Moving over Murichlora

Chapter 11: When on Murichlora

Allura climbed through the small hole in the ceiling, morphing her shape ever so slightly to be a smaller version of herself to fit more comfortably. The upper floor of the house looked much more like a home, with a wine-red and silver rug on the wooden floor, a small bed, a sort of wardrobe, and the ufflyuff that Romelle had come to know as Poofer sleeping peacefully on a large, overly fluffy wine-red and silver spotted pillow. Although it looked as if that polka dotted pillow was moving as well. It was about the same size as Tsk-ng, and could probably serve as a pillow-chair of sorts if he were to sit on it.

In the middle of the room lay her Paladin suit and armor neatly organized and folded next to a platter of freshly cut fruits and vegetables. Allura bent down and picked up a slice of fruit that had a rich, pink inside and a golden-brown rind that smelled of a sweet, earthy citrus. She bit into the fruit and the succulent juice spilled out on to her chin. She couldn't help but hum in pleasantly surprised satisfaction as she wiped the savory liquid from her face with a finger and then promptly licked it off. If all of the fruit was this delicious and juicy, it was probably better if she ate before she put her armor back on.

She sat down cross-legged to enjoy the meal before her. There were little purple bunches of spiral-headed mini trees that were crisp and somewhat bitter, though not unpleasantly so. There were only two more types of produce on the plate in addition to the vegetable and the citrus fruit. One was a large melon of sorts that had been cut in half like a bowl; the fruit had a blackish rind and creamy, ivory meat that looked to be the consistency of pudding. In addition, there were a couple handfuls of the bright, yellow berries made up of many tiny bulbs. She'd seen them before; what were they called again? Allura shrugged and popped one in her mouth squishing it easily against the roof of her mouth with her tongue. There wasn't too much juice in the little seed sacks, but the flavor was light and fresh with a gentle sweetness. She swallowed the first one and popped three more in her mouth. Sure it was un-princess like, but she was famished, and no one was around to… Uh-oh.

A spicy, burning sensation crept unexpectedly up into her mouth and heated her face. It was not an unbearable heat, just unexpected. It was then she recalled Coran's description of the azolla berry as having a spicy aftertaste. Luckily, the three other berries in her mouth were still in the sweet stage and that calmed the burning sensation slightly, but she was sure that would end soon. She finished chewing the azolla berries and sure enough, the burning sensation snuck up into her mouth and heated her whole upper body. Eating more than one at a time proved to exponentially increase the burning sensation. The only thing she hadn't tried yet was the bowl-shaped fruit that had a wooden utensil sticking out of it. She picked up the rind and touched the tip of the spoon to her tongue, tentatively tasting the cream-colored substance.

Thank goodness! It was milky and somewhat plain in flavor. She shoved the spoon into her mouth, taking a large bite of the thick, pudding-like meat. It cooled the burning sensation in her mouth and she hummed a sigh of relief.

A knock sounded from the floor opening. "Allura? Can I come up?" It was Romelle.

Allura swallowed a bit of the food in her mouth and looked over her shoulder. "Yes," she answered thickly, some of the pudding-fruit still sticking to the corners of her mouth.

Romelle's double-bunned head popped up from the ground as she pulled herself up to the second floor. "How's your food?" she asked as she sat down next to the princess.

Allura sucked the rest of the thick, creamy fruit off of the inside of her cheeks and swallowed before answering. "Quite delicious. Although I may have eaten too many azolla berries at once," she admitted with a small smile.

Romelle giggled lightly. "I did that too. I see you figured out that the glojembo helps to ease the burning."

Allura nodded. "Is that what it's called?"

Romelle nodded and pointed to each one of the remaining items on her plate. "That's a pitvava fruit," she said, pointing to the citrus fruit. "And those little tree-things are actually trempoplum seeds. Or well… the seeds are inside the bushels on top, but that's what Coran called them."

"Well, it's all very good. I'll have to give my compliments to the chef."

"Compliments received, then." Romelle smiled.

"You prepared it?"

"Well, Hunk helped. After Tsk-ng fed us, I wanted to put together the fruits I thought you'd like best and Hunk helped with getting a good flavor balance."

"Well, thank you. I'm grateful to you, both." Allura smiled and took another bite of the creamy glojembo fruit.

A heavy sigh came from where the little ufflyuff was sleeping, only it was much deeper than Poofer's delicate breaths. Both women turned their heads to see the large, burgundy and silver ball of fluff shifting its position to reveal the distinctive face of an ufflyuff: a pink, upside down heart-shaped nose and two octagonal ears. Its three eyes opened briefly, looking lazily at the two women, then got up, not getting much taller, and glided over to Romelle. It placed itself right at her side and sank to the ground with a sleepy groan. As it moved, Poofer stayed securely in the larger animal's dense fur, dozing effortlessly.

