Chapter Text
1. DATE
Lance was going on a date with Allura.
And Keith realized he wasn’t upset about it.
Of course, it hadn’t always been that way.
He remembered the days he had spent at the Garrison, and then later with Voltron, watching from afar as Lance flirted with every pretty face within speaking distance.
He remembered the jealousy he had felt – the resentment over how many times that bright, stupid, dazzling smile of Lance’s had been turned on complete strangers, and never once directed at Keith.
But things had changed during his time in the Quantum Abyss.
For the first time in Keith’s life, he had been allowed to slow down – to reflect; to find himself.
He had been shown flashes of the past, and he had been granted glimpses of things unfamiliar and far away; things that came and went with the whisper of one day, maybe.
Throughout it all – seeing it all laid out before him day after day – one thing had become clear.
That bright, flirtatious smile of Lance’s was never meant for Keith.
That smile was meant for loud moments; for crowded spaces and upbeat music. That smile was meant to draw attention from across the room – to ensnare someone and reel them in.
But Keith had noticed Lance in his quiet moments.
He had paid attention when everyone else was looking elsewhere.
So that attention-seeking smile was not for Keith.
But there was one smile that was – a softer, more grounded one. A smile that felt private and intimate – like a tiny piece of Lance’s heart shining through.
With each new memory shown to Keith; each new series of moments that still might yet come – he realized that while Lance’s smiles were far from a rare commodity, that one particular smile was never directed toward anyone else.
It was Keith’s personal smile.
So he was not jealous, now, as Lance plopped down beside him with a heavy sigh, pans clanking against one another from the kitchen-themed outfit Coran had given him to wear.
There was no reason to be jealous because Keith felt sure that no matter where they went in life – no matter where they ended up or who they went off with, Lance would never grow into someone he had once known; an acquaintance, a stranger.
He couldn’t quite explain it, but something about Lance had always felt permanent, even in the early years.
And the glimpses he had seen in the Quantum Abyss had only solidified that feeling into a firm belief.
Keith had seen that special smile turned on him throughout previews of a lifetime – through different hairstyles and unfamiliar scars. He had seen it in sunlight and in moonlight. He had seen it on the face he knew, and he had seen the lines and creases that smile had built over the years. It fueled his heart with confidence that in the end, what they had between them now would not fade away.
In the end, no matter what life threw their way, Keith would not lose the best thing that had come out of their time with Voltron.
Because yes, he ranked the bond he had formed with Lance above everything else – above all the battles they had won, and all the people they had saved. Above finding his mom and finding himself.
Because none of it would have been possible without Lance’s support, so long ago when Keith had needed it most.
***
Not even the nervousness pinching Lance’s brow could dampen the way he looked in the golden light of the sunset.
The nervousness that, in Keith’s humble opinion, was the most ridiculous thing, and needed to be assuaged.
A slew of options rattled through his head – telling Lance how special he was, how important he was to the team; reminding him of all the good he had done, and all the help he had provided along their path; boosting his confidence with a heartfelt speech of who Lance was and everything he had to offer.
In the end, however, one option stood out above the rest.
He had held onto this truth for so long, keeping it caged in his heart, hiding it away behind a wall of every potential outcome these words could bring.
It was strangely fitting, now, he realized, that when he finally got to speak this truth out loud, it was without any ulterior motive. He would gain nothing from saying these words, and, in turn, he had nothing to fear.
“You know,” Keith mused. “It’s actually funny you came to talk to me before your big date.”
Beside him, Lance chuckled, the sound as warm and golden as the sunset. “Let me guess, my outfit might have something to do with this humor you speak of?”
Keith’s legs stretched out before him as he leaned back, propping himself up on his arms. “I mean, I definitely wasn’t expecting to see you in…that. But no, I meant because I actually had a pretty giant crush on you, so it’s funny that you came to find me to get a pep talk before your date with Allura when that would have made me super jealous before.” He rolled his head to one side, grinning at Lance. “If we’ve learned anything with Voltron, it’s that space and time are weird. Who knows – maybe in another universe or another lifetime, this could have been a date for us.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at Lance’s stunned expression – the comically wide eyes, the mouth hanging open –
“O-oh.” Lance’s breath left his lungs in a nervous chuckle. “Okay. You’re…you’re joking. You’re just messing with me.”
Keith was still grinning as he shook his head. “I’m not, actually. But your face – Look, Lance, I just wanted to tell you, now, because you look so anxious, and I thought maybe hearing that I think you’re pretty great would help, I don’t know…ease that.” He gave Lance a long and pointed look. “Allura said yes to you. And you had me pining after you for years. Have a bit more faith in yourself, is all I’m saying. You have nothing to be nervous about.”
The pans on Lance’s shoulders rattled as he shifted closer to Keith, his eyes narrowed, as if he squinted hard enough he could discover some hidden intent behind Keith’s words.
“Are you actually telling me,” he said finally. “You, Keith motherfucking Kogane, actually legitimately had a crush on me? Like, for real?”
