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you had loved Keith, always have but maybe it was time for you to move on, after all you're simply teammates.
And now, here you were standing by the doorway as you watched Keith talking with Lance, bickering as usual of course.
Keith turned away from Lance with a huff visibly finally having enough of their endless argument listening to Lance protest against his actions and walks over to the doorway, Y/N spins around so that her back hits the wall, hidden from his sight as he walks by, she holds her breath only resuming once he's far down the hall.
He stops in his tracks and turns around arching his brow at the sight of her attempt at stealth
'' I hope you're aware I can hear you, what's going on, Y/N ''
She looks at him slightly embarrassed at how straightforward he was as she looks around for an excuse before spotting Lance, her gaze flickering back and forth between the two guys
'' I just um, needed to speak to Lance ''
Keith looks at her then at Lance with the slightest bit of resentment only to lower his gaze with a frown and walking away
'' right, Lance ''
She keeps her eyes on him as her confused gaze followed his every movement, was he jealous? she thought before shaking her thoughts away and walking towards the main control room in the castle
" hey, Y/N! "
She jumps at the sudden contact as her back bumps into someone before spinning around briskly to look at them, oh right Lance is still here..
...
I finally got away from him, I had forgotten how talkative the paladin is.. she thought as roamed the halls with no seeming destination anyway. As her eyes scanned through the floor tiles she met a familiar pair of boots who stopped right in front of her, she looks up to meet Keith's eyes who were already locked onto hers
"can I help you?.."
she barked out nervously as his gaze pierced through her heart making her breath seemingly unsteady.
"did you mean it?"
she looked at him in confusion at his sudden question
"mean what?"
She asked tilting her head, his patience was visibly running thin as he grabbed her by the collar making her squeak as he shoved her into the wall
"don't act dumb, Y/N. I'm talking about Lance, how you needed to speak to him, nervously hiding behind the wall squirming like some kind of fangirl, it was pathetic really."
He said venom dripping from his words as he spat the most hurtful words he could muster up in the moment his gaze full of desperation which coudn't be missed from how he grabbed her jaw forcing her to look into his eyes.
She sighs searching for any sign of attraction in his gaze before placing her hand on his wrist
"Keith, what are we?"
He looks at her confused, his eyebrow arching as he searches through her gaze and loosens his hand before dropping it and backing away slightly, pausing for a second
"we're friends Y/N, you know this."
She looks down with a saddened expression still her smile never falters as she walks away from him
"that's what I thought."
Keith found him outside. It's where his dad would usually escape to at night. With a bottle of whiskey by his side, Mr. Kogane would just sit there. Rocking back and forth of the porch swing and stare up at the sky. Until he either passed out from exhaustion or the whiskey. But it was usually the whiskey. Keith never disturbed his dad whenever he was like this. But Keith, still only six, had a very pressing dilemma before him. He couldn't sleep. So what else could he do but go to his dad? With his little heart beating in his chest, the little boy opened the mesh door of their house to venture outside. With his dad. Mr. Kogane was a huge man. Rugged from his work both on their farm and in the auto shop he worked at. He was handsome to, according to Keith's gossipy teachers. But Keith didn't find the worn lines on his father's face attractive at all. Just scary. "Dad?" Mr. Kogane startled, looking for the source of the voice. Eyes meeting his son's. He looks sad, thought Keith. There was a weakness to his otherwise strong father in that moment. A wetness to his eyes that startled Keith. Mr. Kogane trying to choke something out of his fumbling mouth. The moonlight washing over them. "P-Pal! What'er you doing up so late?" "Couldn't sleep..." Keith looked down at his bare toes on too-small PJs instead of his father's face. Still started by the sudden weakness in his otherwise strong father. "Pal...Aw c'mon. Get over here." Keith obeyed. Hoping onto the porch swing while his dad tried, in vain, to discreetly put the whiskey away. But that didn't matter. His father embracing him. How could Keith not melt into it? How could he not take comfort in the bigger, warmer body all around him? Sure, his dad smelled like whiskey and oil. But he was his dad And Keith loved him. "You're a lot like your mom, you know that?" Keith stilled. His dad never talked about his mom. EVER. "You got them smart, sharp eyes. Can hardly keep up with ya Pal." His father laughed, big and booming as he pulled back to ruffle Keith's hair. Tears in his eyes. "Sometimes...Sometimes I wonder if she can us from up there. If she loves us just as much as we love her. If..." Turning his head, Mr. Kogane pointed with a callous hand at the stars above them. Shining, glittering. Like pretty things Keith and his dad couldn't even HOPE to have. His father started sobbing. Pulling Keith close, the grown man sobbing into his son's rumpled PJs. Wailing like his heart was being crushed. And maybe it was. "If we could ever give you the life you deserve Pal."