kismet

The card glistened in the light, plastic coating flashing as it rotated between the long fingers, the edge tapping on the table in abnormally loud tones, magnified by the unusual silence in the rec room. Over and over the card turned, mesmerizing, stupefying. Every tap thundered in the still, stifling air, hypnotically constant. Again and again it struck the table, drawing six pairs of eyes to watch the slim fingers of the hand as they turned the card, and the gleaming, laminated back.

"I can't stand it anymore!" One of the men that sat around the table stood, voice filled with frustration. "Would you just do it already?"

"Wh-what?" The card tapper stared up at his friend in confusion. He looked down at the card and reddened slightly. "Oh. Sorry." The card flashed again, as it tumbled over and over to land on it already played mates. "There. You can sit down now, Lance."

"That wasn't what I was talking about, Keith," Lance replied, still burning with some heated emotion. "I mean, look at you. You're a mess. You aren't sleeping right, you're eyes are glazed, you're confused, distracted, depressed. And why? Because you can't--"

"Lance--" the big man of the group spoke low in warning, eyes narrowed slightly.

"What? C'mon Hunk, you said so yourself." Lance rounded on his team mate. "You were the one who noticed it first; you were the one who pointed out that he rarely eats anymore."

"Lance. Guys. I'm fine. Really. Now are we playing," Keith quickly glanced down at the table, "Hearts or not?

"Keith. We're playing poker." The smallest member finally spoke, adding his pipping voice to the worries.

"Oh. Well, that would explain the chips." Keith had the decency to look slightly ashamed.

Lance sighed. "See? This is what we're talking about, Keith. It's like you're...not there anymore. I mean, Pidge won fifty dollars off of you already!"

"Hey!" Pidge protested, miffed at the perceived slight upon his poker game.

"Not that you're a bad Poker player, Pidge. It's just that Keith never looses at Poker. Tell me, in all the time we've played cards with him, have you ever been able to get past his Poker face? Made him crack even once?"

"No, but--"

"Exactly!" Lance rounded on Keith, eyes pleading with his friend. "Keith, please, you have to get over this! You're beginning to scare m--us. Now, I know that you don't like us getting involved in your personal life, but let us in. Tell us what's wrong."

"Look," Keith stood, hands firmly planted on the table, eyes blazing in anger, "my personal life is my business. Not yours. What I do on my own time does not affect how the team performs."

"Yes, it does." Hunk sighed as he laid down his card. "Keith, when you don't perform at your best, none of us do. We depend upon your ability to lead us and, frankly, you're not even in a position to lead a herd of sheep, let alone the Lions against Lotor. We barely won that last attack, and it was one of the easiest we've faced yet."

"Yeah, Skip. We're all worried about you. So why don't you tell us what's wrong?"

Keith gaped at them, at a loss for what to say, bewildered and unsure, mouth working but now sound escaping. Lance sat suddenly, face crafty, eyes shining with a strange gleam.

"Oh ho," he almost laughed the words, "I know what this is about. It's Allura, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Oh come on, I've pined for a chick before, and I know what it looks like. And you, my friend, are pining. Big time." The mischievous smile was in full force now, an evil smile to some, because of the consequences that always followed. He glanced at the two other boys, eyes sparkling. "I think we've got a project here."

"No. Oh no. You're not--" Keith stopped and swallowed, eyes growing wide with fear. "Guys, you can't be--I'm not--Listen, it's not Allura."

"Now, now, Keith. If we left this to you you'd never get a date." Hunk grinned and latched onto Keith's arm.

"I'm perfectly capable--"

"We know that." Lance latched onto the other arm.

"We're just giving you a little push." Pidge got behind his suddenly entrapped Captain and gave him a little push, forcing him to walk forward.

