Work Text
Lance observed the several motivational quotes framed on the walls. They spoke of survival and faith, how miracles can exist in the shape of hope if one only believes in it.They covered the wall of the coffee-shop, one of the firsts to reopen after the war.It had been a moment of delight when it did, the prospect of such a simple mundane thing such as a coffee-shop finally bringing some stability after the chaos. If felt like going back to how things were before.But for Lance it had a different meaning. This has been the place where Keith and him had finally broken every wall of awkwardness and diffidence, timidly stepping into the unknown charts of their true feelings.It had taken Lance some time to finally come to terms with his emotions towards Keith, to recognise that the skip of his heartbeat whenever Keith would enter a room wasn't just his admiration for his fellow paladin.No, it was something else.Keith had been there for him when he had hit rock bottom; picked him up when he didn't have the strength to do so alone; comforted him at his worst and lowest and never, ever, gave up on him.Lance played idly with his spoon, twisting it between his fingers as the memory of that day when everything changed flashed in his mind.
{flashback to approximately one year ago}
They were quietly sipping a cup of coffee after another quiet boring day filled with diplomatic encounters and bureaucratic.Being a paladin of Voltron wasn't only acting as defenders and saviours; it also meant having to deal with the consequences of it and having to make sure peace prospered. And that meant dealing with the endless parade of humanitarian aid.Not that Lance didn't enjoy helping those in need; on the contrary, he loved it. But it sometimes required having to spend hours in boring meetings. He consideree himself more of an action man than lecture man.Keith was sitting next to him, his hair tied in a ponytail and his face was relaxed, beautiful as ever.Lance's insides churned with his wanting to say something. He had made it his mission to finally confess to Keith, to tell declare his love for him.But now that he was here with him, his shyness overcame him.He had planned some words, had practised them in front of the mirror and had written them down as if they were part of a movie script. And even though he thought and studied and analysed all possible outcomes, it was hard when he didn't know Keith's feelings for him. His words were unpredictable and each time Lance considered being rejected, the more depressed he felt.Mustering all his courage before they faltered, Lance cleared his throat. "Hum, hey Keith?""Yes Lance?" Keith glanced at him sipping his coffee.Lance noticed how his eyes looked particularly shining today, a dark shade of purple that reminded him of a kaleidoscope inside a space nebulae.Focus Lance, he admonished himself, looking down at his own cup so as not to loose himself in Keith's eyes."Look man, I don't know how to say this," Lance began unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck, a furious blush tainting his cheeks. He could barely look up at the mullet boy next to him. "I wanna talk to you about something but I don't know how you'll react.""Okay, what is it?" Keith asked raising an eyebrow."Ever since we returned from Altea, you know, after Allura'a celebration, I've been... well... sort of... you know... I mean...""Lance, you're rambling nonsense," Keith called his name through a soft chuckle that had sent Lance's heart into a frantic arrhythmia.
Oh boy, calm down heart!
