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It was a typical summer day; the pool was filled with people splashing about, screaming kids, and those who were trying a little bit too hard with out-of-season swimsuits. If there was one thing Lance was updated about; it was swimwear fashion. However, it wasn’t going to be much help for him since he was required to wear his standard issue lifeguard swim trunks.
Bored, Lance sighed and squinted behind his sunglasses. He slouched in his lifeguard’s chair underneath a tacky orange umbrella. Once or twice, he’d play it cool and flirty when a cute girl or an attractive guy asked him where the ice cream cart was but that was the most exciting his day was going to get.
“Hey!” Lance snapped and jumped up to his feet when he spotted a couple of adolescent kids rough playing on the side of the pool. “No horseplay!” The kids looked up at him before they looked at each other and grumbled to themselves. One of them even flipped the bird at Lance before they left with their companions.
“I don’t get paid enough for this.” Lance sighed and his shoulders drooped. Sure, he loved water and he absolutely spent most of his free time near it when he had the chance. But rude pool goers weren’t making his job any easier.
“Lance, chin up!”
A female voice snapped him out of his reverie and he looked up to a beautiful woman with dark skin, a lush figure adorned by a black and violet two piece swimsuit, and bleached silver hair held into a bun on the top of her head.
“Oh, hey, Allura, what’s up?” Lance greeted his co-worker. Allura taught a swimming class for four to six year olds in their local pool. “Is it a full group today?”
“Yeah,” Allura replied. “I got three new enrollees. In the next two weeks, triplets.”
“Aaawww!” Lance cooed. “That’s adorable!”
Allura laughed and patted Lance on the shoulder. “Not as adorable as you when you flirt with the patrons. Don’t get too distracted, you wouldn’t want to get an earful from Coran.”
“Fine.” Lance groaned but he smiled. “Thanks, Ally.”
“Of course.” The woman looked over her shoulder when she heard her students squeal when they saw her from another pool reserved only for her swimming class. “Well, that’s my queue to go.” She turned around and headed off.
Lance was left there alone in his post again and he slumped back into his chair. He grabbed his water bottle from where it rested underneath his Monobloc chair before he took a couple of gulps.
Suddenly, he was startled by a scream.
“Someone’s drowning!” the words pierced through the air and the whole place fell quiet in shock. “Lifeguard! Someone! Help that guy!”
Lance was quick on his feet and he rushed to the pool side where he heard the cry for help. True enough, the people pointed at the deeper part of the pool where someone was flailing in the water. Lance didn’t waste time and dove in towards the sinker and he did powerful strokes to propel himself to reach the drowning person in time.
“I got you, buddy!” Lance huffed, grimacing at the taste of chlorinated water slipping down his throat. He immediately wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and dragged him along as he swam to the edge of the pool.
“Excuse me!” Lance hollered to part the crowd of on-lookers that blocked his way. “Coming through!” he hauled the man to safety and the two of them sat on the wet stone pavement. Carefully, he checked the person he saved for any injuries.
“Any complications when breathing?” Lance asked him. “How much water did you swallow?”
“I’m…I’m breathing fine.” The man replied, coughing. “Some water got in there; it’s gross but I’ll live.”
After he was sure that the man wasn’t injured, Lance finally got a better look; raven hair that was a black, wet mop and bangs that stuck to his face. A thin build, pale skin, and an oddly mesmerizing fine boned face that Lance found absolutely pretty.
Lance noticed that the man’s eyes were still closed and for a moment, they quivered slightly but his dark lashes remained fanned down shut.
“Do your eyes sting or something?” Lance asked, worried. It could be the prolonged exposure to chlorine but he hoped it’s nothing serious.
“No.” The man said as he shook his head slightly. “I-I was born this way.”
Oh. He was blind.
The realization hit Lance square on the face and he suddenly felt his own face burst into flames in utter embarrassment that he didn’t realize it earlier.
“Oh, okay. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” He gulped and quickly cleared his throat to make himself sound more professional. “Did you come here on your own?”
“I came here with my brother.” The male Lance saved replied. Around them, the crowd dissolved to minding their own business when they realized that there’s nothing interesting anymore. “He went to get something from the car while I went on ahead here.”
