Work Text:
“Is now a bad time to tell you that I’m claustrophobic?” Lance broke the silence between the two, so close that Keith could feel his breath.
They’ve been pressed up against each other for what feels like forever now after Keith threw both Lance and himself in a random closet he found on a Galra cruiser after the two went off course during a stealth mission. He’d heard footsteps and muttering voices from incoming Galra soldiers, presumably monitoring the halls. The problem now is that the two Galra have stopped to have a conversation right outside their closet door leaving them effectively trapped.
Keith looks around the dark closet, looking for somewhere to go. “Very,” he responds, becoming aware of just how tight this space is. To his side, he can make out what seems to be shelves with many supplies scattered around, each stacked on top of the other about to fall over with even a slight tap with even more left on the floor leaving less room for leg space.
“This is the worst possible door you could’ve picked,” Lance mutters, running a hand through his hair, knocking his chin into Keith’s head in the process. “Can’t you just back up a little bit.”
“I’m literally touching the wall, Lance, what do you want me to do?” Keith replies aggressively, pressing his back up against the wall of their tiny box of a closet.
Lance huffs a sigh bitterly, placing one hand braced on the wall behind Keith’s back with their legs tangled together.
“Lance, careful,” Keith speaks in a hushed tone gently moving his shoulder away from the shelves full of junk about to topple over. Lance gives him a questioning look. “What?”
“The shelves,” Keith grunts as if that's enough explanation.
“Dude, I can't see shit.”
“Oh, right,” Keith realizes softly. Of course, Lance can’t see, the only light coming through is from the crack of the door which is only enough to see each other's silhouette barely. That is of course if you don't have weird Galra genes. Kinda makes you wonder why Galra even has lights at all if they can all see in the dark. Keith absently wonders if some Galra can’t see in the dark. “Just don’t move, it might knock some stuff over.” They just end up back to being tangled together.
“Real easy for you to say, mullet.” Lance huffs, looking away towards the shelves.
Lance audibly takes a deep breath.
Keith pouts. He’s never been good at comforting let alone someone like Lance. All he can do is stand close with his heart in his mouth and might need some comfort of his own. The only person he’s ever been this close with before was his dad or Shiro, but never for anything more than a second or two or however long it takes to hug someone. This whole situation is really scrambling Keith's brain. Luckily Lance doesn't seem to notice Keith’s heart beating too loudly at their proximity but unluckily, it’s probably because he’s on the verge of an anxiety attack.
Keith does know a thing or two about panic attacks. He’s seen Shiro go through more than one of them, thanks to that he’s picked up on a trick or two from him.
“Listen,” Keith breathes almost right into Lance’s ear. “What are they saying?”
Lance is silent for a second, presumably trying to tune in to what the two Galra soldiers are chatting about on the other side of the door. “I- I can’t hear.”
“They’re complaining about the schedule,” Keith smiles.
“What?”
“Listen.” Keith insists.
Keith can see him straining to hear, squinting his eyes and listening in.
Before he can catch any more of their conversation a pair of stomps approach. The two Galra fall silent as yelling pours in through the cracks of the door.
Lance turns his head to look at Keith with a giddy surprised smile. The two Galra are most definitely getting chewed out right now.
They can hear a series of shouts before twined yelps of “Yes, sir!” and “Of course, sir!” from the two scared aliens.
“Sounds like us with Allura.” Lance giggles.
Keith does as well, mostly because of how true it is. Any time one of the paladins does something stupid on a mission or during a diplomatic meeting (which Keith is plenty guilty of.) Allura tends to give a stern talking to the whole group of them while Shiro stands beside her with his arms crossed, nodding along.
It doesn't sound scary but it most definitely is when you’re on the receiving end of one of Alluras glares.
“That’ll be us after we get out of this closet.”
“‘’S gonna be you. I was just trying to stop you from going off course from the mission.” Lance pokes Keith to punctuate his point.
“No way,” Keith furrows his brows, smacking away Lance’s hand. “Allura won't care about that besides, you completely failed to stop me .”
“I’d say I succeeded.” Lance gloats, sticking his nose up in the air.
“Literally how.”
“Got you into this closet now didn’t I.”
Keith cocks an eyebrow. “No, you didn’t, I hid us in here.”
Lance only gives him a cocky smile in return. Keith stares for a second, “You’re fucking with me,” He says only to be given an even bigger smile from Lance.
“Fuck you, dude.” Keith laughs a little pushing Lance, almost forgetting they’re in a tight space right now.
Lance laughs before he backs into the shelf harshly which immediately knocks over a bucket which causes a chain reaction resulting in a huge crash “Oh shit-” Lance flails, failing to catch the falling items.
Keith rushes to open the closet door, activating his bayard, ready to fight only to find an empty hallway.
He looks back at Lance in slight relief to see him holding a singular empty jar and the rest of it all smashed on the ground. Keith puts a hand to his mouth, holding back a smile.
“Oops?” Lance quips like a dork. God. Keith lets his hand fall, throwing his head back in laughter.
“That could've gotten us killed!” Keith gasps almost incredulously.
Lance chuckles along with Keith, looking surprised by Keith’s sudden laughing. “We gotta go before anyone else comes,” Keith says, turning away.
“Don’t tell Allura about that,” Lance says as he follows along. Keith giggles even though he knows Lance is probably serious about that.
“Whatever you say.”
“I’m serious Keith!” Lance shrieks as he jogs to catch up with him.