The Monster in the Sky. Klance AU

Chapter 31: Far Too Young to Die

Lance didn't plan on telling Keith. He was going to let James get through his exams and then tell him so James didn't have to worry about Keith and his exams at the same time. James already seemed to be on the cusp of a mental breakdown and Lance didn't want to be the final shove that pushed him off the edge. In the end, Lance wasn't given much of a choice.

It was 3am when Lance's phone began to violently vibrate on his bedside table. He reached for it and felt around blindly until he was able to raise it up to his ear. "Hello?" He choked out, voice thick with sleep. He was much too tired to consider the implications of a call so early in the morning when most normal people would have been asleep.

"Lance, I think I'm being paranoid but James did something weird." Keith's words had Lance pulling himself up into a sitting position. He was speaking so fast that Lance's brain took a long moment to process the words but, once it clicked, Lance started to push his covers off him. Most of him thought it was a false alarm but, knowing James's habits, not checking in on him didn't seem to be worth the risk.

"What did he do?"

"We were meant to meet up earlier so I could help him with the simulators but he cancelled last minute without an excuse. I called him to make sure he was okay but he sounded so distant and... and I didn't think much of it at first but, since I've been laying in bed, I can't stop thinking. What if- What if he-"

"Keith..."

"With the way he's been acting and, since the call, he hasn't read any of my messages... I can't stop imagining him doing something stupid. I'm probably just being paranoid but I don't know what to do..."

The image of James's adderall made itself clear in Lance's brain. He swallowed thickly as he pressed the tips of his fingers into his temples. "You're not being paranoid."

"He's just been so down lately and it reminds me of how he was before- before his dad died. What if he tries to-" Keith was unable to finish as he let out a heavy sob. Each time he attempted to speak again, it just came out an inaudible wail.

"If it makes you feel better, we can check on him." Lance didn't even need to wait for Keith's response: he had already gotten his shoes on. Placing the phone on loudspeaker, he began to butterfly-knot his laces so he was ready to go when Keith wanted him to.

"Could we?"  Keith sounded so small and fragile; far from a brave defender of the universe. He sounded more like the kid who had just lost his dad and didn't have any other family. All the progress Keith had made seemed to have backtracked and faded into dust.

"Meet me outside James's dorm in a few minutes, alright?" Keith hummed before the line went dead. Lance rubbed his eyes before grabbing his jacket to pull over his pyjamas. He began to walk down the hall, triggering the sensors that turned on all of the lights as he did so. It took less than one minute for him to reach James's dorm but Keith was already standing outside, hugging himself. Lance took it upon himself to raise his hand and knock a few times. When James didn't open the door immediately and Keith sent him a worried expression, he murmured, "I'm sure it's fine. He might just be asleep."

"But what if he isn't?" Keith spoke so softly that it sounded more like a release of air than speech.

After knocking a couple more times, Lance tried the handle. Surprisingly, the door opened. James's lights were on, shining a spotlight onto the sight in front of the pair.