#klancereversebang

KEITH

The one thing that Keith couldn’t stand about the Blade was the whispering.

He was a member, but only just. It felt like no matter what he did to prove that he was loyal to the cause, there was always another secret.

He’d been out with the Blade for months, working on a top-secret mission that, if executed correctly, would eliminate one of the Empire’s most valuable quintessence mining devices.

Keith felt eyes on his back and heard the hushed sounds of whispers behind him.  

It wouldn’t be so unbearable to be left out of the loop if they would just stop whispering.

“Hey!” he snapped, whipping around to point at the Blade members now staring at him. “Would you cut it out?”

They glanced at each other, then looked at Keith.

“What do you mean?” one asked, feigning ignorance. Keith wasn’t an idiot.

“Whatever you guys keep talking about behind my back. I get that I’m human, but that doesn’t mean I’m deaf and blind.” Keith crossed his arms, eyeing them both. “Do you have a problem with me?”

He received another surreptitious glance in reply to what he viewed as a completely valid question. The Blade members took a few seconds to formulate their response, only further incensing Keith’s irritation.

“We were only curious,” said the one on the right. They were wearing masks—the ones with the voice changers—so it was impossible for Keith to draw on names.

“About what?” Keith pressed.

“The cycle is coming soon,” the other said, his tone implying he expected Keith to understand what the hell he was talking about and run with it.

“Okay?” Keith raised an eyebrow. “And?”

But before the Blade could continue, alarms sounded. They had work to do.

Keith didn’t remember the conversation until much later when he was back on Allura’s ship.

The mission to take down the Galra mining drone was stilled for the moment as they waited for their chance to strike, which gave Keith the perfect opportunity to visit the paladins. He’d arrived within a few day’s time, greeted joyfully by all.

“Keith!” Hunk exclaimed excitedly upon seeing him displayed on their monitor. “You’re here?!”

“Yeah.” Keith smiled, waving his fingers in greeting. “Just for a while until we get this mission moving. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Allura said, her tone warm. “You are welcome back at any time.”

When he stepped off his ship, he was quickly drawn into a group hug.

The paladins had been equally hard at work, focusing their efforts on cultivating relationships with various races and helping people escape servitude under Zarkon. Neither team was having a good time of it, so the small respites where they could enjoy each other’s company was welcome.

“Hey. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Keith turned to face the source of the voice and found Lance standing off to the side, shuffling his feet in muted excitement.

“Hi,” Keith said, hating the way his voice cracked.

Keith and Lance’s relationship had always been complicated. They had started off in opposition to each other, but their friendship had grown, going from pseudo-enemies to good friends. Now they were somewhere in no man’s land, hovering on the edge of something more without actually taking that final step.

Keith smiled, and Lance returned it, slowly coming to relax.

“You hungry?” he asked. He jerked his thumb at the ship Keith had brought with him. “Must have been a long ride to get here.”

“Yeah, actually, I am.” Keith licked his lips, the mention of food reminding him that he hadn’t gotten to enjoy any of Hunk’s freshly cooked meals in a long time. His stomach growled as if to corroborate this thought.

“Nice.” Lance grinned, relaxing even further, which made Keith relax in turn. He’d felt strangely on edge since leaving the Blade headquarters and was more than ready to get started on taking a break.

“Have I got the food for you!” Hunk exclaimed, grabbing hold of Keith’s shoulder. “We stopped at a planet that was basically full of spices. Most of them are completely inedible but I found a few that work pretty well with what we like to eat. I was going to make alien steak tonight.”

“Steak?” Keith felt his mouth start to water. “Thank god I got here in time. Your cooking sounds so good right now, Hunk.”

Hunk laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re too kind. I should probably get started, actually. The meat I got from the space mall takes awhile to cook before it’s tender. Like, a long while.”

Keith blinked, realizing he had no idea what time it was. Living in a dark container in the middle of space had really messed with his internal clock. “What time is it?”

“It’s pretty early,” Lance said, shrugging. “Maybe around nine?”

