Horses are fun. Especially riding one around a track, attempting to surpass a competitor. "I'm catching up!" Lance called after Pidge, an edge of confidence present in his words.
Pidge twisted her head back, her round glasses reflecting the light of the setting sun. The tall, black stallion she was riding kicking up a cloud of dirt as it bolted across the gravel path. "In your dreams, rookie!" Pidge taunted, sticking out a tongue, and flashing an evil grin.
Lance smirked and narrowed his eyes. He held tightly to the reins of his brown, spotted stallion, and sped forward. Shiro, Hunk, and Keith waited at the up ahead finish line. They watched as Lance attempted to pass Pidge's horse to the right, alas being blocked by the rear of the dark mare's behind before he could reach the finish line. Pidge pumped her fist up victoriously as her horse halted to a stop, baring it's nostrils complacently.
Lance steadied his horse, and gave Pidge a frown. A week of practice, and he still couldn't beat her. Pidge must have been some sort of ultra rider, Lance swore.
It had been about three weeks since Lance and Keith first landed on Earth. By now them, Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge were inseparable friends. They went everywhere together, raced together, ate together. Like a pack of wild Yelmores linked at the ears. But Lance and Keith were arguably the closest of them all.
Though they had only known each other for three weeks and four quintents, they acted as though they've known each other for a lifetime. Keith no longer addressed Lance with names such as 'your majesty' or 'prince'. They finally acted as genuine friends, and not servant and master. Perhaps even more than friends. Ever since Keith spilled his backstory, and revealed his most held secret, Lance found himself thinking of the Altean Galra quite a lot. What it must have been like. How he would react in Keith's situation. Lance thought about other things too. Curious things, such as the boy's features, his laugh, his smile. Everything that sent Lance's stomach aflutter.
Lance galloped up to Keith, and held out a hand. "A ride, your Keithiness?" He smirked, as Keith took his hand and pulled himself up behind the Prince, onto the saddle.
"Where are you planning on going?" Keith asked, wrapping his arms around Lance's stomach. Lance could feel Keith's breath brush against the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Every time Keith got remotely close to Lance, he felt his heart pound hard against his chest, and began to see black specks in the corners of his vision.
Lance craned his neck to look a Keith, flashing him a dorky smile. "No clue. Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose."
Pidge chortled behind her palm. "Don't have too much fun you two."
"We'll be back soon." Keith assured.
"But I wouldn't count on it." Lance corrected. "See y'all later!" He grabbed hold of the reins, and urged his horse forward. In a flash, the Altean duo were galloping down the track, and leaping over the fence.
The rush was amazing. A cold breeze sent Lance's white, tangled hair flowing, as well as Keith's long purple bangs. Keith hadn't cut his hair in quite awhile, so his mullet now reached down to his shoulders. Sometimes he held it up in a pony tale, and other times he let it fall freely. Though Lance was skeptical at first, he found himself loving Keith's new look. Especially when he was allowed to brush it, and pull it up in a bun (which was rarely). A guilty pleasure he indulged in as a child with Allura's, his mother's, and his father's hair before... well, before the war. It brought back many great memories, which made Lance's insides churn. Of course he wasn't homesick, but... thinking of his old life just made him feel... odd. He much preferred thinking of his new life here on Earth, with his human friends, and Keith. Especially Keith.
As they sped up, Keith squeezes his arms tighter around Lance's waist. At a time like this, Lance was happy Keith couldn't see his flushed face. He had to admit though, he liked the contact. Lance didn't ever want Keith to let go.
Lance and Keith raced down a dirt path, passing tall oak trees, and low hanging branches and vines. At some points, they had to duck to prevent from being smacked in the face by some sort of shrubbery. The horse they were riding seemed to know where it was going, as well as unconcerned with its riders safety. It leaped over boulders and ducked under fallen trees. The two Alteans had absolutely no idea where they were heading, though neither one seemed to care. They enjoyed being near each other, and watching the environment around them change before their very eyes.
