A/N:This chapter is from Keith's POV, except for a brief bit of pining!Lance in the middle. The italicized parts are flashbacks, and yes they're in present tense. That's to differentiate them from the past tense of the rest of the story. Hope you enjoy this!
Keith has a mild panic attack in this chapter, but the chapter is still pretty fluffy.
Keith walks into the lecture hall as quietly as he can, scanning frantically for an empty seat. Of course all the aisle seats are taken. College freshmen being considerate of latecomers? Not a chance. It's the first day of college, and Keith overslept and forgot to check the weather report, so he got caught running to his first lecture in the rain without an umbrella. Standing now at the back of the Intro to Physics lecture, hearing the professor's droll about the syllabus and required texts, he decides on a stretch of four empty seats a few rows ahead. He slings his backpack off his shoulder, and starts to make his way into the row. He steps on a foot and is about to whisper an apology when the kid throws him a dirty look. Keith responds with a glare of his own and finally sits down, pulling out a notebook and pen.
It had been two weeks since Lance handed Keith his jacket. Finals were over, and Keith had emerged largely intact. Spring break was looming, and he was actually looking forward to it for once. He'd been assigned enough homework to keep him busy, and he'd have his dorm room to himself for a whole week while his roommate was away visiting family.
It was still nine in the morning when he made his way back to the dorm from the gym in the still unrelenting cold. His hair hadn't fully dried when he showered after his workout, and he was pretty sure ice was forming on his scalp as he walked. Once in his room, he threw his gym bag down by the bed. He was about to grab some milk and his Marshmallow Mateys cereal, when his eyes slid to his bedpost where a certain olive green jacket hung by its hood. Just the sight of it made the room feel a degree warmer, a touch brighter. With an unconscious smile playing at his lips, he sat down to breakfast, his thoughts on the owner of that jacket, and his earliest memories of him.
Keith sits in the classroom waiting for the TA. Mandatory recitations for gen ed classes are the bane of his existence, but at least he managed to get into a 12pm section. If he'd have been forced into one of the 9am's, he'd have dropped the course entirely. Keith is a fairly early riser, but going to class before his mind's fully woken up is another matter. Early morning lectures a couple of times a week are bad enough, without adding recitations too. The room has ten students including Keith, waiting for class to begin. On the dot exactly, the TA walks in and starts attendance. Keith waits until his name is called, then after answering, loses interest in favor of scanning the course syllabus to see how much of today is just more course orientation. The TA calls a name, when someone bursts through the door shouting, "Here!" Apparently, even afternoons are too early for some people. Keith rolls his eyes without looking up from his papers. The latecomer hurries in and drops into the seat next to Keith, but not before nearly stepping on his foot. Keith looks up in annoyance, and the vaguely familiar kid smirks. "Deja vu, huh?"
Keith can't quite place where he's seen him before. "Um, who're you?"
The dude's face sours, and that's when Keith recognizes him. The guy whose foot he himself stepped on in the physics lecture just last week. "Oh wait, I remember you," he begins.
"Nope, too late for that," his miffed classmate replies.
Keith just shakes his head and turns his attention back to the TA—whose insistence on the importance of attendance is veering on the edge of openly threatening. Keith didn't mean to offend the guy, but he isn't the best with people. It's a shame too; the moody stranger is pretty cute.
In the present, Keith tried to remember when he'd actually learned his easily offended classmate's name, but he couldn't; he'd just been Moody until he was Lance. And they mostly hadn't talked despite sitting next to each other for an entire semester. Apparently since then, he had gotten over his aversion to Keith. He decided Lance probably didn't even remember ever having disliked him in the first place. Well, Keith wasn't one to complain; another chance at getting to know him wasn't a bad deal at all. His eyes seeked out the jacket again as he got up to go wash the now empty cereal bowl.
"Dude, just call him." Hunk made it sound so easy.
"I can't believe Lance is pining after this guy again," Pidge lamented. "It was all he'd talk about back then."
Lance and his two best friends were on a video call from their respective homes in different time zones. Spring break was no excuse for not providing up to the minute updates on the crush situation.
Ignoring Pidge, Lance tried his best to explain his dilemma. "I can't just call him; I don't have his number."
"You know where he lives. Go visit his dorm when school resumes," Pidge suggested despite herself.
Lance shook his head vehemently. That didn't sound like a terrible idea actually, and he had the backup excuse of wanting his jacket back. But it was Risky. His nervousness must have shown on his face because Hunk chuckled fondly.
"Lance. You flirt with every pretty person you meet, without a second thought. Why are you making this so hard for yourself?"
"Because I'm never actually serious all those times," Lance exclaimed in frustration, eliciting a groan from Pidge.
"You're hopeless. And I'm out."
The other two started to protest, asking her to stay on the call a bit longer.
"Can't. It's getting pretty late here, and my mom's telling me to turn off the tech." Pidge rolled her eyes dramatically. "Sorry, guys. Catch you later!" She signed off, and after a little more encouragement to make a move, Hunk took his leave too.
Alone now in his room, with sounds of his siblings and parents still coming from downstairs, Lance lay back on his bed and tried to shake the feeling that he'd somehow screw this up again. Last time, he hadn't started liking the guy until after he'd decided to be rude to him, and then never spoken to Keith again out of embarrassment. But this time he had no casual way of getting in touch. He'd already tried stalking him in Facebook and instagram, but it was like the guy had no digital footprint. Sighing deeply, he dragged himself out of bed to freshen up for dinner.
