Pulled Pork and Other Indoor Sports - The Tenth Date

by devoosha

Lance is excited for the tenth date where he can finally take that next step with Keith to fulfill their silly promise made on the first date. But Keith postpones it for a week much to Lance's dismay. Why would Keith do that? Didn't Keith want the tenth date anymore? Part 15 of the Artist Keith and Grad Student Lance series

A/N: This is the 15th and final installment of the Artist Keith and Grad Student Lance AU I began years ago! Enjoy!

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Pulled Pork and Indoor Sports - The Tenth Date

"What time are we meeting Hunk and Shay?" Lance asked-shouted, leaning closer to the mirror to adjust that little lock of hair that just wasn't going to cooperate today.

"I told them around six," Keith yelled back from the bedroom. "Are you almost ready? I don't want to be late."

"Late schmate," Lance muttered, then sighed. The hair was determined to ruin his night. He was already grumpy. He was hoping tonight would be the tenth date night and that by the end of it he'd have turned in his virgin card. But, oh no. His boyfriend (which, he thought darkly, wouldn't remain Keith's title long if he was going to act like this) had insisted on celebrating his birthday a week after the actual date and leave tenth date for next week.

Okay, Lance knew that was a supremely sweet gesture and he did love Keith for wanting to make him happy by a night out with his two best friends, but dammit! He wanted to have sex with his boyfriend! The promise of the tenth date the following week had only slightly mollified him. Slightly.

Lance didn't have any idea what Keith, Hunk, and Shay had planned. He was sure he'd love it, of course, but he had to admit he'd been so horny since he left for his research trip. Being away from Keith didn't help matters and stuck on a boat with three other people certainly didn't leave him any privacy to jerk himself off. The one fucking time he was able to get Keith to do that on camera for him had ended in disaster, with his own hand session interrupted when he thought Keith had had some sort of accident or been caught in an earthquake.

When he got back, Keith had seemed a little distracted and distant. He was loving, of course. Keith was always loving. It was heaven to hold Keith in his arms that first night, feeling as if he hadn't held Keith in a million years as opposed to only a month. He'd never been happier to have Keith's mullet in his face and Red's warm body between their legs.

But, Keith didn't want to start anything. At. All.

Had Lance become undesirable to Keith? He thought Keith still desired him, if that kiss on the pier indicated anything! Within seconds of docking at the marina, Lance was in Keith's arms, holding onto him for dear life, crying his fucking eyes out and sobbing incoherent things to the equally emotional Keith. They had to have clung to each other for ten minutes at least. Probably longer. It was embarrassing to remember, because the other three members of his research team also had loved ones they had been away from for a month and they weren't sobbing in their arms.

To be fair, it was the first time Lance and Keith had been apart since they got together. Of course, he was going to miss the hell out of his boyfriend. Keith clung just as fiercely to him, kissing him in a way he'd never kissed him before – until they became aware they were in public with Lance's team watching in amusement. How embarrassing. Still, looking into Keith's shining and happy eyes, so different from the dull expression in them during their two video chats, washed all that away. He was so happy to be home.

Home with his Keith. Home with Red. Hunk and Shay's happy and warm hugs that night when they all got together. Chattering to Keith for hours into the night about the trip, interrupted frequently for the kisses he'd missed. And, though he had enjoyed his research trip, he had missed Keith, Red, Hunk, and Shay so much. The month of suffering was worth it for this feeling of euphoria that overwhelmed him every time their eyes met.

Then? Nothing.

Okay, not nothing. It was so nice to snuggle into their usual sleeping position, with the knowledge that he was no longer on a narrow and cramped bunk listening to Doug's snores below him. Before he rolled back to hold Keith, it was nice to stretch out in full and wallow in the space he had. Keith curled up to his side and giving him kisses was very nice, too.

Lance didn't think anything of them not doing…stuff…that night. He couldn't stop talking so they were up late. It wasn't as if they had much energy to do more than kissing. But, after a nice and long day of resting on Sunday, Lance was eager to go, but Keith seemed distant. Now that Lance thought about it, peering closely at Keith as he ate dinner, his boyfriend looked stressed out about something.

Keith answered questions vaguely and said things were fine, quickly morphing his expression back into something happier. Lance wasn't buying it. Something was off and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It was strange how their routine settled back to normal so quickly. On Monday, Lance was back at the aquarium and Keith was working on a syllabus for the new class he said he'd gotten approval for teaching. And, every night, they crawled into bed and didn't do anything. Not even handsy stuff. When questioned about that, Keith would just smile at him over his shoulder and say he missed being held and was catching up on his sleep because he couldn't sleep well without Lance.

Lance couldn't exactly argue with that without sounding like an asshole, no matter how much he wanted to get his hands or mouth on Keith's dick.

Still, he told himself, Saturday should be their tenth date, and that meant more than just a dick in the mouth, so he reasoned that it would be okay. Everything was okay.

Except on Saturday, waking up excited about their tenth date – finally – he was disappointed to find out there wasn't a tenth date and that he and Keith were going out with Hunk and Shay that night. A late birthday celebration, Keith had said.

Not that Lance wouldn't enjoy time with the two friends closest to him, but he was expecting sex that night. Expecting and wanting it. So, sue him. His boyfriend was fucking hot and Lance had been anticipating this since that first nervous kiss. It was natural that getting cockblocked by the guy whose cock he wanted would be frustrating as all fuck.

Add to that his worry about Keith, whose stress obviously increased as the days went by. Keith insisted nothing was wrong, would make excuses like upcoming classes or some such nonsense. Keith was a great teacher, so Lance knew it wasn't the upcoming semester making Keith nervous. Keith was also constantly on his phone, texting or having whispered conversations, often leaving the room when the phone rang. If Lance didn't know better, he'd be suspicious.

Hunk also deflected the one day he brought it up to his best friend. Hunk babbled something about how Keith was stressing about school, which raised Lance's suspicions more, because Hunk was a horrible liar. Shay was no help either.

Now, Saturday night, Lance was a complete grump getting ready for his birthday outing. Keith had been distant and stressed all day, and everything was annoying Lance. Including that fucking lock of hair that would just. Not. Tame.

"Are you ready, love?" Keith called again.

Lance sighed, giving up. At least the rest of him looked hot. His outfit should make Keith drool – tight black pants and a shirt the shade of blue that made his eyes shine. Sure, he'd glimpsed Keith, who wore what he wore that first mac and cheese date. A lovely violet that brought out the deep blue of his eyes. "I think so," he called back. "Unless you want to stay here and celebrate the tenth date?"

Keith laughed, moving into his vision by standing in the door to the bathroom. "Tempting, especially how fucking hot you look. But it is to celebrate your birthday."

"Yeah, but Keith," he whined. "Tenth date!"

"I know, baby. Next week, I promise."

Lance grumbled while Keith laughed again. Within a few minutes and after a few scratches for Red, the pair was soon in Keith's car heading to wherever Keith had planned to surprise him.

---

"Can you see, now, why I was so stressed out?" Keith asked as he took a seat next to Lance.

Okay, Lance was regretting all his negative thoughts from today and the past week. They were at freaking Dave and Busters for a surprise birthday party for him. Keith had planned this whole thing and that's why he was so stressed out. Not only the party, though. Two of his siblings, Rachel and Veronica, had also come! To say he cried when he walked in is putting it lightly. He sobbed in their arms, almost as much as he sobbed when he came home to Keith.

"I can't believe this, Keithy."

They were alone in the party room, for the most part. After singing happy birthday and doling out slices of cake, the partygoers had all dispersed to the game rooms to play. Lance was about to join them – he had to finish his cake because he'd been talking so much to everyone that he'd neglected it – when Keith sat down.

Keith leaned close, tucking his chin on Lance's shoulder. "The tenth date was supposed to be tonight. The party was supposed to be next week. You can't believe all the rearranging we all had to do the past few weeks."

"Why'd the dates get changed?"

"Dave and Busters mixed up the dates, so it had to be this one. Sucked, cause everyone had already made plans and reservations. Hunk suggested somewhere else, but they gave us a huge discount for the inconvenience, plus all the player cards free. No one minded. It just took time to make sure everyone had time off and changed their travel plans."

"I can't believe Roni and Rachel are here," Lance said, choking up. It had been so long since he'd seen his sisters.

"Everyone wanted to come, of course, but they all couldn't arrange time off. Abuelita was especially angry."

He thrilled inside to hear Keith call his grandmother Abuelita. It meant, to him, that Keith already thought of Lance's family as his. "I'll call her later. And Mama and Papi."

Not only had his sisters come, but Keith's family did, too. Shiro, Allura, Coran, Pidge, Matt, Sam, and Colleen had all come, and would be here for a few days! His party tonight included friends from school and from the aquarium, including Dr. Satler, Dora, and Doug with their respective significant others (he was surprised that after a month those three weren't sick of him!). It was such a fun party and his heart was so full knowing everything Keith, Hunk, and Shay had done for him.

"So, yeah, I'm sorry about the tenth date."

"You don't have to be sorry, my love. This is perfect. And while I'm not going to get some dick this weekend, I am so happy."

Keith stretched up to kiss his cheek. "That makes me happy." Then he leaned back in the chair, letting his head fall back. "What a week. I'm so relieved everything came together."

Lance poked him in the side, getting an oof sound and glare. "I hope this is good practice for you to get things to come together."

"Dirty boy."

"You love it."

"I do." He relaxed back into the chair. "So, tomorrow. We're going to have more of a private get together. Just the family."

"Not Hunk and Shay?"

"They're more family than some of our family," Keith deadpanned. "So are the Holts. And Coran. We're doing that suggestion you had back in Garrison City."

"I probably had a lot of suggestions," Lance said through a bite of cake. "Which one?"

"The Chopped thing. Me, Hunk, and Colleen are competing."

Lance almost spit out his cake. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he shouted.

Keith glanced at him with a wicked grin. "Hey, there are kids around here," he said, gesturing toward the restaurant area outside their party room where there were, indeed, kids munching on their dinners when not begging tired parents to go play games. "And no, I'm not kidding you. It's all set up."

