Keith's POV (sort of i'ts 3rd person)
Current age:14 (By the way for info the story is mostly about Keith's backstory changing is behavior. No worries, there will be a lot for Lance too) (They also won't be 14 forever it's just flashbacks)
-Flashback-
The colors sped by fast, zooming like race cars competing for first place spot. Just like summer currently competing with fall wanting to stay longer, but fall wasn't gonna let that happen. Though it was late-October, the leaves were just now changing to there yellows and oranges and light browns adding a pop of color to the usual plain green leaves above everyone's head.
"Dad?" The little black haired boy spoke kicking against his seat and fiddling with his fingernails as usual caused by his constant ADHD.
"Yes, Keith?" The older man responded to his fourteen year old son softly, but still concentrating on the road.
"Are we still going out to the um- great um... Roller coaster thing...uh..."
"Great America?"his father chuckled out, in trance by his son's goofy behavior as always.
"Yeah! Are we still going tomorrow?"
Keith's eyes were radiating excitement and glowing with joy. He was fourteen and still hadn't been on a roller coaster and was in hopes that the next day he could finally have the chance to ride one. It was towards the end of his eighth grade year of middle school and his dad finally agreed on letting him go.
"Of course. We've been planning this forever now. I promised you. Is Shiro still coming with us too?"
"Yep! We've already planned what rides were going on all in order!"
"Alright then. Let's go pick up a few groceries from the store then we'll go back home and gladly talk more about Great America later. Alright buddy?"
"Okay! And dad?"
"Yes, Keith?"
"We need more chips."
"Wait- what? I just bought some!" His dad spoke utter in shock, "Did you eat them all?"
"Maybe..."
"Keith?" He spoke in a monotone voice, looking down at his short son squinting.
"Okay, fine. Yep. I ate all the chips."
"Okay! Looks like we gotta buy more then I guess. You've got issues, kid."
"I know."
They both laughed as the young teens father parked there car and the headed inside.
•••
Next day...
"Alrighty Keith? Did you text Shiro we're outside his house?"
"Yep. He'll be out soon!"
A minute later another teen, obviously taller and about a year older than Keith scrambled down his stairs and rushed into Keith's car.
Keith was in the backseat so that him and Shiro could hang out. They were going early in the morning and were only a town over so they would probably be back at around five.
The entire way there they were rambling on and on about the kids at school, favorite TV shows, and how exciting it will be to go down the many roller coasters at the park. It was a very special day for Keith.
They definitely held up on their promise to go on every ride too. They were dizzier that a turtle spun upside down afterwords, but thankfully nobody vomited.
Maybe they shouldn't have gone on every ride...
---
So needless to say on the way home they were pooped out and even fell asleep on each other. They really were best friends.
After dropping Shiro off, they began to head home, but were interrupted by a call to Keith's father. He put it on speaker.
"Hello? This is Mr. Kogane speaking."
"Hey. It's Joshua. I know your off shift but both Slav and Sven called off and there's an emergency. Can you rush over here?"
"Am I even able to do that? Isn't that against the rules?"
"So what! A house is burning and lives need saving!"
"But I have my son, Keith, with me!"
"Bring him with then! I won't tell boss! We really need the help!"
"Okay. Fine. Bye."
He hung up.
"Keith, I got called into work and I need to hurry. You need to come with me. Okay?"
"Alright?" Keith responded, not sounding so sure about this. He had an aching feeling and decided to hug his dad tightly.
"What's the hug for?" Keith's dad chuckled out.
"Nothing...I don't know. Just had a feeling..."
Once they arrived the fire department Keith's father swiftly changed into his uniform and rushed with Keith to the fire truck.
"Hey what's this little boys name?" Joshua said to Keith's dad pointing at Keith.
"I'm not a little boy, I'm fourteen, and my name is Keith!" he huffed crossing his arms.
"Man! You can almost smell the teenage angst!" he laughed out.
"He surprisingly usually isn't this bad. He is just really tired after his exciting day today."
Keith smiled.
