Learning to Fly

Some terms:

förbanna¹ = Swedish for 'damn'

Skit² = Swedish for 'shit'

bror³ = Swedish for 'brother'

**********

The Mecca Jungle Club was crowded with young people, a lot of who were barely over the legal limit. It was a hot spot for the youths, especially at this time of year… just before the first day of the Space Academy. A lot more went on in some of the shadowy corners then just drinking. The dance floor was aglow with flashing lights of many colors and the music blared loudly. Mixed couples danced energetically on the dance floor, moving to the rhythm… or just dancing close and slow in a dance that would probably lead to a lot more later.

Lance glanced around, trying to get used to the flashing lights and how the whole place seemed to vibrate with the music. He glanced down at his 'little brother'. "Okay Pidge. How on earth did you find out about this place?"

Pidge grinned widely. "A friend told me about it… since I have a little trouble getting into most clubs… and here anything goes."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Obviously. So is your friend meeting us? I would feel better if I knew more than one person here."

"Yeah… he'll be here." Pidge's grinned widened, even though it didn't seem possible. "Though once he is you'll be on your own."

"I am sure that I don't want to know!" Lance snickered. "And what if I don't approve of him?"

"You don't have any choice in the matter." Pidge said and stuck his tongue out at Lance. "Besides I'm sure you'll find at least one person to spend time with… you're a regular ol' heartbreaker… like you claim you can get anyone eating out of your hand in no time."

"You know very well that I never said that!" Lance blushed. "I have never even been with anyone that way!"

"Sure…." Pidge rolled his eyes. "You're saving yourself for your wedding night."

Lance didn't reply. He just turned even redder.

**********

Keith was bouncing in his chair unable to stop moving even as he finished off yet another drink, having long since lost count of how many he had.

Sven groaned. He knew he should've kept count on how many Keith had. "I think that is enough for you, little bror³."

Keith just grinned and shook his head, his bangs falling into his eyes. "Not nears enough." He said with only a slightly slurred voice.

Sven rubbed his eyes. Sure he wanted to see how much Keith could handle - Keith was a funny drunk - but they passed that limit way back. Now he wasn't sure if he would even be able to get Keith to their first class tomorrow.

"I want to dance more." Keith suddenly threw himself across the table, grabbing Sven's arm. "Dance with me." He giggled. "I think I've already dance with everyone that there is to dance with...except you." He giggled some more, close to breaking into uncontrollable laughter.

"Actually...you have only danced with me." Sven rolled his eyes. "Alright. But if you throw up on me, I'm going to have to kill you." Sven laughed. Keith was just so damn funny when he was drunk!

"You wouldn't kill me." Keith said confidently. He moved to get off the table, but ended up rolling off and landing hard on his ass on the floor. "OWW!" He complained loudly, wondering who made the stupid table so small that he rolled off it that easily.

Sven burst out laughing. "You're right. You'll probably kill yourself first!" He reached down to help Keith up. "Do you think you can stay on your feet on the dance floor?"

"Of course I can." Keith said defensively. "I just thought the table was bigger. No matter how drunk I am, I can still dance better then you."

"Riigghhttt!" Sven rolled his eyes. "How about you prove it?"

"Okay." Keith grinned, grabbed Sven's arm and dragged him through the crowd to the dance floor.

**********

Lance's eyes roamed the room. They widened when he saw Pidge order a drink, but he didn't say anything. Their first day of classes started tomorrow, and though he may have to drag Pidge to them, Pidge deserved to relax before hand...especially with all the hard classes he signed up for. "So where is this friend I'm suppose to meet?"

"He's…." Pidge started to say, looking around the room. "Over there." Pidge began to wave frantically at his friend, a huge smile on his face.

"He hasn't even finished one drink yet!" Lance mumbled ignoring all the strange looks everyone was giving them.

Pidge motioned for Lance to follow before running to greet his friend. Pidge jumped onto his friend's lap and promptly planted a huge kiss on the bigger man's lips.

"Ookkaayyy!" Lance shook his head. If Pidge was acting like this without anything to drink, then tonight would definitely be interesting! Lance smirked. He was really, really glad he brought his camera.

Pidge turned to look at Lance. "Lance this is Hunk…." He turned back to Hunk. "And Hunk, this is my big brother, Lance."

Hunk gave Lance a puzzled look as he looked back and forth between Lance and Pidge. Lance laughed as he ruffled Pidge's hair. "Squirt and I are not biological brothers." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Hunk said shaking the offered hand.

"Okay… now you have met him do you think you could find someone for yourself. I refuse to share him with you." Pidge said.

Lance laughed. "Don't worry, Pidge. He is all yours." He smirked at Hunk. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into buddy."

"Oh, I already know." Hunk responded with a grin.

"And you're still here? You must be either incredibly brave or extremely stupid!" Lance laughed as he roughed up Pidge's hair some more.

"HEY!" Pidge complained.

"Just incredibly lucky." Hunk said, smiling at Pidge.

Lance rolled his eyes. "On that note, I'm leaving before y'all make me sick with all this mush!" His face turned serious as he stared down at Hunk. "Pidge has never had a drink before. I'm counting on you to make sure that he doesn't over do it tonight."

Pidge just stuck his tongue out at Lance.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't have too many." Hunk assured Lance.

Lance's eyes softened. "Good. Y'all don't have too much fun." Turning to Pidge, he took on a very masculine voice, imitating Pidge's father. "Now young man. Be sure to come home before 10." Lance then switched to Pidge's mom's voice. "Also be sure that you always wear clean underwear."

"Yikes." Pidge said in mock fright, snuggling closer to Hunk for protection. "Yes, ma'am...and sir."

Lance laughed. "Good boy." Walking away, Lance turned around again and winked at them. "Y'all don't do anything that I wouldn't do, okay?"

"But that leaves out all the fun stuff." Pidge teased.

"Exactly!!" Laughing, Lance waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd.

**********

Keith was actually managing to dance with grace, never falling once or showing any signs of the drunken stumbling that had led them to the dance floor.

Sven shook his head. "How do you do that? You can't even sit on a barstool without falling, yet you can dance as if you've had nothing to drink!"

"Toldja I'm a better dancer then you." Keith grinned. His eyes suddenly caught sight of far better potential dance partner, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Damn...he's beautiful…"

"Huh?" Sven asked. He tried to see where Keith was looking, but it was hard considering the place was packed.

"Over there." Keith said motioning with a nod of his head. "In the brown leather jacket…."

Sven glanced over at a man sitting at the bar, looking totally bored. So bored in fact that it appeared that he was blowing bubbles in his drink. "The guy sitting at the bar?"

"Yeah." Keith said. "But it looks like he's waiting for someone else...all the good ones are always taken."

"Whatever." Sven rolled his eyes. "He just looks bored to me. Do you mind closing your mouth? You're getting my shoes wet."

Keith glared at Sven. "Am not."

"Are too." Sven laughed, his smile widening when he saw a familiar brown haired man waving at them. "Look, Jeff is finally here. You can either come with me or go talk to that guy. Or you can just stand here and flood the place. Your choice."

"And sit around watching you two make out…ewww." Keith said, shuddering at the thought of it. "I think I'll take my chances with Mr. Tall, Dark...well brown haired...and Handsome."

Sven snorted. "Whatever. You always had strange taste."

