The Boy of Stars (Birthday)
This is like,, in The Boy of Stars universeâŠ. To hold you over while i finish the next chapter lol⊠Yes this is canonâŠ. Just two years down the line from where we are in the next chapterâŠ
Lance stared at the stars, his gaze going in and out of focus as he contemplated many things. Another birthday was passing in space, and Lance didnât know how to feel about it. He was now nineteen years old. He turned eighteen in space, too. Two years. He ignored the feeling of tears trying to build up in his eyes. Longer than two years, if he was being honest. He was sick of hiding who he was, but he couldnât tell them.
Lance didnât know if the others knew it was his birthday, they didnât the year before. That was because he didnât want them to make a big deal out of it - not even Hunk did anything, as per request of Lance. Well, he didnât do nothing. When Lance went into his room the night of his birthday, there was a tray of cookies. It made Lance quite happy, and he savored those cookies as long as he could.
This year was different, the team was beginning to suspect something was off about him. It might of been the fact that he was never out of control of his emotions - even when it seemed like he was, he kept them carefully subdued. Any strong showing of emotion was just a show - faked so that they wouldnât become too suspicious. Obviously it didnât work. They noticed that when he was going to get truly angry, he reeled himself in and calmed down before allowing emotions to control him.
It wasnât his fault, really. Lance just knew that if he showed too much emotion, his eyes would begin to glow and swirl with quintessence or whatever it was that caused his eyes to glow and the markings to appear on him. That was another thing, heâd never seen the markings spread farther than his face, but he knew they could spread throughout his body. He just didnât know why it would.
Lance shook himself of his thoughts, he was getting distracted. He wanted to know if Hunk had given away his birthday this year. He hadnât told Hunk to be quiet about it like he had the year before. He stared out to the stars, letting his guard fall as he zoned out. He thought of his family, and wondered if they would celebrate his birthday without him. He hugged his knees to his chest, allowing the emotion to flow. He was alone, he was able to let himself do this. He buried his face into his knees as he let the tears flow, choking on the emotion. His family thought he was dead. He couldnât get a message back to them to let them know that he wasnât dead. For all intents and purposes, he was dead. He let out a choked sob, pulling his knees tighter to his chest.
âLance?â He heard from behind him, causing Lance to tense up. He tried to reel in his emotions, but they were already out of control. All he could do was hope that Keith wouldnât demand to see his face. He would be met with glowing eyes and tears that seemed to sparkle like stars as they fell down his face. If he were sitting up, he knew from past experience that his tears would drip off his chin and float down as if he were in some sort of anime. He sniffled, tensing as he sensed Keith come closer. âWhatâs wrong?â Keith asked, sitting next to him.
Lance didnât think he could respond, but turns out that he didnât need to.
âDo you miss your family?â Keith surprised Lance by asking, âI canât say I know what that feels like, but now⊠I donât know what I would do if I were separated from my mom,â he smiled, looking out at the stars. He didnât look at Lance, didnât touch him, but just his presence and what he was saying was making him calm down. The tears were stopping. He could feel the emotions inside of him simmering down.
âMom and I have basically adopted Romelle into our family, so sheâs like a sister now. I donât know what Iâd do if I were separated from either of them - and Hippo. And you guys. You guys have become my family,â Lanceâs heart skipped a beat as Keith spoke. He felt a pang of sadness at Keithâs words, knowing that Keith would never feel the same as he did. It was fine, though. âI donât know what I would do without you guys. So if youâre missing your family, look around. Weâre all around you.â Keith smiled sadly as he turned his gaze to Lance. âI know itâs not quite the same, but I hope it will do until we get home.â
Lance picked his head up, barely aware of what he must look like. The tear tracks down his cheeks must still be glowing faintly, from the look in Keithâs eyes. Heâd blame it on Allura reviving him after dying. Extra quintessence or something. âThank you,â he said, his voice cracking.
Keith broke out into a soft smile. âOf course, Lance.â He stood, turning to walk away. Lance returned his gaze to the stars that lay beyond the ship.
After a few seconds, Lance heard Keithâs voice again.
âOh, and Lance?â Lance turned to face Keith, smiling faintly. âHappy birthday.â
