Archive of Our Own

Flying was a feeling like no other. It was freedom; it was thrilling; it was exuberant. And when Lance McClain was flying through the city of New York, he felt like he was above it all.

Both literally and figuratively.

And maybe in the few months since he had gotten his powers, he hadn’t quite used them the best he should. Maybe he dropped some gum into his evil neighbor’s hair from her roof. Maybe he climbed through the window of his literature classroom after hours to alter his grade just slightly. And maybe he had gotten caught by his friend Pidge, who had coincidentally been there to do the same thing for him. 

Maybe he wasn’t quite ready for all of this.

But when Lance was flying, he was unstoppable. He was truly himself up there, where no one could see or hear him, where he was a small blip floating through the wind and chasing a high that no one else could. It was addicting, and he loved it.

“It’s almost midnight, Blue. I’m gonna sign off,” Pidge said through the inner-ear she had made for him. 

“I can’t call you Lance. What if someone listens in?” She had mentioned when they first got everything set up.

“Then what are you going to call me?” Lance had asked.

“Well, Keith calls you Blue, right?”

Lance nodded.

“Works for me.”

“Well, if I’m Blue, then you’re! You’re!” Lance had exclaimed, scanning her bedroom. His eyes landed on a small cat plushie wearing a green sweater. “You’re Green!”

“Okay,” Pidge had said. Lance had honestly expected more of a fight. It almost took the fun out of it for him, key word being almost.

“Alright, Green,” Lance answered, landing on the roof of a tall building. “Have a good night.”

“Don’t stay up too late.”

“I would never.”

Pidge scoffed, saying goodbye one last time before ending their call. Lance sighed, taking a look at the skyline from where he stood.

It really was beautiful.

“Didn’t I tell you not to stay up too late?” Pidge remarked, throwing her eraser at his head. His spidey senses twitched, and his hand reached up to catch it right before it hit his temple.

Pidge’s head tilted to the side. “Creepy. I forgot you can do that.”

Lance stuck his tongue out at her. “Nice try. And yes, you did. But you weren’t there! I can’t just leave a view like that!”

“You can, actually. That’s what pictures are for. Actually, better yet, art. And while we’re at it, I happen to know a great artist-”

“No nope nope no nope!” Lance exclaimed, waving his hands around. “Not gonna happen. Never gonna happen.”

“Come on, Lance. You two have been dancing around each other for an entire semester now!” 

“Not true,” Lance said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Oh, look!” Pidge yelled out, pointing behind his head, “Hey Keith!”

“What? Where!” Lance screeched, pivoting his head around. When he noticed Keith wasn’t anywhere in the cafeteria, he frowned, glaring at Pidge as hard as he could. “Not fair,” he said.

Pidge laughed. “Come on, Lance! You’re ridiculous! He’s a close friend of ours!”

Lance sighed. “I know, I know. But that’s part of what makes it so scary. What if he doesn’t like me back, and then everything gets weird? We’d still have to interact!”

“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Pidge stated, going back to working on her Physics homework. Lance knew she was right, but it was a scary concept for him, and he had never liked anyone before, not like he liked Keith.

“Hey guys,” Hunk said, setting down his tray and sitting next to Pidge. Pidge waved at him with her free hand, and Lance greeted him with a warm smile.

That was another layer to their friend group. Hunk didn’t know about Lance’s newfound powers.

Since it had been an accident that Pidge found out, Lance hadn’t had a choice as to whether or not to tell her. He had honestly been leaning towards it, but there was a danger with letting anyone know, especially the further he got into his new career. But Pidge had proven to be more than useful, constantly improving his suit and making new gear for him without asking, always a smile on her face and an excitement in her eyes that made him feel useful. Pidge was a genius, and Lance was so lucky to have her.

Hunk was a genius too, but he was… more gentle than Pidge. Pidge could handle her own, and she had proven this time and time again. But Hunk was sweeter, and calmer, and more blissfully ignorant of his own problems. He was arguably Lance’s best friend, so it hurt to keep this a secret, but he also didn’t want Hunk to be forced to keep said secret for him. Hunk hated secrets, and to put that on him seemed cruel.

The problem was that keeping it from him seemed even more cruel.

So Lance had been stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had asked Pidge what he should do, and Pidge had told him it was his choice, that these were his powers. Lance had said she wasn’t very helpful.

“Hey buddy,” Lance said, going back to picking at his food. Hunk started to eat, and the two engaged in conversation while Pidge worked on her homework, an exact image of how they usually spent their free time.

“So, Lance,” Hunk began, chewing on a piece of bread. “Keith said he was looking for you.”

Lance groaned, putting his head in his hands. “Are you serious?”

Hunk smiled. “Yeah, man, he seemed pretty serious. Though I’m sure you know Keith isn’t the jokester kind of guy.”

At this, Lance couldn’t hold back his own smile. “Yeah, I know.” 

One time, last semester, Keith and Lance had been Chemistry lab partners. During one of their experiments, Lance couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Pot-ass-ium,” and giggling after each time. Keith, on the other hand, kept correcting him, saying, “Lance, we’ve been over this. It’s potassium,” and Lance just broke down even more. They received multiple warnings that day. 

“Did he say what he wanted?” Lance asked, pulling himself out of the memory.

Hunk shrugged. “No. But that begs the question: Why are you avoiding him?” Hunk accused.

Lance spluttered. “Nuh-uh no way! Me? Avoid him? Nope! Not me! Just being casual, casually being a student! Yep!”

