Eye Contact

by atomic_goofball

Summary:

In his very first class at his dream college, Lance sees the most attractive guy he's ever laid his eyes on. He can't stop looking at him, especially when the guy starts looking back.

Notes:

I was having some writers block so I asked my friend to give me a writing prompt and he said 'people who can't stop glancing at each other' and that birthed this little one. Honestly, I'm kinda obsessed with it, I just think it's so stinking cute, so i really hope you enjoy.

Lance has been excited for this day for the entire summer. Sure, he loves not having homework and hanging out with his friends with no worries, but this is college. Highschool was great and all, but now he can actually start training to become an astronaut. It started out as a childhood dream. Kids said they wanted to be princesses and super stars. Lance figured being an astronaut suited him pretty well. He loved the ocean, but the idea of being a scuba diver made his skin itch. 

As he got older, other people started to get more realistic with their careers. In middle school, people wanted to be doctors and lawyers and nannies. Lance still wanted to go to space. He still wanted to study the stars and take an astrophysics class in high school. By the time he reached high school, most people were pretty set on what they wanted. Accountants and producers and surgeons. Lance was a bit embarrassed when people asked him what he wanted. It felt childish to want to be an astronaut, but it’s a real job and Lance saw no reason not to pursue it. 

Meeting Pidge and Hunk definitely helped. They wanted the same as him. Lance never bothered to question their motives, especially when he found out Hunk has motion sickness. He didn’t care why they had the same dream as him, just that they did. One of the happiest days of his life was when they all got accepted into the Garrison, the school with the most prestigious aerospace engineering program in the country. Sure, Lance didn’t get accepted into that specific program, but the mechanical engineering program is pretty damn good too. He’s never considered himself dumb, but compared to his best friends, he’s nothing close to special. He’s constantly amazed by the intelligence shared between those two. He hopes to be somewhere close to their level someday. Maybe when they’re in space together, discovering new planets. 

When he gets to his first class, Pidge and Hunk at his side, he feels bright eyed and bushy tailed. Everything at the Garrison so far has been amazing. His shared room with Hunk is perfect and gives them just enough privacy not to rip each other's heads off. Pidge seems more than happy to be sharing a room with her brother. The food is surprisingly great and all the people Lance has spoken to have been extremely kind. He never hated high school, but this place makes it seem boring and stiff. He got a tour of most of the campus, at his mothers request, and he’s excited to use all the amenities. There’s a huge pool, a fancy gym and an indoor basketball court that can be converted into many things. Apparently there’s a drama club and he’s definitely going to join that. 

The classroom is just as cool as the rest of the school. It has a high ceiling with large skylights. The seats are dark and soft and span the entire back half of the room, getting higher as they go back. The professor has a podium at the front with a microphone and a huge blackboard behind her. There are posters covering the wall announcing clubs and activities and research projects. It’s like something from a movie. 

Pidge leads them to the back, taking the empty group of seats in the middle of the back row. Out of the way enough for them to whisper, but visible enough that Pidge can show off that stupidly smart brain of hers. They settle in, scanning the heads of the students in front of them. Lance is already familiar with some of them. Since most people are here for the same reason, he’s probably going to share a lot of classes with familiar faces. Considering this is the mandatory math class all freshmen must take, Lance should soon be familiar with the quarter of the freshmen that fit in the room. 

The professor, who introduces herself as Nyma, is already a million times better than any teacher Lance had in high school. She’s clearly passionate about what she’s teaching and manages to get everyone engaged with her short introduction. She’s the youngest professor in the school, and attended the school herself. She wasn’t able to graduate into being an astronaut due to health issues she didn’t go into specifics about. Just as she finishes her introduction, the door opens and someone rushes in. 

Everyone turns to look curiously at the student who’s late to their first class of the semester. Lance’s mouth goes a bit dry when the guy turns to face the seats searching for an empty one. He mumbles a quick apology to Nyma and shuffles up to an empty seat two rows in front of Lance. Nyma smiles at him politely and goes into their first lesson. Lance hears most of what she says, but he can’t stop thinking of the guy just two rows in front of him. 

He has a sharp, strong jaw and piercing purple-blue eyes. His lips are full and in a seemingly permanent pout. His nose is pointed and sloped and perfectly straight. His hair is long and shaggy and dark. It’s a mullet, which would normally make Lance gag, but somehow this guy pulls it off. He’s hot. Like… summer-heatwave-in-Cuba kind of hot. Even the back of his damn head has Lance distracted. 

He vaguely remembers the evaluation Nyma was talking about when Pidge hands him a copy. He swallows down his embarrassment at his easily distracted mind and looks down at the paper. He’s always been pretty decent with math, surely he didn’t miss too much admiring the way the dark hair curls up at the guys ears. And it’s just an unmarked test to see where the class is as a whole. Even if he flunks it, he just has to do well when it really matters. 

He manages to get through the entire test only a little slower than he should. He can’t help but look up after every couple questions. Lance has been looking for hot people since he got here, and sure, Ryan is hot as fuck, but he has a girlfriend. This guy is what he’s been looking for. Lance has to keep making sure he’s not dreaming all of this. He’s finally able to crack down and finish the last couple questions when the guy finishes before him and leaves the room. 

Pidge and Hunk are waiting for him outside of the classroom. They both look at him with a raised eyebrow when they see him. He smiles awkwardly and stops in front of them. “Do you seriously already have the hots for someone?” Pidge asks. Lance sighs, pulling at the strap of his backpack. Pidge and Hunk know him. They know he likes hot people and he likes flirting with them. They also know his severe lack of following through. He’s the definition of all talk. Just ask the plethora of people he led on in high school. 

