Roommates (Klance College AU)

55

Keith sat down on the closed toilet. "Yeah, we really do..."

"Um... so..." Lance didn't know how to begin this conversation.

"Lance?" Keith said softly.

"Yeah?"

"This... tension between us, it was never really just about 'rivalry' was it?"

Lance felt a wave of relief and fear wash over him simultaneously.

"There's something else," Keith continued. "And I know you feel it too."

Lance's breath hitched, his usual bravado faltering under Keith's intense scrutiny. The realization of what Keith was hinting at—what he himself had felt but never acknowledged—began to dawn on him. The rivalry, the constant bickering, it was a facade for something deeper, something more profound.

As Lance remained silent in his thoughts, Keith got up and walked over to him. His gaze locked with Lance's, searching, questioning.

Lance swallowed, his defenses crumbling. "I... can't keep pretending," he admitted. "I can't keep pretending it's only animosity I feel when we're this close," he said low and softly.

Keith chuckled. "What are you, a poet a now?"

Lance couldn't help but smile, the tension in the air easing slightly with Keith's teasing remark. "Hey, I have my moments," he retorted, trying to lighten the mood. "But, what can I say, you bring out the best in me," he joked.

Keith's smile widened, and the distance between them seemed to close even further, if that was possible. "I guess I do have that effect on people," he replied, his voice tinged with humor but his eyes reflecting something much more earnest.

Lance's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, the atmosphere charged with a mix of nervous energy and undeniable attraction. "You know... it really is a shame how our first kiss happened," Lance said honestly, looking down at their feet.

"Do you even count that?" Keith asked. "I mean, we don't even remember."

"That's true... but that doesn't change the fact it happened," Lance stated. "Not exactly how I had imagined our first kiss to be."

Keith raised his eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? Well how did you imagine it?"

Lance buried his face in his hands out of embarrassment. He felt heat rise up into his cheeks, if any more were even possible.

Keith reached out and gently lifted Lance's chin, guiding his gaze back to meet his own. "Come on, tell me," he urged softly, his voice a gentle coaxing.

Lance hesitated, his heart racing. "I always thought it would be... you know, under a starry sky, after a big victory, when everything just feels right. Not... not in a weird, forgettable situation."

Keith's smile softened, understanding washing over his features. He never took Lance as the romantic type. "That sounds beautiful," he said, his hand falling from Lance's face.

"Yeah... but there wouldn't be any significance behind it now. Especially since we already had another kiss that we both remember," Lance said. "So just... forget I said anything."

Keith contemplated for a moment. "Follow me." He took Lance by the hand, leading him out of the bathroom.

As they walked through the quiet corridors of the dormitory, the tension that had previously enveloped them began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of anticipation. Keith didn't say where they were going, and Lance didn't ask; he trusted Keith enough to follow him silently, their hands still clasped together.