Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Would you get lost!” Lance heard as he entered the communal lounge. He wasn’t surprised at all to find the annoyed voice belonged to the extra grumpy red paladin himself, Keith Kogane. 

Keith was usually a little irritating, but he has been a little bitch for about a week now. Lance didn’t get it. Sure, things have been a bit on the slow side lately, but not so slow that the samurai didn’t get to stab a few dozen Galra. He had no good excuse to be so pissy with everyone. But if anyone, read Shiro, tried to talk to him about it he’d just growl something along the lines of “I’m fine” or “I’m so tough and amazing that you people can’t possibly help me at all!”

It looked like Shiro’s efforts just got rejected yet again. He’s started coming at Keith like an experiment lately. He’s trying different times in the day to ambush the boy with ‘the feelings’ talk. So far, as far as Lance has noticed anyway, no time is the right time but absolutely never be emotional first thing in the morning. Not only will Keith shut down and hide from the rest of the team for the entire day, but he will also bite your head off with nothing but an icy look before he leaves. Lance shivered. Shiro almost actually looked unnerved after that look. Almost. 

Lanced guessed his experiment had finally reached after dinner time. Lance had stepped out after he had eaten to take a quick shower, and while he was gone Shiro must have struck. 

Keith was bundled under a space blanket on the couch with the couch cushion from the space next to him in a stranglehold on his lap. He has chosen to sit at the end of the couch so it seems the kidnapped cushion was an attempt to keep anyone from sitting next to him. Not that it did much to stop Shiro’s parental hovering. 

While Keith looked like he wanted to fuse into the couch, Shiro had his “big brother” smile on, with only a bit of strain so good for him, and his hands on his hips. “Keith, come on, you’ve been upset lately.” Shiro said, “It’s not that hard to see.” 

“I. Am. Fine.” Keith growled back. He huddled closer to the cushion in his arms. It kinda seemed like it was holding him together. Like it brought Keith some kind of comfort. 

“Oh!” Lance gasped, pulling the arguing pair’s eyes to him. Lance grinned shamelessly. “I got this, Shiro. No need to worry anymore.”

Before either could speak their no doubt insulting thoughts of disbelief, and before Keith could run away, Lance pulled him off the couch, blanket and all, and started leading him out of the room by the shoulders. 

Keith was so confused by the sudden involvement on Lance’s part that he didn’t start digging his heels into the floor until the door had already slid shut behind them. “Lance--” Keith slapped Lance’s hands away from him. “What the hell are you doing?” 

Lance grinned some more. “Dude, if you need some time to nest and all that you should have just told us. We would have understood.”

It all made perfect sense now! The irritable attitude. The blanket cocoons and the cushion hugging. Lance even remembers Keith eating more helpings then usual at mealtimes. All classic signs of an Omega in preheat. It’s no wonder no one could figure it out before Lance since no one but Lance was an Omega. Omegas tend to have a greater sense than Alphas and Betas for these kinds of things. It’s theorized that Omegas gained this sixth sense as a way to both avoid rutting Alphas or protect fellow Omegas from intrusions or worse. Lance would have got it sooner, but he’s never seen Keith in preheat before. Since every Omega smells different, preheats also differ from Omega to Omega. Lance has sensed preheat on other omegas at the garrison but Keith has always kept to himself so Lance never got close enough to learn what the boy was supposed to smell like. Not to mention the fact that Keith always reacts strangely to normal human stuff. Lance can’t remember a time where the two of them reacted to a situation in the same way, but Lance guesses they have at least the Omega response in common.

When Lance goes to comment on this new realization, he looks up to find Keith staring at him in complete horror.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Keith stuttered. Lance can’t remember if he’s ever seen Keith stutter before. “I can’t be--- I’ve never been--- How the hell would you even know that anyway?!”

Lance blinked at him then raised an eyebrow. “Dude, chill. It’s just a thing that happens to Omegas. Not a reason to get all panicky and squeaky.”

Keith moaned into his couch cushion. He must have forgotten he was holding it because he pulled back to stare at it in confusion. 

