Hidden Messages [Klance AU]

14: Swimming Lessons

"—eith! Keith! Wake up!"

Keith grunted as he felt a weight land on his stomach. He groaned, sleepiness entering his body. The day before was spent in town, and Lance had a late shift which Keith joined him for. They arrived home late and a little tipsy(luckily only that). Keith was still exhausted though, largely from the amount of socializing he had done the day before. He wasn't very used to having people to talk to. It was kind of nice.

Groaning sleepily, Keith attempted to push Lance off of him. The latter let out a laugh as he fell onto the floor.

"What was that for?!" Lance shouted through stifled laughter.

"You jumped on top of me!" Keith shouted back. He let a few giggles escape, which then turned into full out laughter. Only when he accidentally snorted did he stop.

"What was that?!"

"N-Nothing." Keith's face flushed from embarrassment. He glanced at Lance, who was still on the floor. The latter's hair was a tangled mess and he was covered in a tangled mess of blankets and the pillow that Keith threw at him.

"What?" Lance said, having seen Keith watching him.

"You look ridiculous."

"Oh really?" Lance raised an eyebrow, "Not as ridiculous as you though." Keith gasped dramatically and moved his hands through his hair.

"Okay, okay. Why did you jump on me anyways?" A wide smile appeared on Lance's face.

"Oh! Right," he announced as he grabbed Keith's wrist and dragged him up and out of the room.

Keith almost fell down the stairs Lance was going so fast, but he managed to catch himself before he fell into sand. He blinked as he oriented himself.

"Why... are we here?" He asked Lance.

"To help you! With, you know, your..." Lance paused, "fear."

Oh.

"C'mon, Keith! It'll be fun!" Lance squeezed Keith's hand and flashed a soft smile at him. "I'll help you overcome it."

"I guess..." Keith wasn't convinced.

"Great!" Lance gripped Keith's hand and pulled him closer to the water. The latter froze before they got too close.

Lance looked back. He smiled warmly, hoping to calm Keith's nerves.

"It's okay. Look, the water's not that bad." The tan boy waded into the water, only going up to his ankles. He winced, greatly hoping that he wouldn't turn into his true self.

Phew. It must have just been if he was completely covered in water, or at least most of his body. Lance splashed a bit and flashed a smile at Keith.

"See?"

Keith forced a small smile, though he was still nervous. Was this really a good idea? He'd avoided the ocean for so long that he wasn't sure if trying to go back would help or just make everything worse. He knew what he'd seen that night— the night his brother was taken. He knew that there were creatures under those waves that Lance couldn't even imagine.

Keith jumped when he felt contact against his hands. Lance was now next to him, grasping Keith's hands in his and holding them up to his heart.

"Trust me," he whispered, his eyes shimmering with adoration.

As if being tugged on by Lance's voice, Keith nodded and slowly took steps towards the water. With Lance's hand in his, he felt more secure. Their hands seemed to intertwine perfectly, as if they were meant to fit together.