Work Text:
Lance opens his eyes and stares at the training room ceiling. When did he get here? He realizes he’s lying on the floor and moves to get up. As he does, he hears someone heading over.
“Let me help you,” says Keith as he holds out his hand. Lance takes it and Keith pulls him up. Lance wobbles a bit and Keith places a hand at Lance’s hip to steady him.
“Thanks,” Lance says with a smile. Things had been different since Keith left for the Blade of Marmora, but he was glad things maybe were starting to go back to a new normal since his return. Suddenly, Keith leans in and kisses Lance’s cheek. Lance’s jaw goes slack and he just stares at Keith. Since when was that a part of their friendship?
“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you hit your head when you fell?” Keith asks. Lance shakes his head.
“I guess I was just a little flustered?” he tries.
“Maybe you should go get checked out by Coran just in case,” Keith says, already guiding Lance towards the door; his hand still hasn’t left Lance’s waist. Maybe he really did hit his head if he can’t remember the relationship between him and Keith. He also didn’t remember how he got to the training room either.
As they head down the hallway, Keith removes his hand from Lance’s waist to his hand and interlocks their fingers. Lance can’t help but blush. The one good thing about Keith’s departure was Lance’s ability to figure out what his true feelings were for Keith without the man in question there to distract him. Keith was still away when Lance realized he might want to be more than friends with Keith, but he hadn’t said anything to Keith since his return. At least not that he could remember. Obviously, something had happened for Keith to act like this towards Lance.
When they reach the med bay, Coran is already waiting for them.
“Lance, my boy, let’s get that noggin of yours checked out,” Coran says while patting the bed next to him. Lance sits down as Coran goes through the various concussion tests. Lance follows the light shined in front of his eyes and Coran hums in approval.
“Well, there doesn’t seem to be a problem as far as I can see. Maybe just call it quits on training for today just to be safe,” he says to Lance. Lance nods and looks over a Keith who had been worrying one of the strings on the hem of his shirt since they had gotten here.
“We can go watch a movie or something to kill time until dinner,” Keith suggests. “You can even pick the movie.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” Lance is already hopping off the bed. They head out the door together and Coran chuckles behind them.
~~~
They’re halfway through the movie and Keith is sitting with his arm around Lance’s shoulders. Lance snuggles closer to Keith’s side. In the back of his mind, his “missing” memories still bother him; the last thing he remembers before the training room was going to bed after a particularly draining mission. Right now, he’s content to just bask in Keith’s warmth, not wanting to take anything for granted.
He feels Keith’s side rumble like he’s speaking but doesn’t hear what he says. He pulls back for a moment to face Keith.
“What was that?” he asks. Keith suddenly has an unnatural grin on his face.
“I said that I can’t believe you’d actually fall for this,” Keith says with a hint of malice in his voice. Lance looks at him in confusion.
“What do you mean? You’re kinda scaring me, Keith,” Lance says as he sees the glint in Keith’s eyes.
“I can’t believe you think you deserve any of this,” Keith says but it’s not his voice anymore. His mouth is moving but the sounds coming out are guttural in nature and much deeper. “You were such an easy target.”
“I still don’t understand,” Lance say and his voice wavers as tears gather at the corners of his eyes.
“I’ve been waiting to do this,” Keith but not Keith says. Lance barely has time to react before hands close around his throat. He can’t speak, can’t scream, all he can do is make wheezing noises as he desperately tries to take in air. Black spots form across his vision and he dejectedly thinks this must be the end.
Suddenly Lance bolts upright and takes a great gasp of air. His hands immediately go to his neck but there’s nothing there. He looks around and sees that he’s back in his bed in his room on the castle ship. Maybe what just happened was a dream and that’s why nothing made sense. He sighs in relief and takes a few more deep breaths.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?” a voice asks from the semi-darkness beside him.
“Yeah, I think so- Wait, Keith? What are you doing here?” Lance asks incredulously.
“Oh, I can leave if you don’t want to sleep together anymore,” Keith says, expressionless, but Lance can detect a hint of sadness in his voice.
“No, don’t go just yet.” Lance reaches a hand out to Keith. Keith takes hold of Lances hand and starts rubbing circles on the back of Lance’s hand with his thumb. “I’m just a bit out of it from whatever dream I just had.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lance considers Keith’s offer but then thinks back to the last thing that happened before he woke up.
“I don’t know, maybe. When did we agree to start sharing a bed?” Lance asks, changing the subject. Keith cocks his head in confusion.
“Uhh, a few months ago. You know, when we finally talked to each other after I got back from the Blades. When we both decided to stop avoiding our feelings for each other and start acting on what we actually wanted?” He says the last part like a question, as if waiting for Lance’s answer, his acknowledgment of recognition.
“Oh, yeah,” Lance says a little too unconvincingly. Keith looks at him with concern now.
“Are you okay, Lance?” Keith asks with such love in his voice that it makes Lance sick to his stomach thinking about what just happened in his dream.