"Yours are stranger…." Keith said. As Jeff walked over, Keith grinned and started teasing the both of them. "Sven and Jeff sitting in a tree…k-i…" That was as far as he got before Sven gave him a death glare. He nodded a quick hello to Jeff before dashing away from danger.

**********

Lance sighed. He was bored out of his mind! Blowing bubbles in his soda was no longer entertaining. Not only that, but he had ran out of film in his camera. Besides, Hunk and Pidge had moved to a dark corner, so he wouldn't have been able to take anymore pictures without them knowing anyway. Oh well. Lance smirked. He still got some doosies though.

Keith slid up beside Lance, opting for the direct approach. After all he was quite drunk and feeling very good...and he would never see this man again after tonight so there was no harm in any of it. "You look bored, wanna dance?"

Mentally, Lance moaned. If this was another girl, he was going to scream. Already thinking of some excuses, Lance turned around only to stop short, his mouth falling open. This was no girl! It was the most gorgeous guy he had ever seen! And this guy wanted to dance with him! "Um...ah...uh...sure?" Lance wanted to kick himself. 'That was real smooth, stupid!'

Keith grinned and offered his hand to this brown haired Adonis. "Since we shall be dancing, may I ask you your name?"

Lance blushed. "Huh? Oh...Lance. What's yours?"

"Keith." He took Lance's hand and pulled him to his feet, leaving Lance little room between him and the barstool. He usually wasn't this friendly with anyone, but all the drinks he had consumed and the beauty of this man made him feel drunk enough to act on his impulses...at least most of them.

To say that Lance was a tab bit flabbergasted would have been a major understatement when Keith pulled him so close. This...this ANGEL wanted to dance with him? DAMN! Lance silently prayed to whatever deity listening that he didn't totally fall on his feet out there.

Keith maneuvered them out onto the dance floor, sticking like glue to Lance's body. His hands stroke up and down Lance's body as he swayed his own body to the music.

Lance was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. 'This guy can't be serious!' Then he smelled the alcohol on Keith's breath. It took all his self-control not to show his disappointment on his face. 'I knew he wasn't really interested in me!' Sighing, Lance decided to just play along and began swaying his body in time with Keith's. 'Oh well. I will just have some fun and make sure it doesn't go any farther than dancing.'

**********

Sven looked at where Keith was now dancing with the brown haired man. What he saw made his blue eyes quickly turn to ice.

"Huh?" Jeff looked at Sven worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"The way that guy is dancing with Keith." Sven said.

Jeff glanced in the direction Sven was staring. "They are just dancing. That's it. You worry too much."

"It's the way they are dancing that worries me. Keith is drunk and… if that sleaze tries to even remotely take advantage of him I'll…" Sven left the threat unsaid.

Jeff sighed as he placed his hand on Sven's arm. "I know...you have known Keith before he could even walk with both your parents being so close. The two of you have only gotten closer since your parents took him in after Keith's folks died in that accident." He smiled as he placed a kiss on Sven's cheek. "But you have nothing to worry about. I know that guy, and while he may flirt, he would never take advantage of Keith, especially in Keith's current condition."

"I won't stop worrying 'til I get his drunk ass back home." Sven said, sighing as most his anger left him. "But, if you say he's safe I'll believe you."

Jeff laughed. "Oh he is! Lance is not even drunk! I saw Pidge somewhere in here. Lance considers Pidge his little brother...he is probably only here to keep an eye on Pidge!"

**********

Keith dipped Lance and stared down into Lance's soft brown eyes. He became so lost in their intensity that he almost dropped Lance.

Lance couldn't believe how good a dancer this guy was! Keith was more graceful than a cat! Fortunately the near lost 'dip' reminded him that Keith was still drunk, helping him from becoming too lost in those black eyes. Though, Lance knew that his heart was already lost. It hurt that this guy probably didn't even know he stole it.

Keith pulled Lance back up into his arms as a slower song began. He held Lance close, never wanting to let him go but knowing he would have to all too soon. One of his hands rest against the small of Lance's back while he brought his fingers from his other hand up to run through the back of Lance's hair.

Lance had to stiffen the moan that threatened to escape his throat. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Keith's waist, pulling the man even closer to him. He then placed his head against Keith's shoulder, breathing him in. Lance wanted to imprint everything about this angel into his mind - how he smelled...felt...looked. He knew this was all he would ever get and it would have to last him a lifetime.

Unfortunately, the song had to end and Lance knew he had to leave before things went further than he could control. "Thanks for the dancing with me. You are a fantastic dancer. But I have classes tomorrow, so I really need to call it a night." Lance laughed. "I also need to make sure my little brother gets out of here before he gets too wasted."

"Just one more dance?" Keith pleaded.

'Ouch! That hurt!' If the situation was different Lance would have insisted on dancing with Keith all night long! But it wasn't. Sighing Lance shook his head. "I can't. I really need to go. But..." Smiling, he couldn't resist lightly stroking Keith's cheek with his hand. "...I would love to dance with you again." 'Though probably not bloody likely to happen!'

"Yeah…sure." Keith said quietly, though he knew he'd never see Lance again. He had just been given the brush off, which seemed to be the story of his life. He could never win when it came to love.

Lance's smile faded. "I'm serious. I just think it would be better if you weren't so drunk." Sighing, Lance stepped back. "Never mind. Thanks again. Goodnight." Then he turned and slowly walked away.

'And if I weren't drunk, I'd never have had the courage to ask you to dance.' Keith thought, as he stared longingly after Lance's retreating figure.

Smirking, a man built like Genghis Kong and reeking of cheap whiskey and cigar smoke walked forward and roughly grabbed Keith by the arm. "Don't worry. I'll dance with ya darling."

"I don't think so." Keith said as he tried to pull away but the man tightened his grip.

"Oh, I do think so." He snaked an arm around Keith's waist, pulling him closer. "Ya will find that I am a much better dancer...in many things."

"Let go of me." Keith struggled to pull away; he could feel the man's hardness pressing against him even through the layers of jeans.

"Ah, just give me a chance darling." The man reached over to touch Keith's cheek, only to have it roughly yanked back by another. Glaring, he turned to face burning brown eyes.

"He said no!" Lance growled angrily.

'Kong' snorted, ignoring the intruder. "You walked away, he's mine now."

The flames increased in Lance's eyes. "Doesn't matter. He still said no!"

"Yeah well…if he knows what's good for him he'll change his mind."

"I don't think so." Keith said, trying to get enough leverage to pull away from this larger man, but finding himself unable to break free from the crushing grip the man had around his waist.

Lance's eyes narrowed measurably. Without warning, he swiftly kicked the side of the man's knee, so hard the cracking bone could be heard above the music. Howling, the man loosened his grip enough for Lance to rush forward and grab Keith, practically throwing him away from the bastard.

Keith stumbled back a couple of paces, his eyes wide with surprise. The man lay on the floor clutching his knee, screaming profanities at Lance.

Taking a defensive stance, Lance made sure that he remained between Keith and the screaming fucker. He never took his eyes off of the bastard. "Keith, are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Keith replied quietly, the full force of all the alcohol he had consumed that night seemed to be picking now to take its toll on him. He seemed to sway though he was rooted in the spot. He knew if he had been sober, or least not way past the point of one drink too many, he'd been able to take the guy down without any help. Though he couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart that Lance had rescued him despite the abrupt brush off he gave.