"Help?" Keith closed his eyes as they escorted him from the room.

~~~

Lance sighed in disgust as he went through his friend's very sparse closet. Uniforms, uniforms and more uniforms. Doesn't he ever wear anything else? "Keith, have you ever heard of the word, diversity?"

"Seriously. I mean, I knew you weren't into normal things, but this is extremely sad." Pidge flopped down onto Keith's bed, shaking his little, curly head.

"What's wrong with my clothes? They're regulation uniforms. Good quality, durable, comfortable...what's so wrong with that?" Keith glanced at the door, wondering at his chances for escape. Hunk smoothly crossed the space and leaned against it, arms folded and face uncompromising. Keith sighed.

"They're so boring! Keith, none of us where these things and there's a good reason why. C'mon, get some class, here! Get some style." Lance slid the door closed. "Well, I don't think that there's going to be anything here." He eyed Keith. "Listen, I think I've still got some of Sven's stuff. That'd probably fit him."

"Yeah, they're about the same size." Pidge and Lance hauled Keith out of his chair, and hustled him out his room. Hunk followed behind, almost looming over the shanghaied pilot.

Keith looked at Lance in confusion. "What're you doing with Sven's clothes, anyway?

"Oh, well, after he was, ah, injured I sort of, you know, borrowed them." Lance laughed slightly and scratched the back of his neck. Keith gave him a Look. "Hey, it's not like he was going to use them!" Lance protested feebly. "Besides, I was going to return them."

Keith shook his head. "I'm very disappointed in you, Lance."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just be glad that I did borrow some of his clothes; if I didn't we'd be sending you out in the buff. Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea. I don't think Allura would mind much."

"No. N. O. I'm not even sure I agreed to go on this date in the first place. I'm certainly not going out naked."

"I believe that the appropriate term is ‘nekkid'" Pidge interjected. "Naked's for when you're streaking. Nekkid is for when you're about to do the dirty." Keith transferred his glare to the small boy and Pidge hastened to amend his words. "Or so I've heard. Heh, heh."

"That's it. I refuse to be part of the corruption of a minor." Keith struggled in the grips of his friends, trying to turn around and escape before it would all be too late.

"No way. You're not getting out if it that easily. Hunk, would you take care of this?"

Hunk grinned. "My pleasure." He reached down and picked the smaller boy up, slinging Keith over his shoulder. "Sorry to do this to you, Skip, but you're going on that date."

"Did Allura say yes?" Keith asked, voice slightly strained as Hunk's shoulder dug into his stomach. "Did you even ask her yet?"

"Ooh, good point. Pidge, go run and ask Allura if she'll go on a date with Keith. Then go ask Nanny if she'll set up a private dinner somewhere...intimate." Lance bent down low and whispered the next bit of instruction into Pidge's ear. "Just make sure it's somewhere we can have a good view."

"Gotcha Lance." Pidge winked and scurried down the hall. Lance smiled and opened the door to his room.

"Right. Hunk, you can just drop him on the bed over there."

Hunk nodded and did as directed, before once more taking up his position as guard. Lance made his way straight to the closet, throwing his clothes onto the bed, while in search of the perfect outfit. Keith just sighed and watched his friend scurry about the room. It was almost like watching a cartoon. All that was missing were the super deformed characters and the multiple legs moving in a blur. Although if he squinted and tilted his head a little...

"There!" Lance threw the suit at him, proud smile on his face. "Perfect."