Lance's blush spread to his ears as he stole a quick embarrassed look at Keith who gazed at him expectantly."Sorry. I guess that what I'm trying to say is," Lance started again fidgeting with his cup of coffee, his heart pounding at his ears. "I never really thanked you for helping me after Allura's death. I was so lost and adrift I didn't know what to do anymore. I know I pushed everyone away while I grieved but you never gave up on me. And I appreciate that more than I've ever admitted.""No-one should grieve alone," Keith commented, a sad gleam in his eyes. "When my father died I had no-one to turn to, no-one to help me deal with the loss; no-one to let me cry on their shoulder or to lift me up when I was down. It was one of the hardest, painful and lonesome moments of my life. I just didn't want you to go through that pain alone."Keith lifted his eyes to a silent Lance and smiled sadly. Lance's heart cried for Keith's past, for the pain he had to bear alone when he had been lucky to have him by his side."I'm sorry," Lance found himself saying casting his eyes down."For what?" Keith was genuinely puzzled, his hands grabbing his coffee cup between his fingerless gloves hands."For not having been there for you when you needed a shoulder to cry on," Lance replied truthfully.Keith was quiet when it came to talk about his father. He wasn't the sort of person to share his feelings with people, preferring to keep them locked inside his chest. He didn't allow anyone to see beyond the facade of a loner.So for him to open up with him like that was something Lance wasn't entirely prepared for and for a moment he felt like he was witnessing something quite historical."It's in the past now," Keith stated looking straight ahead, a sad crease between his eyebrows. "I prefer to look forward to the future now.""Do you have anything planned for the future?" Lance enquired curiously but also wary. He feared the answer."I don't know," Keith replied shrugging his shoulders and quickly sipping his coffee as he pondered. "Help my mum with the Coalition. Train some new Blade members. Help those in need.""Ah, classic Keith," Lance commented rolling his eyes amused at the predictable words.Keith punched him in the shoulder playfully, a chuckle escaping his lips. Lance revelled at the sound; he wished Keith would laugh more."What about you loverboy? Any plans for the future?" Keith then asked him settling down and observing Lance.Lance felt his heart skip a dangerous beat as a potential vision of what he longed for the future flashed before him. It tightened its grip on his chest as the prospect of what he wished for depended almost entirely on Keith."I don't know either," he answered dropping his shoulders and hunching his backs a little. "Part of me wants to return to Cuba and help out my parents on the farm. But the other part of me doesn't want to stop helping others behind. And also I don't want to leave these..."Lance's words trailed off hesitantly."These?" Keith promped raising an eyebrow at Lance.
This is now or never.
"I mean, I don't want to leave you and... and these feelings I have for you behind," Lance let the breath he had intentionally been holding out and didn't dare to look back at Keith."Keith, I'm in love with you," the words came out in one single choked and desperate breath.He was trembling, his heart frantic in his chest it made it hard to breath properly and his pumped blood warmed his cheeks.But he had said it; he had poured only a fragment of what he felt for Keith out there in the open.
"Lance..."
Lance almost groaned in pained agony at the way Keith had pronounced his name; shocked, unsettled almost as if his words had been quite excruciating to hear.This wasn't going according to what he had envisioned it; not even Keith's reaction matched the countless scenarios he had imagined.Lance wanted a black hole to swallow him right there and then."Forget it Keith, forget what I said," Lance said turning his head to the side and blinking away the stinging sensation of rejection. "You don't feel the same so it doesn't matter...""Lance, it does matter," Keith whispered.Lance's stomach lurched at the shift in Keith's tone; he had whispered it in an almost loveable tone. Still, Lance couldn't face him for fear of what he might see instead in his eyes."It matters to me because, you see, for a long time I've been hiding my own feelings... for you."Keith reached for his hand and grabbed it, his fingertips warm from holding his coffee cup. Lance's heart soared in a tentative hope as he looked at Keith's hand in his."I didn't dare to even consider that any kind of reciprocation was possible. So I hid my feelings from you and kept them locked inside where no-one could see or touch them. But I kept hoping you would one day feel the same."Lance felt Keith's thumb trace circles on his knuckles, the sensation opening more butterfly wings on his stomach. Could this really be happening? He still feared looking at Keith's eyes, feared hearing one thing and seeing other."When you and Allura started dating," Keith continued quietly and hesitantly as if he was also scared of Lance's reaction to his words. "I almost lost hope. You were so happy you lit up the room brighter than the sun. And I was happy for you, I truly was; but I couldn't stop wishing I were the reason you shone so bright."When Allura died, you had lost your light and seeing your hurt and grieve the way you did and not being able to take that pain away from you; it wrecked me. I would have gladly swapped places with her in a heartbeat if it meant seeing you shine and smile again."Lance, you..." Keith took a breath, swallowing hard. "You don't have to thank me for anything because I'd give you everything and beyond. And never think you don't matter; you do matter, you matter so much more to me than all the stars.""Keith," Lance called finally lifting his eyes from their now intertwined fingers.Keith was blushing ever so slightly, flustered as he gazed adoringly at him. It was such a beautiful sight Lance almost forgot to breathe.Lance didn't even realise what he was doing but his impulses were stronger than him.He leaned forward, Keith slightly taken aback by Lance's closeness until he relaxed, their foreheads touching. Lance looked at the galaxies that were Keith's eyes and felt his breath on his skin, wild electricity coursing through him and down his spine."Lance, what does this mean?" Keith asked in a low reluctant whisper, a slight tremor and a quiet anxiety in his voice.Lance's heart was racing so fast in pure bliss he believed it would burst out of his chest if he didn't say anything. He was suprised Keith couldn't hear the loud drum."It means," Lance began closing his eyes and smiling in almost drunken happiness "that you've healed my heart and soul and now they're all yours. I've been yours for a long time but never got the courage to tell you that you matter to me much more than the stars and the sky and the universe and the whole galaxy."He felt Keith tense up briefly before he was overwhelmed by Lance's soft though urgent lips on his, their first kiss carrying all the longing and craving each other have felt for so long now.Lance's arms were around Keith's neck pulling him closer to him. Keith had his hands on Lance's waist, his touch eager but delicate. They lost track of time, the world around them blurring until nothing else mattered but the two of them.
