Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The camera pans over a field, showing distant blue-green hills and a forest of deciduous bordering the fence. Calming music provides a background ambiance - familiar to anyone who has played a Legend of Zelda game before, but otherwise sounding like harp, piano, and synthesizers.

It’s peaceful, the initial few seconds of video, and then the camera spins and zooms in on an area by a small shed where several feathered animals can be seen.

The camera shakes as it narrows in on a rooster - standing tall and clucking ominously.

Keith’s voice is loud and clear as the video feed begins to shake.

“I’m gonna fight those chickens.”

“No!” Lance can be heard yelling, but it’s too late. Whoever is filming begins running forward, and the rooster turns to stare fully at the camera as the feed gets closer and closer. There’s a flurry of feathers, and Keith trips, sending the camera flying.

“Abort!” Keith screams, but his voice is drowned out by the sound of disturbed squawking. The camera lands on its side, and all it shows is the very edge of the scene unfolding on film: a boy covering his head as he tries to flee the growing mass of chickens converging on his location, yelping as wings beat against his legs and beaks find purchase on his skin.

It’s chaos, and the peaceful music is no more. Right before it ends a single leg can be seen stepping into view of the camera, but it’s not human. It’s scaly and long: three-toed and ending in sharp claws.

A rooster crows, and everything goes black.

Living Like Link - Part 2: Episode 1

“Hey guys!” Lance cheers, waving as the video reopens. He’s sitting with Keith on their couch, behind which sits a wall of fanart and letters and several framed YouTube Play Buttons. “Welcome to a new series with us: the greatest video gamer on the planet-” he pauses, in which Keith grins widely, and then smirks: “-and Keith.”

“Wha-” Keith deflates, glancing over at Lance with a frown. “I thought you were talking about me!”

Lance folds his arms over his chest.

“Um, I think our last game proved otherwise.” A link pops up on the bottom of the screen, showing their latest video titled: Smash (ing) Bros , which Lance points to. “And if you guys wanna see Keith get his butt kicked by yours truly then you know the drill!”

He winks, and Keith flops back on the couch, blowing hair out of his face with a pout.

“Maybe I let you win,” he grumbles, but Lance doesn’t seem to hear.

“Anyway, as you probably guessed from the title, we’re doing a part two of my series ‘Living Like Link’, where I taught sign language to raise awareness for people who are mute, deaf, or otherwise incapable of verbal communication.”

Keith makes a few hand gestures beside Lance, who is too busy staring at the camera to notice the way his pinky and thumb lift and cradle against his chest, before his other fisted hand comes over to cross in front, ending with the index finger of the hand closest to himself pointing in Lance’s direction.

I love you, but in a more intimate way than the standard sign.

He smiles, cheeks flushing as he watches Lance continue the introduction.

“This video was actually Keith’s idea, who-” Lance pauses, having looked over at Keith and seen his fond expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hmm?” Keith hums innocently, before sitting up and shoving Lance gently aside.

“Hey!”

“This series is the next step of learning to be Link,” he explains, ignoring as Lance attempts pushing him back to no avail. “Where we show you how to fight, cook, and live in the wilderness like a real adventurer.”

“Wait,” Lance freezes, brows lifting as he ogles Keith. “That’s what this is?! You said it would be making pointy hats and swords and stuff!”

“It’s both,” Keith goes on, pulling up a bag by his feet that Lance stares at.

“Where did that come from…?”

“In here,” Keith goes on with a grin, “are two costumes. One is for Link, and the other is for Princess Zelda.”

Lance’s face drops as he realizes what Keith is getting at, and he makes an attempt to reach into the bag. Keith pulls it away with a laugh and wags his finger in Lance’s direction.

“Bad! No. They’re a surprise. Not even I’ve seen what they look like.”

“That’s concerning,” Lance mumbles, leaning back to his side of the couch. “Where did you get them?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Keith announces in a voice not at all his own. He turns to face the camera with a wide, blank smile, and a solid five seconds go by with the sound of crickets in the background.

“Hey babe,” Lance says finally, glancing between Keith and the camera. “What...is..?”

Keith blinks and snaps out of it, turning to look at Lance with a shrug.

“Allura and Romelle made them,” he explains, and Lance lifts a brow.

“Okay...that’s pretty awesome, but what was with the whole…” he makes a hand gesture at the camera, and again Keith shrugs.

“I thought we could put a commercial at that part as a plug for their channel,” he whispers. “Just edit it in, okay?”

Lance snorts and agrees, but when Keith turns back to the camera he subtly shakes his head and mouths ‘no way’. Instead a link to Allura and Romelle’s channel appears in the upper right-hand corner, showcasing some of the amazing cosplays they do and make.

“But yeah,” Keith goes on, oblivious, “I commissioned them to make Link and Zelda outfits, and we’re going to have a little competition to see who has to wear which.”

“Are you serious?” Lance bawks, but he sounds excited. “For how long do we have to wear them?”

“The whole series,” Keith answers, grinning wickedly.

“And what’s the competition?”

Keith reaches for something out of frame, and comes back with a large, ornate looking bow. Lance gapes, and leans around Keith to see where he had pulled it from.

“Where the heck did that-”

“Archery!” Keith interrupts, and Lance huffs.

“Archery?” he repeats, and Keith nods.

“Yep. Bows and arrows and stuff. Just like Link. Whoever can shoot closest to the center of the target gets to pick which costume they want to wear.”

“So...Link's,” Lance supplies, and Keith tilts his head.

“Yeah, basically. Though I’m sure Zelda’s dress is absolutely amazing.” He winks at the camera, and Lance narrows his eyes.

“I’m not wearing a dress,” he states, and Keith bites his lower lip to keep from laughing.

“Then you better win at archery.”

He stands, feigning shooting at the camera with the bow before leaving. Lance watches him go, and then rolls his eyes as he makes to follow.

“This game is rigged,” he mutters, and the feed goes black.

The scene opens up to a large backyard with a single target set up about fifty meters away. The camera zooms in on it for a moment, and then spins to re-focus on Lance and Keith standing a few feet away.

Keith looks confident as he toys with a few arrows, and Lance watches him with a blank expression, careful to keep his features from showing his emotions. The person behind the camera giggles, and the scene cuts to Keith standing by a tree tossing the bow between his hands.

“How confident are you about winning this?” a voice asks, recognized as their filmer Hunk by those who are avid watchers of the channel.

Keith laughs, shaking his head as he beckons Hunk closer.

“Okay, so,” he whispers at the camera, glancing around nervously as he does. “Lance doesn’t know this but I’ve been practicing archery for the last few weeks specifically for this challenge.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” Hunk asks, and Keith waves him off.

“It’s not! It’s just that I ordered the Zelda costume in Lance’s size so I kinda have to be Link, you know?”

Hunk grunts, and Keith continues.

“Anyway, I’m feelin pretty good about my odds of winning, and Lance, babe, when you watch this please don’t be mad.” He blows a kiss at the camera. “Love youuuu!”

The camera flips up at Hunk, who stares down at it with a bored look on his face, before swiveling to show Keith running back at Lance, who catches him mid-jump and spins around in a circle.

“He’s so dead,” Hunk mumbles, and the scene changes again.

“Okay so we get a few practice rounds first, just to warm up,” Keith is explaining, and behind him Lance is trying not to laugh. “I’ll go first.”

He grabs the bow and walks over to where a line has been painted on the grass, rolling his shoulders a few times before plucking an arrow from the holster at his hip. He draws back, inhales once, and releases.

The camera moves to follow the arrow, which lands in the blue ring on the target. Keith woops, and then attempts shrugging nonchalantly as the camera points back his way.

“Not too shabby,” he self-congratulates, handing the bow to Lance, who throws a wink at Hunk before taking it.

“So dead,” Hunk mumbles again, but this time there’s humour in his voice, and the scene cuts to show Lance standing in the same place Keith had been for his brief one-on-one interview.

“Do you think you’ll win this?” Hunk asks, and Lance answers expressionless.

“I was in archery for seven years.”

There’s a brief silence, and then Hunk’s sporadic giggles can be heard loudly behind the camera.

“No way!” he squeals, and Lance shushes him with a smile.

“Yeah, and I was pretty good at it too. But don’t tell Keith! I have a feeling he’s thinking this will be super easy, and I want to see his face when he loses.” His smile turns wicked, voice lowering menacingly. “I can’t wait to see him in that dress.”

Hunk is still giggling, and the same sound can be heard as the scene switches back to Lance taking the bow from Keith and setting up at the line. He draws back in a stance honed from years of practice - the muscles in his shoulders taunt and ready - and then shoots a quick wink at the camera.

He releases, and the arrow goes flying past the target, landing somewhere in the garden behind it.

Keith snorts, covering his mouth hastily when Lance walks over.

“Ah, better luck next time,” he says with false empathy, and Lance smiles sweetly up at him.

“Thank goodness we got to practice.”

“Agreed!” Keith cheers. “But that’s over now. Time to shoot for real!”

He runs to collect the arrows, and the camera pans over to Lance, who can be seen watching the boy with a fond look in his eyes.

“Did you do that on purpose?” Hunk asks, and Lance glances over and winks just as Keith returns.

“For you, kind sir,” he bows as he presents an arrow to Lance, and then raises up with a gleaming grin. “Or shall I call you ‘my lady’?”