“Lance,” Hunk said in his disappointed tone. “It’s not fair to him to do that.”

“I know! But what am I supposed to do?”

“You could tell him?”

“Gah!” Lance exclaimed. “Why does everyone keep telling me that?”

“Maybe because it’s a good idea?”

Lance let his head fall, hitting the table a bit too hard, making a loud sound. He was sure that everyone was looking at him now, because he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It didn’t hurt, but then Lance realized that it probably should have.

“You okay man?” Hunk asked, and yep, that was concern in his voice.

Lance immediately pulled his head up, telling everyone he was okay. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Louder sound than feel, you know?”

Hunk stared at him for a moment, but he let it go, and Lance felt relief wash over him. 

Moments later, the bell rang, and the group all dispersed to their separate classes.

Lance knew something was going to hit the back of his head before it did. He was sitting in US History, staring blankly at the teacher as he went over his lecture slides, when he knew the small ball was coming at him. Knowing it was just paper, Lance let it hit him to avoid suspicion. The small crumpled ball fell to the ground, and Lance reached down and grabbed it, knowing exactly where it came from.

On the inside was a small drawing of Lance himself, drooling out of his mouth with his eyes closed. Scribbled next to it were the words, “Did you sleep okay?” in messy handwriting. 

Lance smiled to himself, grabbing his normally unused pencil and writing right beneath it. He wasn’t that great of an artist, but he tried anyway, doodling a small drawing of their professor, “Blah blah blah” coming out of his mouth in a speech bubble. “Just bored. What about you?” He asked back, crumpling the paper back up as quietly as he could, waiting for their teacher to turn around before throwing it behind him. Keith sat right behind him in class, yet he insisted on throwing the paper instead of just handing it to him. Lance thought it was kind of cute, even if it did mean getting hit on the back of the head multiple times a week. 

Lance could hear the telltale sign of Keith drawing. He imagined the serious face he was making, lips pursed and eyes focused. 

Thud. Lance reached down and picked up the paper again. 

Now it was a drawing of Keith, considerably less detailed than the one of Lance, sitting on a couch in front of a TV with another figure, who he assumed was Keith’s older brother Shiro. Keith had talked about him a lot; he was a sergeant, highly skilled and well-decorated, but from how Keith had described him, a real softy at heart.

“Had to finish our show,” the note said next to it.

Class was almost over, so Lance simply folded the paper neatly, tucking it into the folder of his binder. He didn’t want to give it back to Keith and lose the artwork. He always kept all of the art Keith ever made for him, no matter how small or rushed it was. Keith was talented, and he meant a lot to Lance, so of course he did.

When the bell rang, everyone stood up to pack up their stuff.

“So, was it Dancing with the Stars or Great British Bake Off?” Lance asked, putting his binder into his backpack.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Both. Back to back,” he snarked back, putting his bag over his shoulder. He was artsy, so he had a tote bag. Lance thought it was impractical, and that it would cause him shoulder problems. Keith said he was ridiculous.

The two walked out of the classroom together. The day was over now, so they started to head towards the front of the building, talking as they went.

“So Hunk says you’re looking for me?” Lance asked, batting his eyelashes. “I’m always right here,” he said, tapping Keith’s chest, right over his heart. Keith rolled his eyes again, removing Lance’s finger and keeping their pace.

“Yeah,” Keith replied, seriously. “I just noticed you’ve been acting a bit… strange.”

Lance gulped. He hadn’t figured it out, had he?

“And I wanted to know if you wanted to talk about it, at all,” Keith continued, brushing his hair back with his hand. “I just have some experience, so I might be able to help?”

At this, Lance was confused. What was Keith talking about? Was Keith bitten by a spider too? Was Keith a superhero too? 

Lance knew exactly why he found that image to be so hot.

“Um,” Lance began, not knowing what to say.

“Sorry if I’m freaking you out, or being too blunt or something. But I just, you know, didn’t want you to go through it alone if you didn’t want to.”

“No, that’s not it. I just-”

“And I know I don’t exactly read things right all the time, so just let me know if I’m coming on too strong. Actually, I’ll just stop talking now.”

“Right.”

“I’ve made it weird, haven’t I?”

“No!”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry!”

They were both stopped now, standing outside of their school, facing each other. Keith was looking at the ground, red tinging his cheeks. Lance stared right at him, trying to get a feel for what Keith was talking about. Had he figured out Lance was Spiderman? Had he figured out Lance liked him?

Oh god, which one was worse?

“So,” Lance started, swaying back and forth. “What exactly do you mean?”

“Oh,” Keith replied, “I guess I should’ve led with that, huh?”

Lance laughed lightly. “Yeah, maybe. But it’s okay.”

“Well, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, but I overheard Hunk and Pidge talking, and they mentioned you being bisexual. And, well, congrats! But also, maybe not? I’m not sure; these things are always different for everyone. And, well, I wanted to offer my support, and also apologize for not letting you come out to me, personally.”

Oh. “Ah, I see. Well, no worries, dude. I honestly am not that in the closet anyway,” Lance remarked, watching Keith visibly relax. “And to be honest, I thought I already came out to you.”

Keith let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good, then. I’m happy for you, really.”

“Thanks. I’m sorry you were so stressed about that.”

