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Lance has noticed Keith since the garrison. How could he not? The prodigy who always got the highest scores in the simulation, the student with a mullet but still manage to look gorgeous, but most of all, the lack of his smile which always succeed to dissipate whatever courage Lance has mustered up to try and get to know him whenever they met in class. Even after Keith got expelled from the garrison, Lance’s impression of him remains at the annoyingly attractive rival who always had a scowl etched on his face.
It isn’t until they become the defenders of the universe and starts to live in the space castle that Lance realize that Keith does know how to smile. It isn’t apparent when they first started living together but after some time, when Keith finally warms up to them and slowly brings down the walls around him, the small smiles that he gives sometimes always manage to make Lance’s heart speeds up.
The first time that Lance sees Keith smiles is when Shiro praises him after he finally manages to beat him in a hand to hand combat, and judging from Shiro’s expression, it’s not the first time Keith has smiled like this in front of him. At that time, Lance doesn’t think too much about it. He has always known that Keith and Shiro are really close and it’s normal for Keith to relax around him. But still, Lance can’t help but wonder when Keith will direct those soft smiles at him.
Lance gets his answer soon enough. After Sendak’s attack on the castle, when Lance stumbles out from the healing pod, Keith’s there, smiling slightly, and Lance can see the relief in his eyes. It warms his heart and leaves a strange fluttering sensation. When Keith tells him that they had a bonding moment, he claims that he doesn’t remember it, and is surprised that Keith actually pouts and says indignantly: “I cradled you in my arms!” Lance almost blurts out the truth that he did remember it, right then and there because Keith is not supposed to look that cute with a pout.
Keith seems to smile a little more easily as time passes by. He would snort a little when Pidge makes some sassy but nonetheless hilarious comments (mostly directed at Lance), he would thank Hunk for his food with his mouthline curved a little upward, and he would smile at Allura and Coran when they interact with him.
There is this one time when Lance says something so outrageously funny that Keith downright chuckles, and damn if he isn’t the most beautiful person Lance has seen. The edges of his face softened, posture relaxed and that curve of his smile make Lance suddenly realize with a jolt that he is in deep for this guy. And those lips… no, nope, not going that direction, Lance chides himself. He excuses himself and hurriedly leaves the room, leaving a very confused Keith behind.
Keith’s smiles remain a regular occurance… until Shiro disappears into thin air after their fight with Zarkon. Shiro is their leader and an important part of their team. His absence hurts everyone, but Keith takes most of the brunt of it. Lance notices that Keith becomes closed off again and it hurts him to know that Keith might not smile again for a long time.
Lance finally has enough when he finds Keith battered and bruised in the training room at 2 am one morning. He yells at Keith to stop hurting himself like this and pulls Keith into a crushing hug. And if he notices the damp on his shoulder or the slight hiccups in Keith’s breath, he doesn’t say anything. He just sits with him and gently holds him until they both fall asleep.
The next day, when Pidge teases Lance and Lance protests that he is not a goofball, Keith lets out a small huff of laughter and asks: “Are you joking?” Lance feels this tremendous relief flooding through him that Keith can still smile like that, even as he shoots back a retort.
The life without Shiro continues until one day Black picks up Shiro’s signal and they are overjoyed to have him back. Lance is really glad that Shiro is back, safe and sound, but there’s still one problem he needs to attend to. He goes to Keith, analyze their situation and tells him that he can step aside for the team. What he doesn’t expect is Keith comforting him in his own awkward way. Lance murmurs a thanks, and he’s already walking out of Keith’s room, but when Keith calls out to him, he looks back, only to be completely caught off guard by Keith’s soft smiles and his gentle words: “Leave the math to Pidge.”
Any thoughts of leaving is thrown out of the window as Lance strides back, tilts Keith’s jaw upwards and seal their lips together. Keith tenses up before relaxing once more, leaning into the kiss. After a while, they break apart, both panting hard and Lance gasps out: “I really like it when you smile.” Keith’s mouthline curves upward just the way Lance likes it: “Like this?” Lance replies with a grin of his own and surges forward to kiss him again: “Yeah, just like this.”