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“ Y’all ready for this? ”
Keith ran out, shoes squeaking on the shiny hardwood floor. The arena was already loud, full of people decked head to toe in red and white, cheering and singing along to the pre-game song blaring over the speakers.
“Welcome to Garrison University basketball,” boomed a voice over the loudspeaker.
Keith and his cheer squad circled the court, running energetically and inviting the crowd to yell along with them. They found a home on the back half of the court, cheering and clapping as the basketball team started running out of the opposite end of the arena. The men lined up at their bench, hopping and whooping and hollering as they waited to be announced.
“And now, the GU Eagles Assistant Coaches Matt Iverson, Ken Ryu and Tim Hedrick, and the Head Coach Coran Wimbleton Smythe! And on the roster for the Eagles: a 6’11 forward, freshman Cody Erlickson. Next up we have a 7’1 center, freshman Sam Deck.”
Keith rocked on the balls of his feet, clapping to the beat absentmindedly as the announcer rattled off too many players. The girls around him shook their poms, waving at the crowd dressed all in red, Allura cheering loudest of them all. She waved to Shiro, his shock of white hair right behind the Eagles bench.
“A 6’11 center, senior Hunk Garrett!”
The crowd was already on their feet, but started roaring louder as the final name was called. It felt like just yesterday his name was called first on the roster, but now they saved the best for last:
“And a 6’7 forward, senior Lance Espinsoa!”
Keith started cheering, projecting louder than even Allura at this point. The stiff fabric of his pants made a crinkling sound as he jumped and hollered, screaming his boyfriend’s name rather than whatever cheer the squad around him was performing.
“Tonight is Senior Night, so before the game we’re going to have some speeches from our head coach and the season’s MVP, as voted by the team.”
The basketball boys didn’t bother warming up yet, and instead just huddled around their bench, ribbing their mustachioed coach before he stepped up to a microphone.
“Guys, huddle up,” Keith took this opportunity to turn to his own team, offering them words of encouragement before this game– not exactly his forte, but it was better than listening to Coach Smyth ramble on about the history of the Eagles and his time as waterboy. “Let’s give these boys a good senior night, one to remember, all right?”
Keith’s team nodded enthusiastically back at him, his co-captain Allura most of all. With a curt nod, Keith sent his cheerleaders back to their positions with poms and signs; he, however, stood on his own. He wanted perfect front row seats to the MVP’s speech– if it’s who it should be, at least.
Lance and the team knew who was going to be MVP for a week now, but he refused to tell Keith who it was, for some bullshit “surprise” reason.
“Thank you, Coach Coran Wimbledon Smythe! Our second and final speaker is a member of the team and class of 2017. Voted by his teammates, this player is not only valuable on the court but also a great leader. The Most Valuable Player of the 2016-2017 Eagles is,” the announcer left time for the crowd to perform a drumroll. Too long, in Keith’s opinion. He waited in anticipation, praying the right name would be called:
“Number seven Lance Espinosa!”
The stadium gave a deafening roar, especially from the student section. A giant posterboard of Lance’s face– from an ugly snapchat, of course– was being waved frantically underneath the home team’s basket. Lance’s fellow Eagles wouldn’t allow the man to head to the microphone just yet. They held onto his jersey, rubbing his hair fondly and shouting congratulations in his ear.
Lance stopped for one tight hug from Hunk, his literal number one, and invited his mom to stand down on the court with him. One tight, long hug from her later and he was standing center-stage, microphone in one hand and the other free to gesticulate.
“Wow, thank you guys so much,” Lance started. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling a thin headband down and around his neck. His now-mussed jersey was half-tucked into warm-up pants. “I knew this was coming, but I feel like I don’t really deserve this award–”
Lance was cut off by boos from his teammates, and loud ones coming from Keith himself and the cheer squad. Lance was better known on campus for his infectious smile and easy-going personality, but he had valuable power on the court and the most rebounds in the university’s history.
“You know, I always knew I wanted to play basketball,” Lance said, charming as ever. The arena was silent save for his voice, echoing in the rafters. “I had a lot of inspirations growing up– Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, and of course Troy Bolton.”