Lance nodded like that was proof right there. He pointed at the cushion. “Yeah, see. Holding and hoarding soft stuff that probably smells like all of us. That’s what finally tipped me off to what was going on with you. I’d always steal the blankets off my family's beds when I started preheat. I’d make a pillow fort and everything.”

Something about that explanation made Keith relax his death grip on the pillow. “You mean you’re a--” He cut himself off and looked away. 

This boy better start finishing his sentences. Lance tilted his head. “What you can’t tell? We’re the only Omega’s on the team.”

Keith blushed, “But you’re always so…” 

Lance laughed, “Oh. Yeah, well, my whole family’s Alphas so I guess I never picked up on those soft and quiet omega stereotypes.” 

Keith looked back at Lance, blush slightly faded and suddenly more interested, “All of them? What about your Dam?”

Lance shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, “I don’t know. He ran off shortly after my younger sisters were born. I guess the number of children he had started to freak him out so he bailed.” 

“I’m sorry.” Keith’s eyebrows scrunched together, “That sucks.”

Lance shrugged again. “Well, whatever.” He waved a hand as if to wipe away the topic. “You get it though, right? The whole no Omega examples thing? I mean half of the people at the garrison thought you had to be an Alpha with the way you acted.”

Keith growled, “What did they know, anyway?”

Lance raised his hands in surrender. “Yeah, you really need to get going on that nest. I’ll tell the others to leave you alone. Don’t hold out next time, Dude. It’s a killer on your perception of life.” 

“I don’t need one. I’m not going into Heat.” Keith snapped.

“I beg to differ, Buddy.” Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders and started leading him towards his bedroom. Better to get him out of the public hallway so no one else has to deal with the Omegas wrath. “Now that I know to look for it, you smell exactly like an Omega about to go feral.” Lance leaned closer as if to get another confirming sniff. 

Keith rolled his shoulders back and shook his head. “No way. I’ve never---” He stopped.

Lance sighed. There are those unfinished sentences again. He looked over at the red paladin and suddenly Lance noticed that Keith’s eyes were horrified again. That white-knuckled grip on the cushion was back and with his arm around him, Lance could feel minute shakes coming from Keith. “Hey, it’s okay man." Lance soothed as best he could while patting his shoulder. “I was nervous having mine in space too, but it's really no different than usual. Just different foods is all.”

“No! I can’t do this!” Keith huddled into himself. He looked about ready to either vomit or cry. 

Lance stopped walking. “Keith, what’s wrong? Why’re you so scared?”

If Lance wasn’t basically holding him, he wouldn’t have heard Keith whisper, “I haven’t had a Heat since my first one when I presented.”

“What?” Lance squeaked. “How’s that even possible?!”

“I got taken to the doctor once after starting at the garrison and they said something about safe environments and needing regular amounts of food.”

Oh. That made sense. Once when Lance was sick with the flu and couldn’t hold down any food, he had missed his Heat for that month. He didn’t notice until afterward because he was high on a fever at the time. 

And Keith’s always had a really rocky home life from what Lance has heard from Shiro and that mind-meld thing the team does sometimes for training. Keith was in foster care for most of his childhood and then the garrison recruited him. The garrison where teachers were actually superior officers who would punish a cadet if they ever missed a class with extra laps around the building or skipping dinner. Lance had a really hard time there himself and he didn’t have the same spacey, delinquent vibe that Keith had. Then he lived in that shack in the middle of the freaking desert for a year. Where did he get his food? Did he hunt? Did he drive that hoverbike of his into a nearby town to buy supplies? If so, where did he get the money?

Without thinking, Lance said, “Is this really the first time you have ever felt safe enough to go into Heat?”

Keith blushed and shrank further into himself if that was even possible, “I guess.”

“That is both so incredibly messed up and kind of heartwarming.”

Keith stared at Lance with wide eyes. “What?”

“You trust us so much that your body is allowing itself to turn full Omega for a few days.” Lance smiled at him. “That’s so sweet, Dude!”