"Oh. My. God!" Lance squealed. "But, wait," he said, pulling his mouth into a frown. "How? In our tiny kitchen? Mine? Even Hunk's isn't that big."

"All three!"

Keith told him their plans as Lance finished his cake, watching Keith with wide eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was going to be awesome and he couldn't wait. Not that he wanted this day to end, because his surprise birthday party was amazing, of course. Speaking of. "Okay, all of that is probably the best thing ever, but let's go and join everyone! I want to kick your ass at the shooting games."

"You know Hunk isn't going to let us compete against each other. If this were your actual birthday, he probably wouldn't kill you. Since it's a bit past, he might not hold back," Keith warned.

"Hunk would never kill me," Lance declared, pushing his empty plate away. "But, you are right. Let's not fight on my birthday party day. How about we team up and get enough points to get the most kick ass prize we can?"

"Deal!"

---

They slept in, mostly because the after party went on into the late hours of the night, since the Garrison City crew, Veronica, and Rachel all went to Hunk and Shay's house with Keith and Lance for snacks and drinks. Lance attached himself to his sisters, still so happy that they were here to celebrate with him. They constantly told him how in love with Keith they were and how thrilled they were for him for finding the one.

Lance found out that while he was gone on his research trip, the McClain family were in constant contact with Keith and he marveled at that. Not that Keith wasn't perfectly charming, but Keith was also fairly shy and private. To know that Keith happily talked to his family so much when he wasn't there gave him a feeling of happiness and assurance. This man was wholly committed to Lance. He knew Keith was his permanent love.

Lance also felt a relief that he was fully okay with both Shiro and Pidge there. When he first saw them at the party, it gave him a little jolt of anxiety, but it quickly disappeared. Neither of them pressed themselves on him, though both wished him a happy birthday and welcome home warmly. It helped that he had emailed Shiro back and forth a few times. Lance had also texted a bit with Pidge about his university since he had returned. He was still a little distant and hadn't quite forgiven them completely in his heart, but he appreciated their attempts. It said a lot to him that they had come.

His sisters both fell in love with the Garrison City crew as well. Coran, especially, was a great favorite of theirs. He kept exclaiming over them and how amazing they were and was in turn pressured to come visit them and the rest of the McClains in Miami.

Which led to Rachel and Roni planning a trip for everyone – Lance, Keith, Hunk, Shay, and the Garrison City folks - to come party in Miami for New Years. They regaled the Garrison City crew with stories of New Year celebrations, concentrating on the food Abuelita, Mama, and the tias all made as well as the pig Papi and the tios would roast in the backyard. The descriptions had everyone's mouths watering and promises were made. Allura, Shay, Rachel, and Roni became the best of friends, much to Lance's delight. Shay already knew his sisters, of course, but the trio bonded with Allura and Lance predicted many shenanigans in Miami if the New Years trip happened.

He wished his brothers could have come, especially Marco, so that Shiro and Matt could get to know them. They would be closer in age and would probably have gotten along really well. That Lance was okay with introducing Shiro to his family should have been a surprise, but it wasn't.

He had had a great heart to heart with Rachel and Roni late in the night/early morning about what happened in Garrison City. He hadn't planned to tell them, but Lance could never deny his sisters. When they questioned him about things that Allura and Shay alluded to, he couldn't help but unload on them. It was one thing to talk to Hunk and Shay about it, but it was a whole other thing to talk to his practical (Roni) and sympathetic (Rachel) sisters. They helped him not only feel better about the whole thing, but offered him advice on working toward forgiveness.

Pidge and Matt stayed with Hunk and Shay. Shiro and Allura stayed at Lance's place, his sisters stayed with him and Keith – they gave up their bedroom and slept cramped together on the couch. The Holts and Coran opted for the comforts of a nearby hotel. Hunk kindly offered to make a breakfast buffet for everyone – not mentioning that it was his traditional hangover breakfast, though most of them needed it. The majority of the crowd was grumpy and red-eyed and quiet while eating, sending dagger eyes at Colleen, Sam, and Coran for their unwanted cheerfulness.

Lance was amazed at the plans for the Chopped challenge. They weren't exactly following the rules. They couldn't afford to stock the kitchens with everything the chefs might need for their dishes. The contestants and judges had decided that the chefs would be told what the secret ingredients were so they could all plan ahead and buy ingredients accordingly. Once the contestants felt more human, they went shopping together, but without anyone else so that the judges would at least be surprised.

Lance was happy about that, because that meant time with his sisters, Allura, and Shay alone. He wasn't sure where Shiro, Matt, and Pidge went, but he was happy to sit in Keith's apartment and gossip with Allura and his sisters. Gossip, of course, meant them grilling him about his relationship with Keith, which he was insanely happy to talk about.

Unfortunately, he knew their guests weren't staying for long. All were leaving Tuesday, so he didn't have much time with everyone, but with the promises for New Years and Three Kings Day, he didn't feel so bad. The thought of taking Keith to Miami to meet his whole family in person, spending time with Hunk's family, introducing the Garrison City folk to Cuban food, South Beach, and Little Havana, and the joy of celebration with his expanded family left him euphoric. It would be a rough semester working toward a doctorate, but having the goal of Miami at the end would help him through.

Especially once Keith nervously informed him of Pidge's plans to move to Altea in January. Lance found that he didn't mind and wasn't anxious about it. Not much, anyway. There was still a slight tinge of worry, of course, but he knew in his heart that Pidge wouldn't continue with her previous behavior, if for no other reason than she was afraid to lose Keith. Pidge was skittish around him, but she did make efforts at his surprise party, gave him a thoughtful gift, and talked to him about his research while they ate the hangover breakfast. She went so far as to watch a couple of his videos and he could tell she was absorbing what he said because of the details of the questions she asked.

Shiro, Pidge, and Matt returned after an hour and announced that everything was set up at Hunk's for the video chat they were doing for the challenge. Lance had forgotten that was the plan. Keith was going to be at Hunk's with Matt and Shiro.

Matt asked Lance for the keys to his apartment, so that they could set up in there, but Lance said he could let them in and so they went next door. His place, though it held all his stuff, felt strange when he entered it now. It didn't feel like home. Not like Keith's apartment felt. He was sure it was solely because Keith was there that made it feel like his home, and he wondered if he should just go ahead and move some of his things to Keith's. Keith was fairly minimalist, so he wasn't sure if Keith would welcome the chaos that was Lance's decorating style.

He stayed to watch them set up, offering his help and was surprised when Pidge accepted it. Shiro and Matt were there, of course, but they left it up to Pidge to take care of setting up the laptop and the connections. To Lance's surprise, she explained everything she was doing to him and didn't seem to mind answering his questions.

Shiro and Matt took their time to snoop around his place. At first, Lance felt self-conscious, with his dumpster dive furnishings and Bohemian color schemes. Lance liked his place, but he could see how some people would consider it too childish or weird for adult man to live in. However, Shiro and Matt kept asking him about certain items and commenting positively about everything. Shiro even smiled at him and said that he was glad that Keith was going to add some flavor to his life once Lance moved in and put his influence into Keith's apartment.

The comment made Lance wonder because yes, they had vaguely talked about moving in together, but they hadn't decided anything yet, so did Shiro know something Lance didn't?

Pidge was just finishing when Colleen and Sam came in, carrying several bags. Colleen would be cooking at Lance's apartment and had to bring some of her own small appliances and cooking utensils because Lance barely had any of his own.

"Matt, honey, can you run down to the car? There's a couple of bags left in the trunk," Colleen asked him.

"Of course, Mom!" Matt said cheerfully. Lance pointed him to his keys so he could get back in the building; Matt grabbed them, and hurried out.

Lance came over to help her unbag the groceries, looking over everything and pondering what it was she was going to cook. He wasn't sure what the secret ingredients were, but the chefs did. "What are you going to make?" he asked.

"You'll see, dear," she said, giving him a fond smile. "You're the one hanging out with me, aren't you?"

"I think so. Allura and Shay are the masterminds behind this whole thing," he said, returning her smile with a grin.

"I wanted to tell you, I love your apartment. You have such a unique style."

"It's kind of chaotic."

"It suits you, though. Not," she insisted, "that I think you're chaotic. It is just…colorful and vibrant and fun. Exactly how I see you."

He chuckled, stacking some cans off to the side of his small counter. "I appreciate it."

"It will do Keith good to get some of that in his place."

Again with the mention of him living with Keith. "You think so? I'll probably tone it down a little if we move in together. I don't want to overwhelm the poor boy."

She laughed, opening the fridge to put in a bottle of wine. "He needs a little overwhelming, to be honest."

"I think we're set," Pidge announced. "Just have to get Keith's setup done and we're ready to roll."

"Excellent!" Sam said, ruffling Pidge's hair, which made her duck and sputter. "I'm looking forward to this!"

"I hope you have an appetite," Shiro said. "We're eating the equivalent of three three-course meals."

"Oh, I'll find somewhere to put it all," Sam said, patting his belly.

"Was Coran shopping with you guys?" Lance asked. He realized he hadn't heard the cheerful voice of his mustachioed adopted uncle.

"Yeah. He should be at Keith's. I think you and him are here with Colleen during the competition," Shiro answered.

"So, we are the cool team. Gotcha!" he said, shooting fingers guns at Shiro with a wink. He dropped his hands quickly, however, feeling himself turn red. Why the hell would he do that to Shiro? Shiro probably thinks he's an idiot.

However, Shiro laughed heartily. "If Colleen is here, then I agree."

Colleen stepped over to Shiro and poked at his chest. "Such a sweet talker, but Keith is still my favorite."

---

"So, here are the rules," Allura said, standing in front of the crowd of people in Keith's apartment. Lance was in his own apartment watching her on the computer screen along with Colleen and Coran. Keith, Shiro, and Matt were in another window on the screen from Hunk's apartment.

"Can you speak up?" Shiro asked.

"Is this better?" Allura practically shouted.

