SpunkyasQuiznak thanks!!

request- lance protects keith somehow

my twist- 80's themed bc yes

________

[ set in the mid 80's ]

The ambience of the club was ecstatic- everything was loud. Neon lights of all colors looming and beaming over the bouncing dancers on the floor, grinding and moving as one. It was hot, and overwhelming, bodies stuck together with sweat and lust.

Keith hated it.

He unbuttoned the top of his black shirt, sweat trickling down his bare forearms. He wanted to be at home, the tiny, leaking and rundown apartment so superior to this.

Drunk skanks paraded the bar, looking for a guy to take home. Keith eyed them warily, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to himself.

He was only here to close a deal. He didn't need to be sidetracked, which was hard for a guy like him, anyways.

He took a final swig of his vodka, the drink piercing his throat, before tying up his jet black hair. Handsome men in tight suits were making their way to him. Smirks shadowing their smug faces.

"Keith." The main man said. His hair was voluptuous, strikingly white like the hottest flame, as it cascaded down his back. His eyes were a watery yellow as they fell upon Keith.

"Lotor." Keith addressed, taking in Lotor's company. Two men flanking him, dressed in matching velvet. They were gorgeous, in a dangerous way.

"Do you have what I need." Lotor said, closing in on Keith's ear. His breathe was hot against Keith's neck.

" Yes. " Keith lied. "But there's something I want in return."

Lotor's smirk crept across his face like a shadow. "Is that so?" He turned to his men, laughing. "He wants something in return!"

They laughed with him, ruthless.

"Listen, here." Lotor said, leaning back in to Keith's unwavering gaze. " This isn't a give or take situation. You give me what I want, and that's that. No negotiating. "

Keith stared back, just as intense. "That's too bad. I was hoping to do this the easy way."

" Is that a threat? " Lotor scoffed. "As if my men wouldn't take you in an instance, let alone me. And you can't run, or hide. We own you. Don't forget." He reached a delicate pointer to Keith's chin.

Keith pulled away, scowling. "You don't own me. I'm my own man, and a valuable one." He spat at Lotor's bodyguards. " You wouldn't touch me. "

Lotor placed a hand hard against the bar behind Keith, shattering plenty of glasses. The bartender looked onward, clearly upset.

"Don't test me, Keith. I've never liked you, and I don't know what my father sees in you. So I wouldn't hesitate to ruin you."

"Try me."

Lotor's hand was around Keith's neck before the words could barely leave his lips. "I said I wouldn't hesitate, pretty boy." He spat.

"Hey, hands off."

Keith struggled to turn his head. His eyes landed on the bartender. Blue eyes that seemed to dance with the crowd, but set into stone. The guy looked sculpted, perfect. His skin was the smoothest shade of caramel Keith had ever seen.

"Who are you? His boyfriend?" Lotor chuckled, turning to the guy.

The bartender's eyes fell upon Keith, impossibly soft. Keith gasped for air.

And with that, a fist fast as lightning connected with Lotor's jaw, throwing him off Keith, and clattering across the bar. Other clubbers teetered off giggling and hiccuping, too intoxicated to notice the commotion.

"You ok?" Came the voice of the bartender, his glowing eyes falling onto Keith's. Pinks and greens, purples and blues, whites and yellows, danced across his face from the shimmering lights.

" W-who are you? " Keith asked.

"Name's Lance." The guy said, reaching out a hand as Lotor's men scrambled to help him up.

" Hey, Lance. " Keith said, grabbing the hand. With that, he was whisked off, Lotor scowling and wiping at his face, spitting out a few words like mud.

Pretty boy.

__________

The booming music of the club seemed to fade within the closeted walls behind the bar. Lance led Keith through a staff door, pushing through carts and cabinets stocked with ingredients and drinks.

Keith didn't question, instead following the taller man until they reached a door at the back of the club, eggshell colored paint peeling to reveal the eroded iron.

Lance pushed open the door, revealing stone steps down into an alley, the smell of cigarette smoke wafting through the small space. Rain water leaked from pipes in the brick of the club, adding to the faint tapping of Keith's dress shoes.

