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Lance wanted to take Keith for a nice quiet walk, that's all. They haven't been able to get any alone time for a few weeks, and he noticed that Keith's introverted battery was running low. Way, way low. So, remembering that he liked the wide forests of Olkari, he asked Coran about any nearby planets that could potentially have the same sort of wilderness.
Which brings them here. The grass here is bright orange, glowing gold in the sunlight. Oh, and the wind smells kind of like cookie dough, which he certainly won't complain about. The most important bit though, is that Keith looks happy. Relaxed. It fills Lance up with butterflies.
By now, he shouldn't be so nervous. They've been together for a few weeks now. Holding hands, exchanging chaste kisses (and less than chaste kisses). And yet he still occasionally finds himself nervous. How the fuck did he manage to land Keith Kogane as a boyfriend?
He knows that overthinking will only lead him to panic. Right now, he just wants to hold hands and walk through these really cute light pink flowers. There's a whole field of them, painting the sweeping hills for miles ahead of them. He grabs Keith's hand, ready to fully explore with him by his side.
Keith squeezes his hand back, but doesn't look at him. Lance figures that Keith isn't really used to this attention. And honestly? Lance likes that idea. He wants all these firsts to happen with him. They can be each other's firsts for a lot of things. First date, first kiss, first cuddle session. He looks at Keith once more, expecting to see that shy smile on his face. Instead, what he sees is a glazed, confused expression.
"Uh, b- Keith?" Lance has been trying to work up the courage to call Keith babe. Thus far, he has been unsuccessful. Though going by that look on Keith’s face, now might not be the time. “You okay over there?”
“Lance…” His voice sounds far away. Like he’s dreaming. “Do you think aliens... believe in humans?” He squints, then turns to look at Lance.
“Uuuh,” Lance frowns. He looks around him, as if there will be someone else to help him answer this completely ridiculous question. Then, he shrugs his shoulders a little and laughs. “You tell me. You’re the alien here,”
For a moment, Keith continues to just stare at him. Then he starts to giggle. Honest to god. He places his head on Lance’s shoulder and just quakes with laughter. “I forgot! I am an alien!”
Now he looks on in horror. Someone has clearly poisoned Keith. Or replaced him with this decoy clone thingy. Weirder things have happened to them. He turns a bit so that he can place his hands on Keith’s shoulders. “Keith? Look at me. Did you eat anything recently? Or… did you get hit with some weird dart? Lemme look at your neck-”
Keith, to his credit, is able to lift his head, though it seems like it’s a bit of a mission to do so. Lance carefully runs his fingers around the exposed skin of Keith’s neck, and keeps an eye open for any wounds. Nothing. At least he’s making Keith giggle.
Then again, that could mean that the poison is getting worse. Holy shit.
“We gotta get you back to the castle,” Lance decides, and takes a hold of Keith’s hand once more. Keith stumbles for a moment, but trails after him.
“The castle is no fun. We’ve done everything there,” Keith says. “Oh wait… I have an idea. Let’s… let’s get Coran to move the castle here. Then we wouldn’t have to go back to the castle,”
Lance groans. How would he ever tell Krolia about her son’s last words?
Lance watches Coran fuss over Keith. Coran has taken Keith’s temperature, asked about when the symptoms started to occur and where.
Keith has made things slightly difficult by giggling or complaining about how hungry he is. “Guys, I’m fine,” He moves to jump down off the table, but Coran easily keeps him in place. Then, he hands Keith the Altean equivalent of a lollipop which, amazingly, holds Keith’s focus.
“I’m afraid this is… my fault,” Coran says awkwardly. He turns to look at Lance, a sheepish expression on his face.
“Wha- what do you mean? Why don’t you just put him in a pod? What’s going on?” Lance steps forward to take one of Keith’s hands. This is it, isn’t it? Keith is dying. Lance always knew that whatever grand romance he got to experience would be completely tragic. He pictures himself sitting by Keith’s bedside as he dies, sunlight streaming in through the windows, shared secrets and Lance will tell him how much he-
“He’s high,”
Lance blinks, purses his lips, and asks, “Excuse me?”
Coran twirls his moustache. “When you asked me for ‘a romantic place for a space date’, I figured a field filled with flowers that would glow in the sunset would be the perfect place for your amorous exploits, I failed to take into account Keith’s Galra heritage. Really, it’s quite fascinating. I thought the Galra had burned every bit of the plant out of the galaxy, but it appears that some has survived!”
Lance blinks again.
“The flowers of Hiranorh tends to make Galra lazy, happy, and quite frankly, a bit duller,” Coran continues. “Our Keith here will be fine after a quick nap and something to eat!
“Yes, finally,” Keith says through the lollipop. “I’d kill for a cheeseburger right now,” He squints. “Do you think we could actually get a cheeseburger? There’s got to be like… a place where we can get one. Or at least some cheese...Would it still be a cheeseburger if it’s from space? ”
Lance is torn between ringing Coran’s neck for missing something like that, and ringing Keith’s neck for making him worry over something as dumb as being high off of Galra Catnip. Also one of their first dates has ended so stupidly. This is the last time that he goes to Coran for help.
Lance totes a bottle of water to Keith’s room later that day. It wasn’t at all difficult to get him to take a damn nap. Now, though, they’ve got to wake him up. Lance knows from experience that isn’t always the easiest thing.
The door to Keith’s room slides open. It’s dark inside, but Lance can make out Keith’s disheveled form on the bed. He’s lying face down, the blankets are all crumpled up on the floor, and somehow his pillow is on his balanced on the small of his back.
Lance smiles at the sight. Just for a moment, he watches the boy stole his heart.
Then he walks over in three quick steps and nudges Keith. “Time to wake up! You won’t be able to sleep tonight if you don’t!” He says in a sing-song voice.
Keith groans. It sounds a lot like a wolf going through an exorcism. And people say that Lance is dramatic.
“Keeeeith. Darling dearest. Babe,” He nudges him a little more. “If you don’t wake up now, I’m going to sit on you. And I’m a lot heavier than I look. It’s all this muscle mass,”
“Shut up,” Keith says, though the sharp words lose its meaning since it’s muffled by the sheets.
“Nope! I literally do not know how,” He waits a moment. “Okay, here it comes!” Lance stands up and fully prepares to sit on Keith, but that threat was enough to make Keith stir and sit up.
“I hate you,” He grumbles. His hair is sticking up. It’s adorable.
Lance sits back down and grins. “Y’know, you keep this up, and I’m gonna have to use part of that Galra catnip I got stashed away,”
Keith balks. “You didn’t,”
“Oh, I did,” Lance actually didn’t, but Keith has never been very good at telling when someone is lying. Not about stuff like this, anyway. “And I can get you all nice and sleepy and cuddly and it’ll be hilarious,”
“You drug me, and I’ll restart that video game so you lose your high score,”
Lance gasps. “You wouldn’t dare,”
There’s a mischievous glint in his eye as he grins back at Lance. “Try me,”
So Lance does. He leans in and kisses Keith. This feels like their brand of romance, Lance thinks. Catnip and other weeds included.