(( *Avril Lavigne screech* wHy'd yOU HAvE to gO aND mAke THinGs So comPliCateD?!))

Shiro had found that Matt was avoiding him even days after what had happened. He figured that he must've been too shy about it to show his face. Or maybe it was just that Shiro wasn't good enough, and that worry was also heavy on his mind.

So he decided to make a business trip to his office at the pharmaceutical headquarters. Why? One, so Matt wouldn't have to race around the mansion to hide. And two, because he had nothing else to do. There weren't any major issues in the mansion that he needed to tend to, and that gave him the green light to continue with his plan to leave.

Right as he was about to take off, Shiro bumped into Adam on his way out of the kitchen. He'd wanted to grab some coffee before heading out, and thankfully it didn't spill during their collision. Adam's drink wasn't so fortunate.

Red spilled all over the floor from Adam's juice. It looked like blood had been pooled all over the place, and Shiro was grateful that it wasn't the real thing. It could've fooled him, though.

" Fuck! My bad." Adam told him, awkwardly smiling while grabbing some paper towels and kneeling down to begin cleaning up. Shiro set his coffee on the kitchen counter before beginning to help.

" Sorry. I didn't see you." Shiro responded while sopping up the red, liquidy drink. It really looked like someone had been murdered in the middle of his kitchen.

Adam looked up at Shiro, seeing that he seemed to be ready to go out. Damn, did his muscles pop thanks to that form fitting shirt. He bit his lip.

" So... where are you off to?" Adam asked.

" The office." Shiro answered. He was oblivious to the way that the other man was staring him down, undressing him with his eyes.

" Mind if I come? I literally have nothing to do anyways." Adam asked, hoping that Shiro might let him accompany him. Wait! What was he thinking?! Was Shiro with someone? He wasn't sure after having seen Matt the other night. Was Shiro off limits?

Well... if Shiro was... he would reject any advances, right? Adam was counting on that. But at the same time, he almost wanted to get with Matt. It was so confusing! God, the gayness was so conflicting sometimes. He couldn't decide if he liked Matt's cuteness, Matt's ginger hair and his pretty sunset orange eyes. Then there was Shiro, and holy damn Adam didn't even need to explain that one. He was eye candy, and nice, and strong, and everything that a man could want.

Shiro shrugged.

" Yeah, I guess so. I don't know what I'm going to do there yet."

Adam had an idea, but he wondered if Shiro would let him get that far. Only time would tell.

...

Keith was in the basement, sketching in his notebook and listening to some rock music. It was Fall Out Boy, one of his very favorite bands in the entire world.

He'd been up for hours already, but had decided to let Lance sleep in. He clearly needed the rest, especially after all the stress that he'd been under. And that's how Keith got away with walking around. Lance wasn't up to reprimand him for it and carry him to wherever his heart desired.

He let his pencil lazily run across the surface of the page, depositing light pigments to what he'd already drawn. It was Lance, a portrait of him. Compared to Keith's first drawing of his boyfriend, this one was very professional and neat. It looked almost exactly like Lance, and Keith hadn't even needed a reference image. He'd memorized his beautiful face, and could draw it without a second thought.

Keith fondly smiled. He missed his job at the tattoo parlor, but at least he didn't need to draw what people told him to. He could let his creativity carry him on a rollercoaster of ideas, and nobody got to say a damn thing about it.

There was the sound of feet thumping down the stairs, and Keith's head turned over his shoulder.

Lance. It was about time that he got up.

" Babyyyyy!" Lance whined once he saw Keith on the couch. He was dragging a blanket along with him as he drowsily made his way over.

Keith felt his heart skip a beat from how hot Lance's bedhead was and how rough morning voice sounded.

" Hm?" The smaller boy hummed.

Lance came around the couch and plopped down onto the cushions.

" Don't do that." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around Keith and pulling him onto his lap.

" Do what?"

" Skip our morning cuddles. I got cold." Lance murmured, kissing at Keith's cheek and nuzzling close to him. " And why are you walking? You shouldn't be."

The deadpan that spread across Keith's face couldn't have been more pronounced.

