"Alright Paladins, now remember, this is only a quick stop. Shiro and I will be heading to the main district to meet with a representative and you all are free to roam on this planet but be sure to make it back to the castle by sundown. Eyes on the sky," Allura smiled at the collection of warriors before her, clapping her hands together.
Coran opened the hatch they were all in front of and they were immediately hit with a familiar sound.
"Is that...rain?" Pidge asked, immediately abandoning the discussion they were having with Keith just quiet enough for Allura to not hear. That's what they had Lance and his loud voice for, after all.
"Indeed it is, Pidge! This planet experiences precipitation often due to its large variety of lakes and groundwater!" Coran supplied, his smile bright and happy.
Pidge and Hunk exchanged glances before leaning around Coran to see a rather gray landscape being pelted with heavy raindrops. With one more look at one another, they bolted. Their laughter could be heard through the cutting sound of water bombarding the wet stones they ran across, splashing through puddles and kicking up water as they went.
Keith chuckled after them, joining Coran by the doors. "Let's just hope they don't insult anyone by acting like total idiots." He mumbled, earning a huff of laughter.
"They're not the ones I'm worried about," he said with a glint in his eye and a smile in his voice.
The Red Pilot felt his lips twitch up and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, where is that dumbass anyway?"
"He's around somewhere- Shiro was lecturing him about something he and Pidge were cooking up or whatnot."
"Why is Pidge free to run around, then?" He asked, brows furrowing but unable to hide his amusement at that.
"I assume it's because they seem to talk their way out of just about everything," the ginger man joked as he chuckled, patting Keith on the shoulder as he turned to head back into the castle. "Well! I'll be tending to the ship if you need me, but I suggest you make the most of a break like this, Keith. Please, enjoy yourself."
Keith nodded, hefting his bag over his shoulder and stepping out into the rain. He lifted his jacket above his head and sprinted for it. Although he tried to suppress it, he ultimately couldn't stop the smile from lighting up on his face.
It had been so long since he'd run through the rain like this. Between living in the desert, attending the Garrison, and studying for all the entrance tests in Phoenix, he hadn't seen rain like this in years. It made his heart race and his whole body thrum with excitement, an almost giddy smile painting his lips.
When he finally cleared the gray, stone landscape and broke into the edge of a forest, he paused in his retreat and stood still, breath coming in fast, his chest burning with a familiar, long desired feeling. The trees blocked a majority of the rain so he took the time to slow down, his breathing evening out.
He inhaled deeply through his nose, the scent dense and earthy. His lips fluttered up into a smile and he let the fresh air fill his still burning lungs. The wet scent of dirt and pine filled his every sense and he opened his eyes to watch water drip off of familiar looking needles that were just ever so slightly bluer than he was used to.
Continuing walking, he ran his fingers through the wet needles of the trees and listened to the mud, purply and thick, squelch between the tracks of his shoes. Rather quickly, he found himself pushing into a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees, where the rain pelted especially hard. Off to the side, there was a large rocky outcropping with a huge overhang. The perfect place to watch the rain without getting soaked.
Jogging over to it, Keith ducked underneath and plopped unceremoniously with a huge sigh and rested his head against the smooth stone. For the first time in a long time, he felt...at ease. Not feeling persecuted, or like he had to solve something or prove himself. He always felt like this in nature, in the quiet. Like there was no one to impress, no reason to push himself beyond his limits or forget his pains. There was just the quiet. He liked it most out there, it was quiet.
It wasn't like the ship lacked quiet moments, on the contrary. With such an enormous vessel carrying them, he spent a lot of time in the quiet. The problem with that was it wasn't quiet, it was silent. Altean technology, although being extremely impressive, made no noise whatsoever. That made time alone on the ship not relaxing or peaceful, but unsettling.
The quiet of nature, or open spaces and soft noises, now that was perfect to Keith. The whispering of wind, the pattering of rain, the soft croaking of some...space...thing. It was soothing. He felt at peace with his mind like this, at peace with himself and who he was. There was no judgment in the quiet. Just how he liked it most.
