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“Yorak, look out!” Takashi noticed the sigil on the floor a moment too late, unable to stop Yorak from stepping onto it with him. With a flash like lightning, the two found themselves struggling against a thick vine-like magic that wrapped itself around them, lashing them together. The harder they fought, the tighter their bindings became, until neither of them could move an inch.
Takashi craned his neck to look down at Yorak. “Well. This isn’t great.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Yorak’s voice was muffled from where his face was squished against Takashi’s chest.
“Ugh, get a room.” Pike laughed.
“I will murder you in your sleep.” Yorak didn’t see the humor in the situation. He struggled for a moment longer, trying to free his arms to cast some sort of counterspell, but failing. “Block, please tell me you know some sort of unbinding spell.”
“Uh, yeah! I think so. Let me try.” Block folded his hands and started chanting softly. A gentle glow emanated from his hands and spread to the vine.
“It’s—Shit!” The vine wound itself tighter around the two. “Stop chanting! It’s not working!” Yorak’s voice slid into a higher register as his thigh slipped into the only space available—between Takashi’s legs. Takashi closed his eyes and turned his face towards the heavens, mumbling a prayer to whatever deity was listening.
With a sigh, Pike stepped forward and pulled out his knife. “As much as I enjoy watching Yorak squirm, this is getting uncomfortable. Don’t move.” He sliced through the vine with a flourish. “Tah-dah!”
The ends of the vine hovered in the air for a second before mending themselves. Yorak cursed into Takashi’s chest.
“Maybe if we just…” Takashi wriggled a little, attempting to push them both off of the sigil.
“No, wait. Don’t—” Yorak’s balance shifted as Takashi continued to move. He toppled quickly, dragging Takashi down with him. Their bodies crashed together in a way that Yorak admitted to himself would have been rather enjoyable under different circumstances. As it was, he swore and lay absolutely still, hoping that Takashi wouldn’t notice his body’s interest in their proximity.
“Move it. I’ve got this.” Meklavar pushed Block and Pike out of her way, hefting her axe over her shoulder. She planted her feet firmly in the ground, readied her stance, and swung her axe down hard.
“Holy sh—”
The axe buried itself in the ground near Takashi’s head, tearing through the sigil. The magic binding Takashi and Yorak dissipated. Neither of them moved, both uncertain that that was the end of the enchantment.
Pike squatted next to them, the smirk back on his face once again. “So, are you going to get up or should we let you two have some alone time?”
Takashi threw himself off of Yorak, scrambling back to give his friend some space. The flush on his cheeks stretched all the way to his ears.
“Nice, Pidge!” Allura beamed and reached across Keith to give her a high five. “I think that was the best roll we’ve had all day!”
“It’s not that hard to swing a hammer,” Lance grumbled. He crossed his arms and tipped his chair back.
“It’s not that hard to use a knife, either,” Pidge shot back. Lance opened his mouth, a retort readied on his tongue. It died quickly under the force of Pidge’s withering glare.
Keith met Shiro’s gaze and rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hide his slight smile. Shiro grinned back and shook his head.
***
Takashi swung his sword, brandishing it at one demon and then another, trying to ward off the whole horde with a single blade.
“Takashi!” From behind him, Yorak fired off blasts of magic. He felled demon after demon, but more were always there to take their comrade’s place. “To me!”
Without taking his eyes off the demons, Takashi made his way backwards across the cavern until his back hit Yorak’s. “What’s the plan?”
“So far, all I’ve got is ‘don’t get killed .’ I’m open to suggestions at this point.” Yorak held onto the ball of magical fire in his hands and let it grow to the size of a strifruit before aiming it at one of the closer demons.
“Sounds good.” Takashi readied his sword.
“If—If we don’t make it out of here.” Yorak faltered for a moment. “I want you to know... I…” One particularly big demon swiped at Yorak, knocking the breath from his lungs.
“We’re going to make it out of here, so you can tell me once we’re all laughing around a table at Kingshead Inn.” Takashi sliced into another demon, its body disintegrating as it hit the floor.
“Can’t wait.”
The nurse shooed Coran and the paladins out of the room. Shiro lingered for a moment, running his hand along the footboard of Keith’s bed.
