Chapter Text
Lance had excused himself from the table a few minutes ago, saying he just needed some fresh air. He was looking a little pale. He wasn’t back yet. Keith told the McClains that he was going to take Kosmo out for a few minutes. It was a good lie… until you remembered that Kosmo could teleport to wherever he liked and didn’t need to be let out. Keith just hoped that none of the McClains would think too hard about it, especially Sylvia and Nadia- Lance’s niece and nephew had already caught three of Keith’s lies.
Keith whistled for Kosmo and took him outside. As soon as he opened the door to the dark night, Kosmo ran out and teleported to Kaltenecker, chasing the poor cow around like a pup. Keith laughed, stopping when he smelt a foul odour. He wrinkled his nose at it. It wasn’t coming from the animals- even Keith knew that with his limited knowledge- no animal could make that smell. He looked around and only now noticed grey smoke coming from around the side of the house, curling high into the air and ruining the clear view of the stars.
Keith furrowed his brows and followed the smoke to the source. He peeked around the corner and saw Lance’s back. He realised that the smoke was coming from him.
“Lance, are you smoking?” Lance spun around, hiding whatever was in his hand behind his back.
“What?! No!” He protested before a coughing fit took over him. The hand hiding behind his back came up to his face to cover his mouth, exposing the cigarette that was burning between two of his slender fingers.
Keith grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from Lance before he could hide it again, “what’s this?”
Lance snatched his hand away, “none of your beeswax!” He snapped.
“Lance! Smoking’s bad for you!”
“You don’t think I know that?” Lance snapped back. Lance crossed his arms and flicked the cigarette, the ashes falling to the ground. Keith scrunched up his nose again. As he watched Lance, Keith realised that seemed far too comfortable with secretly smoking around the side of his house for this to be his first time.
“Lance, how long have you been- how long has… this,” he gestured to Lance with his open hands,” been going on for?”
Lance shrugged, taking a long drag of the cigarette.” A little over a year and a half,” as he talked, smoke billowed out of his mouth and Keith had to wave it out of his face. It worried Keith that he was so calm about it. Back in space when they were still paladins, Lance had turned his nose up at anything that would ruin his body, even going so far as to yell at an alien for smoking something close to where Lance could breathe it.
“Does Hunk know?”
Lance scoffed and sarcastically drawled, “cause Hunk cares about anything other than his work or Pidge.” His shoulders were hunched as he took another breath of cigarette smoke.
“Lance, you know that’s not true!” Lance turned away and Keith moved so he was still in front of him. “What about Pidge? Didn’t you guys catch up every weekend or something?”
Lance looked away and angrily said, “we used to. Then she moved back into space and decided that she’d never call.”
Keith didn't know Pidge wasn't calling anymore. That was weird, they both used to talk about how much they were starting to get sick of each other they saw each other so often. He put his hand on Lance’s shoulder, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he insisted, though the tears starting to gather on his lashes and his shaking hand as he brought the cigarette up to his mouth to take another drag said otherwise.
“Give me that-“ Keith reached out and grabbed the cigarette just before Lance could take another breath and flicking it away.
“Hey!”
“You don’t need it!”
“You don’t know that!”
“Lance. I know you.” Keith put both his hands on Lance’s shoulders. “Something’s bothering you. Tell me.” He demanded.
Lance’s face scrunched up as tears filled his eyes, “I’m depressed, Keith! Allura’s dead! She gave me these stupid Altean marks that remind me of her every time I look in the damn mirror! It feels like someone has ripped a hole inside of me and as soon as it starts to heal people manage to rip it back open, like both of my best friends leaving and never talking to me! Do you know how I fill that hole? With drinking and bars and these stupid things,” he pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and crushed them in his hand, throwing them at the ground. The tears were flowing down his cheeks now, dripping down his chin. He looked up at Keith, completely open and vulnerable to him, “why does everyone get a happy ending except me, Keith?” He said it so quietly, Keith had to strain to hear him.
Keith felt his heart break as he watched the boy who had always seemed so happy and positive break down into a sobbing mess. He took a good look at Lance, a real look at Lance.
Lance was skinny. Lance had always been thin, but now he just looked sickly, with hollow cheeks and bony elbows. His skin had lost it’s healthy colour, instead now pale and dry, the skin stretched thin over Lance’s weak skeleton. Instead of standing tall and confident like the Lance Keith knew, he was hunched over, almost curling in on himself as if he didn’t want to be seen. The opposite of the Lance who’s biggest dream was to have everyone’s attention on him. His eyes, the ones that were once bright and full of life, were dim and sad. Lance just looked plain wrong and Keith kicked himself for not seeing it sooner.
Lance’s weak body shuddered as he sobbed into his hands. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s thin shoulders and the Cuban fell into Keith’s chest, gripping his shirt as he cried uncontrollably. Keith slowly lowered them until they were both on their knees. He gathered Lance up into his lap and held him until Lance’s loud, shaking sobs turned into quiet shudders and sniffles, rubbing small circles into his back and murmuring quiet words until Lance quieted down. The former black paladin’s shirt had a large wet spot that Lance had made with his tears and snot, but Keith ignored it, holding Lance tighter.
Lance looked up at Keith, eyes red and tear tracks still wet and fresh down his cheeks. “Thank you Keith.”
Keith smiled weakly down at Lance, “hey, it’s okay. You’d do the same for me.”
A small watery smirk that showed hint’s of the old Lance appeared on his face, “I dunno if I would do the same for you…” He chuckled weakly. Keith rolled his eyes and grinned. The grin faded into a small smile.
“And, hey, just so you know, I’d never leave you.”
Lance’s eyes widened before a huge smile broke out on his face and tears filled his eyes again. He threw his arms around Keith’s neck and buried his face in the spot where his neck and shoulders met.
“Thank you Keith,” and this time, he really sounded like he meant it.