Borderline

chapter five.

Just to clarify:

Quintant = Day

Movement = Week

:)

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Nothing could really tide me over through the long wait for the next time I could visit Keith. The interval was physically exhausting, ever since Allura told me that we had an erudition on etiquette and proper manners all quintant, practicing extra hard these forthcoming movements before the annual royal ball. I always wondered why we even had that ball; Mom and dad always said that it was to honor the Altean culture and the good deeds we carried through all these years of existing, but every year got more and more stodgy, at least for me.

And this would be the first ball with no Galras allowed.

"How much longer do we need to hear all of this hogwash?" I whisper-yelled, leaning in closer to Allura, careful not to make a too rapid movement that would go noticed by the preceptor further ahead, slightly turned away from us as she explained something while occasionally pointing at the holographic diagram she had set up. 

Allura didn't look at me, nor did it look like she even cared for my question - she was taking this task very seriously; straight back, leg slung over the other, hands clasped on her thigh, face blank from any emotion. 

"It's better if you listen", she pressed through gritted teeth. "You know the consequences you'll face later if you miss useful information."

"What useful information?" I snarled lowly, annoyed that I was the only one of us that wanted to get away from this torture. There was nothing profitable about this; I've heard the same thing over and over, all the time losing interest in the topic upon the first word, and no matter how many lessons we went through, I never really used any of the knowledge I'd "gathered". But I knew that Allura was right, about the consequences, so it was just best to bite the bullet and wait for the lesson to end.

But it didn't help that the thought of Keith kept stirring in my mind all the time.

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Two more agonizing slow quintants of etiquettes passed, and by the third quintant, I was so restless that I was ready to give up without even getting out of bed.

"Is there another lesson today?" I grumbled at the dining table, rubbing out any traces of sleep left in my eyes with the back of my hand, yawning loudly, almost missing my fathers respond.

"Sit up properly, son", he reminded me calmly.

"Not today", Allura answered politely, keeping up an extra act in front of our parents. Right in this moment - and any other moment, really - you could see the difference between us. At least in behaviour. "Next movement we'll have an erudition on formal speech, though."

My head shot up in excitement, so fiercely I could swear I heard my neck crack. "Really?! I'm free today?"

"Really", my sister confirmed, a knowing look on her face, but she didn't utter her knowledge. I smiled widely.

Maybe this quintant would be better.

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This quintant was definitely not better.

The first thing I saw when I ran into the cave was the horrifying sight of a ghastly, loudly breathing Keith on the cold ground, wrapped up in one of the navy blue blankets and holding it so tightly I could almost guarantee that he would rip it to shreds. His injured hand laid on top of his stomach, a big red stain in contrast to the white bandage. His face was glistening, and his skin looked more like grey than purple, his eyes tightly shut and his whole body quivering under the quilt that barely did anything to cover up his long build. He must have noticed my presence, but did nothing to show it.

"Keith?!" I wailed, suddenly quivering much worse than he did. "What happened?"

My cape flopped behind me when I ran towards him - the piece of clothing I forgot to take off in my hurry over here - and I kneeled down beside him, my hands hovering over him, uncertain what to do. I bit the inside my cheek.

"Po..." Keith's voice cracked in pain, coming out more as wheezing choke than a word. "Poi...son... Duflax.... My a-arm..."

I organized his jagged words into a full sentence in my head, and my eyes widened. 

"The poison of a Duflax's bite", I whimpered in realization.

Keith shifted under me, throwing his head to the side, away from me, growling something under his breath. I couldn't understand anything he tried to tell me, as his rapid and very shallow breathing got in the way, and the crackling of the fire he had put up sounded seemingly louder today.

"What?" I demanded. "What are you sa..."

"You..." He swallowed firmly. "You need to leave."

His comment mystified me, and I leaned slightly back, my hands frozen mid-air, trembling just slightly.

"Huh..."

"Leave. NOW. Lance."  He growled in a voice so deep and robust I could almost feel the whole cave quake. His face was still turned away from me, but I didn't need to see his eyes to know that he was sincere. He wanted me out of here, away from him, for a reason my brain couldn't process quite to easily, so I stayed, wanting to get my question answered. 

"And how on Altea is that a good idea, if I may ask?" I snapped, firmly putting my hand on his shoulder, to make him look at me. He flinched, but didn't turn around, only shaking harder. "You look like you might shake yourself to death any dobosh, so I can't just leave you. That's just abs..."

Every molecule of oxygen flowed out of my lungs in just one fluid movement, and I opened my mouth in an desperate attempt to breathe, but the obstacle in my throat made it impossible to. The sore part in the middle of my spine I got the first time Keith pressed me against the cave wall throbbed against the cave floor, sending jolts of pain through my whole back, and I whimpered without a sound coming out. He was looming over me, face close enough to scare me; fangs sharper than ever, bared in a grumble, irises narrowed into purple cleavages, resembling cat eyes. His hair was ruffled, standing up in several places, making him look even more anamalistic than ever, and his gaze looked frenzied, foolhardy and indignant, but I couldn't miss the very subtle intimation of despair, like a feeling that needed to be dominant but couldn't. 

"I SAID LEAVE NOW!" He roared so loudly my ears twinged, and the temprature in my body dropped to negative numbers very quickly, making me shudder violently. It was only now that I notice another localization of pain apart from the rear, and I flitted a scared look to the side, on my wrist he had in a death grip. His claws was partly buried in my skin, very close to bursting a vein, and it terrified me. But they disappeared as quickly as they appeared, and I threw an aghast look at him over me, feeling petrified. 

Keith started to shy away so suddenly it confused me, and he whimpered, threw himself on the ground and backed away until his trembling form hit the wall, and he cowered into a small ball, pressing his head against his raised knees, clawing at his legs. He continued to shake by himself several meters ahead of me, his shoulders shuddering with every bleat.

My head throbbed, my heart palpitated, and I pushed myself up using my good arm, almost flopping back down, but supported my weight on my elbows. The wound Keith's hand left stung so sharply it fogged my head with nothing else but the thought of misery, and Keith's cries was something very far-flung to my ears.

"I'm sorry", he kept whimpering, curling in on himself more. "I'm so sorry..."

I was selfish in that moment. I thought of the threats I stood in for, the hazard he could be when I least expected it, when he was in a state like this, where the crazy Galra side of him ostensibly couldn't be controlled.

I was selfish: I listened to what he said, and I left. 

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Sorry this was so short y'all!