beaming | keith kogane

III | no

☀

—

"NO," I looked over my shoulder at Hunk. "I don't get your point." For about ten minutes now, he'd been going on some kind of ramble about the new girl. By now, I'd caught her name. It was Y/n. That doesn't make me more intrigued. It's such a basic name, why should I be caught up with it? Nonetheless, she seems like a basic girl.

Hunk ran a hand through his hair, messing up his little bandana, "I mean, something isn't sitting right with me. S-She has the sprite of happiness, but it's different." His brows were twisted in confusion. I rolled my eyes, snorting as I picked up the soda can that the vending machine spat out. "That's obvious. Maybe it's because you're a mix and she isn't?"

I patted him on the shoulder as I passed him, the boy mindlessly following after me. He had a dazed look in his eyes, seeming to still contemplate over the topic. Ignoring his mumbles behind me, I strode towards our usual lunch table and opened my can of Coca Cola. Hearing it pop, I took a sip.

What was supposed to be a peaceful lunch was ruined when I watched Shiro invite the new girl to our lunch table. Standing up to leave, I felt Pidge's grapple hook wire wrap around my wrist. My claws showed as I growled lowly, my face slowly turning purple. She glared strongly back, "If I have to go through this shitty social interaction thing then so do you."

I reluctantly sat down again, claws sheathing as the purple became tan. Shiro soon led her to our table, a friendly smile on her face as the two continued to chat. I don't know what irked me more, her happy-go-lucky presence or how she childishly bounced on her heels. Brow quirking as she took a seat diagonal from Pidge, I minded my own business and drank my soda.

As Shiro began introducing everyone, he pointed at me finally. "And that's Keith." I tilted my head up with a bland look, expecting some kind of glint of fake affection in her eyes. Nothing. Brows furrowing at the reaction, I didn't get to ask her why or study her expression for even a moment as she turned away, chatting to Shiro again.

"What? Are you trying to gain her attention or something?" Lance looked towards me, a smug look on his face as he quirked a brow. I was already frustrated at the situation. Yes, I should be blessed at the fact that she's not head over heels for me, but part of me is still curious as to why she isn't. I blinked before averting my eyes. "No. She's hardly worth my time anyway."

My eyes trailed back to her, seeing her flinch slightly. Shiro hissed at me, gritting his teeth. "Keith!" I ignored him, swinging my legs over the wooden bench and leaving. She wasn't worth my time. This wasn't worth my time. A hand on my shoulder stopped me, blonde hair brushing my face. "Keith?" Romelle looked at me, concern on her face.

Normally, I'd respond. She was one of the 'peacemaker's of the group, but without such an intrusive personality. However, I could hardly answer her as my right eye flashed yellow. She grew visibly startled, backing off and pursing her lips. She didn't say anything at first, but mumbled softly afterwards. "Perla can deal with this, I guess," The girl stalked away, flats clacking against the tile of the cafeteria floor.

As much as it seemed like a scene, nobody looked over. Exiting the cafeteria, I stalked down the hallway bitterly. I don't understand. How could she not love me? Since when was there an antidote to this damn love sprite? I furrowed my brows in confusion, gritting my teeth. "Don't you just run away from everything?" A squeak of sneakers resounded from behind me and I could tell who it was instantly.

"Nigel," I muttered under my breath, quirking a brow at the Asian. He was Jasmine's older brother, so it was sooner or later that I'd end up in this predicament. I often did. Nigel was a bit different, he had the sprite of bravery unlike his sister. The sprites were similar, but his packed more of a punch. "Couldn't even let her down easy,"

He was beyond pissed, dark eyes narrowed at me with nothing, but pure hatred. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my black jeans, "You know what predicament I'm in, Nigel." He reached his hand to the back of his neck, scratching at it briefly as he looked at me coldly. "Yeah, I do. I warned her too, but she claimed she was 'all grown up' now." Nigel continued to stare, as if freezing time.

I prepared myself for the worst as he scowled, "But that doesn't make you any less of an asshole!" There it was. He came charging at me, a bright flame encasing his hand. If Jasmine's was a campfire, his was a volcano. The male landed punch after punch as I could barely keep up. By now, I had resorted to my claws, both of my eyes a pure yellow.

Swiping a few times, I recklessly missed as a crowd gathered. My purple ears flicked for a moment as I took in a breath. Patience yields focus. And that's all it took. Within seconds, the fight was in my favor as every one of my blows connected to his jaw. I could feel the skin of my knuckles crack and break, blood dripping, but I didn't care as his bones crumbled under my consistent swings.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light; almost equivalent to Allura when she blocked one of my fists. Instead, it wasn't her. It was a blonde boy with really light amber—almost tangerine—eyes, bandages wrapped around both of his forearms. He'd managed to stop Nigel's fist and mine, his teeth gritted visibly. 

"Quit it," He hissed, looking from me to Nigel and back to me. A shout rang throughout the crowd—a feminine one—footsteps following after. "Haneul!" I blinked at the blonde guy. His name was certainly Korean. That's when I saw the tattoo on his neck in dark red Hangul. Then it dawned on me. This thing wasn't a guy at all; he was hardly a man. Haneul was a sprite.