[Duh, jeeze. Way to take a threat too seriously....since he's freaking out, he'll casually tend to his disgusting socks. They're Moist and horrible. He'll slip them off one at a time with minimal movement; he's till favoring the leg-half of his body, even with Lance behaving like a wild animal.]
You shouldn't be [having automatic kneejerk reactions to being groped] moving around like that.
[Pragmatically, while taking a seat at the edge of his mattress.]
[ they were having such a nice moment too... somewhere.. in there... if you squint. but now lance is definitely all tense again, mind firing off wildly where it had once begun to settle into an almost drunken sort of haze. he's shooting a narrow stare keith's way, as if he suddenly can't fathom the other boy, and has curled up to the point he's almost fetal. ]
[Pardon him as he applies some firm pressure to Lance's ribs, in an effort to sow compliance. Don't Make Me Ask Twice: Bootcamp starring Keith. What do you mean your ribs are bruised? Shut up.]
You are, but I just...wanna make sure.
[A secondary poke finds his side; lower, closer to his hip.]
I wanted you to try drinking this. I've only been putting it on your cuts, but...I think you can drink it.
[ okay first of all, all that poking is not helping lance get any closer to loosening up. he'd always been kind of ticklish, but now he feels... extra sensitive to touches. apparently.
still, he can at least recognize that this seems to be coming from a genuine place of concern so... he relents. a bit. ]
...Fine.
[ he holds out a hand for it, slowly propping himself up on an elbow. ]
But if I throw up because of this, you're gonna clean it all up.
[If Lance was still wearing a shirt, it'd be easy to pull him up a bit further so he's not still on a slope like Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park. He hands the potion over, then moves off the bed.]
Don't drink all of it, just try a little.
[Just...in case. One can never be too careful with bogus potions. Also, excuse him as he slides into bed from behind Lance, wedging himself between his shoulders and the pillow. It's a temporary arrangement don't freak out lol, he's got one foot still pressed to the floor for a quick escape after he's done forcibly propping him up, lest he start choking.]
though, to be fair, if he insisted on lance sitting further up, the other boy would have probably made a fuss about it.... BUT TO BE UNFAIR, lance would have done it eventually, okay, you didn't have to noncon him into this pseudo-spooning. ]
I know how to drink medicine...!
[ but, you know, at this point, there's really no point in trying to protest, so it is more a petulant, half-hearted huff. he uncaps the bottle and tries not to think about the fact he can feel keith's breath on the back of his neck, and tosses back a decent gulp of the stuff—
only to start coughing on it because OHGOD IT'S SO GROSS AND THICK BLECH&mhdash; ]
[When an opportunity for noncon spooning presents itself, you don't simply ignore it.]
I thought you knew how to drink it-?!
[Potions are apparently different from Earth medicine, who knew. Maybe he could've warned him about the texture since he had his fingers in it earlier.
SPEAKING of, he's reaching around to grab at the potion bottle; first concern: DON'T SPILL IT. Second concern: he's doing the exact thing they were trying to avoid, CHOKING.
So, pardon him as he smacks Lance's back a few times, shoving his shoulder forward with his potion-hand.]
Look up.
[Look up while being shoved forward and assaulted.]
[ you look up! or so lance would say, if he were able to speak at all. as it is, he can only continue to cough and hack up whatever he hadn't already managed to swallow. he lurches forward when he's shoved, bends over for a few seconds before he suddenly flings himself backward, so that his face is tilted up, head leaning back against the curve of keith's shoulder. his coughs eventually subside, till he's left prone and panting for breath, eyes wide-eyed like he were seeing stars.
a couple of seconds pass where he smacks at his lips... ]
[Lance is extremely lucky he didn't bust Keith's nose up into his skull with that maneuver. Of course, with him like this, it's also difficult to whack him from behind, so his hands sit idly at his sides.]
Did you even swallow any?
[That's what she said. At least he's asking the...important questions. If he can talk, he can breathe, which is important. Moving right along....]
Isn't a very confident response? He's not going to force him to choke down anymore...just in case it truly isn't something he should consume. Maybe those people were chugging something else? He will empty a bit more into his opposite hand and proceed to massage it into Lance's ribcage. Carefully. Lightly. Tenderly.
Just one side.]
Is it this one that's bruised?
[Note how NOT CONVINCED he is of Lance's sudden health boost.]
[ he hisses again, shifting out of reflex. the reaction itself isn't really warranted; the ointment isn't that cold anymore, and the touch is gentle enough that said ribs aren't left aching. (anymore than usual anyway.) still, he shies away from the touch, wriggling the opposite way, probably just because of the touch itself. the shifting has him bumping against keith's leg, making him pause. ]
How can you tell?
