Sooo, I guess prom happened.

But don't worry, I'm not going to bore you all out by telling you about it, only saying that my expectations wasn't even high to begin with, and still-

And like always, I'm so so sorry for the wait. I just had to find the motivation for creating anything in general, whether it be my book or drawing, and fortunately, I did. I want to give you all the best quality of my books, and not just chuck some updates at you just to post regularly. I hope you all understand that❤️

So take this fluff (but short, sorry) chapter because we all need it before the real shit goes down...

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The blush on my face was relentless.

It certainly couldn't be there because of the fire me and Keith were currently situated in front of, inside his cave per usual; the flush of color had blossomed up in my cheeks as soon as Keith had slammed his lips against mine, and it had stayed put ever since. Always as insistent, never following my brains commands.

I was just drying myself up, that was the purpose of this, but I couldn't help but want it to be more, maybe pick up from where we had left off in the lake, before I almost went through a severe hypothermia - the water was so goddamn cold, not even Keith's body temperature could hide the fact. Apparently, my teeth clattering against each other was a big turn off.

"You warm yet?" I heard him murmur from above me, and the next tick, I felt something warm and solid graze my head, playing with the damp, platinum hair strands that had yet to be dried. No fabric apart, just raw skin, traveling teasingly further down, brushing against the nape of my neck. I couldn't help but to shiver, but I quickly found it to use as my advantage and excuse it as something else.

"Nope", I muttered, shoving myself closer to his side, and his hand dropped in the little surprise, but quickly found it's place again on my body again. I pressed my face against his shoulder, entangling myself deeper in the blanket that laid draped over my bony shoulders, the fabric smelling awfully musty, probably because I had been completely drenched when Keith had dragged my trembling body into the cave, immediately throwing the frayed, navy blue cloth over me, while somehow at the same time setting up a fire that he instantly pulled me down to sit in front of, not hesitating to press me hard against his side, giving me that extra heat. And, the blanket probably smelled fusty because it had been so overused and washed countless of times. I was considering even bringing a new one to Keith from the castle...

"If you want to stay, you can just say so, no need to make up excuses", he said softly, lightly scratching his nails against my scalp, and my eyelids almost fluttered closed. But a particular loud crackle of the fire sounded so strongly that it had me startling, sitting up a little bit straighter, running over his words in my head.

"I sense a 'but'", I muttered, pouting even though he couldn't see it, clinging onto his arm like I was preparing myself for if he would decide to tear me away from him, pulling me up and waking his cosmic wolf up to zap me back to my room. I didn't want to leave, even when it felt like the battery in my body was running out, laying on a dangerous 3%. Even when his body made an excellent bed. I could fall asleep right here... NOPE, no, nope. I mentally slapped my face to invigorate myself.

"But...it's super late, Lance. You must be really tired. I hate to be the one taking away rest from you. I'll escort you back to your room, and it'll only take a tick. How does that sound?" His hand had stopped petting my hair, instead laying sprawled over my head. I could see through the corner of my eyes how Keith turned his head to look at the soundless bundle of fur laying peacefully in the corner of the cave, it's back rising and sinking rhythmically. I made a mental note to ask him what the wolf's name was later, but now I had other things to tackle.

"Laying like this with you is a great compensation", I whispered, not sure why I spoke in such a hushed tone, but probably because it felt like a moment to do so, and my vocal cords were slowly drifting off into a peaceful slumber themselves. My mind felt foggy, dusty and rusty like it had been untouched for quintants. I couldn't even bring myself to stifle an upcoming yawn, meanwhile pressing out words through it. "So... Warm... Been waiting for this..." My words were starting to get really slurry, which was understandable. It was fascinating that I could even manage to stay awake for this long. Maybe Keith's presence was just that restorative. He didn't even have to try, only exist, and it somehow buzzed me alive and into great alertness. It was so warm around me, and I knew that the fire was nothing against the heat that Keith gave off, rather generously, to me. It was crazy, really, because a proximity like this had seemed so out of reach before, something that was so out of the ordinary. Something that would play only in my head, seeming so preposterous. Because Keith didn't do proximity, always found a way to push me as far away from him as possible, both physically and emotionally. Maybe this closeness was his way of showing he didn't give a quiznack about the fallouts anymore, didn't care that him even being here could mean the end of him. In a moment like this, in a state of vulnerability like this one, I couldn't give a quiznack too.

"A great compensation, but an unhealthy one. The circles under your eyes can't be anything normal." He pressed those words into my hair. When he had bended forward to nuzzle his lips against my head I didn't know, only that if I closed my eyes just one time-

"W-at r you tlking 'bout", I garbled into his chest, my lips getting heavier and heavier by every tick passing by. "My h-eart 's super heat...halt..." I groaned, frustrated I couldn't get the word out. I tried again. "Halty..." There we go.

"Mmm", Keith hummed against my hair, the air coming out of his nose, ruffling some stands of hair on my scalp. I could still feel something exceptionally soft on my head, and I knew it was his lips, grinning at my miserable attempt to form a proper sentence. "I bet your heart is very halty right now."

