#Al just accidentally Let’s the animals lose and they ruin the party and he doesn’t want Yumi to know

[ameliathefatcat]

Pups save a gender reveal

Farmer Al and Farmer Yumi are going to have baby and the gender reveal doesn’t go as planned

[untilmynextstory]

CHAPTER FOUR: Na Trioblodi

WORD COUNT: 8K

Alma tries her best to keep the more traumatic events that surround the club from her kids. She knows in the long run it may bite her in the ass, but they are under 6. There are some things that they just don't need to know. Their minds don't need to be tainted with the harsh cold reality of their world yet.

Yet, there are times it can't be avoided when they need to go to the hospital to visit members. Nathan never really questioned things. He took it at face value, or she believes he saves the hard questions for his father or even Opie.

Kaylee always asks more questions. Alma thinks she would make a good lawyer or journalist when she is older. Kaylee's brows furrow as Alma kneels down in front of her and tries to explain Chibs booboo.

Kaylee had drawn him a lovely picture to keep in his room and even "donated" one of her stuffed animals to keep him company.

"But how did he get hurt, Mommy?" Kaylee asks again.

"You know how cars have wires," Alma starts and pauses to see Kaylee nod her head. "Well, Chibs accidentally put two wires together and it caused him to get a booboo on his head."

Kaylee purses her lips and Alma thinks she is going to ask the question again. Instead her little girl takes her hand and leads her inside the hospital room.

Chibs is laying in bed. His eyes are closed and Alma thinks he is sleeping. However, his eyes open slowly and a smile comes across his face.

"Chibby!" Kaylee exclaims, but then slams her hands over her mouth.

Alma chuckles lowly.

"It's my favorite lassie." Chibs comments as he moves the bed to recline higher.

Alma places Kaylee on the bed where her little girl gives Chibs a gentle kiss on his bandage that is wrapped around his head.

"A kiss to make you feel better." Kaylee says as she settles in Chibs lap.

"I already feel better, lassie." Chibs says.

"I hope so. The only boy I kiss is Daddy and sometimes Grandpa."

Alma snorts while Chibs chuckles. "Good. You shouldn't be kissing any boys."

"Boys are gross. Besides, you and Daddy are man." Kaylee points out. "Besides, I brought you Rummy."

Kayle hands over her blue monkey to Chibs. "It is so you have a friend since I'm not allowed to spend the night."

"That's sweet of you luvie." Chibs tells her as he accepts the soft stuffed animal.

"Any idea of how long you'll be here?" Alma asks softly.

"I'll say a couple weeks if I don't have any complications. So hopefully my brain doesn't act funny."

"Are you going to be able to come to my birthday!" Kaylee cries out.

"Oh, luvie, I don't know."

Alma is surprised when the tear line Kaylee's eyes. She is immediately grabbing her daughter and holding her clothes. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I want Chibs there and Daddy," she wails.

"Honey, Daddy is going to be at your party. Why wouldn't he?"

Kaylee hides her face with her small hands. "Daddy isn't home like he used to be. You and Daddy mad at each other."

Alma frowns as she cuddles Kaylee closer to her. She presses a kiss to her forehead. "Daddy will be at your party, sweetie. You'll probably get mad because he won't let you play with your friends. And Chibs booboo needs to be watched by the doctors. We'll save him some cake and you never know maybe Chibs can come over and have a tea party just you two."

Alma looks over at Chibs who is watching her with a serious face. Her troubles with Jax officially leaving the walls of her home.

Kaylee nods her head and looks back at Chibs. "I'll save you a piece of cake, Chibby."

"A lass after my own heart." He tells her.

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Alma will feel awful if she ends up lying to Kaylee. It seemed Jax may end up missing his daughter's birthday as he and the club ended up in jail. They had apparently thought it would be a good idea to attack some church meeting.

From what little she gathered or cared to listen to, Gemma told her it was a set up. Alma knows it probably was, but they should've been smarter trying to get retribution for Chibs. Alma can't find it in her to feel sad or mad. She simply does not even care at this point. The only thing that matters is her childrens' happiness and safety.

She knows any happiness she has managed to conserve is going to be sucked up by her mother's upcoming visit.

She is currently at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport waiting for her mother. Apparently she is coming back from a trip from Paris with her current sugar daddy. Her mother had gladly informed her she was cutting her trip short to come to her own granddaughter's birthday party. Alma can already feel a headache forming as she looks at her mother strolling out of the airport with her designer suitcase and carry on. Her mom's eyes are hidden by the Gucci sunglasses, but by the frown on her face Alma knows her mom is about to lash at her for something.

Alma waits as her mom strolls over to the car and places her luggage in. Ana gets into the passenger side and slams the door. "You could've helped me with my bags." She snaps.

Alma sighs and just pulls out of her parking spot. "Sorry," she mumbles.

"Don't mumble," Ana tells her. "And don't be moody because your husband is locked up."

Alma looks over at her mother. "How'd you know about that?"

"Google alerts since my daughter doesn't tell me anything."

"It really isn't -" Alma begins to say, but is cut off.

"It is my business! My grandbabies are affected by this shit." Her mom practically screams. "And a fucking explosion at the garage. Those babies could've gotten hurt if they wanted to help out."

Alma purses her lips. She loves her mom. She really does, but she has never been there. Sure Alma had food, clothes, and shelter, but it seemed the moment Alma didn't conform to what Ana wanted her mother gave up instead of listening. Her mom reminds her of those pageant and dance moms she sees occasionally on TV. Her mom only wanted a good image.

After all, despite her mom's bitching, she didn't care about the criminal aspect of life. Her mom's sugar daddy has connections to the Russian Mafia. To her the mafia was cleaner than that of a motorcycle club. Alma doesn't bother pointing out her mother's hypocrisy.

"Is he even gonna be home for Kaylee's party?"

"I hope so, but it's not like this is going to be the only one he misses right." Alma remarks bitterly.

Ana chuckles. "I warned you about this. I told you what you should've done when you got pregnant."

Alma whips her head at her mother. "How can you say that! How can you look at me and tell me I should have gotten rid of Nathan."

Ana sighs. "You know I love Nathan. You were just a kid, Al. Jax knew fucking better than to mess with you. I'm still fucking confused why you spreaded your legs for him knowing how he fucked anything. You could've gotten out of this town. Out of this life."

"You can't change the past, Mom."

"Just repeat it as it seems." Ana remarks sadly.

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"Grandma, why are we at a church?" Nathan asks as he licks his ice cream.

Gemma looks down at her grandchildren. Nathan is looking up at her with Jax's blue eyes. Does Gemma feel some guilt for what she is about to do. Maybe, but her boys are locked up and if Oswald can't be swayed by a pair of doe eye kids missing their daddy then the man is heartless. She just didn't want her granddaughter's birthday to be ruined by her father's absence. She knows with the charges the men have they might be going away for a while.

"We're going to visit a friend." Gemma tells him.

"Why?" Kaylee asks.

"Because I haven't seen him in a while." Gemma replies as she digs in her bag for a wipe. Somehow they always manage to get ice cream everywhere.

Kaylee tries to fight her when she is wiping her face.

"Grandma!"

"Well if you didn't get the ice cream everywhere I wouldn't have to do that." Gemma replies.

"I'm not a baby. I can wipe me face." Kaylee replies sternly.

Gemma looks at her with a raised eyebrow. She knows Kaylee is going to be trouble as a teenager for the whole family.

"Just be nice and quiet when we go in, alright?"

Both kids nod their heads and they make their way inside the church. The choir is singing beautifully and Gemma can spot Oswald's daughter in the front. She is the same age as Nathan. Oswald turns around from the side of their arrival, Gemma waves before ushering her grandchildren in the pews.

Gemma waits silently for the practice to finish. Luckily the kids were still entertained by their ice cream. As soon as the practice is over, Gemma is taken back by Tristan running over to them.

"Hi Nathan!" The girl greets with a wide smile.

"Hi, Trissy," Nathan replies and Gemma watches, entertained as her grandson's cheeks turn pink.

Tristan smiles before turning towards Gemma. "Hi, I'm Tristan."

"I'm Grandma," Gemma replies while Oswald comes up.

"Why don't you show Nathan and Kaylee the church while I talk to Gem." Oswald suggests to Tristan.

The kids don't need a verbal response as they rush out of the pews.

"She sings beautiful." Gemms starts.

"I'm gonna be out of town for the recital. Trying to catch some rehearsals." Oswald explains.

"You're a good dad."

Oswald smiles as he stuffs his hands into his suit pocket. "Sometimes I forget Jax is a dad. Him and Alma were the last couple I expected. Tris is always talking about Nathan though." He pauses as his face turns serious. "I heard about him and Clay."

"Your office told me you were here. Didn't know who else to go to." Gemma explains.

Oswald sits in the pew in front Gemma. "Maybe it's time for a lesson, Gemma, for all of us."

"Maybe." Gemma agrees slightly. "But this isn't it. Zobelle set up that bust. He's ripping apart the club. He's ripping apart charming." She tells him bluntly. "Clay outed Jacob Hale's bullshit scam, saved your land. Thought maybe you'd like to return the favor."

"How big a favor?"

Gemma licks her lips. "300 against three mil."

"Jesus Christ. I'd have to put up the same land for that kind of bail. One infraction, one guy splits, I lose it all. I lose it all." He explains to her hotly.

"They're not safe, Elliot. If I don't get them out of there, I might not see any of them again. Nathan and Kaylee might not see their father again."

Oswald doesn't say anything as he gives her a closed lipped smile. Gemma stands as she digs in her bag. "I'm not sure if Tristan got an invitation." Gemma passes over the invitation to Kaylee's upcoming birthday party.

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Jax sits in the stiff metal chair with the cuffs around his wrists as he waits for Stahl to be done with her pissing contest. He doesn't know what she gets from having him sitting alone in a room especially in prison. If anything it's welcomed considering the shit show the club has found themselves in.

It was clear Zobelle had connections everywhere with how early on Juice was able to get attacked. They were lucky that Half Sack was able to pull his weight in getting his top rocker in securing them protection through Laroy. However, he was right in telling Clay that it would be stupid to make such a rash decision regarding retaliation. They would be playing right into Zobelle's hands and look where that got them. In jail and Clay decided to throw his fists at him for whatever bullshit Stahl managed to trigger in Clay.

Finally Stahl shows her face as she enters the room with an infamous manilla folder. She sits down and smiles at him. He is brought back to the last time they were in a room together where she brought him the worst news of his life.

"I know you want the MC on a better path. Put some distance between the law and the harleys. Legit porn business is proof of that. It's real smart, Jax. My guess is that you don't even want to be dealing guns." Stahl begins as she sits up straighter and opens the folder, which reveals pictures of their Irish contact Cameron Hayes meeting with Zobelle. "I'm not after SAMCRO. I want Cameron Hayes's true IRA contacts. Consider it retaliation for the Mick assholes jumping ship. And we both know that you'll never win this war against Zobelle."

"I'm not in a war." Jax replies.

Stahl smirks as she tilts her head. "You look pretty battle-worn to me." She replies back. "Look, I don't give a shit about this beef between you and Clay. Your club, your business. But maybe I can help you repair the damage, very least keep you alive. How long do you think you're gonna last out there on the yard?" She taunts. "They will pick you off, one by one, same way they did Juice."

"Then get us a decent bail." Jax answers as he leans back in his chair.

"I'll do better than that." She promises. "You give me inroads to the Irish, I'll get you and the club full immunity. I might even be able to get Otto's parole back on track."

The room is silent as they stare at each other. Jax isn't stupid nor is she. He will give it to Stahl she is a manipulative bitch who knows how to do her job for the most part.

"You have to think past your hatred for me." She implores. "You're smarter than that. I am offering you a bigger picture."

Jax isn't prepared for the next pictures that she pulls out. It is of Alma with the kids. They are at a park and the kids are smiling wide and happy. However, looking at Alma, despite the smile on her face, he can tell in her oversized cardigan that his wife isn't happy.

"You have a great girl, beautiful kids. I know how much they mean to you. I heard you and your wife have been having marital troubles and can't fix that from a prison cell, Jax."

Jax shakes his head and gives her a nasty smile. "You know my family...being a father...they've given me a new pair of glasses. Find myself thinking about the things I do, things I say. Ramifications." Jax leans up and looks down at the photos. "You have to. Not as angry or reactive. I can see that. For instance, you showing me these photos, trying to play my rage, my need for revenge. It didn't work." He tells her bluntly. "See, I was able to take a moment, think. And I realized that if we did have a relationship with the Irish... Which of course, we don't... What'd stop me from tipping them off? Letting 'em know you got 'em under thumb? You took a huge risk playing that card, which means you're desperate. You got nothing."

"You really are the smart one." She muses as she stands up and gathers her things. "By the way... Your bail was posted. You're all free to go and make sure you say hi to your mother in law for me. Heard she was back in town."

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Alma is up late at night wrapping the presents for Kaylee's party. She had picked up last minute gifts for her daughter for the party. Gemma was actually going to keep the kids for the next couple days so the set up for the party could be a surprise for Kaylee.

She had headphones in her ear so she didn't hear anything or even feel the vibration from the door closing. She has placed the last piece of tape on the present when her eyes just flick forward for a brief second and they fly back to the figure standing in the doorway. Alma almost screams at the site before she realizes it is Jax.

Her body instantly relaxes at the sight of her husband and she removes her headphones. She pushes the presents away as she stands up. She is only wearing a simple white tank and just a pair of black cotton panties.

Jax's gaze is just burning her. He isn't speaking. Alma looks him over and she can see some cuts and bruises on his face. She walks over to him slowly and her arms wrap around him tentatively.

She isn't going to ask about the wounds. She knows she won't get an answer. She is surprised when his arms come around her and he holds her tightly. She is pressed tightly into him. She thinks she could cry. Even in his warmth, she still feels so cold. She doesn't move away and she only closes her eyes as she listens to his heartbeat.

They stay that way for a while until she feels his hands trail down her body. They settle on her hips and his fingers dip below the band of her underwear. She leans away from him a little.

"Jax…" She questions as to what he is doing, or more so what this even means.

It's instinctive as he moves his hands to cup her thighs and brings her up that she needs to wrap her legs around him.

Their lips meet instantly. Jax is walking them towards the bed as their tongues clash together. Her legs become tighter because despite how much she feels as if she hates her husband, she loves him just the same.

He lays her down on the bed and she quickly discards her shirt while he grabs at her underwear ripping them off quickly. He pulls away from her and he rids himself of his shirt while Alma works to unbuckle his belt buckle. Jax pushes her hands away. He scoots to the end of the bed and his hands grip her thighs as he moves her with him to the edge of the bed.

His fingertips graze her thighs as they trail past her stomach to her breasts. Their eyes lock on each other as his fingers circle her nipples. He pinches them and tugs causing her stomach to clench. He leans forward and captures her nipples in her mouth and her hands come up into his hair for support. His tongue worked on her nipples making them hard to the point it stung a bit. Alma bucks her hips up for some type of relief before he pulls away. He brings his fingers up to her mouth and Alma immediately opens up and takes his fingers. She moans as she coats them before he tugs them out of her mouth and trails down between her legs. His fingers ghosted over her center in a teasing manner as he moved up and down her and circled her opening before he moved his attention to her clit.

"Fuck," she moans out as it catches her by surprise.

"Let me hear you," Jax tells her as he applies more pressure and sinks his middle finger inside her.

Alma can feel the clenching in her abdomen as her toes begin to curl as he massages her clit with his thumb while fingering her.

"Come for me, darlin'," Jax demands.

