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It was late when he heard a knock on his door.
Or he thought it was knock at least.
Keith had been examining his knife and deep in thought when he heard the soft bumps from across the room, not fully registering the noise.
He glanced at the clock by his bed, and though he didn’t know much about Altean time keeping, he judged that it was fairly late.
He waited to see if he had imagined it, holding his breath as his sense of hearing heightened.
Five seconds of silence and then he heard it:
the unmistakeable sound of knuckles against metal.
So it was knocking he had heard, which meant someone was at his door.
Keith slowly got out of bed, knife in hand, and approached the entrance. He knew from past experiences that visitors in the night never brought good news, and his body tensed as he opened the door a fraction.
A lanky figure stood outside his room; hair disheveled and glancing down the hallway nervously.
Lance.
Keith relaxed slightly and opened the door fully, making Lance snap his head back towards him.
“Oh...hey.”
He was holding a pillow, and was wearing the pajamas Coran had supplied them with. Lance’s were a bit too short though, and his bare ankles were clearly visible below the hem of his pants. It was comical, but instead of laughing Keith felt himself blush.
What was Lance doing here?
“Hey.”
“Did I wake you?”
Keith shook his head.
“Oh...cool. Um...” Lance ran a hand through his hair, glancing down the hallway again. Keith watched him with curious eyes. He was acting strange. Fidgeting and stumbling over his words...was he nervous?
There wasn’t really a reason for Lance to be acting this way around him. They had announced publicly to the team that they were dating about a week before, and though it was still awkward at times for Keith to partake in public displays of affection, Lance had never faltered.
He was the one who would initiate contact. He would hold Keith’s hand, or lean in for a kiss, or drape his arm over his shoulders when they lounged on the couch after training.
He would also call Keith obnoxious pet names, not that he minded; he found them endearing.
It didn’t matter if they were alone or surrounded by the rest of the crew, though Keith sometimes wished Lance would be a bit more subtle when it came to the latter. It was just so effortless for Lance to show his feelings, whereas Keith was still a bit shy.
But this was weird.
Lance was being weird.
And it was making Keith nervous.
He was about to ask what was wrong when Lance turned back to him.
“Were you planning on stabbing me?” He gestured to Keith’s hand, and Keith realized he was still holding his knife. He moved his hand behind his back to hide the weapon and chuckled nervously.
“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone this late.”
Lance smiled awkwardly and ran this hand through his hair again, making it stand up in random directions.
It was adorable.
“Yeah...sorry about that. Um...I was actually wondering, and it’s totally ok if you don’t want to, but...uh...” he looked Keith in the eye and took a deep breath. “Can I sleep with you?”
Keith felt his heart momentarily stop.
Sleep with him?!
He liked Lance, a lot, but Keith didn’t think he was ready for that step yet. He wanted their relationship to progress naturally, to build over time, and then they could think about taking it to the next level. But how was he going to explain that to Lance?
His thoughts must have been clearly displayed on his face because Lance quickly amended.
“Not like that!” He blushed furiously as he realized how his words had been misinterpreted. “I don’t want to sleep sleep with you, well, I mean I do, but not yet, unless of course you want to, but I don’t want you to feel pressured to or...what I meant was just sleep, here, with you, like...you know, never mind. I’m just gonna leave.” Lance turned abruptly, his blush a deep crimson against his darker skin, but Keith grabbed him by the wrist before he could get very far.
He smiled, his own blush fading as he realized that Lance was just as nervous about their relationship as he was. It made Keith feel like they were on the same page.
And, if truth be told, he liked this side of his boyfriend. The blushy, nervous, awkward side of him. It was something Lance never displayed, and it gave Keith a feeling of importance that he trusted him enough to show it.
He slid his hand down Lance’s wrist and settled it in his hand, entwining their fingers and giving Lance’s a quick, reassuring squeeze.
“I want you to stay.”
Lance beamed at him.
“Thank god, because I think I would have died of embarrassment back in my room.” He glanced down at their hands. “Maybe you could lose the knife though?”
