Osso Buco, Crème Brûlée, Wine, and Fireplace Shenanigans, a voltron: legendary defender fanfic

Osso Buco, Crème Brûlée, Wine, and Fireplace Shenanigans

Keithy ❤️❤️❤️: I love you

Lance pressed his phone to his chest, his hands squeezing tightly, though he was able to suppress the squeal that threatened to jump out of his mouth. He didn't need the teasing he knew would come from his partner – a freckled sophomore who wore her red hair in pigtails and liked to get into his business. He didn't mind. She was a nice girl and loved to hear about his relationship with Keith. Still, as he slipped the phone back into his pocket so he could get back to chopping us fish chunks, he hoped his blush wouldn't give him away.

"Text from Keith?" Dora asked. She plunked a handful of fish pieces into the bucket next to her chopping board.

"Yeah…"

"Must be a good one," she commented, nodding her head toward him. "That blush."

"Just a good morning one. He likes to send me a text when he gets up."

"He gets up super early! I thought he wasn't teaching any classes yet."

"It's seven!"

"Seven is super early for me!"

"So, you took a job where you have to start at five?"

"Money is money. Experience is experience."

"True."

"Done?" Dora asked. "I can take them up to the trainers."

"There's four buckets," Lance objected. "We'll each take two."

"I guess chivalry isn't dead," she teased, then lifted a bucket in each hand. "Okay, you're right. I'm strong, but I don't think I could do four."

Lance wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed. Together they left the cold room where the food for the aquarium was stored and down the hall to the door leading into the seal habitat. The trainers were waiting. They generally combined breakfast with simple training, so Lance's prep team cut the fish into smaller chunks the trainers could give to the seals for completing tasks. He knew later in the day, the sleek animals received whole fish.

"Thanks," Tracy said as Lance plunked the buckets down by her station. She wore her wetsuit with a whistle dangling around her neck. She peered at him. "Text from Keith or something?"

He blushed. "Why do you ask that?"

"Those cheeks. They get red when Keith texts."

Dora, who had overheard the question, laughed and called over. "Oh, yeah. His good morning text to Lance."

"How's Keith this morning?" Darren asked, coming to retrieve his bucket for his work with Giselle, a dignified old lady seal.

"Am I that obvious?" Lance cried the question in frustration.

All three laughed and in unison said, "Absolutely."

"Ah, we're gonna miss you both when you're gone," Tracy said. She was referring to Lance and Dora leaving on Monday for the research trip. Lance had suggested Dora to Dr. Satler, and the girl was happy to be included in a great project.

"We'll miss you," Dora replied, plunking a bucket on the cement floor and rubbing at her right palm with her left thumb. "It will be rough lounging on the deck of the boat and swimming in the Pacific."

Tracy snorted and Lance laughed. "There's maybe an hour of that. We'll be working pretty hard."

"Oh, I know. I'm looking forward to it."

"Dr. Satler is amazing," Darren said, his voice respectful. The older scientist was a legend and worked in the aquarium. "I wish he worked with seals. I'd love to work with him."

"I'm glad he's a shark guy," Lance stated. That such a well-respected scientist specialized in his beloved sharks was the proverbial cherry on top for Lance. He couldn't wait to leave on the trip.

He frowned though, thinking of the text on the phone in his pocket. The research expedition came with a price, and that price was separation from the mullet-headed, kind-hearted, gorgeous boyfriend who had told Lance a week ago that he loved him. How could Lance contemplate leaving Keith at all? Let alone for a whole month.

Dora grabbed his elbow, tugging him away from the teasing seal trainers. "Come on." She must have noticed the frown, because she gave him a cheerful grin. "You'll be back with Keith before you know it. And you get to play with sharks!"

Lance smiled. It was true. He knew the research trip would be good for him. "I know. I'll just miss him."

"Yeah, but don't they say 'absence makes the heart go fonder'?"

""Grow" fonder," he corrected.

Dora shrugged it off. "Grow or Go. Either works. My point is…" she said with emphasis as she pushed the swinging door open with her free hand, "…you'll miss him like crazy, get super horny for him, and have amazing sex when you get back. It's a win-win for you both."

A blush bloomed again on his cheeks. He hadn't told anyone (besides Hunk and Shay, of course) that he and Keith hadn't gone all the way, yet. That they were saving it for the tenth date. Dora probably assumed they were already doing that. "I guess you're right," he mumbled.

"Of course, I am!" she responded, giving him a cheerful grin. His smile got bigger. Lance was glad this fun and funny young woman was joining the research trip. He was sure she would keep him cheered up if he got to moping around about Keith. He shoved his mindset into a more positive mode as she let go of his arm so they could clean up their morning's work. She moved to the closet to retrieve the mop bucket, and he went to the garbage can to take it to the back.

It would be a good trip, he told himself firmly. He had this weekend with Keith to look forward to. The ninth date, which Keith was keeping a surprise (the nerve!). It was only the two of them. As much as he loved Hunk and Shay, and was happy that Keith included the pair in many of their outings, it would be good for some one-on-one time.

Then, four long weeks at sea. Though he knew 'long' was inaccurate. The crew would be busy with experiments, gathering and collating data, and the dozen other things that went along with conducting research on the open sea. Lance was sure it would fly by and before he knew it, he'd be back in Keith's arms, back in their bed, and back to his regular life.

And that meant Date Ten.

And that meant…a lot.

"Where are we going, Keithy?" Lance asked, bouncing slightly in the passenger seat of Keith's car.

"Somewhere."

"Well, I guessed we were going somewhere," Lance said, sighing an exaggerated sigh.

"You'll see, love," Keith said and Lance's sigh turned into a pleased hum.

"Well, it's our ninth date. The penultimate for the big one," Lance said happily.

Keith chanced a glance to the side at his boyfriend. "Big one, huh?"

Lance flushed. "I meant the big date, Keithy," he protested.

"Where you get the 'big one'."

Lance's face flushed deeper. Keith was good at flustering him. Since he knew Keith wasn't exactly lying about the 'big one' – Keith's dick had been in his mouth after all – it sent his heart into a rush to think about the tenth date.

"Keithy…"

Keith chuckled, reached over and patted his thigh, then resettled in the driver's seat. They were off the highway, and Lance had no idea what their destination was. All he knew was there was an overnight bag in the trunk (and a separate bag for his bath products). Lance relaxed once again, turning his head to watch the scenery pass by, singing along to the playlist Keith had going. It wasn't the best playlist Lance had ever heard, but Keith's rule was driver picks the music. So, Lance suffered, but at least he could still sing along.

His phone notification pinged, so he fished it from the center console where he'd plugged it into the phone charger. Lance thought it might be Hunk checking on him, but his eyebrows raised slightly when he saw it was from Pidge.

The heart clench wasn't a great feeling and he almost swiped it clear without reading it, afraid she was now using text to insult him. He shook his head of that thought. Pidge had given him a sincere apology – he wasn't upset enough not to realize that. She'd hurt him so that he couldn't accept that apology right away, but he knew she was sincere. Her explanation didn't made complete sense to him, but he understood the motivation behind her feelings. Jealousy could turn the most rational person into a beast, and, according to Keith, Pidge wasn't exactly rational to begin with.

She'd tried. Attempts at speaking to him after she apologized were awkward and forced at best, but she did it. Lance was aware and empathetic enough to tell that such a thing was difficult for her. In this, she was much like Keith, though he knew Keith would never take things to the extremes Pidge did. But, he could see the loyalty that Pidge displayed fully in Keith as well. He'd actually hate to see Keith jealous, not that he'd ever give Keith a reason to be.

This mullet had his whole heart and Lance would never ask for it back.

Besides, he had Keith's.

The thrill that ran through him at the thought of Keith loving him was a welcome balm to the chill put there from his text notification. He smiled down at his now dark phone, remembering Keith's firm declaration of love. No hesitation. No quaver to his voice.

Most important, he said it first.

Not in response to Lance. Not because he felt he had to in order to appease Lance after a confession. Not because he was trying to get in Lance's pants (well, not the only reason).

No, Keith really loved him, and deserved all the love Lance could give him back.

He tilted his head back to rest on the headrest, closing his eyes as his hand with the phone dropped to his thigh. His curiosity at what Pidge wanted shoved aside for the moment as he thought about Keith, who sat navigating the car a foot away from him, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music, his voice slightly above a whisper as he sang along to the current song.

Sometimes the thought of a 'them' would hit him hard, pushing his doubts forefront. Not that he doubted Keith or his sincerity. Keith loved him. Keith was an honest person, so if he said it, he meant it. He'd known Keith long enough to know that he wasn't a man who fell in love easily. He wasn't a man who let himself be open to others. Let himself be vulnerable. Keith had been waiting for 'the one'. Lance had been, too, but he'd been much more ready to believe that whoever the current interest was was it.

What a fucking idiot he had been.

He knew right away that Keith was it. His endgame. That he'd be holding Keith's hand until the end, when one of them…he shuddered, hating to think of that, but it was true. Lance wasn't going to let go. And he knew Keith wouldn't let go of him. Call it true love or soulmates. Lance would go for either or both.