Alma's body clenched as she felt her fire ignite her body. Her thighs tremble from her orgasm and she is still coming down from her high when she feels him lick a long stripe up her folds.

"Jax!" Her hips buck up as her grip on his hair tightens. It was almost painful as he traced a pattern against her clit. His fingers dug into her thighs and Alma knows there might be bruises tomorrow morning. She was caught off guard when Jax sucked on her clit and nibbled it and it triggered a second release.

She screamed when she felt Jax slam into her and her walls clamped down hard around him. He didn't give her a moment of reprieve as he started to thrust slowly, but deeply in and out of her.

"Shit...Jax," Alma moans out as she tightens her legs around him. Her hands moving from his hair to his shoulders.

Jax moves one of her legs so it rests on top of his shoulder. Alma moves her arms so that she clenches the bedsheets.

Alma cries out from the change in position. "Jax...I -"

"Give me one more, Alma," Jax demands.

Alma opens her mouth, but no sounds come out as her mind goes blank.

"Fuck!" Jax roars as he chases his releases.

She can feel warm spurts coating her walls. She comes down from her high she is well aware of the mess between her thighs that have leaked to the sheets. She hisses as Jax pulls out from her.

"Fuck, babe," Jax whispers.

Alma somehow manages to look down. Her thighs are still twitching as she watches Jax's fingers ghost over her thighs. She whimpers as she feels Jax push his fingers back into her and keep his release there.

Her mind is foggy still and she almost misses the words he says that clears any ounce of peace and relaxation she has.

"I want another baby."

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Jax thinks he would prefer to be in a standoff with the Mayans than standing directly across from his mother in law. Ana always had a way of getting under his skin. Not only his, but everyone around her. He dreads even letting his kids be near the devil in disguise.

However, coming back from lockup, the last thing he wants to deal with her in his kitchen staring him down. Maybe Alma could have given him a better warning than waking him up to inform him that her mom was there before she dashed off to fucking somewhere. Considering how he ambushed her last night, her mother was probably the last thing on her mind.

He doesn't know how Chico dealt with Ana for how long as he did. Of course, Ana is a beautiful woman despite the shitty personality. Alma gets her looks from her mother because if how Ana is aging is any indication of how Alma is, he is going to be a very lucky man.

Yet, as he stirs his coffee, Ana has been glaring at him since he walked into the kitchen while she drank her own cup while pretending to read the newspaper.

Jax runs his hand down his face. "Is there a problem?"

"Your face looks like it hurts." She replies as she places the newspaper down.

"Your concern touches me." Jax mocks.

"One day Alma will wake up."

"Ana, I really don't feel like dealing with this shit."

"Do you really think I care?" Ana retorts.

"Actually, no I don't. I don't' think you care much about anything except for what guy is gonna write you a check."

Ana laughs. "Do you think those words hurt me?" She flicks her hair over her shoulders. "They don't. Nothing your mom or you can say will cause me to lose any sleep at night. In fact, you just wasted your breath." Ana stands up and folds her newspaper. "Alma was young - is young. The betrayal of what you did...that will never fade. Fucking her and trying to get her pregnant isn't going to keep her here."

Jax shakes his head. "I'm not doing this."

Ana snorts. "Of course you don't. I'm not putting you on a pedestal."

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Jax is glad that their house is big enough where he can hide and not come into contact with Ana. Although, he is sure she left the house shortly after their "talk". So he has been mostly left to his own devices. He at first was gonna head to the club as the last place he wanted to be was his house. However, he wasn't going to run away from his problems. He wasn't going to play right into Ana's hands. He knows her favorite thing to do is playing mind games with people. He might have fallen into that trap.

So he decided to work out and try to burn off that anger because at the end of the day, whatever is going on between him and Alma is between him and Alma.

He did a brutal workout that left his arms feeling like noodles. He walked into the kitchen to refill his bottle of water before jumping into the shower when the front door opened. He is silent as Alma comes in carrying some grocery bags no doubt filled with more party supplies for Kaylee.

"Hey," Alma greets with a bright smile.

"What the fuck are you telling your mother?"

Alma's smile deems immediately. "What?"

"She seemed to have a lot to say about the state of our marriage."

"She always has something to say Jax." Alma replies as she begins to put away the groceries. "I'm surprised you would even listen to her."

"Well it seems that I have to listen when my wife isn't talking to me."

"Talk?" Alma sputters in disbelief. "Since when in the fuck do you even want to talk?"

Jax and Alma stare at each other before Alma is the first one to break away by shaking her head.

They don't speak to each other for the rest of the day.

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Alma smiles as she watches the group of kids running around in her backyard. The turn up of kids was quite surprising. Most of the kids are from Nathan's class who have younger siblings that are closer to Kaylee's age. Considering that Kaylee hadn't been in daycare, the only friends she has managed to make were from the many hours they clocked in at the playground.

However, Alma is aware that most of these parents are just curious as how the Tellers are living.

With the flurry of activity, it has led her to keep her distance with Jax. They have a semi united front. She just has been keeping her distance. This day is about Kaylee turning 5. Her baby is getting older and there doesn't need to be any drama.

Alma picks up some trash and throws it in one of the garbage bins before heading back into the house to get the birthday cake. She knows Kaylee is itching to open some of her many birthday gifts.

Alma heads into the house and begins gathering the materials she needs. She is grabbing the candles and the lighter when the backdoor opens. She looks up and she is surprised to see Gemma is the one to walk through the door.

Gemma has been the main person keeping the kids all together and making sure nothing can ruin her granddaughter's day.

"You better be careful with Tristian and Nathan out there."

Alma laughs. "He has a crush. Let him be."

Gemma snorts. "I'm pretty sure he is already planning their engagement."

"I bet Karen would love that." Alma tells her. "I'm sure Clay would really love that."

Gemma snorts. "So I do want to know what your mom and Jax said to each other for them to act like they don't exist?"

"Honestly, I am not all that sure what my mom said." Alma reveals truthfully. "But I know best not to get in between that."

"Still, it must be alot on you."

"Mom only visits a few times a year and afterwards I treat myself to a nice spa day." Alma jokes.

"You know...your dad would be proud of who you've become. It's a shame he isn't here."

Alma nods her head. Alma never knows what to say when it comes to comments about her dad. She loves him and the few memories she can remember. She knows he was trying his best to be a good father. She also knows that it didn't erase his faults as a man involved in an outlaw club or the fact he treated her mother like shit. She knows there are things she doesn't know about her parents' relationship. She knows at one point they had loved each other. Yet, her dad had broken something in her mom to turn her into the person her mom has become.

Besides, Alma thinks if her dad was alive he wouldn't approve of her relationship with Jax.

She knows if her father was alive, the path her life has taken wouldn't be the same.

"I wish the kids would have been able to meet him."

Gemma goes to answer, but the doorbell goes off. Alma leaves the kitchen and heads to the front door. She checks the side window and frowns at the sight of David Hale. She opens the door with a confused smile.

"I don't remember sending you an invitation." She jokes.

David gives a sad smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you guys should hear this from me."

"Al, who's at the door?" Gemma asks as she walks into the hallway.

"Hi, Gemma," David says as he walks into the house a bit. "You should sit down for this."

"What's going on?" Gemma demands. She doesn't move to sit. She just stares David down.

David sighs as he focuses on Gemma. "We just found Luann Delaney off county 18. Beaten to death. There's no other details right now. I'm sorry."

Gemma is frozen and Alma doesn't have any words.

At that moment, there is laughter coming from the kitchen. Alma recognizes them as Jax's.

"Alma?" Jax calls out.

"Excuse me," Alma tells David and Gemma before she walks back into the kitchen. Jax has a birthday hat on and he is admiring the birthday cake on the table.

Jax looks up at her and his smile fades. "What's wrong?"

Alma takes a shaky breath. "Luann was killed."

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Alma never had to plan a funeral before. Luckily it seemed Luann had her wishes already laid out. Based on the dates on some of the paperwork, it seemed she had been prepared since Otto got locked up. Luann already had the plot, casket, and gravestone picked out for both her and Otto.

Somehow they were able to get through the party and didn't say anything until the guests left. Alma didn't engage in the conversation. She took care of getting the kids ready for bed. She really couldn't find anything to say about this. The only thing she does know is that Luann was having trouble with another porn producer, but she really doesn't want to think about porn scabbles would really lead to murder.

Her heart just went out to Otto. She knows most likely that he won't be able to even attend his wife's own funeral. And to lose her in such a violent way, she can't imagine that pain.

Alma just knows that now she has to get in touch with a lot of people in the adult entertainment industry to set up some type of memorial for Luann. She thinks she'll asks a few of the girls to help with that.

Alma buries her head in her hands and resists the urge to cry. Luann had always done so much for her and looked out for her. Luann was the only old lady that ever reminded Alma that she needs to come first before her old man.

The sound of her doorbell going off causes her to jump. She wipes her face in case any renegade tears managed to slip before answering the door. She is surprised to find Unser standing on the other side.

"Sheriff?"

He gives her a small smile. "Hey, Alma, sorry to come over unannounced. I'm looking for Jax."

"He is visiting Otto. Don't when he is going to be back. What's going on?"

Unser sighs and she can see the internal debate of wanting to tell her. "Couple of the girls were busted in a prostitution sting. One mentioned Jax was their boss."

"Fucking great," Alma mutters.

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Jax thinks telling Otto that Luann was murdered and he believed his actions led up to it was one of the hardest things he has ever done. It is easily the worst and he can't even imagine the pain his brother is in. His brother entrusted him and the club to protect Luann. To take care of her since he couldn't. He sacrificed years with Luann for the club and the club couldn't keep their end of the bargain.

Jax parks his bike in his driveway. He had plans to go to the club and get a rundown of what they had planned for the day, but right now he doesn't want to be near his brothers. He just wants his family. But he knows the kids are with his mom and Alma was at the house setting up Luann's funeral.

He enters the house through the side door that leads into the kitchen from the laundry room. He finds Alma standing by the stove and it seems she is making some tea. She was never one to really drink coffee.

She looks up at him and gives him a sad smile. "How was Otto?"

"Broken." He tells her simply as he leans against the counter opposite.

Alma folds her arms across her chest. "Are they going to let him go to the funeral?"

"He said probably not as he and the Warden are in a pissing contest."

Alma kisses her teeth and he moves to get closer to him, but she turns around causing him to frown.

"Unser stopped by." She informs him.

"Yeah?"

"Apparently a couple girls were busted for prostition."

Jax rolls his eyes. He almost growled in frustration. "You gotta be shitting me."

"Named you boss. Unser said he would be at the station."

"Jesus Christ."

"This isn't going to mess with your charges is it?" Alma asks softly.

"I don't know. It's not like they have any proof."

"They work at Cara Cara, Jax. You are now practically the owner. It is not going to take long to connect those dots." Alma points out. "Have you even thought about what it means for you to be possibly going to jail, Jax?"

"Are we really going to have this talk now?" He questions her. Jax thinks this is the last thing they need to be worrying about. He doesn't even have a court date yet. They can worry about logistics later.

"No, I guess not."

The teapot screams.

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Jax is tried. He is exhausted. It took them forever to find leverage for the judge so he would drop the case against the Chinese's contact. It's early in the morning - very early. The kids will still be sleeping, but as he walks through the door he can hear Alma in the kitchen getting breakfast ready.

He knows he should immediately make the move to shower and wash off the day. Instead he walks into the kitchen and sits at the breakfast island. Alma's eyes flicker over to him. From the profile, he can tell his wife is tired.

He has noticed the dark spots under her eyes have been increasing since Luann's death. He didn't realize Luann was teaching her about business. Alma has been handling a lot of Cara Cara's paperwork with Bobby as they figure out where to go next in leadership to oversee Cara Cara. Jax is proud of his wife and he realizes he hasn't said it or even showed her.

Yet, he has found his wife has gone out of her way to never be alone with him. She uses the kids as a buffer and when he comes home to go to bed she is already asleep. She also keeps her distance at Cara Cara.

He is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't realize she made him a cup of coffee until it is sliding in front of him.

"Thanks, darlin'." He tells her.

She smiles as she goes back to what he realizes is cutting up some fruit. He can see that she has taken out bacon and sausage and she has supplies to make French Toast.

"How long you've been up?" He asks her.

"About 30 minutes."

"You need some help?"

That causes her to look up at him confused. "I'm good, Jax."

"Babe…"

Alma sighs. "I don't want to do this right now."

"We need to talk."

Alma looks at him and he can tell she wants to say more, but she doesn't.

"I'm lost here, Alma." Jax tells her the truth. He doesn't know how to fix anything between them. He doesn't know how to go back to where they were. "I'm trying to put it back together, but... I don't know if I can."

Things with Clay are shit and the club can't see fucking straight with how hard ZObelle is coming at him. At the end of the day, all he wants is his wife.

Maybe it's pity, or she believes him as she looks him directly in the eyes. "I know."

He can feel the tears building. His throat is getting thick with emotions. "I just feel so far away from you now." He reveals. "I know that's my fault." He admits and takes the blame. "Please, just tell me, how do I get back?"

Alma closes her eyes and she turns her head from him. She shakes her head. "I don't know if you can."

Jax can feel his heart breaking. He can feel this is the end of his marriage. "Babe... please let me back in." He begs.

Alma opens her mouth, but the phone cuts her off.

"Ignore it."

She doesn't listen as she goes to the landline. Her back is turned, but he notices she becomes tenser than before. He becomes confused when she ends the call mentioning Hale's name.

"What is it?"

"There was a fire at Cara Cara."

.

.

"This is a lovely house." Stahl tells Alma as they wait for Jax to arrive. Coming back from the grocery store with the kids, the last thing Alma expected was for Agent Stahl to be on her doorstep. Alma had quickly told the kids to play outside while Alma told Jax he needed to come home immediately. So now she is entertaining the ATF agent who is making herself comfortable on her couch.

"Thanks," Alma says briskly as she darts her eyes between Stahl and her kids.

"I'm also sorry to hear about Luann."

"No, you're not." Alma fires back. "If you were you would be looking for her killer."

"Unfortunately, my area of criteria is alcohol, firearms, and tobacco."

"Convenient, so why are you on my doorstep." Alma fire back.

"You're not like Gemma, are you?" Stahl muses. "I mean with the few meetings of your mother, you seem to take after her."

Alma rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you and my mother got along great."

"DIdn't have nice things to say about your father or your husband."

"Tell me something I already don't know."

Stahl's eyes light up in glee, but before she can say anything Jax is walking into the house.

"What's up? Text was vague." He asks before he spots Stahl. His jaw instantly hardens. "You got a warrant?"

"You see me searching?"

"I got nothing to say to you." Jax fires back before turning to Alma. "Where's the kids?"

"In the backyard."

"Look at you two." Stahl coos. "Ozzy and Harriet."

"Shut up." Alma snaps.

"Get out, now." Jax orders the federal agent.

Stahl's smile is sickening. "I was just curious, Jax. I just wanted to know why you were leaving SAMCRO."

That causes Alma's head to snap towards her husband. She can't hide the shock at that news.

Jax looks guilty as he looks down at Alma. "Give me a minute?"

Alma doesn't argue as she goes outside with the kids. Jax doesn't hide his wince as she slams the door.

"I'm sorry, I thought old ladies were privy. Has she got issues with the extracurricular?" Stahl says mockingly.

"Just say it."

"Same pitch. The Irish screwed you, so you screw them back. More importantly, you screw Ethan Zobelle. You even the score, you protect the MC."

"Same response. I don't rat." Jax replies.

"Sons are living in grace, sweetheart. You're not my target now. But if you don't help me, I will come after you." Stahl threatens.

