Meanwhile Lance peeked from the door, hesitantly opening it and walking to let down the bucket in the kitchen. Okay, something had clearly happened and he'd missed it.
"Is... everything ok?" He raised a concerned eyebrow, his eyes switching from his mother to Keith. Rosa just threw a smile to the prince, as if telling him to reply.
Keith chuckled, wiping his tears away with one sweep. Lance looked so very cute when he didn't know what was going on. "Everything is fine," he said sincerely, looking from Lance to Rosa and back. He pulled the blanket off his back and folded it carefully, standing up to drape it over the couch.
"Everything is.. good. We were just talking about some difficult subjects, but it really helped me," he said, addressing his words to Rosa as a sign of gratitude. She had not only made him realise he deserved better than how his father treated him, but had also physically comforted him ánd helped him work through a major cause of guilt, by forgiving him for his family's sins.
Keith turned back to Lance, a careful smile on his face. He stopped right in front of his boyfriend and gently took his hand, thereby apologising for letting it go earlier. Besides, he wanted to show Rosa that he wasn't a cold person with Lance, that he enjoyed little acts of love.
He looked up into his boyfriend's eyes, wondering whether he should tell him everything, or keep it a secret. One look at that deep blue convinced him. He knew Lance would understand from a few words that Rosa had given her blessing.
"You can kiss me again, Loverboy," he breathed, quietly enough that Rosa wouldn't hear them. He still wasn't sure how open Lance wanted to be about the whole intimacy thing between them, but he himself wasn't used to touching in public at all, so holding hands before Lance's mother was a pretty big step. Kissing would go too far, right? Rosa might judge them for that. No, holding hands was as far as they should go in public. In private, though, Lance could give him all the kisses he so desired. Maybe even more...
A soft blush dawned on his face as he considered the possibility. He could invite Lance to his tower tonight - not like he ever slept at home these days, but he'd make it explicit enough for Lance to understand his meaning. They could at least.. cuddle. Maybe. If Lance wanted to. Okay, not the right time to think about things like that, not with Lance's mother in the same room. That's inappropriate, Keith. He averted his eyes, because Lance's pretty face was doing nothing to distract him from the thought of tonight.
That sentence alone was enough to wipe all the hunter's previous worries away, replacing them with joy and excitement. "Yes! That's great!!" he exclaimed happily, picking his prince up and spinning with him as he laughed with content. They had his ma's approval! Well, that had been quite fast. He'd expected it to take some more time so he could keep teasing Keith with his kissing denial, but oh well. This were wonderful news. They were truly official now!
He let the prince down, still chuckling with him in his arms. His mother approved of his lover, of them being together. He leaned his forehead against Keith's, looking at him dearly. "Of course. Who could say no to that face," he chuckled. Keith had looked... Different, when he came in. Good different. Like he'd let go of a weight that held him down; He seemed happier. Whatever his mother had done it had helped him.
He glanced at her, giving her a grateful smile, then at the food being served. Cod with cream! Could this day possibly get any better? "You cooked cod with my mom? Aww." He smiled at the boy in his arms.
Speak of character development. Wait, was he... blushing? He'd barely noticed with all that spinning. Sure, Keith blushed a lot - which Lance found irresistibly cute - but he'd seemed... ashamed, for a brief moment. Lance raised an eyebrow at him. He'd known him long enough to know that look. Where had his little naughty mind sent him to?
Keith met his boyfriend's eyes for a moment, and knew Lance had read his mind once more. One day, it would ruin him, that Lance always knew when he was thinking inappropriate things. One day, he'd actually die of embarrassment, drown in his own blushing. In a look, he told the boy he didn't want to discuss it now, and that they'd get back to it later.
Once the room stopped spinning around him, he resisted the temptation to kiss Lance, and pulled him along to the table where they sat down. "Yes, we cooked for you. I heard it's your favourite, and your mother is an excellent cook ánd teacher, so good that she managed to teach even me," he joked, helping Rosa distribute plates and cutlery from where he sat.
The three of them filled their plates and started eating, the food creating smiles on all faces. Keith totally understood why this meal was Lance's favourite. It tasted homely and comfortable, just like the meal Lance had once cooked him. Maybe that's what family recipes always tasted like. Maybe that's what family was supposed to feel like.
