Behind the Mask // Klance AU

6

Hey my beans! Firstly... IM SORRY ITS BEEN LIKE A WEEK PLEASE DONT KILL ME anyways... Hope you loved the last chapter as much as I did! (if you couldn't tell I was hungry while writing it lol). Anyways, this chapter is probably gonna be pretty cute, and maybe kind of just a filler chapter? IDK. I'll try to make it good. And maybe (M A Y B E) hint to the new character in chapter 10! Enjoy my beans!

ALSO i'd like to dedicate this chapter to the fabulous shiros_eyeliner on instagram because they be amazing. Like seriously. Go follow. Seriously. Actual ball of awesome right there.

When Keith woke up, he was smiling. Heck, he hadn't even stopped smiling to sleep. In all of the past three years, nobody had even bothered to do so much as say hello. No friendly smiles, nobody asking how he was doing, yet here he was, lying next to a boy who had helped him, supported him, and most of all loved him. Lance looked almost comically adorable in his sleep, his face calm and lips parted slightly. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and it took less than a second for Keith to get lost in them. 

"Hey," Lance said, his voice still heavy with sleep. Keith about died. 

"Hey," Keith said back. 

"So, ya wanna do anything today?" Lance asked as the two boys sat up. 

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"It's supposed to be relatively warm out, do you wanna go swimming?" Lance asked. Keith froze. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'd love to... but I... I can't swim," Keith said quietly. 

"Well then let's get a move on! I've gotta teach you how to swim!" Lance said, pulling him up by his wrist. 

"Oh god, I'm gonna embarrass myself in a public pool!" Keith said, letting himself get pulled to his feet. 

"Don't worry. We can go to the pool at my house!" Lance said, smiling as the two got dressed. They walked the short distance to Lance's house, and soon Keith found himself at the foot of the pool, the crystal clear water sparkling in the sun. Beside him, Lance jumped in excitedly, splashing Keith. The water was pleasantly warm, but Keith still shivered. 

"Hey, you alright? Keith?" Lance said. Keith nodded. 

"I'm just a little nervous," Keith said. Lance pushed up on the pool deck with one hand and grabbed Keith's hand with the other. 

"You'll be alright. And if anything happens, I've got you," Lance said. And as Keith looked at him, he looked so genuine that Keith almost melted. 

"Okay, I can do this," Keith said, stepping his foot down on the first step of the pool. The water rippled around his ankles, and Lance moved to grab his other hand. He slowly made his way to the second step, water now coming up almost to his waist. 

"One more step. Think you can do it?"

"Y-Yeah. I got this," Keith said, stepping down slowly. His foot hit the bottom of the pool, and soon water came up to his chest. He realized he was clinging onto Lance for dear life, and Lance seemed perfectly okay with it. 

"Alright, let's try floating first," Lance said, turning Keith around. 

"How do I do that?"

"Just lie on your back and put your arms out," He said. Keith tensed. "Don't worry, I've got your head," Lance said. Keith slowly leaned back, almost falling. He let out a small screech before Lance caught his head. Lance hovered above him, mere inches away from his face. Keith got lost in his eyes again before Lance's voice snapped him out of it again. 

"You wanna try kicking your feet?" Lance asked. 

"S-Sure," Keith said. 

"Don't worry. I won't let go," Lance said. 

Keith immediately started kicking. His head bumped into Lance, who merely laughed and walked backward so he could keep holding his head. Keith was actually enjoying himself before Lance spoke again. 

"Keith, we're in the deep end. I think you've got kicking handled, so the next step is actually going under the water, okay?" Lance asked. Keith nodded shakily. Suddenly, Lance had turned him around, and he now held Keith in his arms. They both floated, Lance kicking to keep the both of them up. 

"So, uh, how do I do this?" Keith asked. 

"Take a deep breath, and don't let it out. You can't breathe the water, you'll drown. Oh, and water will get in your nose, but its alright as long as you don't breathe it in," Lance said. "You ready?" He asked. Keith nodded. "Okay, on three."

"Okay."

"One," Lance started. "Two." Keith took a deep breath. "Three," Lance said, quickly pulling him under. Keith held his breath, slowly opening his eyes. Lance's blue eyes glowed under the water, and his short hair floated around his face. Still holding Keith with one arm, Lance brushed a piece of Keith's hair behind his ear. Keith, in shock, did the last thing he was supposed to do. 

He gasped. 

Water filled his lungs before he was pulled out of the water, coughing. Lance held him until he'd emptied his lungs of the water. 

"I- Oh my god, I'm so sorry Keith! I wasn't thinking, that was bad, I-"

"Lance," Keith cut him off. 

"Y-Yeah?"

"It's alright," Keith said with a small smile. "I want to try again."

"Alright, let's do this!" Lance said. "One, two, three!" They went under again. Keith opened his eyes and smiled at Lance, who returned the smile. He was only holding Keith loosely by one wrist now, but as his long fingers brushed over Keith's hand, Keith lost all control. 

He placed his free hand on Lance's neck and pulled him into a kiss. 

Lance didn't even freeze. His grip on Keith's wrist tightened as he slipped his own free hand into Keith's hair, his fingers tangling in the floating strands. And there they stayed until both of them were dying for air. They came up together, only breaking apart enough to breathe, water dripping down on their faces. Blush glowed on both of their cheeks, and it lingered as they slowly made their way out of the pool.

 A storm had blown in during their kiss, and a chilly breeze nipped at the air. Once inside and dry, Keith pulled his jacket on while Lance slipped on a hoodie. Its pattern, mostly red with black accents, seemed vaguely familiar to Keith, but he couldn't place why. He was just about to ask Lance about it when Lance's phone buzzed. 

"Pidge invited us to a sleepover at her place with some friends. You up for it?" Lance asked. 

"Sure, why not," Keith said. 

"Oh, and you can just borrow some of my stuff since Pidge's house is in the opposite direction of your apartment," He said, grabbing some extra clothes and stuffing them in a bag. "Oh, and here," Lance said while tossing something at Keith. "You'll freeze with that wet hair of yours." Keith took one look at the jacket and had to fight to keep his heart beating normally. It was Lance's signature deep green jacket. He slipped it on over his own jacket, realizing just how much it smelled like Lance as he pulled the hood over his damp hair. They walked to the door before Lance stopped. 

"What's up? Did you forget-" Keith was cut off as Lance grabbed the sides of the hood and pulled Keith's face in for a kiss. His eyes lingered on Keith for a second after they broke, before turning back to the door. 

"Just forgot to do that," Lance said, smiling. "Let's go."

I liked this chapter a lot more than I thought I would. It was fun. And I swear IF ANY OF YOU CAUGHT THE CHAP. 10 HINT DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ANYONE!! I threw it in there as a teaser, and if you didn't see it you will find out. Don't worry. But if you did catch it, please keep it a secret until chapter 10. 

See you in the next chapter my beans!