Keith’s face flushed once again, realizing his other hand had come out of hiding when he had reached out for Lance. He nodded, releasing Lance’s hand as he went to store his weapon. Usually he kept it under his pillow, for easy access, but if Lance was going to spend the night with him he figured it would be better if the knife was someplace else.
He placed it in his drawer, missing its familiar weight as he turned back to his boyfriend.
Lance had followed him into his room, closing the door behind them, and now stood awkwardly by the bed.
They stared at each other, neither one sure how to progress.
Lance cleared his throat.
“So...how do you sleep?”
Keith raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“With my eyes closed?”
Lance laughed, rolling his eyes.
“No, you ding-dong. I mean do you sleep by the wall or on the side or in the center all spread-eagle like?”
Keith’s cheeks reddened slightly, and he was glad for the darkness of the room.
“Wall. Definitely wall.” He liked having his back against any sort of surface when he slept, so that nothing could sneak up on him. Plus it was a bit cooler, since he tended to overheat at night.
The stood in silence for a few moments before Lance smiled crookedly at him.
“That means you have to go first Keith, unless you want to crawl over me, which I would not object to.”
Keith felt his stomach flip at the thought as he hastily settled into bed. What had he gotten himself into?
He moved over as much as he could, until his back hit the wall. Lance followed suit, putting his pillow down next to Keith’s.
They were both lying on their backs, staring up at the ceiling in silence. A large gap separated them, and Keith felt the air grow thick with tension.
He broke through it before it could choke him.
“This is exceedingly awkward...”
Lance chuckled.
“So it’s not just me?”
“Definitely not.”
The silence returned, and Keith decided that this was probably going to be the longest night of his life. Lance shifted slightly beside him.
“Your bed is really comfy.”
Keith turned his head at that, thrown off by the comment.
“Aren’t they all the same?”
A look of relief swept over Lance’s face, like he was beyond grateful for the question, for something for them to talk about. He turned onto his side and propped his head on his hand, so that he was looking down at Keith.
“You would think so, right? But no. Somehow I got the worst one. There’s something wrong with the mattress. It feels like I’m being poked by a rock every night...or maybe it’s a loose spring, I don’t know. There was nothing underneath it when I checked, and it didn’t help when I flipped it over.” He pulled his other hand out from under the covers and draped it along his side. “I feel like the Princess and the Pea.”
Keith rolled over so he was also on his side, but kept his head on the pillow. He liked having Lance look down at him. It made him feel...safe. Protected.
“The what?”
“You know, that story about the princess and the pea. The title is pretty self-explanatory.”
Keith shook his head, which was hard to do when half your face was pressed into a pillow.
“Never heard of her.”
Lance’s mouth opened in shock.
“What! It’s a classic! We used to have a book full of stories like that back at home. I’m pretty sure every kid did.”
“I didn’t really have a standard childhood...What was it about?”
Lance watched him for a moment to see if he was serious, and, deciding that he was, explained.
“Well, basically this girl shows up at this castle, soaked from the rain and tired and whatnot, and the queen, who’s kind of a jerk, wants to see if she’s really a princess. So she puts a pea underneath her mattress to see if the girl can feel it.”
Keith interrupted.
“Wouldn’t the pea get squished?”
Lance looked at him.
“What?”
“The pea...if she laid on it, it would get smooshed.”
“It’s a magic pea. Un-smooshable.”
“Okay, but even then a mattress is pretty thick. There’s no way you would be able to feel it.”
Lance stared at him in exasperation.
“Would you let me finish?”
Keith nodded, settling further into the pillow as he listened to Lance’s voice in the dark.
“To answer your question: yes. A normal person would not feel the pea. Which is why the queen is using it as a test. A princess, who would be sensitive to such things, would toss and turn, unable to rest with the pea beneath her mattress, which is exactly what happened to the girl.”
“Okay. Sound’s fake, but okay.”
“Keith!”
“Sorry. Go on.”
Lance sighed.
“The story kind of progresses from that. The princess complains of not being able to sleep, and the queen adds another mattress and I swear to god if you interrupt me one more time...” He raised his eyebrows threateningly at Keith, who had been about to ask another question.
He quickly shut his mouth and smiled innocently up at Lance.
