'such a pity, a boy so pretty'

4: the mcclain's

"So this is Keith?" Lance's Mum asked him from the kitchen door. "I'm Mrs McClain, but you can call me Rosa."

"He's new, so he needed to catch up on our lessons, Mr Alfor asked me to tutor him." Lance told her, leaning against the door frame folding his arms.

"You? Why would he ask you?" Mateo scoffed, pushing his sisters legs off of him, she scowled and kicked him.

"I don't know" Lance shrugged "Can Keith stay for dinner Mama? We still have some more work we need to do."

"Of course." Rosa smiled, walking back into back into the kitchen, a few seconds later Keith could hear plates being shifted about, Lance winked at him.

"I better introduce you to everyone. These two twin idiots are Mateo and Maria, don't bother speaking to her she's going through a 'stage' at the moment. Then there's Diego, and Gabriela." He picked up the girl from behind, she squealed and laughed.

"Lance! Put me down, that tickles." She laughed.

"She's only seven, but she's still the baby of the family." Lance said, putting his sister down.

"I'm not a baby!" She said pouting.

"Of course not princess."

"I'm definitely not a baby, I'm ten." He told Keith. "Do you want to see my transformers?" Keith nodded.

"Sure." Diego shuffled over  to him and Keith sat down as Diego handed him a few action figures, Diego took one of them out of Keith's hands and started to move it about until it looked like a car. "Cool." Keith told him. "Very cool." Lance had also sat down on the floor with his sister on his lap, who was also playing transformers, he smiled at Keith, Keith smiled back, hiding his red cheeks.

"My oldest brother Robert, moved out a couple years ago, and I've got a sister in college, she's doing pre-med on a scholarship too." Lance said as he was handed some small dolls by his sister. "Cute." He told her, smiling widely as if she meant the world to him.

"Sofia's going to be a nurse." Diego said whilst shooting one of Gabriela's dolls with his transformer.

"A doctor." Lance's Dad corrected sharply from behind Keith, who turned around and didn't notice Lance's flinch, he walked into the room and taking a seat in one of the armchairs. "She's going to be a doctor."

"Roberts an accountant at a big firm or company or something, and Sofia's going to be a doctor, so that means I have to be something too." Lance said that last bit quietly, so only Keith could hear. "So don't fail R.E okay?" Lance chuckled, trying to lighten his serious tone.

"I won't." And he wouldn't, Keith made a promise there and then that he wouldn't, this obviously meant a lot to Lance. How hard could it be right?

"Dinners ready!" Came Rosa's voice from the dining room, there was scramble as everyone made their way to the voice. Keith and Lance being last. They all sat down, only one empty seat left.

Keith felt more relaxed around the aromas of tomato sauce, he was sat by Lance, thank God, and Diego. The food was delicious and Keith savoured every mouthful. His dad never cooked, just heated stuff up or bought take-out.

"Thank you, that was delicious...Rosa." Keith said, Lance leaned towards him.

"Suck-up." He giggled finishing his plate. "Can me and Keith go upstairs now?" Lance stood up.

"No you're going to fill the dishwasher." Lance groaned and pulled Keith for the millionth time that day, into the kitchen, carrying most of the plates, Keith carried some too.

They were soon finished and Lance led him back to his room, he switched on his lamp, gathering some of the books from the floor, putting them in a pile on his desk, then moving them to one side, opening the window behind the desk. It was already dark outside.

"Follow me." Lance said and climbed out, disappearing from view. Keith peered out of the window, there was the edge of the lower story roof that Lance was sat on, his legs swinging over the edge, surprising there was a blanket out there, indicating he'd been out of here more than once.

Keith climbed out, careful not to fall, he walked on the roof and sat next to Lance. The Cuban was looking up to the sky, his face illuminated in the brightness of the moon. His eyes wide as he stared up at the sky, Keith's stomach fluttered.

"Look you can see The Big Dipper." Lance said pointing at the constellation, Keith averted his eyes from Lance's face and followed his hand towards the sky. And there it sat, the group of six stars, in perfect formation. "It's beautiful." He said still staring at the sky.

"Yeah it is." Keith said, his eyes looking anywhere but the constellation.

"You're the only person who's ever been up here with me." Lance told him, his voice like a whisper.

"Why me? You don't even know me?" Keith wondered.

"That's the beauty of it. This is my happy place, my sanctum, Everything seems so different up here. It wouldn't make any sense to show this to Hunk, or Pidge, or Shiro or even Allura. They've known me too long, they wouldn't understand the significance of my stupid roof."

"Oh." Was all Keith could say.

"Oh indeed." Lance repeated, leaning back on his roof, not looking at Keith once. "So What's Florida like?" Lance asked.

"Uneventful." Keith said, still sat up, this time taking in the skies beauty. "You can't see the stars."

"Well that sucks, must've been extremely boring there." Lance said.

"Yeah it was. But it's more the people that make the place isn't it?" Keith told him.

"So do you like it here then so far?" Lance sat up again.

"Definitely." There was a buzz and Keith's phone started to ring, he groaned, it was his dad. "Hello? Yes, yes I'm coming, okay I'll see you in a bit. Yes. Yes. Okay! Bye." Keith hung up. "I have to go, sorry."

"Hey it's fine, I should've suggested it was too late anyway. Pass me your phone." Lance held his hand out.

"Why?" Keith raised his eyebrow.

"So I am out my number in it silly." Lance laughed and took Keith's phone creating a new contact. "There." He got up and helped Keith back through the window. "You should take some of my books back with you, just to go over them, if I know Alfor, he's probably going to try and test you as soon as we walk into his class on Wednesday." Lance picked up a few books and Keith put them in his backpack. They walked down the stairs.

"Goodbye Mrs McClain." Keith said as the passed the living room. "Bye Diego, Grabriela. Mr McClain." Lance's other siblings must've vacated to their rooms as they were no where to be seen.

"Goodbye Keith." Rosa said, Lance's Dad just grunted.

"Bye Keef." Gabriela said, and Lance stifled a laughed.

"I assume you're going to drive him home Lance?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah sure. See you guys in a bit." Lance grabbed his jacket and they both walked to the truck, Lance grabbed Keith's bike and put it in the back again. They got in the truck and Lance started driving.

"So where does mullet live?" Lance turned on the radio and hummed along to the song.

"The road near the school, Eastbrook Road, number 12." Keith told him, a few minutes later they zoomed past the school. The roads were deserted and so they got to Keith's house in no time.

"8, 10, 12!" Lance said and pulls the handbrake. "There you go dropout, home sweet home. Guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you McClain." Keith said jumping out of the car, grabbing his bike from the back of the car and giving him a shy wave then walking around the back of his house.

end of chapter four