JANUARY 24, THURSDAY- LANCE'S ROOM

Lance is in his room, doing homework on his bed, but pauses when he hears a knock at his door

Lance: Come in.

Matt walks in his room, smiling

Matt: Hey.

Lance: Hola, monada.

Matt: Eres mas linda. He walks over to Lance, takes his hand, and plants a small kiss on his wrist

Lance: Laughing When did you learn Spanish?

Matt: About a week ago. And I'm getting pretty good.

Lance: Well, you just said I was a cuter girl.

Matt: Embarrassed Oh... Changing the subject, he didn't hurt you today, did he?

Lance: ... He bit my shoulder in the bathroom. Claims he was "marking me".

Matt: He sits on the bed Want me to kiss it better?

Lance: Chuckles You are so cheesy... But, yes. He takes off his jacket, the faded bruises on his arms still visible, then slides the collar of his shirt down, revealing the bite mark

Matt: Let me know if it hurts. When Lance nods, he starts kissing around the bite mark. It was soft, gentle, slow, and perfect ... Hey, Keith's not coming over today, is he? I don't feel like dealing with him.

Lance: Don't worry. He's helping Shiro fix his car, so they'll be a while.

Ever since they kissed in his car, Matt and Lance started becoming more than just friends behind Keith's (And Shiro's) back. The group knew, thanks to a certain Aro-Ace gremlin, and fully supported the relationship, knowing Matt would treat Lance way better than Keith. Lance was still dating Keith, but his heart truly belonged to Matt, and he would always be cautious whenever he met with him. He couldn't risk Keith hurting him, or worse. He loved every second of their relationship. Small kisses on his cheeks, Matt becoming flustered whenever he would hold Lance, worried it might trigger unpleasant memories, and the constant complimenting. Matt still didn't tell Lance how he and the others were getting dirt on Keith, and Lance didn't tell Matt how Keith is the one murdering people

Matt: So, the Valentines Day dance is in three weeks. Do you maybe... Think you're gonna go?

Lance: Well, I know Keith is gonna drag me to it. Probably to flaunt me in front of everyone as his property.

Matt: Well... You could fake being sick, and we could hang out.

Lance: That won't work. He always insists on taking care of me when I'm sick. And with what's been going on, I don't feel like being alone with him.

Matt: Right. Well, me, and the others are going. We could keep an eye on you. He slowly wraps his arms around Lance, as if asking for permission. When he nods, Matt pulls him in a little closer and kisses him on his forehead

Lance: That'd be nice.

Matt's phone buzzes. He checks and sees it's an urgent text from Pidge

AroAce of Base: I FIXED IT! I FIXED THE PHONE! 🚨 GET OVER HERE!

Alright, on my way

Matt: I gotta go. He kisses Lance on the cheek one more time, then walks to the door

Lance: Alright, I'll see you tomorrow.

MALL

Allura, Shay, and Romelle are in a store looking at outfits for the Valentines Day dance, and discussing Lance, Keith, and Matt

Romelle: Pulls out a blue dress I'll be honest, I'm still kinda worried about Lance.

Allura: Same. Keith hurts Lance for no reason at all, but if he finds about him and Matt, he'll actually have a reason to hit him, or worse!

Romelle: I swear to God, if I even see Keith at the dance, just... Wi-with his hands all over Lance, I'm just gonna-!

Keith?

Romelle is cut off from her small rant, and looks behind her to see James Griffin, with a look of concern on his face

Allura: Pardon?

James: Are you guys talking about Keith Kogane? Mullet, purple eyes?

Shay: Yes. Do you know him?

James: Yeah, the guy is total psycho!

Allura: What? H-how do you-

James: His boyfriend, I guess, needed help, then Keith just shows up out of nowhere and threatens me.

Shay: He threatened you?

James: Yeah. He grabbed me by the fro t of my shirt, then said if I value my life, I'll walk out the door. If you guys are friends with him, maybe just keep your distance. He is about to leave, but Allura stops him

Allura: Wait! She pulls out her phone Could you start your story over?

HOLT HOUSE

Pidge is sitting at her desk and staring at Nyma's phone in disbelief. Matt soon barges into her room

Matt: You really fixed it?!

Pidge: Yeah! And I found Nyma's last text! Look! She shoves the phone in his face. Matt reads the text, and stares at it in disbelief

Matt: This is his old number... Oh my God, that son of a bitch did it.

Pidge: Now we have cold hard evidence! This is irrefutable! Keith is the murderer! We are gonna take that asshole down!

Matt: Alright, but how? Do we show this to the police, and have them deal with him?

Pidge: No. Her tone sends a chill down Matt's spine We do this my way. He hurt Lance, repeatedly, now we're gonna get him back. We'll tell the police after we tell the whole school. Think. What is the one school event no student would ever miss?

Matt: ... The Valentines Day Dance.

Pidge: Exactly! Everyone will be there, even Keith. That prick won't know what hit him!