Close Quarters

Chapter Five

Lance stared down at the sleeping boy on his chest. He ran his fingers through Keith's hair, pleasantly surprised by how soft it was. After he was sure Keith was asleep, he readjusted their flights suits, fixing the black suits onto Keith and himself and removing the rest of their outer armor. He lifted the boy up, Keith wrapping his arms and legs around Lance tightly. Lance gripped under Keith's thighs and headed towards the boy's room, avoiding all of the other paladins' rooms. Just as Lance approached Keith's door, the boy lifted his head, looking up at Lance groggily.

"What're you doing?" Keith asked. "We need to debrief with Shiro about the mission." Keith squirmed in Lance's grip, trying to stand.

"I think the team can wait a little while," Lance replied. He opened the door and walked the two of them inside. He placed Keith on the bed, grabbing Keith's hand. "We need to get changed."

Keith grumbled and rolled farther into the bed, dragging Lance onto the bed with him. "I just want to sleep. My whole body feels like it just melted and was then mushed back together." Keith curled up into a ball and rested his head on the pillow.

Lance rested their entwined hands between him and Keith, trying to keep his distance. "I thought you wanted to talk to Shiro. You can nap after. That way he doesn't come banging on your door while you're sleeping. Come on, get up." Lance stood and proceeded to  drag Keith out of bed, pulling him to his feet.

"I thought we were changing?" Keith asked, as Lance dragged him down the hall.

"Eh, later," Lance replied, pulling him onto the bridge.

"Keith, Lance! Good of you to join us!" Shiro exclaimed as he saw the two boys enter the room. "We were just discussing our fight with the Galra. Where have you two been?"

"The fight with the Galra didn't do much for my bite," Keith responded. "Lance came to help me."

"That actually brings up a point I wanted to discuss with you two and the team," Shiro said. "I think it is best that the two of you stay at the castle for the time being. Allura plans to keep the castle hidden for as long as possible but if the lions are needed you two will remain at the castle."

"But Shiro you can't—"

"I can and I will. I don't want the two of you getting more hurt than necessary. You may return to your rooms if you like. Dismissed."

Keith glared at Shiro's back for a moment more before marching off the bridge, dragging Lance behind him. "Keith, where are you going?!?" Lance shouted.

"The training room," Keith stated.

"We can't. Remember this whole can't be separated from each other thing? Any of that ring a bell?" Lance waved his free hand in the air dramatically, as if to prove his point.

Keith stopped, turning towards Lance. "Then how do you relieve stress? I'm barely holding it together with everything that's happened and I have no other way of dealing with it!" Frustrated tears began to brim in Keith's eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. I didn't mean it like that," Lance said, pulling Keith towards him. "There's plenty of things to do that aren't training! Like watching the stars or playing a game! You can even go take a nap like you wanted to before." Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, pulling him in the rest of the way into a hug.

"We can go to the observatory," Keith spoke into Lance's shoulder.

"Okay. Let's get changed first," Lance said.