“Perhaps we should let Keith settle down now,” Allura interjected, inserting herself into the conversation smoothly. She laid a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures, but you look like you could use a nap.”

“Maybe a little,” Keith admitted. “It’s been a long week.”

“More like a lifetime,” Lance mumbled. “We’ve been in space forever. This is just adding onto it.”

“Regardless,” Allura started, sounding like she was trying to resist the urge to roll her eyes. “We’ll leave you be. Once you’re settled in, join us in the recreation room and we can catch up.”

The recreation room is what they had dubbed the area of the couches that was, well, recreational. It had couches, viewing screens, and it wasn’t far from the kitchens which made it a convenient spot for having meetings.

“All right.” Keith nodded, and they separated with the intention of meeting there soon.

As Keith set his things down in front of his door, he observed his room with some unease. It seemed...different, somehow. He smoothed his hands along the wall and for some reason felt compelled to give it a sniff. It smelled clean.

Whatever cleaning mechanisms Allura employed—whether it was real labor or something to do with robots—his room was clean, and that bothered him.

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled to no one in particular. Turning towards the doorway, Keith reached for his bag and started unloading the clothes he needed to wash. Normally Keith didn’t bring anything; part of being a Blade was leaving behind anything that could be traced or otherwise used against them. Keith had long gotten used to carrying around his trusted knife and nothing else, but even the Blade needed clean clothing. The washing machines (if you could call them that) located at the headquarters were less than stellar, so Keith resorted to bringing his dirty laundry back home.

“Knock knock!” came a voice from the doorway.

“Coran. Hi.” Keith felt his shoulders rise, tension forming a tight, uneasy ball in his gut. “What are you doing here?”

There was a slight accusation in his tone, but Coran didn’t seem to notice. He marched into Keith’s room, seemingly oblivious to way that Keith was staring at him.

He wanted Coran to leave.

“Just wanted you to know that your Galra friends had a message for you,” he said, stopping in front of Keith. He was grinning. Keith tried to relax his stance, but his fingers kept itching for his weapon.

“Can it wait?” he asked hopefully.

“Oh, it’ll just be a tick! They said, and I quote, beware the savage cycle.” Coran hummed, twirling his mustache thoughtfully. “Is that a secret code for something?”

“No.” Keith frowned. They’d mentioned something about a cycle before, but he didn’t understand what it entailed. “I’m not sure what that is. Thanks for the heads up, Coran. Just—” he waved his hand at the door, “give me a minute here and I’ll meet you guys at the rec room. I’ve still gotta do my laundry.”

“Right away. Glad to have you back.” Coran gave his room a quick look-see, and. deciding he had nothing else to say, left Keith to his devices.

Thank quiznak, Keith thought. He took a deep breath, lips curling at the scent that lingered in the room. Man, Coran needs to wear less cologne.

Keith didn’t feel any less on edge as he entered the rec room. If anything, he felt even more so. The paladins, including Allura and Coran, were gathered around the center table, trading in laughs and conversation. As Keith entered the room their faces lit up and they ushered him over.

“Keith! So glad you could join us. Although I thought you might take this chance to get some rest.” Allura shifted over to give him space. She clasped her hands joyfully. “Tell us, what have you been up to?”

Keith sat down carefully, keeping as much distance as possible between himself and Allura. “Most of it I can’t say. It’s not exactly exciting.”

“Beating Galra butt? Sounds pretty exciting to me.” Lance, who was leaning back casually on Keith’s other side reached over and gave him a healthy poke. “Come on, you gotta give us something. We’ve been helping evacuated prisoners which, while it’s nice and all, it’s so boring. No action necessary.”

“It’s not exciting, but it has convinced the people of Volterra to come to our aid, should we need it. Their beasts are...interesting.”

“You mean terrifying,” Hunk said.

He was still adorned in his chef’s outfit, having only just finished prepping the meat to slow cook. Keith could already smell it from here even though the kitchen was a few doors down.

“I almost peed myself when that giant thing landed on top of me.” Hunk shuddered, evidently haunted by the memory.

“It was basically a dog,” Pidge drawled. “It wasn’t gonna hurt you.”

