Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you just asked if I wanted to have sex with other people!” Lance shrilled before slamming the bedroom door closed hard enough that it rattled.

Lotor sighed and walked over to lean against the doorframe, checking the doorknob even though he knew it would be locked. “It was just a question.”

“A rude question!” Lance’s voice was loud enough that Lotor was able to hear him with complete clarity. “Why would you even ask me that?”

“Lance…” Lotor sighed, crossing his arms against his chest. “Cuckolding is one of your biggest porn searches.”

Click. The door pulled open just enough for Lance’s face to peek through and show how miffed he was. “First of all, you should never go through people’s porn history. Second, just because I watch it for the fantasy doesn’t mean I want to do it.”

“First, you went through mine already. Second, I know that. It’s why I didn’t say anything about your top search history being stepmoms.”

Lance gasped in an over dramatic way and slammed the door shut again. “How dare you!”

“You don’t even have a stepmom,” Lotor mused. “Plus, you’re a complete twink.”

The door pulled open again so fast it caused Lotor’s hair to flutter in the breeze. Lance scowled at him. “I’m bisexual, you ass!”

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “Sure you are.”

Slam!

“Also!” Lance shouted from the other side. “I looked up yours just so I could get you something nice for your birthday! I wanted to make sure you liked it! Because I’m a loving boyfriend !”

“That’s still a terrible excuse, by the way.”

“Are you saying you didn’t like it?”

There was a long stretch of silence as Lance waited Lotor out. “I never said I didn’t like it.” So he had a bit of a master/pet fetish. Everyone had their quirks.

“I can’t believe you’re being like this! It’s like you don’t even love me anymore!” Lance ranted from the other side of the door. The way his voice traveled, it sounded like he was pacing. “Are you tired of me? Am I bad in bed? Fuck you! I’m amazing in bed!”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

The door swished open again. “Fine! If I’m so boring, then you can just LEAVE!”

Slam! Rattle. Click.

“Wait!” Lance looked near to tears. “Don’t leave. You’re not gonna break up with me are you?” His bottom lip trembled.

Lotor opened his arms and let Lance dive into them and snuggle close. Running soothing hands up and down Lance’s warm back, Lotor shushed his boyfriend. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you.”

Lance sniffled. “Am I really that bad in bed?”

“You’re amazing in bed. I’ve never met anyone as full of sensual grace as you, and I never will.” Lance squeezed Lotor’s torso, and that earned him a soft kiss on top of his head. “Besides, it’s my name on the lease here.”

Lance ignored that. “So why do you wanna have sex with someone other than meee?”

“I love watching you. Your body moving with such grace, your face a work of art, your back bowing in ecstasy. As many videos as I’ve made of us, sometimes I think I’d just love to see it live and be able to take it all in as much as I’d like. I can’t be in two places at once, however.”

The praise had Lance’s hips squirming against Lotor. “So you want to watch me ride some other guy?” Lance asked.

“I would prefer it be someone we are both comfortable with, not just random anybodies. Plus, I don’t want them trying to get between us. That’s why I suggested swinging. I thought you would like that better since they already have a partner. Still, this is only if you want to. That’s why I asked.”

“So what are you going to do with the other person?”

“I’m sure I can find them something to do while I watch you taking cock like you were born for it.”

Lance giggled and nipped at one of Lotor’s nipples through the well tailored shirt. “And then after they leave we can fuck each other unconscious?”

“That is all I ever desire from you.”

Like flipping a switch, Lance was suddenly all over Lotor. They devoured each other’s mouths and Lance hopped up to wrap his legs around Lotor’s waist. Lance buried his hands in the long white-blonde hair and tugged. Gripping Lance’s ass tight in both hands, Lotor walked them into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

Slam!

~*~

Lance slouched in his chair and sighed, picking as his salad and pouting at the empty chairs across from them in the brightly lit restaurant. “They aren’t coming. How many have stood us up by now? I feel like we’ve been doing interviews for years!”

“Only two out of seven couples have stood us up, and you were the one that turned the other five down,” Lotor reminded as he gently tapped a cherry tomato into his side of dressing. Lance watched Lotor’s fastidiousness with the same bored but fascinated expression as always.

“Yeah, well,” Lance waved his fork around as he spoke, causing Lotor to frown at it with disapproval. “They wouldn’t have worked out. They all acted way too fake.”

“As you have said, some people just want the fantasy.”

“Well their acting is stupid, then.” Lance stabbed at his lettuce with gusto.

“Is this your party?” a server asked as he led two people over to Lotor and Lance’s table.

“Shiro?” Lotor asked.

“Yes!” said the taller man, looking relieved to have found them. Shiro had an amazing build with broad shoulders and a hint of abs under his shirt. That was Lance’s type.

Lotor invited them to sit, the server took their drink order and then left. Lance was eye fucking Shiro. The smaller of the pair, who Lotor assumed was Keith from their communications on certain websites, was quiet and sullen looking. Before introductions could be made, Lance abruptly pointed at Keith and said, “ You !”

Everyone stared in surprise, including Keith. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t act dumb!” Lance snapped. “We went to college together!”

Keith blinked and then shrugged, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “Don’t remember.”

Lance scowled. “We had the same classes. You snubbed the GSA when we tried to recruit you! How dare you be gay.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I was busy with classes. I didn’t have time for your little group.”

“Ohhh, if you were so busy, then why’d you get kicked out?”

“That’s none of your business!” Keith snapped.

The server came back over with drinks and attempted to take their order. Keith and Lance didn’t stop bickering so Lotor ordered for Lance and Shiro awkwardly ordered for Keith. The server hurried away the moment he had it all down.

Shiro gave Lotor an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Keith isn’t usually like this.”

Lotor shrugged, not all that bothered by it. “Lance is. It’s fine.” He held out his hand. “It is nice to meet you.” There was a pause before Shiro held out his left hand. Lotor quickly switched to accommodate. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were left handed.”

“Only handed, actually.” Shiro tried to play it off with a joke, but it was obvious that he was waiting for some kind of remark. Lance didn’t let him down.

“Ohhh! What happened to your arm?”

“You don’t just ask things like that!” Keith snapped, instantly offended on Shiro’s behalf.

“Why not?” Lance bristled. “Aren’t we supposed to be getting to know each other?”

“It’s alright,” Shiro said before things could escalate. He held up his right hand which was covered in a glove that tucked up under his long sleeved button down. “It was a factory accident. They paid for the prosthetic, but all it does is open and close.” He demonstrated and Lance’s eyes were wide with fascination.

“That’s so cool!” Lance’s mind was turning with ideas. “So how much weight does it hold? Do you have to use an oven mitt to get things out of the oven? Have you ever masturbated with it? What’s it like?”

“What is wrong with you?” Keith interrupted into Shiro’s stunned silence. The two of them instantly went back to arguing.

“Sorry,” Lotor said, giving Shiro a bland smile. “He’s like a puppy.”

Shiro chuckled. “It’s alright. To be honest, it’s a bit refreshing. I don’t usually have people react to it in such a positive way.”

A fond smile bloomed on Lotor’s face as he looked over at his angrily squabbling boyfriend. “Yes, he is unique in that regard.”

Food was delivered soon after. Lotor and Shiro had a pleasant meal, finding a common interest in engineering. Lance and Keith spent their time locked in battle, with the high point being Lance’s triumphant declaration that Keith did remember having classes together, and Keith saying he was reminded due to Lance’s annoying attitude.

Lotor resigned himself to searching for another couple to interview. It was a shame. Shiro was the kind of relaxing presence Lotor thought would work well for Lance, and Keith had enough fire in him for Lotor’s more domly instincts to flare, his imagination coming up with all sorts of ideas for a new pet.

They all shared dessert, with Keith and Lance fighting over who saw the last bite first, which ended in an odd spoon sword fight. Shiro looked concerned, but Lotor was simply resigned to it. If little displays like that bothered him, he wouldn’t have been dating Lance in the first place.

“Well, it was good meeting you,” Shiro said once their dessert plate was cleared. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

“What?” Keith and Lance said in unison. The other two stared at them, nonplussed.

“Who said it didn’t work out?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, you two seem to like each other,” Keith reasoned.

“Uh…” Shiro blinked. “What about you two?”

Lance shrugged. “I didn’t like the other couples because they were all fake.” He wrinkled his nose at the memory. “But I can actually get to know you two. We should meet up again!” Lance beamed at the baffled Shiro.

Shaking his head, Lotor leaned over and dropped a kiss on Lance’s temple. “That sounds nice.”

Nodding with excitement, Lance said, “Come over for dinner next time!” He turned to glare at Keith. “And no complaining about the food!”

“Who says I’m going to complain?” Keith immediately returned.

The two of them argued the entire way out of the restaurant. Lotor left a generous tip.

~*~

They had all gotten together to hang out a few times in order to get comfortable. Either they went out to dinner, or they ended up at Lotor’s place. Lotor had a rather large condo with open rooms, a balcony with a view, an office, and a large bedroom with a king sized bed. Typically, the couples curled up around each other on the sectional and watched a movie or two while chatting. Though Keith and Lance still argued, it wasn’t quite as non-stop as it had been that first day.

One night had the four of them on the couch, half-watching some B rated horror flick, while Shiro and Lotor talked about random things. Keith stood up with a yawn to visit the toilet. He was always quick to nap when curled up on Shiro and watching a movie. Lance teased Keith for it regularly.

Lotor wasn’t sure exactly what happened after Keith left the room. Lance was curled into Lotor’s chest and chatting at Shiro, who was mostly paying attention. When Shiro turned and locked eyes with Lance, there was a beat of silence before Lance said, “I’m not watching this movie at all.”

To which Shiro replied, “Me either.”

In a flash of movement, Lance was straddling Shiro, and they were making out. Shrio groaned and ran his hand up under Lance’s shirt, feeling all that smooth skin that Lance worked hard to maintain. Lotor raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, but shuffled against the arm of the sofa in order to get a better angle. He absentmindedly grabbed the remote and flipped the TV off so he could better hear the little noises he knew Lance would be making soon.

Keith wandered back in and stopped dead in his tracks halfway to the couch. He looked lost. Despite knowing this was the outcome they were aiming for, Keith seemed very uncertain. Lotor tilted his head and fought to keep a wicked grin from his face.

“They’ve started without us,” Lotor casually said.

Keith jumped like he’d been zapped and swung wide eyes to Lotor. “O-oh…”

“Shall we move to the bedroom?”

Lance knew how much Lotor despised getting the couch dirty. He’d call a cleaning service the moment anyone spilled the tiniest bit on the cushions. So Lance hopped up, grabbed Shiro’s arm, and hurried them out of the living room and into the large bedroom. Lotor followed at a more languid pace, pausing to wrap an arm around the still immobile Keith who was now staring at the bedroom door.

Lotor leaned down and pressed his lips close to Keith’s ear. “Why don’t we go and watch?”

Keith’s adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before giving a quick little nod. Lotor guided them the rest of the way into the bedroom. It turned out that Lance suffered no hesitancy at all, despite his initial complaints at Lotor for suggesting swinging. Lance was already stripped and Shiro halfway there, looking flushed at how urgently his partner was ripping his pants off.

When Shiro was naked and pushed back against the pillows at the head of the bed, Lance climbed up and rutted their hips against each other. They moaned as their cocks slid along one another, their lips slotting together once more, hands everywhere. Keith stood a few paces away from the bed, staring, breath shivering out of him.

Lotor pressed himself against Keith and the solid line of his back, one arm hugging around his waist, the other sliding up to wrap long fingers around his throat. Lotor’s hand constricted just enough to make sure the pressure was noticed, causing Keith to suck in a sharp breath of air. He swallowed again, but that time his adam’s apple was trapped against Lotor’s hand and couldn’t go any father. Keith’s fingers wrapped around the arm at his waist.

“Do you like what you see?” Lotor purred.

Lance had his hand wrapped around both dicks, slowly jerking them as Shiro’s hand buried into Lance’s hair. The prosthetic was settled on Lance’s ass, rubbing little circles from low back to thighs. Lance was getting off on it, pushing back into the prosthetic and forward into his own hand like he was struggling to choose between the two. Beautiful little noises were spilling from his mouth and filling the room.

Keith and Lotor watched them. Shiro was ripped and smooth. Since he was a trainer at a local gym, working out was literally his job. Lance looked like a dancer, undulating his body in a hypnotic way. It certainly had the other three in the room entranced.

“Enough teasing,” Lotor reprimanded. “I want to see you ride him.”

Lance looked over his shoulder and grinned in a coquettish way. “You gonna watch as you fuck his mouth?”

Keith made a strangled noise, but it didn’t sound like he was upset at the idea, quite the opposite. Lotor smirked. “That sounds like a wonderful plan.” He pressed his lips to Keith’s ear and whispered in his most demanding tone. “Strip.”

The moan that ripped out of Keith sent a spike of pleasure through all of them. Keith’s fingers trembled as they slid down to work open his pants. Lotor didn’t let go of Keith’s throat. In the meantime, Lance was scrambling in the nightstand for condom and lube like it was a matter of life and death. It was cute.

Lance was a champ at riding cock. He smoothed the condom on Shiro’s well endowed member with ease before dribbling lube on top and swiping a finger in himself to make sure he was prepped. Shiro looked surprised that Lance needed no more than that, but it was quickly drown out by lust as Lance sank onto his prize with relish.

“Fuuuck yes. You’re so big,” Lance crooned.

Meanwhile, Keith had managed to get off everything from his button down to his socks, but his undershirt was trapped so long as the hand was around his throat. His attention stayed fixed on Lance’s hole swallowing up his boyfriend’s dick. Lotor couldn’t blame Keith. After all, there was a reason Lotor had been excited about the prospect of swinging.

Unbuttoning his fly, Lotor pulled out his own hardening cock and jerked it to full mast against Keith’s low back. Keith’s breathing turned harsh, but all eyes stayed locked on Lance who began to roll his body like a damned belly dancer, taking Shiro in and out like it was a performance. Then again, Lance had plenty of practice in that regard.

“He’s a work of art, is he not?” Lotor asked, and Keith shivered. “But you have a job to do.”

Lotor felt Keith’s throat work under his palm before the tension dropped from Keith and he slowly turned. Lotor let go as Keith fell to his knees. He stared at Lotor’s cock with heavy lidded eyes, face flushed and lips parted. Lotor ran his fingers into Keith’s thick hair but needed to encourage no more than that. Keith reached up, took hold of the base, and opened his mouth.

