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It has to be a joke.
The three of them have been friends since the day Lance and Keith finally laid their rivalry thing to rest two years ago, and Lance is glad they did, because it’s been good. The minute he stopped competing with Keith, and realised they worked together far, far better, Lance felt like he gained something important. Keith introduced him to Shiro a while later, but he doesn’t even remember how they got to this point. Slowly, he realised they’d been hanging out more and more; he and Keith went to all of Shiro’s football games together. Shiro hung out with them whenever Lance was chilling in their dorm. Once, Lance was having a bad night and Hunk was over at Shay’s and Shiro and Keith just happened to ask if he wanted to go get pizza and they all slept over.
It’s still one of Lance’s favourite memories, because Shiro laughed so hard at one of Lance’s jokes he snorted Pepsi out of his nose.
To say they were close would be almost putting it mildly. Keith and Shiro knew each other since they were kids, and they were comfortable around each other in a way he’d never seen before. It was like they had a sixth sense, and Lance sometimes wished he could get to that level with them too.
Then the… the feelings began. He can’t put his finger on whether it was this specific event that triggered it, or if it was the one that made him aware.
Lance was over at Keith and Shiro’s dorm to study for a midterm in a class he and Keith shared, but he had told Lance he wanted to show him the new Black Ops expansion pack he’d gotten first.
Keith was in the shower, but Shiro told him he’d probably be out soon, so Lance, being the prankster he is, decided to hide in his room to scare him. He’d been in there countless times before, so he knew Keith wouldn’t mind if he waited there.
But he was still in the center of Keith’s room, looking for a place to hide, when the door opened. Keith did a better job at scaring him, than the other way around. He spun around, arms flailing.
Nothing would’ve prepared Lance to see Keith’s bare chest and legs, a wet towel hanging around his hips.
He remembers just… staring. At the droplets of water on Keith’s chest. The way his wet hair clung to his skin.
Keith blinked, stopping in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
See, there were a few things about this situation. Key being, Lance was stunned speechless.
Had Keith really been looking like that the entire time, and he’d never known?
“I, uh, was gonna scare you,” Lance said dumbly, looking, looking away, and before looking at Keith’s face. “What are you doing here?”
“I forgot my clothes,” Keith replied slowly, walking around Lance to get to his dresser and rummage around in the drawers, bending right over in front of Lance. “And this is my room.”
“What kind of loser forgets their own clothes?” Lance replied casually, even though his heart was getting ready to jump out of his damn chest. He felt… way too warm.
Keith straightened, hugging his clothes to his chest, and shot Lance a dirty look. “You’ll be taking that back once I demolish you when we play,” he snorted before walking out of the room.
Lance waited for him to disappear before freaking out, staring at his hands with mild horror as he tried to think of something else, anything else before Keith came back.
You’ll be taking that back once I demolish you-
“Fuuuuuuck-” Lance hissed, and honestly, he was starting to sweat a little.
How he managed to compose himself at all that day was beyond him.
Just don’t think about it, he told himself as he stared at the textbook in front of him. Don’t think about it.
(He did think about it.)
That night when he got home, he sat on the bed and stared long and hard at the wall.
It wasn’t the fact that it was a boy that bothered him. He’d come to terms with his sexuality ages ago, came out to his family and everything.
It was the fact that it was Keith.
Not to say Keith was a terrible guy! Well, he was at first, but that’s not why.
Keith was Lance’s friend. A friend he valued. A lot, truthfully.
He didn’t want to ruin this. Especially since he was about ninety percent sure Keith didn’t see him in that way.
Lance didn’t want to mess things up.
“I can’t tell him,” Lance whispered to no one in particular, laying on his back as he stared at the ceiling. “He’d kill me.”
Keith was so, so out of his league too.
There was no chance, even if he wanted to confess.
The only rational course of action was to swallow his feelings for as long as it would take for them to go away.
We’re friends, he told himself fervently, just friends.
Only friends.
A month later, he and Keith were going over some last minute review before their second midterm (what, he wasn’t going to say no when Keith asked) . They’d been going strong for the better part of two hours, surprisingly. The sun was beginning to set outside, washing over the dorm walls with an evening glow. Keith was on the floor in front of him, on his stomach, while Shiro listened to a podcast on his phone.
Lance hated studying, but when he was with these two, he felt… very calm.
Well, mostly calm.
Being bent over books on the ground for so long made Lance’s back ache until he finally groaned and threw aside his notes.
Shiro looked up from his phone, dressed in a pair of grey sweats and a black tee. “Everything alright?”
Lance stretched and cracked his back as much as he could, shooting him a smile. “Yeah, just really sore.”
“Why don’t you two take a break?” Shiro suggested, switching his phone off and giving Keith a meaningful look. “You guys have been at it for a while now.”
“Yes, god, please,” Keith groaned, slamming his textbook closed. He rolled over onto his back, stretching his arms over his head. Lance took great pains not to stare at the pale stretch of skin his shirt revealed when it moved. “I’m so sick and tired of reading about freaking physics.”
Yes, okay? He knew. He was trying, but it was hard.
