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Keith had a secret.
Well, he had a couple secrets.
The first was that he really… really loved musical theater.
He had countless soundtracks memorized. RENT, West Side Story, Avenue Q, Hair, Hamilton, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Cats. You name a musical, and Keith probably knew at least one song from it.
Sure, he was a typical bad boy. Rode a motorcycle to school. Lived in his leather jacket. Had ear piercings. He even had a small tattoo on his shoulder blade.
It didn’t make sense for him to love musical theater as much as he did. But, his mother loved musicals too. After she died, Keith was able to connect and preserve her memory by listening to her favorites.
Even now, he walked the halls of his high school with musicals playing in his earbuds. He was sure that his fellow classmates thought he was listening to some emo music, but he didn’t really care.
All this to say that when his high school decided to put on Dear Evan Hansen for their spring play, Keith was beyond excited. It was his favorite. He saw himself in Evan so clearly. The lonesome teenager who was raised by a single parent trying their best. It reminded him so much of his life. He’d been listening to it on repeat for months, and now, he was going to see it.
Sure, it wouldn’t be the same as Broadway, but he loved live performances so much that he didn’t care if it was happening in his shitty school auditorium.
Which, brings us to the second secret.
Keith had a major crush on Lance McClain, the theater kid with who he happened to share math. They sat next to each other and occasionally talked to each other, but Keith noticed how friendly and kind Lance was.
And Lance McClain just happened to be playing Evan Hansen in their school production of Dear Evan Hansen.
So, that’s how Keith found himself sitting in the audience, watching as Lance killed it as his favorite character in his favorite musical. Keith knew the plot and all the songs, but he was on the edge of his seat the whole time because Lance was that spell-binding. He was funny and honest and lonely and perfect for the role. Keith even shed tears during Words Fail.
And then, suddenly, it was over. The cast came back onstage for their curtain call, and Keith clapped loudly through the whole thing. He even whistled when Lance came out and bowed.
Once the cast exited, the lights came on, and Keith picked his way out of the aisles and made his way towards the lobby.
In the lobby, he caught glimpses of the theater teacher, Mr. Coran, gesturing wildly. Allura Altea, who played Zoe, was standing with Pidge and Hunk, who were on the lighting crew. And there, surrounded by a swarm of people, was Lance.
Keith wanted to say something to him, say how wonderful he was, but he didn’t think he could get through the crowd. So, he carefully made his way to the exit.
He was almost there when he heard someone yell, “Keith!” He stopped and turned, looking for who had shouted for him.
And, of all people, it was Lance.
He broke away from the crowd around him and jogged over to him.
“Hey, man!” Lance said, all smiles and bright eyes. Probably coming off his stage high. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Yeah,” Keith answered. “This is one of my favorites.”
“One of your favorites?” Lance asked. “You’re a musical theater nerd?”
Keith laughed and wrapped his arms around himself. “Yeah, my mom loved them, and I guess I picked it up.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Lance said. Someone came up and tapped Lance on the arm. He said a few words to them before dismissing himself.
“I should let you go,” Keith said when Lance turned back to him. “I just wanted to say that you were incredible.”
“Incredible, eh?” Lance asked. “That’s some big words coming from the guy who only asks me for a pencil.”
Keith blushed, but Lance just chuckled.
“I’m teasing you, man,” Lance said, reaching out and lightly punching his arm.
And suddenly, the silence fell over them.
“Well, I—,” Keith finally said, gesturing at the door.
But Lance cut him off.
“Are you free right now?” Lance asked.
“Yeah,” Keith replied. “Why?”
“Wanna go get a milkshake?” Lance asked, his cheeks slowly dusting with pink.
“A milkshake?” Keith questioned, incredulous. Lance McClain? Wanted to go get a milkshake? With him?
“Yeah,” Lance said. “You can tell me more about this musical theater obsession that you’ve apparently kept hidden.”
And before Keith could question it, he replied with a fervent, “Yes!”
“Yes?” Lance asked.
“Yeah,” Keith answered. “I’d love to.”
“Cool!” Lance exclaimed. “I need to go grab my stuff, but wait for me?”
“Yeah,” Keith said again, a bit flabbergasted. “Sure.”
“It’s a date,” Lance said.
And Keith smiled. “Yeah, a date.”