“That’s not very safe if you don’t know how to swim or at least float.” Lance frowned and he helped the man up to his feet. “You could have gotten severely hurt. We can go to the infirmary if you’d like--”
“I’m fine.” He cut Lance off and the edge on his tone made Lance clamp his mouth shut. “Could you just call my brother? His name is Shiro and you’ll know it’s him when you see a guy with a prosthetic right arm.”
Lance was about to do just that when he was distracted by a voice frantically calling from the distance;
“Keith! Oh my god, Keith!”
Lance saw a man striding towards them in a tight muscle shirt, shorts, and flip flops. Just as Keith, mentioned, he had a prosthetic right arm.
“Keith, are you alright?” Shiro asked Keith worriedly. He grabbed his little brother by his pale, thin shoulders and tugged him close. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for me before you get into the pool?”
“Yeah, I am.” Keith nodded but he frowned. “You were taking too long so I went ahead.”
“Keith, that was dangerous!” Shiro’s tone was hard with reprimand. “I know you want to learn how to swim but that was reckless!”
“I was fine at first since I was at the shallow part, I swear! The next thing I knew---!” he huffed out a frustrated breath and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “You know what? I want to go home. I can try again next time. Fine?”
“Fine.”
Lance watched the exchange between the two and felt really awkward that he had to be present during a brotherly argument. He cleared his throat and spoke;
“Uhm, I think I should go. I need to file an incident report.” He tore out a smile and Shiro turned to look at him.
“Thank you for saving my little brother.” He held out his right hand to Lance who looked at it with wonder. “You got to him just in time.”
“No problem!” Lance blurted out and shook Shiro’s hand in respect. Then, Lance noticed that Keith stepped towards him but faced another direction.
“I didn’t quite catch your name---“ But Keith was cut off when Shiro took him by the shoulder and twisted him around gently to face the right direction where Lance was. “Uh, thanks, bro.” Keith held out his hand towards Lance. “I’m Keith, by the way.”
“Lance.” When their hands connected and their fingers held each other’s, Lance felt electricity jolt through his spine and his heartbeat sped up. Keith’s hand was soft on the palms but the tips of his fingers were rough. Lance guessed that this guy probably played a stringed instrument but the connection that seem to short circuit his system made Lance feel strange.
“Nice to meet you, Lance.” Keith said and he let go, breaking their contact. “Thanks for giving me a hand back there.”
Shiro gave Lance one final nod of acknowledgement before he led Keith to the showers to wash up. Lance was left there, standing in utter wonder.
~
It was two weeks later when Lance met Keith again. He was off duty and he decided that he wanted some coffee to start off his day but since Pidge still hasn’t returned his coffee maker that she broke after she promised to fix it, Lance had to take the option of going to his neighborhood café to get his favorite walnut roast.
The silver bell that hung on the door tinkled when Lance pushed it open and one of the baristas greeted him. But as Lance approached the line, someone was already at the counter; dark hair pulled back into a short pony tail, the top capped underneath a maroon beanie, a satchel bag, and casual day clothes.
“Here you go!” One of the baristas cheerfully handed over the customer’s drink and Lance saw the guy grope the air in front of him before his fingers found the cup and he took it. When he uttered thanks, the familiar voice stirred something within Lance. He peered over the guy’s shoulder and he saw the name written on the cup.
‘Keith.’
“Hi, Keith!” Lance suddenly blurted out when Keith turned around to leave and brushed past him.
Keith stilled and halted on his steps before he slowly turned his head to the direction of Lance’s voice. “Uh, have we met?”
“Yeah, we have.” Lance chuckled, a little flustered when Keith faced him. “I saved your life two weeks ago.”
“Lance?” Keith’s brows shot up but his thick dark lashes remained fanned down. “What’s up? You’re not working today?”
“Ah, well, you know,” Lance shrugged and rocked back and forth on his heels while he stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets. “I’m off today. I’m just getting some coffee because my friend broke my coffee maker. She promised that she’d fix it but she hasn’t returned it to me yet. I’m going to get it from her this morning, though.”
“That’s rough, buddy.” Keith gave a soft ‘heh’ and a small smile.