Keith could be so endearing sometimes.
“Break time, then. I was thinking about picking up something to eat for the three of us,” Shiro said, stretching his legs out. “Do you guys want anything in particular?”
A smile found its way onto Lance’s face as Keith fist bumped the air. Shiro was always doing nice things for them, and loved sharing meals. Once, Hunk had thrown a little get-together at his place when he moved, and after a few drinks, Shiro was insisting to Lance that eating with him and Keith was one of his favourite things to do. It flustered Lance all night after he found out.
“You guys choose,” Lance breathed, leaning back on his hands. “You’re the best, Shiro, have I mentioned that?”
Shiro waved him off, chuckling. This was another thing about him, he hardly ever let anyone compliment him. Lance had tried many, many times. “How about Opa?
Keith sat up, twisting his torso. ”Yes please,” he said, leaning towards Shiro on his hand once he was done. He was looking at Shiro, the corners of his lips quirked.
“Seconded,” Lance agreed, raising his eyes at the interaction, but didn’t say anything.
“Opa it is,” Shiro said, “Lance, want to come with me to pick it up?”
Lance nodded and got up. “You coming Keith?”
To his surprise, Keith shook his head. “I’m going to keep studying.”
Lance’s eyebrows raised again. Keith? Study? Without external pressure? “You sure?”
Keith kept his eyes averted as he stood up. “Yeah, you two go ahead,” he said as he made his way to the kitchen to grab some water.
Lance glanced at Shiro, hoping he was just as confused, but for some reason Shiro was busy on his phone.
“Ooooookay,” Lance said awkwardly, “Right. Okay. We’ll be back then.”
They left the dorm with Keith still standing in the kitchen and pretending not to look at Shiro as they left.
The plaza that Opa was in wasn’t too far from where the residence buildings were situated, so he and Shiro agreed to do their part in saving the planet and walk there. It was early October, but the air was still warm with summer’s last touch.
Lance didn’t know why he felt so awkward all of a sudden. It wasn’t that Shiro’s company had ever been awkward, but it was the interaction in the dorm that made him just a little bit… cautious.
Did they… did they have a fight?
He didn’t want them fighting.
The thought of it made him feel… nervous and upset.
But they were fine before he and Shiro had gotten up to leave, so what was up with them?
Sneaking a peek over at Shiro beside him, Lance tried to read his facial expression, but could find nothing out of the ordinary. Shiro looked like warm, sunny, happy Shiro, accentuated by golden hour.
Just as he was about to look away, Shiro turned his face and caught him staring. “Something wrong?”
Lance hesitated. “You and Keith… you two are good, right?”
Shiro’s facial expression didn’t change, but his tone became a little bit more cautious. “Of course, why wouldn’t we be?”
Lance debated what to say to that. “Just… making sure,” he replied eventually, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I thought he would’ve come with us.”
“What, am I not enough?” Shiro teased.
“No!” Lance rushed, “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just surprised he wanted to keep studying is all,”
He could tell Shiro was choosing his words carefully. “I usually spend my time with Keith, and I realised that I hardly ever hang out with you one-on-one, so I thought I’d make more of an effort today.”
Lance stared at the side of Shiro’s face. He really wasn’t expecting that. To be honest, somewhere along the way he’d just accepted that his and Shiro’s friendship would never be as strong as it was between Shiro and Keith.
Daylight was waning slowly, making the swirl of white hair over Shiro’s forehead glow. His eyes, which were usually a calm, ocean gray, were now looking like the silver lining of clouds when the sun was behind them.
He liked Keith, but Shiro was handsome, okay? Like, really really handsome. Lance could admit that.
Shiro was also trying to get to know him better, and that made his heart flutter.
“Oh,” he said, pleasantly surprised. “Well, you could’ve just said so.”
“I didn’t want to make you feel awkward,” Shiro revealed sheepishly, stopping at the crosswalk and pressing the button.
Lance snorted and hit Shiro’s arm. “Shiro, I think we’re way past the awkward stage. We’ve been friends for months.”
Shiro was looking down at him, but he looked away as he said this. “Yeah. Friends.” He shook his head slightly. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Good,” Lance grinned, enjoying the way he made Shiro blush. “Should I expect more one-on-one adventures from now on?”
Shiro laughed as the crosswalk symbol popped up on the other side of the street, and they began walking again. “Yes, definitely.”
Lance was going to look forward to it.
Stepping into Opa reminded Lance just how hungry he was. His stomach groaned and croaked in response to the savoury aroma’s in the air. It wasn’t until they were next in line when he remembered they hadn’t grabbed Keith’s order before they left.
“Don’t worry about it,” Shiro reassured him, “I already know it.”
When they got up to the cash register, Lance gave his order (a pita wrap) first, before Shiro gave his (spanakopita platter). He gave Keith’s order last, a simple Opa platter.
“Keith always likes to get falafel instead of shrimp,” he explained, tapping his card on the scanner, “And he hates olives.”
“How can you hate olives?” Lance asked, perplexed. “They add so much flavour!”
Shiro shrugged. “Keith’s got specific taste,” he chuckled fondly, smiling to himself as they followed their food down the prep station. “I could go on and on about how specific he is with his food.”
