Notes: For Keith's birthday I'm doing a fluffy birthday one shot. This is his respite from me beating him up all the time.
This fic references my other fic 'you're the one that's always saving me,' as well as Queenscene2's fic "Lance Becomes a Psychic." You don't need to read them in order to read this one, but you should.
This fic references my other fic 'you're the one that's always saving me,' as well as Queenscene2's fic "Lance Becomes a Psychic." You don't need to read them in order to read this one, but you should.
Keith’s life had changed a lot, now that he thought about it.
He stood on one of the balconies outside of one of the smaller ballrooms, letting his shoulders relax as the wind gently blew around him. He could still taste the cake, which was iced with the phrase “Merry Spawn Anniversary” on it (definitely Pidge’s doing), but at least it was red velvet filled with cream cheese. The team at least had the sense to make the cake his favorite flavor if they were going to put something so tactless on it.
It was kind of funny, now that he thought about it (his circumstances, not the cake). If he’d been him a year ago that he would be celebrating his nineteenth birthday in a castle on another planet, and flying giant metal lions, he wouldn’t believe it. Yet here he was, a year later, a birthday hat slightly askew on his head and a glass of some alcohol in his hands (he didn’t question what Lance put in his hands, he was pretty sure his boyfriend wouldn’t pull a stupid stunt on his birthday after all).
Keith knew he was tipsy now, he was reminiscing, he only did that when he was tipsy. But he couldn’t really bring himself to care. The skies were clear, the weather was nice, and it was peaceful. As luck would have it, Lotor didn’t decide to attack on his birthday, which meant for once he could relax.
He leaned onto the railing, giving the alcohol a bit of a swirl as he pondered. To think that there was a snowball effect from helping a kid off the ground and giving him his glasses back in a New York library to becoming actually knighted and getting to date the man he loved.
He wondered how his mother was doing back on Earth. For most of his life, she was the only one who really supported his dreams of space, fuelled by the best taiyakis ever made, even when they lived in a dingy New York apartment. She bought him a telescope to look up at the stars with, she encouraged him through school, she helped him get into the Garrison Academy. He wished she could see him now.
But Keith’s mom isn’t the only one who helped him on his journey. His friends, his brothers now, have been his rock in hard times, and a pain in the ass in other times. Lance, moody but understanding. Hunk, hotheaded but surprisingly wise at times. Pidge, chaotic but ingenious. Sven, grounded and level headed. They’ve all helped him get here, and he was grateful for all of them.
And his new sister, Allura, too. She may be naive and prone to chaos like everyone else, but her optimism and hope is infectious.
Keith didn’t realise that he had started smiling until he started taking sips of his drink. He also heard the doors behind him open and shut, and heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see that Lance had reached out and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“You seem to be pretty deep in thought there,” his boyfriend said, pulling him into a side hug. Keith snuggled into it, the two of them fitting perfectly together like puzzle pieces.
“Just reminiscing,” Keith replied, wrapping his free arm around Lance’s waist and sliding it neatly in his jacket’s pocket. “Remembering how I got here, y’know?”
Lance chuckled. “I forget that you become an old man when you’re tipsy.”
“You weren’t saying that last night.”
Lance had the decency to sputter and blush while Keith laughed. It was like he was laughing in happiness and out his somber mood from earlier, and it was working very well to keep that smile on his face.
Something suddenly hit him very hard, like a truck slamming into his face. When Lance had calmed down, Keith reached up and pulled his boyfriend into a gentle kiss.
“I love you, y’know that?”
He chuckled, reaching down to rest his forehead against Keith’s. “I know, but I’m currently wondering what brought this on?”
Keith shrugged. “I don’t know. It just hit me that I love you, and that I’ve loved from the start.”
“And when was the start?” Lance raised an eyebrow.
He hummed thoughtfully. “Pretty sure it was about a few months after we started, when you pulled out a couple bottles of beer and convinced me to drink. I already liked you then, but that was when I fell in love with you.”
If Keith wasn’t paying close attention, he wouldn’t know that Lance was flustered. The slight waver in his voice, the slight lean backwards, the slight quiver of his lips. “Oh? And why didn’t you say anything?”
“Like you said anything either.”
They both chuckled. In all fairness, love and dating always seem harder when that’s the biggest stressor in your life. When facing death at almost every opportunity, it was easier to click together, easier to get over your insecurities and just ask the other person out.
“You’re thinking pretty hard there,” Lance muttered, leaning back in.
“Oh? And how would you know?”
“Excuse me, according to the locals, I am a psychic, thank you very much.”
They both burst into giggles at that point. Keith remembered when Lance tried to con the locals into giving him money for psychic readings and fortune tellings at his booth. Pidge even made t-shirts.
“And according to me, you were stealing their money!” Keith responded through giggles, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Lance’s lips. “And you also stole my heart.”
Lance swore under his breath and Keith chuckled, as his boyfriend can dish it but can’t take it. “Damn it, why do you get so smooth when you’re tipsy?”
He just shrugged, leaning forward to press his ear to Lance’s chest. The steady heartbeat was calming, and he abandoned his drink on the railing in order to wrap both his arms around his lover.
