The two paladins kept snuggling in Keiths bed while the party kept going.
Lance wished he hadn't fought with Keith; the physical and mental damage had taken a toll on him. His back hurt like hell, and he was afraid of what Keith was thinking of him now.
He convinced himself that he was the number ONE hated person in Keits life. But he couldn't understand why they would still snuggle like that, if that was the case?
He kept thinking of all the things he'd yelled while they were fighting. His jealousy went rampage when he mentioned Krolia, and then he just kept rolling with it. That topic was like gasoline on fire; it really was a sore spot for him.
He'd almost said everything that bothered him; he wanted to die so badly!
Should he make an excuse to leave the room? Should he run off completely? He could run off without a lion; after all, the lions were too valuable to run off with. It would create huuge trouble for Voltron if he did.
Keith would get Red assigned to him soon anyway. He could run off then.
Should he talk about his troubles with Keith?
Lance mentally shook his head. He shouldn't. Keith wouldn't be interested, nor would he take it seriously either.
He'd laugh at him.
Then why did Keith go through all that trouble to hold Lance back?
He pulled his legs closer to his stomach, and squinted to let two water drops fall out of his eyes.
"If you have stuff that bothers you, I'd be glad to hear you out. Please don't shove us away like this."
Keith whispered in Lances ear, slowly pulling lance closer to himself. His voice sounded sad.
"You want me to be honest?" Lance whispered back.
"Without being kicked, yes." Keith pushed his nose behind Lances ear, tickling his friend.
Warmth was radiating from their heads, their blushing was too intense.
Keith was sure Lance hated him, but he couldn't stop himself from getting a whiff of his smell. Smelled something like vanilla, coconuts and a fresh breeze.
Lance just KNEW that Keith did this only to tease and mock him, but he wasn't completely sure.
Slowly, Lance turned to face Keith, making a small smile from his friends comment.
Neither looked at each others face.
"Can I.. be completely honest?" Lance whispered, eyes locked on Keiths shoulder. He had trouble putting on the right mask.
Keith nodded and whispered a soft "mhm" in return.
"I was.. am jealous of you, for having your mom close. I know it sounds bad compared to the fact that you've only had her a few weeks now while I've had mine my whole life, but.. That's how I feel. Even Pidge got to see her family while we're up here. I should be happy for you guys. I feel awful for not being that, though.." Keith wiped a tear from Lances chin.
The cuban had trouble with speaking his mind.
A deep breath in, and the words began flowing again.
"Everyone knows I am homesick, but they treat it like it's a weakness. They mock me for it, I know it! They don't have any use for a weak paladin, right? I don't-"
A warm hand stroked Lances hair, pulling him close to a hug. He couldn't speak, both because of the hug and his loss for words.
A series of tears began to fall again. The feeling of fingers sliding through his hair made him feel so good and nostalgic.
"But they are right, you know? I'm weak compared to the others. I have no special skills, I don't have any special personality trait other than flirting with fans, and that isn't even a good thing! Everyone takes out the enemy before I can pull the trigger, and nobody believes my words or takes me seriously in meetings.."
The stroking stopped for a moment.
Lances mood dropped even further down his hole.
"This is all in your head, Lance. Nobody is refusing to believe you, it's just that you need to work harder, Lance. This is all your fault and you know it, Lance. Then you should just work harder," is all he could think of as Keiths reply.
He was sure Keith would find his thoughts unbelievably stupid.
He shouldn't have told him any of this.
He should make a run for it.
"I'm sorry I didn't realize," was uttered as a whisper.
A whisper that could barely hold it together.
Lances eyes widened.
"I'm sorry I didn't put two and two together. All the things Allura said about you being hard to reach, and Hunks worried comment about how little you ate with them, and your face when my mom wanted to try milking.. I wanted to tell you sooner, all the amazing things you've done, I really did.."
Keith controlled his sobbing surprisingly well.
Lance guessed he was pretty determined to convey his thoughts.
"Lance," the red paladin said, more comforting than anything he'd ever heard in space.
Their eyes met.
Keiths dark eyes were determined and wet, and the area around his eyes were red and swollen. Probably just as much as Lances.
His eyes were filled with emotions to the brim of tears.
"You are the most amazing person I know," he whispered.
"You don't mean that. Remember Shiro?" Lance joked with a sorry smile on his face.
"He's like a brother to me, besides-" Keith smiled as he pulled Lance closer, making their noses touch, "I think you fit the bill as the amazing person."
Keiths smile was so genuinely cute, Lance had no idea how to react other than stare at Keith in awe.
Keith was sure he could see sparkles in the blue eyes of his crush.
He began stroking the cubans dark hair again.
"I just have to tell you how amazing you are, pal." Keith smiled.
.
And then they went to Lances room to do facemasks for their puffy eyes.
.
.
.
heyyy author here! This got very Klance-centered (not that I mind one bit) and I hope y'all liked the ending^^