He gets to the lounge before Keith does, who's usually the first one to be there, wherever there is. Nervously Lance sat down, not able to keep his hands still, playing with the cards, not caring about the fact that some of the cards dropped to the floor or got bent.

"Hey." Keith had entered without Lance noticing, the red paladin with his hands in the pockets of his red jacket, not meeting Lance's eyes.

"Keith… Eh, sit down so we can do this… thing." Lance's voice was a bit weak. He hoped Keith didn't notice it too much. Keith was way too nervous himself to notice anything else. He sat down.

"I guess it's my turn to ask you," he said, voice not entirely steady. Lance nodded. "So… truth or dare, Lance." Lance decided to start off easy.

"Truth."

"Would you rather eat pizza for a whole month or eat anything but pizza for a month?" Keith's facial expression went from calm to confused as he read from the yellow card. This was probably one of Coran's contributions, who'd just recently had learned about this particular food from earth that was apparently loved by all.

"Man, pizza is the best, of course I'd eat it every day for a month, who wouldn't?" Lance leaned back, hands behind his head. If he pretended to be sure of himself maybe he'd believe it himself after a while. Then he suddenly remembered something, flinging his arms up into the air above his head.

"Hey! I completely forgot. This is a competition!" He looked at Keith and saw that he too had forgotten that they were supposed to get points for answers and actions.

"Oh yeah, i forgot too," Keith answered. Silence. More silence.

"Well I am not gonna lose," Lance said, leaning forward, putting his forearms on his knees, challenging Keith directly with his body language and a smug smile.

Keith just looked at him for a moment, until Lance saw a twinkle in the red paladin's eye, Keith accepting the challenge, with a facial expression that said "Well I'm sure as hell not gonna lose either, so game on!" And then the game was on. It was like the atmosphere changed around them, from awkward and silent to full of anticipation, the incident on the training deck forgotten. Mostly. Maybe. Or not at all.

"So the castle keeps score, right?" Lance asked.

"Well that's what Pidge said, and they really know their technology so I'm not gonna take any chances," Keith answered him. "So, eh, your turn to ask." Lance cast a glance at Keith's face. Keith was looking down at his hands, but, as if he felt Lances gaze on him, he raised his head and their eyes met for a millisecond before Lance quickly turned his head town.

"T-truth or dare," he asked before his face could have the time to blush.

"Dare," Keith answered, still looking at Lance, who picked up a green card. Noticing it was upside down and turned it around.

"I dare you to sing the first song that pops into your mind." Lance had heard Keith sing, or more correctly humming to himself. That usually happened when Keith thought he was alone, or that no one could hear him. A couple of times the other paladins had heard him over the comm in their helmets while flying with their lions. As far as Lance could tell Keith could sing, or at least hit the right notes. And ultimately that's what really matters. Or is it feeling that really matters? Actually it didn't matter what really mattered, Lance decided. He was still about to hear Keith really sing.

Keith on the other hand looked a bit surprised, he hadn't expected this, that was for sure. He straightened up a bit and cleared his throat before breathing in but got interrupted by Lance before he could sing the first note.

"If you are about to sing Defying Gravity I win by default." Keith stopped in the middle of his breath, forgot to breathe for a little while, the way you often do when someone interrupts you literally in the middle of a breath, then breathed out and frowned at Lance.

"I was not going to sing Defying Gravity," he pouted.

"Sure you weren't," Lance said mockingly, his smile widening.

"Now shut up so I can complete this stupid dare." Keith looked away, a faint blush on his cheeks again, a bit disturbed over the fact that he had to sing in front of another person, which he had never done. Like ever.

He started to hum some melody that Lance couldn't make out.

"Hey, mullet, I can't hear you." Keith shot him an irritated look and raised his voice a bit.

"… I made … mind, …to an end…"

"Keith I still can't hear you." Keith's blush deepened as he raised his voice additionally.

"Look at me now, will I ever learn? I don't know how but I suddenly lose control, uuhdududu in my soul." Lance couldn't do much else than smile at this. Keith was embarrassed, singing an ABBA song AND forgetting some of the lyrics. If Lance had been alone he might just have buried his face into a pillow and squealed, this was absolutely adorable.

"Just one look and I can hear a bell ring, One more look and I forget everything, woo-ooh, Mamma mia, here I go again, my my, how can I resist you." Keith glanced nervously at Lance, like he was looking for a reaction. Lance tried to give him an encouraging smile without seeming smug or cocky.