He didn't know how long he sat there really, just listening to the rain hit the outcropping and drip off, splattering on the stone below. His eyes were propped open lazily, scanning the landscape as he watched the suns sparkle in the sky high above. There weren't any distractions here, nothing to draw his attention. He could just-
Something broke his concentration and he found his eyes snapping to movement at the edge of the clearing, hand instantly going to the knife on his belt. But he found he recognized the figure standing at the edge of the forest. Lance.
The lanky boy was already mostly soaked, missing his signature jacket, and walking at a slow, leisurely pace. Keith had to hold back a groan. Well, there goes his quiet and safe space. But something was wrong. It seemed like Lance hadn't noticed him yet, eyes trained on the skyline.
Keith was sure that Lance would be acting much like Pidge and Hunk, just waiting for him to start running around the clearing, smashing his feet into puddles to see how high he could make the water splash up. Hell, he'd probably try to irk him into a contest to see who could splash more or some shit like that.
More than anything, though, he'd been expecting Lance to be smiling. He expected that bright, beaming grin of joy he'd shown a number of times. He'd been expecting to hear Lance's boisterous laugh echoing through the forest, bouncing off the rocks and ringing just as loudly as he himself laughed.
But there was no smile. There was no loud, beautiful laughter. Lance's face was straight, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes soft and unfocused. Keith watched, transfixed, as he walked to the center of the clearing and held his arms out in front of him, rotating them and watching the drops of rain land on his tanned skin and roll off. He moved in slow circles, letting the rain dance across his body.
And then he threw his head back and looked straight up at the sky. Drops of rain splattered across his face and into his mouth and his lips finally did pull upward. Only it wasn't his usual annoying smirk. This smile was soft, gentle, and graceful. Keith had never seen Lance smile like that. Oh hell.
He could feel his heart rate spike again, watching him. It was like he couldn't tear his eyes away. The rain traced the lines of his jaw, his neck, his collarbone, leaving trails of tiny rivers. They disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt, soaking into the fabric which clung to his body like a second skin.
Lance brought his hands upward, pushing them through the hair that was slowly plastering itself to his head and pulling his head backward even more. He gave a little sigh of pleasure as he did that, throat fully exposed, lined with tiny streams of water.
Keith's breath hitched and he shifted uncomfortably in his hovel, what was now serving as a hiding place. He couldn't look away even if he wanted to. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was he didn't want to.
He didn't want to wrench his eyes away from the sight of Lance. The rain on his skin, in his hair, dripping off of his chin and fingertips. The way he could see his shoulder blades, his abdomen, fuck, even his legs perfectly. He might as well have not been wearing clothes they clung so tightly to him.
He had no idea how long Lance stood out there in the rain, feeling every drop trace its way across his skin. He had no idea how long he watched Lance, stared at him really. Mesmerized by every part of him. The first thing to snap him out of it was his own shivering.
Honestly, he wasn't even all that wet. His jacket was a little damp, but beyond that he was dry. He even had two shirts on. If he was cold, he couldn't even imagine how freezing Lance must have been, soaked to the bone like that.
Compelled by feelings he didn't care to label, he made his way out of his hiding place and started shrugging off his jacket, raindrops digging into his skin like tiny knives. When he reached Lance, whose back was to him, he tossed the jacket onto his head, hoping to at least get some startle out of the the Cuban.
Unfortunately, the sudden shield from the rain didn't exactly startle Lance. He simply turned, mostly in a daze, his unfocused and hazy eyes landing on Keith slowly. His mouth was still turned up in the echo of a smile, but he just looked so...out of it.
"Oh...hey, Keith," he said, the slowest and most nonchalantly he'd ever heard the taller boy speak. Usually, if Keith snuck up on him, he wouldn't hear the end of it for an extremely loud and obnoxious ten minutes. And Keith was certain Lance had never said his name like that. So unhurried and languid, almost lethargic.
"You're soaking wet, dumbass. Aren't you freezing?" Keith asked, feeling the chill of the rain start to dig into his skin.
Lance looked up at the jacket covering his head and pulled it to better shield him. He blinked a few times, the focus finally coming back into his gaze, sharpness returning bit by bit. "Oh, uh...yeah, I guess I am," he mumbled, feeling for the first time since stepping out of the ship just how cold it was on that planet. A shiver ran down his spine and he hunched over a bit more, teeth chattering together.