Shiro wasn't picking up. He's probably just busy, the rational side of him whispered. He always picked up on weekends. It's not like we talk every weekend. Keith's thoughts chased each other in his mind, with his heart rate picking up and his limbs getting restless. He'd tried calling his brother, but Shiro wasn't responding. Keith couldn't stop assuming the worst. He got up, paced his room a little, then—mind still playing out terrible scenarios Shiro might be facing—grabbed Lance's jacket and headed out the door. He took the stairs down, pulling the jacket on as he went. He tugged it tight around himself. The smell of vanilla, fainter now than when Lance had first handed it to him, intruded on his thoughts. It was a welcome intrusion. It didn't drive the anxiety away, but it was something. Out on the street now, he coaxed his mind towards memories of deep blue eyes and warm brown skin and a mischievous smirk blooming into a disarming smile. Of their own accord, as if disconnected from his conscious mind, Keith's legs took him toward the spot he'd last seen Lance, the spot where he might find him now.
Anxiety and calm fought for control of his mind while he walked, and it wasn't until he'd arrived at Lance's dorm building that his rational side caught up with him. What even was the time? He didn't even know where in this building Lance was, or if he even was here. And Lance probably wouldn't be in the mood to deal with a practical stranger's panic attack. Well at least he was feeling a bit calmer now. But he knew from experience he needed some more time in the fresh air to fully clear his mind. The anxiety didn't get too bad all that often but when it did, it took time and patience to feel better again.
He was about to turn back when a campus bus pulled up at the end of the block and Lance stepped out. The moment he did, his eyes met Keith's and widened in surprise, followed by a tentative smile. He was making his way toward the building entrance, where Keith was still standing awkwardly. Well this would be hard to explain.
"Hey!" Lance's voice was cheery, if a bit high-pitched; and if Keith was being self-indulgent, Lance sounded pleased to see him here. Huh. I can work with this, he decided, finally returning Lance's smile.
"Just passing by?" Lance teased, practically wiggling his eyebrows.
Keith let out a nervous chuckle. "I, uh, needed some air." He paused, realizing Lance deserved more details.
Lance raised an eyebrow questioningly. Here?
"I get anxious sometimes," he admitted. Something was urging him to be honest. "Walking around helps me calm down. I just… started walking and ended up here," he finished with a shrug.
Lance just nodded in understanding, and Keith was relieved to find no pity or reluctance in his open expression. "That explains the vigilante knight thing that day." The statement was followed by an embarrassed chuckle, and Keith felt a blush rising on his own face."How are you feeling now," Lance followed-up.
"Better!"
That felt like the end of a conversation to Keith, but as much as he wanted to, he wasn't sure how to keep it alive. He wished for Lance to say something, and the talkative boy didn't disappoint. "Are you… going to walk more?"
It was something. He'd take it. "Yeah. Gonna take the long way back to my dorm."
"Do, um…" Lance trailed off, looking at a particularly interesting spot on the ground. The flustered look was good on Lance, Keith decided, while the former found his voice again. "Do you want some company?"
It was more than just something after all. Keith nodded. He tried not to let his smile get too eager, but couldn't be sure if he succeeded.
"Just wait here." Lance dashed up to his room to drop off his bag, then the two made their way back toward the main square.
"How'd you get a dorm so close to campus?" Lance didn't bother hiding his envy. Inexplicably, Keith found it adorable. "I still can't believe I ended up in an entirely different neighborhood."
"Oh c'mon," Keith laughed. "It's not that far. And there's a bus."
"Yeah yeah. But seriously," Lance bumped his shoulder into Keith's, and Keith finally learned what people meant when they said their heart skipped a beat. "How'd you get in?"
"Just got lucky this year. Before, I lived in University Hall. And Third North before that."
Lance made a face like he'd just stepped in slush. "Oh yikes. I've never been that far out." Keith nodded solemnly. "Still wish I was closer though," Lance insisted.
"Fair enough."
They talked amiably all the way back, until they neared the entrance to Goddard Hall.
"Hey, sorry for making you come all the way back." Keith wasn't really that sorry, but it was the polite thing to say, right?
"Don't worry," Lance waved him off. "I'll just take another bus back."
"This was nice," Keith risked. And the risk was worth it for the smile it earned him.
"Yeah," Lance nodded. "Yeah, it really was." Apparently encouraged, he took a step closer to Keith. "If you ever want to, you know, do this again, you can text me?" His voice turned up at the end like it was a question.
Exchanging numbers! Of course. A normal thing that people did but that never occurred to Keith's asocial ass. He dug his phone out of his back pocket and handed it to Lance to enter his number. Lance gladly took it before offering his own phone to Keith. Numbers exchanged and smiles hidden, they were about to part ways when Keith remembered,
"Oh Lance, your jacket!" He started to shrug out of it, when Lance's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"It's okay, I'll take it back later." Lance bit his lip, hand sliding down to rest on Keith's arm. "It suits you." And without waiting for a response he turned and walked off to the bus stop, with nothing more than a final wave over his shoulder.
Keith stuffed his hands into the jacket's pockets and went inside, finally giving in to the pleased grin and the color dusting his cheeks, which had nothing to do with the waning cold.
A/N: Bonus points if you can guess what college I went to from the dorm names :)