Archive of Our Own ^beta

Keith truly loved Lance. But comforting others was not his forté; never had been, probably never would be. There were times he actually dreaded being sought out for this specific kind of attention. Not because he hated that people actually wanted that from him, but because he didn't know what to do and, as a result, felt like he was of no help in the long run. Keith sometimes even had anxiety over the potential of making the situation worse.

But Hunk wasn't around. Hunk, the boyfriend of Lance's that could help where Keith had failed. Lance was getting more and more upset as the days went on; Keith had definitely taken notice. When Hunk WAS finally back at castleship, Lance didn't want to bother him when he was clearly being run ragged with the near constant missions. Because of this, it was a never ending cycle to Lance's mental state.

The Cuban wasn't doing well. Keith didn't know why, since the younger boy wouldn't talk about it. But he knew something was up with the frequency in which his arms were full of Lance by the time they needed to go to sleep. Maybe it was because Keith wasn't good at this that it was happening so often; that he couldn't alleviate it the first time.

Now there was a break in the missions. Well, at least for Hunk. There was some peace for a bit, then the missions picked back up, but not requiring help from everyone. Keith took this opportunity to talk to Hunk once the Yellow Paladin had gotten some rest over the course of a few days. When they next spoke, Lance had been the one to head out with his lion.

However, Hunk had beaten him to it. “Hey, Keith. Is Lance okay? I've been so busy, so I haven't been able to ask sooner. But like...is he good?” Keith shook his head, his smile small and apprehensive. Hunk and Keith might not have been dating each other in their little grouping, but they both loved Lance just as fiercely and in their own way. Keith should have known Hunk would have noticed.

“That's what I'm here to talk to you about. I'm not sure why he's so blue, but I thought we could cheer him up. Bake him a bunch of treats together.”

“He really is a sucker for my cooking...” Hunk said as he rubbed his chin. “Did you have something in mind?” The Samoan laughed as Keith whipped out a piece of paper with a list of Lance's favorite things.

“I wouldn't say my memory is crap,” Keith replied with an embarrassed blush staining his cheeks, “but I do have some issues with soaking it in. Once it's there though, it's there to stay.” He sidled up to Hunk, both of them looking at the list. “I wanted to learn more sooner.”

“Do you even know your way around a kitchen, Hot Shot?” Hunk raised an eyebrow at the Red Paladin and Keith's face grew even more to resemble a tomato. “Welp, no time like the present!” Keith squawked as Hunk grabbed his hand and dragged him to the kitchen. If they started now, they might actually be done by the time Lance came back. It was perfect and Hunk was a little shocked that Keith was the one to devise the plan.

“ACK!” Keith was testing the batter by lifting up the spoon, but had the bowl taken away by Hunk when it was found to be too runny. The Texan was clearly put off by the sudden motion, if his eyes were anything to say about it.

“Nonono, don't over-mix it.” Hunk was definitely used to being alone in the kitchen, so he had a little less patience than Keith expected. However, he still had an appropriate level to teach. Hunk seemed to do better with kids, Keith remembering some of their missions together, and maybe didn't do this with other adults. Perhaps he gave Keith a pass because the two of them were talking about their childhoods while putting the ingredients together, and Hunk was now very aware Keith missed out on quite a bit growing up. As such, the larger boy tried to tell himself Keith was, essentially, still mentally a kid. The Red Paladin had opened up because Hunk had gained Keith's incredibly-difficult-to-earn trust.

Hunk gulped as he saw Keith's indigo, puppy-dog eyes and he handed the bowl back. “It's okay, we can fix it.” Grabbing what Hunk had learned early on was similar to flour, he added a little more to the bowl. “Use flour, cornstarch, or whatever is similar to thicken. Water or whatever liquid you were already using to thin it out.” Keith nodded as he waited for the go-ahead to stir again. “Whoa, hold on, you're mixing it too fast. Just a litt-yeah, there you go, much better,” Hunk grinned.

Once they had the trays in the oven, there was silence. Keith eventually broke it with a sigh, turning around and pressing his lower back into the counter edge. “...will this really help Lance?” Keith mused and Hunk wasn't sure if it was meant to be said out loud. “...I'm just worried for him...” He turned his gaze over to Hunk's direction, but was still trained on the floor. “What if this is deeper than just a little dessert can fix?”

