Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Thank you, enjoy your coffee. Alright, next person, how can I help you?" "I want a medium salted caramel latte with extra whipped cream. Oh, and your number on the side." Keith looked up at the Cuban man with brown hair and blue eyes, an unamused look on his face. "A salted caramel latte with extra whipped cream, comin' up."

Lance was a regular at the local cafe. He got the same thing every time, and every single time he asked for Keith's number. Keith wasn't going to admit it to the guy, but he liked it when he flirted, even if most of his attempts consisted of bad pick-up lines. Keith enjoyed his company on days when he was feeling down. When Lance walked in through the glass doors of Cafe Raion, Keith had to prepare himself.

"What, not even gonna humor me, Keefy, mi amor?" Keith's mouth twitched at the nickname. "I never humor you, Lance." Keith continued to make the drink as Lance watched him. Lance was never shy-ed away from flirting with the hot barista, even if it wounded his pride sometimes. "I love watching you make those drinks. I get the best view. Tienes un buen culo." Lance said, leaning on the counter.

Keith could feel the blush rise to his face. "And yet you still can't seem to get my number." Lance gasped dramatically. "Oh, you wound me, Keith." Keith scoffs but smiles fondly. "Still don't know how you know my name." He handed the flirty man his drink. "Your brother was generous enough to give it to me. Though, I wouldn't have minded calling you 'hot barista guy'." Lance took a sip as Keith, his face still red, shooed him away from the counter so he could take more orders.

Lance sat at his usual place, a table in the middle of the shop that was close to the counter and door. Keith continued to take orders as Lance watched. Lance knew he was down bad for the barista, and he expressed it loudly. A girl with long silver hair walked it. 'Maybe it's dyed' Keith thought. She walked up to the counter. "Hello, welcome to Cafe Raion, what can I get for you today?"

"Can I get uh, an iced mocha frappuccino? Oh, and a milk tea." Keith nodded and got to work. "You didn't happen to see a man with short, brown hair and blue eyes, have you? He is wearing a blue hoodie with grey sweatpants." That sounded an awful lot like Lance. He looked to where he was sitting and he was covering his face with the menus that were usually on the table.

"Is that your guy?" Keith pointed to Lance. The girl looked back and groaned. "Lance! How many times do I have to tell you." He flinched lightly at the sudden raise in her voice. "Heeeyy, Allura! I didn't know you came here too." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Your mom isn't going to be very happy. You gotta stop running away from photoshoots!" She grabbed up the finished drinks and paid Keith with a smile, dragging Lance out with her.

Keith didn't know what to think of what happened. Some of the other customers went back to their business. Keith's break was coming up soon. A familiar face walked in, looking pretty exhausted. "Hey, Romelle. You look pretty tired. You sure your up for tonight's shift?" Keith asked the girl. "Yeah, I'll be fine. How about hooking me up with a cold brew? I need it."

"Sure, but you still have to pay." He said, snickering at the look she gave him. "What is it? Mid-terms?" She groaned, laying her head on the cool counter tops. "You have NO idea." Keith just nodded along, making Romelle the cold brew. Of course he knew. He had mid-terms in high school before. "Its so stressful at how much studying you have to do!" She fished out her wallet and paid Keith. "If you're too tired to take tonight's shift, I can do it for you."

Her face lit up. "Really!? You wouldn't mind?! Cuz that would be amazing!" Keith told her it was fine and to go get some rest. "I'll tell the boss." She waved bye, but not without another 'thank you'. Keith went on break after that, deciding to sit outside of the cafe. He saw a few people by the fountain that was nearby. It looked to have been Lance and that one girl, with a few more people. There was a guy with obnoxiously bright orange hair taking pictures of Lance.

They weren't too far, so Keith could see. Lance was sitting on the edge of the fountain, posing as the guy took pictures of him in every angle. Keith found himself admiring the cuban's beauty. His brown hair looked like chocolate and his skin a dark caramel, the two colors clashing nicely. His soft facial features couldn't be seen from where Keith was at, but he knew that Lance was smiling, which made Keith smile. He loved the way Lance mixed in Spanish when he talked, even if Keith didn't understand it.

