Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lance grinned at Keith and the rest of the band. It was the end of their last show on this tour. And the fans knew it, judging by how loud they were cheering. Of course, they’d also just played one of the two biggest hits off the album this tour was for. In fact, they all liked the song so much they’d named the album after it: Stories In The Dark. It was one of the songs Keith and Lance, the two frontmen of the band, had actually worked on together. Usually, they tended to write the kind of songs that they specialized in, but they’d come together on this one, and they sang it together.

But this next song, their last song of the night other than the encore, this was all Lance’s, so it was Lance that turned to the band and muttered, “Ready?”

Pidge nodded, cracking her knuckles and readjusting her position at her synthesizer and DJ set-up. Shiro (who after taking on his new husband’s band as well had turned over leadership to Keith, who in turn shared being frontman with Lance) wiped the sweat off his hands, grinned, and picked up his drumsticks again. Allura (who had once managed them with Coran but had joined the band later on) played a quick chord on the keyboard, checking that it was tuned just right for the song, and nodded. Hunk adjusted the strap for his bass and gave a thumbs up. Keith set his hands in position on the neck of his guitar and smiled. Lance grinned back at them all and blew Keith a kiss. Blushing, Keith caught it and put it in his pocket, and the crowd went wild. It was, after all, widely known and supported (at least among their fans and the music industry) that Keith and Lance were in a serious relationship.

Lance turned to address the crowd. “Alright guys, gals, and non-binary pals, we got one more song for you tonight! Honestly, I don’t know why this one got so popular, but, hey, I’m glad you like it! And we can’t think of any more fitting end to the tour than this, so give me a shout if you wanna hear ‘Last Ex-Boyfriend’!”

The crowd screamed. Lance winked at Keith. Keith took the signal to start the melody guitar riff. Hunk joined in with the bass line, Shiro and Allura started the beat with the drums and keyboard, Pidge turned on her effects, and Lance finally joined in with the words and the harmony guitar part, a new energy to him.

“ I gotta lotta lotta exes on my record

You had a lotta things that came to an end

But this love that we got is the best of my life

And I want you to know, I wanna be your last ex-boyfriend! ”

When Keith first heard the title, he thought it was going to be a breakup song or a never-going-to-fall-in-love-again song. As it turned out, when he listened to the song, it was the exact opposite.

“ Every time you walk in I wanna get on my knees

Wanna ask you wanna beg you can we keep this the same

Wanna plead baby please can you love me forever

Because I wanna give you wanna call you by my name! ”

No, it wasn’t a breakup song, it was a get-together song. It was a man saying he wanted to be with his lover for the rest of their lives. It was a song about wanting to marry someone you loved, thus being their last ex-boyfriend (or ex-girlfriend if you changed the lyrics). In Keith’s opinion, it was one of the most romantic songs Lance had ever written, and he wished Lance would say romantic things to him like this.

“ Baby this is it, you’re the only one for me

Wanna wake up every morning laying right beside you

Don’t want you to introduce me as your boyfriend

When we can walk down the aisle and say I do! ”

Keith had maybe been swooning a little the first time he’d heard this song, but no one had called him on it. Except for Shiro, but after it was just them at dinner, and Lance, who had teased him gently when Keith made it back to their apartment. But no one had asked him his thoughts on it later, even the various interviewers they’d talked to when promoting the album and tour. What they had said, however, and Keith privately agreed, was that this could be Lance’s first proposal or marriage song.

Lance grinned at him before launching into the chorus.

“ Baby please I wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

We can be each others’ today and every day

I’m telling you honestly wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

Come on baby please, what do you say? ”

Everyone in the crowd was excited, jumping or singing along. The chorus was easy to move to, and Keith took advantage of that, hopping over to Hunk’s end of the stage to stand back to back with him for a few chords, then twirled over to Allura to dance with her for a bit, then went back over to his spot near Pidge, nodding at her. Then Lance made his way over to Keith as the chorus ended, and as Lance started the next verse, Keith leaned his head on Lance's shoulder while still playing, earning coos from the audience.

“ The haters, they doubted us, said we wouldn’t make it

But every day, night and dream is with you, my love

Maybe we weren’t first, but I want you to be my last

Baby our love can outlast the stars up above! ”

The next time the chorus came along, Keith kissed Lance's cheek and bounced over to jam with Shiro for the duration of the chorus.

“ Baby please I wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

We can be each others’ today and every day

I’m telling you honestly wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

Come on baby please, what do you say? ”

One of the other reasons Keith adored this song was that despite being a happy upbeat song, Lance had managed to write him in a truly epic guitar solo without sounding out of place. As he had for all the other times they had played this song, Keith moved front and center. The lights were hot, the crowd was cheering, and Keith let it all fade away, focusing on the solo. He was just a pair of hands, dancing and sliding up and down the neck of his guitar, creating ecstasy and heaven with this solo.

