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Lance

The bus driver wouldn't shut up. I hate to be rude and it's really against the Upperworld's morals, but I was tired from flying Keith and myself to the nearest long-distance bus station and I honestly just wanted to sleep.

Keith had refused to sit next to me, which I didn't mind, but he was starting to look pretty agitated by the drivers babbling and I was starting to get worried. For all I knew (and by an educated guess), devils had short tempers.

After Keith had given me his impossible list, I figured out the things that I could accomplish easily, and then the things that I'd have to pull some strings to get, and then the things that were virtually impossible, even for me. What an ass, I'm sure he was doing it on purpose.

The bus driver started going off on a rant about the cold up in New England, and as I glanced over at my devil, I noticed that the whites of his eyes were an alarming shade of black.

Gritting my teeth, I hastily pulled out a pen and an unused napkin from my bag, using my thigh as a writing surface as I drew out the game. I passed the pen and napkin across the aisle to Keith quickly, nudging him with the pen cap.

His head snapped towards me, already scowling. "What?" He whispered incredulously, glancing down at the Hangman game I'd drawn.

"Let's play," I whispered back.

"Why?"

I rolled my eyes, then gestures towards the bus driver. "So my ears don't start bleeding, idiot. Take the napkin."

Keith looked down at the game again, then looked away. Was he... embarrassed?

"I don't know how to play..." he muttered under his breath. I had to bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing.

Teaching Keith how to play Hangman was equally terrifying and hilarious. He absolutely sucked at playing, and each time he didn't get a letter right, the face he made nearly made me burst out laughing. I valued my life, though, so I kept quiet.

Before we knew it (and several Hangman games later that I let Keith win) we'd arrived at the airport. As we stepped off the bus, I had to remind myself that Keith had never seen an airport before. He'd never really seen anything. On the plane ride, I'd have to explain the basics to him (manners, too).

"Where are we going, anyway?" Keith asked as we walked up to the ticket machines, waiting in line for our turn.

"To one of the places on your list," I dismissed vaguely. I could at least have some fun dragging Keith around the world if I could keep everything we did a secret from him until we were actually there. He looked antsy, curious, and that was strangely satisfying.

As we walked through security after getting our tickets, taking off our shoes and belts, a security guard joked with me about our lack of bags, save for my small leather knapsack. The truth was, we didn't need anything. We could pick up books in one of those shops on the way to our terminal if we needed anything and there were plenty of shows and movies to watch on the plane, I was sure.

After exiting security, I led Keith to the bathrooms, speaking in a low voice as we approached. "You can't get onto a plane with jeans and a t-shirt, at least not where we're sitting." Concentrating, I materialized a set of clothes inside my bag, then reached in and retrieved them as if they'd been in there the whole time. We were still in public, I couldn't go materializing random things out of nowhere in the public eye, and making them invisible would just be a waste of Energy.

Handing the stack of neatly folded fabric to Keith, I instructed him to go into a stall and change. I slipped into the stall next to him, thinking to myself about what would be glamorously professional enough for a plane ride.

I settled on a light blue poncho sweater tucked into a black jean skirt, shoving my dirty clothes (which still had some hay on them from the barn) back into my bag. I leaned against the stall door and sighed heavily, nausea flooding over me. I could feel my halo spinning wildly, trying to tell me to slow down, stop using so much Energy.

Cursing myself for materializing some stupid fancy clothes, I gathered myself and stood up straight, pressed my palms over the skirt and adjusted the sweater over my shoulders, then stepped outside. Keith wasn't out yet, so I leaned forward across the sinks to examine my face. In the mirror, my halo wasn't visible, but I could feel it pulsing a warning.

Ignoring it, I pushed at my face, glaring at the dark circles under my eyes. I would have fixed them with a bit of Energy, but I knew I might not be able to stay stable if I did.

"A tux? I really blend in now," Keith muttered behind me as he stepped out of the stall. I regarded him in the mirror as he pulled at the bottom of his jacket, the red shirt beneath it blooming from under the black tie. I nodded once.

"You'll thank me later." My voice was weak. I don't think he noticed. Looking up at me, Keith wrinkled his nose.

"Aren't those women's clothes?"

"They're comfortable."

