Klance soulmate au //COMPLETED//

Chapter 6

  Keith showed up a tiny bit late, but what did it matter? It wasn't something important now was it? Certainly not something that warranted either formal attire or even anything formal at all.

   It was supposed to be a casual thing, but still, Keith felt sick in the bottom of his stomach. And could you blame him? It was the first date he'd been on in months - and he used the term date loosely. Besides, this was only about the second time he'd ever spoken to Lance. What if Lance didn't like him?

  And it wasn't even as if he liked Lance that way. No, that wasn't why he was nervous at all. He just didn't like to be disliked. It was... uncomfortable. What could he say - he was an introvert, and not the gifted introvert Lance was, as quiet and thoughtful as he was.

Keith entered the restaurant and chose a table with three seats. He rocked back on the legs of his chosen seat, deep in thought.

Maybe Lance wasn't an introvert. Sure, he showed signs of being an introvert. He was thoughtful, quiet, he listened. But then, he also wasn't. He could be loud, he was well liked, he could talk to people. So, he must have been somewhere in between.

"Having fun?" Lance's voice sounded right behind Keith, almost making him fall off his chair.

"Yeah, of course. So fun." Keith replied quietly, a tiny bit of sarcasm on his voice.

A waiter arrived, notepad and menu in hand, "And what can I get for the couple?" The waiter asked pleasantly, rewarding the two with a wink.
"Uh, actually—" Keith began.

"We were just about to order. I'll take chicken carbonara."

Keith gave Lance a strange look but nonetheless played along. "I'll have the salmon." He said grudgingly.

The waiter nodded, walking away.

"What was that about?" Keith demanded, not at all happy about his current situation.

"Well, being 'gay' is something people like, right? Discounts galore!" Lance sang.

Keith looked at him distastefully, "So you'll just lie about your sexual orientation for cheaper food?"

"Yep. Well, kind of. Not really," Lance rubbed his forearm uncomfortably. "It's hard."

   Keith nodded, deciding not to push it."

Allura walked in about five minutes later, wearing a pink ensemble that looked good with her... hair? Keith wasn't sure, all he knew was that she looked nice.

"Keith and I have ordered," Lance said, eyes on Allura. He began to lean forward without even noticing. "But I'm sure we can get the waiter back over." He was pretty much purring, smooth body language shown. Except he didn't look entirely smooth. He looked a tiny bit frazzled.

"It's ok, Lance. I'll just go up to the serving area and order my food there." To make her point, she walked up to the counter, not allowing any of Lance's protests to reach her.

Keith and Lance sat in silence, although not by Lance's choice. If Lance had his way, they would be chatting casually, maybe getting to know each other a little more; after all, that was the whole purpose of this get-together, wasn't it?

But Keith wasn't having any of it. He was putting out his don't touch me vibe. He didn't even want to be here, he didn't want the small talk, he didn't particularly want to see Allura right now, and he certainly didn't want Lance. So yeah, he was quiet and sullen. In his experience, it shut people down quickly.

   Allura came back, sitting back down. "Our food should be coming soon—" She said happily. "Oh... why so quiet?"

   "No reason, we're just not really in a talkative mood, are we, Lance?" Keith said quickly.

   Lance looked over at Keith strangely at Keith using a collective term for them but nonetheless nodded, agreeing.

   "Ok..." Allura blinked. "So how did you two meet?"

   "Keith and I work together," Lance replied, eyes on the waiter as he walked toward the table with wine in hand.

   The waiter presented the wine, and Allura poured herself a glass.
   "Uh, we didn't order this," Lance said.

   "Oh, no that was all me," Allura said, a small smile spreading across her face. "I haven't had wine in a long time. It's been a stressful week."

   Keith eyed her doubtfully before shrugging. "So how did you two meet?"
   Allura pursed her lips, taking a dainty sip of wine. All of a sudden her happy persona was gone, and she looked at Lance unhappily."

   Lance, of course, noticed nothing of the sort, "We're soulmates. Pidge found us for one another." Cue another glance from Allura.

   Keith raised his eyebrows, "How lovely." He couldn't save himself from the sour tone in his voice.

   Silence fell, remaining until the waiter came back with their food. Most of the awkward atmosphere stemmed from Keith, although he wasn't sure why. He didn't care for Lance so much that he regretted the fact that Lance had a soulmate.

   No, it was more like his loss. It reminded him that his lack of a soulmate ensured that it was entirely possible he would never find someone who would be to him what a soulmate would have been. He would be alone-- always. And generally, this wouldn't matter; not to him anyway. But this time it did, now that Keith had seen how happy soulmates were together.

   "Mmm..." Lance said with his mouth full, "This is amazing." A sly grin darted across his face, disappearing as fast as it came.

   Keith took a fork and tore a bit of meat off his dish, barely hiding a smile as it came off easily. He lifted it to his mouth, now hardly bothering to hide the smile.

   Lance's fork danced along the table, taunting both Allura and Keith. Keith's eyes followed him, a confused frown growing. After only a few seconds Keith tired of the game, glancing up at the clock. It had only been twenty minutes.

   "Mmm, this salmon is good," Lance said. "Nice choice, Keith."
   Keith looked over at Lance, who was lifting another forkful of Keith's meal to his lips.

   Keith slammed his hands against the table, standing up. "Don't." He said, seething with anger. Instead of sitting back down, he stalked away, unsure of where he was headed.

He ended up in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Why on earth had he reacted so strongly? It wasn't as if he wasn't used to people stealing his food. Something about Lance just... put him on edge, he supposed. It didn't help that Lance had reminded him of his worthlessness. And yeah, usually he welcomed that, it reminded him that he was as imperfect as humanity had shaped him to be.

Walking back to the table, he placed a previously written check on the table before leaving the restaurant without another word.

A//N hey fam I finished this last night but shit went down and I had to plant trees and shit so yeaaaaaaa anyways hope you enjoyed or whatever ✌️