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Keith itched at his arm, staring up at the ceiling that was barely lit by the lights from in the hall. The light still managed to travel its way into Keith's bedroom despite the door being shut, a crude reminder that the Castle was never asleep. He felt they shared insomnia, the castle and he being awake all through the night as if they were staying up for each other. The ship hummed calmly, and if Keith focused hard enough he could feel the vibrations through his chest.
He aimlessly wondered how Lance was, if he was able to sleep with the lights outside, the ship's ambiance. He worried if Lance stayed awake like him, too anxious about an attack to get even an hour's worth of rest. If Lance didn't sleep, would he still smile as wide? Would his eyes be just as bright?
The questions made Keith's brows furrowed in a quiet frustration, not too sure why he was getting upset. He thought about when Lance was injured, soon after they'd had their first battle. How the man managed to smile through the pain he was in. Keith never wanted to see him hurt again, his chest aching at the thought. For Keith's own sake, he told himself that Lance was able to rest, and that he was stronger than he seemed.
Keith shook his head, trying to rid his mind of Lance. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, yawning though he couldn't will himself to sleep. He supposed a glass of water and some food goo wouldn't hurt, swinging his legs off of his bed and standing quietly. Keith opened his door and glared at the harsh light from the hall, grunting before stumbling his way out into the light. He toed his way into the cafeteria, socked feet making him silent.
Upon entry to the cafeteria, he looked up. His gray eyes met piercing blue, and Keith flinched before his brows furrowed.
“ What are you doing here? ” Keith whisper yelled at the Cuban who had some sort of tea-centic drink, his head ducked down to feel the steam from it.
Lance rolled his eyes, “ what are you doing here?”
Keith walked over to Lance and the man stood, reminding the other of just how tall he was.
“Don't start yelling or berating me. You're up too, I don't want to hear a peep from you.” Lance held up a finger, putting it over his lips as he talked.
Keith drew in a breath as if he were going to berate him anyway, then sighed and slapped his hand against his own thigh, turning to get water.
He heard Lance settle back down behind him, stirring his drink with a spoon.
Great. Keith thought mindlessly, the guy I was trying to get my mind off of is here.
“Up all night?” Lance finally asked. Keith's shoulders dropped as if he'd been spotted and held at gunpoint to reply. He leaned against the counter and glanced at Lance, sipping his water before looking down at it.
“Yeah… I can't sleep. You?” Keith questioned, hoping this conversation ended soon so he could go back to thinking about Lance.
“Nah, I thought some tea might fix me. Allura said it was for sleep but… It isn't doing anything for me. I'm exhausted. Must work for only Alteans.”
Keith laughed softly, pushing himself off of the counter. “Gotcha… Well, I better get back.” He glanced at the door, his only exit, then back at Lance.
The two made eye contact, and Keith reeled for a moment. He saw how worried Lance was for him, and it made the other feel nervous. Lance just nodded, “yeah man, I get that… Wanna tell me what's got you up?”
Keith hesitated, shifting before making his way over to sit across from the Cuban. “I just… sometimes it's hard, I think. It's insomnia or something.” Keith looked at Lance's drink, noticing the red hue to it.
“Trust me, I get it,” Lance chuckled. “I'm so used to sleeping with my family, my nephews and nieces. Sometimes it's hard sleeping alone, you know?” Lance licked his lips nervously, the two of them sharing this unspokenness of opening up to one another for the first time. It was new territory, and nerve wracking for both boys.
Keith nodded dumly, not knowing what to say as his fingers touched the rim of his glass. He cleared his throat, glancing up at Lance who was expecting a reply. Right. “Yeah, no, I… I don't really get that. I'm sorry.”
Lance seemed to hold back a smile, then laughed as he watched Keith's face flush. “Don't apologize for that, man. We all go through different stuff, not something you need to say sorry over.”
Keith managed a chuckle, running a hand through his hair to push it out of the way.
“I have an idea,” Lance's eyes seemed to light up, and he pushed his tea out of the way. “Why don't you come sleep with me?”
“Wh-What?” Keith's face turned completely red, breath stuttering in his lungs. “ With you??”
Lance set a hand over his heart and frowned, “whaaat, are you so against little ole me that you'd decline me such a luxury?”
Luxury??? Keith questioned internally, biting the inside of his cheek. “Lance, I don't know…”
“It'll be fun. It'll be like a sleep over, Keith. I promise.” Lance stood, extending a hand out to the other.
Keith looked up, hesitantly taking the man's hand as if it'd burn him.