"So, yes?"

"I don't think it matters. I look good in them, why should it matter what which gender they were made for?"

Keith shrugged and I rolled my eyes. Even if I wasn't using Energy, Keith alone was exhausting.

We exited the bathroom and continued our way down the long strip of airport to our terminal, stopping periodically at little shops along the way to grab snacks and magazines. Keith picked one up with Zac Efron on the cover and stared at it for so long I thought he had frozen, but then he frowned and shoved the magazine back into its shelf.

"He's weird-looking," he commented to me and I had to restrain myself from replying with a remark about his own hairstyle.

He made me buy a bunch of candies so he could try them all and I agreed only because the sweets would help me regain a bit of Energy. I knew he could see my pulsing halo- I didn't hide anything from the devil. I guess part of me wanted him to ask. Part of me wanted him to be concerned, to ask me if I was okay. My face paled at the idea.

Devils weren't biologically capable of feeling concern. Or gratefulness. Or love. They could be happy, but only because happiness could be intended in a bitter way. I had been so sure that when Shiro and Kuron were here, they'd been happy, but then Adam and Matt came back, eyes red with tears and wings drooping with loss. Devils simply couldn't be loved. And Adam and Matt were broken because of that.

I think maybe it would be harder for me to be with Keith than most of my other sibling, just because I was so emotional. I connected with everything, wanted to love and be loved by everything that I could. Sure, that's what angels were biologically engineered to do- to hold only positivity for those they looked upon. I had to love Keith and see the good in him and be an actual decent person around him, just because it was who I was. I had to love Keith and he had to hate me. It was just how it went.

Shaking myself out of the daze, I realized that I was staring at Keith. Looking away, I frowned. Why was I thinking like that? I was simply supposed to lead Keith around the Midworld, make sure he gets his kicks and wants to go home, and then go back to my own home and complain about devils to Adam and Matt. They'd understand- I didn't need to think about it now.

We made it to our gate right on time, Keith munching on his selection of Swedish fish and black licorice. We didn't even have a chance to sit before the attendant called us for boarding. I handed Keith his own ticket, watched him watch the people in front of us hand the ticket to the employee, then take it back. We made it through the checkpoint and then walked down the ramp to the plane, my head growing a little bit dizzy. My bag felt like it was full of bricks, and my ankles felt week in the platform sneakers I wore. Steeling myself, we approached the jet and I showed the attendant my ticket.

"First class. Please follow me, sir." I held my head high and lofty, a show to flaunt my assumed wealth. Glancing back at Keith, I bit my lip. He was looking around a bit frantically, observing the jet and looking back into the middle-class section. I kept reminding myself that he'd never seen this, any of it.

First class was as luxurious as I'd imagined, and I was glad that Missus had allowed me to 'buy' these seats. I knew that she wanted to give Keith the best experience she could provide, so I could only hope that he'd show a little bit of leniency.

The stewardess showed us to our seats- white with two big tv screens in front of them, reclinable, chic. I thanked the woman and she dutifully told me that she'd be coming around with champagne as soon as everyone was seated. I slid into the window seat and Keith anxiously plopped down next to me.

I closed my eyes and sank into the seat, but a nagging responsibility tugged at my brain. "We have a lot to talk about," I reminded myself painfully, aloud, even though all I wanted to do was sleep. Keeping my eyes closed, I turned towards Keith, sighing before asking, "Ask me anything."

"What happened to you?"

"I used too much Energy."

"So you're tired?"

"Obviously."

"I don't want to talk to a living corpse. Go to sleep. I'll read the instruction manual to entertain myself."

I peeked open one eye. Keith wasn't looking at me. His scowl was still on his face, but I think the anxiety of all this new scenery might have snapped him out of his funk. Plus, he was eating candy and enjoying the luxuries of first class. Maybe the royal treatment made him feel more at home.

Yawning, I smiled a little, curling up on the seat. "Thanks, Keith."

Before I fell asleep, I heard an attendant over the intercom. "Hello and welcome to JetBlue. Today, please enjoy and relax with our complimentary perks as First Class flight members as we fly from Boston to Seattle..."

...

Hey guys! What's in Seattle? ;)

qotd: favorite Voltron character?