"Interesting. So, do you think it was fate?"

"What was?"

"Well, everything was connected somehow. It couldn't have been coincidence. It must have been fate that brought it all together right?"

"I don't know if I believe in fate. I guess it makes sense, but it's hard to believe in something so strange."

"Stranger than literally falling into someone's arms?"

"What can I say? We couldn't make things too normal. Everything about us is...complicated."

Chapter Three: Collide

Keith groaned loudly as he dropped his head on his textbook with a hollow thud. His fingers found their way into his dark hair to rub roughly against the scalp where the tension was building up underneath his skull and against his brain. He was surrounded by books and papers scattered all around the kitchen table in a haphazard manner that was making his head spin. It was disorganized. It was chaotic. It was a mixture of numbers and overcomplicated equations all jumbled up in his mind to make cartoon characters.

"There is a lot of groaning coming from this room," Adam said as he stepped into the room to open the fridge.

"This is impossible," Keith said into the open pages of the textbook to muffle his voice across the room. "Why in the hell did I ever think I was smart enough to do this?"

The fridge door shut with the sound of Adam scoffing loudly to accompany it. Keith turned his head slightly to give the older man a scowling look as he walked over to the table. "Well, if you wanted a pity party, you should have let me know so I could have picked up some streamers," he explained teasingly but with a very flat tone to his voice. The pop can he held open with a crack and he lifted it to his lips to take a drink.

"Are you proud of that one?" Keith narrowed his eyes to ask bitterly.

Adam cracked an amused smile when he lowered his drink from his face. "A little bit," he replied and pulled out the chair in front of him to sit down. The can clunked against the solid wood as it was set down gently. "Look, it's not a matter of being smart enough. You have what it takes up here," Adam explained and pressed his finger against Keith's forehead to elicit a confused expression from the raven-haired boy. "The one thing that I have painfully come to the conclusion about with you is that it's all about your will power. Your drive to want to do this instead of your capacity of knowledge."

Keith lifted his head from the table. His eyes were still narrowed suspiciously. "Was that an emotional-based response? What's wrong with you?"

Adam rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You know, if you spent the same amount of time and effort on studying as you do in being a pain in the ass, you'd be a genius," he replied sarcastically. "It'll be a miracle if anyone in this world willingly decides to deal with you for the rest of their life."

"It must not be too hard. I mean, Shiro chose you after all," Keith retaliated. He couldn't hold back his grin from his own joke.

"It's not like his baggage is all that light," Adam replied and smiled just as wide as Keith did. "His just came in the form of a five-foot, ten-inch man-child with mommy and daddy issues."

Keith's smile instantly disappeared. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he heard the loud voice coming from the living room. "Dear lord, enough!" Shiro shouted. Heavy footsteps thumped against the floor to stop in the doorway. "You two sound like a couple of seagulls fighting over a damn French fry," he explained bitterly with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "And Adam's right. Your problem is all mental…and you have mommy and daddy issues."

Adam snorted in laughter. Keith acted offended but he knew they both had a point. He hated that. Adam was painfully blunt while Shiro approached each situation with a level of kindness that sheltered the person from any pain that could come from the truth. Keith appreciated the two different personalities of the power couple, but that didn't stop him from hating that fact that he was their main target for the truth.

"Why don't you get a tutor?" Adam asked as he lifted himself from his seat to return to the fridge to start on dinner. "You could get Pidge to help you out, or maybe you can get your friend from your classes to give you a hand."

Keith hummed low in the back of his throat as he sat back in his seat. He scratched at a spot at the base of his skull a few times before he crossed his arms over his chest. It wasn't a bad idea. He could use the extra help but it was his pride that held him back. He uncrossed his arms to tap the end of his pencil against his opened textbook to a rhythm that was subconsciously playing in his mind. He didn't realize he had dazed out while listening to the professor until Veronica was nudging his arm.

"Hey, you're more out of it than usual," she explained as she leaned forward with her elbows on her desk as she faced Keith with furrowed eyebrows. "What's on your mind?"

Keith exhaled sharply. He picked up the small, mock assignment that was given out for everyone to complete and passed it over to the curious young woman. She examined it in silence before she let out a small sigh. "This is not good," she said with a shake of her head.

"I know," Keith groaned in response as he ran his hands over his face.

"Your answers are correct, but your application is lazy," Veronica explained and set down the paper. "You can't just skim over the work. You have to go through the steps or else it's just guess work."