"Lanceyyy, your shift's over already?" Came a drowsy voice from the steps. A ditsy blonde with a matching bartender outfit called up at them, smoking nonchalantly. She frowned.

"Yes, Nyma. Go hold it down." Lance said, pulling Keith along.

Nyma groaned, teetering to a stand.

Keith stopped before Lance pulled him out of the alleyway.

Lance turned to him, confused.

"Look, man." Keith said. " Thanks for that, back there but um, I'm good, ok? I can handle my own. "

Lance eyed him. "Yeah that's great and all, but those guys didn't seem like your run of the mill bullies."

Keith didn't know what to say to that. Lance was right.

"And you all seem to have.." He shook his hands for emphasis. "History." He shrugged. " You'd seem better off with someone they don't know the address of, hm? "

Keith crossed his arms. "True. But that address needs to be yours...because?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Because I've dealt with men like this before," his eyes darted back to the door of the club. "And because you don't have much time to choose anyone else."

Keith raised a brow. "What-"

"There he is!" Keith turned to see one of Lotor's men, stumbling down the steps into the alleyway, pointing at Keith and Lance. Wasn't long before the other guy followed.

"Oh-"

Lance was grabbing him again, pulling him around the corner onto a crappy sidewalk. They were on the deteriorating side of town, cramped stores and liquor induced beggars on every corner. The pitch black sky was filled with fog, and the breathe of a million lungs.

"You got a car? A plan?" Keith asked, tripping over his heels as he followed Lance at a sprint, Lotor's men shouting and hollering, on their tail.

"Um, neither." Lance said, before cutting down another alleyway, picking up speed.

Keith huffed, his legs not long like Lance's. He had to trust the guy though. No other choice.

"But my place isn't far." Lance said, going down another street. Keith followed, the voices of their pursuers closing in.

Suddenly, Lance cut another corner, into a thin crevice between two drugstores. Before Keith could react, he was snatched, and thrown into the tight space with Lance.

Lance's arm wrapped around Keith's waist, holding him to his chest, breathe slowing down as they locked eyes.

"Where'd they go?"

" No idea. Keep looking. " 

"This way!"

The voices faded away, along with the pounding of their steps.

Keith felt his nose brush against Lance's. His pants tightened.

"Okay, I think they're gone." Lance finally said, his breathe smelling like chocolate and vanilla. "Come on." With that, he stepped back onto the street, taking off.

Keith barely had a second to process and let his cheeks cool, before he hopped on after Lance.

They came to another back street behind a tennent of brownstones, as Lance started pulling down a set of rickety metal stairs.

"You live here?" Keith asked, glancing up and down the street quickly.

" Yes. " Lance said, before climbing the stairs quickly. Keith followed him up to a window a few houses up. He waited as Lance slid open the window, going in.

They pulled the stairs up, and closed the window fast.

Keith glanced around the place. A small apartment similar to his. They had landed in a pink bedroom, a bed full of jean shorts and cassette tapes taking up most of the space. A dresser with girls underclothes flowing out of it, and makeup on the top stood against the wall.

Keith raised an eyebrow, as Lance shoved his way through the messy room, into a tight hallway, with a washing machine and dryer shaking uncontrollably to the left of them.

"There's the bathroom." Lance said, pointing behind them, where a door was closed. " In case, ya know. " he said, before leaving the hallway. To the right was a kitchen, cleaner than the room, with a few dishes in the sink and a textbook or two open on the table.

The living room took up the rest of the space, a pull out couch with a blue comforter full of more textbooks and some boxers sat in front of a boxy t.v, chips and Twinkie boxes strewn across the floor. A digital clock under the t.v said it was almost 3 a.m.

Keith watched as Lance kicked off his shoes and undid his tie and vest, plopping onto the couch.

"I assume you don't live alone?" Keith said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

" Nope. " Lance said, running a hand through his hair. "Twin sis."

" Oh. " Keith said. "So that was her room?" He jabbed a thumb back at the bedroom.

" Mhm. This is her place. " Lance said, chuckling. "She hates when I come in through her window though... or when I sneak girls out of it." He winked.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just... I'm not staying here."

Lance frowned. "Why not? It's cozy, and those dudes won't find you."

