Church | Klance

5

Five days had passed from the dinner and Lance was in a situation he didn't think he'd be in.  He, Keith, Pidge, and Hunk were all at a park table at the same park that Lance and Keith went to when they first met up together.

It was dark out, only the street lamps a few feet away from where they were lit up the park.  He had snuck out of his house through the window in his room when he'd gotten a text from Keith about the meet up he was currently at.    Both boys knew that if Lance had asked to meet up with Keith during the day, he'd be able to but only for a few hours due to his parent's lack of trust towards the older boy so they had come up with the plan to begin meeting at night.

Two weeks ago, if someone had told Lance that he would come out to someone and then sneak out of his house to go see this boy and his friends, he wouldn't have believed them yet here he was laughing with the other three.

Pidge and Hunk were on the bench at one side of the picnic table, Keith and Lance were sitting opposite of them on the other bench.

"So, Lance, if your parents are so strict about what you do and where you go how are you still able to see Keith?" Pidge questioned, they had turned their attention from Hunk to him.

"Keith's parents think I'll be a good influence on him, I guess my parents think I'm trying to get Keith to be religious." Lance explained. 

"And are you?"  Hunk asked. Lance assumed that the other two weren't religious or weren't from religious families since the church that Lance attended and that his family worked at was the only church in the small town.

"No of course not.  I wouldn't force anybody into religion."  He shook his head as he spoke, "I wouldn't be the right person to do that anyway, even though my family's religious, I'm not as into it as they are."   Lance didn't say it, but since his time with Keith began, he had begun to question religion more than he did before. 

"What do you mean?" Hunk asked, confused by what Lance said.

Lance shrugged, "I just don't like how hypocritical it is.  It's supposed to be meant for good, but you feel so closed out by it."    He explained what he thought, but not all of it.  He wanted to change the subject before he felt that it got awkward.

"Pidge, you're friends with Keith's brother right?"

They nodded, "Ya, my brother Matt is really good friends with Shiro, they went to school together.  I met Keith through him."  As Pidge spoke, Keith moved a bit, his fingers touching the tips of Lance's but neither of them moved.

Lance looked down at their fingers but back up at Pidge and Hunk.

"I knew you guys a bit, I remember you both from school, I think we're around the same age, aren't we?"  He asked the pair.

Hunk nodded, "Yup, Pidge and I are the same age as you, Keith's just old."   Lance laughed at this.

"I'm not that old!  I'm barely even two years older than you guys."

Pidge spoke up, "You know, I wouldn't have thought that us three rejects would be here with you.  I don't mean that to offend you, I'm glad you're with us.   I guess it's just because we all have reputations." 

Lance nodded, "If I'm being honest, I didn't think I'd ever be here with the three of you, but I'm also glad that I am.   It's nice to be able to be myself with people."  He smiled at the other two and then at Keith.

Hunk pulled his phone from pocket and looked at the time before he stood up from the bench, "I'm sorry that I have to go, but I have a curfew at midnight." 

"Ya, I've gotta get going too." Pidge stood up when Hunk did, "It was night getting to talk to you more, Lance."  They smiled and walked away with Hunk.

"Sorry that they brought up religion.  I was hoping they wouldn't." 

Lance smiled at Keith, "It's okay, I'm the pastor's son, it always comes up. They're more respectful about it than most people are."  He turned himself so he wasn't facing where Hunk and Pidge were sitting, but now he was facing Keith with one leg on either side of the bench.

"It still doesn't mean they should, you have other qualities than your family."  Keith copied Lance and moved so he was also straddling the bench like Lance so that they were facing each other.   When he did, he moved closer to Lance as well but not close enough to be disregarding personal space.

Lance stared at Keith, not for any particular reason and it wasn't awkward, even when Keith stared back, they didn't say anything.

Slowly, yet naturally, they moved closer together.  Their noses were inches apart now, Lance could feel his heartbeat spreading up, he could feel Keith's breath on his lips and nose.

"You're very close to me right now."  Lance's voice was quiet, he didn't need to speak loudly for Keith to hear.  It was barely above a whisper.  Soft but a bit shakey with anticipation of the situation.

"Do you want me to back away?" Lance didn't even notice that Keith's gaze was focused on his lips until he looked up to make eye contact.

Everything that Lance had been taught about how a man having feelings towards another man was wrong, the views his family had of him, even the reputation he had around the Kogane's family came into his mind.  All of them were telling him to say yes to Keith's question, to have Keith back away but he knew that wasn't what he wanted, he wanted this.

"No."  Lance shook his head, "I don't want you to back away."  Lance moved his hand and placed it on top of Keith's which was supporting his weight on the bench as he was leaning forward.

Keith smiled and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding, slowly he moved closer to Lance.

Keith was cautious, he knew that Lance most likely hadn't ever kissed another man or even in a situation with one that could have been deemed intimate.  He didn't want to scare him, he wanted to do this on Lance's terms.  He moved slowly so that Lance could back out at any time if he wanted to.

"Is this okay?" The hair that rested on Keith's forehead was tickling Lance's face from the closeness of the two boys.

Lance nodded, without realizing it he began to lean in too.

"Is this okay?"  When Keith asked, they were close enough that his lips would touch Lance's, each time it sent the butterflies in Lance's stomach flying.

Lance didn't bother nodding this time, he was the one who finally pressed their lips together, no more gentle grazing, now they were pushed together in a kiss.  Keith moved his hand so that instead of having Lance's hand resting on his, he could hold his hand.

Lance pulled away slowly, he didn't understand his thoughts.   The kiss felt amazing, he was happy, but his feelings were conflicting with his thoughts that were relating to the teachings he'd had about a situation like this and how it was a sin. 

"I have to go back home."  Lance quickly left the bench, he knew he would have left Keith confused and alone and he did feel bad, but he didn't know what else to do.

-----

Later as he laid in his bed trying to sleep, his phone kept going off, he knew they were all from Keith without even looking.

He'd been texting him ever since he left, he was asking if Lance was okay.

He sighed and picked up his phone, to help calm Keith he texted back: I'm okay, I'm just confused.

The texts continued through the night and so did the conflict between his emotions and his thoughts.