WHO: Atreus & Lance WHAT: Atreus wakes back up after the AU-swap plot and is himself and not Alec. WHEN: Day after the plot! WARNINGS: None really, some identity talk and whatnot but it’s mostly fluff. STATUS: Complete!
It was early, even earlier than Lance really had to be up to get at the various morning chores. But he'd been tossing and turning in the bed for a good hour and finally gave up on getting back to sleep. The anxiety of the last couple days more than catching up with him. A restless feeling that had set in at how unsettled and off kilter everything felt. And the whole sleeping alone thing really sucked.
With sleep no longer an option Lance had tugged on some joggers and a hoodie and made his way into the kitchen to get started on the day. Coffee brewed he'd poured himself a generous cup and filled up a travel mug to take out to Kratos. It was too early for most of the places he'd usually hit up to be open so he'd cooked up some eggs and a generous helping of bacon - knowing inevitably there'd be a whole herd once some of the various animals picked up the smell.
He was more than right on that last one as slowly but surely Monty was quickly joined by some of the others. Lance just laughed at the wolves and foxes and one hellhound that not so patiently gathered, reaching a hand down to pet Svanna who nudged at his legs. "Easy girl, I know - I know," he said.
Quickly Lance made up a breakfast sandwich for himself, and wrapped up a few to take out to Kratos. He munched on a bite of his own as he wrapped up some of the bacon for Lore and the pups and then turned to the small army amassed. "Alright, alright, who wants breakfast?" He grabbed a few pieces. "Sit?" he asked the group and laughed as only Bessie seemed to pick up the ask.
"Disasters, the whole lot of you," he teased them but started tossing bacon strips to everyone in turn.
When Atreus had woken up himself, he’d only had a vague sense of missing time. Hazy memories, mostly of patrols and being alone. But he was in a sparse apartment, by himself, and it’d taken him a moment to put things together.
He went back to the Sanctuary immediately, skipping knocking on Shiro and Keith’s door given how early it was. He’d poke at them a little later, to check in and to see if they could fill in the blanks, but he was anxious to get home.
Home involving Lance in one of the most domestic moments that Atreus had witnessed. It stopped him short as stood in the doorway, watching. He was near silent when he wanted to be, and giving himself a minute to just appreciate the view? He nearly gave himself away when Bessie sat so patiently, and his own grin grew. Eventually he knew he’d get caught, so he took a step into the room.
“I think Bes deserves an extra.” His voice prompted more than one head to turn, the furry ones wasted no time in abandoning Lance so they could scramble over to him. Atreus caught Killjoy as she lept into his arms. “Hi guys. What’d I miss?”
Lance jumped a little at hearing someone other than himself, but he recovered quick, recognizing the voice and recognizing it immediately as Atreus and not just some person who happened to look a whole lot like him. "But then the others will give me sad eyes," he pointed out and grinned.
He was half tempted to pull a Killjoy, but he figured he could be patient - for a minute at least while the animals rushed at Atreus. Besides, it was adorable and made his heart ache in the best way.
But his patience was short lived and it wasn't long before Lance was stepping between the animals to close the space between him and Atreus. The stress of the last few days easing away. He slipped his arms around Atreus and smiled up at him. "Hi..." Lance let his forehead fall to Atreus' shoulder. "You okay?"
“Soft,” Atreus teased, despite knowing he was the exact same way. Well, sometimes. There had been a few times where Bessie got to get a little extra from him just because he was damn cute and sweet. Atreus was a sucker for that sort of thing.
He gently put Killjoy back to the floor so he could return the half-hug Lance was providing. “Am I okay?” It almost made him laugh, that question, considering he barely remembered much from the last few days. “I should be asking if you’re okay. Everyone else had to deal with whatever that was more than I did. Feels like a vague dream.”
One of something he pitied, though at least ultimately Atreus had gotten his bow back and it had been well taken care of. He pressed a kiss into the side of Lance’s head in thanks. “Did you stay here and help take care of everything?”
It was good to hear Atreus' memories of it all were hazy, and not some weird case of having a whole other life dumped into his mind. Lance couldn't even begin to understand all the magic behind it but he was glad at least that Atreus didn't seem to have any lingering effects. "It could have been worse?" he offered, vaguely remembering at least one person falling under the worse umbrella. "Mostly he refused to make eye contact and it was just awkward and weird," he added. And really, most of it was already starting to fade away now that Atreus was back to himself.
"Yeah," he answered easily and then paused at the sudden realization he'd made a pretty big assumption that he could do just that - stay for days on end without Atreus there. "Uh - it just seemed easier?" he added, sheepishly, and pulled back to lean against the counter.
