Okay, so Season 6 happened. And I have a lot of feelings. And this was written at midnight, so please don't judge me too harshly.

Perfect.

That was the only word he could think of when he set eyes on Varadero Beach for the first time in almost a year. It was perfect.

Returning home had been a whirlwind of tears and hugs, everyone clamouring for his attention. Marco had been the first to hug him, and it was the first time Lance had seen his oldest brother cry. Veronica and Luis, the twins, had come soon after, and Luis kept ruffling his hair while Roni clutched his shoulders and sobbed uncontrollably.

And then he'd seen his mamà and abuela sprinting towards him, and that was the moment he broke. He'd bawled like a baby in their arms, and they weren't in much better shape. He kind of wished the team hadn't been there to see him in all his snot-nosed glory.

They'd had a glorious feast, of course. Martina McClain was nothing if not the chef of the century. And of course, they'd had Hunk, who Martina seemed to instantly love. She seemed to instantly love all of them, really.

Krolia hadn't had Earth food in nearly 20 years, and she'd dug in mercilessly. The three Alteans has been hesitant at first, particularly Romelle, who didn't know them all quite as well yet. But they'd all eventually tried it, and they'd all been instantly enamoured. The McClains had at first been a little taken aback at the aliens' presence, but they'd made every effort to make them feel at home. They'd sat around the table talking and laughing, recounting fantastical tales from their adventures in space. The story of their game of Monsters and Mana seemed to be a particular favourite of the McClains.

But as the sun sank low on the horizon and the festivities began to wind down, Lance was able to slip away unnoticed and make his way down to the beach. And there he was now, standing barefoot in the surf, soaking up the moment, feeling the sand beneath his feet, the scent of the ocean filling his senses. The water sparkling with a thousand diamonds more beautiful than any stars he'd seen.

He closed his eyes and let himself smile.

It was perfect.

He'd stood there for who knows how long, just there in the moment, before he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, expecting to see one of his family members, or Hunk, or even Allura. But it was neither of those.

"Hey, man," Keith said, coming up to stand beside him.

"Hey," he said back, a little surprised. But Keith didn't say anything more, just nodded and gazed at the water, a far-off look in his eyes.

They stood there a few moments, not talking, just standing side by side. Then Keith cleared his throat, a little awkwardly.

"Pidge and Hunk were starting to tell the story about how we all went to the space mall," he said wryly. "I figured that was my cue to exit."

Lance couldn't help a laugh escaping. "Oh yeah. Once those two start telling the stories, it's game over. You'll never escape."

He chuckled. "I don't doubt that."

They were quiet a few moments more, before Keith spoke again.

"I noticed... I noticed that with all those stories and stuff, well..." He trailed off, cautiously. "You only told them about the good stuff. The funny stuff. Did you... are you ever going to bring up the fact that we were in a war?"

Lance sighed and shook his head. "I dunno. It's not like it was intentional, but... I dunno, I just didn't want to make them all worry about me. I mean, I was gone for months, they were worried sick already. The last thing I'd want is for them to think that my neck was constantly on the line, y'know?"

"But your neck was constantly on the line."

"Well, I know that. And you know that. Everyone on the team knows that, it's just... I just got them back, and they're happy. They're all so happy. I don't wanna wreck that."

Keith nodded. "Yeah. I get that."

They fell quiet again. But this time, it was a more comfortable quiet, an understanding quiet. It was nice. Really nice, actually.

It was then that it registered that this was the first time that he and Keith had been alone since... wow. Since months ago. So much had changed since then, for both of them. For everyone.

Which actually reminded him of something.

"I never got to ask you," he said. "What was it like, going through that weird time-space thing? I mean, two years have passed for you. Like, two freaking years. Isn't that weird?"

Keith shrugged.

"A little bit," he said. "I don't really feel that much older. I mean, obviously I look a little older, but it's not that much. What's weird is really how I remember it. The two years... it's really all a blur. But at the same time, it felt like it was a really long time in the moment. It was... I don't really know how to explain it."

"Huh."

A few more moments of quiet before Lance spoke again.

"Look, man," he said, suddenly not quite knowing what he was saying, "I know I don't really show it, but I did kinda miss you. I mean—we all did. I know you were gone for a heckuva lot longer than we were, technically speaking, but it felt like a long time, and I... don't really know where I'm going with this."

Keith raised an eyebrow, and Lance plowed on, "So, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm glad you're back, mullet."

For a moment he thought Keith would laugh at him. But he didn't. He just smiled softly and said, "Thanks, Lance. I'm glad to be back."

Lance couldn't help returning the smile, and then something strange happened. Something fluttered in his chest, swooped in his stomach. It was weird. And strangely familiar, although he couldn't quite place it in his memory.

The words came out before he'd really thought them through. "Would this qualify as a bonding moment?"

A beat of silence. Then Keith let out a snort. Which turned into a snicker, and gradually intensified as he doubled over laughing, and Lance couldn't help joining in because dang if Keith's laugh wasn't contagious as heck.

They somehow ended up in the surf and having a competition to see which of them could jump over the highest waves. Lance had been the reigning champion in his sixth-grade days, but Keith was definitely steep competition.

And at some point, they both stopped keeping count and just stood still, watching the sun sink into the ocean, and Lance couldn't help but whisper the word, so quiet that Keith couldn't hear it (or so he thought).

Perfect.