Work Text:
ok so ive never written a thread before but i cant draw rn and i need to let it it out
so lance loves vintage fashion, like A LOT. he would sit and watch home videos of his mama and papi from the 80s and fell in love with the bright colors and over the top accessories he could never get into the hair tho, he was perfectly fine with other people wearing it but he wouldn't put his hair through that
his older siblings grew up during the 90s and while they were away at school he would sneak into their rooms to mix and match clothing. jackets from luis, hair clips and bracelets from veronica, and shoes from marco. he got away with it until he forgot to take out the star clip from his hair when veronica came home. his wonderfully understanding mama let him pick out his own clothes after being banished from being in his siblings rooms during school days.
by the 2000s new trends came and went but lance mostly stuck with his vintage clothes. he was made fun of quite a bit and everyone thought he was forced to wear hand-me-downs from his siblings because his family was poor. no one believed him when he said he liked wearing it. it got to him during middle school and started wearing what was popular. his family could see he was unhappy with himself and through some guidance, lance was confident enough to start whatever he wanted again in high school.
he met hunk and pidge in freshman year and they all caught on like a house fire. pidge wears a lot of androgynous clothing and hunk, while not big into fashion, is incredibly supportive of their choices. lance feels comfortable and completely himself more than ever.
in college, his outfits aren't so outlandish anymore and he actually makes a lot of friends because of it. having a fashion sense is also a huge plus in the romance department. he has had plenty of partners in the past but finding someone just right for him has been difficult. he had high hopes when he dated his friend allura. allura is practically perfect and her outfits are down right gorgeous. her gothic fashion makes heads turn as she walks by. sadly they weren't the right fit for each. allura still thought about her ex lotor and they just didn't support each other the way they needed. they are still best friends tho and they go shopping every weekend for new clothes.
on one of these outings, they are eating at the food court when allura mentions that their friend shiro's brother would be transferring to their college. allura wants lance to meet him so that all of her friends could get along. she tells him that he's gay and attractive and not so subtly implies that they would look great together. of course lance is excited to meet keith. from how allura described him, he was practically his dream partner, dark long hair, quiet and mysterious but secretly a huge dork, and pretty eyes he can lose track of time looking at. him and allura spent hours looking for the perfect outfit to catch keith's attention.
the day that keith arrives lance puts on his outfit. a 3 colored windbreaker subtly repping the bi flag, a blue tank top, white shoes, white bucket hat and white shorts. hunk, pidge, allura, shiro, and lance waited for keith in shiro's dorm where keith would be moving in to.
snacks, drinks, and games were set up and lance nervously ate some of hunk's chocolate chip cookies as he contemplated what he would say to keith.
when keith finally arrived, shiro introduced him to everyone until finally getting to lance. lance and keith made eye contact and lance couldn't believe his eyes.
keith had mullet. an honest to god mullet. remember how he didn't mind anyone having vintage hairstyles? it was definitely not his plan to date someone with one. he could never see himself with a mullet headed partner and he never wanted to.
but stupid keith made his stupid mullet look good, he was handsome. it framed his face in such a way that cradled the scar on his cheek and his sharp jawline. somehow it made his appearance look even more rugged and dangerous than he seemed. oh god he can't believe it but he loves the mullet.
everyone helps keith bring his things in and lance doesn't get the chance to look at him properly again until they gather around in the living room to play cards against humanity.
he examines keith as he reads out the cards. he doesn't seem to dress up much. he's wearing a well-loved biker jacket, a red short-sleeved t-shirt black jeans, and black combat boots. damn, he would look even better if he wore some eyeliner and maybe some rings, oh god what if he had piercings-
"LANCE" oh no he zoned out and now it's his turn. he can feel keith's eyes on him as he reads out the cards but he's determined to not look at him until he can get the courage to talk with him one on one.
everyone was getting along great. pidge told keith about her cryptid conspiracy theories and seeing him so excited about something made lance's heart race. hunk shed a tear or two when keith complimented his food. lance was the only person he hadn't talked to yet and yeah he could admit it was his own fault for avoiding him. he stepped into the kitchen to breathe and grab a drink when keith stepped in.
"hey lance", he said leaning against the counter a few inches away from lance
"oh, um, hi keith", he stuttered while reprimanding himself for being so nervous
"i like your outfit, it's very 90s"
"oh thank you, um, i like your mullet even if mullets are dumb", lance froze as he realized how rude it came off "wait that's not what i meant, i mean i like vintage things but mullets, in general, i hate they just look weird, not that i think yours is bad! you actually make it work really well and you look really hot with it, oh god that's not what i meant to say-"
keith laughs so hard he clutches the counter and lance laughs nervously with him
keith calms down and says "i think you're pretty hot too. allura and i used to go to this vintage clothing shop around here that i think you'd like, i think it'd be a nice place for date. you can tell me all about how much you hate mullets."
lance smiled
"yeah, i would like that"
maybe mullets aren't so bad after all