The late September sky was dreary as usual, gray clouds hanging over the flat top of the school building as if to reflect the sleepy autumn morning mood of its staff and students. The classroom that Shiro was currently seated in was fairly dark, which was fortunate for the students who would rather take a nap than actually pay attention. The teacher was still seated at her desk in front, giving only minimal acknowledgement to the teenagers who were gradually dragging themselves through the door and onto one of the seats.

Shiro's usual spot was near the back, by the wall. It was a nice spot to be, people generally didn't pay attention to him, and he could drop his usual friendly smile for a change. It was also nice that he had a friend sitting next to him too, this class gave him anxiety.

Said friend, Matt Holt, had plopped into the seat next to Shiro just minutes ago and was noisily messing around with the contents of his backpack. Shiro didn't say anything to him, waiting for the boy to get himself settled, until Matt turned to him. "Was the lab report due today?"

"Yeah," replied Shiro.

"Ok, good. I stayed up all night to finish this thing, I'd punch myself if it wasn't due."

Shiro rolled his eyes with a grin. "Don't tell me you literally started and finished it yesterday."

Matt held up a defiant finger. "Hey, I do these reports in record time, Shiro. And I still get A's. I see no reason to drag it out any longer than that."

"Your health?"

"Ehh, debatable."

While Shiro was preparing a mental plan on what to do when Matt inevitably fainted of exhaustion in the hallways, another one of their classmates stepped through the door, and suddenly the room was brightly illuminated. Not literally, but for Shiro and many others, it felt more like a jolt of life would strike them whenever he was around. Surrounded by an aura of mystery and coolness was the simultaneous joy and bane of Shiro's existence: Keith Kogane.

Shiro could still remember the first day of senior year when he realized that Keith was in not one, but two of his classes. It was too much for his heart to take, and even now, he went every class praying that nobody could see how red he turned or hear how loudly his heart was banging in his chest. Keith had only been around for a year, but without even trying he'd earned the attention and giggly excitement of most female students, due to his pretty face, athletic abilities, and his angsty, mysterious demeanor.

He also managed to attract some not-so-female students. Like Shiro.

Shiro had no idea how he'd gotten this way. Never had he been so elated and yet so terrified to see one specific person. He'd only spoken to Keith a few times out of necessity, but each time he'd frozen up and was completely unable to function as a human being. He didn't like thinking about it. He was pretty sure that Keith had forgotten his existence anyway, leaving Shiro to pine away from behind.

Takashi Shirogane was one of the brightest students in the school, was the student council VP, and the survivor of an accident that would have killed most anyone else...and his weakness was a cute boy.

Matt suddenly started poking Shiro's arm with the end of his pencil, finally snapping Shiro out of his lovestruck trance.

"Hey!" Matt snapped. "Quit staring at him and pay attention to me."

Shiro blinked. Keith was seated toward the front of the room, idly staring at his phone just like everyone else. Shiro finally managed to tear his eyes off him to look at Matt. "Sorry," he sighed. "Were you saying something?"

"Just that we might be watching a movie in class today-man, you've really got it bad for him, don't you?"

Shiro responded by trying to hide behind his hand.

Matt shook his head sadly. "This is tragic. Why don't you just go say hi?"

"Matt, you've seen what happens when I try to talk to him."

"Oh yeah, like when you tried to back away and bumped into some people carrying lu-"

"We don't talk about that," Shiro cut him off. "But yes, like that. And it's not like I can just walk up and say hi out of nowhere. That would be weird."

"It's not that weird," Matt supplied helpfully. "You're already, uh...a friend of his friend. That's a connection."

Shiro side-eyed him. Matt knew he was reaching for straws now, and he wasn't even entirely correct. Allura was more of a colleague to Shiro than a friend. An acquaintance. Definitely not close enough for her to set him up with her friend.

"Just let it go, Matt," Shiro replied at last. "He's already got a million pretty girls to choose from, why would he go for some guy who looks like he's 28?"

Matt merely blinked slowly in response. Before he could say more, the teacher finally stood up to get their attention and announced that they would, in fact, be watching a movie.

