Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lance found himself on the couch of his and Hunk’s shared apartment, with blankets piled around him as he waited for Keith to arrive. He should arrive at any minute, and Lance had already spread all the DVD’s Hunk and Lance had collected throughout the years, on the floor so they could choose which movies they were going to watch. 

Lance was a sucker for fall, just look at their apartment. Small pumpkins filled the space on shelves, fairylights hung in his room illuminating his bedsheets he had specifically bought for the season. Lance was ready for the season, all his fluffy sweaters and scarfs made their way into his closet whenever the amazing type of year called fall began. 

Lance was like a white girl on tumblr whenever it was fall. That included playlists, hot drinks, pumpkin carving and baking with Hunk. Lance loved all of it. And due to Lance’s obsession with the season of golden hued leaves, he and his friends had created an annual tradition of movie night and a pumpkin carving competition. 

But this year was different, today it was only going to be him and Keith since the others couldn’t make it. Which meant no homemade cinnamon rolls made by Hunk, no one to fully compete with Lance in the pumpkin competition since Allura couldn’t make it, no one that gave him extra snacks as Pidge couldn’t come either. He wasn’t that surprised Shiro couldn’t make it, – he rarely does – but when Shiro does make it, it’s a blast. So now it was just going to be him and Keith watching movies, carving pumpkins, baking (or trying to) alone. Just the two of them. Lance and Keith usually hung out in a group, it wasn’t often it was just the two of them. But Lance couldn't lie to himself, he was somewhat excited to hang out with the other boy alone.  

The sound of their doorbell made Lance come back to his senses. He pondered whether leaving the warm comfort of 3 blankets was worth the hassle of being a good host, but in the end he decided against it and called out to whom he could only presume was Keith. 

The door opened as Lance was met with the sight of Keith holding two cups of coffee, was that pumpkin spice he could smell? and a tote bag that was on its last breath holding whatever monster that was inside of it. 

“You could have at least opened the door, my hands are kinda occupied right now. Also I really hope I don’t run into your neighbour again” Keith went to put down everything on the small dining table and walked towards where Lance was sitting in his blanket pile. 

“Eh, I was too comfy. Was the old lady giving you the stinkeye?” Considering the way Keith looked when he arrived with his arms full, he did look kind of funny, he even managed to get a small stick stuck in his hair on the way to Lance and Hunk’s apartment. 

“She gave me this look of a disappointed grandma” Keith shuddered at the mere thought. 

“Lance, are those three blankets? Why in the world would you need three blankets??” Keith looked shocked, and Lance couldn’t help the Laugh that escaped him. At this point Keith should already know how much blankets and pillows mean to Lance. The blankets were fluffy, two were grey and the third was a dark orangy brown perfect for fall. 

“You don’t have the right to diss my blanket situation when you have a stick in your hair instead of up your ass where it usually is” Noone gets to disrespect Lance’s blankets, Pidge had already been the victim of Lance when she mentioned it was too many, and lets just say, she never mentioned his blankets ever again after that. 

Keith’s face flushed a little as he thought back to his walk outside before he came here. Keith had both his hands occupied with two cups of warm coffee, as he accidently walked into a branch filled with orange and yellow leaves that decided to tangle themselves in Keith’s raven hair. Keith decided to say fuck it and just pull with his head, taking a small stick with him in return. He’d rather that than be met with Lance’s nagging asking why his oh so precious pumpkin spice latte was soggy. Screw these paper cups, and screw these wet roads. 

Keith handed Lance his steaming coffee – the most basic drink for any fall obsessed white girl during fall – and to be honest, Keith was surprised their coffee wasn't cold when he arrived. Maybe the fingerless gloves had a say in that. 

“I was planning on making hot cocoa when you got here, but this is so much better. Thanks man” Lance took a sip of coffee heaven, relaxed further into his blanket pile and let out a pleased sigh. That hit the spot. Keith sat down next to Lance on the sofa, a tight fit due to all the pillows and blankets taking up space that otherwise could have made space for another person. 

