"I'm gonna go head off and have a shower," Lance said as he wrapped his arms around Keith's waist as the raven did the dishes. His chin resting on Keith's shoulder as he kissed the side of his neck softly.
"Alright," Keith answered with a nod. "Did you still wanna watch that movie tonight?"
"Hell yeah," Lance answered with a laugh. "I've been dying to watch it, Hunk and Shay have already seen it."
Lance pressed a kiss against Keith's cheek and headed off to the bathroom, just as Keith was finishing the dishes, placing the last plate into the dishrack and watching the water drip back off into the sink.
Keith dried his hands and headed over to the couch, clearing it of junk that was on it and placing it on the clean kitchen table. Smiling seeing the framed picture of him and Lance on the top of the pile, Lance had printed it off after their 3 year anniversary last week and gave it to him as a present, Keith just hadn't had the time to find a spot on his wall and hang it up.
Lance's phone dinged from where it sat on the counter and Keith turned to it as he placed the photo down. Lance had never minded him going through his phone, he never had anything to hide from him. They were pretty open with each other. Keith recognized the text tone as the one Lance had set for his mother and went to check the phone, knowing it was probably his mother wishing him a good night since he was sleeping over at Keith's tonight.
However, Keith felt his smile drop when he saw the message from Rosa.
Mama 3: Nyma agreed to meet next month to start marriage planning, her father will be by next month as well to discuss the merging of the companies. Let me know what day works best for you. Love you, goodnight!
Keith couldn't believe his eyes, who was Nyma? And why was she coming to discuss marriage planning?
Keith was lost in his own thoughts as he went through the messages from Rosa. They were all the same and Nyma came up several times. As did the topic of marriage and…fiancée!?
Nyma was Lance's fiancée!?
Keith's head turned as Lance came out from down the hall, towelling his damp hair off. Lance froze seeing his phone in Keith's hands, his hands shaking and his eyes wide in shock.
"What's wrong?" Lance asked as he placed the towel on the back of the couch. "Are you okay?" Lance asked.
"Who's Nyma?" Keith asked placing Lance's phone on the table. "And why is she coming to discuss marriage plans with you?"
"I-"
"What happened to no secrets between us?" Keith asked turning to Lance with a soft glare. "Why didn't you tell me you have a fiancée? You never brought her up, not even once. Why?"
"I meant to," Lance said with a sigh. "I just didn't know the best way to tell you."
"How long?" Keith asked sitting down at the kitchen table.
"We've known each other since I was eight, we got engaged when I turned graduated high school," Lance answered softly.
"So the whole time, we were together," Keith said turning to Lance. "The three years that we've been together, you've been keeping this a secret from me."
"Yes," Lance answered with a whisper.
"Whatever happened to telling your parents? To telling them the truth?" Keith asked glaring up at Lance. "Was all just a lie?"
"No!" Lance exclaimed with a shake of his head. "I meant what I said, I-I was just scared of what my parents would say."
"Because of Veronica," Keith said with a sigh. He remembered Lance telling him the story of his sister Veronica, how their parents disowned her after she came out to them. "So were you just playing me this whole time? Everything you said to me, was a lie?"
"No!" Lance exclaimed reaching forward and grabbing Keith's hands. "I meant everything I said to you, I did love you, truly I did."
"Did," Keith sneered pulling his hands out of Lance's with a glare. "So you wanted to break up, is that it?" Keith asked.
"I'm sorry," Lance said in a hushed tone, his head hanging low. "But I have to do this."
"But do you want to?" Keith asked. "You know you always have a place with me, my mom thinks of you as her own son."
Lance was quiet for a few moments before he let out a soft sigh and grabbed his coat which was draped over the back of the couch and slipped it on.
"I'm sorry Keith," Lance said grabbing his phone and slipped it into his coat pocket. "Really I am."
"Yeah," Keith said as he turned away from Lance, tears stinging his eyes. "So am I."
Lance turned and slipped his sneakers on, he spared one last look at Keith before he grabbed his bag and left Keith's apartment.
It was only when Lance left that Keith let the tears spill down his cheeks. He doesn't remember the last time he cried like this, perhaps it was when his mother told him that his dad died. Keith was only eight at the time.
A knock at the door echoed throughout the apartment and Keith took a minute to wipe his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and try to erase any trace that he had been crying, though he knew it wouldn't go away like magic.
He opened the door and was surprised to see his older brother Shiro and his fiancé Adam on the other side. Shiro's smile faded when he saw Keith's red eyes and the red tip of his nose.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Shiro asked.
"We saw Lance on the way up here," Adam said, which almost made Keith start crying at the mention of his name. "I thought you said he was staying the night."
