Warning: There be some grinding in this chapter! Watch out! XD
Keith must have passed out because the next thing he knew he was waking up in the bed the following morning.
He was dressed in pajamas and the sheets had thankfully all been removed, leaving just the mattress. Lance was asleep in a chair to his right, his position uncomfortable- squished within the chair, his arms used as his pillow, and undoubtedly going to make him sore when he awoke.
"Lance…?" It was a battle just to get his body to roll over and extend his arm, "Lance," He tries again, barely managing to graze his fingers to the Blue paladin's knee.
That was a mistake.
With a hiss, he retracted his fingers, caught off guard at the burning sensation. For a moment, when he touched Lance, it felt like his fingers were set ablaze, shooting up his arm in shivers, making it tremble.
"What the-" staring at his fingers, puzzled, he froze when Lance made a noise.
He stirred awake, realization hitting him fast when he opened his eyes, "Keith!" he leaped upward, "You're awake!"
He nods weakly, frozen speechless at the sudden confrontation. Honestly, what could he say? Do they talk about last night? It was obvious what happened so...
"Sorry I uh- you fell asleep in the bath," Lance tells him nervously, "I didn't want to just take you out without actually washing so uh- I washed you. I didn't touch anything longer than I had to, I swear!" he says quickly.
Keith flushed and tore his gaze away, "… Whatever," he plays it off, but it was actually very comforting to find that his body smelled like soap instead of that heavy musk from last night.
"Here," Lance handed him some water. Taking it without looking him in the eyes, Keith takes small sips, "How is your body? I mean- are you in pain?"
"I'm fine," Keith wants to avoid the conversation as much as possible.
"You went through a lot last night so I'm not surprised," Lance admits, seating himself on the edge of the bed. He gives a forced laugh then trails it off to say, "Tellru and Dravla are coming over soon to check on you."
"Okay." Keith nods, swinging his legs over he edge of the bed. When he attempted to stand his knees buckled and he collapsed. Lance barely managed to catch his upper body before it smacked against the floor.
"Keith?" he gasped.
His lips by his ear, his arms around his sides- all these things made something stir inside Keith. It frightened him, making his blood boil.
Ripping out of Lance's arms in a panic he lands back on the bed, gasping for air.
"Don't-!" chills are running up Keith's spine and he isn't sure why "Don't touch me…" the butterflies in his stomach aren't helping the situation. He can't breath. Something is wrong. He wants… what, exactly? He doesn't even know.
He just wants.
Lance is staring at him with a pale face. Stepping back, he inhales a few times. Then, somehow, he smiles, "Okay." He tells him, "I won't, don't worry. Just rest… okay?"
Keith can't even manage to nod and just turns his head to look away from Lance. What was wrong with him? Was it the drug? That was supposed to be out of his system by now, so what was this?
The rest of the day, Keith was put to bed rest. Tellru said she would stop by but since the drug had such a big effect on Keith's body, taking away his strength, they let him rest as much as possible.
Keith could barely even hold is arms up for longer than a few seconds, meaning Lance had to be the one to take care of him. He made Keith food, helped him change.
They hardly talked
"Say aah," Lance instructs, holding the spoon out after warming up Keith some soup that Tellru previously made.
A chill runs down Keith's spine, and he looks away. Confused and flustered for reasons that were unknown to him, he hid it was a scowl, "Don't do that, just- give it to me," he snatches the spoon from Lance before he can argue. Startled when Keith took the bowl, Lance steps back, letting him eat.
"Oh uh… yeah, okay," he moves away, busying himself with getting his own bowl. Keith doesn't look at him. He can't.
He couldn't understand this weird blue paladin. How could he just go through his day so naturally after what happened? They-
Just the night before Lance had brought Keith to release- the third one drawing a very inflaming scream from Keith who had called Lance's name like he was the only tether he had to reality.
How could he possibly just talk casually to him after that?
If that wasn't the worst of it, Keith had discovered that he enjoyed… nicknames.
Sweetheart.
He quivered than played it off as being cold. Lance went to get him a blanket.
He was enjoying that sweet name, coming out of Lance's sweet mouth, in an overly sweet tone, a little too much
"Here you go," Lance threw the blanket over him, tucking him in. It was terribly sweet.
"Do you need anything else?"
Keith was eyeing the bit mark he had made on Lance's arm, tormented at the sight, "N-No." he says quietly. "You've done enough."
"You sure? I can get your whatever.I'm fine," he says a little more forcefully than he intended, but it was too late to go back now.
"I'm fine," he says a little more forcefully than he intended, but it was too late to go back now.