One moment they're passing a field of rolling grasses and tall purple flowers, and the next they're rushing beneath a waterfall. Before they knew it, the both of them had traveled so far the sun was already setting over the horizon. Lance and Keith jumped off their horse, and flopped lazily down in the dirt. Their little journey had led them to a grassy clearing, surrounded on either side by colossal size trees. Lance placed his hand in Keith's palm, and they both burst out laughing. "Where the quiznak are we?" Keith chuckled.
"I don't know, but it sure is beautiful, isn't it?" Lance tilted his head to face Keith.
"I don't know about that." Keith responded. "It's just a patch of grass, and a bunch of trees."
"Exactly! That's the exact thing that makes this place so wonderful. Imagine, these trees can reach hundreds, no, thousands of years old! It's like looking into a window of history. And this clearing! Why is it here? Why hasn't the forest taken ahold of it yet? It's one of life's many strange, unexplainable mysteries. This planet... the Earth has many of those, don't you think? That's what makes this place so wonderful! Everything constantly evolving, yet we still have natural things such as the trees to look back upon. Everything completely unique, nothing completely unchanging."
"When I first met you, I never guessed you the poetic type." Keith smirked, squeezing Lance's hand in his own.
"I can be when I want to be." Lance shrugged. "But only in front of the right people."
Lance let out a big yawn, and a cough. Wow, for a supposed hot season, it was really cold. He itched his nose, and let out a sneeze. Keith gave him a worried glance as Lance's eyes fell shut. Dang... he didn't feel good at all.
Keith propped himself up on his forearms, and looked Lance up and down, inspected his condition. Keith's glowing yellow eyes illuminated in the darkness, bringing all attention to him, and his sharp, beautiful features. The sun had completely vanished from view.
Keith brushed aside Lance's white strands of hair, and placed a palm on Lance's forehead. "You're burning up. What's wrong with you?" He asked, taking his hand back.
Lance's eyes fluttered open. His tender expression met Keith's, giving the hybrid a goofy smirk. "Wha? Could it be? Have I passed already? Who is this above me? An angel?"
Keith coughed, and averted his stare. "No, you haven't died yet. And you better not anytime soon, because if you do, I'll have to follow you into the afterlife and re-kill you myself."
"Whoa... violent. But I'm glad to hear you like me well enough to follow me into the afterlife."
"You wish." Keith rolled his eyes, punching Lance softly in the arm. He laid back down, and extended his limbs across the brownish-green grass. "If Allura ever found you dead, she would force me down under before I could even manage to take my own life..."
Lance and Keith went silent. It had been a good long while since they heard that name. Allura... Keith had gotten out of the habit of mentioning Lance's family, or Altea in general after that night which he confessed his origins. This made Lance more than relieved. Overjoyed even. He felt as though maybe Keith finally learned to love this place as Lance did. But, apparently not...
The cold night air swept Lance's bangs. Though he normally welcomed silence, tonight's sounds of cricket chirps, and distant howling made Lance feel lost more than anything. Not in the physical sense, but more so his thoughts. The same odd itch which had been plaguing in the back of Lance's mind for a long while now.
Keith was the first to finally speak up. "Hey... Lance?" He asked in a whisper.
Lance turned towards Keith, brushing his brown cheek against the grass. "Mm, hm?" He muttered, attempting to make out Keith's features in the darkness.
"When do you..." A pause. "When do you think they will come?"
"My father and sister?" Lance clarified. "Um... I'm not sure. Maybe never, I don't know..."
"Never, huh?" Keith squinted up at the stars. He looked really upset. Perhaps the unfavorable fact was just now setting in. Lance's family, nor anybody else was going to find them. And the lions, still unresponsive in that cave, were never going to activate again. Perhaps they simply traveled much too far from the other lions? Was even Voltron thwarted by distance? Didn't seem likely, but it was the only reasonable conclusion Lance could draw.
"Yeah, never..." Lance repeated. "But, you know... Maybe that's not such a bad thing..."
"How?" Keith frowned, glaring at Lance through the corner of his eye.
"How? Well... This place isn't so bad, right? I mean... We have shelter, food, friends. Plus there is so much to do and see. It would take a lifetime to view it all."
