Chapter Text
They're deep into a vicious battle when they see it happen, a horror before their very eyes.
A solid form of blue and white is stationed atop a battlement, his matching rifle pointed in their direction and firing lasers with a deadly precision at the enemies surrounding them. One after another they drop as the two others fight back to back, taking down each and every creature that launches at them. Things are looking good, the enemy's numbers are dwindling and victory is in sight, ready for them to take.
That's all thrown out the window when a deafening blast fills the air and there's an explosion of blinding light. It's a few seconds before their eyes adjust, but then they're forced to take in the sight of that same battlement in tatters, heavy stones flung in different directions and still falling as the structure's demolition settles in. Far more concerning than the unstable building is the disappearance of their sharpshooter, the complete lack of blue and white amongst the rubble.
He's gone.
— — —
There's a brief moment of confusion as baby blue eyes open to frosted glass and a blur of color behind it, and then that glass is hissing open around him. No longer held by whatever force kept him upright, Lance loses his balance and trips onto the floor beneath him. He braces himself for impact, but warmth surrounds him instead and keeps him on his feet. Before he can utter a single word, there are a pair of hands on his face and lips on his, dry and rough and vaguely familiar, but his eyes focus on the person in front of him and he goes stock still.
Why the fuck is Keith kissing him?
Without warning, he shoves at him with what strength he can muster after getting out of that… whatever it was, because what the hell is going on? And why does he look so hurt as he stumbles back?
"Lance!"
"What the fuck? What's-"
He stops short as he starts to take in the room around him, vast and almost tech-y, sheets of metal lining the walls and panels stationed at the doors. The more he looks around, he realizes that they aren't alone and when his eyes reach a pair standing awkwardly to the side, he spins towards them with a relieved gasp.
"Hunk, Pidge!" He glances back where Keith is standing, with fucking Shirogane Takashi of all people behind him and twin looks of confusion on their faces. He snaps back and stops in front of his friends, whispering nervously. "Where are we? Why is Keith here? Why is Shiro here?"
Not to mention, why did Keith kiss him? Though that's not quite as important as where they are and what exactly is happening. Pidge's brow furrows and they look up at him with that same confusion that's really starting to grate on his nerves.
"We got ambushed when we were in orbit of Vaarik, do you not-"
"I'm sorry," He interrupts, nervous laughter bubbling up in his throat. "Ambushed by who? What is Var- whatever?"
What he says seems to ramp up the tension in the room, and he legitimately jumps when he feels someone touch his shoulder. He whips around to see a woman, just a little shorter than Keith with electric blue eyes and shockingly white hair, especially against her warm, russet brown skin. Any other time he might be flustered having someone so pretty so close, but that's the least of his concerns right now.
"Who-"
"Oh dear, you don't remember anything?"
God, even her voice is pretty. He's getting ready to say something, hesitating because he's on edge, but he doesn't get a chance because his jaw snaps shut when Shiro steps around Keith to get the woman's attention.
"Coran said he had a bad head injury, it's possible he's confused right now."
She's nodding and Lance looks at Hunk and Pidge again for answers, but they look satisfied with Shiro's explanation. Lance is anything but.
He shoves the woman away and takes a cautious step back. "Okay, I don't really know what's going on here, but I'd really love to know so if you could clue me in, that'd be great."
It's not really supposed to be as aggressive as it comes out, but he figured it's pretty warranted. Everyone knows what's happening except him. Fortunately, Hunk speaks up.
"Do you remember finding the blue lion?"
Whatever that is, he definitely doesn't so he shakes his head.
"Okay, uh, what about us rescuing Shiro?"
They did what?
"I'll take that silence as a no."
"So what do you remember then?" Pidge asks.
What does he remember?
"The Garrison." It's the first thing that comes to mind. "I was going to retake the-"
He was going to retake the test to be a fighter pilot, because Keith got kicked out. Only because Keith got kicked out. Something he does not want to voice, especially not with Keith standing right here, and he's grateful that neither of his friends ask him to share more details. They know.
"Okay, so that wasn't that long before we came to space."
That grabs his attention and he stares at Hunk with wide, awe-struck eyes.
"Space?"
— — —
Hunk and Pidge fill him in on the apparent two years he's suddenly missing, and if not for the overwhelming proof around them, he'd think this was all a prank. Very funny, mess with the stupid cargo pilot for… whatever reason. Scare him out of taking the test? Show him that he's destined to be a cargo pilot?
