Ngl, I wrote this ironically as a test to see if I could write something good about something I know basically nothing about (vampires) and this happened. I think it stopped being ironic half way through because I actually kind of like it oops.

TW: Murder but like.. no actual murder. That's all really.

I present to you, Vampire!Keith falling in love with human Lance. Enjoy.

In a world where humans were the majority, there were ones who had to hide in the shadows. They blended in and, to a normal eye, they were just like everyone else. They went to college if they felt like they needed to, worked nine to five jobs and had families just like humans did. In a crowd, it was impossible to point them out.

They were vampires but not the conventional kind. Most thought they weren't able to go outside during the day but most, other than a small few, were able to cope with the light but were simply more sensitive than the average human. Too many hours and their skin burnt but they didn't go up in flames like the old folk tales suggested. One thing that the movies actually got right was their incessant hatred for garlic. They hated the smell of it and the look of it and don't get a vampire started on the taste of it because they could complain for days. It was like any human with an allergy so they were easy to cover up.

Still, it wasn't easy to know you weren't the same as everyone else. It was hard to function as a human being with the knowledge that you would never be able to get close enough to someone as you had a deep, dark secret you weren't able to share. Vampires were secrets and they could never be found out about. Never. They had gone hundreds of years without being found out and they planned on getting through a few more.

Keith didn't mind being a vampire as much as some did. He hated everyone (humans and vampires alike), never really went outside except for when he worked his evening shifts in a coffee shop and he lived off basic foods that didn't even know what garlic was. That was right up until he met Lance.

Keith's first impression of Lance was that he was just enough eccentric, overconfident college kid. He waltzed into the coffee shop like he owned the place, two of his friends that didn't seem to at all match his boisterous nature tagging behind him. He ordered an obnoxious drink with about fifty different add-ons that Keith was never going to remember in a million years. Despite the long order, Keith was able to perfect the stupid drink and slide it over the counter, smiling a smug smile to himself as he did so. Lance made direct eye contact as he took his first sip as if he was testing Keith. Once he had swallowed, he broke out into a massive grin. Then, he thanked Keith personally and twirled around to leave with his friends, laughing much too loudly as he left.

The second time Lance came into the shop, he asked for Keith's number with a ridiculous pick up line. Keith raised an eyebrow to question his absurdity but did end up jotting his number down on a spare napkin in a marker pen. A week or so after that interaction, they went on a date together. Keith hated people but a part of him found himself enjoying Lance's company. For someone who hadn't had a friend since the day he was born, that was an unfamiliar feeling... but he liked it.

They got closer and closer and Keith dared let Lance into his life. Whilst Lance lounged on his sofa on the nights he couldn't be bothered to go home, Keith snuck out to feed. He couldn't help but crave blood so felt he needed it. Willing to go out of his way to hide his own identity from Lance, he snuck back into his house and washed up before Lance could ever wake up.

It worked for a while. Keith was able to wash the blood from his hands without the boy he was quickly coming to love ever knowing. Then, one night, Lance saw him.

Keith shut the door behind him as quietly as possible, wincing as he did so. He began to tiptoe into the bathroom where he was able to wash the red from his skin but bumped straight into the last person he wanted to see. Lance. His eyes were bleary and he was frowning as he scanned Keith's rugged appearance. "Where did you go?" He asked. His voice was demanding so Keith was fully aware that it wouldn't be easy to get himself out of the hole he had dug himself into.

"I just... just went for a walk. I couldn't sleep." He kept his hands behind his back, praying to whoever was out there that his face didn't display any remnants of his meal. 

"Is that blood?" Keith flinched. He tried to back up but Lance's hand jerked out and latched onto his jacket to stop him. "Keith, what's going on?"

"Nothing. It- It's nothing."

"Is that your blood? Are you hurt?" Lance was clearly confused- and concerned- as his eyes flickered up and down Keith's body in search of any injuries. When he didn't find any, he let out a shaky huff. "Did... Did you hurt someone?" When he asked that question, his voice was much more nervous and unsure: he realised he had no idea what Keith was capable of. Did he really know his boyfriend at all?

"It's not mine."

