A/N: Hello lovely readers! This fic was inspired by "Love Like You" from Steven Universe, a beautiful, beautiful song sung by none other than the Rose Quartz herself! Please please please check that song out it's a real gem (haha get it? Cause gems?), and the show is awesome, too, if you have the time. Enjoy!

Lance woke up one day, and he could just tell it was going to be one of those days when he walked up to the mirror. The person staring back at him looked absolutely miserable, unintelligent, klutzy, annoying, and honestly just pure shit in his eyes. He brushed his teeth, took off his face mask, and walked to the dining room for their daily 9 AM breakfast.

He took one good look at Keith and sighed, the thoughts overwhelming him once again. You're not good enough, you'll never be good enough, just look at that beautiful smile, why would someone like him possibly want someone like you? A worthless, annoying, bratty little kid who couldn't shut his mouth to save his life. Shouldn't you just end it now? Before you get hurt any more than you already are?

Lance knew he was being unreasonable, but he just couldn't help it - he felt worthless, especially compared to such perfection as Keith.

"Morning, Love," Lance greeted with a kiss. He still held his usual finesse, just a tad off of his game. Keith flushed and smiled awkwardly, looking shy, before Lance took his seat next to him, continuing his thoughts. He always thought he was bad, but now he was sure it was true, because Keith was just so good, he must be bad, right? For someone to be so much better than him, it must be.

Keith gave him a long look before taking his hand, excusing them, and pulling Lance out of the room.

"Wha - Keith, where are we going? Why'd you pull me out?"

"I know that look, Lance; I'm your boyfriend, you can't fool me anymore. Not like you used to. We're headed to your room, where we can talk." He was gentle, but firm, just as he knew he needed to be.

Lance really should've known he couldn't fool Keith - the boy was always very observant, especially of the one he loved. But does he really? How could you think someone as observant as he would love someone as dense as you?

"Lance, stop it. Or this lecture will have to last longer than I'm already planning, and I'm sure you don't want to miss lunch, too." Lance couldn't help but smile, even with lunch at stake, because here Keith was, being all cute boyfriendsey (which was honestly so rare), and he really couldn't ask for anything else. This is what he's always wanted.

He wanted to be with someone who could tell at a glance what he was thinking, someone who didn't make him have to voice his insecurities, someone who just understood. Someone who knew just what to say to make him feel better, someone who was kind and caring, gentle, yet strong and fierce, protective. And he had it.

Arriving at his room, Keith had him insert his code (he never asked for it to respect Lance's privacy, despite Lance's insistence he have it), and pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top of him.

"You," he said, planting a kiss right below his ear, "are perfect," another kiss on his neck, "no matter what you may tell yourself," on his nose, "and I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend out of anyone in this whole wide world." He laid himself on Lance's side, snuggling into his chest.

Lance internally screamed at how adorable Keith was being - he never cuddled! - as Keith continued.

"Honestly, I don't know how on Earth someone like me, antisocial, awkward, into some really strange things, and so emotionally vulnerable it's laughable possibly managed to land someone like you, charming, cute, adorably dorky, always so cheerful despite what you're going through just so people won't worry, and so, so loyal. I think that I must be bad, for there to be someone so good, so much better than me out there -"

"Now you stop right there -"

"- but I also know that that isn't me that thinks that. That's my inner devil's advocate, and I know when to stop, when it starts to get unhealthy. You, on the other hand, let it devour you, let it consume your every thought until you've reduced yourself to the nothingness that you don't deserve to be. You deserve to know just how important you are, just how beautiful and brilliant the person underneath is.

"I don't know how on Earth you managed to convince yourself you're not worth it, because all I see is worth it. You're everything to me, Lance; I don't know what I'd do without you here by my side. It broke my heart, back when we were rivals, when you'd fight with me. All I wanted was you, and when you finally told me that you liked me, that you only fought with me to cover your feelings up, that you only pretended to be confident and conceited because you didn't want people to see the "real you" deep deep down, someone you thought was ugly, I don't even know how to express to you how I felt. Trusted, content, absolutely thrilled that my Lance, my sweetheart, the one I'd been pining for for so long, finally came to me.

"I'll never forget that day, not as long as I live, and I hope you never leave my side. My beautiful Lance, I love you so much, and don't you ever think otherwise or I'll compliment you into another dimension, then some." At some point in that lecture, Lance started crying, and he couldn't stop.

"I love you, too, Keith, so much that I can't stand it. Thank you. So much, for being here. For being with me. For being you." Keith smiled and wrapped his arms around Lance best he could in their position, Lance turning around to be the little spoon. They fell asleep just like that, and Lance ended up missing lunch anyway.