Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

««««««««««1»»»»»»»»»»

Lance was amazed by how freaking relaxed Keith looked.

Keith was almost always tense, on the edge of his seat and easily provoked into standing. Even when joking or laughing with his friends, he was never quite at ease, as if any moment he'd need to fight.

Lance would have, when they first met, be happy to provoke him into an argument, but now the caustic and angry arguments of the past were replaced with easy banter. Yet, Keith remained unable to chill.

Something was different today. Keith was actually leaning back in his chair. The tension that always had his brow furrowed was not there. He seemed utterly relaxed and content.

Lance wished he could relax like that more.

When Keith was this peaceful, it was easier to see how damn cute he was, in a "could-murder-me-easily" kind of way. His resting bitch face was relaxed into the tiniest smile. He didn't seem to have a care in the world.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Lance spontaneously asked. Shit. Shit. What the fuck was he thinking?

He was given only a soft snore in response.

Oh thank fucking god Keith was actually asleep.

Bottle up all the feelings, throw them into the safe, and never look at them again.

 ««««««««««2»»»»»»»»»»

"Hey there."

"I'm a lesbian."

"Alright. Good for you! Sorry about that."

Lance walked back over to Keith, who rolled his eyes at Lance's unbothered smile. Lance was used to rejection while just casually flirting for one reason or another, and wasn't bothered by it too much. He never wanted to make anyone uncomfortable.

"You must have no self control," Keith remarked, no bite behind his words.

"Hey, I can make anyone swoon at my lines," Lance defended jokingly.

"I seriously doubt that."

Never let it be said that Lance backed down from a challenge.

"Are you helicase?" Lance asked in his most suave tone of voice, surprising Keith. "Because you can unzip my genes." He shot Keith finger guns and a wink, smirking.

It took Keith a good ten seconds to get it. His face turned bright red and he shouted in embarrassment, "Lance! Oh my god!"

Lance cracked up, and Keith took a moment before joining in, his face still flushed and well shit he looked so cute that Lance needed to bottle those feels back up. He knew better than to try and date Keith. It wasn't like he'd ever return his feelings.

««««««««««3»»»»»»»»»»

"Are you a light switch? Because you turn me on."

"Ugh, no. That one just sounds sleazy."

"Yeah. You could say the same about the helicase one though."

"True, but you wouldn't use that one on anyone unless you were probably already sure the person was cool with it. Plus, it's clever and basically an offer, not overdone and just kind of creepy."

"Yeah, true. Throw that in the trash."

Lance was sitting next to Keith on the latter's couch, a reality show neither cared about playing on the television. The two were entertaining themselves by having Keith rate pick up lines Lance rarely used.

"How about-" Lance made a mock-suave expression. "I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"

Keith snickered. "Oh my god, that is so bad."

Lance looked at Keith, and it hit him how freaking amazing Keith looked when he was happily laughing like that. He looked happier than Lance usually saw him.

He realized how close he was sitting next to Keith. It would be easy to just...scoot closer to Keith, or wrap an arm around him, but he knew he could never do that. He would just ruin his friendship with one of his oldest friends.

"If God made anything more beautiful than you, I'm sure he'd keep it to himself."

"...Wow, that one was pretty smooth," Keith admitted, smiling. "What else have you got?"

Lance smiled. "I want to live in your shoes so I can be with you every step of the way."

Keith snorted. "That is so corny. But sweet. I doubt you'll have any girls swooning over you with that one if you start with it though."

"Are you a magician?" Lance continued, fidgeting slightly out of nervousness. Thankfully Keith didn't seem to notice. "Because when I looked at you, everything else disappeared."

"That one is even cheesier." Despite his criticisms, Keith was still smiling fondly at him.

"I tried my best not to feel anything for you," Lance admitted. "But, I guess I failed."

It was dead silent for a moment. Lance wondered if there was something wrong with what he said.

"Huh," Keith remarked, and Lance convinced himself he was probably imagining how Keith seemed to be nervous. "That sounds like you should use that for someone you know longer."

