Roommates (Klance College AU)

43

In the morning, Veronica changed back into her clothes from yesterday, and added the clothes she slept in to the big pile of clothes by Lance's bed. "This numbnut needs to start doing his laundry," she grumbled.

Keith chuckled. "Yeah, probably."

Lance was still fast asleep in Keith's bed. "I'm gonna just go do it for him," he stated.

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're going to do his laundry for him?"

Keith shrugged, his expression a mix of resignation and amusement. "Why not? It'll give me something to do, and it's not like he's going to do it himself any time soon." Keith walked over the the clothes basket. "And besides, it'll take some weight off his shoulders."

Veronica laughed, shaking her head as she watched Keith gather the clothes. "You're too good to him, Keith. But hey, thanks for taking care of my brother."

"Hey, that is not what this is," he said pointedly. "I'm just... the mess stresses me out too, y'know."

Veronica nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Sure, sure," she teased, her tone light and playful. "Whatever you say."

Keith picked up Lance's heavy, heaping laundry basket and headed towards the door to their dorm room. Veronica quickly ran over to the door so she could open it for a Keith. "Mind if I accompany you?" she asked.

"Nah," he answered. "I could use the help. Could you grab the launder detergent for me then? It's in the bathroom cupboard."

Veronica nodded and disappeared into the bathroom to fetch the detergent. Keith waited by the door, balancing the heavy basket on his hip, his thoughts drifting back to the quiet moments he and Lance shared the previous night.

She returned quickly, a large bottle of detergent in her hands. "Need any change?"

Keith set the basket back down on the floor and walked over to the sleeping Lance. Gently, he shook Lance's shoulder, whispering his name softly. Lance stirred, blinking sleepily as he slowly woke up.

"Hey, Lance," Keith murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lance's eyes fluttered open, his gaze focusing on Keith. He mumbled something incoherently, still half-asleep. Keith leaned in closer, his hand grazing Lance's arm. "Sorry to wake you, but... do you have any change so I can wash some of your laundry?"

Lance slowly ran his hand over Keith's, his fingers lightly tracing Keith's skin, a familiar warmth spreading between them. Keith felt his stomach flutter as a surge of electricity passed through him from the contact. Lance, his eyes now fully open, smiled sleepily and nodded. "Yeah, should be some in my top drawer," he murmured, his voice raspy from sleep. "In a little pouch."

Keith nodded, trying to keep his composure as he stood up. He glanced over at Veronica, who was watching the interaction with a knowing look, and he felt his cheeks heat up. Quickly, he turned away and headed towards Lance's dresser to retrieve the pouch of change. He pulled open the top drawer and dug around through some clothing until he found a velvet pouch, sealed with a thin, bronze coloured drawstring.

With the pouch of change secured, Keith made his way back to the door where Veronica stood holding the detergent, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "You ready?" she asked.

Keith nodded, managing a shy grin. "Yeah."

They exited the room, the door closing softly behind them. As they walked down the hallway towards the laundry room, their steps synchronized, a comfortable silence settled between them. Veronica broke it after a few moments, her voice soft. "You know, I think he really appreciates this—even if he doesn't express it much."

Keith shifted the laundry basket to his other hip. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm just enabling him."

"Don't think too hard about it," Veronica advised, her tone light. "Sometimes it's just about showing you care, in any way you can," she continued. "Especially with Lance. Small, li'l actions like these mean a lot to him."

They made it down to the laundry room and began filling a washing machine with clothes, shaking and going through the pockets of each article before tossing them in. Keith found some crumpled receipts in a few different pairs of Lance's jeans. He shoved them all in his own pocket, unsure if Lance needed them or not.

As Veronica took a shirt from the pile, she shook it out, dislodging a small cardboard card that fluttered to the floor. Keith, who was bent over the machine, hadn't noticed. Veronica bent down to pick it up, curious about what it might be. She raised an eyebrow up and showed it to Keith. "What's this?"

"Hm?" Keith straighted himself out and brushed some of his hairs out of his face as he leaned close to take a look. "Oh, that's from a game Lance and I played a little while back with his friends." Keith took the card in his hand. "must've gotten into the dirty laundry by mistake when cleaning up." His eyes scanned the card. A small smile grew on his face beyond his control as he read what was written on it. "Take a shot if you've ever wanted to kiss your emo roommate." He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Keith laughed, feeling a warmth spread through him.

Veronica gave Keith a knowing look, expression somewhat cold due to what Lance had told her the previous night. It hadn't left her mind once, but she can already tell that Keith feels something towards Lance, but she doesn't want her brother to get hurt. Keith, however, hadn't caught on to Veronica's expression and continued to fill the washing machine until it couldn't fit anymore. Though, basket was still filled, due to Lance packing everything down in tightly so it would fit.

He poured in the detergent and started the first load, then moved on to another washing machine. He never wants to feel like he's hogging, and only does just one load at a time, but it couldn't hurt to do two loads at once, right? Plus, he really doubts that many people would want to do laundry this early in the morning.

As Keith started the second machine, Veronica leaned against a nearby table, watching him work. Her expression was a mix of concern and appreciation. "Keith," she finally said, her voice serious, yet gentle. "You really are too good to him, you know that? Just... make sure you're not getting too caught up."

Keith paused, his hand on the dial of the washing machine. He turned to face her, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Veronica hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I mean, Lance... he's not always the best at, well, handling his emotions. And when he gets attached to someone, he tends to dive in headfirst without thinking about the consequences. I just don't want to see him getting hurt if things don't go the way he hopes."

Keith frowned slightly, his expression reflecting a mix of understanding and concern. "What are you talking about?"

Veronica took a deep breath, her gaze steady on Keith. "Look, Lance deals with heartbreak really badly. He doesn't just mope around; he really struggles, picks up some really unhealthy coping mechanisms." Veronica paused. "I just think you should be aware of how much your actions might be affecting him, more than you might realize. I've seen how he looks at you, Keith. It's like you're the world to him."

Keith's brow creased as he digested Veronica's words. The weight of her concern settled heavily on his shoulders.

"Just make sure," Veronica continued. "you take his feelings into consideration. He's been lead on too many times, and I'm not sure if he can take any more of that."

"Hey, I'm genuinely interested in him," Keith confessed.

Veronica didn't say anything for a while, contemplating. "Just... keep that in mind, okay?"

Keith nodded, sitting down on a chair in the room, watching as the washing machines went.