Keith eyed him, before finally sitting down on the couch. "You said you've dealt with guys like those before?"

Lance's eyes suddenly went cloudy. "Urm, yeah." He then jumped up, heading to the kitchen in his socks. "You hungry? "

Keith slipped off his shoes. "Not really." He sighed. Why was Lance being so secretive?

"Well, you're gonna eat anyway." Lance said. " Rachel makes the best tamales. "  And with that, he cut on a radio in the kitchen, playing the latest George Micheal, singing along to every lyric.

Keith watched him make a plate, a million questions running through his mind.

"Where's your sister right now? " Keith asked.

"At her boyfriends probably. She's either there or work. She's a journalist." Lance said absentmindedly. "Salsa?"

" No. " Keith said. "Does she work for a news company or..? "

"Lots of questions, hm?" Lance asked. " But yeah, been working for some big anchor coverage for a minute. It's good money but she wants to cover state problems, not local. "

"Right." Keith said, picking up a textbook from the bed. "And you're a student?"

Lance laughed, bringing the plate over. "Yep, dropped out of high school when-"

He stopped midsentence, the cloudy look in his eyes returning.

"For reasons." He handed Keith a paper plate of food. "So I went back. Graduated... I'm finishing college now, along with this night job. "

Keith decided to push more, hoping to uncover what Lance kept dismissing. "How long have you been working at the bar? "

"God.. Ever since I moved in here and went back to school. So about five years? I know all the regulars, which is mainly why I was so suspicious of you and those other guys. Never seen them before. Or you. "

"Yeah, I'm not from around here." Keith started eating, realizing just how hungry he actually was. Plus Lance was right, Rachel could cook.

"When did you drop out? " He then asked, hoping to go back to that topic.

Lance leaned his palms back against the table in the kitchen. "17, or so. I was a junior." He sighed. " Came back to finish at 19, and moved in with Rachel who was a freshmen in college. I finished up and graduated high school by the time she was a junior, and I started working as a bartender. "

He shrugged. "So she's always been ahead of me." He scratched his head. "She graduated three years ago and got her journalist job. I hope she can get her career moving, she's really good."

Keith nodded. "I bet."

" I'm a senior now, few more months and I'm done! I major in aviation and engineering, so I wanna get out of this dump and quit my job so I can become a pilot. " A childish gleam sparkled in his eyes. "Of course I gotta go to school for my license too, but I just LOVE flying. "

Keith smiled. "That sounds nice."

Lance nodded. "Yeah..." Then he came back to the bed, plopping down and cutting on the t.v. He surfed tediously, before stopping on a Patrick Swayze movie marathon, Ghost playing, a Whoopie Goldberg scene.

"Anyway." He then said, turning to Keith. " Why are you asking so much? "

Keith frowned. "Because I wanna know who I'm staying with?? You're a stranger to me."

Lance nodded. "You're a stranger to me too, ya know. " He said. "So what's up with you?" 

Keith grimaced. It was only fair he told Lance about himself after that detailed story of his.

But he hated talking about himself.

"What do you want to know?"

" That's easy. What you were doing with those guys back there? "

Keith frowned. Lance wouldn't tell him the secret he had pertaining to men like those, so why should he?

"Something else." He said, looking at his empty plate.

"Oh?" Lance frowned. " Uh, okay. " he got up, throwing Keith's plate away, before checking the window.

"You said you're not from around here. So where are you from? "

"Well. I did grow up here. But I've um, spent a lot of time hidden away." He said vaguely.

Lance nodded. "Mysterious."

Keith shrugged. "Sorry."

" It's fine. " Lance said, coming back to the couch. "Just wondering about you."

" Yeah. "

"You got family?"

Keith felt sweat trickling again. "No. I never knew my parents. And if I've got siblings, I'll let you know. "

Lance whistled. "That's rough. I've got a bunch of siblings. Large family, ya know? Though, Rachel's the only one who talks to me anymore. "

Keith felt the story unraveling. "Why?"

Lance thumbed his pants. "Why not?" He said, chuckling.

" Anyway. You want to take a shower or something? " He changed the subject fast, standing up.

Keith blinked. "Um, yeah. Sure."

He had been so close.

