what you can't see // Klance AU

Chapter 3

Keith sat at his desk, finishing up his science homework. He was on question 17/20 when his phone buzzed. He looked down at it, seeing a text message from Takashi.

Brogane - 7:34 p.m.
hey

Keith picked up his phone and unlocked it, tapping on the message to reply.

Me - 7:34 p.m.
What's up?

Brogane - 7:35 p.m.
Allura said yes to the performance next month
If you come you can get free admission since you're with me

Me - 7:35 p.m.
Have fun.

Brogane - 7:35 p.m.
you don't want to come?

Me - 7:36 p.m.
Not really.
Lance will just be showing off.
It's annoying.

Brogane - 7:36 p.m.
he's just excited, keith
it'll be fun. plus, you don't have to pay attention to him

Me - 7:36 p.m.
I'll have to pay attention to that tan bastard.
He's literally the lead guitar.

Brogane - 7:37 p.m.
think about it pls
I want you to come

Me - 7:37 p.m.
idk

Brogane - 7:37 p.m.
okay
i'll ttyl

Me - 7:37 p.m.
Bye.

Keith sighed and put his phone down. "Why can't people just leave me alone," he sighed, "I like being the emo kid. Then I wouldn't have to go anywhere." He knew how important the band was to Takashi. He might as well go. Takashi was basically his brother...they'd known each other since Keith was in Kindergarten. After all, he didn't want any mixed feelings between the two.

After Keith had finished his science homework and sketched for a while, he went downstairs for water. After filling his cup he sat down at the island and drank it slowly, looking out the sliding glass door into the evening. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. What does Takashi want now?  Keith thought before opening the message. It was from a number that Keith didn't recognize.

Unknown Number - 8:04 p.m.
Listen, kid. We have so many fags in this shithole school already. Takashi might be a gay icon, but that doesn't mean it's okay to follow in his footsteps. Don't think that you can hide in the closet for much longer, because I know how people like you are.

Keith was perplexed. Had somebody found out that he was gay? This shook his nerves and he barely had the gut to respond.

Me - 8:05 p.m.
Umm.., who the fuck is this?

Unknown Number - 8:05 p.m.
Are you honestly that retarded to think that I'd give my identity away?

Me - 8:06 p.m.
Who were you supposed to be texting?

Unknown Number - 8:06 p.m.
Who are you.

Keith grunted. This person was dumb as hell. He was certain that they had gotten the wrong number now.

Me - 8:06 p.m.
Keith Kogane.

Unknown Number - 8:07 p.m.
Wrong number

Me - 8:07 p.m.
Who's closeted anyway?

Unknown Number - 8:07 p.m.
Not your business.

Me - 8:07 p.m.
K bye.

Then Keith blocked the number. "Christ," he muttered. He never thought that kids at Altea High had the audacity to send hate messages to gay people. Especially that offensive and aggressive. Keith brushed it off. Nobody knew he was gay. But there was another closeted gay kid. He had no idea who it could be, because all of the LGBTQ+ kids at his school were out already.

Maybe that unknown person was right. It wasn't his business. It certainly wasn't. But for some reason he felt like he wanted to know. There was another closeted gay kid at his school. For some reason, he felt a sense of foreshadowing. But he couldn't tell why.

Keith finished his water and set the cup in the dishwasher before heading back upstairs. He was already in his PJ's and was now lying on his bed with his legs arched. His sketchbook was resting against his thighs and he decided to make the finishing touches to his art. He had drawn a knife and a lion, both in pen. They were both drawn with detailed and intricate patterns, ones that couldn't be redrawn.

Lions were Keith's favorite animal. They had been his favorite animal for years. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had a connection with them. Once when he was about eight or nine, his father had taken him to a wildlife rescue center. They had all kinds of species in rehabilitation there. After they had walked around for a while, Keith had found himself wandering to the lions. He met face-to-face with a giant beauty. Flaxen fur with a mane that looked so...majestic. Keith had placed his hand on the glass, and the lion touched the window with its nose from the other side. Keith had been thrilled. After that, lions were the love of his life. His father had even started calling him his "Little Lion."

Keith blinked. Had he been crying? No way. He wiped the tears off of his face, but he couldn't stop. He started to sob. All he could think of was his father. And him being Little Lion. His father's Little Lion. It seemed like diving into old memories wasn't the easiest for Keith. A few of his teardrops splattered onto the sketchbook, smearing the ink on the lion's shoulder.

-

Keith must've fallen asleep because the next thing he knew his alarm was going off. He grunted. His body ached all over from his position last night. Letting out a grunt, he got out of bed. He hated school to the depths of his emo soul. At least it was Friday. He was aching for the weekend.

After Keith did his morning routine he went downstairs. He was hungry. Wait, no. He was fucking starving. It was 7:22 a.m. and he was up before anyone else. He walked to the pantry, grabbed a box of Poptarts, and popped two into the microwave. He waited for 30 seconds before the microwave beeped. After he ate his unhealthy breakfast he slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped outside. If he left for school before Allura did it would be a blessing. She was nice but she never shut up. He was almost to school when he heard footsteps approaching him quickly from behind.

His first instinct was to whip around and punch that person in the jaw, but he refrained from doing so. Instead he cast a look over his shoulder. But who it was surprised him.

Lance McClain.

Why was Lance following him? Did he live on the same street as Keith?

"Hey." Lance was barely able to talk and his breathing was heavy. "I just ran like...a solid mile."

Keith snorted. "Good for you, I don't care." He turned away and continued to walk to the highschool.

Lance ran up next to him. "You're not coming to our show, are you?"

"It's not your show first of all. And second, Takashi wants me to go so I will."

Lance narrowed his eyes. "Why are you friends with Takashi anyway? You're like...the opposite of him. You're Mr. Lone Wolf at school while he's almost a Gary Stu."

Keith turned to face Lance completely now. His hands were itching to break his nose. "Listen, Lance," his voice was drenched in annoyance. "I'm going through a lot of shit right now. Okay? I don't need you to tell me what or who I am. It's not your business." Keith glared at the other boy with his piercing gaze. He noticed that the boy's face dropped a little, but that didn't stop Keith from talking sense into him. "And second, Takashi is not a Gary Stu. He's only popular because he's a nice person. And people like him. Maybe you should learn something from him."

Lance furrowed his brows. "There's plenty of people who like me, Keith. Somebody like you saying things like that is hypocritical, because you know that people are afraid to talk to you. And whenever they do, you're an ass to them. Maybe consider rethinking your life choices if everything is going to shit because of your attitude."

Keith slightly curled his lip before turning away from Lance and walking off. Had he been to hard on the boy? He wasn't sure. But Keith wasn't about to apologize. He was only speaking his mind. Why did Keith even feel admiration for that kid? They were so different, Keith didn't know if he'd be able to have a full-on conversation with Lance.