Chapter Text
lancey Today at 9:37 AM
so
update on the Keith Situation
hunky Today at 9:37 AM
we didn't want one
lancey Today at 9:37 AM
well ur getting one!!!! lol
hes so jacked
his BICEPS
i want him 2 hold me
pidgey Today at 9:38 AM
i know i said it was annoying when you were super oblivious but i take it back
please go back to being oblivious
lancey Today at 9:38 AM
my bi crisis is a purchase u cant return, pidge podge
✦
The Stars of Expatriate Take a Friendship Test | Glamour - GlamourMagazine
ÁLVAREZ: Hey, I'm Lance Álvarez and I'm here with my best friend in the entire world, Keith Shirogane!
SHIROGANE: I've never met this man.
SHIROGANE: Lance is… [laughs] I mean, how do you even describe him? He's probably the nicest person I've ever met, for one. He claims he hated my guts when we first started talking, but even then he was just…really caring. Helps people out even if he doesn't like ‘em much, y'know? It takes a lot to be that kind of person. If he does like you, though-- [laughs] he puts everything into his friends. It's crazy, I can't even imagine how much he'd spoil someone he was dating.
ÁLVAREZ: Keith and I really didn’t get a long at first, but that’s-- [laughs] that’s on me, I guess. I tried being civil with him, y’know, tried being nice, and I think that’s when we actually started to get a long more. Once you really get to know Keith, he becomes this…enigma. He’s still a big mystery to me, even with how close we are, but that’s part of the fun of being his friend. He’s always going to keep you on your toes, but in a good way. Keith is a genuinely fun guy, and he really cares about his friends, even if he sometimes doesn’t act like it.
EXERCISE TWO: Give each other compliments.
SHIROGANE: You done with yours?
ÁLVAREZ: Yeah, I’m good. You go first.
SHIROGANE: Oh--okay, um...well, you’re really attractive.
ÁLVAREZ: [gasps] I knew you were using me for my looks!
SHIROGANE: [laughs] Shut up!
ÁLVAREZ: Okay, so mine--I know you don’t think this, but you honestly don’t seem like you give a shit about what anyone thinks of you, and it’s amazing.
SHIROGANE: [laughs] I’m so anxious, though!
ÁLVAREZ: I know! I know, it makes it even greater, because, like--you get through that and come off as so confident and don’t-fuck-with-me…
SHIROGANE: [laughs]
ÁLVAREZ: I’m serious, dude! It’s great.
ÁLVAREZ: I love you, man.
SHIROGANE: You're okay, I guess.
ÁLVAREZ: I mean, you're my best friend after Hunk and Pidge. Also, you're pretty hot. No homo.
[Shirogane rolls his eyes, laughing, and starts to walk off. Álvarez slaps him on the ass.]
ÁLVAREZ: [loudly] Sike!
[Shirogane turns around and knees him in the groin. He grabs Álvarez’s shoulder.]
SHIROGANE: [inaudible whisper]
lance ☆ @alvarezofficial ever wanted to watch keith shirogane knee me in the balls? today is your lucky day! RT @glamourmag “Watch the stars of Expatriate take a friendship test! youtu.be/w4Nm5Q”
ambitchious @williamshookspeare The contrast between your caption and the subject of the video gave me whiplash
emmy @keithalvarez i would pay so much money 2 know what keith said to lance at the end of the friendship test video
lance ☆ @alvarezofficial oh, he said no homo. wish i wasnt serious RT @keithalvarez “i would pay so much money 2 know what keith said to lance at the end of the friendship test video”
HOST: So, I’m sure you'd like to address the rumors about you and your costar, Keith Shirogane.
ÁLVAREZ: [laughs] Oh, man.
HOST: Are you two in some sort of secret relationship?
ÁLVAREZ: Yeah, actually. It was such a big secret we didn't even tell each other. I saw all the stuff online after we did that video for Glamour Magazine and texted him like, "Hey, so, I guess we've been dating for the past six months," and he texted back saying "Good for us". So--yeah.
Excerpt from an interview with Lance Álvarez on November 14th, 20XX
✦
The thing about press tours that Lance probably should have mentioned to Keith is the absolute exhaustion that comes with constantly traveling.
He almost laughs when he glances over at Keith upon realizing he hadn't said anything in a while and sees him curled up on the bed, perpetually furrowed brow smoothed out and clutching a pillow. It’s…kind of cute. His fingers twitch every so often, and he keeps mumbling too quietly for Lance to really make any of it out, but…cute.
