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"Keith vs. The Box"
Keith was a little tired from being on the training deck all day. Shiro had to literally drag him out and lock the door to get him out of there. He dragged himself through a shower and ate one of the alien protein bars he kept in one of his utility packs as he walked into the lounge.
Strangely, there was a box sitting in the middle of the floor. He looked into the box and was confused as to its lack of contents. He went to sit on the couch but paused with his eyes still trained on the box. He couldn't explain his line of thinking but his instincts were screaming at him. His pack constantly told him to give into those instincts when not on missions. Well, he wasn't on a mission right now. He stepped into the box and knelt down. His ears folded back contentedly, and his tail waved happily.
%%%
Inside Pidge's room, laughter could be heard. Pidge had managed to grab the surveillance feed of the lounge. All three of the Garrison Trio were lounging on Pidge's bed, which was the only clean space in her room. Hunk and Lance had made a bet, and she was there to prove which one was correct. Lance had bet that Keith had cat instincts (since he looked part Galra) and would sit in a box if presented with one. Hunk doubted it until he saw it. Lance knew all too well that he would end up laughing too hard and too loudly and if he was close enough to see it in person, Keith would be alerted to his presence.
Pidge couldn't help but laugh as Lance's laughter was contagious. Hunk was even laughing, even though he lost the bet, because it was harmless fun. Pidge rummaged in one of her drawers and withdrew a laser pointer she had constructed. Lance's eyes lit up, and he snatched the laser pointer, leaving Pidge's room and almost running into the Blades.
%%%
The Blades were on their way to the lounge to see if their kit was there. They had checked the training deck first and were pleasantly surprised it was empty. They didn't realize that Shiro had literally dragged their kit out of there not a varga ago. Passing by the Paladins' rooms, they had to stop suddenly so as to not run over Lance, who had just stepped out of a room that was full of tech (they figured it was Pidge's room). He had a tiny cylindrical item in his hand and was heading in the direction of the lounge. Curious, they followed him.
%%%
Lance snuck into the lounge without attracting Keith’s attention; mostly because his eyes were closed. He stood in the shadows and aimed the laser pointer in Keith’s direction. He pushed the button, and the standard red light appeared. He waited until Keith opened his eyes.
Lance grinned as he watched his rival's eyes track the movement of the laser until he pounced on it. Lance's family always had a cat while he was growing up, so he knew how to play with a cat via a laser pointer. He turned it off until Keith opened his hands and then turned it back on, making it seem like he had accidentally let it go. Keith’s tail waved around excitedly, and his ears were upright and alert. Lance made the laser go into the box, and Keith leaped into the box to capture the red dot.
%%%
Pidge and Hunk were positively howling in laughter as they watched the Red Paladin jump, pounce, stalk, and tried to capture the laser. He stalked around the box, trying to sneak up on the laser. When that didn't work, he tried hiding in the box to launch a sneak attack on the dot.
%%%
Kolivan, Thace, Antok, and Ulaz entered the lounge and watched their kit play with little smiles on their faces. They easily saw Lance in the shadows and noticed that he was the one controlling the laser. They thought it was sweet that Lance was playing with their kit. However, why he was concealing his laughter was beyond them. Maybe he didn't want to disturb Keith while he played and decided to try and contain his merriment. In the end, Keith was tired of chasing the laser and yawned, showing off his small fangs. He settled back into the box in the middle of the floor.
Antok approached their kit and gently pulled him from the box. "Come on, kit. You should nap in the nest."
%%%
Lance slipped out of the lounge and back into Pidge's room. She grinned and handed over his data pad. She had recorded the entire thing from the lounge and copied it to Lance's data pad and her lap top. She offered to copy it for Hunk, but he declined. Lance took his data pad and grinned. He couldn't wait to review it in the safety of his room, where he could laugh as long and as loud as he wanted.
Fin