"You know with Alma doing nails...does she have permit to practice? I'm curious on how a mechanic and nail technician can afford such a house especially with Kaylee's medical bills."

"You're so full of shit."

Stahl smiles. "It was nice talking to you Jax."

Jax doesn't leave his spot until he watches Stahl leave his house. He sighs and knows he is about to be in a world of shit. He moves to the sliding door and finds Alma sitting on one of the lounge couches watching the kids get dirty in the sand box.

Jax's feet have barely touched the deck when Alma speaks.

"What was she talking about?"

Jax slides the door closed and he sits next to his wife despite knowing he could be for some bodily danger. "I'm joining the nomad charter of the Sons."

"Did you conveniently forget you have two kids at home. You can't be heading up fucking north for church every week, Jax." Alma thinks she can throttle her husband. She wants to. She wants to scream, cry, and maybe get a few slaps out of him.

"I got to do this. I need space between me and Clay."

"Why?"

"I just need to do this." Jax tells her. He doesn't even know if he can explain how since his mom's car accident things have been different. The stress of Zobelle is eating at all of them. He knows it's best to take some space.

"I ride independently for a few years and wait for him to step down." He adds.

"A few years?" Alma scoffs. "We've barely made it through the last few months. You made this decision without me."

"Well what else am I supposed to do when you won't fucking talk to me."

"Do not put you going Nomad on me!" Alma hisses. "You don't tell me shit. You haven't since you came back...since Ben…" Alma gets choked up. Jax licks his lips because he is not even sure what he wants to say. Alma takes a breath. "I can't do this anymore."

Jax's brows furrow. "What?"

"I can't." Alma tells him as she stands up and moves to head back in the house.

"Al, wait," Jax tries to grab her hand, but she pulls away quickly leaving him all alone outside.

.

.

With a clubhouse full of visiting members and family, the kids are occupied and cared for. Alma decides to take a breather and walks down to Jax's dorm room where they are staying until things with Zobelle are handled.

A Lot has happened the last few days, which have been overwhelming. Alma isn't even sure how to digest a lot of what was told to her. The first truth to be revealed was the Gemma's car accident was in reality a rape. She was raped by a man name Weston, who happened to be Zobelle's right hand man. Gemma's attack was orchestrated by Zobelle along with the club being sent to prison, the burning of Cara Cara, and recent issues with the Irish. With that, the tension of Gemma's trauma and her relationship with Clay being affected led to Clay making decisions in the club that rubbed Jax wrong. It was the cause of the tension that made Jax want to go Nomad. Although none of that changed, her marriage and it's strain could be easily explained and fixed. Now the club is on lockdown as they have formed a plan to deal with Zobelle.

Alma walks out of the bathroom and is startled to find Jax sitting on the edge of the bed. He gives her a tight smile. The thing with Alma is she knows how to be an old lady. She knows where to play the part so no cracks can be seen. She knows that leads to a lot of false comfort mostly to Jax.

Her instinct is to stay standing by the desk but she moves over to the bed and sits on the edge.

"Everything okay?" She asks quietly.

Jax nods his head. "I love you, Alma. I know since I came home I haven't done my best to show you. I have to live with that consequence. When this is done...if you need me out the house. If you want to take the kids away for a bit, I'll do what you want me to."

Alma isn't sure how to respond. She isn't exactly sure what she wants. If anything in these past few months she has learned her life revolves around Jax. She isn't sure of who she is outside of her marriage.

"Do you want a divorce?" Jax asks her quietly.

"You know I would never keep the kids from you Jax." Alma promises. Despite the mistakes and hurt she and Jax make in their relationship that would be put aside for the sake of their children.

"No matter what, I'll always take care of you, Al." Jax promises and she knows he means it.

"Jax…" Alma isn't sure what to say and she doesn't know if it's a good or bad thing.

Jax stands up from the bed and moves to stand in front of her. His smile is sad and he bends down and places a kiss on her forehead. He walks away and out of the room and Alma tries to muffle the sobs that escape her throat.

.

.

.

Jax and the club are outside of a small deli as they watch Zobelle. Tig is working on getting people to leave the premises as quick as they can. They can't enact revenge with women, children, and innocents around.

Jax can feel the burning in his veins to get vengeance for his mother. Sure, killing Weston felt good. A weight lifted from his shoulders a bit, but the main objective is Zobelle. He is the mastermind behind everything.

After he handles this, he can work on his marriage. He can do everything he can to focus on mending his relationship with Alma. He hopes they can find their way back to each other. He can be a better husband, father, and man. He is pacing in front of the store, his eyes covered by his sunglasses when he feels his phone vibrating.

He looks at the ID and sees it's Alma.

She knows what today means and wouldn't be calling unless it was an emergency. He answers the phone and doesn't like the feeling that settles in his gut.

He can hear crying, screaming, and he swears an ambulance.

"Al, what's wrong?" He asks over the chaos on the end of her line.

Her broken sobs reach his ears. The phone falls out of his hand and Jax thinks he fell to his knees and maybe almost toppled his bike before the guys intervened.

"What is it?" Clay barks at him.

Jax is in a daze. Zobelle is forgotten as he gets to his bike. He has to get to St. Thomas.

"Kay...Kaylee's…" Jax can't finish the sentence. He doesn't even want to have it escape his lips. "I gotta go to St. Thomas."

[zetalial]

FMA fanfiction recs!

Hey, so in my recent fma survey, I asked people for FMA fanfiction! And they delivered, yay! Thank you. I decided to make them into a nice list for all to see.

You’re very sweet, Anon but I’m afraid it’s already too late. This ended up quite, quite long. And I’m amazed at how long some of these stories are - if you’re looking for stuff to read, hopefully this list will occupy you for a while, (especially if you check some of the author’s other works). 

Most of these I have not read, but hey, they were recced so they’ve got to be good, right? Range of ships and stories from both canons. I’ve included the ships but haven’t included ratings so be warned that some of these may be explicit. (The author will probably indicate it themselves though.)

Full list under cut!

-Fullmetal’s Company by Roseveare | 18434 words | Gen, takes place pre-series. | Ed should have never flashed the silver pocketwatch in a warzone.

-A Wicked Game by Tierfal | 59921 words | RoyEd, Modern!AU |  Roy has lucked into the all-expenses-paid vacation of his dreams – all he has to do is convince a bunch of happy couples that he's head-over-heels in love with Ed Elric. What could possibly go wrong?

-Be light from now on by Merel | 2363 words | GreedLing, Modern!AU |  “Let’s go inside, sweetheart.” Cat café

-Number 28 by Sevlow | 63347 words | Gen, Parental RoyEd, divergence |  As of today, Edward Elric had been missing for four months, two weeks, and five days. Warnings for angst, some gore, and Chimera!Ed.

-In the Gaslight by UnorthodoxCreativity |13542 words | RoyEd |  Ed hates military parties. This is no surprise. But when a certain bastard of a colonel takes it into his head to make Ed's night a happier one, well. Ed's not complaining.

-Through the Gate by PreelikesWriting | 3 part series totalling  252736 words | Harry Potter crossover with BH Ed Pre-promised day covering books 5-7 of the HP books. Last part is still incomplete. |  Edward is transported to the Wizarding world and must fight his way back home.

-Playing God by the Flamel Cult | 44445 words | Harry Potter crossover  |  I thought the dull aching was something other than my demise. As it turned out, I was sorely mistaken. Perhaps I should listen to Alphonse more; maybe then there wouldn't be another bloody tragedy that would, inevitably, end it all. For good.

-snipers solve 99% of all problems by silentwalrus | 134066 words | Harry Potter crossover, incomplete post-Promised day | Ed had thought, after the whole Promised Day, homunculus, entire country harvested for alchemical batteries thing, the batshit quotient of his life would have settled down some. He really ought to have topped out the meter with that one. But no. The bullshit is just getting started.“Are you fucking kidding me,” Ed demands. “The wizards?”

-Harry Potter and the Eastern Sage by LiteratureWork | 141609 words | Harry Potter Crossover Brotherhood incomplete |  Nicholas Flamel was famous for creating the philosopher's stone, but like Lockhart's smile it was all a lie. Flamel stole a part of the stone and it took Edward 642 years to get it back along with the souls inside of it, one which was his brother. But after traveling to Hogwarts to retrieve it, Dumbledore has other plans for the ancient hero.

-Reversed by Autzulfrost | 162206 words | Harry Potter crossover post 03 anime |  At the end of the first anime, Ed is sent back to London. But he's a kid again and through a twist of fate gets involved with the wizarding world. Will the alchemist help save wizarding Britain? Will he find a way to return to his home and true family?

-Stray Hayate by Famousfault | 3436 words| Harry Potter crossover |  Hayate had no idea how he had ended up there, but he had no other choice but to accept the situation. Harry at the other hand is not quite as satisfied with it.

-Demon Alchemist by Metisket | Series, 88462 words | Brotherhood divergence covers whole series | Al died in the transmutation. In which Ed becomes Central's local vigilante, thereby becoming Maes's problem. Roy finds something poetic in this.

-No Crueler Punishment by Gomboc123 | 2504 words | Post-promised day humour |  Instead of taking away Roy's vision, Truth decides to take something much more precious from Roy, and defaces him in the worst way possible.

-The Bond we Share by DiaHonkers | 23750 words | What if Brotherhood where Ed and Al share a body incomplete |  The Fullmetal Alchemist was a weird person. He joined the military at only 12 years old. But the weirder thing about him was that he changed personalities in the blink of an eye. One moment he could be screaming his head off at you and the other he would be profusely apologizing. He would constantly talk to himself, and his commanding officer didn't bat an eye. But what they didn't know that it wasn't just one person. It was two.

-Another Journey by Isil'zha BLZ | 254486 words | Whole series rewrite. |  The Elric brothers embark on another journey, but this time it's different than the ones they've been through before. A reimagining of the FMA story that combines elements from both anime to create what is (hopefully) the best of both worlds.

-A boy named Ed by BelloftheSea | 302732 words | Post-canon but Ed is young again without memories of his old life. Incomplete |  Ed knew he was different. It wasn't just that he was smarter than the other kids or even that he had automail. No, it had more to do with the way people would occasionally look at him, like they were expecting somebody else. It was the way his mechanic cried the day she met him. It was the way his dad would sometimes slip – and call him Fullmetal.

-Nothing Gold by Rydia Highwind | 23230 words | EdLing Post-canon, AU ending |  Ling has gained immortality. Ed has not.

-Unto the Shores of Acheron by LAXgirl | 99904 words | Gen, post 03 AU |  Everyone thought Edward was dead. But when someone tries to resurrect him, no one's prepared to deal with the soulless look alike that's created instead, or its hurt and anger when his original half unexpectedly returns from the other side of the Gate.

-Nequitia Est Manus by Azei | 103304 words | Divergence story incomplete | Madame Christmas meets a blonde brat with a fondness for drinking all her whiskey and giving her more headaches than Roy ever did. AU in which Ed fakes his death at the end of episode 26 and uses it as a means to stop Father's plans from the sidelines.

-Beast of a Burden by Shoulderpads | 66416 words | Diverges Pre-canon, BH incomplete |  Alternate universe where Ed and Al don't get the chance to try and bring their mom back before they're taken to the labs as subjects for chimera experimentation.

-The Colours of the World by MaiKusakabe | 114228 words | Harry Potter crossover Post Promised day, incomplete |  When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one.

-Confirmation Bias by Cryogenia | 3327 words | RoyEd vague timeline. | (No summary) 

-Phylactery by Shade40 | 250666 words | Post-Promised day AU, incomplete |  Six years after the Promised Day, Selim is Homunculus and child. As he studies alchemy, Selim realizes it is possible to resurrect his family. The Homunculi deserve the same second chance that he was given, but while they struggle to embrace their newfound humanity, an unknown player comes with a deal that divides them. Post-FMAB with bits from 2003 series.

-Inhuman Beings by wllw | 3173 words | Mid BH, Pride + Kimblee centric |  At the edges of his vision, the shadows followed him.

-The Twelve Days of Disaster by  MEOW-I'm-A-Dog | 47932 words |  A series of oneshots about Christmas that go from crack to full cocaine. Written on a whim, not to be taken seriously unless you want to. Characters: Breda, Ed, Al, Havoc, Fuery, Hawkeye, Falman, Mustang, Hughes and the occasional Armstrong

-At Gate’s Edge by Winds of Water | 455478 words | RoyEd 03 AU where human transmutation went awry and Ed is a ghost. Incomplete |  Love's never easy as it is, but it's twice as hard when you're separated by life and death.

-Grand Arcanum by The-Immortal-Moon | 343781 words | Series AU and roleswap blending 03 and BH. Incomplete |  Brothers Edward and Alphonse tragically lose their bodies in a failed attempt at human transmutation. Now, they partner with their childhood friend, Winry, and scour Amestris in search of the Philosopher’s Stone.

-Abandon All Hope, Ye who enter here by Anonymous | 17171 words | Dark! Au from end of 03. Ed being held by Dante. NonCon. |  Everything went wrong. Al is gone, Dante has the Stone, and Ed is a prisoner to the fanciful whims of his new captor.

-Love Can Melt the Ice by Winryofresembool | 63640 words | EdWin Modern!Au |  Edward Elric, a hockey player from Amestris, participates in his first ever Olympics. The only thing he's planning to get from there is a gold medal. However, when he accidentally bumps into a childhood friend, a talented figure skater Winry Rockbell, he learns there are things bigger than hockey.

-Our Embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms by spooky_bee | 155853 words | Neon Genesis Evangelion fusion with FMAB RoyAi | "He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

-Talking With Ghosts by em-witchwood | 2801 words | EdRiza, Post FMA 03 |  Out of all of them, she was probably the only one that didn’t regret all the things she had never said to him, because she’d said all that she wanted.

-We That Are Young by Stoplight Delight | 277131 words | Pre-canon |  It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

-Tempest by Bookwrm389 | 16810 words | Gen, vaguely mid-series Parental RoyEd |  Ed is adamant that he doesn't need a father. And it's only when he's about to lose the closest thing he has to one that he understands how very wrong he is.

-Flames of Consequence by EnviousMonster | 67018 words | Gen, Envy lives AU post BH. Incomplete |  Where Envy survives and is given a second chance to become something more than they were made to be. Will contain depictions of violence, emotional and mental duress, etc.

-Stock Market Crash by VIKAN | 29301 words | Gen, vaguely canon timeline |  Stranded in the middle of the Eastern Desert, Roy Mustang must try to get himself and a concussed Edward across it safely before he completely loses his mind.

-Mendacium by ChaoticClueless | 15558 words | My Hero Academia crossover with BH Ed. Incomplete | Edward didn't want to help Truth. He didn't want to go to a different world to defeat yet another Father. He didn't want to become a vigilante there.He also wanted his brother back. The choice was obvious, even if Truth is a massive asshole.

-Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai | 288908 words | EdRoy Timetravel story, BH |  Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

-Best Kept Secret by MoonStarDutchess | 523815 words | RoyAi BH canon-compliant incomplete |  What if Roy and Riza were secretly married through the entire series? This story tells you that.

-Ash Like Snow by Laora | 6723 words | Harry Potter Crossover |  His sanity is crumbling away, but then, so is the entire wizarding world.

-Penance by Laora | 125965 words | Harry Potter Crossover around Promised Day |  The Gate was opening; the black arms stretched toward him and Pride. Ed knew he had no say in the matter. He would be pulled to this parallel dimension, alternate universe—whatever it was—and Amestris would be left to die. Truth merely grinned.

