Note: "bold words with marks"- written
Bold only- sign language
'Single mark with words' - thoughts

Keith tapped his pencil against the desk, too occupied to pay attention to the paper in front of him, Lance sat beside him with a soft smile as he wrote.

How can someone be that happy? Keith thought, though he honestly didn't mind, it wasn't bothering him or anything. Though something really kept him thinking, Lance was mute.

How exactly did that happen? Was it from an accident? Or maybe something traumatic happened that left him mute? He sighed and slumped his shoulders Lance looked at him and wrote on his board he tapped his shoulder and showed him the board. "You okay?" it read with a frowny face, Keith nodded and glared at his paper. "I just hate doing work." He muttered.

Lance nodded and wrote on his board once again. "I feel you, I don't even understand this!" he frowned and showed Keith his paper, the only thing written on it was his name and a couple of random doodles Keith chuckled. "I'll tutor you..." Lance's face lit up. "If I get paid." Keith smirked, Lance dropped his hopeful smile and stuck his tongue out at him.

He gripped onto his marker and erased the words on his board replacing them with huge words. "Meanie mullet man!!!" it read in huge letters. "I'm not doing free labor crazy brunette." Keith replied and crossed his arms. "Listen and pay attention to the lecture." He demanded, albeit he was the one not paying attention, and was complaining about not knowing how to do his paper.

Lance huffed and got back to his paper erasing the words on his board, both of them were quiet throughout the rest of the class period. When the bell rung Keith quickly stood and grabbed his backpack eager to face his challenger, Lance reluctantly tugged at the sleeve of his jacket catching his attention. "Where are you going?" his board read.

Keith rolled his eyes and shrugged Lance's hand off of him. "None of your business, go home." He replied and stormed off passing by the many students who were also exiting the class. Lance looked down at his hand, he nodded to himself and gathered his belongings stuffing all of them in his backpack, he puffed out his chest and followed after Keith determined to become his friend.

Lance was shoved and stepped on by many people as he walked through the crowded hall his heart pounded crazily against his chest about to burst out of its cage, his claustrophobia and anxiety began to act up, so he lightly pushed the other's who pressed up against him. One person was practically smothering him and he had to use more force to push them away which did not end well.

The person stumbled and nearly fell, Lance could only see their long white hair sway from one side to the other. "Watch where you're going kid!" a female that had been standing next to the person grasped onto Lance's shoulder. Lance opened his mouth and shook his head. "Let him be Acxa." The person that Lance shoved calmed the blue haired girl down. "I'm sorry, but you should apologize after pushing someone." Lotor stated.

Lance nodded and shook off his backpack. "Ignoring us now huh? That's rude." Acxa spat. "Oh my..." Lotor shook his head and sighed. "Isn't that the kid Keith was talking to?" a girl whispered, a group of kids had watched the incident and now they were watching to see what would happen to the poor silent boy.

Lotor was immediately intrigued. "You know Keith?" he asked the brunette, Lance lit up at the mention of Keith and nodded eagerly. "Great! Why don't I bring you to him? There's no need to apologize." Lotor threw on a fake smile. "But Lotor!" Acxa started. "Don't worry Zethrid and Ezor will meet us there. I'm sure Keith will be there too and it's rude to keep someone waiting." Lotor smirked and slung his arm over Lance's shoulder.

-------------

Keith sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned against a wall, he met Zethrid at an empty park close by the school but still off the grounds just how he promised Shiro. A hyperactive blonde girl was just itching to go to the swings close by. "Calm yourself Ezor." Zethrid demanded the girl. "But they're taking so long!" Ezor whined.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Lotor probably ran off, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." He muttered. "Watch what you say Kogane." Zethrid warned with a scowl on her face, the broad girl was boiling with rage it was obvious. Written on her face so noticeable like a huge zit.

Keith looked at the watch on his wrist and groaned. "You know what, I'm just gonna go, don't know why I'm wasting my time on that chicken." He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and started to head back. "Leaving so soon?" behind him stood Acxa and Lotor who had a bruised Lance in his grasp. Keith didn't know why, but as soon as he saw Lance with a bruise on his cheek he was boiling with pure hot rage.

Lotor chuckled and patted Lance's shoulder. "We had a nice 'chat' now didn't we?" he smirked at the frightened boy, Acxa laughed fully understanding Lotor's pun. "Leave him out of this." Keith demanded with a growl. "Ooh scary." Lotor laughed. "But your friend here was the one trying to look for you." A blush dusted over Lance's cheeks.

Keith gritted his teeth and took a breath to calm himself not wanting Lance to see him break, Lotor frowned and shoved Lance toward Keith. "He's a cripple just like your friend. Are you a caretaker now?" Lotor and his friends surrounded both Keith and Lance. "I said leave him alone." Keith warned again.

Lance cowered behind Keith, bullying wasn't something new to him though. He was just tired of always getting hit and shoved which was one of the reasons why he moved, but it seemed like he would never be free of his constant torture...besides.

No one can hear a silent cry.

Keith looked around, he was definitely not fighting today especially if Lance was caught up in the mess. He looked around for an opening and grasped onto Lance's hand. "Don't you dare trip." He spat at the dark skinned boy and ran toward Lotor and Acxa. Lance tried his hardest to match his speed with Keith's, but boy was Keith fast!

Keith harshly shoved Lotor out of the way and ran even faster knowing well enough that the other's would not be happy, Lance was running out of breath pretty quick and the harsh sun beat down on him. Keith ran for the bus stop his eyes catching a bright yellow bus, he glanced over his shoulder seeing Acxa running towards them.

Of course, Keith groaned. It just had to be Acxa, of all people.