Romelle breathed out a quiet laugh through her nose and patted the large ball of fluff.

"You're a regular ufflyuff whisperer, aren't you?" Allura teased.

"I think she prefers when I speak at normal volume." Romelle chuckled and gave a shrug. "But I think Poofer's mom is just glad we brought him home."

Allura smiled, almost chuckling. She had nearly forgotten that she responded similarly to the idiom when she heard Lance mention it to Keith. It felt like ages ago as she watched the sweet scene and continued eating her meal. This time, spacing out the azolla berries with the other fruits and vegetables so her mouth didn't burn so badly. A stagnant silence fell over the two as Allura ate. Romelle was content petting the large animal, but soon looked down at the ground and furrowed her eyebrows. Allura figured she must have something on her mind, but had learned that if she was given enough time, Romelle would eventually say whatever it was.

"Allura?" the girl finally said just as Allura was finishing her meal; she'd saved the glojembo fruit for last.

"Hm?" the white-haired Altean responded, savoring the final bite.

Romelle tightened her lips and didn't look up at her. "Can I-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Well, erm. I don't, hm…" Romelle puzzled for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Who- Who healed you?"

Allura swept her tongue over her teeth and swallowed before answering, her brows furrowing together as she spoke. She wasn't sure if she should tell the girl exactly what happened, considering the fact that she, herself, was still having trouble accepting it. "What do you mean?"

Romelle inhaled deeply. "I just thought… Alright, erm..." She exhaled and folded her hands in her lap. "When Bandor and I were children, we were playing by the river, up by the rapids. Well, rapids is a strong word. It was really just where the current was fastest. But, we were jumping across the rocks, and I told him to be careful because they could be slippery. Well, he jumped to me and he slipped. I tried to catch him, but... He fell backwards and hit his head on the rock behind him, then fell into the water. I jumped in after him and pulled him to the river bank as quickly as I could. But, when I pulled him up out of the water… he wasn't breathing. I ran to get my mother, and told her what happened." Romelle paused and raised her eyebrows, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone run so fast. I couldn't even keep up." As she said that, Poofer slid down his mother's back and into her lap.

Romelle breathed a slight laugh as the creature snuggled in between her folded legs. "By the time I got to them, she had one hand cradling his head, and the other on his chest," she explained, stroking the small animal. She continued her story slowly. "She was chanting a prayer of some sort… and then she started to glow. The marks on her face got so bright. And so did Bandor's. They were so bright that the light eventually engulfed them both and I had to squeeze my eyes shut and cover them with my hands…" The Altean stared at her hands as she twiddled her fingers through the ufflyuff's soft coat. "The strange thing was that I could almost feel my mother willing Bandor back to health. It only lasted a second, but there was this... intense, healing aura that I felt from her. It felt the same as today." She shifted her gaze back up to the princess. "When you glowed. Only, clearly it was not my mother's energy."

Romelle gazed at Allura, compassionate empathy shining in the princess's crystal blue eyes.

"Whoever healed you… I know it wasn't me. And I know it wasn't Coran. The others think that you did it yourself, but… you didn't even have the energy to stay conscious, let alone heal someone, did you?"

Allura's lips parted slightly as her gaze turned downward, knitting her brows together.

"I'm… sorry if I've upset you-"

"No, you haven't upset me." Allura folded her left arm around her right, hugging herself closely as she glared at the ground.

Romelle bit the corner of her bottom lip, casting a concerned expression at the white-haired Altean. "If-If it's not me, then something clearly has," Romelle stated.

Allura kept quiet, her eyes not leaving the floor.

"I don't mean to push you or anything. I can just leave if you want-"

"No! I just-" Allura blurted out, making Romelle cease her movement to get up. She was silent for a few more long moments, struggling to piece together the words she meant to say. But could she bring herself to say them?

"It's alright, Allura. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Romelle gently took Poofer from her lap and placed him back on his mother. The little ball of fluff looked concerned at the girl as she stood up, but then settled back down and cuddled into his mother's downy fur.

She had started making her way over to the floor door when Allura called out to her. "Romelle."

The blonde turned her head over her shoulder to make eye contact with the other woman.

"I would. Tell you, I mean. I just…" Allura cast her eyes down and her shoulders slumped before she looked up at Romelle again. "I just don't know how to say it. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself."

Romelle gave a relieved half-smile. "Then, I'll be here whenever you do."

With that, Romelle crouched down and eased herself through the hole in the floor.

"Romelle?" Allura called, just before her blonde head disappeared.

"Yes, Allura?"

A wide, melancholy smile spread across Allura's lips. "Thank you."

Romelle flashed a broad, tender smile back at her. "Anytime."

…

It didn't take long for Allura to dress into her Paladin uniform. When she removed the back brace, she felt the large bruise in the middle of her back that spread up to the bottom of her shoulder blades. No muscles were sore, only the skin was sensitive to the touch. It was the same feeling as when you bumped hard enough into the corner of a desk or some other inanimate object, just on a larger scale. Her recovery really was miraculous.

