Notes: Based on the song 'Weirdo' by NoMBe.
Lance was not a good kid, in any sense of the word. He messed around with alcohol, flirted with others, stole some things, and even dabbled with drugs for a little bit (although that one was punched out of him by his sister). He had lost his love of the stars, or really anything, so he figured that what he was doing didn’t matter anymore. How he was destroying his life didn’t matter anymore.
But his family was convinced of his potential. His moms enlisted him in the Garrison without his permission, and Mia promised to try with him. She flunked purposely, so Lance thought he was going to be forced to go alone, but it turned out his pen pal was going too, so it was fine.
His first few months there were a slew of near detentions and wild rides. He didn’t have any idea what he was doing, but then again it didn’t seem like anyone else did either. But they were really nice. Sven was smart, if a little strange and closed off, and surprisingly chill. Hunk was cooler in person than over letters, constantly building things with his hands and making delicious food. And Pidge was crazy, concocting insane and insanely illegal schemes to make money or be petty, which was right up Lance’s alley.
And then there was Keith. Keith, he was surprised was even with this group and not in the higher level classes. He was smart, and kind-hearted, and was super high strung, all the time. He sewed the patches in everyone’s uniforms, he kept everyone on track during their study sessions, he was meticulous about keeping his grades high. And his eyeliner game was nearly as strong as Lance’s. He was too good to be in the same squad as Lance. Keith worked his ass off to be there. Lance was dragged there by his ass.
Lance rifled through the fridge, pulling out two of the bottles of beer hidden in the back behind the ice tray. They had gotten high marks on the simulator as a team, and Lance deemed it some time for celebration. Hunk and Sven were being boring and studying, and Pidge was off selling oregano and pretending it’s weed, so it was just him and Keith in their dorm tonight.
“Hey, Keith!” Lance shouted, closing the fridge door with his hip. “Time to celebrate!”
“With wha- Holy shit!” Keith’s eyes nearly bugged out at the two bottles in Lance’s hands. “We can’t drink! We’ll surely be kicked out!”
Lance rolled his eyes and plopped one bottle onto the desk, kicking back with the other one on his bed. “Come on, loosen up! They’ll never know, it’s not like they have security cameras in here. I managed to get Pidge to smuggle in two bottles for both of us, we’ll be fine.”
“Okay, but drinking is different than sneaking out to McDonald’s at midnight!” Keith pulled on his hair, dropping his head onto the desk.
“Pidge sells drugs.”
There was a brief moment of silence, and Lance wondered if maybe he had pushed things too far, when Keith lifted his head with a sigh and grabbed his bottle. Lance cheered, and the two of them performed a little toast before popping their bottles open.
“Eugh, this is gross.” Lance stuck his tongue out, watching Keith take a swig. “Leave it to Pidge to get cheap shit. How do you just drink it?”
“I’ve mixed espresso and Monsters before,” Keith said, taking another swig. “I don’t have taste buds anymore.
“That’s true, you do do that nasty espresso.” Keith stuck his tongue out at him, and Lance rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. It may be cheap, but it was tolerable.
After some more idle chatter and pulling out their second bottle, they realized that Lance and Keith were both pretty light weight. They found this out because Lance was laying on Keith after falling over, having tried to get up out of bed and tumbled onto Keith’s.
“You know, I never noticed before how fit you are,” Lance slurred. “What’s the secret?”
Keith rolled his eyes. “The secret is anxiety. Burns a fuck ton of- uh- what- What’s the english word for カロリー?”
“For what?!”
Keith muttered under his breath for a bit, then his eyes widened. “Calories! That’s what I was gonna need.”
“Was gonna need?” Lance giggled. “Honey, your grammar’s slipping.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, your grammar’s slipping.”
“No, am I your honey?”
While Lance tried to make sense of that, Keith laughed, a whole hearted laugh. Lance sat up, his face turning bright red, before drunk Lance had an idea.
“You’re face, 美しい-” Keith was cut off by Lance pressing a kiss to his lips. It was messy, and teeth clanked, and somehow it was the best kiss that Lance had ever had.
Lance pulled back, and Keith muttered under his breath “聖なる.”
“And what does that mean sweetheart?”
“A descriptor for you, 赤ん坊.”
