(AN- Language warning on this one. I am actually kind of surprised that I haven't really needed one before now. I didn't specifically LOOK, but I am pretty sure the cursing has been kept pretty tame for a bunch of drunkards up until this point. There's just something about Lance and Keith that activates the potty mouth though.)

"Stupid Keith," Lance muttered to himself, trying to focus on his irritation instead of his worry and fear. He and Allura had had a MOMENT! At least, he THOUGHT they had had a moment. He sighed, kicking at the floor. He'd PROMISED himself he wouldn't read into anything with Allura. But there had been a couple of times tonight where he was pretty sure they'd like... clicked. Not just wishful thinking, that he could recognize easily enough. Like, it really FELT like it was real. But then, he was drunk, and she was drunk, and... ARGH! And then stupid Keith had stupid vanished and then stupid HIM had gotten stupid scared that his damn idea for a fun night had gotten one of them hurt or worse. And so now, instead of having fun, he was fighting a cold, inky stone of dread in his belly.

"Stupid Keith," he repeated, brow furrowing as he stepped out of the bar and into the night air. Making him feel all this conflicting shit. Didn't he know they worried? Didn't he know SHIRO worried? Didn't he care? At all? About ANY of them? He'd better be in trouble. He'd better be hurt or something... something important. Cold, cold waves of fear and worry and self-recrimination lapped at the deep freeze of his anger, adding paper thins layers of iciness with each pass.

"What?"

Lance froze in place. That had been Keith. He turned. There, mostly hidden by shadows was his teammate. COMPLETELY FINE! His eyes traveled from one of Keith's boots, up his jean-clad legs, over his red and white jacket, across that pale, delicately boned face and inky cloud of hair that looked so sof-mullet. Across the mullet... and down the other side. Not a single visible scratch. Relief flooded him and INSTANTLY flash froze as brittle, frigid outrage. "NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY!" He roared.

"What the-" confusion washed over Keith's face, defensive anger sparking in those violet eyes. "What the fuck are you talking about, Lance?"

"Split the party- like in video games. It's an asshole move," he seethed.

Keith balked, confused and indignant. Video games? Lance was mad at him about video games? "What does that have to do with anything?" he did not want to ruin tonight with, yet another, blow up with Lance. He'd been trying SO HARD not to set him off and it had been mostly working. Everyone had been having fun. He'd even been having fun!

"You disappeared, Keith," Lance barked, gesturing wildly. "We were all dancing, and then you were just... gone. No one knew where you were."

"I was just out here- I was already on my way back!" Keith argued, "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah- and so can I and so can Shiro and so can Allura- but that hasn't stopped any of us from getting hurt or... taken," he blurted out. "You can't just... take off."

"I didn't take off! I am RIGHT HERE! It took you like five seconds to find me. You guys were all busy- dancing and flirting and having fun. How was I supposed to know any of you would notice that I was even gone before I came back?"

"Quiznak, you are so dense," he groaned, rubbing at his face. "Notice!? Of COURSE we noticed! We ALWAYS notice when you aren't around, Keith!" He was getting so frustrated. "You are part of the team. You're one of us. We all have to watch out for each other, Keith. That's how this whole thing WORKS."

"I am not used to having anyone paying attention to where I am going," Keith offered up, fighting the urge to lash out. It was hard. SO hard not to flip his shit.

"WHY? Because the Blades of Marmora don't pay attention to where you are on missions? Between missions?" Lance said skeptically. "Because Shiro doesn't keep tabs on us when we are off the field? Hell- like CORAN doesn't know where we all are right this minute? That's BS- and you know it. You really expect me to believe that keeping people in the loop is something NEW? I am not an idiot."

"It IS new," Keith snapped. "We haven't been off Earth THAT long, Lance. All of this... team stuff? That IS new for me!"

"You and Shiro-"

"Me and Shiro are NONE of your business, Lance," he hissed, "and that is different than all this team stuff, anyway."

"Is it? Well, fine, but you worried Shiro, too!" He made an exaggerated show of taking a deep breath... and then another... and then a third. "Fine. Whatever. You aren't dead or bleeding. Let's just... go back inside so everyone can relax."

"Why would I be dead or bleeding?" Keith grumbled, kicking at the ground with his boot.

"Why would you- Oh. My. God. Have you MET you?" Lance blurted in exasperation, stomping off toward the door. "I am your friend. I'd jump in front of a bullet for you and I STILL want to kill you half the time! It's a miracle you are still alive." Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. Had he really said that? Outloud? To fucking KEITH?! Quiznak.

"Wait." Keith half jogged to catch up to him. Damn, Lance had a really long stride when he was on his own- he'd really cleared some distance. He reached out, hand grasping Lance's shoulder in a very Shiro-like move. "You called me your friend..." God- his voice was so... small... weak. Fuck.

"Yeah- fine. You're my friend," he admitted begrudgingly. "We're friends. Not like me and Hunk, or whatever. But yeah. I'm your friend."

"You'd take a bullet for me? Really?" He barely managed to form the words. It was like he couldn't get the air in his lungs to MOVE.

Lance sighed, anger draining at the surprise and disbelief in Keith's voice. His shoulder's dropped, tension leaving his body. Taking a breath, he turned his head to meet Keith's eyes over his shoulder. Sincerity flooded his ocean blue eyes. "Yeah, of course I would. Just like you would for us. Just like any of us would. That's what a team IS."

"Team. Right." Keith dropped his hand, some tentative, tiny, hopeful thing deep, deep, inside him snapping and retreating.