"Well, I'm out," Matt declared. He quickly took off his glasses and plopped his head down on his desk, already half asleep. "Wake me up when the bell rings."

Shiro rolled his eyes but made no move to stop him.

His day went by fairly normally after that, uneventful aside from idle chit chat with some classmates and his prosthetic arm acting weird like it sometimes did. Nothing else really happened until lunch time, when he and Matt went out to the quad to meet who looked to be Matt's smaller clone, but was actually just his little sister Pidge.

"So, it looks like the schedule for the clubs got all mixed up," Pidge was saying, mouth full of food. "Everyone on the mailing list was confused as hell because there were announcements that robotics club was moved, and a bunch of people found the anime club members in our room. Anything to say about that, Mr. VP?"

"New vice principal," Shiro replied simply. "Lubos decided that he wants to get more involved with student activities, but he's kinda messing everything up. Allura's doing what she can to manage it though."

Pidge scoffed. "Yeah, if she's not too busy managing all her boyfriends," she muttered.

"Pidge."

"Sorry, sorry," Pidge held her hands up. "That was uncalled for. Just kinda slipped out."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Still can't let go of your raging hateboner for Allura?"

"I don't hate her," Pidge insisted. "She just kinda rubs me the wrong way."

"How come?" Shiro asked with a frown. "Have you ever tried talking to her, Pidge? I work with her all the time, she's perfectly nice."

Pidge leaned on the table and tilted her head at him. "Shiro," she began cheekily. "I know you probably haven't noticed since your head is a giant rainbow pride parade, but Allura is a pretty girl. She has nice hair, a nice smile, and big boobs, and boys don't stop constantly drooling over her like dogs."

Shiro grimaced. "I know that, Pidge. So, you're jealous?"

"Nooo," Pidge denied with a wave of her hand. "I just find it kind of unnerving that the girl goes around with a trail of guys wrapped around her finger, is all. A bit scary."

"Ah, to be popular," Matt mused, completely ignoring his sister's rant. "Wonder what it's like."

Pidge took a breath through her nose and decided it was best to switch the subject. "Anyway, speaking of rainbows, how did this morning go?"

"Ha!" Matt laughed, while Shiro groaned into his hand.

"Did anything happen?" Pidge asked eagerly. "Come on, give me the details!"

"What details? He just stared at the back of his head like he always does!"

"What? Aw, come on, Shiro, you can do better! Hurry up and ask him out so we can get started planning your wedding."

Shiro's hand slid down his face. "I don't know why I even hang out with you guys."

Pidge was snickering. "Aww, come on Shiro, you know you love us-oh," her smile disappeared and she raised an eyebrow at something past him. "Speak of the devil."

Shiro's heart jumped and he turned expecting to see Keith, but instead, Allura was the one standing behind them, holding a clipboard to her chest and smiling nervously at Shiro.

Pidge looked downward as Allura quickly headed over, waving sweetly as she stopped by where they sat. "Hi," she began softly. "Sorry to interrupt, but can I steal Shiro for a second? Emergency student council meeting."

"I mean, sure," Pidge mumbled. "We don't own the guy."

"What's going on?" Shiro asked Allura, and she just tugged on his arm in response.

"I'll tell you on the way," Allura said as she dragged him away from his friends. "The New York thing just sunk, we've only got a little bit of time to get things back on track."

"Wait, what? What happened?"

"Lubos. What else do you think happened?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

Allura shook her head sadly.

"Hey, Allura!" a male voice suddenly cried out. "Where are you going?"

The voice, of course, belonged to Keith, whom they'd just passed along with two other guys standing around in the corner. Shiro looked somewhere else.

"Sorry, Keith!" Allura hollered back. "Student council! Can't talk! See you!"

"Wha-you're just gonna leave me with this guy?"

"This guy," whose name Shiro vaguely recalled to be Lance, ignored Keith's apparent annoyance with him and just yelled even louder after Allura. "Hey wait! Are you going to cancel the talent show? Don't do that, I've been perfecting my act all summer!"

Allura ignored him, and Shiro was finally able to breathe as they turned a corner to their usual meeting room.

