she said suddenly, pressing a feathery kiss to Pidge’s forehead.  Hunk continued to look onto the two of them, throwing Pidge questioning looks.
 
Once Lilia was out of earshot, she muttered, “Honestly?  I don’t know! I’ve been crushing on her for years and this year she just kissed me like… I don’t know but I’m not questioning it.  Please don’t ruin this for me.”
 
Pidge never pleaded for anything.  She analyzed, calculated, and delivered a consensus she built around given data.  The sheer amount of emotional upheaval this situation caused in her was unprecedented.  
 
Coughing, Shiro muttered, “So, Keith and Lance?”
 
“We saw that coming for years,” Pidge dismissed.
 
Hunk smirked.  “Yeah, but it’s finally happening.”
 
A mischievous thought came into Pidge’s mind, and she tapped her chin thoughtfully.  “I think I might have an idea for a fun game.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The screening of “Alien Kung Fu Lovers” was projected onto the side of one of their barns, hungover people sprawled out on blankets and in camping chairs along the grass.  Keith and Lance had snagged a tarp and a bean bag chair, and were cozying up on it. Lance kept nudging Keith’s leg farther and farther to the left, resulting in Keith almost falling over a few times.  In retaliation, Keith poked Lance in the stomach, which resulted in Lance hysterical for a second before muttering, “You know I’m ticklish, asshole.”
 
“Yes I do,” Keith confirmed, continuing to smile at Lance’s glower.
 
The gourmet popcorn station sent a drone over with their order of garlic parmesan popcorn, and the two of them chowed down.
 
Lilia and Pidge weren’t too far off, holding hands between two reclined lawn chairs.  Shiro was straight up asleep against Curtis on their blanket, who was busy drawing a penis on his face carefully in sharpie.
 
“Ah, young love,” Coran said fondly, watching Curtis work and surprising Keith and Lance by coming up behind them.  “Lance, I need to steal you after the movie to discuss tonight’s festivities.”
 
“Yeah, yeah,” Lance said dismissively, “They’re about to say ‘I do’ and then destroy the robot monster.  I’ll talk to you after.”
 
When the movie ended, Keith stood up and immediately his legs cramped and he fell back down squarely on top of Lance, who groaned and flailed.
 
“Get up, mullet!”
 
“Don’t call me that!”
 
“As I said,” Coran came up behind them again, scaring Lance as they tried to disentangle themselves, “Young love.”
 
Lance kissed Keith on the corner of his mouth, going with Coran and leaving Keith without him.
 
Shiro and Curtis walked up to him, and Keith managed to keep his expression schooled even though Shiro had a huge, hairy dick on his left cheek.
 
“Hey, Keith.  I wanted to talk to you about Lance.”
 
“What about him?” Keith asked, barely containing his own gasps of laughter.  
 
“Well, you just figured out that you’re gay, I think, and I wanted to have a serious discussion with you to get an idea of where your head was at.  Think you can come sit with me for a little while?”
 
Keith glanced at Curtis, who was standing behind Shiro, with a panicked expression.  Curtis just shook his head, smile as wide as the cheshire cat’s.
 
With all the self restraint that Keith had, he remained calm as they walked over to one of the nearby tables, sitting down and facing each other, Curtis sitting next to Shiro and clutching his hand supportively.
 
“Okay, so I guess I was just wondering when you figured out that you were gay... are you gay?”
 
The hairy dick on his face kept moving whenever he spoke, and it made it look like it was getting closer and closer to his mouth.  It was almost unbearable.
 
Almost.
 
“I didn’t really know, Shiro.  I’ve been wondering about it for a while, and when I got here I just… I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.  Acxa and I… our relationship was always about the mission first. In some ways I think us being designated as a couple was more a formality than anything.”
 
What he didn’t say that it was partially a mutually beneficial relationship.  If they pretended to be together then Kolivan didn’t try to arrange them marriages to further ingratiate the Blades into the newly cementing Galra nobility.  He was obsessed with getting the Blades back into positions of power in case their services were needed for the Empire again someday.
 
Keith wasn’t ready to be married off period, let alone to a random Galra stranger.
 
Keith was distracted by a couple of Olkari passing and laughing hysterically at Shiro’s face penis, but Shiro didn’t pay them any mind, almost like they didn’t exist.  
 
Around them the staff and the family were busy getting the land ready for the gala, and Keith thought that they should get up, but Shiro seemed insanely intent on his task.
 
“So, Lance is what makes you happy?” Shiro asked slowly, seriously, the penis on his cheek  moving in careful up and down motions as he spoke.
 
“What can I say?” Keith said, finally cracking a little bit, “His penis was

right in my face

and I was like damn, I’m gay now.”
 
Curtis actually spit out his drink, showering the mimosa over the back of Shiro’s head, who stood up in annoyance.  Unfortunately, in the act of turning two of Lance’s aunts saw his face penis and gasped. One of them slapped his face, carefully avoiding touching the drawing.
 
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Shiro!  There are children here!”
 
As she scurried off, Shiro’s face turned from shocked to understanding.  “Babe, what did you do to my face?”
 
“That’s my cue,” Keith ducked away from them, hurrying towards the house to see if they needed any help with set-up.

***

Lance’s heart was hammering.  He made his way back to his room, finding Keith sprawled out on the bed with a game dangled precariously over his head.
 
“Hey, stranger,” Lance said, closing the door and then flopping onto the bed with him.  “How was your talk with Shiro?”
 
Keith groaned.  “Do you know how hard it is to keep a straight face when you’re having a conversation like that?  Where the person who is basically your brother has a goddamn penis on his cheek?”
 
“I imagine very difficult,” Lance admitted with a wistful smile, running his fingers over the exposed strip of skin on Keith’s stomach.  “I want you to fuck me.”
 
Startled, Keith sat up, his tablet falling to the side.  “Right now?!”
 
The laughter that ripped out of Lance was almost violent, and he coughed and sputtered as he gasped, “You should see your face!  I can’t even…” his breathing evened out and he continued, “Keith, baby, I have to be in a tuxedo in like an hour and ready to take pictures.  I just wanted to put it on the table. Is it something you’d be interested in?”
 
The color in Keith’s eyes seemed to intensify, and he nodded.  “That’s something that we can do.”
 
Pouting, Lance felt his words go straight to his dick.  “I want to suck you off so badly right now.”
 
“Why don’t you?” Keith asked, face coming close enough to Lance’s to let their breath intermingle.  
 
“I…” Lance’s mind whited out, and he could imagine it again, the warmth pooling in his gut and his tongue hungrily taking what he wanted from Keith, “I have to work on my speech,” he said mournfully, backing up a few inches.
 
“Boo,” Keith muttered, not looking the least bit upset.  “Usually your speech is off the cuff. Why is this year different?”
 
The question sent Lance’s anxiety skyrocketing.  “Nothing! Nothing is different. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
 
Keith’s unamused face made Lance scratch the back of his head nervously.  “Alright, then.”
 
Lance smiled happily as Keith excused himself to go get his gala ensemble together.  When Keith was out the door, he then pulled a note card out of his jeans pocket, muttering the words under his breath and trying to steady his racing heart.

***

The tent was outfitted in so many soft, fluttering lights.  It was high in the sky, silky hangings falling elegantly around the edges.  There was a dance floor, and high top tables. Everyone was standing in a long line outside of the tent as they would be announced one by one.  
 
Pidge and Lilia were one of the first, stepping out and waving at the ten people that were already in the hall.  Lilia pouted that they weren’t getting more attention, but Pidge was beaming at being able to come out onto the floor virtually unnoticed.
 
Shiro and Curtis came up next, and… it could just be Lance’s imagination, but… Shiro looked deadly calm, like he was daring anyone in the room to bring up the fact that he had a penis drawn on his face for forty-two minutes (Pidge counted) without anyone saying anything.
 
Keith came out with his mother on his arm.  He was in Galran formalwear, a black bodysuit with a silver and black sash and cumberbund, along with silver and black shoulderpads.  They looked good on him, complemented both his lean edges and strong physique simultaneously. The rest of the Galra walked in similar dress, but Keith by far looked the best (at least in Lance’s opinion).
 
Halfway through the announcements Lance was standing at his place behind the stage, where the band was warming up.  His tuxedo was exquisite, a midnight blue with bright sky blue accents and shirt, his starry bowtie set with flickering lights.  His hair was perfect, he’d let Veronica do his make-up, and all he needed now was for everyone to get onto the dance floor.
 
When Coran finished announcing the arrival of guests, Lance got ready.  Then, he heard the introduction.
 
“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the birthday boy and man of the hour, Lance McClain!”
 
There was a deafening cheer, and as Lance stepped onto the stage his breath caught and he froze for just a second.
 
There were hundreds of people before him, bright lights shining down upon him with miles and cheers bolstering him up from every angle possible, and even though it was almost impossible to hear himself think Lance knew he recognized the feeling.
 
He felt unmistakably and undeniably alive.  The lights were beating down on him like he was alive, the cheers were swelling his heart like he was alive, the overwhelming sight of people from all planets and races and backgrounds coming together to celebrate him made him feel so very alive that it almost hurt.
 
This was it.  One of those moments, Lance thought.  This was one of the moments that he’d look back upon fondly with his grandchildren, that he’d carry with him tightly no matter where he went or what he did next…
 
Without preamble he was at the mic, and was tapping it gently.  “So who is ready to eat us out of house and home!?”
 
The roar of applause was enough to make Lance smile uncontrollably.  “Great! I want to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate this occasion with me.  Some of you have traveled from far and wide to be here, and to everyone who managed to maneuver through Earth’s interplanetary customs hell, you have earned my respect.”
 
The laughter was good, made Lance’s hand stop shaking and his voice become steadier.  
 
“So tonight we have a lovely schedule of events.  After I’m done with my introduction we will be moving to cocktail hour, followed by superlatives.  Then we’ll move on to dinner, and finally the speeches will finish off our events for the evening. After that it’ll be time to dance and use the photo booth and drink until you’re ready to pass out and get as far away from me as possible.”
 
The laughter was punctuated again.
 
