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It was a perfect late summer night. It was hot, but miraculously not humid – a rare occasion for August in Philadelphia. Lance was already a little buzzed and smiley from the beers he and Hunk had at their apartment. Hunk, his roommate, band mate, and best friend, was jogging a couple paces behind lance to keep up.“You know, we really don’t need to run.” Hunk said from behind him. “I know, I’m just in a good mood.” And he was. Lance thrived in the summer. He loved how casual and relaxed everything became, especially in the city where time itself seemed to slow down. He had two more weeks until classes started up again, and he spent all day hanging out on his roof with Hunk jamming, smoking and tanning. They were on their way to a house show, doing a little fast walk-jog because they felt a little guilty for coming extremely late. Not that Lance thought anyone would mind. It was summer, it was hot, and everyone was lazy. Lance was at ease walking through West Philly, his home throughout college. It was a comforting blend of city life with a relaxed suburban feel. He felt at home in the music scene there, a network of small bands and performers putting on house shows in backyards and basements. It was his favorite way to go to hear music and meet people in an authentic way, and his favorite to express himself. Because Lance didn’t just attend shows. He, Hunk, and their two close friends Allura and Romelle were also a band that often played house shows themselves. Allura, the lead of their band, was the one who insisted that they come tonight. Not that Lance needed to be pushed to go to a party on a Saturday night, but Allura made it seem important that they made it. They reached a house in the middle of the block that had several people chatting and smoking on the front porch. Lance could faintly hear the sound of heavy rock music coming from the basement. This house was a regular venue in the West Philly music scene, and was home to a couple of close friends of Lance and Hunk. They said hi to the people on the porch they knew, paid $5 to the girl collecting entry at the door, and made their way inside. There were more people hanging out on the couches inside, and some girls sitting on the kitchen counter laughing at something that must’ve been hilarious, or it might’ve just been the weed they were smoking. “Hunk!” One of the girls hopped off the counter and ran to hug them. It was Shay, one of the girls who lived in the house. She was as tall as Hunk and really tanned from the long summer. Shay was super outdoorsy, and spent a lot of the summer camping and rock climbing. She and Hunk started catching up but lance was eager to get downstairs, he was already really feeling the music from the muffled bits of it he could here. “Shay we told Allura we would be here like an hour ago but we’ll see you downstairs?” Lance said, already tugging Hunk away from his conversation. “’Course guys, have fun!” They opened the basement door and the music burst out like it was waiting to be released. It was brash and noisy and heavy. As they walked down the narrow stairs the air became intensely humid from the amount of people packed into the small space. It smelled like stale beer and a million people, and Lance loved it. There was nothing better to him than live music and a party, besides maybe being the one on stage. They moved through the sweaty crowd, half looking for Allura, half just getting lost in the music. There were fairy light hung up and a pink spotlight on the band playing. Lance wooped when he saw who was playing, adding his voice to the cheering crowd. It was Nyma and Rolo, a grungy rock duo that went by Beezer.
Heart’s so dark make dirt look clean
So clean, so clean Don’t kick, don’t scream
But at the end I can only be –
“Lahnce! Hunk!” Allura appeared out of the crowd and threw her arms around them in a big hug. It had been almost 2 months since they had seen her last; she always went back home to London for half the summer. When she pulled away Lance saw that she was breathless with excitement and pink in the cheeks as she usually was after a few drinks. Tonight Allura was stunning as ever in a loose pink velvet tank top and baggy ripped jeans. She wore chunky gold rings and hoop earrings and she seemed to be glowing in the fairy lights, until Lance realized it was just a lot of pink glitter on her eyelids and cheeks. She wore her long white hair down and pinned out of her face, and the humidity of the basement, or maybe her sweatiness from dancing, was making it wild and frizz all over the place. But on Allura it looked amazing, like anything did. She was gorgeous, but she was also so much more than that. She was magnetic. She wasn’t just the lead of their band, she was the heart. Charming, talented, and kind to the core; she shined so bright it tended to make Lance feel dim in comparison. “I’m so happy you made it! I promise I didn’t beg you to come for no reason” she linked her arms through theirs and started steering them through the crowd. “You know you don’t need to find an excuse to see me, right Princess?” Smirked lance. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and continued to tug him forward. While Allura will always be fantastically gorgeous and captivating and clever, Lance gave up on trying to actually hit on her a long time ago. But he would never stop teasing. “While you know I’m always dying to see you Lahnce, I actually wanted you guys here for moral support.” They reached the makeshift bar that had been set up in the back of the basement and Allura turned on them. “These past couple days I’ve been planning something big. It’s been kind of a whirlwind and there’ve just been a lot of drama with my family and Coran and I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to loop you guys in. And, well since I had already been planning this show with Nyma and Shay I figured this would be the best way to get the word out. That’s why I really really wanted you guys to make it.” “What are you talking about