Summary: The plan to catch who captured Keith is put into effect. Lance dreams of something daunting. (I did add a POV for a random side character for some effect)
Word Count: 2,689
Trigger Warning:
- Murder
- Reliving Injuries
(Happens in a Dream)
Lance’s POV
He stared up at the dark ceiling. His mind raced a mile a minute. The necklace sat around his neck. Heavy. Energy radiated through the room.
Lance,
This is a protection necklace. Each Knight has their own. Please wear it at all times. It is connected to you through your blood.
Best,
Honerva
A protection necklace? Why would he need that? Wasn’t the armor enough? His sword? Why did she make this? And why would she need his blood for that? He tried to silence his thoughts, pressing a soft kiss to Keith’s head. The Prince remained unmoving on his chest. His breathing is slow and even.
He wanted to sleep himself, just pass the time till he could talk to Keith again.
He wasn’t even sure why he was this worked up about it. She was acting a bit weird around him and the questioning was…intense. Plus, whenever new equipment was being introduced Coran was the first to tell them. He didn’t mention a protection necklace.
Keith stirred slightly. His face scrunching up in uneasiness.
Lance frowned down at him, this was new behavior. He shook ever so slightly, his breathing becoming a bit heavy. “Keith?” He whispered, running his hand through his hair.
Keith squeezed his eyes tighter, his body moving a bit more.
Lance held on to him tighter, “Keith?!”
His eyes snapped open, pushing himself upward in a frenzy.
“Easy,” Lance moved with him, holding his wrist gently. “Just breathe, you’re awake.”
The Galran looked at him, his eyes filled with anxiety. “You’re here.” He said in a breathy tone. His eyes scanned him up and down.
“Yeah…I’m here.”
Keith dropped his head, looking at Lance’s hands. “Sorry.”
“Why are you saying sorry?” He did his best to keep his voice light. His body safe.
“I just…I thought you were dead. Kinda freaked out.”
A pang of guilt vibrated through Lance. “I’m not dead. I’m here…with you.”
Keith nodded, his eyes still cast down.
“Hey…can you look at me?”
He slowly lifted his head, meeting his eyes.
Lance sent him a soft smile, lifting the other boy's right wrist. Placing his hand over his heart. “Feel that? I’m alive.”
Keith stared at his hand. Seeming to only watch the way Lance’s chest rose and fell with each breath.
Lance squeezed his wrist slightly, “I’m still here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay.” He didn’t seem convinced.
“Come here,” he gently pulled the other boy toward him. Coxing him to lie down again. Pressing Keith’s head against his chest. “Just listen.”
Keith made a small grunt of acknowledgment, letting his body go lax on Lance. He wrapped his arms around the Prince, holding him tightly. Silently vowing to never hurt him like that again.
---
“Thirty-seven.”
“Hm?” Krolia asked, turning her attention to the soldier.
“He’s switching between two styles of fighting. It’s subtle but,” Lance squinted his eyes at the Galran. He needed to get closer to be sure. The balcony was a bit high up for up-close details.
“Would you like to test him?” Kolivan asked.
Lance nodded, “may I?”
“Just don’t kill him,” Krolia said with a sigh.
Lance felt a small smirk on his face. “I won’t. You actually set the boundary.” He quickly made his way down toward the soldiers. He headed toward thirty-seven. What was his name? Garrick.
He stopped in front of the soldier, keeping his posture relaxed. His core opened. “Thirty-seven.”
The soldier stopped, looking at the knight with uncertainty. “Sir?”
“I want you to fight me.”
The soldier raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Uh…why?”
Lance smiled, he didn’t blame his reservation. Everyone was told they were doing a “training” check. To make sure everyone was “up to par.” And if he was a traitor to the Galran empire. He was most likely trying to figure out why he was singled out. What gave him away? “I want to see something, that’s all.”
The soldier shook his head, probably thinking he was some sadistic bastard. “I’m not going to fight you.”
Lance nodded, turning his back. He didn’t even make it a step before he yanked his sword out, rotating to swing it at the soldier.
Garrick fumbled a bit but managed to raise his blade just in time to collide with Lance’s.
Lance could feel everyone’s eyes on them. He didn’t mind the added pressure. The sooner he cracked Garrick, the sooner he would know if he had the right person. He pulled back and swung again, not aiming for anything vital.
