Sparkle Eyes For You (Klance)

Part 19

"Man, I thought he'd never leave," Lance groaned, flopping back into the bed as the door slid shut, letting in a draft of cool air. It seemed like there was more building—or whatever they were in—outside, and some sort of purification process for fresh air, which was why he wasn't dying every time the door opened. Knowing there wasn't instant pain outside made him feel safe and protected in the warm, glowing room, with Keith.

"Yeah, I guess I should've warned you," Keith chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "That guy's...kinda intense. Do you feel any better?"

Lance a hand over his face, surprised to find it still and steady. "Y-Yeah, actually. I dunno what was in those potions, but I guess it worked."

"That's good." Keith scooted closer, fingers reaching through the covers toward his hand. "I'm glad you're okay," he added after a few seconds of silence.

Lance smiled lightly, dropping his hand next to Keith's before spider-crawling it over his, intertwining their fingers. Kieth's fingers were surprisingly thin, but strong as they flipped his hand over, toying absentmindedly with his palm in a way that slightly tickled, bringing him again back to memories he'd long forgotten of his mother doing the same thing—brushing long fingers over his tiny hands, the flowery smell of her perfume mixing with the sweet springtime air and her kind, smiling face over his, shading him from the bright light above and all the worry and pain in the world, even if just for a moment. Those memories were so precious, yet he'd almost forgotten them. It was like the longer he was away from his family, the further his thoughts were as well.

"Lance?" Keith's voice was gentle and worried, and he was confused for a second until he felt the heat in his eyes spill over and down his cheek. Wiping at his eyes, he hurriedly sat up, their hands disconnecting, and stared at the ceiling, trying to keep any more tears from falling. How embarrassing.

"Do you ever miss Earth?" he whispered hoarsely, not looking back.

Keith sat up as well, and he could see his worried expression out of the corner of his eye. "Uh...Sometimes?"

Lance chuckled halfheartedly. "You don't have to lie. Well, I guess you don't have a lot to miss there, huh?"

"Gee, thanks."

"That wasn't a jab."

"Oh. Sorry...Were you remembering Earth?"

He sniffed, blinking hard and trying to get ahold of himself. "Y-Yeah. Just...I have no idea when I'll see my mom again, and...and my little siblings. All of them, there, together, while I'm out here, so far away." He almost added 'alone', but decided against it. Keith's expression saddened, and he wondered if he'd caught the implications anyway.

"You'll see them again." Keith reached over and squeezed one of his hands, which he hadn't even realized were clenched into fists. "For now, just think about what would happen if you weren't here. You're the pilot of the blue lion. The only pilot. Like, Earth would've been destroyed if we hadn't left then. We had no choice."

"Wh-hat?" Lance laughed, the strange mood slowly lifting. "Was that supposed to be supportive? 'We had literally no choice'?"

Keith flushed, scoffing: "I'm not good at encouraging speeches, okay? Sorry."

"I feel very encouraged," he assured him sweetly, flipping his hand over and weaving their fingers together. All the warmth and happiness of the moment pulled him forward at the same time as Keith leaned in, and their lips connected, warm breath mixing between them. It was more passionate than their last kiss, and Lance felt his heartbeat jump into his throat, like it wanted to walk the bridge between their mouths to give Keith's heart a hug. He leaned further, pushing Keith over onto the bed, which was surprisingly squishy, now that he realized it. The sweet air heated around them as their bodies tangled together, hands running over each other.