He hates him. Despises him.
Dark hair that just barely reaches his shoulders, violet eyes, he's like a nightmare Lance can't wake up from.
Hunk says that 'despise' is too strong a word, but in Lance's opinion, it's not strong enough. There isn't a single word in the English language that could describe how much he hates Keith.
Why? The answer's simple. He acts like he's just so much better, all because he's number one, all because the teachers love him, all because he's Shiro's favorite. He gets away with all the bullshit he pulls because Shiro's there to clean it up for him.
Maybe Lance is projecting, maybe he's just mad because he's second. Maybe he's pissed because he spent his childhood staring up at posters, imagining himself as a man of the stars, only to watch his hero disregard him, and fawn over his rival. His enemy.
No. No, it's not that. Lance doesn't care. It doesn't bother him. But he does.
And Keith?
Keith can't stand Lance. A cocky, overconfident, prick, who for the life of him can't keep his big mouth shut. Who expects his 'charm' and charisma to get him out of sticky situations, meanwhile, Keith had to fight to get what he has, and now some asshole he barely knows is pissed at him and wants to take his spot? Like hell he'll let that happen.
It doesn't take much to get them to fight. All one of them has to do is think about the other and fists go flying. It's not like a regular fight, regular fights usually burn out over time, but Keith and Lance's feuds go on for hours, shoving, punching, pushing, and they finally get broken apart and sent to detention for the millionth time, they keep fighting.
Their fights aren't always physical, sometimes, they're yelling matches, one spouting venom at the other, and once they're both out of swears they keep yelling words no one has ever heard of, until all you hear is a jumble of Spanish and Korean, neither one understanding the words, but the malice, the anger is clear.
Their competitions aren't subtle, they one-up each other, never letting the other revel in victory for too long before snatching it out from under them, and bragging, which is Lance's favorite activity, watching the brunette get angry as he rubs his victories in Keith stupid little face.
But they aren't always at odds with each other, and it's strange. Lance hates Keith, hates him more than the dirt beneath him, but when James tried to beat Keith's score on the flight simulator, Lance destroyed him, beating him with learned ease, with a skill he'd gotten from watching Keith over the years. When James tried to start a fight with Keith, Lance threatened to beat him up, it was an empty threat, he had no intention of hurting the boy, but he made sure to look like it. And when Ryan beat Lance in combat training, Keith made sure it wouldn't happen again. Because Lance was Keith's rival, and Keith was Lance's. A simple formula really.
And the status quo continues into their teenage years, where they shove a little harder, and their words hold more vulgarity. But there's something else too. Lance hits a growth spurt, and swims a little more, his body toned, and Keith is still short, but he's bulked up quite a bit now, and now when they fight, Lance is a lot more nimble, but Keith packs more of a punch.
Lance will pretend he's not taken aback when Keith pins him against the wall, as long as Keith ignores the thoughts that sprout from those long legs wrapping around his neck and pinning him to the sparring mat. They'll both pretend not to notice each other's changes.
Keith will pretend not to notice when Lance winks at all the girls, because suddenly that big mouth of his can actually be suave, and Lance will pretend not to see the way some of the guys look into Keith's eyes.
And they'll both ignore what creeps into their dreams at night.
Their status quo continues, and it drives everyone crazy, but neither of them cares, the others don't matter. Lance knows he's better, and needs to remind Keith, and Keith needs to maintain his spot.
No one tries to challenge either of them out of fear of the other, or what he might do. Lance's tongue has gotten sharper, and Keith's fists heavier.
But then Keith gets booted. One too many fights, one too many messes, and Shiro's made one too many excuses.
So now Lance is lost. He should be happy, he's won. So why is he so pissed off? Why does every high score feel condescending, and every 'Good job!' feel fake, hollow, and empty?
He wants a challenge, it's too easy now, he keeps winning, but that's not what he wants, he wants to fight, he wants someone, anyone, to push him around, to call him a bitch, to question him.
And when he sees the familiar brunette again he's filled with excitement, but Keith doesn't remember him, doesn't remember them, and what they used to be.
It pisses Lance off. How can he not remember? How dare he not remember?
It's no problem though.
Lance will poke and prod, push buttons and limits.
And now they're stuck in space together. Pent up everything is taken out in sharp words and flying fists, and there's nothing their fellow paladins can do.
And it's nice. There's a satisfaction, a comfort, no one can annoy Keith like Lance, and no one can annoy Lance like Keith, it's a perfect dissonance.
And when they piss each other off, Lance shows off less, he wants to do the job right and show he's better than Keith, and Keith quits being snotty because he doesn't want to get shown up by Lance.
And somehow, the two of them improve, even though every time they interact it's like a match to dynamite, they explode in a beautiful way.
And when Lance has pissed Keith off again, after fucking up another mission, he'll laugh it off, and Keith will be angry, and then they fight.
Blood will pump through them both as they see who'll win this time, their teammates having learned by now that interfering is pointless, and that it helps nothing.
And Keith wins this time, pinning Lance to the ground with those arms that now have almost doubled in size, and his hair having doubled in length.
Lance won't pretend that he isn't staring into those eyes, heart thumping, itching for Keith to open himself up so he can turn the tide.
He'll pretend that he doesn't feel Keith loosen his grip, and that his eyes aren't searching his soul.
Keith won't pretend that he doesn't feel Lance's heartbeat, or hear his breaths of anticipation.
And neither of them pretends as they give in. In that moment, the hate melts into want, and teeth clash, Lance bites Keith's lip, and they both taste metal.
And this time, it's Lance whose tongue makes it into Keith's mouth, and they're both warm, hearts beating.
The moment passes, and they're both heavy breathed and purple lipped. Lance admits defeat, and Keith brags, so Lance shoves him, switching their position, but Keith doesn't go down so easily.
And the status quo continues.
A/N: I wrote this one-shot two years ago, haven't posted fanfiction in a while, but I thought I'd give it another try, hope you enjoyed, I'll likely upload my backload of fics here and then start new ones. :)