The Monster in the Sky. Klance AU

Chapter 28: Disappointment

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday, whether you spent it with someone or alone. If you spent it alone, I hope you practiced some self care and ate too much chocolate!!

Lance didn't bother knocking before throwing open the door of James's dorm and launching himself inside. He waved his arms around dramatically until James tore his attention away from his laptop screen. James's eyes widened and his hands flew to his open backpack that was sat at his feet to zip it up. Afterwards, he suspiciously kicked it beneath the table. "We need to talk." Lance demanded, though James didn't seem too impressed.

"You can't just barge in here and demand to talk. I could have been getting dressed or something!"

"Well, you weren't, were you?"

James let out a sigh and closed his laptop before swivelling around in his chair to face the intruder. "What do you want, Lance?" He sounded like he was ready to end the conversation there and then, without finding out what Lance had come to him (of all people) to talk about.

Lance slumped down onto James's bed, opposite James. He decided to make himself home in the small room by pulling his legs up onto the bed and crossing them. "Keith is really worried about you. He thinks something is going on."

"What would be going on?" James snapped before pulling his head back as if he was shocked at his own harsh tone. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply to calm himself down again.

"I don't know, you tell me. Keith has come up with every possible theory. He thinks you could be depressed or that you've got some sort of deadly disease or something. Is there actually something bothering you?"

"No!" James was quick to yell, increasing suspicion that he was holding something back and not telling the complete truth.

"You're lying."

"I am not." Like a little kid amidst a tantrum, James folded his arms and pouted. Lance would have laughed had he not been so worried.

"Come on, I'm the best at reading people. I can tell when someone is lying. Now tell me what's going on."

"It's private."

Knowing James was unlikely to open up without even more encouragement on Lance's behalf, Lance took it one step further. If James wanted to be asked more protruding questions, that was easily done. "Are you cheating on him?"

Once the question was out in the open, James paled and looked very much like he was on the verge of throwing up. He dropped his gaze to his lap and began to stare at his knees as if they had somehow become his sworn enemy. "I'm not cheating on him."

Lance's jaw tensed. He knew that James's body language contrasted his words, raising the question as to whether he could be trusted. "Are you telling the truth? You look guilty and it is not helping your case."

"I'm not lying, I wouldn't do that to him."

"Then what is it? I don't want you to hurt him."

"I won't..." James clenched his hands into fists and scrunched his face up in an expression that screamed conflict. When his eyes next opened, Lance could have sworn they were glistening with the onset of tears. "I- I love him, Lance."

"I know you do but still... Keith has been through a lot. He doesn't need any more trauma in his life."

"Neither do I. I understand trauma better than anyone so, trust me, I won't hurt him."

"Then what's going on? Why are you so distant?"

"I can't tell you. Can we please just drop it?"

"I can't drop it when my friend-" Lance was cut off as Keith appeared in the doorway, a single eyebrow raised in a concoction of both curiosity and anger.

"What are you talking about?" Keith demanded, hands on his hips to imply that he wasn't leaving until he got answers. He diverted his gaze between the pair with a million different scenarios circling around and around in his head.

"Well, I-" Lance started but he brought himself to an abrupt halt. His face was blossoming a dark shade of red that reminded Keith of a tomato. The fact that he wasn't rushing to answer the question just added to the suspicious nature of the situation.

"Lance, when I told you I worried about James, I trusted you. I didn't think you would confront him about it. You don't have the right." Keith was speaking in a monotone that screamed to Lance about how infuriated it was. It was so much worse than Keith yelling loud enough to render his throat raw: it was on the border of sheer disappointment. Disappointment wasn't something Lance was particularly good at dealing with either.

Lance hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"You should be. I trust James, alright? He'd tell me if something was going on."

"I just wanted to help you..."

"Well you didn't, okay? I think you should leave."

Lance turned to look at James for any form of help, drinking in his pale face and teary eyes. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't come to any conclusion about his expression that didn't lead to James hiding something... but what? With that idea eating him alive, Lance walked out of the dorm and left Keith alone in James's presence.

-

Lance couldn't help but observe James and that definitely wasn't the result of jealousy. He was trying to look out for a friend; that was all.

Pidge had invited everyone on a tour with her and her dad around the new Garrison technology but Lance could hardly tear his gaze away from James. It got to the point that every little thing Pidge was saying about her blah blah... converter... blah thing was going right over his head. He felt like a child zoning out in a classroom with the teacher's annoying droning being filtered out into nothing more than background noise.

James looked up from where his gaze had been focused on the floor and briefly met eyes with Lance. Shit, James was onto him! He quickly turned his head away but it was too late; James had already noticed he had been staring. He immediately grabbed Lance's arm and pulled them both away from the group, raising his eyebrows in a mixture of warning and suspicion. "I thought Keith told you to back off." James all but snapped, voice hard with irritation.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop."

"You better because Keith shouldn't be worrying and neither should you. Do I really need to spell it out to you? I'm fine."

Lance hadn't noticed until he had gotten closer to James but thick, dark bags had started to form under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping for a week but it wasn't his business to ask. Letting his eyes thin in dismay and nodding, Lance ignored the nagging part of him that still didn't believe James's story.