Chapter 4 - Bro Code and All That

"You said at the pickle festival that you think Lance loves me," Keith said to Hunk as they shucked corn on the back deck. Allura had taken Lance and Shay to the Farmer's Market for fresh fruit for her dish for the party later that afternoon. Shiro was in the front yard with the push mower, leaving the two of them alone. Hunk planned to make a Cuban stew called Guiso de Maiz that contained fresh corn and Keith offered to help him.

"I think what I said was I know Lance loves you," Hunk answered, patiently picking off the little strands of hair off the ear of corn. "There's a difference."

"Is that something he told you?"

"I can't reveal that information, Keith. Bro code and all that," Hunk said, smiling. "Why do you ask? You know it without me telling you." Then his eyes widened a little. "Are you finally gonna say it to him?"

How the fuck did Hunk do this? Keith swore the gentle soul was a mind reader. "I want to," Keith admitted. He tossed the shucked ear into the bowl with the rest and reached into the produce sack for another. "I don't know, though. I'm a little scared to."

"Why?"

"I'm worried it's too soon."

Hunk chuckled. "Too soon? Didn't you argue with Shiro and Pidge that it wasn't too soon? You've been together for nearly eight weeks. That's not fast if you think about it. Lance pretty much lives with you. You've met each other's families. I mean, yeah, meeting his over FaceTime, but you still got to talk to them. I'd say it's a given now. You just need to say it."

"I don't want to mess this up."

"I honestly don't think you can."

Keith nodded absently, his focus on the ear of corn in his hands, his fingers gently peeling off the layers of husk. "It's just…" he paused. This was hard to say to Hunk, because of how close he and Lance were. But, he also knew Hunk was the one to ask about the one thing making Keith hesitate – that Lance hadn't said it yet. "I expected Lance to say it long ago."

Hunk's hands came to rest in his lap, his eyes turning to Keith to study him. Keith squirmed under Hunk's gaze. He felt completely exposed. "What do you mean?"

"He's so open…and, and…affectionate." Keith tore at the husk and tossed it in the bucket for compost. "And, and…bold. I guess I just expected him to say it right away. He acts like he loves me, but the words are important to me. I-I've hesitated to say it to him, because I'm not sure if…" he trailed off with a shrug.

Hunk let out a long sigh. "I think it's time we have a little talk about Lance," Hunk said, tossing a newly shucked ear into the bowl. He settled back comfortably in the lawn chair and fixed his gaze on Keith again, whose hands stilled on his own ear. Hunk looked serious.

"Okay."

"That boy," Hunk continued, waving his hand in a general direction. "That boy gives his heart away easily. I always worried it was a little too easily. The amount of times I'd get a call or text from him declaring he was in love. For real this time…" Hunk rolled his eyes. "He doesn't do things by half. Not even by whole. He gives one thousand percent of his heart and himself to whoever it was he 'fell in love with'." Hunk's fingers air-quoted the last part.

Keith frowned. Hearing how easily Lance fell in love wasn't something he wanted to hear. He knew Lance had dated before him. Had boyfriends. It was what it was, and while Keith didn't want to think about Lance being affectionate with anyone else, the logical part of his brain dealt with it while his heart ignored it.

"I see your frown and I know what you're thinking. Don't. Lance didn't love any of those guys. Trust me."

"Then why would he say he did?"

"Cause it's how he is. Lance, I think, is in love with the idea of love. It's been his dream since he was a kid. The whole soulmate, love-of-your-life thing. Grow old with someone. Eternal love. Family. Romance. All of that stuff. The amount of rom-com movies I had to watch in my life with him, Keith," Hunk gave him a mock-exasperated look, which made Keith smile. "He's a hopeless romantic."

"Nothing wrong with that," Keith said. He liked that Lance was romantic.

"No, there's not. Or, at least, you'd think there's not. But, when it clouds your judgment? Then it can be a problem."

"Clouds his judgment?"

