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Lance, to some degree, had always been a little sneaky.
On more than one occasion the blue paladin had been caught red handed sneaking his lion back into the castle’s hangar after a midnight joy ride. To be fair, hiding a giant, sentient robotic lion was a bit hard to miss especially with the extra security implemented after a few close calls of intruders hopping on board over the years.
There were times where Hunk made a delicious meal that they could all enjoy after a long day of fighting that resembled human food much to everyone’s pleasure. Allura enjoyed indulging in the almost-human cuisine and the loving yellow paladin would always announce that since he had little ingredients left, everyone would get a small portion so that they could have leftovers for the next day. More than a handful of times, the mischievous taller boy had been reprimanded by their generous chef for sneaking into the kitchen to snag a few more bites than designated to have.
Sometimes his sneaky shenanigans would come in the form of sneaking off while everyone had their focus on a diplomatic mission to get gifts for the others. Pidge would always get some shiny new gadget if he could get his hands on some and Hunk was easy to please with anything that was edible or could be used to season. Allura seemed to be fond of the pretty gowns and fabrics he’d manage to snag a deal on every now and again and Shiro seemed to be pretty content in pretty much anything. Probably the dad in him, he decided.
Coran was pretty happy in gaining a collection of mustache combs of various shapes, colors and sizes from different planets and species because yes, Lance even got gifts for their space uncle. Hell, he’d even bought a few things for the mice and Kaltenecker. Of course, last but not least he’d buy things for Keith; at first it was a head scratcher for what to get the man until he settled on just buying him a bunch of fancy knives. He seemed pleased with that.
Point being; Lance was pretty sneaky. It should have come to no surprise to Keith when his love language came in a similar form.
Lance would sneak in kisses and slide in a surprise hug or two whenever the red paladin was least expecting it. His love came in the form of sneaking into his room to sleep with him when he had nightmares or just missed him too much. His love came in the form of sneaking a warm blanket or jacket into his bag before he was sent on Blade of Marmora missions, adding a note for him to read that lectured him on how dangerous it is to go to foreign planets without anything warm in case he freezes to death. His love came in the form of pulling him out of red the second they landed to hold him and beg to be held, and it came in the form of kissing his palms when he sensed the other was getting antsy over something.
It was the little things.
Lance was greedy when it came to physical affection; the older man literally drowned in it sometimes. Having been touch-starved his entire life, it felt almost as though all of the affection he’d missed out on during his twenty-four years of living was suddenly bursting into his life in tsunami-sized waves as though to catch up on lost time. At first it’d been overwhelming in the most satisfying of ways.
Now, it was like he could never get enough.
“Keith!” Lance exclaimed as he jumped on his boyfriend, arms wrapped around his neck as Keith instinctively grabbed onto him from the unannounced piggy-back ride he was suddenly giving him. Over time he’d grown accustomed to the Latino’s behaviors and what to expect; after long missions when the two had to be separated thanks to Blade work, Lance tended to jump on him and hold on for hours if he could get away with it.
He chuckled as the brunette began to pepper kisses onto his cheek from behind, the other biting down a grin as he saw the others catch up not far behind. “Keith! Nice to see you back safe. How was the mission?” Shiro smiled at him as he watched the two interact, a sight that was surprising to everyone at first but over the years became one they’ve all grown used to. Turning around to face everyone while ensuring his boyfriend was nice and secure on his back, he gave them all a nod in greeting before catching them up to speed.
At some point during Keith’s explanation of the mission, Lance had snuggled up against his neck and shoulder to watch him speak from the sides of his eyes. Hunk had seemed excited to hear about a new trading route The Blade managed to open to a planet the yellow paladin was rather fond of during one of their few explorations. Shiro seemed impressed by the progress The Blade had been making since becoming a humanitarian organization after Zarkon and Lotor’s defeat. Allura beamed at the idea of new trades coming in, excitedly planning out various diplomatic meetings she’d insist on making to neighboring planets to expand further.
“I’d love to keep talking about all the stuff I went through but it’s getting pretty late and sleeping beauty over here’s getting tired from the looks of it,” Keith joked, nudging the brown man a bit as his eyelashes fluttered open. It earned him a pout and a sleepy groan, his boyfriend seemingly offended that he’d interrupted his mini nap. Truth be told, the group had walked around the castle of lions together for a bit as Allura explained how they’ve made a few upgrades and adjustments since his departure two months ago. It took about two vargas to cover everything so he couldn’t exactly blame Lance for sleeping on him.
“It’s probably for the best,” Allura spoke up as she ruffled Lance’s hair affectionately earning an annoyed grunt from him. “Between you and I, he hasn’t been sleeping well since you left.” The whisper was loud enough for Keith to hear but quiet enough for Lance to miss. His eyes widened a tiny bit, nodding in understanding. “I’d appreciate it if you took him to bed. The last few missions without you have been a bit hard for the poor thing with his lack of sleep.” He smiled at her advice before seeing everyone off, everyone waving goodbye or saying goodnight before all going their separate ways.
While it worried the older man that the brunette hadn’t been sleeping well, he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make his heart swell up with a bit of joy at the idea that he had missed him. Of course, having dated each other for four years now it shouldn’t have been surprising; Lance was the clingy type and thrived in being at the center of his attention. Sleeping separately had almost become impossible because the two would miss each other so easily, something they figured would fade as time passed and they moved on from the infamous Honeymoon Stage.