"Perfect, my love," Shiro said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Gag," Pidge interjected.

"Okay! The rules! Keith is at Hunk's using his kitchen. Shiro and Matt will keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't cheat. Colleen will cook at Lance's with Lance and Coran to keep an eye on her. Hunk will cook here where the rest of us will be.

"There will be three courses. Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert. For each course, I will announce the four main ingredients and each competitor will have thirty minutes to make their dish. Plating must occur during the thirty minutes. So, like on Chopped, everything should be ready to eat once the time is done. Pidge has kindly offered to keep time.

"Since we couldn't possibly stock three kitchens with the things all three chefs would possibly need, we decided to amend the Chopped rules. The chefs were informed of the secret ingredients last week. They've had time to plot out what they want to make, so they went shopping today for the ingredients and also to make sure they have the tools to make their dishes.

"Once the round is over, Lance will deliver Colleen and Hunk's dishes to Keith, Matt, and Shiro and pick up Keith's dishes to bring back here. The judges – everyone but the chefs – will then eat each dish, discuss, and take notes once Lance returns. Keith will have to leave the room while Matt and Shiro during tasting and Hunk can hang out with Colleen while we taste. The chefs can eat the dishes when they are isolated. Once judging is complete for that round, the assistants will help their chefs cleanup for the next round.

"Once all three rounds are over and everything is clean, the chefs will gather at Lance's apartment and the rest of us will meet here to discuss the results. Judging will be based on the following. Taste, presentation, use of ingredients, and creativity, and will be scored on a scale of one through five, with one being on the bad end and five on the good end.

"Then we'll gather together with the chefs to give the results and then pass out from our food comas. Are there any questions?"

There were murmurs and shouts of 'No!' from everyone.

"Alright, then. We shall start in approximately fifteen minutes!"

---

For being a complicated setup, the actual competition went smoothly. Unfortunately, travel time contributed to the dishes being slightly cool by the time the judges got to eat, and plating wasn't as refined as it should have been. There was no way to plate twelve dishes and transport them neatly. The plate that stayed with the chef had to be perfectly plated, while the rest were packed in containers for the trip back to Keith's. A little unconventional compared to Chopped, but it worked for their unusual circumstances.

The judges enjoyed each dish, discussing the good and bad after turning off the microphone so that the contestants couldn't hear. As opposed to the Great Lasagna Bake Off, the judges knew which chef prepared which dish, but everyone judged objectively, noting taste or creativity opinions without bias toward any of the chefs.

The whole process took quite a few hours. Each course lasted approximately ninety minutes, with the thirty minute cooking and baking time, time to pack up the dishes, and clean up time. They began just after two in the afternoon and didn't have the dessert round until close to six. Each chef packed their dessert while the helpers cleaned, so that the chefs could ride back with the helpers to deliver the final course. Keith, Hunk, and Colleen sat impatiently waiting in Lance's place awaiting the results and discussing their takes on each of the courses.

The ingredients had been challenging, of course. The appetizer round used crab, but also had cheddar cheese, kale, and walnuts. Main dish was a lovely cut of ribeye, but threw off the chefs with pork rinds, squid ink, and green tea leaves. Dessert appeared to be easy, but Lance supposed the challenge was making something unique out of frozen cookie dough, Swedish fish, instant cocoa mix, and raspberry jam.

The chefs certainly rose to the occasion. Each dish that Lance tried tasted so good. It was difficult to decide which he liked best for each of the rounds. Keith rocked the appetizer dish, he thought, making a crab cake atop a kale salad. Lance thought the creativity wasn't strong, but the taste was out of this world - the best in flavor and presentation, going off the plate Keith showed off from Hunk's kitchen.

Colleen took the main course round for taste. She had sliced a perfectly cut ribeye, used the squid ink to make a black homemade pasta, and ground the pork rinds with the green tea and handful of other spices as a crust for the meat. The complexity of her dish and use of each ingredient was almost a miracle and Lance could have eaten at least three plates of the pasta dish.

Hunk's dessert was sublime, as Lance expected it would be. Keith had always said that he wasn't a 'dessert' chef, and it showed in his dessert. Not that it didn't taste good – it did - he didn't make anything unique. He simply baked cookies from the dough, melted the gummy fish to combine with the cocoa mix and jam for a dipping sauce. Hunk somehow made a deconstructed tiramisu out of the ingredients. Lance, who didn't exactly know what went into a tiramisu, had to go by what Sam, Pidge, and Matt were saying about how it should be impossible for it to taste like a tiramisu with the basket ingredients. Hunk got full points for every single category for dessert.

Lance hated assigning lower points for any of the chefs. They all did a great job and put together wonderful meals. However, he did have to admit that there were spots that all three didn't do strongly, so as much as it pained him to assign a two or three to Hunk and Keith (and somehow hurt even more to mark down the kind-hearted Colleen), he did.

Allura took all the scoring sheets so she and Pidge could tabulate them. They added the points for each round and then combined for a final score. When Allura and Pidge announced the results to the group, they discussed them to make sure that they were all in accord and to add any last minute critique. None of it changed the outcome and Matt went to fetch the contestants.

Lance was happy to have Keith back with him and Keith immediately came to Lance's side. "Did you have fun baby?" he asked.

Keith smiled down at him. Lance was at the little kitchen table and slid his arm around Keith's waist, pulling him closer to his side. Keith leaned down to give him a little kiss. "I did," he said. "It was harder than I thought it would be. Those thirty minutes fly by. You don't realize it until the clock is ticking."

Hunk chuckled, receiving his own kisses from Shay. "And the pressure when Pidge screamed out the remaining time," he said.

"Tell me about it," Keith agreed, rolling his eyes.

"At least she wasn't standing behind you," Hunk said. "Scared the hell out of me."

"I'm immune to Pidge's screeching," Colleen said, ruffling her daughter's fluffy hair. "I've heard enough of it."

As Lance predicted, Keith won the appetizer round, Colleen the dinner, and Hunk the dessert. What he didn't expect was for Keith to win the whole competition. Keith looked equally surprised when it was announced. "But my dessert sucked!" was his exclamation.

"Everyone had slip ups, my boy," Coran said jovially. "Except you. Hunk missed packing two of his dessert, and Colleen didn't pack one of the main courses, so those judges who missed out had to give zeroes. That severely cut into their score!"

"So, I won because I finished?"

"Well, that and your food was amazing!" Rachel assured him.

Everyone cheered, no one louder than Keith's competitors, and hugged and kissed Keith in congratulations. Allura formally presented him with the trophy, a bowling one she'd found in Garrison City at the Goodwill store with "#1 Cook – Champion of Chopped!" handwritten on a piece of masking tape placed over the original engraved plaque. Lance immediately put it on the nearest shelf.

---

"Keith is abso-fucking-lutely perfect," Veronica said, squeezing out onto the balcony with Lance. Their balconies weren't huge, just big enough for two. Lance had moved some of his plants to Keith's so he could easily take care of them, but it reduced the usable space on their already tiny outdoor area.

He smiled, turning his head toward her as she mimicked his pose – arms resting on the railing. "Yes, he is."

"Get a little overwhelmed?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Crowds."

"I know, hermanito. Always thought it was funny the way you love to be the center of attention, but have this anxiety in crowds."

"Not funny," he protested.

"No. Funny strange, not funny ha-ha."

"Mm," he hummed. "Yeah, not sure why. Probably too much going on and there's a lot of people in Keith's tiny apartment right now."

"Surely not just Keith's tiny apartment. I snooped and saw that the closet is packed with your clothes."

"You snooped in Keith's room?" he gasped.

"You know I always snoop everywhere," she said, nudging her shoulder against his.

Lance snorted. "True."

"I had to see if he had any red flags."

"Red flags?"

"You know. Ropes, axes, other serial killer paraphernalia."

"Keith is everything opposite of a serial killer."

"That's why he'd be the perfect serial killer!"

"You sound like Hunk."

"Hunk doesn't trust him?" she asked, turning a puzzled expression to him. "I thought they got on well?"

Lance nodded, straightening up slightly to stretch his back. His hands clenched the top of the railing as he leant his weight back on his arms. "Oh, yeah. Now. He was worried Keith was a serial killer before he actually met Keith. You know how Hunk worries."

"We all worry, hermanito. Your last relationship…" she said.

"I know." He smiled. "Don't worry. Hunk trusts him completely. So does Shay."

"Then I won't worry. Hunk is the best judge of character I know." They were silent for a while, enjoying the evening with the sun setting behind the buildings across from them, throwing the last bit of sunlight into their faces. It was warm, but for once, not overly humid. "It's nice to see you so happy," Roni said in a quiet voice.

"It's nice to be this happy. I'm scared it's all a dream," he said with a sigh. "Ouch!"

Veronica had reached over to pinch his arm. "Nope. Not a dream," she commented.

"You didn't have to pinch so hard," he said with a pout, rubbing at the red spot on his arm. They turned, leaning back against the railing so they could see into the apartment. Colleen sat on Sam's lap on the couch, talking with Coran and Hunk. Shiro and Pidge were playing chess at the kitchen table. Keith was in the kitchen talking with Rachel, Matt, Allura, and Shay, all with wine glasses in hand. Keith was laughing at something Rachel was whispering to him. Lance smiled, feeling love well up in his heart.

"Rachel adores him, too," Roni remarked. "So does the rest of the family. They all can't wait to meet him in person."

Lance nodded. "He is a charmer. I'm surprised he talked to you all so much. He's usually pretty shy."

"You know mama," she said with a laugh. "She wanted to get to know Keith, so she did. And you know mama can get anyone to open up to her. Keith was no different." She nodded, gesturing to the scene on the other side of the sliding glass door. "He's going to fit right in with the family."

Lance thought so, too. Because not only he was biased about Keith, but also he knew Keith was earnest and caring, intelligent and honest. All things his family valued. Abuelita will titter over how handsome Keith is. His soft-spoken ways and gently fun demeanor will appeal to his niece and nephew. An image of Keith with Sylvio and Nadia clinging to him and begging him to play games with them brought a smile to his face. He couldn't wait until New Years and regretted that he and Keith had no time for a quick trip before then.

