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Chapter Text

I

"So..." Pidge looked up "You're saying you fell in love with a girl WITHOUT even seeing her face?"
"..." Lance pouted looking down "Well, if you put it like that..."
"Are you serious? Lance, yesterday you said you would never fall in love again after your ex-"
"I know what I said!" Hunk raised an eyebrow as Lance interrupted him.
"You don't have to remind me, it's just that..." Lance sighed "She looked really cute with her hair tied up, wearing rings and chains, it was like an emo style."
"You. Didn't. See. Her. Face." Pidge repeated, stealing a bit of Hunk's lunch.
"It's true love!"
" Nope, it's not" Hunk said, looking out the window. "Are you going to pass by that store again this afternoon?"
"Of course." Lance finished sipping his box juice. Pidge rolled her eyes.

The day before, Lance had come back from basketball practice by a path he usually doesn't take. His headphones creating the atmosphere of his thoughts. That was when he saw her, organizing the vinyl shelf in a music store.

Black hair tied in a small ponytail, black mask covering half of her face adorned with those beautiful gray-blue eyes. Her hands adorned with rings and a couple of macramé bracelets moving with the delicate merchandise, the silver piercings in her ears giving her a somewhat intimidating appearance... Lance was mesmerized while his earbuds played "Heavy Love". He couldn't believe the beauty he had just seen. He stood there, practically drooling, until he saw the girl turn in his direction. Their eyes met. Lance immediately snapped back to reality and ran away from there.

"I swear to you, she's the love of my lif-" Lance was walking backwards towards the trash can when he bumped into someone. Keith turned frowning to look at him, the impact made him drop his lunch on the floor.

Lance quickly turned around, his mood plummeting at the sight of the grim look that the dark-haired guy had.

"I'm sorry-" His words were interrupted again by Keith.
"Why don't you watch where you're going, don't your neurons work?"

Keith was just a little shorter than Lance, but it was enough for almost his entire face to be hidden by his loose hair.
"I said I’m sorry" the taller one protested, pulling out his wallet. "How much did your lunch cost? I will pay for it, okay?"
"Don’t worry" Keith gave him a forced smile. "Anyway, I wasn’t hungry. But I would appreciate it if you help me clean this up."

Lance sighed and bent down, grabbing a couple of napkins to clean the floor. After a few minutes, they finished clearing away the remnants and went their separate ways.

"What a weirdo" Lance murmured, sitting back down next to Pidge.
"Congratulations, you had a conversation with Keith without any insults involved" the girl said, smiling while looking at her phone. Lance ran his hands through his hair.
"It's true! He must have cursed me, something bad is going to happen today— Lance said, throwing himself dramatically onto the table. "I can't believe that an emo like HIM is the best in the class, I mean, he doesn't even talk unless it's to insult me"
"Bro, you're comparing yourself again" Hunk said, softly grabbing his shoulder "Besides, didn't you say you found emos attractive?" He mentioned with a smile, trying to distract him.
"No" he ignored the first sentence directed at him, rolling his eyes. "I find her attractive, not Keith, he's not cool."
"I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow you come telling us that you like your academic rival, you know?" Pidge said with a mocking look. "You fall in love too easily after all."
"Impossible" The brown-haired boy sighed.

There was no chance he would fall in love with the person who made him feel inferior so easily.

Right?

II

That same day, Lance hurried out of school. Even though the path that passed by the music store took him longer than the usual one, he was determined to see that beautiful girl again.

And maybe ask for her number.

However, he didn't expect to see Keith taking the same way.

A few steps ahead of him, the guy was connecting his headphones to his phone.

"Oh my God, now it’s going to seem like I'm following him," Lance thought to himself, wondering whether he should cross to the opposite sidewalk or slow down, when Keith stopped and turned around, taking off one headphone and raising an eyebrow.

"I'M NOT FOLLOWING YOU" Lance said, quickening his pace to pass the confused guy.
"I didn't think you were." Keith replied in a nonchalant tone.

But Lance had already ran to the corner and turned in the opposite direction to the music store. Keith put his headphone back on and kept walking. Lance stayed hidden behind a tree.

Could it be that Keith was also going to the music store?

Did he want to steal his girl?

Lance's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Keith turn towards the store, and indeed, he went in.

Lance was practically frozen when he saw this, and quickly walked into the shop, smoke coming out of his head.

He couldn't let Keith win over his future girlfriend. Although Keith was attractive, Lance never focused much on his features; it was enough that he made him feel bad (involuntarily) during exams, he didn't want to feel insecure about his looks too.

He quietly entered the store, if it weren't for the little bell at the top of the door that gave him away. However, inside the store, neither Keith nor the girl was there, a man about 25 years old was behind the counter, pinned to his Slipknot t-shirt there was a small badge that said "Shiro"

"Can I help you with something?" The man said, smiling kindly at him.

