https://pm1.narvii.com/6569/9797e7be9d55445ec91fcac66782264287d71c2c_hq.jpg

Keith

The field took my breath away. Never before had I seen something so gorgeous- a rolling sea of orange and red blossoms, swaying in a feather-like breeze. As Lance and I walked through the hills of the field, people mingling around us, we didn't speak.

The singular, narrow path wound through the meadow of poppies, leading us through a trail of beauty as we stared in awe. In front of me, an ocean of flowers stretched out, contrasting the dome of blue that spread above us, puffy, perfect clouds floating lazily across the sky.

Lance seemed okay now, which was a relief. He was more powerful than he let on- I didn't want to go making an enemy, but there was something else too. It didn't feel right, him being mad at me. It was different than when Dad or the Twins or someone from the Blade was mad. Lance's anger was all-consuming and a total guilt-trip. I didn't like the feeling.

The whole field was filled with the smell of poppies, earthy and sweet. I thought of home and how this would never be possible down there. I had learned from Allura that poppies didn't like shade- that they needed bright light, so this... might be the last time I'd ever see such vibrant flowers. I smiled sadly.

Lance stopped, crouching to observe a cluster of pale poppies on the side of the trail. He looked up at me, squinting through the sun.

"Wanna fly?"

I frowned at him. "Not really."

Lance looked out over the field. "We could go all the way out there, and I'd stay low to the ground, if you wanted."

I looked to where he was gesturing. The middle of the field, out of the way from the trail, alone. I looked uneasily at Lance, and then at the people around us.

"Don't drop me," I submitted reluctantly, but to be honest, I wanted to go out there, lay in the field and breathe in the orange.

Lance's wings sprung from his shoulders as the air shimmered around us- the invisibility he cast, and he scooped me up into his arms, holding me to his chest as we launched into the air. I had to remind myself of his words last time we flew- "We may be invisible but I cannot make us mute, so please shut your quiznak before I drop you," and I swallowed my protests.

I was acutely aware of Lance's arms, one under my knees, his other around my shoulders. His skin was warm. I looked away, arms looped tightly around his neck.

Lance rose high in the air, the wind from his wings ruffling my hair, then swooped down, gaining speed so we could glide over the field- the poppies a blur of color as we flew over them.

Lance whooped with joy as we soared over the field. I laughed breathlessly, just a little bit terrified. We shot like a bullet over the meadow and, still holding onto Lance with one hand, I reached down and stretched my fingertips down to just barely touch the poppies.

And just like that, Lance was powering his wings up again, and we lifted off from the flowers. I felt giddiness taking hold in my mind and I lifted my face to the bright sky, taking in the warmth of the sun, the smell of poppies flooding my senses.

I didn't even mind Lance's strong arms around me.

...

"Here," Lance giggled, placing the flower crown on my head. We were sitting in the middle of the poppy field, clothes covered in pollen and orange petals, a little loopy from the intense fumes, but otherwise fine. I would have preferred to be alone, but maybe I should just stop wishing for that. I was stuck with Halohead.

My horns were out and my tail flipped lazily in the grass next to me, speckled with yellow pollen. Lance had placed poppies between the feathers of his wings and threaded a few stems around his halo.

I flopped down, sending a cloud of pollen puffing up below me, causing a rather unsophisticated sneezing fit to happen, but Lance didn't seem to notice. He was leaning back, shoulders open, wings spread, face still as he took in the sun. I squinted up at the sky too.

"Mom's watching," Lance chuckled in a low voice and my eyebrows shot upwards.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked from Lance to the sky. Missus? I couldn't sense anything different about the atmosphere. I had assumed that maybe there would be like, a golden aura surrounding us or something, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I turned back to Lance. "How can you tell?"

"I just can," the angel responded airily. His halo glowed gold in the sunlight. After a few moments, he continued, "I think she's happy."

I sent a crooked smile to the sky, a little embarrassed, I guess. Missus was, in every sense, wholly good. Kuron always told me that Missus and Dad used to be together, as in married, but they broke up and created the Midworld to have some space between themselves, but I always thought that that was bullshit.

Besides, they were polar opposites- I couldn't imagine them ever getting along. Not that I'd ever met Missus, I was just assuming. I turned my focus to the ground, the dirt I was sitting on, and wondered if Dad could see me too. Closing my eyes, I relaxed, feeling nothing but soil beneath my palms and petals tickling my skin.

...

Lance wouldn't let me walk back to the trail, telling me that we had already trampled enough flowers, so we flew back, a little less exhilarating this time. I thought about what would happen when we left the festival. What was next on the agenda? Where was Halohead going to take me? He never told me, anyways.

"Do you want to stay here for bit?" Lance asked, breathing heavily as the wind blew his hair back, eyes flicking down to me.

"What's there to do?"

"I dunno..." Lance replied, "Probably some food, if you're hungry."

We decided to stay.

...