“Obviously not,” Lance says, “I gave up on my hunt when I realized all the hot people are already in relationships.” Hunk rolls his eyes, but there’s a small smile on his face. He’d never admit it out loud, but Hunk loves hearing all of Lance’s flirting stories. 

“Right. The news of Ryan’s girlfriend really got to you,” Hunk says. Lance smacks his shoulder playfully and Hunk shoves him back. They make their way away from the room and stop when they realize they all have to part ways. Lance doesn’t have another class until the evening, and Hunk and Pidge have a two hour engineering lecture.

“You do think that guy’s hot though, right?” Pidge asks, “I like to think I have your type nailed down.” Lance pouts dramatically, but his friends are used to his dramatics. 

“To be fair, that’s not impressive,” Hunk says, “Lance’s type is literally just ‘hot’.” Lance smiles and puts his arm around Hunk’s shoulders. It’s a bit of a struggle, but Lance doesn’t mind. He’s too smug about his number one fan supporting him to care. 

“At least someone is nice to me,” Lance says, “even if Hunk didn’t mean that kindly. Now, I have important business to attend to.” He slides himself off of Hunk and straightens out his backpack. 

“Right, like finding out that guy's name,” Pidge says. Lance grins and blows her a kiss. 

“Stop being so obsessed with me, it’s creepy,” Lance says. She just groans and grabs Hunks wrist, dragging them towards their next class. Lance waves at them, getting a response from Hunk and glare from Pidge. He definitely doesn’t make his way to the cafeteria to look for the guy. He’s just hungry. No one has to know he leaves without so much as looking at the food when no stupid mullet is anywhere to be seen. 

 

–

 

“So then, Iverson came in and yelled at James because apparently he covered his car in toilet paper,” Hunk says, “does James know we’re in college, not middle school?” Lance chuckles. He’s been unlucky enough to have a few conversations with James and honestly, the guy is a certified dick. He seems to be stuck as a forever 16 year old and it makes Lance cringe. Lance isn’t the most mature crayon in the box, but compared to that guy he’s practically a monk. 

“His parents must have paid the school off, there’s no way he made it into the same program as you and Pidge,” Lance says. Hunk sighs, rolling to sit up on his bed. 

“Unfortunately, he’s actually pretty damn smart,” Hunk says, “and there’s a whole gaggle of girls that seem to be his fanclub. It’s disturbing really.” Lance couldn’t agree more. He flirts with basically everyone he sees, and his standards are still somehow higher than these girls. 

“What about you buddy, has anybody caught your eye yet?” Lance wiggles his eyebrows excitedly. He really does like hearing about anyone and everyone's love lives. He’s a hopeless romantic deep down. And he supposes he doesn’t exactly hide that very well, he already has a bit of a reputation. 

“Not particularly,” Hunk says, “but I still have a class tomorrow afternoon that I haven’t done yet. Maybe that’s the one.” They look at each other in silence, an unspoken question in the air that they both know Hunk doesn’t have to ask. “I am not into Mullet.” 

“You literally have a nickname for him,” Hunk says, “and when you really find someone hot, you get too scared to talk to them. Have you spoken to him yet?” Lance remains silent, but he pouts. He needs Hunk to know how deeply that comment affects their friendship. Hunk doesn’t buy it, he’s used to Lance doing this. 

“Look, I’m not talking about this. I know what I feel,” Lance says. 

“Alright, alright. Let’s go find Pidge and make our stupid project,” Hunk says. Lance grins and hops off of his bed, more than happy for a change of subject. They end up getting really into their so-called stupid project. It’s basically just glorified scrapbooking with pictures of planets. It’s exactly what Lance used to do in his free time as a kid. 

 

–

 

On Monday, the three of them find the same seats in the math lecture room. It’s a habit that has stuck with them since high school. Wherever you sit on the first day becomes your unofficial assigned seat. It seems like they’re not the only ones with the habit. Lance sees every single person in the same seat they were in just a week prior. It’s sort of adorable how humans do things sometimes. Nyma is just as charming as the first day, saying hi to every student as they walk in. Nyma gets ten minutes into the lesson when the door swings open. Lance somehow managed to forget about Mullet until he brings all the attention to himself. “Nice of you to join us Kogane. Take a seat.” Mullet (Kogane) shuffles his way up the aisle and finds an empty seat. He’s the only person who didn’t take the same seat. 

For some reason, that annoys Lance. It piques his interest. It doesn’t feel like the guy is trying to be different, he just… is. It annoys Lance because this stupid guy won’t leave his mind. He shakes his head, trying to concentrate on the notebook in front of him. But it’s hard and he finds himself glancing up. Mullet is leaning back in his chair, spinning a pen around his fingers. Lance would never say it outloud, but the easy way he does it is hot as fuck. When he eventually looks up again, his heart freezes. Mullet is looking back at him. They both snap their eyes away. Lance isn’t exactly sure who caught who, but he flushes up to his ears. He only looks up at him one more time during the class, and this time their eyes don’t meet. 

When they leave the room, Mullet is gone before Lance can even stuff his things into his bag. It’s not like he was planning to talk to him, but him disappearing still annoys Lance. They’re barely out of the room when Hunk nudges his shoulder with a shit eating grin on his face. “Kogane, eh? Hunk says, “you finally have a name for the face.” 

“Why do you guys think I’m obsessed with him?” Lance exclaims. Pidge looks at him incredulously. Fuck his friends for knowing him this well. “Okay, whatever. He’s hot. Are you happy?” 

“Ecstatic,” Pidge says, “you just love a bad boy, don’t you?” Lance cringes, shoving Pidge as they walk to the end of the hall where they’ll separate for the afternoon. 

“I don’t ever want to hear you say bad boy ever again,” Lance says. “If he has no care for punctuality, I have no interest in him.” Hunk scoffs. 