"Lance had the tendency to look for love in all the wrong people. I kinda have a good read on people, and what's strange about the whole thing is Lance knows that. I don't remember ever liking any of the guys he introduced to me. Creeper vibes right away, if you know what I mean?"

Keith nodded. He'd dated his share of guys with that vibe. But, that was the point. He never went out with one of them again.

"He had the worst luck. I had no idea why. He's the most likable guy in the world. And he jumps in with his whole heart held out in his hands. And none of those fuckers appreciated it."

Keith's eyebrows shot up. He rarely heard Hunk swear, or say anything bad about anyone.

"I mean, in the long run I'm glad they didn't. None of those idiots deserved that beautiful soul. But, they took it. Took his heart and shredded it each time." Keith could hear the anger in Hunk's tone now. "You know I'm not a violent person, but I came close once. Has Lance ever told you about Brad?"

Keith shook his head, but answered, "A little. He mentioned he was his last boyfriend. That's pretty much all he said."

"He was the worst. Hands down. A manipulative and emotionally abusive liar. Lance has always been insecure. I know you've seen it." Keith nodded. "But even though Lance doesn't think he's ever good enough, he's usually pretty positive and has a good outlook. Like I said, he always wore rose-colored glasses where love was concerned. So when his heart quote/unquote broke, he would bounce back fast. But Brad broke him."

Keith frowned and he looked down at the ear of corn still in his hands. He noticed he had clutched it tightly, crushing some of the kernels enough so that his fingers were slightly damp from corn juice. "What did he do?"

"Made Lance think he was worthless. I'm honestly surprised Brad didn't…" Hunk paused, then sighed, continuing in a resigned tone, "…force Lance into something he wasn't ready for."

Keith clutched at the corn tighter.

"Lance is the type of romantic who wants only one person in his life. You know. A one and only? I don't know if it would be considered demi or not."

Keith hummed. "Yeah. I mean, Pidge calls me that. I guess I am. I never put a label on myself. I'm not opposed to sex, but I never wanted it with anyone I didn't have a deep connection to."

"That's Lance. Thank god he hesitated with Brad. I know Brad pressured him into it. And, though Lance told me how much he loved Brad, he wouldn't sleep with him. That told me right there, like it did with all the others, that Lance didn't really love him. Infatuated with him, yeah. But never love."

"So, what happened?"

"Lance wised up. But, it was after months of Brad insinuating he was worthless. Right during our senior year too. Lance was up to his ears in important projects and finals and here was Brad convincing him that because Lance wouldn't sleep with him Lance was worth no more than dirt. When I finally found out what was going on, it was all I could do not to beat the shit out of that asshole."

Keith's throat constricted. Hunk's anger was so vivid, even after a couple of years, that Keith thought if this Brad was anywhere within a five mile radius, Hunk would be racing toward him and Keith wouldn't be too far behind.

"Other guys had tried to make Lance feel like that. Not sleeping with them equaled Lance being nothing. But, Brad was one of those assholes who makes you believe he's great while at the same time chipping away at your confidence. When Lance finally told me about their last fight, Shay and I made him break up with him. His last words to Lance were no one would want to sleep with such a clingy, quasi-fairy Cuban who probably had a small dick and was just as ugly naked as he was clothed."

The ear of corn in Keith's hands snapped from the pressure of him crushing it. Hunk saw, but made no comment. He waited for a few minutes while Keith's anger seethed within him. To hear his beautiful Lance referred to in such a way made him sick. The bile in his stomach churned. No wonder Lance was so insecure.

Hunk finally continued. "It took a long time to recover from that. You know how sensitive he is. Even though Lance knew in his head Brad was bad news and eventually realized how abusive he was, it still broke his self-esteem. In spite of that, he aced the semester. Then combusted all summer. I think he and Shay ate themselves through all the ice cream in the city."

"Why'd you tell me all this, Hunk? I mean, I'm glad you did, but hearing how hurt Lance was breaks my heart."