It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but as Lance watched the tips of Shiro’s ears tinge pink at that, something in his brain stuttered. His mind recalled the previous times they’d hung out, after Shiro’s games, in Keith and Shiro’s dorm… they were close but… hang on.
His stomach simultaneously dropped and soared, a confusing reaction that had him disoriented for a good couple of seconds before he remembered where he was.
Shiro and Keith.
Did they…?
Lance furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he replayed his memories.
They very well could.
Huh.
Lance didn’t know what to feel.
The thought of Keith and Shiro having feelings for each other made him incredibly jealous in the most confusing way possible. He wanted to be Shiro, but he also wanted to be Keith.
He did not want to think about what that meant.
And, burrowing deeper still, an ember in his chest that warmed whenever he thought about Shiro and Keith being together.
That night, Lance had a dream.
It started off with him in his bedroom, standing in front of his bed. The window opposite to him showed a setting sky, painted in magnificent colours of pink and orange. He saw something move by his right shoulder, and when he looked over, Keith was there, chest glistening with water droplets, a towel around his waist.
Heat was building in his gut as he traced over Keith’s form, selfishly and without restraint.
It wasn’t until he felt fingertips on his elbow that he looked at his other side. Shiro stood beside him, shirtless, all the dips and grooves of his muscles catching his attention.
“Ready?” he asked, voice deep like the beginnings of thunder.
Keith drew his finger across Lance’s shoulder blades.
Lance shivered, eyes slipping closed. “Ready,” he nodded.
He opened his eyes to find himself bare chested. Blinked once, and Keith’s warm lips were against his shoulder. Blinked twice, and Shiro’s mouth was over his neck.
October dragged into November, the season changing noticeably as a brisk wind snatched leaves from their trees.
He, Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura decided to celebrate the start of reading week by having a night out at their favourite pizza joint, Sal’s. It was his idea, but as he, Shiro, and Keith waited for the others to arrive, he was starting to think he should’ve just arrived with Hunk.
Lance had spent quite some time trying to figure out whether or not Keith and Shiro liked each other like that. His stomach was a mess, and the reason why was enough to make him feel lightheaded.
Yes, he liked Keith, a feeling that was so goddamn strong it was hard to ignore. He left the classes they shared feeling bummed that they wouldn’t see each other until later, but every time they were together, he was as elated as he was in pain.
Lance wanted to touch him. He wanted to make Keith laugh, run his finger over the spread of his knuckles, wanted to hear about his day.
But then there was Shiro.
Handsome, kind, also so, so out of his league, Shiro.
Shiro with the gentle voice he used around him and Keith. Shiro with the gruff, commanding voice he used with his team. Shiro with the way he liked to touch Lance’s thigh whenever they talked.
Shiro came out of nowhere.
As Lance watched them from across the booth, he was sure of three things:
- Shiro liked Keith.
- Keith liked Shiro.
- Lance had, somehow, wound up in the position of liking both of them.
It was pathetic, really. His crush on Keith was supposed to fade, not get stronger. His crush on Shiro was never meant to happen in the first place.
He can barely keep up with their conversation because he was feeling so much all at once. They’re talking about Shiro’s season, he’s pretty sure, but all he can focus on is one of Shiro’s hands, which is under the table. His arm is held away from his body and Lance just knows it’s on Keith’s thigh. He can remember the heavy weight of his palm on his own thigh. A flash of jealousy, longing, shoots through him, but he isn’t sure who it’s directed towards.
Shiro and Keith had been like this ever since having Opa in their dorm… all touchy-feely with one another. Lance can’t remember if they’d always been this way, or if it was a recent development.
He wanted to be in Shiro’s position, touching Keith like that, but he also wanted to be in Keith’s seat. He wanted to feel Shiro’s hands on him.
He wanted to stop feeling like he was third wheeling.
He kissed his teeth, annoyed with himself, accidentally drawing the attention of the other two.
Shiro smiled slightly. “Everything alright?”
And Lance, honest to god, jolted, knees banging against the table.
“Y-yeah!” he stammered as his face erupted with heat. He pretended to push his hair behind his ears, just to give him something to do, until he realised his hair was short, and they knew it was short .
Shiro and Keith exchanged a glance.
Fuck, he thought, hand dropping to his lap.
He was embarrassing himself.
A million possible scenarios ran through his mind. He could spill over the glass of water in front of him. What if Shiro and Keith got weirded out by him? Or annoyed? He didn’t want them to be annoyed, and if they were, he’d be messing up-
Keith’s eyebrows drew together and lowered, his gaze shifting in worry. “Lance?” he asked in concern, sitting forward.
“I’m okay!” he replied quickly. Get a grip, McClain. He drew in an inconspicuous breath, before throwing on a smile. “Seriously, I just spaced out and you scared me is all.”
“What was that noise for?” Keith pressed, cocking his head to the side.
