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When Keith first saw the falling star, he was on the roof of his house laying next to Shiro. He pointed a finger at it when he saw the bright flash of light falling from the sky. “You see that?”
Shiro looked to where Keith was pointing. “The shooting star? Yeah.” He turned to Keith in confusion. “What about it?”
“I’m going to catch it.” There was a smirk on Keith’s face as he let his hand fall and turned towards Shiro. “As a good luck charm for you.”
Shiro scoffed and sat up on the roof. “Seriously? How do you even know that it’s going to land on the ground? It could be a bunch of stardust for all we know-”
“-because I just know-”
“-and it looks like if it did land that it’d be deep within Galra territory.” Shiro squinted into the distance as he tried to judge where the shooting star might have landed (if it did in fact land). He turned towards Keith with a frown. “I know you’re impulsive, Keith, but surely you can’t be stupid enough to think that going that deep within Galra territory is a good idea. They’ll kill you if they spot you.”
There was a scowl on Keith’s face. “Yeah- well- you’re going there, aren’t you? If you can go, why can’t I?”
The look on Shiro’s face softened a bit. “That’s because I’m going as a soldier, Keith. You know how this war is, there’s no guarantee I’ll make it out alive.”
“That’s why I’m going to get you the falling star as a good luck charm, Shiro,” there’s a soft look on Keith’s face as he spoke. “If I can get the star from out of Galra territory and come back safely, then- then you can too.”
There’s nothing that Shiro can do to dissuade Keith. He settled for grinning and ruffling his younger friend’s hair. “Good luck then. I have a feeling that if anyone can make it out of there alive, it would be you.”
“Heh, and you too, Shiro. Don’t sell yourself and your abilities short, golden boy.”
“I really wish you would stop calling me that.” Their conversation devolved into a series of jokes and conversations about the day. (Keith never forgot his promise to get the falling star, though.)
……
As it turned out, sneaking past the guard at the wall to get into Galra territory was easy. It was almost ridiculous how easy it was, but it also wasn’t surprising. Almost all the guards were on the front lines trying to fight back the Galra purposes, after all.
Avoiding the Galra denizens turned out to be easy as well. No one paid much mind to the mysterious robed figure.
Finding the star, well-
Keith stared at the tanned boy who sat in the middle of the crater with an unimpressed look in his eyes. “You’re supposed to be the falling star?”
“Yes? What did you expect, you idiot, a lump of rock?”
He blinked owlishly at the boy. He had considered it after all. Shiro had thought the falling star was just a bit of spacedust, but Keith was sure that it was some kind of meteorite that had fallen from the sky. The flash had been too bright to be just spacedust.
The angry look on the boy’s face faded into one of incredulousness. “Wait, you- really thought that I was going to be a lump of rock?”
Keith scowled and looked away from the boy. He held out his hand for the other boy to grab onto. “Look, that’s what meteorites usually are you know. A piece of space rock that fell onto the planet’s surface.”
“Meteorites usually- do you not know what a falling star is?!” Keith scowled harder and shook his hand a bit to try to goad the teen into grabbing onto it. “Oh, for the love of- would you look at me mullethead?”
“Did you just call me mullethead?!”
“Well if the description fits and it does fit.” The boy shrugged.
Keith snarled as the boy just smirked back at him. He took one step forward and was about to lay it into the boy, who looked to be about his age, when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and narrowed his eyes. There was a small grove of trees just on the edges of the crater the boy sat in. There looked to be a shadow between the trunks, a humanoid one. He hissed and grabbed the boy, tossing him over his shoulder. The boy yelped at the rough treatment. “Shut up, I’m getting you out of here, I promised a friend that I’d bring you back.”
The boy stilled for a moment. A moment that felt much too long. Keith gulped as he dashed out of the crater. Every once in a while, he glanced behind him at the shadow that lurked between the trees. The shadow didn’t seem to notice them, until it finally did.
Of course, that was also the moment when the boy finally decided to speak again. “Oh? And just who did you promise that you would bring me back to-“
“-shut up would you? Now is not the right time.” He fumbled in his pocket until he finally found the lion-shaped totem in his hands. His father made him promise not to use it unless it was a hopeless situation when it was given to him. Well, he was pretty sure this counted as one potentially. Keith squeezed his eyes tightly. “I wish to be somewhere safe.”