{end of flashback}
Keith's words, the words he had so painstakingly trained to declare to him, were still freshly carved in Lance's heart.He sighed tenderly at the memory, his stomach always doing that crazy somersault of giddiness whenever he recalled the way Keith had touched him as if he couldn't quite believe that Lance was his. Lance couldn't quite believe it either. But he was Keith's and Keith was his."Hey Sharpshooter," a voice whispered at his ear, hot and teasingly and Lance felt a delicious shiver down his spine as he giggled affectionately.Keith pressed his lips to Lance and gave him a long and sweet kiss that almost turned Lance's legs to jelly. He appreciated the fact that he was already sitting down; Keith's effect on him was always unpredictable."What took you so long?" Lance asked dreamily, already missing the kiss. "I missed you!"Keith chuckled lightly as he sat down on the stoll next to his, a hand swiping the bangs from his eyes. "We were together not even two hours ago.""Felt longer that that,"Keith immediately clasped their hands together, his touch gentle and caring. It sent electrical currents of yearning down Lance's spine. He revelled on the feelings almost drunkenly."Ihave something for you," Keith announced rather shyly and took a small box from his jacket pocket.Lance's heart dropped to the floor and then rocketed to the ceiling before nestling unsteadily back in his chest where it soared."What is it?" Lance couldn't hide the high-pitched curiosity from his voice. Then he gasped in pure horror, pulling away from the box and Keith as a small fear crept in. "It's not our anniversary, is it? Oh no, please tell me I didn't forget about our first anniversary together.""No Lance, it's not our anniversary," Keith replied laughing heartily at his reaction."Oh, good, good," Lance felt the relief wash over him. He eyed the box still in Keith's hand curiously. "Then what is it?""Just open it up already," Keith urged amused, placing the box on Lance's hand.Lance gave Keith one quick and final puzzling glance before turning his attention to the box. It was a simple dark blue box with a lighter blue ribbon on it. Lance lifted the lid carefully.Inside were two chains with a pendant each. He took one out and observed it fascinated and utterly speechless."Keith... I..." he mumbled, no words forming as he was overwhelmed by the gift."This is why I was late," Keith said taking the other pendant and also observing it. "This is Altean Palladium. Coran says because it's such an extremely rare metal, it's only refined for sacred rituals. He... he helped designed them for us."Lance stared at the two pendants hanging before him. The coins were identical: a simple embossed five-point star with a tiny diamond in the middle. The only difference between them was the diamond's colour: Lance was holding the red one, the colour he always associated Keith with."They're beautiful," Lance looked at Keith, searching his eyes. "But why?""Because I love you," Keith replied simple and truthfully.Lance grasped Keith's face and pulled him into a fierce kiss, transmitting through it all he couldn't put into words; his thanks but also his neverending love and adoration for him."I love you too, "What he felt for Keith wasn't normal, it was something beyond mortal love; it was a love that could cross galaxies, that made thunder scream for a flash of lightning and made the stars fall for universe's applause.Their love was a supernova and Lance just wanted to get in deeper and deeper.