Lance knew Lotor’s preferences when it came to oral, so how Keith went about things ended up much different than Lotor was used to. That novelty really added to the effect. Keith was diligent and steady, keeping solid suction, his mouth extra wet, and his hand and head moved in time. He didn’t glance up through his lashes or tease, but his single minded focus was oddly endearing.

Of course, the show on the bed was enough to ramp up Lotor’s desire on its own. Lance had his hands braced on Shiro’s chest as he worked his hips. His eyes were fluttering open and closed, sometimes grinning at Shiro while other times getting lost in sensation. Lotor watched with no small amount of lust as Lance’s cock bounced and his stomach quivered.

There was a squelching sound by Lotor’s feet. He looked down to find Keith’s hand working over his own erection. With a smirk, Lotor lifted one foot and pressed down on Keith’s wrist until it stopped and moved back to the floor. Keith made a distressed noise but obeyed. He wasn’t fully trained yet, so Lotor wouldn’t punish, but he would help establish his expectations.

Tightening his grip on Keith’s hair, Lotor pushed that steadily pumping mouth down a little further. Keith’s throat worked and his breath huffed and stuttered in an effort not to choke. Lotor smirked at how hard working Keith was.

“Good boy,” Lotor murmured.

Keith did look up at that. Eyes filled with need and a hint of confusion. Lotor felt himself light on fire. Keith would make a good pet with a little training. Lotor lifted his other hand and brushed his fingers along Keith’s cheek to ease the tension he saw in those dark eyes.

A groan from Shiro brought Lotor’s attention back to the bed. His hands were gripping Lance’s hips as his own were thrusting up off the bed and into Lance with as much force as the position allowed. Lance’s face said he was in heaven, out of his mind with pleasure along with a tinge of pain at his untouched cock. Shiro would likely not stop Lance from fisting himself, if Keith’s habits were any indication. However, Lance was most definitely trying to show off to his new partner.

Matching Shiro’s new rhythm, Lance worked himself harder, sweat dripping down his body in glittering riverlets. His back arched, mouth opened wide, face tense with desperation. He was close. Lotor watched with rapt attention as Lance rode that edge, sharp staccato noises falling from his lips as he sought it out. After nearly a full two minutes, Lance keened and shook before finally reaching release, cum steadily dripping down his still bouncing cock and onto Shiro’s stomach.

Shrio, apparently being a caring lover, paused, breathing hard and obviously in pain from the abrupt stop of his own edge. He ran hands up and down Lance’s sides as the writhing man on his dick rode out the last of his orgasm. Lotor smirked. He couldn’t allow Lance to be such a poor host in the face of Shiro’s need.

“He can keep going,” Lotor offered. “Bend him over the bed and take what you need.”

Lance glanced over, a smile languidly pulling at his lips. He turned back and leaned down to kiss Shiro before murmuring against his lips, “Fuck me until I can’t take it anymore.”

Shiro moaned in a way that had Keith shivering. Perhaps Lotor’s new pet was jealous. Well, he could fix that. As Lance was being arranged on the bed, Lotor stepped back and pulled Keith up by his hair. He looked unsteady and lust drunk. Lotor raked his eyes up and down Keith’s trembling body with appreciation.

“Take off my shirt,” Lotor ordered.

Keith didn’t hesitate, he just did as told with stiff movements. His eyes lingered once Lotor was bare chested. It was the first time the other couple had been able to see Lotor’s pale and toned skin. Though Lotor didn’t have Shiro’s gym bunny build, he was fit and well groomed, taking his personal care very seriously.

Lotor waved his fingers at Keith’s undershirt. “Take that off and bend over the bed.”

The order was obeyed without hesitation, though Keith seemed to slow down as he bent over, coming face to face with Lance, both their asses up in the air. Keith got to see in full close up clarity as Shiro entered Lance once more. It caused Keith to rut against the bed a few times.

Ditching his pants, Lotor walked up and slid his hands along Keith’s back and ass. He wasn’t a hairy person, per se, but he also didn’t shave. Lance and Lotor both prefered a lot of maintenance, with Lance regularly threading his entire body. Lotor would have to see what he could do about Keith’s personal regimen in the future.

Setting those thoughts aside for the moment, Lotor grabbed the lube and pressed slicked up fingers inside of Keith as Shiro let loose inside of Lance. The noises Lance made were distracting, which helped Keith to relax despite his new partner. Lotor was able to prepare Keith fairly quickly thanks to that. Lance was such a helpful pet.

Keith groaned and shoved his face into the bed as Lotor slid steadily inside. Lance reached out and gripped Keith’s forearms in support. After a moment, Keith turned his hands and clung in return. Lance was whining with every thrust, overstimulated still. It made his face more pain than pleasure, but still he writhed on the bed and begged for more. One day, they would have to address Lance’s masochistic side. One problem at a time. For now, they were focused on fucking new partners.

“Yes, yes, yes, so good,” Lance cried. He enjoyed his theatrics, it helped him get in the mood. Lotor left him to it. Shiro seemed to really enjoy it. If Keith’s stubborn silence was any indication, Shiro wasn’t used to such vocal sex.

Lotor fucked into Keith slow and steady, wanting to give him the time needed to adapt to the new situation. Keith definitely wasn’t as gung-ho about new sexual experiences as Lance. Keith needed some time to adapt. Lotor didn’t mind helping.

Paying close attention to Keith’s body language, Lotor adjusted according to what Keith found comfortable. The noises being punched out of Lance were showy, but Keith’s tense muscles and stuttering breaths were just as lovely to watch. Lotor felt his stomach slowly tightening, his arousal spiking at the scene before him.

“Ah! Fuck…” Keith gritted out, ass grinding back on Lotor.

“Tell me what you want,” Lotor purred before snapping his hips forward and managing to get a groan out of Keith.

“Harder,” Shiro supplied in lieu of Keith’s stubborn silence. He was sweating and panting, one hand pushing against Lance’s low back, his hips pistoning into Lance’s hole like a machine. “Fuck him harder.”

Well, if Shiro was what Keith was used to, Lotor must have felt like nothing but a tease. “Very well.” Without further warning, he began to thrust as hard and fast as he pleased. It ripped a pleasure filled sob out of Keith who buried his face into the sheets.

The exertion, the feeling of that tight ring of muscle clamping down on him, the sight of Lance being ruthlessly railed and gripping onto Lotor’s new pet… It was a bit overwhelming. Lotor felt pleasure curling hot and tight inside of him. How Shiro had managed to keep going despite all of that was a mystery. He must have the stamina of a god.

When Keith turned his head to the side for air, he ended up making eye contact with Lance who was blissed out and flushed. Despite that, Lance grinned in a drunken way and said, “Shiro’s cock feels so good.”

“ Fuck !” Keith’s grip on Lance tightened and his hips rutted against the bed. Lance’s eyes sparked with excitement.

“I love the way your boyfriend fucks me,” Lance gritted out despite his face showing how close he was getting. The little minx was getting off on Keith’s intense reactions. Lotor couldn’t complain. Feeling Keith thrust back onto his cock was amazing.

Lotor braced one arm on the bed, the new angle dragging harder on Keith’s prostate, making the smaller man cry out and grind against the mattress. Lance’s gaze was locked on Keith until Lotor grabbed a fist full of short brown hair and yanked Lance’s head back to force eye contact between them. Lance’s eyes were unfocused with pleasure, his face tensing up with anticipation.

“Are you going to cum on his cock again?” Lotor growled.

“Yesss…” Lance’s eyelids fluttered as, somehow, Shiro thrust faster.

“Do it,” Lotor demanded. “Now.”

Lance whined and trembled, his eyes clenching shut and back arching. A few moments later Lance gave a hoarse shout and came a second time. Shiro curled forward at the feeling but kept going just as fast as before. Lance shook and cried out again, his entire body tensing and jerking around at the intensity of it all. Shiro’s hand only pressed down harder, keeping Lance firmly in place and unable to wiggle away.

Keith started making little needy grunts of noise. Lotor gritted his teeth and held back on his own orgasm while Keith fucked into the sheets and sought his release. He came a few moments later, fluttering around Lotor’s cock, causing a spike of pleasure that shot straight up Lotor’s spine.

When Keith started to shove himself forward to escape the stimulation, Lotor pulled out, yanked off the condom, and tossed it blindly away. He wrapped his hand around his dick, jerking in quick movements, eyes locked on Keith’s glistening back. He came not long after that, painting white stripes along Keith’s skin, marking Keith as his own.

Throughout all of this, Shiro hadn’t stopped. Lance was clawing at Keith’s arms, jerking around, whining and howling, legs shaking and scrambling at the bed for purchase. Still, Shiro kept going. He was a beast. The other two watched entranced as Shiro closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and finally came, snapping his hips forward hard enough that it punched clipped shouts out of Lance with each slap of skin.

Keith, like a man possessed, crawled further up onto the bed and kissed Lance hard, all tongue and teeth and hot breath. Lance responded eagerly, still clinging to Keith and trembling on the cock still inside of him. Lotor watching it all transfixed as he slowly ran his hand up and over his softening length, basking in the glow of gentle lingering pleasure.

The three on the bed were definitely going to need some time to recover, so Lotor made the executive decision to get the shower running. The master bedroom had an attached bath with a rather spacious shower sporting multiple shower heads. He threw his hair up in a bun, washed off the sweat in barely over a minute, and then threw a towel around his waist as he headed back out into the bedroom, tagging out Shiro who had finally managed to slide out of Lance.

Keith and Lance were curled up on the bed together, nuzzled close. Lotor sat on the edge and ran his fingers through Lance’s damp hair. Hazy eyes fluttered open and a drunken smile beamed up at Lotor.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” Lance rasped in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Are you going to be able to stand up long enough to shower?” Lotor asked, pleased at how satisfied his boyfriend looked.

“I’ll help him,” Keith piped up, looking very serious. It was oddly endearing how much he wanted to take care of Lance.

The two of them helped to walk a wobbly Lance into the bathroom as Shiro exited. Keith was gentle and almost reverent as he cleaned Lance off. Lotor left them to it. He and Shiro worked on cleaning up the clothes from the floor and changing the sheets. Lotor watched Shiro’s clean, damp skin as muscles rippled with every movement. Shiro was a treat to watch in even the most mundane of tasks.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Lotor asked as he pulled out Lance’s silk pajamas.

Shiro blushed and seemed oddly awkward at the question. “I’m sorry everything happened so spur of the moment…”

Lotor raised his eyebrows. “That’s hardly a problem. It was the point, wasn’t it?”

“Ah… Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“If the situation made you uncomfortable, it’s best to talk about it now.”

“No! No, no. I had fun.” Shiro blushed harder as he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing up at Lotor with an almost bashful smile. “How about you?”

That look on Shiro’s buff body was a sin and Lotor’s dick was into it. “I had a wonderful time. We should do it again soon.”

The shower shut off and Lotor jumped on the distraction of bringing Lance his pajamas in hopes that his cock didn’t stir to life again. Lance was even more reluctant to move of his own willpower than before. Keith seemed concerned, but Lotor was used to it. They manhandled him back into the room and into the fresh sheets on the bed. Lance nuzzled into his pillow with a happy hum.

Shiro had put on his underwear and shirt in the meantime. He tossed Keith’s clothes to him. “We should get dressed.”

That got Lance’s attention. He sat up on his elbows, eyes upset and bottom lip quivering. “Are you guys leaving?”

“Uhhh…” Keith glanced at Shiro uncertainly before looking back at Lance. “Do you not want us to?”

“We’re supposed to cuddle!” Lance looked at Lotor. “Make them stay over!”

“The bed is big enough for all of us. We can have breakfast in the morning.” Lotor gave them a polite smile, not wanting to push the issue if it made them too uncomfortable. “If you have other plans, we certainly understand, but you’re more than welcome to stay.”

Lance whined and tugged Keith down onto the bed, wrapping around him like a stubborn octopus. Keith looked downright shocked but ran his hands soothingly over Lance’s hair and back regardless. It left Lance sated and limp, consciousness already slipping away from him.

“Well…” Shiro watched the two on the bed with a fond look. “It is pretty late already…”

Lotor watched Shiro’s biceps with a fond look. “It is indeed.”

And thus they all ended up in the bed together in a tangle of limbs. Thankfully, none of them snored.

Chapter Text

“Lotor. Lotor. Lotor.”

The person in question cracked his eyes open to look at the source of utter irritation. The bed was hot and not in the good way. Four bodies made it difficult to stay cool enough for a good night’s sleep. Lotor would definitely have bruises under his eyes. That was just unacceptable…

“Lotooooor.”

“What?” he muttered, glaring at Lance.

“We should make breakfast for everyone!”

Damn Lance for looking so well rested and energetic. Did he enjoy being baked alive as he slept? Thinking back to all of the painful memories of being woken up to ice cold feet pressed against Lotor’s shins, it was safe to say that Lance did in fact enjoy being that warm.

“What would you like?” Lotor mumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face and willing himself awake.

“Hmmm…” Lance was debating it? The nerve! He should have had the answer long before Lotor woke up. Those were precious few seconds of sleep missed out on. “Ooo! What about stuffed crepes? I love your stuffed crepes!”

“Savory or sweet?”

“Both!”

“I should have guessed.”

As Lance snickered to himself, there was a shuffling of movement on the other side of the bed. Keith’s sleep roughened voice was worth waking up so soon. “You don’t have to make us anything. We can grab something on the way back.”

Lance gasped in an overly dramatic way. “And be poor hosts? Never! Besides, I like an excuse for a big breakfast.” He bounced his way out of the bed and threw on a robe. “I’ll juice some oranges and start the coffee!”

Shiro’s eyes popped open at the sudden movement and noise. They were bloodshot and he looked around for a moment like he hadn’t a clue what was happening. Keith kissed his boyfriend on the shoulder, and that seemed to calm Shiro back down, eyelids fluttering shut once more. Lotor couldn’t help his amused smirk.

“Take your time,” Lotor said as he got out of bed and wrapped up in his own robe. “It’ll be awhile before breakfast is ready. Feel free to use whatever you need in the bathroom. There are some spare toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet.”

Shiro mumbled something incoherent and seemed to fall back asleep. Apparently, he was not a morning person. Keith looked around himself like he was feeling awkward about waking up in such different circumstances. Lotor wondered if Keith had acted that way when he first started dating Shiro. The thought was a bit endearing. Keith’s underlying current of timid brought out the predator in Lotor.

