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Lance had no idea when it started, or how it started. He wasn’t even sure why it was happening, he didn’t know this was a possibility. But he also wasn’t complaining.
He wore a fond grin as he looked at the smaller boy on his lap. Said boy was curled around him, hands clinging to his torso, head nestled inside his neck. He pulled up the blankets over them higher when he saw Keith shiver, and kissed his forehead softly.
Keith was the clingiest person he had ever met. But not in a bad way. Keith wasn't obsessed with him, he was never annoying, or got overly jealous. He wasn’t clingy in the sense of not being able to share Lance’s attention with anyone, he wasn’t even the type of clingy to need to spend every waking minute with Lance. He was the type of clingy, that if they were in the same room, he had to be touching Lance. It didn’t matter if it was strong embraces or simple shoulder brushes. Keith needed that reassurance, he needed that constant touch, he needed Lance. He was touch starved, having not felt anyone’s love, anyone’s hugs, he had always been alone. Lance hadn’t really understood at first, but as time passed, he learned to understand.
It was before a mission, the first time it happened. Allura had been talking to them, explaining their upcoming mission. Keith was standing next to him, nothing unusual. Lance had his hand on his hip, while the other one was left hanging. He almost didn’t feel it at first, but when he turned to look at Keith, his pale face was crimson red, and he was looking anywhere but Lance. His attention turned to his lowered hand, where Keith’s single pinky was loosely linked to his own, and Lance grinned so widely he thinks his face may break. Keith still can’t meet his eyes but even he has the smallest smile on his red face. Lance remembers how he chuckled, and the way he wrapped his entire hand around Keith’s smaller one, holding it firmly. He also remembers Keith’s face turning an even brighter shade of red than it already was, and everyone hearing the choked sound of surprise he made.
Allura had stopped talking, and half stared at the Red Paladin in worry, the other half in amusement. Shiro was not the latter.
“Keith, are you okay?” He had that worried Dad look he always gave them. Lance squeezed his hand in reassurance.
“Just fine, Shiro.” Keith managed to squeak out.
Shiro looked at him warily, and then at Lance, then finally back at Allura, nodding for her to continue.
Lance rubbed his thumb affectionately over Keith’s knuckle, then kissing it when the others weren’t looking. “You’re adorable,” He remembers mumbling. It’s safe to say Keith nearly died that day.
That night he had brought Keith to his room, and he held him to his chest, loving the feeling of having Keith close to him.
“Keith?” Lance was whispering.
“Hm?”
“Does it—does it bother you when I do stuff, well, stuff like I did today? Like, in public?”
Keith stiffened in his arms, “What do you mean?”
“It’s just, today, when I held your hand, I thought— “
Keith sat up suddenly, quickly shaking his head. “No, no, no, no—I didn’t mean for you to think—ugh,” His pale face was red again, as it had been a few hours ago. Lance quickly noticed his panicked expression.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay if you don’t want to do that stuff, y’know, I won’t be— “
“But I do!” Keith flinched at his own raised voice, looking down at the sheets between him and Lance. “L-Lance, I do want to do stuff like that in public. I want to hold your hand, hug you, kiss you. It’s just, this is still new to me.” He whispered the last part shakily. He looked up and met Lance’s gaze. “I’ve n-never, been with anyone. The feelings that I have for you, I’ve never felt them before, I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing, Lance. I’m scared, and you’ve probably done so much, but me— I,”
He had started to shake, breathing raggedly, and Lance recognized the panic in his voice, in his teary eyes. “Baby, shh.” He hugged Keith, stroking the ends of his stupid mullet, a mullet he’s grown to love, even if he’ll never admit it.
Lance whispered into Keith’s ear. “If I tell you a secret can you keep it?”
Keith nodded fast, still holding tightly onto Lance’s body.
Lance smiled, and went back to playing with the tips of his boyfriend’s hair. “You’re the first person I’ve ever been with.”
Keith turned to look at him, a confused look on his face. “What?”
