Havanar

Keith lies in the hospital bed, dark hair making a stark contrast against the white sheets, as Shiro sends Iverson a message to say he won’t be able to do his duties for the next week. Keith hadn’t been able to stay conscious for long after he had accepted Shiro’s proposal. Shiro’s not even sure he’ll remember it the next time he wakes. The doctor had said it was normal with head injuries. She’d also said they should expect him to be confused. Forgetful. Shiro had pulled himself from Keith’s side to page the doctor, and now he sits at Keith’s bedside instead, fingers interlaced with Keith’s.

Keith wakes up again a little while after a nurse dims the ward’s lights. He’s eyes are still decorated with dark purple bags, but they look a little brighter than they had earlier. He tugs, lightly on Shiro’s hand, causing him to jump.

“Keith!” He says, he doesn’t think he said it too loudly but Keith still winces at the noise. “Sorry.” He whispers back. “How are you feeling?” He asks as his free hand traces the edges on the bandage around Keith’s head.

Keith doesn’t answer, just tugs on his hand again. Shiro gets the idea pretty quickly, standing up and perching on the edge of Keith’s bed. It’s not very comfortable, and it’s clearly not what Keith wants because he tugs again, except this time it’s accompanied by shuffling. He watches cautiously as Keith shuffles his broken leg over so that Shiro can inhabit more of the bed. The slight wince of his forehead isn’t lost on Shiro. “You don’t have to hurt yourself baby.” He mummers, but Keith tugs him again, this time into the empty space.

Shiro’s can’t help but comply. After all, he’s never been able to resist Keith. He positions his arm, the human one, into a pillow for Keith, which Keith takes eagerly. He uses the opportunity to card fingers through his hair, which Keith melts into. “Better?” He asks. One of his legs is hanging over the edge of the bed, but he ignores it. Keith needs the space more. Keith nods.

“Is pulling me into your bed going to become a habit?” He asks, grinning down at Keith’s closed eyes. “Yeah.” He responds, without opening his eyes. His voice is hoarse, but it's still Keith's. “Def wanna marry you.” He mumbles more than says as he turns into Shiro’s shoulder his breathing evening out.

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Keith is still curled into the ghost of Shiro the next morning. Shiro can’t help but grin, neck twinging from the lack of support the hospital chair offers. He’d moved from the bed a while after Keith fell asleep, mostly he’d been worried about turning over and hurting him, he’d also been a little worried about falling off the bed but, he wasn’t going to tell anyone else that.

They haven’t slept together before. Not in the soft way that lovers do, not with Keith’s head in his neck, where it seems to fit so perfectly. Not with hands reaching for each other, legs mingling. He’s never felt the heat of Keith next to him under the covers. He’s slept next to Keith a couple of times. Once on the castle. Everyone had fallen asleep in the lounge, Keith included. Shiro remembers thinking that he looked lonely. Lance and Hunk were leaning on each other, mouths slightly open, a blue blanket thrown over the both of them. Allura, Pidge and Coran were all on the other sofa, Pidge’s feet resting in Coran’s lap. Allura’s head on his shoulder. And Keith had been an island. Alone in the water. Until Shiro had woken up from his own spot on the floor and spotted Keith. Spotted home, or what was left of home so many miles from Earth. He’d moved onto the sofa, sharing the space, and his blanket, with Keith. Even without touching him once, Shiro had felt a little less alone.

A message pings through on his tablet and Shiro pulls his gaze away from Keith to rummage for it in his bag. When he pulls it out there’s a message from Iverson, the Galaxy Garrison leave request form attached. Family Emergency. He puts on the form before sending it back to Iverson. Sent. Appears on the screen as the door to Keith’s room opens slowly, revealing Krolia, Kolivan in tow.

“Good morning Shiro.” She says, he watches her eyes flit between Keith and himself. Feels the heat rise on his cheeks.

“Did Keith wake up again?” She asks.

“Not for long.” Shiro pushes out, trying to keep his composure.

He leans back in his chair again as Krolia and Kolivan settle in for the day. Closing his eyes as she adjusts Keith’s pillows. Pulls his blanket around him a little tighter.

Keith wakes up again a few hours later. Then again a few hours after that. He stays awake longer each time, talks a little more each time. Moves a little more each time.

After a couple of days he starts sitting up in bed. The nurses are letting him drink his own water, still no solids. He starts complaining too, when Krolia tries to rearrange his bed for him, when she starts to fuss.

“Mom.” He mummers, stretching out the vowel. “I’m fine, you don’t need to hover over me.” He says as she pulls the blanket a little higher.

“Someone needs to make sure you do as you’re told.” She responds quickly, Shiro has to hold back a laugh. She might have only known him for a year, but Krolia already has dealing with Keith down to a fine art.

“But Shiro’s here.” Keith shoots back. “He’s got the whole week off, The Blades need you and Kolivan.”

Krolia shoots Shiro a look over her shoulder. He tries to wipe what must be a sheepish grin off his face, tries to look respectable, but he’s not sure he manages it in time. Krolia’s eyes narrow at him instead, and he feels like he’s just been read for filth. Galra moms are clearly harder to impress than Earth moms.

It’s not like they’re keeping it a secret from Krolia, or from the team.

But they’re keeping it a secret.

After the fight on the Satellite, after a version of himself had torn a mark in Keith’s face. After he’d thrown words as sharp as daggers, designed to hurt Keith into their friendship, everything had been so different. Keith… you saved me. Was the first thing he’d said when he’d woken up in the heart of the Black Lion, with white hair and only one arm. But the first thing he’d thought had been, Keith… you love me.

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It takes a couple of days, but eventually Krolia and Kolivan leave them alone for more than two hours at a time.

Keith is a lot better. He’s able to hold a full, real, conversation for more than 2 minutes. He’s able to keep his eyes open for hours at a time. He’s able to look at the Garrison correspondence on Shiro’s data pad.

He’s also able to kiss Shiro into a whimpering mess.

Shiro hadn’t expected Keith to pull him in by his collar, hadn’t expected him to kiss so passionately. It had been messy at first. Keith had revealed later that it had been his first kiss. After that it got better, with some practice. Now they were sneaking kisses at every chance they got. He could tell Keith was getting restless, restless being stuck in bed, restless being unable to fly, restless being stuck in bed and not able to do anything other than sleep.

Keith has his hands down Shiro’s pants when the beeping starts. It shocks both of them into action, Keith withdrawing his hands like he’d been electrocuted. Shiro sinks further into Keith’s collarbone, where he’d been laying a trail of kisses just a moment before. He’s embarrassed to admit how close he’d been, even to himself. He feels like the sun’s just been snatched away from him. “What is it?” He mumbles into Keith’s neck. At this point he’s not sure he cares if the nurses catch them. Maybe the mutual embarrassment will convince them to discharge Keith so that they can both get out of here. Back to a real bed, in the privacy of the Atlas. Where no one can bother them. “Fuckin’ IV came loose.” Keith replies, untangling the wires connecting him to the drips next to the bed.

Shiro can’t help but snort.

“Is the hospital cockblocking us?”

Keith laughs just as the beeping stops, his hands coming to rest on the small of Shiro’s back.

“Maybe we should take it as a sign.” He says. “I mean, we’ll have plenty of time later, right?”