Flower Boy - Klance | completed |

Ch. Thirteen

eyy just a heads up; there are slight mentions of suicide up ahead - it's not too bad but feel free to skim over the very end if it makes you uncomfortable

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Ch. Thirteen

"This is stupid," Keith voiced his thoughts from where he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared blankly at the space in front of him. "He literally has no idea we're here."

"Shh!" Lance tried to quiet him from his spot behind the potted plant in the corner. His knees were pulled to his chest in what looked like an uncomfortable crouch, and he ducked behind the safety of the leaves whenever someone stepped too close. "Get down, Keith! He'll see you!"

"This is stupid," Keith muttered to himself again, but slid down the wall anyway so he was seated on the grimy mall tiled-flooring. "He can't see us."

Chris, as predicted, could be seen working behind a food-stand - one of his two jobs, if Keith remembered correctly - hair a mess as he bustled from the stoves from the counter, occasionally taking a swig or two of water when there was a break in the customer-traffic.

Someone dropped to their knees next to Keith, crouching behind an unused table and peaking over the top like they were in some spy movie. Keith groaned at Oliver's antics, resisting the urge to collapse onto the floor beneath him and just lie there forever. "Why is everyone so over the top? We're - it's just a pretzel place, guys."

"Keep your voice down!" Lance and Sebastián whisper-yelled simultaneously, and Dominic groaned, much like Keith, as he squatted next to his brother. "Why can't we go over there?" He pointed to where Shiro, Ms. Kogane, and Camila were all seated together a few tables away, chatting politely amongst themselves as they ate lunch. Anton was watching Venita one table over, and together they bent over a coloring page with crayons scattered around them.

"You're recognizable, apparently," Natalia spoke up from Dom's other side, to which he groaned. "And Shiro isn't?"

"It's normal for Shiro to be here," Daniel sighed pointedly, seated across from them. His back was against a half-wall that shielded most of them from Chris' gaze, unless he was actually trying to look for them. "You're not, as much. It's weirder to see a random fourteen-year-old kid wandering around vs. an almost-thirty-year-old." He wrinkled his nose. "Wow. Shiro's almost thirty."

"Oh, how time flies," Sebastián professed wistfully, a hand on his heart. "I remember when he was still in diapers. Give me a second, guys. This nostalgia's making my heart hurt."

"First of all, Shiro's technically only four," Keith started. "And second of all, you've literally known him for, like, a month, so chill."

"Don't tell me how to live my life."

"Guys, shut up!" Lance waved his arms, whacking Keith in the jaw, who groaned, leaning back. "He's looking over here!"

"Oh, congrats. Welcome to the freak show, featuring Plant Boy, Table Child, and The Help." Keith shot back, and Oliver helped Lance by reaching over and covering his mouth while he rolled his eyes, sitting back with crossed arms.

"Daniela," Lance whispered, snapping his fingers. "How do you get someone to notice you?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows, ignoring Oliver's teasing 'senpaii~' to his right and dropping his hands onto his ankles. "Why are you looking at me? Do you even know the last person I dated?" He paused, staring at Lance's puzzled face before sighing dramatically, dropping his chin into his palm. "Brandon Woo. In the third grade."

"Damn," Dominic whistled, glancing to his left for only a second as Sebastian moved to sit next to Oliver. "That's better than me; I was, like, in kindergarten when I had my first and only girlfriend. Sophia... Sophia Whatsherface."