Part 1 of many Christmas one shots 

This one is for a very good friend, Reina_de_Naipes thank you for always putting up with my shit. I didn't know if I'd ever be here since I'm so isolated, but thank you for pretty much just reaching out. I'll be forever grateful, and I really can't give back besides words. 

Your Latte one shot is ready, and half edited. It's long, like 5.2 k words. I'm sorry if it's not good. I tried.

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When Lance was a young by, he always wanted a dog, a fluffy companion. His parents never understood why, he had a big family and was almost never alone. Also, they just thought having a dog would just add a bunch of unneeded responsibility for him. But, he kept insisting, quite stubbornly in fact, he would always bring it up subtly dinner, or even just mention it in passing. Many of the people he knew owned a pet, whether it was a dog, cat, lizard, and he would watch as their eyes lit up in love or affection every time. Even his best friends had a pet, and they would bring up details of how cute they were, or what they did the evening before. Lance listened with interest, also with slight jealousy. He wanted to be a part of the fun. He wanted to brag about having a pet and how awesome they would be, he thought it would be fun to own a dog. He picked a dog because of the many stories he would hear, and all of the dog videos he watched on a daily basis. Even his abuelita told him stories about her old dog, a big Australian Shepard she found out was brought to Cuba but then abandoned. His eyes showed stars every time she told tales of how her dog would roam the streets but come back home, how he would guard the house, how big he was. It just made him want a dog even more, and she wasn't against the idea as much as his mother was. His dream always got shot down however, because his mother or father would lecture him on how much responsibility owning a dog would be. He sometimes tuned them out and daydreamed about playing with one. He just pouted when his latest attempt failed and retreat to his room in defeat.

Finally, on the special day of Christmas, he got his wish. He held his breath, as he waited for his father, eyes closed. Every single-family member watched and snickered with how still the boy was. He yelped feeling a weight upon his lap, and he opened his eyes. He found himself staring into black beady eyes. His lips formed the widest smile, as he held his new pet in his hands. A small corgi pup, looked to be smiling back at him as wide as he was. Lance brought his face for a closer look, just to make sure everything was real. And he felt the puppy lick his nose, and he laughed at the ticklish feeling. He wanted to cry, the pup looked too cute with his little black nose and beady eyes. He was golden brown, and to Lance the colors looked cool. He placed the puppy on the ground, and watched with amusement at how the puppy walked on its small legs and explored the tightly cramped room. The biggest joy washed upon him as he felt it, this was real. He looked towards his mother, so very grateful he was. She pets his head with a happy smile.

"After discussing this with your Papa, we have decided to let you have a dog. BUT, now you must look after him, think of him as a new family. He must be fed, walked, and most of all you must give him a lot of time. Can you do that?" She asked, giving him that strict tone she always does when he gets lectured. He nodded vigorously, really, he felt too excited to understand just how serious she was, but he understood. He went up to hug her, and then his dad very tightly, he couldn't have been happier.

"Does he have a name?" Lance asked.

"We negotiated with the adoption center, that we would come up with a name at home to put on the papers. Since he is your dog, you get to name him." Lance's father explained. Lance went into concentration mode, eyebrows furrowed, and lips pressed together into a tight line. What should he name him? He wanted the name to be unique, but cool at the same time. He only met the corgi for five minutes, but Lance knew HIS pet deserved an awesome name. He took a few minutes to go over names in his head, and mumbled to himself. His expression brightened, and his fingers snapped as he thought of, what he felt was, the best name ever.

