When Keith wasn't looking at lunch one day, I unzipped his bag as discreetly as possible and slipped the folded paper into it. I don't think anyone saw me do it. I looked around just to check and Hunk was watching me knowingly. Okay, maybe Hunk saw me but he didn't need to know what the paper was.

-

Keith didn't say anything as he opened up the folded paper to show me. I broke out into a cheeky grin as he raised an eyebrow. "When did you put this in my bag?" He questioned and I stifled a small laugh.

"At lunch when you were too busy listening to Pidge speak to notice."

Keith huffed, staring at the picture for a second. "You're such a dork."

"But you love it." I grinned and Keith elbowed me in the side.

"You're lucky I kind of do." Keith's laugh was the most beautiful sound on the planet. I felt like it had the ability to send the world into peace or cure world hunger or something. I felt a little nauseated as he pulled me into a short hug. "Thank you."

"It's alright." It was so hard to keep my voice steady.

-

"What's up, Sharpshooter?" I turned at the sound of Keith's voice just in time to watch him fall into the seat beside me. "I have a question for you." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hunk wink so I just sent him a confused look in return.

"Shoot." I muttered. Keith was so close to me that I could feel his arm against mine. People mention butterflies in the stomach when you're nervous but I felt an entire zoo. My stomach was lurching as an elephant stomped and a bear growled.

"Sharpshooter. Why Sharpshooter?"

"Why RedLion?" I shot back because his question had triggered a curiosity I didn't know was there inside me.

"Red is my favourite colour and lions are my favourite animal. Simple."

I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "Well, I don't know. My favourite weapon in video games is always the sniper and I'm always accurate with my shots. Hunk randomly called me Sharpshooter when I killed him in Halo once."

"That's quite cute."

"Thanks?" I literally sounded like a teenage boy going through puberty. My voice was so high and I yearned for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. My face was bright red and I knew it, burying my head into my hands to attempt to hide it from my friend.

"I try to compliment you and you just say 'thanks' like it's a question."

-

"He was trying to flirt you idiot!" Hunk harshly punched my shoulder and I sent him a glare.

"That hurt!" I groaned, rubbing the spot where he had hit. He didn't appear at all apologetic which hurt a bit. He was supposed to be my best friend, after all (even if Keith was about to knock him off the pedestal). "He wasn't flirting."

"He so was," Pidge chipped in with a cheeky grin. "He was looking at you all loved up." Pidge did a very exaggerated impression, batting their eyelids and holding a hand over their heart.

I really wanted him to have been flirting but I didn't want to get my hopes up. There was no way someone as wonderful and amazing as Keith would like someone as stupid and pathetic as me. I would bet money on him falling for someone much cooler and stronger than me. I wasn't at all special.

"He doesn't like me!"

"Yeah, right. Ask him."

"No!" Maybe I would ask him. Just so I could eliminate the false hope before it got too much.

-

Sharpshooter01: My friends think you like me for some reason haha. Can you just confirm to me that you don't?

RedLion2000: What put that idea in their heads?

Sharpshooter01: I don't know! Pidge just said you were staring at me and stuff

RedLion2000: I wasn't

RedLion2000: Why would I? Ur ugly

Sharpshooter01: Ouch Red that hurt

RedLion2000: I'm joking. You're actually kind of cute.

Sharpshooter01: Thanks. So they're wrong?

Sharpshooter01: Red?

RedLion2000: Well... I do like you

Sharpshooter01: As a friend though, yeah?

RedLion2000: Yeah

Sharpshooter01: Okay

Keith had just told me what I had expected him to tell me but I couldn't help that my heart dropped and all my hope fizzled into dust. I laid my head back against my pillow and stared up at my ceiling, my mind on overdrive. (Reading this back, I am incredibly frustrated at Lance's stupidity. Like come on dude it's obvious!! But same. I'm Lance.)

It hurt so much to imagine him with me, holding my hand and kissing me. I don't know why I had even had a tiny bit of hope. I was nothing and he was everything. I rolled over, rubbing away the stupid tears that were welling up in my eyes.

-

"Look." I shoved my phone in Pidge's face and they started laughing as they scrolled through the conversation. I glared at them for laughing at a situation that was so serious to me.

"He literally called you cute, you idiot." Hunk retorted, having read the messages over Pidge's shoulder. I could feel my cheeks going red and both my friends raised their eyebrows at me. I covered my face with my hands before my friends could judge me. At that point, I just constantly hid my face. Love was going to be the death of me.

"Just because he called me ugly as a joke!"

"Well do you like him back?"

"Back suggests he likes me too." Avoiding questions was my forte and really the only thing I was good at.

"It's the most obvious thing on the planet and, if you can't see it, you're blinder than Pidge."

"I am not blind, Hunk! I've told you before, these are Matt's glasses!" Pidge slapped Hunk's arm rather loudly. It looked painful. Pidge refused to take their brother's glasses off because, to them, they were an important memento that kept a part of their brother with them all the time. I thought it was really sweet but Hunk tended to tease them about it. "But yes. It's so obvious."

I groaned. "So you like him too?" Hunk sounded so hopeful so I sent him another glare as I shook my head.

"Why would I like Keith?" Who was I trying to kid? I knew it was obvious so I don't know why I bothered trying to deny it. "He's- He's awkward and a know it all. He has a stupid blog dedicated to-" I clasped a hand over my mouth because I wasn't meant to tell them about the blog. That was Keith's biggest secret and I had just let it slip.

"A blog about what?" Pidge questioned, leaning forward in their seat. I knew they weren't going to let it go so I had to either tell them or make something up.

I decided to go for the truth, even if Keith would hate me for it. "The reason I found him was because I followed his blog on Tumblr. It was basically just really gay and about shipping these characters from a TV show I like." Pidge barked out a loud laugh, slapping their hand against the table whilst Hunk snorted a little bit.

"Keith has a gay blog?"

"Lance, you told them?" Keith had excellent timing. I had no idea when he had appeared behind me but he was there and he was staring at me as if I had just killed his family or something.

"It slipped out!"

"I trusted you," He had gone bright red and it was adorable, to say the least. "I swear if either of you say a word to anyone, I'm going to find you and murder both of you. I'll make it slow and painful too."

"We won't tell." Hunk swore and Keith looked extremely relieved.

"That's what Lance said!"

"Hey, in my defence, I was... I was just talking about you and I forgot they didn't know. It just came out and I didn't think about it. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine." It didn't really seem fine but I didn't push it. "Just don't tell them my username or you'll get murdered too."

"I won't tell them and that's a promise."