( it has to be something, to feel so defined by something that had never been true in the first place — even if the words had come out of his mouth, even if maybe he had meant it at the time his own latent abandonment issues reared their ugly heads and gotten the better of him in a moment of weakness. not that he knows this is what keith is hung up on, because he thought they were past that, but he couldn't be able to say it enough.

i didn't mean it, i didn't mean it, i didn't mean it.

i'm sorry.

i never wanted you to leave.

lance stares at his back for a second as he recedes, as he moves to walk away from him and he has a moment of wondering if he really means it — but. keith would never offer something up like that without meaning it, right? they're close enough that he can expect that from him?

he's still a little unsure, still a little worried even as he takes a tentative step forward, and then moves to follow him, catching that look over his shoulder and seeking to hold eye contact if only for a second before he turns back around. ) If it helps, I wasn't expecting to be company. ( he makes a noise that almost sounds like a hum, but then they're leaving for real, and he jogs a little to catch up. )

What's the deal with this place, anyway? Are there always monsters like that around? ( see, you told him about the guide, and he would still rather ask you instead. what does that tell you? )