“I was just thinking about how behind I was in my English class,” he lied, forcing out a too-loud laugh. “My paper for Dr. Coran’s class is due a few days from now and I haven’t started. Kinda cheesed with myself, honestly,”
“Don’t worry, Coran’s an easy grader. You still have plenty of time, and it’s reading week so you won’t have to worry about spending hours in class,” Shiro reassured him, bumping his leg against Lance’s under the table, “For now, relax! You deserve it.”
Lance opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by an enthusiastic voice.
“There you three are!” Allura chirped, appearing at the mouth of their booth before sliding in beside Lance, radiant as always. At her sides were Pidge and Hunk, all dressed up for a nice night out. Pidge sat beside Shiro, while Hunk slid in beside Allura. “Sorry we’re late,”
“That’s no problem at all,” Lance quickly reassured before either Shiro or Keith could, glad to change the subject. “We haven’t seen you guys in weeks, how have you been?”
Just like that, the table burst into conversation, Allura going on about how the volleyball team was taking up every waking hour. The shift in the spotlight allowed Lance a moment to gather himself.
Relax, he told himself, you can do that, right?
And he really did try, but all his mind could focus on was Shiro and Keith, across from him. Shiro and Keith, and how good they looked together. Shiro and Keith, and the way he was so far from them.
And him. Feeling more and more like an outsider looking in.
Lance sat himself down the next night and gave himself clear, and stern instructions.
Get over Shiro and Keith.
The only way Lance could do that was by reducing the amount of time they spent around each other. Which meant no more after class hangouts in the library, no more visiting their dorm, no no no.
Lance saw Keith during class, and class only. He didn’t talk to him more than he had to, and was the first to leave. He barely saw Shiro, aside from the occasional glimpse in the hall. Shiro asked if Lance would be down to chill together before Shiro’s next class, and Lance lied and told him he wasn’t feeling well and just wanted to go home.
It hurt like hell, but… Lance wasn't going to get between them, okay? They deserved each other. They worked well together.
Lance was their friend, and he wouldn’t jeopardize that.
He was acting weird around them, and he knew it, and he also knew they knew it. By their third class together after reading week, Keith caught on that something wasn’t right.
“Is everything okay?” he asked after class as he watched Lance speedily pack his things.
“Huh?” Lance glanced at him briefly, before turning back to his bag. “Oh, yeah, fine.”
There was a beat of silence before Keith spoke again, as if treading lightly. “You know, if I did something wrong, you can just tell me, right?”
Lance’s hands slowed, heart squeezing painfully. “Right.”
“So… did I?”
He sighed, and shouldered his bag, looking anywhere but at Keith’s round eyes. “Listen Keith, I have class, can we please talk about this later?”
Keith’s expression changed into something more agitated. “Why are you acting like this?” he demanded, jamming his own things into his bag. “Seriously, spit it out.”
It was old Keith, and something old in Lance responded.
“It’s none of your business , Keith,” he snapped, before pushing past him to the door. “Stay out of it.”
Ever since Lance and Hunk started their third year, they barely had time to see each other. Hunk was usually busy with the research program he got accepted into or with Shay, and Lance usually filled his time by hanging out with the two who shall not be named. Today was a rare day where Hunk was free, so Lance was going to make the most of it.
He brought loads of junk food over to Hunk’s place, and had hooked up his laptop to Hunk’s TV, loading up Demon Slayer so they could finish off the show together. In the meantime, Hunk, like the angel he was, divided up the pasta he made into two separate plates.
Once the episode was pulled up, Lance sat on the couch, giving himself a moment to zone out until Hunk arrived.
“Is something up?” Hunk asked, peering at him as he handed him a plate. “You’re oddly quiet,”
“Hmm?” Lance snapped back to reality, pulling on a grin. “Yeah man, of course. I’m fine.”
Hunk’s eyes instantly sharpened like a hawk at his response, and he raised his hands threateningly. “What did we say about the phrase ‘I’m fine’? It’s-”
Lance groaned. “Hunk-”
“Say it, or these fingers will find their way into your pits!”
“Okay, okay!” Lance placated, tucking his knees against his chest. “We said it’s dismissive,” he mumbled.
“Exactly,” Hunk nodded sternly, satisfied with his answer. He came around the sofa and sat beside him. “Try again.”
“I’m…” Lance scoured through his mental dictionary for a word that fit.
He felt miserable, he wasn’t going to lie.
“Upset?” he suggested instead.
Hunk frowned, setting his plate on the table, which meant it was time for a heart to heart. “At who?”
Lance didn’t mind. In fact… he needed to get it off his chest. He fiddled with his hands. “Myself.”
Hunk shifted on the couch, turning so he was fully facing him. “Hey now,” he said gently, “what happened?”
Lance breathed out and closed his eyes, heart starting to beat shakily. “So… I’m in an awkward position of liking someone…”
“Uh huh….” Hunk said slowly, leaning against the armrest. “And that’s bad because…?”
“The issue is that… I…” Lance groaned, before giving up and coming out with it. “I think I also like his best friend at the same time.”
Recognition flickered across Hunk’s face. “Keith and Shiro?”
“What-” Lance lurched up, jaw dropping. “How did you know?”
“Because I can read you like an open book,” he snorted. “I’ve been wondering about what was up with you and them for some time now.”
