Chapter Text
Keith wasn't going to go to the party, initially. It was only when Lance had walked into his room with a suit and tie in hand that he realized he didn't have much of a choice.
They were at a planet that reminded them much of Earth. The people were humanoid, fairly human-looking, save for an extra eye here or there. The culture was very much the same, and the Voltron members had been invited to the ruler's son's birthday party. Apparently, it was quite the rage each year.
Once Keith was done dressing himself, he stepped out of his bathroom, and Lance rose from the bed with a low whistle. "Keith, buddy, you clean up nice."
Keith swallowed. "Thanks, you too."
Lance was wearing a blue button down tucked loosely into black dress pants complete with an undone bowtie. His hair was sticking up more than usual, and if Keith had to guess, Lance had probably staged the disheveled look.
Keith was wearing a black button down that he'd tucked in neatly to his red pants, complete with a black belt. Lance continued to look him up and down, and Keith felt like he was under a microscope.
"You look like you're heading to work in an hour, though," Lance murmured disapprovingly. "I mean, this party has probably got some pretty hot girls-or guys. Let's rough you up a little."
It wasn't that Keith had told Lance he was gay, exactly. He figured from the way he looked Lance could probably tell. Hunk, however, had come out as pan two months before. Ever since, Keith noticed Lance's language becoming more inclusive. Lance stepped forward and unbuttoned the top two buttons of Keith's shirt.
For a moment, Kieth's mind ran with this scene a million different ways-Lance pressing him up against the wall, unbuttoning his shirt while placing small kissing down his jaw. Lance giggling into his neck, unbuttoning his shirt as they stumbled into their hotel room. Lance unbuttoning his shirt, Lance, Lance, Lance.
Lance stood back and nodded, seemingly proud of his work. "Just the right amount of chest showing."
"Thanks," Keith replied sarcastically. "I needed that."
"Keith, man, loosen up!" Lance groaned. "Unclench your mullet and have fun! Fun? F-u-n?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Keith said, shoving Lance lightly as he walked past him out of his room. "Let's get those over with."
The room was huge. It was more of a warehouse, actually, filled to the rim with color flashing lights and bouncing people.
It felt as he he lost Lance as soon as he stepped foot into the party. He was instantly swarmed by girls, giggling and pulling him away before he could get a word in to Keith. He swallowed, and pushed his way through the crowd, finding Hunk and Pidge on the other side of the room. "Keith!" Hunk called. He was wearing a simple yellow dress shirt with brown pants. Pidge had graced the people of this party with her usual shirt and pants. "Did Lance come with you?"
"Yeah," Keith yelled back, taking a seat. the music echoed in his ears. "He got uh...a bit occupied."
"I'm sure that's doing wonders for his ego," Pidge dead panned. "Whatever, he'll be back, hopefully."
"Hopefully?" Hunk asked.
"More like unfortunately," Pidge amended.
The hours flew by. Keith had caught a glance or two of the blue paladin before his head disappeared back into the crowd. It had been around three hours of dancing and presenting to like talking to people and dear god, more dancing when he finally felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Lance, his hair even messier and his shirt mysteriously unbuttoned where his defined chest ended. "Hey, Keith!" He yelled. He had one of his stupid smiled plastered on his face.
"Lance!" Keith yelled back, smiling in response. "Where the hell have you been?"
"here and there!"
"Was that her name?"
Lance let out a hearty laugh. "I couldn't tell you. Quiznak, I need a break. Come with me?" He asked.
Keith was ready to say no when he saw the pleading in Lance's eyes. "Yeah," He replied plainly. "I need one too."
The second they were outside, Lance became a different person. He charged ahead of Keith, walking until he came to the foot of a tree like structure coming out of the ground. He sat at the base and sank down until his was fully limp against it.
Keith jogged to catch up to him. He examined the lines of Lance's face, reading every furrow, every glance. "Tell me," He prompted.
"I don't know, I just-" Lance tilted his head up against the "tree", his eyes pointed towards the sky. "I've never..."
Keith said down text to him, not too close, just enough room that Pidge could fit between them if she were there. "Yeah?" Keith asked.
"I've never kissed anyone before."
Keith furrowed his brow. though he felt the need to make a joke that well, duh, look at his personality, he kept his mouth shut. Lance was incredibly attractive, funny, kind, a little mouthy at times, but he made up for it with everything else. Keith wouldn't have been surprised if he'd had multiple partners before the space fiasco. "Okay," Keith replied. Lance shot a look at him before continuing.
"One of the girls in there was starting to get kind of...handsy."
"I can see that," Keith said, bringing to mind the hair and the buttons.
"And she started leaning in, and I-I got scared! How stupid is that?"
"Lance, there's nothing wrong with being nervous for your first kiss," Keith supplied. "It's normal."