“Maybe not you! You’re small and unappetizing. I looked in its eyes. I saw the bloodlust.”

“You were literally holding a dog bone!” Lance exclaimed.

“That they gave me! It could have any kind of bone. Maybe it was a bone of sacrifice. The kind of sacrifice where they lure their dog into attacking me!”

“So you admit it was a ‘dog’,” Allura ventured, sounding like she wasn’t sure what a dog was supposed to be referring to but found the entire situation hilarious.

”You know, this reminds me of one time…” Coran began, trailing off as he considered the likely long-winded story he was about to tell.  

As the conversation continued the tension that Keith had been holding slowly bled out. He’d felt so bothered as he came in, but being surrounded by his friends reminded him how much he missed them. Before he knew it, he was dozing off. His head dropped a few times, and each time he jerked awake he’d readjust, only to fall back forward. Eventually his head found its way onto a soft surface, which happened to be Lance’s shoulder.

“Um.”

“I knew he looked tired,” Allura whispered, smiling.

“Hey.” Lance gave Keith’s shoulder a shake. “Keith. Buddy, maybe you should sleep.”

“Hm?” Keith blinked awake, seemingly unaware of his positioning. “What?”

Lance was staring at him, and when he met Keith’s eyes his expression transformed from awkward amusement to concern.

“Whoa, dude, you look...purple.”

At the mention of looking sick, Keith sat up. The movement brought him further from Lance, and the ease that he’d been basking in seemed to fall away, leaving him bereft and irritable all of a sudden.

“Well, I feel fine. Maybe it’s just your imagination.”

“No, you really do look unwell,” Allura said.

She reached out to Keith—to do what he wasn’t sure—but he didn’t give her the chance to touch him. An anger that Keith hadn’t anticipated took hold of him; he recoiled violently from Allura’s touch, something like a growl slipping from his lips.

Allura drew back, eyeing him with concern. “Are you all right? Does something hurt?”

“No, I just—” Keith’s licked his lips, silence following his statement. He just what? He wasn’t sure what had come over him, just that he really, really didn’t like the idea of being touched at the moment. “I think I need some sleep.”

“Yeah, you do.” Lance nudged Keith in the shoulder, encouraging him to stand. “You look like you’re about to fall over. Get some rest. We’ll wake you up for dinner.”

“That sounds good.” Keith nodded, rubbing his palm over his forehead experimentally. While he felt fine, their comments about his complexion was a little worrying. After saying his goodbyes, Keith walked to his room and made a beeline for his bed, falling into the sheets gracelessly.

The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was that he forgot to look at himself in the mirror.

Whatever had been plaguing Keith that made him so tired was completely gone when he woke up. In fact, he felt better than ever. More than.

He felt energetic and purposeful; the urge to do something was poking at him, encouraging him to hop out of bed and get dressed with haste.

Only, when he put his clothes on he felt that same, strange sense of unease that had been bothering him ever since he’d come back. Something about wearing clothes annoyed the hell out of him and he was extremely tempted to abandon his attire entirely, if not for the fact that that would be insane.

Keith yanked his shirt over his head, wincing when his fingernails bit into his skin on the way up. Damn. He must have lost part of a nail during his nap, because he didn’t remember his nails being that sharp.

When he glanced down to check the damage, he froze.

LANCE

“Think we should wake him up?” Lance asked, fiddling with the spoon that Hunk had set within reach.

Hunk glanced at him, barely sparing the thought to reprimand him before he stole the spoon back from Lance.

“Dinner’s still not ready, so it’s not necessary. Why?” Hunk looked at Lance, a smirk slowly growing on his face. “You wanna see him again?”

“Well—yeah.” Lance leaned his head on his palm, propping his elbow on the edge of the table. “You telling me you don’t want to see him?”

Hunk didn’t even pause in his cooking. “Of course not,” he said. He stirred whatever was in his pot, sending steam billowing up towards the ceiling.

“How did you even find a pot like that?” Lance pointed at the one in Hunk’s hand. It looked just like the ones on Earth. “That looks just like the ones on Earth.”