Keith opened his mouth, however, what escaped his mouth weren't words. They were sobs as he started to cry again. Shiro and Adam shared a look with each other before they headed inside and led Keith to the couch where he told them all that had happened.
Lance walked into his house with a sigh. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't shake the heartbroken look on Keith's face out of his mind.
"Lance?" his mother's voice asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. Lance turned to see his mother walking by with a laundry basket full of clean clothes in her arms. "I thought you were sleeping over at Keith's tonight?"
"Keith, uh, ended up getting sick," Lance said rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile on his face. "He didn't want me getting sick so I headed home."
"Oh the poor dear," Rosa said with a frown. "Does he need anything? Maybe I can make him a soup and you can drop it off to him tomorrow."
"Yeah, maybe," Lance said with a sigh. "I'm gonna go to my room."
"Alright love," Rosa said with a smile. "Oh, don't forget to tell me when you have a free day next month so Nyma can come over."
"Right," Lance said with a soft nod, his heart aching at the mention of Nyma. "Well do."
It had been a week since Keith and Lance had broken up. Shiro and Adam had tried their best to help Keith through it but they could only do so much.
Allura and Shay had decided to drop by today, Shay had left the triplets with Hunk for the day so she could focus on Keith.
"Hunk appreciates that you don't hate him for keeping it a secret," Shay said with a soft smile. "He wanted to tell you but Lance made him keep it a secret."
"It's not his fault," Keith said with a sigh. "He was caught between a rock and a hard place, I don't blame him, trust me."
"I'll be sure to pass it along to him," Shay said with a nod.
"How are you and Lotor doing?" Keith asked turning to Allura. Her soft smile fading and a disgusted face replaced it.
"We broke up," Allura said with a sigh. "I wanted to see him before work and so I headed to his apartment where I caught him with some girl, in his bed."
"I'm sorry Allura," Shay said offering her friend a sympathetic smile.
"It's alright, I kind of knew for a while now," Allura said with a reassuring smile, though tears were spilling down her cheeks.
"How?" Keith and Shay asked in unison. Allura wiped her tears and turned to the pair on the couch.
"Well…"
"Last night
I was taking a walk
Along the river
And I saw him together
With a blonde girl
And the look
That he gave her
Made me shiver"
Allura shivered as she remembered the look Lotor gave the girl and sighed.
"Cause' he always used
To look at me that way
And I thought maybe I should walk
Right up to her and say
Ah-ha-ha
It's a game he likes to play"
It was at this moment that Allura dragged Shay up and the pair started singing and dancing. The song was an ABBA song so Keith knew the lyrics. A small smile cracked his face as he watched the girls dance and sing.
"Look into his angel eyes
One look and you're hypnotized
He'll take your heart and you must pay the price
Look into his angel eyes
You'll think you're in paradise
And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise
Don't look too deep into those angel eyes
Oh, no, no, no, no"
Allura and Shay popped back onto the couch beside Keith and that's when Keith frowned. The next set of lyrics described how his heart felt right now.
"Ah-ha-ha, ah-aaaah
Ah-ha-ha, ah-aaaah
Ah-ha-ha
I keep thinking 'bout his angel eyes
I keep thinking, a-aaah"
Keith let out a soft sigh and started singing softly. Memories of him and Lance flashing in his mind. Allura and Shay placed gentle hands on his shoulders in the hopes of comforting him.
"Sometimes when I'm lonely
I sit and think about him
And it hurts to remember all the good times
When I thought I could never live without him
And I wonder does it have to be the same
Every time when I see him
Will it bring back all the pain?
Ah-ha-ha
How can I forget that name?"
Keith hopped off the couch and turned back to Allura and Shay who looked at him in concern until he started doing the same dance they were doing and singing the chorus. The pair smiled before joining in.
"Look into his angel eyes
One look and you're hypnotized
He'll take your heart and you must pay the price
Look into his angel eyes
You'll think you're in paradise
And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise
Don't look too deep into those angel eyes"
Shiro had walked in at some point with Adam through the front door and was surprised to see Keith, Shay, and Allura singing and dancing around the apartment. With shared smiles, they decided to leave the trio to themselves and stood by the doorway.
"Crazy 'bout his angel eyes
Angel eyes
He took my heart now I must pay the price
Look into his angel eyes
You'll think you're in paradise
And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise
Don't look too deep into those angel eyes
Oh, no. no, no, no"
After Allura, Shay, Shiro, and Adam had left after dinner, Keith was left to his own thoughts. His heart clenching seeing the photograph of him and Lance that he seen on the counter. Somehow, Keith hadn't had the heart to replace the photo. Perhaps it was that deep down he still loved Lance and hoped one day he would walk in and beg Keith to take him back.