Lance already had the sound system going by the time Lotor entered the kitchen. It was quieter than normal, as Lance seemed to be respectful of those sleeping — for once. He danced around the kitchen as he pulled out the juicer and grabbed the oranges. Lotor yawned while making his way to the fridge.

They had a routine down in the kitchen and moved without having to worry too much about getting in the other’s way. If Lotor needed anything to aid in cooking, Lance was quick to grab it. Keith noticed. He had slowly exited the bedroom but stood off to the side as he watched. Lotor gave the man his space.

Eventually, the smell of food roused Shiro enough for him to shamble out of the bedroom and plop down into a seat at the table. Lance set a cup of coffee down and slid the cream and sugar over, but Shiro just started sipping on it as is. This finally prompted Keith to walk over and sit as well. He blinked at the cup of coffee set in front of him.

“Fresh beans and french press!” Lance happily informed and winked. A cute little blush tinted Keith’s cheeks.

There was an unnatural silence as Lotor set down the plates of food and everyone took a place at the table. The morning routines were shaken up for all involved, which caused a bit of pause. More so for Keith, who seemed to think the quiet was his fault and tried to fix it.

“Uhhh…” Keith poked at his food. “Thanks for cooking.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Lotor smiled and took a sip of juice.

“Lotor’s a great cook.” Lance beamed with pride. “I thought I’d have to do all the cooking when I moved in, but no! We both have different skills so we end up with a wide range of options.”

“Is that, uh… why the table is so big?” Keith looked down the dining table that filled the space beside the kitchen. Eight chairs were set up currently with plenty of room, but there was availability for up to twelve.

“We enjoy hosting dinner parties,” Lotor explained as he carefully cut up his food into perfect bites. “My parents entertained guests often during my childhood. I suppose the habit fell to me as well. Lance enjoys get-togethers, so it works out.”

“Oh!” Lance grinned wide, practically vibrating with excitement as an idea struck him. “We’re having a party the first weekend of next month. It won’t be nearly as big as usual, so it’ll be a great time to just hang out and talk. You two should come!”

Keith froze, a forkful of crepe halfway to his mouth. “What?”

Lance scowled. “What? You don’t like parties? You never did go to any in college either!”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like parties!” Keith immediately defended before shoving food into his mouth.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You just… You’re going to introduce us to your friends?” Keith looked between Lotor and Lance before finally glancing over at Shiro who seemed to be awake enough to pay attention but was slow to respond.

“Why not?” Lance pouted, eyes flicking between Keith and Shiro in return. “You’re our friends, too.”

Lotor placed a hand on Lance’s knee. “I believe Keith is still adjusting to last night.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Lance huffed. “We were friends before the sex!” Abruptly, Lance looked like a kicked puppy as he turned back to the other couple. “Weren’t we?”

Keith was suddenly a man drowning. Shiro was the one who responded, voice sleepy but soothing. “Of course we’re friends.”

Lance brightened immediately. “Exactly! So you’ll go?”

Shiro turned to Keith who shrank down in his chair, stared at his plate, and nodded. Shiro smiled as he brought his attention back to Lance. “Keith’s just a little shy around new people. We’d love to go.”

“Oh! Don’t worry! Everyone’s great. You’ll love them.” Lance was back to being bouncy and excitable, happily accepting the reasoning and ignoring any possible discomfort about their swinging history together.

“And if this is any hint, I’m sure the food will be wonderful.” Shiro smiled at Lotor in a warm way that sent a flutter through Lotor’s stomach like he hadn’t felt since meeting Lance.

While Shiro and Lotor grinned at one another, Keith stared at his plate while shoveling food into his mouth, and Lance rambled on about the dinner options for the party. All in all, it was an enjoyable morning after.

~*~

Lance flitted around the room as people arrived. There was a buzz of excitement and energy under his skin. He loved having his friends around him and everyone having fun. It left him filled to the brim with a happiness that he could subsist off of for days after. Being around people he cared about just charged his batteries, in a sense.

Hunk and Pidge were on the couch playing video games as Lance finished up the food preparation. Lotor was setting the table while having a conversation with Acxa. They were childhood friends, so they both grew up pretty bougie. Lance was never that interested in their lame conversation topics.

“Dinner’s almost ready!” Lance called.

“‘Kay!” Hunk returned. “Just let me beat Pidge real quick.”

“Ha! Who’s beating who here?” Pidge challenged.

The doorbell rang, and Lance all but ran to the door. He had started to fret that they weren’t coming and proceeded to send off rapid fire texts asking for a status update. He didn’t do well with being stood up. Keith’s angry texts in return had been both comforting and aggravating.

“About time!” Lance scolded as he swung the door open.

“I told you there was traffic!” Keith snapped. “Five times.”

Shiro held up a bottle of wine with a smile. “A gift.”

“This will go perfect with everything.” Lance grinned as he ignored Keith, took the wine, and shooed them inside. “Everyone, this is Keith and Shiro.” A chorus of greetings came in response.

Lance brought them over to the table and introduced Acxa first since she would end up taking her sweet time trying to assess the newcomers. Once Hunk and Pidge made their way over, Lance jumped in to finish introductions as he made sure everyone was seated while handing out drinks.

“You went to college with these two, not that you remember, since you didn’t try to make friends.”

Keith growled and opened his mouth to complain, but Lance just kept on talking.

“Hunk took all his core classes with us before moving to culinary school. His girlfriend Shay usually comes to the parties, but she had to pick up an emergency shift at her job. Pidge works in programming now — and pretty high level stuff. Also, genderfluid, so ask before pronouning.”

“Ah! I’m really fine with any pronouns. Don’t worry about it.” Pidge had a noticeably self-conscious smile on.

“Don’t worry about it!” Lance insisted. “They’re good people.”

Shiro offered a warm grin in return. “It’s very nice to meet all of you.”

“Lance, let’s bring out the salads.” Lotor helped get things going and passed around salad plates as the rest of the food finished cooking.

It was an exuberant dinner as it usually was, with animated discussion and rapid topics. Shiro did his best to join in and being the friendlier of the two, adapted well. Keith was a little harder to get involved. He looked sullen, but Lance was guessing that Keith just didn’t have a lot of experience being social. Shiro often tried to compensate by leading Keith into any answers needed for a direct question. Lance tried his best to encourage Keith’s lack of conversation skills.

They somehow landed on the subject of sexuality and Keith had the audacity to raise an eyebrow at Lance declaring himself bisexual. “Excuse you! I am!”

“Sure, I believe you,” Keith said before taking a sip of wine. Lance bristled at how dismissive it sounded.

“I would hop on The Princess in a heartbeat, you know!”

“First of all, you hop on a dick,” Pidge interjected.

“She could wear a strap-on! I could go either way!”

“Who’s a princess?” Shiro asked.

“You know that famous actor Alfor?” Hunk said. “The ‘king of cinema’ or whatever?”

Lance scoffed at the “or whatever” part. “The man’s a genius!”

“Well, anyways,” Hunk kept going without pause. “He has a daughter who just started modeling. Lance is into her.”

“She’s amazing.” Lance swooned as he thought of her, hands clasped under his chin. Lotor gave Lance a few consoling pats on the knee.

“Second of all,” Pidge continued. “That’s the only woman I’ve ever heard you talk about.”

“I love flirting with women. It’s not my fault nobody can hold a candle to The Princess.”

“Except Lotor?” Hunk asked.

“Lotor’s special.” Lance grinned at his boyfriend in a way that earned him a kiss.

“Since we’re sharing…” Acxa turned to Shiro. “What about you?”

Shiro shrugged. “I’ve always had an interest in men. It was mostly just hookups and flings for a while. As I grew older, I realized I wanted something a little more stable in my life, and I wanted that from someone I loved, regardless of gender. But it turned out all I needed was Keith.”

That caused Keith to blush a bright red that had Hunk and Pidge cooing with delight. That obviously rolled into a demand for the story of how they met. Apparently, they’d known each other for a while, with Shiro being a mentor of sorts to help Keith transition into a new home after being bounced around the foster system yet again. Things had shifted between them when Keith was in college.

“I was only ever interested in Shiro,” Keith mumbled, staring at his mostly empty plate as he shuffled the remains of his food around.

And didn’t that just have Lance glowing with satisfaction. Maybe Keith hadn’t been interested in anyone else before, but he sure was now. Lance was a sucker for being validated in all the little ways he could get. His pleased smile must have shown on his face because when Keith looked over, he quickly cut his eyes away and fidgeted, his blush returning.

Hunk looked contemplative as he glanced between the two. Lance wasn’t worried about it. Hunk wasn’t the kind of person to pass judgement or bring it up in a group of people. He’d probably wait a while to see how things progressed before saying anything.

Eventually, they all started drifting away from the table, triggering Lotor. “No wine near the sectional!”

“We know, we know!” Pidge complained, one hand making a yapping motion.

Keith stopped mid-step and finished his glass off before setting it on the table. Lance hooked his arm in Keith’s and led him to the couch. “Lotor is picky, and if anything gets on the couch, he calls a cleaning service.”

“Forgive me trying to keep our home clean,” Lotor snapped before turning back to where Acxa had Shiro trapped in some inane conversation. They were cleaning up themselves, which was sending Lotor into a tizzy since he had high expectations of how a host and guests should act at a dinner party.

Not that video games were Lotor’s idea of proper etiquette either, but the other four sprawled on the couch and grabbed controllers anyways. Lance grinned as he picked a pod racing game. “Prepare to get your asses kicked!”

Keith smirked. “Sure.”

Lance didn’t take it well when Keith won every single game. Hunk and Pidge seemed to find it endlessly amusing. Shiro eventually pulled the controller from Keith’s hands as Lotor showered Lance in affection. Despite the horrible win-loss ratio, everyone had a good time — even Keith.

~*~

Lance’s degree had bagged him a job as a video game tester. He didn’t write the coding, but would often double check it. After that, he would go through and flag all the glitches, why they were happening, and actively try to find any game loopholes that slipped through the cracks. He was also able to offer suggestions for smoother game play, when to alter the coding or graphics, and point out places that would work best for game extras. It was fun.

The company was small, however, so their projects weren’t very consistent, which meant Lance was usually just contracted for work as needed. The paychecks were erratic, but it was enough to save up and pay on his student loans steadily. Lotor took care of almost everything else.

Though Lance didn’t necessarily need to make money outside of that, he liked having something that earned him a little extra pocket cash. Since he had a fabulous body, amazing eyes, great flexibility, a high sex drive, and liked making his own schedule, the answer had seemed pretty obvious.

Lance adjusted the focus on his camera, checked the frame of his backdrop one last time, and then hit the button to go live. He backed up into view slowly, swaying his hips to the music playing in the background. He ran his hands over his outfit of the day, turning this way and that so his viewers could see.

Powder blue thigh high stockings with matching silk panties and garter belt hugged his long legs. He trailed his fingers up his bare stomach to the long sleeved crop top that barely covered his chest. Nails caught on the loose fabric and pulled it up to reveal one nipple, thumb flicking over it in a quick tease.

He could see his eyes in the screen, highlighted as they were by eyeliner and mascara, just a hint of makeup so his skin would glow under the lights. His wig hung in spikes over his forehead, the color a bright, pearly white. With a smirk, he turned around and arched his back, showing off how the thin fabric of the panties hugged his ass, framing it like a sultry picture that he wiggled for the viewers.

He liked this part, the slow tease and buildup. It was easy and indulgent to just let himself feel his own skin and the caress the outfit he wore. He felt sexy all dolled up for the camera and didn’t mind people knowing that. The thousands of eyes on him appreciated what he had to offer, and that fed his ego like little else could.

Now, Lance wasn’t the most popular camboy on the internet, and he certainly never would be. Most of the bigger names would find creative ways to interact with their audience, grow their regulars, and sell private sessions. Lance did none of that.

Whatever he felt like doing, he would. That was that. He had a few social media sites that he posted pictures and clips on to help promote his website and the collection of videos he had on there, but that was the extent of his interactions with the general public. People could buy his edited shows or pay to watch a live stream as it happened. Those were the options. They could also leave a tip in his TipJar account at any time.

So, he certainly wasn’t making waves in the cam world, but he was doing alright. He played to a certain aesthetic and that alone had the viewers rolling in. Some people liked watching a pretty boy all dressed up with an unnaturally large dildo in his ass. Lance was fine with that.

Picking up one of his longer dildos, Lance kissed the head and ran his tongue around it, leaning over to give everyone a better view. From the corner of his eye, he could see the viewer count. Not bad. He bobbed his mouth along the head of the dildo, batting his long lashes at the camera while doing so.

Honestly, he loved sucking dick. He’d always had a bit of an oral fixation, and once he started getting praised for his efforts, it just got worse. He liked how it filled him, how his tongue molded around it, and how it tickled the roof of his mouth. It wasn’t fake when he moaned and suckled on the dildos for his audience.

He also loved the tips that rolled in when he could make the thing disappear like a sword swallower. A slight smile played on his lips as he saw his TipJar notifications start to pop up, more with every inch that disappeared down his throat. It had taken him a long time to perfect how smoothly he could take it all down, but Lotor had been there to help Lance along the way.

Lance’s eyes fluttered in pleasure at the memories, and his cock stretched against their silken confines.

He made an exaggerated show of dragging the thing back out as slow as possible so its passage through his throat could be seen. His lips wrapped around it and sucked it clean as the length was presented into open air once more. He smirked at the camera as the long dildo waggled around, shimmering in spit.

With a wink, Lance set it aside and picked up the next one. It was long and fat with a bulbous knot at the base and ridges up the underside. He’d been a little skeptical of monster cocks at first, but the idea had stuck with him, and the designs began to appeal to him more and more. When he had first caved and bought one, it took a month for him to get up the nerve to use it.

He loved it now and so did his viewers.

Backing up, Lance pulled over a stool and set the golden-flecked blue cock onto it, pressing down to suction it in place. He made a grand show of lubing up the dick but not himself. That was his other hard-won trick. Sure, he had slicked himself up prior to the show, but he was a master at relaxing his muscles and taking things in without the need for prep.

It was all about maintaining control and knowing your body’s limits. That wasn’t a problem for him.

Lance dropped to his knees, pulled the panties to one side, lined up, and steadily began sinking down on the massive thing. The ridges caught on his rim, sending a bolt of sensation through him every time they pressed inside. He leaned back and braced his hands on the other side of the stool, letting his body fall into a smooth arch that took a lot of core work to maintain. It showed a perfect side view so those watching could see the dildo sink into him as well as his dick straining against the silk panties.