“Right. That’s why your brain practically exploded when you accidentally made eye contact with him.” Hunk says. Lance sighs, slumping his shoulders slightly. 

“You saw that?” Lance says, feeling his neck flush slightly.

“Look, I think you should at least talk to the guy,” Pidge says, “I know how you are. You’ll obsess, even if you find a million reasons to dislike him. Might as well see if his voice is hot too.” 

“I hate both of you, go away,” Lance says, swatting at them. They leave in a fit of laughter that makes Lance smile through his feigned fit of hatred. He decides to head to the library to kill time, since he hasn’t really spent any time there. And he does have an essay to get started on. College really didn’t wait to throw assignments at him. He makes his way to a comfortable looking table in the far corner and settles in. He really is going to try to get work done. In high school, the library was just an excuse to talk with his friends. The environment here is different. People are actually working. He spends the next thirty minutes working on the thesis, finally settling on something decent. 

But then he feels a shiver going down his spine. He looks up and swivels his head around, feeling like someone is watching him. He chokes on his breath when he meets purple-grey eyes. It takes him a second longer to snap his gaze away this time. His skin feels hot and his heart is practically beating out of his chest. It’s a lot less scary when the absurdly hot people don’t acknowledge his existence. Now Mullet (he refuses to even think of him as Kogane, because somehow that last name is hot), is acknowledging him. He doesn’t know what the looks mean, he looks away before he can read them, but he doesn’t like how easily they make him crumble. 

He takes a deep breath and after writing a couple sentences, looks back up. It takes a second, but then Mullet is looking up at him again. Lance holds eye contact this time and something competitive seems to buzz between them. Neither of them dare to look away, despite how awkward it is. Lance feels warm under the guy's gaze and it makes him feel a bit pathetic. He’s never spoken to him, he shouldn’t be this down bad for him already. The guy ends up looking away, and Lance thinks he’s won their unspoken contest. But then there’s shuffling and footsteps approaching him. 

Lance’s shoulders tense and he stares hard at his laptop. Surely the guy is just going to leave. But his footsteps are coming towards Lance, which is the opposite direction of the exit. When Lance literally feels his presence next to him, he looks up. He regrets it when he gets a whiff of the guy. He smells like pine and citrus. It makes Lance’s mouth water. Pidge was right. His tardiness can definitely be excused by the way he smells. Instead of stopping to talk to Lance, he goes past him and pulls a book off of the shelf. It’s a philosophy book. That shouldn’t be attractive. Lance knows nothing about philosophy. Without looking back, Mullet walks away, checks out the book and disappears into the hall. To say Lance is confused is an understatement. 

He doesn’t get much more work done on his essay in the next hour. He keeps thinking about the look in the guy's eyes, or the way his scent made Lance’s mouth water. He’s had some pretty intense crushes in the past, but this one feels different. It’s like it’s slowly consuming his brain. Now Lance is certain he won’t be able to use his own lemon scented hand soap without thinking of him. When he finally packs up, he’s agitated and hungry and distracted. He runs into three separate people on his way to his evening class. Even staring at Ryan during the class can’t keep his mind off of Mullet. He might need to check himself into a psych ward. 

 

–

 

“It’s our first party in college! Show me some energy Hunk,” Lance says. He’s on his fifth shirt, since all of his clothes suddenly seem absolutely horrendous. Hunk has told him every single one looks good. 

“I am excited, you and Pidge just aren’t humans,” Hunk says, “you really shouldn’t have this much energy… ever.” Pidge comes out from the bathroom and practically jumps onto Hunk’s shoulders. She’s arguably the best dressed out of all of them right now which really speaks to Lance’s dilemma. On an average day she wears oversized cargo shorts and a t-shirt with the most diabolical image on it. 

“Oh come on buddy, this is going to be fun,” Pidge says, “besides, it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten drunk together.” This makes Hunk perk up slightly. He doesn’t drink often, as drinking is one of many things that makes him nauseous, so whenever he does, he goes hard. 

“I know it’ll be fun,” Hunk says, “can you tell Lance this shirt isn’t ugly so we can get going?” Pidge slides off of his shoulders and walks up next to Lance. She looks at their reflection pensively. He looks boring compared to her. She has on these huge jeans that somehow look cool and a tanktop that her brother painted. It’s simple but it looks really cool on her. He just has on straight cut black jeans and a boring button up. The simplicity feels wrong on him today. 

“You look great in blue, the stripes make you look taller and your ass looks great in those pants,” Pidge says, “can we go now?” Lance sighs. If both of his friends say he looks good, he really can’t fight them. They wouldn’t let him out into the world if he actually looked horrendous. The party is just outside of campus since throwing parties on campus is basically asking for expulsion or scholarship reductions. It doesn’t take them long to get there, and when they do, they can feel the ground vibrating from the music. It’s a crappy looking house, typical for college students, but it looks perfect. There are groups of people on the lawn, some chatting, some dancing and some being… particularly affectionate. Lance can feel the anticipation building inside of him. 

They make their way up to the door and it swings open before they can even reach for the doorknob. They’re met with Ryan’s sharp smile and it makes Lance immediately nervous. “Hunk! I’m so glad you’re here,” Ryan says. Apparently, Hunk left out the fact that he and Ryan are best friends. “We’re just about to play pong and I need you on my team.” Lance tries to hide the grin on his face. 

“Can I play?” Lance asks. Pidge smiles knowing exactly what Lance is thinking. Lance has never lost a game of cup pong. He’s never seen Ryan play, but he’d have to be really good to balance Hunk out. 

