the title of this chapter is from the quote "Where words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal." -Samuel Richardson

i am so sorry i haven't updated in so long. i had the busiest few weeks imaginable and literally no time to sit down and work on the next chapter. ALSO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF DIALOGUE IN THIS it's just how it happened

now that season seven is out...just ignore what happens in it as it pertains to this story. or just ignore it in general because honestly fuck season seven.

i don't know when the next chapter will be out but hopefully soon. thanks for even still reading this story at all lol.

To put it lightly, Lance was having issues.

Allura.

Keith.

Allura and Keith.

Keith shouldn't have been a problem. Keith should've been the opposite of a problem. They'd grown close lately. Closer than he ever imagined they would. And right now, it felt like he was the best friend Lance had.

But something recently started to gnaw at him whenever Keith was around. Keith walking into the room gave him butterflies. These were the kind of butterflies he was all too familiar with. Excited, nervous ones. The kind he used to get around Allura.

Used to.

He wasn't really getting as excited to see Allura anymore. Of course, he loved her as one of his closest friends in the entire universe. And he was always happy to see her.

But it wasn't the same anymore.

Something changed.

His world didn't light up when Allura entered it. It used to. But now it didn't.

He did still enjoy her touch, her smile. The feelings lingered.

But they weren't the same feelings.

It was like they'd been put through the washer and had started to fade. And every time, they faded a little more.

But the washing machine was being with Keith.

Lance knew Keith was changing him. How exactly? He wasn't sure.

But all this time with Keith definitely had a impact on his feelings for Allura.

He was scared to think about why.

Because he was still trying to work through this whole getting over Allura thing.

Now that Keith was back, it became so much easier.

No.

It became possible.

He hadn't even thought about getting over Allura before Keith came back. But then he did and everything was just…different.

Keith opened a door.

Lance didn't know how. He just knew Keith did.

It was…crazy. Right? It never felt this way before Keith left.

Lance hadn't even realized how much he missed Keith until he re-joined the team. But as soon as he saw Keith's face on the monitor that day, he realized why he'd felt so off this whole time.

He wasn't the same Lance when Keith wasn't around.

Allura made him want to be a better person, but Keith made him a different person.

And he was so confused.

What did that even mean?

What the quiznack was Lance supposed to do about it?

Keith had always been good at…well, most things. And Lance had always been jealous.

At some point, though, that changed. Lance didn't really understand it. He was feeling less jealous and more glad that Keith was back.

But Keith was espescially good at fighting. And when Lance challenged him to a friendly competitive sparring match, he instantly agreed. Their combined training was becoming routine.

Now Keith was proving the extent of his skill.

Keith took another swing. Lance managed to dodge it. He took his own jab at Keith, who ducked underneath it. Between the two of them, they passed enough blows and hits to last a lifetime. Sweat flew with each movement, both of theirs intermingling with the other's.

Lance kept up his guard, forced to stay on defense. Keith came at him again and again. Between attacks, Lance threw in a few of his own strikes. They were fairly unsuccessful. But so were Keith's.

He did manage to distract Lance, though. With a jab at Lance's shoulder that he was obligated to protect, Keith went in for the kill. In the split second Lance's attention was focused elsewhere, Keith outstretched his right leg and swept it across the floor. Lance didn't have enough time to react. Ankles jutting out from under him, he fell back onto his hands.

Keith hopped to his feet. A grin tugged the corners of his mouth upwards and he gave a smug grin when Lance looked at him.

Lance pressed his lips together, repressing an eye roll.

Keith extended his free hand. "Ready to go again?"

Lance breathed heavily. He wiped his forehead, then reached for Keith's grip.

Warmth immediately shot through his skin, pulsing against the toned muscle. With Keith's hand on his, Lance couldn't focus on anything else, zeroing in on Keith's touch. It rocked his body to the core.

He stood up, balancing his weight between his own moving feet and Keith's stability. But he did it thoughtlessly, almost robotically, unable to tear his attention away from the mere fact that Keith's hand was wrapped around his.

Lance swallowed, trying not to make it obvious. His eyes flicked to Keith, who was watching the lump sink down his throat. Keith must've felt Lance's gaze on him, though, because he met it.

Lance stared into Keith's eyes like they were individual stars that'd fallen from the sky and had nestled themselves across the open canvas of his face. Lance never noticed them the way he was noticing them now. They weren't just one color. There was a mix. Purple. Black. Blue. And each time Keith blinked, they changed. The light reflected them in different ways, capturing the colors from a new angle.