“You can call me whatever you want hun,” Lance shoots back as he takes the gift. “But you haven’t won yet.”

“Then let’s begin, yeah?” Keith takes up the bow again, and waltzes over to the line with the bravado of a man confident he can’t lose, making a show of choosing his arrow and stretching.

“I almost feel bad for him,” Hunk comments, and Lance snorts.

“You ready to witness greatness?” Keith calls over, and Hunk groans.

“Actually, nevermind.”

“Go for it!” Lance answers, and Keith draws back. A second later he releases with a very Link-like grunt, and the arrow sails smoothly through the air before coming to a halt with a solid thud in the target.

It’s closer this time, landing just outside the red center by a few centimeters.

“Oh woah!” Keith exclaims excitedly, pointing. “Did you see that?! ”

“Sure did babe,” Lance calls back, taking the bow from Keith as they trade places. “I don’t think I’ll ever beat that.”

“You’ll do great,” Keith murmurs back, cockiness fading as he falls for Lance’s act. “You’re amazing either way.” He presses a quick kiss to Lance’s forehead, who stares back at the camera with a look akin to guilt.

But then Keith slaps his rear as he walks away, making a comment about how sexy Lance will look as Zelda, and the look is gone.

“I mean, undoubtedly,” Lance huffs, glaring at Keith as he goes. “But I’m not the one who’ll be wearing it.”

“What was that-” Keith starts, mid-turn to stare back at Lance, but the boy is already taking aim with the bow, drawing back and breathing in steadily as the arrow is sent off. It lands right in the middle of the target, and Keith is stunned silent.

“Ah, what’s wrong princess?” Lance teases as he relaxes, and Keith snaps out of his shock.

“What was that?! ” he screeches, running over to the target as Lance makes his way back over to Hunk.

“Easy peasy,” he shrugs, and in the background, Keith can be heard yelling as he gestures at the target in shock.

“IT'S LITERALLY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE!”

“I think you broke him,” Hunk chuckles.

“WHAT KINDA LEGOLAS TRICKERY IS THIS?!”

“You think?” Lance answers, jumping at the gargled screech growing louder from behind them.

“Do it again!” Keith demands as he charges back over. “I call beginners luck! You have to do it again!”

“Alright,” Lance agrees easily, and Keith follows him over to the line. The process repeats and Lance assumes his stance and pulls back. The arrow is released with a twang and hits beside the first: feathers brushing in dead center.

“HOW!?” Keith bellows, collapsing forward, and Lance laughs at the genuine shock his tone holds. “HOW!! When- that was amazing! I’m not even mad cuz holy-” the word is bleeped out, and Lance yelps as he’s picked up and swung in a wide circle.

“Keith! Wait-”

“Show me how you did that!” Keith goes on as he places Lance back on his feet. “I didn’t know I was dating a badass!”

“Sure you did,” Lance jests, but the flush in his cheeks reveal how flattered he is.

“I mean, of course I knew,” Keith goes on, handing Lance another arrow. “But damn! I didn’t know you could shoot like that! Did you?!” he turns over to Hunk, who laughs and moves the camera up and down for yes.

Lance shrugs, picking at the bow string self-consciously.

“Wait!” Keith pauses abruptly, and then grins widely. “This can be the first lesson of Living Like Link! Learning how to shoot a bow! Lance you can teach me and we can like, hunt rabbits and stray pottery!”

“We can do that later,” Lance interjects, and goes on when Keith shoots him a confused frown. “Because I believe this was a competition, right?”

Keith pales, the realization of what his loss truly means sinking in.

“Uh-”

“So how about you go and put on that beautiful Zelda gown and we go from there?”

The camera zooms in on Keith’s face, who looks like he’d just swallowed a mouthful of pickle juice. His smile is forced, and Hunk giggles as Lance jumps into frame with an arm around Keith’s shoulders.

“Time to get prettied up my princess!!”

Keith whines, and the scene cuts to black with an animated arrow shooting across the screen.

They’re back in the living room, and the bag Keith had shown in the first part of the video is sitting between them unopened. He’s refusing to look at it, but Lance is eagerly clapping his hands.

“Okay, so since Keith lost at archery-”

“I wish I could be more upset about that,” Keith grumbles, one hand propping up his head as he leans against the side of the couch.

“-that means I get to be Link!”

“You’re sure you don’t want Zelda?” Keith offers, giving Lance the biggest puppy eyes imaginable, but Lance doesn’t fall for it.

“Nope. The rules were I get to pick which outfit I want and I choose Link! Now let’s see what we have…”

He opens the bag, reaching in with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth and his head turned the other way to prevent seeing, and when he pulls something up it’s with more gusto than necessary.

“Alright, what do we have here?” He holds the first article of clothing between both hands, and a long pause spreads out between them as both Keith and Lance ogle it.

And then Hunk can be heard giggling in the background.

“Oh my god!” Keith’s face brightens, grin growing into a toothy open-mouthed beam as he watches Lance frown at the item.

“Is this a bra?” he asks, trying to pass it over to Keith. “It must go with yours-”

“No, it doesn’t,” Keith cuts him off, digging into the bag and letting out a burst of laughter as he pulls out a matching pair of pants, two armbands, a scarf, several golden bracelets, and a pair of dainty green slippers. He holds them out and laughs so hard that tears come to his eyes. “Oh my god! Thank you Allura and Romelle!”

“What is this?” Lance asks in confusion, rummaging through the bag to pull out a red hooded outfit with black pants and crimson boots, gold-trimmed and looking altogether more adventure ready than the bra he still holds in one hand. “This must be Link’s, right?”

Keith can only shake his head: his laughter having escalated to breathless silent wheezing. Lance turns towards the camera, evidently looking at Hunk for an explanation.

“Dude,” their cameraman giggles, “look up the ‘Gerudo’ outfit for Link. It’s from the newest game.”

Lance blinks, glancing over at Keith - who manages to fall off the couch from laughing so hard - and brings out his phone. His face falls, head whipping up to gape at the camera.

“You’re kidding me, right? This isn’t real-”

“It’s real alright!” Keith finally speaks, voice coming from off camera as he remains breathless on the floor. “It’s real and I’m so glad I lost!”

“Hunk?” Lance tries, voice faltering.

“Sorry man.”

Lance makes a whine in the back of his throat as he stares down at his phone again.

“How is this real?!” he exclaims suddenly, and an image of what Hunk had told him to search appears in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. It shows Link in the Gerudo outfit from Breath of the Wild, which looks more like a belly dancing get-up to the unknowing eye.

“I’m so happy right now!” Keith proclaims as he sits up, wiping tears from his cheeks and grinning so widely he can hardly get the next words out. “Remind me to send a bouquet of the finest threads to Allura and Romelle for this, even though they knew I had ordered the Link outfit for myself-”

“You what now?” Lance cuts in, and Keith freezes.

“Nothin,” he waves, grabbing the red garment from Lance and standing. “And it’s too late now, you already chose Link!”

“I didn’t know he ran around in hula gear!”

“Now you do,” Keith yelps as Lance gets up to chase him, and the two run around the couch for a moment before Keith darts off towards the bathroom and locks the door.

“You have to wear it!” he yells off camera, and Lance flops back down with a groan.

“I knew this competition was rigged! Even though I won I still ended up losing! How does that make any sense?!”

“You’re gonna wear it though, right?” Hunk asks, and Lance picks up the stylish bra that had been discarded on the ground. He stares at it for a long moment and then sighs in acceptance, holding it up to his chest with an approving nod.

“I mean, at least it’s in my colour, right?”

Keith is standing in the kitchen waiting, dressed in what looks to be a hooded assassins robe.

“So this is the Zelda outfit I apparently commissioned,” he explains, pointing at some of the articles that the camera pans over. “It’s actually based off an altered version of the game where Zelda herself is the main hero, not Link. I did a playthrough with the Zelda’s Ballad mod applied, and this is her Flamebreaker Armor.”

A link pops up in the corner as Keith speaks, showing a video titled: Legend of Zelda but like actually, filmed on Keith’s gaming channel.

“This was my favourite armour to use and I’m really impressed that Allura and Romelle designed it so stunningly. It’s a bit small since I ordered it in Lance’s size, but it works.”

“It looks like it fits perfectly,” Hunk comments, and Keith flushes as he fiddles with the hem of the outfit that fans out past his waist.

“I uh...the pants were a bit tight and may or may not have ripped…”

Hunk snorts, and before Keith can respond, Lance’s voice calls out from down the hall.

“Okay, I’m ready I guess. You guys better be prepared!”

Keith’s face lights up, and he jumps up and down on the spot as the camera slowly turns to face the direction of Lance’s voice.

A door opens into the hall, and Keith squeals in delight as Lance steps out from behind it.

“Ta-da!” he announces, leaning against the doorframe seductively. The outfit fits astonishingly well, with only the pants appearing to hang a little looser on Lance’s hips. But when the camera pans back to Keith, he doesn’t seem to mind. Hunk giggles and turns the attention back on Lance, who performs a delicate spin as he shimmies his way over to them.

“How do I look?” he asks when closer, and Keith surprisingly doesn’t say anything.

“Babe?” Lance presses, and the camera turns over to Keith again, who bites his lower lip as his eyes scan slowly over Lance’s body, face flushing darker with each pass.

“It’s, uh-” he coughs, turning away when he sees the camera pointed his way. “It’s good.”