“Sure, but you’ll have to play after us,” Ryan says, “James is adamant that he plays me.” Even the mention of James makes Lance cringe. They follow Ryan inside and gather around the table where James is currently chugging a beer through a funnel. It’s a rather disturbing sight. When he’s done gargling down his beer, he and some guy Lance doesn’t recognize stand at the table. The game is rather uneventful. James misses about half of his shots, and his teammate doesn’t sink a single one. Ryan is not too bad, and Hunk does a lot better than he normally does. Ryan and Hunk end up winning with four cups still set up on their side. James goes off somewhere to be angry and Pidge yanks Lance towards the table. She likes to win. 

“Did you see me buddy? I killed that shit,” Lance gives Hunk his well deserved fist bump and starts resetting the cups. The other side of the table is vacant while people argue over who’s going to play next. When Lance looks up from the final cup in the pyramid, his mouth goes dry and his heart stops. Across from them is Mullet and some guy who surely can’t be human. The guy is tall and broad and handsome in a way Lance can hardly fathom. He should be focused on him, but he still finds himself staring at Mullet for an embarrassingly long time. 

“I think that’s the guy Matt’s been talking to,” Pidge whispers, “want him to put in a good word for you with your boyfriend?” Lance glares at her, suppressing the groan in the back of his throat. 

“I am willing to lose my first ever game of cup pong to be petty,” Lance says. Pidge rolls her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Pidge says, “but if you let this guy distract you I will sell your organs on the dark web.” 

“Your threats continue to be more terrifying every day,” Lance says. Pidge just smiles when the broad shouldered guy tosses a ball over to them. Lance takes a deep breath. His first college game of cup pong. He will not let Mullet distract him. He won’t focus on his flushed cheeks or messy hair or long eyelashes or- he forgets how to breathe for a second when their eyes lock for the first throw. He swallows the lump in his throat, trying to get his head in the game. For the first time in forever, Lance misses the first toss. Mullet, of course, gets it in, and smiles at Lance smugly. Lance definitely doesn’t feel heat pool deep in his stomach at that. 

“He’s already distracting you,” Pidge whispers, standing directly behind the cups, “this is embarrassing for you.” Lance kicks her ankle but she’s too locked in to care. Lance really wishes he was a bit more drunk right now. The tall guy takes his first throws and sinks the second ball. Lance takes a generous gulp of his drink. The alcohol distracts him from Mullet for a second. But when he looks up to watch Pidge throw, he’s completely pulled in again. Mullet is behind the cups, bending so his face is more level with the cups. When Pidge’s second toss starts swirling around the rim of the cup, Mullet blows, pushing the ball out of the cup. That supposedly means this guy likes dick. That really doesn’t help Lance from being distracted. 

They’re already losing and Lance isn’t a fan. And of course, when Mullet throws, despite missing his first toss, he gets two cups with his second. When the balls are in Lance’s hands, he’s determined to take the game back. He does his best to ignore the two stupidly hot people across from him and throws. Thankfully, he sinks both, even managing to get two cups with his second one. They go back and forth, only having one round when no cups are sunk. Mullet and the tall guy don’t say an audible word the entire time, but the smug look on Mullet's face is distracting enough. When they both have only a singular cup on their sides, it seems like the entire room is watching. It’s probably the most silent game of cup pong that’s happened, but it seems to have everyone on their toes. 

Mullet, of course, hits his shot. Lance catches himself almost snarling and reigns himself in. He takes his stance for their redemption shot. He's not letting his first loss be against Mullet of all people. He just has to sink one of his two shots. It shouldn't feel like he's about to make the winning basket of his basketball career, but it does. His body spikes with adrenaline and his heart beats heavily against his chest. His first throw just barely misses the cup. Mullet catches it before it hits the ground. Lance looks away from him and back to the cup. Everything seems to go in slow motion as he tosses the ball. Everyone seems to watch with bated breath. It lands in the cup with a satisfying thunk and Lance can't help the grin that splits his cheeks. 

Pidge pats him on the back firmly. The next few turns go the same. Redemption after redemption. Lance is steadily getting drunker, yet somehow the other team looks rather composed. The only thing that gives them away is the slight flush to their necks and cheeks. Mullet once again sinks his shots and Lance is left to do another redemption. Some of the crowd has wandered off now, but there's still a dedicated group of people watching them like it's the Superbowl. Lance feels a bit unsteady. His skin is tingling and his vision is ever so slightly blurred at the edges. He's always been quite a bit of a lightweight. He misses the first shot. It's fine, he'll hit the second one. This time the ball doesn't move in slow motion. It just wobbles slightly in the air and misses the cup completely. 

The crowd cheers, finally having a winner. Lance groans, and despite his better judgement, looks at the other side of the table. Tall guy is accepting fist bumps and high fives. Mullet is looking directly back at Lance. He's smirking and Lance is too drunk to find it anything but hot. He's sure if he was sober he'd be seething. Before he can prove to Pidge that Mullet does know who he is, Mullet snaps his gaze away and follows his tall friend into the crowd. Lance can't get the smirk out of his mind. He's fucked. 

 

–

 

Lance keeps seeing him around the party. He'll go to get another drink and Mullet is across the kitchen. He'll go to the bathroom and Mullet is down the hall talking to someone. He'll be sitting on the couch and Mullet walks by. They always make eye contact. Lance always forgets how to breathe. Eventually, he gets drunk enough that the crowded house starts to freak him out and he makes his way outside to the backyard. The cool night air is a relief and he takes numerous grounding breaths. He sits on the stairs of the deck and looks at the stars. He really does try not to think of Mullet, but it's useless when he's this drunk. Even though he's started to sober up, he still has no control of his thoughts. 

