fire & ice [[klance au]]

he already missed his radiance

"What's that one called?"
A sweet voice called to him, a little tug on his pant leg followed.

Lance followed Keith's outstretched finger with his eyes until he spotted the creature of question.
A brown bird with a red streak on his back and tail feathers, perched on a branch. It's longs beak attacking the bark of the tree, hunting for bugs that hide just below the tree's skin.

"That is a woodpecker." Lance told him.

"Woodpecker..." Keith whispered.

"Yeah, it uses it long beak to eat bugs underneath the tree bark, and it's really fast."

Keith scrunched up his nose.
"I hate bugs. They're weird. And crawly."
He shuddered.

Lance chuckled "I thought you liked 'em,"
"You like butterflys." He pointed out.

"Ok...I like some bugs." He revised.

"Mhm." Lance sounded, something brushed against his hand as it rest on the ground next to him. A grin crossed his face. Quickly snatching up the slippery critter before it could dive deep into the dirt.
"Hey Keith." Lance cooed in a calm voice.

Keith's head whipped around to him, pushing loose strands of hair behind his ear.
"Yea—"
A long brown worm was wiggling, twisting an inch from his face, trying to escape from lances fingers.
A loud, high-pitched screech escaped his throat. Pushed up from his chest, flying out of his mouth as he tried to push Lances arm away.

"Ew! Get it away from me!" He screamed.

"What! It's just a worm!" Lance laughed.
Bringing the bug a bit closers. Succeeding in shaking him up more. He flinched at the wrong moment, the strength he used to keep lances arm away momentarily ceasing.

Lance who was pushing against, accidentally touching Keith with the worm. The hot boy noted the slightly wet sensation on his cheek before the slimy creature shriveled up. Dry and black. Dead, the remains fell to the earth.

In another second the tears began.
"I killed it!"
"No, Keith—"
Ugly, ragged sob escaped his throat as he tried to catch his breath. His heat growing too hot as it spread and engulfed the ground around them, gobbling up the green grass without hesitation.

Keith jumped to his feet, unable to calm  his breathing. Slowly Lance stood up.
"Keith calm down." He cooed.
"I-I killed it, Lance." The temperature of the air rose.
"Keith, there a millions of worms! One dead worm isn't going to make any difference."
"All life is precious!" Keith choked out.

Lance treaded closer to the panicked boy, gently placing his icy hands on his feverish shoulders. A slight sound arose from the contact.

"While that's true, Keith, you can't mourn the death of every inconsequential creature. If you did you'd be crying non-stop."
Keith crying calmed slightly, Lance continued.
"There's billions of little creatures you can't even see all around you—all the time! When they die, babe, they help bigger animals to live—which helps us live."

Once Keith's breathing calmed and he settled Lance slowly brought his hands to the his cheeks. He looked at Keith, noticing the way Keith's heat had dropped, his bright details dimmed. The luminous highlights in his hair a coal black color.

"You're flames are out; You're cold."
Keith didn't respond, keeping eye contact with the other, hyperaware of the freezing hands making their way to his cheeks.

Steam rose with a sizzle, crackle and pop. It was hot—or maybe cold, neither completely sure as the hand lingered on his cheek. It was more than a vapor or mist; it was a feeling it planted in their gut. An emotion that bellowed from the deepest part of their stomach, twisting and turning, lurching.

For Lance it was the feeling of a strong wave, knocking him from his surfboard. The quiet, yet dangerous sensation of being submerged under the wave and almost out of breath.

But to Keith it was a wildfire lit carelessly in his stomach, spreading without caution or warning.

Lance was unsure of how to make Keith's  flames to light again. He already missed his radiance.
"Keith," he croaked.
"Get hot again—I know you can do it!"

Red flushed Keith's cheeks as Lance's hands now cupped both of his cheeks. Barely a moment later, flames surged uncontrollably from Keith.
They came in flashes, in waves. The first wave of flames shot high, and shone blindingly bright. The next we're smaller and less brilliant, yet still captivating. The waves continued on until Keith took a shaky breath, hands placed hesitantly on Lance's shoulders.

He closed his eyes, another breath. In; out. Again. In and out. The steady, calming hands on his cheeks helping to calm his flames immensely.
One more deep breath, giving Lance's shoulders a small squeeze.

The flames were gone and he wasn't impossibly hot.
Warm.
He was warm. A comfortable temperature.
The grass wasn't burning, the flowers didn't wilt in his area. Everything was still.

Lance gave him a happy grin, squishing his cheeks between his palms.

"You did it! Keith! Good job!"

A smile crept onto Keith's face, big and wide.

"I did it," He laughed, wiggling his toes in the grass.

"I can even feel your cold more!" His smile widened.

"It feels...wonderful."