“You should have seen the barista's face when I ordered that monstrosity of a drink” Keith let out a small chuckle at the memory. The barista's face fell immediately when Keith said his order, they were probably expecting a break from the pure amount of pumpkin spice lattes they already have had to make throughout the day. Keith has worked as a barista as a parttime job, he knows the relief when he hears an order that is anything other than what Keith likes to call ‘Fall’s worst contribution to society’. If it weren’t for the amount Keith has had to make, he might have given the beverage a chance. Keith has made a promise to himself that he would never in his life give the drink a try. 

Too bad the biggest pumpkin spice lover sat next him howling with laughter as he imagined the look on the barista's face. Keith didn’t get how Lance could be so obsessed with a season, but he also knew not to indulge the brunette too much. Three whole months is a lot of time for getting his ear spoken off about the same things every year. 

“Yeah I can imagine, you don’t really look like the pumpkin spice type of guy” Lance wiped a small tear from his eye that had formed from laughter, as he continued talking. Lance turned towards Keith, squinting as he scrutinized Keith’s choice of clothing. This won’t do. Lance placed his beloved coffee on the small coffee table, promising to come back for his drink, as he grabbed Keith’s arm and pulled him towards his own bedroom. 

“This,” Lance gestured to all of Keith in a dramatic motion, “Is not suitable for the occasion” Lance started to rummage through his own closet that was filled with too many clothes, he might need to sort some out. Which was something Lance was really bad at. He forms emotional connections to inanimate objects way too fast. 

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Keith pouted as he raised an eyebrow in question. Keith thought his outfit wasn’t anything bad. 

“Keith, you’re wearing skinny jeans. Who wears skinny jeans on a movie night??” Lance tossed a pair of baggy jeans at Keith, and added a big fluffy sweater as an afterthought. Lance was at least nice enough to make sure the sweater was a nice burgundy colour. 

Keith looked at Lance quizzically as he swapped the black skinny jeans he was wearing out with the pair of baggy jeans with a dark wash instead. Lance stood very still with his back turned while Keith changed into the clothes he had given him. When Lance turned around to look at his masterpiece, he was met with something amazing. 

“Oh my god Keith. I’m a mastermind. A cuteness mastermind.” Keith just pouted again as the word cute was used to describe him. The pout wasn’t really doing anything in Keith’s favor to prove Lance’s point wrong. Keith looked incredibly soft as the big fluffy sweater swallowed him whole, and Lance got the urge to nuzzle his face in Keith’s shoulder, or shake him. How was he feeling cuteness aggression towards Keith of all people? 

Lance was taller than Keith, even if it’s just by a little bit, but Keith was broader than Lance and the sweater was proof of that fact. The sweater was a bit big for Lance’s lanky frame, but it looked like the soft material was made for Keith to wear. Damn. 

“I still don’t get why I needed to change, but I can’t lie, this is extremely soft. Who was sacrificed for this to be made??” Keith looked at himself in the mirror of Lance’s closet, as he inspected himself. He looked completely different from his usual vibe, his current one was much softer than the black leather and fingerless gloves he usually adorned. 

Lance pushed Keith’s back clad in soft material towards the living room so he could finally drink his forgotten coffee as they decided on what movies they were going to watch later on in the day. They still had cinnamon rolls to bake, and pumpkins to carve before they could get to Lance’s favorite part of their annual tradition. Movie night. Lance just wasn’t sure how it would go when his usual cuddle buddy Hunk wasn’t going to be there, would he have to cuddle Keith? It’s not something they really do other than knees and thighs that press against each other as they sit on the small sofa. 

As they sat on the floor with all the DVD’s sprawled in front of them to inspect for later movie viewing, Lance had a thought, and an important one at that. 