"He will. And," he said, grinning at her. "I can't wait to make it permanent."

---

Despite Roni's (and then Rachel's) entreaties to tell more, Lance wouldn't. He only said he had no set plans to propose to Keith. Yet. He did, however, tell them he knew Keith was his one and only and the man who would be by his side the rest of his life. He only appeased them when he promised to let them know all plans when he did decide to propose.

The rest of the visit went too fast for Lance's liking. Keith had gotten the aquarium to give Lance Monday off to spend as much time with his sisters and the Garrison City folks as possible. They spent the day exploring the area around Keith and Lance's apartment building, went out for a nice dinner at the diner where Lance and Keith had their first date, and spent the evening lingering with each other because no one wanted the weekend to end.

However, Veronica and Rachel had an early flight, Lance had an early start at the aquarium, and the Garrison City folks planned to leave after Lance got home from his job, so they didn't stay up too late. Well, Keith and Lance stayed up late with Lance's sisters, because it had been too long since he'd seen them and he didn't care how sleepy he was at work, he had to spend every possible moment with them.

To say that Lance cried buckets before they all left in the early morning hours – him for the aquarium and Keith to take the girls to the airport – would be putting it lightly. He was in poor spirits as he mechanically went through the motions at work. Even Dora had trouble bringing a smile to his face.

It was harder to say goodbye to Keith's family than he thought it would be. Coran, Sam, Allura, Matt, and Colleen were, of course, difficult. He got along so well with all of them, but to know he was choked up saying goodbye to Shiro and Pidge was, to him, a good sign. The Holts invited him and Keith to come up for Thanksgiving dinner, so Lance had that to look forward to now, as well as the New Year's celebration in Miami. So, though he was sad to see everyone go, he was happy to have plans to see everyone again soon.

The apartment felt strangely empty with everyone gone, but it was easy to slip back into their routine, with the added excitement of the tenth date to look forward to. Every minute the clock ticked closer to Saturday ticked Lance's excitement up another notch. It was all Lance could think about, though Lance had no idea what Keith had planned. All he knew was that he was to be banished to his own apartment Saturday morning, where Keith would text him when all was ready for the date.

Lance could. Not. Wait.

---

"Seriously?"

Keith merely grinned at him.

The smell of pulled pork permeated the apartment and whisked Lance back to that first day. The day that changed his life forever. The day that brought Keith to him. Or rather, he thought ruefully, the day he came into Keith's life. Barreled in, more like it. Charged in like the dorky rhino he was, thrusting a plate into Keith's face and begging for a bite of this same pulled pork that he could smell cooking.

Lance, who had no compunctions about talking to anyone, stranger or friend, was surprised to find himself face to face with Keith – the dark-haired mysterious guy he'd caught glimpses of in the common areas of their apartment building. Had even spoken to the night before in a clumsy attempt to ask him out. He'd wanted so much to introduce himself to this handsome enigma. Maybe nab a date or two and get his feet wet in the dating scene once again.

If you had told him as he stood, plate in hand, and knocked on the door to the apartment next to his that it would change everything, he'd have laughed. Things didn't flip in one's life like that. As hopeless a romantic as he was, Lance didn't believe that one insignificant event could change the course of a life forever.

Until it changed his.

He stood, now, in the doorway to what was essentially his and Keith's apartment in all but both their names on the lease. Lance had moved in, gradually bringing things into Keith's space that started to put the flavor of Lance in there as well. Clothes, mostly. His beauty products filled the bathroom space. His laptop and stacks of research folders sat atop Keith's desk, shoved to the side at the moment for Keith's own tablet.

His impulsive knocking on Keith's door changed everything. He went from a hopelessly romantic, yet burned in love individual, freshly healed from a bitter relationship to a beloved half of the perfect relationship. With someone as equally besotted with him as he was with that someone. No one had ever loved him as Keith did. Keith, who listened to him, who was excited about his triumphs, who consoled him when he needed it, who showed in every way possible how much he cared for and loved Lance. Keith – who Lance knew was the end game. There'd be no one else so perfectly suited to him than Keith.

It took his breath away, stealing it as Keith stole his heart. And Lance didn't want it back.

Well, okay. He wanted it back just enough to keep him alive and enjoy this.

Speaking of, his boyfriend stood, holding open the door and smirking at him, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Behind that, Lance could see something else, a flicker of desire and excitement for where this night would lead. That was different from that first day, when Keith was shy and barely looked Lance in the eye. It was so endearing. No one had reacted to him like that before. Other guys had been more aggressive, but Keith entered his life like a gentle rain that sneaks up on you on a sunny day. Lance was the one to whirl into Keith's life like a hurricane.

And Keith just stood, arms open, and took him in.

Today was their tenth date, a number that held significant meaning for the both of them. A silly promise on the first date, but one that Keith insisted they stick to. Lance, who'd been ready that night to drag Keith into his bed, was grateful Keith showed restraint. That type of relationship meant a lot to both of them, so for Lance to find someone who treated that most intimate act the same as he did meant the world to him. Did he want it? Hell yes, he did. He may be old-fashioned to think the way he did, but he'd ever only wanted a one-and-only person.

Keith turned out to be his one-and-only.

He didn't know it that first date.

Okay. He suspected it. Hoped for it.

The rational part of his brain won out and told him to wait and make sure. He was glad he did, because now that the tenth date was here, it came with the conviction that Keith was it for him. Keith was his whole future, and even though their relationship was only a few months old, he knew he'd be with Keith to the end.

"I thought I was the hopeless romantic one in this relationship," Lance managed to stammer out, his voice as thick as honey with emotion.

"Whatever do you mean?" Keith asked lightly.

Keith had kicked Lance out of their apartment that morning, instructing him to stay in his real apartment. He later texted and instructed that Lance was to come and knock – not let himself in – at precisely 4:16 in the afternoon. Lance sat in his lonely apartment, missing Keith, and wondering what his boyfriend planned. Yes, he knew what they planned to do that night, but Keith was obviously up to something.

Yes, he had smelled the pulled pork, but hadn't put up too much hope that Keith had made it. Mrs. Petrovsky across the hall often made a dish that smelled exactly like Keith's dish, and Keith rarely made pulled pork on Saturdays. So, while he hoped Keith was making it, he didn't allow himself to believe he was.

And, why the exact, precise time? Keith hadn't indicated any particular way to dress, so Lance didn't think they were going out (though he pouted a little that Keith wasn't taking him out for a special dinner before popping their cherries). It was a warm day, which he knew would test the abilities of Keith's ancient air conditioner in both his room and living room. At least Lance had finally made the call to the landlord himself and got them both repaired (not replaced, sadly).

So, their little love nest was gonna be hot tonight.

He blushed at his own thoughts. Hot in more ways than one.

He put on nice shorts and a light polo, in that baby blue shade he knew looked the best on him. So, not dressy, but still decent. You know, just in case Keith surprised him.

Well, it was a surprise. Pulled pork was what he came begging for that first day. A slight suspicion dawned on him. "Was this the exact time I knocked on your door?"

"It was. I remember glancing at the clock when you broke me out of my art zone."

"Are you recreating our first date?"

"Not exactly. Our first date was mac and cheese and shark videos. If we're going by official dates," Keith said. "I am recreating the day that brought you into my life. The first of the happiest days of my life."

Okay, to say it like that completely imploded Lance's heart. He could feel the constriction of it, even as it tried to speed up. "The first? You mean there's more?"

"Every day is happier than the one before."

"God, stop," Lance said, finally cracking up into laughter. "Okay, I get it. You're romantic and sweet. Just give me a kiss before I die."

Keith laughed easily enough, but shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't kiss you until the end of that day."

"Keithy…"

"Lancey…"

"I better not have to wait until I "go home"," Lance said, lifting his hands to make the air quotes, "to get a kiss tonight."

"Oh, I think you're going to get more than a kiss tonight."

He was annoyed at the flush that took over his cheeks. That's what they had planned, and it wasn't as if they hadn't messed around already. He'd had Keith's dick in his mouth multiple times. So why the flush? "Stop," he said with a pout, pushing slightly at Keith's shoulder.

"I love getting you to blush."

"Then you'll probably be really happy tonight," Lance huffed.

"I plan on it."

Red came over to greet Lance, weaving through his legs and voicing his complaints. As Keith went into the kitchen area, Lance squatted down in order to perform worshipful rites to the regal feline. Also known as scratching the point above Red's tail. "Did you miss me, baby?"

"Ugh, he was crying all day for you," Keith's voice, accompanied by the clatter of the crockpot lid on the counter. "Driving me insane."

"Aw, you missed your other daddy, my sweet boy," he cooed, moving his hand to the other favored spot between Red's ears. He was rewarded with a purr.

Keith chuckled. "I think he did."

"Can I help with anything?" Lance asked.

"You can grab the two bowls out of the fridge," Keith suggested. "And grab the wine. I just have to shred this pork and it's ready."

Within a few minutes, they were at the table, which gave Lance a little wave of déjà vu. Keith had not only made the same pulled pork that Lance had come begging for, he'd made the same two side dishes and even bought the same wine they had drunk that night. The attention to detail touched him deeply and reminded him just how lucky he was.

"Did you want me to take you out for ice cream as well? After dinner?"

Keith smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask."

"Alright. Deal. It will loosen up my mouth for second dessert."

With a laugh, Keith shook his head. "Did I ever tell you how turned on I got watching you eat your ice cream that night?"

"No!"

"Mhm. The way you licked it instead of biting into it..."

"Like you do, savage," Lance interrupted.

"It's weird you don't!"

"I can't," Lance said with a pout. "My teeth are sensitive to cold."

"The way those lips nibbled…"

"Stop!" Lance felt his cheeks heating up again.

"I sat there watching you, imagining other things you could do with that mouth."

"Perv! You certainly didn't say anything!"

"I was too scared," Keith said with a shrug. "I thought there was no way this gorgeous, hot guy was ever going to want to do anything with me."