Lance stands there, staring at him. Looking like he wanted to say something, he reconsiders it
"Just um… Get some rest, okay? I'll go get our sheets from the laundry Matt thing down below. It is super weird down there,"
"Be careful," Keith can barely look him in the eye
"Will do. I'll be right back," Lance reached down to grip his shoulder reassuringly. His hand slides down Keith's back as he pulled away, leaving it tingling. It was a friendly gesture and one that shouldn't have meant anything but… but it had Keith's heart pounding.
Blood was rushing to his ears and Keith closes his legs when heat pooled between them. He chokes out a startled gasp.
Lance doesn't seem to notice and goes to the door. He waves and Keith can't seem to find the willpower to wave back.
His skin felt on fire where Lance touched, hot blood pumping to his lower regions
When Lance was gone, Keith curled into himself, wrapping his arms around his trembling form.
What was this?
Why did he suddenly have an unruly urge to- to touch? To touch Lance…? To be touched by Lance…
He squirmed, feeling uncomfortable in his very own skin. What was wrong with him?
0000-000
Keith was able to walk again after a day of bed rest. Tellru and Dravla had come to see them and were so relieved to see Keith was okay. They even offered to make him a big fancy dinner as an apology.
Tellru blamed herself for not warning Keith beforehand of the purple table. He insisted it wasn't her fault, but she still made the dinner for him anyway and asked them to stop by.
Before she had left, Lance took her arm to ask her something, "Is Keith- sorry, I was just wondering something about the drug and Keith," he tells her.
Glancing around the room, knowing Keith was in the bathroom at that moment, she leans in a little and nods, "What do you need?"
"Is he still- you know um… pure?" Lance inquired, not sure how far one would have to go to be no longer considered a virgin.
"He is," she tells him gently.
Lance let out a sigh of relief. "That's good… I was just worried that- never mind. Thank you, Tellru."
She pats his back reassuringly, "To become full equivalents, you must go all the way, Lance. Truly become one and what not,"
Nodding, he watches her go. A few hours later, Keith and him were walking from the Kever station to Tellru house, ready to join her for her apology dinner.
Keith's probation was now over and they could walk wherever as they pleased with Dravla having to escort them. Honestly, they both wished their friendly Coeihn would, simply to be the ice breaker between them.
They couldn't even take walks anymore without it being awkward.
Keith had been avoiding Lance.
Well, not exactly. Keith still talked to Lance as if nothing had happened, sharing meals with him and what not but… there was a bite to his tone- A silent warning for Lance to keep his distance.
He had even been avoiding letting Lance physically touch him.
While it had become naturally to hold hands when they walked, Keith made sure to keep a good sized space between them. Either he would place someone else between them or purposively walked ahead of Lance in a quick pace that had him half jogging to keep up with him.
Lance didn't want to say anything if it was what Keith wanted.
This was expected, to be honest.
Lance had forced a carefree smile the morning after that night they shared, but it was s lie. In truth, he was terrified about what happened.
He was terrified of how it would affect them- this little relationship with Keith. Things seemed normal, but they hadn't kissed, held hands- even just keeping eye contact was a struggle.
Had he ruined this?
Had he placed a rift between them now?
Did Keith... hate him? Was he disgusted by him? Was he regretful that it was Lance he turned to for help?
"Lala!" Ruth says,
Pulled from his thoughts, Lance straightened, not even realizing they had made it to Tellru's house already, "O-Oh uh… Hey, sweet pea!"
She grins, tugging on his arm excitedly, "Come!" she seemed to want to show him something and pulled him into their front yard. Dragging him into the house, he barely had time to wave in greeting to Ruru's parents before she yanked him to the backroom.
Lance hadn't expected to see another Coeihn child there.
He was a little smaller then Ruru, with unruly white hair and bright hazel eyes. He blinked nervously up at Lance and gave him a timid wave.
"Friend!" Ruru states proudly.
Lance almost doubled over, "Friend?" he gasped, "You made a friend?"
She grins from horn to horn, "Alba," he announces,
Lance was jumping, "That is great, Ruru! Nice to meet you!" he holds his hand out to Alba excitedly.
Perking up a little at his enthusiasm, the little Coeihn boy takes his hand and shakes it. Looking at Ruru, she nods, looking very serious. Like they had planned something for a while, Alba hesitantly opens his mouth and say, "Holle."
Ruru throws her head back and yells, "(No. No. Alba, it's hello! You were so close this time!)" she tells him
Gasping, Alba flushed in embarrassment, "H-Hello!" he tries again.
Lance puts a hand to his heart at how cute he was, "Hello," he chuckles. Blinking a few times, Alba ducks down and runs off with Ruru in a hurry. Watching them run into the back yard to play, Lance looks at Tellru and Dravla.