"Yeah...", I slurred, finally settling for closing my eyes, and not bothering to open them again. Darkness engulfed me fast, and my whole head felt heavy, like my body had given up on supporting the weight of both it in general and all the thoughts stuffed inside. But somewhere distant, somewhere that sounded in the tiny fraction of my brain that was remaining awake, was a sound. It was high pitched, almost like a shrill, but a small one. The only logical thing that sound could be was a whistle, and the minuscule part of my brain had a perception as to why it was there. No no no, not now... I could feel myself move, being hoisted slightly upwards, until something firm, but still soft appeared under me. Something tickled my arm, and despite the enervation, I could guess what is was.

It felt like was flying, like my body was filled with helium and all laws of gravity had disappeared. But at the same time, it felt like my foot was chained to an anchor, like my body was filled with heavy rocks. It switched between those two feelings, until, even with closed eyes, I was feeling nauseous. Everything in my mind was moving at a dangerous speed, and I started to emit a frustrated groan.

I landed on something cushioned. Landed? Had I been flying after all? The sudden impact and the way my back bounced upwards was forceful enough to make me puff. All at once, the movements around me and the inside my head stopped abruptly, and all my thoughts stilled, coming to a halt. The thought of being more involved in the moment was the only thought that had survived, and I laid for some tics, before I decided to, with great effort, pry my eyes open, and it was completely dark around me, except for a purple, dim light disappearing further and further away from me. It took tics to realize I was laying on my bed, and that I had, in fact, returned to my room, and that the little purple light was a part of Keith's suit.

Keith's suit on Keith's body that was retreating from my bed, walking towards his wolf that was patiently awaiting it's owner and his order. My heart hammered in my chest, because no, not yet...

"Kth...", I slurred, like I was drunk on Nunvil, but when I saw through the blur in my eyes how the purple light only went further away from me, I panicked. The dismay was lively enough to shed me energy to pull my torso off the bed, just barely, quickly supporting my weight by leaning on my elbows, and I nearly fell sideways down into the mattress again. "Keith..." I managed to whine again, this time more clearly. "Dn't... don't, go..." I threw my hand forward, like I could grab him, pull him back in, but it fell miserably back down in front of me, remaining mushy there, completely boneless. "Stay..." My eyes stung, like they were dry from being open too much, and I desperately wanted to close them, but not until I got my assurance that he wouldn't go anywhere, that he would put his hand in the turquoise fur to teleport himself back to his cave, or even worse, back to where he had disappeared last time

To my relief, he stopped, and I had to blink several times to see that he turned his head toward me. "Lance..."

"Please, jus'...", it was hard to stay adamant while this tired, but still I managed to throw my arm up in another poor attempt to clutch at him, preventing him from leaving. I grew irritated when I didn't succeed, and I groaned again, my voice turning even whinier. "Keith..."

My mind wanted to take me to that horrific discovery in the cave when Keith had left. I didn't let it. It wanted to create the image of me violently sobbing against the cavern wall, all the nights my eyes couldn't find it in them to close. I burned the image to aches.
Now my eyes wanted so badly to close, but I wouldn't let them, if that meant opening them later to find him being gone once again.

"Lance, I...", he began to say in a sad voice, but then he paused, and I could see how he turned his body completely towards me. My heart thumped in anticipation inside my chest, like it wasn't sure what to feel, what to await from him. My eyelids were fluttering, eyelashes tickling the crease of my eyes. I had a million things to say but could speak none of them. He was turning blurry again, but despite it, I could still hear perfectly how he took a staggering breath, continuing: "I'll stay. Lay down with you. For a little bit..." The hammering of my heart upon hearing his words was almost loud enough drown the sound of him moving, my eyes bleary as I watched his blurry form itch closer and closer to me, slowly, like he was weighing his options while he was walking, trying to decided what was the right thing. But in this moment, I didn't care about the right thing, only the necessary thing. It was necessary for him to come closer, to stay, or else I didn't know what would come out of me if he didn't. I saw the wolf move too, and it must have sensed that Keith was changing his mind, because I could vaguely see him dip down, disappearing behind the bed, not returning back up again. My heart screamed all sorts of question when I felt the mattress dip beside me, when the air around me doubled in heat.

When Keith laid down next to me and enveloped me into his arms, breathing out roughly into my hair.

He smelled like fire. Like wood. Bittersweet. Like biting down into citrus dipped into sugar. The smell was potent, knocking my senses right into shock. I found myself inhaling the scent before actually freaking out over the nearness to him. I shuddered involuntarily, and his arms tightened around me. Everything felt distorted. Out of focus, like a static in my head. But still it remained so clear, so painfully sharp. Every kiss he pressed against my head, every finger tracing burning lines all over my back, over the bared area above my waistline. Every words so inaudible in my ears, but still translated perfectly in my head. A language that was so unfamiliar on my tongue, but so conversant in my mind. I wanted to speak it forever, if the translations led to these kisses, to these touches that my sleepy brain turned into fire against my skin.

"I won't leave you ever again", he croaked against my forehead as he planted kiss after kiss on my face, and I felt dizzy, felt intoxicated with these burning sensations, and there was only one thought, playing incessantly in my head, like it would beckon him in any way, urging him that,

Don't go away.

Stay.

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*writes this while listening to Stay by David Guetta and Raye*

This was way too easy to write cuz I'm currently tired af and mirroring my tiredness with Lance was a piece of cake.

Sleep?? What's that though?? Never heard of it.

*proceeds to fall asleep immediately after publishing this*

I go ZZZ