He lowered his fork and turned to his boyfriend. "So? Did I do a good job? Does it taste like it's supposed to?" He was confident he'd done all the right things, everything Rosa had instructed him to do, but still.. You could never be sure with sensitive things like cooking. He wanted to able to cook this for Lance in the situation Rosa had warned about, when she was no longer there. He needed to be able to do it perfectly, so Lance could depend on him. Lance seemed to be enjoying it, so that was a good sign.
Keith continued eating as well, desperately trying not to get too distracted by Lance's eyes, by his lips. If he didn't stay focused, he might kiss Lance, right in front of his mother. And they couldn't have that, now could they?
Indeed, Lance was enjoying it. He'd never get tired of eating that. These last years his father and siblings had tried to replicate the recipe with no success. It just... Didn't taste the same. Perhaps due to the secret ingredient his ma always mentioned, tons and tons of love. But how could they add possitive feelings to it when baking it brought back so many memories? He swallowed down and looked up at his boyfriend.
"It's perfect, cariño. I love it," he praised him sincerely. Keith had done a great job, specially considering he's never cooked anything before. Not like he really needs to learn anyways. "I would say it tastes even better, with extra love from you. Thank you."
He smiled before continuing to eat, feeling Keith's eyes on him. 'Wow,' he thought with an amused smile. 'He must be starving right now. And we're eating. Guess the kissing hiatus did work after all.'
Rosa, who had noticed how her son had used spanish on the young prince, turned to him while putting down her glass. "Right, Lance did tell me you speak spanish," she said, genuinely interested. That could sure give him extra points. "Can I hear it?"
Keith smiled lovingly back at his boyfriend, taking in the praise and letting Lance's expression warm him from the inside. That was, until Rosa spoke. Keith looked up at her, his eyes widening. Right, the interrogation hadn't seized yet. Even though Rosa had given her approval, he still needed to impress her to the best of his abilities.
He could do this, Spanish was his third best language, even though he sometimes mispronounced certain words. He cleared his throat and looked at Lance one more time. This wasn't the time to mess up, especially because Lance had rarely heard him speak Spanish before.
"No hablo español perfecto, pero sí, lo hablo," he began, trying to remember all his lessons in grammar and pronunciation. "Aprendí a hablarlo para mejorar nuestras amistades con nuestros vecinos del sur, y porque hay una gran cantidad de literatura española interesante quise leerla para mi educación."
He gave her a smile, finding Lance's hand under the table and squeezing it. Sometimes he just needed a little extra reassurance, even when he already knew Rosa didn't dislike him.
"Like I said," he continued in English. "I am far from perfect. My accent would betray me if I ever had to speak among natives like you." He smiled humbly, taking another bite and realising he'd almost finished his plate already. "Could I have some more, Miss McClain?" he asked politely, eyeing the cod with hunger in his eyes.
It was simple to say Rosa was straight up stunned. For starters, she'd never met anyone that wasn't native that could speak spanish. Keith hadn't only used spanish but had pronounced every word perfectly as if he'd used it all of his life, and had said way more than she'd expected him to.
"Sabes, si querías mi aprobación deberías haber empezado por ahí," she chuckled. "No need to be modest, young prince." Though, she liked his humble attitude, a lot. "It's incredible, you did very well. And of course, it's your cod too." She smiled kindly and got up to cut some more of that meal.
Lance's wasn't far from her reaction, eyes wide and perplexed. That had been... Wow.
"Jesus Keith, I knew you were fluent but I didn't know you were this fluent," he let out with admiration. He always pronounced words correctly but dang he'd never said such long sentence to him. His sweet voice being used with his language so skilfully.... His heart beamed with affection.
He leaned slightly closer to him and rested his chin on his hand, looking up at him lovingly. "You just made me fall for you all over again, babe," he murmured with hearts in his dazzled eyes, totally smitten.
Keith's cheeks burned red at all the unfamiliar praise, especially Lance's sweet words. "What did I say about you saying stuff like that, Lance?" he whispered. "I need a warning if you're about to go all cute and loving."
Still, he couldn't be stern with him for longer than a a few seconds, after which his face softened and a smile quirked his blushing face. "I love you too, baby," he breathed, before realising Rosa was still at the table. Keep it in your pants, Keith.