“Good. I told you, the queen is a jerk. She doesn’t believe the girl at first, not until there are like...twenty or so mattresses piled up on this bed. Still the girl complains, and the queen finally realizes she must be a princess, and lets her son marry her. The end.”
Keith was quiet as he processed the words.
“So, you’re saying you’re a princess.”
Lance scoffed.
“That’s what you got from that? No, what I’m saying is-” He stopped as Keith began to giggle, and, realizing his boyfriend was teasing him, rolled his eyes and laid down on the bed in a huff.
Keith noticed that he had edged closer in the process.
His pulse quickened slightly.
“I still can’t believe you’ve never heard that story before. Do you know any fairy tales at all?” Lance turned his head to face Keith, so they were eye to eye.
Keith shook his head and Lance frowned, considering.
“You want to hear some more?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, actually?”
Keith nodded, watching Lance shift onto his side once again. The gap between was shrinking slowly.
“I like listening to you talk. Your voice kind of...comes alive when you tell stories.”
Lance opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He instead smiled, and Keith could tell that he was genuinely speechless.
It made his heart flutter.
Lance recovered quickly though.
“That’s the first time I think anyone had ever asked me to keep talking.” He was looking at Keith with a tender expression, his eyes glassy, and Keith knew he was telling the truth.
And of course it was true. People were constantly telling Lance to shut up. To stop talking. Keith himself was guilty of that, especially before they had started dating.
He had never stopped to consider if Lance took it to heart though. Usually he just made a face and went on with his day, but Keith realized how much it must have hurt Lance in the long run.
He reached over and took Lance’s hand, the one laying on top of the covers, since his other arm was underneath him, and entwined their fingers.
Lance watched him as he did, biting his lip. He traced his thumb over the back of Keith’s hand, making Keith blush. He hoped his palm wasn’t sweaty.
“Unfortunately,” Lance continued, “I wasn’t expecting you to say yes to another story. My mind is drawing a blank. How about we reschedule for another night, so I can think of some good ones?”
The mention of another night with Lance filled Keith’s soul with joy. With the initial awkwardness surpassed, Keith was incredibly comfortable having his boyfriend lying in bed with him, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Especially now that they were holding hands.
Keith didn’t want to ever let go.
He smiled at Lance, who grinned back.
Yeah, he could get used to this.
“Your hand is really warm.”
Keith’s mind snapped to attention. Were his palms that sweaty? He didn’t feel nervous or anything so there should be no reason for his body to start overheating.
Lance was oblivious to Keith’s reaction, and as he brought their entangled hands closer to his face, Keith held his breath, waiting for him to make a snide remark or jest.
But it never came.
Lance instead brought Keith’s hand to his cheek, closing his eyes as he snuggled into it. Keith could feel his face heating up, the butterflies in his stomach performing relentless flips.
It was such a simple gesture, one that Lance had done before on multiple occasions, but there was something about being in bed, laying horizontally, under blankets and in the dark, that made the motion so much more...intimate.
He wondered if Lance felt the same way.
“Like, really warm.” He continued, his eyes opening sleepily to gaze at Keith again, who smiled back sheepishly.
“Yeah well, your hand is like ice.” It was true. Lance’s fingers were long icicles against Keith’s skin, sending shivers up and down his arm, but he wasn’t entirely convinced that was due to the cold.
Lance was smirking wickedly at him, and before Keith could wonder as to why, Lance shifted his leg, bringing his foot into contact with Keith’s.
A shock went up Keith’s leg, like someone had touched him with dry ice, and he yelped.
“Christ Lance! Your feet are freezing!” Lance chuckled mischievously in reply, moving his foot up Keith’s leg.
“It’s because I’m so cool.” He said coyly, moving his foot up another inch. Keith hissed, his body already pressed up against the wall.
He was trapped.
Suddenly being up against the wall wasn’t his favourite way to sleep.
“I think it’s actually called poor circulation. You should-” He shrieked as Lance’s foot reached the back of his knee, a sensitive area it seemed.
Keith’s body reacted faster than his mind. Using the wall to boost himself up and over the advancing threat that was Lance, he rolled, twisting his body beneath the confining sheets, and hooked a leg over Lance’s torso.
