nightvisions (klance) #wattys2018

Part Four

The two teens continued to walk the halls of the Castle of Lions. Surrounded by the low hum of the machinery around them as they approached the residential corridor. It had been a long night and they both needed some sleep. A low flow of conversation was all that kept Keith awake. His head was foggy from everything; the stress, the lack of sleep, luckily Lance had noticed.

“you tired Keith?” Keith only nodded, to exhausted from the past week of events. His head was heavy, and his shoulders slumped. He leaned against Lance as they walked causing a light blush to flush over the taller teens face. This is one thing Lance never thought would happen in his life time, especially after the last time they were this close. Luckily for Lance (and his heart) they were approaching Keith’s room in the residential hall and Keith was getting heavier by the minute.
Keith's room was just as he remembered it. Desolate and undecorated compared unlike his filled with video game equipment and pidges, who is a full-blown hoarder. But the bed was always made, the room always cleaned and the few belongings he left behind, like his jacket with hung by the door, neatly placed back where they belong. If Keith were even semi-conscious he would probably remark on how clean the place was; he was almost asleep now. After helping him take off his Mamora armour, it took Lance heaving Keith off his shoulders to get him onto the cot. After fully detangling himself from Keith s arms, Lance made his way to leave and give Keith some peace until something grabbed his forearm with a low mumble following it,

“stay… please?” that small phrase caused Lance’s body to freeze. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” His heart skipped a beat, then began pumping wildly in his chest. Lances brain flashed back to a soft smile. A warm embrace as calm purple light deepened dark violet eyes that seemed so cool normal were heart melting at that small specific moment. after shaking his head lightly lance broke for his flustered trance. It made sense really, after everything that happened he didn’t blame Keith for not wanting to sleep alone. It still took him a moment to process what happened,

“okay man, move over a little then.” Keith rolled over closer t the wall facing lance on his side, wrapped up in the blanket lance let out a loud sigh. He wasn’t just going to rip the blanket from him, that would just be plain rude. But if lance were going to spend the night he would need a little more that his jacket to keep him warm. And that began with finding a blanket.

“hey, Keith?” to which lance got a strangled groan in response, “got any spare blankets?” Keith opened one eye to see lance standing over him, it had been so long since he was here it took him a moment of racking his brain to remember where the spares were.

“closet, bottom draw.” Lance walker over to the wall on the other side of the room where the panel that opened the closet door was. Tapping the little holo screen the door opened with small ‘psshh’ sound lance crouched down and opened the draw to see it filled with blankets. Did Keith hoard these things? There were enough to make a blanket fort the size of the room!

“thanks.” He shuffled around the draw, kicking off his leg guards as he searched. There were all kinds of blankets, he felt like goldilocks. Lance settled on a soft woolly blanket. The kind that are soft and fluffy against your skin. It reminded him of a blanket his mother had sent him in a care package when he first started at the garrison. Lance took off his jacket, losing its familiar warmth and hanging it up next to Keith’s jacket, wrapped himself up and lay down next to Keith. Trying not to stare at him while lying there, he looked everywhere else but his calm sleeping face. The room was quite now, both of them lay there adjacent to each other on the cot. Lance had just now realised that he would be going to sleep in the under suit of his armour, it was too late to change now. At least he wasn’t alone as Keith was in his blade outfit to. It was washing day tomorrow anyway. Lance let his eyes droop hoping his power nap earlier hadn’t wrecked his sleep schedule. Enjoying the silence, only the slow breathing of himself and Keith… until Keith spoke that is.

“so why were you actually up all by yourself?” Keith’s eyes were still closed but lance knew by the lightly quirked eyebrow that he had in fact just asked lance that question. That it hadn’t been a figment of his Imagination and the fact that Keith dragged out the ‘actually’ proved the point that Keith had seen right through him earlier as well.

“long story… just get some sleep.” Lance replied, maybe avoiding the question would help it go away? He made sure to keep his voice quiet though to make sure that he didn’t disturb Keith anymore that he already had,

“I’m interested now.” Which meant that there was no stopping him from getting answers. Which in turn was just great for lance, (note the sarcasm)

“uh, okay,” lance braced himself. He would tell kith the truth this time, “I was calling my mother.” He silently awaited Keith reply, unsure of how he would react.

“oh.” It wasn’t what he was expecting. The last time anyone mentioned contacting or finding family he had blown up in pidges face.

“she doesn’t reply…” lance quickly mention. “I don’t even know if she’s getting the messages anyway.” It stung a little to say it out loud. Keith seemed to sense lances heartache and tried to lighten the mood,

“that would be a pretty big phone bill.” Lance let out a light laugh. Eyes and nose scrunching lightly. At the sound Keith cracked open one eye to see lances features form a genuine smile, the kind that warm your heart (which lances always did). A small smile spread across Keith’s own face as he closed his eyes trying to bury his blue in the blanket. He hadn’t heard that sound in a while. The pair shuffled closer together but stayed within their respective cocoons.

“Just get some sleep mullet.” Were the last words in the air as they finally found some sleep.