"The summer's ending..." Keith mumbled in response. "Shiro told me... Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro will have to go back to school soon, and we'll have to leave the cabin, because it isn't ours. It actually belongs to a guy named Slav... I don't know how we'll survive without the shelter... We won't have money, or Earth education, or any way of getting food. The three of them can't help us forever... After this summer, we're alone."
"How about getting a job then?"
Keith widened his eyes, and turned to Lance. "Huh? Are you serious?"
"Yeah!" Lance grinned. "That's how people get groggeries - I mean, uh, money nowadays, right? It can't be too hard to find a simple job... And we can, like, buy our own food, and stuff. Get a traveling car vehicle, explore on our off time... Well, I mean... If you want that is... "
Keith nodded, and Lance continued. "We can even buy a house of our own... I mean, we don't have to share the same house, or anything. It's not like you're obliged to keep following me around... But, you know... If you want to live in the same home... I'm not stopping you or anything..." Lance's smile vanished. He looked to Keith for a reaction. Their eyes met, and Lance froze. His heart flipped, and beat in rapid concession.
Silence overtook the two once more. The only sounds came from the pulsing in Lance's chest, and the distant whispers of the forest. Keith paused, then nodded. Was that a yes? It didn't seem that way... Lance and Keith's eyes parted, as they gazed back up.
Quite a while later, Lance was fed up. The once happy atmosphere had turned grim so quick... That needed to change at any cost necessary. Lance sat up, and adjusted his vision to the darkness. A few feet from them, he saw a stream. It was slender, and shallow. It only rose to about Lance's waist. Not nearly deep enough to swim, but perhaps they would have better luck further down.
Lance stood, and took his shirt off. "Whoa!" Keith quickly shielded his eyes. "What in Voltron are you doing?"
"What?" Lance shrugged, tossing Hunk's old shirt aside. His human buddy wouldn't mind if his clothes got a little dirty in the mud... right? Lance unbuckled his belt, and pulled down his jeans, leaving him only with boxers. "I'm going to take a swim. You wanna join?"
Lance saw Keith's purple skin grow flush behind his hand. He sat up, and looked away, still covering his eyes. "At this time at night? Are you crazy?"
"Maybe." Lance answered honestly. "Come on, join me! I know you're crazy too, so let's just live it up!"
"But, I don't have a swimsuit!" He protested.
"Me neither. But who needs one? Just go nude."
"WHAT!?!" Keith gasped, finally removing his hand from his face.
"Whoa! Chill! I'm only kidding." Lance burst out laughing as he pulled his shoes and socks off. "I'm going in with my boxers. It won't hurt them if they get a little wet, right?"
"Oh... um..." Keith eyed Lance's blue underwear, then wandered upward to his bare chest. "I guess..."
"Are you joining me then?" Lance's grin reached from ear to ear.
"Um... sure..." Keith's eyes snapped back down to his shoes. Lance waited a few ticks. Keith looked back up at him, and frowned. "Can you... look away please?"
"What?!" Lance looked offended, but obliged. He rolled his eyes as he twisted his body away. "All right, your Keithiness. Didn't know you were so insecure about this stuff."
"I'm not insecure." Keith huffed, pulling off his shirt.
Once finished, Lance turned back around and smiled. He eyed Keith up and down. "See. That wasn't so bad."
Keith looked as though he wanted to vanish. "Yeah... Sure..."
Lance nodded, then ran to Keith, taking the hybrid's hand in his own. Lance pulled Keith forward, and the two began running across the grass. They rushed beside the stream, until Lance found a deep enough spot they could jump into. Lance let go of Keith, and held his breath. He jumped in, creating a large splash, which sprinkled water down on Keith's legs. He then raised to the surface, and waved a hand, prompting Keith to follow.
Keith hesitated for only a tick, then backed up and took a running start. He flung himself in the air, and plunged next to Lance in the water. He swam back up to the surface, shivering. His damp hair was clinging to his forehead, and his purple skin almost looked blue. "It's cold..." He complained through jittery teeth.
