Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh my god, it’s finally here!” Lance exclaimed excitedly as he stopped in his tracks and began jumping up and down. Pidge was walking beside him and rolled their eyes at Lance’s giddy excitement, trying to keep a warm smile from their face.

It was October 1st, and the local cafe, “The Five Lions", had a big sign planted on the sidewalk, with fall-themed art surrounding the big text; Pumpkin spice is back in town!

“I’m sure you’ve religiously stalked their Instagram page and lured me to go on an “early autumn themed walk in the slight breeze surrounded by falling leaves” - as you so poetically texted me - so we could accidently walk past The Five Lions." Pidge explained, while Lance theatrically inspected his nails, before he even more dramatically moved his hand over his chest in a show of offence.

“How dare you accuse me of such trickery?” Lance's shocked voice was almost convincing, if it wasn’t for the giant smirk he couldn't keep down.

Pidge simply sighed while they let themself be dragged into the cafe. Once inside, they left Lance to order while they snagged a spot. This place was bound to be filled with fall obsessed girls any minute now, with their thick scarfs and knee high boots, even though it was still 15 degrees celsius outside.

Lance walked up to the counter, waiting in line behind one other person. He knew Pidge's order - a caramel latte, extra espresso shot - and he himself would finally get to indulge in his favorite seasonal beverage.

The person before him finished paying for their order and stepped to the side. That’s when Lance saw him. A black haired angel. The barista behind the counter was picking up the coins the previous customer had paid with, pushing coin after coin into his palm. 

Lance couldn't help himself, he stared so intensely at the other man that he felt his eyes widen. His eyes tracked upwards from the barista's hands towards his chest, hiding behind a black apron and a red t-shirt. What wasn't hiding behind any piece of fabric, however, were his biceps. They filled out the short sleeves of the red shirt stunningly well, like it was tailored to him specifically, highlighting the toned muscle stretching underneath his pale skin. 

Lance’s eyes finally traveled to study his face more closely, having only noticed the black locks cut into a mullet at first sight. His furrowed brows were the same shade as his hair, with a piercing through his left one. His angular nose suited the shape of his face, but Lance got stuck on his lips, with his tongue sticking just so slightly out in concentration as he hurriedly picked up all of the coins. Their fullness left Lance breathless and immovable for a second, (or perhaps a few seconds), long enough for the barista to wave a hand in front of his face to snap him back to reality.

“What can I get you today?” The barista asked with a neutral but tired voice, waiting for Lance's order with a straight smile on his face. Lance opened his mouth to speak, but found himself scrambling to form any type of words.

“Ahem, uh, Keith!” Lance finally managed to stutter out, as he’d been looking around to find something to ground himself, he took notice of the name badge the barista was wearing. He had not meant to say it out loud though.

The barista - Keith - looked confused for a second, before evidently remembering his name badge, judging by how his expression returned to the awkward customer service smile. Lance continued staring for another second before using all of his energy to focus.

“That’s a beautiful name!” Was what Lance decided was the natural thing to say to the barista taking his order. He noticed Keith's brows furrowing a bit in confusion before he let out a small, dry chuckle. 

“Oh, thanks.” Keith replied while scratching the back of his head, effectively ruffling the black hair at the top, which made them look even softer than before. 

Lance let out a small laugh with him, licking his lips as he looked slightly down at the shorter man. He couldn't be more than five centimeters taller, but still.

“Soo, I guess I should order and not just stand here talking all day.” Lance said jokingly, as Keith moved the hand from his hair to the Ipad mounted on the counter, while biting his lip. Lance had to bite down on his own bottom lip to be able to focus on actually ordering, and not staring at Keith’s beautiful lips all day.

“I’ll start with a caramel latte, with an extra shot of espresso.” he began, while Keith nodded along as he pressed the Ipad to register the order. “And then... I’ll have a pumpkin spice latte, with extra marshmallows on top, please!” Lance ended his order with a cheerful smile, but that smile was definitely not returned to him by the barista. Keith looked at him with a deadpan stare. His glaring eyes could only be described as the feeling of being disappointed, but unfortunately not surprised.

At this point, Lance panicked. He didn't know what overcame him, but he had a strong feeling of not wanting to disappoint the cool barista, with his eyebrow piercing and big biceps.

“Hah, just kidding! I just want a- uhm, regular old coffee.” As he began his lie, he saw Keith noticeably exhaling and his shoulders relaxing. That’s when Lance knew he had to fully commit - why not try to get on his good side - since he’d already begun.

“Those white girl, pumpkin spice lattes, annoy me!” Lance continued while laughing, trying to sell his lie as best as he could. 

“I’m in love.” Keith joked back, but Lance's heart skipped a bit, as if the barista actually meant it. Lance smiled even wider to conceal his nervousness. “Name?” Keith asked with a small smile.

Lance tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear - he really needed to get a haircut - and fluttered his eyelashes at Keith. He was cute, and Lance was not afraid to shoot his shot. Especially not now, after abstaining from his favorite seasonal beverage in order to impress Keith. He licked his lips while putting on a slightly sultry expression, before giving the barista his answer.

“Señor Awesome." And with a wink, Lance effectively made Keith's eyes widen, as he stared at him in disbelief. 

Keith opened his mouth, but no words escaped. Lance kept his flirty smirk while waiting for the other man to regain his composure. The red flush rising to Keith's neck made Lance sure he made him flustered with his spectacular moves. Keith's adams apple moved up and down, before he simply turned the Ipad around without speaking, giving Lance the option to pay.

Lance tapped his card and paid for the two drinks, and Keith handed him a paper receipt, his dark eyes still not meeting Lance's light ones. Lance grabbed the receipt from him, their fingers touching ever so slightly, a touch neither would’ve noticed if it weren't for the heightened tension between them. 