Right away, Keith showed him the difference. It wasn't only the waiting for sex thing. That was a small part of it. Keith listened to him. Keith cared about him. Keith remembered things he said. Keith used the information he learned about Lance to plan things Lance would love. No one had ever done anything remotely like that before.

Once Lance knew what he'd never had, he knew what it was to be loved honestly.

Not that he was selfish or anything. He didn't require a partner to cater constantly to his needs. He didn't want that at all, but to know Keith did and, more importantly, wanted to cater to him, made it all the more special and precious to him.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Keith asked, breaking into the musical silence of the car.

"How much I love you."

He peeked his left eye open, sliding his gaze side-eye to observe the blush he knew would paint Keith's cheeks. There it was. So adorable and he was excited to get the reaction since Keith was usually the one making him blush.

"Good," Keith shot back. "Cause how much I love you is pretty much all I think about."

"Keiiiiiiiiiiith," he whined, his eyes now fully open and fighting a losing battle against his own blush.

Keith laughed, reaching over and pinching Lance's cheek instead of patting his thigh. Lance lifted his hand to shoo him away, reminding him to keep his hands on the wheel. ("Safety first, Keithy!")

Keith replaced both hands on the wheel like a good boy, though Lance didn't buy the act. "Was that Hunk checking on you?"

"Huh?" Lance asked, blankly, then remembered the text. "Oh. No. I didn't read it yet," he added slowly.

Keith didn't pry. He never did, allowing Lance privacy of his own conversations. Lance never had anything to hide, and usually shared everything with Keith anyway, but he appreciated the gesture.

He unlocked his phone and poked at the screen to bring up his text app.

Pidge: Hey what you two up to today?

What? That's odd. Why didn't she text Keith?

Lance: Keithy is taking me somewhere.

Pidge: Where?

Lance: He won't tell me

Pidge: Lol

Lance had to admit he felt awkward responding. She was being…normal…and he didn't think their relationship, such as it was, was at a normal stage. Then again, maybe this was her way of forcing normal into their relationship? He had no idea, and also had no idea what to say next. He'd opened his mouth to say something about it to Keith, but then noticed the typing dots appear indicating Pidge was sending another text.

Pidge: Ur not driving?

Lance: No Keithy is

Pidge: Got a sec for a couple questions?

Lance: Sure. Shoot.

The song on the playlist changed and Keith started singing louder – it was a favorite of his. Some older song Lance wasn't too sure about on the words. He pouted because he couldn't sing along with it. Pidge shot him a few questions about Altea University, which he answered as best he could, wondering the whole time why she was asking him. Hunk could probably answer these questions better than he could. Not that he didn't know Altea as well as Hunk, but Pidge was interested in the same program Hunk was in, and got along well with Hunk when they were all in Garrison City to visit Keith's family.

Then again, this was probably the easiest way Pidge could think of to open up a dialogue with Lance. He supposed that made perfect sense, so he humored her by keeping his end of the conversation up. It wasn't an effort for him, because he loved attending Altea U., and despite what happened on their trip home, he honestly did hope Pidge would decide to come here for school. It would do Keith good to have his best friend here.

"We're almost there," Keith said, then returned to singing. Lance glanced up at the GPS display on Keith's phone (his car wasn't new enough to have it on the dash display) and could see they were close to five miles away from their destination. Not that he could see the destination. There was only an address. He could have looked it up on his phone, but Keith had given him that certain look that Keith knew how to give, so Lance allowed the surprise to happen. As much as it killed him not to know.

They were passing through a little valley, slight hills of vineyards rising on each side of the road. Wine country? Were they in Napa? Or nearby? Napa, he knew, was a pricy area, so he was unsure what was going on.

Another ping on his phone drew his attention.

Pidge: Thx for the info

Lance: Anytime. I think we're almost here.

Pidge: Cool! Have fun!

Lance: Thx!

He shut off his phone and slipped it back in the center console. Keith slowed the car and turned his signal on. Lance eagerly looked at the approaching driveway for some sort of sign or something that would clue him in.

"O'Donnell Bed & Breakfast and Winery"

"A B&B?" Lance gasped.

"And a winery."

"Are we…are we staying here?"

"For the night, yeah."

"Oh my God, Keithy!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Serious, for real?"

"Serious, for real," Keith assured him, amusement coloring his tone.

The gravel drive wound its' way through an apple orchard. Keith navigated the narrow path, the sound of tires crunching over the gravel coming in through their open windows. It was a warm day, but with a sweet breeze scented of growing things. The apples weren't ripe yet, small and green fruit hung among the branches, but they were plentiful.

It wasn't long before the path opened up past the orchard and delivered them to a large, old-fashioned farmhouse. Signs directed them to the small parking area next to the house, which was the B&B part of the property. Other signs pointed down a fork in the road toward the winery building itself — a large, barn-looking structure at the edge of a vine field.

"This place is gorgeous, Keithy!"

"The pictures online didn't do it justice," Keith said, turning off the engine and staring straight ahead at the vista. "I mean, they were beautiful, but seeing it in person is a whole other experience. I hope the room doesn't disappoint."

"I don't think anything could disappoint!"

Keith turned his head, giving him that warm smile saved only for him. "I'm romancing the pants off you, figuratively, this weekend, McClain. The penultimate date before I literally romance the pants off you on the tenth."

"You don't have to put too much effort into getting my pants off, Kogane," he replied.

"That, I know," Keith said, earning him a shove against his shoulder from Lance.

"No dicks in asses, though," he warned. "We're saving that for the tenth."

"Dicks in mouths fine?"

"Always."

They got out of the car, retrieved the bags from the back, and Keith led the way to the house, entering the door that had a sign with "B&B Check In Here".

The door opened into a huge kitchen that felt immediately like home. Not like any home Lance had been in, but it had that feeling of a place full of love and laughter. It helped to have a very comfy-looking Golden Retriever lolling on a rag rug in front of the sink. They looked around for someone, taking in the country décor, the big wooden trestle table stained a dark brown, the shiny appliances and cooking implements that Lance knew were probably making Keith's hands itch to cook, and the cheery yellow curtains on the many windows.

"There's a bell," Keith said, pointing to the island counter. A service bell sat waiting with a little sign instructing them to 'Ring for Service'.

A few moments after the ding rang through the lower floor, a middle-aged man hurried in. He looked harried, as if caught in the middle of doing something, his salt and pepper hair disheveled charmingly on his head. He had a bright smile, however, under crinkly blue eyes that shone with warmth and welcome. Lance immediately liked him.

He brushed at the front of his polo, smoothing out the wrinkles, or trying to smooth them. His cargo shorts sagged on his hips and he wore black socks with sandals that made Lance want to give him a makeover. The thought disappeared with the hearty welcome and firm handshake the man gave both of them.

"Sorry about that! Was in the back taking inventory. Damn dusty it is back there," he added, with a slight burr to his accent that hinted at Irish or Scottish. Not any U.S. accent anyway. It wasn't a heavy accent, however, so Lance guessed that if this man came from the U.K., it was probably some time ago. "Dan O'Donnell," he introduced himself. "Own this place with me husband. One of ye must be Keith?"

"That's me," Keith said easily with a smile. He gestured to Lance, "This is my boyfriend, Lance."

"Welcome, welcome," Dan said again, with another round of handshakes. "Pleased ye're joining us this weekend. Pleased as punch, as me ma used to say, though I never understood what she meant. Why punch would be more pleased than most was a mystery."

His jocularity and demeanor completely charmed Lance. This was someone he could listen to all day, what with the accent and turn of phrase. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine. And me husband's, though he do be a bit shy. Ye might not see him too much. He's the winemaker and likes to mess with the grapes more'n the guests."

The Golden had gotten up from the rug, a little stiffly, and approached them. Lance noticed a bit of gray in her muzzle, but she nudged up against him friendly-like.

"Tha's Susan. She be an old gal, but a lovin' one. She'll be all over you if you let her."

Lance dropped to his knees to give the old gal the attention she deserved, giving Keith the opportunity to take care of the check in business. Dan took him over to a desk on the far side of the room, had Keith sign a couple of things, and gave him the keys to their room. Susan, in the meantime, accepted the pets and scratches from Lance's hands, along with the compliments on what a wonderful old gal she was.

"Let's be gettin' ye's to yer room, lads," Dan invited. "I'll let you freshen up as long as ye want, then give ye a tour of the place. I'm sure ye'll be wanting to try some of the wines." He said the last part in a humble way, ducking his head.

"Of course," Keith said as he and Lance followed Dan across the kitchen to a set of stairs. "I've read so many good things about the quality of your wines."

"We got some good hard cider, too, if ye fancy it," Dan suggested, gesturing up the stairs for the two young men.

"I love hard cider!" Lance said.

The stairs were wide and well lit, full of cheerful pictures of Dan, another man, children, and various other people. "See that one on the right, there?" Dan said, nodding toward one of the larger pictures. Keith and Lance paused on the steps to peer at it.

"Is that…is that George Clooney?"

"Tis! He and his wife paid us a visit once upon a time. Nice folks, too. Susan was quite attached to him."

"Wow!" Lance said, impressed. "Are we in the room he used?"

"Sorry, lad, no. But ye'll be settin' at the table he set at hisself. So that's something."

"Keithy! My butt will be in the same chair as George Clooney!"