" I'm fine." He assured Lance, and the taller boy peeked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse at his sketchbook. His facial expression lifted into an impressed one, but it sunk back down into a lovey dovey one soon enough.

" That's amazing..." Lance told Keith, hugging him tighter and more lovingly.

" This?" Keith nodded to the sketchbook. " These are just sketches."

" Oh shut up." Lance mumbled. " You're such a talented artist. Why are you so good at everything?" He asked.

Keith rolled his eyes and chuckled.

" I'm not. You're just biased." The smaller boy responded, and Lance took the sketchbook from him.

" This is going on my wall. It's too perfect to sit in this book and not get the recognition it deserves." Lance announced. Keith facepalmed.

They sat together for a moment silently, both not sure what to say. It wasn't an awkward sort of quiet, only a content one as they cuddled together sweetly.

Keith remembered the previous night, letting the events replay over and over in his head. Had Lance actually meant what he'd said? About... that word?

" Lance..." The shorter boy began after a while.

" Hm?"

" Did you really mean what you told me last night?" Keith asked, turning so he and Lance could make eye contact. After all, it was a more serious discussion than they'd normally have.

Lance's face faded pinker, and his cheeks were especially dusted with the pigment within a few moments.

" Yeah... I did." He admitted, looking off to the side shyly.

Keith was turning red himself from hearing Lance clarify it yet again. The smaller male had thought that love was a word that could only be used after a long time together, after months or even years. But Lance had already used it to describe his feelings for him. It was confusing, and Keith had no clue what to call his own affections for him.

" I've never felt like this about anyone before..." Lance added. Keith didn't know what to say, so he decided to speak through his actions instead of talking. He pressed a kiss on Lance's jawline, then his cheek, and soon at the corner of his lips.

Lance's eyebrows raised from surprise as he felt Keith's lips brush over his own, but he was eventually kissing him back. His boyfriend still hadn't said it back, only dodged speaking about it even after he'd brought it up.

Very gently, Lance turned Keith around in his lap so that he could face him. Their lips continued to meet while Keith's hands ran up Lance's chest. It wasn't a ravenous, hungry sort of touch. Keith was almost... sensual in the way that he caressed Lance.

The taller boy found his hands roaming down Keith's sides to rest on his hips. He slid his hands under the shorter boy's shirt to feel on his soft skin.

Who the hell needed morning cuddles when they could do this?

...

Shiro and Adam had been at the office for hours before deciding to head back. It was at moments like that when Adam felt grateful Shiro had helped him. If he hadn't, he would've been possibly stuck in some dumb cubicle all day. Or even worse, stuck in Lotor's clutches forever.

Being the mansion's second 'maid' was better than anything Lotor had ever assigned him.

That was part of the reason why Adam had such a great admiration for Shiro. He was a respectable guy, a guy that could win over his attractions without even having to try.

As they got back into Shiro's car, Adam looked over at Shiro from the corner of his eye. He didn't want to just come out and say that he was hot. That would've been too straight forward, and if there was anything Adam wasn't, it was that.

Shiro glanced at Adam while starting the car. Was he staring at him? Shiro couldn't tell.

" So... how'd you like the office?" Shiro awkwardly asked, not knowing what else to say. He didn't like the silence that had come to fill his car.

" It was fine I guess." Adam shrugged. " I would feel cooped up if I had to come here everyday, though."

" Yeah, no kidding." Shiro chuckled.

" I'm happy I don't have to." Adam said, letting his hazel eyes soften while he stared at Shiro. Something about him was just so inviting and friendly, despite how tough he seemed at first glance. It was like he was a giant magnet, and Adam felt himself getting pulled in. What was that term called again? A chick magnet? Yeah, more like a dick magnet in Shiro's case.

Shiro blushed a bit without realizing it as Adam looked at him.

" You're welcome?" The larger man said, but it came out sounding like a question.

" I wish I knew how to thank you..." Adam bit his lip.

Was this a hoe move? Adam wasn't sure.

Shiro was completely taken off guard when Adam's hand pulled on his shirt and he leaned over the center console of the car. His eyes widened as the other man kissed him, effectively making Shiro's face boil with fiery blush.

