Chapter 6 - Would It Be a Sin
Lance spread his arms wide and turned in a circle. "Keithy, this is amazing!" he crooned.
"I hope you think that once the bugs start biting."
"There's bugs?"
"Lance, we're in the woods," Hunk said patiently as he helped Keith haul out the tent from Keith's trunk.
"And woods have bugs," Shay concluded.
"Big ones," Keith added. "Bitey ones. Ooh, and spiders too."
"Is there time to find a hotel?" Lance asked, drawing his hands to his chest.
"The point of camping," Keith said with a huff, dropping the tent on the ground, "is to be out and enjoy nature."
"Nature is not bugs," Lance argued.
"Pretty sure they are."
"Where do you want to set up Keith?" Hunk asked, ignoring Lance's noises of protest. They surveyed the small clearing, tucked away from the more serious RV enthusiasts, but still close to the main campground facilities. It was a favorite spot of Keith and Shiro, who frequented the place a few hours north of Garrison City.
"If you guys want, we can set up there," Keith said, pointing to a spot halfway between the site for the campfire and the edge of the woods. "It's near the path that leads to the restrooms."
"I thought we'd have to go in the woods," Lance said.
"Pretty sure Shay doesn't want to squat under the trees," Keith said, glancing at Shay.
"Yeah, no. Pretty sure I don't," she agreed.
"Plus, there's those bugs again," Hunk reminded Lance. "Biting your butt."
"Noooooooo," Lance cried, pressing his palms against his bottom cheeks.
Shiro pulled up into the campsite then, parking Allura's minivan next to Keith's car. Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Shay had driven up in Keith's car, while Shiro brought Allura, Matt, and Pidge. Originally, they thought everyone should ride up in the van, but with the tents and the food Hunk and Keith packed, along with clothing and other essentials, it made more sense to take two cars.
"Still drives like an old man," Keith said to Lance, Hunk, and Shay, nodding his head at Shiro.
"What?" Shiro protested with a frown.
"Slow as fuck."
"I went the speed limit," Shiro groused. "I'm safe and follow the law." He turned pleading eyes on Allura.
"Sorry, honey, but yes, you're super slow."
"Nice."
Allura looked at Lance with a wicked little grin. "Keith says he drives like an old man, but the old men on the road kept passing us."
Lance laughed, a sound that brought Keith's mood up a thousand percent, especially as he could tell Lance felt comfortable laughing at Shiro's expense. "Well, to be fair," Lance said, with a little glance at Keith, "Keith does drive like a maniac, so…"
"I do not!"
"Yeah, buddy, you do," Hunk said. He went over to the van to help Pidge take out the cooking supplies and food. "Should we leave the food in the van? Or do something with it in case of bears?"
"Bears!?" Lance screeched.
"Again, Lance, woods," Hunk said.
It didn't take the eight of them long to set up their camp of two large tents. Keith had bought a new one specifically for this trip – a nice four-person one with zippable flaps they could pull back and look up through the mesh at the stars. While the moon wouldn't be full during their two-night stay, it was waxing and should still be bright if there were little to no cloud cover.
Shiro had the old tent they used with their father when they were kids. It comfortably fit six, though it could uncomfortably accommodate eight. Shiro, Allura, Matt, and Pidge would use that tent, while Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Shay would use Keith's new one.
Keith hoped Lance would have a good time. Visions of them using the tent and camping on their own floated through his head as they set things up. He knew camping like this wasn't exactly Lance's style, but he wanted Lance to at least go camping a few times a year. Maybe at places near the ocean, so he could enjoy that aspect and Keith could enjoy the camping aspect? It was a possibility.
The thought of being tucked away by themselves in the middle of nowhere, cuddled up on a chilly night in a warm tent, making love and kissing each other to sleep, sent a little shiver down his spine to think about. But, it would never become a reality if Lance didn't enjoy this current trip.
To give him credit, Lance jumped into preparing the campground with an enthusiasm that surprised Keith, though it really shouldn't. Lance approached a lot of things with enthusiasm. He was always willing to try new things and jump headfirst into adventures.
It was one of the things Keith loved about him.
"Man, your cheeks are so red," Hunk said. He and Keith were setting up the small portable grill they'd use to cook dinners.
"Uh."
"Guess I don't have to ask what, or who, you're thinking about."
"Nope."
Hunk chuckled. He sat back on his heels, studying the grill. "Looks about right," he decided. Then he turned that same studying look on Keith. "You're gonna tell him, aren't you?"
Jesus fuck, seriously? "Are you a fucking mind reader or something?" Keith asked, a little grumpy. Pidge was the only one who knew what he planned.