"Yeah, no kidding. C'mon, let's get back to the ship so you can dry off," Keith reached out and grabbed Lance's arm, pulling him forward. For two steps, Lance followed willingly before the last of his daze seemed to wear off and he stopped.
"W-wait, Keith," he called a bit louder when the dark haired boy didn't stop moving. Keith's hand slid down Lance's arm as he drew further away and to stop him, Lance grabbed onto his hand and held tight.
Keith whipped around at the contact, a heat flaring up his neck as he opened his mouth to balk at the gesture, but Lance beat him to talking.
"I- I don't want to go back to the ship yet." He tried to sound firm, his expression hardening as he spoke.
The Red Paladin didn't much like that. He wanted to see Lance's face go all soft again, all curves and smooth edges. So he did stop. And he tried to get the blue pilot to open up a little more. "No? Why not? I know we still have a ways till sundown, but you're soaked-"
"I know, I know I am. It's just…" Lance lowered his arm but didn't release the tight grip he had on Keith's hand, managing to, therefore, pull him closer in the process. "I'm not ready to leave the rain yet." He spoke much softer this time, eyes downcast and moved away from the other boy.
Keith froze on the spot, his heart hammering in his chest. He hoped to any god he could think of that Lance didn't hear it, that he didn't feel the light tremor in his hand or the sweat slowly building under his gloves. Swallowing, he tried to fight all the feelings surfacing in his chest, seeing Lance so vulnerable, his jacket, Keith's jacket, draped over his head almost possessively. The words came out before he could stop them.
"Yeah, okay, dipshit. I'm at least getting you out of the rain, though. You'll get sick if you keep standing out in the open." He mumbled, turning back the way he'd came toward the outcropping. He didn't let go of Lance's hand.
"You know that's a myth, right? The cold doesn't actually make you sick," Lance replied with a huff, letting Keith lead him with no hesitation on his part, no idea where they were going. He didn't let go of Keith's hand.
"It doesn't?" Keith asked, turning to face his teammate. And oh was that a mistake. Lance's expression was soft like he'd wanted, unguarded and open, but it was...also something else. What was it?
"Nah, just makes it easier for other things to make you sick. But trust me, Lance McClain doesn't get sick," he smiled proudly, eyes glimmering in the dim, foggy light.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I bet you you'll get sick before I do, McClain," the darker haired boy goaded, still trying to place that expression. Sweet? No, too sappy for that asshole. Caring? No, that didn't make sense.
"Yeah, mullet? I'll have you know, I haven't gotten sick since I was eight, and that's only because I went to the sleep over where the whole family had swine flu and didn't tell anyone," Lance shook his head, eyes crinkling at the edges just slightly.
"Since you were eight?" Keith balked, incredulous, but Lance just laughed at that. It wasn't as annoying as usual. It was more genuine, full-bodied, and just so human and real. It sent hot blood rushing through Keith's entire body, despite how freezing he was slowly becoming. And then Lance was looking at him again, a warmth in his eyes and his face and suddenly he knew what that look was called. Fondness. Affection. But...it was aimed at Keith?
They'd reached the outcropping but the conversation had ended abruptly and Keith was slowly becoming more and more unable to process what was happening. His own feelings were slowly exploding in his chest and watching Lance only made him more confused. So he finally let go of Lance's hand and ducked under the rock to settle on the ground again, water dripping from his nose.
Lance joined him moments later, now shivering pretty badly and teeth audibly chattering. But he was still smiling as he looked out at the falling rain. Keith took one look at him and did something he would deny for the rest of his life.
His numb fingers curled around the hem of his over shirt and he started peeling it off, shrugging it over his shoulders in one sharp jerk. He could instantly feel Lance's eyes on him like they were burning deep into his skin.
"W-what...what are you doing?!" He all but screeched, scuttling away with wide eyes and an unhinged jaw.
"Calm down," Keith grunted, balling up his shirt. "You need to get dry. It's not a towel or anything, but at least it's only a little damp."
Lance looked between Keith and his shirt balled up in his hands as his brain desperately tried to wrap itself around whatever was coming out of Keith's mouth. His face was too hot. His skin was crawling. His stomach was bursting with a squirming, fluttering sensation he wanted to stay forever and leave immediately.