"A suit? You stole a suit from Sven?"

"Hey! I'll have you know that that's my suit there. So I don't want you spilling anything on it, hear?"

"Hey Lance, Allura said yes!" Pidge poked his head through the door, a pleased grin splitting his face.

"Great! Where's it going to be?"

"Allura said we should have it in the gazebo in the Rose garden around sunset. I'm off to go convince Nanny that this li'l date is a good thing."

"Sunset? That doesn't give us much time. Quick, Keith, strip."

"What? No!"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Look, we need to get you showered, okay? Clean you up some."

"I can shower myself, thank you very much." Keith glared at Lance, obviously annoyed.

"Not properly. We don't want you just to be showered. We want you squeaky clean. We want you so clean, you'll make things around you cleaner just by proxy. Now hop to!" Lance opened the door to his bathroom and gestured impatiently. "In! In! Hunk, go get a clean pair of underwear for Keith."

Keith sighed and gingerly stepped into Lance's not-so-clean bathroom, trying hard to avoid the piles of clothes and towels. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, and longed for the sanctity of his spotless bathroom. Or at least some sort of heavy duty cleaner so that he could make this place at least a little more habitable.

"Lance, you are a slob."

"Thank you. Now strip."

"No way. Not in here. I think I might catch something just being in the same room as this filth."

Lance rolled his eyes and boldly stepped up to Keith, tugging at the uniform in a vain attempt to remove it. "Christ, is this thing hermetically sealed to you or something?"

"Get off, your wrinkling it." Keith brushed Lance's hands away, and undid his shirt, feeling very put upon. He stripped slowly, angrily, and carefully folded the uniform and placed it gingerly on the counter. He stood there, shivering slightly in just his underwear, trying hard not to touch anything.

"Okay, go get in the shower. I'll be there in a minute to get you clean." Lance tried hard not to look, feeling strange stirrings in his nether regions. Damn he looks good. Wait, what the hell am I thinking? But he does have a nice ass...and he's definitely got that vulnerable sexy thing going. Ahh! Stop! Lance, you're straight d'you hear me? You? Whatever. You can't be feeling like this. Now strip down and get him clean. Nodding to himself, he striped off his clothes, creating yet another pile on the floor. He stepped into the shower, where Keith stood on one foot, huddled in on himself.

"Can we get this over with so I can get out of here? And I'm warning you, that you are not going to wash my bits and pieces. I think I can handle that on my own."

"Yeah sure. I won't. You know, my shower is clean, despite what it looks like." Lance turned the water on, sending clouds of steam up around their almost naked forms. He took the washcloth he had selected, trying hard not to think about what exactly he was washing. He scrubbed the soft flesh before him, until it was pink and glowing, fingers massaging the wet silken tresses, filling them with fragrant lather.

"Mmm. Feels good," Keith moaned, head moving with Lance's fingers.

Oh God...What am I doing? Why am I feeling this way? I shouldn't feel like this. I shouldn't even be doing this. I'm an idiot. I'm a world class idiot. Okay, time to get out of the shower before you do something that is completely not your style and you'll regret until your dying day.

Lance stopped the rubbing movements, washing his hands off in the stream of warm water. "Okay, you're done. Now just clean your tackle and we'll get you all prettied up." He fled the shower before Keith could say anything more, rushing to the temporary sanctuary of his bedroom.

Keith sighed and picked up the wash cloth. Damn. And it was so close too.