"Mamma mia, does it show again, my my, just how much I've missed you. Yeeees I've been brokenhearted, blue since the day we parted. Why, why did I ever let you go? Mamma mia, now i really know, my my I could never let you go." After half of the chorus Keith sped up his singing, as if to making it be over more quickly, blush still deepening on his face.

"Now that wasn't the whole song, Keith." Lance let a bit of smugness sip through his voice. He couldn't just tell Keith that he wanted to hear more of his singing, now could he.

"Whatever," Keith mumbled, crossing his arms, as to protect himself. "I'm not singing any more." The embarrassed blush intensified even more and Keith refused to look in Lance's direction. "Truth or dare."

"Fine then, dare." Now Keith reached for one of the green cards. "I dare you to guess how I like my tea and then make me a cup." He threw the card in the discard pile and leaned back in thesofa again. Lance put his index finger and thumb against his chin dramatically.

"Hmm, this is a tricky one. So you're quite mysterious and keep stuff to yourself. You do not seem like the yoga-type." Keith raised an eyebrow.

"So I bet you drink black tea, brewed to the point where it's bitter, and to cover up that bitterness you add sugar. The sugar is also there because you believe that you are what you eat and if you put something sweet in your tea you will eventually become cute." Keith's eyebrow went even higher, an amused smile somewhere behind his facade.

"So what, you're telling me that I like my tea bitter and that I'm not cute already?" Lance turned on his charm and said:

"Well not as cute as me." He repressed the urge to wink. "So how far from the truth was I?" Keith almost laughed.

"Pretty far. I usually drink green tea, or chai, but only if it's chai latte. And I don't have sugar in it, I prefer honey. And honestly no one brews their tea so long that it becomes bitter on purpose. And that's also why I avoid black tea, 'cause it's always bitter." That was probably the most Keith had ever shared about himself with Lance.

"And," Keith added, leaning forward, "I'm adorable." Lance snorted but secretly melted a bit inside.

"Well, Lance, time for you to make me my tea." The blue paladin got up from the sofa, turned towards the red paladin and bowed rather gracefully.

"As you wish, my lord." Lance turned around at the same time as he got up from his bow, to hide the blood rushing to his cheeks. What he didn't know was that behind him, Keith's face had gone from a sweet pinkish color to a deep red color that easily matched his red jacket. Keith buried his face in his hands, trying to breath deeply. They had talked before, they had touched each other before, even if it was simple pats on the other's back and other casual touching that was normal for teammates. But somehow, everything they said to each other now, when they were alone on the ship, it seemed so much more… intimate, somehow. Like they were actually getting closer to each other, getting to know the other paladin better than ever. Keith sighed deeply, imagining the air flowing out of him like blue smoke. When he breathed in he imagined the air being purple again, going into his lungs, the red pigment being sucked out and the blue color stayed inside him until he pushed the air out again.

As Lance stood in the kitchen, water boiling in the kettle, he tried to analyze the situation. He might or might not be flirting with Keith. Okay, fine, yes, he was flirting with Keith. But flirty was his normal state, that's the only way he could hide his insecurities, by always smiling and acting like he was sure of himself. Flirting was fun. He liked when he made girls giggle over him, or boys frustratedly eye him up and down, deciding if he was a threat or a goal to set on. He liked making people blush. He always liked it when others flirted with him, it made him feel good. Appreciated and desirable. He wanted others to feel what way too. And honestly, Keith might need a bit of flirting. He's so closed of and… gloomy somehow.

Usually Lance was good at sensing if he was crossing a line or making someone uncomfortable, but honestly, with Keith it was just so damn hard! Why was he even flirting with Keith? Was Keith laughing at him in secret? Was he going to tease him for it? Or maybe he just thought Lance was stupid. Stupid, stupid Lance, who's constantly embarrassing himself in front of literally everyone. Did Keith find him boring? Or did Lance just creep him out? What if Keith didn't like it at all, and was happy with the relationship they already had. Distant and full of rivalry. What if he didn't have the courage to stand up to Lance. Suffering in silence. Lance bent forward, banging his head against the countertop multiple times. He really needed to get this out of his head. But he didn't know how. Dammit. Damn everything. Damn this game. Damn Keith. Damn Lance's stupid mind that was so stuck on stupid Keith. Just damn everything.

