Hi, sorry this update is a bit short but I wanted to keep it short and sweet because I have been trying to write the next chapter to Rakuen. There is something at the end of the chapter, by the way, so be sure to enjoy this chapter :)

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Have you ever found yourself staring up at the clouds wondering what it must feel like to be able to travel the world without a care in the world? To be without judgment from yourself or others?

Sometimes, you've just really got to take a step back and look at life from a different perspective. Take the things you used to hate about yourself and just write out a sentence explanation for each one;

Your mind because you feel you will never be as smart as the next person or that you can make it through the difficulties of life and the constant pestering the little voice in your head does when it tells you what you've known all along.

Your face because how could anyone find you attractive when you can't seem to love the freckles lining your cheeks, the little beauty mark only you notice, the acne, everything.

Your body because of how media portrays what someone 'normal' should look like.

When you have every flaw you hate about yourself written down on a piece of paper, take a moment and write something you love about those features;

You loved your mind because it could bring you to worlds of creativity unknown to most people. You were able to create anything with little effort thanks to your creative mind.

You loved your eyes because the color felt different from others. You loved how your freckled=s were symmetrical on your face and you loved the feeling you got when you found your skin clearing up from the recent breakout.

You loved the way your favorite outfit looked on your body whether or not it made you look too big or too small because the skip in your heart and that rush of confidence you felt when you put it on meant the world to you.

When you take that little step back in order to look at things from a different perspective, maybe you'll come to realize that perhaps you're actually the way you are meant to be. Maybe you hate the feeling you got when you got when you stood in front of a mirror looking at your body, going over everything you hate about it but you're really meant to have these feelings. They hurt. They make you feel sick to your stomach. Even so, you're exactly where you're supposed to be in order to grow as a person. A track runner never gets over all the hurdles on their first try. They practice, trying even harder each time to achieve the goal they want and so, why don't you try to work hard of loving your flaws?

It was because society dictated a person's life, wasn't it?

Society told Lance that his body when he was younger was unacceptable and that he needed to change, to adapt, just in order to survive in the cruel world where people will shun you for looking even slightly different. Lance stared up at the grey sky as raindrops fell down and splattered onto the cement he stood upon, a faint smile forming on his face as he allowed the droplets to trail don his dark face.

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold!" Keith grunted as he held their umbrella over their heads. His cheeks a light shade of pink as he stood so close to Lance, the blue and red of their raincoats touching at the shoulders.

Lance looked down and admired the view he had of his boyfriend. Boyfriend, what an odd word to use to describe Keith. He was adorable, staring down at the ground with embarrassment as he stood so close to Lance under the umbrella while the rest of their friends opened their own in order to stand beneath them. Lance raised his hand up and gently flicked Keith's nose before he stuck his tongue out making eye contact with the shorter boy, "Okay, mom," He teased.

Then, out of pure childish instinct, he took a step out and was once again under the rain. He leaned over and wrapped his hands around Pidge's who happened to be standing about a foot away from them and yanked the short boy over towards him. The green little umbrella Pidge had been holding flopped down onto the ground and nearly blew away before Hunk scrambled to grab it nearly falling into the small man-made river they stood by.

"Ugh!" Pidge exclaimed as Lance yanked him into the rain causing his dry raincoat to quickly become sopping wet, "What the hell?" He exclaimed, his brown eyes full of fury as he pulled away from Lance, his hair sticking to the sides of his face and the rain painting a canvas on his glasses.

Lance laughed in amusement as he spun around under the rain and looked at all of his friends staring back at him with wide eyes. "Come on," He said as he raised his hands into the air and closed his eyes allowing the largest smile imaginable to cross his lips, "Let's enjoy the rain and dance!"

No one moved a muscle as they stared at the Hispanic boy who just kind of standing under the rain like a gigantic moron with a smile plastered across his face. Then, slowly, Hunk closed the umbrella and made a little awkward movement he must've thought was a dance move, his cheeks bright red as he anxiously glanced around. Lance clapped his hand over his mouth as a giggle escaped his lips, he was so amused by the fact that the kid with anxiety was the first one to join him in dancing under the rain like a total moron. Pidge looked at Hunk who was now moving with more confidence before he let out a loud sigh and began to do a really poor robot dance causing Hunk to laugh.

Pidge's cheeks grew cherry red as he stomped in a puddle causing it to splash a very unamused Keith, "Dancing was always Matt's thing okay!" He cried out in embarrassment.