“That one you did on purpose!”
Keith grinned slyly, which made Lance roll his eyes. “Are you even gonna explain what those means?!”
“Absolutely not.”
Lance rolled his head while he rolled his eyes for dramatic effect, which meant that he rolled off of the bed. Keith, who he would normally trust to help him, instead laughed his ass off.
“You asshole!” That just made Keith laugh harder.
“Alright, I think we need to go to bed,” Keith slurred, flopping onto his belly and turning off the lights. “G’night Lance.”
Lance rolled his eyes, before dragging himself into bed. “G’night Keith.”
Lance was standing in the Dean’s office. Why was Lance standing in the Dean’s office? Because he puked on an officer’s shoes. Why did he puke on an officer’s shoes and have a raging headache? All Lance remembered was pulling out two bottles of something and then the rest of the night was black.
It was probably alcohol. Whatever it was, he hoped it was at least good alcohol, for his past self’s sake. Not that it mattered anymore. Whatever.
The Dean was glaring at him, as he was chugging cold water and holding a pack of ice to his forehead.
There were knocks on the door, and the Dean shouted, “Come in!” Keith entered, perfectly poised as usual, his hands behind his back like he wasn’t hung over. Why Lance was so certain that Keith was drunk last night too was a mystery to even him, but hey, he’s not complaining.
“Cadet Kogane.” Keith straightened, posture perfect, like he’d been doing this for years. “Why did I find your squadmate hung over?”
Keith cleared his throat, then spoke. “I don’t know, ma’am, but I know he stayed in his and Sven’s dorm.”
Lance remembered two and a half months ago, with Sven begging Keith to trade roommates, because apparently Lance was too unorganized for him. He also remembered that this change was never actually registered with the school.
The Dean sighed, leaning back. “Now, you know standard procedure. I sentence Lance and Sven to detention with Professor Iverson, and the rest of you are also sent to detention. Lance is transferred to another squad entirely.”
Keith cleared his throat again. “If I may, ma’am?” When she nodded at him, he continued. “I know he’s been in the same dorm as Sven. If you transfer him to my dorm, I could keep a better eye on him.”
“You’re willing to do this?” The Dean raised her eyebrow. “You know, if this happens again, you will also be suspended along with him.”
“I’m aware,” Keith said, lips pursed and eyes steely. “I’m willing to take that risk.”
There was a tense moment of silence. Then the Dean nodded. “He’ll still have that detention, but he’ll be moved to your dorm instead.”
“Of course.”
“Then you’re both dismissed. Go to class, and stay out of trouble, McClain.”
Lance nodded, scrambling out of his seat and following Keith. Once the door closed behind them, they both sighed.
“How the hell do you not have a hangover right now?” Lance asked.
“It’s no worse than my usual morning headache,” Keith shrugged, navigating the crowds.
“From what?”
“The caffeine. Duh.”
They stayed in silence for a moment, before Lance spoke up. “Hey, Keith, do you remember what happened last night? Did I do anything weird?”
“So you don’t remember?”
“Would I be asking if I did?”
Keith snorted. “I figured, I just wanted to check. We drank two bottles of cheap beer and talked. Not that much interesting happened, besides you falling off your bed.”
Lance swore under his breath as Keith chuckled. They fell in silence, as Lance thought about the risk Keith took. He was willing to put his career, the thing he worked so hard for, on the line for him. For Lance. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“Hey, Keith?”
“Yeah?” Keith looked back at him as they walked.
“I just wanted to say- um- thank you.” Why was talking about his feelings so difficult? “For sticking out your neck for me.”
Keith smiled, genuinely smiled, then paused. “You sure you don’t remember anything from last night?”
“Not a thing.” Lance paused, then said, “Seriously. You saved me there. Thank you.”
Keith coughed a little, almost like he was flustered, the tips of ears going red. “You don’t need to be that dramatic.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to appreciate you here! Stop messing with me.”
Keith chuckled, which made Lance laugh. They fell into a comfortable silence, and Lance felt like maybe, he could make it work. Being at the Garrison.
And then Lance remembered something.
“Hey, Keith?”
“Yeah, Lance?”
“I remember hearing this word last night, I don’t know what it means. I think it was 赤ん坊?”
“... Shit.”