(They disappeared in a flash of light. The figure that broke from the trees screamed when she saw they were gone.)
……
“I can’t believe you promised me to someone. How could you do that to me, mullethead?!”
Keith tended to the small fire that he had gotten started in the middle of the cave. Apparently ‘somewhere safe’ to the totem meant a cave out in the middle of nowhere. None of the landmarks outside of the cave looked familiar to him, and he hope that he wasn’t placed deeper into Galra territory and farther away from the wall. “Okay, first off the name is Keith.” He sat down in front of the fire and hugged his knees to him. “And secondly, Shiro’s my only friend and he’s being sent away to fight.” The wish sounded silly now that he was relating it to someone else. He half buried his face in his knees. “I- I wanted to give him the falling star I saw in the sky as a good luck charm so that he’d return back safely.”
After a small while, he heard shuffling as the boy sat down next to him. “Only friend huh?” Keith moved a bit to the side as the boy sat down next to him. He was a bit too close for his liking. The boy stopped when he saw how Keith shuffled away. “What about family?”
“Only child. Orphaned.” Keith sighed and looked up at the fire with tired eyes. “Mom left soon after I was born, and dad died of the sickness that spread through the village. The only thing he left me was this totem.” Keith held out the lion-shaped totem for the boy to see, before he slipped it back into his pockets. He didn’t look towards the boy when he felt a hand rest gently on his back.
“That’s pretty sad though,” the boy said after a long pause. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be alone. Up in the sky, we’re all a big happy star family. Sure, we’re not always physically close to each other, but mama always shines so bright and papa has a warm glow around him. Also, there’s all my tios and tias that sparkle whenever they see me around. It’s cold up there, being up so high, but you’re never lonely. I-“ The boy’s face crumpled as tears began to form in his eyes. “-I don’t know what it’s like to be alone. I miss them, miss my family. I don’t want to be here, I want to be in the sky with my family!”
Keith looked up when the boy started bawling. A look of horror and concern warred in his face. He didn’t know how to comfort people. That was always Shiro’s specialty. Shiro always knew what to say to get people to feel better and to make them start crying. Keith was the kind of guy that usually caused people to start crying due to his insensitive words. It looked like the streak continued with the boy who claimed to be the fallen star-
Keith looked off awkwardly before he placed a hand in the middle of the boy’s back and then pulled him into a hug. He reached over and stroked the back of the boy’s head and thought about what Shiro would say if he was in this situation. “It’s okay. You’re not alone here, you have me. You might not have your family up in the sky, but your own family down here with me. Shiro’s not due to leave until the end of the month, but when we get back over the wall, I’m sure that he’d love having you around. Shiro’s a good person like that.” The boy sniffled and seemed to quiet down a bit. “A-and it’s not just me and Shiro! There’s also Pidge, and her brother Matt! They’ll like having you around too, even if they’re a bit-“ ‘Of a smart alec’ was what he wanted to say, but shouldn’t. “-strange. Oh, and there’s Hunk. Hunk makes the best cookies.” He looked at the boy in his arms. “See, even if you don’t have your family up in the sky. You can make a new family down here.”
The boy swiped at the tears in his eyes and looked at Keith. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
The smile that the boy gave him seemed to shine brighter than the sun, and for a moment Keith could almost believe the boy really had been a star up in the night sky. “I- think we got off on a bit of a bad start.” Lance swiped at the last of his tears, and held out his hand for Keith to shake. “I’m Lance, nice to meet you Keith.”
Keith hesitantly took it and shook Lance’s hand. The smile on Lance’s face seemed to only grow brighter and his skin seemed to shine with some kind of internal light. “Nice to meet you too, Lance.”
……
“How long until we’re at the wall?”
Keith looked up from the map that he had gotten at the last town they had passed. He gestured for Lance to come over and pointed out the location of where they were and where they were headed. “Not far actually, from the looks of the map, we should get there in a week.”
Lance pouted. “A week is a pretty long time though.” He ignored the scowl that Keith shot him and looked around. He brightened when he saw a wagon full of flowers at the side of the road. In front of the wagon was a sign that read ‘help wanted’. “I have an idea of how to get there faster though! Come on, Keith!”