Lance pouted. “It’s pathetic right? That’s not even the worst thing either!” He placed his chin in his hands. “I’m pretty sure they like each other.”
“Oooh,” Hunk nodded suddenly in understanding. “Okay, I see what’s happening here.”
Lance wanted to cry, bizarrely. “What’s your advice?”
“Hmm,” Hunk began, “Do you know for sure they’re into each other?”
Lance nodded his head earnestly. “I’m pretty sure they like each other… they’re… really extra touchy lately. And…” They’re not like that with me.
Hunk was staring at him oddly, as if he was a little… confused. “As far as I can tell, they treat you the same way they treat each other,” he said.
Lance sighed, “I wish but… they’re different with each other than they are with me.” He thought about it regularly, if he were honest. “In any case, I’ve been trying to get over them so I’ve… been avoiding them…”
“Right…” Hunk said slowly, “In any other case I would say that was the right decision but…” he scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know. You can’t just… ghost them like that out of nowhere, especially since you three were so close.”
Lance whined. “But I don’t know what else to do, Hunk! It hurts seeing them!”
“Shiro is cool, you know? I don’t think he’d be weird about it if you told him,” Hunk suggested, “Keith won’t make a big deal out of it either.”
A stone dropped into Lance’s stomach. “Are you saying I should confess to them?” he cried, “Are you crazy?”
That was… no. No way. Lance didn’t need his heart broken like that.
Hunk held up his hands in surrender, “Hey, all I’m saying is that it might help you move on. And…” he shrugged, and looked away. “What if they like you back?”
Lance blinked. Then he started laughing.
Even one of them liking him back seemed out of reach, but both of them? That was impossible. There was no way.
“They don’t,” he said with conviction. “I’m sure of it.”
“It’s your choice buddy,” Hunk reminded, “Just.. don’t blow them off like this and give them the cold shoulder without a good reason. They’re still your friends.”
Guilt bubbled uncomfortably in Lance’s stomach. “Yeah…” he muttered, “I know.”
Hunk brought him into a hug, patting his shoulder. “Hey, cheer up. I know it’s hard, but whichever way the dice rolls, you’ll handle it, okay? It’ll be okay.”
Hunk’s hugs were medicine. Lance brought his arms up and around him, burying his face against his shoulder. He nodded against the fabric of his shirt. “Yeah…”
“Why don’t we watch, hmm? You can choose what to do in the morning, or even later. For now, let’s just try and figure out if Tanjiro can find Kibutsuji again.”
Lance chuckled at that. “Don’t forget about eating your pasta.”
Hunk shook against him as he laughed. “Yes, and eating. That’s important too.”
A few days later, Lance was buried under his blankets. His family was already awake downstairs, probably deciding who got to choose what they were having for breakfast while Lance contemplated for the thousandth time if he should message them.
It was… what? Day 14? 15? of being Keith and Shiro free, and he was starting to cave.
He missed them.
The space he put between them was intentionat at first, but as preparations for finals picked up, so did the pressure. Whether or not he meant to, his schedule kept him from reaching out, even if he wanted to.
Hunk was right. It wasn’t unfair to them for him to drop off the way he did. He didn’t want to ruin what they already had.
He took a breath.
Alright, McClain, he though as he grabbed his phone from the nightstand. Now or never.
He didn’t even know what he was going to say to them, but he opened up their group chat anyways (named SKL Night Live, because Lance liked to think he was funny).
He had only just brought up his keyboard when his phone buzzed in his hand, and a new text appeared in the chat.
Holy shit, he thought, sitting up slowly.
(Shiro) Hey Lance. I hope you’re well. We haven’t hung out in a bit and I was wondering if you wanted to grab some pizza with me and Keith tonight? Let us know :)
He snorted without thinking. He texts like he’s sending an email, he chuckled. He stared at the message before typing out a reply.
His thumbs hovered over the send key nervously, until he forced himself to go through with it.
(Lance) hey, sounds great. Sal’s at 6?
(Shiro) Sal’s at 6. See you there.
Nervous was an understatement.
Lance didn’t know how he got to Sal’s with his knees shaking so bad, but he was standing in front of the glass doors, the neon sign above the entrance casting a dreamy, orange glow onto the pavement.
The weather was cooling down rapidly, and the denim jacket Lance had on was definitely not enough to be spending time stalling in the cold. With a deep breath, he stepped into the building, simultaneously blasted with warmth and the rich, savoury smell of fresh pizza.
He’d received a message from Keith earlier telling him they were in the same little booth as the one they had during reading week. One scan in that general direction, and his eyes fell onto Shiro and Keith sitting on the same bench.
You can do this, he reassured, and took a step towards them.
Shiro was the first person to see him, and he raised his hand in greeting.
It had been such a long time since he’d seen him, and Lance’s heart made sure to remind him painfully of it.
“Hey,” Lance greeted softly, sliding into the opposite bench.
“Hey,” Shiro smiled, “I went ahead and ordered. I hope your favourites haven’t changed… I’m really glad you could make it.”
