Abel isn’t difficult to fall in love with. Physically, he is undoubtedly attractive, with an eye-catching flash of sunlight running through otherwise pure white hair, and eyes that seemed to light up with the power of all the stars in space combined whenever he spoke to anyone. Which is why it only took Keeler a heartbeat to decide that whomever this person was, there was no way he’d let him come to any harm. Not that he’d want anyone to come to any harm but Abel was specifically too precious to be injured and somewhere at the back of his head, the Lead Navigator jotted that note down to watch out for Abel wherever and whenever he could.
Abel isn’t difficult to fall in love with. But Abel is difficult.Keeler’s already lost count of the number of times he’d found Abel by himself in the main control room, up late at night trying to figure a configuration or ten, even when nothing was in a state of emergency. It was quite alarming, for one, to see someone do so poorly in self-care, but it also reminded Keeler of himself, and for all those time that Encke nearly demanded for him to either rest or go to bed.“Please take care of yourself. And go to sleep.” He’d always say, whenever he came across Abel in the deepest of nights, with the dimmest of lights. But he says it with a genuine smile and an occasional mug of hot tea before leaving for his own room, always returning to check another fifteen minutes later to make sure that his advice was heeded.
The moment Keeler decided once and for all that he needed to grab Abel and put him in bed with thick blankets and fluffed pillows was the instant that Reliant disappeared and reappeared back in the snap of a second.
His heart had actually skipped a beat from shock.
Of course, a good while later had Keeler completely fine and recovered but in that moment, his heart sank and everything went blank, as if he’d mentally body-slammed into a cement wall, stopping all his thoughts from going anywhere.He later gives Abel a lecture on self-care, but he’s sure the boy’s going to get into some sort of trouble again, sooner or later. 4. For some reason or another, Keeler often found himself thinking about Abel. Not romantically, not in the way that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the other man, not even one night in bed. He simply thought of Abel. Thought of how he always moved differently when he had something on his mind, and how his shoulders relaxed when he was at ease.
There were many things about Abel that was interesting. Not that he was another rich boy from a renowned family here to prove himself, but he was just a bit more than that. Abel shared the common trait of being ridiculously terrible at caring for himself but constantly worrying about everyone around him. He shared it with Keeler and sometimes, Keeler thinks it’s exactly because Abel reminds him so much of himself that he finds the other so endlessly fascinating. ...
Whatever it was, this was a topic for another time as he sank into bed,eyes shutting to the rest of the world. 5.
(WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH, Non-canon)
Keeler has never enjoyed the sight of death. But Abel makes it an art.
“Please, stop speaking, you will be alright.” He tries to assure the dying navigator who is quite far from alright with a stick of thick debris sticking through his body in the side of his body.
Blood gurgles out and Keeler doesn’t even dare to touch him, lest he shortens the already devastatingly minimized amount of time that his young colleague had while sweat matted his pale hair and bright eyes fought harder with each passing second to stay alive while tears threatened to prick at Keeler’s eyes.
Nobody ever said that handling death was easy. Especially not when someone was dying in your arms and you couldn’t do anything to help.
Trembling fists held onto his own bloodied uniform and Keeler swallows because even in death, Abel is undeniably strong, refusing to admit to defeat right up to the very last second as his mouth gasps for air, for oxygen -- for dear life.“I’m sorry -- I’m sorry I can’t do anything, I’m so sorry...”
But Abel merely shakes his head, and the tired smile that he’s so used to seeing in quiet nights surfaces on his face in a calm, serene shift of facial muscles.
He knows it’s Abel’s way of saying that it’s not his fault. And they both know it’s not, but godammit, if only there was something he could do. Anything to ease Abel’s pain and to let him pass on as smoothly as possible. But the moment passes, and suddenly, Abel goes completely still, eyes still wide, but now unseeing, and the only thought that goes through Keeler’s mind is how beautiful he is, even in death.