“Wait… Keith I never told you to get the ingredients for the cinnamon rolls! What are we going to do? I don’t feel like leaving the comfort of my own home” Lance groaned and slid his hands down his face in desperation, almost untying the knot of his blanket cape from the movement. 

Keith just smirked as he went to grab something from the bulging tote bag with an alien printed on it. He waved it for Lance to see, and oh my god Lance could kiss Keith right now. Keith was holding a bag of frozen cinnamon rolls – or what should be frozen – with a proud smile. Keith didn’t trust himself enough to make something in the kitchen that in the end wouldn’t end up as charcoal, and he wasn’t exactly sure if he trusted Lance as well.

 Keith loved Hunk’s cinnamon rolls, and it was one of his favorite parts about the tradition they had created for themselves, other than when it was time for telling spooky stories. Him and Pidge still held the record for making the others scream the loudest, and he was proud of it. The two were a duo not to be reckoned with. 

“Shouldn’t those be frozen…” Realization hit Lance and Keith as they scrambled to turn the oven on, and Lance almost tripped on the blanket still tied around his neck like a cape. They both hurried to read the instructions – or tried to read – on the packaging Keith had oh so smartly ripped in half making it almost impossible to read the small text. It was already hard to decipher to begin with, now imagine what it was like when some parts of the text were missing. 

“How warm should the oven be?” Lance scrambled with the buttons on the oven in a hurry. 

“uhm” Keith squinted as he looked at the plastic, he had forgotten his reading glasses at home. 

“Keiiiith” 

“I’m trying!” The plastic instructions were ripped out of Keith’s hands as Lance went to look at them himself. He fiddled with the temperature as he finally got it right and put the dessert into the oven on a piece of parchment paper and closed it with a sigh. Lance threw away the packaging while asking in a slightly annoyed tone:

“Who decided it was a good idea to make the text so small??” 

“That’s what I’m saying!” Keith agreed, and after a short while they both burst out laughing. Lance’s face fell as he realized something. 

“Why were we even rushing so much? Isn’t it okay as long as we don’t freeze them again?” If Lance’s mama was there, she would have smacked him over the head, Hunk would have too. 

“Fuck” They both groaned as they slid down the kitchen coubards where they now found themselves situated on the wooden floor. Keith leaned into Lance as his long raven hair tickled Lance’s neck. Lance stiffened slightly, before he soon relaxed into the warm touch of Keith Kogane. 

“This is stupid” He heard Lance complain beside Keith. 

“I think we’re stupid” Keith complained back. 

“Us? Stupid? No way.” Keith let out a chuckle at Lance’s words dripping with sarcasm. 

“You’re right” Keith had a small smile as he leaned further into Lance’s side subconsciously. 

“I’m always right” That earned a jab in Lance’s side from Keith as a yelp escaped Lance’s whipped cream covered lips. They sat there for a while before they decided to get up and prepare for the pumpkin carving contest. This year’s contest was going to feel completely different compared to the other years, now that it was just the two of them. 

Keith pulled out his dagger from god knows where just as he was about to cut a circle on the top of his pumpkin. 

“Keith, no daggers!” Keith furrowed his brows at Lance’s words. 

“Why not?” Keith crossed his arms, dagger still in hand. 

“It’s dangerous!” came Lance’s response. 

“It’s a pumpkin!” 

“You could hurt it!” Okay now Lance was just being ridiculous. 

“Its. A. Pumpkin.” 

“Fine, suit yourself. Don’t come crying when you accidently cut yourself” 

“Yeah, right” Keith, did in fact cut himself. It wasn’t worse than something a bandaid couldn’t fix. Keith pouted as he looked down at his finger, and then at his pumpkin with very rugged edges. Keith was trying to write ‘Keep out, Area 51' which didn’t go very well. Meanwhile Lance had managed to carve elmo surrounded by fire into his own pumpkin, which actually looked pretty good to Keith’s dismay. Keith blames his horrible work on the fact he lost rock paper scissors against Lance, and ended up with the smaller pumpkin. 