"I got it! Arlo! That's his name." He exclaimed. He held out his hand towards the newly named Arlo, and he came up cautiously. "What do you think? Is Arlo cool or not?" Lance asked the pup as he was occupied with sniffing his hand. He licked Lance's fingers again, and Lance took that as positive sign. He grinned towards his family members that all watched in amusement, his siblings snickering between themselves. "I think that's a yes." He announced. He went on out of the room in a hurry to go on and play with Arlo. Arlo followed him, Lance watched and laughed loudly at how his feet moved little by little in order to catch up. He went up to the window, and saw how much snow covered the ground. A large blanket of white laid about in the yard, shining in the morning sun that peeked out through the clouds. Lance grinned. The perfect playing weather was waiting for him and his new friend. Speaking of friends, he could not wait to show his school friends of his new pet, he was going to show Arlo off so much. He even felt pride in Arlo's awesome name, which he thought of himself. He called his mother, asking if he could play in the fresh snow with his new pup, jumping up and down in excitement once she approved. Arlo barked and ran after him as he started running, he quickly became amused at how his pet acted and felt as excited as he was. "Come on Arlo!" He shouted as soon as he pulled on his jacket, the puppy obeyed barking and running into the cool air, as well as jumping into the powered snow. His parents watched over him, just to make sure he did not do anything reckless, but he looked happy, really happy. Maybe getting him, a pet was a good idea.

From then on, the years went by and Lance and Arlo grew closer together the older they got. Lance boasted so much about his new pet, his grin and eyes always shone so brightly when the conversations would always go to Arlo. Lance would talk about everything, with so much pride and happiness. He talked of how much Arlo grew, how fast he could run, pretty much everything. Whenever he came home, Arlo greeted him at the door with loud barks and big jumps, it made Lance's mood perk up, even when he had a bad day at school. Surprisingly, Lance proved to be the best pet owner, keeping a schedule of when to walk, and feed Arlo. He spent time with his dog, even with the piles of homework he had sitting on his desk, well he did purposely play with Arlo to avoid doing his math. Until he got scolded that is. He greeted every one of his neighbors, when he walked Arlo on the streets, grinning smugly every time Arlo got complimented. He also worried about Arlo as much as he did for his family members. He nearly cried when Arlo got sick one time. It was a simple stomach bug, however, he got into the worst mood and let his insecurity get the best of himself, calling himself the worst pet owner ever. When he graduated elementary school and entered middle school, he got less time to spend time with his precious friend. He started playing sports, with the encouragement of his father, and he actually found it fun. Arlo would still greet him with glee every time he walked through the door, but Lance would come home much later than expected. Lance started feeling bad the more time went on, and how separated he and Arlo was at that point. So, he decided to surprise his little buddy one weekend, by taking him to the dog park located downtown. He watched Arlo jump and run with so much energy as he saw the green grass, as well as the large open space. Arlo would tug harshly on his harness, making Lance stumble every so often. Lance felt his heart swell as he saw how happy Arlo looked, even though Arlo couldn't really say words. The large smile appearing on his outstretched mouth, followed by his loud pants gave away the excitement. The excitement was contagious. Lance grinned widely, kneeling down to pet Arlo on his head.

"I see you're excited. How about we go run and play for a while?" He asked. Arlo must've understood because he started tugging on the leash even more barking so loud. Lance started running, while Arlo kept up with his small legs, they ran alongside each other. The sun beating down on them contrasting with the wind that blew through their forms. It felt nice. Lance stopped to catch his breath, feeling his lungs burn with a lack of oxygen. Arlo still contained a huge amount of energy, as he continuously pulled Lance forward with a surprisingly large amount of strength. For a small, stubby dog Arlo was really strong. Lance continued as he felt his heart relax a little, but he decided to walk instead. The park really looked nice, as he observed the scene. Owners and dogs, of all breeds, littered the fields, some just relaxing while others ran around playing with frisbees, balls, or other toys. He really should've came here more often; a good amount of stress would be gone if he did. Just spending time with Arlo in the calm atmosphere made him feel peace. He took the lead this time, bringing Arlo to a free spot in the field, and sitting down on the soft grass. He gestured Arlo to his lap, who did so very sluggishly, and they relaxed under the shade of a large tree. It gave Lance more time to watch the other dogs, as well as bond with Arlo. Arlo didn't object either, he squirmed in Lance's lap into a more comfortable position, enjoying Lance's pets on his back and behind his ears in bliss. They spent a while like that, not knowing or really caring about how much time passed. In fact, Lance could feel himself drift away from how drowsy he felt. His eyes closed and he gave himself up to sleep, only for a good 10 minutes. Until he felt a weight push off him, that made him jolt awake, one second he felt Arlo on his lap and the next he sees Arlo running off.