~~~

Keith barely recognized himself when Lance had finished. He was practically gleaming, stuffed into Lance's slightly too small formal suit, hair slicked back and tamed. The white shirt's collar hurt his chin, the frilled breast was almost as stiff as cardboard. The bow tie felt too tight, choking almost, and his skin still hurt from the vicious scrubbing that Lance had given him. He felt scared, unsure and slightly queasy, not at all looking forward to his dinner. But, Lance had pronounced him ready, and so, here he was, standing in front of a mirror and looking completely out of place.

He wanted his uniform, damn it. He felt naked with out it. And not a good naked either. It was that uncomfortable nakedness. The naked feeling you get in those dreams where you show up a school wearing nothing but your birthday suit, and everybody points and laughs. It was the nakedness of a docotr's appointment, right before you were asked to turn your head and cough. Or the nakedness of going skinny dipping and somehow--despite all atempts for the contrary--managing to get a hardon depsite the fact that it was cold enough that it made your hair ache, and all your friends begin to tease you--joking about seeing a mermaid or a water nypmh or something and you know--you know--that it's becuase you caught a glimpse of some very fine ass but you have to go along with the joke anyway because you do not want to be outed when you're only twelve.

Or something to that effect. In the end, though, it didn't really matter what type of nakedness it was. Naked was naked was naked. And Keith felt naked.

"Well. I think that's about all we can do for him." Lance sighed and placed a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder. "Good luck, pal."

"Thanks." Keith tugged at his bow tie. "Tell me, is this supposed to be this tight?"

"Yes. Now quit messing with it." Hunk grabbed Keith's shoulders and shoved him out into the hall, thrusting a box of candy and a bouquet of flowers into his hands. "Here. Now go and get her."

Lance placed his arm around Hunk's shoulder. "Our little boy is growing up. I'm...I'm so proud of him."

Keith flicked them off and stalked down the corridor, back stiff, seething with anger at his friends. Lance watched him go, and couldn't help think of how handsome he was, with his hair slicked back and body clad in the formal clothes. He truly fit the part of dashing suitor, and Lance felt his heart ache as he watched him go. Keith looked so beautiful, achingly beautiful, painfully beautiful. It hurt his soul to see Keith walk away, to watch him head off to date someone else, take someone else's hand, gaze into someone else's eyes.

This is silly. Those two are destined to be together. I'm not jealous. I'm not.

So why do I feel like killing Allura?

~~~

The dinner was not going well. Technically it was perfect. The food was wonderful, the conversation witty and charming, and the setting romantic and secluded. But everything else was terrible.

It had to be the clothing. That was the only possible explanation in Allura's mind. They were dressed far too formally for such an intimate encounter. It was hard to open up to to someone who looked like they should be at a state dinner with a hundred other people dressed just like them. That had to be the explanation for why Keith was so coolly impersonal, why he said the right things and sat so stiff in his seat.

Allura sighed and wondered what had happened to true love. She felt none of the symptoms of love; her heart didn't beat faster whenever she gazed into Keith's eyes; her hands weren't clammy with a cold, nervous sweat; she didn't thrill to hear his every word. If this was love than she would by far prefer lust. At least there was some fiery emotion in lust, rather than the boredom that was killing her. She sighed and resorted to her favorite game of picturing Keith naked.

The sigh was so soft that she almost missed it; would have missed it if it hadn't come from Keith, who was the only person in the universe who didn't sigh. But though it was soft, it was filled with despair and such self-hatred; it made her shiver to think what could cause such a sound. It sounded like he just had his heart ripped out.

Allura put down her fork and stared intently at her dinner companion. "All right, Keith. What's wrong?"

Keith looked up at her, face still in that same pleasant mask that had gazed at her all night. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Please. Keith, I heard that sigh."

"What sigh?" Though his face was still impassive, his voice pleaded with her, begging her for silence. Allura sighed in disgust.

"Look, Keith, I know that this isn't exactly your idea of a good time. I mean, I know that you don't want to be here and that you probably don't find me particularly attractive--"

"Allura, how can you say that? You're stunning. You're charming and witty and wonderful to be around. In fact, you'd be the first person I'd ask out if I liked gi--" Keith stopped suddenly and swallowed, aware that he had said to much. His face reddened, burning in shame and he lowered his head to stare intently at his hands.

"Oh Goddess. Keith, I didn't realize---I had no idea you were...homosexual. I never would have agreed to this date if I had known, honest."

"It's okay, Allura," Keith whispered, voice low and empty. "Nobody knows. I've kept this secret for my entire life--I've gotten good at hiding it."

"You poor man." Allura reached out and gently rubbed Keith's arm, smiling in a consoling manner. "Having to hide something like this."

"Yeah, well, it's even worse when you're in love with a friend." Keith scrubbed at his face, disgusted with himself for breaking down, yet so very relieved to finally find someone to talk to.

Allura snorted. "Keith. Who do you think you're talking to here? Besides, you get to check them out in the comunal shower."

"Not without getitng strange looks and snide comments about size. At least it'd be somewhat acceptable for you if you ever did this sort of thing." Keith looked up suddenly suspicious. "Why are you taking this so calmly, anyway?"

"Well...I figure, you're my friend, and it really isn't any of my business who you sleep with; I'd have prefered it to be me, but at least you're not lusting after--oh Nanny or something. That would have really been bad for my self-esteem. Although, I would like to know who you have a crush on."

"Oh no. You'll just go and tell Lance and then I'd be--" Keith clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening. He looked down at his plate. "What's in this food? That's the second slip I've made today! This conversation shouldn't even be happening! It's like some sort of cruel nightmare!" Keith hit his forehead against the table. "Ow."

"Lance? You have a crush on Lance? Oh that's great! You two would make an adorable couple."

"Too bad he's straight."

"Lance? Him? Hah! We females may night have as refined a, uh, gaydar as you do, but we can tell when a guy isn't interested in a girls." She looked at Keith. "Well, most of the time, anyway. When we aren't blinded by attraction, anyway."

"But--but what about all that flirting he does?" Keith wondered for a moment why he was trying to dissuade Allura from her conviction that Lance was gay. "He's almost constantly chasing after skirts."

"It's called overscompensation." Allura sighed at Keith's still skeptical expression. "Oh come on, I've seen the way he looks at you, when no one else is looking. I don't think he realizes just how much he wants you. He's just repressed. Give him a chance, and I bet he'll be your boyfriend in a flash."

"You think so?" Keith's face shone with a desperate hope.

"Of course. We just need to get him to see what a great catch you are." Allura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, I'm taking you to Andre."

"Who?"

