Close Quarters

Chapter Nine

Keith stared at Lance's face while he waited for the day cycle to start in the castle. The taller boy had his arms around Keith, clutching him to his side and not giving Keith the ability to move anywhere. Seeing that there was no way out, Keith brought his attention back to Lance, smiling at the peaceful expression on his face. He watched as his face changed with his dreams, going from peaceful to confused and then back. He placed his head on Lance's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

'When will I get to be this close to him again?' Keith snuggled closer to Lance at the thought, feeling the other boy tighten his grip on his. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and let the sleeping boy's heartbeat lure him back to sleep.

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"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" The alarms blared throughout the castle, jolting both Keith and Lance awake. The two stood from the bed, not even bothering to suit up before rushing to the bridge. As they ran, Keith felt drowsiness creep into his senses, but pushed it aside as they raced to the other paladins. Allura greeted the paladins at the bridge, surprise crossing her face at the site of Keith and Lance.

"Boys," she said to the two, "I congratulate you on successfully making it to the bridge in a timely manner but for the time being remember that responding is optional for you two." Lance nodded in acknowledgment while Keith tried to focus his gaze on the princess, his grip loose in Lance's hand as the whole room became slightly blurry.

Allura turned to the remaining three paladins. "The alarm this morning was only a drill but I thought it best that we train with only three paladins instead of five. After you have eaten, I'd like to see you on the training deck to run some drills." Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk nodded in understanding, rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they headed to the dining hall. Allura approached Keith and Lance.

"I'd like the two of you to do some research on the bite. Figure out if there's any way to speed up the proc— Keith, are you okay?"

Keith looked at the princess, his face devoid of color and almost an ashen grey. He nodded his head before his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

"Keith!" Lance shouted, dropping to his side. He grabbed his hand, hoping the contact would help bring color to his face. It didn't. Lance turned to Allura, worry etched across her face.

"I'll take him to the med bay to talk to Coran," Lance explained. "Train with the rest of the team, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Lance quickly walked to the med bay, alerting Coran of the situation on his way there. He walked through the sliding doors and placed Keith on the medical bed, making sure to have a firm grip on his hand. Coran rounded the corner right behind Lance and took in Keith's condition.

"Oh my," he whispered, quickly checking Keith's vitals. After a moment he turned back to Lance, a grim look on his face. "It appears Keith has entered the next phase of the bite." Coran looked away, slightly uncomfortable. "When the needs of the bite are denied for too long, it can cause the victim to enter a near comatose state, unless their cure is able to relieve enough of the pain to rouse the victim. This usually requires a much higher level of intimacy than what you two have been using." Coran's eyes shifted between Lance and Keith, discomfort clear on his features. "You mentioned finding items for the bite?" Coran asked.

Lance nodded his head. "Will those help him?!" Lance questioned.

"They will, but I suggest you conduct your usage of the items in a more private setting." Coran said. "It'd probably be awkward with me standing over your shoulders."

"I understand," Lance responded, lifting Keith back into his arms. He brought the boy back to his room, setting him down lightly on the mattress. Lance pulled out the bag from the mall and set it beside Keith.

Lance stared at Keith's ashen face as he had an internal crisis. He told Keith that he'd respect his boundaries and let him set the pace. But now all of that was being thrown out the window because this bite just keeps throwing the two of them in a loop. He sighs, lifting his shirt off above his head. He throws it to the side, looking back at Keith once again. Lance decided he didn't want to go past what Keith had already set, which was basically just a shirtless hug. He carefully removed Keith's shirt, throwing to off to the side as well. He lifted Keith into his lap, laying back so that Keith rested on top of him. Lance rubbed circles into Keith back, watching as the color slowly returned to his face. Lance brought Keith's body closer to him, hooking his chin onto Keith's shoulder. He turned his head towards the smaller boys' neck, admiring a small mole that graced his features. Lance hesitantly placed a kiss to the mole, then again, before nuzzling his face into Keith's neck. Keith suddenly jolted in Lance's grip as he started coughing his guts out, shaking in Lance's arms.

"It's okay, it's okay," Lance assured, rubbing Keith's back through the fit. Once he'd calmed down, he pulled away from Lance slightly, the color fading from his face almost immediately. Lance pulled Keith back to him, keeping no space between them.

"You passed out, Keith," Lance explained. "Coran said that to rouse a victim from that stage of the bite was to increase the level of intimacy but I didn't was to overstep your boundaries." Keith brought his arms up and around Lance, shivering as he felt the pain from the bite fade slightly.

"I—" Keith coughed harshly before clearing his throat. "I understand." Keith nuzzled his head into Lance's neck, trying to stop the shivers that racked his body. After sitting there in silence for a few moments, Lance pulled away slightly to look Keith in the face.

"Keith... I think now is the best time to mess with those bite aids."

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Thank you so much for reading! I apologize for the suuuuper late update. I've been busy with family so I haven't had the time to post until now. I should have the next chapter out soon so I hope you enjoyed!