(Klance) Like We Were Then

The Blade

(Childhood memory- 13 year old)

It was a perfect saturday for Keith, it was mid- autumn, so the days were shorter and the sunsets were amazing. They started out as pale pink and orange, like in the summer, but would turn a dark violet with red tints as the minutes passed. He loved it.

He woke up early, excited. The school week had been..difficult.. He had gotten into 3 fights and got put in detention for the rest of the school week. But now, his parents were working and Shiro was out with Allura. They had just started dating, and Shiro had been super shy around her but this was their first "date", and Keith knew Shiro was excited.

So was he.

Keith had witnessed this skating gang in the summer, they had been hanging out by the park and Keith had been on his way from school with Lance. They were talking about something Keith couldn't remember, but he had immediately stopped talking when he saw the gang.

They were all in chill outfits, smoothly skating down the street. Some slid on the benches, doing flips and gliding on the cement. Keith didn't know why but his heart started speeding up. There were just..so many. And they were all so good. It seemed like they had been practicing all their lives.

Keith used to watch BMX sports with Lance when they were younger, he had enjoyed it but he and Lance found new hobbies. But when he saw the skaters in the park that day, he knew he had to join. They didn't stop to talk that day, but instead waited for them to show up. It took..a while. Months actually. And it was a crisp october morning, the air sweet and cool, when Lance and Keith, on their way to school saw the gang.

Keith was so excited he could barely contain himself. He immediately told Lance they just had to go meet them.

"I don't know...they look a little older..what if they.." Lance trailed off watching them wearily. "What if they're dangerous?" He asked.

"Pssh I doubt it. They are obviously just trying to have a good time. Let's just check them out. We've been waiting for months!" Keith insisted.

"Yeah..but.."

"Did you not want to in the first place?" Keith asked, a small frown deepening on his face.

"What? Of- Of course! It's just..second thoughts.."

"Let's just see okay?" And before Lance could answer or stop him, Keith dashed off towards the group. He left behind his common sense and pride. Along with Lance.

"Hey!" Keith called to who seemed to be the leader of the gang. He was tall,muscular and serious looking. He stood in the middle of a small group of skaters, three standing around him talking.

He wore jeans with rips in them and a black tank top with some faded band on it. He looked to be around 17 or 18, colorful tattoos crawling up his arms, each telling a story he wasn't willing to tell. His face was withered, it looked to be far older than he probably was. The effect of hanging with the wrong crowd.

"Yeah?" He asked, turning to Keith who was walking quickly over to him. The older boy's voice was raspy but strong like a knife scraping firewood.

Keith felt his face go red as the skaters started to come together around him. They didn't all look as intimidating as their leader, but Keith still felt the power of the numbers. Lance still hadn't moved.

"Uh- hi. I'm Keith. And that over there is my best friend Lance." Keith said not making eye contact as he gestured to Lance who stood uncomfortably across the park.

The leader was silent. "We uh- we saw you a few months ago, you guys looked pretty cool so we wanted to come check and see- uh.." Keith trailed off, realising how stupid this all sounded. Two thirteen year olds who saw them in their neighborhood wanted to join this gang of older professional skaters? Lance was right. This had been a bad idea.