"No kidding." Lance agreed, attempting to keep warm by rubbing his hands across his arms. "It's night after all..." Lance put on a malicious grin. "Race you."
Before Keith had the chance to process Lance's words, the Altean Prince was off. He did a freestyle through the water, and Keith followed. It was difficult to navigate in the inky blue stream, especially at this time of night, but Alteans generally had extremely good vision, so it didn't hinder them too badly.
In the corner of his eye, Lance spotted something shiny and silver. It maneuvered through the water like a ribbon in the wind. A fish! Lance didn't know fish could be in rivers too!
Keith swam up next to Lance. Lance looked at him, then pointed to the gliding, silver fish. Keith smiled, and nodded, then began swimming toward it. Lance wondered what he was planning on doing when Keith readied his claws, catching the fish barehanded. He looked back at Lance, and smirked proudly. Lance giggled, sending air bubbles floating up, all around him.
The two boys rose to the surface, and burst out laughing. "You've caught a fush!" Lance exclaimed.
"Fiiiiiiish." Keith corrected, a tear of laughter rolling down his purple cheek.
"Yeah, fush. Whatever." Lance dove back in the water, then came back up again. "Follow me!" He called to Keith, and they both continued down the stream.
Keith let go of the poor fish, and it swam away quickly. Lance and Keith raced down the river side by side. Neither one of them seemed to be able to out-swim the other. When one sped up, the other simply worked ten times harder to catch up. Before they knew it, they had traveled so far, their starting point wasn't visible any longer. Lance thought back to the horse they had left. Was it going to be alright? Hopefully. It seemed to know it's way around the woods, and was most likely already racing back to the stables. If only the two of them knew how to get back. Though, Lance wasn't as concerned with that as perhaps he should have been. He liked being alone with Keith, having fun in the water. Especially the two of them being shirtless part, but he wouldn't admit that.
A great rumbling came from up ahead. Lance raised to the surface, and squinted in the direction of the noise. In the distance he saw a large cloud of water vapor rise. His eyes widened, and he shouted out. "Waterfall! Let's get out of here!"
Lance and Keith dashed to the shore. Their breaths were heavy as they looked to one another, then to the mass of steam. Lance's brain lit up with an idea. He grabbed Keith's hand and raced down the river bed to the waterfall's drop off. "Where do you think your going?" Keith asked as he trailed behind the enthusiastic Lance.
They got to the edge of the cliff, and looked down at the lake below. It was far down... like, really far down... The noise of the water falling and crashing down upon the earth was loud, to say the least. Lance could barely hear his own voice. "Yo, Keith!" He yelled. "Dare me to jump?"
"What?!" Keith screamed over the noise.
"I said, DARE ME TO JUMP?"
"I heard you! Are you insane?" Keith responded, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I repeat: maybe." Lance smirked. He grabbed Keith's hands in his, and squeezed. "Let's go together!"
"What?!"
"I said, LET'S GO TOGETHER!"
"I heard you! And, no. What the heck?! What do you take me for? Suicidal?"
"Oh, come on! There's at least a 90... 70 percent chance we won't die." Lance assured. "Live a little, Keith! Don't be such a chicken. Pidge taught me that metaphor. It's a type of Earth animal, which for some reason is paired with pussies. What you say Keith?"
"I say that you pulled those statistics from your ass. That's a metaphor too, for your butt, but I'm sure you already heard of it, Earth know it all."
"I think I heard a yes in there somewhere."
Keith sighed, and shook his head. "This is insane..." He mumbled, tightening his grip on Lance's hand. "But, what the heck." He pulled Lance and himself foreword, and they both jumped.
They clung to one another as they free fell through the air. The wind sent their hair flying behind them, and dried their damp skin. It was all for not however, as they crashed into the lake with a enormous splash.
The two boys were sent far beneath the water. Hitting the surface hurt like hell, no surprise, but luckily no sharp rocks were there to greet them at the bottom. Lance and Keith finally freed their hands from one another, and swam up to the surface. When he finally got up, Lance gasped, and spit a mouthful of dirty lake water from his mouth. His breathing was heavy, and his entire body felt as though it was going to fall apart at any moment. He paddled over to the shore, Keith following closely behind him. They then crawled onto the shore, and collapsed. Lance's lungs were working overtime, and he couldn't tell whether it was sweat, or lake water dripping into his eyes.
