The sun had set rather early that night. But the sky was still splattered with an array of light pinks and blues, and a somewhat purple-ish color. It seemed to be rosy on one side, and an ocean-like shade on the other. Then in the center of the sky, the colors blended into a dark lilac hue. There was also a somewhat cooler breeze skipping through the air, and moths kept gathering around the field over head lights.
Keith found himself gazing into the small clouds above the football field. They were playing at home yet again, and he was about to be thrown in the air for probably the millionth time that week.
The clock was ticking down, almost to zero. And Lance, who was on the sideline, watched the cheerleaders take their designated positions on the track. And when the whistle blew for half time, they got in their stunt groups. Soon, people were in the air and Lance couldn't help but go pale with fear as they launched Keith into the clouds. He clutched his water bottle tighter, his mouth open as the omega neared the safety of his fellow cheerleaders' hands.
Except... Keith didn't land quite right. At all. Just as he kept getting lower and lower... all he felt was the track beneath him. And Lance's heart dropped upon seeing the boy hit the ground. Allura and Shannon had slammed their faces into each other upon trying to absorb his weight, but there was way too much momentum.
" KEITH!!!" Lance screamed, dropping the water bottle and beginning to sprint. His legs were moving as fast as they could carry him, and he nearly skid across the track upon stopping.
Keith groaned, thank god Allura had managed to get her arm underneath his head so he wasn't concussed. His ass had taken the brunt of the fall, and it tingled with little prickles of pain.
Lance pushed through the herd of cheerleaders, he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. " Keith!" He knelt down by the boy's side, and he noticed the tears that had gathered together in the corners of his violet eyes.
Allura had her palm under Keith's head, but was using her other hand to catch some blood that dripped from her nose. Shannon and Shay, who had also hit the ground, were just now sitting up. Hunk had rushed over as well, and he extended a hand for his girlfriend. The crowd was completely silent, nobody even breathed, let alone dared to speak.
" Lance...?" The omega blinked a couple times, squinting. He might've hit the ground a little too hard. The alpha felt his facial expression just droop as he teared up slightly.
" Yeah... it's me." He smiled weakly and everyone else could only watch his raw display of emotion. " Common, we have to sit you up..." Lance sniffed back a little bit, trying to keep his composure.
" Keith, can you feel your legs?" Allura asked cautiously, and Keith wiggles his toes inside of the bulky white cheer shoes.
" Yeah." His voice was somewhat higher pitched as Lance helped sit him up. There was a shooting pain coming from his tailbone.
" I'm going to have to lift him, I don't think he'll be able to stand on his own..." Lance said to nobody in particular as he slid his hands under Keith's body, being very careful under his thighs. Slowly, he picked him up bridal style, with barely any effort made. And even in the amount of pain he was in, Keith still found himself flustered by Lance's touch.
He was set down extra carefully onto one of the metal benches near the sideline. And the alpha stayed by the omega, not wanting to leave his side for some reason.
" The medical trainer is on their way..." Allura said, holding a Kleenex from her bag to her nose.
" So one of you want to explain why the fuck you were still using this stunt group?! Allura, you knew it was unstable!" Lance raised his voice, narrowing his eyes.
" W-well we were getting him really high..." Shannon stammered, rubbing the center of her forehead, which was already starting to bruise.
" It doesn't matter how high you can get him if you're not there to catch him when he comes down!" Lance growled, and Keith's eyes went wide. His lip was quivering just listening to him yell.
" I'm sorry that I thought the stunt group could work, but these things do happen. Keith, I offer you my greatest apologies-" Allura was cut off.
" Oh you're sorry?! He could've gotten hurt way worse than this! That's all you can say?! What the actual-"
Keith interjected, almost flinching at Lance's aggressiveness.
" I'm fine." He tried to give him a soft look, but the alpha still pretty much had smoke coming from his ears.
" No you're not! You can't even walk ..." He looked down. And everyone was just surprised at how worked up Lance was. Keith somehow still blushed, he really couldn't help it.
" Lance..."
And then the whistle blew. Half time was nowhere near over, but Coach Coran needed Lance and Hunk back.
Lance hesitantly squeezed the omega's hand. Keith felt his heart practically beat out of his chest and run down the track like a sprinter.
" The next half is for you..." He smiled, just as the trainer was now getting there. Then Lance started walking back to the field, honestly shaken up. But he had to put his feelings aside for the team's sake.
And before they knew it, the game was over. Keith was sitting on a bag of ice, which was pretty embarrassing, but effective.
According to the medical trainer, there wasn't anything broken. He would just be sore for about a week, and that he'd have to take things easy. AKA, he'd be home from school for a couple days before being able to walk without aggravating things.