“I think it’s from Earth,” Hunk clarified. “Space mall, the dude who sells Earth merch. I’ve been buying a lot from him since it’s pretty cheap and, well, it reminds me of home.”

Hunk shrugged as if it meant little, but Lance could hear the longing in his tone.

“I didn’t know that.” Lance stood and walked over to stand next to Hunk. “Think they have any snacks?”

Hunk wrinkled his nose. “Only ones that are expired.”

“Probably right.” Lance sighed, leaning his head on Keith’s shoulder. “I sure do miss home. Hey,” he looked at Hunk, “what else do you think you can whip up with that thing?”

Before Hunk could answer, a terrified shout sounded from down the hallway. They exchanged looks; Lance was the first to nod and break away, running towards the source of the sound. Hunk followed behind, but not before hurrying to turn off the stove.

Lance found Keith hunched by his doorway, shaking. Not just shaking; trembling. He was bent awkwardly, staring down at the floor like he didn’t know what to do with himself. It was far from the Keith that they’d seen earlier, who seemed tired but happy to be back. Lance didn’t know what could have gone wrong between now and then. He stood there, unsure, until an agonized, confused sound came from Keith and he snapped into action.

“Keith!” he reached out towards him, ushering Hunk to do the same with a jerk of his head. “Are you okay, buddy?”

“Don’t come any closer!” Keith whipped around to face them, an arm thrown over his face subconsciously.

Cautious, but even more concerned with the behavior, Lance made as if to move, and that was when Keith lowered his arm and growled at them, baring claws and fangs. Claws that Lance somehow hadn’t noticed until now, along with the purple fur on his arm.

Hunk and Lance looked at each other, mouths agape from what they were seeing.

It wasn’t just Keith’s arm that was purple. His entire body was covered in purple fur. Not only that, but between tufts of his hair ears had sprouted straight out of his head and the irises of his eyes had disappeared. They reflected features that were indisputably Galra, overlapping what were once very human ears and eyes

“What the quiznak,” Lance whispered.

 “You’re tellin’ me,” Hunk replied. “Uh, Keith? Friend? Do you need help?”

He growled again. “Don’t. Just—don’t come any closer.”

Whatever it was about proximity that bothered him, it was made abundantly clear he was serious. His nostrils were flaring, an anxious energy radiating from him every time he thought they were going to try and get close.

“Does this have something to do with you being Galra?” Hunk asked, keeping his voice calm as he could.

“I don’t know,” Keith said, attempting calm but managing mild panic. There was a familiar crack in his voice that betrayed how terrifying he found the situation, but behind it there was something primal in his voice. Feral. When he looked at Hunk, he didn’t look at him like he was his friend; he looked like he thought Hunk was a threat.

“We should probably find Allura. See what she knows about this,” Lance said. “Come on. Keith, you just...stay put.”

KEITH

It didn’t feel like anger. Keith wasn’t angry.

But there was something inside him that he didn’t understand that was making him feel on edge, like there was something wrong with his surroundings. His room didn’t feel like his own; it didn’t smell like his own. And when Hunk had tried to get close he’d felt something terrifying take over him, urging him to lash out. It was like what he’d felt with Coran, but ten times worse.

He looked at his surroundings, peering at the walls and floor suspiciously.

This entire ship felt wrong. He felt wrong. Keith wanted to go—somewhere. He wasn’t sure where, but anywhere that would make this feeling go away. He started pacing, moving in tight circles until he realized he was prowling, surveying the scene for anyone coming to encroach upon his territory.

Keith shook his head to dispel the strange feeling. He scraped his claws down his arms, trying to distract himself from the turmoil inside himself.

Suddenly, he froze. His ears twitched. He could hear voices coming towards him. He stayed like that, frozen in place, ready to run, when Allura, Shiro, Lance, and Hunk turned the corner towards his room.

As soon as it was obvious they intended to get closer than that, his instincts kicked into overdrive and he took a few steps back, lips curling into a snarl.

It wasn’t who they were, but they smell—they smelled wrong. Being around them felt wrong.

Keith scrambled back against the wall when Shiro took a step forward.