He turned to Lance's mother, forcing his eyes not to flee away from hers. "Thanks you, Miss- Rosa. That's very high praise coming from a native speaker." He lowered his head in a short bow. The Prince didn't know what the big deal was. Lance and Rosa spoke both English and Spanish too, even better than he did. Sure, Keith might speak an extra few languages...
He turned to Lance again, unable to stop the chuckle at how completely dazed his boyfriend seemed, at how cute he looked. He leaned in close to whisper something in his ear, breaking another of his father's rules. No whispering in public, and definitely not at the dinnertable. His father wasn't here, though, and so he said:
"If you like it so much, I'll speak Spanish more often, just for you. You only need to ask, my love. I'm all yours." Lance couldn't think he was done competing, now that the kissing ban had been lifted. Nope, Keith was more competitive than ever, a small part even hoping to win now that he got his boyfriend so adorably flustered with just a few words in his mother tongue.
'I need a warning.' Lance couldn't help chuckling softly. 'I'm about to say how much I appreciate you, admire you and love you, be prepared'? Sure. He could do that next time, but that probably wouldn't make Keith's reaction change. Ah, his words truly warmed his heart. He loved him too. He loved him so much...
He breathed, completely lovesick, before Keith began to lean towards him. Chills ran through his spine at the whispering, picking key words such as 'You only need to ask', 'I'm all yours'. Maybe it was the way he'd said it, but it made it sould like... Oh. The mental image of the prince beneath him, using spanish to... Oh god.
He leaned back into his chair, feeling heat violently assault his face, without mercy. Tomatoes weren't as red as him. God. Bad timing, Lance. This was clear revenge to him for denying kissing earlier. He covered his face with one hand as subtle as he could, using the other to eat.
Rosa wasn't oblivious. She knew her son more than most, and she'd been young too. The situation was overall amusing and brought a funny smirk to her poker face, her staring at Keith to cause havoc.
Lances reaction had totally been worth stepping out of his comfort zone. The wide eyes, the heated face.. Keith suddenly realised why Lance enjoyed making him blush so much. The flustered expression before him was just too cute, and the Prince wanted to provoke that reaction always, forever. He bit his lip to stop the giggles from breaking through, turning his face back across the table.
And then his expression fell. Oh. Right. Lance's mother was still here. He flushed red just as fast as Lance had done just seconds ago, when he saw the look on Rosa's face. Oh god, she knew. She may not have heard him, but Lance's red cheeks didn't leave any mysteries about the kind of thing Keith had whispered. What had he been thinking, saying such things in public? Amazing, now he'd ruined whatever good feelings she'd had about him. Now he was just a dirty scoundrel, trying to seduce her son, instead of a respected and proper prince.
His eyes snapped to Lance, hoping his boyfriend could somehow talk them out of this situation with his silver tongue, but Lance's mind seemed to be far away, perhaps in a lonely tower room, with the prince beneath him. It was up to Keith to save himself.
"I.. Uhm..," he started, not meeting Rosa's eyes. "I-I mean that.." He'd never been this inarticulate, his sensible mind snapped away to join Lance in that tower. It was too early to use the excuse of having to leave, and there was no other way to escape this room, to escape Rosa's sharp gaze.
"I am truly sorry to steal your son away so much of the time," he eventually said, out of lack of better subjects to talk about. "He must not be at home as often as before we started.. before we were together. And because he spends most nights with me too.." Maybe this had been a wrong change of subject. How could he fix this, without making it sound inappropriate? "Sleeping together," he blurted, and immediately regretted it. "I mean, not sleeping together, but sharing a bed. A room! My room."
Alright, that had gone about as bad as it could have gone. He copied Lance's movement, setting a hand to his face and stuffing his mouth with the last bite of cod to prevent himself saying any more stupid things.
The hunter had been so focused in not thinking about it that he almost missed his boyfriend's entire disastrous chat with his mom- and Jesus that didn't help him to forget in the slightest, instead providing his wild imagination with more and more uncalled for details. If anything, he was blushing even more now. Well this was embarrassing. He didn't dare look at his ma even though he could guess what her reaction would be.
And he was right. When Keith was done trying to make things better she began to laugh uncontrollably, wiping tears off her eyes as it died down.
"La virgen, boy. You're so bad at this," she laughed, amused. It was just like Lance had told her; he was pretty innocent. Just from that she could assume they hadn't gone that far yet. Not like she wanted to know anyway. She trusted her son to be safe and careful.