Acxa was the best runner, she was the leader of her track team and was a boxer at age ten. "Great." Keith huffed and pulled at Lance's arm. "You're slowing me down hurry it up!" he demanded. Lance nodded and picked up his pace despite the ache in his chest from lack of oxygen. "You just had to ruin it all." Keith muttered and let out a long sigh as soon as they reached the bus stop he pushed Lance into the bus and climbed after him. "That's all sir." He told the bus driver and slumped onto a seat next to a panting Lance.

He took his time to catch his own breath and tapped Lance's shoulder. "What the hell were you thinking? You trying to get yourself killed?" he asked angrily, Lance quickly shook his head in protest and shook off his backpack and searched for his board. "Stop, don't. Just...don't." Keith shook his head and looked away from him.

Lance frowned but still searched for his board, Lotor had shoved him against a wall it was a good thing Lance was still wearing his backpack, if he hadn't he would've been in a lot more pain. Lance grabbed his board and pulled it out, his eyes went wide and a small gasp emitted from him.

Keith turned back to look at him to see what was wrong, he was also shocked.

Lance held half of his board in one hand and the other half in the other, his eyes were filled with tears. Sure, it was a board that could easily be purchased at a dollar store, but his board was special.

~~~~~~~~~

"Mijo come here." A beautiful dark skinned woman with long flowing brown hair and chocolate brown eyes called out to a nine-year old Lance, her son.

Lance smiled widely and skipped to his mother his eyes huge with excitement. "Here I got you something." She gave Lance a wrapped box, it was his birthday.

Lance took the box from his mother and instantly ripped away the blue wrapping paper eager to find out what he had gotten, he grabbed the flat cardboard box that was inside and took it out. He looked at his mother and gave her a questionable look. "Open it bebe." She had grabbed her camcorder and was recoding Lance to capture his reaction, and to forever save the precious moment.

Lance opened the box and pulled out a board, to some people it would probably seem like the most boring gift, but for Lance it was something utterly life-changing his eyes grew wide and he shook the box, various colored markers tumbled out.

He gasped and ran up to his mother throwing his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're happy mijito." She smiled and ran her hand through his hair. "I love you so much." She hugged him tight.

Lance pulled away from the loving embrace and grabbed a marker from the ground he opened the marker and wrote his first words on his board, he grinned and showed it to his mother.

"I love you more."

At that moment, Lance wouldn't have ever guessed that those would be the first and last words he would ever give to his mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tears trailed down Lance's cheeks he sniffed and held the board close to his chest, close to his heart. Keith didn't know what to do, he was never good with crying people. He was never good at handling with any type of emotions, but he felt guilty, yet still mesmerized.

As lance sobbed and his shoulders shook not a single sound came out of him, his cries were silent, it was if someone had grabbed a remote and put him on mute.

Something suddenly tugged at his heart and it caused him pain to see Lance look so broken, to Keith Lance was the new kid with a bright smile and at first seemed like a boy who was always happy no matter what, but now he was proven wrong. Lance was just like any other person, he cries when he's sad, and smiles when he's happy.

Without even thinking he wiped away a tear from Lance's flushed cheek, Lance flinched from the sudden touch and turned to Keith. The look on his face was a mixture of guilt and sympathy. "Look...Lance I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's my fault you were involved, and also my fault you got hurt." He sighed, relieved that he got the heavy feeling off his chest.

Lance wiped away his tears and gave Keith a small glum smile, he looked down at his hands and then gave Keith a quizzical look, and so with his hands he slowly spelled a word for Keith.

Sign language? Keith questioned and paid close attention to Lance's hands, Keith knew the basic sign language that they taught him in both elementary and middle school which was an optional thing then, Keith was glad he clung to basics at least.

He watched as Lance hooked both of his index fingers together and repeated the process as he switched positions.

Friends.

He froze and didn't dare look back at Lance, friend? Is that what Lance saw him as? For a while Keith was stuck in his thoughts wondering why someone so happy and enthusiastic, someone so emotional someone so...human would want to be his friend.

Lance lowered his hands and dropped his gaze to his lap he looked like a sad puppy, Keith instantly took hold of Lance's shoulder and forced him to look up. "Lance do you really want us to be friends?" he asked curiously, Lance nodded slightly still keeping his eyes on his lap.

"You do know I'm the major reason you have a nasty bruise on your face right?" he frowned, Lance shrugged and looked out his window refusing to face Keith's eyes, one look and he would not be able to look away.

Keith groaned and released Lance's shoulder, he looked at Lance's bruise and suddenly remembered the kit that hunk had given him he grabbed his backpack and pulled out the red kit. "Turn around." He demanded, Lance shook his head. Keith growled and pushed Lance's shoulder to the side, by now Lance was facing him again. "Hold still." Keith muttered taking hold of Lance's arm to keep him still and grabbed a tube of ointment from the kit.

He lightly slathered some ointment on top of Lance's bruise. "It'll stop the swelling and ease the pain." He explained and then pulled out a bandaid. "Don't take it off." He ordered and placed it on Lance's cheek. "And I'm only going to warn you once. I will not be babysitting you, so if people target you because of me it'll all be on you." He stated, Lance was shocked.

That meant Keith was allowing him to be his friend! He internally cheered to himself and grinned he bowed at Keith showing his thanks and then threw his arms around him, he suddenly froze as Keith grew stiff.

He was suddenly unable to move and his arms trembled he waited for Keith to push or shove him away, but he never did.

Instead Keith grumbled and patted Lance's back as if giving him comfort. "Just this once you weirdo." He mumbled with a bright blush and lightly pushed Lance away when he had enough.

At that moment Lance couldn't be any happier, he had finally made a friend.