shining like the stars

37

"I really didn't expect you to come back tonight," Shiro said, surprised. He was sitting back on the bunk, pants pulled back up but unbuttoned and a datapad in his hand. Keith hesitated in the door, one hand on the frame, before walking the rest of the way through.

"I told you I was," Keith said, and felt suddenly self-conscious. He resisted the urge to touch his mouth with his fingers, to check to see if he had wiped everything off because the way Shiro was looking at him he felt like he might still have some of Lance's fluids on his face. "Sorry I took so long."

Shiro set the datapad down on the mattress beside him and extended his hand to Keith, who came right away, throwing a leg over Shiro's thighs and straddling his lap. Shiro's smile was soft and genuine, as he cradled Keith's cheek with his left hand. "How is he?"

"Worn out," Keith said truthfully, closing his eyes and turning his face into the warmth of Shiro's palm. Lance was sleeping now, Keith had pulled the blanket of his bunk up over his shoulders and considered staying, but the pull of Shiro was too strong. "I think he'll be okay."

Lance clutched at his head, gasping as Keith sucked him and fingered him and moaning Shiro's name. Keith was quite certain Lance would be okay. Keith sighed as Shiro's hand stroked back into his hair, and opened his eyes. He smiled at the expression on Shiro's face and tilted his head down so that their foreheads touched, and couldn't help but close his eyes when Shiro kissed him slowly.

"And will we be okay?" Shiro asked him softly, and Keith opened his eyes and looked down at Shiro, felt his heart beating too fast in his ribs, desperate like a bird trying to get free from its cage.

"Definitely," he said, and kissed Shiro again.

#

Lance woke slowly to an empty bed. He blinked his eyes blearily and lifted his head, having slept with his face buried in the pillow that smelled like Keith; but the distinct lack of a Keith-shaped body burrowed under the covers next to him was throwing him off by just a little bit. He sat up slowly and realized he was still mostly dressed.

The chrono on his datapad read the middle of the ship's night cycle. He schlepped out of bed and pulled his shirt off, then hesitated in front of the pop-out panel where his pajamas were stored. Lance looked back at the bed and rubbed his eye with one hand.

They'd fooled around with Shiro. Lance had expected to feel different after, like it had lifted the pall of unease he had about the whole idea of the relationship. Instead, he felt very much the same, except for the intrusive thought in the back of his head about how much he wanted to climb on Shiro's dick now.

(No matter how much it looked like it would hurt.)

Those thoughts were courtesy of the pheromones that alphas gave out, even when not in a rut. Mate with me, I can produce strong heirs. Lance knew this, he was aware of this ... but that didn't change the delicious shiver that curled up his spine now that he knew exactly the shape and weight of Shiro's dick.

It was fine if that was all this was, Lance could accept that; except that Shiro hadn't taken Keith, or himself, and forced them down and claimed them. None of them were bonded, and he had had every opportunity to do that. But he hadn't, and that was confusing Lance most of all.

He really wanted to talk to Keith about it, but he knew exactly where Keith was, and Lance folded his arms and stared at the wall, the electricity under his skin distracting. Fuck.

There was nunavill in the galley, along with water, some thick purplish liquid that smelled faintly sour, and packets of something that might be some kind of alien tea. "We're going to have to figure out a way to get coffee," Lance mumbled, as he poured a glass of water and leaned back against the counter. He considered the alien tea, then remembered the last time he had tried to make something while operating under the assumption it was similar to earth consumables and decided that it wasn't worth the risk. With his luck, the dried ingredients were mummified alien insectoids and dunking them in hot water would cause a swarm aboard the castle-ship.

He drank his water and shuffled back in the direction of the paladin's quarters. Lance wasn't quite sure that he'd be able to get back to sleep in an empty bed, he'd grown too used to having a presence beside him. With that thought in mind he hesitated in front of the first door in the corridor, and after a moment to gather himself, touched the entry pad.

It wasn't locked. The lights weren't off entirely but they were dimmed to a reasonable level to sleep, and there were two blanket-covered lumps nestled in the bed together. Lance swallowed against the hard lump in his throat and turned to go, when the lump shuffled a bit and Shiro's head popped up from a pillow, squinting against the corridor's lights.

"Lance?" he murmured, and Lance hesitated.

He looked back to the bed – Shiro's short hair was tousled from sleep. Keith didn't seem to move at all, although Lance could make out tufts of dark hair from under the blanket. "Sorry," Lance said. "I didn't mean to wake you, I-" he didn't really know what he was doing, so he shrugged a little helplessly. "Sorry," he said again.

Shiro watched him as he turned to leave, and then he said, a little clearer, "Lance." Lance stopped again, and closed his eyes. "Come to bed," Shiro said, and Lance's heart leaped into his throat.

"There's not enough room," he said without making eye contact. "I'm fine, I just had to use the head-"

"We'll make the room," Shiro said, pulling Keith to him.

Lance inhaled a little, and after another moment, walked into Shiro's room.

It was a tight fit – Shiro was up on his side, his back to the wall, and Lance was still on the very edge of the bed, but they made it work, somehow. Keith didn't wake up once for all the shuffling around, and Lance put his arm around Keith's chest and buried his face in the back of Keith's neck. He didn't jump when Shiro rested his right arm across them both, the fingers of his prosthetic hand curled and resting lightly on Lance's shoulder. It didn't bother him at all, in fact, it made Lance feel a little bit more secure and warm, and he closed his eyes and sighed happily.

Lance was soundly asleep before he knew it.