Everyone inside was chattering with excitement and concern. Allura finally let go of Shiro's wrist and, in a demonstration of her utter lack of tact, she stomped over to the whiteboard, picked up a pen and wrote in all caps: NEW YORK: CANCELLED!

The chatter got louder. Somebody screamed.

Shiro rubbed his head in anticipation of a future headache, before raising two fingers to his mouth and whistling as loud as he could. Everyone finally shut up, and Allura gave him a grateful smile. That whistle of his was probably the reason she chose Shiro to be her VP in the first place (she called it his "commanding presence").

"Thank you," she breathed. She then turned to the room with a serious expression. "Okay, everyone. As you've probably figured by now, The class trip to New York has been sunk. Apparently our new vice principal thinks our class can't handle flying in a plane and staying in a hotel for a week."

"Oh, come on!" Someone called out. "We spent all of last semester campaigning for that!"

"I know, I know," Allura sighed. "You all worked so hard for it, and I'm frustrated too. But it seems like we'll have to pull together and come up with another class event for the spring. We have two months to prepare."

"Luckily," Shiro spoke up. "We found out now instead of in November. We still have time to come up with something and pull it together. If anyone has ideas, just shout them out."

The room was quiet for a moment, before a girl in the back spoke up shyly, "Take a plane somewhere...closer?"

"Amusement park trip?" someone else said.

"Wait!" said a third. "What about a camping trip?"

That seemed to catch their attention, and the whole council started to discuss the logistics. Allura seemed relieved that this group of people had chosen an idea so quickly. Of course, taking an entire class on a camping trip was kind of a huge deal, and if this didn't go over well with the vice principal, who knows what they would do.

After a few more minutes of talking about campsites and budget, Allura decided that she felt better, and dismissed the council to go get some lunch.

When they were gone, Allura gathered up her stuff and shot a smile toward Shiro. "Thanks for coming on such short notice," she told him. "They only just told me about the cancellation this morning, so I panicked."

"It's no problem," Shiro said. "I know this whole new vice principal thing's been annoying."

"Yeah, honestly? I'm this close to just calling it quits and making you the pres instead."

"Please don't. I can't do this alone."

Allura laughed. "I'm kidding. Anyway, keep your eye on the group chat, we've got a ton of stuff to talk about."

She definitely wasn't joking about that, as even right after lunch, the student council group text was going crazy, with everyone remembering new details that needed to be sorted out and wanting to get everything done today. Unfortunately, Shiro couldn't exactly whistle and calm them down over a group text, and he didn't want to be caught texting in class anyway. So he was content to just watch the messages fly across his screen while the teacher droned on about the book they were currently studying.

"Hey, Shiro."

Shiro didn't hear his name being whispered from nearby, instead frowning at the one girl typing in all caps and freaking everyone out. Maybe he could just type out one message before things got out of hand. He didn't want to have to deal with panic at the next meeting.

"Shiro."

Shiro blinked, making a mental note to maybe set some rules for the group chat later, and finally looked up. Who the heck was whispering his name right now when the teacher was-oh god it's Keith.

Keith was turned around in his seat, looking like something out of a movie, and was staring at him expectantly while whispering something Shiro didn't hear.

"Huh?" Shiro managed to choke out.

"Pencil," Keith spoke a little louder, and this time he pointed somewhere under Shiro's chair.

Shiro followed his finger and noticed the pencil that he'd apparently dropped. Trying not to choke on his own heartbeat, he picked it up and handed it to him without daring to say anything or look directly at him.

"Thanks," Keith took the pencil from him and turned back toward the front. That was it for him, but not for Shiro.

It really shouldn't be a big deal that Keith knew his name, they were classmates after all, but Shiro had already convinced himself for his own peace of mind that Keith wasn't aware of his existence. Now he couldn't help but overthink and wonder if Keith remembered all the dumb things Shiro done in an attempt to talk to him, or if he ever noticed Shiro unintentionally staring. Or hey, maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe Allura had mentioned Shiro favorably. Perhaps he could consider Matt's proposition on that whole "friend of friend" idea.

The teacher was still talking, but there was no way Shiro would be able to pay attention today. He also decided not to reply to the bgroup chat after all or he'd just end up screaming like everyone else.

Next: Keith POV