Keith got a different feeling whenever Lance came in and talked to him, whether it was flirting or not. Keith had never been in love so bad, it almost ached, but he was too stubborn and antisocial to admit his feelings. He never knew if Lance was only flirting with him to pass time, and he didn't want to ruin the relationship they had now.

"Earth to Keith! Break time's over. Get back to work." Keith stuttered and got back inside, looking at the group by the fountain one last time.

Usually, after break for Keith was never too busy. Just a customer here and there. He heard the bell pf the door ring after 10 minutes of sitting around. It was the same girl with sliver hair from that morning, but she was with someone else. This person was shorter than her and had strawberry blonde hair that was shorter. The two were holding hands and laughing.

"Welcome to Cafe Raion, how may I help you?" Keith said automatically, the sentence etched into his brain. "Hey, thanks for the coffee earlier this morning." The silver-haired girl said. "We just wanted to come back and try the pastries. Lance told me they were good." Keith nodded. He didn't know how to feel about this girl. Was he Lance's girlfriend? Oh no, Keith didn't want to think about that.

"What do you want?" He said, trying so very hard to not sound irritated. "Um, two apple pies, please." She said, looking at the person next to her for affirmation. Keith went to grab the apple pies. "Don't worry, Keith. I'm not Lance's girlfriend." She said, Keith almost dropping the apple pie. She giggled. "My name's Allura. I'm Lance's cousin. And this here is my girlfriend, Pidge." She squeezed Pidge's hand with a smile.

Keith cleared his throat and handed the two apple pie slices over. "Well, It's nice to meet you, Allura. I wasn't worried about that.. Just so y'know.." Allura smiled at Keith. "Lance never stops talking about you." Keith's face flushes a bright pink as she giggled. "It's always 'Keith' this and 'Keith' that. He's pretty obsessed." The shorter girl, Pidge, said as Allura giggled even more.

"Sometimes he runs away from photoshoots just to talk to you." Keith hid his face with the tennis-cap looking hat on his head. "Is that what happened today? You were talking about photoshoots.." Keith asked, his voice a little quiet from being embarrassed. "Yeah. Lance is a model. He usually shows up in magazines and stuff. His mom is head on the McClain business."

"They're the ones that sell bath products and other things, yeah?" Keith had never heard anything about this from Lance, so you can tell why he is interested. "Mhm. They are a humble business. I think you should use their stuff. To support Lance. He really likes you." Keith's felt the blush coming back. "Yeah, I'll do that." He waved the two bye and sighed, leaning on the counter. He tossed his thoughts around.

Keith only had a few more hours, and then he could go home and go to bed.

Chapter Text

The late shift is usually Romelle's shift, but Keith was generous and took it for her. She wasn't feeling too good and needed a break. Keith stood behind the counter of Cafe Raion. There were so few customers, he was starting to get bored. No one came and sat down at the tables once they got their food and drinks.

Keith heard the bell of the door and stood up straight. It was an elderly lady with full grey hair. "Welcome to Cafe Raion, how may I help you?" Keith said. He was taught to be well-mannered and respectful to the elderly. "Ah, what a fine young man. I would like some plain black tea." The old lady said as she looked through her purse. "Black tea, comin' up, ma'am." Keith said as he got to work.

The lady left with her tea and gave Keith a tip for great service. Keith sighed. "You can take a break and get yourself something if you want. I'll be leaving early, so don't forget to lock up." The boss left without another word. Keith was about to get himself something to drink when the bell of the door chimed. Keith had his back to the door.

"Welcome to Cafe Raion, what can I get y- Lance?" Keith looked at the person who walked in. It was Lance. He looked like he was just crying. "What's wrong?" Keith asked worriedly. Lance sniffed and wiped his face. "It's nothing." Keith didn't believe that. "Well, what are you doing here so late in the day?" "Just wanted to grab something to drink..."

Keith had never seen Lance look so small and fragile. The Lance he knew would wildly gesture at him, and ask for his phone number, and flirt like there was no tomorrow. "The regular?" Keith asked. Lance shook his head. "Just some honey lemon tea would be good." Lance put on a smile. Keith nodded. As he was making the tea, Keith couldn't help but look back at Lance every few seconds. He sat at his usual spot and laid his head down on the table.