“No, no, it was my fault for snooping. I knew you were hiding something, and I don’t know why, but I just had to know. It was rude of me, and it was extremely invasive. So I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Lance scoffed. “It’s fine! And besides, now you know that I’ve got twice the pool!” Lance said, hooking his arm with Keith’s and leading him forward. “The whole world is my clam!”

“Oyster,” Keith corrected, keeping up the pace with Lance. 

“Whatever.”

“So twice the amount of people can reject you?” Keith mocked as they got in line for the bus.

“Pretty much,” Lance answered. “Pretty much.”

Artists saw the world through a completely different lens. Lance had learned this when he got closer with Keith. Lance saw the world in a normal way, but Keith-

Keith was able to find the beauty in anything. He was able to bring emotion out of anything. He saw things that weren’t there, and he was able to make them real.

Lance admired him for that. And so many other things.

“You’re insane,” Lance settled on saying as Keith showed him his newest painting. They were at Keith’s house, in the room Keith’s brother had set up for Keith to paint in. It made it so the brothers shared a bedroom, but for Keith it was worth it to have his own space to focus and just create.

Keith laughed, like this is the exact reaction he had expected from Lance. He set the painting down on the ground, letting Lance stare at it in awe.

“It’s not that good,” Keith said, and Lance swore he would punch some sense into him if he could.

The painting was of him, well, no, it was of Spiderman, but that was technically him, and the semantics were confusing. But it was of Spiderman, shooting a web out of his right hand, mid-flight, legs gracefully behind him and body flexing towards his next move.

And it was beautiful.

Lance was used to seeing behind the mask. He was used to flying through the city. He wasn’t used to what that actually looked like.

Keith made it look like a dance, like an art form in itself. Lance was transfixed.

“So you like Spiderman?” Lance found himself asking.

“Yeah,” Keith replied, standing right next to Lance, also looking at the painting. “He’s really awesome.”

“You’re pretty awesome, too,” Lance said, and he realized moments later he probably shouldn’t have.

But Keith just flushed, kicking his foot on the ground. “You have to say that,” he said. “You’re my best friend.”

“Yeah, but I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a little while when the front door to Keith’s apartment opened and closed. Keith immediately went out to welcome Shiro home. Lance had met him briefly only a few times, so they weren’t well-acquainted, but Lance was a good guest, so he followed Keith to say hello.

“Ah, Keith, you have Lance with you!” Shiro boomed. He was tall, and fit, and my god was he handsome. Lance could see the family resemblance. Lance could also see that he maybe had a type.

“Yeah, we’re hanging out,” Keith replied, pulling Shiro into a hug. He was in normal clothes for the first time that Lance had seen. Normally he was in his uniform, but either he had changed or it was his day off.

“Sounds like fun,” Shiro said. “Hopefully some studying in there too, though?” He asked, and Keith groaned.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Keith answered. “Can Lance stay for dinner?” 

Lance inwardly panicked. What was Keith doing? Didn’t he know that Shiro was scary? Didn’t he know that Lance was going to die of awkwardness if he stayed? 

Maybe Shiro would say no. Maybe he would kick Lance out right now. Yeah. Maybe he hated Lance and Lance could avoid this interaction.

“Sure,” Shiro said, and Lance fought very hard to keep himself from collapsing.

“Great. Thanks,” Keith said before he grabbed Lance by the wrist and dragged him back to his art room. “See you then! And don’t cook!” He called out. Lance yelped slightly, allowing himself to be pulled.

“So… Lance, what’s your favorite subject at school?” Shiro asked, grabbing a piece of cheese pizza and setting it on his way-too-fancy plate. He was even drinking soda out of a wine glass.

“Oh, uh, probably physics or math, though I’m not nearly as good as Hunk and Pidge,” Lance replied, taking a sip of his own soda to help his dry mouth.

Lance was good with children. No, he was incredible with children. He had lots of younger siblings, so he understood them well. He could entertain children easily.

But adult figures? Lance was beyond clueless. He never knew how to impress them, and he never knew what topics to bring up.

The weather? The sports game? Interest rates?

Things only got worse when they were a parent or guardian. Oh, and even worse still when they were the parent or guardian of the guy he had a crush on!

Could this get any worse?

And Keith, the object of his affections, just sat at the table, eating slice after slice of pizza, staring off into space like he was somewhere completely different.

“That’s good,” Shiro said, nodding. “Admirable fields.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t call me that,” Shiro made a disgusted face. “Just call me Shiro.”

“Okay. Thank you, Shiro,” Lance said, and it felt weird on his tongue.

Shiro smiled. Lance glanced over at Keith, trying to get some help here, but all Keith did was watch the interaction, a bit of a strange look on his face. Lance tried to pick it out, but it wasn’t discomfort, and it wasn’t awkwardness, so he couldn’t decipher it.

“You seem like a nice boy,” Shiro started, setting down his wine glass and folding his hands on the table. “So I’m going to be frank with you. I’m Keith’s older brother, and I don’t like seeing him hurt. So if you even think about harming a hair on his head, then I will not hesitate to make your life miserable,” he finished, an eerie smile on his face.

Lance gulped, no longer hungry or thirsty. Was this Keith’s intention from the beginning? Did he not trust Lance as a friend? From the way Keith was acting, it sure seemed like he knew that this is how the dinner would go. When Lance spared a glance at him, he turned away, staring down at his plate like he could burn a hole through it.

“I understand,” Lance choked out, and Shiro nodded. 

“Good. I don’t mean to scare you off, but I do mean to scare you.”

And boy had he done that.