[ look the last time he was this hecked up, he was passed out for a majority of it... ]
You're supposed to tell-- you just told me they were bruised.
[Another episode of Lance Exaggerates to somehow get Keith to rub the side of his titys has begun. His hand isn't moving anymore, but the weight remains at his side.]
[ look, all of this would probably be ten times easier if he weren't flush against you right now, chest to back. at least only one of them is near-naked...
TOO BAD IT'S HIM. ]
Fine, fine, give me a second...
[ alright... deep breaths... calm... find your center... basically anything he can remember mr. miyagi saying from karate kid. he closes his eyes, tips his head back, takes a handful of deep breaths, trying to pay attention to where it hurts most. ]
[He'll follow Lance's instructions, sliding his fingers beyond the rib he'd been rubbing to the spot below -- more 'in the middle'. Some weight finds a place here, pushing inwardly with some restraint, as if testing for bruising.]
Here?
[Softly, he's about level with Lance's ear. Especially with how he's suddenly resting??]
[ guess who's surging forward with that shout, only to suddenly go still because, hey, you shouldn't do that if you're injured. grimacing, he flops backwards onto keith's chest again, about as miserably as you would expect from him. ]
[Since Lance can do aerobics now, he's gonna go ahead and cap the mystery liquid once more. Any more would be overkill anyway. They could always reapply it in the morning.
He's awkwardly stretching his arm in a way it should never have to extend...just to get it safely onto the sidetable without disturbing Lance too much, even though he's...fine. Just fine.]
It's magical stuff I used. [Spoken like a mage.] So maybe it'll only be a few days.
[He'll be reaching around Lance now, trying to rearrange the sheets so they're not pinned beneath him, trying to instead stretch them over his body. Keith sure is roosting in a temporary arrangement behind Lance.]
What did she look like?
[Off-topic, but not 100% off topic. Remember that time he super needed Lance to take notes for him even though he was completely incoherent and puking-wasted? Same thing here. Gotta nail down the facts before Lance can sleep on it -- while they're fresh, so he can later assault this ho.]
[ he sighs, somewhat heavily, but there is a definite level of comfort in keith's reassurance that lance doesn't hesitate to indulge in. he isn't in any more pain, at least, so maybe that magic stuff is working after all... it's a better line of thinking than laying here covered in weird ointment junk for no reason, anyway. ]
What do you mean?
[ he'd been watching keith's hands fuss over the blankets, unconsciously keeping extra still so as nof to disturb him. because of that, he doesn't quite get keith's intent right away. but by the time it hits him, he can't really make sense of why that'd be tbe case.
slowly he shifts, just so he can glance over his shoulder at the other. ]
[He tugs the blankets up to about Lance's chest; the room isn't particularly cold, but he's nakie and inappropriate, it makes sense. He shouldn't roast under there either.]
In case I run into her.
[Play it off like a casual neighborhood watch thing, yeah! Except it probably won't work with Keith as the speaker. He's not really trying to be misleading here anyway; he has no reason to be, though Lance was already trying to justify his assailant's actions.]
Why else?
[His hands automatically settle against Lance's stomach, and he tilts his head against the ladder attachment between their beds. It's an uncomfortable headrest, but it works.]
[ it's a weird juxtaposition. keith's gestures, at least the physical ones, are soft and tender and borderline intimate, but then he goes and says things that imply a strange sort of protectiveness (which is really just a different sort of intimacy isn't it?) that lance isn't really sure how to feel in the moment.
(warm, is the one that's winning out the most, with the blanket drawn up to his chest, the hands folding against his skin.)
keith telling him not to turn it into a thing kind of just makes him want to turn it into a thing, because by saying that isn't it already implying that it could be a thing, which only just makes it more a thing than it would have been if he hadn't?? math.
but there seems to be something almost delicate about the situation, too, which is not at all abated by the proximity between them that's really only becoming more and more apparent (and why did that take so long, anyway?). ]
...I don't remember. [ which is an obvious lie, and maybe it isn't a good idea to do so now, but he also doesn't want to the roles here to be reversed any time soon. ] You probably shouldn't go "running into her" alone anyway. [ pretty sure she can break the both of them in half without even trying. ]
[There's some fidgeting; smoothing the blanket over, toying with it between his index and middle fingers. Lance is totally lying -- he has to be. It's funny, because as frustrating as this runaround is, he isn't....really frustrated. It has little to do with anticipating a game of Dodge the Descriptors, but...
