Chapter Text
Keith spent the rest of the day outside Black’s quarters. He tried to talk to her, make her tell what was really going on. He and Pidge had decided not to tell the others of what the green paladin might have found, not until they had more to go on.
“Black”, he said to her, “please talk to me. Tell me what’s going on”.
The big black lion kept silent, not even acknowledging his presence. Keith tried again.
“Do you know what has happened to Shiro? Have you heard anything about him? Anything?”
But she said nothing and Keith frustratedly got up on his feet. He paused in front of her, touching her paw, but she was shut like a clam. Keith felt nothing from her. He let go of her and sighed to himself, burrowing his hands in his hair. He felt frustration fill him, choking him like a noose. That was when he heard steps behind him, and turned around. Who he saw approaching made him feel a whole other way of strangled.
“Hello”, the blue paladin greeted reluctantly. He scratched his chin. “Uhm. Pidge told me you were here?”
Keith cursed inwardly at the green paladin. Betrayed by his own kind. Outwardly, he crossed his arms.
“What is it?”
He watched as the other man looked away, shrugging awkwardly at him.
“Nothing, I just…”
Keith sighed and burrowed his face in his hands.
“Please, Lance. I’m busy. Just tell me, will you? Or just leave”. Preferably , he thought to himself.
But Lance stood his ground and didn’t turn. Looking at his face, he seemed determined, though nervous.
-
Lance felt as though he was going to die. Standing in front of Keith, who looked both daring and insufferable and all things he had always thought, but at the same time he admitted to himself that the korean man looked really pretty, where he was standing in the shadow in front of the black lion. He swallowed. He had to do this.
“Why are you talking to Black?”
Soon.
Keith narrowed his eyes.
“What’s it to you?”, he asked. Lance threw up his arms in surrender.
“Man, I’m just asking”.
He sighed at himself.
“I just… I just came to talk, ok?”
He watched as Keith frowned, and then begun walking past him.
“Well, I don’t want to”.
Lance panicked.
“I know!”
He watched Keith freeze, just a step past him. He turned slowly.
“You… know what?”
His expression was one of fright. Lance groaned, scratching his chin once more.
“I know! And you should know what I know!”
Keith shuddered in front of him. No, actually, as Lance was looking closer, he was positively shaking.
-
Keith said nothing, but in his mind was a mantra, going no, no, no . He couldn’t believe he had been revealed, and not on his own terms. His throat felt thick.
“How can you know?”
Lance started to look uneasy as well.
“I heard you and Hunk talk about it, ok?!”
Keith let out a long sigh, trying to gather himself. Of course. Hunk. The conversation in the corridor. He should had known he’d have no luck with anything in this forsaken space.
“Well, you’re coming with this at the worst time possible, jesus Lance. You have no tact? You couldn’t had waited when I told you I had no business speaking to you right now?”
Lance frowned.
“Well, excuuse me. You think this is easy for me? How was I supposed to walk around with this knowledge, and not speak up about it? What do you take me for?”
Keith gritted his teeth in frustration.
“I take you for what you are, an idiot”.
Lance opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Keith kept going.
“You’re an idiot, a tactless fool, a moron…”, he unconsciously started walking towards Lance in his slowly building anger. “You always talk too much, try to act all as though you’re that go-lucky fool you’re appearing as, but you can’t fool me, you know? I fucking get that it’s a facade”.
Lance was now pressed up against Black’s paw, but Keith didn’t even realise he was all up in the other man’s business. All of a sudden it was as though the frustration grabbed hold of him and he saw nothing but his own anger and disappointment. But Lance was still clear in his mind.
“Hah! As if you’re one to speak…”, Keith paused, still close to the other man, but hadn’t yet realised how close. “You’re acting all high and mighty, but you’re the one who got me in a pinch by acting that way, when really, you’re no different from the rest of us”. Lance also seemed to grow angry, judging by the way he grabbed Keith’s collar, pulling him closer. By now, Keith had realised the closeness and tried to pull away, but the blue paladin would have nothing of that. “I know about that too, the way you break at night and then tries to act as though nothing is wrong during the day, you’re the fool!”
Keith felt his cheeks heat up.
“Fuck you, what’s it to you”. He couldn’t believe the other man knew about that, and his embarrassment made him see red again and forget about the close distance. He too grabbed a hold of Lance’s collar, pulling him closer.
“What’s it to me? You moron, that truly messed me up, hearing you like that. For weeks, I’ve been unable to think about nothing but you. You’re the one who made things weird, asshole!”
Keith gritted his teeth.
“Me? You’re the one who…”
But he could speak no more, as Lance with a loud groan suddenly grabbed a tighter hold of his collar, pulled him closer and kissed him. Keith paused in shock for a second, feeling the touch on his lips, simply watching the man before him; the way his eyes were closed, the light from behind giving foreign shadows on his face, which were so, so close to Keith’s own, before he decided fuck it and kissed the blue paladin back. It was a struggle, Keith fought his best to gain the upperhand, pulling the man down to him, biting his lip and sucking on the bruise. He could hear a low groan from the other man. Letting himself fall into the touch, he lifted his head for better access. His heart beat faster and faster, and he had to stop himself from groaning too loudly at the sensation. Finally .
“Keith”, moaned Lance against his lips, making Keith feel things , but then they both really realised what was happening and it all stopped. Lance pushed Keith off of him with a hard shove, which caused Keith to stagger backwards, almost falling to his back before regaining balance. He stared at Lance, who stared back. The man’s lips looked red and plum, his face flushed. Keith touched his own lips, when it all came to him and he called out.
“What are you doing? Why did you kiss me!”
Lance put his hand over his own lips, as though to smear the touch away. He looked positively flabbergasted.
“I don’t know? Why did you kiss me back!”
That got them both quiet again, and for a while it was just their breaths that could be heard in the big room. They both just stared into each other’s eyes, when Lance seemed to snap and rushed out of the room, in his way bumping into Keith, causing the man to actually fall to the floor. He turned to the doorway just in time to see Lance bolt out of it. Keith looked down to the floor, burrowing his hands in his hair.
“What… just happened…”, he touched his lips again, bewildered over how things had played out. He couldn’t believe what the other man had done, neither his own reply to those actions. But all such thoughts had to be saved for later, as Black suddenly let out a low roar. Keith sprung to his feet, hurrying to the big lion.
“What’s going on?”, he called for her, touching her paws again. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”
The big black lion made another low growl and opened up her mouth, inviting him inside. Keith didn’t waste any time following her wishes.
He got down in the seat, letting himself fully succumb to her desires. Now, he could feel her, she had for some reason now decided to let him in, seeing her mind. He felt the connection seep through him, allowing his mind to prod inside of hers, seeking out what he was looking for. He didn’t know what had made her change her mind, but she now led him to what he wanted to see, feel, touch. And he felt it.
He understood what the green paladin had meant by ”hope”, he now felt the feeling of recognition flow through him, with the name Shiro on his tongue. Black made a low growl, as he sought out what she had felt during that time. The sound barrelled through her body, shaking Keith with it, but he made no notice of the motion. Regret, was all that could be found in his heart. Shiro had been so close, or something of him, but they hadn’t known, and now it was too late. He didn’t realise he was crying, until Black began soothing him, her telegenic arms hugging him, all around. He sat in the black lion for what seemed an eternity, crying together with the lion, who kept trying to soothe his grief.