But it's not a joke, and neither is the fact that apparently- as evidenced by Keith kissing him- he's dating not just Keith, but Shiro too. Both of them. His rival and his hero/celebrity crush. That's even more unbelievable than the giant robot cats and the fact that they all come together to make one mega robot that they're supposed to be using to save the universe from some evil aliens called the Galra. And that's another thing, the woman he met is named Allura and she's also an alien. Her and the man, Coran. Aliens.
It's a little hard to stomach.
Yet all of that is still far more palatable than the whole dating thing. While Lance can't really fathom the idea of either men having feelings for him, he can certainly understand how he himself fell for Shiro. But Keith? He's a completely different story. He's an over-reactive, arrogant, thoughtless jerk that's the sole reason Lance wants to hate himself so much, but it's easier to turn that rage on Keith instead.
Now, though? He's not sure what to feel.
The two of them certainly do though, because the following day he finds them outside his room huddled together whispering. As soon as they hear his footsteps, Keith turns quickly and the smile he wears looks so strange on his face. Keith doesn't smile, not at anyone aside from Shiro. Not really. But this looks genuine, like he's happy to see Lance approaching, except that puts Lance on edge in return. Shiro's sporting a similar, softer smile that does something to Lance's heart that he can't explain. Keith's face just makes him… anxious.
And it must be really obvious because the red paladin visibly deflates upon seeing Lance's less than favorable reaction. Luckily, Shiro speaks up and saves them all.
"It's good to see you up." He says, pausing a little when Lance tenses hearing him speak. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh." Wow, that's eloquent. "I'm okay, I guess."
He's definitely not okay, but he's not not okay either. He just feels weird.
"Have you remembered anything?" It's Keith that asks and he almost pities the hope in his voice as he does.
"Nope." He doesn't pity him enough though. "Can I maybe get into my room?"
Shiro looks startled and immediately jumps back, but Keith hesitates and that immediately raises the tension between them. The whole memory loss, space travel, robot lions, defeat the Galra thing is hard enough to handle without these two also complicating things.
"Lance-"
"Listen, I don't wanna dismiss your feelings, god knows that's happened to me one too many times, but that's beside the point. The point is that I just need some time to-"
"We know, Lance." Shiro puts a hand- a robot hand, he's just now noticing- on Keith's shoulder to pull him away from the door. "And we respect that. Right, Keith?"
He looks a little bit like he wants to say no, but nods. "We're just worried."
Blue eyes are locked on pretty violet ones, but not the way he clearly wants. No, Lance is looking at him like he's lost it. Like why the hell would Keith be worried? It's just insane.
Wait, pretty?
His face flushes a deep red the moment he realizes what just went through his head. He thinks Keith is pretty? It's not like Lance thinks he's ugly, obviously he's as attractive as he is good at- well, everything. But pretty? Allura is pretty. Even Shiro, with his subtle little eyeliner wings, his sparkling ash gray eyes, and the sharp angle of his jaw, is pretty.
He's not supposed to think Keith is pretty, but here he fucking is, blushing like a middle schooler in front of their crush, and here he is not looking to stay.
"I think you should leave now." His voice is at least an octave higher with the embarrassment he feels.
Shiro, to his overwhelming surprise, actually shakes his head and the soft smile on his face morphs into something that Lance very quickly realizes is flirty and it startles him to see that kind of expression on the Garrison's golden boy. It's more startling that it's for him. But Shiro seems to have picked up on the way he'd looked at Keith, the way he was flustered when he did.
"That's okay, we're in no rush." Shiro pulls Keith back and steps forward himself, upturned lips becoming almost predatory as he leans in close, too close, and Lance can feel his warm breath on his ear and it makes him want to jump back, but he's frozen to the spot. "I think it'll be fun winning you over again. You're so cute when you're embarrassed."
It's so ridiculous and romantic and it shouldn't, but it flusters him even further, to the point where he practically leaps away from Shiro and whips around to face the door to his room, eyes focused very intently on the shiny metal.
"Oh- okay, great talk, see you- I'll see you around, I guess." He stammers, slamming his hand against the control panel and escaping inside before they can say anything else.
He doesn't breathe again until he hears their footsteps fading and then he lets out a shuddering sigh.
What the fuck .