Keith grimaced, “Glad you’re happy about it.”

At that, Lance pushed down the warm and fuzzies. “No no, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll prove your instincts aren’t wrong.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“As the ship’s resident expert on all things Omega. I nominate myself as your guide to the entire Heat process. You can count on me!” Lance stepped back enough to give Keith an overly dramatic bow. 

Keith creaked a little smile. “You’d do that? For me?”

Lance straightened back up and grinned brightly. “What are friends for, My Dude?”

“Okay,” Keith smiled a little wider, still looking overwhelmed and nervous, but not so freaked out anymore. “What’s first?”

“We go to your room and get started on that nest.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, you get started with what you got in here, and I’ll go gather some more soft stuff.” Lance clapped his hands and grinned at Keith. 

They had made it to the inexperienced Omega’s bedroom. Lance figured getting the soon-to-be feral boy away from all people and pointy objects was mission número Uno so… Success on that front, at least. Now, he just needed to gather more stuff. Keith wasn’t the type to use much of anything comfy in his bedroom. All he seemed to have was a couple sheets, a slightly bigger space blanket than the one currently wrapped around his shoulders, and one pillow. One. Pillow. This boy was a heathen if Lance had ever seen one. How did someone possibly sleep with only one pillow?! One Pillow!

Keith, still clenching his space blanket and couch cushion, stared at Lance with confusion. “Get started on what?” He asked.

Lance blinked at him. “Uh, the nest?” When Keith’s confusion didn’t lessen, Lance continued with an incredulous look, “Please tell me you’ve seen a nest before…”

Keith huffed. “Of course, I’ve seen a nest before!” 

Lance nodded slowly, “Okay… Then why the confused stillness, Dopey?”

Keith clenched his teeth. “How do I make one?”

“How do you make one?” Lance repeated dumbly.

Keith lost it, “Would you stop looking at me like that!”

“Would you start making sense!?” Lance replied, slightly hysterical, with his hands in the air, “I get that you’ve not had a Heat in a long while, but it’s not like nests are exclusive to Heats! Are you telling me you’ve never made one for a bad day or just to watch some movies or---or for anything?! In your entire life?!”

“Yes!” Keith hissed at him.

Lance froze with his arms still raised. Suddenly, all the crazed energy from two seconds ago left him, and all he could feel was shock. For his entire life, Lance basically lived in his nests. He’d make one for any reason at all. For a bad day. For a good day. Hell, he’d even make one when he was bored. They were his greatest source of comfort. Nothing could beat being surrounded by soft plush and the smells of the people who loved him. He simply could not imagine a life without such a simple form of self-care. He’d sooner give up face masks and long showers before he even thought about giving up nests. 

He finally dropped his arms. “Really?” He asked quietly. Afraid that any louder would cause him to do something stupid. 

Keith glared at him. “Shut up, it’s not that big of a deal!” 

Lance could not disagree more, but he bit his tongue. He could literally see the stress and defensive attitude starting to take hold. It would do neither of them any good to keep poking at this subject. So even though the only thing Lance wanted to do was ask more questions, maybe get a list of foster families that he should visit if they ever get back to Earth, he didn’t. He took a breath and held it for a few seconds, then forced a casual smile on his face. 

“A nest is supposed to be individualized for an Omega’s comfort,” He explained, “It can come in any form that you want. I like the feel of a blanket fort since it’s like being surrounded by my family. Just think about what you’d like and start throwing stuff around. You can always change it later if you want to.”

Keith didn’t completely relax, but he did nod. “Okay…”

Lance nodded back. “Okay. Then you get started with what little you got here, and I’ll be right back.”

Keith nodded again, and Lance nodded back. He was out the door before his smile slipped from his face. As the door slid shut behind him, his jaw clenched and his spine straightened. He was going to show Keith what real comfort was even if it killed him. 

His first stop was Hunk’s room. Hunk had laid claim to one of the rooms near the lions bay and labs. He had told Lance that it made him feel more at home to be near something he could tinker with at a moment's notice. Lance suspected it was more because Pidge also claimed a room on that side of the castle and Hunk was worried that if left to their own devices Pidge would attempt to live off space-coffee and spite alone. 