With a dry cough, Keith told him his order would be ready in about five minutes, still not meeting Lance's gaze. Lance wanted to say something more, to lighten the mood, but Keith's back was turned before he had time to part his lips. He watched the barista pull out two paper cups and prepare the drinks, as he started his walk of shame towards Pidge.

“Dude, you good?” Pidge asked as Lance - with dragging feet and a giant frown on his face - was clearly distraught. 

“I think I embarrassed myself while flirting with the barista…” Lance confessed and slumped into the sofa Pidge had saved for them. 

“Oh Lance…” 

The two friends waited, with the sound of coffee grinders and various chatter, before a familiar voice called out a very unique name.

“Señor… awesome?” A cringing Keith called out the name Lance had so stupidly given him. Pidge turned their head fully towards the esteemed ‘Señor awesome’, with wide eyes and a mouth left agape in pure shock. Lance let out a big sigh before getting up to get their drinks.

Within a time span of five minutes, Lance began his second walk of shame. After staring at his feet, Lance looked up as he grabbed his and Pidge’s hot beverages from the counter and saw Keith glancing at him from the corner of his eyes. As soon as the barista got caught, he turned his head to stare right down at the counter he was cleaning. 

Lance was just about to turn around and walk back to Pidge, as he felt a sudden spark of adrenaline fill him up. He already embarrassed himself, so why not give it one last shot? With a guy this handsome right in front of him, Lance couldn’t possibly give up now.

“Keith!” He called out for the second time that day, a name he had never once said before, but it was already beginning to feel like it belonged on his tongue. 

The barista turned to him with a shy look, like he had been the one who embarrassed himself earlier.

“Could I get your… number?” Lance forced the last word out of his mouth, the adrenaline giving him the last push he needed. 

The worst thing that could happen is that Keith says no, Lance thought. And he’d already made a fool of himself, so it’s not like he could make it worse by asking for the guy's number, right?

“Oh.” Keith said, eyes widened and eyebrows raised, while meeting Lance's face head on. A few quiet seconds passed between them, both staring at the other, before Lance couldn't stand the tension any longer.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry, that’s not appropriate. Again, so sorr-” Lance's rambling got interrupted by Keith stepping forward towards the blabbering customer.

“It’s okay, I- I can write it down on your cup?” Keith asked, looking at the nervous man in front of him with an unsure and awkward expression.

Lance stood frozen with his mouth open for just a second, before he sprung to action. He set down Pidge's drink on a table behind him - the couple seated there confused by the sudden intrusion - and placed his own back on the counter where he’d taken it from, right in front of Keith. 

He stood in silence as he watched Keith write down his number with a black sharpie, right underneath “Señor Awesome”. Lance forced himself not to cringe at the sight of that name.

Keith handed Lance his cup of black coffee, and looked at Lance like he was searching for something. Although Lance was happy that everything had worked out in his favour - well, except for the lack of pumpkin spice in his drink - he also wanted to jump in the nearest river from the sheer amount of nerves flowing through his whole body. 

“I’ll see you around, Keith!” Lance finished with a wink, and turned to grab Pidge's drink from behind him. He sat down on the sofa once again, placed so that their backs were towards the barista's working area. With a big sigh, Lance took a sip of his drink, but immediately grimaced at the bitter taste.

“Did the barista put something in your drink?” Pidge asked, their face painted with confusion and slight concern, Lance loves pumpkin spice latte… 

“Nothing inside my drink. On the outside, though.” Lance said with a smirk, has he spun the paper cup in his hands to show off the number written down. 

Pidge raised their eyebrows in surprise, but then began nodding slowly in approval. “Wow, I'm actually impressed. You managed to get his number after asking him to call you ‘Señor Awesome’? Either you're really smooth, or he’s just as dorky as you.”

“I’m not dorky! Besides, I'm not the one wearing a t-shirt with an alien cat!” Lance shot back. Neither of them could contain their laughter, as Lance leant his head down on the sofa's back cushion, with Pidge kicking his leg gently.

…

Later that night, after taking a cold shower to try and reset his nervous system, Lance was ready to text Keith. 

Well, almost.

Sharpshooter: Pidge!!! 

Sharpshooter: where are you in my time of need…

Pigeon: what!?!??!?!

Sharpshooter: what do I text him :3

Pigeon: …

Sharpshooter: heeeeeeeeeeeeelp

Pigeon: just do what u usually do?

Sharpshooter: but i dont want to embarrass myself again..

Pigeon: i honestly dont think thats even possible

Pigeon: besides, he already gave u his number, so its really on him now. he knows what he got himself in to when he gave his number to “señor awesome”

Sharpshooter: ughhhh dont remind me

Sharpshooter: FINE

Sharpshooter: i’ll use my immaculate skills then, but i’ll blame YOU if he blocks me

Pigeon: -_-

Lance took his giant mug out of his cabinet to prepare some hot chocolate. It’s the least he could treat himself with after missing out on the premier day of pumpkin spice latte season. 

Milk, cacao powder, sugar, whipped cream, mini marshmallows, cinnamon and cardamon. Lance prepared by putting all of the ingredients he needed on the counter. But before he measured the milk to pour in the pot, he took his phone from his pockets and stared at the saved number there. 

His bottom lip was between his teeth, nervously chewing while thinking of what the first message he sends should be. 

Lance: (Draft) heyyyy :)

Lance: (Draft) hiiii keith, it’s lance from the five lions :3

Lance: (Draft) hey keith, señor awesome is ready for another drink ;)

“Ugh!” Lance groaned in annoyance. This wasn't his first time texting someone whose number he’d asked for, and he never overthinks as much as he’s doing now. Lance stared accusingly at his phone, he had thrown it on the counter, but the mere presence of it in his line of sight made him even more nervous.

A sudden ping made Lance’s heart skip a beat and he hurriedly picked his phone back up. The light from the screen glowed gently on his face, displaying a message from Pidge asking him how it's going. Lance sighed and shook his head to himself, standing there alone in the kitchen of his loft. 