Lance laughs, grinning as he glances down at himself.

“I mean, I was sort of hesitant at first but I think I’m kinda rocking this!” He spins again, and the baubles and bells that hang off the costume chime and sing. “I actually love it, to be honest. Makes me wanna dance-”

“Don’t-” Keith interrupts, grabbing Lance’s waist to halt his hip movements. Hunk chuckles and zooms in on Keiths face: almost as red as the outfit he wears. “You’ll get us demonetized.”

“What! Nah,” Lance waves him off, adjusting the scarf that covers the lower half of his face. “If anything this will get us more subscribers.” He turns to the camera fully then, grabbing both sides and leaning in. “Fifty thousand likes and I’ll belly dance for Kei-”

“Nope!” Keith cuts in, grabbing the camera and running. Hunk and Lance can be seen in the background, though the feed is blurry from the movement.

“Keith!” Lance laughs, and the camera tilts up to show Keith’s increasingly flushed cheeks.

“No dance. Nuh uh. Also, this video is over! Come back next week to have Lance teach us archery and other Link stuff! Make sure to-”

“Keith come back!” Lance can be heard shouting, and Keith picks up the pace.

“Like and subscribe and share and do whatever you want except like this video! No dance! Not happening!”

The screen turns black, their closing song playing as the brief credits roll thanking Allura and Romelle and Hunk, as well as the local archery club for lending them supplies. But before the video ends a clip of Keith and Lance in the kitchen can be seen, both still wearing the outfits from the video.

“-kind of a shame though,” Lance can be heard saying, and Hunk’s stifled giggles let the audience know he’s filming without the other two knowing. “I would have liked to see you in a dress.”

“This is a million times better,” Keith answers, wrapping his arms around Lance’s hips and pulling him closer. “I don’t want you to ever take it off.”

“Ever?” Lance murmurs back, and the camera shifts in and out of focus for a second.

“Well, I can think of a few exceptions,” Keith purrs in response, and the camera is tilted down just as the two kiss, Hunk scuttling away to give them their privacy.

“Allura owes me twenty bucks,” he can be heard saying, and then the video ends.

It reaches fifty thousand likes within the day, but the only one who sees Lance dance is Keith.

Chapter Text

The video opens with Lance sitting on the couch in his Link get-up, arms crossed over his chest and head tilted back on the cushions. In the background Keith can be heard running in the hallway, grunting and shouting.

“He’s been like this since yesterday,” Lance comments towards the ceiling, and Hunk snorts.

“I think he’s excited about today.”

“You don’t say-” Something suddenly smashes and the noises stop. A silence follows, in which Lance raises a curious brow.

“Shit,” Keith’s curse echoes on camera, and Lance lifts his head to glance in the direction the sounds had come from.

“What did you do?”

“Uh…” Keith answers, hesitant. “How much did you like that brown vase on the shelf by the door?”

Lance thinks for a moment, then shrugs.

“It was kinda ugly.”

“Okay cool,” Keith jumps into the frame, landing across Lance’s lap on the couch. “I thought so too. Plus it didn't even have any rupees in it so it was a total waste.”

Lance lets his hand run through Keith's hair idly, the bracelets at his wrist jangling with the motion.

“Did you clean up the mess at least?”

Keith stills, staring at the camera as a guilty expression crosses his face. His silence speaks volumes, and the camera zooms in on Lance's face, who gazes into it with the eyes of a defeated man who can't blame anyone but himself for falling in love with such a nuisance.

Hunk laughs, and a brief intro begins. It's animated: showing Lance and Keith's cartoon selves popping up on the screen shooting arrows and throwing chickens, with the title of the series coming in last.

Living Like Link - Part 2: Episode 2

The next scene opens with Keith sitting in his room with his headphones on, a bit of text in the corner informing the viewers this was filmed during editing.

“Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know this video is actually sponsored!”

A separate video clip opens, showing a field with several targets and people taking aim with bows. It looks to be like a studio or gym, with instructors mentoring the students and correcting their techniques. Keith speaks over it as it plays.

“Altea Archery was kind enough to lend us materials for this series, and I can tell you firsthand it's an amazing place to train and learn because I was there for a few weeks trying to guarantee my victory in our first challenge. Clearly I lost, but that's only because Lance never told me he's a literal elvish god with a bow so…”

The video clip ends, and Keith leans back in his chair.

“If you decide to give archery a shot - pun intended - then head over to Altea Archery or sign up online with the promo code: LivingLikeLink .”

The code appears on the screen in block letters, and Keith points to it with both hands.

“It'll get you a free lesson and ten percent off the registration fee if you decide to sign up. Which I highly recommend! We got special permission to use the fields in the next part of this video for practice, but not everywhere is keen on young adventurers flinging arrows willy-nilly. Also, maybe don’t go around breaking pottery in search of treasure without asking first.”

He draws back an imaginary bowstring and aims it at the camera.

“Enjoy the rest of the video! I know we sure did!”

They’re standing in a field outside of a familiar looking building, and the camera zooms in on Lance and Keith - still wearing their outfits as promised - standing with a stranger with shaggy blond hair and a relaxed smile, wearing a shirt with the words “AA” framed in a bow.

“Welcome!” Lance waves, his face scarf pulled down around his neck so he can talk. “We’re here at Altea Archery with Rollo-” the man beside him nods, “-and Princess Zelda.”

Keith opens his mouth to say something but registers how Lance introduced him before any words come out. He settles on a light smack to Lance’s arm instead, who ignores it with a smile.

“As promised, we’ll be learning how to properly shoot today, and Rollo here is going to teach us!”

“Well, me, mostly,” Keith speaks up. “Since you’re already a professional.”

Rollo’s brows lift at that, and his eyes scan over Lance with a tad too much vigour.

“I wouldn’t call myself a professional,” Lance goes on, oblivious to the additional attention. He gestures over to Rollo, who lifts his gaze upwards just in time to meet Lance’s eyes. “This guy here is the certified marksman.”

“That I am,” Rollo agrees, taking them over to a stand where several bows are set up. “And the first thing we’ll do is get you sized up with the right tool.”

Keith glances back at the camera at that - eyes wide but otherwise subtle - and Hunk makes a choked noise of laughter in the back of his throat.

“And after we do that we’ll go over some of the basic steps of aiming and breathing, as well as stance and position,” Rollo continues, and Lance nods in agreement.

“Right, so let’s get started!”

“Hyah!” Keith chops the air, and beside them Rollo laughs.

“So the first thing we wanna do is determine your ocular dominance,” Rollo is explaining, standing by the row of bows with Lance and Keith. “Which is basically which eye your brain prefers.”

“Our brain has a favourite eye?” Keith questions, and Rollo tilts his head.

“Uh...it’s more like the brain considers the visual input from that eye to be more ‘true’, if that makes sense.”

“Cool. Love it.”

“Now, typically your dominant eye is the same as your writing hand, but that’s not always the case.” Rollo continues, drawing back an imaginary bow with his right hand near his cheek, left eye squinted closed.

“I think I was right eye dominant when I was in archery,” Lance mimics Rollo’s motion, shifting between right and left eye to be sure. He settles on the right with a deciding nod. “Even though I’m left-handed.”

“That’s fairly common,” Rollo says, letting his hands rest back at his sides.

“What if you’re ambidextrous?” Keith asks, glancing down at both hands deep in thought. When his head lifts again it’s adorned with a gleeful grin. “Can I dual wield bows?!”

“No,” Rollo states matter-of-factly and then lifts his arms out in front of him. “To figure out which eye is dominant all you have to do is stretch your hands at arms length, press your thumbs and forefingers together like this-” he demonstrates the action, which Lance and Keith both follow. “There should be a small triangular opening between them, yeah, like that,” he goes on, nodding his chin in Lance’s direction. Keith compares his hands to Lance’s, then hums as he re-adjusts so they all match.

“Now keep both eyes open and look through that triangle. Try to center it on the sign over there.”

The camera tilts to show the Altea Archery building, and the sign Rollo mentioned, before swinging back to face the boys.

“Close one eye, then the other. The sign should jump back and forth each time one eye closes-”

“Oh yeah!” Keith gasps, and beside him Lance chuckles.

“Your dominant eye is the one where you can see the sign with one eye closed. Your brain will keep it centered in the triangle your hands make.” Rollo lowers his hands to look over at the two, and Lance does the same a few seconds later.

“Yep. Right eye dominant,” he assures, and they both glance over at Keith.

“Uh,” he mumbles, one eye closing and then the other. “I think mine is the left.”

“Really?” Lance asks, and when Keith nods his affirmation Rollo hums thoughtfully.

“That’s interesting. I remember it being the opposite when you first came here a few weeks ago.”

Keith flushes at that, and Lance turns towards the camera.

“Oh yeah, I heard about that little ‘practicing’ thing when I was editing the last video.” He side-eyes Keith, who grins innocently and takes a not-so-subtle step back. “But it was too cute to be mad about.”

“What does that mean anyway?” Keith addresses Rollo to change the subject, though the red tinge in his ears reveals the impact of Lance’s comment. “Should I do the eye test again?”

Rollo shrugs and turns towards the bow rack.

“Nope! Some people can just shoot both.”

“Sweet,” Keith smirks, nudging Lance in the side. “That means if I ever hurt one arm I can still use the other to hunt and stuff.”

