So yeah, there was a huge hiatus, I know...I'm sorry orz it was an awful time to take a break, too, since things are gonna start building. I hope it's worth the wait! The title of this chapter alone should tell you that big things are gonna go down.

***

Keith had never been a deep sleeper—in fact, he had somewhat of a mental alarm clock ingrained in his body. Ever since his younger years, he'd trained his body to be able to wake up when he needed it to, which certainly helped with his attendance in classes, but it also helped in this case, where he needed to wake up before Lance.

He would hope that he would wake up if the other boy had a nightmare, but since there was no guarantee, he made it a priority to wake up before him to watch over him for a while.

Waking up with Lance's warmth clinging onto him was a pleasant change as far as morning routine went—not that it was a routine, but he wouldn't mind it if it was. Longer legs meant Lance was technically the taller of the two, but he was cuddled into Keith's chest with his legs curled up, so it was easy for Keith to rest his cheek against the top of his head.

Lance suddenly began stirring against Keith, eyebrows trembling, as if he was witnessing something disturbing. Keith watched for a few seconds before Lance whimpered and began to twist more violently, prompting him to gently shake him awake.

He gasped when his eyes opened, looking around quickly before immediately launching himself into Keith's chest without even looking at him, burying his nose in his shirt, and Keith would've found it cute if it wasn't highly concerning.

"Hey, you okay?" He ran his hand through Lance's hair in hopes of calming him down.

No answer.

Keith stroked his head and let him listen to his heartbeat, electing to give him a moment instead of pestering him. Eventually, Lance's shaking did calm down, and he just snuggled closer, arms wrapping around Keith's torso.

"...I'm sorry..."

Keith frowned. That wasn't the first thing he wanted to hear Lance say in the morning.

"You can lay here as long as you'd like. I'll stay." He pressed his cheek to Lance's head again as the other didn't respond.

After a few minutes of resting against each other, though, Lance finally managed to look up without shaking. "...we can get up now. I don't want to make you lay here forever."

"What if I want to lay here with you forever?" Keith complained, smiling to himself when Lance giggled. Good. That was much better.

They uncoiled beneath the blanket, but their hands never left each other.

"How are you feeling?"

Lance sighed and rested his head against Keith's shoulder, moving much better than he had the day before. "I'm okay. When I woke up, I...I thought you were him." He sunk against Keith once more. "...do you have anything important to do today?"

That explained the twisting. Keith was pretty alarmed, but Lance didn't seem to be blowing it out of proportion, so he didn't push for more details.

"Of course I have important things to do." He cupped Lance's cheek so that he was looking him in the eyes. "I have to spend time with you! Nothing more important than that!"

The smile that spread on Lance's face was a huge breath of relief as they giggled and brought their foreheads together.

"You don't want to just sit around with me..." Lance denied, smile still present.

"Yes I do." Keith pinched Lance's cheek lightly. "Why don't we eat breakfast first, though?"

That managed to drop Lance's smile, as Keith had expected. It was clear as day that he was hesitating to answer—he couldn't seem to reject him, though.

"It's necessary to eat so you can heal. Okay?" Keith continued to ease him. "You don't have to eat a lot."

He gave Keith a small nod and even managed to smile again before clinging to him, and Keith swore his heart couldn't have gotten any warmer as he scooped him up without question and brought him to the kitchen.

Shiro was already eating cereal at the table with the box, milk carton, and two bowls sitting next to him. He always seemed to have exactly what Keith needed whenever he needed it, but this was taking it to the next level.

"Wow...thanks, Shiro." He picked up the milk carton as Shiro eyed him.

"You'd best pour the cereal in first, Keith, or else you might scar Lance."

His face flushed red, and he scowled at Shiro before looking down at Lance, who's confusion quickly melted into a laugh.

"Wait, you pour the milk before the cereal?"

"I didn't teach it to him, I promise," Shiro said, smirking as Lance laughed, and Keith wanted to just melt into the ground as he set the milk down in favor of the cereal box.

"Fine, fine, whatever," he groaned. "I don't get what the big deal is. I like watching the cereal plop into the milk in the bowl, so what?"

Lance laughed even more at that as Shiro face palmed at his explanation, and even though he was pouting, Keith's heart couldn't help but flutter with each round of laughter that left Lance's mouth. Even if he was the butt of a joke, if it made Lance laugh, he was okay with it.

Naturally, once he sat down to actually eat with Lance on his lap, the laughter stopped, and Lance curled into himself, as if to draw less attention to his presence in hopes that he wouldn't have to eat as much. Despite his obvious uncomfortableness, though, he ate whenever Keith prompted him to.

He didn't enjoy having to force Lance to eat, of course, but there was no other choice...he needed food to get better.

After every spoonful of cereal, Lance would turn his face into Keith's stomach, as if ashamed at being seen eating, and each time, Keith would turn to Shiro for help.

Shiro just nodded at him and watched through the corner of his eyes as he finished his own bowl.

Eventually, Lance stopped turning around to face the table and instead looked up at Keith. "I...I can't eat all of it." He glanced back at his bowl of cereal. "Is it okay? Is it enough yet?"

Keith's heart sunk at the way Lance looked up at him for permission, and even Shiro had to look away.

"...of course it is. If you think it's enough, then it's enough."

