"I'm- I'm out of here, get me out of here- I-I'm out of here! I SAID I WOULDN'T CRY!"

Hunk snapped his gaze to Keith storming past the kitchen. What happened? That didn't look like his normal sulk. He thought that Keith was filming stuff on the castle's computer. Allura suggested they all make recordings to store in the castle, something of a time capsule. Maybe if they all died new paladins would find them in ten thousand years. Guess it didn't go well for Keith. He was brought back to the situation at hand when the timer on the oven went off. He rushed to grab mitts and pulled open the door. It smelled incredible. He beamed as he pulled the perfectly cooked, assorted muffins out of the oven and set them on the counter. He stared at them for a moment, Keith popped up in the back of his mind. Lance would be along any minute now; he was like a bloodhound. He pulled off his oven mitts and removed the goodies from the tin, piling them on a separate plate. He slid another dish over and picked four of the best muffins from the pile.

It was definitely a mistake to leave the rest unattended, but this was a pressing matter. He made his way through the castle, avoiding running into anyone. Where would he have gone? He stopped as he passed the airlock. The sunset cast orange and gold across the sleek surfaces of the buildings on Olkarion. This planet's sky was strange. It was incredible to say the least. A small figure caught his eye. They were sitting on the edge of the structure the castle was resting on. That was definitely Keith. He set off at a brisk pace, taking Allura's small shuttle down to the surface. It set down directly below the castle, a ways from where Keith was sitting, looking over the forest as the sun rested low in the sky. Hunk made sure his footsteps were loud enough that he wouldn't startle Keith. He'd rather not get knifed right now. He froze as Keith turned abruptly, "what do you want?" He growled. There were tear stains on his face, but it looked like he'd stopped crying. Maybe this wasn't a great idea. Keith's glare softened as he spotted the plate in his hands. It never ceases to amaze him how he could go from menacing to adorable in half a second flat. He looked up at him with wide eyes, "you brought me muffins?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd set aside a few before Lance and Pidge got ahold of them." He sat beside Keith, legs dangling over the edge and set the plate between them. Keith looked down at his hands, smiling, "thanks, Hunk."

"What are you waiting for? Try one, tell me how it tastes!"

"Are you trying to interrogate me or something?"

"No, no. Sorry. It's just that some feedback from someone new would be nice." Keith grabbed one of the muffins and took a bite from the top without unwrapping it, "That's amazing!" He mumbled through a mouthful, crumbs spilling from his mouth, "what's in it?"

"Well, I was talking to the Olkari, right? Scoping out the food scene and they gave me this fruit. At first I thought it was kind of apple-like, but I tried it and it was definitely more like an Asian Pear. Which is great cause I love those, but anyways I thought, hey that would go really well with some ginger. Of course we didn't have any actual ginger, but I specifically remembered that I used something really similar to ginger a while ago. I didn't know the name of it though, so I had to taste test like half of the spices in the pantry to find the one I was looking for. While I was doing that I made a list, though, so now I'll be able to use them all more comfortably from now on! So, yeah... pear and ginger."

"...Wow."

"Sorry, I get really excited about this stuff." They shared a chuckle. Keith finished off the muffin as the sun sat halfway below the horizon. Twilight upon them, the far end of the sky was painted purple, the horizon in front of them still tinged gold. Hunk broke the silence, "it's beautiful. Reminds me of home. The forest I mean, I've seen plenty of off-world sunsets, not that they're not stunning, but these trees bring up memories. Lance and I used to climb ones just like 'em all the time when we were kids." A chocked sob from Keith tore his gaze away from the view. Oh no. He had his head in his hands, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. He was so closed off, it was scary to see him break down like this. This was where the two differed immensely. He found himself cracking under pressure, he was cautious and easily flustered, but in times of calmness he was a strong voice of reason and a diplomat. Keith on the other hand was a confident, focused and aggressive fighter, but he was antisocial with some obviously deep-rooted trust issues. He bottled things up and it all came out in disasters like the Thayserix ordeal. He slid the plate out of the way, away from the ledge. He wouldn't try this on Pidge or Shiro, but since it was Keith- Hunk pulled him into a hug, one hand between his shoulder blades, the other on the back of his head. Keith rested his forehead against Hunk's shoulder. He knew that Keith liked hugs. He'd seen him perfectly okay with being hugged by complete strangers and he was never uncomfortable with him. He never would've taken Keith for a hugger from what he'd seen of him from the garrison, but now that he knew him personally and not just through Lance it did make sense. The guy had lived alone for years. He didn't even have a family for the longest time. That would make anyone want a hug. He rarely got them, though, due to how distant he was. Hunk made a point to give him one whenever he needed it. Especially after Shiro disappeared. Now that he was back things were... different. He didn't know why. Shiro was still Shiro, but after they had to be on their own, Keith leading with no guidance, things wouldn't be the same again. Not that there was really a constant to compare it to. Things were never the same after his sister was born. Things were never the same after he met Lance. Things were never the same after he was accepted into the garrison. Things were never the same after they left earth. Things were never the same after Shiro disappeared and they would never be the same now that he was back. He hated it. But this was their lives now. Keith had wrapped his arms around his torso as best he could and was holding onto him as if for dear life. His tears had soaked through his shirt. He didn't mind though. If Keith was this upset it didn't matter. Hunk buried his hand in his hair and Keith tried to speak into his shoulder, "I-I'm so..." he was interrupted by a hiccup, "so sorry"

"Don't be."

"No, I, I shouldn't b-"

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I said I wouldn't cry! I said I wouldn't..." his yell trailed off.

"Listen to me, Keith. It's okay to cry." Keith gripped the fabric of Hunk's shirt in his fists as he convulsed in another fit of sobs. All he could do was hold him. He had no magic advice for this. The only sound was Keith's quiet gasps as he tried to catch his breath and the wind through the trees. A few stars were barely visible in the pale sky. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes. Keith pulled back with a sigh. Wiping the last of his tears off his face. He looked over the landscape, "...do you ever just want to jump?"

"WHAT?" Hunk grabbed his arm, ready to pull him back if he decided to throw himself off of the structure. Keith shook his head, "Calm down! I didn't mean it like that. I need to stay alive right now."

"How else could you mean it?"

"I don't actually want to jump. But it's like there's a little voice in the back of my mind telling me that maybe I do."

"Intrusive thoughts." He didn't let go, "Lance was telling me about it a while ago so I looked it up."

"On the ship's computer? I didn't know it had a browser."

"Hm? Oh, it doesn't. This was at the garrison."

"Ah."

"This particular 'symptom' I guess is also known as the Call to the Void. I've never had it, not a fan of heights, but it's an actual thing."

"So I'm not crazy."

As far as we know. "We should get inside. It's late, the others are probably wondering where you are."

"At least let me finish the muffins first!"