"I know," Keith repeated and dropped his hands at his sides as he stared up at the ceiling. "What the hell am I doing?" Veronica sighed again. She was shaking her head slowly. Keith swallowed the lump of pride that had formed in his throat. He had no choice. He sat forward and frowned. "Can you tutor me?"

Veronica looked amused. Keith immediately regretted his decision to ask her. "Are you asking for help?" she asked smugly. "I thought you were too good to ask for help."

"I regret this already," Keith muttered to himself.

"I feel so special to be chosen by the almighty Keith Kogane," Veronica continued her teasing with her hand pressed dramatically against her chest as she tilted his head back slightly.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Keith snapped in annoyance.

Veronica chuckled briefly. Her playful expression slowly dimmed to something of guilt and worry. It was startling to Keith. He couldn't help but tilt his head slightly out of curiosity. "I'm sorry Keith, I can't. There's just…too much going on and—," she explained and her tone was full of sorrow.

"Hey, it's okay," Keith interrupted with a small wave of his hand. "It's not the end of the world, I just thought I'd ask you since you love showing off how damn smart you are."

Veronica tightened her lips together at that as she rolled her eyes. "You can be such an asshole," she teased as she pushed herself up to her feet.

Keith looked up at her with confusion as she started to pack up her books. "What are you doing?" he asked.

The brunette stopped to smile down at him. "Class has been done for a while now," she explained while pushing her glasses up her nose. Keith looked around for the first time to see most of the class had left. Those who remained were finishing up some notes or part of a conversation happening at the front of the room. "You were so out of it, you didn't even notice." Keith looked confused. Veronica's phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She lifted it to look at the screen that said Pibe. "I'll see you later."

"Later," Keith replied as he was packing up his stuff.

Veronica threw her bag over her shoulder and finally answered the call coming through on her phone. "How is class going?" Keith heard her say as she walked away.

"Boring," the voice answered from the other end. "I don't get why the profs can just read off a slideshow and call that a class. It's a bunch of mierda."

Veronica passed by the small groups of students scattered throughout the hall as she kept her phone pressed to her ear. "What have I told you about the language?" she asked bitterly but kept her voice low so that those she passed by didn't hear her. "Just because you say it in Spanish doesn't make it alright," she explained with a slight bite to her tone.

"Mama does it," the voice mumbled in response.

Veronica sighed as she rolled her eyes. "And society says you are legally an adult," she said with a teasing tone. There was quiet laughter on the other end of the call. "So, are you going to be in the same room tonight or do I just have to follow the music like a trail of breadcrumbs?"

The young man hummed quietly for a moment before he answered. "You know I can't make any promises," he replied jokingly. "It's my one flaw amongst my many, many skills as a loveable hero."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you have many other flaws than just that one," she replied bluntly as she squeezed between a group a people taking up a majority of the hall.

"Awe, how mean," the boy said with a pained tone that was obvious it was fake. "I am so hurt. My wounds will need licking."

Veronica chortled softly as she turned into the short hall that led to a set of double doors with one propped open. She passed through the opening and waved at the young woman standing behind the battered wooden podium. "Alright Superman, what do you want tonight?" she asked and moved across the dining area with a few full tables.

"Superman? You categorize Superman as a loveable hero?" the voice asked bitterly through the phone. "I think that hurts more than the insults."

"Focus," Veronica snapped. "What do you want for food later?"

"Surprise me," the boy answered followed by some indistinct voices as background noise. "I've got to go, break's almost over."

Veronica entered the small locker room through the door with a hanging sign that said Employees Only on it to set her bag down. "Love you," she replied and dragged out the words as long as she could.

"Mhm," the young man hummed in response before hanging up to end the conversation.

Veronica tossed her stuff into the locker with her name on it before she tied the black apron around her waist that hung from the small hook inside the door. A second door connected the locker room to the small kitchen where two young men were arguing loudly. Veronica hadn't heard the bickering while she was on the phone but when she hung up she could hear the muffled indistinct voice without any content of the argument as they escalated their voices over each other. It wasn't until she was standing on the opposite side of the metal shelves where the finished meals would be placed under the warming lights for the servers to take out to the dining area that she finally heard what exactly it was that they were fighting about.

"Why would we change something that we already knows works?"