Keith grumbled good-naturedly and let himself get dragged by Lance towards the wagon. He couldn’t help but notice how the boy seemed to almost glow in his excitement. The glow made Lance look even more handsome than he already was. A flush quickly spread over his face when he realized what he had just thought, and a scowl quickly formed over his face. He did not just think that Lance was handsome.
Lance looked back in time to see the scowl form on Keith’s face. “Hey, stop looking like that. It’s not a bad idea and we’ll get there a lot faster in a week. You wanted to get me back to Shiro didn’t you? And isn’t Shiro supposed to be leaving soon? So, we should really try to get back as fast as we can.”
“I know, I just-“ Keith huffed out in annoyance and shook his head. “-nevermind, it is a good idea. And, you’re right, we should try to get there as fast as possible. That way we have as much time as possible with everyone before Shiro has to leave for the war.”
“That’s the spirit, Keith!” There was a cheery smile on Lance’s face and Keith couldn’t help but smile back. A woman stepped out of the wagon with a basket full of flowers. She stopped when she saw Lance and Keith. Lance flashed his most charming smile when he saw the woman. “So, I saw that you had a help wanted sign out …”
(In the shadows of the forest around the road, a figure watched as the pair approached the woman. It faded away when the woman agreed to take them in.)
……
Rowan, the florist they were traveling with, waited until Keith had covered a blanket over Lance before she beckoned him over. They still had only a few days to go until they reached the wall, and Keith was surprised that she wanted to talk to him. “Is something wrong,” he asked as he approached her.
She laughed and shook her head. “No, no, I just thought that you and I could have a little chat while your friend is sleeping.” She patted the empty space next to her. Keith took it as a sign to sit down. Rowan flashed him a warm smile when he did, before she nodded her head in the direction of Lance sleeping close by. “He’s a close friend of yours isn’t he?”
Keith fidgeted in response to the question. A friend? Maybe, they had gotten fairly close during their journey. “Well-“
“-ah, perhaps you’re hoping for something more than friendship and worried that he doesn’t like you back?”
Keith didn’t say anything in response. He scowled and looked away from Rowan. The florist simply covered her mouth as she chuckled at his reaction. Her shoulders shook with mirth. “Mmm, well let me tell you a little secret.” She leaned close to Keith and whispered into his ear. “Stars glow when they’re happy and around the person they love the most. I think you should tell him.”
Keith froze as he slowly digested the words that had been told to him. Stars glow when they’re happy. Keith apparently made Lance happy. Keith should tell Lance he had feelings for them, it was likely that Lance felt the same. He hit a stumbling block with the bit of information he received. He turned to look towards Rowan, a look of shock and confusion on his face. “How did you know he was a-“
“-a star?” Rowan gestured towards Lance with her hands. “Ah, anyone who was familiar with stars would be able to tell.” She smiled mysteriously as she looked towards Keith, almost as if she were letting him in on a secret. “Stars glow, Keith. No other being are as radiant as a star in love, and this one is very much in love.” The smile faded as her expression slowly sobered. “We shall be at in the border town in a day or two. Your village will be just over the field and the wall at the edge of it. I think you’re familiar with the place since I assume that’s where you crossed when you first came over.”
Keith nodded and then froze a moment later. He never told Rowan about where they were actually headed. Lance had only said they wanted to go to the border town. “Wait, how did you know that we were-“
“-Headed over the wall?” Rowan laughed as she stood up. “Because I’m a witch, Keith. I know these things.” She waved Keith off as she busied herself for bed. “Do be careful, Keith. Fallen stars are powerful things that weak men covet for themselves. It is said that eating the heart of one can cause everlasting youth and immortality. Just because you’ve gotten through easily so far, does not mean that there aren’t dangers waiting for you at your destination. Perhaps, all your fears are waiting for you, there.”
He tried not to shudder at the words that felt so much like a bad omen. He didn’t react when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “But remember, if you ever find yourself in a hopeless situation, you have something with you that holds more power than even a fallen star. You are never without hope and a way out, Keith.” Rowan left alone with those cryptic words. Keith stared into the embers of the dying campfire as he mulled over what had been said.
