Keith Kogane x Reader One-Shots

8 - Game Night

It was a Friday night on the castle, meaning only one thing; game night. You and Pidge had managed to configure a Monopoly board after much hard work, and you decided it was the perfect game for you to all enjoy tonight. I mean, what's better than a little friendly competition and rage quitting, right? Well, maybe not everyone thinks the same as Pidge and yourself, but you're the only girls other than Allura on the entire ship, there's no way they'd argue with you.

You were currently trying your absolute best to convince Lance, your best friend, and Keith, his archenemy (and your crush) to play Monopoly that night. Shiro and Hunk had already agreed, thinking that it would help everyone's teamwork, considering you only had four playing pieces and there were six of you. That was Shiro's reasoning, at least. Hunk was just a softie that would go along with most things.

"Come on, guys. You have to play with us!", you pleaded, using whatever body strength you had to try and tug them onto their feet. Lance simply laughed at the gesture, and Keith gave you a blank look that screamed at you to shut up and let him listen to My Chemical Romance in peace.

"Why would we play Monopoly?", Lance chuckled, remembering how many times the two of you had fallen out over the iconic game.

"Because you can compete against each other and the winner will get bragging rights. Need I say more?", you reasoned, a slight smirk gracing your lips as a stray piece of h/c hair fell in front of your face. At the word 'compete', you could swear you saw their eyes sparkle.

"I'll play!", they both shouted simultaneously, earning a slight glare from the other. You giggled and dragged them along behind you, eager to watch the chaos you and Pidge had been waiting for to occur.

--

Okay, so maybe this didn't go exactly how you wanted it to. Why? Because Shiro had chosen the teams. Originally, Pidge and yourself had planned to play together and do whatever you could to destroy their egos, but Shiro insisted he chose the teams. How did that end? Pidge was paired with Lance, Shiro was paired with Hunk and you had been paired with Keith.

Of course, this wasn't the end of the world, it's just that you and Keith had never properly spoken to each other before as Lance is what could be described as the overprotective, brother-like best friend. If he hated someone, you'd normally end up going along with his rivalry, even if it meant sacrificing a few friendships. To be fair, though, they ended up being toxic in the end, so Lance was right to cut them out of your life.

But you couldn't do that with Keith; there was just something different about him. He knew the pain of losing someone, and something about that gave you peace of mind, knowing he'd never want another person to go through what he has. You were snapped from your daydreams by a light tap on your shoulder.

Turning, you saw a sheepish Keith, his violet eyes scanning over you in confusion. You blushed, looking down in embarrassment. Had you said something out loud? Was there something wrong with your appearance? Were you staring? He bent down slightly, eyes meeting with yours.

"Hey, uh, I know we've never really talked before, but we gotta get to the game and crush Lance, even if you two are best friends. Are you good? You seemed distracted,", he said quietly, a slight smirk on his face at the thought of absolutely obliterating Lance at a competition. Nodding, you mustered up a quick response.

"Yep, I'm good! And Lancey boy might be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I can't beat the crap out of him at monopoly. He deserves it after cheating last time,", you laughed, raising your voice at the last part so Lance would know you had it out for him. It worked, apparently, because you watched from the corner of your eye as he gulped nervously.

"Alright then, I have a feeling we'll get along just fine if you enjoy beating Lance,", he joked, gesturing for you to follow him to the table. After taking a seat next to each other, your conversation continued, and Pidge gave you a knowing look from across the table. You discreetly flipped her off before returning to her conversation, the both of you talking until Pidge stood on the table and announced the game was about to begin.