Work Text:
How did things go so badly?
Keith and Lance met in the rehearsal room after Lance told Keith he wanted to talk to him about their relationship.
They had been dating secretly for the past four years. Keith, afraid that his parents or schoolmates would find out, hid the fact he was gay by acting straight in front of the other students at their school, only daring to shed the act when he and Lance were alone.
“Keith. I had a dream. A really messed up dream, but it told me something. I need to tell my mom, about me, about us.” Lance looked pleadingly into Keith’s eyes, expecting some sort of comfort or reassurance.
“Oh that sounds great. So when you tell your mother, maybe she’ll tell my father and then I’ll get the shit beat out of me, or maybe I’ll get kicked out of the house. That sounds absolutely great Lance.” Keith said, his voice wavered at the thought that Lance could even suggest such an idea
“Times have changed Keith, I need to tell someone and you’re the only one I have. Please…” Lance reached for Keith’s hands, holding them in his own. He was struggling with his own identity and he needed to get those thoughts off his chest. He was suffocating under the lie that he lived and he had had enough.
“Lance, why? Why do you insist on telling them so badly?” Keith was starting to get agitated. He couldn’t believe his own boyfriend wanted to tell his family about their relationship, despite knowing how much Keith’s parents resented homosexuality.
“Why do you insist on trying to hide what we have? Why do we have to keep pretending?” Lance’s voice croaked, this wasn’t the response he was wanted.
“You know what? No. This. Us. It has to stop.” Keith shoved Lance to the ground, his eyes now filled with anger. Why couldn’t Lance see what would happen if they came out? “I can’t keep living this stupid fantasy that we could be happy, okay? It won’t ever happen. We won’t ever be accepted.”
Lance sat on the floor sobbing, his own boyfriend, the only one he had in the lie that was his life, hated him for trying to be accepted.
You stand before me and I barely know you.
Is it so easy to leave?
Where is the boy who said I was his soul mate?
Where is the boy I believed?
Keith, mortified by his own actions, reached his hand out to help Lance up, but Lance pulled back quickly, his emotions a mix of anger and regret.
We climbed and escaped from those seeds that you planted
You slew all my giants, ignoring your own
And now that they haunt you,
I’m left with my courage alone
Lance picked himself up, all that was left in him was anger. Why did Keith resent him so much for wanted to tell his parents? Why did Keith hate him so much for wanting to be honest? Why did he hate him so much for trying to be true to himself?
So much for our ever after.
I thought that the good guys would triumph.
I trusted a hero.
“You’re right. We have to stop this. Whatever we are.” Lance managed to say through the tears. “We were never meant to be together. We never should have been together. If you insist on acting as something you’re not, then go ahead.”
That ticked Keith off. Acting as something he’s not? As if he ever had a choice. His parents would never accept or forgive him if they ever knew that he was gay. How could Lance treat this so lightly?
“How about you think for a second, huh? Not all tales have happy endings, we can’t keep pretending.” Keith lashed out, his face going red.
“There’s no such thing as heroes who are queer.”
Lance’s face dropped. So Keith was serious. Their years of being together, broken just like that. They spent four years together in love, just to have it torn down now when they were reaching the end of their school days? When they could finally be free?
You can’t be the same boy I followed… thought I’d always follow.
Lance’s body was shaking. “So I guess that’s it then?” He wiped the tears out of his eyes. “I guess we’re over now, huh?” He walked over to the door leading out of the rehearsal room. His hand reluctantly grabbed onto the doorknob.
You’ve hurt me more than you know.
All that I wanted was you, you were my tomorrow.
“Wait.” Keith called after Lance, “promise me you won’t say anything to anyone.”
Lance turned back and looked at Keith with disgust, before rushing out of the room.
So much for our ever after…