Keith pressed his fingertips to the part of Lance’s shoulder not covered in kitchenware, pushing him away gently. “Yes for real. It was pretty obvious, too. I’m pretty sure everyone else knew. Shiro definitely knew.”
Lance made a strangled noise at the back of his throat. “God, you’re serious.”
Keith, thinking the conversation would move on from there, turned to scratch the dark hair behind Kosmo’s ears.
The wolf, who had done his best to ignore the two of them thus far, continued to do so.
Keith, however, couldn’t ignore the feeling of Lance’s eyes boring into the side of his face. Turning back, he raised one eyebrow. “What? You want it in writing or something?”
That seemed to break Lance out of whatever odd stupor he had fallen into. “Nah…” he drawled. “I’m just trying to determine if this massive, pining crush of yours… if it’s possibly still there. I mean, it can’t be easy getting over me.”
Keith fell backwards onto the lion’s head, one arm coming up to cushion his head. Absentmindedly, he reached out with his other hand, running his fingers through the dense fur along Kosmo’s flank.
Lance was hovering over him with an expectant look on his face, and so Keith pretended to contemplate the question. In reality, however, he wanted to take a moment to internally rejoice that for the first time since Lance had climbed up onto Black, the nervousness was gone and he seemed like his usual self. “Hm, maybe I’m not over you. I mean, this outfit…it’s really doing things for me, you know?”
“Seeing me walk around the Garrison in utter humiliation is what floats your boat, huh?” Lance deadpanned. “Yeah…that tracks.”
“Mm yeah, that might be it.”
Lance narrowed his eyes. “You sure about that, hotshot?” He fell gracefully over onto his side, despite the cumbersome costume – propping his head up with a hand as he raised one leg straight up into the air. “You sure it’s not because I’m actually pulling this shit off, Keith?”
In all the time they had known each other, there were some things that never changed no matter how much time passed.
Keith knew that wicked glint in Lance’s eyes from their days at the Garrison.
He knew that sly curve of Lance’s mouth from their time as antagonistic Paladins.
He knew – as surely as the smile Lance saved only for Keith was a constant throughout their lives – the other constant was that neither of them could ever back down from a challenge.
“Hey, Keith, race you to the kitchen.”
“Lance, I bet I can take out 10 drones before you can.”
“Keith, we gotta make it back to Red. You’re not gonna make me fly back alone, are you?”
“Lance – hey – you gotta stay awake because you said you’d introduce me to your family when we got back to Earth. I already told Shiro. Are you going to make me into a liar?”
“Keith, my buddy, my man…we both know I look way better in this new uniform. All you have to do is admit it.”
“Whoa, Lance, did you hear how spicy Hunk said that sauce was? And – no, it’s not that I can’t handle it, it’s just… Ugh, you know what? Fuck you. I’m gonna regret this tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah –?”
“You sure about that?”
“Let’s fucking go then!”
“Okay, I’m with you.”
“Think you can keep up, samurai?”
“Yeah? Then prove me wrong, sharpshooter.”
It was the challenge that had first taken hold of Keith’s heart and never let go.
And ever since, it had been the strangest experience, because Keith hated looking stupid and doing idiotic, illogical things.
Except there was just something about choosing to do a stupid thing in concurrence with someone else – someone who would laugh about it with you afterwards, even if it meant laughing while both of you were attempting to dunk your whole heads in milk because your mouths were on fire.
There had always just been something about doing things together with Lance…
“Pulling it off? Nope, that’s not it.” Keith’s face slipped into the smirk that was often the response to one of Lance’s challenges. “And I’ll tell you something else. The fact that you are flexible enough to do that with your leg? It has zero effect on me.” He fixed his gaze up at the gloaming sky, letting the warm desert air wash over him.
“You’re a lying liar, you know that?”
“And you have a date with Allura,” Keith countered. “Go show off your leg to her.”
Lance huffed in the way he did when he was pretending to be offended. “You know what? I will.”
The racket he made as he got to his feet made Kosmo let out an annoyed little huff of his own.
“Sorry, bud,” Lance addressed the wolf, before bending double at the waist, hands on his hips as he leaned over Keith. “Your loss, though. I bet Allura will have the decency to show my gorgeous leg the love and attention it deserves! You don’t even know what you’re missing!” He whirled around, tossing the dishcloth hanging off his shoulders out like a cape.
Keith knew exactly what his face looked like as he watched Lance stomp over to the edge of the lion’s head. Pidge had pulled him aside one day and showed him a picture where he appeared in the background, his eyes fixed on Lance.
“You see this, Keith?” Pidge had deadpanned, tapping the screen of her tablet. “I’m going to add a Learn Earth English program to the Castle’s database. And I’m going to put this fucking picture under the definition of ‘whipped.’”
That expression faded into a grin as Lance paused at the edge of the lion’s head.
“How the fuck did I get up here?” Lance gestured violently at the ground. “And how the fuck do I get down?”
“Why don’t you use those gorgeous legs of yours?”
“Keith!” Lance yelped. “You have given me enough of a shock for one evening. Do you want to literally make me fall off this lion and die?”
Through his laughter, Keith instructed Kosmo to transport Lance to the ground.
END OF PART ONE