Working himself up and down on the dildo was all for show. He could have taken it to the hilt the first run, but that didn’t always satisfy the fans. So he played it up, his chest heaving and his face in bliss as he bounced, sinking a little further each time.

When at last he took the knot completely he paused, his lips parting and eyes fluttering shut. That certainly wasn’t acting. That was all him, taking in the feeling of being so stretched and full. It made him think of Shiro. That man was so big, and his thrusts so demanding.

He thought of Keith, of what it would look like to see Shiro pound Keith into the sheets. What noises would Keith make? Desperate moans and cries? Would be beg to touch himself? Would he scream and tremble as Shiro kept going after who knew how many releases from Keith?

The images had him throbbing, his insides hot in a way that was usually reserved for his lovers rather than his show. He moved up and back down on the knot, slowly at first, but gaining speed. The image of Shiro’s big muscled arm ramming the thing into Lance was overwhelming. His face flushed as he dropped his hips harder, the ridges inside dragging along his prostate like fireworks of pleasure.

He would usually jerk himself at this point, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to cum from the images in his head and the knot in his ass. Using his hand on the far side of the camera, Lance brushed the backs of his fingers over his panties, just enough to tease, his hips bucking involuntarily. The head of his cock was peeking over the band of elastic, the head drooling precum along his skin.

In Lance’s mind, Lotor was telling Shiro to take whatever he wanted. The mental image of taking all of Shiro’s cock down his throat while being brutally fucked with the monster cock was intense. Maybe Lotor would come up from behind and fill Lance’s ass as well, stretching it beyond belief. Maybe Keith would be ordered to lay down and take Lance’s cock in his mouth.

“Mmh!” Lance bit his lip, his fingers still brushing lightly over powder blue fabric. His stomach trembled with effort, his thighs burning from his maintained pace. He loved it — the pain, the pleasure, the burn of effort and arousal.

The bright edge of orgasm hovered under his skin, numbing his mind with need, making his belly feel tight. He needed so badly. His fingers twitched with the need to stroke himself. He slapped his hand back onto the floor to better brace himself as he tilted his hips and fucked his prostate hard enough that he choked on the high pitched noises it pulled from him.

Just as his arms and legs began to tremble with effort and his dick felt ready to explode, he fell over the edge, his vision going white, his whole body tensing up. Long strips of white painted his bare stomach, his dick jerking by itself as hard as it could as he worked himself through the orgasm.

When it was finally over, Lance sank back down on the monster cock and leaned forward to catch his breath. Mind fuzzy, he ran his fingers through the cum covering him in idly swirling patterns before bringing them to his lips to suck clean. He looked over his shoulder as he did so, eyes heavy and trained on the camera lens.

He spent a good amount of time in cool down, petting along his skin and outfit, occasionally snapping the thigh highs or moving his panties down to show his spent cock. He pulled up off the dildo with a little whimper before he crawled, cat-like, to the camera, blew it a kiss, and killed the live stream.

Immediately, he sprawled on the floor to recover and grabbed his phone, scrolling through his TipJar to get an idea of how the show had done. He recognized a lot of familiar usernames. One stood out, having dropped the biggest tip so far: kREDk1023. Lance snickered to himself. Keith’s usernames were totally uncreative.

Opening up his messages, he sent Keith a text.

Lance: Enjoy the show?

The three little dots bounced and disappeared for a long time before a response came through.

Keith: Yes.

Lance: Thanks for the tip, sweet cheeks. ;x

Keith: Can I watch next time?

Lance: Only online. Nobody is allowed to distract me in my workspace.

Keith: :(

Laughing to himself, Lance tossed his phone aside and sat up with a groan. He needed to clean up before Lotor got home. He was starving and didn’t want to delay dinner. Afterwards, Lance deserved a good long cuddle on the couch. Lotor was always happy to oblige.

~*~

The air was thick with the smell of fried food and sugar, blending seamlessly into the brightly colored and loud chaos around them. People screamed and tracks roared, overlapping music blared from one booth to another. Crowds of people poured around them, the occasional loose child running by with a shrill giggle as they tried to outpace their parents.

“I haven’t been to a carnival in years!” Lance said, face stretched into a painfully wide grin. The whole experience was so nostalgic. “Lotor hates rides!”

“I do not see the fun of spinning in rapid circles on unsafe carni rides.” Lotor stuck his nose into the air with a frown of distaste.

“Oh, they’re not so bad,” Shiro teased.

“Look! Tilt-a-whirl!” Taking hold of Keith’s wrist, Lance charged at his destination.

And so it went, with Keith and Shiro trading out on every ride Lance came across. It gave Lotor someone to talk to while Lance enjoyed his life. He also suspected that the other two were not as capable of keeping up as they’d like to claim. Lance, however, was tireless and had a stomach of steel.

Hours later when the sun was low and the area mostly lit by neon lights, Lance had been persuaded to take a break. They carried around a powdered sugar laden plate with a funnel cake somewhere underneath and a caramel apple on a stick, both of which they traded among them. All around were games full of various random prizes for those willing to pay for a chance to win them. It gave Lance a wicked idea.

“Keith!” He hip checked the man who turned around to growl at his beaming face. “Win me that bear.” Lance pointed to a bright red teddy bear sporting a grumpy face that hung above a ring toss game. “It looks like you.”

“It does not!” Keith scowled, making the exact same face, causing Shiro to struggle at keeping his snickering at bay.

“You may as well show off,” Shiro said with a smile, handing over a few dollars. Keith blushed and shrank a little under Shiro’s happy countenance. For some reason, only Shiro was able to calm Keith’s random rages.

So Keith made his way over to the game, paid the carni, and got a run down on the rules. There was a giant circle of glass bottles, and Keith just had to drop the rings on the red ones in the middle. Three rings to win the bear. Keith paced around the area, trying to line up the best spot. Lance watched with amusement, sucking one of his fingers clean of caked on sugar. Keith was oddly cute when he was focused.

Not to mention, It gave a clear view of Keith’s ass as he bent forward and lined up for his toss. All three of them enjoyed the sight for what it was. There was a good chance a few other passersby were as well, but Lance wasn’t about to look away just to check. Keith tossed the first ring, and Lance hummed at what the movement did to all the muscles on Keith’s backside.

There was a tinkling of glass as the plastic ring bounced around the bottles, but firmly settled on a red glass. Shiro clapped. “Well done.”

“He’s still gotta get two more,” Lance pointed out.

“Shut up, I got this,” Keith snapped, his eyes staying forward as he lined up the next toss.

“Sure thing, mullet.”

The toss went wild, clanking off of glass tops and sliding between them, the ring disappearing from sight. Keith whipped his head around to scowl at Lance who burst into laughter. Keith smoothed down his hair in a subconscious way as he turned back around.

“I’ll give the damn bear to Shiro,” Keith muttered.

“Careful, there are kids around,” Shiro attempted to scold Keith’s language, but he looked too amused to stay serious.

Lotor shoved the apple in Lance’s face as a distraction, and it worked. Lance happily munched away as Keith took his sweet time lining up his next toss which landed perfectly on a red bottle. Shiro praised Keith again and under the bright lights, a slight blush of pleasure could be seen on Keith’s face. Lotor hummed in a way that said he was thinking dirty thoughts. Lance grinned as he took another bite of apple.

Keith, of course, made the third toss easily, not even needing the final ring. The carni cried a winner for those gathered and a few kids gaped at Keith like he was some kind of miracle worker. Lance threw his hands in the air in excitement as the bear was plucked from the spot it hung from. Shiro took the apple from Lance’s fingers before it went flying, which was probably for the best.

When Keith had the bear in hand and turned around, Lance had already pounced, flinging his arms around Keith’s shoulders and dropping a kiss on the man’s lips, tasting of apple and sugar. Keith turned about as red as the little teddy bear that was pulled from his grip as Lance stepped back and hugged it to his chest.

“My big strong man,” Lance said with a cheeky wink.

Keith fixed his gaze on the ground and muttered something. Shiro just laughed and pulled Keith into his side as he got the four of them moving again. It took a few booths for Keith to recover from his embarrassment. In the meantime, they finished off their snacks, with Lotor occasionally feeding Lance bits of funnel cake since his hands were busy admiring his grumpy bear.

“I’m going to name him Red!” Lance announced.

Keith rolled his eyes. “How creative.”

“Like you’re one to talk, k-red-k.”

Keith looked ready to melt into the ground right on the spot. Lance earned himself a pinch to his side from Lotor for teasing so mercilessly. Shiro tried to distract Keith from his mortification over his online hobbies.

“You know,” Lotor mused, looking at Lance. “It’s not fair that only you get a gift.”

Shiro smirked like they’d planned something out between the two of them somehow. “I agree. Surely there’s some game that might catch your eye.”

“You should win Keith a prize in return,” Lotor finished.

“I don’t need—” Keith started but was cut off.

“Watch me win this!” Lance crowed as he shoved Red into Lotor’s chest and ran over to a game lined with air guns. He waved his arm at the array of tiered prizes. “Pick one!”

Keith just raised his eyebrows in a look that said he expected nothing more than a plastic bead necklace as a consolation prize. “You have to win first.”

“Fine, don’t pick. I’ll pick for you.” Lance held his hand out to Lotor for cash. “I’m going for the big one!”

With the man in the booth paid, Lance picked up his rifle and aimed at the balloons pinned to the board in front of him. He blew out his breath and started firing. Pop! Pop! Po-pop! Three rounds later, Lance had climbed the tiered prizes and won the chance at picking one of the massive stuffies hanging from the ceiling of the booth. He turned to give Keith a smug grin.

“Too bad you didn’t pick.”

“Why is that even a skill you have?” Keith asked, arms flailing.

Lance laughed as he propped his hands on his hips and declared which stuffie he wanted.

That was how they finished their night with Keith carrying around a bright blue mermaid plushie that was three-fourths his size. Lance even had them pose for a picture with it and take it on a ride with the four of them shoved into a ferris wheel cabin. Keith acted grumpy about it, but he refused any offers for one of the others to carry it.

Before they parted ways that night, Lance dropped a kiss on the mermaid to “remember him by” and insisted Keith do the same for Red. Lance snuggled the little bear the entire ride home, much to Lotor’s amusement.

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Lotor said as they passed under a streetlight, illuminating his pale hair into an ethereal glow.

Lance smiled and hummed in a sleepy way. “We should do that again sometime.”

“I agree.”

“You’re so handsome,” Lance cooed as he watched the glow and fade of Lotor’s hair with each passing light. A fond smile stretched across Lotor’s face in return.

At the next stoplight, Lotor leaned over and dropped a lingering kiss on Lance. “So are you.”

Lance smiled wide in return. Dating Lotor was the best decision Lance had ever made in life.

Chapter Text

They had developed a routine without even realizing it. Lance learned Shiro’s work schedule and would text whenever Shiro was free. Keith learned Lance’s video streaming days and started planning for it so he could watch. Lance refused to let Keith be a live audience member because it might distract him, and he was a professional.

The four of them would get together every Friday night, either for a date or a night in at Lotor’s. Both options usually ended in a lot of sex.

For the first time, Shiro was going to be late for the Friday meetup.

He was working overtime to help rearrange the gym so new equipment could be installed. Keith decided to head over to Lotor’s by himself. Shiro would meet up once he finished.

He wondered if they would be asleep by the time he got there. Would they have sex without him? Something about the idea of the three of them in bed was both intriguing and melancholy. Was he jealous? He paused to analyze the feeling.

No…jealous wasn’t it. He wasn’t bothered over the idea of Keith having sex with Lotor and/or Lance. It was more that Shiro just felt a little left out. In fact, he’d be more than happy to sit back and watch that show.

What if they sent him pictures? That sounded nice. Lance and Keith rolling each other around the bed, fighting for dominance, and Lotor snapping candids with his phone and texting them to—

“Where are you right now?” Curtis asked with a laugh.

Shiro flinched and looked over at his coworker with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I got a little lost in my head there.”

“Well, we’re almost done. Then you can get back to whatever important things are on your mind.” He winked, and Shiro sincerely hoped that he wasn’t blushing.

It was late when he finally made it to Lotor’s condo. He had the keycode now, so he could just let himself in. It had felt strange at first, entering into a place not his own without knocking, but time and exposure had him no longer worrying about it. Being able to just walk in meant not bothering anyone, especially if they were asleep or curled up on the couch while focused on a movie.

“I’m here,” Shiro said as the door swung closed behind him. He kept his voice level — not so loud that he disturbed anyone, but not so soft he wouldn’t be heard.

Walking around the corner and into the living room, Shiro stopped dead and stared in shock at the scene before him, lips slightly parted in awe. On the couch was Lotor, naked, sprawled in a way that looked too casual for him, though he appeared as composed as ever. One leg was draped over the arm of the couch, the other pulled in tight to his chest, foot planted onto the cushion.

He had one wrist on his knee, fingers toying with the red leash in his hand — the red leash that trailed down to a matching red collar that wrapped around Keith’s throat. Keith, who wore only that collar while kneeling on the floor. Lance was a mirror image beside Keith with a blue collar and leash that Lotor held in his other hand.

Neither of them turned to look. Their focus was on Lotor’s cock. They were kissing and licking it, both of them desperate to wrap their lips around the head and bob the length into their throat. When one came up for air, the other dove in to take over. Their lips and tongues met each other regularly, occasionally taking a moment to kiss in some kind of blind need before going back to pleasure Lotor.

Shiro stood there and watched for an embarrassingly long time, a hard-on growing strong under his pants, before he snapped out of it. He looked up to see Lotor’s wicked smirk.

“Welcome back,” Lotor said, voice deep and languid.

Shiro swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“Come sit down. I’m sure you’re tired after such a long day,” Lotor teased, lips amused at Shiro’s reaction and eyes lidded with his own pleasure.

“How long have they…” Shiro asked as he walked over, trailing off at the sight of Keith and Lance’s hard cocks, untouched and desperate for attention.

“Quite a while,” Lotor replied, tugging on the red leash and causing Keith to moan and refocus on his task rather than Shiro sitting down in his line of sight. “Lance is helping Keith learn how to be a good pet.”

Keith’s eyes cut up to meet Shiro’s as Keith swallowed down Lotor’s cock once more. Shiro let out a shaky breath at the sight. “He looks amazing like this.”

“He does,” Lotor agreed. He tugged on Keith’s leash, a signal to move forward, press deeper. Keith opened his throat and obeyed, eyes unfocused as he tried his best to take Lotor as far as possible.