-Jiǔ by agentcalliope | 3131 words | Roy-centric piece, RoyAi |  the nine steps Roy Mustang takes towards acceptance

-Homefront by hlwim | 50895 words | BH AU, some RoyAi |  Miss Riza's arrival in Resembool has the potential to ruin everything.

-Infernia by mitsys | 3899 words | Royai, Pacific Rim AU |  Some stories aren't told in headlines or newspapers, but in the touch of hands and minds. They linger together in the Drift, lines melting together into the seams, and they don't mourn the lost letters. They've been writing their story long enough to do it without words.

-Wooden by tobu_ishi | 1928 words | Gen, Post 03 anime, Ed in other world |  He never realized how useful automail could be until he was an entire world away from it, or what a pain simple daily tasks could become.

-Mirrorworld by Tramontana Keeper | 305134 words | EdHei, Pre-CoS AU |  Ed managed to prove that he was truly from a different world, and Alfons finds himself captive in Ed's dream of opening the Gate. 

-Fragile Worlds by The Prettiest Frog in the Pond | 5635 words | Gen, 03 anime AU |  He'd been stuck in this place for months now, but no matter what he says, nothing changes. He's Edward Elric. He's been Edward Elric all his life. So why won't they believe him?

-One Foot in by Firewind | 7008 words | Gen, 03 anime AU |  Envy shows Ed why it's unwise to break a deal with homunculi.

-The Circle by Elfpen | 3007 words | Gen, promised day |  Edward Elric teaches alchemy at Central University. A particularly horrible student leads them down a path of dark discussion, which somehow, leads Edward back full circle.

-Ignis Fatuus by Mikkeneko | 5787 words | Gen. |  Edward attempts to break apart a chimera made from an animal and a child.

-Abstention by Asidian | 11117 words | Vague timeline |  An assignment to snow country under Colonel Mustang is bad enough for the damper it puts on the Elrics' search for the Stone, but downed supply lines lead to cut rations, and Ed discovers that he can't take the deprivation as well as he'd like to pretend.

-Never break the chain by haganenobeato | 4199 words | RoyAi BH, vague timeline | The nights were not kind to Riza Hawkeye. Sleep felt elusive following the failed operative to capture a homunculus after Gluttony swallowed the Colonel whole with Edward alongside him. Before she could gather her bearings and make sense of what was happening, Mustang’s men were transferred at different cardinal points in Amestris with herself at the center as Bradley’s assistant.As for him… he had been changed.

-Men and Angels by Laora | 56333 words | Timetravel AU |  Trisha can't understand; she's terrified, but she has to stay calm. Her boys are gone, replaced by her sons from the future...and something, she knows, is terribly wrong.

-The Really Ridiculously Good Looking Summer Festival by VerboseWordsmith | 45594 words | Modern!Band!AU RoyEd |  Quasi-indie newcomers, Fullmetal Alchemist, just hit number one with their second single on the Amestris Hot 100 Rock chart and they've been added to the lineup of this summer's Transmuted Tour.

-To Love is to Sacrifice by Konfessor2U | 6372 words | Edvy, BH |  Edward is held captive as a human sacrifice and Envy is set to watch over him.

-Not in His Job Description by alightintheshadows | 1331 words | Gen, BH Post-promised day, Parental Roy |  General Mustang receives visitor much too early on a Sunday morning, but he doesn't mind in the slightest.

-Aftermath by Asidian | 32148 words | Elricest, vaguely post-series |  Not even a year after Al receives his new body, Ed requests a mission that will take him far from his brother's side. When things go terribly wrong, they must pick up the pieces together.

-Ignis Aurum Probat by writing_addict | 34827 words | How to train your dragon AU, FMAB, incomplete | Edward Elric is born early into the dead of winter, on an island twelve days North of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing-To-Death. He comes into the world sickly and small--and endlessly defiant, burning with the kind of rage that can shake the foundations of the universe. The gods themselves hear that scream, that roar of fury and thunder promising to remake the world as they know it, and wonder. Fifteen years later, Ed brings down the Night Fury that's been plaguing his people for generations, stands over it with the perfect opportunity to make the kill...and spares it.

-Satellite by SpicyReyes | 103170 words | EdRoy, Timetravel, BH incomplete |  A rogue alchemist, desperate to restore the alchemy of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, pushes Truth into playing a new game - one that has Edward Elric waking up on the floor of his house where a transmuted abomination should have been, just in time to save his younger self and brother. He might have a chance to do everything again, now, though...He would never hold anything but bitterness for the title of 'dad,' but maybe an older brother could make things better.

-With Eyes Anew by Rider_of_Spades | 500 words | LustScar FMA 03 | "She’s not your second chance– she’s your first." On the implications of being in love with a Homunculus.

-Son of the Desert by ShanaStoryteller | 10445 words | Ishvalan!Ed AU, BH EdRoy | Every time Edward sees the circle on the back Mustang's hand, he wants to scream, wants to reach across the desk and shake him, wants to wrap his hands around the older man's throat and ask if it was worth it, if this desk and his rank is worth the screaming, crying, writhing, burning bodies of his people-

-Tears and Rain by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 196772 words | RoyEd FMA 03 vague timeline |  When Ed stops an assassination attempt on Roy's life, he foils one of the opening moves in a massive military intrigue. Can he and Roy stay one step ahead of those who want them dead, or will they both lose the fight to survive?

-The Lost Language of Swans by Mirabella | 2258 words | Elricest, Wingfic Post-series |  They smuggled Al out of Central and back to Rizembul, where they rented a small house with room for Ed's books and Al's wings.

-For the night has been unkind by CoolJellyBean25 | 159980 words | RoyEd PostBH AU, Incomplete |  Even with the straitjacket off, Ed never feels like it's really gone.

-conflicted by the very air i breathe by writing_addict | 149707 words | some RoyAi, BH AU, incomplete |  Edward Elric vanishes after what was supposed to be an ordinary mission. A year later, Roy Mustang gets a call that changes everything.

-World without Roy by Manalfedz | 41482 words | Gen, BH AU, incomplete |  Wherein...Roy tries not to freak out in an alternate world where everything has gone horribly wrong.

-A sudden alchemy by LadyMerlin | 5388 words | RoyEd Modern!Au |  The one in which Roy is a Knight in Shining Armour

-A Pyramid Scheme by PhantomRose96 | 1662 words | Gen, immediately Post!BH | “Why didn’t you run?”   “Sorry?”  “Why didn’t you run away, Fullmetal?”

-From Ashes by JordannaMorgan | 22864 words | Gen, canon-compliant set right after the human transmutation attempt. |  Edward and Alphonse had a long journey to make before they ever left home.

-Babylon by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 261096 words | RoyEd, post FMA 03 AU |  Two years after retrieving his brother's body from the Gate of Truth Edward Elric is still paying the price. Will his debt ever be repaid, or will it finally cost him everything?

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[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Caramel Skin Under a Vanilla Sky prt 22? full draft