"Pfft," Lance said, waving one hand dismissively, still holding his fork. "I knew I had no chance with a guy like you."

"Yet, here we are."

"I didn't even have to drug you."

"You definitely didn't need to."

Red was used to Lance and Keith eating together, of course. Lance lived there and they often ate at the table. Red also knew that Lance was softhearted and loved to slip little tidbits to Red during dinner, which was no different tonight. To be fair, Lance slipped the majestic feline little tidbits that first night, too, so Lance felt he had to keep up the tradition tonight. Red heartily approved.

---

"Are you nervous?" Keith asked.

Lance looked into his eyes, his heart feeling that proverbial meltdown. He could see the concern – the love – the care – the everything that was Keith and what made him the amazing man he was – reflected in his eyes. His tone was so solicitous that Lance knew it wasn't a question just tossed out. Keith cared if he was nervous.

"I'm not, to be honest," Lance murmured, reaching to brush Keith's bangs out of his eyes. They were lying on Keith's bed on their sides, facing each other, in just t-shirts and boxers. "I trust you."

It was much later in the evening. They'd cleaned up the kitchen, gone out for ice cream, then hung out on the couch making out. A bit of a detour from recreating the day they met. Now, food somewhat digested and having worked each other up, they'd retreated to their bedroom.

Keith smiled then, his hand sliding up from Lance's hip to his waist, lifting the hem of Lance's shirt up as he did. Keith's warm hand on his bare skin tingled in a delicious way.

"Are you nervous?" Lance asked.

"A little," Keith admitted, his brows drawing together in a way that was completely endearing to Lance. "I've never done this before either and I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," Lance said confidently in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "You know what goes where and to go slow at first. That's pretty much all you need to know."

Keith laughed. The hand on Lance's waist pulled away in order to shove at Lance's chest. "You're such a doofus."

"That's Hunk's name for me," Lance protested as he reached for Keith to close the distance between them that Keith created with the shove.

"But it's oh-so-fitting."

Lance pouted, which just served to get Keith to kiss him to chase away the pouty face. Irritatingly, it always worked. Lance was a sucker for Keith's kisses, so pouts never stayed very long. Lance thought this incredibly unfair that Keith could defuse one of his techniques to get his way so easily.

They shuffled closer, Lance's hand finding Keith's jaw, cupping it to tilt his head enough to deepen the kiss easily, slotting their lips in the perfect position. Lance's heart sped up when Keith pulled away slightly, moving to kiss the pulse point on Lance's throat. Lance was sure Keith would be able to feel the racing of his heartbeat. Maybe he did, because Keith huffed a small laugh as he worked a small hickey onto Lance's skin.

"Not too many marks, baby," Lance said with a little giggle. It did tickle. "I don't want Hunk and Shay to know what you did to me tonight."

"Like you won't tell them every detail," Keith murmured as he ignored Lance's request.

Well, Keith was right.

With a slight pressure, Keith rolled Lance slowly onto his back, shifting himself to hover above him, though his mouth didn't move from its mission. His kisses were gentle, interspersed with little licks that sent shivers down to Lance's toes. Lance's fingers idly roamed up and down Keith's back, pressing against the firm muscles whenever a particularly nice spasm erupted from a slight sucking on his skin.

Keith moved to the other side, whispering something about making things match. Lance let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. This was…this was good. It wasn't awkward, as he worried it would be. It felt amazing to completely trust the man marking up his skin and ghosting fingers through his hair. Keith moved a hand to caress his shoulder and Lance let his head fall to the side. He smiled, a slow and lazy smile, and opened his eyes. Only to find another pair of eyes inches from his face staring unblinkingly back at him.

"Jesus fuck!" he yelled, his whole body jerking in a little jump, his shoulder knocking into Keith's face.

"Ow! Lance, what the fuck!?" Keith exclaimed, pulling away and sitting on his heels next to Lance, hand to his jaw.

"Sorry! But…but…" he sputtered, pointing at the lump of fur next to him.

"Red!" Keith groaned. "What. The. Hell?"

Red sat calmly, next to Lance, watching the both of them with only the tip of his tail flicking back and forth. Except now that he had their attention, he stood, stretched with his butt far up in the air as he kneaded his front paws a moment on the bed, then stepped up on Lance's chest. With a small glare at Keith, Red turned around once, obviously preparing himself to lay down.

"Oh, no, big boy," Keith objected, reaching a hand under the fuzzy belly. "It's my turn on top of Lance tonight." Lance snorted, Red shot Keith a betrayed glare, and Keith scooped him up. He slid off the bed and carried the now-grumpy cat out of the bedroom. Lance sat up, his hands pressed into the mattress, and watched his boyfriend carry the protesting feline out to the hallway.

Keith returned, after securely shutting the door, to the bed. "Sorry about that," he said, sliding himself into a seated position against and a little in front of Lance.

"He's gonna be really pissed at you when you finally open that door."

They looked over at said door and saw a paw reaching under it, searching for something to latch on to. "He'll live," Keith grunted. "He's gonna have to learn that from now on, there's times where we need to be left alone." He skimmed his glance over Lance, his mouth forming into a little grin. "Now where was I?"

Lance settled on his back, relaxing into the mattress. He reached up and pressed his finger into the spot Keith was working on a few moments ago. "I think right about here?"

"Mmm," Keith hummed. "Looks about right."

He bent down, returning his lips to the still-warm spot on Lance's skin. Lance squirmed underneath him, caged in now by Keith's arms — squirming not in any way that indicated that he wanted to worm his way out, but in response to the shivers running up and down his spine. "Keith…"

"Feeling okay, baby?"

"Never better."

With little nipping bites, Keith traveled along Lance's shoulder, then across his clavicle to the other shoulder. Lance wheezed little laughs that were difficult to hear over the loud hum of their ancient, though for-now-working air conditioner. He ran his fingers along Keith's sides, cursing slightly that Keith wasn't ticklish at all (how rude), but he could tell the ghosting of his fingers along the soft fabric of his t-shirt affected Keith differently, if the little hums and shivers he pulled from Keith were any indication.

Lance's hands ended up on Keith's ass cheeks as Keith sucked on his earlobe. Lance smiled at the little squeak at the back of Keith's throat as he squeezed a bit, pulling Keith's hips slightly down. Trying to sound sexy, Keith failed as his voice cracked when he tried to murmur "Want to get in my pants?" in Lance's ear.

Lance chuckled as Keith braced himself above, looking down at him with his hair fanning down to hide his face. "I've already been there, Keithy. But, I'd like to again."

A grin popped onto Keith's face. "What are you waiting for?"

Lance didn't need another prompt. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of Keith's boxers and pulled them slowly down the bumps of Keith's cheeks, making sure to graze the skin slightly with his thumbnails. Letting go, he patted both cheeks a few times with his palms, making a little salsa rhythm with the sound of the slaps.

"Didn't I tell you once before those aren't bongos?"

"But they are so fun to play!"

Keith shook his head, then pushed himself straighter, up on his knees. The boxers exposed his ass cheeks, but Lance hadn't managed to shimmy them down in the front. Lance locked his gaze there as Keith slowly peeled the fabric further down, letting his cock bounce free. In a few awkward movements, jiggling himself on the bed and nearly falling over Lance, he managed to free his legs of his underwear and threw them on the floor.

Lance watched, licking his lips as his eyes followed every movement — not of Keith, but of his dick. He never believed erotica that described someone's mouth watering for cock, but it very much felt like it. Before Keith could settle back to hover above Lance again, Lance gave up waiting. He attacked Keith, getting a shout as they fell back on the bed, Keith's head hanging off the foot of it.

"Fuck Lance!"

"Yes! Fuck Lance! Just not yet!"

"Good fucking thing I don't have a footboard!"

"I wouldn't have done this if you did," Lance objected, trying to sound convincing. He probably didn't. "I just want to get you in my mouth…"

And do that, he did. In a swift move that got him between Keith's legs, he grabbed hold, opened his mouth, and took Keith as far down his throat as he could, trying his best to swallow and take his boyfriend all in. He couldn't, of course, but he gave it his best, pleased at how Keith practically choked on his own spit in surprise.

"Fucking gods, Lance!"

While they hadn't had much experience blowing each other, Lance had seen enough porn and knew what he liked on himself. He had only given Keith a few blowjobs since they'd started messing around, but Keith always seemed satisfied. Lance went down on him with the enthusiasm he displayed in everything he tried. He had a talented tongue - had piqued Keith's interest when he showed his boyfriend how he could tie cherry stems with it - and he now wound it around the tip of Keith's cock every time he pulled back from his head bob.

The last few times he'd gone until Keith came, swallowing down his cum like a thirsty animal, though once Keith came on his face. Lance didn't like that too much – it just didn't seem sexy to him to have Keith look at him with drying lumps of spunk on his nose and forehead. This time, however, Lance didn't want Keith to come yet. Worried that Keith wouldn't be up for a second round too fast after coming the first time, he only stayed sucking Keith's cock until Keith's groans turned high pitched.

With a last twist of his tongue, he popped off, and glanced up along Keith's body. His head was hanging back off the foot of the bed, making it look like Lance had just blown a headless body, which was a very disturbing image, but after a second, Keith's head lifted into view, his eyes hooded and biting his lip. "Fuck," he groaned.

"Good, baby?"

"You know it without me saying it," Keith said, dropping his head back.

"I still like to hear I'm doing a good job," he protested.

"Don't worry so much." Keith lifted a hand and Lance grabbed it. "Help me up."

Lance repositioned himself on his knees and pulled, hauling Keith up into a sitting position. It was a funny picture, Keith's legs spread on each side of Lance's legs, and Keith's cock standing at attention against his stomach. "How do you want to do this?"

Keith blinked a few times, then understanding flashed in his eyes and he laughed. "I thought you wanted to bottom?"

"Well, yeah, I do. But, I mean." He gestured vaguely with his hands. "We didn't exactly figure out how. Like normal boring people sex? Or doggy style? Or on our sides…" He was ticking each of the options off on his fingers.