Ignoring his friend's message, Lance took a deep breath and returned to create a message between him and Keith. 

Lance: (Draft) Hey Keith! It’s Lance, from earlier today at The Five Lions :) 

Inhale…

Exhale…

*Sent* 

Lance slammed his phone - screen down - on the counter. One of Lance's hands automatically moved to cover his mouth. He dragged the hand down over his chin harshly and grunted loudly, trying to let out the nerves. His lips pressed together as he tried to stop his overthinking. This really shouldn't be so hard.

“Okay, okay. No big deal, just, a casual message.” Lance whispered out loud to himself, into the silence of the night. He hurriedly picked up the carton of milk to begin making his beverage. If he’s going to wait for a reply, he can't just sit around and stare at his phone, or else he’d go crazy. 

He moved through the kitchen with ease, putting each ingredient back as he went. While stirring the milk filled pot on the stove, mixing the cacao and sugar into the liquid, he heard another ping. Lance didn’t dare to pick up his phone to check who texted him. 

“Its probably just Pidge again.” He told himself, and continued stirring while staring intensely at the swirls of milk, cacao and sugar. 

Lance finished his drink, spraying whipped cream on top, so much that it almost spilled over the edge of his mug. He placed three mini marshmallows on the whipped cream, and then sprinkled cinnamon and cardamon on top. The hot chocolate filled cup felt warm between his hands, but the whipped cream kept him from burning himself. 

He took the mug - and the unchecked phone - to the couch and placed the drink on the coffee table. Another ping escaped the phone, which Lance was still holding upside down. One of them was surely from Keith, right?

With another deep breath, Lance turned the phone around and read the two notifications.

Keith: do you mean señor awesome? :) 

Pigeon: Lance????

Lance couldn’t keep his smile down as he read Keith's message. The weight in his chest disappeared in small flutters, the butterflies escaping through his wide grin. 

He forced his smile away by pressing his lips together, and shook his head as he responded.

Lance: oh you just had to remind me of that

Keith read his message in a matter of three seconds and responded just as quickly.

Keith: well, thats the name you gave me. how do i know if your real name is señor awesome or Lance? 

Keith: there’s simply no way of knowing

Lance: wow

Lance: so you’re cute, funny, AND make delicious coffee

Lance: now i’m the one who’s in love lol

A minute went by with Lance’s message being left on read, and he began to wonder if he moved too fast. Just as he was about to apologise, Keith finally responded.

Keith: I’m glad you liked the coffee :) 

Keith: I hope your friend did too

Lance: Pidge is a SUCKER for caramel lattes, so it’s hard to get it wrong

Lance: but yes, they did enjoy it!!

Lance: btw, are you new at the job? 

Lance: not that it’s noticeable or anything

Lance: like

Lance: i obviously LOVED the coffee and your barista skills are unmatched

Lance: i just asked because i havent seen you there before

Keith: no worries, i understand what you mean

Keith: I actually just moved to this city, but I worked as a barista in my hometown too

Lance: Ooo nice!

Lance: How are you liking the city? :) 

Keith: so far, so good. but god, it’s noticeable how big this place is

Lance: how so?

Keith: the amount of people actually ordering pumpkin spice lattes today, sickens me

Keith: you were like the fifth one in the span of fifteen minutes, thats why i almost crashed out lol

Lance: right lol

Lance: well, you crashing out would’ve been a memorable impression

Keith: not as good as señor awesome tho

Lance: ha ha 

Lance: btw, why dont you like the pumpkin spice latte? does it taste weird or something?

Keith: its just the overhype of the whole “fall aesthetic" thing

Keith: like, can we just enjoy things, without letting capitalism overexaggerate everything

Keith: sorry lol, i just had to vent

Lance: i get it lol, capitalism sucks :3

Lance: so, you like the drink, just not the overexaggerating part?

Keith: i havent tried it tbh

Lance: ohh okay

Lance's mouth fell open. Here this guy was, judging him for wanting a seasonal drink. Meanwhile he’s oblivious to the wonderful taste of a pumpkin spice latte, while a cold breeze gently flows past you, a warm cup between your gloved hands, watching the fiery orange and crispy, browned leaves gather on the sidewalk. It was quite frankly insulting, Lance decided, as an all-things-autumn connoisseur. 

Ping.

Lance looked down at his phone again and saw the new message from Keith.

Keith: So, got any plans for this upcoming week?

Now was his time to strike, Lance realised. He, Pidge and Allura were planning to go apple picking next week, and Allura said to invite more people to come. That's a perfect, casual first date, as Keith can bring a friend too. 

Lance: actually, me and my friends were going to pick some apples next week

Lance: it would be super fun if you wanted to come with!!

Lance: and feel free to bring a friend too, the more the merrier :) 

Another minute passed of Lance being left on read. He sipped his hot chocolate, getting whipped cream on his nose. He swiped it off with his thumb and sucked it off, as Keith responded again.

Keith: that sounds fun, i’ll bring my friend Hunk. he loves baking and has been forcing me to pick apples with him some day anyways

Lance: great!! i’ll text you the deets once i know more 

Lance: i look forward to seeing you :) 

Keith: me too :) 

Chapter Text

The day has come, Pidge and Allura were waiting in Lance’s apartment for him to get ready to leave - they were already a few minutes late - but he kept on redoing his hair. 

“Why won’t it work!” Lance complained from inside his bathroom, Pidge and Allura gave each other a knowing look.

“As we said before Lance, it’s pretty windy outside, not even a whole tub of gel will save you.” Allura repeated, while Pidge nodded along in agreement. 

His friends heard a loud sigh and a door slamming shut, before Lance came out of the bathroom, his defeat after fighting with his hair showing on his face. Lance took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, his hands moving up and down with his breathing.

“Sorry, guys. I’m just extremely nervous.”