Lance brightened at that, and he rested against Keith's chest again as Keith sighed and quickly began finishing his bowl.

"I'll be around the house. If you need me, you know what to do." Shiro got up and grabbed Lance's bowl regrettably, bringing both to the sink.

It wasn't Lance's fault—they knew that—but it didn't make it any less heartbreaking seeing Lance act as if he didn't have choices of his own.

The aftermath of Lotor's abuse was unmistakable, and it made Keith's muscles tense with anger...but as he looked down at Lance's content form, he just let that rage fuel his fire to be there for Lance.

***

"Now what?" Lance asked, shifting his back against Keith's chest as they situated themselves back on Keith's bed with Lance sitting comfortably in between his legs. The position seemed standard for them at this point—most likely because they had spent hours sitting like this yesterday.

"Well, I thought we could draw together?" Keith suggested, grabbing his notebook and a pen and setting it in front of Lance, arms around his sides.

Lance beamed up at him with eyes that made Keith's heart swell. "Okay! That sounds fun."

He had to will the red away from his cheeks, regaining his composure by resting his chin against Lance's head protectively while flipping the pen in his fingers and turning it over to Lance. "You go first."

"Me?" Lance looked up at him again, hesitantly accepting the pen. "But...what am I supposed to draw?"

Keith flipped through the notebook with a small, bittersweet smile. "You can draw whatever you want. It's your choice."

Lance just stared at him hard, as if waiting for him to say something more or to at least give a suggestion, but Keith gave nothing.

After looking between him and the paper a few times, Lance finally settled on an idea and put pen to paper, warming Keith's heart. It was such a little thing, but even so, he was proud of Lance.

"Okay, h-here..." Lance rose the notebook a bit for Keith's convenience, but refused to look himself as Keith peered at his drawing.

The first thing he noted was that Lance's drawing style was cartoonishly cute, giving the person in his drawing a big head and big eyes with stumpy limbs. The second thing he noted was that...it was him.

Blood began rushing to Keith's cheeks as he saw the word 'Keef' written above the drawing, which just made the entire thing that much cuter as he squished Lance in between his legs and arms.

"It's so cute! Your drawing in general is cute! I like it!"

He pecked Lance's cheek and leaned back so that the other could beam at him, and the sight of his sparkling eyes flipped Keith's heart like a pancake. The sight of Lance looking so proud of himself wasn't the least bit fair to Keith.

"Alright, my turn!" He announced, copying Lance's drawing style after receiving the pen. He actually enjoyed drawing quite a bit and had somewhat of a talent for it, but right now, he wasn't trying to show off; he just wanted to sketch something quick and cute.

He added small lines to symbolize blush marks on Lance's cheeks before throwing the pen on the paper and resting their faces close to each other again. "There! It's you! I tried to make it as cute as I could, but nothing comes close to the original." He kissed the side of Lance's head for emphasis, impressing even himself with how romantic he was (trying) to be.

Whether he was good at the romance or not was debatable, but it managed to give Lance's face an extra tint of red, so that was good enough in his book as Lance turned into Keith's chest and grabbed his shirt.

"...I like it..." He tilted his head up, locking eyes with Keith. Then, as if to prove which of them was better at romancing, he pulled Keith down and pressed their lips together, jolting Keith's heart into hyperspeed.

The fact that Lance was the one who initiated all of their mouth-to-mouth kisses made Keith's very soul sing, and he just wanted to hold onto him and relish in this moment for forever. Sometimes his mind would still wander to the sight of Lance in the alleyway, completely broken and used...but when they were kissing like this, he felt safer, because Lance was safer. He felt like he could protect Lance, and that was all he wanted.

His head was already getting foggy due to how happy he was to see Lance comfortably snuggling up to him, and it was only morning! At this rate, he and Lance would probably tire each other out in no time.

He pulled his laptop over, resting his chin against Lance's shoulder. "Hey, I'm gonna do some quick morning homework and get it out of the way so that we can spend the rest of the day having fun together. Is that okay with you?"

Lance pressed their cheeks together, and Keith could just feel the stretch of his smile.

"Of course! That's very smart. I guess you aren't a procrastinator."

Keith chuckled as he opened the online worksheets Shiro had emailed him. There was way too much to do, and this was the last thing he'd rather be doing, but getting to cuddle with Lance while doing homework made it worth it. He wouldn't mind killing his brain for school if he got to hold Lance like this the entire time.

"I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get through everything I want to do. You can draw some more so you aren't just watching; sound good?"

Lance's smile dropped at that as he looked down at the paper, staring at it like it was his arch-nemesis before slowly shaking his head. "...no, that's okay, I don't know what to draw anyways..." His smile reappeared for Keith. "I want to just watch you!"

He looked Lance over twice before hesitantly nodding, and with that, Lance fell back against Keith's chest and watched his fingers and the screen as Keith worked.

Spending quality time with Lance was his reward at the end of the tunnel, not that this wasn't quality time or anything, so Keith went through his homework faster than ever before, completing worksheet after worksheet and sending the occasional long-answer response to Shiro. Eventually, Lance got curious enough to lean forward and observe his screen more closely.

"...what is it?"

Keith couldn't help but crack a smile, more than thankful for Lance's refreshing interjection. Just hearing him say something after all his working felt like a wave of refreshment for his brain.

