Music tip:
Moby ft. Damien Jurado – Almost Home (Sebastien Radio Edit)
youtube: watch?v=oeGNqv8rVOY

Dancing in Flames

No 45:
'I think I made a mistake.'

Characters: Lance, Keith
Pairing: pre Klance
Universe: Canon, during/near end of Season 1

Distant.
It's the first thing that comes to Lance's mind, when one of the aliens asks him about the quiet Paladin. Their curious nature competes even with Pidge's, and while she is having the time of her life with the new race they found on a mostly abandoned planet far off from where the Galra empire extends their power every second of every day, Lance is slightly… overwhelmed.
Especially when they want to know everything about them. At first it is endearing, boosting his ego like mad (no thanks to his so-called friends laughing about it), but after the third day he craves for some silence and peace. He would have said so out loud, if it hadn't reminded him of a certain Paladin, who has managed to bug off on the first day with his for once useful withdrawn behavior.

So their host's daughter (at least its voice is too high compared to the deep rumbling sound the others make and they use similar pronouns) comes to him shortly after dinner to ask about Keith. The same Keith who has managed to slip off as soon as they finished eating and is no where in sight. No way he'll have to stand hearing about them praising him for hours again. Not happening.
And so with the most sickeningly-sweet smile he promises her to drag his sorry ass back here, until Keith's ears fall off. Of course in a bit more appropriate language and even if it's the last thing he'll do (because Lance has seen that guy exercise).

At first he looks around the residence, before he makes his way over to their lions, but the guy is no where in sight. Not even on the cliff overlooking the colorful valley at the edge of the village, where he has seen Keith on in the middle of a restless night. Where has that guy gone off to? He surely didn't get himself into some trouble, right? But then again it's Keith, if Lance is able to fall for some alien girl that likes to play with his feelings, Keith can't be above that as well!

With a deep sigh he makes his way back towards the residence, while the moon of the planet disappears below the horizon and bathes the surface into eerie darkness. Of course he wouldn't fall for some cheap trick like that, it's Keith for God's sake and he has an intuition that nearly beats Shiro's. Not that he'll ever tell him that.
A cold wind blows between the houses and makes him shiver despite the armor he is still wearing, as a figure disappears between two houses to his right. The red shimmer and dark mullet can impossibly be from someone else, not even in the endless vast of space. The smirk fits itself easily onto his face, as he begins to follow his fellow Paladin out of town. Probably the cliff then, Lance figures, until Keith unexpectedly turns left instead of right and then abruptly stops to look at his surroundings. Barely in time Lance ducks behind a tree and only waits for the inevitable shouting to reach his ears –

But it never comes.
Instead Keith hurries on without noticing him. It's slightly worrying, but Lance shoves the thought aside to follow him. The smirk is traded for a curious and then thoughtful expression, as they come to a stop in front of the cave entrance they have been showed to on their second day. It's some religious place for the citizens, apparently it holds a mysterious artifact to protect them from all sorts of evil.
After months upon months spent in space with the most unlikely events happening all around the time, Lance isn't above thinking that the well-protected peace and their sheltered existence might have something to do with the so-called artifact. More importantly since their arrival there hasn't been any Galra activity around them and that alone is reason enough for Lance to perk up at least a little bit.

Crouched behind a rock he musters Keith's unmoving form.
His face is hidden by his hair, in the distance a few lights illuminate the town and a faint glow from the cave makes Keith's form shine unnaturally. Without another glance around he suddenly steps forward, until he has disappeared from Lance's view.
What the hell?

A frown appears on his face, while he follows him silently. They have been forbidden to step into the cave, despite the worship and trust the aliens bathe them with. Even though Lance isn't above making exceptions here and there, Keith is the last person he expected to sneak in here just like that for an artifact that probably is useless to him.

The path is wide enough and not at all how he has imagined it to be. Instead of rough edges and stones littering the way with water dripping from the ceiling, the path is made out of a glowing white stone, not blinding but comforting. When he carefully brushes his hand over the cavern wall to his right in plain curiosity (it's gonna get him killed one day, Shiro muses every now and then, but he simply can't help himself), the surface is as soft as it can be regarding it's stone.
Up front several paths split into a larger cavern, a circular room with the soft glow that had enwrapped Keith like a cloak before. It's of a bluish color, very light, nearly a turquoise he reckons, as he follows a path to his left that circles all around it in a crouched position. When low voices reach his ears, he stops and peaks through one of the holes.