Keith turns his face into the pillow, hugging it closer to his chest, and Lance is halfway-smiling at it when Keith melts against the covers and says his name.
He freezes, staring wide-eyed at him, and he thinks that maybe he'd just started hallucinating, but Keith’s fingers twitch again and his eyebrows furrow familiarly, and he definitely just said Lance’s name. In his sleep. Okay. He can deal with this. Friends totally say each other’s names in their sleep, right?
Lance feels his hand fist into the sheets, and he tries to take a deep breath to steady himself.
Keith shifts in his sleep once more, and Lance’s heart thuds painfully.
He can’t deal with this.
✦
Lance Álvarez and Keith Shirogane Answer The Web’s Most Searched Questions | WIRED - WIRED
SHIROGANE: I’m Keith Shirogane, here with the biggest loser in the universe, Lance Álvarez.
ÁLVAREZ: Wow, okay. I give you a perfectly nice introduction in our other video and you treat me like this? These hoes truly ain't loyal.
SHIROGANE: Did you--did you seriously call me a ho?
ÁLVAREZ: So what if I did? Let’s answer the Web’s most searched questions.
ÁLVAREZ: [Taking the card] Have you ever Googled yourself?
SHIROGANE: I’m afraid to, actually.
ÁLVAREZ: [laughs] Wait, really?
SHIROGANE: Really. You probably do, though.
ÁLVAREZ: I’ve Googled myself a few times, yeah. Got a bit weird, at some point, so I stopped.
SHIROGANE: You make it sound like you were addicted to Googling yourself.
ÁLVAREZ: I've been clean for five months, Keith. Don't disrespect me like that.
SHIROGANE: [laughs] Jesus, okay, let’s just--let’s just answer the questions.
ÁLVAREZ: Is Lance Álvarez…a fuckboy. Wow, okay.
SHIROGANE: Well, if you’re a fuckboy, you’d have to know how to fuck, right?
ÁLVAREZ: I mean, I’d assume so?
SHIROGANE: So the answer is no. Uh, next question?
ÁLVAREZ: [laughs] You’re such an asshole.
ÁLVAREZ: What is Lance Álvarez’s…real name.
SHIROGANE: It’s Leandro, right?
ÁLVAREZ: Yeah, Leandro Álvarez-McClain. I only go by Lance because white people can’t pronounce shit.
SHIROGANE: [laughs] You’re brutal, Jesus.
SHIROGANE: How is Keith Shirogane…pronounced. Keith. It's only one syllable.
ÁLVAREZ: It’s a white name. Not that hard to say.
SHIROGANE: It’s one of the whitest names out there, I think.
ÁLVAREZ: We could probably Google that.
SHIROGANE: I don’t know if you noticed, Lance, but you can Google a lot of things.
SHIROGANE: Is Keith Shirogane…related to Takashi Shirogane. Uh, not by blood, no.
ÁLVAREZ: What? I thought he was like, your dad.
SHIROGANE: Yeah, he adopted me. I'm not even Japanese, how would we be blood relatives?
ÁLVAREZ: I--I don’t know, man! Why didn’t you tell me you were adopted?
SHIROGANE: You never asked!
ÁLVAREZ: Why would I ask if you were adopted? That doesn’t make any sense!
SHIROGANE: Next question.
ÁLVAREZ: I want answers, Keith!
ÁLVAREZ: Is Lance Álvarez…a bottom. I-- [sigh]
SHIROGANE: [laughs] How many people have Googled this?
ÁLVAREZ: I just--I don’t know how to feel about this, y’know?
SHIROGANE: Are you going to give an honest answer?
ÁLVAREZ: Yeah, um, it all depends on the mood, for me. I usually top but like, if Chris Hemsworth wanted to dick me down…
SHIROGANE: [laughs] Especially him in Ragnarök.
ÁLVAREZ: I have zero shame in saying I was turned on watching that entire movie. It has big dick energy.
SHIROGANE: [laughs] Oh my god, yes.
SHIROGANE: Is Keith Shirogane…dating Lance Álvarez.
ÁLVAREZ: Oh.
SHIROGANE: Um--
ÁLVAREZ: [laughs awkwardly] Well, guess I should've seen that coming after I slapped your ass on camera a few days ago.
