CHAPTER 5: Holding Down

They start out with basic hand to hand combat. They spend half an hour or so teaching the Avirans how to hip toss someone to the ground. After they mastered that, they moved on to the arm bar. Everything was going smoothly, the Avirans were fast learners, and Keith was starting to feel better about the whole situation.

"Okay, let's move on to reversing your position when someone is holding you down." Keith addressed the impromptu class.

They were taking a little break so the Avirans could rest in between moves. Lance leaned up against the wall opposite Keith. It didn't look like he was paying much attention, but Keith figured he already knew the move.

"The trick when practicing is to make sure you grab your sparring partner's shoulder so you don't roll your wrist when they flip you." He said before standing up from the floor.

Then it was time for the demonstration. Keith took a sip of his water before putting it on the ground off to the side of the training mats. It was getting warm in here. Keith pulled a hairband out of his pocket and pulled the back of his hair up. He looked to Lance who was already staring at him. Did he have something on his face? Keith looked down at his shirt. Nope, nothing. Whatever. Keith gestured toward Lance.

"Help me demonstrate the move."

Lance pushed off the wall and met Keith in the middle of the mat. They played rock paper scissors to determine who had to be the escapee and who had to be the person holding the other down. Lance cheered when he was the person doing the holding. Keith rolled his eyes.

Keith complied and laid down on the ground so Lance could settle over him. It felt weird to not start out fighting and then eventually end up on the ground. Instead, he just laid down like a rag doll. Lance straddled his waist and leaned over him, hands next to Keith's head.

It was calm for a second before Keith started to resist against Lance, showing how to grab an opponent's shoulder and hook his leg. Lance struggled against him and leaned into Keith's space to try and throw him off. Lance's face was suddenly directly over his, lips just an inch away. Keith sucked in a breath and it seemed like time slowed down. Keith dragged his eyes from Lance's mouth to his eyes.

He wasn't prepared for the intensity of the gaze directed back at him. It was like Lance was staring into his soul. Lance shifted his weight to sit up a little more and in doing so swiveled his hips into Keith's. He needed to get up right now. He needed to go right now.

Keith quickly flipped Lance beneath him in the move he was supposed to be teaching and stood, almost tripping over his own feet. Keith took a step away from Lance.

"I, uh, I'll be right back." Keith said quietly, not looking Lance in the eye.

He burst through the door of the training room, the student Aviran's eyes on him, and strode down the hall. He wasn't sure where he was going but he knew he needed air. Keith made it outside the building, pacing in front of the front door. He sucked in air like he had been running a marathon and was vaguely aware that he was freaking out.

Keith knew he liked Lance, had known for a while now but it was different when he had Lance's actual hands on him. Keith liked Lance's hands on him. Keith knew his face must be flaming red. He lifted his hands to feel his own cheeks and wasn't surprised at the heat radiating off of them.

Who knew what Lance thought about it. He probably thought Keith was a freak. Sure, he had been getting along with Lance lately but it wasn't that long ago that they were fighting most of the time. He let out a breath slowly, feeling calmer. The door to the building opened and Lance poked his head out and then closed it behind him when he realized he had found Keith.

"Uh, are you okay? You just up and left in there and you were all red." Lance rubbed the back of his neck.

Keith awkwardly looked down at the pastel green sand. "I'm fine."

Lance shuffled his feet. It was so supremely awkward, Keith wanted a black hole to appear and swallow the whole planet.

"It's okay you know. I know we haven't exactly had time to, uh, relieve stress lately with the mission and all."

Keith thought he might spontaneously combust. "Just don't. Stop. I don't want to talk about it." He also didn't want to talk about how it was Lance that caused this reaction and not just the fact that he was a warm body.

"It's also chill that you're gay." Lance said bluntly, in his usual manner.

"Uh, thanks."

"I know Shiro is too. It's cool with all of us…I mean, I'm bisexual so I get it." Lance said nonchalantly, making a little mound in the sand with his shoe.

Keith looked up at Lance at that, surprised. "Oh, cool. That's cool. Thanks for telling me."

He likes boys. HE LIKES BOYS.

"Yeah, you just looked so miserable standing there like a kicked puppy I had to say something to even the field."

Keith huffed. "Wow, thanks."