"Nah, just a good friend. Though, it would be cool to be able to read minds," he mused, pressing a finger against his lips.
"I don't think I'd want to hear what people really thought of me," Keith said.
"Eh, I doubt anyone thinks anything bad."
"I don't want to find out."
"So, when you gonna tell him? Tonight?"
"You're the biggest gossip, I swear," Keith complained.
"No. A gossip would go and tell everyone here what you tell me. I wouldn't do that."
"True. Tonight if I can."
Hunk pressed the fingers of both hands now against his lips, probably to contain a squeal of delight. "Oh, my God!" he screeched in a whisper.
"Shhhhhh," Keith warned, though it was unnecessary. Lance, Shay, and Matt were trying to put up the new tent, and the others were working on the old one.
"Can I tell Shay?"
"You just said you weren't a gossip!"
"Yeah, but that's not gossiping if I ask you if I can tell her, right? Oh, she's gonna be so excited!"
With a sigh, Keith nodded. "Just don't give any hints or anything."
"I won't, I promise!" Hunk said, making an 'X' over his heart. "Cross my heart and all that."
"I will stick a needle in your eye," Keith threatened, though he knew Hunk knew he didn't put any heart behind it. "Or this skewer," he added, picking up a kabob skewer from the box of cooking utensils.
"I swear, I swear!" Hunk said, holding up his hands with a laugh.
"So…to change the subject before I die of embarrassment, what do you want to make tonight?"
Hunk looked up above Keith's head in thought. "Hm. Maybe the kabobs would be best tonight?" he asked. "The stuff is all chopped and I don't want the chicken we brought to go bad if we wait too long. The nachos for tomorrow?"
"Sounds good. We can start those after everything else is set." He glanced over at the non-progress happening on his new tent. Lance and Matt each held a side of the instruction sheet, their heads close together as they read from it. Shay stood to the side, her expression exasperated.
Hunk followed his gaze. "They should just let Shay take charge," he said. "Lance knows better."
"At least they figured out how to get it out of the box."
"Shall we go help?"
"Well, we can go tell them to give the instructions to Shay and let her boss us around," Keith suggested.
Under Shay's direction, the tent went up quickly. They'd arrived late afternoon, so by the time they had the camp set up, empty bellies made their protests from more than one of the campers, so Keith and Hunk settled down to prepare dinner. The others wandered off with warnings from the campsite cooks to be back in an hour. Lance and Shay had never been to the campground before, so the others deemed it their duty to give them the grand tour.
The kabobs didn't take too much time to cook, but to go with them, Keith had made potato pockets – chopped potatoes in a foil packet with onions, garlic, butter, and other spices. Those took the most time. He'd prepared them at home, one for each of them, and simply had to place them among the coals to cook.
He and Hunk chatted while they prepared the kabobs – chicken and chorizo chunks, which traveled in Ziploc bags with a marinade to the camp, layered on metal skewers with zucchini, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. "You know, I've never been camping before," Hunk mentioned.
"I knew Lance hadn't, so I figured you probably hadn't either. I mean, you guys do everything together. I thought maybe with your family, but then I thought they'd bring Lance, too."
"Truth. My family rented an RV once for a trip to North Carolina and Lance came with us. But that was a big, luxury one so it wasn't exactly camping," Hunk said with a chuckle. "And in sixth grade, we went to a campground for a class trip for a few nights, but we stayed in cabins. We did some of the outdoorsy stuff, of course, but it wasn't the same as tents."
"Shiro, Dad, and I went all the time."
"I'm sure you have a lot of good memories."
"Oh, yeah. We had a good time. Dad was a funny guy. Shiro can be like him when he's not a dick."
Hunk gave a little snort, placing a kabob of chicken in the pan they'd brought to hold them. They'd start the chicken and the chorizo first, as it'd take longer to cook than the vegetables. "I can see that," he said. "Did you guys come here when you camped?"
"Sometimes. Usually when Dad only had weekends free. He worked a lot. But when he had a vacation, we'd drive to other places. Washington, Oregon, Idaho. We even went into the desert in Nevada a couple of times. He liked to adventure and rough it."
"We've never been to those places, even though we've been here for years. Well," he amended, "we did do the obligatory weekend in Vegas for each of our twenty-first birthdays. Lance didn't have as much fun for mine or Shays, since we were both twenty-one before him. His was a blast."
"His birthday happens while he's on the research trip," Keith mentioned with a frown. "We can't celebrate together."
