'such a pity, a boy so pretty'

8. reunion

Keith and Lance finally broke off resting their foreheads together, Lance chuckled and gripped Keith's hand. They smiled at each other.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Keith finally said, reassuring all of the insecurities Lance had about Keith not wanting him.

"Then why didn't you?" Lance looked it to Keith's purple-brown eyes, a wide grin on his face.

"Because I thought you'd reject me." Keith laughed, it seemed so ridiculous to say out loud.

"So did I." Lance smiled, wincing a little, aside from the blood and the bags under his eyes, Lance's smile was truly beautiful and made Keith feel something melt inside of him. Keith took the shirt back, dabbing at Lance's head.

"We should get you to a hospital, come on." Keith started to walk in the direction of the window.

"Wait." Lance paused, "I don't if I can go down there yet." The two boys heard a car pull up into the drive, Lance looked round the side of the house, holding onto the outside wall. "That's Sophia's car. What's she doing here?"

"Come on Lance, you need medical attention." And Keith was freezing, he was only wearing his small red jacket and he couldn't exactly put his shirt back on.

"Okay." Lance stood up, then wavered for a bit, Keith caught him and unlocked the window, pulling him through. Keith pulled on one of Lance's T-shirts and Lance put his arm around Keith and they walked down the stairs. Keith felt Lance tighten as they reached the last step, they heard voices coming from the living room.

"He did what?! Is Lance okay? What do you mean you don't know? Haven't you even gone to check on your own son, you sent me a pretty vague text, but I didn't think it would be this bad." Lance heard Sophia's voice loud and clear.

"Don't tell me how to look after my children, you are my daughter show me some respect." Rosa said, equally as loud.

"I'll show you respect when you've earned it. You should've left him the first time, now look what's happened. I'm going to go see if my brother is okay." Sophia walked out of the living and stopped when she saw Lance. She ran to him, embracing him in a hug. She cupped his face and looked at his head. "Oh what did he do to you?" Her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Sophia I'm okay, really." Lance leaned back into Keith. "My... friend is taking me to the hospital." Lance's eyes started to droop.

"I'll take you, and your friend." Sophia walked to the other side of Lance and guided him out of the house to her small car. "Get him in the backseat, ..?"

"Keith." He told her.

"Okay Keith. And make sure he stays awake." Keith nodded and climbed in, Lance led across his chest, he started to close his eyes.

"Hey Lance, you need to stay awake for me Okay?" Keith held the shirt on his head. "Please."

"But I feel tired, and it hurts." Only now did Lance recognise the amount of pain his head was in, all the blood, the scream ringing in his ears. Lance clutched his head. "It hurts." He repeated.

"I know buddy you just have to stay awake okay. Just stay awake." Sophia turned the corner speeding towards the hospital, she parked right outside the front door. Lance was started to get sleepy again so Keith picked him up with both arms, and carried him inside.

"Someone help, my little brother." Sophia said to the front desk and nurses came from all directions, leading Keith to a bed where he put Lance down. The two were both pushed out of the way as a doctor gave Lance an anaesthetic.

"He'll be fine." The doctor told Keith as they wheeled him to another room. Sophia was a pacer, she paced, whereas Keith sat down and tapped his foot, getting restless and moving every five seconds.

"How do you even know Lance if you don't mind me asking?" Sophia said, breaking the silence and constant tapping.

"We go to school together." Keith decided to leave out the kissing part.

"Did Lance tell you why Julian got mad?" Keith looked at her strangely. "My d..dad."

"Oh um he said he'd told his mum something and his dad overheard." Keith said, unsure if he should tell Sophia the whole truth.

"What did he tell her?" Sophia stopped pacing, and sat next to Keith.

"That he's um.. bi." Keith said wearily, scared of how Lance's sister would react. Her brown eyebrows furrowed, she looked exactly like Lance. Her fists clenched.

"Why didn't he tell us sooner?" Sophia said to herself. "I should never have left."

"Lance told me about what happened, before." Sophia looked at him in shock.

"Lance must really like you. He's never even told Hunk, and they've been best friends since pre-school. I told my mum to leave him, I begged her. But she said we would be safer with him, which was just bullshit. And look where we are now. I'm gonna kill that bastard excuse for a father." Sophia gasped and pulled her phone out. Calling a quick number and groaning when it went to voicemail. "Rob? It's me Sophia, you need to come home, we need you, Lance needs you, again." Sophia said into her mobile, her voice cracking.

"He'll be fine." Keith tried to reassure her, but he was just as worried. Just then a herd of footsteps could be heard from down the corridor, Keith and Sophia looked up to see Rosa and the rest of Lance's siblings walking over to Sophia.

"Sofie!" Gabriela shouted running over to her, Diego followed behind.

"Hey guys! Look how much you've grown." And just like Lance her mood changed instantly to a light and happy tone. "I've only been gone a year, you're almost as tall as me." She giggled, wiping the last of her tears away. Then she saw the twins, she stood up and hugged them both.

"What's going on Soph?" Maria asked "where's Lance?" She just hugged them harder, ignoring her mother. Her phone buzzed.

"Robert will be here in an hour." She told her mother.

"Where's Lance? Is he okay? Did Papa do something again?" Maria asked impatiently, her brother took her hand. Keith clenched his fists, he felt out of place. Diego and Gabriela came and sat next to him and he smiled.

"Is Lance okay?" Gabriela asked, climbing into Keith's lap. Keith froze at first, he looked up at Sophia, who smiled at him, so he put his arm around the small girl, in case she fell.

"He'll be fine. You'll see him soon, he's just had a bump on the head." Gabriela brought out her transformer, clutching it tight.

"I'm going to give it to Lance when I see him." Keith smiled at her. "Do you want to see? It's my favourite one." Keith took it from her.

"It's super cool, I think Lance will love it." Keith smiled, giving it back and smiling. Sophia was watching him intently, he could feel her stare prickle on the back of his neck, she was smiling, glad that Lance had a 'friend' like Keith.

The doctor walked over to the group.

"He just needed a few stitches, he has a concussion but other than that he'll be fine." He told them, his face in a skeptical frown, and led them to Lance's room, Keith lingered behind. Lance wasn't his family, he'd only known him for a few short weeks, but he did really really care about the stupid kid, no matter how much he denied it.

end of chapter eight