"Answer my question. Did you hurt someone?"

"Technically... no."

"Technically?" Lance gripped onto Keith's jacket with even more strength, refusing to let go until Keith explained what was going on.

"You have to trust me when I say this but I can't tell you. For your own safety." Lance's face fell and he backed up, shaking his head. Little did he know, Keith was being honest. If any other vampires found out that Keith told a human, both Keith and the human were dead. 

"This is typical. What is it then? You mugged someone? Threatened them? Murdered them? I- I think I need to go." Lance's voice was trembling before he made a break for the front door, shoving past Keith as if he did just see him as a criminal. They had been dating for months and Lance didn't trust him enough to know he wouldn't hurt anyone without a genuine reason.

"Please don't go." Keith would never have admitted it but he was on the verge of crying as his voice came out broken and desperate. Watching Lance race to the door as if it were his only hope broke his heart.

"Don't talk to me again. Please. I- I promise I won't go to the police."

"Lance, you've got it all wrong, I-" But he was gone.

-

The next time they saw each other was a few days later in the coffee shop. Lance was walking behind his two friends, face sullen as if he was mourning the death of a family member. One of his friends- the little one; Keith didn't know their name- strode up to the counter and demanded Lance's usual, their eyebrows furrowed and a long scowl across their face. Keith nodded automatically and began to make the overly complicated drink.

"Now, what did you do to him? We had to drag him out of the apartment because he refuses to leave," The little one thinned their eyes into a glare and leant across the counter. Keith would have backed up if it were anyone bigger but he could probably have crushed the little one with one hand. "What. Did. You. Do." The question sounded more like a demand.

"I refused to tell him my biggest secret." Keith shrugged, trying his best not to show how much he was affected by the break up himself. He was used to wearing a mask and hiding all emotion beneath it.

"What secret?"

"Why would I tell you if I didn't tell my boyfriend?"

"Because I'll fight you."

Keith leaned his head back with a half smile and a raise of his right eyebrow. "That's hilarious. You're tiny."

"I'm going to fucking kill-" The larger one of Lance's friends grabbed the little one and pulled them back before they could attempt to hit Keith in any way. His face remained neutral as he started to speak, much more softly and less threatening.

"Pidge, don't. I'm sure he had a reason not to tell Lance."

"Yeah, I did. It's.. hard for me to talk about." Keith admitted, gaze dropping to the floor. Lance's mouth fell open from where he had been lingering behind his friends but it quickly snapped shut again and he turned his head away so no one could see the tears collecting in his eyes. "If- If you give me one more chance... I'll explain myself, Lance. Please."

"Don't you dare! You are not hurting my best friend again!"

"Pidge," The larger friend glared at Pidge, warning them to back off. "It's up to Lance, not you." Everyone turned to look at Lance. He was staring a hole into the ground and picking a loose thread on the sleeve of his jacket, refusing to make eye contact with anyone around him.

"I don't know..." He murmured.

"Lance... we don't even need to," Keith's breath hitched. "We don't even need to get back together. I'll explain it to you and you can choose whether to leave or not."

"But..." What if you're a murderer? The thought lingered in Lance's mind but, deep down, he knew Keith Kogane- the guy who had once cried at Finding Nemo on one of their movie nights- could never murder anyone. Looking up into Keith's eyes, Lance found himself nodding. "Okay... but you're coming to mine."

"Anything," Keith tried his best to suppress the urge to grin but soon failed, lips breaking out into a wide smile. "I'll come over after work, okay?"

"Okay."

-

Keith had an idea. It was a stupid idea and he knew it but, if he was going to tell Lance the truth, he was going to have to go off the radar for a while.

He rushed around his apartment, shoving the few belongings he had into his rucksack. There wasn't much: he had never been a sentimental person so only really held the necessities. Once it was ready, he grabbed his jacket from where he had lazily slung it over a kitchen chair and pulled it over his shoulders. Then he was off, racing towards Lance's.

He knocked. His heart was pounding and his forehead was drenched with sweat but he couldn't back down at that point. He loved Lance more than he had ever loved anyone and, whilst the thought scared him, Keith was ecstatic beyond belief that he was able to see him again. He was fully aware of the risks and knew there was always the chance that Lance would shun him but he was prepared to face them.

