*i think this is the longest chapter i've written for respawn holy shit. i had to write two arcs in one for this chapter. klance have separate arcs apart from each other this chapter. some langst. not much. but keith's part is very happy. it's fluff but he's Stressed in the fluff. idc if that doesn't make sense. you'll understand when you read it*

(4929 words)

October 7

7:38 am

kmskeith opened a group chat between katiehatesyou, matttheew, and shirogone

kmskeith: okay

kmskeith: cancel any plans you have today because i need h e l p

shirogone: i have no plans any way :/

matttheew: what's going on???

kmskeith: can you watch lance today?

matttheew: of course! why?

kmskeith: i want to go ring shopping today

shirogone: you need me to go with you?

kmskeith: yes. pidge too. she's his best friend and you're my best friend so you two are the ones i need

matttheew: there's a 99.99% chance she's still asleep

shirogone: well she'll see these when she wakes up

kmskeith: i guess i can't go right now anyway. lance is still asleep. he went out with cara and jayden last night and didn't get back till 4am

matttheew: did he turn into a party boy?

kmskeith: kinda? they drag him out almost every saturday. i don't think he even likes going

shirogone: what makes you think that?

kmskeith: he just doesn't seem to be very happy when he's about to leave and comes home wasted. sometimes he's like seriously fucking trashed

matttheew: holy shit. are you sure it's good for him to be getting that drunk that often?

kmskeith: i don't know?? what's a normal amount to drink?? you have me worried now!

shirogone: it's not that bad. it's just social drinking on weekends. it's not like he's drinking on school nights

matttheew: why don't you go to the next party with him? see what's going on with your own eyes

kmskeith: i can't. i just can't be around that stuff. when lance comes home it's a solid reminder of why i can't go with him

matttheew: what do you mean?

kmskeith: i didn't tell you because i'm embarrassed. but im not gonna lie to you. im a former addict. i can't go to parties like that. drugs and alcohol everywhere. i don't trust myself

shirogone: maybe matt should go?

matttheew: i can totally go! i'll just find out where the party is and show up. pretend it's a coincidence. we go to the same school so it wouldn't be that weird for us to end up at the same frat party

kmskeith: that's probably a good idea...

shirogone: i just want to make sure he's not being pressured into anything he doesn't want to do

kmskeith: lance has become a bit of a pushover. he lets people walk all over him. in high school i never noticed but thinking back we were always having to stick up for him or encourage him to say no to people

matttheew: well you have to keep in mind his history

shirogone: what do you mean

matttheew: zack had lance wrapped around his finger. turned him into his little pet. lance wouldn't do anything without zack's permission. you guys weren't around yet. you don't know how bad it was. lance was completly isolated by the time keith came along because zack made him push everyone away. he had him brainwashed into subservience. he doesn't know how to say no anymore. with zack saying no wasn't an option

kmskeith: god everytime someone brings that piece of shit up i want to punch something

matttheew: lance didn't reach out to anyone the entire month of july. i remember because pidge was so worried about him. she would text and he would only send short replies back, making it impossible to have a real conversation. apparently the only person he ever talked to regularly is keith. once lance told me that if keith hadn't had come into his life he would've stayed with zack. but he was starting to crush on keith, someone he knew wouldn't treat him wrong. so he finally worked up the courage to break up with him

kmskeith: and it was another few weeks after that that lance finally let me in. he was still so scared of being hurt. that's why i had to play the friendship game. he made me prove myself

shirogone: every time we talk about him as a group someone says something the rest of us didn't know and it just makes the way he behaves make so much more sense. when you see the whole picture it's a shock that he's not worse than he is

kmskeith: well I've been collaborating with his therapist and we're doing our best to help him work through the trauma he's been through. lance signed a ROI that gives her permission to give me information on his treatment without violating doctor patient confidentiality. i should probabl tell her about all of this. she hasn't done much work with him about zack. it's mostly been the effects of anna, and some of carson since he caused lance to lose months of his recovery

shirogone: you should definitely say something about it

matttheew: when is lance going out again?

kmskeith: i think tonight. he doesn't have classes tomorrow

matttheew: jfc 2 days in a row?