'Again you are here, young Paladin.'

"Again you don't tell me to go," Keith answers unusually soft and Lance has to move a few meters left to the next larger hole, until he can make out the red Paladin's form kneeling in front of the glowing glass-like form. It spirals up, a massive crystal that meets the ceiling and has wrapped it into a shimmering layer of little gems. They are of the same blue-greenish color, which captures him for a few seconds and fills him with a feeling he can't quite make out.
When the fleeting moment is over he feels empty. It's weird, but Lance doesn't give it another thought when Keith finally speaks up again.

"I want to know," he whispers and stares at the ground in front of him.
A shiver runs down his spine and momentarily it feels as if Lance has been paralyzed. Something isn't right. Nothing in here is. The light seems to be alive, calls for him in the back of his mind, while Keith is unwinding to show something Lance never once thought about before; at least not consciously.
They are teammates, even Keith and him, but not once before have they really acted like it outside the life-or-death situations. Below the rivalry and the snarky comments they throw at each other Lance knows there is more to him. The soft sighs, when he thinks himself alone, lost in the overwhelming view of space right there for them to touch; the lost look in his eyes, whenever they talk about earth; the way he lights up from the inside out, whenever Shiro and him go on a mission alone.
It isn't for him to pry, let alone that he can't imagine Keith being very cooperative, but it shows from time to time. Like now, when he sounds so different from the distant and hard-headed guy he got to admire at the Garrison for his sheer endless talent.

"About my family."

Oh shit.
He wants to turn around and leave asap. This is none of his business, even if Keith is kind of breaking an alien law here and talking to a crystal, even if Lance is bugged by the whole situation and his teammate's eerie behavior (he is not worried, thank you very much).
Even if he really, really wants to know himself.
Because Keith never talks about his family. The three times they got to talk about it he first got unusually quiet (more than they are used to) and then left the room under some pretense. Sometimes he and Hunk made up some theories in the middle of the night with voices that were barely above a whisper. Was he an orphan? Did he have a huge fight with his family? Why the heck did he live in a desert of all places to begin with? Were there no distant relatives to go to?

Before Lance is able to force his frozen legs to move, the other voice echoes around the cave once more. It sounds above all else inhuman and metallic, but still manages to ring in his ears like a long-forgotten chime that reminds him of home. For a brief moment he wonders whether or not it sounds the same for Keith.

'I do not possess that kind of knowledge.'

Keith's shoulders sag, his face is still hidden by the dark streaks of his hair and faced towards the ground. It physically hurts to look at him, for another moment Lance is tempted to turn around and never think of the situation ever again. Then Keith seems to catch himself though and finally looks up at the other being with some of the resolve Lance is used to seeing from him. It takes some of the pressure off of his heart he wasn't even aware of up until now, while he continues to muster his teammate with an unknown fascination.

"But you know something. Please!"

It is silent for a long moment, not once does Keith break his stance, then…
'I can show you.'

The light intensifies, blinded Lance hides behind the thick stone wall for a second, before the bright glow dims down. When he looks through the hole again, Keith's hand rests on the crystal and he has a far away look in his eyes.
It only lasts for mere moments, then he gasps for air and blinks away the tears.

Lance decides to leave as quietly and as quickly as possible.
When he reaches the entrance of the cave again, shaken and emotionally exhausted by a sight burned into his mind, he is finally able to take a deep, shuddering breath.
It's none of his fucking business.

But somehow it seems to be.
Over the next couple of days – they decided to stay put until they have collected enough resources to keep them going for a while without raiding the villagers' stock – Keith keeps disappearing after meals and random get-togethers. The others notice, but it is Keith, that's how he usually is, so they don't bother to question him.
Although it really isn't Keith, not the hot-headed, distant and most of all self-aware drop-out from the Garrison. It's a guy who silently cried over the images of his past all by himself and who goes back day after day after day. For two days he manages to ignore it, then Lance can't bear it anymore and when he lies awake in the middle of the night on the too hard bed, he decides to have another look.
Maybe Keith isn't there for once, maybe Lance can have a quick talk with the crystal person to find out what's up with his teammate. Because he can deny it as much as he wants to, but he is slowly starting to worry.
Not that he'll ever say it out loud to the mullet head.