And burn him it did. Lance's touch was electrifying. Keith did everything not to pull away from his feelings, instead clasping Lance's hand securely. He felt lured from his spot from the cafeteria, watching Lance's head bob with his steps, staring at his smile every time the man turned his head. Lance was talking? Keith nodded stupidly, not hearing a word as the two made it to Lance's bedroom door.
“Mi casa. Come on in,” Lance opened up his room, letting Keith's hand go as he gestured for the other to walk in first.
Lance's bedroom seemed almost Earthly. Keith suspected he must have gotten some of these items from the space mall they'd went to. He stared in silent wonder, eyes darting around the bedroom.
Lance's room was lit by fairy light-like lights drawn up around the room, held up by nails. The bulbs glowed softly as if they were fireflies dancing on the wall. Posters littered the roof like a teenage boy's room, though instead of rock bands or celebrities of Earth, they seemed more aligned with other planets’ biggest stars. All of them had a different language, in different fonts, all foreign to Keith. He looked over at the bed, noticing that he had the sheets everyone else did, though he had a plush seated in a corner. The bed wasn't made, instead well worn in. The look of the bedroom made Keith want to crawl into the warm covers and never leave.
“I have books, but they're all kinda stupid.” Lance said as he got into bed, having taken his slippers off when Keith was so starstruck.
The boy looked at him and then to his books, not even noticing the pile. “Oh, no worries. I don't think my eyes can handle reading right now.” Keith sat beside Lance, straight as a board. He'd never had a sleepover. He'd have pretend ones with Shiro once he'd been adopted, but never ones with real friends. He glanced at the books and noticed they were all Altean, and he sighed nervously. “I didn't know you could read Altean…”
Lance nodded, grabbing one. “I've been trying. Lessons with Coran when we have downtime… I don't want a culture so rich to just die, you know?”
Keith's brows furrowed before they rose in a quiet curiosity, leaning over towards Lance to see the book he'd picked up.
“Shit… wow, that's actually… Neat. I didn't know you cared about stuff like that,” he replied quietly.
“Course I care!” Lance shot back, more enthusiastic than out of anger. “I know how it is, I guess. Seeing people who hate you just cause of how you look.”
Keith nodded, “yeah, I get that.”
The two sat in silence, and Lance cleared his throat. “Hey, why don't I read to you. Here, get comfortable.” Lance shifted to move some of the blankets out of the way, ushering Keith under them until the boy was settled against the wall.
Keith settled uncomfortably into the bed, as comfortable as it was, he couldn't get his anxiety out of the way to enjoy it.
Lance gave him a smile, opening his book up to the bookmark. “I'll just read where I left off. It's all in Altean, right? So it doesn't really matter. I'll be speaking it, too. I'm kinda bad at it but uhm…” Lance's cheeks heated up and he laughed nervously, making Keith stare with wonder in his eyes.
He'd never seen Lance embarrassed. If Keith was being honest with himself, he didn't think Lance could get embarrassed. Maybe I think too highly of him , Keith wondered as Lance shook his head, putting his bookmark down.
Lance started to speak, some words getting caught in his throat, others stuttering out. But most times, his words flowed like honey from a bottle, sweet to Keith's ears. He didn't care what language it was; Lance talking to him meant the world as is.
Keith felt his body lax as Lance rattled off, and his eyelids felt heavy. He covered his mouth up with the blanket to yawn, blinking sleepily up at Lance.
Lance glanced down, giving him a warm smile and a little wink, making the boy's face flush. He closed his eyes, nosing into a pillow and staying there.
He stayed up for as long as he could, eventually dozing off as Lance kept talking.
He didn't remember even falling asleep, eyes having a hard time opening. He stretched out with a soft groan, feeling a heavy arm on him. His eyes cooperated quick after that, shooting open to see who was holding him down. He was met with a broad chest, and a familiar smell. Keith glanced up at Lance, realizing he was wrapped in the man's arms. His face got flush, squeezing his eyes shut as if it were a dream.
“Sleep okay?” Lance's voice was deep, laced with sleep. It only made Keith's anxiety worse, and he nodded quickly.
“Mmh… ‘M tired…”
Keith stared at his chest, letting out a soft mhm . He stayed there for a while, realizing Lance was either refusing to move or had fallen back asleep.
After a while, Keith relaxed again, slowly letting his head sink into the pillow. He decided this was fine, closing his eyes sleepily and nuzzling into Lance's chest.
Keith let himself drift back off to sleep, feeling secure in Lance's arms, in his room. He felt like nothing bad could happen to them right now, and he was able to sleep peacefully with Lance at his side to be there for him through the night.