Garrick stepped back, his left foot sliding some as he braced himself for the next swing. Lance stepped forward, pushing his opponent back more. He quickly stepped off to the side, letting the purple blade stab the air besides him.
So far everything was good. He hasn't used any styles from Zarkon’s training. Lance had studied a pamphlet over breakfast, he had them memorized. I need to push him more. He ducked under another swing, kicking his leg toward Garrick. Sending him to the ground.
Garrick growled, baring his teeth some as he scrambled back up. His feet wide apart, both hands holding his blade. His body trying to be as big as possible. More of a scare tactic than a good defensive strategy.
Lance smiled to himself, bingo.
Garrick lunged at him and Lance put his sword back in its holder. Grabbing the hands that held the blade with his left hand. Pushing them to the left as his right foot kicked his legs to the right. Sending him on the ground with a hard thump.
Lance immediately pressed his knee on his back, between his shoulder blades. Holding Garrick's own blade against his neck. He leaned down, whispering in his ear. “You made that too easy for me, Garrick.”
The Galran bared his teeth, pushing up against the knight.
Two guards ran toward them, “we can take it from here Knight McClain!”
Lance moved some so they could handcuff him before he stood all the way up. Pulling the neckline of his undersuit down a bit. Was it always this hot outside?
---
“Ugh!” Shiro pressed his head against the table. “He won’t crack.”
Lance’s jaw was tight as he looked through the double-sided glass. He hadn’t been given clearance to do any actual interrogation. Just watching others. So he found himself pacing the glass. Almost as if he was stalking his prey.
He didn’t blame the Emperor for not giving him clearance. He didn’t completely understand the Galran laws and he might petrify the poor boy. While he may be a traitor to the Galran Empire he was still a kid. Someone who was dragged in when he was too young to understand or form his own thoughts.
“Are we sure he’s even a traitor?” Keith asked, clearly annoyed this was taking so long.
Lance gave a stiff nod, “yes. But these techniques aren’t working. He might have been given training on Galran interrogation techniques.”
Shiro lifted his head off the table, “what are you implying?”
“I’m not saying your interrogation tactics are bad but he might just be numb to them.” Lance moved to the table. “Do you have a list of the Galran’s that were captured earlier?”
Shiro activated the hologram, pulling up the list of prisoners. Lance scrolled through the list, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. But he would know it when he saw it. “Prince, when you were captured did you see anyone? Or hear any defining features?”
Keith shifted forward, his eyes scanning the list. “No. I couldn’t move my head to see anything. But someone did interrupt Sendek. And they said ‘Vrepit sa.”
“What Zarkon used to say?” Shiro asked.
Keith nodded.
Lance smiled and closed down the list. He would have kissed Keith if they were alone. “I need to speak to the Emperor, I have a plan, it just might not be conventional.”
---
Garrick’s POV
Key jingled slightly as footsteps approached his cell. He chewed on his inner cheek. He hadn’t said anything during his interrogation. He denied everything, but how was that knight able to see through him? What gave him away?
The footsteps stopped in front of his cell, and an unfamiliar Galran Guard faced him. “Come here.” His voice was low, grave. Not a voice he recognized.
He stared at the guard, making no attempt to move closer. He didn’t know him and he didn’t feel like being questioned anymore.
The guard glanced down the hallway. Before whispering two words. “Vrepit sa.”
“Vrepit sa,” Garrick moved closer as quietly as he could. “Who are you?”
The guard unhooked the keys from his belt loop. “Someone who is following orders from higher up.” He unlocked the door. “They’re pulling the mission back. Gather everyone in the castle and meet me in the courtyard in ten minutes.” He opened the door, ushering Garrick out.
His stomach sank, that wasn’t the way to do things. Sure he didn’t get orders from the higher-ups but he knew they were supposed to die before they left the mission. Anxiety grew in his chest. “Why?”
The guard looked at him, the upper part of his face covered by a helmet. “Sendek is dead. New people are taking over. I can get you out tonight or you can face trial and be sentenced to death. You pick.”
Garrick looked down the hallway, completely empty. “Sorry, I just have a weird feeling in my gut.”
The guard gave a small nod, “these are just our orders. Ten minutes. Vrepit sa.” He closed his cell and moved down the hallway in the opposite direction he came.