"It's adorable, but please don't do it again. Whatever you two do at your room isn't my business." She chuckled as she gained an embarrassed 'Ma!' From Lance, who was still bright red and covering his face. Such disasters. And how she loved making them suffer.
"No need to apologize," she continued Keith's escape subject like nothing. "Despite work and everything, Lance always finds time to share with his family." She smiled at her son. "Since he was little he's always tried to make everyone happy and satisfied." Explained how he always managed to get hurt, and how he always seemed tired. She could just picture him running around from the castle to the forest to his home, trying to be in all places at once. She sighed.
"You should take a day off." Not only from work, but everything in general. "You might get sick from working too much."
"Oh. I already suggested a Sleep Day to Keith," he replied after finishing his plate, the red of his cheeks finally fading away. "A good balance between rest and work makes people more productive. I would be a great ruler." He crossed his arms with a smug grin.
"Mijo, there's no castle big enough to fit all your ideas," she joked, gaining yet another annoyed 'Ma!' from her son.
Keith's face only started returning to its usual colour when Rosa changed the subject, though a pink shimmer lay on his cheeks forever. That might just be the result from being close to Lance.
"I agree," he said, when he finally found his voice between oceans of shame and embarrassment. "Lance would make a fine ruler." He smiled lovingly at his boyfriend. "He is kind and fair, and he has something no other royal possesses. Perspective."
He squeezed Lance's hand, letting himself imagine, just for a moment, that it was this boy he would marry in a few days, instead of Lotor. Lance, in a beautiful robe of gold and blue, walking down the isle as white flowerpetals settled upon his hair, one by one, around a crown, woven with golden flowers. "I would marry him in a second, if I could," Keith breathed.
That thought kept plaguing him the rest of the afternoon, where Lance taught him to play Alquerque, a two player game where you needed to capture each others soldiers. Keith turned out to have quite a knack for it, and he soon enjoyed himself. As long as he stayed focused on the game, he could ignore his weird thoughts, but everytime he looked up at his boyfriend, especially when he caught Lance laughing, he couldn't help but imagine him in royal wedding robes.
It was impossible. Even if they ran away together and got married, they would never have a royal marriage. And still, the imagine seemed so realistic, Keith could imagine every detail of how Lance would look.. Sometimes Keith met Rosa's eyes, and was almost sure she knew what he was thinking about. At these times, she gave him a fond smile and continued her knitting.
When the clock chimed seven times, Keith looked up in surprise. He hadn't realised it had gotten so late. Time flew when you were having fun. He moved his soldier one last time, claiming victory over his boyfriend, and stood up.
"Lance, its time to go. I need to be at dinner in an hour." He turned to Rosa, who'd also stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, Rosa. It has been great to meet you."
While Lance pouted at his defeat and saved the game pieces, Rosa approached the young prince, smiling back at him kindly. "Same to you, Keith. Thank you for visiting. I hope this won't be the last time you come here." No matter what happened, she knew the rest of their family would accept him eventually, then the boy would have a big, loving family. Perhaps someday. She looked at him, the true vivid image of the queen and sighed with content. "...Take care of each other, sí?"
"Claro, ma." The brunette gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed his cloak to offer it to Keith before opening the door. "I'll have dinner with Hunk. Could you tell the others I went to sleep early, please?" The woman nodded in reply, to which Lance smiled gratefully. "Thanks, mamá. I'll be back in the morning."
He headed to prepare Silver, who had beem having a nice chat mare to mare with Kaltenecker, while Rosa extended a folded paper to Keith.
"Every family member should have the recipe." She smiled.
Keith's smile softened at her words, taking the sheet and sliding it into his pocket, carefully as if it was made of glass. "Thank you, miss. This means.. It means a lot to me," he said sincerely. He was considering family? Already? He'd only just met Rosa this afternoon. Well, he guessed he was dating her son, so it made a little sense. But still, she called him family!
"I'll take care of him," he promised. "I'll keep him safe." He gave her a reassuring smile, knowing he'd do anything to keep Lance out of danger, to keep him from getting hurt. Keith turned around and watched Lance climb atop the horse, following shortly after to settle behind him once more.