"Arlo?!" He yelled, vigorously rubbing away the black spots in his vision. He stumbled, as he stood up in a panic. Why was he running off? What happened?! He wondered as he took off after Arlo. His dog ran very fast, as fast as his short legs could carry him. It shocked Lance, he knew Arlo was fast, yet he didn't know he was THAT fast. Good thing he ran a lot of laps in soccer practice. He ran into a nearby bush, and tripped on the debris that caught on his foot. He fell hard onto the ground, thankfully there was a lot of grass to act as a cushion, but he felt the impact hard on his shoulder and arm. He laid on the ground, covering his arm to try and relieve the pain, however he still had to run after Arlo. He picked himself up quickly, and felt anxious when he didn't see Arlo anywhere. He panicked once more, what if he ran away? Lance could not handle the grief and fear that he felt at the moment, and he did not want to think about the fact that Arlo would run away. They were so peaceful just moments ago. In his alarmed state, he caught the sound of barks, not really weird considering he was in a dog park. But, they sounded pretty close, really close. He headed in the sound's direction, and he saw Arlo, much to his relief. He let out a big, shaky breath much of his fear being released and instead he started to relax. Until he saw something, or rather someone, else that made his breath hitch in his throat. It was a boy, at least he thought they were, since he could only see their backside. From what he observed, the boy had neck length light brown hair, that looked lighter in the sunlight. He had a grey sweater, with a large green striped along the middle, blue jeans, and white shoes. He looked to be crouching, right in front of Arlo. Lance felt alarmed once more, because his dog sat in front of a stranger. What if the boy wanted to kidnap his dog or something worse? With that thought Lance ran fast from behind the tree, "Arlo!" He called with a loud yell. The boy turned in surprise at Lance's loud scream, Arlo on the other hand barked and ran over to Lance, jumping up on his thigh. He bent down hugging Arlo close, almost breaking down in tears seeing Arlo was safe and sound. He nearly spiraled into a heart attack for a moment.

"Oh, so he's your dog? He's very cute." The boy stated showing a grin, Lance's head snapped up in response to his voice. Oh, right he forgot about the boy. This time Lance saw the boy's face clearly, and he nearly fell over. The boy was pale, and had the lightest brown eyes that complimented his face. They also shined so brightly along with his hair as he stood in the sunlight. He wore wire rimmed glasses, that Lance found to suit him. Most of all he noticed the grin that spread across his face, it was so bright. Lance swore he could feel his heart...skip a beat. He shook his head, thinking himself to be a little insane, but at the same time the boy looked, really handsome to him. He continued staring with his mouth agape, while the other boy grew concerned at how long Lance silently stared at him. Also, he grew a little nervous.

"Uhh you ok?" He inquired a little loudly to get Lance's attention. It worked successfully as he blinked and shook his head violently. A small blush creeped on his brown cheeks, how long had he been staring.

Embarrassed, Lance glanced away, "O-Oh, yeah. Was it you who found Arlo?" Arlo barked hearing his name which made the boy smile. "Yeah. He just ran up and started barking at my dog, they didn't seem to start fighting though which is good. I guess he saw me and Astro playing with a ball and he wanted to join." The handsome boy admitted, his hand ruffled the back of his hair. Meanwhile, Lance's eyes narrowed, so that was why Arlo suddenly took off. He really shouldn't have fallen asleep, and his lips formed a frown as he mentally scolded himself. The boy knelt down to look Lance in the eyes, and Lance's heart nearly let out of his chest, mostly because he did not expect the boy to come closer. But, also he looked more good looking up close-

Lance shook his head like how Arlo shook to get water off his fur. The boy had his full attention to Arlo, however, so Lance did not need to worry about embarrassing himself further. The boy gazed at Arlo with the fondest look in his eyes, while Lance hugged Arlo closer to him. "He really is a cute dog; Corgis small bodies have that special effect. So, his name's Arlo huh? Cool name." The boy commented while Lance perked up. He felt a sense of pride once again wash over him, and he grinned.