The way back to the cave takes longer than anticipated and the biting cold goes through the thin layer of clothes he has quickly thrown on, but as he takes the same route back to the place he has held out on, the harsh weather is the least of his problems.
Keith is back again.

This time the need to go over there and pull him away from the crystal is nearly too strong to resist, so he doesn't hold back the deep sigh escaping his throat. Keith is lying on the ground on his side faced towards the crystal and for a moment Lance thinks he has fallen asleep. Then he manages to take a glance at his eyes and the far away look in his blue-grey orbs is like a punch in the face.
Keith is never lost in thoughts. Not once did Lance manage to catch him off-guard nor see this look in his eyes, lost and unaware. His fingertips are touching the bottom of the crystal and this time he is dressed in a rather simple attire compared to his gleaming armor or the trademark black shirt with the red vest.
Instead he wears something the aliens gifted them with, a long white robe over a plain pair of pants accentuated with light blue streaks, that seem to flow into the other color seamlessly. His dark bangs are tied back into a simple ponytail. It's so different from his usual cool-guy style, that Lance takes his time to throw another glance over the slim form of his fellow Paladin. If he wouldn't be drifting in a state of denial and bone-deep embarrassment, he may have admitted to himself that the foreign look is quite appealing to his hungry stare and the fluttering heart in his chest.

Bullshit.
He feels protective of his teammate, because obviously something is really, really wrong with him. They may not always get along, but they are still almost-friends. Nothing else.
Nothing else to worry about except for this situation, which slowly begins to be too much for him.

And exactly that is going to stop now, Lance decides and gets up from his crouched position behind the hole. Through a larger one he climbs into the inner cavern with stiff legs to get to Keith and make an end to this slowly unfolding tragedy – until he sees the steady rising and falling of said Paladin's chest. He has fallen asleep.

'What do you desire, child?'

A sudden yelp escapes his mouth and with a pounding heart he stumbles a few steps backwards. It is the same voice from before, but instead of the familiar echo in the cave, he can hear it inside of his own mind now.
He is determined to turn around and leave this place asap, but his feet are rooted to the cold ground. The light intensifies, the blinding white turns to a soft blue that dances around the cavern walls and pulls him further and further away from his resolve. It can't be that hurtful, can it?
Keith, who obviously has some troubling past regarding his family, finally seems to get some answers. How and in which form doesn't matter – the eagerness, the unfamiliar gleam in his eyes, the lines disappearing from his face –
It can't be that bad, can it?

But underneath the soft calling and the tender touch of whatever is trying to reach his soul, Lance feels the urge to take another look grow stronger.
He has been crying again. Silently, all by himself and caught in whatever memory the crystal has shown him, Keith has been lying on the cold ground for hours during the last days and cried. The fact alone is weird enough to blow the spell away, while Lance takes a deep breath.

"Nothing you can give me," he silently replies, before he turns around to leave.
Another nagging thought makes him stop and with a short glance to the sleeping boy he returns to his side to spread his thick coat over him like a protective blanket. He doesn't have the heart to wake him up, nor the courage to quarrel with a hurt and cornered Keith. He'll deal with it in the morning.
Another night, another few hours of blissful memories can't be that bad.

Except that they actually are.

By the time Keith finally returns, Lance is running circles behind the large residence of their host, while avoiding Pidge and the others who are on their way to breakfast (it actually tastes better than the goo they get in the castle).
The rest of the night he has been lying awake with images of Keith in his mind that are impossible to shake off. Because what would he have done in his situation? His family is everything to him. His brothers and sisters, his parents, his grandparents, all loving and embarrassing and encouraging from the beginning on. The mere thought of not having them around him or being separated from them due to some stupid argument makes him physically sick, regardless of the reasons and the exact circumstances Keith is alone and was at least for some time back down on Earth. No wonder he acts the way he does, Lance muses, all distant and always in control. He doesn't know better.
With the first light rolling over the hills Lance is up and talking to their host. He tries to be as casual as possible, shows interest in their culture and religious beliefs, until the alien finally mentions the cave on his own. Lance prods a bit, remembers about the ban to enter it, so that the alien slowly begins to elaborate.