“Except you need two hands to shoot a bow so...” Lance fires back, and Keith’s mouth opens and then closes as the logical prevails.

“Oh...right.”

Rollo moves back over to them, carrying two bows that he hands to each boy, one a dark green and the other a vibrant pink.

“This works since we can show how to use both right-handed and left-handed bows, though there’s not much difference.”

Lance takes his bow and draws the string back, and Keith tests the weight of his in both hands.

“I want a pink bow,” he mumbles to himself, eyeing Lance’s with envy, but if Rollo heard he makes no effort to fulfill the request.

“With personal bows, we would take measurements to determine draw length and such, but for the purposes of today you guys will be fine using these.” Rollo picks up a bow for himself - blue with orange trim - and walks over to the shooting range where several targets are set up in the distance. He stands at the line and demonstrates the next steps.

“First you’ll want to stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart, at a right-angle to the target. For right-handed bows, the left foot will lead, and vice versa for the left-handed bow.” He positions his feet as such, then picks up his bow. “Next, your grip should balance the weight of the bow in the space between your thumb and fingers. It should be in the center of the palm to reduce strain in your wrist. Give it a try.”

Lance and Keith move over to Rollo and take stance on either side of him, gripping their bows as had been shown.

“Good,” Rollo comments, then faces down range. “You don’t want to hold the bow too tight, but you don’t want it to fall either. Pretend you’re holding someone’s hand, and make it comfortable.”

Lance winks back at the camera, and then blows a kissy face in Keith’s direction that Rollo doesn’t see. Keith blushes and grins as he catches the imaginary kiss, pocketing it for later.

“Draw back the string with your index and middle fingers, keeping your grip loose so your wrist doesn’t hurt,” Rollo continues, showing the process. “Keep your elbow slightly bent when you draw back, and prevent your shoulders and torso from twisting too much. Now we can find the anchor point.”

“What’s that?” Keith asks, keeping his stance. His back is turned to Rollo and Lance due to him using the left-handed bow, and he tilts his head backward to see.

“It’s the place where you have the bowstring drawn fully back against your cheek. It varies between each person, but typically it’s the thumb against the ear, or the knuckles touching the cheek. The trick is to reach that point every time you shoot to improve accuracy.

Lance draws back, but his finger placement is different from how Rollo showed. His middle and ring fingers are the ones on the string, and his index finger rests against the edge of his eyebrow, pinky jutting out to touch his lower jaw. It looks like he’s making the ‘call me’ gesture, only his expression is serious and focused. The camera pans from him to Keith, who has turned fully now to ogle Lance.

“Good!” Rollo is saying, and Keith blinks as their instructor turns his way. “Alright Keith, let’s see what you got.”

“Oh, right.” He draws back, and Rollo moves so he’s standing at Keith’s side, making adjustments here and there until he nods. “How does that feel?”

“Good, yeah,” Keith answers, and Rollo goes back to the line.

“A second anchor point is your nose against the string. This just helps increase accuracy.”

“It smells,” Lance comments, making a face.

“Just think of all the sweaty hands that have touched it,” Keith calls over, and Lance shivers at the thought. Behind the camera Hunk groans.

“We won’t release the string yet as we don’t have an arrow nocked,” Rollo forges on, slowly letting the string return to its resting position. “But when we do you’ll want to make small aiming adjustments with your hips, not your arms. And when you let go of the string to shoot, let your arm follow through with the motion.”

He demonstrates without drawing the string back, holding his bow up and taking aim. His hand finds its anchor point and he takes a few breathes, and when his fingers release the imaginary string the hand by his face scoots backward, tossing his hair as it goes.

“That’s what it should look like,” he says when done, gesturing for Lance and Keith to try. They do, and Rollo returns with some arrows.

“Okay then,” he hands them a quiver each. “Let’s try it for real.”

They each have their own target, and set up their stances so they can face one another. Keith winks at Lance as they both take aim, and they ask Hunk to count them down for firing.

“Alright,” their cameraman begins. “On the count of three: one, two, three-”

Lance shoots, and his arrow lands in the lower part of the central ring. Middle, but not perfect. Keith, on the other hand, never released, and he laughs as his posture sags and bow lowers.

“Oh! I thought it was like, shoot after three, not on. Here,” he takes aim again, biting back a grin as Lance watches intently. “Lemme try that again.”

He inhales through his nose and exhales out his mouth, and right when he’s about to release Lance murmurs something that the camera doesn’t catch, and the arrow goes flying into the net behind the targets.

“Cheater!” Keith accuses as his cheeks flare. “That was a dirty trick!”

Lance shrugs, nocking another arrow.

“Call us even now,” is all he says, and Keith narrows his eyes.

“No more distracting me. Bad Link.” He follows Lance’s movements and aims down range.

Again, Hunk counts them down.

“This time shoot on three, not after it,” he warns, then begins: “One, two, three-”

The bowstrings release, and the whistling of both arrows can be heard for a split second before the soft thud of the targets silence them. Lance’s lands in roughly the same place, and Keith’s hits in the circle just outside the red.

“Nice,” he hums, but when he glances over at Lance, Rollo is standing between them.

“Try aiming above the red by a few centimeters,” he’s advising, guiding Lance’s arms up and tweaking his hip positioning. “This bow might be adjusted a little big, so you’ll have to compensate.”

“I’ll try that,” Lance answers, keeping his eyes forward as he focuses on the target. The camera pans over to Keith, who is watching the two with lowered brows. His attention is unwavering from Rollo’s hands still lingering at Lance’s waist.

“What about me?” he calls out after a moment, and Rollo jerks as he glances his way.

“Looks good,” is all he says, and steps back to let them shoot. Keith stares over at the camera with a suspicious expression but says nothing further.

They take aim again, and this time Lance’s arrow hits dead center. Keith, on the other hand, lands his in the white, though he laughs as he waves it off.

“I think archery may not be my thing,” he comments, and Lance shoots him a look.

“Nonsense! You’re actually doing amazing considering you haven’t shot much before. Remember, I’ve had a few years of practice.”

Keith smiles fondly at that, and then Rollo is stepping between them again.

“You both have potential,” he states, though when he speaks his gaze remains on Lance. “And we actually have a little surprise set up for you.”

“Really?” Keith perks up, exchanging an excited look with Lance. “What it is?”

“Follow me,” Rollo says, and walks off towards the building.

Lance bows at the hip as Keith glances his way, gesturing for him to go first.

“After you, your highness.”

Keith rolls his eyes and shoves Lance lightly, and they both run after Rollo as the scene changes.

The view pans over a massive indoor gym, sectioned off in different areas with netting to prevent stray arrows from hitting anything but the targets. The ceilings are raised and the walls padded, and in the corner Rollo brought them, mats and blocks and an array of other materials are set up in what appears to be an obstacle course.

“This is where we practice archery in motion,” Rollo explains as he gestures to the set-up. “We use a smaller bow to allow better movement, and the arrows are dull in case they bounce off one of the objects, but we also supply some gear to minimize potential injury.”

“This is so cool,” Keith breathes, eyes wide as he stares at the course.

“We altered it a bit as well to make it feel more like Legend of Zelda,” Rollo continues, picking up a pot with a target painted on the front. “Though these don’t have anything in them besides dust. You guys will compete against each other to see who can hit more targets the fastest. Some are pots like this, some are boards hanging from a rope, and others are actually moving. Each target is worth different points, which we’ll add up once you both go through. That, coupled with your time, will determine the winner!”

“What does the winner get?” Lance asks, and Keith shrugs.

“The other’s undying respect? An unbreakable ego?”

“You already have both of those,” Lance mumbles back, and behind the camera, Hunk speaks up.

“Actually my friend Shay made something especially for this.”

Lance and Keith both turn to stare at him, and Hunk giggles.

“I’m not telling though, you’ll have to race and see.”

“Okay, now I’m pumped!” Lance cheers, beginning to stretch on the spot. “Shay is like, mega talented with arts and crafts.” A link pops ups in the corner showing a shortcut to an Etsy page titled: Shay’s Creations . “Everything she makes is so cool!”

“I know, right?” Hunk agrees, tone soft.

“Should we get you guys geared up?” Rollo asks suddenly, and whilst Lance nods his agreement, Keith shakes his head and steps back.

“Actually, I think it might be more fun to watch you compete against Lance,” he offers, and Rollo raises a brow.

“Oh, well-”

“Ah, Keith!” Lance whines, tugging at his sleeve. “I wanna race you!”

“It won’t be much of a competition then,” Keith explains, and he doesn’t seem upset in the least. Rather, he looks giddy as he eyes the obstacle course behind them. “And I kinda wanna watch you go all out.”

Lance flushes, but he doesn’t say anything in response. So Keith turns to Rollo.

“What do you say, wanna challenge Link in archery?”

Rollo hesitates for only a moment, and then he glances over at Lance and smirks.

“Alrighty then,” he agrees, placing his hands at his hips. “But I won’t go easy on you.”

“Then neither will I,” Lance shoots back, gleam in his eye as his competitive side takes over. “I have a princess to impress after all.”

“That’s me,” Keith mouths at the camera proudly, and the scene changes.

Lance is still wearing his Link attire, but shin guards, elbow pads, and a helmet with a face shield have been added. He and Rollo are standing at the entrance to the obstacle course going over where each target has been set up.