"We can throw him a big party when he gets back," Hunk assured him, then shot him a sly grin. "We can wait until after the tenth date. That way you can both be relaxed for it."
"Hunk!"
"I have an apple crisp to make over the campfire tomorrow," Hunk announced. "But tonight I figured we'd just do S'mores."
No one, of course, had any objections to S'mores. Shiro had found metal marshmallow sticks at their local camping store and made sure there was one for everyone. Much teasing over roasted marshmallow preferences ensued as they each poked their treat into the flames. Keith liked to catch it on fire and burn his marshmallow to a black crisp, which Lance thought disgusting. Lance thought it should be warm and melty, with a soft, golden glow to it.
"You just taste burnt stuff," he objected as Keith pulled his burning mallow out of the fire and watched the flames.
"It's good," Keith said with a shrug.
"It's burnt!"
"And yours is hardly cooked."
"Help me out, Hunk," Lance begged.
"Gotta agree with Keith. Though," he said, also looking at the flames on Keith's marshmallow, "I don't think I'd let it burn quite that long."
"You're all heathens," Keith declared.
"You should have brought your guitar, Lance," Shay said, sliding her gooey marshmallow onto the chocolate bed resting on a graham cracker.
"You play?" Keith asked, genuinely surprised. Lance had never brought it up and Keith thought it was something Lance would have mentioned.
"Not for a while," Lance said. "I've been too busy with school and stuff."
"I haven't seen it in your apartment."
"Cause I keep it in my bedroom, Keithy," Lance replied, laughing. "You haven't been in there, yet."
Everyone laughed as Keith's face heated up.
It got worse when Lance added, "We always sleep together at your place."
"Shit…" Keith choked out, sending glares to both Shiro and Matt, who thought that was hilarious.
Lance waved his hands in front of him, one still holding his marshmallow stick. "No, no, no, you have the wrong idea," he said in earnest. "We don't sleep together. We just sleep together!"
"What's the difference?" Matt asked between his laughs.
"We're not naked," Lance clarified. "Well, not all the time."
"Lance," Keith warned.
"What?"
"They don't need to know that stuff."
"I just don't want them to think you're not a good boy, Keithy. You are. A real gentleman." He looked anxiously across the fire at Matt. "He never takes advantage."
"I am going to throw you in the lake," Keith threatened.
"Ooh! You can go skinny-dipping," Allura suggested.
"You're not helping," Keith growled.
Surprisingly, Shiro spoke up, "Take the boy skinny-dipping, Keith. It's quite refreshing."
Allura turned her head to give Shiro 'the look'. "Oh?" she asked, her tone flat. "You've never gone skinny-dipping with me."
"Uh…"
"He has with me, Allura," Matt said.
Allura grunted. "Good to know."
"It was just when we were teens, you know. Nothing kinky or anything," Shiro said.
"Well…" Matt started, but stopped when Shiro leaned over to smack at him.
"We are going to have a long talk about this someday," Allura told Shiro.
"Shit."
Nighttime noises settled over the camp. Crickets singing, occasional rustling among the leaves, branches creaking above their heads as the slight wind stirred the trees, even a wild animal cry every once in a while. Cries that would force Lance to scoot closer to Keith until he was practically in Keith's lap. The murmur of talking, singing, and bursts of laughter from other nearby campsites floated through the air to them but didn't deter their enjoyment of the night. Shiro, and then Shay, each told terrifying horror stories. Keith had no idea sweet, Kindergarten teacher Shay could come up with such a gruesome tale, but she proved him wrong.
"Shay is mostly pure sunshine," Lance murmured in Keith's ear, "but there's a dark side to her that loves horror and gore. Hunk ignores it."
"I think I love her even more now," Keith replied, nudging at Lance.
"Keithy! Nooooo. Don't tell me you have a dark, evil side!" Lance cried.
"Okay. I won't tell you."
He ignored Lance's protests as he caught Pidge's eye. She jerked her head a little to the side and he squinted at her. Her expression was her 'you-know-what-I'm-trying-to-tell-you-dumbass' one. She looked to the side, jerking her head again and he realized what she was doing. She was telling him 'NOW', and while he agreed and wanted to do it 'NOW', he was still nervous about it. His heart felt stuck in his throat.
Lance had scooted away a few inches and let go of Keith's arms as he fake-ranted to Hunk about Keith keeping such secrets. Keith took a deep breath, then, pressing his hands against his thighs, he stood up and turned to Lance and held out his hand. Lance stopped mid-sentence and gaped at him. "What?"
"Come on," Keith said, shaking his hand a little.