Eventually, Hunk finds him and they chat idly. Hunk found a girl named Shay when he was getting a drink and they hit it off. Lance listens intently, happy for his friend. Hunk deserves the absolute best, and from the sounds of it, Shay is pretty damn cool. Hunk doesn't ask about Mullet and for that, Lance is extremely grateful. Hunk makes his way back inside when someone calls his name. Lance looks back and sees who must be Shay. Lance can see why Hunk was blushing the entire time he talked about her. She's absolutely stunning. Lance stays outside. The thought of going back into the stuffy, sticky house makes him shiver. As he’s pondering the hangover he’s surely going to have in the morning, he gets a whiff of weed from somewhere in the yard. 

He snaps his head in the direction it came from. He thinks a couple puffs would actually be the most perfect thing right now. His buzz from the alcohol is coming down and his skin no longer feels clammy and gross. He can’t see exactly who’s smoking, but he makes his way over to them anyway. He’s always found that stoners are more than willing to share a couple puffs. As he gets closer though, his heart skips a beat. He watches in slight awe as Mullet takes a generous pull from the joint. His jaw muscles flex as he puffs the smoke out. It’s genuinely beautiful. Lance isn’t sure he’s ever thought of someone as both ruggedly hot and beautiful at the same time. Mullet looks over when Lance is only a couple feet away and tilts his head. Lance smiles in a shy way, stopping a slightly awkward distance away. 

Mullet offers the joint to him wordlessly. Lance takes it with a mumbled thank you and takes a few small puffs. He’s a lightweight with weed too. He thinks of it as a blessing. It saves his lungs. He hands it back to Mullet, who was seemingly watching him the entire time. He can’t help but watch as Mullet takes another lung pull. They stay there for a while, just looking out over the backyard. There are a few clumps of people in the yard. Most of them seem to be in the same boat as Lance, just trying to get some fresh air and escape the stuffy house. Except the couple next to the shed who are definitely doing something way too intimate for a public setting. Lance probably has the weed to thank for the lack of awkwardness in their silence. Whenever he’s crossed, his entire body and brain sort of feel like mush in a very pleasant way. He thought he might start freaking out since Mullet is right next to him, but he’s handling it surprisingly well. 

He should be more bothered that he’s never heard the guy's voice, but the mystery almost makes everything hotter. It’s like the guy is some sort of mystical creature. When the joint eventually burns out and Mullet tosses the roach into a pile of other roaches in the pot of flowers next to them, Lance is prepared to leave. But his feet feel heavy and he’s surprisingly comfortable leaning against the railing of the deck. Mullet doesn’t make any indication he’s leaving either, so Lance just stays put. Normally, he’d have a lot to say in this state. With a lack of filter from the alcohol and the insights that only weed can give him, it’s a recipe for yapping. But this silence is peaceful. The faint smell of Mullet's cologne mixed with the weed is surprisingly pleasant. His little bubble pops when the back door slides open. “Keith?” comes a booming, yet gentle voice. 

Lance looks over his shoulder the same time that Mullet does. In the door is the tall guy, and next to him is Matt. Matt looks very pleased to be clinging to the guy's arm and Lance is very proud of him. They come over to them and Lance suddenly realizes that Keith must be Mullet's name. He never thought he particularly liked the name Keith… but it suits him. “Holy shit, Lance?” Matt says, leaning into the guy. 

“You guys know each other?” the tall guy asks. Matt nods excitedly and grabs Lance’s shoulder. 

“This is my little sister’s friend,” Matt says, “he’s the one who taught me how to play guitar.” Lance smiles at Matt, thinking fondly of their memories together. Matt is only two years older than them, so he’s gotten pretty close to them too. 

“Isn’t he the one who also supposedly never loses cup pong?” the tall guy asks. Lance pouts, but then his breath catches when he hears Keith chuckle. And wow, if that isn’t one of the most pleasant sounds he’s heard in his life. 

“Look, I was just- I was drunk,” Lance says with a huff. 

“Shiro was too,” Matt says with a shrug. Lance looks between all of them. Keith seems to be thoroughly entertained. 

“Well Shiro is a unit so that’s not fair,” Lance says, “I handle alcohol like a fairy.” This gets him a laugh from everyone, even Keith, but he doesn’t feel great about it. He’s not sure if they’re laughing at him or with him. 

“I’m calling a cab for myself and Matt and just wanted to see if you wanted to join us,” Shiro says, directing his attention to Keith. Matt looks at Lance and wiggles his eyebrows. He’s not sure if it’s because he’s latched onto Shiro or because he can read Lance’s mind and can sense his obsession with Keith. 

“Sure,” Keith says. Lance’s entire body freezes. Keith’s voice. The mystery is slowly unraveling. This is normally the part where Lance would start to lose interest. The puzzle is nearly solved. But it only makes him want Keith more. His voice is ever so slightly raspy. It’s not particularly deep, but it’s attractive nonetheless. 

“Do you have a ride home?” Matt asks. Lance nods. Hunk is their DD for the night. Before Lance can say anything else, the three of them start walking away. Matt waves and Shiro gives him a friendly smile and nod. Keith doesn’t do anything at first, and Lance is about to look away, since staring is creepy, but then Keith looks over his shoulder. He smiles in a shit eating sort of way and nods. Lance’s knees quite literally wobble. He’s so absolutely fucked. 

 

–

 

“Thank goodness for your pancake skills,” Lance says. Hunk smiles around his mouthful of food. Lance is indeed hungover and the pancakes and orange juice are bringing him back to life. “So tell me more about Shay.” Hunk swallows and washes the food down with a generous sip of juice. 

“She’s amazing,” Hunk says, “she’s at the college just down the road from ours and she’s studying to be a vet. She’s stupidly smart.” Lance smiles at Hunk in a dopey way. “We’re going on a proper date on Sunday.” 