Lance took his eyes off the guy just enough to flash Keith a warm smile. "Good. I would hate to see you get hurt. I..."

"DAMNIT KEITH!! Are you okay?" Sven yelled as he came running onto the dance floor, closely followed by Jeff.

Keith collapsed against Sven, clinging to Sven's arm. "I wanna go home…" He mumbled.

"It's okay. It's okay. I have you." Sven whispered as he wrapped his arms around Keith, supporting him.

Lance raised a questioning eyebrow at Jeff. Jeff smiled. "He's Keith's older brother."

Nodding, Lance turned and stared straight into Sven's eyes. "I suggest you take him home. In fact, right now would be a very good idea."

"What exactly happened?" Sven asked.

Lance glared down at the crying baby on the floor. "Let's just say that Keith really didn't want to dance with Mr. Tough Guy down there."

Sven was quiet for a moment. "Thank you for helping convince him to leave Keith alone." He didn't have to be told that it was Lance who took the guy down, Keith was obviously in no condition to do it himself.

Lance smiled and shook his head. "No need. I'm sure if the situation was reversed, he would have done the same for me. Right now you just need to take him home." He then smiled at Keith. "Take care of yourself. Again, thanks for the dance. Right now I better find my bro and take his probably very drunken ass home." Waving, Lance turned and disappeared into the gathering crowd.

"Never gonna see him again." Keith mumbled sadly, leaning his head deeper against Sven's shoulder.

"C'mon, bro, let's get you home." Sven said picking Keith up in his arms. He turned and looked at Jeff. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Of course." Jeff said, giving Sven a quick kiss on the cheek. He ruffled Keith's hair. "Next time, don't drink so much."

Keith mumbled something inaudibly. Sven sighed as he carried Keith out of the club.

************************************************************************

Somehow, though only with lots of help from Lance, Pidge managed to get out of bed and make it for their first day at the Space Academy, despite having a major headache. Walking between Lance and Hunk, Pidge moaned as some girls started talking and giggling loudly. "Why do they have to be so loud?"

"They aren't really all that loud… at least not to anyone without a hangover." Hunk pointed out with a small grin.

Lance laughed at the disgusted face Pidge gave Hunk. "Don't worry, Pidge. It will wear off...that is if you took the stuff that I gave you."

"Of course I did." Pidge said. "But it still isn't working."

"Just give it some time!" Lance rolled his eyes. "Impatient, impatient, impatient."

"So… did you take my suggestion and find someone to be with last night?" Pidge suddenly asked with eager interest.

"I...I managed to have a good time." Lance said, blushing a little.

Pidge grinned. "So you found someone to… keep you occupied."

"WHOA!! Get that dirty mind of yours out of the gutter!" Lance stopped and shook his finger in front of Pidge's nose. "Nothing happened, you pervert! We just danced!"

"So…I guess I'm gonna have to play 20 questions to get anything out of you." Pidge smirked. "Well okay, was it a boy or a girl?"

Lance groaned. "Alright...a boy."

"And does this boy have a name? Or did you just skip that little formality and get right into the dancing?"

Lance glared at Pidge's smirking face. "You are really asking for it! Fine! His name was Keith."

"Oh really?" Hunk asked, getting involved in the conversation for the first time. "The only Keith I know that goes there is little more then a spoiled rich boy. I find it rather surprising he'd dance with you…he only dances with his brother or Jeff...if at all."

"Well, he was way beyond drunk. That was probably the only reason he danced with me anyway." Lance smiled weakly. What Hunk had said immediately dashed whatever slim hope Lance may have had about it possibly being more.

"At least you walked away in one piece. I heard his brother has a down right mean streak." Hunk said.

Lance shrugged. "His brother didn't seem that bad. He just thanked me for helping Keith out of a little jam. I'm sure Keith could have handled it if he wasn't so drunk at the time."

"Probably not. I think he depends on his brother to save him." Hunk said.

"Were you the guy that busted some jerk's knee?" Pidge asked.

Lance shrugged again. "Yeah, he had it coming to him." Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait a minute! You heard about that!"

"Yeah, but by the time I heard it nobody remembered any of the names." Pidge said.

"SHIT!" Lance growled, walking faster than before. "Well, that explains why many of the teachers and students have been watching me closely. So much for trying to fit in here."

"Don't worry so much about trying to fit in." Pidge said seriously.

"That's not the point, Pidge." Lance smiled weakly. "This school is very prestigious and honorable. There was nothing honorable about my move last night - it was street fighting. And you know how this school feels about street trash."

"Yeah, well your reasons for doing it were honorable." Pidge pointed out. "And you are not street trash! You hear me? Nobody talks about my brother that way, not even my brother."

"Thanks Squirt." Lance laughed as he ruffled Pidge's hair. "If it weren't for the fact that you were going to school here and that I wanted to be a pilot so fucking bad I wouldn't have even considered coming to this school."

"It's not all that bad. You'll see…you may even end up liking it here." Pidge said.

Lance sighed. "I really hope you're right."

**********

Sven chuckled as he grabbed hold of Keith to keep him from falling down some stairs. Between the hangover and the dark sunglasses, Keith was having a horrible time. Sven was willing to bet fifty dollars that a five star military band was playing in Keith's head.

Sven laughed as Keith winced from the loud chatting two girls were making as they walked by. "I told you not to drink so much!"

"Yeah, well after last night I never want to drink again." Keith mumbled.

"Probably a good idea. Next time be more careful! If that guy hadn't helped you out..." Sven growled as his grip tightened on Keith's arm.

"I can take care of myself." Keith grumbled. "And besides Lance was willing to play nice to a poor pathetic drunk and dance with me in the first place so..." Keith's voice trailed off as he pulled away from Sven's grip.

Sven snorted. "You definitely couldn't last night. Anyway, though I'm grateful that Lance helped you, I'm also glad we won't see him again."

"I guess…kinda made a fool out of myself…too drunk to know better." Keith said. His voice was quiet and regretful.

Sven smiled. "Not too much. Don't worry. I trust Jeff. And he did say that Lance was on the level. I really doubt Lance would do anything to embarrass you if you did happen to see him again." His face turned serious. "However, Lance is a street punk. And while he may be one of the few good ones, you know that trouble always seems to follow them, whether they want it to or not."

"Yeah, well I'll never see him again. Not that he'd want to ever see me again." Keith said.

Sven laughed. "I don't know...the fact he came back and helped you tells me that he likes you. Again, it's probably good we won't run into him again. I don't want to see you get into trouble, even if it is accidental."

"I think I'd call it more pity than like. After all he couldn't get away from me fast enough." Keith said. "I blew it before anything could even happen. That should make you perfectly happy."

Sven snorted. "What's done is done. Get over it. Right now worry more about getting to class than what you did last night!"

"Yes, sir." Keith replied. "Though I don't get why they have classes starting so early."

"Classes normally start at this time." Sven laughed. "You just didn't want to get out of bed!"

"Yeah, well this is my class. So I'll see ya later." Keith said, stopping before the classroom door.

"Right." Sven waved as he walked away. "Good luck! You will need it!"

Keith glared at Sven's back before turning and entering the classroom. He took off his sunglasses, wincing against the brightness of the lights as he looked for somewhere to sit.

