QUICK NOTE:

The first few chapters will be a few months before Kerberos, so everyone can see Keith and Lance get together!

Lance wanted to reach the stars- that was the reason he joined Garrison.

To fly where no one had flown before, just him and his crew. The very idea of said adventure made him bounce with excitement as a child. None of his family was really shocked when he proudly presented his enrollment papers.

The day he left his Mother held him close and cried, pride burning behind those tears, "You are going to rattle the stars." it was a promise to the very universe itself, "Just…" she choked back a sob, "Remember to write, alright?"

"I promise, Mama." With one last hug, which was swiftly joined by the twelve others relatives that had come to see him off, Lance got on the first bus to the rest of his life.

It didn't take him long after he got there to realize a lot of people weren't a big fan of him- he was used to that. As his Mother always insisted, they just didn't understand Lance's special charm.

It wasn't like he was mean or anything, but he couldn't deny he sometimes came off a little strong. Whenever he was in the moment he just… talked without thinking about the consequences- or how what he is saying might be considered stupid or conceited.

It was easier with his family because he could be himself without worry. Knowing that the person you are talking with will accept you no matter what you say makes it easier to say the right thing.

For now, Lance tried to just talk to anyone he could and make some sort of bond- at this point anyone would do, really. It's been two months since he's arrived and he was getting sick of sitting at the lunch tables alone.

The girls gave him the cold shoulder, and most guys thought he was incompetent, so this wasn't really working. At some point, he gave up and just tried to focus on his studies. It was very hard.

Don't get him wrong, the piloting classes and going over the controls and different maneuvers were the best classes Lance had ever been too! When the class ended he couldn't ever wait for the next one to begin!

The problem was the engineering or math classes. He wasn't dumb, but he was a genius at this stuff like these other kids were.

The stress of these classes loomed over his head daily, whispering threats of him failing and being kicked out of Garrison.

Despite this, Lance somehow managed to pass them one by one, sometimes barely to Garrison's standards. He was doing it though; the only true test would be his piloting skills. His teachers didn't call him a naturally gifted flier, but they never said he was instantly horrible either.

So… plus?

Halfway through the year, Lance had gotten into a set schedule and despite not having any friends yet, he was okay.

It wasn't the best time of his life like he imagined as a child, but he was okay. And when his mother would call him, asking him if it was just as he hoped, he would tell her yes and that he was okay.

He was okay… right?

When the next semester started he was placed into the next level of his training. It was here that he met the guy that would shake his very world.

His name was Keith.

Low and behold, the mighty Keith. The oh so great and can do anything Keith. Lance had to sit next to him for the entire semester.

The name felt heavy against Lance's tongue whenever he tried to say it. Keith.

Nothing too intimidating, to be sure, but it wasn't his name that caught Lance's attention.

It was his eyes.

A deep blue and gray that pulled any poor soul in if they but stared a little too long.

Fall had just started to settle in on the day they met. Lance had been longingly looking out the window at the thought of leaves falling from the trees at his house when Keith pulled out the chair next to him. Startled by the heavy scrape of the chair's metal's legs to the floor, he turned to face this mullet wearing jerk.

"Hey." Lance had said at the time, blissfully unaware of the train wreck he was stepping into.

Keith barely even glanced at him, "Hey."

"You sitting here now?"

"Yeah, don't get used to it." he had grumbled.

Lance wasn't sure what to say and simply turned the other way.

From then on, all the class could talk about was this sourpuss. He was the top-notch flier, the genius, the cool guy- he never said anything nice to anybody but everyone adored him! It didn't make sense!

The more Lance thought of him, the more he began to stare- or, glare, at him throughout class. Keith's eyes would never once leave the front of the class, completely focused and zoned out from the rest of the world. It was as if Keith soul purpose was to learn and pilot the Garrison's vessels.

In a split second decision, Lance decided he hated Keith- for many reasons. He didn't appreciate how popular he was, was a show-off, a know it all, an emo mullet, and-

Lance hadn't expected Keith to suddenly look at him, but the lock of their eyes was undeniable.

Raising an eyebrow, Keith scowled, "Got a problem?" he muttered.

"Yeah," Lance said, no true bite behind his words, too surprised that they were suddenly talking.

The conversation ended there, and Lance was almost proud with the confused expression he managed to pull out of Keith Kogane when he didn't say anything else.

He had to focus. Unlike Keith, Lance had a lot to prove, and he would not get shown up by someone that has a mullet!

For two months Lance gave everything he could to be better than Keith. He would be a better student and pilot if it killed him! And it did, it really did. The extra studying he had to do to get better grades threw him into the dirt. It was hard- but Keith still managed to win an extra point or two in tests.

Was he even trying?! It pissed him off!

When they finally got to the point when they were allowed into the planes, Lance couldn't wait to show everyone his skills.

Keith still got placed first in class.

Lance had never wanted to punch something so much in his whole life. And the worse part, Keith barely looked like he was happy with that! He just nodded and left when he was told the news! If you don't even enjoy it then why are you here?!

If there was one plus side, it was that Lance was deemed second best in class. That got some eyes on him, but not much. Second place doesn't cut it to first.

So he continued to try, forced to sit next to Keith for the entire semester. It was horrible.

Then, one day, something happened.

In a moment of pure luck, he found Keith's eyes turned away from the teacher, and towards the windows. It was almost bizarre to see him out of focus, but he was.

He was staring- or, looking for something? It almost reminded Lance of himself when he would gaze out those windows to the world past these walls.

When Lance gazed out, he hoped to see his family and home. When Keith looked out, Lance felt as if he was looking for something too.

The only difference is, Lance knew what he wanted to see… Keith didn't. It was if he was searching for something to go to.

It wasn't uncommon knowledge that Keith didn't have parents or a home to go back to, and before it never even crossed Lance's mind- but in that single moment, he felt sad. He wished Keith did have something to look towards.

"Hey." a voice caught his attention.

Straightening when he realized it was Keith, he stammered, "Y-Yeah?"

"Got a pen I can borrow?"

"Oh." Lance scrambled for his bag, handing Keith a blue ball pen. "Here."

"Thanks." Keith ran his eyes over the pen then looked down to his paper. Blinking at him, Lance looked away, biting the inside of his mouth hard enough to make it bleed.

Why did he give him a pen!? He hates the guy!

When the bell rang he just wanted to go back to his room and sleep away this frustrating feeling. Thankfully Keith left before him and he could walk back in peace.

Picking up his backpack, Lance glanced to the door. Keith forgot to give him his pen back.

"That smug little… he took my pen."

0000-Keith-0000

He had taken his pen. He hadn't just forgotten to either- he purposively did it. He wanted it.

He wanted some stupid pen that has some chew marks on the bottom of it. He always caught Lance munching quietly on the bottom of his pen.

He would stare at his teeth as he did so…

Slumping into the chair at his next class, Keith stuffed the Pen into his pocket, holding it tightly throughout the entire hour. Why did he keep it?

Why were the bit marks at the bottom embarrassing him?

Why did Lance in general just make him feel frustrated and nervous enough to never dare speak to him or look him in the eyes?

It was probably that dumb look he always had on his face.

That was probably it. He'll give the pen back tomorrow the next time he sees him.

But he never did.