When Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 14

Lance ended up trailing Keith back to his room to make sure that Keith didn't faceplant in the hallway on the way back to his room. Keith had noticed that Lance was following him, but he didn't really seem to mind, he even slowed down so that they could walk side by side. They didn't say a single word between them, but they were take glances at the other when they were sure that they weren't looking. The tension between the two of them has been there since the very beginning, maybe even since their Garrison days. It was quite obvious to everyone but the two of them that they liked each other, and it was more than just on a platonic level at this point. But both of the boys were too scared to look at each other and confess their feelings. Why not? Well, it could be for many different reasons, fear of rejection, abandonment issues, and so on. But one thing is for certain rather they liked it or not, they were 'fate pairs' and they were going to spend the rest of their lives being intertwined with each other. They were just going to either have to suck it up and deal with it or grab the bull by the horns and confess. And at the rate that they were going, it was going to take a while.

It didn't take them long before they were stopping at the door to Keith's room. "Well," Lance said. "We're here." Keith smiled at him shyly, and bowed his head down. "Yeah, I guess this is my stop." Keith said. They just stood there and stopped for a few minutes and just stood in silence. "Thank you Lance." Keith eventually whispered out. And if Lance wasn't standing right next to him then he wouldn't have heard him. "What?" Lance asked. He didn't think that he heard him right the first time. "I said thank you." Keith said a little bit louder. "Really, I appreciated it." Lance smiled to himself and laughed a little bit. "No problem man, I know that you would do it for me too if things were reversed." Lance told him. Keith smiled at him, and man Lance wished that he could see that more often, but what happened next really took him by surprise. All of a sudden he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and squeeze. Lance didn't do anything for a couple of seconds, until it registered in his head that it was Keith hugging him. Quickly, he hugged back and they stayed like that for about 3 minutes before pulling apart. Keith opened his bedroom door, and brushed a strand of hair behind his ear as he walked in and told Lance goodnight. Lance bid him a goodnight also and found himself still standing outside the door long after it closed shut. Eventually he was able to get his legs to move and he headed back to the lounge to look for Hunk. But he wasn't the only one who had trouble moving on. As soon as the door shut behind him, Keith leaned back against it and slid down slowly to the floor. He just sat there for he didn't know how long. Something about that interaction with Lance was making his heart beat so face in his chest that he thought that it was going to explode. And to make matters worse he had a small, stupid smile planted on his face. Even after all of these years, Lance McClain could still get to him like this.

It didn't take long for Lance to stumble upon his best friend. Hunk was in the kitchen, he was standing over a pot on the stove. Lance wasn't really sure what he was doing, but he had learned from years of being friends that you don't sneak up on Hunk when he's in the zone. So he made sure to clear his throat very loudly, and in the threshold of the room to make sure that Hunk knew he was there before he went further into the room. His best friend still jumped a couple of feet in the air when he heard a noise. And he spun around to face whoever was in the room with him, brandishing a spoon as a weapon. Lance just stood there with wide eyes, altering between staring at his best friend, and the weapon in his hand. Once Hunk realized that it was just Lance he relaxed and lowered the spoon. He held a hand to his heart as a sign of relief, and let out a long sigh. "Whoa, Lance! You scared me half to death!" Hunk told him. Lance just chuckled at him, and smiled. "Sorry Buddy, I cleared my throat extra loud just for you so that you would know that I was there." Lance told him. "Yeah, sorry man, I got in the zone, and got a little carried away." He told him. "It's okay man, I know how you are."