Lance snorted as he unwrapped his gift and found that he was the new owner of a mug that read "I just survived another meeting that should've been an email".
The present itself was almost a giveaway to his gifter. Hunk always gifted his special holiday cookies (a coveted goodie that Shiro was already eating). They could count on Shay for fuzzy socks and slippers. Pidge typically built something fun from her many projects' spare parts (Lance still used the alarm clock programmed to play music that increased in volume the longer it took him to turn it off that Pidge had created for him back in college). Matt handed out gift cards. Allura typically covered a dinner and then tickets to whatever ballet she was currently performing in (which Lance thought was ridiculous because it was a complete giveaway to the identity of the Secret Santa and they'd all attend her performance anyway — but he also knew she was pretty busy). And Shiro's presents were typically very practical (last year Lance had received an umbrella and a bowl for his keys).
Keith was the newest member of their small friend group, having only moved to the city within the last year after he accepted a teaching position at a local school, encouraged by Shiro, who was apparently an old friend. Shiro had then introduced Keith and Lance in the hopes that Keith could move in with Lance, since Lance was losing Hunk as a roommate as he moved into this new place with Shay. Moving in with a stranger had been an adjustment, since Keith was typically quiet, sometimes working on one of his paintings in their shared living room with such concentration that Lance wasn't even sure that Keith noticed he was in room.
Not that that stopped Lance from talking to him about his day as he moved around their adjacent kitchen, including almost daily rants about his firm's endless meetings, his main clue to the humor associated with his Secret Santa present. He slid his eyes over to Keith now to watch him unwrap his present, and silently laughed at the fact that they'd both pulled each other's names in this annual tradition.
Per Shay's request, they were all scattered around Hunk and Shay's main room in their pajamas, which for Keith, who sat on the floor in front of the couch, meant a red t-shirt and black sweats (he'd seen Keith in his sleepwear around their apartment plenty, so he was annoyed to still find him sort of adorable in his very plain pjs).
Keith pulled the wrapping paper away from his gift and pulled the shirt free, lifting it from his lap so he could read the text on the front. And then Lance received another present, because Keith's eyes brightened and his mouth pulled into a slow, beautiful smile. He held the shirt up longer than would be necessary to read the text, and Lance fought his own grin because he could tell that Keith was pleased with the gift.
"What'd you get, Keith?" Shiro asked from across the room, prompting Keith to turn the shirt around and hold it against his chest to display his new "Sorry I have plans with my cat" shirt.
Shiro and Matt both laughed when they read the text, while Pidge immediately demanded to know who had bought it because she wanted one as well.
"I can't blame you," Hunk said with a finger pointed at Keith's new shirt. "Lady Red is a very sweet kitty."
"Just Red." Keith tried to glare in Lance's direction as he spoke
Lance grinned widely in response. He and Keith didn't argue all that often around their place, but he knew it irked Keith that Lance had given Red a formal title… Knew Keith got worked up about it easily. Keith's ears would turn pink. And he'd huff in frustration.
So of course Lance continued to do it because he liked the reaction. Sue him.
But Keith must've really liked the silly shirt. It must've softened him up a bit. Because his usual glare over his cat's formal title wasn't quite as harsh as Lance expected. It was sort of ruined by the smile trying to break free, if the twitching of Keith's lips was anything to go by.
"Lady Red doth not appreciate your insolence, good sir," Lance replied in his haughtiest voice.
And Keith's ears, especially visible with his hair pulled back in that unfair ponytail — somewhat rare as Lance noticed Keith only pulled his hair back when he was intently painting — began to pinken.
"Alright, what movie are we watching first?" Shay asked, interrupting Lance's thoughts….
But as Lance and Keith climbed into Lance's car later that evening to head back to their apartment, and Lance watched as Keith carefully kept his new shirt away from the food they were bringing home, his earlier idea returned.
He liked this soft Keith who was apparently pleased and protective of what was essentially a silly gift.
He wouldn't mind seeing more of this side of Keith.
