The team really doesn't leave him alone anymore. It's worse than when they found out about his... habits. They always make sure that he takes his medicine, and they won't let him have any sharp objects. They won't even let him have his bayard anymore which is... fair, but it's still annoying. Now, Lance really is useless to the team. He can't do anything to help them. He just sits there. He's an object to be pitied. Surely they only keep him around because it makes them feel better about themselves.

Lance still wishes that he'd just been successful in his attempt, but... he's got to have hope. He just has to. He promised that he would try, and he can't let the team down. He can't let Keith down.

Keith.

Keith was incredible. He didn't seem to pity Lance like the others did. It probably had something to do with the fact that he'd been through some of the same shit. He'd had bad habits too. He'd been through much more than Lance. So... much... more. Lance really shouldn't complain about his minuscule problems. He shouldn't be sad when so many other people had it worse than him.

Keith didn't agree when Lance said that.

"Lance..." He grabs Lance's hand and looks deep into his eyes. "You do know that it's okay to have problems? That you're allowed to be sad even if other people have problems too?"

"But, I shouldn't complain about it so much," Lance says quietly, averting his eyes. "I always complain. I never fucking stop. I complain when I know that there are whole alien races that are enslaved by the Galra... I know this... and I still don't stop complaining."

When Lance dares to look back at Keith's face, he sees that it's littered with concern. His eyebrows are upturned, and his mouth is twisted into a frown.

"Everyone complains, Lance," he says, trying to smile. "It's how they vent. It's healthy."

"But-"

"Don't," Keith cuts him off quickly, anger flashing on his face for a moment. "Lance, it's okay. I'll listen to you. No matter how much you want to complain."

Lance tries to give him a smile without letting the tears spill from his eyes. "Thanks, Keith. You're the best."

Keith chuckles softly. "Well, Lance, I think that you're pretty great too."

"Pfft, of course," Lance scoffs. "Now, come here, mullet."

Lance pulls Keith into a kiss, both of them laughing through the tender moment. Even when they give up on kissing, their hands are still intertwined as they smile at each other.

Keith was the one who broke the comfortable silence. His face was flushed, and his hands had started to shake.

"Lance... can I... say something?"

Lance cocks his head but nods. Oh, God. Was Keith going to say that he didn't really like him? That he was finally tired of him? Shit. Lance should have seen this coming. It always did. But... Lance had really thought that Keith liked him. He'd thought that-

"I... I love you."

When Keith says this, Lance's jaw drops open, and he feels his face heat up.

Keith turns an even brighter shade of red and starts to stutter. "Oh, shit. Is it too soon? You don't have to say it back! I just thought that you should... Oh, God."

Lance laughs loudly. It's the best laugh he's had in a while. One where his eyes are squeezed shut and his head is thrown back.

"I love you too, mullet," he says through laughs.

Keith's face breaks into a smile, and he wraps his arms around Lance's neck, giving the most passionate kiss Lance had ever received. Lance practically melts into the wonderful bliss of Keith's lips on his own.

-o-

After that, Lance only continues to talk more and more with Keith. They would talk about things that were occurring within the castle, and they would talk about things that were occurring in the entire universe. Sometimes... well, maybe more than sometimes... they'd even talk about their feelings. Keith wasn't very good at that, but he tried. And Lance appreciates that. So very much.

"Hey, Keith!" Lance says in a way that almost sounds like he's singing. "So... I just saw Shiro and Allura together... I'm pretty sure that they're a thing."

Keith doesn't say anything, and his face looks like he's trying really hard not to cry.

"Keith? Are you alright?"

Keith looks up at the boy, and a tear falls. He quickly wipes it from his cheek and looks back down at the floor.

Now this... this has Lance worried. "Keith... what's wrong?"

Keith still doesn't look up, but he sighs and starts to speak. "I'm just... why did my mom leave me? What did I do wrong?"

Lance was shocked... Keith had never acted like this before. He'd never seen him look so... sad.

"Keith... you didn't do anything. She must have left for a reason, and it wasn't your fault."

"But I must have done something. I must have made some mistake..."

Lance places his hand on top of Keith's and scoots closer to him on the window sill. "Keith... you... you are perfect. Your mom couldn't have left you unless it was for a reason. I promise."

Keith smiles, tears falling from his eyes. "Hey, sharpshooter. I'm supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around."

"Oh, come on," Lance says, rolling his eyes. "I'm here for you as much as you're here for me. That's what boyfriends do." He shot a wink at the shorter boy who blushed in return.