“You doing okay?” Keith asked quietly.
“The address took a lot out of me. Makes me wonder if it ever gets any easier.”
“To talk about death? I don’t think that ever gets easier.”
Keith watched Shiro’s hand curl into a tight fist.
“But,” Keith continued, “the good news is you don’t have to do it alone. Not anymore. You’ve got me—and the other paladins,” he added hastily.
Shiro smiled slightly, but the weariness didn’t leave his eyes.
“Thanks, Keith. That means a lot.”
“Anytime, Shiro.”
***
“So. Let me get this straight.” Yorak fiddled with the knife in his scabbard as he glared at the moustached innkeeper. “You have three rooms left. There’s no other inn in this town. And, thanks to the Liquinian Bogworm, none of us have our bedrolls.”
“Well, that makes it sound so much more dire than it actually is. I don’t even know what you’re up in arms about—I merely suggested you share rooms. Of course, if that’s not something you’re interested in, you’re welcome to find lodging in Sunderfair Wood.”
Yorak’s glare turned murderous. Takashi put his hand on his shoulder, grounding him in a way only the paladin could.
“Coran. You’re creating an entire universe from scratch. Why the quiznak does this inn only have three rooms for the six of us?”
“Fanservice, of course.”
“What does that even mean?”
“So, naturally, Valayun and I—” Pike started, only to be elbowed by Meklavar, who grabbed Valayun’s hand and pulled her towards the first room.
“Guess it’s you and me, buddy.” Block threw his arm around Pike’s shoulders and guided him into the next room.
“After you.” Takashi gestured towards the final door still ajar. With a grumble, Yorak shouldered past him, stopping abruptly just inside the doorframe.
“Yorak? Is everything alright?” Takashi peered over Yorak’s shoulder and immediately spotted the problem. In the center of the room was a single bed, barely large enough for one of them to fit comfortably.
“For Phoxmos’ sake...” Yorak turned, ready to march to Pike and Block and demand that they swap rooms.
“Wait, Yorak. I think we can make this work.” Takashi brushed past Yorak and unloaded his gear onto a chair in the corner of the room. “It’s already so late. We don’t need to bother the others.” He stripped off his armor. Yorak decided, a light blush dusting his face, that then would be the perfect time to examine the ceiling.
Takashi cleared his throat, pulling Yorak’s attention from the cracks in the plaster above him. He was already in bed, clearly trying to take up as little space as possible. “You, uh, going to sleep in your armor?”
It took him a second to process Takashi’s words. “Oh. Um. Yeah. Let me just…” He stripped quickly, leaving his armor and gear in a haphazard pile on the floor.
With a steadying breath, he crawled into bed beside Takashi, resolutely keeping his back to his best friend. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to sleep. Every nerve in his body was alight, like Takashi’s body was a raging fire. Next to him, Yorak was gladly burning.
“Goodnight, Yorak.”
“Night.”
Yorak woke up slowly the next morning, warm and content and well-rested for what felt like the first time in his life. He was almost tempted to indulge himself and sleep for a little while longer. His eyes were halfway to closed when something shifted underneath him and he realized that he was tucked up against Takashi’s larger frame, the paladin’s arms wrapped around him. He pulled himself from the warmth of the bed and Takashi’s embrace with a start.
Yorak almost tripped over himself in his rush to dress. With one last, lingering glance at Takashi, still snoring gently in the too-small bed, he left the room.
“Wonderful. I think that’s a good place to end the session for today.” Coran closed the book with a satisfying snap . He started tidying up the portable Monsters and Mana map that he brought down to the hospital.
Lance let out a groan from the end of Keith’s bed.
“Coran, you were so focused on Shiro and Keith that we barely got any good play time in this session.”
Keith snorted. “You don’t get to talk, not when the bogworms targeted us because of your failed mating call.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, Mr. Critical Miss,” Pidge chimed in.
“Regardless,” Lance said, shrugging off their words, “Coran, next time you should focus on more interesting characters.”
“I simply go where the story takes me, driven by the demands of that fickle mistress we call plot.”