When Lance pulled the door open, he forced a smile and invited Keith inside. "I think we should get straight to the point..." Lance muttered once they were sat down on the sofa in his living room. Keith nodded.

"I'm going to tell you something but you can't tell anyone. Not even Pidge or your other friend. Not your family either. No one. Me telling you is enough to put us both in a lot of danger," Lance's face paled and he looked like he might have started to regret his decision to accept Keith's last chance. "But I wouldn't risk it if I didn't think there was a way for us to get out of it."

"You're worrying me now... just tell me what's going on."

"I'm not human." Lance let out a loud laugh, though it was shaky and hardly genuine. When he didn't see Keith's expression change, he went silent and broke eye contact. "I'm a vampire."

"That makes no sense," Lance pulled himself up and shook his head, intending on walking out of his own apartment as a result of Keith's bizarre behaviour. "Vampires don't exist."

"They do but they aren't known about. We have to keep it a secret from the humans or you'll... you'll kill us." Lance's lips remained pursed. "I wish I was like you because I've fallen in love with you."

"What does that mean?" Lance's voice came out as nothing more than a timid whisper.

"What?"

"What does it mean for you to fall in love with a human?"

Shoulders slumping, Keith sighed. "Bad things. Me telling you means the authorities might have to kill both of us."

Lance's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, eyebrows scrunching up in shock. "What? I can't die! I can't let you die! Why did you tell me? You idiot!"

"No, I think it could be okay if we run away together."

"Fuck, Keith!" Lance jumped up and let his hands find their ways into his hair, beginning to tug at it. He paced up and down his small living room whilst chewing on his bottom lip with enough strength to draw blood. "You put my life at risk and assume I'm willing to just... run away with you? I have family and friends here. I'm in college! I can't give it all up like this!"

"But, Lance, I-"

"Call me crazy but I still love you. I don't want to lose you either."

"I'm sorry. I should never have let you get my number."

"No, you shouldn't have but it's too late now..."

"I can give you time. We don't have much though, the authorities will know soon."

"How do they find out?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know. They have ears everywhere. I can give you until like... 6am this morning but, after then, we have to go."

"Okay," Lance swallowed. "Okay."

-

Keith waited by his door. He stood there, waiting for the doorbell to ring. He tapped one of his feet and folded his arms as he waited but he couldn't hear anything. The clock ticked from on the wall, hand slowly moving from 5:00 to 5:30 and then to 6:00. After the hand hit 6:00, his heart dropped and he was overwhelmed with a sudden regret. Lance wasn't going to come. Who was he kidding? Why would he run away with someone and leave the others he loved behind? It was a stupid idea in the first place.

Ding dong. The sound made Keith jerk his head up again. His hand jolted out in front of him much too quickly, securing around the handle and pulling the door open. When he met eyes with Lance, he couldn't help it as he rushed forward to pull him into a hug. Upon seeing the suitcase Lance had sitting beside him, Keith knew. He knew Lance was coming with him.

"I'm coming with you." Lance murmured. Keith couldn't hide his smile as he backed up into his house to grab his backpack and put his shoes on. 

"What changed your mind?"

"There isn't anything here for me. I never really got on with my family since I came out because they're homophobic, I was failing in college so badly that I was considering dropping out anyway and Hunk and Pidge always have each other. Plus, can't I visit them sometimes?"

"Yeah, maybe..."

"Where are we going then?"

Keith shut the door of his apartment, shoving his key into the lock and turning it for the last time. "I can't tell you right now but, know, it's going to be beautiful."

"You're lucky I trust you." Lance grinned a goofy grin before letting Keith grab his hand and pull him down the drive.

-

They hopped onto the next bus that arrived at the bus stop outside of Keith's house and Lance still had no idea where they were heading. They rode it for over an hour, until it reached the end of the line and they were forced to leave. After that, they continued to wait at the bus stop for another bus to take them further out into the middle of nowhere. 

"Can you tell me where we're going yet?" Lance asked, cocking his head to the side as he sat on one of the bus stop seats. Keith was leaning against the shelter, arms folded as he shook his head. "Come on... the suspense is killing me!"