Before Shiro had a chance to pull away and say something, Adam's phone began ringing from his pocket. He drew back, sighing and acting as though he hadn't just done something so impulsive.

What the hell?! Why was every gay guy so into Shiro?! He was speechless as Adam checked his phone.

Adam gasped, and his glasses nearly flew off from how surprised he was. Snatching weaves? Never heard of it. Who was calling was enough to make Adam's glasses want to scram.

" Sh-Shiro..." The other man stammered.

" What?" Shiro managed to utter a word. He was tempted to cover his mouth and look off to the side. He liked Matt! But... he definitely hadn't hated that kiss.

Fuckity fucking shit!

" It's Lotor..." Adam whispered.

Shiro's eyes were huge as he broke from the shock that had come to take over him for a second there.

" Answer it! Put him on speaker!" Shiro exclaimed.

Adam wasn't sure why Lotor would've been calling him, but he went ahead and did what Shiro told him to.

" Hello?" Adam answered, making sure to mute his end so that Lotor wouldn't hear the echo of him being on speaker. Shiro leaned over, narrowing his eyes at the phone.

" Adam... I need you to report back to me." Lotor said from the other side. " I'm assuming you've gained Shiro's trust?"

Adam furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at Shiro, then took the phone off of mute.

" Yeah..." He told Lotor before switching it back.

" Does he think you infiltrated our family on purpose?" Shiro whispered.

" I think so?" Adam said, knowing that Lotor was completely wrong in assuming that.

" Good... I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. When can you meet with me? I need a way to get inside of Shiro's mansion undetected." Lotor explained.

" Shiro, what should I do?" Adam asked him nervously, thankful that Lotor couldn't hear him.

" Go along with it. We can use this." Shiro answered. " Tell him you need some time."

Adam made it so Lotor could hear.

" I'll need some time." Adam said. " A few weeks at least."

" Call me when you have something useful." Lotor told him before hanging up. Adam heaved an took a deep breath once the connection ended. Lotor was such a scary guy.

" Why couldn't I just tell him to piss off?" He asked Shiro.

" Because... if he thinks that you're on his side, we could get enough dirt to finally take him down." Shiro smiled to himself, thinking about every way he could take this and run with it.

Adam glanced down, wondering why his kiss with Shiro had to get ruined by Lotor.

" Can we just go back?" Adam asked.

Shiro's cheeks were still heated up as he nodded and pulled out of the parking stall. What the hell was he supposed to do?! Matt liked him, Adam apparently liked him, and now he was fucking confused.

He'd never had two guys like him at the same time before, and had no clue how to go about handling it. That kiss didn't mean much, did it? What even were he and Matt at that moment? Matt had been avoiding him, refusing to let him talk it through. Shiro couldn't have felt more conflicted about it, so he chose to act like it hadn't even happened.

Why was being gay so complicated?!

Hell, why was Adam so complicated?! Shiro could never really get a read on how he was feeling, and what had just happened proved that much. What would Matt do? Would Matt care? It wasn't like they were together or anything like that.

Adam blushed at his lap while they drove back to the mansion. He couldn't believe that he'd actually gotten to kiss him. Was he pissed that Lotor had interrupted? Yeah. But was he trying to stay positive? Also yes.

Shiro hadn't told him to stop. What did that mean? Did that mean that he was attracted to him back? Adam wasn't sure. At the same time, he had also wondered how Matt felt.

It was clear that Adam didn't really have a 'type'. Matt was a twinky sort of guy, yet he still found him cute and such. Then there was Shiro, who was rock hard muscle and could most likely snap him in half if he wanted to, and Adam could get hard over him at any moment.

That car was overfilled with Gay Panic.

There was so much that Adam wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut for the whole way back. Shiro didn't say much either, and when they pulled back up to the mansion, there still weren't any words spoken.

Shiro needed to figure out what he wanted, and that would've been simple if Adam hadn't pulled that shit out of nowhere. Matt needed to stop avoiding him and being shy so they could actually talk. Adam needed to explain himself.

But for right then, none of that had happened.

Shiro began planning something to distract himself the second they got back, and he planned on getting everyone in the mansion involved. It was about time they had another family outing.

(( The tea, you ask? It hasn't all been spilled yet...))