“Keith—” Shiro’s face fell, a frown forming. His brow was knit with concern and he reached out with his hand. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Don’t come any closer,” Keith said, voicing the mantra that was repeating inside his head over and over. Shiro looked like he was about to argue and took another unconscious step. Keith sucked in a sharp breath, the mingling scents in the room filling his lungs with dread. “I need—I need to get out of here.”

He took off, running in the opposite direction. He’d keep going until he would feel safe again and then—maybe then he could think and figure out what was going on.

Keith wandered the castle, avoiding the scents and smells that discomforted him until he reached a point where he felt relatively safe. He stopped where instead of suffocating, the scent in the area made him feel welcomed. Only then did he slow, barely having the presence to take in where he’d stopped.

He was in front of Lance’s room.

Keith stared at his door, breathing hard and taking in lungfuls of Lance’s scent that was practically radiating from the space.

He laid his hand on the bio-reader, having some hope that it would open for him. When it did, he frowned. Lance had left his door unlocked again. Typical. Keith nearly crossed the threshold, ready to chase the delectable scent when he came to his senses and took a few hasty steps back.

What am I doing? he thought, feeling a little delirious with panic. What the hell am I doing?

He felt a little better here. A lot better. Maybe it had to do with Lance riding the red lion, or maybe it was nothing. Either way, he shouldn’t walk into anyone’s room without their permission, no matter how much it made him feel at home.

Keith decided he’d head back. He could handle the paladins now that he’d had a chance to calm down. That, he was sure of.  

Keith was wrong.

Well, not entirely. He’d been able to handle himself for a few minutes—enough to gather them together—but as soon as they were crowded around him in the rec room he was aggressive and standoffish, pacing around the room like a panther ready to pounce.

“I suppose this is what the Blade meant with their message,” Coran offered blithely, watching Keith warily.

“Yes, well.” Allura ran her fingers through her hair. “I wish we had had more warning. Is this temporary?”

She was looking at Keith when she asked her question, even though he didn’t have the answer.

“I don’t know,” he grit out, fists curled tight. His nails formed deep crescents in his palm, helping take off the edge somewhat. “I just want this to go away. Can’t we do anything?!”

He hadn’t realized how angry he sounded until he felt Shiro’s disapproving gaze settle on him. He huffed and marched over to the other side of the room, wishing the distracting scents would dissipate so he could think.

His gaze moved unwittingly towards Lance who was sitting on the edge of the couch, discussing the situation with Hunk and Pidge. They suddenly laughed, and Keith felt his gut twist. Lance wasn’t engaged in the conversation Keith had been trying to have for the last five minutes. Hell, Lance hadn’t even looked at him.

Anger and resentment igniting something inside him, Keith started to approach the group, and might have come much closer than he intended had Lance not looked up at him. Keith froze at that, his heart beating strangely in his chest.

“Are you...taller?” Lance asked, ignoring his hesitation. He stood to face him, raising his hand between their heads. “You are!” He gaped. “I can’t believe this. I was taller than you but now being Galra made you grow? That’s so unfair.”

Lance frowned, clearly put out. It was kind of cute. Keith felt himself relax a little.

“Now you’re jealous I’m half-Galra?” he said, an edge to his voice. A playful one, but an edge nonetheless.

“Pfft. Me? Never.” Lance turned around, waving Keith away as if he couldn’t be bothered by him. “Just be glad I’m not Galra. I don’t know if you could handle all that furry handsomeness in one place.”

For some reason, the thought of Lance being like him—Galra, with the fur and the ears and everything—made his heartbeat skip. He had to clench his fists hard to dispel the weirdly enticing image.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“I gotta go,” Keith said, pushing past Lance and heading for the door. He needed to clear his head. This Galra stuff was fucking with him way more than he liked.

LANCE

After Keith disappeared Lance couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done wrong.

“Do you think it was me?” he asked Pidge. She raised her eyebrow at him. “Something I said?”

“Other than you being your usual self?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he cried, indignant. She snickered.

“You’re fine, Lance. He’s just not himself today, as you can tell.”