Before the conversation could get any more tense, Shiro’s work phone buzzed from the other room. He apologized, standing up and going to the living room to answer it. He was speaking in a hushed tone, but Lance could hear him anyway, super-hearing and all that.

“Are you serious? Are the kids okay?” Shiro asked, concern laced in his voice.

The person on the other line spoke for a bit.

“Alright. 1st and Adams. I can be there in a few,” Shiro said, hanging up the call. Without being able to hear the other end, Lance didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he did know that the situation was bad enough to call out their sergeant on his day off, and so Lance, without a second thought, sprung up from the table and booked it to Keith’s art room, where he had left his bag.

Keith called after him, but Lance kept moving, grabbing his bag and turning to head for the front door. Shiro was gone from the living room now, probably to put his uniform on before he left. 

“I’m sorry, Lance! I should have told you before, but Shiro insisted, and I couldn’t say no!” Keith yelled out, and Lance stopped in his tracks.

He couldn’t let Keith think this was because of him, but he couldn’t tell Keith his secret either.

“No, it’s not about that, Keith. I mean it. I forgive you and your scary brother. Trust me, I get older brothers,” he said, laughing. “After all, I’m the older brother to five. I get the protective instincts.”

Keith looked to be a bit better at that, letting his face relax a bit. Lance smiled his best award-winning smile, but he had to get out of there.

“I’m sorry, Keith. I have to go. But I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

Keith didn’t look completely convinced, but he nodded. “Yeah, see you tomorrow, Lance.”

That was all Lance needed, walking as fast as he could out the door, flying down the stairs of Keith’s apartment building.

1st and Adams, huh?

Maybe being friends with a police officer’s brother was at least somewhat beneficial.

Spiderman swung into the scene, mouth agape under his mask at the sight. There, in the middle of the street, a giant hole had been broken into the pavement, a school bus barely stopped on the edge of it. The hole was big and deep enough that falling into it would likely injure most of the children inside.

Who had created a hole like this? And why?

But Lance didn’t have time to ponder that. He could see police already surrounding the entire scene, but they were all standing around like they didn’t know what to do. Lance knew that them adding any sort of weight to the front of the bus would cause it to fall, so they couldn’t go inside it or attempt to have the students exit. And the back exit of the bus wasn’t a solution, either, since lowering the weight of the back end could cause the bus to also tip, leaving everyone else who was inside to fall into the giant crater.

That was a problem.

Lance knew in that moment that he was the only one who could help these kids. The police couldn’t do anything, not without a massive crane that could lift the entire bus, and who knew what would happen in the meantime.

So Lance flew into action. In moments like these, Lance threw all of his inhibitions out the window. It was just Spiderman then, a force of nature and a charismatic hero, soaring through the air and sending webs out strategically along the bus. He connected the bus to other buildings that lined the street, doing his best to make the vehicle stable. 

Police called out at him, telling him to stop, telling him to turn himself in. He ignored them, ignored the way their guns pointed at him and their stares were pinned on him. He would know if they actually shot, anyway, so he kept webbing the bus, only taking about a minute before he was satisfied with his work.

Lance couldn’t lift a bus. He was strong, much stronger than the average human, but even he knew his limits. He could probably stop it if it was moving, but deadlifting it was a completely different thing.

So Lance hopped onto the back of the bus, using his webs to open the back of it. Children were inside, shaking and crying, some coated in minor scratches. The bus driver was the furthest toward the front, doing her best to calm down the terrified children.

“I’m here to help,” Lance said, reaching out one of his hands. “I’ve stabilized the bus. I’m going to need you to take my hand, one by one. I will set you down outside of the bus, and you’ll be safe.”

“Spiderman!” The children exclaimed. 

“Yes. Now I just need you to trust me. Don’t move unless it’s your turn to leave,” he explained, not wanting the weight of the bus to change too much. His webs were strong, but they wouldn’t be able to handle it if the vehicle became a see-saw.

Lance gestured for the first child to grab his hand, and they did, Lance picking them up and setting them just outside of the bus. A police officer ran in, grabbing the child and taking them further away. They repeated this process, the officers begrudgingly helping him, two opposing forces joining together for a common goal.

There were only two students left, along with the bus driver. Lance urged them to hurry, that his webs were not going to hold without the counterweight on the back of the bus. He had the second-to-last child in his hand, ready to set them down when the bus started to rock.

Lance froze. If his webs weren’t holding the bus anymore, it was going to go down. He had to get these people out, and now he had to do it faster than before.

The bus started to fall. It tipped downwards, the nose plummeting into the crater. The bus driver and the other child started to fall, too, headed towards the front end of the bus. Lance reacted, shooting out a web and letting it latch onto the two passengers, keeping the third one in his left arm. He quickly shot out a second web with his left hand, letting it catch onto the edge of the crater, just barely.

Another inch towards him and it would have missed completely.

Lance braced for the sound of the bus hitting the ground. It was loud, and a cloud of dirt flew up towards them.

“Don’t look down!” Lance instructed. 

He was a bit tied up, to be honest. His left hand was holding onto the child and also keeping them from falling down, and his right hand was attached to the web that was holding the other two civilians. There wasn’t much he could do.

“Hey!” He shouted, and he saw as a police officer’s head peaked over the crater. 

“They’re alive!” The officer shouted, and Lance could hear murmuring start from the top of the hole. They had all assumed he was dead, that he had let all three of these people die.

