Keith sat with his dad for a long time: talking, figuring out living situations and other issues with Heath coming back from the dead, and joking about old times. He had stayed for what felt like hours, the spell finally breaking when Shiro texted, asking Keith if he was ready to go.

Shiro had his own issues to deal with, so he dropped Keith off at the hospital earlier that day and agreed to pick him back up after the identification process.

Keith looked up from his phone to the curious face of his dad. "That's Shiro. I gotta go, but I will be back tomorrow. I'll check the front desk to see when you are free to go, too. I understand how stuffy hospital rooms can get after a while." Keith joked, collecting his things.

"I-I love you, see you soon." The goodbye shook with nerves, but if Heath heard it, his face didn't show.

"Bye," can Heath's reply before the door closes.

With the exit of his son came the silence; (God, did he hate the silence) that clung to the hospital room like fungus. Heath had been in the hospital enough times to actively hate staying in for more than a few days.

With that thought in mind, Heath slowly got off the bed, dragging his IV drip with him to the window to the left of his bed. He was high up, providing a beautiful view of the city. The sun was setting, basking the city in an orange-purple ombre. The few stars that were shown started to glow in the receding light. Heith yearned to go back to his home, where you could see the stars for miles, and make a bone fire with no fear of law trouble, and make constellations with his son, or swap stories with his-

Heath sighed, tapping his forehead to the glass.

Lord knows what happened to his property, or- Keith's property now. Could they even put the land back in his own name? What would the point be, to remove it from Keith's name, only to put it back when Heath got old: and even then, not much of what Heath had built on it when he first bought the property was still standing. Keith told him about the destruction of the main building, so they could not live there together, especially if they wanted to rebuild.

Keith had suggested renting out a motel room till everything was figured out, but there were issues with that. Money.

Heath highly doubted he would be able to get his old job at the firehouse back, and even so, the thought of running into a burning building again sent shivers down his spine. Keith also had no legal job, seeing how he had just turned 18 when he went into space and had unfortunately been expelled from the Garrison, meaning he had no high school diploma. (Not to mention that Keith would have been illegally living on the property in the first place, not the Heath knew that detail yet.)

Keith looked so haggard when trying to figure out living and expenses; he looked older than 23. He had bags around his eyes and a pinch in his brows, the same as his mother got when stressed. It made Heath's chest clench.

His son shouldn't be worrying about these things. Housing both Heath and himself, with no money and no shelter, after fighting a space war. Must be Kogane luck.

A knock sounded on the door. Heath removed his head from the glass, watching a young nurse entered the room with a tray of food.

"Good evening, Mr. Kogane," the young lad said, setting the food tray on the table beside the bed he should have been on.

The boy joined him at his seat, gracefully sitting in the unoccupied chair beside his own.

"I heard a rumor that your son identified you today. Is that true?" The boy's eyes twinkled, showing his excitement. Heath chuckled, replying.

"Aye, it is. Though, I don't see how news should have been able to travel that fast. He just left." Heath raised an eyebrow, looking at the nurse.

The boy looked down bashfully, quickly explaining himself. "A-ah, so maybe I stole a quick glance at check-in records to see if anybody showed up for you. I just really want you to get to go back to your family!" Heath chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Ah, it's fine, son. Like I care if rumors fly. How much longer do I have to stay here, anyway?"

The man took a moment, eyebrows scrunched in thought. Then he looks at Heath and smiles.

"If I remember correctly, tomorrow the doctor will test your motor skills again, and then the psychologist will make sure there was no lasting damage mentally, then you should be free to go afterward. Maybe a day more." Heath hums, his attention back to the window.

"How are the other patients doing? I remember you saying one was in some kind of explosion." The boy nods, talking about the other patients with him.

Shiro offered for Keith to say the night at his (or.. Adam's old) apartment. Keith agreed but had not unpacked his things for the night, despite being there for 2 hours. It was already night, the cool drift seeping in through the open window Keith was sitting under.

Keith was in the living room, stacks of papers sitting in front of him on the coffee table. The Garrison needed reports about what happened out in space, Keith had yet to read his father's hospital report the secretary gave him when he left, and (the one he was stuck on currently) the bills that had been left on Earth from 5 years ago.

Keith knew he would have to worry about bills when he returned to Earth. No job, no money, no high school diploma, and light-years away from Earth: he knew it would take a long time to even get back to earth and even longer to pay off the debt that racked up the longer they were out of the Milky Way.

So no, Keith knew how deep of shit he would be once they did make it back. However, nothing prepared him for the thick stack of bills under his name in Shiro's hands. Shiro had told him not to worry, that they would figure this out like they did everything else, but Keith says Shiro's own papers but decided not to say anything.

Keith was not to take charity: not at 13 and not now.

I don't the show ever informs us if Keith actually has a High School Diploma. And when you think about it, neither do Lance, Hunk, or Pidge, because they are AWOL. Plus, since we don't know how much time passed during the show (before trapping Lotor in the rift thing) so they may have been expelled.

Keith and Heath are going to have a hard time getting back on their feet (maybe) because of everything. Hopefully they can get it figured out. But until then, see you next time!

-Blue