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Keith has always been a light eater. Or perhaps he's a decent eater and he's just surrendered by heavy eaters. Lance isn't sure, but he does know that it wouldn't harm Keith to eat a little more. It's concerning to say the least.
"Hey, babe," Lance drawled one lazy afternoon. He had brought a humongous lunch, even for him, which was fine, because he hadn't planned on eating it all himself. Currently Keith sat at the other side of the couch, Lance's feet in his lap while he looked at something on the screen. "Babe, can you help me?"
When Keith looked up with a frown, Lance smiled sheepishly and nodded to the plate still covered with food (they got a few new resources from their last rescue-planet and Hunk and made the most delicious dishes, plus they got fruit — or what resembled fruit anyway).
"I told you you took too much," he muttered, but reached over and grabbed a piece nonetheless.
Lance beamed and hummed under his breath happily. Keith kept eating a few pieces now and again, and Lance decided to take a nap. He dozed off fast to the feeling of Keith stroking his leg.
Unfortunately it didn't take even an hour before he was rudely awakened by Pidge squealing as she ran through the room, followed by a roaring Shiro who could barely contain his laughter. In his groggy state Lance still noticed Keith's pinched eyebrows and started to Worry™.
"Hey," he cooed and nudged his boyfriend with his toe. Lance noticed with disappointment that Keith had barely touched the food since he last checked. "Want some more fruit?"
"Can you stop nagging me?" Keith snapped, and his jaw snapped shut so hard and fast Lance nearly flinched. Keith got a constipated look on his face and Lance knew he regretted snapping, but he was also fairly certain his aggression wasn't something he could actually control—at least not always.
"Sorry," Lance said, knowing too well how hard it could be to apologize for something you didn't understand yourself.
Keith struggled with himself for a moment before hissing a breath out between his teeth, then he pushed Lance's legs off his lap - a little too forcefully—and stomped away.
Lance felt a mixture of hurt and anger, but also helplessness. He knew this had—could have—something to do with his touch deprivation. He had read all about it, and he knew that later, after Keith had steamed off, he would most likely start feeling depressed and Lance would still be unable to do anything helpful. It sucked, especially since he could see all his symptoms—his aggression, his depression, his lack of interest in food. Lance wished he could do something, help somehow. Instead he felt a little depressed himself for being so useless.
With a mopey face, Lance trudged into the kitchen where he found Hunk. His friend immediately turned into a fussing mother hen and he was asking and worrying within seconds. Lance sighed and collapsed into a chair.
"Hunk, buddy," he said, trying for a brave smile, "why can't I do anything?"
Hunk gave the best hugs.
Lance found Keith huddled in the corner of his bed, lights turned off. He didn't look up even when the door slid shut behind Lance.
"Keith?" Lance said gently. When he didn't get an answer he tried again, "Babe?"
A soft, pathetic whine left the bed and Lance was there in two strides, crawling into the bed and awkwardly stumbling over the pile that was Keith.
"Hey," he whispered ever so gently.
Keith made another whiny-noise. Lance somehow managed to maneuver and angle himself so that he could pull the Keith-ball into his lap.
"What's wrong?"
Keith made the same sound, only much more desperate and helpless as he wheezed out "I don't know!" in an out of breath voice. It broke Lance a little so he tightened his arms around his boyfriend and shushed him gently.
"It's okay," he promised, kissing the top of his head and rocking them softly. "I've got you. It's okay. It's okay."
"I hurt you," Keith cried. His voice sounded as if he'd been running for miles and miles. "I... I don't know why I did... I didn't want to— I never want to! But I did... Oh God. Oh God. Lance— oh God, Lance, I'm s——"
Lance was shaking his head, tightening his arms and legs around the trembling boy in his lap. "It's okay. I understand. More than you think, maybe more than you. I've got this—I've got you. Don't worry, babe, it's all okay. I love you. I will always love you."
Keith was choking on his own sobs, breath hitching and he was so close to bawling, to break into a million pieces. He gripped Lance's sweater until his knuckles turned white, while he gasped for air. "Lance——"
And then he did bawl his eyes out, because Lances arms were around him and he was safe. Lance held him together and soothed him through his breakdown. He kept drying his cheeks, even though they got soaked seconds later again. He never stopped. Didn't stop a second to look after and take care of Keith.
"I'm sorry!" he sobbed as the last tremors wrecked his body. He clung to Lance; eyes red and swollen and pleading, begging for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry, Lance, so, so, so——"
Lance cupped his face and shushed him, leaning his forehead against his. "I love you," he said.
Keiths lips trembled. "I-I love you too. So, so much."
Lance kissed him, softly and gently, and then he kissed his tear-streaked cheeks, and his forehead and his nose. When he was done he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead back against Keith's, letting out a soft breath that tickled over Keith's face.
"These are symptoms, Keith," Lance said in the gentlest of voices, still cradling his face. "It's the symptoms of touch deprivation. Eating disorders, aggression, depression—it's common. But we'll deal with it together. I think Shiro was talking about these symptoms all that time ago, but I didn't understand. Not like I do now."
Keith opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Lance stroked a finger over his cheek. "It's okay. You're making progress and the study I read said that that's what's important. You'll learn how to deal, Keith, we'll learn how to best tackle this. Unfortunately I do know more about depression, and while we can learn to keep it under control, it never completely goes away. But trust me when I say it's going to be okay."
Keith sat there blinking for a moment, then he nodded, slowly. "I believe you," he breathed.
"Good," Lance said and pressed his forehead a little closer to Keith's, then he leaned away and beamed. "We're going to get through this."
Keith frowned, which didn't surprise Lance in the least. "How... why do you know so much about this?"
Lance kept smiling, though the edges were softer, not his optimistic grin he so often wore to make others feel better. "I researched. I remembered what Shiro told us, about keeping your behavior in mind, and I realized I didn't quite understand what he meant, so I decided to look into it, and it all makes better sense now. To some extent, you can't control it," Lance explained, then hurriedly added, "and that's fine! We will learn how to get better at this, okay? We'll find technics and other tactics that'll help and things will be even more okay than they are now."
Keith's lips made a wobble that Lance recognized as a half-smile.
"You're ridiculous," he whispered. "More okay than they are now, it's not okay, but it will be, isn't that what you're trying to say?"
Lance shook his head, pout on. "No! Things are okay now and they will only get better!"
Keith turned his head but Lance saw the smile he was trying to hide. "Of course," then even softer and quieter, "how could things ever not be okay when you're here?"
Lance had to bite his tongue not to cry, but he did tackle him to the bed and snuggle him half to death. "I'll always be here," he said once he straddled Keith's hips, "no matter what, so things are always going to be okay. I'll make damn sure of that."
The smile Keith gave him was breathtaking and mind numbing. "I'll take care of you, too. I'll do my best, and if nothing else, I'll always protect you."
Lance leaned down and kissed him. Then, because he is Lance and Keith loves him as he is, once he got up, he fluttered his eyelashes and covered his heart with his hand while exclaiming, "My hero!"
Keith rolled his eyes, but he still opened his arms.