shirogone: scrap the last plan. when you're watching lance just ask him what he's doing tonight and if he says a party then ask to tag along

matttheew: that sound work. and that'll give you 2 a little longer to search for a good ring

kmskeith: well good thing you sent that pic of the one he likes because i would be completely lost without it

katiehatesyou: why are you assholes blowing up my phone at 8am

shirogone: keith needs us to go ring shopping with him

katiehatesyou: holy shit! are you going to propose soon??

kmskeith: not like now or anything. i just want to get it now so i know i have it ready. i'm still trying to work out the details of how i'm going to ask him. it's a marriage proposal. it has to be fucking perfect

matttheew: okay. game plan. i watch lance today and make sure there's nothing more to this whole party boy situation. shiro and pidge go ring shopping with keith and get the perfect ring. i'll bring lance home after the party. you should have found a good hiding place by then

katiehatesyou: wait what party boy situation?

shirogone: just scroll up

kmskeith: we still need a cover story

katiehatesyou: just tell him shiro is having boy problems and needs dude bro support. and dont tell him i'm with you guys. he doesn't need to know that. it would make the story less believable. if he asks, i was home in bed all day binge watching netflix

shirogone: yeah that should work. just tell him i want to keep it private. if we're not giving details then we cant contradict each other

kmskeith: perfect

matttheew: i just told jake our plan so he knows i'm going to be out tonight

kmskeith: it's probs gonna be a few hours before lance wakes up. he only went to bed like 4 hours ago

katiehatesyou: yeah me too but i'm awake

matttheew: you run on 4 hours of sleep on average

katiehatesyou: okay that's fair

2:13 pm

kmskeith: okay. me and lance about to leave for matt's. he's still feeling his hangover

matttheew: jake just left so it'll be just me and lance

shirogone: i'm ready to go whenever you guys are

katiehatesyou: i'm ready

kmskeith: why don't you two head on over. i'll be at the store by the time you get here

shirogone: okay i'm coming to pick you up pidge

katiehatesyou: okay

2:41 pm

Keith stood outside the jewelry store as he waited for Shiro and Pidge to show up. He had been standing there for ten minutes when the pair of them finally walked up to the door, "Finally, you're here."

Pidge looked at Shiro, "I told you he'd be freaking out."

"I am not!"

Shiro sighed, "It's okay to be nervous, Keith. It's a big decision you have to make today. But we're here to help."

Keith took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Okay... Okay," he pulled out his phone and showed them the picture of the ring Matt had sent him nearly four weeks prior, "Apparently Lance said this is the kind of the ring he would want. Matt, being the genius he is, was able to use a proposal on TV to get Lance talking about it."

Pidge chuckled, "I'm not sure if I'd call that dumbass a genius."

"It doesn't matter what he is," Shiro said, "We have a picture of the ring. Let's get in here and find a good one."

The three walked inside. Pidge spoke, "If you already know what to get then why are we here?"

Keith shrugged, "I just feel better knowing you two are here. So, moral support, I guess."

Shiro pat Keith's shoulder, "Do you know his ring size?"

Keith nodded, "I measured his finger when he was knocked out drunk so he wouldn't find out. 8 ¾."

Pidge walked over to one of the cases of rings, "I know he always said he likes traditional rings. So the silver with white diamonds is definitely the colors he wants. We might not be able to find that exact ring in the picture but we should be able to find something close to it."

Shiro looked at the rings too, "You know, you can buy rings online now. You could've asked Matt where he got the picture and bought the exact ring."

"Yeah, I know," Keith said, "But picking it out in the store is special."

Pidge smiled at him, "Lance's romantic side has definitely worn away at your lazy side."

Keith smiled back, "Even though he's not here for this part everything about this has to be special and perfect. I can't buy him a ring online. We're doing everything the traditional way. That's the way he wants it. I know him well enough to know that."

"Is he going to wear a dress down the aisle too?" Shiro asked, chuckling.

"No, he's going to wear a white suit," Pidge said as she continued to look for a good ring, "He's been planning his wedding in his head since before I met him."

Keith looked at her, "What else did he say?"

Pidge shrugged, "He wants bluebells and white lilies for the flowers. He said I would be his maid of honor and I would wear something that matches the flowers. He said I didn't have to wear a dress if I didn't want to, I probably will though because it would make him happy. Hm... What else... I'll tell you if I remember any other details. Just keep looking at rings."

Keith nodded, looking back at the case, "Did he say anything about the proposal?"

