"7th wheels are something that can easily be left behind,"

For every car there are four wheels. People often kept a spare, or perhaps two. So six wheels. No one needed that seventh wheel. Most wouldn't even have a seventh wheel to begin with because it was silly to do so.

No one needed him.

Perhaps right now, because there was no other person to turn to who could pilot Blue, he was needed. But you can't fly blind.

The sound of slicing skin has him shaking.

He yells- recalling the pain all over again; Flashes of a druid- a blade- the burning pain that delved deep into his face and lingered even now.
Seering and cutting through his eyes, enveloping them in a tight burn. He was on fire. He was burning alive.

He tried to run from it, but eye's followed him. Zarkon's eyes. They pierced his soul and knocked him down. He tried to scream for help- the team turned their backs on him.

He is coughing- lungs barely able to breath. He wakes up to the sound of the druid laughing in his head.

Sitting up, he is gasping and terrified, reaching up for his eyes because he can't see. He can't see. A cold sweat is sticking to his neck, each droplet sending him into a mad spiral as it slides down his back.

The adrenaline in his system makes him tremble.

He feels dizzy- choking on his own lungs at the question if he was really awake of if he was still asleep because he just can't see. How could he truly define consciousness from the other when both were the same- pitch blackness?!

Before he knows what he is doing he is screaming into the silence- wet and breaking- crackling in his own throat, "Keith! Keith!" he is stuck- entangled in fabric. A blanket?

It is trapping him and he screams again.

He is ready to reach out and grab his bayard but strong arms are pulling him forward into a flattened and strong chest- cradling him to a fast beating heart. "Lance! Lance, it's okay!" Keith is yelling into his ear to silence him, "It's me!"

Lance scrambles to grab ahold of him- chest heaving and breath panting. He feels like some soaking animal; shaking and clinging to Keith like he would disappear forever if he didn't. "Keith-" he presses into his shoulder, "God- Keith." he hiccups, crying out into the night.

Keith visible shakes, his voice wavering. He had never- ever- wanted Lance to break like this- desperate and scared, "I got you… I got you, Lance," he hushes him. "I won't let anything happen to you- I'm here. Don't cry," he pleads and promises, so overwhelmed to think of anything other than Lance, Lance, Lance.

Unable to calm the trembling of his body the blue paladin forced himself up. He scrambled out of the blankets, crawling as much as he could onto Keith.

Grunting a little Keith braced himself on his hand to keep himself up straight.

"Kei-" he latched onto him,

"Shh," Keith cupped the back of his head, pulling it until Lance's head was tucked neatly under his chin. "You're safe. You're here with me- I got you. I'm not letting you go,"

Tethering himself to those words Lance lets out more of a shudder than a breath.

The tears stain his bandages and he hisses. Keith hand fumble against them, tugging them off gently. One of the number one rules was to keep the bandages from getting wet- he always broke rules.

Panicking that this little scene might snuff out any chance of seeing again he has he reaches up to brush away his tears. Keith stops him.

"Don't do that," Pulling down his wrist, his thumbs come up to his cheek. Lance let him since he was able to actually see the damage and properly brush the tears away without coming into contact with them.

Honestly- the most shocking part of this was that he was crying. He wondered if he was even able to do this anymore with his eyes. He didn't understand how eye injuries worked- so it is oddly relieving to know he is still able to.

"There-" Keith brushes his hair back, "You're okay."

Was he?

Like reading his mind, Keith insists a little deeper, "You're okay."

Lance takes a breath, then two.

Biting his quivering lip, he choked back a pitiful noise and leaned back into Keith's chest. The arms that hugged his torso were strong and warm.

When a decent hour passes, and Keith's hand never stopped running through Lance's hair, he lifted his head from the red Paladin's shoulder. He would have been embarrassed by the fact that he was straddling Keith's lap and clinging to him like an infant, but he was too grateful to have him here, "Keith?"

"Are you okay?" sensing he was now calm, Keith was quick to check on him.

"I'm okay…" he can't seem to release his grip, "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It is okay." he pauses. Moving a little, he grabs something from the desk side table, "Here," he starts to wrap new bandages around Lance's eyes.

"Thanks…"

When Keith is done he says, "No problem," he shifts a little, as if to move away.

Lance panics and wraps his arms around his torso to hold him there, "Wait! Will you…" he choked up
There is a pause, the silence filled with tiny breaths, 'What?" Keith inquired patiently.