“You heard me.” Lance kissed his forehead. “You’re the only person I’ve done this with,” another kiss to his cheek, “first person I hold hands with,” his other cheek, “first person I kiss,” his nose, “first person I think I love,” he looked at Keith’s eyes, only to see that they were closed.
“Keith, open your eyes.”
Keith opened them slowly, his breath coming out shallowly, his nerves sky rocketing. "B-But, I just thought, I mean since you're always flirting," Keith had never felt more dumb.
Lance smiled softly at him, warm gaze staring at the other boy.
“I have no idea what I’m doing either, Keith, and that’s okay. We can take this slow, one step at a time, the both of us.”
And then they were kissing.
The second time it happened, it was after their talk, not even a week later, and Keith had been all over Lance. He had no self-control anymore.
Lance had been in the lounge, sitting on the couch talking to the others, just having some downtime. He had let Keith sleep in, knowing that there wasn’t a possible way he could get Keith out of bed without getting hurt himself. He was listening to Hunk ramble on about the new food he and Coran had picked up from the last planet they had visited, when he saw a flash of red coming through the door. The rest kept talking, but Lance had all his attention on Keith. He smiled brightly when he saw the boy walking towards him. When he was at a close distance he greeted him.
“Hey, baby.” He smiled. Keith said nothing, and Lance grew confused. But then Keith was sitting right next to him, laying his head on Lance’s shoulder, and threw his hands around his waist, bringing him closer so he could snuggle into him. But oh no, that wasn’t it. When Keith decided he was comfortable, he fell right back to sleep.
By now, the rest had fallen silent. Hunk looked shocked, Shiro was staring with amazement, and Pidge just looked amused.
Lance’s tanned skin turned a pretty shade of pink, his smile turned soft, and hesitant hands wrapped their way around the sleeping boy. He let out a small laugh, not believing what was happening.
“Uh,” Hunk was the one to break the silence.
“DUDE!” Pidge was trying to hold in her laughter in now, doubling over on the couch.
“What did you do to Keith?” Even Shiro sounded amused now.
“Buddy,” Hunk was laughing too now. “I think you broke him.”
Lance shrugged, and just tightened the arm he had around Keith.
“So what was all that about today?”
They were staring at the stars tonight, both not being able to sleep. They were sat on a type of windowsill, Keith had his legs draped over Lance’s and he was playing with his boyfriend's larger hands. Space was quiet, an eerie type of quiet. But when they were together, they managed to turn that silence into a comfortable one.
Keith brushed his fingers over Lance’s knuckles and shrugged. “I was sleepy.”
“You could’ve kept sleeping in bed, y’know.”
Keith’s hands stopped exploring Lance’s, he seemed hesitant. “You mean you didn’t— “
“I did like it, don’t think that I didn’t.” He stopped him firmly. He brought Keith’s hands up to his lips, and kissed them sweetly. “I was just curious.”
Keith nodded, looking down to their hands, and he continued to run his fingers over them. “I just,” he shrugged again, “I woke up and you weren’t there. I like—I like the feeling of being near you. I feel safe. Happy.”
Lance felt his heart swell, he didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much.
He scooted closer to Keith and hugged him tightly. “I feel happy too, Keith. So happy.”
But now, as he held Keith in his bed as he slept, he realized he hadn’t truly known how happy Keith made him. As Lance was recalling the first few weeks they began dating, he remembered how Keith had never been able to initiate anything, he was too nervous, always followed Lance’s lead. Lance had been amused, he hadn’t imagined someone as impulsive and head strong as Keith being shy. But Lance learned to understand him, and he hadn’t minded taking it slow with Keith.
Keith grew out of his comfort zone with Lance, he let all his walls and boundaries drop. He held his hand whenever he felt like it. He kissed him whenever he wanted. He stayed by his side wherever they went. Keith couldn’t control himself anymore. He wanted the world to know that Lance was his, and that he was Lance’s.
And Lance didn’t mind that at all.