overflow!

[competing]

Comments

[competing]

[ not for the first time, lance's mouth starts moving before his mind can— ]

Y....es......

[ the word is drawn out far longer than it has any right to be, too long even to still sound entirely genuine. not that the uncertainty comes from any lack of interest, or anything like that.

more just uncertainty for the sake of uncertainty. ]

What's "this," exactly?

[emblazes]

[Keith, please solve the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle in under ten minutes. Thanks. His jaw goes slack, as if prepared to clarify all things necessary but....

That's an awfully difficult thing to tackle. Keith's not even sure what he's talking about, actually; being cozy with Lance, yeah, but what if Lance just thinks he means come here every once in a while and be weird together? What if that is all he means? He's a novice at this lovestuff but he's sure there are arrangements like that.

He probably should've chatted with Riza more when he had the chance.

While the thought of a relationship is equally as scary as thinking Lance just wants to do this once in a great while (different versions of scary, ahem), worse than either of explaining himself and having Lance reject the idea.

In approximately eight seconds, he went from nearly blurting out his expectations to preemptively accepting defeat.]

...Nothing.

[competing]

[ they were a long eight seconds.

during which, lance had been preparing himself for all kinds of responses. frankly, many of them favorable, so it's a wonder his hopes don't audibly deflate when keith's single-word response punctures through them so swiftly. ]

—What?

[ he's thrown, because of all the possibilities he had been conjuring up, this hadn't been one of them? ]

What do you mean "nothing," this isn't "nothing," this is so far from "nothing!"

[ they kissed! multiple times, so it's not like it could have been an accident!

unless—? ]

I mean. Is it "nothing" to you...?

1/2

[emblazes]

[This is what happens when you expect Keith to lead a conversation about feelings.]

That's not it-! That's not what I meant.

[Lance's immediate, slight freakout is sadly reassuring. Better to have him doing that...than...agreeing with it all being for naught.]

No, it's not nothing. I was just saying....

[What was the point of that again? Right, it was just a spike in his insecurities which, how to even illustrate???]

[emblazes]

[The only thing left to do is slowly sink against the rocks. He's on course to be an alligator again. Living about 95% underwater sounds good at the moment.]

[competing]

[ it's weird to think keith could have any insecurities. the guy's a born natural, and 98% of the time, things just work out for him. if lance had that kind of luck, he'd never doubt himself.

then again, this isn't exactly the garrison, or flying an alien robot lion, is it... it's something so incredibly common, which unfortunately doesn't make it any less frightening. it's definitely something that needs to handled with great care... way more care than either of them can muster up in this particular moment.

even still, he should probably make sure keith doesn't drown or something. ]

Hey hey hey—

[ he puts a hand on keith's shoulder, attempting to pin him against the rocks before he sinks down too low. he leans down, eye-level. ]

Okay, I get it — no more talking now, alright? [ it's for both their sakes, tbh... the reassurance keith had just provided, that definitely opens up a huge can of worms that he needs time to parse through, except they're pleasant worms. scary, but pleasant. like giant hippos.

heh, hippos.

but anyway, if they don't have talking, then... ]




...Wanna make out again?

[ it's. it was a joke.

mostly.

probably. ]

1/2

[emblazes]

[Is it worse to dodge the conversation? Just as bad as downplaying it? He's not sure, but he was so close to hippo-ing out of this conversation...alas.]

We can talk about it, I just....

[Wh--]

[emblazes]

We were making out?

[Wasn't that just basic kissing? Keith's much more lost than he could've fathomed.]

1/2

[competing]

[ well.

that's a better reaction than rejecting the idea, he supposes.

though now lance is just as confused. THIS IS A VICIOUS CYCLE OF GAY THOUGHTS AND CONFUSION. ]

I mean... that's what you call it when you kiss more than once, right...

2/2

[competing]

[ wait NO. he's supposed to be the cool one! with more experience! HE GOT THIS. ]

I mean — yeah! We were! We were making out all over the place!!

[emblazes]

[Oh, alright. So more than one kiss is considered making out. New fact added to Keith's Alien Brain™.

However,]

We haven't even moved from this spot...

[competing]

[ yes.... take it from lance. who's totally had more than twenty whole kisses in his entire lifetime. yes. ]

That's besides the point.

[ the point here is that they were kissing, but more than that they were okay with the kissing, and also are okay for future kissings. (perhaps more than okay, even, but lance did promise they'd stop talking about it for now...) ]

But, uh. You wanna?