"Well nice to meet you, Keith. The name's Joshua, but you can call me Josh, little man" Josh said, extending his arm out to shake hands with Keith.
"Not little, and nice to meet you too." Keith spoke, smiling, while shaking the tall mans hand.
They pulled up to the property of the fire and Keith's father stepped out of the truck helping Keith down the large step.
Keith was shaking, nervous and anxious, claws digging at his palms as if there were demons needing to be released underneath his soft skin.
"Hey bud, calm down" his father spoke, smiling sincerely down at his precious son. Keith smiled back, still nervous but defiantly a lot more calm than he was beforehand.
It was then that Keith realized his location.
The house on fire was Shiro's neighbor's house.
His eyes widened seeing Shiro out front watching his neighbors house in flames. Shiro then spotted Keith and ran up to him enveloping him in a large hug.
"What are you doing here?" Shiro questioned Keith with a confused expression worn on his face.
"My dad had a last minute call into the station and had to bring me along. Is this your neighbors house?" Keith asked, glad is friend was there, but confused by the situation.
"Yeah. Never talked to them much but I know they have a daughter."
"What's her name?"
"No clue to be honest."
Shiro had his hands in his pockets while leaning against a tree. Keith on the other hand was tense. Nibbling his lips, scratching his palms, and swaying back and forth unable to stay still.
"Relax." Shiro chuckled out, "You need to calm down."
Shiro hugged Keith as Keith gripped and squeezed the back of Shrio's black and grey sleeved hoodie in his hands. The whole scene was illuminated by the raging fire in the background behind them. It was slightly cool outside, feeling like a summer night. All of the stars were visible around all of the houses, but the one with smoke above it. It was chilly in the areas where the fire wasn't reflecting onto them making a comfortable contrast of cold and warm that neither of the boys minded.
(There's no Sheith. Chill... They don't get together at all.)
Shiro rubbed the area of Keith's neck where his hair was slightly longer as he felt Keith calm beneath his embrace. Shiro smiled as the small boy hugging him's head as a light pink pasted the bridge of his nose and dusted across his cheekbones lightly.
(Okay, so maybe Shiro has a crush for a bit, but they grow to be like brothers and Keith never finds out anyways)
Keith let go of Shiro and stared at the fire shaking a bit as the cold finally got to him.
"Do you need a hoodie?" Shiro asked Keith as he looked up at him with his innocent shine he loved so much evident in his eyes.
"But then you'd be cold."
"I have two hoodies on." Shiro spoke back.
"Only you." Keith responded rolling his eyes and folding his arms, smiling as Shiro took off one of his hoodies and handed it to Keith.
(Keith doesn't have feelings for Shiro and never will. Shiro is like Keith's brother to him)
Keith slipped on Shiro's larger hoodie as Shiro hugged him from behind.
"What are you doing?" Keith asked n a confused manner.
"Hugging you. Keeping you warm."
Keith stared at his fire waiting for his dad to come out. Ten minutes later he finally did and Keith slipped out of Shiro's embrace to walk closer up to the scene to see his father dragging out a women and seemingly her husband.
"Dad! You alright?"Keith asked while walking towards his father.
"Yeah..." his father spoke back, obviously out of breath, "I'm going back in. Their daughter's in there..."
"Wait! No! Dad, you seem tired! Please, don't. I have a bad feeling, please!" Keith was suddenly crying, confused on why he felt overcome with emotion in this moment. His gut was screaming at him that this all was a bad idea and that his father shouldn't go back in. He seemed overworked and tired as if he were about to pass out.
"I'm sorry Keith, I need to go back in..."
"No!" Keith shouted in objection, but all he could do was watch as his father's silhouette walked back into the flaming building.
Keith felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Shiro. He immediately fell into his arms as he squeezed the cloth of his black hoodie shoulders. Keith's anxiety came over him like tidal waves.
Fifteen minutes went by, and his father was nowhere to be seen. Keith began to book it for the building ignoring the shouts of Shiro and the adults around them.
