"From?"

"Your room, I think Lance would get bored soon"

Keith jumped up

"You left him in my room?!"

"Is that a problem?"

"I'll find out"

He hurried into the house and up the stairs. Shiro sighed and looked up at the sky.

Lance fiddled with his fingers and his eyes wondered the room. He never had a good attention span and with both people downstairs, there was no one to distract him. His eyes locked onto a notebook covered crosses and skulls. Interesting. He stretched over and grabbed it. There was scribbled text on the cover, 'KEITH ONLY'. Lance hesitated. He chewed his lip as he thought about having a quick look through the book. No one would even have to know. A limp red bookmark hung out of the book. Lance turned to the bookmarked page without thinking.

The page was filled with rough sketches of monsters. There were some faces with snarling teeth and red eyes. Some showed the full body with ripped wings and a missing eye. One of them had a scar down its face and an arm hanging on by a few threads. The book snapped shut, it made Lance yelp. Keith was there holding the book shut, Lance was so entranced by the drawings that he didn't even hear the door open.

"Did you not read the front. "

Lance's mouth went dry but managed to get some words out.

"I did"

That made it worse.

Keith pulled the book away and Lance shifted under his glare.

"So you have no common sense"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to"

"How do you accidentally open a book?"

"Those words just fell out.. I know how important privacy is and I wasn't going to, but then I saw the bookmark and don't even remember opening-"

Keith covered Lance's mouth and he jumped.

"You're rambling"

Keith's string started growing again and he jumped back.

"What's that about?"

He moved his hand behind his back.

"What?"

"Keith. I'm not stupid. What's up with your hand"

Keith took a step backwards. Lance put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, we'll talk about something else"

Keith relaxed a little but looked down at the book tightly clutched in his hand. Lance followed his gaze down to the notebook.

"You're really good at drawing"

Keith twitched but kept his eyes down.

"Where do you get all your ideas from?"

Keith's eyebrows pinched and Lance realised what he said.

"I only saw that one page! It was the one with all the monsters on it. They looked really good and there was one that had almost lost its arm, that one was quite weird and also gros-"

"You talk a lot"

"I do it when I'm nervous"

"Why are you nervous"

"You're kinda intimidating and you gave me a fright before. It was also kinda weird to be in a silent room because-"

He had realised he was rambling again and covered his mouth. He was frowning and Keith couldn't help but chuckle. Lance's eyes shot up as he dropped his hands. He met Keith's eyes and after a couple long seconds Keith tore his eyes away.

"Can you stop looking at me. You're making me uncomfortable"

"Sorry, it's just it was so weird to hear you happy"

Keith frowned. His index finger tapped the sketchbook.

"The drawings just come from my head"

"What?"

"You asked where I get the ideas. I just think of them and then record them"

"Well you're a really good artist"

"Thanks"

He rocked back on his feet and Lance smiled at him. Then he snapped out of his trance.

"You could sit down if you want. This is your room after all"

"Thanks but um.."

He looked at his hand over his shoulder and the string pulled towards the bed.

"Yeah I'm good"

He had to look closely to see it but Lance swore he saw a red glow reflect on Keith's face when he looked at something over his shoulder. His eyes fell to the ground and the red glow reached the floor. Keith squirmed under his gaze.

"Dude. Seriously. Stop staring at me."

"Sorry, I didn't realise"

"Mm"

"Would I be able to see more of your drawings?"

He stuck out his hand sub-conciously and Keith held onto the book protectively. Lance dropped his arm once Keith shifted.

"Sorry I didn't mean to"

Keith sighed and looked up

"You say sorry a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah I suppose"

"You know why?"

"I dunno.. Maybe?"

Keith dropped his arm to his side. The movement caught Lance's eye but he couldn't see anything. Lance saw his eyes glaze over, even in the low light.

"Are you okay?"

Keith's finger twitched but that was the only response he got. Lance stood up and poked Keith's arm.

"Hey"

Keith jumped at the touch and stumbled back a few steps.

"I didn't mean to scare you, but you weren't responding"

He blinked a couple times and looked down at his trembling hand. He brought his left hand over to hold it still. Keith's breath hitched.

"Fine, I'm fine. I just.. Need a bit of space"

He walked out the door still clutched the book.

__

Tears stung in his eyes and he slid down to the cold, tiled floor. The rain outside flooded his ears but it was better than the roaring flames of the fire that haunted his life. His book had been discarded on the floor as he curled into himself to hide away as much as he could. He expected this to be a bad day but this was terrible. The thunder clapped, letting him know it was still there. He turned towards the window considering his options but he jumped out of his thoughts when he heard whining at the door. Keith wanted Kosmo to come in but he didn't want to see any people who might be outside.

