Beyond the Veil (Threw My eyes book 2)

Back in my arms

Later that night, after the joyous celebrations and heartfelt reunions, Keith and Lance finally found a moment alone.

They lay curled up in Lance's spacious king-sized bed, surrounded by the quiet comfort of the night.

The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over them.

Keith absentmindedly played with Lance's tail, his fingers tracing the soft fur in soothing, repetitive strokes.

For a while, they just lay there in silence, savoring the peace and the warmth of each other's presence.

 But the tranquility was a fragile thing, easily shattered by the weight of unspoken fears and the shadows of past anguish.

Keith's heart was heavy with all the things he hadn't said, the fears he'd kept locked away.Finally, he broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Lance... I've been so scared."

Lance turned his head to look at Keith, his blue eyes soft and understanding as he met the violet eyes he missed dearly. "I know, Keith. I know."

Keith's fingers tightened around Lance's tail, the words tumbling out now that the dam had broken. "I thought you were dead. I thought I'd lost you forever. It felt like there was this hole inside me that nothing could fill. Every day, every night... it was like a part of me was missing."

Lance reached up and cupped Keith's face with his hand, his thumb brushing away a tear that Keith hadn't realized was there. "I'm here now," he said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Keith closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. "I kept seeing you," he confessed, his voice trembling. "In reflections, in dreams... Sometimes, I'd catch a glimpse of you out of the corner of my eye, and when I'd turn around, you'd be gone. I thought I was going crazy. I thought... I thought maybe I wanted to see you so badly that my mind was playing tricks on me."

Lance's expression turned pained, his own tears glistening in the moonlight. "You weren't crazy, Keith. You really did see me. I was trying to reach out to you, but I couldn't do it often. It took so much energy, and it was like being trapped in a fog. But I tried, Keith. I tried so hard to let you know that I was still here, that I was still with you."

Keith's breath hitched, and he buried his face in the crook of Lance's neck. "I missed you so much," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Every single day, I missed you."

Lance held him tightly, his own tears mingling with Keith's. "I missed you too," he whispered back. "More than you can imagine. But we found our way back to each other. We're together now, and nothing can take that away from us."

Keith clung to Lance, the reality of his presence finally sinking in. "I was so scared," he repeated, the words a mantra of release. "I didn't know if I could keep going without you."

"But you did," Lance murmured, his voice filled with pride and love. "You did, Keith. You kept fighting, you kept going. And that's why we're here now. Because you never gave up."

Keith pulled back slightly to look into Lance's eyes, his own gaze intense and filled with emotion. "I love you, Lance. I don't think I ever told you that enough. I love you so much."

Lance smiled through his tears, his heart swelling with the same fierce emotion. "I love you too, Keith. More than anything. And I'm never letting you go again."

They kissed then, a tender, lingering kiss that spoke of all the words they couldn't say, all the emotions too deep to be expressed in mere language.

When they finally pulled apart, they rested their foreheads together, breathing in each other's presence.

"We have so much to catch up on," Keith said, a small, watery laugh escaping him. "So much to talk about."

Lance chuckled softly, the sound a balm to Keith's soul. "We have all the time in the world now," he said. "And we'll take it one step at a time. Together."

Keith nodded, feeling a sense of peace settle over him. "Together," he echoed.

They lay there for a while longer, wrapped in each other's arms, feeling the bond between them strengthen with every heartbeat.

As sleep finally began to claim them, Keith whispered one last time, "I love you."

Lance's reply was a soft murmur, filled with the promise of tomorrow. "I love you too, Keith. Always."

Keith chuckled, remembering another amusing incident involving Pidge and Hunk. "Oh, and you won't believe what happened when Pidge decided to test a new gadget they'd been working on."

Lance raised an eyebrow, a playful grin tugging at his lips. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but do tell."

"Well," Keith began, trying to stifle his laughter, "Pidge invented this device that was supposed to translate animal sounds into human speech. They were so excited to try it out that they went to the castle's garden to test it on the mice."

Lance's eyes widened with curiosity. "Did it work?"

Keith shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "Not exactly. Instead of translating the mouse squeaks into coherent words, it started spouting random phrases in Altean."

Lance burst out laughing, imagining the scene. "So, what did the mice end up saying?"

Keith grinned mischievously. "Oh, you know, just typical Altean phrases like 'May your quintessence guide you' and 'By the light of Altea.' The mice looked utterly confused."

Lance laughed harder, picturing the bewildered mice trying to make sense of the sudden outburst of Altean wisdom. "Leave it to Pidge to turn a simple experiment into an Altean language lesson for mice."

Keith nodded, his laughter joining Lance's. "Exactly. Hunk was there too, trying to calm the mice down and reassure them that they weren't being invaded by Altean spirits."

Lance wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "I wish I could have seen that. It sounds hilarious."

"It was," Keith agreed, his smile lingering.

They lay there, the laughter fading into a comfortable silence and they soon drifted off to sleep, the warmth of their love and the comfort of each other's presence guiding them into a dreamless night.