Veronica sighed as she leaned against the shelves. The two men were fairly equal in build. The one who was shouting was slightly older and was waving around a large knife he was using to chop up vegetables.

"Why are you so afraid to try something new?" the second man retaliated. He spun around, the tails of his orange bandanna flowed behind him with his movements. "It's not like it's going to hurt anyone. We try something new and if it doesn't work then we stop doing it."

"The menu hasn't changed since I started working here. No one changes the menu," the other man snarled angrily and turned back to his station to continue chopping. "If we change the menu we risk losing business and losing money."

"And if we don't take the risk then we never see the potential we are capable of here," the younger man said passionately. His opponent stabbed his knife into his cutting board and spun back around.

"Hunk's right," Veronica spoke up. Both males were unaware of her presence during their argument and both spun around to face her with the same confused look. "Something new will be good. You don't have to change the entire menu but some new items might not be a bad idea." Hunk looked satisfied as he crossed his arms over his chest to give the other man a smug look. "Come on, Sal, don't be a stick in the mud."

The man snorted as he rolled his eyes. His hands lifted in the air with a few shakes of his head. "Fine," he growled. He was defeated. He pulled his knife out of the cutting board with a heavy sigh. "You can do three dishes: an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert. If they don't stick, they don't stay." Hunk flinched when the tip of the sharp knife was pointed at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hunk nodded quickly. "Yes sir, clear as crystal," he replied trying to sound calm but his obvious excitement was hard to hide.

Sal exhaled a heavy sigh. "I need a smoke," he grumbled and stabbed his knife into the cutting board a second time. "I very long smoke," he added as he made his way to the emergency exit door that he often used to step out and smoke next to the empty crates and battered dumpster.

"Thanks," Hunk said to Veronica with a wide grin when the man was out of earshot. "What would I do without you?"

"Don't thank me just yet. I got your foot in the door, now it's your turn to blow it wide open," Veronica replied while grinning smugly and stepped back from the racking to make her way to the swinging door that led out into the dining area. She stopped with her hand pressed against its rough surface. She scratched her nail against the surface as she exhaled through her nose.

"Veronica?" Hunk spoke up at the sight of the woman's sudden shift in demeanour. "Something wrong?"

She forced the chipper smile back on her face and nodded rapidly as she turned to make sure Hunk saw her expression. If he didn't believe it, he might not stop asking. "I'm fine, it's just been a long day," she answered fully knowing she was lying and Hunk could probably see right through it but he wouldn't say anything. He was good like that sometimes if he knew she needed the space. "Oh, and he said to surprise him tonight."

Hunk snorted in amusement. "So, garlic knots?" he responded with a small grin.

Veronica laughed quietly as a reply before she pushed through the door to leave. The restaurant started slow but more and more students filed in as time went on and it was closer to dinner. Veronica moved in between the tables, using her hips to push in empty chairs and sweeping up dishes with adept hands as she barely stopped to even catch her breath. It was like a dance to her as she moved through the dining area. She had started working for the restaurant during the summer when the school wasn't as busy. That let her get used to the layout to the point she could move without even thinking. It was all muscle memory and reflexes, especially when customers would unexpectedly push out their chair in front of her or spill some water at her feet.

"Hey," a man in one of the booths spoke up as he reached out to grab Veronica's arm. She flinched, more out of being startled than anything which made him immediately release her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, if that's your intent then the next time you're trying to grab someone's attention, don't go to the literal sense," Veronica explained with a smug grin. The brunet boy took a moment before he grinned. It only turned up the one corner of his mouth and though it was slightly cocky it was slightly endearing. Veronica cleared her throat and shifted her weight to the opposite leg. "So, what can I get you?"

"Grilled cheese," the young man answered. "I have a huge craving for a grilled cheese."

The young man sitting across the table from him snickered. He had been silent the entire conversation up until that point but didn't look up from the textbook he was scanning through. Veronica was amused at the silent young man's attitude towards the interaction between her and his brunet friend across the table. "Anything for you?" Veronica asked as she gently touched her hand against the shoulder of the dark skinned young man who finally looked up from his textbook.

"I'm fine, thank you," he answered slightly caught off guard by the physical contact and possibly the attention.

Veronica gave his shoulder a small squeeze with her fingertips before she turned away. The connection of passing gazes was intense as she flashed a small, smug grin to the brunet boy who gave an interested look back at her. He chuckled softly as Veronica stepped away towards the kitchen feeling rather proud of her playing along with his game but maybe not with the same rules he may have been trying to lay out.

