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It had all started on a very normal day. A normal outing to the planet below to gather normal supplies. It was all fine and good. The team were separated, Keith having gone with Pidge and Hunk to collect their list.
Things went south when something bit him.
Keith had killed the bug, a small red and black spotted thing that looked like something Pidge might try to dissect.
He’d killed it, but not before it could sink its little proboscis into his skin.
An aura appeared around him, like a faint haze. A dust cloud of pink, slightly sparkly stuff that made Keith cough. It enveloped his body, covering him in pinkness.
It wasn’t his colour.
Pidge was the first to notice Keith having stopped. She turned, then froze. Whatever words had been on her lips died the second her eyes landed on Keith. Pink flashed in her eyes, almost changing the pupil itself as she watched him. She took a stumbling step forward, standing before Keith, looking up at him with a look of wonder.
“Can I hug you?” she sounded almost desperate, as though if Keith had denied her, she might cry.
Keith blinked. That was not what he was expecting. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t that. She was acting completely differently, as though she’d been hit by something herself.
Heart eyes appeared within her irises and Keith had to blink. The pink dust settled within her pupils, transforming them into literal hearts. Keith took a step back, crashing into Hunk.
It wasn’t just Pidge who could be affected.
Hunk’s body was warm against his own, crushing him in a hug. It was – Keith wasn’t going to deny the physical comfort, he’d long since accepted the team were there for him in so many ways. But this was a bit much.
Fingers carded through Keith’s hair and he scowled, moving to slap Pidge’s hand away. The look on her face, the utter betrayal that he would consider abandoning her, had him pausing. He resigned himself to whatever weirdness this was.
He didn’t want to hurt his friends.
Keith stayed frozen, crushed to Hunk’s chest with Pidge literally petting him. She began to make comments about his hair, about his eyes, his nose. She seemed content keeping him at arm’s length, more than fine by Keith.
There was really only one conclusion he was able to draw from this. The only thing that had changed was the bug bite. Was it responsible for their changes?
“Hey, team, I think I’ve been bitten by something.” Keith had pulled out his transponder, amidst Hunk trying to tighten the hug and Pidge jabbering on about his hair.
Unsurprisingly, Lance was the first to respond. “Are you ok? Do you need help? We’re not far, we can come to you.”
Panic shot through Keith. If Lance fell under the same spell, would he fall for Keith too? He couldn’t handle that. Couldn’t handle Lance loving him under some weird alien bug bite. Not when it was all he wanted. All he’d dreamed of. He just wanted the red paladin to look at him the same way Keith looked at him.
“We’ll go back to the castle,” Keith said. It could take a while, given his limpet and his hairdresser.
“Did you see the bug?” Coran asked.
“Red and black.”
“Don’t you dare die on me, Kogane,” Lance’s voice cut through the comms clearly, the concern endearing. It was almost enough to make Keith believe the boy could like him back, but he knew how much Lance just cared. He wanted them all to be safe. Keith wasn’t special.
Somehow, he made it back to the castle. Hunk had carried him part of the way, claiming he would make anything his heart desired in the kitchen for tea. Pidge was prepared to settle in and watch Keith’s choice of film, which was – highly unusual.
Allura returned.
He’d hoped the Altean was immune, or that the cloud had dissipated enough that he wasn’t affecting anyone else.
“Oh, Keith, you look so beautiful, so radiant.”
She became a damn poet.
Keith wanted to slam his head against the kitchen bench, but he couldn’t. Pidge had already chastised him for it once, and Hunk made it clear the bench was for food.
Unfortunately, the arrival of Coran and Shiro brought more chaos as they, too, were charmed by Keith. Fortunately, despite the appearance of the heart eyes, they were both simply softer with him, refusing to leave his side.
It could be a lot worse.
Coran insisted on building Keith a whole new training program. Shiro was determined to teach him a new fighting style.
Everyone on the team was affected so far. Everyone who’d looked at him. They weren’t all hurrying to kiss him, despite the effects, and that gave Keith hope. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if they all tried that. If they woke up and remembered, Keith would feel even worse.
He had eyes for one man, and he knew they all had their own hearts. In Pidge’s case, she was aroace, which would’ve made Keith feel even worse had she started proclaiming her love.
His mind jumped to the thought of Lance. What would happen to him? He was a known flirt. Keith couldn’t handle that. Not when it wasn’t real. He couldn’t have the false adoration that was in Allura’s eyes.
Too soon, Lance walked in.
He stopped.
“Ok, what did I miss?”
Keith frowned, unable to stop himself. He met Lance’s eyes.
Nothing happened.
Lance just kept standing in the doorway, watching the scene with wide, confused eyes. He watched as Allura swanned closer to Keith, waxing poetry about his leadership skills. He watched Hunk whip up a fancy feast for Keith. Saw Pidge poking Keith’s mullet and complimenting it.
But nothing happened to Lance. He was the only one unaffected so far. Were the effects already weakening?