He didn't realize he'd spaced out until Keith's knees were on either side of his and his face was covered by a dark gray shirt that smelled like rain and Keith. He could feel the pilot's finger's press into his skull as he rubbed the rain out of his soaking wet hair. He was utterly surrounded by the scent of Keith, like the smell of leftover smoke from curls of flame and the slightest hint of cinnamon.
Keith pushed the towel up, bringing it behind Lance's head to dry off his neck and made the mistake of meeting Lance's eyes. They were so blue they were nearly blinding. Glowing. They were focused solely on him and nothing else, not even the rain in the distance. Keith sucked a breath in and ceased all movement, completely stuck staring into those mesmerizing eyes, eyes that were blazing despite their cool color, like flickering blue flames.
And then Lance's hands were pressed into his thin, lithe waist, skin freezing but somehow only managing to heighten the already growing high Keith was experiencing. The Blue Paladin saw that immediately and pulled the dark haired boy down in one sharp motion.
Keith collapsed onto Lance's lap, his calves on the outside of Lance's thighs, their chests pressed together. They hadn't broken eye contact for a moment, gazes blazing as they panted, breathing one another's air. And then the already tiny distance between their lips closed entirely.
Lance's lips, like his hands, were freezing. But Keith's weren't. The contact was just a brush of their lips at first, nothing more than a whisper of pressure, but that didn't make it chaste or innocent, oh no. Like the rest of Keith's personality, this touch of his lips was fiery, passionate, and his lips were so hot it felt like they were burning Lance's.
It was the kind of contact he usually deemed as dangerous, but the only warning bells going off in his head weren't for him to pull away from this kiss, but to watch where his hands were going as they dangerously neared the Red Paladin's thighs. He didn't listen to those warnings as his numb hands landed on soft, searingly warm skin covered only in a thin layer of black jean.
Keith jerked under the sudden contact, but instead of pulling away he only melted closer. He used the towel around Lance's neck to yank him closer, lips abandoning Lance's to attack his throat. There were still thin trails of water drying there and he licked them up, tongue trailing the dips and curves of his skin, savoring the feeling of Lance absolutely shuddering under the sensations.
His throat vibrated under Keith's tongue as he finally took in a big enough breath to make a sound, a slow, long moan slipping between his lips. Keith twitched, the last of his inhibitions melting away as the sound echoed across the rockface, heating his entire body and triggering him to speak without meaning to.
He moaned Lance's name, low and sensual, the word barely becoming more than a growl. His teeth sunk into the sensitive skin below Lance's ear and the boy beneath him writhed, his breath coming only in gasps and pants. Keith's arms raised and placed themselves on either side of the Blue Paladin's head, giving him even more access to Lance as he arched his back and exposed more of his throat.
A chill shot up Keith's spine despite the intense heat that was building between the two of them when he heard his own name slip from between Lance's lips, husky and deep, completely unlike Lance's usual voice. His hands, as well, had found their way up Keith's thighs and under his remaining shirt, nails scraping at the skin of his back. Those hands had been freezing not two minutes earlier, but now it was almost like his nails left trails of fire everywhere they scratched. Keith didn't want it to stop for anything.
By now, the moisture of Lance's soaked clothing had made it all the way through Keith's shirt and his jeans, but he barely noticed between the scratching of Lance's nails and the tiny, mewling noises he was making low and deep in his throat. His thoughts rolled muddily through his head, tossing and turning over one another, barely visible in the haze that was the high of Lance McClain.
The only thought to finally manage to break through that fog was how much more distinctly...dark it was. Keith moved his lips across Lance's jaw, moaning against his skin as Lance's fingers dug a little more violently into his back and his hips lurched upward. And then Keith was straight on kissing him again, tongue running along his lower lip with an almost fervent passion.
Lance complied almost immediately, parting his lips and growling as another tongue wrapped around his, tangling with it and holding it in place as it was roughly sucked. Keith pulled his tongue back after another series of Lance's vocal pleasure that sent searing heat plummeting below his stomach and pressed their lips together over and over again. At first, it was just as needy and fiery, but his control finally started to return and they became more controlled and languid.
With a sigh, he pulled away and watched Lance's heavy eyelids flutter open to reveal two very hazy blue orbs. He had to swallow to keep himself from groaning at the sight before him: Lance with half lidded eyes, his mouth open as his swollen, dark red lips remained parted and coated with his saliva. His whole face was flushed and there were fading red marks all along his neck and jaw. It was...perfect.
