Chapter Text
Something in Keith sings as he throws his arms around Shiro’s neck and pulls him closer, pulls Shiro back on top of him and feels his big, strong body all along his own as the kiss goes on and on, turns into more and more.
Shiro is so, so good, the best alpha and person Keith has ever met, and he thinks Keith is good.
He called Keith perfect.
Keith doesn’t think he’s ever had someone care about him like this. Or certainly not in a long, long time.
Keith makes a little forlorn noise when they part, panting, but he’s gratified to see that Shiro looks just as affected as Keith feels. He’s flushed, eyes blown, and when he looks down at Keith from the cage of his arms, his smile is…
So warm.
Keith trills at the sight of it, and the feeling of being surrounded by Shiro’s touch and scent. Shiro’s eyes light up at the sound, and he leans back down to press another kiss to Keith’s mouth. “I love it when you do that.” Another kiss. “That you’re comfortable enough to do that.”
More praise, always heartfelt, always sincere, and Keith thinks he might actually burst from happiness. He’s in heat and it’s okay. He’s in heat with another person and it’s okay.
He’s not worried about not being listened to, or being pushed into something he doesn"t want, or having his needs ignored.
He’s even producing slick... and he’s not terrified of the consequences.
Shiro did all that. And Shiro’s here. Wants to be here, with him. Wants to take care of Keith and seems to be enjoying it.
For once… pleasure is taking a backseat to fear.
Keith gazes up at Shiro and his smile might be shy because of what he’s saying, but it’s honest. “You make me comfortable. You make me feel safe.”
Shiro sucks in a breath. “Yeah?”
And maybe…
Maybe Keith isn’t the only one, who likes hearing things like that. “Yeah. Yeah, you… you’re good too. A good person and a…” he licks his lips. “And a good alpha.”
Shiro swallows audibly, and Keith delights in it. That Shiro is affected too, by this. By what’s happening. Yet he still doesn’t move to take.
Keith lifts up to nuzzle at the hollow of Shiro’s throat, letting out another little trill. “Best alpha.”
Shiro shudders, scent going smoky. There were notes of smoke before, but now it blooms like a lit match. “I… I’m glad you think so. I want to be good for you. I want to make this as good as I can.”
“You are,” Keith tells him, meaning it with all of himself. “You’re making it so much easier. So much better. I’m glad that you’re here. I’m glad you’re with me.”
With every word he says, Shiro gets more focused, and being the object of such intensity is thrilling instead of terrifying. Keith’s in heat and an alpha wants him. A good alpha is sharing it with him. Shiro’s…
Keith swallows and pokes at it as the heat simmers under his skin, as slick continues to dribble out of him, making his underwear tacky. “My alpha?”
“Fuck,” Shiro whispers. He looks at Keith with such adoration that it makes Keith squirm. “Yes, yeah. Yeah, baby, yours. Your alpha.”
Hearing it from someone he wants so much to hear it from is something else. Keith’s never felt this way before ever, and the heat in him boils over in a way it never has.
He clutches at the thin fabric of Shiro’s undershirt and arches up underneath him, crying out, the sudden influx of need taking him wholly by surprise.
There is motion, and then one of Shiro’s arms is pressing down and curling underneath Keith’s back, bringing them as flush together as they possibly can be, like this. “There you go,” Shiro says. His voice is hoarse but steady. “There you go, baby, good. Good.”
After hours and hours of build-up, the dam in Keith finally bursts and he writhes on the bedspread, legs falling open on instinct, making him gasp. “Shiro I want--but I don’t think I--”
“What do you want, baby?” Shiro kisses Keith’s neck, making Keith throw his head back to expose more of his throat. “What do you want to do? That’s what we’ll do. Nothing more, nothing less.”
God, it’s exactly what Keith needs to hear and he whimpers at the words, said so sweetly. Whimpers again when Shiro continues to mouth at his neck, taking advantage of the open invitation. “Whatever you want,” Shiro murmurs against his skin. “Just tell me. Can you tell me, Keith?”
“I-I-” Need pushes past embarrassment, but he still stumbles over his words. “Not… not in me. I’m sorry, I can’t--I don’t think I--”
Shiro shushes him before Keith can cry in frustration at what his body wants but his brain won’t let him have. “That’s fine, sweetheart. That’s okay. Don’t apologize. What else will help you?”