Two days after the Secret Santa party, Keith returned home from work and immediately went to his room to drop off his bag. He always had a couple hours before Lance would return from his own job, which meant a silent living room in which to paint. He'd been upset — when he'd first moved in — to realize that the light in his new bedroom was crap for painting, which forced him to venture out in the shared space of the main room with his easel and other supplies.
And while he enjoyed the silence (especially after a day full of noisy students at work) before Lance returned, he found that he wasn't as irritated by Lance's persistent attempts to talk to him every day as he would've expected. If anything, it was a good reminder to not spend his entire evening glued to a canvas. To be social with his new roommate. To stop and eat dinner.
His plans to paint tonight, however, were derailed when he reached his work space and found a wrapped gift waiting on his stool. He glanced around the room, and then felt foolish since he knew he was the only one in the apartment. There wasn't a gift tag, but Keith had to assume it was for him based on where it had been left. He tore into the paper and felt his brows pull together when it revealed a calendar.
Until he flipped the calendar to the back so he could read what a "Demotivational Calendar" entailed.
He laughed as he read the assigned saying for each month and immediately knew who had left the gift for him. While it could've been Hunk or Shiro, since both had keys to this apartment, Keith knew Hunk wouldn't touch a demotivational anything even if you paid him, and no way had Takashi "You can never have too many ties, Keith" Shirogane left this for him.
Keith knew it had been Lance. That Lance knew him well enough to at least know that Keith would find this calendar hilarious.
Keith glanced at the clock, and decided he definitely had enough time to get to the store and back before Lance returned home.
With how Lance was trying to bite back his laughter just so he could be understood as he read, his face was beginning to turn an interesting shade of red.
Keith was enjoying it.
He wondered if he could mimic that color as well as Lance's naturally pretty skin tone. His eyes moved back to the blank canvas in front of him before he glanced over to where his roommate sat nearby on their couch. He mixed a few of his paints and tried to hide his grin as Lance continued to read aloud from his new book.
(The book Lance had found wrapped and waiting for him on his bed when he'd returned home. It'd been Keith's back-up gift idea for the Secret Santa party with their friends: "How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives")
"Your cat may act distracted or sleepy, or may even leave the room when you bring up the subject of sex," Lance managed to read before laughing outright again. Lance reached across the couch and pulled Red into his lap. "Now listen here, Lady Red —"
"Just Red."
"Just Red is a terrible name for a cat," Lance said without taking his eyes off Red's face. "Anyway, my good lady, per this book, abstinence will help protect you from running around with feral cats and diving into hard drugs like catnip."
"Does it say that?" Keith asked with a grin. He'd only skimmed the book in the store.
"Yes. And the number of cat puns in here, seriously. We could bring this out at parties and turn it into a drinking game. One shot for every cat pun. We'd be purr-sitively buzzed by page two."
"I think you've cat the wrong idea with that book."
Lance gasped and Keith kept his expression flat as he glanced up at his roommate again.
"Keith Kogane," and Keith wondered how Lance managed to sound so very scandalized, "you've been holding out on me — that is a high level cat pun!"
Keith finally released his own chuckles, even as he ducked his eyes again and avoided Lance's pleased gaze.
"Hey, is that calendar new?"
Keith risked a glance at Lance again and found only a familiar smirk. Lance hadn't asked Keith about the wrapped book he found on his bed and Keith wasn't about to ask Lance about the calendar gift.
"It looks like fun," Lance continued, smirk still in place.
Keith wondered when he'd grown fond of that dumb grin.
"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to August."
Keith could play along.
Lance's eyes narrowed, even if his smile didn't diminish. "Why?"
"I'm sure I can prove it correct."
Lance placed his new book to the side and gently moved Red off his lap so he could cross the room to shift the calendar Keith had already tacked on the wall above his workspace.
Keith heard a snort when Lance must've found August's snarky saying. "Swearing might help," Lance read aloud. "So you want to prove it correct — like a daily challenge?" he asked, doing a terrible job at hiding his amusement.
"If it comes to that," Keith deadpanned.
And then, even though Lance was currently behind him, he felt Lance lean in close before Lance's breath hit his ear as he spoke.
"I'm looking forward to it." Lance's voice was lower than normal and it was ridiculous what that was doing to Keith's chest. Then as swiftly as he leaned in, Lance moved away and headed towards their kitchen. "And thank goodness school will still be out of session by then."
