Forgotten

Chapter 4: What?

Keith let out a small mew. 

The face Lance made was hilarious, "Are you laughing at me?" he cried.

This time Keith let out a loud chirp. 

"You are! You little devil!" Lance snickered.

      It was at that moment Pidge and Hunk decided to walk through the door screeching at each other. Surprised by the sudden noise, Keith dived under the water.

"--not if you account for the life cycles and migration seasons!" screeched Pidge.

"Yeah! But most of them don't migrate!" Hunk replied with just as much force.

"That is so NOT true!"

      Lance stood up from his position and walked up to the bickering pair, "What, pray tell, are you two arguing about?" 

      Pidge was the one to answer, "How many bugs The Flash would accidentally swallow when he's running." 

"Why?"

She shrugged and adjusted her glasses. Hunk Scratched the back of his neck, "We were bored?" 

"So you decided to argue?" Lance's face was impassive.

"Yes?" Hunk answered.

      A grin broke across Lance's face and he laughed saying, "This is why you guys are my friends." The man gripped onto poor Hunks shoulder, doubling over himself laughing. Hearing his friends laugh, Keith poked his head above the water. Then seeing friendly faces, Keith let out a playful chirp.

      The yellow and green marine biologists both turned their heads at the sound, smiles on their faces. "There's the merman we wanted to see!" Hunk exclaimed strutting over to the tank. 

"How are your lessons going?" Pidge asked following the taller man

Keith tilted his head and said grinning, "Good."

"We brought you a present!" declared Hunk as he brought out something from his pocket, "I was tinkering with a few random parts in my workshop and came up with this! Thought it would be perfect for you."

"I helped to you know." grumbled Pidge, crossing her arms. "Half of it was me, I did most of the math."

"You helped with two equations!" 

"Guys." Lance interrupted chuckling. "I think Keith would just like the gift." 

While the small argument proceeded, Keith had been waiting patiently. Not really bothered by the delay. He enjoyed this group of people. 

"Oh. Right." Hunk said. He then presented Keith with a small toy. It was made of copper, it's metallic shine glittered with the water. It was in the shape of a dolphin, and it had a string attached to the bottom of the figurine. A small knot was tied at the end of it. 

"How?" Keith questioned.

Pidge replied with, "You pull the string out, and place it in the water."

      Keith did just that, and what happened completely blew his mind. The small figurine began to swim around him. The tail moved just the right way. Keith mewed happily. The little toy brought so much joy. He smiled, unrestrained and completely genuine. 

      Lance saw the smile. He saw the grin. He was struck dumb. He didn't know what to think. Throughout the month's he and Keith had gotten to know each other, the merman hadn't smiled once. Even when Lance made him mew, the merman's lips didn't even tilt up. And those laughs always sounded forced, like Keith was trying to convince himself he was happy. 

      Seeing Keith smile so purely made Lance want to grin like an idiot right along side him. Joy spread throughout his entire body; just seeing the merman smile. So, Lance, not really thinking straight, tossed his phone on a nearby plastic chair and hopped right into the tank with Keith, not even caring he completely soaking his cloths. 

      The merman's grin disappeared, just an echo of the former smile remained. "What?" he questioned.

"Do it again." Lance whispered to the merman, swimming closer.

      Keith than realized that he had actually smiled. That this was his first real smile in a year. He hadn't smiled once for his friend in the few months they had known each other. He realized this and felt guilty. He felt guilty and he wanted to make it up, so he smiled again. 

      Lance was blown away, by how beautiful the smile was. 

The pair didn't notice the other two leave the room. 

It was only them.

Lance staring at the merman's smile.

And Keith staring at the man's ocean blue eyes, wondering why his reaction was this way. He blushed. 

      The blush knocked Lance out of his dazed state. He cleared his throat, and swam back to the ledge to hoist himself out of the tank. 

Embarrassment coated his features as he said, "Sorry."

"Why sorry?"

Lance laughed, "My actions were normal to you?"

"No."

"Then why are you not completely weirded out?"

Keith shrugged his shoulders, "Actions likely. I not. . . smile in while."

Lance looked up from his lap, determination glinting in his eyes, "I'm going to change that."

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Chapter 4 finished! Yay! This one was a weird angsty fluff thing. I really don't know what it was, but this just came into my head today and I really wanted to put it in the story. Please keep in mind that I had a little bit of a time skip. Lance and Keith have obviously been together for a few months now and it is expected that Keith knows some English. Thank you all for reading this, can't thank ya'll enough.       

Word Count: 1512