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The ‘love bug’ is not a thing.
The ‘hemaris thysbe’ on the other hand –
“Keith, please,” Lance whines as he buries his heated face on his hands and tries to curl himself into a ball. He knows Keith doesn’t even know what he means by his plead but it’s not like his teammate really puts too much effort in figuring it out.
Instead, Keith chuckles warmly as he shakes his head with fondness and nuzzles his nose against the embarrassed brunet’s temple.
“What? I’m not doing anything.” Keith defends himself calmly, sighing contently after dropping a kiss on Lance’s head. “God, I just - I like you so much.”
“Guuys,” Lance cries to the team, knowing full well that his teammate is beyond reasoning by now. He grunts pitifully when Keith tries to brings him out of his hiding place behind his hands. “Keith, stoop .”
“I’m working on it,” Pidge huffes in irritation, an annoyed pout on her lips as she types on her tablet. “Forgive me for not having an encyclopedia about alien bugs.”
Hunk snorts next to her, several bottles lined up on the ground in front of him as he mixes some of them together and then passes them to Coran for him to approve. “I mean, at least the bug just made Keith cuddly and didn’t, you know, kill him.”
“No but I’m the one being murdered instead,” Lance grumbles, finally lifting his head up just to push away Keith’s tries of cupping his face. “And I didn’t even get showered – Keith, no , give me my hand back – by the quiznacking butterfly’s pee!”
Coran looks up, blinking innocently. “Well, not a ‘buther-flay’, per say, Number Four –”
“Wow, just wow.”
“– the hemaris thysbe creature is a type of ‘bug’, if I remember your term correctly. They’re quite friendly and very well loved by tourists, as a matter of fact.”
“Well, I’m a tourist and I’m not loving it,” Lance snaps annoyed, blinking in surprise when Keith abruptly stops his patting on top of his head and stares down at him with a sad look on his face.
“Should I leave then?” he asks quietly in a small voice. It’s doesn’t sound right, even less so coming from Keith himself. It makes Lance’s chest to squeeze tight with guilt.
He’s so weak for this guy.
Lance sighs, shaking his head in resignation before he reaches for Keith’s hand, stroking his knuckles briefly as reassurance and then puts it back on his head.
He tries to look nonchalantly when his heart goes haywire at the beaming smile Keith gives him as reward.
“It’s not so bad, Lance,” Shiro tries to comfort weakly on the other side of their camp. The older man offers a small smile when the brunet turns to him. “I mean, you guys are already dating, no?”
Lance flushes deeply at the words. “Well, we, uh, haven’t really talked about - about, uh, titles or anything or - uh, yeah.”
“But you liiike each other,” Hunk sing-songs from his spot, his grin turning cheeky when his best friend glares at him. “And you both knooow it.”
“Stop that.”
“What? He does like you,” Hunk shrugs, passing another bottle to Coran and pouts when the altean shakes his head. “The hemaris thysbe don’t do feelings. They just, ya know, increase in amount the highest chemicals the body has been producing on the last 36 hours.”
“And, apparently, Keith has been really really happy lately,” Pidge snickers, shooting a sly smile towards Lance, wiggling her eyebrows.
“He has, yes,” Krolia agrees easily, cheek pressed on her palm as she sits near Lance and Keith and stares at the sight of her son hugging his teammate tightly. “My son doesn’t share much but he has told me how happy he feels around you, Blue Paladin.”
“Yes, yes I am,” Keith confirms strongly as he wraps his arms around Lance’s collar bone from behind and hugs him tight enough to keep him close but not to suffocate.
Lance snorts but he doesn't even try to hide the shy happy smile that grows on his lips at the words. “Yeah, well,” he whispers quietly for himself and Keith only as he reaches and strokes his teammate’s forearm fondly. “I am too.”
Coran claps his hands from his place on the ground, throwing a thumb up towards the pair. “Do not even worry, Number four –”
“God.”
“– Princess Allura and Lady Romelle should not take much longer with the hemaris thysbe!”
