Last of Summer

Mater, but make it romantic

[I added the song Comfort Crowd by Conan Grey to fit the mood. I recommend listening to it while reading.]

When they got to Keith's house, Keith walked out knowing the hours away from Lance would feel uncomfortable and out of place compared to the time they spent together. It just felt so right to have Lance next to him or just near him. He trudged inside and plopped onto the couch just within the door. Shiro popped out of his bedroom to smile down on his little brother.

"So? How'd the date go today?"

Keith sat up quickly and retorted, "Date?! No!" After blushing at the thought and smiling to himself, he continued nervously, "Lance wouldn't go on a date with me, silly. He's my best friend- no more and no less."

Even as he said it, his heart hurt when his mind tried to trick him into believing it was true, and he got a lump in his throat that made it difficult to speak.

"He doesn't like me," he confirmed mostly to himself. Shiro looked at him quizzically, and he half-shouted, "And I don't like him either! We're best friends!" He stammered a bit, then shouted, "Go away! Shoo!"

Shiro retreated to his room and gave Keith some space. Keith started hitting the pillows in frustration, letting his feelings out with every soft punch.

☀️☀️☀️back to Lance☀️☀️☀️

He watched Keith walk away, knowing that he could've just stayed with him. Veronica talked to him about Keith and said some pretty hurtful things. To put the cherry on top, she said he couldn't sleep at their house anymore. He knew that she was just being precautious, but she was also very insightful and knew what she was doing. Lance felt his eyes prickle. As soon as he felt a tear travel down his cheek, he turned up the radio all the way and screamed along to the song.

When Lance got home, he went straight to his room and opened his phone to see if Keith texted. A warm smile grew on his face when it showed a notification from Keith.

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering- are you mad at me? Are you getting bored of me?"

"I could never get bored of you."

"Then why'd ya make me go back home?"

Lance grimaced and typed out, "Tbh, Veronica thought you should just go home for the night."

He was typing for a while, on and off.
"Can I ask why? Does she think we're like..."

"She's just worried we're spending a little too much time together. Haha I think she's just jealous she doesn't have a best friend"

Lance felt a tear trail down his cheek, and he wiped it off confusedly.

"Haha yeah, probably."

"Anyway, goodnight. Love you"

"Love you too."

🤖off the phone🤖
Lance smiled, and then his eyes darted back to the phone screen and reread "I love you." No wonder Veronica thinks they're in love. They kinda are.

"Noooo!"

Lance grabbed his phone again and quickly called Keith.

🤖back on the phone hehe🤖

"Keith! You can't tell me you love me."