https://64.media.tumblr.com/e1cda9b7e3b9243c27e5893167c16e0f/tumblr_ogvbyyFDoW1qjwup5o6_r2_250.png

Keith waved to Lance, who was wrapped up in a fuzzy robe and standing on the porch, coffee in hand, before ducking into the Uber and putting his AirPods in, settling back for the ride back to his house. He'd eaten dinner with Lance out in the sunroom, watching the morning sun break over Lance's smooth skin. After a few minutes of window-gazing, Keith's phone buzzed and he checked it, reading through the messages he'd missed in Voltron's group chat. 

shrimp: do we have practice today

hunky: I close shop at 6. My house at 6:30?

shrimp: yus

hunky: Shiro can u bring the recording stuff, we have to submit our song by the end of the weekend

takeshit: For BOB?

shrimp: no for pornhub

takeshit: Can you tell how hard I'm laughing -_-

Keith smiled before replying. 

: do u want me to bring drinks?

shrimp: if ur talking abt alc then yus

hunky: It's a school night

shrimp: and?

takashit: No alcohol for working students.

: i was talking abt redbull or smth

The Uber stopped at a stoplight in the middle of town and Keith glanced out the window. The sky was clear and cloudless and Keith checked the weather on his phone. It was supposed to get pretty hot-- he was thankful he'd be spending the day inside the pleasantly cool Arboretum. His phone buzzed again. 

shrimp: pls oh pls opulent king keithy grant me, a peasant, a few meager cans of monster 2nite

takashit: Monsters bad for you.

shrimp: did i ask <3

: i'll bring something from 711 for everyone

takashit: I'll bring the recording equipment.

hunky: I'll bring any leftovers from the shop

shrimp: i'll bring myself >:)

The Uber pulled in front of Keith's apartment and, after thanking the driver, Keith got out and jogged up the stairs, feeling a little guilty for skimping on his gym visits the past few weeks. He made a mental note to check in with Shiro, who he hadn't been able to hang out with as much as he wanted to lately. 

Keith showered and dressed quickly, throwing on a loose, patterned short-sleeve and overalls, buttoning up his shirt as low as he dared and leaving one of the straps of the overalls undone. He checked for his wallet, keys, phone, and helmet, then slapped on some Converse and was on his bike by 9:50. He'd been right about the weather-- it was already a steamy 79 degrees out and it kept getting hotter.

When he pulled up in front of the shop, Allura was outside watering the flowers in the window boxes, the ocean breeze making her sundress flutter gently around her calves. Allura turned when Keith switched off the ignition before smiling broadly and setting the watering can down by the doorstep. 

"Long time no see!" She called, leaning against the doorframe as Keith hopped off his bike. He jogged up to her and grinned, bowing his head obediently for her to ruffle his helmet hair. Allura was, aside from his mother, the most beautiful woman Keith had ever seen. She had tattoos dotting up her arms, most of them plant-based, and shockingly bright white hair, which grew in loose ringlets down her back when she didn't have it done up in some intricate hairstyle. Today's look was double french braids. 

Aside from that, Allura had a knack for pinning you down when you weren't expecting it with her wide blue eyes, often guessing Keith's thoughts before he'd even come up with them himself. She'd bought the storefront straight out of college and, though it had been a huge risk at the time, it did reliably well each year and she was constantly adding new things to it, like the greenhouse on the side or the coffee tables out front. The shop was Keith's happy place and he could tell that, for Allura, it was nothing short of home. 

"Whose fault is that?" he asked her playfully, following her inside. "You're never here when I am. What's up with that?"

Allura turned, spinning effortlessly in her tall wedged sandals. She reminded Keith of Lance a little. Shooting a devilish grin at him, Allura hopped onto the counter. "I met a guy," she said slowly. Keith's jaw dropped. He was immediately suspicious of the mystery guy-- Allura had a history of being attracted to the heartbreak-y sort. He grabbed the broom from the backroom and began sweeping some of the constantly accumulating sand on the floor to a pile. 

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Allura swung her legs, watching a group of teenagers amble by the storefront outside. She developed a look on her face when she watched tourists like that, Keith had noticed. Like a lion stalking its prey: all bright-eyed and intent. 

"It's nothing big right now," she elaborated, fussing with a bracelet display on the counter beside her. "We've just met up a few times, mostly by accident."

Keith hesitated, pinning her down with an appraising look. She glanced back at him sheepishly. "He's not like the others, right?" he asked. Allura had come into work with dark, puffy under-eyes from crying all night and oversized sweatshirts one too many times and Keith didn't know how much more he could stand before he started going around punching all the men who thought it was okay to hurt her. Allura was one of the kindest people he'd ever met-- he didn't know how all these douchebags couldn't see that. 

Allura slid off the counter and smoothed down her sundress, handing Keith his apron before putting her own on. She pursed her lips. "I hope not. I really like him." Keith closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, fighting back the sibling-like feeling of protection he had over her and compromising by patting her head softly. 

"Don't let him hurt you, okay? You deserve better than that." Allura looked at him and smiled gently. 

"I know."