"Can you stay here? Like this? Just for tonight." he pleads, "It is okay if you don't. I just-"

"I'll stay." Keith fell back to let his head rest on a pillow, Lance sprawled out across his chest, arms wrapped firmly around his waist.

Lance nuzzles into the crook of his neck, "Thanks… sorry, I woke you up," he says again.

"I told you- It's fine," Keith's hand caresses the back of his head, "What was your nightmare about?"

Lance sighs, "Just- I dunno a lot of stuff. The Druid, zarkon-" He shakes his head, "I haven't had that bad of a nightmare since I was a kid. I would always run to my parent's bed…" the more he thought of them the more he missed them. "I left without even telling everyone where I went. My parents, uncles, aunts and cousins."

"Do you miss them?"

Lance aimlessly trails his finger through Keith's mullet, "Of course I do. I miss everything about Earth,"
'You just- you never mentioned that before now,"

"Well, I figured everyone was the same. It wasn't fair to just complain about it,"
"I don't miss it,"
Lance took a second to think of that, "You don't?"

"I have nothing back on Earth to miss. I suppose I would like to go back to that little shack I had in the canyons- but that is the only thing. No one is waiting for me back on Earth," he says distantly.

"Oh…" Lance never even thought about that. The idea of not missing Earth,

"I can't even imagine living with a family that big," Keith shakes his head. "How do you even handle a bathroom?"

"It is a fight for territory,"

Keith laugh, warm and open. It rumbles from his chest and into Lance's, "I never really had to worry about that growing up." He paused. Finding the topic kind of growing stoic, Lance reached up his hand. Hesitant for only a moment, he slide it along Keith's neck to grip the back of his head and upper neck and massages it gently,

Keith tensed at first, slowly relaxing into the gesture. He hummed a little, "For a while, there was my Dad- I don't remember anything about my mom, though,"

"What was your dad like- besides the accent and him being a nature lover?"

"You remembered that?"

"Of course. It wasn't like you said it that long ago. ,"

"Oh… well, he was cool," he made this fond little noise in the back of his throat that Lance found pleasing to the ear, "He was better than cool. I know every kid probably thinks their dad is cool but he truly was. He could fix any car engine and would sometimes build cars up from nothing at all. He would make hand customized cars for money- I wish I could have helped him make one for myself."

Lance smiled into Keith's chest, listening quietly to him talk. They had talked more in this past 30 minutes then they had done since meeting.

They discussed their childhoods and family- funny little moments they recalled at random. A lot of Keith's stories were of Shiro and their crazy adventures before and at Garrison. He had known Shiro since he was a kid.

Lance knew they were close, but it was nice hearing how their relationship had grown to be what it is now.

They had talked late into the night and Lance couldn't remember when he fell asleep. He feels warm… He felt home.

Neither said a word when they woke up the next morning. Pulling apart, since they were clinging to each other, they stepped away and got ready for the day in silence. They were just two dudes that snuggled during the night- nothing strange about that. They didn't really need to talk about it… right?

Ignoring it for now, neither knowing what to say if they did discuss it, they got ready for the day.

No real progress had been made with meeting with the King. It was frustrating, but both knew nothing would come from it if they stayed angry. So they distracted themselves by babysitting Ruru during the day.

At random times Tellru and Dravla would come by to check on them or have lunch, but they were both gone a lot.

Keith and Lance never minded- it was fun being with Ruru. They had tea time, went to the park a lot, had cute little lunches together- and Ruru showed them around town. They often got waves or little smiles from many of the citizens, each recognizing Lance from the Arena.

Lance was very pleased with the affection and Keith could feel his ego growing and growing.

"Don't let it go to your head," he would say

"You are just jealous- Look at this gift basket someone gave me!" he held it up. "Doesn't it look cool?"
"Just don't eat any of the stuff inside it until we are sure it isn't poisoned."

"Obviously, but does it look cool? Like, seriously, I can't tell,"

"Yes, it looks nice. Like any normal gift basket you would see," Keith tells him.

"Bow," Ruru tries to explain there are bows in the basket and tugs a few off. Having Lance kneel next to her, she places the bows in his hair. Lance throws his head back dramatically to show them off.

Keith shakes his head- despite thinking that the bows did look nice.

Carrying at least 3 different baskets and a few others gifts by the end of the day, Lance was grinning from ear to ear. Walking hand in hand with Keith, he was swinging their hands around joyfully, humming. "I'm popular~"

"After almost being killed," Keith says sourly.

"Still sore about that?"