Allura?” Lance asked, but she just smiled slyly and grabbed three beers off the table. The nice thing about being friends with one of the organizers was free drinks. They clinked their cheap beer cans together and all drank. “Well at this point you guys can find out with everyone else. Anyways, you probably saw me posting for this show a TON on facebook and insta, I’m planning something big –“ “you told us already – what is –" “—something BIG” she continued, pretending she hadn’t heard Lance, “so I wanted a lot of people at tonight’s show for when I announce it. I literally invited everyone I know. And luckily, since so many people are home for the summer – ” “Alluraaa” Lance whined, in good nature. He loved annoying her. “whattttt is ittttt” “Speaking of everyone we know,” She looked past Lance and Hunk, waving enthusiastically and smiling widely. Lance rolled his eyes, she was just trying to change the topic. But when he turned around he was shocked at who he saw. Was that? Takashi Shirogane, the star quarterback and hottest hottie from their high school? The most perfect intersection of jock and hipster? Shiro had been a couple years ahead of them in school but he was one of those guys that just always reminded Lance like, yep, I’m fucking bi. Wow, Allura really did invite everyone, Including – You are my bitter rival, but I need you for survival
You are my bitter rival, but I need you for survival Lance felt his good mood grind to a halt. They’ll let just anyone in here, apparently. About a head shorter and walking a pace behind Shiro, as though he was reluctant to be there was... Keith Kogane. Keith was Shiro’s adopted little brother who was in Lance and Hunk’s grade back in high school, and Lance’s rival/nemesis for as long as they’ve known each other. Keith was delinquent, emo, and rowdy, but what was really annoying about his was he was good. He was good at sports, he was an incredible musician, and he had girl’s fawning over him even though he never seemed to care. It drove Lance mad. Lance who tried SO hard with girls, Lance who worked so hard to be a good guitarist, only to have Keith be chosen over him for solos in band, Lance who gave a shit. Keith didn’t have to try and he always got what he wanted. It was infuriating to the point where Lance started a fight with Keith in eleventh grade, landing them both in detention for a week. But the worst part? Keith won the fight. Lance could feel Hunk’s eyes on him and heard him burst out laughing. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing??” Lance asked indignantly. “Way to spring one on Lance, Allura” Hunk laughed. Allura kept her composure since she was still making eye contact with Shiro and Keith as they made their way through the crowd, but they could see her smirking. Lance punched Hunk half-playfully in the arm. “Seriously, dude. Like why him??” He half-whispered. “Is she trying to put a damper on the entire party’s mood? Like why does he look so fucking grumpy?” “I dunno dude, you’re looking pretty grumpy yourself.” Lance went to punch him again, but Hunk danced out of his reach and then went in to tousle his hair. In an attempt to look unbothered by the sudden appearance of an old rivalry, Lance threw back the rest of his beer, retousled his hair and tried to compose himself so he was smiling at Shiro as he and Keith finally reached their group. “Allura!” Shiro went in to hug Allura, who threw her arms around his neck. “Shiro! I’m so happy you made it thank you so much for coming” “Yeah, well thanks for reaching out!” Shiro said as she pulled away and went in to hug Keith. This made Lance’s stomach lurch. “I’m happy we could make it, this band is great.” “Yeah, thanks Allura.” Keith said as she pulled out of their hug. He looked kind of uncomfortable, standing in their circle, and Lance could understand why. After high school Keith basically fell off the face of the earth. He moved to Canada for college and, now that Lance thought about it, what was he doing back? Allura seemed to be thinking the same thing “Keith I’m surprised to see you back in Philadelphia! Are you back for the summer?” “Yeah I thought you were Canadian now, what gives Keith?” Lance interjected. Wow. Way less eloquent than Allura. Keith’s face went dark. “I didn’t turn Canadian.” “So what is it then? Didja drop out? Couldn’t handle the cold?” Lance sneered. Keith stared daggers back at Lance. Lance honestly didn’t know why he was egging Keith on, but seeing him get angry did give him some sort of satisfaction.Keith opened his mouth to retort, but Shiro interjected himself. “Lance, right?” Shiro put out his hand and Lance shook it. They were lucky to have Shiro around to diffuse the situation, and Lance felt lucky to be shaking his hand. “Yeah Lance, we were same grade as Keith.” He said pointing to Hunk. Hunk waved. “Hi I’m Hunk. Keith it's good to see you.” Hunk said with a smile. Shiro waved back, Keith nodded in acknowledgement, still obviously nursing his resentment toward Lance. “Yeah I remember seeing you guys play in the school band with Keith. Do you guys” Shiro pointed between Lance, Hunk, and Allura “still play together?” Hunk threw his arms around the two of them “Hell yeah we do! We never stopped. Still don’t know where Romelle is though, she’s our fourth. We play shows like this pretty often, but tonight we’re all just here for Allura’s announcement” He said, adding jazz hands for emphasis. Allura smacked his hand away playfully. “Yeah, she’s holding out on us too” Shiro said with a chuckle. “So this band, huh? ...” He started asking about Beezer and Allura and Hunk started talking about them enthusiastically, and this turned into them all listening more to the music and talking less. After a minute they were all dancing and drinking together, losing themselves in the abrasively loud and unapologetic music. Keith, looking more or less happy to have the spotlight off of him, stalked off to get another beer. Lance watched him walk off feeling a little smug. He couldn’t help but notice the ways Keith seemed to have changed since high