The two easily fell back into carefree banter, attending to customers when they wandered into the shop, sending out floral arrangements, and hiding away in the refuge of the backroom whenever they could to escape the heat. Before Keith knew it, the digital clock on the counter read 5:00 and he was taking off his apron to hang on its regular hook by the door. 

Allura leaned against the counter, tracing an absentminded finger over the venus flytrap tattoo on her forearm. She made Keith want to cover his arms in ink too, but he'd promised his mom he'd get his first tattoo with her (and Tex, if he wanted). Keith smiled over his shoulder before he left the shop, meeting his boss' eyes. "I want to hear more about this mystery boy next time, okay? Make sure he treats you right."

Allura grinned and nodded, waving goodbye as Keith left the shop and straddled his bike. He checked his phone-- Lance would be at the gym right now with Adam, if he remembered right. He still had over an hour until he needed to be at practice, so he figured he'd stop in to say hello beforehand. 

The drive over to the Y was blissfully refreshing after being in the warm shop all-day and Keith took the beachside route to enjoy the breeze rolling off the ocean, eyes scanning the emptying beaches as tourists packed up to go home and regulars arrived for evening bonfires, even though the sun wasn't even close to setting yet. 

Keith parked on the curb outside the gym and headed upstairs to the practice rooms where he assumed Adam and Lance were. The gym was cool inside and it smelled like disinfectant and sweat, a weird combination, and pop music played softly on the speakers overhead. Keith passed the rows of lifting equipment and treadmills to get to the back rooms, a sector of the building he never visited. 

It wasn't hard to find Lance from there. The muffled, groovy bass of a familiar Still Woozy song carried through the hallways and Keith found himself feeling a little self-conscious as he approached the dance rooms. He'd never seen Lance dance before-- he had no idea what to expect and he definitely didn't want to intrude. But, on the other hand, dance was such a big part of his boyfriend's life and he didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to see it. 

There were already a few people gathered around the room when Keith rounded the corner, drinking from water bottles, dripping with sweat, talking amongst themselves as they regarded the scene in the studio. Keith slipped between their ranks, snippets of their conversations catching in his ears, and pressed towards the back, where he could see the dancers but wouldn't be too obvious about it. 

Inside the small, well-lit room were two figures, dancing in sync to the song. Keith recognized Lance in a heartbeat, wearing a crop top (surprise) and grey sweats (a godsend). Adam was next to him, of course, in a similar outfit. Both of them were grinning, laughing when they made eye contact as they hit every beat perfectly, movements fluid and gentle. Keith stared, a bit mesmerized. They looked so good. And it helped that they looked like they were enjoying every second of it. 

Unfortunately, Keith had been a bit late and was only able to watch the last 30 seconds or so of the dance before it ended and the small crowd applauded enthusiastically. Lance and Adam fist-bumped and grabbed their water bottles before emerging from the studio, exchanging words with those who had been waiting outside. 

Lance turned to head down the hallway, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, but Keith pushed off the wall and walked after him. "Lance!" he called, fixing the strap of his overalls. The brunette turned, his eyes lighting up. 

"What're you doing here?" he asked incredulously as they slowly made their way down the hall. 

Keith smiled a little and looked down. "I just got off work. I thought I'd come see you before practice."

Lance reached for Keith's hand and intertwined their fingers, humming happily. "What'd you think?"

"Of your dance? I loved it. I had no idea that you were so good. It was amazing, really."

Lance blushed, bringing their hands up to his lips so he could kiss Keith's thumb. "You think so?" he asked, catching Keith's eye. Keith still hadn't forgotten their kisses last night and his cheeks grew hot just thinking about the way Lance moved beneath his hands. Lance's suggestive expression hinted that he knew exactly what Keith was thinking. 

Keith, flustered, pulled Lance into a small doorway in the hallway where no one could see them. He met Lance's eyes shyly and tilted his chin up, asking. Lance answered by pressing Keith up against the wall behind him and placing a soft, chaste kiss on his forehead. It took everything in the florist not to pout. 

"Don't make that face," Lance giggled. "If I kiss you too much, you'll get bored of it."

'Never,' Keith thought. He shook his head and tilted his head up again. Lance brushed a lock of hair behind Keith's ear casually. "I hope you have a productive practice," Lance murmured, hesitated, then gave in and kissed Keith for real. Keith felt like he could have been flying. 

When Lance pulled away, Keith was slightly out of breath and he could tell that his cheeks were red, but Lance simply winked, ruffled his hair, and stepped aside so Keith could leave. "Have fun at practice," he called as Keith, whose heartbeat was still on overdrive,  walked down the stairs. 

Lance grinned and leaned up against the wall. "He came to watch me dance," he thought, ridiculously happy. 

... 

gah sorry this is late-- like I said in the previous ch, school is kicking my ass lol

I luv u and I hope u all had amazing week <3

qotd: whats one think ur looking forward to in 2021 (this is me, a pessimist and a realist) trying to be optimistic for u (:

love u loads n loads!!!!!!!! sorry if this is shit btw i'm v tired

ps i could not think of a good name for this ch for the life of me so if u have a better one please tell me i will use it