By the time his mind caught up to his actions, Keith was basically straddling Lance’s lower abdomen, his hands pinning down his boyfriends lanky arms to either side of his head, which was pressed firmly into the pillow.
Keith stared down at Lance’s face, his mind whirling. He was suddenly very aware of the situation he was in, and could see how Lance’s chest was heaving, though not from exertion.
He looked surprised, shocked, and a bit confused. But there was something else as well.
Keith realized he was in a very powerful position.
He smiled down slyly at Lance, who was watching him with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open.
Payback time.
Keith bent his head so it was millimeters from Lance’s face, and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. Just a touch of lips.
He heard Lance inhale sharply but continued.
He moved to the bridge of his nose.
Another kiss.
Then the tip of his nose. Then his cheeks, and down along the length of his jaw. As he did he slid his hands up from Lance’s wrists and back into his hands, entangling their fingers and pushing down slightly as he shifted his body.
Lance groaned as he moved, and when Keith finally reached his mouth, he hesitated, watching with satisfaction as Lance’s eyes slid shut, his jaw tilting up automatically, waiting, no...yearning for Keith’s lips.
But the kiss never came.
Lance’s eyes shot open at the sound of Keith giggling. His faced flushed and his eyebrows furrowed, and understanding dawned on his face.
“Are you teasing me!? Keith!”
Keith was laughing now, his grip loosening in Lance’s hands as he recalled the expression on his boyfriend’s face.
He had felt powerful, knowing he had caused that reaction in his boyfriend.
Like he was a drug Lance had to have, or a poison that was coursing through his veins.
And he had felt untouchable when he had neglected to supply the antidote.
Lance, however, was less amused.
In one smooth motion he flipped Keith over, so their positions were switched.
The power Keith had felt just moments before drained away as he stared up into Lance’s eyes. His mind trapped in the tractor beam of his irises.
He felt helpless; at the mercy of the boy on top of him.
It made his heart race.
Lance didn’t hesitate though, and quickly, if a little violently, closed the gap between their faces.
He was dying, and Keith’s lips were the cure.
The initial surprise of the kiss was quickly overcome as Keith’s mind went blank. Or rather, all his thoughts narrowed to a deadly point, all focusing in on one thing.
Lance.
Keith became hyperaware of his boyfriend. The motion of his mouth against his own. The taste of his tongue as it slid past his teeth.
During the scuffle their shirts had risen up, and Lance’s bare torso was now pressed flat against Keith’s.
It was cold, but Keith’s skin burned where it met Lance’s, his nerves going into shock as they went into hyper drive.
He needed more.
He craved Lance.
He reached his arms up around Lance’s neck and pulled him closer, so that more of Lance’s weight was pressing down on him. Their hearts were both hammering, but Keith wasn’t certain which beats belonged to him anymore.
He didn’t care.
He wanted more.
Keith slid his hands down Lance’s back until they reached the hem of his shirt, and then, without hesitation, he slipped them underneath, feeling the cool, smooth skin bellow.
Lance groaned against his mouth but didn’t let up on the kiss, so Keith continued.
His hands moved up and down Lance’s stomach, feeling the hard muscle and memorizing every bump and divot.
Lance was also doing his own exploration, his hands entangling themselves in Keith’s hair. There were so many sensations going on at once that Keith was entirely overwhelmed.
But it still wasn’t enough.
He wrapped his legs just above Lance’s waist, hooking his ankles together to ensure Lance couldn’t escape.
But then the kiss stopped.
His boyfriend’s lips suddenly detached from Keith’s, and some of the weight on his chest lessened as Lance leaned back.
“Keith.”
He opened his eyes to find Lance staring down at him, but there wasn’t humour on his face like Keith had been expecting.
There was apprehension, concern, and maybe a bit of regret.
Lance gave him a half-smile.
“I, uh...” he swallowed. “This is going a little too fast for me.”
Keith realized what Lance was referring to and shame rushed in to replace the confusion. He had gotten too carried away and hadn’t stopped to consider if Lance was feeling the same.
Selfish.
Keith unhooked his feet and let them fall gently on either side of Lance, allowing him to get up, which he did by shifting his lower body until it was no longer in between Keith’s legs. Lance kept his upper half firmly in place though, so that he was lying diagonally on the bed, their skin remaining in contact, which Keith was greedily grateful for.
