There has to be an After for Us ~ (shadam / klance)

Chapter 14 - The one where Lance takes off his mask

"Can we just look for my dad?" asked Keith.

"I'm looking, I'm looking," said Lance, swinging his head back and forth, comically. "Man, this place goes on forever and it's all just so grey. Do you think we're far from where we started? Maybe we should've left a trail of breadcrumbs or something more modern so we could find our way back?"

"We can worry about getting back after I've spoken to my dad." He kept striding forward into the abyss.

"Okay...," said Lance. "I guess we've never gotten lost forever before so I should have some faith. Um Keith?"

"What?" asked Keith, wondering if allowing Lance to come along really had been a mistake.

"How come you don't want to meet my parents?"

The blush in Keith's cheeks came on so sudden it was like turning on rapid boil on the stove. "I – what?"

"When I was first reunited with them you didn't stick around long enough for me to introduce you to my family and now whenever I ask you to come hang with us you say your busy even though we haven't really been truly busy in weeks. It's starting to feel like you're avoiding it. Are you?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Keith really had a real knack for never answering Lance's direct questions.

"I dunno. Maybe it's that whole honesty thing in this place, but it's kinda been bugging me."

"You should introduce them to Allura," said Keith. "You'll probably be dating her soon."

"I have introduced them to Allura," said Lance and Keith could actually pinpoint the second where his heart broke. "But I don't think we're going to be dating."

And then... hope.

"Why won't you be dating?" asked Keith. "You've been trying to get with her since you first laid eyes on her and back in your bedroom you said she seems interested."

"Interested all of sudden," said Lance. "I don't trust it. What if she's just looking for a rebound after Lotor?"

"Lotor was nearly a year ago," said Keith.

"That doesn't mean she's had time to process finding out her first great love was secretly a homicidal maniac narcissist who was committing genocide to her people on the lowdown. Like, we've been busy. There are all sorts of little things I haven't processed yet from our travels like how did we end up doing an ice show in space? Did they get the idea from earth or did both planets independently come up with the idea for figure skating? And why do 99.9% of the aliens we meet speak English? Why is Bii-Boh-Bi the exception? If I'm failing to process these there's no way Allura is just over Lotor. Like it doesn't add up. Lotor to me?"

"Lance!" snapped Keith. "What have I told you about math?"

Lance sighed, "To leave it to Pidge. Sorry it's just... I don't believe this is real. I can't imagine any scenario where Allura actually picks me. I'm not even the most eligible Paladin. I wouldn't be getting that rose. She'd probably give them to Hunk, Pidge, Coran... You for sure. Shiro's gay, but he'd still get a rose."

"What roses?" asked Keith, he'd gotten lost along the way during Lance's ranting. Keith actually stopped walking so he could turn back and look at Lance and when he did he was struck by how small Lance suddenly looked.

"I'm not the hacker or the engineer or the leader. I chose the role of sharpshooter because everything else was taken, but even that's not an essential skill to the team. And that Kinkade guy could probably take my place yesterday and be a better Paladin."

"Lance, I'm confused. Are you taking about not being good enough for the team or not good enough for Allura?"

"Both, all of it. It all ties together. I mean, you yourself would chose me to leave in a heartbeat."