beaming | keith kogane

XXVII | watch

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I WATCHED HER, her frail hands curling around the clipboard as she signed the last piece of paper and handed it back to the receptionist. The receptionist smiled kindly as Y/n's grandmother hobbled over to us again. Shiro hovered over her, almost concerned for her mobility as his hands hovered slightly.

The elder sat down across from the rest of us who were waiting for an explanation; one that furthered the elaboration I already made. We were talking about it and after seeing the look in Lance's eyes, I realized the connection between her eyes and his. The familiarity of it all wasn't uncanny. His sprite of misery erupted and supposedly hers did as well.

I didn't get it. Doesn't she have the sprite of happiness? How does that work? Her grandmother took in a sigh, the rest of us immediately turning our heads up to look at her. "Y/n has lived a hard life since she was born," She quietly spoke, tapping her cane slightly as it shook in her hand. "Her mother died when she was four, her source of her happiness sprite."

"Her father—my son—committed suicide when she was seven. He'd always been so unlucky and I'm partially to blame since his sprite of bad luck came from me specifically. His sprite of misery embedded itself into Y/n and she was the one that found his body. That same day, Haneul appeared for the first time. He was her only friend at the time," She inhaled shakily.

"He grew with her and he watched over her when I couldn't. This entire time he'd been trying to help her recover, but I didn't know what to do. Y/n didn't rely on antidepressants and refused to. Haneul had always been her rock, so I left it to him. He told me not to worry and told me he had it under control; he never let me help." Her head dropped, tears falling onto her lap.

The gray-haired woman let out a dry laugh, "It seems foolish that she has both the sprite of happiness and misery. She finds her happiness in other people; that's why she's so giving. That's why Haneul's so protective. Y'know, she's talked about you all a lot, but mainly Keith," Her head upturned to look at me as my eyes widened.

"What?" It slipped past my lips before I could stop it and I was surprised that Shiro didn't scold me for my inappropriate response. The lady nodded with another sniffle and a soft laugh, "She talked about your banter and how determined she was to be your friend." Allura approached her, handing her a tissue as the elder gratefully took it and wiped her tears.

Someone emerged from down the hall, a doctor with a long white coat. "G/n L/n?" He called as her grandmother quickly raised her hand, turning to look at the doctor. He walked over, confidence in his strides. It was almost contagious, the rest of us straightening our backs at his appearance. "She's stable and awake,"

Those words immediately broke us all down. I didn't even realize that Pidge's face was buried in my chest, tears unknowingly streaming down my cheeks as well. Turning my head, Shiro and Allura were attempting to comfort each other while Lance and Perla held onto each other tightly. Hunk joined in my hug with Pidge, his big arms reaching to my shoulder.

I merely held my friends closer, my heart thumping in my chest loudly. What would I have done if she hadn't survived? My stomach dropped at the thought as I realized something. The countless conversations and my growing worry for her hadn't been something just 'friendly'. I truly liked this girl and if affection was the right word, then so be it.

I liked this girl, a lot. So much that it sort of hurt; so much that it was alarming. My cheeks flushed at my realization, her grandmother looking over at me with a fond smile. "Took you long enough. I didn't give you the landline for no reason," She cheekily looked at me, as if part of her expected this outcome of some sort.

The others seemed to notice as Shiro looked at me fondly, realizing what she was talking about. "Is she allowed to have visitors?" He asked the doctor who shook his head. He sighed grimly, "We have to run some tests. At the most, only family can stay overnight. However, that's as much as I can bargain. You can come by in the morning, however."

We all shared a look and nodded, grabbing our things slowly and waving farewell to her grandmother. Lance looked at me, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Listen, Keith, my place is closest to the hospital. So, you can stay there overnight, if you want—" I cut him off swiftly, my voice raspy with a gruff undertone. "—please."

He gave me a small smile, nodding as the others headed off in their own directions. He put an arm around Perla as we walked to the path of his house. Once we got there, it was as if his siblings could sense the tense atmosphere since none of them even bothered greeting us in the first place. That or because it was way past midnight.

I don't know, I was too tired to tell, but I swear that there was a figure in the living room. I didn't sleep much that night, only about two hours before waking up and getting a glass of water. I wasn't hungry either. I just felt adrenaline and anxiety from wanting to go see Y/n. First thing in the morning, I sprinted back to the hospital. 

I rushed inside, quickly fixing my hair as I approached the receptionists and asked for the room number. Once I found out where it was, I swung open the white door. Y/n was already awake, an IV stuck in her left arm as she looked out the window. There was faint sunlight pouring in and pooled onto the floor, some of it reflecting onto her and making her look even more beautiful.

I took in a breath as her gaze caught mine, her breath hitching as well.

"Hey."

"Hi."