"It's biology, basically," he explained.

Lance's eyes lit up at that as he looked back at the screen. "Really?! That's cool. I like biology. I wanted to be—" He cut himself off, face dropping once more.

"...what's wrong? You wanted to what?" Keith urged, always in a mood to know more about Lance. He'd seemed to not even notice he was sharing info with Keith, which was a good sign...Keith hoped their relationship could one day always be completely open.

"...I wanted to...become a marine biologist. When I was in school, I mean." Lance admitted, curling into himself as Keith dedicated his undivided attention to him, momentarily dropping his homework, counting it as an early break.

"Oh. That's...awesome!" He squeezed his arms around Lance as he giggled. "I'm sure you'd be amazing at it!"

"I don't know." Lance went on once he stopped laughing. "I've always really loved marine life, and I always wanted to learn more about it and to maybe swim with sharks, but...it didn't...it didn't work out for me." His gaze fell down, shoulders sinking until he wasn't snuggling against Keith anymore. "I guess I'll never get that life now."

Keith's heart sank at the sight of Lance sulking. It hurt even more because Lance was sad for reasons that neither of them could control anymore, leaving him with a cold sting; not just because Lance's warmth was leaning away from him now, although that certainly contributed to it. He didn't know if a hug would help Lance in this situation, but there was no harm in trying.

"Hey, it's okay..." He buried his nose in the back of Lance's neck as he pulled him back into his chest. Lance, of course, allowed Keith to do whatever he wanted.

"I know...it doesn't mean anything to me now. That's all in the past." He grabbed Keith's arm to give it a squeeze, as if seeking comfort, before managing to smile up at Keith. Of course he managed a smile—he was Lance. "You can get back to your homework now. Is your school's biology difficult?"

Keith opened his mouth to answer, only to be struck by a sudden idea—one that he couldn't believe hadn't crossed his mind immediately. It took only a few moments for him to work out a plan, and suddenly his heart was beating significantly faster than before as he glanced from his laptop to Lance.

"Hey, I uh, bathroom! I've gotta go real quick, I'll be right back! Here," he handed Lance the notebook and pen, already jumping in excitement as he hurried off of the bed. "Draw something for me, okay? I promise I'll be right back, it'll just be like five minutes, okay?"

Lance blinked in surprise, looking around frantically, but when Keith squeezed his hands, he fell deathly still, skin paling as he hesitantly looked down at the notebook. "...okay. I think I'll be okay. Just be quick..."

"I will!" Keith exclaimed, pecking Lance on the lips quickly before leaving him in the room. He really should've considered the consequences of his actions...but right now, he was too excited for Lance, for what he had planned for him.

He knocked on Shiro's door and slipped inside as soon as permitted, smile already taking over his face as Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to be in a good mood. I'm guessing Lance had something to do with it?"

"Uh...something like that. I need to talk to you about Lance, and an idea I had!"

He let the door shut behind him.

***

Watching Keith leave left Lance's insides churning with even more terror than when Keith and Shiro had insisted he eat. He wanted to call after him, to tell Keith not to leave him, but how could he do that when Keith was doing so much for him? He'd just be selfishly bothering Keith more than he already was. Instead, he curled his legs close to his chest and picked up the pen to try and keep himself busy. Keith had said it would only take five minutes; he just needed to distract himself for a bit.

He stared at the blank page of paper long and hard, trying to imagine what he could possibly draw. Anything...anything at all. He just needed to draw something to keep himself busy.

...there was nothing. He couldn't think of anything to draw. The only thing he could think about was how he was all alone in a large room, waiting for somebody to come back for him...it was just like his time with Lotor.

It was just like his time in the cellar.

He could still see it clearly; his small, pathetic form bundled in the corner of a dark space, completely isolated from any type of warmth or light as he waited for Lotor to come for him. Dust and cobwebs sullied his bruised skin, and the only embrace he got was the kiss of darkness, darkness, darkness...

Happy thoughts. He chewed his lower lip. I need to think happy thoughts. Keith. Keith is here for me. Keith said he wants to love me.

Darkness...loneliness...it's what you deserve...

Keith wants me here. Keith doesn't want me to be lonely.

None of that matters...not when it comes to you. Nobody loves you, not Lotor, not your family, nobody.

Tears were prickling his eyes now as he shook his head violently, unaware of the small cries violently shuddering through his body. More thoughts...he needed more happy thoughts. He needed more happiness to block out the darkness, to block out the images of the cellar.

Keith...I...I have Keith...I have Keith...but...where is he?

He began to sob more violently now, eyes squeezing shut as the tears fell.

Where is Keith...why am I all alone...

Happy thoughts...I need happy thoughts...where are they...where did they all go...

When he opened his eyes again, he could see the darkness all around him, could hear his own demons whispering in his head, and he knew he needed to fill himself with happy thoughts, but he didn't have any left. There was nothing left.

He desperately began scribbling on the paper, tears already wetting the page as he whimpered and cried and tried to make the darkness leave him alone...he just wanted it to leave him alone...

Before he knew what he was doing, a dark blob of scribbles shrouded the entire page with a small figure in the corner, completely surrounded by the darkness. It was the most dark and eerie drawing he had ever seen, gnawing at his heart with a painful ache.