"Yeah. Probably."

The two sat awkwardly for a moment, before Lance said, "Last night, I looked at the stars, and I matched each one with a reason I love you."

"...That one...it's good."

"Really?" Lance asked, smiling at Keith. He seemed off for some reason.

"Yeah. You'll...You'll probably woo some girls with that one."

"Yeah...some girls will probably like it."

"Yeah."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Lance took a deep breath.

He just needed to get it over with. Just tell Keith how he felt, get the rejection that he was pretty much used to getting, and move on. It didn't matter if a rejection from Keith would be like a stab to the chest. Keith was a good friend of his, and he wouldn't let this failed relationship keep them from continuing to be friends.

He was about to say the words when the door opened, Shiro walking in and turning on the light, a bag of groceries in one hand.

"Oh, hey Lance," Shiro began, surprised that he was there. "Was I interrupting something?"

Lance's courage vanished. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him. "No. I was just about to say that I need to head home."

Both Keith and Shiro looked disappointed at his words.

"Alright," Shiro answered, setting down the groceries. "Do you need a ride? I'm a bit worried about you walking home by yourself. The case I'm on right now is pretty heavy and I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine," Lance assured him. "I know how to handle myself. Besides, I don't fit the MO of that serial killer." He stood up and grabbed his bag.

"See you tomorrow?" Keith asked just before he reached the door.

Lance looked back and smiled softly despite his disappointment at his cowardice. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

He would regret not taking up Shiro's offer for the rest of his life. 

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"What would you like, sir?"

"A...caramel frappucino with two pumps of espresso and a pump of white chocolate?" Lance asked, his hands in his pockets as be talked to Hunk.

"Alright. That will be $5.24," Hunk answered cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"...The Tailor," he answered as he paid. Experience had taught that saying his name to anyone would just make them confused and ask for him to say it again because they didn't hear it.

Hunk gave him a confused look, so he explained with a unsteady smile, "Inside joke."

"Ah."

He went to go wait for the drink in a little sitting area. And then he noticed Keith.

The boy's hair was tied up, and he was reading a book on offensive magic that Allura probably insisted he read. There was a cup of tea next to him and he periodically sipped it. He was probably on break, Lance supposed.

He could see that, despite the illusion of calm and peacefulness, Keith's habit of constantly being on the edge of his seat was very obvious.

Keith looked up suddenly, looking at him with a wary gaze.

"Are you staring at me?" he asked, a little accusatory.

Lance blinked, then smiled. Alright, this had the possibility of being fun as hell.

"I'm sorry. It's just...I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"

Keith blinked, then flushed bright red. "Wha-Are you..." He actually fucking hid his face in his book, muttering, "Shut up."

Lance obliged him, watching as Hunk finished making his drink...then paused and stared at it with confusion. He looked up at the customers before calling, "Does anyone want a caramel frappucino? I accidentally made one without thinking."

Lance made it onto his feet as soon as possible, heading to the counter to claim the drink before someone else did.

««««««««««5»»»»»»»»»»

Lance was surprised to find how Keith could switch between blushing mess to amused snarker when flirted with. Using the more overused ones traditionally got snarky Keith, while using the smooth, less-used and more genuine ones got tomato Keith.

It was consequence-free flirting. Keith wouldn't remember once Lance was gone, or even if he looked away long enough. Lance knew, by trial and error, what best worked to woo Keith, and what best worked to spark banter that was almost like how it used to be between them.

He was more up for banter today, though one glace at Keith and his ponytail and glasses told him it would be hard not just gush at how fucking adorable he was.

He ordered his coffee under the name Sokka and watched Keith scribble the name on the cup before paying and going to sit down, waiting to be called back up.

When he went to grab his cup, he snorted at the little boomerang on the cup, a smile making its way to his face.

"Thanks Keith," he told him genuinely. "Uh, do you have a Band-Aid?"

