This is my formal request to the community. I am very serious about my next Jaith fic that’s going to be about 9-10 chapters long with likely 1-2k word chapters based in a canon divergent, post season 8 timeline where Jaith has a very complicated relationship which is made more complicated by Keith running off to space after the war and coming back to the Garrison a few years later to James with the realization of his feelings for James, whereas James has become distant and even cold towards Keith in his absence. This fic is inspired by the Even In Arcadia Sleep Token Album.
If you’re interested in helping me, I’m looking for 1-2 beta readers of anyone willing! I’ve never had one and I’m quite shy but willing to do whatever it takes to improve my writing for this fic.
James frames it as a simple getaway, an informal get-together with three of his older friends and Keith as the newest addition. With the conversation starting less than twenty-four hours before winter break officially begins, there's not much time left for Keith to think it through before he accepts the invitation. College is all about trying new things, right?
Forget the fact that he and James were sworn enemies less than two years ago. Ignore how Keith is the odd one out, the broke ex-foster kid forging his own way as an adult agreeing to spend a week with the wealthiest people he knows. Don't think about the years of history between James and his friends, and definitely don't compare it to the maybe one good year James and Keith have had together... not to mention all that came before they made amends.
What's a week of sharing a remote cabin in the woods between friends?
⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆
Voltron: Legendary Defender | Keith/James | T-rated | in-progress - 3/5 chapters, 26k | college AU | winter fluff | getting together
“Feelings I didn’t know I had” (James and Keith week 2018)
I FINALLY HAVE IT DONE!!!!!
Written for @jamesandkeith week.
Each day is part of the same story! I recommend to read from the first part, but you can read which ever you want!!!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 (You are here) | Day 8
Day 7: Pre-Garrison/Garrison Days/Post-war | James/Keith | 3k words | M | On AO3
He woke up to something tickling his nose, an unfamiliar but comforting smell filling up his lungs. He shifted and opened his eyes lazily, the black messy hair wrapped around haziness and sparks of the morning made him believe he was still asleep and dreaming. But the weight numbing his arm was real, as well as the heat from another body snuggling to his below the sheets and the touches that he could steal by moving his free hand, feeling the heartbeats steady and calm below ribs.
He sighed remembering what happened after the meeting, not actually believing it.
But Keith had kissed him, right after James dumbly almost broke his foot in half and had to get medical attention from him.
“You think?” he had spitted before he could stop himself, Keith pulling away from his hands and glaring at him, “You kissed me. Two fucking times. And you think you like me?”
Keith frowned, his face sharpening on the edges.
“I’m sorry?” he apologized poorly, “I thought you agreed with me kissing you.”
James felt his face blush more, stammering with his words.
“It’s not about…!” he tried to complain, the eyes staring at his face not helping at all, “How do you say you think when you did that kind of stuff?!”
Keith winced, his mouth twitching open for a second before closing in a tight line, his face reddening almost as much as how James felt his own.
“I’m new about this” he confessed shrugging, his eyes glued to a point in the wall that James ignored, “I didn’t think this was...”
James waited for him to finish his excuse, containing himself from kissing him again when he saw him bit his lip.
“I’ve been...” he continued, not following the line he drew before, “Since some time I...”
“Could you, please, finish at least one thing at the time?” James asked exasperated, feeling too dizzy to follow up his mumbling.
Keith scoffed.
“I’m sorry, okay?” he said agitated, not sounding as if he was really sorry, “I just noticed these feelings and my head is struggling to follow up!”
He felt his lungs push out all his breath.
“You just...?” he murmured frowning, Keith looking at him, “In this moment?” he asked confused, “Right now?”
Keith nodded, not understanding the breathless tone, and James almost felt himself faint in desperation.
“I’ve been head over heels for you since you even returned, Kogane” he growled holding his face in a rough movement, his shame not wavering at the anger, “Even before you went to your little space trip! And you just noticed?!”
“Since what?” Keith mumbled in disbelief and James clenched his teeth in a groan, pulling him into a harsh kiss that clacked their teeth together and cut his lip a bit.
