Solving Keith

Where gave you been?

It had been a week since Lance had seen Keith.

He hadn't been at school or on the bus. Homework was piling up, and Lance, despite how annoying Keith could be, was what some would call "concerned".

Lance didn't take the bus that day, deciding to be a really good, kind person and walk to Keith's house, to give him all the work he was missing from this extended absence.

The wind was cutting, and Winter was quickly approaching. Lance sighed as he reached the doorstep, lifting his free hand to ring the doorbell.

Halloween was in about a week, which meant Keith's 18th birthday was tomorrow.

He doubted Keith would throw any kind of party, but he figured he should ask what kind of cake he likes just in case.

If he even likes cake. He probably doesn't. He ate the bones out of fried chicken for crying out loud! He clearly had a weird appetite.

Standing in front of the door papers and textbooks in hand he could hear clattering and fumbling from behind the door.

"Go away, Lance!" He heard Keith shout through the door.

Lance raised an eyebrow in confusion. How'd he even know Lance was the one at the door? Lance shook his head and huffed. Of course, Keith would never make anything easy.

"I'm just trying to give you your homework, you haven't been to school in like, a week!" He shouted back, shifting the papers and textbook in his arms.

"Just leave them there! Now is really not a good time!"

Lance's confusion grew. "Are you sick?"

"No- yes I'm very sick," Keith stuttered. Lance heard a suspicious sounding round of coughs, "Go away!"

"I just walked all the way here, the least you can do is act grateful!" Lance pouted, trying to peek through the window next to the door.

"I'm sorry, Lance," Keith said, almost sincerely. "Now is really just not a good time."

"Well," Lance sighed, "I'll just leave these here."

He turned away from the door, but decided against leaving just yet. He'd forgotten to ask about the cake. How was he supposed to know that's when Keith would be opening the door?

The wind pierced his sweater as he greeted two glowing, yellow eyes.

The door slammed shut when Keith saw Lance. "Go away!" He shouted again, as if it pained him to do so.

"Do you have jaundice?" Lance shouted in concern, hurriedly jogging to the door. He smacked his hand against the wood. "You need to go to the hospital! You could be in liver failure!"

He readied his hand to bang once more against the door but he was pulled inside by his wrist.

He could see him clearly now. He was shirtless, and though he had gorgeous muscles, he was purple! Purple all over!

He had purple fur on his forearms, he had fluffy purple ears! His purple fingers had claws and his purple mouth's teeth were big and pointy! Well, pointy-er. They were already pretty pokey. But he was definitely not purple before!

Keith blocked the door with one arm and covered Lance's mouth with the other hand.

"Don't scream," he ordered gruffly. "I'll let go but you can't scream, do you understand?" Out the corner of his eye, Lance could see a tail swaying back and forth.

Lance nodded furiously.

No sooner than when Keith removed his hand did Lance begin to scream. "You're a furry! What the hell is going on?"

Keith begged him to be quiet, "Shhh!" He pleaded, those thick black eyebrows furrowed in a knot.

"You're a furry!" Lance cried, dramatically crawling to the stairs, his hand got caught in his necklace and he face planted on the first step. "Why are you purple? Why are you a furry?"

"Lance, I'll explain everything just please calm down!"

"No!" Lance shouted, splayed out on the stairs. "I barely know you- I knew you were weird! I just knew it!"

"I'm not a furry," Keith tried to reason. It fell on deaf ears.

"You have a tail! You have cat ears! You're a big, fat, massive furry!"

He dashed for the door, Keith tried to block him but Lance slid between his legs and flung open the door, scrambling to his feet.

He ran, not even bothering to look behind himself. He kept running until he reached The Holt's house.

He pounded on the door with both hands. Pidge's older brother Matt swung open the door, sandwich in hand.

"Where's Pidge?" He asked desperately.

"In her room? Why? What's going on?"

"No time to talk!" Lance told him, running around the corner and downstairs to the basement. "Pidge! Pidge!"

"Lance?" She called. "What are you doing here?" She asked setting down a screwdriver.

"Keith is a furry! I went by his house to give him his homework and he was purple and fuzzy! Keith Kogane is a furry!"

"What?" She yelled. "Call Hunk- rendezvous at Keith's doorstep in ten!"

Lance whipped out his phone so quick he nearly threw it.

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The three of them banged on Keith's door with passion. Keith could be heard sighing on the other side. He opened the door and the three of them toppled inside.

"Holy cheese, he is purple!" Pidge cried, getting to her feet, not bothering to help the other two. "Keith how could you?"

"How could I what?" Keith cried despairingly.

"Hide this from me! Our families have been friends for years, how could you not tell me that you're a furry?"

"I'M NOT A FURRY!" He roared, startling Lance and Hunk. Keith at least had the decency to look apologetic. "I've been like this all week! I don't know what's going on!"

"So you're not wearing a costume right now?" Lance asked from his hiding place behind Hunk, eyeing Keith's tail.

"No!" Keith shouted in annoyance. "Please," he sighed, "just don't tell anyone. Shiro's the only one that knows."

"Well why isn't he here? Why isn't he helping you?" Hunk asked.

"Because," Keith huffed.

"Because why?" Lance asked.

"Because I've been like this before! Just never for this long."

"I'm so confused," Hunk tells them, scratching his head. "What do you mean you've been like this before? Why would you be like this at all?"

Keith huffed and tugged on his fluffy ears in frustration. His tail whipping back and forth.

"I'm from outer space."