But his family was convinced of his potential. His moms enlisted him in the Garrison without his permission, and Mia promised to try with him. She flunked purposely, so Lance thought he was going to be forced to go alone, but it turned out his pen pal was going too, so it was fine.
His first few months there were a slew of near detentions and wild rides. He didn’t have any idea what he was doing, but then again it didn’t seem like anyone else did either. But they were really nice. Sven was smart, if a little strange and closed off, and surprisingly chill. Hunk was cooler in person than over letters, constantly building things with his hands and making delicious food. And Pidge was crazy, concocting insane and insanely illegal schemes to make money or be petty, which was right up Lance’s alley.
And then there was Keith. Keith, he was surprised was even with this group and not in the higher level classes. He was smart, and kind-hearted, and was super high strung, all the time. He sewed the patches in everyone’s uniforms, he kept everyone on track during their study sessions, he was meticulous about keeping his grades high. And his eyeliner game was nearly as strong as Lance’s. He was too good to be in the same squad as Lance. Keith worked his ass off to be there. Lance was dragged there by his ass.
Lance rifled through the fridge, pulling out two of the bottles of beer hidden in the back behind the ice tray. They had gotten high marks on the simulator as a team, and Lance deemed it some time for celebration. Hunk and Sven were being boring and studying, and Pidge was off selling oregano and pretending it’s weed, so it was just him and Keith in their dorm tonight.
“Hey, Keith!” Lance shouted, closing the fridge door with his hip. “Time to celebrate!”
“With wha- Holy shit!” Keith’s eyes nearly bugged out at the two bottles in Lance’s hands. “We can’t drink! We’ll surely be kicked out!”
Lance rolled his eyes and plopped one bottle onto the desk, kicking back with the other one on his bed. “Come on, loosen up! They’ll never know, it’s not like they have security cameras in here. I managed to get Pidge to smuggle in two bottles for both of us, we’ll be fine.”
“Okay, but drinking is different than sneaking out to McDonald’s at midnight!” Keith pulled on his hair, dropping his head onto the desk.
“Pidge sells drugs.”
There was a brief moment of silence, and Lance wondered if maybe he had pushed things too far, when Keith lifted his head with a sigh and grabbed his bottle. Lance cheered, and the two of them performed a little toast before popping their bottles open.
“Eugh, this is gross.” Lance stuck his tongue out, watching Keith take a swig. “Leave it to Pidge to get cheap shit. How do you just drink it?”
“I’ve mixed espresso and Monsters before,” Keith said, taking another swig. “I don’t have taste buds anymore.
“That’s true, you do do that nasty espresso.” Keith stuck his tongue out at him, and Lance rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. It may be cheap, but it was tolerable.
After some more idle chatter and pulling out their second bottle, they realized that Lance and Keith were both pretty light weight. They found this out because Lance was laying on Keith after falling over, having tried to get up out of bed and tumbled onto Keith’s.
“You know, I never noticed before how fit you are,” Lance slurred. “What’s the secret?”
Keith rolled his eyes. “The secret is anxiety. Burns a fuck ton of- uh- what- What’s the english word for カロリー?”
“For what?!”
Keith muttered under his breath for a bit, then his eyes widened. “Calories! That’s what I was gonna need.”
“Was gonna need?” Lance giggled. “Honey, your grammar’s slipping.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, your grammar’s slipping.”
“No, am I your honey?”
While Lance tried to make sense of that, Keith laughed, a whole hearted laugh. Lance sat up, his face turning bright red, before drunk Lance had an idea.
“You’re face, 美しい-” Keith was cut off by Lance pressing a kiss to his lips. It was messy, and teeth clanked, and somehow it was the best kiss that Lance had ever had.
Lance pulled back, and Keith muttered under his breath “聖なる.”
“And what does that mean sweetheart?”
“A descriptor for you, 赤ん坊.”
“That one you did on purpose!”
Keith grinned slyly, which made Lance roll his eyes. “Are you even gonna explain what those means?!”
“Absolutely not.”
Lance rolled his head while he rolled his eyes for dramatic effect, which meant that he rolled off of the bed. Keith, who he would normally trust to help him, instead laughed his ass off.
“You asshole!” That just made Keith laugh harder.
