Chapter Text
[March 8]
+1 (53-48) 456-4263
You Jerk [1:43pm]
i hate tou! [1:43pm]
You* [1:44pm]
Keith's fingers hovered over the unblemished screen of his brand new phone. There were so many threats that he wanted to fire off to his supposed best friend, but luckily for Lance, Keith was too mad to type properly. If it wasn't for the fact that Keith knew without a shred of uncertainty that he would be mocked for those angry typos he would have continued to spam his friend.
However, before he could fully contemplate the decision of risking the texts, three little ellipses came to life at the bottom of his screen.
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Excuse me? [1:45pm]
Keith sneered and typed back, relying entirely on his autocorrect to catch any and all mistakes.
+1 (53-48) 456-4263
TF no [1:46pm]
Why would I excuse you [1:46pm]
You do this all he fucking time! [1:47pm]
So u know what fuck it and fuck you too
[1:47pm]
Had Keith not bought the phone in his hands a mere twenty minutes ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about introducing it to the brick wall of his apartment. Then again, had Lance not ruined his last phone, Keith wouldn't have a need to text him angrily.
The three ellipses returned to Keith's screen only to disappear and reappear again moments later. It was unusual for Lance to rethink his messages, the Cuban boy had no sense of a social filter. And there was no way in Hell that Keith would think his friend was thinking of a way to apologize.
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Well then… um I feel like I should apologize
for whoever these are meant for [1:50pm]
But I'm so sorry, I think you have the
wrong number [1:51pm]
Keith snorted as he read the texts. Of course Lance would play that card, as if Keith was seriously stupid enough to text a random number. Did Lance honestly think that Keith would have forgotten the phone number Lance had used ever since their sophomore year in high school? Nice try, Lance.
+1 (53-48) 456-4263
Stop being an idiot [1:52pm]
Why do I even talk to you anymore [1:52pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Woah okay [1:54pm]
Okay look, I'm sorry, if you want to talk this
out later I can, but I have a class in a few
seconds. [1:54pm]
I uh I'll ttyl if you want to vent, but you really
do have the wrong number [1:54pm]
I don't know the whole situation, but I do
hope you and your friend are able to
patch this up [1:55pm]
Keith swallowed as he read the last series of texts. There were no typos, no lol's, no emojis—text based or otherwise.
Fuck.
Mortification clawed up Keith's throat, threatening to choke and take him to an early grave. Had Keith seriously just texted a random number? Or was Lance really messing with him?
It had to be, right?
+1 (53-48) 456-4263
Pidge? [1:57pm]
Pidge
yo [1:59pm]
+1 (53-48) 456-4263
What's Lance's number? [2:00pm]
Pidge
Same as it's always been, I take it you didn't
back-up your phone before the incident? [2:00pm]
Keith that back-up app is installed exactly
for this reason, but here you go. [2:00pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7472 [2:01pm]
Try not to kill him. [2:01pm]
Keith
No promises [2:01pm]
Thanks tho 3 [2:02pm]
Keith scrambled with a pen and paper until his shaking hands were able to write the number down. Keith stared at the two nearly identical numbers until his eyes burned and his phone's screen timed out. He had fucked up. Keith had swapped out a single number when typing out Lance's number, one. Keith had majorly messed up and tore into the throat of a stranger.
And worst of all, the person who Keith had textually assaulted had been so nice about it.
That little fact made anger boil over his embarrassment for a moment before it returned in a vicious cycle of self-deprecation and shame.
When Keith's phone chimed with a new message again later that day the last thing the art student wanted to do was check who the sender of the text was. Unfortunately, his morbid curiosity won him over and Keith woke his phone only for his stomach to fall into a never ending void.
It was the same person he had mistaken for Lance earlier. However, before Keith could read the message preview his phone chimed with yet another new message.
Keith was faced with two options then, give in to his curiosity and open the texts or to ignore the stranger. Perhaps it was for the best if he just deleted the texts and ignored any other contact from the other person. Keith didn't know them, so he had no obligation to look at the texts and much less reply to them, right?
Still, Keith found himself opening the messenger app and paused, eyebrows furrowing at the texts.
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Hey I'm sorry, I woulda been back sooner,
bit the lecture turned out to be longer
than usual [4:48pm]
But* You'll have to excuse my typos, I try
to catch most of them but sometimes im
not that good, anyway you alright over
there? If u wanna vent I can listen [4:50pm]
An open invitation to spill his grief out to some stranger was the last thing that Keith was expecting to get in return for his mistake from earlier that afternoon.
Keith eyed the text on his screen with trepidation. He was still pretty upset with Lance, so could it really hurt for him to pour out his anger with a stranger?
Shrugging off any lingering doubts after a few internal debates, Keith replied.
