What I Would Give to You

Chapter 1

Looking back, Lance would almost laugh at their silly rivalry. The pettiest things would set the two off, quarrels that would last for way too long. Lance would laugh, because the rivalry was the last enjoyable memory he had with Keith. In fact, it was all just fun and games until Lance decided to draw a dick on Keith's forehead as a joke, but it appeared on his own as well.

They had been roughhousing on a couch in the rec room at their dorm when Lance thought it'd be a genius idea to draw phallic objects on Keith. A dick on a dick he thought to himself, causing him to chuckle. He grabbed a permanent marker from the table beside him and pounced on Keith. A growl was the last thin heard from the latter before a magnificent penis was drawn on his forehead. Lance doubled over in laughter but Keith's face was frozen. When Lance gathered himself, he looked at Keith's expression with confusion and asked what was wrong. Keith, unable to speak, just pointed to Lance's forehead. Lance, still confused, pulled out his phone and turned on the camera, taking a good look at himself. Normally, he would make a passing comment about how beautiful he looked, but this time he donned the same stone expression Keith had on. There was a penis, identical to the one on Keith's forehead, on his own.

Keith and Lance looked at each other for a brief moment, expressions blank, until realization dawned. 

Lance's mind flashed back to his mother, with 6 year old Lance on her lap. She was telling him a story while brushing his hair. The story every parent said to their child at some point in their life. The story of soulmates. Lance remembers now, his mom telling him how anything inked on his soulmates skin would appear on his own, word for word. Lance remembers now, all those tiny notes that appeared on his arm throughout his life, jotting down to-do lists. Lance remembers now, all the ugly doodles dotting the palm of his hand, and how he made a promise to make fun of his soulmate about these when they met. Lance remembers now, the time he caught a glimpse of Keith's notebook, and saw equally hideous drawings, but chose to ignore them because "Keith Kogane cannot be my soulmate." Lance realizes now, "Keith Kogane is my soulmate."

Keith seems to realize the same simultaneously. He looks from Lance to his left hand, where on his ring finger rested a silver band. It had only been a month since Keith and Shiro got engaged, but it feels as if they've been married for years, considering how lovey-dovey they are. If Lance had to describe Keith and Shiro's relationship, he'd say it was the complete opposite of his and Keith's. Smiles instead of frowns, cuddles instead of play punches, soft words instead of rough yells. It was obvious to anyone looking at them that Keith and Shiro were utterly in love. Lance was fine with that, he was happy for them, because he knew for a fact that neither of them were his soulmate.

When Shiro revealed to him that Keith wasn't his soulmate, Lance was confused. Growing up, Lance believed that finding his soulmate was the ultimate goal in life. He refused to even date someone until he was sure they were his soulmate. After entering high school, that resolve was quickly forgotten as he was swooned by many girls and boys, but he was always hesitant to enter a long-term relationship until he was certain they were his other half. So hearing about Shiro and Keith getting hitched despite not being linked felt odd to Lance, but he decided to brush it off. Many people ended up marrying someone other than their soulmate, for the task to find their other half turned to be more of a chore. To many, it didn't make sense to draw something on their skin every time they met a new person, so finding their soulmate became a secondary goal. Lance, still adamant to find his own, was considered old fashioned. 

Lance's goal in life was to find his soulmate, but now that he did find him, he wished he never had one to begin with.

Both Keith and Lance were silent for a few moments. A thousand thoughts ran through Lance's mind, ranging from "This can't be happening" to "What about Shiro?" to "Will Keith leave Shiro for me?" to "No, that would never happen" and back to "But would it?"