Their room was at the head of the stairs and had its own bathroom, though the bathroom wasn't overly large. The room was cozy with a fireplace that looked to be a gas one. The bed invited one to jump right into it – it was large and poufy-looking with a comforter and plenty of pillows. Lance was tempted to burrow right into it and spend the rest of the day there.

"You boys get settled," Dan suggested. "Whenever yer ready, jes come t'find me. I'll be puttering around the kitchen."

They thanked him and after another round of handshakes, Dan disappeared, leaving them alone.

"This is beautiful, Keithy!" Lance exclaimed, dumping his bag on the chair in the corner. He was drawn to the large window and drew back the curtains. The view was spectacular. The house was at the top of small hill and the vineyard marched down the slope outside their window into a little valley where a small creek wandered through a copse of trees.

He felt arms come around his waist and Keith's face press against his shoulder, likely enough to peer it out the window. Keith wasn't quite tall enough to rest his chin comfortably there. "As beautiful as you, my love," he said.

Lance rested his hands on Keith's, which were pressing against his stomach. "You're the beautiful one, mi amor," he protested.

"I beg to differ."

Lance didn't respond. He loved that Keith thought he was beautiful. Especially since he considered Keith the pinnacle of beauty. Instead, he turned his head a little, tilting it to press his temple against Keith's forehead. "This is such a nice surprise."

"Good. I'm glad you like it."

"A pretty place with wine? And hard cider? And a sweet pupper? How could I not like it?"

"And a hot tub."

"In the bathroom?"

"No. Well, yeah, there's a nice whirlpool tub there. But I read there's a hot tub overlooking the vineyard. It's probably below our room."

"We've never hot-tubbed together, Keithy."

"Not yet, love."

"Are we the only ones here this weekend?"

Keith hummed. "I don't think so. This was the only room left when I booked it last month. I was surprised to get it, to be honest."

"Ah, well. Maybe we can make some new friends."

"Maybe!"

They didn't bother to unpack. Not really. Keith had packed clothes to wear the next day home, and had packed some nice clothes for which he didn't tell Lance the purpose. Lance did put his bath products in the bathroom and took a few minutes to wash his face. They risked sinking onto the bed to test its softness and almost didn't get back up. It was the most comfortable bed in which Lance had ever been. Like a cloud in heaven. The pillows were perfect, the mattress was perfect, and Keith curled up next to him was perfect.

"I think I died," he murmured.

"What?" Keith said, somewhat alarmed.

"I'm in heaven. I have to be."

"You're my heaven," Keith said, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Don't fall asleep, Keithy," he said, trying not to splutter over what Keith said. "We have wine to drink. Wine. And cider."

Keith chuckled, rolling over to snuggle closer. "I know. The online reviews for this place were off the charts."

Lance poked a bit at Keith, then, trying to get him moving. "Then come on, Lazybones. Let's go put some wine in our mouths."

The look Keith gave him promised him nothing good and he felt that familiar pull in his gut. "I can think of something to put in your mouth."

"Don't get me hard before we go out amongst the people," Lance complained, shoving at his boyfriend. "I'm not sporting a boner while trying to be a wine snob. That's creepy."

Keith let out a full-out belly laugh, leaned over to kiss Lance, then relented. They were soon up and headed down the stairs to find Dan.

"So, me an' Jay was growin' bitter and disenchanted with workin' in corporate America. Jay had been making wine fer years at this point. A little hobby of his, ye know? Small batches, of course, but delicious all the same. We was always gettin' invited to parties as long as we brought the wine!"

A little laughter tittered through the group standing at the wine vats. Keith was right; they weren't the only ones at the Winery-slash-B&B that weekend. Three other couples were also there for the tour. They ranged in age from the little, old retirees who looked like each other, to the other two couples who were, Lance guessed, middle-aged? They seemed friendly enough, the women gushing over Keith and Lance and asking personal questions that made Keith guarded, but which Lance answered cheerfully. The old man talked art to Keith as they waited together for the tour to start.

Lance liked them very much, and by the time the tour started, had friended the wives on Facebook. The older lady, Maria, reminded him of his Abuela in the way she talked to him – except for in English instead of Spanish. One couple, a man and woman from Los Angeles, had been to the vineyard before and raved about the wines. They were on a tour of Napa and had to stop in once again to try the newest wine and the hard ciders, which were a new addition to the lineup.

Dan took them, as a group, on a tour of the grounds. They started with a short walk into the vineyard closest to the barn turned tasting center. It was partway through the season, so the grapes were heavy on the vine, but not ripe. He explained that they grow their own grapes, but have to supplement their batches with imported ones. Different regions produced different flavors, so part of the fun was finding combinations to try with their grapes.

Their grapes tended toward the sweeter side, so when they wanted sweet wines, they used grapes from a certain area in Canada. When they wanted a more robust wine, they could combine theirs with grapes grown in Croatia. That was a surprise to Lance, who generally associated all wine with France, but he learned that many countries grew grapes and made their own wines.

They got a little bit of a lecture about soil and weather conditions, and how those affected the flavor of the wine. That's why wines tasted different depending on where they were made. Once explained, it made sense, and Lance understood a lot more about wine than he ever had. To be fair, until Keith, he'd only been able to drink cheap wines bought at grocery stores (Strawberry Boone's Farm), so he didn't exactly have a developed wine palette. He looked forward to growing it with Keith.

Keith admitted many times he wasn't an expert, but Lance had found that Keith had great taste when it came to wine. He generally bought mid-range wines as far as price, but had the knack of finding delicious ones. Keith also favored local places, saying he'd rather support small wineries than major wine distributors anyway.

They sampled some of the unripe grapes, wincing at the tart taste that, they were told, would mellow into a sweet flavor as summer waned. Insects buzzed around them, mostly big, fat bees drawn to the juices hidden under the grape skins. It was quiet, except for the pleasant burr of Dan's voice and the distant sound of some sort of machinery operating off in the distance.

Now they were standing in the wine production room, near large steel vats containing the latest batches of wine from the spring harvest. California had the lucky happenstance of having good weather almost year round, but winter was slightly cooler than summer, which changed the flavor of the grapes. Winter grapes were a bit tarter than summer, so they made a spicy wine with them, as well as a few of the dry whites.

Lance was continually fascinated with the process, and had to ask how Dan and his husband learned all this. Dan chuckled before answering. "Well, lad. Jay's the one who does most of the work. He took to learnin' it all. I told ye before he was a hobby vintner, but when we decided to try our hands to this, he took it more seriously. Does a good job, too, though he'd be embarrassed to hear it."

"When did you acquire the vineyard?" one of the wives asked.

"Oh, 'bout ten years or so ago. We decided to give up the rat's race and try our hand at running a B&B. When we found this place for sale, considering Jay's interest, it jest fit. I run the inn part and he does the wine. Works out fine fer us."

It came unbidden, but Lance pictured him and Keith living a life like that. Perhaps not with the winery part; he didn't think Keith knew much about winemaking itself, and Lance certainly didn't, if he didn't even know other countries made wine. A bed and breakfast, though? With Red lording it over the guests and maybe a couple of dogs in the mix? Keith could make delicious breakfasts for their guests and paint in the afternoons, and Lance could do…something? Clean and keep the guests happy. Maybe take care of a bunch of farm animals?

Except there was his dream of teaching and continuing to study sharks. He didn't think he could ever give up his beloved sharks. Still, looking around this cozy and delightful bed and breakfast, the thought was surely tempting to him.

The tour ended in the winery building itself, the large barn structure that stood apart from the house. Lance thought it might be a new building. New in that it didn't match the age of the house, but had been there only a few years. It was too neat and clean to be a dilapidated old barn. The inside was open and bright, with a large bar area at the back. Tables dotted the floor, filled with people enjoying food with glasses and bottles of wine in evidence. The bar itself was lined with wine enthusiasts and one half of the barn floor had a sort of gift shop with rows of shelves covered in handmade goods.

"We're always busy on Saturdays," Dan said, almost as if in apology. "Tis a popular place, especially in the summer when everyone and their brother is tourin' round Napa."

"You should be proud of it," one of the men in their group said, a man who wore glasses and Lance thought was married to the women named Irene.

"Oh, we are," Dan admitted, though still with that sheepish humility.

Workers for the winery were dashing back and forth, keeping the place clean and the customers happy. Four workers stood behind the bar, pouring out samples and explaining them to the wine drinkers, who swirled their glasses, sipped their wine, and made knowing faces at each other as they discussed the particular vintage.

"As guests," Dan continued, "of the Inn, you get a private tasting. Follow me and ye all can finally meet Jay."

Jay was a shy, slight man, partially balding with thick glasses perched precariously on his nose. He had a bit of a squint, but a sweet half-smile as he welcomed them into the loft room where Dan herded them. The room was open to the below area, but above with its own separate bar. More for small, private parties, Dan explained. A row of wine bottles stood in a row on the bar of the room, where Jay awaited them.

There were five wine bottles and three hard cider bottles, behind six sparkling glasses that shone in the afternoon sunlight pouring in through the large window behind Jay, which overlooked almost the same vista Keith and Lance could see from their room. The entire group settled at the bar, sliding comfortably onto the stools. A menu sat in front of Lance, printed on light blue paper – the same light blue that graced the wine labels on the bottles.

