Chapter Text
Keith felt like his stomach was lined with stones. Lance had pretty much abducted him from the bonfire, dragging him to the lake shore where they could talk privately. The water lapped gently against the pebbles, and Keith toed the wet sand, avoiding the other boy’s gaze. He never really appreciated one-to-one confrontations with strangers, unsurprisingly. However, for someone who’d grabbed him with all the urgency of a person outrunning a natural disaster, and told him gravely that they ‘needed to talk’, or whatever, Lance was staying fairly quiet.
He was side-eyeing Keith distrustfully, like he thought the other boy might suddenly lash out and bite him, but there was also something more like intrigue in his gaze, too. That, somehow, made Keith more uncomfortable than the suspicion. He felt like Lance’s stare might light him on fire.
“So, uh, can I help you?” he asked, unable to bear the silence any longer.
“Why were you eavesdropping on me earlier?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping.” Keith scowled. “I was already there, you just didn’t see me.”
“Well, you could’ve made yourself known.” He gestured emphatically.
“You intruded on me. I was just trying to read my comic in peace; I didn’t want to get dragged into whatever screwed-up situation you were so upset over. And who doesn’t make sure they’re alone before having a mental breakdown??”
“Sorry, I hadn't expected some small emo kid to be lurking in the shadows under my tree,” Lance hissed. Keith’s eyebrows flew upwards.
“Your tree? You can't own a tree! That’s the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!”
“It’s been my tree since I was nine years old,” he replied frankly, before pointing accusingly at Keith. "You've been here, what, less than a day?”
“Okay, well, whatever. How was I supposed to know a random tree was your private property, genius?”
“That’s not the point,” he muttered. “The point is you were watching me like a creep, instead of just giving a heads up, like, ‘Hey man, I’m here!’ or something. And for the record, what you saw? It’s not what you think.”
“It’s none of my business, and frankly I don’t wanna get involved. And for the last time, I wasn't eavesdropping or being creepy, I just didn't want to interrupt you.”
“So…you just sat there quietly and watched me. Got it.” Lance tapped his temple mockingly.
“It wasn’t like that at all! You make it sound like I'm some sort of weirdo!”
“Well, the mullet isn’t exactly helping disprove that.”
What the HELL is this kid’s problem?? Keith was fuming now. “Says the guy who was crying his eyes out under a tree for no good reason!” he snarled.
Lance looked equally pissed, and Keith almost missed the flash of hurt behind his glare. “You don’t know a thing!”
Keith narrowed his eyes, and shrugged. “Sure. Look, I don’t care that you were crying. I’m not gonna tell anyone, if that's what you’re worried about. But there’s no need to be a dick.”
Lance made the gracious decision to ignore that last bit. “You won’t tell?” he asked suspiciously.
“Dude, I literally couldn’t care less. Besides, who would I even tell? I hardly know anyone here.”
The silence resumed. Keith felt a little bad for lashing out, not that it wasn’t deserved after that mullet comment. Lance just looked… almost pathetic. In a turn of events, he was now avoiding Keith’s gaze. “Look, can we just forget about it? I’m sorry I didn't announce myself, or whatever, but you were clearly having a… moment. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Lance huffed. “Fine. Forgotten.” He stalked off back towards the bonfire, and Keith let out a heavy sigh. He wished he’d just gone to the counsellor’s campfire with Shiro. He followed Lance back to the group.
When they rejoined, Hunk and Allura shot them questioning looks which Keith expertly avoided. Lance gave a shrug which seemed to communicate that, while he wasn’t going to explain himself, he expected his friends to be wholly on his side, if it came down to it. Keith had more than enough experience being ostracised. It almost didn’t bother him anymore. Almost.
They’d returned to their spot by the bonfire, taking a break from dancing, and Keith and Lance chose to sit at completely opposite sides of the circle. While it let them maintain the most physical distance from one another, it was also the perfect spot to shoot each other glaring looks or mistrustful side-eyes without the others noticing. The firelight cast a spectral glow over Lance’s blue eyes as he gave Keith a particularly disdainful once-over, and Keith hoped his own stare was equally as unpleasant and intense. He was now certain of one thing– he’d be damned if he let this scrawny cry-baby ruin his summer.