He glanced up. It was unlocked. He sighed. His arms hugged his knees again and he let his head drop into the nest he had built around himself. He didn't move when the door opened, just stayed with his barrier up. He didn't even move when he felt someone's warmth slide down next to him and settle on the floor. His fingers had dug into his knee but the person next to him reached out and pulled his hand away from his leg. They began to trace his knuckles to get his hand to soften up. He felt his eyes fall closed and he struggled to keep them open. He didn't need sleep, not when it came with nightmares. Kosmo padded around the room, his claws clicking on the tiles, before settling on Keith's feet. He brought his free hand down to Kosmo and played with his fur. His eyes fluttered closed again but this time he didn't stop them. He was safe.

Keith woke up to the sun on his eyelids and Kosmo shuffling around to be cuddled. He expected to see bathroom tiles when he woke up but instead he was wrapped in his blankets in his room. He moved his arm around, trying to shake his pins and needles out, and then wiggled his fingers attempting to get some of his usual temperature back. He stopped and stared at his finger. His eyes followed the string out the door and his head dropped onto his pillow. His muffled groan filled his ears. He looked at the window and an idea grew in his head until it was all he could think about.

Mud stained shoes landed on the ground and then ran down the street. It didn't matter that he was meant to be at school soon, nothing good happened there anyway. His feet were carrying him somewhere that his brain hadn't thought of yet. He saw the gravestones passing by and stopped, gasping for breath. He frantically scanned the rows but dropped his head when his phone buzzed. He swiped away the notification of worry and traced his fingers on the fence all the way to the gate. There was a slight hesitation in his step when he got to the arched entry, but he ignored it and walked in.

"Hey dad.."

It still felt weird, talking to a stone block like this.

"I-uh.. I got another soul mate"

He paused, thinking of what to say next.

"Well.. this time he can't fuck it up"

He forced a laugh

"I went back to the orphanage pretty soon after he did that."

He huffed

"I'm sure both of us wanted that"

His words left a sour taste in his mouth.

"I don't.."

His voice faded out

"I need a reason.. "

His trembling hands brought his attention away from the tombstone. He clenched his hands together as he continued.

"Shiro says he chose me, he wants me, but it's all just fake promises. No one is able to handle me, I always get sent back."

His mouth went dry and his voice wavered.

"How would you do this? You'd make your mark, make them listen to you. Carry who you are with you wherever you go. Be a rock, unwavering."

He dragged a hand through his hair.

"But I can't be that, can't be you. I can't make people listen to me if I never speak to people. I can't be a rock if every day each wave that hits me is bigger than the last, if every time I open my mouth the hole I'm standing in gets deeper and it keeps getting harder to climb out."

He studied the rock before sighing and laid on his back, with his arm covering his face. He doesn't remember how long he stays there, but he knows that he could have gone on for longer. The sun went away, behind a cloud he presumes. His eyes flick open to see him smiling down at him. He shot up and twisted around. Lance took a step back

"Why are you here"

"You weren't at school, why are you here"

Keith stood up and shielded his eyes

"I was just leaving"

"You're only leaving because I came. You seemed pretty content in your own world"

He scowled

"How long have you been here"

He replied with a shrug

"Longer than you'd like"

"Well if you'll excuse me, I have to find another spot since this one has been.. invaded."

"This is quite a depressing place, don't you think?"

He stared at him

"Why are you here"

"I already said, you weren't at school-"

He put up a hand to stop him

"Yeah, but why. Why do you care? We're practically strangers"

Lance smiled

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, right?"

He groaned

"You don't like strangers?"

"I don't like talking and generally people have to talk to be friends"

"Why is that?"

He looked like he was thinking about it but after a couple seconds he turned and started walking away. A grin crept onto Lance's face. He had a quick glance at the tombstone at his feet before hurrying after Keith. Keith pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. 3 missed calls and 17 unread messages. All stupid worry. He appeared in front of him and Keith jumped.

"I'm Lance"

"I know"

"Tell me something true"

Keith scrunched up his face

"Why?"

"Bonding, we both know Pidge but don't know each other"

He rolled his eyes and stepped around Lance to continue walking

"How 'bout we keep it that way"

Lance walked a couple steps behind Keith, thinking of more things to talk about. He studied Keith, playing with his phone.

"Why don't you text Shiro back?"

His only response was silence.