"Forget about it, James," the darker skinned young man said with a small sigh as he returned to his textbook.

The brunet named James turned his head back around to face his friend after watching Veronica walk away. "What?" he asked while trying to stifle his small laugh.

His friend across the table rolled his eyes. "You know what," he grumbled quietly. "You're absolutely shameless."

James scoffed and leaned back in his seat as he stretched his arm high over his head. "I think you've told me that once or twice before," he joked with a wide grin stretched across his face. His friend exhaled sharply with a shake of his head. "Come on, Kinkade," James said loudly and reached across the table to punch his friend's arm, making the man grunt softly. "Don't be such a stick in the mud."

"He's cute," the olive skinned young woman standing beside the swinging door into the kitchen said with a sly grin. Her black hair was tied up with a headband to keep any loose strands out of her face.

Veronica stopped to look over at the girl who motioned back towards the table where James and Kinkade sat. The brunet scoffed. "Don't start, Rizavi," she responded in a low voice before she pushed into the kitchen, the other server close behind her.

"I couldn't get a great look at him, but it was kind of obvious he was into you," Rizavi explained smugly and leaned back against one of the silver tables as Veronica was writing on her notepad pulled from her apron. "He watched you walk away and everything."

"Well, I better start preparing my dowry right away," Veronica responded sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"What are we talking about?" Hunk suddenly chimed in as he leaned against the metal shelf between him and Veronica.

"Veronica has an admirer," Rizavi sang and tilted her head back and forth with each syllable.

Hunk gasped loudly. "A gentleman suitor?" he asked dramatically.

Rizavi nodded. "I do not," Veronica grumbled and ripped the piece of paper from her notepad to slap it onto the shelf Hunk rested his arms on. "He's just a lion looking for meat."

Rizavi sighed loudly. Veronica frowned at the obviously loud noise. "Is that such a bad thing?" Rizavi asked with an unamused tone in her voice. "I mean, how long has it been since you ate some meat?"

"A long time," Hunk sighed as he picked up the piece of paper.

"Don't worry Hunk. Shay's just gone for the semester. She not gone forever," Veronica explained to the sad looking boy who nodded as he turned back to his cooking station. "And for you," she turned to snap at the other server who lifted her hands in surrender. "My eating habits are considered none of your business," Veronica retaliated with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"It's not like you're an herbivore," Rizavi responded and stopped surrendering to cross her arms over her chest. "A girl needs meat or else she'll go crazy."

Sal stepped up next to Hunk to grab the order Veronica had placed on the shelf from his hands. "What the hell are they talking about?" he asked Hunk in a low growl.

Hunk chuckled heavily. "I don't think you want to know," he answered.

Sal thought about it for a moment before he shook his head rapidly and turned away from the conversation. "You're right, I don't want to know."

"I don't have time to think about that kind of stuff, Rizavi," Veronica jumped back into the discussion with the other young woman in the room. "Between school and work and—"

"Babysitting?" Hunk spoke up over his shoulder. It earned a slight head turn from Veronica but she didn't vocalize her annoyance at his interruption.

"The last thing I need is to have to worry about someone else in my life who is more than likely just going to cause more problems than anything," Veronica explained with stress full in her voice.

"Or, he could provide a sense of relief and comfort to you," Rizavi mentioned weightlessly.

Veronica shifted her weight as she lifted her arms to cross them over her chest. "Can you please pull your head out of the gutter for a moment? It's not going to happen," she snapped.

Rizavi rolled her eyes with a heavy exhaled sigh as she pushed off from the table. "Fine, suit yourself," she muttered quietly under her breath and shoved through the swinging door to leave the kitchen.

"Awe, I think I hurt her feelings," Veronica responded sarcastically.

"You know, she has a point," Hunk spoke up when he was turned, making Veronica spin around to face him. "You can't just take care of him forever. Remember the whole plan to hit restart? Experience what you haven't. Do what makes you happy."

"What makes me happy, not what everyone else thinks will make me happy," Veronica repeated. "I think that's the important part of that sentence." She took a few steps back as Hunk sighed sadly. His worry was apparent on his face. "Don't look so distraught, Hunk. It'll affect your cooking."

