a/n: i dedicate this chapter to the first reviewer. you made my day a lot brighter! lol also a bit of a rambly thing: i KNOW how bad allergies can be bc mine are triggered so badly by a cat/outdoor alleriges. I wish my friends would be more considerate : (.

TW: vomit, langst, allergies

Indeed, it was a lot worse than Lance was letting on.

He was lying on the bathroom floor, sweat coating his forehead, labored breathing exiting his body.

"Lance?" There was a knock on the door.

"What." Lance groaned; his stomach churned.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Lance said.

"Can I come in?" Hunk asked.

"Sure."

Hunk came in and the moment he stepped in; he covered his nose.

"Aw." Hunk whimpered in sympathy, "Why didn't you tell us?"

There were tears in the standing teen's eyes, shoulders hunched forward. Lance looked up at Hunk. Hunk noticed he had dark circles rimmed under his eyes.

He didn't look healthy.

Lance felt tears in his eyes for a different reason. He wasn't going to bring up the past.

"I don't know. I wanted you to believe me."

.

It was the next day. A knock on Lance's bedroom door.

"Come in." Lance said from his bed.

Keith entered the room and Lance's eyebrows shot up.

"You? Visiting me? What's the occasion?"

"Why weren't you at breakfast?"

"I can't go to practice today." Lance said, coughing, then groaning.

The cough jostled his sore stomach.

The soreness was from hours of throwing up on and off. He knew it was from eating the whole bowl of the green sludge. Lance sat up despite his protesting muscles and leaned his head against his hand; he looked at Keith. Everything hurt. Even his eyes. There was something off about Keith, Lance noticed. His black hair was not its usual messiness. The raven's nest was straight, too clean, too kempt. Keith was usually less put together. This was weird.

Keith stared at Lance too, judging, trying not to any detail escape him of Lance. Lance looked pale, too pale for his olive skin. Like an unnatural filter on an Earth phone, it was unbecoming. Lance's forehead shone with small beads of sweat. Lance's forehead wrinkled slightly, jaw tight, like he was in pain. His whole aura and energy was a lot lower than usual.

Keith sat on Lance's bed. Softly. Like he didn't want to break Lance.

"I know that you are hiding something." Keith said.

"What?" Lance was confused.

"You just act like you were fine when really-"

Lance cut Keith off.

"Keith, that's not true." Lance said, then looked away, "I mean kinda- I tried! Why didn't you say anything then?"

Keith was too stunned to speak. Keith realized that choosing to be passive was his option that he chose. Doing nothing, watching was his choice. But Keith wasn't talking about that.

Lance was denying what Keith was trying to get to. And Lance twisted it to attack Keith. The fact that Keith said something about that felt to Lance like Keith exposed a wound, a part of him he didn't want others to see. Lance cherished relationships and wanted the best out of every situation for everyone. This situation wasn't that.

Keith looked away, "You know it's true. I'm not just talking about the you-having-allergies thing. It's...more."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Keith got up to pace, "I can see something bothering you. It's like the goo triggered something... You haven't been acting like yourself. What's bothering you?"

This was Keith's first time trying to help a friend out, as he learned that doing nothing was an action too.

For Lance this was close to the truth, too close.

There was a building in Lance's chest. He tried to hide it, he needed to hide it. It needed to be buried away from prying eyes and ears. Keith was implying that they were both similar, but they weren't even close.

"Lance, I know that not saying anything wasn't right."

The pale skinned raven-haired know-it-all was trying to get into Lance's brain. It wasn't allowed.

"I want to help."

Lance scoffed.

Then, an explosion.

"Keith shut the heck up." Lance spat.

Keith stood up straighter, eyes locking on Lance's.

"Do you really mean that? I just want to help." Keith asked in disbelief, scoffing too.

Lance wasn't usually the impulsive one.

"Just-" Lance was angry, the volcano shuttering, "Go away."

"Well. Fine. Okay." Keith said, getting up, "Last time I try to do friensh- You know what!? Whatever!"

Keith stomped out.

Lance slumped back into his bed. The anger bubbled down after Lance stared at the ceiling for a bit.

He was not sad enough to cry so he just laid there; eyes open, numb.

Lance really messed up.

But Keith really hit a nerve. He would fix it later. Keith would forgive him eventually...usually Keith forgave people.