↞↞ ↡ ↠↠
Keith passed the next morning talking comic books with Katie Holt, and quickly came to realise she was no ordinary little girl. She was extremely smart and well-read; even the darker comics which Keith had found difficult to read were some of Katie’s favorites. She was leaning across the table, ranting passionately about who was the superior Robin, when Shiro and Matt dropped their breakfast trays next to them and slid onto the bench.
“Good morning shrimpy.” Shiro said, ruffling Keith’s hair. He grimaced, hoping his new friends (or, God forbid, Lance) weren’t around to have witnessed that. “I hear you met Adam earlier.”
The head counsellor of Red cabin, Keith remembered, was another of Shiro’s friends. He had met him first thing that morning, after waking up feeling sticky and reeking of bonfire to the sound of clinking next door. He’d padded out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes, and found a man in the kitchenette fixing himself a cup of coffee:
“Ah, you must be Keith,” he said, cheerfully. “I’m Adam.” He wore half-frame glasses over kind brown eyes, and his mousy hair was mussed from sleep.
“Hey,” Keith replied, still too sleepy to function well socially. He spotted Axca lounging on a beanbag, wearing an oversized graphic tee and filing her pointy nails. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement, which he returned. He hadn’t talked to her since before he’d snuck away to the dock last night, but she didn't look like she’d taken Keith’s desertion too hard.
“Coffee?” Adam offered, then winced. “Ah, are you even old enough to drink coffee?”
“I drink coffee.”
“Okay, just don’t tell Shiro I’m the one who gave you it.” He winked, then pulled another mug from the cupboard. “It’s not long till breakfast, anyway. I have to run out early, but you remember the way to the mess hall, right?”
Keith nodded, accepting a steaming cup from him. “More or less. I’ve still got my map.”
“Great! There’s also the matter of your camp t-shirt, I’ll grab you one before dinner. Would medium fit?”
He nodded again, but grit his teeth. Medium would probably be oversized on him, but he felt embarrassed saying so.
He sipped his coffee, savoring the bitter warmth, and wandered over to the bookshelf in the corner. Surveying the titles, Keith made a note of which ones could be worth reading over the summer. Adam left the cabin with a promise to remember his t-shirt, and Axca disappeared into the girls bedroom to get ready. Keith rinsed out his mug, catching a whiff of smoke on his messy hair, and decided it was time to face the shack of a shower block outside.
The water was shockingly cold, and he’d been ambushed by a toad while he bathed. He was thankful nobody had been around to hear the mortifyingly high-pitched scream he’d let out when it jumped across his foot.
Shiro and the Holt siblings howled with laughter over their breakfasts as Keith recounted the story of how he’d tried to kick it off, and ended up slipping backwards and falling flat on his ass.
“It’s not funny,” Keith grumbled. “I’m seriously bruised.”
“Yeah man, you're looking kind of rough.” Shiro poked his dark circles. “Did it really traumatise you that bad? You're gonna see a whole lot worse than shower toads while you’re here, I hate to break it to you.”
“I’m fine.” Keith swatted his hand away. “Just a little tired, still.”
Shiro laughed. “What, was the ten hours of sleep not enough for you last night? Or did you stay up reading comics again. I mean, you missed our super chilled-out campfire!”
Matt raised an eyebrow at the ensuing silence, and smirked. “Come on, Shiro. I get the feeling he had a much more exciting night than reading comics.” Keith suddenly found his eggs and bacon really interesting.
“Ah… I see. You were at the super secret bonfire that the counsellors totally don’t turn a blind eye to every year.” Shiro’s smirk matched Matt’s, and Keith’s shoulders tensed.
“I don’t know what the hell you're talking about,” he muttered. The two counsellors laughed.
“Very convincing Keith. Nice effort!”
“Honestly, I’m just proud you actually attended a social gathering of your own free will!”
