-10 years ago-
***

"We're going to get in so much trouble...", Adam whispered as he clutched his satchel to his chest tightly, "Takashi, are you sure you have the keys to the bikes out in Base 7?", he whispered anxiously.

Shiro rolled his eyes, "Yes Adam... so stop worrying alright? This is part of the fun!", he beamed at him.

"Having my heart feel like it's going to give us away 'cause it's beating so loud is supposed to be fun?", he hissed coming closer to his crush.

"Yeah! So enjoy the adrenaline! The excitement and the wonder of the unknown and unexpected!"

Adam dug his fingers into the rough leather bag and took loud heavy breaths.

He had never done anything like this. Just one more way Shiro got him out of his comfort zone and led on with amazing bravery. Or maybe it was just stubborn stupidity.

Adam was leaning more toward stupidity.

The dark halls seemed to echo their gentle footsteps loudly and every noise and shadow seemed to leap out.

The fear of being caught was getting to his head before they had even gotten outside and it was practically tearing him apart.

"Hallway patrol!", Shiro warned suddenly, grabbing Adam's arm and leading him down the opposite hall.

Adam found himself ducking behind a trash can only to be shoved into one while Shiro hopped into the other.

Surprisingly, it had a lot more room then Adam would've thought, but that didn't change the fact he was inside a container for waste which smelled of expired food, stained coffee cups and what he was really hoping was not the surprise meat lunch yesterday.

He held back a disgusted gag and tried to hold his breath, telling himself that Shiro, no matter how stupid his plan seemed, would get them through the security measures.

It took a LOT of convincing.

The adults passed by as the boys lay silent in their recycle and trash bins, the flashlight beams swinging around the quiet place, right over their hiding spot.

As the footsteps faded, Shiro popped out of the green bin and pulled Adam's arms to help him out.

"Alright, let's move!", he whispered as Adam gave him an exasperated look.

"Trash... cans...?!", he protested quietly but Shiro was already pulling him didn't another hallway, going faster and faster until they were running.

He could only follow along, their feet pounding down the endless hallways until they reached the doors to outside.
By the time they got to it, they were both out slightly out of breath from running and suddenly taking sharp turns to avoid the adults.

The two teens stopped and bent over to catch their breath, looking at each other before breaking out into nervous grins.

"I-I guess we s-should get going...", Adam breathed out, pushing open the metal door.

Shiro nodded, "Yeah, l-let's go before they come down here!"

He followed Adam out the door and they quickly made their way through the cool night which the half moon offered light.

The dirt crunched under them as they rushed towards the open garage containing expensive hover bikes, jets and mechanical equipment.

"Wow...", Shiro breathed looking up at all the equipment inside, "It looks so different at night... like, almost magical, y'know?", he glanced at him.

Adam shrugged, "It looks the same to me Takashi, but I guess sneaking around them does make them seem different..."

Shiro nudged him, "Awww c'mon Adam, you can at least try to let yourself have that magical moment. I mean just look how the moonlight bounces off of it, and we used to, a long time ago, think that reaching the moon itself was impossible. Just think how big that is and how far we've come!"

He smiled a bit, "Yeah, you do have a point there... I'm just afraid we're going to get caught too much to think about that."

He watched as he pulled out the keys from his pocket and smiled wider, his eyes full of mischief and excitement.

Handing Adam one of the keys he pointed to the closest bikes, "Then to quote you, 'I guess we should get going'."

They quickly mounted the bikes, the smooth seat and handles welcoming them as they inserted the keys.

The engine came to life immediately, growling steadily as it echoed around the empty garage.

Slipping his satchel over his shoulder, Adam revved the engine and took off through the desert, Shiro close behind as the cool and clear air rolled over him.

A grin spread onto his face while his hair was swept back from the ride and his clothes buffeted against the wind.

The buttons of his jacket tried to hold themselves together, but came loose and opened up, flapping behind Adam as he let himself be free.

It felt amazing being out at this time... maybe it had been worth it...

Shiro's bike then suddenly rushed past him, dust flying everywhere as Adam squinted and sped up.

"Hey! Takashi!"

Shiro looked over his shoulder, "What?", he shouted back.

Adam grinned and suddenly sped past him while swerving over to a new cliff line, "You're falling behind!"

"Oh it's on Adam!!", he laughed as the two raced against each other while sailing over new pathways and swerving around giant boulders and cacti.

Laughter and teasing calls filled the night as moonlight offered the way. The cool darkness offering freedom and a new world to explore and take chances in.

Finally, they slowed down as they arrived at the cliff they had wanted to come to, several miles away from the Garrison and other civilization.

Adam pulled his hover bike to a gentle stop, wiping his face from the dirt that had blown itself on and around him.

"So was that fun or what?", Shiro asked jumping off his bike and walking over to Adam who was vigorously rubbing his glasses.