Keith reciprocated immediately, his hands finding place in his shoulder and nape, his knee opening space between his legs and leaning into him. His lips parted in a sigh and Keith gripped him harder, deepening the kiss in something that was too inexpert for both of them, with no idea of how to follow up the other and being too stubborn to let the other lead the kiss.
Keith shifted and his foot hit slightly James’ injured one, making him jump to get away from the contact and open his mouth in a complain, but Keith just took advantage, exploring the insides of his mouth with his tongue without even knowing what he did. Keith took the lead with that, leaning over James in a way he loved, and his hair was gripped in a fist, pulling him off James kiss-bitten lips with a hiss.
“Stop,” he ordered in a growl to himself, but Keith did just as if it was for him, and he tried to calm down the growing heat inside his abdomen, the one that started in the meeting with a wild imagination and just kept growing bigger and hotter at Keith’s breath mixing up with his.
Keith moaned, deep and scratchy, and James felt it rumble in his chest, his ears melting away at the sound so alike a purr.
“What?” Keith said slurred, his nose and brow wrinkling in impatience.
“W-wait” he murmured looking away, having to take control of himself before he would jump over Keith mindlessly, and he was surprised when Keith actually waited, pulling away a little.
He stared at him, wary about the distance, and he saw him smashing his lower lip in a sign of nervousness, his face blushing to the end of his ears, and James stared at them, totally charmed by the color.
“Keith.”
His eyes, indigos despite the horrible blinding light of the infirmary, found his easily, softening in something James couldn’t help but get dazed.
“You stopped kissing me” he murmured, Keith frowning at the statement.
“You told me to” he said with an obvious tone, looking down to his hand holding away his shoulder, “and pushed me.”
James haven’t noticed that, and he stared at Keith in confusion, slowly comprehending what was wrong with him.
Keith wasn’t like the one on his dreams, always taking the lead and making him take what he had to give, despite how confused, scared or against it James was in his consciousness. The Keith on his dreams wasn’t inexpert, he wasn’t gentle, he didn’t respect what James told him. The real Keith was actually caring.
“Oh,” he sighed, Keith blinking curiously at him.
“Unless that wasn’t what you meant” he murmured slowly, looking down, “Is that one of those things you say but don’t really mean?”
James huffed.
“No, I...” he started in doubt, “It’s just...”
He couldn’t finish talking, too lost in the memory of all the dreams that kept him out of rest every night and how different and better it was from the reality standing in front of him, expectant of his next move.
“I’m... struggling too.” he whispered, huffing out a bitter laugh.
“Okay” Keith said fidgeting, as if he couldn’t keep himself still, “Look, I... I’m sure I like you, okay? I just...”
He bit his lip, and James stared at it too long.
“I just don’t-”
“Do you want to go to my room?” James found himself saying, Keith’s snapping a look at him.
“What?”
James hit himself in the back of his mind.
“I mean- I just- I didn’t meant to- I worded it wrong, I-”
“You want me to?”
James swallowed his words too roughly, choking.
“I...”
Keith shifted, his knees finding place on either side of his leg, and James stammered, his hands immediately grabbing his hips to still him.
“You...?” Keith encouraged him, his fingers reaching his cadet jacket and flicking the zipper.
James’ lungs gave out.
“I want…” he said breathless, his eyes staring down to their tangled legs and the hands on his chest, rubbing down wrinkles that weren’t there, “I’d like…”
Keith’s mouth curved up, a twist in the corner making him look gorgeously nervous, and he leaned down a bit, pursuing his lips and kissing James’ briefly.
“ ‘Kay”
James got up too quickly, almost punching off Keith from his lap, and took his hand rather roughly, pulling him towards the door when he suddenly remembered his injured feet, the pain shooting up his leg, and fell to his knees, Keith tripping behind him.
“Whoa, James!”
He cursed, gripping his feet, and he heard Keith laugh softly.
“You sure are eager” he heard him comment while going back a few steps and then crouching beside him, “Here.”
Keith took his hand and wrapped his arm over his broad shoulders, hugging his waist to help him get up without standing in his sore foot by helping him lean into his body. James glared at him, looking down to the hand on holding the side of his waist and finding his boot, and the shame just multiplied by ten, his face heating up in embarrassment.