“I’m happy for you man, she seems like a catch,” Lance says, “I only talked to her briefly, but she seems really cool.” Hunk nods. 

“So what did you think of Matt’s buddy?” Hunk says, wiggling his eyebrows. Lance rolls his eyes, but he’s been itching to talk about it. 

“He’s hot as fuck. Like- I’m not sure if he’s even human,” Lance says, “but he seems really nice. I didn’t really get to talk to him, but something about him is giving me gentle giant vibes.” 

“Oh for sure,” Hunk says, “I talked to him and Matt for a while when you were outside.” Lance hums and shoves more food into his mouth. “Speaking of… I heard Matt found you and Keith outside together.” Lance sighs, shaking his head. 

“Keith had weed,” Lance says simply. 

“You’re obsessed with him and it’s adorable,” Hunk says. 

“Am not!” Lance protests, “how could I be? I literally only heard his voice for the first time yesterday. And he said one word.” 

“Do I need to talk about you losing cup pong cause you couldn’t stop staring at him?” Hunk says, gathering his dirty dishes. Lance sighs, stuffing the last of the pancake into his mouth. He walks with Hunk over to the sink and sets his stuff down. 

“Is it that obvious?” Lance asks. 

“You were practically drooling,” Hunk says, starting the water, “but if he’s Shiro’s brother, I approve.” 

“They’re brothers?” Lance exclaims, “holy shit.” Hunk laughs, busying himself with the dishes. Lance offers to help, but Hunk just shoos him away. Hunk is very particular about everything in the kitchen, even the dishes. 

“So what’s your plan?” Hunk asks. Lance tilts his head at him, unsure of what the hell Hunk is on about. Hunk sighs, setting the first plate in the drying rack. “Are you going to actually ask Keith out?” Lance shakes his head immediately. 

“Nope,” Lance says, “I will not be doing that.” 

“Why? You’re clearly into him,” Hunk says, “and I wouldn’t say it’s too far-fetched to assume he’s into you too.” 

“Now I know you’re just bullshitting cause you want me to find someone like you and Matt have,” Lance says, “Keith hardly acknowledges my existence.” Hunk lets out a short, sharp laugh at that. 

“Are you kidding? You told me you guys make eye contact literally all the time everywhere,” Hunk says, “in order for that to work, he has to be looking at you too, Lance.” Lance crosses his arms, huffing indignantly. “Look, I just think you should do something about this. I’ve never seen you this… nervous about someone.” 

“I’m fine with the way things are,” Lance says, “I don’t need to rush into anything.” 

“It took you three weeks after you saw him for the first time to get his name,” Hunk says, “and that’s either because you found out just now when I said it, or when Shiro fetched him. You didn’t even ask him. You’re doing the opposite of rushing.” 

“I want a new bestfriend,” Lance says weakly. 

“Sure,” Hunk says, “now, should we go get Pidge to help you with that essay?” Lance sighs. Homework on a Saturday. He reluctantly follows Hunk to the library and is only slightly disappointed when he doesn’t see Keith there anywhere. 

 

–

 

“Alright, I know you probably thought you were safe from groupwork in this class, but I’m here to burst your bubbles,” Nyma says, “you will be attempting to solve this extensive problem in pairs.” There’s mumbling around the room as people start naturally separating into pairs. Nyma clears her throat and everyone falls silent. “I will be assigning your pairs based on test scores. I will not share what meter I’m using and I suggest you don’t try to figure it out. Please listen as I list you out and quietly find your partner.” There are quite a few people in the room, so it takes a while for Nyma to work through the list. People shuffle around, finding their partners. Hunk is with some guy named Haven that Lance vaguely remembers talking to at the party. Pidge is with Bella, Ryan’s girlfriend. Looking at who’s left, Lance isn’t really excited for any particular result. He does feel his brain short circuit when he hears his name followed by Keith’s. 

Both Hunk and Pidge shoot him looks from their respective spots in the room and he wants to kick them. Keith looks back at Lance and nods. Lance isn’t sure exactly what it means, but he takes it as an invitation to join Keith. He makes his way the couple rows down and settles in next to Keith, taking the paper Nyma hands to him. “Hey,” Keith says casually, taking the paper when Lance slides it to him. 

“Hi,” Lance says, scratching at his neck. He’s not sure what to say. He’s never spoken to Keith before. All of their… interactions, if you can even call them that, have been silent. 

“You any good at this stuff?” Keith asks, pointing to the line of math at the top of the page. They started the semester with trigonometry, which happens to be Lance’s best area of math. The question consists of numerous graphs and equations, and Lance is actually kind of excited about it. 

“I’m not too shabby,” Lance says, immediately cringing at himself. He knows how to talk. He knows how to be charming and how to flirt and how to be normal, but he feels like a complete idiot right now. But Keith laughs softly and that eases Lance’s worries ever so slightly. 

“Good. Trig is definitely not my strong suit,” Keith says, “I don’t exactly know where to start.” Lance takes a deep breath and scoots closer to Keith, preparing to be momentarily blinded by his scent. Keith smells as good as ever and it takes his brain a second to come back online. They make it through the questions with ease. Lance explains as he goes, and Keith points out any stupid mistakes Lance makes. Like mistaking a one for a seven or forgetting to carry something over. It works well and Lance finds himself completely void of nerves by the end of it. They’re one of the first pairs to finish, and Nyma smiles at them softly when they hand their papers in. She lets them out and they make their way to the hall. “You have a class after this?” Keith asks. 

“No,” Lance says quickly. The nerves are suddenly back and he’s not sure what to do. 

“Mind giving me a hand with something? Shiro’s busy,” Keith says, “it’ll be quick.” Lance nods, not bothering to confirm what he’s signing himself up for. 

