Lance's POV
I woke up in Keith's bed and looked around for him. I got up to look for him and saw Pidge opening her door. She looked at me, then behind me, and nodded her head to signal me to follow her. She led me to a beautiful garden about a mile from the castle. There, I saw some deer curled up next to something covered in flowers. I walked over to the deer and looked at what they were curled next to. It was Keith, curled in a ball, sleeping peacefully. I smiled softly down at him and carefully maneuvered around the deer to get to Keith. One of them looked up at me sleepily and stood up, allowing me better access. I gently picked Keith up from his spot and walked back to the castle with Pidge.
"Does he do this often?" I whispered to her. She nodded her head. "Yeah. Only when he's under a lot of stress though. One time, Shiro found him out here in the middle of winter." She whispered back. We arrived back at the castle and walked to Keith's room. "Just put him on his bed. I'll tell Shiro." She said as we got to his room. I nodded and set him on his bed. I went to walk out of the room when he grabbed my hand. I looked back at him and he looked up at me, his eyes still half closed.
"Stay?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. I sat down on his bed next to him. He went back to sleep quickly and I brushed some of his hair out of his face.
Keith finally woke up about three hours later and looked up at me. "Hi." I said when I noticed him looking at me. "Hi..." He trailed off. He sat up slowly and I stood up so he could get up. "Come on, it's around noon, so I know you're probably hungry." I said. "Speak for yourself." He said when my stomach growled loudly. I chuckled and walked to the door, opening it for him and following him out.
"Look who's finally awake!" Pidge said, walking up to Keith when we entered the living room. "Yeah yeah, leave me alone." Keith replied, clearly still tired. He yawned and rubbed his eye as he sat down in the large chair in the corner. He curled up in it like a cat and went back to sleep. I shook my head, smiling fondly at him and sat down on the couch. "You really do love him, huh?" Shiro says from behind me. I jumped about two feet in the air and turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" I asked. "My brother. Nobody has ever really been there for him other than me, Pidge and my dad. But then you come in, on his fifth birthday, and your all he can talk about. Then, you come back, and you give him this look. It's as if, if he disappeared, you would be the most devastated out of any of us." Shiro looked at Keith and smiled. "Don't worry. That's a good thing." Shiro says. "He deserves someone like that. Someone who will care about him no matter what he does." He looked at me and sighed. "I don't believe that I won't be around long enough to see him learn and grow up, but if I'm not there, or if I can't protect him. I want you to. I want you to protect my little brother with every inch of your life. Can you do that for me?" Shiro asked. "Shiro, you make it sound like you're going to die in the next few days." I half joked.
He looked at me with a sad face. "Wait. You're not gonna die in the next few days, are you?" I asked, worriedly. Shiro looked away from me and towards Keith. "No." I sighed in relief. "But you never know what's going to happen. I hope to watch my baby brother grow up, but that may not happen." "Shiro, don't say that. You'll see him grow into an adult and you'll watch him become the best person he can be for his people." I said confidently. Shiro smiled. "Lance, life isn't like that. It's unpredictable. But you have to promise me, that if something happens to me, you'll take care of Keith. No matter what, do not let him fall." I looked at him in surprise. It's like he knows something is going to happen to him soon. "Shiro-" "Lance, promise me you'll keep him safe and happy." Shiro said, his voice wavering. I nodded. "Okay, Shiro. I promise. I swear to, if something happens to you, he will be protected. No matter what."
"Thank you, Lance." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, clearly trying to keep from crying. "I have a meeting to attend. I'll see you later." I nodded and he walked out of the room.
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Hey guys! So, bad news, we lost the apartment a few days ago because my father is being an asshole and not paying child support this month, but, not all hope is lost! We're going to be staying with my grandparents for just a few more months until my mom can save enough for an apartment, but that's okay. I found a way to post at least once or thrice a week. I'll just write at night, since my laptop is going to be a school issued one 🙄, which is fine, it just means I cant post during school anymore. Also, I have a job interview in like two weeks, so fingers crossed I get the job and can pay for my own stuff.
Also! I already have a plan for the next chapter, but comment how you think the next chapter will go, and I just might incorporate you're idea into the chapter!
Anyways, bye for now! Love you guys and thank you so much for the support I get on this story or any other story! If you're interested, go check out any of the other ones I've written. BYEEEEEE!!!!