(( NSFW warning...))

After blood transfusions, an abundance of stitches, bandages, and a couple days of sleep, Keith had been released from the hospital. Shiro and everyone else had eagerly brought him back to the mansion, and escaped any questions about where the cut had come from.

Ever since then, Lance had been waiting on his boyfriend by hand and foot. He blamed himself for letting Keith leave the mansion that night, for not telling Shiro to screw off with that assignment, for not shooting Kinkade sooner.

Keith was supposed to stay off of his leg for a while, that way his stitches could remain intact. Apparently he was very lucky that his important muscles hadn't been severed, otherwise he would've needed surgery just to walk. He was also lucky the doctors stopped the bleeding in time. It was a miracle that his artery was missed.

" Lance..." Keith mumbled.

" Hm?" Lance questioned, holding Keith closer to himself as they cuddled on the bed.

" You've been spooning me for an hour." The smaller boy said, unsure if Lance was okay.

" Yeah? And?" Lance buried his face in Keith's neck, nuzzling closer to him.

Keith sighed and let it happen. Ever since what had happened, Lance had been very excessive. It was like he wouldn't say anything about himself. Anything that came out of his mouth was either about Keith, or how much he valued him.

Even though Lance had some issues he definitely should've been talking through with someone, he suppressed them. The last thing he wanted right then was to burden Keith with any more problems, or make him feel guilty. Lance didn't speak about how shooting Kinkade made him feel, or how wounding James had. He figured it was what he deserved for letting Keith get hurt.

Keith looked down at the bandages around his thigh blankly. He had lost his memory about a lot of what happened. He vividly remembered the feeling of being sliced open, falling to the ground, and then hearing the gunshot that killed Kinkade and saved his life. But after Lance picked him up and took him to that room, everything was subpar at best. He couldn't recall much after that besides waking up in a hospital bed with Lance holding his hand.

" Hey, Lance..." Keith said.

" What?" Lance asked, hugging the smaller boy closer to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and silently thanked everyone and everything that Keith was still there. He could've easily lost him.

" How did you save me?" Keith questioned. He could remember the puddle of blood, and could've sworn that he'd lost too much.

Lance perked up a bit, not even wanting to think about the position he and Keith had been in. But then again, Keith didn't remember. He had a right to know.

" I cut off some of your blood supply so you wouldn't lose all of it." Lance lowly answered. " And I put pressure on the gash."

" How would you know how to do that?" Keith rolled over a bit to face him. He snuggled close to Lance and enjoyed his body's warmth. Everything about Lance was just so comforting. Whether it was his green jacket that Keith currently wore, or his arms around him, Keith always felt better.

" Shiro told me." Lance murmured. " And I'm happy he did, too."

" Oh..." Keith said.

Since they were asking questions, Lance wondered one thing. Had Keith heard him? Had Keith remembered his outburst that declared his love for him?

" Do you remember anything I said to you... while you were on the floor, I mean?" Lance whispered. He had to know. Part of him wanted Keith to know exactly how he'd come to feel, but the other part was terrified and hoped he didn't remember.

Keith thought for a moment. He pondered everything and combed through what was left of his memories for that night.

" No... I don't think so." Keith told him after a while. " Why?" He asked.

" No reason." Lance blushed.

" Bullshit. What is it?" Keith sat up to look him square in the face. Lance was a good liar, and Keith would admit that he wasn't always able to tell, but he knew that Lance was keeping something from him.

" It's nothing, Baby..." Lance smiled at him a little. " I'm just happy you're here. That's all."

Keith folded his arms, not sure if he bought that. He let it slide after Lance smiled at him more, finding that he couldn't not settle down when he did that.

" Do you think we could go downstairs? I want some air." Keith said, feeling rather cooped up. He looked down at his legs, which were mostly bare due to his shorts. His eyes were yet again drawn to the bandage. Oh, how Keith wished that he could get up and walk around. Lance hadn't let him try it, because doctor's orders. He had to wait a day or two yet.

" Sure." Lance answered. He internally breathed a sigh of relief as Keith changed the subject. Maybe some things were better left unknown.