"At least tell him you're okay"

Keith stopped walking

"Why"

"Well, 'cause he's worried"

"So he sent you to find me because he was too lazy to do it himself."

"No I came on my own"

"Then how do you know any of that is true. And how do you find me."

"Because we talked yesterday and it wasn't hard"

His shoulders tensed and he spun around.

"What do you mean it wasn't-"

Lance was holding the red string up with a quirked eyebrow. He frantically searched the string with his eyes before managing to squeeze out a word.

"Oh"

"Is this why you were being weird last night, you could've just told me"

Keith's eyebrow furrowed

"I've met a lot of people who.. Unkind.. People"

"Oh, sorry"

"Its not your fault, I just.."

"You?"

"Nothing"

Lance sighed

"Tell me something true?"

Keith shoulders dropped

"That.."

He bit his lip and shook his head

"I like trees"

Keith offered and shrugged. Lance grinned, that seemed to do the trick.

"Follow me"

Still with a smile on his face he started off down the street. Keith stood still considering his options. Lance, not being followed, turned around with a look of concern. Keith turned back to see him waiting and walked after him.

__

Keith stopped at a towering tree. Lance was nowhere to be found. A voice brought Keith's attention upwards.

"You know how to climb?"

Instead of answering, Keith looked at the trunk to find the easiest way up. From Lance's point in the tree, it looked like Keith was just gonna sit on the ground, so he waited to see what he would do. Keith pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed something before putting it away again. He found branches close and gripped them, pulling himself up a bit to put his foot in a gap. He quickly scaled the tree and paused near Lance.

"Who were you texting?"

Keith scoffed and continued up the tree

"Was it Shiro!"

Lance called upwards Keith ignored him and went faster. Lance grinned and mumbled to himself

"That's a yes"

Lance gripped the next branch and pulled himself up. Keith reached the top of the tree and inhaled, closing his eyes. Under the sun, he relaxed. From the top, most of the town was visible to him. He had seen the streetlights on, meaning the world would be plunged into a welcoming darkness soon. The sun was low in the sky. Lance shot him a glance once he was at the top. His hair golden from the sunset, his eyes closed and a small smile sitting on his lips. Lance quickly tore his eyes away, red dusting his ears.

"Beautiful, yes?"

Lance whispered, his eyes staring at the town. Keith's eyes snapped open and his grip on the branch tightened. After his response of nothing, Lance looked over. Keith's eyes still a bit wide and his gaze watched the ground.

"Oh, did I scare you? Sorry"

Lance chuckled Keith's eyes flicked to Lance and gave a weak smile and then looked back at the sunset.

"It's so warm"

A smile lingering on his lips. It made Lance smile too, seeing him happy.

"What'd you tell Shiro?"

"I told him not to worry and that I was with you"

Keith's legs swung as he talked

"So it was Shiro"

Lance could feel the grin creep onto his face.

"Fuck off"

"When are you planning on going home"

"I don't want to, just wanna stay here forever"

Lance chuckled

"You're gonna have to go home eventually"

"Says who"

Keith tilted his head up slightly. Lance huffed.

"Well I have to go soon, I was already late home yesterday"

Keith nodded

"I'll come with"

When he got a puzzled look, he shrugged

"If I'm up here on my own, I wouldn't actually be able to leave, it's too inviting"

__

Lance landed on the ground and looked up to see Keith close behind. They started walking in the almost darkness, which they had a couple minutes left with. Keith pulled out his phone and sent a quick text over to Shiro. Lance looked over Keith's shoulder, onto his phone.

'Coming home late'.

He scoffed and he got a glare in response.

"Shut up."

Keith put his phone back in his pocket

"Hey, I didn't say anything"

"You're an open book, I know what you're thinking."

"That a bad thing?"

Keith's eyes dropped and he shrugged.

"Sometimes"

"I don't think it is, means you can't lie"

"And everyone knows what you're thinking?"

"Exactly!"

Keith held his elbows

"I don't know why you would want that"

Lance looked over at him. There were goosebumps across his arms

"You cold?"

He frowned

"A bit, I guess"

Lance smiled and took off his jacket. He held it out for Keith to grab.

"You're not cold?"

"I'm hardly ever cold"

"And currently?"

Lance stopped walking, which made Keith stop too. He got a puzzled look from Keith and Lance reached out and grabbed Keith's wrist. He pushed the jacket into his hand until Keith's fingers closed around it.

"You've got goosebumps, you need it more than me"

He let go of his wrist and fell back into his rhythmed steps with a smile. After a couple steps he stopped and looked behind him.