Without hesitation, Lance grabbed it and Keith pulled him to his feet. "What are you doing?" Lance asked as Keith led him away from the fire and their friends. Keith caught Pidge's eye again and she gave him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes. "You're dragging me away after admitting you have a dark, evil side!" Lance continued, flailing his free hand at Hunk. "If I never come back, Hunk, avenge me!"
"You'll see," Keith said, a little choked, which made Lance stop squawking and send him a curious glance. Keith was internally freaking out at what he planned to do, but he felt it was the right time – he wanted so much to say the words to Lance and wanted the setting and mood to be perfect. Lance deserved it. He deserved everything Keith could give him. It was corny, but Keith knew, by now, that Lance loved corny. He was trying to will his body not to let his hands sweat – he was sure Lance could feel how damp his hand was.
"Where are we going? To the lake?" Lance asked after another minute. "You're not really going to throw me in because of earlier, are you? Or are we going skinny-dipping?"
"I hope so," Keith said. "I mean, I hope we're heading to the lake. We'll see about tossing you in and skinny-dipping." He was familiar with the campground, of course. It was, however, more difficult to navigate the path in the dark. At least the moon was out, hanging in the clear sky, providing a bright light that helped matters. Still, tree roots and small rocks caught at their feet as they walked, causing them both to constantly grab onto each other. Lance laughed each time. Keith tried to, but his nerves were so keyed up he couldn't.
"At the lake under the stars and the moonlight, Keith?" Lance said as they finally came out of the trees and saw the lake ahead of them. "How romantic," he breathed.
Keith looked at Lance and smiled. The young man's head was tilted back to look up at the stars. Up here in the mountains, they were bright and numerous, unspoiled by the light pollution of a city. The water on the lake was still and the air was warm and humid with no breeze. Keith squeezed Lance's hand. "Let's walk out on the dock," he suggested. "We can see better."
No one else was there. The lake was close to the campground, but it was mid-week and the only people at the campground were the summer residents, who were all much older and, Keith assumed, already in bed asleep. Other campers – much like Keith and Lance's family and friends – were hanging out at their campfires, which is why Keith thought this moment was the perfect time to execute his plan.
Lance walked next to him silently as they made their way to the very end of the dock. The only sound was the love songs of the frogs and the buzz of insects. Keith, of course, could hear the erratic beat of his heart and he hoped Lance couldn't.
"You're right," Lance said in a voice above a whisper. "This is perfect." He let go of Keith's hand so he could spin around in a circle, his eyes fixed on the skies. "So many stars. It's amazing. I remember on our drive from Miami, there were places – especially in the desert – where we could see the stars like this. I don't think I'll ever get tired of stargazing." He laughed a soft laugh then. "Maybe I should have gone into pilot training or something. Try to get into NASA. Maybe go into space."
"No," Keith said firmly. "I need you on terra firma, here with me."
Lance's gaze dropped down to meet Keith's and the smile on his face was oh-so-soft that Keith felt all his confidence return, despite also feeling like he was about to jump off a cliff. "I would never leave you, Keith," Lance said, reaching once again for Keith's hand to pull him closer. Keith, of course, closed the gap between them willingly. "Besides, why would I need to be out among the stars, when I can see them in your eyes right here."
"Oh gods, you're so corny," Keith objected, pushing his free hand against Lance's chest. Lance laughed and reached his other hand up to hold Keith's hand in place against his heart.
"Yeah, and you like it," he said.
"I guess," Keith said, grinning up at Lance. He could feel Lance's heart racing too and wondered at it. Was Lance as excited as Keith? Was he expecting something?
"So," Lance drawled out, a little too casually, "was there any particular reason to drag me out to a romantic spot beneath the stars and the moonlight?"
"Actually, there is. There's something I wanted to do."
"Oh?" Lance asked, his head tilting to the side.
"Yeah," Keith replied, swallowing with difficulty. It was time. He stepped a half step back from Lance and pulled the hand trapped above Lance's heart free to be able to reach into his shorts pocket. Lance watched silently, his eyes wide. Seeing his expression, Keith laughed. "No, it's not a ring." Lance laughed, too, trailing off into a smile as he saw Keith pull his phone out.
"You wanted to show me your phone? I have seen it before."
"No, doofus," Keith said, using Hunk's term of endearment for Lance. "It's what's on it." Keith unlocked the phone and navigated to his music playlist and play/paused on the song he wanted. He looked back up at Lance. "So, you keep saying how you want to dance with me, right?"
Lance blinked a few times in surprise. "Uh, yeah?"