school, and the ways he had stayed the same. He was still moody, still obviously easily pushed to anger, and still emo. But he seemed to have really grown into his dark and mysterious vibe. It suited him well in this dimly lit basement. He wore his dark hair in a sort of overgrown mullet, which looked messy and accidental but at the same time framed his face perfectly and gave him a soft-yet-punk artsy vibe. It bothered Lance that even Keith’s hair looked flawless without him having to try. Keith was still skinny like he was in high school, but his shoulders had broadened and looked more lean than scrawny. Lance noticed a tattoo or two on his arms, but couldn’t make out what they were. He was wearing black skinny jeans with doc martens and a plain black t-shirt. It was practically a non-look and yet he looked extremely cool. Lance hated himself for thinking it. Keith turned from the bar and started walking back with two beers, and Lance turned away quickly, suddenly aware that he had been staring. And that’s when Lance heard a shrill scream from his left and jumped when he saw a blur of blonde hair jump into Allura’s arms. “Romelle!!” Allura hugged her back fiercely, spilling beer on both of them, but they didn’t seem to care. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier, I tried to get out of work but –“ Allura laughed while Romelle rambled, “It’s fine you didn’t miss anything. Well, most of the show but you know, nothing important.” Romelle pulled out of the hug but still firmly grasped Allura’s hands as they talked about Allura’s visit to London. Lance and Hunk exchanged glances and smirked. Allura and Romelle always seemed a little too oblivious to notice they were super in love. They were totally just friends. Romelle turned her attention on Lance and Hunk, hugging them both. “So do any of us know why Allura was so bent on us being here?” She asked with a smirk. Allura pretended not to hear and Romelle started tugging on her. Lance couldn’t help but laugh. It felt really good to have the band all together again. After finally taking her attention off of Allura, Romelle seemed to notice the two new-old faces. “Shiro and Keith?? While I live and breathe??” Romelle went in to hug them both and she gave Keith and extra tight squeeze. The two had always been close since Keith had practically saved her academic ass in high school. Keith actually seemed to brighten up a bit in her presence, which bothered Lance for some reason. How did this guy manage to get so thoroughly under his skin? “You didn’t tell me you were going to be here tonight!” “Wait – you mean you knew he was back in Philadelphia??” “Well – “ Their conversation was cut off by the loud cheers and applause for the end of Beezer’s set. Nyma jumped in the air, throwing an arm around Rolo. “Thank you everyone for coming out tonight! We are Beezer and we love you!!!” Many cheers, “Make sure to check out our merch table upstairs, we have some shirts and pins for you! But first, please stick around for another minute, our darling show organizer Allura has an announcement she would like to make” The crowd cheered more and Nyma and Rolo began packing up their equipment. They all turned to Allura who was already dashing through the crowd onto the make-shift stage. She hopped up and turned the mic back on. “Thank you everyone for coming out! Can we get another applause for Beezer? Nyma my love your were perfect as ever, you guys were amazing.” Nyma blew Allura a kiss and then continued rolling up the wire she was working on. Allura absent-mindedly turned the Nyma’s keyboard back on and played a cute little jingle. God, Lance thought. Leave it up to Allura to turn a little announcement into an opportunity to flex. “Hello everyone, I’m Allura, one of the ladies who put this show together. A lot of you who know me here know that the Philly music scene has always been a really special place for me creatively and socially. Seriously I love you all.” There were some woops and hollers from the crowd. Allura was hard not to love. “So I’m here to announce a very exciting event that I’m putting together. Many of you have been to the Castle, yeah?” The crowd cheered again. The Castle was a really popular venue in the underground music scene; one that Allura loved planning shows and other events for. It was an old castle-like building that was once a convent in the early 1900s, and now a community center. They hosted everything there from concerts and plays, to community food drives and AA meetings. It was the heart of the community and Allura took great pride in being involved both musically and altruistically. Allura continued her speech, “Well starting in September, the Castle will be hosting a Battle of the Bands!!” Allura played a happy little chord progression for this statement, which got people cheering. She really knew how to work an audience. Even Lance was hyped. “This is going to be an amazingly fun event that will span over the course of a couple of weeks, and it will be hosted by me and my Uncle Coran!” People cheered once again and Lance Romelle and Hunk exchanged excited looks. Coran was the manager and director at the Castle. He wasn’t actually Allura’s uncle but her father’s best friend. She had always called him Uncle, and so did Lance and Hunk once they got to know him because he just is the most uncle-iest dude out there. He was everyone’s uncle. “So!” Allura continued, “If you’re in a band, or your friend is in a band, or your friend’s mum is in a band, sign up and have them sign up! The more people involved the more fun this will be. I’ll be making a Facebook page and I encourage you all to like and share the hell out of it! I’ll also be putting up fliers and stickers and probably sending you snail mail about it. All the money made from this will be going to a great cause, which you can read about on the event page. And more importantly,” She paused for affect “there will be a cash prize of $2000 to the winning band!!” That got a reaction from the crowd. Everyone started to buzz and Lance, Hunk, and Romelle