Images of the tender and intimate vision invaded her mind. She shook her head, trying to will them away. She had no time to dwell on them right now. She took in a deep breath and blew it out quickly, putting on her typical air of effortless calm.

When she came back down from the second floor, Coran greeted her cheerily, his full protective suit now donned. "Alright! Are you ready to get going?"

Allura nodded and pulled her helmet over her head, flashing a close-mouthed smiled. "Ready when you are."

"Right!" Coran then turned to Tsk-ng, who was standing next to him and rolled his tongue once before making one loud click with his tongue.

Tsk-ng's eyes grinned and he walked over to an empty wall in the room before he mimed the motion of putting on a helmet. Romelle, Hunk, and Coran all followed the direction, donning their helmets. The Murichlorian turned around and began drawing with his finger on the wall. Glowing, blue lines flowed through the wooden wall and eventually made an oval. After a few ticks, it dissipated, revealing the jungle and a roaring river not too far away.

Tsk-ng stepped out of the opening, looked around for a tick then waved for the group to come out before he hopped up into the air and disappeared from view.

As they walked out of the room, Allura looked back behind her and saw a huge tree. It made sense now, why the rooms inside were circular and everything seemed to be made out of wood.

"Should we follow you?" Coran called as Tsk-ng scurried up the tree.

The cricket-like person turned his head and clicked twice in response, the pitch of the second click higher than the first.

"We've got jetpacks! Come on, gang!" Coran fired his pack and shot up into the air.

"I guess we're following him, then." Hunk shrugged and then fired his booster before Allura and Romelle followed.

They burst through the leaves where the branches weren't as thick, and each one of them found a thick, sturdy branch to stand on, waist deep in the large leaves. Romelle was close behind Allura, while Hunk and Coran stood a few yards away. On top of the canopy, there was a sea of leaves, spanning as far as Allura could see. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky with soft clouds of pink and orange bleeding together.

Tsk-ng tread on top of the large leaves, as he was small and light enough to do so. He walked to a spot between the two pairs, unfurled his wings and then rubbed them together. The noise that resulted was thunderous, like the revving of a rocket engine. It only lasted a tick or two, before he stopped. Romelle jumped at the sudden explosion of sound, losing her balance. Allura grabbed her by the forearm and helped her steady herself back on the thick branch.

"What the quiznak was that for!?" Romelle shouted in dismay.

Tsk-ng merely looked at her with a humored look in his big black eyes and clicked at her in a way that seemed like laughing.

"Well, a little warning or something next time might be nice!" Romelle huffed.

"He can understand us, correct?" Allura asked.

Romelle nodded, exhaling loudly. "Yeah, but he can't use our language because Murichlorians have a different vocal mechanism."

"Ah, I see." Allura nodded in understanding.

"Romelle's right! A warning would have been nice," Hunk said, spreading his arms out in an appalled gesture. "What was that for, anyway?"

The Murichlorian glanced over his shoulder at the Paladin and merely pointed one of his jointed fingers to the sky. Then, almost on cue, a large shadow passed over the group quickly.

Allura looked up and saw a long, serpentine creature slithering through the air as if it were water. Its body shimmered in the sky, long, flowing fur gleamed bright white, blue, and hints of pink. It circled around and came to a slowing stop on top of the canopy. It sank its lean, muscular legs into the canopy, no doubt grasping onto the thick branches with its four large, clawed, hand-like feet. Its head came face to face with Allura and Romelle.

Both Alteans stood there, jaws gaping as the enormous creature blew its hot breath through the nostrils on its wide, pink nose. Its long neck arched up and over as it brought its huge head closer to the pair. Its tri-colored fur seemed to morph and shimmer as it blew in the wind. Light pink, sky blue and ivory white danced together, shifting and changing constantly on the creature's reflective coat. Its head was as large as Allura was tall, and at least half as wide. Two long tendril-like whiskers swayed in swirling currents on either side of the great beast's mouth and two horns jutted out of the top of its head, spiraling upwards into the sky like thick, hardened ribbons. Wisdom sat in the wrinkled crevasses of its deeply set amber eyes as it gazed down at the two of them.

A strange feeling entered Allura's mind. Like a strong wind blowing through the tunnel of her soul, exploring every minute crack and crevice, not to judge or condemn, but merely to observe. The penetrating energy flowed out of her and she was left with a phrase resounding in her mind's eye. Tun-ruhk Atyadkehik. The first of the two words she did not recognize, but understood that it was part of the creature's name. The second was an ancient Altean word, even by her standards, from a time when Alteans were just learning how to describe the power of quintessential energy. If she could remember correctly, it roughly translated to 'life-guardian.'