“I can’t climb back up,” Lance yelled, explaining his position. “But I can launch these two up to you. If you can get a way for them to land safely, then I can climb back up myself afterwards.”

The officer nodded, disappearing for a bit to hopefully communicate Lance’s request. Lance stayed where he was, since he really didn’t have any other choice.

After a little while, the officer came back, a few others with him. 

“We have a tarp up here now,” one of them said. “If you can get them right here,” he continued, pointing to a space to the right of where he was standing, “then we’ll handle it from there.”

“Okay,” Lance agreed, and he started to swing just slightly to gain some momentum.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he called down to the two civilians. It was impossible for Lance to process what they must be going through. And one of them was a child.

He swung, tucking his body as he launched the two people, letting them fly up and land exactly where the officers had instructed. There was cheering echoing through the crater, and he knew he had made the mark.

He knew he would, but it felt good knowing he was right.

With his other hand free, Lance was able to shoot out another web, flying out of the hole with the final passenger in his arm. He gently set them down, letting the officers guide them to the paramedics to be inspected.

Lance had to get out of there. There were too many police, and the last thing he needed was to have to fight his way out.

Lance readied up a web, aiming his hand out at the sky when a familiar voice stopped him.

“Spiderman!” It called out, and Lance’s head snapped to the sound.

It was Shiro, Keith’s brother, decked out in his uniform, a furrowed brow and an intense stare on his face. Lance shuddered at the expression, somehow much harsher than the one that had been given to his normal self just about an hour prior.

And Lance knew, then, that Shiro really had just been looking out for his brother. Because in that moment, Lance realized that Shiro was capable of being much more intense than he had been to Lance.

The thought warmed him a bit, but then he remembered that he was still the one on the receiving end of Shiro’s much more intense glare.

Shiro jogged closer, and Lance should have left. He should have, but he couldn’t. He stayed there, hand still in the air, ready to make his escape if he needed to.

“I want to thank you personally for your heroic actions today,” Shiro said, voice proper and powerful. 

“Just doing my job,” Lance responded, trying to lower his voice a bit to not raise suspicion.

“But,” Shiro began, and Lance gulped. “I want you to know that I do not condone what you’re doing. You’re giving people a false hope, and that’s cruel.”

False hope? What did he mean?

“People can’t learn to rely on a superhero,” Shiro said, and Lance just stared at him. “So if you could kindly stop before you realize what you’re getting into, I would really appreciate it.”

“I can’t,” Lance answered. “I can’t just sit around when people need me.”

Shiro sighed. “Look, kid. I won’t arrest you tonight, because what you did was amazing.” Lance felt himself blush at the compliment. “But this isn’t everything, you know? Only appearing when you feel like you can get the job done is hurtful to the population. They can’t possibly understand what we go through, what we see. And you can’t possibly understand it, either. So while I don’t hate you anymore, I couldn’t after today, I see you for what you are. So if you just want praise, or you want to be helpful, you’ve achieved both today. Quit while you’re ahead.”

And Lance understood where he was coming from, he really did. He understood that Shiro didn’t get praise from people because of what he did. He understood that this wasn’t easy, that it was beyond dangerous. 

But Lance also knew that having this ability meant that he had to help. He knew that everything was for a reason, and today confirmed it. Had Lance not been here, who knows what would have happened to those passengers, to those kids. 

“I appreciate your concern, officer,” Lance said, getting ready to shoot his web. “But don’t expect to get rid of me quite so easily.”

And Lance booked it out of there, flying back through the city to his own apartment.

“Someone’s got a crush on Spiderman,” Lance teased from over Keith’s shoulder. He was sitting at their usual lunch table, head engrossed in his sketchbook that was filled with detailed drawings of Spiderman: one of him standing at the back of the bus, another of him in action shooting webs, and a final one of him engrossed in conversation with Shiro.

Keith jumped, looking over at Lance and sighing in relief. He had probably expected it to be someone much less pleasant to deal with.

Lance sat right next to him, grabbing his packed lunch and opening it.

“Those are all incredible,” Lance remarked, and Keith shrugged.

“My brother told me about what he did,” Keith said, setting his pencil down. “He saved the lives of a bunch of children who were on their way home from a field trip.”

“Really?” Lance asked, like he hadn’t been there.

“Sorry, I know you and Shiro are kind of weird right now, but my brother is a great cop,” Keith explained, and Lance nodded.

“I know,” he said, “and I meant it when I said it wasn’t a problem. I just wish you had told me beforehand.

Keith cringed, and Lance found himself patting Keith’s shoulder in comfort. “I know. He just sort of sprung it on me. But still, I should’ve told you as soon as I found out.”

Lance hummed in agreement, but quickly changed the subject. “So you think Spiderman is cool, eh?”

Keith smiled. “How could I not? What kind of a person can do this sort of stuff?” He asked, bewildered.

“You’re right.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Pidge asked, joining them on the other side of the table. Hunk followed behind, sitting next to her and across from Keith. 

“Spiderman,” Keith answered, and Lance pointedly looked away from Pidge’s knowing eyes. 

“Interesting,” Pidge said, in a way too obvious tone. “So Keith, what are your opinions on Spiderman?”

Keith flushed. “I think he’s incredible,” he replied, flipping his sketchbook around so Pidge and Hunk could see. “He helped my brother out last night.”

“Oh did he?” Pidge asked.

“These are awesome, Keith!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Yeah, he did. So I kind of owe him, somehow.”