He ran in, stupidly not expecting the raging fire to be as bright and hot as it was up close. His eyes felt squinted as his adrenaline took hold. He scanned his eyes around him anxiously looking for sight of his father. When he finally did he noticed he was knocked out cold and a short girl by him also passed out too. He ran over, avoiding a few of the obstacles in his way. He tried dragging them both but it didn't work. He also couldn't support the weight of his father either making him frustrated as he began to start balling. He shook his father, and felt his pulse, but was disappointed to feel no heart beat.
His eyes widened, as realization hit him.
His father was dead...
He felt the girl's pulse and she was still going strong, just seemed to had passed out from either something minor or how terrified she was.
Keith grabbed both her arms and pulled them over his shoulders, the weight of her body now being supported by his back as he stumbled forward with a slouch. As he was underneath the door way, he set her down in front of him and out of the building, but what he wasn't expecting was for a large chunk of wood above him to fall on his head causing him to pass out and fall into the puddle of ashes beneath him.
---
At the hospital with news...
The mother of the girl in the fire, also known as Colleen, ran into the hospital and to the front desk with her husband Sam.
"Hello ma'am, how may I help you?"
"My daughter! Katie Holt! Our house was on fire and she was hospitalized here, and I'd like to visit her!"
"Alright, how may you be related to Ms. Holt?"
"She's my daughter! I'm Colleen Holt!"
"Alright, down the hall, room number seventeen. In one of the rooms for two patients. Good luck and have a good night."
Colleen and Sam rushed to the room and strolled in to see an awake Katie sitting in the tiny hospital bed coughing. Colleen immediately enveloped her into a tight embrace, just glad that her baby was alive and for the most part well.
"Oh my gosh! How are you feeling! What damage do you have? Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I only have slight heart and lung problems they said, they'll explain it to you. Nothing deadly or serious they said. It would of been much worse if that Kogane kid didn't drag me out in time..."
"Kogane? Texas Kogane's son!" Colleen explained, in shock. She was a good friend of Keith's father, but only met Keith a few times. Enough times to know that Keith was a good boy.
"Yeah."
"Really? What happened!"
"Well, his father attempted to help me out but was hit really hard with a support beam...Keith then ran in and dragged me out apparently, but I was passed out for a good five minutes. I saw them wheel him on one of the beds into the ambulance while they had me sit with the breathing machine for a bit. He got hit in the head real hard while dragging me out according to them. They were afraid it would be deadly, but they tested him ad said he'd make it through. I told them we knew his family since you guys would always talk about them so they want to speak with you. His dad...uh died...he doesn't have any...uh blood family...I guess. After the blow to his head he may have some trouble remembering things, tough mood swings every now and then, basically bipolar, risks of seizures, and he's in a short coma they said right now. Estimated to only last about a week or two. He'll push through. He'll just also get headaches easily for a while. I think the hospital thinks I'm really close with him since you guys know his family cause they told me pretty much everything."
"Oh my gosh...wait...? Texas...dead?" Colleen gulped, "Well...that was a mouthful...how'd you remember that all?"
"Well, first of all I'm genius. Second of all...I just...I-I felt like I needed to...He saved me...Damn, his father saved you guys too!"
"Katie Holt! You are thirteen years old! Watch your language!" Colleen scolded, while Sam just chuckled in the corner.
"Okay, okay! Well, he's on the other half of the room behind the curtain. He's sort of in a coma so you have nothing to really do but look at him, but you can see him I guess.
"Alright..."
---
Shiro's POV of going to the hospital that same night to see Keith, so it's still the day of Great America...
Shiro walked into Keith's hospital room, saying hello and having a short-lived conversation with Katie on his way in. Also taking notice of his friend Matt, who he somehow never noticed was his neighbor, and saying hello to him too.
When he walked into Keith's half of the room he gulped, quite obviously in a distressful state of mind at the moment. The sight of his best friend on the hospital bed made him want to gag, but he made himself feel better at the reassuring fact that he was going to live, just with some barely noticeable memory issues.
"Keith..." He whispered, his voice cracking as he sat and took the pale boys hand in his, "Happy birthday buddy..."
***
2501 words.
REEEEEEEEEEE--!