“Don’t you dare say it” Keith knew what was coming as soon as he felt the sting of a small cut on his finger, and he didn’t exactly want to hear it. 

“I told you so” 

“Goddamnit Lance” Keith knew his pumpkin was horrible when he finished it, Lance was the clear winner here. Keith was competitive, and he loved seeing Lance lose when it came to things like this. So what if Keith bribed a few of the others to vote for his pumpkin as the winner in their group chat?  

Loverboy Lance 

[insert photo]

[insert photo]

Hey bitches and bros and nonbianary hoes, you know what time it is! 

Gay uncle (Shiro)

Is that blood?? 

Kogayne the emo

Ignore that

Hunkilicious

What happened while we weren’t there?? 

Lance… You didn’t burn down the kitchen did you? As much as I love you bro, I don’t trust you around knives or anything with heat after you nearly burnt your own hair off with a straightning iron<3

Loverboy Lance

ill have you knkw that emo boy over here was the one who got blood on the pumpkin

not me! 

what do you take me for D:

Pidgeon

Did you kiss his booboo

Kogayne the emo

Lance just gagged irl

wtf

A horrible smell started to fill both Keith and Lance’s nostrils as they turned their heads with a speed that could rival that of light. They both rush towards the owner of the burnt smell, aka Lance’s arch nemesis the oven when it comes to anything other than the oven they own at his parent’s place. This one was too fancy for Lance’s taste, wild, he knows. 

They both look at the charcoal in front of them that used to be a sugary treat called cinnamon rolls. Keith’s love of his life had now turned to ash, well, almost. They both looked at each other as they gulped. 

“Should we..?“ Keith hesitated before pulling his phone out and clicked on the camera app. 

“Hunk is going to kill us. I’ll never be led near anything other than a microwave ever again” Lance complained, but he reluctantly decided it was for the best, even if it meant getting his ass whooped by his best friend, Shiro and his mama if she ever found out. Lance would usually never tell anyone about stuff like this, but he felt kind of bad for his roommate. 

Hunkiliscious

Why do I have this ominous feeling something went wrong

Princess of the mice

Lance never gives up on the pumpkin carving competition. I can’t help but agree with Hunk on this. 

Pidgeon

It’s quite

TOO quite

My senses are tingeling

Gay uncle (shiro)

They are responsible enough to be on their own. We should trust in them a little. 

Kogayne the emo

[insert photo]

So about that kitchen… 

Dw it’s not burnt

Only my will to live as the love of my life turned to ashes

Gay uncle (shiro)

I take back what I said. 

Pidgeon

Did Lance die?

Kogayne the emo

LANCE JUST GAGGED IRL AGAIN

And no

Hunk… it’s not too late for you to get over here and make some new ones is it? 

Pidgeon

you guys are fucked

o7

Loverboy Lance

I can feel Hunk’s dissapointment through the screen

this is horrible

I made the angel upset

It was good knowing you guys o7

Princess of the mice

Why is Lance acting like he’s being sent to war?

Pidgeon

trust me

this is worse than war

Hunkilicious

LANCE

Kogayne the emo

There he is

Hunkilicious

KEITH

Kogayne the emo

fuck

Their pumpkin carving competition was cut short by the tragedy that is – was – their cinnamon rolls. They both sighed in disappointment as they opened every possible window in the apartment, and said goodbye to the charcoal as it met the trashcan. They both slumped against the small sofa in the living room before looking over the few movies they had picked out before they were distracted by the joy of cinnamon rolls and pumpkin carving. Look where that had led them.

Lance’s pumpkin spice latte sat cold on the coffee table forgotten. Things weren’t exactly going as planned, but they still had movie night left to make up for it. 

Lance took a DVD and put it into the DVD player as he pressed play. And yes Lance and Hunk still has physical DVD’s at home, but Lance is a sucker for the nostalgia it gives him. There is something about having something physical between his hands that beats any streaming service, even if streaming services are more convenient.  

