Two Moons- A Klance AU

Chapter 5

It was hours later when Lance finally woke up, but Keith had not left his side during the entire time he had been asleep. Instead, he sat in a chair, blaming himself for not taking Lance to the infirmary sooner. No matter who came in to check on him, wouldn't budge, only sleeping in twenty-minute intervals when Pidge came to check Lance's vitals.

After much debating, Keith stood up to grab some coffee Shiro had left him, but just as he reached the mug, an alarm sounded, declaring Lance was conscious. Across the room, the healing pod's cover faded away and Lance's eyes opened lazily, a yawn stretching his lips.

The Cuban boy took in his new surroundings with sleep clogged eyes, subconsciously searching for his raven-haired savior. Keith stood half-way between a chair and Lance's healing pod, his hair messily tied back in a loose ponytail.

"Lance?" His voice was ragged from only a single hour of sleep, but his eyes shone with indescribable emotion.

As he walked toward the pod, Lance felt his cheeks deepen into a dark pick as he remembered the dream. Or was it a memory? What had been sharp in his mind only seconds ago now felt muddled and distorted as he desperately grasped at the disappearing details.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked gently, his hand reaching out to feel Lance's temperature as the boy's blush flared.

"Yeah.." Lance trailed off as he turned his face away, his mind trying to unravel the blanket covering his memories. How did he get here? What was the last thing he remembered?, he asked himself, trying desperately to remember. The knife, Lance realized with a start, that's the last the last thing he remembered before... Before what? 

Before the dream where he had kissed Keith, but maybe it wasn't a dream. At the time it had felt more real than anything else that day, could it have been a memory? The idea of kissing Keith made Lance's pulse race and Keith seemed to notice, too.

"Did the healing pod release you too early, your pulse is racing and you look like you have a fever." His voice was clouded with worry.

"No, I probably just need some rest" Lance dodged Keith's words.

"But didn't you just sleep for like sixteen hours?" Keith questioned

"I missed two meals?"

"Yeah, but you can go see Hunk in the kitchen after Pidge clears you. I-" Keith ran his fingers through his hair after he took it out of the ponytail, his fingers catching in knots, " I'm gonna go shower." With his words, Pidge walked in and tapped Keith's arm gently, momentarily reliving him of sentinel duty. Keith walked out the doors, his hair in disarray and his clothes wrinkled, and Lance wondered how long he had been with him while he slept. 

As the automatic doors closed behind Keith, Pidge took advantage of the opportunity in front of them. 

"Keith said you lost most of your memory, so about how far back do you remember?" Pidge questioned while staring at the screens displayed next to the healing pod.

"Ummm..." Lance thought for a moment, wracking his mind for the last things he remembered before Keith found him. " I guess the Galaxy Garrison, but I don't remember graduating."

"But you remember taking courses?" Pidge asked and Lance gave a small nod. "And you remember your classmates?" Another nod. "So you remember me?"

Silence

"Wait..." Lance shook his head in disbelief, "Are you the same Pidge from cadet training? But, you look so... different." It was true, despite the shared name this wasn't the Pidge Gunderson from his memories as a garrison cadet. This Pidge had dark circles under their eyes and millions of freckles along with scratches like his own decorating their skin. This Pidge had an air of confidence around them. This was not the insecure, scrawny cadet he knew in his memories.

"You remember Hunk and Shiro, too, I suppose." Lance nodded again, linking the bridge in his memories.

"But, somehow you forgot Keith." The confusion in Pidge's voice was evident, bordering on sarcasm.

After a long silence, Lance spoke again, "No way! You can't be serious. They're the same Keith? But this Keith is so much more..." He struggled to find the right words, the Keith that had saved him on that planet was like the amplified, cooler version of the grumpy pilot he remembered.

"I need to confirm some things on your vitals, but you should be free to go soon. I suggest taking a shower because despite how fresh you may feel after spending time in the pods, you definitely do not smell fresh."