They are both grinning, "Can you believe it?" they ask.
"She has a friend," Keith looks so proud, "Where did she meet them?"
"At school- which is even better." Tellru gushes, "Honestly, I think I had you two to thank for that. After she met the both of you, she got a lot more confident in herself."She smiles warmly at them, "Thank you."
"She did it on her own," they insist with pride.
Smiling at each other, Keith's hand graze against Lance's. Tempted to lift it and kiss Keith's knuckles, he froze when the blood drained from Keith's face and he stepped away. He turned on his heels and high tailed it towards the Kitchen, following Dravla. "Need help, Dravla?" he says in a rush.
"Oh uh-" Dravla pauses to stare at him, "Sure?"
With nothing else to do but watch Keith run from him, Lance steps back, his gaze falling his feet.
He didn't notice the long stare Tellru gave him before glancing towards the kitchen, confused.
While dinner was being made, Lance was helping the kids set the table when Ruru asked an odd question.
"Keef not call treasure?"
"What?"
"She wants to know why you don't call Keith treasure," Tellru looks up from the new shirt she is sewing.
Lance swallows, "Why would I call him treasure?" he glances towards the kitchen where Keith was helping Dravla get the drinks.
"Mama call papa,"
Tellru lowered her needle and smiled, "I think she is so used to me calling her father treasure that she kind of expects all equivalents to do that,"
"What call Keef?"
"What is my nickname for Keith? Uh, well…" Lance wasn't sure what he would even be willing to try,
There were so many things honestly- an endless list of things he wanted to attempt to call him but feared the response he would receive; babe, love, beautiful, honey...
The only thing he had ever called Keith beside his name, mullet or some other insult was…
"I sometimes call him sweetheart," Lance scratched at his arm, embarrassed.
"I've never heard you call him that," Tellru sends him a curious look."Well I- you aren't always around," Lance insists with a pout,
"Well I- you aren't always around," Lance insists with a pout,
"Well, I don't think I believe you," Tellru challenged, "How are we supposed to believe that you actually call Keith by this name if we have never seen it?"
"Wha- I don't know." He grumbles.
"Then do it, right now," she smirks. She was baiting him, he knew, and he shouldn't fall for it.
"Tellru," he warns.
She turns her head and calls for him before he can stop her. "Oh, Keith? Can you come here for a second?"
"Tellru!" he whines, "I can't- I mean…" he could already hear Keith's steps coming their way. Plopping down in his chair, his back turned to the kitchen, he swallowed when Keith stepped into the dining room.
"Yeah, Tellru?" he asked.
"Can I get your opinion on this design?" Tellru lifted up the shirt she was working on, batting her eyes with nothing by innocence.
"Sure thing,"
Lance could hear him strolling around the table. When Keith came into his view, he sucked in heavily. "H…Hello, sweetheart," he hummed anxiously to him
The red paladin froze and turned, his cheeks exploding into a deep red
Lance fell out of his chair at the sight, "W-Why did you get embarrassed by that?!" he demanded with his own blush
"W-Why did you suddenly call me that?!" Keith countered.
"I just- because! You shouldn't be getting so flustered over it!"
"I'm not!"
"What are you two screaming about in here?" Dravla peeks his head in.
"Nothing!" they yell.
Blinking a few times, he shrugs, "Well come in here, dinner is ready."
Following him, they all sit down at the table. Lance finds himself sitting next to Keith by accident, but it feels awkward to suddenly move, so neither of them says anything.
For a while, they talk to Ruru, asking her about her day, and asking Alba about his family and how he likes school. Alba was a shy boy, answering in small words.
Other than that, however, no one spoke much. It wasn't as though you needed to talk while eating, but Lance felt uncomfortable with this silence.
He was almost thrilled when Tellru cleared her throat to speak, but his stomach dropped at the topic she chooses," How are you feeling, Keith? I'm glad to see you can move again after… what happened."
He nods carefully, "I'm fine."
"No pain, yes?"
"None," he tells them. "I'd rather forget about it, anyway."
Lance wants to agree, and he knows Keith doesn't mean that in any bad way, but he couldn't help but feel distressed that Keith was secretly despising him for this.
"But to think, you had to have the purple cupcakes to get you two to finally do something about-" Dravla motions to them, "This,"
"What is that suppose to mean?" Lance frowns.
"Oh, I think you know what I mean. I've said it once, and I'll say it as many times as needed, but you two tip toe around each other like nobodies business."
"We do not," Lance argues.
"You've been doing it all day,' Tellru points out.
Lance opens his mouth but falls short. He can't argue with that, but it wasn't his choice in that. Keith was the one who had been ignoring his attempts to talk.