"I- it's...uh...getting p-pretty dark…" He rasped, his voice thick and hoarse. Lance blinked slowly at him twice before recognition sparked and he gave a numb nod. Keith didn't move for a moment, surprising himself despite what had just happened. He didn't want to get off of Lance's lap.
The Cuban saw this immediately but knew they had to get back to the ship or risk Allura's wrath. Besides, trapped in a giant, floating space vessel made it rather simple to pick up where they left off, anyway. He wasn't worried. "Hey," he said gently, placing one hand on Keith's cheek and the other on his waist. "We'll talk about this later, yeah? Don't worry, I'll remember this one," he assured with a cocky grin and a gentle amount of pressure at Keith's waist.
The Red Paladin stared dumbly for a second before nodding and shifting himself off of the other boy. There was a faint resemblance of a smile on his lips, but he blamed that on the fact that they were still tingling from the sensation of Lance's eager kisses.
"Here, mullet-for-brains," Lance said with another smirk as he stood. "Your...ahem, 'towel'." Keith turned to see him holding his long forgotten shirt which had stayed wrapped around Lance's neck while they were...distracted.
"Thanks," Keith mumbled as he reached out for it, not even caring that it was still wet from Lance's hair. The entire front of his shirt was soaked from being pressed against Lance's anyway. Before Lance could fully let go, however, he grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, their noses almost touching. "And once you get showered and changed, there's a room two doors down from the training hall. It's not big, but I keep some equipment there. Room's soundproof. Meet me there." And before Lance could say anything, Keith had already silenced him with a much more chaste, but lengthy kiss and then pulled away. He scooped his bag off the ground and swung it over his shoulder, ducking under the overhang.
Lance followed a second later, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. With a glance backward, Keith noticed that the Cuban's tanned skin seemed significantly darker, a deep, deep flush covering his cheeks and neck. The sight did little to simply give Keith satisfaction like he thought it may, and instead it only caused him to mirror the color in his own face as realization of his own words sunk in.
He quickly whipped back around and moved a little faster to where they'd parked the castle. Lance, of course, kept perfect pace with him as they fast-walked through the pouring rain and sloshed through the muddy water at their feet.
They were, predictably, the last to reach the castle and by far the wettest. Thankfully, however, neither was particularly red and the marks on Lance's skin had long since dissipated.
"There you two are!" Allura scolded, "I was beginning to worry!"
"No need to worry, Princess," Lance said with a grin. "Keithy boy here took care of me, didn't cha?" He threw an arm around Keith's shoulders and shot him a knowing look.
Keith's brows lowered and he crossed his arms, something occurring to him as he looked into sparkling blue eyes. Something mischievous. Pidge would be proud if they were there. "Oh, I don't know about that, Lance...don't seem to recall taking care of you in any way besides hauling your sorry ass back here."
Lance froze on the spot and Keith easily slipped out from under his floating arm. "W- wha?! Keith? My buddy, you're kidding, right?"
Keith glanced back, lips curled into a vicious smirk. "Kidding? Certainly not, Lance."
"B-but!" He sputtered and Keith turned back around to walk past Shiro and Allura. "But Keith! We bonded! We had a bonding moment! You sheltered me from the rain!" He insisted to a turned back.
"Don't remember, didn't happen!" Keith called back, waving a hand.
Lance stared, absolutely unbelieving, and then that mullet-headed bastard had the gall to turn back for just a second to fucking wink at him. That...that asshole…! Where did he get off being so...so...cute. Lance probably broke his lifetime record of getting cleaned up in order to make it to that little soundproof room.
A/N: Congrats on finishing! If you're interested, this is a thing. It's called my blog. If you'd like to call it a blog, that is. To get there, we're going to use a really roundabout way because FFN is picky af. So here you go.
Everything I bold, underline AND italicize should be copy-pasted into the url bar!
To reach my blog, you're first going to type: isassifras
Next, you're going to hit the period symbol, .
As the first step, you'll want to type good ol' tumblr
And then end with a satisfying: .com
And lookie! You've made it! Now you can bug me to actually write more! Hoorah for you!
End of A/N