The stars glimmered outside the view port, cold and distant. But sitting there beside Keith, Lance felt anything but distant.
For once, he wasn't filling the silence with jokes or words he didn't mean. He just let himself breathe, let himself exist in the quiet with Keith's shoulder brushing his.
Keith shifted slightly, tilting his head back to look at the sky. "It's strange," he murmured. "When I was younger, I used to sneak out to watch the stars. Thought if I stared hard enough, maybe I'd find answers out there."
Lance glanced at him, caught off guard by the softness in his tone. "…Did you?"
Keith gave a small shrug. "Not really. But… it felt like the stars were the only things that didn't change."
Lance studied him for a moment, the way the light painted his profile, sharp and calm. And before he could stop himself, he said quietly, "Guess that makes you and me opposites. You wanted answers. I just wanted… someone to notice me."
Keith's eyes flicked to him, searching, but Lance quickly looked away, heart hammering too hard in his chest.
The quiet stretched again, but like it had been for the last day, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was heavy with words neither of them knew how to say.
Then the ship jolted.
The floor vibrated under them, the Castle's alarms suddenly blaring. Both boys scrambled to their feet, instincts kicking in.
"What was that?" Lance said, eyes wide.
Keith had already drawn his blade. "Impact. Something hit us."
The deck shook again, harder this time. Lance stumbled, catching himself on the railing. Keith, closer to the view port, wasn't as lucky. A burst of sparks shot from the ceiling as the systems strained, and Keith raised his arm too late-
"Keith!"
The blast from the console threw him backward, crashing into the floor with a sickening thud. His blade clattered out of reach. Keith coughed a bit.
Lance was at his side in seconds, dropping to his knees. "No, no, no- mullet, come on-"
Keith groaned, trying to push himself up, but Lance pressed a hand to his shoulder. His skin was hot from the burn spreading across his arm, the fabric scorched and smoking.
"Don't move!" Lance snapped, panic lacing his voice. "You're hurt."
Keith's eyes fluttered, unfocused, but he still tried to argue. "…I'm fine."
"Liar! I swear, you promised you wouldn't get hurt, like, yesterday!"" Lance said, his voice breaking. His hands hovered uselessly over the injury, unsure if he should try to help or scream for Shiro. "Just...just hold on, okay? Please."
The alarms wailed louder, red light flashing across the room, but Lance barely noticed. All he could see was Keith. Hurt, stubborn, and terrifyingly fragile in a way Lance had never let himself imagine.
And in that moment, nothing else in the universe mattered.