SHIROGANE: [seriously] We said no homo, though.
ÁLVAREZ: Also, you kicked me in the nuts.
SHIROGANE: A valid point.
ÁLVAREZ: We said no homo, you hit me in the balls so hard I think my future grandchildren felt it--it’s as straight as it can get with two non-straight guys.
lee is tired @koalagay does anyone else notice how keith and lance like. dont actually answer whether or not theyre dating lol
hnnnnnn girls @lesbiabby RIGHT?? its a simple yes or no question, yet they keep avoiding it. RT @koalagay “does anyone else notice how keith and lance like. dont actually answer whether or not theyre dating lol”
tree fucker @genderisfake as much as i like the idea of keith and lance dating lets remember to keep the shipping to a minimum bc theyre still real ppl!!!!
shiro Today at 5:21 PM
I just watched your WIRED interview!
keith Today at 5:30 PM
oh cool
shiro Today at 5:30 PM
Interesting how you said Lance doesn't know how to fuck with such conviction. Almost like you had personal experience.
Is there anything you want to tell me?
keith Today at 5:30 PM
you know what i change my mind fuck you
shiro Today at 5:31 PM
Is that any way to speak to your father?
keith Today at 5:31 PM
(annoying teen voice) you're not my real dad!!!
shiro Today at 5:31 PM
You say “annoying teen” as if you are not, in fact, an annoying teen.
keith Today at 5:31 PM
shiro im 24 years old
shiro Today at 5:32 PM
But you'll always be a bitchass twelve year old in my heart, Keith
keith Today at 5:32 PM
given the legal opportunity i can and will kill you
shiro Today at 5:33 PM
Love you too, kiddo
✦
Looking back at it, Keith is really glad he grabbed his guitar.
He’s on a different kind of tour this time, the one where his audience isn’t one he can sing to, the one where he’s surrounded by new people and brown eyes that always flicker to him, checking up on him whenever he starts scratching at his skin too much, or starts rolling his wrists and ankles too often, or digs his fingernails into the palm of his hand so hard that they make crescents in his skin. He’s surrounded by a comforting hand that will prod his thigh gently when he starts to react in a way, and wordlessly handing him a bracelet or a spare hair tie for him to pull and tug and stretch to stop him from self-destructing.
This kind of tour is different, so he shouldn’t have grabbed his guitar, but he did.
He’s in their hotel room alone while Lance sneaks around to find the nearest vending machine, since they’re both craving junk food like there’s no tomorrow, when a Taylor Swift song comes on his playlist.
Lance, he thinks, but it’s a fond thought. He smiles at the lyrics, recognizing the song to be from the “Speak Now” era (the best era, according to one of Lance’s several rants), and he’s filled with a sudden need to learn the chords, feel the vibrations from the guitar and record and sing.
Keith fumbles for his laptop, opens one tab for the lyrics, another for the chords, and then searches his suitcase for his camera. He opens curtains, turns on lights, and aims the camera at the bed in a way that he hopes onlookers won’t find weird, then pulls out his trusted guitar.
He works to memorize the lyrics enough to only need them on the side or on his phone, and tries to learn the chords at the same time. His guitar is, thankfully, tuned (Lance has taken videos of him tuning during their rare moments of relaxation, posting them to Twitter and gaining hundreds of thousands comments, likes, and retweets), so he doesn’t worry about that. He just relaxes, eyes scanning the chords on the screen and matching them up with the words that come to mind much faster than he would have thought.
Lance’s influence , a voice that sounds suspiciously like Shiro says. Keith mentally tells Shiro to shut the fuck up, please and thank you.
Learning the chords is semi-easy, and with the words memorized, he decides to leave the chords open on the screen in front of him, and gently sets his guitar aside to get up and press record on his camera.
For a moment, he stands there and casts his gaze to the door. Distantly, he wonders what’s taking Lance so long, but he imagines that he got caught by their security team and is being reprimanded for the millionth time.
(“They can’t keep me cooped up here like I’m some sort of animal!” Lance had exclaimed once, pacing in front of their beds while Keith watched, texting Pidge and silently agreeing.)
With a small shake of his head, Keith pushes the button to record, then climbs back onto his bed. He grabs his guitar, does a few experimental strums, then takes a deep breath.
“I’m so glad you made time to see me,” He begins, voice smooth. “How’s life, tell me how’s your family?”
