Chapter Six

A cell phone was blaring a song Keith knew but couldn't place, it was from the 1970's he thought, maybe even older. It was disturbing his warmth. It was disturbing the perfect sleep he'd been experiencing. He felt cocooned up in his bed, warmer than usual, which was nice with a solid comforting weight around him. He didn't want to movie, wanted to doze and he wanted to fall back to sleep. The room was gray, that meant it was early, and it was Saturday. He slept in Saturday's until eight it had to be around four or five in the morning now, Keith thought, moving more into the warmth, pushing his face more into what he thought was his pillow onto to realize it was skin.

Smooth, soft skin that smelled like sandalwood, smoke and leather, the intoxicating smell he remembered from last night when he'd gotten drunk off of Lance's mouth and hands. How he had to keep kissing him and he couldn't stop. Keith remembered feeling high, though he no basis for comparison never having taken drugs. He pulled back a little, only enough to see, opened his eyes, and saw he'd been sleeping with his face buried against Lance's neck, partly on a pillow yes, but mostly one Lance. He blinked a few times, there was a reason this was bad, Keith thought, but he was smiling.

Lance McClain was his bed, sleeping. The blankets bunched around Lance's waist and he didn't have a shirt on. Lance was on his side, facing Keith so Keith could savor and look as much as he wanted to. He took Lance's frame, he had a thin frame with shoulders that seemed a bit too broad for it. A little disconcerting trick of genetics, Keith thought, idly, giving into the urge to put his hand against Lance's chest. Feeling the spattering light colored hair he had there. Keith trailed his hand down to Lance's stomach, flat and perfect and remembered what Lance had been doing to his own stomach last night. His hands, his tongue, the teasing around his belly button. He'd never known it was an erogenous zone before then, he'd woken up Sven he'd been so turned on. Keith blushed, again, he thought but he didn't care this time no one could see him.

Just below Lance's belly the hair on his torso got darker, it became the same shade as his hair a reddish-brown and Keith let his finger tips and nails graze the hair. Fantasizing about dipping his hands under the waistband of Lance's jeans, his unbuttoned jeans Keith had noticed, they were unzipped too. Keith was just in his boxers, Lance was in his unbuttoned and unzipped jeans... Keith closed his eyes and wished they were alone in the room, wished he didn't feel so insecure and could take the fantasy out of his head and take the initiative. He was stopping himself, he knew it, as he took in the sight Lance made half naked, in the early morning grayness on his bed.

But also something kept nagging at Keith, in the back of his lust addled and sleepy mind.

The cell phone started to blare again, the same song, only this time Keith realized the song, it was Led Zeppelin's Traveling Riverside Blues and it was coming from the floor, Keith frowned, realizing it had to be Lance's. Sven didn't own a cell phone, and Keith's own ring tone was nothing fancy, he just used a boring ringing sound.

"Will you tell him to answer it," Sven grumbled from his side of the small dorm room, his accent thicker from sleep.

"He's asleep," Keith said, trying to stay quiet.

"Wake him."

Keith sighed as the phone went to voicemail. "Maybe they won't call back again?" Keith said as the phone started to ring again. Sven groaned and put the covers over his head. Keith forced himself to grab Lance's shoulder and shake him, still trying to remember why it was bad Lance was still in his dorm room. He wasn't sure why he wanted to remember, he wanted Lance right were he was, he didn't want to wake him up at all. He wanted to keep looking and touching as much as he dared.

Lance woke with a start, smiled when he saw Keith, then frowned when he heard his phone. "Crap," he muttered, turning away from Keith. He got out of the bed and grabbing it. "What?" he barked into the phone, standing in the middle of the room.

Sven and Keith exchanged a look.

"I'm at Keith's, what are you doing, waiting up for me now like a mom?" Lance laughed into the phone.

"Yeah he lives in the dorms."

Keith felt his blood go cold, the dorms, he wasn't allowed in the dorms. It was stupid but it was true, how could Keith have let him come inside, let alone fall asleep and stay. He was going to get into trouble and on his account. Keith felt blood rushing in his ears as he hopped out of the bed and tried to find Lance his clothes from the piles on the floor.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I told him we'd do the museum," Lance said, glancing over at Keith as Keith put on Lance's red shirt and tossed the blue one over to Lance's side of the bed. "Do you know you just put on my shirt?" Lance asked Keith.

Keith blushed and looked down and rolled his eyes and went to pull it off but Lance grabbed the blue shirt before he could. "Don't, now I know you'll have no choice but to see me again," Lance said, then into the phone he said. "Yes, I am aware you are still on the phone being a worrywart. Who is going to tell, and we'll try to calm Pidge down today, okay? Yeah, bye." Lance closed his phone and shoved it into his back pocket.

"Sorry about that, guys," Lance said, mostly looking at Sven. Then he pulled Keith's blue t-shirt on over his head.

"You don't need leverage to see me again," Keith admitted walking over toward Lance.