Hunk's room was the best place in the castle to get soft things. Like Lance, Hunk was a big believer in the power of comfort. Any blankets or pillows or strange stuffed toys somehow always made it to Hunk’s room. Which was perfect for Lance since he preferred to collect the beauty products of the universe. If Hunk ever needed his nails done or his hair cut Lance’s bedroom was the place to be. 

Lance didn’t even have to explain the situation to his favorite best bro. Once the Beta noticed that Lance was collecting blankets, Hunk jumped up from his bed, where he was watching some kind of alien cooking show, to help him fold everything for easier transportation. They bickered at each other whenever Lance flipped the cloth to the right, which was every time, and Hunk flipped it to the left, which was also every time, and the big guy even offered to go looking for more pillows.

“I can drop them by your room if you want?” Hunk offered. 

Lance almost swooned. “Hunk, you are an angel. Truly.” 

Hunk grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s no big deal. Do you want me to find some chairs or something as well?”

This time Lance did swoon. Right into the pile of blankets currently held in Hunk’s arms. “Oh, my heart can’t take this level of devotion. Marry me, Hunk!”

Hunk didn’t even stumble with Lance’s added weight because he’s cool like that. “Of course, Dude. Name a time and place and I’ll be there.”

Lance giggled. “I’ll let you know on the deets, but for now I have more rooms to pillage.” 

Hunk waved the pile at him, “Happy travels.”

Lance flashed him some finger guns on his way out. 

It was probably a good thing that he went to Hunk’s first. Nothing like some Hunk love to boost a dropping mood. If he walked around with the attitude he had left Keith’s room in, then Pidge, with their freaky mind-reading abilities, would have been able to sense something was wrong. They could never leave anything alone and always had to poke and prod at every little mystery. Though to be fair, Lance was being nosy at this very moment by butting into Keith’s business. But that was different! Pidge more often than not didn’t care about the mystery once it was figured out. They were more into the satisfaction of knowing the most about any given topic. Especially if it’s embarrassing blackmail material. Lance was more into helping.

On that thought, Pidge’s room was next. They had set up their bedroom to look just like the labs but with a bed stuffed to the side. Every surface was covered in mechanical whats-its and doodads. They said there was a system but Lance guessed it was more to do with their perfect memory than some kind of organized chaos. 

The little Beta had themselves tucked between two shipping crates filled with something shiny with a tablet balanced on their knees. 

“Hey Pidge, you have any free carts I could steal? I’m collecting cozy stuff right now.” Lance asked.

Pidge’s eyes seemed to flash as they latched onto his soul in that way only they could do. Lance swallowed nervously. Their eyes studied his face and smirked. “Don’t you have enough pillows in your room?”

“Not for the nest I need to build right now.” Lance shrugged, “I want a really sweet one.”

Pidge nodded absentmindedly, “Hm, I see.”

Lance rolled his eyes, “You gonna help me out here or what?”

“You already had your Heat a couple phoebes ago. Hunk told me that even when you’re extra homesick you mostly stick to what you can find in Hunks room and there hasn’t been anything particularly tragic happening on the war front. So this nest isn’t for you. Hunk and I are Betas so obviously, it’s not for us. Shiro is famously an Alpha so he’s also out. Allura and Coran, while they might be interested in the human dynamics and the function of a nest, haven’t recently expressed interest in the topic. Not to mention that Omega nests are private things not usually shown for the hell of it to friends. So that leaves Keith,” Suddenly Pidge’s smirk widened into a satisfied grin, “who has been showing signs of irritation and touch starvation for the last eight quintants.” 

Lance opened his mouth to reply, though he didn’t really know what he was going to say to the Beta, but Pidge interrupted by waving their hand halfheartedly to one of the carts with only a couple things inside. With that, they went back to whatever they were doing on their tablet. Lance decided to pretend that conversation didn’t just happen and went to empty out the cart. 