“Keith,” Hunk replied as he wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulders and rubbed his arm comfortingly, “we aren't just offering treats. He's getting affection and attention from the people he loves most. I haven't been able to spend time with him for a while; I'm sure something else triggered the depressive episode, but me not being there didn't help.” Keith's eyes met Hunk's brown ones, dubious. The half Galran was still concerned his own companionship wouldn't be enough for the Cuban, given his track record of being unable to properly comfort others. However, Hunk's next spoken words helped him feel a bit more confident.

“Trust me.”

There was a knock at the door. The pile of blankets on the bed moved slightly, only partially revealing Lance's face. He really didn't want company right now; today was one of his lower days and having to go on a mission, instead of riding it out with some well earned self care, hadn't helped. But the boy changed his mind when he heard Hunk's voice on the other side of the door. He was still feeling somber, but he reached out of his cocoon to turn off the locking mechanism before retreating back inside the blankets.

The door whooshed open and it took a moment for Hunk and Keith to realize where Lance was. Hunk placed the tray of full cups and jug of milk, fresh from Kaltenecker (but still refreshingly chilled), on the end table. Keith stood by the wall with the mountain of baked goods, feeling like Hunk should be the first one of the two of them to greet their boyfriend.

There was a muffled sound Keith hadn't realize was Lance crying until Hunk managed to pull the boy out of his nest. “Shhhhh, I'm here, baby.” Hunk barely had the time to place a kiss on Lance's forehead before the Blue Paladin pressed his face into the younger boy's stomach, arms wrapping around him tightly, as if he were trying to make them one being. “We got you.”

Lance pulled away slightly, registering Hunk's words, and scanned the space. He'd initially thought Hunk came alone, so his heart soared seeing Keith on the other end of the room, fiddling with the edges of an enormous serving platter. Hunk watched Lance's reaction and he knew Keith had nothing to worry about. Holding out his hand, Hunk beckoned Keith to the bed.

Because of the way Lance was curled up, Keith had no reservations about putting the plate on the foot of the bed, being mindful of the way the mattress moved as he joined them. “You really want me here? But you haven't seen Hunk in ages.”

“Bah-bah-bah-bah,” Lance said in a watery voice, weakly flapping his hand at Keith. “Which means we ALL haven't been together in that long.” Keith blinked, eyes wide in surprise, as he settled beside Lance.

“He DOES have a point,” Hunk chimed in. “You and I might not be an item, but you're my friend and I wanna spend time with you too.” The Yellow Paladin smiled at Keith as he continued to pet Lance's hair. Looking down, he addressed Lance. “This was HIS idea, you know?” Lance titled his head in confusion, then looked around the room again, finally spotting the milk and food.

“Keith and BAKING?!” Lance was stunned and he looked at the smaller boy. “Really? You did all this?” Keith frantically shook his head and Hunk mentioned that he'd helped him in the kitchen, so he could feel more included past just thinking of the plan itself.

“...you've been so down...I was worried and hoped it would perk you up a little, despite any doubts I might have had that it would actually work...”

“What made you think it wouldn't work?” Lance began to get up, but was still cuddled against Hunk.

“...I'm not good at comforting people...”

“Keithy, you have your own way of doing that.” Lance motioned to the pile of food. “Just because it's different than Hunk doesn't mean it's any less.”

“But you enjoy being physical!” Keith seemed to be distressed that he couldn't give Lance, what appeared to be, his love language.

“You make it sound like I'm not an absolute chameleon when it comes to affection.” Lance removed one arm from around Hunk and motioned for Keith to come closer. He crawled over and let himself be engulfed into the cuddle puddle. “Yes, you're a bit stiff when you snuggle. But maybe you never had that, so you don't have practice.” Hunk gave an intense, knowing stare in Keith's direction. Keith didn't have to look to know his eyes were on him; he could feel the burning sensation of them boring into him. “But you got us to show you the ropes.” He pulled up the blankets so they could all share a bit of the warmth. “The fact that you care and are putting in the effort is MORE than enough for me. That's all that matters. I don't care how you show it.”

Hunk maneuvered himself to lay next to Lance, sandwiching the slim boy between himself and Keith, just as the Red Paladin placed soft kisses to the back of Lance's neck, where he knew the exact location of some stray freckles. Lance let himself get tangled up in the both of them, Hunk sweetly booping his upturned nose. Feeling the both of them pressed against him was like a weighted blanket, the pressure calming him almost instantly, the original feelings of homesickness only barely lingering. Keith might have been small, but his build was solid from all the training and having to defend himself when he lived alone. Both his boyfriends were his rocks, but in such drastically different ways. Lance loved that about them and he wouldn't change them for the world.