The taller boy got up to circle around the bed and carefully scoop Keith up into his arms. Keith wrapped his arms behind Lance's neck and held himself closer. He leaned his head on him, letting an affectionate and grateful look take over his features.

" Lance..." Keith began. " Thank you for... everything." He turned crimson while speaking. Keith had no clue what he would've done without Lance. He owed him his life and then some.

" Don't mention it." Lance fondly smiled at him, staring into Keith's glistening violet eyes and letting his heart skip a beat. Yeah. There was no doubt about it. Lance had come to love him.

...

The guilt was crushing him, becoming too suffocating for Shiro to take. He was the one who had sent Lance and Keith after Lotor's people. He was the one who couldn't let it go, and put his family members in danger just to make a statement. And because of that, Keith ended up nearly bleeding out. His little brother, his only blood family he had left in the world, was almost lost because of his own, rash and impulsive decision.

And that was why Shiro was in the hot tub, soaking and letting the heat cleanse his body. The bottle of vodka he'd been sipping from was really helping to calm his nerves, even if only temporarily. Though turning to alcohol wasn't a normal coping mechanism for him, Shiro had found that in this particular situation, it helped him a great deal.

" Oh... I didn't realize you were out here..." Someone said from behind him. Shiro looked over his shoulder to see Matt, holding a towel and wearing a baggy pair of swimming trunks.

This time, Matt wasn't being thirsty and following Shiro around. Pidge hadn't just tipped him off about where Shiro was and shoved him out the door, no. He was doing his own thing, thinking that some time in the hot tub might've been nice.

" I guess I didn't see you, either." Shiro said, taking a sip from the bottle that sat near the edge of the bubbling and toasty water. Matt realized that Shiro had been drinking, but it wasn't so much noticeable in his actions quite yet. In no way, shape, or form was Shiro drunk.

Matt got into the hot tub with him, and he groaned quietly from how the water's heat submerged him. There was nothing more relaxing than being slowly boiled in a tub of water, especially with someone as hot as Shiro. Matt bit his lip while seeing that Shiro didn't have a shirt on, and thought about how much of a shame it was that his abs were under water. Maybe his eyes would've just had to wait to catch a better look at them.

Shiro offeringly nodded the bottle at Matt, who shrugged.

" Why not?" He asked while taking a rather big gulp of it. It was about a shot and a half's worth of vodka. For some reason it didn't burn his throat nearly as much as wine did. Was that weird? Probably.

Shiro laughed a little, giggling as he covered his mouth and stared off to the side.

" What?" Matt asked.

" Nothing." Shiro sputtered. " Just how you can't drink a sip of wine but you can throw back a shot without any issues."

" Hey!" Matt exclaimed. " I'm only 22! I haven't been drinking for as long as you have..." He said, fake pouting.

" You make me sound like such an old guy." Shiro chuckled. " Last time I checked, I'm 26."

Matt blushed a bit and smiled. The red that had come to stain his cheeks arguably could've been from the heat of the hot tub, but Matt knew it wasn't.

" So..." Matt awkwardly began. " Why are you out here? It's kind of late."

Shiro knew that Matt wasn't wrong about the time. It was dark out, and stars had been dotted in the sky above the mansion. There wasn't much for moonlight, but the sky had a stunning hue even in spite of it.

" I..." Shiro looked down. " I just needed to get my head on straight." He spoke.

Matt slammed a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

" You? Straight?" He asked him while holding back most of his giggles.

" Never in a million years." Shiro remarked.

" I'm sorry... continue." Matt gestured for Shiro to keep talking, silently promising him that he'd shut up.

" Well..." Shiro sighed. " Ever since Keith got hurt... I've been feeling pretty shitty. It's all my fault."

Matt's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

" Hey." He put a hand on Shiro's shoulder. " Keith doesn't blame you for what happened. He would never."

Shiro took another large drink from the bottle.

" It doesn't matter if he blames me or not... it's still my fault that he almost died. How awful would that have been? By a cut on his thigh?" Shiro rambled. He couldn't process his guilt the right way, and it wasn't just a bad feeling anymore. It was more like unadulterated self loathing. The drinking only helped progress it.

He felt like he could trust Matt after everything they'd been through. That was why Shiro had a very limited filter while sitting there.

