Keith approached a room at random, hoping to get lucky. Pico didn't actually tell him which number it was. It was about 1:30pm, and if he wasn't awake now, he sure as hell was going to be.

Being honest, the whole apartment block made Keith feel pretty uncomfortable. It smelt morbid, like a body. The halls were dark and the carpet was almost soggy near some rooms. The wallpaper was tearing and cheap, Keith could tell Pico only lived here because it was easy to pay. It looked like it had been victim to any and all natural disasters had hit it at once.

Keith held his breath then knocked on the door. He could hear a distant squeak, then footsteps arrive toward the door. It creaked open just barely so he could be seen.

"Er... hey, is this... Pico's... place?" Keith asked, nervous. The person on the other side yawned.

"Come in." The door opened more, and Pico stood in the same outfit he had been wearing the past 3 days. Keith exhaled, relieved. He walked in, and immediately froze just at the simple state of the lot. He looked at Pico, dumbfounded at how he was living here.

"P-Pico..." was all he could muster. "What... the hell?"

"Hey, I told you it was bad. You didn't listen." Pico chuckled. "Anyway, you want a coffee? Actually no, it's really shit coffee. Nevermind."

"I... I don't even know where to start..." Keith just kept... looking around. Pico couldn't help but laugh at him. "You can leave if you want, I really don't mind."

"No way! I came to see you, and I'm gonna see you. I'm also gonna clean up a little, probably all the rubbish..."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"And you're gonna help! Pick up the clothes!"

"Wait, you mean it-?" Pico gulped. He wasn't exactly ready for such a drastic change such as... cleaning his entire apartment. But Keith shoved a sweater from the ground into his hands with a determined grin.

"I'll take you out for coffee afterwards."

"...deal."

They went at incredibly different paces. Keith was fast and pretty hyperactive, grabbing a grocery bag and shoving rubbing in there every time he laid his eyes on it like some of bot. Pico could barely keep up, trying to sort out the clothes around him. He could barely focus, feeling super tired still.

"Gh... hey, can we take a break? It feels like we've been doing this for hours..." Pico complained, struggling to keep his eyes open. Keith was about to tell him how it had barely been thirty minutes, but he saw that Pico looked like he was about to pass out.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go."

The two walked outside onto the streets, Keith trying to find some kind of quiet coffee shop so the other could get some rest. Eventually, he found it, letting Pico sit down as he went and ordered the drinks. He sat down with him to wait.

Pico yawned, resting his head in his arms. "Hey, Pico. Do you wanna lean on me? It might be better than the table."

"...huh?"

"I mean, I don't mind. I let people lean on my shoulder all the time."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to." Keith was clearly a stubborn person you could rarely say no to. He was nice, but if it benefitted the other, he clearly would have wanted the best. Pico sighed, reluctantly sitting next to him. He contemplated it, swaying back and fourth, but eventually rested his head on Keith's shoulder, exhaling.

He closed his eyes, feeling a hand gently caress his head before the sound of two mugs softly placed on the table. He felt awkward, in a way, like something about this wasn't right... guilt? He knew Keith had a girlfriend, and this felt like he was being too chummy.

But on the other hand, the feeling of comfort overcame the guilt. He felt warm. Not physically, but there was no other way to describe it. He smiled, leaning closer.

Keith and him got closer that day.