"Still sore?" he sputtered in disbelief, "Lance, they put us in cages. Then they separated us, tried to give me away as some prize-'

"A virgin prize,"
Keith ignored him, "Only to have you, a blinded man, fight for their own enjoyment,"
Lance understood where he was coming from, obviously since he went through it, but he shrugged, "Well, they are at war or whatever right now. They needed some way to prove we weren't the enemy as well as become citizens. So it is kind of weird compared to our own society, but to them, it is normal to fight to the death to achieve a goal. Things turned out well in the end...it isn't like you are super friendly to strangers either,"

"You almost go assassinated a few days ago,"

Lance hums, "Yeah- I'm sure a lot of rich and high political people have to deal with that."

"You are unbelievable," Keith says

"That is what makes me so great," Lance insists with a grin. He paused and squeezed Keith's shoulder when he heard something, "Is that music?"

Keith looks around, confirming that it was. In the middle of the square was a small group of Coeihns with strange looking instruments. The music wasn't that bad however, and many were clapping along to it.

Ruru was babbling nonsense in her native tongue, tugging on their wrists, "Go!" she insists.

"Ah- no thanks. I don't dance," Keith lifted his hands up

"I'll go," Lance was grinning.

Keith wasn't too comfortable with that, "Surrounded by a big crowd like that- it makes you easy pickings,"

"For what?"

"Assassination. Attempts on your life. People trying to hurt you?" Keith lists in frustration. How could he not take any of this seriously?

"Don't be so overprotective," Lance orders him with a carefree smile, "I'll be fine,"

Keith wanted to pull out his hair as Lance stepped away from him and allowed Ruru to tug him into the center of the square with the dancing civilians. Keith followed only a little, standing as close to the dancing circle as he could- his gaze locked with Lance's form.

Despite his vision, Lance was twirling and stepping with perfect sync, his hands lowered to hold Ruru's, allowing her to lead him.

Keith hadn't realized he had started smiling.

"Keith!" Lance said within a twirl, 'Come on- come join us!"

"No," he folds his arms, taking a look around at the other Coeihns, scanning for anything suspicious.

Many of them had begun to sing- it was an odd sound, and their music was definitely different from Earth's, but it wasn't bad.

The band of Coeihns appreciated the others joining and suddenly spotted Lance. They must have recognized him from the Arena because they stopped and starting pointing at him with smiles.

Many Coeihns seemed to appreciate having Lance present and cheered towards him. He lifted a hand, waving back.

"Lala! They like!" Ruru seemed to get an idea from this and started to yell something at them. They cheered. Lance looked a little pale, "Ruru, what did you just say?"
"Sing!" she tells him. Did she tell the crowd that Lance would sing for them?

"Whoa whoa- Ruru, I can't-"

"Sing!" she insisted. She started to cheer something along with the crowd ("Blue Champion! Blue Champion") Remembering how they had called him that before when he won the challenge, Lance laughs nervously. He wasn't going to get out of this unless he belted one, was he?

Was this karma for doing this exact same thing to Keith? Probably.

Glancing around for help, not sure where Keith was anymore, he scratched his head. "Well uh- okay?"

Keith hadn't expected Lance to agree, nor had he expected for Lance's voice to echo, silencing the entire square into awe. His voice was something that was out of this world…. Keith cringes at his own thoughts, realizing he had made an unknowing pun.

Shaking his head he focused back on Lance. He had the entire crowd enamored.

He was breathtaking.

"..." Keith coughs violently into his hand. What the hell was he just thinking?! Breathtaking? That- no- that is not how he would describe Lance. He was a loud mouthed obnoxious show off who just so happened to have really smooth skin, a great smile, nice legs- like, really nice legs, and a charming smile…

Correction! A normal smile. Nothing charming about it.

Keith hit his head to shut his thoughts off.

Back to Lance- he seemed to be getting close to his song. He had been so enveloped by it, he had lost himself to the words.

When was the last time he sang in front of such a crowd? Perhaps middle school? He couldn't really recall, but he sure did miss the feeling.

He liked singing. Perhaps when he gets back to Earth he could try doing it professionally or something? Get a band going. That would be awesome! Maybe he could-

The sound of snapping ropes had Lance pause. He turned his head to the noise, listening. Snap, snap- there is was again. Then, a screeching of metal. Feeling goosebumps shoot up his spine and arms at the sound, he heard several screams.

