Among Others

Blue // 7

First chapter with Lance's point of view!

Short, though.

O O O

"Fifty nine, sixty, sixty one, sixty... two? Sixty five? No wait, sixty four. No... Goddammit!"

I roll over to my back and stare up at the ceiling, trying to count the stars only to get to a maximum of sixty seven and then messing all the numbers up. I'm annoyed, tired and most of all distracted and I can't sleep. My face feels dry, and it must be because I forgot to put on my face mask. But I'm too tired to do it now and the whole process is just annoying, especially when I'm annoyed.

"Stupid mullet, stupid emo jerk, stupid Keith", I mutter to myself and toss and turn on my bed, trying to shake away the thought of the red paladin. "It's your fault I can't sleep, you idiot."

But I know it isn't, and that's what bugs me. I hate to think about him and his lips forming spanish words and his stupid mullet hair and emo behaviour and his mysteriousness making me want to flip through his pages and read his whole story. I hate how he can be contained for so long with me annoying him but then suddenly lash out on me.

And most of all I hate how I actually want to annoy him. Just to get his attention. I wonder what would happen if we both just ignored each other, if I let him be. Keith would for sure be lackadaisical with me, maybe not hate me but not think anything high of me. We would be like two dudes saying hi to each other in the schools corridors but nothing more.

I want him to be annoyed with me. That shows he actually cares, right? If he didn't he would for sure just ignore me but his is the best I can get. Even if he wants to punch me and wish for me to never speak again.

I sigh long and loudly, scratching my head while sitting up, a slight dizziness making my body sway and making me see everything wryly. My feet meat the cold floor and I quickly put on my blue lion slippers and stand up to go out of my blue lit up room.

I don't know where I'm planning to go, but suddenly I'm standing in front of Keith's room, nervously tapping my foot and looking around me like some monster would kill me. Or maybe Zarkong would pop out of a corner with his hideous face killing me with its uglyness.

I knock at Keith's room before I think and I don't have time to panic over my own actions when his doors open after a very short time. Keith looks surprised to see me but he for sure doesn't look like he just woke up. More like very sleepy.
Couldn't he sleep again? It's not the first time I find myself wondering if he even gets enough sleep or if most of his nights consist of either hard training or staring at his dagger in his room. Me myself I think I get enough sleep, at least, but it's recently I'm getting less because of either thinking about Earth or Keith. But I always calm myself down thinking about what Keith said in the control room.

Sigh. What happened to my beauty sleep?

"What are you doing here?" Keith asks and his voice is husky, low. I feel a wave of warmth splash over me and it makes me flush fiercely. I appreciate it's too dark to see the red color on my face.

"I couldn't sleep", I admit and look into his eyes. They're even darker now, and I didn't think it was possible. There is a shadow of some dark emotion laying over his eyes and now he warmth has spread itself to my stomach, making me feel groggy. It must be the sleepiness making me feel this.

Or maybe it's just Keith?

"And you think I care?" Keith yawns and almost trigger my own yawn to reveal my true tiredness. Keith rub his eyes while bringing his lower lip forward and I almost faint by over-cuteness. "At least you have a window. Go count the stars or something."

"I tried, but I still can't get to sleep." And you keep bugging my mind. "Can't I stay here a little and maybe I'll get tired by your gay talk."

"Gay talk? You want to talk?" Keith looks irritated but not like he's about to close the doors any second. "And if anyone's gay, it's definitely you. You're so... girly."

"Rude", I say and suddenly start to question my sexuality. "But what do you say? Just talking like normal dudes."

Keith roll his eyes and run his hands slowly through his raven hair, closing his eyes for a moment. I look at his biceps flex and my whole body is screaming. There is no denial now. Keith is hot.

"Just a little", he says and when he sees my satisfied smile he quickly adds: "But just because I can't sleep too and your talk will probably be boring enough to lull me to sleep."

"Whatever you say, mullet", I tease while he let's me inside and press the botten to close his doors. "I bet you love my voice and want to listen to it all the time."

"Keep telling yourself that", he grumbles and his voice is so low but still smooth, literally driving me nuts. I sit down on his bed, which I can proudly call familiar and wait for him to sit down next to me, leaving a generous amount of space between us. I don't hesitate to close the little gap between us until there is just a thin strip of air between us. I can hear him suck in a deep breath and sit very still, and it makes be satisfied to know I'm the reason he's reacting this way. We both must be drunk by the tiredness.

"What do you want to talk about?" Keith asks so quietly I almost think I imagined him saying that. His low voice fills the room in a comforting manner, already making my eyes flutter.

"You", I mumble and whatever shyness I had just now is thrown out into open space.

"What about me?" His voice sounds muffled and far away, and I know I can fall asleep any second.

"You're so mysterious. I want to know more about you." I lean my head on his shoulder and regret nothing, appreciating the heat he's radiating. I can feel him get stiff and hold his breath, and I suck in a deep breath to sniff his smell. It smells like.... Keith. Just... Keith. It's almost like the fresh air you smell when it's snowing, mixed with a little tint of smoke. It's an amazing smell and I find myself being engulfed in his scent.

This is what friends do, right? Talking to each other at night to go sleep and lean on each others shoulders and smelling their amazing scent?

"I would rather stick to mysterious", Keith says breathlessly, like he's having a hard time speaking. I'm surprised he hasn't pushed me away by now. But we're both simply sleepy and can't care much.

Or is there something more?

"Why?" I struggle to say, my lips almost giving up in parting. They feel swollen.

"You never know who might stab you in the back. Anyone you get attached to can betray you", he says and I don't know if his voice is deeper because of the seriousness or the tiredness. "It's better if people know as little about you as possible."

I close my eyes for a second but can't open them again. My whole body seems heavy, wanting to fall against Keith's mattress and never come back up. His shoulder is like meant for my head to lean on and the steady heave and sink of it makes me slowly drift off to sleep. I can feel Keith all around me, and it comforts me.

"I would never betray you", is the last thing I whisper before I feel my body sink and my head hit the pillow, always having this warmth and the smell of Keith around me.

O O O

The bonding moment just go to a much higher level.