exchanged a look. “So if that doesn’t make you excited I don’t know what will. Registration will start tomorrow and end in two weeks. Please come find me if you have any more questions. Thank you!” She slid her hand down the keyboard dramatically and then began to step off the stage. “Play us a song, Princess!” Someone shouted out. Other people joined in and Allura pretended to deliberate for a moment before bouncing back up to the keyboard, happy to oblige. When Allura first came to the states as an exchange student, some kids mocked her, thinking her Britishness made her stuffy (they were only a little right). They called her Princess, but leave it to Allura to reclaim it and turn it into her stage name, Princess Allura. It fit her perfectly. “Hunk, would you come accompany me?” Allura asked. The crowd cheered and parted as Hunk joined her on stage and sat down behind the drums. She whispered to him for a moment and then readied herself at the keyboard. She began a boppy and familiar chord progression and Hunk joined in a couple beats later.
Hold up, they don’t love you like I love you
Slow down, they don’t love you like I love you
People, along with Lance and Romelle cheered at her song choice. Allura always killed as Beyoncé. Romelle looked at Lance expectantly, “Do you think we’ll be able to perform if Allura is part of planning this?” “God I hope so. I don’t think she would’ve made such a point of us being here if she didn’t want us to” “Good” Romelle turned back to watch Allura. “I want to.” Lance understood what she meant. Romelle worked so hard at her shitty restaurant job, covering as many shifts as she could to cover her cost of living. While she was also British, Romelle did not come from the same background as Allura. And Lance understood the feeling. He was only able to work part time since he was in school and money was a constant stress for him. And besides from the money, Lance loved to perform, and he loved to compete. The thought of doing both, with the chance of winning money too? It’s been a while since he’d been able to get serious about his music, and just thinking about it made his fingers itch to get to his guitar and start working on new material.
What’s worse, looking jealous or crazy jealous or crazy?
Or like, being walked all over lately, walked all over lately
I’d rather be crazy
That’s when he noticed Keith staring at Allura with a similar intense concentration, looking like he was thinking the same thing as Lance. He still didn’t know what Keith was doing in the city, but was he here to stay? And would he be competing? That would throw a serious wrench into Lance’s plan. He hated to admit it, but Keith was superbly talented. But then again, a rivalry might do wonders to motivate Lance, and would probably make things all the more interesting. Allura and Hunk finished off their song and the crowd erupted into cheers. Princess Allura was always a fan favorite. They sauntered back to Lance and Romelle and Allura threw her arms around the two of them. Hunk did the same, forming a little huddle in the middle of the party. “So,” Allura said with a smirk. “This is what you’ve been hiding from us??” Lance retorted playfully. “What do you guys think? Do I need to ask?” “I think I know why you asked us all to be here.” Hunk said. Allura bounced on her toes looking eagerly from band member to band member. “I’m in if you’re all in” Lance said. They all nod in excitement. “Then were back, Altea.” * * * *
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Keith sat on the floor with his laptop in his lap, gazing idly at the wall across from him. It had been almost a week since he moved into Shiro’s apartment, back to Philadelphia, back to America, and he had still yet to process any of it. He felt … cloudy. Like a haze had settled over his mind and fogged up his focus. How do you describe the overwhelming feeling of feeling nothing at all? Of feeling nothing like yourself?He was surrounded by the unpacked boxes that contained his life from the past three years of living in Canada. It wasn’t much; Keith had never been the most sentimental, and he certainly wasn’t eager to hold on to the last three years. But he also wasn’t ready to move on. Instead of unpacking, he spent the past couple of days only pulling the clothes he needed out of the boxes. His dirty clothes were scattered across the floor, along with any other necessities he happened to pull out in the moment. His daily routine was basically smoke cigarettes on the small roof outside his window, eat bowl after bowl of cereal, watch TV, sketch, and play guitar till he tired himself out. And then, when he still couldn’t fall asleep, around 2 am he’d take a long lonely walk around the neighborhood until he came home, too exhausted to think. Rinse and repeat. He was stuck in a limbo, paralyzed by his future and plagued by his past, leaving him to be a useless fuck in the present. He needed to unpack. To get a fucking job. To get off the fucking floor. He was immobilized by his own demons. Always one for dramatics… Keith rolled his eyes at himself. He gave his head a quick shake to try to snap himself out of his funk. He didn’t want to start this new/old chapter of his life like this. He needed a fresh start. And possibly some fresh coffee. He got up and carried his laptop and drained coffee mug with him into the kitchen. He set the electric kettle to boil more water and scooped spoonfuls of instant coffee into his mug. After pouring himself of bowl of cereal, he settled himself at the kitchen island and went back to what he was looking at on his laptop: Allura’s official Facebook page for the battle of the bands. The event page was all very loud and very Allura. Keith recognized the hand drawn cover photo to definitely be Romelle’s work -- they had gotten close his senior year and he could easily recognize her signature hyperactive, cartoon-y, and pleasantly chaotic style. The event description read:
The Castle Presents: THE FIRST ANNUAL PHILLY DIY BATTLE OF THE BANDS -- ONE MILLION BANDS ENTER -- ONE BAND WINS!!!!
