Take me away

Sneaking out

"WOOOOOOO!!" Lance held half his body out the window as kinkade sped through the dirt with his window open. The stars were bright with the moon filling the whole sky.

"Yea haha!" Lance cheered with one hand up to feel the wind as the other held onto the car handle inside.

Ryan smiled as he held his head a little out the window and drove carefully while almost reaching top speed.

They slowed down to a stop at the cliff they use to meet at every week. Lance didn't bother opening the door as he slid out the window since he was already half way out.

"Man that had to be over 100!" Lance jumped excitedly as Ryan closed the door behind him.

"140," Ryan agreed, the Cuban laughed impressed that he even had his body hanging out.

"Dude I miss this, we should sneak out together more often," lance walked over to him as Ryan opened the trunk.

"You must really like the adrenaline," Ryan teased.

"I've always liked being outside more, and the feeling you get when it's harder to like this, I love it," lance agreed as he sat in the dirt by his feet.

"You seemed stressed out," Ryan looked down at him a little concerned.

"Do I?" Blue eyes looked up surprised.

"Eh yea, Veronica is worried," he nodded slowly.

"It's not that big a deal, just getting together with my family I'm a little nervous about," lance admitted.

"Why? I thought you missed them," he leaned forward.

"I do, but at the same time I can't go back to how things use to be, I've changed, I'm not a little kid they can just push around anymore," lance leaned his head back looking at the stars.

"What changed?" Ryan scooted closer.

Lance was silent for a moment not looking at him. A lot changed. He changed. His family changed. His family wouldn't like who he was now if he told them everything. There was so much he's had to bottle up, only Allura knows that he died and came back.

"Ryan can I tell you something? Or a few things? You can say no," lance pulled his knees to his chest. Ryan sat on the dirt with him.

"Anything," he said softly.

"I died once, came back two minutes later because of Allura, I've almost died a time before that because of an explosion, ive sacrificed so much it feels like and I'm always going to be the seventh wheel, I've accepted it all, that I'm always going to be the last one," he spilt without any thought, he trusted Ryan wouldn't judge even if it didn't make sense.

"But I don't know how to be better, I don't know how to stop being so obnoxious, I've stopped being dumb and flirty so I'd be taken seriously, I've tried getting stronger but I still always get hurt and scarred up, but I can't get anyone to treat me like a Paladin, My family, my team, I'm trying, I really am," tears weld up in his eyes.

"How can I be better?" He asked not able to look at his friend. Immediately regretting it all when there was no response.

Ryan pulled him by his shoulder and wrapped his arms around him tightly, lance immediately pulled him closer by throwing his arms around the pilots shoulders. Ryan held him close as they stayed there for a moment in comfort and silence.

"Be more careful, I'd hate to lose you now after meeting you," Ryan whispered and lance buried his face in his shoulder nodding.

"You don't deserve to think like that, I've never found you obnoxious or any of the sort, please don't believe anyone who does, I wish i was more like you lance," Ryan whispered to him.

They pulled apart and lance felt a warm hand slide up his shoulder and touched his face gently, Ryan caressed his jaw forcing his blue eyes to stare at his olive green ones.

"You come to me if anyone tells you otherwise, alright?" He whispered as if it was only for lance to hear even if they were alone.

Lances heart stopped at the way Ryan looked at him, he wished someone looked at him like this, he was relieved it was Ryan. He loved feeling this way, but it was only around him... lance looked at his lips for a moment, his eyes flickered down but back up to the green eyes that watched him carefully.

"I don't think anyone's looked out for me the way you have," lance whispered back placing his slim hand over Ryan's to keep it to his face.

"I wish I could repay you Ryan, I'm always coming to you with my problems," he gulped a little closing his eyes.

"Just staying as yourself it all I need, I've never met anyone like you, I like who I am around you," the pilots heart pounded in his chest it felt like it was going to explode.

"Really?" Lances voice cracked.

"I'd never lie," he nodded.

Ryan's eyes widen a little when a tear slipped down lances face as his jaw trembled. Trying to hold it in but lance was breaking down in his own hands.

"Thank you," lance whimpered as Ryan let him rest his head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't apologize, what are friends for?" He smiled gently holding him close. Neither of them liked the way that sunk in, just being friends. Ryan knew his crush wouldn't return the feeling, but he was able to shove the feelings down just to be with lance even if it was like this.

"Please, if you ever get annoyed with me, if you start getting sick of me, let me know sooner than later, please," lance leaned against his chest as Ryan kept an arm around them.

"I don't think that's going to happen," he smiled down at him. He wanted to be closer. He wanted... he wanted to kiss him, kiss his worries away. Kiss him every time someone invalidated him, a kiss sounded electrifying. It sounded...

He couldn't. Just shove those thoughts away.