"Awkward as ever with each other," Dravla sighs at them.
"Well, Lance could just call Keith sweetheart, again. I'm sure that could get you two going," Tellru teased.
Lance almost choked on his drink, spitting a little out, "Tellru!" he yelled.
"I'm just saying," she cackles
"Oh, what? What is that?" Dravla inquired, "What is a sweetheart?"
"It's a cute little name Lance gave to Keith. It gets him all flustered," Tellru tells him. Dravla put a hand to his heart."Aww," he
"Aww," he cooes, "That is so cute, Keith. Lance, call him sweetheart, I want to see this!"
"N-No," Lance shakes his head, "That is too embarrassing,"
"Do it! Do it! Do it!" they chant.
After a few minutes of it, Lance eventually muttered it. Keith visibly recoiled, turning away. The group burst into a fit of giggles.
"Stop making fun of me!" Keith growled at them, almost slamming his fork down. Startled speechless at his outburst, Tellru and Dravla glance at each other. Then, they slowly began to snort and snicker again, bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
Keith makes an upset pouty face, stuffing his mouth with food.
"C-Come on Keith, we're just teasing,' Tellru laughs.
"Yeah! We're just messing with you, Keith. It's all in good fun," Dravla assured him.
When Keith huffed, Lance reached out to pat his back, "Hey, it's okay," He ran his hand up and down his spine soothingly
No one could have ever expected the sensual gasp that slipped from Keith's mouth at the gesture.
A second later, Lance's fork fell from his hand, hitting the floor with a heavy clink.
Reeling back in surprise, Keith covered his mouth, face flaming a bright red.
Frozen with forks lifted up to their mouths, Tellru and Dravla gawked at him. "Uh…"
Lance's eyes were as wide as saucers. He whispers the question, "Keith?"
When he shivered, just at Lance's words, Keith stepped back.
"I-' he turned away from them, slouching a little, "I don't- something's wrong with me. I-Ignore that," he pleaded.
"K-Keith?" Lance asked him, concerned, "What is this? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing!" he tries to insist.
"You've been avoiding me all day, Keith! And then whatever that was, it definitely wasn't nothing." Lance argues.
"Just forget it, Lance. I'll get through this on my own," Keith tried to flee from the room. Managing to snag his wrist before he could, Lance stopped him.
'Get through what Keith?!" Lance almost fell over when Keith turned around, his cheeks rosy and his eyes watery. His gaze snapped to Lance's hold on his wrist and the two stepped apart, breathing heavily.
"Ooh… " Dravla suddenly spoke up. Realizing something, he cringed, "The pastries,"
Keith looked at him, "What?"
"I thought it was odd you were avoiding Lance."
Could Lance point out just how annoying it was Dravla seemed to notice every little detail about them?
"Um- (Ruru? Why don't you and your friend Alba go get the deserts from the back freezer really quick? Give us some room to talk alone,)" she suggests.
Not quite sure why, Ruru shrugged and dragged Alba with her to the back, eyeing Lance and Keith as she passed.
Waiting till she was gone, Tellru sighed, "Okay, I'll explain this quick. Keith, this isn't your fault, or Lance's- it's the drug."
"What?" Lance demanded, still not even understanding what the problem was. "I thought you said the drug wouldn't be a problem after Keith- you know…" he trailed off.
"Yes, the normal effect of the drug. It is why it isn't recommended that you consume anything from the purple table till you are an equivalent," Tellru tells them, "Usually when one consumes the drug they spend a blissful night with their Equivalent. There is an after effect, however. I suppose I just didn't' assume Keith had it because he was human. You hide it very well,"
"An after effect?' Lance glanced at Keith, worried.
"It makes that person hypersensitive to the touch of their partner. Since you were the one who helped Keith through that situation... Your touch is very effective to him," Dravla grinned mischievously. "If you, as you say, catch my drift.'
Keith looked away, burying his face in his hands. So that is what was happening…
Lance wasn't sure what to say. What could he say?
Making sure he understood what Dravla said, he reached for Keith. He gasped when Lance brushed his finger along his wrist and closes his legs abruptly
"D-Don't!" he yelped, pulling back.
'Oh… Oohhhhhh," Lance stepped away. "S-So that's it…"
Keith hides his face, humiliated, "Don't look at me…"
"It's okay, Keith. This isn't your doing. Just- this will pass through time. After a few days the effect will wear off and you'll go back to normal," Tellru tells him gently. "You just need to push through till then,"
Keith gave her a look as if that request was impossible, but nods anyway. "Can we just finish dinner, please?" He sat down again, making sure to put quite a distance between Lance and him this time.