Matt and Shiro finished their food quickly, then rushed off to get started on their counsellor duties. The whole camp was in a frenzy with the preparations, so a handful of younger campers who had the day free had escaped to the lake with some floaties, to relax away from the chaos of the hot day. That was where Katie planned to head, and she all but begged Keith to come with her.
They left the mess hall together, ambling down the dusty path towards their cabins to change into swimwear and grab a towel. The 10 a.m. sun set the forest alight in a golden haze, and Katie’s face was noticeably frecklier than yesterday morning. Keith, who only ever burned in summer, made a note to lather on the sunscreen before they hit the lake.
He changed quickly, then headed over to the Green cabin, where Katie was waiting outside carrying two inflatable rubber rings. She handed Keith the donut one.
“I’m gonna look so stupid sitting in this.”
“If you’d rather tread water all day in a thirty-foot-deep lake, be my guest!”
They trudged towards the beach, the woods getting quieter the further from the main camp they got. Cicadas buzzed in the warm sunlight, and every crunching footstep they took echoed through the trees. When they finally emerged onto the lakefront, Keith found it deserted.
“Are you sure everyone came here?”
“Yup,” she replied, then pointed across the shore, “they’re out there.”
Keith followed her finger, squinting against the bright light reflecting off the water’s surface. He could just about make out the floating dots of their friends, far out in the middle of the big lake. He balked.
“Uh, I'm not really that good of a swimmer…”
“That’s what the donut’s for, duh.” Katie began to paddle out, and Keith swore under his breath. He was reminded of last night when Veronica’s brother and his friends had dived off the dock, damn near giving him a heart attack. “Come ooooon!” she called.
Keith gritted his teeth. It would look really pathetic if he couldn’t even swim out as far as a little girl. He waded out to waist-depth, wincing at the cold, then manoeuvred the inflatable ring over himself and reluctantly paddled after her.
He was practically gasping for breath by the time the others came within earshot. He could hear Hunk whooping and Allura calling out to them, and hoped he didn't appear as out of his depth (literally) as he felt. Keith looked positively bedraggled when he finally resurfaced at the centre of the group, lifting himself up and clambering onto the floatie.
“Why the hell did you guys need to swim all the way out to the middle of the lake for this?!” he groaned.
“Because,” Romelle grinned cheekily, “we’re gossiping and need to make sure no one can hear us!”
“Dude, Pidge totally showed you up!” someone laughed. “You look like a drowned rat!”
Keith paddled the ring around to glare at Lance, who was, of course, the source of the teasing. He looked annoyingly at ease on his inflatable lounger, basking in the sun. He flicked water at the boy's smug face.
“Gossiping about who?” Katie asked.
An awkward silence descended on the group, and Romelle went pink. “Uh, nobody in particular. Just, you know, camp.” Keith wondered if he was only imagining the way everybody seemed to avoid his gaze. Right.
The sun was high in the sky, and he felt his shoulders beginning to burn. He felt uncomfortable and trapped, which was never a good combination for him. It wasn’t like he could just excuse himself back to the shore– not after the ordeal he’d just had swimming five minutes out into the middle of the huge lake.
“So Keith,” Allura said kindly, “why don’t you tell us more about yourself?”
“What's Shiro like at home?” Lance blurted, far too eagerly.
“Excuse Fanboy over there. Shiro’s kind of his idol.”
“Pidge!” he whined indignantly.
“Uh, well…” Keith stammered. What could he tell these people? They clearly had been gossiping about him, though Keith doubted whatever speculations they had were anywhere near as dismaying as the truth: that he was a delinquent foster kid with poor social skills. “I was born in Texas, but moved to California three years ago. That’s when I met Shiro, he lives next door. Uh, I have a dog called Kosmo. He’s a German Shepherd. He drools a lot...”
“Sounds cute.” Hunk offered a cheerful smile.
“Keith’s also a D.C. fan.” Katie said matter-of-factly.
“Oh yeah? My brother has a bunch of comics you could probably borrow if you like–” Lance’s eyes widened as he remembered in real-time who he was talking to. He sank back down into his pool lounger sulkily.