He made sure to grab the purple, plush alien that was given to Pidge by the royal leaders of one of the planets Voltron saved. It was round like a baby chicken but it had five eyes and tiny tentacle arms. It was sitting under a bunch of spare gears by the door. Lance could still vividly recall the way Pidge held the plush with only their fingers and only threw annoyed looks at it for the rest of the banquet. Lance snickered. He figured Pidge wouldn’t mind if he took it off their hands. 

Next and probably the most important stop was Shiro’s room. Shiro is the closest person to Keith hands down so it was vital that Lance get at least a t-shirt with Shiro’s smell on it. To be honest, though, Lance had never been to Shiro’s room before. While the man was one of Lance’s heroes, they had never really talked all that much. Lance got nervous around him. Not only because he admired the man, but also because Shiro is older and more experienced. It felt awkward to be his usual childish self when it was just Shiro and him. Lance was getting good at pretending Shiro wasn’t also in the room during group things like meals and hangouts. He tried to focus more on Hunk and Pidge so he wouldn’t get anxious. He’s a great guy and they worked okay together but Lance wouldn’t say they have formed a friendship by any means.  

When Lance got there the doors wouldn’t open. Looks like Shiro locked them to his bio-signature. It’s kinda surprising that Shiro was the only one of the paladins that thought to do that. Lance could hear movement inside, though, so he knocked.

Shiro didn’t take long to activate the sliding doors. He looked like he was just working out. He was breathing a little harder than usual and he was dressed in a loose shirt and shorts. The glistening was a little… distracting and didn’t do wonders for his self-esteem but moving on.

“Hello again, Shiro,” Lance forced a grin and, to his horror, found his hands making finger guns. “Long time so see.” And now he was chuckling at a bad attempt at what couldn’t have been a joke. Get it together, Lance!

“Lance,” Shiro raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, “I thought you were helping Keith?”

Lance grimace-smiled and nodded. “Doing that right now actually!” He waved at the floating cart beside him. “You got any blankets or pillows I can borrow?”

Shiro’s eyebrow shifted impossibly higher. “Why would blankets help with Keith’s sour attitude?”

Now here’s something Lance forgot to ask Keith about; what to tell Shiro? Does he not know that Keith is an Omega? If he doesn't, would Keith be okay with Lance telling him? With the others, Lance figured Keith would want his second gender to be as private as possible. But with Shiro, the man that seemed like family to the red paladin, would Keith still feel that way? No, Lance decided, Keith probably wouldn’t mind Shiro knowing this fact about him. 

“The sour attitude is actually an acute case of the cuddle craze,” Lance smirked. 

“Huh?” Shiro replied.

Lance rolled his eyes and then looked around him as if to check that he wasn’t followed. Then he leaned in a bit closer because he’d be the last person to claim he wasn’t dramatic, and said, “Keith’s going into Heat. That’s why I need some blankets and clothes if possible.”

For a second, Shiro completely froze. It was like he was a robot that had to reboot. Then, suddenly, he came back to life. His jaw slackened, his eyes widened, and if Lance looked closely, his cheeks looked a little rosier too. “He’s in Heat?!”

Oh good, the Omega thing didn’t surprise him.

“Yes, so do you have anything I could take for his nest?” Lance asked.

Shiro’s jaw firmed up and a look of determination came to his eyes. He slipped past Lance and started down the hall. 

Lance quickly jumped in front of him. “Whoa Whoa Whoa! Where are you going?”

Shiro almost glared at him. “If Keith’s in Heat then he needs me.”

Lance brought his hands up in surrender and asked, “Not to be rude here, but are you Keith’s Alpha?”

This knocked off Shiro’s mission face. “Of course not. Keith is like a brother to me.”

Lance figured that was the case. “You know as well as I do that having an Alpha that isn’t a Mate near the Nest can cause a lot of stress for an Omega.”

“Keith shouldn’t be alone!” Shiro growled. Lance noticed that his hand was clenched.

“Keith isn’t alone. I’ll be with him.” 