Garrick swallowed and ran the other way. The universe is smiling at him by making every hallway empty. Free of other guards. He quickly gathered the eight other members. Telling them he would explain everything once they were out of the castle walls.
They made their way to the courtyard, with only a couple of minutes to spare.
“Where is he?” Someone asked.
Garrick shrugged, “give him a second.”
As if on cue the guard stepped forward, a smile on his face. “Vrepit sa.”
“Vrepit sa,” they all whispered.
“Is this everyone?” The nameless guard asked.
“Yes,” Garrick replied. “I was the only one in the batch tested today. They were all scheduled for later this week.”
The guard’s smile widened, “come here, Garrick. I have to tell you something.”
Garrick obliged, pushing down the desire to run away.
The guard leaned forward, whispering in his ear. “Just some life advice. Next time your gut is telling you something is wrong. Listen to it.”
He heard a gasp before he realized what was happening. They were completely surrounded by soldiers loyal to Kolivan. And the nameless guard wasn’t Galran. He was the Altean Knight. They were quickly surrounded, begging forced on their stomachs as cuffs were placed on them.
Garrick stared at the knight, “Alteans aren’t supposed to play dirty!”
The knight tilted his head some, stepping forward slightly. Kneeling in front of him. “You’re right. But you touched my prince. I don’t play nicely when you do that.”
He was lifted off the ground, the guard's hands tight around his upper arms. He didn’t even have the energy to scream or fight back. He fell right into their trap.
---
Lance’s POV
His footsteps echoed off the metal walls as he walked. He had no idea where he was. He hadn't been in this part of the castle before.
He was alone. No voices. The only sound was his footsteps echoing through the air. He was heading toward the end of a hallway. A bright light filled the exit. He was maybe sixty feet away when he heard something. A giggle?
His body stopped, his feet glued to the floor.
Laughter. A woman talking. Sounds he hadn’t heard in years.
He bolted forward. Did the hallway get longer? He shook his head and pushed his legs more. The exit slowly getting closer, and closer and-
Screams filled the room, begging and pleading. He couldn’t make out what they were saying but they sounded scared. In pain. Not again, not again! He needed to help them. He wasn’t the same helpless kid he was fourteen years ago.
He finally reached the exit, his eyes adjusting to the bright light. His vision filled with red. His nose was immediately attacked with a rusty smell. His family lay in a motionless heap on the ground. Keith stood over them, his sword in his hands. The silver and blue decorated with blood.
Keith turned some, looking at him over his shoulder. “Hey, Lance.”
His knees shook, his chest trying to pull as much air in as he could. “What did you do?!” He didn’t recognize his own voice. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the Alteans on the ground.
Keith turned to properly face him. He looked like Keith but something was off about him, In a different circumstance he would have been able to identify it. But not right now.
“You seem mad at me.” The Prince took a couple of steps toward him. The tip of the sword dragged on the ground. “I don’t know why you would be. You’re the one that said I didn’t kill them.”
He snapped his eyes toward the Prince, opening his mouth to try and reply but instead a familiar pain blossomed in his abdomen. His own sword plunged into his gut. He gasped, trying to swallow the red liquid that moved up his throat.
He begged his arms to move, to shove the other boy away. To escape. Run away. Deal with the guilt that he couldn’t save them. Not then and not now.
Keith placed his free hand on Lance’s cheek. His thumb smeared the blood that trickled out of the corner of his mouth. “You’re pathetic. And you and I both know you’re not worthy of your title. But there is one thing you need to know.”
He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Lance’s cheek. An intimate gesture clashing with what was happening. His lips were right by his ears, his breathing light. “This is all in your head.”
His body shot upward, his hands grabbing at his stomach as his lungs ached for air. A hand was touching him. Grabbing his shoulder as another voice filled the room. “Lance! Take a deep breath, you’re okay.”
He reached for the hand, shoving it off his body as he tried to get off the bed. Everything was ringing. His body felt tense, almost as if electricity was moving across his skin. No matter how many breaths he took, his vision was spotted. His heart pounded in his ears. His mind is trying to grasp what just happened.
His knees hit the floor, and he found himself scratching at his shirt. Peeling it off his sweat-soaked skin. Why was everything so hot?