With Lance on his back, Keith tried to find his way out of the labyrinth of tunnels, buildings and caves. His heart and head hurt from thinking way too much, and from his aching face. Lance had one hell of a thick skull, he was lucky that his unofficial boyfriend hadn't collided with his nose. His face still felt swollen as it was, which would probably lead to Lance feeling even worse all about what had happened. When he'd seen Lance striding towards the exit of the ballroom, it was clear that something was wrong, though he wasn't sure what. Lance had been dancing with Lucteal, then he was running. Lucteal hadn't done anything actually wrong as far as he hadn't kissed or groped at Lance, but still... something had happened and Keith had to know Lance was alright. The moment he'd wrapped his arm around Lance's waist, Keith had known he'd fucked up. His love interest oozing the smell of bad citrus, and as he'd gone to release him, he'd been too slow. Temporarily knocked back by the blow to the face, he'd seen the glaring guilt in Lance's eyes as he'd pulled and aimed his blade for Keith's gut. The move fluid, almost beautiful to watch if not for the pain behind it. It was definitely not a move Lance had mastered as a Paladin. Which wasn't to say Lance couldn't fight hand to hand, he's simply always excelled with a fire arm and seemed much more confident when aiming his blaster. What he must have been through to go straight for his blade even on a safe world... It taxed Keith's mind to keep up. Hiking Lance up higher in his hold, Lance's cold nose rubbed at his neck as he mumbled softly in Spanish. Keith wished he knew more Spanish than the few words of insult Lance threw his way, especially when most of them had a long string of unknown words between them. It was a reminder of a world Keith wasn't part of. Pausing in his trekking for the second time in as many ticks, his ears picking up the sound of footsteps coming closer. Ducking back into the shadows falling across the street he was on, Keith's heart was starting to pound. Normally he wouldn't be so shaken by the sound of steps, but Lance wasn't in a good mental space, and his instincts were screaming at him to keep the sleeping Cuban safe from absolutely everyone. Appearing with a lantern, Keith nearly laughed at his own fear as Daehra came closer. Stepping out the shadows, Daehra jumped as she finally realised he was right there. Feeling as sheepish as Daehra looked, Keith pushed down his flaring instincts further "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you" "As am I. You've both been gone for so long" "Lance fell asleep while we were talking, and all these caves begin to look the same" "You were lost" "Directionally misplaced" Laughing softly at his words, Daehra raised the lantern enough for Lance to groan in annoyance at the light. Lowering it, she nodded "Yes, he would be asleep. Is he alright?" "He will be. We talked. His anxieties went into over drive and he kind of freaked out" "I felt fear from him. Lucteal was in tears, Annla was demanding we go right after both of you. She did not understand what was wrong" "Lance is going to love that. He was ashamed of what happened" "He does not need to be. Now that I have located you, would you like for me to show you back from the city?" "That would be great" Falling into step with Daehra, she walked on Keith's right side to limit the amount of light Lance was exposed to with his face buried on the left side of Keith's neck "You pushed quite far into the city. Do you know where you ended up?" "Not really. It was some kind of... church or something" Daehra let out a small gasp "You pushed further than I thought. The church lays in the Royal Quarter. Commoners are not allowed there" Well oops. It wasn't exactly planned that they'd end up lost "We didn't touch anything. I mean, we sat on a bench so Lance could relax" "Do not worry yourself, I will not tell. I know he is not the kind to trespass on people's ways" "Thanks. I think he was too out of it to realise anyway, so I won't tell him" "If you would like, I can give you a proper tour. Though I feel you most probably only become lost again" Keith huffed with a frown "Is it that obvious?" "A little. Take no offence. We designed this place so outsiders would be lost in an attack" "That makes sense. I think after tonight, I might try taking Lance and Kosmo for a walk above ground tomorrow. He's always loved the feel of the sun" "He has mentioned Earth. The rain and the animals. It sounds very pretty" "I was never attached to Earth like him. But it's green and blue. It doesn't rain fire. Things have changed since the Galra invaded, but it's... I feel differently about it now. Earth is where my dad was born, where I was born, and where Lance's whole family comes from. My adopted brother is from Earth, so his his fiancé, and our other friends. Sometimes Daibazaal gets repetitive with al the purple and grey there" "Is like Erathus?" "Yes and no. Erathus isn't as green and open. It's like the ancient movies from old" "Movies?" "Moving pictures" "Oh! I know of those. I would love to see your Earth" "I'm sure once things calm down, Lance would love to show you. I'm trying to talk him into letting me take him to Altea at the moment" "Altea? Wow... we never spoke of Altea. Leandro spoke with Annla about his time there" "Lance is really good with kids. Much better than anyone I know, except for maybe Shiro. He took me in when I was angry snot nosed shit" "I cannot imagine that" "We used to fight all the time, then slowly we became friends through it all" "And now, more?" "Yeah. More" Lance was tentative but Keith couldn't blame him. He'd said he was falling for him. Keith could understand why Lance was so hesitant, he wasn't born under a rock. Relationships tended to progress into more than hand holding and light kisses, but now Lance was officially his in an unofficial capacity. Even if it was all Lance could do to right now, he was sure they'd slowly begin to move towards... that... when the time was right for both of them "I am happy for you both" "Thank you. We're keeping things slow while we work things out, so he's probably hit me if he knew I told you" "'m going to hit you if you keep talking while I'm trying to sleep" Mumbling against Keith's neck, Keith's cheeks warmed over being caught talking to Daehra "How long have you been awake?" "Long enough to know my head feels like crap" Hiking Lance up again, Lance huffed at him "Don't give me that. I could always drop you" "I wouldn't put it past you... where are we?" "Daehra came and got us" "Oh... Hi, Dae. I hope he hasn't been an arse" Giving Daehra a tiny one handed wave, Lance nuzzled into Keith's neck as he did. It seemed more like his unofficial boyfriend wanted to avoid her than to talk to her "I thought I was a dick" "Dick. Arse. It's all below the belt" Groaning at Lance, Keith momentarily contemplated making good on his threat to drop him "Go back to sleep. We'll be out of the tunnels soon" "Ok... Good night, Dae. Sorry I ruined your party" Daehra shot Lance an affectionate look "Good night, Leandro. Please do not worry about the party. It is still continuing" Nodding at Daehra's words, Lance fell back to sleep without replying. His warmth breath tickling Keith's skin as it evened back out "He's fallen back to sleep" "That is good. I have never seen him sleep so much as he does when with you" "I've never slept as well as I have been while sleeping next to him. For all he's been through, he still manages to amaze me" Led out the tunnels by Daehra, it really seemed like too much effort to walk back to the Telula. Daehra had to return to the party, leaving Keith alone with the sleeping Lance, who despite being far too light, seemed to be growing heavier by the tick. Casting a rueful glance towards the house that was sooo much closer than the ship and didn't have a ramp to struggle up, Keith forced himself to walk past it's soft inviting glow from the lights inside. Lance had wanted to go back to the Telula, which meant they were going back to the Telula. The sleeping Cuban had no idea how many free passes Keith had been throwing his way, but tonight Lance had earned his right to choose the ship. He'd both finally said the name of the vile piece of shit who'd raped him out loud, without screaming or losing control as he did, and admitted he did in fact have feelings for Keith and was scared for the same reasons Keith was. Plus, he'd scared the hell out of himself when he realised he'd accidentally hurt Keith before pulling his blade on him. The ramp was the beginning of the end for Keith's energy. They should have just slept in the church over night and pled ignorance over it all come morning. Making it down to Lance's quarters, he cringed as dropped Lance on his bed, unable to quite judge the height of the mattress and the distance to Lance's arse. Holding the cringe as he lowered Lance's legs, he turned to find Lance half starfishing on the bed with a glare on his face. Quiznak, Lance wasn't impressed at all "You dropped me" "I misjudged the height" "You dropped me!" "I didn't mean to" "Keith, you still dropped me" "Sleeping princesses don't get to complain. Do you know how heavy your arse is?!" Worried he'd taken it a step to far by snapping out of exhaustion, Lance grinned at him and threw him for a loop "I'm sorry. Thank you for carrying me" With warm cheeks, Keith mumbled self consciously "You're welcome. If you lift your feet, I'll do your boots for you" "Leave them, come to bed instead I'm too tired to move" "That's why I said I'd do them for you" "Come to bed..." "Lance let me get your boots off, then I'll come to bed" Whining at him, Lance reached for him with both arms. Keith finding himself immediately climbing into Lance's hold. He couldn't deny Lance when he was reaching for him openly. Pulling Lance over so they ended up laying face to face, Lance's blue eyes stared into his with his arm trapped under Keith's neck "I'm sorry about your cheek. It looks painful" "It's not too bad. I'm sorry for dropping you. I really didn't mean to" "It's alright... it was a little jarring, but it's ok... I'm too tried to really care" "You should go to sleep then" "Already ahead of you, I'm secretly still sleeping" "I wouldn't be surprised. You're a man of many talents" Snorting loudly, Lance ruined the soft mood built by the two of them whispering at each other "God. You're such a sap. I wonder what the others would say if they heard you" "They wouldn't believe it. I'm the broody one, remember" "I haven't forgotten. Can you stay tonight?" "Idiot. Who else's bed am I going to be sleeping in?" "Yours? With Kosmo?" "We both sleep better together. Let me do your boots. We really should changed" "Tomorrow's the time for regrets... I want to go back to sleep now" "At least take your belt off" "I can't be bothered" "You're like a giant man-child aren't you" Bringing up his left hand, Lance flicked him in the middle of his forehead. Keith catching Lance's hand before he could flick him again "I represent that implication, Mullet" "It's not a mullet" "Mmm. You'll always be Mullet to me. Grumpy-Mr-Mullet" "Alright. You're not making sense anymore. I'm taking my boots of, so I'm taking yours off to. Get under the covers" "Fiiine. You're lucky you're cute" Blushing too hard to stay so close to Lance, Keith slowly climbed out of Lance's hold and off the bed. Taking Lance's left boot in his hand, Lance whined at him but a few ticks later, he was out all over again before Keith even had his laces undone. * Waking before Keith, Lance stayed laying against his not-boyfriend boyfriend. With his chin resting on Keith's chest, Lance stared up at Keith's face half in shock that he was really right there. Sharing a bed had become a silently agreed upon thing that should have been over once they'd landed, yet, Keith kept coming back to his bed. Lance growing used to Keith claiming his bed like it was on. Sure, it scattered his nerves in the few moments of waking and finding the warmth of solid body by his, but Keith had never overstepped. His arm remained looped around Lance's waist, never dipping lower, and if either of them were having nightmares, the other was right there for comfort. Watching Keith's long eyelashes flutter, Lance was jealous of their length, as was he jealousy of Keith's soft curved lips and the smile that played on them. Like he was smirking in his sleep over something Lance couldn't understand. He couldn't understand how Keith could possibly be happy with dating him how he was. How he could keep picking Lance up and keep supporting him like this? Being the baby of the family, he was always the one in the background. His siblings jealous of the moments his parent's spoiled him, while oblivious to the times he went without because he'd been forgotten. When they were on the castle he'd made it his personal mission to be there for them all so no one felt as crappy as he had. It was like Keith could see right through him, like he could reach in and pull those emotions out that he didn't want to acknowledge. He knew he wasn't coping, but he'd gotten up, out of bed, and gone to work. He'd put one foot in front of the other until he was walking again, kept going until he was running, but instead of running towards a new life he was running from the ghosts of his past. He'd been running so hard that he didn't think Keith could catch him, let alone ground him. He'd fallen hard for Allura, yet had fallen just as hard for Keith... and now... he'd loved and lost Allura. He couldn't survive loving and losing Keith. Not that he knew if he could survive a relationship with him. He didn't know if his friendship with Keith could survive the fall out of what was to come, especially with Keith wanting him to stop taking the pills. The way he'd softly begged him... He didn't want to keep showing Keith such a childish side of him. Such a weak and pathetic sight... Every time he reached out his hand, Keith had been there to take it, to catch him as he fell. So for Keith, he'd do better. Carefully detangling himself from Keith's hold, Keith rolled to the spot Lance had vacated, a hand feeling for him. Not ready for Keith to wake, Lance stuffed his pillow against Keith's chest. Keith immediately wrapping his arm around it and burying his face into the fabric. Waiting a few extra moments to make sure the half-Galra wasn't about to catch him in the act, once he knew it was safe Lance made his move. Raiding his room, the armoury, behind the panel in both other spare rooms close to his, the space beneath the bathroom sink, and the bathroom drawers, Lance collected every single pill and injection he could find. Including the ones they kept on hand for trading or for set-ups when undercover. There was far more than he thought on board. 4 full boxes of injections, plus a few others with different amounts ranging from only a couple of vials left to being half full. Bottle after bottle of pills... Seeing it all laid out, Lance gripped the counter of the bathroom vanity, drawing in a deep breath as he took a moment. How had he let it get this bad?... Right... He wanted his stupid heats to stop and his marks to go away. When he'd finally hit on a combination that did both, he didn't care about the risk or cost. Sure, his family might miss him, but he wasn't sure anyone else would... He knew Keith had cared, yet didn't know he still did. He'd thought that their phoebs apart would have snuffed out whatever "feelings" Keith had for him. He hadn't realised Keith had liked, or loved, for as long as he had. Looking up the pills staring at him, Lance shook his head. He needed to do this for Keith... He wasn't ready to forgive himself, or love himself, so he had to do this for Keith. Separating out the blue pills from the rest which he'd placed safely into the bathroom cabinet out of sight, Lance's hands shook as he stood with the pile pooled in his hands over the toilet. All he had to do was drop them. So why was it so hard? He still had time to hide it all away. To pretend this hadn't happened... Keith wouldn't mind. Keith wouldn't blame him... only... For some unknown reason, tears welled in his eyes. Keith would mind. Keith would want to know and help him through this. He'd care. He always fucking cared. Parting the sides of his hands, the tablets poured from his hold, sending water splashing and clinging as they hit the metal bottom. Watching them, he shook his head in anger, lashing out and hitting flush. The moment the water swirled and swept away the tablets, Lance found himself plunging his hand into the toilet basin, trying to get them back as he let out a sob. His hand was only in the water for ticks, unable to find any traces of the tablets. The Cuban wrenching his hand out with a sob. He needed his pills. He couldn't be Leandro without his pills... With a light knock on the door, Keith interrupted his pity party "Lance? You in there?" "Just a dobosh!" Scrambling up, Lance moved to the sink to scrub at his hands. He couldn't hide that he'd been crying. His eyes were too red and teary for that. Scrubbing hard, he scrubbed up both his arms, sniffling back his tears as he did "Lance, are you ok?" "Yeah! Had to pee and kicked my toe!" It was a weak lie. One he was sure Keith would see through once he walked out the bathroom "Hurry up then, I need to pee too" "Ok!" He wasn't finished washing his hands, but was holding Keith up. Shutting the water off, Lance shook his hands off before opening the door for Keith. With impressive bed hair and his tunic shirt hitched up as he scratched at a spot at his side, Keith looked like sex on legs. Lance was barely able to keep from gawking "You've been crying" It wasn't a question but a statement, Lance nodding as he let the same lie slip off his tongue again "I kicked my toe" "You're crying from kicking your toe?" "When you're messed up in the head, even the smallest things can trigger tears. I thought I left you sleeping" "I was, until I woke up needing to pee" "Right! Sorry, sorry, I'll get out of your way" Sliding past Keith, Keith grabbed Lance's arm as he cleared the doorway "Are you sure you're ok?" Pushing a smile to his lips, Lance nodded "Yeah. I'm fine, heading back to bed" "Back to bed? It's nearly lunch time" Quiznak. When had it got so late? "Then I'm going back to my room to check my comms. Hurry up and go pee already" "I'm going already" "Good!" Scurrying away from Keith and the bathroom, Lance mentally berated himself as he did. That had been awkward as hell. Keith knew he was lying, prodding carefully as he tried to get the truth out of him, while Lance was still feel revolted at himself for trying to fish the pills out of the toilet. He couldn't even remember what the blue pills from Erathus did... He hadn't really known, only that popping pills made him feel better which was the main thing and they were relatively cheap which was another big factor in the beginning. Reaching his room he made straight for his bed, climbing in and burying himself beneath the blankets. He'd check his comms and check in with his team members after he got a little more sleep. * Deciding to shower given he was already in the bathroom, Keith forgot about the fact that he needed clothes to change into after the shower. Returning to his room rather than Lance's, Kosmo was laying rather proudly on the clothes of Keith's he'd pulled down from the tiny wardrobe and fashioned into a nest on the bed. It looked as if every bit of fabric had gone into Kosmo's hoard, leaving Keith both angry and apologetic. He'd neglected Kosmo the previous day, and