"It shouldn't be long until we get there."

"You said that an hour ago!"

"I know I did but hold on. Be patient."

Lance pouted but didn't say another word.

-

"It's beautiful!" Lance practically yelled, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet. They were standing outside a small cottage that looked like it was taken right out of someone's dreams. It was surrounded by a garden full of different coloured flowers, ranging from soft blues to powerful reds. There was a single path leading up to the door that was coating their shoes in dust but neither of them minded. The roof was thatched and old fashioned which gave the cottage even more of a homely feel. 

"Hold on," Keith grabbed Lance's arm before he rushed into the house. "There's something else I need to tell you."

In milliseconds, Lance's face dropped into a frown. "What?"

Keith leaned forward until Lance could feel his warm breath against his ear. The feeling was enough to trigger a series of shivers up Lance's spine. "There are others here. Both humans and vampires. They're like us."

"Oh?"

"Yeah but I think you'll get along with them."

-

"Vampires run away to the countryside a lot," Keith explained, perching on the edge of the bed. "When they break the laws, sometimes they are forced to... like us." Both of them diverted their gaze to their conjoined hands. "I only found out about it because... I guess you could say an old friend came here."

"I thought you were a lone wolf before we met?"

"I was but this was a long time ago. Over fifty years or something. His name was Shiro and he fell in love with a human too. They ran away together."

"Do vampires age?" As soon as the question slipped out, Lance regretted it. Keith's face paled and he retracted his hand, pulling himself into a standing position. He turned to look out the window at the endless fields that surrounded them.

"No, we don't but- but I don't care."

"You don't care? I'm going to die before you. Years and years before you, right? What would you do then?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know what I would do without you. Come on, let me take you to meet Shiro and Adam."

-

"Keith," Lance whispered into the darkness. He had been staring up at the ceiling for well over an hour, thoughts swirling around his head and refusing to leave. When Keith hummed a soft response, he continued to speak. "Could you turn me into a vampire?"

"I could." Keith's voice was laced with sleep. "But I wouldn't on a whim. I'd have to know it was truly what you wanted."

"We could live together forever if you turned me."

"I know but don't think about it right now, alright? You're too tired." Keith shifted so he could wrap an arm around Lance and pull him into a hug. Lance shut his eyes and allowed himself to get comfortable but, still, the thought didn't leave.

-

A few days passed. Then a week. Then a month. Soon enough, Lance's birthday was coming up. They had grown used to their quiet life in the countryside, enjoying doing their farming and walking into the little villages that were only about thirty minutes away on foot. Keith, Shiro and the other vampires managed to live without blood which made their lives much easier, though they did get the urge to drink sometimes. It was like an addiction for them; one they couldn't control but were able to suppress with a lot of distraction.

On the morning of Lance's birthday, Keith cooked him some pancakes. He had never been very good at cooking but they turned out fluffy; just the way Lance liked them. They sat around their kitchen table, lovingly staring into each other's eyes as they ate the breakfast. Once they were finished, Lance grabbed Keith's arms, smiled and said, "I want you to turn me."

"You what?" Keith spluttered, eyes wide in shock. They hadn't talked about it in months so, coming out of nowhere, it surprised him more than anything.

"You heard me. I want to live with you forever."

"What? Are you sure?"

"100%. I've had a lot of time to think about it."

"I-"

"Will it hurt?"

"A little probably. I mean, I'm biting you."

"Sounds hot, if I'm honest." Lance smirked as he pulled both him and Keith up. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Keith's for a brief moment, letting them both hold onto each other as the thought of Lance as a vampire lingered in both of their minds. "Do it, Keith. Turn me."

"Promise you won't regret it?"

"I promise."

With that, Keith turned his head to the side and opened his mouth. His fangs jutted out as Lance squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to watch. When he bit down on Lance's neck, Lance couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through him. It stang slightly more than he had expected but, when Keith pulled back with a smile, remnants of blood on the ends of his sharp teeth, Lance knew he didn't regret it. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good. I mean, I get to spend the rest of my life with you."