"Because there's been no one since Brad. For two years in San Diego, Lance was a completely different person. He was still fun. When Shay visited, we had a great time. That part didn't change. But, he didn't flirt, he didn't pine after anyone, he didn't 'fall in love' every other day. He didn't make me watch one rom-com. Not even his favorites. He threw himself into his schoolwork and his thesis. Not that he hadn't before, but he was ferocious in his studies in a way I'd never seen. Then everything changed again when we moved back here."

Keith chucked the broken and mangled ear of corn into the waste bucket with the cornhusks, then looked at Hunk. "It did?"

Hunk nodded. "Right away we heard about this cute, mullet-haired guy that lived in his building. Oh, Hunk, he's so cute! Hunk! I think he looked at me! He has a red car, Hunk! He wore an Avengers shirt, Hunk! He's a geek like us!" Hunk laughed then. "You were the first guy he showed interest in after Brad."

Keith looked away again, overwhelmed. He couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his lips.

"Shay and I were wary at first. I'll admit it. Our first thoughts were, oh, here we go again. Lance's heart had a couple of years to heal, but here he is, ready to toss it away again on another worthless guy." Keith made a faint noise of protest. "Don't be mad. Just Lance's history, you know? I was ready to completely hate you. But, something was different. I realized it even before we met you. Lance approached this cautiously. I mean, he still jumped in feet first. You guys are hitting a lot of benchmarks out of order, but I can see it."

"What's that mean?"

"He's holding back. I realize he's super affectionate and loving to you in a million ways. Believe me, we heard it last night." Keith flushed at that. "But he's scared to say it to you. He's always said it first. And I think the couple of guys who said it back did it only because they thought they had to." Hunk leaned forward again, elbows on his knees as he stared intently at Keith. "Old Lance would have told you in the first week he loved you. He hasn't, so I know he really does."

Keith tore his gaze away from Hunk's intense, but still warm, brown eyes to look at the backyard. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the raised garden beds Allura had Shiro install. She grew herbs and tomatoes there. She had also set up bird feeders throughout the small square of green they owned, bringing to them the color and song of a variety of birds. Each change she made improved the house and Keith was constantly surprised at how much more of a home it had become.

He thought about what Hunk said. A dark tendril of anger still threaded its' way through his heart and stomach, burning touches that hurt and scorched. How did anyone have the nerve to treat Lance like garbage? How could they not see the amazing person he was? How could they not fall on their knees and thank whatever god they worshipped for bringing such a beautiful soul into their life? Keith was happy those idiots didn't appreciate Lance. If one of them had…Keith shuddered. The thought that Lance would not be in his life froze his heart, stopping the scorching touch of anger which burned there.

"I don't know what to say, Hunk," Keith admitted, his hands spreading helplessly, palms up, in his lap.

"You don't have to say anything," Hunk answered. "I thought you should know. I can read you, too, you know. I'm getting almost as good with you as I am with Lance. You didn't have to tell me that you're hesitant. Or, even why you are. Stop trying to make sense of it. Once we met you, I can't tell you the amount of relief Shay and I felt. Lance found the one. His one. And the best part? You weren't an asshole. You're not manipulative. You're as giving as Lance is. Did you ever see that Fantastic Beasts movie? The first one?" Hunk asked.

Keith glanced at Hunk again, his brows furrowed. "Yeah."

"There's a line in it I thought applied to Lance the first time I heard it. Queenie is talking to Newt about Leta Lestrange? She says something like, 'She was a taker. You need a giver.'" Hunk huffed a small laugh. "That's something Lance never had. Someone give their heart back. You have."

Keith wouldn't admit it, but he felt the sharp sting of tears in his eyes and he blinked fast a few times to attempt to stop from crying.

Hunk, of course, noticed and offered him a smile which poured through Keith like warm honey. "We know you'll take care of him and love him the way he deserves. And, we know he will love you the way you deserve. Soulmates, Keith. That's what you are. Soulmates."