"I know, but I want it anyway," Lance said, grabbing Keith's hand. "Walk me out?"

Keith looked down at himself in his boxers and Lance's shirt, "Uh?"

"You're so fucking cute," Lance laughed, pulling Keith with him any outside of the dorm room, then down the stairs and out the front door. Before Keith knew it he was standing by Lance's Kessel, with Lance's hands on his hips and his mouth on his again.

He shivered, his entire body reacted and he wanted to drag Lance back upstairs and tell Sven to get lost, like that one time Sven had shown up with a girl and politely but very firmly informed Keith he needed him to get lost. Keith blushed when a sound like sounded like a dog whimpering came out his mouth when Lance finally pulled away.

Lance groaned himself as he looked at Keith, Keith thought his eyes really dark in the dusky just before sunrise hours, or was it because of him. Lance swallowed and Keith waited because it seemed like Lance wanted to say something but was for some reason staying quiet. Finally Keith pushed a little, wanting to know what Lance was thinking, wanting to kiss him again, wanting to get on the bike with him and just go somewhere together. "Aren't we supposed to be saying see you soon or something here?" Keith asked.

Lance laughed, a small nervous laugh that made Keith feel a lot better about how shaky he felt inside. "Yeah, it's just, I promised Pidge all day today, which was so dumb because you... I knew last night would be great. And I have to be the scrapyard tomorrow, all day, again. Start archway, do homework. So, I, fuck, when do you eat Monday between classes?"

"Uh," Keith found it really hard to turn on the part of his brain that remembered he had schoolwork to do. "I, right. Between Mechanics and Martial Arts, I usually meet Sven outside by the library, then we go get something off campus. Usually at Lena's."

"Okay that's when?"

"Mechanics gets out at 11: 32, and then I have to be at Martial arts before two though, since I'm basically co-teaching it."

Lance laughed. "Great, Hunk's in your mechanics class, I have Flight Histories and Strategies until 11:40, then my next class is Boxing at 2:15, so Lena's? That's that sandwich shop by the Starbuck's right?"

"Yeah," Keith said, smiling, thinking he'd just made his first lunch date. And his first second date, did it count as a second date. Did he ditch Sven?

"Good," Lance said and he pulled out his cell phone, pushed a few buttons and then handed it over to Keith. "Stick, in your number."

Keith smiled as he took the phone, typed in his own cell phone number and handed it back to Lance. Lance grinned at him and then sighed. "I'm not kissing you again, but not because I don't want too, but because if I do, I'll never get on the bike and I really do have to go."

Keith laughed but he nodded and found he was afraid to speak.

"I'll see you Monday, and I'll call before then," Lance said grabbing his blue helmet, and climbing onto the Kessel. "Hey, Keith?"

"Yeah," Keith managed to say, surprised his voice sounded so normal.

"Thanks," Lance said then ducked his head nervously.

"For?" Keith asked, confused

"A great night," Lance said, putting on his helmet and starting the motorcycle.

Keith grinned as he watched Lance take off, then he stood there until he couldn't hear the motor of the Kessel any longer. He sighed, turned around and made his way back up to the dorm room, sighed when the door wasn't locked and walked back inside. Only to find that Sven was awake, dressed and reading his book on Drule Languages.

"So, was that one of another of your many bad dates?" he asked.

Keith smiled and made his way over to his bed and started to make it. "He's going to meet me at Lena's Monday, he said, I guess. I don't... I don't think straight around him."

Sven laughed.

Keith ignored him. "I, wow," Keith ended up saying staring at the ceiling as details of the night flooded his memory.

He was thankful, Sven stayed quiet and focused on his reading, Keith just wanted to commit every detail he could to his memory of the night, and this morning. It could've been a fluke, it might never happen again. He wanted to make sure he had the one perfect night in his mind for always.

~~.~~

Lance knew Hunk was going to give him the worried eyes, the brotherly thing that Hunk did that meant Hunk worried about the choices Lance made, and that he didn't want Lance to be stupid, or make mistakes. But he wouldn't say it more than once out loud, and Hunk had already made his worry clear out loud with his slightly too sharp question of: Doesn't Kogane live in the damn dorms? What are you thinking? Before Hunk back to who he was more worried about, Pidge.

Walking up the steps and straight into the kitchen, that is where he found Hunk, playing with an engine part and eating bowl of cereal. Hunk waved to him as he chewed the cereal, gave him a once over with his eyes to make sure Lance hadn't driven home drunk or gotten in any bar fights and than just muttered the word, 'dorms.'

Lance rolled his eyes, opened the refrigerator and pulled out orange juice and poured himself a beer mug full because it was the only glass he could find that wasn't dirty. "Some one should do the dishes," he said sitting down across from Hunk at the table.

Hunk gave him a look. "One would think, that someone would. Especially since it is someone's turn to do the dishes."

Lance gave Hunk a blank look. "It can't be my turn, it was just my turn!"

