Ready Lover One? (Klance/Laith)

Chapter 1: Start Up

"Come on, Keith. Just give it a shot."

Shiro leaned against the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee as Keith sat on the couch reading. The raven haired teen glared across the room at the closest thing to a brother he had ever had.

"Shiro, I am not, and I repeat, not going to give that stupid game of yours a shot. Dumb-ass video games aren't my thing and never will be."

The older male shook his head, "For one, video games aren't dumb. They have almost the same effect as books do but you can interact with people, to an extent. Second, World of Mischief is the newest and hottest game out right now. It's one of the best games for someone like you to start off playing."

Rolling his violet eyes, Keith returned to reading. Shiro shook his head and refilled his cup with coffee as his phone buzzed on the counter. He received a message:

Matt: 

How did things go?

Is he going to create an account?

The black and white haired male quickly replied no before entering the living room. Shiro spent a lot of time worrying about Keith and only wanted the best for him. Ever since he asked the teen to live with him, Shiro had rarely seen him in a good mood much less enjoy himself or smile. All he wanted was for Keith to find happiness.

He sat across from Keith and turned the TV on as a ad appeared.

"Today's the day! Embark on the journey of a lifetime through a fantastical world alongside companions from near and far. Join a guild, fall in love or strive to beat the game. The possibilities are endless as long as you believe."

Keith shot daggers at Shiro who tried to hide his laughter. "I promise I didn't plan this. It's just a coincidence." 

The ad boomed through the apartment, "The creators of World of Mischief have released a new, updated version of the game that's taking the world by storm. In select copies of the game, you can find an exclusive code for a rare character class, a legendary guardian and an invite to a guild run by the creators themselves. Hurry to a store near you for a chance at this special prize!" 

"How much more advertising does Altea Industries need for that game?" The teen had returned to reading at this point trying to ignore the ad. 

Shiro opened his mouth to reply only to be interrupted as his phone began ringing. He looked down to see that it was the office he worked at. He quietly excused himself from the room before answering. Keith knew all too well how Shiro's work treated him. They asked him to work ridiculous hours and had even been calling him on his days off to come in for several hours.

When Shiro returned, he was wearing a white dress shirt with black pants and had his black jacket slung over his shoulder. He smiled apologeticlly at Keith.

"I'm sorry, Keith. That was work and they need my help with something. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"More like you'll be working the rest of the day and part of the night."

The older male ruffled the hair on top of Keith's head, "Don't forget to take a break from reading and go grab something to eat. I'll see you later."

He glanced up as Shiro opened the door, "Weren't you going to try and get the updated version of that game?" 

The black and white haired male shook his head softly before exiting and closing the door behind him. Keith remained sitting on the couch for a few hours until a growl from his stomach broke the silence of the room. The raven haired teen sighed loudly sitting his book down and throwing on his white boots and red jacket. 

A cool breeze blew through the opened doors of the apartment complex and the sounds of the city greeted Keith upon stepping outside. There was a small diner down the street from his and Shiro's apartment that the two frequently visited and that Keith quite enjoyed. The diner had a certain homey feel to it that allowed the teen to relax. 

The waitress, an older lady, greeted Keith with a smile and showed him to the booth Shiro always asked for. She had his normal order memorized and asked if he wanted anything else or wanted to order something to go for the missing Shiro. Keith rarely spoke to people and simply nodded towards the waitress. A few minutes later she returned with Keith's order and a bag containing Shiro's food. 

After finishing his meal and thanking the waitress, Keith slowly started walking back towards the apartment. The sun had begun to set sending the sky into a frenzy of golds, purples, blues and Keith's favorite, red. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and nearly bumped into a man with an arm full of small boxes. The teen turned around to see a passerby bump into the man, knocking the boxes to the ground and continued on his way without a word. 

Keith knelt next to man and began helping him pick up the boxes. When the man spoke, his voice was gruff yet kind. "Thank you very much, young man. You didn't need to stop and help me."

Keith avoided eye contact, "It wouldn't have been right to just ignore someone who needed help. Especially after that asshole kept walking without even saying sorry."

The man chuckled and Keith looked up at him. The man had bright blue eyes, dark skin and his long hair and beard were slightly off white. The man appeared to be older than Shiro but retained youthfulness in his eyes and face. 

The man continued to smile, "Say, how about you take one of these as a token of gratitude?" The man held one of the boxes out towards Keith before placing it in his hands. That's when Keith noticed exactly what it was that the man had been carrying. 

"This is the newest version of World of Mischief, isn't it?" 

"That it is. I must be off now but please do enjoy the game. Thank you again for your help." The man gathered the rest of the boxes into his arms then continued on his way down the street. Keith remained staring at the man until he disappeared around a corner. 

The raven haired teen had finally arrived back at the apartment a few minutes before Shiro came walking through the door. He had his jacket clutched in one hand and a bag in the other. 

"What's that?" Keith questioned while warming up Shiro's food. 

"Oh, this? Matt grabbed me a copy of the updated game and brought it by the office. Is that from the diner?"

Keith nodded, "Well, looks like you have two copies now." Shiro raised an eyebrow as Keith placed the box on the counter. "On my way home, this asshole bumped into a man carrying a bunch of these. He didn't stop to help the man so I went and helped out. Then he gave me this."

The older male sat on a stool at the counter as he ate and listened to the teen. When he noticed Keith had stopped talking, he wiped his mouth and cleared his throat. 

"If he gave it to you then it's yours. It was nice of you to buy dinner and I don't need two copies so keep it. Maybe it'll spark an interest in playing it within you." He smirked as he headed towards his room. "If you need anything, I'll be online with Matt seeing what the update has to offer. It wouldn't kill you to let loose and have some fun." 

A small pout crept across Keith's face as he propped his elbow on the counter and rested his chin against his palm. His eyes kept falling onto the game sitting next to him. Sighing heavily, the teen trudged into his room and fell onto the bed after sitting the game on his desk. 

"What's so great about that game anyway?"  he thought. The teen rolled over to face the window and watch the city come to life at night. Keith's eyelids began to grow heavy as his thoughts kept traveling back to the game.