“I’ll let you guys get to the party.  Don’t forget to use the photo booth, and you’ve got to try the floating bubble cocktails!”
 
Everyone was wandering around now, chatting as the music lit up the tent in bright lights.  It was softer songs, songs that carried on well in the background of conversation. Lance had allowed Luis to design the playlist and he was not disappointed.
 
The food laid out could barely be called cocktail hour fare, but that didn’t stop Lance from referring to it as that.  There was shrimp, a mac and cheese bar, Altean desserts, fruits from all over the known universe. It was a wondrous and odd cacophony of food, ready to be eaten by the guests.
 
Lance found Keith talking to Hunk, who seemed to have someone in a green suit tucked under his arm.  It was Pidge, Lance realized, chuckling. “Hunk, why are you doing this?”
 
“It just felt right in the moment.”
 
Pidge was growling, trying to get out of Hunk’s grasp.
 
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Lance asked, poking Pidge on the head affectionately.
 
Hunk finally let her go, and she smoothed down her jacket and hair.  
 
“She’s talking to some of your aunts and uncles.  Surprisingly enough, she has a lot of people she knows here and can’t be with me all the time.”
 
Though Pidge was clearly trying to be biting or sarcastic, it mostly just came across as bummed.
 
“She’ll be back,” Pidge offered at the pitying looks of her former teammates.  Hunk couldn’t take it, however, and was suddenly swept up into a hug, and she wiggled helplessly.  “Hunk, I just fixed my outfit! I’ve been looking forward to wearing this for weeks!”
 
Hunk put her down hastily, and Keith’s hand found Lance’s as they watched the exchange with fondness.  Pidge and Hunk were always like brother and sister, challenging each other and teasing each other to no end.  It was nice to see them get that interaction, even though Pidge was looking so murderous.  
 
Shiro and Curtis were slowly swaying on the dance floor, foreheads pressed together and murmuring softly.  Coran was talking with Mrs. McClain animatedly, Lance’s dad standing by with an oddly pale look on his face.  That was when Lance realized that he couldn’t find Keith’s mom.

***
 
“Where’s Krolia?” Lance asked Keith, whose eyes had widened realizing that he, too, could not find his mother.
 
Keith remembered coming in with her, and escorting her to the drinks table at first, but after that...
 
It only took them a few seconds after that to see her wander back into the party tent, and Lance felt Keith wobble.  Both of them were close to feinting.
 
Trailing behind Krolia was… something that resembled a cow, with feathers and a grumpy look on its face.  Krolia was making a beeline for Lance’s father, who had turned even paler. The other Blades were following her dutifully, as obedient as duckling and with straight faces as the animal was marched over to Mr. and Mrs. McClain.  Both of them were in varying states of shock, but Coran seemed delighted.
 
“Krolia, this is very thoughtful of you!” Coran chittered, patting Mrs. McClain on the arm.  
 
Krolia bowed lowly before Lance’s father, and offered up the leash attached to the creature.  The room had gone deadly silent, which is the only reason that Keith and Lance were subjected to hearing Krolia’s speech.
 
“For my son’s hand in partnership, I offer you two a Yakow from our home planet.  It is an excellent worker, and will pull carts and eat weeds. The Yakow can be bred with many other animals to make hybrids that will live longer than their original counterparts.  They also make an excellent stew.”
 
The Yakow didn’t seem fazed by the whole “make an excellent stew” thing, but Mrs. McClain was definitely overwhelmed.  
 
“I… could we… this is very generous but could we, perhaps, move the Yakow towards our barns?  It can stay in one of our extra pens for now.”
 
The words were carefully measured and a little hesitant as Krolia bowed again.
 
“Very well.  We can discuss the union of our sons at a later date.”
 
Lance spit out his drink, choking a bit on the ice.  Keith looked equally as horrified, patting Lance on the back to help him breathe again.
 
Luis came forward, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard as he took the animal and moved it out of the gala tent.
 
There was silence for a moment, before Lance’s mother finally broke it.  “Well, why don’t you help yourself to some drinks?”
 
Krolia thought about it, and nodded.  “That seemed doable. I look forward to discussing Galran mating rituals with you at a later date.”
 
The chatter in the room started up again, a lot of it scandalized comments on what just transpired.  Keith’s face was red as a brick, and his grip on Lance’s hand was bone crushing as Krolia caught sight of him and waved.
 
When she got to Lance and Keith, she popped one of the cocktail bubbles into her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.  “Lance, so far this is going well. Your parents accepting my gift is an invitation to begin the courting process.”
 
“Courting?” Lance squeaked, and was a little confused as Pidge and Hunk each took a shot of something.
 
Krolia’s eyes narrowed.  “Yes, courting. Normally there is a specific series of events when courting, including the presenting of gifts.  The next stage will be the two of you facing off against a foe and defeating it together while handcuffed. We have to ensure that you work well together, which obviously will be easy since you fought together in Voltron.  How do you feel about fighting a Garnakian Bunny?”
 
Hunk and Pidge were rolling over each other, silently laughing behind Krolia, whose intense gaze pinned the helpless men in place as they struggled to find something to say.
 
“Mom, stop,” Keith finally choked out, “I’m not… courting… Lance, I’m just dating him, we have been together for 24 hours, maybe,” Keith looked at Lance for help, who was just opening and closing his mouth like a fish.  “This is all way too fast and

embarrassing

.”
 
Krolia reeled back as if slapped, affronted.  It was the first strong reaction Lance had ever seen her display.  “You think that you’re embarrassed? I had to rush the courting process because you two couldn’t keep it in your pants.  What is your mother going to think during the public mating, Lance? She’ll know it wasn’t your first time.”
 
Pidge and Hunk took another shot, and were on the floor now.  Krolia’s fellow blades members had finally met up with her, and were nodding along with Krolia even though they hadn’t even been present for her initial statement.
 
“Ass-kissing motherfuckers…” Keith grit out, and Lance caught him by the arm.  
 
Once Lance’s breathing came under control, he asked in as even a tone as he could, “When you say public mating, you mean…”
 
“When you both aim to conceive children, it will be with all of your loved ones present and observing the ceremony.  It’s good luck to have others watch so that they can pray for the health of the baby.”
 
“Baby?!” Keith’s voice was at a shout, now, and he lowered it to ask, “There is no baby, mom!  Both of us are men!”
 
Her head cocked to the side.  “Keith, honey, I will talk to you about this more later.”
 
“No, I think I’m good!” Keith yelled after her as she went off with her minions to fetch some of the assorted cheeses.
 
The two of them stood there, red faced, hearts racing, hands a few inches apart as they watched her go.
 
“Keith…”
 
“I’m so sorry,” Keith turned around and caught Lance’s eye, “I promise that we aren’t going to have a public mating or whatever, and I’ll sit my mom down and have a serious talk about human anatomy, and about human dating stuff…” Keith broke off, watching Lance’s lips screw up comically and then he burst out laughing.
 
“Keith,” Lance’s hand fell onto his shoulder, gasping for breath, “That was some of the funniest shit I’ve ever heard.  It’s okay.”
 
The look on Lance’s face melted Keith’s fear and anger into mild annoyance.  “You’re right, she just has to back off. I promise that I’m not planning on courting you… at least, definitely not now.”
 
Lance grinned.  “I don’t know, I would love to see the look on my mother’s face when I tell her about the public mating thing…”
 
Hunk and Pidge had scurried off somewhere at that point, and Keith and Lance came up and starting eating the appetizers and small plates.  They shared food and shared drinks and Keith thought it was odd how quickly the two of them fell into step. Or, perhaps they had already been in step.  Maybe this has been building for a while, and they had finally caught up. Besides, it seems that them getting together was only a surprise to each other and Krolia.
 
It wasn’t long before Coran sought out Lance to start announcing the superlatives, and Keith kissed his cheek before he went.  Keith wasn’t normally a kisser, let alone a cheek kisser, and his natural inclination to do it was startling.
 
Lance was helping Keith learn all sorts of new stuff about himself.
 
The chatter died down as Lance took to the stage again, and he bowed before the crowd, who cheered loudly in support.  There were even a few catcalls, which prompted Lance to strike a pose and invite a chorus of laughter. Lilia had found Pidge, and Keith was puzzled to see Lilia cursing and taking a few shots of some alcohol in quick succession.  Lilia’s face screwed up in disgust as she swallowed.
 
“Alright, so this is the part of the evening where I recognize the people that have done the most in my life, or have simply stood out to me for the last year.  I want to get right into it. For the award ‘Most Likely to Blow Something up for Science’, for the fourth year in a row it goes to Pidge Holt.”
 
Matt and her parents all cheered loudly as Pidge took the little statue that was her trophy, inscribed with her superlative.
 
“The next one is another repeater.  The award for ‘Most Dependable Friend’ goes to Hunk Garrett.”
 
The list of awards went down one by one.  Lance spends weeks on these, Keith knows, taking time to remember what friends had helped him that year and who he wanted to recognize.
 
“This one is actually hilariously timed given the situation, but the final award I have up here is for someone really special to me.  I designated him for this award almost as soon as I started working on these. This man is always there for me, to challenge me and push me to be better.  What started out as two enemies quicky morphed into a friendship, and soon no one would refer to us as enemies anymore. For the first time, the award for ‘Worst Rival of All Time’ goes to Keith Kogane.”
 
The crowd’s heads all snapped to look at Keith, who felt his smile widen into a playful smirk as he shook his head at Lance.
 
“Come on up and get your award, mullet.”
 
That was that, Keith thought as he walked towards the stage with purpose.  When he arrived onto the stage, he marched to Lance, eyes lit up with fire as he whispered, “I won’t drop you.”
 
Lance was not given any further instructions, and Keith was glad that Lance seemed to hear him.  As Keith spun Lance around into a dip, the award still in Lance’s hand, Keith brought his lips in for a kiss.
 
The crowd went wild.

