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The Purity of Sin

Twenty-Two

Lance stumbled out of the pod several varga later into the waiting arms of Coran, who was holding a super soft fleecy blanket that Lance appreciated more than words could describe.

"How are we feeling?" the advisor asked as he wrapped it firmly about Lance's thin shoulders and gave it a vigorous rub.

"T-tired," Lance yawned, trying to sort through the dull cloud that always came after a cryo-pod healing session. What had he ended up in there for this time? Training… mission… Mackans! Half-lidded eyes flew open. "Keith!"

"He's sleeping just over there," Coran said, pivoting Lance around with ease and pointing to one of the infirmary beds. "Poor lad tried to stay up, but he's suffering from some extreme exhaustion and I insisted he get some rest."

Lance's heart settled back in his chest instead of his throat as he reassured himself that Keith was indeed sleeping peacefully across the room. "What… what time is it?" he yawned again.

"Just past 0500 hours castle time," Coran said. "We landed on Sabodid a varga ago and their people should be waking up soon to the sunrise."

"Sunrise?" Lance perked up.

"Oh, it's a beautiful one it is," Coran said, finally freeing Lance from his hold but tucking the blanket firmly around the tall form. "They have two suns, you see, a yellow one and a beautiful orange one." He tweaked his moustache in delight. "They just make the whole planet glow. We'll be here for a few days so I'm sure you will have a chance to see one when you are feeling more up to it."

Lance shook his head. "I want to see the one today. Do I still have time?" And Dios, it was so weird to be able to say that without having to mime out or hope for good lip reading. He caught his arms dropping though as he went to tap his wrist and cock his head with an embarrassed laugh.

Coran didn't see it though as he was checking his intergalactic watch. "You've got about twenty dobashes before it begins, I'd say."

Lance flashed the Altean a thumbs up. "All right! I'll be right back. Gotta go get dressed."

"Be careful," Coran called after him. "Your body is still weak!"

And that was more than an accurate statement Lance learned as he felt his legs shaking by the time he reached his room and his heart beating doubletime. But he pushed past it, knowing he'd put it through far worse in the desert.

Besides, this was important.

He dressed as quickly as he could in his own clothes – and man, was that a nice feeling – and pulled on actual shoes, relishing in the way they took the brunt of his weight.

He'd spared a quick moment in the bathroom to toss back some mouthwash and try to scrub the grit from his eyes. He really needed a nice, long shower but it was going to have to wait. He had noticed though, even in all his hurrying, that despite the Sins being reversed and his wounds healed he did have one reminder from the ordeal on Macka.

A burn scar ran the whole width of his right palm. It wasn't raised and didn't cause him any pain. But there was a dull pink line of flesh that felt off compared to the rest of his skin. He opened and closed his hand as he walked quickly back to the infirmary, not noticing any residual pain or hindrance.

He made a note though to try and not let Keith see it for a little while. Dios knew the mullet would blame himself even though by doing so he'd saved Lance's life.

He would never forget that. This scar was one of friendship and love and doing what was needed to save each other. He'd treasure it always.

And speaking of the mullet, Keith was still fully asleep on the infirmary bed although Coran had vacated the room in that time. Lance wasted no time going over and poking Keith firmly in the forehead and repeating the gesture when all Keith did was wrinkle his nose in discomfort.

"Keith," he finally hissed, remembering that yes, he could speak now. His hand lightly touched his throat, a frown marring his features for a second. It was going to take getting used to again. His voice still felt… off, the thrumming it made through his vocal cords more obvious than ever before.

Finally, between the poking and his name, Keith cracked open an eye heavy with sleep. "What?" he all but growled.

"Get up," Lance grinned, poking him again for good measure.

Keith blinked at him and then realization struck and he sat up so quickly he nearly brained Lance. "You're awake!"

"And you are still the master of stating the obvious," Lance laughed. "Come on, we have to hurry."

He leaned forward and wrapped his left hand about Keith's, yanking him up and then tugging him along as the half-Galran tried to regain some sense of his usual grace after the forceful awakening.

"Where are we going?" Keith finally asked as he got his feet fully under him, but made no move to get Lance to release his hand and actually went to reciprocate the hold.

"Outside."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"We're on Sabobid," Lance said as they reached the main foyer. "Hurry, hurry, or we'll miss it."

