Lance wakes up to something dripping on his face. He peeks an eye open to see the horse above him, "Well I hope you're here to apologize!"

Lances screaming wakes Keith. Lance is being dragged away by the horse, "No, no, no, no!"

Keith jumps up and races after them, grabbing Lances hands and pulling him, "Give me him!"

Lance is screaming profanities as the horse clings onto his boot. Keith pulls harder, and the boot slips off Lance's foot. They both go flying backward.

The horse stalks back toward them and Keith jumps up, blocking the path, "Whoa, whoa! Easy boy, easy."

The horse is ducking, attempting to get around Keith, but Keith throws his arms out wide, "Hey, easy, boy. Easy." The horse slowly starts to calm and Keith smiles, "That's it. Now sit, sit!" The horse groans but does as he's told.

"What?!" Lance questions loudly.

"Now drop the boot. Drop it."

The horse complies, though he doesn't look too happy about it.

"Aw," Keith smiles, stepping in closer and gently rubbing the horses nose, "You're such a good boy! Yes, you are. Are you tired from chasing the bad man all over the place?" The horse nods his head in agreement.

"Excuse me?" Lance gasps.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they?" Keith hugs the horses neck carefully, "Do they?" The horse neighs softly and presses in against Keith, who smiles.

"Oh come on!" Lance exclaims, "He's a bad horse!"

"Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart." Keith corrects, smiling and petting the horse's nose again.

He gently lifts the horses head, and he can see a symbol with the horse's name on his harness.

"Isn't that right, Coran?"

Coran neighs loudly in agreement.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lance groans. Coran glares at Lance, who holds his hands up, eyes wide.

"Look," Keith ignores Lance and addresses the horse, "Today is kind of the biggest day of my life and I need you not to get him arrested."

Coran sputters as Keith gently pulls Lance up and over to him.

"Just for 24 hours!" Keith promises, "Then you can chase each other to your hearts content, okay?"

Lance sighs, and he can't believe he's actually doing this, but he holds out his hand. Coran huffs at him.

Keith smiles, "Also it's my birthday, just so you know."

The horse huffs again, but sets a hoof in Lance's hand, and they shake. Keith smiles at them, but through the trees, he can see the city. His eyes widen and he walks toward it, leaving them behind, so he misses Coran smacking Lance in the stomach with his hoof.

Keith runs out of the forest and towards the bridge. He stares at the city, at the castle up on the hill, and breathes softly, "Wow!"

Once he's sure Lance and Coran are behind him, he heads off toward the city. Keith enters the gates he looks around with wide eyes. There are people everywhere, and purple banners with bright golden suns hang across the path ways. Linking the builds together are thick vines of green, bursting with flowers. Keith smiles and tries to move further in, only to wince and turn back, his hair is being trampled. Lance is picking up as much of it as he can, but it's not possible for them to carry it everywhere they go.

Lance looks around and spots some children braiding each other's hair by the fountain. He smiles and whistles to get their attention. The girls look over and he holds up Keith's hair as an offering. The girls giggle and race over to them, bright smiles on their faces.

Lance stays tucked down against a wall while the children braid Keith's hair, careful not to let any guards see him. A gasp forces him to look over, and his heart stutters in his chest at the sight he's greeted with.

Keith's hair is braided up thickly, and Lance has no idea what kind of braid it is, but knows it must have taken some real effort on the children's part. They've also woven flowers throughout his hair, and they're beautiful. Keith's silver locks shine in the sun light, barely avoiding brushing the ground as he does a twirl for the children, who giggle and clap. His cheeks are flushed with joy, "Thank you."

Lance can't help but stare, and Coran nudges him from one side while.

Lance pushes Coran back, just in time too, because Keith darts over to him and grabs his hand, pulling him out and into the festival.

They visit different stands, Keith staring at the various things there before something new catches his eye and he runs on, his hand never leaving Lance's.

Lance buys Keith his own little purple flag, with the golden sun in the middle. Keith smiles, brighter than any light, and holds it to his chest. Then he sees children coloring on the ground with chalk and runs over. Lance smiles and follows him.

Keith draws the most elaborate drawing of the sun, with the purple around it. Only the purple also has people inside it, dancing and laughing, holding hands and kissing. Keith smiles down at his drawing, his arms purple up to his elbows. Lance laughs softly, but can't help the fond feeling in his chest.