He hated it...he hated it so much...he hated himself...

Why is that the only thing I can draw?

He clenched the pen harder, burying his face in his arms as he became the representation of his drawing, engulfed in the darkness.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he be happy? Why didn't he have any happy thoughts? Why couldn't he think happy thoughts? Why couldn't he even draw anything happy?

He shrieked in despair, tossing the pen across the room and following it by tossing the notebook in another direction, wanting it as far away from him as possible as he began clawing at the bedsheet in hysteria, as if that would help him get rid of everything wrong with himself, but he didn't know what was wrong with him.

Why couldn't he be happy? Why couldn't he do something as simple as draw a picture?

"Why...I hate you..." he sobbed into his arm. "I hate you...I hate you...I HATE YOU!" He screamed, darkness closing in on him with every word and every cry that left his mouth until he could almost imagine himself towering over the form of a pitiful creature crouching in the corner of a dark room—

"Lance?!"

Keith's voice momentarily distracted him, but it didn't register until he was kneeling next to him and holding him to his chest, spreading his familiar warmth through the darkness as Lance immediately grabbed his arm with a shaky wail. He practically threw himself against Keith, who only held his arms open for Lance before closing them around his trembling shoulders.

"I'm sorry...oh my god, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left...are you okay? Lance?"

He couldn't comprehend much of Keith's words as he sobbed and tugged at Keith's shirt, eyes squeezed shut as he desperately pushed his head against Keith's warmth, willing the darkness to leave him alone. Eventually, he just curled into a ball as Keith enveloped him with his body completely.

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left..." Keith repeated, to which Lance just shook his head with another sob.

"N-no...I should be able to...go five minutes w-without crying...I'm sorry...I'm so stupid...so pathetic...so useless...my fault...it's all my fault. I should be able to go five minutes without you but I...I can't...! I don't know what's wrong with me...!"

"Shhhh..." Keith shushed, running his hand through Lance's hair soothingly. "It's okay...it'll be okay. Nobody expects you to heal right away. It's going to take time, remember? There's nothing wrong with you. Okay?"

Lance's lips were still trembling, but he did his best to nod as Keith's sleeve gently wiped at his tears.

"I know...I know you said that but...I don't think I'll ever get better," he admitted, squeezing his eyes shut as he remembered all the dark thoughts he'd just been having. They would've come back in an instant if Keith wasn't there, cuddling him and kissing his forehead.

"It's okay...we'll get through it together. You're not alone, okay? I know you'll get better, I promise."

He could only nod again, shuffling onto Keith's lap and resting against his chest with a sigh. His heart still felt like it was bleeding from all the reopened wounds, and nightmares were the last thing he wanted right now, so he squinted his eyes open and clutched his own chest.

"...they're all coming back. All the bad things and bad thoughts, they're...I'm thinking about all of it again..."

Keith rested his chin atop Lance's head. "I'm sorry...it's going to be okay, I'll stay here with you until—"

Lance shook his head, looking up at him with round, wet eyes. "No, I...I want to talk to you about them, about my past. Until they go away...is that okay...? I...I just want it to stop...you'll stay, won't you? You won't leave me if I...if I tell you everything...?"

Keith's eyes widened, but he was quick to nod. "Of course. I won't leave you, Lance...I want to be here for you." He propped Lance up on his lap more and held him close. "Tell me whatever you want."

They held each other's gaze for a few long seconds before Lance sighed and let his memories replay in his head. It stung his heart and it weighed down every muscle in his body, but despite that, he felt safe with Keith holding him like this, and for the first time since Lotor, he wanted to spill his entire life out, until all of his memories and all of his past just left him alone.

"Okay..." He took a deep breath before letting those dark memories take life. "I'm actually the youngest of four siblings...it doesn't always feel like it, but I have two older brothers and an older sister, plus my mama and my...um..." He paused, lips pursed together. "...my family didn't have a lot of money, and there wasn't always a lot of food to go around even before I was born. Of course, things just got harder with a fourth kid. I think my siblings all blamed me for making life harder for the family...I know my dad did."

Keith immediately resumed stroking his hair at that, probably because Lance's muscles tensed with distress. He was determined to go on, though, because he wanted all the dark thoughts to just leave him alone...

"Mama put up with me, but...I don't think any of them would've cared if I just disappeared, and well...dad made his feelings clear. He hit us a lot...he hit me a lot...I didn't always know why. He and ma were already having marriage problems, so maybe that's why...my siblings always blamed me for making him mad. I know I wasn't the best kid but...but it still kinda hurts..." He found himself fighting a sob. "I'm sorry, I haven't talked about this in a long time..."

"Hey, it's okay..." Keith assured, rubbing his back and pressing his cheek to his head. "It's okay..."

Lance nodded, swallowing hard to get himself back on track. "Marco, my oldest brother...he was the only one who was there for me. He made sure I had food, and he talked to me sometimes...but when I was 7, he left home for college. With one less mouth to feed, home should've gotten better, but it didn't...I don't know why I was so bad that I had to get hit, Keith...they hated me so much...if I was just going to make more problems then why did they even have me? They shouldn't have even made me!" He cried out, straying from his topic as his heart quickly spiralled into familiar despair.

"Hey...don't say that. Lance! It's okay..." Keith comforted, shaking him in his arms a bit as Lance rubbed his head against Keith's cheek.