Lance glanced up from his book just in time to see a familiar black haired boy sit across from him. Lance's eyes widened. 'SHIT! He's not supposed to be here!' Mentally, Lance groaned. As if he didn't already have enough trouble not thinking of Keith, that very angel would have to sit next to him in class!

Keith froze the second he saw who he had just sat down next to. He looked around the room but saw it was the same as before – this had been the last place left to sit. 'Bloody hell. I was never suppose to see him again! What am I suppose to do now?'

'Well, I guess I should say something.' Lance smiled warmly at Keith as he held out his hand. "You probably don't remember me...name's Lance."

"Um…uh…yeah I remember you." Keith said, staring at the offered hand for a moment before finally shaking it. "I never though I'd see you here." Keith said. 'Oh, that was real smooth.' He cursed himself.

'Ouch!' Lance flinched. "Yeah...well...I got lucky and knew some people who helped me get in here."

"That's good." Keith said. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand trying to think of something not so stupid to say. "Thanks…for uh…last night."

"No charge." Lance smiled. "I'm sure you would have done the same for me if the situation was reversed."

"Yeah…well maybe not quite the same since I don't know that neat little trick you pulled…but I would've made sure he let go."

"Thanks..." Whatever Lance was about to say was lost as the teacher interrupted.

The teacher frowned at the two young men. "Mr. Lance Braddock, kindly leave Mr. McLane alone and focus on the lecture."

"Yes, sir. Sorry." Lance mentally groaned. This was not a good start.

Keith flashed Lance an apologetic look before paying attention to the boring lecture Mr. Adams had been giving. In a way he was grateful for the interruption, as he didn't really know what to say to Lance. But, at the same time he cursed the interruption as he would rather be talking to Lance…anything to hear the beautiful man's voice.

**********

Lance sighed in relief...class was finally over. He had forgotten how boring history could be, especially since aviation was next period. He glanced over at Keith. "What class do you have next?"

"Aviation. Which I'm glad wasn't first period, since this way I had time to get over that hangover." Keith said. Again cursing himself for saying stupid things, he shouldn't have brought up his drinking bender that he'd been on last night.

"Really? That is my next class too." Lance laughed. "The first hangover is always the roughest. After that you know your limits so you don't have to go through it again."

"It wasn't the first time I've gotten drunk...just the first time I've been that drunk." Keith said. "But, it's the last time I'm drinking anything."

"Same here. My first hangover was so bad I can barely drink one drink now!" Lance laughed before grinning sheepishly. "Um, you wouldn't happen to know where this aviation class is? I'm new here and have no clue where I'm going."

"I know exactly where it is…so just stick with me and I'll get us both there."

Lance grinned. "Thanks! This place is a regular maze!"

"Yeah, you could get lost really easy in here. Though the basement is worse…or was. They closed it to students after a group of them got lost down there and nobody found them."

"What?" Lance blinked.

"Well, they were found, just not alive. These four students sneaked in there at night, looking for some place private...and just wanting to do something they weren't suppose to do. Even then the basement was not a place you really wanted to go, it's quite the labyrinth, easy to get lost. And everyone assumes that they did because they were in some back halls that were only used for maintenance, so they didn't know where they were going." Keith started to tell the story.

Lance nearly dropped his books as they walked down the hall. "What do you mean 'assumed' they did?"

"Because of where it seemed to have started and where they probably had been headed, based on what their friends said after. Ya see, the thing is they weren't the only ones down there. There was an escaped convict down there and he found them…or they accidentally found him. He butchered all four of them. The blood was everywhere…he chopped their bodies up…leaving body parts strewn throughout the whole basement. They never found all the body parts."

"Uh, he isn't still down there, is he?" Lance looked pale.

"Depends if you believe in ghosts. They found him and shot him in the knees and…well, according to the story, they threw him into the furnace stove and burned him alive. The furnace stopped working and they updated the heating system. But anyone who has ever been down there says his soul still roams free looking for more people to murder."

"No, I don't believe in ghosts. The living are scary enough." Lance shook his head, mumbling to himself. "I was hoping to get away from all that shit!"

"From what?" Keith asked with genuine concern.

"Well...um..." Lance turned white as a ghost. "Let's just say that where I grew up, I saw stuff like that almost everyday. I really don't want to see it again!"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Keith apologized.

"Oh, don't be sorry. I am glad to know about it. That way I can stay away from it." Lance smiled slightly, before focusing his eyes on his feet. "I...I kinda grew up on the back streets. I know people don't like kids like me here, so I...I'll understand if you...you don't want to talk to me anymore. I'm used to it."

"It doesn't bother me." Keith said, ignoring everything Sven had told him that morning. "It doesn't matter where a person is from, all that matters is who they are. And when it comes to that you are better then a lot of people here. Most people wouldn't have bothered to take down Mr. Big Bad in the club the way you did...not for someone they didn't know…or not want to get aw…" Keith's voice trailed off leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid.

"REALLY?" Lance was in shock. "It doesn't bother you at all?"

"No, it doesn't." Keith replied honestly.

Lance figured he looked like an idiot with his mouth hanging open like it was. He quickly closed it before he caught any flies in it. "I...um...Thanks!" Lance smiled brightly. "And about the club, again no charge. You are one of the few people who have ever been nice to me, much less dance with me. Thanks."

"Yeah well…thanks for dancing me…even if I did make a fool out of myself. I don't normally dance like that. Maybe next…" Keith stopped himself before he made an idiot out of himself by suggesting that there may even be a next time. He didn't want to push his luck with Lance when it seems he may have finally got him as a friend. "Here's our class." Keith pointed at the door and hurried inside.

Not sure what to say to that, much less think, Lance just followed Keith inside.

**********

Keith and Lance discovered that they had the next class together as well. When it was time for their lunch break, they decided to eat together, soon finding that they had the next class together as well. In fact, their schedules were identical.

Lance could not believe his luck; this guy actually wanted to be friends with him! And he wasn't drunk this time! Pidge was the one of the few who ever made him feel wanted. Lance would have loved for more from Keith, but deep down he knew it wasn't possible. Keith was way out of his league. Besides, trouble always seemed to find him; it would kill him if Keith or anyone else ever got hurt because of him.

Then another cadet, who was built like a linebacker, came sauntering over with two friends following behind him like little puppy dogs. He knocked Keith's books off the table as he sat down on the table.

Lance's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. For all he knew, this could be one of Keith's friends...though he seriously doubted it.

"Hey you little pansy, ain't you gonna pick up your books?" James taunted.

"No." Keith replied, ignoring James in the slim hope that he would just go away.

Lance growled. "You knocked them down, why don't you pick them up?"

"I don't take orders from trash." James said. "So go crawl back into whatever gutter you crawled out of."

Lance laughed bitterly. "At least the trash I came from is much higher quality than the trash you come from!"

"Aw, what's the matter? Am I upsetting you? You gonna cry about it?" James taunted. "If you want me to leave, make me." Keith just glared at James. "That's what I thought, not so tough without your bodyguard around to protect you. Though from what I heard about last night you got a new one…Tell me, did you get down on your knees and give him a blow job as a token of your gratitude?"

Lance's hand flashed across the table, grabbing James' wrist. Before James could react, Lance twisted it, pinning it against the table and preventing James from moving or else he would break his own arm. Eyes almost glowing in anger, Lance growled as he stared into James' face. "Keith is not like that...and neither am I!"

