Although I deeply miss and long for my home on Galaluna, this home on Earth has become a real, warm place to be a part of. Even people at school have opened up to me , which I consider to be an amazing development since the first day of school. But I have to say that the most significant relationship I've built on Earth is with my family, Lance and Octus.
Octus is both of our bestfriend. Though sometimes he has to pretend to be our dad. He plays the role well though, even when outsiders aren't looking. He cooks for us, he makes sure we're okay when we're sick, and he talks to us when we feel sad. To me, and I'm sure Lance feels the same way. He is not a robot. He's family. And besides he's more real than most of the Earth people I've met. I can talk to Octus about anything, except maybe Kimmy when that gets uncomfortable, and trust me it does.
My relationship with Lance is much more different than it was when we first arrived on Earth. I never would have thought in a million years that we would be as close as we are now. We've grown close mostly because Lance takes his job to protect me very seriously,so we are always together. Being wih him has become as easy as breathing and I feel safe with him.
I would never tell him to his face but I feel safer with Octus, because no matter how strong and skilled Lance is he's still human. Something could happen to him as it could to me. Not as easily but still it's possible and that possibility makes me shudder.
Even though they were both sent to protect me. I can't help but feel like I should protect them too. They're the only people on this planet that care about me the way I care about them. So if we ever return to Galaluna; which I hope we do. I'll make sure they're safe. It's the least I can do.
So it's Thursday night. All three of us were watching T.V. in the living room but as soon as High School Heights started Lance decided to pass out on the couch. It's fine with me, he's a good footrest. Octus and I love this show. I don't know why he can't just respect that.
The show was getting to a nail biting climax when a commercial interrupted.
"Aww." I whimpered and looked sadly at the television screen as it turned into a bright cereal commercial.
"It's getting close to bedtime Ilana and all of us have to go to school tomorrow." Octus said facing me still as Newton.
"'mdonforsureIpromise." I said in a jumble up mess.
Octus changed into the dad hologram to bring authority to his arguement, but I still looked at him with pleading eyes. "Don't you want to see what happens too?"
"Actually I've already seen this episode with Kimmy, and Britney has to-"
"Nooo! Don't tell me, you'll ruin it!" I said covering my ears.
"I was just going to say that Britney-"
I threw a pillow at his chest. "Don't tell me Octus, I'm warning you." I said holding up another pillow.
"Okay you can finish it, but you have to go to bed right after it's over. I'll wake up Lance."
"No don't wake him up. He's a good footrest. Besides I'll wake him up when it's over. Let him sleep for another ten minutes." I said knowing that Lance is light sleeper and it takes him a long time to actually fall asleep once he's been woken. And truthfully I didn't want to be by myself in the dark living room.
"Okay, Good night Ilana." Octus said and left upstairs.
"Good night Octus, see you in the morning."
So I watched the rest of the episode. It was a really good one too. One of the girls Janet had finally realized after like ten episodes that she was in love with Bryson. They finally kissed for the first time! The best part was that he was about to leave to another state before she showed up at the airport! The end made me happy because they were both with someone they didn't belong with. It was nice to finally see them together.
I turned off the T.V. and only the yellow street lights from outside dimly illuminated the living room. The only pretty blue light from the moon seemed to hit exactly the spot where Lance was sleeping. I gasped because I had almost forgotten he was there.
Looking at him now, I couldn't help but think about the episode of High School Heights. I thought of myself as Janet and Lance as Bryson. Did I fit Janet's character and did he Bryson's? Was I unconciously aware that I'm in love with Lance and likewise for him? It would be difficult for us not to be so close considering what we've been through, and this closeness was not common withing a boy and a girl right?
My cheeks started to burn because I've never thought of him this way before. I do think he's handsome, and he once told me that I was pretty. Well, indirectly. Also there was that time at the dance and when he got me the snowglobe I liked at the mall. Is that what friends do or is that what people in love do? I couldn't imagine my life without him anymore, but I could say the same for Octus. I like Jason but I'm with Lance there's no comparison.
Both of us are still on the couch, but my legs aren't on his lap anymore. I'm kneeling on the side next to him watching and inching closer to him as if he were an interesting kind of undiscovered animal.
Now I'm close enough that I can both hear and feel him breathing. His hair is in his face though and I'd much rather see him fully, so I carefully reach my hand out to this forehead to move away his bangs from his face. But as quickly as I had touched him he grabbed my arm and jerked it to the side.
"Lance it's just me." I said quickly to make sure he wouldn't snap my arm off.
He eased up immediately. "Oh. Sorry." he yawned while rubbing my arm to make sure he had'nt hurt it. This action made me start thinking again about the episode.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Almost eleven."
"What are we still doing on the couch it's-" he stopped talking when he realized that I was staring at him, but I didn't stop staring. I wasn't embarassed, but I felt he was because he looked away from me. My head snapped and quickly moved closer. This only made me more interested to explore the concept, and I knew there was only one way to find out for sure I what I was thinking was true.
"Lance, could I kiss you?"
He looked over at me again shocked at what I had just asked, but he didn't say anything and I did'nt change my curious expression.
It took a couple seconds there in the darkness, but I waited patiently. And if I had blinked I probably would have missed his nod.
So I slowly leaned in the last couple inches that was between us. I wanted to make sure I was doing this right so I didn't rush it. My proximity didn't make him back away or tense up, he just waited for me, and we both watched each other until my lips finally met his.
It was just as small gentle kiss. I closed my eyes for the instant that I kissed him and let my lips retract back to their orginal shape, but I kept my face against his and pecked him one last time before pulling away.
When I did pull away, I looked at him as I had originally and knotted my brows together. I wasn't angry though. He had kissed me back, and I enjoyed it but I felt like I didn't need to kiss him. That what I felt when our lips touched wasn't any different then when we laughed together or when we had fun together. I started to smile.
"Lance?"
He had been watching me also with his head slightly to the side, probably because he hadn't expected any of this. He waited for my question.
"Could we not kiss anymore?"
He smiled too once I'd said it and nodded.
I grabbed his hand and lifted the both of us off the couch. "Let's go to sleep." I said and walked upstairs, he followed behind.
When I reached my door and he reached his he said "Good night Ilana."
I smiled. "Night Lance." And I thought what a silly show High School Heights was.
So even though I'm a major Ilanca fan I had to write this, because I figured something like this must have happened to them some time in the series. I wrote this to take place right before "Family Crisis", because I noticed that after that there weren't many more llanca moments. I also wrote this because Gennedy said himself that making them fall in love would be too easy. Which is why I think he made High School Heights a joke in the series. Anyway, fight for Sym-Bionic Titan! I do what I can to support the fan databases but I can't do it alone!