"Let me guess. You scraped your knee falling for me?" Keith, the little shit, smirked as Lance's jaw dropped.

"How did you know that?!" he asked, surprised.

"You made a face like you were about to flirt with me," Keith answered with a tiny shrug. Oh, it must have been his infamous Conquest Face as Hunk has once called it.

"Well, it was hard to resist," Lance admitted. "You look great in glasses."

Keith, suddenly seemed self conscious, adjusting his glasses slightly before explaining, "Lost my contacts."

"They suit you," Lance assured him, completely sincere.

Flushing scarlet, Keith quickly changed the subject away from himself. "I have to get back to work. It was nice talking to you, Mr...?"

"Mystery. Mr. Mystery." Lance attempted to wink seductively but ended up blinking. Fuck. Whoops!

"Right. Mr. Goofball it is," Keith concluded, his face still red as he smirked at him.

"Hey!"

"Enjoy your drink, sir."

Lance watched him walk off to go talk to go get the order of another customer, a pang in his heart.

He missed his old interactions with Keith. It never hurt,as much to be forgotten as it did when he spent time with Keith, knowing he would just forget and move on.

He laughed a little bitterly before heading out with his drink.

He really was a masochist.

««««««««««+1»»»»»»»»»»

Lance was cuddling with Keith on Keith's couch, watching Moana on the TV without a care in the world. He, and occasionally Keith, would sing along to the songs, which was really entertaining. Keith got really invested in Maui's song, a huge grin on his face as he did so. Lance swore his heart soared at the sight. Happy Keith was always a good experience.

"Hey Lance?" Keith suddenly asked, his voice entirely serious.

Lance, concerned, asked, "Yeah?"

"Are you an angle?" Keith then grinned at him. "Because you're acute."

Lance died.

"Oh my god, how the fuck did you make the cheesiest line I've ever heard work!"

Keith laughed. "Hey, I was wondering if you had an extra heart. I appear to have lost mine."

Lance was covering his face in a vain attempt to disguise how much he was blushing. "That was even worse!"

"Are you a banana? Because I find you-" Keith snorted before barely managing to control himself. "A-peeling."

The two boys laughed at the lines, Lance still blushing like no tomorrow. Oh my god, he loved his boyfriend so fucking much.

Keith's grin relaxed into a gentle smile as he clasped Lance's hand. Lance wondered how Keith could just casually fucking murder him like this. "Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more."

Lance blinked, then smiled back. "You, my amazing boyfriend, do not need pick up lines to make me swoon. But I certainly don't mind." He kissed Keith's cheek before adding. "Now we need to rewind the movie. We missed 'Shiny.'"

The next morning, Shiro, Matt, and Allura found the two curled together, snoring softly as the TV played the main menu music for Moana. If there were photos taken...well neither of them needed to know that until later.

Chapter Text

Matt looked at the dark purple box, the velour tickling his hands as he stared at it thoughtfully.

Practically, it didn't make sense not to use it. It was fucking expensive and took a lot of time to pick out. He had pulled Allura away from her business to find this object. And honestly, he didn't even have to put the meaning behind it.

But...he couldn't forget the sight of Shiro's concerned look just before Matt made his decision, the terrible decision Matt was forced to make that hurt Shiro. He hurt Shiro. How could he dare consider himself worthy enough to spend the rest of his life with the man whose career and life he harmed in such a horrible way?

"Matt?"

He looked up to see Lance standing in Keith's doorway, and remembered that Lance had stayed the night. He had thought it was safe to contemplate the box, since Keith, Allura, and especially Shiro were all early risers. But Lance was notorious for sleeping in and Keith must have decided to let him sleep before going off to work.

He knew there was no point in hiding the box at this point. Lance had seen it and probably knew what it was.

Lance sat next to Matt, asking, "Want to talk about it?"

"I...I can't. I can't do it. I hurt him. He lost his arm and his career because of me. I...I can go back to work. I've even been offered my old job back. Shiro doesn't get that. Because he lost his arm, he could only get a desk job. He fucking loved his work and he won't get that back. Every time I look at his arm, all I can think of is that he wouldn't have been hurt if it wasn't for me."

