Chapter Four: The Stairs Are Better Anyways PART TWO
"So we live at the same campus, on the same floor, in the same hallway, go to the same gym and you still don't think it's fate yelling at us to be friends?" Keith threw a flirty half grin. Lance felt his stomach flip.
"Nope," he popped the P, "I'm here to work."
Keith pouted a little but tried to continue some form of the one sided conversation and Lance pounded the top floor button repeatedly.
"So.. You said you were a businessman?"
"Yeah, why?"
"My brother, Shiro, he runs a large computer business. Largest in Japan, second in global trade and the stocks are at a large incline," Keith paused, "What does that tell you?"
"That you look up to your brother and you need no help in business," Lance rolled his eyes.
"I do love my brother, best man I've ever met," Keith smiled.
"Lucky you. My brother is disowned and dead," Lance sighed not even realizing he had let it slip as he gave up on the button.
"I'm so sorry," Keith frowned and gave up on the conversation. Just as the words left his dry mouth the elevator rumbled to life again and they started to climb again.
"It's fine, it was a while ago and I hadn't even seen him since he came out as gay. That was like four years before he and his fiance died in a car crash. I was 9," Lance got to his feet grabbing his gym bag from the ground.
Keith stayed in silence as Lance hurried down the hall to the men's locker room.
They both changed hurriedly trying to keep their appointments in check. Lance made it in time to set up and get the CD in the boombox before his class arrived.
"Good morning, ladies," Lance grinned at the women he could tell were from all stretches of life but mostly richer women in fairly fit builds. Lance went along teaching the class with a small amount of breaks for the women to stretch out muscles they most likely didn't even know they had. During a break, Lance gazed out the hip to ceiling plexiglass windows that looked into the track area, where a topless Keith was doing drills on the multicolored track that seemed to stretch a football field. Keith clearly tired, tipped his bottle over his head. Lance visibly shaken was approached by a woman in her mid-30's.
"He's a cutie," the woman smirked, "Dating or admiring from afar?"
"What?" Lance felt the color drain from his face and the moisture disappear from his mouth.
"The sprinter," the woman answered, "He yours?"
"Oh! God no! I'm straight, I just am wondering about the scars," Lance paused and looked back at the boy now studying the pale, shiny scars, "Makes me feel uneasy, what if he was a criminal?"
"Sure he is. He must be for that haircut," another woman cut in making a noise in the back of her throat, "I mean he has that tone and the eyes but the hair makes me cringe."
Lance almost agreed with the women, he was hot but he can't do that at the minute. He had a pretty girl downstairs that was going to give him a chance. He couldn't be a screw up like his brother, he reminded himself. His father would destroy anything Lance had going for him, no person would hire him after all. That's what he thought at least.
Keith was taking a break to cool off before a few more drills before heading off to grab some snacks for Pidge. He looked about for something to steal his attention from the track. Out of the corner eye he saw a flirish of color and he followed it, in the large windows that stretched across the building, he saw Lance. Lance was holding himself upside down with his legs explaining something to a room full of women whom were looking at him confused. One of the women said something and everyone started to laugh. Lance also was laughing, Keith even had to stifle a laugh as Lance slid down the silk that his legs were encased in.
"That's not appropriate Mrs.Lincoln!" Lance laughed.
"Shush up eum youngin'," Velma Lincoln, a grandmother almost in her 70's, hushed the boy. She knew what she said and the women were having a laugh. Lance couldn't deny, it was funny.
"Wrap your foot here," Lance giggled as he tried to go on teaching. Four directions later he had to start again since no one was paying attention.
At the end of class, Lance chimed that they were a great class and was happy to teach them. The women seemed to be still joking around about the thing Velma had said. Lance knew his next class was in a half hour and he could do what he pleased till then so he did. After switching out the sweaty silk with fresh ones, he climbed up the cloth to the top and wrapped his legs in it like a web. He swirled gracefully then rolled down the silk stopping a few feet from the floor. He crawled up the silk like a spider making a beautiful design. Keith smiled in the doorway watching the other boy twisting like a fish or maybe a bird, he couldn't decide.
The dance was smooth and when Lance was done he stayed wrapped upside down with his eyes closed. He felt the most free he has for a long time. He was at peace.
"That was beautiful, Lancelot."
Lance, startled, dropped from the silk and landed on his back with a thump.
"Oh my.. Are you okay?" Keith started to hurry in to help him up.
"Wha…" Lance cleared the stutter from his voice, "What are you doing in here?"
"I wanted to say I saw part of your class, I thought the dance was stunning."
"By scaring me?" Lance grumbled.
"How'd you learn to do this," Keith waved his arms at the colorful silks flowing from ceiling and curling around themselves like cats in the sunlight. Lance smiled shyly and looked about the room.
"Self taught for the most part, I took a few classes to learn official names but," he cleared his throat, "I dated a cheerleader one year and she convinced me to join the cheer team and I did it in my free time whenever my dad wasn't at the games. I got a lot of core and leg strength from it."
Keith smiled soft, "That's sweet, you joining a cheerleading team for your girlfriend."
Lance just muttered and restarted the CD, "If you're so amazed, take my class. More people who want to take my class, the more money I make."
"Hmm tempting but not today maybe next month," Keith smiled.
Lance just shook his head till Keith perked up, "What are you doing later?"
"I'm going out to a party with Nyma since my roommate is going out for a DND game," Lance shook his head.
"Oh," Keith was defeated but he was still silently kicked himself.
Keith headed back to the dorm after picking up snacks for Pidge, meanwhile Pidge was just getting out of their last class for the day.