“I’d walk a thousand miles for my morning coffee. I don’t care if I have to swim through all the oceans to get one.” He paused. “So, what about you? Are you going somewhere today?”
“Yeah, my classes are starting soon.” Keith replied. “I go to the local college.”
“Oh!” Lance’s eyes widened. “You must be running late! I’m sorry I held you back.”
“No, it’s okay.” Keith said a little too hurriedly from startling Lance. “I have an hour to spare.”
“Hey, how about I walk you to school?” Lance offered. “I’m heading the same way anyway since I’m going to meet my friend who lives in campus to get my coffee maker back.”
“You really love that coffee maker.”
“I love coffee, period.” Lance laughed. “Let me just grab a cup.”
After Lance got his order, he and Keith stepped outside. Lance watched as Keith paused and pulled out a thin red and white cane which he unfolded. There was an awkward silence between them at first but it soon turned into casual laughter when Lance cracked one of his lame-ass jokes. When Keith snorted while he laughed, Lance burst out laughing again and the rest of their walk became more comfortable. They talked about a lot of things and Lance felt himself getting pulled in as he learned a little more about Keith;
Keith told him that he’s majoring in sound engineering and that he minors in music wherein his instrument is the violin. He lives with his older brother, Shiro, and their parents were in another state. The reason Keith goes to the local pool is because he was dedicated to introduce himself to the water and learn how to swim but because of the incident two weeks ago, he felt reluctant that was why he didn’t visit the pool last weekend.
“I’m not giving up on it.” Keith said while he tapped his cane to search the sidewalk. “No way in hell will I let water win over me.”
Lance admired how headstrong and stubborn Keith was and he was awed to see that Keith didn’t let his disability hold him back. However, their moment was short lived and Lance felt a pang of disappointment in his chest when they arrived to the university premises because it meant that his time with Keith was up.
“Well, here we are.” Keith said when he reached his hand up and patted the plaque that hung on the brick post of the school’s gates to make sure that it was the right place. “I’m not sure where the dorms are since I live off campus so I can’t help you there.”
“That’s okay.” Lance smiled but he felt a little awkward when Keith’s expression didn’t flinch. Of course, the guy couldn’t see that Lance was smiling at him. “I can ask around. I’ll text Pidge to tell her to meet me out here with my precious coffee maker.”
“Oh, so that’s her name.” Keith’s brows finally raised in inquiry. “Is she your girlfr---“
“AW HELL NAH, MAN!” Lance quickly waved both of his hands defensively. “Pidge?” he scoffed. “Never. We’re like bros!”
“Oh, I see.” Oddly, Keith’s voice held a tone of relief that confused Lance for a moment but he thought nothing of it. Then, he cleared his throat and folded his cane before he stuffed it back into his satchel. “I’m going to go now. My professor is kind of a jerk so I can’t risk it.”
“Be safe.”
When Keith just stood there and faced him, Lance wanted to punch himself on the stomach for saying something really weird to a guy he just met two weeks ago under the circumstances of saving him from impending death. They met again today, got coffee together, and walked to the university, but Lance just found himself gravitating towards Keith’s enigmatic charms. When Keith’s expression became unreadable, Lance started to panic internally.
“I-I mean!” Lance started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt nervously while he stammered. “I was just… I, uhm…!”
“Lance,” Keith’s voice broke through his frenzied thoughts. “It’s alright. Thanks, that was really nice.” When he paused, a certain silence settled between them and he spoke again to end it. “So, I’ll see you later.”
“Sure, Keith.” Lance smiled. When Keith gave a single nod and turned around to leave, Lance acted out of impulse and grabbed Keith by the wrist to tug him back gently. When Keith stiffened with a silent question in his expression and Lance realized what he had done, he let go, his face red and flustered. “Uh, sorry, I was just wondering…” He gulped. “…If you’ll go to the pool again when you’re free?”
“Oh.” Keith breathed out and Lance didn’t know if he was imagining it or if it’s his haywire nerves that’re making him hallucinate, but he thought he saw a blush taint Keith’s pale cheeks. “I don’t see why not. Shiro’s free this Friday and I don’t have classes, so maybe.”