***

Every nerve of Lance’s arm that was touching Keith’s arm sang as they ate.  Lance felt like a teenager again, like all of this love and dating stuff was new even though it was nowhere close to new.  They all ate happily, everyone on the team joking about the superlatives. Shiro was annoyed that he had been beaten out as “Best Dad That Isn’t A Dad” by Coran, and kept shooting him angry glances from across the room.  
 
Once dinner was done, Coran called for the hall to quiet down.
 
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the speeches.”
 
Lance’s mother and father were first.  They talked about knowing Lance was destined for great things, and about the heartbreak of losing him for so many years before he resurfaced.  They offered him a heartfelt wish that he have another year full of health, happiness, and love.
 
Veronica’s speech laid out, in painful detail, watching Lance grow up as a knucklehead and mature into a fully realized knucklehead.  She spoke about Lance getting caught masturbating in the basement, about catching Lance giving a blowjob in the basement, and then proceeded to explain that apparently the basement was Lance’s place to go if he wanted to do something he didn’t want anyone else to see.
 
“I fucking hate that basement,” Lance mumbled, blushing bright red, but his anger subsided when Veronica finished it with a sweet comment about how even thogh he was a knucklhead brother, he was the knucklehead brother who saved the known universe.
 
Hunk got up and spoke about about Lance’s dedication to the event every year, and how proud he was of how the event has grown and changed into something that extends far beyond just celebrating Lance.  He went on to say how much he respects Lance, and loves him, and can’t wait to… wait, what?
 
“What!?” Lance yelled, as Hunk on stage scratched the back of his neck.
 
“I, uh, hope you have a nice birthday…”
 
“Yeah…”
 
“...and can’t wait to watch you mature more…”
 
“Hunk, come on!!!”

“...and can’t wait for you to stand next to me and be the best man at my wedding.”
 
Yeah, that’s what Lance thought he said.  Shay looked smug, obviously having known this was happening the whole time.  Everyone at their table was cheering loudly, and congratulations was filtering in from all over the hall.
 
Every year, Lance asked Keith if he wanted to have a speech slot.  Every year, Keith refused. This year is no different, as every member of Voltron and his closest relatives and friends went up, Keith was steadfast at Lance’s side.  He liked it better this way anyway, Lance consoled himself as he pressed a kiss to Keith’s shoulder next to him.
 
Pidge went up, and Coran went up.  Shiro spoke about what it has been like watching Lance mature as a friend and warrior.  Eventually all of the guest speeches had ended, and Lance’s stomach started to churn with nerves.
 
When Coran announced that it was time for Lance’s speech, everything slowed down to a screeching halt.  The activities around him whited out, and all he could see was the stage and all he could hear was a nervous panting that sounded oddly like a dog.
 
Except, it was him.  Lance was panting and panicking, but he stood up anyway, determined as he marched back up to the stage.
 
Lance doesn’t get nervous for public speaking.  He thrives being the center of attention, but he knew that this time would be different.
 
“I, uh, I’ve got a lot of people that I want to thank.  First, though, I want to thank the person who has made it possible for us all to be here, and that’s Allura.”
 
Lance’s throat was closing a bit, but he knew that he could do this.  “I loved Allura, but more than that I admired her. I saw all that she wanted to do for people and I wanted to be the type of person that did that too.  Being her friend made me a better paladin and a better man. As with every year, I’d like to toast to Allura, who gave her life and soul to keep the multiverse in one piece.”

“To Allura!”

“In that same vein I actually have an announcement, and I’m not sure exactly how you guys are going to feel about it, knowing how much fun this year was, but… it’s exciting news.  I got a call a few days ago confirming that I have received a job as an intergalactic ambassador for Earth. I leave in a month to organize trade deals, peace treaties and intergalactic aid with other planets across the universe.  I’ll be gone for five years.”
 
The mood in the room dulled down from quiet chitchat to dead silence.
 
“These parties have meant the world to me.  Mourning Allura, and mourning my life as a paladin… that took me a while.  My family was there for me, but having this party once a year reminded me that I was, at one point, someone worth traveling across the universe to visit.  You all have followed my crazy plans to fruition, and I can’t be more grateful to call about one third of you my friend.”
 
The laughter was a surprise to many, but Lance just barreled on.
 
“Allura taught me so much, but more than anything she taught me that I had so much to give of myself to others.  I’m finally ready to realize that potential. I’m ready to go out and make a difference again, and I can’t wait to finally visit each of you at your home planets.”
 
Lance’s eyes finally found Keith’s, which were wide as saucers, his lips quivering.
 
“This doesn’t mean I’m leaving anyone behind,” Lance said almost directly to Keith, “In five years we’re going to throw the wildest birthday festivities ever conceived of by intelligent life.  Until then, though, let’s get this party started!”
 
When Lance got off the stage he was snagged by about fifty people.  Lance’s heart was racing unevenly as he watched Keith trying to fight through the crowd to get to him.  Eventually Hunk saw that he was struggling and barreled through the crowd himself, depositing Keith next to Lance, and the mood was tense.
 
“Can I borrow you for a moment?” Keith asked, his voice strained.  It was worse than when Krolia told them about the courting, or mating, or the dick juices.  This was a grave look, a desperate look.
 
“Excuse me,” Lance asked those around him, and let Keith lead him behind the stage curtain.
 
“Well?” Lance’s voice shook, too, which only spurred Keith on.  “I decided this long before… long before I knew anything was going to happen.  I’m sorry.”
 
Keith’s expression broke, revealing just how vulnerable he was right now.  “I… I know you need to do this. You’ve been talking about giving back for a while now.  This is a big deal.”
 
Sighing, Lance prompted, “...but?”
 
“...but I really care about you, and I selfishly don’t want you to go.”
 
They both looked on the verge of something, though neither of them really knew what it was.  Their presence was electric, and they worried that any sudden movement might set off a spark.
 
“You have to go, though,” Keith admitted, and the tension between them dissipated like fog at first light.  “You’re meant to do this. You’ve always been excellent with other people, and love traveling the galaxy. It’s perfect for you.”
 
“I know,” Lance swallowed, “I…”
 
“You know what?” Keith cut in then, startling both of them, “Fuck it.  I say we do whatever we want for the rest of this festival/party/thing.  Then we can worry about you leaving. I don’t want to lose us, but maybe we can enjoy ourselves with the time we have left.”
 
There was a watery smile on Lance’s lips as he took Keith’s hand and squeezed it.  “Yeah, that sounds good.”

***

The rest of the night went as it goes each year, full of comical dancing, storytelling, pictures taken, and slowly everyone started to exit the hall.
 
Lance was talking with Veronica as Keith watched him across the room like a lovesick puppy.  Shiro came up behind him, patting his shoulder. “Make sure you don’t mess this up, Keith. You and Lance will be spending time together for the rest of your lives during Voltron events and ceremonies.  Also, I’d hate for that Yakow to go to waste.”
 
Elbowing Shiro in the ribs, Keith glared at him expertly.  “Fuck off, dude.”
 
“Love you, too,” Shiro elbowed him back and joined Coran and Curtis.  Coran seemed to be drilling them about their honeymoon to Hawaii.
 
He thought he heard Coran ask, “How does one prevent sand from getting, as you humans say, all up in there?  Sleeping on the beach sounds miserable.”
 
He thought he heard Curtis respond soberly, “It’s difficult, but we made it work.  The sand gets especially annoying when we are… trying to be intimate.”
 
Shiro and Keith choked at the same time, before he swore Shiro said, “It was a hotel, Coran.  We went to Hawaii but we stayed just off the beach in a hotel. There was sand, but it wasn’t all up in there.  Curtis, stop encouraging him.”
 
Keith ended up catching up to Lance, smiling at Veronica as Lance said, “Your children will know about every drunken adventure you ever took, Veronica.  Mark my words.”
 
“I would tell them those stories myself, anyway.”
 
“They’ll know about every test you cheated on.”
 
She waved her hand dismissively.  “I needed to get where I am, and I’m excellent at what I do.”
 
That was when Lance’s grin widened like a Cheshire Cat.  “They’ll know about your brief stint on the moons of Gannon.”
 
Keith looked between the two of them, confused, but Veronica was quickly turning as red as her ballgown. “You wouldn’t dare.”
 
“I would.  Embarrassment from siblings is a two-way street, Roni.”
 
“I will end you,” she growled, but Lance just ducked away from her attempt to tackle him.  Lance grabbed Keith’s hand with a giddy expression, eyes sparkling with mirth, and the two of them shuffled away as she called out, “This isn’t the end, Lance-no-Pants!”
 
“Lance-no-Pants?”
 
Sighing, Lance muttered, “There was a summer when I was six where I refused to wear pants.  I thought I was too good for them.”
 
“Got it.”
 
The party seemed to be wrapping up, and Lance tried to help with the clean-up until his mother shooed him.  “Go, darling. We’ve got it from here.”
 
Quite a few people came over to say good-bye as they would be leaving by morning.  Keith stood to the side, feeling oddly out of place. He wasn’t sure how to be with someone like this.  Should he stand next to Lance? Should he be talking to them? Should he step away and give Lance space?  How does one be a good boyfriend? Was there some sort of instruction manual? Keith cocked a grin at the thought.  Lance would be the type of person to write his own instruction manual on dating him.
 
When Lance finished up, he turned around and took Keith’s hand, kissing him almost as an afterthought.
 
Keith wondered, suddenly, at what point does intimacy become so ingratiated that kisses are afterthoughts?  That love is natural? At what point does Keith start to feel like he understands this?
 
He didn’t like waiting.  They had been dating for a whole day and Keith hasn’t got the hang of it yet.  He doesn’t like to brag, but normally he picks up on things pretty fast.  
 
“Why are you so crinkly?” Lance chuckled, swiping his finger over Keith’s forehead to smooth out the worry lines.
 
“Is it okay to be afraid?” Keith asked suddenly.  
 
The intimate question was on his lips before he could reign it it, as if telling Lance what he was thinking was the only rational solution to this problem.
 
Ah, there it is.
 
There was Lance’s fond exasperation, too.  “I’m afraid, too. I want this, though. I’m willing to be afraid, as long as I get to be with you.”
 
Keith fake gagged, and Lance bonked him on the head.
 