“Do you?”

“Well, yeah. Shiro told me all about it, before his lecture about ‘not getting myself into trouble.’”

Lance snickered. 

“What’s so funny, McClain?” Pidge asked, looking at him, hands folded under her chin.

“It’s just funny how protective Shiro is over Keith,” Lance responded.

“Agreed. He can be a bit of a helicopter sometimes.”

“So Keith,” Hunk interjected, swallowing a bite of his food. “Who do you think would win in a fight: Spiderman or Shiro?”

“Spiderman for sure,” Keith replied instantly. “Shiro’s strong, but I don’t think anyone could beat Spiderman.”

Pidge hummed, and Lance glared at her. 

“Excuse us for a second,” Lance interrupted, grabbing Pidge by the wrist and dragging her away from the table. She tried to fight against him, but she knew he was stronger, so she just followed him into the hallway.

“What are you doing?” He asked her, hands on his hips.

“What do you mean?” 

“You know what I mean! Keith can’t know!”

“Can’t know which thing?”

“Either one!”

“Come on, Lance. He’s practically gushing over you in there!”

“No, he’s not! That guy isn’t really me!”

“You’re crazy! He so is!”

Lance sighed. “No, he isn’t. He’s someone else. More confident than me, stronger than me, braver than me. Keith likes that, not me.”

Pidge put one hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know when you got it confused, bud, but that guy is you. It’s just a matter of when you let those traits out,” she explained. “You’re all of those things and more. And for what it’s worth, I think Keith happens to like both sides.”

Lance sighed again. “And how do you know that?”

“Just give it a chance, Lance. Don’t count yourself out before the match has even begun.”

“Are you trying to reference sports here?”

“Oh hush. You know what I mean.”

“Fine. I’ll give it one chance. But if I even get a whiff of him not being interested, I’m done. Finito. Finished. Gone.”

“Deal.”

Lance couldn’t help himself. He knew he had promised Pidge he would try to make things happen with Keith, but he just wasn’t brave enough to do it as himself.

So instead he found himself standing on the roof of Keith’s apartment building at 6 in the morning, full Spiderman suit on, waiting for Keith to start heading to school.

It was sad, and it was ridiculous. Lance knew both of these things. But he was desperate, and he was in love, and so he was allowed to be both of those things.

And he had just saved a bus full of kids, okay? He could be a little selfish.

It was 6:38 am when Keith finally walked out of his building. Lance, ever the subtle person, flew down to the ground right in front of him, and to be honest, the look on Keith’s face was priceless. He jumped slightly, reaching into the pocket of his bag where Lance knew he kept his pepper spray, but when he saw that it was Spiderman, he relaxed a bit, face struck with awe and hands limp at his sides.

“Woah, you’re Spiderman!” Keith exclaimed, and Lance nodded.

“Yep, the one and only.”

“Is there danger nearby?”

“Only the danger of you stealing my heart,” Lance said. It was easier this way. It was better this way, behind the mask, where he could look at Keith without ever having Keith look at him.

Keith stared at him for a few moments, completely unprepared for what had come out of his mouth. Lance didn’t blame him. In fact, Lance wasn’t sure that Keith would be receptive to this at all. But it didn’t matter, in this form. It was manipulative, and it was wrong, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“You’re joking with me, right?” Keith asked, and yeah, he had that coming.

“No,” Lance replied. “You’re Keith, right?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, slowly. “How do you know that?”

“Let’s just say I’m one for a forbidden romance,” Lance said, forming a heart with his hands. “You’re Takashi Shirogane’s younger brother, right?”

“Yeah,” Keith repeated.

“Well let’s just say I did some research. And when I found you, it was destiny. I’d like to get to know you a bit better, if that’s okay?”

Keith thought about it for a moment. “I don’t understand. Why would you want to get to know me? For revenge on my brother?”

Lance immediately panicked. “No! That’s not what I meant at all! I just thought you were attractive, and well, you’re more my age, and my type, than your brother anyway. So no pressure! Or anything!”

Keith considered this. “I’m gonna be honest with you, Spiderman,” he began, and Lance nodded along. “This is pretty weird.”

Lance felt a knife go through his heart.

“I don’t even know you, so I can’t even consider whatever sort of relationship with you that you want. But I do admire you, a lot, and so if you’d be alright with it, we could be friends?”

“That would be nice,” Lance replied, a smile on his face that Keith couldn’t see. “Sorry for dropping in on you like this. Literally.”

Keith shook his head. “No worries, Spiderman. I imagine it must get lonely, having a mask on all the time.”

“A bit,” Lance replied.

“How about this: You could walk me to school?”

“Sounds great,” Lance agreed, and Keith started forward, Lance right beside him the whole time. 

“So you’re gay?” Keith asked after some time.

Lance laughed. “I’ve been told I swing both ways,” Lance responded, and Keith chuckled.

“That’s a good one.”

“Fits my brand, but it’s also true.”

“So how did you get your powers, anyway?” Keith asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“School’s about 20 minutes away.”

“If you insist. It all started on a class field trip…”

Lance found himself staring at Keith from across the lunch table. Normally he sat next to Keith, but today he just wanted to watch as he sketched in his notepad, the edges of his pinky finger coated in graphite.

Keith was starting a new drawing, a pencil sketch of him and Spiderman, walking side-by-side, Spiderman talking animatedly, his hands making some sort of gesture as he talked. Keith in the drawing had a small smile on his face, listening intently.