“Lance, you’ve literally gone on numerous dates. Why are you so nervous about this one?” Asked Pidge, trying to figure out where their friends' explosion of emotions was stemming from.

“He obviously reallyyy likes Keith.” Allura began, shooting Pidge a small smirk (who rolled their eyes in response). Allura turned to Lance as she continued; “It’s completely normal to be nervous Lance, just try to have a bit of fun. He’s probably just as nervous as you!”

“He’s too cool to be nervous.” Lance sighed and began putting on his jacket. There was no use in procrastinating anymore, his hair would just have to be a mess and hopefully Keith would accept that.

As soon as they stepped out, the wind hit them like a wave and Lance groaned loudly in annoyance. The whole five minutes it took for them to reach Lance’s car, he kept his hands and arms over his head, trying to shield his hair as much as possible. 

…

Ping

Keith: there in 5

A sharp intake of breath is the only response Lance had to Keith's message as he left him on read. 

“They’ll be here soon.” Lance let his friends know, and they smiled excitedly at him.

“It’s going to go great, Lance! Let’s find where they keep the baskets for the apples and grab two for Keith and his friend.” Allura assured Lance as she rubbed his back.

“By the way, what was his friend's name?” Pidge asked, as they looked around at their surroundings, gaze finally sticking on the small red house where a dozen or so people were gathered. 

“It’s Hunk, apparently he loves cooking and baking, so he wanted a bunch of apples for fall. Oh, and he’s studying at our school, Pidge, not sure what he’s majoring in though.” 

They all continued towards the gathering of people by the little red cabin. A giant tree, double the size of the building, grew behind it. A majority of the leaves were still remaining on the branches, but their colors suggest they would drop any day now. Big patches of yellow, brown and orange flow with the current of the wind, only a few of the leaves had still managed to keep their green color.

As they reached the group of people outside the cabin, all dressed in autumn colors - the darkest shades of plum, wine red, dark oak brown and hints of black, grey and white - Lance and his friends were astonished by the decorations. 

The family who lived here had fully managed to capture the autumn feeling. There are no halloween decorations, as most people would consider the second week of October to be too early for such themes. There were baskets with small pumpkins resting on a bed of hay, placed on the porch and along the staircase leading to the front door. The smell reminded Lance of his family’s farm, but the bittersweet nostalgia was welcomed. 

The friend group began complementing the exterior for some minutes, as more and more people scattered out to the lines of apple trees, where they were conveniently shielded from the wind. 

“Lance?” The sudden call of his name made Lance turn around and there he stood, face to face with Keith, once again.

Lance couldn't help but take a second to ogle Keith, out of his work uniform and instead wearing a pair of baggy, dark grey jeans being held up by a thin black belt, with a row of silver rings covering the length. The simple long sleeved black shirt suited him perfectly, not too tight, but tight enough for Lance to take notice of what must be some muscular shoulders underneath.

“Hey Keith!” Lance greeted excitedly, a big smile grew as he took long steps towards the slightly shorter man. He went in for a hug - Lance had always been a hugger - and felt the fabric of Keith's dark red beanie against his neck. As he let go, Lance let his hand linger slightly on Keith's shoulder.

“Uhm, so this is Hunk.” Keith sputtered out, appearing flustered. He gestured towards his friend, a tall, broad man with a yellow bandana around his head.

“Oh yeah, introductions!” Lance said, and turned around to gesture to his friends to come forward a bit. “Everyone, this is Keith and his friend Hunk.” He began, and gestured to each man as he said their names.

“Keith and Hunk, this is Allura and this is Pidge.” Lance said as he ruffled each of their hair.

“Hey, don’t ruin our hair after making such a fuss about yours this morning!” Pidge complained as they pushed Lance’s arm off.

“Yeah, yeah.” He dismissed his friend's complaints. Keith brought his hands to his mouth to cover his slight chuckle, causing Lance to notice his black, fingerless gloves. 

“Well, shall we?” Allura asked the group as she smoothed down the frizz Lance created in her white, curly hair. Everyone made sounds of agreement and they went to grab the baskets Pidge found earlier. 

…

Pidge and Hunk had hit it off almost immediately as everyone began their search for the perfect apples, and separated from the group as they claimed they had spotted “a gold mine”. This left Lance, Keith and Allura to walk along one of the many lines of apple trees, looking left and right to find the perfect ones.

Lance set his basket down to readjust his dark red scarf, beginning to get hot as he reached for all the apples on the top of the trees. He picked it back up and noticed Keith and Allura joyfully talking amongst themselves. Lance couldn’t help but smile in appreciation, it felt good to see Keith getting along with his friends. 

They had texted so much the previous week, it felt as if Lance knew Keith so well already. He knew there was still so much he didn't know, but what he had learned about his black haired angel already made him so happy.

He knew where Keith had grown up, about his parents who had passed away at an early age and about his older brother Shiro - who was currently living abroad - a person Keith clearly looked up to a lot. It felt good to Lance that both of them had a strong connection to their families, even if there was a big difference in the number of people included in them. 

Either way, almost everything he had learned about Keith so far made Lance even more excited to get to know him even deeper. There was one issue, however; the fall thing.

Lance had yet to admit he had perhaps twisted the truth during their first encounter, and he was not exactly sure of how to break the news of him loving the fall aesthetic, the ‘basic white girl autumn’, hell, even the capitalistic advertisement of everything that has to do with this season!

He’d just have to mention it once it comes up naturally… 

Lance snapped out of his overthinking as he began craving a steaming hot pumpkin spice latte a bit too much. He noticed Keith trying to reach for an apple a bit high up on one of the trees. Allura was too occupied with a patch of perfect apples she had found on another tree, so she didn't notice Keith's struggle. Being that they were the same height, though, it wasn’t like she’d be much help.

Lance sneakily walked up to Keith's side, reached up and grabbed the apple from the branch. He prayed Keith didn't notice he had to get on his tippy toes to actually reach it.

