TREES | klance ✔︎

05 | stand still

edited

keith had never seen the stars dance this brightly before. the sun hasn't completely set yet, either. maybe it was because he never payed attention to the night sky, because what was there to be captivated by? once they settled down after sharing two whole bags of gummy worms, it got quiet as keith wandered around the cute little spot. too quiet for keith. it was then he realized why.

he spotted an in-awe lance laying on the bridge. just staring up into the sky as the stars twinkled back into his eyes as if they were familiar with each other. keith looked up at the sky.

the stars welcomed him as well, almost forcing him to lay down beside lance - shoulders touching.

as the two boys quietly admired this fading sky keith thought about the day. how he spent almost an entire day with the boy that sits across from him in english and mutters jokes about how their teachers voice sounds like grating nails on a chalk board, the boy who offered him peanut butter crackers in middle school because he didn't like the way they stuck to the roof of his mouth, the boy who was almost too open about being himself. the boy who can trip and fall one second, then suddenly turn on s silly charming smile. the boy with the freckles.

the boy he didn't really know.

keith furrows his brows subconsciously in thought. what did he know about lance? well, he likes blue gummy worms, he likes... this forest and seemingly the stars - there had to be something else. something keith was missing. surely with all the talking lance does he had to know something. he had to of mentioned at least one hobby, an interest.

keith frowns to himself. lance had an advantage, he was friends with shiro who talks about keith like no other. keith truly knew nothing about the boy beside him.

"lance," keith says quietly, trying to keep the calm atmosphere, "lance, i have a question."

no response forces keith's head to turn towards lances direction. his eyes were closed, mouth shut in the softest way. he was asleep.

keith flicks lances neck. "how the hell did you manage to fall asleep on this hard ass wood?"

lance jumps up in surprise, glancing around at his surroundings before his eyes move downwards to keith's amused one's. lance pulls his lips down into a pout.

"what did you do that for?"

"you were asleep." keith states it like it's obvious. lance narrows his eyes slightly, hesitantly lowering his body. his arm grazes keith's in the process causing a slight friction to shock them both. the two react, moving their arms slightly apart for a few moments before slowly putting them back in place. "electric idiot."

"like you've never shocked anyone before, dumbass." lance snickers.

"do you use dyer sheets?"

"of course i do," he rolls his eyes, "they make my clothes smell good."

keith purses his lips shut, resisting his aching urge to insult lance in the harshest way.

"are you fucking dumb or what?" mission unsuccessful.

lance pauses for a beat, not wanting to answer.

"response received," keith sighed in disappointment before lifting up, scooting closer to the edge to dangle his legs. lance mirrors keith's movements, "so, today was fun."

"it was."

it's quiet for a moment.

"lance, why did you invite me?"

the burning, itching thought in question. keith blurted it out like nothing, but the response he was waiting for kind of made him feel nervous yet he had no clue why.

lance also itched. but not from the nervousness of answering as to why, or the bugs, but because he was sitting so close to keith. both of their body warmth hugged when the cool spring wind tried to break it apart.

"why do you ask?" lance rebuttals.

"just curious." keith shrugs.

"sometimes things are just better with more than one person," lance nibbles on his lip, "i didn't wanna spend the last couple of days of spring break alone, is that so hard to believe?"

at the same time, both of them look at each other. keith reads lances growing flustered face. he nods.

"very much so, yes."

trying to get to know lance wasn't easy, but keith was making it too hard. he wanted deeper responses than not wanting to spend spring break alone.

so he made it easier.

"why do you like it here, lance?"

this question spiked every english word into his mind. each possible answer had more complex explanations, and each explanation had their own sub-ideas he created. he bites on his bottom lip, trying to think of why he likes this very forest.

the forest with no name. the forest that helped him grow up, teach him to be a kid again, taught him how anger is temporary and happiness can be created if you let it in. the trees that forced him to be reminded how it feels to heard, seen.

the trees that brought him home when his house was a place he could no longer call home.

lances mouth parted and he began to tell keith every thought he produced about his home. keith's heart felt full with each word lance spoke. every now and then his pronunciations would force a subtle accent to come out which only caused keith to further be enticed by this boy. keith wished time around them would stand still so that he could listen to lance all night and into the morning light where the stars were no longer.