"You think it's cool?" The boy nodded at his question, and he grew smugger.

"I thought of it myself." He boasted, puffing out his chest showing off the biggest grin. Arlo barked as if agreeing with him. The boy's eyebrows raised, "Really?" he asked, his tone glazed in awe. He mirrored Lance's grin, "You have good knack for names."

Lance's posture faltered at the compliment and he could feel his breath hitch in his throat again. The compliment made him feel good. He always felt good when his friends complimented him, but this felt...different. He could feel his heart race and his mind filled with a large wave of glee. Was something wrong with him? He didn't know, but nonetheless he liked being complimented by the mysterious boy. He wanted to facepalm at himself for not asking his name sooner.

"T-Thanks," He cleared his throat, finding his voice cracking, "By the way my name's Lance!" He declared.

"Lance, unique name. You and Arlo are a perfect match." The boy formed a cheeky grin at his own comment, "My name's Matt." Matt, so that was his name. Lance found his name very suiting, and he could find himself repeating it in his mind like a record.

"And..." He paused, as he put his finger in a formation in his mouth and then he blew providing a loud, high pitched whistle. A large dog came running over, his steps very fast. And he stopped right by Matt, they went to lick his cheeks, nose, pretty much everywhere. Lance heard the vague, but loud laugh Matt let out, and he became mesmerized. Has a laugh always sounded so, beautiful?

"This here is Astro. His name is very similar to Arlo now that I think about it. But, I was thinking of the show Astro boy and it just seemed to fit him. He's a Bernese Mountain Dog." Matt gestured Astro to Lance, and Astro creeped forward onto Lance curiously. In response, Lance stiffened a little intimidated by how large he was, Matt smiled towards him. "It's ok, he's big, but he's friendly." He said gently, it made Lance a little calmer. He reached, and pat Astro on the head, which he seemed to enjoy because he sat down and continued letting Lance pet him. Lance smiled, now incredibly relaxed, he felt glad Matt's dog accepted him so easily. Plus, he looked adorable, his longue pink tongue hanging and his mouth formed a smile. His fur also, felt different from Arlo's because it was more long, it felt softer. A sudden growl caught in his ears, and he stopped. He blinked in confusion. Until he heard Matt chuckle and point at Arlo, "It looks like someone is jealous." He pointed Lance's attention to Arlo who started barking and growling at Astro, who didn't take much mind to it, he just seemed to lazily enjoy Lance's pets without a care in the world.

"Arlo?! Come on, calm down!" Lance ordered as Arlo barked up a storm. Matt rubbed Astro's back as he watched Lance tugged at Arlo's harness, struggling against the small dog. He bit his lip, trying not to laugh at Lance's struggle, but also feeling bad at the same time.

"Maybe Astro and I should head out?" Matt offered to leave first, just so Lance could get his dog to calm down. He got Astro to stand, whose tail starts wagging back and forth rapidly, and picked up his leash. Lance looked up, his eyes wide, and before Matt could start walking he blurted out, "W-Wait!" With the loudest voice, that it made Matt stop with a slightly surprised expression. Even Lance was shocked with himself at how loud his voice was. He just, he had an urge, he wanted to talk with Matt more, about a lot of things and also hang out with him. He bit his lip, blushing slightly from embarrassment as well as Matt's gaze.

"U-Uh," He stuttered, quickly trying to think of what to say. He felt so awkward, he never felt this before as he usually stood tall and confident "You seem fun to talk to, so uh, did you want to exchange contact information?" He asked, he almost flinched, but he tried to show courage. Matt blinked, but then grinned again. "Sure!" He exclaimed, he sounded happy, and Lance felt some tension release. And he even felt happy himself, his chest feeling really light.