Keith looked at Lance's face, then down to the apple Lance held between them. 

“No need to thank me, just doing my duty as a tall person.” Lance teased and nudged Keith's hand with the apple, but Keith still didn't take it. 

“Hah, we’re basically the same height. You just stood in a better spot.” Keith explained, and put on an expression of indifference to Lance's obvious attempt at impressing him. 

“Uh, no no no, no way!” Lance began as Keith turned his back and began walking ahead of him. Lance jogged up to Keith's side and walked with him. “There’s no way you could’ve reached that, even if you stood where I did!”

“Guess we’ll never know, huh?” 

“I’ll drag you back there right now just to prove you wrong.”

“You could try, you might be taller but I'm definitely stronger than you, so good luck.” Keith glanced mischievously at Lance, who tried to sputter out a comeback without success. 

They walked without talking for a bit, it wasn't awkward though. Lance was still trying to think of a good comeback, and Keith clearly enjoyed his apparent win. Lance was too much in his head to notice Keith's gentle smile as they took small, slow steps in the tall grass.

Finally, Lance placed his hand over Keith's chest to stop him in his tracks. Keith glanced down and saw the apple still in Lance’s grip. He turned his head toward the taller man and Lance met his gaze with a warm smile.

“Please, allow me to be a gentleman and accept the apple from me.” Lance said with a happy glint in his eyes and slight pleading seeping through his voice.

Keith returned his smile and grabbed the apple from Lance, both men feeling the sparks from the others fingertips. 

”Fine, but only because I pity you.” Keith responded as he stared straight ahead at Allura who had managed to get a bit ahead of them. 

Light blue eyes gazed adoringly at Keith, who unsuccessfully tried to hide a slight smile from Lance. All Keith succeeded in doing was making Lance fall for him harder than before.

…

The squad met up back at the cabin to pay for their apples. An elderly couple, who apparently owned the farm, took their cash and wished them a happy autumn. Hunk promised them he would come back with whatever he ended up making with the apples.

“This was so much fun! Keith, Hunk; you’re both so kind and I'm glad we got to meet!” Allura exclaimed happily as she rushed to their sides. Both men agreed and the three of them began talking amongst themselves. Lance watched from a few meters away, when he suddenly felt a presence stalking up behind him.

“So, how’d it go?” Pidge whispered behind Lance, right in his ear. Lance jerked back slightly and rolled his eyes. 

”Jesus, Pidge, stop doing that!” Lance whispered back forcefully, making Pidge’s smug look even worse.

With Pidge only looking at Lance, waiting for his response, he sighed and began his quick debrief. Pidge couldn’t help but snicker as Lance bragged about how Keith laughed at ‘like, all of his jokes’.

A few minutes passed when Keith suddenly poked Lance’s back to get his attention. He turned away from Pidge mid-sentence.

”So, we have to get going, but Allura invited us to her Halloween party in three weeks.” Keith said to Lance, who glanced quickly over Keith’s shoulder to see Allura giving him a thumbs up. 

He fought the urge to shoot Allura a knowing look and instead forced all of his attention back to Keith.

”That’s great! Allura’s parties are always awesome, so you won’t regret it if you come.” 

Keith smiled in response, and Lance couldn’t stop himself from smiling back. They stood there for a few seconds, just smiling, before they in the same instance sensed the tension slowly building between them. Both of their faces had a flush of red, which had not been caused by the cold wind.

”So-”

”I-”

Both tried to speak at the same time, but ended up only staring at the other, not knowing who should begin. Lance chuckled slightly and Keith mirrored his reaction. 

”What I wanted to say…” Lance tried again, with a bit more force to his voice. Keith nodded to indicate that his full attention was on Lance. ”...Is that I really had a great time today.” 

Keith’s smile grew even bigger for a mere second, before he schooled his expression back to a nonchalant one. It’s a bit ridiculous, but Lance couldn’t help but think how cute Keith looked when he did this.

”Me too, we should hangout again soon. Maybe- maybe just us this time?” Keith suggested, impressing Lance with how calm he was when asking. Lance nodded in excitement.

”I’d love that!”

Chapter Text

“Lance, are you really wearing Converse for a walk in the woods?” Keith asked as they both pulled back from the warmth of the hug Lance had initiated as soon as he got out of his car. They met up in the small parking spot just outside the forest, neither of them being able to hide their grins as they laid eyes on each other once again. Lance had texted Keith as soon as he got home from apple picking with him and their friends, and that same night, Keith invited him to go on a hiking date. 

Well, Keith hadn’t specified that it was a hiking date, but Lance could read between the lines. 

Keith was busy with shifts at The Five Lions the rest of last week, but Lance was fine with waiting until this week, since he had a lot of homework to catch up on for his biology course. It had been hard to focus, using more of his time to daydream about Keith in his perfect, tight shirts, or how they exposed a bit of his stomach when he had reached for those apples. It had been hard enough to keep those thoughts at bay when Lance had been with him, but when he was alone in his apartment, he could dream about his biceps and abs all day long… 

Except, when the forty-five minute timer he had set awoke him from his lust-induced trance, and instead of focusing on homework for that time, he had only focused on what Keith was hiding underneath all those clothes.

Now that they were finally in each other’s company again, Lance was too nerve-racked to focus on such dirty thoughts. Instead, he was excited to be able to talk more with Keith face-to-face. 

“Converse in the woods is no challenge for me, dear Keith. Have I told you about the time I walked four kilometers in my sister's heels after I had to get her home from a house party in the middle of nowhere?” Lance smirked as he watched Keith chuckle at his response, and then began his story as they began their hike.

…

They walked for an hour, before they reached a big pond. The perfect place to take a break, Keith decided after catching a glimpse of Lance’s damp converse. 

The leaves floating on the surface of the water swayed gently with the small waves caused by the wind. It wasn’t as windy as the day they went apple picking, but the temperature had dropped noticeably. Lance had the same red scarf on, but also brought his matching gloves. Keith wore the same beanie and fingerless gloves, and Lance couldn't fathom how his fingertips hadn’t fallen off yet. 