“Sorry.” Keith went to move his hands from Lance’s torso as well, but was stopped midway by two large, cold grips on his wrists.
“Keith...I don’t want you to stop touching me. At all.” He brought Keith’s hands up and kissed each finger delicately, then entwined them in his own. “I just don’t think we’re ready for that step yet. It’s still a bit soon.”
Keith noticed how he used ‘we’ that time, and as he processed the words he realized that Lance was completely right. Keith was nowhere near ready for that part of their relationship. He had just gotten caught up in the moment.
He felt a mixture of relief and embarrassment as he thought back to mere moments ago. Thank god Lance had been able to keep his head. Their entire relationship could have become awkward and unstable if the situation had progressed.
“Thank you, Lance. I...um....I’m sorry.” Keith was still feeling embarrassed by his behaviour, and decided to stare at their entwined fingers instead of Lance’s face.
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize about that. We’ll get there. We have lots of time.”
Lance gave his hands a reassuring squeeze, but that hadn’t been what Keith meant.
“No. I mean, I’m sorry for teasing you...before. I shouldn’t have done it. And I’m sorry for getting carried away. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.” Lance was quiet for a few moments, and Keith was scared he wasn’t going to reply; that he was a lot more upset than he was letting on.
But Lance surprised him with a quick peck on the lips.
Nothing more than that.
But it was enough.
“You don’t have to apologize for wanting to sleep with me. Hell, I’m already regretting interfering. But you were too entranced by my spell. I’m just too attractive I guess. It’s a curse really.” He laughed as Keith rolled his eyes. Lance continued.
“The teasing though...that was definitely something else. I like kissing you. A lot. And I don’t like not kissing you.” Keith glanced up at him, but Lance was fidgeting nervously with their hands. “I just worry that one day you’ll realize that you don’t like kissing me as much as I like kissing you, and you’ll leave. So I want to kiss you at every opportunity. And wow, the word kiss sounds weird now.”
He was looking at Keith, his eyes pleading for him to understand, and Keith felt his heart break a little. How could he have been so selfish? Keith had never been one to toy with people’s emotions. So why had he done to someone he cared so much about? For a feeling of power?
Keith cursed his egotism. He didn’t want to ever make Lance doubt his feelings for him. That wasn’t the kind of relationship he wanted to have.
He untangled one hand and put it to Lance’s face, cradling his cheek as he leaned forward so they were eye level.
“Lance. If I ever make you feel doubt about my feelings for you I want you to tell me. Or better yet, tell Allura. Or Shiro. Then they can kick my ass.” Lance smiled but Keith wasn’t finished. He pressed their foreheads together and stared deeply into the deep sea blue of Lance’s eyes. “Because I like you. I like you a lot. And I like kissing you a lot. And I want to keep kissing you for a long time.”
Lance stared back at him, a large, toothy grin spreading across his face as he registered Keith’s words.
“Can I kiss you right now?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
Their lips met, softly.
Intimately.
Tenderly.
Keith’s hand was still resting against Lance’s cheek, and Lance mimicked him by placing his free hand on the back of Keith’s neck, tracing small circles on his skin.
They fell back, their other, clasped hands pressed between them.
Keith broke contact first, one eyebrow cocked as he smiled up at Lance, who let out a breathy laugh.
“This is going to be harder than I thought.” He said as he rolled off of Keith to lay beside him instead.
“What do you mean?”
Lance stared over at him affectionately.
“I mean that I still want to kiss you. But whenever I do I just get overwhelmed. It’s hard to control myself.”
Keith blushed slightly at his words, but he understood exactly what Lance meant.
“It’s just me. I’m way too attractive.” Keith had done his best impression of his boyfriend, and Lance chuckled, snuggling into Keith’s side.
“No argument there.”
“But I know what you mean. There’s something about being in bed that amplifies everything. Like, laying horizontally under some blankets just sends us overboard. You know?”
Lance considered for a moment.
“Maybe...or maybe we just need more practice.”
Keith glanced down at the boy pressed tight against his side, his lips curled up in a mischievous smile.