~~~

Andre turned out not to be a who, but a where. The small beauty salon was a surprise to Keith, but he supposed that this sort of thing was bound to happen as the Arusian economy rebuilt itself. After all, people needed a place to get a hair cut.

What did surprise him were all the small Asian women who surrounded him the moment he walked in the door. Too surprised to do anything but stare at them as they bombarded him with rapid-fire questions, he stupidly answered yes and let himself be drawn toward a large, leather chair. They subjected him a hundred different chemicals that created white lather in his hair and suds that ran down into his eyes. They scraped the skin on his feet and hands with rough pumice, buffed and clipped the nails until they shone. So bewildered by the treatment that he was getting, Keith didn't realize when they broke out the makeup and nail polish until they had applied the first layer of foundation and painted all of his toenails black.

"Hey!" he protested, mouth full of foul tasting powder that made up the makeup. "Stop! Allura!"

"What?" Allura looked up from her magazine, and began to giggle when she saw what had happened to Keith. His black hair was done up in curlers and toes were immobilized with foam pads; he had a slightly frightened look on his face, eyes pleading with Allura to make the beauticians stop. "Oh. Ladies, I don't think that the makeup and nail polish are necessary. We want Keith to look like a boy, after all."

"Are you sure?" asked one of the beauticians--Keith thought it was the leader of this group of torturers. "He would look so pretty as a girl."

"I'm sure."

"Too bad. Can we dye, at least? I'm thinking red highlights."

"No! No way! Allura, save me!" Keith was almost whimpering at the thought of more chemicals being added to his hair.

"Sorry girls. Looks like he's just going to get a trim today."

"Ahh. Well, next time. We can wax his eyebrows too!"

