Chapter Text
Insomnia.
The word is like bile on his tongue, the grime that coats your mouth when you wake up in the morning. Except Lance wasn’t waking up in the morning. There wasn’t anything to wake up from, because he hadn’t even slept yet. Lance couldn’t count the hours he’s slept this week on both his hands.
It wasn’t just the sleepless nights either. Galra didn’t wait around for daylight hours to invade planets or attack the castle. Battles took time from the schedule he didn’t have and it was really taking a toll on him, and half the time even the exhaustion of battle couldn’t subdue him.
Restlessly, he’d taken to wandering the castle. It was peaceful at least, and often he found himself in the common room, gazing out into the beyond, or in the map room, tracking the way back to Earth through the unknown constellations. It was peaceful, yes, but so, so quiet and Lance felt like he was going to break soon if he couldn’t get a solid six hours of sleep some time soon.
One night, or early morning - it was roughly 4am in the castle’s internal clock system - he’s making his way back to his room before everyone woke up when he nearly crashes into a bundle coming through a doorway: Keith.
“Shit! Crap, fuck. Dude, what the hell?” Keith splutters, and there’s a small spatter of droplets on Lance’s arm where Keith’s drink had spilled on it.
“Shit,” Lance mumbles in reply, voice heavy and lethargic as he lifts an arm up to steady Keith. He wasn’t alive enough to be his usual rivalry self. “You okay there?”
Keith notices the difference in his personality immediately, and frowns. “Yeah. I think the real question here is are you? How long have you been awake?”
Lance laughs and shrugs. Keith glares at him a little, but there’s no effect in the darkness of the hallway.
“Lance, actual answer please.”
“Okay,” the taller teen presses a small panel by what he recognises as Keith’s doorway. It lights up with a small digit box for Keith’s room code, as well as the castle’s time at the very top like a clock. 4:12am. “As of this clock.. I’ve been awake….” he trails off to count. “43 hours. Give or take if you count ten minute naps in between.”
He practically hears Keith’s eyes bug, and when he turns back to face his teammate the expression he sees isn’t surprising.
“How have you been functioning?” Keith tries not to raise his voice in alarm. “Y-You! You’re Lance ! Mr Face-Masks-And-Moisturizers-and-8-hours-sleep-a-night!”
“You really need to work on your nickname choices,” Lance comments with a yawn.
“What’s wrong with you?” Keith growls. He doesn’t say it in a particularly nasty way, but it makes Lance wince all the same.
“I was fine at first. But…” he trails off, wobbling.
“Oi! Should you really even be standing right now?” Keith’s voice quiets at the end, the question more aimed at himself than asking Lance. His arm is being pulled around the red paladin’s shoulders and suddenly a hand is at his waist and guiding him into the room Keith was just leaving moments ago.
“Mmn.. probably not,” he admits, and lets himself be set down on Keith’s bed. Said teen sits down next to him, setting his drink down on the bedside table easily despite the darkness. There was no point in switching the lights on at this hour.
He knows what’s coming next. Keith will ask what’s wrong, and expect Lance to tell him and then try and fix the problem. Because as much as Lance pretends - yes, pretends - to have this rivalry with him at everything he knows that Keith works hard at everything that gains his attention.
“Don’t,” he mumbles, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Don’t what?” Keith replies, confused.
“Don’t try and figure me out,” Lance sighs. “God knows I haven’t got the energy for this right now.”
It’s silent for a moment, and Lance wonders if Keith will let him wander back to his room. He might get an hour’s sleep if he’s lucky.
“What then? What can I do to help?” Keith grabs his arm, half-steadying him as he realises the forward tilt of his balance.
“Why do you wanna help,” Lance asks back tiredly, no bite in his words.
“Because we’re a team, and your health is important.” Keith frowns, as if the answer is simple. “If you didn’t have this rivalry thing going on, we’d probably get along better and it wouldn’t sound so weird to you.”
Lance waves a hand around. “Ehh I don’t care about the rivalry anymore. I just like beating you at things.”
“In your dreams Lance.”
“I’m pretty dreamless right now, in case you forgot.”
Keith groans. “Tell me how I can help, dumbass.”
“No.” Lance pouts. “You won’t do it anyway.”
“Do what?”
“Let me sleep next to you.”
“What?!”
Lance sighs. “Exactly. Don’t worry about it, I’ll try and catch some Z’s before wake-up in a couple hours.” He starts to stand, but the hand is gripping his arm again.
“I-If it helps.”
He turns, and in the darkness of the room, the eyes looking back at him are inky and unblinking.
He sits down again. “Are you sure?”
“You need to sleep Lance.”
He says it so simply, like it's the easiest answer to give in the world.
“Okay.”
He scuffles until his back hits the wall, then feels around for the pillow on his right. Keith pulls back the covers on his bed and they wordlessly climb in together. It’s silent, but not unpleasant. Sleep still doesn’t greet him right away. The cool feeling of Keith’s sheets are foreign to him, despite them being the same as his own, but the body next to him becomes less unfamiliar by the moments, and though he back is turned to Lance, who lays flat on his back, he can still hear Keith mumble and ask if he’s okay.
He tries to reply, but the dark finally consumes him, putting him at rest.