#lnstinctalone

          he’s not wrong.  it’s a whisper in his mind , one that gently caresses what one might call his spirit.  it’s the very same feeling he had when he was on the astral plane.  he and black held conversations , time filled with stories and arguments , sharing concerns over the clone that had once filled black’s seat. he missed her voice , her presence like a warm embrace curled around his back.  perhaps he had not lost her completely.

          though he may have lost that warm feeling of her presence, he was graced with the warmth of keith’s hand over his shoulder, reassuring , a comfort he’s long missed ( and though he loved black , he loved keith above all things ).  he leans into it , wants to lean into keith , and cling to the feeling of their bodies pressed together.  he can’t remember what that was like — the weight of keith in his arms , heart beating against his chest , warm and solid , always a presence at his side , one he could count on.  he’s been so long without it feels but a memory that he clings to desperately.  what would keith do if he acted on those desires?

     “I’m a little busy with my doodles right now...” 

(Also @zxthak and @winekita because you both wanted this too)

rest - find my muse sound asleep or so you think

                    the room is suffocating.  walled in , tucked beneath too warm blankets , shades drawn over the windows to block out the morning.  the air in the room is heavy , heavy in his lungs , on his limbs.  he should be sleeping , but sleep evades him like keith’s wolf , flickering through time in the blink of an eye.  one moment he feels unconsciousness dragging at him , only for the sound of his own heartbeat , thumping heavy in his chest , to distract him.  he had been too long on the astral plane.  too long isolated among the stars with black as his only companion.  too long existing where boundaries existed only in the form of black’s .  the universe still spread out before him , unhindered by castles or lions.  it was he and black , standing amidst the stars , watching as his teammates , black’s humans , struggled to survive in a world that fought them at every turn.  he missed her.  missed the low growl of her voice permeating his form.  missed seeing the world through her eyes , broad and open and shimmering.  she had saved him from blinking out of existence entirely , and he had never felt that so strongly as he did now , separated from her in every way possible.  he shifted onto his side , arm pressing into the stiff mattress beneath him , and the emptiness of the bed slipped beneath his skin like a cold you can’t quite shake. 

                    eyes slide shut , but the bright image of keith , engulfed in fire , never quite disappeared.  he was a flame , flicking in and out of control , burning hotter than any star.  always reaching out to him , always a look of pain that breaks his heart.  he missed him.  missed the subtle surprise of a smile to break out across his face.  the sound of his name coming from his lips.  the feel of his palm pressed to his , fingers laced.  sorrow seeps through his pores , and laying alone in that bed , stifled by walls is too much.  he rolls from the bed , grimacing as he pushes off with one hand , fingers clutching the sheet before moving for the window.  he throws the shades wide , letting the moon illuminate the room , and he stares at the night sky , scattered in stars winking back at him. 

                    that’s where keith finds him.  tucked against the wall , blanket drawn up over one shoulder , face turned toward the never-ending cosmic black that made up their universe.  tear tracks stained upon his cheeks , eyes brimming with raw emotion as he struggled to rein them in.  he rests there , waiting for sleep to come , or the sun to rise.  he waits until the door opens , quiet , as if not to wake him , and he stays still.  soft feet pad their way across the room  and he doesn’t need to look to know it’s keith.  it’s always keith.  ever constant.  his.  it’s only when he feels his presence looming above him that he looks up , drawing in a shaky breath  ( still raw , still exposed ) and he rakes in the sight of him.  time had filled him out , lengthened his hair , set his shoulders straight and his chin high.  no longer was he the lanky boy with too much fire for his body to handle.  

[ raises brow ] who wouldn’t want a hippopotamus for christmas, lance?