Lance lay in bed staring at the ceiling, uncharacteristically quiet and despondent. He was deep in thought, at a loss for what to do about the situation he'd found himself in.

Talking to people had never been something he struggled with and flirting had become second-nature. Until, that is, he found himself in lo— crushing on one of the most unapproachable people he'd ever met. None of his usual methods worked. However, while the object of his affections remained distant as ever, he found himself falling deeper every single day. Being stuck in space with only his crush and a handful of other people certainly wasn't helping the situation. No matter how standoffish Keith was, it was impossible not to learn more about him, being in such close quarters.

He sighed and rolled onto his side, pulling his long, lean legs up to his chest and crinkling his brow lightly as he let his mind dwell on the situation. His thoughts drifted to a stray kitten that had lived near the Garrison back on Earth. It kinda reminded him of Keith, now that he thought about it. Small, with soft, shiny black hair and bright eyes, but desperately mistrustful of people. It had taken forever for him to coax the small kitten into trusting him enough to take it safely to a shelter.

That was it! He sat up quickly, heart rate skyrocketing as it all fell into place. Keith was just like that little kitten. Jumping in headfirst like he usually did with new people wouldn't work, it would just scare him off. He needed to go slow, and gently allow the other boy to feel comfortable around him.

Keith; who had been living alone for so long, who had been through so much losing Shiro, who deserved to be loved and cherished but didn't trust anyone enough to allow it. Lance would do whatever he could to show him that it was ok to trust him with his heart.

It was a frustratingly slow process. The hardest part was finding a way to be alone with Keith regularly enough to begin the "kitten therapy". In the end it was by complete chance that Lance found the perfect opportunity.

After a particularly brutal training session he found himself wandering through some of the castles less frequented corridors, too restless to sleep. He ended up at an out of the way observation deck. It was smaller than the others, but it was hardly used and the perfect place to brood, with the entire outer wall made of thick glass displaying the dark, emptiness outside. Now that he thought about it, it should've been obvious that Keith would retreat there in his down time.

The other boy glanced up from where he was sitting, leaning against the window, gazing out into space. Neither said anything to the other, and Lance nearly turned around and left before he realised that this was the perfect time to initiate Operation Kitty. So, still not saying anything, he slowly walked to the other side of the room and sat, mirroring Keith by leaning against the glass. As hard as it was, he didn't acknowledge the other boy, didn't even glance at him. The silence was tense, Keith's uncertainty hanging in the air, but as the minutes ticked by he slowly started to relax and the two sat in agreeable silence.

This continued for months, with progress happening at an unbearable snails pace. It took a month alone for Keith to stop tensing up when Lance greeted him with a quiet "hey" upon entering the room. After two months he was able to sit on the same side of the room, and it took eight long months from the day he first walked in for them to be able to sit side-by-side.

It was worth it, Lance thought. To be sitting this close to Keith, who was no longer uncomfortable with his proximity; to feel his warmth and hear his gentle breathing. This wasn't something he'd ever thought possible, with how clearly reserved the other boy was. Then the day came when Keith sighed contentedly and leaned into Lance's body, resting his head on his shoulder, and he knew his kitten would be ok.