Keith turned and headed into his bedroom, tossing his bag onto his office chair by his desk.
His hands were shaking as he sat down on his bed, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. No matter what he did or where he looked, everything somehow managed to remind him of Lance. He felt trapped, stuck in a room with no doors or windows, surrounded by memories of Lance.
He couldn't breathe, couldn't move.
"I can't stay here," Keith whispered as tears slipped down his cheeks.
His mom lived with her boyfriend Kolivan in Keith's hometown of Millcreek. Keith and Shiro had moved to Cranston for college and ended up staying there. However, they did go down and visit for holidays and birthdays.
Keith paused his thoughts and froze.
Could he really leave Cranston? He had his friends here and his job was here.
But.
Lance was also here.
Keith glanced around his room and let out a soft sigh. He went to put his jacket away into his closet but froze as soon as he opened the sliding door and caught a whiff of the familiar cologne that Lance used, he pulled out the dark blue jacket Lance left here for him to wear and sniffed it softly.
(A/N: Word=Keith Word=Lance)
"No more carefree laughter
Silence ever after"
Keith sighed and tossed it onto the floor by his bedroom door. He remembered the day Lance gave him the sweater, it was the day Keith took his jacket and Lance tickled him to try and get it back but eventually gave up and said he could have it instead.
"Walking through an empty house
Tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends
This is goodbye"
Keith moved away from his closest and went to empty his work bag with a sigh.
Meanwhile, Lance was in his room while his mother cooked lunch. His heart hurt every time he thought of how hurt and broken Keith looked when he said that he breaking up with him to marry his childhood Nyma to secure the business deal between his father's company and her father's company, merging the two companies.
"Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There is nothing we can do
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it this time we're though
(This time we're through
This time we're really through
This time we're through
We're really through)"
Lance knew there was something he could do but he was just too scared to do anything. When his sister Veronica came out as a lesbian to their parents and that she was dating her coworker Axca, his parents flipped out and kicked her out. Lance knew was gay a few years before he met Keith at Shay and Hunk's wedding but he was too scared to tell his parents because of what happened with his sister.
"Breaking up is never easy, I know
But I have to go
(I have to go
This time, I have to go
This time, I know)
Knowing me, knowing you
It's the best I can do"
He still had some of Keith's stuff here. Just little things his parents wouldn't notice. Like a thin sweater that was in the same style that he wore or a little bracelet Keith lent him but he never gave back.
His parents had been okay with him being friends with Keith, since they kept his sexuality a secret, so they had no issue with them going up to Lance's room to hang out. They figured they would just do what he and Hunk did when they were in high school.
What they didn't know was that it was more than just a friendship behind closed doors.
"Memories, good days, bad days
They'll be with me always
In this old familiar room
Lovers would play
Now there's only emptiness
Nothing to say"
Keith stared at the photos in the frames on his wall before deciding he was going to finally take the photos out and put them away. It hurt too much to look at them. His heart hurting with each one he took out, remembering the happy memories of where they were taken.
"Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There is nothing we can do
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it
This time we're through
(This time we're really through
This time we're through
We're really through)"
Keith finished his photos and grabbed a box from under his bed which used to be Lance's and placed them in there along with the sweater.
"Breaking up is never easy I know
But I have to go
(I have to go
This time, I have to go
This time, I know)
Knowing me, knowing you
It's the best that I can do"
Keith pulled out his phone and pulled up his mother's contact. Sending a quick text message to her before moving on to putting stuff in the box.
"Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There's is nothing we can do
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it this time we're through
(This time we're through
This time we're really through
This time we're through
We're really through)"
Keith sighed as he saw how empty his room seemed now that everything that was Lance's was out of it. He hadn't realized how much of his room was taken up by Lance.
It looked like he was just moving on instead of removing pieces of his heart.
"Breaking up is never easy, I know
But I have to go
(I have to go
This time I have to go
This time I know)
Knowing me, knowing you
It's the best I can do"
Lance piled all of Keith's stuff up and put it into a box he had in his closet. Well, almost everything. The one thing he didn't put in the box was a plain black ring that Lance had engraved with their initials. When his parents asked about it, Keith had said that it was an homage to his grandparents "Katrina" and "Larry". His parents bought it and so it became their secret. Keith had left it in his room by accident and forgot about it.
He placed it by his door and promised himself that he would return it next week when he had a free day from business meetings with his dad and his own shifts at the office.
Song(s) Used:
Angel Eyes
Sung originally by ABBA, 1979
Covered by Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, and Julie Walters in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, 2018.
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Sung originally by ABBA, 1976
Covered by Jeremy Irvine, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, 2018.
