Lance doesn't need to open his eyes to know that something is wrong because he can already feel it. Tucked into his side with her legs tangled in his, Allura slumbers peacefully. Her body heat radiates a dormant, but comforting energy that's almost soothing enough to lull him back to sleep. Her hair has shaken loose of the braid he expertly put it in, and like liquid moonlight, it spills all over their sheets. He knows that he's going to have to help her comb out the knots in the morning.

While one of his partners is sound asleep; wrapped up in a nest of warm blankets, fluffy pillows, and thick hair, the other is nowhere to be found. Considering how cool Shiro's side of the bed is, it tells Lance that he hasn't been beside him for a while.

Careful not to wake the sleeping beauty, Lance untangles himself from the clingy princess. He groans when he suddenly remembers that his slippers are still in Pidge's room, so he stuffs his feet into Allura's pink, fluffy ones. He grumbles when the backs of his heels meet the cold, hard floor of her room, but nevertheless, he still treks forward to search for Shiro.

It doesn't take long for him to find the Black Paladin. Wearing a tank top and loose pants, he sits comfortably on the couch in the middle of the rec room. One hand holds a mug of some sort of hot beverage while the other holds that day's mission report tablet. A frown pulls at Lance's lips. It was late in the night cycle. Too late to be reading up on mission reports. They all had a long, taxing day and could use some sleep. And the hypocrite! He's the one that told them to do that.

Lance surges forward, ready to give Shiro a piece of his mind. He's been practicing his scolding voice, ready for a moment just like this. It'll be payback for all of the long "dad lecture" Shiro gives him.

However.

As soon as he approaches Shiro, the sour words die on his tongue. One look at Shiro and Lance knows exactly why Shiro is up this late. The man's eyes are a thousand miles away. In a different castle. In a different time in his life that he never wanted to visit again but there is the harsh reality that he might. They all might. Up close, it's worse than had Lance previously thought. Shiro's hand trembles slightly around the tablet and his breathing pattern is off. It's too fast. But not in a way that's frantic but in a way that they both know his heart rate won't return to normal anytime soon. Lance realizes that this couch may be under him until the artificial lights of daylight.

Lance steps forward but keeps his distance. "Hey," It's such a soft greeting, one barely above a whisper, as if he doesn't want to startle the man. And even though Lance is standing directly in front of him, he knows that Shiro doesn't see him.

His theory is proven right when Shiro flinches slightly at the voice. His steel eyes dart to Lance's, and there's a slight presence of panic in them that's there for only a fraction of a second before it's transformed into something warm and something almost familiar. Shiro checks the time on the tablet and Lance sees the thoughts that race through Shiro's head at being caught.

"Hey, Lance."

Guilt pulls at Lance's heart at Shiro's tone. The man sounds haunted and pained, and so damn tired. They all had their inner demons but Shiro's demons never get tired and they claw at his mind relentlessly.

Shiro raises a brow in silent judgment when he spots Lance's choice in shoes and it makes him rub the back of his neck in shame. "I couldn't find my pair." Shiro smiles to himself and Lance continues to speak. "Mind if I join you?" Shiro doesn't respond but he does scoot over to make room for the sharpshooter. Lance takes the invitation with a smile and sits beside Shiro and he takes special caution not to invade too much of his space.

"It's alright Lance," Shiro reassures without looking at him and Lance takes the words as an invitation. He leans his head against Shiro's shoulder and looks at the words his leader is going over. Lance is good with his words. He's really good with them. But right now, he doesn't need words because he knows exactly what's racing through Shiro's mind and they both know it's too soon to talk about what nightmare ripped Shiro away from their bed.

Lance reaches for Shiro's mug and the man gives it up without a fight. "There's no sugar in that. You won't like it," Shiro warns him. Lance could be just as stubborn as Allura when he wanted to be. He eyes the suspicious liquid in the mug and takes a tentative sip regardless of Shiro's warning. His reaction is immediate as his face scrunches up with a sour look and Shiro chuckles at the response. "I told you that you wouldn't like it."

Lance hands the mug back with regret. "Yeah, but I thought you just didn't want to share." He goes back to lay on Shiro's shoulder and they fall into a comfortable.