“You like it?” Keith asked after a bit, and this broke Lance out of his trance.

“Oh, me? Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

Keith hummed in agreement. “It’s rough, but I like it too.”

It was raining the next morning. Lance was grateful that Pidge had made his suit water-proof, but he felt for the people walking around without umbrellas or hoods.

And when Keith walked out of his apartment building like one of those people, Lance felt bad for him, too.

Keith was looking around, probably for Spiderman, but Lance had a stop to make first. He quickly swung across a few buildings, running in and out of a store, the new item in hand.

He landed a few feet away from Keith, whose face lit up at the sight of him.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Keith said, hair soaked and sticking to his face. 

“I thought you might need this,” Lance replied, opening the umbrella and walking towards Keith to hand it to him. Keith stared at him, their height difference only about an inch, and his eyes looked like the combination of swimming pools and stars. Lance held the umbrella over him when he didn’t take it, stopping him from getting any more wet.

“What about you?” Keith asked, trying to push the umbrella towards Lance.

Lance laughed. “The suit’s waterproof,” he answered. “But you’re not.”

“You brought this just for me?” Keith asked, stunned. His face flushed lightly, like it did when someone complimented his work. 

“Yeah. Can’t have you getting a cold now, can we?”

Keith smiled, but he didn’t accept the umbrella.

“Even if your suit’s waterproof, you’ll have to dry it afterwards. You keep it.

And so that’s how they found themselves walking in the rain, Lance holding an umbrella mostly over Keith’s head, but partially over his own, heading for their school. And had Lance actually been himself, he realized, he probably could have reached out and grabbed Keith’s hand, muttering something along the lines of needing warmth. But Lance wasn’t Lance right now, and Keith had made it clear where they both stood, and Lance was going to respect that boundary.

It didn’t make it any less tempting, though.

It didn’t surprise Lance that Keith’s drawing today was of him and Spiderman in the rain, drops all around but not touching them, Spiderman holding it above Keith’s head as they walked down the street.

And when Lance asked about it, all Keith said was, “Rain can be nice, sometimes.”

Lance was in way too deep. He was spending all of his mornings with Keith as Spiderman, and all of his evenings either fighting crime or hanging out with Keith in his art room. He watched as Keith’s sketches took shape, becoming picturesque retellings of their time together.

And Lance couldn’t take it much longer. He was everywhere in Keith’s life, both as himself and as his alter ego. He was everywhere, but he was getting nowhere.

He had to muster up some courage and just go for it.

Pidge and Hunk had been in his corner for so long, telling him that it would be fine and that Keith would still care about him no matter what. And it took some time, but now he realized that they were right. They were great friends, and they were right.

Pidge had kindly held back her “I told you so” when he had brought it up.

Lance was standing outside of Keith’s apartment building, as himself this time. It was about 8 pm on a Wednesday, and Lance took a deep breath in before requesting to be buzzed in.

Because Lance’s life was awful, Shiro was the one who answered.

“Yes?” He asked, voice gruff like he was almost asleep.

“It’s me, Lance. I’m here to see Keith.”

“And what do you plan on doing with Keith on a school night?” 

“I have a question to ask him.”

“And what is this question, exactly?”

Lance didn’t know what to say. If he told Shiro his true intentions, would Shiro just send him away immediately?

“Shiro, who is it?” Keith’s voice called out from the background.

Shiro sighed. “It’s Lance,” he said, though it sounded like he didn’t want to.

“Let him up! What are you saying to him?”

“Nothing, nothing!” Shiro exclaimed, but Lance was let through, and he took the elevator up to Keith’s floor. He walked towards the door, and Keith was already there with the door open, waiting for him covered in his usual charcoal.

“What’s up, Lance?” He asked, but then he got a good look at Lance, and his eyes widened. Lance had dressed up for the occasion, in his father’s too-big suit and brushed out hair. He simply stood right in front of Keith, hands folded together behind his back.

“Keith Kogane,” Lance began, timid. “I just wanted to ask if you’d be kind enough to go to the Spring Dance with me?” 

Lance prepared himself for Keith’s light rejection. It would be sweet, all apologizing and insisting they could still be friends, like he had with Spiderman. It hadn’t hurt then, but now Lance had known he was preparing himself for heartbreak, but he was ready. He was ready and it was going to be just fine.

“I’d love to,” Keith said, throwing his arms around Lance’s neck, pulling him into a hug. Lance unhooked his hands from one another, slightly sticky because of his nerves, and wrapped them around Keith’s back. He could feel Keith’s warm breath on his ear, and Lance never felt happier.

“Are you serious?” Lance asked. 

“Yeah. Of course. Are you?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Lance kept Keith in his embrace, swaying them side to side slightly. When he opened his eyes, he could see Shiro in the kitchen of their apartment, sipping from a mug, staring directly at Lance with a look that could kill.

If Lance wanted to make it into a relationship with Keith, he was going to have to make it through Shiro first. That much was certain.

The Spring Ball was the following Friday night, and everyone from their school was there, dressed in varying levels of formal, depending on what they found comfortable. Lance met up with Hunk and Pidge at Pidge’s house, all of them ready to go and pick up Keith.

“I think it’s sweet that you went all the way to his apartment,” Hunk remarked, straightening his yellow tie. “Shows you really care.”

“Well I think it’s gross,” Pidge added, adjusting her own green tie. “But I’m happy for you, Lance.”

Lance smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the time.

