A @sheithlentines fic for Palta - @cosmicalduck !! Featuring a lot of cuddles, midnight strolls, naps, and such things!
Sorry, it doesn’t have a name, honestly. XD I couldn’t think of one. Let me know if you do!
Waking up on the sofa with a blanket haphazardly thrown over them wasn’t exactly how Keith had planned to begin his day. He also hadn’t planned to begin his day before 3am, but here he was, wide awake at little past 2:35am, scowling at the clock as he stirred grumpily. He also hadn’t planned on waking the man whose arms were locked around him, much less feel lips against the scar on his shoulder that crept up his neck. A shudder flashed down his spine and he chuckled lowly, leaning into the gentle touches as Shiro’s hand lightly dipped under the hem of his shirt, dancing against his skin tenderly.
“You do realise it’s only half past two, right?”
“Yes.”
With anyone else, perhaps he would have been concerned with how clipped his response had been, but Shiro took it in stride, chuckling and shaking his head. Keith was glad to have him for exactly that reason. Shiro was a calming presence to have around, able to bring him back to the present at every time.
“Let’s go for a walk?”
It’s was phrased as a question, the statement easily disguised by the hedging tone as he looked at his partner, smiling as he met his gaze evenly.
“Now?”
“I haven’t seen Earth at night since…”
“Since we left… I get it… I missed it too… Maybe less than you though? Let’s go. Grab your coat.”
Brushing a kiss briefly over the bridge of Shiro’s nose, he smiled against the scar gently before climbing off of the sofa, stretching.
“I can feel your eyes.”
“Then you know I’m admiring the most beautiful creation, and defender, of the universe.”
Without missing a beat, Keith spun on his heel and grabbed a pillow, whacking Shiro with it. His laugh echoed off the walls of the room and he shook his head at him. Terrible. He’d never get used to that. Shiro was terrible.
The night was cold. Of course it was, February wasn’t known for its warmth. It was a shame really, because it was - in Keith’s opinion - one of the nicer months. He sighed and looked around as they entered the wooded area, eyes closing as a sharp breeze pulsed against his skin at the same moment that strong arms locked around him, pulling his back against a firm chest as a head came to rest atop his own.
“Wonderful, isn’t it? It makes you feel alive.”
“Makes you forget your responsibilities, you mean.”
“Even better.”
A soft sigh and a jerky nod came following the words as the man behind him squeezed him gently.
“Do you lose time too, Shiro? Do you suddenly come to terms with the fact that the date is not what you think it is, that you’re not going to wake up in a sudden near-death experience to realise it’s not just a dream.”
“Do you want it to be a dream?”
“Sometimes… Sometimes when I don’t know what I’m doing with myself, I think it’d be nice to wake up in a simpler time… Where the sky is blue and grass is green and things look like they did growing up. Then I remember, I’ll never be the same… Even if I do get to go back. Where do I belong, Shiro?”
“I like to think the answer to that question is with me…”
Keith smiled and leant back against the man slightly, a hand gently moving to squeeze one of those locked around his stomach. He definitely lost time, but Shiro brought him back to the present with gentle touches and soft declarations of emotion that Keith found hard to reciprocate. And yet, Shiro was understanding. He didn’t push to hear words back or fight to explore declarations that would mean nothing because of the nature of them being said. Sure, Keith sometimes wished to wake up. But this was one part he never wanted to wake up from.
Keith’s eyes flickered to Shiro for what seemed like the hundredth time, watching the subtle rise and fall of his chest under the blanket they’d brought along on their walk. Losing track of time wasn’t something he liked. It was terribly disquieting and Keith never really knew how to react to it, and yet, he truly didn’t know when they’d ended up lying under a large tree, Shiro dozing as he leant against it. Shiro could sleep anywhere and it would forever be something Keith failed to understand.
Impulsively, he moved, laying a hand in Shiro’s hair with a small smile, carding his fingers through the soft locks as he watched the napping man, chuckling quietly as he leant back against the tree. A soft sigh slipped through his lips as he closed his eyes. He wouldn’t sleep, he rarely did, but he could try to relax with the cold air against his face and Shiro’s soft breathing not too far from his ear.
The moment Shiro moved, Keith was opening his eyes to look at him, meeting his gaze with a small smirk.
“I was just about to see if a kiss would wake you,” he told him, tone teasing as he ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair gently.
“In that case, I’ll go back to sleep,” he replied with a small smirk.
As Shiro shut his eyes with a self-satisfied smirk, Keith swatted his arm gently, laughing quietly and shaking his head at the man with a small sigh. Even now, he could hardly believe his luck. Of course, he’d known Shiro for a long time. But he never would have imagined that he’d get to sit here with him like this in the early hours of the morning. Maybe that’s why he gave in to the man beside him, dropping his head to brush a light kiss against his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back, cheeks flaring pink as he looked away, shrugging dismissively as Shiro smirked up at him.
“I’m awake.”
Keith laughed quietly, tilting his head at his partner and arching a brow at him. Shiro grinned and pushed himself upright carefully, sliding a hand onto Keith’s neck gently, thumb grazing his jaw as his fingers curled around the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss carefully. This one lasted a bit longer, and Keith’s hands slowly came to rest on Shiro’s shoulders.
Later found them returning to the castle, Keith absently swinging their clasped hands. They bypassed the sofa this time, returning straight to Shiro’s room to collapse into bed. And that was how they’d be found in the morning, curled up in each other and sleeping peacefully without any concern for the rest of the world. There was no need to be concerned with the rest when they were together… It sounded like the best situation to be in.
