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It was an odd day, which meant it was Keith’s turn to get lunch and since it was a Friday, Keith was definitely getting takeout.
See, he and Lance had an alternating schedule; odd days Keith did lunch and Lance did dinner and even days they flipped. Breakfast was always a toss up. Some days it was eggs, bacon, toast, the works, and others it was coffee to go.
After things finally settled down with the Blade after the war, Keith had been able to officially move in with Lance. To stay with Lance. You know, instead of just crashing at his boyfriend’s place whenever he had a break to visit Earth.
And when the Garrison offered him a job as a liaison for the Blades? It couldn’t get more perfect. It didn’t take long for them to get hitched after that.
That was three years ago now. And Keith never thought he’d enjoy routine so much. And sure, they went off planet for work every now and then, but here he was, picking up noodles for him and his husband from their favorite takeout restaurant because it was his day to get lunch.
He scanned his card at the door to the facility, plastic bag in hand, and made his way to Lance’s office. The door was shut and curtains on the windows were drawn, but he could see the light coming from behind them.
He knocked twice, hoping Lance wasn’t in a meeting or with someone, and opened the door.
It was just Lance, head cushioned by his folded arms on the desk, fast asleep despite the bright lights and Keith’s knocking.
A tender smile pushed its way to Keith’s face and he shut the door behind him gently. He stepped over to the desk and lightly shook Lance’s shoulder. “Hey, Lance, wake up.”
Lance’s head shot up from the desk as Keith set their bag of food on it. “Hmm? Hey,” he said groggily, dragging his hands down his face. “Must’ve fallen asleep,” he sighed and glanced at the time on his phone.
“Sleeping on the job, huh?” Keith joked, pulling up a chair on the other side of Lance’s desk.
“Yeah, you caught me,” Lance hummed as he propped his chin up on one arm, smiling as Keith pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Iverson,” Keith said, settling back into his seat.
Lance yawned then, stretching his arms above his head. “So what did you get us today?”
“Just some noodles from that place up the street.”
“Mmm,” Lance hummed again, “I love you.”
Keith just laughed as he unpacked their food.
A shiver wracked Lance’s frame and he wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing up and down. “Is it just me or is it cold in here?”
“I think it’s just you.” Keith smirked, scooching his takeout container towards him.
Lance took it gratefully and they both began to eat in comfortable silence. And now that Keith was really looking at Lance, he did seem kinda… tired.
It’s not like he’d never found Lance asleep in his office before and he was busier now that he’d taken on the extra work of teaching a couple classes on top of his usual job as a diplomatic liaison. But… that wasn’t it. He knew what work-exhausted Lance looked like and this was something else. Work-exhausted Lance still found time to shave, it was life-exhausted Lance who didn’t. The question was, what was causing it?
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Lance asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“Nothing.” Keith smiled and turned back to his noodles.
If he brought up the dark circles under his eyes or the neglected, growing stubble in his face, Lance would surely scoff at him and tell Keith it was just because he was busy. He’d say something like “Jeez, Keith, sorry I can’t be flawless all the time like you.” But Keith knew better. He also knew that Lance liked to beat around the bush when it came to his own health. He had to be strategic.
The rest of the day Keith planned out ways he could get Lance to relax over the upcoming weekend. He’d tell Lance he wanted to stay in, maybe binge a series together. But when he met Lance back at his office at the end of the day and he’d developed a clear sniffle, Keith knew he had to adjust his plan a little.
Lance was sick. Or rather he was getting sick. Probably from all those snotty kids he was teaching. And Lance could be so dense sometimes he probably didn’t even realize it yet.
He grabbed the keys off his desk before Lance could get to them and Lance didn’t bat an eye. Keith: 1, Lance: 0. Sure, Lance could drive in his current state, but he didn’t have to. Not when Keith was right there.
They left the Garrison hand in hand once Lance had stuffed all his things into his bag and Keith slid into the driver's seat before Lance could argue.
He plopped heavily into the passenger's seat and began to scroll through his phone. “What do you want for dinner tonight?”
“I was actually wondering if I could make something? If you don’t mind. I know it’s not my day,” Keith said, glancing at Lance out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Lance raised an eyebrow at him. “You want to?”
“Mhm.” Keith returned his eyes to the road.
“If that’s what you want.” Lance shrugged.
Keith: 2, Lance: 0.
When they made it back to their apartment, Lance all but threw himself on the couch. Keith snorted as he set his things more carefully on the kitchen island and squatted to comb through their cabinets. “Chicken noodle soup good with you?”
“You’re not all noodled out from earlier?” Lance joked.
“Guess not,” Keith replied and pulled out the necessary ingredients. He clattered around, grabbing a pot and chopping up a few carrots and celery. Lance was so quiet he almost thought he’d fallen asleep again.
“Hunk wants to know if we’ll go over to his tomorrow,” Lance said after a while.
“I was kinda hoping to stay in this weekend.” Keith tried to keep his tone inconspicuous and looked over his shoulder to where Lance was sitting on the couch.
He was frowning slightly. “Sure... are you feeling alright?”
Oh, Keith could laugh. The irony. “Perfect. Just want a break from being social for a little bit. Talked to too many people at work this week. Need to recharge.”
“Ok, yeah, I’ll tell him we’ll take a rain check,” Lance said softly.
Keith: 3, Lance: 0. God, he was too good at this.
Once everything was stewing on the stove, Keith set a timer and covered the pot. He joined Lance on the couch where he was digging his thumbs into his thigh, a small grimace on his face.
“Here. Let me,” Keith whispered gently.
Lance drew his hands away and Keith rolled up his pant leg. He carefully pressed the release on the prosthetic and removed the limb. Lance hissed out a sigh at the action, sinking further into the couch.
“Better?” Keith asked.
“Mhm, thank you.” Lance caressed his cheek, running his thumb over the skin above the bone.
The timer went off and Keith got up to get it. “Be right back. Stay there.”
Lance rolled his eyes as Keith gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Like I’m going anywhere.”
Keith was quick to return with their soup and they ate dinner on the couch, making small conversation about how the rest of their days went. He managed to coax Lance into changing out of his uniform after they finished and dragged him back to the sofa.
Keith laid a blanket over both of them and curled into Lance’s side, wrapping both arms securely around him.
“What’s up with you today?” Lance asked in amusement.
“Nothing. Just feeling affectionate is all.” You’re the one who’s sick, you idiot, he wanted to say.
Lance hummed and wrapped his arms around Keith too, squeezing him lightly.
Keith flipped on the tv and picked a show neither of them were terribly invested in. Lance was out in less than twenty minutes.
Keith carded his hand through Lance’s hair, brushing the curls out of his eyes as his chest rose and fell evenly. It would probably still be another day until Lance admitted he was sick, but that was ok. Keith would keep him warm and hydrated subtly until then. He knew Lance would do the same for him.
Keith may not have ever thought he’d enjoy this kind of life, this kind of domesticity, but he had quickly learned it could be just as fulfilling as any of their space adventures from when they were young. He used to think it just wasn’t in the cards for him. But Lance had proven him wrong time and time again. Lance had given him so much more than he could have ever asked for. As long as Lance was by his side, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.