you know exactly what this is

[troublesh00ter]

There's just something about a wedding that puts people in good spirits. Maybe it's the energy or the fact that people have come together to celebrate their love in such a public fashion. Whatever it is, Lance couldn't be more excited about this one. If anyone deserves a big fancy wedding and an excuse to celebrate, it's Shiro.

It's a bittersweet evening, though, because he can't help feeling just the slightest bit sorry for himself. It's not that he wishes his friend any ill will so much as that he can't quite shrug off the fact that he has nobody to share the evening with. Maybe it's selfish of him, but he'd always figured that by the time Shiro- or any of the others were getting married, he'd have figured out his own romantic situation.

His solution for this dilemma, naturally, is to be as over-the-top charming as he possibly can. Putting forth a loud, excited front has become second nature at this point. And of course, there are plenty of other people enjoying the festivities... which means plenty of distractions. It's easy enough to flit from conversation to conversation, stealing a dance here and there.

Eventually, the excitement of the party turns out to be too much, and by that point he figures nobody will miss him- so he slips out when the crowd isn't looking. He's not going home just yet, but it's a nice night so loitering out in the garden while everyone else is partying seems like a pretty solid plan.

Comments

[praecipitem]

There's only so much being social that he can take -it's just not a thing Keith is terribly fond of for long periods of time before awkwardness sets in and the outer edges start looking like the best places to be. Sure, this is the wedding of one of the most important people and someone he considers a brother, but he knows Shiro wouldn't expect him to force himself to be something he isn't.

And it's because of that that he stumbles across Lance in the garden.

Any other time, he'd have thought it strange -that the most social butterfly of the group was off by himself- but he can probably guess where Lance's thoughts were. After all, a wedding of all things is the one place where the loss of a loved one would be felt keenly. Allura had been important to all of them, but Keith's pretty sure she was more than that to him. And he wants to say something, even if just to let him know that he's not alone, but he's terrible at talking to others. No, he can do this. He did it for Hunk, he can do it for Lance.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Come on, Keith, try to be supportive here. "Kinda surprised to find you out here instead of in with everyone else. ...You okay?"

[troublesh00ter]

This should be easy. And in theory, it is. He's always been able to amuse himself by acting out in front of people. Slipping into the role of charming, carefree paladin is as natural as breathing. Parties and other generic celebrations are easy.

Most of the time.

Unfortunately, tonight is not one of those times. Which means he's already in an odd mood when Keith spots him. "The ceremony was beautiful." Hence why he's out here by himself instead of inside being supportive like everyone else. It makes perfect sense... to someone, he's sure. It's the second question that has him shrugging, though. "Yea! I'm fine. Better than fine, even!" It's more convincing if he seems excited, right?

[dispersing]

Keith may not be the most perceptive of the bunch when it comes to emotions and feelings and the like, and he's terrible at talking to people, but this feels like that time with Hunk at the Garrison, and he can't shake the thought that no, Lance really isn't okay at all. Can't shake it, but doesn't know how to get him to open up without the other offering it himself. Unable to find the words, but unwilling to leave him be, Keith makes the decision to move alongside him and join him for a spell in hopes that the other will eventually break.

"What's 'better than fine'?" It's a stupid question, but also one he's genuinely serious about. People say that a lot, but wouldn't it just be easier to say they're great or something? Who knows, people are weird.

[troublesh00ter]

Sometimes, Lance just opens his mouth and allows the first thing words that pop into his head to fall right out. He talks a lot and almost never expects people to pay attention to most of it. This is not specifically one of those times, but it's fair to say that he wasn't expecting Keith to latch onto the phrasing that hard.

Then again, this is Keith he's dealing with. Maybe he should have been expecting it. Either way, he's not immediately sure how to answer. On the one hand, there's always the option of just being honest with the guy. On the other... he's also not sure how well that would work out.

"What's better than fine?" Lance, he literally just asked you that. "Y'know. Super fine."

[dispersing]

"Super fine," he echoes, raising an eyebrow as he eyes Lance cautiously. He's really not the best of the bunch when it comes to things like this, and while it could be that this is just typical Lance behaviour, there's something about it that seems, well, wrong somehow. He can't put his finger on it, but it's there. And speaking of there...

Keith is careful to keep his voice light, not wanting him to think he's being accusatory or prying for information, when all he wants to do is try to understand. "And that's why you're out here instead of with everyone else. Because you're super fine and everything's great." That's it, he's calling his bluff. If it blows up in his face, at least it's not something he's unaccustomed to.

[troublesh00ter]

"Fine isn't good enough to cover it. So... super fine." This all seems very obvious to Lance, if the look he's currently giving his fellow paladin is anything to go on. Or maybe this is just an attempt at deflecting. Either way, he's committed to the bit.

The question isn't all that surprising. For some reason, Keith has always been alarmingly good at seeing through the act. It's regrettable, but there's nothing he can do about it now. He does appreciate the fact that Keith is at least trying to keep things light. "Correct." For a moment, it seems like that's all Keith's going to get, but then-

"What about you?"

[dispersing]

The question has him raising an eyebrow curiously. "What about me?" He gets it though, he really does. And to be fair, his reasons for being out on his own are probably not too far off from Lance's own... except where Lance has nobody to share the evening with, Keith is just, well, Keith.

"I don't do the whole social thing very well. It's exhausting and I'm not good at it. Besides, Shiro knows me well enough to know that if I have to walk away for a while, there's probably a reason." Then again, it's also his way of giving Lance an out in case someone tries to question him as to why he wasn't with everyone. 'I went to bother Keith' is a totally valid explanation, after all, and nobody would bat an eyelash over it, even if it was Lance who wandered off first.

Still, he knows he shouldn't pry... but at the same time, he doesn't know how to say this without making it sound like he is. "You don't have to sit out here by yourself, you know."