Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Chapter 25

We went up to Keith's apartment, where Cosmo waited patiently at the door.

"Aw, you trained him not to scratch." I cooed, offering my hand for the dog to sniff. He turned his nose up, following Keith into his bedroom.

"Actually, I trained him not to scratch." Shiro laughed, coming out of his bedroom. He looked exhausted, but restless. I couldn't imagine being forced to stay at home and rest for so long.

"That's because you have too much free time." Keith retorted, poking his head out of his room. "You coming?"

I turned red, following Keith into his room. I felt a bunch of emotions swirl inside me – nerves, lust, excitement, fear. Today was the day. The day I would tell Keith how I felt about him.

His room was almost exactly how I'd imagined it: black and red décor, a bed that was low to the ground, and minimalistic belongings. His helmet was sat on the top of a chest of drawers, and a few shirts were hung on the back of a chair.

Keith threw himself onto his bed, shrugging off his hoodie. My thoughts turned inappropriate when his t-shirt caught as he pulled it off, showing a strip of his abdomen. For such a small guy, he had great abs.

"Sit down then, weirdo." He taunted, patting the bed beside him. I tentatively sat down; Cosmo jumped up between us.

"Beef!" I cried, rummaging through my bag until I found the little packet of beef dog treats that I'd bought especially for Cosmo. His ears pricked at the sound, and he gobbled a few out of my hand. He still seemed a bit wary, but at least he wasn't outright ignoring me now. "Good boy." I said, ruffling his neck fur. "He really doesn't seem like he used to be a bait dog." I mused.

"He bonded to me pretty quickly." Keith mumbled, scratching behind Cosmo's ear.

So did I...was what I wanted to say.

"I can see." I smiled. "Good thing you don't have a girlfriend for him to get used to."

Keith looked up, tilting his head to the side.

"What?" I asked in response.

"I guess you forgot." He mumbled. "When we were drunk, I told you I was gay."

"O-oh." I stammered. I wondered how we'd gotten on to the subject of sexuality. "I must have forgotten."

"Don't worry." He laughed. "I didn't expect you to remember much of that night, anyway."

"Did you recall anything else?" I pried. I still hadn't decided whether he was lying to me or not, and it would be easier to tell in person.

"Erm..." He trailed off, looking down at Cosmo. "I might have done."

"Are you going to tell me?" I said softly, clenching my fingers into my palms. I couldn't tell him what I planned until I knew I hadn't said anything before.

"First, there's something else I need to tell you." He frowned, not meeting my eye. "It's about your friend, James."

"Oh, you mean Griffin?"

Keith nodded.

"What about him? Did he do something weird to you?" I demanded.

Keith looked up, shocked.

"How did you...? Never mind." He shook his head. "I sort of told him that you were my boyfriend."

B....

Boyfriend...

"W-why would you...? I mean..." I stammered, feeling my cheeks turn red. "W-we're not...unless you..."

"Lance, calm down." He said softly. "I did it so he would stop trying to date me. I'm not interested in him, and he wouldn't give up. He even kissed me-"

"He kissed you?" I growled, my initial shock turned to anger. "I'll fucking kill him..."

"Lance." Keith repeated, putting a comforting hand on my wrist. I was reminded how soft his skin was – soft and warm. I wondered if the rest of his body was as soft as his hands. "I've already dealt with it. The kiss happened ages ago, so you don't need to kill him."

"Fine." I mumbled. "What did you remember from that night?"

"Erm..." He stumbled, turning red. "I...well..." He shook his head. "You got kind of upset over something, then passed out. Nothing else."

Nothing else? I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. I hoped he was telling the truth, but something inside me felt like I'd done something much more important that night, I just couldn't remember.

"Ahh, sorry." I laughed, pushing away the niggling doubt. "I've sworn off alcohol for the time being, so you don't have to worry about me doing that again."

Keith looked up at me with a playful grin.

"We'll see how long that promise holds up."

Chills ran over my body. I was in for a hell of a ride with this dude – and I looked forward to every minute of it.

I got home later on, heading straight into my bedroom. I was working the following day, and Pidge had warned me that if I was late one more time, she would have Hunk stuff me into a trash can for the day. I shuddered; her calculating and devious eyes reminded me of the Prodigy – or Lotor, as I now knew him. I hoped I didn't have to see the guy again, outside of Race Night at least.

I peeled off my clothes and climbed into bed, feeling an item of clothing under the covers with me. I pulled it out, and realised it was Keith's shirt. I'd forgotten to take it back to him when I visited, even though I'd washed it and folded it, ready to be taken.

I quickly texted him.

Me: Hey buddy, I forgot to bring back your shirt. I'll drop it off at some point this week.

Keith: I just found your shirt under the cushion of the couch. We'll trade when we next hang out.

Me: Cool. Good night, Prince Leo.

Keith: Shut up, loverboy.

~

After texting Lance, I climbed into bed, clinging to his shirt. I'd wimped out of telling him the truth again. It was becoming problematic. Every time I lied to him, I felt myself die a little inside.

I tried to shake off the feeling of pressing guilt and focused instead on trying to get some sleep. When I realised I was still clinging to his shirt, I'd already begun to fall asleep, dreaming he was there with me.