He focused on the sound of Keith's heartbeat thumping against the side of his head, letting Keith's presence anchor him to where he was.

"I'm sorry..." He wanted to get rid of his dark thoughts, but he didn't want to get lost in them, so he figured he'd move on.

"Once I went to college, I started dorming and worked on my own to live there. I think my family just wanted me gone, which is why I got a little bit of help there...I was on my own afterwards, though. I wanted to become a marine biologist but...I don't know. Maybe it's stupid, but I remember not being able to pay for a fun trip my class was going on because I didn't have money...I think that's when I started losing interest in my classes. I know it's my fault, I shouldn't complain, but...my professors...they didn't care. No one cared. Towards the end of the year, I rarely even went to classes anymore..."

He paused to take a few deep breaths. It was hard to believe he was telling Keith all of this even though it meant Keith might hate him...Keith would see how worthless he was...but when he felt Keith holding him tighter, his heart tightened like a fist in his chest.

"...I think I started looking into it out of curiosity, because I hated my classes so much...but, after my first recording, I started getting into it even more. I...I was a camboy for a few weeks." He hid his face away from Keith. "I got a lot of attention from doing it...a lot of viewers real fast. I remember it felt so good...my audience eventually coined me with the name 'Daddy's Boy'. I'm not exactly sure why. I think I might've used the term a lot..."

A part of him wanted to look up to see if Keith was looking at him in disgust, but he didn't have the courage to, so he instead lowered his head even more. He did, however, grab Keith's shirt so he could cling to him in preparation of what was next.

"One day, one of my viewers...found me. His name was Lotor. I remember how shocked I was at the time...but when he talked to me, he told me I couldn't make enough money if I was just a camboy, and that he could teach me how to use my body to make more money. That's how I found the Web of Sins.

My body was apparently perfect for dancing, so I started performing with him. He even let me stay with him! I didn't need to live in my dorm anymore, and he only ever made me feel better about my body...I...I loved him. When I told him all about my family, he didn't care about how pitiful I was...he stayed with me anyways. He said he didn't care if I was messed up beyond the capacity for others to love...because he..."

Lance didn't even realize his voice was getting shaky until he felt a sob in the back of his throat. Keith's hand was immediately caressing his face, and he just leaned into it, taken aback that Keith was still there, still holding him and gently caring for him. It made the ache in his chest a little more bearable...but reliving his past while knowing what he did now, knowing that Lotor was willing to let a gang of men have their way with him, was almost too much for him to continue. He pushed on anyways.

"I remember the first time...it was because of me. I was bad, and I wanted to finish school...I wanted to follow my dream. I asked him, because I thought if he helped me I could do it, but...we got in a fight. Lotor said I didn't need to go to school anymore, and I know I didn't, I had him, but...I was bad, and he got angry and...then...the cellar..." As soon as the word left his mouth, Lance shrunk into Keith and skipped over any thought of it.

"After that, I stayed with Lotor for nearly two years. I dropped out of school officially to focus on my life with him. I thought he loved me, but...you said people don't hurt the people they love. He hurt me a lot, Keith...but he said only he could love me, and that he would love me no matter what. And then, one day, I was at the Web, and Lotor just...he never showed up."

Lance knew it was wrong for him to feel anything towards Lotor at this point; Keith had made it very clear that Lotor had hurt him and that he shouldn't feel anything for Lotor if Lotor didn't feel anything for him...but just remembering the way Lotor had left him reopened cracks in his heart that tore him from the inside out, inciting whimpers of physical pain.

"I tried going back to our home, but there was nothing...I tried calling him, but nothing...I talked to people, but...he was gone...I waited for him...I slept outside the club, but he never came for me. I had enough work money to get an apartment of my own, but...to this day...I don't know why he decided to leave me.

I didn't know what to do without him...I...I tried calling my family, but they hated me even more when they found out I was a stripper...even my oldest brother, Marco, turned his back on me. Maybe he never actually loved me. Maybe none of them ever loved me." He rocked himself back and forth gently, cradling himself. "After all of that, I just focused on my work at the Web. People put up with me because they didn't know me, and it was only recently that I thought I could go on living without Lotor like that...especially when you showed up."

Keith was still holding him tightly, but he was dead silent. Lance didn't dare look at him, the fear of rejection breaking him apart.

"I...I thought maybe I might be allowed to live on...but then...then he came back...and I just fell into that same hole...!" He buried his face in his hands to let out a weak sob, losing his ability to speak for a good minute as he was torn apart by his own patheticness.

"...this is it." A lone tear fell from Lance's eye, slow and lifeless. "This is my web of sins. I ruined my family and I ruined myself...anyone who gets caught in this web that I've created just ruins me more and more, and I just ruin people back...I hate it..." The tears began falling faster as he dug his nails into his palm. "I hate me..."

A stretch of silence crept over them that only added to Lance's tears, and even though Keith was still holding him, he could already picture himself being shoved away and abandoned...

"Hey." Keith cupped Lance's face and forced him to look up at his eyes, squinted with a gleam of unfallen tears. "...I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before, but...I'm proud of you for enduring so much."

Lance's tears fell down his chin silently as their foreheads pressed together.