Keith watched with amused eyes. "How do you want it?" he interrupted.

Lance stopped with the finger of his right hand resting on the tip of his ring finger. "Oh?" The question flustered him, because he had pictured their first time a certain way, but it felt strange requesting it. "I guess normal and boring."

An offended sort of expression crossed Keith's face. "Well, I'll do my best to make it not boring."

Lance laughed, because Keith had also crossed his arms and the picture of him with a pout, that pose, and his dick still standing up and ready was too much. "No!" he gasped. "Not boring, Keithy! I meant…I mean, you know. I meant mission style."

"Missionary?"

"Yeah, that," Lance agreed, reaching both hands to rest on Keith's crossed arms. "I want to see your face tonight."

Keith relaxed his arms, grabbing Lance's hands before he dropped them. "I want to see yours, too," he said, lips quirking into a half-smile. "I like your "O" face."

With that, Keith laced their fingers together, palms pressed against Lance's, and put slight pressure on them. Lance took that as a hint to lay back, so he did, with Keith following. He instinctually opened his legs so that Keith could settle between them, hovering over him with their hands still joined with Keith pressing his into the pillow on each side of his head. Lance felt a little helpless; as if Keith were holding him down, but he wasn't complaining because Keith leaned down to kiss him. Gentle at first, until he teased his tongue into Lance's mouth and deepened the kiss.

When he got a chance for a breath, Lance gasped, "Can you take off your shirt?"

Keith didn't answer, but he did sit back on his heels and peeled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the floor. "Why are you still dressed?" he asked.

"Uh, cause you haven't stripped me yet?"

In a mad, awkward scramble, Lance got his shirt and boxers off, kicking Keith in the stomach as he swept his long leg around to shimmy the underwear down. There may have been a small tussle as Keith retaliated with a shout about Lance being lucky he didn't kick Keith in the dick. The tussle ended in a laughing pile of limbs, kisses, and panting giggles, which did much to end the awkwardness.

Not that it disappeared. Lance couldn't help but be tense, that tiny voice in the depth of his brain inserting the thought that he'd disappoint Keith somehow wasn't great, but the way Keith traced lips and tongue all over his naked body did a lot to push the thought away. This was so much more intense than the other times they'd fooled around.

The thought completely left when Keith's kissing mouth reached his dick, skirting around it to leave little kisses along his inner thighs, while also pressing apart Lance's legs with slight pressure from his hands. Though Keith had been down there before, this felt so much more intimate. Lance had scrubbed himself clean, of course, but he fretted that Keith was looking at his asshole and would be doing things to it. Was he clean enough? Oh, fuck, what if he missed a spot while grooming earlier?

"Why are you tensing up?" Keith asked, leaning his head to the side to peer at Lance around Lance's dick.

Lance almost choked with laughter at the vision. His knees up and spread apart and framing Keith peeking around his erection, but with that cute, concerned look Keith had when he worried about Lance. The one that drew those thick eyebrows together. "Am I?"

"Mm. Yeah. Are you uncomfortable?"

"No! No! I swear!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

"Then what's wrong?"

Lance pressed his hands over his face. "Don't ask!"

"Lance. I swear if you don't tell me what's going on in your head, I'll stop."

"Nooooooo," he whined. "Ugh, I guess I'm self-conscious about you looking at my butt!"

"Your butt?"

"Yes!"

"You know I love your butt."

"Nooooooo," he whined again. "My butthole!"

"Uh…"

"I'm afraid it's not clean enough." Keith snorted, which didn't do much for his confidence. Lance tipped forward to rest on his elbows so he could send a proper glare down to the grinning face between his legs. "It's not funny, Keithy!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I don't want you to put your face in a dirty butthole!"

Keith laughed – his full out belly laugh – so hard that he pressed his face against Lance's inner thigh. "Oh my gods, you're ridiculous!"

"I am not!"

"I can fucking smell the lotion you put there, sweetheart. I can see how, uh, clean you are. Everything is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to putting my dick in there. Then I'll make it dirty."

"Keith!"

"Lance!"

Lance gave him his best pout, but Keith was unrepentant. With the side of his head still pressed against Lance's thigh, he grinned so cheekily at Lance that Lance began to feel as ridiculous as Keith accused him he was. "I just don't want to disappoint you."

"Sweetheart, literally nothing about you spread out on our bed disappoints me in any way. You are absolutely gorgeous. I could write yards of poetry about how sexy your ass is. I appreciate that you wanted to, uh, be clean for me, but you don't have to worry."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely." He turned his head to press a little kiss against the smooth skin of Lance's thigh. "Now lay back and let me take care of you. Are you okay with me starting to prep you?"

Lance's breath caught slightly. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am."

"Sure?"

"Yeah," he said. He lay back down, willing himself to relax. Which wasn't easy, because Keith immediately resumed his teasing kisses, but also drifted his hand down to play a finger gently around Lance's hole. Lance felt himself clench, but forced the muscles to let go.

"Perfect," Keith breathed.

When Keith took him in his mouth, he let out a cry. It felt so warm and wet and wonderful. Keith's chuckles added to the sensation and Lance clutched at his pillow. Keith wasn't much of a deep throat guy, but he concentrated on the head of Lance's cock, laving at the sensitive skin until Lance nearly screamed in pleasure.

"Y-you-you're gonna make me come," he panted between mewls.

"Don't want that yet," Keith said in a low voice that held a note of satisfaction. Cocky bastard! "Can you toss me the lube?"

"The lube?"

"I put it on the side table," Keith said. "You don't want me going in dry, do you?"

"Uh, that would be a big, fat 'no'," Lance agreed, swinging his hand toward the table and knocking the little bottle to the floor. "Dammit!"

He scrambled to his front, shoving Keith with his thighs as he swung his leg over. "Dammit!" Keith echoed, "You clotheslined me!"

"Sorry! Gotta get the lube!" Lance swished his hand around the floor, bent over with his ass in the air and feeling self-conscious of the show he was giving Keith. Dammit. Where was that damn bottle? Ah! There! His fingers made contact with it, pushing it further under the bed. "Fuck!"

"I'd really like to," Keith said in a wry tone.

Lance glanced over his shoulder. Keith was lying on his front, chin in his hand and watching. "Sorry!"

"It's okay. I'm enjoying the view."

"Dirty boy!"

"Get back into position so I can show you how dirty I can be."

Lance grabbed the lube that thankfully had only rolled an inch further. It took a moment to settle back into their previous position, but both were laughing so hard that the sexiness of the moment had fled. Lance regretted it, because now it seemed as if this whole thing was a joke.

"Why are we so bad at this?" he asked.

"Bad? You think it's bad?" Keith asked. He'd popped the cap and was about to pour some on his fingers, but he paused to give Lance a concerned look.

"No! I meant, ugh!" Lance covered his face with his hands. "This just. We're being big dorks who act like we're two fifteen-year-olds fumbling our way through our first time!"

Lance heard the snap of the lube cap and felt Keith crawl up along his body, so he peeked through spread fingers. Keith's hair was hanging down and partially covering his face, but he could still see the grin there. "We are big dorks, though," Keith reasoned. "And we might not be fifteen, but we are fumbling our way through our first time."

"Yeah, but I wanted this to be perfect! Not full of kicks in the stomach and shoulders to the face. Or cats watching. Or dropping the lube!"

Still with that fond smile, Keith gently drew Lance's hands from his face. "It is perfect. Because it's you and because it's me. Because it's us," Keith said. "And because we love each other. I don't need anything but you with me to make it perfect."

Lance melted, because Keith was right. So what if a few silly things happened? The important thing was that they were together, showing how much they loved each other. "Charmer," Lance choked. He felt a small tear slip out and slide down his temple.

Keith leaned down and to the side to kiss the tear trail. Then back to center to kiss Lance. A long, slowly agonizing kiss that stirred things back up for Lance and, he could feel against his thigh, for Keith. The romantic feeling returned, despite the hum of the air conditioner and the distant, plaintive wails of Red. However, the cheeky jerk kissing him had to break it with a grin as he said, "Now let me get back to putting dick in ass."

"Did I say you were charming?"

"Yes, you di-id!" Keith sang, slithering back down Lance's body to between his thighs. Lance stared at the ceiling, his nerve endings seeming to die, leaving only his inner thighs sensitive. Every move Keith made, the sound of the lube cap once again opening, the press of lips against his skin, made Lance want to scream.

"Fuck!" he screamed. Keith didn't waste any time getting Lance's cock back in his mouth, only this time his finger, slick now with lube, toyed at Lance's hole, rubbing the lube around and teasing the entrance. "Just stick it in already!" Lance gasped after a minute or two of this, tired of the teasing.

"Relax, baby," Keith murmured around his dick, only it came out muffled since, of course, that dick was in Keith's mouth. With a particularly delicious slide of Keith's tongue around the head of his dick, he felt Keith's finger enter him gently.

"NGHGHHHHH!"

Keith popped off, stopping at only the first knuckle in. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" he breathed. It felt so much different with someone else's fingers. Like a loss of control, almost. Sure, he could tell Keith exactly what to do, but it was still out of his own hands, so to speak. "It's - it's not the first time I've had fingers up there."

"I certainly hope you mean your own."

"Of course I do!"

"So, it doesn't hurt?" Keith checked in.

"No no no. It's just. Different," Lance affirmed, relaxing himself into it as Keith pressed in further. "A good different."

"Let me know if anything hurts," Keith told him before returning his mouth to more important things.

"Willllllll," Lance groaned out. Not only was Keith's tongue back on his cock, but Keith had slowly started to move his finger in and out, getting Lance used to the movement and penetration. "Fuck, Keithy!"

Keith said something Lance couldn't make out. His hands scrabbled a bit on the bedcover, clenching the fabric into small balls. He could feel his toes curl against the mattress. The other blowjobs Keith had given him had felt good, too, but the addition of Keith fingering him added a whole other dimension and Lance couldn't tell if it was all in his head, or if it did actually add to the pleasure. At this point, he didn't really care.