He was home later than normal the next night, having run to his favorite art supply store before he met Shiro for dinner. It wasn't so late that he wouldn't be able to paint — and he had a project he wanted to finish rather soon — but as he pushed their apartment door shut behind himself, he cupped his hands together and blew on them repeatedly, doing his best to get feeling back in his fingers. No feeling in his fingers meant no painting.
"Hey man," Lance called out from the kitchen. "Did you eat?"
"Yeah," Keith answered as he joined Lance, sitting himself on a kitchen stool as he continued to try to warm up his hands. "Shiro said dinner was on him if I met up with him."
"How is he?" Lance had been stirring something on their stovetop and moved away to grab a bowl.
"He has a crush on a coworker and apparently he needed someone to listen to him ramble about the guy for an hour," Keith said with a sigh. "I should've known it wasn't really a free meal."
Lance chuckled as he began to dish out his own meal.
"That smells good." Keith leaned over the counter to try to see what Lance had made.
"You want some?"
"No thanks. Sadly, I'm too full."
"I'm trying to cook more meals at home," Lance said after he took his first bite. "I keep forgetting to pack a lunch in the morning—"
"Because you don't wake up early enough to pack a lunch."
"— and the only food options near my office are expensive," Lance continued. "My wallet is suffering. What's wrong with your hands?"
Keith stilled his hands as he realized he had been rubbing them together absentmindedly.
"Trying to get feeling back."
"You know why they're so cold?" A familiar smirk was creeping onto Lance's face.
Keith rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the stool so he could begin unpacking his new art supplies at his work station.
"I'm not saying your fingerless gloves aren't the coolest," Lance called out to him, laughter clear in his voice.
"My hands are cold because it's just really cold outside."
"Sure. Sure. Sure."
Keith sent a short glare in Lance's direction before he finished unpacking his new paints and began checking his brushes to see if they were dry and ready from the day before.
"Will you be here for dinner tomorrow night?" Lance cupped his bowl between both hands, and Keith watched him settle gracefully on their couch.
"Uh, no. My mom will be in town for the night, and she asked if we could have dinner."
"Oh! Do you want me to skidaddle after work? I can be out of your hair if you want to have her over."
"Um, you've seen me in the kitchen," Keith said with a small smile.
"Hmm," Lance said with a serious nod. "You did set the toaster on fire that one time."
"She's going to meet me here after work and we'll find a place nearby to eat." Keith watched Lance's face, waiting for more teasing about his inability to cook, but Lance continued to look pensive.
It was, uh… a good look. Maybe his second favorite Lance expression, right after the way he looked when he really laughed at something.
"You weren't even using the toaster at the time."
And there was the tease. Still, Keith wasn't actually bothered. He rolled his eyes at Lance once more before he began to focus on his canvas again. Lance turned on their television, and kept the volume at a considerate level. Keith thought about telling him that he could turn it up, that the sound didn't bother him while he worked. But he could hear Lance's laugh better without loud television interference.
So he kept his mouth shut and painted contentedly with Lance sitting nearby.
When he was younger, he actively sprang out of bed every morning — ready to stop wasting time when he could be up painting or working out or anything that wasn't lazing in bed.
As an adult, he was still an early riser, which worked out since teachers were expected to be at the school by seven fifteen and his cat would sit on his chest and bap him in the face if he ever deigned to sleep in. He did move a bit slower now in the mornings, though. Not so slow that he didn't have time to pack a lunch, unlike a certain roommate.
And this morning, he packed two.
He was on his way out the door when he spotted a gift box on the floor, sitting square in front of the main door of their apartment. He bent slowly to lift it, and read the short note on the lid as he stood upright again.
I'm sure your younger edgelord self will forgive you for being practical
Keith lifted the lid of the small gift box and found soft, black leather gloves (the kind that covered his entire hand as well as all ten fingers). He lifted them from the box with a smile, the new leather smell filling his nose. And then he grinned at the other item as well — a red knit hat covered in white snowflakes. Keith had seen Lance working on it while he watched television from the couch the night before. It was extremely soft and shielded his ears quite effectively as he pulled it on.