Coran marvelled at the sight and emitted a squeal of a gasp. "THAT'S!... IT'S! I never thought I'd see one up close and personal!"

"Dragon. It's a dragon. A giant, shimmering, furry dragon," Hunk muttered.

"More than that, Hunk! It's a Skyviathan!" Coran exclaimed, gesturing grandly towards the beast. "Murichlorians hail them as protectors: fierce predators that are to be feared and honored. When Murichlorians come of age, they go to the Skyviathan territory and call one using those membranous wings! If one comes to them, granted it judges them worthy and doesn't kill them on site, they train with it, learning to fight and serve one another as a team!"

The creature shifted its neck over and laid its sage-like eyes on Hunk and Coran. Both of them froze, fearful awe and wonder filling their faces. Now that the marvelous creature wasn't staring into her soul, Allura could think a little more clearly. She saw Tsk-ng jump high up, extending his long, folded legs and then land on the creature's head that was at least 20 feet above them. He grabbed hold of the first folded bend in its ribboned horns with the top set of his hands while gripping the luminous fur with his bottom set. The Skyviathan averted its eyes upward, acknowledging the small being that had just mounted it, allowing Coran and Hunk to regain some semblance of movement.

Coran shook his head clear of the clouded trance. "I am honored to ride on your back, great beast."

Tsk-ng waved one of his bottom hands, gesturing for them to join him on the animal's back.

Allura gazed up at the creature one more time, catching its eye briefly. It tilted its head down as if to nod at her and then craned its neck around to look at its front leg. Slowly, she walked up to the animal, feeling the branches beneath her feet before fully stepping on them. She reached up to its elbow and pulled her body up onto the massive limb before turning around to see Romelle still in the exact same spot, standing motionless.

Allura smiled and called out to her. "Romelle!"

Romelle snapped out of her paralyzed amazement at the sound of Allura's voice.

"Come on, I'll help you up," the princess chuckled, and extended a hand.

Romelle merely gave an open-mouthed nod. Still gazing back at the huge beast's lowered head, she stepped carefully on the leafy branches. She got to the front leg where Allura had climbed up, and stood nose to nose with the Skyviathan. Her mouth was still slightly agape as its amber eyes looked kindly on her. It pushed its snout upward and breathed a gentle breath out, encouraging her to mount.

"Uh…" She managed to mutter.

Allura couldn't help but breathe out a laugh as Romelle seemed incapable of looking at anything else, still in a sort of trance. The Skyviathan flicked its eyes up to Allura before training them back onto the younger Altean. Romelle's shining magenta eyes flashed up at Allura as she crouched lower and extended her hand a little farther. Romelle's gaze shifted back to the luminescent, color-changing visage of the creature and lifted her arm limply.

Allura grabbed a firm hold on her wrist, finally earning Romelle's full attention. They locked onto one another's wrists and Allura pulled her easily up onto the large creature. They climbed up the shoulder, using its long, featherweight fur as rope to get on the wooly back, where Hunk and Coran were already situated; Coran was holding on to the fur at the base of its neck while Hunk sat close behind him, legs spread on either side of the man.

"Take a load off! It's super comfy." Hunk smiled and patted the area behind him.

Allura smiled and sat behind Hunk, straddling the wide back of the Skyviathan. The fur morphed colors as she disturbed its fluid organization. Just as Hunk said, it was an extremely comfortable seat. The fur, although thin, was like a plush down comforter and made her back feel aligned and free. It was amazing how an animal without a saddle could be so comfortable. "Hunk is right, Romelle! Have a seat," Allura beamed.

Romelle hesitantly sat behind her with her legs spread out on either side, completing the four person train. Allura wondered at her hesitance. Perhaps she still hadn't shaken the intense strange, searching feeling of the Skyviathan?

"Tsk-ng! We're ready!" Coran called up to the Murichlorian perched on the Skyviathan's neck. "Hang on tight everyone!"

Romelle gave a weak moan as she looked around at their surroundings.

Allura turned to look back at the girl and gave her a reassuring smile. "Nervous?"

"Oh! Uh, no, I just." A faint blush crept up on to Romelle's face. "Ah, quiznak. It's not any different than flying in a spaceship, right!?"

A lighthearted chuckle bubbled up from Allura's throat. "Well, to be fair, the Lions are all enclosed. Here, we're kind of out in the open."

"Oh, no! Please don't say that!" Romelle squeezed her eyes shut and smacked her hands to either side of her helmet.

One corner of Allura's mouth turned up as she reached one hand that had been around Hunk's waist and grabbed Romelle's wrist, pulling it gently around her own. "Just hang on to me and you'll be just fine."

As Allura took hold of Romelle and guided her arm around her waist, the younger woman reached around tentatively with the other hand. Allura raised her eyebrow, confused by how slowly Romelle was moving. They were about to take off; if she was nervous, wouldn't she cling on tightly as soon as she could? Allura took hold of both her hands and brought Romelle's arms securely around her waist. "Hold on tight, silly," she chuckled lightly.

