shining like the stars

41

Keith woke too hot and irritable. He had kicked the blanket away and rolled onto his stomach on the soft futon, and now he rested his forehead on his arm and groaned. His skin felt prickly, like he itched all over, and a deep-seated ache resonated somewhere between his legs. This wasn't the same, as last time.

He got to his knees and looked around the room, then saw Shiro's clothing hanging beside the door that opened to the baths outside. Maybe he had thought he dreamed that, sharing a room with Shiro, just the two of them ... but no, there was proof of it right there, Shiro's clothes made of the same soft, light material as his own. Keith pulled himself to his feet and left the bedding scattered all around, walking unsteadily to the door, and touched the gray chiton with one hand wonderingly. Then he buried his face in it and inhaled Shiro's scent until he felt lightheaded.

Splashing and noise from outside drew him to touch the panel that opened the door to the baths. The steamy and humid air from outside rushed in and it made him shiver all over. Hunk and Lance were in the water, waded as far out as they could get from Shiro and making a ruckus. Shiro sat at the edge, his back to the rooms, both elbows hooked over the lip of the natural grotto and watched Hunk and Lance splash each other like children.

As if he could sense the door open, Shiro glanced back over his shoulder at the room and pinned Keith with a stare. His face was flushed completely pink from the water, but Keith felt open and naked under his scrutinizing look, before Shiro's expression split into a grin and he inclined his head toward the baths. "Gonna join us?" he asked, and Keith numbly nodded.

He changed out of sight of the door, leaving his clothing puddled on the floor and wrapping a towel around himself awkwardly. He wasn't entirely hard, not yet – but the way that Shiro had looked at him, had known he was there ... he had to know. Keith awkwardly walked to the edge of the baths and sat on the lip, putting his feet in the too-hot water and letting out a small involuntarily sigh when he did so. The itching under his skin seemed to stop with the application of the mineral water, and Shiro looked up at him and studied Keith, still with the soft grin on his face.

"Feel better after your nap?" he asked, and Keith, already flushed red, turned darker.

"Worse," he muttered, and looked away.

Shiro nudged his thigh, his bare thigh, with an elbow. "Don't be like that," he said. "Get in the water, it feels good."

Shiro wasn't lying, the hot water was soothing against his calves. Arranging himself as best he could with the towel, Keith slid into the water and found himself sitting on the same stone ledge as Shiro, the water coming easily up to his chest. Shiro settled back against the wall, his arm still draped over the ledge, extending past Keith's shoulders. He leaned in close to Keith, all without touching him, and murmured softly even though he didn't need to. "You smell delicious right now."

"Fuck," Keith said, and if the water hadn't already brought all the blood to his face that would have accomplished the task handily.

Shiro edged his arm off the ledge and over Keith's shoulders slowly. "Did your heat start early?" he asked, and Keith put both his hands on his knees and stared straight ahead at where Lance was being dunked by Hunk, like it was a warmed swimming pool and not a hot springs. He watched Lance come up sputtering and angry, standing fully upright in the water which was enough to show that he hadn't bothered with a towel, the rise of his ass emerging from the water. Keith tilted his head away from Shiro, exposing his neck, the vulnerability of an omega sending tendrils of excitement into his stomach.

"Yes," he said softly, as Shiro nuzzled against him, kissing his jaw and down to his neck. This felt dirty and hot, and Keith knew that the small squirming move he made at Shiro's touch wasn't enough to catch anyone else's attention, but it was enough to loosen the towel he had worn for modesty's sake.

More tremors, as Shiro's teeth skated down the wet skin of Keith's throat. They wouldn't do this in the pool, not where everyone would bathe, but every touch of Shiro's was hotter than the water they sat in, and Keith's head was already swimming. There was no need to say no to this, not even Hunk in the baths distracted him as Shiro shifted, his arm still over Keith's shoulder, but the other brought around and touching Keith's thigh under the water.

"Shiro," Keith said, his breath hitching as those fingers traced higher up his thigh, headed toward the point of no return. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his hand found his way to Shiro's, stopping it on his thigh and flattening it against his skin. "Not here," he said, to his body's great disappointment.

"What do you want me to do?" Shiro asked, the fingers of his prosthetic hand teasing at the ends of Keith's hair, curled up against the damp and the heat.

Keith looked at Shiro, pressed up against his side, hair matted flat with sweat and heat, and felt his entire body surge. An alpha. His alpha. Keith curled his hand around Shiro's on his thigh, and said, hoarsely, "claim me."

#

Lance sank in the water up to his nose and groaned at the third bad pun in a row that had escaped from Hunk's brain. "That's ... I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," he said, half turning away from his friend and not at all jealous that he hadn't thought of that one first. Hunk splashed his hand in the water idly, as if it was too much effort to direct an actual splash at Lance, who had gotten away from the benches that seemed to line the walls of the baths.

"Hey," Hunk said. "Looks like Shiro's done."

Lance turned back toward the front of the baths, in time to see Shiro step out of the water, holding the damp towel in front of himself in a small effort to preserve modesty that Lance thought was woefully misplaced. However, he had his other hand extended to Keith, helping him step out of the bath as well, and Keith's towel was left behind in the water, showcasing the magnificent arch of his erect cock.

"Oh, man," Hunk clapped a hand over his eyes and turned away. "I did not need to see that, I never needed to see that, Lance, that's why you wear bathing trunks, or something..."

Lance wasn't paying attention to Hunk. He was watching the way that Keith and Shiro were looking at each other. Without thinking about it he waded toward the edge of the pool, and Hunk groaned again.

"Yeah, sure," Hunk said. "Go follow your boyfriends, leave me alone in the hot, spunk-free water."

"Yeah," Lance said, not paying any attention to what Hunk was saying. "Of course, buddy, whatever you say." He watched as Shiro tilted Keith's head back and kissed him without shame, and felt his heart beat into his throat. Shiro was touching Keith. Shiro was manhandling him toward the room. Lance got closer to the edge, where Keith's towel was abandoned, and then the faint scent struck him, masked more by the sulfur and strange smells in the air.

Keith was in heat.

"Oh fuck," Lance said softly, and stood up in the water. The motion attracted Keith's attention and he hesitated and looked over his shoulder at Lance. It took a moment for the recognition to seep through the layers of heat and attraction, but then his expression brightened further and he stopped, holding out his hand for Lance and said, "C'mon, Lance."

Lance didn't waste any time scrambling out of the water. Shiro had stopped, his arm around Keith's waist, and he watched Lance with a guarded expression, that seemed to melt when he realized that it was Lance. "You have alpha brain," Lance said to Shiro as Keith grabbed his hand and held it tight. "I recognize that look anywhere, you thought I was coming to steal Keith from you-"

"Lance," Shiro said heavily, "shut up."

Lance puffed his chest out, about to complain to Shiro's face about that response when Shiro released Keith's waist and grabbed Lance by the chin, kissing him aggressively. Lance's eyes flew wide, and Hunk let out a loud groan, then yelled, "please fucking take it into the rooms!" from somewhere behind them.

"Holy shit," Lance said, slightly dazed, when Shiro released him.

"Come on," Keith tugged Lance by the arm, and Lance didn't even think to look behind him as he was walked into the room on the far right, the door slipping shut behind Shiro.

Hunk let out an aggravated noise. "Well, at least I get the room to myself," he said, and leaned back into the wall, closing his eyes. "Sure hope they're as soundproof as they seem."