Lance had taken off his gloves when they sat down on the hard surface, and he immediately began blowing warm air on his hands as he rubbed them together. He was not built for these temperatures - and each fall he would daydream about the summers he spent in Cuba as a kid - even though he loved the season. 

Lance silently watched Keith take out two different bags of food and a big thermo steel bottle, along with a mug from the café. He perked a brow at the barista, who glanced back with a much too innocent look.

“They won’t miss one mug.” Keith mumbled, and Lance couldn't help but to smile, beaming with so much joy it was contagious. Keith’s smile was just as big as he put his backpack behind him on the blanket he had laid out for them on one of the bigger stones, just by the edge of the pond.

“Did you steal the food too?” Lance asked jokingly, but realised as he spoke that the possibility that Keith did wasn’t that small.

“As a matter of fact, I did not.” Keith began, and from one of the paper bags, he pulled out two cinnamon rolls without any frosting. “I bought these from the café.” 

Keith smirked as Lance rolled his eyes, still smiling like an idiot. Keith opened the second paperbag and revealed chocolate fudge.

“And this, Hunk baked for us.”

“Oh, did he?” Lance leaned forward and grabbed a piece of the homemade fudge, inspecting it for a bit too long. He made eye contact with Keith as he put his lips around the chocolate and took a small bite. A sound of pleasure escaped him and he closed his eyes. Hunk was really good at baking.

When Lance opened his eyes again, Keith was looking out over the pond, a hint of pink covering his cheeks. He was still holding the bag of chocolate fudge, his grip tight around the brown paper. Lance pressed his lips together, trying not to smile.

“I have to assume you made whatever drink you brought in the bottle.” Lance said, making Keith turn his head back towards Lance.

“Sure did, a perfectly brewed filter coffee!” Keith wasted no time when excitedly opening up the flask and pouring the coffee in the mug from the café for Lance. It did smell amazing, and Lance trusted in the barista’s skills. However, regret haunted him as he was reminded of his pitiful deception. 

Remembering that he was still avoiding the topic of fall and the commercialization of the season during all of his late night messages with Keith, had Lance feeling incredibly guilt ridden. 

He wanted to tell Keith the truth - his dirty, capitalistic secret - but, what would Keith think about him then? What if he would think Lance is too basic to date, with how cool and alternative Keith is, how could he want to be with some normie, happily stocking up on Trader Joe’s autumnal products each year. 

Or even worse, he could just think Lance was a pathetic liar, since he did lie. Sure, it wasn’t about anything inherently serious, but it seemed like Keith had strong opinions about the topic, and not positive ones at that.

Lance has been losing sleep over this for the past week. Ever since he realised how much he liked Keith, when they picked apples and had such a great day. He loved that Keith got along so well with Pidge and Allura, and Hunk was so warm and kind to all of them. It would suck if it all got ruined, because Lance couldn’t be honest with Keith.

If he just gave up his way of life, this issue would be solved. He could donate all of his fall decorations - the mini pumpkin figures placed around his home, the big pillow in the shape of a leaf resting on his bed every autumn - he could even give away his own pumpkin spice syrup he kept at home. 

Yeah, that would solve everything!

…

“Woah, this stone is perfect for stone skipping!” Lance exclaimed as he picked up an oval shaped stone, slightly thin with a flat surface. He threw the stone to Keith so he could inspect it, and he caught it perfectly with one hand.

He threw it up in the air two, three times, weighing it in his palm, before he faced the pond with slightly bent knees and threw it out. 

It ricocheted off the surface of the water three times, before sinking down among the fishes. A pair of ducks gave sounds of annoyance, being only a few meters away from where the stone reached. 

Lance was impressed, but he couldn't be that easy on Keith.

“I bet you I can skip stones better than that sad attempt.” Lance stated with a smirk, and Keith's mouth fell open in offence.

“Sad attempt? That was a solid stone skip!” Keith’s defensiveness only egged Lance on even more, and he began picking up perfect stones to throw. Keith got the hint and began his own search.

They decided they could compete with three stones each, and took their places at the edge of the water. Keith glanced over at Lance, scanning him with his eyes from top to bottom, and back up again. 

“Let’s make a bet…” Keith began, causing Lance to smirk, already coming up with mischievous plans. “...When I win, I get to decide your costume for Allura's halloween party.” 

“WHAT!” Lance yelled in shock, but covered his mouth with a hand the same second, surprised by his own sudden reaction. Keith just smiled innocently, and that’s when Lance realised.

“Allura told you, didn't she? About how I've won the costume competition for three years straight?” The smirk Lance saw growing on Keith’s face was all the confirmation he needed. 

“Then- then I'll make you shave your mullet, when I win!” The response had sounded funnier in Lance’s head, and both men looked at each other with widened eyes.

“How is that even remotely equa-” Keith got interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

“I don’t know, okay! Let's just start this thing so I can kick your ass. Maybe I'll have mercy on you and let you keep your hair.” Lance said as he determinedly turned towards the pond again. He actually really liked Keith's hair. The length in the back, with the voluminous bangs, and the longer strands falling just a bit over the tip of his ears, suited Keith perfectly. Lance had imagined running his hair through it so many times, so it would be in his own best interest to have mercy on Keith, but that doesn't mean he wouldn’t beat his ass in stone skipping!

…

Lance refused eye contact with Keith after his pathetic loss of 0-3. He pretended to search for a squirrel in the trees, as Keith stalked up behind him.

“Huh, I thought you were ‘the king of stone skipping’? Guess you’ve gotten a bit rusty.” Keith teased, Lance still refusing to meet his gaze. 

Keith circled him, stopping only when he faced Lance head on. Lance’s height was an advantage right now, as he could keep his stare right over Keith's head, even though the dark brown eyes were boring a hole in his own.