Keith walked to the table with the finished tea, an extra one for himself. He was never really a coffee kind of guy. He liked tea more. "Here ya go." He sat next to Lance and watched as he sipped on the freshly made tea. "I guess you get freebies since you work here." Lance laughed sadly at his own joke, which turned into a small choked sob.

Keith pat Lance on the back. He was never good at cheering people up. "So, what happened? You're usually so upbeat and smiling." Keith asked. Lance sighed. "Do you ever just, no sé, get sad?" Lance looked at Keith, his blue eyes puffy and big. He looked like a sad puppy. "Yeah. All the time." Keith answered, still rubbing circles on Lance's back.

"Well, I'm sad. So..." Lance sounded a little irritated. Keith nodded, taking his hand off of Lance's back. He didn't want to irritate him further. After what felt like hours, Lance sighed into his cup if tea. "I'm sorry. i didn't mean to sound mad. It's just, mi papá. He passed a couple months ago..."

Keith frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. My condolences." Lance shook his head. "We were pretty close. He taught me a lot about the world. Sometimes I find myself thinking about him, and I end up like this." He let out a choked laugh. He kept curling in on himself as tears threatened to fall into his tea.

Keith looked at him, feeling helpless. How was he gonna cheer Lance up? He didn't know how to cheer people up. Then he did something he never thought he would.

"Cielos, I shouldn't dump my trauma on y- uhmf!" Keith wrapped his arms around Lance tightly, pushing his face into his chest. He rubbed circles into Lance's back again. "It's alright. You can cry on me." Keith said, patting Lance's head. When there was a moment of silence and Lance unmoving, Keith thought he messed up. But then came the shaking. Lance started to sob loudly and uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms around Keith, shaking from the force of the sobs.

They stayed there like that for a while as Lance calmed down. "You doing okay, Lance?" Keith said as he stopped patting his head. Lance nodded into Keith's chest. "Hueles bien." Keith barely heard Lance say. "What?" Lance let go of Keith and took a sip of his (cold) tea. He smiled, it was still sad but it was better than the other one earlier. Tear streaks were very prominent on his face, his eyes even more puffy.

Keith missed the warmth that he felt only a second ago. "Oh, jeez, I got your shirt all wet from my tears." Lance laughed. "That doesn't matter to me. As long as you're feeling better." Keith crossed his arms, smiling fondly. Lance looked at Keith in the eyes. "Thanks, seriously. I never get to let it all out usually. I have a big familia, and they can get in the way of my alone time. But I love them, truly." Lance leaned on Keith's shoulder.

If Keith's face wasn't already red, it definitely was now. He hesitantly wrapped an arm around the Cuban. That sat there in comfortable silence. But then it was time for Lance to go.

"Wait! I gotta close up anyway, so let me take you home." Keith ran to the back and grabbed his stuff. He flipped the sign to closed and locked up. He lead Lance to his motorcycle. "You drive a motorcycle? Eso es atractivo." Lance giggled as he got on behind Keith. He told Keith where to go and they arrived in no time.

Lance took the helmet off and got off, thanking Keith. "Lance! Come here for a second." Lance did what Keith asked and he started writing something on Lance's hand. "Now you won't have to ask every time you come in." Lance looked at the set of numbers and then back at Keith. "Gracias." Lance gave Keith a peck on the cheek and ran into his house. It all happened too quick and Keith didn't know what to think. He just stood by his motorcycle like an idiot before leaving. Though, internally, he was having a party.

Chapter Text

"Enjoy your drink, come again." Keith said as a customer walked out. He hadn't seen Lance since yesterday, and it was already noon. He would usually come at around 10 A.M. to get his coffee. Keith was starting to think he scared him off just as Lance walked in. Keith's face lit up slightly. The people he walked in with sat at a table as Lance walked up.