Lance couldn't stop staring, his face crimson the entire meal. He hadn't thought that had been why Keith was acting weird. It made him feel a little relieved, and he hoped Keith's confusion on his body had been the only reason for his cold shoulder.
When dinner was said and done, they returned to their apartment in silence.
Stepping in, Lance offered Keith some water, "So um… sorry about all this," he tells him. "I didn't realize that was what was happening. I should have noticed,"
Keith was grateful he didn't. Now that he knew what was going on, the whole day would have been ten times worse if he had known the facts behind it. "It's fine…"
"You only gotta push through a few days, right?" Lance says, taking off his jacket. Keith watches him, mesmerized by the fabric sliding off his shoulders.
"Yeah…," Keith mumbled. His mind was swimming with thoughts of that night- of Lance seeing him in a state like that. He had hoped once the drug was gone that would be the end of it, but now there was this after effect to deal with.
Could this get any worse?
It made him mad and frustrated. He didn't want things to go that way. Now Lance could hardly look him in the eye.
It was upsetting.
Gripping the fabric of his pants, Keith narrowed his eyes angrily at them. Lance and him had just started to make some progress too. He was ready and now he just ruined their chances, didn't he?
He should have just told Lance what was going on from the very beginning instead of avoiding him like he had.
He was dumb enough to get drugged, had to have Lance do the work for him, and he- Lance didn't look at him at all when the job was said and done and they went to take that bath. Had Keith's body disgusted him or something? Maybe he was just trying to be considerate?
The thoughts made him anxious. They shot from one thought to another too fast for him to figure out what the correct thing to do was.
"Keith?" Lance must have sensed his distress and was looking at him. "What's wrong?"
Keith shifted away a little, his voice coming out in a broken whisper, "Nothing,"
"Hey… it's okay," Lance insists gently, his words too kind for Keith to bare.
"No, it isn't. That was the most embarrassing night of my life," he buried his face into his hands, mortified.
Lance fiddled with his jacket zipper, "...Was it? I'm- I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I can go…"
"I-" Keith glanced at him in a panic, "I'm not saying you- I just-" he looked away, blushing. Choosing his words carefully he says, "You were great. It was just the situation- how it had to happen only because of some drug..."
Startled, Lance snapped his gaze upward. Hesitating, he licks his dry lips. Keith locks in on the motion then quickly looks away, "Then... say you hadn't been on the drug last night? Would you still have… done it? With me? Would you still have…" he trails off.
Keith gulps heavily, "I still would have enjoyed it," he admits, pushing past the tightening of his chest. After everything Lance had done for him, he deserved the truth- even if the words were heavy on his heart, "I would have let you do that..." The night had been hard. The first time had been nothing but overwhelming pain. His entire body had been engulfed in searing fire- like someone was ripping off his flesh one chunk at a time.
Endless torture that just worsened with each tough Lance put to his body.
The second time had been easier, but exhaustion seemed to strengthen the overall blow of it.
The third…
He had been so numb it was hard to say at first- so raw and blistering…
Lance's voice had guided him through it so well, his touch to his chest warm and had not expected the pleasure when it arrived.
He had not expected the pleasure when it arrived.
It had been so sudden, giving him no warning to prepare him. Lance had managed to hesitate enough through it to give Keith a chance to mention it but then…
It had been good.
So very good that Keith could still feel the tingles of that release down his spine.
"I wouldn't mind doing it again…" he admits quietly.
Keith felt some mix of triumph and embarrassment when Lance turned his head to avoid his gaze. His eyes were beautifully wide, dumbfounded yet pleased.
"Oh…" he lifts his hand to his mouth and smiles into it "So then you- uh…" he cuts off, 'You're okay though?"
"Yeah. This is all my fault for eating that stuff in the first place."
Lance suddenly snorts like something is funny.
"What?" Keith frowned.
"I can't- you just-" laughter bubbles to the surface, "You know one day, if you have kids and are trying to warn them about drugs, you can tell them this story,"
"Shut up, Lance," Keith says, turning away from him. Forget everything he just said, Lance was a jerk.
"I'm just teasing," he cackles. "I'm glad you are okay, Keith." Lance brushed a hand through Keith's hair in a way that had his heart swelling.
When Lance smiles, Keith knows he means it. It's driving him mad, honestly.
The tingling going down his spine was something he couldn't ignore, warming his body in a horribly pleasing way.
When something brushed against Lance's leg, Keith could see him got tense, covering his mouth, "Keith," he squeaks cautiously,
He already sounded mortified, "...What?"