" So... how you doing...?" Lance came by and leaned over the bench. He sounded way softer than earlier, and his eyebrows were angled upward, causing his face to hold a fonder expression.
" Oh I'm just great. Thanks for asking..." Keith said sarcastically. Lance just adjusted the strap on his helmet in a nervous gesture.
" So which one of those pretty little bags over there belongs to you?" He teased, looking at the row of cheer backpacks along the side of the track.
" Probably the one that says 'Kogane' on it..." Keith laughed. The alpha mentally kicked himself for not noticing the embroidery, but went over and grabbed the right bag. He put it over his shoulder and thought about how cute and tiny it was.
" Well come on... let's go." Lance tried to pick the smaller male up.
" I don't need help..." He stubbornly said, while attempting to stand on his own. It didn't work well at all, mainly because his legs were Jell-O, and also because of the pain emanating from his lower half. He would've face planted on the track had Lance not been there to catch him.
" You were saying?" The alpha laughed, scooping the boy up into his arms.
" Shut up..." The omega was beet red as Lance carried him across the football field. Other players looked at them strangely, and some cheerleaders just squealed. Eventually, sometime before they reached the locker room, Keith had wrapped his arms behind the other's neck. But Lance didn't mind.
After they got to the locker room, Keith was put down very gently on the bench. He couldn't help but stare as the alpha changed out of his pads and other football gear. Lance was shirtless, but this time he wasn't dreaming. It didn't scare Keith, only made him more interested, and a little aroused if he was being honest. Then when Lance put on a t-shirt, he was disappointed.
Keith reached for his bag, and grabbed a tank top he'd brought. He slipped off the shell of the cheer uniform, and replaced it with the black shirt. But not before it could get stuck on his head first. Lance just chuckled, pulling the top down so Keith could wear it properly. The alpha found himself thinking about how adorable the boy's ruffled hair was.
Keith reached for his sweatpants as well, but he had no idea how to get them on. Lance just raised an eyebrow, tying the final knot on his Vans.
" You need me to help you?" He asked, not even in a dirty sense for once. The omega hesitantly nodded, wanting to be careful.
" C-can we leave the spandex be? I'll just put the pants on over them..." His voice was quiet, mainly because he felt vulnerable.
" Of course." Lance said as Keith rolled the pants just to get his feet through the bottoms. He couldn't really lean back to pull them the rest of the way up, so Lance lifted him by his underarms. Keith was kind of standing on one foot while using him for support until losing his balance again. He sort of fell onto Lance, landing against his chest. " You know..." He laughed. " if you really wanted a piece of me that badly you could've asked. No need to jump me in the locker room..." Lance chuckled.
" You're supposed to be helping me, asshat!" Keith growled.
" Oh, right." He said, helping get the pants up around the boy's hips. The omega only sighed, finding safety on the bench's surface.
Lance grabbed a small sheet of notebook paper from his bag, scribbling something on it before shoving it back into his pocket.
" What's that for?" The other looked at him questionably.
" Nothing."
And a few very awkward minutes later, they were going out the back door of the locker room. Shiro always parked in the front lot after home games, he could avoid traffic that way.
Lance was carrying his duffel bag, a small cheer backpack, and Keith in his arms. It was kind of a lot, but it didn't hinder him too much. All that weight training for football really did have its perks.
It was rather dark back there, being that there were only a couple street lamps along the pavement path. But it had an ambiance to it. Especially with Keith holding behind Lance's neck to stay secure, though he really didn't need to.
" So can I ask you something?" The cheerleader looked to the side.
" Shoot." Lance gazed at the boy in his arms, he definitely had a few primal instincts shouting at him on the inside.
" Why are you doing all of this for me...?" Keith asked with a furrowed brow.
" Because I care... that's why."
" Oh! So you care only sometimes, making me believe that until Allura is in the room?" The smaller male asked, salt lacing his voice.
" It's not like that, Keith." Lance said, staring into his dark purple eyes, which were thunderstormy in a mix of emotions.
" Then what is it like?! You tease me, you flirt with me, and then go back to thinking with your dick! Newsflash! You can't ghost me one day, tease and then be so concerned on the next! I'm not that easy! I-" Keith was raising his voice, until Lance uttered a small growl in his throat. He lifted the omega up nearer, and a little up right, making him freeze.
The alpha breathed down Keith's neck, before finally giving into his instincts and meeting their lips together. And the other felt his eyes widen momentarily, his face growing hot, before starting to settle into the feeling of Lance's kiss. It had an almost sweet taste, which came as a surprise. His eyes closed and he pulled himself tighter against the alpha, making an attempt to kiss back. He'd never really done this before, so Keith just tried to mimic Lance's actions.
The taller male felt his muscles relax a little as the other kissed back. The softness of the boy's lips, and how innocent they were. He couldn't get enough of it. Until Keith pulled away, out of breath already.