Lance waited for Matt to stop rambling.

"Matt, you made a decision with what little options you had," Lance pointed out carefully. "Everyone, Shiro included, agrees that you chose the best option. And none of them blame you. In fact, most of us blame ourselves."

Matt blinked, confused.

"Shiro blamed himself for not checking the breaks. Allura for not insisting on going with you. Pidge for not making modifications she was planning on that would have caused her to see an issue with the breaks. Keith for not paying attention to the case until the accident. And...come on, I deserve some blame for being the reason you were targeted in the first place. If I hadn't tried to call you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Lance..."

Lance took a deep breath. "Yes, I know. It isn't my fault, it's Haggar's and I can't be blamed for trying to help. And you can't be blamed for still feeling guilty. Everyone else has had over a year to work through those feelings. You have had a couple months. But, I can tell you something."

He pulled a picture from his wallet, unfolding it and showing it to Matt. It was a picture of Lance with Keith, Hunk, and Pidge. Pidge was clinging to Hunk's back, grinning mischievously. Keith was rolling his eyes, a small smile on his face, and Lance had an arm slung over Keith's shoulders and a grin on his face. It was a recent photo. It'd have to be. Every other photo of Lance from before the curse was lifted was damaged and destroyed unconsciously by everyone who had them.

"You can't move forward if you don't forgive yourself," Lance explained, smiling at the photo. He looked back up at Matt and continued, "Shiro loves you. Nothing that has happened changes that. Only Pidge went to visit you more than him, and that was because he had physical therapy and doctors to see. He has called you a hero for your actions in preventing anyone else from getting hurt. And he doesn't blame what happened to him on you."

Matt passed the photo back to Lance, who gently tucked it back into his wallet.

"Take your time," Lance told him, gesturing to the purple velour box. "Figure out your options. It's your decision. But I promise you that no one blames you for Shiro's injuries. So maybe it's time to forgive yourself and move forward."

Matt looked at the box and hesitantly opened it. Inside was the ring, a black opal resting in the silver. Allura had been very insistent on not getting a diamond, insisting they were rather boring looking and ran the risk of being connected to some inhumane shit. Opals were much more interesting and less likely to weigh on your conscience. Matt had seen the black opal ring and immediately decided that was the ring for Shiro.

Not immediately, he decided. He'd give himself some time to work through his guilt. He probably would never completely get over it, but he'd get himself to a better point. And then...then he'd go through with it.

"Lance?" Matt began.

"Yeah?"

He gave a small smile. "Help me find another box? I think we're pretty done with the color purple after our experiences."

Lance grinned. "Try royal blue. Can't go wrong with that."

"What about orange?"

"Seriously? Even if they sell orange boxes, it just seems tacky."

"Rude."

Chapter Text

8:00 AM

Allura quickly flipped the sign on the door, announcing her store was open, and moved to her position behind the counter.

This place was her pride and joy, lovingly maintained since she first bought the building after the old owner died. It was here that she first learned magic, here that she first learned to create and modify her own spells, that she learned the uses of various ingredients and runes and objects.

There was only one downside, of course.

It was retail.

9:00 AM

"I'm sorry ma'am, but there is simply no way to refund you sage after you have already burned it."

The woman's face contorted with fury. "It didn't work! It was supposed to make the demon leave! I demand you give me my money back."

"Sage is not a perfect method," Allura explained. "It is more of a suggestion rather than actual demon removal. Have you looked into an exorcism? There are various people who you can contact who will perform exorcisms for free. I have a list right-"

"I demand you give me my money back!"

Allura held back her temper, smiling as pleasantly as she could. "Ma'am, did the demon activity decrease when you burned the sage?"

"Yes but the demon is still there!"