He first mentions the crystal and its extraordinary energy, the way it helps them to stay hidden and to survive on a planet that is actually too close to the sun they orbit around.
Then he warns Lance about the way it takes energy from them to survive, how it lulls them in with sweet promises like a predator does. It's a give-and-take they are willing to accept under the given circumstances, but when he mentions that their bodies have learned to survive the absorbing power over millennia, Lance is already far from listening and storms out of the hall and past Shiro without another word.

Two hours later Keith enters his line of sight and before he is able to get even remotely close to the entrance, Lance steps out of the shadows and drags the surprised Paladin along to the back of the house.
Another side that is just not Keith. Usually he would have seen him from a mile away.

"You can't go back to it!"

"…what?"
Keith looks genuinely confused, but it does nothing to ease the rapid beating of his heart and the pressing need to get through to him somehow.

"The crystal. It's bad for you. I asked around and-"
His voice abruptly cuts off, when the look in Keith's eyes changes from concerned curiosity to steel-hard resolve and something akin to rage Lance hasn't seen before in this particular form. It's flaming red and warning, unconsciously he takes a step back, before he tries to refocus on Keith's voice.
"This doesn't concern you," he growls and if Lance hadn't been running around with several worst-case scenarios in his head, he might have let him be. But the images of that lost boy in front of the crystal rising in his head are impossible to shove away.

"Well I'm sorry to break it to you, but it kinda is at this point, mullet head! This thing is feeding on your energy every time you go back there and as nice as the thought is, we still need you as a Paladin."
He had planned to do it all nice and calm, since Keith's feelings are involved for a change and he seems to resemble Lance so much more that he had anticipated. He cares so incredibly much about his family, obviously, but every thought and feeling connected to them are carefully hidden away from the other Paladins and the outside world. Until the crystal came along and promised him the impossible.
Keith's lips are pressed into a thin line, when he turns around with a cold look in his eyes to get away from him as far as possible, but Lance rushes forward and grabs his arm one more time. He has to pull himself together and let those confusing feelings blend into his words for once. No teasing, no harsh words. This is not even remotely close to their usual banter.

"I'm sorry, Keith, please listen-"

He roughly pulls his arm out of Lance's grab, but at least he stops for a moment. His face is turned away from him and Lance is barely able to understand the softly spoken words over the harsh wind in his ears.
"I appreciate the warning, but I'll manage this on my own."

Then he leaves him behind.
For the first time in forever Lance has no idea what to do.

Sometimes you have to let people be even if they are running towards their doom, because all the words in the world go unheeded.
His father has probably told him a million times by now, but every time it just doesn't feel right. Can't they see, that he only has their best interest in mind? Don't they realize, that he sometimes says stuff for a specific reason and not to antagonize them mindlessly?
He knows people have to make their own mistakes to realize that a certain path is not the right one, but how in the world are you supposed to just stand by and watch?

The thought is tearing him apart and despite Keith's words he isn't able to let it simply go. Sleepless nights and silent watches at his window leave him restless and tensioned, until Hunk can't endure it any longer and asks him. Shiro is next, so both he assures with an honest smile and a useless 'thank you' that yes, he is fine. The dark circles under his eyes are telling a different story, but he isn't willing to run to them for help just yet.
Below the worry and doubt he really wants to solve this by himself and show Keith that despite everything so far between them, Lance is someone he can rely on. And he won't ever, if Lance carelessly brings in an adult and ends things right here and now.

And above all else he doesn't want to rip Keith away from whatever the crystal is showing him, regardless of the danger the red Paladin is putting himself into. It has to do with his family and that alone is reason enough for Lance to give in at least partially.
So he lies awake in his temporarily bed staring at the ceiling and letting Keith be, when a knock at his door pulls him out of his dark thoughts.