Lance sighed. “I guess. I’m kinda worried. Maybe I should go check on him.”

“I think you should leave him alone,” Hunk offered helpfully.

Lance considered it for about a second. “I’ll be back. Keep my spot on the couch warm, thanks!”

“Lance!” Hunk called, waving at his retreating back. “Don’t blame me if he claws your eyes out!”

Lance scoffed. Keith wasn’t scary when he looked like that. Sure, it was a little weird, but he was still Keith.

It took a while for Lance to find Keith. He had disappeared and he’d learned how to be stealthy with the Blade. Contrastly, Lance found it impossible to be keep his steps quiet on a big metal ship. Keith would likely hear him coming a mile away even without those huge ears of his.

He found Keith standing outside his room, pacing. It should have been the obvious place he’d go. Between training and his room, his room was probably his safe haven. At least, that’s how it was for Lance. Having a quiet, private place to think was a godsend.

Granted, Keith wasn’t thinking quietly. He was still pacing, and doing a lot of it. His tread was smooth and unhurried, almost predatory, and he had his back to Lance, which seemed to him the perfect opportunity to get his attention without risking Keith running off.

“So, uh, what’s up?”

When Keith looked at him Lance reevaluated his plan to prevent his escape. The expression on his face was intense. His eyes were narrowed, ears pressed flat against his head and his claws, which were maybe the most terrifying part about him, were extended, pointed towards Lance in a very life-threatening manner.

Maybe Keith didn’t want to escape, Lance thought, resisting the urge to run. Maybe he’s been holding back on killing them this whole time.

Or maybe sneaking up on a potentially homicidal Galra werewolf wasn’t the best way to go about this.

Too late, he thought, the hair on his arms and neck rising when Keith stepped into his personal space. He wrapped an arm around his neck, claws dragging along his throat.

Holy shit. Lance swallowed, trying not to lean into Keith’s grip. Is he gonna kill me?

Just before his legs gave out in fear, Keith readjusted his position. His claws moved away from his neck and then he did the unexpected; he buried his face in Lance’s neck and inhaled deeply.

“Um.”

This was not the outcome Lance had expected. Keith was suddenly pliant and all but melted onto him, growling when Lance attempted to break free of his grasp.

“Keith?” Lance asked cautiously. He gave in when Keith’s grip proved too strong, relaxing his stance. “You okay?”

At Lance’s concern Keith jumped, as if just realizing what position they were in. Even then, he didn’t move, possessively bringing Lance closer.

“Sorry,” he said, in rumbling syllables. “Can we just stay like this for a second? I’ve been going crazy all day and you’re the only thing that’s been keeping me sane.”

“I am?” Lance tried to pull back and look at Keith, but his warning growl kept him in place. “You are? It’s the Galra thing, right?”

“Yeah.” Keith sighed, his breath hot on Lance’s skin. “It’s hard to control myself. When I’m around people I just feel so out of it. But for some reason your scent—I mean,” he tensed, “you calm me down.”

“My scent?” There was amusement in Lance’s tone, and an undercurrent of uncertainty. “Do I stink?”

“No, it’s like…” Keith exhaled. “It’s like everyone is around me all the time, even when they’re not. Every time I breathe it’s like I’m breathing them in.”

“Gross.”

Keith murmured his agreement, relaxing at Lance’s attempt at humor. His body was warmer than usual, probably thanks to the layer of fur all over his body. After a while it was starting to make Lance sweat; not to mention the fact that he was trying not to fall over with Keith holding onto him.

“I’m sorry about this,” Keith said, at length. He released Lance, taking quick steps away from him, looking like he expected Lance to punch him in the face for his transgressions. “This is so stupid. I can’t believe that not only am I Galra, I also have to deal with this full moon crap.”

The body heat that Keith took with him left Lance bereft. He shivered. “Don’t be sorry, dude. I don’t mind at all. Actually—” He paused, steeling himself for what he was about to say, because something about Keith’s behavior—kind of like an animal trying to get a mate—made him realize that if he didn’t do this now he might never have another chance. At least not one where Keith was all over him. “I thought it was nice. All that fur is soft.”