"Katherine, come here please," Mr. Lincoln hiss between clenched teeth.
"Pidge," Pidge repeated as they moved to the teacher's desk.
"Katherine," he huffed, "come here before I drop your grade for disrespectful behavior."
"How is asking you to call me my preferred name disrespectful, sir?" Pidge tilted their head.
"You are female, Katherine. You should act it."
"You're an English teacher; you should act it."
His face was the look of pure anger and hatred but fell silent as he handed their paper back with a large red 68% on it. Lowest grade they had ever received. Pidge nodded and sat back down. They looked over it, she forgot a few commas, used "whom" when "who" should have been used and their closing statement was not written well enough for the Mr. Lincoln's standards. Pidge was ready to scream but they stayed calm and smiled softly ahead while they took the notes. After the last note taken they were let out of the class and Pidge collected their stuff and hurried off. On their way they texted Shiro.
Pidge: Hi?
Shiro quickly responded.
Shiro: Hoe are you love? How was class? Is that teacher still being a donkey?
Shiro: Hoe*Shiro: hoee*Shiro: H. O. W.* how how how how*
Pidge giggled, Shiro was still getting used to texting. Being a CEO and owner of a multibillion dollar company, meaning he gets more phone calls than text messages. He was cute when he was texting though, he'd stick out his tongue while finding letters or current punctuation and even emojis.
Pidge: Still a donkey m8Shiro: M8???Pidge: It's like a dead meme. Nvm.Shiro: Oh Okay. Call when you get back to the dorm?Pidge: Arent U @ work?Shiro: Maybe? But I'm the boss, am I going to fire me?Pidge: K call you soon 3
Pidge hurried off to get home ignoring the "He/She" jokes as they passed. Pidge saw Keith with bags of salty and sweet things for them.
"Keitthhhhhhhh," Pidge called out running towards him, "You has the fooooooooddddd!"
He laughed then copied Pidge's words from days before, "Yassssss, I has da fooooood."
Pidge grabbed the store bags from him and hurried to the door, "I'm calling your bro joe once we get upstairs, wanna join or be a bum?"
Keith pondered for a moment, "I'll be a bum for a little cause I need a shower but then I'm stealing my brother's attention from youuuuu."
Pidge snuggled into their blankets and started putting up their computer that they made with spare parts in Japan. Shiro offered to give Pidge a new computer, but they had refused and built their own. Shiro was so impressed he took them under his wing and they became very close and became a bit more than friends. Shiro was only 3 years older than Pidge after all and living in the room next to his, Pidge would hear him wake up with a start and they would walk in with tea and calm their friend. Till one night, Shiro was crying when Pidge came in. He had a dream his brother had died, he and his brother stayed on the phone for hours. It was 3am when Pidge curled up in Shiro's vacant bed that was still warm and fell asleep wrapped in his fluffy blankets. Pidge awoke to Shiro kissing their forehead, he apologized and mentioned how he was checking for a fever. Pidge had just smiled and in a sleepy state pulled their friend into bed and curled up around him. When they awoke Shiro had his arms around Pidge and they were cuddling. They spent the rest of the weekend like that watching movies and piggyback rides to get snacks.
Rover dinged as it finally turned on. Pidge pulled up the video chat website they use and called up their boyfriend.
Lance on the other hand, just finished work and rushed back to the dorms to change before heading out to the party. Black skinny jeans and a button up opening the door he saw Keith standing in front of his door with wet hair and a My Chemical Romance shirt matching his black jeans with chains hanging from his belt loops.
"Oh, hey Pretty Boy," Keith smiled over his shoulder at his neighbor.
"Oh shut it Hot Topic," Lance hissed.
"Aw you think I'm hot," Keith smirked.
"I must be in hell already," Lance muttered and locked his door putting his key around his neck.
"Off to the party?"
"Yeah bye," Lance quickly left and almost ran to the party where Nyma got him in.
"Hey cutie, ready to party?" She winked at him before getting a drink in his hand. As the night moves on everything blurs together and he starts to feel dizzy. The flashing lights and loud music makes him throw up while walking home. His head was spinning and he barely made it to the front door of the door before he splayed out on the ground.
"Prettyyyy," he giggled looking at the stars.
"Lancelot?" Keith was taking a walk since he couldn't find sleep but he found Lance instead.
"Oh it's keeeeeef. Hi Keeef!" Lance giggled drunkenly.
"Oh darn it, you're drunk aren't you? Ugh I have to help you now."
"Halp prince of thy dark and brute. Help till thy soul grow weary," Lance slurred.
"Prince huh?" Keith grunted pulling Lance to his feet and wrapped his arm around Lance's back. They started to walk together Lance saying cheesy pick up lines under his breath.
"Hey Keef," Lance said a little louder as Keith pulled him into the door to the dorm.
"Yeah?"
"You have pretty eyes and I like when you smile. I can't like you thou, dad would kill me. You are cute though."
"Thanks Pretty Boy," Keith smiled at how cute Lance was drunk.
"I like everything about you, I wish I was like you," Lance started to cry, "I wish my brother was still here. I miss him. I miss him. I miss him so much. You're like him. He was a runner too…"
Keith and Lance moved in silence to Lance's door and Lance clawed at his necklace for the key and tried to unlock his door but his hands were too unsteady. Keith grabbed the key and unlocked the door marked with Lance's name.
Keith picked Lance up bridal style and tucked him into the bed that was under a picture of him with, what Keith guessed was, his family. Keith tucked the other boy in on his side and kissed his forehead to cure him from his nightmares like Shiro always did for him when they were little. After their parents died in a car accident killing his sister too…
"Sweet dreams Pretty Boy."