Shiro looked Lance up and down and seemed to find whatever he saw lacking. “Lance,” He sighed, “While it’s kind of you to want to help, I don’t think you are quite what Keith needs right now.”

“Excuse me?” Lance jerked back, hurt. “Why not?” 

Shiro sighed again as if he was in pain and looked away. “A Beta that doesn’t really get along with Keith wouldn’t exactly be very calming, would it?” 

Lance scoffed at him. “Oh. Out of all the things you and Keith could have had in common, why are you both completely oblivious to the fact that I am an Omega?” He wondered if his fully Alpha family were really the only reason for the mistake. 

That flush came back to Shiro’s face with a vengeance. “Oh.” He muttered softly to himself as he stared hard at his feet. He seemed to notice how close the two were standing and quickly took a few steps back. “Oh.” He said again. 

Lance didn’t really know what to say. He’d never seen Shiro so wrong-footed before. He almost wanted to laugh, and if this were anyone other than his childhood hero he would have. He would have teased anyone else. He’d laugh and tell them not to worry about it. He’d act like nothing had happened and move the conversation along to less awkward ventures. But this time he didn’t. Nothing came to mind. For a while, they just stared in different directions while standing in silence. 

Shiro coughed and stepped to the side, giving Lance another look inside his bedroom. “Um,” He hesitated, “Go ahead and grab whatever you need.”

Lance nodded and quickly rushed past him. He ended up grabbing the blanket from Shiro’s bed and some t-shirts off the floor. The air felt way too heavy to be here any longer. 

Before he could take his cart and escape, Shiro said “Please tell Keith that everything will be okay and that I’m here if he needs anything.”

Lance nodded. 

Lance wondered for a brief moment if he should also collect some scented articles from Allura or Coran. Keith wasn’t very close with either of them. He had only known them for a short while, although, to that logic, Keith had technically only known Lance, Hunk, and Pidge for a short while too. Though at least they were people Keith vaguely knew from school. Well, not Pidge but whatever. Allura and Coran are completely new elements to all their lives. In fact, Lance couldn’t think of a time that Keith ever hung out with either of the two resident aliens. To be honest, Lance gets it. While Coran and Lance have bonded, Lance can admit that Coran’s personality would be a lot for a guy like Keith. And Allura was still being… distant ever since the whole Galra reveal thing. 

By the time Lance arrived at the hallway in between Keith and Lance’s rooms, he had decided that Keith wouldn’t really need anything from them for his nest, and that it would take way too long to explain what human dynamics were in the first place. 

Lance waved his hand past the door sensor and pushed his cart through once it slid open. “Hey Keith, I got us a great haul!” 

Lance looked up with a smile ready in greeting. Keith didn’t respond. He was standing rudderless in the middle of the room. Nothing looked different in the space from when Lance last saw it almost an hour ago. Lance gave him a confused look. Keith crossed his arms and glared towards the bed. Ah! There was something different after all. The bed was now made with military precision. The same kind of precision drilled into our heads at the Garrison. The pillow even sat primly at the head of the mattress at an angle like in magazine photos. Lance looked back at the red paladin. Keith seemed to curl further into himself. He glared harder at the poor bed, looking like the embodiment of frustration. Lance couldn’t help it. He laughed. 

“Oh my god!” Lance cackled. “You should see yourself right now, man. You're ridiculous!”  

“Shut up,” Keith pouted.

Lance grinned harder. “I think you somehow made this room even less inviting than before. I didn’t know that was possible!”

Keith uncrossed his arms and waved them around frantically, “What does that even mean! Isn’t a clean room inviting? What did I do wrong?!” 

“Clean is nice but, come on man, is this what you’d call relaxing?” Lance waved his hand to indicate the whole room. 

Keith grimaced at him.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Here,” Lance shoved the cart closer to the big baby, “Hunk left some chairs for us in my room. I’m gonna get them. You separate these by order of importance to you.” 

He got a confused look back. “How can a blanket be important?”

Lance groaned. How does this boy have no Omega instincts? “Just smell them all and put the smells you like the most in one pile and the rest in another pile. Let me know if it feels like you’re missing something.”