“Soft.” Keith’s eyes were wide, but with the absence of his irises it was difficult to tell exactly what he was feeling. He pointed at Lance. “Are you going crazy now?”

“It’s not crazy!” Lance said. A cocky smirk edged onto his lips and he planted his hands on his hips. When in doubt, false bravado it out; it was what he fell back on when he didn’t feel comfortable admitting something. “Crazy about you, maybe.”

Keith stared at him. His ears twitched.

Lance swallowed. “A little. Just a teensy bit. Not at all, if you think about it. I mean, Galra or not, you’re still my sworn enemy—”

Suddenly, Keith was there. In his face, pressing his claws against his throat again, only this time Lance anticipated the pseudo-hug. He wrapped his arms around Keith’s waste, mimicking Keith’s behavior by burying his face in Keith’s neck.

“That’s not the reaction I was expecting,” he murmured. “Though I was hoping you might not punch me.”

“Why would I punch you?” Keith laughed, but it sounded strangled. “Did I hear you wrong or did you just confess to me?”

“I don’t know, did I?” Lance aimed for sauve, and ended up sounding unsure. Keith looked down at him, which was certainly something Lance would have to get used to, now that he was apparently tall. For as long as this lasted, anyway.

“Did you?”

Keith’s question was completely honest, his gaze open and accepting. Sometimes Lance hated how easily Keith forced him to be honest or make an idiot out of himself.

“Maybe. Okay,” he sighed. “Yes. I was hitting on you. Not very well, probably.”

“I dunno.” Keith smiled, baring his fangs. “I thought it was pretty good, for you.”

“Yeah?” Lance grinned, beside himself with joy. Having Keith accept his feelings—at least that’s what he assumed was happening here—went far better than he had imagined. They’d always been dancing around the subject of their affections for each other and now it was finally going somewhere.

“Yeah.” Keith’s smile was a little more feral than Lance’s. He was still in beast-mode, and Lance had the strange thought that being with Keith when he was all furry might not be too bad. It showed a side of him that they didn’t always get to see. “I can’t wait for this to be over,” Keith added, in direct contrast to Lance’s thoughts.

“But your ears are so cute,” Lance cooed, reaching out to pinch at his right ear. It twitched, its texture velvety soft.

“Shut up.” Keith swiped at his hand, grazing him with his claws. “Sorry!” Keith yanked his hands towards his chest. “Sorry. I’m not used to this.”

“Oh, kitty’s got claws,” Lance purred, effectively ruining Keith’s genuine remorse with his usual manner. Keith didn’t seem to mind, despite the eye roll, because he grabbed Lance’s hand and started pulling him in the opposite direction of his room.

“Where are we going?” Lance asked, trying not to stare at their clasped hands. The claws made it a little weird.

“Food.”

“Food?” Lance blinked. “That’s why you’re dragging me?”

Keith being Galra-fied seemed much more single-minded. First it was Lance, then it was food. Simple needs that he wanted fulfilled.

“How do you know it’s done?” Lance asked.

“I can smell it.”

Lance frowned, sniffing at the air. Nothing. “I can’t smell it. Is this another Galra thing?”

“Don’t know.” Keith shrugged. “I’m starving and I can smell meat, so, I guess so.”

“When was the late time you ate anyway?” Lance tugged at Keith’s hand, forcing him to slow down. “Slow your roll, buddy. We’ll get there.”

The look Keith gave him was equal parts grateful and embarrassed. Keith could hardly contain himself in all forms of expression it seemed, including being hungry. It was cute.

Lance bumped shoulder’s with Keith. “Can you even handle being around the rest of them? Doesn’t it make you go crazy?”

Keith flashed him a toothy smile, squeezing onto Lance’s hand.

The pace that they were going was still quicker than Lance would’ve liked; while Keith seemed completely full of energy, Lance was starting to feel out of breath. Sometimes it was hard to remember Keith was just as strong, if not stronger than Lance despite his somewhat wiry frame. And with Galra powered thrown into the mix, he was ten times that.