Little Steps Forward (Voltron Klance)

Chapter 7

Lance

A few weeks had passed since I had texted with Shiro. His advice helped somewhat, as I did my best to get closer to Keith without bringing up the issues of his past. All I can do is hope that he will eventually feel close enough to me to talk about it. But, I had also started driving him to a counseling clinic after Shiro's husband called Keith and screamed at him for ignoring his friend at that clinic, loud enough I could hear it when Keith set it on the coffee table we shared. He didn't even put the call on speaker. I'm somewhat scared of Adam now.

Keith had just finished up his most recent appointment, the two of us driving back to the dorms, when Keith suddenly spoke up. "Wanna go to the beach?" His voice had slowly gained more emotion as he talked, curving his words gently, though I could tell from the way he spoke he had a catch.

"Yeah...?"

"Just the two of us... no Hunk or Pidge."

The thought did sound nice, some alone time with Keith. The thought alone has my face heating up a little, but I did my best to hide it. "Of course buddy. We can go grab our swimtrunks and some towels and head over."

He shakes his head, looking to me now, a tinge of hurt briefly in his eyes. "I meant now..."

"Uh... Yeah, okay."

I turn towards the beach now, starting the drive there. It only took us around forty-five minuets to reach the beach from where we had been, but I'm pretty sure we just hit a lucky spot in the traffic that let us get there so fast. I quickly found a spot to park, and we got out, leaving our shoes and socks in the car for now. The sun had started to set, so the sand and pavement wasn't too hot.

A ways into the beach, Keith started walking to the bottom of a cliff face, where nobody else was nearby. I followed him out to the somewhat rocky section and sat down beside him once he found a spot to rest. I was a little worried about him, but seeing how a gentle smile tried to play at his lips, I felt nothing but joy to see him there in the hard but gentle sunlight playing on his pale skin. In this light, right here and now, he looked very beautiful.

I had spent the last few nights a bit panicked by what I had suddenly started to think of Keith. I knew I occasionally felt attracted to some guys, but Keith was different. It was a deep, but subtle longing to be near him, and I always felt so happy being with him, but he still needed time. So I ignored those thoughts while he was around, so he could focus on getting better.

I wanted to ask why he wanted to come out here, and I think he could tell I was about to ask, because he just took my hand and placed it over my mouth to keep me quiet. He gave me a genuine smile, moving my head towards the water. "Look at the sunset. It's quite the view." he says gently. And he wasn't wrong. The sunset was still just barely visible over the ocean, with the colors of the sky dancing on the water at almost the same intensity, small stars already dotting the sky above where the colors ended. But, in my peripheral, he kept looking at me.

"Part of my sessions are trying to put names and descriptions to what I feel. And I just want you to know, this is how I feel when I'm around you." He said it really quietly, almost too quiet for me to hear over the water crashing on the rocks with the waves. I could only look at him again, not entirely sure what he meant by that, but a slight red brushed his ears. He felt like a sunset when I was around? Was that good or bad?

He seemed to be able to tell I was confused about it, and he quickly took my hand again, clearly starting to search for words. He seemed to be getting worked up now, and it worried me. His eyes showed panic and fear, and I just wanted to wipe it all away. I couldn't help myself from wrapping him in a tight hug. He was shaking. He took a second to hug me back, but he did eventually.

"You're my sunset..." he whispers. "You have a bright light that's almost blinding, but it's got such vibrant colors I can't look away, and yet there's an edge of darkness to you. Your insecurities can be immense, but you always have spots of brightness shine through it."

It finally hit me that he was trying to confess his emotions to me, and a warmth spread through me. I couldn't think of what to say at first, but I hugged him tighter, staying there with him and gently rubbing his back to ease away the rising panic that was causing him to struggle. "I'm proud of you for telling me... I'm glad I can be your sunset..." I finally manage out, and I find I can't stop talking. "I think of you as the future, if I'm being honest. You're so strong, and I wish I could be like that."

We sat there like that, and my heart felt like it was going to burst the second he started to pull away. He was wiping at his face, but smiling now. After a second he got up, smiling down to me where I sat.

"Well... While we're here, should we go swim?"

"But we didn't get our trunks from the dorm?"

A coy smirk played at his lips there, and he gave me a nod. "Exactly." he says with a husky tone, starting to slip off his jacket. My face got hotter and hotter as I watched him strip down and go towards the water.

I quickly stripped and went to go join him in the water. The air between us had shifted after we talked about how we felt. It felt warmer and kinder between us, and I wanted to keep going for it. If I was what he needed, and if I was who he wanted, there was no way in hell I would say no to being there for him.