Unknown

Keith

"Can I talk to you?" Hunk asks in a quiet voice, glancing around the room before turning back to Keith. It's a Monday and they're in second period Spanish, working on a poster of los animales de la selva lluviosa.

"Sure," Keith says, matching Hunk's quiet volume. "Is something wrong?"

Hunk shakes his head, drawing the curved line of a parrot's beak on yellow construction paper. "It's about Unknown," he explains.

Keith stiffens. "Did you tell him?" he hisses, panic rising in his chest.

"Of course I didn't," Hunk replies, giving Keith an offended look. "I promised you that I wouldn't, and I haven't, right?"

"Right. Sorry." Keith focuses his attention on cutting out the shape of a sloth from brown construction paper. "I trust you, I'm just nervous."

"I get it," Hunk assures him, glancing around the room again. It's just loud enough for them to talk without being overheard, but not so loud that they have to raise their voices.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Keith asks, his nerves not quite gone. Hunk had promised that he wouldn't tell, and he doesbelieve him--Matt had figured it out on his own, both from the painted library slips and his sharp senses, and they've both sworn to keep quiet about it. But something about the way Hunk is bringing it up now sets him on edge.

"I think you should tell him that it's you, dude," Hunk says. Keith drops the scissors and turns to stare at Hunk like he's lost his mind (which he probably has).

"Are you serious? You actually think I should tell him?"

"Well, yeah." Hunk picks up Keith's scissors with a shrug and begins to cut out the beak. "I don't think it's a bad idea. He likes Unknown a lot, and he really wants to know who you are."

"Yeah, he likes Unknown because Unknown is mysterious," Keith says. "And because he doesn't know it's me. He thinks that Unknown's some cool, edgy, cute guy, and that's the only reason why he talks to me. As Unknown, I mean."

"That's definitely not why he talks to you," Hunk says, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "He thinks that you're cool, yeah, but that's because he genuinely likes you. Maybe he'd be a little disappointed at first, but I think in the end he'd be grateful that you told him."

"I'd rather not," Keith says, resuming cutting out the outline of a tree frog.

"Well, then, what are you going to do? I mean, as much as I hate to say it, you can't just talk to him through Unknown forever."

Keith shuts the scissors harder than necessary, then looks up guiltily. "Sorry, I know. I just really don't want to tell him."

"I know you're nervous about it, man, but it will be okay. Pidge and I are here for you, and even if Lance is upset, he'll get over it eventually. He really likes being friends with you, both as Unknown and as Keith."

"Sometimes it seems like Unknown is a lot closer to him than Keith, though."

Hunk only shrugs. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than it is someone you know. Especially if the stranger is online. Then it's easy to cut off the conversation."

"Yeah?" Keith doesn't feel much better, despite knowing what Hunk says is true. "I don't know. Telling Lance..."

Hunk pats him on the back when he doesn't continue. "Just think about it, okay? I think it could be good for both of you. It seems like you've been getting more and more jumpy the longer you keep it in. Eventually, something's gonna give."