"Uhh, ok." She responded weakly.

Allura could feel Romelle's heart thrumming against her back even through their armor. Perhaps she had a much greater fear of heights than Allura realized. She'd mentioned it before, but she never acted this way when they were in the Lions. Perhaps it was more a fear of falling than anything. As Allura had said before, the Lions were enclosed, you couldn't really fall out. The princess could understand that fear. She grasped Romelle's wrists again and put them tighter around her waist. "Don't worry, Romelle. Everything is going to be fine."

Suddenly, with a great gust of wind, they took off into the air. Air whipped past them and Romelle screamed, clutching onto Allura. Hunk let out his own scream as Coran laughed heartily and let out loud whooping noises. Romelle tentatively opened her eyes and saw the tops of the trees zooming away from them. Instinctively, she squeezed them shut again and hugged herself closer to the woman in front of her.

The Skyviathan ascended into the air, whipping its tail around rapidly. It made a wide turn, snaking its body around the air currents before it leveled out and found a current of air that was easy to ride.

Wind no longer whipped rapidly past the quatrain as the large body of the beast eased into a steady, rolling oscillation.

"Romelle," Allura coaxed gently. "You can open your eyes now."

The younger Altean shook her head vigorously into Allura's back. "Nope! I'm good, thanks!"

Allura chuckled. "Alright, have it your way. But I think you can actually enjoy the planet's beauty from up here."

"Allura's right, Romelle! It's much less stressful than having to be concerned by every little thing that could possibly melt your face off," Hunk called over the sound of the gusting breeze.

"Thanks, but no thanks! I'm good!"

"Suit yourself," Hunk responded nonchalantly.

After a dobosh or so, Romelle peeked through one eye, slowly opening it to see if she could stomach the view. If Hunk could handle it, maybe it wasn't so bad. Still keeping her head tight on Allura's back, she opened her eyes and saw the lush landscape from high above. They weren't traveling too fast, and the ride on the long, serpentine creature was quite smooth. She picked up her head and turned to each side, seeing if she could orient herself. She couldn't because of the vast floor of trees beneath them, but Hunk and Allura were right; it was a beautiful view from up here. In addition to the surrounding greenery, the pink and orange sunset cast a soft light on everything around.

Though they were high above most of the trees, there were still taller, much thicker ones that stuck up hundreds of feet above the others. The jungle spread for miles around her and this Skyviathan provided a much smoother ride than she had expected. Romelle relaxed a little bit, loosening her grip slightly on Allura's waist.

"Feeling better?" Allura asked.

"Uh, yeah. I guess it's not so bad."

"Not so bad?" Allura laughed. "Says the girl who was absolutely taken by all the beautiful plants around her when we first got here."

"That was on solid ground! Solid ground! I wasn't in danger of plummeting to my death down there!"

"Well, maybe not falling, but accidently stepping on something deadly, or getting eaten by giant plants? That was definitely a constant danger." She chuckled. "Yet while we were down there, you were fearless." A gentle smirk tugged on Allura's lip as she looked over her shoulder at the other girl.

Romelle's face turned beet-red as she huffed indignantly. "You know, if you're trying to make fun of me, those compliments aren't really helping."

Allura chuckled again. "I'm not making fun of you, just making an observation. Don't worry, we're safe up here, Romelle."

"Ok, but…! It's not that I think this magnificent creature is going to throw me off or anything. If I fell—"

"Don't worry, Romelle. I won't let you fall," she said decisively before grinning widely at the girl. "Besides, if you did, you have your jetpack, and I'm sure Tun-ruhk would catch you sooner than you knew it."

Romelle's eye twitched as her face reddened even more. "I'm sure he would! But why would you say that?!" Romelle squeaked. She then tightened her grip on Allura and laid her head on her back once more. "Just… Please don't let me fall, Allura."

The older Altean put a reassuring hand on Romelle's wrist. "I won't, Romelle."

The blonde Altean groaned. "Good. Just let me know when we've landed."

Chapter 11.2: Something in the Way he Moves

Keith all but threw himself onto the jungle floor, uttering a groan as his sore body collided with an exposed tree root. He grumbled in pain, rubbing his backside gingerly to no avail through the thick armor of his suit. Keith's eyes narrowed as they found the offending root, and he continued to glare as he muttered curses at the tree.

He'd never been more exhausted in his life.

After a poor attempt at washing off and a water fight (Lance's fault) that was interrupted by a brief run in with some leeches (Keith was thankful for his armor), he and his companions had begun their trek back to the Lions. They had only walked for a couple hours, and had several more to go, when Lance declared that he couldn't walk any further. Keith had vehemently agreed, every muscle in his body aching from their fight with the Kraken. Although Krolia had seemed hesitant to stop, she eventually agreed, exhaustion overwhelming her determined expression.

