Lance and Keith were spending their first day back on earth with a real break in their schedules. They were ready to hang out and just have a talk about everything that had happened to them. From being in space and absolutely ruining what little of childhood they had left. Moments like these felt like they were making up for lost time. Having fun with the cards they had been dealt with after the war.
It was Lance who called Keith up, lonely as a farmer could get. He knew that Keith would be busy but he figured that... maybe after all of this time, it would be okay. Different circumstances, different priorities, no more comparisons. They could finally be able to sit down and talk.
Keith arrived at Lance's house a week later on his day off, close to sunset. He was awkward as ever but had a warm smile on his face. His hands were sweating and a weird sort of adrenaline was rushing through his veins. He held the keys to his hovercar a bit too tightly in his hands as he stared at the door he just knocked on just a bit ago.
Lance answered, his clothes were ironed and cleaned and his shaven face was already red. His heartbeat sped up as he stared at the former paladin and now a full man standing before him. Someone he could barely recognize, someone completely different to that boy he was fighting back in the academy. He let out a sharp breath, seeing him again was painful and brought so much pain back.
Lance gulped, looking behind Keith to see the beautiful Altean flowers swaying in the back. "Hey, man." He said awkwardly. He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's been a while."
Keith could only nod, staring at Lance's marks and slowly taking in his features. The rough hands and muscles, the larger frame he had grown into, and the sun-kissed skin that perfectly matched his blue clothing. He looked so different but so comforting. Keith couldn't help but brush out his red shirt and he tried to smile at his old friend to break the awkward tension between them.
"Hey..." Keith said softly, "You look good."
"Of course I do," Lance said with a rather cocky tone before letting out a small laugh that made Keith roll his eyes. They both remembered the old days of the war by just the small gesture and the night felt more real than any other day they had on earth.
"Um... here, let's go in the back. I just got it all set up." Lance smiled, quickly reaching back inside for a picnic basket and a few blankets before leading Keith out as the sunset in front of them. The sharp winter air felt nice against both of their heated faces. It was in the middle of the flowers... the same ones that belonged to their princess. One that bloomed emotions of nostalgia, sadness, and hope all at once.
In the field there was already a blanket out there with a telescope. In front of them were woods. Lands that have been tilled and farmed next to the wilderness that Lance would journey into when he missed exploring the deepest corners of the universe. The two of them sat down, the only light now coming from the house behind them and they caught up. The conversation was awkward at first but it took place as their walls slowly broke down.
"Hey, do you remember Bih Boh Bi?" Lance asked with a wide grin on his face, it had been a long time since he felt like this.
Keith nodded, "I still talk to him. The girls are still asking when you'll come out and visit them." His response made Lance sigh.
"That would be... great. But I can't. Leaving here? I-"
Before Lance could continue, Keith cut him off, "Oh come on Lance, it's been forever since you have been out there. Yeah... it's scary to see it all again after so long, but it feels so... lonely out here. It reminds me of drifting aimlessly in space. It gets you in your own head for too long. Just come out once?"