"Just that if he was the one to propose he would get the parents' blessing first, and that if his fiance were to be the one to propose he would hope they would do the same. It's really important to his family to follow all those traditions."

Keith smiled, "I already got that. I didn't even have to ask for it."

Shiro tapped Keith's shoulder with one and pointed at a ring with the other, "What about this one? It's not too expensive and looks a lot like the pic."

Keith leaned over and looked at it. It was a lot like the ring in the picture. The one in the picture had one row of large, circular diamonds in the middle and smaller diamonds above and below it. This ring had square-shaped diamonds, but the sized rows were the same. Keith looked back and forth between the picture and the ring a few times. Everything other than the stone shape was exactly the same, "I think this is the one."

Pidge smiled, "I think so too."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The three walked out of the store with smiles on their faces. The store had to order the ring in Lance's size but it wouldn't take too long.

Shiro held the door open for the other two, "You can keep the ring at my place so Lance doesn't find it. I'll tell my dad and Adam ahead of time so they don't get the wrong idea if they find it in my room."

Keith nodded, "Good idea. Thank you."

Pidge checked the time on her phone, "It's only 3:30. Lance and Matt won't be going to that party for hours."

"Yeah, I should text Matt to check-in," Keith pulled out his phone.

kmskeith: how's it going?

matttheew: great! i have an invite to the party tonight. he's doing good without you, so don't worry about that. he's made a lot of progress the past 2 months. did you get the ring?

kmskeith: it's been ordered. i'm going to keep it at shiro's until it's time

matttheew: good idea. do you want to talk to lance? he always avoids his phone when he's here so i'll have to give him my phone. he says being on his phone here stresses him out because he's constantly having to see what time it is

kmskeith: yeah, i'll call you

Calling matttheew...

Ringing...

Ringing...

Connecting...

"Keith! How is everything going with Shiro?"

"It's all going fine, Lancey. Don't worry about it. I was just calling to check on you."

"Well, you don't worry about it because I'm fine. Matt is going to go out with me, Cara, and Jayden tonight! It's going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah, sounds like it. Do you want to just stay over there until the party? I can come get you after if you can't get another ride."

"Sounds good to me. Can you drop off an outfit for me though?"

"Sure. Just text me what you want so I don't forget."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too, Lancey. Have fun. Check-in with me when you can."

"I'll try. Bye."

"Bye."

Keith hung up the phone. He hated being apart from Lance for this long when Lance wasn't with his family, but he knew he was safe with Matt. He looked back at Shiro and Pidge, "The second plan is in motion. Matt got invited to the party tonight. He's going to stay there until after the party but I'm going over for a bit to drop off an outfit."

"Good," Pidge said, "If anyone is pressuring Lance then Matt will stop it."

Keith sighed, "I really hope they're not. Cara and Jayden are the only friends he's made in school. I want more than anything for him to have good friends."

Shiro smiled, "I know it's not the same with us being so far apart, but he'll always have us."

Keith smiled back, "We appreciate it."

Pidge started walking again, "Well, let's get going. You have an outfit to drop off and I have a loser boyfriend to get back to."

Keith smirked at her, "Right, that guy Lance told me about. The one you insisted wasn't interested in you."

Pidge rolled her eyes, "Shut up. We're going on a date tonight and I've got to get ready. We're going to Jude's after."

"What a cock block," Shiro said.

Pidge looked at him, "Shiro."

"What?" Shiro asked, then he realized, "Oh, I forgot. Ace."

Pidge nodded, looking forward again as they reached Shiro's SUV, "Jude doesn't like to third-wheel, he gets uncomfortable when Jude and I get all, yaknow, coupley. But we don't like leaving him out so we decided to go to his place after so we get couple time and friend time in the same night. It's my first time going over. Apparently, his parents are strict and he has to give like a two weeks advance or some shit to have friends over so they can 'prepare'. It's bullshit, really."

Keith frowned, "Well, I hope you guys I have. I'll text you when I figure out this drinking situation Lance has going on."

"You better," Pidge said, "Smack the shit out of him for me if he's just being a stupid dickhead."

"I think I would go to jail for that so I'll pass."

Pidge shrugged then looked at Shiro, "Are we going or not."

"I was waiting for you!" Shiro rolled his eyes and got in the car, "Bye, Keith."

