#phylix

5 TIMES LANCE KISSES KEITH UNDER THE MISTLETOE AND 1 TIME KEITH KISSES LANCE

Keith loves the couch. Specifically the blue one in what the team had dubbed the break room, and specifically the corner seat, where he can curl up and take cat naps in the starlight. It’s really the best place for naps on the entire castle ship. It’s perfect for days like this one, when they didn’t have any missions, no distress signals, just a day of nothing.

At least, that’s what Keith spent the morning thinking the day would be.

He’s in the middle of one of the infamous naps in his corner seat when the sound of footsteps drags him back to consciousness. Keith doesn’t bother to open his eyes, knowing exactly who those mismatched, out of sync, soft steps belong to.

Lance.

Keith can hear the slight scuff of his blue lion slippers on the floor, and a small smile slides onto his lips as he curls his toes inside his own red slippers. He’s been dating Lance for three months now, having finally spewed his guts about his enormous crush on the blue paladin one night after a mission that nearly led to Lance losing his life, and they had been disgustingly in love (not that they had told each other) ever since.

“Keeeeith!” Lance calls out softly, and Keith can feel his weight on the back of the couch, slim fingers ghosting over Keith’s cheek. Keith lets his eyes flutter open and he twists a bit, letting out soft, sleepy noises as he adjusted so he was facing his boyfriend.

“How dare you interrupt my nap,” He muttered, blinking a few times. Lance is leaning over the back of the couch, a grin tugging the corners of his lips up.

“I’m so very sorry, Your Highness.” Lance coos. “I have a surprise for you.” Keith arches an eyebrow.

“Oh really now?” He laughs softly.

“Yup!” Lance’s eyes were bright, excited. Keith can’t held the smile that slides onto his face. He adores seeing Lance happy, and whatever this surprise is will be worth it just to spend a few minutes seeing that excited glint in his blue eyes.

“Well, what is it?” He asks, gently shaking the hair out of his face. Lance’s smile grows, and he leans forward a bit, jutting his chin out like he’s going to whisper something.

“Mistletoe!” Lance reveals before leaning down and slotting his lips against Keith’s. Keith could see a flash of the green leaves and red berries before Lance was kissing him and damn if he didn’t lose his train of thought because of it. His hands slid up to grab at Lance but he’s pulling away and Keith lets out an unhappy sound, fingers stretching out to pull Lance back. Keith’s eyes slide back open, when did he close them? Lance shakes the little bit of fake shrubbery at him, a smirk on his lips, and he spins around, fleeing from the room.

“Lance you little-!” Keith sits up too fast and has to stop to hold his head at the rush of dizziness that floods him. A sense of dread starts to coil low in Keith’s stomach as he realizes that it’s winter back on earth, and somehow Lance knew about it. He won’t be surprised if,  when Keith takes a walk through the castle, it’s decorated with tinsel and lights that Pidge and Hunk put together. Lance is going to pull this little stunt again, Keith knows, and his face floods with color at the thought of his boyfriend laying one on him in the middle of some important diplomatic meeting because Mistletoe, Keith! Mistletoe!

He groans and sinks back down into his seat.

~

Keith peers around the corner. After the mistletoe incident in the lounge, Keith had carefully avoided any spaces where Lance could have placed the little plant. It isn’t that he doesn’t enjoy kissing Lance, Keith loves kissing him. But the whole mistletoe thing, it’s just cheesy. Keith may absolutely adore cheesy, but he has a reputation to uphold and Lance constantly being sweet and fucking adorable is seriously threatening it.

Keith tip toes to the bedroom, knowing full well that Lance is in the kitchen with Hunk and there is no possible way he’s going to jump out from a instantaneously appearing closet and toss a bundle of leaves at him. He still tip toes. Keith takes great care in pressing his hand to the scanner, wincing at the loud beep and low slide of the door as it separates. Keith sighs softly, walking forward and begins to shrug off his jacket, turning in preparation to throw it on the hook next to the bed.

Lance is standing there, grin plastered on his face as he points upwards, eyes glinting. Keith doesn’t have to look to know there is a cluster of mistletoe hanging from their ceiling, probably held by some of the ridiculously sticky goo Hunk managed to concoct last week. Lance doesn’t wait before grabbing Keith by the lapels, pushing him softly against the wall and bringing their lips together as his hands slide down Keith’s back, shoving the jacket off of him. Keith gasps and his hands clutch the front of Lance’s shirt, his heart hammering. He doesn’t let go when Lance tries to pull away.

“You’re not pulling that disappearing act again, cargo pilot.” Keith smirks, knowing the teasing name would ensure the two would not leave the room for several hours.

Lance locks the door and tugs Keith towards the bed.

~

Keith is quickly realizing that Lance had taped mistletoe up in every single room in the castle.

They’re in a strategy meeting, and Pidge’s immediate snickering when they walked in alerted Keith to the little plant stuck to the ceiling. Everyone had carefully walked around it, Keith shooting Lance an annoyed look. Lance had just laughed and made kissy faces at him.

So, for the last hour and a half of this meeting with the Blade of Marmora, Keith has had to look at the mistletoe and make sure to avoid it. There is no doubt, not even the tiniest speckle, in Keith’s mind that were he to make the mistake of stepping under the stupid thing Lance would absolutely smack a kiss on him, right there in front of the Blade members. Which, Keith lamented, would completely ruin what little reputation he had built up with the Blade as a cool and professional person when he turned redder than Coran’s hair and spluttered some expletive at Lance, or even worse dragged Lance from the room to give him far more than what was deemed necessary for mistletoe.

