Chapter Text
Lance put a dirty hand on Keith's shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze as he let it rest there. The shorter man was kneeling on the ground, his similarly filthy hands drooped lifelessly between his legs, fingers brushing the grass. He was thankful for having such a wonderful and supportive landlord; Keith knew he would be living here for quite some time, if not permanently, and he couldn't imagine having to have her away from him on public property. Shiro had suggested alternative methods, so that she'd always be with him. But, for whatever reason Keith himself couldn't understand, he liked the idea of keeping her intact, which meant cremation or taxidermy didn't sit right with him.
Keith bowed forward slightly, body shaking as the tears fell. Lance fought his instincts to drop beside Keith and gather his boyfriend into his arms. It's not what he needed right now. Certainly once they got back inside the apartment, but not now. They'd been together long enough for Lance to have him figured out. He did, however, take a moment to pet the black hair below him with his free hand before settling it on Keith's other shoulder. Giving another short, gentle grip, Lance continued to give his silent support.
Leaning over with a sniffle, Keith grabbed the empty packet of seeds that had been sitting by the freshly dug grave, the earth-covered trowel having been placed on top of it to keep it from blowing away. A watery chuckle passed his lips as he finally bothered to look at the type of flowers that would be sprouting. His only request had been that they be perennials, so that they would come every year. That way, even if they didn't get the chance this year, he wouldn't miss out.
“At least I don't have to worry about her getting into them.” With his free hand, he reached up to his shoulder and stroked Lance's fingers, resting his cheek on the back of the Cuban's hand. “...gomabseubnida...” Lance's other hand came up to tuck Keith's hair behind his ear. He kept quiet, knowing he didn't need to speak right now for Keith to understand and feel his love. There was no glory, ego, or joking. There wasn't any urge to say 'you're welcome'.
Lance knew flowers; a fact that surprised Keith, but never really got to be used, as Keith wasn't much for plants. So the taller man had been surprised when Keith put his trust in him to help pick out flowers for the grave once they had the chance to dig. Winter's lingering frost had stuck around for far too long this year, spring continuing to stay cold despite being quite sunny. Which was why Keith was worried the flowers wouldn't have a chance this year and had made the choice he had.
Red had passed away shortly after the turn of the year at eleven years old. Nothing had really been wrong; she was just old. That didn't soften the blow for Keith, who had expected her to live much longer, given her personality. His relationship with Lance was in its third year now and the Cuban had moved in around Christmas. Keith liked to think she hung on long enough for her daddy to have that stability in his life. She'd accepted Lance and knew he'd take care of him. He'd never voiced this to Lance, but he's certain he'd agree with Keith if he ever did.
Because it was winter, and Keith had already decided to have her buried after asking his landlord if he could do so on the premises, her body had to be preserved. Keith's apartment unit wasn't small by ANY stretch. It's why he had no reservations about Lance moving in as opposed to looking for a new place together. But he didn't have the means on his own to keep her and he felt it disrespectful to her memory by storing her where he'd normally keep food. Once Katie had heard, she and Hunk offered their deep freezer. It meant Red wasn't with him until the ground thawed, but it was the only method available to him.
“You're unbelievable in the best way.” Keith had spoken so quietly, Lance wasn't sure if he was even talking to him. Looking down, he found the Korean American looking at the seed packet once more. He stroked Keith's hair again when the shorter man wiped away his tears. Keith hadn't cried since finding Red's body and he was due for the release. She'd passed peacefully in her sleep, in her favorite hammock that was suction cupped to Keith's favorite window.
Stargazer lilies. Lance had made damn sure to get something meaningful. Something that would be the same color as her name. A flower that couldn't hurt her anymore. With a name that reminded him of his and Keith's favorite pastime with her when she behaved well enough to be on a harness: looking at the night sky. In fact, where they had buried her was by her favorite tree.
Eventually, Keith moved to lay next to the fresh mound of cultivated dirt, naturally curling around it. The way his back was to Lance was more than enough to let him know what Keith needed. Pulling off his jacket, Lance laid it over Keith and went back inside without him, making sure his boyfriend could have his space. Even though it was a three bedroom unit, so Lance could have had his own room, they enjoyed each other's company well enough to agree that the other two rooms could continue to be for an office/studio and storage. However, they also respected each other to adhere to boundaries. They had places they could go or things they could do when the other wanted to be alone. Keith took longer to figure out Lance, mostly because Lance didn't need it as frequently as Keith himself did, but also because Keith had a harder time picking up on certain cues. Now they didn't need to tell the other; they just knew.
By the time Keith came back inside, Lance had a kettle on the stove, ready to make hot cocoa at a moment's notice. Shuffling over to the younger man, Keith let himself be held as he sniffled. Pulling on his arm gently, Lance led Keith to the master bathroom, where he'd just finished drawing a bubble bath for Keith, complete with lit candles.
Leaving him to his own devices, Keith smiled at seeing his favorite pajamas folded up neatly on the back of the toilet, waiting for him when he was done. Washing his face, hands and arms in the sink so he didn't get his bathwater too scuzzy, Keith slipped into the tub until the water went cold, the scent of the lavender candles lulling him into peace. His heart still ached, but Red was finally home with her daddies.
After roughly a half hour, Keith finally came back out. He'd heard their doorbell at some point and saw the table set with food delivered from their favorite, Italian restaurant. Knowing Keith wouldn't be very hungry, Lance didn't order much. But the comfort food was still there, as well as a giant slab of tiramisu that he could nibble on over the next few days until it was no good.
As much as he appreciated what Lance had done, he shook his head with a sad smile. Lance immediately understood and, after kissing Keith between his eyebrows, took the dessert out to the living room so Keith could relax. Turning on the stove to use the kettle, Lance boxed up Keith's dinner in airtight containers and placed them in the fridge for later. Lance ate some of his own food at the table until the water was done boiling. Making the hot beverage, the Cuban brought it out to Keith before returning to his food.
Once he was done, he cleaned his dinnerware and came out to the living room with Keith's favorite throw blanket. He waited to see how his boyfriend would position the blanket, knowing from the front would mean he wanted to cocoon and from the back meant he would snuggle with Lance. Coming behind Keith as he made room for Lance to share the blanket, Keith buried his face into Lance's chest and sighed heavily. Lance ran his fingers through Keith's long, black hair with one hand and gently massaged his back with the other.
“...I love you...” Lance smiled at this and kissed the top of Keith's head. He was about to return the sentiment verbally, but Keith had already fallen asleep in his arms, emotionally exhausted from the days events.