He stumbled toward the balcony, the cold air immediately wrapping around him. He slumped on the railing, his fingers white due to his grasp. Every so slowly his breath began to calm. The buzz feeling slowly dimmed out of existence. Leaving a faint ring sound.
His body shivered some and he found himself sitting. Hugging his knees as he pushed his face into them. Trying to stop his mind from cycling over the dream. "You’re okay. He didn’t kill them. You’re okay.” He mumbled over and over in Altean.
A ghost touch brushed his arm, a soft voice calling his name. “Lance…?”
He flinched, despite knowing the source.
The touch disappeared, a body sitting next to him. “I can leave if you want but…I wanted to check on you.”
Lance let himself fall to the side, his head resting on Keith’s shoulder. The Prince rested his own head against Lance’s. Sitting in silence for a bit. “Bad dream?” He asked.
“Yeah.” His voice was breathy and he squeezed his eyes shut. Trying to get the image of his family out of his head.
“Did you want to talk about it?”
He shook his head no. He couldn’t ever tell Keith about that.
Can I rec my own fic, 'heavy is the head that wears the crown'? It's a prince/knight au and I know someone earlier was looking for some so I'd thought I'd share it here. I love this blog so much; thank you for keeping it active!
omg hey!! yes of course this looks great ill have to read it after i post this. im a big fan of ur work btw youre such a talented writer! <3 - karri
heavy is the head that wears the crown by ShatterinSeconds (1/2 | 12,962 | Teen And Up)
Carding back his soaked hair to see better, Lance refuses to let their previous conversation die and pokes Keith in the chest. “If I can’t come to your funeral, I’m at least in your will, right? I need something to compensate for your stupidity.”
“Yeah, upon my death, my kingdom is bequeathed to you,” Keith replies, almost too seriously for Lance’s taste.
“I know you’re joking.”
“Am I?” Keith raises an eyebrow, beginning to wade towards the shore.
“Come on, Keith.”
“Well I’m not planning on dying young so you’ll never find out anyways.”
The 26th day of JuLance is historical Lance! AU’s give authors and artists lots of freedom to play around with situations and contexts and historical!Lance shows this. Below I’ve featured art and fics that have Lance in a different time (Yet he always ends up with the same special someone ;) )
Camellia’s Patina by kuromori & sumire (A steampunk AU set in industrialising Japan- Lance is in the army stationed in Japan and meets a captivating geisha who bears resemblance to a certain boy he knows... ((there’s so much more plot that I can’t mention here))
don’t want you to get away by ilgaksu (A 19th century au- Lance goes to a circus on a date, he doesn’t expect to runaway with it)
kick at the darkness by ilgaksu (Another by them bc they own this- A 1960′s dancing au based off of Dirty Dancing, enough said.)
Summary: The scream is investigated. Lance goes into protection mode and Keith is gay
Word Count: 2832
Keith’s POV
The scream echoed around them. The world was silent for half a second before people reacted. Lance had moved in front of him and the door. The other knights followed suit in regard to their own people.
Coran had yanked out his own sword, taking a couple of steps away from the king. His eyes fixated on the door. There was another scream. The same pitch but a cry for help this time.
Every Altean in the room froze. “Allura…Coran!” King Alfor yelled out.
Coran nodded and ran forward reaching out with one hand to open the doors. He yanked the door open, immediately coming face to face with the princess.
“Coran! Please help me-she’s not waking up!” Allura fell to the ground, her knight in her arms.
Coran kneeled with her, his fingers immediately finding a place on the lower part of her neck. After a couple of moments of quiet, except for Allura’s sobs; he released a small breath. “She’s alive.”
“Allura! What happened?!” The queen rushed forward, Adam following her, his hand on his sword. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, stroking her hair slightly.
Allura tried to wipe her eyes, keeping one of her hands wrapped around her knights. “I’m not sure,” she tried to take a breath but it was caught in her throat. “We- there was someone. It happened so fast- she just shoved me down and then,” she sobbed louder.
“Princess, are you saying someone was in the castle?” Coran urgently asked.
Allura nodded.
Coran stood, “Adam. Lance. Take everyone to the safe room.” He turned to the other guards, “come with me. We’re checking the castle.”
“Sir!” The guards said in unison.
Coran turned toward King Alfor who nodded at him. His eyes shifted to his knights, “take care of your sister. I’ll come find you when we have this figured out.”
