Bodysnatchers

14

Keith begins having trouble sleeping after his confrontation with Lance. Before, he had been sleeping too often, barely having time to even eat throughout the day; now he feels like he can't even remember the last time he slept well enough to have a dream.

In some ways, the no sleep is a blessing. Keith is able to have time to study, and have the time to do any other tasks that he had left on the way side while sulking over Lance for the last week and little bit. But he can't remember a time in his life where he's ever been this exhausted. Keith knows that starting as soon as tomorrow he'll be able to put off sleep as often as he wants without really caring about any consequences or being upset about it, but with one exam still left, he's feeling the pressure. Sure the no sleep means that he can do more studying, but it also means that he may pass out on his exam paper in five hours once he's there taking the test, and wont even be able to put all of this late night studying to use. It's really a catch twenty-two, and Keith feels like he's risking it all.

But since sleep is definitely out of the question, Keith buckles down and tries to power through another ten math problems. They come easy to him, as per usual, his brain actually allowing him to remember his past years worth of information. Thank god that he had calc last term too, and already knew the basics before he jumped off of the scholar wagon all those months ago. Otherwise he's not so sure he would be zipping through all these equations as fluently as he was. By the time Keith finishes his study sheet, the clock on his laptop is reading 7am and the sky has turned hues of orange and violet.

He feels absolutely confident for this final exam, the best he's felt all year, yet also feels like he may burst into tears at any given moment. But, Keith figures, that could be due to numerous other reasons than just this calculus exam.

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Despite his own insistence that he would just calm the hell down and play computer games for the rest of the night, Keith lost interest after about ten minutes of sims and ended up abandoning his computer for his bed at 5, and he has been here since. His last exam still has him a little on edge, due to the uncertainty of how his final grades are going to turn out; Shiro doesn't know about his drop in average from the middle of the term, and Keith is praying to every deity believed in by humans that his exam grades are enough to average him out to at least an 80. So Keith's not asleep, once again.

He's not sure what he expected of himself, really. He knew that his sleeping issues weren't school related, so why he thought he'd just be able to sleep his days away now that school's done seems idiotic. Yeah his freaking out about his average is a genuine concern that's probably contributing but Keith's pretty sure this restlessness is just heartbreak.

The day had gone by so much slower than any other day had since that fight with Lance, and so Keith is even more uptight about his lack of sleep. Matt and Pidge had to leave immediately after the final exams today for some family trip to the lake with their grandparents, and so Keith was left to his own devices: lying down and doing nothing. If this never ending day had taken place at any other point in his life, Keith would do nothing other than sleep his life away since his friends aren't in town. So dealing with what feels like a never-ending day is even more of an unbearable hell than it would have been on any other day when he had a normal sleep schedule, or even just yesterday when his day hadn't felt as long.

His bed is comfortable and his room temperature is fine, albeit a little cold with how high Shiro likes to crank up the Air conditioning, and his lava lamp is on, allowing just enough warm lighting for him to in theory be able to sleep.

Too bad this is all ruined by his stupid brain.

Keith hears a loud noise coming from his left side. Though he's surprised it's already that early, he's more so upset with himself than anything for forgetting to turn off his alarm when he doesn't even need it anymore. He rolls over, rubbing his stinging eyes, and tries to grab his phone, before he realises that it isn't even going off. And that there is no light streaming through his curtains; it's only two fifty in the morning.

His immediate reaction is oh shit , I'm being murdered, this is the end- until he quickly realises that there isn't actually anyone in his room, and the sound- whatever it is- is coming from outside, and somebody is throwing who knows what at his window.

Frustrated, he picks himself up out of bed and drags himself across the floor trying to keep his eyes open, mentally promising himself that if it's Pidge post one too many deadname uses from their grandma like last time, then he's actually going to hurl a bucket full of water down onto them because it's too early for this shit no matter how annoyed and upset they are.

He fumbles to find the curtains in his overly tired state, another thing tapping against his window as he does so, eventually getting a good grasp on them and drawing them wide open. Keith looks out into the starless city sky first, squinting his eyes to adjust to the illuminated street lights far along his road, and slowly moving his gaze downwards to a figure on his property. Another thing hits his window and he yelps slightly, rubbing his eyes one last time to figure out how to open his window to yell at the person throwing shit at his house at three in the fucking morning. His eyes begin to see normally as he cranks his window, and once his sleepless eyes clear a little more, everything comes into focus and he can see the person throwing what are now clearly stones at his window.

And then his heart skips a beat, and his brain is working overdrive once again because every little gear in his brain that had been fucked these past few days quickly fall into place and Lance is standing outside of his window, more small stones in his hand, and Keith is confused, but excited and terrified all at once.