[ 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.]
[ it could have been worse, okay. he could have said she was pretty.
anyway, lance only just now realizes that by effectively getting keith to succumb to his will (aka getting keith to pity him enough), he is robbing himself of his very own human backrest. which, granted, isn't quite as comfortable as a pillow or mattress could be but it was still... oddly nice. in some way. some weird way lance isn't going to think about right now, because he should be focusing on slowly sitting back up himself. which he does. go him. ]
Could you put some ice in it?
[ look he wasn't going to not try to push his luck, okay... ]
[He slides off soundly, straightens his pants out as they'd bunched up at his thighs. Another moment and he's kind of..fluffing his (former?) pillow up, setting it vertically so Lance has something to rest against that isn't hard metal or cold wall.]
If we have any.
[He's sure someone had just wasted a bunch for a lavender ice face massage...but he could be wrong. He doesn't head off with that, but lingers, regarding him with some tension...nothing outright angry; it's centered in the eyes.]
You can't just expect me to think it's fine for some girl to kick your ass [HE SAID ASS] just because she was confused. That's crap and you know it.
[There's another heavy release; he'll be out of oxygen soon.]
You don't...have to be ashamed or whatever. Just, quit letting people take advantage of you.
[NOW he'll leave. If You Want To Stop Getting Hit Just Quit Screwing Up.]
[ he actually doesn't know how to respond until keith's already turning away and leaving. so he's left with his mouth hanging open around a rebuttal, or maybe just a flat-out protest. he never gets to find out since keith totally just walked out on him. he folds his arms across his chest, then realizes how much that actually hurts, and so he sets his arms back down at his sides again, leaning back against that adequately fluffed pillow with a huff.
when keith finally returns, he's sure to speak first, just in case the boy decides to have the last word on him again: ]
I'm not ashamed. [ pls? he gets his butt (BUTT!!) kicked all the time, and it's like 65% often done by girls. his older sister can still make him cry. HE COULD CARE LESS. ]
But what's the point? You wanna make her say sorry? Beat her up in revenge? [ cue his instant head-shaking because THESE AREN'T SUGGESTIONS OKAY ] She could probably wipe the floor with four of us, and you want me to be okay with sending you off so you could end up like this too? That's what's crap.
[Uhm, way to harsh his vibe, dude. Keith was having a great time in the kitchen forgetting about how asinine Lance is, carefully adding blocks of ice to his drink one at a time (only four in total, five would've put them out of ice again). He also prepped a small bowl of multicolored alien bugles for him, just in case that post-potion taste was stuck in his mouth.]
You don't have to worry about me.
[He carelessly drops the bugle bowl into his lap as a Firm Display of Anger, while kindly...holding the water out in offering.]
What about next time you run into her? [For all the weird shit they've endured thus far, running into someone you're only vaguely familiar with -- visually, it isn't so uncommon. It's like being part of a big school...like the Garrison. Their occupancy isn't so widespread.] You think you're gonna be able to talk some sense into her when it didn't work the first time?
[If Lance hadn't accepted the water yet, he'll be thumping it against his chest.]
[ no such water was accepted during this time, because things are getting Intense, and who has time to remember about trivial things like hydration! so the ice clinks noisily against the glass, and some water even spills onto his chest, but the situation is too tense now for it to be funny or sexy or even just weird. you're lucky it wasn't against his bruised rib, keith! otherwise you would've been feeling hecka guilty!
anyway his hand at least comes up to take the glass then, which is fortunate because it gives him something to curl a fist around. ]
Well no one asked you to, [ he snaps back without really thinking. by now, his defenses are flaring up, and he's starting to feel really... ashamed? the very shame he was so adamant about not feeling just a minute earlier, only this time it has nothing to do with zero.
he doesn't want to seem ungrateful, but he doesn't want keith to think him that much of an idiot, either. ]
She's probably not even gonna remember me anyway. [ lbr none of the girls he meets in this way ever do. ] Not that it matters, because whatever hecked them up in that VR room isn't gonna affect them outside of it. [ so surely, surely she wouldn't be quite as volatile the next time? if there even is a next time? ]
[In hindsight, sure, what he said sounds bad -- but he never meant to say Lance owes him anything for giving a shit. For whatever reason, Keith isn't so easy to blame it all on the VR system; maybe it's because Lance just has a knack for running into trouble and now, for some reason it's really testing his threshold for nonsense. Maybe he's going stir crazy and wants to take it out on someone; he doesn't have his trainerbot here after all.
Or, maybe he's just tired of Lance's over-the-top fascination with girls. Shiro's not here to reel him in...which....
Is also something else.]
All you're saying is that she might not be as strong outside of VR. I -- don't even care anymore.
[Which isn't true, he just isn't gaining ground and he wants to assault Lance but can't because he's crippled?]