Shiro had never demanded that much. If he ever thought that Keith would choke or not fully enjoy the experience, Shiro wouldn’t push. Keith had never said anything against that. He had always looked content with their sensual way of making love. However, it seemed a part of Keith had yearned to be dominated in a way Shiro wasn’t able to provide.

But Lotor was more than happy to do so.

One long finger hooked under Shiro’s chin and brought his gaze to Lotor’s lust-filled eyes. Shiro caved under the pressure of them and leaned in, kissing Lotor hard enough to express how very aroused he was at the whole scenario.

The three of them had started without Shiro, but they had done so in a way to give Shiro something amazing to walk into. They all expected him to watch and join in. It was everything his fantasies had kept trying to overtake him with during work. He wanted this so much.

Shiro’s hands were on Lotor next, sliding along sensitive skin, or just feeling the perfect shape of muscles and sculpted limbs. Lotor moaned when Shiro tugged on his hair, and his hips thrust into the two mouths around his cock. Shiro bit and sucked his way down Lotor’s neck, taken over by a sudden need to mark and claim, something he hadn’t felt since he and Keith had first gotten together.

Lotor was squirming, fingers digging into the leashes. Lance and Keith’s hands were rubbing along his thighs while Shiro’s were everywhere else. Mouths were in all the places he loved best. It was no surprise that his control was failing, pleasure spiking hot and fast. Shiro brought their mouths back together in order to taste the little noises Lotor let through.

It wasn’t long before Lotor let out a surprised grunt followed by a long groan. Shiro pulled back so he could look at the other two as their faces were covered in strips of cum. They nuzzled into it, smearing it over their cheeks as they milked Lotor’s pleasure from him. Shiro was about to burst from his pants at the sight.

The leashes pulled taut abruptly, catching everyone’s attention. All eyes were on Lotor as he looked at his two pets with a languid smirk. “Good boys. Now clean each other up.”

Shiro swallowed hard and immediately turned to watch. Lance didn’t hesitate. He leaned forward and studiously licked the cum from Keith’s face with relish. Keith was bright red by the time he convinced himself to turn his head and open his mouth, tongue tentatively flicking along Lance’s cheek. Lance all but purred, turning his face to allow for better access.

It was fascinating to Shiro how Keith was so obviously reluctant to do some embarrassing task, but once he got started, his eyes would glaze over in pleasure as he fell into it. Shiro hadn’t known that about Keith’s sexual preferences. Maybe Keith hadn’t really known about it either prior to Lotor’s commanding presence. Well, they were certainly enjoying themselves now. Shiro could barely stand how sexy Keith looked, tongue coated in Lotor’s cum as he shoved it into Lance’s mouth.

With a groan, Shiro unbuttoned his pants, giving himself some much-needed relief at last. Lotor chuckled at that.

“You’re a little overdressed for this party,” Lotor rumbled, looking between the two men on their knees making out and Shiro’s erection bulging through his underwear.

“Yeah…” Shiro breathed. He didn’t want to just sit by and watch forever. He wanted to join. On that thought, he stipped his clothing as fast as he could, tossing them away haphazardly and bringing a chuckle to Lotor’s lips.

“Looks like someone wants to be a good boy as well.”

Shiro bit back a moan. “Yes.”

Lotor hummed in pleasure as his eyes traveled across Shiro’s built body. Shiro could practically feel the weight of that gaze. His hand slid down to grip his cock, needing some kind of touch to gain a modicum of relief. Lotor smiled.

“You look like you need a little attention.” Lotor tilted his head as he watched Shiro slowly stroke his rock hard length. “Would you like some time with the pets?”

Keith and Lance immediately perked up, their eyes snapping to Shiro’s cock. Shiro groaned at the thought of getting the kind of attention Lotor had just received. His hips twitched forward, fucking himself into his own hand. Even Lotor’s spent cock was perking up in interest once more.

With a thoughtful hum, Lotor reached over to the side table and grabbed a tube of lube. He handed it to Shiro. “Open yourself up and sit on my lap so the pets can get another treat.”

Keith bit his bottom lip and shuffled around, toes curling and fingers gripping the couch cushions hard to prevent himself from touching what he wasn’t supposed to. His cock bobbed with excitement, precum pearling on the tip. He shuddered when Lance’s lips pressed into his neck and started sucking and biting.

The two of them were desperate for some kind of relief, but they were far more desperate to please Shiro. It was almost too much. Shiro let go of his cock so he wouldn’t cum embarrassingly fast. Instead, he focused on preparing himself as quickly as possible, the twinges of pain from the abrupt stretch helping to ground him and give back some control over his body.

“Look at all of you,” Lotor mused. “So eager.”

Shiro was eager and not afraid to admit it. 

Keith and Shiro loved each other and had found solace in their relationship after so many troubles in life. However, the neither of them had been able to get much experience with healthy sexual relationships. There were things they just hadn’t been able to explore and weren’t fully comfortable discovering with each other, terrified of how it might affect their peaceful balance. It was what drove them into the swinging scene in the first place.

That exploration had turned out far better than expected.

By the time Shiro was stretched and ready, Lotor’s dick was taking interest again. It would likely be a while before he could cum a second time, but that only spurred Shiro on. It meant he could take all he needed. Or he could just sit there and warm Lotor’s cock as the other two fought over who would lick Shiro’s the best.

“Oh, fuck,” Shiro breathed with feeling as he pulled fingers out of himself. He was already feeling shaky as he crawled over to straddle Lotor’s lap.

Sinking down onto Lotor’s length felt amazing. The stretch, the fullness, the pressure on that spot deep inside of him. He moaned as he dropped further, rocking slightly as he took more and more with each thrust. The sound of a whine caught his attention, making him realize his eyes were shut. They fluttered open to the scene before him.

Lance was watching Shiro’s face and Lotor’s vanishing cock with intensity. Keith was squirming in place, one hand held down by both of Lance’s, the other gripping the taut leash that was barely keeping him from lunging forward. Lotor made a disapproving noise.

“Patience, pet,” he scolded. “You must learn to stay until I allow you to have your treat.”

Just to prove a point, Lotor had them both wait long after Shiro had taken it all and started up an easy rhythm. It was amazing to watch Keith’s face, desperate and needy, impatient to take Shiro’s length. This sort of thing…it was addictive.

“Lance,” Lotor purred. “Take your treat.”

There was no hesitation. Lance jerked forward and wrapped his lips around Shiro before tilting his head and sinking all the way down in a single fluid motion. Shiro choked at the sight as Keith whined in protest and arousal. The feeling of Lance’s tongue and throat was beyond anything Shiro had ever tried with Keith, and it was hard to focus on anything else.

“Keith,” Lotor snapped, gaining the man’s attention. There was a dramatic pause as Lance slurped his way off Shiro’s length. “Take your treat.”

Just like that, there were two mouths fighting to please Shiro’s dick as he fucked himself on another deep inside of him. It was overwhelming. Just the sight of it had him burning up inside, electricity crackling up his spine. His stomach quivered and clenched. He was drowning in pleasure.

Lotor’s fingers brushed along Shiro’s broad shoulders, and lips began to nibble along the back of his neck. “Good boys.”

Shiro shivered and felt precum leak from the head of his cock, but it was licked away in an instant. There were tongues, lips, and skin everywhere on his dick. He could barely process it. He couldn’t tell where one tongue began and the other ended. He was always surprised to see Keith suckling on him when he looked down. His entire technique had changed since he started growing closer with Lance.

As the sharp edge of orgasm grew, Shiro rode Lotor harder. It was difficult to tell if he wanted to cum or hold off and enjoy it more. Or if he wanted to fuck Keith into oblivion. Or Lance. Or maybe just be fucked into oblivion himself. He groaned with indecision.

A hand wrapped around Shiro’s throat and another pressed against his stomach, bringing him to a stop. He ground his hips and moaned, floating near the edge of orgasm, his vision crackling in the corners. Lips pressed close to his ear, Lotor’s breath was short and fast, close to orgasm himself.

“Look at them.”

Shiro hadn’t realized his eyes were closed. He opened them to see Keith and Lance sloppily attending his cock while their hips humped the air, cocks neglected and needy. Their darkened eyes were watching the two of them, hopeful for some command that would allow them to finally find relief. Shiro moaned at the sight.

“How about we give these good pets a reward?” Lotor purred.

Shiro nodded rapidly and allowed himself to be guided up and off Lotor’s cock. He stumbled to his feet and watched as Lotor, with more grace than should be allowed, all considering, stood and tugged on the leashes. The pets obediently crawled after Lotor towards the bedroom. Shiro stumbled after them in a haze, his erection leading the way.

Keith and Lance needed no encouragement to crawl up on the bed and sit pretty on their knees, eager to be told what to do next. Keith didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed about it. He was so far into his head, just enjoying being told what to do, that he was no longer anxious. Shiro hadn’t known that could happen. He was grateful that Lotor was able to provide that for Keith.

“Hands and knees, pet,” Lotor ordered as he tugged lightly on Lance’s leash.

There was no hesitation as Lance immediately assumed the position. Lotor’s long fingers brushed down Lance’s spine before stopping between tanned cheeks. There was a glint of metal there. Shiro watched, enraptured, as a steel plug was pulled out of Lance’s ass.

Lance wasn’t the only one to moan. Shiro gripped the base of his cock, wanting both relief and a tight enough vise to keep him under control. Lotor tossed a quick, self-satisfied smirk in Shiro’s direction before climbing up on the bed and facing Lance a few feet back.

“Shiro, come.”

Such a simple command probably shouldn’t cause a raging fire of desire in Shiro, but he was not going to question it. He did as told and immediately climbed up on the bed. Lotor’s hands didn’t have to apply much pressure for Shiro to obey them, and it became clear what the goal was: he was going to face Lance in the same position while impaling himself on Lotor again.

Lance watched with rapt attention as Shiro pushed back onto Lotor’s cock. It was more sensitive after the pause in action, and Shiro’s face contorted in pleasure. Lance’s eyes burned as they flicked from place to place, drinking in all that he could of the sight before him.

The red leash connecting to Keith’s collar was lifted and tugged. “Mount,” was the simple command.

There was a pause as Keith’s eyes widened in realization, and Lance whimpered, dropping further forward onto his arms like he was begging for it. Shiro could barely breathe as he slammed himself back into Lotor’s hips and took in the heated expression on Keith’s face.

Then Keith moved into position, arms on either side of Lance’s head as he thrust his hips erratically at Lance’s backside like an over-excited dog. It took a few attempts, but Keith was sufficiently hard enough, and Lance wet and loose enough, that it slid home. Lance cried out when it did, his fingers gripping the sheets hard and hips pushing back to get more of Keith inside.

Lance and Shiro were in a frenzy, thrusting on their respective partners, seeking relief. Keith had sunk deep into his head, teeth bared, hips jerking in an erratic rhythm, eyes narrowed and unseeing. Lotor was strangely collected throughout it all, only his wandering fingers, trails of sweat, and occasional raw moan belying his cool.

Keith pushed forward, feet and hands clawing at the bed, something between a snarl and a groan ripped from his throat. Lance cried out as he was shoved inch by inch along the bed and pressed into Shiro’s space. He didn’t let that go to waste and eagerly tilted his head to slot their lips together. Lance and Shiro devoured each other, their hands finding one another’s hair to tug, shoulders to scratch, and stomachs to caress.

Shiro watched in drunken pleasure when his hand wrapped around Lance’s achingly hard member, and Lance keened. Keith growled in return, and Lotor hummed his approval. His hips snapped forward into Shiro’s backwards thrust, causing Shiro’s whole body to jerk. Lance’s mouth hung slack around the litany of sounds that poured out of him. Lotor’s rough pace rattling Shiro’s bones caused the hand around Lance’s cock to bounce, a tease of steady, jerking sensation Lance truly craved.

“Oh, fuck,” Shiro moaned once he realized he couldn’t do much with how he pleasured Lance if he wanted to maintain his balance at all. Lotor was managing to control them all with little effort, turning their passion to his advantage, and that was overwhelmingly hot.

Lance wrapped one arm around Shiro’s broad shoulders, clinging tight with breathy moans and high pitched noises being punched out of him by Keith’s hard pace. His free hand slipped and stumbled its way down Shiro’s stomach until it found its prize. Shiro threw his head back with a harsh noise as Lance’s sinfully expert fingers brought Shiro’s pleasure to the brink within seconds.

“I’m— I’m—” The words tumbled from Shiro’s mouth, incapable of being any more coherent than that. He didn’t have the opportunity for further attempts before Lance’s lips found his own again in a sloppy kiss.

Climax hit Shiro with a static burst through his entire body. His vision whited out, and his ears rang. He clenched down hard on the cock inside of him as he rode out the warm waves of pleasure. The world came back to him in time for his eyes to flutter open and see Lance’s face, so close to his own, warped with his own all-consuming orgasm.

“Fuck! Yes! Ngh!” Lance rambled, hot seed now dipping down Shiro’s hand.

But both their bodies still jerked and swayed from the impact of hips against them. They were soon clinging to each other, fingers digging bruises into one another’s skin, shouting from the overstimulation of their continued rough fucking. Lance whined as he rubbed his face into Shiro’s neck as Shiro sank his teeth into Lance’s shoulder and moaned.

Lance’s head was yanked up and the smacking of lips soon followed. Shiro couldn’t see, but Lotor must have been claiming Lance’s mouth as he worked on his own release. Though he would have liked to watch, the sight in front of him was enough to distract him.

Keith’s face was unlike anything he’d ever seen — tense, animalistic, aggressive. His thrusts were hard, fast, and unrelenting. He was lost in his own head and appeared to be enjoying that thoroughly. Those rough hands gripped tight to Lance’s slim hips like an unbreakable vice.

It was intoxicating to watch.

Lotor choked on a grunt, and his movements became erratic. Shiro resisted the urge to squirm as Lotor found his release and stilled at last, giving Shiro’s poor prostate a reprieve. He left a few more loving kisses on Lance before he pulled back with a hiss and collapsed onto the bed, sprawling back onto the headboard with an exhausted sigh.

“Shiro, come here,” Lotor rumbled, voice deep with exhaustion and afterglow.

Lance whined in distress, clinging a bit as Shiro moved away but not putting too much force into stopping it. Shiro curled up into Lotor’s arms with a sigh as Lance collapsed onto the bed with a howl. Keith hadn’t let up. He was an unrelenting force, jarring Lance’s entire frame with each thrust, blind with whatever headspace he was in.

“Good boys,” Lotor purred as he ran sleepy fingers through Shiro’s hair. You’re both doing so well.

