Roommates (Klance College AU)

17

"I didn't expect you to be back this early," Lance stammered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Keith and Lance were awkwardly standing face to face with as big a distance between them as possible.

Keith shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say or do in this awkward situation.

"It's okay," Keith finally managed to say. "It's not like you were doing anything wrong, I just... um... it's not exactly I wanted to see, you know?"

Lance nodded, still visibly flustered. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I should've went to the bathroom or something instead." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly mortified by the situation.

"No, I should've just knocked to be honest."

Lance let out a nervous chuckle, "Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?"

Keith nodded, relieved to move past the awkwardness. "Agreed," Keith replied. "Just, um... I'll be in the common area, text me when you're ready to get some lunch."

With that, Keith turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Lance to compose himself. As the door closed behind Keith, Lance let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes briefly and trying to will away the embarrassment that seemed to burn on his cheeks. "I can't believe he just saw that," Lance whispered to himself.

He chuckled and shook his head at the ridiculousness of the situation. Lance had always prided himself on being calm and composed, but this? This was a whole new level of awkwardness that he was far from prepared for.

After a few moments of wallowing in his embarrassment, Lance pushed himself off the wall. He knew he couldn't let this incident derail the rest of their day, especially since they had plans. Plans he was genuinely looking forward to. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone and started typing a message to Keith.

Lance - 11:02
I'm ready now lol

Lance - 11:02
I hope that sight didn't kill your appetite

Almost immediately, his phone buzzed with a reply. Keith's message was short but brought a smile to Lance's face.

Keith - 11:02
Lmao it'll take more than that to scare me off. Meet me in the common area, and we can head out together?

Feeling significantly better, Lance grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. He quickly made his way to the common area, and found Keith waiting there, looking at his phone. When Keith saw Lance, he pocketed his phone and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Ready?" he asked, trying to make the atmosphere between them as normal as possible.

"Yeah, definitely," Lance replied, returning the smile. "I'm starving."

The awkwardness between them soon faded away as they began to walk side by side to the Sub Shop Lance previously mentioned.

As they reached the Sub Shop, the aroma of freshly baked bread greeted them, A scent that both Keith and Lance were very fond of.

They made their way into the short line at the counter, contemplating their choices. Once it was their turn, Keith looked at the variety of options before turning to Lance, "You go first."

Lance nodded, stepping forward. "Okay, I'll have... what's that bread called there?"

The worker looked over to where he was pointing and said, "Honey and oat."

"Ouu I'll have that with..." His eyes scanned the ingredients laid out behind the glass barrier. "Can you do ham and turkey?"

Keith chuckled as he watched Lance build his sandwich, his amusement evident in his smile. He admired Lance's enthusiasm over choosing his sandwich fillings.

After Lance's sandwich was ready, Keith stepped up. "Just white bread please... ham, cheddar..." He slowly listed each thing he wanted on his sandwich at the same pase the worker was going, waiting for them to do each step before continuing with building his sandwich.

Lance patiently waited at the cash for Keith to be finished ordering. Keith walked up and before he paid, he stopped himself. "Do you want something to drink?" He quietly asked Lance.

"That's okay," Lance said.

Keith hummed as his eyes panned over the canned drinks in a fridge behind the worker at the cash register. "A Dr. Pepper and an iced tea please."

Lance's turned to face Keith in a swift motion, eyes wide. After Keith paid, Lance asked if he wanted to go eat in a park instead.

After they walked out of the Sub Shop, Lance whacked Keith in the side of the arm.

"Ow– what the hell, Lance?"

"You didn't need to get me a drink, man," Lance said, cheeks starting to flush.

Keith scoffed and rolled his eyes before smirking knowingly at Lance. "Consider it a... peace offering for earlier."

Lance's face immediately went bright red, his brown complexion no longer hiding it. "Gah! I thought we were forgetting that happened!"

Keith chuckled. "Sorry," he said lightly as he handed Lance his Dr. Pepper.

"Thanks," Lance said sheepishly as he took the beverage from Keith's grasp.

"So," Keith began. "Lead the way."

Lance, still a bit flustered but grateful, led the way to a nearby park. It was a sunny day, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor meal.

As they walked, Keith and Lance chatted casually, an easiness to their aura they both silently appreciated.

The park was lively with people enjoying the day, dogs playing, and the distant sound of children's laughter. They found a free shaded picnic table under a large oak tree, with a nice view of the park's pond. They set their sandwiches and drinks down on the table as they sat themselves down beside each other.

Keith took a moment to appreciate the peacefulness of their surroundings. Birds chirped in the distance, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead. He felt content, and took in this moment to appreciate their relationship being much more friendly than it had been the first couple of months they'd been living together.

Lance cracked open his Dr. Pepper, taking Keith out of his thoughts and looking over at Lance as he took a long sip, savoring the cool, fizzy sensation.

After a moment of silence, Lance let out a satisfied sigh. "Man, this is perfect. I really needed this," Lance remarked, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Keith agreed, his gaze drifting towards the serene pond. A pair of ducks glided across the water, leaving ripples in their place.

Lance followed Keith's gaze, watching the ducks for a moment before turning back to him. He smiled warmly as he watched Keith joyfully watch the ducks. Lance couldn't help but voice the thoughts in his head aloud. "You're so beautiful." Hi voice was barely above a whisper, but Keith could hear it.

For a moment, there was a an intense silence between them, filled with unsaid words and emotions swirling just beneath the surface. Just as Lance began to think Keith hadn't heard him, he turned his head to meet Lance's gaze, his eyes searching Lance's face for any hint of jest, but found none. All he found was sincerity and a vulnerability that took him by surprise.

"Lance," Keith started, his voice low and unsure, "did you just...?"

Lance belted out in a fake laugh and took a big bite of his sub. "Mmm this is very good," Lance said through a mouth completely filled with food. "You should start eating yours too," Lance added after swallowing his bite.

Keith blinked a few times, taken aback by the sudden change in Lance's demeanor. He watched as Lance busied himself with his sandwich, seemingly intent on avoiding the topic.

"Um... okay." Keith took a bite of his own sub, still bewildered by Lance's sudden behaviour.