Being Awake (Klance) [Voltron WA 2017]

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Keith walked out of his room, wearing his jacket and feeling normal. He felt fine: his head was no longer woozy and he felt like he could run a mile now. He felt great being awake again, but at what cost?

He walked into the main room and everyone was so happy to see him again. They called his name and rushed to him.

"Keith!" Allura cried. As she got closer, Keith could see tears in her eyes. She jumped into Keith's arms and Keith reluctantly hugged her back. "Oh, Keith!" She cried, "I'm sorry this had to happen because of me!"

"It's not your fault," Keith replied. He let go of her and looked into her worried eyes. "It's my fault for running off in the first place...I was being selfish." At his last word, he looked past Allura to catch a glimpse of Lance. To his disappointment, Lance wasn't even looking at him.

"How are you feeling!?" Hunk exclaimed in a panic stricken voice. "Are you sure you can stand!?"

Keith put on his best smile for his friends. "Yeah, I'm fine. I feel so great that I could run a marathon right now." As if by instinct, he looked to Lance again, expecting a snarky reply to his comment. But again, Lance was ignoring him.

"We're so happy to have you back," Pidge chirped in with a smile. "We thought we'd have to save the universe without you!"

Everyone except Lance laughed at her words.

Shiro put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Just remember that you're not alone, Keith. Whatever it was you dreamt about, just know that in reality, we're here for you."

Keith felt his chest grow heavy at his words. "Thank you, Shiro..." He nodded. It was like Shiro could read his mind. How did he know that he was feeling lonely because of his dream? How did Shiro know?

"Lance!" Allura's voice interrupted Keith's thoughts.

At the sound of his name, Keith jerked his head up and looked to where he was.

Allura was standing close by Lance and from what Keith could tell from the way Lance rubbed his arm, Allura elbowed him.

"What!?" Lance exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "I was there when he woke up, okay? I don't need to say anything!" He crossed his arms and turned away from Keith's direction, further making Keith feel bad for his dream.

Keith watched carefully, but Lance wasn't giving anything away. Allura, however, looked at Lance with confusion in her eyes. When she turned and locked eyes with Keith, Keith couldn't look away anymore.

After a second, Keith looked down to the floor with a sad smile. "Let's get back to our mission, guys..." And with that, he walked off towards the dinning hall.

~~

It would take them a few days to get to the next planet. Keith figured that the entire situation would blow over and he'd go back to being how he was: not facing his emotions and just burying them away inside. Things were easier when he and Lance fought all the time. It was easier to bicker with Lance and continue to be stubborn with him. Why did his subconscious have to bring these new feelings to the surface? He never knew that he was capable of feeling these things.

Keith sat in the dining hall alone, eating a plate of goo while looking out a window at the vast galaxy. The stars seemed so bright, but yet he knew they were far away. "Being awake is so difficult," He muttered to himself as he crossed his arms across the table and let out a sigh. He also never knew he could let his emotions control him this way. All his life, he was used to hiding everything. He was used to being alone. He was used to handling things independently. But now he relied on his friends. He relied on Lance's confidence and determination. He relied on Lance being there to remind him how to have fun or show some sign of being alive. He never used to allow himself to think about Lance. Or even think about love at all. Did he love Lance truly or--