hey there pretty boy (klance)

CHAPTER 07

The god has developed a strange sort of friendship with Keith's brother. He hasn't decided if that's a good thing. On one hand, it means that Shiro doesn't have a problem with the guy who loiters around Voltron and gives Keith heart eyes all day.

On the other, it means the two of them can tag-team Keith.

"Don't get me wrong, I love your hair, but maybe you should think about getting it cut," Lance teases, reaching up to tug on the hair at the back of Keith's head. He pushes Lance's hand away with a red face.

"My hair is fine-"

"I've been telling him to cut it for a year!" Shiro yells from the front of the store. He pokes his head around one of the shelves. "Maybe he'll actually do it now that you've suggested it."

While the two of them laugh, Keith brushes his bangs away from his eyes and leans over to whisper in Lance's ear. "You do realize if I chop it off that means no more ponytails, right?"

Lance giggles. "Okay! Okay, I take it back."

Keith moves to organize their boxes of bracelet charms, placing them back in each colour's designated spot. Sometimes they get mixed up after people come in and dig through them for ones they like, but there hasn't been enough visitors for them to really be muddled. Mostly he's just doing it to give himself a task instead of staring at Lance, or catching Lance staring at him.

Is it boosting his self-esteem to have a god blushing over him? Yes, absolutely.

Lance's arm snakes around Keith's waist and picks up a simple blue charm. He holds it up, examining the way that the stone catches the light. "This one's nice."

"You can have it for a nickel," Keith tells him, trying not to focus on the fact that the colour matches Lance's eyes, and nodding at the handmade 5¢ each sign.

Wearing a grin, Lance fishes the required coin out of his pocket and walks over to place it in the tip jar, the other boy watching him with an amused eyeroll. He goes back to sorting the pieces while Lance checks out every other one. For a god, he seems to have such a simple fascination with the dumb little charms. It feeds a question that has been brewing in Keith's mind for a while.

"Lance...don't take this the wrong way, I just - why are you here?" He asks softly, expecting an offended response from the god.

Instead, he is met with a raised eyebrow. "In case you haven't figured it out, I like you-"

"No, I mean, why are you in Arus?" Keith lowers his voice and glances around to make sure that his brother isn't within hearing range. "You're a god. Couldn't you go anywhere that you wanted?"

Lance gives him a gentle smile. "I like this town. It is close to the ocean. Physically, yes, but...there is also a different kind of connection."

Keith isn't sure what to say to the quiet confession, so he swallows, nods and returns to his task. An hour later he finds himself leaning against the counter at the cash while Shiro is entertaining Lance. He tries to not be too concerned about that.

He's tired, bored and can feel his eyes getting heavy when suddenly Lance appears in front of him and gives him a sly grin. "Want to go somewhere?"

"My shift doesn't end-"

"Keith, get out of here!" Shiro calls from out of sight.

Pleased by his new partner-in-crime, Lance laughs joyously and drags Keith by his wrist to the front doors. "Come on, we're young and in love."

Keith lowers his voice to say, "okay, not sure how the whole god thing works, but I'm fairly certain you're at least a millennia older than I am." Which is kind of weird, now that he thinks about it. Lance's face looks so youthful.

"Something like that," he chuckles.

"And since when were we in love?"

"Ever since you came back, pretty boy."

Keith blushes as Lance winks teasingly, his hand sliding from Keith's forearm to his fingers. They intertwine automatically as if they've been doing this for decades and not simply days. Everything about Lance is so smooth it almost makes Keith lightheaded.

They sit on the beach, talking quietly to avoid the ears of the handful of other groups that were occupying the sand. Soon the water is going to be bursting with families and friends on vacation. Keith hates the ocean even more when it's packed with noisy tourists.

He's still having trouble connecting blue-eyed Lance with the swirling, strong waters that fill their view for miles. The boy is too soft. Keith has silently made note that there hasn't been anything more than a gentle rainfall for a whole week.

Lance seems completely at ease when he stretches his legs out in front of him, the waves splashing his toes every time they roll in, while Keith stays cross-legged and dry. He watches as the sky begins to fill with a canvas of reds and purples. "Allura and I make a good pair, don't you think?" Lance murmurs, crossing his legs and happily watching the sun reflect on the sea. "Sky, water. It just goes together."

"I thought you said you guys were cousins."

"Our family tree is kind of skewered, Keith. It's best not to ask questions."

"You seemed pretty against the idea before..." Keith points out, recalling Lance's frantic attempt to correct their initial misunderstanding.

A hazy look crosses his face. "Well, yeah, but that's because I had eyes for somebody else."

Keith flushes a rosy pink. He looks down at his hands, tracing a pattern in the sand as if it's going to distract him. Lance has leaned closer and the subtle warmth of his breath is tickling Keith's neck. Sometimes it's hard to picture Lance as anything inhuman, especially when he's...right...there.

"I may have forgotten something before," Lance sighs in his ear, "I'm also the god of love."