“Maybe…” Keith takes a lungful of air. “Maybe if you…” he doesn’t know how to say it, just splays his legs wider and whines at the emptiness, the openness--
But Shiro, fuck, Shiro seems to understand. He slots a leg between each of Keith’s own, putting just enough of a pressure there for Keith to feel it, to give him something to move against.
Praise drips off Shiro’s tongue as Keith grinds against him, chasing this heavy, hot feeling like lighting under his skin. “That’s good, Keith. That’s perfect. You’re doing so good, so perfect for me… god, my perfect little omega.”
Keith sobs at his alpha’s words, at his scent enveloping them, mixing with Keith’s own. It’s become something redolent and heady, making Keith feel drunk on it. His hips work under their own volition as Shiro takes his mouth.
Tasting him again, desiring him and letting Keith do just what he wants and no more.
“There you go,” Shiro pants when they part. Keith… Keith thinks he might be dripping onto Shiro’s nice pants but Shiro doesn"t seem to care. He seems to like it. “That’s so good. Just let go, sweetheart. That’s it. There you go, come on.”
Keith’s hand desperately seeks out Shiro’s own, and Shiro takes it, lacing their fingers together and pressing them down into the bedspread. safe held wanted safe desired encompassed
“Come on, love,” Shiro coaxes. “Come on, that’s it.”
yours
Keith whites out.
***
He comes to to the feeling of being cradled, and blinks through cotton-candy darkness to open his eyes.
They’ve moved, Shiro sitting up with his back against the wall, with Keith nestled in his lap, held securely against Shiro’s chest. From what he can tell, when he tilts his head up, is that Shiro’s own eyes are closed.
They open though, once Shiro feels him shift. “Hey,” he says quietly, smiling softly down at him. “How are you feeling?”
Keith takes inventory. He’s tired and… sticky, but he doesn’t hurt, nor does he feel overcome with desperation, and the heat seems banked for now. “Pretty good,” he rasps. “How are you?”
“Pretty good,” Shiro replies, lips quirked in amusement now. “Better than that, maybe. Really happy? On top of the world?”
Keith ducks his head, blushing. It’s strange to hear Shiro so earnest still, without the heat of the moment.
“Hey, hey,” Shiro lifts his chin. “None of that. Don’t be embarrassed. You were perfect. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“Yeah, well, um… you too. Thanks for… thanks.”
“My pleasure,” Shiro says, before pressing a cool kiss to Keith’s forehead. “Now you should definitely drink something, probably eat something. And maybe… do you want to wash up?”
Keith swallows and yeah, yeah, his throat is really dry. “Water would be good.” also wow, he’s really hungry too, all of a sudden. “And dinner?”
Another smile. “Good plan. And since Hunk brought us food, that’s taken care of. Plus, bonus, Hunk is a really good cook.”
“Can we… can we eat here?” Keith asks hopefully. He doesn"t know if he’s up to leaving his nest yet.
“Sounds perfect,” Shiro says. “I’ll go get everything. Sit tight?”
“Yeah, okay. Thank you.”
Keith is loath to move, but it’s either just Shiro leaves the nest, or they both do. He feels a little bereft once he climbs off of Shiro’s lap, and flushes at the next thought that comes unbidden to his mind about just… being in Shiro’s lap.
Food seems like a better idea, over addressing that thought with himself.
Shiro comes back with water first, which Keith downs, handing back the glass for Shiro to refill. Shiro does so, before pulling out several bottles of water from the forgotten suitcase, which he leaves right next to Keith’s bed, within easy reach.
When Shiro comes back next, it’s with two plates piled with food that smells incredible. He hands one to Keith, who takes it gratefully.
He’s… possibly disappointed that they can’t eat together the way they were before, but he understands why it makes sense to eat like regular people. Besides, he’s actually hungry for the first time all day, so he eats quickly.
Probably he wouldn’t have even had the patience to be hand fed.
“This is really, really good,” he says once he comes up for air. It’s an amazing stir-fried rice dish, with some sort of sweet potato mash on the side. It’s an unusual combination of flavors for him, but ultimately delicious.