Deciding that he would give Keith his tea in the most fancy manner possible he got out one of the nicer cups, white with golden lines crisscrossing across the blank surface, reflecting the light faintly. The handle had tiny shapes of crystals on it. They mostly used plain and simple mugs. Well not today. He looked in the cabinet and grabbed one of the many jars where they kept their tea. He wasn't the biggest tea drinker, and when he did drink tea he always let Hunk pick out the flavor. Hunk, being his best friend, always analyzed Lance's mood, where in space they were, what they'd been doing etc. Lance had just laughed it off in the beginning, but soon realized that there actually was some science to it and he always felt better afterwards. Hunk was just brilliant, one of the smartest people Lance had ever met.

Coran loved tea and had many blends of herbs from far of planets, every one of them said to be good for different things. After opening and smelling like ten different blends Lance took one that looked like it had small flower petals in it. He smelled once more to be sure and then put the filled tea strainer in the cup, poured on water and got out the jar of honey. He wondered if he should get a tray and maybe an apron, but decided that he wouldn't push it. Better to go a bit more slow and steady, trying to feel the atmosphere, be a bit careful to see what signals Keith were able to pick up and what signals he was sending out. Also, dressing up like a butler or servant might send some very extreme signals.

Keith was still sitting on the couch in the lounge when Lance got back, but he had taken his jacket off revealing an awfully boring gray t-shirt under it. Boring, but it fitted Keith perfectly.

"Okay, Lance," he thought to himself. "Better not stare at Keith's chest and just give him the tea. Just give him the tea Lance."

"There you go," he said to Keith, looking at his face as he put the hot mug on a coaster on the coffee table after carefully sitting down on the sofa again. The con of looking at Keith's face is that that part of him is also pretty and a bit breathtaking. Oh dear what has Lance gotten himself into? Was there even any logic to this… interest in Keith at all?

There aren't many people that live on this ship, and out of those the red paladin might be the most… suiting? Hunk is his best friend and Pidge is only fourteen, and besides, they haven't expressed any kind of will to have a relationship of any kind. Wouldn't that be funny, if he had a crush on Pidge instead. They would probably punch him in the face of he told them. The thought made him laugh softly to himself.

"What are you laughing about? Did you do something to my tea?" Keith glanced suspiciously at the cup on the table, as if simply looking at it could decide if Lance's put salt in it or something. Lance, on the other hand, woke up from his thoughts.

"What? Dude, no. I thought what it would be like to tell Pidge I was in love with them," he said before he had the chance to actually go over the words in his head. He got a look from Keith he couldn't figure out the meaning of.

"So you're… I mean, are you in love with Pidge?"

"What? No. No! That was not what I meant at all. I just thought what would happen if I was and if I told them. I'd probably get punched in the face." Keith didn't look entirely convinced but dropped the subject.

Lance continued his speculation over the people living in the castle. Shiro was undoubtedly attractive, but also a bit too… serious for Lance? He was more like a father, or an older brother. Always looking out for everyone. Yeah that was a crush that was never going to happen. Maybe a small crush on a distance, or more like serious appreciation of Shiro's good looks.

Lance had had his fair share of romantic feelings towards Allura but everyone knew that was never going to happen either, and if he really thought about it, Allura might not be the right match for him anyways. That only leaves Coran… uh, let's not even go there. So yeah, Keith was probably the most logical person to fall for on this ship. Lance's smile stayed on his lips as he felt a bit more calm and rational about his feelings. Keith on the other hand continued to look a bit wary, while he blew on his tea as calmly as possible.

"It's your turn to ask," he mumbled to Lance in between blows.

"Oh right. Truth or dare?"

"Hm.. dare." Lance reached for a green card.

"I dare you to…" he was interrupted by a sound that signaled that a message had been sent to them. Lance looked at Keith with a surprised look before he went over to the panel beside the door. He tapped the message button on the screen, connecting it to the speakers before playing it. Pidge's voice filled the room.

"What's up, dweebs. I hope you're playing the game right now. Remember the consequences I promised you. And remember to be honest and to complete the dares fully, or else you won't get any points." Their voice was a bit sharper than normal. "Anyhow, we're gonna be a while, we'll know more tomorrow." They heard someone shouting in the background.

"Oh yeah Hunk says, again, that there's food for you and that you shouldn't forget to eat it. Play nicely." The message ended. Lance had noticed how Pidge's tone had changed when they'd told them to play nicely. He shrugged and disconnected the speakers before going back to the sofa.

