Chapter Text
Keith had a bad day.
He comes home feeling tired, frustrated, and exhausted. His shoes are barely kicked off before he’s quickly walking through the front hallway, pausing only to let his bag slump from his shoulders and onto the floor. His hurried footsteps are loud, causing Lance to turn out into the hallway from the kitchen of their apartment. “Oh Keith, you’re home! I was just thinking, what do you want for-oof!” Lance is cut short as Keith barrels forward, tumbling right into his chest.
“Whoa, easy.” Lance’s arms immediately open to catch Keith, voice going soft. At the sound, Keith goes completely slack, melting entirely into the comfort of his boyfriend’s arms. Lance lets his body give with the weight of him, stepping backward to lean against the hallway wall. He presses his back to its surface and slides them down with ease. Although the motion is clean and fluid, they end in a tangle on the floor - Lance propped upright against the wall and Keith gathered messy in his arms.
“Hey.” Lance whispers, and Keith inches slowly into him. He uses his arms, currently wrapped around Lance’s torso, to help him shimmy forward, and buries his face against Lance’s chest. Lance begins to twine his fingers through Keith’s hair, strands sliding smooth through the gaps between his fingers. He combs through the hair by Keith’s cheek, tucking it softly behind his ear before leaning down and whispering into it. “Can you sit up for me?”
Keith groans in contempt, but begins to shift his position. He quickly seats himself within Lance’s lap and wraps his legs around Lance’s waist, letting his arms hug his middle and his forehead rest against his shoulder. Lance pulls him tight to his chest and nuzzles his nose into Keith’s hair, planting a warm kiss against his temple. After a few moments, Lance resumes slowly teasing his fingers through Keith’s hair. He combs through his roots, smooths all of his stray hairs. Every now and then, he lets his fingertips lightly scratch against Keith’s skull, and soon, Keith is a puddle in his arms.
Lance transitions to stroking his fingers up and down Keith’s back in long, lazy strokes. He smiles, huffing lightly against Keith’s neck as he coaxes small shivers from him again and again with his touch. He begins letting his fingers travel closer and closer to Keith’s sides, and every time his fingers brush against the sensitive skin there, Keith squirms. As he continues to tease, lingering against the sensitive skin for longer and longer, Keith’s breaths start to catch. With a mischievous smile toying at his lips, he plants a light kiss to the underside of Keith’s ear before dragging his fingers from the side of Keith’s hips all the way to the underside of his arm in one, fluid motion. Keith jerks, a small laugh finally escaping his lips. Lance revels in it; the low, sweet sound, the rumble of it against his chest, the warm rush of air that brushes against his shoulder. Mostly, he savours the feeling of Keith's smile as it spreads against his skin, and the fact that, even if only for a moment, he was able to put it there.
“Bad day?” He speaks after Keith settles, keeping his voice calm and quiet as he breaks their long held silence. Keith nods against him, never looking up from his position against his shoulder. But his arms tighten their hold around Lance’s middle, hugging him close. Lance matches Keith’s embrace before letting out a sympathetic sigh, resting his cheek against the top of Keith’s head, and snuggling further into him. Lance knows Keith; knows that he won’t want to talk about this right away. After a hard day, sometimes you just want to be home where it’s quiet and where it's safe, and to them, home was always wrapped in each other’s arms. They stay this way for a long time, breathing slowly together. Keith letting his breath warm Lance’s shoulder, and Lance letting his fingers continue to trace long, lazy trails along Keith’s back. When the silence between them breaks once again, it’s not with words.
Keith isn’t surprised when Lance begins to hum. The tune starts low in his throat, and slowly rises until Keith recognizes the familiar collection of notes. It’s a lullaby Keith knows Lance’s mother used to sing to him as a kid to help him fall asleep, or to comfort him when he fell sick. It’s a song that Keith knows well.
Lance’s humming is patchy but his voice rings sweet, causing a warm swell of affection to gather low in Keith’s chest. As his entire body warms with the feeling, he can’t help but bury himself further into Lance, as if to melt into him, who gives him a gentle squeeze in return. As the song ends, Lance begins it again, but this time, quiet lyrics pour from his lips.
“Arrorró mi niño…”
The sleepy notes vibrate through Lance’s skin and against Keith’s cheek.
“Arrorró mi amor…”
Keith shivers, and Lance plants a kiss to the side of his head as he continues to softly sing.
“Arrorró pedazo de mi corazón…”
Although Keith can’t understand the words, the lyrics always manage to paint him a picture of home by the sea. He pictures Lance as child, growing up cheerful and freckly under the sun. He pictures him with his toes buried in the sand, surrounded by a big, caring family. And he pictures him tucked cozy in bed at night, falling asleep to the sound of his mother’s voice. But mostly, he revels in how lucky he is to have such a precious song recounted to him, years later, by the very same freckly boy who grew up associating the lullaby with everything he held dear.
“Este niño lindo, que nació de día…”
He savours the sound of Lance’s voice, the sweet smell of him as he inhales, and the warmth of their bodies pressed together. Completely surrounded by everything he’s ever considered his home, he slowly begins to drift with the notes, the rise and fall of Lance’s voice rocking him out to sea and leaving his chest feeling light and warm.
When Keith’s breathing shallows, Lance knows he’s fallen asleep. He holds him in his arms for a while, letting Keith doze quietly against him. His singing slowly trails to a stop, and within the silence, Keith begins to softly snore. Lance takes this time to scoop him up in his arms, and carry him off to bed.