literature

of strange meetings. ( college!au ) | keith

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“dude, two o’clock.”

lance is really bad at whispering; keith has learned that in their few years of friendship. nearby classmates send death glares their way-- something that seems to happen more often than it should, now that he thinks about it. but lance just ignores them all, nudging his friend persistently until he loses focus of what the professor is saying.

he stops typing his notes, then glances at the clock.

“it’s not even close to two. it’s eleven. maybe you should go back to elementary school and learn how to read time.”

stupid keith and his deadpan responses.

he elbows him harder.

“do you ever take a hint? two o’ clock.”

normally, keith disregards everything lance says or does, especially during class. but lance has freakishly sharp elbows.

“stop it.” he retorts, slapping the other’s arm away. “and what’s supposed to happen at two? did you finally manage to get that girl to go out with you?”

“what do you mean, finally? i’ll have you know--”

he’s done it now, hasn’t he? they’re gonna start one of their little fights in the middle of lecture.

“i mean, that’s not the point! stop distracting me. just look over there, smartypants.”

oh. so that’s what he meant by two. they could have saved time if he just got straight to the point.

but keith says nothing, purple eyes scanning the area and then suddenly meeting yours. he thinks nothing of it at first, though the way you freeze up before offering a weak smile makes him curious. it’s another few seconds that feel much longer before you look away, throwing yourself back into scribbling down every word the professor says.

“what’d you want me to look at?”

“what? you literally just stared at them.”

lance gets it. as someone who is an expert with these things, he understands the situation. not to mention that he’s much more charming than a certain jerk, so of course, he has more experience with relationships and all.

“you interrupted me just for that?”

“they’ve been staring for a few minutes, you know. maybe you would have noticed if you weren’t typing so much.”

“i’m typing notes. i don’t see you doing that.”

“like i need them. i’ll pass with flying colors.”

a frown greets a smug smile. they both know it’s true.

“you should talk to them.”

“why?”

“why not? you scared?”

“why would i be? it’s not like i’d get shot down like you always do.”

lance uses all of his strength to not yell at keith during class.

.     .     .


it was nothing at first-- so he thought. but ever since that day, keith can feel you staring at him sometimes. it’s just a brief glance, nothing more. and it’s not like you stare every single day.

still, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued. it doesn’t help that lance keeps egging him on about talking to you-- what’s he going to do, anyway?

“it’s not that hard. you just say hi and make small talk.”

“hi, i’ve noticed that you keep staring at me. you want me to say that?”

“why do you make everything so much harder than it should be? here’s what you do.”

lance puts his arm around keith’s shoulders, stares him right in the eye-- and then raises an eyebrow.

and then smirks.

“yeah. definitely not going to do that.”

besides, he’s not one to randomly waltz up to a stranger and strike up a conversation. when the circumstances are right, he’ll talk to you.

.     .     .


this won’t do. this constant exchange of glances. this tension between two future lovers.

lance will not allow it.

his hand slams against the desk harder than he expects and he lets out a tiny yelp, but pidge and hunk disregard it.

“when are they going to talk?”

“never.” the two respond, halfheartedly listening.

“wrong. i’m gonna make them talk.”

hunk wonders if he should stop him, but then again, it’s none of his business. no use in getting involved, right? he just laughs nervously and hopes that keith won’t kill any of them.

.     .     .


“you’re asking for tutoring?”

you never thought you’d talk to this guy; sure, you see him pretty much every other day at school, but you always sit far away from each other. for him to randomly ask for help brings wariness. he’s loud-- very loud, actually-- so you always hear him talking about how he aces all the tests.

so what need is there for tutoring?

“your friend won’t help you?”

uh oh. he’s gotta talk keith up if this is going to work.

“he tries really hard to, but he’s just so smart that i can’t seem to understand. he’s a genius, that guy. what i would give to be like him. all smart and...handsome.”

you stare blankly at him. he chuckles nervously.

“so, bookstore cafe tomorrow at seven? good? good. see you tomorrow!”

he’s running off before you can even protest.

.     .     .


“bad idea.”

“you know keith has legs, right? he could just walk off.”

“okay, you two, i didn’t ask for your opinion.”

pidge and hunk shrug.

this is definitely going to work. keith could just leave, and realistically, that’s more likely to happen, but--

no, no. lance is the mastermind of romance. he knows exactly what he’s doing.

.     .     .


keith prefers studying in the library. the cafe isn’t bad-- if anything, it’s rather cozy, so he’s not completely against studying there. he just wonders why they’re randomly meeting here of all places. but when he walks in, he sees you. and he sees lance.

the dots connect immediately and he sighs in irritation. begrudgingly, he approaches both of you, glaring once he sees his friend’s dumb grin.

“well, well, what are the chances that we’re all here?”

your eye twitches in annoyance. damn liar.

“anyway, i just remembered that i have to go do something. have fun studying!”

he runs off again and leaves both of you in silence.

keith doesn’t know what to do. he’s already here and he doesn’t mind talking to you; it’s just the scenario that led to it that he doesn’t particularly enjoy. but before he can say anything, you gesture to the vacant seat in front of you, lips curling into a warm smile that he faintly returns.

“not that i have a problem with being set up like this, but your friend is weird.”

he chuckles and sits down.

“yeah, i know.”

.     .     .


almost two hours pass and you’ve done anything but study. you’ve learned a lot about each other within a short amount of time, but there’s one thing he hasn’t asked about yet.

“why do you stare at me during class?”

a little too forward-- maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. but you react as if it were a perfectly normal question, casually sipping on your coffee.

“because of your hair. and i think you’re cute.”

forget being worried about being too straightforward. your answer is on an entirely different level.

he almost chokes on his water. he’s not sure what he should say.

“my hair?”

that’s all his brain can come up with.

“yeah. it’s nice.”

he nods numbly, mumbling out a small word of thanks.

you laugh at his puzzlement, finding him all too endearing.

“have you ever thought about tying it up, though?”

.     .     .


the next day, lance braces himself for the worst, but when keith sits by him in class, he looks more content than usual.

which is odd. which means something good happened yesterday. which means his plan worked.

“you’re welc--”

he pauses. when and why does keith have his hair tied up?

damn him for being able to pull it off.

“why?”

he points dumbfoundedly at the neatly done hair, suddenly missing the mess of black locks. but then they both see you walk in. and the moment you meet eyes with keith, you flash a knowing smile, followed with a thumbs-up.

keith looks happier after that.

“why what?”

lance doesn’t understand what he’s done. he just knows it’s good. he stares in confusion, much to the other’s amusement. he never asks for further explanation.

he stays quiet for the rest of the lecture.
writing voltron characters is hard wow

keith is my favorite
i also rly like steven yeun so that might have something to do with it B)

this was fun to write! i saw this fanart and i love it tbh
keith with a ponytail is surprisingly pleasant
a+

thanks for reading!!
© 2016 - 2024 ciiren
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Little-Pinkey's avatar
"damn him for being able to pull it off."

I love Lance I do. Real MVP here.
This was really sweet to read. I love how open they were it's nice.
I really enjoyed how she was as straightforward as Keith was with her answer.

Also Pidge and Hunk as the voices of reason were great. This was great. I enjoyed it a lot XD