“Alright, cool!” Lance beamed. “Uhm, well, I-I’ll see you on Friday then!”
“Yeah, see you on Friday, Lance.” Keith smiled. He gave a small wave and turned around to resume the direction he was about to trek before Lance interrupted.
With his heart jackhammering the cage of his ribs and his blood flaring through his veins that painted a blush on his cheeks, Lance breathed in as he watched Keith walked away; “Lance, you’re screwed ten times over.”
Lance counted each day that passed by and wished that the clock ran faster for Friday. When the day finally arrived, Lance was on his usual post. His blue eyes impatiently scanned through every face that passed him by but didn’t noticed the cute girls in their bikinis or the hot guys that winked at him. Instead, he searched for a familiar black mullet.
“Here he is.” Lance heard Shiro’s familiar voice and when Lance turned around, sure enough, Shiro approached him with Keith in tow.
“Hi, Shiro!” Lance greeted cheerfully and he absently bit his lower lip when he saw Keith beside Shiro in his usual red swim trunks and a black tank top. “Hey, Keith, what’s up?”
“I don’t know.” Keith shrugged with an awkward smile. “I haven’t seen it.”
Lance gaped and from beside Keith, Shiro face-palmed a little too loudly but he elbowed Keith softly which made the other jolt in surprise. Lance looked confused at first when Keith turned his head to face Shiro, his lips pursed into a thin line.
“Well, go on.” Shiro’s tone was encouraging. “It’ll be okay.”
“What’s going on?” Lance asked but Keith took a step towards the direction of his voice and slowly lifted his hand to give Lance a cream white letter envelope. It was one of those fancy stationary that had a faint scent to. “Uhm, what’s this, Keith?”
“It’s an invitation to my recital on Wednesday.” Keith forced the words out and his pale cheeks turned pink. He reached up and scratched his head awkwardly while he did so. “You know how I told you that I’m minoring in music with the violin?”
“Yeah.” Lance nodded.
“This program is considered our final requirement to pass a subject.” Keith said. “I’m going to play and if you’re free, maybe you can drop by and watch, maybe?” Keith’s voice trailed off and Shiro stepped in for him;
“It’s at 7 PM.” Shiro smiled. “Just let me or Keith know so we can reserve you a seat.”
“Sure!” Lance beamed while heat bloomed on his cheeks and he blushed. “I’ll definitely be there!”
“Really?” Keith lifted his head to look at him and the dark lashes that were fanned down on his closed lids fluttered slightly when his brows shot up in surprise. “I-I mean, that’s awesome, Lance. I really appreciate it!”
“So, would you like to swim with us?” Shiro gestured towards the pool. “It’s not as crowded today as it was the last time.”
With a small smile, Lance politely shook his head. “I’d love to, Shiro, but I’m on the clock. Maybe next time?”
“Of course.” Shiro glanced at Keith who had placed his hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Into the water we go, then.” Then, he led Keith away.
~
On the night of the recital, Lance made sure to look his best; he dug up his closet to find his only good suit, shaved, and he ordered a bouquet from their local flower shop. Since he wasn’t used to dressing up formally, Lance made sure to walk carefully along the crowd of people making their way into the university’s theater. When an usherette asked him for his invitation, he handed it to them and he was shown to his seat which was on the front row.
“I’m glad that you made it.” Shiro greeted him after Lance sat down. His dark eyes glanced at the bouquet Lance had with him and with a knowing smile, he asked; “Is that for Keith?”
“O-oh…yes, it is!” Lance replied a little bit too hurriedly. Even though Shiro was smiling, Lance felt the intensity of his stare as if Shiro was looking into his soul. Lance didn’t blame him though; he would be protective of his little brother too. “Do you think he’ll like it?”
“Only one way to find out.” Shiro said as he handed Lance a program pamphlet. The lights dimmed and the host started to give a brief speech on the podium shortly before the first performer walked up on stage with her flute along her accompanist who sat on the grand piano. Beautiful music filled the theater and Lance felt his nerves calm down from the softness. One performer after the other stood and played up front. Beautiful and stunning as they were with their music, Lance was only interested in a particular violinist.