Keith took a step closer, forcing Lance to take a step back. They continued this routine, until Lance's back was flush against a tree, and he had nowhere to escape. He closed his eyes and gulped, before he gathered the courage to direct his eyes at Keith's. 

The smug look on that angelic face drove Lance insane. No one should be able to look that hot, he thought as he felt a warmth grow inside of him. Keith scanned his whole frame once again, studying Lance's exterior, and licked his bottom lip just slightly before their eyes met again.

“What to do with you?” Keith purred, the question sounding like nothing but a rhetorical one. 

The warmth in Lance’s chest immediately dropped, traveling dangerously low. 

“I-” Lance tried, but no words came out. He had no idea what he was trying to say, just trying to say something. It was like Keith commanded the tension between them, leaving Lance with nothing but a breathless chuckle. 

A big drop of water suddenly landed right on Keith’s forehead, and with it, another splash of a raindrop broke the tension. 

…

“Come on Lance, it’s not that bad!”

“You’re forcing me to be a ghost! A stupid, boring ghost?”

Keith's laughter made him unable to answer. Lance shook his head in disbelief and resorted to crossing his arms and putting on a big pout. But when he felt a hand on his shoulder, the overexaggerated expression fell immediately and was replaced with a soft, adoring look. 

The flutter of butterflies filled his chest, their tickles made him smile and eventually laugh along with Keith too. They were not laughing for the same reasons, not at all. 

Their moment of laughter was brought to a halt when the rain picked up speed and started soaking both of them. They had already packed up Keith's stuff and were slowly heading towards their cars, but if they held this pace, they’d soon be one with the pond.

“Come on, we gotta run!” Lance yelled at Keith through the loud rain. Keith was still so caught up in laughter, he could barely function. 

So, Lance made the executive decision to take Keith’s hand and pull him along as he forced them to pick up the pace.

The wind and water hit their faces as they ran, causing a bearable sting from the harsh raindrops. Lance led them back the way they came from, with Keith grasping his hand, both of them refusing to let go of the other.

Chapter Text

It was Monday, and Lance was already exhausted by this week's assignments. His professors seemed to forget that October is kind of a holiday for young people, and especially at the end of the month, where everyone will prioritize coming up with the perfect Halloween costume over turning in assignments on time. 

This has left Lance with two examinations at the end of this week, and a longer paper that was due on the 30th. 

He was already overwhelmed by the workload, and therefore forced Pidge (whose last class ended at the same time as Lance’s) to go shopping with him later. Pidge begrudgingly agreed, since they too needed to get supplies for their halloween costume. 

They met up by the circle of trees planted by their campus, most of the leaves covering the damp grass rather than flowing on the branches of the trees. A few lone leaves had managed to keep their grip still.  

“How are you going to manage winning the costume competition this year? There’s only so much you can do when you’re going as a ghost.” Pidge asked as they sipped on their iced caramel latte. They got Lance an iced pumpkin spice latte, and he sipped down his guilt with the delicious mix of spices.

“Pidge, Pidge, Pidge... Never underestimate the power of creativity! You’ll see, I’m about to pull up to this party as the sexiest ghost of the afterlife!”

“I gotta give it to Keith though, I’m so glad he didn’t go easy on you. But, I'm still not sure how you’re going to make a white sheet even remotely hot?”

A wry smile curved at the edge of Lance’s smile, they won’t know what hit ‘em.

…

Lance spent the next two days studying for his upcoming exams. He should’ve started outlining some key points for the paper due next week too, but he failed to even open up a document. But, that's not to say he wasn't productive. He had somehow managed to focus well enough during Tuesday and Wednesday, that he actually felt positive about the exam he had taken today, and was confident about the one tomorrow too. Though he wasn’t super thrilled that he’d have to end his Friday with an exam that would have a big impact on his grade.

The sound of a message got Lance’s attention, just as he had finished making another hot chocolate, with a pump of pumpkin spice this time. He thought he deserved the treat after being so disciplined with homework this week. Lance left the kitchen a mess as he hurriedly walked to the couch where he had left his phone, pausing the ‘soft autumn ambience’ playlist he was blasting through his apartment. Just as he had hoped, the message was from Keith.

Mullet: just closed up the cafe

Mullet: how’s homework going?

Lance smiled down at his screen, rubbing his index finger up and down the side of the phone. He found himself blushing at the thought of Keith thinking about him enough to text him as soon as he got the chance. Lance chuckled and looked up from the screen, smiling into the dim apartment. 

The soft glow from the street light outside his window caught his attention, already dark at 19:00, so cosy!

Señor Awesome: just finished up some last minute revisions for tomorrow

Señor Awesome: but i think the quiz today went well!!

Señor Awesome: did you have a good day at work? any annoying customers? 

Mullet: fortunately, the closing shift was fairly calm today

Mullet: and luckily no annoying customers either, the universe had mercy on me today

Señor Awesome: let’s hope i get the same luck so i can pass my exam :3

Mullet: i’ll use my birthday wish to make it come true

…what.

Birthday?

Lance felt his heart drop to his stomach, he couldn’t really make sense of what he just read. It took him a moment to respond.

Señor Awesome: keith

Mullet: Lance?

Señor Awesome: you’re joking

Señor Awesome: right???

Mullet: about what?

Señor Awesome: about it being YOUR BIRTHDAY?

Mullet: well, no?

Señor Awesome: WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME??

Mullet: i kind of just did

Señor Awesome: i-

…

For the next hour, Lance berated Keith for not informing him about his birthday sooner (and himself for not stalking Keith on social media to find it out himself, but he should’ve known he was dating a Scorpio).

He promised Keith to bring him a gift during Allura’s halloween party, even though Keith had tried his best to talk him out of it.

Mullet: i’m not winning this, am i?

Señor Awesome: nope :) 

Mullet: -_-

Señor Awesome: <3

Mullet: speaking of Halloween, how’s costume shopping going? 