"Back off ya freak. This is exactly why they shouldn't allow street trash into the school, it's not safe. Though I'd say you'll be expelled on your first day. Fighting is against the rules, don't you know." James grinned, refusing to allow this street rat to threaten him.

Lance grinned. "Oh, but I'm not fighting. I just have your arm pinned while we discuss our little problem." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And if I do get expelled because of you, then I won't have to hold anything back when I hunt you down. Would I?"

"You are the only one with a problem." James said, trying to hide the fact that he truly was frightened from his green eyes.

"You're right...and the problem is you." Lance laughed bitterly. "So why don't you show that you have some smarts and leave? Right now I am only a little mad...keep pushing your luck and you will have the honor of seeing me really pissed off. Do you really want to see that?" He paused as he glared at James' puppies. "Any of you?"

They shook their heads and choose that time to take off, leaving James alone to deal with the mess he made. "This ain't over." James grumbled.

Lance released James' wrist only to grab him by his shirt collar and pull him closer...so close that their noses were almost touching. Lance's eyes seemed to burn into James' eyes. "Oh, it better be...if you know what's good for you. And I strongly suggest that you also leave Keith alone. If not, then I guess I will have an excuse to release my frustrations on you. What do you think?"

"Whatever." James grumbled. "Now fucking let me go."

"Good...I am glad that we have come to an understanding." Glaring, Lance released James. "Just be grateful we are in a school instead of out there. Now get out of here."

James glared at Lance one last time before turning and walking away. Keith blinked in wonder. "Man, remind me to never make you mad." He said.

Lance smiled weakly at Keith. "Don't worry. You could never make me mad. I...I'm sorry you had to see that. It's just guys like that make my blood boil."

"He had it coming. Besides it's great to see someone stand up to him for once. I think you had him so scared, he damn near pissed in his pants." Keith laughed.

Lance couldn't help but laugh; Keith's laugh was contagious...and beautiful. "Maybe...I hope he grows up soon. He will get nowhere at that rate." He then turned serious as he placed his head in his hands. "He is right though. If I don't learn to control my temper, I will be expelled before the first day is over!"

"Hey," Keith said, laying his hand against Lance's arm. "You're not going to get expelled. After that nobody is going to have the guts…or lack of brains to try to start anything with you."

"Maybe you're right, though my instincts tell me otherwise. At least I have a new friend." Lance smiled brightly at Keith. "So, where the hell is our next class? I am still lost!"

"On the second floor." Keith replied as he bent down to pick up his books. "So, I think we'd better start heading there."

Laughing, Lance helped Keith pick up his books. "How many floors does this school have anyway?"

"Four." Keith said. His fingers brushed against Lance's as they both moved to pick up the same book at the same time. The accidental contact was enough to send tingles through Keith's body and he quickly pulled his hand away.

"I wonder if I will even be able to find my way back to the dorms!" Laughing, Lance paused as he stared at Keith. "Is something wrong?"

"Um…uh…no nothing's wrong." Keith said. 'Except the fact that your touch is like no other...' He thought as he avoided eye contact with Lance. He knew all Lance wanted was friendship.

Lance bit his lip when Keith avoided eye contact with him. 'He's scared of me. SHIT!' Praying that the hurt didn't show in his eyes, Lance smiled at Keith. "So which way do we go?"

"Onward, and upward." Keith replied with a grin.

Laughing, Lance gave an exaggerated bow. "Lead the way and I will follow, skipper."

Keith laughed, shaking his head at Lance's antics.

Lance grinned. "What are ya waiting for skipper? Lead already." His expression saddened as he started walking behind Keith up the stairs. 'I would follow you to the ends of the universe if you wanted me to.'

************************************************************************

The rest of the day seemed to pass all too quickly and Keith and Lance parted their separate ways as they returned to their dorm rooms. Keith burst in through the door and threw his books onto the desk, getting a disapproving look from Sven who was sitting on the couch with Jeff. Keith just grinned and darted over to the couch, intentionally throwing himself down in the little space that was between the two men. Keith kissed Jeff on the cheek teasingly. Jeff and Sven had been together for four years and had been friends for years before that so he considered Jeff to be a very close friend and felt comfortable joking around with him.

Laughing at the shocked look Sven was giving Keith, Jeff wrapped his arms around Keith and gave him a quick hug. "Someone must have had a good day to be this hyper."

"Well, after one of the worst starts in the history of first day of school...it turned out to be the best first day." Keith said.

Sven rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you are drunk again. Make any new friends?"

Keith stuck his tongue out at Sven. "As a matter a fact I did. We have every class together."

Jeff smiled. "That's great. Does he or she have a name, or do we just refer to it as the mystery friend." He accented that last part with a low, spooky voice.

"He." Keith said as he glanced at Sven. "And I think saying mystery man might just be safer."

Sven's right eyebrow twitched. "Oh really? And why would you say that?"

"Um…" Keith started to say, either intentional or unintentionally moving closer to Jeff for protection. "Because…it's Lance."

"WHAT?!?" Sven yelled, causing Keith to practically jump onto Jeff's lap.

"It…is…Lance." Keith said speaking each word slowly to get the point across.

Jeff couldn't help it; he burst out laughing! Sven growled. "And what, pray tell, is so damn funny?"

"You!" Jeff snickered. "You are freaking out over nothing!"

"Yeah." Keith agreed with Jeff, grateful that Jeff was backing him up on this issue. "You don't even know him, so you have no right to pass judgement on him based on where he is from...or isn't from." Keith looked right into Sven's eyes. "I think you are a better person then to pass judgement on someone you don't know. Right?"

"I am not saying he is a bad guy! He may be a saint for all I know!" Sven glared at Keith. "I just worried about what trouble may follow him!"

"Oh? And like I don't get into any trouble myself?" Keith pointed out. "He helped me out of trouble so if any trouble should befall him I will be right there to make sure it goes away."

Jeff decided he better interrupt before things got a little explosive. "Don't worry so much love. Lance is just wanting a chance to start over. And Keith may be just what he needs to help him regain his self respect." Jeff smiled as he winked at Keith. "And from what I saw last night and during lunch today, I'd say Lance will be able to keep Keith out of trouble just fine."

"Yeah." Keith grinned. "Lance is just what I need." Keith's smile faded only slightly. 'Even if it's only as a friend.'

Sven growled. "And what exactly happened during lunch?"

Jeff placed a quick peck on Sven's cheek. "Oh, nothing really. Just a little discussion." He then winked at Keith. "Sven is not the only one who checks up on you. So are ya hungry?"

"Starving." Keith replied as he grinned at Jeff. "As long as Sven's not doing the cooking."

Jeff laughed. "Heaven forbid! Don't worry, I'm cooking tonight."

"FINE!!" Sven stood up and threw his hands in the air. "Everyone just gang up on me!"

"Doesn't mean we don't love you…we just don't love your cooking." Keith grinned at Sven.

Laughing, Jeff quickly fled to the kitchen before the two brothers really went at it.

**********

When Lance walked into the dorm he shared with Pidge, he saw Pidge and Hunk snuggling on the couch watching television...or pretending to anyway. Lance rolled his eyes and yelled. "Get a room!"

"We have one." Pidge said.

