Forevermore // Klance

Keith: Your Presence

I woke up the next morning to the smell of frying bacon and eggs and the sound of someone humming. It sounded like... Lance but I had never known him to hum or cook food at the castle. It was usually Allura who would hum. She knew a lot of Altean nursery songs and she taught them to us one day when Lance asked what she was singing. They had nothing to do with animals or spoons and dishes running away but they were really nice and soothing. And it was always Hunk who cooked the food. Shiro tried once when Hunk was on a mission with Pidge and it didn't turn out so well. Lance and I joked for hours about how we needed to find some space takeout and Shiro, ever the good sport said he would call the nearest Pizza Planet.

Either way, the singing and the cooking all seemed so un-Lance like. It was also way past the time we should have been getting up. It was nearly seven according to the clock on Rachel's nightstand. Sitting up and running one hand through my long wild hair, I yawned and stretched out my arms before heading to the bathroom. I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, fixing it as best as I could before I tied it up and splashed some water on my face. I rubbed at the long jagged scar across the right side of my face with my thumb, a bit self-consciously. In all these years I still hadn't gotten used to it and sometimes it still hurt to remember how I got it and how close I was to loosing an eye. With a sigh, I looked away from the mirror and turned off the light.

I hardly made a sound as I walked down the stairs and through Lance's creaky hallway. I usually attribute this to my Mamoran training. Some days in the castle, and at the Garrison when we got back home, I moved like a ghost from room to room, scaring everyone who didn't expect to see me behind them or hear me come in. I was almost to the kitchen when I heard Lance say, "You hungry? I'm making pancakes." I didn't think he was talking to me though so when I stopped in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room, I was surprised to see that Lance was the only one in the room.

He was standing at the stove in a faded gray shirt and some dark pajama pants which I hadn't expected but also, I hadn't changed either so we were both late for whatever farm duties we had today. He was wearing an apron but it wasn't tied around his back or anything. The strings hung limply at his sides and there was a towel draped over his right shoulder. Lance glanced back at me, one eyebrow arched. "You gonna answer Kogane or are you gonna leave me hanging?"

"Oh, you were talking to me?" I asked. Lance laughed.

"Who else would I be talking to? Myself? What, did you think I was doing? Preparing a speech for you or something?" I blushed a little, laughing.

"I just... I don't know. I thought I was moving around kind of quiet. How'd you hear me?" Lance glanced back at me like I was an idiot.

"I didn't really hear you I just kind of sensed your presence." Lance admitted. I blushed harder. Oh crap. How did he always manage to make me blush? "Also I heard the water turn on upstairs and knew you had to be coming down soon." He turned back to the stove, poking at the eggs frying in the skillet before removing the bacon from the other pan and turning off the top right burner.

"Right, of course." I said, licking my lips and clearing my throat. "Need help?" Lance shrugged.

"Can you get the milk?" I moved toward the fridge but Lance stopped me, putting his spatula out in front of me so I would freeze in place.

"I meant from Kaltenecker." Was he serious? I had never done...

"Oh I don't know..." Lance laughed.

"I'm kidding dude, there's milk already in there. I just wanted to see the look on your face." I sighed as Lance allowed me to walk past him towards the fridge. Opening it up, I found the jug pretty easily and handed it off to him when he held out his hand.