“And once we get the bug, and get a sample of its pee, we can make the antidote,” Pidge adds with a sigh, finally dropping her tablet and giving it to Coran. “Okay, Coran, I managed to balance Keith’s chemicals until then so he doesn't get too overwhelm with them that may cause him a seizure or something.”
“What? ” Lance shrieks, his hand on Keith’s forearm tightening instinctively.
“Calm down, it’s under control.” Pidge snorts, flopping herself on the ground like a starfish. “Lover boy will be fine.”
Coran nods as he writes down Pidge’s notes on the machine before him. “Indeed he will, just a small spray of this and Number Three –”
“Ugh.”
“– will have a steady healthy heartbeat until we get the real antidote!”
“Oh, okay,” Lance sighs in relief, relaxing his shoulders and leaning against Keith’s chest unconsciously. He doesn’t notices his position until he feels someone nuzzling their face on top of his head. “ Keith .”
“What?” Keith asks softly and Lance can hear the smile on his face.
He limits himself to roll his eyes, sighing resigned.
“You can act like this is hell for you all you want, Lance,” Pidge cackles from her place on the ground, turning her head to face the brunet with a mischievous grin. “But we all know you’re enjoying this.”
“I just - I feel like I’m cheating on him...with himself,” Lance mumbles, frowning in confusion before he shakes his head. “And we’re not even dating!”
“Yet,” Shiro coughs, waving innocently when the brunet shots him a glare.
“I just don’t want him to do or say something he may regret later,” Lance confesses softly, looking up to catch the edge of Keith’s chin dropped on top of his head. “I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable because of this that may lead him to shut down or push me away.”
“He won’t, Blue Paladin,” Krolia comforts, offering a gentle smile towards the brunet. “My son’s affections for you are far greater than any humiliation or embarrassment that he may have to endure.”
Lance smiles hopeful. “You think so?”
Shiro nods. “Believe us, kiddo, he won’t,” he says warmly before he grins cheekily. “I mean, he may not see you in the eye for at least three movements, but he will definitely still hold your hand. He told me it’s his favorite thing.”
“You are a snitch!” Keith grumbles, lifting his head briefly just to glare at his brother before shrugs, softening his expression, and then buries his face on the crook of Lance’s neck. “But, yes, he’s right, it is my favorite thing.”
“Good to know,” Lance mumbles softly with an amused smile.
Hunk laughs good heartily as he stands up and dust his pants off. “See? It’s not so bad as you thought, buddy! It’s not like he can get even crazier, by Keith’s standards, than this!”
And there’s the jinx.
“Hunk, you fool,” Pidge hisses an hour later as she drags her hands down her face, shaking her head when the older teen shrugs helplessly next to her.
“Ok, so, he can get crazier, by Keith’s standards. Sue me.”
“I might.”
Lance ignores them both, his eyes never leaving his partner’s own as Keith continues to drag him around their campground, pulling him closer at every twirl they make.
“I wanna know what love is,” Keith sings loudly, a beaming smile spreading over his face as he continues to waltz around with Lance in his arms. “I want you to show me! ”
Lance rolls his eyes but can’t help the happy laugh that leaves him when his something continues to sing to him only. It’s cheesy but Lance holds on to the moment as tight as he holds Keith’s hand.
He hopes they get more moments like this after the ‘not love bug’ ordeal is over.
“I want to feel what love is,” Lance joins in on the second chorus, his voice quieter and not overpowering Keith’s own. He wants to keep it between them. “I know you can show me .”
Keith follows his lead right after, gaze softening along with his steps. “I've got nowhere left to hide,” he sighs contently and leans towards Lance’s touch when the brunet cups his cheek gently. “It looks like love has finally found me.”
Lance beams as he continues to hum the rest of the song softly, thumb stroking the pale skin before he leans forward and presses his forehead against Keith’s own.
He notices from the corner of his eye the arrival of both Allura and Romelle, coming out from the jungle’s edge, but Lance’s attention is solely focused on the bright lovely smile on his partner’s face.
The team lets them be for two more songs.