"Bye," Keith watched the two drive away before walking to his motorcycle and heading home to get Lance the outfit he requested. He always wore more revealing clothing to parties. Keith didn't like that very much but he wasn't going to start telling Lance what to do. So he just stated his disapproval one time and left it at that.

"I just don't think it's smart. You're going to be drinking, there's a lot of hot people around. Trust me, I know what's going through gay guys' heads when they see you dressed like this."

"You trust me, Keith. Let people think whatever the hell they want. Nothing is going to happen. I'll be with Cara and Jayden the whole time so I'll be safe if someone makes a move on me. And you know I won't make a move on anyone else, right? You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes, I trust you... Wear whatever you want, Lancey. I just wanted you to know how I feel about it."

He got Lance the shorts, thigh highs, and crop top he wanted before dropping it off at Matt's. He stayed just long enough to have a moment with Lance before heading back to the apartment, leaving Lance in Matt's hands.

10:14 pm

Lance and Matt walked into the party together, Lance pointing to the back corner where his two friends stood, "That's them back there," he grabbed Matt's arm and maneuvered through the crowd of drunken college students, "Cara! Jayden!"

The two turned to look at him, smiles on their faces and drinks in hand, "There you are, you're late!" Cara said.

Lance and Matt finally reached them, "Yeah, I know. I brought a friend. This is Matt."

Cara raised an eyebrow, "Your best friend's older brother?"

Lance nodded, "Yeah, he's my friend too. I'm over at his apartment every Tuesday. I told you that."

"Yeah, but you never said a name. You just said a friend," Jayden said before turning to look at Matt, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jayden."

Matt smiled at him, "Nice to meet you too. Lance has told me a bit about you guys," he turned to Cara, "You must be Cara then."

"Yeah, yeah," Cara waved him off before grabbing Lance's hand, "Let's get you a drink," she pulled him along.

Jayden watched the two walk away before looking at Matt, "She's not usually that rude. She just has something she's been dying to tell him."

Matt nodded, "Okay, glad it's nothing I did," he looked over to where Lance and Cara were talking as Lance poured himself a drink, "I think I'm going to get a drink too."

Jayden nodded, watching Matt walk off. He looked at him skeptically but just stayed standing in the corner. He was the designated driver and didn't need to go get a drink.

Matt went to pour himself a drink while listening in on Cara and Lance. They were going on about some guy they always bump into at the library and how he had cornered her to make a move on her. Matt figured that conversation wasn't relevant to what he was here for so he stopped eavesdropping. He just stood by the counter with the drinks for about ten minutes until Lance walked over.

Lance got himself another drink, "Why did you ask to come if you're just going to stand here all night?"

Matt chuckled, "Okay, it's only been ten minutes and I was waiting for you. And I came because I have nothing better to do tonight."

Lance was about to say something but he was cut off by a guy approaching them, "There's that fucking fag again."

Lance turned around, seeing two men standing in front of him, "Lucas.. Taylor.."

One of them stepped forward, the one named Lucas, "I thought we told you not to come back here."

Matt frowned and stepped to stand in front of Lance, "You can't tell him what to do."

Taylor chuckled, "This is our party dipshit. Let me guess, you're his little boyfriend."

"Actually, I'm just his friend. Not that that is any of your concern."

At this point, Jayden had walked over. He put his hand on Taylor's chest, "Back off before I make you."

Lucas shoved Jayden, "You better check yourself, midnight."

Lance then stepped forward with two drinks in hand before dumping them on the two frat boys' heads, "Leave me and my friends the fuck alone," he didn't usually stand up for himself but he knew he was well protected and he wasn't going to put up with that racism and homophobia.

Taylor was about to lunge for Lance when Jayden stepped between them and punched him in the face before he could. A full fight broke out between the two but Lance wasn't amused. He just rolled his eyes and walked back to get himself a new drink since he had just dumped his.

Matt backed away and looked at Lance, "Does this happen often?"

Lance nodded, "I'm usually not this involved, but Jayden is a brawl waiting to happen," he chugged his drink before pouring himself a new one.

Matt frowned, "Don't you think you're going a little fast?"

"No faster than usual," Lance drank that one a little slower.

Matt sighed and got himself another drink. He didn't want to keep the one he had before since he had left it unattended.