Shiro doesn't mind Lance's company at all. It was comforting to know that Lance just wants to be beside him to make sure he was alright. He knows it's only a matter of time before Allura came through that door ready to drag them both back to bed.

Just as he predicted, in trots their sleepy princess. She looks groggy with her hair a wild, tangled mess around her and she has their bedding completely wrapped around her small frame. Shiro sighs. It was going to be a pain to put back on that fitted sheet.

Allura shuffles towards them wordlessly. She stops just short the couch and her eyes go to Lance's and they exchange an unspoken conversation complete with a sour look from Allura because she's barefooted all because Lance took her shoes. The silent conversation is over just as soon as it began and her electric eyes shift back to Shiro. She stands before him and unlike Lance, she doesn't say a word, but it only takes a second before Shiro opens his arms to allow Allura to nestle into his lap. Lance takes the mug from Shiro to prevent it from spilling all over the sheets.

Once Allura is settled comfortably in his lap, she buries her face into his neck. She grumbles something inaudible and the tablet's lighting dims slightly.

Shiro grins. "Sorry about that."

They sit like that one the couch for a few unknown moments. Allura in his lap while Lance tucked into his side. It's quiet as he silently goes over the reports from last week, looking for a pattern in the Galra's attack sequence.

Suddenly but not surprisingly, Lance's fingers trace up his spine until they reach the back of his head and he starts to caress is short hair he finds there. Simultaneously, Allura's hands somehow unravel themselves from inside her cocoon and they find their way under his shirt and sneak up his chest until it stops just over his heart. He hums in content at how warm her hands are on him. He doesn't realize what she's doing until it's too late.

A warm sensation fills his chest and it relaxes his heartbeat and calms his mind. His limbs start to numb and his get heavy. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees how her markings have started to the glow and there's a faint blue light that's emitting from her hand as she carefully pumps quintessences into him. He places a hand over her hand and the constant is intercepted by his thin shirt. "You keep that up, and you'll put me to sleep."

It's Lance who speaks next. "That's the point, Shiro." His fingers still tenderly sift through his dark locks and massage his scalp.

"Why didn't you tell me you had trouble sleeping?" Allura asks, still pushing quintessence into him.

"I didn't want you to waste your energy on me," he confesses in a slur. He's suddenly tired. Really tired.

At his reaction, Allura stops the flow of power into him and she removes her hand from his chest and brings it to his cheek. "When it comes to you, nothing is a waste, my Paladin," she tells him before she presses her lips to his tiredly. Whenever she used her quintessence, it always took a toll on her strength and now, She could barely keep her eyes open.

Lance stands at the sight of the two. "Let's go to bed."

Allura moves to stand but Shiro's arms tighten around her. "Like you can even walk at this point," Shiro teases. He puts the tablet down on the couch armrest before he stands with Allura in his arms. Lance dumps the bitter drink in the sink, turns off the lights, then follows them to their bedroom.

On the way to the bedroom, Allura reaches behind Shiro towards Lance and takes her hand and brings her knuckles to his lips. "Good job, 'Lu," he praises her.

Shiro grins. "You guys had this planned?"

"We aren't telling you our secrets."

"Never."

They both respond at the same time with a smile and Shiro laughs tiredly at their antics. He was a lucky man. To have two lovers who loved him just as much as he loved them.

By the time they reach their bedroom, Allura's breathing has evened out. He arranges her carefully on the bed and gives her a kiss to the forehead to thank her as well as bid her a good night.

Lance lays down in Shiro's usual spot. "You're in the middle tonight, mister." He isn't looking for an argument and Shiro isn't willing to even put up one. He lays down on his back and he gathers Allura into one side and Lance into the other.

Lance looks over him. "Next time you have a nightmare, please tell us. You might think you're alone, but you aren't. Trust us, we'll do whatever it takes because we love you, Takashi."

Shiro smiles at Lance's words. He then brings his head up to press his lips against Lance's. "I'll keep that in mind, sharpshooter."

Lance lays back down beside him and Shiro finally lets his eyes close and for the first time in a long time, sleep comes easily to Shiro.