He wrapped his free arm around Lance’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, and turned his head to look down at his boyfriend.
“If that’s the case then I can’t wait to practice more with you.”
Lanced beamed up at him, his cheeks rosy.
“That’s probably the cutest thing you’ve ever said. Like, my heart is dead. You killed it.”
Keith chuckled and rested his head against Lance’s lazily. He was exhausted, he realized, and having his boyfriend cuddled up next to him was providing a sense of comfort Keith had never known before. He felt his body settle deeper into the mattress.
“That’s pretty sad. I need to work on my compliments if that’s the case-” He interrupted himself with a loud yawn, and Lance, who had been watching him, let out a little gasp.
“Gah! Keith no-” But it was too late. His own mouth stretched open widely in response to Keith’s yawn, a strange phenomenon that Keith didn’t really understand. He liked it though, since his boyfriend always made the most adorable faces when he yawned. Lance turned his head into Keith’s shoulder, hiding his face from view as the yawn ran its course.
Keith snickered as he watched him, and when Lance turned back to face him, his eyebrows were furrowed grumpily.
“You did that on purpose.” Keith laughed. He hadn’t of course, but he knew that Lance knew that he thought he was cute when he yawned, and he didn’t like giving Keith that sort of ammunition.
“But you’re so adorable when you-” Lance silenced him with a look.
“Stop it right there.” Keith chuckled, and Lance smiled despite himself.
They fell asleep sometime after that, Lance making a point of keeping his eyes closed shut as Keith yawned twice more. He fell asleep first, with Keith following soon after, both embracing each other tightly as they drifted off into pleasant dreams.
*****
Keith woke early the next morning, his body having been trained to rise with the sun back on Earth, though it was harder to gauge time in space. He was facing the wall, his eyes heavy with sleep; his mind even more so.
He stretched his limbs, raising his arms over his head as he yawned, and rolled over something hard.
No...not hard exactly. More boney.
His mind snapped to attention as he realized it was a hand.
Lance’s hand.
Keith sat up abruptly, recalling the events of the night before. Beside him was a large heap of blankets, the only evidence of it being his boyfriend was the exposed hand and a mess of dark brown hair on the pillow.
Keith watched the mound move up and down steadily.
Lance was still fast asleep.
Keith leaned over and pulled the covers down gently, exposing part of Lance’s face, which was nestled comfortably against one of his hands. His face was relaxed, all tension gone from it.
Not that Lance had much tension in his face to begin with.
Still, he looked peaceful, and Keith allowed himself a few moments to just stare.
After a bit he grew bored of watching Lance sleep, and decided it was time for him to wake up.
He nudged the heap of blankets gently.
“Lance.” He whispered.
There was no reply.
He tried again, a bit louder this time.
“Lance I’m bored, wake up.”
A muffled groan escaped his lips, and Lance tucked his head lower in the blankets.
Keith huffed.
Fine then.
He reached for Lance’s hand instead, shifting so he was laying on his stomach, propped up on his elbows. Lance’s fingers were ice again, so Keith began kneading them, moving his own fingers in deep, circular motions, extending from Lance’s palm and up each finger.
He heard a soft moan from the bundle beside him, but when he looked over Lance’s eyes were still shut.
After he was done kneading he cupped Lance’s hand in his own and brought it to his mouth, breathing hot hair onto the fingers. He watched Lance’s eyebrows raise slightly as he did, but still his eyes remained closed.
He placed tiny kisses on the tips of each finger, and Lance’s nose twitched.
Keith sighed theatrically as he brought the hand away from his face, hoping Lance would get the hint.
Still nothing.
So he began to play with his boyfriends fingers. He bent the pinky up and down, wiggled the middle finger, and then moved the thumb back and forth. Lance’s lips curled up in a smile, which he tried, and failed, to hide.
“Lance I know you’re awake.”
When he didn’t reply Keith took Lance’s hand and smacked it against his boyfriends head.
“Ow!” It hadn’t been hard, but Lance rubbed his head dramatically. “I’m tired.” He grumbled as he rolled over; his back now to Keith. “Let me sleep.”