Keith’s head tipped back in pleasure at the praise, sweat running over his skin as he managed to up his pace even more. Lance clawed at the sheets, trembling and whining and tossing his head. His fever bright blue eyes rolled, and drool trailed from the corner of his lips. Shiro couldn’t look away.

Somehow, miraculously, Lance was getting hard again, working through the intense sensitivity and building up his pleasure once more. He heaved for air, little pleas and affirmations falling from his lips at random. It was fascinating how much Lance enjoyed being ridden hard and without mercy — pleasure bringing him to tears.

It was more fascinating, to Shiro at least, that Keith had it in him to be a damn beast in bed. It was something Shiro wasn’t sure he could take on the receiving end. No wonder Keith had never given into the urge to explore that previously.

Shiro was happy that they’d found Lance and Lotor.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, watching the live animalistic porn before him while Lotor caressed every inch of him. The soft strokes of long fingers and gentle kisses were in stark contrast to Keith’s movements. For every soft hum Lotor made, Keith balanced it out with a guttural growl. As Shiro melted into Lotor’s embrace, Lance came apart under Keith’s.

And what a sight Lance was. He whined and moaned, clawing the sheets or balling them in his fists depending on the angle of Keith’s hips. Tears covered his cheeks as he outright sobbed during the brutal pounding. Every shout punched out of him wore his throat raw. He trembled and panted for breath as his cock bounced and twitched with need. Yet, throughout it all, his hips were snapping back to meet the unrelenting thrusts.

“I can’t believe he hasn’t popped off yet,” Shiro murmured in wonder. Keith didn’t normally have such resistance.

Lotor smirked in a wicked way. “I ordered him not to until I gave the command.” When Shiro turned in surprise, Lotor tacked on, “Good pets do as they’re told and don’t beg.”

“Fuck,” Shiro breathed with feeling, head whipping back around to take in Keith’s tense, aggressive, desperate face with new appreciation.

Long, pale fingers brushed along Shiro’s length, making him shiver. Lotor’s lips pressed to his Shiro’s ear. “Someone’s ready to go again.”

“I want to make him scream,” Shiro confessed like it was a sin. Why did Lance pull these urges out of him? Was it because of how Lance obviously craved it? How he proved he could take it? How he begged for more? Shiro wouldn’t have to hold back. Lance could take it and then some.

Lotor’s long leg stretched to hook Lance’s leash around a toe before dragging it over. “Then do it,” Lotor rumbled like a devil on Shiro’s shoulder.

Shiro reached out and wrapped his fist around the blue cord with a growing resolve fueled by lust. He tugged, pulling the leash taut. Lance’s head snapped up, eyes hazy, mouth open to his incoherent noises. Blue eyes gazed up at Shiro with undiluted desire. For a time, Shiro was trapped, mesmerized by that look and all the potential it held.

Lotor’s snapping fingers jolted the other three back to some semblance of clarity. Keith’s head jerked up, eyes trained on Lotor like it was a life or death matter to heed the upcoming words. Lotor didn’t disappoint. “Keith, come sit with your master and watch your friend be destroyed.”

Whimpering but not pausing, Keith slipped out of Lance’s hole, his cock nearly purple with need and covered in precum. He obediently crawled into Lotor’s lap, panting and shivering as Lotor wound the red leash around his fist and teased all the little places on Keith’s body that the three of them knew were most sensitive. As much as Shiro would love to watch, Lance’s desperate moan spurred him forward to take up Keith’s previous position.

Shiro had never thrust his way to the hilt in a single go before, but he did now. Lance was sloppy wet, loose, and so so hot inside. He let out a needy moan at the feeling of Shiro filling him followed promptly by shouts of pleasure as Shiro took what he wanted hard and fast. Angling downward, Shiro pounded Lance’s prostate. In no time at all, he had accomplished his goal: Lance was screaming.

Closing his eyes, Shiro let the sounds of blissed-out shouts sink into him, building up his arousal in a steady swell. He usually lasted far too long on his second round for any one person to handle, especially one already well-fucked. Slitting his eyes open, he gazed in wonder at how Lance’s chest had collapsed to the bed, his fingers jerking spasmodically, his mouth opened on rapid breaths, and eyes rolled back in his head. Shiro’s solid grip was the only thing keeping his hips in place.

Lance looked like he had ascended. It sent a bolt of white-hot pleasure through Shiro. He turned his head to see Keith wrapped up in Lotor’s gentle and cruel embrace. He writhed, whined, and growled in turns, desperate for release as much as he was consumed with the need to obey. His eyes were locked on Shiro and Lance, equally jealous of both positions. Shiro’s muscles tensed. This might be the fastest he would ever orgasm on a second go.

He wasn’t sure if he was excited about that or disappointed that he couldn’t make it last longer.

The muscles around Shiro’s cock tensed and fluttered. Lance choked on a noise, practically gurgling as he trembled and drooled into the sheets. Lotor chuckled, running the tips of his fingers along Keith’s cock to cause that toned body to arch and shake. Keith’s face was desperate, his eyes locked on Lance’s crotch.

“Jealous, pet?” Lotor asked. “Do you want that, too?”

Keith nearly howled, which only spurred Shiro’s hips harder, causing Lance to shriek as Lotor chuckled.

“You can cum when Shiro does,” Lotor ordered.

Dark, desperate eyes met Shiro’s. Part of Shiro, now, with the order in place, wanted to last all night. Something about Keith’s overwhelming need was so incredibly unique and scaldingly hot. Shiro wanted to drink in more of it. At the same time, Keith’s obvious distress both pulled at Shiro’s heartstrings and his own raging desire. Doubling over Lance’s limp, jolting form, Shiro pistoned as hard as he could, seeking relief to the music of Keith’s urgent encouragement.

The whole situation built and slammed into Shiro with force, wringing his orgasm out of him in ecstasy so sharp it was tinged with pain. He curled forward, pressing his face into Lance’s sweaty neck and groaned as he rode it out. Lance’s only response was a full-body shiver and a fluttering of his damp eyelashes. Keith’s voice escalating in pitch and volume caught Shiro’s attention.

Keith was beautiful in his agony, his body being expertly played by Lotor’s fingers alongside the brush of long, pale limbs, and the bite of possessive teeth. His eyes, however, locked with Shiro’s as he shouted his pleasure, finally tipping over the edge. The face he made was unlike anything Shiro had seen before — a work of art depicting overwhelming bliss. The built-up pressure shot his spend across the bed, nearly reaching Shiro himself.

Keith’s eyes fluttered shut as he sank back into Lotor’s waiting arms where he was wrapped up and cradled in an instant. He looked so perfectly at peace that it squeezed Shiro’s heart. “Love you,” Shiro whispered and was rewarded with a gentle smile on Keith’s lips.

It took a long time for them to recover enough to move after all of that. Lotor had everyone help to clean up and change the sheets before they collapsed into bed for the night. Well, everyone except Lance, whose brain had been fucked clean out of his skull. They worked around him and made sure to get some water in his system before tucking him into bed. He whined only a bit before relaxing under the weight of the other three cuddling up to him.

Lance wasn’t the only one who slept soundly that night.

The next day, a cleaning service arrived to detail the sectional the whole night had started on. Shiro commented on how fast they arrived, but apparently, the cleaning was scheduled. It seemed someone had spilled food on the couch a few days prior, but Lance declared he had paid his penance since he could no longer walk. For all his complaints and demands to be carried from room to room, he sported a content smile the entire weekend.

Chapter Text

“Stop calling and let me sleep,” Keith groaned into his phone. He didn't get to complain more than that before he was blowing all the contents of his sinuses into another tissue.

“What’s your temperature currently?” Shiro asked, his voice tiny from the phone’s speaker, but Keith can’t concentrate long enough to remember how to raise the volume.

“I dunno…” he mumbled, tossing the crumpled tissue off the bed and into the floor to join the forming of Snot Mountain.

“If you can’t even get up to find the thermometer — ”

“You’re at work.” Keith did his best to sound stern, but his stuffy head ruined the effect. “Go work.”

“We’re on lunch, currently. I’m worried about you.”

Shiro was only fretting because he was three states away at some training seminar and couldn’t run home to pamper Keith. Well, Keith didn’t need pampering. He just needed to rest. It was only the flu. It would go away eventually.

“I’m fine. Focus on your — ” Keith was cut off by a coughing fit.

“Are you taking your medicine like you’re supposed — ”

“I’m going to sleep,” Keith announced once he’d caught his breath, too tired to suffer through more of Shiro’s health lectures.

“Keith, wait — ”

“I’m hanging up.”

“I could call some — ”

“Love you.”

“I love you, too, but I just want — ”

“Good night,” Keith said with finality, though it was somewhere in the vicinity of noon. He smacked the phone to end the call. He usually wasn’t so brusque with his boyfriend, but his patience was near zero when sick. Besides, he was fine. It was just the flu.

Shivering, he burrowed deeper into the piles of blankets, his stomach churning as he fell into a fitful sleep. The small bedroom was too hot and too cold in turns, causing him to toss and turn for hours. Still, no matter how hot it got, he refused to kick the stupid mermaid out of his bed. The giant plushie was big and squishy like a body pillow, but shaped enough like a person to make Keith feel not alone.

He was fine on his own. Really, he was. He’d spent most of his life with only his own thoughts, and truly, a person grows accustomed to it, to the point that crowds are overwhelming. But at times like these, sick and miserable, he craved company. He’d never tell Shiro that, of course. His boyfriend had better things to do than catch Keith’s virus and miss even more work — and he would, simply because Keith asked.

So Keith refused to ask. He was fine.

Click. Click. Click.

Cli-click.

Click.

Frowning, Keith surfaced from a doze, confused by the noise drifting into his consciousness.

Click. Click.

It sounded off. Not the tapping of a bird on the window or the settling of the old apartment building, but something artificial. He would almost assume it was a text message, but his phone wasn’t set to make that kind of ringtone.

Click. Click. Click.

There was a shuffling of clothes followed by a muffled groan from the loose floorboard Shiro always stepped on when getting into bed. Was Shiro here? How? Even if he had hopped a plane directly after Keith hung up, he still shouldn’t have made it back so fast. Unless Keith had been asleep for days. If that was the case, Shiro would have taken him to the hospital immediately like the worrywart he was rather than snap a bunch of cell phone photos.

Clickclickclickclick.

Ohhh, that’s what the noise was. A cell phone taking pictures. Wait. Keith wrenched his eyes open, wakefulness hitting him full force in the head. He sucked in a breath at the sight of Lance’s absolutely delighted face snapping shots of Keith curled up around the stupid mermaid plushie.

Noticing Keith was awake, Lance snickered. “I honestly didn’t think you could be this cute.”

Keith groaned and pulled the sheets over his head. “Why are you here?” Actually, better question —  “ How are you here?”

“I’ve already had my flu shot. Shiro called your landlady, and she let me in.” Lance answered both questions too rapidly for Keith’s brain to keep up with. “I’m about to make some soup, but I had to take pictures of you being all adorable first.”

Click. Click.

Keith groaned. “Stop it!” His outburst was punished by a coughing fit.

“I’ll go grab your medicine.”

“I’m f — ”

“Don’t be such a baby.” Lance’s voice moved as he headed back to the bedroom door.

“I’m not,” Keith grumbled. Not wanting to be spoiled was exactly what made him not a nuisance! …Right?

The apartment wasn’t big, so Keith could hear Lance in the other room rustling through a bag. It wasn’t long before the blanket was pulled from Keith’s face to reveal Lance brandishing a tiny cup of unnaturally purple liquid. Keith made a face, unable to help it. He hated the artificial taste of cold meds.

“You’re equal parts annoying and adorable,” Lance announced. “Sit up and drink this. It will help your throat.”

Keith grumbled but ultimately complied. He collapsed back to the bed after, wincing at the thick taste of grape flavoring. He couldn’t stop himself from wrapping around the mermaid again even though he knew he’d be mocked for it. Lance didn’t disappoint. A huge grin spread across his face as he watched Keith.

“I was convinced you would shove that in a closet the moment you got home, ya know.”

“It wouldn’t fit in our closet,” Keith mumbled. He squeezed the stuffie a little without noticing. “It’s usually propped in the corner, but Shiro isn’t here.”

Belatedly, he realized how stupid that sounded. He was cuddling some idiotic stuffed mermaid because he was sick and lonely. Well, he cuddled with it even when he wasn’t sick. He just didn’t like sleeping, or napping, alone. That was fine to admit to himself, but he hated how he’d accidentally confessed it to someone other than Shiro. At least he knew Shiro wouldn’t hold this over his head for the rest of his life, or worse, pity him.

Keith braced for impact.

The mattress dipped as Lance sat on the edge. Long fingers brushed through the hair at Keith’s temple, startling him. He realized his eyes were clenched shut, so he made himself relax and opened them. Lance was smiling, amused, yes, but there was also a softness to it, something Keith wasn’t used to seeing turned on him by anyone other than Shiro.

“I feel honored to know you use the gift I won you,” Lance said.

Keith looked away, frowning and convincing himself that his face was hot due to his fever. “Is that bear in one of your fifteen closets?” he muttered with false annoyance.

“First of all, we only have six closets. Second, of course he isn’t! Haven’t you seen him sitting on the dresser in my room?”

Keith had, but he wasn’t about to admit to that.

Lance leaned over, his voice dropping with warm intent, as if sharing some juicy secret. “I give him a kiss every night before bed.”

Okay, this time Keith couldn’t deny how hard he was blushing. Why was Lance like this? They were just dumb carnival toys. Why put so much importance on them? Why act like it mattered that Keith had won the stupid bear and been forced to kiss it goodbye? This was just another fun game for Lance. They were all friends who liked to fuck, that was it. Doing these nonsense things that caused them to be attached to one another would only make things harder later when they all went their separate ways.

Only Shiro had promised and proven to never leave Keith behind like a burden finally lifted.

“I’m going to go make the soup now,” Lance said, tucking the blankets back around Keith and booping the mermaid on the nose. “You can nap until it’s finished.”

“You don’t have to waste your time here,” Keith murmured.

“Wasting?” Lance scoffed as he stood up. “I’m living my best life.”

Keith had no idea what that meant or how to respond to it. He was left alone, confused and too sick to do much about it. His whole body ached and protested the thought of getting up to chase Lance off. Instead, he drifted, falling in and out of sleep to the soft sounds of his kitchen being used. It made the tiny apartment feel alive rather than terrifyingly mute with only Keith’s breaths able to disturb the stillness.

He was used to the quiet, though. He was fine with it.