Finally, Keith’s turn came and Lance held his breath as his subject of interest went up on stage. Keith’s steps were timed as if he counted the steps he took to reach the middle of the stage. On his hands were his violin and a bow.
“He practiced for weeks.” Shiro whispered to Lance from where he sat beside him. “But when you said that you were coming, he worked doubly hard.”
Lance felt his cheeks bloom with heat from knowing that. He quickly glanced at Shiro but his attention was quickly pulled back to the stage when Keith lifted the violin between his neck and his shoulder as he got into position.
When Keith started to play, Lance felt the world stop and focus on the beautiful man on stage. The music was lovely and Keith’s passion with the way he played made Lance’s breath catch in his throat.
Nothing else existed; Lance only saw Keith and his heart swelled at his song. The song ended and Lance jumped up to his feet for a standing ovation.
After the recital, Lance and Shiro met Keith backstage. Shiro hugged his brother tightly and he had a proud grin on his face before he whispered something in Keith’s ear and glanced at Lance. The knowing look Shiro gave him made Lance blush and he tightened his grasp on the bouquet he was cradling. Keith on the other hand, mirrored the same pink tint Lance had and Shiro nudged him towards Lance’s direction.
“Lance?” Keith asked. It startled Lance that he thrusted the bouquet towards the other nervously.
“Co-Congratulations!” He blurted out. When Keith didn’t move at all nor reacted to the bouquet Lance held out to him, Lance realized what he had done; of course Keith wouldn’t react to the flowers!
“I brought you flowers,” Carefully, Lance let the velvety tips of the flowers brush against Keith’s fingers. “Here.”
“Oh, wow.” Keith’s brows lifted for a moment but he lowered his head in an attempt to hide his heated face while he accepted the bouquet. “Thank you, Lance.”
Before Lance could chicken out, he took a deep breath to steel his nerves and he fought hard to ignore Shiro’s guarding look. Then, he asked; “Uhm, Keith, if you’re free after this, I…I was wondering if we could have dinner and hangout or something?”
“Like a date?” Was Keith’s sudden reply and Lance turned impossibly redder but there was a shift on Keith’s expression, like he was hopeful.
“Y-Yeah, if that’s okay?” Lance chuckled nervously. It felt like his suit suddenly had a built in oven and he loosened his tie in a desperate attempt to cool down. “But if not, I totally unders---“
“Yeah, sure!” Keith took a step closer and cradled the bouquet close to his chest. He tipped his head down slightly to get a whiff of the flowers and he smiled. “I’d love to. Let me ask Shiro.”
“No, need.” Suddenly, Shiro was beside Keith. “I heard everything.” He regarded Lance with a single look. “I’ll take your stuff home so you two can enjoy your evening.”
~
Lance never had so much fun on a date with anyone before. Keith was wonderful company; he teased back and grinned whenever he and Lance got a little too competitive over dinner and it was hilarious when Keith didn’t get most of Lance’s jokes. Hours later, Lance found himself walking side by side with Keith down the lit roads lined with diners and arcades. The night was warm and the city was bustling with life. Keith tapped his cane left and right and he walked a little bit slower than Lance but when the back of his hand brushed against Keith’s while they walked, Keith froze and turned his head to face him.
“Here.” Lance’s tone was gentle and his smile filled it so that Keith knew how he felt. Slowly, Lance reached for Keith’s hand and held it carefully in his own. It took some encouragement of Lance rubbing the pad of his thumb against the smoothness of the back of Keith’s hand, but soon, their fingers intertwined.
“You know what would be great right now?” Keith asked.
“What?”
“If this dumb suit wasn’t so stuffy.”
Lance burst out into laughter and Keith frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” Lance shook his head but then he had a genius idea. “Oh, I know! Why don’t we go cool off?” He started to tow Keith by the hand that he held.
“W-What? Wait, Lance!” Keith was barely keeping up with Lance’s excitement. “Where are we going?”
“The pool!”
~
The next Lance knew, he was at the pool side with Keith. The two of them had snuck into the place with Lance’s backdoor key and he lent an extra pair of swim trunks to him from his locker. Now they sat beside each other on the pool with the lights turned down into a soft glow and the stars hung on the roof of the world above them. Their legs dangled on the edge and were submerged into the water, their bare shoulders lightly touching.