" Those punks won't find you here. " Lance promised, heading to the hallway closet. "I've got classes tomorrow so you can just stay here probably." He started grabbing towels and washcloths, soap and a toothbrush.

"Ok." Keith said. " Will Rachel mind? "

Lance kicked open the dryer, before grabbing at some random articles of clothing. "Nah, I've had guys over before."

Keith blushed. "Uh-"

"Anyways, here." Lance smiled, handing Keith the pile of clothes. " The shirt might be a little big, but you should be fine. "

Keith nodded, before heading to the bathroom. It wasn't long before the sound of running water started up.

As Keith showered and brushed his teeth, Lance found himself cleaning up. He folded and put up his and Rachel's laundry, did the dishes and sweeped, throwing away trash.

He was nervous. He cleaned when he was nervous.

Keith couldn't know his past.

___

"Thanks, again." Keith said, leaving the bathroom, clean and in a large Selena shirt and boxers.

" No problemo. " Lance said, as Keith took in the now clean apartment. "You sleep on the couch."

" Where are you gonna sleep? " Keith asked, slipping into the blue comforter.

"Rachel's bed." Lance laughed, throwing dirty clothes into a hamper by the washing machine. " She won't be home till morning anyway. "

Keith nodded, as Lance turned off the t.v, and lights.

"Goodnight, Keith." He then said quietly.

" Goodnight. " Keith said.

The night passed quickly for Keith, who slept well on the pull out couch, but slowly and fretfully for Lance, who was nervous about his story unraveling.

Because truth was, he knew Keith. He knew everything about Keith.

___

The morning came, Lance showering away his bar induced night, and getting ready for his classes. He left a note for Keith, and headed out.

Keith woke up a little later, groggily heading to the kitchen.

hey man, hope you like cheerios :) ill be home by three so don't stress rachel out while im gone. she's usually cranky

-your savior 

Keith balled up the little sticky note, before heading back to bed. He didn't want cereal, he needed coffee.

He was used to being alone when he wasn't training, but for some reason, he missed Lance.

Suddenly, he heard the jangling of keys and the creak of the door. He turned to see a girl, pretty and tall, with chocolate curls and a nose identical to Lance's. She was carrying a bag of groceries, and her blue eyes settled on Keith.

"Ugh." She said in disgust. " He treat you well? "

Keith watched her lock the door, before going to the kitchen. "Huh-"

"He hasn't brought home a guy in a long time." She said, sighing heavily. "Coffee." She muttered, turning to grab a pot and fix some up.

" Oh, uh, we aren't a thing. " Keith said.

Rachel nodded, grabbing a blue mug the color of a robin's egg. "They never are. Always a one night stand from the bar." She shook her head. "You want a cup?"

Keith nodded, moving to the table. "No, Lance and I didn't..." His face turned red. "I just stayed over."

Rachel slid a cup over to him. "Hm, yeah i don't remember Lance having friends so..."

Keith watched her dump a diabetes inducing amount of sugar into her cup. "Yeah, we're complicated."

She nodded. "I like complicated." She sipped her cup. " He tell you my life story? " She asked. "He always does."

" Yeah. "

She smiled. "Sometimes I regret the privilege I give him." She chuckled.

Keith nodded. "Could you maybe tell me... about him?"

Rachel faltered, before clearing her throat. "Yeah, um... His favorite color is blue. He loves garlic knots and is a definite momma's boy. I think he falls in love easily-"

"No, no." Keith said, stopping her. " Thanks. But um, I mean..why he dropped out of school. "

Rachel sighed. "He couldn't handle it, that's all. Pressure ya know." She chuckled nervously, standing.

Keith watched her move to her bedroom. Something was definitely off...

He drank his coffee as Rachel moved around in her room, before coming back out, checking her watch. "I've gotta go to work, but Lance should be back soon, okay?" She said, rushing to the door.

"O-okay." Keith said.

" Nice meeting you, Keith. " She said with a smile, before closing the door.

Keith nodded, before staring at his cup, gloomily.

He had never told her or Lance his name.

_______________________________________________________________________

hope you enjoyed !! sorry i kinda got carried away.. hehe ! ill continue it later, might even make it a short story cause i really like where it's going!!

:>