Lance seemed to get the hint and hugged him back, humming a tune under his breath. They stayed like that for a while, watching the sun set. The evening got cooler but Keith was still warm. While poetically Keith would like to say that their love kept him warm, realistically it was probably because his boyfriend was a natural heat generator. It made getting blankets easier though.
“Happy birthday, Keith.”
He stood on one of the balconies outside of one of the smaller ballrooms, letting his shoulders relax as the wind gently blew around him. He could still taste the cake, which was iced with the phrase “Merry Spawn Anniversary” on it (definitely Pidge’s doing), but at least it was red velvet filled with cream cheese. The team at least had the sense to make the cake his favorite flavor if they were going to put something so tactless on it.
It was kind of funny, now that he thought about it (his circumstances, not the cake). If he’d been him a year ago that he would be celebrating his nineteenth birthday in a castle on another planet, and flying giant metal lions, he wouldn’t believe it. Yet here he was, a year later, a birthday hat slightly askew on his head and a glass of some alcohol in his hands (he didn’t question what Lance put in his hands, he was pretty sure his boyfriend wouldn’t pull a stupid stunt on his birthday after all).
Keith knew he was tipsy now, he was reminiscing, he only did that when he was tipsy. But he couldn’t really bring himself to care. The skies were clear, the weather was nice, and it was peaceful. As luck would have it, Lotor didn’t decide to attack on his birthday, which meant for once he could relax.
He leaned onto the railing, giving the alcohol a bit of a swirl as he pondered. To think that there was a snowball effect from helping a kid off the ground and giving him his glasses back in a New York library to becoming actually knighted and getting to date the man he loved.
He wondered how his mother was doing back on Earth. For most of his life, she was the only one who really supported his dreams of space, fuelled by the best taiyakis ever made, even when they lived in a dingy New York apartment. She bought him a telescope to look up at the stars with, she encouraged him through school, she helped him get into the Garrison Academy. He wished she could see him now.
But Keith’s mom isn’t the only one who helped him on his journey. His friends, his brothers now, have been his rock in hard times, and a pain in the ass in other times. Lance, moody but understanding. Hunk, hotheaded but surprisingly wise at times. Pidge, chaotic but ingenious. Sven, grounded and level headed. They’ve all helped him get here, and he was grateful for all of them.
And his new sister, Allura, too. She may be naive and prone to chaos like everyone else, but her optimism and hope is infectious.
Keith didn’t realise that he had started smiling until he started taking sips of his drink. He also heard the doors behind him open and shut, and heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see that Lance had reached out and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“You seem to be pretty deep in thought there,” his boyfriend said, pulling him into a side hug. Keith snuggled into it, the two of them fitting perfectly together like puzzle pieces.
“Just reminiscing,” Keith replied, wrapping his free arm around Lance’s waist and sliding it neatly in his jacket’s pocket. “Remembering how I got here, y’know?”
Lance chuckled. “I forget that you become an old man when you’re tipsy.”
“You weren’t saying that last night.”
Lance had the decency to sputter and blush while Keith laughed. It was like he was laughing in happiness and out his somber mood from earlier, and it was working very well to keep that smile on his face.
Something suddenly hit him very hard, like a truck slamming into his face. When Lance had calmed down, Keith reached up and pulled his boyfriend into a gentle kiss.
“I love you, y’know that?”
He chuckled, reaching down to rest his forehead against Keith’s. “I know, but I’m currently wondering what brought this on?”
Keith shrugged. “I don’t know. It just hit me that I love you, and that I’ve loved from the start.”
“And when was the start?” Lance raised an eyebrow.
He hummed thoughtfully. “Pretty sure it was about a few months after we started, when you pulled out a couple bottles of beer and convinced me to drink. I already liked you then, but that was when I fell in love with you.”
If Keith wasn’t paying close attention, he wouldn’t know that Lance was flustered. The slight waver in his voice, the slight lean backwards, the slight quiver of his lips. “Oh? And why didn’t you say anything?”
“Like you said anything either.”
They both chuckled. In all fairness, love and dating always seem harder when that’s the biggest stressor in your life. When facing death at almost every opportunity, it was easier to click together, easier to get over your insecurities and just ask the other person out.
“You’re thinking pretty hard there,” Lance muttered, leaning back in.
“Oh? And how would you know?”
“Excuse me, according to the locals, I am a psychic, thank you very much.”
They both burst into giggles at that point. Keith remembered when Lance tried to con the locals into giving him money for psychic readings and fortune tellings at his booth. Pidge even made t-shirts.
“And according to me, you were stealing their money!” Keith responded through giggles, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Lance’s lips. “And you also stole my heart.”
Lance swore under his breath and Keith chuckled, as his boyfriend can dish it but can’t take it. “Damn it, why do you get so smooth when you’re tipsy?”
He just shrugged, leaning forward to press his ear to Lance’s chest. The steady heartbeat was calming, and he abandoned his drink on the railing in order to wrap both his arms around his lover.
Lance seemed to get the hint and hugged him back, humming a tune under his breath. They stayed like that for a while, watching the sun set. The evening got cooler but Keith was still warm. While poetically Keith would like to say that their love kept him warm, realistically it was probably because his boyfriend was a natural heat generator. It made getting blankets easier though.
“Happy birthday, Keith.”