Chapter Nine

Thursday

Keith hoped he looked okay; actually he hoped Lance didn't think he was a complete dork. He was wearing the same damn jeans from their first date, and Lance's red shirt. He'd washed all his clothes yesterday, looked through everything as he put them away and realized - again - he had no good clothes for dating someone as hot and always so well put together as Lance.

Lance always looked like he came out of a magazine print ad where they needed a bad boy to sling his arm around the too thin female model. Casual cool, to a T. Keith didn't get it why Lance still kept calling him. Or calling him back. Or texted him from his classes. Or was being even more competitive than ever in Flight Instruction.

That was fun though, it was comforting that nothing changed between them when they were in their own cockpit, communicating only through a radio. Yet it had changed it was more charged, it was definitely flirting banter now, or maybe it always had been but Keith had been to naive to realize and Lance had just been flirting cause he was Lance. Now he was flirting because he wanted Keith.

A part of Keith was really scared when they got past he heavy petting, past all the teasing and they, he blushed just thinking about it; he really hoped after he and Lance had sex Lance didn't go onto the next conquest. Keith couldn't help but think it, Lance had his reputation by being a guy who went from one person to the next. What Keith knew about his gay relationships he'd picked up they weren't different from his female relationships. Short, quick, casual. Keith was probably lasting longer than most. He was going to enjoy it, he'd told himself, he was going to hold on, take what was offered, and lose his virginity. He was choosing it. He knew he'd get hurt, his heart had already latched onto Lance. Latched onto that shy half-smile he sometimes gave Keith when they were talking about nothing and everything. How Lances hand felt when it held his own, how it felt to press his body against Lance's back on the Kessel, Keith knew he was falling for him. If he already hadn't. He knew that Lance cared more than he'd admit about his strange roommate situation, about how he had this weird family now and that it just made him feel awkward. Lance had shared things with him...

And that gave Keith a bit of hope but he kept trying to quash it down, just in case it was false and Lance wasn't falling for him back.

The Kessel's purr made Keith look up and a few moments later, Lance was stopping in front of the steps. He hopped off of it, grabbing both helmets. Keith stood up and met him about half way and found himself getting kissed, helmets clanking behind his back making he laugh into it. Lance grinned as he pulled back. "Not my smoothest," Lance said giving Keith his helmet, the red helmet Keith amended in his mind, not his. "Guess what?"

"What?" Keith asked.

Lance dangled his keys in front of Keith's face. "You're driving."

Keith looked at the keys, the Kessel and then at Lance, his hazel eyes bright, the shy half smile on his face. Then he did it again, taking it all in and he was taking too long because Lance stepped back a bit and started to move away. "Unless you don't want to..."

"Yes," Keith snatched the keys. "Hell, yes," he grinned. "If I don't want to, are you crazy?"

"Well, you were just staring into space, there, Keith."

"I was surprised. I got the impression no one drives your girl but you."

"Damn straight no one drives her but me. But I'm making an exception," Lance said, giving Keith another shy half smile before he pulled on his helmet.

Keith nodded, amazed, happy, falling more. "Mind if I take the long to Riff's?" he asked.

"Fine with me," Lance said, his voice muffled a bit by the helmet.

Keith felt like it was Christmas morning, as he moved astride the Kessel in the front, the seat warm from Lance being there. He felt Lance move behind him, Lance's added weight to the bike frame and then Lance's hands were on him. Hot hands against his jeans and Keith swallowed. Lance's touch always instantly excited him, crap, how did Lance drive with Keith touching him? Keith had seen what his touch did to him, he saw more than once after lunch this week, when they'd find someplace to make out before they had to head back to their classes, or in the case of today and tomorrow Flight Instruction. They got to walk there together.

Keith took a deep breath, held for the count of three and then released. He started the Kessel, the engine vibrated under him and felt like an old friend, he'd been on the back of it everyday this week, it did feel like home in a way he was trying not to think about. Lance pressed his fingers into him to let him know he was excited for him too, Keith felt the thrill and despite the good boy part of his personality that told him to obey the campus speed limit, he took off at the high speed Lance always did because he was driving a Kessel for crying out loud. You didn't go slow on a Kessel.

The quickest way to Riff's was to go right out of the Academy, hop on the highway and stay there for a few exits, hop off and go through a few streets, left, right, right, left. There you were. Keith had no desire to that, there was of course the more scenic way. Head down to the beach, windy curvy roads, a dirt road short cut or two, then wind your way up into the portion of the city where Riff's located.

Definitely the way Keith was going.

He knew the Kessel was awesome, he knew how it took curves, he knew Lance drove it too fast. He was driving it just as fast he found, with ease because there was no way not too if you loved speed, if you loved to fly, if you loved the feel of wind surrounding you. Lance felt amazing pressed against him instead of the other way around, it was a toss up which sensation Keith loved more, he didn't want to make a choice so he didn't.

Despite taking the long way, he found himself pulling into a spot behind the industrial looking building that held Riff's. He turned off the engine with sigh and his shoulders drooped, he felt Lance's weight leave the Kessel but he didn't move. He was sad the ride was over, he pulled off his helmet, twisted and put where it hooked onto the bike. Pulled out the keys but still stayed in the seat. He was waiting for Lance's laugh to snap him out of his post-ride fit of maudlinness.