"Most of my friends find me a little too nerdy, so I hope I don't overwhelm you with my nerdiness." He admitted, he chuckled nervously as they wrote their numbers and emails on pieces of paper.

"That's ok, your messages will make me glad anyways."

"Well, then that makes me glad." Matt smiled brightly, he felt content by Lance's words. He bid Lance goodbye, and walked away until he was out of Lance's sight. Lance beamed once Matt had gone, and he looked in elation at the paper containing Matt's contact information. He squeezed it in his fingers, reading it over again and again, he made a new friend, but this time with a really cute boy. Wait...

Lance blinked, blushing intensely going over what happened in his head. His heart racing faster than earlier. In all his years of living, even flirting with pretty much every cute kid in his school, most of them girls, had he never felt this way. His hand went up to feel his heartbeat, strong enough that he could feel it wanting to escape his chest.

"Arlo, I think I already fell in love with a boy. Love at first sight..." He mumbled, Arlo yipping that almost seemed like he was laughing. Lance went home with Arlo, his emotions all over the place. But, he couldn't have been happier.

Lance messaged Matt as soon as he could, he sent so many he became worried about spamming him. It took a while, but when he heard the ping of his phone, he rushed onto the bed. He came in so violently that it scared Arlo off of his bed, but he was too excited about Matt to notice. Lance grinned upon seeing the messages, and the sophisticated way Matt texted just seemed so adorably dorky to him. The two spent hours, days, and weeks messaging each other, and through that Lance found out a lot about him. It turned out he was about 2 years older, and already a sophomore in high school, which surprised him because he to Lance he looked younger. Matt already had what he wanted to study in college planned out, he excelled in both sciences as well as math, so he planned to either be a physics major or an astronomy major. Or both, he was always so indecisive in his messages. He also had a younger sister, five years younger than him named Katie. He talked about her so fondly that Lance couldn't help but smile every time they talked about their families. He seemed to be a very good, if not the best, big brother in Lance's opinion. Also, Lance got to find out just how big of a nerd Matt was. He figured Matt was already a nerd with the large passion he had about science, but Lance learned that he was a huge, HUGE, anime fan. He, honestly did not know how to feel about that. But he was impressed with how much Matt knew, and also Matt just gushing over this one anime he loved or a new episode he saw just brought Lance so much glee. He really did not mind what the subject was, he just loved watching Matt talk or just loved his passion. Sometimes he would spend so long texting or talking with Matt, that he would get yelled at by his mother or Arlo would walk all over him as he lied in his bed staring at his phone. To be honest, the more time he spent talking with Matt, the more smitten he became. He never though he would be this attached to a boy, but here he was. Did he regret it? Hell no, he hasn't been this happy since he got Arlo. Speaking of Arlo, Lance did feel bad once in a while that he neglected him to talk with Matt. It was the same thing back then when he was in soccer. And Lance had to admit, if it wasn't for Arlo, he wouldn't have met Matt. So, Lance spared his time between Matt and Arlo, and honestly Lance felt so happy he had both of them in his life. This went on over the years, they all grew older, while Matt and Lance grew closer. They started hanging out more often in person, and Lance would get flustered every time, seeing Matt's amused grin or shining eyes. He remembered one night, he went over to Matt's house for the first time since Matt invited him over. He got to meet his family for the first time, and he couldn't have felt more nervous, this beat every time he got nervous to give a presentation. To his great relief, Matt's parents were so polite towards him, and even invited to stay for dinner. He would listen to the conversations Matt would have with his father, mostly about science related things or his job, and Lance would get so lost in his voice. The tone in his voice, whether excited, happy, proud, he could listen to it for hours. He had his fair share of embarrassing moments because he stared at Matt a little too often. Lance also met his little sister, and if Lance were honest, even if they did get along, he seemed to bicker with her a lot. She had a smart mouth, and would always find opportunities to use it on Lance. Matt found it amusing, sometimes, other times he would ask her to stop and then lecture her. Lance felt his heart race when Matt defended him on occasions. But, the best part was when he got to see Matt's room, he had science stuff everywhere, you would have think he stole a museum exhibit. But, to Lance the space decorations were amazing, being a fan of space himself. His compliments flattered Matt, in fact he swore he saw Matt blush? Too bad it was faint, and quick. He joined Matt in watching anime, although it wasn't quite his cup of tea, Matt was so happy he couldn't turn him down. It was strange to say the least, but he had to admit it was pretty interesting. Lance had kept his gaze on Matt most of the time though, watching how focused he was on a particular scene, or how bright his eyes would get during a fight scene. He even shook Lance's arm at things that really excited him, the contact made his skin feel fire. Lance was so grateful Matt focused on the show, otherwise he would've died of embarrassment by how big his blush was.