"Fine," she had finally conceded. "Even if we push onwards now, it will be impossible to make it to the Lions before nightfall. I'd rather not walk through the jungle in the dark, considering the predators of this planet are particularly active at night."

"Wait, but won't setting up camp just make us sitting ducks?" Lance asked, sounding breathless.

Krolia frowned at the phrase. "I'm afraid I don't know what a duck is-"

Lance waved his hands impatiently. "I just mean, won't it be harder to be hunted if we're moving?"

Keith nodded in agreement, too tired to speak.

Understanding washed across Krolia's features as she shook her head. "Many of the nocturnal predators are excellent trackers. They'll have no problem following us. Whether we are stationary or moving… we are equally at risk. However," she added, noticing how wide Lance's eyes had gotten, "Most of the nocturnal life here, especially that which is harmful, is terrified of fire. If we can get a decent fire going, we should remain relatively undisturbed."

Around twenty minutes later, they had found a small clearing that Krolia deemed "good enough", and Keith had plopped down without a second of hesitation. Stretching out his sore limbs, he eyed the tangled, dense foliage all around them. Sunlight was fading quickly, and the leaves overhead cast the jungle floor into shadow. In the twilight, Keith could hardly make out individual leaves in the surrounding bramble, and the thought of the looming blackness of night made him uneasy. Although tired, he flinched at every small sound, still somewhat wired after their attack on the Spakern earlier.

The crunch of leaves to his right yanked his focus away from the suffocating foliage. His eyes met Lance's boot, which shoved lightly against his thigh.

"You mind if I sit here?" Lance asked from above him, voice soft.

Keith looked up to meet the other boy's eyes, which were all but screaming with fatigue. Keith nodded, scooting backwards to push his back up against the log of a felled branch that might add will have been a tree. Lance gave an exaggerated sigh, stretching both his arms behind his back until his back gave a loud pop.

Keith made a disgusted noise as Lance grinned down at him. "That sounded awful."

Lance shrugged. "Whatever. You look comfortable down there."

"I am."

Menace filled Lance's eyes, and Keith was too tired to try to decipher the expression. He opted instead to glare up at him, not liking the direction that this was going.

"What?" Keith bit.

Lance shrugged again. "Nothing! Just wanna get comfy too."

Keith's eyes widened as Lance slowly made to sit on top of Keith, exaggerating the movement like he was trying to annoy a child.

… It was working pretty well to annoy Keith, unfortunately.

"No, Lance, don't you dare, no, nonononono-" Keith put both hands out in front of him, mercifully catching Lance's lower back (thank GOD his hands hadn't landed… anywhere else). He shoved Lance to the side, the Red Paladin falling to the floor to Keith's right, cackling as he hit the ground.

"Get off me, you oversized child," Keith playfully growled, shoving Lance's legs off of his lap.

"Okay, okay!" Lance exclaimed, still shaking with laughter.

Keith rolled his eyes, hoping his helmet was hiding the blush that painted his cheeks.

Having his helmet back on gave Keith… a sense of normalcy. After washing up, Keith had donned the helmet, and it had only taken a couple minutes of breathing proper air before he was able to close his eyes and focus on his transformation. Feeling the sensation of his eyes and teeth changing, he'd opened his eyes, greeted by exclamations of awe and approval from Lance and Krolia.

Being normal again… it made him feel good. It made him feel like the events of the past day had happened to someone else. Someone else had shifted into their alien form in front of their crush. Someone else had tracked a bunch of creatures across the jungle like a dog. Someone else had licked Lance's hand.

He spared a glance at the Red Paladin giggling beside him, and suddenly Keith's chest felt tight.

No matter how weird the day's events had been, he shocked himself with the realization that he wouldn't have wanted things to go any differently. He couldn't deny that he felt closer to Lance than he ever had before. Not only that, but Lance seemed so… comfortable around Keith. He'd called Keith his best friend and had welcomed Keith's problems into his life without any hesitation. He'd made the Black Paladin feel accepted, wanted, needed.

Keith felt good - no, safe - around Lance, and as he looked at the laughing boy next to him, he really believed, for the first time, that maybe Lance felt good with Keith, too.

Lance's laughter died down, and Keith became painfully aware that Lance had been talking to him. And that he'd just been staring. Keith tried to breathe through the heat he could feel blossoming in his cheeks, hoping if he stayed calm, it would just disappear.

"Keith?" Lance asked softly, too perceptive to the sudden mood shift. "You okay, buddy?"

Keith flicked his eyes away from Lance's concerned features, as if eye contact with the other boy would expose his well hidden secrets.

"I'm fine," the Black Paladin mumbled to the jungle floor.

Quiznak. That didn't sound convincing at all.