Lance walked past the two boys fighting on the ground, drinking more as he walked. Matt watched him go, figuring he didn't need to hover over him every second. That and it seemed like Lance was drinking like that willingly, no one had told him to drink but he had already had three.

Matt kept a safe distance from Lance during the party; staying close enough to keep an eye on him and interact him but far enough that he wasn't hovering over him. He watched Lance continue to drink. He took an hour break from the alcohol to drink some water. Then he got another alcoholic drink and went outside. Matt followed him out, going to sit next to him on the steps.

"How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Fucking superb," Lance threw his empty cup on the ground. He had sobered up a bit during that hour of drinking water, but only a bit.

"You don't look like it," Matt sighed, "You can tell me, Lance. How are you really feeling?"

"Honestly..." Lance paused, looking at the ground, "I really don't want to be here. It's the same shit every week. Listen to gossip about people I don't even know, drink, watch Jayden get in a fight, drink, want to go home, drink. It just goes on and on and on and on-"

"On and on, I get it... Have you told Cara and Jayden you don't want to come?"

Lance shook his head, "It's what they want to do. They're happy. I don't want to be the one to fuck that up."

"You wouldn't be fucking anything up. Just tell them you would rather not come. They can go on without you. They'll still be happy and you can spend your evening doing what makes you happy."

Lance scoffed, "Like what? Watching Netflix with Keith like every other fucking night. At least I'm getting out and doing something right now."

"Well, have you told Keith you want to go out more?"

Lance frowned, "...No."

Matt sighed, "Lance, you have to tell people what you want. We can't read your mind. Everyone thinks you're happy. They will continue to think so if you don't tell them otherwise."

Lance wrapped his arms around himself, "I don't want to burden anyone..."

Matt took off his jacket and put it over Lance's shoulders, "You won't be burdening anyone. We want you to be happy. I don't know your friends very well but I'm sure they'll understand."

Lance looked over at him, "I just want to go home."

"I'll take you home. I only had half a drink two hours ago; I can drive."

Lance nodded, "Okay..."

The two went inside and tracked down Cara and Jayden, who were in the upstairs bathroom cleaning a cut on Jayden's cheek.

"Hey!" Cara said, smiling at them, "You ran off."

Lance nodded, "Yeah, we're leaving," he looked down.

Jayden frowned, "Why?"

"I just.. I don't want to be here..." Lance kept looking down, refusing to look at them, "I never want to be here. I hate parties."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cara asked as she stood, "We wouldn't keep dragging you along if we knew."

Lance shrugged, not answering. So Matt answered for him, "Lance has an issue with telling people what he wants."

Cara walked over and gave Lance a hug, "I'm sorry... But you can tell us anything. Okay? I want you to know that."

Lance nodded, hugging her back, "I know."

Jayden watched as Cara let him go, "What else haven't you told us?"

Lance tensed up a bit, "There's one thing... One really, really big thing. Something I didn't want to tell anyone."

"Does it have to do with a girl named Anna?" Cara asked.

Lance looked up at them with wide eyes, "How do you know that name?"

"You kept saying it the first time we got you drunk," Jayden said, "We promised Keith we wouldn't say anything because he told us it was something you didn't want anyone to know about."

Lance looked back down, "You won't believe me... So I guess I'll just send you the articles and explain more after that."

"Articles?" Jayden asked, "Whatever happened made it on the news?"

Lance nodded, "Not TV news, just articles. Everyone in my home town knows what happened. People were always asking me about it, playing pranks on me, full-on harassing me. I didn't want anyone to know because I wanted to get away from it all. It was horrible. First, there was the accident when I was 13, then the Anna incident, then the Carson incident. And once that was all over, nobody would let me forget it. Like, I get it, I should be dead right now. No need to rub it in my face all the fucking time."

Cara frowned, a bit confused by the last part but figured she should let him explain tomorrow, "No matter what happened I want you to know you'll still be our friend."

Lance smiled a bit, looking back up at them, "I'll send you the articles tomorrow."

Cara gave him a second hug, "Okay. Be safe on the way home."

Lance nodded before pulling away, "We will be."

Matt then took Lance home, it didn't take them long to get there.

Lance went to get ready for bed while Keith and Matt talked by the front door.

"How did it go?" Keith asked.

