Chapter Text
Something in the air shifts and it’s unsettling enough for Keith to open his eyes.
He blinks a few times, adjusting his eyes around the darkness in the room and he vaguely notices that it’s still night time because the artificial sun rays in the castle are not present.
Yawning loudly, face still facing the wall, he raises an arm and throws it backwards, fully expecting it to hit another body but it only meets air until it drops against the mattress floppily.
Keith frowns confused and turns around quickly, any grogginess in him vanishing as he takes in the sight of Lance’s empty side of the bed.
Scowling and beating himself up on the inside, Keith throws the blankets off him. He knew Lance was acting strange when they went to sleep; something in the way he moved had been off, almost as if the brunet had been tense and yet restless, not being able to stay still, laughing nervously and changing the subject when Keith brought it up.
He knows the reason of his boyfriend’s sudden disappearance and he curses in his mind. Without wasting any time, he’s out of the room in search of his boyfriend, still beating himself up for not speaking up earlier.
Here’s the thing: every room inside the castle is soundproof, something that had probably been a blessing back in the time when the castle had been filled with Alteans and foreign guests from other planets; holding banquets and big balls for different kinds of celebrations.
But now, with the total of seven people living in such a big space, is not enough to fill the emptiness that echoes in the castle; lonely and forgotten hallways that no one has walked on in centuries, big and wide rooms shinning as if they had been recently cleaned but in reality haven’t been touched in lifetimes.
It can get unnerving, because if one stays still for more than ten minutes, they will soon hear the soft humming of the silence that wanders in the deepest parts of the Castle and for a terrifying second, one can easily get confused and think they are actually floating outside in the vast cold space that lingers outside the door.
It’s not as disturbing during their day time; their Paladin’s activities always had them running around and doing something and whatnot. Even when they’re able to have a break, they still spend it together, let it be on the living room or the resting area where their pool is –that room had been both a pleasant and disappointed surprise when the pool turned out to be on the ceiling– chatter and laughing always present when the group was together.
It’s the night time when it gets a little more difficult to avoid the silence.
Keith’s not really always aware of it. He can be lazing around in the living with a book and Lance’s head on his lap while the brunet listens to his music through Pidge’s headphones and Keith can be perfectly fine if not a little surprised when someone from the team enters the room and asks why it’s so quiet in there.
Keith doesn’t notice the silence because he’s a quiet guy. He’s reserved when meeting new people and he takes his time to open up. Besides, it’s not like the desert is talkative; Keith was good around silence, it keeps his senses strong and alert, allowing him to listening for any changes around him that might be dangerous.
On the other hand, with Lance is different, and it took Keith a while to realize this.
The Blue Paladin grew up with sound: screaming, yelling, humming, laughter, shouts, banter, bickering, whining, groaning, squeals, giggling, etc.
Lance once told him it was because he grew up with a house full of family members that didn’t know what an ‘inner voice’ was at all. If the little kids weren’t screaming during their playtime, it was his mom yelling in kitchen or his older siblings’ booming music coming from their room or the playful wrestling sounds of his uncles and his dad from the living room.
His house was always alive with noise and that’s only one of the reasons on why it hits Lance hard that they are not in earth anymore; that this big white castle is not full of people he grew up with, that he’s not going to turn a corner and expect a sibling almost colliding with him by accident, that he’s not going to hear the snores from his older brother or the giggles between his teenage sister and her friends sneaking in the house at midnight during a school night.
Lance had told him that’s why he used Pidge’s headphones so often in the beginning, before he was informed that he needed to be able to hear the castle alarm, something that the headphones blocked efficiently.
After an honest and private discussion with both Allura and Shiro, the two leaders of the team reassured him that they could work on something. That same afternoon, Coran announced that all of their rooms, while still being soundproof, had small speakers installed on them, allowing them to choose whatever tune of their preference without disturbing anyone from the outside.
Explaining that whatever tune playing through the speakers would cut off if the castle’s alarm ever went off, allowing them to fulfill their duties as Paladins, Lance bounced with excitement and hugged the ginger man tightly.
If tiny tears gathered around the corner of his blue eyes at the news, no one said anything.
That’s how Lance ended up sleeping soundly during the night and how Keith finally heard what the ocean sounded like.
Keith had asked him that very same night when Lance choose the tune of preference why the ocean. It seemed like a stupid question, even Lance pointed it out, having in mind that the brunet is the Guardian of Water, but he still answered with a soft smile and fond gaze.
“It reminds me of home.” He had whisper, short and simple, as he pulled Keith towards him and both of them fell on backwards on the bed, chuckling and kissing playfully with the echoes of waves and seagulls on the background.
It was a fair arrangement, and the effect on the team was noticeable, especially on Lance. His moves were more precise and focused. His balance was on point and his shooting became more agile and sharp.
Of course that always ended with Lance bragging about his new ‘awesomeness’ but none of them could really take that away from him, they just felt glad that Lance was having enough sleep and peaceful rest.
That is until the Galra messed it up and fucked up their sound system. It happened during the last battle they had, when the castle took more damage than usual. It was later after they used a wormhole to leave the battle behind that Pidge notified them of the damages, saying it might take a few days before they would be able to fix the problem, sending Lance an apology glance before following Coran out of the room in hopes to fix it before night time.
A week has gone by and the sound system is still off.
Lance had reassured them that he was fine, and they believed him, being fooled by a big grin and bright eyes.
Keith likes to take pride that he knows Lance, okay? They have been together for a long time now –six months, four weeks and three days; but who’s counting? Keith is. – and it’s that very same fact that pisses him so much; the fact that he, Keith Kogane, Lance’s boyfriend, didn’t catch Lance’s slips ups or the tiny twitching on his eye whenever the team started to leave the room, or how he seemed jumpier than usual.