Was that…was that music? Keith drifted back to consciousness, his mind latching onto whatever the noise was. It was something he wasn’t used to hearing, so it took a long time to place what it was: humming. Lance was humming some happy tune to himself. He was in this small apartment, burdening himself with an ungrateful guy nobody wanted to put up with, and yet he was happy about it. Why?

Keith’s chest clenched, and his eyes burned.

He scolded himself for being emotional simply because he was sick. This wasn’t him. He didn’t give in to despair. What was the point? Life marched on whether he was sad or not. Shiro would return eventually and the silence wouldn’t last forever. He knew all of this. He knew that Lance acted on a whim and there was no way to understand his behavior, so why bother?

The cheap stuffing in the mermaid creaked in Keith’s ear as he squeezed it tighter.

Footsteps approached, Lance’s happy hum only stopping when he spoke, “Alright, let’s sit you up and get some food in you.”

“I can eat on my own,” Keith muttered into the mermaid.

“Stop ruining my fun and cooperate.”

“What’s fun about this?” Keith snapped, his voice too scratchy from incessant coughing and drainage to raise very loud. “You could be doing anything else in the world right now.”

“Were you always this emo?”

Keith sat up on one elbow with a start, having full intentions of glaring at Lance, but the movement made his head throb. He winced instead. Lance was unperturbed. His hands were on Keith a moment later, a surprising amount of strength in his slim form was able to manhandle his patient enough to sit back against the headboard. Keith struggled for breath around his stuffy nose. He was handed a tissue. Not having it in him to complain again, he simply took it and filled another building block for Snot Mountain.

“You’re gross,” Lance said when Keith tossed the tissue off the bed.

Immediately, Keith opened his mouth to argue but instead had a spoon of warm broth shoved in his mouth. He clamped down and swallowed before he had a chance to choke, his eyes bulging. When Lance pulled the spoon away, Keith coughed and growled, “What the fuck?”

“It’s good, right?” Lance asked with a bright smile. “It’s my abuela’s recipe. Guaranteed to kick any cold to the curb overnight!”

To be honest, Keith had been too busy trying not to choke, so he hadn’t been able to appreciate it. “Give me the bowl!”

Lance held up another spoonful of soup with a challenging smile. “What’s the matter? Is your masculinity too fragile for this?”

That question was a trap, Keith knew it, but there was no other direction to run. He gritted his teeth, trying to think of a way out of this that didn’t result in him losing this battle. “I’m not helpless.”

“Did I say you were?” Lance quirked an eyebrow.

He hadn’t, of course. Keith wracked his mind for a response, but he was too fuzzy-headed to think clearly. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

“If you ever saw me around my cousins, you’d know what that looked like, and this ain’t it.”

Keith realized that he had the horrifying urge to pout. He resisted. “Why do you even want to — GUH!” Once more, Keith swallowed to prevent death by soup.

“It’s getting cold waiting on all your arguments. It’ll be better for your throat if it’s warm. Now, be a good boy and open up.”

That phrasing was unfair, and Lance’s wicked smirk proved he knew that. Keith was assaulted by memories of kneeling at Lotor’s feet and Lance’s eagerness in showing Keith what to do. He didn’t resist the next spoonful of soup. It burned on the way down, settling in his stomach like the memory of arousal.

“Don’t bring that up when I’m sick,” he muttered, looking anywhere but at Lance. It earned him a delighted laugh.

“I helped you then, too, didn’t I? Us pets have to stick together.” Keith looked up in time to see Lance wink.

Slumping his shoulders, Keith allowed himself to be fed. Now that he was paying attention and the hot liquid was helping to clear his sinuses, he could taste how complex the soup was. There were so many blending flavors he could barely put his finger on one. It must have had a decent amount of spice in it as well, for his nose drained heartily, prompting multiple tissue breaks. He really did feel somewhat better afterwards.

When Keith had downed his fill, Lance announced, “Next is a bath!”

“A bath?” Keith asked, baffled. “Why?”

“Yours is small, but it’ll do. I brought some infused bath salts. It’ll draw out the toxins and help you breathe. Also, you need to wash that sweat from you.”

Keith frowned and looked down at his damp, stained nightshirt. Did he smell that bad? His eyes raised in time to see Lance firing off a text message. “Is Lotor asking where you are?”

“Hm?” Lance tilted his head before slipping his phone back into a pocket. “No, that was Shiro. He demands constant updates. He's very happy you ate.”

Although Keith wanted to complain like he felt he was supposed to, he didn’t have it in him. Even if he scolded Shiro for doing so and knew better than to be selfish, it felt nice to be pampered. Shiro wasn’t nearly as good at it as Lance was, but that didn’t matter. Keith enjoyed the warm feeling that spread in his chest from knowing he was worth someone’s time and energy.

“C’mon, stinky, you need a good scrub,” Lance said, shattering Keith’s indulgent thoughts.

“I’m not stinky!”

“You’re joking, right?”

They bickered all the way to the bathroom, and it wasn’t until Keith was settled in the warm, aromatic water that he realized he had the energy to spend on arguing. Though, to be fair, the hot water quickly stripped that away, leaving him limp and woozy as his muscles turned to mush in the steam. Lance chuckled at the abrupt change in Keith’s behavior.

“Don’t drown.” Lance patted Keith on the head. “Call me if you’re going under.”

“Where are you going?” Keith had meant for it to come out as a simple question, but it was tinged with anxiety.

Lance’s face softened in a way Keith had never seen before. Smiling warmly, Lance brushed back Keith’s bangs before leaving a kiss on Keith’s feverish forehead. “Don’t worry, hot stuff. I’m just going to clean up. I’ll be right back.”

Keith could do nothing but watch as Lance moved back into the apartment. The door was left cracked so it was easy to watch where Lance was and where he was going. He changed the sheets on the bed, started laundry, cleaned everything with Clorox wipes, did the dishes, dismantled Snot Mountain, and sprayed the mermaid down with a large amount of Lysol. Keith watched it all in a slightly detached way, his mind sluggish and eyelids drooping.

It was baffling why Lance was doing so much. If this was all for Lotor, Keith could understand it. If it was Shiro working hard to help Keith feel better, it would make sense. But why Lance? Keith had spent their history rejecting the hand Lance had reached out with. Their current relationship was tentative, hinging on Keith’s enjoyment of the four-way dynamic they all had fallen into. But that was fragile, right? A wrong move, a demand too great, and Keith would ruin it.

Yet there he was, feeling happy and content that he was being taken care of.

Hours later, the lights were off and Keith was curled under clean sheets. He didn’t remember much after the bath. There was more medicine that made him sleepy and vapor rub that Lance spent a little too long rubbing into Keith’s chest, occasionally flicking a nipple with a bright laugh when Keith cursed and swatted the offending hand away. As the mermaid was still drying, Lance had volunteered to take its place.

So now Keith’s eyes fluttered as he took stock, finding he was still wrapped around Lance and was no longer shivering. He heard the soft murmur of Lance’s voice drip down from above like the fading sparks of muted fireworks.

“Will you sleep well without me?” Lance asked, voice teasing. There was an answer, but the voice was too far away to hear. Lance stifled a chuckle. “Then be glad you get to enjoy the cool air tonight because Keith is twice as warm as usual.”

Was he talking to Lotor? It made sense. Lotor often complained about how hot it was when they all slept in the same bed together. He’d gone so far as buying a separate blanket for himself and banishing the other three to the opposite side of the bed when they slept.

“I’ll probably stay until Shiro gets back.” Another pause. “I mean, he is terrible about taking care of himself, but it’s more than that.” Long fingers brushed feather-light through Keith’s hair as Lance’s voice softened even further. “I don’t think he likes being alone.”

Had Keith really been that obvious?

“Oh, he’d love it if you dropped by, I guarantee it. Don’t pay attention if he complains, he doesn’t mean it.” Keith could hear the smile in Lance’s voice. It was disconcerting how seen Keith was. Did nothing get by Lance? “Bring some take-out, too. He’ll be starving once his fever breaks.”

Lotor took over the conversation long enough for Keith’s mind to drift back down into sleep. He didn’t hear the end of the conversation, but he did feel when Lance resettled beside him. He was wrapped up in willowy limbs, a kiss pressed to the top of his head. He felt safe, warm, and cared for. He felt happy.

It was well after morning the next time he woke. The shutting of his front door alerted him this time, unlike Lance’s previous sneaky entrance. Keith could make out Lotor’s posh voice and could practically see the frown of distaste that colored the man’s inflection.

“It’s so small.”

Lance snorts. “This is a normal apartment for normal income in the city.”

“No wonder you took over my condo.”

“As I’ve said many times.”

There was movement, paper bags rustling, the fridge opening and closing. Lotor’s shoes clicked across the floors.

“What a lovely view their one foot balcony has of a brick building.”

“This looks good,” Lance said, ignoring Lotor’s comments entirely. “You went all out.”

“He’ll need balanced nutrition to help him recover,” Lotor responded, as if whatever he bought was to be expected. Had he really taken the time and care to pick something out for Keith like that? Why? Maybe Keith was slowly understanding that Lance liked to play house, but Lotor wasn’t the type.

“Did you get my picture?” Lance asked.

“I saved it,” Lotor’s voice was amused but fond. “Did you send it to Shiro?”

“Of course I did!” Lance snickered. “Not everyday you see Keith curled around a mermaid.”

Keith resisted the urge to groan and call attention to himself so they wouldn’t check on him and make him face everything this conversation entailed. He buried his face in the soft fuzz he was wrapped around, noting the scent of disinfectant spray that still clung to it. Only then did it occur to Keith that Lance must have traded out his own body for the plushy so that Keith didn’t wake up alone.

His body flushed warm all over, but it probably wasn’t from the fever. When was the last time anyone but Shiro made him feel like this?

Footsteps and then a hand pressed to his forehead. He opened his eyes to see Lance’s bright face. “No more fever. You hungry?”

The smell of take-out reached Keith’s nose, and his stomach growled in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon, we’ll put you between us and feed you as we force Lotor to watch bad action flicks. His salty commentary on how wrong it is does a body good.”

Keith had assumed most of that was a joke, but it wasn’t. Even though he was no longer suffering through the worst of his symptoms, Lance still insisted on feeding Keith. And for some unknown reason, Lotor did as well. Even more baffling, Keith didn’t complain. Lotor’s stern look every time Keith was about to argue followed by a pleased “good boy” when he obeyed had him literally eating out of the palm of Lotor’s hand.

They spent the day with him, Lotor leaving first to deal with some work issue, and Lance staying until Shiro arrived home late that night. Keith had never been so relieved to be held against Shiro’s broad chest. His world gained a little more equilibrium.

“Thank you for looking after him,” Shiro said with genuine gratitude. “I know he was probably stubborn the whole time.”

“I was fine on my own,” Keith mumbled into Shiro’s pecs, but there was little passion in his voice.

“He got used to it!” Lance said with a cheeky grin. “Call me any time. I mean it. I love being able to help.”

And that’s what it was, really. Lance enjoyed the feeling of being relied on. It must have been why he was so involved with the clubs in college. Yes, that made sense. This whole thing was self-indulgent for Lance instead of being something he was obligated to do because of Shiro’s request. It wasn’t special just for Keith’s sake.

That should have been reassuring, but something about the thought grated on the back of his mind in a way he didn’t like.

“Oh! Before I forget.” Lance darted from the living room and into the bedroom, emerging with the mermaid in his hands. He held it up with fanfare before kissing it on the lips. He grinned at Keith’s wide eyes before kissing the stuffie all over the face in loud, obnoxious smacks.

“You’re gonna get drool on it!” Keith complained, breaking away from Shiro to snatch the stuffie away from a laughing Lance.

“If you ever need a lot of love, you can just rub your face all over it like a cat!”

“Why are you like this?” Keith returned with a glare.

“Now, now,” Shiro placated, placing a calming hand on the small of Keith’s back. He smiled at Lance. “Thank you again.”

“Again: my pleasure.” Lance darted in to leave a kiss on the tip of Keith’s sore nose. It earned him a hand on the face that he batted away with a snicker.

Keith stormed off before Lance could bother him further. Shiro saw their guest to the door. Just when Keith was about to enter the bedroom, he stopped. Lance, with a glowing smile, leaned in and dropped a lingering kiss on Shiro’s cheek. He waggled his fingers on the way out, eyes crinkled in that way he always had around Lotor. He turned to blow Keith a kiss as well before disappearing around the door frame.

A slight blush was covering Shiro’s cheeks, his face trapped in a look both surprised and bashful. So Shiro was noticing it too, not just Keith. What did it mean? The two pairs were just friends who liked to fuck. It wasn’t like there was something deeper.

Keith looked down at the mermaid’s frozen face as if searching for answers. His chest clenched, but he gleaned no deeper insight. Closing his eyes, he pressed his face against all the places Lance had kissed, and it satisfied something deep inside of him.

Shiro’s warm embrace wrapped around Keith from behind, and he instinctively relaxed into it. “I’m glad you’re back,” Keith said, voice still scratchy and muffled by stuffing.

“I’m happy you weren’t by yourself this time.” Shiro nuzzled the back of Keith’s neck. “How about we get some sleep? It’ll help you recover, and I can’t imagine you got much of it with Lance here to argue with.” His voice was teasing, and it was a good guess considering how the two of them usually acted around each other. It wasn’t like they hadn’t fought at all, but…

It was different this time, Keith thought to himself. “Yeah. I’m tired.”

He let himself be tucked into bed, squished between Shiro and the mermaid even though there wasn’t really enough room for them both. Surrounded by Shiro’s scent and sandwiched on both sides, Keith was able to drift off into a deep and dreamless sleep where he felt balanced and all was right with the world.

~*~

Lotor found any excuse for a party and immediately ordered too-expensive food after hearing the news of Shiro’s promotion at work to Assistant Manager. He had popped open some specialty wine as well which, admittedly, complimented the meal perfectly. The fact that they had gathered at Lotor’s place to celebrate had gone unspoken. It was some natural thing that they came together here for such an occasion.

It was a nice night, all of them moving around with familiarity in the space. Keith couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed in someone else’s home. He felt welcome here, basking in the casual touches Lotor and Shiro offered alongside the exuberant skinship Lance shared. It was easy to just be in this space, four bodies orbiting so close as they moved, and Keith at least had the presence of mind to appreciate the uniqueness of that in his life.