"Can… Do you mind if I come in?"
Keith.

He is clad in the same robes he wore back in the cavern and looks into his eyes with an expression that makes his heart jump for a second. "Of course," he mumbles quickly and sits up in his bed to maintain his composure at least a little bit. With an unmistakable signal to sit down beside him Lance glances up and is thrown back, despite of what has been going on lately, by the sheer despair in the other's eyes.

"I-"
His voice breaks and Lance feels him shaking, but instead of a comforting gesture he holds back out of fear that it'll throw Keith off again.

"I think I made a mistake," he whispers barely audible and finally returns the intense look Lance bathes him with. His heart clenches painfully and faced with the other boy's wave of emotions he wonders briefly if they have ever witnessed the real Keith at least once during their time together. Sure, this recklessness and determination have to be a part of him too, otherwise Red would never listen to him to begin with, but the amount of hurt and need he radiates like the sun they orbit around radiates its heat is too much.

How is he doing it?
How can he not explode every once in a while from always holding back?
What is he really thinking behind the partially mask he likes to show around?

And why of all people is it Lance who has to deal with it?
Shiro would be a million times better, after all they have known each other before already and Keith has always had a deeper connection with their leader than with anyone else.
Pidge would be harsh but to the point and then heal whatever mess was left behind with painful accuracy.
Hunk would take the shaking form into his arms and tell him that it'll get better and he already has his own little space family hovering around.

Instead Keith is stuck with plain old Lance.
He decides to do a little bit of everything, takes a deep breath and places his hand carefully on the red Paladin's shoulder. Then he looks back into those sparkling eyes and jumps over the dark pit in his stomach.
"Yes you did," he replies with a humorless smile, "but it's about family, so who am I to judge of all people?"

It's meant to lift the mood at least a little bit since Lance has never been good with that sorrowful kind of emotions, and to his surprise the corners of Keith's mouth lift ever so slightly. It encourages him to do what he does best – the unexpected and something that probably wouldn't have been on anyone else's mind.

"Do you want to show me?"

Ever since Lance is able to think he loves to talk about his family.
Pictures and funny memories included. No one who has to deal with him for more than five minutes has not heard about his little sister going rogue over a lost dessert or his big brother trying to smuggle unapproved content via Lance's room and getting caught by his grandmom of all people.
The need to share and to listen to what others' families are like is endless – so it's more or less frustrating for him with the group of people he is temporarily stuck with.

Keith and Shiro don't talk about their past, period.
Hunk has been his best friend since forever, so of course he knows every little detail there is to know about his small family.
Pidge becomes too sad whenever she thinks about her brother and father, even though she does a good job at hiding it from her teammates.
Allura and Coran lost their entire race a mere moment ago in their eyes, so talking about anything regarding Altea is already like stepping onto a minefield.

So as tragic as the circumstances might be, Lance of course craves to know about Keith's family as much as possible. Admittedly though something else swings with the decision to drag his teammate back to the cave in the middle of the night, after he has told him to never get back to the crystal ever again.
"You need to make your peace with it," he tells Keith quietly, when he can't stand the unspoken questions anymore and enters the cave with a resolve Lance doesn't really feel at the moment. It's probably dumb to drag him back here after he has just admitted that Lance was right, but simply breaking it off will be the wrong course of action for Keith.
He is as complex as the tests back at the Garrison and as predictable as the next move the Galra empire is going to make; still Lance reckons Keith needs a little bit of peace for a change.
Even if it's just with a simple memory.

The cavern feels a lot colder than the two times before and the light isn't as soothing as it used to be. Keith is unusually quiet again and seems to walk a step behind him while eying the crystal warily. Somehow he feels the need to reassure him, the guy he once thought of as his rival.
"Don't worry, I can blast that thing away with my bayard in a millisecond."

Of course it's a blatant lie and Keith knows as well, but the soft smile and the raised eyebrow are worth being a little silly every once in a while.
Keith stops at the entrance of the inner cavern and glances at Lance with a mix of wonder and uncertainty. "You really don't mind?"

Lance has no clue what to make of that question, so he earnestly shakes his head.
"I don't." Whatever it is Lance apparently should be bugged about.

