onward || klance

1

Juniberry flowers weren't difficult to grow. They didn't need as much water as the colorful flowers on Earth. On Althea, their natural habitat was a warmer and drier climate. Just like succulents, they needed heat, they had to be fertilized only in summer with preparations with a significant admixture of nitrogen. They grew best on window sills, where they could bask in the sun's rays, but at the same time, they were protected from the deadly temperature by the glass.

It took Lance almost two years to come to all these conclusions and perfect the way he handled flowers. Some of them grew in pots on the McClains' farm, the other part adorned the backyard garden. Lance's younger siblings and cousins ​​took the matter of watering plants and pulling out weeds very seriously. It was enough to remind them from time to time about the needs of the plants and the youngsters took care of almost everything for him.

The days on the farm near Varadero were calm, though filled with laughter and screams of the children.

How good it is to be home again, Lance thought sarcastically every time his family began to annoy him.

In fact, he missed his home, family, and Earth inexpressibly while he was in space. Speaking Spanish and the curses from Veronica's mouth, the smell of manure in the morning. The atmosphere of Varadero and Cuban cuisine.

He was just replanting the blooming juniberry flower that was supposed to be a gift for Shiro and Curtis when Veronica entered the shed with a tablet in her hand.

"We have to leave in four hours," she said without looking up from the screen. "Are you packed?"

Lance patted the soil gently around the flower in the new pot and reached for the watering can.

"Yes, I just need to secure these flowers so that they do not get damaged during the journey."

Veronica finally noticed the three pots with dewy flowers standing in the cleanest place of the shed. Water droplets still glistened on the leaves.

"What do you need these stalks for?"

Lance sighed a long and irritated sigh, Veronica had never been able to appreciate the beauty of nature as he and their mother had.

"It's a gift for the rest," he explained.

He watered the last flower and removed the garden gloves from his hand. He tossed them onto a rickety chair nearby and straightened. The cross hurt a little after several minutes of squatting and work. He could feel Veronica's eyes on him all the time.

"You must miss them very much if you are going to give them just this," she said with a nasty smile.

"Do not make me angry," Lance growled.

"Oh, come on. Your obsession with these flowers is adorable."

He hated to banter with her, but after so long he was able to get out of the conversation without risking his sadness returning.

"Is it strange that I want to surround myself with beautiful things since we have too few mirrors in the house?" He flashed his suit of white teeth at her.

"What about mirrors... You narcissist!"

The indignation in her voice reminded him of the time he teased Keith. He missed his voice and hoped to see him again today. He did not ask Shiro who he had invited to stay at his new house for a few days, but Lance was sure Keith was obligatory on the guest list. They were like brothers with Shiro to each other. Lance had once thought of Keith as more than a friend, but they hadn't seen each other very often since then. He still remembered their conversation while watching the sunset and what words had been spoken then...