Instead a palm landed between his shoulder blades, fingers pushed away the hair against his neck and a mouth pressed against his skin of the back of his neck, Keith shivered and felt Lance's weight on the bike again, but he wasn't completely on the bike again. Lance moved his hand that was on Keith's back, snaked it around his front and pulled, Keith bent back easily, always pliable for Lance, and found himself looking into amused hazel eyes.

"I'll let you drive her again you know. It wasn't like a one time deal you know?"

If anything Lance looked even hotter upside down Keith thought for a second, he smiled at idiocy. "I think I kind of love your bike," he admitted.

Lance moved his hand to Keith's mouth, thumb against his bottom lip tracing it, staring at Keith. "So, that's it isn't it? You went out with me for my ass and you've stayed with me for my bike," he said, but Lance didn't sound teasing, his voice was all husky and low, and before Keith could even think of an answer. Like should he tease him back or admit as much of the truth that he dared, Lance bent his head down and kissed him. Keith reached up, left hand grabbing Lance's face, his right hand trapped between their bodies. Lance pulled back, but only enough to stand up and physical help Keith get his ass off the Kessel, hands on his hips, pushing up at the shirt, then they were pressed front to front, kissing, tongues dueling, Lance's hands gripping Keith's ass for a long moment, before moving back to his hips. Then they were moving, Keith shot a look to Lance, Lance was pushing them backwards, Lance winked and Keith felt brick wall behind him. Lance bent down and started to kiss, lick and suck on his neck, and Keith found himself laughing, when the sucking kept up. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're marked, so everyone in there leaves you the hell alone," Lance murmured, biting a little.

Keith leaned forward and bit Lance's earlobe, "I think I'm the one who should worry."

"Uh huh," Lance said. "I don't believe you for a minute about how no one comes onto you, Kogane. You're hotter than hot," Lance pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I don't like sharing, either."

Keith hands were on Lance's hips and they tightened on the words, Lance looked so serious, he wanted to believe him but could he? "Yeah?"

"Am I selfish?" Lance laughed, "You have met me right?" he asked, bending down to kiss Keith again.

Keith opened his opened his mouth, kissing Lance back and thought, "Please be selfish about me, please, please, please." And as he thought it he ended up turning the tables and slamming Lance against the wall, and being the one to decide when they'd come up for air.

"Bossy," Lance whispered with a grin when they broke apart. "Come on, Boss, I want to talk to Riff without Griffin noticing," he started walking toward the entrance to the apartment buildings, where there was a back entrance to the bar.

Keith nodded, remembering that was part of the reason they were hear tonight, but not the only reason. He knew it wasn't the only reason. Lance opened the door to the bar a bit, looked around. "Huh, it's pretty crowded for a Thursday, Griffin's working. Go in and say you're waiting for me or something, will you?"

"At the bar, what make small talk with Griffin?"

"Uh, you don't have to if you don't want too. I mean, if Riff clears him, I might take him up on his offer. Cause this place isn't that far from the Academy if you don't take the scenic route, and it might be the only offer I get I can afford."

"This is only if you and Hunk don't find roommates right?"

"Yeah, but we're not. We've had a couple offers but they freak out about Pidge, when we tell them. Or, they don't make enough to cover what we need them to cover. Or, they don't want to share a room with anyone else. It's a hassle. His parents can't cover us, they can't really help us at all but they were willing to try if we could find roommates who could at least cover most of what Dai and Katie put in. Which is impossible."

Keith sighed and he opened the door and looked at Griffin. The man was hot, he was also a man, there was no hiding that he was older than them. He had life experience written all over him and from what Lance had told Keith, he gave Keith a bad vibe, but he was offering Lance help too. Keith sighed, he wasn't a person who'd been around long to tell Lance who or who not to trust. But maybe he could suss out something, maybe if he figured out more about who this guy was, Lance would listen to him. "I'll talk to him, I guess."

"I won't sleep with him, you know."

Keith turned and stared at Lance, wanting to say he didn't think that was possibility but that wasn't true at all. It was his biggest damn worry. "I, uh. Really?"

"I'm waiting for you," Lance said. "Then I figure you and I, going to be so fucking hot who wants to stop doing that," he grinned, grabbed Keith and kissed him one more time really fast. "I'll try not to be too long."

Keith watched Lance vanish feeling gobsmacked, what had he said, what was going on? He felt like his cheeks was burning and he wasn't really sure if he'd heard or processed any of that right. But he had told Lance he'd talk with Griffin and he had his own reasons for doing it too, so he walked into the bar, and made his way over to the bar.

He found an empty seat near where Griffin was working sat down and waited to be noticed. Griffin was a good bartender he always noticed a new patron quickly. Within a minute Griffin was in front of him, toothy bartender smile at the ready but it fell from his face when he saw Keith. Then he gave a sort of strained smile Keith thought. "Uh, Kent right?"

"Keith," Keith said. "Keith Kogane."

