•Crowns And Arrows• [Klance]

Till Death Do Us Part

"...Here is the place where I love you," Lance finished singing, slowly and quietly, once he'd successfully lulled his lover to sleep. "Sweet dreams, amor," he whispered, taking a deep breath and looking up in the dark. He'd done it. He'd helped the prince to sleep, and now it was just him.

He was alone.

The hunter spent the remaining night with himself and his thoughts, feeling the hours go by without sleeping at all. He found himself unable to, with such a crushing event ahead of them. He wondered how he'd be able to keep it together at the ceremony or if he would be able to smile for Keith at all. His endless positivity might not be as endless as he'd thought, and his body might not be strong enough to carry both of their emotional weight. Hunting thoughts slowly helped him crumble with each passing hour. And to think after that night he'd have to stand still to his soulmate kissing the man who'd offered him to...
...

A single pair of tears rolled down those olive colored cheeks somewhere in the night, silent enough not to disturb the sleeping boy on his chest. Enough to be forgotten and allow Keith those hours of peace while they lasted. And so, before morning arrived, the brunette moved with the utmost care and off the bed, changing on his pitch black attire and putting on his gear, hood over his chocolate curls. He reset his tired and grim expression, inhaling deeply before silently approaching the sleeping prince and crouching next to him with a smile.

"Babe, sun's almost up. I'm gonna climb down," he whispered carefully, trying his best to block tears from gathering on his eyes again. Now was not the best time. He gently brushed his lover's dark strands of hair, wondering if it would be better to just leave without waking him up. He looked deeply asleep. Lance didn't feel worthy of ruining that for him, but he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye either.

The fantasy of his beautiful, sunny meadow with Lance had lasted for hours, and then the sun faded. The heat slipped away into the distance, fleeing over the fields, leaving Keith to shiver and turn to Lance for safety. Lance was gone.

Keith shocked awake with the uncomfortable, looming sense of wrongness, hanging over him, though it took him a moment to realise where it came from. Lance was gone. Keith felt around himself desperately, searching for his lover, but only finding disappointment. Had Lance left?

His violet eyes flashed open, and fell upon the ones right next to him. Lance. Still here. But.. "You're leaving already?" he croaked, voice heavy with sleep and emotion. He looked out the balcony doors, scanning for signs of the sun, but found none. Right, Lance had to leave early today. Lance had to leave, and he couldn't return.

Keith sat up in the bed and grabbed Lance's hand, sleep quickly fading away, leaving only feelings and no proper barrier to hold them back. "I don't... I can't... Please-" Keith cut himself off. No, this wasn't the time. Asking Lance to stay now wouldn't only be wrong, it would be impossible. It would get them both killed. And yet, he wanted to ask for just a few more minutes, a little while longer to spend with his soulmate, to not be alone.

His gaze fell down, cradling Lance's hand like it was the only part of Lance he was allowed to hold. And even that would be taken from him.

"I'm sorry. I know you have to..." He sighed. "Good luck today." Good luck watching me marry your worst enemy. "And... I'll try to find you as soon as I can. Maybe not today, but..." Every sentence felt worse than the previous,  like he was digging a hole all the way down to reality. The pink shades mirrored on the low horizon brought Keith out of his downwards spiral, and he squeezed Lances hand tightly. "I love you, okay. We've been through a lot together, and we'll get through this too."

He cupped Lances face and stroked a quivering thumb over his cheek, just under his dead looking eyes. "Did you sleep at all?" he asked worriedly. Why would his hunter stay awake all night? He had a job too, he needed energy. He shook his head defeatedly, then attempted to give Lance a smile, tilting his head. "Give me a kiss?" he breathed, leaving out the word he dreaded the most. A kiss goodbye.