Shiro grins. “Yeah, Hunk’s food is the best. I’ll pass along your compliments, if you want me to? It’ll probably make him really happy.”
Keith swallows his mouthful, shyness coming back. It’s weird to think of how Shiro’s friend knows about him.
But in the end, Hunk was… nice. More than nice--Keith is pretty astonished, now, how much he didn’t react to having a strange alpha show up at his door. But he guesses that that speaks to how much he trusted Shiro.
And how much Hunk didn’t set off any radars. “Yeah,” he ends up saying. “That, uh, that’d be good.” If nothing else, Hunk certainly deserves to be given compliments.
Shiro’s grin grows softer. “He’ll be glad to know you’re doing okay, too. He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, um. That’s fine. You can… you can tell him I’m okay.”
“I will.”
Under Shiro’s watchful eye, Keith finishes his whole plate along with a bottle of water. He doesn’t think he’s imagining how satisfied Shiro looks when Keith says that he’s done.
“Do you want anymore?”
Keith shakes his head. “I’m full for now. Thanks, though.” And there, just there--a satisfied gleam in Shiro’s eye.
“Okay,” is all Shiro says. “Let me get your plate.”
Keith hands it over and shuffles around in his nest, feeling restless while Shiro takes the dishes to the kitchen. He’s full enough, but he doesn’t feel done yet, and it’s an annoying niggle that’s just loud enough to be a bother.
He scowls, trying to bat it away inside his brain. He doesn’t want any negativity to come back. He wants to just enjoy what he’s got in peace.
Except the fact that Shiro keeps leaving, even though he keeps coming back, is… hard. As is the fact that they ate separately.
“What’s wrong?”
Startled, Keith jerks his head up at Shiro’s voice, not realizing that he’d returned. “Nothing.”
“Keith...”
Keith huffs and shakes his head. “Nothing important.”
Shiro slides back into the nest. He’s holding a little blue tupperware container. “Could you tell me anyway?”
Keith shrugs. “I don’t know, I just… I feel… empty.” He flushes. “N-not like--just…” Another huff. “I don’t know.” Shiro is still so far away, even though they’re knee to knee, and he doesn’t like it. But he doesn’t want to be greedy.
Shiro goes to sit back against the wall again, setting the tupperware down next to him on the bed. “Why don’t we start with this then,” he says, and holds out his arms.
Keith chirps at the invitation, the noise coming to him as a complete surprise. Mortified, he covers his mouth. “Sorry.”
Shiro shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry. I like it. I…” he swallows, then smiles ruefully. “I like it a lot.”
Still red, Keith crawls forward and settles into Shiro’s lap. Immediately the buzzing starts to fade, and when Shiro winds a strong arm around his waist and anchors him there, he chirps again. “Fuck, I--”
Shiro kisses his temple. “I love it. I fucking love hearing you sound so happy. It shows you’re relaxed with me, and…” he takes a deep breath. “It makes me happy too.”
“Oh,” Keith says quietly.
Giving into the desire, he cuddles up close, and he can feel Shiro relax as he does so.
Another kiss, and then Shiro takes the lid off the tupperware with his free hand, showing the contents to Keith. It’s a mixed fruit salad: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and grapes.
Keith blinks up at Shiro, uncertain. “You… you want to feed me again?”
Shiro picks a grape out of the container, green--Keith’s preferred--and offers it. “If you’re not too full, yet. I’d like to.”
I’d like to. Shiro wants to. His alpha still wants to take care of him… and is enjoying doing so.
The trill he lets out at that is way more embarrassing than the chirps, but he tries not to mind, because Shiro’s expression becomes downright doting. Instead he just opens his mouth and lets Shiro feed him the grape.
At once warmth flows through him, liquid contentment, and he melts against Shiro’s body, purring starting up again as Shiro presses berry after berry to his lips.
When the container is empty and Keith’s mouth and Shiro’s fingers are both red-stained, Shiro bends down to kiss the sweetness off Keith’s tongue.
He gets a little lost in the kissing, head going blissfully blank, fuzzy around the edges in a way that’s pleasant instead of disconcerting. Shiro smells amazing and holds Keith just right, and Keith’s pretty sure he’s the luckiest person in the world, right now.
Shiro chose him.