slept with Lance the previous night. His poor wolf was probably feeling put out by the lack of attention. Walking over to his bed, Keith sat on the edge "Come here, Kosmo" Patting his lap, Kosmo dragged himself out the pile though that action was betrayed by his wagging tail "I know boy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to neglect you. You don't deserve it. How about I get dressed, then we can get you some breakfast? I was going to take you and Lance both for a walk today. Maybe find a stick and play fetch?" Jumping at "fetch", Keith copped a smack to the chin from Kosmo's head in the wolf's enthusiasm. He'd healed up mostly over night from Lance's blow, leaving a small about of bruising in the corner of his eye. Kosmo's head was just as hard, Keith biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to wrangle Kosmo down and prevent taking a paw to the dick "Ooof. Off you doofus. Go annoy Lance. I'm going to have to annoy him for clothes as it, thanks to you. All this needs to be washed!" Trying to scold Kosmo didn't work. Not when he felt bad for leaving his wolf alone for so long "Right. Come on, let's go. Lance's room first, then f-..." Teleporting him mid-sentence, Keith wasn't sure who was more surprised. Keith because he was in his towel, or Lance because they'd teleported right on top of him. Letting out a startled squeak, Lance peaked his head up from under the blanket "What the Quiznak?!" "Sorry! I told Kosmo we were coming and he took it on himself to teleport us" "Kosmo!" Sliding off the bed, the towel caught on Kosmo's paw stripping Keith naked right in front of Lance. Blushing right to the tips of his ears, Lance pulled the blankets over his face while Keith snatched back the towel to restore some dignity "I'm so sorry! He's being a little shit..." "It's ok!" "Lance..." "It's ok! Just get dressed" "I actually need to borrow some clothes. Kosmo destroyed my room" Groaning under the blanket, Lance shoved at the bulk that was Kosmo "You're a menace!" Yipping happily, Kosmo grabbed Lance's blanket in his mouth and teleported over behind Keith. Scrambling up, Lance's eyes landed on Keith again. Covering his eyes with both hands, Lance shook his head "Gargh! Guys! What are you doing to me?! It's too early for this" "I swear, none of this was planned" "I don't care. Please get dressed. You're too hot to look at" "So you think I'm hot?" "Yes! Now put some clothes on" "I don't know. You're a blushing mess right now, and you're adorable" Slumping back down, Lance rolled away from him "I'm not adorable. You're a dick. You're both dicks" Walking around to the side of the bed Lance was facing, Keith sat down next to his not-boyfriend. Pulling Lance's hands from his face, Lance kept his eyes scrunched closed. With how cute he was being, Keith couldn't help tease him a little "Are you embarrassed to look at me?" "Yes!" "Because I'm a guy?" Opening his eyes, Lance frowned up at him "What? No... Why would that be a problem?" Keith could think of fair few reasons why that would be a problem, but wasn't able to keep the slight laughing wobble from his tone "Then why won't you look at me?" Trying to hide his face in his pillow, Lance blushed even harder as he mumbled. The tips of his ears were literally red "Because you're too fucking hot. Look at you. All chiselled with those broad shoulders... it's like... not fair how hot you are" "I'm not that hot. Besides, I'd say you are the better looking one" "Am not. That hair of yours... how is it so silky? You don't even use products" "You're the blushing mess. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before" "And did you think maybe I'm not up to seeing you so hot and naked like right now? There's clothes in the closet..." "Hey, no. I didn't think about that. I was thinking about how cute you looked trying not to look. I'll get dressed in a tick, but there's one thing I want to do first" "I don't think my heart could handle anything else" Leaning in, Keith kissed Lance on the cheek. Lance groaning as he rolled, burying his face completely in his pillow, arse in the air as he curled into a ball. Smiling to himself, Keith climbed off the bed "You handled that fine" "Nope. I'm dead. Please remember me how I used to be. Tell my family I loved them. Here lies Lance, killed by Keith's abs" "You can tell them yourself. Now get up and take a shower. I thought we could head out and spend some time in the sun. Kosmo needs a run" "I have to check my comms" "Which you can do outside, in the sun" "You don't even like the sun" "I don't mind it. We might as well make the most of it until the Telula is up again" "I miss my ship" "You're in your ship" "I miss her. She doesn't randomly land on people then strip naked for no reason" Laughing, Keith walked over to Lance's closet. Opening the door, he started flicking through Lance's clothes "That was Kosmo's fault!" "Yeah, yeah. Blame the wolf. If you want me to get up, you need to get dressed" "It's so hard to choose" "Because I don't have enough black?" "Something like that.." Choosing jeans and white shirt, Keith grabbed the same thing out for Lance. Lance was going to relax and take a break, even if it killed him. * Lance was puffed as he and Keith made it to the top of a sand dune that had seemed a hell of a lot smaller when they were at the bottom of it. Wiping his sweat drenched forehead, he grinned at his best friend. Keith looked just as wrecked, the smile on his face just as wide as his hand took Lance's. Despite the lack of life above ground, the view was amazing. Purple-grey trees laid beyond them, dotted around what looked like a possible lake. With a wild look in his eyes, Lance tugged on Keith's hand "Lance... no" "Come on. You're the one who said we were spending the day outside" "And you're the one who insisted we race up the dune" Rolling his eyes, Lance tugged harder "Technically all I did was look at you. Kosmo can teleport us right over there" "You really want to head down there, don't you?" Lance nodded. He felt like he was hiding the fact he was melting in the sun rather well, especially when he was carrying the supplies in his backpack. Keith had offered to carry everything, but Lance wanted the distraction from both thinking of the tablets he'd flushed away, and the distraction of his mind reminding he'd seen Keith naked before him. He could still feel how hard he'd blushed, his arse growing wet at the sight... as his stomach rolled. Keith wasn't hard, there was nothing truly sexual about the encounter, yet... if they kept on the tangent they were on, sex was inevitable. His body seemingly willing to openly accept Keith despite what they'd been through. Joking and playing it off the best he could, he hoped Keith had chalked it all down to simple embarrassment instead of a pushed down mental panic "Alright. Kosmo, you're up" Taking a series of mini-teleports over to the pocket oasis, Lance was happy to throw himself down in the soft grey grass beneath an equally grey tree. Slinging off his backpack, he dug out three water pouches, splitting the first one open for Kosmo "There's water right there, isn't that why you wanted to come all the way over here?" Rolling his eyes at Keith, Lance held the pouch in his hand while Kosmo lapped deeply "We don't know if that water is safe to touch, let alone drink. And I am sooo not going to be responsible if anything happens to Kosmo" "Want me to check? I can scan it with my comms" "No, it's ok. This is... nice" Now that he'd sat, Lance didn't feel like moving. It was nice, like a little forgotten piece of the world where only the three of them existed. Sitting down beside him, Keith grabbed a water pouch "This is kind of nice. It beats the endless sand" "Right?! Who would have thought their was our own little oasis out here?" "Is it still an oasis if the water's bad?" Finishing the water pouch, Lance put it down then reached to scratch Kosmo's head. The wolf stretching out on the grass with a yawn "Of course it is. We should take photos" "You want to take photos?" Anxiety flared, Lance feeling stupid for asking as he looked past Kosmo to avoid Keith catching his eye "Not if you don't want to. It was stupid to ask" Nudging him with his elbow, Keith went on to rest his head on Lance's shoulder "It wasn't stupid. I was jut surprised. Other than the oasis it's all sand and rocks" "There's you. There's Kosmo. Maybe I want to take photos of the two of you?" Lance knew it wasn't a date, it was Keith taking him away from everyone to distract him from his own thoughts. It was... there first time slipping away from everyone completely since they'd become a not-thing thing. He wanted to make memories of it before things went to quiznak "You want to take photos of me?" "And Kosmo. You make it sound like I'm some kind of a stalker" "Seeing I practically stalked my way back into your life, I give you permission to stalk away" Having been stalked as part of his job, Lance wasn't keen on stalking "I thought it might be nice to... maybe have some photos. Of us..." Keith sat up far too fast, Lance felt even more like an idiot "Oh! Like... us us" Really? How could Keith be so incredibly nice and caring, but be so quiznakking dense "No. You and this tree, you idiot. Why are you picking me on me?" "I'm not picking on you. I'm not great at talking" "We both know that's not true... if anything, I've been the one who's been lousy at talking" "You're doing better. Let's take those photos before you get distracted by your comms again" "You're... actually alright with it?" "Only because it's you" It was now that Lance finally became certain that Keith was going to have him blushing to death before the day was through. Pulling funny faces as Lance took photos with the holopad, Keith had him in stitches as he impersonated all their friends. With their faces only centimetres away from each other, Lance grew more and more aware of how close Keith's lips were. The soft lips that kissed his cheeks, hair and forehead... yet respected that Lance didn't like things against his lips. Fumbling the holopad, Lance wanted to climb into a hole. The lined-up photo had been perfect. Keith looked like the emotionally constipated emo he'd used to be, and Lance had had a genuine smile on his lips. He hadn't realised his breathing had hitched until Keith's hand was taking his "Hey, you're alright. The holopad wasn't damaged" "It's... not that" "Then what is it? Did I do something? "No... no. It was me. I messed up" "You messed up what?" "I dropped the holopad" "You're upset because you dropped the holopad?" "It sounds stupid when you say it like that" "It's not stupid... maybe a little stupid. But it doesn't mean we can't take more photos" "I don't feel like it anymore. I'm sorry. It was a good photo too" "They'll be more opportunities to take more photos in the future" "That's not the point" Leaning back into him, Keith wrapped his arm around him and pressed a kiss to Lance's neck "Then tell me. I don't care if you think it's stupid. I want to know. I can't read your mind" "Are you sure about that? You seem to know more about what's going on with me than I do" "I'm sure. Those secrets are safe in your head until you're ready to tell me" God. Keith was perfect. Lance couldn't deal with it all. He had the full attention of the sweetest guy in the universe "Can you stop being so blindly perfect this morning? I'm going to be dead by lunch if you keep this up" Huffing at him, Keith wasn't making it easier "I'm not doing anything" "You are. You're being all Keith like" "I thought you liked me being "Keith like"" "Ugh. You're frustrating me! You kiss and cuddle me like this and it makes me wish I could kiss you back!" "I didn't mean to make you feel forced" "I know you didn't. I know you wouldn't... I mean... I'm trying to know you wouldn't. But when you're being like this, I want to be able to reach out and kiss you" "Then do you want to tell me about what happened?" "No. Not really..." "You know I'm not going to judge you. I know they gagged you, does the pressure remind you of that? Of the fabric?" Lance shook his head "No. I'm... not ready. It sounds like a cop out, but... I hate making you wait for a time I might even reach" "Lance, those bastards took so much from you. And none of this is fair. It's also not you're fault. Ok? If my kissing you and holding you is too much, I'll back off. Whatever you're comfortable with is more than enough for me" "No... I mean... it throws me off, but you... it's not bad. I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that you're actually here. And that you're real" "Is it that unbelievable that I could love you?" "It is, after what happened" "You're overthinking things. Before you say it, I know you can't help it. Now, if we're not going to take photos what do you want to do?" Lance was up for anything that might mean dropping the subject of kissing Keith... even if he maybe wanted to try but was too scared of the possible outcome "Check my comms. I've got people out on missions and I want to make sure they're all ok" "Then I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up for lunch" "You mean afternoon tea. We had breakfast at lunch time" "It's space, it doesn't count" "It does too count" "Then we're agreeing to disagree..." Interrupted by a ringing comms, Lance grabbed his backpack and began pawing through everything until he found it was his black communicator ringing, peering over, Keith couldn't see in "Is it mine or yours?" "Mine. My personal one. Do you want your while I'm here?" "You aren't going to answer?" "It's a message, which I'm going to answer once you tell me if I'm getting your comms out or not?" "Leave it. I'm not expecting a call" "Alright, but if your mum calls, you're explaining why you didn't answer" "It's fine. She's not that bad" "Riiiight. Her and Kolivan... that's the ultimate power couple right there" "Don't I know it" "Exactly why I wouldn't be missing their call. Kolivan's blank stare is a thing of nightmares" "His smile is even worse... it's like he doesn't quite know how" "Your mother's hot. He better be treating her right" "You think my mother's hot?" Crap... it'd slipped out... "Not as hot as her half-Galra son?" "That's better. Are you ever coming out of that backpack?" "I was thinking of staying in here. I can't accidentally call your mum hot if I'm lost in here" Pulling the backpack away, Keith threw it down near their feet "I'd rather you not be lost in there. Who's the message from?" Right. Message. His communicator. That thing. Clumsily turning his communicator up the right way, Keith didn't comment so Lance told himself it didn't matter. Opening up the message, he drew his brow in confusion. The last thing he wanted to do was drag Keith off into something when Keith really needed a break from dealing with him "It's from Hunk..." "Hunk? What does he want?" "I don't know, it's a video message" So much for settling his nerves by distracting himself with his communicator. He should have just ignored it "Do you want me to open it?" "I can work my own communicator!" Snapping at Keith, Lance took a deep breath "Sorry. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting a message from him. We barely talk anymore, and I honestly don't even know how to reconnect anymore. I feel like... I'm the stupid one for missing our time on the castle" "I miss it too. I don't miss you being worried and taking care of everyone, but I do miss Black... After flying our lions, no other ship compares. Are you sure you don't want me to open it?" Keith was right about the ship thing. Lance missed Red's touch in the back of his mind so much he'd wondered if it'd ever been as soothing in real life as the memories of it seemed to be. When Red had left, he'd left Lance to take the full brunt of his emotions... which he really hadn't been equipped to handle. In a way, Keith was like having Red back... "No, but you can stay like that and watch it with me" Nuzzling into him, Keith nodded "That I can do" Shaking slightly, Lance opened the message "Hey, Bud! It's been forever! Well, I suppose you're wondering why I'm calling. See, I'm planning on proposing to Shay, and wanted your advice but my last message about wanting to talk must of gotten lost. Ha ha ha. Shiro said you and Keith were out on a mission! He's good... Shiro I mean. He missed you. We all do. You're probably sneaking around with Keith right now, so don't... uh, worry about calling back... unless you want to. No pressure man. Say "Hi" to Keith if he's there. I'm sure I can figure out how to propose to Shay. I mean... is a ring in a cupcake too much? You know what, I'll ask Shiro, or Curtis. Curtis is good too... so... yeah... I'll see ya round, buddy" Lance felt himself tearing up. He was so quiznakking happy for Hunk, but felt so incredibly shit that Hunk thought he wouldn't call back over something so important. He'd wanted to be Hunk's friend. He knew everyone thought him flaky, but he thought Hunk knew him better than that. He wasn't great, but he could be together enough to be there for Hunk "Lance?" "I'm a... terrible friend" "What? No" "You heard him. He thinks I don't care" "He knows you care" "Does he? He didn't even think I'd call back" "Call back now" Lance shook his head firmly "I can't do that" "You can. I'm here with you" "I'm crying" "Because you're happy for him" Lance was beginning to wonder if Keith had ever experienced anxiety, or if his anxieties decided to fuck him over in different ways. He felt sick. Like he'd missed the bottom step and been jolted out of place "I... don't know what to say. My marks aren't showing... what..." "Shhh. Hey. Breathe for me. You just need to breathe. I'll do the talking" "But my marks? I can't..." "Make-up. We're on a mission remember?" "A mission?" "That's right. This is a mission for Hunk's happiness. We're going to call him back" Lance didn't want to be that friend. Or that person. He didn't want to be petty over the fact Hunk had been busy with Shay and work. He truly wanted to be happy, purely happy, so why did he have to feel so sick? Before things had gone to hell on the castle, Hunk had been his best friend. His friend he really thought he could tell anything too. Until he started teasing him over his feelings for Allura. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if Hunk had thought Allura agreed to go on a date with him as a practical joke... or as a rebound because she'd discovered how nice it was to have someone by your side. The thought of Hunk laughing fed his anxieties. If Hunk had laughed at him wanting to date Allura, didn't that mean he thought Lance was nothing more than a joke? Way out of her league? "Lance, it's going to be ok. The sooner we call back, the sooner that ball of anxiety will lessen" Snorting, Lance tried to deflect "How do you know I'm anxious?" "Because you're as in my lap as you can get without actually climbing into my lap?" "Sorry" Shuffling forward, he didn't get far. Keith wouldn't let him go "It's nice to know you trust me. So trust me with this, ok? If it gets too much, or you feel like you can't breathe, squeeze my hand and I'll find a way to end the call" God. He shouldn't be like this. It was just Hunk. Hunk never got mad at anyone. He was like a teddy bear personified "Alright... thank you... This feels like when you called out of nowhere" "You were this anxious?" "You have no idea. I can barely keep up with Veronica without letting her know I'm... like this... It's gotta be bad when you're scared of Hunk" Kissing his hair, Keith repositioned them slightly "You'll be fine. I've got you" "I really hope so..."