Sal let out a sharp laugh that Hunk scowled at. The distraction was enough for Veronica to slip away out of the room without being stopped with any more of the conversation. She had to admit, she appreciated the fact that they cared, even if they went about it in a completely inappropriate way. Hunk was always compassionate to anyone, but a lot of his compassion went towards his friends. Even during dark times, he was always the light shining through. Veronica had seen that multiple times over the years she had known him. Through everything they went through, Hunk was always smiling.

"Are you ready?" Hunk asked after he shut his locker door with his bag thrown over his shoulder. "We probably shouldn't keep him waiting too long or his boredom may end up with him burning the school down."

Veronica chuckled softly and leaned over to grab the white takeout bag sitting on the small bench in the middle of the room. "Well, I can't say it's not possible, which is probably the most terrifying part about that," she explained and adjusted her glasses on her nose. Hunk chuckled but it was cut short when the warm bag full of food was pressed to his chest. "Here, you can be his favourite today."

"When am I not?" Hunk replied smugly as he took the container and passed by Veronica. She laughed sarcastically and pulled open the door to let the young man through first.

There were still a few students wandering the halls of the school but for the most part it was all quiet. The days were getting shorter which meant the sun was going down during the dinner rush and was usually gone by the time Veronica and Hunk would leave the school. The halls were glowing with the sunlight from the setting sun that poured through the windows to stretch across the floor, up the walls, and even touch the ceiling. They passed through the doors to the Heart of Voltron and Veronica sighed when she heard the loud electronic pop music travelling through the halls that could be heard when she and Hunk immediately passed through the doors from the stairwell.

Show me an empty space,
I'll fill it up with my love.

"Hm, I wonder where he could possibly be," Hunk said sarcastically over the music and grinned towards Veronica.

No matter what it takes,
I'll cheer from the bleachers above.
I'll always be cheering you on.

Veronica led the way down the hall. As they got closer to the corner she heard a voice shout through the sound of the music. It was a strangely familiar voice followed by a loud bang and more panicked screams.

Shared worried glances between Veronica and Hunk made them rush at the sound to quickly round the corner and immediately came to a halt when they were both in the open doorway of the classroom. Veronica couldn't help the outburst of laughter as Hunk cleared his throat loudly. She had to admit, she never would have expected what she saw.

~/~~\\~

Keith hated having to wait for Pidge after class. He just needed his own vehicle. He needed Red so he could do what he wanted. So he could go where he wanted. He didn't like the feeling of being confided to one area. He liked the freedom of being able to take himself anywhere as long as he had gas in the tank. He didn't even need a plan half the time. He would just get behind the wheel and drive.

The good news was, he had lots of work to keep him occupied so he didn't have to think about the limitations on his life all the time but he had a limit to how long he could stare at the textbooks and notes he had open in front of him until his brain started to overheat. He pushed his chair back from the table to stand as he stretched his arms above his head. He had found a quiet spot in the back corner of the library to spend the last few hours studying which was luckily far enough away from the table of a rather large group project that consisted of mostly bickering and groaning but it had its own distractions with the large window right next to him that had a direct view into the Zen garden complete with a maze and colourful flowers. Even the flowers were interesting compared to the boring shit he had been reading repeatedly for the last hour straight.

The muscles in Keith's legs had grown restless and needed movement. He needed to move around and get away from the hellish torture that was his homework. He needed to get as far away as he could so he left his stuff at the table to wander through the tall aisles of bookshelves full of paperbacks and hardcovers. He wasn't searching for anything in particular but let his attention stop on any strange or interesting titles that stood out amongst the others. He had picked up a book from the Health and Fitness section with a rather suggestive title when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

When Pidge's class would end early she would contact Keith first so he was falling into the habit of carrying his phone with him everywhere when he was at the school. It was an annoying habit to have but the least amount of time that he had to spend within the concrete walls was best for his mental health so he put up with it. His small, excited grin disappeared from his face when he saw a name he wasn't expecting appear on the screen of his phone in place of Pidge's as it continued to vibrate in his hand. Acxa's name overlapped a photo of her and Keith standing in front of their two cars. Keith looked stiff and uncomfortable but Acxa looked overwhelmingly happy. It was the strangest photo she ever took of the two of them but it was the one she insisted he used.

"Hello?" Keith answered when he finally pressed the phone to his ear.

A small inhale from the other end of the phone was audible before Acxa's voice that said, "Keith? Hi."

