Work Text:
KEITH ANYAN STARED DOWN AT HIS FIST AS HE WALKED THROUGH THE HALLWAY. He opened his hand then closed it again. His cold gaze focused on his knuckles for a moment before he dropped his arm back down to his side. He had hit Shiroe. Hit him right in the face with enough force to knock him down. He was still struggling to figure out why. Why had he lost his composure? It bothered him. Confused him. Keith gave an almost frustrated sigh that was interrupted by another voice.
"Keith!" The young man's eyebrows lifted upwards and he turned his head to see Sam Houston approaching him, a bright expression on his face. Sam gave his shoulder a light pat once he got close enough to him and now the two boys were walking side by side.
"Sam."
"Hey. So, what are you up to?" Sam questioned softly, glancing over and tilting his head a little to the side.
"Nothing." That was the only answer he gave. Simple. Straightforward. Bland.
It didn't change Sam's expression, though. He was still smiling, looking ahead of them both as they walked through station E-1077. "I was heading to my room. You wanna come? We can hang out. Unless you're busy!" He figured there was a chance that Mother Eliza might need him for something, as she usually did.
"I'm not busy."
"Great! Then my room it is." Sam sounded rather happy about that.
He sped up a little so he was walking slightly ahead of the taller of the two. That way, when they finally got to his bedroom, he got the door open first and went inside first. The lighter haired young man stretched his arms and took his shoes off, plopping down on his bed afterwards. Keith was the last one in and he made sure the door was shut behind them both. He didn't turn the lights on nor did he move from where he was. He simply stood nearby, his posture straight and his head held up high. Light gray eyes flickered around the dark, shadowy room. Sam watched him, brows furrowed. He seemed confused by the elite's actions.
"Keith...?"
That got Keith's attention.
"Yes? What is it?"
A moment of silence passed and then, with a light and airy chuckle, Sam scratched at the back of his head with one hand. "You're welcome to have a seat." He motioned slightly towards the empty space next to him.
Keith stood for a moment longer then went over. He sat stiffly at the edge of the mattress, his hands against his knees. He stared down at his lap. There was movement behind him but he didn't turn to look. Sam was on the other side of the bed, laying with his hands behind his head and his legs stretched out behind Keith, ankles crossed. There was silence in the room for a moment before the ravenette glanced towards his friend from the corner of his eye. Sam caught his gaze.
"Is... something the matter, Keith?" He questioned curiously, his lips parting a bit. He stared up at him, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.
"Why would anything be wrong?"
That seemed to make him chuckle to himself, slowly shaking his head. What had he expected from Keith?
"I'm just asking. That's all. It's nice to ask, isn't it?" His shoulders shrugged and then he fixed his gaze up onto the bedroom ceiling. Meanwhile, Keith's attention was fixated on the floor beneath his dark shoes. He shut his eyes for a moment. The quiet atmosphere was giving him a chance to think again. The weight of his hands against his knees brought back a recent memory from just earlier that day. He gripped them tightly, slightly creasing the fabric of his black pants. The image replayed in his head. Again and again. How he threw a fist at Shiroe. Hit him and knocked him down. Why? Shiroe's words... they echoed through his brain. He wasn't human-like. He didn't understand feelings. He was Mother Eliza's baby. A mechanical marionette. He'd never been so roused by anything anyone had ever said before, no matter what it was. So why and why now? He was so agitated and he didn't know how come.
Sam frowned to himself, brows furrowed in confusion. He knew something was going on with Keith, he just had no idea what it was. A few seconds passed and then he sat up, bending one knee upwards. He leaned an arm against it, putting the hand of his other against his friend's shoulder. "Keith... what is it?" He shook him a little then pulled his hand back slowly.
"It's..." The elite didn't look back at him. He just opened his eyes and narrowed them, as if he were glaring in disgust at his lap. "I hit Shiroe. Yet.." He stopped there. Sam knew what he was trying to say, right?
"Yet?"
Apparently not. With a quiet huff, Keith lifted his head and turned his face towards the ceiling.
"Yet, I don't know why."
After that, there was silence. Keith turned his head towards the other boy, his lips pressing into a thin frown. Their eyes met in the darkness of the room. Then, Sam laughed. He laughed in a light, airy manner and shook his own head. Keith couldn't tell if Sam was laughing at him or not and it made his brows furrow. What was so funny?
"You were just mad. That's all. He got you all worked up, on purpose, and you just.. lost your temper." Sam shrugged, smiling to himself as he laid back down with his hands behind his head once more.
"Mad..." Keith took what he had just heard into consideration. Yes. He had been mad, hadn't he? Mad and upset. He lost his temper. Up until then, he'd never really felt such a thing before. Anger and even hostility. Those feelings were almost new to him, and they were confusing. Then, he remembered what the younger boy had said after he'd been hit. "So even machines get mad." That only upset him further in a way he couldn't explain. He was always getting called such things. An android. A robot. A mechanical doll. Almost everyone referred to him as such and, even though it didn't normally bother him, he was upset thinking about it now.
"Sam?" Keith got a soft hum in response and he glanced back at his friend. "Why.. do you get bothered when the others talk bad about me?" Because, he knew that, in a way, Sam was prone to sticking up for him when their fellow students called him a machine or Mother Eliza's child.
"Huh?" That made him blink rapidly before he sat himself up once again, staring down towards his own lap.
