Roommates (Klance College AU)

37

Lance had been looking forward to his sister Veronica's visit to his college dorm for weeks. They had planned it a while ago, but things kept coming up every time, and they had to keep cancelling. But she was coming over for real this time.

He was really excited to see her—she had a way of bringing home with her, and Lance missed that comforting familiarity.

Lance busied himself with cleaning up his shared space, wanting a nice, clean environment for his sister's arrival. As the minutes ticked closer to Veronica's arrival, Lance found himself feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. He hadn't seen his sister in months, and there was so much he wanted to share with her.

When Veronica finally arrived, Lance greeted her with a warm hug, feeling a rush of joy at seeing her again. As they settled into his dorm room, Veronica's eyes fell on Lance's roommate, Keith, who was lounging on his bed, absorbed in his laptop.

Veronica leaned in close to Lance and whispered, "Wow, your roommate is cute. Is he single?"

Lance's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Veronica to be interested in Keith, especially when he himself had been developing feelings for him. "What?" Lance shot out instantly. "Him? He's... so not your type."

Veronica raised an eyebrow at Lance's sudden dismissal. "Really? I think he's adorable. And I'm pretty sure I can charm him."

Lance felt a pang of jealousy but masked it with a forced chuckle. "Come on, Veronica, you can do better than Keith. He's... uh... he's kind of a mess, honestly."

Veronica chuckled, not entirely convinced by Lance's attempt to discourage her. "I could still give it a shot, no?"

"He's not single, okay?" Lance shouted suddenly, catching even himself off guard.

Veronica's smile faltered, taking in Lance's reaction. Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped quietly. "I'm so sorry, Lance," she said. "I didn't even realize you two were a thing, or whatever."

Keith, his curiosity peaked, moved one side of his headphones off from his ear to listen in better to what the two siblings were discussing.

"We're not, uh, a thing," Lance stuttered, feeling his face heat up under both his sister's and Keith's gazes. "I just meant he's... seeing someone. Yeah, that's it."

Veronica, sensing the discomfort her brother was feeling, decided to play along. "Oh, my mistake then. I just thought since we were sharing... Never mind. Let's forget about it," she said, offering him an apologetic smile.

Keith, seizing the opportunity to stir the pot a little, chimed in with a smirk, "I thought you said you didn't want it to be a secret?"

Lance shot Keith a startled look. Keith's smirk widened as he continued, fully aware of the effect his words were having. "You didn't tell her?"

Lance's mouth fell open, his mind racing to catch up with Keith's unexpected declaration. "What? No, we—"

"Lance!" Veronica squealed. "Yeah, why didn't you tell me? I had no idea you were even interested in anyone." Veronica's eyes sparkled with excitement, a mix of genuine surprise and a hint of amusement dancing in her gaze. She moved closer, eager to hear more about this sudden development.

Lance, meanwhile, was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Part of him wanted to expose Keith's bluff, to shout that it was all just a joke. But another, deeper part of him felt an unexpected thrill at the idea, however fictional it was. His heart was racing, and he struggled to find the right words.

Keith leaned forward, the glint of mischief still apparent in his eyes. "Well, we haven't been together long or anything." He paused for a moment, glancing at Lance with a playful, almost challenging gaze. "I guess we just didn't want to make a big deal out of it yet, right Lance?"

Lance, now thoroughly entangled in Keith's charade, found himself nodding slowly, a bewildered smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yup. Not a big deal at all." Lance knew very well that if he were actually dating Keith, he would have told Veronica right away, too excited to keep it to himself for even one second.

Veronica, now utterly convinced and captivated by this unexpected revelation, clapped her hands together excitedly. "This is so exciting! You two are adorable together. How did this happen? I need all the details!"

Keith glanced at Lance, his eyes sparkling with amusement, fully aware of the discomfort he had caused. Yet, there was a warmth in his gaze that hadn't been there before. "I think you'd best wanna hear it from Lance."

Lance shot Keith a look that was part confusion, part irritation. "Well, as you can see, Keith is obviously very hot... so that was an instant draw-me-in right there," he explained honestly. "And, well, we didn't exactly start off on the best of terms, as most roommates are have they just met and have to share a small space and all. But as I got to know him over these past few months..." Lance hesitated, feeling the weight of his next words before they even left his mouth. He glanced at Keith, who was watching him with an intensity that made his heart flutter. "I started to see how amazing he truly is," Lance continued, his voice softening. "Keith is incredibly passionate about the things he cares about. He's got this drive that's just... it's awe-inspiring. And he's also strangely very supportive, you know? Like, he's always there when I need someone to talk to or when I'm feeling down. He's incredibly brave, and has this... this kind heart that he tries so hard to hide, but I've been lucky enough to see. His sense of humor, which can be pretty dry and sarcastic, actually complements mine perfectly. We've shared so many laughs, some in the most unexpected moments."

Keith's gaze softened, the playful mischief fading to reveal something much more tender and vulnerable. Lance could see the walls Keith had built around himself slowly crumbling, if only just for a moment.

Veronica smiled warmly at her brother, her eyes gleaming with affection and a touch of mischief. "So, what you're saying is you fell for him, hard?"

Lance chuckled, a genuine, heartwarming sound that filled the small dorm room. "Yeah, I guess I did. At first, I didn't even want to admit it to myself. I mean, it's Keith, you know? The guy I argued with over which way the toilet paper roll should go. But, the more time we spent together, the more I realized... I didn't just want to be his roommate or his friend. I wanted more."

Keith hadn't expected Lance to be so open, so genuine about his feelings. It was disarming and, honestly, quite endearing.

"Then one night," Lance continued. "I told him how I felt..."

Keith had always been good at guarding his emotions, but in this moment, as Lance bared his soul, those walls seemed to vanish, and his expression showed a mix of surprise, vulnerability, and what appeared to be hope.

Veronica beamed at them, then looked pointedly at Keith. "And what about you, Keith? How do you feel about my hopelessly romantic brother here?"

All eyes turned to Keith, who seemed momentarily caught off guard by the question. He shifted uncomfortably, then met Lance's gaze, a certain vulnerability in his eyes. "I... I've always admired Lance, even when he was driving me crazy with his messiness and his endless chatter," Keith admitted, a small smile playing on his lips. "But over time, I started looking forward to our arguments, to our conversations... to just being around him. I didn't understand it at first, but... I think I've felt the same way. I just didn't have the courage to admit it, even to myself."

Lance's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest. Lance couldn't help but suddenly feel very hurt. This was the moment he had always secretly hoped for, yet feared would never come, but he knew Keith was only doing this all for show as some weird joke.

Lance struggled to maintain his composure, his mind racing with conflicting emotions as his heart sank.