Orion

Free

Keith closed the door to his apartment as he saw his brother pouring himself coffee with his uniform on.

"Your still going?" Keith asked confused.

"It's only for a few more weeks," shiro shrugged a little at him but Keith glared.

"Shiro I got a job to help with the bills, that was the deal, you get back your day shifts if I get a job, what the hell?" Keith snapped dropping his bag.

"And I did," shiro argued back as keith crossed his arms.

"But they can't change the schedule, when the next one comes out I'll be back to the day shifts, it's only a few more weeks," the older man sighed explaining as their cat rubbed against his leg.

"It only takes one night to get killed," Keith looked down as shiro looked at his brother softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," shiro put his hand on his little brothers shoulder.

"Everyone says that, you can't control shit," Keith rasped a whisper pushing his hand off and went to his room. Keith could hear his brothers pleas to come back but he ignored it. He locked the door as red made it in and only kept his brother out.

"Keith open the door, your not 13 anymore," shiro patted the door as keith kept his head down. His throat tightening.

"Keith please..." shiros voice was gentle now. 

"I... I gotta go to work, I'll see you in the morning," his voice sighed in disappointment as keith closed his eyes.

"Bye, I love you," shiro said from further away as keith sat on the ground and fell on his back with a groan hearing the door open and close of their apartment.

Red came up and sat on keiths chest, looking at him curiously.

"You're still here?" Keith looked at the cat. He grabbed his phone going to his social media as he went to his Instagram.

He scrolled through the celebrities and classmates he followed that ended up on his main page. Griffin won another game. Romelle went on another vacation. That Pidge thing had a mutual friend with Keith? Oh Matt holt. They were related?

Keith kept his thoughts to himself as he laid there but saw when Al came up on his feed. It was an 'aesthetic' picture of the diner he worked at, it was from the booth while the phone was probably on the table as it was pointed at the open window.

Al with mcclain, it was so weird to see those to even interact. Keith could see mcclain struggling to keep a straight face when Al flirted with him. But she didn't do anything about it. Were they actually dating?

Keith went on her page and saw hundreds of pics, they were quite nice and artsy for the most part, there were of course her selfies, while body pictures, group pictures. He scrolled down more going through her photos as there was one that caught his eye.

There was a photo of a boy with a camera mostly covering his face as it was pointed straight at who ever was taking the picture. It looked familiar. It was from their freshmen year.

You and me blue, always and forever💙

Was that a song quote? Sounded corny.

There was no tag but Keith was convinced that had to be mcclain.
Maybe they were friends in elementary school and drifted. That's pretty common.

Mcclain was an odd character, the way he seems to have two personalities, never fights back, keeps his head down and hack bent. He never fights back with students or teachers. It seems like only he and Al have made mcclain argue back at the least. But why?

Only a week to go to deal with the nerd, then he's not his problem ever. God he annoyed the shit out of him.

Keith sat up as red fell from his chest and onto his lap, he picked up his cat and walked to bed as he sat the cat down first and laid in bed after. She curled up on his side as keith opened his laptop and went to his Netflix.

He zoned out most of the show as he couldn't focus, worrying about his brother never made it easy.

He didn't care if they weren't technically related, but shiro took him in, they had a connection, shiro was the first person to have a damn about him in that foster care. Showed him he doesn't have to be stuck feeling like a pawn in some system, it's like they've been brothers for years.

"Fuck this," Keith got up again and went to his bag to pull out his cigarettes. He lit one up walking to his window as he pulled the blinds up five inches and opened the window enough for the smoke to leave.

He peeked outside as he looked at the night sky curiously. Keith loved space, the stars, the beyond earth's atmosphere but hes never seen the night sky fully. When he's dreamed about standing on the apartment building and just watching the sky. But this was the closest he'll ever get to that.

But would a few minutes being vulnerable like that be worth anything...?

No not tonight.

But maybe, just maybe another night. Shiro wasn't home, no one could stop him, and five minutes on the roof...

god yea it'll be worth it.

It'll feel free...