" If all you do is replay what happened you'll never move past it. Keith is okay, Shiro. That's all that matters." Matt told him.

Shiro wanted to argue that it was about more than that, but something about the soft look on Matt's face prevented him from doing so.

" You're right... let's talk about something else." Shiro stared down.

" Like?" Matt questioned.

" I don't know. What makes you happy?" Shiro asked, just wanting to rid himself of the bad vibes. He wasn't one to stay on negative topics if he didn't have to, even if it felt like he should've been punishing himself.

" Vines." Matt smirked after thinking for a moment. Shiro smiled, feeling like his mood had been saved.

" Two bros chillin' in the hot tub, five feet apart 'cause they're not gay." Shiro said in a song-songy voice. He snorted and giggled a bit. The alcohol must've been kicking in. Matt was beginning to see that he was tipsy.

" But... we're not even a foot apart. And we are gay." Matt laughed a bit.

Many references and many drinks later, Shiro and Matt were nothing more than two hiccuping and wasted guys who happened to have about zero space between them. Their thighs were touching from how closely they were seated.

They were lucky that the hot tub hadn't cooked them alive by then. Didn't they have time limits? Meh.

Matt didn't usually drink until he was tipsy, let alone drunk. But there he was, doing exactly that for the first time in forever.

" We should head inside." Matt finally said.

" Yeah, probably." Shiro mumbled, laughing for absolutely no reason. He stood up, and the water cascaded down his body at first. It slowed to dripping after a couple seconds, and Matt was a complete mess while watching him get out.

Shiro's muscles were enough to make guy in his position quake. Like... damn. There were no other ways to describe Shiro's body other than saying he was goals. Even drunk Matt knew that much. The only problem was that drunk Matt didn't know how to think things as opposed to saying them aloud.

" Hot..." Matt exhaled, whispering somewhat.

Shiro looked down at him with a tiny smirking expression. And Matt's eyes widened as he scrambled out of the pool

" My body's hot! From the water!" He tried to save himself. " N-not you! I-I didn't mean-"

Matt slipped a bit, and Shiro caught him before he could fall back into the tub. He was clearly suffering from a case of something called: Gay Panic.

" Matt." Shiro snickered. He didn't bother denying it anymore. Booze had a way of letting people cut loose and stop lying to themselves.

" Huh?!" Matt exclaimed, feeling Shiro's hands on his bare torso and turning as red as a strawberry.

" It's fine." Shiro told him, leaning down a bit. He smiled, and Matt was on the verge of imploding on himself once Shiro kissed him. Hold up- what?! Was this actually happening? Matt couldn't tell at first if this was all some sort of drunken hallucination.

Steam was billowing off of their bodies as they stood in the cold air. The hot tub had warmed them up enough where the chilly fall temperatures had no effect right away.

Shiro had been feeling things for a while, and like any rational adult, he'd been keeping them on the down low for the sake of everyone else. But his rationale had been shoved into the backseat as the alcohol took the lead.

His hands slid down to rest on Matt's hips as Matt stood there stiff as a board. Eventually the initial shock mellowed and Matt settled into the contact. Shiro tasted like vodka and something else Matt couldn't identify. It was definitely pleasant, though.

" You were saying about heading inside?" Shiro pulled back to ask. Matt's eyes lidded as he stood on his toes and kissed him again. If Shiro thought that was all he wanted, he was very mistaken.

The two sank into each other, melting and letting their lips combine together in a sloppy, inebriated way. It didn't take long before they were stumbling inside the mansion, tripping up the stairs, and fumbling with the handle on Shiro's bedroom door.

What the actual fuck were they doing?! Who even had a clue at that point?

Matt felt his insides tingling with the sweet buzz of alcohol as he and Shiro fell onto the bed. The butterflies in his stomach made the sensation almost ticklish as they made out.

Shiro was over him soon enough, and Matt felt began laughing to himself while his neck was kissed. Shiro's lips dragging across his neck and leaving hickeys made him shiver.

" What's so funny?" Shiro snickered, breathing down Matt's neck and nipping under his jawline. Matt's giggling ceased, leveling into a gasp of sorts.