He tensed as Lance's hand found its way to Keith's shoulder. He forced himself to keep his breathing normal at the contact. Lance needed to stop touching him or he was going to go crazy-

"Keith." It wasn't a question this time, and the sincerity of his tone drew Keith's eyes right back to his. The expression on Lance's face made the feeling in Keith's stomach cartwheel.

Please don't look at me like that.

"Yeah?" he said instead, voice coming out shaky and breathless.

The Red Paladin's brows furrowed, like he was afraid he had said something wrong… or perhaps like he was about to say something wrong.

"You know you can tell me anything, buddy. Seriously… what's on your mind?" Lance urged.

I love you, I love you, I love you I love you I love you, I'm SO FUCKING IN LOVE WITH YOU THAT IT HURTS-

"Nothing," Keith muttered, averting his eyes and swiping at the condensation on his helmet visor. He swallowed his feelings and settled on a half truth instead. "I'm just tired, you know? Today was draining." He forced a reassuring smile onto his face, and did his best to sound as genuine as possible. "I'm fine Lance, really. Thanks for asking."

Seemingly buying his excuse, Lance nodded and settled back into his own space, eyes closing as he leaned back against a tree trunk.

For a few seconds, the two boys were quiet. Keith watched the Red Paladin, feeling like an absolute creep. He couldn't help it. It was too hard to look away from the smooth curve of Lance's jaw, his flushed cheeks, long eyelashes, slightly creased brows, soft pink lips-

Krolia let the pile of wood she'd collected clatter to the ground a couple yards in front of the boys, causing Keith to nearly jump out of his skin. He met her eyes, and she gave him a pointed look. He felt his cheeks color.

Great. She caught me staring.

Honestly… he wasn't sure how he'd ever survived without Krolia. What if Lance had opened his eyes to find Keith staring unabashedly? He silently thanked his mother for her intervention.

Krolia and Lance lapsed into easy conversation as the Red Paladin grabbed the tauner leaves out of Krolia's hands and helped his mother to build a fire. Upon offering his own help, Keith had been met with a chipper "We got it, Keith! Rest!" from Lance, followed by a look that told him that the reaction had everything to do with their previous conversation.

Right, he'd told Lance he was exhausted.

Keith pouted, feeling somewhat useless, But also immensely grateful. Resting his head in his hands, he resigned himself to listening to the hushed chatter of his two companions as they discussed the day's events. He sighed contentedly as Krolia muttered something under her breath and Lance laughed, a beautiful, breezy sound that cut through Keith's tired daze and sent chills up his spine. No longer particularly listening to the discussion, Keith allowed his mind to go fuzzy again. Lance was smiling warmly, intently nodding at whatever Krolia was saying. She gestured to the fire that had started to flicker amongst the wood pile, making a sort of fanning motion, still looking keenly at Lance as if she were trying to teach him something. Lance's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in confusion and he asked a question. Keith watched Krolia respond as Lance's expression gave way to understanding. The other boy gave a loud "OHHHHHH," and immediately smacked his head with his hand, causing Krolia to chuckle and lightly shove at his shoulder.

Keith's heart felt like it was working overtime. The scene in front of him was so… domestic. It released warm butterflies into his stomach that didn't seem keen to still.

Why can't you just tell him? It could be like this all the time.

For once… Keith didn't immediately push the thought away.

As he sat there, absorbing the Red Paladin, he considered it. Really considered, for the first time ever.

What was the worst that could happen?

He'd confess his feelings, and maybe Lance wouldn't feel the same way. Maybe the other boy would hate him for ruining their friendship.

But… wasn't he doing Lance a disservice by presuming he'd react that way?

Keith thought about their conversations that day, how close the two of them currently were. Lance had proven today more than ever that he was sticking with Keith, no matter how much he had to adjust his own life to Keith's craziness. Would Lance really be mad?

You know he wouldn't, his brain supplied. You know you mean a lot to him, even as a friend.

The more he thought about it, the more Keith couldn't see it ruining their friendship. Even in a worst case scenario, Lance would at most be confused or awkward upon receiving the news, but ultimately Keith knew that they'd both do anything to salvage their relationship. After all, hadn't they done that every time they'd fought? Hadn't Lance done that even earlier today? Fought to rescue the relationship that Keith had so desperately been trying to sabotage?

Didn't they always come back to each other?

They were close, too close for Lance not to try to make their friendship work. Keith knew this with a certainty. He also knew that he was lying to Lance, betraying his trust by keeping this huge secret that impacted the both of them. So if Keith decided to clear his conscience… decided to tell the truth, to lift some of the ever present weight off of his heart… shouldn't he?

Isn't that what Lance would want? For his best friend to be in less pain?

But what if he feels the same way?

The thought was ridiculous. Every time it occurred to Keith, he would squash it down to the very back of his heart, desperately trying to stomp out the flame of hope.