“Well, it’s Sal’s, not like I could say no even if I wanted to,” Lance chuckled, before clearing his throat. “How have you two been?”
He looked over at Keith, who was dressed in his signature black leather jacket, a pullover underneath. Keith was staring resolutely at the menu.
“Good, good, kind of busy with finals and everything,” Shiro replied.
Lance hummed and nodded. “I feel that…”
Silence ensued.
Lance’s hands were starting to clam up. Three weeks ago he’d been sitting at this same booth, embarrassing himself, and he was doing it again.
Why can’t you just act normal?
Just as he was thinking that this was a mistake, that he shouldn’t have come, Keith spoke.
“Why have you been avoiding us?”
Lance stiffened.
“Keith,” Shiro sighed.
Keith shook his head and looked up at Lance, eyes dark and … Lance blinked in surprise. Upset. Keith was upset. “No, I’m serious. You’ve ignored us for almost two weeks, and I don’t get why.”
Lance didn’t know how to respond right away, taken back by the rough undertone of Keith’s voice. He’d never heard him sound so torn up before.
Shiro hurried to take control of the conversation, meeting Lance’s eyes. “I think what Keith’s trying to say is if we did something wrong,” He clasped his hands on the table before laying them flat against the surface. “And if we did… we would like to know.”
It became clear to him suddenly that the two of them had been talking to each other about it.
Lance swallowed hard. For once in his life, he felt miserable and couldn’t find an ounce of comedy to cover it up. “I’m… I’m not…”
“Lance,” Shiro said softly, with a sad smile, “please.”
And, oh, that hurt.
He’d been trying so hard not to get between them, that he ended up hurting them in a different way.
Lance’s heart was trying to beat out of his chest. “I…” he stammered, dropping his eyes and focusing on his lap. His ears felt warm. “Okay fine!” he blurted, squinting his eyes shut. “I’ve been avoiding you guys.” He took a steadying breath, eyes snapping back up, “But not because you guys did anything wrong, okay?”
Keith was quick to jump on the opening, no more composed than earlier “Can you at least tell us why then?”
“I…” Lance shifted awkwardly. “I can’t,”
Keith’s knee was bobbing under the table. “I’m sure we can handle whatever it is, we’re not kids, Lance,”
Lance winced at his tone, but he felt he deserved it.
“Keith,” Shiro said softly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Keith immediately said, voice softening, “But… you’re really killing us over here, Lance.”
“I’m sorry,” Lance said earnestly, desperate to make them understand that he meant it. “I didn’t mean to hurt you guys it’s just…” He ran his hand through his hair.
He remembered what Hunk said. They wouldn’t be weird about it.
He could do this.
He opened his mouth-
And a waitress appeared at the mouth of their booth, holding two pizza’s in her hands. Lance and Keith always had the same order, while Shiro’s was held in her other hand. “Here you guys go! I’ll be right back with your guys’ drinks, alright?” She set the food on the table before flitting away just as quickly as she came.
“You just…?” Shiro prompted as soon as she left.
Lance bit the inside of his cheek. “How about we eat first?” he suggested, wanting them to at least enjoy their meal before he went ahead and made it awkward.
Shiro and Keith exchanged a glance.
“Okay,” Shiro agreed, “But don’t think we’re letting you off the hook just yet.”
The meal was actually really… nice. Lance missed eating out with them. He missed the easy conversations they had, and the way he felt all warm inside. It wasn’t completely their normal, but it was better than whatever he’d been getting and giving for the past two weeks.
By the time they all paid, he was feeling a little bit more confident. Not super great, he was still expecting rejection, but he knew at least that Hunk was right. Neither of them would judge him for what he would say.
On the way out, Lance found himself nestled between Shiro and Keith, the frosty air nipping at his cheeks. He shivered, and wrapped his denim jacket tighter around himself.
Keith glanced down at him, somehow managing to look annoyed and worried at the same time. “Why didn’t you wear a bigger jacket?” he rolled his eyes, reaching over to pluck Shiro’s beanie off his head before sliding it onto Lance’s. “It’s below zero,”
Lance blushed, and glanced at Shiro to make sure that was okay, but Shiro didn’t seem to mind at all. “I didn’t want to ruin my outfit?” he said, sounding like he was telling himself the same thing for the first time. In reality, he just wasn’t paying attention, too nervous to focus on how he was dressing himself.
Keith snorted, but made sure the hat covered his ears before moving away. “Of course you didn’t.”
Lance warmed up pretty fast after that, and it wasn’t just because he was wearing Shiro’s hat.
It was a lot darker now, so Shiro insisted on driving Lance back home, and Keith was pushing him into the backseat before he could even say anything.
The car was quiet as Shiro drove, despite Keith letting Lance take control of the aux. Lance was grateful to the music, because it gave him some time to think of what exactly he was going to say to them.
When the car rolled to a stop outside his house, Shiro turned down the stereo.
“Thank you for inviting me,” Lance said, fiddling with the edge of his jacket. “This was just like old times,”
“Don’t say it like it’s the last time we’re going to hang out with each other,” Shiro chuckled, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
Lance didn’t say anything to that.