Adam smiled, "It was definitely fun, but I really should have brought goggles or an extra pair of glasses.", he admitted, "I forget them..."

"Well, lucky got you, I brought your extra pair just in case that did happen!!", he announced pulling out the frames.

He blinked at him, "You what?"

Shiro moved closer and put the glasses onto his face, his hand trailing along Adam's ear and lingering there for a moment.

Silence stood between them as they stared at each other, both having their stomachs leap and turn strangely before Shiro cleared his throat and pulled away.

"Yeah, I mean, if we had come all this way and you accidentally broke or lost your glasses... that would kinda defeat the purpose of being here.
We're here to see the meteorite shower! So of course, we need to watch it in the best way possible!", he beamed at him before sitting down on the cliff edge, "I hope you don't mind."

Adam was still standing there, thankful for the darkness that helped hide his lightly flushed face.

He had been so close to Takashi... so very close... And he had smelled so nice too, even though they had to hide in garbage bins!!

Adam shook his head harshly, trying to get the butterflies that fluttered around his throat, stomach and heart.

"Y-Yeah, I don't mind... thanks for thinking abo- ahead for me.", he stuttered out before clearing his voice and sitting down next to him.

He mentally bashed himself for being an idiot as he sat there looking at the endless expanse of bright stars.

He was not acting very cool.
Shiro would definitely not find that attractive, not that it mattered, but Adam would still like to have some decency left even if he just remained friends.

Staring straight at the glowing star Sirius, Adam tried to tell himself that sitting next to Shiro was no big deal.

But his heart didn't listen as he listened to his gentle breaths and was painfully aware of how close there hands lay on the ground.
Adam could feel the warmth coming off of it as their fingers only lay an inch apart.

And from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Shiro looked.

Adam groaned and put his head into his hands; apparently even the stars weren't enough to distract him from Shiro at the moment.

"What's wrong Adam? Is everything alright?", Shiro asked gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his his head and continued to keep his face in his palms, "No... it's really not."

"Adam, what is it?", he said concerned.

"It's just stupid feelings..."

Shiro gently pulled Adam's hands away from his pink face, "Hey, your feelings are not stupid. You can tell me, we're best friends Adam..."

His heartbeat rose as they eyes met again and Adam felt like he could barely breathe.

Should he take the risk?
Finally tell him how he felt?!

He shook his head and turned away, but no, Shiro had just said how they were friends... best friends, why should he ruin that?
It was clear it would remain like that and maybe it was for the best that it should stay that that.

But could he live with himself never telling? Always looking at Shiro just to halfway hope he would feel the same way about him??

Adam struggled with what to do as Shiro looked at him concerned and worried.

"God Adam... what is it? You're starting to scare me a little...", Shiro pleaded, his comforting hand tightening a little.

Adam made his decision before he even knew what he had done, his words coming out sad, angry and rushed.

"Fine! You want to know why I'm not okay?! I'll tell you why I'm not okay! It's because of you Takashi!! You!!
Everyday when I look at you, I feel stupid and unworthy of being around someone so perfectly idiotic!!
You're kind and smart and funny!! And you're popular!! You're also the biggest idiot to walk the planet!!
And I- and I like you! Have liked you for a while now!! And I know I don't stand a chance with anyone else because of it!!
And I hate how you've made me feel about you without even trying Takashi, only to never have enough strength to tell you how I feel!! I've cared about you in that way for so long, only to be your friend!!!
And it hurts alright?! You've hurt me in the best and worst way possible and I hate you for it!! I hate and love you and it drives me crazy!!
So just tell me you hate me Takashi!! Tell me you'll never feel that way about me already, because I can't take it anymore and I'd rather be put down instead of wondering about it for the rest of my life!!!", Adam yelled out as his eyes threatened to spill tears.

His chest ached with an indescribable pain as he had screamed out his frustration and love for the boy in front of him.

"Just say you hate me...", Adam whispered, "Just say anything..."

He moved to get up after he finished, but couldn't as a strong and firm hand pulled him back down and smashed lips against his own in a sudden and unexpected move.

Adam eyes widened with realization as he felt a gentle hand caress his face while there lips were united in a gentle yet strong kiss.

And then he let himself get whisked away in the moment, the tears he had been holding back finally coming down.

Adam pulled Shiro in closer blindly and the black haired teen wrapped his arm around his waist as they deepened the kiss.

A flash of light then caught their attention, both breaking away to see that the meteorite shower had begun.

Beautiful streaks ran across the sky and lit up the night, making the two stare at it in awe.

"It was worth it, was it not?", Shiro whispered into his ear, "I told you there's nothing like the real thing."

Scooting closer to him, Adam rested his head on his shoulder and clutched Shiro's hand tightly, "It was definitely worth it... I'm glad I came Takashi, I'm so glad I came..."