She sounded small and timid. It was almost as if she wasn't expecting to actually hear his voice. It wasn't surprising considering the last few times she had called Keith had been in class or away from his phone so he didn't answer. She had left one voicemail but it was short and shaky and barely even a message.

"How are you?" she asked a little bit louder. She didn't sound so nervous and for some reason that annoyed Keith. He wasn't even sure why he picked up the phone. He still wasn't there. Still wasn't past the anger and frustration, but he couldn't help it. She was still one of his closest friends and he had to admit he did miss her.

"What do you want, Acxa?" he asked bitterly. There was a small part of him that didn't want to sound so cold but the anger and frustration he felt was a lot more powerful than that tiny voice that was bullied into the back of his mind.

Acxa cleared her throat quietly. "I just wanted to call and see how you were. It's…been a while," she explained timidly and Keith felt a bit better hearing the nerves come back to her voice.

"I'm fine," he explained and set the Health and Fitness book he was still holding on one of the shelves next to him in a spot he knew it didn't go but he wasn't taking the time to find the spot. "Busy."

"I imagine. I heard you're in school," Acxa explained with a tiny chuckle. "Which is surprising considering you always talked about how stupid it was to pay for something that was virtually pointless for the future." She sniffled before she continued. "Remember? You talked about how it's the biggest overlooked scam in American history."

"I remember," Keith snapped bitterly. It was one of those positive, happy memories that was immediately overclouded by his frustration created by the whole reason he had done such an intense blackout against his friend.

Acxa hummed quietly. It was such a small sound but it pulled a bit at Keith's sympathy. He sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Keith, I'm sorry," she decided to say next and that only made his sympathy retreat back into his anger. "How—How is Shiro?"

Keith's hand dropped as his eyes snapped open. "Don't ask about him," he growled. "Just…don't."

"I just want to make sure he's alright," Acxa pressed sternly.

"Alright?" Keith's anger welled up and his voice grew louder. "He lost an arm, Acxa. He almost died!" he snapped. He had to move the phone away for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. His heart slammed itself repeatedly against his chest until he finally managed to calm it. "I don't want to do this now."

"Keith, can you just listen to me for a second?" Acxa asked desperately. "I know you're mad. I know you think that you can't forgive us all for what happened, but we need you. We want you back here with your family. Back where you belong. And I think it's been long enough. I think you've been mad long enough."

Keith scoffed loudly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize my anger was only allotted a certain amount of time," he replied so coldly that even he shook.

"No, that's not—I'm sorry. Please, won't you just…come back?" Acxa practically begged. She was trying so hard and Keith was pretty sure it was only making things worst.

He closed his eyes again. He hadn't been able to figure it out, the reason why he didn't go back. He knew he could hold a grudge for a while but there was something in particular holding him back. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on and he was far too distracted to try to figure it out. "No, Acxa," he replied softly. His anger had simmered so it was manageable but he could still feel it under the surface of his makeshift calm. "Goodbye."

He hung up before he let her respond. He exhaled heavily and shoved the phone back into his pocket so he could head back to the table but any chance of focusing on his work was long gone. He couldn't stop jittering as he stared at the blurred words scrawled across his page. He groaned in frustration as he slammed his textbook shut. His hands slid slowly down his face and he decided he needed a walk a lot longer than just inside the library.

The chilled autumn air hit him as he moved across the quad that stretched between the college's buildings. The multicoloured trees that surrounded him made everything seem brighter as the setting sun hit the leaves to make the illusion that they were all on fire. His boots crunched against the newly fallen leaves scattered across the ground not gathered up by the groundskeepers yet. Each crunch was satisfying and made Keith's lips turn up slightly at the one corner.

He had been walking aimlessly along the paths that looped around the buildings but suddenly found himself stopping when he heard the muffled sound of a heavy bass that vibrated the large windows of a classroom in the art wing. His head had never turned so fast before towards something so weakly familiar. He couldn't see inside the large windows from the reflecting sun against the glass and that only peeked his curiosity even further into finding out who was listening to music at such a deafeningly loud volume. When he travelled through the art wing last he couldn't get the song that had been playing out of his head and even though he thought about it a few times, he never went back. Never sought out the music again, until the moment he stood outside and heard another song calling to him.