“So… about what we were gonna talk about earlier,” Keith prompted, twisting around to look at Lance from the passenger seat.
“Right,” Lance said, stomach tying into knots. “Um,”
He took off Shiro’s hat and held it in his hands, running his finger over the fraying seam on the inside.
“So, like…” he cleared his throat before giving a weak laugh. “Ha, fuck,”
“If it’s making you this nervous, you don’t have to do it today,” Shiro suddenly said softly. “Just at least tell us you won’t go MIA on us again.”
“No,” Lance said quickly, “I want to.”
Shiro and Keith exchanged another glance.
“Okay,” Keith said, leaning his back against the dashboard.
Lance closed his eyes. “To be honest, I don’t know if you guys would want to talk to me after this,” he said truthfully, squeezing the hat in his hands. “I… I was avoiding you both because… it’s really hard for me to be around you two,”
The other two responded immediately to that. Shiro’s features shifted into concern, whereas Keith’s face shuttered to whatever emotion was on his face. He seemed to shrink before Lance’s eyes.
“Not because you two did anything wrong,” he hurried in a soft voice, raising his eyes to look at both of them. “But…” He swallowed thickly, his voice starting to shake, “but because I like you.”
Both of them froze in front of him, but Lance was too caught up in head and what he was saying to really pay attention.
I really, really like you. Both of you. And.. not just as friends,” his face was starting to heat up. “More than that.” His fingers tightened around Shiro’s hat even more as he continued. “I thought it would fade on it’s own, but it’s not, and,” He hesitated. “I avoided you both to deal with that, and also because I thought you two were into each other and I didn’t want to interfere.”
“We are but we like you too.”
“I know I shouldn’t have given you two the cold shoulder,” he continued, barely hearing Keith, “I didn’t know what else to do,” He set the hat down on the armrest between Shiro and Keith. “And if you two don’t want to be around me for now, then-” He froze. “Wait, what?”
Did he hear that right? Lance looked at Keith in surprise.
Keith was no longer shut away, and instead was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.
“No you don’t,” Lance insisted, appalled.
“Yes, actually, we do.”
“But how is that-”
Keith waved him off, eyes bright. “Stop talking. I need you to answer a question for me.”
“Keith-”
“Quiet, Shiro. Lance, it’s a yes or no question.”
Lance’s brain was frying itself. “O-okay,”
“I want to kiss you. Yes or no?”
Lance balked. “What?”
“Yes or no?”
Lance looked at Shiro, hardly believing his ears. “Y-You’re going to let him do that?”
Warm fingers gripped his chin, not at all hard, and his face was being guided back to Keith’s. “Hey, I asked the question, not Shiro. I’m going to ask one more time, yes or no?”
Oh my god. Lance felt his stomach explode with tingles, coursing all over his body. Was this real?
He and Keith were locked in an intense stare, and before Lance could think about it, the words were out of his mouth.
“Yes.”
It took Keith barely two seconds to lean forward and cup his face before his lips pressed against his own.
Lance could’ve melted into his boots right then and there. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Keith’s lips were a firestorm against his own, his kiss urgent and barely restrained, and Lance could was struggling to keep up.
His head was full of white noise. There was nothing before or after this. There was only this.
He raised his hand, wanting to brace it against something, wanting to put it against Keith’s neck. Shiro’s hat tumbled out of his lap.
Shiro.
Lance broke the kiss with a gasp, feeling short of air. “Wait-” He held his hands up, trying to orient himself. Did Keith just kiss him dizzy? He felt dizzy. There was so much to say, but all he could manage was a breathless, “What’s going on?” aimed at Shiro.
Looking at Shiro was a mistake, because his expression had changed, the greys of his eyes dark and glinting and sending zaps straight to Lance’s stomach. He’d been watching the entire thing.
“I like Keith,” he began simply, “Keith likes me. You like us, and we both like you too.”
“Hold- hold on, man,” Lance shook his head. “You guys are going to make my brain explode,”
Keith looked as happy as Lance had ever seen him. “What do you think you’ve been doing to us these past few months?”
Lance blushed a dark ruby, unable to meet Keith’s eyes. For a few seconds, nobody said anything, probably for Lance’s benefit. “You two… when.”
“When what? When did we get together, or when did we begin liking you?” Keith raised his eyebrows, seemingly taking pleasure from Lance’s inability to speak.
“Both.”
Keith looked at Shiro. “We got together two weeks before we were studying for our midterm in our dorm. We both liked each other, but had no idea the other liked you too,” he turned his head back towards him, settling his gaze. “And I’ve liked you since we met, Lance. So has Shiro. We’ve… actually been trying to get with you for a while now.”
Something in Lance’s mind clicked, and he pointed to Shiro. “Our Opa trip… was that-”
“Keith’s idea for us to bond,” Shiro chuckled.
If Lance could explode right now, he would. The butterflies in his stomach were losing it.
I’ve liked you since we met, Lance. So has Shiro.
One look at Shiro told him Keith was telling the truth.
When he found his voice, it was smaller, “You’re not pulling my leg, right?”