"That was... AWESOME!" Lance weakly pumped a fist into the air, and chuckled. "Whoa! You did it!"
Keith took a deep breath, and pulled his arms over his head. "I did it!" He repeated.
Lance hopped up and grinned from ear to ear. "WE DID IT!" He exclaimed cheerfully, his shouting surpassing the roaring sounds of the waterfall.
Lance picked up Keith by the armpits, and spun him around in a circle. It was pretty difficult, as Keith was about double his mass. But hey, what good Prince couldn't carry a person double their size? Keith gasped, not expecting the sudden movement. Lance laughed, and continued spinning, until they both got dizzy. "Whoa!" Keith chuckled. "Ok, ok. I get it. You can stop spinning me now before I get motion sickness, and vomit all over you."
"We can just clean it in the lake!"
"Eww! Gross, Lance." Keith snorted.
Lance's arms finally gave up. He dropped Keith, sending the Altean Galra falling. He landed atop Lance, leg to leg, chest to chest. Their faces were so close, Lance could feel Keith's breath against his skin. "Whoops." Lance blushed. "I dropped you, sorry."
"Don't worry. You broke my fall." Keith smiled.
Lance nodded. His gaze met Keith's, and he found himself getting lost in his eyes, like Lance so often did. But... why were they so close? And why wasn't Keith moving? Keith was practically crushing him under his body, yet Lance didn't seem to be mad about it.
The two boys grew silent. The sounds of the surging water overtook once more. But all Lance could focus on was the face above him, the pounding of his heart, and the feeling of Keith's skin against his own. Though he was part Galra, Keith's skin was soft, and a smidgen cold due to the water. Who knew a Galra descendent could feel this damn good, let alone Lord Zarkon's offspring.
It was the best sensation Lance had ever felt. It had been so long since Lance hugged, or even accepted affection from someone he loved. His mother used to hug and kiss him, a long as his father, and sister, but that was a long time ago. Besides, this didn't feel like those times. The sensation he felt wasn't the sort of feeling one gets towards family. It was... like something Lance had never before experienced. As though Lance wanted to get even closer, to feel what Keith felt, hear what he heard, and taste what he tasted. To be not two, but one independent being.
Lance put his hand behind Keith's head, and gently pulled his face nearer to his own. Slowly the two boys inched closer and closer. Lance's breath suddenly got heavier, and he began to sweat tensely. What was he doing? And why wasn't Keith stopping? Lance's eyes fell shut, as he awaited Keith's lips to touch his. But they never did. Keith pulled away, and swiftly stood back up, leaving Lance laying in the grass. Lance opened his eyes, and sat up. "What the hell dude?" He frowned, white eyebrows furrowing, face red with embarrassment.
"I- I can't do this..." Keith stuttered, taking a step away. He paused when his feet touched the water.
"... Why not?" Lance clenched his fists. He wanted to disappear.
"Why not?" Keith held a hand to his forehead. "B-because, what they hell? T-this is wrong... like... crazy... What are we even doing out here? It's insane! We're lost, and drenched, and likely sick after taking a swim in freezing cold water. And you're Lance, and I'm Keith, and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Lance stood. "Slow down. Why can't you kiss me again? Is it because I'm a boy?"
"No! I-" Keith paused, likely juggling the scattered thoughts in his head. "It's just that... you're you, and I'm me. A Prince and a... it's just not right..."
"And what the quiznak is wrong with that? I thought we got past this idiotic prejudice. I was a Prince, I get it. And you were my servant, sure. But we are on Earth, remember? I don't see any kingdom for me to rule, or any royalty for you to serve."
"No! No..." Keith grabbed Lance's shoulders, and shook him. "Don't you get it, Lance? Your dad is King Alfor. My dad is Lord Zarkon. Lord Zarkon, the notorious, treacherous overlord of the biggest intergalactic war in this universe's history. The offsprings of the two leading heads of rivaling sides!"