Keith tentatively started poking at the pillow at the top of the pile. “How would I know if I’m missing something?”

“Um--Well you’d feel like--” Lance’s jaw clicked shut. He tapped his finger on his leg as he gave the question some more thought. “When you build a nest the goal is to feel safe and relaxed, right?”

“Yeah?”

“So, when you don’t feel that way something is still missing.” Lance nodded decisively. That sounded about right. 

Keith hummed. After a bit of useless poking around he pulled the pillow that Lance had grabbed from Hunk’s room closer to his face. There wasn’t any particular reaction to whatever he was smelling that Lance could see but he placed the pillow on his bed and turned to smell the blanket from Shiro’s room. This one made him smile. He put the blanket next to the pillow. Lance figured he had it for now and went to go collect the chairs. 

It took the two of them around two hours, or a varga as Coran would say, to finish the pillow fort. Lance figured making the nest as he would usually do it would at least give Keith an idea of what they're like. He used the magnet-like tape Allura had found for him to attach one end of a blanket to the wall above Keith’s bed. The chairs were used to hold up the other side of the blanket by the bed. It created a slanted roof that Lance was fond of. It made the area feel more protected. Lance helped Keith create a boat-like structure on his bed by creating little walls made of pillows and shirts. The items Keith deemed most important, Shiro’s blanket, Hunk’s pillow, and Pidge’s space chicken, were placed closest to where Keith’s head would be. That way he got all the best smells right where he needed them. They placed the light-orb that Keith had on his dresser on the floor by his bed so he’d still be able to see inside the fort. It cast the space in a soft green glow. 

“What do you think?” Lance asked Keith.

Keith looked wide-eyed at the nest. He looked somewhere between awed and scared. He shrugged. Lance’s face scrunched up with confusion. He gave the nest another look. It looks perfect to him, but Keith might like something entirely different from him. 

“Do you like it?” No answer. “What would be better? Want me to move something?” Still no answer.

Lance looked back at Keith. He found the boy staring at the floor and fiddling with his hands. He rocked his feet in the same way that Lance remembers his niblings used to do when they wanted him to play and weren’t sure how to ask. Lance’s face smoothed out. He gently took Keith's hand and pulled him under the low blanket roof.

“Here, try lying down,” Lance said.

Keith bit his lip and tentatively got into the little nest. He ended up curled sweetly on his side. Lance knelt by the mattress and watched him over the little wall. Keith looked unsure but not totally uncomfortable. 

“Well?” Lance asked.

Keith’s eyes flickered up to him and then away again. After a bit of silent contemplation he said, “It doesn’t seem big enough for two people.”

Lance tilted his head. “Did you want it to be?”

Keith started to blush. He curled his body a little more into a little ball and one of his hands twisted Shiro’s blanket around his fingers. “I just--I thought that you were gonna-- You said you’d stay with me.” He spoke that last thought so softly that Lance had to lean closer to him to catch it. 

The words made something stutter inside him. Keith looked so nervous and needy. He never looked that way to Lance before. Not even when Keith came back from the Blade of Marmora base covered in injuries and the knowledge that he was half Galra. He always seemed so hardened. Lance was jealous of how well he handled himself in the face of scary enemies and impossible odds. In fact, Keith tended to get only tougher when he was backed into a corner. Lance wished he was like that. He always felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff holding everything he felt in his arms. One day the load might become too much for him and he’d have to dump it into the darkness below or risk falling over himself. But here Keith was. Being vulnerable and hesitant. Lance knew it was a by-product of the pre-Heat but it made his heart ache as the same. 

“I did say that.” Lance smiled down at this unexpectedly sweet boy and held out his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here the whole time. If you want me in there with you I’ll fit fine, or I can just stay on the floor right next to you, okay?”

Keith blinked up at his hand. His blushed deepened, and a small smile grew on his face. Finally, he took his hand and brought it to rest by his face on Hunk’s pillow. “Okay,” he mumbled.