Keith
Sorry to hear about the lecture [4:54pm]
And thanks for u know… I was a dick im sorry
[4:54pm]
Ngl im upset, but that much you know already, i
thought i was dealing with a friend nad went
off on u [4:55pm]
And* [4:55pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Na, don't worry about it. I figured [4:57pm]
But hey its ok don't apologize for being
upset, happens to all of us [4:57pm]
So want to let off some steam? If not its
cool [4:58pm]
Keith
How are you so okay with all of this? [5:01pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Everyone deserves to have their voice heard [5:03pm]
And u sounded pretty upset so if I can help
someone in a tough time, I try u know [5:03pm]
Keith smiled as he read that last message and gave into his need to rant about his best friend and to trust the stranger on the other end.
Keith
Fair enough [5:05pm]
Okay, so some backgrounf info, I have this
friend who is (according to him) my best friend,
though tbh he can only hold that title because
he's known me longest, and cuz he puts up with
my bullshit u know that tupe of friend [1/3] [5:06pm]
anyway, somehow this dipshit got it into his
head that o needed a new phone. so
instead of talking to me like a fucking normal
person hetakes it upon himself to ruin my
my last ohone by 'accidentally' dropping it
into a toilet and before you tell me that
'hey that might have been a real accident'
then tell me why the actual flying fuck did
[2/3] [5:08pm]
He flush the toiler? Like who does that? He
does and THEN he has the audacity to laugh
at his 'accident' so there goes my phone and
iterally everything I had in it i never registered
it into the backup feature it has because never
in my head did i once think, hey I should back
everything up becayse I have a moron for a
friend [3/3] [5:11pm]
So fast forward to today, I got a new phone,
no contacts, i thought i had the right number
when i sent those texts earlier, but I got one
number wrong and welp here we r [5:12pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
That's honestly alot to process… [5:14pm]
I can see why u were mad earlier [5:14pm]
But real quick just so that I know what's
going on and like get everything right [5:15pm]
your friend FLUSHED ur phone dude
thats just messed up what was wrong
with ur old one? [5:15pm]
Ah wait im sorry, is it ok if i call you
dude? I can not if u dont feel comfortable
with that like really just let me know [5:16pm]
Keith
Dun worry about it, its cool call me
Whatever u want, dudes fine [5:18pm]
But yeah, shithead fucking flushed my phone,
like it wasn't enough for him to water damage
it no he haaad to flush it. Thee was literally
nothung wrong with the last one. Bastard just
claimed it was old af but it was a phone who
have a fuck? [5:19pm]
Gave* [5:19pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Ok cool [5:19pm]
Gimme a sec, gotta paythe bus fare [5:20pm]
Alright back. What was your old phn tho?
Like what model and stuff? [5:25pm]
Keith
Dont really remember the model and junk
tbh but it was a nokia, and had a full
keyboard that i mean yeah I could tupe on
the screen too but th board really minimized
the typos [5:27pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Did? [5:28pm]
Dude [5:28pm]
Man [5:28pm]
Bro [5:28pm]
N O K I A? [5:28pm]
Now I need to know: did the toilet survive? [5:29pm]
Keith
Yeah yeah laugh it up [5:29pm]
Look it was a phone that made calls and
messages ehen i need it to, google worked
when I needed it to, the map worked alright
and why tf am I justifying it? The phone
/worked/ and that's all that mattered.
[5:30pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Yes yes of course, im sorry i just, man its
been ages since i heard that someone had
a nokia, thats like someone admitting they
have dial up at home still [5:32pm]
Keith
Uh huh. Let me know when ur done [5:33pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
No please don't be upset, im sorry
im done, its all out of my system now [5:34pm]
Keith couldn't help the smile that came to his lips when he read the response he received. Whoever the person was, they sounded pretty genuine. Well, as much as anyone could when they were portrayed by text.
Keith
Trust me, all my upset energy is being spent
sumwhere else so u good, but yea that's
the jist of all this [5:36pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
I see, but really im sorry for getting ahead
of myself, didnt meant o come off as a dick
or anything. But I hope venting helped at
least a little? ( ) [5:37pm]
Keith
dw you didnt, come off as a dick i mean but
yeah, it helped, still mad but I feel better
about it thanks for listening to all that and for
not u know being mad about how all this
started [5:39pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Good, im glad it did and no worries it was
an honest mistake, just glad I can help O7 [5:40pm]
and hey not to sound creey and stuff but
if you ever need someone to talk to im
just one text away so yea [5:41pm]
Keith
Not creepy at all, but yeah, um for you too
i cant say that im the best person at goving
advise but im a p good listener if anything um
have a good rest of your day and really
thanks again [5:45pm]
+1 (82-52) 744-7476
Of course, and you too,. Enjoy the rest of ur
day! ? [5:46pm]
Keith set his phone aside, eyes landing on the clock on his wall. Had he really just had an hour long conversation with the same stranger he had thought was Lance earlier that day?
He had.
Was Keith considering it weird? Only a little. But on the bright side, he no longer felt like relieving Lance's head from his shoulders with his bare hands, so that was something, right?
Keith was going to take that as a positive.
Perhaps the words of the stranger were just a nicety, something they told everyone who wrongfully texted them. But Keith—being the type of person who took things at face value—saved the new number to his contacts.
Not Lance : +1 (82-52) 744-7476