“The day I committed to GU, I started singing ‘Now or Never’ on the court. Got benched for that,” Lance laughed, scratching the back of his head. The microphone squealed a little bit and his team members booed him, making the crowd laugh.
“I mean, pretty obviously this team is like family to me,” Lance said once the tittering had died down. “I mean, they all put up with my ‘What team?’ chants. So, what team?”
“Wildcats!” his team yelled again from the bench, Hunk yelling loudest of all. Keith could see Shiro screaming along– the former forward was still an honorary member of the team, prosthetic arm not stopping him from coaching the team along.
And speak of the devil–
“Shiro, uh, Takashi Shirogane, pretty much changed my life. His skill was– is– unparalleled, and he’s my hero,” Lance smiled fondly at the bench before turning back, eyes roving the crowd again. “He introduced me to the greatest love of my life. And, actually, that’s not basketball. But his brother, Keith Kogane.”
Keith’s eyes widened, and he turned bright red. But still, he smiled. He couldn't help but to smile.
“Keith and I didn’t get off on the best foot, actually. Like, I was pretty sure he hated me. And I was pretty sure I hated him. But then I realized how cool he really was. And how he pushed me to be a better student, and a better player, and a better person. Pretty soon we were inseparable. Lance and Keith, neck and neck,” Lance gave a toothy grin and chuckled to himself.
“Keith is insanely talented in so many ways, I mean, not only is he insanely smart,” Lance started to get more animated, hand waving around. “But he and his team have been to cheer championships all four years, and as captain he finally got them to win.”
“But, sorry, I got ahead of myself,” Lance cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. He smiled sheepishly, down to his feet. “Before we even started dating, I knew he was special to me. He’s my best friend– sorry, Hunk.”
Lance laughed as Hunk dramatically threw a hand over his heart, but they both smiled wide.
“When I tore my ACL my sophomore year, Keith back home in Texas, visiting his brother,” Lance’s eyes kept flitting from his teammates, to his coach, to his siblings and the crowd in the stands, until finally landing on Keith. “I texted him saying I was hurt, and next thing I knew he was standing outside my apartment forcing me down to RICE my leg.”
Lance nervously rubbed his red-striped warm up pants, smile much smaller but a thousand times more fond. “He rode a bus for fourteen hours to come to me, and that’s when I think I knew I loved him.”
“Keith, I,” Lance interrupted himself with a little nervous laugh. “You’ve taken the time to take care of me through every injury, and I’ve done the same to your dumb ass. And more than just physical injuries, you’ve helped me through every good and bad thing in my life. I owe so much to you, so if you would, uh, come up here and join me, I would, um. I’d enjoy that.”
Keith flushed a bright red, and his squad tittered behind their pompoms. Allura nudged him fondly and Rolo gave him a friendly pat on the back, but Keith only had eyes for Lance. He ran over to his side, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. Lance kissed his forehead with a relieved sigh.
“Okay, so, um,” Lance stepped away from Keith with a nervous grin. He noticed the microphone was shaking in his white-knuckled hand. “It’s been a crazy ride with you, Keith. But I never, ever, ever want to get off.”
And now Lance backed up, almost stepping into his mom, who gracefully exchanged the microphone for a little black box. Keith stopped breathing just as the crowd started to cheer.
“Keith,” Lance stepped close to him, taking his hand. He was whispering now. His face was flushed dark and his eyes were glossy; Keith felt like he was frozen but Lance’s voice washed over him like warm waves: “Keith, I love you so much.
Will you marry me?”
And the entire stadium erupted when Lance bent onto one knee. And Keith unfroze. He didn’t trust his voice to not completely give out, so he just nodded and nodded and nodded and god, he started to cry. His cheeks hurt from smiling but nothing mattered because Lance was sliding a beautiful silvery ring onto his finger and picking him up and kissing him.
“God, I love you,” Lance whispered to him, tucking a strand of dark hair behind Keith’s ear. Keith nuzzled into the contact, keeping the hand on his cheek and covering it with his own. The crowd was a distant memory. All he could hear was Lance’s steady heartbeat.
“I love you too,” Keith said back, and Lance’s smile was like the sun.