Flying Higher

Chapter 2

Keith was not having it.  Of course he knew he would be here, but knowing something doesn't compare to experiencing it firsthand.

So, naturally, he doesn't do anything about it but glare at those stupid blue eyes with all the wrath he could summon from the very depths of his soul.  He knew those eyes and correlated them with every bad thing he could think of.

Why?  Well, first of all, Keith isn't naturally the type of person to like everyone he sees upon their first encounter.  He tries to assume the worst of everyone so they don't disappoint him if he ever really gets to know him.  Second, his parents were the reason that Keith hadn't seen his in about six years.  Superheroes always beat the villains after all.

To be honest, Keith felt lonely at times without his parents.  Nobody can really survive by themselves, after all.  That must be why Shiro was thrown into his life, armed with an unconditional understanding and a warm smile.

But Shiro wasn't his mother with her long dark hair and the smell of her shampoo.  Shiro wasn't his dad with his sparkling eyes and bemused smile.  Shiro was...Shiro, somebody that was almost like a brother, or a good friend.  And he was the only reason that Keith had to be alive.  Well, one of them at least.

The other one happened to be the son of the people he despised most.  Maybe he didn't have a real reason to hate him.  He couldn't honestly say he did.  But taking out years of pent up anger and frustration on the people who killed his parents was out of the picture.  Their son was the next best thing.

Screaming jolted Keith out of his thoughts.  It took him a few seconds to figure out what was going on, but once he did, he crossed his arms and sank further into his seat, not bothering to let out a sound himself.

He sees a bright white smudge out of the corner of his eye and turns to it by instinct.  Shiro sends a smile to him, and it puts a small one on his own face.  After Shiro turns back to the boy he knew as Hunk on his other side, Keith feels a small blush spread over his face.  He had a little crush on Shiro, which should be understandable considering that Shiro has been the only caring face he had to turn to at the moment.

Sometimes he wondered if he would stop holding a grudge if he had Shiro as...more than a friend.  Maybe.  But love was what got him into this mess in the first place.  He couldn't love anyone again because of his fear of losing them.

~(Six years before)~

"Ok, buddy, we're gonna leave in a second, but you remember the drill, right?"

"Yes, Dad."

"We'll be back in an hour or so, like usual, so don't worry, everything's gonna be okay."

"Okay, but come back as soon as you can."

"We will, now get to the basement and lock the door.  Don't come out until we're back, sweetie."

"Mom, I already said that I remembered what to do."

"I know, I know.  Ok, then, let's get going.  Bye, Keith, I love you."

"I love you too Mom."

He waited.  He watched the clock, watched as an hour ticked to two, to three, to four.  They still weren't back.  He turns on the T.V. and catches the end of a news report celebrating the death of Empress and Pyro, praising the Blue Lions for their acheivement.

But Keith couldn't see it.  His eyes were already filled with tears.

~~~

This chapter is much shorter than the other and I apologize for that, but, well Keith didn't have as much family interaction as Lance...

Just to clarify, Keith is 15 in this fic, I guess superhero high schools start a year later than normal ones, but he lost his parents when he was 9. Sad, yes, but it'll get better if the story still goes the way I've planned it to.

Also, I got my key board fixed and it's a whole lot easier to type now, just in case anyone cares.  Have a nice day if you're reading this!