***
“Takashi!” Yorak cried out, his eyes wide as he watched his best friend crumple to the ground, the demon that attacked Takashi already moving on to another target. Without a second thought, he rushed to Takashi’s side and fell to his knees. The battle raged around them, a storm of swords and magic.
“Yorak.” Takashi coughed, and blood stained his lips. “I’m not going to make it. I need you—” He coughed again, hacking up even more blood as he reached for Yorak.
Yorak shook his head. “No. No, stop. Don’t talk like that, we’re going to get you out of here. You’re going to make it.”
“I need you to take care of the team when I’m gone. Promise me, Yorak.” He closed his eyes and let his hand fall from Yorak’s.
Yorak’s eyes stung, but he ignored it. He bared his teeth, snarling at the bastard who dared to hurt Takashi. His eyes were alight, his magic a raging fire behind his irises. He let the magic surge in his veins, gathering all his power in his hands.
“I am going to destroy you.” His voice was steady, and strong as steel. Yorak rose slowly, deliberately, his gaze never leaving his opponent.
With a strangled yell, Yorak hurled himself towards the back of the demon, slamming several fireballs into his back. No sooner had the demon fallen than Yorak was aiming at his next target.
Fury fueled Yorak. He tore through his opponents one by one, driven by rage.
“How are they both asleep after that session? I don’t get them.” Lance complained.
“They’re probably worn out. I think it’s sweet.” Allura said, watching Shiro and Keith softly snore. Coran pulled the blanket up over them, tucking them in.
“Honestly, I’m wondering how they’re even comfortable. That hospital bed was not made for two people.”
“Let them sleep. Clearly they need the rest.”
***
“You’ve got yourself a curse, one I haven’t seen in a long time. Millenia, probably.”
“But you can save him, right? Undo the curse or cast something to revive him or something.” His voice rose a few octaves, panic lacing his words.
“I’m afraid there is no counter-curse,” the witch said, her voice low and solemn. Yorak couldn’t meet the witch’s eyes. He stared past her, his focus fixed on the floor.
“That’s not to say you can’t break it.”
Yorak’s head snapped up. “You can break the curse?”
“No, I can’t. You can. This curse is tied to Takashi’s loveline. It can only be broken with a gesture of affection from his soulmate.” She looked pointedly at Yorak.
Pike smirked. “So what you’re saying is that he can only be woken by true love’s kiss.”
The witch nodded. “To put it simply.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Yorak said. “How are we supposed to find Takashi’s true love when he’s unconscious? This isn’t a fairy tale.”
Meklavar groaned. “How can you be so dense?”
“I roll to see if I understand what the witch is talking about.”
“Keith, do you seriously not get it or are you just in denial?”
“In denial about what?”
“...Christ…”
“And that’s a nat 1.”
The witch took Yorak’s hands in her own. “Oh, my dear. My sweet child. It is clear to me, even from this brief encounter, that you are the one who will break the curse. You are the one tied to his loveline. You are his soulmate, his true love.”
“W—what? I don’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about. This doesn’t make any sense. How… how am I Takashi’s one true love?”
Meklavar and Pike let out twin snorts. Block put his hand on Yorak’s shoulder.
“Yorak… Have you really not noticed how Takashi looks at you?” Block’s eyes were kind. “I swear, he looks at you like you hung the moon.”
“Yeah, man,” Pike chimed in. “We all know that he’s head over heels for you. And you’re just as gone over him.”
Valayun nodded sagely. “It only makes sense that you’re the one who will break the curse. You’ve been with him through, well, everything. You’ve sacrificed yourself countless times to ensure his wellbeing. And he’s done the same for you. You two are bound together in a way that none of us truly understand.”
That hits close to home, Keith realized. Almost as if…
Yorak bit his bottom lip, not sure he was ready to admit his true feelings to anyone, not even himself. He wasn’t ready to admit that when Takashi smiled at him, it felt like the sun shining on him and him alone. He wasn’t ready to admit that his heart skipped a beat when they touched. And he certainly wasn’t ready to admit that the prospect of life without Takashi was too painful to imagine.
Why does that feel so familiar?
