Chapter Text
Lances pov
Chapter 2
As lance entered the quiet cafe he could hear the subtle jingle that the little bell above the door made making him that much more aware that he was about to meet a complete stranger all because his friend had asked him to do a favour for him. It took Lance no time at all to agree when he heard the words cute and single in the same sentence.
Once arriving at the cafe he scanned the room looking for who his friend had described as a lonely emo with a mullet. So lance had a quirky kinda awkward looking guy already pinned in his imagination. Eventually his eyes settled on a young looking guy probably only a few years older than lance himself.
A little hesitant a first. Lance took a momment to build up his confidence and walk towards the lonely looking boy. Unsure of how to get his attention lance placed his hand gently on the other boys shoulders with a welcoming smile plastered on his face to hide how nervous he really was underneath his smile and confident standing position.
"Hey....Keith?.." Lance was almost squealed in shock by the way the boy had reacted to hearing his own name.
Clearly startled the boy turned around with quick stiff movement, a look of sheer anger and annoyance spreading across his face. Lances body movement stiffened, noticing the boys hand was forming a hard clenched fist, before he looked lance up and down. His hand slowly relaxing and unclenching itself.
For a split momment the thought of leaving with a blood nose had crossed lances mind scaring him and making him aware of Just how annoyed the boy was to have lance standing in front of him.
"Can I help you?" The boys tone was cold and harsh. Lance taken aback by the sudden change of atmosphere and all his confidence he had just previously built up at the cafe door momments ok, slowly but surely leaving him to fend for himself. Against an angry stranger none the less. However he had noticed almost as quickly as he had turned around the boy had almost as quickly relaxed and looked less angry and more annoyed at the sight of lance.
Lance yanked his hand away from the boys shoulder and placed it to his hip. Trying to gain back some of the confidence he had just lost. Shiro wasn't wrong though the boy was and emo with a mullet but more importantly he was quite good looking even if his hair covered majority of his face and he looked like he had just come from the 2000s emo phase. The one thing that stood out to lance though was the boys eyes even though they were harsh and making direct eye contact with lances there was still something sad and lost in the mixture of violets and indigos that created the most beautiful eyes lance had ever seen.
Gaining back alot more confidence with his hand now on his hip and the thoughts finally realising him to let him speak.
"Well...uh.." lance was embarrassed for himself he had the confidence he needed back, so why the heck was he stuttering he knew his body movement was stiff but he couldn't help it this boy had almost definitely been about to punch him. "I was told to look for an emo with a mullet" lance couldn't help but grin at his very well crafted sentence. "And your the only one in here with a mullet... not to mention sitting by yourself in a corner booth"
Lance watched as the boys head dropped and hung down looking at the floor. The boy beginning to raise his head once again and finally replying with a slight blush of embarrassment spread across his cheeks. "Lance.. is it"
Now it was just obvious to lance that the boy was embarrassed and he was 100% sure that this was indeed Keith. Though he had already assumed as much lance had made mixed people up before.
Lance doesn't know how to reply with a simple yes so he just nods with a huge grin spreading it's way along his face. At this point he was already shoving Keith over so that he could sit next to him. Lance wasn't sure why he was so surprised but Keith's skin was almost ice cold and lance was expexcting Keith's body temperature to warm considering the cafe had quite a humid temperature itself. It had almost made lance faint from the sudden rush of heat as he had walked in earlier.
However being this close to such a cute looking guy made lance blush and he was having trouble forming words he couldn't even think of anything appropriate to say apart from some cheesy pickup line that he used way to often. Just as he was about to use what he thought was his best pickup line, Keith began to speak. "Do you know when they'll be here?" From what lance could tell Keith was obviously uncomfortable with being so close to another person and wanted the tension and awkward air to disperse as soon as it was possible.
"Should be here any minute" lance said trying his best to bring a flirtatious smile onto his face.
Eventually it was silent again but this time the tension was less awkward and more of a calm relaxing silence. Lance wasn't fond of he never had been. silence made him feel alone even in the most crowded of places. lonliness was a fear of lances he couldnt handle losing everyone he cared about. He debated whether or not to say something for an even ten minutes before he couldn't handle the silence anymore and opened his mouth to speak and end the awful silence.
Before he could speak his mind and end the silence he was pulled into a big bear hug a familiar affectionate hug that lance was always fond of. That must be hunk lance already knowingly thought twisting around to get a good look at his best bud.
Hunk let go and all of a sudden there was another shove and Keith ran out of the booth quite dramatically. What the hell was that all about lance couldn't comprehend what would have made the guy jump up and out of the booth so quickly and dramatically until he turned to see his other friend pidge slumped in the booth where Keith once sat looking like a small gremlin.
"Sorry about that my brother warned me you weren't good with touching" lance could hear just how sorry pidge was by the way they had pushed there glasses up there nose and smiled.