It's mentally already been chalked up to dregs of worry.]
Right.
[Your advice has been duly noted.]
I'll bring you some water if you can remember something.
[That's how a successful negotiation works, right?]
[ ah, crackers. lance had totally forgotten how thirsty he was until this very moment, and now all he can think about is water, and how he'd like to maybe chug a whole gallon of it.
he chews on his lip for a moment, considering his options. he's like 99% sure keith's gonna do something stupid with this information, so the wise thing here would be to hold out and just hope it all blows over.
but on the other hand, he's so thirsty. ]
...she had long hair.
[ that'll definitely get him at least one cup, right?? ]
[Keith sighs at the description -- or lack thereof. On one hand, he should concentrate on the present, which is that Lance is relatively fine and safe. On the other hand....
He's having a real difficult time letting go of whoever it was that rendered him in such a state. Therein, of course, he's getting a little Mad. Which is unfair, and it's not the right time to engage Lance in a battle of What Should Be Done vs his Weird Morals and Blatant Alien Chick Favoritism, Even If They're Shitty.
It's a long, heavy sigh.]
Alright.
[With a pat to his stomach, a cue to let Lance know he's getting up.]
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[Duh, jeeze. Way to take a threat too seriously....since he's freaking out, he'll casually tend to his disgusting socks. They're Moist and horrible. He'll slip them off one at a time with minimal movement; he's till favoring the leg-half of his body, even with Lance behaving like a wild animal.]
You shouldn't be [having automatic kneejerk reactions to being groped] moving around like that.
[Pragmatically, while taking a seat at the edge of his mattress.]
Can you sit up?
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[ they were having such a nice moment too... somewhere.. in there... if you squint. but now lance is definitely all tense again, mind firing off wildly where it had once begun to settle into an almost drunken sort of haze. he's shooting a narrow stare keith's way, as if he suddenly can't fathom the other boy, and has curled up to the point he's almost fetal. ]
I thought you said I was fine already!
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You are, but I just...wanna make sure.
[A secondary poke finds his side; lower, closer to his hip.]
I wanted you to try drinking this. I've only been putting it on your cuts, but...I think you can drink it.
People at the outpost were.
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still, he can at least recognize that this seems to be coming from a genuine place of concern so... he relents. a bit. ]
...Fine.
[ he holds out a hand for it, slowly propping himself up on an elbow. ]
But if I throw up because of this, you're gonna clean it all up.
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Don't drink all of it, just try a little.
[Just...in case. One can never be too careful with bogus potions. Also, excuse him as he slides into bed from behind Lance, wedging himself between his shoulders and the pillow. It's a temporary arrangement don't freak out lol, he's got one foot still pressed to the floor for a quick escape after he's done forcibly propping him up, lest he start choking.]
the icon is laughably accurate
though, to be fair, if he insisted on lance sitting further up, the other boy would have probably made a fuss about it.... BUT TO BE UNFAIR, lance would have done it eventually, okay, you didn't have to noncon him into this pseudo-spooning. ]
I know how to drink medicine...!
[ but, you know, at this point, there's really no point in trying to protest, so it is more a petulant, half-hearted huff. he uncaps the bottle and tries not to think about the fact he can feel keith's breath on the back of his neck, and tosses back a decent gulp of the stuff—
only to start coughing on it because OHGOD IT'S SO GROSS AND THICK BLECH&mhdash; ]
aw...
I thought you knew how to drink it-?!
[Potions are apparently different from Earth medicine, who knew. Maybe he could've warned him about the texture since he had his fingers in it earlier.
SPEAKING of, he's reaching around to grab at the potion bottle; first concern: DON'T SPILL IT. Second concern: he's doing the exact thing they were trying to avoid, CHOKING.
So, pardon him as he smacks Lance's back a few times, shoving his shoulder forward with his potion-hand.]
Look up.
[Look up while being shoved forward and assaulted.]
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a couple of seconds pass where he smacks at his lips... ]
That was
so gross.
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Did you even swallow any?
[That's what she said. At least he's asking the...important questions. If he can talk, he can breathe, which is important. Moving right along....]
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...yeeee...es...?
[ pls. pls don't make him try it again. ]
In any case, I feel totally better now. Good as new!
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Isn't a very confident response? He's not going to force him to choke down anymore...just in case it truly isn't something he should consume. Maybe those people were chugging something else? He will empty a bit more into his opposite hand and proceed to massage it into Lance's ribcage. Carefully. Lightly. Tenderly.