“I think it would be advantageous to move forces from here,” Keith walks around the table, eyes intent on the battle plans laid out. He reaches out, softly pushing the Nnmerxian’s representative block over. Nnmerxians would be better use against the bigger galran forces in a big battle, not the small area planned… Keith hears snickering and sees a slow movement out of the corner of his eye. He looks up, confused. Is his idea ridiculous, he wonders as he surveys the room.

Lance is slowly walking towards him, a small smile on his lips. Keith sucks in a breath when he realizes he had unwittingly walked right under the damn mistletoe.

“Lance, not right now!” He hisses, brow furrowing. “We’re in a meeting.” With aliens who are absolutely going to give us shit for something this unprofessional! He scowls at Lance, who shrugged, smile growing into a grin as he advanced.

He can still hear Pidge and Hunk laughing, and see the confused looks on the Blade members faces.

“Mistletoeeeeee!” Lance sings, reaching Keith and throwing his arms around him to prevent escape.

“We are in a meeting!” Keith’s heartbeat speeds up, his breathing sputtering at Lance’s close proximity. He can feel his cheeks heating, and does absolutely nothing to stop Lance from pressing a gentle kiss to his lips in front of everyone. His fingers grip Lance’s jacket tightly, and his muscles quiver, any inhibitions or worry’s flying right out of his head.

A member of the Blade, Kolivan, makes a throaty sound that yanks Keith from the little moment he was having and he shoves Lance away, angry that he had done that and angry that Keith had let him. His face is bright red as he looks around the room, embarrassed and upset. The other paladins wear looks of concerned, and the Blade seem plain uncomfortable.

Keith spins around, stalking from the room, without sparing Lance another glance. He can’t think, can barely breathe. The Blade won’t want to work with him anymore, they will think he’s stupid and a child, distracted. Keith will lose what little connection he has to the half of him that is galra.

He makes it halfway across the castle to into his old bedroom, the one he abandoned for Lance’s, and collapses onto the bed. He curls up into a ball and bites at his knees.

The embarrassment washes over him in waves that fill his throat and make it hard to breath, that clench his fists and leave little half crescents in his palms as he struggles to keep his distressed noises quiet.

~

It’s hours before Lance stumbles into the room, an anxious look on his face. Keith is in full meltdown, and barely notices the arms that wrap around him, the soft words that are murmured in his ears. Keith ignores them in favor of attempting to breathe.

Finally, he breaks.

“Everyone must think I’m an idiot now, huh?” Keith whispers miserably. He knows he’s right, and his thoughts are just a mantra of Why did I do that? Why did I do that? Why did I do that? WhydidIdothatwhydidIdothatwhydididothat????

“Nah, they’re all just worried. I’m sorry, Keith. I didn’t know you would react like that.” Lance rubs his back softly, a genuinely concerned look on his face. “The Blade actually thinks the whole mistletoe thing is hilarious, believe it or not.” Keith’s head snaps up.

“What? You… You explained it to them?” He chokes out a laugh at the thought of Lance explaining the absolutely bizarre human tradition that is kissing under the mistletoe.

“I did and Allura helped, and I told them you probably reacted like that because it’s stupid and you don’t want them to think you’re stupid because they’re the only connection you have to being galra.” Lance says.

“I thought the lions were supposed to be the mind readers,” Keith sniffs, wiping roughly at his nose. “How did you know?” Lance laughs quietly.

“You’re kind of obvious, babe.” He smiled. “And I know you pretty well. There’s embarrassment, and then there’s the patented ‘Now everyone is going to despise me’ Keith look.” He presses a soft kiss to Keith’s forehead. “Is it bad that I hung mistletoe in here too?” Lance asks quietly, pointing up at the large bundle of mistletoe above them. Keith cracks a smile before bursting out in deep belly laughter.

“You’re awful!” He giggles, slapping Lance’s arm and leaning into him.

“I love you.” Lance says. Keith gawks at him. His face is serene, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth. Keith gasps in a stuttered breath before sitting up and throwing a leg over Lance’s, straddling him as he brings their lips together and his fingers curl tightly in Lance’s hair.

“I love you too.”

~

Lance walks into the observation deck, a small note clutched in his hand from Keith saying to meet there. His eyes go wide at the immense array of decorations. Tinsel and garlands and lights hang from the high ceilings and a fake tree that Lance’s view stumbles over. But what really gets him is that there is mistletoe hanging in strings.

“Pretty, right?” Keith asks softly, walking out from behind a pillar and gently adjusting an ornament on the tree. “It took hours to put it all up.” He smiles at Lance, who looks like he might cry.

“It’s gorgeous,” Lance’s voice is thick and Keith thinks he just might really cry actual tears. His heart squeezes at the thought. “I love it.” Keith’s heart speeds at the words, so close to those uttered the night before. Just the thought had Keith’s eyes stinging.

Lance loves him.

Keith loves Lance.

Keith isn’t surprised when he feels Lance’s arms at his waist and Keith grins, bringing his hand up to dangle a single little bundle of mistletoe above their heads.

“Mistletoe,” He whispers as their lips meet. “Happy whatever holiday you celebrate.”

“Christmas. It’s Christmas Eve.” Lance smiles. “But you knew that.”

“I also know that Hunk and Pidge are jewish and Allura and Coran have their own funky alien religious stuff. Figured I shouldn’t assume.” Lance kisses him again.

“I love you.” Keith has a feeling his heart isn’t ever going to not speed up like he’s just run ten miles when he hears those words fall from Lance’s lips.

“And I love you,” Keith smiles. He’s okay with it. It’s a good feeling.