“Sir!” Adam and Lance said in unison.
Coran ran out of the room, immediately shouting orders at the guards. Keith was ushered out of his chair by Lance. “Everyone, follow Adam!” He moved by the princess, “let me carry her.”
Allura nodded, letting Adam help her stand as Lance grabbed Romelle bridal style. The girl was still unmoving, unnaturally still in his arms.
They moved quickly down the hallway. Adam took the lead followed by The king and queen, who both were helping their daughter walk. Hunk and Shay were in the middle. Kolivan and Krolia walked behind them, their eyes scanning the empty hallways.
Keith stayed in front of Lance, his hand on his blade. “Is she okay?” He mumbled back to his knight.
“...I don’t know.”
Keith frowned, he hadn’t heard him sound so defeated before. They were quickly led down some stairs and to giant metal doors. Adam allowed a small device to scan his marks before the doors groaned open. “Everyone in!”
It was a small room, with doors leading to other rooms. Lance set Romelle on one of the couches, Allura and Shay rushing over as soon as he stepped away.
“I’ll take care of her Lance,” Shay touched his shoulder gently before she kneeled down.
Lance moved toward the door, a hand on his forearm stopping him. “Let. Me. Go.”
Adam shook his head, “you’re staying here.”
Lance glared at him, “I’m not going to stand here while someone is in the castle-”
“You’re staying here. Guard your prince.”
“Guard our queen,” Lance spat back.
“Enough you two!” The queen marched towards them, “Adam will be going. Lance, you're needed here.” She touched his shoulder and mumbled something to him. Keith had no idea what was said but Lance looked at him; his eyes softening some before nodding.
He looked toward Adam, “be safe.”
Adam nodded, mumbling something to Lance. He quickly sent a wink at the others in the room. “I’ll be back.” And he disappeared behind the doors.
Pacing.
He would not stop pacing.
Keith himself borderline dizzy as his eyes followed his knight. For the past hour, he had been walking back and forth. His eyes fixated on the closed doors. His hand gripping the handle of his sword.
The adults moved to another room to talk. Leaving Allura, Shiro, Hunk, Shay, and Keith in the main room. Shay was still attending the fallen knight. Hunk and Shiro had begun to flip through the books on the bookshelves. Quietly talking back and forth about whatever. Allura had stopped crying, taking favor of staring at the floor with an unfocused expression.
Keith sat on the couch opposite where the girls were. Watching Lance. He looked tensed but focused. Despite everything that was going on, he felt safe. Lance wouldn’t let anyone hurt them or him.
“Lance, come here,” Shay asked politely, causing the knight to stop his movements. He looked at her for a couple of moments before she waved him over.
“Yes, doctor?” He kneeled next to her, moving his hands to squeeze Romelle’s.
Oh, Shay was a doctor. That’s handy. Keith stared at them.
“I can’t know for sure but I have a strong feeling Romelle is under either a sleeping or a paralyzing drug.”
“What makes you say that?” Lance questioned.
Shay pointed towards Romelle's chest, where her heart was located. “There's a hole in her shirt. Something punctured her. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a small incision.” Shay frowned. “Why wasn’t she in her armor?”
Allura stiffened some, her eyes drilling a hole into the floor. “I…we.” She sighed, “We were distracted and she had yet to put her armor on.”
Keith stared at the princess, her marks flowing slightly. His mind quickly auto-filled with what she was implying and he found his gaze on the floor again. At least he didn’t have to worry about Allura liking him.
Shay and Lance weren't fazed by the confession, moving to the next question. “Can you help her?” He begged.
Shay nodded, “yes, but I don’t have any of my medicine or herbs. Once we get out of here I can easily treat her.”
Lance rested his head on his and Romelle's hand. “Thank you.”
The door clicked open and Lance immediately stood, yanking out his sword and holding up a pistol? Keith rubbed his eyes, what was he looking at?
Adam entered, holding his hands up.
Lance cocked the gun, “show me.”
Adam nodded, closing his eyes briefly as his marks flashed a bright orange.
Lance released a breath, letting his gun spin around his pointer finger as he shoved it back into its holder. Changing back into a sword as it made contact with the holder. “What did you find?”
Adam frowned, moving to sit on the opposite of the couch from Keith. “Nothing.” He rested his elbows on his knees, intertwining his fingers and resting his chin on them. “We found nothing.”