Wrapping his arms around Lance, he leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Now, take me home, Loverboy." Today had been a good day. So many wonderful things had happened, things he'd never expected but welcomed into his life with a smile. Rosa was such a kind woman, and she accepted him, even approved him for her son. He smiled at her over Lance's shoulder, pulling his hood up to cover himself once again.
Rosa smiled back at the young prince, waving as they left her camp of vision, her heart content. She knew they would struggle. That things could get ugly for both, and still... She was certain her son would finally have a happy life next to the prince. Call it a mother's sixth sense. Satisfied, she closed the door and went back to her knitting.
And Lance? He wasn't far from sharing their happiness. His ma had made them official, probably the most official they could ever be. He hadn't said a word about it, but what Keith had said about him making a fine ruler had stuck to his thoughts. If he could marry Keith...
He wasn't sure he'd make a good prince, let alone a good king. He had zero preparations, knowledge about politics, history, etiquette or any other royal studies. He didn't have royal blood. He was a normal, regular, everyday peasant, he had nothing that made him special. People wouldn't accept him as a ruler, hypothetically speaking. Sure, it was nice joking about it, but the thought turning into a What If question... scared him.
If they ever managed to get rid of everything opressing Keith, the King, the marriage... Lance couldn't be certain he'd want Keith to choose him. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd realize there was nothing special about him. Ah, great. He was overthinking everything again.
He stopped at a safe place in the woods and gave Keith the satchel with his clothes so he could change back. "I see you and my mom had a nice chat." He raised a curious eyebrow, trying to push his thoughts aside.
"Can I ask what you talked about...? It's okay if you don't want to tell me." He had literally no idea what could've been that caused Keith to cry in front of her. Perhaps something related to the king? His mom was aware of a few things he'd done to him, and she, better than himself, knew how to see through people and crack them open.
Keith froze, bare chested and with his own, princey shirt in his hands. "She.. We talked about you. I asked what you'd told her, and she said.. A lot of things." He bit his lip, slowly pulling the shirt on and turned to look at Lance. "She said you told her about the king, about what he.. How he.."
Keith dropped his gaze. Rosa may have helped him, but it was still difficult for him to talk about.
"She said he.. That it was wrong." He pulled his vest over his shoulders and started buttoning it up. "Your mother talked about Queen Krolia, about how they'd met. My mother was such a kind woman, and she told Rosa she wanted her child to have a good life, a perfect life. My mom wanted me to be happy." He smiled absentmindedly, moving to stuff Lance's clothes back in the bag.
"And then.. I thought I was okay with this life, with this constant pain and fear, but.." He looked up at his boyfriend, getting close, a hesitant smile around his lips. "But I don't think I am. I don't think I'm okay." His eyes flooded with tears, but he wasn't upset nor insecure. On the contrary, he felt surer than ever before.
"My father is cruel with me, and I'm done making excuses for him." He brushed a thumb over Lance's cheek, a fond look in his eyes. "She made me realise all this, your mother helped me through it. I'm sorry I didn't see it before."
He leaned closer, close enough to see the individual freckles on Lance's face, to feel their breath clash in the air between them. "Now, you said that if I got her approval, you would kiss me again. I think I can safely say I've succeeded, can't I? So what are you waiting for?" He wasn't going to literally ask for it, this would have to be enough for Lance. Now, kiss me, Loverboy, his eyes whispered.
The olive skinned boy was still processing what he'd heard. His mom had met the Queen? Like face to face? Not just seen her from the distance? They'd talked? Why had she never told him? ...Well, he guessed it made sense not to tell an anti-royalty family about your encounter with a royal. His family wouldn't understand right away. Still, he'd ask her to tell him the full story when he came back.
Hearing Keith finally admit what the king did wasn't okay... was relieving, yet painful to witness. Now he was aware. But that was good. He turned as much as he could to him while sitting on the mare, carefully taking a hand to his soft cheek and gave him a comforting look. He had finally awoken.
And of course Keith was starving. Lance had almost forgotten about it with everything that had happened, but those indigo eyes wouldn't stop calling him. "Such a greedy little prince," he chuckled, closing the remaining distance between them and meeting his lips, slow and gently. He lowered his hand to his neck, turning to kiss him again. Good thing he'd succeeded. Lance wasn't sure he'd been able to stay true to his own words if he had to wait any longer to taste those pink soft lips.