The loud music overlapped the quiet squeaking of the door as it swung shut behind Keith. He swallowed down the strange lump that had formed in his throat. The music was drawing him in again. His curiosity to see behind the door from last time made each step possible as he moved down the hall to turn the corner. The same door was cracked open like last time. A shadow passed by, blocking out the sun for a brief moment as Keith made his way over to stand rubbing his thumb along his fingers a few times. The lump of nerves was back in his throat. Why was he nervous? He shook his head a few times and finally grabbed the doorknob to slowly open it as he stepped into the room.

If you throw me a side eye,
I'll let it slide by.

The room was full of easels and a small stage in the centre of it all. The music came from a phone plugged into a large speaker sitting on a table of brushes and palettes to Keith's left. To the right, a large canvas covered the entire wall with a half finished painting of a dancer stuck in the middle of an impressive pose bent backwards as she reached an arm over her head to try to touch her lifted leg as she balanced on the toes of her other foot. The long train of her flowing dress blew up around her as if it was dancing with her. The ladder in front of the wall creaked as it was tipped dangerously towards the canvas. A long, nimble arm worked with fluid motions to drag the paintbrush across the fabric where the outline of the dress curved up slightly.

Cause I know you'll be alright.
Sooner or later.

The ladder tipped back when the weight on it shifted and accidentally overcompensated. Keith's eyes widened as he watched the ladder lean dangerously away from the wall to the point it couldn't be brought back.

"Fu—!"

"Watch it!" Keith shouted as he lunged forward.

I'll take all of your lowlights,
And turn them to highlights.

The ladder crashed loudly against the floor and Keith's back hit painfully as the weight on top of him crushed his chest, knocking the scream out of him with whatever breath he had in his lungs. Sparks of pain exploded behind his eyelids from his aching muscles. "Are you alright?" the voice above him asked nervously.

Keith opened his eyes and the breath he managed to get back in his empty lungscaught halfway in his throat.

Sooner or later.

Looming above him was an olive skinned boy no older and maybe just a bit younger than him. He had tiny smudges and specks of different coloured paint scattered across the plain of skin over his cheeks but none of them were as vibrant as the oceans he carried in his eyes. They sparkled like sapphires full of worry as they looked over Keith's frozen expression as he was trying to comprehend his new found love he never knew he had before with water.

"Ey?" the boy said loudly over the music and the ringing in Keith's ears as he gently slapped the frozen boy's cheek a few times. Keith was becoming increasingly aware of the lack of space between him and the boy on top of him. Knee touching the inside of a thigh. Fingers brushing against a torso and an arm. The thumb from the hand that patted Keith's chin brushed accidentally against his jaw is it moved away. "You in there?" The boy smiled. It was so genuine and playful that Keith had to blink a few times just to make sure it was even real. "Nice catch, buddy."

Keith opened his mouth to respond with whatever would hopefully come out that wouldn't be just a jumbled mess like his mind was in, but he was stopped by the sudden uproar of laughter back towards the door and someone else cleared their throat. The music suddenly stopped as Keith tilted his head back to see Veronica standing just inside the room with the same boy who he collided with on his first day in the administration building.

"What the hell is happening?" Veronica managed through her laughter. Hunk rolled his eyes at her exaggerated amusement. The boy over Keith finally stood and he took the chance to push himself up to his feet.

"Veronica." Keith stopped. He quickly turned his head to stare confusingly at the boy standing next to him that echoed exactly what he said along with the confused expression on his face. Veronica's laughter erupted louder. "You know her?" Keith asked sternly.

The boy's hands perched on his hips as he leaned towards Keith slightly. There was something unsettling familiar about everything he did towards Keith. He felt like he had seen it before a few times. "Maybe I do," he replied teasingly. "What's it to you?"

Keith's eyebrows furrowed together tightly. He crossed his arms over his chest which seemed to make the brunet lean away slightly. He chose not to respond because he wasn't sure what to respond with. He wasn't sure why he had asked in the first place. He felt flustered and it was an automatic response.

"Jeez, stop it you two," Veronica finally managed to say when she was finally settled down from her laughter.

"Are you going to be alright?" Hunk turned his head slightly to ask.