Lance moved to stand in front of him. “You found nothing?! You’ve been gone almost two hours and-”
“We found nothing. I don’t know what you want me to say.” Adam looked up at his colleague. “Coran is doing another sweep of the castle. But whoever did this got and got out just as fast. They were probably aiming for Allura and didn’t expect Romelle to get in the way.”
Lance scoffed, “do they not know we will die for our person?”
Keith felt his stomach twist. He knew that. He had asked Lance that. But now? Hearing that burned. He didn’t want to lose Lance. He would never forgive himself if Lance died protecting him.
“Obviously not,” Adam took a deep breath before standing. “Where is the queen?”
Lance nodded towards the room they had gone in. Adam made his way towards it, knocking before he entered. Lance sat where Adam was, his eyes on his fellow knight. Hunk had moved over and began talking to his fiancé.
“Hunk helped me find some really interesting books,” Shiro sat down between the knight and the prince.
Keith glanced at the stack he held on his lap. “Altean?”
Shiro shook his head. “All but one are in common.”
“And the one?” Keith lifted his eyebrow in curiosity.
Shiro smiled, “Galran.”
---
Five hours later Keith was back on his ship heading home. Lance sat next to him, his eyes closed, but clearly not sleeping.
Shiro sat across from them, reading the books the king let him borrow. His parents sat to the side of him, mumbling back and forth about the situation.
Keith glanced back at Lance, wondering what he was thinking. How did he feel about the new development he was just ordered in?
After Coran had returned from his final sweep they all left the bunker. The parents kept talking, Coran and Adam joining them while the other ends up in the med bay. Romelle was quickly treated and groggily woke up after an hour.
Lance was about to take Shiro and Keith to their rooms when King Alfor and Empire Kolivan arrived. “Knight McClain. Prince. Come with us please,” the king said.
After they reached the throne room the king gave Lance his new orders. Orders he had no say in. “Given this person or persons left without any evidence and was after my daughter. We don’t know if this is an isolated event or if this person could go for other young royals. Due to this,” he cleared his throat.
“You are not to leave the prince's side. I have discussed this with the emperor and empress and they agree this is not only the best course but the safest until whoever did this is identified and caught.”
Lance opened his mouth, “your majesty, forgive me but when you say all the time do you mean like…all the time?”
The king nodded, “yes. You will be with him at all times. You may have some privacy regarding the restroom since it was explained to me those rooms have no vents or secondary entrances. But you will need to share a room with him. Protect him with your life.”
Lance’s jaw tightened, his hands tightening slightly at his sides. “Understood.”
He hadn’t said anything since that. But, so far he was keeping true to his new orders. He had stayed only a step or so away from him the entire time.
“How are you feeling?” His mother kneeled in front of him, a worried look in her eyes. She glanced at Lance, her face changing into an unreadable expression.
Keith shrugged, keeping his voice low. Though, knowing Lance, he was listening to everything they were saying no matter how quiet. “Fine.”
His mom gave him a tense smile, “if you need to talk, your father, Shiro, and I are here for you.” She glanced at Lance again, “and your knight I presume.”
Keith nodded.
She touched his knee in a reassuring manner and headed back to her seat. Keith leaned his head back, letting his eyes slip close. Focusing on the faintness of Lance’s warmth.
---
“Are you okay?” Keith hesitantly asked as he exited his bathroom.
Lance glanced at him, before turning back to look out the window. “I’m okay. Are you okay?” His voice was monotone.
Keith ignored the pain that blossomed in his chest and made his way to his bed. Sitting on the end of it. “I’m fine…um…where are you going to sleep?” Keith looked around his room. He only had one bed.
Lance nodded his head to a chair that Keith had against the wall. Located right next to the door.
Keith raised his eyebrow at the door, looking back at Lance. “That doesn’t seem comfortable.”
Lance shrugged, “Alteans don’t need a lot of sleep. Your once-a-day sleep cycle is my every three-day sleep cycle. Plus, Alteans can go into a ‘middle’ sleep state. So I won’t need to sleep that much while I protect you.”
“Is that what you were doing on the flight home?” Keith asked.
Lance nodded, “yeah. I’m still aware of everything but it’s like…tuning out unessential functions of my body? Like I slow my heart rate and things like that. Like I’m sleeping.”