"Hey, Lance. How are ya feelin'?" Keith tried to stay cool. Lance smiled at him fondly. "I'm doing much better. And, Um..." Lance's cheeks flushed as he fiddled with the hem of his jacket. "Thank you. For yesterday." Keith hid his face in his hand, knowing for a fact his face was red. 'So cute.' He thought.

"Y-Yeah. No problem... So, you want the usual?" Keith had to get his mind off of how cute Lance was right now. "You know it! Oh, and a few more drinks, too." Keith nodded. "Who are those people you walked in with?" Keith got started on the drinks Lance ordered. "Some of them are friends of mine. The one with the bright orange hair is Coran, my photographer. He is also Allura's step-dad." Lance certainly was better as he talked Keith's ear off. "And the big guy is Hunk. We've been friends since 6th grade."

"His specialty is in the Culinary Arts. He likes to bake, and when I tell you he's a damn good baker, he is a damn good baker."

Keith couldn't help but smile at the talkative beauty in front of him. "Oh, cielos, I'm talking too much, aren't I?" Lance asked with a nervous laugh. Keith shook his head. "No, you're doin' just fine." Lance played with the hem again, the blush returning. "Uh, I also wanted to ask... Por qué es tan difícil...?" Lance took a deep breath. "Do you want to go out? As a thanks for yesterday, I want to treat you to something nice..."

Keith dropped the empty cup that was in his hand. He stumbled to pick it up. "I, uh. Wow. Okay. I've never been asked out on the job. Sorry.." He chuckled, putting the cup down on the counter. "No, It's fine Iprobablyshouldn'thaveasked-" Lance started to mumble. "Lance." Keith cleared his throat to get Lance's attention.

"I'd... Like that." Keith said, rubbing the back of his neck as he finished the drinks. Lance made a noise that sounded like a squeak. "R-Really?" Keith nodded. "Well, I'll text you the details. And you can pick me up." "Aren't you the one treating me?" Keith laughed. "Hush. I want to ride on your motorcycle again." Lance joined in. They stood there looking at each other for a moment.

"Hey, Loverboy! Where's our drinks?" The guy named Hunk yelled at Lance, smiling. Both Lance and Keith blushed even brighter. "Right, well... I'll see you, Keith." Lance grabbed the drinks and went to the table they were all sitting at.

Keith watched Lance laugh and smile, know just how bad he'd fallen for Lance.

Chapter Text

Keith had finished his shift and went home to get ready for his, date? He didn't know what to call it, but he wanted to call it a date. Shiro was home, cleaning.

"Hey Shiro?" Keith began, drying his hair from the shower he'd just taken. "What's up, ototo?" Shiro was sitting on the couch, watching a very interesting show. Keith ignored the TV and continued to ask his question. "Um, What do people usually do on dates?" Shiro looked at Keith so fast, he was pretty sure he got whiplash.

"Why, you got a date? Wow. My little bro's finally got a date after, what-" "I shouldn't of asked you." Keith rolled his eyes at Shiro's big grin. He loved Shiro, but sometimes his big brother was annoying. "Who's the lucky guy?" Shiro asked with an even bigger grin. Keith stuttered and flipped him off, walking into his room and shutting the door with a blush.

Keith heard Shiro's muffled laughs from the other side. He looked through his closet. Most of his wardrobe consisted of band tees and black jeans. He managed to find a black long sleeved shirt with a red outlined moth pattern. It was in really good shape, surprisingly. Keith was pretty sure that the shirt was from high school, but it fit him, so, who cares. It was a little snug. He had gained more muscle mass since high school.

He put it on along with some baggy black jeans that were in better shape than his others. He always looked like a '15 year old going through their emo phase' according to Shiro. He ignored that. He brushed out his hair and fluffed it out. Lance told him he had a mullet once or twice, but Keith liked it. He hadn't cut his hair in a few months.

He accessorized a little and put his shoes on at the door. "Have fun with Lance." Shiro called from the couch. "H-How did you- Know what, I'm not even gonna ask. Bye." Keith started his motorcycle and was off to pick up Lance. He could feel his heart beating faster the closer he got.

'I'm on my way.' He texted to Lance.

