A house is only as fun as your house mate

chapter 1

Keith sped down the highway faster than any car seemed to be going. It was a surprise that he hadn’t yet received a speeding ticket for the numerous times he had travelled at such a speed. His music almost gave a radiating thump in the surrounding area as he continued to turn it up louder. Once he figured his ear drums would burst, he stopped fiddling with the worn volume dial and continued to barely listen to music he claimed to like. The lyrics had no effect on him like they used to. He used to have the ability of being able to feel exactly how the singer felt and empathize with the meaning behind what they were trying to put across. Yet recently, it was as if he had no love for it at all. In fact, he didn’t seem to have any love for anything. After coming back from reuniting the Galra empire and the Blade of Marmora, he had changed. He had decided to cut his hair and stopped wearing his basic outfit of jeans and a black shirt. However, just because he had changed his hair and fashion choice did not mean he himself had changed. Though he had, massively. As if deciding that he couldn’t stand being in space anymore, he ventured back to Earth in the hopes of finding at least something he could grasp onto and call his. However, for the time being, he was to deal with the endless amounts of hotels that he seemed to come and go from, until he found that place to call home. So far, he had no such luck.

He pulled up in front of the grand building which was to be the next place that he would be staying at. Leaving his car in the car park, he pulled out his single bag of luggage and belongings that he had, and tugged it behind him into the hotel. He never stayed in a hotel for more than a week since the price would increase rapidly by that point. He had a fair amount of money but no job so replenishing his steadily depleting stack was not an option. He was slowly running out of those recently, as if his options disappeared with his personality. Slowly but blatantly obviously. Once the keys had been handed to him, Keith made his way to the next room that would be his home for the following week. He dropped the bag beside the bed and fell onto it himself. “Earth,” he mumbled under his breath. “how I hate you.” He rolled over on the plush blankets covering the bouncy mattress and pulled the phone he had forgotten he had out of his pocket. He checked the time and saw that it was barely even noon, before throwing it halfway across the bed. He groaned and sunk further, grasping onto the duvet for some stability. This wasn’t his ideal way of living. As a kid, Keith had always imagined that he would one day find his parents and live happily ever after with them or at least live happily ever after with the comfort of someone beside him. He had never gotten his wish. He found his mum yes, but it wasn’t exactly what he was hoping to find. The disillusionment of that greeting stuck with him and now, he viewed anything that seemed good as something that could be ruined. He lost love and compassion that day. He felt nothing. Except for Lance. Yes, that was his name, Lance McClain. The one boy that Keith could see all of. There was nothing hidden within Lance, he was as you saw him. A lanky idiot who refused to back down from a challenge and couldn’t help himself from starting an argument. Keith hated him, he always had. Lance refused to take anything seriously other than when his ‘girlfriend’ died, that seemed to hit him like a stone then. He hated him. How could Lance be so comical during such difficult times? Keith rolled over thinking about Lance over and over. It had been ten years since he had last seen him. Ten years since he had last seen anybody for that matter. It was lonely at times, sure, but Keith was used to loneliness. He forced it upon himself.

Deciding that he had had enough of moping and thinking. He stood up from his place on the bed and made his way out of the hotel to go and stock up his supplies. He left the hotel without even bothering to lock his room door. After all, why should he? He had nothing of value in there and he wasn’t too particular about his privacy. The scar on his cheek told people not to mess with him. A thirty year old man with that bad of a scar on his face normally warded people off.

He jumped into his car and left for the closest convenience store that he could find. After driving for about five minutes, he came to one at the top of the road. Pulling up outside it, next to a clean white Nissan, he hopped out and ambled into the store. Hands in pockets, scowl permanently on his face like a tattoo. He refused to look up at anyone and make eye contact. He kept his head down, only briefly looking up to check which aisle he was in. He lifted his head from its fixed position of staring at his feet and looked up. That was his first mistake. He caught sight of a pair of tanned broad shoulders. The skin pulled taught against muscles that had blatantly been built. They weren’t massive but they added shape to the figure of the character before him. Their hair was a caramelized brown and was closely shaved at the nape of their neck. It fell messily on the top of their head, though it still seemed neat in an extremely contradictory way. They wore a black and red top that featured little flecks of purple within the thread. The man was stood alone looking at two jars in his hands as if debating on which to get. Keith grew worried. He knew that sweater anywhere. It had been one of the first items of clothing that Keith had bought himself, excluding his jeans. He remembered handing it to someone very familiar because they were cold and didn’t own any jumpers of their own. Keith paled and turned on his heel, hoping to get away from the man as quick as he could. Yet it was too late. The brown eyes of the man before him landed on the pale frame of Keith. “Keith?” the man asked, placing both jars of peanut butter back on the shelf where he had picked them up from. Keith bowed his head and looked away from the man stood before him. “wow, you look different.” He said drawing in closer to Keith. Keith didn’t move. He was scared. What was he meant to do in a situation like this? “hello Lance.” He said eventually. He looked up at Lance and met his piercing gaze. “Keith. I can’t believe it, I never thought I would see you again.” The tanned man wrapped his arms around Keith’s quivering frame. Tears stung at Lance’s eyes as he continued to cling on tightly to the paler man. Keith tentatively raised a hand and pat Lance on the back. Once the two men had pulled away, they could finally take each other in. “your scar looks good.” Lance complimented. The older man glanced at the floor. “yeah, I guess it does.” he felt small in the presence of Lance. This man of whom he had hated for years and grown to believe that he despised, had chipped him down to the point of near tears, just from a single hug. “what brings you over to this side of the world?” Lance continued, genuinely curious.

“i uh, have been trying to find my own place but haven’t been able to yet and so I am staying at the hotel just down the road from here.” He mumbled. Lance considered this piece of information for longer than he perhaps should have. “what do you plan on doing once you have to leave the hotel?” he pressed. Keith cursed inaudibly before answering. “i am moving to the next town over for the next hotel.”

“Wait is that what you have been doing for the past ten years?!” Lance cried. Keith shook his head profusely. “no no, it isn’t, I have only been on Earth for the last year, before that, I was still with the Galra.” Lance nodded in understanding. “Oh”

Keith found himself staring at the altean markings on the cheek bones of his ex-comrade. They were a stunning shade of ice blue and pronounced the tone of his skin perfectly. The staring did not go unnoticed however, as Lance started giggling insanely. “are you checking me out?” he teased. Keith’s face flushed a magnificent shade of red before he composed himself before denying the fact that he would ever think of doing such a thing. Lance raised an eyebrow and left the matter at that. Keith utterly grateful at the fact that Lance had left the matter alone. He quickly attempted to walk off then and leave his old colleague behind. Thinking he had succeeded. Lance called back. “hey mullet!” Keith stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel to face the younger man. “will I ever get to see you again or is this goodbye?" Keith didn’t answer and left on that note. Leaving a despondent Lance alone in the aisle of spreads and condiments.