"It's weird to hear it out loud," Keith says quietly.

"What? 'Boyfriends'?" Lance says teasingly, stretching the word out to a ridiculous length.

"Oh, stop it, Lance," Keith says with a laugh. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love me." Lance leans in and kisses Keith's cheek gently.

Keith throws his head back in a laugh. "Yeah... I really do... and I'll never leave you."

"Ditto to that."

"Really, Lance?" Keith says while laughing. "'Ditto to that'? That's the best thing you could come up with?"

"Hey!" Lance says happily. "I'm not as smooth as I look."

"Oh, trust me, Lance. I know."

Lance laughs quietly and looks Keith in the eyes. Lance really loves Keith. He really, really does. He loves him because Keith was always there for him, no matter how bad of a day it was, and Lance wanted to do the same for him. It was the least he could do after all that Keith had done. Honestly... it made Lance so happy to think about it. There were so many things that Keith had done for him, and most of it wasn't even on purpose. Just talking to Keith made Lance's day. All Lance can do is hope that maybe... maybe he could do the same for Keith?

Maybe?

-o-

It was a bad day.

A really bad day.

So... who does Lance turn to?

Keith.

Sure, he feels guilty for bothering him, but Lance doesn't know what else to do.

It's late.

Very, very late.

Lance knows that he has to talk to someone, though.

He has to...

Or he might...

Lance knocks quietly on the door.

From behind it, Lance hears a mumble that might have said "coming".

The door opens, and an extremely tired looking Keith emerges. His eyes widen when he sees that it's Lance, and he takes a step back, moving his hand to gesture that Lance should come in. He sits down on the bed and pats the spot next to him.

"What's wrong, man?"

Lance chuckles, almost regretting waking Keith up... almost. "Why do you assume something's wrong?"

Keith raises an eyebrow and scoffs. "Well, it's almost four in the morning. I figure you wouldn't wake me up unless something was wrong. So... what's up?"

Lance is shocked at how perceptive Keith really is. He's still pretty dumb when it comes to emotions, though. "Uh... it was... I just had a bad day."

Keith cocks his head to the side. "What happened?"

Lance sighs and drags his hand through his hair. "I don't even know. I just... I don't feel right."

"What do you- wait... oh... are you- oh..." Keith looked down at his hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lance looks away. He was rubbing his wrists, desperately trying to get a grip on his feelings. "I just don't know what I'm feeling anymore."

"Are you thinking about... that... again?"

"I..." Lance laughs sadly. "I don't really know. I'm so confused."

"Lance... talk to me," Keith says softly. "Please."

"Well... I don't think such bad things about myself anymore... and I don't think about... killing myself... as much."

"That's great, Lance!" Keith had a smile on his face... Lance almost didn't want to continue.

"Yeah! Yeah..." Lance's voice grew quiet again. "But..." A pause. Did Lance really want to tell Keith this?

Keith looked at Lance, thinking. "But?"

He has to tell Keith. He has to. He promised that he'd never leave.

"I... I almost miss it."

For a moment, there's just silence.

Keith's eyes are wide, and his voice shakes when he speaks again. "What?"

It takes Lance a moment to realize how bad that sounds, and he shakes his head vigorously. "No! No, no no. I didn't mean..." He stops speaking and groans quietly before speaking again. "I don't. I don't miss it. I just... That was familiar. This? This is completely different. I mean... it's good! It's a good different. It... I'm just... confused."

Keith's eyes are still wide, but his voice is much more steady when he responds. "I don't understand what you're feeling. I really don't. You say that you're feeling better and that it's good, but you're also saying that you miss it?"

Lance looks down in shame. Of course Keith didn't understand. Lance didn't even understand. God, why did Lance even come? He shouldn't have-

"I don't understand," Keith says with a sigh. "But I trust you. Even the fact that you came and talked to me now... that proves that you've gotten better."

When Lance hears this, he almost can't believe it. Is Keith right? Is he better? It's hard for Lance to tell... but he hopes that he is. He really hopes that he is. He really, really doesn't want to disappoint Keith.

"Do you really think that I've gotten better?" Lance's voice is shakier than he meant for it to be, but he's found that it's okay to be vulnerable in front of Keith. That's what boyfriends do... right?

Keith looks at Lance with a smile. "Yeah, Lance. I really do."

"Thanks, mullet." Lance gives his best attempt at a smile before pulling Keith in for a hug which draws out a laugh from the smaller boy.

"Of course, sharpshooter. Of course."