Veronica cleared her throat as she nodded. "Yeah. Oh man, that was funny to watch," she explained with a loud sigh. Keith and the brunet standing in front of him kept their stances but both gave the girl their each confused and impatient expressions. "Oh, calm down. I'm getting to it," she said and took a few steps forward. "This is Keith. He's the guy from my classes that I told you about," she explained to the brunet who turned his gaze back to Keith with a smug grin on his face. Keith's eyes narrowed slightly once again. "Keith, this is Lance," Veronica continued, ignoring the obvious wordless exchange the two boys were having with each other despite only being a few feet from each other. "Lance is my little brother."

Keith instantly relaxed in his shoulders and face as he looked back and forth between the two siblings. Behind Veronica's glasses were the obvious features she shared with her brother that Keith hadn't caught initially. It was all in their eyes. Lance's were brighter but they were similar nonetheless in every other way.

"Are you surprised?" Veronica asked with a small tilt of her head.

Lance lifted his nose slightly to sniff the air. "Are those garlic knots?" he asked as he turned his head to face Hunk, finally acknowledging him as he lifted the takeout bag in his hand to shake it softly. "Ah! Sweet!"

"Did—Did you ever mention a brother?" Keith asked as Lance lost interest in anything happening with his sister and the new introduction she made.

"A few times I think," Veronica answered with a small grin.

Keith hummed quietly in his throat. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly fished it out to check the message from Pidge. "Oh, I've got to go," he said and looked back up at Veronica. "I'll see you later."

Veronica nodded as he quickly moved for the door to pick up his backpack he had dropped when he lunged to try to save Lance. He paused when his gaze met with the brunet's who had a garlic knot pinched between his teeth and his eyebrow lifted quizzically. The moment was brief as a strange thought crossed Keith's mind. He didn't want to leave. But he shook that thought clear out of his mind before he quickly spun around to charge out of the room, slamming the classroom door shut behind him. He finally let his heavy, unsteady breaths out as he stood in the middle of the hallway. He didn't know why his heart raced in his chest. It must have been the adrenaline.

Lance swallowed the bit of garlic knot and used the remainder he held to point towards the closed door. "He's strange," he said and tossed the rest of the knot into his mouth.

"What the hell were you doing?" Veronica asked as she examined the knocked over ladder on the floor with confusion.

"I was working," Lance responded through a mouthful of food.

Hunk rolled his eyes and walked over to sit down on a nearby stool. He knew fully well they weren't leaving soon so he was going to rest his tired feet. Veronica shook her head and scoffed. "Lance, you have to be more careful," she turned her head slightly to snap.

Lance swallowed the food in his mouth to speak. "It was just an accident. Don't get so big sister on me," he said as he stared into his bag at the food inside. Veronica spun around on her heels to face her brother. "You worry more than ma does, with twice the nagging and half the pity." Footsteps thumped against the floor. Hunk stiffened in his seat and cleared his throat loudly but it fell on deaf ears as Lance continued. "I don't understand why you get so bent out of shape when I'm the one who's—ow!"

Lance had his hand inside the bag reaching for another garlic knot when Veronica closed the distance and smacked her brother on the side of the head. "You are an idiot," she hissed and spun around to stomp out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her.

The sigh from Hunk was long and low. He was wrong. They were going to be out sooner than he had anticipated. "You are an idiot," he repeated which made Lance snap his head to the side to glare at him.

"You're my best friend, Hunk. You're supposed to back me up here," he explained bitterly.

Hunk shook his head and stood with a grunt. "I am your best friend which means I am supposed to try to prevent you from doing stupid things and when you do those stupid things I'm supposed to remind you of why they were stupid," he explained with a soft smile. He gently patted Lance's shoulder who was frowning dramatically as he nibbled on a knot. "Don't worry. Someday you'll understand."

"Meanie," Lance muttered quietly between his nibbles.

"It's the only way you'll learn, unfortunately," Hunk responded and stepped around Lance to follow Veronica's lead out of the room. Lance sighed through his nose as he stared at the large canvas with the partially finished painting. He was still nibbling as his eyes moved quickly over the image until Hunk suddenly spoke up. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."

The image of Keith's hair splayed around his head like a dark halo as the sunlight streaked across his face suddenly jumped into Lance's mind. He had literally come out of nowhere and it was like an earthquake had managed to move its way through Lance's body without any warning. It nearly knocked him on his ass but he managed to catch himself before he fell. Metaphorically, of course.

He finally shoved the garlic knot into his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, let's go," he replied with a muffled voice by the food and finally moved.

Song:

- Sooner or Later by MSTR ROGERS & Inka Wood