You're My Brother

Day 23- Accidental Background

    Ever since Shiro first mentioned this nerd school for wannabe pilots, Keith couldn't stop thinking about how he could get in. Granted, he was far too young to even try to comprehend the material, much less take an exam. He could barely read anything more than short stories. But that didn't stop him.
Keith peeked over his roommate's shoulder every so often to catch a glimpse of what he was reading.
Piloting a giant ship just seemed so absolutely amazing to him. It wasn't because he was six, and you believe everything is cool when you're a little kid. Oh no. It was because it was something new. Something challenging. Something risky.
Despite all of these new ideas and interests of his, he kept his outward excitement on the down low. Not one person knew about his interest in being a fighter class, Garrison, future-space-exploration pilot. At least that's what he thought.
Tonight however, was a rather normal night. The time was somewhere around one in the morning, making it yet another sleepless night for Keith, and coincidentally, another sleepless night for Shiro as well.
    Shiro had been studying nonstop since before Keith had entered The Home, but somehow, the child had only just now noticed how much time Shiro spent reviewing the notes he had written and the diagrams he had found.
    "I'm keeping you up again, aren't I...?" Shiro asked apologetically, realizing the time.
    Keith shook his head. "No... I don't normally sleep much." He confessed.
    "If it'd help, I can go downstairs." The older boy suggested.
    "I said it's fine."
    "Alright...."
    "What are you even studying anyway? It can't be that complicated." Keith assumed somewhat ignorantly. "You just start the engine, take off when you're at a good speed and steer clear of trees and buildings. Then land safely. How is that hard to understand?"
    "You think that's all the test is on...?" Shiro asked, his voice fraught with exhaustion. With no reply from Keith, Shiro pat the space at the foot of his mattress. "Come here. Let me show you what it really is."
    "And why would you want to teach me anything?"
    "Because," he replied, "you were the only person in this place who showed even the slightest bit of interest in the idea of being a pilot."
    Keith couldn't argue with that statement. "Fine..." he crawled out from under his covers and sat down next to Shiro. "Explain your nerd stuff to me." He muttered, covering his enthusiasm as much as he could.
    Shiro shifted positions so that Keith would be able to follow along. "No guarantee you'll be able to understand all of this, but if you're interested, it's worth a shot."
    Keith nodded in response and listened to what the other had to say. Shiro's assumption proved to be correct, Keith didn't understand what he was talking about, but it fascinated him nonetheless. He understood what had visuals and pretended to know the rest.
"Okay... fine..." he grumbled, "maybe I don't know all there is to being a pilot..."
"Just admit you were wrong, but this time, without the sass." Shiro said with a laugh as he playfully playfully ruffled Keith's hair. It was a strange brotherly habit he had developed. One he hoped Keith didn't dislike too much.
"I was... wrong....?" He replied hesitantly, not completely understanding what Shiro wanted him to say.
"Good enough."
Keith huffed and looked away.
To describe Shiro in one word, Keith would definitely say annoying. Not as in 'the staff who never leave him alone' type of annoying. More so 'the friend who tries way to hard to make you enjoy everything'.
Maybe that's just what having a friend is supposed to be like. Either that or Shiro is way too obsessed with making Keith enjoy being an orphan.
"When do you take the test...?" Keith asked after a moment of silence.
Shiro hummed to himself as he glanced over to the calendar. "Two weeks. Then, if I do well, I'll be a Junior Cadet for two years."
The child raised an eyebrow, having no clue whatsoever about what a 'junior cadet' was.
"A student." Shiro clarified, and with a slight nod from Keith, he continued on, "I got to admit. I might actually miss my quiet, lone-wolf of a roommate while I'm there."
"What are you talking about...?"
"When I'm at the Garrison. I'm not going to be here anymore."
    Keith felt his heart sink, but he didn't feel sad. Shiro was leaving. And...? Part of him wanted to feel upset about this while the majority of him was fine. "Okay... But why?" He ask Shiro.
    "Why will I miss you or why can't I come home?"
    "Both."
    Shiro gave a slight nod and explained to the boy that a cadet rarely had time off, and that he would live on campus grounds until he graduated.
    Keith waited impatiently for him to explain the second part, but got no answer. "Why would you miss me?" He repeated his question.
    "Oh, right..." The teenage looked down, thinking to himself of how to properly phrase his answer. "You've grown on me, I guess. I can tell I'm the only human being you ever talk to, and for me to leave, well that would put you right back to square one, wouldn't it?"
    Keith simply shrugged. "I don't know. You're just another orphan. Why do you care so much anyway? I've been here for less than a month."
    "I care because I don't want you to be alone like I was at your age."
    "What...?"
    Shiro took a deep breath and set down his book. "I've been here since I was born," he told the other, "I don't know the whole story, but basically, my only living relative, my grandfather, didn't have enough money to raise me. So, I grew up here, with everyone else. Every now and then, he would check on me. I knew he loved me and I cherished that."
    "Wait...." Keith interrupted, "if he's alive, then, not to be rude, but why doesn't he come here anymore? You've never talked about him."
    "He passed away when I was five. I lost the one person I knew for a fact that loved me. Just like you."
Keith's eyes widened. Sure, Shiro was using the past tense to describe his grandfather's actions, but he didn't realize it was because he had died. "Oh... I'm sorry... for your loss..." he whispered, not knowing if it was the right thing to say or not.
Shiro somewhat ignored Keith's comment and instead continued with what he had been saying. "I put up so many walls, shut everyone out. I thought the world, no, everyone, hated me." He sighed, leaning his back against the wall. "I was lost. But then, something inside me realized how alone I was, and I hated that more than anything. So, I changed as much as I could and started opening up to people. Soon enough, I made a few friends, and found my place in society."
    "That's cool. I guess...." Keith said with a sigh, "but I'm not like you."
    "Never said you were. Just thought that maybe you could see the possibilities of a happy life if you knocked down your walls."
    "I don't have walls up!" The child glared at Shiro. "I'm not like you! You weren't abandoned by your mother! You were loved by her. My mom hates me!"
    Shiro took another deep breath. He didn't mean for their conversation to go this way. He never intended for this to happen, for Keith to snap. "It's really late, Keith," he said, placing his books on the bedside table next to him. "You should get some rest."
    Keith crossed his arms. 'Fine! Just ignore me!' He slid off of Shiro's bed and climbed into his own, wrapping his arms around his purple hippopotamus. 'I was wrong about him... He really doesn't care...'
As always, he buried his face under his blankets and tried to drown out the world around him. He heard a click behind him, and the lights went out.
'You should've just kept your mouth shut.' He told himself. 'Now he's going to pretend to care even more.'
A small part of Keith wanted to believe that Shiro really did care about him. It would be nice to have somebody care for you. Even a little. However, Shiro had said nothing in reply to his small outburst. To Keith, Shiro had ignored his feelings entirely and only felt the need to talk about himself. Not that Keith wanted to talk about his past anyway, but Shiro could've at least tried to get him to talk. Couldn't he...?