Mullet: can’t be that hard to find a white cotton bedsheet, and i assume you already have at least one pair of scissors at home

Mullet: i’d be glad to let you borrow mine, if you need :) 

Señor Awesome: ha ha ha

Señor Awesome: i do own scissors, and they’ve already come in handy

Señor Awesome: but lets just say, i’m definitely winning the competition this year again 

Mullet: you're either delusional or people at this party suck at dressing up for halloween

Mullet: i’ll assume the former

Señor Awesome: oh keith

Señor Awesome: you’ll just have to wait and see :) 

Mullet: that’s not fair, i literally decided your costume

Señor Awesome: correction = you blackmailed and manipulated me into being a ghost

Mullet: by being better at stone skipping?

Señor Awesome: will you stop reminding me of that if i give you a sneak peek of my costume?

Mullet: i’ll consider it.

Señor Awesome: give me a min

Lance threw his phone on the couch and ran to grab the top he had DIYd for his costume, his cup of hot chocolate half empty and long forgotten on the coffee table.

The top had been an old white t-shirt that had been passed down to him from his older brother, and Lance had just used it as pyjamas since the stitching at the bottom had ripped. He ripped off the stitching and continued to make one side shorter to expose his waist, and on the longer side, he cut into it to rip open a hole. After effectively making the t-shirt into a crop top, Lance began cutting off the stitching around the neck, to make it even looser. One side of the shirt hung right by the edge of his shoulder, a tan collarbone peeking out. 

A few cuts and rips later, Lance began sewing on a lace material, attaching it to the inside of the shirt. He found the perfect pattern at a thrift shop when he and Pidge went shopping, and cut it asymmetrically to fit the vibe of the shirt. He made sure to make a few rips in the lace too, as to maximise the spookiness while also ensuring his body is sufficiently revealed. It is not a truly great Halloween costume if it isn’t a bit risqué.

Even though he wasn’t a very well practised tailor, the result satisfied him well enough. Lance hadn't had the time to start on the bottom, but he had a vision and was excited to get started on it. 

He took off his hoodie and replaced it with the homemade top, then went back to grab his phone. Lance tried a dozen different poses for the camera, wanting to get the angle just right, to show off his exposed abdomen while not being too obvious about wanting to show off. 

A few minutes passed of Lance looking through the freshly taken photos, until he finally decided on which to send. As soon as he did, he felt his heart beginning to beat faster. He and Keith hadn’t really sent each other photos before. But it’s not like I just sent him a nude, Lance thought. 

Even so, he felt himself blushing as he waited for Keith to reply.

Mullet: wow

Señor Awesome: impressed by my tailoring skills?

Mullet: among other things

Mullet: yeah

The blush covering Lance’s cheeks turned to a deeper shade of red. Is Keith saying what he thinks he’s saying?

Señor Awesome: other things?

Mullet: well

Mullet: you know

Señor Awesome: i’m not sure i do 

Mullet: sorry, i didnt mean to be weird

Mullet: i just

Mullet: i didnt know you worked out?

Lance had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep himself from smiling. 

Señor Awesome: from time to time

Señor Awesome: it’s been a few weeks since i had time to go to the gym tho

Mullet: i couldn’t tell

Señor Awesome: clothes tend to hide a lot

Mullet: i can only imagine

Señor Awesome: luckily for me, your t-shirts aren't hiding your arms, so i know for sure that you work out

Mullet: you’ve been checking me out, Lance?

The hand moving to cover Lance’s excited smile did so on its own. He felt the beat of his heart against his chest, feeling giddy with anticipation. Lance took slow steps towards his bed as he typed out his answer.

Señor Awesome: i can’t deny that

Señor Awesome: i’ve liked what i’ve seen so far, cant imagine i’d be disappointed in whatever your clothes do cover

Mullet: yeah?

Mullet: what have you imagined?

Señor Awesome: since your arms look as good as they do, i have to assume the rest of you is just as fit

Señor Awesome: i bet you’d look amazing in a tank top

Mullet: how so?

Señor Awesome: from what i’ve felt when we hug

Señor Awesome: well

Señor Awesome: i wouldn’t mind a peek

Mullet: just a peek?

Mullet: i’ve imagined far more than what you look like

Señor Awesome: really? 

Mullet: definitely 

Mullet: like

Mullet: if you knew you’d think i’m a psycho

Lance felt himself beginning to strain against his underwear. The thousands of scenarios he began imagining only made it worse. 

He imagined Keith's lips, and how they would feel against his own. 

How the gaze from his nearly black eyes would feel on Lance’s skin, as his own gaze darkened over pale skin.

Keith’s strong hands demandingly gripping his waist, pulling him closer.

A soft breath trailing down his neck, and the following sting of teeth biting down.

Señor Awesome: i want to know

Mullet: really?

Mullet: how bad?

Lance gulped, and had to grip his blanket with one hand so as to not grip his own growing erection.

Señor Awesome: like really, really bad

Mullet: you want to know what i’ve imagined doing to you?

Señor Awesome: please

Mullet: since you asked so nicely i can atleast tell you this one thing

Mullet: it took all of my willpower not to keep you pressed up against the tree when we hiked

Mullet: i wanted to do so much more than just decide your costume

Señor Awesome: me too

Señor Awesome: i regret not kissing you that day

Mullet: well

Mullet: Good things come to those who wait

Señor Awesome: you’re completely right

Señor Awesome: what else did you imagine?

Mullet: i’d rather show than tell :) 

Lance leaned his head backwards, slightly slamming it into the pillow behind him. He bit his lip and shook his head, did he really just let Keith tease him like this, just for him to barely tell Lance anything of what he had imagined? 

Am I really down this bad for a man with a mullet?

Señor Awesome: oh you tease

Señor Awesome: i’ll hold you to that

Mullet: i’m sure you will