Keith tuned back into the world as arms slipped around his waist, behind the guitar, careful not to obstruct Keith's arms. It was Lance, kissing his jaw, and Keith heard the others and realized how much time had passed and that his fingers were already finishing the solo. Lance let go and winked at him. Huh. The solo was also when Lance's harmony guitar faded to a stop, but he didn’t usually put away his guitar, and he was wearing a headset mic. Maybe because this was the last song? And Lance started the bridge.

“ There'll be nothing better than living out my years with you

I’m so lucky to have met you, my soul mate

And I don’t know why I’ve taken so long, my love

But I want you to be my future, my destiny, my fate! ”

Secretly, Keith melted to this song every damn time he heard it (which was unfortunate considering how much they were traveling right now and how it was all over the radio), and this bridge was a huge reason why.

“ So let’s get dressed up and I’ll dress you down later

Let’s go calling every family member and friend

I’ll promise you forever if you’ll promise me too

Because I want to be your last ex-boyfriend! ”

The crowd was louder than they had been all night, because they knew that that was the last verse and then after two more choruses, the song was over. Keith couldn’t help but be proud of how far everyone in the band had come.

“ Baby please I wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

We can be each others’ today and every day

I’m telling you honestly wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

Come on baby please, what do you say? ”

Keith was surprised when Lance turned towards him rather than immediately jumping into the last chorus. Lance grinned at him, but there was something else in his eyes. Keith was about to ask what Lance was doing, but then Lance started to sing.

“ Baby please I wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

We can be each others’ today and every day

I’m telling you honestly wanna be your last ex-boyfriend

Come on Keith Kogane please, what do you say? ”

And Keith watched as on the last line, the line where Lance had said his name instead of the generic ‘baby’, Lance got down on one knee and took a box out of his jacket pocket, and opened it, presenting Keith with a ring. Distantly, Keith heard the crowd going absolutely bonkers, Hunk bursting into tears, and Pidge going “what the fuck”, and Keith knew the big screen must be showing his surprise, but Keith could only stare dumbfoundedly at Lance.

Keith finally found his voice. “Is this actually happening? Because I’ve been dreaming of you saying stuff like this to me since the first time you played it for us.”

The crowd cooed, as well as all the roadies and the venue staff and the opening band and his band and Coran.

Speaking of his band, Keith turned around. “Did you guys know about this?”

“Nope,” said Hunk tearfully.

“No, but in hindsight, maybe we should’ve guessed,” said Shiro. Pride was leaking through his expression, despite his attempt to be calm and nonchalant.

“No way,” said Pidge.

“We’re as surprised as you are,” said Allura, a warm smile on her face.

Lance cleared his throat and regained Keith’s attention. “Yes, Keith, this is actually happening. Wanting to propose to you wan the entire reason I wrote this song. I want you to be my last ex-boyfriend. That way, you can be my first and only fiancée, and my first and only husband.”

“Then ask me,” said Keith, choked up.

Lance smiled at him. “Keith Kogane, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” said Keith, blinking tears away furiously. The crowd cheered; Lance's mic must have been picking up the audio the whole time. “Now someone take this guitar from me before I break it.”

The guitar strap had barely been lifted off Keith before he tackled Lance to the stage floor, kissing him desperately. Lance tossed the headset off and kissed him just as deeply. Wolf whistles and applause went through the crowd. When they came up for air at last, Lance took a moment to put the ring on Keith’s finger. It was black, obsidian, with a red gem in the middle. Keith loved it.

They stood together, and Lance linked fingers with the same hand that the engagement ring rested on, and held their hands in the air. “This is my last ex-boyfriend, everyone!”

The crowd screamed in response.

The rest of the band came forward and made Keith and Lance the center of a group hug, congratulating them and saying such wonderful things that Keith was losing his ability to contain his tears.

Eventually, the crowd started calling for an encore. Lance grinned at them again, and Keith swore to himself that he would die for that smile. “‘Wish’?”

Everyone agreed and took up their instruments, and they started playing one of their earlier songs, ‘Wish’. Like ‘Stories In The Dark’, ‘Wish’ had been a song Lance and Keith wrote together and sang together. In essence, ‘Wish’ was a song about how despite all the ways to wish for something, the other lover, the other person in the duet, was the only thing being wished for.

Later, Keith will remember everything up until starting the encore song with crystal clarity, but the rest of the night in bits and pieces. He remembered what song they did but not how well they did. He remembered how blue Lance's eyes were, but not how the crowd reacted. He remembered his ring glinting in the stage lights and the band’s final bow, but not everything that happened when they came off stage. He remembered the ride back to the hotel as they celebrated and Keith cuddled with Lance, and he definitely remembered falling into bed with Lance, but nothing in between.

In the morning, Keith woke slowly to find Lance combing his fingers through Keith’s hair and giving him the most loving look.

So Keith leaned in to kiss his fiancé.

When the kiss broke, Lance said, “Good morning, love.”

“Good morning, ex-boyfriend,” said Keith.

Lance smiled.