Ruby and Saphire : Voltron:LD Klance

Fifty-Nine

Shiro hummed to himself, absent-mindedly wandering the halls. He halted beside the commons room doors, glancing at the light shining through the cracks beneath the doors. Shiro hesitated a moment, then stepped inside.

The black paladin jerked, eyes widening as the paladin on the sofa scrambled to his feet and gasped, cheeks blotched red and eyes bloodshot.

"Lance? What- what are you doing in here?" Shiro made sure the door shut before hurrying down to the younger paladin.

Lance gulped and panted, averting his gaze. He quickly started rubbing his eyes and cheeks. "N-nothing... No. I-I wasn't doing... Anything..."

Shiro stared, then sighed softly. "Oh... Oh, Lance... You can't sleep." The blue paladin looked away. "I can't, either, buddy." He sat down and gestured to the cushion beside him.

The younger paladin hesitated, then slowly sat beside his leader. Shiro gently pat Lance's back.

"I know... I know, Lance." Shiro looked down to the floor. "I understand. I don't completely understand everything you went through. I don't know everything they did to you. I just know that... That we both were experiments to the Galra. We were both... Basically dissected by them." Lance cringed, but then slowly nodded.

Shiro breathed deeply. "The nightmares are too much, aren't they? Too real."

Lance nodded again, his watery eyes searching the room. "I hate... I hate seeing or hearing something that reminds me... It just... It all comes so fast that I can't... I can't breathe. Hearing Rosie cry... The training deck and the alarms... Sometimes even Keith's voice scares me..."

The black paladin breathed lowly through his nose. "I noticed... Lance, this isn't something we're taking lightly. We're trying to work through things to help you."

"I know." Lance swallowed thickly and rubbed his face. "Holding Pike... Pike helps... He wasn't in there. They didn't know so I know this is real because there's Pike. I didn't have to watch him die at all. I didn't hear him screaming or crying. I didn't see his blood cover the floor or the wall... They didn't use him to hurt me, so seeing Pike... Hearing him helps. Holding him helps. Holding all of them helps. If I touched the illusions, they'd glitch and disappear."

Shiro studied Lance for a moment. "Then hold Keith's hand as often as you need to. Hold Pike and Rosie until you're sure they're safe and you're no where near that prison. On the training deck, breathe and find something different. Find something safe and familiar. Something that won't disappear when you touch it."

The blue paladin looked up at Shiro, then smiled softly. "Thanks..."

The older hummed. "Try and get some rest. If you need to in here, that's fine. Does Keith know you're in here?"

Lance shook his head, looking back down. "No. He fell asleep and then I left."

Shiro rubbed Lance's back and stood. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good."

"We're here to help you, Lance." Shiro affectionately ruffled Lance's hair. Lance swatted at him, but smiled. "Try and get some rest. We still need you."

~

Keith sat on the edge of the sofa, twisted to look down at Lance and carding his fingers through Lance's shaggy hair. When he came into the commons looking for Lance, the blue paladin was panicky and writhing as if in pain. Now he was relaxed, breathing steadily with his head on Keith's thigh, arm hooked loosely over Keith's hips.

The red paladin frowned, pinching a lock of silver and dark chestnut. Keith combed through Lance's hair, brushing it back out of his face. Hos frown deepened, running the pad of his thumb over a thin, small scar cutting upwards just above Lance's brow.

Keith trailed the tips of his fingers down the side of Lance's face to another unfamiliar scar on Lance's jaw. This one was longer, hooking under his jaw and trailing up to Lance's chin, but thinner and less noticeable.

Keith swallowed thickly and bit his lip, brushing his thumb under the dark bags beneath Lance's eyes.

"Oh, Lance..."

Lance sniffed and shuffled, then buried his face into Keith's lower abdomen. Keith smiled fondly, returning his fingers to Lance's hair. "Lance... Lance you selfless dork. I love you so much."

The blue paladin hummed in his sleep, holding Keith tighter before relaxing again and returning to the most peaceful sleep he's had in a long time.

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733 words

Sorry for not posting in so long. :P I've been super busy. Too busy. I'm so tired and practically half dead.