He looked over the menu, reading the description of each of the wines and ciders they were to taste. Lance had been to a couple of wine tastings before, but never had they provided such a detailed description of the wines. Yes, the vintner would explain and talk about the wines, but it was nice to be able to read about the details of each of them.

Dan left them, presumably to check on the winery. Jay, though shy at first, dove right into the wine tasting.

It seemed, apparently, that being able to talk about his beloved wines loosened Jay's tongue. Lance found him to be extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. While Lance didn't particularly care for all of the eight selections, he did love the hard ciders – especially the pear one – and loved all but two of the wines. Those two were too dry for him. Like Keith, he preferred sweeter wines. One, a delightful white that had hints of citrus in it, really caused him to pause.

He sipped slower at it, his eyes rolling back at the flavor that burst on to his tongue. He swished it around a little in his mouth, noting for the first time what everyone said when they wine tasted – there were different notes of flavor in the wine. He could taste the difference in different spots in his mouth. Wow. Once he understood, it was amazing. He turned surprised eyes at Keith, who was watching him closely.

"You like that one, huh?"

"Keithy," he breathed. "This is perfect!"

"Ah, our Baby's Breath," Jay said, overhearing Lance. He smiled shyly at Lance. "One of my favorites, so I make it in big batches. Sells really well."

"These are for purchase, right?" Keith asked.

"Of course. There's only one we don't sell, and that's the sangria we make. It's in small batches and we only sell it by the glass here. You should try that, since I see you prefer the sweet wines."

"I love sangria!" Lance exclaimed, glancing at Keith.

He smiled at Lance, "We'll get you a glass later. Maybe before we head out for dinner."

"Only if you're planning to Uber or something," Jay advised. "The sangria has a high alcohol content."

"We can do that," Keith said, nodding.

They munched on crackers and cheese plates as they tasted, and Lance had never felt more…he couldn't think of the word. Rich? Cultured? Not that he had never done anything quote/unquote fancy in his life. And not that he'd never been to a wine tasting either, but something about this place, situated in Napa Valley, spoke of a different level of something to Lance. It wasn't as if Keith were rich, nor was he probably ever going to be. Yet, somehow, he knew Keith would treat him to the finest things in life.

Lance loved the simple things. He loved that many of their dates or when they hung out together involved eating cheap pizza or drinking cheap wine. Keith was a simple person, and Lance loved that about him. It was just nice to know that Keith would occasionally spoil him a little, and show him new experiences. It showed him how much Keith loved him.

With pleasant conversation with the others, Jay's explanations of the wines and ciders, delicious nibbles at their fingertips, the afternoon passed quickly. Before they knew it, Jay had stoppered up all the bottles and returned them to the refrigerator unit. A worker came to clean up after them and Dan returned to fetch them back to the house. They all thanked Jay, who smiled a blushing smile back at them, waving with an abashed air that endeared him more to Lance than before. He hoped the shy man wouldn't hide for the rest of their time here.

Which made Lance realize they only had one night. He frowned slightly as the crossed the yard to the main house, noticing that most of the cars in the parking area were gone.

"If you want to clean up and get dressed, I'll schedule an Uber," Keith said as he closed the door to their room behind Lance.

"Where are we going for dinner, Keithy?" Lance asked, pulling his shirt off over his head, the 'Keithy' muffled through the fabric.

"You know better than to ask me that," Keith chided him.

"Keiiiiiiiiith," he whined, unsure why he kept doing the whining thing. It didn't work. He looked down at his naked torso. Maybe he could use other methods. He sidled up to Keith, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and pressing himself close. He felt Keith's hands on the small of his back. "Isn't there anything I could do to get you to tell me?"

Keith smiled up at him, his eyes hooded. "No."

Lance tried licking his lips, pointedly glancing down between them. "Nothing?"

"Can't think of a thing."

"Oh my God, I'm dating a dead stick!" he said with a pout.

Keith slid his hands to Lance's hips, pulling them flush against his, or as close as his shorter stature could manage. Lance felt Keith's hard dick against his thigh. "Is that a dead stick?"

"N-n-n-no," he stuttered. Dammit, the effect this man had on him. "If you tell me where we're going, I'll, um, play fetch or something?"

"That sounds…literally not fun," Keith said, reaching down to pat his ass. "You're not my dog. Now, go get cleaned up. Stop trying to seduce the restaurant from me. The sooner we get there, the sooner you'll know. And the sooner we can eat. And the sooner we can get back here to get your dick in my mouth."

That thought had his mouth watering. "We can skip dinner," he suggested.

"I'd like to. Especially if it means dick in mouth. But, I am hungry, this place is good, and I did make a reservation."

Lance relented, tilting his head to plant a kiss on Keith's forehead. "Alright," he said, affecting a pout that he didn't really feel.

Wow. This was. This was fancy. Lance had to italicize fancy in his head. He'd never been in a place like this. The restaurant itself was a large building, designed to resemble a sprawling mansion, though it obviously wasn't as large as a real mansion might be. The Uber dropped them off at the front, where a valet approached. He skipped back to his post when he saw it was merely an Uber, trying to school his expression into disinterested snobbishness. Lance smoothed out his dress shirt, the shirt he'd bought for his and Keith's first going out date. Same pants, too, which he knew made his ass look delectable.

Keith also wore the same outfit from that date, but they both hadn't brought the suit jackets. It was a warm, July day, and the brief dash from the car to the door was bad enough in the hot air.

A man opened the door for them, bowing his head slightly as they walked past. The lobby, or reception, of the restaurant was luxurious. Warm wood flooring and stone walls, brightly lit by a dazzling chandelier above their heads. A woman, dressed in a severe sort of black dress with a simple pearl necklace around her neck smiled a toothpaste ad smile at them. "Welcome to Riviera's," she intoned in a false-sweet voice. "How may I help you?"

Keith, unfazed by the elegance of the place, stepped up. Lance admired the view of his back; the strong, broad shoulders, the little ponytail he'd pulled his mullet (yes, it was a mullet!) into, the way his pants hugged that toned ass in a way that made Lance's mouth water. As much as he now looked forward to this dinner, he couldn't wait to get his hands on Keith.

"Hello, I have a reservation for two. Kogane."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Kogane, you're all set." She turned and waved over another young woman, a round-faced, plump girl with a friendly smile that Lance knew wasn't fake. "Natalie will show you to your table."

"Thank you," Keith replied politely. He looked at Lance, crooking his arm. Lance took the hint and tucked his hand so that Keith could escort him as they followed Natalie.

The dining room was crowded, but set up in a way that made it seem like the tables were private. The lighting was dim, with small chandeliers bathing diners in a subdued lighting enhanced slightly by the flickering centerpiece candles. Pristine, crisp, white linens covered the tables, set with silver tableware. Crystal wineglasses graced all the tables. The other diners wore suits and cocktail gowns and Lance was overwhelmed with the elegance of it all.

Keith, like the gentleman he was, held his chair for him, sliding it in at the right moment. The simple, romantic gesture almost had him swooning. Keith sat himself and Natalie handed them their menus, setting the drink menu next to Keith's spot. "I'll be your server as well," she told them, clasping her hands together, beaming at them in turn. "I will get you some water and bread service, while you look over the menu."

"Thank you, Natalie," Keith said. She nodded and scurried off. Keith first picked up the wine menu, flipping it open and scanning down the offerings. "What are you in the mood for, sweetheart?"

"Um, I'm not sure," Lance said uncertainly. He had no idea what one ordered in a place like this.

"We can pair the wine when we order."

Lance bobbed his head in a nod. The menu was small, but Lance knew the pricier the restaurant, the smaller and more specialized the menu was. He balked at the price listed on the top of the menu, but none of the items had prices next to them. "I don't understand this," he admitted.

"It's a pre fixe menu," Keith said, also looking over the choices. "We get a three course meal, so we choose something from each course."

"Oh," Lance said blankly. That made sense. There were only three choices of appetizer, five choices of entrée, and two choices for dessert. The price, however, was astronomical for someone who regularly bought cheap ramen packs for his meals.

He looked up to see Keith watching him. "Don't even think of asking if you can get a salad because you think it's too expensive," he warned as if he'd read Lance's mind.

Lance flushed, ducking his head to look back at his menu. "I-I wasn't."

"Yes, you were," Keith said, though his tone was teasing. "I'm starting to get Hunk-level of reading you."

A little pfft sound escaped his lips, but he knew Keith was right. "Fine, fine. I won't look at the price," he promised, going so far as to place his hand on the menu to cover it.

"What looks good?"

"I'm tempted by the salmon," Lance said. "But I think the escargot paired with the salmon might be too much. You think?"

Keith tilted his head, looking over the menu again. "Try the tuna tartare instead. The garlic on the escargot might overwhelm your taste sense so that you won't enjoy the salmon as much. If you wanted the escargot, I'd suggest the steak to go along with it."

"What are you thinking of getting?"

Keith grinned at him. "The oysters to start. They're an aphrodisiac."

"Keithy!" Lance sent Keith a slight glare. "I've never had Oysters Rockefeller. Sounds interesting."

Natalie returned with the water, smiling knowingly at Lance's blush. "Have you gentlemen decided on drinks?"