"Anytime, besides, I know I'm hot. Your reaction is normal."

"Lance."

Lance laughed. Keith smiled a little. He thought he might live through this experience.

After that, the tense atmosphere disappeared into something more comfortable. They stood outside the building for a few minutes more before they decided they had to go face their confused and amused students.

The rest of the day's training went by much more smoothly and they ended the day feeling confident their students could give at least one good punch.

They made it back to their room from the training building tired and hungry. They decided they were going to take turns showering, with Keith winning their brief bickering, and he closed the door to the bathroom behind him. He was sweaty, which caused the sand from the environment to stick to him like glue. Gross. As he stood in the shower, he contemplated the day's events. While things weren't awkward with Lance, Keith was still embarrassed at his reaction to Lance holding him down.

I'm learning all kinds of things about myself today.

He finished up his shower quickly. Lance was waiting on him, and got out. He put his clean clothes on and toweled off his hair, opening the door with one hand.

He was expecting Lance to hop up and take his turn in the shower, but that wasn't what he was greeted with. There, sitting at the table, was Lance with the space alcohol. A suspicious amount was missing from the bottle and the glass in Lance's hand was half full.

"What are you doing?" Keith said slowly, approaching Lance like you would a wounded animal.

"I'm drinking the space alcohol, obviously." Lance said exaggeratedly, arms waving and almost sloshing the liquid out of the glass.

Keith examined him. He looked okay. Definitely tipsy, but still coherent.

"Why?"

Lance gave him a look like he was stupid. "It looked like it would be fun, duh. Also, you're so tense. You need alcohol. You need fun. You need alcohol, Keith. I had to drink first before you could stop me. Now you have to join me or deal with me sober."

Keith was somewhat impressed with Lance's plan to get him drunk. Lance was right, he'd rather be drunk with Lance than deal with him sober.

"Pass me a glass."

An hour later, they were both completely drunk. Keith lay on his back on the bed, shoes off and clothing rumpled, giggling at Lance's antics. Lance was still at the table, but had his chair turned toward Keith so he could look at his face without straining. He was giggling at his own antics, encouraged by Keith's reaction.

"Yeah, well you suck at hand to hand." Keith yelled at Lance, pointing a finger at him.

"No I don't!"

"Then prove it!"

At that, Lance unsteadily got to his feet and threw himself on top of Keith, mirroring their earlier class demonstration gone wrong, and looked down at him.

"See! I can hold you down." Lace says, slurring his words more than a little. That alcohol was strong.

Keith tried to shove at Lance playfully but didn't get very far in his intoxicated state. He had way too much to drink. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was space alcohol.

Lance suddenly collapsed on top of him, his head resting next to Keith's, breathing obnoxiously into his ear.

"I'm drunk, Keith. Really, really drunk. And tired."

Lance stopped shoving at Lance and laid still, silently enjoying their proximity and trying to think clearly to respond.

"Me too."

Lance pressed his face into Keith's neck. "Today was fun."

Lance laughed, head reeling. "I think maybe it could have gone better."

Lance shook his head, nose tickling Keith's neck. "Nooo. It was fun. We should do it again."

Keith was confused. "We spar all the time."

Lance made an exasperated noise. "No. Not sparring, the other part. With the holding."

He wasn't making any sense and Keith was so tired, the alcohol was making his brain all fuzzy. The holding part?

Keith just agreed to it anyway, too confused to fight him on it. "Okay, we can do the holding part."

"It felt good. Really good. I'm goin' to go to bed now." Lance said distractedly, not moving from his spot above Keith.

Keith nodded into Lance's shoulders. "'Kay."

They both passed out after that.

The next morning, Keith remembered everything perfectly clearly despite the level of intoxication he experienced.

Keith gasped and sat up, rolling Lance off of him. He remembered everything he and Lance said. His mind was racing, thinking of the connotations of everything that was said.

Lance groaned and sat up. "Ugh, my mouth feels like there's a caterpillar in it. What happened last night?"

Keith's stomach dropped. Lance didn't remember. How was he supposed to act around him now?

It felt good. Really good.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and an unknown Aviran was striding into the room. He was breathing hard from running and looked worse for wear.

"Paladins, the Galra have been spotted. It's time."

Fuck.