Lance groaned. "If I have to come home to this every night, I think I will start sleeping outside. All this mush is going to give me ulcers."

"Rough day?" Pidge asked with concern, worried that everyone had been giving Lance a hard time to make him be this grouchy.

"Naw. At least not as bad as I thought it would be." Lance shrugged as he placed his books on the kitchen table. "So far so good. Just have to wait and see. What about y'all?"

"We both had a great day." Pidge said answering for the both of them. "So, I was right about things not being all that bad here, wasn't I?" Pidge questioned, trying to get Lance to talk more about his day.

Lance snickered as he glanced at Hunk. "This is worse than I thought. Y'all are speaking for each other already!"

Pidge stuck his tongue out at Lance. "So, did you manage to stay out of trouble?"

"I heard you almost broke James Masteron's arm at lunch…playing bodyguard to Keith. Is he paying you to do it? You should at least be getting something for it." Hunk replied.

Lance's eyes narrowed dangerously. If Pidge hadn't been in the room, Hunk would have been in some deep shit. "No he's not. In fact, Keith is a friend of mine. He has been showing me the ropes of this snob school. And I would strongly recommend that you don't dish my friends when I'm present."

Hunk went to say something, but Pidge interrupted him before even a single word could escape his mouth. "That's GREAT! I'm glad you found a friend in this place. See, it's not all bad, not everyone in this place is a rich snob." Pidge poked Hunk in the ribs. "Right, dear lover of mine?"

"Yeah, yeah." Hunk mumbled.

Lance glared at Hunk. "Maybe, maybe not. This was only the first day." Ignoring Hunk, Lance smiled at Pidge. "At least I haven't gotten expelled yet. It's a new record for me."

"WHOO HOO!" Pidge cheered cheerfully. "I have the feeling you won't either. The first day is always the hardest and you made it, so you're all set."

"Maybe...as long as jerks like James leave me alone!" Lance sighed as he searched for something to drink in the fridge. "Something tells me this is going to be a long semester."

"And you don't think anything makes it worth coming here?" Pidge asked quietly.

Lance paused in his fridge search to smile warmly at Pidge. "Sure I do! The aviation class and instructor are a blast! Dr. Rogers is the only professor here who doesn't glare at me the entire time. I have really enjoyed getting to know Keith better. The poor guy has just been sheltered too much. And I have especially enjoyed spending time with you." Lance returned to the fridge, only to stick his head out again to glare at Pidge. "Though...if you drink all of my Tropical Punch Kool-Aid again, you’re going to be in deep trouble Squirt!"

Pidge grinned. "I'll remember that and leave a little in the bottom of the pitcher next time."

"Why you little..." Lance charged into the living room. He quickly grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs and threw it at Pidge with enough force to knock him into Hunk's lap.

"THIS MEANS WAR!" Pidge hollered. He hopped off Hunk's lap and grabbed the pillow, throwing it right back at Lance.

Lance easily dodged the pillow. "Hell, with an aim like that I really have something to worry about."

Pidge stuck his tongue out at Lance and grabbed another pillow off the couch. This time he charged at Lance, giving a loud Indian war call.

By the time things had finally settled down, both Pidge and Lance, as well as the entire living room, were covered with feathers. They were laughing their heads off. Hunk had retreated to the safety of the kitchen, laughing and enjoying the show.

************************************************************************

Later in the week, first and second year cadets were gathered together for combat training. The instructors showed them a few of the moves they were to learn. Keith sat next to Lance, with Pidge at Lance's other side and Hunk sitting beside Pidge.

Pidge grumbled. "I would really rather be in my computer class."

Lance snicker. "You will do just fine. Just remember the things I taught you. Also remember not to hit below the belt...they don't really like it here. Or at least at this level of training."

Keith sat quietly watching, wishing this was weapon combat training. He had always excelled at fighting with weapons of any sort but he was never good at hand to hand combat.

Finally the demonstration was over and the instructors told everyone to choose their partners. "I guess I better go see who I can find since you no doubt want to be partnered with your brother." Keith said as he stood up.

Pidge rapidly shook his head. "HELL NO! He's mean! You can have him!"

"AM NOT!" Lance glared.

"Are too." Pidge said, sticking out his tongue. He turned and grabbed Hunk's arm. "Besides that, me and Hunk are gonna be partners."

Lance rolled his eyes. "You are suppose to be fighting, not cuddling."

"I know that." Pidge said.

"So…do you want to be partners then?" Keith asked.

Lance smiled at Keith. "Sure...if you don't think it’ll bother you." He turned back to Pidge. "I will deal with you later."

"Don't bother me. If I'm gonna get beat I want to be beat by the best." Keith replied with a grin.

Lance shook his head, laughing. "Hate to disappoint ya, but they are not street fighting. I’m going to be so busy trying to follow the rules, you will probably have me floored in less than five seconds!"

"I'm not any good at hand combat." Keith said. "I can do great at weaponry combat…just not hand to hand."

"Really? Cool!" Lance smiled. "Could you give me some pointers some time? I’m only slightly familiar with...um...knifes and small make shift stuff. Bascially anything that is easy to make and conceal."

"Sure." Keith replied with a grin. "Just pick the weapon and I'll teach you how to use it."

"Great!"

Pidge snickered as he leaned forward and whispered into Lance's ear. "You just want an excuse to spend more time with him."

Lance blushed before jamming Pidge hard in the ribs. "Shut up Pidge!" Ignoring Pidge's coughing, Lance turned back to Keith. "Let's get down there before we get in trouble."

"Yeah. I think that would be a good idea." Keith agreed, seeing the instructors already glaring at the four of them. The other three nodded in agreement before running to their mats.

On the mat, Lance sighed as he turned to Keith. "Look. I have to be honest with you. In the real world, the best form of defense and offense is to just stay aware and avoid trouble as much as possible. If you can't, then incapacitate your attacker as quickly as possible and run like hell."

"Thanks for the advice." Keith said. "Though I tend to have a problem when it comes to avoiding trouble as you may have noticed."

Lance laughed warmly. "Just pay more attention to what's going on around you. And have more confidence in yourself. You can take care of yourself just fine."

Keith smiled. "You're probably the only one who thinks that. Most everyone else thinks I need checking up on."

One of the instructors stepped over. "IF you two do not start practicing I will make you work with other partners. Do you understand?"

Lance winced. "Sorry sir. We were just making sure we understood your instructions."

"I'm sure you were." The instructor looked Lance over skeptically before turning to Keith. "Would you rather have another partner?"

"No, sir." Keith said. "I like my partner just fine."

Lance groaned as the instructor walked away, before smiling weakly at Keith. "Thanks. Speaking of trouble, it seems I kinda got ya in some. Sorry about that. I will just keep my mouth shut with my silly advice."

"Oh, please." Keith said, rolling his eyes. "I'd rather hear your advice then their stupid advice any day."

If Lance smiled any brighter he would have blinded everyone in the room. "Thanks! Okay, while you block my punches always keep an eye open for any open areas. Some of the best areas to strike or jab are the eyes, nose, throat, stomach, knees, and groin. Hit those areas hard enough and your attacker is going down."

"Um...okay." Keith said. "So I guess we'd better get it on…I mean start…." He wanted to hit himself for sounding like an idiot.

Lance laughed. "We better before we get in trouble again."