The familiarity fell over them like a weighted blanket, and everything seemed to be at peace.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Lance and Keith finally snuck away from the gala, their fingers intertwined, Keith’s body started to feel unbearably warm.
 
The words Lance had uttered earlier that day were ringing in his ears, enough so that the silence around them now was deafening.

I want you to fuck me

.
 
Keith had never been intimate with a man before.  Every time him and Acxa… well, it was more of a formality than anything.  He had never felt this punch drunk before, felt his knees quake just at the idea of Lance and him tangled up together on the sheets, making noises that would light the fuse to Keith’s arousal.
 
When they got inside, their footsteps echoed loudly against the hardwood.  A few people were wandering in with them, but were all silently making their way to their respective rooms and letting each other walk in peace.  Keith wondered if it was obvious what they were about to do. If someone glanced over, would they see the unfurling arousal twisting in Keith’s gut?  He thought that it must be projected on his stomach, written on his face, sewn into the stitching on his formalwear.
 
They were about to ascend the stairs, too, when Keith felt a hand grab him by the collar and lift him up.
 
Lance turned around quickly, watching as Keith was dangled a foot from the ground by a member of the Blades.  Krolia appeared uncannily from the shadows, and was watching him with narrowed eyes.
 
“Mom!  Let me go!”
 
“No way.  It’s obvious that you are about to go copulate with the birthday boy.  It’s practically written all over your face.”
 
Keith cursed internally.  He knew it.
 
Lance stepped between Krolia and Keith, his hands up in surrender.  “Hey, why don’t you let Keith go? Earth courting it much different than Galra courting.  Maybe another time Keith and I can sit you down and discuss…”
 
Krolia’s face was unamused.  “I think you both forget that I was married to a human male.  He didn’t have family for me to complete Galra courting with, and neither did I.  I regret it,” Krolia looked stricken, and Lance’s face was melting in sympathy. “I want Keith to get to experience the magic of the ceremonies and formalities.”
 
“That’s kind of sweet,” Lance admitted, and Keith started to swing wildly from his captor’s grip.
 
“Lance, you traitor!  Don’t fall for that pout!”
 
Krolia’s pout melted from her face, and in a shocking twist of events pulled a knife on Lance, who squeaked in fear.
 
“If you and my son sleep together and ruin this for me… I mean,” she shifted uncomfortably, “...for him, you will have hell to pay.”
 
Lance nodded, swallowing in fear as the knife lowered.
 
“Good,” Krolia looked up at Keith.  “You’ll be sleeping on the ship tonight, Keith.”
 
Keith felt the Blades member swing him over his shoulder, and he continued to shimmy uselessly to get free.  “Mom, I can’t believe you! Let me down!”
 
After what felt like forever, as Keith was about to be carried out the front door, he managed to kick the Blades member and flipped off, grabbing Lance’s hand and swinging him quickly around so that they were running away from Krolia and her henchman.
 
Krolia shouted, “If you sleep together I’ll bring the Garnakian Bunny ahead of schedule!”
 
“What does a Garnakian bunny look like, Keith?!” Lance yelled, and Keith shrugged as they sprinted away from Krolia, who was tapping her foot moodily in the entryway.
 
When they reach Lance’s room, breathless with laughter from sprinting away, Keith leaned against the door trying to calm his racing heart.  Before he could do so, his eyes fell to Lance. Lance, who was still holding Keith’s hand but was doubled over, tears streaming down his face from how hard he was laughing.  Lance’s shoulders were hunched and vibrating with his giggles, and he was periodically snorting, and when Lance opened his eyes to meet Keith’s, it was as if he was searching for a partner to find the humor in this situation.
 
Keith had stopped laughing, though.
 
Somehow, someway Lance’s laughing face was doing crazy things to his gut, making it twist warmly.  Even as Lance snorted, even as his face contorted strangely to hold in his amusement, Keith had never seen something so beautiful.
 
Abruptly Keith pulled Lance up to him and devoured him in a messy, biting kiss.  Lance initially gasped into the kiss, but soon he melted against Keith. Their bodies pressed close together, and Keith immediately decided that there was far too much between them.
 
“Were you serious, earlier?” Keith practically growled, trying to keep himself from ripping Lance’s clothes out of the way.  He wanted consent, after all.
 
Lance hummed, pressing his lips to Keith’s again.  “The part where I told you to fuck me?” 
 
“Yeah,” Keith felt a silver thrill rush his veins at the thought.  “Were you serious about that?”
 
“Hell yeah,” Lance raised an eyebrow as their foreheads hovered an inch apart, the rest of their bodies pressed together as closely as possible.
 
Everything for a little while was a rushed, frantic blur.  Keith and Lance started tearing at each other’s clothes, shedding them quickly as their lips met again and again in kiss after kiss. It was like they couldn’t go longer than a few seconds without that connection, without the bond of trust that was created when two people close their eyes and let someone in, so, so close.
 
Soon Lance was hovering over Keith on the bed, completely naked.  The dim lighting was warmly coloring their skin, like fire was licking just below the surface.  Keith wondered whether they might just burn and turn into ash together.  
 
Everywhere their skin touched felt like a balm and a jolt.  Keith had never felt so alive, so in tune with another person.  Lance and him had been friends for years, had been part of a psychically connected intergalactic weapon, and had always found their way back to each other.  Keith was having trouble remembering a time before he could kiss Lance. It blurred, because in retrospect Keith had felt this way about Lance since day one.  
 
Their passionate hatred and rivalry was lit up from behind with a smoldering ember of attraction.  That was quickly covered over with a friendship, slowly braiding trust and affection and loyalty to overshadow the ember.  They had managed to create these two separate but equally strong bonds.
 
Keith thinks that the moment they kissed that the ember flared to life and lit their braid of friendship.  Everything caught fire at once, and the inferno had consumed them both so completely that it was inevitable that they’d come here.  Like breathing and heartbeats are reflexive, so was Keith’s love for Lance.
 
Lance pulled a small jar of lube from his bedside table, only leaving Keith’s arms for a few moments.  Even then, Keith felt like he was abandoned and lost, a shiver vibrating over his skin.
 
“Are you sure you want this?” Keith asked, sitting up so that Lance was seated in his lap.  It was hard to think with Lance’s hard cock brushing his inner thigh, but he needed permission.  He needed confirmation, even if this felt so incredibly instinctive.
 
Chuckling, Lance brushed his knuckles over Keith’s sweaty forehead.  “I’m unbelievably sure.”
 
Swallowing tightly, Keith pushed forward and captured Lance’s lips in a kiss.  Keith bit gently at Lance’s lip, sliding their sensitive skin against each other for a second after they broke apart.  The way that they looked at each other after that reignited whatever connection had been aflame. Keith pushed Lance aggressively against the bed.  It bounced comically under them at the shift, and they both couldn’t contain their laughter.
 
When Keith brought his lubricated fingers down under Lance’s sack and brushed it against his entrance, Lance’s breath escaped him in a rushed gasp.
 
“I’ve never done this before,” Keith said suddenly, freezing up.
 
“That’s okay,” Lance’s hand came down to tangle with Keith’s and guided both of their fingers to his entrance.  He had to bend a little oddly to do it, and the resulting flexibility only affected Keith more.
 
“Together,” Keith said, hesitant but unbelievably turned on.
 
“Together,” Lance breathed, and they both started massaging the entrance.
 
There was hissing, and Keith retreated quickly, peppering kisses all over Lance’s abdomen.  When they tried again, the hold felt less resistant to the stretch, and Keith sighed as their two fingers massaged and worked the passage more and more open.  They added another finger, and Keith could see the change in Lance. His face had gone quite red, and instead of concentration his face was twisted up in satisfaction.  
 
Keith pressed a kiss against his forehead as they added another.
 
It took no time and all the time in the world until Lance told Keith to “get a move on, stud.”
 
Swallowing, Keith took his cock in hand.  It was slick with his *shudder* dick juices, so as he positioned himself at Lance’s entrance he found little resistance.  Somehow Lance’s incredible body gave way to Keith, and he slid in with ease.
 
For just a second, Keith was just surprised that it had been so quick.  It didn’t feel any different…
 
...nope, Keith groaned, he felt very different.  The way Lance was a vice around his cock, tugging at different sections and putting pressure on the shaft.  The head was hitting something spongy that created glorious pressure that vibrated violently down his whole body.
 
Keith was bracing his elbows above Lance’s head.  When Keith could finally pull his attention away from his dick plunging into Lance, he caught sight of Lance’s face.
 
His whole chest and face was fire red, adding a rosy sheen under his dark tan skin.  His eyes were screwed shut, and his mouth was open in a silent moan. His eyebrows were furrowed, and Keith placed a kiss against the wrinkled skin.
 
The expression of controlled euphoria broke, and Lance’s face slipped into a dopey giddiness.  His eyes found Keith’s, and there was so much communicated without saying a thing.

I’m glad that it’s you.

You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I love you.

I love you.

Kiss me?

How can I say no?

“Keith,” Lance finally croaked, “Keith, move.  Please, baby.”
 
Right, Keith thought frantically.  He couldn’t just happily sit inside of Lance’s tight heat staring at his gorgeous eyes.  His hips stuttered a bit, trying to figure the best way to create a steady tempo. It was embarrassing for about a minute as Keith tried to properly leverage himself, but soon his grip on Lance’s leg brought it over his shoulder and they found the perfect angle.
 
After a few moments of happy grunting and frustrated groans, they both gasped as they found their rhythm.  They both lost their train of thought, and the fumbling could have dissipated completely for all they knew.  All they bother knew and ever would know as clutched tightly between them, was enveloped within this intimate moment.  
 
When Keith started getting rougher, Lance started swearing, wrapping his arms around Keith’s shoulders.  The leverage helped Lance to move against him as well, initially throwing Keith off. However, they synced up pretty quickly and lost themselves in the new intensity.
 