"Okay, so it's gonna be just us two playing tonight." Lance didn't realize that it sounded like he was implying something until he saw Keith looking away, shocked and embarrassed.

"Oh no, no that was not what I… I no we're… you and me… no." Dammit. He couldn't get out a whole sentence and he also couldn't shut up.

"Eh, mmmh, yeah. No. I would never, you know. I mean we would never… that would be… gross."

His voice weakened when he saw Keith's face. If he didn't know better he'd say that Keith was, hurt? Maybe? Or at least a little bit offended. Lance closed his mouth and rubbed the back of his neck, his body language making it obvious that he was definitely mortified. He prayed that one day, he'd be able to just shut up.

"Yeah… no, of course not," Keith said after a while, still not looking directly at Lance. Lance took a deep breath and picked up the card he had put down before.

"Okay, eh, so you chose dare, so I'm gonna…" He cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna read the card now. Keith, I dare you to sleep in the same bed as me tonight."

Lance wanted to open a space window and space fling himself out of said space window into the literal space so that this painful space game would space end. What had he done to deserve this fate? Keith jerked his head up when he heard the dare Lance had just read.

"Are you joking?" Lance just shook his head and gave the card to Keith, barely touching the edge of the card so there would be less of a chance of accidental touching.

"Okay, so you're not joking. Well this is unfortunate…"

Keith tapped the card against his leg several times.

"I mean, if you want to forfeit now we wouldn't have to…"

"NO!" Lance shouted, making Keith flinch, which was a bit odd considering the fact he had amazing reflexes otherwise and was generally hard to surprise. "I mean, I will not give up." Lance stood up from the sofa with a dramatic facial expression.

"I'm gonna win! And if that means we have to share a bed for the night, I. Will. Do. It." With his fist in the air, he tried to soothe over their reactions with comic relief. Keith just stared at him, trying to hold his surprised smile back, and thought that this would only be more dramatic if Lance had a flag behind him.

The fact was that Lance had gotten so nervous by the thought of sleeping beside Keith that he had panicked when Keith implied that it was a bad idea. But what if Keith was really uncomfortable with that? And what if he felt pressured to keep going? What if he was just grossed out?

Okay, no, time to pull myself together again, Lance's inner voice said.

"Keith," he said aloud, without the dramatic touch and looked down on the red paladin.

"If you wish to forfeit I have total respect for it, but honestly, who would pass up on an opportunity like this?" He smiled his most charming smile, lifting an eyebrow with one hand on his hip, trying to look cool. Keith just rolled his eyes and, was that a chuckle? Could it have been?

"I'm not gonna give up either."

"So… we're gonna sleep together. Like sleep sleep not… sex sleep." Lance was making a fool out off himself again. He mentally slapped himself twice in the face while pouring a bucket of water over his head at the same time. Dammit Lance. Just. Learn. To. Shut. Up.

"Dude, you're making it weird." He really was making it weird. He tried to brush it of again.

"Well not many can control themselves around me." He looked at his nails as he spoke, like he was just casually dropping the comment. He sat down in the sofa again, gracefully putting one leg over the other, still looking at his nails. Keith scoffed as he picked up his mug of tea again.

"Whatever, truth or dare."

"Dare."

"I dare you to do the macarena. To the song. The entire song." Lance groaned and slumped back against the back of the sofa.

"Nooo that song is like 200 years long." Keith gestured with the hand that still held the card towards the empty space in the lounge.

"The floor is yours, sharpshooter." Lance sticked out his tongue at him as he walked over to the panel again, not showing on the outside how surprised he was that Keith had actually called him a nickname that wasn't an insult. And the nickname Lance had made up for himself as well.

He connected the panel to the speakers once again and tapped on the music note symbol.

Pidge had, after a lot of whining from Lance, put in a music feature in the castle, so the quiet afternoons in between fights and adventures wouldn't be so suffocatingly quiet anymore. Bless Pidge's soul, and bless them for getting music that wasn't horrible.

He put a ten second delay on the song so he could make his way to the floor and be ready for the dancing™. He did feel a bit exposed but he was used to being the center of attention, and besides, no one could do the macarena as good as he could. Keith sat with his mug of tea, his blank expression revealing nothing about what the red paladin was thinking. Well to that there's only one solution.

To do the macarena the best way possible, flawlessly and with a hint of sexy.