Keith grinned into the kiss, his expression melting as his body did, under the power of Lance's lips. God, he'd missed this. It hadn't even been a day, but he'd never grow tired of this, kissing his boyfriend. Kissing Lance.
He wrapped one arm around the boy's waist and caressed his cheek with the other, keeping him close for minutes long, forgetting all sense of time and place, only feeling Lance. It somehow both lasted years and years while also being over in under a second. When Keith finally pulled away, he panted against the back of Lance's neck for a full minute before regaining the power of solid thought.
"I want you," he breathed, nearly inaudibly. His hands slowly traced over Lance's stomach underneath his shirt, feeling all the toned muscles and sharp scars. Beautiful. If he felt carefully, he could almost see it. He could see Lance naked.
"Would you come up to my room tonight?" he asked, his tone husky and warm. Was he really asking Lance to.. Perhaps. He wanted it, he wanted Lance's hands on him, those lips on him, and... Whatever else came with it. Keith wanted it. He was scared, of course. But he wanted it, badly.
He let go of his boyfriend and slid off the horse, not looking at him again. If he looked at Lance now, he wouldn't stay this confident. He disappeared into the woods, and emerged a few minutes later, atop the elegant, black mare. Smiling down at his hands, he passed Lance and half looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming?" he asked.
Well fuck, that was hot. He wouldn't lie, by denying kissing him he'd tried to incite Keith into asking for more, but he wouldn't have guessed it would go this far. He could still feel Keith's gentle touch on his skin and his sweet voice next to his ear if he concentrated enough, and honestly? His words had ignited him. Thank god he had almost full control of his body, because even though he was boiling completely, he didn't show it. A light rose red, however, had bloomed on his cheeks, him lost in thought until Keith returned with Kosmo.
He wanted to go all the way for the first time with him, and he'd invited him to. Lance hadn't realized until now, that it was finally happening, how strong his desire for him was, and how long he'd been suppressing it.
So he lowered his head slightly and looked up at him, both charming and playfully, to answer both of his questions; "Your desire is my desire, my prince. I'll do anything you ask me to." He approached him, this time straightening to glance down at him with a grin, longing in his eyes.
"And I'll do anything to please you," he murmured, riding towards the castle afterwards. Keith was getting quite bold with time. Heck, he'd even made him blush more than once today! He couldn't let him outpass him. Keith hadn't seen the best of him yet.
There had been a moment, before Lance spoke, when Keith feared his boyfriend hadn't understood his suggestive question. But nope. Lance understood, perhaps more clearly than Keith himself. No matter how hard Keith tried, how bold he attempted to be, Lance could beat him with just a few simple words. Or maybe Keith just had lower resistance, since the hunter's three short sentences made his face flare up once more, lips parting in silent argument.
Lance had agreed to meet him tonight. Lance had agreed to meet him tonight. Lance wanted to.. To do this thing with him. Oh god, what had he gotten himself into? He didn't know anything about.. Anything.
They had, of course, already done a few things, under that tree in the woods, but that time had gone so fast that Keith only really remembered how much he'd enjoyed it. He wanted to do that again, to do it all, but just hoped Lance would slow down a little so he could remember everything, every touch, every kiss, every feeling.
But first, Keith needed to know what to do. The Prince knew it was more than just sticking it in and shaking a little, but that was about all. What he needed, was advice. He followed Lance quickly, riding beside him out of the forest, along the broad path that lead back to the castle. He stared down at Kosmo's neck, untangling a knot in her mane and he tried to find the right words.
"Anything to please me, huh?" he asked, not meeting Lance's eyes. He couldn't do this. He couldn't ask this boy for sex advice. Lance might laugh at him, or judge him, or call him a child. Keith wasn't a child, and he didn't need Lance's help.
"Well, I want you do do what you desire." He finally turned his head to his boyfriend, cheeks pink and lips glossy. "And I want you to want me."
He focused on the road again, unsure of what else to say. Maybe he shouldn't say anything, not until he'd informed himself better on.. this subject. There may be a book about it in the library...
When they got close to the gates, Keith gave his boyfriend a last smile. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" And with that, he changed his attitude back to 'Prince' and rode past the guards, onto the courtyard.