Lance’s breathing was getting shallow, and Keith didn’t get much of a warning before Lance was shooting across his own chest.  The way that it fell against Lance’s tan, blushing skin threw Keith into a frenzy, fucking him harder through the orgasm. It took a few moments, but soon Keith was coming too.  Lance had turned boneless under him, and wrapped him up as he pulled out. Keith’s head was being cradled against the other side of Lance’s chest (seperate from the drying come), and Lance was carding through Keith’s hair.  Their breathing was ragged as they caught themselves up and processed what happened.
 
They had sex.  
 
They had penetrative sex.
 
Them, Lance and Keith, did the sex thing.
 
It washed over Keith in waves.  Soon they were standing and insisting that they stay connected.  Their pinkies linked as they brushed their teeth, their backs were pressed together in the shower.  When they settled back into bed, Keith pulled Lance to him and pressed his nose into Lance’s coconut smelling hair.
 
“Did you ever think we’d do this?” Keith asked.
 
“I never thought I’d be that lucky,” Lance responded without preamble.
 
Snorting, Keith muttered, “Nerd.”
 
“Your nerd, though.”
 
“Sure, nerd.”
 
“Goodnight, Keith.”
 
“Sleep well, Lance.”

***

The next afternoon, everyone gathered for breakfast sandwiches and cartoons.  Then, around lunchtime, everyone gathered for karaoke. Shiro and Curtis did “Breaking Free” from High School Musical.  Lilia did a breathtaking number from Wicked while playing her bass, with Pidge’s eyes shining in awe in the front row.  
 
After most everyone got a turn, Lance stood up with his guitar, going to the front of the room.  Everyone cheered as he set up, pulling the microphone over. “I’m not going to do karaoke, as you can tell.  Instead, I want to serenade someone special to me.”
 
Keith’s eyes widened, and he scooted forward unthinkingly, on the edge of the couch.
 
His heart was pounding.  Lance had never looked so flustered, and nervous, and he was blushing like an idiot but still had a goofy smile on his face.  “Okay, so, anyway here’s Wonderwall.”
 
There was a collective groan from the humans, and Lance just chuckled and corrected, “Sorry, sorry, I was joking.  If you want to serenade someone there’s only one artist that you can always count on, so,” his blue eyes had found Keith’s in the collected group, and Keith could see the nervous bob of his adam’s apple as he swallowed, “Here’s a thing that I worked on while you were dead asleep this morning.”
 
Keith was too stunned to do anything but stare stupidly.
 
After clearing his throat, his hands started to move.   
 
His fingers and the guitar pick were strumming deftly and with purpose.  Keith suddenly warmed at the thought of Lance’s talented fingers, at the memory of them caressing every inch of him.  Then Lance started singing, and Keith thought he was going to pass out.
 
He sounded…

good.

His voice wasn’t perfectly on key, but it resonated pleasantly in the room.  The sound of it started to curl up around Keith, wrapping him in some strange emotion that he couldn’t quite name.
 
“I found a love for me

Darling just dive right in

and follow my lead

Well I found a man, so beautiful to me

I never knew you were someone waiting for me
 
Cause we were just rivals when we met at first,

Not knowing what it was

I will not give you up this time

But darling just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own,

And in your eyes you’re holding mine
 
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song,

When you say you look a mess, I whisper underneath my breath

But you heard it, darling you look perfect tonight”
 
The words were still reverberating in his head as he stared, dumbfounded, as Lance’s eyes started to shine and he blinked rapidly while switching up the tune.
 
“Boy, you know I want your love

Your love was handmade for somebody like me

Come on now, follow my lead

I may be crazy, don't mind me

Say, boy, let's not talk too much

Grab on my waist and put that body on me

Come on now, follow my lead

Come, come on now, follow my lead
 
I'm in love with the shape of you

We push and pull like a magnet do

Although my heart is falling too

I'm in love with your body

And last night you were in my room

And now my bedsheets smell like you

Every day discovering something brand new

I'm in love with your body”
 
There’s that word again, Keith thought as he stood up without realizing it.  He was possessed, coming closer and closer to Lance’s raised platform. Lance was smiling through that part, making silly gestures and rolling his body to the tune.  They were only a few feet apart, now, staring at each other like they’d just discovered something undeniably important.
 
The tune switched again, and Lance’s face hardened into something a little more serious as he sang.
 
“
'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen

Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory
 
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe it's all part of a plan

I'll just keep on making the same mistakes

Hoping that you'll understand

But baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are
 
I know that I found love right where we are.”
 
The last note rang in Keith’s ears, keeping him stunned in place as Lance lowered the guitar and stared at Keith with a thousand emotions.  Keith could see fear, and excitement, and nervousness, and pride, and… above all else, he could see that word Lance had sung over and over in almost every song.

Love.

Before Keith knew it hew as hopping onto the stage, and at first Lance took a step back in surprise, but Keith just followed him anyway, until they weren’t touching but were hovering an inch apart.
 
Keith’s voice was raspy as he whispered just loud enough for Lance to hear, “So you love me, huh?”
 
Lance’s ears turned red, embarrassed and a little hurt.  “Hey! That’s… no, you’re supposed to…”
 
Cutting him off, Keith leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.  “That’s good, because it would be awkward if I was the only one in love here.”
 
There was a moment of heartache and awe as the two of them stared at each other, completely absorbed in the moment, because Keith had never told someone that he loved them before and he didn’t want to mess this up.  He wasn’t Lance. He couldn’t sing songs spontaneously or make grand gestures, but Keith could do one thing exceedingly well.
 
Compete with Lance
 
“You might love me, but I bet that I love you more.”
 
Lance’s jaw dropped, face falling into a mask of betrayal.  His voice rose so that it wasn’t just a shared whisper anymore.  “I beg your pardon, Keith, but I’ll have you know that I am

desperately

in love with you!”
 
Grinning, Keith wound his arm around Lance’s back, pulling him closer with so much affection and wonder that he wondered, like he had many times this weekend, if this was all a dream.
 
“I think that I still win.  I’m

hopelessly

in love with you.”
 
“I’m manically in love!”
 
“I’m unfathomably in love.”
 
“I’m…” but Lance was cut off when Pidge yelled.
 
“Boo!  Get off the stage!  Your sweetness is giving us all cavities!”
 
There was a collective grumble of agreement, and Keith turned around and remembered that there were still a ton of people watching their exchange with a range of emotions.  Some were gleeful, some were impatient, and even more were just too stunned to say anything.
 
Lilia beside Pidge was fake retching, and Lance tensed in his arms.
 
“It’s still my birthday party, so you can all deal with our adorable banter.  Otherwise you know where the door is!”
 
Shiro stood up suddenly with an unreadable expression, and Curtis just pulled him back down without argument, patting him on the knee reassuringly.
 
The rest of karaoke went off without a hitch, but Lance was basically curled up in Keith’s lap.  His legs were across Keith’s and his face was leaned against his shoulder. Keith’s arm was around him protectively as a new emotion buzzed pleasantly between them.

Love.

***

Lance and Keith awoke from their mid-afternoon nap groggily, and both of them felt far more exhausted than they should considering the amount of sleep they got the night before.  In fact, Keith would liken the feeling to being drugged.
 
That was when he opened his eyes a slit, and realized that his face was pressed into the grass.
 
He bolted up, but was pulled back down quickly by a dead weight on his left arm.  At first he panicked that his arm was atrophied somehow, but was relieved and confused to see that Lance was still fast asleep in the grass, wearing nothing but his Pokemon pajama pants and attached to Keith’s arm with a set of electrified handcuffs.
 
At a quick assessment of the situation, Keith registered that they were still at the farm, but they were contained in a clear ring, and there were currently… holy shit Lance’s family as well as their friends that had stuck around were seated around the edge of the ring, nibbling on chips and popcorn and chatting cheerily.  The only person outside of the ring that looked concerned was Lance’s dad, who was eyeing one corner of the ring worriedly.
 
Keith followed his line of sight, and everything fell into place.
 
Sitting astride what could only be referred to as a mole rat/elephant hybrid was none other than Krolia, who had ritualistic face paint on and was watching Keith register her presence with a smirk.
 
“Mom!” he yelled, shaking his arm to wake Lance, who shot up with a woozy expression, “WHAT THE HELL!?”
 
That was when things clicked in his head, and a memory surfaced of the night of the gala.

How do you feel about fighting a Garnakian bunny?

I’ll bring the Garnakian bunny ahead of schedule!

The Garnakian bunny chittered menacingly at Keith’s look of horror, and he pulled Lance up to standing position next to him, where Lance’s eyes flew into saucers.
 
“Lance, in case you were still wondering,” Krolia patted the head of the monster she was perched side-saddle on, “This is what a Garnakian bunny looks like.”
 
“Keith,” Lance was busy taking in the calm and amused expressions of those sitting around the ring, and quickly gaining ground in his panic, “Keith, what is she talking about!?”
 
Keith’s ears were ringing, frustration making Keith shake.  “Why can’t you just cock a shotgun LIKE A NORMAL PARENT!!!”
 
“Guns are imprecise, and cocks are the reason we got into this mess in the first place,” Krolia dismissed, hopping off the giant monster and patting its backside.  “Behind you is a weapon rack.”
 
The two men scrambled up and fell over each other to turn towards the weapons.  Keith rushed forward with a groggy Lance tripping behind him, and when Keith got to the weapons rack he made a choking, frustrated noise low in his throat.
 
“Why are all these weapons blunted and non-lethal!?”
 
Coran’s cheerful voice piped up from the sidelines.  “Garnakian bunnies are actually endangered and essential to the ecosystem of one of Daibazaal’s nieghboring planet systems”
 
“Then why. are. we. fighting. IT!?”
 
“It’s tradition, Keith,” Pidge raised her mimosa from where she was lounging with Hunk, Shay, and Lilia.  They all looked quite unconcerned, which only made the panic rise in Keith’s throat.
 
“Keith,” Lance poked his shoulder, having already raised a lead pipe in his free hand, “Keith, get something to fight it with.”
 
“You know what, no!” Keith threw his free hand up in defeat, making Lance’s jaw drop, “I’m not entertaining this.  I refuse to fight.”
 
The Garnakian bunny bared its blunted teeth at them and swiped its paw in the grass menacingly.
 