Shiro let out a little sigh before he too put his umbrella away exposing him and Allura to the rain. Then, he gently took Allura's hands in his own and smiled at everyone sheepishly, "Are you kidding me, Matthew can't dance to save his life. You're way better than him by a long shot, kiddo," He then looked down at Allura shyly and placed a hand on her waist, "Shall we?"

Allura, for the first time that day, smiled up at him before she slowly nodded in agreement, "We shall," then, they began to slow dance while Pidge started to get into the groove of dancing poorly near Lance and Hunk.

Lance smiled at Keith as the rain continued to soak his hair and body to the bone. He didn't really notice his friends laughing that much anymore as he just quietly stared at the lone boy a few feet away from him. Keith looked so awkward as he stood there, his purple eyes flicking around nervously as people walked by giving them weird looks as the continued with their lives. He was leaning on the cane that had been helping him get from place to place all day long. It kept him from joining everyone in their little dance party they were having in the middle of the Riverwalk. Lance remembered how not even a month ago, he had despised this boy with all his heart. He had felt sick to his stomach just at the thought of seeing him anywhere in the world or even in his thoughts. He had believed the boy to be Satan's incarnation simply because in a way he was afraid. He was afraid of Keith because Keith was able to do and wear what he wanted without the judgment of others and it made Lance envious. That little shadow that was now hidden away for now because of the clouds blocking the sunlight would always tell Lance that Keith was better than him. The guy had millions of fans and what did he have?

He had nothing compared to him in the sense of popularity and confidence.

Even so, when he had first felt Keith hug him, when he had felt Keith's lips press up against his own in the privacy of his bedroom, that envy he had felt towards the boy just melted away and was replaced with this growing warmth in his heart that seemed to only get bigger and bigger with every glance he tossed Keith's way. He never planned on waking up one morning with the knowledge that he was into guys, it had happened out of the blue when he was trying to have an intimate moment with a girl he thought he had liked. He didn't realize it during the time but when he felt Nyma's touch, he didn't have the same warmth in his chest like he did with Keith. It was cold, emotionless, bland. His entire world felt as if the color were stripped away and had been left in this black and white image of the world where he just did what he thought society wanted him to do.

When he was with Keith, that color came back. It was as if Jason Pollock had tossed paint into the world that had been so devoid of life and emotion and brought him into a world only Lance could interpret as his own. The water was a bright blue that shimmered in every way imaginable when light touched its surface. The clothes people wore reflected their personalities; dark colors for the reserved and brighter ones for those with the bubbliest of personalities. When Lance looked at Keith, no matter the distance, his heart swelled up four sizes and those eyes of Keith's seemed so unimaginably iridescent as Lance watched them slowly meet his gaze.

"What are you doing, Lance?" Keith asked as Lance walked over to him in order to stare down at him with such warm eyes. Keith's face grew red as he stared up at Lance whose smile faded slightly while he reached up and brushed a piece of Keiths hair from his face.

Lance shrugged as he ruffled his boyfriend's hair, "I'm just admiring the view I'm finally able to enjoy."

Keith turned his face away from Lance and puffed up his cheeks, "Shut the hell up."

Lance, for the first time, didn't feel as if his condition was placing restrictions on him anymore and he felt free.

He felt as if he were like one of the clouds he had spent his life wishing to be.

He was happy.

Hi, I would just like to use the endnote as a way to say something personal. It is national child abuse awareness month and I wanted to say that any victims of abuse deserve love because it is something I also struggled with and still do to this day. Child abuse is a very touchy subject for me since it hits so close to home for me and I sympathize with those who have had an experience such as mine if not worse ones. Please, if you know any abuse victims, you be sure to hug them and tell them every single reason why you are thankful they are here today because the effects child abuse has on your are crazy.

I used to be a super sweet kid, I had the patience of a god damn priest tbh like wow, however, as I got older and the effects of the abuse began to show I became an easily irritated person who really can't handle stress that well and I suffer from thoughts of suicide that honestly drive me insane. Child abuse is serious and it can change a child into someone who can barely function in the real world and I hate knowing that many other people suffer like I do so if you are a victim of child abuse know that you can always talk to me because I do understand the emotional trauma it has on a person. I am decently open with my experience because it has shaped me into the person I am today and I try to better myself every day even when I have the days where I don't even want to roll out of bed because the thought of facing the world another day hurts so much so DO NOT be afraid to ask any questions if you want to know anything.

I love all of you soooooooo much so never forget it. You are all the best moment of my day even if I don't know you personally, your comments make my nights after a long day at work or school :)

-Anri