the title is from "Can't Keep My Hands to Myself" by Selena Gomez.

this was originally for my 30 day challenge but tbh i love it and i wanted it to be its own one-shot, too.

Lance and Keith dropped their entwined hands before they stepped through the doors for dinner. As usual, they wiped their faces, blushes disappearing and smiles fading. Eventually, they wouldn't have to do this. But until they revealed their relationship to the team, they had to keep their cover.

They sat down next to each other, though, because they always did that, even before they started dating.

Lance did reach for Keith's hand under the table. He nudged Keith's leg with his pinky to get his attention. And while he remained inconspicuous, Keith switched his fork into his left hand, lowering his right.

He gently wrapped his hand around Lance's pinky and squeezed. Then, he took Lance's whole hand in his own, lacing their fingers together.

One of Lance's eyes peeked over at Keith before looking down at his bowl.

He ate his meal fairly fast, faster than everyone else.

Keith took his slow.

"And that's how I figured out how to reboot the system from the inside…" Pidge was saying.

She was the only one talking, but Lance stopped paying attention and Keith had already stopped listening.

WIth a huff that he kept mostly to himself, Lance slumped against his free hand, elbow propped on the table underneath.

But, despite failing to hide his obvious boredom, Lance didn't move.

That was the thing about dinners in the castle. Nobody got up until everyone else was done.

So Lance stayed put, pretending to understand whatever the heck Pidge was talking about.

After a while, Hunk joined in, and the change in voice startled Lance. He blinked, eyes having glazed over a bit, then looked to Keith, who was only halfway through his dinner. Lance looked around. Not everyone was as slow as Keith, but Lance was still the only one done.

His eyes shifted to Keith again. Keith raised an eyebrow before Lance looked down.

Under the table, Lance released Keith's hand. A momentary frown washed up on the shore of Keith's face. Only Lance noticed.

But Keith's expression was immediately pulled back by the wave of surprise Lance prompted. With his fingers still on Keith's thigh, Lance started the climb. His fingertips went up and up and up Keith's dark jeans.

Keith tensed and Lance repressed a grin.

Lance pushed it further. For several ticks, he fiddled with the hem of Keith's t-shirt. Then he went under it.

Keith visibly froze, his full fork already halfway to his mouth. It hung in midair near his parted lips. His cheeks turned the color of his jacket.

Lance proudly wore a consuming smile, like he'd bust out laughing any second.

But that wasn't unusual.

"Keith," Allura asked, "is everything alright?"

Everybody else's attention shifted to him, too.

Keith awkwardly cleared his throat. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Lance teased, leaning his head a little closer. "You look a little flushed, man."

Keith, under the table, circled his hand around Lance's wrist and retracted it from his skin.

"I'm fine, Lance."

The team went back to listening to Coran's story.

Lance snickered into his hand. Keith turned to glare at him and he replied with an innocent smile.

Keith rolled his eyes.

But when Lance looked away, Keith decided to play the game, too.

Unlike Lance, though, he didn't stall.

His hand went straight for the zipper on Lance's pants.

Lance, having not expected Keith to retaliate, jumped in his seat, head whipping back to Keith. His skin turned the same color Keith's had a dobash ago.

Lance gave a muffled yelp.

Pidge shot him a look. "Lance? What's your problem?"

"I-nothing! No problems here, Pidge!"

Pidge scrunched her forehead. Coran, seemingly oblivious, started talking again.

Keith chuckled into his bowl.

Lance huffed through his nostrils. With a quick scan around the room, he checked that no one was still staring at him.

After making sure, he leaned in towards Keith. He moved in close enough for only Keith to hear him, lips nearly pressed to Keith's ear. But it was still far enough that no one would be suspicious if they happened to see.

Lance's breath touched Keith's skin, shooting a line of goosebumps across Keith's body.

"Oh," Lance whispered, voice a little raspy, making Keith shiver, "you are so going down, mullet."

When he leaned back into his chair, he winked.

Keith took a nervous bite of food goo.

Lance didn't waste time. Keith would be ready no matter when he made a move, so he went ahead with his strike almost instantly.

His fingertips found Keith's thigh again. This time, they were on the inside.

Lance started at his knee, tracing shapes and lines with his fingers just the way he knew Keith liked. Slowly, he went up higher, traveling up the inside of Keith's leg like a shy hiker. Higher and higher.

And higher.

Keith bit into his gum.

Lance grinned.

He went up, just reaching the bottom on Keith's jeans. But he was interrupted by a, "Lance?"

Lance retracted his hand. "What?" he shouted louder and more harshly than he'd meant to.

Hunk flashed his palms in defense. "Whoa, man. I was just asking if you could pass the food goo."

Lance's eyes widened. "Oh." He reached for the bowl and handed it to Pidge, who handed it to Hunk.

Keith was still biting his lip. But now he was doing it in order to not laugh out loud.

Lance glared daggers at him.

Keith took his turn.

He slipped his hand under Lance's shirt, fingers on his back. Hidden behind Lance's body and under the table, nobody could see him

He moved his fingers the way Lance liked, rubbing little circles along his spine. Slowly. But he started to move faster.

Lance choked and started to cough. Obnoxiously.

Hunk looked around. "Did I miss something?"

"What's going on with you two?" Shiro asked.

"Nothing," they replied in unison.