"Are you-" Lance looked down. Keith desperately tried to hide himself, "Dude,"
"Shut up…"
"How are you- I'm not even doing anything. I'm just standing here," Lance tells him.
"Shut up!" he insists, turning to hide under the blanket on the bed.
Lance follows him, "Do I need to put on my jacket- like seriously? It is my back?"
"Stop talking!" Keith didn't want him to put his jacket back on. He didn't want Lance to do anything. But he also wanted Lance to do everything. It was complicated."Dude!" Lance attempts to pull off the blanket to see Keith's face, "We practically share a bed! I can't go to sleep knowing that you've got some boner!"
"Dude!" Lance attempts to pull off the blanket to see Keith's face, "We practically share a bed! I can't go to sleep knowing that you've got some boner!"
"I can't help it! That drug just- whatever you do- you could even just be standing there and it-" he groaned pitifully, "It affects me." The worse thing about this was that a part of Keith knew it wasn't that simple. He could easily just play this whole thing off as some drug or side affect. Or that his whirlwind of thoughts, consumed by Lance's every action, was due to some other second factor- but that is a lie.
Lance was his own form of a drug in Keith's eyes.
Lance had been something else the night this all began. He had been gentle… patient… brilliant… and perfect… and beautiful… and possibly the best thing Keith had ever encountered in his life.
As the blanket is torn from his face, his eyes forced to meet Lance's, he chokes up, "You affect me…" he whispers.
Lance stares at him, mesmerized. When he finally chuckles, Keith wants to pull away to cover his embarrassment again,
"You are-You're too cute Keith." leaning in, Lance kissed him. Keith tensed, and he could feel it. Whatever this urge was, it was tipping over, consuming him."Lance-" he groaned.
"Lance-" he groaned.
It startled the blue paladin, and he froze up, "Oh… S-Sorry," Lance was ready to pull back, but the second he tried, Keith tugged him back in. He couldn't stop himself. He wanted this…
Kissing him roughly, he wrapped his legs around Lance's waist.
Lance grunted a little, his hands bracing against Keith's stomach. He could feel Keith's heated skin from below his shirt.
"Keith. This is a little- h-hold up-" he says frantically,
"Stop talking- god…" Keith curved his spine, gasping. "Kiss me…" he flips them, pressing Lance deep into the mattress"Y-You're… really wound up," Lance stammered, amazed and flustered. Stuck below Keith's arms, he squirmed nervously "We only kissed once…"
"Y-You're… really wound up," Lance stammered, amazed and flustered. Stuck below Keith's arms, he squirmed nervously "We only kissed once…"
"I-Is that a problem?" Keith grunted, clawing at the front of Lance's shirt for a decent grip. He leaned down, pressing his nose to the juncture of Lance's neck. Inhaling, he sighed dreamily. "You smell so god…"
"U-Um…" Lance shivers, "Keith can we- can we talk about this for a second? I'm not complaining b-but this is a little…"
Keith cut him off when he rolled his hips down into Lance's feverishly. Lance bit his bottom lip, gasping. He lifts his hands to grip Keith's arms, weakly trying to push him off.
"D-Dude-! You have a problem," he groaned when Keith's hips rammed into his again.
"What?" Keith seethed, "You're hard too!"
"Of course I am! You are grinding into me. Anyone would be in this situation- ahh, Keith… S-Slow down." He couldn't think with their waists sliding together like this
"Why?" Keith moaned and spread his legs shamelessly.
Lance almost broke apart. When Keith leaned into him to kiss him, Lance took that chance to flip them, pinning Keith down, "I said slow down…" He huffed, brushing off the sweat that had pooled on his brow. When Keith attempted to continue his previous motions, Lance had to reach down. Gripping Keith's thighs he yanked them upwards to stop his movements. "Keith," he commanded.
Keith yelped in surprised, eyes wide yet… lustful.
"B-but…Lance," he wiggled his legs a little, letting them hang loosely in the air. Lance had to stop himself from groaning at the sight. What was up with him today?
"You aren't thinking straight," Lance says, his voice wavering with his self-control.
"Yes I am. I'm not on that drug,"
"The side affects-"
"Aren't affecting my mind."
"You liar. You just they were affecting you or whatever a little bit ago. They are affecting how your body reacts. That still can mess with a person's mind. You don't think straight sometimes when you're turned on. You are- Jeez, you are really hard," he gulped, lifting Keith's legs enough to get a beautiful and very arousing view of the man below him.
"Then- do something," Keith bit his lower lip. He fidgeted under Lance's gaze, cheeks red with need.
Lance groaned, "Believe me I want to… b-but I can't,"
"Why?" Keith whined. He whined. This paladin was going to kill him, Lance just knew it.
