Bloody Texas

I Feel like I'm Naming Fall Out Boy Songs.

Lance spent the next day enjoying the hotel's spa. He begged Keith to join him, but he refused and hung out in the fitness center instead to protect his fragile masculinity. At the end of the day, they got smoothies and walked down the beach to watch the sunset. And at night, they shared another awkward goodnight.

Early the next day, they officially left the hotel and got back on the road. Keith told him it would take about fourteen hours to get there. Lance slept for most of it, but when he was awake he blasted the radio and sang along with Beyoncé-level dramatics. Keith watched him with loving eyes the entire time, no matter what he did. Lance even fought his way into playing Little Swing three times straight.

"Hey, look." Keith pulled onto a gravel road after he stopped for something, "We're almost there."

Lance looked out the window to find only trees and tall grass. "Am I—" he watched the trees frame the road, "Am I missing something?"

Keith reached over to pat his thigh, "You're so impatient. Just touch-up your makeup and make sure you're in comfortable clothes that you wouldn't mind getting wet."

"Getting wet?!"

Keith pulled out his phone and shushed him, "I have to make a call."

Lance rolled his eyes and watched the road. It looked as if they were just driving through a forest in the middle of nowhere. When he heard Keith speak, he turned his head to watch his mouth.

Keith nodded, "Yeah we're maybe five minutes out. Are you all ready?" He paused for an answer. "Alright, that's great. We will be there very soon. Thank you so much for doing this." Another pause. "Alright, see ya then."

Lance raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a questioning look. Keith noticed him after a few seconds, "What?"

"Who was that?"

He reached over to grab Lance's hand and intertwine their fingers. "Just someone to assist me."

Lance leaned over the middle console to kiss his cheek, "Alright, now I'm excited."

"Oh," Keith let go of his hand to point at the back seat, "At this stop, you're gonna need that body glitter."

Lance huffed and retrieved the container from his bag, "Now, why the hell do I need this?" He held it up in confusion.

"You'll see." Keith held out his hand and Lance gave the glitter to him. "We're here."

They pulled into a small gravel parking lot. A blanket of still, dark blue covered the ground, surrounded by a gate of trees. A wooden dock held a stocky man with a boat. Keith turned the car off and stepped out, "Come on."

Lance hesitantly exited the car, watching Keith walk up to the man and give him a friendly handshake-hug. Lance shut the car door and joined them by the water. Keith threw an arm over his shoulder, "And this is Lance."

"Oh," the guy was young, maybe twenty-five. He spoke in an Australian accent and had short, dark brown hair. He leaned against the wooden railing, "The lucky guy."

Keith's face lit up with a smile, "Yeah, he's mine."

"Well," he nodded to Lance, "My name's Julian." He turned back to Keith, "Should we get going?"

"Yeah," Keith pulled out the container of body glitter and stood in front of Lance. "Hold still, baby."

He twisted the cap off and swiped his finger across the gel. He focused on his technique as he applied it to Lance's cheekbones, down the bridge of his nose, and on the point of his Cupid's bow. Lance tried to stay as still as possible, but Keith did this thing where he pulled his lips back between his teeth when he focused, and it made Lance's chest warm up. He couldn't help but smile.

"Alright," Keith finished and scraped the excess glitter back in the jar. He jogged back to the car and tossed it into the back seat without much care where it landed. He trotted back to Lance and led him over to the boat. Julian sat in the back and Keith in the middle.

Keith held a hand out for Lance like a stoic prince, "Come with me?"

Lance's mouth forced itself into a wide smile; he took Keith's hand and stepped in the boat. It was small and had to be rowed by someone. Lance sat in the front, facing Keith. Julian pushed away from the dock, "Alright, onto the magical land of Lake Drummond."

Lance held Keith's hands as they moved along the lake. He pointed to the sparkles on his face with a manicured finger, "Are you gonna tell me when this is about?"

Keith smiled at him with those grey-purple eyes of intense emotion. He pointed behind him without saying a word. Lance gave him a strange look and hesitantly turned around. His worry quickly melted away and was immediately replaced by wonder. Huge trees reached out of the water and formed a canopy of sun-kissed green. The water was a mirror and lied completely still, causing every movement of the boat to spread ripples along the surface. That alone was stunning, but there was a hidden treasure. At the base of the trees, where they emerged from the water, the trunks looked as if they had melted down from the sky. Instead of being smooth, they branched out. Some looked like long ball gowns; others could be mistaken as sea monsters in the dark. Lance's breath was whisked away with the light breeze. He turned back to Keith for an explanation. Keith reached out and held his chin with his thumb.

"You're the fairy of The Great Dismal Swamp."

Lance's eyes welled up and a tear fell down his cheek. He laughed at himself and dried his face with his sleeve. Turning back around, he gazed at the captivating scenery. Truly the most beautiful thing he'd seen in a long time. He reached a hand down and let his fingers glide through the chilled water, breaking up the perfect surface. "This is so much more than I could ever ask for."

Keith reached down and placed his hand in the water beside Lance's. "The trip's not over yet, so you better prepare yourself."

Lance let out a content sob and a couple tears fell, joining their friends in the lake. "You," he lifted his head to study the trees once more, then locked eyes with the grinning Keith. "You are so more than I could ever ask for."