 

–

 

He ends up helping Keith build a dresser for his dorm. Turns out it’s a lot harder to put Ikea furniture together than he remembers. But it’s fun. They put on music, fighting over which songs to play the entire time. It takes them an hour, and by the end, they have a slightly wonky dresser, a bunch of songs to add to their playlists and an appetite. Keith offers to share the ramen noodles he has stashed in his cupboard and they eat in comfortable silence. Lance tries not to think too hard about what’s happening. He also tries not to think too hard about how this is probably a one time thing, because Shiro was busy. He leaves with just enough time to make it to his evening class. He doesn’t absorb a single thing the professor says. His mind keeps flashing images of his day with Keith. 

 

–

 

The next month goes by pretty fast. Lance gets assignment after assignment. He meets a bunch of new people and tries all of Hunk’s new recipes. He likes college life so far. He’s only gone to a couple other parties, and none of them were as fun as the first. It’s definitely not because he hasn’t seen Keith at a single party since that first one. Definitely not. On that note though, he does see Keith everywhere. At the cafeteria, in the library, in the cafe… even just randomly in the hall. They don’t say anything. They just glance at each other. Sometimes, Ketih will smile at him or nod. Sometimes Lance will wave or mumble a hi. The only time they have an actual conversation is when Matt brings Shiro to a game night and they call Keith in to make Euchre teams. 

There’s another party tonight, at the same place as the first one, and Lance spends his whole day debating whether or not to go. He has a lot of assignments to do and he’s tired and his hair looks ugly today. But it really doesn’t take much for his friends to convince him. He’s in his nicely ironed shirt and flattering jeans the second Pidge knocks at his door. Who is he to say no to a party? Plus he knows there’s a very nice backyard for him to escape to when he gets all sticky and hot and too drunk. They decide on getting a cab home, not wanting to force anyone into being DD. It’s the same as the last time. Groups of people on the lawn, music vibrating the floor and the stench of sweat and booze the second the door opens. 

Lance starts the night off with a game of cup pong. He wins, obviously, and plays two more games after that. Switching partners both times. He makes quite a few friends just from winning. He, Hunk and Pidge spend a good hour dancing and Lance gets sufficiently sweaty and sticky. It’s only natural that he ends up outside. When he doesn’t see Keith standing on the deck, he does feel disappointment in the pit of his stomach. Shay ends up finding him outside and they basically talk about Hunk for thirty minutes straight. From what he can gather, Shay is just as obsessed with Hunk as he is with her. It’s quite adorable. She ends up dragging him back inside just in time for a huge game of truth or dare. Lance is equally excited and nervous to play. Last time he played truth or dare, he had to do a naked snowangle. He had frostburn on his ass for days. 

There are a lot of people playing, but Shay and Lance find Hunk, Pidge and Matt and sit with them. The music is turned down to a hum and everyone is mumbling quietly. Who knew it only took a game of truth or dare to calm everyone down. The first few rounds are pretty tame. Asking people who they’re into, making people chug a drink or eat something gross. It’s pretty standard and Lance is more than happy to watch instead of getting asked himself. At some point in the game, Matt jumps up from next to him and scurries to the other side of the room. Lance looks after him and his heart jumps to his throat. Shiro and Keith have now settled into the group. Keith has a drink in hand, but he doesn’t look drunk yet. Lance swallows the lump in his throat and looks away before he ends up over there with Matt. 

The dares start to get more interesting. People get booed when they try to do truths, so the game has become dare or dare. Lance is getting more nervous as things go on. They made someone pick the two straightest guys in the room and make them kiss. They make people strip and drink disgusting combinations of alcohol. The drunker everyone gets, the more obnoxious the dares get. Lance stays in the clear, mostly by hiding behind Hunk’s stupidly broad shoulders. But then one of the girls dares Shiro to bench press Matt, which is thoroughly entertaining. Shiro, of course, turns to Matt and dares him to arm wrestle Pidge. She wins. Then Matt looks at Lance with this mischievous glint in his eyes and it makes Lance’s insides squirm. 

“Keith, truth or dare?” Matt says. Keith looks up. He seems genuinely shocked that anyone chose to ask him the question. He clears his throat, sloshing his drink around idly. 

“Uh- dare,” Keith says. His cheeks are slightly flushed now and there’s a weird expression on his face. It doesn’t seem like Keith likes the attention on him. Matt’s grin somehow gets wider and he leans back against Shiro’s chest. 

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room,” Matt says. Everyone goes silent at that. Lance is pretty sure all of his internal organs actually pause for a couple of seconds. The dare itself isn’t necessarily that crazy. But the fact that it’s for Keith is what makes it crazy. Anyone who knows Keith knows he hardly likes talking to people, let alone announcing his attraction to them in a public setting like this. But then Keith stands up and Lance’s heart jumps. Keith looks around the room for a couple of seconds. Everyone seems to be holding their breaths. Lance isn’t sure if it’s because everyone else also thinks Keith is the hottest person on the planet, or if they’re scared of him. Then Keith is moving. Toward them. Lance looks around himself frantically. Who is Keith walking toward? Then his heart sinks. A couple spots to his left, Ryan is sitting there, smiling that stupidly dashing smile of his.