There is never going to be a next time. I'm going to kill Allura.

~~~

I hate this. Why does he haunt my dreams? He never used to...Not this much, anyway. Am I so desperate that I'm thinking of Keith in that manner? If I am, I desperately need to get a girl. Lance sighed and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceilng tiles. Damn it, why can't I get him out of my head? I'm straight. I like girls. I've seen Keith naked hundreds of times. So why is is it affecting me so now? It shouldn't. Damn it, it shouldn't. I shouldn't feel like this. I shouldn't even be having these thoughts! Besides, I'm sure Keith is straight.

It's foolishness, that's all. Just idle thoughts. Speculation. It's natural to experiment at our age. That's it. I'm just...just...just head over heels obsessed with him! Lance sighed again. I need to talk to him. Get this all straightened out, before I do something I regret. He paused and thought about the date he had forced his friend to go on the night before and felt his soul wrench in pain. Okay, before I do something else that I'll regret.

The knocking on his door was almost like a blessing to the confused boy and Lance jumped up to answer it with almost panicked haste. When he saw that it was just Allura standing there, though, he felt his heart fall in disappointment. "Allura. Hi. What brings you down to my neck of the castle?"

"Oh, I just wanted to thank you for setting up that date with Keith." Allura smiled and slipped past Lance into his bedroom and sat down on his bed.

Uh oh. Not good. Nobody thanks you for setting them up on a date. Even if they had a great time, it's like admitting you're inept when it comes to finding companionship on your own.

"Oh? It was, uh, my pleasure." Lance smiled, a little nervous. "So, did you have fun?"

"Oh yes. Loads." Allura smiled a bewitching smile and Lance felt his heart drop further.

Stop that. Be happy for them.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Lance smiled again, knowing that it was strained.

"In fact, I had such a great time that I wanted to repay the favor."

"Oh?"

"Yup. I got you a date for tonight."

"Wow. Allura, you didn't have to do that. Really, you didn't."

"Don't worry I wanted to."

Damn, damn, damn! This is not good. I bet I end up with some poor girl who couldn't get a date to save her life...Nah. Allura couldn't be that cruel. I bet it's some sort of farm animal.

"Well that was really nice of you, Allura. So, what does she look like?"

"Well...They are very beautiful, with long, black hair and deep, soulful eyes and lips that beg to be kissed...They have a wonderful personality, they're charming, and sweet, and I know that you'll have an immediate connection with them."

"Why do you keep using ‘they'? Am I dating two girls, or something?"

Allura smiled a secretive smile. "I'm not at liberty to say. All I can say is that they will be horribly disappointed if you don't show up."

"Well, don't let it ever be said that I disappointed a lady--er ladies. You can tell them that I'll be there without fail."

"Great. Eight o'clock on the south side of the lake. Casual dress--nothing too formal; a nice, collard shirt and a pair of clean dress slacks should do just fine. You'll see where you're supposed to go." Allura stood and smiled at Lance before she made her way to the door.

"Wait! Don't I get to know their name at least?"

"Oh, you'll know it when you see them." Allura blew a kiss at Lance before slipping out into the hall. Lance stared after her, sitting down heavily on his bed. He couldn't understand it; he was about to go on a date with not one, but two girls. He should be ecstatic.

So why did he feel like he was betraying someone?

~~~

Keith stood in the shadows, hands running nervously down his new black, tailored slacks. They felt weird on him, almost as uncomfortable as the suit he had worn yesterday. The silken, dark blue dress shirt felt constraining, almost choking and his new, black, dress shoes squeaked whenever he moved.

I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I let Allura talk me into this. I should just leave now before I embarrass myself and ruin our friendship.

Keith took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to steady his nerves. He was shaking, which was completely unacceptable. He was losing it. He was coming apart. He was actually afraid of Lance. He hadn't been afraid of Lance in years.

"Hello?" Lance's voice wafted through the dusky night air, reaching Keith's ears and sounding more beautiful than any concerto or ode. It froze him completely, frightened him so much.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Keith heard Lance sigh and move forward into the clearing. "I should have expected this. I thought I was just going to get set up with some sort of farm animal, not completely jilted. Real funny. I am so going to get her for this."