"Right, what will it be?"

"Uh, I'll just have a orange soda while I wait for Lance," Keith said.

"Orange soda it is," Griffin said. "So, he's meeting you here, in a few?"

"I'm early, I'm always early."

Griffin put the glass of orange soda in front of Keith and checked down the bar. "Really, I've never been early a day in my life," he said.

"It causes some waiting," Keith said, feeling lame.

Griffin shrugged. "Being late can too, but waiting is what it is. So you and Lance, been going out a bit now, haven't you?"

"Not really," Keith said, feeling his cheeks go hot, hopefully it wasn't to obvious given the dark lighting of the club and his skin tone. "He's pretty stuck at home and we both have a lot of classes. We haven't actually be out again until tonight."

"And he ain't here yet," Griffin said. "He'll show though, he acts the bad boy, gets people to buy it too, but really he's got the softest heart a guy can have. I think he's like those people they write myths about. I sometimes have these prophetic dreams, nothing much mind you, never about myself. Dreamt my sister would marry a guy who hit her, she did, I tried to warn her. Knew my high school girl Sara, that be Benjamin's oldest from Dovetails, she'd be happy with the guy she met. Dreamt a few guys I slept with would get a job, or a won some lottery money, find some money under their couch. Dumb things. Dream I have about Lance though, it's recurring, scares me."

"Scared you?"

"It was fragmented, all in pieces, different you know. He'd be dodging fire, there be some cloaked figure with a staff, cradling a dead man in his arms, something with a flying red lion. A volcano. Other random images, nothing in any kind of order. I always wake up when I see the snakes though, sometimes right away, sometimes I see more. Dreams make me worry about him. Worry about what he's going to see out there when you kids graduate, that war I guess it gets worse and not better."

Keith shook his head, skeptical, wondering what he'd taken before he had the dream. "Had it lately?"

"No, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you. Why I wonder if he's meant to be some hero or something. Or, maybe it's what I want instead of the snakes getting him. Worry about him, you know, why I offered him the room. Beside that roommate of his and the extended family of Benjamin's he doesn't have anyone."

"Has me," Keith said.

"Well, you're new, didn't you just say so?"

Keith nodded but he looked Griffin in the eye. "Don't think I'm going anywhere though."

Griffin stared right back at Keith, then he nodded, looked down the bar again. "Be right back."

It was strange but Keith suddenly believed it, he wasn't going anywhere, he was staying in Lance's life. He didn't know what would happen with them, he still felt completely gobsmacked about what Lance had said before he left to go upstairs. Griffin was impossible to read but he seemed to be saying he wanted to watch Lance's back. Keith wasn't sure what to make of Griffin, or why he'd told him about the dream he had about Lance now and again.

"So, Keith," Griffin said, putting a refill of orange soda in front of him. "How did you meet Lance, you two share some class on how to fight Drules together?"

"We're in Flight Instruction together. He saved my ass and we finally officially met."

"Officially? Oh wait," Griffin grinned. "You're the one he told me about, the one he likes to egg on over the radio to give himself a challenge in flight class. Yeah, he said you're the only other guy who knows how to fly."

Keith grinned because it was true, and he liked the idea of Lance telling people that even before they really spoke. "Yeah. It's true. I was up in a fighter that was falling apart. Radio was only working on a shortwave, fire I couldn't see because the system was all fowled out. He saved my ass. Then we finally met. Usually I just saw his feet as they disappeared around a corner cause he had to get home."

"Yeah, the little guy. He complains about him nonstop."

"He loves him," Keith said.

Griffin nodded and then studied Keith. "You aren't his norm."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you aren't disposable."

Keith tried to play it nonchalant, like he didn't care one way or the other. "I don't think he's disposable either."

"Only idiots would think that about Lance."

"He said you gave him your number," Keith said.

Griffin laughed. "Yeah, I've been told he likes to use me to come out to guys. Says it's an easy way to slip it into conversation. I definitely gave him my number. He kept coming up to the bar, to get drinks for him the guy he was here with, only he was flirting with this girl who game here with a few friends. It was amazing to watch, he gay friend getting mad at him for flirting with the girl, Lance pointing around and saying there was only one hot guy in the place... I saw he meant me. No way I wasn't going to take him up on it, well, you've seen him Keith. You know."

Keith picked up his soda and drank, yeah he knew, Griffin didn't seem like he would turn Lance down if Lance wanted him now either. "You still want him?"

Griffin smirked at Keith. "Of course. But it doesn't matter, he's made it clear. With you around, he's got eyes for no one else. Besides, what he and I had was casual. It was sex between friends. We can be friends without the sex."

Keith couldn't imagine ever casually having sex with someone, yet he knew he was going to sleep with Lance and risk it not meaning as much to Lance as it would to him... his heart thumped in his ears. He didn't want to read into what Lance had said earlier outside, he didn't want to read into the Kessel, driving it, it being more than a one time deal. But he was, and he was hoping.

He was jealous of this guy, of Griffin, in front of him who had already had Lance, so easily, so casually, and he hated him a little bit for it too. Keith had to face it he'd already fallen hard and fast. He was in love with Lance.