……
The border town was raucous, with all sorts of people, smells, and sounds. Rowan bid her helpers off at mid-day with a warm smile, a parcel of food, and some flowers that she graciously wove into Lance’s hair. “I think this is where we must part,” she said. “Go, I don’t think you intended to stay with me for much longer, and I can handle myself here.” She seemed ready to shoo them off, before she realized something and grabbed a small bag of coins from underneath one of the tables she had set up. “Oh, and here’s your wages, before I forget.” She tossed the coins towards them, which Keith caught deftly. A smile crossed her face at the sight. “Now go on you two, and be safe.” Rowan and Keith exchanged a glance and Keith nodded as he led Lance away from the florist they had spent their last few days traveling with.
“Eh? Be safe? From what? Keith!”
“It’s none of your concern, now stay low until we cross over,” he hissed at his friend.
Lance pouted in response, and wordlessly unwrapped the parcel of food that Rowan had handed them. He squealed with joy, when he noticed there were two freshly baked meat pies inside. There was also a pair of apples and some bread. Lance excitedly grabbed one of the pies and handed the other to Keith. The pie was big enough that he could barely hold onto it with one hand. “Oh, I’m sure going to miss traveling with Rowan. She took such great care of us and always made sure we were well-fed. Kinda like my abuela … oh …” Lance looked down at his feet as he thought about his family up in the sky. Did they miss him? Were they wondering where he was? A hand on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at Keith.
The other boy didn’t say anything as Lance was pulled into a one-armed hug. Lance sighed and felt himself relax into the hug. Keith had trouble explaining things, he had come to realize. The other boy was more of an action-taker than a talker. (Not that there was anything wrong with that.) “Thanks Keith.” He shot Keith a soft smile, and a gentle glow washed over his skin.
Keith cleared his throat as a soft flush spread over his cheeks. (Stupid Lance, and his stupid glow that made him seem prettier than he usually was.) “Well, I promised you, didn’t I? Even if you lost your family up there, we would make a family down here.”
“Together?”
“Together.”
Lance grinned as he wove their fingers together. The blush on Keith’s hand intensified when he looked down and saw they were holding hands now. He looked up at Lance and couldn’t help but offer a shy grin to the one that Lance had on his hands. Lance couldn’t help the chuckle that overtook him.
Keith scowled in response. “What?”
“Oh, nothing.” Lance swung their arms as he led them down the crowded road filled with stalls and people. “It’s just that you look a lot nicer when you smile. You should do it more often.”
“Wha-what?! I should- Lance!” Lance laughed as he pulled Keith off into the direction of a colorful stall he had spotted on the side of the road. All his sorrows momentarily forgotten.
……
(Keith had been right when he thought Rowan’s parting words sounded like a bad omen.)
“Huh? You mean you have something special for me?” Lance blinked owlishly at the robed figure that had gestured towards him between two buildings. Behind him, lost in the crowd, Keith shouted his name.
“Why yes my child, you must come with me so I can show it to you.” Lance tried not to shudder as the robed figure grabbed onto his hands. The figure’s hands felt clammy and cold on his skin.
Lance frowned and looked around him. “Ah, but is it something I have to see alone? I’ve kinda lost my friend Keith, and if it’s something special, well-“ His skin began to glow softly at the thought of the mullethead. He looked towards the figure with a soft smile. “-I want Keith to see it too. He deserves to experience something special.”
“No, no, my child. This is something special just for you.” The grin on his face fell. “Your friend cannot come with you.”
“No? Ah, then let me find him first. Keith! Keith! Urgh, stupid mullethead where are you?!” He felt himself being tugged by the figure deeper into the alleyway they stood in as he looked around for his friend. Lance tried waving his free hand in case if made him easier to spot. “This person says they have to show me!” He gestured towards the figure with his friend hand. Lance didn’t see how the figure shied away from the gesture. “I’ll be back soon, I promise! Keith where are you?!”
“Lance?!” Keith spotted Lance just as the other boy was pulled into the alleyway by the robed figure. “Lance!” The crowds around him were forgotten as his world narrowed down to Lance and the figure that had pulled him into the alleyway. He ignored the squawks of the people around him as he elbowed and jostled his way toward the alleyway Lance had disappeared down to. “Lance?” The alleyway was empty when he reached it. “Lance?!”