“I asked some of the volunteers to go in and add a few more bonus pots that are hidden from view,” Rollo is saying, “so that there’s a higher chance of winning through point count rather than speed.”

“You saying I’ll need the extra help?” Lance jests, and Rollo has the decency to look slightly takenaback.

“I didn’t say that,” he answers smoothly. “This course is just a lot harder than it looks. It’ll be easier if you take your time and focus on points rather than seconds.”

Lance rolls his shoulders and remains quiet, and beside Hunk Keith snickers.

“If Rollo thought he could intimidate Lance with that it won’t work,” he commentates. “If anything he’s gonna be more psyched up with the added challenge.”

“Agreed,” Hunk whispers, and the camera zooms in on Lance’s face: eyes narrowed and determined, searching over the obstacle course ahead of them. But aside from the first few blocks, there’s nothing much to see from the outside.

“There are two of every target: one in red and one in blue,” Rollo goes on, picking up two bows and quivers of arrows of similar colour. “Which one do you want to aim for?”

“Well, technically blue is my lucky colour,” Lance explains, and he turns back to Keith with a cheeky grin. “But I think I’ll choose red this time.”

Keith makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and when Hunk tilts the camera his way he’s hiding a shy smile behind his hand.

“Red is my lucky colour,” he mumbles down at the lens, and it pans back over to the competitors.

“Then I’ll take blue,” Rollo hums, eyeing Lance with a smidge more enthusiasm than needed. He hands the red bow over, and they rock paper scissors to see who goes first. Rollo wins, and takes up stance with the quiver of arrows on his back.

Before he can begin Keith walks over and hands him a GoPro, attaching it to his chest so they can have the footage of him going through the course for later. Rollo consents and adjusts it briefly, and when the buzzer sounds, the scene switches.

The following may cause dizziness or motion sickness. View with caution.

It’s action packed, the next sequence. The camera stays relatively stable attached to Rollo’s chest but his movements are quick and erratic, making the prior warning understandable. He can be heard breathing as he runs through the course: jumping over obstacles and shooting arrows at targets that seem to appear out of nowhere. He misses a few, but for the most part he manages to clear them with ease. The sound of pots shattering as he goes is both satisfying and jarring, and the added gear is given purpose when a few stray arrows miss their mark and come springing back.

It’s not a long course, but it looks difficult, and as Rollo reaches the end there’s a row of red and blue targets moving back and forth on some sort of mechanical device. He pauses - taking a few deep breaths - and fires off the remaining arrows, hitting two of the five in his colour.

Right as he crosses the finish line another buzzer sounds, and the view switches back to Hunk’s camera. Rollo walks over to them with a wide grin, sweating a bit and red in the face as his time appears on a screen up on the far wall.

“Three minutes and fifty seconds,” Keith reads aloud, nodding as if impressed. “I don’t know what the standard is but that seems good?”

“The record is two and a half,” Rollo clarifies, and Keith’s expression becomes more genuine.

“Oh wow, then yeah. Good job man!”

Someone goes into the course to count how many targets he hit, and when they emerge a number value is given showing his overall score.

“Thirty one!” Rollo exclaims, pumping his fist in the air.

“Out of..?” Keith prods, but Rollo shakes his head.

“I’m not too sure, since they added more targets, but it seems high so I’m happy with it.”

“That’s fair,” Hunk comments, and the camera flips over to Lance.

“You ready babe?” Keith asks as he walks over with the GoPro Rollo had been wearing, and Lance nods as it’s attached to his chest. There’s not much there for it to grab - given the loose bandeau he still sports - but Keith manages to find enough material for it to clip to and steps back with an encouraging smile.

“Go get em, Link.”

Lance’s grin is wicked, and he cracks his knuckles as he picks up his bow.

The following may cause dizziness or motion sickness. View with caution.

It’s the same obstacle course as before, but the events that unfold are much different than the footage from Rollo’s side of things. Lance incorporates a lot more rolls as he goes, rising up on one knee to shoot a pot in the corner before ducking to his side to reach one hidden down low. He takes to spinning mid-air to hit targets that are only visible to someone looking back, and fires several arrows as he leaps off the walls of the course: nocking one after the other as the string hums from the constant vibrations.

It’s a roller coaster, watching Lance go, but it’s hard to look away. He hits nearly every target dead center, and finds ones that went untouched during Rollo’s run. At one point he’s lined up after climbing a steep section of matts and somehow manages to hit two targets with a single arrow, sending them flying into the air and clattering to the ground a good distance away.

Each successful hit is followed by a huff of air as Lance exhales, and as he goes the sound begins to carry a smile. He knows he’s doing well, and anyone watching would be a fool to disagree.

When he reaches the moving targets section near the end he doesn’t pause for breath, instead shooting rapid-fire: hitting all five and sending them downwards to count for a point. He crosses the finish line and the view switches back to the others.

“Holy-” Keith’s words are bleeped out as he runs over to Lance, picking him up in a hug and spinning him around on the spot. Lance laughs, face flushed from the course.

“Did I do that well?” he questions, and Keith shrugs, setting him down.

“I don’t know yet, but we could see pieces of pottery go flying as you went.” He points to a few places where some of the strung up targets could be seen from the starting line. “We watched you hit those ones right after the other, and each time it was like, perfectly centered.”

“Oh yeah?” Lance glances back at where Keith had pointed, and then wipes his brow as he removes the helmet. “I don’t think I was as fast though.”

Sure enough, a number pops up on the same screen Rollo’s had.

“Four minutes and twelve seconds,” Hunk narrates, and Lance sighs in mild disappointment.

“Ah darn, I thought it would be-” but he cuts off as his point total is flashed on the screen, and Rollo pales when he sees it.

“Fifty-” Keith begins, turning over to Lance with wide, proud eyes. “Fifty seven!”

“Oh…” Lance blinks, and then grins when Keith hugs him tightly.  

“That’s amazing,” Rollo comments when they walk back over together. He holds his hand out for Lance to shake, who takes it firmly. “Congratulations man, that’s a tough number to beat.”

“Ah, well,” Lance flushes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’ve had a lot of practice with the bow.”

“Then I guess the winner is Lance!” Hunk cheers, and then coughs as he corrects himself. “Or, Link , I should say.”

He hands a bag to Keith, who takes it and has the two competitors stand next to each other as he digs into it.

“Hunk showed me what the prizes were while you were racing, and I gotta say, I’m pretty jealous.”

He pulls out two hand-length rupees - long hexagonal gems from the Legend of Zelda games that are used as currency - made of what appears to be felt: one red, and one blue. He walks over to Rollo and hands him the latter.

“It’s entirely coincidental that they matched the bows, but the red one is worth more so it goes to the winner, which is-” he turns to Lance, and kneels as he bestows him with the gift: “the hero of Hyrule! Link!”

Lance snorts but takes the rupee, holding it out for the camera to see.

“Oh wow, Shay! You’ve really outdone yourself!”

“This is really cool,” Rollo smiles as he regards his prize. “Thank you guys for making my afternoon so much more fun!”

“Nah man, thank you for teaching us more about archery!” Lance grins, and Rollo places a hand on his shoulder.

“It was my pleasure,” he admits, leaning closer. “And you’re good enough that Altea Archery would offer you a position anytime. We actually have an opening for an instructor coming up in-”

“Sorry,” Keith cuts in - literally - as he moves between Lance and Rollo. “But Link has a very busy schedule, what with saving the world and all, so we really must be on our way.”

He bends and picks Lance up bridal style: one arm beneath his knees and one cradling his back, and then nods at Rollo as he strides off.

"We thank you for your time and wisdom," he calls out as he goes. "Achievement unlocked: archery!"

“Keith!” Lance yelps, latching onto Keith’s neck as the boy begins to run. “I’m gonna fall!”

“Not in the arms of princess Zelda you won’t!” Keith announces loudly: voice echoing around the gym and earning them the confused stares of some of the students. “Onward to the next quest!”

He kicks open the door, letting a stream of sunlight flood into the large space, and then hollers “FOR HYRULE!” loudly as he sprints away with Lance still in his arms. Hunk sighs, and pans the camera back over to Rollo, who’s watching where the two left with an amused smile.

“Thanks for helping set this up,” he says, and Rollo clutches the rupee to his chest.

“It was fun man, come back anytime. And thank whoever made this for me!”

“Will do dude,” Hunk promises. “Now I better go catch up with those two goofs before they hurt themselves.”

“I have complete and utter faith in our heroes,” Rollo tilts his head, "somewhat," and Hunk snorts as the end song begins, listing the people who helped make the video over a still image of Lance aiming his bow with Keith in the foreground looking altogether too pleased.

As with the other video, there’s a bonus scene at the end of the credits, only this time it’s a preview for the next episode.

Join us next week for another adventure!

It opens with Keith’s face hovering over the camera: bangs hanging down around his face as he whispers at the lens.

“Alright, so...Lance may have won with the bow, but he’s not gonna beat me at this!” And the camera pans up, showing a wall of intricate knives and swords of all shapes and sizes. It zooms in on some especially sharp looking daggers, and then Keith can be heard gasping as the camera tilts over to reveal a replica of the Skyward Sword: complete with navy grip and gold trim, the triforce embedded on the blade.

“Oh my god!” he whisper squeals, hand reaching out to touch it. Just as he does it falls from it's spot to the floor, and the camera shakes as Keith drops that too, landing face down and showing a black screen.