This fall, take part in a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime event: a battle of the bands open to all independent artists in the greater Philadelphia area!
THE RULES: This isn’t like any old battle of the bands. This will be a cutthroat battle to the DEATH. In the first round, each band will play 2 original songs. The bands that make the cut will move on to the next round. In every subsequent round, bands don’t have to perform original songs, but rather, will have to perform within a theme. This theme might be a certain genre, a certain musical era, or even a certain topic. This will keep the battle constantly changing and challenging and really fun for the crowd and competitors!
The band that proves to be the most creative, the most flexible, the most FUN, will win $2000 dollars!!! The band that wins will ultimately be the ones who put on the best show -- both as musicians and as performers.
We want you to be weird! We want drama! We want you to be crass! We want you to bring your A game and be ready to fucking compete!!!
Please follow this link to register your band. (link) Registration will be closing August 25th!
The first round will be held on Sat August 31st!!! It will be at The Castle (link), doors open at 7:00, the first band will go on at 8:00
The schedule for the rest of the competition will be released once registration is closed!
For more information about where the money we raise will be going please read here [link]
- - - - - - It was a lot to take in. Most of Keith wanted nothing to do with this. It went against every impulse he had as a musician. He loved to perform, it was one of the only things that made him feel like himself. That made him feel like he knew who and what he was. But this contest seemed like a mockery of everything he stood for. It was purely money driven, not a creative expression. All entertainment and no personal passion. It was kitch. It seemed intensely social and steered him way too close to people he wanted to avoid.Did he really want the next couple of months of his life to play out like last night?- - - - - - Keith went to the house show at Shiro’s insistence.“I know you’re still adjusting to being back, but I think it’d be really fun for you!”Keith was sitting on his mattress on the floor absentmindedly plucking on his unplugged electric guitar.“It’s weird enough being back in Philly, I don’t really want to go to a party that’s just going to have a bunch of people from high school there. That’s basically the main thing I want to avoid.”“Well, how else do you plan on meeting new people? Look, living in the city and having your own life is SO different than going to high school and living with mom. Trust me, It’s what I’ve been doing. Yeah, there will be a couple people from high school there, but there will also be a ton of people you don’t know! These things are always super fun, the people are great, the music’s good, and drinks are $3. What’s not to love?”“Shiro… I just don’t know if I’m ready.” He looked up at his brother. “If Allura invited you, can’t you just hang out with her there?”Shiro looked disappointed to hear this. But it didn’t phase Keith. he disappointed himself all the time. “I guess. I’d usually go to these things with Adam, so I -- I just feel weird going alone. Allura organized this so I don’t think she’ll be able to hang out the whole time. I dunno, maybe I won’t go, it’s not a big deal.”Fuck. Keith was such an idiot sometimes. It didn’t even occur to him that maybe Shiro wasn’t nudging him to go just for Keith’s sake. Over the summer, Shiro and his long term live-in boyfriend, Adam, broke up. They had been together since they were in school at Penn together and they had been building their lives around each other ever since. Sometimes you take risks and they don’t work out. Keith could relate to that. Adam moved out and Keith was looking to start over so their new living situation worked out for both of them. Well, worked out as well as dropping out of college or losing your life partner could. Shiro, the ever dependable, stable, rock of a big brother also needed support sometimes, Keith reminded himself. He had been so focused on wallowing in his own misery that he forgot he might not be the only one in pain right now. Maybe it was his turn to be selfless. “Alright fineeeee.”Shiro perked up, “really?”He tossed his guitar lightly on his bed and rolled off onto the floor. “Yeah, you’re right. It’ll probably be good for me. Plus there might be some cute boys there.”Shiro gave him a mischievous grin. “There are always cute boys.”And he wasn’t wrong. Shiro and Keith hung out at the party for a bit before they went looking for Allura. They drank, head thrashed to the harsh noise that Beezer was putting out, and were genuinely able to enjoy themselves. Keith was actually able to loosen up a bit, forget about his shitty last summer in Canada and all the things that brought him back to square one. he lost himself in crappy beer, loud music, and the many distractingly cute boys he eyed in the crowd. Maybe Philly wasn’t all bad. But when Keith and Shiro spotted Allura, Keith remembered there were some boys he really did not want to see. There couldn’t be a boy he less wanted to see than Lance Mcclain. He should’ve put two and two together. Allura was putting on a show, and her people would be there, and her people would probably include her bandmates, who also lived in Philadelphia. Keith should’ve realized that the loud, obnoxious, over-the-top Lance Mcclain would, of course, be