"You're so, so inspirational to me...and you're so strong. I'm sorry that you had to go through that...but I want you to know that you didn't deserve any of it, and more importantly, it isn't your fault. The people in your life...they pushed you and kicked you to where you ended up. It isn't your web of sins, Lance; you didn't create it. You just got caught in it. It doesn't belong to you. You never wanted any of this..."

Every word was a punch to the heart as Lance stared into Keith's eyes, disbelief melting like snow at his warmth and sorrow. The fact that he was still here was a wonder in itself, and everything else was almost too much. Nobody had ever called him inspirational before.

"I think...life itself is sort of comparable to a web of sins, you know?" Keith continued. "Sometimes you just get caught in it, and it's weaved by outside forces. In your case, your family, and Lotor, they were the ones weaving it and manipulating you...and that's what caught you. But you can change that now, because you don't have to be caught anymore." He pulled their heads apart so he could rest his head against Lance's chest, as if bowing to him. "Because I'm here for you, I promise...and I'll keep being here for you. We can burn the web away together...until there's nothing but ashes around us. And then...you can create a new beginning."

All these words that Lance had never known he wanted to hear, never known he needed to hear, were suddenly hitting him like stars falling from the sky, lighting up his darkness. He couldn't even feel the tears streaming down his face; he was completely enveloped by his own body. Every beat of his heart made his entire body pulse, every breath made his entire body rise, and his eyes seemed to forget how to blink as he stared at Keith in disbelief. Pure, relieved disbelief.

Only after they had sat in silence for a few minutes did he realize Keith was waiting, giving him a chance to respond...but he had no words. After all, how was he supposed to respond to something like that?

Luckily, Keith seemed to understand as he cupped Lance's cheek and smiled. "You're so strong...and I'm so happy you shared all of that with me. Do you remember last night, when I asked you to let me stay with you? To let me love you?"

He couldn't nod, but his face said everything as Keith planted a gentle kiss against the bridge of his nose.

"...well, falling in love with you isn't gonna be hard at all. I'm already halfway there."

Just like that, all of Lance's barriers and inhibitions and fears came crashing down all at once as he threw himself into Keith's chest like a damaged child, cries splitting the air like thunder.

The tears he spilled in Keith's arms that day were the heaviest tears he'd ever cried. He wept harder than he ever had in his entire life, because he wept for his entire life. He wept for all the pain he faced as a child, all the injustice the people around him had stacked him with, but most of all, he wept for the complete absence of love in his life—the real thing. He wept, because he hadn't found love.

It had found him.

***

Both of them lost track of time to just focus on each other, rocking back and forth together as Lance continued shifting into different comfortable positions on Keith's lap. After his break down, they'd both wordlessly agreed to sit in comfortable silence; it was something both of them could use.

Thinking back on it now, Lance couldn't help but scold himself for spilling everything about his life onto Keith...not only had it been risky, but it had probably been selfish. Obviously Keith would never accuse him of being selfish, but in reality, his dark thoughts had just been piling on top of him all at once, and he had just used Keith in the moment as a way to get it all off his chest...although, Keith had said he was happy he did that, and Lance was, too. Maybe it was best that he had told Keith everything after all...

Strong. Inspirational. Proud. Those words were repeating in his head like broken records. He was the last person he'd associate those words with...but that was how Keith saw him. And while he didn't agree with them, it still made his heart swell just knowing that was how Keith saw him.

He didn't deserve such empowering words...but he wanted to.

"...hey." He tugged at Keith's shirt, voice rasping at his first word in what must've been at least an hour since his super long tangent. "Can we...get something to eat?"

Keith's eyes widened in surprise for a split second, but he just nodded as he wrapped his arms around Lance and began sitting up. "Yeah! Of course. Did you want to come with me, or should I yell for Shiro to get us something?"

"I want to go," Lance assured. "I want to be strong. I want to be better...like how you see me..."

He scooted off of Keith's lap as Keith smiled after him with an approving nod. When he tried wrapping his arms beneath Lance's knees, though, he shook his head.

"No. I want...to walk."

Keith's smile spread even wider at that as he nodded and kept by Lance's side as he slowly pushed himself up. He hadn't been using his legs for over a day and had to lean against Keith every now and then as the bones cracked, but he powered through it all the way to the kitchen before plopping down in a chair with a sigh.

"...thank you," he said at last. "Thank you for everything...and for still being here for me after hearing about all that..."

They exchanged a glance as Keith started up a pot of boiling water, and once he put in a brick of ramen noodles, he crouched down in front of Lance to hold his hands.

"Of course, Lance. I told you...I'll stay by your side through anything. I...I really am so proud of you, you know?"

Lance's cheeks lit up as he peeked down at their hands before quickly getting swept up in Keith's blue-grey eyes, nodding and swooning on the inside until he was light-hearted, although that could've just been from a lack of food.

Pretty soon, the sound of water boiling brought him out of their little trance, but Keith didn't seem to notice until Lance cleared his throat and gesture towards the pot.

"Ah, shit." Keith rushed over to the pot, and Lance could only giggle as he watched him panic around the kitchen like a complete dork. Now it made sense why Shiro allegedly couldn't cook; because no one was there to teach him, not even Keith.

Luckily, the kitchen remained safe from fire for the day as Keith set their bowls of ramen on the table, sitting next to Lance for once instead of beneath him.