"I think I found the perfect song and I want to dance to it with you."
"Here?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I can't think of any reason that I shouldn't dance with you." Keith was curious as to the choked-up tone Lance spoke in.
"Good," Keith said, lifting his arms to drape over Lance's shoulders as Lance automatically circled his arms around Keith's waist. Keith still held his phone in one hand, but the other pressed against the back of Lance's neck, fingers catching in the strands of hair at his nape.
Lance smiled down at him, then leaned in for a quick kiss. "What song?" he asked, his voice full of emotion.
Instead of responding, Keith pushed the play button on his phone with his thumb and the soft music started playing. He heard Lance's breath catch and he figured his boyfriend recognized the song. Keith tightened his hold, bringing Lance's face down enough so their cheeks were pressed together and Keith's mouth was close to Lance's ear.
"Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you"
"Keith…"
"Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?"
Keith felt Lance's grip tighten as he sang softly to him along with Elvis, ghosting his breath over Lance's ear. Part of him wanted to look Lance in the eye, but at the moment he couldn't. He swayed back and forth with Lance – not really dancing, just holding closely and moving slightly to the music.
"Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be"
Lance was the one to slowly spin them in a circle, though Keith barely noticed they were moving.
"Take my hand.
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you"
As he sang that verse, he slid the hand behind Lance's neck down his shoulder and arm to his hand, pulled it from his own waist, and held it out and up to the side in a more traditional dance stance, though his cheek was still pressed to his boyfriend's.
"Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be"
Keith finally pulled back enough to look into Lance's eyes, not surprised at the tears that overflowed the beautiful blue eyes he had fallen deep into. He had never seen this expression on Lance's face - a mixture of hope, love, desire, and disbelief.
"Take my hand …"
Keith pulled Lance's hand to his lips, brushing against his knuckles as he sang the last few lines of the song as he stared into Lance's eyes, hoping his own conveyed everything he felt.
"Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you"
They stilled as Keith pressed the stop on the music before another song could play. "Keith..." Lance repeated his name, his voice choked up with tears.
Keith smiled and let go of Lance's hand to lift his and cup Lance's cheek. "I love you," he whispered.
It felt so good to finally say it. Say what he had felt from the first moment Lance had stumbled into his apartment, plate in hand, and wedged himself into Keith's life. The day Lance had stolen his heart and didn't give it back - had grabbed it in his hands tightly to never let go. Lit a fire in Keith that Keith never suspected lurked there. Showed him dreams did come true. Brought beauty and joy to his life with his endearing ways, his sense of humor, his kindness, his way of loving whole-heartedly that Keith felt without Lance ever saying it himself.
Lance pressed his lips together into a thin line and closed his eyes. His expression looked almost pained, which shot a brief jolt of worry through Keith. He knew Lance felt the same, so where did that look come from.
Then Lance opened his eyes and his face seemed to glow as a smile spread slowly over his face. "I'm glad you said it first," he finally said.
"I should have said it weeks ago. I should have said it that first day when I knew. When you came to beg for food. I knew it when you left my apartment."
"I did, too."
"Does that mean...?" Keith asked a little uncertainly.
"That I love you, too? With all my heart, mi amor. There can be no one else in this universe for me but you."
Though he knew it, hearing it brought an overwhelming surge of affection through Keith. He laughed in relief, and they pressed their foreheads together with a smile and, Keith would gladly admit, a few happy tears. "I don't think I've ever been happier."
"That's my promise to you, Keith," and Keith was a little surprised by the serious tone in Lance's normally amusing and exaggerated voice. "All I want in life is to make you happy."
"Same. I don't want to steal your promise, but I'm going to."
Lance made a sound between a laugh and a sigh. "You already stole my heart, so it's not a big deal to steal my promise. You've already made me happier than I've ever been." He tilted his head up to press his lips against Keith's forehead. "Can you play that song again? Dance with me? I was too stunned to actually dance."
"Of course," Keith said, pulling back slightly to look at his phone and press play.
"Do you think they'll know?" Lance whispered as their campfire came into view. They stumbled back along the same path that led to the lake, giggling like two little kids and clinging to each other.
"That we love each other? I'm pretty sure all of them guessed it already."
"No, I know that," Lance said. "I mean. Will they know you told me? That I told you?"
"Pidge and Hunk knew what I planned. I think Hunk told Shay. I'm sure they told everyone else once we disappeared," Keith answered.
Lance stopped, tugging on Keith's hand. "You told Pidge you were gonna say it?" he asked. Keith couldn't interpret his tone.
"Yes and no?" he said. "She suggested doing it here. At the lake."