“Alright, I think we need to go to bed,” Keith slurred, flopping onto his belly and turning off the lights. “G’night Lance.”
Lance rolled his eyes, before dragging himself into bed. “G’night Keith.”
Lance was standing in the Dean’s office. Why was Lance standing in the Dean’s office? Because he puked on an officer’s shoes. Why did he puke on an officer’s shoes and have a raging headache? All Lance remembered was pulling out two bottles of something and then the rest of the night was black.
It was probably alcohol. Whatever it was, he hoped it was at least good alcohol, for his past self’s sake. Not that it mattered anymore. Whatever.
The Dean was glaring at him, as he was chugging cold water and holding a pack of ice to his forehead.
There were knocks on the door, and the Dean shouted, “Come in!” Keith entered, perfectly poised as usual, his hands behind his back like he wasn’t hung over. Why Lance was so certain that Keith was drunk last night too was a mystery to even him, but hey, he’s not complaining.
“Cadet Kogane.” Keith straightened, posture perfect, like he’d been doing this for years. “Why did I find your squadmate hung over?”
Keith cleared his throat, then spoke. “I don’t know, ma’am, but I know he stayed in his and Sven’s dorm.”
Lance remembered two and a half months ago, with Sven begging Keith to trade roommates, because apparently Lance was too unorganized for him. He also remembered that this change was never actually registered with the school.
The Dean sighed, leaning back. “Now, you know standard procedure. I sentence Lance and Sven to detention with Professor Iverson, and the rest of you are also sent to detention. Lance is transferred to another squad entirely.”
Keith cleared his throat again. “If I may, ma’am?” When she nodded at him, he continued. “I know he’s been in the same dorm as Sven. If you transfer him to my dorm, I could keep a better eye on him.”
“You’re willing to do this?” The Dean raised her eyebrow. “You know, if this happens again, you will also be suspended along with him.”
“I’m aware,” Keith said, lips pursed and eyes steely. “I’m willing to take that risk.”
There was a tense moment of silence. Then the Dean nodded. “He’ll still have that detention, but he’ll be moved to your dorm instead.”
“Of course.”
“Then you’re both dismissed. Go to class, and stay out of trouble, McClain.”
Lance nodded, scrambling out of his seat and following Keith. Once the door closed behind them, they both sighed.
“How the hell do you not have a hangover right now?” Lance asked.
“It’s no worse than my usual morning headache,” Keith shrugged, navigating the crowds.
“From what?”
“The caffeine. Duh.”
They stayed in silence for a moment, before Lance spoke up. “Hey, Keith, do you remember what happened last night? Did I do anything weird?”
“So you don’t remember?”
“Would I be asking if I did?”
Keith snorted. “I figured, I just wanted to check. We drank two bottles of cheap beer and talked. Not that much interesting happened, besides you falling off your bed.”
Lance swore under his breath as Keith chuckled. They fell in silence, as Lance thought about the risk Keith took. He was willing to put his career, the thing he worked so hard for, on the line for him. For Lance. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“Hey, Keith?”
“Yeah?” Keith looked back at him as they walked.
“I just wanted to say- um- thank you.” Why was talking about his feelings so difficult? “For sticking out your neck for me.”
Keith smiled, genuinely smiled, then paused. “You sure you don’t remember anything from last night?”
“Not a thing.” Lance paused, then said, “Seriously. You saved me there. Thank you.”
Keith coughed a little, almost like he was flustered, the tips of ears going red. “You don’t need to be that dramatic.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to appreciate you here! Stop messing with me.”
Keith chuckled, which made Lance laugh. They fell into a comfortable silence, and Lance felt like maybe, he could make it work. Being at the Garrison.
And then Lance remembered something.
“Hey, Keith?”
“Yeah, Lance?”
“I remember hearing this word last night, I don’t know what it means. I think it was 赤ん坊?”
“... Shit.”
Notes: Alt ending, to make you sad: Lance was grateful that Keith was always willing to save him. He never expected to end up being the one saving him.
Japanese Translations:
- カロリー: Calories
- 美しい: It's beautiful
- 聖なる: Holy
- 赤ん坊: Babe
Japanese Translations:
- カロリー: Calories
- 美しい: It's beautiful
- 聖なる: Holy
- 赤ん坊: Babe