At first, Keith clumsily blocked Lance's punches. While Lance never let up, he never let up on the encouragement either, and soon Keith was moving as fast as some of the more experienced students.

Lance grinned. "See? You’re starting to get the hang of it. Now you try punching me."

"Are you sure?" Keith asked nervously. He knew Lance was better at defense and he would no doubt end up flat on his back in two seconds.

"I'm serious. Don't worry. We’re just throwing punches right now. I promise I won't hurt you."

"I know that. That wasn't what I was worried about." Keith said. He shrugged. "Well…if you're sure…" Keith said and threw a punch in Lance's direction.

"Come on. Put some force into your punches." Lance chuckled as he easily blocked it. "I'm not made of glass you know."

Keith looked uncertain, he didn't want to chance accidentally hitting Lance. Even if Lance was far more advanced at fighting then him, anything was possible and with his luck he would end up hitting Lance for real.

Lance sighed. Though he was touched over Keith's concern, Keith would never be able to defend himself at this rate. And Lance was determined to teach Keith how to take care of himself. It was the least he could do for all the friendship Keith's given him, even if it can never be more than that. "Keith...don't worry. I can take it. I have survived much worse."

Keith nervously chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I guess…" He finally relented and raised his fist, swinging a harder punch.

"That's it!" Lance beamed. "Now keep going!"

Gradually, Keith's punches became harder and faster as his confidence grew. Lance continued to block each one, throwing encouragement and advice with each punch. At the same time, Lance faked a few punches, reminding Keith to keep himself covered. He also threw a few unorthodox moves to keep Keith on his toes...but only when he was sure no one was watching.

Finally the instructors decided to call it a day. "That is all for today. We have to go instruct another class. However, those of you who don't mind practicing without instruction are welcome to stay and practice."

"Do you want to stay and help me practice some more? Maybe teach me some more moves?" Keith asked breathlessly, noticing almost all the students had quickly left as soon as class ended. Nobody had ever taken the time to try to teach him any kind of self-defense and he found that he was learning it quite easily under Lance's instruction.

"Really?" Lance blinked. "Sure! Just a sec..." Lance quickly waved at Pidge. "Y'all go ahead. We are going to stay a little longer since we don't have any more classes today."

"Okay, have fun." Pidge said, waving to Lance as he and Hunk left.

"Thanks for agreeing to stay and practice with me." Keith said, smiling at Lance.

"No problem! You’re really a quick study." Lance glanced around. "I’m not sure what more I can teach you though. I really don't know how these instructors think. I don't want to get you into trouble."

"I don't care what they want to teach. I care what you can teach me. Stuff that actually comes in handy in the real world." Keith said.

Lance glanced around nervously. Not seeing anyone, he relented. "Okay. Throw punches at me again, but this time anything goes. Try to hit the weak spots that I mentioned earlier. I will only block them at first. When I think you are comfortable, I’ll throw some at you at the same time. Will that be okay?"

"Sounds okay to me." Keith agreed. "You ready?"

"Fire away!"

Keith swung a hard fast punch at Lance, aiming for the stomach.

Lance blocked it. "Great! Remember not to focus on just one spot. Always look for others while you strike. That way, if your first strike is blocked you can counterstrike and throw off your attacker. Also, keep in mind that your attacker is probably throwing more than one strike as well."

"Okay." Keith said. He took a moment to reconsider his strategy before trying a second attack.

"Much better!" Lance grinned. However he soon became too busy blocking to keep up any small talk.

An hour passed quickly as Lance and Keith threw punches at each other. Lance was finding that Keith was indeed a quick study. Keith seemed to have a knack for studying his opponent while on his feet and then quickly using that knowledge to his advantage. Even when Lance used his more questionable throws, Keith was beginning to see them coming, blocking them perfectly while throwing some questionable throws of his own.

Lance laughed. Both of them were breathing hard. "Are you sure you don't know how to fight? You're giving me a run for my money here."

"Positive." Keith replied. "Nobody ever bothered to teach me. I guess they were more interested in providing protection then teaching me to protect myself." Keith grinned. "And I couldn't ask for a better teacher than you."

Lance shook his head. "Don't give me the credit. You’re a natural. You’re able to quickly study your opponent and predict what they may do next. That will definitely come to your advantage. However, always expect the unexpected! Your attacker may have a trick that they haven't shown you yet." Lance smirked. "Also remember that that trick works for you as well. I always like to keep some moves hidden...just in case I can't find a way out without fighting."

Keith grinned, looking down at the mat trying to hide his blush over the praise. After a moment he looked back up. "So…you want to go again?"

Lance chuckled. Keith looked so damn cute when he blushed! He was finding he enjoyed that almost as much as he enjoyed seeing the fierce determination and confidence that was slowly beginning to burn in Keith's eyes. Lance quickly shook his head. 'Get your mind back in reality boy! It will never happen and you know it!' "Sure, but you may want to stop tonight. I don't want to wear you out."

"I'm not ready to quit…unless of course you are." Keith said, grinning at Lance. "Since now I can really challenge you."

"Oh, I'm sure you can." Lance laughed. "However, in street fighting anything goes. We have only worked on punches."

"Yeah…so…we can work on more." Keith said with a grin. Then without warning he suddenly tackled Lance, knocking the man back onto the mat. Keith dropped to his knees, straddling Lance's waist and using his hands to pin Lance's shoulders down to the mat. "Seeeee. I can do more then throw a punch." Keith grinned.

Lance was stunned. Keith was a very fast learner! And as much as Lance would love to keep Keith on top him, Lance knew he better get Keith off fast before things got out of control and he lost Keith's friendship due to his stupid hormones! Smirking, Lance wrapped his hands around Keith's arms and yanked him forward. Shocked, Keith's grip loosened allowing Lance to bend his legs up under his friend and throw Keith over his head. In a flash, Lance was on top of Keith. He was straddling Keith's waist, his back legs pinning Keith's legs to the ground, and his hands locked on Keith's wrists, keeping his weight evenly distributed above the other man.

"Nice move." Lance smiled down at Keith's shocked face. "Remember to expect the unexpected and be ready to respond to it when it happens to you."

Keith blinked at Lance, trying to regain his senses. He was finding that he was becoming all too comfortable under Lance and tried to will his raging hormones to calm down, though his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Lance's face was so close to him that he could feel Lance's warm breath on his face and he longed to raise his head just enough to capture Lance's lips with his own.

Lance was mesmerized as he gazed into those endless black eyes. They pulled him closer, until he felt his lips lightly brush against Keith's. The tender touch sent shock waves through him. 'SHIT!!!' Lance jerked back and rolled off of Keith. His eyes were huge and his whole body shaking as he stared at Keith. "Oh God! Keith...I'm...I'm so sorry! I shouldn't...shouldn't have done that! I'm sorry!" Lance jumped to his feet and was practically flying to get his jacket. "I...I better go!"

Keith blinked a couple times; the light touch of Lance's lips had flowed through him like a bolt of lightening. He was so lost in that one brief moment that he barely heard Lance say he was leaving. Realization that Lance was fleeing suddenly dawned on him and Keith jumped to his feet and rushed after Lance. "Wait…." Keith rushed to step in front of Lance.

'I am such a fucking idiot!! I totally threw away one of the best friendships I have ever had!' Lance could barely put on his jacket, he was shaking so much! He turned to see Keith standing in front of him. He couldn't look at him. "I'm...I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't...Sorry." Lance mumbled as he tried to walk around Keith.