A deep sigh escapes Keith's throat, as he looks back to the blazing crystal and absentmindedly wrings his hands which are partly covered by the large sleeves. The foreign look really suits him well.
The sudden thought triggers another stumble of his heart, but thankfully Keith continues before Lance has to deal with… whatever that was.

"I'm scared."
A few days earlier Lance would have outright laughed at that statement coming from Keith, now it only makes him wonder whether Keith has maybe been as terrified as Lance faced with their unearthly mission.
"Of what?" he presses carefully and barely raises his voice above a whisper. The place still has something holy to respect, despite what it may have been doing to his comrade.

"That I'll forget them again. Their faces, their voices…"
He trails off, clearly lost in a distant memory, and the look in his eyes reminds Lance of himself. Because when he is all by himself and staring out of a window into endless space, he looks exactly the same wondering if he'll forget them over time. The deep laugh of his father, the loving smile of his mother, his siblings' wonder in their eyes or the silent pride of the older ones.
He is terrified that this fight against Zarkon will take up all of the time they have left living. For a cruel moment he is tempted to tell Keith about his fear, but somehow it doesn't feel right. Lance didn't bring him here to make him even more miserable.

"You won't," he declares instead with a firm and steady voice that tells nothing of his inner conflict. But the wonder in Keith's eyes below the obvious surprise can only be worth it, he muses, and then continues with a dazzling smile, because that is how Keith knows him best.
"After you've shown me I'll always make sure to remind you from whom you've got that horrible mullet."

The outright laugh Keith gifts him with is as unexpected as disarming. For a moment Lance wonders if he should pay more attention to the way his heart speeds up at the sound and the way he returns the honest smile with as much enthusiasm. With a shake of his head he puts the matter aside for now (because he really is so not ready to go there even mentally) to lead the way over to the crystal. This time Keith follows him with less apprehension.

"Okay, just put your hand on the crystal, I guess. It should show you," Keith suggests and kneels down gracefully. It should be forbidden to be able to do that in those clothes, especially with the short ponytail he still sports, Lance grumbles, then he follows suit though, tries to relax the clenched muscles in his shoulders and closes his eyes.

The crystal feels, contrary to his first assumption, warm and inviting under the palm of his hand. Immediately the feeling from the past days is back and fills him like one of those ice storms of the last visited planet, but instead of leaving him cold and raw, the warmth from his hand spreads over to the rest of his body.
A pleasant sigh escapes his mouth, when he feels the careful prodding at the edge of his mind. All doubts are thrown aside, he trusts Keith that it won't kill him on the spot, so he lets it enter with no restriction.

'What do you desire, child?' it repeats its question and this time he feels so content, so sure of what it is, even if Lance can't name it yet. The warmth seems to center somewhere in his chest and the presence slowly approaches it, as if it's a small flame it doesn't want to put out.

At first a laugh enters his mind.
It's like a song without words, a simple melody he could listen to all day and just… plain beautiful.

Then there is a feeling, someone's hand in his.
Smaller, but with rough patches. He feels content and protective and never wants to let go.

Eyes. So gorgeous eyes.
Their color reminds him of lying on the roof of the Garrison at night and staring up into the night sky with a 'What if?' on his lips. They are a swirl of storming grey with patches of a deep blue.

A name enters his mind and with a horrified shriek he jumps backwards.

"Lance? Are you alright?"
Keith is staring back at him with concern written all over his (pretty-) face. For countless seconds all Lance can do is stare back at him. What he desired.
Well fuck.

"Did you – did it work?" he asks hesitantly when it becomes obvious that Lance hasn't been harmed accidently by the other being in his mind and soul – at least not bodily.
With a shake of his head he stumbles over his words and still fears his heart it going to jump out of his chest any moment now. "No, I didn't – it didn't show me… I saw my – "
His what? Hidden desire? Keith? For real?!

Maybe this thing is pissed at him for destroying whatever it had going on with Keith and this is its secret revenge. Yeah, that sounds quite logical. More logical than Lance wanting Keith in any way that is beyond simple, nice and easy friendship, especially when he just started seeing him in a different light entirely.

