Since Keith had really only applied the current situation with Pidge to himself, he wasn't much help thinking up a solution. He was sure Shiro and Allura would come up with something. They always did. He, on the other hand, was at a loss for what to do next. He could just ignore the obvious knowledge and continue to try and drown out his feelings; despite its difficulty and probably insane methods, Keith was more comfortable with that one. But even the most stubborn of people could realize that his original plan would probably just create more problems, and in the end, wouldn't get rid of his feelings anyway. So, he was left with one other option.
Talking about it.
With who? Lance made the most sense, seeing that he was directly involved in the situation. Try as he might, Keith couldn't picture Lance outright shunning him and never speaking to him again. But Keith was not a fan of straight guy-gay guy relationships. In which said straight guy plays with the emotions of the gay guy with "harmless" flirting and excessive physical contact. Keith hated to make assumptions, but he could picture Lance as someone with enough of an ego to engage in….such behavior. Keith knew his limits, and that was beyond what he could handle. Even though he would know it wasn't real, a part of him would still want to believe.
He'd just end up embarrassing himself. And have to live with it. For who knows how long?
So, he wasn't telling Lance. He wasn't that close to Hunk, and Pidge seemed to have her own issues right now. He thought about telling Coran, but that would probably be more awkward than telling Lance. Allura was out of the question; he didn't want to make things hard on her, knowing every time Lance flirted with her it was having an effect on Keith. So of course, that left the obvious answer. Everyone's favorite space dad. Honestly, Keith didn't want to tell him either. He'd probably just say I should talk to Lance anyway.
Back at square one. If he wasn't going to tell anyone, he needed another solution. Preferably one that wasn't a complicated system to get Lance to hate him. Keith made his way to the training room, confused at what to do next. The only reason he'd wanted to train with Lance was for his stupid plan to prey on Lance's immaturity. What is wrong with me? Now he didn't really have an objective, and now wasn't really the best time to engage in physical contact with the object of his lust. Too late to go back now. Keith entered the automatic doors to find Lance already waiting for him. Lance was devoid of his jacket and was sporting a blue tank top, something Keith was not prepared for.
"What took you so long? I didn't see you at lunch so I thought you already ate. Did I eat quickly for nothing?" Lance was clearly annoyed, crossing his arms and waiting for an answer.
"I was talking to Shiro and Allura. They're very concerned about Pidge."
"Oh." Lance's expression changed, reminded of their friend's withdrawn behavior. Keith saw yet another example of the impact of a person's problems on their friends. At least I'm better at concealing it than Pidge is. Keith discarded his jacket and adjusted his gloves, readying himself to spar. Lance said nothing else, taking a fighting stance as well. They started off slow, going back and forth, striking and dodging. Keith adored the way Lance slowly got more and more excited, his energy and speed increasing. He'd shout and make outrageous sounds with every attack, focusing less on his attacks and more on having fun. Keith couldn't stop himself from smirking, trying to hold his laughter in. Lance's ability to make a fool of himself but still be charming at the same time was something to envied.
However, Lance got too carried away, leaving himself wide open. With one swift move, Keith knocked Lance's feet out from under him, causing him to fall flat on his back. Keith allowed himself to catch his breath while Lance pouted on the floor.
"No fair! You cheater!"
"I wasn't cheating. You couldn't stop laughing at yourself. You threw off your own focus."
"What can I say? I crack myself up. And don't act like you weren't smiling. I saw you."
"I was smiling because it was so easy."
"Sure you were. Just admit it. You think I'm hilarious."
Keith avoided lying by not answering at all, extending his hand to Lance. Lance accepted it, and allowed himself to be pulled back up. Lance had a smug look on his face, and Keith allowed his hand to linger a bit too long before letting go. He cursed himself mentally. Forget Lance, he was torturing himself.
It was quiet for a minute, and Keith was unsettled by Lance's expression. He stared at Keith, and he looked like he was thinking. He was probably daydreaming about Allura, or maybe thinking of his family back home. Either way, it made Keith uncomfortable to be stared at.
"Uh...you wanna go another round?"
Lance's expression did not change. "Nah, I have a better idea. Let's try the invisible maze again."
"What? Last time we did that you kept yelling at me."
"I know, but that was when I still hated you. I wanna try again." Lance's casual way of saying the word hate made it difficult to understand what he meant. Had he actually hated Keith before? What did he think of Keith now? Why couldn't Keith just ask him those things without feeling weird? And why in the world did he want to try the invisible maze again?
"Ok. Do you want me to be in the maze this time?"
"Nope. I want you to guide me like last time."
"Are you actually going to listen?"
"Have I ever not?"
"Yes."
"Whatever, let's just do it! I trust you."
Keith couldn't tell if he was blushing, but looking at the genuine smile on Lance's face only made it worse. "Oh, ok." Keith made his way up to the booth where he could guide Lance. He started up the maze program and turned on the intercom. "Can you hear me?"
Lance responded with a thumbs up.
"Alright, take two steps forward and turn right."