“Keith, I swear to the White Lion that if you do not pick up an ineffective weapon and help me fight this alien monster to prove our love I will

never forgive you

!”
 
The look of hysteria that lit Lance’s blue eyes up with desperation was what made Keith finally pick up an electrified spear.  They were both watching the Garnakian bunny with trepidation as the rest of the party continued on around them, happily watching the proceedings.
 
That was when the Garnakian bunny finally wailed and started to charge.
 
It kicked in like instinct, the connection forged by a thousand little factors over the course of the years they knew each other.  They both raised their weapons in sync, memories flooding them of a thousand battles where they stood side-by-side. They were always watching each other carefully to see who was doing better, and those memories enveloped them.  Keith knew Lance’s fighting patterns. Lance knew Keith’s tells and maneuvers. They felt the connection from their shared lion zing between them brightly, and the impulsive and passionate drive from Red prompted them to roar.
 
The Garnakian bunny went to pounce, and Keith and Lance pivoted out of the way and used the moment of confusion to land an electrified hit and a slam on its ear flap.
 
It wasn’t a very long fight.  The two of them were practically reading each other’s thoughts.  As Lance and Keith worked like clockwork, both of them were putting some things together.
 
How long had they been so attuned to each other?  When did it happen? Why didn’t they realize it? How have they never utilized this iron-clad connection, forged in the crucible of an intergalactic war and set out to cool in the bond of unwavering friendship?  
 
The bunny was looking a little worse for wear when Keith and Lance grabbed a rope from the weapon rack and hog-tied it, leaving it whimpering and flailing from its location on the ground.
 
They were both still in pajamas, dirt flaked on their faces and legs, sweat pouring from their hairlines, but then they made eye contact.
 
The rest of the world fell away.
 
Keith had never been in love, but now he knew what all the hype was about.  He’d always thought that he just wasn’t cut out for commitment or marriage. Now he couldn’t imagine losing this bond, this teamwork, this level of affection.  He would kill for it, die for it, risk everything just to feel it again. It was terrifying how overwhelming the sensation was.
 
Their handcuffs

clink

-ed and fell off them, and Lance’s eyes caught Keith’s and a thousand thoughts passed between them.  Keith felt it down to his core when Lance’s eyes flicked down to his lips, and like habit he drew Lance in for a kiss.  A few people wolf whistled. They swore they heard Pidge yell at them.
 
“Boo, less kissing and more action!”
 
Somehow they didn’t care.
 
Krolia came up behind them, patting them on the shoulder and making them both shrink back from the touch instinctually.  “See, that wasn’t so bad boys, was it?”
 
They broke apart from the kiss, and Keith kicked her in the shin.

***

Lance and Keith made their way over to Pidge, Lilia, Hunk and Shay, who were all looking extremely red-faced.  They were chasing shots with shots, and when Keith reached them, Hunk grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
 
“Keith, for the love of all that is good in this world, call your mom off!”
 
That was met with a growl of indignation.  “Do you think I want my mom to drug me and bring intergalactic cows into birthday parties?  Do you think I want my mom to make me… make…” Keith’s look of annoyance dropped to horror as Krolia strolled towards them, smirking, and tossed a vial at Lance, who caught it and read the label, turning white.

Lance’s Anti-Dick-Juice Serum

.
 
“You can have any regular replicator whip that up.  If you need more, I can send some with a drone. I have the sample on file now.”
 
Of course, in their horror, Pidge managed to snatch the vial.  They were ready for the onslaught of questions and mockery, but instead Pidge broke into tears, grabbing onto Krolia’s skirts.  “Please stop! This is killing us.”
 
That was when Keith put it together. 
 
The shots, they took them every time Keith’s mom embarrassed him.
 
The last two days… 
 
“I’m surprised y’all aren’t dead,” Keith admitted darkly, levelling them with a glower.
 
“I’m heading out anyway, we got called in to do some resource management with a nearby star system.  Lance, can you walk with me for a minute?”
 
Lance blinked rapidly, and then looked at Keith, eyes widened in fear, mouthing

“what do I do!?”

As the people behind them took another shot of some strange alien alcohol, Keith just patted Lance on the shoulder.  “Go get ‘em, tiger.”
 
“You’re really driving the whole ‘chivalry is dead’ point home, aren’t you?” Lance mocked, poking Keith in the pectoral, which was bruised from the Garnakian bunny’s tusk.
 
Keith just pushed Lance towards his retreating mother, and he followed her with a slouch.
 
“That kid real-l-loves-oo,” Lilia whistled, tongue twisting with all the liquor.
 
“We need to go sleep off the last two days,” Hunk said, eyelids dropping and flopping onto Shay’s shoulder.  
 
Shay, hilariously, was twice the size of Hunk, and could clearly hold her liquor.  At the sight of Hunk lolling, she pet his hair affectionately. “Sure thing, babe.”
 
“Do you want help…” Keith offered, but as he spoke his words died.  Shay picked all three of them up without any trouble, and threw Keith a winning smile.  “When they have the hangovers from hell tomorrow, you are welcome to mock them.”
 
Sometimes Shay fell into the background during the interactions of the old paladins, but Keith remembered suddenly and strongly that Shay was one of the coolest people he knows.
 
“I’ll probably give the birthday boy the honors,” Keith admitted, watching nervously as Krolia brought Lance in to clutch his shoulder tightly, whispering menacingly in his ear.  “Well, if he survives this.”
 
“See you around, Keith.”
 
Keith watched Shay walk away with Lilia, Pidge, and Hunk tucked under her arm and over her shoulder.  A few of Lance’s cousins were watching her haul them away with wonder, and he could see a tiny smile crack on her face as they drunkenly saluted her.
 
With a slap on his ass that made Keith squawk in indignation, Krolia sent Lance back towards his boyfriend.  His face was unreadable for once in his life, and Keith wasn’t sure what to expect when he came back over.
 
“Lance?”
 
“Nope,” his boyfriend responded, grabbing his hand and walking right passed him, dragging Keith along.  “We’re putting on clean pajamas and then cuddling for the rest of the day.”
 
After a beat, Keith let himself be pulled along.  “Sounds perfect to me.”

***

It took a few days before Lance kicked them all out.  Each person stayed to give a lengthy good-bye to Lance or Keith.  The last to leave was Hunk, who pulled them both into a crushing hug.
 
“I may never recover from this week’s festivities,” Keith admitted as Hunk hopped onto his small ship and blasted off into the sky.
 
“Good,” Lance teased, biting playfully at Keith’s shoulder.
 
“We need to talk about it, though,” Keith’s voice quivered as he spoke, and he swallowed nervously.  “The party is over.”
 
They stood just a few inches apart, angled just far enough apart so that they could avoid eye contact.  Finally, Lance whispered, “I have to do this, Keith.”
 
“I know.”
 
“Come with me.”
 
The words ground to a screeching halt in Keith’s brain, and they were sticky as he tried to pull them apart to analyze them.
 
“Come… with you?”
 
“Travel with me.  We can see the universe together, all over again.  Say yes, Keith, please.”
 
They froze in suspended animation.  Keith had a few seconds to come up with an answer to the most intense and impromptu invitation of a lifetime.  He hadn’t even properly processed that he was gay, let alone into Lance, let alone IN LOVE WITH Lance, let alone committing to FIVE YEARS aboard a spaceship designed for an ambassador.
 
...which is why Keith pulled away.
 
...which is why Keith’s eyes brimmed with tears.
 
...which is why he turned away when Lance called after him.
 
...and is why he ended up barefoot and lost in the corn stalks, feet ripped up by the hardened shucks.
 
...and is how he ended up collapsed in the corn, staring at the sky for hours without any motivation to get up or face the decision that was laid out before him.
 
...and that led to him slipping onto his ship a while later, jetting off into the sky without a good-bye.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

[New message]
 
Voice:

Hey Keith, it’s me, Lance, your rival-turned-friend-turned… uh… anyway I’m about to leave on my expedition.  Once I’m gone I can’t disclose my location except during monthly scheduled break days. If you want to talk, though, I can accept calls as long as they last less than thirty minutes.  So, call me if you can.

[New message]
 
Voice:

You would never believe this planet we just landed on.  I can’t tell you where it is, but the plants are also the domiciles of the natives.  It’s some really amazing stuff. I’m thinking of connecting them to the Olkari, because they can probably learn a lot from each other.  Just wanted to call and say that I’m thinking about you. So, call me if you get this. Or don’t. That’s cool, too.

[New message]
 
Voice:

Y-youuuu are a buttcheek boy!  Fucking fuck, Keith!

Other, Concerned Voice:

Ambassador McClain, you’re extremely affected by the alcohol on this planet.  We didn’t calculate it correctly with your metabolism. You shouldn’t be calling…

Voice:

...my stupid, beautiful, asshole ex-boyfriend… wait… is he even… ?  Well he’s an ex SOMETHING OKAY!?

Other, More Concerned Voice:

Please, sir, you need to rest…

Voice:

Sleep is for the weak!  I’m going to jump in the lake and hold my breath until Keith comes and saves me!

Other, Frantic Voice:

No… sir, sorry sir, but this is for your own good… yes take him back to his quarters, the sedative should wear off in a few hours… *shuffling against the mic* I’m sorry, uh, Keith.  Lance is indisposed at the moment. Please disregard this message, and happy Florg Day!

[New message]
 
Voice:

*silence for a few seconds with almost imperceptible breathing*

Voice:

Hey, Keith.  Tomorrow is our first free day.  We’ll be landing on Quas’try, right by where Altea used to be.  If you go to the Red hotel in D’trys and say my name, then they’ll let you in to see me.  You aren’t the only one coming, so don’t think I’ll be waiting for you. Just…. fuck, man.  You… please. If you ever cared about me at all, come.

[New message]

Voice:

Actually, don’t come.  Go fuck yourself. I never want to see you again.  Have a good life, jackass

[New message]
 
Voice:

No!  I take it back!  I miss you so much, please come.  Even if it’s just as friends. I miss having you around me, Keith.  It physically hurts, like you ripped off a piece of me on the way out.

