Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

G2 - Part 3

When I got home from work, Keith was stood outside our apartment building, huffing down a cigarette. He gave me a small wave as I pulled into my parking space, beside his bike, and took a long drag as I climbed out of the car. 

"Hello gorgeous." I said softly as I leant towards him, kissing his exposed neck. He was only wearing a dark t-shirt and a black denim vest, adorned with band patches. 

"Hmm." He grunted, his eyes looking off into the distance. His brow was furrowed; there was something on his mind.

"Wanna come inside and tell me all about it?" I mumbled into his ear, squeezing his free hand.

He didn't reply, throwing down his cigarette end and breezing into the house. I followed, closing the door to the apartment behind me. Keith had already slouched into the couch, his arms folded over his body. 

I sat down next to him, my hand resting on his thigh. "What's eating you, buddy?"

He sighed. "Mom's back."

"Oh." I said quietly. Keith had told me all about his Mom - the Wanderer - and how she had left immediately after meeting him. If she was back...would she only disappoint him again? "Are you okay? Wait, stupid question."

"She..." He began, but went quiet, his eyes turning dark and stormy. "She just confuses me, that's all. I meet her and then 'poof', she's gone. Then all of a sudden she turns up, out of the blue, and asks me-"

"Asks you what?" I probed, squeezing his thigh. 

He grabbed my hand - his were like ice, he'd obviously been out smoking for a long time.

"Let's talk about this tomorrow. It's your day off, right? Let's do something nice. How about I take you for a ride out of the city? We can take a picnic-"

"You're panicking." I said calmly. "Keith." I took his face in my hands, staring into his wide eyes. He was completely spiralling - whatever his Mom had asked him was enough to faze the unfaze-able. "Tell me what's going on."

"She asked me to...go away with her."

I stayed silent.

After a moment, Keith frowned, his eyes sad.

"Lance." He said softly, his voice cracking. "Lance-"

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long will you be gone?"

Keith frowned. "A few weeks, maybe more-"

"You said no, right?" I stammered. "You cant leave Kosmo alone for that long..."

"Actually, she told me to bring Kosmo."

"W-well...what about work? You cant just abandon Shiro to move alone."

"Shiro has Adam." He mumbled. "Lance-"

"You barely know her, Keith!" I yelled, standing up and throwing my arms down in exasperation. "She abandoned you when you were a baby! She abandoned you after the big race! She-"

"She's trying to make up for lost time." He said firmly, crossing his arms. "This is why I didn't want to talk to you about this. I knew you'd get like this!"

"Keith, I beg you," I began, going over to the kitchen to start cooking dinner. "Don't leave with her. Who knows what kind of trouble she's going to drag you into-"

I stopped suddenly, whipping around to where I'd heard the front door open. It was still swinging open. And Keith was gone.