He felt Keith pull away and kiss his thigh again. "You ready for two? You're, uh, not as tense or tight as I thought you'd be."

Lance grunted, then took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah. Do more. I, uh, have been playing with myself a lot this last week."

"You have?"

"Is that bad? I wanted to get to the good stuff as fast as possible tonight."

Keith chuckled. "Not bad. Less work for me, I guess?" Lance heard what sounded like the lube bottle again, and felt the cool gel around his entrance. "Okay, number two," Keith announced.

"Number two?!" Lance squeaked.

"I meant my finger, doofus."

"I know, but maybe not mention number twos down there. At least, not now!"

As he laughed, Keith eased in another finger, getting a whine from Lance. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Lance hissed.

"You sure?"

"Give me all you got, Kogane," Lance challenged.

"Oh, I plan on it."

Keith didn't return to blowing him as he worked his fingers in and out. When Lance was able to lift his head enough, he glanced down his body to meet Keith's eyes, watching him with his lids half-closed. "Mmnh," Lance managed. "What are you doing?"

"Fingering you?"

"No blowing?"

"I like watching you react."

Lance's face flushed and he dropped his head back to the pillow. Keith's fingers felt fantastic and only served to make him want more. Tantalized more than anything. A kiss of a promise that had him squirming on his back. Keith had hooked his arm around his left thigh and rested the side of his head against it as he lazily worked his fingers. He'd started hooking his fingers when he thrust in, seeking that spot that Lance hadn't been able to reach himself. "Keithy," he panted.

And Keith hit it and oh, fuck, did he see stars!

"That's what I wanted to see," Keith purred, touching it again. And, kept touching it.

"Jesus fuck, Keith!" Lance whined, willing himself not to shoot up off the bed. Did his own dick get harder? God it felt like it. He wanted Keith's mouth back on his cock, but all his begging didn't move Keith, who slowly worked him open, all the while grinning a pleased smirk from his spot between Lance's legs.

Without warning, Keith added a third finger, adding to the pressure and pleasure, though he wasn't as able to reach the sweet spot in the same way that he'd reached with two. "Your dirty mouth, baby. I love it," Keith said.

"I'll show you dirty," Lance hissed. Which, he knew in his stimulated mind didn't make much sense, but he wasn't in any position to make sense. He was in a position to be thoroughly fucked though, and wanted Keith to get on with it. He was ready. More than ready. "Keithy, want you now," he gasped.

"Are you sure?"

"Yessssss, now!"

Keith pulled his fingers out and Lance immediately wanted them back in, even though he knew he'd soon be filled with something better.

Lance did tense up a little as he felt Keith shuffle around a bit between his legs, even though he was ready and wanting it. He propped himself up on his elbows so he could see better. Rather, to see Keith, who was applying way too much lube on his cock. He looked up, caught Lance watching him, and gave him a sheepish grin. "Don't want to be dry at all."

"I think you've got enough there to float us away," Lance said in a breathless voice.

Keith chuckled. "Maybe," he agreed, throwing the bottle to the side and hitching himself closer. He paused, then readjusted, trying to put a hand aside Lance's hip and grabbing his dick in the other. "This is more awkward to position than I thought."

"Like that time we touched dicks," Lance suggested.

"Yeah, like that."

Keith let go of his dick. "Lift your legs," he said, and when Lance did, he pressed on the back of his thighs, making Lance lay back and allow Keith to position him. Lance couldn't help but giggle. "Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not, Keithy!" he said with another giggle. "This just feels weird."

"Weird like you don't want to or weird how?"

"Like I'm on my back with my legs in the air and my ass on display."

"Well, you are."

"Stop stalling and get inside me," Lance ordered. He was getting so antsy to feel Keith that his patience was whipping away along with his nerves.

"I'm trying." Keith's voice sounded strange, but Lance finally felt a pressure against his entrance. He couldn't help but tense up again. "Relax, baby. Just let me know if anything hurts."

Lance just made an affirmative sound. His hand grasped the wrist of the hand Keith had moved back to prop himself up to the side of Lance's hip. His other hand scrambled for something to hold onto and clasped the bedcover again. It kind of hurt as Keith slowly pressed in. Agonizingly slow, but Lance knew he'd appreciate it when he replayed this moment over and over in his mind. Not a sharp pain though, more like that stretchy pain of a muscle you haven't used in a long time.

"Breathe, baby," Keith said in a voice that sounded like he should probably take his own advice. Lance let out the breath he'd been holding and took a gasping one as his eyes fluttered open. Another gasping breath came when he saw Keith's face gazing down at him, looking at him with so much love he almost wanted to cry. "You good?"

"Mmnghgh."

Keith huffed a little laugh. "I take that it's a yes." With one last push, he said, "I'm all the way."

Lance tried to relax, but he felt so full and felt so much pressure that he couldn't right away. Keith had put his other hand aside his other hip, so he grasped that, letting his knees hook over Keith's arms. "Fuck, this feels good."

"It does?"

"Fuck, Keith."

"No, fuck Lance," Keith teased.

Lance tried to glare, but he was too gone in the feeling – physical and emotional – he was going through. "Mmmm."

"Let me know when you're ready," Keith grated out.

Lance nodded, forcing himself to relax more. He slid his hands up Keith's arms a little, then nodded. "You can move."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

And Keith moved. And moved more. It was slow and uncoordinated at first. The slight pain gave over to pleasure quickly, though, and Lance found himself squirming under Keith in all the right ways. His hands couldn't decide where to land. Pressing against Keith's chest, nails digging into the flesh there when a particularly nice spasm coursed through his body. Pulling Keith's head down for a sloppy kiss that never quite worked because they hadn't found the right rhythm yet. Keith pausing and dropping his forehead onto Lance's chest to catch his breath.

It was. Awesome. Awkward. Amazing. Hot. Funny. Everything Lance didn't know he wanted. Everything Lance thought he wanted. Sweat and heat and missed kisses and caresses and laughter. They laughed at everything. How wonderful it was to look up at Keith, holding his shoulders as Keith tossed sweaty hair, his eyes half shut and crinkling at the sides with his giggles. It wasn't perfect, while being perfect at the same time, and Lance, in his hazy, sex-fueled mind, thought this was so them. Not perfect, but perfect.

He'd never felt so loved, with Keith constantly asking if he was okay, pausing to kiss him. The noises Keith made, and the things he said, affirming how beautiful, how sexy, how fucking amazing Lance was. How good he felt. How happy he made him. It all had Lance's head swimming with love.

They changed positions a few times, slightly. Lance stayed on his back, but Keith straightened at one point, holding Lance's legs up against his chest with Lance's feet bouncing above his head. He turned to kiss one of those legs with a "God, these fucking legs of yours, Lance" which made Lance keen.

And, he wasn't quiet. Oh, no. Lance was moaning and groaning like a porn star. He had a brief thought that it was good Keith's bedroom backed to Lance's bedroom back in his own apartment. Lance thought he'd be one of those talkers during sex, but he found he couldn't form a complete sentence or even mutter a coherent word. Everything focused on the push and pull between his legs.

When Keith finally touched him, though, holy shit he lost it. With a cry, he reached up to clutch at Keith's shoulders again, crossing his ankles at the small of Keith's back. Keith matched his thrusting into Lance with the strokes of his hand on Lance's cock and it wasn't long before Lance came with a small shriek.

"Fucking gods, Lance," Keith gasped. Lance could feel his ass clenching around Keith's dick as the spasms continued. Keith had to stop a moment, but he apparently couldn't wait very long. With a few sloppy thrusts, he slammed in and stopped, grunting as he came too.

Lance thought he should feel Keith coming in him, but didn't really. He could tell Keith was in orgasm from his face and from the way Keith's cock throbbed inside him. There was a full feeling, but Lance was still coming down from his climax high and he lay there like a sweaty slug until Keith collapsed on top of him.

"Oof!"

"Sorry," Keith gasped.

When he felt Keith's muscles shift as if to get up, Lance clutched harder around him, tightening his hug and his leg hold. "Don't you fucking move," he ordered.

"I don't think I can."

They lay there for a few minutes or years. Whatever. It felt like forever, but not enough for Lance. He stared at the ceiling, for the first time noticing a small water stain above the bed. Keith's face was buried in his neck and Keith's hair covered his mouth, but he didn't want to spit it out. He felt as if he wanted every piece of Keith inside him, just as his softening dick stayed inside.

Keith cleared his throat and said in a wrecked voice, "I think I need to move."

Lance whined, but loosened his hold. Slightly. Keith shifted, slipping out. A gross feeling of cum leaking out his hole gave him a little shudder. Oh fuck, the comforter, he thought. Keith settled more comfortably, apparently ignoring Lance's cum that covered his stomach. Lance combed his fingers through the slight dampness of Keith's hair, getting a tired hum from him.

"You okay?" Keith checked in one more time.

"I don't think I've ever been okay-er."

"I don't think that's a word."

"I can invent a word as much as anyone else can."

Keith chuckled, then lifted up, putting his weight on his arms so he could gaze down at Lance. His expression was so loving and tender that Lance felt tears well up. With a slight laugh through his nose, Keith moved a hand to straighten Lance's bangs, then wiped under his eye. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm so happy," Lance choked.

"I am, too."

They gazed at each other for so long that Keith finally broke, snorting a laugh. Then Lance laughed, and soon they were both hugging each other and laughing. "We did it!" Lance said.

"We did!" Keith propped himself up again to gaze down at him. The love was still shining in his eyes, as well as his amusement. "You were amazing."

"Wait until I top," Lance said, trying to tease because his heart was overflowing with emotion that threatened to drown him.

"Next time," Keith promised, leaning down to kiss him. Not a passionate one, but a chaste and sweet one, somehow expressing how much he loved him with it's' gentleness. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"Now, I'm going to get a washcloth and clean us up. If I can get strength back into my legs," Keith said. "Just toss this comforter on the floor and we'll clean up the rest later."

Lance dragged Keith down back on top of him. "Give me a few more minutes of this," he begged. "You feel so good on top of me."