[New message]
 
Voice:

This is a message from the official phone of Ambassador Lance McClain.  All of his voicemails and texts have been held until today to prevent tracking his location due to a security breach earlier this month.  However, tomorrow is the day of rest, and his location will be released to all people he specifies as friends or family. You’ve been listed, so please follow the instructions that will be texted to your communication device.  Also… *voice lowers* I have a betting pool with the rest of the staff that you’re the same Keith who pilots the black lion. If you are, I win the bet and get like five hundred gac. So if you are, definitely tell them it’s you.  If you aren’t, help a brother out and roleplay a bit? I’ll give you half the cut.

***

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?” Lance’s voice was so high pitched that his staff thought it might shatter the windows.
 
“Sir, it was in the orientation packet that we gave you on day one…”

“No one reads the orientation packet!!!!”  Lance whined, burying his head in his hands.  “What do you mean there was a security breach?”
 
“There was someone that hacked our location.  It was only for a second through your phone, but we had to halt all outgoing communications until we could reconfigure your tracking capabilities.  Your messages are being sent today.”
 
“My mother hasn’t heard from me in a month.  She probably thinks I’m dead! Everyone probably thinks I’m dead!”
 
“Sir, your meetings have been televised a few days after each excursion.  Anyone on earth with internet or a working television knows you’re alive and well.”
 
Tapping his foot nervously, Lance asked, “So you halted all outgoing communication.  How about incoming communication? I haven’t received anything from that, just the messages given directly through the office.  I thought it was weird, but I figured it might be because I’ve only been gone a few weeks.”
 
His assistant glanced over at an intern, who was turning a violent shade of purple.  “Kevin?”
 
“I… I forgot the password to get… on the… um… I didn’t want to ask…”
 
Lance’s assistant pinched the bridge of their nose.  “Kevin, you’re fired.”
 
“Wait, no!  Give him another chance.  He’s been otherwise indisposable,” Lance’s tone indicated that he was forcing calm even though frustration was trying to break through.  “How can we get access to my incoming communications?”

[New message]
 
Mother’s Voice:

Lance, mijo, how are you?  I saw your televised negotiations that would help orphaned children in the Garnak district.  You are doing so well, darling. Keep it up. I’m sending all my love.

[New message]
 
Young Woman’s Voice:

Lance-ster, it’s Pidge.  I’m calling to let you know that Lilia and I are planning on visiting on your break day.  I’m dying to hack your location, but I know they probably have security measures in place to shut down your communications.  Anyway, just know that I’m restraining myself for your sake. I am a saint. Worship the ground I walk on. Anyway, talk to you in a month.

[New message]
 
Commanding Voice:

It’s Curtis.  Shiro and I have some big news for you, so we’re going to come on your break day to tell you.  Hopefully we can get your location in time. Shiro and I think you’re doing great, too. Shiro actually teared up a bit the other day watching your speech before you departed.  Don’t tell him I told you. He’d karate chop my finger off.

[New message]
 
Nervous Voice:

Lance, I got your message the other day.  I can’t wait that long. I tried hacking your location, because I need to come see you.  I need to tell you how sorry I am. I want to be with you. I was just overwhelmed, and needed time to process.  However, when I tracked your location there was a really aggressive message about committing high treason against the intergalactic confederation of communication or something.  I blew up the communication station I was using. It was old anyway. No one will miss it. Oh, this is Keith, by the way. Keith Kogane.

[New message]
 
Grumpy Voice:

Lance, it’s Veronica.  You better have a good reason for not contacting mom.  She’s up in arms here. She tried threatening the President.  She tried to force Shiro to tell her where your lion is. The only reason she calmed down was because she saw your face on the television.  Call us back ASAP

[New message]
 
Peppy Voice:

Hello number three!  I recently received a death threat from your mother, which was quite a surprise, let me tell you! *chuckles good-naturedly* Anywho, I informed her that your office was only accepting communication through your official channels because of a security breach. She has calmed considerably.  She has also offered to bake me a pie. Anyway, I will be piloting the ship that will bring your family to your break day. We are excited to see you again, my boy!

[New message]
 
Nervous Voice:

I think I fucked up.  The communication outpost I blew up was actually a relay station.  I had to spend three days building the planet a new one, and almost got arrested by local authorities.  Pidge had to help me. After I rebuilt it, though, it worked better than before. I think they offered to name me as the heir to their throne?  I told them I couldn’t accept it, so I think they let it go? Anyway, I understand why you haven’t called. I was an ass. The least you could do is call me though.  Call me and yell at me, even. Tell me how much you hate me, or something. Anything at all. I can’t stand the radio silence. I miss your voice. Uh, this is Keith by the way.  Keith Kogane.

[New message]
 
Excited Voice:

Lance it’s Hunk, your best friend and universe-wide chef extraordinaire.  Shay and I will be going on a retreat for a few weeks in order to help revive a dead Balmera.  It’s a formal and traditional ceremony, so I won’t have my phone. I should be done by the time your break day comes, though.  I’ll bring your favorite foods. Love you, dude.

Formal Voice:

Hello Lance, this is Krolia.  I wanted to discuss arrangements for your marriage to my son.  Currently Keith is despondent, thinking that you hate him. However, I reminded Keith that Galra mate for life.  As he is half Galra, there is a 50/50 shot that if you try to copulate with another person your reproductive organs might fall off.  So, obviously the wedding is still on. Please let me know if you lose your penis. If that happens, I will need to reassess whether or not the marriage will be possible.

[New message]
 
Panicked Voice:

Lance my mom just told me that your dick might fall off.  Until we can get Coran in to do some tests do not have sex with anyone else!  I promise I’m not being a possessive asshole, I just don’t want you to be irreparably damaged.  I know what this sounds like, but trust me. Please. Uh, this is Keith, by the way. Keith Kogane.

[New message]
 
Young Woman’s Voice:

Hey Lance, Pidge here.  I talked to Coran and we figured out you aren’t receiving our messages.  I promise I’m not the one behind the security breach, despite this having my name written all over it.  So, stop thinking it was me. It wasn’t. *pointed silence* If we need to talk to you, we’ll contact your official channels.  You probably won’t get this for a while, but I figured I’d explain the radio silence. I managed to tell everyone except for Keith.  Apparently he has been claimed by the Quinxok people as their new deity. The Blade is trying to negotiate his release, but he’s being kept in the palace.  Hopefully he is sprung before your break day. He’s been an absolute wreck pining over you.

[New message]
 
Whispered Voice:

Lance, I don’t know how much time I have.  I’ve been taken by the locals. They’re currently trying to draw my blood to complete a ritual that will give me eternal life, or maybe just prevent me from getting any airborne illness?  Their translator is only so reliable. If you get this and I’ve been sacrificed to help crop growth, just know that I regret everything. I miss you, I want you, I can’t wait to see you again if you’ll let me.  Oh, uh, this is Keith. Keith Kogane.

[New message]
 
Nervous Voice:

So the Blade managed to get me free.  I did have to promise them my first born child, and they didn’t seem to understand that I couldn’t bear children.  My mom insists that it doesn’t include adopted children. So, uh, that’s cool, I guess. Anyway, Coran reached out to me and told me when your break day will be.  I’m coming. I have a few new tattoos that glow in the dark, though, so don’t be alarmed. It’s supposed to signify that I’ve ascended the mortal plane or something.  Oh, right, I forgot. This is Keith. Keith Kogane.

[New message]
 
Frustrated Voice:

So Coran just told me that you haven’t been receiving any of my messages.  Which makes sense, in retrospect, because you didn’t call me back. So I don’t even know if you’ll get this.  I’m still coming, though. I can’t wait to see your face, even if you punch me.

[New message]
 
Nervous Voice:

Oh, I forgot, but the earlier message was from me.  From, uh, Keith. Keith Kogane.

***

The room was packed.
 
It was almost surreal, Lance thought.  His office had given him a huge conference room for his visitors, and Lance had thought it was a bit excessive.  However, they had the right idea. His family had arrived first and enveloped him in a series of aggressive and jarring hugs.  
 
Pidge and Lilia came separately, and brought him a small portable chip with all his favorite romantic comedies on it.  
 
Hunk and Shay made it too, and Hunk brought a whole bunch of food.  Everyone had cheered.
 
Coran came in after parking the ship carrying his family, and tipped his conductor’s hat.
 
The biggest surprise was Shiro and Curtis.  Shiro walked in with a one-year-old bouncing on his hip, and Lance immediately lost his shit.  “You have a baby?!”
 
“This is our daughter, Allura.  The adoption went through right after your birthday.”
 
The little girl was precious.  She lifted her hands up in excitement at Lance’s voice, and Shiro nuzzled her head affectionately.  It was strange, seeing their Space Dad be a Real Dad. Curtis was standing behind them but close, as if trying to protect them from any danger.  
 
Everyone around them turned into baby babbling messes, surrounding the two and spilling their congratulations.
 
Some of his other friends arrived, as well as the President of the United States.  When she saw Lance’s mom, she inched to the other side of the room, whistling to avoid looking suspicious.  
 
Lance’s heart sank, though.  He got the messages from Keith, even if it was a little late.  Keith promised to be there. Keith seemed so sincere, sincere enough to make Lance forget the radio silence.  Sincere enough to warrant forgiveness.
 
With each new person coming and going, Lance’s heart sank.  He let himself get hugged and shuffled around the room. There were so many people he cared about asking about his adventures.  Sometimes he would go on a long rant about a particularly odd planet or interesting cultures. He would whip out his communicator and show images he took from the planets that were too beautiful to describe, so they had to be seen for themselves.  However, each time he heard the door open, his eyes drifted up without fail.
 
“So I was riding this camel thing that had like a jelly hump?  It was really comfortable but I felt like I was going to fall off the whole time…”
 
Coran cut into Lance’s retelling of his trip to Ypyr, saying, “Ah, yes, the Krumplehump.  I spent a few months back in my youth learning how to ride from a close friend.”
 
Luis and Lisa looked at Coran with amusement, but then the older man asked, “Could you excuse us for a moment?  I have something I need to discuss with the man of the hour.”
 