“What was that?” A gruff, unfamiliar voice calls, and all that can be heard is Keith’s strained curse right before the video ends.

Chapter Text

The video opens with Keith holding back giggles.

The footage is shaky - likely filmed on a phone -  and shows the inside of an airport security gate where Lance is currently having his bag checked.

The camera zooms in, and Keith snorts as Lance shoots a glance his way: mouth open to say something but closing when the guard speaks and takes his attention.

No words can be heard between them, but it's easy enough to guess what Lance is being asked.

He pales as a familiar blue bra is pulled up from his luggage - one that has made a few appearances already in the series - and rushes to explain as his cheeks flair crimson.

The video feed grows blurry as Keith fails to contain his laughter, catching the exact moment Lance glares over with narrowed eyes and an expression screaming revenge, and the intro begins.

Living Like Link - Part 2: Episode 3

The scene opens with a side view of Lance, who is reading a pamphlet provided by the aircraft they're in.

“-really think ‘Snakes on a Plane' is the best movie to be featuring right now- oh,” he breaks off when he sees Keith's camera pointing his way, and waves. “Hi there.”

“Hi,” Keith answers sweetly, and Lance's eyes lift to the place Keith's face must be.

“I was talking to our viewers.”

“How do you know this is for them?” Keith harrumphs, and Lance raises a brow.

“Who else would it be for?”

The camera moves up and down: Keith shrugging.

“My own personal footage,” he offers, and Lance's expression turns sultry.

“Well in that case-” he leans forward, eyes still fixed above the lens. “When we get off this plane I'm gonna find the closest corner and f-”

The feed cuts out: a prolonged beep acting as a precursor to the next segment.

“Hey guys,” Lance grins down at the camera, the interior of a plane visible and the low hum of the engine providing the background noise. Keith is glaring out the window beside him: face red where it shows behind the fist pressed into his cheek, supporting him as he leans against the siding. “As you can see, today's video required a little traveling to do!”

He nudges Keith, who glances over with a pout.

“Ah, are you still mad at me?” Lance whispers, and his boyfriend huffs.

“No,” he grumbles, abandoning the window to lean into Lance's shoulder. “This flight is just too long.”

“It's only a few hours,” Lance responds, patting the hand that cradles his arm. “Or are you all pent up-”

“That was your fault!” Keith exclaims, and then ducks lower in his seat as several people must glance over. Lance smiles and kisses the top of his head.

“We’ll be there soon. And it's your halabeoji that lives so far away.”

Keith chuckles, looping their arms together.

“You can just call him ‘grandpa’.”

“Is my pronunciation that bad?”

Keith shakes his head at first, but then shrugs in second thought.

“I think you'll just give him a heart attack if you address him as such in Korean. Besides, for what we'll be doing ‘sabeom’ or ‘seonsaeng’ is more appropriate.”

“Which means?”

“Like, ‘instructor’, I guess. He runs a dojang so ‘sabeomnim’ will be respectful.”

Lance repeats the word a few times under his breath until Keith nods.

“And anyway, it's not like we can do anything once we're there anyway,” he complains as an afterthought to Lance's prior remark, nuzzling his cheek into the arm he cradles. “The walls in his house are literally paper.”

Lance snorts, and tousles Keith's hair.

“You're too cute. Anyway,” he looks back down at the camera, “we're heading over to Keith's grandpa's for our next quest, which will be-”

“I wanna tell them,” Keith interrupts, reaching for something out of frame, and when he brings his hand back it holds a small, yellow plastic stick between his fingers.

He shoves it closer to the camera, which blurs in and out of focus for a second before showing a clear image of a sandwich pick in the shape of a sword.

“Ta-da...” he cheers in monotone.

“Love the enthusiasm,” Lance chuckles, taking Keith's hand away from the camera. When he does Keith is shown sagging deeper into Lance's side: eyelids drooping as he smiles sleepily. “Or maybe the melatonin is finally kicking in.”

He uses his free hand to pull a blanket up and over Keith’s torso, who sighs contentedly at the added warmth and nestles closer to the main source.

“I guess we'll let this big baby sleep,” Lance whispers at the camera, and then waves as he rests his cheek against the top of Keith's head. “Talk to you guys when we land!”

The next scene shows Keith wearing glasses sitting on what appears to be a thick padded blanket in a room lit up by two lamps, pajamas on as he fiddles with his camera.

The view swivels around the show Lance's face, who smiles down at the lens with a green face mask adorning his skin.

“Hey so, both our phones died at the airport and our cameras were in our luggage, so we couldn't film the landing.”

“Hunk would be embarrassed for us,” Keith's voice can be heard off-screen, and Lance moves so they're sitting side by side.

“Hunk is definitely cringing at our crap filming skills,” he agrees once settled. “But we landed late anyway so we can just show you what the place looks like tomorrow.”

“We also can't wear our outfits for this part of the series,” Keith adds, placing his camera back in its case gently. “The activities we'll be doing need breathable clothing. And also my grandpa would flip if he saw you in that costume.”

“Which means I brought that stupid bra for nothing,” Lance grumbles, and then shoots Keith a smirk. “Well...maybe not nothing ..”

“Paper walls dearest,” Keith reminds him, taking the camera to show how literal he's being. Aside from the wood paneling behind them, large sections of the wall look to be sheer and thin: dim light from lamps out in the hall easily seen through the material.

“Yeah I thought you were joking about that,” Lance confides when Keith points the camera his way. “But we can still cuddle, right?”

“Definitely,” Keith grins, and then waves down at the screen. “See you guys bright and early!”

“How early?” Lance can be heard asking as the camera is lowered.

“Like, seven?”

“Oh god. Pray for me.”

And the screen goes black.

“Good morning!” Keith greets the camera warmly, wearing sweats and a maroon shirt with the words ‘routine is a curse’ written on the sleeves. A link to Lance’s merch appears in the bottom right-hand corner, letting viewers know the shop is open. “And welcome to the dojang!”

The view expands, showing Keith standing in a large open space with natural lighting from high windows and a padded floor reflected in a wall-length mirror behind him. Lance waves as he can be seen behind the camera, and then zooms back in on Keith.  

“This is where we’ll be learning some really cool Korean martial arts, known as ‘taekkyeon’,” Keith explains, and the word appears on screen to show the viewers: 택견 (taekkyeon). “My grandpa Kolivan, who we’ll address as sabeomnim-” again the word flashes: 사범님 (sabeomnim) “-will be teaching us traditional Korean sword fighting tomorrow, which I am really excited about.”

“Same here,” Lance agrees behind camera, and a door opens at the far side of the room. A woman with a shoulder-length bob, loose baggy pants, and a white T-shirt steps into the room, cracking her fingers as she points at Keith.

“So it was you who snuck into my room and knocked my knives on the ground!”

The view zooms out to avoid flipping back and forth between Keith and the newcomer - both of whom look remarkably similar - and Lance can be seen grinning in the mirror.

“I didn’t!” Keith tries, backing away with his arms out in front. “At least, not in the plural sense…”

“ Halabeoji told me he caught you red-handed,” the woman goes on, crossing the mat and stretching her neck from side to side menacingly. “Don’t even bother lying little Akira .”

“Jenjang”, Keith curses under his breath, but Lance interrupts before he can say much else.

“Wait, ‘Akira’? Who is that?”

The woman glances over at the camera and smirks, hips jutting as she crosses her arms in front before turning back to Keith.

“Ah, you didn’t tell him your real name?”

“It’s not my real name,” Keith explains, but his expression turns sheepish as he tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. “It’s...technically my first name, but-”

“What!?” Lance shrieks, and the woman laughs.

“Oh god, wait until he finds out your middle name isn’t even ‘Keith’.”

“Excuse me?!”

The camera shakes to show Lance’s emotions, and zooms in on Keith’s face as Lance rushes forward to confront him.

“Shut up Acxa,” Keith hisses, and then smiles shyly over at his boyfriend. “It’s...a shortened version.”

Lance makes a noise of pure shock.

“What is it! Tell me! Tell me!! ” He begins chasing after Keith with the camera, who laughs as he runs off with red cheeks. The scene cuts as the feed grows too blurry to watch.

The woman - Acxa as Keith had called her - is now standing with Keith in a headlock: Lance trying not to giggle as she messes up his hair.

“This is what you get for going in my room you little gremlin!”

“You have the Skyward Sword!” Keith argues back, struggling to break free of her grip. “How could I not touch it!”

“It’s a collector's item!” Acxa grunts, flipping Keith so he’s knocked down on the mat. “And you have nasty grabby fingers!”

The camera flips around to point at Lance as Keith curses in Korean, nodding approvingly down at it.

“I like her.”

The camera is set up on a tripod now, allowing Lance to stand beside Acxa and Keith - who fixes his hair and glares over at the girl vengefully - and officially begin the video.

“Hi and welcome back!” he cheers, gesturing over to their guest. “As you now know, this is Keith’s cousin Acxa, who works at the dojang teaching taekkyeon under their grandfather, Master Kolivan. She’ll be our instructor, our sabeomnim , today.”

Acxa waves, and Keith flinches at the movement.

“I’ll be teaching you guys some basic moves first, like how to step and bend,” she says, and then bumps Keith’s shoulder with her own. “Though this guy should know all that already, right Akira?”

Keith flushes but nods, and Lance looks his way.

“Oh yeah, you were taught taekkyeon when you were little, right?”