But Keith isn’t walking towards him. He walks over, looking directly at Lance. Lance looks behind himself, but there’s nobody behind him except Pidge, and surely that’s not-

Oh

Oh

Keith stops in front of Lance and kneels so they’re on the same level. Lance’s breath hitches when their eyes lock and Lance gets a whiff of his familiar smell. Keith smiles softly and brings a hand up, pressing it gently against Lance’s jaw. Lance feels his entire body heat up and he’s not sure what’s real or not anymore. Then Keith is leaning in. His eyes flutter closed, and Lance quickly follows. Keith doesn’t quite close the gap, giving Lance the option to back out. But there’s no chance in hell Lance is letting this opportunity pass by. He closes the gap and presses their lips together firmly. His entire body relaxes immediately at the contact. Keith’s lips are chapped and taste faintly of whiskey. Keith’s hand is soft on his jaw, his thumb stroking his cheek gently. Lance is certain they spend a little too long making out, but he can’t help it. 

When Keith does pull back, his eyes are sparkling and his lips are pulled into a soft smile. Lance barely stops himself from chasing after Keith’s lips. He needs more. But Keith stands up, letting his palm slide from Lance’s face. He turns, not before winking at Lance, and walks back to Shiro and Matt like nothing happened. Lance faintly registers that there’s some applause and Pidge is squeezing his shoulder with excitement. He brings a finger up to his lip, touching it gently. He doesn’t have it in him to be embarrassed about the action. That was possibly the best kiss he’s ever had, despite the awkward set up and all of his friends and classmates watching. The excitement of their kiss soon dies away and they’re on to the next dare. Keith dares Pidge to climb one of the trees in the backyard. 

Lance is pretty spaced out for the rest of the game and somehow manages to avoid getting a dare. When it peters out and people disperse again, Lance rushes outside. He doesn’t know what to make of all of this. Keith kept looking at him during the rest of the game, but Lance couldn’t tell what the looks meant. He still doesn’t know what all of it means. Does Keith actually think he’s the hottest person in the entire party, or was Lance just the mess free option? He’s hyper analyzing every interaction they’ve had next to the shed when he hears something crunch and looks up to see Keith standing over him. “Hey,” Keith says casually. Lance can’t seem to get words to come out of his mouth, so he just smiles and scoots over, giving Keith room to sit if he wants it. 

Keith sits next to him. Neither of them say anything for a while. Then they both try to speak at the same time and dissolve into a fit of laughter. “You first,” Lance says. He’s embarrassed to ask his question anyways. 

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable in there,” Keith says, “I know making out with someone in front of a bunch of people is a bit awkward.” Lance smiles, feeling warmth spread from his chest. 

“No, it’s- it’s fine,” Lance says, “I uh- you gave me the option to back out.” Keith nods and plucks at the grass below them. 

“It’s true, you know,” Keith says, letting the grass fall between his fingers. Lance turns to look at him, trying not to get distracted by the way his skin seems to glow in the moonlight. 

“What is?” Lance asks. Keith sighs and turns so they’re making eye contact. 

“You are the hottest person in there,” Keith says. Lance could die right now. Maybe he should die right now, because the sound he makes in response, a mix between choking and laughing, is very embarrassing. He gathers himself and takes a much needed breath. “I feel like that should have been less shocking news.” Lance shakes his head and smacks Keith’s arm softly. 

“Sorry it’s just… surreal hearing you say that,” Lance says.

“Is it now?” Keith says playfully, “why is that?” Lance sighs, but deep down he’s more than happy to play into this. 

“You know, I’ve basically been drooling over you since the first day of math,” Lance says, “you showed up late so I was basically forced to look at you.” Keith smiles, but he flushes ever so slightly. 

“Right, and you just thought I was jaw droppingly beautiful,” Keith says sarcastically. But Lance doesn’t laugh. 

“Actually yes,” Lance says, slightly embarrassed, “you can ask my friends. I’ve genuinely never seen someone as hot as you before. I compared you to a marble statue.” Keith snorts a shocked laugh and it makes Lance’s skin tingle pleasantly. 

“I like you, Lance,” Keith says, “I’ve never met someone like you before.” Lance’s heart is going to explode. They’re going to need a medic on scene. 

“Oh yeah?” Lance says, feeling his hands start to shake a bit with anticipation. 

“Yeah, and honestly, I think we should play another round of truth or dare,” Keith says. Lance rolls his eyes, finally letting his shoulder relax into Keith’s. “I dare you to kiss the hottest person at the party.” Lance smiles and turns his head, this time pressing his palm to Keith’s jaw. This time, Lance lets himself work his magic. Keith seems rather appreciative. 

“I suppose I like you too, Keith,” Lance says, “but you should probably take me on a date sometime.” 

“Should I now?” Keith says, “why don’t you take me on one?” Lance scoffs, letting his head drop to Keith’s shoulder. 

“You’re the one who kept… looking at me in that- that way.” Lance says, “you’ve been pulling me in this whole time.” Keith lets his head drop to rest of Lance’s. They fit together perfectly. 

“Would you believe that was me trying to flirt with you?” Keith says, “I was too scared to talk to you. Shiro said I was being a baby.” 

“So you weren’t doing that to be- you were-” Lance splutters, glaring at Keith. Keith just smiles and presses his fingers to Lance’s eyebrows to smooth them out. 

“It got us here in the end, didn’t it?” Keith says. Lance sighs. 

“As long as we don’t give Matt the credit,” Lance says. 

“Definitely not,” Keith says, “I don’t want to hear him bragging about that for even a second.” 

“He knew you were going to choose me though,” Lance says, slightly mortified, “he knew both of us were into each other.” 

“I guess he could only wait so long before giving us a push,” Keith says, “we were dancing around each other just a bit.” 

“Just a bit,” Lance says with a cheesy smile. When they head back inside later, all of their friends whoop for them way too loud. But honestly, Lance wouldn’t have it any other way. He does have to thank them afterall. He’d still be staring at the back of Keith’s head in math class if it wasn’t for them.

Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you want a part two to this one, I really like the way I portrayed them in this and wouldn't mind expanding this AU