Close Quarters

Chapter Eleven

Breakfast was just as uneventful as any other day, the team participating in small talk while they finished their meals. Keith sat beside Lance at the table, a loose grip on the boys' hand while he picked at his food aimlessly. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts on the possibilities of what the potion could do would not leave him alone. He knew his anxiety was seeping through the bracelet bond based on the glances Lance threw at him but he ignored them in favor of overthinking everything. Lance glanced at Keith again before subtly tugging the hand he was holding to get his attention.

"Keith buddy, want to tell me what's up? This bracelet bond is upping my anxiety way more than necessary and I have enough on my own as it is. Care to explain?" Lance looked at Keith, waiting for an answer.

"It's just this potion thing," Keith responded. "I don't know what it will do and it worries me just a bit." Keith hoped Lance didn't question his real concern on the subject.

"Just a bit? Really?" Lance quietly shot back. Turns out he hoped for nothing.

"Keith, if the potion does act as a truth serum of sorts, whatever happens won't change anything between me and you. We're paladins of Voltron and we can't let something like that affect us. We can work through it." Lance squeezed Keith's hand to reassure him.

Keith cracked a small smile and looked up at Lance, hoping the tan boy wouldn't see the tinge of sadness in his eyes. "Thank you, Lance. I really needed that. I just want to get this over with already though."

"Let's just go now then?" Lance suggested.

In response, Keith stood from the table, pulling Lance with him. The two quickly cleared their plates and headed towards the medbay to go speak with Coran.

* * *

Once the two boys had approached Coran with their dilemma, the spritely Altean eagerly took the potion from Lance to analyze, rambling about a noonlax he met on Puig before ushering the two away so he could work.

Lance tugged Keith out of the room and headed towards the lounge, eager for a little entertainment while they waited for the results. Once they'd made it to the room, Lance walked over to the far wall, poking it aimlessly trying to find the hidden panel where he knew Pidge hid all he earth technology. After a few minutes of mindless poking and multiple questionable looks from Keith, Lance heard a click and then a hiss, the tv and the DVD player making themselves known. Keith leaned over Lance to look inside and his eyes widened.

"How long have we had a tv?!" Keith exclaimed, giving Lance a confused look.

"Pidge found it at the earth store at the space mall a couple of trips back. She tries to keep it hidden cause she hates when I mess with her scores on her games, but I was able to figure out where it was with my amazing Paladin skills," Lance explained.

"So basically, you just annoyed her enough until she didn't care if you figured it out?" Keith questioned.

"No! I used my gifts of persuasion but that's not the point right now. What's important is that there's a tv and I found some movie looking things while I was wandering the castle that could be Altean movies and you're gonna watch them with me while we wait." Lance removed a book that was beside the tv and removed what looked like a movie, putting it into the DVD player. Lance turned on the devices then turned and plopped onto the couch, making himself comfortable.

Keith sat beside Lance hesitantly, staring at their joined hands while the movie started up.

"Keeeeeeeith. I thought we finally got past all this awkwardness. If it hurts then tell me. I won't mind." Lance whispered to Keith.