"It was her idea?"
"Mhm. Well, at least where to do it. I knew all along I wanted to use that song and dance with you when I did."
"She wanted you to tell me?"
"I think so, yeah."
"Huh." It was dark, so Keith couldn't see Lance's face well enough to tell what he was thinking. His tone was puzzled and unsure, though.
"You okay?"
"I am," Lance said. "I guess I'm surprised. A pleasant surprise, but surprised."
Keith thought for a moment. They'd just had a major moment in their relationship, and he certainly didn't want to bring down their euphoria by letting Lance's hurt bubble to the surface again. He also didn't want Lance to think he had to forgive Pidge or Shiro, so he was unsure how to continue. "She…she said she was happy for me," he finally said. "I'm not saying that to influence you in any way," he assured Lance, letting go of his hand to slip his arms around Lance's waist. "I just wanted you to know. I do think she's trying."
"She is," Lance agreed. "Shiro's doing a better job of it, but she has tried. I get the feeling that's her, though. That she's prickly even when she loves someone."
Keith snorted. "Well, you aren't wrong there," he said. "She can make it hard to love her at the best of times."
"I still don't fully forgive her. Them."
"And I said I don't expect it, sweetheart."
Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's, bumping a little roughly as he couldn't judge the distance well in the dark. "I love you."
Keith hoped the little shiver of thrill that shot through him would never go away every time he heard those words. "I love you."
With fingertips lightly touching Keith's jaw, Lance guided him into a gut-wrenching kiss. With the 'love' word out there, Lance's kisses took on a whole new meaning – a meaning Keith wanted to explore and absorb into his very soul.
A little snap behind them off the trail startled Lance enough to break the kiss. "What was that?"
It was a small sound, made loud in the quiet dark. Keith assumed a raccoon or possum, but he shrugged. "Probably a bear or something."
Lance let out a tiny shriek, stepped back, grabbed Keith's hand, and pulled him along the path toward their fire. "That's not even funny," he growled at Keith's laughter. "Not one bit!"
They arrived in a rush, faces flushed and hearts racing, as they returned to the chairs they'd abandoned. Before they could sit, however, their friends, who had all quieted when Keith and Lance emerged from the woods, all stood up together and began cheering. The pair stared at everyone applauding and hooting as if they were crazy, glancing at each other in confusion.
"What the fuck?" Keith demanded.
"Congratulations!" echoed around the fire from everyone. Keith felt his cheeks flare anew as Lance squeezed his hand.
"So, you finally said it, Keith?" Shiro asked, his hands still slapping together in a loud clap.
"Oh, fuck off!"
"Keithy!" Lance protested. "Don't be grumpy! We love each other! You should be happy!"
Keith couldn't even regret the expression he felt his face melt into. He knew, just knew, he looked like a lovesick sap, but how could he not? The most amazing man in the world loved him. "I've never been happier," he said, turning to wrap Lance in his arms. He ignored the 'aww's' that now replaced the whoops of congratulation.
"See? That's much better," Lance said, planting a big, smacking smooch on Keith's cheek.
"Okay, okay, yes," Keith said, turning his head to playfully glare at his family and friends. "We told each other 'I love you'. Happy now?"
"We are," Shiro said. Keith could see the warm and genuine smile in Shiro's eyes, flickering in the light of the campfire. His brother was truly happy for him and Keith felt one of the hooks of his anger let go.
They all finally settled down now, and Lance excitedly told their friends all about it, much to Keith's happy mortification. He hated, on one hand, to be exposed as such a sappy romantic. But, on the other hand, he was proud his plan had worked out so well. Allura and Shay listened with excited squeaks and their hands pressed to their mouths. Shiro and Matt listened with matching, evil grins that told Keith loud and clear that those two were going to tease him for months. Pidge wore a happy smile tinged with sadness.
But Hunk. Keith was surprised to see the gleam of tears in his eyes. He knew they were tears when Hunk reached up a couple of times to touch a finger near his eye to catch one. Hunk watched his excited best friend, gesturing wildly and tripping over his words as he described Keith singing, with the happiest and most satisfied expression. When his gaze shifted enough to catch Keith's eyes, Hunk winked at him, smiling so happily Keith nearly choked on the emotion it brought up. Remembering his and Hunk's conversation from the other day, Keith thought he understood.
"We didn't think this through," Hunk said. He was on his knees, working on blowing up the air mattress with a hand pump for him and Shay.
"What do you mean?" Shay asked. She was pulling out toiletries from her backpack.