They run off when the guards approach, hiding in a sunken doorway, hands pressed over each other's mouths to stifle their giggles.

Once the soldiers are gone, Lance takes Keith to the library, where Keith searches through book after book. The smile on his face getting impossibly wider. They glance through star maps, through a world atlas, through science books.

They leave the library, and come back to the center of the city, where they step into a line to buy something to eat. Keith looks over at a large mosaic. His head tilts slightly as he takes in the image.

It's of a man, a woman, and a baby. The man has short black hair, with a white forelock and blue eyes. His face is angular, but his smile is welcoming and kind. The woman has long, braided white hair and her eyes are a purple-pink. She too looks kind, and she is beyond beautiful. The baby in their arms has their same pale complexion, and his eyes are a purple-blue mix of his parents. However, the baby has silver hair, unlike either parent.

Keith steps a little closer to the mosaic and he can hear a small girl say to her brother, as she sets a flower down at the images feet, "This is for the lost prince."

"That's King Shiro and Queen Allura." Lance informs him, glancing over.

Keith nods, and he steps in closer again, looking at the tiling that makes up the baby boy in their arms.

A group of men with musical instruments walks by, and Keith turns, distracted. He smiles brightly as they begin to play.

Lance turns around after purchasing their food to find Keith dancing to the music. He shakes his head fondly and smiles.

Keith grins and reaches out his hand to pull a small child in, they dance together, and Lance thinks it's so cute that he might develop cavities.

Once the boy is really into it, Keith reaches out and grabs another man, who he pulls into the circle and they dance as well. The man laughs, spinning Keith. Keith grins back and then starts pulling more and more people into the circle, anyone who stands close enough, or even looks remotely interested. Lance isn't sure how he's managing it, but everyone is smiling and looking like they're enjoying themselves.

Keith holds out a hand for Lance and waves him in. Lance shakes his head, his heart beating too fast in his chest.

Coran hip checks him towards Keith, but Lance ends up falling toward a woman who laughs and grabs his hand. She pulls him into the dance, and Lance allows himself to have a little fun.

They're just about to change partners, and Keith reaches for him again, Lance reaches back, but before they can connect they're both caught up by someone else and whisked away from each other. They both share a look, and a shrug.

The music is picking up as the song gets closer to its ending, and Lance searches for Keith in the crowd of people here. Their eyes meet, and Lance swallows as he realizes that Keith has been searching for him too. Keith smiles and twirls over to Lance, away from his last dance partner, and this time, when they reach out, they connect.

Keith twirls into Lances arms and Lance has only a second to spin him and dip him down gracefully before the song is over. Everyone claps and they both smile at one another.

"To the boats!" A man calls, and Keith pulls away, excited.

Lance smiles and gestures for Keith to follow him. They race down a winding path through the city to the harbor, were a small boat is waiting. Keith arches a brow and Lance smiles, gesturing for him to climb inside. Once they're both seated, Lance starts paddling the boat out into the water.

Coran is watching them sadly from the dock, and Lance smiles a little, "Hey, Coran!"

The bag he throws hits the dock and spills open, apples rolling about. Coran neighs happily, then his eyes narrow.

"What?" Lance asks, "I bought them!"

Coran nods and leans down to eat one.

"Well, I bought most of them."

"Where are we going?" Keith asks, turning to Lance.

"Best day of your life?" Lance smiles gently nudging Pidge from his shoulder and setting her on the side of the boat, "I figured you should have a decent seat."

Lance paddles them out into the bay, where they can see the entire city. Once they find a good spot he lets the boat float there. He glances over at Keith, who looks worried. "You okay?" "I'm terrified." Keith admits, softly, reaching out to touch the water.

"Why?"

"I've been looking out a window for 18 years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky." Keith looks up at the sky, so dark now, "What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

Lance smiles softly, "It will be."

"Mm." Keith smiles a little, but his eyebrows furrow, and he looks over at Lance, "And what if it is? What do I do then?"

"Well that's the good part, I guess." Lance's heart is beating wildly, like it's about to break through his sternum, "You get to go find a new dream."

Keith's face softens, and he really smiles now. They both look away from one another, and up at the sky. Neither realize they're hiding the same blush. 

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Hello Paladins!

New chapter here! So is Keith b-day in the fanfic and he's happy. Now will he like the stars? Will Lance tell him how he feel?

~Pam