Note:
Next chapter is the last chapter before I take a hiatus. I'm going to enjoy Christmas with my family. Then when I get home, I'm going to do some plotting for the last part of this story. Once I've got the last half of the story written, I'll start posting again.
There is a park between his and Shiro's place. It's less trees and playground equipment, than wide open spaces with a running path. The student population has laid claim to it, and you can hardly pass the place at any hour of day or without seeing some small cluster of young adults playing ultimate Frisbee or just drunkly chasing each other to and fro.
Keith's never had reason to use it, his favorite physical activities benefit more from gym mats than grass and star gazing is an out of town pass time, but now it's a convenient shortcut between him and his destination. Unfortunately he's not the only one who thinks so.
Maybe Lance is right, maybe the Universe is conspiring against him right now, because he's barely entered before he's drawn up short by two very familiar people. None other than Hunk and Lance, casually strolling down the running path he'd decided to take.
Their backs are to him, so he's safe for now. If he turns tail and runs they'll be none the wiser to how close they came to contact, but something stops him. This is his first chance to observe Lance since he found out about his illness. Right now he's not trying to put his best foot forward or convince Keith. Lance is just Lance, and Lance looks fine.
He's talking to Hunk as if he's never heard the term indoor voice. Laughing at a joke, Keith can't hear. His complexion is healthy, and there are no signs to show he's dying. Exactly how for along is the Hanahaki? Lance said a while, but that's not exactly a useful time measurement.
Maybe he's not as bad as-Lance jerks to a stop. A coughing fit double Lance over, shaking with a hand to his mouth. Hunk is saying something, reaching out to support his friend, but Lance doesn't seem to hear. His knees give out, falling to the ground back heaving, as if he can't breathe.
Keith's running without thinking, covering the distance between them to kneel down by his friend's side. Up close he can hear the wheezing, see a few bloody petals already spread on the concrete. Lance isn't getting air. The flowers lodged in his throat won't let enough past, "Come on man you can do this," Keith says, hand reaching out to pat his back uselessly, "You're too stubborn of a bastard to die here," He has to be. Keith doesn't know the Heimlich maneuver, and an ambulance would never arrive in time.
His heaves grow harder, and maybe Keith's words really help, because a second later, something finally breaks loose and Lance is hacking up a clump of petals to drop to the ground in front of him. Lance sucks in a deep breath and immediately coughs it back out with some more flower detritus, but his windpipe is clear. He's going to be okay. For now.
That was too close, Lance couldn't breathe. How often is this happening? How many times has Lance had a brush with death? Is this what sent his mother to Keith's door?
Lance catches his breath and sits up. He spots Keith and a smile breaks out on his face, "Well what do you know, I thought I'd heard the voice of an angel. Couldn't get me off your mind could eh?" Lance says cheekily, like flirting is somehow an appropriate response to this situation.
Keith frowns, staring down at the flowers that had so recently been trying to choke the life out of his friend. This is what Lance's end will look like, "Lance, this has gone too far. We nearly lost you. You need to see a surgeon," Keith says. If anything could reach him, wouldn't a near death experience be it?
"Hey," Lance touches Keith's cheek. Keith startles glancing up at Lance. The softness there makes no sense, "I told you. When you love someone, nothing is more important. That means I won't ever give up on you."
"Even if you die?" Keith says, but deep in his gut he already knows the answer. It's the one that had Hunk asking Keith to give him a chance. The one that leaves Keith responsible for a mother's tears.
"Even then," Lance says without missing a beat.
"You're serious aren't you," Keith says, but he doesn't understand. Lance has everything going for him. A mom who loves him. Friends who will put everything on the line for him. A promising future. The social skills to make others care about him, and he's willing to risk it all just to get Keith to date him. Why? Why make Keith decide if gets to keep all that?
"Yep," Lance says, popping his p, and that is that. Lance has made his decision, he won't change. Only Keith can save him, and Lance's mother, she's, she's right. If he doesn't, he's just as guilty as if he strangled Lance with his own two hands. Standing by while he dies, when he could save him, that is just as good as murder. Who is he to do that to Lance, to all the people that love Lance?
Keith takes a deep breath, "…okay then,"
"Huh?" Lance quirks his head to the side.
"Okay, I'll go out with you," Six words to seal his fate and save Lance's life.
Lance's eyes go wide, "Really?" He says.
"Yeah.." Keith nods.
Abruptly Keith is being bowled over, he barely catches himself before he ends up flat on his back with a happy Lance on top of him. Lips are pressed against his own in an overly eager kiss, before disappearing just as fast as they came, "Oh my god, this is the best day of my life!" Lance exclaims, and he's standing, dragging Keith along with him, "Hunk did you hear him. He said yes!" Lance turns to his best friend.
"I heard man," Hunk says, patient to his friend's excitability, "Congratulations."
"There is so much I want to do. So many things I want to show you. Have you been dancing? I should take you dancing!" Lance hardly seems to breath as rattles on, wrapping an arm around Keith's shoulders and pulling him close, "No, no, wait, I need to tell mom. She'll be so excited! She's wanted to meet you forever. You can come over for dinner, she'd love to cook for you."
That's a terrible idea, "I don't think, she likes me." Keith says. After their earlier meeting, even agreeing to date Lance may not be enough to abate her anger at him.
"Don't be silly, I love you. She'll love you too." Lance brushes off Keith's concerns, "You can come over tomorrow for Sunday lunch. Wait until you taste her food, you'll never want to eat something from a microwave again." But he likes his microwave food, it's all food he picked for himself that he knows he'll enjoy. Some pop song he doesn't recognize, sounds from Lance's pants, "Ah, hold on, that's her now." Lance fishes his ringing phone from his pocket, "Mom! You'll never believe the news!" Lance steps away, to recount the last few minutes in hyper detail. Leaving Keith and Hunk to standing there, waiting for him.
Hunk glances over him, "Thanks man," Hunk gestures between him and Lance, "For doing this."
Keith blinks at him for a moment. His whole body feels like it's vibrating. Whiplash, from to much to quickly, but Hunk is waiting for an answer. Keith looks away and shrugs, "I don't want to see him die either."
Hunk nods, "He's a good guy, he'll treat you right. You'll see." The words don't bring as much comfort as he thinks Hunk intends them to. What does it matter how Lance treats him. He said yes to save him, what kind of boyfriend he turns out to be hardly matters.
"Alright! We are on for tomorrow." Lance announces, walking back, "Now come on, we've got to snap some photos. Mom wants to see, and oh man, I need to update facebook." Keith finds himself being tugged along into his new life.
