Graduation day dawned clear and bright. Jeff and Keith were up before the sun, as always; they went out into the courtyard and performed their morning Tai Chi, then went for a run. On their return, they showered with a minimum of their usual fooling around, then joined their teammates for breakfast. Jeff loaded his plate with bacon, eggs, and hash browns; Keith chose a fruit salad and oatmeal. They both got coffee and sat down across from Lance, who was propped on his elbows, cigarette in one hand, coffee in the other. "You two are entirely too cheerful for this damn early," he growled, glaring at the couple.

Keith shrugged. "Not our fault you and Cliff decided to close every bar in town last night. You're lucky the MPs didn't haul you in. Where is your partner in crime, anyway?"

"Still sorting out whether he's dead or alive." Lance took a last gulp of coffee. "I'm not so sure myself." He crushed out his cigarette and stood up. "Parents will be here in an hour; I'd better go shower and get dressed. Maybe by then I'll feel human." He dragged himself out the door; Keith and Jeff watched him for a minute, then burst out laughing.

"Those two will never change," Jeff said with a shake of his head. "You're going to have your hands full with Lance on Arus." When he got no answer, he looked over at his partner, who was staring down at his breakfast, face ghostly white, hands shaking. "Koibito? What's wrong?"

"Parents," Keith whispered, so softly that Jeff barely heard him. "All I ever wanted was for my parents to see me graduate from the Academy, to hear them tell me how proud they were of me." Tears shone in his eyes; Jeff pulled him to his feet and quickly guided him back to their room.

Once the door was closed and locked behind them, Jeff folded Keith in his arms as the Japanese man lost the battle with his tears. "It's all right, sweetheart. I love you, I'm so very proud of you." Keith just sobbed into his shoulder, and not for the first time Jeff cursed the elder Koganes. When Keith had finally told them he was gay, just barely a year ago, they had responded with a formal letter, stating that they had no son named Keith Akira. Keith had been devastated; Jeff had had to hide his katana for more than a month. Damn, I thought he was over this, he thought. Silently, he pulled an unresisting Keith down to the bed and held him, smoothing his hair and rocking him.

The tears finally died away, and Keith jerked up. "What time is it? We have to get ready; we're going to be late!"

Jeff laughed and pulled Keith back down on top of him. "Relax! Nobody's going to be looking for us until the luncheon! We have all morning to ourselves."

Keith looked down at him. "Well, in that case, whatever shall we do with ourselves?" he purred, and captured Jeff's lips in a searing kiss.

Jeff flipped them over and deepened the kiss. "I can think of a few things," he gasped when they came up for air. "But we're wearing too many clothes for most of them." He pulled Keith's shirt over his head, then paused, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Slowly he slid his arms around his lover, then attacked his ribs, tickling madly. Keith shrieked and gave as good as he got. The outcome was inevitable and left them both panting and sated.

Keith pulled Jeff down to his chest and kissed him softly. "I love you, Jeff Dukane. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Jeff toyed with Keith's dog tags. "I love you too. I'll never let anything separate us." He lay content in his lover's arms, listening to Keith's heart as it slowed to its usual steady beat. "Keith? I'm sorry I cost you your parents."

Keith stroked Jeff's back, occasionally running his fingers up into his tangled curls. "You didn't," he said after a long silence. "Their attitude cost them their son. That is NOT your fault, nor is it mine. I have no regrets." He sat up, bringing Jeff with him. "Although, you still have to tell me where you hid my katana all that time."

Jeff grinned. "No, I don't. My secret, Kogane. Come on, let's get dressed and go out. See what our friends are up to." He pushed Keith out of bed. "Go, get in the shower. I'll get the uniforms together."

Soon, they were walking through the campus, looking for Lance and the rest of their friends. Jeff snuck a look at his partner. Keith cut quite a figure in the midnight blue dress uniform of a Garrison cadet. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the slim cut of the uniform highlighted the muscles and dancer's grace that lay beneath. Damn, it's gonna be a long day if I can't get my hands on him, Jeff thought with a grin.

"Keith! Jeff!" Lance came up to them, his parents and sister following. "Glad I finally found you! This is my mom, Denise and my dad, Charles. Mom, Dad, this is my commander, Keith Kogane, and our teammate Jeff Dukane."