And not just today. Shiro chose to talk to him first, to try to befriend him, to ask him to breakfast. Shiro was the one who chose to be friendly but unthreatening, to pay attention to Keith’s tells, and to keep his distance when Keith needed it.
Keith doesn’t think he’s ever felt so known before. Most amazingly is that he also doesn’t mind it.
Eventually though, he can’t ignore a discomfort that keeps trying to make itself known and the hand he has fisted in Shiro’s shirt flattens to gently push Shiro away.
Shiro moves back immediately, and Keith finds himself again overcome with relieved satisfaction. If he says stop, Shiro will.
“What’s up?” Shiro asks, smiling down at him. Keith’s glad he doesn’t seem concerned. Maybe it’s because it’s clear Keith isn’t panicking. He likes it. Likes that Shiro wants to ask after him even when Keith isn’t overly upset.
Keith sighs. It’s not something he wants to admit but, “I, uh… I need to clean up, I think.” He’s still dripping, and he’s pretty sure his slick production only increased while he and Shiro were kissing. It’s not something he’s ever had to deal with before.
He shifts uncomfortably, which makes Shiro glance down at him, and Keith’s face flames as he sees his pajama bottoms, now darker with dampness at the crotch and thighs. Fuck, no wonder he’s feeling sticky and gross.
“Yeah,” Shiro says understandingly. “Of course.” He gives Keith another smile, this one a touch rueful. “Would you like to clean up by yourself?”
Keith stares at him. That sounds almost like Shiro wants to help.
Shiro must interpret his expression somehow, because he holds up his hands. “I’d love to wash you,” he says, confirming Keith’s thoughts. “But I also know that that’s, ah, a big step.”
Keith nods wordlessly. It is. It would be. He doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle being naked around Shiro right now, even if he wants it.
God, the idea of being bathed sounds so good though. He doesn’t--he doesn’t want to miss out. “I…”
Shiro shakes his head. “I’d love to,” he says again. “But your comfort matters first, okay? Maybe… maybe another time. Later.”
“Right,” Keith says, throat dry at the prospect of a future possibility. “Later.”
He makes a split-second decision to lean in and initiate his own kiss, just a brush of lips over Shiro’s cheek.
Maybe when it’s later he’ll be more self-assured in making the first move when it comes to affection, but by the way Shiro beams at him as Keith clambers out of his bed, Keith deems his first attempt a success.
He grabs a pair of briefs and shorts to change into once he’s done with his shower. Shorts are comfortable, he’s warmer with Shiro around anyway, and, though he flushes to think about it, he’s hoping that two layers will help. He doesn’t even own any slick pads to deal with the flow, having never needed them before.
Possibly he should maybe... maybe look into that. Maybe. If he’s thinking about the future.
As he closes his bathroom door behind him and shucks his clothes, wrinkling his nose at the mess, the thought won’t let go. Later. After. The Future. Even “tomorrow.”
Or “tonight.”
What happens?
He soaps himself down and rinses off quickly, trying to keep from getting his hair wet since he doesn’t want to deal with it drying again, the thought circling around and around in his head.
It hasn’t stopped by the time he exits the shower, no steam built up because he was barely under the spray for five minutes.
Shiro looks up from his phone and smiles. “Welcome back.”
“You changed clothes,” Keith says dumbly. Shiro’s not wearing his undershirt or his suit pants anymore. Instead he’s in a white tank top and a pair of loose flannel bottoms.
“Hope that was okay,” Shiro says, laughing just a little. “I thought it might be nice to get out of the rest of my dress clothes. Do you mind?”
As if Keith even should have a say on what clothes Shiro wears. Plus, he is not complaining about Shiro’s biceps on full display. He shakes his head. “Of course not. Probably it’s more comfortable than a suit anyway.” He shuffles his feet. “Sorry, I should have thought of that.”
“You had other things on your mind,” Shiro says kindly.
“A little, yeah.”
Another chuckle. “That’s how it works. It’s okay.” He holds up his phone. “I called into work for tomorrow, but I told them I might need a couple of days, just in case.”
Keith’s eyes widen. He hadn’t even thought about work. Shit. “Oh, y-yeah. That’s… that’s a good idea.” That’s something he definitely needs to do.