[ move from this spot, he means... ]

[emblazes]

[Is it, though? When everything's being micro-analyzed, the point is everything all at once.]

..Yeah..?

[And he's responding belatedly to the Make Out proposition, possibly made clearer when he makes no motion to head elsewhere...

Or start kissing him again, so, take it as he will. It's just, decidedly awkward when it's an established thing through conversation. Or, maybe he's just waiting for Lance to also confirm?!

He's playing a long game of Wait and See.]

[competing]

[ it's the blind leading the blind at this point...

technically keith's given him the affirmative, but it sounds so uncertain that lance is tentative as all heck as he starts to draw away, just enough to allow them some room to glance around. ]

Uh. Where?

[emblazes]

[Keith's mind is on kissing, so when Lance throws him a where, he's stunned into silence, 100% scandalized. In the midst of him reigning in a soon-to-be-outburst, something clicks in his brain and--

He's just talking about moving. Physically.]

Maybe we should go back.

[To their fake home. It's the fastest thing he can think to suggest, which is dumb as fuck considering how long it took to get there.]

[competing]

[ even if that hadn't been what lance had meant (at the time), don't be too comfortable being scandalized ok.......................... ]

I dunno, I'm kinda tired from the long walk it took to get here...

[ he hadn't intended to leave, either. he likes it here, as they'd established; and besides, going back home meant they wouldn't be alone anymore, and he isn't quite ready for that yet. ]

We could get out of the water, find some place to dry off for a bit?

[emblazes]

[Is that a threat...wtf....that's fucked up...

Keith's motto when it comes to feeling things that are weird and borderline uncomfortable: throw in the towel. They may have established how great it was here (to the point of Keith preparing to move in) like twenty minutes prior, but so much has changed since then okay....]

--Fine.

[His response could have been worse; he could've immediately gotten on Lance's case for drenching his towel and further complicating the soon-to-be drying process. It's a curt agreement followed by him doing an about-face and hauling himself up the rock wall like he's on a mission.




His buttcrack's prob showing.]

[competing]

[ how did things go from oh my god this is so weird but also kinda cool to dear lord why is it just weird can't it go back to being weird AND cool so quickly... he supposes it's all part of the process. it's not like things between them had ever been all that conventional in the first place, so it stands to reason there'd be some weird bumps along the way to... wherever it is they're heading towards.

anyway, blame it on that silent resignation, or that twelve year old part of lance's brain that prompts his next action.

because when he's suddenly presented with keith's buttcrack, his hand is just as suddenly lifting and—


yeah, he poked it.

LOOK HE'S JUST AS SURPRISED AS YOU OKAY............... ]

1/3

[emblazes]

[NONE OF THIS IS SEXY AT ALL FIRST OF ALL.

He stops mid-ascension because, that was weird? He glances over a shoulder toward Lance, expecting it to have been an accidental brush, maybe he was moving too slowly....]

[emblazes]

[But it's not? Was not. An accident?]

[emblazes]

[So he's left staring at Lance with his hand probably still aloft, embarrassed and also seemingly about ready to slap his hand away? Except it's super late?]

What was that?!

[Finally. ^Bitch actin like he can't see.]

[competing]

[ look......................... he panicked okay.

at least none of this was meant to be sexy. at least it's not that sad... ]

I, uh.

[ he doesn't even have a ready response. honestly what did he think was going to happen here... ]

Tag, you're it?

[emblazes]

[His ass is too pale....at least he doesn't have a tanline at his waist to accentuate that.

Tag............huh.

The rocks aren't meant to idle on anyway. He'll push off, back into the lagoon. He's after Lance like Jaws to Quint. The sexy lagoon just became a Legend of the Hidden Temple challenge.]

[competing]

[ mistakes were made.

lance hadn't even been that far away from keith from the start, so deftness within the waters or not, there definitely isn't room or time to gain any kind of distance between them, so all he can do is rear (haha) back just as keith lunges, his hands flying up in a vain attempt at some kind of defense. ]

Remember that you like me—!!

[ is all he manages to say before he's pushed backwards into the waters again, swallowing about a quarter of it along the way. gross. ]

[emblazes]

[Two pros: the first being that the lagoon is, at least, pretty. The water's warm and nasty for consumption, sure...but it's got magical properties.

The second is that he's not holding Lance under. A quick is sufficient enough for a single offhand poke.

He should get double-dunked for trying to repel him with that Weird Fact of the Day, but refrains due to its truth. He merely swims in reverse some, prepared to splash him once he surfaces.

If...he surfaces.]

Don't remind me-!