"If I start with you I may not stop," he warns, his voice cracking.
"You've already- you've done a lot already, Lance." Keith says.
"You needed help," Lance corrects. "That drug could have seriously hurt you. I didn't go past just touching you, Keith."
"Who says you can't touch me now?" He purred
"Yeah see this, this is why I think you aren't fully in the right state of mind right now," Lance points out bluntly.
"I know what I want, Lance… I've known for a while." with a very adorable pout, he looked up at the blue paladin with earnest eyes, "I want you…"
Lance trembled at the urge pulling at his mind. His fingers shook, his breathing short and raspy.
"Keith…"
"And I think-" Keith's hand slide across the sheets, weakly brushing his knees affectionately. "You want me too," Keith glanced between them, between Lance's legs.
"...Of course I do," Lance choked. "But... " Bending Keith's knees, he leaned forward, feeling like his mind and heart were being split in two. "Course I do," he stopped before their lips could touch, cursing the world with all his might, "Do you even know what you do to me, Keith?" he sobbed. All he could think about for days was Keith's eyes- his lips- his hair. "The things I want to do to you…"
"I won't know unless you show me, Lance," Keith cups his face, painting his face with small kisses. They were warm and loving and Lance was melting.
But…
How could he know this was what Keith truly wanted? Any touch from Lance supposedly drives Keith's crazy, via the side affects. So how could he assure that Keith truly wanted this until the affects were gone?
He wanted Keith to-
He wanted Keith to want him and love him for him. No drugs. No pressure from others. No expectation to do it.
He wanted it to be real.
"I can't go any further Keith…" he concludes
"I'm saying okay,"
"I want to believe you," he admits, "But your body is only reacting this way because of the drug."
"No-"
"Yes. Dravla even said so. You can't help it, Keith," he brushed his thumbs against Keith's chin. "But you need to listen to me- you don't want to do anything you will regret. Doing something because of a drug… you'll definitely regret that later. Once this all passes you'll see what I mean."
"I don't understand!" Keith yelled in frustration, "I thought you… wanted this too?" he demanded brokenly.
"I do!' Lance says, "God Keith- of course I do! You don't even know how much I've wanted this! How much I want you. C-Cause I do, Keith. I want you so much that I lose sleep to thoughts about you," he startled Keith when he cupped his face, "All I can think about is you sometimes. N-Not a day goes by that I don't think about this- about being with you,"
"..." Keith swallowed thickly, a bright blush spreading over his face. "I won't regret it with you…"
"Maybe not- but there is still a chance."
"No with you!"
"Even with me! Because of this stupid drug! You can't give proper consent if you are on a drug, Keith!"
"I'm not on that stupid drug anymore!"
"But this is the after affect of it! Why don't you get that? You aren't really meaning this, meaning you aren't really agreeing!"
"What the hell, Lance! What is with you and this stupid consent thing! How many times do I have to say I want you for you to get it!?"
"You don't want me!"
"Yes, I do! I just told you I did! I've told you multiple times now!"
"Keith, just stop it! No, you don't! I-I mean maybe you do- but not right now! Not truly!" Lance felt on the verge of tears,
Keith was reaching for him, cupping Lance's face, desperate but angry, "I do, Lance! You have to believe me, I do!"
Lance tries to pull away, refusing to let Keith be sweet to him. Refusing to let him draw him into this when there was a chance Keith could change his mind later. "I can't with this drug, Keith…"
"I wanted this before the drug! Why can't you believe me?" Keith demands as Lance tears from his hold, hot tears pooling in his eyes.
"Because I was exactly in the position you are and I wasn't given a choice Keith!"
The silence that followed was crushing.
The color in Keith's face drained away, and his mouth falling open in a stilled shocked, "…W-What?"
Lance covered his mouth, horrified in himself for bringing the subject up. When Keith's eyes darkening, he scrambled from the bed,
"Lance…" he follows him, his tone thick. "What did you mean by that?"
Lance turned to make a break for it, "N-Nothing-!"
Keith scrambled to follow, grabbing his wrist before Lance could reach the door. "Lance!" he says again, tugging him back "Lance, look at me," he fought against him when he tried to pull away. "Lance, talk to me!"
Lance's shoulder shake with rage and fear- the two emotions mixing horribly as tears sting his eyes, "Forget it…" he croaked.
"No. No, tell me what you meant," Keith grabs his hands and holds him there, "What happened? You mentioned a party before. Lance, what happened at it? Did someone hurt you?" he was wild for answers, scanning over Lance's body as if he would still be able to see some invisible scar.