Life continued like that, and for Lance it was enough.

At that point he felt too nervous to admit his feelings to Matt, for how would he admit it? He may have been the confident Lance to all of his friends, but when it came to his crush he felt trapped, and small. His insecurity got the best of him, it always did, he thought he wouldn't be worthy of being Matt's boyfriend, and it pained him sometimes. So, Lance just kept it to himself, never acknowledging his full-blown crush to Matt until it was too late. As soon as Lance got to high school, Matt was already a senior, signing up for colleges and taking national exams. Soon enough he would leave for college, and Lance would just be left with texts. He felt elated to be in the same school as Matt, and see him frequently in the halls or in lunch, but the thought gnawed at the back of his head. Even more so, when Matt called him one night, he received an acceptance to one of his early decision schools. He sounded so jovial, and he even caught a hint of a crack in his voice, he probably cried in joy. He did tell Lance it was the school he really wanted to get into. While Lance felt very happy and proud for him, at the same time he felt a sense of distress. His heart hurt, because the reality set in, that Matt would leave and live far away from him in a year from now, and he wouldn't see him as often. And now every time he saw Matt at school, he saw his crush, his happiness, but also his sorrow.

One day he just sulked in his room, as he was doing his homework, but it wasn't like he was focusing. After a few more minutes, he huffed in frustration, and stalked to his bed. He faceplanted onto his mattress and groaned loudly, there was so much on his mind. He just wished everything could just freeze or disappear for a moment so he could get his thoughts together. He sighed, thinking about everything and trying to think of solutions. Maybe he should just tell Matt, it seemed easier said than done, but he did not have much longer to wait. Yet at the same time, Matt avoiding him because of his crush tore him up inside. Arlo scurried into his room, as he was in his little internal dilemma, in his mouth he held his leash. He jumped onto Lance's bed, and waddled over to sit on Lance's back. Lance grunted with the sudden weight on him, lifting his head and twisting to see Arlo with his doggy smile and black beady eyes staring at him expectantly. He squirmed, making Arlo jump off him and onto the bed, and he sat up to stare back at Arlo.

"Right I was supposed to walk you," He pat Arlo's head, "I don't know if I feel up to it buddy." He admitted, and he did feel a sense of guilt. Overall today was just being bad to him. Arlo bumped his head against Lance's hand, and even licked it, almost as if to say "I know you are struggling, but things will be ok," Lance chuckled at the ticklish feeling. But, he also felt a release of stress with Arlo with him, he was always grateful Arlo stood by his side.

"What do you think buddy? I really like Matt, but I'm not sure how he feels, and I think I'm too scared to find out. I'm not even sure he likes guys. But, I don't think I can continue sitting with these feelings haunting me. So, should I just suck it up and tell him I like him?" He asked while Arlo stared with unblinking eyes. Then he started barking, that made Lance pause, but then grin.

"You're telling me to suck it up? When did you start sounding like Keith?" He asked ruffling his dog's fur and cooing at him. But, he did feel relaxed. He was overthinking it, and maybe he should just tell him. He knew the perfect place to tell him too.

"Alright Arlo, let's go to the dog park!" He announced jumping off his bed, taking Arlo's leash with him. Arlo followed in glee, that he could finally go outside.