"Anything you want, baby."

---

When Lance woke, stealing out of sleep slowly, his mind a little fuzzy, but with a sated feeling of contentment, it took him a moment to get his bearings. His cheek pressed against sweaty and tacky skin and a small puddle of drool had escaped from his mouth. Everything felt hot despite the slight breath from the air conditioner. Fingers carded through his hair, softly tugging at the ends.

"You okay?"

"Mmphhhh," he groaned. He was okay. Insanely happy. Admittedly, a little sore. Moving felt like a big effort. He moved his hand to wipe away at that embarrassing drool. "What time is it?"

"A little after midnight," Keith's soft voice ghosted over him.

"Haven't you slept?"

"Mm. No. I've been laying here watching you sleep and thinking."

That 'thinking' sent Lance's heart into a slight panic. Did Keith regret having sex with him? Had Lance been terrible in bed? He thought Keith looked…satisfied…at least. Was Keith going to take back his key and tell him this was over?

"Um. Thinking?" he asked. "Do you-do you wish we hadn't…you know…?"

"What?" Keith asked, his fingers stilling in his hair.

"Well, like, thinking can be bad," Lance said, the points of his fingers pressing into Keith's stomach. "Um, like, thinking 'hey I should have waited longer'…or 'I should have waited for someone else'."

Keith didn't respond for a minute and when Lance glanced up at his face, it was to see him full on scowling. Keith kept Lance's gaze, his eyes blazing in the dim light. "Don't make me spank you."

"Keith!"

"Do you honestly think that I think this was a mistake?"

Well, put like that… "No. Just. You worried me a sec there."

"Baby, nothing I do with you is a mistake."

Embarrassed, Lance returned his cheek to Keith's chest, nuzzling against the sticky skin. They really needed a new air conditioner. "Okay," he whispered. They lay, listening to each other's breaths, the hum of the air conditioner, and the scratches at the door along with plaintive mews letting them know how horrible they were as pet parents. "So what were you thinking?"

Keith hummed sleepily. "I think we should break our leases."

"Our leases?" Why was Keith thinking about leases?

"Shay mentioned one of the townhouses in their complex is opening up."

"Oh."

"It makes sense," Keith reasoned. "We basically live together already. I think today was the first time you spent more than a few minutes in your apartment in a month."

"To be fair, most of that month I was out on a boat."

"True. But it doesn't make sense for us to pay rent for two apartments."

"We'll probably lose our deposits."

"We can talk to the landlord. Pidge might want one of our places, so maybe the landlord will be okay with us ducking early. If he doesn't, that sucks, but we'll save in the long run."

"It's a big step, Keithy."

"Yeah. But, we're already in it. There's more of your clothes than mine in the closet."

Keith was right. Lance hadn't slept in his own apartment in a long time. Sometimes he went there when he was writing stuff for his dissertation, but he didn't have to. Though he needed privacy and quiet when he worked, Keith would be starting up with teaching again soon, so Lance would have the place to himself often. The townhouses had a lot more room than either of their apartments. They cost more a month, but not nearly as much as he and Keith were paying for two apartments. The money situation would certainly improve for him – he wouldn't have to depend as much on his parents. Everything about Keith's suggestion was positive. He saw no negative.

"I want to live with you."

"Good," Keith said, his other hand reaching to grasp the hand Lance had rested on his stomach. "I know it's a pretty big commitment. But, short of marriage, I can't think of anything I want more than to live together."

"Marriage!" Lance gasped, bolting up, resting his weight on both hands – one on the mattress and the other on Keith's stomach, which earned a little 'oof' as he did. "It's too soon for that!"

"Well, yeah, it is," Keith said, eyeing him with a smirk. "Or else I'd ask you."

"You can't just say that!" Lance admonished. "Besides, maybe I want to ask you," he added, thinking of his conversations the previous week with his sisters.

"That would be nice," Keith mused.

Lance stared down at his beautiful boyfriend. The glow of sex still emanating from his pale body, the tangled mass of hair spilled over his light green pillow, the smile bordering on sly but also so loving, and the eyes shifting colors, but so full of love it made Lance want to bury himself in this warm bed forever. Did he want to marry Keith? Of course, he did, but he hadn't thought his boyfriend was on that page, too.

Yet, everything else in this relationship had rushed headlong into every other milestone. Why not marriage?

"Fine, I will. Be prepared to be knocked off your feet by the world's most epic proposal!"

"I can't wait," Keith said, his smile widening.

"When is it not too soon?" Lance demanded.

"A year."

"A year?" Lance repeated.

"Yeah. Let's say our first year anniversary."

"But-but then you'll know when I'm going to do it?"

"I didn't say which first year anniversary."

"Huh?"

Keith lifted his hands to tick off on his fingers. "The first time we spoke. The first time you came over. The first time we kissed – oh wait, that was the same day. Our first date. Our first time."

Lance had started laughing, dropping his head. "Okay, okay. I'll choose some random first year anniversary thing. Maybe our first blowjobs?"

"I'm sure you could come up with an interesting proposal for that…"

"Keith!" Lance shrieked, collapsing once again on top of Keith, getting another 'oof'. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance, pulling him into a better position to kiss before rolling them over so he was back on top. Lance was laughing and flailing a little before he settled. "Mm, cariño," he murmured between little pecks, "I don't think I'm ready for more yet."

"I'm not either, though I really want to. But, I think we should let Red in before he plots our demise for being so neglectful." A threatening yowl from the other side of the door emphasized Keith's point.

With a last kiss that stirred Lance deep inside, Keith slid off him and the bed and padded over to the door, stopping long enough to swoop up his underwear off the floor. Lance got to admire the way Keith's butt muscles moved before Keith sadly covered up that sweet ass with cloth. What a shame, he thought as he stretched lazily and pondered if he should locate his own underwear.

When Keith opened the door, Red let him know exactly what he thought in a string of cat-talk that had Keith apologizing as he squatted down to try and appease the majestic feline. Red flicked his tail, brushed past Keith, and stalked over to the bed. The fluffy lump jumped up next to Lance so he could yell at him, too. Lance took the chastisement with an appropriately sorry expression.

Keith returned to bed, helping Lance to smooth their irate kitty child. Red allowed them to pet and coddle him in between his diatribes and they were soon able to calm his ruffled feathers. Red curled up on the foot of the bed and both Lance and Keith took turns in the bathroom to clean up and get ready for sleep. It wasn't long before both of them were spooned in bed, wearing just boxers, in their normal position – Lance as big spoon with his face in Keith's hair.

He breathed in deeply, the remnants of Keith's shampoo, cologne, and sweat from sex lingering about him. It smelled so good that he felt stirrings again, though he was exhausted and knew Keith was as well. He'd come to recognize Keith's tiredness level by how relaxed he felt in his arms. Red wedged himself between their feet and the air conditioner chugged away, cooling their skin slightly. Never in his life had Lance felt so safe and loved.

How had he done it? How had he found the one man in the world so perfect for him? Someone who accepted him – all of him – with every one of his faults and every one of his good qualities. It had to be fate. The romantic in him believed in that. The logical part of him said it was just a random set of circumstances. That Lance would rent an apartment in this particular building. That Lance would come to Altea in the first place. That Lance would toss caution out the window, grab a plate, and skip next door because the smell from Keith's apartment was making him hungry.

For that matter, fate led Keith here, a place four hours from his home to get this particular apartment as well. Fate had Keith make food that tempted Lance to his door. Fate led Keith to open up his door, his heart, to Lance.

Lance wasn't one to believe in a higher being (lo siento, Abuelita), but something guided him and Keith together. Something brought this amazing man to him, and he thanked whatever power that was, because he'd found his perfect love – as imperfect and perfect as he could hope for.

Keith let out a sigh as his breathing slowed to his sleeping mode and Lance smiled, snuggling closer. Red purred between their feet, his warm body making Lance's foot sweat. It was really too hot to be so close, but Lance wouldn't have it any other way. He lay, dreaming of their possible new home and of their future. There would be family gatherings, Miami trips, Garrison City trips, maybe a new city to live in – the future was wide open and he couldn't wait to face it with Keith. Couldn't wait to propose. Couldn't wait to say "I do". Couldn't wait to grow old, loving the sleeping figure in his arm.

Remembering something, Lance rolled over to his back, his one arm stuck under the pillow and Keith's head, so it was a little awkward as he flailed his hand on the bedside table, finally connecting with his phone. He clumsily opened up the texting act, dropped the phone on his chest, scrambled for it, then held it again above him. Thanking his Papi for genetically gifting him long fingers, he opened the ongoing text with Hunk.

Lance: It was amazing

Hunk: Aw we're happy for you

Lance: Ur awake?

Hunk: Was waiting for your text or call

Lance: Lol…tell you everthing tmrw

Hunk: Can't wait

He grinned, tossing the phone on the bed and rolling back and planting his face into Keith's hair. With one last sleepy kiss into Keith's mullet, he murmured, "I love you, Keithy," before joining Keith and Red in dreamland.

---

More Author's Notes!

What a ride! This whole series started as a one shot from a prompt I saw on Facebook years ago. It somehow grew to a fifteen part series that went in so many directions I never expected for it to go. There may be an epilogue at some point, because I don't want to leave it just here, but didn't want to officially keep going. I love this AU so much, so I know it will be impossible to let it go completely.

It's been fun and frustrating to write this, but what it's brought into my life has been nothing short of amazing. Especially the friends I've found, my Klasix. Thank you so much to Caz, Luca, Dani, and Kelly for being my daily comfort and support.

Thank you also to the other friends I've made in the fandom - my Drink Write Draw Klance crew and others from Discord servers. You guys make my day every single day.

Also thank you to ALL of you who have stuck by this story...for all your support, love, encouraging words, comments, kudos, and enthusiasm for it. This series only exists because of comments for more on the first story. It has been an intense labor of love for me for years, and I tried really hard with each story to provide a fun, heartfelt, and loving Klance story. Thank you thank you thank you for everything.

All my love! – Devoosha

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