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"Hm?" My head shot up at the sound of my name, breaking me out of a trance.
"You seem particularly chipper today. You've been smiling at your food since we sat down." Coran said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah Lance, what's gotten into you? Did you finally meet an alien cutie who didn't give you a fake number?" Hunk said jokingly.
Everyone laughed.
I gave Hunk a playful nudge with my elbow. "It's nothing actually." I said, Matter-o-factly. "And I have yet to get a number that wasn't out of service. But when I do, you'll be the last to know!" I scowled sarcastically at the others. They laughed again.
I liked getting laughs. Being able to cut through the tension was something I was happy to be able to do. But I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. Was I really just the butt of a joke to them?
The real, honest truth was that Keith was finally coming back tonight. I couldn't stop thinking about it.
He'd been gone for months and was finally done with his Marmora missions. The team hadn't felt complete since he left on his journey of "self discovery", and I honestly felt as though I was the only one who really noticed.
I'm sure everyone missed Keith, but it didn't seem as though they really cared...
-
As everyone finished supper, I took the opportunity to say something.
"Y'know, since Keith's coming back tonight...maybe we could throw him like.. a 'welcome back' surprise party?" I said hopefully.
Everyone stopped eating and went quiet for a moment.
"Keith's coming back tonight? Since when?" Hunk said with his mouth full.
"He told us a while ago. I'd actually forgotten, to tell you the truth.. But Lance! That's a really nice idea!' Allura said happily. "However... I just don't know if I'll be able to stay awake that long!" She gave a half smile and looked over to Pidge.
"Yeah. Me neither. He isn't back for a while yet anyways right? And who knows if he'll even be back around the time he said? Plus, Keith isn't the type to really want the attention anyways." Pidge said, shoving a spoonful of green goo into her mouth.
Everyone hummed and nodded in agreement.
"He would probably prefer it quiet when he got back too. I don't think he likes the excitement too much." Shiro said, scooping another helping of "supper" onto his plate. "Besides, why would you of all people want to do something nice for Keith?" Shiro's words hit me like a truck.
I clenched my fists underneath the table. Did no one care at all? I felt my blood start to boil but I wasn't sure why. It's not like any of them were wrong..
"Yeah. I guess you're right." I said, standing up from the table. I didn't want anyone to see me upset.
"I'm going to bed."
I grabbed my plate and took it to the kitchen before heading off to my room. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back as I walked away. Nobody made a sound.