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t say-”
“Just shut up.”
Keith laughed again, this time against his temple, and James snuggled a little closer while they got out of the infirmary, walking slowly because of James limp.
It took too long for them to reach the dorms, especially James’ room, but just when the door closed behind him, James didn’t let go of Keith’s body, lingering all the touches and kisses he would while they followed up to the bed.
And now he woke up to Keith’s messy hair tickling his face, and he felt as dreamy and hazy as when he fell asleep to fall into Keith’s arms.
He shifted a bit, snuggling closer, and Keith squirmed in his arms, turning his face to his cuddled in his shoulder.
“Hey...” Keith whispered, James scrunching his nose to the morning breath.
“Hey” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Keith’s torso and breathing in his hair, “It wasn’t a dream.”
Keith huffed, moving enough to face him completely, his legs tangling with his and his hands roaming his chest.
“You keep saying that.”
James bit his lip and leaned down to brush their noses together, Keith giggling softly.
“I...” James started, not really knowing what to come up with, “I know, it’s just...”
“You look well-rested" Keith pointed out, his fingers tracing circles in James’ shoulders so sweetly and mindlessly that caused him shivers, “You fell asleep before we even started getting it on, you know.”
James thumped his forehead into his, hissing at the pain of the forgotten bruise there and the laugh against his lips. In his defense, he hadn’t slept that well in weeks.
“Shut up.”
“You keep saying that, too.”
He knew that. Of course. But he couldn’t help it. All those things he thought of doing with Keith, all the kisses, or hugs, or touches. All the sounds he thought of hearing from him. All the actions and reactions Keith had to certain things he did; the low gasp when he buried his fingers through his hair, the tremble of his lips when he grasped his hips, the grasp of his nails in his back when he kissed him for too long.
And hearing his voice whisper his name, say out loud wishes or curses, voicing out all the thoughts that Keith really thought, not the things James wanted to hear and always heard in the haze of his dreams.
And maybe he didn’t have to say it, but he felt deceived if he kept it to himself, thinking that in any moment he would wake up to the darkness of an empty cold room, so he sighed and prepared himself to feel even more ashamed.
“I haven’t been sleeping well because of... dreams” he confessed, feeling Keith’s indigo eyes wander in his face calmly, “Dreams of you... of... you doing stuff to me...”
“Stuff?”
The slight tease in his voice made him clench his teeth.
“Good stuff” he answered shortly, trying to escape from the questions Keith would have but not really getting away from them.
“What kind of good stuff?” Keith asked, his hands starting to caress more deliberate in his skin.
“I...” he licked his lips, “Stuff like kissing me and... touching me?”
He felt Keith’s smile curve up more when he kissed him on the lips, squeezing his eyelids more.
“Kissing you...” Keith repeated, knowing exactly what he was doing, “And touching you...”
James contained a flinch, Keith’s fingers lingering over his skin in soft circles, going down from his shoulders to his chest, and lowering more until they stopped beside his navel, his abdomen tensing up.
“Something like this?” Keith teased, tilting his head a bit and hiding his face in the crook of his neck, leaving little kisses that were just mocking him and his imagination.
“Not... quite.” he answered with a sigh, gripping his head and pushing him to make him keep going, “Keith...”
“Yeah...?” he felt more than heard in his pulse, his breath coming short and his anxiety ripping down his spine to the steady touches in his abdomen.
“Please.”
He heard him swallow and lick his lips, gasping softly and stopping for a second.
“Can I?” he asked the same fucking question, and James groaned, shifting closer, “Can I do it like I do in your dreams?”
James squinted, opening his eyes and looking down to Keith’s black hair, darkening more his sight in the haze.
“No.”
Keith flinched, pushing away and gazing him startled, the shock and hurt clear in his eyes. James almost pinned him down the mattress.
“W-wha- I thought- But you- but-”
“You’re not a dream, Keith” he explained poorly, cutting off his stammering and holding his face carefully, “You’re so much better than that.”
Keith stared at him, looking lost, his pale skin starting to blush between his fingers, and James smiled briefly, kissing him in the mouth.
