Keith didn't think he'd ever find himself meandering through an alien castle in the middle of the night. He was proven wrong. Illuminating the walls gently with a dim glow, the light barely letting him see into the long, wide corridor stretching ahead of him. Vaguely, he recalled that he was heading towards the central control room, letting himself wander through the silent corridor, the only sounds that of the wind and his own footsteps reverberating off the walls.

Opening before him, the doors reveaked the room - lights off, silhouettes of the equipments and the castle's energy source visable under the light of the stars that filtered in through the large windows. There were pros of staying in space; clouds never obscured the night sky, allowing the inhabitants to see the stars whenever they wished or needed to do so.

It was only after several ticks that Keith's eyes adjusted to the lighting or lack of thereof inside the room. Everything became slightly clearer, from the outlines of furnishing to the figure sitting near the centre of the room. Keith blinked a few times. Even though he was turned away from him, Keith could tell who it was, hair sticking up at the neck, jacket covering his shoulders in an almost blanket-like manner.

"Lance?" Startled, a shock seemed to run through his body, his shoulders visibly rising as he jumped at the unexpected noise. As he seemed to be wiping his face, Keith sat down next to him, scouting his face, searching. "You okay?"

Lance smiled, but something felt off about it, as though it was a forced smile which, Keith guessed, it probably was.

"Yeah," the reply was softer, quieter than usual. With a reply like that Keith couldn't help but feel himself grow worried. "Just thinking."

"About?" Feeling his brows furrow, he tried to look the other boy in the eyes, failing to do so, blue eyes constantly looking away as though repelled by his own, unable to meet them.

"Things. Earth. Home." Lance's breathing faltered at the last word, making Keith wonder in anxiety about whether he'd start crying again. "I miss it, Keith. I just wanna go home." At last their eyes met, grey on blue, the look in Lance's eyes so hurt and pained that Keith felt something in his chest tighten. Lance had never looked so vulnerable, tear stains fresh on his dark cheeks, eyes glazed as though ready to spill tears again at any moment, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

"I.. never really felt attached to the place," Keith admitted, looking down briefly before looking up at him again, his eyes now on the clusters of stars and galaxies. "I'm sorry."

Lance shook his head, smiling. "I miss my family. Earth's just so far away I can't see it, unable to reach them." He was trembling, obviously trying to not cry and show more weakness in front of the guy he'd rivalised for years.

Sitting in silence for a while, the watched the stars, side by side. Stealing a glance at Lance, Keith found he couldn't take his eyes off him, the boy showing shards of weakness that no one could usually see behind his façade of jokes and a happy-go-lucky attitude. It was a side to Lance Keith had never seen before.

Lance's body was warm, the zipper of his coat digging into Keith's skin but he couldn't care less. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders, he felt him stiffen in his arms before slowly, very slowly, he felt hands gripping tightly to the fabric on his back, Lance's face buried in Keith's shoulder. His hand ran through Lance's hair, trying to comfort him best as he could, feeling awkward as he did so, yet also at ease at the same time. Lance needed a shoulder to cry on, and Keith wouldn't leave him alone even if he refused to say it out loud. Not now, not ever.


Only short, I haven't been able to write much lately (especially now that A Levels have started but here we are).

Comments and favourites appreciated if you enjoyed!