Luis and Lisa both nodded, but Lisa looked a bit disappointed.  Lance noted that he would have to finish his story for her.
 
Coran placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder, and brought him into another room off to one side.  
 
“What’s up, Coran?”
 
“Nothing!” he said cheerily, winking and wiggling his mustache.
 
Blinking, Lance asked, “Wait, why are we out here, then?”
 
“Excellent question, number four!  Why are we anywhere, anyway?” Coran mused, hiking an eyebrow.

“Number four?” Lance asked, appalled at his demotion.
 
“Sorry, baby Allura has been pushed to the front of all of my ranking systems.  I make no apologies for it.”
 
The excuse made Lance’s heart melt, and he smiled.  The old man looked so strong, but age was starting to show in the crinkle of his smile.  The family that he spent his whole life serving and protecting was gone now. Sometimes, Lance wondered how he managed to carry on.  Then, he would remember all Coran was doing to help rebuild Altea, and it made sense.
 
“Coran, you’re one of the bravest men I know.”
 
The compliment startled him, and his eyes welled up.  “Thank you, number four. I’m honored,” but then the older man was distracted by his watch.  “Oh, wait, it’s time. Go back in there!”
 
With an unceremonious shove, Lance was pushed into the conference room full of his loved ones, and he stopped dead.
 
On the stage was Keith, wearing a tuxedo and accompanied by some of Lance’s musical cousins.  Lilia was on the bass, and she winked at Lance as the music started.
 
After seemingly bracing himself for a quick death, Keith began to sing.
 
He was horribly off-key.  Lance cringed at the first note, but Keith was making unbroken eye contact with him, holding him in place.  The fire in those eyes was painful, made Lance breathless, and the lyrics floated away. He wasn’t even sure what song Keith was singing.  It sounded stupid and country, but the lyrics didn’t matter.
 
There was some impolite coughing at the bad singing, but otherwise everyone let Keith do his piece.  When he was done, Keith stepped off the stage.  
 
“I’m not good at these kinds of things,” Keith said slowly, shuffling his feet nervously.  The confidence he had while singing seemed to zap, leaving behind a socially awkward Keith in its wake.  Also, Lance thought he saw a glittering tattoo on his neck, almost hidden by his collar. “Lance, I love you.  I’ve loved you longer than I’ve known I loved you, even. I don’t do well on a stage, and I’m a terrible singer, but I wanted to do something flashy and excessive, because that’s what you would do.”
 
Snorting, Lance wiped at his eyes, furiously trying to avoid crying.
 
“If you’ll have me, I want to come with you.”
 
Lance’s assistant seemed alarmed at this, and was about to protest, but Coran pinched a nerve on the back of their neck and they passed out into his arms.  He dragged them out of the room.
 
“Hell yes,” Lance whispered.  There was a lump in his throat, but Keith was standing in front of him.  He loved him. Keith loved Lance.  
 
The other man surged forward and kissed him, wrapping him up in an embrace that was too sinful to be polite in company, but they didn’t care.
 
When Keith pulled away, he was blushing, but then he seemed to catch sight of something to his left.
 
“Shiro, is that a baby?”

***

Keith was holding baby Allura, making faces at her.  She had very fine blonde hair that was pulled up into a bow, and Keith couldn’t help but melt at the sight of her.
 
“We had something important to ask you, Keith,” Curtis cut in then, coming up next to where Keith was playing with the baby.  “You’ve been captive for most of this month, so we haven’t been able to bring it up.”
 
Shiro came up on his other side.  Keith felt a sudden urge to run away.  He wanted time with the baby. They got to live with her, for fuck’s sake…
 
“Keith, we’re so happy you’re safe,” Shiro said then, hugging him awkwardly with one arm.  “Also, we wanted to ask you to be baby Allura’s godfather.”
 
The words jumbled up in his head. They didn’t seem to make sense, and Keith found himself spinning around to make eye contact with Shiro, mouth agape. 
 
“What?”
 
“You, Keith.   I want you to be her godfather. You’re as good as my brother, and there is no one I trust more to do this,” Shiro said meaningfully, glancing down at the baby in Keith’s arms.
 
“What does that mean, exactly?” Keith wasn’t sure if he was bouncing the baby for the baby’s sake or just from how nervous he had just become.
 
“It means that if something happens to me and Curtis, you’ll be the next of kin.  You’ll be in charge of raising her.”
 
Her blue eyes locked on Keith’s braid, and she tugged at it with determination, flashing him a partially toothed smile as he winced.
 
“I don’t know what to say,” Keith swallowed, looking up at the closest thing to family he has ever had outside of Krolia.  “I’d be honored.”
 
Curtis breathed a sigh of relief.  “Oh, thank god. If you didn’t take it our back-up plan was my cousin, and she’s a hot mess.”
 
Shiro rolled his eyes.  “It wasn’t even a competition.  You were our first and only choice.”
 
At that, Keith lifted Allura up, nudging their noses together.  Her little dress crumpled under his grip, and Curtis winced, whispering, “I’m not ironing that thing again,” aggressively to Shiro, who pecked his cheek in retaliation.
 
Eventually Lance cut in and handed baby Allura back to the new parents, so that he could tug Keith urgently to the small side room Coran showed him.
 
When the door closed, Lance shoved Keith against it, who let out a little “oof” as Lance bracketed the sides of his head with his hands.
 
“You are an asshole,” Lance began, without any trace of anger or resentment on his face.  “I listened to your messages, though. Did you know that you were the one that had my communications turned off?  Good job shooting yourself in the foot, Romeo.”
 
“I put that together already, thank you very much,” Keith cut in, but he didn’t look all that angry either.  In fact, they were both completely melting in each other’s presence, bodies losing tension and faces losing sharpness until Lance finally came forward and collapsed into Keith’s arms, hugging him tightly.
 
“Don’t leave this time.”
 
“I won’t,” Keith promised, tightening his hold on Lance.  The other man felt right at home in his arms, felt like he fit perfectly.  Keith couldn’t imagine ever letting go of him again.
 
They pulled apart just enough for Keith to coax Lance into an intense kiss, one that was licking and biting and sent their nerves shivering in anticipation of what could come next.
 
As Lance pressed closer to Keith, however, Keith almost bit down on Lance’s tongue and choked in surprise.
 
Someone was in the room with them.  Rubbing their head with confusion, Lance’s assistant sat up from behind the table.  How had they missed them?  
 
Rushing over, Keith knelt next to Lance’s assistant, who looked up at the two of them in confusion.
 
“How did I get here?” the assistant asked, and Keith swallowed nervously.  He vaguely remembered Coran doing a weird move to stop the assistant from blabbing about something.  
 
Lance had rushed over next to Keith, and was checking over his assistant carefully
 
“Jem?  Are you okay?” Lance fussed, adjusting their glasses to sit more evenly on their nose.  
 
“I’m not great,” Jem admitted, rubbing at their neck with a sour look on their face.  “I think you had offered to let Keith onto our expedition, however, is that correct?”
 
Lance and Keith both stared slack jawed at Jem, not comprehending.
 
“We have to do a background check, and additionally he would need to go through trainings through the intergalactic ambassador decorum, rules, and guidelines for interaction with each species.  Mr. McClain, you studied for this position for months before applying. Your paramore would have to do the same.”
 
The two of them glanced at each other, but Keith was already relaxing.  “I can study. How bad could it be?”

***

When Keith tackled Lance against the bed, he was already angrily biting at the nape of his tanned neck, marking him possessively.  “That was the worst three months of my life.”
 
Amused, Lance ran his fingers through Keith’s hair and down the smooth skin on his back.  “They told you that you should have spread it out for six months. You basically studied for twelve hours a day!”
 
“Hmm,” Keith acknowledged, finally resting his full body weight on Lance so that they could be pressed as close as possible, “but then I’d have to wait longer to do this.”
 
To mark his point, Keith tilted Lance’s head so that they could roughly kiss.  Both of them breathed out their nose at the same time, lending a breathy, moaning sound to the mix.
 
Breaking the kiss, Lance grabbed a vibrating phone and looked down at who was calling him.  Immediately he paled and sent them directly to voicemail.
 
Curiously, Keith grabbed the phone and snorted.  They waited for the voicemail, and then Keith turned it onto speaker and pressed “play.”
 
[New Message]
 
Formal Voice:

Hello Lance, this is Krolia.  I wanted to call you to let you know that I’ve run Keith’s DNA with some of the samples you sent me.  All the tests finally yielded negative results, and it says that your penis will not fall off if you copulate with another living being.  You are safe to have sex with others. However, these tests don’t take me into account. If you sleep with someone else and break my son’s heart, you’re just as likely to lose a penis.  Oh, additionally, I’ve booked the soul bonding arena for your wedding. It can take as long as fifteen years to get into the arena, but I name dropped you two and they’re going to let you into their line-up for ten phoebs from now.  I will arrange to have members of the Blade kidnap you from your ship and then return you unharmed.

The two of them looked at each other with joint horrified expressions before Keith called his mom frantically.
 
“Mom, you can’t just book wedding events without…” Keith wandered out into the hallway, and left Lance alone in the room for a few while he argued aggressively with his mother over wedding plans, or at least at canceling all of them until further notice.
 
When Keith wandered back into the room, his breath caught.
 
Lance was reading a report in bed, in a t-shirt and boxers.  There was ambient blue and red LEDs dancing on the walls, and the stunning man looked up at Keith with a bright smile, his eyes twinkling like stars in the dim lighting.
 
“What?” Lance asked, looked down at the hole in the hem of his shirt, “Is something wrong?”
 
A smile split Keith’s face.  “No, nothing is wrong. You are perfect.”
 
Cocking an eyebrow, Lance patted the bed next to him.  “Alright, then come over here. Watch me be sexy while I interpret ancient Hysterian law.”
 
Funnily enough, Keith did find that sexy.  He crawled into the bed and rested his ear on Lance shoulder, hearing his heartbeat beneath him.  This was Lance, the love of his life, his second in command.  
 
This was home.