Lance turned to see the obvious awkward look Keith was currently wearing. "Katie...right?"
Lance knew the familiar look pidge was wearing to well. He could tell they were instantly annoyed by such a feminine defining name but also that they knew Keith had no idea about any of that.
"It's ok, call me pidge"
Eventually lance was indulged by the casual bickering and bantering that usually came along with hanging out with pidge and hunk. To busy to notice that shiro and Matt had walked through the door and were chatting to Keith before Matt had walked over to the booth and joined there conversation. Realising matt was now involved in there conversation lance knew shiro wouldn't be to far behind.
Lance looked over to the cafe door and noticed that shiro and Keith were having quite an intense conversation. Lance had noticed Keith's body language becoming less structured and more droopy as if he was about to collapse and break down. Curious as to why kwith looked the way he did, lance looked to shiro who had a very worried look masking his own face.
Lance felt completely ashamed and guilty to have been witnessing the two as they had an intense conversation. Turning around and joining the conversation once again snapping out of his daze.
All of a sudden.
"I SURE AS HELL WISH I DIDNT KNOW YOU!" Echoed through the whole cafe. Lance jumped at such a loud bellowing voice that was filled with such anger. Lance turned around just in time to watch Keith run out of the cafe door and into the street towards where lance had assumed Keith had parked.
After that time just continued normally for lance but the one thing he couldn't stop thinking about was Keith for some odd reason he couldnt get the thought of how someone who seemed so self assured and defensive had broken down and ran. the thoughts kept playing in lances mind. Why was he so upset? What had him bolting from the cafe? Was it his fault?. Lance always seemed to blame himself he could help it most of the time it was his fault and he had just come to terms with that fact.
More time had passed and when Matt and shiro had gotten up to leave. Lance couldn't help but ask it had been bugging him ever since Keith left without a goodbye. Lance tapped shiros shoulder and pulled him away from the booth for a momment. Lance noticing that oddly shiro had received an eyebrow raise from Matt.
"What's up?" Shiros voice sounding alot more pleasant than earlier that evening. when lance had asked what happened earlier shiros voice was pained.
"Uh..do you have Keith's number?.." Lance had no idea what had incouraged him to ask but he knew he wanted to see Keith again and this was the best way to see him again.
"Yeah for sure, here" shiros voice seemed a little lighter after hearing lances request for Keith's number. Shiro handed lance his phone and lance quickly dialled his number into his phone and saved it as a contact.
Keith <3
"Thanks" lance couldn't help but hold his phone tight to his chest and dramatically sigh, there was something about Keith that had lances head spinning and his heart racing. The boy was perking lances interest.
Lance hurried off back to the booth. watching as matt got up and headed towards the door lacing his arm around shiros as the two left the cafe, lance always admired their relationship from afar it was obvious how much they loved each other and it was equal on both ends. Lances own relationships were usually one sided he would devote himself as to them and they'd throw him away after a week or two.
Later in the evening Keith was all lance could think about once again and lance couldn't help himself anymore so he grabbed out his phone and began to type away.
Message to: Keith <3
4:37 Hey! ;)
4:43 surprise me again!
Lance couldn't lie to himself he was smiling so much his mouth was beginning to ache but he couldn't help it Keith had made his heart flutter. Lance placed his phone down next to him. Laying on his stomach while his head rested on his hands, he stared down at his phone screen waiting patiently for a reply. As soon as lances phone screen lit up he entered his password and went straight to messages eager to see the response Keith had sent.
Message from: Keith <3
4:45 Who the hell are you?
At that lances heart sank a little he knew he probably should have said it was him and Keith had every right to ask who he was but the way he sounded so cold and distant made every fibre of lances body droop of sadness. He tried his best to just ignorethe clear annoyance in Keith's text and reply back.
Message to: Keith <3
4:46 it's lance
4:46 you kinda left without a goodbye :(
While lance waited for a reply he received a message from a group chat that he had created a few months ago when had bought himself a new phone it wasn't a very used group chat but on the odd ocassion he would chat to pidge and hunk.
3 Unread messages from: pidge & hunk
4:47 Pidge: Lance!!!
4:47 Pidge: I know ur on ur phone Lance!
4:48 hunk: Maybe his busy messaging loverboy ;)
Lance could always rely on pidge and hunk to tease him about liking someone but they never judged lance and lance was happy about that they would warn him to not get his hopes up but he never really listened even after the multiple times they'd been right.
Message to: pidge & hunk
4:49 lance: it's loverboy lance and I prefer keef ;)
Just as he was about to switch his phone off he got a message from Keith.
Message from: Keith <3
4:49 goodbye
Lance had to be honest he wasn't surprised Keith came up with such a stupid response.
Message to: Keith <3
4:50 Heyy!! :(
With no response after that lance decided he may as well drift off to sleep he already knew that he was going to have a good week just by the way today played out for him. Maybe he would even ask Keith to hang out again.