He arrived in 10 minutes or so, Lance already at the door. A short looking lady was giving him kisses and talking in what seemed like Spanish. Lance waved Keith over and he complied. "Sorry Keith. Mi mama wanted to meet you." Lance looked cute. Really cute.

He was wearing a light blue sweater vest over a white turtleneck, and dark brown pants with a brown belt. Keith felt his heart jump out of his throat. "Mama, this is Keith. Keith, mama." The shorter lady looked him up and down with an intense look, then her face softened into a small smile. "A fine young man indeed. Keep mi hijo safe."

She gave the unsuspecting Keith a big hug. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so me raised them up. "Mama! Me estás avergonzando!" Lance said with pink cheeks. Lance pulled Keith along to his motorcycle. "I will." Keith said to Lance's mom, a fond smile appearing on her face. "Bye mama. Te quiero. Alright let's go." Lance plopped in the spot behind Keith, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Safety first." Keith slid the extra helmet (which just happened to be blue because I said so) and clicked it into place. He put on his and did the same, waving to the mother leaning on the door. The two took off to wherever they were going.

"So, this where we're having our date?" Keith asked Lance as they stopped at Cafe Raion. Lance looked at Keith with a bright blush. "Crees que esto es una cita? No, I just want to get a snack, then I'll so you where we're going.." Keith blushed when he realized what he just said. He nodded, following Lance into the cafe.
"Welcome to Cafe Raion, what can I get fo- Keith?" Romelle looked up at him, confusion on her face. "Hey, Romelle." Keith waved to her. "What are you doing here?" Keith pointed his head to Lance, who was next to him. "Date." Was all he said. Romelle just blinked at the two. "Right. Can I get sweet coconut milk and.." Lance looked at Keith asking what he wanted. "I'll get hot chocolate." He said.

"And a hot chocolate. You like hot chocolate?" Keith nodded. "I mean, who doesn't?" He asked Lance. "My sister, that's who." Keith looked at Lance, astonished. "Is you sister okay?" Lance laughed. 'The beast sound in the world' Keith thought. "Uh, here are your drinks. Anything else?" Romelle still looked a litt confused. "Can I have two cake pops?" Lance asked as Romelle nodded.

Lance paid, must to Keith's protests. 'I'm the one treating you' he said. They left and were on their way. Lance wouldn't tell Keith where they were going until they got there. They went on a road that lead up to a cliff. Lance lead Keith to an open spot close to the parking lot, flowers surrounding the area.

Lance had his hands on Keith's eyes. "Can I look now?" Keith asked when they stopped. Lamce took his hand from Keith's eyes and he opened them. Keith audibly gasped, taking in the sight.

The spot had a direct view of the sunset, the sky all shades of yellows, blues, purples, and pinks. It was beautiful. "Pretty cool, sí?" Lance huffed, pride swelling in his chest. "It's.... Beautiful." Lance sat on a grassy patch, Keith following him down. He took a sip of his coconut milk, watching Keith's eyes slide across the sky. "Anata to onajiyoni ustukushi..." Keith whispered.

"What was that?" Lance said as he took a bite out of his cake pop. Keith don't know why, but he was feeling brave. "It's beautiful, just like you." Keith felt a squeeze on his hand, realizing thy were holding hands. He looked at Lance, who was staring directly at him, his face flushed a brighter red.

Keith wiped the chocolate from the corner of Lance's mouth with his finger and licked it, only making Lance even more flustered. They looked at each other for a moment longer before Lance cursed in Spanish under his breath.

Before Keith knew it, Lance's lips met with his. He tensed up for a split second before relaxing and kissing back. He put his free hand on Lance's head, sliding it down to his nape. They parted for a moment, catching their breaths. "Was that... Good?" Lance asked.

"Too good." Keith was the one to being their faces together, a small squeak coming from Lance. They parted again after a while, looking into each other's eyes. "Sweet." Keith said as he lick his lips. "Th-That's because I was eating a cake pop.." Lance looked back to the sky, embarrassed. Keith chuckled, squeezing Lance's hand lightly.

Lance rested his head on Keith's shoulder, and they stayed like that until the sun was fully set.