Several photos appear over the video, showing Keith as a small child wearing the traditional white outfit associated with most martial arts, looking fierce as he poses with several medals and trophies alongside Acxa. From the pictures, it appears as if Keith had been competing since the age of seven up into his teens, and in one photo he’s grinning with two of his front teeth missing: eye blackening but looking as happy as can be.

“You better not show any pictures,” Keith grumbles as the video resumes, and Lance sticks his tongue out at the camera.

“Akira was a regular old scrapper,” Acxa beams proudly over at her cousin, who looks away embarrassed. “Such a keener. And then he got into gaming and got lazy and-”

“I did not!” Keith slaps her hand away lightly as she laughs. “I still know enough to beat you!”

“Oh really?” Acxa raises a brow, and Keith pales as he re-evaluates his boast.

“I mean...maybe?”

“You wanna make a challenge out of it?” she offers, and Lance immediately brightens.

“Yes! I do! I wanna watch Keith get his butt kic-I mean...win?”

“Gee. Thanks,” Keith groans boredly, and Lance gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ah c’mon, you know I’ll always be rooting for you. So how about we learn some basics first, and then you two can fight at the end, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me,” Acxa agrees, and Keith nods despite the unease in his expression. Lance hugs him briefly, and then pulls him over to the edge of the mat with Acxa in front, eager to learn.

“ Taekkyeon is a traditional, full contact Korean martial art that dates back before Taekwondo,” she begins, arms loose at her sides. “It is very dance-like and focuses on kicks, hand movements, jumps, and sweeping motions that must be balanced and natural. The hands and feet move and work together at all times to defeat the opponent. The goal is to attack fluidly: constantly in motion yet graceful and light, each move purposeful and practicing gumsil or ogeum jil .”

“Can you explain what those mean?” Keith pipes up, and Acxa nods eagerly, demonstrating as she talks, and the words appear on screen: 굼실 (gumsil) and 오금질 (ogeum-jil) .

“ Gumsil or ogeum jil refer to the knees constantly bending in between movements, acting as a transition to the next step and keeping the practitioner aligned.” She bends at the knees and sways back and forth: feet shifting beneath her as she goes. “ Pumbalkki , or ‘stepping-on-triangles’, is the name of the footwork used in competition, and it’s basically a triangular shape that makes the movements look more like a dance.”

She moves as she speaks, and the footage zooms in to show the steps, the words: 품밟기 ( pumbalkki) popping up as well, before cutting back to full screen.

“We use high, medium, and low kicks in taekkyeon . The goal is not force, but rather technique, and points are given based on throws, pushing the opponent out of the ring, or by kicking to the head.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Lance points out, edging back on the mat, but Acxa waves him off.

“The kicks aren’t meant to be damaging,” she explains, “but are used to knock the opponent back. In competition sometimes the winners are decided after one person falls three times, so the goal is to knock the other off their feet.”

“Acxa was always good at that part,” Keith comments, and she glances over with a knowing smile.

“Flattery won’t get you out of our little competition Akira,” and he sags beside Lance. “But you’re right, my kicks are something to fear.”

She moves then - quick but calculated - kicking upward at an invisible opponent. Her leg is a dart, moving back downwards with a snap as her knees bend and she shifts forward, one hand hitting the mat as her entire body flips up and over. Both legs kick out at the same spot and land soundlessly back on the ground, and when she rises again she exhales smoothly with a grin.

Lance and Keith can be seen in the mirror: one looking thoroughly impressed, the other as if he’d just witnessed his own death. Acxa motions for them to stand.

“The first move I’ll show you is one of the basics that we’ll build up on as we go. It starts with both feet at shoulder width apart, like this-” she demonstrates the position, which Keith and Lance mimic. “Now bend your left knee and kick your right leg out, touching the ground in front at a slight angle before bringing it back. Shift the weight to your right leg and repeat the process on that side: left leg kicking out to touch the ground before bringing it back.” She shows what it should look like, the movements fluid and bouncy, and both boys follow with relative ease.

“Okay, next-” and on it goes, with Acxa showing movement after movement until eventually they’re kicking with each forward lunge, bodies swaying and arms in sync with every motion. By the end of it Lance is sweating slightly, and Keith’s earlier apprehension is gone.

“It’s all coming back to me now,” he admits to the camera as they take a brief break, water bottle in hand as Acxa ducks from the room for a moment. “Just like riding a bike.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lance pants, laying down on the mat with a groan. “She makes it look so easy! So graceful and pretty.”

“What about me?” Keith prods, tapping Lance’s foot with his own. His boyfriend glances over with a wink.

“Everything you do is graceful and pretty.” Keith - who had been in the process of drinking - chokes at the compliment, spitting water all down his front as he coughs. Lance lifts up on his elbows and laughs. “Well, most of the time.”

Acxa returns then, and lifts a brow as she sees the wet mark on Keith’s front.

“Why are you so sweaty?”

“It’s water!” he shoots back, and she rolls her eyes.

“Whatever you say.” She crosses the mat and snatches the water bottle from Keith’s hands, who frowns as his hands clasp around air. “Next comes the fun part.”

“I wasn’t done with that,” he attempts, but trails off when Acxa blatantly ignores him, taking the bottle and setting it up on a large foam block she’d placed in the middle of the room. She motions for them to step back, and then kicks the side of the block, sending the half-empty water bottle into the air. Without pause she spins, jumping up on one leg and sending the other up and outwards, where it connects with the still airborne bottle and sends it flying across the room. She completes the move with a twirl and bows playfully to the camera.

Lance’s mouth is open as he stares unblinkingly, but Keith tsks and shakes his head.

“That’s not even taekkyeon. ”

She shrugs, unbothered.

“No, not really, but it’s how I started teaching my students to aim. Plus it’s fun as hell.”

“I wanna try!” Lance cheers, running to gather up the water bottle and replace it on the block. He mimics the starting stance Acxa had used, and stares over at her. “How do I do it!”

She laughs and gently shoves him out of the way, showing him where to kick and aim.

“The trick is the timing,” she explains, and then kicks the block to send the bottle upwards. This time her feet remain planted as her torso juts forward: right arm striking to collide with the bottle and send it across the room with a punch.

Lance gasps and applauds while Keith steps into frame with a disapproving grimace.

“Your form was off in that one,” he criticizes, placing a different bottle on the block and lining up. “And it looked lame.”

He kicks the side, sending the target up, and lands back on his feet. Rather than the same leg kicking back up as Acxa had shown before, Keith shifts his weight so the other strikes, twisting his hips and smashing his foot into the bottle with a satisfying crunch. It lands a good distance away, and Lance bites his lower lip as he meets Keith’s eyes.

“See?”

“Talk about bad footwork,” Acxa chastises, and a competition breaks out between them, seeing who can perform the coolest move that sends the water bottle flying. Lance stands back beside the camera, making comments here and there as the movements grow more complex.

Acxa will spin in the air and kick out with expert precision. Keith will use his hands for balance as his legs soar over his head weightlessly. It’s a ferocious dance between two dragons: trained in the art of showing off, but the competition shifts when Keith punches the bottle away before Acxa can hit it, causing her to spin off balance and turn his way with a snarl. She sinks low in a ready stance, pushing the block aside.

“I think we’re ready to fight now,” she announces loudly. Keith mimics her and bends his knees, swaying back and forth as the two begin to step in a wide circle.

“What’s the winner get?” he asks, feet bouncing as the weight shifts between each leg, the movements looking identical to the ones Acxa had shown them earlier. It’s taekkyeon in motion, and Lance grabs the camera to zoom in on some of the footwork.

“If you win I’ll let you hold the Skyward Sword.”

Keith shakes his head with a grin, dodging a kick that Acxa sends his way.

“Not good enough. How about if I win I get to keep the Skyward Sword.” He lunges forward, sinking low as one leg attempts to sweep Acxa off her feet. She jumps back gracefully, and clicks her tongue.

“Nice try, but you’ll have to be faster than that.” She moves abruptly, and Lance is just quick enough to catch her feigning a kick that Keith dodges, using her other leg to hook behind his knees and lift him off balance. He falls, and she jumps back with a hoot. “Fall number one Akira! First to three loses, but I’ll agree to your terms. If you win, I’ll let you use the sword for the rest of your videos. But if I win…” and she beams wickedly, glancing over at where Lance holds the camera. “I’ll show Lance evidence of your bowl cut phase.”

“Your what?!” Lance exclaims at the same time Keith growls a menacing “you wouldn’t...” and Acxa chooses to answer the latter.

“Oh, I would little Ra-Ra. And you know it.” The look on Keith’s face tells the viewers she’s right, and Lance moves so he can better witness the fight that’s about to go down.

“Sorry babe,” he calls out once ready. “But I think I’ll be cheering for Acxa.”

“Traitor!” Keith whines, but his attention never leaves his cousin.

“I just really wanna see the hair journey you took, you know? And I’m sure our viewers do too.”

“I was five!”

“You were eleven, don’t lie,” Acxa shoots back, and Keith attacks. He bends and shifts like a river: fluid and flexible and powerful when he strikes. The air whistles as he kicks out, but Acxa swats it away with a hand, transferring the weight to her other foot as she dodges. Without pause she lowers and juts her leg out to catch Keith’s feet, but he tilts backward and flips twice, moving out of her range with a grunt.