He gets to the chorus and thinks that maybe, he can do this in one take, when the door suddenly swings open, and Lance enters with Eminem blaring from his phone, the words ‘guess who’s back, back again’, making Keith stop singing and stare into the camera.
“Guess who has vending machine food and managed to get out of trouble with security! That’s right, it’s me!” Lance yells, and the door slams shut.
Keith looks away from the camera to look at Lance, eyebrow raised. He laughs, lifting his sunglasses (which makes him look douchey, not cute, he’s wearing sunglasses indoors─) and then blinks, taking in the guitar and camera.
“Oh fuck, you’re recording.” He says.
“No shit.” Keith replies, brows raised. Lance smiles sheepishly, making way to his own bed, gently setting the snacks down, then taking his sunglasses off and tossing them on his bed.
“Whatcha singing? New song?” Lance asks.
“No, I’m covering a song. I got bored.” He says. For some reason, he feels comfortable with Lance barging in like this, unannounced and out of nowhere. Lance hums, takes a step, then flops onto Keith’s bed behind him. They both bounce a bit, Keith reaching one hand out to steady his laptop.
“Have you ever considered vlogging?” Lance asks. “Like, daily vlogs. Wouldn’t that be fun?
“No, Lance.” Keith says. “I’m a musician. I don’t vlog. Now, can you get off my bed and please don’t interrupt me?”
Lance makes an odd noise as he sits up. “Yes sir,” he replies, but peeks over Keith’s shoulder anyways. Keith tries to pretend the proximity isn’t something makes his heart swoop, but lets his gaze travel to where Lance’s head is almost touching his shoulder. He watches as Lance’s eyes widen, then turns his head to meet Keith’s eyes. It’s silent for a few seconds, Keith raising his eyebrows at the almost starstruck look Lance is giving him.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying it, just a teeny bit.
“You’re singing T-Swift.” He whispers. The corners of Keith’s mouth twitch.
“Speak Now era, since that’s all you ever play.” Keith replies. For a moment, Keith swears he see’s Lance’s eyes actually sparkle, then one arm is wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him into an awkward hug.
“I’m so proud of you. I’m going to text Hunk right now, he’s gonna be so happy!” Lance says, letting go of Keith. He just shakes his head in response.
“Please be quiet while I’m recording.” He says. Lance flops onto his own bed and pretends to zip his lips, lock it, and toss the key away. Keith laughs, shaking his head at his antics before turning back to his laptop.
Maybe, he thinks, he’ll add a little extra surprise for his viewers at the end of the video.
✦
KEITH @kshirogane did a cover of an old tswift song. i blame @alvarezofficial entirely. youtu.be/hKf7s3
lance ☆ @alvarezofficial guilty as charged xoxo
anime was a mistake @panfucker please tell me ppl saw the little clips at the end of the video, i need to make sure that lance entering the hotel room blasting eminem while keith looked into the camera like he was in the office was real
enormous sibling is viewing you @gaydisstrack did anyone catch those heart eyes keith was giving lance like,,,,,, homeboy’s in love lmao
✦
hunky Today at 10:01 AM
hey me and pidge are heading out rn!
lancey Today at 10:01 AM
aaah ok!!!
god i cant believe its in theaters already
pidgey Today at 10:02 AM
same lmao
every time i see keith in the promos i freak out a little bit
lancey Today at 10:02 AM
lol right
the first time i saw him in costume was wild
hunky Today at 10:02 AM
im so excited though
we'll text you when we get back!
lancey Today at 10:03 AM
ok! have fun
pidgey Today at 12:30 PM
great movie, lance
was you putting your entire fucking tongue down keith's throat scripted or
lancey Today at 12:37 PM
WKFKNFNSBFLFBSKZ
EX????EXCUSE ME????????
hunky Today at 12:37 PM
was it?
lancey Today at 12:28 PM
no the director just caught us fucking making out randomly on set and was like “oh shit turn the camera on”
WE HAD TO KISS YES
pidgey Today at 12:30 PM
ok but. did they SAY to shove your tongue down his throat
lancey Today at 12:31 PM
I DIDNT SHOVE MY TONGUE DOWN HIS THROAT
pidgey Today at 12:32 PM
sure, jan
lance Today at 1:05 PM
keith
buddy
my pal
my man
my moon and my stars
keith Today at 1:07 PM
what the hell do you want
lance Today at 1:08 PM
i need u to be real with me dude
keith Today at 1:09 PM
okay?
