(thank you so much to everyone that commented or sent me such lovely messages I loved them all so much and they really help! Sorry this took so long anyway i hope you enjoy it! BTW my sisters surgery went really well an shes doing great!)

Keith was in a bad mood. Though this wasn't his usual grump. He was just ….sad. Lance hadn't talked to him since that morning, in fact he'd been resolutely avoiding him. Every time the blue paladin scurried off to avoid him in the hallway, or chose the furthest chair from him at dinner, the worse Keith's mood grew.

He was so confused, he thought Lance had liked him. Or at least cared? The boy wasn't one for sharing feelings but he wasn't blind to those of others and he had seen the way Lance had looked at him. His cheeks had been pink and his lips were so soft.

But it seemed Lance's old one-way rivalry was back. The red paladin blamed it on himself. His impulsive behavior was exactly why the red lion had chosen him, and he didn't always think things through before he acted. He had thought Lance had wanted it, and had wanted it himself, so he dived in head first and now he was even further from the kid then before.

Keith glared at his space goo, trying to ignore the fact that Lance had chosen the seat at the furthest end of the table. He knew everyone else had noticed too. Hunk kept nudging Lance and giving him admonishing looks while Shiro and Allura just looked uncomfortable.

"Keith? Could we talk for a bit?" Shiro's voice was kind and Keith was grateful to finally have someone to talk to about it. Shiro gave a nod to Allura before following Keith into the hallway.

Keith leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, attempting to hide his pout behind his hair. But Shiro was patient and simply leaned against the wall beside him.

"So what's up bud? You've been quieter than usual. Something going on?"

Keith glanced back towards the door where everyone was still eating.

"Lance hates me again."

Shiro was patient and calm as ever.

"I don't think he hates you. He's just stubborn and it's sometimes hard to get along with new people when you miss your family so much. He misses home and he's not used to living somewhere so-"

"I kissed him."

Shiro froze for a moment before nodding.

"Okay."

Keith pushed himself from the wall and started pacing, his sulk turning into anger.

"We were getting along and I thought he might actually want to be friends. He was being nice and he took care of me-"

Shiro stood from the wall and crossed his arms, trying to understand.

"Took care of you?"

Keith looked up, distractedly waving his hand.

"Yeah he patched me up after the mission. It seemed like he actually cared and then I told him he should just sleep in my bed if he was insisting on staying the night in my room."

"What?" Shiro looked so confused, unsure which detail to get worried or mad about. Keith had been hurt and hadn't told anyone but Lance? And they shared a bed? He wasn't exactly sure if he should be happy they had been getting along or mad that Keith had kept his injury quiet. Though he was obviously okay now.

Keith kept talking, oblivious to Shiro's mini mind explosion.

"And he started blushing and being all adorable and stupid and my bed was small so when I woke up he was hugging me and I was on top of him. And you know I don't really think things through and his hair was all messed up and somehow still completely cute and his freckles were so close and he was warm and he was staring at me with those big freaking moon eyes and….. so I kissed him."

Shiro shook his head, ignoring everything but the kiss part in order to preserve some of his sanity and concentrate.

"Okay so you two bonded and then you kissed him. Why is he avoiding you?"

Keith threw up his arms, exasperated.

"I don't know! He ran away after I kissed him, which, by the way, was reciprocated. He kissed me back! His hands were-" Shiro's eyebrows went up and his shoulders drew back in a clear 'mad dad' pose.

Keith raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"His hands were on top of my clothes in appropriate places but I'm telling you, he liked it. And then he literally pushed me off him and ran away."

Shiro was still trying to process everything.

"So now he's avoiding you?"

"Yes."

"Because you kissed him?"

"Yes."

The black paladin sighed. Teenagers were so complicated. When he was a kid this had all been so simple. You liked someone, you asked them out.

"Seems like the only thing to do here is to talk to him about it."

Keith considered it for a second before spinning and pacing in the other direction.

"Nope. He's an idiot and he'd just run away again."

Shiro suppressed a sigh and put on his most soothing and reassuring voice.

"Keith, I know it might be difficult but this is the only way to properly resolve the situation."

The kid shook his head again.

"He doesn't even want to sit near me at the table, how am I supposed to get him alone to talk to him about it? He'll just run away again."

Shiro stopped his pacing with a hand to his shoulder.

"I think Lance actually wants to more then he lets on. He's kind of like a con-man or a magician playing a crowd. He makes a big show of unimportant things to hide what's really going on."

Keith's eyebrows furrowed. "Like distracting and evading."

"Exactly. He flirts with every girl he sees because he doesn't want people thinking he actually has feelings for anyone. He pretends to know what he's doing, and acts arrogant about it when actually he's trying really hard to do his best, even when he knows his best isn't good enough. Lance hides his true emotions behind his performances so when you kissed him it might have been a little bit of a shock." The older man bent down a little to meet Keith's eyes.

"Talk to him or give him time but I think Lance ran because he does like you. If that makes sense at all."

Keith shrugged. "Lance hardly ever makes sense. But thanks."

Shiro smiled, relieved he had managed to help despite having no idea how to handle the situation.

"No problem, you know you can come to me about anything. Speaking of, why did you not tell me about getting hurt during the last mission?" He folded his arms and gave a stern glare to the younger boy who lowered his head and looked properly admonished.

"It wasn't that bad and I didn't even notice until Lance told me."

Shiro placed a hand on the kids back and pushed him to the infirmary.

"That doesn't make me feel better. Come on, I'll check it over."

"But really it's fi-"

"Wasn't a request."