"Lance!" He was tugged forward violently, something heavy crashing directly behind only indication he had to who was holding him was the ragged breathing in his ear, and the hair tickling the side of his face. "K-Keith?" he prayed he was correct, sucking in a few fumbling inhales, "W-what was that?!"

Keith is still backing them up, his arms wrapped snugly around Lance's waist. Stumbling with him, unable to do anything but bury his chin into Keith's shoulder, he gasped into his jacket, "Keith?" he was frantic for answers. What was that crashing just now? What was the stuff sticking to his back? It was sharp, digging a little into his skin through the jacket and undershirt.

The red paladin is already brushing the chunks away- was it glass? He wanted to tell Keith to be careful but he couldn't even seem to catch his breath, so that wasn't going to happen.

("Are you both alright?!") A few Coeihns were moving towards them but froze.

The way Keith wrapped his arms around Lance- the look he had- it made them hesitate. The pure murderous intent that seeped in from his eyes was startling enough to have them backing up- giving the two their space.

"Keith? Keith?" Lance was yelling in a panic.

"You're fine!" he suddenly yells, before he closed his eyes and his voice grew softer to calm both himself and Lance, "You're fine… I got you,"

"Lala!" Lance didn't even realize that Ruru was clinging to his legs.

"Lance! Keith!" A familiar voice was making their way through the crowd. It was Dravla. Not sure what he was doing there, he seemed to be carrying large bags as if he was in the middle of a delivery when he saw what had just happened.

"Dravla," he says, "What- what just happened?"

"I can't- are you both unharmed?" Dravla scanned them up and down, "You have very fast reflexes, Keith," he praised.

Keith grunted something, and stepped away from Lance, "There is glass on your jacket- take it off," he is unzipping it for him. Quick to finish the work, Lance slowly peeled it off and handed it to Keith.

"What just happened?" he asks for the billionth time that day- demanding for an answer this time.
"The glass above you- we are currently going under reconstruction in a few of the buildings and some of the windows were being moved through ropes."
"Then the ropes snapped?"

Dravla looked up towards them, frowning, "No… those kind of things never happen, especially when we are lifting glass above citizen's heads. All safety measures are taken and the glass is only moved around during later hours. That glass shouldn't have even been up there,"
'Then this wasn't an accident," Keith concluded darkly

Dravla nods and lifts Ruru up to his arms to stop her from touching any of it, "There is glass everywhere… If Keith hadn't seen it and pulled you out of the way it would have crushed you," Dravla says to Lance

Lance shivers, "Jeez… thank you, Keith,"

Keith didn't say much but he nodded a little, "I told you it wasn't a good idea…" he had finished plucking the glass from his jacket and was placing it back on his shoulders.

Fitting his arms into it Lance lowers his head, "...Sorry,"
'Don't apologize. It isn't your fault… I should have kept a better eye on things," Keith reaches up to brush a bit of glass out of Lance's hair. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. Good," he says twice, the second one sounding more relieved. Keeping one arm around Lance he turned to Dravla. They seemed to have the same idea as their gazes locked: It was a Coeihn within the area that had cut the ropes.

"For now, we should get you back to your place. I'll take you there," Dravla says.

"What about your work?" Lance asks. "And Ruru?"

"It is fine- this delivery goes until sundown. Tellru gets off of work in 20 minutes anyway," he insists. "I would prefer to make sure you all get back home okay."

They agree to that and start heading towards a Kever.

Gripping Lance's waist tight, Keith glared at every single Coeihn as they passed. If one even so much as blinked funny, he would be pulling out his bayard.

Lance on the other hand… could only focus on the warm fingers curled around his side.

".." he pursed his lips when they tightened. He should move Keith's hand from his hip- because it is embarrassing. So he should remove it.

….

For some reason, he didn't follow his thoughts because as embarrassing as it was, he kind of liked it.
And what does that even mean? How does he actually like this?

"Lance?"
"H-Huh?" he stammered through a red face. "Yeah, Keith?"

"You okay? You've been kind of quiet…" Keith says gently.

Taking a moment to consider that- to realize that he was worrying Keith, Lance nodded, "Yeah." he pauses, "Um…" he lifts his hand.

Keith seemed to stare at it for a second then stopped walking. "Oh… Oh!" he tore his hand from Lance's waist- only just realizing himself that it was there- and took Lance's hand to hold it. "Uh… s-sorry."

"It's okay," Lance slowly smiled. "It's fine.." he chuckled a little at how embarrassed Keith sounded. "Everything great!" he grinned.

Keith couldn't even believe Lance was smiling right now. "How in the world do you manage to smile in a situation like this?"