The broth didn't seem too fatty, and Lance knew Keith had purposefully left the ramen more bland for him. He could only repay the thoughtful gesture by lifting several strands of noodles to his lips.

By the time Shiro walked in on them, Keith had finished his bowl while Lance tentatively passed the halfway mark, constantly reminding himself that Keith didn't care and that he'd stay by his side even if Lance were to eat.

"Sorry that we don't have much else to eat around here," Shiro said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Lance shook his head, taking the opportunity to turn away from his bowl. "No, it's okay!"

Shiro flashed him a smile before turning to Keith, the two of them exchanging a silent conversation that ended with a mutual nod.

"Lance...Keith told me about how you went to school to study to be a marine biologist, but dropped out a while back."

His eyes widened, whipping his head towards Keith, but Shiro cleared his throat to regain his attention.

"Hold on, there's an explanation. We talked it over, and we both agreed that you should get another chance, if you want...everybody deserves more than one chance. So, if you'd like, we'd be more than happy to help you enroll at Altea University. It wouldn't have to be right away, of course, but if you want to, then whenever you're ready."

Lance's eyes were widening even more, followed by the drop of his jaw as he looked back and forth between Keith and Shiro. He was almost convinced this was some sort of ploy until Keith reached for his hand; that was enough to assure him of the truth.

"...I...don't deserve this—"

"Lance." Shiro rested a hand on his shoulder, and to his surprise, he didn't pull away at the gentle squeeze. "I told you, everybody deserves more than one chance."

"He's right," Keith chimed in. "Everybody deserves a second chance...especially you, Lance. We just want you to be happy."

He was certain there was no correct way to react as he looked between them repeatedly, invisible tears falling down his cheek. It almost seemed physically impossible for him to cry any more tears, but he was sure they would be streaming down his face if it was possible as his hands rose to cover his mouth. Then, he launched himself forward into Keith's arms, surprising himself at the amount of strength his legs suddenly had.

"Woah," Keith muttered, closing his hands around Lance's back as he nestled himself into his chest.

Once he had adequately hugged Keith, he pushed himself to his feet and wrapped his arms around Shiro, who hesitated to return the gesture, most likely since Lance had always been more dormant around him.

"...okay..." He swallowed hard, because even though he wasn't crying, he certainly felt like it. "Once I feel a little bit better, I want to try. I...I want to try to live out my dream again."

He beamed up at Shiro, met by the man's own smile as he patted Lance's head with a nod.

"I'm glad to hear it. Just come to me whenever you're ready, and we can make it work out."

***

For the first time in a long time, Lance felt like the smile on his face was genuinely permanent as he and Keith stumbled back into their room after an unfinished but complete meal.

"Shiro is incredible," Lance blurted out once they were back on the bed, heart still racing. It seemed to be racing even more than it had earlier now that everything was starting to sink in more.

Keith laughed as they assumed their normal position with Lance curled up in between his legs. "Yeah...he's pretty incredible. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Lance rocked back and forth against Keith's chest, hugging his knees. "You know, sometimes I like to imagine what a father figure should be like...you know, a real father. I'm not sure I really know much about it, but...Shiro is everything I wish I had." He looked up at Keith. "Is that weird?"

"No." Keith was quick to answer, still smiling as he held Lance close to his stomach with a sigh. "I totally understand. I think it's the same for me, in a way. Shiro is like a dad figure, a brother figure, and a mentor figure all in one...and don't even get me started on 'best friend'. He's everything. He's one of a kind...and I know that, if all else fails, Shiro is always there. I can always count on him, no matter what."

They smiled at each other, and Lance found his heart was strangely warm just from the two of them fawning over how incredible Shiro was.

***

From just outside their door, Shiro leaned against the wall with his hands clutched close to his chest, eyes lowered as he blinked fast so as to avoid spilling any tears.

His chest surged with such intensity as he heard their exchange, and he could just imagine the smiles on their faces as they talked about him of all people and how he affected their lives.

In that moment, Shiro swore even more so than before that, against all odds, he would make sure these two boys ended up with their happily ever after.

***

"So what do you want to do now?" Lance was still teetering near the edge of breaking down into tears of gratitude, but he restrained himself so as not to annoy Keith while scooting and cuddling into his stomach.

"We can play video games! Or, well, laptop games, at the very least."

Lance tapped the back of his head against his chest as Keith reached for his laptop. "What type of games?"

"There's a ton!" Keith assured as he opened his screen to show Lance, kissing the top of his head. "Some of them can be suspenseful, others are cute, like you!"

A crimson blush gripped Lance's face, and he swore he began to physically release steam.

Before he even knew it, Keith had settled on a game, pointing his finger against the screen. "Does this look fun? It's a two-player dungeon clearing game full of boss fights and 100 floors; perfect for an unstoppable pair like us, right?"

Lance swallowed hard at both the cute comment and the offer. "Um, K-Keith...I don't mind watching you play, but I don't think I know how to...I don't want to hold you back."

"Come on!" Keith prompted, squeezing Lance's hands as he opened the instructions tab to run through it with him. "We'll play together; it's more fun for both of us that way, don't you think? I'll protect you, I swear it."