"So?"
"So, this is not right! I'm a Galra. You're Altean. We can't... we can't do stuff like that." Keith explained, strain in his voice. He seemed to be getting increasingly more discombobulated as he stumbled on his own words.
"You're half Galra." Lance protested. "Plus, that fact shouldn't matter. All I was doing was trying to kiss you, not propose. Relax..." He paused, taking a shaky breath in. Lance's dark, damp skin suddenly felt the isolating cold air circulating around him. "I thought you liked me too... I guess not... Fine. I'm fine. L-let's just go, and forget this ever happened. You can ditch me later when your precious King Alfor, or Queen Allura comes to pick you up."
"No, Lance... I-" Keith put his hands on both Lance's cheeks. "It's not as though I don't like you... I do, but..."
"But you're scared." Lance suggested.
"No... I'm not scared. It's just- It's just not..."
"What? Not, what?" Lance lined his jaw, only wanting to be done with this conversation. He'd already embarrassed himself enough as is, and he was tired of all the excuses. If Keith didn't like him, that was fine. But he was being a douche by lying about it. "You are scared." He continued, looking Keith directly in the eyes. "Scared about not knowing your place in society. Scared about straying away from the broken class system, and going against what you've been taught your entire life. Scared about being on the same level as a bratty Altean Prince like me, and scared of Lord Zarkon because he happened to conceive you. Yeah, I get it Keith."
"Lance, our family... It's not right."
"We aren't our family!" Lance yelled, removing Keith's hands from his cheeks. "I'm not Alfor, and you aren't your quiznaking bastard of a father, Zarkon. Our parents history doesn't bind us, so stop making petty excuses, and just kiss me all the damn ready."
"Oh, what the hell." Keith said suddenly, grabbing Lance by the shoulders, and drawing him in. Their lips met, and both their eyes fluttered closed.
Lance went limp for a brief tick, honesty not expecting Keith to make a move. He then brought his arms around Keith's back, and pulled him closer, as Keith ran his hands through Lance's damp, white hair. They held the kiss for a few ticks before finally parting.
"Wow..." Lance mumbled in astonishment, dragging his thumb across his bottom lip, as though the event had been nothing more than a fantasy. "That was... That was pretty good... Was that your first?"
"Um..." Keith's face was completely enveloped with a crimson shade. "Y-yeah... How about you?"
"... maybe." Lance clicked his tongue, not wanting to admit his lack of experience. "... wanna, uh... wanna do that again, or..."
Keith, looking completely dumbstruck, nodded. "I mean... Sure, if you want..."
Lance placed his hands on Keith's cheeks, and pulled him in for another kiss. His lips... they felt so soft against his. The pleasure overtook Lance's every senses, so he could no longer think of anything else but the tender moment. As though nothing else mattered but him, Keith, and the way they felt toward each other... What did they feel toward each other?... Love? Was this love? Lance couldn't tell, for he still couldn't distinguish between that, and lust. Living in a sheltered home, and never longing for someone the way he longed Keith, who could blame him? All Lance knew was that he liked kissing Keith. Really, really, liked it. And he didn't want their lips to ever separate. But alas, one must breath. The two boy's lips broke once more, and Lance smirked. "Wanna go find the cabin now?" He whispered.
"Keith's eyes widened. "Um... We're still lost..." He fumbled out. "Do you know where it is?"
Lance laughed once, then shook his head. "No... No, I don't. How about... How about sleeping out here?"
"What? Outside? On the grass?"
"What? I did it all the time in the castle... It's comfy."
Keith hesitated for a tick. "And by sleeping, you mean..."
Lance blushed. "Just sleep! It's late after all. Unless you want to do more, but..."
"I-I'm good." Keith paused for a time longer than necessary, glancing down at his bare feet. "Alright... Let's go sleep." He finally managed. "Just not by this loud ass waterfall."
Lance's grin stretched from ear to ear, and he nodded in agreement. "Right. No loud ass waterfall, got it." He grabbed Keith's hand, and pulled him away from the shore. "Follow me."