klancepride with cal

day 26- chocolate

Someone had been leaving Keith chocolate for the past three years on Valentine's day. He would've thought it was weird but Shiro told him that he knew who it was and that they weren't creepy. Shiro would not, however, tell Keith the identity of his secret admirer because that "would take out the fun of it". 

But, the fun kind of leaves when it's been three years and you have absolutely no clue who leaves you the best chocolate you've ever tasted every year. That's why it was so surprising to Keith when the box of chocolate wasn't on his apartment's doormat when he woke up Valentine's Day. 

He checked again and again over the course of the day, even asking Shiro if he knew what had happened, but Shiro just smiled and shrugged. 

By the evening, Keith was feeling a little deflated. He looked forward to the chocolate every year- it wasn't like he had, or ever had had, a significant other to give him chocolate or one of those big teddy bears or anything on Valentine's day, so the sweet treats were basically what made the holiday fun for him. 

Luckily, he knew where the chocolate was from, so he decided to go out and get himself a box for consolation. The best chocolate place in town (in Keith's opinion, though it might be a little biased, the world) was McClain's Confectionaries, a little family-owned shop that sold only the best sweets and pastries. 

Keith had gone there to investigate the first year he'd received the chocolates and had found out why Hunk, one of his best friends, liked the shop enough to work there. It was a quiet, quaint little store with big windows facing the street and pleasant lighting. The shelves were stacked with goods and there were large display cases showing off the chocolate creations in the front of the store. 

It was owned by a Cuban family, the McClains, and, when Keith had first arrived in the shop, he'd been greeted by a teenager his age with hair as rich and brown as the chocolate and skin as creamy as caramel. His name was Lance and he was the eldest McClain son. When Keith had asked if Lance knew the identity of his admirer, since he or she must have come into the store to purchase the chocolates, Lance had merely shrugged and said, "It's probably the person you least suspect it to be."

Keith had puzzled over that for a while before giving up. 

Now, as Keith wandered into the store, Lance greeted him with a wave. 

"Hey, man. How's it going?"

Keith smiled easily at Lance, who'd matured a bit since Keith had last seen him. 

"I'm alright. And yourself?" Keith asked as he picked out the chocolate he usually received from his admirer. It was sold in a big, cheesy, red heart, made of velvet, with a variety of dark and milk chocolate confections in it. He didn't like white chocolate- it didn't even count!

Keith brought the box up to Lance who eyed the package before punching a few numbers into the cash register. Keith dug his wallet out of his jeans, but when he tried to hand Lance the bill, the teen put a hand over Keith's a small, nervous smile on his lips. 

"Free of charge," he murmured, not meeting Keith's eyes. 

"What? Why?"

Lance took a deep breath. "I had an early shift this morning and I wasn't able to drop it off myself. So it's free of charge."

Keith froze. Did that mean...? "Lance, are you...?"

"Your secret admirer? Yeah." Lance's blue eyes flicked up to meet Keith's. "Sorry I never told you." He blushed. 

Keith blinked a few times, then smiled. He leaned over the counter and kissed Lance softly on the cheek. "Want to go get coffee tomorrow?" he asked casually. 

Lance floundered for a moment, a flustered mess (he was still adorable though). "Yeah- sure- um- What time?" 

"Does 2:00 work for you? I'll pick you up?" Lance's smile was as sweet as chocolate. 

"2:00 works," he said dreamily. 

Keith couldn't stop smiling himself. He waved as he walked out the door, popping a chocolate in his mouth as he walked. It really was delicious.