"Miss what?" Keith grumbled as Lance yanked him out the door. "Where is everyone? What time is it?"

Because the skies in front of them were nearly black with the night and not a speckle of starlight or moon to be seen. Lance wasn't deterred, although he did realize that maybe he ought to have grabbed something to light the way. But the castle's exterior lights were bright enough for him to pick his way up an apparent trail to the top of a hill made up of entirely metal. Very odd, but he'd take it. It was nothing like Macka after all.

Even despite the darkness the night was not cold and Lance was comfortable enough in his jacket. He sat down abruptly on a chosen plot of metal, pulling Keith down with an 'oof!' as well.

"Are you going to actually tell me what is happening?" Keith asked, making himself as comfortable as he could on the hard ground. "Or do I have to guess?"

Lance grinned, white teeth flashing in the dim light. "You were getting pretty good at that."

Even in the darkness Lance could feel the deadpan stare.

"Too soon?" he asked, although the humor fell flat, an unsettling feeling filling him, as yes, it most definitely was. He shivered slightly and not from any outside elements.

"I should be asking you that," Keith retorted without any actual heat, concern instead leeching into the words. "Are you? Okay?"

Lance sighed softly, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I… It's a lot to take in, you know? A lot happened. I still…" His hand went back to this throat. "This feels weird. Talking. Like, I can feel it, you know? And I just… I keep expecting it to disappear again and…"

He let out a soft laugh that wasn't humorous at all. "It feels too quick. Too… sudden."

"I know," Keith said softly. "I feel it too."

"We were dying out there and fighting and running and…" Lance's voice tapered down. "And now it's just over. We're okay and we're safe… but it doesn't feel real. Like any second I'll blink and we'll be back on Macka and I… I won't have these again," he said gesturing at his face to indicate his senses.

"I didn't believe it at first either," Keith told him, trying for a comforting smile that he was relieved Lance returned. "When we got rescued I thought I was hallucinating from the pain." He shook his head, recalling the way Hunk had seemed to materialize in front of him. "They… they literally came right in time, Lance. Another minute even and…" He shook his head. "We got lucky."

"We did," Lance said quietly. "But I like to think it's less luck and more about love, you know?"

Keith felt himself color, still not used to the easy way Lance could speak of such things. Love had always been something so far out of reach; something he'd wanted but hadn't ever had. Not since his dad. And Shiro. And both of them were gone now. And he didn't know if he'd ever see Shiro again.

"Hey," and Lance intertwined their fingers and held their hands up, barely visible in the twilight. "You've got me. And Pidge and Hunk and Allura and Coran. We're your family now and we all love you and I know you love us, even if you're not so good at saying it."

Keith nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"But you show it," Lance continued. "Out there you… you were amazing Keith. You looked out for me and protected me and you… you did a lot of things I know were hard – I don't know if I could have, to be honest – but you did them to keep us safe. And…" Lance squeezed their hands. "Thank you. I know that's not really enough, but—"

"Lance," Keith interrupted, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "Thank you. For being there. For me. I…"

"Anytime."

"Just…" And purple eyes nearly seemed to glow. "Don't do that again."

He felt Lance flinch. "I—"

"Promise me," Keith demanded. "I don't care what the situation is. You don't get to offer yourself up like some sacrifice," and his voice caught on the word and Lance inhaled sharply, "like that. I told you once and I'll tell you again. None of us want to live at the expense of your life, Lance. You mean too much to us… to me," he swallowed thickly, "to do that. Okay?"

There was a very long pause before he felt Lance nod. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I won't do that again," Lance said. "I'm… I'm sorry for scaring you. I just… I wanted you to be safe, Keith. I got us into that mess and—"

"Don't you dare start that up," Keith said hotly. "None of what happened down there was your fault. And even if you did screw up it's never anything that you need to pay with your life for. You got it?"

"… got it," Lance said quietly.

"Good."

"Anyways," Lance said after a pause, bumping their shoulders together, "I brought you out here for something nice and fun."

"What could you possibly want to show me in the middle of the night on a foreign planet?" Keith asked dryly.

"Just watch."

Keith let out a huff that had no heat to it. He didn't even stiffen when he felt Lance's head descend on his shoulder, relaxing instead at the familiar weight. It... it was nice, this closeness. Especially when Lance could enjoy it too without being in pain.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Just when Keith was going to ask what they were waiting for so he could go back to bed, a faint orange glow lit up the far sky.