"Well," Matt said, "He was only drinking because he was miserable. He really doesn't like going. But he never told Cara and Jayden he doesn't. He told them tonight though. They're going to stop bringing him along."

Keith sighed, "I thought he seemed unhappy about it. I should've done something about it sooner."

Matt frowned, "He probably wouldn't have told you. I think the only reason he told me was that he's been drinking. But there's more. He told Cara and Jayden he would tell them about Anna. He's going to send them articles about it tomorrow."

Keith's eyes widened, "Shit. I didn't think he ever would."

"Do you think he's ready for that?"

Keith paused, "I don't know. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow when he's thinking more clearly."

Matt nodded, "Good idea."

"It's not your decision," Lance said, having just walked into the room. He was wearing his pajamas and had taken his makeup off.

Keith turned to look at him, "I'm not saying it is, baby. I just want to make sure you're ready. That's all. I was just going to talk to you about it."

Lance nodded, looking down, "Okay... But I think I am ready. I can't run from my past forever."

Keith sighed, "Let's just get to bed. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"I'll leave you two alone," Matt said, "I'll text you tomorrow."

Keith nodded, "Bye, Matt," he watched him leave before closing and locking the door behind him, then he turned to Lance, "How are you feeling?"

Lance shrugged, "We left before I could drink that much. Well, I did drink a lot. But only like a third of what I usually drink. So better than I usually do when I get home."

"Okay. But how are you feeling emotionally?"

"I'm fine. It's whatever. Let's go to bed."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

Keith crossed his arms, "You said that it's whatever. I know you only say that when you're upset and don't want anyone to know. You stopped saying it to me once I figured it out but you're buzzed and didn't catch yourself this time."

Lance frowned, "Oh..."

Keith walked over to him and hugged him, "You can tell me."

Lance didn't hug him back, "Let's just go to bed."

Keith sighed, letting him go, "Okay. We'll talk in the morning."

October 8

1:39 pm

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/13-year-old-girl-dies-in-boating-accident

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/lindin-police-investigating-double-kidnapping

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/suspect-charged-in-lindin-county-attempted-muder-and-double-kidnapping-case

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/annbella-foster-sentenced-to-life-in-prison

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/mcclain-family-under-fire

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/lcpd-investigating-deadly-shooting-saturday-morning

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/mcclain-attacked-again

leggylance: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/carson-carter-trial-ends-today

leggylance: read these and i'll answer any questions you have after that. i don't think you'll believe me if i just tell you

carabear: okay. but i'm sure we would've believed you either way

notjaydensmith: i'll read it after work, i promise

2:04 pm

carabear: holy shit lance

carabear: i understand why you thought we wouldn't believe it. that's just crazy

leggylance: that's why i get my panic attacks. it's ptsd

notjaydensmith: hold up i havent read it yet. it's so bad you got ptsd?

carabear: just read it for yourself jayjay

notjaydensmith: okay. but it'll be a while before i can

5:08 pm

notjaydensmith: holy shit i just read it

carabear: i can't imagine what that must've been like lance

leggylance: it was the worst experience of my life. she almost won the game

carabear: omg you almost killed yourself???

leggylance: during the game i thought about it. i was going to do it but then the challenge ended. but i have had 2 attempts. 1 before and 1 after

notjaydensmith: i understand why you didn't tell us about the other stuff but you could've told us about your mental state without going into detail. if you told us you have ptsd we wouldn't have pushed you to talk about it

carabear: we want to be good friends but we can't do that if you keep lying to us. i'm not mad. i just want you to know you can always be open with us

notjaydensmith: we cant help you with panic attacks if we don't know the real cause of it. we couldn't do anything that one time. and we definitely can't help you with your triggers if we don't know what they are

carabear: i'm a psychology major too. i can help you work through it if you let me

leggylance: i'm sorry

notjaydensmith: no. we're the ones who should be sorry for not realizing there was more going on

carabear: we'll be better friends from now on. i promise

leggylance: i couldn't ask for better friends than i already have

*so i don't drink if you can't tell that from what i wrote lmao. i did the best i could with what i remember from my sister getting drunk at camp every weekend and the one time i got drunk two years ago. i wasnt intending on so much angst because this is supposed to be a happily ever after book. but let's be real. lance has Problems. and i just couldn't help myself. langst is my lifeline. but anyway. next chapter will be allura and romelle.*