Lance did as instructed, following every direction perfectly. Keith was extra careful too. It hadn't occurred to him that Lance wasn't wearing his uniform, so the shock would probably be more painful on his bare skin. But they successfully made it through every turn without injury, and when Lance reached the end, it made a little "ding ding ding" sound. Keith watched shyly as Lance jumped and whooped for joy. He hated how easy it was for him to forget all logic and reason when Lance was around. What happened to everything he'd been worrying about minutes ago? Evaporated.
Keith descended from the booth to meet Lance, who gave him a high five and threw his arm around him.
"We make a great team! Who knew? Blue and red. Fire and ice. Working together to give Zarkon freezer burn!"
"Freezer burn?"
"That's all I could come up with on the spot. But whatever, us working together gives Voltron better coordination when you think about it. There should totally be a sports team for giant robots."
Keith couldn't fight back the grin that always graced his lips in the presence of Lance. Especially with said cute boy's arm around him. "You think so?"
"Yeah! I mean come on, can you imagine Voltron on a basketball court? Or a soccer field? We'd be wicked."
"If you say so." The pair had left the training room and were walking towards the main control room. Even though Lance's arm was clearly only there in a friendly way, Keith couldn't stop the little tiny fireworks that kept going off in his stomach. He felt pathetic, like a fifth grade girl crushing on a boy in her class. But he didn't care. The smile on Lance's face was equivalent to sunshine. Shiro could light up a room, but Lance could light up a life. Keith just wished that it was his.
But when they entered the control room, Keith was reminded that this would never be the case. Lance immediately left Keith's side, practically running over to Allura, probably with a pickup line ready. Allura was preoccupied at the moment, talking to a happier looking Pidge. She's done it again. Pretty princess makes everyone feel better. Refusing to be ignored, Lance inserted himself in between the two, earning himself a kick from Pidge who walked away, annoyed. Allura was clearly displeased, but Lance didn't seem to notice, instead leaning on the nearest surface in an effort to look cool.
Keith was more than upset at having his fantasy yanked out from under him and being thrust back into reality. It just wasn't fair. Why did he have to be the one who fell in love with an impossible person? And why did he have to see him everyday?And why did he have to flirt with Allura everyday? Keith felt bitter and uncomfortable and turned right back around, out of the control room and down the hall. It became very apparent halfway to his room that someone was following him, but he ignored it and quickened his pace. This apparently didn't shake them off, and Keith didn't even enter his room when he reached the door.
He turned around to discover it was Shiro, and he wasn't in the mood for "space dad says" right now.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine."
"Ok, you obviously aren't fine."
"I'm just irritated."
"Can I ask why?"
"No."
"Did you really think no one would notice that you walked in and left right away?"
"Didn't seem like anyone was too interested in me."
Shiro sighed, reaching a conclusion that he should have known all along.
"You know he's not doing it on purpose right? He doesn't know."
"What are you talking about?"
Shiro gave no verbal response, but his expression alone was enough to make Keith even more upset. He so didn't need to hear what Shiro had to say about this right now. There was a reason he didn't want to tell him.
"Look, I don't need any advice from you, ok? I can handle it myself."
"Keith, storming out of the room isn't handling it. I just want to help."
"Don't you ever just mind your own business? First it's Pidge, now it's me? Why does it matter to you? Don't you have your own stuff to deal with?"
"Keith." Shiro looked hurt, an expression that had no business being there. Keith felt a pang of remorse, but was too angry to do anything about it. He turned around and entered his room, the automatic doors closing behind him. Keith crawled into bed, resolving that now was the perfect time to catch up on his sleep. And also avoid his problems. Whatever.
Hunk had decided to make dinner himself, insisting Coran give himself a "break". No one argued with him, and soon they were all at the table enjoying Hunk's delicious meal. All except Keith, who was nowhere to be seen. They all ate in a comfortable silence at first, everyone noticing his absence but not acknowledging it. Shiro kept watching the door, hoping to see Keith walk through at any moment. Despite his hopes, he knew this was highly unlikely. Ironically, it was Lance who first broke the silence.
"Where's Keith?"
"In his room. I don't think he'll be joining us." Shiro was still visibly upset from the earlier conversation.
Lance put down the utensil in his hand. "I don't think he ate lunch either."
Allura was not ok with that. "What? Are you sure? Is he okay?"
"He seemed fine while we were training."
"Hmm. Maybe I ought to go talk to him. I happen to very good at helping people, right Pidge?" Pidge sank down in her seat, clearly embarrassed by the princesses remarks.
"Of course you are princess," Coran chimed in. "That's your duty to your people. It still applies here."
Shiro really didn't think Allura should be the one to try and help right now. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Keith's pretty….self-sufficient. He likes it that way."
It was too late however, Allura was determined. "Well, he'll just have to get over it. There are no secrets on this team. I'll head to his room right after supper."
Shiro didn't bother arguing with her, and part of him hoped Keith would make something up. He wasn't sure how Allura would react to the news. Was that kind of thing normal in Altean society? Was it forbidden? He had a hard time picturing her being upset. Actually, he was more concerned she might get excited and want to tell Lance right away. Keith wasn't close with a lot of people, despite Shiro's efforts to change that. And he now worried it was only going to get worse.
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