"Maybe I need to trigger it?" Keith continues absolutely clueless about his inner monologue and moves closer to the crystal and Lance's side. "Here, put your hand on mine," he commands and doesn't wait for Lance's protests, as he puts his hand confidently onto the glowing stone and closes his eyes.
For a moment Lance is temped to get up and leave, but a hesitant look into Keith's face keeps him glued to the ground. It is more relaxed, less tense nor littered with those heavy lines on his face. He looks a lot younger than with the warrior attitude he usually displays.

With a heavy sigh he complies, closes his eyes and lays his hand over Keith's.
It fits perfectly into his palm and even though the rushing feeling returns and pulls him towards another pool of warmth that hasn't been there before, he is unable to ignore how close he is to him right now.
…he is so done for.

Voices enter his mind and ban every other thought.
He can't make out the words, it sounds as if he is underwater, while swirling forms out of smoke begin to take shape. The colors are all over the place and mainly ruled by the turquoise of the crystal, from the corner of his eyes he can see a few blobs of violet, before the scene changes and Lance is finally able to recognize a face in the masses.
Her black hair stands out even in the blue-heavy color scheme and without a doubt she is Keith's mother. The Asian shape of her face, the exact replica of Keith's chin and cheekbones, the smile that turned Lance upside down just a moment ago…
Only her eyes are different. The shape, the color - he can't make it out in time, a heartbeat later her dancing form has disappeared in another whirl of fog, but they still seem so damn familiar…
Another person appears out of thin air, his voice is deep and calming, while he stands with his broad shoulders towards Lance. The man turns around and his breathing comes to a halt. Those are Keith's eyes without a doubt. The same grey-bluish tone, clearly seeable even through the turquoise tint, and the same sharp look that goes right through him to his deepest and darkest secrets.
Only that the piercing glance isn't focused on him but another form rushing out of the fog. A little boy, barely old enough to walk with a wild mop of black hair on his head runs towards the waiting man and is lifted up with the ghost of a smile on his father's lips.

It's Keith.
Jesus Christ, that damn mullet head was a lady-killer even then with his big sparkling eyes and the flushed cheeks, as he raises an arm and is eager to show his father something in the same excitement Lance has seen in his own siblings once.
He still can't make out the words, when the tight grip is back and pulls him backwards. He wants to protest, another chance to catch a glimpse at Keith's mother's eyes and the purple spots in the corners of his eyes that keep appearing and look like shadows chasing each other through the thick fog –

With a loud gasp he finds himself kneeling in front of the crystal again in the cold cave and an equally exhausted Keith to his left.
Instead of being as confused as Lance by the little things unresolved, Keith's glowing form is taking his breath away with flushed cheeks and wide opened eyes that sparkle with barely hidden happiness.

"You saw them, right?"
For a second all Lance can see in front of him is the little version of Keith surrounded by the same enthusiasm. It's something he has to bring up more often in the older, more resolved form, Lance decides for himself and then nods with a growing smile on his face.

"I did."
He is tempted to mention how Keith looks just like his mother, a splitting image of her beautiful form, or that his eyes are an exact replica of his father's. He wants to tell him that they both loved him madly, wherever they are now. The ghost of a smile on his father's lips and the proud look in his mother's eyes are clear enough –
but Keith already knows.
For days he has done nothing else than to stare at their dwindling forms. He knows.

"Thank you," Keith whispers and again Lance wonders about the why, when he has done nothing really in the end. Keith though doesn't seem to wait for an answer and visibly torn he hesitates for a moment, before his kneeling form clad in the aliens' robe leans forward into his warm chest.
Lance can't talk, not even think. Once again the first images from the crystal enter his mind, this time impossible to push away, while his arms come to rest on Keith's small back.

"No problem," he quietly replies, while Keith's own words from before enter his mind so ironically fitting.

'I think I made a mistake.'

This is the first One Shot I wrote for a prompt list.
I'd love to get some suggestions from you, so feel free to send any wish my way with your idea/ characters/ pairings, etc.!
You can find the prompt list on my Tumblr: milucarie. tumblr. c o m
Sadly I can't post the direct link either here or on my profile, because both gets messed up.