Lance hesitated a bit before replying "Did you see a boy come in here a moment ago? He's a bit shorter than me, he's my friend." He said the last part with suspicious speed. "Ah, do you mean-" At that moment, the girl stepped out from behind a curtain, the same mask covering half of her face, while she held the upper part of her hair in a ponytail to keep it away from her face. She looked at Lance, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

Lance felt like he was going to die; his heart was racing too fast, and he could feel the heat rising to his face, the crimson color showing. "I- uhm—hi." He was so nervous that he completely forgot about his classmate; he could only stand there like a statue and gently shake his hand.

The girl just looked at him confused before waving her hand.

"Hi…" Keith said, wondering why the boy who had thrown his lunch on the floor that afternoon was now in his family's music store.

Lance was so mesmerized that he didn't notice the voice of the “girl” wasn’t exactly a woman's.

Shiro just watched the interaction in silence, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

So, his younger brother finally had a friend?

"Did you come to buy something…?" Lance almost died when the "girl" slightly shorter than him spoke to him.
"Uh- I…" He looked around quickly, his eyes fell on a Taylor Swift álbum.
"I wanted to buy this." He said quickly, taking the Reputation álbum between his trembling hands.

To say that Keith was puzzled by this situation would be an understatement.

"It's 9.99" Keith said, taking the product from Lance's hands before he'd dropped it.

Although what ended up falling was all sense of reality for the brown-haired one when the fingers adorned with rings brushed against his fingertips.

Shiro put the album in a little bag while Keith watched the trembling teenager take out the money from his wallet.

A couple of minutes later, Lance was leaving the place.

Without the number or even the name of the girl (he forgot to read the badge on her uniform), but with an album of a singer he had never heard of in his life and his heart feeling as if he was going to die.

Was this the beginning of his love story?

Chapter Text

I

"I RUINED IT ALL" Lance shouted grabbing his head with his hands.
"What did you do now?" Hunk sighed, resting his chin on his hand.
"I got nervous and didn't even ask her name..."
"Any moment now she'll put a restraining order on you," Pidge muttered, playing with her pencil next to Hunk.
"NO. Today I'm going again-"
"This time make sure you buy 'Lover,' so if she thinks you're swiftie, you'll at least be a swiftie in love." Pidge stifled a laugh.
"Ha ha, very funny."
Lance buried his face in his arms on his desk. Until a sheet of paper landed hard on his head, Professor Lotor staring at him as he handed out the test.
"96, Lance McClain," he said in a serious voice as the aforementioned quickly raised his head, a smile lighting his face when he saw the grade. "See? I'm the best-"
"Perfect grade, congratulations, Keith Kogane." Lance immediately shut the fuck up.

What the hell?

That 100 on Keith's paper made Lance's heart clench.

Was it so easy for the emo guy to outdo him at everything?

His friends immediately noticed how the blue-eyed boy looked down, crumpling the exam under his desk.

"Hey bro-" Hunk tried to talk, knowing about Lance's situation, but he interrupted him.
"Mh?" The brown-haired boy smiled as if nothing had happened. "Do you know what happens to potatoes when they get soaked? It rains, I mean-" he was interrupted by the sound of the bell. "I need to go to the bathroom" he mumbled before getting up and practically running through the door, throwing the test in the trash as soon as he went.

The two teens stared at the door for a while, wondering if they should follow him or give him some time alone.

That's when a boy with a mullet practically shot out of the room.

Keith had been watching this whole time.

Not even he understood his concern.

II

The brown-haired man opened the bathroom door with a slam that could have scared anyone. He could feel his hands shaking as he opened the stall and slammed it shut before sitting on the toilet lid.

Why did he feel this way?

He tried to hold back his tears, but it was impossible. He tried. Just as he tried, for once, to be better than him.

He felt useless.

He always felt useless.

"Lance?" a male voice echoed off the bathroom walls. "I saw you go in"

"..." The aforementioned silenced his sobs with his hands, raising his feet so it wouldn't be obvious which stall he was in.

"...I know maybe you don't want to talk to me..." the black-haired man sat on the floor, facing the door behind which he knew Lance was. "But it won't do you any good to bottle up your emotions."

Perfect. What am I supposed to say?

"I'm crying because an idiot like you is better than me at everything."

Lance's thoughts raced. He knew it wasn't the end of the world, but that weight on his chest was something he couldn't shake.

"Get out of here."

"I normally respect this kind of thing, but today I just don't feel like it."

What did he mean by that? Keith didn't know either.

Maybe it was because he discovered that soft, shy side of the blue-eyed boy. Maybe now he had an inner desire to see him again.

He never hated Lance or had any problems with him; it was the other guy who started their rivalry.

If only he could see him blush again…

He didn't even know how the situation had gotten to this point.