"Then the sage worked as best as it could under the circumstances without being part of a ritual, and a method that costs only a quarter is not going to be foolproof. I would highly recommend an exorci-"

"I'm not paying money for sone whacko to come into my house and say some magic words!" The woman shouted.

"You wouldn't be paying at all," Allura argued, pulling out the list. "Every single person here performs exorcisms as a free service."

"Give me back my money!"

Allura wanted to rip her hair out.

10:00 AM

Sweeping up ashes from the floor was not fun under any circumstances.

11:00 AM

Only an hour until her lunch break. Only one hour.

"Do you know any recipes for love potions."

Allura knew from experience that it was the second longest hour of her workday.

Time to give another teenager a lecture on the importance of consent.

12:00 PM

"Oh dear."

"Honestly, if I ever met someone charging for an exorcism I would not hesitate to hit them," Allura grumbled. "But seriously, what person burns sage one time for less than a minute and expects that to rid their home of a demon! Not even a ritual or anything!"

Her guest shook his head as she poured him some more tea. "That sounds like someone who expects a miracle out of a single herb."

"People expect less out of cannabis," Allura added, causing him to snort.

"Yes, well I suppose that is what happens when you sell anything." He added a spoonful of augar and some cream before asking, "Have you considered hiring any other employees?"

She nodded. "I've had a sign outside that says that I am hiring for weeks now, but the applications I've received so far haven't been promising. Honestly I wish you had taken my offer to continue working here when I became owner."

"We both know that never would have worked out," he pointed out realistically. "Two big, controlling personalities, one with a position of power over the other. We would have killed each other within a week, and that would have tanked the business and devestated Mr. Shirogane."

She nodded seriously. "Yes, those are two things that must be avoided at all costs."

"How are he and his fiance?"

Allura sighed. "They aren't engaged yet."

"Not surprising, really, considering all that has happened. Still, you can always hope for the best." He finished his tea and slid the cup over to her. "Thank you for the tea, Allura."

"Of course, Lotor," she answered with a nod and a smile. "Feel free to visit again. Hopefully next time I'll have another employee."

"I wish you the best of luck."

1:00 PM

"-And that is why love potions and all recipes for them are banned in this state," Allura closed her second lecture on consent for the day. "There are various rituals and charms that are often used for encouraging luck in love, but love potions themselves are vile and I would never recommend using them under any circumstances."

"...Oh," the teenage girl muttered, looking thoroughly admonished. "I didn't...on TV...shit."

"Thankfully you were informed before you managed to find an illegal source," Allura remarked. "Look...a love potion can't provide you real love. That takes time and work, but it is always worth the effort if it works out. Wouldn't you rather try to create something real than to violate the person you care about for a facsimile?"

"...Yes," the girl muttered, rubbing her arm and biting her lip.

"What are their interests?" Allura asked, doing her best to be encouraging. "Perhaps you can find something here that can break the ice, and if not then you'll know where to start."

The girl gave a hesitant nod, and Allura inwardly sighed with relief at dissuading her initial course of action.

2:00 PM

"So how would I go about imitating the effect for my cosplay?"

Allura cringed at the ambitious suggestion. What was it with cosplayers and potentially dangerous magic?

"Well, the character you are trying to emulate is fireproof, but I doubt you are, not to mention actual flaming hair would not be allowed at a convention." She pulled the almost ancient book catalog out from under the counter and dropped it on top, skimming through the pages as she continued to talk.

"I would recommend illusionary magic. There is a book that I believe will have information on fire illusions, which we can then modify if necessary. A consultation to work on the exact spell and modifications for it is only three dollars per hour, but if you aren't interested there might be some circlets that could produce the same effect, some of which are sold online at varying prices."

"Will the circlet show?" the cosplayer asked, looking hopeful.

"Unfortunately yes."

They pouted and gave a reluctant sigh. "I'll take the consultation then."

"Alright, then let's figure out when to schedule you."

3:00 PM

Allura frowned at the twenty dollar bill she was investigating, looking at the customer with concern.

"This is counterfeit," she explained, wincing with sympathy.