" I like you... okay?" Lance said in a low voice. And the omega could barely believe this was happening, that it wasn't just another dream. This time he wasn't crammed against the wall, or a fridge. He was just in Lance's arms, and somehow he didn't reject a thing.
" P-promise?" He stuttered, eyes glimmering from the street light they'd stopped under.
" I promise... and I'll stop flirting with everything with two legs. Only you." Lance started walking again, with a dark maroon color covering his face.
" Okay..." Keith almost squeaked, hearing the seriousness in the alpha's voice.
Shiro's minivan was waiting when they reached the front parking lot. Lance silently opened the door and placed Keith gently in the passenger seat without a word. He could sense just how protective his brother was, and he didn't want to get in the middle. Instead, he balled up a little note inside of the omega's palm before taking his leave.
And Shiro was just sitting there, wondering why the hell Keith was being carried by someone. Apparently, the school hadn't clued him into what had happened.
" Keith? Why can't you walk? Who is that? What-" He started asking a million questions. And Keith, who was still a blushing mess, responded slowly.
" I got dropped tonight, what the trainer didn't call you?" He spoke quietly, knowing Shiro would be pissed.
" WHAT?! NO THEY DIDN'T!" He raised his voice and Lance could still hear it as he walked away, hands swaying at his sides. " SO WHO WAS THAT?!!" He was panicked.
" That was one of the football players who was helping me." Keith tried to keep his voice low.
" Wait! Helping you with what?" The older brother raised an eyebrow.
" He... he helped me off the field... and out of my uniform." The shock was evident on Shiro's face, so Keith added a couple details. " Only the top though! He didn't even touch my spandex!" He smiled nervously, breaking out in a cold sweat.
" You can't even walk, and you let him touch you?! He could've tried something funny and you wouldn't have been able to defend yourself!!" He started yelling.
" Lance would never-" Keith slipped up, not meaning to say his name. " He would never do that if I didn't want to!"
" Oh! So that's the Lance who's interested in you? Perfect! Just perfect, Keith! Just because he didn't this time doesn't mean that he won't! Don't let him lay his hands on you again!" Shiro exclaimed, raising his hands off from the driver's wheel.
" You don't even know him!! He's not like that!!" Keith shouted right back.
" AND YOU DO?! YOU'VE BARELY EVEN MENTIONED HIS NAME!"
" YOU ACT LIKE ALL ALPHAS ARE BAD!! AND YES I DO, SORRY FOR NOT TELLING YOU EVERYTHING BUT I KNEW YOU'D REACT THIS WAY!!" The omega found himself getting livid.
"I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE I HAVE TO PROTECT YOU!! YOU'RE AN OMEGA , KEITH, ANY ALPHA COULD EASILY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU AND I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN BECAUSE HE HAS YOU CONVINCED THAT HE LIKES YOU!!" Shiro had never yelled this much, or this loud before. And Keith felt himself flinching back.
" I'M NOT THAT EASY!!! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU'VE RAISED SOME SORT OF HOE WHO CAN BE CHARMED INTO A TRAP?!!"
"JUST BECAUSE I'VE DONE MY BEST RAISING YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE CONTROL OF ALPHAS' INSTINCTS!!! THAT BOY COULD HURT YOU, KEITH, AND YOU'RE DUMB ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT HE LIKES YOU!!! YOU COULD EASILY BE CHARMED INTO HIS TRAP BECAUSE YOU'RE SO DESPERATE FOR LOVE YOU'RE WILLING TO RISK YOUR SAFETY"
" I'm not desperate..." Keith felt almost hurt that Shiro could call him that. He gazed out the window, trying to calm down. " What do I have to do to prove that he's not like that?! I'm going to go out with him eventually, so I suggest you warm up to this. Or I might just freeze you out."
Shiro was baffled at his brother's attitude.
" I'm the only one who can protect you in this world!!! So who's supposed to save you if you shut me out?!" He lowered his voice, but was still pretty worked up. " If you're smart, you'll listen to me and stay away from him!"
" You're wrong about Lance!" Keith turned to Shiro, gritting his teeth.
" And I guess I was wrong about you too, I thought I raised you to be smarter than this..." Shiro did feel bad for yelling at him so much. " Don't come crying to me after he gets what he wants and breaks your naïve heart."
When they got home, Keith didn't say a thing. He only walked up to his room and un-crumpled Lance's note.
555- 6963
In case you want to talk, feel better, Princess.
(( Long ass chapter I know! But FINALLY!! I'VE JUST BEEN WAITING FOR THESE TWO IDIOTS TO KISS!!! And also, the next chapter should be pretty interesting. When we meet again, Loves!))