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Quote
Lance was a pop culture junkie. He lived and breathed movie taglines and song lyrics. More often than not he’d jump mid sentence to singing a song just because someone said the first line of the lyrics and he just couldn’t help himself. Keith may only catch every other reference his boyfriend made, but it was one of those things that was just so Lance that he couldn’t help but love it.
Lance had a couple movies and quite a bit of music loaded on his phone and once Pidge and Hunk had figured out a way to recharge the damn thing out here, Lance had rarely been found without a real life soundtrack. Sometimes Keith would find him listening in his room or the observation deck, music barely audible and Lance humming just as softly. Keith would usually let him be in moments like that.
Lance would sometimes avoid a real answer to a question with song lyrics. Keith was fine with it. He had grown to recognize the songs, knew them like he knew Lance. Which meant he could always tell when something was wrong.
Lance had a certain playlist he would get stuck on when he was upset. There was never any humming when these songs played. Keith tried not to hate the songs when he’d sneak into Lance’s room at night to cuddle only to find his tear streaked boyfriend sleeping lightly while they played nearby.
Step and repeat
Tears fall to the beat
Smile through pain
Feel the acid rain
I ain’t ready
I’ll hold steady
I’ll hold you in my arms, in my arms, in my arms
You’re locked inside my heart
Your melody’s an art
I won’t let the terror in, I’m stealing time
Through the eye of the needle
It was one of those weeks.
Ever since Shiro returned, Keith could admit that maybe he hadn’t been spending enough time with Lance. Missions were in full swing. Zarkon’s son had taken up the position of the Universe’s Biggest Douchebag and things had not been easy lately. And Keith could admit that he had been spending a lot of extra time in the training room to work of some frustrations. Plus, he had been spending a lot of time with Shiro. Ok, so Keith definitely wasn’t helping anything.
Lance had his bad days regardless, and Keith did his best to help him through them, but he definitely hadn’t been the supportive boyfriend he could be. He turned off the music and crawled into bed with Lance. Tomorrow he’d make it up to him.
…
“Mmm….Keith…”
“Morning,” Keith whispered into Lance’s neck as he manhandled him a bit closer.
“Mm too early…”
Keith chuckled. He smoothed Lance’s bed head as much as he could and planted kisses across broad shoulders. He pointedly ignored the salt crusted crusted cheeks.
“I’m gonna use your shower, but you better be up when I’m done.” With that he planted one more kiss on Lance’s neck and got up.
Ten minutes later and Keith felt all the ease in his shoulders from the warm shower dissipate the moment he heard familiar music drifting around the room. Lance had curled up and faced the wall.
“Lance?” There was no answer. Keith walked over and picked up his phone immediately pausing the song.
“Hey! What the quiznack, Keith! I was listening to that!” Lance sat abruptly reaching for his phone. Keith twisted out of his reach feeling guilty for just a moment before he selected a new song.
“Sorry, babe, but I think this ones better.”
Vaguely church organ sounding notes played out accompanied by an easy drum beat. Keith plopped down on the bed next to Lance. Lance’s brow furrowed but he was no longer trying to get his phone, so Keith relaxed for a second.
“What-” Lance tried to start before Keith jumped in with lyrics.
“Was I out of my head or was I out of my mind? How could I have ever been so blind? I was waiting for an indication, it was hard to find. Don’t matter what I say, only what I do. I never mean to do bad things to you. So quiet but I finally woke up, of you’re sad it’s time you spoke up too.”
Lance’s eyes were huge, brimmed with tears. The chorus repeated, but Keith leaned in and kissed him, wishing desperately that he could chase all of Lance’s pain away. The song played on repeat as they kissed for awhile until Lance finally broke.
“You called me babe…”
“Yeah… is that ok?”
“Yeah! You just don’t usually use pet names, I guess.” Keith flushed. “Come on, let’s go get breakfast…. why didn’t you tell me you knew how to sing?”
…
The morning went as most mornings go. The afternoon brought training exercises and team bonding. Dinner was uneventful. Keith spent a couple hours working out a new battle tactic with Shiro before finally escaping to go spend time with Lance.
Lance wasn’t in his room. Or in Keith’s room. He wasn’t with Hunk and Pidge. Coran and Allura said they hadn’t seen him.
Keith didn’t panic, Lance often disappeared for chunks of time, or wandered around the castle alone, or sat inside of Blue for ages crying to himself, and ok, so maybe Keith was freaking out a little.
He came to the observation deck. He could hear it before he even saw Lance.
If you love me let me go
If you love me let me go
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars
The fear of falling apart
And truth be told, I never was yours
The fear, the fear of falling apart
“Lance.”
“Hmm?”
Lance didn’t take his eyes off the large window look out into the vastness of space. Keith approached as he would an animal in a corner.
“What are you doing?”
Lance shrugged, still avoiding Keith’s eyes.
