Klance: "Like hell were going to share a bed."

Chapter Nine: Someone needs comforting UwU

    Keith was hacking away at a massive blue monster with solid black eyes. It slashed at him with quantities of long, furry arms with deadly hooks protruding from the ends of its, uh tentacles...? (Stop getting ideas. I kno u r) There were so many. As Keith slashed an arm to the ground with his Galran blade, another one grew in its place. One of them lashed out past his defenses and darted across his check with a stinging slap, drawing a thin line of blood. Keith grunted, blinking the red pouring over his vision. The monster took his opportunity of weakness and wrapped it's arms around his middle in a bone-crushing embrace. Keith gasped for air, flailing uselessly and stabbing at the arms with his knife, which shattered on impact. He felt his vision grow grayer, and grayer, and darker and into the blackness and then...

    Keith's eyes snapped open and he gasped. As his vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings he realized that it was not a bone-crushing monster's tentacle wrapped around his waist. It was a pair of two, tan rather lanky arms. Lance was clinging to him, face buried in his chest as he murmured a string of urgent yet unintelligible words. The blood rose heatedly to his cheeks as he felt Lance's warmth seep into his. Of course his room was quite low lit and the blush was unnoticeable in the dark, but Keith still felt embarrassed.

    Should he wake the guy? Keith wasn't sure, Lance seemed quite comfortable, but as the seconds drawled on, something seemed off to Keith. It was not a usual babble of sleep talk. It seemed harsh and upset. Keith lay frozen, staring down at Lance's ruffled, tangled hair. He felt embarrassed, and Lance probably would too, if he woke up with his arms around Keith. It'll probably stop in a couple minutes. Go back to sleep Keith. Keith chided himself.

    Keith did not, rather-could not fall asleep. Lance's slurred dream words suddenly shifted into an onslaught of rapid Spanish which Keith could make no sense of. But his words were more teary. Was he really crying? He was hurriedly muttering something about amore and family, over and over and over and over and over and over. Soon, it got to the point where Keith felt his shirt begin to dampen. Lance was crying. (Damn I'm really writing angst here, tf?) And his cries were on the brink of turning into sobs as his hold on Keith tightened.

    And then Keith couldn't take it anymore. He returned the crushing hug and gathered Lance closer, in an attempt at comforting him. He knew when someone was hurting, especially because he'd been in that same position before. Relief flooded over Keith when Lance's gradually settled down and his breathing slowed. Everything was perfect now, everyone was okay.

    Keith shut his eyes and gradually began to drift off when Lance's voice croaked hoarsely, muffled against his shirt.

    "Keith?"

    Keith's eyes shot open and he tentatively looked down at Lance. It was pitch black and impossible to see Lance, even when he raised his head.

    "What is it Lance?" Keith replied. His mind was racing. Should he tell Lance? Would Lance...hate him for it?

    "Sorry," Lance murmured, and Keith felt his arms retract from his waist and the other boy sit up, pulling the covers off with him.

    "Sorry for what?" Keith asked, feigning a yawn and stretching.

    "Bothering you."

    Keith was at a loss.

    "B-Bothering?" He spluttered.

    "You aren't bothering me!" He retorted. Lance snorted.

    "Me? Not bothering another living soul with my obnoxious sobbing? (Its more likely than you think) Yeah, okay Kogane," Lance shot back. It was clearly meant to be stronger, but it came out sort of weepy. Keith was unfazed.

    "It's really not bothering me," Keith insisted. He heard Lance's feet hit the floor.

    "No, I woke you. I'm sorry, I'm going back to my room. I shoudn't be crying like a little kid anyways," Lance muttered and Keith heard his footsteps across the floor.
Keith did not take any of it. In a flash, he too was standing up and he blindly grabbed Lance's arm in the darkness.

    "Come back, I want you to. We don't have to talk about it but you don't have to attempt to sneak past Shiro's room if you stay here," Keith insisted. He gently tugged at Lance's arm and he obliged as Keith led him back to the warm sheets. It was quiet, as neither of them spoke. They were back to the old positions, Lance back to Keith and Keith back to Lance. Keith waited for Lance to fall back asleep and make sure he didn't leave. He listened keenly to Lance's breathing but it never deepened. Keith was have convinced he was just going to leave once Keith fell asleep.

    But after a few minutes of silence, a ruffling of sheets came and Lance prodded Keith's back. He turned over.
    
    "Can I? Uh...I mean-would it be alright with you...if-um-"

    "Is the great Lance McLain at a loss for words?" Keith teased, grumbly.

    "Shut up. I just wanted to know if it was all right, if...I-uh huggedyouagainbecausethatalwayshelpedmeasachildfallasleepwithnightmaresbutitsokayifyoureuncomfortablebecaueidontwanttobotheryou," Lance blurted out, too fast for Keith's already half asleep brain to process.

    "Eh?"

    "Can I hug you?"

    "Go for it," Keith made a vague gesture with his arm. Lance sheepishly tucked his arms around Keith again, sort of tentatively, leaving a good space for Jesus between them. Keith was minorly annoyed.

    "Don't be a chicken Lance."
He then proceeded to pull Lance closer into the exact hugging pose they were in before. Soon, they both relaxed and fell asleep with ease.

Skidaddle skadition I forgot all about writing this damn fanfiction. Apologies fellas. I'll get to work on the next chapter sometime soon.