He hunts down his phone and stares at it. He’s pretty sure he needs to at least call off for tomorrow. But he has no idea what’s going to happen between then and Monday, when he has his doctor’s appointment. He’s got Sunday off, so that’s something, but…
“I don’t know how long I…”
“If you can,” Shiro suggests gently, “it might be better to be safe than sorry. You’ve said you haven’t had a heat in years, right?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Then if you can maybe give yourself some time, it might be better. If not just for the heat itself, but time to recover from it. Heat and rut can take a lot out of a person.”
Keith nods shakily, gripping his phone. “Right, yeah. That makes sense.”
It’s nerve wracking to make the phone call, but he cites “sick” and backs it up with the fact that he has an official doctor’s appointment on Monday. No one asks him any questions or anything, which is good because Keith has no idea how he’d have handled that.
When he hangs up, he turns, and Shiro is right there, holding out his arms. Keith wastes no time burying his face in Shiro’s chest and relishing Shiro’s arms coming up to encircle him.
“There you go,” Shiro says quietly, nuzzling into his hair. “You did it. Good job.”
Keith takes a deep inhale of air and Shiro’s scent and calms again, thinking once more about how lucky he got, with Shiro.
He hopes that he’ll be able to do this sort of stuff for Shiro, too. In whatever way he can. He’s been doing a lot of taking. Though Shiro seems happy to give, Keith is looking forward to when his heat is over and they’re on more even ground.
Shiro has taken such good care of him. And he brought up later.
Keith hopes that extends to after his heat, not just after tonight.
He really wants it to.
“You, um, you said you would call in for more time off?” Keith asks, once they’re back in his nest and wrapped up in each other.
“I did,” Shiro says easily. “I’m happy to do that now, if you want.”
Keith steels himself. “And… after?”
“After?” Shiro asks. A pause. “You mean after your heat is over?”
Keith nods.
Shiro’s arms tighten minutely before they loosen again. “I hope you’d like to see me again.” His voice is quiet.
And that’s…
What--?
“Of course I do,” Keith says in a rush, probably a bit too loudly. “Shiro, I--of course. I mean. If you want to. I-I’d like to. Keep seeing you.”
Shiro exhales and, Keith realizes, looks relieved. Like he’s been worrying about it. “I… I wasn’t sure if you’d want me, after you no longer needed me.”
Keith rears back. “That’s--Shiro that’s stupid!”
Shiro huffs a laugh, sounding a little too sad for Keith’s tastes. “It wouldn’t have been, if it were true.”
Keith scowls at him.
Shiro’s expression stays sad as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind Keith’s ear.
“This was an incredibly rough day for you. Heats are hard. Surprise heats are even harder. And things haven’t been easy for you ever, from what I’ve been able to gather. I would understand if you want to put all this behind you, and me with it.”
“You make it easier,” Keith says, grabbing Shiro’s hand with both of his. “You’re right. Things, um, things have sucked. But not the parts with you. You make it easier.”
Shiro swallows. “I’m… I’m really happy to hear that.”
Keith brings Shiro’s hand to his mouth to kiss his knuckles, proud of the way the gesture makes Shiro gasp. He rubs his cheek against Shiro’s hand and trills. “You make me happy. You’ve been making me happy.”
“Keith, I--”
“Not just today,” Keith says, all his thoughts finally bubbling to the surface. “But for months. Just talking with you and being with you and… all of it. Since we met.”
Shiro’s eyes are wide and awed. “Yeah?”
Keith nods. Quietly adding, “Since you waved at me. I-I knew then. That if I could let myself get to know you, you’d be someone... good. To have in my life.”
Shiro’s next exhale is decidedly shaky. “Oh, Keith.”
“So…” Keith swallows. “After? After today and tomorrow, and after my heat is over. I-I know what I want. What do you want?”
“I want to be with you,” Shiro says at once. Quickly, like an admission. “I want the chance to see you again and keep seeing you. To spend more time with you and keep getting to know you and…”
“And?” Keith asks.
“I want to make good memories,” Shiro whispers. “I want more afters.”
“Me too,” Keith breathes, smiling up at him. “Okay?”
Shiro’s answering smile is shy and watery, but it could rival the sun. “Okay.”