“Let’s go, guys! We have to be at Keith’s in ten minutes!”

Hunk and Pidge scrambled around, grabbing their phones and any last-minute items.

“You have your other outfit, right?” Pidge whispered to him as Hunk went to wash his face. “Just in case?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered back. “It’s in my bag in my locker. I left it there to avoid having to carry it around.”

“Sweet. I’ll work on a more subtle way for you, though.”

“You’re the best.”

“Don’t I know it.”

The four friends took pictures outside of the school gymnasium, where the event was being held. They had color-coded their ties, yellow, green, blue, and red, but their suits were all the same color. Hunk had said it made them look like a team, and the rest agreed. 

The pictures turned out adorable.

When they made it inside, Keith grabbed Lance by the hand, dragging him to the edge of the dance floor. The song was sort of fast, but Keith put his hands on Lance’s hips anyway, and Lance followed suit, placing his on Keith’s shoulders, letting Keith take the lead when it came to their rhythm.

“Thanks for asking me to come,” Keith said, looking right into Lance’s eyes.

“Thanks for saying yes,” Lance countered.

Keith smiled. “I kind of had the feeling something was gonna happen soon.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“How so?”

“I’ve liked you for a while now, and I wasn’t sure if you felt the same.”

“You’ve what?” Lance interrupted. He was sure his mouth was hanging open.

Keith just smiled again. “Yeah, but I didn’t know how you felt. Then I found out you were bi, and then you just, I don’t know, started to get more confident with me? Like hanging out with me and all that? And then you showed up at my door, and I didn’t know what to expect, but honestly it couldn’t have gone better.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Completely. You’re amazing, Lance.”

And Lance had wanted this for so long, had anticipated a moment just like this, hoped and dreamed about it. But Lance knew that moments like these were too good to be true, and the next thing Keith said confirmed that.

“Thanks for walking me to school every day,” he said, and Lance let go of his shoulders.

“What do you mean?”

“Calm down, Lance! It’s okay! I promise I haven’t told anyone!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lance exclaimed, putting a bit more distance between them. Keith couldn’t know. He couldn’t. He couldn’t be put in the middle of all of this.

“It doesn't bother me,” Keith assured, taking a step closer to close the distance. “And I didn’t know it was you at all until about a week ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“How’d I give myself away?”

Keith grabbed back onto Lance’s waist, staring up at him. “It wasn’t one particular thing. But I’ll have you know that when you make a lot of art about two different people you’re really into, and they start looking similar, you start to put the pieces together.

“What?”

“Lance, I really like you. I don’t mean to scare you off or anything, but I can’t help but draw what I’m feeling. So naturally, you get drawn a lot. I didn’t realize how much until I discovered you both were the same person.”

“How come you never showed me?”

“It’s embarrassing. But you’re a great muse, Lance. Both sides of you.”

“Thanks. Must be the stunning good looks.”

“That helps,” Keith agreed, starting them back into a slow rhythm. “But I think your emotion is what really does it. You show everything on your face, and you aren’t scared of it. That’s rare, I think, especially for men. It’s beautiful.”

“You’d better stop talking, or I’m going to want to kiss you even more.”

“Just do it, Blue.”

“You sure?”

Keith leaned in closer, his face a breath away from Lance’s. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

Lance leaned in, too, and their lips slotted together clumsily. Neither of them were experienced, but they didn’t need to be. There was something beautiful about learning these things together.

And when they separated, Lance’s eyes shot open. Keith stared at him weirdly, and Lance quickly let go, turning around and facing the exit to the gym.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked, grabbing onto Lance’s hand.

“My senses just went off,” Lance stated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Something’s wrong.”

“Are you sure?” Keith asked, and Lance nodded.

“It’s never been wrong. I’m so sorry, Keith, but I have to go.”

“I get it,” Keith said, rubbing his fingers on Lance’s hand. “But save a dance for me when you get back?”

“You couldn’t stop me if you tried.”

Lance walked briskly towards the exit to the gym, the one that let out into the school hallway. He jogged towards his locker, opening it quickly and grabbing his bag, undoing his blue tie and  slamming the door closed. 

He was running now, out of the school and into the open. His spidey sense would kick in every few minutes, so he knew he was headed in the right direction. But for a moment, Lance felt a presence behind him, and he turned around to find Keith running after him, shoes now ruined, coated in grass and mud.

Lance paused, letting Keith come closer.

“Lance?” Keith called out, tie coming undone and hair floating around in the wind.

“Yeah?”

“Just so you know, I always admired Spiderman, but I always loved Lance. Spiderman was a fantasy, an unrealistic goal. You were actually in my life, confident and kind. So if you were to ask me to choose,” Keith continued, like he had nothing to lose, “Well I’d choose Lance every time. I just wanted to make that clear, if I didn’t before.”

Lance tried not to let the emotion show on his face as he backed up slowly, backpack filled with his suit in his hands. He felt the wind whipping through his own hair, his own suit jacket floating behind him. 

Keith was beautiful. He was all Lance had ever wanted. 

But somewhere along the line, Lance had fallen into something that didn’t give him that luxury. He couldn’t just be Lance anymore. He couldn’t. He had to be Spiderman, too. So while what Keith said was flattering, and probably untrue, Lance just smiled at him before turning around and running straight into the danger.

Keith was safety. Keith was home. Keith was a peaceful life.

But Lance was freedom. Lance was thrill. Lance was destined to fly.