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

CSUAVS prt 22? Is still freakin goin

With Lance on his back, Keith tried to find his way out of the labyrinth of tunnels, buildings and caves. His heart and head hurt from thinking way too much, and from his aching face. Lance had one hell of a thick skull, he was lucky that his unofficial boyfriend hadn't collided with his nose. His face still felt swollen as it was, which would probably lead to Lance feeling even worse all about what had happened. When he'd seen Lance striding towards the exit of the ballroom, it was clear that something was wrong, though he wasn't sure what. Lance had been dancing with Lucteal, then he was running. Lucteal hadn't done anything actually wrong as far as he hadn't kissed or groped at Lance, but still... something had happened and Keith had to know Lance was alright. The moment he'd wrapped his arm around Lance's waist, Keith had known he'd fucked up. His love interest oozing the smell of bad citrus, and as he'd gone to release him, he'd been too slow. Temporarily knocked back by the blow to the face, he'd seen the glaring guilt in Lance's eyes as he'd pulled and aimed his blade for Keith's gut. The move fluid, almost beautiful to watch if not for the pain behind it. It was definitely not a move Lance had mastered as a Paladin. Which wasn't to say Lance couldn't fight hand to hand, he's simply always excelled with a fire arm and seemed much more confident when aiming his blaster. What he must have been through to go straight for his blade even on a safe world... It taxed Keith's mind to keep up. Hiking Lance up higher in his hold, Lance's cold nose rubbed at his neck as he mumbled softly in Spanish. Keith wished he knew more Spanish than the few words of insult Lance threw his way, especially when most of them had a long string of unknown words between them. It was a reminder of a world Keith wasn't part of. Pausing in his trekking for the second time in as many ticks, his ears picking up the sound of footsteps coming closer. Ducking back into the shadows falling across the street he was on, Keith's heart was starting to pound. Normally he wouldn't be so shaken by the sound of steps, but Lance wasn't in a good mental space, and his instincts were screaming at him to keep the sleeping Cuban safe from absolutely everyone. Appearing with a lantern, Keith nearly laughed at his own fear as Daehra came closer. Stepping out the shadows, Daehra jumped as she finally realised he was right there. Feeling as sheepish as Daehra looked, Keith pushed down his flaring instincts further "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you" "As am I. You've both been gone for so long" "Lance fell asleep while we were talking, and all these caves begin to look the same" "You were lost" "Directionally misplaced" Laughing softly at his words, Daehra raised the lantern enough for Lance to groan in annoyance at the light. Lowering it, she nodded "Yes, he would be asleep. Is he alright?" "He will be. We talked. His anxieties went into over drive and he kind of freaked out" "I felt fear from him. Lucteal was in tears, Annla was demanding we go right after both of you. She did not understand what was wrong" "Lance is going to love that. He was ashamed of what happened" "He does not need to be. Now that I have located you, would you like for me to show you back from the city?" "That would be great" Falling into step with Daehra, she walked on Keith's right side to limit the amount of light Lance was exposed to with his face buried on the left side of Keith's neck "You pushed quite far into the city. Do you know where you ended up?" "Not really. It was some kind of... church or something" Daehra let out a small gasp "You pushed further than I thought. The church lays in the Royal Quarter. Commoners are not allowed there" Well oops. It wasn't exactly planned that they'd end up lost "We didn't touch anything. I mean, we sat on a bench so Lance could relax" "Do not worry yourself, I will not tell. I know he is not the kind to trespass on people's ways" "Thanks. I think he was too out of it to realise anyway, so I won't tell him" "If you would like, I can give you a proper tour. Though I feel you most probably only become lost again" Keith huffed with a frown "Is it that obvious?" "A little. Take no offence. We designed this place so outsiders would be lost in an attack" "That makes sense. I think after tonight, I might try taking Lance and Kosmo for a walk above ground tomorrow. He's always loved the feel of the sun" "He has mentioned Earth. The rain and the animals. It sounds very pretty" "I was never attached to Earth like him. But it's green and blue. It doesn't rain fire. Things have changed since the Galra invaded, but it's... I feel differently about it now. Earth is where my dad was born, where I was born, and where Lance's whole family comes from. My adopted brother is from Earth, so his his fiancé, and our other friends. Sometimes Daibazaal gets repetitive with al the purple and grey there" "Is like Erathus?" "Yes and no. Erathus isn't as green and open. It's like the ancient movies from old" "Movies?" "Moving pictures" "Oh! I know of those. I would love to see your Earth" "I'm sure once things calm down, Lance would love to show you. I'm trying to talk him into letting me take him to Altea at the moment" "Altea? Wow... we never spoke of Altea. Leandro spoke with Annla about his time there" "Lance is really good with kids. Much better than anyone I know, except for maybe Shiro. He took me in when I was angry snot nosed shit" "I cannot imagine that" "We used to fight all the time, then slowly we became friends through it all" "And now, more?" "Yeah. More" Lance was tentative but Keith couldn't blame him. He'd said he was falling for him. Keith could understand why Lance was so hesitant, he wasn't born under a rock. Relationships tended to progress into more than hand holding and light kisses, but now Lance was officially his in an unofficial capacity. Even if it was all Lance could do to right now, he was sure they'd slowly begin to move towards... that... when the time was right for both of them "I am happy for you both" "Thank you. We're keeping things slow while we work things out, so he's probably hit me if he knew I told you" "'m going to hit you if you keep talking while I'm trying to sleep" Mumbling against Keith's neck, Keith's cheeks warmed over being caught talking to Daehra "How long have you been awake?" "Long enough to know my head feels like crap" Hiking Lance up again, Lance huffed at him "Don't give me that. I could always drop you" "I wouldn't put it past you... where are we?" "Daehra came and got us" "Oh... Hi, Dae. I hope he hasn't been an arse" Giving Daehra a tiny one handed wave, Lance nuzzled into Keith's neck as he did. It seemed more like his unofficial boyfriend wanted to avoid her than to talk to her "I thought I was a dick" "Dick. Arse. It's all below the belt" Groaning at Lance, Keith momentarily contemplated making good on his threat to drop him "Go back to sleep. We'll be out of the tunnels soon" "Ok... Good night, Dae. Sorry I ruined your party" Daehra shot Lance an affectionate look "Good night, Leandro. Please do not worry about the party. It is still continuing" Nodding at Daehra's words, Lance fell back to sleep without replying. His warmth breath tickling Keith's skin as it evened back out "He's fallen back to sleep" "That is good. I have never seen him sleep so much as he does when with you" "I've never slept as well as I have been while sleeping next to him. For all he's been through, he still manages to amaze me" Led out the tunnels by Daehra, it really seemed like too much effort to walk back to the Telula. Daehra had to return to the party, leaving Keith alone with the sleeping Lance, who despite being far too light, seemed to be growing heavier by the tick. Casting a rueful glance towards the house that was sooo much closer than the ship and didn't have a ramp to struggle up, Keith forced himself to walk past it's soft inviting glow from the lights inside. Lance had wanted to go back to the Telula, which meant they were going back to the Telula. The sleeping Cuban had no idea how many free passes Keith had been throwing his way, but tonight Lance had earned his right to choose the ship. He'd both finally said the name of the vile piece of shit who'd raped him out loud, without screaming or losing control as he did, and admitted he did in fact have feelings for Keith and was scared for the same reasons Keith was. Plus, he'd scared the hell out of himself when he realised he'd accidentally hurt Keith before pulling his blade on him. The ramp was the beginning of the end for Keith's energy. They should have just slept in the church over night and pled ignorance over it all come morning. Making it down to Lance's quarters, he cringed as dropped Lance on his bed, unable to quite judge the height of the mattress and the distance to Lance's arse. Holding the cringe as he lowered Lance's legs, he turned to find Lance half starfishing on the bed with a glare on his face. Quiznak, Lance wasn't impressed at all "You dropped me" "I misjudged the height" "You dropped me!" "I didn't mean to" "Keith, you still dropped me" "Sleeping princesses don't get to complain. Do you know how heavy your arse is?!" Worried he'd taken it a step to far by snapping out of exhaustion, Lance grinned at him and threw him for a loop "I'm sorry. Thank you for carrying me" With warm cheeks, Keith mumbled self consciously "You're welcome. If you lift your feet, I'll do your boots for you" "Leave them, come to bed instead I'm too tired to move" "That's why I said I'd do them for you" "Come to bed..." "Lance let me get your boots off, then I'll come to bed" Whining at him, Lance reached for him with both arms. Keith finding himself immediately climbing into Lance's hold. He couldn't deny Lance when he was reaching for him openly. Pulling Lance over so they ended up laying face to face, Lance's blue eyes stared into his with his arm trapped under Keith's neck "I'm sorry about your cheek. It looks painful" "It's not too bad. I'm sorry for dropping you. I really didn't mean to" "It's alright... it was a little jarring, but it's ok... I'm too tried to really care" "You should go to sleep then" "Already ahead of you, I'm secretly still sleeping" "I wouldn't be surprised. You're a man of many talents" Snorting loudly, Lance ruined the soft mood built by the two of them whispering at each other "God. You're such a sap. I wonder what the others would say if they heard you" "They wouldn't believe it. I'm the broody one, remember" "I haven't forgotten. Can you stay tonight?" "Idiot. Who else's bed am I going to be sleeping in?" "Yours? With Kosmo?" "We both sleep better together. Let me do your boots. We really should changed" "Tomorrow's the time for regrets... I want to go back to sleep now" "At least take your belt off" "I can't be bothered" "You're like a giant man-child aren't you" Bringing up his left hand, Lance flicked him in the middle of his forehead. Keith catching Lance's hand before he could flick him again "I represent that implication, Mullet" "It's not a mullet" "Mmm. You'll always be Mullet to me. Grumpy-Mr-Mullet" "Alright. You're not making sense anymore. I'm taking my boots of, so I'm taking yours off to. Get under the covers" "Fiiine. You're lucky you're cute" Blushing too hard to stay so close to Lance, Keith slowly climbed out of Lance's hold and off the bed. Taking Lance's left boot in his hand, Lance whined at him but a few ticks later, he was out all over again before Keith even had his laces undone. * Waking before Keith, Lance stayed laying against his not-boyfriend boyfriend. With his chin resting on Keith's chest, Lance stared up at Keith's face half in shock that he was really right there. Sharing a bed had become a silently agreed upon thing that should have been over once they'd landed, yet, Keith kept coming back to his bed. Lance growing used to Keith claiming his bed like it was on. Sure, it scattered his nerves in the few moments of waking and finding the warmth of solid body by his, but Keith had never overstepped. His arm remained looped around Lance's waist, never dipping lower, and if either of them were having nightmares, the other was right there for comfort. Watching Keith's long eyelashes flutter, Lance was jealous of their length, as was he jealousy of Keith's soft curved lips and the smile that played on them. Like he was smirking in his sleep over something Lance couldn't understand. He couldn't understand how Keith could possibly be happy with dating him how he was. How he could keep picking Lance up and keep supporting him like this? Being the baby of the family, he was always the one in the background. His siblings jealous of the moments his parent's spoiled him, while oblivious to the times he went without because he'd been forgotten. When they were on the castle he'd made it his personal mission to be there for them all so no one felt as crappy as he had. It was like Keith could see right through him, like he could reach in and pull those emotions out that he didn't want to acknowledge. He knew he wasn't coping, but he'd gotten up, out of bed, and gone to work. He'd put one foot in front of the other until he was walking again, kept going until he was running, but instead of running towards a new life he was running from the ghosts of his past. He'd been running so hard that he didn't think Keith could catch him, let alone ground him. He'd fallen hard for Allura, yet had fallen just as hard for Keith... and now... he'd loved and lost Allura. He couldn't survive loving and losing Keith. Not that he knew if he could survive a relationship with him. He didn't know if his friendship with Keith could survive the fall out of what was to come, especially with Keith wanting him to stop taking the pills. The way he'd softly begged him... He didn't want to keep showing Keith such a childish side of him. Such a weak and pathetic sight... Every time he reached out his hand, Keith had been there to take it, to catch him as he fell. So for Keith, he'd do better. Carefully detangling himself from Keith's hold, Keith rolled to the spot Lance had vacated, a hand feeling for him. Not ready for Keith to wake, Lance stuffed his pillow against Keith's chest. Keith immediately wrapping his arm around it and burying his face into the fabric. Waiting a few extra moments to make sure the half-Galra wasn't about to catch him in the act, once he knew it was safe Lance made his move. Raiding his room, the armoury, behind the panel in both other spare rooms close to his, the space beneath the bathroom sink, and the bathroom drawers, Lance collected every single pill and injection he could find. Including the ones they kept on hand for trading or for set-ups when undercover. There was far more than he thought on board. 4 full boxes of injections, plus a few others with different amounts ranging from only a couple of vials left to being half full. Bottle after bottle of pills... Seeing it all laid out, Lance gripped the counter of the bathroom vanity, drawing in a deep breath as he took a moment. How had he let it get this bad?... Right... He wanted his stupid heats to stop and his marks to go away. When he'd finally hit on a combination that did both, he didn't care about the risk or cost. Sure, his family might miss him, but he wasn't sure anyone else would... He knew Keith had cared, yet didn't know he still did. He'd thought that their phoebs apart would have snuffed out whatever "feelings" Keith had for him. He hadn't realised Keith had liked, or loved, for as long as he had. Looking up the pills staring at him, Lance shook his head. He needed to do this for Keith... He wasn't ready to forgive himself, or love himself, so he had to do this for Keith. Separating out the blue pills from the rest which he'd placed safely into the bathroom cabinet out of sight, Lance's hands shook as he stood with the pile pooled in his hands over the toilet. All he had to do was drop them. So why was it so hard? He still had time to hide it all away. To pretend this hadn't happened... Keith wouldn't mind. Keith wouldn't blame him... only... For some unknown reason, tears welled in his eyes. Keith would mind. Keith would want to know and help him through this. He'd care. He always fucking cared. Parting the sides of his hands, the tablets poured from his hold, sending water splashing and clinging as they hit the metal bottom. Watching them, he shook his head in anger, lashing out and hitting flush. The moment the water swirled and swept away the tablets, Lance found himself plunging his hand into the toilet basin, trying to get them back as he let out a sob. His hand was only in the water for ticks, unable to find any traces of the tablets. The Cuban wrenching his hand out with a sob. He needed his pills. He couldn't be Leandro without his pills... With a light knock on the door, Keith interrupted his pity party "Lance? You in there?" "Just a dobosh!" Scrambling up, Lance moved to the sink to scrub at his hands. He couldn't hide that he'd been crying. His eyes were too red and teary for that. Scrubbing hard, he scrubbed up both his arms, sniffling back his tears as he did "Lance, are you ok?" "Yeah! Had to pee and kicked my toe!" It was a weak lie. One he was sure Keith would see through once he walked out the bathroom "Hurry up then, I need to pee too" "Ok!" He wasn't finished washing his hands, but was holding Keith up. Shutting the water off, Lance shook his hands off before opening the door for Keith. With impressive bed hair and his tunic shirt hitched up as he scratched at a spot at his side, Keith looked like sex on legs. Lance was barely able to keep from gawking "You've been crying" It wasn't a question but a statement, Lance nodding as he let the same lie slip off his tongue again "I kicked my toe" "You're crying from kicking your toe?" "When you're messed up in the head, even the smallest things can trigger tears. I thought I left you sleeping" "I was, until I woke up needing to pee" "Right! Sorry, sorry, I'll get out of your way" Sliding past Keith, Keith grabbed Lance's arm as he cleared the doorway "Are you sure you're ok?" Pushing a smile to his lips, Lance nodded "Yeah. I'm fine, heading back to bed" "Back to bed? It's nearly lunch time" Quiznak. When had it got so late? "Then I'm going back to my room to check my comms. Hurry up and go pee already" "I'm going already" "Good!" Scurrying away from Keith and the bathroom, Lance mentally berated himself as he did. That had been awkward as hell. Keith knew he was lying, prodding carefully as he tried to get the truth out of him, while Lance was still feel revolted at himself for trying to fish the pills out of the toilet. He couldn't even remember what the blue pills from Erathus did... He hadn't really known, only that popping pills made him feel better which was the main thing and they were relatively cheap which was another big factor in the beginning. Reaching his room he made straight for his bed, climbing in and burying himself beneath the blankets. He'd check his comms and check in with his team members after he got a little more sleep. * Deciding to shower given he was already in the bathroom, Keith forgot about the fact that he needed clothes to change into after the shower. Returning to his room rather than Lance's, Kosmo was laying rather proudly on the clothes of Keith's he'd pulled down from the tiny wardrobe and fashioned into a nest on the bed. It looked as if every bit of fabric had gone into Kosmo's hoard, leaving Keith both angry and apologetic. He'd neglected Kosmo the previous day, and slept with Lance the previous night. His poor wolf was probably feeling put out by the lack of attention. Walking over to his bed, Keith sat on the edge "Come here, Kosmo" Patting his lap, Kosmo dragged himself out the pile though that action was betrayed by his wagging tail "I know boy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to neglect you. You don't deserve it. How about I get dressed, then we can get you some breakfast? I was going to take you and Lance both for a walk today. Maybe find a stick and play fetch?" Jumping at "fetch", Keith copped a smack to the chin from Kosmo's head in the wolf's enthusiasm. He'd healed up mostly over night from Lance's blow, leaving a small about of bruising in the corner of his eye. Kosmo's head was just as hard, Keith biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to wrangle Kosmo down and prevent taking a paw to the dick "Ooof. Off you doofus. Go annoy Lance. I'm going to have to annoy him for clothes as it, thanks to you. All this needs to be washed!" Trying to scold Kosmo didn't work. Not when he felt bad for leaving his wolf alone for so long "Right. Come on, let's go. Lance's room first, then f-..." Teleporting him mid-sentence, Keith wasn't sure who was more surprised. Keith because he was in his towel, or Lance because they'd teleported right on top of him. Letting out a startled squeak, Lance peaked his head up from under the blanket "What the Quiznak?!" "Sorry! I told Kosmo we were coming and he took it on himself to teleport us" "Kosmo!" Sliding off the bed, the towel caught on Kosmo's paw stripping Keith naked right in front of Lance. Blushing right to the tips of his ears, Lance pulled the blankets over his face while Keith snatched back the towel to restore some dignity "I'm so sorry! He's being a little shit..." "It's ok!" "Lance..." "It's ok! Just get dressed" "I actually need to borrow some clothes. Kosmo destroyed my room" Groaning under the blanket, Lance shoved at the bulk that was Kosmo "You're a menace!" Yipping happily, Kosmo grabbed Lance's blanket in his mouth and teleported over behind Keith. Scrambling up, Lance's eyes landed on Keith again. Covering his eyes with both hands, Lance shook his head "Gargh! Guys! What are you doing to me?! It's too early for this" "I swear, none of this was planned" "I don't care. Please get dressed. You're too hot to look at" "So you think I'm hot?" "Yes! Now put some clothes on" "I don't know. You're a blushing mess right now, and you're adorable" Slumping back down, Lance rolled away from him "I'm not adorable. You're a dick. You're both dicks" Walking around to the side of the bed Lance was facing, Keith sat down next to his not-boyfriend. Pulling Lance's hands from his face, Lance kept his eyes scrunched closed. With how cute he was being, Keith couldn't help tease him a little "Are you embarrassed to look at me?" "Yes!" "Because I'm a guy?" Opening his eyes, Lance frowned up at him "What? No... Why would that be a problem?" Keith could think of fair few reasons why that would be a problem, but wasn't able to keep the slight laughing wobble from his tone "Then why won't you look at me?" Trying to hide his face in his pillow, Lance blushed even harder as he mumbled. The tips of his ears were literally red "Because you're too fucking hot. Look at you. All chiselled with those broad shoulders... it's like... not fair how hot you are" "I'm not that hot. Besides, I'd say you are the better looking one" "Am not. That hair of yours... how is it so silky? You don't even use products" "You're the blushing mess. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before" "And did you think maybe I'm not up to seeing you so hot and naked like right now? There's clothes in the closet..." "Hey, no. I didn't think about that. I was thinking about how cute you looked trying not to look. I'll get dressed in a tick, but there's one thing I want to do first" "I don't think my heart could handle anything else" Leaning in, Keith kissed Lance on the cheek. Lance groaning as he rolled, burying his face completely in his pillow, arse in the air as he curled into a ball. Smiling to himself, Keith climbed off the bed "You handled that fine" "Nope. I'm dead. Please remember me how I used to be. Tell my family I loved them. Here lies Lance, killed by Keith's abs" "You can tell them yourself. Now get up and take a shower. I thought we could head out and spend some time in the sun. Kosmo needs a run" "I have to check my comms" "Which you can do outside, in the sun" "You don't even like the sun" "I don't mind it. We might as well make the most of it until the Telula is up again" "I miss my ship" "You're in your ship" "I miss her. She doesn't randomly land on people then strip naked for no reason" Laughing, Keith walked over to Lance's closet. Opening the door, he started flicking through Lance's clothes "That was Kosmo's fault!" "Yeah, yeah. Blame the wolf. If you want me to get up, you need to get dressed" "It's so hard to choose" "Because I don't have enough black?" "Something like that.." Choosing jeans and white shirt, Keith grabbed the same thing out for Lance. Lance was going to relax and take a break, even if it killed him. * Lance was puffed as he and Keith made it to the top of a sand dune that had seemed a hell of a lot smaller when they were at the bottom of it. Wiping his sweat drenched forehead, he grinned at his best friend. Keith looked just as wrecked, the smile on his face just as wide as his hand took Lance's. Despite the lack of life above ground, the view was amazing. Purple-grey trees laid beyond them, dotted around what looked like a possible lake. With a wild look in his eyes, Lance tugged on Keith's hand "Lance... no" "Come on. You're the one who said we were spending the day outside" "And you're the one who insisted we race up the dune" Rolling his eyes, Lance tugged harder "Technically all I did was look at you. Kosmo can teleport us right over there" "You really want to head down there, don't you?" Lance nodded. He felt like he was hiding the fact he was melting in the sun rather well, especially when he was carrying the supplies in his backpack. Keith had offered to carry everything, but Lance wanted the distraction from both thinking of the tablets he'd flushed away, and the distraction of his mind reminding he'd seen Keith naked before him. He could still feel how hard he'd blushed, his arse growing wet at the sight... as his stomach rolled. Keith wasn't hard, there was nothing truly sexual about the encounter, yet... if they kept on the tangent they were on, sex was inevitable. His body seemingly willing to openly accept Keith despite what they'd been through. Joking and playing it off the best he could, he hoped Keith had chalked it all down to simple embarrassment instead of a pushed down mental panic "Alright. Kosmo, you're up" Taking a series of mini-teleports over to the pocket oasis, Lance was happy to throw himself down in the soft grey grass beneath an equally grey tree. Slinging off his backpack, he dug out three water pouches, splitting the first one open for Kosmo "There's water right there, isn't that why you wanted to come all the way over here?" Rolling his eyes at Keith, Lance held the pouch in his hand while Kosmo lapped deeply "We don't know if that water is safe to touch, let alone drink. And I am sooo not going to be responsible if anything happens to Kosmo" "Want me to check? I can scan it with my comms" "No, it's ok. This is... nice" Now that he'd sat, Lance didn't feel like moving. It was nice, like a little forgotten piece of the world where only the three of them existed. Sitting down beside him, Keith grabbed a water pouch "This is kind of nice. It beats the endless sand" "Right?! Who would have thought their was our own little oasis out here?" "Is it still an oasis if the water's bad?" Finishing the water pouch, Lance put it down then reached to scratch Kosmo's head. The wolf stretching out on the grass with a yawn "Of course it is. We should take photos" "You want to take photos?" Anxiety flared, Lance feeling stupid for asking as he looked past Kosmo to avoid Keith catching his eye "Not if you don't want to. It was stupid to ask" Nudging him with his elbow, Keith went on to rest his head on Lance's shoulder "It wasn't stupid. I was jut surprised. Other than the oasis it's all sand and rocks" "There's you. There's Kosmo. Maybe I want to take photos of the two of you?" Lance knew it wasn't a date, it was Keith taking him away from everyone to distract him from his own thoughts. It was... there first time slipping away from everyone completely since they'd become a not-thing thing. He wanted to make memories of it before things went to quiznak "You want to take photos of me?" "And Kosmo. You make it sound like I'm some kind of a stalker" "Seeing I practically stalked my way back into your life, I give you permission to stalk away" Having been stalked as part of his job, Lance wasn't keen on stalking "I thought it might be nice to... maybe have some photos. Of us..." Keith sat up far too fast, Lance felt even more like an idiot "Oh! Like... us us" Really? How could Keith be so incredibly nice and caring, but be so quiznakking dense "No. You and this tree, you idiot. Why are you picking me on me?" "I'm not picking on you. I'm not great at talking" "We both know that's not true... if anything, I've been the one who's been lousy at talking" "You're doing better. Let's take those photos before you get distracted by your comms again" "You're... actually alright with it?" "Only because it's you" It was now that Lance finally became certain that Keith was going to have him blushing to death before the day was through. Pulling funny faces as Lance took photos with the holopad, Keith had him in stitches as he impersonated all their friends. With their faces only centimetres away from each other, Lance grew more and more aware of how close Keith's lips were. The soft lips that kissed his cheeks, hair and forehead... yet respected that Lance didn't like things against his lips. Fumbling the holopad, Lance wanted to climb into a hole. The lined-up photo had been perfect. Keith looked like the emotionally constipated emo he'd used to be, and Lance had had a genuine smile on his lips. He hadn't realised his breathing had hitched until Keith's hand was taking his "Hey, you're alright. The holopad wasn't damaged" "It's... not that" "Then what is it? Did I do something? "No... no. It was me. I messed up" "You messed up what?" "I dropped the holopad" "You're upset because you dropped the holopad?" "It sounds stupid when you say it like that" "It's not stupid... maybe a little stupid. But it doesn't mean we can't take more photos" "I don't feel like it anymore. I'm sorry. It was a good photo too" "They'll be more opportunities to take more photos in the future" "That's not the point" Leaning back into him, Keith wrapped his arm around him and pressed a kiss to Lance's neck "Then tell me. I don't care if you think it's stupid. I want to know. I can't read your mind" "Are you sure about that? You seem to know more about what's going on with me than I do" "I'm sure. Those secrets are safe in your head until you're ready to tell me" God. Keith was perfect. Lance couldn't deal with it all. He had the full attention of the sweetest guy in the universe "Can you stop being so blindly perfect this morning? I'm going to be dead by lunch if you keep this up" Huffing at him, Keith wasn't making it easier "I'm not doing anything" "You are. You're being all Keith like" "I thought you liked me being "Keith like"" "Ugh. You're frustrating me! You kiss and cuddle me like this and it makes me wish I could kiss you back!" "I didn't mean to make you feel forced" "I know you didn't. I know you wouldn't... I mean... I'm trying to know you wouldn't. But when you're being like this, I want to be able to reach out and kiss you" "Then do you want to tell me about what happened?" "No. Not really..." "You know I'm not going to judge. I know they gagged you, does the pressure remind you of that? Of the fabric?" Lance scoffed, his tongue moving on its own "Fabric. Right. That's the problem"