Just one side.]
Is it this one that's bruised?
[Note how NOT CONVINCED he is of Lance's sudden health boost.]
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How can you tell?
[ look the last time he was this hecked up, he was passed out for a majority of it... ]
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You're supposed to tell-- you just told me they were bruised.
[Another episode of Lance Exaggerates to somehow get Keith to rub the side of his titys has begun. His hand isn't moving anymore, but the weight remains at his side.]
Take a deep breath, unless you were lying before.
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TOO BAD IT'S HIM. ]
Fine, fine, give me a second...
[ alright... deep breaths... calm... find your center... basically anything he can remember mr. miyagi saying from karate kid. he closes his eyes, tips his head back, takes a handful of deep breaths, trying to pay attention to where it hurts most. ]
...a little lower. Towards the middle.
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Here?
[Softly, he's about level with Lance's ear. Especially with how he's suddenly resting??]
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Yeah, yeah, you got it—
[ some more squirming because, honestly, hasn't he suffered enough... ]
It's fine, it's just bruising, right? Those things like... heal overnight.
[ or something. ]
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It takes weeks normally.
[And he's back to coating the spot, spreading the liquid over a wide stretch just to make sure he's included the entirety of his booboo.
Stop squirming..........]
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[ guess who's surging forward with that shout, only to suddenly go still because, hey, you shouldn't do that if you're injured. grimacing, he flops backwards onto keith's chest again, about as miserably as you would expect from him. ]
Aw mannn how'm I gonna work like this??
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He's awkwardly stretching his arm in a way it should never have to extend...just to get it safely onto the sidetable without disturbing Lance too much, even though he's...fine. Just fine.]
It's magical stuff I used. [Spoken like a mage.] So maybe it'll only be a few days.
[He'll be reaching around Lance now, trying to rearrange the sheets so they're not pinned beneath him, trying to instead stretch them over his body. Keith sure is roosting in a temporary arrangement behind Lance.]
What did she look like?
[Off-topic, but not 100% off topic. Remember that time he super needed Lance to take notes for him even though he was completely incoherent and puking-wasted? Same thing here. Gotta nail down the facts before Lance can sleep on it -- while they're fresh, so he can later assault this ho.]
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What do you mean?
[ he'd been watching keith's hands fuss over the blankets, unconsciously keeping extra still so as nof to disturb him. because of that, he doesn't quite get keith's intent right away. but by the time it hits him, he can't really make sense of why that'd be tbe case.
slowly he shifts, just so he can glance over his shoulder at the other. ]
Why?
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In case I run into her.
[Play it off like a casual neighborhood watch thing, yeah! Except it probably won't work with Keith as the speaker. He's not really trying to be misleading here anyway; he has no reason to be, though Lance was already trying to justify his assailant's actions.]
Why else?
[His hands automatically settle against Lance's stomach, and he tilts his head against the ladder attachment between their beds. It's an uncomfortable headrest, but it works.]
Don't turn it into a thing.
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(warm, is the one that's winning out the most, with the blanket drawn up to his chest, the hands folding against his skin.)
keith telling him not to turn it into a thing kind of just makes him want to turn it into a thing, because by saying that isn't it already implying that it could be a thing, which only just makes it more a thing than it would have been if he hadn't?? math.
but there seems to be something almost delicate about the situation, too, which is not at all abated by the proximity between them that's really only becoming more and more apparent (and why did that take so long, anyway?). ]
...I don't remember. [ which is an obvious lie, and maybe it isn't a good idea to do so now, but he also doesn't want to the roles here to be reversed any time soon. ] You probably shouldn't go "running into her" alone anyway. [ pretty sure she can break the both of them in half without even trying. ]
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It's mentally already been chalked up to dregs of worry.]
Right.
[Your advice has been duly noted.]
I'll bring you some water if you can remember something.
[That's how a successful negotiation works, right?]
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he chews on his lip for a moment, considering his options. he's like 99% sure keith's gonna do something stupid with this information, so the wise thing here would be to hold out and just hope it all blows over.
but on the other hand, he's so thirsty. ]
...she had long hair.
[ that'll definitely get him at least one cup, right?? ]
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He's having a real difficult time letting go of whoever it was that rendered him in such a state. Therein, of course, he's getting a little Mad. Which is unfair, and it's not the right time to engage Lance in a battle of What Should Be Done vs his Weird Morals and Blatant Alien Chick Favoritism, Even If They're Shitty.
It's a long, heavy sigh.]
Alright.
[With a pat to his stomach, a cue to let Lance know he's getting up.]
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