“I’m bored!” Keith complained, sitting up again and bobbing slightly on the bed, making the pile of blankets move up and down. Lance grumbled.
“Sucks to suck. Go back to sleep.”
Keith frowned. Lance was definitely not a morning person. But that just made Keith want to mess with him all the more.
“Fine. I’ll go back to sleep.” Keith shifted on the bed and leapt forward, his arms outstretched as he belly-flopped onto the mound of blankets that was Lance.
He heard a muffled yelp from underneath him, but made no effort to move.
If Lance wasn’t going to entertain him then he would have to do it himself.
Lance squirmed beneath him, but his appendages were trapped under the covers, and he couldn’t get them loose to push Keith off.
“Keith get your colossal weight off of me!”
He could feel Lance’s bony arms push up at him, but the blankets provided enough of a barrier that he could ignore them.
“Shush. I’m trying to sleep.”
He heard Lance curse loudly and laughed.
It was surprisingly comfortable, and Keith figured he could have actually fallen asleep again, if Lance hadn’t pinched him.
Somehow he had gotten his hand free, and had reached up to squeeze the nearest part on Keith, which happened to be his upper thigh. It wasn’t pain so much as surprise that made Keith yelp, and he recoiled away by reflex.
That was all Lance needed though, and with a grunt he was able to push Keith backwards, trapping him in the blankets and pinning his arms down on either side of him.
Keith’s face flushed as memories of the previous night flashed in his mind, like a very strong déjà vu.
Lance was staring down at him again, his hair askew and one side of his face lined from sleeping on the pillow. He leaned in close and kissed Keith on the mouth, who squirmed beneath him.
“Oh gross, your breath stinks!”
Lance chuckled menacingly and bent to kiss him again, but this time Keith was able to move his face to the side, so all Lance got was his cheek.
He pulled back.
“Behave yourself or I’ll keep you here all day and kiss you with my morning breath.”
Keith gulped but couldn’t hide the smile that snuck onto his face.
That didn’t sound all bad.
Lance slid off of him and pulled the blankets down to cover them once again. He was higher on the bed, and draped a hand over Keith’s shoulders to pull him close.
“It’s freezing in here. I don’t know how you live like this.”
Keith rested his head on Lance’s chest and ran his hands up and down his torso to generate some heat.
It was chilly in the room, but Keith liked it that way. He was always overheating in his sleep.
Except for last night.
Keith realized that he had slept fitfully for the first time in a long while, not waking up once to adjust the temperature of the room. Was is because of Lance?
It had to be. His colder skin was the perfect contrast to Keith’s own, and when they were together their temperatures blended, providing the ideal warmth.
Lance sighed happily, his eyes sliding closed as Keith’s hands warmed him.
“Good thing you’re a heater.”
Keith slipped one hand underneath Lance’s shirt, relishing the cool feel of his boyfriend’s skin against his fingers.
“If I’m a heater then you’re an air conditioner.”
Lance grunted.
“Not the most romantic thing to be called by your boyfriend, but I’ll take it.”
His breathing grew steadier as Keith traced patterns on his skin, and when Keith glanced up at him, he could see that Lance had fallen back asleep.
Typical.
But Keith didn’t mind so much anymore.
His own eyes became heavy as his fingers continued to trail along Lance’s chest. He yawned, shifting so his head was more comfortably nestled in the crook of Lance’s neck.
He could allow himself a few more minutes of rest.
Keith eyes became heavy, his thoughts growing hazy as the steady rhythm of Lance’s breathing threatened to lull him to sleep.
He placed his hand over top of Lance’s heart, feeling the stable beat of the organ beneath, and thought about all the nights to come.
Nights where he and Lance could sleep like this together.
Where they could kiss and talk and eventually reach that step.
Keith couldn’t wait for that step.
But as he listened to Lance breathe softly beside him, Keith realized that he was wrong.
He could wait.
Would wait.
They had plenty of time to get to that part of their relationship.
And in the mean time they could practice just being near each other.
Touching each other.
Kissing each other.
Getting used to the intimacy the bed provided.
Learning how to love beneath the sheets of his mattress.
Keith closed his eyes and let himself fall back into the warm embrace of sleep.