It never happened. In fact, if you asked him, it worsened.
“Are we going to bed now, baby?” The onyx-haired man turned to look at the sleepy being on his back who’d tightened his grip by the time they reached his bedroom. Giving him a gentle smile, he nodded as the doors slid open and he placed the blue paladin down with tender love and care as though he’d break if he put him down any harsher. “A little birdy told me you haven’t been sleeping so much,” he whispered in his ear as he set him down.
“Who snitched? It was Allura, wasn’t it?” It was hardly a question to begin with, Lance scrunching his face as he thought about the traitor . He could hardly stay mad at her for mentioning it though when his wonderful, beautiful, loving boyfriend was laughing lightly at his antics before undressing and sliding into bed with him. As soon as Keith entered the covers, Lance pulled over his own shirt before making his way into his arms, the other instinctively wrapping his arms around him protectively.
“You know I can’t leak out the personal info of my informants,” he teased, earning a gentle nip on the bottom of his lip by the other before diving in for a greedy kiss. He lightly moaned into it, relishing in the soft sensation of his lover passionately and unapologetically drowning him in his love. They parted for a moment so that the other could gaze into his eyes, a small smile forming as they kept their gaze locked. Shyly, Lance began to trace circles and other shapes absentmindedly on his chest, memorizing the feeling of his skin under his finger. “I missed you a lot,” he admitted before placing a quick kiss to his cheek.
“I know it’s silly but it never gets easier seeing you go.” Keith held him closer, a grin forming as he continued to hear the confession. “It’s never easy for me either,” he admitted as he curled the locks of brown hair with his index finger, the absence of his gloves making things feel much more intimate as he could feel everything without the fabric interfering. “Sometimes I wish you could come with me so I never have to keep you out of my sights. I know you can handle yourself and you’re strong and I shouldn’t worry but…” With a sigh, he dropped his gaze before the other cupped his cheek reassuringly.
“I know. It’s okay. I’m the same way. I mean, you’ve been training for years and are so strong too so there really shouldn’t be anything for me to worry about either but...we’ve had a few close calls here and there.” The statement hung in the air for a while, the heaviness that burdened it almost tangible.
It wasn’t always easy being the defenders of the universe. No one said it was but when you get all caught up in the victories and the highs of being a paladin, it’s easy to forget how dangerous space was especially during a war. Granted, one that was now over, but long from recovered. Everyone had at some point almost died trying to protect the galaxy and all of its inhabitants. Everyone had something to sacrifice; some more than others. Lance hid his face as he thought about Allura and how weak she had gotten at some point after resurrecting Lance who had actually died once during an explosion.
He was eternally grateful for her and in debt for all she’d done for him over the past several years. It was a relief to everyone when both ended up fine and team Voltron thankfully did not have to part with either paladin.
At some point Lance’s arms snaked around Keith’s back to hold him tightly, the red paladin smiling widely as he held him back. The two’s bodies intertwined and left little to no space between them. “I’m grateful we’re still even here,” the blue paladin chuckled, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. “After all we’ve been through, despite all odds, we’re still here Keith. Who would’ve imagined?” He sighed into their embrace and giggled wildly when Keith had begun to pepper kisses all over his face and down to his neck and chest.
“Be serious!” Lance laughed as he slapped against the other’s broad chest playfully, the other not letting up at all with his affectionate assault of tender love. “I could’ve imagined,” Keith spoke between chuckles, holding both his boyfriend’s hands with his as he placed more kisses on the backs of them. “I never doubted our team’s abilities; especially yours, babe. You’re one of a kind and I’m so happy you’re our sharpshooter.”
It wasn’t often Keith dropped a pet name but when he did you bet your ass Lance’s heart soared . A dopey smile found its way onto his face, one that Keith adored eliciting and often teased him about.
There were a lot of sides of Lance that Keith had found himself addicted to uncovering and bringing out. There was shy Lance, one that was probably his favorite. Usually came out when Keith boldly flirted with him or took what he wanted when he wanted. Sometimes it came out when the other was excited about something gushy that he was unsure if his boyfriend was into, like the time he had gotten them tickets to the alien equivalent of a drive-in movie. (For the record, he loved it.)
There was an excited Lance who was overly-passionate about everything and spoke a mile a minute. This side of him would come out if you ever asked him about the ocean or his family, something he both adored and missed terribly. Now that the war was over, they could all return to Earth whenever they pleased (granted there were no missions that required their presence for), but the crew had found it rather nostalgic and enjoyable to cruise around space together for as long as Voltron would have them.
For the record, they did frequent Earth. It would’ve broken their families hearts if they didn’t!
And, of course, there was head-over-heels, hopeless romantic Lance that was reserved just for him, making it the number one favorite of Keith’s. It was the way his eyes looked at him with such fondness and affection that made the older man stricken with grief that he hadn’t swooped him up sooner thanks to their petty rivalry. In his eyes, this man was his everything and to be the object of his adoration was more than a blessing to him. He wouldn’t have wanted it any either way and being in one another’s arms for another day was something he’d never take for granted for as long as he lived.
So the two laid intertwined as they talked about what they missed in one another’s lives since their separation. As time went on and the two began to fight with their need to sleep, Keith began to whisper sweet nothings into his lover’s ears, relishing in his adorably shy, sappy and happy reactions before they fell into a dreamless sleep. If you asked him, he dreamed a lot less when around his love because Lance himself was a dream.
One that he would never wake up from so long as they both shall live.