It seemed sort of silly for Keith to have to say things like that to him over a game on the internet, but even so, it never ceased to warm his heart, and it never ceased to put a smile on his lips as their faces pressed together. Naturally, he could only nod in hesitant agreement as Keith ran him through the instructions. Then, it was game on.

He had no idea what he was doing, but Keith carried them through the first few floors until he slowly began easing into the weird controls on the laptop. By the sixth floor, he was doing his best to put in as much work as Keith.

Every time they cleared a dungeon, Keith would turn Lance's body around, high five him with both hands, and lock their lips in a spirited bout of celebration, almost like a victory award.

Lance giggled into the kiss like a drunken idiot every time, partially because this game had him genuinely smiling and partially because he found it endearing to no end that they were celebrating over every small win in the game. Pretty soon that was all he was focusing on; no dark thoughts about Lotor so much as crossed his mind. The reward was the only thing he could zero in on, already picking up on all the different ways Keith tried to keep the celebratory kisses "passionate" as they passed dungeon after dungeon.

They eventually hit the hundredth floor, but even that couldn't conquer them as they practically rushed at each other with open mouths, fingers intertwining as the game's finale granted them the grandest celebratory kiss of all, which in turn morphed into a brief make out session. When they pulled away, their faces were mirrors of the other's smile.

"I'm so proud of us! We beat all 100 floors!" Keith declared, squeezing Lance to his chest as Lance giggled.

"I'm proud of us too. You were so cool!"

"I don't know if I'd say I was 'cool'. That final boss was crazy...it almost killed me in that last dungeon. Luckily you managed to shoot it just in time."

"I didn't know what I was doing."

"Still!" Keith insisted. "Lucky shot or not, if you'd waited a second longer I would've been a goner. I think you became a genuine sharpshooter in that game!"

Lance's face flushed red as Keith peppered his forehead with kisses.

This was it. This was the happiness Lance longed for. This was the smile he dreamed of—only this wasn't a dream. It was his reality. It was Keith.

"I'm so grateful that I met you." Their eyes met as Lance held Keith's face. "I'll never be able to express how grateful I am...to have you here with me."

Keith's hands slid over his on his face. "I'm grateful to have met you, too."

Lance sat up more at that, eyebrow raised. "What? How? All I do is hold you back. You can't go to school because you have to take care of me, and all your time is spent on me...I feel like I'm just a big piece of dead weight."

"That's not true, Lance. Well I mean, sure, I'm staying home from school, but...what I mean is, you aren't dead weight. Thanks to you, I've become better." He moved Lance's knuckles to his lips, leaving soft kisses. "I have...temper issues. I have my entire life, due to reasons in my life. Shiro helps me with them a lot, but obviously stuff like that doesn't just disappear overnight. It's always been an issue for me. But when I'm with you, I don't want to get angry at life. I just want to be happy and safe with you, I just want you to be happy and safe."

Lance's mouth was slightly ajar, heart warming as Keith smiled at him.

Looking back, Lance probably could identify several moments where Keith seemed to get impatient or frustrated, but he had shrugged it off every time. Now that he knew he was part of the reason Keith was able to keep pushing forward, he couldn't help but throw himself against Keith's chest.

A part of him wondered about Keith's past, given that he said he had temper issues 'due to reasons in his life', but Lance didn't push it. This wasn't a moment to dwell on the past—all he wanted to focus on was the present.

The soaring of his heart, the smile across his face, and the warmth of Keith's arms around him...Lance didn't want to lose any of it. And even if he did, he didn't want to forget it. He wouldn't forget it. No matter what happened, even if this happiness was stripped away from him like it always was, Lance would never forget this moment, where he could just smile freely.

They rocked back and forth for a while before Keith drew attention to the darkness behind the windows.

"I guess we were playing games for a really long time."

"100 floors is a lot." Lance pointed out, poking Keith's cheek. They laughed together before Keith sunk back into the bed, adjusting the pillows and blanket so they could cuddle as close and comfortably as possible.

As soon as the lights were off, Lance snuggled into Keith's chest and looked into his dusky eyes that almost blended in with the dark. "You'll be here when I wake up?"

Keith wrapped an arm around his torso. "No matter when you wake up, my face will be the first thing you see."

With that, Lance rested his head just tucked beneath Keith's chin, eyes falling shut with a smile still dancing across his face.

If he could stay like this with Keith forever, he would've.

***

The sound of footsteps shaking the house woke Lance up the next morning, with Keith immediately wrapping his arms around him tighter as they hauled themselves up to see Shiro enter their room unannounced.

His eyes were wide and more strained than Lance had ever seen them, and his heart was already beating faster as Shiro stopped at the foot of their bed, gulping.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked.

Shiro looked in between them with a heavy sigh. "...a limo just parked outside."

And just like that, the so-called happiness that Lance had been experiencing drained from his body until he was as lifeless as a fly in a spider web. There was only one thing on his mind.

Lotor.

***

How fitting is it that my first update after the hiatus brings back the most beloved character of all; Lotor! Things are sure to get shaky...

DID YOU KNOW THE WEB OF SINS ACTUALLY EXISTS?

That's right! Go to my profile, and there, you'll find the url link! You can ask me questions regarding this fanfic or about anything in general, and I would love to interact with all of you! Furthermore, if you follow me, you'll get regular teasers for the next chapter of this fic! Be like Keith and check it out!