“I think he was lonely and a little sad, a lot awkward. Confused. I don’t know much but it felt like he was being someone he wasn’t.” Atreus felt the pull to chase after Lance immediately. He didn’t, they were both pretty good about respecting space and boundaries, but he let his hand linger on Lance until they were too far apart. He still didn’t like it, especially with missing time and hearing how awkward things were, but it did at least give Atreus a chance to lean down and give love to the wolves.
Who were, at present, offering both affection and gossip. Quiet rumbles and nudges translated directly into his head at how much they’d enjoyed having the extra company, and how good Lance did. He was smiling when he looked up from his kneeling position to stare at Lance. “Thanks. Really, thank you. Sounds like you did a great job, and I’m glad someone was here with Father.”
Lance nodded a little at the assessment. He hadn't really blamed Alec for being stand offish. It really wasn't that long ago for himself that waking up, in bed and all that spoke of, with another guy would have thrown him for a loop too. He was very much past it now, but could still remember the confusion of his younger years as he slowly started to realize he didn't fit the box he thought he should. He hoped Alec got the chance to figure it out wherever he came from.
He watched the wolves with Atreus, a little smile on his face. He couldn't hear what Atreus did of course, but was clear that something was being said. It was pretty damn endearing really to watch. And when Atreus looked back up at him and spoke the smile turned to a grin, the words soothing that little flare of anxiety that he'd maybe overstepped.
"You're welcome," he replied. Paused for a second and used the moment to just dive right in. "I figured it was, you know, the boyfriendly thing to do." He grinned again. He'd used the word before, but not directly to Atreus. But it felt right then, if anything felt overdue. "And I missed you, a lot." At least sticking around the treehouse had helped that a little, it felt familiar even if the best part of it all had been missing.
A flush bloomed on Atreus’ face. He’d used the term first, partially on accident but it’d come naturally, so he let it slide. He wasn’t sure that Lance had even heard him use it, so-- it didn’t get brought up. The worry of were they there yet had settled in, and then the private musings of if he was there yet.
He didn’t doubt in Lance. It was all on Atreus, full stop. He worried about a lot of things, including putting his own home issues on anyone he was with. Lance had been a trooper on that end, more patient than Atreus deserved, and this was just another notch on that end.
“A little more than what’s required for the boyfriendly duties, I think,” Atreus gave him credit with a matching grin. “You’re always welcome. Seriously. You kind of have your own spot on the bed now anyway.”
Lance had picked up on it that day at lunch. But for all he could be impulsive about some things - running head first into a fight, going through a wormhole in a giant robot lion with no clue of where it led - he was prone to overthinking the personal things. Which was how he had spent days mulling over the moment, wondering if he'd just heard what he wanted to hear, wondering if he was ready to call it what it was, following all the little threads of worst case and then when he'd finally realized he was just being dumb he'd woken up to a stranger with his boyfriend's face.
He ducked his head, smiling with a little flush at the bed comment. He definitely did have that at this point, and a good chunk of his clothes stuffed into drawers, enough that he'd managed to hang around for a few days without even having to run back to the apartment. And there was probably a conversation for another day about how much at home he'd started to feel there, a feeling he hadn't had in a very long time, but baby steps.
"It's a comfy spot," he replied with a grin. "You might have to fight the disaster children for your spot back by the way," he cautioned. "They've been getting spoiled." And Lance was weak, especially when the bed had felt so damn empty without Atreus.
“Oh, I’ll fight.” Atreus was grinning even still, but that was a battle he’d win. The animals might give him some grief to start, but he knew all their soft spots and favorite things to spoil them with to get his way.
He got up from his wolf-petting spot and slowly stalked towards Lance, a little frustrated now at the space between them. “Hey,” When Atreus got a little closer, he reached out to snag Lance, but he preferred to crowd in rather than pulling Lance away from the counter. He got in the personal space, pressing close in so he could lean towards Lance. One kiss. Another kiss.
Then a smile. Atreus dropped his lips down to Lance’s neck and bit lightly. “I have an important question,” his voice was quiet and low, sultry. “Did you save me any bacon?”
There were no complaints about having his personal space invaded, and Lance slid a hand low around Atreus' waist, tugging him in closer. He lingered in the kisses, trying to impart just how much he had missed this - missed him - fingers slipping under the hem of Atreus' shirt to run along bare skin. The past few days slipped away, all the uncertainty he'd let himself linger on, the terrible feeling of someone with Atreus' face dismissing him. Everything slotted back into place.
Lance perked his brows at the question, a soft teasing smile on his lips as he glanced behind him to look. "Think you might be out of luck," he answered, slipping a hand behind Atreus' neck. "But I'm sure I could be convinced to make some more," he added, a bit of a challenge in the words as he leaned back in for another kiss.