“I…” Yorak stumbled over his words, pointedly not looking at any of the members of his party. “If you think that it’ll work... I guess. There’s no harm in trying, right?
Valayun smiled, not unkindly. “We’ll give you two some space.”
Pike opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off when Valayun grabbed him by the arm and dragged him from the room.
“Knock ‘em dead.” Meklavar patted him on the hip as she and Block passed.
The room was almost unnaturally quiet with everyone gone, the only sound being Takashi’s slow, shallow breaths. Yorak stood there for a moment, shifting his weight uneasily, unsure of the etiquette of the situation. Not that he was ever one who cared for etiquette, he supposed.
“Takashi... If you can hear me... I’m sorry. You deserve more than a hot-headed half-elf who can’t go a second without getting into trouble. You deserve someone who can treat you with the grace you deserve. You deserve a prince.”
He bent down and pressed his lips against Takashi’s, a quick and gentle kiss that still somehow managed to make Yorak feel as if a magic more powerful than lightning passed through him.
And yet, nothing. Takashi’s face remained impassive, his body as still as stone. Yorak crumpled.
“Please.” He leaned over, placing a hand on Takashi’s cheek as he pressed his body close. “Please, Takashi. I—I can’t do this without you. We need you. I need you. Please... I love you...”
Yorak’s eyes burned with the tears he refused to let fall. He let his forehead rest against Takashi’s as his body trembled with all the things he’d left unsaid. His eyes betrayed him, letting a few tears spill down his cheeks onto Takashi’s face.
He almost missed the quiet groan through the sound of the sobs he was choking back.
“...Yorak?”
Time seemed to stand still as Yorak gazed down into the face of the man he loved.
“You saved me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Always. Just as you’d do for me.”
They both stilled for a moment.
“So. You love me, huh?” It was playful, the exact opposite of how Yorak felt at that moment.
Yorak let out a nervous chuckle. “You heard that?”
Takashi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down into a searing kiss. “I love you too, by the way. In case I didn’t make that clear enough.”
“Uh… maybe you could clarify that again?”
Takashi laughed and kissed him again.
***
“Well. Lots to think about, there.” Coran cleared his throat, drawing Shiro and Keith’s attention off of each other and onto him. “I think it’s best if we continue this another day.” He folded up his portable holo-pad quickly and checked to make sure that he hadn’t left any of his pieces on Keith’s bed.
“Oh, um. Sure.” Keith’s eyes fell back on Shiro, who was studying the floor as if it held the secrets of the universe.
“Yeah, we’ll see you later.” Pidge stood up quickly, while Hunk hurried to help Coran gather his things.
“Come on, Lance,” Allura said. “You were going to show me that old Terran space game, were you not?”
“Yup. Yes, I was. That was a thing that was going to happen.” He followed her from the room. “See you two soon.” Coran, Hunk, and Pidge hurried behind them.
Shiro and Keith were left alone in the deafening silence of Keith’s hospital room.
“I—uh. Wow. Just, wow. That certainly was interesting,” Shiro said after a moment.
“Ha, yeah. Definitely. Didn’t see that coming.” Keith bit his lip.
“It sort of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Shiro continued. “Our characters, being so compatible...” He trailed off, finally meeting Keith’s gaze for the first time since Coran interrupted them. “I mean, Takashi and Yorak just remind me so much of us , you know?”
Keith remained quiet.
“I—forget it. It was just a thought.” Shiro waved his hand as if the gesture will erase his words from the air.
“No, I get it. I do. I think about it a lot, actually. Yorak would do anything for Takashi. He would sacrifice anything to make sure that Takashi was safe. He’s— he’s me . We’re the same.” He paused for a moment. “And his feelings, they’re mine, too.”
It took Shiro a second to process that. “Wait, you mean—”
“I love you, Shiro.” He said it simply, an uncomplicated truth that somehow fell easily from his mouth. “I understand if you don’t feel the same way, but I—”
Shiro’s lips crashed into Keith’s, a collision so sweet that they both lost themselves in each other’s taste. It lasted an eternity, yet it was over in a second.
“Feel the same?” Shiro pressed his forehead to Keith’s. “How could I not?”