“The sky’s pretty nice tonight.” Lance suddenly broke the silence while he looked up at the constellations that shone on the velvet sky. “The stars are extra bright.”
“What do they look like, Lance? The stars, I mean.” Keith asked and he turned to face Lance. For a moment there Lance felt ashamed for having to comment on something Keith cannot appreciate.
“Uhm, well,” He was unsure now. When he shifted, his shoulder awkwardly bumped against Keith’s and Lance felt himself blush at the innocent warmth of the touch. “They’re like little lights in the darkness, you know? Like when you’re feeling glum and lost in the rain but then you come across someone who makes everything better like a light in the dark?”
“You mean like you?” Keith suddenly blurted out but then he hung his head low as if he regretted what he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to say something dumb.”
“N-No!” Lance’s heart pounded against his ribs; did Keith just…? “It’s okay!” he paused and bit his lower lip. Gathering his courage, he carefully took Keith’s hand into his. “Would you like to take a dip? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Heh, I know, you saved my life once already.” Keith managed a smile and his fingers wrapped around Lance’s when the other led him into the warm water of the pool. They landed on the boundary of the pool where the water was already up to Lance’s neck and Keith’s chin. “Whoah, hold on!”
Lance felt butterflies in his stomach when Keith’s arms wrapped around his neck and he automatically cradled the other when Keith clung onto him, his legs straddling Lance’s hips underwater.
“I got you, Keith, I got you.” Lance chuckled but then he stopped when he heard a gentle splash and Keith lifted his hand to cup his face. Keith’s pale, slender fingers gently trailed Lance’s cheeks, the tips brushing against his eyelids, his nose and finally, his lips. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to see you.” Keith replied. He pulled his hand away when he thought that he crossed the line. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course it is.” Lance smiled and he moved around the water, the buoyancy letting him carry Keith around with ease. “So, what do you think?”
“I think you look okay.” Keith mumbled and his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink underneath the soft glow of the pool lights.
The two of them glided around the pool and Lance kept a protective eye on Keith when he decided that he’d want to wade on his own. They played around a little bit, splashing water at each other before a peaceful quiet fell upon them. Then, Lance gently pulled Keith towards him, one arm around his waist, their chests pressed, and their hearts beat in sync in the silence of the water.
“Keith?” Lance whispered gently.
“Hm?”
“How come you never open your eyes?” he asked.
Keith was quiet for a moment before he shrugged. “I never got the hang of it. It’s too much effort, I guess.”
“Is it alright for me to see your eyes?” Keith froze within Lance’s embrace which made Lance immediately regret it. He was about to apologize when Keith relaxed and replied;
“Sure. But they’re nothing special and they’re obviously useless.”
For a moment, Keith’s eyelids quivered like it really was an effort to open them. But when those raven lashes finally lifted, Lance gasped;
Keith’s eyes were the color of pale amethysts. The irises were shattered within into a million pigments of violet making them look like the night sky. It was like the whole universe had placed itself and all of its beautiful glory in Keith’s eyes. It looked like a sea of stars and Lance found himself willingly drowning in it.
“Keith,” Lance was breathless. “You’re so beautiful.”
Those eyes stared back at him and a startled expression crossed Keith’s porcelain face. “Lance, what the hell? I’m not... They’re not…”
“But you are.” Lance leaned in and affectionately pressed their foreheads together. “It doesn’t matter what you lack, it doesn’t change how beautiful you are to me.”
Their breaths mingled between them while the water lapped against their skins; coaxing and encouraging. When Keith reached up to gently touch Lance’s lower lip, Lance took the subtle signal and leaned in to press their lips together in a loving kiss. It was fresh and overwhelming and when Keith’s lashes lifted to reveal his eyes once more, Lance was pulled in deeper into the current.
“We should totally do this again.” Lance grinned when they broke the kiss. He leaned in slightly once more and poked the tip of his nose against Keith’s playfully.
“Isn’t that what boyfriends do?” Keith’s lips quirked into a knowing smile.