Bloody Texas

We've Gotta Stop Meeting Like This

Lance was hooked up to so many wires he looked half-robot. His messy hair was wrapped in a white bandage to cover up the surgery leftovers. When Keith walked in, he immediately lit up. With a broken smile and a hoarse voice, he reached out to him with an unsteady arm.

"Hey." His eyes stayed half-open and his arm faltered.

Keith quickly took his hand and sat down in the chair next to him. He rested his forehead on the back of Lance's hand as he held back tears. Keith wanted to show strength, but the sight of Lance in the hospital broke him down.

Lance smiled at him, "You look like shit."

A laugh rose in Keith's chest, "Me? Look at you."

His eyes trailed the various wires and beeping machines, "It looks a lot worse than it is."

"I will leave you boys alone." Lance's father stood in the open doorway, hand on the door.

"Thank you, Papi."

He gave them a quick smile, then shut the large door. Lance brought his hand up to Keith's cheek, "How long have you been here?"

Keith placed his hand on top of Lance's, "Since three a.m."

His face contorted into a mix of worry and regret, "I'm sorry." He raised his other wrist to rub his eye. "You've got to be so exhausted." A small sob exited his lungs and he sniffled.

Keith's eyes widened in shock. He jumped up and held Lance's face in his hands. "No baby, don't cry. This is not your fault."

Lance looked at Keith with shimmering dusty blue eyes. They held an immense amount of power and strength. One look from Lance could make Keith do anything. His face scrunched up as he cried, "But I could've died! I could've been paralyzed! You—you don't—you don't deserve that!" Keith carefully wrapped a hand around Lance's head and brought it to his chest. "I'm a ticking time bomb. One day I'm gonna hurt you and leave you all alone." Lance's weak arms latched onto his back as if he was his savior. Like he was begging for him to save him from this hell.

Keith let Lance cry into his shirt for a minute as he pet his messy hair. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he pulled back to rest their foreheads together. "Lance, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He used his thumb to wipe a tear. "None of this is your fault."

Lance caught his breath with strained lungs. Their eyes stayed locked, shaking with mutual tears. Lance slowly removed a hand from Keith's shirt and brushed his fingertips over Keith's lips. His voice was a heartbreaking whisper, "Why are you still here?"

Keith's face softened into a smile. Why was he still there? What kind of question is that? Lance meant the world to him—that was obvious. If he didn't, Keith would've ran long ago. He gently took Lance's fingers away from his mouth, "Because I love you."

Lance's breath hitched and his ocean eyes widened. His mouth opened a few times, but he couldn't find any words. He stared at Keith for what seemed like a solid hour. Then, he finally leaned into a kiss. Keith held his face in his hands and kissed him deeply, taking in every second he could. Lance's mouth rose into a smile and a giggle escaped from his throat. He broke the kiss to choke out a laugh, "That's a horrible decision, really."

Keith happily stroked his cheek, "We've gotta stop meeting like this." He raised an eyebrow, "Your family might see us."

Lance slapped his arm and grabbed his shirt to pull him down into another kiss.

They laughed together for a while until Lance eventually choked out an 'ow' and stopped. Keith sat back down in the chair and leaned his cheek onto the bed. He intertwined his fingers with Lance's to gain their warmth. His eyes were sore and heavy from the stressful night. Both his body and mind were relaxed at the presence of an okay Lance.

Lance smiled down at him, "Just sleep. You look so tired."

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep relaxed breath, "Okay"