"Nice to meet you; Lance has told us a lot about you." Charles McClain was a rough-looking man; the high school linebacker gone to seed. "You've got to tell me your secret for keeping this knucklehead in line."

Keith grinned. "Extra duty works wonders, sir. Lance is a good guy when he wants to be; I'm glad to have him on my team."

Charles chuckled. "I'm just happy he's still chasing girls. I've heard stories about places like this turnin' boys queer; what the hell's the use of being a hot pilot if you don't use it to get girls, right? Shouldn't even let damn faggots in the damn service."

Keith and Jeff were frozen; Lance wanted to sink into the ground. "I suppose you're right, sir," Keith said after a few minutes. "If you will be kind enough to excuse us, Cadet Dukane and I have some last minute details to attend to before the ceremony. It was very nice to meet you." He glanced at Lance. "Remember we have to be in formation by 1300. Don't be late." He turned and walked away with Jeff; Lance wheeled to face his father.

"Nice going, Dad!" he snapped. "I told you to leave that prejudiced bullshit at home! I can NOT believe you embarrassed me like that in front of my commander!" He paced back and forth. "I've got a good mind to tell you to go home after that!"

Charles chuckled. "Now, son, it wasn't so bad. I can tell that commander of yours doesn't like faggots anymore than I do; why, he actually agreed with me!"

Lance clenched his fists until he felt blood in his palms. "He was being polite, Dad. You were making enough of an ass out of yourself without him escalating things. I happen to know he couldn't possibly disagree with you any more than he does." He glanced at his watch. "I've got to go; I'll see you both after the ceremony." He kissed his mother's cheek and set off without so much as a glance at his father.

As soon as he got to the staging area, he made a beeline for Keith and Jeff, who were standing to one side talking to their senior instructor. He saluted, then stood at parade rest and waited for the senior officer to move on. Once he did—"Guys, I am so sorry for my dad. He's an idiot."

"We know." Jeff grinned. "His only redeeming quality is that he gave us you. Otherwise, he's an ass."

"We aren't mad at you, and he really didn't upset us," Keith put in. "We've heard worse. But I had to walk away before I lost my temper."

Lance grinned with relief. "Well, let's get this thing done, then!" He and Jeff jogged to their places; Keith took the command position at the head of the formation, and they all marched into the stadium.

The ceremony went by quickly. To his surprise, Lance got the award for most outstanding pilot; to no one's surprise, Keith won the awards for strategy and tactics, military history, and hand to hand combat. Soon it was over, and the new officers dispersed to meet up with friends and family. Lance saw his parents headed for him; the look on his father's face was all too familiar. "I really don't need this," he sighed.

Keith and Jeff both put a hand on his shoulder. "He can't do anything," Jeff said quietly. "You're an officer of Galaxy Garrison now; he can't touch you."

Lance nodded grimly, then squared his shoulders and walked over to his parents. "Oh, baby, you looked great up there!" his mother gushed, kissing his cheek. "We're so proud of you!"

Charles glowered. "Saw you hanging around those damn faggots," he snarled. "Guess you're one too, now. Well, I know how to cure you of that!"He drew back a fist and swung at Lance, intent on beating him into submission as he had so many times before.

Lance was ready for him. He caught the punch easily, using the older man's momentum to flip him over and land him on the grass. "I'm not a scared 10 year old anymore, DAD," Lance spat, shaking with fury. "I can take you out, and you're damned lucky I've got enough control not to kill you." He turned to his mother. "Mom, I'm sorry. I can't put up with him anymore; I won't put up with him anymore. I've got too much else on my plate to deal with him. I love you, but as long as you're with him, you won't see me again." He wrapped her in his arms for a long minute, then turned and headed back toward his room. Behind him he vaguely heard the MPs picking his father up and escorting him off the Academy grounds.

Keith was waiting for him outside their dorm. "You OK?"

Lance nodded tersely, still fighting to control his temper. "I will be. You saw?"

Keith nodded. "Long overdue, from what you've told me; you won't catch any flak from me for it." He pushed himself off the wall. "Sven, Jeff, and I are going out to dinner. Come with us?"

Lance hesitated, then grinned. "Sure. We've got a lot of celebrating to do!" He slung his arm around his commander's shoulders, and they walked down the hall to their waiting teammates. School was finally over; he couldn't wait to see what lay in store on Arus.