(You Can) Drop Your Façade ; klance

weird

Upon one week of Shiro's brother transfering to Altean Academy, Lance had determined that long haired teenager was nothing short of...weird.

Altean Academy had block scheduling, meaning that there were odd days and there were even days. An odd day consisted of classes (or "blocks") 1, 3, 5, and 7, whereas even days were blocks 2, 4, 6, and 7.

As it turns out, Keith had a majority of his classes (1, 2, 4, 5, and 7) with Lance. So of course, it made sense that Lance would be the one Keith would cling onto for the rest if the day, and even the day after.

But what didn't make sense (at least to Lance) was the fact that Keith still stuck around even after Lance had left him to his own devices.

He didn't mind him really, Keith was an okay guy. He was polite (when he needed to be) and even sort of quiet. (Which meant Lance couldn't call him annoying or irritating)

All in all, he was okay. A bit clingy, but okay. So Lance had no idea why he felt so uneasy when Keith hung around him. (Whether it be during lunch or in one of their many shared classes)

So instead of Lance coming to terms with what he really felt around Keith, (which was nothing, mind you) he played off as Keith being a weird guy. Which, technically, he kind of was. (At least to Lance)

Keith sits with Lance an all their shared classes and has silently declared the empty spot at the lunch table (next to Lance) as his. Lance figured it was because Keith was new, and he didn't know much about the school yet, so he just stuck to familiar things. (That being his older brother's friends and table, which included Lance in one way or the other)

But that...was just not the case. Keith gone out of his way to befriend Lance, to try to hold a genuine conversation with him. Lance found this to be weird.

Keith was a generally quiet guy, he was a bit kept to himself and like Shiro had said, he had bit of a "lone-wolf vibe going on." He didn't talk to other classmates and always did his work quietly.

Yet, Lance seemed to be an exception. Keith would poke at him constantly, trying to start a conversation, (and Lance was semi-impressed with his determination) but was always met with the same result. Nothing.

Lance wondered if that's what fueled Keith's useless commentary (and his daily granola bar offers that Lance always silently accepted because he was a nice person) towards him. If all those pitiful attempts were just to get Lance to recorpiate.

Sometimes, Lance would want respond to his self deprecating jokes, and maybe, tell some of his own. Sometimes, Lance had the greatest urge to answer all of Keith's mundane questions. Things like "Coffee or tea?" or "Red's a nice color, what do you think?"

Lance wanted to speak, (for the first time in months) he really did. But the cons overruled the pros immensely. He didn't want to risk this newfound (sorta fragile, sorta odd) friendship with Keith.

He didn't want to risk it all by saying anything too annoying and he didn't want to be too much for Keith to handle. So he didn't respond. He decided that humming and mere shakes of his head would be enough.

;

Lance was...interesting, to say the least. He was nothing like the person Pidge portrayed him as.

Keith had played him off as one of those bubbly, energetic people who spoke a lot and sometimes too fast, due to Pidge's adjectives.

"Loverboy Lance,"

He must be a huge flirt, right?

"AKA Loudmouth Lance!"

He must talk too loudly too often,
right?

But he didn't. He wasn't that person. It was weird. This bothered Keith for some reason. Was it supposed to be ironic?
Oh, he barely speaks, so we call him a loudmouth! That would be stupid. It was stupid.

Keith had shown the whole group his schedule and Romelle had kindly pointed out that he had one class with her and Allura and the rest of his classes with Lance that day.

Great, He had thought, stuck with the loudmouth.

But Lance didn't utter a word when the bell rang. He only stood from the table and began to guide Keith to their first class, looking back occasionally to make sure he was still there.

He didn't utter a word when they entered the classroom, and he didn't say anything when Keith asked him where he should sit. He only shrugged and Keith just decided to take the seat next to his.

He didn't speak during class, never answered a question, and usually ignored everyone in the room.

Loudmouth? He was far from it. He didn't even bat an eyelash when a pretty girl tried to start a conversation with him. Loverboy? I think not.

So why would his friends call him that? If it was a joke, (which Keith assumed it was) it was a pretty sick one. Keith thought it to be borderline offensive, since Lance didn't even fucking speak.

Sure, Keith has met a few quiet people before, (hell, he himself was sort of quiet) but Lance was something else.

It was like he didn't want to talk, so he had no temptation to do so. This bothered Keith a lot.

He didn't think that was healthy, at least not mentally. After two classes, Keith had began to think that Lance was mute. (Oh god, he hopes he's not)

The evidence was all there, but he had no right to assume, so he never brought it up. To anyone. Instead, he talked to Lance like he would to any other person. (Or, he tried to, Lance would never answer)

He sat with him in class and during lunch, constantly attempting to jumpstart a conversation. And he would fail, every single time. But Keith didn't let that discourage him. When Lance was ready to talk, he'll be there.

After a mere week of knowing Lance McClain, Keith decided he was worth the effort (and the wait).