The clouds in Shiro’s eyes dissipated. “Of course not,”
“I just kissed you,” Keith reminded him, still sounding giddy.
All the blood rushed to Lance’s head, and the smile that broke onto his face was so real and genuine, he had to hide his face. “Oh my god, am I dreaming?” he said aloud, “This feels like a dream.”
Lance heard the leather of Shiro’s seat creak, and warm hands found his wrists, pulling his hands free. Keith and Shiro both were laughing, and Lance joined them, feeling as if he was on cloud nine.
“Are you going to kiss me too, or is that just for Keith?” Lance asked Shiro when he’d calmed down a little, lacing his fingers through his much larger ones.
Shiro looked like he was barely keeping it together. “I was waiting for you to ask,” he said, before swooping in.
Shiro’s kiss gave him room to think, but just barely. Lance cupped his face, feeling the edge of his jaw with his fingertips, registering the contrast between it and how soft Shiro’s lips were. Knowing Keith was there, watching them kiss, made his skin burn.
Lance lost count of how many kisses they shared. Every kiss was a warm up for the next one. The amount of attention he was getting made him feel like he was floating.
He combed his fingers through Keith’s hair, finally letting himself kiss him, to take back a little bit of control, when his phone pinged. He groaned against Keith’s lips, not wanting to put any space between them. Every edge of him was addicting, the same way Shiro was. He couldn’t get enough of either of them.
His phone pinged again, and with a frustrated sigh (which earned a chuckle from both Keith and Shiro), he looked at the time.
“Holy crow we’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes!” he exclaimed, swiping through his messages. It was his mom, funnily enough, asking him what time he was going to be home. Now he really felt like he was in high school again.
“It was a good twenty minutes,” Shiro said, sounding a little dazed.
Lance blushed. “It was,” he agreed, and leaned away from Keith, who was watching him like Lance was the only person he could see. He smirked, and patted his cheek. “You alright there, tiger?”
“You need to leave before I tell Shiro to drive you back to our dorm.”
Lance laughed, and dropped his hand. “Alright, alright,” he chuckled, leaning down to pick up Shiro’s beanie. He set it on the back seat, just as his phone pinged for a third time. “Jesus, okay, I really need to go,” he gave each of them a peck on the cheek before sliding towards the door. “I’ll message you both, okay? This was… great. ”
Keith hummed in agreement. “Agreed. Goodnight, Lance,”
He opened the back door, smiling harder than he had in a long time. “Goodnight, both of you. Drive safely.”
To: Hunk
(Lance) so i kissed two people today
(Hunk) two??
(Hunk) wait…
(Hunk) WAIT
(Hunk) WAIT WAS IT-
(Lance) it was ;)
December 23, 202X
Lance loved kissing Shiro and Keith. They felt right on his lips, over his skin. His hands didn’t guess what to do, they just knew, and they couldn’t stay away. They felt different from one another, too. Lance couldn’t explain it, but Keith pushed with urgency and pure heat, while Shiro took his time. Lance came out of both feeling like he was nothing but a pair of lips, aching for the next kiss.
He was in their room currently, straddling Shiro’s hips, because apparently he couldn’t get enough of Lance either. Not that Lance was complaining, holy shit, not at all. They kept telling each other they wanted to take it slow, since none of them had ever done this before, and every time they were together, they toed the boundary a little bit more.
“You are so greedy,” Keith scoffed, wrapping his arm around Lance’s waist. “I think you’ve kissed him more than I have at this point,”
“Mm, makin’ up for lost time…” Lance chuckled, capturing Shiro’s bottom lip between his teeth and tugging on it as he pulled back to look at Keith. “Jealous?”
Keith squeezed Lance’s cheeks between his fingers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, pressing a short kiss onto his lips before leaning over Shiro and kissing him too.
This was another thing he wasn’t prepared for.
Watching them kiss set every inch of his skin on fire. It was just… it was hot, okay? It turned him on.
He let Keith have what he wanted, enjoying the show until they broke away. Lance slid off of Shiro’s lap. “So…” he began, stomach fluttering with nerves once again. “It’s been a few weeks since… we’ve been…” he gestured vaguely in the air.
“Yes,” Shiro said, watching in amusement as Keith settled down beside him.
“Right,” Lance blushed, “I was thinking… how would you two feel if… I… you, know… asked you both to be my boyfriends?” He wrung his hands. “Like… officially?”
Shiro smoothed his hands up Lance’s thighs. “I think we’d say yes,”
“Alright, cool… so,” he cleared his throat. “Shiro, Keith, will you be my boyfriends, please?”
“You really added the please in there huh,” Keith chuckled, hooking his finger around the belt loop of Lance’s jeans. “Of course we will.”
Lance did, because he knew what it did to Keith, specifically.
His heart swelled. “Good,” he murmured, before pecking them each on the cheek. “I’ve wanted this for months.”
Like everything regarding Shiro and Keith, Lance was painfully earnest with them. He had been longing for this.
And from the way they tackled Lance onto his back, Keith holding him down as Shiro peppered kisses onto his face, to the way those kisses slowed, got deeper, wanted to ravage more…
Lance knew they’d waited for it too.