"You're not going to get me to tell you," he murmured, wiping away his tears.
"It's okay."
"..."
"What's your favorite color?" Keith asked sitting with his back against the door, leaning his head against the door with a small 'tump'.
"What kind of question was that?" Lance was confused for a few seconds but answered anyway. "Blue."
"Mine is red." Keith didn't notice the smile forming on his lips. The other's voice no longer sounded so unsteady. "And your favorite number?"
"Keith stop asking stupid questions." Lance said, stepping on the floor again, his hands clenching the toilet lid beneath him.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry." His smile could be heard through his voice.

They kept in silence for some seconds, both unsure of what to say next.

"Lance"
"Yeah?"
"Do you hate me?"

...

Lance didn't reply right away.

He didn't even know what to say.

"I don't know." He mumbled looking down.

"That's okay" Keith replied, his voice sounding softier than before.

Then that awkward silence came again.

"I don't hate you" The dark-haired said standing up.
"..."

The bell rang again.

"Your friends were worried about you, if you can't tell me at least talk to them." Keith said before walking away.

Lance kept in silence all the time.

"Why do you make it so hard to hate you..." Tears started falling down his cheeks again.

He grabbed his phone and saw the amount of texts from his friends.

The skibidi trio

Pigeon: lanceeeee
Pigeon: r u okay?????
Hunk: we know u dont like it when we try to follow u, soo if u wanna talk about all this stuff yknow we're here for u
Pigeon: :(((((((((((((

Lance smiled at the screen and texted.

Me: im fine
Me: keith comforted me
Pigeon: what.
Pigeon: WHAT
Pigeon: i mean its cool that ur fine now but wdym KEITH KOGANE comforted u didnt u two hate each other??????
Hunk: plot twist
Me: apparently he doesnt hate me
Hunk: apparently????
Me: he said it
Pigeon: r u gonna come back and tell us everything, right??
Me: dont think so
Hunk: are you really okay? u never skip class
Me: IM OKAY GUYS i just
Me: dont wanna see him
Me: we had an awkward conversation
Pigeon: ok
Me: ???
Hunk: pidge said were gonna break in your house after school and youre gonna tell us everything
Me: WHY
Pigeon: BRO UR ENEMY JUST COMFORTED U AND YOURE ASKING WHY?????
Me: ANYWAY I CANT TODAY
Hunk: ok so u hate us.........
Me: i said i was gonna stop at the music shop, remember?
Pigeon: ohHHHHH lance and his anonymous girlfriend
Me: ur jealous because no girl looks at u
Pigeon: sybau
Hunk: text us when u arrive
Hunk: end of story

Lance sighed and turned off the screen.

There was still an hour left until the end of the day.

An hour and he would see that beauty again.

He smiled wiping away the last tears.

III

Why did I follow him?

We're not even friends. Why did I think he would open up to me?

Was it because of the side of him I saw on the music store?

The short boy couldn't stop thinking about it the whole day.

He didn't see Lance in class after that neither.

Keith put his headphones on while walking to the music shop. My Chemical Romance sounding to take his mind off his thoughts.

It was then that he saw Lance walking in the same direction as him, on the opposite block. Keith gathered his courage and silently crossed the street, now walking a few steps behind Lance.

Lance was lost in thought, unaware of the boy walking behind him. Keith reached out his hand with the intention of touching Lance's shoulder and asking him if he was feeling better, but as he got a little closer he saw what Lance was holding in his hands and tenderly stroking.

The Taylor Swift album he had bought the day before.

Keith blinked confused.

Did he like Taylor Swift so much that he carried the album in his backpack all day?

The dark-haired boy smiled to himself.

But suddenly Lance stopped and looked to the side, he had arrived to the music shop. The guy behind him didn't realise that he was too close and he bumped with him.

"I'm so-" Lance was about to apologize turning around, but he froze when he saw the other grabbing his nose as he frowned. "Keith?"
"Uh... that was hard..." He murmured looking up. "Why did you stop?"
"Why were you following me?"
"I wasn't following you-"
"Then explain why you were so close." Lance crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I- I just wanted to ask if you were still feeling bad." Keith looked down embarrassed. "I swear I wasn't following you... on purpose" He mumbled.
"... I'm better" Lance said looking to the disco shop again, Keith followed his eyes.
"Are you looking for something?" He tilted his head.
"No- I-" Lance blushed slightly, looking at the floor and pouting. "Not something, but for someone"
Keith raised an eyebrow, he could still see traces of tears in the corner of his eyes, but decied to not mention it. "Who?"
"The pretty girl who works here" The brown-haired guy looked up smiling softly. His heart beating fast as he talked about his crush.

Keith froze.

What?

"Uh... no girls work here"

"Ah?" His world began to crumble, his smiled froze too.

"Lance, only my brother and me work here, it's my family bussiness" Keith clarified confused.

Lance.exe stopped working.

He wanted to die right there.

So all this time the girl he was interested in... wasn't a girl at all?