"We'll wait until we order dinner," Keith said. "To pair the wine."

The server nodded. "Smart. You'd be surprised how many people don't think of that."

"I think I'd like to start with the oysters," Keith said, glancing down that the menu. "For both of us." Keith looked at Lance for confirmation.

"That sounds delicious, Keithy."

"Excellent, gentlemen," Natalie said, noting it down on her iPad. "I'll put that in and bring back bread service so you can have a few more minutes with the menu."

After she disappeared, Lance took a little sip from his water glass, taking a moment to glance around the restaurant. It was honestly a little intimidating to him. His parents weren't poor, but with such a huge family, dining out was rare, and when they did it was more toward local diners and middle of the road chains. Once moving to California, there was no way Lance could ever afford to go out to a place like this, and he'd certainly dated no one who would take him.

Besides, with Hunk able to cook gourmet meals with ease, he ate really well without spending the insane amount of money Keith was going to have to spend tonight. The frugal part of his mind flinched at the price on the menu.

Though Lance was gaining confidence and breaking through many of his insecurities, part of his brain still prodded at him making the suggestion that he wasn't worth wasting this much money on. He knew, however, if he played off his hunger and the tempting menu to order a salad, Keith would give him that 'look' that was pure Keith.

"Alright, I think I know," Lance decided, struggling to keep the reluctance out of his voice. "The salmon is tempting, but if I'm doing seafood for the appetizer, I think I'll try the Osso Buco. Hunk made it once and it was delicious."

"Ooo, I was thinking of that, too," Keith said, smiling. "I love it. If you really like it, I'll make it for you someday soon."

Lance ducked his head, reaching for his water glass again. Keith opened his mouth to say something, but Natalie reappeared, plunking an intricate pewter basket onto the table containing a bundle of black linen. "Your bread," she said, also placing a little dish next to it. "And some sea-salted butter." The large rectangle of creamy butter was dusted with coarse salt. Just the appearance made Lance's mouth water. "Have you decided on your entrée?"

"I think so," Keith answered. "I'll have the porterhouse, medium rare. And he'll have the Osso Buco."

"The Osso Buco is my favorite," Natalie confided, shooting Lance a warm smile. "I think you will love it."

"My mouth is already watering!"

She chuckled, noting everything on her pad. "Alright. And wine?"

Keith shuffled the wine menu in front of him, requesting a wine that sounded expensive to Lance. The entire bottle, which Natalie said she would bring right to the table. She darted off and returned quickly, with the wine in a silver bucket stand full of ice. With an expert motion, she uncorked it and poured a small taste for Keith into his glass.

As if he were a wine expert (which, Lance did consider him in spite of his modesty about it), Keith lifted the glass, swirled the contents a little, took a whiff of the wine, then a little sip. With a slight nod, he smiled at Natalie. "Perfect, thank you."

"My pleasure," she replied, leaning forward to pour Keith's glass halfway, then following suit with Lance's. She placed the bottle carefully back in its nest of ice, then clasped her hands in front of her. "Your appetizer should be out soon." With that, she left them alone.

Lance's eyes followed her as she scurried off. He felt…strange. All of this elegance was throwing him for a loop. He was a simple guy who dumpster dove to furnish his home. Who ate mac and cheese and cheap ramen packets (before Keith). Who scrimped and saved to get Keith a simple keychain as a gift once. A place like this was wasted on him. Why did this insanely sweet gesture of Keith's make him want to cry?

"To us." Keith's quiet voice zapped his focus back to the handsome man across the table, who held his wine glass up expectantly, looking at Lance with love lighting his dark eyes, highlighted by the flickering of the candle in the middle of the table between them. The gentle smile on Keith's face put a lump in Lance's throat.

"Why are you spoiling me like this?" Lance blurted out, wincing inside as the expression on Keith's face fell slightly. His hand dipped a little, the wine glass glinting as it moved.

"Why shouldn't I spoil you?"

"I can't do this in return," Lance said, distressed.

"You think I need you to?"

"Noooooo…."

Keith set his glass down, averting his glance to it as his brow furrowed. Lance knew him well enough that he was thinking about what to say. Lance felt his heart freeze. Keith had planned this completely amazing day for him and he'd ruined it. He waited, fingers fumbling with the napkin in his lap, cursing himself for being a complete idiot.

Keith finally let out a small sigh, then leaned forward, laying his arm on the table to reach toward Lance. Without hesitation, Lance reached for him, linked their fingers on the side of the candle. "Did this date make you uncomfortable?"

The question surprised him. He expected a lecture or Keith's assurances. Not that question. He swallowed. "Can I be honest?"

"All I ever want from you is honesty, Lance," Keith said, then added with a little smirk. "Well, one of the things I want from you."

Lance's posture sagged slightly. "It is," he started, then quickly added, "but it shouldn't! I know. This. This is amazing, Keith. I've never had such an unbelievable date."

"Then what's wrong?"

He knew admitting what was really wrong was going to disappoint Keith, but Keith did want him to be honest. "I-I…"

"Lance?"

"I don't deserve this." His voice, admitting that, was small, because he knew how Keith would take it. He stared at their joined hands, not wanting to meet Keith's eyes. How many times had Keith assured him that yes, he did deserve Keith. "I'm not. I don't." He couldn't continue.

Keith was silent, but squeezed his hand tightly, the tips of his fingers pressing into the back of Lance's hand. Another squeeze prompted Lance to lift his gaze, gasping at the anger brewing in the dark eyes looking back at him.

"Keith," he whispered.

"Lance," and Keith's voice was so low that Lance leaned forward to better hear him over the quiet chatter of the other dinner guests. "I honestly don't know how else I can show you, or what else I can say, to let you know you deserve all I can give you and more. I only wish I could give you everything you deserve. I'm the one who's inadequate. I'm the one who doesn't deserve you."

"No! No, Keith! You. You are everything perfect. Everything that - that's wonderful. You're the one who deserves it all. And I can't give you even a piece of what you deserve."

Keith shook his head, the anger fading somewhat from his eyes. "So you think I'm perfect?" Keith asked, then continued after Lance's enthusiastic nod. "And I think I deserve you. So what does that say? If I'm perfect and I think you're perfect and that I deserve you, then it sounds like you think you're perfect."

Lance's brain tried to follow that logic, trying to find some hole to poke in it, but he couldn't without admitting that Keith wasn't perfect. It was absurd, but he was right, which was really annoying. "I'm not perfect."

"And I'm not either, Lance. This pedestal you've put me on. It's just," he paused, frowning a second. "Please don't put me on it. When I fail or mess up, it hurts me worse because you think I'm perfect. I accept that I'm not. I don't want to be. I have my flaws, as everyone does. You do, too, but I love you all the more for it."

"I just don't…"

"Stop," Keith insisted. "Look. Me up on this higher tier of perfection? Not only is it crazy and unrealistic, but I don't think of myself as better than you. I look at you as my equal. By my side. That's where I want you to be. Or under me," he teased, bringing out Lance's blush.

"Or, on top of you," Lance joked back, then cleared his throat. "You're right. And believe me, I hate when I feel this way."

"I know you do. And, I'll tell you every day, many times a day, how much I love you. Believe me, sweetheart, you deserve me. You deserve this. And, it's not like this," he added, gesturing in general to the room with his free hand, "is going to be a regular thing. It's a special occasion, so I wanted to splurge a bit and treat you the way I wish I could treat you every minute."

"I appreciate it, and you, so much cariño," Lance said, his eyes stinging, but not enough for real tears to form and fall.

"And, I appreciate you. Now, let's make that toast and enjoy the wine, okay?"

Lance nodded, hesitatingly letting go of Keith's hand so they could reach for their wine glasses. "To us," Keith repeated.

"To us," Lance replied, clinking his glass against Keith's before taking a sip. Holy shit, it was good!

"This reminds me of our first dinner together," Keith said. "I was surprised when you toasted to new friends."

"You were?"

"Yeah," Keith said, putting his glass down, but playing his fingers around the stem. "I'd never made a friend that fast, so for you to say it surprised me."

"I mean, honestly I was hoping for more than a friend, but saying friend felt right."

"I was, too. The more than friend thing. Gods, you were so fucking good looking."

Lance laughed, his insecure feelings retreating at the compliment. Not going away, but retreating. "I probably looked like a mess after studying all day."

"And, I didn't? I had been painting in my ratty ass clothes."

"With that adorable, little ponytail? And that little dab of paint on your chin?" Lance asked, shaking his head. "So fucking hot." Then he looked side to side. "Oh shit! I probably can't say 'fucking' in here, can I? Oh shit! Or shit?"

"I won't inform the manager," Keith assured him.

"Brat."

"I'm a brat for not getting you in trouble?"

"No, you're just a brat."

"How did I go from perfect to brat?"

Lance sent him a silent scowl, irritated slightly at the smug look on Keith's face. Keith laughed and together, they picked up their glasses in tandem for another sip. Before taking it, Keith said in a tone that caressed Lance's ears in an embarrassing way.

"To our tenth date."

Fuck that was. Ooh. How was he supposed to sleep with Keith tonight and not do something they weren't supposed to do before the tenth date? Lance tapped Keith's glass with his again, his ears burning up. "To the tenth date," he ground out, soothed only by the smooth taste of the wine on his tongue.

