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Keith wasn’t in the best of moods.
He was squished in the car in between Pidge and Hunk, listening to them shout (not sing, shout) Hamilton lyrics very close to his ears. If he wasn’t deaf by the end of the trip, then it would be a sheer miracle.
“AND ME? I’M THE DAMN FOOL WHO SHOT HIM!” Pidge screeched.
“THERE’S A MILLION THINGS I HAVEN’T DONE,” Hunk joined in with dissonant harmony, “BUT JUST YOU WAIT!”
Pidge leaned as far forward as the seat belt would allow, dramatically flinging out their arms and hitting Keith’s face in the process. “WHAT’S YOUR NAME, MAN?”
“ALEXANDER HAMILTON!”
Keith groaned again. “Why me,” he sighed.
“Alright you two, settle down,” Mrs. Holt smiled from the front. “I’d like to get us to school in one piece.”
Thankfully, his friends took their own safety (if not Keith’s) very seriously and calmed down. Pidge leaned forward and rested their hands on the driver’s seat.
“Shiro’s already there, right?” they asked. “And Matt?”
“Mhm,” Mrs. Holt nodded. “They went early to set up.”
Keith’s scowl deepened slightly at the mention of his brother. It wasn’t really his fault, but Shiro’s student council duties were the only reason why he had to carpool with his neighbors in the first place. Sure, they had been friends since childhood, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be squished in a car.
“Matt wouldn’t tell me anything about the lock-in,” Pidge sighed, leaning back and crossing their arms. “Dunno why it’s such a big secret.”
“If you knew everything, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Hunk pointed out.
“Yeah, but it’d still be cool.”
The Holt’s car stopped by the soccer field, where students milled around waiting to be let into the building. The lock-in of course, was an annual tradition, the first big event to kick off the new school year. Student Council had spent weeks planning and preparing activities for the four hours when a vast majority of the student body would be stuck inside willingly .
Keith had never gone. It was stupid and he wasn’t a huge fan of group bonding games. But this year, his brother was on the planning committee, so he was somehow coerced into going.
“Oh dude,” Pidge elbowed Keith. “Is that him?”
And well...there was one other thing…
Keith looked out the window to his right and froze. Feigning nonchalance, he replied, “What are you talking about?”
“You know. Your crush .” Pidge’s voice trailed off in a sing-song tone and Keith tried desperately to suppress the redness rising in his cheeks.
“Who, the Lance kid?” Mrs. Holt chimed in, smiling back at Keith as she stepped out of the car. Keith’s jaw dropped. This was the day he died.
Hunk followed Pidge’s gaze and turned back with a shit-eating grin. “Oh yeah, that’s him alright.”
PIdge started to cackle. “This is gonna be the best lock-in ever.”
Fixing them with a glare, Keith tried to sink into the upholstery. “I hate you.”
“Your fault for trusting Shiro ,” Pidge smirked.
“Also we’re your best friends?” Hunk added. “Who did you think you had fooled?”
Keith sighed. “Please don’t do anything,” he begged.
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Pidge promised.
“Your fingers are fucking crossed!”
“Language!” Pidge shouted, opening the door and running out of the car. Hunk followed suit, and the two high-tailed it out to the field.
“Hey!” Keith sputtered, fumbling with his seat belt in his rush to follow. “Shit.”
He groaned, nearly falling out of the car and scanning the crowd for his friends. He didn’t have to look far; they were exactly what two people on a mission to ruin their friend’s life wanted to be.
“Lance, right?” Pidge was saying as Keith walked up. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Er, you have?” Lance looked clearly confused but still managed to be as friendly as ever.
“Yeah, you see our friend here--mmph!” Keith slapped a hand over Pidge’s mouth and held them while they struggled.
“Sorry about that,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact with Lance. “They must have mistaken you for someone else.”
“No worries!” There it was, that laugh . “Keith, right?”
Oh my god he knows my name . “Ye-” Keith started to say, before Pidge unceremoniously elbowed him in the gut and escaped.
“Yes, this is Keith,” they grinned. Meanwhile, Hunk had a blushing Keith locked in a hug.
“So Lance,” Hunk continued. “Tell us more about yourself.”
“Uh, what do you want to know?”
“Are you single?” Pidge asked. Keith wanted to die.
Lance raised an eyebrow. “Well...yes. But if you’re asking for yourself…”
“No, no, no!” Pidge waved their hands wildly. “Definitely not. I’m asking for a friend.”
“Specifically this one,” Hunk nodded, pushing Keith forward like he was Simba from The Lion King.
Keith struggled. “Don’t listen to them,” he yelped.
He made eye contact with Lance. The other boy had a strange expression on his face, eying Keith up and down as if he was...inspecting him or something. Beside him, Keith swore Pidge’s glasses glinted.
“So maybe you could help us out?” Pidge continued.
“Yeah,” Hunk agreed. “It’s exhausting hearing him talk about how gorgeous you are all the time.”
“SHUT UP!” Keith shouted, drawing eyes from the crowd.
Lance looked back at Pidge. “Really?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Before Lance could reply, Shiro’s voice echoed across the field, amplified by a megaphone. “Welcome back!” he shouted. “Are you ready to have some fun?”
The crowd erupted into cheers, Lance loudest of them all. Despite the current situation, Keith felt his heart skip a few beats.
“Alright! Let’s head in!”
Students started streaming in. Keith blinked; somewhere along the way Hunk and Pidge had disappeared, leaving Keith flat on the grass, staring at the sky and willing the earth to swallow him up. Maybe he could call Mrs. Holt for a ride?
“Hey.”
Keith blinked. Lance stared down at him, hand extended.
“Leave me alone,” Keith groaned, closing his eyes.
“Don’t make me kiss you awake, Sleeping Beauty,” Lance teased.
Keith’s eyes flew open. “I’m up!” he gasped, accepting Lance’s hand up. He was ready to run away and never show his face at school again, except Lance wasn’t letting go.
“You know, you’re kinda cute.” Lance winked and tugged on his hand. “Come on, let’s go!”
Keith was dragged along, wondering what the hell just happened, but as they passed through the school doors and he glimpsed Shiro’s surprised-but-proud face, he figured it really didn’t matter.