Lance looks everywhere but at Keith, eyes shooting from one side of the room to the other in rapid glances. "Nothing…"
"You're crying," Keith whispers, pained at the sight, "It's not nothing,"
"Shut up," Lance sobs, tugging one of his arms out of Keith's grip to rub away the tears, "I don't want to hear any of this from a guy who has some weird boner for me right now!"
"I can't control that!"
"Exactly! And you wondered why I kept saying you weren't in control a few seconds ago!"
Keith opened and closed his mouth, his shoulder's slowly sagging, "Okay," he breaths, "Okay you're right. We should definitely hold off on… stuff. But Lance, I want to know what you were talking about before. The party… Lance, what happened to you at that party? What really happened? You can trust me,"
"I... I know I can,"
"Then tell me," He took Lance back to the bed and sat him down. Taking a few minutes to just breath, Keith rubbed his back soothingly.
The pleading look in Keith's eyes was hard for Lance to say no to. And, to be honest, Lance wanted to tell him this. He wanted to trust someone with this and to him, Keith was the best choice.
"Okay…" Sniffing, collecting himself, Lance begins, "I went to a party with Hunk a year or two ago. A lot of other Garrison kids were there. It was just a regular party, and it was fun. I got to talk to a lot of people and had a few drinks."
"Alcohol?" Keith frowns.
"It was punch but- there was something in it. I only noticed it after a few drinks. By then it was a little too late to think straight. Then there was this guy. He was really friendly and talked to me a lot. He was interested in what I had to say and I liked that…" Lance sighs, "I'm not a virgin Keith, obviously but I don't really know what the hell I'm doing. I mean, obviously I know more than you- I've done it at least twice. The second time I'm not sure if you could really count since we didn't do much, so scratch that… but I don't actually fully… remember the first time," he sighs. "Things are hazy about that night. I remember some kissing and a few different moments…. He acted so sweet about it at first, but once we went up to one of the rooms on the second floor he-" Lance inhales sharply, "I remember him forcing me down- I think he moved a little too fast and I was getting scared."
Keith gripped his hand a second later, jaw set, quiet anger burning in his eyes.
"He was rough…It hurt. Then I woke up sore and a few bruises here and there. It hurt so much just to walk, for weeks and I even had to go get a check up with my doctor. That sure was awkward, but I'm glad I went." He pauses, taking a moment to just breath, "The guy was gone and I don't even remember his name. Just his face." Lance lowers his tone. His lower lip trembles a bit and he says weakly, "Sorry…"
"Why are you apologizing?" Keith wondered.
He shrugs, "I dunno. I just-" Lance sniffed, "I'm sorry."
"Stop. Don't apologize, Lance. Don't ever apologize for that. You did nothing wrong."
Brushing the tears from his face, Lance says, "You don't understand how much I hated him… how much I hated myself for letting it happen. I can't- If you felt even something close to that Keith, I'd hate myself so much more,"
"Lance," Keith takes his face into his hands, "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know. You were just trying to make sure I didn't get hurt and I was-"
"It isn't your fault about the drug or its side effects either, Keith," Lance leans into his touch, "I understand. I really do. So it is okay. I just don't want anything bad to come between us."
"Nothing will," Keith tells him, sounding so sure of himself.
Lifting his head to smile, Lance nods. "So… I won't do anything until this side affect is gone. I'll kiss you like always- but I'm not going further than that. Despite how much I want to, I want to do things right by you."
Keith stared at him in amazement, "...Oh. O-Okay," he agrees,
"Thank you," Lance averted his gaze for a moment and then said, "I don't want to rush this- us. I want to take you out, Keith. On dates like last time…" he red in his cheeks couldn't grow brighter,
"Dates?"
"Would you?" Lance inquired shyly, "Go on a date with me, I mean,"
Keith takes only a second to register Lance words before his eyes widened, "Yes!" he practically screams, "I uh- yes…" he says a little softer, "Yes, I will."
Smiling brighter than he had all day, Lance chuckles, "Awesome. Then, tomorrow? No wait, two days from now! I gotta prepare."
"Prepare?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I want to do things right by you. Meaning it's gotta be perfect."
Keith can't help the little bubble of excitement turning his heart over. "Okay." He agrees, "Two days then." Lance promises.
The time couldn't pass fast enough.
UPDATE: (ADDED THE REVIEW REPLIES)
Devil wolf girl: Thank you! Sleepy Keith is the best keith!
Pinkdoughtnuts: I can't help it! I love to be a tease! XD Thank you though!
Guest: yes, we have finally reached the next level of Burn! :D
Guest: I am such a tease. But Lance would never force Keith into anything, so the burn must continue!
AngiMk: Thank you so much!
Zaffrebat17: Yeah :( The poor guy