He didn't even know if Lance liked guys. All signs pointed to his preference being girls.

But still. Still. There was a reason Keith entertained the forbidden thought now, absentmindedly letting his hanging hand trace patterns in the soil. There was something in the glint of Lance's eyes when he looked at Keith, something in the softness of his smile. There was something in the way he touched him, talked to him, laughed around him.

Something in the way he just accepted him made him feel whole. Like home was wherever Lance was.

For once, Keith allowed himself to contemplate a different outcome.

What's the best that can happen?

Keith shuddered at the idea. Lance liking him back. Keith imagined the way Lance would confess. That rosy pink color brushing across his cheeks, the corners of his mouth tugging into a shy smile; unable to meet Keith's gaze as he swept a hand through his hair…

And Keith, being the ridiculous, impulsive mess of a person that he was, would lean forward and press their lips together. Maybe Lance would hesitate slightly out of surprise before leaning into the kiss, tender and tentative at first, but then their hands would be all over each other and it'd be hot and steamy and passionate and-

Something smacked against Keith's helmet, and he jerked out of his daydream with a yelp, jumping about a mile into the air. From the fireside, Krolia and Lance sniggered conspiratorially, and Keith pieced together what had happened as he glanced down at the pebble that had landed beside his feet.

"Yo, space case!" Lance called, grinning as Krolia continued to chuckle. "I've been calling your name for like, an hour!" Krolia snorted, and Lance turned back to her. "I stand by my decision… he's exhausted," he muttered, giving her a pointed look.

Keith felt hot all over, and wanted so desperately to be able to blame that on the heat from the fire. "First of all," he grumbled, trying to ignore the tingle of fervor across his body, "You were not calling me for an hour. Second… what decision? What's going on?"

Lance gaped at him. "Have you… seriously not heard anything we've been discussing?" To Keith's horror, concern laced the Red Paladin's features once again. "Jeez," Lance muttered, brows furrowed, "You're even more out of it than I thought."

"I told you, I'm just tired," Keith snapped defensively. The last thing he wanted was for Lance to start asking him questions again, to give him that look again. "Just tell me what's going on."

Lance put his hands up in surrender and opened his mouth to speak, but Krolia beat him to it.

"Lance has offered to take first watch for us, despite my assurances that I am completely capable of doing so myself." Lance gave her a pointed look. Krolia huffed and rolled her eyes, relief reluctantly sliding onto her face. "Although… I will confess that I am extremely fatigued, and sleep would be most welcome."

The Red Paladin nodded in agreement, motioning Krolia to a log opposite Keith's. "Right. So shoo, go lie down, sleep. You've done enough for me and Keith today. The mighty Mama K's work is done."

Krolia's eyes narrowed playfully. "Was that a threat?"

Lance groaned and attempted to push Krolia to the log, who planted her feet and stood her ground. She watched with a smirk as Lance tried to move her with no avail - it was like he was pushing against a brick wall. Keith fought his own smirk, knowing the difference between Galra and human strength was laughable.

Lance grunted, desperately trying to win his unwinnable spat. "Ugh," he grumbled, heaving a shoulder against her. "Stupid Galra and your stupid super strength." A childish whine escaped Lance's mouth. "Oh, come on, ya big purple maniac!" Lance moaned. "Stop being difficult! I'm trying to do something nice and this is the thanks I get?! Teaches me to-"

Keith wasn't sure if Krolia was bored toying with Lance, or felt sorry for him. Either way, she moved abruptly to the side, letting Lance's momentum nearly take him to the ground. As he staggered forward, she caught him by the scruff of his suit, yanking him up into a standing position as laughter shook her body.

Keith tried so, so hard to suppress it, but before he knew it, he'd let out an ugly laugh and had joined his mother. Lance shot him a betrayed glare, but mirth danced in his eyes.

"Oh, very funny! Let's all laugh at Lance, shall we?" he exclaimed, hamming up his outrage for comedic effect.

Keith only laughed harder, head flying back as he laughed openly for the thousandth time that day. He never laughed this hard, or this often. Lance just brought that out in him, brought out the best in Keith…

Still laughing, his eyes met Lance's, and the expression on the boy's face was almost enough to wipe the smile off his own.

Lance stared openly at Keith, a small, tender smile lighting up his features. Illuminated in the firelight, the Red Paladin looked almost ethereal, light reflecting off the boy's skin and causing it to almost glow. His eyes gleamed with something that Keith couldn't pin down, something that made Keith's heart flutter.

Maybe Keith didn't know any better, but he thought that it was something that looked an awful lot like the wholeness that he felt around Lance.

It was something that looked an awful lot like…

Love.

Keith's breath hitched as his heart came to it's decision, and as he gazed into the blue eyes that he had come to love, he was certain of one thing.

He was going to tell him. Tonight.