“Huh…that’s cool.”
Lance chuckled, “it’s weird. You can say it.”
The room fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them were looking at each other. Keith wasn’t sure what to do or say. He admittedly was thrilled at the idea of sharing a bedroom with Lance. It was a weird feeling. He didn’t want to do anything with him but spending more time with him would be nice.
But this? This awkward silence? He didn’t want that.
“Sorry about last night. I was a bit drunk. That Nunvill was a lot.” He cleared his throat, “I didn’t really intend to send you away.” He stared at the ground, suddenly feeling like a guilty child.
“It’s okay,” Lance crossed his arms, “Coran explained what I was feeling to me. I guess all knights kind of freak out when their person sends them away for the first time.”
Keith frowned to himself. A part of him thought Lance was enjoying his time away from him. Maybe he spent the night with Nyma. That he didn’t follow Keith because he finally had a “day” off. Was he really struggling?
“I’m sorry.” His voice was hardly above a whisper.
“Don’t be. Now that I know why it happens I can work through it.” Lance looked around the room. “Can I polish my sword in here?”
Keith nodded, moving so he could lie down. He could hear Lance moving some, unsheathing his sword. He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. His mind was running a mile a minute. “Lance?”
“Yes, your majesty? Am I being too loud?” Lance asked in the dark.
“No,” Keith didn’t even hear him polishing his sword. “Your sword…it changed when Adam came back to the room. How?”
Lance didn’t respond for a bit. The air becomes stale in the quiet.
“This is a secret among the knights. I feel as though I can trust you with it.”
Keith nodded, before remembering Lance couldn’t see him. “You can.”
“These swords are based on the original bayards and the lions in a sense. They each are enchanted with some of the original quintessence of the lions. Because of this, they can change. We, the knights, can make that happen as long as we are calm and focused.”
Keith blinked, staring up into the darkness. “How were you so calm?”
Lance hummed, “practice. Lots and lots of simulations.”
Keith rolled onto his side, facing Lance in the dark. “Are you comfortable?”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“You’re in a chair. That’s…not comfortable.”
“When I was on my solo mission I slept standing against a tree a couple of times. This is an improvement.”
Keith hummed, closing his eyes again. Wishing he had the guts to ask Lance to lay by him.
---
Shiro swung his sword down, Keith rolling out of the way. He propped up on one knee and swung back at Shiro, managing to clip his armor. Shiro smiled at him, lowering his sword. “Nice job Keith.”
Keith stood up, panting slightly, “thanks.”
“And I can tell your stamina is getting better." Shiro began to move to grab his water pouch. Keith followed suit.
"Thanks," he glanced at his knight as he gulped down his drink.
Lance was sitting under a tree, his arms crossed in front of him. His eyes were closed, just like yesterday on the ship.
"Is he even watching you?" Shiro whispered, his eyes following Keith's.
"He is.”
Shiro made a disappointed sound, "after what happened to Princess Allura I would hope he would be on his toes more."
Before Keith could reply and explain Lance was very much awake. Shiro was swinging a sword at him. Keith tried to roll out of the way but Shiro caught him off guard. He didn’t even have time to pull out his mother's knife.
Metal clashed against metal, some sparks falling on the ground. Keith looked up from where he was on the ground, a body over him. "Don't. Touch. Him." Lance growled out.
Shiro looked a bit shocked and pulled his sword back. His face shifted to disbelief.
Lance turned around, using his free hand to pull Keith off the ground. "Are you okay?" He looked Keith over a couple of times, his hand lingering on his.
"I'm fine...how did you?" He knew the knights were skilled but he had never seen anyone move that quickly before.
Lance slid his sword into its holder. "You were in trouble, I'm sworn to protect you." He looked at Shiro, "even if it's just a test to see if I'm paying attention."
Shiro opened his mouth a couple of times to respond but no words came out. Lance glanced down at his hands, his fingers wrapped around Keith. He dropped it quickly, “I’ll be back where I was.”
He walked away before Keith could respond. He closed his fist, trying to trap the heat from Lance’s hand.
-----
Ohhhhhhh Keith is gay gay gay!!!!!
Also! Coran calling Romelle Adam's and Lance's sister isn't due to biological relations. They have spent a lot of time together and they all view themselves as family. Idk it seemed like a detail that would show their closeness.
