Keith woke slowly, the world coming back to him in fragments.
The steady hum of the Castle. The faint, sterile smell of the med bay. The sharp ache in his side with every breath. He grimaced, trying to shift against the pillows..
..and the movement tugged at something warm around his hand.
Keith froze, blinking down.
Lance was there, slumped awkwardly in a chair pulled close to the bed. His head had been resting against his arm, but Keith's movement stirred him. His fingers tightened instinctively around Keith's, and his eyes fluttered open.
"Keith?" Lance's voice was rough, thick with sleep, but the second he saw him awake, he sat up straight. His free hand scrubbed quickly at his face, trying to hide how wrecked he looked. "Oh thank God-"
Keith blinked at him, disoriented. "You… stayed?" His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
Lance let out a shaky laugh, the kind that tried to sound casual but cracked at the edges. "Stayed? Keith, I practically glued myself to this chair. There was no way I was leaving you again."
Something in Keith's chest tightened. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words caught in his throat.
Lance leaned closer, eyes searching his face like he needed to reassure himself Keith was real. "You scared the heck out of me," he admitted, voice quieter now. "Don't… don't ever do that again, okay? I can't-" He cut himself off, jaw tight, looking away.
Keith's brows furrowed. His side hurt, his head spun, but he found himself squeezing Lance's hand weakly. "I'll try not to," he murmured.
The corner of Lance's mouth twitched like he was fighting a dozen emotions all at once. Relief, frustration, maybe something else Keith couldn't name.
"Good," Lance whispered, his thumb brushing once against Keith's knuckles before he seemed to realize what he was doing and sat back, flustered. "Good."
For a moment, silence settled between them. Not heavy, not tense.. just quiet. Steady.
And Keith thought, for the first time since the sparks, that maybe he could breathe again.