"I'm sure these two," Hunk said, nodding his head toward Keith and Lance, who were in their own world seated on their air mattress with arms wrapped around each other and giving each other kisses, "would rather be alone."
"Oh, God, I see what you mean." She glanced at Hunk and shook her head. "The newlywed high, huh?"
"Looks like it."
"What!?" Lance exclaimed. "Newlywed?"
"We didn't get married," Keith added his objection.
"No, but that feeling you have is."
Lance turned to look back at Keith, whose expression returned to adoring. "Will we feel this good when we do get married?"
"I hope we do. Or better!"
"Oooh…better would be better!"
"Yes, it would, baby!"
"I love you so much!"
"I love you so much more!"
"Forget giving them time alone. I think I'm gonna throw up from all the sugar in this tent," Hunk said in a suffering tone. Shay laughed.
Most of the next day they spent in canoes – paired off to paddle around the lake. The lake was huge, with a small island to explore at one end. Other kayakers and canoers were out enjoying the beautiful, sunny day. A few oldsters anchored at their favorite fishing spots, sitting quietly and watching their lines, sending frowns at the young adults paddling past them. They stopped at the island for the afternoon to swim and relax, thankful for the cool mountain water that soothed sun-warmed skin. Lance fell asleep with his head nestled on Keith's chest as they lay on the narrow, pebbly beach. Keith had spent plenty of time on this lake, but never had he felt so happy and so at peace.
Were the two of them teased all day? Of course. But Keith couldn't bring himself to care. All he had to do was look into the eyes of the young man clinging to him with love shining in his blue eyes and nothing else seemed to exist. Why had he waited until now to say the words? Hunk had said 'newlywed feeling' the night before and it was true. If the feeling was something like floating above the world.
He wondered if it would feel different if they were newlyweds.
He couldn't wait to find out.
It was a tired and hungry group that paddled up to the canoe rental place as the shadows from the treeline stretched over the beach. The sun hung halfway between its apex and the horizon, not that they could see it very well through the canopy as they marched along the path to their campground. Shiro and Matt restarted the fire as the girls went to the public showers to wash off the sand and sunscreen from their adventure. The boys went after the girls returned.
It felt good to stand under the cold water of the showers, thrilled knowing Lance was naked in the stall next to his. He fought against slipping out of his and joining Lance, but it was one thing to make noise in the privacy of their bedroom at the house, and a whole other matter in public showers. Thinking about Lance, though, made Keith regret not having their own tent.
'Tenth date, Keith, tenth date,' he told himself sternly.
Hunk somehow cooked nachos over the campfire. They'd borrowed a couple of cast iron skillets from Colleen to add to Allura's two large pans. Keith put a grill over the fire and Hunk loaded chips, chile he'd made, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and scallions into the pans and they heated over to the fire as the cheese melted. They stuffed themselves full and relaxed while Lance and Matt washed the pans so Hunk could use them again to make something like an apple crisp that added a spicy cinnamon smell to their camp.
"It almost feels like fall!" Lance exclaimed as he blew on the first bite of his dessert.
"I don't know what I'm going to do when you all leave," Allura lamented. "I don't think I've ever eaten so good as I have this last week and a half."
"Don't let Uncle hear you say that," Lance mumbled around his bite, waving a now-empty fork at her.
She laughed. "I would never dare to hurt Uncle's feelings."
"Seriously, though," Matt chimed in. "I think if Keith and Hunk moved here and opened a restaurant, it'd make a killing. Those tourists wouldn't know what hit them."
"The number of times I hear that," Hunk said. "I mean, not paired with Keith, though I'm sure he's heard it about himself, too," he added, glancing at Keith, who nodded. "I don't know, though. I mean, I love to cook, but I've also worked in a restaurant and know it's a lot of work."
"Yeah," Keith said. "I don't want to make something I love to do like that into something I have to do for a living."
"You did with your art," Matt pointed out.
Keith hummed, "Yeah, I guess I did. But, I don't know. Teaching seems different. Like, it's a lot of work, too. But a restaurant is a constant thing. At least with teaching, my day is done in the afternoon and I have weekends off. Can't say the same about a restaurant."
"True," Hunk said. "I kind of feel the same. Though, I guess it's nice to have a fallback plan."
"Besides, if Colleen wanted to open her own restaurant, you would all go under," Shay said, sending them all into a fit of laughter.
"Lance? Lance?" Keith whispered in Lance's ear, shaking his shoulder slightly.
"Mmrph," Lance grunted.
"Lance!" Keith hissed louder, shaking a little more harshly.