"Is that…?"

"Mhmm," Lance mumbled. "It's a sunrise."

Keith watched, mesmerized, as a second orb lifted above the horizon, this one a dark yellow. The light was still weak, but already it was stretching across the metal planet and lighting up the area with soft golden hues.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lance murmured, the orange overtaking the yellow in a dance of light.

"Yeah…"

"I don't think those sunrises on Macka counted," Lance continued, eyes staring straight out at the suns. "So think of this as your first real once since…"

"Since my dad died," Keith finished quietly.

"I know you miss him," Lance said, turning his head slightly so he was looking up at Keith. "And maybe this is a little painful now. But it's something you used to look fondly back on and I think it's a nice way to think of your dad. Maybe he's up there watching the same sunrise and thinking about you."

"Thank you, Lance," Keith whispered. "This… I'm glad to see one again. You're right. It feels…" he pressed his free hand to his heart. "It feels like home."

"Well good," and Lance smiled up at him, the orange glow turning his mocha skin even warmer. "Because we're your home now. And we can watch sunrises every day if you want to… unless it interferes with my sleep and beauty routine too often. Then we might have to limit it to like, once a week. I mean, you could get up and watch one on your own, but me? I need my beauty rest and—"

"Lance," Keith cut in, stopping the ramble.

"Sorry, sorry," Lance sat up, looking embarrassed. "Still getting used to talking again, you know? I feel like once I get going I'm just not going to stop for a while."

"Lance," Keith repeated, and before Lance could say another word he pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you."

"No problem," Lance said, voice thick. He squeezed Keith back. "Thanks for being there for me, Keith."

Keith let out a happy sob, tightening the embrace. "You are too. You're… you're my brother." The word still lodged in his throat, a joyous disbelief that still made his heart feel too big for his chest and he heard Lance's breath catch at the address and then the hug tightened on his end with a whispered, "you're mine too."

"And you know," Lance said, and Keith could hear the smile and tears in his voice. "We finally had that bonding moment and you got to cradle me in your arms. And I remember it."

Keith lightly cuffed the back of Lance's head, earning a laugh even as he felt his own face widen into a grin.

Lance pulled free of the embrace, only to loop an arm about Keith's shoulders and face them both front. "Now come on and watch the pretty sunrise so then we can go back to bed, all right? I could sleep for like a week."

"I am leader right now," Keith smirked. "I suppose I could order us to stay planet-side for some time and relax."

"Yes. Oh yes, please. And order Hunk to make more garlic biscuits too."

"I'll get right on that."

"You are the best leader ever." And although there was a teasing lilt to the words there was something more solemn behind them and Lance gave Keith's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "You really are, Keith. You're doing a great job. I owe my life to you. I won't forget that."

"…just watch the sunrise," Keith choked out, feeling that traitorous lump in his throat again.

Lance chuckled next to him. "Sir, yes sir."

Blue and purple eyes turned as one to watch the golden rays spread across the landscape, warming the cold metal and turning the entire planet into a glowing field of yellow and orange.

It was the start to not just a brand new day but the promise of a new friendship. And just like the two suns, slowly rising together above the horizon, it was looking so, so bright.

xxx

Author's Notes:

And that's a wrap! Just over 100k words and twenty-two chapters later our boys are safe, happy and the future is looking bright indeed. It's been quite the journey, huh?

I know Sin is over but I'm always churning things out. Be sure to subscribe to my author profile or pop back in every now and then to see what's new. You can find me on tumblr too under icypantherwrites for more updates. I'm also over on ko-fi under IcyPanther if you'd like to tip me a hot chocolate (coffee, blegh) if you really, really really enjoyed the fic and want to show support in that way. All links on my profile.

Thank you to all of those who have read and enjoyed the story. Super thanks to those who reviewed and super special thank yous to those who were regular reviewers and supporters. Super special awesome thank yous to those that were not only regulars but came back every chapter with beautiful, detailed lovely comments. I cannot thank you all enough. I hope you all have enjoyed the fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Please do drop a last, final comment below. I truly appreciate each and every one and a comment is the absolute best way to say 'thanks' to an author. Thank you all for the love and support over the course of this story. I can't wait to hear from you!