there. Keith never had a particular problem with Lance -- he had a problem with most people. But Keith’s angsty demeanor and overall apathy were apparently too much to handle for used-to-being-center-of-attention Lance Mcclain. The more Keith tried to mind his own business in high school, the more Lance made a point to rile him up. And he was good at it. It just felt like they were too similar and too different in all the wrong ways. They were in too many of the same classes, too into the same after-school activities, and even overlapped with friends just enough that they were seeing too much of each other in the hallways. And they never made it work. Keith would always try to stay out of it, but Lance always found a way to get under his skin. He was just too good at finding ways to aggravate Keith, and Keith’s temper never let Lance’s remarks go unchallenged. Lance was immature and sensitive, and Keith used that to his advantage when fighting back. All in all, this was a part of Keith’s past that he didn’t want to revisit. And yet here he was, after three years of 0 contact, staring at Lance Mcclain through a hazy basement. Lance was leaning into Allura and Hunk, gesturing wildly with a big grin on his face, and suddenly, Keith found himself shaken up for a different reason. Was Lance always... cute? It felt absolutely unnatural to think of Lance under those parameters, but Keith couldn’t deny the objective facts laid out in front of him. Keith couldn’t tell if Lance had gotten taller or if he was just holding himself differently. In high school he was lanky with a clumsy and goofy gait, as if he had grown too quickly and had yet to figure out his new frame. Now he seemed to hold himself with more confidence. What Keith once would have called lankiness, now translated as tall, thin, and perfectly tapered. Lance looked like he knew that he was cute too, and held himself with a new self assurance; he looked relaxed and comfortable in his own skin. And speaking of his own skin…. Keith was having trouble taking his eyes off Lance’s prominent collarbones and long neck. His rich brown skin was unblemished and looked pleasantly dewey in the heat of the basement. Everything about Lance seemed to exude the spirit of summer. He was wearing an old and faded blue baseball tee, shorts, and beaten up vans. It was a casual look that only added to how at ease Lance looked. He had a couple of bracelets on and his brown hair had been ruffled up, making him look like he just got out of bed. His smile came easily and he seemed to radiate excitement. And that jawline.... Fuck. All in all, as hard as it was for Keith to admit, Lance had gotten extremely cute.But the moment ended as soon as Lance noticed Keith. Allura was waving him and Shiro over enthusiastically, and Keith saw recognition wash over Lance’s face, his light laughter replaced with absolute shock. It was too late to turn around now.Their interaction played out just as Keith expected. Lance acted offended by Keith’s mere presence, and what was he supposed to do with that? Just brush off the fact that there were people in this city that just didn’t want him around? Nothing made Keith want to shrink back into Shiro’s apartment more than that. And what was worse, how did Lance accurately guess that Keith dropped out of college? Was Keith that much of a fuck up that that's what everyone had come to expect of him?Keith was grateful that Shiro interjected himself -- the ever dependable big brother picking up on Keith’s discomfort and diffusing the situation. But it would take a lot more than a change of topic to ease Keith’s intense anxiety that was now creeping into his consciousness. Was everything playing out exactly how he feared? He wasn’t able to start a new life in Canada, it didn’t seem like he’ll find peace back home, what now? Keith walked away from the group to get another drink and tried to take his mind off of it. He let the harsh, heavy guitar drown out his troubles. Music, especially loud music, always had a way of putting him at ease. It’s hard to feel anxious when you can’t hear yourself think.Keith relaxed into the idea of this being one night of feeling uncomfortable, one night of being there for Shiro and then he could go back to doing his own thing and never have to see people from high school again (except Romelle, who had already known he was back in Philly, and whom he already had lunch plans with for next week). Once he realized he just had to wait it out til the end of the night things got easier. That is, until Allura made her announcement. $2,000 was enough money to make Keith rethink quite a bit. Keith, who just dropped out of college and had no idea what he was going to do with his life. Keith, who just moved into his brother’s apartment and had no idea how he was gonna make up rent money. $2,000 could provide him with the breathing room Keith desperately needed to figure his life out. He owed that much to himself, who he fucked over, and to Shiro, who was refusing to let Keith’s life spiral out of control again. The idea of performing in a battle of the bands type competition didn’t sit well with Keith, but he couldn’t deny the allure of winning money through his musical merit. When it came down to it, Keith was a musician. His guitar was an extension of himself and his music was his rawest form of expression. Keith had trouble with people, with authority, with personal motivation, but he never had trouble with music. Coming back to Philly, part of him felt like he could never play as part of a band again. Not after the way everything with Canada unfolded. But Keith couldn’t just expect his life to change just hanging out in Shiro’s spare bedroom. If music had the power to wrench his life apart, maybe it could fix it too… - - - - - -The door to their apartment swung open, snapping Keith out of his train of thought. Shiro came through, doing a little half jog until he stopped in the living room. He took out his earbuds and, somehow looking cheery and energized in his sweat-soaked running clothes. “Good morning Keith” He said with a sarcastic edge “surprised to see you out of your lair before 1 pm”“Good morning Shiro. You look gross” He didn’t. Shiro was practically glowing from his runner high.