"Smiles are the best thing you can offer,"

"How do you figure that?"

With a toothy grin, the blue paladin says, "My grandma used to say that a smile will either warm the hearts of those around… or piss them off. Either way, you win."

Of course, Lance would think like that- it only made sense. But… it was a kind of a funny thought.

Stepping onto the Kever, Lance had really started to get used to this mode of transportation. He was even willing to sit down in one of the odd seats- so long as Keith sat next to him.

It was strange, despite what happened- he wasn't that worried about it anymore. Sure he had been scared to death at the time, but now it was fine. Keith was here.

It was startling how comforting that thought alone was.

"You cold?" Keith asked out of nowhere.
"I'm fine."

Keith would ask him things from time to time. If he was okay… if he was cold. If he needed something to drink or eat. Lance would never peg him as a worry wart.

Honestly, Lance was just tired. "I'm good, Keith," he leaned his head back. Allowing himself to relax a little, he startled himself when sleep attempted to strike and his head lulled to the side. In a split second, before he was going to lift his head, his temple pressed against something warm. Caught from falling over, Lance realized he was leaning against something.

He recognized the smell- he had smelled it against his pillow this morning: It was Keith.

Freezing, he was confused when he pretended to be asleep instead of just sitting up, apologizing awkwardly, and then just carrying on.

With a thundering of his heart, he stayed still and waited for Keith to push him away. To jostle him awake and tell him to get off of him- or just- do something to go against this. He didn't.

Instead, Keith's hand slowly brushed back a few of Lance's bangs. When the hand moved into his hair he curled his toes to stop himself from squirming. The sensation made his spine tingle and his heart flutter.

"If you would want, you do not need to watch Ruru tomorrow," Dravla spoke up. Keith glanced at him.

"It is alright." he tells him.

The entire ride Keith spoke to Dravla calmly, his hand moving up and down Lance's back in comforting circles. It would have been soothing enough to fall asleep to, but Lance didn't want to miss a single second of this blessed moment.

He could enjoy it thoroughly if Keith thought he was asleep.

"Well- Tellru and I have the day off tomorrow. Perhaps we could take you out of the kingdom to give you both a break from- all this?" Dravla inquired. "I know it hasn't been easy for either of you,"

"Out of the kIngdom? Where?" Keith frowned.

Dravla hummed in thought, "The forest? The outlands- oh, perhaps the beach? Tellru said Lance mentioned that once."
Lance did- and it took everything he could not to leap up and scream, "YEAH!"

"Lance would probably love that," Keith says.

"Then we shall go there. How about that Ruru? (The Beach?)" he asks.

Ruru perks up, clapping, "(The beach!") she cheers.

Deciding that would be the best option it didn't take long for them to reach the station near Keith and Lance's apartment- house- thing, that they were staying at.

"Lance," Keith began to shake him to wake him up. Purposively waiting a few seconds before responding to make it seem like he was, in fact, waking him, he mumbled.

"Huh? What?"

"We're here. You fell asleep,"
"...Oh," he says slowly, "Sorry," he totally nailed it.

Getting off, they walked together back to the apartment. At some point, Ruru seemed to run ahead and Keith jogged a little to catch up with her. She was showing him a cool little flower that was growing on the side of the road or something.

Lance wasn't sure and walked next to Dravla in silence. He suddenly snickers.

"You little faker,"

Lance wasn't sure what he meant, "What?"

Dravla snorted, "As equivalents, you don't have to pretend to be asleep to rest your head on his shoulder, you know," Lance slams his foot down on to Dracula's toes by pure reflex, his face turning two shades of red when he realized he had been caught.

Dravla yells and starts to hop around on one foot, clutching the injury. "I'm just saying!" he insists.

"Shut up shut up," Lance hisses,

Rushing back to their apartment- which Lance kind of liked the idea of- An Apartment that was Keith and his- they said goodnight to Ruru and Dravla, then retired to it.

Tellru had made them some dinners a few day before and they had been sharing those lately. Heating up on of them using the fireplace within the apartment, Lance and Keith shared their dinner together. Neither of them talked about Lance almost getting crushed, or that they hadn't found the team yet. There was no point stressing about it since there was nothing they could really do to change it as of now.

Keith?" Lance has asked once they started to get ready for bed.

He hummed in response from the couch, "Yeah?"

Lance licks his lips, heart threatening to fly out of his chest, "I'm kinda cold…" it was an excuse.

"Need another blanket?"

