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Lance stares at the building in front of him and tries not to panic. He’s never seen something look so imposing and regal all at the same time. Did all universities look like this with their Greek architecture and red bricks? Were all campuses so massive? One thing was for sure he was never going to make it to all of his classes on time just by looking at the sheer size of the grounds laid out before him.
With a sigh Lance grabs the handle of his suitcase and pulls it along and tries to make beans of the map he’s holding. It only takes him two and a half hours and seventeen wrong turns before he finally makes it to the building he’ll probably be living in for the next four years.
Lance encounters an overenthusiastic upper classmen that hands him his room assignment and he’s greeted by a large guy with a bandana heading in the same direction. They’re both freshmen and both completely lost. They aren’t roommates but they are on the same floor and they have several classes together. Lance feels a bit of the tightness in his chest start to loosen up and he smiles for the first time today. His new friend is Hunk and they’re going to meet up about 5:00 and try to navigate the campus and figure out where the cafeteria is located.
Lance turns the key and opens the door to his home away from home. It’s empty and cold. There are two beds, two desks, two lamps, two dressers, and not much else. The room is probably no bigger than the bedroom he shares back home with Marco. Lance wonders if he should wait for his roommate so that they can decide which bed he wants or if he wants to try and rearrange the furniture to make the room look bigger. He sits for about five minutes before his restlessness kicks in and he has to move.
Lance ends up rearranging the furniture and each bed is set under a window along the far wall away from the door, his small refrigerator and microwave sits perfectly between the two beds and he’s placed the desks near the head of the bed on opposite walls. This leaves the floor completely open. Lance has his bed completely made, curtains on his windows, fairy lights hanging over his bed and he’s starting to put out a few pictures on his wall when the door creaks open.
He’s met with a pair of dark eyes and an even darker mop of hair. He smiles and wonders if his roommate is just as nervous as he is. He walks over and holds out a hand, “I’m Lance. Do you need any help bringing your stuff in?”
Mr. Dark and Mysterious just shakes his head. It takes him a minute but he shakes Lance’s hand, “I’m Keith.”
They don’t say much after that. Lance invites him to hang out with him and Hunk and search for the cafeteria with them but he politely refuses.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Lance discovers Keith is not a man of many words. He’s never sure how to interact with him and he always feels like he’s tiptoeing around him. He tries to keep his music low when he’s studying so he doesn’t disturb Keith. The guy never tells him if the music bothers him or not. He offers him half of the limited space in his small fridge and the use of his microwave.
Even after a couple of months, Lance still feels like there’s a tightness in his chest that won’t seem to let him go. He’s just a boy from Cuba and he can’t help but feel like he’s drowning. His grades are good, he’s made a few other friends besides Hunk, he calls his mama every other Friday, but he’s still so empty.
Halfway through the semester he’s found a hidden stair case on the fourth floor of the dorms that leads to the roof. He’s taken to sneaking out and sitting outside late at night when he can’t sleep. He’s just gotten off the phone with his mama and he’s feeling a bit homesick more than usual. He feels the tears before he can stop them and instead of crying it out in his room where Keith is bound to find him he heads to the roof. He opens the door and stops in shock. Apparently he’s not the only one who likes to sit on the roof. He stammers out and apology and tries to head back inside when a voice stops him, “Lance?”
Lance is rooted to the spot. He knows his face is splotchy and red from crying but he can’t move. “Keith. I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was up here. I’ll just go.”
Keith stands up, “No it’s ok. You don’t have to go.”
Lance really isn’t up for small talk, “No it’s fine.”
He’s turning to leave when a hand grabs his wrist, “Are you ok?”
He looks at Keith and finds concern in those dark eyes, “I’m just a bit homesick. I was just coming up here to think. I…I don’t…I didn’t want to be…..I should go.”
Keith’s hand squeezes his wrist gently, “If you don’t want to talk I won’t say anything. I…you just seem upset and if you don’t want to be alone I can just sit with you, or I can go.”