The clock in the main hall told him he only had a few minutes left, no time to change, so he hurried to the dining hall, ready to deal with his own life again. The guards let him through, he bowed to his father and Queen Honerva, and sat down just as the tower bell signalled eight o'clock.
In the meantime, the brunet left Silver in the stables, took a cold shower in the shared showers provided for the guards and headed to the kitchen, finding Hunk cleaning his workplace. He didn't take much credit for tonight's dinner so he didn't have to assist to the dining room and witness the royals eat.
Lance took this chance to update his friend in the later events while they had dinner, how his mother had accepted Keith as his beloved, all the fun they had had that day... It was truly a remarkable day Lance wouldn't forget. Perhaps they could even repeat it some other time. They then talked about Hunk's family, the castle rumors, funny anecdotes, about this apparently beautiful baker in the village called Shay and how great friends her and Hunk were... But Lance could tell the way his friend talked about her ment there were feelings in between.
Even then he couldn't let go of the memory of Keith inviting him tonight. At first he'd sounded so sure and confident, but after that... He wasn't so sure. And he'd replied 'I want you to want me'. No way Keith was doing all of that just for him, right? No. Lance wanted him to want it just as he'd stated. Maybe he wasn't sure or he wasn't ready. That was okay, they could talk about it. Sure, Lance wanted it, but there was no need to rush anything. He could wait.
All throughout dinner, Keith's couldn't focus on the general conversation. It wasn't like the royals had anything interesting to mention. They mostly talked about the upcoming wedding, the merging of two kingdoms and how it would affect two similar but different cultures. While Keith would usually have found the subject half fascinating, right now all the could focus on were Lance's words, Lance's promises.
The thought of what might happen tonight pulled him out of that room, into his boyfriend's arms, so tightly that his father had to pull him back multiple times, calling his name to return him to reality. Keith sighed, trying to stay in the present, not let his mind flow to Lance's hands, holding him tight and close and- Nope. Not yet.
Dinner took forever, and by the time it finally ended Keith was close to exploding. He needed Lance, right now. Well, maybe not now, the Prince thought, as he dashed through the halls in search of his best friend. He finally found Shiro coming out of the guards station, and pulled him along by the hand, not answering his questions until he dragged him into an empty room, which so happened to be the throne room.
"Shiro," he started, looking around and between the pillars to make sure they were truly alone. This could not be overheard by anyone. When the room seemed abandoned, he turned back to the tall man.
"I need your advice."
Shiro was confusion. The prince looked oddly tense. The man had barely seen him today, and judging by the way he'd pulled him quickly into an empty room as soon as he saw him made him slightly worry.
"Sure, what is it?" He asked calmly, analizing the situation more. Keith had been away all day, and he didn't look particulary sad, angry or hurt, so if it wasn't about the king... He checked the empty room again in reflex before speaking. "Is it about Lance?" He raised an eyebrow, a tiny mocking smirk on his face.
Just Lance's name made Keith lose his calm, and he averted his gaze to avoid any more mockery from his brother. Now was not the time to get flustered, now was the time to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do tonight.
"No," he reacted, too quickly, his voice cracking. He could totally hide that part from Shiro; his brother didn't need to know what they were planning to do. "It's not about.. No. It's just.. I noticed I never got any classes about, uhm, physical health." Right. Close enough.
"And if I am to marry Lotor, I do need to know certain.. things." He flushed even brighter, feeling awfully small and idiotic all of a sudden. "Marriage comes with all kinds of duties and obligations, and I don't know how to.. How to.. fulfill them. I can't ask anyone about these things either, because it's.. inappropriate. I don't think my father would appreciate these kind of questions," he chuckled, trying to shake some of the tension. This was Shiro, he wouldn't laugh at him, right? Okay, maybe he would laugh at him, but then he'd help. Probably.
"You must know certain things, you've had relationships. So, I just thought... Could you explain how to.. Uhm.." He buried his face in his hands, making his mumbling almost inaudible.
"I need to know how to be intimate with someone. With another man." He could almost feel Shiro holding in his laughter, not sure if this embarrassment was worth it in the long run. Perhaps embarrassing himself in front of Lance would be easier.
The commander just stared at him with an unimpressed poker face on. Yep, it was about Lance. Defintely. Why did Keith feel the need to lie to him? He'd rather have him asking him about Lance than mentioning the remote idea of doing it with Prince Lotor. It was terribly cursed. Yet his brother seemed so embarrassed that he decided it would be best to play along.
