sneak peek of my season 8 fix-it fic

The large, weathered door of the farmhouse opens under the rap of his knuckles and he smiles, tucking his hands casually into his pockets. Lance stands on the other side in a white three-quarter sleeved shirt and a pair of light wash jeans with old dirt stains on the knees. He blinks those twin sapphire eyes at Keith and then raises an eyebrow.

“You’re early.” He glances at his watch. “Like, really early. Keith, it’s 8 am.”

Keith leans against the door frame in his jacket, staving off the early morning chill with the heat billowing out of the open door. “Yeah, sorry.” I couldn’t wait any longer. “Should I come back later?”

Lance rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and then he opens the door wider and steps back. “What’s in the bag?”

Keith shrugs the shoulder holding the sling of the bag and then crosses the threshold. “Just some stuff that I thought Nadia and Sylvio would like. I found most of it at a swap moon in one of the star systems the Blade was travelling through a few weeks ago.”

“You spoil them.” Lance takes the bag from him when he offers it up and then peaks inside. He lifts his gaze to frown at Keith. “What’s in the Tupperware?”

“A gift from Hunk,” Keith says, meeting his eyes as he drops his hand into his pocket again. “I stopped in to see how he’s doing on my way back and he asked me to bring it to you.”

Lance sighs, pushing up one sleeve to his elbow before shutting the door. “He’s trying to make me feel guilty for not calling, isn’t he?” He turns on his heel and makes his way into the large kitchen. Keith follows, the warmth in the house seeping into him and making the last remaining tension in his body thaw out. 

“Probably,” Keith replies. “He just worries about you.” He glances around at the empty house, noting the quiet atmosphere. There’s not even the distant sound of the television in the background, and it’s kind of strange that no one has tried to hug him yet. “Where is everyone?”

After placing the bag on the counter, Lance starts sifting through the boxes of candy and other gifts, and then slips Hunk’s container into a shelf in the pantry to snack on later. Keith hadn’t looked to see what was in it when given the box for delivery, but knowing Hunk’s attention to detail, he suspects that they are Lance’s favorite peanut butter cookies.

“They actually just left for breakfast,” Lance says absently, stacking the candy on another shelf. “I had some chores to finish up.”

“Do you need some help?”

Lance shrugs, his face turned away so that Keith can’t read the expression on his face. “You can stay inside; it’s kind of cold out and I know you--”

“Let me help, Lance.” His voice is firm, changing into a gentle demand so that Lance knows that he wants to be here, doing this, with him.