"Absolutely not," Keith said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" Hunk cried out, "C'mon Keith! It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Freezing my ass off and stumbling around on... on knife shoes is not my idea of fun, buddy. Definitely not."

The two were inside the Castle of Lions which was stationed on a frozen planet that held materials necessary for the Paladins' next mission. While Allura and Coran, the only ones who could sense the materials, went off on a search with the leader of the planet's civilization, the Paladins were left to their own devices.

And apparently, that meant skating on the planet's large, frozen lake. Blegh.

Keith didn't like the cold or the snow, he was much more of an autumn person, so he'd planned on staying inside in the warmth of the Castle for the night, but, much to his discomfort, Hunk was trying to convince him to come out and skate.

"Everyone's waiting for you," Hunk said sadly. Then, his eyes flashed and a small, sly smile slid across the Samoan's face. "Lance is waiting for you."

Hunk was the only one on the ship who knew about Keith's feelings for Lance. And he used it as playful blackmail every time Keith was being a buzzkill or was missing out on something.

Keith felt his stomach tie itself in a knot at the thought of skating with Lance. Gliding across the ice in sync...

"No," he told himself sharply, shaking his head to be rid of the image, "you'd fall on your ass and embarrass yourself the second you stepped out onto the ice. Staying inside is much safer for your reputation."

Hunk watched as Keith thought over the predicament. He never forced Keith to do anything because of the secret he knew- Keith's trust was hard-earned as it was- but he couldn't help but feel like this was the perfect start to Keith opening up a little to Lance.

The only reason why Hunk knew in the first place was because Keith hadn't come out to Shiro yet (he didn't like labels, anyways) but he felt like he had to tell someone or else he'd explode. And Hunk was the most trustworthy pilot on the Castle, so, naturally, Keith ended up telling his friend about his crush.

"He's out there... all alone..." Hunk tempted, practically watching the cogs turning in Keith's head as he mulled over the situation. "And if you don't like it, I'll polish Red for you free of charge."

Keith considered it. He had been procrastinating polishing his Lion...

"Fine," he huffed, "but get ready to polish, man."

Hunk laughed happily, clapping Keith on the back as they made their way from Keith's room to the exit, pausing to pull on their coats and gloves. And then it was out into the cold, white tundra of the planet.

Keith gazed up at the clear, peach-colored sky, watching the three moons move slowly around the heavens as he and Hunk walked down to the valley where the lake was. He shivered as the snowflakes clung to his eyelashes and melted on his cheeks, but he had to admit, the sharp air was refreshing, in a way.

As the two of them trudged down the steep slope of the valley, the area grew to be more and more populated with the planet's inhabitants. They were quiet, pale-skinned creatures, dressed in quilted fabrics and furs, their large, grey eyes peering around them in constant curiosity.

The race was gentle and kind and Keith was suddenly incredibly thankful that the Galra hadn't found the planet yet- the aliens were too hospitable and caring to be able to survive such an attack.

Keith turned his eyes from those around him to the lake that he and Hunk drew closer to, and one figure in particular on that lake.

Lance was graceful on the ice, like nothing Keith had ever seen before. He was easy to pick out in his puffy blue coat and black sweatpants, but more than that, by the way he moved.

Lance glided easily across the frozen surface of the lake, turning back and forth and skating backwards as he weaved through groups of other inhabitants that skated on the edge of the lake in a clockwise rotation. But the Blue Paladin floated between their ranks and then back out into the center of the lake, his arms above his head as he leaned back. Keith's mouth went dry.

Hunk nudged Keith towards a small stand where a figure was handing out skates to reaching hands, her pale skin as white as the snow on the ground. Keith stepped towards the stand awkwardly, and the alien turned to face him, asking him something in a lilting, calm voice.

Keith coughed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry- I don't-" I knew this was a bad idea.

"She asked what size you are," a voice piped up. Keith turned to see Pidge standing next to him, reading off a small device she held. She looked up at him expectantly.

"Oh, uh, an 8 maybe? Men's 8?" He shrugged.

Pidge held up the screen to the alien and the device replied in an automated voice. The alien nodded and reached under her desk, producing a pair of skates for Keith, made of what looked like leather. "Thank you," Keith said quietly and, again, Pidge's device translated. The alien nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, Pidge," Keith said apologetically, pulling on his skates and lacing them tightly. He put his shoes by Pidge as she settled back into her cocoon of blankets by a fire she'd built by the side of the lake and wobbled into the stream of skaters on the ice.

Ankles wobbling pathetically, Keith slowly made his way forward, aware of everyone passing him. Embarrassed and cold, Keith was just about to step off the ice when he heard someone call his name.

"Keith! Mullet! Wait up!"

Shit.

Keith waddled slightly slower, bracing himself as Lance slid up next to him, skating evenly with his hands behind his back.

"I didn't think you'd come out," Lance said, but Keith forced himself to keep his eyes glued to the ice in front of him as he skated, determined not to fall on his face in front of Lance.

"Me neither," Keith said through gritted teeth.

"Why are you so uptight? You've gotta relax! C'mon, Mullet."

The next thing Keith knew, Lance's fingers were enclosed around his wrist and he was being dragged out of the safety of the ring around the edge of the lake and pulled into the center of the frozen ice.

Keith yelped in surprise, his knees shaking as he lost his balance. But Lance swooped forward and grabbed Keith's forearms, pulling him upright and situating himself to skate backwards, leading Keith in front of him with the rhythm of his steps against the ice.

Keith, wide-eyed, had no choice but to make eye contact with Lance now as he skated before him. Well, more of let himself be dragged by Lance across the ice, but that wasn't important. Lance's eyes were a dark, stormy blue and his cheeks were bright pink. Keith knew that his were too, but not from the cold.

"I've got you," Lance said quietly, smiling softly at Keith. And that sunshine smile made it feel like summer in Keith's heart.