"Riight... Uhm..." He took a hand to his nape, looking up slightly uncomfortable. Yikes. He'd never given anyone the talk. But this was his best friend, his brother, who had no parent to trust with these kinds of things. No need to make things weird, time to be a dad. A brother dad.
"First if, hypothetically speaking, it was Lotor who we're talking about, you are not obliged to do anything you don't want to. Your marriage will be strictly political, and I'm sure Lotor knows that too." He pointed out. "But in the case you did want to- and not exclusively with Lotor- hypothetically speaking," because he wasn't assuming anything, haha.
"Well... The most important thing is to communicate with your partner," he started calmly. "Ask what he wants, tell him what you want, what you don't like. Say it if you want to try something new and see if he's okay with it, don't ever feel forced to do something you're not okay with. Guide each other, you're not mind readers. There's nothing wrong about asking; Communication is key."
He wasn't sure what kind of advice Keith wanted to hear, but Shiro would go by experience, important things he wished someone had told him about.
"Mm... Don't rush. Specially at first, take your time preparing, take things slow. No need to hurry things up 'cause that will hurt. For both of you." He crossed his arms and pursed his lips, thinking of more things he should be aware of. Surprisingly, he didn't feel uncomfortable at all while talking about it as he'd thought. Maybe it had stuck to his brain, but adressing these kinds of things was important and not at all a bad thing.
"For the one- you know, recieving- Because you can switch, it's not like you're assigned a certain role," he pointed out. "-It might hurt just a bit at first. It's only for a moment and it shouldn't be unbearably painful. If so, you haven't prepared enough beforehand. That's why taking things slow is so important. Use lots of lube. You're no less of a man for preparing." He hummed thoughtfully.
"You've got hands, use them. Be caring. Show the other you want him to feel good too. Don't fall off the bed. That will hurt." He laughed. "Don't try any crazy positions at first. It'll tire you up pretty quick. Shower before and after in less than ten hours. If you don't feel prepared yet, don't do it, but there's no need to be scared. Especially if you trust your partner." He knew Lance was a good boy. Keith was in good hands.
"And I think that's about it. Just try things out until it works. It gets better once you gain experience." He looked at Keith with a small smile. When had he grown up so fast? He ruffled his hair with his metal hand both playful and mockingly while chuckling. "Look at you, all grown up and asking about-"
"Shut up," Keith interrupted, raising a hand when Shiro shifted back to his teasing-older-brother attitude. He pulled his hand through his hair, trying to organise it, along all this new information. And it was a lot. Between the averted eyes and flushed cheeks, Keith had actually payed close attention, making a mental list of things to think about during.. sex.
Make sure you trust your partner. Check. He trusted Lance with his life, and he knew the boy would never hurt him.
Open communication. He might need to work on that. Keith wasn't great at the whole 'talking about feelings' thing. But he could do it, for Lance. He could try.
Take it slow, prepare properly. Keith had plenty of time, but what was 'preparing' supposed to mean? The Prince had thought asking Shiro about these things was plenty preparation, but maybe he should still swing by the library to find more information, to prepare himself better? He frowned to himself, feeling like he was misunderstanding or missing something. Well, he'd figure it out soon enough. Keith had always been more of a learning-while-doing person.
Anything else? Be careful. Use your hands. Use enough lube. Shower before and after. He could do that too. The Prince would try to figure out what lube was later.
He looked up at his brother again, face nearly back to its usual colour. "Thank you, Shiro. This will really help me. After I'm married, of course," he quickly added. At least Shiro had bought the whole Lotor lie, Keith didn't want to get Lance into trouble. Shiro was still his commander, after all.
"Now, I have to go. To, uhm.. Sleep. Goodnight, bro." He turned on his heels and hurried away, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it together if he stayed there. The Prince considered heading to the library for more information, but didn't want to be late if Lance came up to his room. Besides, he still needed to shower, apparently.
A few minutes later, he dried off and stepped into his closet. What should he wear for this occasion? He settled on normal clothing; pants, a loose shirt, and no shoes. The Prince tapped nervously against his desk as he drew, sketching a basic landscape across two pages of his sketchbook with those special pencils he'd been saving in the back of a drawer. At what time had Lance said he'd be there again?