"Why does it upset you? It has nothing to do with you." Keith murmured, his voice rather stern and even harsh. The look in his eyes was colder than usual. "Besides, you've said it yourself before. That I'm different."
"Keith..." The young man shifted in his spot on the bed, turning more towards the other. His eyes had really adjusted to the dark now and he could clearly see Keith's pale face, illuminated by the natural, silver light coming from outside the window. "I didn't... I mean you are different but.. that's not necessarily a bad thing. You're just different." Sam's shoulders shrugged and his lips pressed into a gentle smile.
"And, that doesn't change anything. You're still my friend." Keith's eyes widened and his heart gave a rather loud thump in his chest. He knew they were friends yet, hearing Sam say it so easily was a shock. An almost pleasant one at that. He had a look of surprise on his face and it made his companion chuckle to himself.
The expressionless young man turned himself towards Sam, lifting one leg up onto the bed. It was bent at the knee and leaning down against the mattress underneath them, creating more creases in the sheets. The bed had been well made before they'd both sat down on it. Now that he'd shifted in his spot, Keith could easier look his friend in the eyes. "What do you mean by different?"
Sam's brows lifted and he was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head while sheepishly scratching the back of it. "What's with all these questions?" He wasn't upset, though. He had a light smile on his lips when he looked back at Keith. "I just mean... you aren't like me. You're not like the others, either. You're just--"
"Just what?"
"Just you. You're just Keith Anyan."
That was an unexpected response. Sam's words caused the other boy's gaze to soften. His face relaxed, no longer as tight as it usually was. Keith's lips parted yet no words left his mouth. He just sat there quietly. The silence hardly lasted because the lighter haired male spoke once more. "I don't think you're a machine or a doll. You want to know why?"
"Why?"
"Because..." Sam lifted up a hand and moved it towards the other's chest. He pressed it flat right against the center, where Keith's heart was sure to be. Sure enough, he felt it beating. It was slow and rhythmic and rather soothing. "If you were a machine, you wouldn't have a heartbeat or a pulse." He whispered and shut his eyes for a moment. Then he lifted his palm away. Sam's fingertips lingered there before he drew his hand back completely. "You may not understand feelings but... you're just as human as I am."
Keith glanced down at his own chest and then he put a hand where his friend's had just been. He felt it, too. The beating of his heart. When he glanced back up at the other, he noticed just how close they had become. Only a few inches of space separated the two of them now. The boy with the dark hair moved his hand away from himself and instead brought it up towards Sam's face. His fingertips brushed against his jaw for a moment and then he pressed his palm to his cheek. "Sam..."
Sam leaned into the touch, which was uncharacteristically and surprisingly gentle. He put his own hand against Keith's and squeezed gently before his eyes fluttered shut. "You're warmer than you look.." He gave a soft chuckle afterwards. Keith had felt his companion's breath when he'd spoken to him and he shut his own eyes. His thumb traced along Sam's lower lip for a moment. Yes. He really was human. He could hear and feel the quickness of his pulse and his heart. That and their soft breaths were the only sounds in the room. Keith soon felt pressure against his knee. It took him a moment to realize that it was Sam's other hand.
His gray eyes opened again and he swallowed. They really were so, so close. Keith then shocked himself by leaning in a little bit closer. Close enough for the tip of his nose to bump against Sam's. His hand was squeezed once again and, after swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, his gaze subconsciously dropped down to Sam's lips. He wasn't smiling anymore and his lips were parted, the pad of his thumb still pressing into the lower one. He pressed harder and, by leaning in just a little more, their foreheads touched. Now Keith was really feeling something new. His stomach was all twisted up into knots. He felt... funny. Was it nervousness? Excitement? Anticipation?
Sam was doing nothing. He was just sitting there, his bright eyes still closed. Keith's hand really was warmer than he thought it'd be and he kept a gentle hold on it the entire time, tracing over his knuckles with his thumb. He had never been this close or intimate with someone before. Especially not a guy and certainly not a guy like Keith. His best friend who was cold to everyone and couldn't understand the emotions of other people. The thought almost made him smile to himself. They were merely centimeters apart and his lower lip trembled a bit. He now had a deep seeded desire to be even closer to him. To embrace him. To hold him... because he cared so deeply for him and he wanted the other boy to know that.
"Keith..." Sam's voice was a quivering yet delicate whisper and his breath ghosted over Keith's bottom lip like a gentle breeze. It made his own breath catch in his throat. He held it without meaning to, his heart giving a lurch in his chest. Eventually, he parted his own lips with an exhale that was shaky and shallow. Keith squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head to one side. They were so, so close. Almost as close as two people could possibly be. Now Sam was moving, too. He was slowly pushing his head forwards, waiting for the moment to come. Waiting for their lips to collide in an act of sweet, loving affection. Yet, that moment never came.
The darker haired young man drew back and shut his mouth, frowning gently. Then he placed both feet back onto the floor and he pushed himself up so he was standing. Finally, he started towards the door. His hand had lingered on Sam's face for a moment yet as he walked away, the hand slid out from the other's caring touch, leaving Sam's face feeling cold. As cold as the look in his friend's eyes. He reached out for his hand as he headed for the door but his fingertips missed just barely. "Keith..." The young man thought as he sat there, his body growing even colder now. The moment of intimacy was gone. Still, he smiled to himself. He wasn't upset. He got to see another side to the mechanical marionette, after all.
"I have to go see Mother Eliza. I'll see you tomorrow, Sam." Keith only glanced back over his shoulder before leaving the room.