He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed out. Keith wouldn’t let himself panic. What was it that Shiro was always saying? Patience equals focus? He opened his eyes and looked around the alleyway for hints. He smirked when he saw a doorway that was left slightly ajar. Bingo.
“La-“ Keith quickly shut up when he heard voices inside the room the door led to. Deeper inside the room he could see Lance laid out on a table, a ring of four robed figures surrounded him. They didn’t notice as he snuck into the room, keeping close to the walls and within the shadows so they wouldn’t see him.
“Ah, how sweet. A star in love,” one of the figures said.
“Shut up, Utla. Haggar wanted this one for herself,” the figure to the left of them said.
“That may be so Rutha,” yet another figure said with a chuckle. “But would she notice if we sampled a little bit of the star for ourselves? It would only be a tiny bit-“
“-and even a tiny bit can perform miracles,” the last figure said with a smirk. “Now let’s-“ The figure halted when they heard a loud crack, as if someone had stepped on a floorboard. “-whose there?!”
The figures had no time to react when Keith took down the figure closest to him, and then the one next to them. The remaining pair squawked in surprise, and one sent a ball of dark energies flying at him. It was a simple matter to duck the energy ball and knock out the other two.
Keith rushed to Lance’s side when the robed figures were taken care of. He lightly tapped Lance’s cheek to wake him up. The skin was cold to the touch. “No no, Lance, buddy, wake up.” The taps became heavier, but still the other boy didn’t rouse, and still his skin was cold and clammy. “Lance, Lance? I promised. I promised you that we’d make a family here. You can’t just leave me Lance. Lance?”
The other boy lay there, lifeless. Keith could feel a prickling sensation in his eyes and he squeezed his eyes tightly so he wouldn’t cry. “No. Lance. You can’t be- dead.” His voice broke as he spoke the words and he opened his eyes to look at Lance. Lance looked so peaceful on the table, almost as if he was sleeping.
Unbidden Rowan’s words came to him. Hadn’t she told him that he should tell Lance about his feelings. Hadn’t she also told him he had something on him that was more powerful than a fallen star? Keith gulped as he dug the totem out of his pocket. “Please,” he said as he held it tightly in his hands. “Bring Lance back to me.” He placed the totem on Lance’s chest.
Lance still didn’t rouse, although a soft glow began to spread over his skin. A rueful grin grew on Keith’s face. Lance really did look beautiful when he was glowing like this. Driven by instinct, Keith leaned down and placed a kiss on Lance’s lips. He frozen when he felt Lance began to kiss him back a moment later. “Lance?” He tried to pull back.
Lance pulled him back into the kiss. “Shut up Keith,” he murmured against Keith’s lips. “I think we’re busy with something here.” Keith chuckled against Lance’s lips and the two spent the next few minutes pressed against one another.
(When Lance pulled Keith against him on the table, Keith didn’t complain and happily settled next to him.)
……
Shiro was waiting for them when they crossed the wall into the village. Keith’s expression brightened when he spotted him. “Shiro!”
“Keith! You’re alive.” Shiro looked to Lance glowering at him from Keith’s side. A wry grin spread on his face. “And you brought a friend, I see.”
Keith had the decency to look contrite when Lance was mentioned. “Um, yeah, it’s a long story actually, but this is Lance and-“
“-I’m his boyfriend,” Lance interjected. “So, stop trying to make a play for my man here, Shiro.” Keith stared at Lance at the pure venom he put in Shiro’s name.
Shiro just laughed. “Ah, I wasn’t. I’m just happy that Keith finally found someone.” He elbowed a steadily more red-looking Keith. “Is this why you weren’t interested in any of the girls I tried to introduce you to?”
“Shiro.”
Shiro chuckled and shook his head as he led the two back to Keith’s house. “Anyway, you got back just in time for dinner.”
“Dinner,” Keith asked flatly, Lance still clinging tightly onto his arm. “I hope you weren’t the one cooking.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t about that.” Shiro turned back and winked at the pair. “Hunk made dinner actually, so you two are in for a treat.” He led the two to a brightly house not unlike the other houses in the village. The door of the house opened to energetic conversation and delicious scents. “Welcome home, Keith and Lance.”
(The sky grew steadily darker, and, above their heads, the stars twinkled brightly.)