Keith fast pace echoes around the hallways, popping his head from room to room, whispering Lance’s name as loud as he could during the night, because he didn’t want to wake up the rest of the team, but as he went deeper into the castle, the louder the got.
He was panting and sweating by the fifteenth room, groaning annoyed before light besides him lights up suddenly.
Arching an eyebrow at the sudden brightness around him, a place comes to mind and he ignores his thought of how it’s funny that his brain lighted up by a light, quite literally.
He heads towards observatory.
There’s a buzzing sound in his ear.
It’s annoying and constant. It blocks everything around him and yet Lance’s able to faintly hear his own breathing.
It’s erratic and the air he basically gulps is not enough. His lungs doesn’t expand, if anything, they just feels like they’re getting smaller and compressing against each other, battling for the much needed air they crave.
Lance is, honest to God, trying to control it. He hasn’t had a panic attack since they started, not even when the team tried to infiltrate Zarkon’s main base. Fair, he has been tense and scared but not panicked.
It was the silence that triggered him.
The damn and stupid silence and Lance can’t help but to beat himself over the fact. He can’t believe that it only takes silence for the Blue Paladin of Voltron to break down and sob like a little kid.
He had been fine. He had been fine for days now. Sure, he was jumpier and tense but he was in control. He had been handling it well, keeping close the only to things that helped him anchor himself: the hope of having the ocean back soon and Keith.
His boyfriend had paid him extra attention since the sound system went out of commission, which only made Lance more stubborn on showing that everything was fine and he was handling.
He doesn’t know how it happened. One second he was sleeping soundlessly besides Keith on their bedroom and the next thing he knows his jolting wide awake, breathing ragged and broken.
He left the room and somehow he ended up in –damn, he doesn’t even know where he is. Lance would scoff annoyed if he could because he’s so lost.
He’s mad. He’s angry at himself and he’s so desperate to make the buzzing sound to go away that he doesn’t notices when everything turns blurry and suddenly, he’s on the floor, with no one around and he’s suffocating and he can’t –
A sudden warm pressure appears on his shoulder, followed by another against his left cheek.
The buzzing sound is still there but Lance can finally make out other sounds besides that. It’s a voice, muffled and faint, but a voice nonetheless, and it soft and soothing enough for him to understand it easily.
“Lance,” it says, still calm and gentle, “Are you with me?”
Lance nods shakily and slowly, but the person in front of him catches it and continues.
“Good.” They whisper and then Lance feels the hand on his shoulder disappear and he almost whines at the loss before the same warm hand grabs his own and guides it until it’s resting against a soft fabric.
The buzzing sound is gone and it’s replaced by an entirely different kind of sound. It’s soothing, soft and steady, almost like a song being hummed.
It’s then when Lance realizes it’s a heartbeat.
“Can you hear my heartbeat?” They ask and Lance nods, still in a daze, “Good. Just focus on my heartbeat, okay? Follow its lead.” And he does.
He loses track of the time. All that he’s aware of is the steady heartbeat on his fingertips and palm, beating fast and comforting. Lance’s blue eyes are firmly placed against the spot, where his cinnamon skinned hand is being pressed against the black clothing with a pale hand over his own.
Lance can’t help but to think that it’s a lovely skin contrast.
Something pops and then steady breathing makes way into his ear. Lance’s pleased to notices that it’s his own.
Letting out a shaky laugh under his breath, the brunet is finally able to raise his face and something inside him turns pleasantly when he meets Keith’s gray eyes.
“There you are.” Keith mumbles, shoulders relaxing and leaning forwards, bumping Lance’s forehead against his own. “Hello there.”
Lance smiles widely and nuzzles his boyfriend’s face. “Hi yourself.”
“You feeling better?” Keith whispers, well aware that they’re still in their own bubble, and Lance nods.
“So much better. Thank you, Amor.” Keith smiles at him and uses the hand that’s still on Lance’s cheek to wipe some stray tears from his face.
“Anytime, Nae Sa-rang.” He replies, dropping a gentle kiss on both Lance’s eye lids, “Anytime.”
It takes a while before they stand up, taking comfort on each other’s company before they decide it’s time to head back.
Soft laughter and playful banter bounces around the room as they make their way towards their room with their hands still intertwined together.
“Okay, let’s think of a way to fix this while the Science Side of Voltron fix the sound system, alright?” Keith suggests, sitting on the edge of the bed and tapping his chin, deep in thought, “Maybe we can get Pidge’s headphones? If something happens I’ll be sure to wake you up, so it shouldn’t be a problem or maybe we can –“
A warm chuckles cuts him off and Keith turns his head to meet Lance’s eyes.
He’s smiling tenderly at him, only growing fonder and brighter when he notices Keith’s eyes are on him. “Hey,” He calls softly, leaning closer to his boyfriend and dropping his head on his shoulder, “I got all I need right here.”
Keith arches an eyebrow confused at the statement but then Lance raises his hand and puts it above Keith’s chest, sighing contently when the steady beat makes its way to his ears.
Keith blushes and gulps, eyes unable to take them off his boyfriend. He debates with himself if he should move now so they can be laying down instead of sitting but Lance’s face is so mesmerizing and he can’t look away because this beautiful person saw something in him that thought he was worth loving and Keith’s so incredible lucky to have him in his life and –
“Okay, now you’re just like a race car. Take it easy, Cowboy.”
Keith blushes even more at Lance’s playful tease and he lowers his gaze, meeting a pair of blue eyes.
“I felt that skipped beat, buddy.”
“Shut up.” Keith whines, dropping his head and hiding himself in Lance’s hair, smiling when he feels Lance’s laughter against him.
The ocean is not there that night with them to lure them to sleep, but that’s okay, because Lance found a better sound that sounds a little bit more like home.