“...Thanks.” Keith lay back in the donut and squinted against the sunlight, hoping his frown wasn’t obvious.
“Okay, enough,” Allura declared. “What is up with you two? Have you met before, or something?”
Keith and Lance both snapped their heads back up, wearing matching expressions of feigned ignorance. “Nothing’s up,” Lance said quickly. He shot Keith a look, a plea to play along. “Just some good old fashioned hazing the new guy. It’s all light-hearted, though. Right?”
Keith shrugged, then nodded. Allura narrowed her eyes.
“That’s pretty immature Lance. Just leave him alone.”
He watched Lance’s face flash with indignance, then outrage, but he quickly swallowed whatever expletives he’d had on the tip of his tongue and settled back into that practiced look of nonchalance he was always wearing. “I told you, we’re only playing around. He knows that…” he muttered, waving a hand dismissively. Keith knew he was secretly fuming inside that whatever bad blood he had with Keith was now possibly jeopardising his chances with Allura. He made little effort to hide how smitten he was with the girl.
Pidge and Hunk exchanged a loaded look, and Keith debated slipping out of his rubber ring and sinking to the bottom of the lake. These guys were close-knit. They could communicate via side-eyes and knowing glances. They knew each other’s families, their friends. They didn't shy away from being honest, or calling each other out when they deserved it, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. It had taken him three years of living next door to Shiro to get there with him, something that could be considered an actual friendship. And even so, Shiro was more like an older brother than anything else.
But then again, this was only temporary. He could hang out with these kids for a couple of weeks, even if Lance wasn’t subtle about his dislike of Keith, and Allura and Hunk kept giving him pitying looks they thought he couldn't see, and Katie Holt wasn't even in middle school yet. It was only one summer, and he could still spend time with Shiro when he wasn't busy. Keith tuned back into the conversation, at least willing to put in a little effort before the rest of the group began to agree with Lance’s assessment of him. Hunk was talking about how he’d spent the last year doing some work as a dishwasher in his parent’s restaurant.
“The kitchen is, like, boiling. Constantly. You think it’s hot out here? It’s not even close.”
“Isn’t it illegal to work in a restaurant that young?”
“Well I'm sure the fact he looks about eighteen is good enough for them.”
“It’s off the books. Shhh.”
“Now that's illegal.”
“Such a smartass for one so young, Pidge.”
“Says someone with as much unfounded confidence as you, Lance.”
“How old are you, Katie?” Keith asked, genuinely curious.
“I’m eleven,” she replied, cheeks turning slightly pink.
“I know right, she looks even younger!”
“Shut up, Lance!” He suffered yet another splash of lake water to the face.
“Hey!! Can’t a guy catch a tan in peace?”
“Maybe you should stop being such a little shit, then,” Keith deadpanned. Lance’s jaw dropped.
The group looked thrilled. “OH!” Hunk whooped. “You tell him Keith!”
Lance spluttered, his mouth opening and closing dumbly, like a fish.
“What, you can dish it out but you can't take it?” Keith winked, eager to wind him up more.
“Don’t swear in front of darling little Pidge, you cretin!!” came his reply. The group howled with laughter.
“Worry about yourself, Lance. Keith just read you to filth!” Pidge called from her floatie.
“That’s it!” he pointed aggressively at Keith. “Let’s have at it, Mullet.”
Keith’s eyebrows shot up. He barked out a laugh. “Seriously??”
“Yup. Chicken fight. Me versus you.” Lance announced. Keith stared at him, dumbfounded. “Unless you're too, you know, chicken.”
That got a reaction. “On your life!” he hissed, sitting up so fast he almost fell off his donut.
“If you win,” Lance declared, "I'll get Marco to give you full access to his comic books.” Keith nodded, pleased with that condition. “And if I win—”
“Which you won’t,” Keith interjected.
“—Then the tree is mine.”
Lance was a little shit. “You’re on.”
“What are the chances this ends well?” Romelle muttered.
“Low…” Allura replied. “Very low.”