"Please don't leave." Keith said quietly. "I know I don't know anything about…things like that…but I can learn…You said yourself that I'm a quick study…I could…just don't leave me." He hoped he wasn't making a complete idiot out of himself begging Lance not to leave. After all, maybe Lance really didn't want to kiss him because he didn't swing that way.

Somehow Lance managed to look into Keith's eyes. "What...what do you mean?" He didn't want to believe what he thought he heard. He couldn't believe what he heard, it hurt too much. Lance pulled his jacket tighter around him, staring back at the ground. "I...I better go. I...I’m not in your league. I can't compete...I'm only trouble."

"No." Keith said shaking his head. "That's not true… Just don't go…We can…work this out…"

Lance shook his head. "You have seen how they respond to me here. I'm scared you will get in trouble or, even worse, hurt."

"I don't care what anyone else thinks." Keith said. "And as long as you stay I won't get hurt."

"What...what do you mean?" Lance blinked. "You...you want me to stay?"

"Of course I want you to stay." Keith said. "So…I guess the only question is do you want to stay?"

"Of course I want to stay!" Lance sat down on a bench and dropped his head in his hands. "I...I don't understand. You can't...can't want me. I'm nothing...just a street rat."

"Don't talk like that. You are not a street rat…you are a wonderful person…" Keith knelt down in front of Lance and gently pushed Lance's hands down before taking Lance's face into his own hands. "You mean so much more to me then I could ever say…most of all you are my best friend."

Lance tried to blink back the tears, but they were as stubborn as him and fell anyway. "I...I've never really had a best friend before...or loved someone as much as you either."

"I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. I barely had the courage to ask you to dance…and made a fool out of myself once I did." Keith blushed, remembering that night.

Lance laughed softly as he gently caressed Keith's face. "No you didn't. I thought it was just the alcohol talking. I didn't think you were really interested in me."

"Being drunk was the only reason I had enough courage to ask you to dance and then…well willing to dance with you like that even though I didn't know you..." Keith said as he leaned his head against Lance's hand. "I thought you were just being nice to dance with a drunken idiot…I didn't think you were serious about…wanting to dance again."

"Dead serious!" Lance grinned before turning fearful again. "May I...may I kiss you again?"

"I would like it if you would…that last kiss felt like a bolt of lightening, brushed across my lips by a god." Keith said.

Lance smiled. "Funny. That was what I was thinking about you." Hesitantly, Lance pressed his lips against Keith's. As Keith wrapped his arms around him, Lance became a little bolder. He pulled Keith closer to him and carefully slid his tongue inside. Feeling the other lean further into the kiss, Lance began to slowly explore that sweet mouth, savoring every treasure he found in there.

Keith practically melted into Lance's arms, allowing Lance to completely lead the kiss. His tongue provided little resistance against Lance's invading tongue. His eyes closed as the heated passion in the kiss made him feel more alive then ever.

For the first time in his life, Lance felt complete. He never wanted it to end, but deep down it would always have to. This time, fortunately, it was just because nature required that they breathe. Grinning sheepishly, Lance stared down at Keith's flushed face. "I didn't know you could kiss like that!"

Keith blushed deeply. "I think that was mostly you…considering it was my first kiss." He added quietly.

Lance laughed. "Ya fooled me!" His face turned serious as he gently caressed Keith's cheek. "I...I shouldn't have moved so fast. Sorry."

Keith leaned his head against the gentle caress, looking into Lance's eyes. "Don't be sorry. That kiss was…was beyond words."

"So was yours." Lance grinned. "Are you sure you are okay with this? With me?"

Keith smiled, a smile that was warm and bright. His black eyes shone with the love he felt as he replied to Lance's question. "Of course I'm sure. I love you. All that matters is the here and now. I love you for who you are…you are the most beautiful person I know, both outside and in."

Lance was speechless, but luckily the tears rolling down his face spoke for him. He wrapped his arms around Keith and pulled him close. Lance wasn't sure how long he just sat there and held him, but finally he managed to choke out what he wanted to say. "I love you. I've loved you from the moment I saw you."

Keith hugged Lance and then sat back. "You know it's starting to get late…Maybe we should head back to our rooms before a search party is sent out."

Lance laughed. "You got that right. I really don't want to face your brother when I’m this worn out!"

Keith laughed. "No…that wouldn't be a good idea." Keith kissed Lance on the cheek as he stood up. "Which means I better get back before he comes looking."

Lance grinned. "We definitely don't want that! I know I’m already going to get teasing from Pidge." His face again turned serious as he stood up. "Maybe...we better keep this...secret...until everyone gets used to me. I don't want to cause you anymore grief then necessary."

Keith frowned slightly. "I don't want to keep it a secret. I don't care what anyone else thinks about our love. I don't want to hide it away, but if you want to I guess…" By the time he finished his voice was quiet, almost meek as he begun to think Lance had a problem with this new found love…that Lance didn't want anyone to know because it would ruin his own reputation before Lance had a chance to make one for himself.

Lance grinned as he cupped Keith's face to look at him. "I know how you feel. I don't want to hide it either. But you’ve seen how the students and teachers feel about me." Lance's face saddened as he gazed into Keith's eyes. "You have lots of potential. If people found out, it may slow you down. I couldn't live with that."

"I don't care what they think…and you shouldn't either." Keith said, trying to hold back the tears he could feel burning in the back of his eyes.

Lance pulled Keith into his arms, gently rubbing his back. "I don't care what people say about me...I’ve heard it all already. I...I just love you too much to...to hold you back." Lance sighed as he laid his head on Keith's shoulder. "Maybe you're right. I...I don't know. I...I'm scared. I have never been in love before...not like this. I just don't want to hurt you!"

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance. "I'm scared too. I've never been in love either…I know it sounds corny or like some stupid line but…I truly believe that you’re my soulmate. You complete me in a way nobody else ever could. And I know in my heart you could never hurt me anymore then I could ever hurt you. And anything anyone tries to say against us we can get through together.”

Lance smiled as he gazed into Keith's eyes, seeing the sincerity there. "It's not corny...I feel the same way. I...I hope you’re right." He grinned sheepishly. "Let's just keep it quiet until your brother gets used to the idea. I’d really like to keep breathing now that I have a reason."

Keith grinned. "Yeah, well he'd have to go through me first." Keith kissed Lance's cheek. "But, to keep us both much safer I should head back."

"Unfortunately, you’re right there." Lance sighed dramatically before placing a quick kiss on Keith's lips and stepping back. "See ya tomorrow?"

"Of course." Keith smiled as he slowly began to make his way towards the door, walking backwards and not really wanting to take his eyes off of Lance.

Lance grinned. "Don't worry. I'm not running anymore. Now get going before you trip and hurt yourself. Then Sven would definitely kill me!"

Keith grinned, a smile that seemed as though it would be bright enough to light the room. He blew Lance a kiss before turning around and leaving.

Lance wasn't sure how long he stood there with that dopey grin on his face. He sighed and shook his head. His mind kept telling him it was a bad idea doing this, but his heart wouldn't listen. Lance quickly turned and walked toward his dorm. 'I have always lived one day at a time. That is all I have. Happiness is rare for me. I am not about to throw this away!'

Chapter Two