“I want you to touch me like you want” he murmured against his open lips, and the growl coming from his throat, made him shiver, “Please.”
The world suddenly tilted, and James found himself pinned against his bed, Keith nipping and kissing his neck in desperation. James tried to squirm out of his hold, but his wrists were trapped in Keith’s hands and he was unbelievable strong James couldn’t even move an inch from the sheets. He was groaning and rubbing against his body, his legs finding their way between his and his weight pushing down into his hips, James hitching them up mindlessly in an attempt to make something touch him.
But Keith didn’t let that happen, his own clothed hip getting away every time James tried, and he laughed mockingly when James groaned in frustration.
“What the hell, Kogane?!” he trashed to get free of his hold, and finally broke out of it, snatching Keith’s head and kissing him harshly on the lips.
There was a faint ring away of the bed, both ignoring it while the kiss turned sloppy and deep, their erections finally rubbing into the other despite the thin clothe of their boxers. Keith held his hair and pulled him, his neck straining in an arc, and attacked his skin all over again, this time leaving pulsating bites and love bites in every place he could.
The ring got louder just before stopping completely, and James sighed relieved at that, but the ring started again and Keith pushed away, snarling at the sound.
“What the fuck is that?!” he asked trying to find the annoying source of the noise, and James almost fainted at his larger and sharper teeth, his eyes yellow with a slit dark blue in the middle.
What the fuck is that?
“W-what?” he doubted, his voice trembling at the sight but something more blossoming in the depth of his abdomen.
But when Keith looked at him, the new look was gone.
“James?” he whispered lowly, closing the distance between their faces to look at him, “What’s wrong?”
James didn’t know. Well, he knew, but he didn’t know how to explain it. Was that his imagination or...?
The ring started again, and Keith huffed, getting off James’ body and reaching for his clothes, searching in the pockets until taking out his pad. His face paled at the flashing screen.
“Shit” he cursed before getting up and answering with a swipe of his thumb, “Yeah?”
James couldn’t make out the words from Keith’s pad, but he recognized Shiro’s startled voice, making him seat down in the bed a little concerned.
“W-what? But...” Keith looked at the screen briefly before putting the pad to his ear once again, “I... I’m sorry, I just...”
Keith glanced at James and trailed off, biting his lip before getting up and gather his clothes, his pad being left at a table while the speaker went on.
“I overslept, and the alarm didn’t go off, and...”
“You overslept?” Shiro’s voice asked in disbelief, and James startled at it, Keith putting up his index finger to his lips to stop him from making a noise, “I went to your room, Keith. You weren’t even there. And Krolia didn’t see you last night.”
Keith bit his lower lips, his concern drawing together his eyebrows. But he pushed up James instead of answering, pushing his clothes into his arms to get him to get dressed.
“Keith? Are you there?”
“I am” he said over his shoulder, putting on his shirt while James buckled his pants, “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I just- I'm going, okay? Don’t worry, I’m in my way and-”
“Where were you last night?”
Shiro’s question froze them up, James tripping with his injured foot while putting on his boots and letting out a hiss of pain, Keith snatching his pad and turning off the speaker.
“I just had a walk, okay?” he said glancing worriedly at James and asking silently if he was okay, “A very long walk, and I just fell asleep and- You know what? I’ll tell you after the meeting, yeah?”
James tied his boots and stood up, getting dust off his uniform and glanced at Keith, catching him frowning at him.
“Shiro?”
There was no immediate response, and James felt his stomach twist, but Shiro sighed and answered, telling other things to Keith while both finished dressing.
“Yeah, see you.”
Keith hung up, sighing loudly, and James huffed, looking to his mirror briefly to straighten his hair.
“We have to go.” Keith said going for the door, but James holding his hand stopped him in the middle of the room, stilling when James’ hands fixed up the collar of his uniform.
“There,” he said letting his touch linger a bit on Keith’s chest and looking at it nervously, “Let’s go.”
Keith huffed and pulled him into a short kiss.
A short kiss that wasn’t even short to begin with and had to stop when James’ pad started ringing in his jacket, this time both running to the door and almost tripping in the corridor.