Natalie returned to the table with a large plate in one hand and two smaller plates in the other. "Your Oysters Rockefeller, sirs," she said, carefully placing the dish in front of them. She set the smaller plates down, one in front of each of them with two tiny fork-like utensils. "Chef put the double order on one plate. Enjoy."

They thanked her, Lance grateful for the distraction from Keith's seductive leer. He'd never had this particular dish, and wasn't prepared for how it looked. He expected either raw oysters, or cooked and shucked ones. This was a full on dish and smelled delicious.

"Remember," Keith said, spooning one out to his appetizer plate. "Aphrodisiac."

"Like either you or I need help in that department," Lance grated out between clenched teeth. Keith laughed while Lance copied what he had done, putting one of the half shells on his own plate. "I'm not sure how to eat this," he admitted.

"Like this," Keith said, demonstrating by using his fork to scoop out the insides of the half-oyster. He lifted it up, leaning slightly over his plate in case of spills. Lance did the same, feeling awkward as he did. Into his mouth it went and the flavor exploded on his tongue. "Mmm," he hummed, "Oh my god, Keith, this is delicious!"

"Mmhm," Keith agreed. "It's one of my favorites. I love when I find it on a menu."

"Have you ever made them?"

"Nope. I'd like to try. Maybe Hunk and I can do a seafood buffet some day," he said.

"Oo! Maybe for my birthday?"

"Oh, you have a birthday coming up?"

"Don't tease," Lance scolded. "You know I do."

"Hmm, that's a good idea, actually. Hunk and I will have a seafood buffet on your birthday."

"Wait, no! Not on my birthday, Keithy!"

"Why not?"

Lance shook his oyster fork at Keith. "You know very well I'll be out on the ocean in a boat on my birthday."

"Ah yes. So we can't celebrate your birthday on your birthday?"

"No," Lance insisted. "You have to wait until I'm back!"

"Okay. I think we can do that," Keith assured him, scooping another oyster onto his plate.

Like any fancy, expensive restaurant, the appetizer plate wasn't large, so they only had four oysters each. Which was fine because no sooner had they finished, then a different server from Natalie swept away their plates and another appeared to clear up the bread crumbs from the bread service off the tablecloth with a little, silver scraper. Lance had never seen such a thing.

They chatted easily, as they always did, about the wine tasting from earlier. Five new bottles of wine sat in their cozy room waiting to be taken home – purchased after the tasting. Plus a little, colorful table runner Lance thought was beautiful. He was touched Keith had thought to buy it for his table because Lance liked it.

Their dinners arrived, placed in front of them by Natalie, who then refilled their wine glasses and asked if they needed anything else? When they didn't, she wished them a good meal and left them to it.

The Osso Buco was, hands down, one of the best meals Lance had ever had. After eating Hunk's cooking for years, that was saying a lot. Every bite seemed to melt in his mouth. The meat itself was so tender and the sauce was flavorful.

"How's your meal?" Keith asked between bites of his steak. Lance thought Keith's looked equally mouth-watering.

"I've never tasted anything better," Lance said.

"Don't let Hunk hear you say that," Keith warned.

"I won't," he agreed. "I'll tell Hunk dinner was good, but not as good as his."

"You'd honestly lie to Hunk?"

Well, that was a great question. He'd never lie to Hunk. "Um. No. But I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"Say it was delicious, but meals never compare to his," Keith suggested. "That way, you're saying you enjoyed this, but that you always prefer his."

"That works," Lance said. "How's your steak?"

"Probably one of the best I've ever had. I'm glad I found this place."

"Thank you again for bringing me."

"You deserve it," Keith said, grinning at the look Lance gave him. "We haven't even gotten to dessert yet."

"Well, those oysters are doing their magic," Lance said.

"I don't think it's the oysters."

"Tease."

"Some day I'll take you to this place in Spain. It's supposed to be the most expensive restaurant in the world."

"What is it?"

"You'd love it. It's supposed to have laser shows and a whole performance between the twenty courses."

"Oh my god, Keithy! That sounds amazing!"

"There's a few restaurants like that," Keith said, cutting another piece of his porterhouse. "But this one is something like over three thousand a person."

"Holy sh-crow!" Lance gasped, changing the word before he swore.

"Yeah," Keith laughed. "So don't expect it any time soon."

"I don't expect it ever!"

"I think it would be cool. There's lots of cool restaurants I want to try. Especially the ones that are under water."

"Under water?"

"Yeah. It's a dining room under the water. You can watch fish swim by as you eat."

"I would totally be down for that!"

"I expect you would!"

"Watching sharks while eating a good meal? Heaven!"

"I probably wouldn't be able to eat any seafood during it, though," Keith mused. "I mean, eating a fish while one is watching me would probably kill my appetite."

Lance agreed with a loud laugh that was completely out of place among the snobs at the other tables.

Though the portions were modest, there was hardly any room for their dessert, but Lance said that they must soldier through so as not to insult the chef. Keith laughed at that and put in their dessert selection with Natalie - an espresso cake for him and malted milk ball crème brulee for Lance.

Dessert was a million times better than the main course. Lance loved crème brulee. It was in his top three of desserts, but he'd never seen flavored crème brulee. He'd only ever had the normal type. He never thought it could come in other flavors, but Keith told him that many chefs liked to experiment with different tastes, commenting he'd once had a lavender lemongrass one that was sublime.

The malted milk ball was the best dessert he'd ever had. It made everything else pale in comparison. After cracking the burnt sugar shell, he dug in for a bite, then slowed down, taking the tiniest of nibbles to draw out the small helping.

"Good?" Keith asked, his voice amused as he watched Lance sneakily try to swipe his finger around his dish to get every delicious blob of custard.

Abashed, Lance grinned at him. "No. Amazing. Life changing. I've never had anything like it. How's your cake?"

"Nice and light," Keith said, scraping his fork across the plate for the last bit of frosting. "I thought it would be heavy, but it's not. It's really good."

"We'll have to bring Hunk and Shay down here some day," Lance suggested. "I think they'd like it. Or at least recommend it. This and the bed and breakfast."

"Someday," Keith promised. "Maybe not right away. If Shiro behaves himself, I would ask him and Allura, too."

"That would be nice."

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Not now," Lance admitted, darting a glance left, then right, before licking his finger clean. No one saw him. "Maybe later."

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring it up."

"It's okay, Keithy. Don't think you can't talk about him to me. He's your family."

"I know. It's just…" Keith trailed off.

"Pidge was texting me today," he decided to mention.

"She was?" When Lance nodded, he asked, "Was that who was texting you in the car on the drive up?"

"Yeah."

Keith fiddled with his dessert fork, looking down at the plate of chocolate crumbs. "She wasn't a…bitch, was she?"

"No. She was asking me about Altea. It looks like she's seriously considering it."

"That would be a good school for her. I mean, it can handle Hunk's brain, I'm sure it can handle Pidge's."

Lance chuckled, a small sound, but he was surprised he felt genuinely amused about anything related to Pidge. "I think it can. Hunk said she grilled him pretty hard about his program. From her questions today, I think she might decide on it."

"Which means she'd move here," Keith said, looking up into his eyes. "Are you okay with that?"

Lance shrugged. "I can't really stop it if she wanted to."

"No, I know. But, she'd want to be part of my life. Our lives."

"Keith, she's your best friend."

"And you're my boyfriend."

"Yeah, but you have a history with her."

"And a future with you."

"Keith."

"Lance," Keith said, then smiled. "I want to make sure you're comfortable with the thought. I can set boundaries if she does move here."

Lance nodded slowly, thinking over how he wanted to say it. "We'll figure that out when, and if, it happens," he decided. "I'm not exactly ready to be besties with her, or completely forgive her, but I can tell she's trying. She could have asked Hunk all those questions today. Asking me was pointless, since I can't really answer anything about his program. I think she thought it was a good way to start talking to me."

"I can see that. She's not stupid."

"I never thought she was."

Keith snorted, but didn't continue as Natalie came to the table, discreetly putting the little folder with the check next to Keith's elbow. "No hurry with that, sir," she murmured as she gathered their empty dessert plates. "Please enjoy the last of your wine."

"Thank you, Natalie," Keith said.

Lance drained the last of his wine as Keith put his credit card into the folder and pushed it to the edge of the table.

"Anyway," Lance said, nodding at Natalie's smile as she took the payment away. "I just wanted to say I haven't forgiven her. But I'm sure I will get there eventually."

The relief on Keith's face flashed quickly before Keith schooled it back into a neutral expression. Lance knew it had stressed Keith out during the trip and after. The one thing Keith wanted was Lance to slip into his family as easily as Lance slipped into his life. Since that didn't happen because Shiro and Pidge had both treated Lance like shit, Keith had felt guilty about the whole thing.

"Only when you're ready," Keith said, always more concerned about Lance and his feelings. A thing that made Lance love him more. "And only if you're ready."

"I know, cariño. I know."

"Part of me wants to snuggle in front of that fire for a few hours," Lance said as he and Keith climbed the stairs to their room. "But part of me wants to snuggle in that huge bed. I'm conflicted."