Every passing tick, Lance knew he was staring deeper. He didn't know how. But Keith's eyes were drawing him in. And it was working.

Hook.

Line.

And sinker.

He couldn't stop staring. There was so much to see. Vulnerability and pain and a lot of other things he didn't recognize.

But a lot of things he wanted to learn.

Keith was here, exposing himself. And Lance wanted to dive in headfirst. He didn't want Keith to look away, to put this behind his trademark closed doors.

Lance wanted to keep them open and venture inside.

Right now, he felt like Keith was letting him.

Keith's heartbeat pulsed under Lance's fingertips. It aligned with his.

They were still touching.

Neither of them was letting go.

Lance just...didn't want to. He...liked how it felt. How Keith felt. How Keith made him feel.

A blush crept across his cheeks, spreading like a plague. But Lance didn't try stopping it.

Besides, he could've sworn Keith had his own blush blooming.

But he didn't peel his eyes away to confirm.

Instead, he held his gaze. And he wondered what Keith was seeing in his eyes. Did he see something Lance saw in his? Or not?

Lance had never been so curious about Keith's thought process before. Not like this.

But he was. He wanted to know what Keith was thinking and how he was feeling.

Were they feeling the same way?

Lance honestly couldn't describe what he was feeling. It was new. And it was warm and soft, wrapping his heart in a cocooned blanket of tenderness.

Something with fur brushed against his leg. Keith must've felt it, too. Simultaneously, they broke eye contact and looked down to see Keith's wolf, who was wedging himself between them.

A shock promptly jolted Lance, reminding him that they weren't alone. It was not just the two of them.

The moment fell to the floor and shattered like glass.

Lance jumped back, out of Keith's hand. For a fleeting tick, Keith almost looked hurt. But he blinked. The expression washed away, a message in the sand drowning under a new wave that crashed along the shoreline.

Both of their blushes deepened.

Lance rubbed the nape of his neck, staring at his feet. Keith made a hybrid noise of a cough and a sniff.

"I…" Lance started. But he didn't know how to finish. He looked up. Keith was watching him, waiting for what he'd say. "I should go. Y'know...shower and stuff before dinner."

"Yeah." Keith's voice almost cracked. Lance winced.

Lance bit his lower lip. "Yeah. Okay." He swallowed, hesitating. "I guess I'll see you then."

He headed for the door, cheeks burning. Keith stayed motionless behind him. If he did move, he kept it silent.

Lance wasn't really sure whether he actually wanted to leave or not.

But he was already at the edge of the room. It was too late to go back.

So he made his way out.

And when he did, he realized something.

The entire time, he hadn't thought of Allura once.

What just happened? What just happened? What just happened?

It was definitely a moment. He and Keith had a moment. Him and Keith.

It felt different from their bonding moment. The bonding moment had been them growing closer as friends.

At least, it had been for Lance.

But whatever just happened...it wasn't even something Lance could pretend to forget. It was on his brain, eating away at him. The hand where Keith had his hand was still warm. Lance could still feel Keith's skin against his, smooth and soft, like a puzzle piece sliding into place.

What the quiznack?

Lance didn't really know what was going on anymore. All he knew was how badly he wanted Keith's hand around his again.

"Lance?"

Lance popped his head up. He hoped his blush had faded. "Huh?"

Allura, with wide eyes, was staring back at him. The mice peered at him from her shoulders. "Lance?" she asked again. "Is everything alright?"

"What?" Lance scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Everything's...it's fine."

Allura blinked.

He opened his mouth to reply with a pick up line, maybe say something flirty and walk away with a wink. But the words didn't come. He couldn't think of anything.

There was one thing on his mind right now.

And it wasn't Allura.

It was Keith.

"The mice and I were on our way to teach Romelle one of your Earth road trip games," Allura said. "Would you like to join us?"

To make it seem like everything was normal, Lance should've said, "Oh, you know I would." Or even yes. That would've worked.

But no.

What he said was, "Actually, I was just about to go shower." Then, to keep his cover, "Uh, count me in next time, though."

Lance knew it didn't sound like himself in the slightest.

He managed an awkward smile before heading in the opposite direction.

He couldn't go be with Allura. He even thought he'd want to. But he didn't.

Right now, there was just too much he needed to sort out in his head. And he had to do it alone.