lance Today at 1:10 PM
did i shove my tongue down ur throat during our kiss scene
keith Today at 1:13 PM
what
lance Today at 1:14 PM
its a yes or no question keith
keith Today at 1:15 PM
jesus fucking
there was. no tongue
lance Today at 1:16 PM
THANK U
lancey Today at 1:17 PM
screenshot.jpeg
CHECKMATE
hunky Today at 1:18 PM
p sure i saw tongue but whatever u say
lancey Today at 1:19 PM
HUNK NO
katieee Today at 1:20 PM
on a scale of gay to mega gay how are u feeling
keeeith Today at 1:21 PM
i almost replied with “i wish you’d shove your tongue down my throat rn”
katieee Today at 1:22 PM
ur gross
keeeith Today at 1:22 PM
YOU ASKED
✦
When it turns out that the hotel for the last stop on their press tour has a pool, Lance is thrilled. He practically throws his suitcase on the bed after dealing with all the press, flinging it open and digging through the contents until he finds his swim trunks.
He and Keith aren’t rooming together this time, but that doesn’t stop him from pulling on a pair of swim trunks and grabbing a towel and flip flops before going next door and banging on it until Keith answers.
The door opens, and a very tired Keith, hair tied up and clad in boxers and a tank top, scowls at him. Lance just grins, bouncing on his toes excitedly. Keith’s eyes roam down his body (which, if Lance turns a little red at that, he blames his excitement for the pool) and he promptly says: “Absolutely not.”
“Wha─Keeeeiiiithhhh!” Lance whines, sticking his arm through the doorway to stop him from shutting the door on him. “Don't you want to go nightswimming? The pool is so much more fun when other people aren't around. Please?” He begs.
Keith glares at him, and Lance juts his bottom lip out. He interlocks his fingers together, placing them under his chin.
“Please?” He tries, and he watches gleefully as Keith’s resolve shatters into a million pieces. Keith sighs, tilting his head back to the ceiling, then down at Lance.
“Fine,” He concedes. “Just let me put on my swim trunks.”
“Yes!” Lance cheers, as quietly as he can to avoid waking the other people in the hall. “I’ll meet you at the pool!”
“How do you know I won’t just leave you there?” Keith says. Lance grins, then winks at him.
“I trust you, mullet man. See ya down there!” He says, turning on his heel. He bounces every other step, excitement and adrenaline flowing through his veins at a healthy thrum. He takes the elevator down a few floors, humming a random tune to himself. It’s when the elevator stops that he realizes it wasn’t any random tune, but rather, one of Keith’s songs.
Lance shakes his head a bit, then exits the elevator. He follows the signs to the pool, and pushes the door open. He inhales, then exhales, relishing in the fresh air. He’s alone at the moment, so he drops his towel and his flip flops on a random chair, and gently dips his foot into the water. It’s warm, so he pulls his foot out, takes a few steps back, runs, and jumps in.
The bubbles surrounding him bring him back, all the way back to Varadero, siblings sneaking out, midnight swims and riding off of the adrenaline of almost getting caught by a late night pool guard, then actually getting caught by his mother.
He opens his eyes, letting out a bit of air from his nose. The bubbles have slowly dissipated from around him. Lance looks up a bit, and sees a figure standing out of the water.
He pushes himself up, taking in air when he breaks through the water. He slicks his hair back, most likely spiking it everywhere, but he can’t bring himself to mind as he locks eyes with Keith.
There’s a new towel next to Lance’s, which brings a grin to his face.
“I knew I could trust you.” He says, feeling breathless. Keith’s lips twitch into a smile.
“Are we even allowed to be here?” He asks. Lance shrugs, treading water.
“Since when do you care about the rules?” Lance asks. “Get in, it’s warm.”
“Maybe later,” Keith says. Lance shrugs, diving back under, and hears the quiet splash as Keith sits down on the edge of the deep end and slips his legs in the water. He opens his eyes and sees Keith’s legs swinging gently underwater, a few moles dotted along his calves. Cute, Lance thinks, smiling softly. He swims towards him, placing his hands on each dotted calf. He hears a muffled swear, and looks up to see a blurry mop of black hair looking down at him. Lance grins, then moves his hands up to Keith’s knees, swimming up so his head breaks through the water.