Lance feels something break just a bit in his chest, “You can stay.”
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
For the next four years, Lance and Keith spend many nights on that roof top. The roof has become their safe place for them when things get to be too much. They’ve battled homesickness, heartbreak, they’ve lost some people they thought were friends, they’ve gained a few people they never expected to be friends, and they’ve lost loved ones.
Two nights before graduation they sneak up to the rooftop one more time. Lance is on his back staring at the stars, Keith is next to him. There’s a tightness in Lance’s chest but it’s different this time. There’s a charge in the air, a change in the winds so to speak. He’s not sure what it is, but he feels as if he’s on the edge of a cliff and he’s waiting for the drop. Suddenly Keith is standing up and he’s pulling Lance with him, “Come on, let’s go.”
Lance is staring at Keith, “What are you doing?”
Keith is holding out his hand to Lance, “Do you trust me?”
“Keith, what are you up to?”
Keith wiggles his fingers, “Come on Lance, do you trust me?”
Lance looks up from where he’s still laying on the roof. Keith is standing over him, his dark hair falling over his face and the stars above him. His eyes are glittering with some manic excitement and Lance just grins and takes Keith’s hand, “I trust you.”
Keith’s smile is blinding. He doesn’t let go of Lance’s hand the entire time. They run through campus and Keith stops them in front of the auditorium. He winks at Lance and jimmys a lock. Lance’s voice is incredulous, “What are you doing? We can’t break in here.”
Keith just grins, “It’s only breaking in if we get caught.”
Once they’re both inside Keith grabs Lance’s hand again and pulls him into the main auditorium where their graduation ceremony will be held. He pulls Lance onto the stage and the two of them look out into the empty seats. Lance is caught up in the moment. In two days he will be here, accepting his diploma, walking into another new chapter of his life. He walks to the edge of the stage and he thinks back to his first day when he was so overwhelmed and frightened. But now he’s here.
Lance turns to find Keith watching him. There’s a softness in Keith’s eyes that not many people get to see, and the fact that it’s directed at Lance makes his heart stutter. Keith smiles at Lance, “You ready to give your speech Mr. Valedictorian?”
Lance just laughs, “Not at all!”
Keith grabs his hand again, “You’ll do great.”
Lance smiles at Keith. His voice is barely a whisper, “Thanks. Not just for tonight, but for everything; for that night when you sat with me our first semester when I was a homesick mess, for being my friend, for just always being there.”
“How could I not be there for you?”
Lance felt tears prick the corner of his eyes, “Do you think we’ll still see each other after this? Will we still be friends?”
Keith shifted and Lance couldn’t help but feel the heat between the two of them standing so close together, “I would like to think we’ll see each other all the time.”
Lance just let out a watery chuckle, “Oh? Do you know something I don’t know?”
Keith just smiled, “Maybe.”
Lance stared at those impossibly dark eyes and let out a soft gasp when Keith gently pressed his lips to Lance’s cheek where the first tear had started to fall. He was so close that Lance felt his eyelashes flutter against Keith’s skin. When Keith went to pull back Lance pulled on his hand, his voice was barely a whisper, “Don’t move.”
Keith didn’t move. He waited as Lance tilted his head just a bit and brushed his lips over Keith’s. The touch was feather light and Lance looked up. Keith’s eyes were closed, “Is this okay?”
Keith nodded and Lance leaned in again and pressed another kiss to Keith’s lips. It was just as soft as the first one, tentative and gentle, as if any sudden movement would break the spell. Keith leaned in closer to deepen the kiss and Lance felt hands at his hips. He allowed Keith to pull him against his chest and he melted into his embrace. Lance sighed and leaned his head on Keith’s shoulder. He was taking another huge step and he was scared of what was out there, but this time he had Keith with him. He may be just a boy from Cuba, but he had the boy who was his future in his arms.