"Blegh," Lance scowled, swallowing quickly, "That's nasty, oh my god."

I swished the dandelion wine around my mouth, tasting the gingery, citrus alcohol. "I don't think it's that bad," I commented, putting down my paper cup of faint, yellow wine on the table.

The two of us were sitting at a picnic table, the spring breeze floating over us, in the midst of the poppy festival. The other tables around us, arranged in haphazard rows, were filled with other people, laughing and talking loudly, paper cups like our own filled with different kinds of fresh wines and beers and other alcohols. Pound cake and poppyseed muffins and homemade ramen bowls cluttered the tables, and a huge bonfire was crackling pleasantly in the middle of the clearing.

The sun was just beginning to set, but the trees around us blocked the colors of the sky, instead providing us with a canopy of green above our heads and leaves from last fall underfoot.

We had spent the rest of the afternoon poking around the tents and small set-ups of vendors at the festival, picking up little trinkets and cute toys, eating too much food and getting poppies painted on our faces. Mine was on my cheek. The angel's was right over his eye, covering his eyelid and forehead with intricate orange petals.

Lance sniffed at the cherry wine, cautious, then sipped it carefully. We'd had a lot to drink- even I realized that. It's just that Lance kept on migrating to the food stands and bringing back weird new drinks that I'd never had before, and it reminded me of Kuron and Shiro, who I used to drink with in secret back home. I wasn't much of a beer-drinker, but wine was sophisticated and tasted like flowers, so of course I had to try it in the Midworld.

Somewhere behind us, someone had started playing an uptempo beat on the guitar, exotic and tango-like. Lance's eyes zipped from his wine to the source, blue irises catching the firelight, an excited grin spreading over his face.

"No," I interrupted before he got any ideas.

"Yes," Lance whispered, not looking at me, and sprung from his seat, pausing for a moment to kick off his shoes before leaping towards the fire, finding the beat before flinging himself recklessly into motion.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Halohead was dancing. He was flying. Twirling. His feet never touched the ground for more than a second before he was up again, eyes closed, mouth in a smile of bliss, arms like his wings as he spun and bent.

Soon enough, people took notice. Voices called out and a few people whistled. I stared at the table, embarrassed, eyes wide as I tried to ignore the stupid angel. But the people around us were banging their tables with their fists to the beat, shouting and cheering. I peeked at Lance, whose shirt had ridden up and whose skin was bronze in the firelight. There were shadows by his sloping hip bones and a thin line of dark hair leading up to his navel. I looked away again.

But, of course...

"Keith." I swear his voice was right in my ear, low and soft, but when I jolted to attention, Lance was still dancing in front of the roaring fire. Except now, his eyes were open, and they were trained on me. I shook my head. No fucking way.

"Please?" Halohead's mouth hadn't moved, but it sounded like he was whispering to me, lips to my ear.

"No," I breathed, eyes hard. His feet crunched on the leaves below him, arms over his head.

"Do you trust me?"

I scoffed. "No." I did.

Lance laughed, aloud this time, and before I knew what was happening, his eyes were glowing gold, holding mine with a teasing grin, and I had no control over my body. Literally.

My feet moved on their own, even as my mind screamed at my limbs, and soon, I was in front of Lance.

"You'll never be able to dance right if you look so sour," he said, pausing his dance. The song changed, slowing just a bit to turn Latin- a swinging, upbeat tune. Lance tilted his head to the side, glowing eyes, crinkling at the edges. "Ooh, perfect," he commented.

And then, his hands were holding mine, up by our shoulders, and we were moving together, his eyes never leaving mine. "Leave me alone," I said through gritted teeth. His hands were clammy, like they'd been on the Ferris wheel, and I felt myself recoiling from the physical contact.

"Relax," the angel said, ignoring me. We were so close that I could see tiny freckles sprayed across the bridge of his nose.

"I don't dance," I protested, as Lance dipped backwards, my arms automatically reaching forward to catch him. My fingers enclosed around the warm skin of his hips and I looked away, every cell in my body telling me that the contact was wrong. Lance was too close.

Lance straightened, gold eyes syncing our movements. My feet stepped back, forwards, side to side, mirroring Lance, having no control. "I think you do," Lance shrugged, my arm lifting like a puppet to let him spin under it.

Slowly, as we danced, I let myself let go, little by little, Lance wouldn't let me mess up. He knew what he was doing and what I was doing, he knew how to use my arms to catch him if he fell, he knew how to make me flawless.

I let the music wash over me, settling into the beat. The alcohol set in and my head felt fuzzy and suddenly, somehow, I was enjoying myself. I gripped Lance's hands tighter, pulled him closer, determined. "I told you," Lance whispered. His eyes were blue again. I paused for a millisecond to confirm that I had control over my body, then realized I didn't care.

Maybe it wasn't just the music. Maybe it wasn't just the wine.

Maybe it was the angel, too.

...

;)

qotd: what time do you get up in the morning?

Love you guys <3 -cal