“And you look like you haven’t showered since you moved in.”“that’s because I HAVEN’T bitch” Keith said through a mouthful of cinnamon toast crunch. An over exaggeration, but Keith was definitely starting to look greasy. “Fuckin’ crustpunk” Shiro said, taking off his shirt and throwing it at Keith. Keith didn’t react fast enough and it hit him square in the face. It was absolutely drenched in Shiro’s sweat and body odor. City of brotherly love, they say.Keith chucked it back at Shiro but missed as he was already half out of the room, hopping on one foot to pull off a sneaker. Ten minutes and half a cup of coffee later, Shiro was back in the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed in freshly laundered basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He pulled out eggs, whole-grain bread, spinach, and his french press to start working on his own breakfast. Keith and Shiro’s morning routines could not have been more different. “So what are you up to today?” Shiro asked as cracked eggs into a frying pan. “Just looking at Allura’s battle of the bands page.”“Yeah? Any thoughts?” Shiro asked tentatively. They didn’t really talk much about the party after they got home last night. They skimmed conversations about cute boys of notable mention or how gorgeous Allura looked, but Keith could tell Shiro was waiting to for the right moment to Keith about the battle of the bands. Keith took his time to respond, unsure of where Shiro stood on the matter. “Well. Um. I don’t know. I guess --” Keith was struggling to find the words. Not a new problem for him. “After everything that happened at Laurier, I dunno if I’m ready to perform again. And like -- last night? With Lance? That sucked.”“Yeah, rejection’s a bitch, but I wouldn’t let that keep you away from potentially winning two thousand dollars.”Keith sputtered for a moment, choking on his coffee. “I wasn’t rejected! I just meant he was a total dick.”Shiro laughed. “Right sure. I saw you see him. You seemed pretty caught off guard.”“Oh shut up!! You’re reading into it too much. There was no gay subtext Shiro.” But he could feel his cheeks burning. Was it that obvious that he thought Lance was cute? Or maybe Shiro was just teasing him? Either way, Keith was getting way too defensive to be convincingly unbothered by Lance. “There’s always gay subtext, but I’ll leave it alone. For now.” He said with a devious smirk. “But you’re right, he was kind of a dick to you.” Shiro said, now scooping fresh coffee into his french press. “Thank you.” Keith put his head down on the counter, exhausted just from thinking about his awkward brush with Lance. “Jesus Christ Keith you know I have like, good coffee and a french press right?” Keith perked his head up. Shiro was holding Keith’s Maxwell House tin of instant coffee like it was offending him. Keith shrugged noncommittally. “Is it really worth the extra five minutes of effort?”“You’re literally gonna die so soon.” Keith knew just how to get under Shiro’s skin. “You know, when I’m feeling extra frisky I just pour the instant coffee into redbull”Shiro closed his eyes with a look of exasperation that seemed to age him 50 years. “Sleep with one eye open bitch I swear to god” Keith cackled at this, happy to exhaust Shiro. They spent a couple minutes doing their own thing, Shiro working on his hearty breakfast, Keith switching to Tumblr on his laptop and scrolling and drinking his terrible, terrible coffee. Shiro broke the silence by placing a plate of fresh eggs, toast, and sauteed spinach next to Keith. Keith looked up at Shiro like he was just handed “What? I’m not gonna let you live off of just cereal and instant sludge. I don’t actually want you to die.” Shiro said, as he poured Keith a cup of fresh, french press coffee. Shiro was literally bringing tears to Keith’s eyes.Maybe it was just the three years in isolation, three years of shitty friends and no real support system, but Shiro’s small gestures meant more to Keith than he could articulate. His time alone made him forget how nice it was to have people in his life that cared for him. Cared about him. Keith has a sudden rush of intense affection and thought, not for the first time this weekend, that maybe coming back to Philadelphia wasn’t such a bad thing. “Shiro… do you want to do this battle of the bands thing?”Shiro sat with this question for a moment. “Well, two thousand dollars.” Shiro said with a look. Keith nodded vigorously. “that goes without saying. But I also think it could be good. good for both of us.”“What do you mean?”