"What?!" the man asked, his eyes widening. "No, there's no way! Check again!"

Allura sighed, then held up her marker and light. "Using mundane methods, the bill checks out." She marked the bill again and held it up to the light. "However, using this magic detection light..." She turned her light on and shined it on the bill, which glowed gold. "...This has been enchanted." She closed her eyes and whispered a spell, and with a flash of rainbow light and a giggle, the bill became a piece of white copy paper with green markings on it.

The man stared at it, his jaw dropped at the sight.

"We call this leprechaun cash," Allura explained. "The magic is imbedded into the paper in order to maintain the illusion for as long as possible without the magic user having to continuously expend their energy, but as a consequence it never lasts more than a year. I am sorry, but I cannot accept this as payment."

The man nodded reluctantly, pulling another twenty from his wallet. "I...I understand. Sorry."

"It's fine. It's nearly impossible to notice the difference."

Just in case though, Allura did test the new bill, just to make sure she wasn't facing the counterfeiter himself.

4:00 PM

"Oh dear, you shouldn't ruin your skin like that."

Allura frowned at the elderly woman buying unbreakable yarn. "Excuse me?"

"Tattooing your face like that," the woman continued. "You have such a lovely face, and you shouldn't marr it like that."

"...These are birthmarks," Allura stated, immediately feeling tired of this conversation. "I was born with these."

Honestly, she had always been proud of her white hair and pink face markings. They were symbols of her magical nature, not to mention that her mother had shared those features. The issue was that there was always someone who thought the markings were make-up or tattoos, or that her hair was bleached, and she was ruining her body/hair and blah blah blah.

The woman blinked, then flushed red, stammering, "Oh...oh dear me...I am so sorry."

"And even if they weren't birthmarks, I believe it is my choice what I do with my body," Allura added firmly, ringing up the last of the yarn. "That will be fifteen sixty-eight."

5:00 PM

The last hour. The home stretch. The longest hour of the day.

She was quickly adjusting a display when the bell at the door rang, and she turned to greet the customer only to see Lance standing there.

"Hey Allura," he greeted, smiling nervously. "Um, where are the applications?"

...Fuck yes.

"I keep them behind the counter," Allura answered, dancing on the inside that she had someone she could trust in her shop applying now. "Already looking for a new job?"

Lance gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah, I don't want to keep relying on my mom or Veronica's money to get my life back together, you know?"

"Understandable," Allura answered with a nod, passing him the application. "Well, there will be a training period, and I will have to teach you some basic spells that are necessary and give you an idea of what potion ingredients don't mix. You'll have to work here at least a year before I can allow you to do consultations, but otherwise I can promise the pay will be good. You have retail experience, right?"

"And food service, so I've got two out of three of shitty customer experiences."

"Good. Here, of course, the customer is not always right, as we are working with potentially dangerous spells, potions, and items, so you should feel free to lecture teenagers on the dangers of love potions if you work here."

He paused, frowning with concern. "Um...how many times do you have to do that."

"I've done it twice today."

"Oh boy."

6:00 PM

The store closed and cleaned, the products all in their correct places, and the lights off, Allura finally left her store and began the walk home.

When she was a young girl, living in a mansion with her mother and father, Allura had never thought she'd be spending her weekdays in a small store and dealing with troublesome customers and going home to a regular-sized apartment where she lived with her best friend and his younger brother. And yet, she quite enjoyed this life. It was certainly never monotonous, and she loved helping people and teaching them and spreading the magic that was a part of her down to her core.

Her phone beeped, and she checked it to see that Shiro had texted her.

Shiro: everybody wants to do an avatar marathon tonight and hunk made brownies hurry up.

She grinned at the message, and quickly sent a message before taking off running down the street, her white curls streaming after her. There was no missing her favorite show and those brownies after all, and she couldn't wait to wrap herself in her favorite blanket and sit in her favorite chair and relax after a long day.

This was happiness, she ultimately decided.

Allura: don't start without me!