They still hadn't discussed the extra gifts they'd been leaving for each other, but Keith spun on his heel anyway and headed to his art supplies to grab a post-it and a pen before going back to the kitchen. He jotted down his own quick note and stuck it to the front of the brown paper bag — left sitting in the middle of the counter where it couldn't be missed.
Lance woke up smiling, immediately thinking about the gift he'd left for Keith to find this morning. The hat and gloves had been a bit more personal than their previous exchanges, since he knew Keith would know that he'd knit that hat himself, but he was sure Keith would like them. Even if he later pretended to be affronted that Lance would offer an alternative to his fingerless gloves.
Keith had been up late painting the night before. That fact didn't bother Lance, since it meant Keith was with him in the main room for a long time. Plus, he could feel Keith's eyes on him a few times. He didn't know what Keith was working on, since the easel faced away from the couch (and Keith covered it when he wasn't in front of it) but that just meant he got to see all the adorable faces Keith made when he'd lean in close to his work.
But, last night, that had also meant that he had to stay up late as well, wait for Keith to finally go to bed, and then sneak out to leave the present for his roommate to find. With their different work schedules, they didn't typically see each other in the mornings, and Lance thought it was the perfect time for Keith to find the next gift.
After his own morning shower, he headed to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before he had to be out the door. But he stopped in his tracks when he spotted the obvious packed lunch waiting for him on the counter.
And then he grinned like a fool as he read the note left on the bag.
I'm not sure how red with snowflakes falls into the practical category, but thank you. Enjoy your lunch.
He opened the bag and dug through, continuing to smile as he pictured Keith packing this just for him. The boy couldn't cook, but he did know how to cover all the major food groups in a cold lunch. He glanced around the kitchen as a new gift idea hit him.
And didn't even hesitate to call his office to let them know he'd be in late today.
Keith's mouth practically watered as soon as he took one step into his apartment. He went directly to the kitchen counter to inspect what Lance had stewing in the crock pot, and was surprised to find another post-it note on the counter.
It's your favorite, and if you remember to turn this off at 5 pm, you can even tell your mom you helped make it :) I'll be at Hunk's this evening, so you two can relax and catch up in the comfort of home.
Keith lifted the lid and grinned down at his favorite chicken-cheesy-broccoli dish.
"So he put this together for us, even though he wasn't going to be here tonight?" his mother asked him later that night as he spooned a serving into her bowl.
"Yeah, it's just, he's — nice," Keith tried to explain as he sat in his own seat beside her.
She stared flatly at him.
He stared back.
"I think I need to meet this boy."
"No, there's no —"
"He made a home cooked meal for you and your mother," she said slowly, "so we could have dinner in your comfort zone."
"I know you're trying to say something, but its just — he's nice."
Krolia's smirk was deadly. Keith could only hope that he'd be able to pull off that level of knowing snark one day.
"Sounds like meeting your roommate would get me all caught up on what's important in your life right now."
Yup. Deadly.
"Did you save me any?" Lance asked as he beelined for the crock pot.
He'd been set to stay late at Hunk's tonight, but when he realized Shay wasn't feeling well, he left early and wandered a nearby shopping center until he figured it was late enough that he could head home again.
Keith's mom was still here when he'd arrived, and there had been a few odd looks between mother and son as Krolia spoke to him (mainly Krolia sending odd looks to Keith and Keith scowling at her). But she'd left shortly after, and Lance was too focused on the fact that he hadn't eaten dinner to worry about strange looks.
"You're up for a Christmas movie tonight, right?" Lance called over his shoulder to where Keith was already seated in front of his easel.
"No."
"Keeeith."
"Home Alone Christmas movie or Hallmark Christmas movie?"
"You're not in the mood to watch a hardworking business woman get trapped by a blizzard in a small town where a handsome stranger reminds her that she really does love Christmas?" Lance grinned over at Keith as he leaned against their kitchen counter and began to happily eat.
"You forgot the part where she realizes she's been working too hard and would prefer a slower, small town life," Keith quipped.
Lance nearly dropped his bowl as he laughed. "I knew you were watching those with me! You're probably just pretending to paint over there."