The title of spooky buddies was shown on the tv screen as Keith groaned beside him. 

“Seriously?” Lance leaned into Keith, cuddling closer for warmth, and mumbled into Keith’s fluffy sweater:

“Needed something mind numbing for this disaster of a day” Keith only grumbled in response and wrapped his arms around the other boy. Both of them were starting to feel tired, which was weird because usually it was Lance and Keith that competed to see who could stay awake the longest. 

Lance’s stomach growled in protest of not being fed anything other than half a cup of coffee the past four hours they had been together. The sun had set about an hour ago, the only light filling the otherwise dark room was the blue light from the tv screen, and the small lamp in the windowsill. It was comfortable, and if Lance had the energy, he would have taken a picture of the room for his pinterest and tumblr. Maybe he would even have sneaked a picture of Keith, all soft, beside him as well. 

Lance’s stomach growled again, and Lance was starting to become embarrassed from the sound. Lance sighed in protest of his own body demanding its basic needs, and pulled out his phone to order delivery. Lance placed his own order – A meat lover pizza with extra garlic on the side – and gave his phone to Keith. 

Keith scrutinized it before he realized Lance was asking him to order something. Keith placed his order and handed Lance his phone back, who only looked at the small screen in disgust in return. 

“Pineapple pizza? Seriously?” Keith only shrugged at Lance’s disgust filled words. What’s worse is that Keith had already paid for their food, just like he had paid for their drinks and snacks too. 

“I was supposed to pay for it!” What was Keith thinking? Normally Keith and Lance split the bill no matter what, so why is today different?

“Don’t get used to it” Keith’s smile was so soft as he looked at Lance who was still leaned against his shoulder, it could almost rival the softness of his sweater. 

Lance moved from Keith’s surprisingly comfortable shoulder as he pressed a small peck to Keith’s temple subconsciously. 

“I’ll make us some irish coffees to make up for the money you spent on the both of us today” As soon as Lance had left Keith’s side on the sofa, Keith went to brush against the spot where Lance’s lips had been just prior. His side where Lance used to be, felt cold instead of the warmth that otherwise would have been there. Why did all of this feel so domestic? 

When Lance came back with two steaming cups of Irish coffee, the doorbell could be heard as their food arrived. Keith went to get the food, while Lance placed their drinks on the table. They barely had room for everything. 

“I still can’t believe you’d eat that monstrosity of a pizza. You have horrible taste Keith” The look of disgust came back to Lance’s face as soon as Keith had opened the box to reveal his pineapple pizza. Keith just shoved Lance lightly as he said:

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew any different” Keith’s cheeks had a slight pink tint as he began to eat his pizza. Lance took a bite of his own food as he raised an eyebrow in question. 

“What’s that even supposed to mean, mullet?” 

Keith leaned into Lance’s space, and whispered, “That’s a secret” Before he leaned back and snickered to himself, taking another bite. 

They both ate their food in peace while watching the movie about puppies, warlocks and ghosts. Wait isn’t that kid in teenwolf? He looks familiar. Oh shit that guy is in superman! Stuff like that was thrown around as they watched the mind numbing movie. As both of them had finished their food and drinks, the next movie started as well, they somehow found themselves in the corner of the couch, almost laying down while cuddling each other. Lance had his arms around Keith’s waist as his head rested on Keith’s chest. It was warm, and the sound of his heartbeat was making Lance feel drowsy. 

“I think you’re about to win” Lance mumbled into Keith’s chest as he nuzzled his face even closer. 

“What about snacks?” Keith’s hand was in Lance’s short chestnut brown hair as he felt himself slowly succumb to sleep too. 

“Snacks can wait until tomorrow. Too comfortable to move” Keith had to agree with Lance on that one. 

The last thing Lance felt before sleep took him to dreamland, was Keith’s lips pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, as the sound of Keith’s voice soft with love wished him goodnight. Lance could get used to this.