Testify (Accused! Keith x Juror! Lance)

C-1 Lance: Fashionable Juror

"I have to take jury duty?" Lance held the letter in his hand rigidly. A crease formed at the bend of his fingers.

Pidge shrugged from the dining table.

"Everyone does it," she replied.

Groaning, Lance set the letter down on the kitchen counter and stalked over to the table where Pidge sat.

"Have you?" Lance asked as he pulled out the chair across from her.

"Lance, it's not a big deal. You can't miss one rehearsal to be a contributing citizen of the country?" Pidge asked him, her eyes fixed on her phone.

"I'll have you know, Pidge," Lance spat irritably, "It's not just a rehearsal, it's the first rehearsal. And I'm playing a lead part."

"The Good Witch of the South is not a lead part," Pidge retorted, to which Lance's ears shot red.

"It is too!" Folding his arms over his chest, Lance let out a long sigh. "I gotta go to that rehearsal. I don't wanna do some dumb jury thing. I don't even understand law stuff."

"Lance."

"What? What is it, Pidge? My roommate, my roommate that is so very, oh, so supportive! What, pray tell, do you have to say to me at such a distressful moment in my life? Ah, the suspense is killing me; I cannot bear this silence you are handing me, with your cool eyes unforgivingly understanding to my plight!"

Lance paused for a beat to stare at Pidge, who stared straight back at him through the thick lenses of her glasses.

"What is it, Pidge?"

"Just do the jury thing."

"Oh, fuck off—!"

_______

It had been a day since Pidge had forced Lance to confirm his jury duty position. He had been excused from the rehearsal, but at the cost of—

"My role, Hunk!" Lance wailed, slamming his fists against the table as Hunk as well as the entire library winced at the sudden bang. "They stripped me of my role, my extracurricular lifestyle, but most importantly..."

Lifting his head from the wood, Lance felt tears collect at his eyes as he whispered, "My pride!"

Hunk, who had been quietly observing Lance go through his usual stages of a temper tantrum, nodded absently. "You're... definitely a true thespian, bud."

"Am I not? And just because this... this stupid jury thing, they overlooked my talent as a seasoned actor and threw me off of the show!" Lance let out a despaired moan as his head sunk back onto the table. "I'm ruined, Hunk."

"Hey, it'll be alright. Most cases like this go by real quick. That's what I hear." Hunk reached over to gently pat Lance on his back, to which Lance whimpered again.

"You don't even know what kind of case it is," Lance muttered from underneath his folded arms.

Lance could hear Hunk clear his throat beside him. "W-Well, not all cases in court are that different anyway."

"It's alright, Hunk. You don't have to try and comfort me." Sitting up again, Lance brushed back his hair and sucked in a deep breath to recollect himself. "I'm too independent to be sulking around in self pity all day."

Hunk bit his lip and watched as Lance pushed his chair back out from the table. His change of attitude was extremely frightening.

"Well—uh, where are you heading off to now there, man?"

"I'm off to pick out an outfit for the court tomorrow, Hunk! Can't be waltzing into the courthouse looking like a slob now, can I? I must make an impression upon the others, and dazzle them with my captivating essence." Lance's grin faded just a bit as he paused, before continuing, "Because I can't do it on stage anymore."

Standing up as well, Hunk bounded after Lance to catch up with him. The two exited the library together, with Hunk lagging just three steps behind his friend. Lance's walk and his mood almost oozed with physical contempt. Hunk felt like he was going to literally choke and die on the arrogance coming off of Lance.

"H-Hey, Lance?" Hunk ventured to call his name.

He didn't even turn around to answer. "What's up, Hunk?"

"You alright? You seem a little bit... I dunno, just a tiny bit tense—"

"Tense? Hunk, I am not tense! Where ever did you get that idea? This jury duty thing, and losing my role in the play... it's not a big deal. Haha! Yes, I am stress-free, Hunk!" Lance was gesticulating wildly at this point, but his walk did not waver in confidence nor speed. "I'm never stressed, I always bounce back up. Always. In fact, I think I'm gonna rock this. Yeah, I'm going to be the best juror the court's ever seen! Hah! They'll want me to be on duty again after this time!"

"I-I'm not sure that's how it works..."

Lance let out another deeply unsettling laugh, "It will be after I'm through with it!"

_______