[ that wasn't at all what he was saying! for all he knew, she was even stronger, because what if the vr nonsense just made her forget all the abilities she actually possessed? regardless, all signs continue to point to him not wanting keith anywhere near her, especially given how volatile the guy usually is.
case in point...
lance tries not to look as hurt as he feels when keith reiterates his hands-off approach next time — and of course mr. heart-on-his-sleeve fails miserably at it. it's silly, because the guy literally just said nobody had to ask him to help less than a minute earlier, but all lance hears now is how much he doesn't care. ]
I wasn't going to.
[ which is a bold-faced LIE but what else can you really say in this moment... sure he and keith had their differences, but usually — when the chips fall, they had each others' backs, right? what's so different this time?
he looks down at the glass in his hand, the other idly picking at some spilled alien bugles. he can't even stick them on his fingers now and pretend he has a claw... they've been Sullied... ]
What do you want me to say, Keith? I hecked up? We both know I did. [ one more aggressively than the other, but. ]
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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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anyway, lance only just now realizes that by effectively getting keith to succumb to his will (aka getting keith to pity him enough), he is robbing himself of his very own human backrest. which, granted, isn't quite as comfortable as a pillow or mattress could be but it was still... oddly nice. in some way. some weird way lance isn't going to think about right now, because he should be focusing on slowly sitting back up himself. which he does. go him. ]
Could you put some ice in it?
[ look he wasn't going to not try to push his luck, okay... ]
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If we have any.
[He's sure someone had just wasted a bunch for a lavender ice face massage...but he could be wrong. He doesn't head off with that, but lingers, regarding him with some tension...nothing outright angry; it's centered in the eyes.]
You can't just expect me to think it's fine for some girl to kick your ass [HE SAID ASS] just because she was confused. That's crap and you know it.
[There's another heavy release; he'll be out of oxygen soon.]
You don't...have to be ashamed or whatever. Just, quit letting people take advantage of you.
[NOW he'll leave. If You Want To Stop Getting Hit Just Quit Screwing Up.]
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when keith finally returns, he's sure to speak first, just in case the boy decides to have the last word on him again: ]
I'm not ashamed. [ pls? he gets his butt (BUTT!!) kicked all the time, and it's like 65% often done by girls. his older sister can still make him cry. HE COULD CARE LESS. ]
But what's the point? You wanna make her say sorry? Beat her up in revenge? [ cue his instant head-shaking because THESE AREN'T SUGGESTIONS OKAY ] She could probably wipe the floor with four of us, and you want me to be okay with sending you off so you could end up like this too? That's what's crap.
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You don't have to worry about me.
[He carelessly drops the bugle bowl into his lap as a Firm Display of Anger, while kindly...holding the water out in offering.]
What about next time you run into her? [For all the weird shit they've endured thus far, running into someone you're only vaguely familiar with -- visually, it isn't so uncommon. It's like being part of a big school...like the Garrison. Their occupancy isn't so widespread.] You think you're gonna be able to talk some sense into her when it didn't work the first time?
[If Lance hadn't accepted the water yet, he'll be thumping it against his chest.]
I'm not doing this again.
[Less about labor, more about mental toil.]
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anyway his hand at least comes up to take the glass then, which is fortunate because it gives him something to curl a fist around. ]
Well no one asked you to, [ he snaps back without really thinking. by now, his defenses are flaring up, and he's starting to feel really... ashamed? the very shame he was so adamant about not feeling just a minute earlier, only this time it has nothing to do with zero.
he doesn't want to seem ungrateful, but he doesn't want keith to think him that much of an idiot, either. ]
She's probably not even gonna remember me anyway. [ lbr none of the girls he meets in this way ever do. ] Not that it matters, because whatever hecked them up in that VR room isn't gonna affect them outside of it. [ so surely, surely she wouldn't be quite as volatile the next time? if there even is a next time? ]
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[In hindsight, sure, what he said sounds bad -- but he never meant to say Lance owes him anything for giving a shit. For whatever reason, Keith isn't so easy to blame it all on the VR system; maybe it's because Lance just has a knack for running into trouble and now, for some reason it's really testing his threshold for nonsense. Maybe he's going stir crazy and wants to take it out on someone; he doesn't have his trainerbot here after all.
Or, maybe he's just tired of Lance's over-the-top fascination with girls. Shiro's not here to reel him in...which....
Is also something else.]
All you're saying is that she might not be as strong outside of VR. I -- don't even care anymore.
[Which isn't true, he just isn't gaining ground and he wants to assault Lance but can't because he's crippled?]
Just don't expect any help next time.
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case in point...
lance tries not to look as hurt as he feels when keith reiterates his hands-off approach next time — and of course mr. heart-on-his-sleeve fails miserably at it. it's silly, because the guy literally just said nobody had to ask him to help less than a minute earlier, but all lance hears now is how much he doesn't care. ]
I wasn't going to.
[ which is a bold-faced LIE but what else can you really say in this moment... sure he and keith had their differences, but usually — when the chips fall, they had each others' backs, right? what's so different this time?
he looks down at the glass in his hand, the other idly picking at some spilled alien bugles. he can't even stick them on his fingers now and pretend he has a claw... they've been Sullied... ]
What do you want me to say, Keith? I hecked up? We both know I did. [ one more aggressively than the other, but. ]
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