The sun was shining bright in the sky, beating humid rays on everyone, and probably causing some gross tan lines. The air was muggy, and it seemed to weigh everything down.

Lance was practicing with the football team, half of them wearing black jerseys, and the other half were wearing white. It would've been horrible for the ones wearing the darker color, because the heat showed no mercy.

They were only warming up, and Lance already found it exceedingly difficult to focus. He told himself that it was only the sweltering temperatures taking their toll, but that didn't seem to be the answer.

Keith was with the other cheerleaders, and being the only boy on the team was a little awkward. He really would've loved to get out of the tank top he wore, but it just wasn't considered 'appropriate' because there were girls around. Or so the school board had told them. Either way, he was nearly panting from the dense air and exercise.

" Okay, Ladies! And... Keith." Allura projected to the group around her. " Now that we're warmed up, we should plan out our stunts for Friday!" She said, and Shay, who stood right beside her, nodded. They always switched up stunt groups, mainly so that everyone could learn to work with everyone. It also prevented cliques from forming, that was really beneficial.

" What stunts were you thinking?" Asked Shannon, a cheerleader with light brown hair. She was nice enough, mainly because everyone on the cheer squad was friendly. Kind of unheard of right? It was the secret to their success as a squad, being able to do more than tolerate each other. Except Keith, he was just kind of there. He didn't have a problem with anyone on the team, but that didn't stop him from being a practical salt shaker sometimes.

" Basket tosses..." Allura said, staring at Keith directly. She knew that the idea of being thrown in the air scared him, but she wanted to try. Then again, she would be the one doing the throwing, and more importantly, the catching. Keith shifted a little bit, kicking his all white shoe at the ground.

" I- I really don't know if I can do that..." Keith stammered. Sure, he'd been all the way up before, but nobody had ever let go of him. If they threw him up he'd get launched like a rocket. He looked off to the side, watching the football players pass balls back and forth. His particular attention landed on Lance, who apparently was already gazing at Keith. Their eyes met in a short lived staring session, until Allura started snapping her fingers at him.

" I know that you can! How about we try it, and if you start feeling really scared after a few times we won't make you do it?" She reassured, while also trying to get Keith's focus back on her.

" Okay." Keith reluctantly agreed, Allura's alpha persona was something that he'd gotten used to over time. It was still very difficult for him to tell her no when it came to just about anything, though. " C-can we warm up a smaller stunt first?"

" Yeah sure." Allura said. And before he knew it, Keith was in the air again. Hands on his feet and ankles, as he absentmindedly looked around. He tensed up on instinct, and could feel Lance's eyes on him. About forty feet away, he was passing a ball with Hunk. The cheerleader might've accidentally smiled at him, and Lance might have been paying enough attention to notice it.

" Keith!!" Allura scolded, as he felt himself come down. He hadn't heard the call, so he'd been narrowly caught by the other members of the stunt group. " You have to pay attention! We could've dropped you!"

Keith felt himself breath heavily, still staring at Lance without a clue. " Hey! I'm talking to you!" She exclaimed.

" Wh-what?" Keith asked, standing up from where they'd caught him, which was scary close to the track.

" You must make an effort if you're in the air! It's dangerous for all of us if you lose focus!" Allura continued telling him off.

" Sorry... it won't happen again." Keith sighed, honestly a little spooked by her tone of voice. Allura facepalmed, some of the anger draining from her expression.

" Let's just try a basket now." She gave an almost annoyed smile.

Lance watched while the cheerleaders grouped up. He felt his face redden, which was probably from the heat... or something else.

There were five of them in the center, and the rest surrounded in case something went wrong. The basket group had Keith in the middle, with two main bases on either side of him. They formed a platform by gripping each other's wrists, but it wasn't very stable considering how sweaty everyone was. There was also someone behind Keith, with their hands on his hips. And finally, there was another cheerleader in the front to help drive him higher.

The quarterback wondered what they were doing, and he missed catching the ball because he didn't even see it coming.

" Lance!" Hunk said, trying to get his attention.

" Yeah- yeah right." Lance bent down and grabbed the football at his feet.

" You have this, okay? We've went over the directions a million times." Allura said, with a softer, more supportive grin on her face. Keith gulped, directions couldn't dictate what actually happened when he was in the air.

" You all better catch me..." He murmured under his breath. And then they started, Keith felt himself jumping into the platform. He left their hands, and surprisingly went very high. He desperately wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, but he couldn't. The wind against his skin was cooler compared to on the ground, and he felt it blowing through his hair as he started coming down again. He bent back slightly, catching himself on the others' shoulders. Everyone in the group had a stable hold on him somewhere, and Keith's insides relaxed in relief.

Lance found his gaze wandering yet again. As Keith was thrown into the air, his mouth gaped open, and hung there for second. He almost felt the urge to rush over there, until they caught him correctly. He felt himself let out a shaky breath knowing that they hadn't let Keith hit the ground.

That's when Lance felt a very firm something whack him in the cheek. The football slammed right into his face, and he found himself being knocked to the grass in surprise.

" Lance! Omg I'm so sorry!" Hunk exclaimed, and covered his mouth. Lance winced and rubbed his cheek, feeling tinges of pain as he did so. Some of the cheerleaders had seen what happened, and were giggling about it amongst themselves.

" What's so funny?" Keith asked, once his adrenaline evened out.

" Oh you know! Just Lance getting hit in the face by a football!" Shannon laughed. Keith felt himself biting his lip to keep from laughing as well. The school's star quarterback sure was a little bit of an idiot.

The cheerleaders usually helped the football players put away their equipment after practices. Not because they had to, but because they were kind and wanted to.

Keith was carrying a mesh bag of footballs Santa clause style, they were a tad bit heavier than he'd anticipated. He was walking in a staggered pattern, just trying to keep from dropping the bag.

" Hey watch where you're going, pretty boy!" Lance growled at Keith, who accidentally bumped into him. He wasn't really carrying anything, mainly because everyone else had already grabbed something. Keith felt himself tense up again. The quarterback could tell that the cheerleader was having some trouble. " You need me to carry that?" He asked smugly, getting closer to Keith's face with a shit eating grin.

" Nope. I think I can handle it." He continued walking, but Lance followed and eventually was walking beside him.

" Really? Looks to me like you're struggling." The football player uttered in a sly fashion. There was something about messing with Keith, he loved doing it for some reason. It was only that... it felt like way more than just teasing.

" And so what if I am?" Keith scowled at Lance, though his muscles were already sore from lugging the footballs over his shoulder.

" Oh for Christ's sake." Lance rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag from Keith, who was about to drop it. It felt like nothing when he held it and hurled it over his shoulder. The cheerleader blushed, and he was finally able to stand up without slouching. He almost found himself admiring Lance's strength, but shook his head at the thought of it. " You're welcome, pretty boy."

" I'm not thanking y-you, cause I don't need help." Keith stuttered as Lance seemed to be walking closer to him now.

" Aw. My feelings are so hurt!" Lance clutched his chest, gripping his jersey. He smirked at Keith, raising a single eyebrow at him. He could tell that the omega was getting a little shyer at his presence.

Keith just wanted to walk away from Lance before his instincts kicked in. His heart was already pounding, wanting things he knew he shouldn't. But sadly, they both had to go to the same locker room after this. That was always quite an experience.

(( Hey! I'm back with another update! How is everyone liking it so far? Don't be shy, I love hearing from my readers! ))