“What you lacked in finesse you made up for in energy,” Acxa exhales, eyes as wild as her hair. “But you’re out of practice.”

She moves forward in a cartwheel: legs joining together at the top of the arc as her arms push her upwards. She lands and sinks in one smooth motion, using her hands for balance as she kicks at Keith’s shins.

He jumps up swiftly and takes advantage of Acxa’s position to kick out, and just when it looks like he’ll connect he pulls back, landing in a ready stance as she gapes up at him.

“Not as rusty as you think,” he teases, and she chuckles as she stands.

“One-one then.”

“Anyone else having a bisexual panic attack right now?” Lance can be heard whispering to the camera as Keith and Acxa begin to circle each other again. “Or is it just me?”

The lack of action is short-lived, and Keith strikes again with the same kick he’d used on the water bottle: changing legs mid-movement to confuse his opponent, but Acxa doesn’t fall for it. She shifts around him and grabs his shoulders as he lands, using the momentum from his jump to flip him over and down to the mat.

“Two-one,” she giggles, and he snarls and tries again. This time he windmill kicks, hands helping him balance as one leg shoots up at Acxa and misses, landing back on the mat so the other can do the same motion. She’s not quick enough the second time around, and though she manages to absorb most of the force with her arm, she’s pushed off balance and stumbles off the mat. Keith rises and points accusingly.

“You’re out of the ring!”

“This doesn’t count as a ring,” she tries, but he titters and cuts her off, shaking his finger as he moves over to where she’d stepped off. “It counts. Two-two.”

“Ugh, fine,” she huffs, wiping sweat from her brow as they reset once again. There’s a moment of silence as they step cautiously around one another, in which only their breathing can be heard echoing around the room, but it breaks as Acxa shouts and leaps forward.

Her kicks are swift, and though Keith manages to either dodge or avoid them, he’s given no window to attack himself. All he can do is defend as Acxa twists and turns in the air, landing on one foot only to jump to the other. It looks exhausting, but she shows no signs of slowing, and each kick brings Keith closer to the edge of the mat.

He must sense this as well, and changes his tactics as she sends another leg towards his head. Instead of ducking to avoid it, he leans forward and shifts so Acxa’s foot connects with his shoulder, and in her brief surprise, he charges forward, knocking her off balance.

It looks like the fight will end then and there, but somehow Acxa tilts backward: stretching out her arms to carry her weight over the mat as she pushes off Keith and flips. It’s an amazing move, but Lance can hardly comment as Keith continues his charge. He twists as he gets closer, kicking up and twirling mid-air, and just like that their positions change. Suddenly it’s Acxa on the defensive, with Keith gaining ground as she struggles to find a way through his attacks.

Lance moves around the mats as they push into a corner, trying to get the best angle as the two fight. He doesn’t say anything, as the grunts and pants and shouts of Keith and Acxa don’t allow for much commentary, but every now and again a small gasp of worry or shock can be heard behind the camera.

And still, they fight. Acxa is hastily running out of mat, and Lance catches it all on camera as Keith grins and dips, attempting to sweep her off her feet as the finishing blow. But she jumps in time and rolls forward, rising up in sync with Keith and twisting to avoid his arms. She’s directly behind him now, and Lance captures the exact moment Keith realizes he’s screwed. Acxa’s hands reach around to grab his waist, and she smirks knowingly.

“Sorry cousin,” she simpers, and bends backward, using their combined momentum to send him flying across the mats. Keith yelps as he’s tossed, hands reaching out to soften his fall, but as he catches himself and rolls over Acxa is already there: leg inches from his face and hovering motionless by his temple. They stay like that for a long moment, and then finally Acxa pulls back.

“Three-two. I win.”

Keith’s shoulders sag as he exhales heavily, sitting back on his rear and pushing the hair from his face.

“I don’t think that last move was legal,” he comments raggedly, and Acxa shrugs, not bothering to deny it.

Lance moves forward as well, now that the fear of being hit is gone, and shoves the camera in Keith’s face.

“That was freaking glorious to watch,” he confesses, and Keith’s ears darken as he averts his gaze. The view tilts over to Acxa, who waves and drinks from one of the water bottles she’d been kicking not too long ago. “But we have a winner! Which means-”

“Nooo,” Keith whines, sprawling out on the mats in defeat, but Lance and Acxa ignore him to speak in harmony.

“Bowl cut photos!”

A single image pops up on screen, showing Keith at age eleven holding an oversized backpack and smiling forcibly at the camera. There’s a Hello Kitty bandaid on his cheek, and his shirt is buttoned up incorrectly, but the best part of all is the hair. It’s jet black, perfectly smooth, and cut with expert precision to fall just above his ears in a straight line around his head. A perfect bowl cut.

It’s spectacular, and Lance animates several hearts to appear over the picture before the scene changes.

They’re standing with Acxa again, who hasn’t stopped bragging since winning against Keith.

“Well, there you have it,” Lance says, wrapping his arm around Keith’s shoulders when the boy refuses to look at the camera. “A genuine taekkyeon fight.”

“I still think don’t think that was legal,” Keith mumbles to himself, and Acxa ruffles his hair affectionately.

“Who cares,” she sings. “It’s not like Link runs around kicking people anyway. He mostly just rolls and grunts.”

“And swordfights,” Lance adds, nudging Keith and pointing at the small smile that flickers on his lips. “Ahhh there it is! I knew you’d be excited!”

Keith sighs and relents, lifting his head to stare at the camera with a sheepish expression.

“Okay, yeah. I was always better at haedong-geomdo anyway.”

“Can’t deny that,” Acxa admits, walking over to the door in the back of the room. “That’ll be halabeoji’s job though. I’m gonna take a shower and eat something. See you guys later!” She waves and exits, and Keith’s stomach growls audibly as the door slowly closes.

Lance snorts.

“You wanna eat too?” He lifts his leg to kick Keith’s butt, but Keith grabs it with his hand and lifts, rendering Lance unbalanced as he jumps in place and pouts. “Hey, no fair-AH!”

He yelps as Keith grins and scoots forward, hoisting Lance’s leg up and over his shoulder, before turning so they land on the mat: Keith hovering above Lance and holding both arms over his head with a hand. He leans down and smirks.

“Yeah, I could eat,” he teases, kissing Lance on the neck with a growl. Lance squeals and wiggles, but he’s thoroughly trapped in Keith’s hold.

“Keith,” he giggles as he relents, “the camera!”

“Hmm?” Keith lifts his head and glances over at where they’re still being filmed, and then grins smugly. “Sorry guys, show’s over,” he announces loudly as one leg juts out and sweeps the tripod off balance, sending the camera flying. The screen goes black, and the end credits roll.

A clip of Lance and Keith sitting at a low table is shown before the video ends, a large selection of food dishes laid out before them.

A separate viewing box appears in the corner of the screen and pans over the plates, giving a closer view of each item.

“We’re now about to enjoy a traditional Korean meal,” Lance gestures at the display with a pair of chopsticks while Keith stares at each in dismay. “Keith, do you wanna tell me what these dishes are?”

“Umm…” the panic is evident in Keith’s voice as he shoves the hair from his face, leaning over the table to examine the plates better. “Yeeesss…”

“You seem hesitant,” Lance observes with a sly smile, pointing to a large bowl filled with vegetables in a thick, red paste. “Do you know what this is?”

“I mean, I’ve seen it before...”

“Seriously?”

“It’s been a while!” Keith whines, and in the corner the name of the dish - 찌개 (jjigae) - appears so the viewers are at least informed.

“How about this,” Lance points to another bowl containing an entire chicken sitting in broth. Keith frowns down at it in thought, and right as he opens his mouth to speak Lance cuts in. “Don’t you dare just say ‘chicken’.”

Keith’s mouth shuts, and he moves on to the next dish as the words 삼계탕 (samgye-tang) flash on the screen. The next dish is a skillet with chopped carrots, sweet potato, cabbage and sliced chicken breast. It looks like stir-fry, but once again Keith pauses to think.

“Uh…” And suddenly he brightens, leaning back proudly as he evidently recalls the name.

“This one is bibimbap ,” he states, and Lance nods approvingly. However, a note appears on screen as the two smile at one another: Keith was wrong. This is actually 닭갈비 (dak-galbi). Acxa told us later and he was teased accordingly.

“And this?” Lance continues on, oblivious to the mistake at the time of filming. Keith tilts his head as his eyes narrow, focusing on the dish and making a small noise of uncertainty in the back of his throat.

“This looks like rice,” he concludes, which is an understatement given the plate includes much more than just that, and Lance laughs as he shakes his head.

“Oh my god. ”  

“I just eat it!” Keith fires back, defensive. “Look, these are Korean pancakes-” he points to a few flattened spheres and the words 파전 (pajeon) appear on screen, “-which are made of whatever my mom puts in them.”

Lance snorts, nearly falling over as he chortles.

“And this is like, potato salad I’m pretty sure-”

“You’re the worst!” Lance jests with a chuckle, patting Keith’s head as he wipes a fake tear from his eye.

“I don’t know!” Keith retorts, grumpy now as he picks up a small bowl and fills it will with the first dish shown. He sits back with a huff, bringing a spoonful of the stew to his lips. “Just eat it and be happy. And be nice to me - your princess . I’m still upset about losing.”

Lance can only wave at the camera as he giggles uncontrollably, and the video ends.