heal me

one

Adam had gained a reputation for himself in the years he'd spend at the Garrison. For a while, he'd been the sad, hopeless, sleepless pilot who'd lost his love. Then he'd disappeared for a bit, more inclined to staying in bed and never leaving his room, wallowing in self pity. Then, Keith disappeared. That had been the breaking point. Adam had thought his life was hopeless; he'd lost the two people who'd mattered most- Takashi and Keith.

He'd attempted for a quick trip to paradise, but all he'd gotten was a disappointed looking Commander Iverson, a dose of antidepressants, and a twice weekly therapy session. And no matter how much he'd hated it at the time, it proved to be very, very effective.

So he'd turned a new page. Now, instead of "sad, hopeless, sleepless, Captain W," he was simply "Professor Adam," which he liked much more. Through Iversons suggestion, he'd taken up the roll of teaching the new Cadets. He was the first person they met when they arrived at the Garrison, and the one who taught them to be the greatest pilots they could be.

He loved the job, but couldn't help seeing the smug black haired boy and thinking of Takashi, or seeing the quiet and too smart for his own good boy and thinking of Keith.

When the Galra attacked, he'd stayed in charge of the cadets. No longer was he their teacher, he was the person who was responsible for keeping them alive. The job became a lot more difficult, as he was teaching kids how to be pilots when their biggest enemy was aliens, rather than simple teenage crushes.

It was two weeks after the Galra began their siege that Adam was approached by Commander Samuel Holt. Holt had arrived back at Earth just before the attack. He'd been in the infirmary until now. Adam had known he was there, he'd purposely been avoiding talking to him. He'd been afraid of what he had to say.

Adam was giving a lesson to the newest batch of cadets. They'd arrived only three weeks ago, and the oldest of them was just 14 years old. It sickened Adam to think of these young boys flying into a war zone. But there was nothing he could do. They'd volunteered, he couldn't send them home.

Holt had slipped into the back of the class, standing in the shadows as to not be seen, but the moment he walked in, the class broke into whispers, and Adam fumbled over his words. He hurriedly finished his lecture and ended class early.

As soon as the room was clear, Adam busied himself straightening the papers at his desk.

"I thought you might come and see me in the infirmary," Holt broke the silence.

Adam stiffened. He straightened up and turned around, going for an unbothered look. He tried to hide the coldness in his voice. "It seemed to have slipped my mind."

"Adam-"

"Please- don't, Commander. Unless you have good news, I really don't want to talk about what you want to talk about."

"Adam-"

"Stop Adam-ing me, I don't need your pity, Sam."

" Adam, " Sam let out a breath. "He's alive ."

———

"Do you ever smile?"

Adam looked over to the boy sitting next to him and flinched. He was looking at him. Really looking. He had his hands tucked under his thighs, his feet swinging back and forth underneath the bench they sat on. The room was full of nervous chatter- the excited voices of roughly 10 other young boys their age who were beginning the Cadet program.

The boy stuck out his hand. "Takashi Shirogane, but you can just call me Shiro."

Adam took his hand tentatively. "Adam. Nice to meet you, Takashi."