Late into the night, they found themselves gathered on Lotor’s sectional, relaxed and sharing inconsequential anecdotes. Keith was pressed into Shiro’s right side, but space separated his left from Lotor. Lance had been in that space prior to sprawling across the three of them. Shiro was idly squeezing Lance’s feet, Keith’s hands on Lance’s knees, while Lance happily propped his head on Lotor’s lap.

It was easy, this thing between them, a kind of closeness Keith had never really experienced and couldn’t put his finger on. All he knew was that he liked the lazy smiles Lance made when Lotor’s fingers toyed with his hair. Keith also liked the way Lance’s fingers found his, entwining them, rubbing his callouses, or lightly brushing across his fingernails — restless little explorations that were unexpected but not unwelcome.

More than anything, Keith loved Shiro’s content expression and relaxed posture. Shiro was friendly with everyone, but he was always holding a bit of himself back, always ready to be on guard. That didn’t happen around Keith, but for the first time, it was a tension that was missing when around anyone else. Shiro wasn’t afraid of being all of himself in front of Lance and Lotor.

Keith could relate.

He ran his thumb along Lance’s knuckles as he considered that. The four of them had been spending time together for six months now. During that time, Keith had been introduced to multiple people. He could admit that he found it easy to be friends with Hunk and Pidge, and they were ready and willing to commiserate with Keith about Lance’s more exasperating traits. Never did they accuse Keith of being mean spirited. They understood he had a prickly personality and cared about Lance as much as they did.

Well, perhaps Hunk occasionally had a look on his face that said Keith held more of a physical interest in Lance. It was true, so Keith avoided those looks wherever possible, not ready to discuss foursomes so candidly. Hunk, thankfully, never pushed the matter.

The thing was, Keith could call Hunk a friend. In fact, Hunk had reached out before, happy to send texts to Keith directly rather than by proxy of anyone else. It was unique to Keith’s experiences in life. He would even go so far as to call it “what friendships should look like” except…

Except, if he did, then what did that make Lance and Lotor?

Sure, the easy answer was “friends with benefits,” but that didn’t really encompass it. Did friends who occasionally fuck act like them? Did they know each other’s schedules, favorite foods, special dates, and morning habits? Did they give each other sappy looks while sharing soft touches on the couch? Keith didn’t have enough experience with people in general to parse his own thoughts.

He should have had plenty of time to mull this over, but per usual, Lance had to take the table containing Keith’s thoughts and flip it.

Abruptly sitting up on his elbows, Lance looked at them all and asked, “So we’re dating, right?”

Shiro’s relaxed posture was ruined. He tensed up like he was prepared to start a planking competition. Keith’s ears rang with the anxiety of having to face the exact thought his mind had been carefully dancing around since the time he had the flu.

“What?” Keith whispered in barely contained panic.

Lance’s face fell somewhere between pouty and devastated as his eyes flicked between Shiro and Keith. “What do you mean what? We’re doing all the dating stuff, I just wanted to define it. Why is it so bad to define it?” Lance turned to Lotor, “You know what I mean!”

Lotor left a soothing kiss on Lance’s temple, but it did little to calm his boyfriend.

“Define?” Keith choked. He could barely define friendship!

“To clarify,” Lotor said, looking at Lance, “you want all of us to have three boyfriends.”

“Yes.” Lance looked between every other set of eyes focused on him. “Don’t you?”

“That’s their decision,” Lotor replied, but that made it sound like he had already come to a conclusion and agreed with Lance.

Keith’s mouth worked, but he had no idea what to say. He wasn’t prepared for this. He could barely handle what they were doing without panicking. He didn’t know how to people. Dating three at once? That was practically taking an amateur and tossing them into the Olympics to fall on their face in front of an international audience.

Keith felt faint for the first time in his life.

Notably, Shiro didn’t say anything either. Keith could only grasp for straws about what his boyfriend might be thinking. Of course, the fact that he didn’t know was more proof that he would cause whatever it was Lance wanted to crash and burn. Maybe if it was only Shiro being invited into Lance and Lotor’s relationship, they could make it work. But Keith? He was dead weight — needy, unable to take care of himself, enjoying when Lotor took control so Keith didn’t have to think. Maybe that was fun for them on occasion, but all the time?

Lance sucked in a sharp breath and yanked his legs back into himself. His eyes were tearing up as if he truly was upset at the thought of rejection. “Fine, I get it.”

Lotor reached out, but Lance dodged it. He stood up and took two steps with the intention of disappearing into the condo when he was stopped. Shiro’s hand was wrapped around Lance’s arm. They stared at each other as if holding their breath, afraid of what might happen next.

Shiro’s throat bobbed. “I’ve never dated more than one person before.”

“So?” Lance immediately fired back. “Neither have I!”

“Well…”

Lance waved his free hand to indicate all of them. “But aren’t we doing that right now?”

Were they? If Lance said so, then they must be. He was the one with all the experience here. If they were all dating, if they had been for so long that Lance thought it obvious, then didn’t that mean they liked Keith being around? The way Lotor acted, this had already been discussed between him and Lance. That meant Lotor wanted more of Keith doing only what he was told to, and Lance was eager to care for Keith outside of Shiro’s request. Everything that happened when Lance had stayed over during Keith’s flu had been real in a way Keith had been desperately afraid to believe.

But if Hunk was a friend, and this was dating, and there was more than only Shiro who wanted to keep Keith around, then that meant all of those jumbled feelings inside of him made sense. It felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place. He fully understood Lance’s feelings about this, and he wanted more than anything to prove he’d never reject what they already were.

If he didn’t have to fear this suddenly ending, if he could trust that they cared for him beyond what happened in the bedroom, then he could admit that he was happy. He’d been happy since they first met. Shit. He just went from prepared for the worst to terrified of losing them.

“Don’t you want us to be together?” Lance asked in a tremulous way that perfectly encapsulated Keith’s own emotions.

“I want to!” Keith blurted, overly loud. All eyes turned to him. He stared at his lap, sinking into the couch as his face lit up. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I-if…if Shiro wants to.”

Shiro’s left arm was wrapped around Keith’s shoulders, and it squeezed, but the man himself stayed quiet. He was a thinker, and he often had to spend time puzzling out the things Keith wasn’t saying. There was a good chance that Shiro was worried that Keith only agreed out of panic or that this wouldn’t work out the way Lance’s assumed it would. Keith brought his hand up to squeeze Shiro’s since he didn’t know what to say, but he wanted to assure, somehow, that he wasn’t being pushed into this decision.

Lotor sat forward, his face serious as he turned to Shiro. “The only reason Lance brought it up is because it felt obvious. Nothing will be any different than how things already are.”

That wasn’t exactly true. At least, not for Keith. By having this thing between them settled and defined, he would stop getting lost in his own spiraling thoughts. If Lance and Lotor were willing to claim Keith, especially in such an unconventional relationship, then that meant they really did want him around. It may have been a simple matter of confirmation to Lance, but it meant the world to Keith.

“Do you like me?” Lance asked, eyes burning into Shiro’s.

“Yes,” Shiro said, voice unwavering and true.

“Do you like Lotor?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like Keith?”

“I love Keith.” It was said with such intention that Keith curled a little further into himself, squeezing Shiro’s hand harder.

“And I love Lotor, so what’s the problem?” Lance asked, exasperated, his arms swinging with emphasis and dislodging Shiro’s hand. He grabbed said hand a moment later in both of his. “If we like being together and this is working, then why not call it what it is?”

Lotor had a resigned smile on his face as he looked up at Lance. “This is why I can no longer live without you.”

Lance startled. “What?”

“What others need to find the bravery to say or do, you plow into like it’s the only logical course.”

“That’s because it is!” Lance shot back.

A small chuckle fell from Shiro’s lips. “You’re right.”

Lance shoved his shoulders back. “I know I am!”

“If you want this…with me…” Keith whispered. “Then…I’m happy.” It took a lot to say that aloud, and he wasn’t sure if they would truly understand what it took for him to say it, but it needed to be put out there. For Shiro’s peace of mind, for Lance’s reassurance, for Lotor’s stability, and for Keith’s own sense of self. 

Lotor slid over enough to take hold of Keith’s face and tilt it up for a gentle kiss. “We do want you, just as much as we want Shiro.”

“Just as much as we want each other!” Lance tacked on.

Keith choked up so he pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded. He wasn’t about to be lame enough to cry over this.

“So we’re all dating now, right?” Lance asked, looked down at them like they were obstinate children.

Shiro laughed. “Yes, we are.”

“Good!” Lance threw his hands into the air. “Why was that so hard? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

He fell into full-blown pout mode, only relieved when they dragged him back onto the couch and showered him with hugs and kisses. Keith ended up curled into Lance’s side, unable to properly express how grateful he was for Lance pushing this matter to the forefront. Lance seemed to understand, as he refrained from antagonizing Keith the rest of the night. Instead, he wrapped Keith up, steadily raining kisses onto Keith’s face during every pause in conversation.

There were fingers in Keith’s hair, a hand on his knee, bodies pressed against him on all sides. He didn’t feel overwhelmed by it. He simply felt loved, content, happy.

In fact, he could say for sure, they were all happy. And that felt even better.

Chapter Text

“Pidge! Careful with that box!”

“Would you stop panicking?” was the sassy reply.

“I’m not panicking!” Lance bit back.

“We’re the ones moving, so why are you the one panicking?” Keith grumbled.

“I’m not panicking!” Lance all but shrieked.

Shay chuckled under her breath as the drill in her hand whirred. Lotor took a fortifying sip of wine as he watched her on the ladder. He had claimed it was to make sure she didn’t fall to her death from two steps up as she installed the pullup bar, but really, Lotor needed time away from Lance’s fretting. He focused instead on the new feature being installed in his home. Putting the bar in the middle of the condo so Lotor could always peek and watch as Shiro worked out was a totally selfless choice.

After all, Lance’s favorite pastime was clinging to Shiro’s back every time the man tried to do a few reps. If Keith and Lotor’s hands roamed as they watched, well, that simply made it a group activity.

“Are you really okay with giving up your office?” Shay asked, amusement in her voice.

Lotor shrugged, though she wasn’t paying enough attention to see it. “I barely use it as is. Lance hates when I take work home.” Besides, with Keith as the new pet, Lotor could have fun working on his laptop in the living room. Human furniture had always been on his bucket list to try, but Lance was far too restless to accomplish such things.

Hunk passed by with a loving grin to Shay before dumping yet another box in Lotor’s office turned storage room. For such a small apartment, Lotor couldn’t fathom where Keith and Shiro had kept all they had brought. The plan was, while they weren’t looking, to toss any cheap and worthless items Keith’s obsessive nature had insisted be retained “just in case.”

Shay must have seen Lotor frowning, for she chuckled before offering reassurance. “Don’t worry, we’ll have the place neat and tidy in time for the one year anniversary.”

Lotor sighed. “Yet another to add to the calendar.”

He had every right to complain. Not only did Lance have an anniversary set for when he first met Lotor, their first date, Lotor’s confession, and the day Lance moved in, but they now had the day they’d met Keith and Shiro, some arbitrary day Lance proclaimed they had started dating, the day they’d been forced into admitting it by Lance, and now the day they moved into Lotor’s home. Lance also had all special dates Keith and Shiro shared written down alongside plans to celebrate.

“You’re the one that likes dinner parties,” Hunk said as he passed by to gather more boxes.

“I don’t see anyone complaining,” Lotor muttered, offended but trying not to be.

Shay smiled in that warm, soothing way she had. “We love your parties. Hunk raves about the food for days.”

Lotor stood a little straighter. “Of course he does. I serve only the best.”

Like the good friend she was, Shay readily agreed.

Shiro’s voice could be heard drifting through the halls, though Lotor couldn’t make out much of what was said. As everyone else handled moving heavy boxes and furniture around, Shiro was tasked with unpacking to avoid any undue stress on his false arm. Surprisingly, he’d complained little about disappearing into a corner to work. He was still awkward around their guests, unsure of how to navigate others knowing about the four-way relationship happening. Hunk, Shay, and Pidge were kind and supportive, as expected, and were slowly pulling Shiro from his shell.

In contrast, Keith hadn’t had such concerns. He was used to ignoring the opinions of others and living in a way that worked best for him. Happiness was written all over him. Though he accepted congratulations on his relationship status, he took them to heart no more than he did the strange looks or muttered comments when random members of the public deduced what was going on. The confidence he had in that regard helped to ease Shiro’s anxieties.

Though, to be honest, Lotor found both Keith and Shiro’s reactions to moving in rather cute. There had been more than one quickie during the whole process.

“I’m throwing it out!” Lance raged.

“There’s nothing wrong with it!” Keith responded. “You’re just a rich, spoiled brat who doesn’t understand the value of things!”

“I could use an extra colander,” Hunk cut in, attempting to diffuse the brewing fight.

There was no need. Lance and Keith fought. It was what they did. Once they reached a boiling point, they fucked. Shiro had long ago stopped worrying about the arguments, and Lotor let it be. It helped to wear them out, and he was too old to keep up with their early twenties testosterone frenzies. Instead, he spent his time having relaxing intellectual conversations on the balcony with Shiro.

Life was finding a wonderful new balance for all of them.

“Next is installing the punching bag, right?” Shay asked.

“Correct.”

“And you really want it in the living room?”

“It would get in the way in any other room. It can be a statement piece in the living room.” Lotor took another sip of wine to cover his smirk. Just the thought of Shiro’s bare back glistening with sweat, the muscles bunching and releasing as he threw jabs and kicks while surrounded by the backdrop of the city beyond the balcony doors…

Yes, Lotor was spoiling his new partner for completely unselfish reasons.

“You look happy,” Shay pointed out as she stepped down from the ladder.

“I am,” Lotor admitted, a fond smile playing at his lips.

“We are!” Lance announced, flinging himself into Lotor and causing the wine to slosh dangerously. Keith was there a moment later, yelling at Lance and taking the glass before it could tip and stain anything.

“Leave poor Lotor alone. He can only take so much,” Shiro said as he came to collect the runaways. “There’s still work to do.”

Lance snuggled into Lotor’s chest. “We want takeout.”

“I never — ” Keith started but was cut off by Lotor’s fingers brushing across his cheek.

“Ask me to spoil you more,” Lotor ordered. Keith blushed a lovely shade of red and cut his eyes away with a minute nod.

Shiro chuckled as he placed a hand on Keith’s back and leaned his weight into Lance before dropping a sweet kiss onto Lotor’s lips. “Tastes like Cabernet.”

“Flirt,” Lotor murmured before pulling him in for a longer kiss with far more tongue. No sense in letting the flavor of a good wine go to waste.