“What is going on?” Lance shook his head quickly, blinking. Keith wished it was enough to rid the room of the situation, but it was very real. “Seriously, what?”
Despite himself, Keith’s mouth formed words without his true permission.
“You don’t feel suddenly in love with me, do you?”
A strange, unfamiliar look passed over Lance. “Should I?”
“They all did, I think it was the bug.” He gestured to the gaggle of teammates who were all displaying the strangest symptoms.
How was it that he was the one bitten, but they were suffering?
Lance looked at the team, something flickering through his eyes that looked like fear. He gave an awkward, half-hearted laugh that was more of a huff. “Guess I’m just immune to you, mullet.”
Keith was both relieved and disappointed. The one person he wanted to kiss couldn’t even fall under the spell.
Lance turned awkwardly towards the way he’d just come. “I’m just going to check the data base, maybe we’ll find something.” He was gone a moment later.
Keith sighed. He wasn’t going to get anything done like this.
Lance returned not long later. He looked flushed. Keith watched from where he was curled on the couch with a blanket, warm food and a team all hovering for his every need. Allura had already braided his hair, and Coran was putting on a film for them to watch.
“So, good news or bad news?”
Keith groaned. “Bad news?”
Lance shrugged, dropping onto the couch opposite Keith, alone and away from the team. Keith wasn’t jealous.
He was.
“Trick question. Good news, it’s not lethal. Bad news, it’ll wear off in three days.”
“Three days?” his voice shook, growing in volume, but he couldn’t stop it. He had to avoid all other aliens for three days. They couldn’t fight for three days. They were out of commission. Sitting ducks.
Because of a bug bite.
“It’s not that bad,” Lance said, wincing at Keith’s glare. It wasn’t Lance’s fault, but he was also the only normal one around. “Ok, it’s pretty bad. But maybe it’ll be nice, getting some attention.”
Keith just glared at his red paladin. Why had he fallen for such an idiot? “Easy for you to say.” He grumbled. Then, because he really wanted to know, he asked: “how come you’re not effected?”
Something peculiar did happen then. Keith watched as pink began to dust Lance’s cheeks, eyes darting away. It wasn’t a belated response to the bug, there was no heart shaped pupil.
Lance was blushing for another reason.
“Ah, not sure,” Lance said, coughing slightly.
He was lying.
Keith didn’t have the energy to figure out why.
After three days, his limpets retreated to lick their wounded pride.
They remembered everything.
Keith was horrified. They explained it, they’d all felt as though their baser instincts towards their friend had been amplified. It was all they’d been able to think about, twisted in different ways to become what it was.
Coran had claimed they’d all been very lucky there’d been no one around who fancied men and didn’t have a familial relation with him. Apparently, the bite really could make people act with love – and the physical side effects that came with it.
Interestingly, Coran also commented on those who were immune. Specifically, those who already had strong feelings of genuine love for that person. Genuine romantic love.
Shiro was effected, but the love he felt for Keith was because he was his brother.
Keith noted the absence of a certain red paladin, and sought to fix it.
Lance was in the room, pillow crushed to his chest and looking anywhere that wasn’t Keith. He was relieved Keith had returned to his normal, healthy state, but he looked more upset than Keith would like. Stress lines curved along his face, refusing to meet Keith’s eyes.
“Coran told me why you were immune,” Keith said, careful not to startle his friend. Lance looked seconds away from bolting, or breaking down. Maybe even both.
“I’m sorry,” Lance’s voice was small, broken. Keith’s heart ached. “You were never meant to find out. I won’t let it impact the team.”
Keith frowned, unable to stop himself. Lance wasn’t looking anyway. “Let what?”
Pained eyes met his, creased and desperate. Gone was the cheerful, easy-going boy Keith had so easily fallen for. Lance just had that effect on people.
“Don’t make me say it, please. I swear, it changes nothing.”
It snapped into place like an awful rubber band. Keith blinked. Lance was under the impression that he would reject him? How foolish was this boy? He was supposed to be the observant one.
“When I realised what was happening,” Keith said, ignoring the hurt, the fear, the tension of the room. He took a tentative step forward, closer to the boy he felt so dearly towards. “My thoughts went to you. The one person I couldn’t stand looking at me like Hunk or Allura had. I didn’t want it to be fake.”
Lance’s breath hitched.
“I wanted it to be real, Lance. Because, damn everything and nothing, I fell for you. Don’t ask me how.”
The red paladin gave a weak, hopeful smile. His fingers were practically white on the sheets, gripping them.
Keith closed the distance, taking a confident seat on Lance’s bed. He took one hand, gentle as he could, to cover Lance’s.
“Do you – are you?”
Keith couldn’t stop his own smile. “Yes, Lance. I like you. Romantically.”
Though he’d been hugged a million times in the last three days, this one felt different. It was warm, it was quiet, it was real. It was Keith and Lance, holding each other. He would’ve been quite happy to stay in that moment forever.
Perhaps the bug bite wasn’t the worst thing to happen.