Room 1013

Where's My Love?

Lance stared in horror at the bright room. Light spilled out from the windows and brought a sparkle to the dusty air. Krolia looked over at him with red, teary eyes from a chair next to the bed. She was dressed in her classic mom jeans and a tucked in purple t-shirt. Eric stood on the other side of the bed, turning around with his hands in his brown suit pockets. Their faces held a heart-wrenching mixture of surprise and disappointment.

Lance's hangover melted into the background as he slowly took a step into the fairytale of a hospital room. This can't be happening. He furrowed his brows and stared down at the sheets. How the hell?

Keith sat on his knees with his hands neatly folded in his lap. Lance's jacket was sprawled out over his thighs as a blanket. He turned his head to look up at Lance when he entered. Clear crystal violet stared up at him in wide eyes full of love. They filtered through strands of shiny black hair. The once inflamed patches of skin had gone down to a faint pink. The swelling and redness in his eyes had disappeared, replaced with the smooth and gentle skin Lance knew. Keith's chapped red lips curved up in a smile as his chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm. "Welcome back."

Lance blinked away the cloudiness in his sight and shook his head. "Uh-I'm def-um-" he ruffled his hair and clamped his eyes shut. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Lance?" Keith's voice called up to him in a soothing melody. There was some shuffling in the background. "I'm not mad, everything's okay. Just look at me."

Lance hesitantly lifted his eyelids and stared at him. Keith had crawled forward to get closer to him. He slowly reached a hand up and pulled one of Lance's wrists down. Keeping his eyes locked on Lance, he placed his hand on his cheek. "I'm right here."

Keith's cheek was warm. He could feel the pressure of his thin fingers on his wrist. He could feel the strands of his hair tickle the back of his palm. "You're real?"

Keith chuckled and nodded with glittering eyes. "Yeah."

A tear fell from Lance's jaw, "You're-you're okay?"

Keith closed his eyes and leaned into Lance's hand, lacing his own fingers into the creases from the back. He took a breath and rocked slightly. "Why do you look so surprised? You were the one who said I was gonna be fine."

Lance glance over at Krolia and Eric, who both gave a happy nod. He walked around the railing and sat down next to Keith. He brought his other hand up to hold both of his cheeks, "You're real? You're okay?"

Keith's eyes overflowed as he smiled and nodded, "I'm okay."

Lance pulled his head close to rest their foreheads together. He expected Keith to disappear at any moment. To fall through his fingers in a pile of sand. Lance waited for the moment that he would wake up in some alley covered in vomit that wasn't his own.

But it never happened. Keith was there. Actually there.

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's neck and hugged him as tight as he could. He could smell him, touch him, see him. "You're real."

Keith strained to laugh, "Yes, now you're suffocating me."

Lance loosened his hold and pulled back to kiss him. Keith leaned into it and held onto his biceps. Lance could feel their bangs twirl together. Keith broke the kiss and chuckled. "You're holding me like I'll leave you at any second."

"I keep thinking you will." Lance brought him back into the kiss and laced their fingers together. He finally pulled back to rest his head into the crook of Keith's neck. "You're not in pain?"

"Nope." Keith pet his hair, gently pushing it out of his face. "I feel fine."

"Dr. Sallow said that he didn't know why or how it stopped, but Keith looks fine." Eric's voice joined in.

Lance suddenly sat up and ran a hand through the black hair on Keith's head. "What's this?"

"Oh," Keith moved a few strands out of his face. "My mom had it made." He smiled wider and fidgeted with it, "Doesn't it look just like before?"

Lance breathed out a faint, "Yes." He stared at the wig in amazement. Keith's real hair had grown in thin, brittle patches; never getting more than a few inches long. In the end, he just kept it shaved. Lance couldn't remember kissing Keith with hair. It was amazing. He kissed his cheek, "You're so beautiful."

Keith laughed and hung on his neck, "Was I not pretty before?"

"When you were dying?" Lance cradled his head and back. "No."

Keith hugged him tighter and took in a deep breath. They sat in each other's arms for what seemed like forever. Lance tried to choke down his tears and be in the moment, but his mind kept doubting himself. It was still possible he was so wasted that he was hallucinating. He thought that if he held Keith until the hurricane in his mind calmed down, it would be real.