Lance, who had rolled over in the night to his other side, putting his back to Keith, stirred. "What?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Wake up."
"Nngh."
Keith resorted to kissing Lance on the side of his neck, caressing his hand down Lance's upper arm. "Come on, sleepyhead, wake up…" he said softly. It wasn't enough to interrupt Hunk's snores, or wake Shay, but Keith counted more on his morning breath to annoy Lance awake.
"Ugh, alright alright," he grumped. "If you promise to get your nasty-ass breath away from me, I'll get up. What the fuck time is it?" he asked, his hand groping around blindly for his phone.
"Around five-thirty," Keith said, sitting up. The morning was cool up here in the mountain, though the humidity in the tent from the previous day caused condensation to form a little on the inside of the canvas.
"Why the fuck am I up at five-thirty?" Lance exclaimed, only to get hushed by Keith. Hunk grunted in his sleep.
"Don't wake Hunk and Shay!"
"Answer my fucking question!"
"Trust me!" Keith pleaded. "Just put on your shoes. You don't need to change."
Lance did as Keith asked, though he had trouble finding his shoes in the dark. The light from Keith's phone didn't help all that much. As quietly as he could, Keith unzipped the tent opening and slipped out, Lance stumbling out behind him. "Keithy, I'm so tired," he whined, rubbing at his eyes.
"I know, baby. There's something I want to show you."
"Again? Are you gonna tell me you love me again?"
"Probably."
Lance finally laughed, one rusty from sleep. They followed the same path they had two nights before, holding hands and enjoying the silence of the morning. Even the animals seemed to be asleep and the whole world was hushed. False dawn had arrived by the time they reached the dock where Keith told Lance he loved him. No one was around, once again ("smart people who sleep like normal" Lance grumbled), but the whole atmosphere was different. Tendrils of fog hovered inches about the water, hiding much of the human evidence around the lake.
"It's so quiet," Lance whispered.
"I love being here at sunrise," Keith whispered back as they walked, once again, to the end of the pier.
"Oooh, we get to see a sunrise, Keithy?" His whisper rose a few octaves somehow. "We've done sunsets, but never a sunrise!"
"It's not like I imagine sunrise on the ocean would be," Keith said, squeezing his hand. "But it's pretty nice, all the same."
They walked to the end of the dock, giving each other goofy smiles when they reached the spot where they danced. "I'm with you, that's all I need to make it perfect," Lance said, his voice slightly louder. "I still can't believe how romantic the other night was."
"Did you think I couldn't be romantic?" Keith asked, adding a little pout at the end.
"No-o," Lance drawled out. "You're super-romantic, Keithy," Lance assured him. "You always are. The little things you do for me. The dates that you plan. That first one you planned was perfect." He sighed, but it was a fond sound full of affection. "It's nice to be on the receiving end for once."
"You deserve it," Keith said, tilting his head up for a little kiss. "I wish I could do more for you. Give you everything you deserve."
"You already do."
A mourning dove began calling out somewhere nearby, its lonely cry haunting in the subdued light. Other than the sound of the bird and the slight slither sound of water sliding over the rocky shore, it was quiet. Keith turned toward the east, slightly off-center from the dock and Lance stood behind him, arms around Keith's waist. Keith leaned back into his warmth, his hands automatically resting on Lance's arms.
They didn't need to say anything, they simply listened to the silence and the waves and the dove, who now had a friend calling back to it from the opposite shore. A few other sounds drifted through the air to them, the revving start of an outboard motor somewhere – faint, but there – a dedicated fisherman heading out to catch breakfast. Lance occasionally pressed his lips against Keith's neck or shoulder, murmuring "I love you" to him.
The sun finally peeked over the tree canopy on the eastern side of the lake, its bright rays making them both squint. "Keithy, it's beautiful!"
And it was. The sun painted the pale blues and purples of the pre-dawn with red and gold highlights. The fog reflected the rays, giving the briefly lived illusion that the lake was on fire. It didn't take long for the fog to burn off, leaving the lake looking newly washed and fresh. The sun seemed to wake up the birds, who joined the doves in a chorus of birdsong to greet the new day.
"We should get back before anyone else gets up and thinks we ran away," Keith said, breaking the spell.
"Yeah," Lance agreed, though his tone indicated he didn't want that. "I guess we should. Don't want anyone else seeing my man in his pj's."
"It's shorts and a t-shirt."
"But for my eyes only."
Keith laughed and turned in Lance's arms. "And Hunk and Shay's."
Lance shrugged. "I'm not ready to share you. Ever."
"Okay, I'll save what's under the shorts for your eyes only."