Keith chuckled. A low sound that shot down Lance's spine. "What about the hot tub? Or bathtub?"

Lance groaned. "Why'd you have to remind me about those, Keithy?"

"I want to give you options."

"You know I can't make decisions to save my life!"

"True."

"We've never taken a bath together, Keithy. Think you can handle me wet and naked?"

Keith paused in unlocking their door and leered at Lance. "Think you can handle me like that?"

Lance gulped. Yeah, there was no way at this point he could handle Keith like that. Thinking about it, Keith tucked up close to him in a hot, soapy bath, his arms full of slippery skin, sent Lance's pulse racing in a way that couldn't be healthy.

"No," he answered, ducking into the room when Keith opened the door. "We should probably do that after date ten."

Keith laughed. "Good idea. I don't think I could control myself."

Lance suddenly turned and grabbed Keith up in his arms, bringing his boyfriend flush against him. Keith kicked a foot back to close the door. "Cariño, it's hard enough controlling myself now. Part of me wants to put you in that bed and have my way with you."

The garlic buttery taste of Keith's mouth – a remnant of his side dish of potatoes – filled Lance's as his tongue explored during their kiss. Keith's hums jump-started his heart and his arousal, and the way Keith clutched at him dashed nearly every resolve Lance put in place.

Keith broke the kiss, instead wrapping his arms around Lance to hug him. With his face tucked up against his skin, he sighed garlic breath into their space. Lance couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. "Every minute with you makes it hard. To wait," he said, getting Lance to laugh. "Both ways." After a moment, Lance felt the press of Keith's lips against his neck. "I thought about saying fuck it to the tenth date thing and making love to you tonight, but I can't."

"The tenth date isn't set in stone, Keithy. Technically, we can call any of the outings we've done a date. We'd be at a few dozen by now."

"True. But you're leaving Monday. If it's bad enough waiting for it, I don't even want to imagine waiting a month after getting a taste of sex with you to get it again."

"I didn't think of that," Lance said, squeezing Keith tighter. "Fuck, I'm gonna miss you."

"You have no idea how much I'm gonna miss you."

"I can still cancel."

"No," Keith said, his tone firm. He pulled back to look at Lance with a smile. "No. As much as it's going to suck — as lonely as my bed will feel — you need to do this. I'm proud of you. Proud you get to go on this research trip. I'm excited for you and can't wait for you to get back and tell me all about it and about everything you find."

"You're too good to me."

"We're good for each other."

"True. So," Lance said. "How about we snuggle by the fire and then snuggle in bed?"

"Sounds like heaven."

"Just brush your teeth first, you savage. Garlic breath is not romantic."

Cozy. So cozy. Sleep pulled at Lance's eyelids. The fire danced in front of them and the only thing Lance regretted was that it was a gas fire, so they didn't have the smell of burning wood in the room. Keith did crank the air conditioning up to make the room super cold, so they wrapped up in a blanket, tucked close to each other. Keith kept teasingly running his hands over Lance's body at different spots, making him shiver and let out high-pitched noises that would normally embarrass him.

"Someday we should head up north to a cabin or something. Get stuck there in a snowstorm," Keith murmured in his ear.

"That does sound nice, Keithy," Lance said, fighting the slight drowsy feeling.

Keith gave him a nibble on his earlobe. That woke him up with a jolt. "Making love to you in a warm cabin while the snow falls outside. Quiet and private. Just the two of us. No one to hear you screaming my name."

"Keith!" Lance said, sitting up a little straighter and trying to smack at his boyfriend. He hit the blanket instead. "You're the one who said you don't want to have sex before I go!"

"I don't."

"Then quit riling me up! You little cock tease!"

With a laugh, Keith leaned toward him, throwing his weight on Lance enough to maneuver him down onto the floor. "Says the biggest cock tease on the planet," he said, pressing his lips to Lance's cheek, then in a trail down his jaw to his neck.

"I am no such thing! I don't do anything to you!"

"Existing does something to me. Just looking at you makes me so fucking hard."

"Keith…"

Bracing himself above Lance, Keith attacked his neck, giving him little licks and nibbling kisses that blanked out Lance's mind. The blanket had bunched under Lance's hip, making lying there a little uncomfortable, but he didn't move. Keith's knee was between his legs and Keith was straddling his right thigh. He moved his hands to Keith's sides, sliding down to the hem of the t-shirt he'd changed into after a quick shower.

Slipping his fingers under the shirt, Lance played them along the skin of Keith's back, which drew a pleased hum from Keith's mouth, which was still busy leaving hints of fire on Lance's neck. Particularly that spot under his ear that drove him nuts. His shorts felt tight, fuck he'd been half-hard the whole time they were snuggling, but he was now fully excited and the little shit hovering above him knew it.

Desperate to defuse things before he came simply from the feel of Keith's hard dick against his thigh, Lance said, "I'm glad you brushed your teeth."

Keith moved his head above Lance's to grin down at him, his long hair falling forward to shadow his face. "So I did a good job with the garlic breath?" he asked, sending a little huff into Lance's face.

Lance wrinkled his nose, though all he smelled was peppermint. "You did. You should know better than to eat garlic anything if you expect to make out with someone later. That's dating one-oh-one, Keithy."

"I think we're past the first date point, sweetheart. I've smelled your morning breath and haven't broken up with you."

"I do not have morning breath."

"I beg to differ."

"Yours is worse."

"And yet, you still love me."

"Well, yeah. Everything else is okay."

The little devil laughed and sort of rolled his hips against Lance, rubbing his erection on his thigh. "Just okay?"

Lance made a 'tsch' sound. "Yeah. Just okay."

"Well," Keith said, leaning down and to the side to kiss Lance's neck again, moving his lips as his spoke and caressing the skin there, "looks like you've chosen to settle for just okay."

Lance sighed, closing his eyes. "You know I think more of you than that."

"I know."

Lance pulled his hands out from under Keith's shirt and ran them over Keith's butt, squeezing each cheek in turn. "I mean. This ass alone."

He felt Keith's glutes clench under his palms and he giggled, opening his eyes to see Keith looking at him again with a smile. Only. There was something else glittering in his eyes that was more than the reflection of the flames in the fake fireplace. Lance swallowed, wanting to explore that look though part of him fought to hold back.

But, when Keith pressed down against him, catching his mouth in a kiss that curled Lance's toes and made him reflexively clench his hands on Keith's butt. Keith let out a low groan, flexing his hips and rubbing himself against Lance's thigh again. "Fuck, Lance," he grunted in Lance's mouth. "Gods, you're so fucking hot."

Lance squeezed Keith's ass again, pulling Keith harder against him. Keith responded with a couple thrusts, giving Lance a delicious thrill as Keith's erection dragged across his upper thigh. "You're the hot one, baby."

Keith growled as he shoved his tongue into Lance's willing mouth. He was suddenly so needy that Lance was slightly surprised. Keith was always passionate, but something about this was different and Lance felt like he was getting a taste of how Keith would be in bed.

Keith shifted his body, straddling Lance's hips without letting go of his mouth and Lance marveled at the movement. Fuck. Then his body jolted as Keith somehow lined their dicks together and he gasped in Keith's mouth, getting a wicked chuckle.

"If I can't fuck you properly, I wanna do the next best thing."

Fuck, Keith's voice when he said it. It was normally a low, gravelly voice, but filled with desire it hit a pitch that vibrated through Lance's whole being.

It wasn't exactly comfortable. They were in their boxers after all. It was very different from when Lance had frotted against Keith that one night. He'd had satiny boxers on then and his dick slid around inside the smooth fabric, which added to the pleasure. His cotton ones? Not so much. He knew there'd be chafing, but after a moment, he didn't care. All of his brain focused on the feel of Keith's cock moving against his, causing his dick to twitch and throb.

"Fuck, baby," Lance said, his voice cracking. "Fuck."

"Can't wait to fuck you," Keith grunted. He didn't move fast, but kept up a steady and shallow thrust that teased more than pushed Lance toward orgasm. The turn on came more from Keith's motions, sounds, breathing, and the expression on his face as the light of the fire shifted over the both of them.

Keith caught Lance's mouth again, hardly able to keep the contact as he humped his hips against Lance's. They both laughed, their breaths puffing in each other's faces. "Not as easy as porn stars make it look," Lance said. Keith had stopped thrusting against him.

"You watch a lot of porn?"

"Some," he admitted. "Research, Keithy. Not cause I like it."

"Right."

"I am an academishian," he claimed. "Or however you say it."

Keith, his skin gleaming with a light sheen of sweat, laughed. "A real academician would know how to say it." He seemed to relax, putting his weight on top of Lance. They were both still hard, of course, and Lance tried not to think of how much he wanted to come.

"True. Still." He rolled his hips a little, difficult because of Keith's weight, but he felt Keith's cock twitch. "How about we try something else?"

"Like what?"

"Like," he drawled, putting on his best sly grin. "Like jerking us off together?"

"Our dicks touching?"

"Mhm."

"We haven't," Keith hesitated. "That's a different…a different level."

"We're this close," Lance said, holding up a hand above their heads with his thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart, "to sex, baby."

"But our dicks touching," Keith repeated.

"We've had them in each other's mouths," Lance reasoned.

Keith huffed out a laugh. "Okay, you got me there."