"...Well, um..I just- I've been having so many nightmares lately…." he trailed off hoping Keith would understand through his embarrassing muttering. "I actually slept great last night," he slept great with Keith next to him, is what he meant. Sharing a bed with Keith had been comforting. It was nice. "I slept well with… you here,"

"Yeah," Keith breathes out, "Me too,"

Lance nods hesitantly, "Right, so-" he clears his throat, "Would you um- do you wanna- this bed is really big and I hate that you have to sleep on the couch every night…"

"Oh," there was a pause, "Um...Hold on a minute-" Lance could hear the couch creaking on the other side of the room before soft footprints approached his bed. Already lifting the blankets, Lance felt Keith pressing his hands to the mattress. It dipped slightly with his added weight, "...it is cold," he agreed quietly

The bed was big enough that it technically was built for two people. Plus, it wasn't fair Keith has to sleep on the couch.

So lance handed him a pillow and turned his body towards him, "...Comfy?" he asked quietly.

Keith must have nodded. He couldn't see his face, but he knew Keith was laying there with his eyes open- either staring at him or the ceiling.

Finding comfort with Keith being here with him- sharing a moment of silence, Lance decided to try a few more questions. He enjoyed listening to Keith talk about his past- he enjoyed just learning things about Keith in general, honestly. "Why did you join Garrison?"

"Hmm?'

"Out of everywhere you could have gone- why did you go to Garrison?"

Keith takes a moment to ponder that, "It was the best place to get to the stars,"

"So you wants to go to space?"
"Ever since I was little. It was all my Dad could talk about sometimes.'

"Your Dad liked space too, huh?"

"It was his passion somedays," Keith chuckles, "Shiro and him were a lot alike in that aspect."

Lance smirks a little, "Thus began the tale of Garrison's Keith Kogane- the rough and tough pilot that just couldn't do as he was told,"
"Wasn't my fault I got kicked out," Keith insisted,

"Oh, I'm sure," Lance rolls his eyes.

"It's true- they started it. I knew how to fly, so them telling me I had a very set flight plan was ridiculous. I wasn't going to learn anything by sticking perfectly to the simulation."

"Yeah, that is true. I remember you crashing the simulation so horribly once though because you tried to use some speed boost or something to cut your time down. You engine blew up right in your face,"

Keith grumbles something. "I remember…"

"Oh you remember that, but not me. I'm hurt," Lance snorted.

There is a long pause and then Lance feels Keith's pinky finger lightly brush over his palm, "I remember you…"

"What?" he couldn't believe his ears, "You do?"

"Yeah."

"But you said you didn't remember it at all."

"I lied."

Lance made a kind of insulted noise from the back of his throat, "Why?"

"I didn't know what to say to you," Keith mumbled in frustration "Everything was crazy and I didn't expect to find Shiro there- and then you showed up out of nowhere."

"Excuses-" Lance reached forward and blindly swatted his face. He is quietly glad.

Keith grunts, "Stop hitting me,"

Lance hit him again. Keith pinched his nose. "Ow!" they swatted at each other violently for a while before exhaustion hit them like a bus. Keith had been the first to fall asleep and Lance found himself laying there… listening to him breath.

"Keith?" He asked softly to make sure he was asleep. There was no reply. After a few seconds, a gentle exhale confirmed that this Red paladin was lights out.

Lance chuckled a little. He never thought he would be sharing a bed with Keith Kogane. It was an odd thought.

When he was younger he used to share his bed with everyone. With so many people in the house, they had to squeeze together sometimes and Lance often bedbunked with his cousins or older siblings.

Sleeping next to another person was normal for Lance.

But- that probably wasn't the case for Keith, was it?

It made Lance wonder… had Keith always been alone? And not just in the fact that he didn't have parents. Besides Shiro, Lance had never known Keith to have any other friends. He was always by himself…

Perhaps that is why Lance kind of- how to say this? He... cherished the moments he could show Keith affection. It was kind of weird, but Lance liked being able to reach out and hold Keith's hand. Being able to hug him and lean into him throughout the day if something happened.

And perhaps that is why Keith never pushed it away because- well, he cherished it just as much.

Lance hoped he did at least.

Grabbing the edges of the covers, Lance pulled them up a little more, tucking Keith in. "Good night," with an odd urge surging in his cut, Lance took a chance. Sucking in a breath he kissed Keith's forehead and laid back down.

…. Covering his face with his hands, he mentally screamed.

He wanted to do it again.

What was wrong with him?