"Sure, it was your turn, then mine, then Dai's, then Katie's. Then yours..."

"Oh."

Hunk shook his head. "So, Keith Kogane, huh?"

Lance grinned, picturing Keith how he left him, looking fantastic in a pair of black boxers and his own red shirt, his hair all a mess from sleeping. He'd looked like Lance had his way with him and Lance had barely touched him. Lance had plans to touch him more, he would definitely have his way with Keith, just wanted to make sure Keith was ready first. He shook his head, damn, the guy did something to him. "Yeah," he said to Hunk.

Hunk eyed him. "Never thought he was the one night stand kind of guy."

"He's not. We didn't," Lance admitted. "Definitely seeing him again," Lance said, standing up and started collecting various dishes from around the kitchen. "Are there dishes in the living room?"

Hunk nodded but his mouth was open. "You are seeing him again?"

"Yeah," Lance said.

"Right away?"

"I would see him tonight, if I hadn't given my day away for Pidge," Lance said, sighing. "But Shortstuff is more important. Did he blow chunks last night?"

Hunk laughed. "Oh yeah, all over Dai, it was pretty priceless. Katie as she was bathing him, taking care of him and explaining to him why his tummy hurt so much was muttering something killing you and cats?"

Lance winced. "Yeah, I saw that coming. I told him."

"For a genius he's really...well seven sometimes," Hunk said with a grin.

"I know and that you roped me into being responsible for that is disgusting, Hunk."

Hunk shrugged. "I should have let you be expelled then?"

Lance cringed, he wasn't all that fond of how hard most of the Space Academy's classes were, or how strict it all was, and that flying for the Galaxy Garrison and being part of a space Alliance would probably have more and more rules. But he had to fly, it was all he could do, it was all he was good at doing. It was all he had to offer to the world.

"Anyway, I was thinking about staying here, we should put an ad online, and in the Academy paper, as well as the regular paper. A couple of people on campus must want off, you know?"

Lance nodded.

Hunk nodded too. "Mom and Dad, said they'll pick up the slack for us, as long as we have four people here with part time jobs."

Lance nodded again.

"They made me however go talk to the Academy about possibly needing to go back to the dorms in a month."

Lance sighed.

Hunk got up and put a big hand on Lance's shoulder. "Just promise me one thing?"

"What?" Lance said as turned on the water in the sink.

"Don't move in with that gypsy chick with the weird hair and the even weirder vibes, she was always telling me I was going to die soon..."

Lance laughed. "She disappeared, no one knows where she went. I hope she's okay, and she just hated you because you turned her down."

"She had her face painted like an owl and was high on who knows what when she came on to me, how does she remember?"

Lance grinned. "She always remembered."

"Whatever just if you have to crash at your other friends places for a bit, just go to the more sane ones, okay?"

"The sane ones?" Lance gave Hunk a look.

"Okay, the ones that won't possibly get you arrested with them?"

"Oh, those. Yeah, whatever, Hunk," Lance grabbed a few plates and dunked them into the bubbly water. "Speaking of one those, Griffin is working at Dovetails now. Which was really awkward, because I used him as a way to come out to Keith. Then he decided it'd be fun to see him. He was acting a bit weird."

Hunk snorted. "Griffin, how do you tell?"

"He was all over me in the kitchen. Last time I saw him it was just 'Hey, buddy.' Then he was all like who is the guy... Then he just had this weird look when I sent him off on his way, like okay you nosed in, you know what Keith looks like get lost now."

"Sounds normal to me," Hunk said. "I'll go get you the dishes from the living room and Pidge's room."

"Thanks."

"You didn't sleep with Kogane and you are seeing him again, for real?" Hunk said before he left the kitchen.

Lance turned around and grinned. "Never been more serious."

Hunk nodded his head and walked off to do as he said. Lance started to whistle as he did the dishes, and found that he really wanted to call Keith. It was too early to call Keith, he shouldn't do it until after the museum at least. But he could feel his phone in his pocket, he knew Keith's number was in there. With a sneaky photo Lance had taken of him outside before he left, all bedhead adorable that would come up when Keith called him. He should at least call, Keith so had his number.

"Who am I, someone in middle school?" Lance muttered to the dish as he grabbed a towel to dry it with. "Tone it down McClain."

~~.~~

Stella Dewey looked at her watch two hours later, she then picked up her cell phone and walked back over to her first floor room window that looked out over the front steps. She'd woken up because she'd heard laughing, steps and Keith Kogane's voice. It was too juicy not to spy, Keith Kogane had had an overnight visitor, she'd rushed right to the window to see who it was and couldn't believe it. The gall of him, of that damn Lance McClain, staying the night in a dorm like he was allowed, like he hadn't been banned. He should've been expelled, he was going to be before somehow he, his friend Garrett and that little brat had gotten him out of it.

"What the hell, Stella, it's barely eight?" Fargate snapped into his phone.

"You'll never believe who I saw leaving my dormitory at five this morning."