Lance arrived at the park, the sun beating down on his already hot face. The leaves already started turning different colors, with the arrival of the autumn season. The wind blew, and Lance felt the air enter his blocked lungs, as he took in the deepest breath. He looked at the message Matt sent him, he was already at the dog park with Astro, and all Lance had to do was find him. He knelt down, "Alright Arlo, this is the time. I'm gonna tell Matt. You'll be cheering me on, right?" Arlo licked his cheek in response to his question. He walked purposely slow, so he could go over to himself, what he should say, how he should say it, what he should do when Matt reacts. The more he went over this, the more nervous he got, he felt ready to bolt.

But, a sudden call stopped him, "Lance!" He looked over to see Matt run over with Astro running alongside him. Lance swallowed a lump in his throat, now he could not run away, no matter how much his instincts wanted him to. He wasn't going to let his insecurities take over him this time, besides he had Arlo with him, so he wasn't alone in this. He formed a grin, waving at a happy looking Matt.

"Hey," Matt breathed catching his breath, "Fancy seeing you here, again. Bet you weren't expecting me. Surprised?" He spoke with such cheekiness that Lance grinned a little wider.

"Well, you're a surprise I'd always want to expect." Lance spoke without warning, and immediately wanted to scream. Curse his drive to flirt. Matt tilted his head, "Huh?"

"I-I mean...!" Lance waved his arms around trying to explain himself, but he failed and Matt just seemed more confused. Lance felt fear rise in his chest, as he covered his face with his hand and looked away. He took one deep breath and went for it, "Matt, I like you. I thought it was only a love at first sight thing, but then we talked more and spent more time together and I felt myself falling for you more over these past two years. I know you're leaving soon, and you might reject me, but I just wanted to tell you this." He explained, letting out his feelings through each word he spoke. He glanced back to find Matt, frozen, with wide eyes. He didn't know how to interpret this, and his mind suddenly went to rejection, and he felt hurt. Then right after, Matt looked down and blushed. The great Matt Holt was blushing so intensely, and it was all because of him. But, was still was it good or bad? It took a few minutes for Matt to compose himself before he spoke, with shaky breath.

"You know Lance, with all the time we had together, I had time to think about it. You make me feel different, and before you ask yes, I liked boys before. But, I don't know what it is but you made my heart beat so fast, and I felt so happy being with you. I think I kept it to myself because I was kinda afraid of rejection." He said nervously, rubbing the nape of his neck. That last statement by Matt was horribly ironic, but Lance didn't care. He felt giddy enough to grow wings and fly. Matt liked him, Matt LIKED him. He weaved his fingers through his hair, chuckling to himself. Arlo barked, as if sensing his happiness, and Lance cheered in glee.

"So, does that mean..." He trailed off looking at Matt.

"Yeah, and don't worry, we'll figure it out." Matt declared, smiling widely at him. It made Lance feel more hopeful about the future, so much that he tackled Matt into a hug. He could feel Matt's heartbeat with the proximity, it beat so fast. Lance could feel a sense of pride and smugness, he made Matt's heart beat that quickly. Matt laughed, a large blush on his cheeks, as he hugged Lance back. They separated, feeling a little awkward with the silence. Which, broke when Arlo barked, seemingly happy his owner looked and acted so happy as well. Lance crouched down, "I did it buddy! I got a boyfriend!" Lance announced enthusiastically.

"Was Arlo your wingman or something?"

"You bet! The best wingman!"

"You dork."

"I'm your dork now."

The two bantered on in their own amusement, and decided to continue spending time together, with their dogs of course. Consider this their first date. Lance couldn't have been more grateful he met Arlo, because now he had two loved ones walking at his side. 

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I had a lot more written for this actually, but if I had written everything it legit would be 15k words. 

Also the ending I had was more sad because it had Arlo die of old age and Lance becomes a little more depressed, but that was too sad for a christmas one shot so he's alive and happy.

Here's Arlo

And here's Astro

I don't know maybe I'll write a sequel. Depends on my motivation and time.