“I don’t know, my brain is everywhere. In that dream I just had, you were all lovey-dovey to me but suddenly flipped a switch and tried to kill me. I think I’m just really shaken up.”
“Oh Lance, I’d never hurt you.” Keith says and gives Lance’s hand a squeeze. He brings his other hand up and Lance sees that it’s holding his knife.
“Keith, what are you doing?” Lance can’t stop the panic that seeps into his voice. Keith brings the knife over his own chest.
“I’ll make sure I never hurt you again,” Keith says in the Not-Keith voice again, the one from Lance’s previous dream. Lance tries to grab Keith’s hand.
“Stop, please stop! Keith stop! No!” Lance shouts as Keith plunges the blade into his heart. The blood immediately starts bubbling out around the knife. Keith pulls his blade out and the wound starts gushing. Lance desperately tries to stop the bleeding, but he can already see Keith fading.
“You’ll never save anyone,” Not-Keith says as he chokes up blood. The life leaves his eyes and Lance sobs. Soon Keith’s unmoving chest is wet with a combination of his own blood and Lance’s tears. Lance leans down until his forehead is touching Keith’s.
“Why can’t we be happy even in my dreams?” Lance sobs out. When he finally lifts his head again, he’s standing in field. He quickly recognizes it as the field behind his family’s house. He knows he’s still dreaming now. With how the last two scenarios played out, Lance is afraid to go into his house. The back door suddenly opens.
“Mijo? Is that you?” his mom’s voice calls out. Lance can’t help it; he starts to run up to the house.
“Mamá, I’ve missed you so much. Los extrañé a todos mucho,”I missed you all so much. Lance says as he hugs his mom. “¿Dónde están mis hermanos?”Where are my siblings?
“En la casa. Oh, mijo, tambíen te extrañé.In the house. Oh, my son, I missed you too. Everyone will be so happy to see you. The Garrison told us you were probably dead like that other mission, what was it, Kerberos?”
“They were alive too, Mamá. I didn’t have a choice when we left, I wished I could have said goodbye.” Lance finally steps out of the hug with his mom. “Sabes que yo nunca elegiría irme sin decir adiós.”You know I would never leave without saying goodbye.
They walk into the house together and Lance’s mom calls out to everyone. Luis and Lisa pop out from the kitchen, little feet run down the stairs as Nadia and Sylvio head down, and Marco and Veronica come out of the living room with Rachel and their Pop-pop behind them. Lance is soon in the middle of a large group hug and their voices all overlap.
“Dios, your papá is still out by the chicken coop,” his mom says when they finally release Lance. “Estará tan feliz cuando te vea.”He'll be so happy when he sees you.
“Iré a Papá ahora.”I'll go to Dad now. Lance turns back to the door and heads out towards their chicken coop. Happy tears still blur his vision, but it looks like there are two figures standing outside the coop.
“¡Papá!” Lance calls out when he gets closer, a big grin spreading across his face. His smile drops and his steps falter when he sees the second figure. It’s Keith and he’s holding a knife again.
“Oh, Lance, you know none of this is real, right? You’ll never see them again,” Not-Keith says with a wicked smile on his face. Lance leaps towards them but he’s too far away and Keith drives the knife into his dad’s stomach with a sickening squelch. Lance wants to call for help, but he also doesn’t want to put his family in any more danger, even if this is only a dream.
“Who are you? The real Keith would never do any of those things. You’re some sick and twisted creature wearing his face!” Lance is shouting loud enough it will probably bring his family out of the house, but he doesn’t care right now. All he sees is red: Keith’s jacket, Keith’s blood, and now his dad’s blood. He tackles Not-Keith to the ground and starts to pummel him. Not-Keith returns Lance’s punches as they wrestle on the ground. At one point, Lance has Keith pinned and he moves to punch Not-Keith’s jaw, but he puts his hands up suddenly.
“Lance! What the fuck are you doing?” Keith says, and it is the real Keith this time because it’s his real voice. Lance halts his punches but doesn’t get up from where he’s sitting on Keith’s chest.
“Are you real?” Lance asks skeptically.
“I guess as real as I can be in whatever this weird dream world is. I don’t know, I just got here and you were already punching me.”
“Explain yourself,” Lance says and crosses his arms. Keith sighs.
“Even after our exhausting mission, I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. Long story short, I got back from my walk, your door was open, and I saw this creature on your head. Coran said it was a Cassiopeian Dream Eater. Allura said they could blast it with some radio waves or something but they’re still working on it, so I touched the thing to enter your dream to see if we can beat this thing together.”
“So, that’s a lot to take in,” Lance says, “but it makes enough sense for me to trust you.”
“Good, can you get off of me now?”
“Oh, right.” Lance laughs awkwardly before climbing off Keith’s chest. Lance stands and extends a hand down to Keith. He takes it and Lance pulls him up.