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

CSUAVS prt 23 start

With Lance on his back, Keith tried to find his way out of the labyrinth of tunnels, buildings and caves. His heart and head hurt from thinking way too much, and from his aching face. Lance had one hell of a thick skull, he was lucky that his unofficial boyfriend hadn't collided with his nose. His face still felt swollen as it was, which would probably lead to Lance feeling even worse all about what had happened. When he'd seen Lance striding towards the exit of the ballroom, it was clear that something was wrong, though he wasn't sure what. Lance had been dancing with Lucteal, then he was running. Lucteal hadn't done anything actually wrong as far as he hadn't kissed or groped at Lance, but still... something had happened and Keith had to know Lance was alright. The moment he'd wrapped his arm around Lance's waist, Keith had known he'd fucked up. His love interest oozing the smell of bad citrus, and as he'd gone to release him, he'd been too slow. Temporarily knocked back by the blow to the face, he'd seen the glaring guilt in Lance's eyes as he'd pulled and aimed his blade for Keith's gut. The move fluid, almost beautiful to watch if not for the pain behind it. It was definitely not a move Lance had mastered as a Paladin. Which wasn't to say Lance couldn't fight hand to hand, he's simply always excelled with a fire arm and seemed much more confident when aiming his blaster. What he must have been through to go straight for his blade even on a safe world... It taxed Keith's mind to keep up. Hiking Lance up higher in his hold, Lance's cold nose rubbed at his neck as he mumbled softly in Spanish. Keith wished he knew more Spanish than the few words of insult Lance threw his way, especially when most of them had a long string of unknown words between them. It was a reminder of a world Keith wasn't part of. Pausing in his trekking for the second time in as many ticks, his ears picking up the sound of footsteps coming closer. Ducking back into the shadows falling across the street he was on, Keith's heart was starting to pound. Normally he wouldn't be so shaken by the sound of steps, but Lance wasn't in a good mental space, and his instincts were screaming at him to keep the sleeping Cuban safe from absolutely everyone. Appearing with a lantern, Keith nearly laughed at his own fear as Daehra came closer. Stepping out the shadows, Daehra jumped as she finally realised he was right there. Feeling as sheepish as Daehra looked, Keith pushed down his flaring instincts further "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you" "As am I. You've both been gone for so long" "Lance fell asleep while we were talking, and all these caves begin to look the same" "You were lost" "Directionally misplaced" Laughing softly at his words, Daehra raised the lantern enough for Lance to groan in annoyance at the light. Lowering it, she nodded "Yes, he would be asleep. Is he alright?" "He will be. We talked. His anxieties went into over drive and he kind of freaked out" "I felt fear from him. Lucteal was in tears, Annla was demanding we go right after both of you. She did not understand what was wrong" "Lance is going to love that. He was ashamed of what happened" "He does not need to be. Now that I have located you, would you like for me to show you back from the city?" "That would be great" Falling into step with Daehra, she walked on Keith's right side to limit the amount of light Lance was exposed to with his face buried on the left side of Keith's neck "You pushed quite far into the city. Do you know where you ended up?" "Not really. It was some kind of... church or something" Daehra let out a small gasp "You pushed further than I thought. The church lays in the Royal Quarter. Commoners are not allowed there" Well oops. It wasn't exactly planned that they'd end up lost "We didn't touch anything. I mean, we sat on a bench so Lance could relax" "Do not worry yourself, I will not tell. I know he is not the kind to trespass on people's ways" "Thanks. I think he was too out of it to realise anyway, so I won't tell him" "If you would like, I can give you a proper tour. Though I feel you most probably only become lost again" Keith huffed with a frown "Is it that obvious?" "A little. Take no offence. We designed this place so outsiders would be lost in an attack" "That makes sense. I think after tonight, I might try taking Lance and Kosmo for a walk above ground tomorrow. He's always loved the feel of the sun" "He has mentioned Earth. The rain and the animals. It sounds very pretty" "I was never attached to Earth like him. But it's green and blue. It doesn't rain fire. Things have changed since the Galra invaded, but it's... I feel differently about it now. Earth is where my dad was born, where I was born, and where Lance's whole family comes from. My adopted brother is from Earth, so his his fiancé, and our other friends. Sometimes Daibazaal gets repetitive with al the purple and grey there" "Is like Erathus?" "Yes and no. Erathus isn't as green and open. It's like the ancient movies from old" "Movies?" "Moving pictures" "Oh! I know of those. I would love to see your Earth" "I'm sure once things calm down, Lance would love to show you. I'm trying to talk him into letting me take him to Altea at the moment" "Altea? Wow... we never spoke of Altea. Leandro spoke with Annla about his time there" "Lance is really good with kids. Much better than anyone I know, except for maybe Shiro. He took me in when I was angry snot nosed shit" "I cannot imagine that" "We used to fight all the time, then slowly we became friends through it all" "And now, more?" "Yeah. More" Lance was tentative but Keith couldn't blame him. He'd said he was falling for him. Keith could understand why Lance was so hesitant, he wasn't born under a rock. Relationships tended to progress into more than hand holding and light kisses, but now Lance was officially his in an unofficial capacity. Even if it was all Lance could do to right now, he was sure they'd slowly begin to move towards... that... when the time was right for both of them "I am happy for you both" "Thank you. We're keeping things slow while we work things out, so he's probably hit me if he knew I told you" "'m going to hit you if you keep talking while I'm trying to sleep" Mumbling against Keith's neck, Keith's cheeks warmed over being caught talking to Daehra "How long have you been awake?" "Long enough to know my head feels like crap" Hiking Lance up again, Lance huffed at him "Don't give me that. I could always drop you" "I wouldn't put it past you... where are we?" "Daehra came and got us" "Oh... Hi, Dae. I hope hasn't been an arse" Giving Daehra a tiny one handed wave, Lance nuzzled into Keith's neck as he did. It seemed more like his unofficial boyfriend wanted to avoid her than to talk to her "I thought I was a dick" "Dick. Arse. It's all below the belt" Groaning at Lance, Keith momentarily contemplated making good on his threat to drop him "Go back to sleep. We'll be out of the tunnels soon" "Ok... Good night, Dae. Sorry I ruined your party" Daehra shot Lance an affectionate look "Good night, Leandro. Please do not worry about the party. It is still continuing" Nodding at Daehra's words, Lance fell back to sleep without replying. His warmth breath tickling Keith's skin as it evened back out "He's fallen back to sleep" "That is good. I have never seen him sleep so much as he does when with you" "I've never slept as well as I have been while sleeping next to him. For all he's been through, he still manages to amaze me" Led out the tunnels by Daehra, it really seemed like too much effort to walk back to the Telula. Daehra had to return to the party, leaving Keith alone with the sleeping Lance, who despite being far too light, seemed to be growing heavier by the tick. Casting a rueful glance towards the house that was sooo much closer than the ship and didn't have a ramp to struggle up, Keith forced himself to walk past it's soft inviting glow from the lights inside. Lance had wanted to go back to the Telula, which meant they were going back to the Telula. The sleeping Cuban had no idea how many free passes Keith had been throwing his way, but tonight Lance had earned his right to choose the ship. He'd both finally said the name of the vile piece of shit who'd raped him out loud, without screaming or losing control as he did, and admitted he did in fact have feelings for Keith and was scared for the same reasons Keith was. Plus, he'd scared the hell out of himself when he realised he'd accidentally hurt Keith before pulling his blade on him. The ramp was the beginning of the end for Keith's energy. They should have just slept in the church over night and pled ignorance over it all come morning. Making it down to Lance's quarters, he cringed as dropped Lance on his bed, unable to quite judge the height of the mattress and the distance to Lance's arse. Holding the cringe as he lowered Lance's legs, he turned to find Lance half starfishing on the bed with a glare on his face. Quiznak, Lance wasn't impressed at all "You dropped me" "I misjudged the height" "You dropped me!" "I didn't mean to" "Keith, you still dropped me" "Sleeping princesses don't get to complain. Do you know how heavy your arse is?!" Worried he'd taken it a step to far by snapping out of exhaustion, Lance grinned at him and threw him for a loop "I'm sorry. Thank you for carrying me" With warm cheeks, Keith mumbled self consciously "You're welcome. If you lift your feet, I'll do your boots for you" "Leave them, come to bed instead I'm too tired to move" "That's why I said I'd do them for you" "Come to bed..." "Lance let me get your boots off, then I'll come to bed" Whining at him, Lance reached for him with both arms. Keith finding himself immediately climbing into Lance's hold. He couldn't deny Lance when he was reaching for him openly. Pulling Lance over so they ended up laying face to face, Lance's blue eyes stared into his with his arm trapped under Keith's neck "I'm sorry about your cheek. It looks painful" "It's not too bad. I'm sorry for dropping you. I really didn't mean to" "It's alright... it was a little jarring, but it's ok... I'm too tried to really care" "You should go to sleep then" "Already ahead of you, I'm secretly still sleeping" "I wouldn't be surprised. You're a man of many talents" Snorting loudly, Lance ruined the soft mood built by the two of them whispering at each other "God. You're such a sap. I wonder what the others would say if they heard you" "They wouldn't believe it. I'm the broody one, remember" "I haven't forgotten. Can you stay tonight?" "Idiot. Who else's bed am I going to be sleeping in?" "Yours? With Kosmo?" "We both sleep better together. Let me do your boots. We really should changed" "Tomorrow's the time for regrets... I want to go back to sleep now" "At least take your belt off" "I can't be bothered" "You're like a giant man-child aren't you" Bringing up his left hand, Lance flicked him in the middle of his forehead. Keith catching Lance's hand before he could flick him again "I represent that implication, Mullet" "It's not a mullet" "Mmm. You'll always be Mullet to me. Grumpy-Mr-Mullet" "Alright. You're not making sense anymore. I'm taking my boots of, so I'm taking yours off to. Get under the covers" "Fiiine. You're lucky you're cute" Blushing too hard to stay so close to Lance, Keith slowly climbed out of Lance's hold and off the bed. Taking Lance's left boot in his hand, Lance whined at him but a few ticks later, he was out all over again before Keith even had his laces undone.