Oh God, what am I doing? I can't do this. I can't. I think I'm going to be sick. Keith let out a shaky breath, surprised to find tears trickling down his cheeks. What's wrong with me? I should just leave. Give up. Go home. He shifted, then froze as his new shoes squeaked loudly. Shit. I'm never going to be able to get to the castle with these things on. Maybe I should just go out there. Yeah, I'll go out there and I'll tell him that I was just...just...just what? Going for a little moon lit walk? He looked down at his new clothes, a wry smile on his face. Yeah, like he'll believe that. Well maybe I could just go out there and tell him I was waiting for Allura. Yeah, that'd work. He nodded firmly to himself and took a step forward. Wait, what am I doing! He sighed and took a step back. When did I turn into such a coward? I should just go out and tell him the truth. What's the worse he could do to me?

I hate being all alone.

Determined, decided, Keith stepped out from the shadows, entering the flickering candle lit circle. He felt his heart stop when he saw Lance, standing with his back turned to him, and oh so achingly beautiful in just a simple white shirt and khaki pants.

I can't do this.

I have to do this.

Clearing his throat, Keith carefully approached his friend and touched his shoulder. Lance jumped, and swiftly turned around, face a mixture of shock and unconscious delight. "Keith! What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for my date," Keith replied, subdued and nervous.

"You're meeting Allura here? Well, I guess that would explain the dinner and the stereo." Lance laughed, a little bitterly. "And what was I? Your evening's entertainment?"

"No. Lance, I--I wasn't waiting for Allura." Keith's breath was short and shallow, painful with his nervousness.

"Then who--Oh." Lance swallowed. Then his face suddenly clouded in anger. "Look, whoever thought up this joke, I'd like to tell you that it's not funny. And frankly, I'm extremely pissed that you'd even think of pulling something like this."

"Lance...It's no joke. I--I'm gay, and I...I think I love you." Keith closed his eyes and swallowed hard, skin feeling too tight and too hot, wishing that he could crawl into a hole and not believing that he just said that. The clearing went still and uncomfortable.

"You're, you're joking, right? Right?" Keith shook his head, lowering it, hiding behind the curtain of his hair. "Oh God, you're not joking. Oh man. I--I don't know what to say."

Keith felt the tears trickling out from beneath his lids, hot and prickly and weighing down his lashes. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even think, mind frozen by what he knew was coming. He began to back away, wanting to escape the cirlce of light, flee into the darkness where he could break down, release the pain that even now threatened to overwhelm him and escape from what he had done. I was so stupid. I can't believe I did this. He hates me now. I've lost everything. Everything.

"Keith." He didn't know how, but suddenly, Lance was right next to him, a hand on his shoulder. "Keith, look at me."

Keith wrenched away, turning from Lance. "Look," he said with a trembling voice, "I know that you hate me. I know I really shouldn't have said anything, and if it'll make you feel better, you can punch me. But I don't want your pity."

"Keith, I'm not offering you my pity." Lance's hand was placed on his shoulder once more, turning him around. His chin was slowly raised, and Keith opened his eyes to see Lance looking at him with a soft smile on his face. "I--Christ, I think I love you too. And I don't have the slightest clue how it happened. But it did, and here I am. If you'll still have me, anyway."

Keith smiled, a real smile, and pulled Lance too him, kissing him hard, hands running through the hair he had so longed to touch. "Yes. Yes," he whispered between kisses. "Of course. Oh God, I thought I had lost you."

"No," Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, pulled him in tight, buried his face in Keith's hair, "you'll never lose me. You mean too much to me."

They stood there, bathed in the moonlight, lost in each other, until ever so softly the sound of quiet music reached their ears and Keith pulled back to smile at Lance. "Will you dance with me?"

"Sure. Just one question. Who leads?"

~~~

Allura smiled at Hunk as they crept back to the castle. "Well, I think we did a fine job."

"Yup." Hunk smiled back, and wrapped an arm around Allura in a short hug. "It's nice to know that those two finally have someone."

"Oh I never doubted it," Allura replied. "That, my friend is kismet. And I've learned that you never argue with fate."

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