" Sh-Shiro... can I?" Matt pressed his knee in between Shiro's legs while slurring. His member was visible through the damp swim trunks, more than visible, actually. It was begging to be seen, and the outline of it was mercilessly taunting Matt.

Shiro groaned from the friction, pulling Matt into another split second kiss. Sober Shiro would've been completely flustered in that situation, blushing and nearly unable to speak. But this Shiro? Oh, this one had zero shame.

" Go ahead~" Shiro purred. " But in here... it's Takashi..." He mumbled drunkenly. Matt furrowed a brow at first, but didn't decide to think about it much. It must've been an arousal thing for him.

Matt's eyes were glazed over and intoxicated as he circled his knee around Shiro's crotch.

That was all it took for Shiro to roll and lay on his back for him. Matt blushed and swallowed harshly while moving in between Shiro's legs. The illumination in there was dim, since they hadn't bothered to flip on the lights. But even the outline of Shiro's cock was intimidating.

Matt had no doubt in his mind that Shiro had the biggest cock in the mansion, maybe even in the city. Lucky him.

Matt might've wanted to slap his past self in the morning, but that didn't stop him from tugging down Shiro's trunks. Watching his cock spring up was something Matt had been anticipating for however long, but he hadn't expected it to happen like this.

He wrapped his hand around Shiro's member, wondering how the actual fuck it was real. Matt was visibly shaken by the girth, size, everything about it.

Shiro nearly lost his shit laughing at Matt's reaction.

Matt moved his hand up and down, pumping Shiro's cock at a painstakingly slow pace. His inexperience was blatant, but Shiro went with it. The very much larger man only stifled a groan.

After licking his lips, Matt leaned down and decided to give his best shot at it. With his gag reflex, there was no way in hell he'd fit all of it in. His throat had a limit, and Shiro's cock had exceeded it by a lot.

He licked experimentally up the shaft, leaving a sticky trail of saliva in his wake. Matt definitely didn't hate the way Shiro tasted. Drunk Matt didn't really have grievances about anything.

Shiro's hand traveled downward to tangle in Matt's ginger hair as he proceeded to wrap his lips around the tip. Compared to his cock, Matt's lips were tiny and soft. Shiro got off on that more than he'd ever admit to, sober or drunk.

" Shit..." Shiro slurred, and Matt felt a spark inside of himself while hearing him say it. He kept going, sucking and bobbing his head a bit. His tongue swirled all around the head, wetting and massaging it.

Matt took Shiro in as far as he could, and he was about two inches away from reaching the base before he choked a bit. His gag reflex wasn't awful or anything, but it was still there unfortunately. He pulled off, keeping his hand wrapped around Shiro's girth and pumping what he couldn't fit.

Shiro brushed Matt's bangs from his face while moaning. If he didn't remember this in the morning, he would've been very disappointed.

...

It was hours later in the night by the time Matt shot awake. He was in Shiro's bed, laying beside him. And oh... he was naked?! His eyes widened while he held his head and groaned. The whole front of his face was aching as he sat there.

It all came flooding back. Well, some of it. Matt couldn't recall where he'd lost his swim trunks.

He looked down at Shiro, seeing that he was sleeping like a rock. It made sense, after all he'd drank way more than Matt himself had. It didn't take much to make Matt drunk after all. The effects wore off sooner for him.

Matt stumbled up from the bed, blushing and covering his mouth. Shiro and him had done what?! Had they actually fucked?! He couldn't remember, so Matt could only rely on Shiro's memory come morning.

He grabbed a blanket from one of Shiro's arm chairs after being unable to locate his trunks. Matt covered himself with it while sneaking out of Shiro's room. Cringe rippled across his face when the door made a rather loud clicking noise.

The tiptoeing Matt did wasn't unnoticed even though he wished it would've been.

Down the hall, Adam could be seen walking down the hall. He must've had a midnight snack or something, but that part didn't matter. He'd just seen Matt doing the walk of shame out of Shiro's room.

Matt froze, then awkwardly smiled.

Adam had wide, very surprised eyes. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but nothing came out.

Matt stayed still, not knowing what the fuck to do as his body suffered from an internal meltdown.

Adam just ducked inside of his room, unable to discern who he was more jealous of, Matt or Shiro.

(( Did someone say TEA?))