“It’s getting kind of late… come to bed?”
Lance just sat there. Keith sat next to him. He kept his eyes locked onto Lance as he reached across to the phone. He pulled up the song list and scrolled through until he found what he wanted.
When you’re weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all
I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Lance leaned into him and heaved a heavy sigh. Keith just held him for awhile.
…
“Mm Lance… not that I- mmf- don’t love… this,” Keith said between kisses. Lance rolled his hips down causing Keith to buck. “Fuck, ah, but, you don’t have to.”
Lance pulled back and looked at him like he’d just kicked his puppy.
“I mean, like, if you’re not feeling up to it, it’s ok.”
“Keith… I literally initiated this… can’t I just fool around with my boyfriend and it not be a thing?”
“What?”
“Ugh, you know what I mean…”
“…do I?”
Lance huffed and rolled off of him.
“Why are you even with me?”
“What?!”
“You’re so amazing, and I’m just- I just-” Lance started to cry.
“Hey, hey,” Keith frantically breathed out. He hovered over Lance, wiping away tears as quickly as they fell. “Shh, shh baby, hey, hey. Lance, I love you so much. I love you so much it freaks me out. You are everything I could ever have hoped to find in a person. You are the only part of this crazy life that we lead that makes sense to me. I would fight the entire Galra nation to be with you.”
Lance’s tears had slowed somewhat but he looked incredulously up at Keith. This boy had hung the moon. Keith cleared his throat.
“Boys workin’ on empty. Is that the kind'a way to face the burning heat? I just think about my baby. I’m so full of love I could barely eat. There’s nothing sweeter than my baby. I’d never want once from the cherry tree, ‘cause my baby’s sweet as can be, he give me toothaches just from kissin’ me.” Keith peppered kisses all over Lance’s face as he sang. Lance had never kissed him so fervently, Keith melted into him. So often their sex was hot and heavy and fast, but Keith slowly made love to Lance like he never had before.
…
Lance stood in front of blue. Keith wasn’t sure if he was present, he was so still, just staring blankly ahead. Keith took his hand. Lance seemed to refocus and looked down at their clasped hands.
They just stood there looking up at Blue for awhile. Lance’s stomach broke the silence. He looked down at it like it had offended him before looking towards Keith as if expecting him to drag him away to take care of him. And Keith planned to, but first-
“Oh no love! You’re not alone! You’re watching yourself but you’re too unfair. You got your head all tangled up but if I could only make you care.” Keith gently pulled Lance into him in a sort of haphazard dance as he slowly sang the lyrics he hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Oh no love! You’re not alone, no matter what or who you’ve been. No matter when or where you’ve seen. All the knives seem to lacerate your brain. I’ve had my share, I’ll help you with the pain. You’re not alone.” Keith gently turned them in circles. “Just turn on with me and you’re not alone. Let’s turn on with me and you’re not alone. Let’s turn on and be not alone. Gimme your hands cause you’re wonderful. Gimme your hands cause you’re wonderful. Oh gimme your hands.”
He kissed Lance’s palms as they came to a stop.
Lance threw his arms around him, the hug bone crushing, but Keith would endure that and a million times worse for Lance.
…
A couple of days and many cheesy lyrics later, and Keith found himself waking up to Lance humming in the bathroom as he got ready for the day. Keith quietly padded in and felt warmth spread through his chest as Lance danced around the small room, swishing Altean mouth wash. Lance spit and smiled brightly at Keith in the mirror.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he sing songed.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Lance turned 20 shades of red.
“Oh, can dish it out but can’t take it, huh?” Keith laughed stepping into the bathroom to be in Lance’s space.
“Absolutely not,” Lance laughed. The kissed against the counter for a moment or two, until Lance made a face. “Gross, brush your teeth.”
He planted one last kiss on Keith before shedding his clothes and stepping into the Altean equivalent of a shower. Keith laughed, but did as told.
“So….” Lance could be heard over the spray. “You called me Baby the other night…”
“Yeah…?”
“Are you planning on using that… like regularly?”
Keith spit into the sink and turned towards the shower, crossing his arms.
“Why? Too much?”
“No! No…. its fine…”
Keith smirked to himself. “Yeah?”
“I mean, if you want…”
Keith nodded, removing his clothes and digging out an extra towel for himself. He ignored the surprised yelp from Lance as he stepped in behind him. He manhandled him around until Lance was in the perfect spot for Keith to gently wash his hair.
“Let me be the one who calls you baby all the time. Surely you can take some comfort knowing that you’re mine. Just hold me tight, lay by my side, and let me be the one who calls you baby all the time.”
*******
Songs
Eye of the Needle
Out of My Head
This Is Gospel
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Work Song
Rock N Roll Suicide
Smother Me
[Day 7]
joinmeinthishell
cadrilovesklance
ciphersiren
thespace-dragon
philsterman01
illmamnim
ruinedchildhood