"I am up for a movie," Keith relented, standing from his stool. "From the couch, even. But I wanted to give you something first."
Lance swallowed his current bite as his eyes widened. Keith looked a bit nervous as he lifted his current painting from the easel and began to approach him. Lance began to feel a bit nervous as well as he realized Keith was about to hand him a gift. In person.
"Oh," was the only thing Lance thought to say as Keith approached, fingers tight around the edge of his artwork. He subtly placed his bowl of food down on the counter.
"Thank you — for preparing and leaving that dinner for my mom's visit. I really appreciated being able to stay home to catch up with her."
"I thought you might," Lance said with a small smile, willing away the warmth he could feel on his face.
"And since you made one of my gifts right in front of me, I guess its fitting that I made one of yours right in front of you."
Lance's breath caught in his throat when Keith turned the canvas around and passed it over to him — it was a painting of him. His smile was wide, and if the way his eyes were nearly closed was any indication, it wasn't just a portrait of him smiling — Keith had captured what he looked like laughing.
"K-Keith, I-I can't top this," his voice wobbled as he continued to stare down at the art Keith had created for him. Art Keith had created of him.
"You don't have t—"
"No," Lance declared. He gently set the picture down on their table and then not so gently pulled Keith into a hug with arms wrapped around his neck. "No, you're at least getting a hug. And a thank you note," Lance murmured into Keith's neck as he felt Keith tentatively wrap his arms around him in return. "But not just, like, a card, maybe a sky banner."
"Lance," Keith chuckled.
"Do you happen to know anyone who flies a plane? I'm asking for a friend."
Keith shook his head and pulled back far enough so he could try to see Lance's face. "Don't you dare," Keith said with another laugh.
Lance chuckled as well, soft and slow, before he let his forehead rest against Keith's. "It's really beautiful, Keith."
"That's because you're really beautiful."
And, really, Keith had no right saying those things when his own hair was framing his face, and his eyes were practically purple in this light, and his smile was so pretty. Lance wanted to kiss that smile.
He lifted one hand to Keith's cheek and rubbed his thumb over the light scar Keith had there. He watched Keith's eyes flutter and felt Keith press his cheek further into Lance's palm. It was simple and subtle, but then most of Keith's reactions to things were subtle. Lance enjoyed noticing them, and then teasing out the bigger reactions.
He glanced down at Keith's lips and felt Keith's hands drop to his waist and tighten in response. Lance's mouth lifted in a small smile, but he fought it down as he bumped his nose gently against Keith's, earning an eyeroll but also a small smile. And this time he didn't fight off the urge to kiss that smile, leaning in to press his mouth gently against it for a few seconds before he pulled back again. He lifted his eyes to Keith's eyes, and almost before he was registering that Keith's eyes were still closed, Keith's mouth was pressing back against his again.
Lance reciprocated immediately, kissing Keith with a bit more urgency than that first kiss, pulling at Keith's lips with his own, and letting his fingers slide up to tangle in Keith's hair. Keith's hands were on the move as well, sliding up Lance's back and pulling Lance in closer.
"Okay, no fair," Lance breathed, leaning his forehead against Keith's once more. He admired the pink in Keith's cheeks and the way his lips looks slightly puffy now. "I really can't top a first kiss."
"Thank goodness," Keith panted lightly, arms tightening around Lance's waist again. "Because the only idea I have left is a coupon to watch one Hallmark Christmas movie with you."
Lance's head tipped back as he laughed before he settled on smiling fondly at Keith.
"I'm pretty sure you kissed me first anyway," Keith offered.
"Sweet," Lance said with a triumphant smile, "because I'm pretty sure that your coupon would've topped the "Oh My God, They Were Roommates" mug I found for you."
Keith muffled his laughter in Lance's neck.
A/N: A Merry Christmas present dedicated to anyone reading this piece of holiday fluff. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, whatever holiday you and yours celebrate!
The calendar (a hilarious calendar Mytay shared with me last year) and the books and mugs mentioned in this story are all real options for gifts. Treat yourself and your friends!
Thank you again, Mytay, for letting me bounce ideas off you when I first began typing this.