Keith is already looking at him, eyes blown wide and face flushed slightly. The blue of the pool lights reflect off his face, lighting up the moles on his chest and the scars tracing the line of his pecs. The moonlight is cast over his back, lighting strands of his dark hair an angelic white and making his gray-brown eyes glint black in the darkness
He’s beautiful , Lance thinks. Absolutely ethereal.
“Come in the water,” Lance whispers, voice low. Keith audibly takes in a shaky breath, gaze never wavering from Lance. For a brief second, his eyes flicker down to Lance’s lips, then back up to his eyes.
“What’s in it for me?” He responds. Lance presses his lips together, moving his hands from Keith’s knees to the ledge that he’s sitting on, and pushes himself up in one swift motion.
Just like that, the atmosphere changes. Keith’s eyes drop back to Lance’s mouth, and he looks at him through his lashes. Lance’s heart pounds against his ribs, meeting Keith’s hooded gaze. He moves in closer, tauntingly, teasingly, and offers the smallest quirk of his lips.
“I can think of a few things,” he whispers, almost against Keith’s lips. Keith’s eyes flutter shut, eyelashes skimming the faint freckles strewn under his eyes that Lance never noticed until now, lips parted slightly as if he’s waiting for the next move.
Lance is about to finally, finally close the gap when the intercom crackles to life, making the two of them jerk apart in surprise.
“The pool will be closing in five minutes,” a voice says, then the intercom shuts back off with a short burst of static. Lance looks back at Keith, whose face is the same shade of red as his swim trunks, his eyes wide and shocked. His lips are still parted softly, and Lance has to force himself to look him in the eye.
“I─” He starts, voice breaking. “I should go,” he chokes out, and dives back underwater, swimming toward the far end of the pool and clambering out of the water, making a beeline for the pool doors.
Distantly, he hears Keith calling for him to wait, and fuck, he forgot his towel and shoes, but he’s too set on getting away that he can't bring himself to care. He slams a wet palm against the elevator button, darting through the doors when they open, and lets out a long sigh, collapsing against the back wall.
Fuck.
✦
lance Today at 11:45 PM
hunk
hunk i fucked up
i fucked up so bad oh my god
hunk Today at 11:46 PM
how bad?
lance Today at 11:47 PM
considering how im texting just you and not you and pidge
its really fucking bad
and it involves keith
hunk Today at 11:48 PM
okay, take a few deep breaths for me buddy
once you’re calmed down a bit more, tell me what happened
lance Today at 12:03 AM
i almost kissed keith
hunk Today at 12:05 AM
what?
how?
why was it almost?
lance Today at 12:07 AM
we were in the pool and he was looking so fucking perfect but he kept refusing to go into the water
and like. he had his legs in but that was it so i swam closer n shit and like. asked him to get in
and he said like, “whats in it for me?” all smug and HOT
so i got rlly close to his face and was like “i can think of a few things” and we were ABOUT to fucking kiss but the intercom came on and
and when i looked back at him he looked like. terrified.
i fucked up really bad hunk
hunk Today at 12:10 AM
oh boy
that is. really intense
maybe just like
try and sleep it off? maybe he just got scared by the intercom
you’ve had a rlly long few weeks, please get some rest
when you come home tomorrow we can cuddle and watch project runway while eating cookie dough, okay?
lance Today at 12:12 AM
i dont deserve u
hunk Today at 12:13 AM
love u too buddy
✦
By the time they get back to San Francisco, it’s late evening and pouring. Keith stares blankly out the airplane window as he and Lance wait for the other passengers to clear─most of them are already gone, and he can hear Lance opening the overhead compartment next to him. The past few hours have been nothing less than excruciating, thanks to Keith’s abundant lack of communication skills, and part of him is looking forward to being left alone while he waits for his connecting flight back home. But, in his defense, what is he supposed to say? ‘Hey Lance, why did you almost kiss me then act super weird about it?’
…He knows why Lance is acting weird about it.
It doesn't come as a surprise that he doesn't like Keith─not the way Keith likes him. Loves him, probably. The look of abject horror on his face after that night at the pool told him everything he needed to know about that.
He tries his best not to look at Lance until they’re off the plane. When he glances up, expecting to only see Lance’s retreating figure, he’s met with soft brown eyes and a hesitant expression. He raises an eyebrow at him, and Lance’s eyes trail over his face a second longer before they lock solidly with Keith’s.