“So why were you punching me?” Keith asks.
“That thing was using you as like a puppet or something. You kept doing all these terrible things that I know you’d never do but then it would speak in its own voice through your mouth. It was kind of creepy.”
“I’m sorry, Lance,” Keith says and pats Lance on the shoulder.
“It’s okay, it wasn’t really you that did all those things.” But I wish the real you would do some of those things, Lance thinks to himself.
“Let’s get to it then. According to what Allura read, since you already know this is a dream, if you can take control and make the creature show itself, we can kill it here in the dream world and it will detach itself in the real world,” Keith explains.
“Sounds simple enough,” Lance says sarcastically.
“Listen, if anyone has enough willpower to make this thing appear, it’s you, Lance. According to you, it’s already talked to you so that’s something.”
“How do we kill it?”
“We can try this?” Keith says as he pulls out his knife. Lance instinctively recoils and Keith puts it away quickly. “Or not.”
“Sorry, it’s just something that happened in these dreams,” Lance says, trying to reassure Keith. “I appreciate the help. So what? I just manifest that creature or something?”
“I guess so. Put that big noggin of yours to work, McClain.” Lance snorts at Keith’s comment but concentrates on the creature; he doesn’t know what it looks like, but he knows its voice and how it makes him feel. He concentrates on the feelings of dread it inspires. His eyes are closed in concentration, so he doesn’t see the creature pop into existence.
“That’s it! That’s the thing attached to you!” Keith shouts. Lance opens his eyes to see a pink and purple blob with blue tendrils on its underside. It makes a sound similar to the guttural speech from its previous appearances as Keith. Keith holds out his Marmoran blade and Lance takes it with resolve.
He lunges at the creature and slashes in front of him. He feels the knife glide through and the creature screeches to confirm Lance’s hit.
“You got this Lance!” Keith encourages him from behind. Lance’s mouth is set in a grim determined smile. He swings the blade again and the creature screeches once more. He brings the knife back and stabs it through the creature. The knife goes all the way through and he even feels part of his hand sink into the creature. The creature falls limply to the ground and slides off Lance’s hand. He turns to Keith.
“We did it!” he shouts with genuine happiness for the first time since entering this nightmare reality.
“Well, it was mostly you, Lance. For a sharpshooter, you handled that blade pretty well.”
“This is my dream after all, I can be good at anything I want, I suppose.”
“Okay, you’re pushing it now.” Keith points at him in mock disapproval.
“Whatever.” Lance waves him away. “I guess we just wake up now.” The words are barely out of his mouth when they feel a heaviness overtake them. Lance feels his eyes close.
Lance snaps his eyes open and sits up. He’s taking in the fact that they’re in the med bay when he hears Keith shout.
“Kill it now!” Lance looks over to the see the jellyfish-like creature hovering in the air.
“On it!” Pidge says as she aims some sort of gun at the creature. A sonic wave hits the creature, and it shrieks before going lifeless on the floor. Lance lets out a true sigh of relief. Everyone lets out a little cheer and Lance smiles. Suddenly someone’s hands are on the sides of his face, and he feels a kiss pressed to his lips. The hands let go and he realizes they belong to Keith.
“Keith?!” Lance sputters out. Lance swears he hears Pidge in the background saying, “I told you so”, but he doesn’t register it because he’s still trying to process the fact that Keith just kissed him. He’s not still in the dream, right?
“Sorry, I just couldn’t think of any other way to express my relief that you’re safe,” Keith says sheepishly. Lance is reveling at the slightly flustered Keith.
“I hope this is the real world because I’d like you to do that again. You know, so I can be prepared this time?” Keith laughs but leans in toward Lance again. This time, Lance reaches for Keith and meets his lips more assuredly. As they pull away, Lance sees Keith’s eyes sparkle and he’s sure this has to be real.
“If you’re done there, Loverboy, you’re welcome for saving you,” Pidge says with a smirk. Lance grins sheepishly but holds his arms out. Pidge barrels into his arms and hugs him tight.
“It’s alright, I know you can’t live without me, poor Pidgeon,” Lance says into her shoulder. He sees Hunk still standing nervously and calls him over. “You bring it in too, Hunk.”
Hunk wraps both Lance and Pidge in a hug so tight Lance isn’t sure he ever plans on letting go. Shiro and Allura laugh at Lance’s new predicament.
“Oh no,” Lance says, “don’t think you’re getting out of it that easily. The rest of you bring it in here too.”
Hunk steps back to drag Keith into the middle of things, and Allura, Coran, and Shiro join in of their own accord. They’re all laughs and hugs and smiles; Lance feels the last of his stress leave his body as he’s surrounded by his friends, his family, and although it’s not exactly like his dream, he thinks the real thing is so much better.
“Wait,” Pidge suddenly says from the middle of the huddle, “so are you and Keith are dating now?” The two paladins in question turn bright red and Lance does his best to shrug.
“I’d like that.”