“Well, look. Keith. I know coming back here and everything, and seeing people from high school, I know it’s a lot. But I also think it could be good. It’s pretty hard to get your life in order when you have nothing to do. Being busy, having a goal? That could be really helpful for you. And I think it’d be good for me too. I mean, a month ago me and Adam were daydreaming about getting married. Now I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing either. It could be a good distraction.” Keith thought about for bit. He could feel Shiro watching him, waiting for a response. He didn’t have one yet. Shiro continued, “I mean, I know the thought of competition is daunting, but we’ve had a band together. And you know we were good.”“Yeah but it’s been so long. And We haven’t played together in forever.”“So? It’s not like we ever relied on practise before. We were good because we were all talented. And we had edge. Who cares if we’ve never played in the Philly scene before, we’re good. And even if we don’t win, it could be fun.”“We don’t have Matt.” Matt Holt, Shiro’s best friend since they were kids, was their drummer back when they used to play together. The three of them used to play together in high school, spending full weekends and winter breaks in Keith and Shiro’s garage, shrieking into microphones and shredding on guitars. They played at house parties and open mics and never took themselves too seriously. But Shiro was right, they were good. “We can find a drummer.” Shiro retorted. Keith thought about this. He looked at his plate, and thought about everything Shiro has done for him. This summer, and his whole life. Shiro was handing him a lifeline by letting him move in to his spare room. He gave Keith a generous two months or so before he needed to start paying rent, and Keith knew he was directly cutting into his hard earned savings with this gesture of generosity. Keith didn’t want to have to rely on his brother, who had already saved his life a countless number of times. If he won that money, he’d want to use it to pay Shiro back. To get his life on track. To use it in some way that could propel him forward.And Shiro was right; a contest could provide him with some much needed motivation. Just thinking about winning that money made Keith want to unpack all his music gear and set up. Some of his equipment he hadn’t even taken out his car yet. Keith’s rut didn’t just start when he moved to Philly. As his life at Laurier got worse over the past couple of months, Keith had lost his creative drive. He hadn’t been able to formulate a cohesive musical thought for months. And from just this conversation, he could feel the gears in his head start to grind back into action. Was this sudden rush of adrenaline and motivation giving him the energy he needed to do something as daring as put on pants and get his shit out of his car? Keith felt like he needed to chase this feeling. “I think you’re right.” Keith said finally. “We should do it.” Shiro punched the air excitedly. “Fuck yeah. I think this will be good for both of us, honestly.” He went back to eating his eggs for a bit before continuing. “It’ll be great. But you know what we both need?” “A drummer?” Shiro nodded. He knew that he needed to play with someone he knew. Someone he had creative chemistry with. Someone who already got their sound. “You know who we need Shiro.” Shiro gave him a knowing look. “Pidge?”“Pidge.” Pidge Holt, Matt’s prodigy of a little sister. She must’ve still been in high school when Keith thought about it, but Keith, Shiro, and Matt used to jam with her all the time before they all left for college. Matt, who always wanted someone to play with at home, taught Pidge drums when she was pretty young, and she took to it as well as she took to advanced math and astrophysics. Which is to say, she shocked everyone with her prodigal natural talent and passion. She may have been several years younger than Keith, but she was an icon and a legend. And besides from being a kid genius, there was no one more punk rock than Pidge Holt. She was aggressive and rambunctious and kicked absolute ass. If there was any drummer who got what Keith and Shiro were about, who understood their sound, it was Pidge. Was it possible to get her to join their band? Keith momentarily forgot if kids in high school were allowed to do things.“Do you think, she’d want to? Like what is she up to?” Keith asked.“She’s gonna be a senior this year, but she’ll actually probably have the time to do it. She’s only gonna be in school part time like three days a week? Because there literally aren’t courses advanced enough for her in school she’s gonna be doing college courses at Villanova this year. She told me she actually could’ve started college her junior year, but their dad didn’t want her being in college super young. Wants her to have that ‘authentic high school experience’” He said with air quotes. “How do you know all this?”“Because unlike you I didn’t disappear off the face of the earth when I moved out. We hung out when Matt was here over the summer.” Shiro had a very natural big brother vibe, and Keith always appreciated that he genuinely seemed to care about the people in his life. He was the most wholesome. “Ok so, what’s the plan then?”“Well… did you have anything planned for today?” Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah. Tons.”“We could just, drive over to the burbs and see her. Their garage is still set up -- me her and matt played a bunch when he was in town. We should just text her and pitch this idea to her, see if she’s into it.”For the first time since he came back to Philly, Keith knew exactly what he wanted to do. He didn’t have to sit and ponder his options, his problems, his extensiental dilemmas. He shut his laptop and jumped out of his seat.“Hell yeah. Let’s do it.”