H O M E S I C K - Voltron Zombie Apocalypse AU

6

Hey guys. Quick thing before we start. I've officially entered this story in the Wattys. I let you guys decide, and I'll admit I set the minimum pretty high for a story with such little attention. But you voted, and you got what you wanted. So wish me good luck a guess. Here's the new chapter you guys have been deprived of for so long.

Keith awoke from his sleep shivering in fear, a queasy feeling booming in his stomach. His eyes were bulged and red from sleep deprivation. The sun was a quarter way risen, and as he looked around he noticed that everyone else was fast asleep. He pushed his blanket and sheets down and began moving to his left to retrieve his phone. He extended his foot forward from his crouched position, remembering suddenly that the bed was inflatable as his foot sunk into the squishy, half-deflated surface. He reached over, grabbed his phone, and moved back to the center of the bed slowly, trying not to wake the others with the noise of plastic squishing around. He pressed the home button, a blue glow slightly blinding his eyes. The time read 5:53 AM. He had gone to sleep a little less than a half an hour ago. But this was typical for him. Ever since the apocalypse started he had nightmares whenever he tried to rest. He practically thrived on black coffee now, something he used to absolutely hate due to the bitter taste. The bags under his eyes proved him restless, and no amount of sleeping medications could help. He had nobody to go to. He couldn't trust the strangers around him with all his secrets. Especially the ones lurking in his dark dreams. His brother, the only family he has left, is nowhere to be found. But even if Keith's brother was alongside him in this moment, he seriously doubts he would even trust him with such topics. Keith decides to go back to sleep, even though he knows what monstrosities await him in his dreamscape.

Keith wakes up several more times, finally deciding to give in the fourth or fifth time. He woke up roughly two hours later to the sound of sizzling and the smell of food. Whatever it was, it smelled homey, and it calmed his senses a little bit. He looked around once again, noticing this time that Lance and Coran were awake. Everyone else was still sleeping, though.

Keith rose from his bed and began walking towards the source of the smell. He was met with a clever contraption. A frying pan placed on a rack with three heat guns duct taped together facing upward towards the pan. Inside the frying pan were scrambled eggs. Lance had been responsible for this. He turned around to face Keith, a spatula in hand. He was wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles apron.

"Oh it's just you," Lance exclaimed, relaxing his posture. "You scared me for a minute. I heard footsteps behind me and freaked when I realized I didn't have a weapon. I almost threw a heat gun at you." He pointed to the heat guns under the frying pan. He was clearly serious about that.

Lance averted his vision to Keith's face, noticing how drained of energy he was. His face adorned a look of concern. "Keith, what's up with you." He asked, lowering his voice.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Why?" Keith muttered.

"You clearly aren't fine, look at you!" Lance began squeezing, squishing and pulling at every part of Keith's face. "You have bags under your eyes, you certainly don't sound fine and," his eyes widened even more- if that was possible- "Are you shaking? Oh my god you're shaking. Dude what's up with you?"

Keith swatted Lance's hands away from his face. He walked towards the only coffee brewing machine that was plugged in, turning it on.

"I'm fine, really." He repeated.

"When I woke up earlier I saw you curled up in a fetal position under your blanket, shaking and crying in your sleep. You are not okay, Keith." Lance said, crossing his arms. Keith ignored him as he sat down at the table, waiting for his coffee to brew. Lance pulled up a chair and sat next to Keith. His voice softened a bit and he put his hand on Keith's shoulder.

"Seriously, man. If you need to talk, I'm here. I know I'm not family and you've really only known me for a week, but I won't tell. All of this was so sudden and every one of us is struggling with our own personal stuff. You don't have to suffer alone."

Lance's sudden change in tone surprised Keith as he soon began to tear up at Lance's words. He never really took the time to sit down and process everything that happened this past week. It only just now occurred to him that the world was plagued by cannibalistic cancer patients. It had only just occurred that the world will never be the same. Everything he would have to do would be for him and his team. He never realized until now that the day of the apocalypse might have been the last day he'll ever see his brother. He's still in shock from the fate of his mother. And so he accepts that he is weak, and when Lance pulls him in for a hug, he doesn't decline. He wraps his arm around him, glad that he has someone that he might be able to trust.

Suddenly, a sound similar to that of a kettle ruins the moment. And at the same time the coffee machine beeps. Lance raises his head to look behind him. He gets up with a jolt. "Shit, the eggs are burning!" Keith gets up awkwardly, startled. "Uh, my coffee's done." Keith goes to grab his coffee, softly smiling to himself at the thought of the hug. He decided to wait before sipping it to avoid burning his tongue. As he turns towards the table, Lance turns towards him, a plate of slightly blackened eggs in his hand. They both share a look. They're not sure what it means, but Keith soon dismisses it as he sees Coran prancing towards them, his face shiny, and his facial hair completely gone.

"How do I look, boys?" He asks, striking a confident pose.

Keith and Lance share a different kind of look after seeing this.