They're Back

12

Keith POV

I found James sitting in a wide open grass plain, staring at the sky. His shoulders weren't shaking, which meant he wasn't crying. I took this as a good sign. "Hey." I said quietly as I sat next to him. "Hey." He muttered. "Are you okay?" He let out an airy laugh. "Oh yeah. Never better. I definitely didn't just let out five years worth of frustrations and emotions on my coworkers." "Aw Jamie, it's okay. I'm sure they understand. and besides, you're like, really drunk." I said reassuringly, placing my hand on his shoulder, and he looked at me sadly. "But I meant it. Every word." His eyes were still that dull gray, and he had tear stains on his cheeks. "Every word was true. But it's fine! It's fine. I'lll get over it. Just tell them it was a drunken rant. They'll buy it, and we can go back to normal." He said, moving his hands around. "Jamie, its not fine. You need to tell them you meant it, or it'll stay that way." "But then they'll treat me differently. Like I'm delicate. Or weak. And I'm not, I'm stronger than any of them. Except maybe Shiro." I giggled. "No, you're definitely not stronger than Shiro. But you should tell people how you really feel instead of bottling it up inside." "Really?" He asked in a hopeful voice, and I nodded. "Really." "Well, um, then, Keith, Iloveyou." He blurted, face turning pink. "AndItotallygetitifyoudon'tlikemebackbutIfeltlikeyoushouldknowbecauseyousaidIshouldtellpeoplehowIfeelandthat'showIfeeland-" I put my finger on his lips, smiling. "You're rambling Jamie. And I know you love me." I moved my hand to the side of his face, brushing a stray lock of hair back. "But do you love me back?" He asked. "I-I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out." I said, caressing his cheek.

He was really close to me now, so that we were almost sharing breath. His eyes had returned to their normal purple-gray color, and they were staring into mine intently, occasionally flicking to my lips. He seemed to be silently asking if he could kiss me, and there was no way I was going to say no. I leaned forward ever so slightly, and connected our lips. The kiss was soft at first, just a delicate brushing of the lips. then we both started kissing harder, and I used my tongue to push his lips apart, and we began exploring each other's mouths. I had both of my arms around his neck, and his were around my waist. He started pushing me back lightly, and I fell on my back, still lip locked with him. He soon had me pinned beneath him, resting inbetween my legs as we continued to kiss. We both pulled back, lips red, and gasping for breath. He smiled at me brightly. "Wow. You're a really good kisser." I smiled back. "So I've been told." I was about to lean in for another kiss when he dropped his head on my chest. "Jamie? What's wrong?" "I want to kiss you when I'm sober so I remember. And so I know you mean it." I was surprised, to say the least. But I understood why. "Okay. What do we do now?" "Can- can we just stay here? I'm not ready to talk to them just yet." He muttered into my chest. I nodded. "Of course Jamie."

And so we laid there, in silence, holding each other, until we fell asleep. I briefly remember the others finding us, worried looks on their faces. I mainly remember Lance and Kinkade's faces. Both had sad smiles while they looked upon us. I had somehow ended up holding James's shoulders, and him my waist. I think Shiro carried each of us back to the lions, but I don't really know. I'll remember more later.  I saw the inside of Red as my eye fluttered close, Lance looking down at me sadly.