Ready Lover One? (Klance/Laith)

Chapter 7: Character Development

Hours had passed since Keith and Sharpshooter began trekking through the forest completing task after task. They had decided to take a small break next a stream when the assassin noticed that his marksman companion had been watching him. It was more like Sharpshooter had been keeping an eye on Keith ever since they left that small town and it was making Keith uncomfortable. The marksman must have noticed because he turned his attention towards the light blue sky before speaking. 

"I'm not going to try and act like I completely understand why you're not good with people or why you're wary of this game. But, it isn't a bad thing to get close to others or have someone in your life to depend on, Nightblade. Like I said before, I come from a big family and everyone depends on one another for something, even if it's something small."

His blue eyes lingered on the Keith as a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I wanted to be your partner so that you could see you had someone to rely on other than Red and yourself." Even though he still wore a smile, sadness washed over Sharpshooter's face. Guilt, no, the feeling was something else entirely that Keith felt in that moment.

Sharpshooter continued on, "But, I also wanted to be your partner so that I wasn't as alone as I normally am." He forced a chuckle. "Sometimes it feels like I'm the extra wheel around everyone else. Like, I don't fit in with them and that if I disappeared and never logged on again they would simply find a replacement."

The atmosphere around the boys was heavy. Neither one said anything as the looked everywhere else but the other. Keith sighed heavily before making his way over to where Sharpshooter was laying. The assassin nudged the taller boy slightly but nothing happened. He tried over and over until he finally pushed the marksman into the stream. Still, nothing happened. He pondered for a moment if Sharpshooter had logged off before giving in and bring up the chat window. 

Nightblade: Are you okay?

A few minutes ticked by before Keith received a reply. 

Sharpshooter: My brother had to step out to help our mother for a minute but he should be back soon. 

Nightblade: Oh, okay.

Sharpshooter: You must be that friend of his that he's talked nonstop about

Nightblade: He talks about me?

Sharpshooter: All the time! Lance's face has been priceless! You two must be super close!

Sharpshooter: He's back now but it was nice chatting with you, Nightblade!

Keith was taken back by the conversation that just happened. He wasn't sure what to think of it when the marksman's avatar came back to life. "I'm so sorry about that and how'd I end up in the stream?"

"I don't know, Lance, you tell me." Even behind the mask covering his lower face, his companion could see the smirk spread across his face. Sharpshooter's eyes widened before he turned around to hide his reddening face. 

"I...I have no idea who this Lance guy is."

Chuckling, Keith ran a hand over both their lion's heads. "Apparently Lance talks about me all the time." This time Sharpshooter didn't have anything to say and simply hung his head. The raven haired teen watched him from the corner of his eye. "Well, let's get going, buddy. There's still a lot to do before the event ends."

The marksman's expression did a whole 180 as his face lit up with joy. "You just called me buddy!"

"Don't make me regret it."