Klance - Beat Drop (Complete)

Chapter 16 Orchids Mean More

Keith stumbled wearily into the living room and saw Lance cooking eggs on the stove. Keith walked up next to him, and leaned his head on the taller boy's shoulder, closing his eyes. Lance was wearing Keith's clothes; black sweatpants and a grey, knitted sweater with red reindeers jumping across his chest.

"Good morning." Lance sounded careful and hesitant. "Shiro called me earlier."

Keith limply hugged Lance back as his long, gangly arms wrapped around his shoulders, and the heat from Lance's body and the stove dulled his mind a bit. Lance pulled back, kissed Keith's forehead, then sent Keith to the table with a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee, the first for Lance, the latter for Keith.

Keith was still only wearing his tank top and boxers, so he shuffled into his room again while Lance plated the eggs, and searched through his closet, eventually finding his Stranger Things sweater. He gripped the fabric loosely as he remembered watching the season finale with his mom. Keith slipped the soft sweater over himself, and it felt like Acxa was right there, hugging him. Keith took a deep breath, then returned to the table, tucking himself into his seat as Lance brought over two plates of steaming, fluffy yellow eggs.

"Can I have some ketchup?" Keith asked, slightly embarrassed. Lance looked puzzled, but found it in the fridge and gave it to Keith, who made crisscrosses over his eggs with the condiment. Lance dug into his eggs, and Keith looked up at the clock on the microwave. It read 12:28. He'd slept that long?

"So..." Lance started, then frowned, as if at himself.

"What?" Keith asked, turning his fork between his fingers.

"Why... why'd you call Shiro? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Keith swallowed his eggs, then tipped his head. "Shiro's my best friend."

"I know that... but you could've woken me up too. I don't want to be your second choice when you're upset."

"You're not," Keith said evenly, "I've just known Shiro for longer and he knows my mom."

Lance sipped his orange juice. His eyes said that he was hurt, but he didn't fight against Keith; the small, fragile adolescent was already hurting, he didn't need Lance to be mad at him. "Well then, I want to meet your mom. I'll buy a ticket now with you to Texas. I don't want to be alone here, and I don't want you to be alone halfway across the country."

"I won't be alone..." Keith protested, but Lance's eyes were set.

"Don't you understand me, Keith?" He asked gently, "I want to be with you. So don't leave me here. Please."

Keith turned away, out of Lance's searching, ocean-like blue eyes, that shone with love and kindness and that same, soft pity that Shiro couldn't help but have in his own eyes. "Okay."

The couple ate the rest of their brunch in quiet solitude, Keith never meeting Lance's eyes.

I can't be happy right now. I can't let Lance make me happy... Who am I to be happy when my mom is in the hospital, diagnosed with cancer. I can't be happy. I don't deserve that when she's in pain. No, Lance, don't make me smile. I don't deserve to be happy right now.

Keith cursed under his breath, his evasive brain pushing messages onto him, telling him he wasn't good enough. Keith wasn't so sure of himself anymore.

...

The rest of the day was spent calmly, Keith doing housework, restringing an old base, and working on college debt math. Lance flitted around Keith occasionally, kissing his ears and his shoulders as he passed by.