Keith lifted himself a little, reaching down to free himself from his boxers. Lance did the same; not quite pulling his underwear down, but enough so that his cock rested up along his abdomen. Once he was exposed, Keith maneuvered himself to line them up, his face scrunched in concentration in a way that made Lance want to burst into laughter. He didn't because he didn't want to kill the mood, but Keith looked so serious.

"I've got bigger hands," Lance mentioned as Keith tried to wrap his hands around them both.

Keith shot him a dirty look. "Well, you do it then."

"Okay. This way you can use your hands to brace yourself up."

Lance's long fingers held the advantage – and their cocks – together. Keith hissed at the first upstroke. "Dry," he grunted.

"Should have brought my lube," Lance said. There was enough pre-cum from both of them to make the next couple of strokes easier. Keith's eyes had closed as Lance worked them, choosing to do a quick up and down jerk. Even with his longer fingers, it wasn't easy to keep both cocks in his hand and this wasn't as easy as the porn he'd seen made it look.

Lance stared up at the face hovering over his, the dark hair shadowing Keith, but not enough that Lance couldn't see the way Keith bit his lower lip, drew his eyebrows together, and dropped his mouth open with little growls. His hips jerked every few strokes or so, responding to Lance's touch as it grew surer and confident.

The feel of Keith's thighs pressing down against his, the hardness between his fingers and his own dick, the sounds filling the air above them, had Lance reaching peak quickly. "Keith," he gasped. "I'm coming!"

Spilling over his hand and up on to his abdomen between them, Lance cried out Keith's name two or three times as the wave crested and crashed on him. "Fuck, you look so hot when you come," Keith said.

Lance peeked his eyes open, meeting Keith's hungry gaze above him. A small aftershock shook him and he almost thought he'd come again from Keith's expression alone. Keith was still hard and Lance let go of himself, holding only Keith now. The spunk on his hand added extra lube to his strokes and Keith, looking down between their bodies cried out soon after, his own release joining Lance's on Lance's stomach.

Lance played with the ends of Keith's hair. Keith's head was on his chest, an arm draped over his stomach. Keith hummed a lazy sort of sound indicating he was almost into dreamland. Lance envied him, because he was wide awake, staring at the ceiling of their cozy room. They'd turned off the gas fireplace, but left one of the bed lamps on. At least for now.

"I can't believe I'm leaving Monday," Lance murmured. Loud enough for Keith to hear him if he was awake, but not loud enough to wake him if he was asleep. He felt Keith stir, shifting his body slightly in response to Lance's words.

"I can't believe our dicks touched," he said in a muffled voice, the movement of his lips giving Lance small tickles as he spoke.

"I'm trying to be serious, Keithy," Lance objected.

"I know, baby. I'm trying not to think about it."

"Aww," Lance cooed, awkwardly tilting his head to try to land a kiss on Keith's head. Instead, he got a mouth full of Keith's flyaway mullet.

As Lance sputtered to try to spit the hair out, Keith complained, "Quit squirming so much."

"I got a mouthful of your hair, savage," Lance retorted, but it was in a loving tone.

"Aim for the skin next time," Keith suggested. Lance reached down and pinched Keith's ass cheek through his boxers. "Ouch."

"That didn't hurt," Lance said. "So, you're really gonna miss me that much?"

"I've told you a million times I will." Keith lazily traced a finger around Lance's nipple, giving him a pleasant shiver down to his toes.

"I'll be able to call and email and all that."

"I know."

"And before you know it, I'll be back with you and Red."

"And I'll be in your pants."

Lance chuckled. "You've already gotten in them a few times."

"Mmm," Keith hummed. "Yes, I have." He was quiet for a few minutes as Lance moved his hand back up to play with his hair. "I can't wait."

"For me to get home?"

"Well, yeah, that," Keith said. "But I meant make love to you. I can't wait to show you how much I love you."

Lance felt his heart (and his cock) stir. "You show me every day," Lance said and he could feel how choked up he was.

"And you show me."

"I can't wait, either." He thought he felt Keith smile, but he couldn't see Keith's face at this angle.

"How come you're not sleepy?" Keith asked. He lifted his head and looked at Lance and Lance had to smile. His hair was half-mushed on one side from lying on Lance's body, but floofy and flyaway on the other. His eyes were hooded and tired, though they focused intently on Lance.

"I don't know," Lance said. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, glowing with the time of 1:38 in the morning. "I don't know if it's that I'm anxious about the trip or anxious about leaving you or just enjoying this perfect place."

"Maybe all three?"

"I'll go with that. And probably a bunch of other reasons."

"I thought I tired you out earlier."

"Well, you did make me do all the work."

"You volunteered."

"I had to, Keithy. Your hands are too small."

Keith's expression shifted to an offended one. "They are not!"

"I beg to differ."

In protest, Keith reached up and pressed his hand palm down over Lance's face, covering it and smooshing against it. "It is not small!"

"It is! You barely cover my mouth and nose!" Lance tried to say, muffled as it was. When Keith didn't remove his hand, he poked his tongue out and pressed it against Keith's palm. It did the trick; Keith yanked his hand up.

"Ugh, you're disgusting!"

"I've had my tongue in better places on you, Keithy!" Lance said, succumbing to giggles. "You didn't complain then."

Keith retaliated by wiping his palm against Lance's cheek. In what Lance knew was a total act, Keith wriggled his body to turn around and lay on his side, arms hugging himself as if he were mad, his back to Lance.

Lance could play this game. He knew what Keith wanted. "Oh Keithy, don't be mad at me!" he cooed, snuggling himself up to Keith's back, snaking an arm around Keith's waist. Keith remained stiff and tense, his face pressed into his pillow. Lance could tell he was holding back a laugh.

"Keith," he whined. "Don't be maaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" He kissed a hunched up shoulder, right on the little mole there. Another kiss. And another. He slid his hand up towards Keith's chest, pressing the pouty boy closer to him. "Don't be mad just before I go away!"

"That's devious," Keith finally said, his posture relaxing.

"There's my grumpy bear," Lance said between kisses. He brought his hand up to move Keith's hair away from his nape. Keith sighed as Lance pressed kisses there and returned his arm around Keith. Keith interlaced their fingers together, bringing Lance's hold tighter.

"I'm gonna miss this the most."

"You have no idea how much I'm going to miss holding you." Lance settled in, twining their legs together and snuggling his face into the mullet he loved so much.

"Did you have a good time?"

Lance bobbed his head in an enthusiastic nod. "I always have a good time with you, Keithy."

Keith signaled to change lanes to maneuver around a slower car, and Lance saw a smile creep onto his face, though Keith was concentrating on the mirrors and the traffic around them. "Yeah, but did you like the B&B?"

"I did. It's a cute place. The couple was so nice, too. Not to mention that perfect pupper!" Susan begged for bacon all through their breakfast, and though Keith warned Lance not to sneak any to the old dear, he did. Lance could not resist that face. Dan had laughed heartily when he caught Lance and Susan with guilty looks on both of them.

"We'll get us a dog someday," Keith promised. "When we settle into a house. I don't want to try to cram a poor dog into a small apartment. Especially with Red."

"Red probably wouldn't want to share his little kingdom," Lance agreed. He felt a thrill inside at the thought of making a home with Keith in the future. "Unless he establishes his dominance right away."

"He will."

"At least we're set for wine for awhile," Lance commented, sneaking a glance to the backseat of Keith's little car where a box sat with their wine and hard cider purchases.

Keith chuckled. "I'll make sure not to drink any before you get back."

"Something to look forward to, huh?"

"Oh, I've got plenty to look forward to when you get back," Keith remarked, sending a wicked sidelong glance over to him.

"Yeah! My birthday!"

"I'll have to remember to put a bow on your gift."

"If you mean your dick, then no. I don't want to have to work too hard to get to it."

"Untying a bow isn't a lot of work."

"It is when I want that dick a.s.a.p.," Lance said. "And I hope you're gonna get me something more than your dick. I don't want that only on birthdays."

"You can have it whenever you want."

Lance felt his cheeks start to burn. Keith was so good at the suggestive banter sometimes. Lance thought he was the skilled flirter, but Keith was a master as well. "How about now?"

Keith seemed to think it over, then shook his head as a disappointed expression stole its way onto his face. "As much as I'd like that, you'd distract me too much. I don't want to explain that to the California Highway Patrol when I veer off the road."

Lance laughed and reached over, grabbing the hand Keith held out to him. "Alright. I'll save it for home. A going away blowjob to tide you over until I get back," he said lightly, though the sadness around his leaving settled into the car at the reminder. He leaned his head back, propped up on the headrest with a little sigh, which turned to a pleased hum when Keith squeezed his hand.

It was going to be a long month, but Lance was confident it would speed by. Then, he'd be back home in what was essentially their apartment, in their bed, in Keith's arms – with Red snoozing at their feet. Nights with Keith above him and below him, beside him, loving Lance as much as Lance loved him. Building toward their future and enjoying their present.

They exchanged one more glance at each other, a glance full of love and soft smiles and comfort. And promise. Lance clung to that promise, silently making one to Keith with a squeeze of Keith's hand. "Love you."

"Love you more."

A/N:

Holler at me on Twitter devoosha

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