Lance groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Yeah, but me? really? I've been waiting for this my whole life! There were some girls, back home, but them Voltron and...I missed my chance. I'm turning 18 in a month and I've never even-I've never even kissed someone."
Keith studied Lance's face, which was gazing straight ahead of him, not bothered by the staring.
"Have you?"
"What?"
"Have you ever kissed anyone?"
Keith sighed. "Yeah. Once." Lance's head snapped towards him. "Gwen Pali," Keith said with a shrug. "When I was still in the garrison."
"Gwen Pali?! No way! She was a total hottie! How did that happen," Lance said, fully captivated.
"Oh, it was awesome. We were at one of Toni's ragers-you remember Toni-and we both ran for the punch. We ran into each other. Our faces smashed together. She got a concussion and I got a slap from one of her friends."
Lance let out a laugh. "You had me going there for a second. Gwen Pali, man."
Keith thought for a moment. "But I think about it a lot," He offered. "What it would be like. Who it would be, where, when, what I would be feeling. I don't want it to be someone from another nameless planet at a party. I want it to be someone I really know, if that makes sense."
"And she'd be a lucky girl," Lance replied. Keith almost let out a laugh.
"Lance," He said.
"What?"
"She really wouldn't be."
"Aw, man, don't say that, you're-" He started.
"Gay," Keith finished.
"Gay?"
"Yeah."
"Gay."
"Incredibly."
Lance paused for a moment. considered. "Huh."
This time, Keith did laugh. "Come on, Lance, I mean, look at me!" He gestured vaguely at himself. "Am I really the kind of guy you can see settling down with a girl?"
Lance laughed and shook his head. "Thanks for telling me, by the way."
"Oh," Keith murmured. "Yeah, thanks."
"I've thought about it too," Lance continued. It took Keith a moment to remember their conversation. "I guess I always thought it was going to be some nameless girl from a nameless planet." He swallowed. "Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if this war is going to kill me before I have my first kiss."
Keith opened his mouth. Don't say it, don't say it-
"Sometimes I think about just getting it over with, you know? To hell with romance. Just to ask someone I trust if they'd do me a solid so I can stop worrying about it all the time." Lance tilted his head. "But, I mean, it's not that Pidge would ever do that for me. Not that I'd really want her to. It would feel like kissing my own sister. And Allura-well, I just don't know her well enough. And I respect her too much for that."
Don't say it.
"I wouldn't mind," Keith blurted. Nice one, Keith. "I mean, if I weren't a guy," He said quickly.
"W-" Lance started. He turned his face away, then turned it back. "I-Ugh, there's no easy way to say it is there?" He groaned. He turned, facing Keith fully this time. "Keith. Mullet. Samarai. Annoyance of the universe. Will you do me a solid and kiss me?"
Keith sat for a moment, his jaw hanging open.
"I mean," Lance stammered quickly. "I trust you. I trust you not to tell anyone. I trust you to make fun of me, since you kind of know what it feels like. You can say no," He added. "By all means. Or don't. Just bros doing solids for other bros."
"Okay," Keith said, before he could stop himself. Lance looked up in surprise.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
Hesitantly, Keith placed his hand on Lance's neck, his fingers brushing the hair that started to grow there. Lance swallowed before leaning into the touch. Oh god, this is going to mess me up in ways I can't even imagine. And yet he glanced down at Lance's lips, and the only thought remaining in his head was that this was taking too long.
Keith tilted his head slightly, his breath ghosting on Lance's lips. He hesitated for one more second, giving Lance a final chance to back out. Lance nodded. Keith leaned in.
He pressed his lips to Lance's for no longer than two quick seconds before releasing the kiss and hovering over his lips. Lance's hand reached up to wrap his fingers around the wrist of the hand Keith was holding his face with, tugging him lightly back in. He placed another quick kiss, then another, and another, all with no less than five seconds in between. If they crossed this line wrong, nothing would ever be the same.
Lance leaned forward this time, surprising Keith, and mashing their lips together. With new energy, his lips moved around Keith's causing him to gasp against him and nearly stumble back. Despite this, Keith kept the kiss going, moving his other hand to grab Lance's shirt. Lances hand found the bare skin of his collarbone, sending electricity shooting up to Keiths brain, and it was all Lance, Lance's lips, Lance's breaths, Lance's hands, his face, his-
Lance broke away and rested his forehead against Keiths for only a moment before pulling away. Keith let out a shaky breath, his lips and hands feeling empty.
"Thanks," Lance whispered after a moment. "Thanks, Keith."
Keith nodded, his voice unwilling to cooperate. "Was it..." He started.
"Yeah," Lance said with a small dry chuckle. "Yeah, that was, uh, definitely adequate." He paused for a moment, considering. "I'm sorry for pushing you into that."
"No, you didn't," Keith said quickly. "If I minded I wouldn't have offered."
"Good, good," Lance said, nodding. "Really though, thanks. I needed that."
Keith breathed. "Me too," He murmured.