Lance flew upright and stared at the ceiling; something had woken him up. But what? A scream cut through the silence. In a second Lance was on his feet and out the door, he grabbed his gun on the way out. Once again the scream sounded and Lance followed the noise down the hall. He paused outside Keith's door. Another scream from inside Keith's room came again. Lance took a deep breath. If he went in and nothing was wrong Keith would kill him, but if something was wrong... he stepped forward and then crept into the room. He kept the gun high so he was ready for fighting should that occur. As he moved further in his eyes adjusted to the dark room and he could make out the bed -with someone, presumably Keith, in it- and the few other items Keith had in his room including his jacket hanging on the wall. The room was sparse as if Keith were a guest only staying for a day or two and hadn't unpacked.

There was no-one else in the room. On the bed Keith shifted then tossed over. Lance was now convinced there was no intruder couldn't fathom were the screaming had been. He was certain it had come from in Keith's room but he was clearly asleep. Lance turned to leave and Keith made a whimpering noise. He spun around and Keith whimpered again. Then he flew back onto his side and then onto his back his legs kicking out and hands gripping the duvet tight. He suddenly screamed. Lance wasted no time. He flew to Keith's bedside and shook him gently. Keith's eyes shot open and he sprung upright, gasping for air. Lance carefully place a hand on his shoulder and Keith reacted violently. He grabbed the offending hand and twisted it back, lance yelped in pain. Immediately Keith let go.

"sorry. I'm sorry." He whispered.

Lance nodded. He swallowed before asking "are you okay?" it was simple but he was unsure how Keith would react.

"I'm fine."

Of course. Keith would probably rather die than admit he needed help.

"do you want to talk about it?" again simple, but it held weight. When Keith failed to respond he carefully laid his hand back in Keith's shoulder. Keith eyes it suspiciously but left it alone.

"not really... why are you here?" he demanded.

"I could, err, well I heard you. Um. I mean I heard screaming. So I thought I'd check it out." Lance stumbled over his answer still wary.

"you've checked. I'm fine. Move on." Although his voice lacked it's usual harshness the words were cold and clearly calculated. He'd used them like this before. Most likely against Shiro.

"Keith..." Lance whispered softly. He pulled on Keith's shoulder. It was easier than anticipated to pull Keith down and against him. He must not have been expecting it. Pressed against Lance's chest, Keith settled for a moment, then he pushed Lance back and sat straight up again. Just that he had settled confirmed lance's fear that Keith really wasn't alright. "I'm not going." Lance murmured, tugging on Keith's shoulder again. He managed to position Keith in his arms so that he could lean back against the pillows but still be upright enough to cuddle. Keith fought briefly but soon gave up. His exhaustion clear to see.

It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep in lance's arms. He stayed peaceful and barely moved for the reminder of the night.

Lance awoke to arms full of struggling Keith. He had evidently decided that he'd had enough of cuddling. Instead of relaxing his grip and letting go of Keith as he knew he should, he tightened his grip. Keith stiffened.

"morning sleepy head." Lance crooned.

"I woke up first so if anyone is the sleepy head it's you." Keith easily fell into the banter, it was second nature.

"Technically I woke up last night. So there. I was first." Lance argued,

"Alright, I was born first and therefore woke up first." Keith snatched victory from him.

Lance huffed but gave up. Keith started to struggle upright again. This time Lance let him. Once upright Keith seemed uncertain of where to go next. Eventually he decided and stood up.

"Tell anyone about this and I'll gut you like a fish." Keith threatened.

He snatched his jacket up and left the room. In the light the room looked even bearer. Barely lived in. Maybe he'd mentioned it next time. If there was a next time. He shuffled out of bed and hastened down the hall back to his own room. He threw his gun down and changed. His room was lived in and was undeniably his. He liked that way. How Keith could live in such a clinical environment was beyond him. It usually only took a few days for Lance to make the room his own; some were easier than others. Once dressed his mind moved onto breakfast, that night fading away. Keith entered soon after he had and made awkward eye contact. He smiled and tried to act like nothing had happened but earlier events had altered their dynamic and he wasn't sure how. Hopefully for the better.