“You know…” he starts, voice hesitant and teeth worrying his lip. “You can stay at my place a little longer, if you want. I don't mind.”
“I should get back home,” Keith says, pushing down the warm feeling that bubbles up in his chest and screams yes, yes, I want to stay with you, averting his eyes.
“Oh, okay.” Lance says, almost sounding disappointed. Keith brushes it off as wishful thinking, eyes still stubbornly set on the tiled airport floor. “I’ll…I’ll get going, then.” Keith nods, knuckles going pale as his grip on his suitcase tightens. He hears Lance’s sigh and the sound of his suitcase wheels rolling over the tile, but he doesn't let himself look up until he can't hear them anymore.
Keith lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, looking around to find his gate and walking over, settling in one of the empty seats. He slips in his headphones, pressing play on his favorite Fleetwood Mac album and letting himself sink into the sound of the drums and bass, trying to forget the whole situation with Lance as best he can.
A few hours drag by, and he’s no closer to driving Lance from his mind than he was before. Keith swears that his chest hurts, knowing that even if they stay friends, there's no way he’ll see Lance for a long time after this. He glances at the clock on his phone, the time on the board showing departures─and before he can second-guess himself, he gets up and leaves.
The rain is still coming down hard as he walks through the airport doors, but he hails a taxi and jumps in, his heart beating double-time and veins bursting with nervous energy the whole way to Lance’s house.
The drive is so, so long, much longer than Keith remembers it usually being from the airport. His leg is bouncing in the backseat, hands curling into fists, then uncurling at the phantom touch from Lance’s fingers to get him to stop, and then offering an alternative.
This time, Lance isn’t there to offer a bracelet or hair tie for him to mess with under a table, and the ache pricks at his chest again.
When the taxi pulls up to Lance’s house, Keith tips the driver for putting up with him and clambers out of the car, dragging his suitcase with him as he practically sprints down the sidewalk, barely caring how the pouring rain is soaking his clothes and definitely fucking up his suitcase.
He rings the doorbell more times than is strictly necessary and faintly hears Lance yelling ‘I'm coming!’ from inside the house, and then finally, finally, the door pulls open and Lance is standing there, warm brown eyes widening when they land on Keith.
“Keith, what─” He starts, but the feeling in Keith’s chest is all-consuming, and he can't wait until Lance finishes.
“I know I said I didn't want to stay,” he says, breathless and aching. “But I─I missed you so much, Lance.” He stares at Keith for a long moment, shell-shocked. His mouth opens and closes a couple times, eyes darting over Keith’s rain-soaked clothes and bangs slicked against his forehead.
“It’s only been a few hours?” He says, the intonation coming out like a question.
“Yeah,” Keith breathes out, and before Lance can say anything else, he grabs him by the collar and kisses him square on the mouth.
For a second, he wonders if this was all one giant mistake, but then Lance is melting against him, soft lips parting to slot against Keith’s, and he feels the sigh Lance breathes into his mouth all the way down his spine.
He breaks away, gasping, his forehead pressed against Lance’s and cold hands cupping flushed brown cheeks. He can't bring himself to move more than an inch away, can't fathom being apart from Lance when he's waited so long for this.
“I'm so fucking in love with you,” he whispers into Lance’s mouth. Lance giggles against his lips before pressing another firm kiss there that makes his toes curl. Despite the both of them being soaking wet and shivering, he feels warm, the places where Lance’s hands are resting by his hips burning into his skin.
“Yeah?” Lance asks, sounding breathless as he pulls away. “Welcome to the club. I’m pretty fucking in love with you, too.”
Keith smiles giddily, stroking his thumbs over the curve of Lance’s cheekbones. Lance laughs again, soft and breathy, pressing their foreheads together.
“Stay with me,” he says, hand curling into a fist against Keith’s shirt. “Please, just─stay with me, we can dry off, watch a movie, make out maybe─”
Keith cuts him off with another kiss, tilting his head and gently prodding at Lance’s lips with his tongue. Lance complies eagerly, and Keith moves his hands from his cheeks to wind around his neck, pulling him closer. Lance makes a noise in the back of his throat before he reluctantly pulls away.
“I’ll stay,” Keith agrees. “I’ll stay for as long as you want me.” Lance grins, wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist and pulling him through the doorway.
“Guess you’re stuck with me forever, then.” He says, beaming. Keith grins back at him.
“I dunno,” he says. “That’s not the worst thing.”